One player Pep Guardiola earmarked for a starting role next season ‘betrays’ him, while Chelsea and Brighton should trust their loanees more next season.
 
GOALKEEPER: Carl Rushworth (Brighton, on loan at Swansea)
No Premier League club has ever rotated their starting goalkeeper more often than Brighton in Roberto De Zerbi’s first – and perhaps only – full season as manager. Neither Bart Verbruggen nor Jason Steele have started more than four consecutive games in all competitions and the former’s recent diplomatic admission that such a policy “has its challenges” was telling.Both keepers have inevitably suffered for the unpredictability over their positions and the solution moving forward, particularly with the European plate unlikely to be in need of spinning next season, could be to establish a true first choice. And perhaps a line could be drawn under the whole thing by giving England U21 shot-stopper Rushworth a chance when he returns from his fourth loan, this time with Championship mid-table dwellers Swansea.


The Welsh club would prefer to keep Rushworth for at least another season. But after consecutive campaigns impressing in League Two (Walsall), League One (Lincoln City) and now the second tier, it could be time for the 22-year-old to make the final step before eventually joining Chelsea.
READ MORE: Who is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in 2023/24?
 
RIGHT-BACK: Yan Couto (Manchester City, on loan at Girona)
There are a few Girona toys Manchester City might want to loot from their multi-club ownership younger sibling. Artem Dovbyk has been exceptional in Spain and an unlikely, fading La Liga title challenge has been fuelled in large part by the central-midfield excellence of Aleix Garcia. Savio is already expected to make the Etihad move this summer.The hope will be that Couto does the same. In his third separate spell with Girona, the right-back trails only three players for La Liga assists and has earned international recognition with Brazil, making his debut in October. His rise would ordinarily have been timed perfectly to take over from Kyle Walker soon, but the 21-year-old ‘betrays’ Guardiola with his own plans.
 
CENTRE-BACK: Tom Holmes (Luton, on loan at Reading)
The transfer restraint Luton have shown in their first season as a Premier League club was underlined in January, when Reading vice-captain Holmes was signed from and sent straight back to the Royals to continue his development on loan.A popular player at the Madejski, a long-term injury has unfortunately sidelined Holmes for much of this League One season but his aggressive style would mesh well at Luton. If points deductions and hilariously late goals are not enough to save the Hatters from relegation, the 24-year-old could slot straight into a remodelled Championship defence.
Related video: Who Will Win The Title Race? | The Premier League Panel (Dailymotion)

 
CENTRE-BACK: Yerson Mosquera (Wolves, on loan at Villarreal)
Their precarious financial standing means Wolves will likely have to consider more major sales this summer, while investing wisely on players who offer more value for money. The other side of that coin might be in salvaging some of those high-profile loanees from a list which includes Fabio Silva, Daniel Podence, Goncalo Guedes, Sasa Kalajdzic, Ki-Jana Hoever and Chiquinho.One of those who could benefit from O’Neil’s brand of coaching is Mosquera, signed on a five-year deal in June 2021 but yet to make his Premier League debut. The centre-half has had more loan clubs than Wolves appearances; the one game he did play for the club came under Bruno Lage in the League Cup and ended after nine minutes due to injury.
Villarreal gave the 22-year-old a platform in January and have lost just once since. He should absolutely be a Yerson of interest to Wolves at the very least.
 
LEFT-BACK: Ian Maatsen (Chelsea, on loan at Dortmund)
The danger, as with any homegrown Chelsea player, is that the potential pure profit is too good to turn down. There will be no summer wiggle room unless the Blues offload some of those players, with Conor Gallagher in the perennial crosshairs.Chelsea have rejected £30m offers for Maatsen before and might not be moved to do so again. No buy option exists in the fine print of the Dutchman’s loan to Dortmund but the new contract he signed at Stamford Bridge before leaving contains a £35m release clause.
The Blues do, however, need a competent and reliable left-back. Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella seem entirely unwilling to fill that role but Maatsen – Champions League mistake against Atletico notwithstanding – has surely earned the opportunity.
Chelsea could sell Chilwell
Chelsea pair Ian Maatsen and Ben Chilwell.
 
RIGHT-WINGER: Yankuba Minteh (Newcastle, on loan at Feyenoord)
“Would I like to play for Feyenoord next season? I don’t know. Feyenoord are a great club and if I get the opportunity, I would like to stay, but it depends on Newcastle United’s decision.”
Minteh timed those teasing comments on his future wonderfully. The 19-year-old had just scored two goals and assisted another in a ruthless deconstruction of Ajax, taking his personal tally for the season to 10 and four respectively. That includes his first Champions League goal and an equaliser away at dominant Eredivisie leaders Ajax.


Another year at Feyenoord does seem probable; while he is thriving in the Netherlands, trusting a teenager to make that leap to the Premier League after one season at a vaguely scalable level would rank somewhere between brave and stupid. But Minteh even giving Newcastle a question to ponder over the summer is testament to his growth.
 
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Flynn Downes (West Ham, on loan at Southampton)
Even with the sale of Declan Rice this summer, Downes “knew that it would be tough” getting into a West Ham midfield augmented by the signings of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse. The 25-year-old looked like a Kalvin Phillips-level pointless signing the previous season having summarily failed to earn the trust and faith of David Moyes, and subsequently clutched at his Russell Martin safety blanket.He has been excellent for Southampton since and was only ever likely to be; Downes is a supreme Championship midfielder under the tutelage of his ideal manager. The point is whether Moyes – who is “really pleased he’s doing well” on the coast – has been sufficiently convinced. Or indeed whether he is the coach who will need convincing come the summer.
 
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Scott Twine (Burnley, on loan at Bristol City)
Vincent Kompany explained that a summer loan move for Twine “would be ideal” after Burnley’s promotion as he would “get loads of game time” with an ambitious Hull side in the Championship. The young midfielder was used in a Championship-winning season but only sparsely, with injury playing a part.The plan has worked in a roundabout way. Twine scored four goals and assisted three for the Tigers by January, but Burnley recalled a player they felt was being used in the wrong position. He remains camped in the Championship, however, linking up with Liam Manning, who unlocked his best version at MK Dons, by joining Bristol City.


Twine has suffered with injuries again this campaign but Burnley’s probable relegation could make his increased Championship experience crucial for a summer rebuild.
 
LEFT-WINGER: Abdallah Sima (Brighton, on loan at Rangers)
It underlines how much has changed at Brighton in such a short space of time than Sima was a Dan Ashworth signing eyed for a long-term role under Graham Potter. The figures overseeing his development have changed, but not the idea itself.Gordon Green, Pathway Development Manager for the Seagulls, recently noted that the forward “has done really well and we are really happy with him”. Even with a hamstring injury sidelining him for a couple of months, Sima has scored 16 goals and assisted two in Scotland.
Brighton have found success letting others borrow and polish their gems recently. The hope is that Sima can follow Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma, Simon Adingra and Jan Paul van Hecke in maximising the subsequent first-team opportunity when he returns.
 
CENTRE-FORWARD: Deniz Undav (Brighton, on loan at Stuttgart)
The same stands for Undav, whose route has already been somewhat unconventional. The 27-year-old had a phenomenal time with sister club Union SG and did show glimpses of that excellence for Brighton last season, scoring five goals in relatively few minutes. But it was mutually agreed that another loan would serve him best in the summer to allow Evan Ferguson, Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck enough breathing space.It is impossible to argue that the wrong decision was made. Undav has fired Stuttgart’s Champions League qualification push with a scoring rate trailing only Serhou Guirassy, Harry Kane, Cristhian Stuani, Lautaro Martinez and Lois Openda of the regular starters across Europe’s top five leagues.

“I would like him to stay with us and I think next season he can play in the first XI a lot of times,” De Zerbi said recently, adding: “He is improving. He is a different player to what I found when I came to Brighton.” The only variable seems to be whether the manager himself will be the one who benefits.
READ MORE: Undav high in ranking of Dan Ashworth signings by chance of following him to Man Utd
 
CENTRE-FORWARD: David Datro Fofana (Chelsea, on loan at Burnley)
Nicolas Jackson has not been close to as bad as his harshest critics would claim. His nine goals and three assists were nudged along by Ange Postecoglou’s glorious high defensive line in November but for a player leading the line of a consistent side in his second full professional top-flight season, that return is admirable.The question is whether any player would have made a similar impact when dropped into a Chelsea team whose problem has never been creating chances. Watching Fofana score four goals and generally impress for a relegation-bound side, it is not difficult to imagine the 21-year-old faring better.
Chelsea would inevitably prefer to sign a more experienced and consistent striker option than both, but Fofana has ensured he cannot be ignored as an option.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confronts journalist over ‘horrible interview’

Jurgen Klopp looks unhappy during a pre-match press conference
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was involved in an awkward exchange with a Dutch journalist over a “horrible interview” with Jordan Henderson.
The England midfielder left Liverpool in the summer to pursue a controversial move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq before cutting short his stay in the Middle East to move back to Europe with Ajax in January.

Jurgen Klopp: What a horrible interview that was

Klopp, who could be succeeded by Ruben Amorim in the summer, was addressing the assembled media in a pre-match press conference ahead of the Reds’ Europa League quarter-final match against Serie A side Atalanta.
And the Liverpool chose to give one journalist a particularly hard time about an interview conducted with Henderson over his performance for Ajax.
When spoken to by the Dutch journalist, Klopp responded: “You are not the one who interviewed Jordan Henderson, are you?”
The journalist replied: “No, that was my colleague.”
READ MORE: Five Sporting players Ruben Amorim should bring with him to Liverpool
Before Klopp then asked: “He a friend of yours? What a horrible interview that was. Do you know anybody who liked it?”
The reporter added: “I spoke to [his colleague] and he regretted a bit the interview, he was a bit too hard. He said it all on television.”
Related video: "Playing against us is like going to dentists too" - Liverpool boss Klopp (SNTV)

It didn't look like that we will be involved in

Klopp ended the awkward conversation: “Wow, OK. I take that apology on behalf of Hendo.”
The Liverpool manager was referring to a tense ESPN interview after Ajax’s 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard in March with a report asking Henderson if it was his and the Dutch side’s “worst performance” of the season.
An unhappy Henderson replied to the journalist : “No, because we didn’t lose. It’s always worse when you lose a game.”
When probed again whether it was their “worst performance”, a frustrated Henderson bluntly said: “You can call it what you want.”

Jurgen Klopp provides update on key Liverpool trio

In the rest of the pre-match press conference, Klopp did not rule out Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker being involved against Atalanta.
The Liverpool boss told reporters: “Obviously we didn’t rush it with the boys. That means they did a lot of training by themselves. Diogo and Trent worked as a group since two, three weeks and could do really proper training. It was very good yesterday.


“Stefan is different a little bit because he was out for much longer but is now training with us for longer as well. I think after the long spell he had without playing football it makes sense that we might give him a game in the under-21s and then let’s see how he deals with that.
“That’s not the plan with the other three guys. They are now back in training and now we have to see how we involve them, how we use them. That we need them is clear, but we need them in the best possible shape and we want to give them a kind of rhythm.
“It’s always a challenge to reintegrate the guys but, with the quality they have, obviously it should be a bit easier and we will use them in the next days and weeks. What it means for tomorrow, I didn’t make a decision yet.”
READ MORE: Who are football’s top goalscorers of 2024? Kane closing on Mbappe but Haaland way off

Man City fans quiet because they’ve got ‘nothing to be angry about’

Manchester-City-fans-in-Madrid
Where are all the Man City fans? Well, they’re just enjoying bring brilliant and aren’t angry like fans of other big clubs.
E-mail us at theeditor@football365.com
 
Man City fans are too mature to be angry
Was an interesting message earlier about why City fans aren’t writing in huge numbers after the game in Madrid on Tuesday.


Really it’s because we’re not angry. Read the mailbox and it’s 90%, cough, fans of the big red clubs full of righteous indignation when something doesn’t go their way. Or, increasingly, when they laughably perceive some grand conspiracy against them or (as with Arsenal this week) have invented their own siege mentality to the bemusement of the rest of the world.
I’ve got nothing really to be angry about, or at least nothing that I feel other fans should care about. That’s the thing, these, cough, fans, think the world should care about them. I don’t. We’ve had some ropey refereeing decisions this season like everyone that have largely gone under the radar as Pep hasn’t immediately demanded a written explanation from the authorities, but that happens. We’ve had some go our way too, big deal. Poor refereeing happens to everyone, there’s no conspiracy either way.
Related video: If Manchester City win the back-to-back treble, are they the greatest team of all time?! (Homestand Sports)

Double trouble is insane. I think that's pretty.

We’re a fairly mature fanbase, as in the FA’s surveys tend to show we have an older average age for match-going fans than most. I’ve had a season ticket since 1983…I was angry when we lost at home to Bury and one of the directors phoned into local radio to say he saw no future at the club. I was angry when Sky decided to experiment with pay per view for our away games in the third division. I am angry when we get dragged down to London games repeatedly for games ending hours after the last trains leave at less than a fortnight’s notice.
I’m not angry about anything to do with a European Cup quarter final. We could have Javier Tebas walking on the pitch, delivering a sermon on behalf of the far-right party he supports (that definitely doesn’t make all the comments he makes about ‘Arabs’ in football extremely sinister) then picking up the ball and throwing in a last minute winner – but compared to Bury at home, Luton in 1983, Gary Lund’s winner for Notts County in 1991, losing 4-1 at Lincoln and the rest, it’s a first world problem.


And I don’t expect anyone else to care either.
Gav, Edinburgh
 
,,,Hi John Jack. Hope you are well, thanks for asking.
I think most City fans as Mark said are just enjoying our current success, as fans of a certain age remember pre-2008.
Also nothing we ever say or do will make any difference to other fans, so why bother?
Cheers.
K (nothing big or clever to put in here)
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? Head straight to the comments…
 
Oh Liverpool fans, what are you doing?
The people who wrote in complaining about Liverpool’s arrogance and linking it to VVD should be embarrassed. One bloody match – we didn’t even lose for Christ’s sake. Quansah is a young player- he made a mistake… on the half way line!!! Any other Man United player would have passed back to his own keeper from there.
All these people would have sold their soul for a shot at the title this year – so please let’s show a bit of class now. Supporting a team is about…well… supporting a team. So just try to do that now and don’t turn on them like f**king vultures.


Michael, Ireland
 
When is a Big Chance not very big at all?
Here’s a stats quiz. In the Premier League this season, what percentage of Opta-defined big chances have been converted? Is it:
A) 41.6%
B) 37.4%
C) 33.5%
D) 28.2%
Remember that the definition of a big chance is “a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score.”
Now the answer: none of the above. Only 23.0% of big chances have been scored this season.
To which the only possible response is: WTAF? If a player should ‘reasonably’ be expected to score such chances, and they’re scored less than a quarter of the time, either Premier League players are really awful at scoring goals or there’s something wrong with the standard. I know which I’d pick.
But the stat is still fascinating, because by defining big chances in this manner, Opta is jettisoning the entire reason for its existence. Opta is there to collect quantifiable data, and it’d be so easy to define big chances by xG, a concrete, quantifiable standard. But here instead they go with a vague ‘reasonable’ standard which can’t be nailed down.

Just as interesting, it’s a standard which I think approximates the average fan’s view of things. The fact is, shots with an xG as high as .23 don’t come along every minute. They’re good chances, at least compared with most of the others we see. So it seems reasonable to expect our players to score them.
Naturally the media conspires in this. When commentators say “he has to score in that situation,” they’re often referring to a chance not much better than 23%.
So is the ‘big chance’ an unconscious nod to the more traditional fan? Either way, I’m all for it. If you miss a 23% chance, you may still be a good player. But if you miss a ‘big chance, you’re useless, rubbish, a donkey, etc. etc. And isn’t that what football’s all about?
Peter G, Pennsylvania, USA
 
View from the kids’ area at the Emirates…
Was at the Arsenal game in the family section on Tuesday night. Oddly not having away fans in a section actually dampened the atmosphere at bit.

That said there were Bayern fans in the ground. Saw a few through the game but they were quiet and not bothering anyone.
Then – with 5 minutes to go – it all kicked off. A group of c30 Bayern fans, coordinated by a WhatsApp group, rushed to front of the block of three family. They all started signing and jumping in the isle together at once. A poor girl at the front got knocked over. Then the punches started – as Arsenal fans pushed back against it. This was followed by a rain of bottles at the Bayern fans – unhelpfully most of these hit those of us with kids in the family section.
Stewards reacted late but when they did they did well and got the Bayern fans out fast. Police were nowhere at all.
No moral to this story. Clearly it’s very hard to keep out all fans from a team. Any Arsenal fans who sold their seat should hang their head in shame. Was a bit scary for the kids – and poor for the Bayern fans to decide kids area was where to front up the Arsenal fans.

As for the game – 2-2 fair. Gabriel incident right in front of us. He wasn’t watching when Raya passed it. Lucky the referee used common sense. No idea why Saka didn’t just put it in either later on.
James B – Last sent a letter in in the Danny Kelly days in 2003
 
Look who’s back…back again
Oliver Dziggel mostly hits the nail on the head – but it’s really not an exercise in mental gymnastics if you skip to the part “Let’s deal in objectivity and not subjectivity” (which you then ended up agreeing with the rest of that entire paragraph…) because I’m pretty sure the ref is supposed to prioritize the former and not the latter when making a decision. So, yeah, not really trying to paint it from the POV of Saka/Arsenal.
If one agrees that it should ultimately be a pen because Neuer made a move on the ball and was in motion towards Saka (as if I literally didn’t try to make this my main point…) then you are actually missing the point because your personal agreement is not necessary. As if by pure happenstance, Law 12 of IFAAB lays it out clearly:

“A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following offences…” one of which is “impedes an opponent with contact…”. Law 13 stipulates (excuse my paraphrasing but it’s there on the interwebs for the public) that if any of Law 12 happens within the offender’s own penalty box then a penalty kick is awarded.
Look at the hero image of the mailbox you all responded to. Saka is clearly altering his route, taking a touch laterally (when he’s already directly on goal) to avoid the path of Neuer who (and I think this is pretty relevant) gets nowhere near the ball. The IFAAB rules do not dictate that Saka has to go even further out of his way to avoid contact with Neuer – he’s already being impeded and not only that he actually doesn’t kick into Neuer – he just doesn’t really try to move his leg out of the way of Neuer’s and he doesn’t have to.

Also, while the narrative is that had Saka stayed on his feet he would have been able to pass into an empty net (btw, even if true totally irrelevant to what a penalty is) – had he stayed on his feet there’s two recovering Bayern defenders getting goal side of him who only had the opportunity to make that recovery cause Saka had to go out of his way to avoid Neuer because he was being impeded.
Stonewall pen. Unless you want to start a petition to rewrite how IFAAB frames the rules – which I would vehemently support. But that’s another discussion.
MAW, LA Gooner (No one’s forcing you to read any of this, btw…)
 
Does anybody think Saka is a ‘chat’ though?
Dale May, Swindon Wengerite and George, Little Spruffleton wrote in to complain about the number of ‘people’ calling Saka a “cheat”. Tom, Walthamstow wrote in asking why Saka is being “demonised” by ‘people’ “slating an opposition player”. Are these ‘people’ somewhere outside of the F365 Mailbox? Because only one person described Saka’s actions as cheating in Wednesday’s Mailbox.

There is a difference between calling someone a “cheat” and saying that they tried to instigate a penalty and it backfired, or saying that it was simulation, or saying it was a dive. Or even just saying nothing about Saka at all and simply describing the incident as a “non-penalty” and saying that MAW, LA Gooner was “clutching at straws” by writing 1000 words on why it actually was “a stonewall penalty”. I particularly agree with 99% of Tom, Walthamstow’s view of the incident, but he appears to have missed the bit where people were mostly just pointing out that this was not a “stonewall penalty”. I’m sure he’d agree considering he only described it as “not a clear dive”.
The only reason I’m writing this reply is because this is such a clear and obvious () example of how debate and discourse breaks down and goes nowhere:
– Club A’s supporter describes a debatable penalty as “stonewall”.

– Rival fans say ‘no, not stonewall, at best it was ‘I’ve seen them given’, at worst it was a dive’
– Club A’s other supporters write in asking why the player is being demonised and accused of being a “shameless cheat”.
It’s almost as if internet debates are futile!
Oliver (on his way to Anfield) Dziggel, Geneva Switzerland
 
The big issue
Thanks for drawing attention to Mainoo wearing blue.
Never mind Saka’s ‘dive’ or Kane’s elbow, such treachery from Mainoo should surely result in his immediate banishment from Old Trafford for ever more.
P.S. While Kane should own what he did, he isn’t a scumbag, and Saka probably goes to ground too easily due to the kicking he takes on a regular basis up and down the touchline.
Graham Simons, Gooner. Norf London