Five reasons Gareth Southgate would *actually* be good for Manchester United
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his gang of Manchester United revolutionaries are currently looking at alternative options to Erik ten Hag, who seems increasingly unlikely to last beyond the summer.
One manager being ‘assessed’ by the club precipitated mass head-shaking from Red Devils fans and celebration from their vocal rival fans on social media, who hanker for an Ineos move that would simultaneously see England finally able to take advantage of the actual Golden Generation and United condemned by a manager who has unilaterally prevented that stellar group of players from winning three major international tournaments on the bounce.
Gareth Southgate joins Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Frank in being considered by United, and here are five reasons why his appointment may actually not be such a bad idea…
Togetherness
Put your cynicism aside for a second, difficult though it is not to imagine Southgate as a travelling team-building consultant stood in front of half-asleep employees with this one word on a whiteboard behind him: “What does togetherness mean to you?”
Because actually, Manchester United players don’t look as though they have the faintest idea, and could really do with a week of inset days to hammer home what it means to pull in the same direction and support each other.
The dressing-room is leakier than a discount diaper and at the first sign of trouble the players either shrink or, in the case of their captain in particular, throw hissy fits befitting individuals for whom nappies should be mandatory.
Related video: United still a tough side at Old Trafford - Dyche (Dailymotion)
Southgate may not be the greatest tactician, but there can be no doubting his ability to improve the ethos and dynamics of a dressing-room, having picked England up off the floor after they were thunder-clapped out of Euro 2016 and leading them to a place now where each and every player enjoys wearing the shirt which used to weigh heavy to the point of paralysis.
It’s been a long time since Manchester United players looked as though they were enjoying their football as much as the England stars do, with Ten Hag’s group seemingly burdened like the pre-Southgate Three Lions.
READ: Man Utd leaks: No days off for Ten Hag and Ratcliffe in fight to fix ‘no good culture’
Dan Ashworth
Gareth Southgate has consistently and vehemently praised the impact of Dan Ashworth on England in their time working for the FA together, crediting the soon-to-be Manchester United sporting director for the country’s success at youth level, which has translated to the significant improvement of the senior team under Southgate’s watch. And the respect is mutual.
“Gareth is an exceptional leader,” Ashworth said ahead of the 2018 World Cup, just before he upped sticks for Brighton. “The environment that has been created is down to him. He’s got a really good understanding of getting the best out of the players and staff. So what’s ended up happening is that Gareth has brought together a way of working for the players and the staff that means it is one big group of people. He has to take the credit.”
Reports suggest Southgate is an ‘outsider’ for the role, but him even being in with a shot is likely down to Ashworth.
Harry Maguire and the Man Utd defence
‘He’s never let England down,’ is the line rolled out each and every time Harry Maguire is selected for England in the face of what has at times been significant evidence that he should not, whether that be not actually playing for Manchester United, or indeed playing for Manchester United.
Like a one-eyed man in the land of the blind, or the fastest snail, Maguire has probably been United’s best centre-back this season. Churlishness aside, he’s been pretty good by his own standards, the highest of which we’ve seen in an England shirt.
A team that’s conceded 127 shots in the last six Premier League games probably does need shoring up a tad. And in what we’re certain all United fans want to hear, he could become the man to lead a team built on the solid defensive foundations that Southgate covets.
We can hear it now: “Defend, defend, defend!”
Off-field issues and optics
Erik ten Hag dealt with the Cristiano Ronaldo situation well, handled the captaincy change with aplomb, and in general last season looked as though he had commanded the respect not just of his players, but the media, the fans and the wider public through his management of Manchester United’s multitude of off-field issues.
He’s not been quite so assured this season though, with the way in which he’s addressed his and the club’s critics suggestive of a man on the brink. He took issue with Jamie Carragher’s analysis of his defensive set-up, despite actually agreeing with it, ordered Fulham’s social media team to apologise for asking if Bruno Fernandes is OK, and took swipes at imaginary reporters who questioned his promotion of Kobbie Mainoo to the first team. He appears to have gone, not totally, but definitely slightly, mad.
United won’t get that with Southgate, who has proven himself to be – if nothing else – a master of dealing with the media and in the optics of the England team, with his zenith the ‘Dear England’ open letter to the fans, later the basis of a smash National Theatre hit, which might be the best thing any England manager has done ever. Sorry, Sir Alf.
READ MORE: Five trivial Ten Hag targets for a Man Utd man on the edge
Homegrown transfer focus
Sir Jim is said to be keen on signing homegrown talent as part of his changes to the recruitment model at United. He ‘wants to reinforce a domestic flavour’, which sounds suspiciously Brexit-y, but is likely – just as deplorably – to be connected with a desire for more Manchester United DNA.
And if that’s not coming via the youth teams, a near-likeness can be purchased for exorbitant fees from fellow Premier League clubs, whose players can probably just about remember a time when United were good, thus hold the requisite knowledge of the club’s genetics, if not the DNA itself.
Who better to lure English talent to the club than the England manager himself? Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze and Ollie Watkins are among the England players previously linked with United, while Jarrad Branthwaite – thought to be among their top targets in the summer – will surely soon be called up.
England players have nothing but good things to say about Southgate, who could prove to be quite the United carrot for some very fine footballers.
READ MORE: Southgate to Manchester United as Allardyce and Lampard return: predicting every club’s next boss
Jurgen Klopp reveals yet another key Liverpool injury; assesses chances of star being fit for Man City
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Ibrahima Konate will need to be assessed before Sunday’s massive Premier League showdown with Manchester City over fears he may have added to the club’s injury list.
The Anfield outfit enjoyed an almost perfect evening in the Czech Republic as they crushed Sparta Prague 5-1 in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at the Letna Stadion on Thursday evening.
However, everything did not go all to plan for the Reds, with centre-back Konate pulling up following a quick break from the home side and he had to be withdrawn, with Virgil van Dijk coming on in his place.
DON’T MISS: The frightening XI Liverpool could select if Ruben Amorim takes charge in the Anfield dugout
Joe Gomez was also subbed off at half-time, although Klopp explained that decision as purely precautionary. However, the German admits Liverpool now face an anxious wait over Konate ahead of Sunday’s table-topping clash.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Klopp spoke about both defenders, sayng: “With Joe [Gomez] it should be fine. Joe was not planned but it was a possibility, so we did that at half-time.Related video: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister and Jurgen Klopp on Liverpool's UEL first leg clash at Sparta Prague (Dailymotion)
“And Ibou [Konate] we have to see. He said he thought if he keeps going then he could get injured. But we will find something there I’m pretty sure. So let’s see.”
Klopp expanded a little more in his post-match press conference, saying of the severity of Konate’s injury: “We don’t know. Ibou said to me at that moment, “I thought if I do another sprint then it could be bad”.
“So he said it should be fine but we don’t know.
“Joey is fine. We took him off because he played a lot of games, that was rotation. [Konate] said if he carried on it may be a problem so we will see.”
Nunez torments Sparta with stunning brace
As for the performance of Nunez after his brace against the Czech side, Klopp added: “A wonderful guy, wonderful boy, He loves to play for this team together with these boys and has quality coming out of his ears to be honest. It’s like strikers are, they score and then they don’t score.
“Is he at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us. But can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yes. He has the most important attitude a striker needs to have, he missed chances but all strikers are doing but he is not bothered by it and just keeps going.
“That’s why he now has a nice number of goals, games to come, opportunities to come. When he’s not scoring he for us is incredibly important as he is a constant threat and gives us spaces in areas and options.”
Klopp will now be keeping his fingers crossed heading into Sunday’s clash with City where a win will push his side four points clear of Pep Guardiola’s men with 10 games to go.
READ MORE: Liverpool line up move for midfielder who destroyed Arsenal; required fee confirmed amid transfer battle
Five top-class strikers Arsenal could target this summer – from £17m to £100m superstars
One of the most impressive aspects of the job Mikel Arteta has done so far at Arsenal is that he has managed to elevate the Gunners to the status of genuine title contenders without being able to rely upon a prolific goal-scorer at the point of attack.
Winger Bukayo Saka is currently Arsenal’s highest Premier League scorer this term with 13 goals. Strikers Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have managed just nine league goals combined.
Regardless of how their pursuit of a first title in 20 years pans out this season, it seems highly likely that Arteta will apportion a significant amount of his transfer budget to sign a top striker this summer.
Here are five centre-forwards the Gunners should consider.
Ivan Toney
The Brentford striker has shown no ill effects from his eight-month layoff due to a suspension for contravening the FA’s gambling regulations. Since his return, Toney has scored four goals in eight appearances for the Bees.
And almost as soon as he had completed his ban, Toney was speaking openly about the fact that, with his contract entering its final 18 months, this is likely to be his last season as a Brentford player.
“You can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere, but I think it’s obvious I want to play for a top club,” he told Sky Sports in January.
The one-cap England man fits the bill for Arsenal’s needs up top, possessing lethal finishing combined with an imposing physical presence and the ability to provide an outlet against pressure with his hold-up and link play.Related video: Arteta on Feb manager of the month award and Arsenal form (Dailymotion)
Unlike other options the Gunners might be considering this summer, he would require no adaptation to the Premier League, having already established himself as one of the best marksmen in the English top flight since Brentford’s promotion almost four years ago.
Toney would not come without risk, however. Turning 28 this month and said to be valued at around £100 million, he would be a costly acquisition with little resale value.
Joshua Zirkzee
Dutch striker Zirkzee would not come much cheaper than Toney, with Bologna believed to have set his price tag at around €80 million, in accordance with the fee fellow Serie A side Atalanta demanded from Manchester United for Rasmus Hojlund last year.
While also being younger, at just 22 years of age, Zirkzee matches many of Toney’s traits as a stylistic fit for Arsenal. At 6ft 4ins, he is physically robust, yet he possesses immaculate touch, the athleticism to break away from defenders and cool finishing skills that have seen him score 10 goals in 26 league games so far this term.
Beginning his senior career at Bayern Munich, Zirkzee scored 18 goals in 47 games while on loan at Anderlecht in 2021-22, after which he signed for Bologna in an €8.5 million deal. The young striker endured a difficult first campaign in Italy, scoring just two goals in 19 Serie A outings, but he has bounced back this season to mark himself out as one of Europe’s most promising forwards.
Amid rival interest from Manchester United, Napoli and AC Milan, Arsenal might be wary of a bidding war if they decide Zirkzee is their top target. Bologna will be keen to extract as much of a return for the player as possible, as Bayern are reportedly entitled to a 40 per cent cut of any fee.
“We will see what the future holds for him,” Bologna manager Thiago Motta said recently. “Zirkzee is one of those who always trains hard, inspires the others and can show to the new players what it means to represent Bologna. He has a bright future ahead of him, but the most important thing is that he focuses on our present.”
READ MORE: Man Utd told why Joshua Zirkzee is the perfect No 9 with Ten Hag implored to make huge push to sign him
Viktor Gyokeres
When he signed for the club as a teenager in 2017, Gyokeres had all the hallmarks of being another of Brighton’s stellar young signings who they’d inevitably go on to sell at a huge profit. He arrived from IF Brommapojkarna in his native Sweden off the back of a breakout season in which he’d scored 13 goals in 29 league games.
But the rapid 6ft 2ins striker was unable to make an impact at the AmEx Stadium. After a series of loans, he stelled with Coventry in the second tier, scoring 40 goals in 97 games for the Sky Blues before joining Sporting CP last summer for a club-record €20 million.
And already, Gyokeres has provided an incredible return on the Portuguese club’s investment, with an astonishing strike rate of 31 goals in 36 games, while also providing 11 assists.
With a €100 million release clause written into the 25-year-old’s contract, Sporting could quintuple their outlay on Gyokeres this summer, although up to 15 per cent of any fee is owed to Coventry.
How Arsenal’s five potential striker targets have done this season
Benjamin Sesko
Following the apparent blueprint Arsenal have identified in physically imposing, highly athletic and deftly skilled strikers, RB Leipzig’s Sesko is an obvious candidate.
The 20-year-old Slovenian goal-scorer has drawn comparisons to Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, not least because he followed in the prolific Norwegian’s footsteps at Red Bull Salzburg before moving to the Bundesliga last summer.
The 6ft 5ins striker has scored 10 goals in 31 appearances for Leipzig this season and with a £43 million release clause, he represents one of the lower-cost options in the current market of high-potential young strikers around the Continent.
Serhou Guirassy
France-born Guinea international Guirassy has been one of the revelations of the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, having scored an incredible 20 goals from 18 games for Stuttgart, a tally bettered only by Harry Kane.
A late bloomer, the 27-year-old experienced an itinerate career before joining Die Roten initially on loan in 2022, taking in spells with Laval, Lille, Auxerre, Cologne, Amiens and Rennes.
It was only with Rennes in 2020-21 that he first reached a double-figures goals return for a single campaign, scoring 13 times from 32 appearances, but he hasn’t looked back since. Twelve goals with Rennes the subsequent term then led to 14 in 28 games on loan with Stuttgart.
Guirassy set Bundesliga records with the rapid rate of his scoring to start the 2023-24 season – notching 10 goals in his first five matches and 13 in his first seven, respectively matching and eclipsing high marks previously set by Robert Lewandowski.
Three goals in four appearances since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations suggests his scoring is not slowing down, too.
What’s more, with a release clause of just £17 million, Guirassy would represent little financial risk for Arsenal relative to other potential targets.
IN DEPTH – Ivan Toney next? Ranking Arteta’s Arsenal signings from PL clubs; Chelsea mixed bag, hopeless free agent…
Lukaku drops hint on Chelsea future as ‘intelligence’ lacking in 2021 a must in 2024
Romelu Lukaku scored his 18th goal of the season in the 4-0 win over Brighton on Thursday as the Chelsea loanee dropped a hint over his future in a post-match interview.
Goals from Paulo Dybala, Lukaku, Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante at the Stadio Olimpico look to have all-but ended Brighton’s European dalliance.
Lukaku enjoying life under De Rossi
The Belgium striker looks to be back to somewhere near his best having moved to Roma on loan from Chelsea last summer, after proposed moves to Inter Milan and Juventus fell through.
Daniele De Rossi replaced Jose Mourinho as Roma in January and Lukaku said after the game that he’s enjoying the “freedom” his new manager is allowing him.
Lukaku said: “The coach gives me more freedom in midfield and to push up.
“I have to attack the space, whereas before I was asked to hold the ball up. It is the first time I am being used as the lone centre-forward in Italy, but I’m settling well and hope we can continue improving to go far in Serie A and the Europa League.
“De Rossi talks about having new objectives every day and give your best to hit those targets. Every training session is a test and I like that, because I think great players do have to be stimulated.Related video: The Problem With Chelsea's Tactics Nobody's Talking About (FourFourTwo)
“He said we have the objective of getting into the top four in Serie A and also progressing in Europe, so we can never let our foot off the gas.
“It was a different experience, but as soon as I arrived, I saw how much the fans love this team. I also called Radja Nainggolan and he helped prepare me for how I ought to behave.
“Mourinho helped me and now De Rossi is too. I try to give my best for Roma, many people don’t know what my situation was, so I thank Roma.”
READ MORE: De Rossi outshines Mourinho, De Zerbi en route to ending Brighton’s UEL journey with rampant Roma
Is a return to Chelsea on the cards?
Lukaku last played for parent club Chelsea at the end of the 2021/22 season, having burnt many bridges at the club after his interview with Sky Italia months into his return to the club, in which he said he wanted to return to Inter.
That is surely the controversy he’s referring to in his response to being asked whether he would like to join Roma permanently: “I don’t want to cause controversy in England, I have to be intelligent about this!”
Chelsea couldn’t agree a fee with either Inter or Juventus last summer, but will surely lower the price to ensure his exit this time around. His contract expires in 2026.
