Manchester United continue to assemble the Transfer Avengers with former Man City chief targeted
Man Utd are continuing unabated in their attempts to assemble the Transfer Avengers with spare parts from other clubs; Southampton are next to resist them.
The arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team has heralded an ambitious overhaul and restructure behind the scenes at Old Trafford, starting with the appointment of Omar Berrada as chief executive.
Tempting the Chief Football Operations Officer of Manchester City to form part of their new team was a coup for Man Utd, who have also targeted Dan Ashworth for a sporting director role.
READ MORE: Man Utd revolution illustrated by high-profile exit as Omar Berrada comes through the door
Ashworth has informed Newcastle of Manchester United’s approach and the Magpies are now awaiting formal contact from their Premier League rivals, who face having to pay a compensation package of at least £10m to release him from his contract in time for the upcoming summer transfer window.
It is also thought that Ashworth would like to bring on board Brighton’s head of recruitment Sam Jewell, with whom he worked on the south coast previously.
In ‘fear’ of that news, Chelsea want to ‘poach’ the Brighton man and will battle Man Utd for him if necessary.
But in yet another case of Man Utd looking around English football for individuals to plant into their new structure, Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox has been targeted.
Man Utd are once more ‘yet to approach’ the club from whom they wish to take a high-value employee, but Wilcox ‘is aware of their interest’ and may have a decision to make soon.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to buy 25 per cent of Man Utd is done
The Athletic add that Wilcox ‘is well-known and extremely highly regarded’ at Man Utd after his work at St Mary’s and with Manchester City, where he worked for over a decade.
READ MORE: Ranking Man Utd signings since Fergie shows scale of job facing Dan Ashworth…
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Wilcox helped bring through a number of young players including Phil Foden, Rico Lewis and Romeo Lavia, with his role in Cole Palmer’s development previously revealed by the same outlet.
‘From a player standpoint, Wilcox makes decisions for their development,’ Jacob Tanswell wrote in March 2023. ‘A case in point was Cole Palmer who, at 16, was on the list to be released before Wilcox stepped in and overturned the decision. Palmer is now a first-team player at City and an England Under-21 regular.’
The forward has since become a full England international and £40m Chelsea signing.
Man Utd hope to tap into that sort of expertise by offering Wilcox a position which ‘would report in to a sporting director’, their primary candidate for that role being Ashworth – even though Dan Ashworth is actually rubbish.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS team are described by David Ornstein as ‘driving the move for Wilcox’ after having their 25 per cent purchase of a stake in Man Utd approved by the Premier League.
Cristiano Ronaldo claims another milestone, plays 1000th club match
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored a late-minute winner to help Al Nassr clinch crucial three points against Al Fayha in the ongoing ACL. In the 81st minute of the game, Ronaldo placed a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
The 39-year-old has scored 746 goals after appearing in 1000 club games.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a stupendous 2023 as he ended the year after becoming the world's top goal-scorer.
In 2023, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 54 goals for his country and his current club, Al Nassr. English striker Harry Kane stood in second place with 52 for his country and newly joined club Bayern Munich. PSG and French attacker Kylian Mbappe scored 52 goals. Meanwhile, City and Norwegian striker Erling Halaand placed 50 goals.
Ronaldo is considered one of the best footballers in the world, and he has set a few records which will be hard to break.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo joined the Saudi club Al Nassr in January 2023, and he has played 51 matches for his new team and scored 45 goals.
In the ongoing season of the Saudi Pro League, the Portuguese has appeared in 18 matches for the Riyadh-based club and scored 20 goals. Ronaldo also made nine assists in the 2023-24 season for Al Nassr. (ANI)
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Liverpool watch Manchester United, Chelsea scramble for transfer chief as top Reds target speaks out
With Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of this season confirmed, Liverpool were already facing a period of upheaval behind the scenes this summer.
But the exit of Jorg Schmadtke as expected after his short-term spell as sporting director leaves another gap Liverpool must fill in a position of utmost importance.
Schmadtke helped oversee an ambitious transitional summer in which the club’s entire midfield was revamped. James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho all left the Anfield club, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch signed to help replace them.
His role was only ever designed to be in the interim however, with a more permanent solution sought thereafter.
Liverpool even approached their beloved former director Michael Edwards, who helped deliver a period of immense success, over a potential return.
But his rejection of that offer has opened the door for Newcastle to try and beat Liverpool to securing his services, the Magpies themselves having to restructure in certain areas because of Manchester United’s interest in Dan Ashworth.
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And that imminent move will have an impact on a number of different Premier League clubs, with Chelsea panicked into trying to ‘poach’ yet another recruitment head from Brighton.
All of these moving cogs do not even include Liverpool’s known interest in Tim Steidten, who has been in West Ham’s transfer team since July.
Steidten is thought to be one of the leading candidates for Liverpool after Edwards turned them down, with his previous work alongside Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen a potential factor.
READ MORE: Five ways Xabi Alonso is far from the ‘perfect’ Liverpool appointment Carragher reckons he is
Acknowledging the speculation, Steidten nevertheless underlined his commitment to West Ham.
“I’ve heard that I am supposed to be on the list at Liverpool,” he told Sky Sport in Germany.
“It is one of the biggest clubs in the world, so it’s an honour. But so far nobody from LFC has contacted me yet.
“I generally feel very comfortable at West Ham. I quickly realised how intense this league is. Accordingly, we signed the right players in the last transfer windows. The squad is strong, so we can achieve our goals.
“I am looking forward to facing the next weeks and months until the end of the season. Of course we are already planning the next window. What happens in the future, we will see.”
But the 44-year-old could be tempted by Liverpool’s approach after clashing with David Moyes in the January transfer window.
A report in 90Min revealed ‘disagreements behind the scenes’ at the London Stadium, as David Moyes targeted a proven and ready-made forward who could make an immediate impact, while Steidten and sporting director Mark Noble preferred to identify younger players with higher potential who could be moulded.
Neither party got their wish: Moyes failed to navigate a ‘tricky’ deal for Al-Ittihad winger Jota, and the groundwork Steidten and Noble put in place to sign Ibrahim Osman from Nordsjaelland was dismantled by the revelation that Brighton had struck a deal to sign the teenager in the summer.
Do the Premier League want to relegate Everton? Phil Jagielka poses question amid appeal wait
Former Everton star Phil Jagielka has questioned whether the Premier League are trying to relegate his former club.
The Toffees, who have spent more seasons in the top flight than any other team, are currently in the relegation zone due to their 10-point deduction. Sean Dyche's side would be sitting comfortably in 12th place if those points hadn't been deducted.
As Everton await the outcome of their appeal against the decision - which it's understood was concluded on February 2 - Jagielka has voiced concerns about potential bias against the club.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the ex-Blues skipper said: "I can see why they (the fans) think that way. I can't believe that there's only one club that's ever made bad decisions financially since the Premier League started.
“There’s only one team that’s been deducted points. I don’t know the ins and outs and whether the rules have changed blah, blah, blah, but if other clubs have got away with it, you can’t say it’s still pending, these investigations are pending for 25 years, who is going to care what’s gone on?
“It’s got to be done within a timeframe and it seems that for whatever reason someone has decided that this was going to happen very sharpish.”
Manchester City are facing 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations, but there is no end in sight when it comes to them being actually sanctioned by Premier League bosses.
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Jagielka, when asked if he thinks Everton are being treated unfairly compared to others, said: "It seems like they are but we don't know enough information where maybe 95 of Man City's counts were done before they changed the rules because they don't give us enough information, they don't really let us know. All we're left to do is speculate.
"Evertonians are going to feel victimised as will Forest fans if Forest get points deducted and they end up going down or someone else does. I was at Derby and stuff was done wrong and it was points after points after points.
"In the end, the Football League made sure Derby got relegated. And whether they meant to or didn't mean to, you can't deduct 20 odd points and expect a team to survive and say you can't pay your players more than x amount and that x amount probably isn't enough to field a League Two or even a top Conference team.
"You're basically saying in a roundabout way that you've done wrong, now you're going to pay the price which is automatically going to be relegation. It seems like something quite similar when you look what's going on at Everton."
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Jagielka also questioned why Everton have been punished so harshly with a points deduction for a single breach greater than the nine that Portsmouth had taken off them for going into administration in 2009-10.
He said: "I knew it wasn't a great situation before the points (deduction). Obviously there's been a financial strain on the club for a little while now, selling their best players, selling their young lads to try and make the FFP (Financial Fair Play).
"When I heard there was going to be 10 points, which is a significant amount of points when you're talking about the Premier League, it's not a 46-game season, 10 points is a lot, especially considering that Everton have only survived literally the last game of the season and then two games from the end the year before that.
"They got galvanised, the team did well and got themselves out of it but then you open the newspaper or listen to the radio and you realise that there is potentially more points on the horizon. I don't know what's going on, I don't know how and who comes up with the ideas of how many points and how quickly this has been done.
"There have been plenty of other teams who have supposedly bent the rules slightly or more than slightly shall we say over the course of the years but that's never been sorted or figured out. All of a sudden, Everton have been given 10 points and Forest, who have been in the Premier League no time at all, and all of a sudden they're on the radar as well.
"Something's not right. I presume some rules must have been broken for Everton to accept it but it's tough times."
Jagielka admitted that Everton's financial problems are down to the squandering of huge amounts of money during Farhad Moshiri's ownership of the club. The Blues' now wantaway majority shareholder has churned his way through eight managers in as many years and spent big on a number of flops during his time on Merseyside.
Jagielka added: "Part of it was happening towards my last year or two. You've got to understand what your club is and what your club gives to the league and where you should be.
"The owners came in at Chelsea and similar at Manchester City again, and they were able to flex their muscles and literally go and buy a team that was going to challenge for the top of the division. When Everton's money came around, there were already five or six teams who were plenty good enough to win the Premier League, when Chelsea and Manchester City did it there was probably one or two and Liverpool weren't the Liverpool that we're looking at now, it was Man United, Arsenal or whatever.
"They just spent the money in the wrong places. They tried to buy people without probably doing their homework."
"When I was at Everton, I think they called David Moyes 'Dithering Dave' but I think the reason he was so dithering was because he cared so much about the squad and we didn't have much money. It was all about making sure we not only got a player who was going to perform on the pitch but the right characters in the dressing room as well."
"That made your team. You had individuals that would win you games but the core squad and the core team would make your season was a successful one."
"It just drifted, drifted, drifted and before you know it they're sacking managers left, right and centre, releasing players, we're selling people you don't want to sell and that's purely down to mismanagement of the money."
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Report reveals how many clubs also want ‘flattered’ Liverpool manager target De Zerbi
Arsenal celebrating their 3-1 win over Liverpool like they had not just handed another Premier League title to Manchester City was cute. But deep down, they – like the rest of us – must know what’s coming and Klopp will not be able to prevent the inevitable from happening again.
Klopp’s farewell season has emerged as an obstacle in the way of Man City completing *another* treble, but Liverpool are far more likely to impact Guardiola’s hopes via the FA Cup than the Premier League.
Another respectable second-placed Premier League finish may be on its way for Liverpool, but it’s not all bad. As things stand, the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa Cup are up for grabs so the Reds could repeat their go-to trick of securing a double or treble.
And with that, here are the seven occasions when English clubs went down the unconventional route of winning two or three trophies in a single season (i.e. When the Premier League and Champions League/European Cup were not secured along the way)…
Liverpool (21/22) – FA Cup, League Cup
The Reds have grown accustomed to accepting underwhelming trophy hauls as they were made to settle for the FA Cup and League Cup despite challenging for an unprecedented quadruple in 2021/22.
After making a poor defence of their Premier League title during the Covid-impacted behind-closed-doors season in 20/21, Liverpool were truly back to their best in 21/22.
Their penalty practice paid off as they beat Chelsea on spot-kicks in both domestic finals after the Big Six rivals failed to find the net in 240+ minutes across their two dates at Wembley.
As for the bigger competitions, Liverpool came unstuck against familiar foes…
Man City recreated that chaotic Sergio Aguero moment by beating Aston Villa on the final day despite being 2-0 down to clinch the Premier League title by a single point before Liverpool succumbed to a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Man Utd (16/17) – Europa League, League Cup
It says a lot about how the Red Devils have fared post-Sir Alex Ferguson that this season is still probably their best since their iconic former manager retired in 2013.
Jose Mourinho is back on the market and apparently feels he has ‘unfinished business’ at Old Trafford, but the serial winner lifted two trophies (three if you count the Community Shield, but we don’t) in his debut season at Man Utd.
After the failed David Moyes and Louis van Gaal experiments, Mourinho was tasked with getting Man Utd past their post-Ferguson misery.
Mourinho’s presence was not positively felt long term, but he – as he often does – enjoyed some short-term success and did an unfashionable double. They beat Ajax and Southampton to win the Europa League and League Cup respectively.
Chelsea (06/07) – FA Cup, League Cup
Time for some more Mourinho goodness. In his final full season during his first stint in charge of Chelsea, he lifted his second League Cup and first FA Cup.
‘The Special One’ was coming off two straight Premier League title wins and while they were narrowly edged out by Man Utd that season, the Blues still had the FA Cup and League Cup consolation prizes.
Chelsea laid out the quadruple-challenging formula for Liverpool to follow in 21/22 as 15 years earlier, the London outfit contested for four trophies. As aforementioned, they were beaten to the Premier League by Man Utd and also came up short in the Champions League by losing to Rafael Benitez’s Reds at the semi-final stage.
READ: Where Quadruple bids failed: Spurs stumbles, dagger from Agger, Wigan woes, Nathan Jones?
Liverpool (00/01) – UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup
And now it’s time for the Plastic Treble.
In Liverpool’s best season since their 1980s golden era, Gerard Houllier’s side finished 11 points adrift of Premier League champions Man Utd but ended up in third ahead of Leeds United and Ipswich Town.
Liverpool fared much better in cup competitions as they went all the way in the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup to end the season with three trophies.
After years of misery, this trophy haul provided welcome respite for Liverpool and preceded more success under Benitez and Klopp. That ‘Triple Decker Tour Bus’ was a bit over the top, mind.
READ MORE: Five ways Xabi Alonso is far from the ‘perfect’ Liverpool appointment Carragher reckons he is
Chelsea (97/98) – Cup Winners’ Cup, League Cup
Roman Abramovich’s takeover in 2003 saw Chelsea gatecrash the elite and win a boatload of trophies in the process. But before the Russian’s arrival, the club only won trophies sparingly and their 1997/98 double was the first in their history.
During the Abramovich era, Chelsea supporters may have turned their noses up at a season in which they only won the League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup (the precursor to the UEFA Cup), but in 1998 they would have snatched your hands and feet off for this haul.
With player-manager Gianluca Vialli at the helm, the Blues earned a respectable fourth-placed finish in the Premier League but beat Middlesbrough and VfB Stuttgart to claim the League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.
Arsenal (92/93) – FA Cup, League Cup
After being made to feed off scraps for a painful period, Arsenal supporters were gifted a purple patch of success during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Towards the end of this spell, George Graham’s team disappointed in the league by finishing 10th, but they somewhat made up for that in cup competitions.
With the help of 30-goal top scorer Ian Wright, the Gunners beat Sheffield Wednesday in both domestic cup finals to lift the League Cup and FA Cup.
Leeds United (67/68) – Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, League Cup
Upon researching for this piece, I – like some of our younger readers presumably would too – asked: ‘What the f*** is the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup?’
It turns out it was UEFA Cup-esque and was abolished in 1971. You live and learn.
Leeds United dominated the competition before it was binned off as they won it three times in five years. Also in 67/68, the Yorkshire side beat Arsenal 1-0 at the old Wembley in front of over 97,000 fans to win the League Cup.
