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Exclusive: Super League isn’t the way forward but clubs won’t turn down billions says Collymore

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 13:02:35 +0000

The spectre of a European Super League raised its ugly head again earlier in the week with news that a judgment would be made on it during December.

No one other than those making the judgment can know which way it’s going to land, but it’s safe to say that former pro and now pundit, Stan Collymore, isn’t a fan.

‘No, I don’t think a European Super League is the way forward. UEFA particularly have bent over backwards, with concessions, more games, more money. If you have a European Super League what’s it going to be predicated on?’ he wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.

‘It’s gonna be very, very difficult for clubs such as Villa and Forest, who have won European Cups in the past, Celtic too, to get into if it’s invite only. That will have a massive impact.

‘I could certainly see an example of clubs already owned by oil states or oligarchs or hedge funds, that are now spending €400m on players and are mopping up their domestic league, will just give a cursory nod to the league that they come from whilst going on and playing in the Super League.

‘Any attempt to start to be able to get momentum, however, should see supporters put their clubs under the greatest pressure to say their clubs must not, under any circumstances, enter a European Super League.

‘I think that particularly with the English clubs, if they were to say no again, we will never join the ESL because the whole idea would be dead in the water. There would be no European Super League that would be worthy of the name.’

Supporters came out in force back in 2021 when it was announced that there had been an agreement for the Super League to come into force.

The protests were almost immediate and forced the clubs that had made the agreement to drop out one by one and even go so far to apologise to their supporters.

Only Barcelona and Real Madrid are left from the original 12 clubs and their fate in the project rests in the judges hands.

Even if the ESL isn’t a going concern post-judgement, Collymore believes we’ll see a derivative of it because of the money that is now in the game.

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‘Saudi Arabia, big American banks… the groundwork has already been laid in some respects. The pre-season International Champions Cup in America is their attempt at giving English and European clubs an insight into what potentially is possible,’ he added.

‘Come to America and play in front of 100,000 at the University of Michigan and we can make you richer than than you ever imagined. I could see a situation whereby the Saudis and the Americans, maybe even countries like India or China may want a little foothold.

‘Several entities will be needed to make it possible but just imagine if Manchester United are offered a billion pounds a season to play in any competition. The odds are that their owners are going to go absolutely yes because they then wouldn’t have to worry about whatever money comes into their club.

‘It’s a very persuasive argument.’

Essentially any organisation that has the money could effectively dangle clubs on a string and send them to all corners of the earth in the name of profit.

That’s a worst-case solution for many, who prefer the old traditions of the game which seem all but left in the past now.

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Exclusive: Manchester United star’s contract hint not surprising, says transfer expert

Mark Brus — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:31:00 +0000

Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof signing a new contract with the club would not be surprising, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano in the latest edition of his exclusive column for the Daily Briefing.

Lindelof has been a solid and reliable squad player for Man Utd down the years, and he has spoken publicly about being happy to extend his stay at Old Trafford.

Romano expects this could be the case as Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag trusts the player and sees him as part of his project, so we could perhaps get further confirmation of this soon.

United have plenty of other options at the back, but Lindelof has remained a first-team regular and it makes sense that he’s seen as someone with an important role to play.

“Victor Lindelof, however, has suggested he is likely to have his contract extended. Man United always rated him highly, so I’m not surprised,” Romano said.

Man City heading clutch of six clubs to sign sought after Spanish international

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:21:55 +0000

It isn’t often that the best footballing talents become available on the marketplace, however, when they do, there’s bound to be a queue of suitors for their services.

From a player’s perspective, he needs to understand the potential project he’s going to, his role in it, the likelihood of silverware and his financial remuneration – not necessarily in that order – before coming to a decision on what’s next.

If money is his motivation then the decision becomes relatively simple given that a player will go to the club that pays him the most. If he has more ambition than that, then coming to a swift decision is all the more difficult.

For RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo, it appears that the second scenario will be the one that will author any decision to leave the Bundesliga outfit.

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Goal), the Spanish international is not only being courted by Man City, but he also has admirers at Arsenal, Chelsea and Spanish trio Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The outlet suggest that it’s the Citizens in the box seat at this stage, and the appeal of playing for the reigning European and English champions is obvious.

Sport Bild also note that the player is considering a change of scenery, so there’s every chance that an auction will be the result of Olmo being put up for sale.

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Video: Late Spain goals down Scotland after controversial McTominay decision

Darren Looney — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:20:03 +0000

Spain were 2-0 winners over Scotland in their EURO 2024 qualifying match on Thursday night but the match saw a huge controversial decision made.

The Scottish remain top of their group but a win tonight would have confirmed that number one spot. There was a good chance that would have happened if Scott McTominay’s goal had stood in the second half but it was controversially ruled out for offside as it rumbles on after the final whistle.

However, Spain went on to win the match thanks to late goals from Alvaro Morata and Oihan Sancet, both of which can be seen below.

?? After the disallowed goal, captain Álvaro Morata gets the breakthrough for Spain.

Jesús Navas with a great assist ?#Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/AMTjFJgkTv

— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) October 12, 2023

Spain make it two ??

The hosts double their advantage through Oihan Sancet ??#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/5RqUGb9Mgg

— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) October 12, 2023

Man United were offered forward this summer, club now hope to get €80m from his transfer

Mark Brus — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 09:29:04 +0000

Manchester United were reportedly one of the clubs contacted by Jorge Mendes over the potential transfer of Joao Felix over the summer before he ended up at Barcelona.

The Portugal international has shone since leaving Atletico Madrid for his loan move to Barca, and it seems he wasn’t keen on Man Utd or other Premier League clubs after his difficult time on loan at Chelsea in the second half of last season, according to AS.

Felix could undoubtedly have been a fine option for United up front, though they’ll also likely be pretty happy to have snapped up promising young Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.

According to AS, Felix’s fine form since moving to the Nou Camp could mean he’ll be available for around €80million after the end of his current loan spell.

Joao Felix of Barcelona

Man United and Tottenham set to battle PSG for Italian football mastermind

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 09:23:22 +0000

In order to get ahead in the game of football today, it isn’t just about the players on the pitch but also getting in the right staff behind the scenes, and that’s perhaps never better evidenced than this season at Man United.

There appears to be a clear disconnect between the front and back of house which is affecting how the players are performing, and that could be as much to do with recruitment as anything else.

By way of example, look at how West Ham have been transformed since Tim Steidten was brought in to oversee the club’s transfer business.

According to The Independent, Atletico Madrid’s sporting director, Andrea Berta, is of interest to the Red Devils, but they are likely to face competition for his services from both Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain.

Having worked for the Rojiblancos since May 2013, firstly as a Technical Director and then as Sporting Director from 2017 onwards (transfermarkt), the 51-year-old Italian might well feel that it’s time for a new experience.

All three of United, Spurs and PSG offer interesting perspectives for him, and it remains to be seen if any of them appeal enough for him to end his association with Atleti.

The manner of PSG’s recruitment and way of working has long been unsustainable, whilst the Red Devils remain in the midst of a potential takeover. With Tottenham on the up at present, they could arguably become the most attractive proposition.

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Inside Spain: Breaking down the Barcelona bribery case, injury crises and Jude Bellingham reigns supreme

Ruairidh Barlow — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 15:11:41 +0000

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

Barcelona have been formally charged with bribery, in case you had missed it. The Negreira case was always going to rumble on, but now it looks as if the Blaugrana will have their day in court.

The court magistrate has charged Barcelona for paying a public official €7-8m (£6-7m) over 17 years for their business relations with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the Vice-President of the Referees Committee, between 2001 and 2018. The nuance is important here – previously Barcelona were being investigated for sporting corruption, which would require proof that Barcelona had received favourable treatment for their money. With bribery, just the intention is enough, the public prosecutor will only need to prove that.

This could result in anything from a warning to relegation to dissolving the club, depending on what the judge decides at the end of the case. Meanwhile UEFA could kick Barcelona out of next season’s Champions League too, although Barcelona feel they have found a loophole to get out of it.

On the pitch, they rumble onwards after stodgy wins over Sevilla and Porto, but the mood is one of concern. Robert Lewandowski is a major doubt for El Clasico on the 28th of October after spraining his ankle against the Portguese giants. That will keep him out for anywhere between three and five weeks.

The games Robert Lewandowski could miss:

??Granada
?Athletic Club
?Shakhtar Donetsk
?Real Madrid
??Real Sociedad
??Shakhtar Donetsk
?Alaves#Barca #ElClasico #Lewandowski pic.twitter.com/Jj8JajXRM6

— Football España (@footballespana_) October 5, 2023

Real Madrid are also suffering with injuries. David Alaba looks close to a return, to join their last standing central defender Antonio Rudiger. Nacho Fernandez will now begin a three-game ban after a horror challenge on Girona’s Portu last weekend in a 3-0 win. It sort of doesn’t matter when Jude Bellingham is in this form. Against Girona he provided a Luka Modric-esque outside of the boot assist for Joselu Mato, while he was imperious against Napoli in their 3-2 win in Italy. Bellingham now has 9 goals and 2 assists in 9 games, better numbers than Cristiano Ronaldo started off with. Modric on the other hand is not happy about being on the bench, something that has become very public over the last week.

Vinicius Junior is back on the pitch and scoring, but after testifying in a racism case from when he was abused at Mestalla during a match with Valencia. Reportedly, he told the judge the whole stadium was chanting ‘monkey’ at him rather than just some, which Valencia responded to quickly. ‘Racism cannot be combated with fallacies, nor unfounded lies’, say Valencia in another slightly uncomfortable statement.

It’s been a busy week for the courts, as various members of the Spain squad, staff and management testify in the sexual assault and coercion case against Luis Rubiales – including the man himself, who said he would do the same again if the war ended in Ukraine.

Real Madrid are back at the top of the table, closely followed by Atletico Madrid, Girona and Barcelona, which is impressive for Atleti given 11 of their players have missed game time this season through injury. They’ve only played 10 games. It’s not going so well for Rafael Benitez at Celta Vigo. He slipped into the relegation zone after a 97th-minute Las Palmas winner on Monday night, although his side did have a goal disallowed in dubious circumstances. The latest Liverpool-linked figure in the game to complain about VAR, ‘What are we doing here, this is football, not ping pong?’, Benitez fumed in a remarkable rant.

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Video: Alvaro Morata’s second puts Atletico Madrid ahead against a stubborn Feyenoord

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 18:07:49 +0000

It took less than two minutes of the second-half for Alvaro Morata to give Atletico Madrid the lead for the first time in their Champions League tie against Feyenoord.

There was a suspicion of Antoine Griezmann interfering with play given that he was just a yard or so away from the Spaniard when he slid home, however, there was no need for it to be overruled.

Feyernood had simply gone to sleep at the back and allowed an easy cross into the box to find its target.

Morata intelligently opened his body up to steer the ball past the keeper.

? GOAL | Atl. Madrid 3-2 Feyenoord | Morata (2)

Follow our partner page @ocontextsoccer pic.twitter.com/ZZLkxa5OTT

— VAR Tático (@vartatico) October 4, 2023

ALVARO MORATA STRIKES AGAIN. ?

Stream the game for FREE on CBS Sports Golazo Network available on the @CBSSports App and @PlutoTV. ? pic.twitter.com/nqxuBRmIdB

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 4, 2023

Pictures from beIN Sports and CBS Sports Golazo

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Video: Antoine Griezmann pegs Feyenoord back on the stroke of half time

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 18:01:17 +0000

There’s never a better time to score than right on half-time, and Antoine Griezmann did just that for Atletico Madrid, equalising for the second time against Feyenoord in their Champions League tie with the last kick of the first 45.

In truth, the Dutch giants should’ve cleared their lines long before the ball had even reached the Frenchman.

It bobbled about in a congested penalty area and when the ball reached the World Cup winner, he didn’t need asking twice.

An overhead kick was Griezmann at his very best.

??| GOAL: Griezmann with the EQUALIZER!

Atletico Madrid 2-2 Feyenoord pic.twitter.com/oCOrWLQ5ev

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) October 4, 2023

Instinct from Antoine Griezmann. ?? pic.twitter.com/Qogvr26C6F

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 4, 2023

Pictures from RTL and CBS Sports Golazo

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Video: Alvaro Morata slides home equaliser for Atletico Madrid after shock Feyenoord lead

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 17:53:42 +0000

A Mario Hermoso own goal had given Feyenoord an unexpected first-half lead in their Champions League clash at Atletico Madrid, but Alvaro Morata was quickly on hand to bring things level.

The Dutch giants had only been ahead for five minutes before the centre-forward struck, knocking the wind out of their sails as he did so.

A poor touch by the visitors saw the ball land directly in Morata’s path, and he arrowed a low drive into the corner to continue his current good individual form.

???? GOAL | Atlético Madrid 1-0 Feyenoord | Morata

Morata equalises for Atlético!pic.twitter.com/KYxc6hK19S

— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) October 4, 2023

Alvaro Morata strikes for Atleti!

Back on level terms in Madrid. ?? pic.twitter.com/ts2Nkcxw1E

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 4, 2023

Pictures from beIN Sports and CBS Sports Golazo

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