Bologna (11th in the Serie A) face off against Napoli (6th in the Serie A) on Sunday 24th of September, at Renato Dall’Ara, at 17:00 PM (BST).

The last time these two faced each other, the sides drew 2-2 at Renato Dall’Ara. Goals from Lewis Ferguson and Lorenzo De Silvestri for Bologna, and goals from Victor Osimhen (x2) for the Blues.

Bologna drew their last Serie A game, in a stalemate 0-0 with Verona.

Napoli drew their last Serie A outing, 2-2 with Genoa at Luigi Ferraris. Goals from Mattia Bani and Mateo Retegui for Genoa, and goals from Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano for Gli Azzurri.

How to watch Bologna vs Napoli

• Date: Friday, September 24th, 2023
• Kickoff: 17:00 PM (BST)
• TV Network: BT Sport
• Venue: Renato Dall’Ara

Team News:

Napoli will be without Amir Rrahmani who came off with an injury against Braga midweek. The rest of the squad is expected to be fit and available for selection for Rudi Garcia’s side.

Predicted XI:

Bologna: Skorupski, Kristiansen, Lucumi, Beukema, De Silvestri, Freuler, Aebischer, Karlsson, Ferguson, Ndoye, Zirkzee.

Napoli: Meret, Rui, Juan, Ostigard, Di Lorenzo, Zielinski, Lobotka, Anguissa, Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen, Elmas.

The post Napoli team news vs Bologna, how to watch and predicted lineups appeared first on CaughtOffside.

This week’s exclusive column – click here to subscribe for more from myself, Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs and Christian Falk!

A Ligue 1 perspective on Chelsea’s manager search

Chelsea are on the hunt for a new manager and Frank Lampard has just been officially announced as interim until the end of the season, but we’ve seen one or two names with Ligue 1 connections linked with the full time job as well.

In terms of current managers in the French top flight, I’m not sure there’s an obvious candidate who’s suitable for a job of this stature. I think one who could jump to the Premier League at some point in the future is Will Still after his hugely impressive work with Reims. I could see him being one for West Ham if they decide to move on from David Moyes, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Paulo Fonseca, given his experience and given that he was very close in the past to taking the job at Tottenham, could be another good option for Premier League clubs, but I wouldn’t read too much into talk about Christophe Galtier being in contention at Spurs. Then again, now a lot of what happens with Spurs and Chelsea will be inter-linked, because a lot of the candidates will be the same for both posts.

I think there’d be a lot of logic to Mauricio Pochettino returning to the Premier League. He didn’t have great success at PSG, and I do think that spell ultimately has been fairly damaging for Pochettino and it makes his next move extremely important – there’d be risks associated with going back to Spurs, and also the role at Chelsea. If he suffers another setback in his career it could really derail things, so I can understand if there’s an element of temptation to wait and see what happens at Real Madrid, where he’s held in high esteem.

Zinedine Zidane’s name has come up a few times even if he doesn’t appear to be in contention right now, and with him my understanding is he’s tended to distance himself from jobs in the Premier League as he waits for a job with a club in France or with the French national team. He’d need to massively improve his English, and I think that’s one reason he’s hung a lot of hope on a return to France. I can understand Premier League clubs looking at him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it never came to fruition. Time will tell, but there’s no strong link right now, certainly in comparison to someone like Pochettino, who is waiting for offers from England or Spain – two leagues he knows well, and which looks like more of a logical fit.

Could PSG rival Chelsea for Julian Nagelsmann?

With PSG’s manager situation, I think we will likely be discussing the prospect of Galtier moving on in the very near future. I don’t think it bodes well for him, with what’s been happening in recent weeks on the pitch, and also a lack of clarity from PSG over his future. There’s been a lot of talk in France this week about how the next few days being crucial for whether or not Galtier stays on until the end of the season. He’s got Nice away and Lens at home, two difficult games, and it could have a significant say on the title race as well.

In terms of Nagelsmann and a rumoured approach from PSG, he’s a bright manager and the club will know him well from coming up against him in the Champions League, but I think there’d be a couple of issues with him. Because of his age, he seemed to struggle to a certain extent with the Bayern dressing room, so I don’t see that he’d be better suited to what would be awaiting him in that department at PSG.

There’s also the cultural consideration as well – he’d have to adapt to life in France and learn a new language, and it’s also worth noting that PSG feel they have a manager of the future of their own who’s in a similar age group in the form of Thiago Motta. The 40-year-old is a former player, he managed their Under-19s, and he’s been linked with the PSG managerial role a couple of times in the past. He previously didn’t really have the experience, but he’s now had a couple of years with Spezia and his current job at Bologna, and there are bigger clubs taking notice of that, so it could be a good time for them to bring him back – he knows how the club works, he has a good relationship with the ownership, so for me Motta would be a better fit than an outsider, for want of a better word, like Nagelsmann. That’s not to say Motta is a better coach than Nagelsmann, it’s just that PSG is a specific environment and I think even if it’s changed a bit since Motta left, he’d be better suited to it than Nagelsmann.

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A look at the Ligue 1 title race

Despite some poor recent form from PSG, I’d say this Ligue 1 title is still theirs to lose at this moment in time. They’re still six points clear of both Lens and Marseille, but I think there’s some potential for a shock – we’ve seen this group of players have issues with motivation before, and in the end they weren’t able to overcome Lille in 2021, that was just a couple of years ago so we’ve seen that it can happen.

And I definitely don’t buy the argument that there isn’t enough quality from the other clubs to potentially overtake PSG – you look at how Marseille and Lens have played and been able to compete of late, they’re definitely good enough to get ahead of the reigning champions and win the title. A lot will depend on the next few games – Nice away is not easy and Lens at home is a tricky one because they have a very good record against PSG. You’re potentially looking at PSG’s lead soon being cut to just three points, so it’s a real crunch period and Galtier is by no means certain to see out the season as manager.

It’ll be between Lens or Marseille to overtake PSG, I think Monaco, at nine points adrift and with the inconsistency they’ve had this season, it’s probably a bridge too far for them. But if Lens and Marseille can continue to perform, then they have every chance – I think there’ll be some frustration among Marseille fans that their home form hasn’t always been the best, and that if they’d done better in recent weeks than they could have been even closer to PSG than they are now.

Why Lionel Messi exit could make sense for PSG

When you look at how the situation is unfolding with Lionel Messi and his future at PSG, it’s important to look at what’s been happening on the pitch since the World Cup – Messi and most of the PSG team just haven’t been nearly as good since the club season re-started. A large factor is that Messi and a number of the other players who gave it their all at the World Cup haven’t been able to repeat that strong form and consistency they showed in the first half of the season.

PSG’s record since the start of 2023 is horrendous – it’s cost them in the Champions League, in the Coupe de France, and it could end up costing them in the title race as well. It’s not just specific to Messi, but it does mean that, at this moment in the PSG project, Messi doesn’t have a massive amount of leverage – his contract, which is very expensive, is expiring, and PSG need to trim their wage bill to keep in line with Financial Fair Play. There’s a growing pressure for PSG to move away from this model of bringing in ageing superstars and to build more around younger, local players. This means the likes of Messi and Sergio Ramos are becoming a little less important, with important people behind the scenes recognising the financial headache it’s giving the club. Ultimately it will be with the Qatari owners to decide about how the project will move forwards, but it seems likely it’ll be built around Kylian Mbappe and other French players.

There was a sort of half-hearted effort to start this new process last summer under Luis Campos, but a lot of the signings haven’t really worked out. I think we’ll now see a more severe change in direction this summer, so it wouldn’t surprise me if we see Messi move on as part of that. Still, it will also depend on how desperate the Argentine is to play in Europe for a bit longer and have another stab at winning the Champions League. There’s no guarantee that Barcelona will be a happy homecoming for him because there are so many question-marks about their finances as well at this moment in time.

Things could still change, but with all the noises coming out of the Parc des Princes in the last few weeks, it does seem more and more likely that Messi’s future ultimately lies away from PSG as things stand.

Trouble brewing for Nuno Tavares at Marseille?

There’s been a big story in the last week about Nuno Tavares supposedly being kicked out of a Marseille training session by Igor Tudor, but it’s important to clarify that this major incident with the on-loan Arsenal man hasn’t been confirmed by Tudor. The Marseille boss was speaking about his project and mentioned that he’d removed a player from a training session, in the context of explaining what he wants and expects from his players, with one of them not giving everything during a training session.

There certainly has been some frustration with Tavares’ performances as it sometimes seems like he doesn’t show the best attitude or work hard enough. I’ve written here before about what a fine attacking threat he poses from left-back, but there is major work still to do on the defensive side of his game.

So while it wasn’t Tudor coming out and saying he’s not happy with Tavares, there have been hints at issues there. In terms of what it means for Arsenal, I think they’ll be well aware of his strengths and his weaknesses – they have a player there who can potentially offer a lot going forward, with some impressive numbers of goals and assists for the position he plays, but equally, if they’ve kept close tabs on him over the course of this season they’ll have noted that there are major question marks over his defensive contributions.

It’s hard to predict what will happen, but it will be interesting to see if Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff decide that’s something they can work on with him, or if they pay attention to what Tudor has been saying about his characteristics and if they decide it’s going to be too much of a challenge to make him more disciplined on the pitch.

Breel Embolo, Paul Mitchell and what to expect from Monaco this summer

Breel Embolo is a player with an interesting profile. He’s obviously been a good source of goals for Monaco this season and has always been highly rated ever since he burst onto the scene at a very young age. I think he’s someone who represents a good fit for Monaco and the type of players they like to build around – he’s still in his mid 20s, so he has some way to go before he’s in the prime of his career, but he’s a proven goal-scorer, as he’s shown in Switzerland, Germany, and now in France.

We can probably expect major changes at Monaco this summer, because we know Paul Mitchell is going to be moving on as sporting director. It’s always been very important for Monaco to have a supply of first-team-ready quality players, and so I’m not sure selling Embolo would fit in with that. There’s been the expectation that he would eventually end up taking over the mantle from Wissam Ben Yedder as the main man up front and the most prolific source of goals at the club, and he’s probably not at the peak of his value yet.

Still, we’ve seen him linked with West Ham, and previously with bigger clubs in the Premier League, and I think there’s the realistic sense that if a big offer came in from an English club it would be hard for them to turn it down. Still, if I were to put money on the players who’ll be attracting the most interest this summer, I’d probably put a couple of names before Embolo.

We could see players like Youssouf Fofana and Axel Disasi attracting interest from Premier League clubs – two France internationals, two quality options in midfield and defence, respectively.

Overall I rate Paul Mitchell’s work very highly, he’s done some impressive work in difficult circumstances at Monaco, as he did previously with the Red Bull group. The squad was massively bloated when he first arrived at Monaco, and he streamlined it really well, and played his part in an important sale with Aurelian Tchouameni as well.

For Monaco, the sporting director is probably the most important position at the club – they don’t have the same potential to fill their stadium week in, week out, which would provide them with a boost in income, so it’s massively important that they get the right replacement for him. I’d expect Paul Mitchell’s next club to be a little closer to home, and I could see him doing a job at one of the bigger Premier League clubs, perhaps like Liverpool, where there’s going to be a vacancy, though my understanding is he’ll see out the summer transfer window with Monaco first.

The post Exclusive: Pochettino make sense for Chelsea, Messi PSG exit for the best & more – Jonathan Johnson appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Paris Saint-Germain admire Julian Nagelsmann but won’t necessarily make him a top target if they decide to replace Christophe Galtier as manager, according to Jonathan Johnson.

Writing in his weekly column exclusively for CaughtOffside, the French football expert made it clear that Nagelsmann doesn’t look like quite the right fit for the PSG job, with the Ligue 1 giants possibly already eyeing up their own similar candidate in the form of Thiago Motta.

Motta is a former PSG player and is starting to make a name for himself in management with spells in Serie A with first Spezia and now Bologna, so it could be an easier transition for him to adjust to the culture at the Parc des Princes.

With Nagelsmann a big name currently available, he’ll undoubtedly be tempting for Chelsea as they look for a long-term replacement for Graham Potter, so Blues fans will be relieved to hear that Johnson doesn’t seem to think much of the links with PSG.

“With PSG’s manager situation, I think we will likely be discussing the prospect of Galtier moving on in the very near future. I don’t think it bodes well for him, with what’s been happening in recent weeks on the pitch, and also a lack of clarity from PSG over his future,” Johnson wrote.

“There’s been a lot of talk in France this week about how the next few days being crucial for whether or not Galtier stays on until the end of the season. He’s got Nice away and Lens at home, two difficult games, and it could have a significant say on the title race as well.

“In terms of Nagelsmann and a rumoured approach from PSG, he’s a bright manager and the club will know him well from coming up against him in the Champions League, but I think there’d be a couple of issues with him. Because of his age, he seemed to struggle to a certain extent with the Bayern dressing room, so I don’t see that he’d be better suited to what would be awaiting him in that department at PSG.

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England international to spark £80m bidding war between Arsenal and Chelsea

Nov 1 2023, 7:20

“There’s also the cultural consideration as well – he’d have to adapt to life in France and learn a new language, and it’s also worth noting that PSG feel they have a manager of the future of their own who’s in a similar age group in the form of Thiago Motta. T

“he 40-year-old is a former player, he managed their Under-19s, and he’s been linked with the PSG managerial role a couple of times in the past. He previously didn’t really have the experience, but he’s now had a couple of years with Spezia and his current job at Bologna, and there are bigger clubs taking notice of that, so it could be a good time for them to bring him back – he knows how the club works, he has a good relationship with the ownership, so for me Motta would be a better fit than an outsider, for want of a better word, like Nagelsmann.

“That’s not to say Motta is a better coach than Nagelsmann, it’s just that PSG is a specific environment and I think even if it’s changed a bit since Motta left, he’d be better suited to it than Nagelsmann.”

The post Exclusive: Why PSG are unlikely to rival Chelsea for top manager target appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The short-term future of Facundo Pellistri at Man United is uncertain as the Premier League giants evaluate whether it is best to send the youngster out on loan or not. 

The 21-year-old is not near the Man United first team at present and only made his debut for the Red Devils this month, coming off the bench in a Carabao Cup match against Charlton, just over two years after joining the Manchester club.

The youngster has experienced two loan spells with Deportivo Alaves since moving to Old Trafford and United have not decided yet whether to send the Uruguay international on loan again.

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According to Fabrizio Romano, Man United have scheduled a new round of talks with Pellistri’s agent to discuss a possible loan move in January but the decision will come down to Erik ten Hag.

According to the transfer journalist, many clubs have asked about taking the 21-year-old on loan, which includes Valencia, Bologna and Flamengo.

Manchester United have scheduled new round of talks with Facundo Pellistri's agent to discuss about possible loan move in January. ??? #MUFC

Pellistri, waiting for club and ten Hag's decision as many clubs have asked for loan deal including Valencia, Bologna and Flamengo. pic.twitter.com/hxPPWD9P03

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 17, 2023

The post Multiple clubs interested in Man United star as Red Devils sit down to discuss player’s future appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Marko Arnautovic’s agent has claimed the Bologna striker was the one to turn down a move to Manchester United this summer, rather than the Premier League club pulling out of the deal. 

Man United were linked with a move for Arnautovic during the summer window as they searched for a forward and had a bid of £7.6m rejected for the striker by Bologna before they put a halt to pursuing the former Stoke City star, reported Sky Sports.

The reason United are said to have pulled out of any potential deal for Arnautovic was because of the backlash the club received from fans and former players of the club, as the 33-year-old was a controversial choice due to him not being of the standard the Old Trafford faithful expect coming through United’s door.

Weeks later, Arnautovic’s agent has claimed that the Bologna striker was the one to turn down a move to Man United this summer, not the other way around.

When asked about the transfer rumours regarding Man United, Arnautovic’s agent Tiziano Pasquali told Gianluca di Marzio: “Yes, Juventus and Manchester United had come forward.

“From the English, we had received a written proposal, and the negotiations had continued even after some contrary opinions from their fans.

“But in the end, it was Marko who chose not to drag it out too long and to stay at Bologna. How can you think that he is now in a bad way?”

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This is an interesting revelation as it essentially means that if the striker wanted the move, it is highly likely that he would be in a Man United shirt right now.

At the time, there was indeed backlash over the deal from United fans and therefore, it would have been interesting to see the reaction had the transfer gone through.

The post Agent of controversial Man United target says player rejected club this summer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Enjoy my latest Daily Briefing, featuring Jude Bellingham, N’Golo Kante, and Rafael Leao!

AC Milan

Have AC Milan’s contract talks with Rafael Leao really stalled? Click here for the truth about this saga.

Ajax

Ajax lost a lot of players this summer, so who are the danger men against Liverpool tonight? Click here for my look ahead to this big game.

Bologna

Official, confirmed: Thiago Motta has been appointed as new Bologna manager to replace Sinisa Mihajlovic who was sacked last week. Thiago Motta has signed a contract until June 2024.

Borussia Dortmund

My sources tell me “get ready” for a big race to sign Jude Bellingham next summer – click here to find out more.

Chelsea

What’s the reason behind N’Golo Kante’s contract talks stalling? Click here for all you need to know.

RB Leipzig rejected an offer from Chelsea for Josko Gvardiol towards the end of the summer. The Blues wanted to negotiate a deal for him to join in 2023, but Leipzig believe other clubs will join the race.

Could Chelsea have been given a boost in their rumoured pursuit of Rafael Leao? Click here to find out more.

During transfer negotiations between Chelsea and Brighton in the summer, Todd Boehly asked Marc Cucurella and his representatives about Graham Potter as he was already well informed on his tactical ideas. Now, Cucurella and Potter are back together after a great season at Brighton.

Inter Milan

Milan Skriniar responding to questions about PSG and a new contract with Inter: “I never speak about my contract here in public. It’s not the right place to discuss about it. When there will be updates, you will know from me and no one else.”

Liverpool

What’s the situation with Liverpool and a possible move for Jude Bellingham next summer? Click here to find out.

Liverpool were very interested in Konrad Laimer as an option in midfield this summer, but it was impossible to negotiate with RB Leipzig. Laimer’s contract expires next June and there are many clubs interested, with Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann a big fan of the player.

What do Liverpool need to get right against Ajax this evening? Click here for my look ahead at this big game.

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Nov 1 2023, 8:07

20-year-old with over 100 first-team appearances already is a target for Liverpool

Nov 1 2023, 7:53

England international to spark £80m bidding war between Arsenal and Chelsea

Nov 1 2023, 7:20

Manchester United

How close were Manchester United to signing Jude Bellingham before he joined Borussia Dortmund? Click here for my exclusive insight.

Newcastle

Official: Newcastle United have confirmed the signing of former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius. He joins on a free transfer and has signed a short-term contract at St James’ Park.

Newcastle wanted a player from Tottenham this summer, but which one? Click here to find out.

Real Madrid

Marco Asensio was not happy at being snubbed for the Mallorca game this weekend, so what does the future hold for him? Click to read my exclusive update.

Tottenham

Lucas Moura has been the subject of some speculation as he nears the end of his contract, but what’s really going on? Click here to find out.

Wolves

It’s finally official – Diego Costa has joined Wolves on a free transfer, and what an announcement video it was!

The post Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing – How close were Man Utd to signing Bellingham? Plus Kante, Leao + more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has admitted he’s found this a strange summer transfer window for his old club.

When asked about the recent links with Marko Arnautovic, a deal which then quickly fell apart, Chadwick admitted he found the whole thing pretty bizarre.

Chadwick does not believe Arnautovic is a bad player as such, but he was surprised to see him linked with Man Utd.

Despite the appointment of new manager Erik ten Hag, it seems clear the club has deep problems, according to Chadwick.

“I’m not saying he’s a bad player, but it did seem like a strange move. Reading the reports, it seemed like it was leaked from the club to see the reaction from the fanbase, and it just seems like a strange, strange situation,” the ex-Red Devil told CaughtOffside.

“It seems like they’re desperate to sign a striker, probably to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, but that whole situation was incredibly strange. Sadly that seems to have become the norm at the club, with press leaks from high up at the club or the players.

“It’s as bad as it’s ever been. It looked a real positive that the club got a hold of the new manager, but otherwise not a lot has changed at the club. It’s not really Ten Hag’s fault – it’s a really strange club at the moment.”

Chadwick was more positive about links with Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as he feels the former Arsenal striker guarantees goals and could be the kind of character needed in Ten Hag’s squad.

United have signed ageing strikers in the past, with Chadwick pointing to the success of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson.

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England international to spark £80m bidding war between Arsenal and Chelsea

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“Aubameyang’s obviously got an incredible record. He’s obviously the wrong side of 30 and coming towards the end of his career, but United have done that before to good effect,” Chadwick said.

“Obviously there’s Ronaldo, there was Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson, players like that. You feel like United need someone like that – a bit of maverick figure who will score goals and add a bit of imagination.

? EXCLUSIVE ?

Casemiro is Manchester United's dream target in midfield as the Adrien Rabiot deal has been called off.

Full story ??

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) August 17, 2022

“Aubameyang would offer goals and I think even with United in the state they’re in at the moment, a big character like Aubameyang could relish being the springboard to help get the club back to its best.

“Whoever comes in needs to hit the ground running, and Aubameyang is certainly one of the bigger names and more proven strikers being linked with the club. I don’t think United fans would be against the deal, he’s shown throughout his career that he guarantees a high quantity of goals.”

The post “It’s a really strange club at the moment” – Former Man Utd ace responds to recent striker transfer links appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United have been backed as making the right decision after deciding against a transfer move for Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic.

That’s the analysis from Fabrizio Romano, writing in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside today, with the Italian reporter detailing how this deal ended up falling through.

Arnautovic was a player well known by Erik ten Hag from their time together at FC Twente, but Romano has confirmed reports that fan backlash proved key to persuading Man Utd to walk away from this move.

The Austria international was a surprise target for the Red Devils, with the news of the club’s interest going down very badly on social media.

It seems United listened to their fans on this one, and Romano believes they made the right choice.

“Arnautovic is appreciated by Erik ten Hag because he has known him since his time at Twente, but Manchester United after a £7m opening bid have decided to leave the negotiations due to the high cost and the complaints of the fans,” Romano explained.

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England international to spark £80m bidding war between Arsenal and Chelsea

Nov 1 2023, 7:20

“Bologna expected United to submit a new bid for Arnautovic, but there was a very negative response to the deal and this clearly filtered through to the club.

“In my opinion, Man United have made the right decision because the expectations are on other players and – with all respect – not on Arnautovic.”

It’s certainly true that MUFC surely need a bigger talent up front than Arnautovic, who is 33 years of age and who has not played at a particularly high level for some time now, even if he did show some moments of promise in spells at Stoke City and West Ham earlier in his career.

The post “United made the right decision” – Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive insight into Marko Arnautovic transfer U-turn appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been criticised for his role in the shambolic transfer pursuit of Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic.

The veteran Austrian forward has emerged as a surprise target for Man Utd this summer, with Samuel Luckhurst explaining in the video below that Ten Hag requested him, before the club changed their minds and decided against pursuing the player.

Watch as Luckhurst lays into Ten Hag and the club as a whole for what has been a disastrous transfer window so far…

? “It’s shambolic, it’s farcical.” @samuelluckhurst on Manchester United’s summer transfer window.? pic.twitter.com/uGjI1NdEza

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 9, 2022

This is pretty damning for the Red Devils, and for new manager Ten Hag in particular, as it seems he’s part of the problem at Old Trafford, rather than someone simply trying to do their best in a challenging environment.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal had two transfer suitors for important squad player this summer, says Fabrizio Romano

Nov 1 2023, 8:07

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Nov 1 2023, 7:53

England international to spark £80m bidding war between Arsenal and Chelsea

Nov 1 2023, 7:20

The Dutch tactician impressed in his time at Ajax, but United seem to be much well less run than the Eredivisie giants, and it’s proving a difficult transition for the head coach so far.

Arnautovic clearly didn’t look like the right signing for MUFC and it’s surprising that this was ever a real possibility in the first place.

The post “Erik ten Hag is complicit” – Manchester United manager slammed over “shambolic” transfer decision appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United have performed a major U-turn on the Marko Arnautovic transfer deal and will now not pursue the deal.

It was reported earlier today that the Red Devils had agreed personal terms with the Austria international, though they still had to negotiate with his club Bologna.

Now, however, there’s been a surprise turnaround, with The Athletic claiming Man Utd have decided against signing Arnautovic, despite this tweet earlier today from journalist Tancredi Palmeri…

Manchester United has reached a deal on personal terms with Arnautovic.

Talks still ongoing with Bologna

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) August 9, 2022

Arnautovic didn’t really look the right fit for United anyway, so it’s not too surprising that fans were unhappy about the deal.

It seems MUFC have listened to their supporters on this one, with The Athletic detailing how key figures were emailed about the deal.

The report also cites concerns about Arnautovic and previous accusations of racism whilst in action at Euro 2020.

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Overall, it seems like the best decision for United to put a stop to this and move on to other targets.

A new signing up front certainly makes sense for Erik ten Hag as he looks to get this team back to their best, but it will surely require a much better player than Arnautovic anyway.

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