Champions League – CaughtOffside

Fantastic move for Mbappe, Barça in a rush for Nico and more…

Fabrizio Romano — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:00:00 +0000

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Fantastic move for Mbappe but no updates on Trent to Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe is unveiled by Real Madrid

It’s a fantastic move for Real Madrid and for Mbappe. Real Madrid already had everything of course, but Mbappe can be very helpful in terms of goals to add as next season will be full of games, new Champions League format, Clubs World Cup…

Mbappe is a fantastic addition, and for him it’s a great move as Real Madrid is a fantastic club.

Sticking with Los Blancos, there’s no update on Trent Alexander-Arnold at the moment. I shared in March that Real Madrid are monitoring the situation and this remains the case, nothing fresh or new so far.

Real Madrid are just attentive to many situations of good players with short contracts, Alexander-Arnold is one of them.

West Ham must pay £40m for Jhon Dura

The situation remains open for Jhon Duran, who could still leave this summer.

Aston Villa always wanted £40m, they rejected different approaches from Chelsea in June and from West Ham in the recent weeks.

Their request remains clear, at least £40m or the player is not leaving. Let’s see what West Ham decide to do now.

The Hammers have also been linked with Alexander Sorloth but I don’t have concrete updates on that situation.

I can say that Villarreal, when Roma asked for Sorloth recently, always replied: release clause or nothing.

€38m, this is the value of the clause and what Villarreal want for Sorloth.

Barca want quick resolution to Nico Williams deal

Barcelona really want to be fast on the Nico Williams deal. They know that Premier League clubs could return for the Spanish winger after the fantastic Euros campaign that he had with Spain.

They know about Chelsea’s interest and they know about Arsenal’s interest, but Barça want to be faster on the player side. This will be the mission for this week.

They will not bid for other players because the full focus of their budget is on Nico Williams. The confidence of the Barça board, Barça manager Hansi Flick and all the people at the club is growing.

Barcelona will make a contract proposal to Nico Williams. They know this is crucial to agree on the salary and all the details of the deal need to have the green light from the player. This is the crucial step.

Barça want to make it happen and then get the green light from La Liga for Financial Fair Play.

They already had more contacts with the agents of the player, and will push in the next days as they want to agree this week on personal terms, the structure of the salary and the bonuses into the salary.

Osimhen move will see Lukaku head to Napoli

Victor Osimhen in action.

There is still interest, a lot of interest in Victor Osimhen, because the agreement between Napoli and the player is for him to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

We know about the interest of Chelsea but we always said that the only way for Chelsea to go for Victor Osimhen is in case the package is reduced; meaning salary, meaning commission, meaning also transparency as Chelsea will not pay €120m.

The agent of Victor Osimhen is in contact with Paris Saint-Germain and he’s been a target of theirs for a long time.

But it will only be a concrete possibility if PSG manage to sell a striker in the summer transfer window, either Gonçalo Ramos or Randal Kolo Muani.

Saudi was already a really concrete possibility but it didn’t happen before because Napoli said no. This summer it’s different, and so Saudi could still be a solution for Victor Osimhen.

An important point to note is that in case Osimhen agrees to move in the summer window, the top target for Napoli remains Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku has always been excited about the possibility of being reunited with Antonio Conte, his favourite manager by far, and Napoli want the same.

Mathys Tel is going nowhere this summer

I keep receiving many questions from Chelsea fans on Mathys Tel, the striker from Bayern Munich.

We know Chelsea are looking for a player in that position and will look to acquire one based on the opportunity that will arise.

The name of Mathys Tel is always in Chelsea fans questions, and what I’m told is that both Bayern and the player, together with their agents, have no intention of parting ways this summer.

Despite many clubs being interested in Mathys Tel, one of the most talented strikers around, he recently extended his contact at Bayern, and his idea is to stay at Bayern.

He can’t wait to work under Vincent Kompany and this is the clear message.

Morata set for Milan medical

Spain’s Alvaro Morata celebrates with the European Championship trophy

There has been a lot of movement for Álvaro Morata, with the captain of Spanish national team set to join AC Milan.

The Italian club have triggered the release clause of €13m to sign the player from Atlético Madrid, and a medical will be done in the next 24 hours.

Then Morata will sign on a four-year contract. All set to be completed.

Monaco furious with Mikautadze as Lyon hijack deal

Georges Mikautadze, the striker from the Georgian National Team, was set to become a new Monaco player. The deal was done and the medical test was scheduled.

Everything was in place, but Olympique Lyon have been able to hijack the deal on the player side.

Monaco were furious with the player and his agents, but he’s going to Olympique Lyon for €18m.

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Maguire can leave Man United… if he wants to

The situation is quiet regarding Harry Maguire now, no changes.

Maguire remains happy at Man United, and they’re not desperate to sell him. If a good proposal arrives, he could leave in case he wants to.

Otherwise, they’d continue together as happened this season. Nothing is concrete now in terms of talks or negotiations.

Juve priority is Koopmeiners but Adeyemi appreciated

Juventus interest in Karim Adeyemi is there since June, I reported about that in June because Juventus like the player but at the moment there are no negotiations ongoing.

For Juventus, the priority remains to sign Koopmeiners as soon as they sell Soulé.

Aubameyang off to Saudi

There’s also been movement in recent hours for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

He’s set to leave European football and Olympique Marseille to become a new player at the Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah, the same club that former Real Madrid player, Nacho, has joined.

The agreement between Aubameyang and Al Qadsiah is done on a two year contract, he has the green light to go there, and now we wait for the clubs to agree.

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Exclusive: Talks advancing as Champions League club pursue Man United star for only £500k

Darren Looney — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 16:27:46 +0000

La Liga side Girona are in advanced talks to sign Man United’s Donny van de Beek as the Dutch midfielder is not part of Erik ten Hag’s plans ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The 27-year-old is out of contract at Old Trafford in 2025 and this summer would be the ideal time for the Manchester club to part ways with the player as the Premier League outfit seek a transfer fee for the unwanted star.

Sources have told CaughtOffside that Girona are in advanced talks to sign Van de Beek during the current transfer window with the La Liga club willing to pay Man United just £500k to sign the Man United star.

The 27-year-old will be offered a two-year deal with the option of a further year should things go well for the Dutch star in Spain as the Catalan club look to strengthen their squad ahead of their first season in the Champions League.

Van de Beek has previously been offered to Fulham, Everton, Lazio, Ajax and Real Betis; however, none of the clubs were interested in signing the Man United star on a permanent deal.

Girona are in advanced talks to sign Man United’s Donny van de Beek

Is Donny van de Beek’s Man United nightmare coming to an end?

Van de Beek has been at Man United since making the £39m switch from Ajax back in 2020, however, the transfer has not worked out for the club and player.

The Dutch star failed to cement a starting spot at Old Trafford throughout his four years with the Premier League giants and has only featured in 62 matches for the Red Devils.

The 27-year-old has also been on loan twice, with Everton during the 2021/22 campaign and Eintracht Frankfurt last season. Both clubs were not willing to take the midfielder on permanently and now Girona are the team looking to take advantage of his situation at Old Trafford.

Van de Beek’s next club is very important for the Dutch star’s career as the player needs to find a home where he can start enjoying his football again.

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Exclusive: Patience needed from João Félix, Todibo race still open, no change for Salah, Chiesa out and more

Fabrizio Romano — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 18:00:00 +0000

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Patience needed from Joao Felix and Barcelona

Nothing has changed with regard to Joao Felix.

Barcelona are still keen on bringing him back, but they need to agree on a deal with Atlético Madrid and that’s not easy or guaranteed yet.

Patience is needed, exactly the same as last year, and from the player’s point of view, Joao Felix is currently waiting again for Barcelona.

Several clubs in the race for Todibo

I’m not aware that Jean-Clair Todibo wasn’t interested in a move to West Ham.

I understand that West Ham were never going to bid for him without guarantees on the player side, and though he was keen on the move the problem was on the price – which is still considered to be too high.

The race for Todibo remains open, and there are several clubs interested.

No approaches for Mo Salah so far

Despite the rumours, I’ve still zero updates on Mo Salah’s situation so far.

It’s quiet, there are no changes with Saudi clubs, and though the interest is there since last summer, Liverpool have not received any proposals or approaches at the moment.

I don’t have any confirmation or guarantee either about Salah leaving and joining Saudi this summer.

Juve to part ways with Chiesa

The decision of Juventus has been made in the case of Federico Chiesa. The player will leave the club this summer, this is the plan.

You may ask me why an important player is being sold, and it’s because the new manager, Thiago Motta, wants to go in a different direction.

Juventus are not counting on him, so Chiesa is expected to be sold by Juventus this summer for something around €20m/€25m. It’s that cheap because the player is out of contract in summer 2025.

For sure, Federico Chiesa is a big opportunity on the market, and he will probably have several options to choose from.

Arsenal leading the race for Calafiori

Talking about Italian players, let me say that in the last 24 hours, Arsenal made contact on the club side for Riccardo Calafiori.

Talks are now ongoing but we are still waiting for an official bid, still waiting for the club to club agreement.

The player gave a green light to Arsenal in terms of contract, and is really excited by the possibility of working under Mikel Arteta.

He’s considered a proper, proper talent for the left-back or centre-back position, he can cover both of them.

Arsenal are really convinced that they have an agreement almost ready on the player side, but are still waiting to reach agreement with Bologna. I told you that the relationship with Bologna is very good, and they want something around €50m/€55m.

The other club monitoring the situation is Chelsea, but at the moment Arsenal are ahead.

Kilman in but Paqueta not yet out at West Ham

Flamengo’s directors have travelled to London to make an approach to West Ham for Lucas Paquetá but the reply was clear: no chance for a loan deal.

At the moment, the deal is complicated but Flamengo are keeping doors open to a new attempt in the next days or weeks. It’s not an easy one, for sure.

Sticking with West Ham, the deal is done between them and Wolves for Max Kilman. £40m is the package agreement for the player, wanted by Julen Lopetegui.

So, an important signing for the club.

Olise medical on Sunday, deal to complete soon

Michael Olise will have the first part of his medical as a new Bayern Munich player on Sunday. Right after that he will sign a contract until 2029.

The reason this has taken a little longer than expected is because Crystal Palace, as part of the agreement, will also have a sell-on clause, understood to be around 10%-15% and the issue to resolve was that.

Now everything is agreed between Bayern and Palace, and they’re waiting to exchange the documents, waiting to sign, waiting to complete the medical.

He should be unveiled by Bayern really, really soon,

De Ligt only wants Manchester United

With Matthijs de Ligt, contact between Manchester United and Bayern continues.

Bayern want to sign Jonathan Tah and they’re very confident, so will keep discussing the structure of the de Ligt deal with United.

I’m told the only club with the authorisation from the player to negotiate with his agent is Manchester United. That is the intention of Matthijs de Ligt.

Finally, after difficulties for a fantastic defender, he could be back working for a manager who trusts him.

PSG interest in Joshua Kimmich is genuine

The interest of Paris Saint-Germain in Joshua Kimmich is real, is genuine, and from what I’m told it doesn’t depend on João Neves. That’s a separate story, a completely separate story.

Paris Saint-Germain love João Neves too, but at the moment he’s very expensive; €120m release clause.

PSG appreciate both players, but Kimmich is out of contact in one year, and doesn’t have that kind of crazy price.

Dele Alli working hard but no new club yet

To be honest, I’ve zero information on my side on Dele Alli’s future right now.

He’s working hard and training well, but I don’t know anything concrete about negotiations with clubs or concrete talks. Probably it’s still too early.

Nothing is happening right now.

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UEFA make major decision on Man United and Man City ahead of 2024/25 campaign

Darren Looney — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 16:05:08 +0000

UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body have cleared both Man United and Man City to play in Europe this season as doubts emerged over their participation.

This is a result of both Premier League clubs’ owners also being part of other teams that have qualified for both the Champions League and Europa League, which many would see as a conflict of interest.

Man City and La Liga side Girona, who are both part of the City Football Group, both qualified for the Champions League. Man United, meanwhile, earned a place in the Europa League by winning the FA Cup along with Nice, the Ligue 1 club which is also under the control of Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group.

According to Sky Sports, UEFA have put any doubts to bed and have decided to allow Man United and Man City to compete in Europe throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

However, they have placed some restrictions as they will not be allowed to transfer players between the clubs. According to ESPN, Man United have already seen a move for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo blocked this summer, but there are still other concerns regarding multi-club ownership.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a say at both Man United and Nice

Should Man United and Man City be allowed to compete in Europe next season?

There should be big concerns among fans regarding clubs owned by the same ownership playing against each other in European competitions next season. Although UEFA have stopped transfers between clubs, it is not enough.

Should Man City and Girona meet in the quarter-finals, what is stopping the City Group from deciding to make it easy for the Premier League club as they are more likely to go all the way in the Champions League?

Multi-club ownership is a big problem for football and it is a topic UEFA and FIFA need to make strict rules for as it has the potential to damage the sport going forward.

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Collymore’s column: Bellingham right to be cocky, tiredness wrecking the Euros, Archie Gray’s great move and more

Stan Collymore — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 11:44:27 +0000

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why Jude Bellingham is right to be cocky, why tiredness is wrecking the Euros, why Archie Gray to Spurs is a great move and much more.

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Jude Bellingham is right to be cocky but it’s not all about him

Jude Bellingham’s still a baby and people will say he’s done very little in his career. He’s not, as the kids say, ‘the man’ yet.

But if you’re La Liga Player of the Year, you’ve won the Champions League and you’ve been a key part of that then, of course, you’re going to have cockiness and sureness in your own ability.

He’s not got a final body of work, but I love the attitude he displays. I think one of the big, big things about English football, when it comes to English players, is we’ve never celebrated players with talent until long after they’ve retired.

In Jude’s case, I think that it is both true that I want him to be cocky and confident and to have ultimate self belief, but I also want him to be a fully functioning member and part of the team. To remember that his success cannot come without the success of others.

Jude Bellingham

There’s been a couple of times when he’s gone over to Gareth Southgate and taken instructions then gesticulated a little bit, but again, I think that he’s young and still learning. He probably watches, or has watched, lots of big name players take centre stage, not just with their performances but how they interact with the bench.

The media are saying how good he’s been since 16 years of age, so he’s probably thinking ‘how can I now play the part on and off the pitch?’

If he gets punished because of his crotch-grabbing antics it would be incredibly negative, and the reaction to him would be interesting. Let’s not forget Wayne Rooney and David Beckham have had the naughty little boy tabloid treatment, so he needs to be careful.

Maybe Kyle Walker or another senior pro just pulls him aside and says ‘I’ve worked with these big, big dogs. I’ve won everything there is to win with these big dogs. And in the case of a De Bruyne, you couldn’t get a more self deprecating, it’s not all about me kind of player.’

If Jude was reading this, all I’d say is keep being cocky, keep being confident, but remember that no player can get to where they need to be without the likes of Phil Foden, Kieran Trippier, Jordan Pickford etc.

You are just one piece of a cog, you’re not the cog on its own.

Too many games to blame for England’s woes, not Southgate

If you look at the teams that are starting to get to the pointy end of the Euros, tiredness has become a major factor. I saw France and Holland coming out at half-time of their games recently and they looked wasted. Everyone was like ‘here we go again.’

This is going to be a major problem and will be at the World Cup in only two years time.

When is the madness going to end, whereby we celebrate nations like Georgia and Turkey rightly for the freshness in their performances, but we castigate players like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, or maybe some of the Dutch guys for their performances.

The answer is the same and is very simple.

Some of the guys that have looked incredibly fresh, lively and on their toes whilst playing a super brand of football have been precisely that because the intensity, on and off the pitch, isn’t there for a lot of Georgian, Turkish and Austrian players.

Harry Kane is tired

For England players, French players, for some of the Germans and some of the Dutch etc. it is, so we’ve got to address it.

Whether it be Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe or other high profile stars, we want to be seeing our very, very best players playing their very, very best football at the end of a tournament, not in September, October for their clubs.

We’ve got to stop flogging dead horses.

If you play in the Premier League and La Liga, and to a lesser degree, the Bundesliga, Ligue Un and Serie A, the intensity of the media interest as well as the intensity of the games means that you are just spent.

I’m a massive fan of players only playing 50 professional games a season. That’s it, across all tournaments. That would focus minds, but I think that in the short term, a player that gets knocked out at the Euros this coming weekend does not go back to their club team for six full weeks.

Georgia and Turkey are the shining stars of Euro 2024

For me, the teams that have impressed me the most have been Georgia and Turkey.

Georgia came into this tournament like ‘this is it, this is as good as it gets,’ and they’ve just gone for it. Turkey is a different animal because of the Turkish media.

You know it’s a big football in nation but they’ve always underachieved, just as England have underachieved.

When I look at the talent that they’ve got… Demiral, Ayhan, Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz and Yilmaz – they have been superb. Getting the ball, turning with it, running with it, creating chances, sitting on the counter.

Austria were very good overall and might have qualified on another day with a little bit more look. It was nice to see Marko Arnautovic back in the big time too.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia celebrates

If I’m looking at other nations that you’re expecting to be there or thereabouts, you can’t really look much beyond Spain. Obviously the young lads, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are exceeding all expectations.

The squad have stuck with the remit of the 2010/2012 Spanish team but with a bit more flair. A big shout out for Rodri too. When you look at players in the big leagues that are mentally and physically fatigued, this guy is managing his minutes extraordinarily well. He seems to play at 70% pace all the time, so you’ve never really seen him making long, bursting runs and his timing is great. He’s a very big man. He’s a very big, physically impressive athlete. And obviously he weighed in with a cracking goal against against Georgia.

Ah yes, Georgia. Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia and their team-mates playing with so much joy, with so much happiness… unless someone wins the Euros by scoring a hat-trick in the final or something amazing, I think that a lot of people will be nodding in agreement that the attacking play of the Georgians at their very best has been great to watch.

It’s a festival, a celebration at the end of a European season, or at the end of a global season, where all of these amazing countries come together and entertain us in the sunshine.

So for me, Georgia have been the team to watch at this season’s tournament.

Archie Gray is the right player at the right time for Tottenham

Archie Gray

Archie Gray is already nearing a half century of performances at just 18, so he will know what he’s about as a player. He’s a big lad as well, six foot two, and he’s only going to get bigger, stronger and more versatile in the next two or three years.

He can play as a centre mid or as a right-back and he’s got pedigree after turning out for England in the U15, U16, U17, U19, U20 and U21 age groups.

I think he will go on potentially and play for England, though he’s eligible for Scotland as well.

I imagine that whoever the next England manager is, he will be watching over the next season or two at Spurs, but they may well call him up for the England senior squad sooner rather than later.

Personally, I think it’s a great move. I’m a massive fan of Tottenham, the way that their Academy has done things etc…

The facilities are arguably the best in the world at Spurs Lodge, they don’t necessarily just promote ex-players as coaches in the academy and they’ve got Ange Postecoglou, who’s a very minded open manager.

Archie Gray and his family are all Celtic fans and love Ange, so I’m really excited. I think it’s the right player, the right move, the right club at the right time and I think that he will get opportunities to play.

The world’s his oyster.

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West Ham could make a move in 2025 that could see them earn £104m

Darren Looney — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 18:31:46 +0000

West Ham continue to grow as a club and the Hammers could make a move in 2025 that could propel that forward massively.

The London outfit have won the UEFA Europa Conference League in recent years and have regularly competed in European competitions, however, they are yet to play in the Champions League, which will be the goal for the Irons.

They have seen Aston Villa achieve this and will want to put themselves in a position to secure a top-four finish in the coming seasons.

West Ham already have some top players but their squad overall falls short of the Premier League’s “Big Six” and Villa. To close the gap, the Hammers will need to make big changes and an opportunity may present itself in 2025.

The Premier League club’s current deal with betting company Betway, which is valued at £10million per year, is set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season. With new regulations prohibiting gambling sponsorships from the 2025/26 season onwards, the London outfit are actively seeking a new front-of-shirt sponsorship deal.

Betway currently sponsor West Ham

West Ham could make £104m more with a new sponsor deal

Industry experts, The Sponsor via Claret and Hugh, believe West Ham could potentially double their current deal with Betway when seeking a new sponsor, fetching a staggering £26m annually.

Over a standard four-year contract, this translates to a potential £104m windfall for the club.

This figure is based on the Premier League’s Fair Market Value criteria, ensuring the deal is commercially sound and avoids inflated figures for financial fair play (FFP) purposes.

This would be huge for the Hammers as it would bring in more money for new stars but not only that, it would increase their ability to spend due to the extra revenue being brought into the club. This could all play a part in the Premier League club progressing forward so it is a deal they need to consider carefully.

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West Ham one of three English clubs that didn’t stand a chance of signing Spanish international

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 10:30:14 +0000

West Ham fans can’t really blame their club for a lack of activity this summer, given that the Irons have all but announced Luis Guilherme and only missed out on Fabricio Bruno because of a disagreement on personal terms.

It’s believed that technical director, Tim Steidten, is working overtime to land a few names for Julen Lopetegui, and his diligence in the transfer market will surely pay dividends for the Hammers.

There certainly appears to be a more upbeat atmosphere around the London Stadium already, so if Steidten can hit the jackpot, West Ham could well be laughing to themselves next season.

West Ham miss out on Aleix Garcia

In the meantime they will have to accept that not every target will be landed, and for a variety of reasons.

According to HITC, the East Londoners never stood a chance of signing Girona’s Aleix Garcia, along with Tottenham and Aston Villla.

West Ham have lost out to Leverkusen for Aleix Garcia

That’s because once Xabi Alonso made it known that he wanted the player for Bayer Leverkusen, the 26-year-old was unlikely to go anywhere else.

It’s difficult to argue with his choice of new club, even if fans of the Premier League trio might be disappointed.

Though it will be nigh on impossible for Leverkusen to get anywhere close to a second unbeaten Bundesliga season, their style of football is incredibly pleasing on the eye, and in Xabi Alonso, they have one of the best up and coming coaches in world football.

With Garcia no longer in reach, Steidten will need to continue fighting the good fight for the East Londoners, trying to tempt players to that neck of the woods, even when there are far more lucrative or attractive offers on the table from elsewhere.

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Collymore’s column: Luke Shaw is bang out of order, Liverpool should sell Luis Diaz and much more

Stan Collymore — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 11:43:35 +0000

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why Luke Shaw is bang out of order, why Brighton deserve a pat on the back, why English authorities need to follow Spain’s lead and much more.

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England’s poor form could mean a slow burn to glory… or glorious failure again

England manager Gareth Southgate

England’s poor performance against Iceland could be a perfect storm in terms of a tournament where the best teams always start slow and then move through the gears.

I watched Holland beat Iceland comfortably 3-0, they absolutely battered them by putting a lot of crosses in the box, but in terms of England at the moment, there are several players – John Stones and Kyle Walker to name just two – that obviously need minutes in their legs and aren’t going to get them until they go into games.

Jude Bellingham would have had a week or two off after the Champions League final to have a bit of party… Unfortunately, we don’t have six friendlies to play to give them and others the time they need.

I think that if we get to the semi-finals, for this group of players, that’s where they should be with a decent effort. Nine times out of 10 they should be semi finalists but if we have a good tournament, we should be looking to win it.

I don’t get involved in bookies odds and stuff quite simply because we’re in Britain and more people are going to vote for their own country than they are for others, but I do think there’s a very nice healthy dose of scepticism around the country which the Iceland result has only added to.

The weather is a bit flat still, we haven’t started the tournament yet… the expectation isn’t really there because people haven’t got used to the three games in a day which football fans love and which sets the tone.

I watched Portugal against Ireland and they look very, very good. I watched the Dutch, they look good. I watched the French, they look good. If we get to the semi-finals, we’ve got to be at our very, very best to win it.

At the moment, for me, it boils down to a few things. Several players are undercooked, one or two players are visibly ageing in front of our eyes, and we’ve had a mini experiment about who’s going to play number 10.

I fully expect by the end of the Denmark game on match day two, that we will be in a really good position to know whether this England team are struggling or whether we are slowly going through the gears on a march towards the latter stages and victory in the final.

Fair play to Brighton who’ve taken a risk with Fabian Hurzeler

Graham Potter effectively took a Swedish club into European competition, whilst Roberto De Zerbi was in charge at Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk before heading to Brighton.

I think what Brighton have is quite an incredible ecosystem whereby the structure is very good, their recruitment is very good and their style of play is nailed on. You know that Brighton are going to get the ball down and they’re going to be productive.

Both of those seemingly left-field appointments worked, but the hire of Fabian Hurzeler, however, is a gamble.

Mitoma was a gamble at £2m, but you’d be looking at £50m-£60m to sign him this summer, injuries notwithstanding. That was risky, but we accept gambles and risks are part of the game where players are concerned, and weirdly not with managers.

A lot will be made that he’s seven or eight years younger than James Milner, but players know who the manager is. Players know who the head coach is and with that kind of youth and enthusiasm comes a lot of training ground minutes, and a relaxing experience in the structure around him.

I think it’s a really, really positive move. A massive appointment but for me it’s only the same risk and gamble as any player if it doesn’t work.

If it does work, it will break the mould for clubs hanging on to 50 to 70 year olds like Roy Hodgson. Clubs will say why do we need that experience when we’ve got a 31 year old here whose still got 20 to 30 years left in management.

He could break two glass ceilings in that there will be less reverse ageism in football in terms of management, and he can dictate that if you are American, you’re no longer seen as a Ted Lasso type who can’t be successful in English football. Good luck to him.

Luke Shaw is bang out of order

Luke Shaw

I’m a big fan of criticising managers because they ultimately make the decisions and it’s not unheard of, but I think that Luke Shaw criticising the medical stuff is bang out of order.

The reason why that is, is that the medical staff work their absolute nuts off for one aim; to try and get a player fit and healthy, and ready to play football.

I’ve never ever come across a medical person that says ‘you will play more often than not.’ They are a conduit between the player and the manager and they’ll say to the player, ‘look, you’re not ready for another couple of weeks yet, but the gaffer wants you back in a week. I’ll smooth it over and get it all sorted out.’

So I think that Luke Shaw’s making excuses if I’m being honest, and I hope that this isn’t going to blow up in England’s faces when he inevitably comes into the team on match day two.

Universally, medical staff in my opinion are not only a great buffer, but they would never ever, ever tell a player ‘you’ve got to be out there on Monday… You’ve got to train today…’

Those old school physios that came on with the magic sponges and gave you a kick up the backside… that’s changed now. I’ve known medical staff treating players with hamstring injuries, broken legs, calf problems, hernia operations, you name it, and despite them wanting to get back as quickly as they could, the medical team will have told them that the best time for them to come back is when their injury has healed completely and they’re ready to properly play football.

Ultimately, a player has a choice to be able to say ‘I’m not ready yet.’ The flip side of that is that there is the generation of players that won’t go on the training ground unless they are absolutely 100% fit.

I hope it’s not a warning sign for England. Luke Shaw saying he’s nearly there only for him to break down on match day two. It’s up to a player to say he isn’t ready and to talk to the physios and medical staff about getting him sorted.

Time could be up for Luis Diaz at Liverpool

Luis Diaz in action for Liverpool

I think Luis Diaz is obviously a talented player but Liverpool are not particularly short in attacking positions. If you look at Salah, Gakpo, Jota, Nunez and Diaz… they can afford to lose one, and if the choice was mine, it would be Cody Gakpo.

There is the argument that he gives Liverpool flexibility and can play as a number nine, and there haven’t been lots of rumours about him going which would suggest that he’s staying put for a season or two.

Diaz is an odd one because of his injuries, the situation with his father’s kidnap which was obviously very traumatic during the season… at times he looks world class but at others he struggles to get a foothold in the game.

It really does depend on whether Barcelona are prepared to pay £50m-£60m for him, in which case I’ll drive him to Barcelona. If it wasn’t a derisory offer and they offered a player in return aswell, for the new manager it might simply depend on what kind of player that they’re offering.

In the pecking order of strikers at the club, you’re looking at Salah then Nunez, then Jota, then Diaz and finally Gakpo, so the Colombian is in the bottom two. Man for man, I don’t think you’ll find any Liverpool fan will put Diaz in between Salah and Nunez, for example in terms of importance to the club.

So I have no problem with him going because he’s been okay, but I don’t think he’s been stunning. At Liverpool, if you’re going to win titles, you’ve got to be stunning. You’ve got to hit your marks, you got to hit your stats.

If Barcelona come along with a good offer and it allows Arne Slot to have the kind of funds to be able to bring in a player that he likes in a position that he wants, it makes sense for me.

English authorities must follow Spanish football’s lead on racism

Vinicius Junior

On Twitter, I remember the Premier League asking everyone to put black squares on their bio to show solidarity with their campaign against racism. It means nothing. Well respected broadcasters and journalists not tweeting for 24 hours with a black square. Oh, great. That’s gonna stop a racist from from being a racist.

I remember getting emails from the Premier League saying ‘I see you’re very critical of our stance on racism,’ and then being bombarded with a pie chart with how much interaction they had. It doesn’t work until the deterrent stops people from doing it.

I know what it’s like to be racially abused on social media, in a football environment from football fans who then get punished. One of them was a trainee lawyer at the time, one was a 15-year-old boy that told his parents and broke down crying and one was a Derby fan.

They were all taken to court, one had to wear a tag, one was fined and the other had to pay something like £100 in victim surcharge, money that they may not have had at that time. So from my perspective, it’s really simple.

If you take the next step and even give racists just a week in jail, it will make a difference. Nobody wants to go to jail. Anybody, pretty much most people, can pay a £50 fine and then become the guy that abused [insert black player here].

So, absolutely fantastic from the Spanish authorities. The punishment for those who racially abused Vini Jr. is 10 times more important than what the English authorities would do about it, because we have a background of virtue signalling in this country.

You look back when England played in Seville many moons ago and there was blackface etc., and I think that Spain has had a problem with acknowledging it. So this is big. It’s saying, you go to a football match and you start doing this, you’re gonna get a proper punishment.

Eastern Europe, which has a problem in football traditionally with racially abusing players, need to do the same and if we do, we then have serious tools to be able to eradicate it from the grounds.

Well done the Spanish Federation, well done the Spanish judicial system. England – time to follow.

The post Collymore’s column: Luke Shaw is bang out of order, Liverpool should sell Luis Diaz and much more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Barcelona’s ace up their sleeve as they lock onto Frimpong capture

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 20:34:25 +0000

Bayer Leverkusen right-back, Jeremie Frimpong, appears to be one of the most sought-after talents in this summer’s transfer window, and whilst the Bundesliga champions would surely prefer not to lose him, it would seem that the player himself might have other ideas.

In 2023/24, the 23-year-old managed an incredible 14 goals and seven assists in all competitions per WhoScored, and but for Leverkusen’s Europa League final defeat, would’ve been part of a squad to have completed a sensational unbeaten treble.

As it was, he and his colleagues will still go down in history for winning the club’s first-ever German top-flight title, and doing so without losing a single game.

Barcelona to offer Ansu Fati in order to land Jeremie Frimpong

Frimpong was a menace for opposition defenders given his penchant for getting forward at every opportunity, and his ability to make a difference at both ends of the pitch.

Barcelona would surely love to have a player marauding down their right side with both the application and intensity Frimpong showed, as well as the output.

It would appear that they have an ace up their sleeve too if they want to push a little bit harder to get the player to come to Catalonia.

Jeremie Frimpong could move to Barcelona this summer

According to Spanish daily, Sport, the Blaugranes are preparing to offer Ansu Fati in part-exchange for Frimpong.

Whilst Fati, fresh from a disappointing spell at Brighton and Hove Albion, will want a say in where he goes next, it is abundantly clear that he no longer has a future with Barcelona.

That’s a real shame considering how he exploded onto the scene a few years ago, but a seemingly poor decision in relation to the treatment of his knee injury ultimately cost him his place at Barcelona.

When he came back from a long-term lay-off, he was never the same player again, and the Catalans now have more than enough cover up front.

He may even welcome moving to Leverkusen given that he’ll be coached by one of the all-time greats in Xabi Alonso as well as playing in the Champions League.

Watch this space.

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Exclusive: Fulham’s bid to invest in new signing thanks to cost saving on Tosin’s wages set to fail

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:26:26 +0000

There was always going to be a chance that Tosin Adarabioyo moved on from Fulham this summer, so it was no real surprise when he was announced as a new Chelsea player.

The way in which football has evolved means that players and their agents have clawed back some of the power in terms of negotiation tactics, given that anyone with a year or less on their contracts can determine what happens next.

Ultimately, clubs can still decide to sell players of course, however, if they prefer that those players stay put, then arguably they need to match any figures that the player might be capable of acquiring by moving elsewhere.

Fulham want to sign Silas

With Tosin available on a free transfer because Fulham were never going to be able to compete financially, Chelsea were the beneficiaries, and with no transfer fee to pay either, the Blues have been able to offer the 26-year-old a significant uplift on the £40,000 p/w wages (Capology) he received from the Cottagers.

According to talkSPORT, he even turned down £100,000 per week from Newcastle, so the expectation is that he’s getting more from the Blues.

Fulham want Silas

With Tosin no longer Fulham’s concern, they have been concentrating on securing other signings to strengthen the squad and according to CaughtOffside sources, Bundesliga outfit, Stuttgart, have rejected Fulham’s €8m bid for 25-year-old Congolese attacker, Silas Katompa Mvumpa, known simply as Silas.

Fulham are planning to make a new offer for the player and it’s expected to be around the €15m mark – almost double their opening gambit.

The West Londoners will, in the meantime, continue to hold talks with alternative names as it’s understood that the Congolese won’t prioritise leaving Stuttgart due to the fact that they will play in the Champions League next season.

If a good offer arrives, however, his opinion may change.

Fulham are also preparing to renegotiate the transfer of Chelsea’s 24-year-old centre-back, Trevoh Chalobah, with the first offer for the player – a direct replacement for Tosin – expected to be on loan.

The post Exclusive: Fulham’s bid to invest in new signing thanks to cost saving on Tosin’s wages set to fail appeared first on CaughtOffside.