There’s been lots going on behind the scenes at Newcastle United of late, not least the restructuring that needed to occur once Dan Ashworth departed the club.

Eddie Howe’s position remains unaffected, though it’s likely he’ll want some guarantees that the way of working that he enjoyed under Ashworth continues with new sporting director, Paul Mitchell.

If not, there’s every chance that Howe could listen to the overtures from the Football Association regarding the England job.

Newcastle want Anthony Elanga

For now, he remains fully committed to life at St. James’ Park, and CaughtOffside sources with knowledge of the club’s transfer plans have indicated that the club remain interested in Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga.

The 22-year-old Swedish winger, formerly at Man United, is likely to be available for in the region of £40m-£45m, and it’s understood that Howe thinks Elanga could be utilised as Anthony Gordon’s understudy.

He is particularly interested in Elanga’s ability to play as a reverse winger on the right, and with ongoing interest from Liverpool in Gordon, it may be that Elanga quickly becomes a first choice for the club in the position.

Newcastle are also ready to listen to offers for Miguel Almiron, though nothing acceptable has been offered to the club at this point.

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With the start of the Premier League season just over three weeks away, it’s important for Newcastle and any other club with transfer business to be conducted, to get it done as soon as practicable.

Bringing new players in right on top of the start of the season, or worse when the campaign has already kicked off, is bound to upset team equilibrium, so the sooner Newcastle can execute certain deals, the better.

The post Exclusive: Newcastle eyeing versatile 22-year-old Swedish flyer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Leeds United winger, Willy Gnonto, is a man that is very much in demand, though Everton remain confident in signing the 20-year-old Italian this summer.

ToffeeWeb note the two offers that the club made for the player this time last year, both of which were rejected at the time.

With Daniel Farke’s side unable to get promotion back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking, it has left the all whites vulnerable to reasonable offers from clubs for their players.

Everton and nine other clubs interested in Willy Gnonto

CaughtOffside sources with knowledge of Gnonto’s situation are aware of his willingness to move to Goodison Park, and his desire to have his current club facilitate the transfer.

However, there are another nine clubs interested in the player’s services, and that could potentially complicate Everton’s desire to complete the signing soonest.

Sources have indicated to CaughtOffside that a price tag of £25m would be enough to prise the player, who scored eight goals and provided three assists last season (WhoScored), from Elland Road.

However, with so much interest in him, the Yorkshire-based outfit may consider that it’s worth holding out for the highest bidder.

Napoli, Juventus, Como, AS Roma, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Wolves and Newcastle United are all credited with an interest, with Everton set to submit their bid after selling Amadou Onana to Aston Villa.

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A successful transfer at this stage could require some manoeuvring from Everton over the next couple of weeks, but if they’re determined to bring Gnonto to Merseyside, the one thing that they could have in their favour is the player’s desire to join them a year ago.

If nothing has changed since then, there’s simply no reason for him to take up any offers from elsewhere.

The post Exclusive: Everton confident of Gnonto signing despite interest of NINE other clubs appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea have reportedly been in touch with Nottingham Forest recently to ask about the potential transfer of Brazilian defender Murillo.

Murillo has impressed at Forest and looks like he could surely make the step up to a bigger club, though it’s not clear how advanced the interest from the Blues is.

According to Fabrizio Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside‘s The Debrief podcast, Chelsea made this enquiry for more information on Murillo a few weeks ago, so it’s perhaps unlikely that things have progressed since then if the reliable Italian journalist doesn’t have any other update to speak of at the moment.

Murillo could be ideal to help Chelsea replace the departing Thiago Silva in defence, but it remains to be seen if the 22-year-old will end up being their priority, or if they have other names they’re considering first.

If Chelsea don’t move for Murillo, one imagines there will surely be other clubs ready to join the race for his signature, with Liverpool recently also linked with the player by Football Insider, while there’s also been some interest from Tottenham, according to a recent report from football.london.

Murillo transfer: Fabrizio Romano discusses Chelsea interest

“For Murillo, there is interest from Chelsea,” Romano said. “Chelsea asked about information on the deal…it was two weeks ago.

“At the moment it’s not being discussed in terms of a proper negotiation, because it’s really expensive, probably around £55-60m, and for Chelsea this is too much.”

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Chelsea fans will surely hope the club try their luck with this move, however, as Murillo arguably has the perfect blend of youth and experience for Enzo Maresca’s side.

This Chelsea ownership like to sign top young players, but Murillo also has the advantage of being proven in the Premier League, so it wouldn’t be as much of a gamble as some of their other less successful recent signings have been.

The post Chelsea have asked PL club for information on potential transfer of Brazilian star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The Premier League is set to investigate a number of transfers that were made ahead of the PSR deadline.

June 30th was the final day of business for top-flight clubs ahead of submitting their latest financial numbers and prior to that deadline — nicknamed by many as an ‘unofficial transfer window’ — we saw several homegrown players make big-money moves.

Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leicester, Newcastle United, Everton and Nottingham Forest were all particularly active and are clubs known to be walking a fine line when it comes to PSR compliance — the latter two, of course, already suffering points deductions last season.

Tim Iroegbunam and Lewis Dobbin were exchanged in separate deals between Everton and Aston Villa, with the latter also completing deals with Chelsea involving Omari Kellyman and Ian Maatsen.

Newcastle, meanwhile, fetched handsome sums for the sales of Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson to Brighton and Nottingham Forest, respectively.

Premier League to investigate club dealings

At present, there is no suggestion that any of the clubs involved in these transfers have broken any rules. Instead, the deals have been described as exploiting ‘loopholes’ in the current regulations.

However, according to The Guardian, the Premier League is set to launch an investigation anyway, with clubs possibly required to “provide information and evidence to assist determination of whether the transaction should be considered as being conducted at arm’s length. If not, a fair market value assessment of the transfer to determine the value the transaction can be approved at will take place”.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire also told The Guardian: “The clubs have been very clever to say that these are not swaps, they are just individual deals signed off pretty soon after one another.

“Generally speaking there’s nothing to stop them saying, ‘I’ve got a player who you want and vice versa. We think that your player is worth £5m more than mine, so we could agree that the prices are £10m and £15m or we could agree that they are £25m and £30m’. Either way, you get that extra £5m.

“That appears to be a driving force in relation to these transfers. And there is no such thing as a genuine price: Brighton have paid £32m for Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle and they have got no PSR issues. So if that’s the price for a 19-year-old, it could be argued that some of the other deals don’t look overstated. But he has just had a spectacular season with Feyenoord.”

The post Newcastle among Premier League clubs to be investigated after recent transfers appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Now that the summer transfer window has opened for business, we can be assured that Chelsea will feature heavily.

The Blues have taken the box seat in both of the last two summer windows, blowing their domestic and European rivals out of the water with some epic deals.

Notwithstanding that Todd Boehly and his board appear to have been getting creative with the club’s accounts, they’ve still managed to land the vast majority of targets that they’ve gone for.

Chelsea tracking Murillo

The only real issue for the owner is that on the pitch, at least to this point, Chelsea have been far from the team that the American will have envisaged, given the amount of money that has been spent already under his tenure.

Tosin Adarabioyo has already arrived from West London neighbours, Fulham, this summer, along with Marc Guiu from Barcelona, Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester, per transfermarkt.

According to football.london, the club have also made their interest in Nottingham Forest’s 22-year-old Brazilian, Murillo, known.

Although his reported £60m sale price is being considered too expensive at this point by the Stamford Bridge outfit, the fact that the club appear to be chasing another centre-back hints at the notion that, perhaps, Trevoh Chalobah or another defender could shortly be on their way.

Murillo himself acknowledged that he may be on the move from the City Ground before the start of the 2024/25 campaign, though Chelsea strangely weren’t mentioned as a potential destination.

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“We don’t know anything for certain, the window opened last month so I’m going to return to Nottingham Forest for pre-season. There might be some discussions on whether I’ll stay or not so there’s a lot of things to happen still but I’m relaxed,” he told the Benja Me Mucho podcast.

“I’d choose Manchester City but it would be more difficult for me to be a regular starter given the players they have in their squad. There’s City, Arsenal as well, who are fighting for the Premier League title.

“I wouldn’t discard Liverpool either, it would be a good opportunity for me to show my football in a big club.”

The post Surprise Chelsea interest in 22-year-old Brazilian talent appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The forthcoming season is a vitally important one for both Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, but for differing reasons.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side managed to escape relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, ending the campaign on 32 points and just one place above the bottom three.

In a sign of the direction that English football is heading, the three clubs that went down – Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United – were the three clubs that had come up 12 months previously.

Newcastle looking at Forest’s Antony Elanga

If Forest don’t want to become another ‘yo yo’ club, then they’ll need to significantly up their game in 2024/25, and they’ll be better placed to do that if they’e able to keep hold of such talents as Anthony Elanga.

Unfortunately, according to TeamTalk, Newcastle are targeting the star to replace the outgoing Miggy Almiron.

Although Elanga is still learning his craft and as such is a little ‘raw,’ his natural pace and eye for goal would make him an asset for the Magpies, particularly given that Eddie Howe likes to have his wide men on the front foot in games.

It isn’t clear at this point whether Forest would accede to any transfer though, given how hard Elanga has worked for them since his move from Man United.

At just 22 years of age, the Swedish international would surely be able to command a significant fee from interested parties, and that could be something to sway the Forest hierarchy given that they could invest the monies into other areas of the squad.

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The last thing that anyone connected with the club is likely to want is another relegation battle during the 2024/25 season.

It remains to be seen whether Newcastle firm up any interest in the first instance, and if so, whether their offer is enough to tempt Forest into selling.

The post Brilliant Nottingham Forest ace could swap the City Ground for St. James’ Park this summer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has reached a verbal agreement with Sevilla over a potential transfer this summer, with club to club talks ongoing, CaughtOffside understands.

Lokonga spent last season loan at Luton Town and impressed there, attracting plenty of interest from a number of clubs in England and Italy this summer, though things are now advancing with La Liga side Sevilla.

Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Lokonga has verbally agreed personal terms with Sevilla, with the Belgian likely to join on an initial loan as the two clubs discuss the terms of a clause for a permanent purchase.

It is understood that Arsenal would like a mandatory buy clause, while Sevilla’s preference is for a buy option, with discussions ongoing to try to reach an agreement.

Lokonga transfer: Arsenal to send midfielder out on loan again

Some Arsenal fans may well be slightly disappointed to see Lokonga going out on loan as he showed real potential on loan at Luton last season – enough to surely be worth a role as a squad player in Mikel Arteta’s side next term.

Still, whether it’s because Arsenal don’t have a place for him, or because the player himself wants more guaranteed playing time, it seems he’s set to be on the move again.

CaughtOffside understands Lokonga also had interest from Premier League clubs Everton and Nottingham Forest, while Juventus and Lazio were also among his suitors.

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If a move to Sevilla goes through, it will be interesting to see how Lokonga performs, and if it perhaps turns into another opportunity for the 24-year-old to catch Arteta’s eye and do his best to return to fight for his place at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have been linked with potential midfield signings this summer that might limit Lokonga’s playing time even further.

The post Exclusive: Arsenal midfielder agrees terms with new club, talks ongoing over clause issue appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Newcastle have booked a medical for Odysseas Vlachodimos with the goalkeeper set to join the club from Nottingham Forest.

The Magpies have been under heavy pressure to raise funds ahead of Sunday’s profit and sustainability deadline and there have been reports that star players Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak could leave the club.

However, it appears that won’t be happening as Newcastle have agreed deals to sell Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson.

Newcastle book Vlachodimos medical

Winger Minteh is set to join Brighton for £33m whilst Anderson is set to join Forest in a deal worth £35m.

However, it’s not all about outgoings at St James’ Park, and it appears as part of the Anderson deal Greek goalkeeper Vlachodimos will be joining the Magpies.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that a medical has been booked in for Vlachodimos as he edges closer to completing his move to the north east.

Romano took to X.com and said:

“Newcastle have booked medical for Odysseas Vlachodimos later today in order to complete move from Nottingham Forest.  

“Elliot Anderson will move to #NFFC in £35m transfer, second one after Yankuba Minteh to Brighton. Vlachodimos has accepted, as Daily Mail called.”

????? Newcastle have booked medical for Odysseas Vlachodimos later today in order to complete move from Nottingham Forest.

?? Elliot Anderson will move to #NFFC in £35m transfer, second one after Yankuba Minteh to Brighton.

Vlachodimos has accepted, as Daily Mail called. pic.twitter.com/C27mvc9drQ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 30, 2024

The 30-year-old looks likely to become Newcastle’s second signing of the summer after defender Lloyd Kelly arrived on a free transfer from Bournemouth.

Vlachodimos joined Forest from Portuguese giants Benfica last summer and made seven appearances in all competitions last season, as he played second fiddle to Matt Turner for the majority of the campaign.

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The Greece international will likely provide back-up to first choice Nick Pope, and the Magpies have been in the market for another goalkeeper with Martin Dubravka expected to leave the club this summer.

Newcastle will no doubt be looking for more additions to their squad as they look to qualify for European football having missed out last season due to Manchester United winning the FA Cup.

The post Newcastle schedule medical for 30-year-old goalkeeper who is set to join the club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly approached Aston Villa for 20-year-old midfielder Lamare Bogarde who has seen his chances at the club become limited.

After an incredible season under Unai Emery, which saw them qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the early 80s, Villa fans will be more than excited to see club football return in August.

Like most Premier League clubs, Aston Villa are expected to have a busy summer transfer window as they look to add more depth to their squad so that they can manage next season’s more intense schedule.

But before they can bring in any new faces, it seems like they are prioritising outgoings with the likes of Douglas Luiz set to leave the club for Juventus.

Another potential outgoing is young midfielder, Bogarde, with Nottingham Forest approaching the club for the 20-year-old services according to Fabrizio Romano.

EXCL: Nottingham Forest have approached Aston Villa to open talks for 2004 born talent Lamare Bogarde.

Deal would be worth around €4m, final say will be with the player to decide. pic.twitter.com/fEp5ar5MUI

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 22, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The youngster arrived at the club from Dutch side Feyenoord in 2020 and has since spent time at Bristol Rovers out on loan.

The versatile midfielder also has the ability to play as a central defender with his contract set to expire in one year.

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The post Premier League club approach Aston Villa for 20-year-old midfielder appeared first on CaughtOffside.

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why it’s time to stop criticising Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, why Michael Olise makes perfect sense for Liverpool, why Premier League clubs need to look at Georgia for transfers and much more.

Let Trent Alexander-Arnold get on with it in midfield

We either all shut up and let him, Gareth Southgate, and perhaps Arne Slot, play in that position. The only way to learn how to play in that position is to play it! Or we say we’ll give him two games and, unless he’s bloody Michel Platini, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes rolled into one, in 90 minutes we’ll get rid of the experiment.

For me, if you’re going to convert a player from a right fullback into a central midfielder, that’s fine. But now you have to play him in the amount of games that allows him to learn the role. In other words, learning as you go! There was a big clamour for Trent to sit in front of the back four; his passing is great, his free-kicks are great… but to walk into an international tournament, or even the Premier League, and convert on day one isn’t going to happen. So we need to be patient with him.

It’s kind of the same really when Phil Foden played the last friendly against Iceland; he played as a No.10 and didn’t play well. I remember writing a few months back that you either have to give someone the whole tournament in that position or don’t play them at all. Because really, what you’re saying is, ‘We believe Trent can play in midfield, so we’ve got to play him there’. But the problem is he didn’t grow up as a midfielder, so it’s a different role he’s learning. I think he’ll play tonight. If he plays anything above a five or a six out of 10 – he keeps his place! Unless he backpasses in the 90th minute and that guy goes around the ‘keeper and scores and all of a sudden we’re in trouble – even then Gareth Southgate has decided to pick Trent as a midfielder, so you’ve got to continue with it. It’s that simple for me.

People can be as critical as they like and you can be critical and say he didn’t have a great game. I don’t think he did have a great game, I think that sometimes his passing was a little bit off, but I can expand my mind enough to say that the benefits we’re going to potentially get are worthwhile. If Arne Slot plays him there for club, and Gareth Southgate for his country, he’s only two years away from the World Cup in the States, Mexico and Canada. At that point, Trent may have had two or three years as a central midfielder. So it’s got to start somewhere.

You can’t just say to somebody, ‘We’re going to throw you in and expect Steven Gerrard’ because Trent is learning a job. Also, I would say, for me, if we continue with Trent through the tournament, hopefully he plays every game, then we’ve got the Nations League in Autumn. So that’s going to be eight, maybe 10 games over time, then he can confidently start as a central midfielder alongside Jude Bellingham. So we shouldn’t be judging Trent until midway, or towards the end of the Nations League games. Not the European Championship. We’ve all decided he’s good enough to play there, we’ve all had the debate. Let him play there.

Why Trent’s case is different to other England teammates

I think there are question marks at the moment about Bukayo Saka. I don’t know whether he’s fully fit. He didn’t really give much down the right-hand side [against Serbia]. There’s a few potential people, like Jarrod Bowen and Cole Palmer, knocking on the door – that’s a relevant thing to ask! Bukayo Saka is a specialist down the right. By comparison, the thing you have to look at with Trent is his qualities: his passing and his ability to break down the right, overlap and get crosses in the box like a fullback (like he did leading up to the tournament). For me, the glass is half-full with Trent. If you stick with him in the way I would like us to stick with Phil Foden as a No.10 (he’s not at the minute, as that’s Jude Bellingham), then you’re going to reap the rewards. Those rewards don’t come until six, eight, 10, 12, or 15 games down the line, because that process is a conversion process in real time. You have to let it pan out.

Arda Güler, Jamal Musiala and Georgia’s impressive XI

I think Premier League clubs should be taking a serious look at Turkey and Real Madrid’s Arda Güler – he was exceptional against Georgia. The fact he picks the ball up 10 yards outside the 18-yard box and wants to drive directly at people (and he backs himself to beat people) is impressive. He, for me, has been really outstanding. Jamal Musiala has been really good as well for Germany.

The future of European football, young European football, is very good. In terms of if you’re looking for value in the market, you’ve got to be looking at Georgia. I had a look at their squad the other day and I think they’ve got one very well-known player in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli, but apart from that the rest are playing for second and third tier teams around Europe. I thought they were on the front-foot, they showed energy and passion, which was exceptional. Technically very good on the ball; they got it and kept it whilst moving forward. So, for me, if you’re a Premier League club or aspirational top-end of the Championship outfit and you’re in a position to prise some of those Georgian lads for €3-6m – you should!

Look at what Brighton did in terms of the Japanese market with Kaoru Mitoma. There’s Celtic in recent seasons under Ange Postecoglou before the Spurs move; he’s previously worked in Japan and took two or three up to Scotland. There are markets out there that undoubtedly have a lot of value.

The one to 11 of Georgia players that featured – as an Aston Villa fan, I would have taken any one of them! They were excellent, they genuinely had a never-say-die attitude. Technically they were brilliant! A lot of teams keep the ball and build through in a very slow, pedestrian manner, before coming alive in the final third. The thing I liked about Georgia is they could fizz the ball in to a teammate which was exceptional, but they also had five or six players that could run with the ball as well. One of the big reasons why Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo shared out Ballon d’Ors over the last decade and a half is because they have the ability to run with the ball. All the great players can pass the ball and all the great players can score great goals in great moments but the ability to run well with the ball is really rare.

Georgia run with the ball extremely well and took the game to their opponents. Georgia will now be watched by lots of people. If you’re looking for bargains – look no further than the Georgian national team!

Leicester shouldn’t regret missing out on Graham Potter

I think Leicester fans will take to Steve Cooper very quickly. I’ve talked football with both Steve and Graham Potter. It’ll be a weird one for Forest fans because they idolise Steve. He took them back into the Premier League for the first time in 20-odd years. So, he holds a very special place in everyone’s hearts at Nottingham Forest Football Club.

In terms of the two clubs moving forward in the Premier League (and under a bit of pressure because of Financial Fair Play), I would take Steve Cooper all day long at Leicester. He’s got the passion, the character and a bit more personality than Graham. Graham, I think, will be looking for a job with a club like Leicester but a year or two further down the line when they’re comfortably mid-table and there aren’t any points deductions looming or fires to fight and he can impose his style of play.

I think with Steve, he inspires a lot of loyalty from his players – that was obvious at Forest. Even the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, if you remember in the first season when Forest came up, Steve was under a lot of pressure because of how many games they were losing. Marinakis gave him a new contract because the Forest fans were calling for Steve to stay. Leicester City fans will like that. They’ll like the passion Steve brings and I think in a season that may potentially start with some kind of punishment, Steve Cooper is a better choice in this moment (not necessarily overall compared to Graham Potter), whereas Graham will probably be looking to go to a stable club and take them from the middle of the table into European positions. I think that’s what Graham Potter’s holding out for.

Perhaps Graham was holding out for a promise that he would get money to spend this summer. With Steve, he wants to get back into the game and the Premier League very quickly. I think he’s the right man for Leicester City and they’ll enjoy having him there. Whether or not he keeps them up is another thing because they may be subject to hostile bids from other clubs for talents like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Some of their younger talents have also caught the eye. Everyone has talked the talk at Leicester that they want to stay, but you might get a situation where, if they’re struggling and facing a points deduction, they might be having to balance the books by losing one or two players.

So, for me, Steve Cooper is the right man at the right time for the right club.

Michael Olise would make ‘perfect sense’ for Liverpool

He’s going to end up at another Premier League club this summer. I think it would make perfect sense for Liverpool. You’d think Arne Slot will be given a ‘welcome to Liverpool gift’, which would, of course, be a player. When a new manager comes in they often want young and hungry talent – someone who, when they leave several years down the line and they’re on the TV doing punditry, can say they were the person who brought in a certain player, like Michael Olise.

If I’m Olise and I’ve got a choice of Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs, what have you – I’m going for Liverpool all day long. Why Liverpool? They’ve got some great attacking options, they’ve also got some very good young players who can help him along. Trent Alexander-Arnold is still very young, there’s Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones too, plus Stefan Bajcetic… a good cohort of youngsters to help him along. What better ‘welcome to Anfield gift’? Arne Slot will want a player who he can say, ‘This is mine. Not Jurgen Klopp’s. Mine.’

Chelsea will argue the same given they’ve got a new manager. What better way to welcome their manager than by handing him a shiny new signing. Olise may also wish to stay in London having been at Crystal Palace for years; he knows the area very well, wouldn’t have to move, etc. It depends on his ambition. I think Chelsea will have a good season next season. They’ve got lots of good young players. But, for me, if you’re looking at two clubs whereby one could still go horribly wrong (the Chelsea experiment) as well it could go right, whereas Liverpool are back in the Champions League and still have world-class players doing world-class things like Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk  – then I think he would better-served and thrown to the wolves less by going for the latter. Look at Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernadez who have been hammered left, right and centre. Liverpool would be a better option for him. I can see him as an absolute perfect fit! Get the job done, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes!

Arne Slot has the ingredients to be a success at Liverpool

I’ve gone over to Holland a few times and a good friend of mine, Brian Roy, was involved with Ajax a lot. I’ve asked him and a couple of other Dutch guys I know about Slot. Listen, pretty much every coach in Europe wants to play the Pep Guardiola way; they want to get the ball down, secure lots of possession and play through the lines. What I like about Slot is that you can see he has a personality and believes he belongs at Liverpool. The difference between getting a very good coach at Liverpool or Manchester United and Tottenham, Arsenal and some of the other clubs is the personality. In reality, Pep Guardiola has personality and is an exceptional coach, which is why he’s successful at Manchester City. But to manage Liverpool or Manchester United – you’ve got to take a hell of a lot of people with you, a global supporter base. I think that’s been the problem with Erik ten Hag; he’s a bit geeky and there’s still that question of whether or not follow him. At the minute, they’re following him.

I think Arne Slot seems to be the man who relishes the opportunity of doing the talking. Not just the coaching. What made Jurgen Klopp so special was that his coaching philosophy was sound, but I think you’ve got to almost got to be like a head of state – that’s simply the case with the bigger clubs. It bodes well that Slot has the personality and oozes the kind of confidence where if he gets a good run and things start going well, he’ll get emboldened and talks the talk as well as walks the walk. Look, it can spin on its head, it’s a results-driven business. From that perspective, any manager that comes in cocky and confident who doesn’t get the results they desire suddenly ends up shrinking and then people question whether he’s too quiet or not. For me, what I saw from the Feyenoord dressing room is that he’s very much one who can get people to follow him. That’s very important at Liverpool Football Club, regardless of whether you’re a player or head coach – people have to follow you.

So, for me, Liverpool have a very good head coach but potentially also a man who can grow with the role and become a big personality. If you haven’t got that at Liverpool or Manchester United – you’re a dead man walking. The early signs are very good.

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