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Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq make last-gasp Jadon Sancho transfer bid after Man Utd outcast’s row with Erik Ten Hag

by www.thesun.co.uk Leave a Comment

STEVEN GERRARD’S Al-Ettifaq are making a last-ditch attempt to sign Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho, according to reports.

The English forward, 23, was left out of the Red Devils’ squad for their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday .

Manager Erik ten Hag later revealed this was due to his “performances in training”.

Sancho then hit back by claiming he had been made a “scapegoat”, denying the validity of Ten Hag ‘s comments.

And now, with the transfer window closed in Europe, he could be set for a move to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Pro League window shuts on Thursday at 10pm UK time.

According to CBS Sports , Gerrard ‘s side are attempting to steal him away in the final hours by proposing a loan deal.

Al-Ettifaq have already signed Jordan Henderson from Liverpool, Demarai Gray from Everton , Moussa Dembele from Lyon, Georginio Wijnaldum from PSG and Jack Hendry from Club Brugge.

But Sancho would perhaps be their biggest name yet.

The report states the club have opened talks over a deal that would see the Man Utd man join for the rest of the season.

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An option to buy would also be included within the deal, although a straight loan appears more likely given the minimal amount of time to get a move over the line.

However, David Ornstein has claimed both Sancho and Liverpool star Mo Salah – linked with Al-Ittihad – will not be making late moves to Saudi despite interest in the pair.

Al=Ettifaq are not one of the four state-backed clubs in Saudi Arabia’s top tier.

But they have attracted some big names and claimed ten points from their opening five games of the new season, leaving them fifth in the table.

Meanwhile, Sancho’s position at Man Utd reached a new low over the weekend following a public spat with Ten Hag.

The ex- Borussia Dortmund man, who arrived at Old Trafford two years ago for £73million, had come off the bench in each of United’s opening three league matches.

But Ten Hag ousted him from the squad altogether for the trip to Arsenal .

When asked about the decision, he said: “We did not select Jadon because of his performances in training.

“You have to reach a certain level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line. So for this game he was not selected.”

In response, Sancho took to social media to say: “I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week.

“I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!

“All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team.

“I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge.

“I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what.”

Sancho has contributed just 12 goals and six assists in 82 matches for Man Utd.

That’s a significant drop off from his time at Dortmund where he registered 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games.

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Arsenal have £40m trump card for Arteta to use in Ivan Toney or Ollie Watkins transfer

by www.express.co.uk Leave a Comment

Arteta gives Arsenal team news for Brentford Carabao Cup tie

have a trump card that they can use in negotiations with and in the January transfer window – Eddie Nketiah. With a forward likely to arrive at the Emirates Stadium this summer, the striker will fall down the pecking order under and he could be used as part of a player-plus-cash deal.

The Gunners have had an unbeaten start to the season, winning four and drawing two of their opening six matches of the campaign. With the sprinkling of new signings now fully integrated into the team, Arteta will be hoping that he has a squad capable of going one better than last season and winning the .

But Arsenal still do not appear to be the finished article despite splashing the cash over the summer. and remain the Gunners’ most influential attackers and Arteta is in the market for a striker to add even more goals to the forward line.

Brentford star Ivan Toney is being heavily considered by Arsenal, with reports claiming that Villa star Ollie Watkins remains a target in north London despite his slow start to the season in front of goal. Both players would set Arsenal back significant sums given premiums are placed on players in January – and they are both England internationals proven at the very top level.

Ollie Watkins/Ivan Toney

Arsenal have been linked with Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney (Image: Getty)

Therefore, the Gunners could be tempted to ‘cut costs’ by offering Nketiah as part of a deal involving one of the aforementioned stars. Nketiah would provide Villa or Brentford with a ready-made replacement who could prompt either side to lower their asking prices.

Over the summer it was reported by Just Arsenal that the higher powers at the Emirates Stadium would demand a fee in the region of £40million to sell Nketiah and that valuation is unlikely to have changed significantly given that he has featured on several occasions so far this season.

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Eddie Nketiah

Eddie Nketiah could be used as a makeweight in negotiations (Image: Getty)

The Gunners using the 24-year-old as a makeweight in negotiations could give them the upper hand if other clubs arrive with offers for Toney or Watkins, who will both surely cost in excess of £60m.

have also been linked with both players previously and are expected to be in the market for a striker in January after Nicolas Jackson’s slow start to life in the Premier League.

are also in the race to sign Toney and have registered an interest, and following the sale of to late in the summer, they will have the funds to be able to enter a bidding war if required.

So Arsenal may need to get clever in order to do a deal. Nketiah could the trump card they need to land the ruthless No 9 they’re searching for.

Man Utd were ‘hours’ away from losing transfer target to Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp chat

by www.express.co.uk Leave a Comment

Man Utd got their season back on track with Burnley victory | Football Digest

manager reinforced his midfield options with the signing of Sofyan Amrabat on transfer deadline day earlier this month. But he narrowly escaped losing out on his priority late-window target to United’s bitter rivals after pushed for his signature.

Amrabat made his Red Devils debut in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Burnley, coming on as a substitute to play the final five minutes at Turf Moor.

The 27-year-old could enjoy his Old Trafford bow by starting for the first time against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday.

But Ten Hag reportedly almost missed out on Amrabat as United stalled their pursuit due to the club’s budget limitations at the end of the transfer window.

According to the Mail , Amrabat was just hours away from becoming a Liverpool player before Ryan Gravenberch arrived at Anfield this summer.

Klopp is said to have rang the Morocco international in a bid to lure him to Merseyside as part of his major midfield revamp.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister had already joined, but Klopp was eyeing a third recruit to fill the void left by a wave of exits.

Sofyan Amrabat almost joined Liverpool over Man Utd.

Sofyan Amrabat almost joined Liverpool over Man Utd. (Image: Getty)

Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departed Liverpool, leading Klopp to focus his summer business on his engine room.

And the report claims that he was a needle’s length away from securing his man from Fiorentina before an 11th-hour stumbling block derailed the proposed move.

Klopp instead signed Gravenberch in a £34million deal from Bayern Munich, leaving Amrabat to complete a switch to United.

The fatal issue allegedly rooted from Amrabat’s side, having reportedly paused talks for 24 hours, during which Liverpool decided to walk away.

The new United No 4 may have hesitated to join Liverpool while Ten Hag was knocking on the door over a reunion, which will boost him in the estimations of fans even more.

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Sofyan Amrabat made his Man Utd debut on Saturday.

Sofyan Amrabat made his Man Utd debut on Saturday. (Image: Getty)

United supporters hope Amrabat can provide Ten Hag’s midfield with much-needed balance and quality amid an unconvincing start to the season.

Casemiro, 31, has looked leggy as the anchor, which has contributed to the Dutchman’s midfield being sliced open across their opening games.

He started the campaign by using Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount ahead of Casemiro, but the lack of defensive support was blatant.

Amrabat will be able to offer that, and his ability to fill in at full-back will also prove attractive, given Ten Hag’s current defensive injury crisis.

Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf names five players club should make January transfer moves for

by www.thesun.co.uk Leave a Comment

CHELSEA legend Franck Leboeuf has named FIVE players he believes Mauricio Pochettino should look to sign in January.

The Blues’ Argentine boss has endured a rocky start to life at Stamford Bridge.

The 51-year-old has only managed to secure one win and two draws from their opening six Premier League matches.

That is despite owner Todd Boehly and Clearlake splashing out over £1BILLION on players over the past year.

Supporters, who have no European football to look forward to this term, were provided with a glimmer of hope of some silverware last night when summer signing Nicolas Jackson secured them victory over Brighton in the Carabao Cup .

However, former Chelsea defender Leboeuf, who won two FA Cups, a League Cup and the Uefa Cup and Super Cup during his five years at the club, believes Poch still needs a lot more to get them back on top.

The French 1998 World Cup winner told Casinos En Ligne : “Chelsea need a striker and an experienced midfielder.

“I said last season that [Aleksandr] Mitrovic would be good – he’s not world-class, but he’s a leader and a fighter.

“Victor Osimhen is having problems at Napoli, and maybe Chelsea can go for him in January.

“There’s also Nantes’ Mostafa Mohamed – I think he could do a good job.

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“Chelsea also need help in midfield, someone like Toni Kroos or Luka Modric. They may be older and not play as many games, but they could definitely serve the club well.”

The prospect of any of the above arriving in West London appear to be slim due to a mix of reasons.

Mitrovic left neighbours Fulham for Saudi Arabian club Al-Hila l in a £46m move last month.

And Boehly’s transfer strategy has been to target younger players that should have a large resale value rather than veterans.

That would likely rule out Real Madrid’s experienced midfield duo Kroos, 33, and Modric, 38.

Nantes Egyptian forward Mohamed, 25, would fit the bill and has four goals in five Ligue 1 matches this term.

Meanwhile, they have been linked with Napoli ace Osimhen for months, and this week’s social media scandal could help them in that pursuit.

The Nigerian star, 24, refused to celebrate after scoring in last night’s 4-1 win over Udinese .

The hotshot also opted against taking a penalty after being mocked by the Italian club’s TikTok account.

Napoli ‘s official TikTok page shared a video mocking the forward for missing a spot kick in their 0-0 draw with Bologna on Sunday.

The now deleted clip enraged Osimhen and the rest of the squad – and that appeared to lead to him deciding against taking a pen yesterday as he handed over spot-kick duties to Piotr Zielinski , who made no mistake to put the Gli Azzurri 1-0 up.

Another now-deleted post reportedly saw the club release a video featuring a cropped photo of Osimhen’s head on a coconut with audio over the clip saying: “I’m a coconut.”

It’s widely viewed as a racial slur.

Osimhen’s agent, Robert Calenda, wrote on X on Monday: “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable.

“A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.

“A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player. And adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.”

He then added: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”

Man Utd linked with transfer move for ‘next Iniesta’ who Ten Hag ‘loves’ but face competition from Barcelona

by www.thesun.co.uk Leave a Comment

MANCHESTER UNITED are lining up a swoop for the “next Andres Iniesta” but are facing competition from Barcelona.

Royal Antwerp’s 18-year-old sensation Arthur Vermeeren has drawn comparisons with Spanish legend Iniesta .

And Erik ten Hag is said to be “in love” with the Belgian playmaker.

The United boss brought in Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat to strengthen his midfield this season.

However, the Red Devils’ start to the season has been far from perfect, losing three of their opening six matches.

And, according to Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness , Ten Hag could turn to Vermeeren to shake things up further.

After making his first-team debut last year, the midfielder has been playing regularly for Royal Antwerp this season.

And the report claims Old Trafford chiefs have contacted the teen’s representative to discuss a potential transfer.

But they will not be alone in the chase, as LaLiga giants Barcelona are also keen on the star.

And Gent ace Sven Kums recently told Gazet van Antwerpen that there are similarities between Vermeeren and Barca legend Iniesta.

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He said: “I certainly wasn’t that good at that age. He’ll go much further than me, that seems clear to me. I like to see such types working.

“I didn’t used to watch a lot of football, but I would turn on my TV for Barcelona.

“For Xavi and Iniesta. Not that I see every Antwerp match now, but I have that with him too.

“You see that he scans a lot. He always chooses his position wisely. You can train for that a bit, but I think you either have something like that or you don’t. And he has that.”

Kums continued: “To perform like this at such a young age is incredible.

“Vermeeren is a very good but also a beautiful footballer.

“I don’t know what’s true about what you sometimes read about the interest of big teams, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”

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