Tag Futebol

Manchester United may be sold for "lower than the often quoted £6bn ($7.5bn)", according to reliable CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest takeover news?

The Manchester United takeover took yet another twist this week in what is fast becoming never-ending torture for supporters, as details emerged over the bid from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.

According to Jacobs, and now widely reported elsehwere, Sheikh Jassim's offer has led to confusion because it "includes the debt & around £0.8bn ($1bn) in pledged investment". The Glazers will not include pledged investment in their decision making and will only base their valuation on the actual offer for the shares, of which the controversial family currently possess 69 per cent. This means Sheikh Jassim's bid is actually only around £4bn ($5bn), which is way shy of the often reported £6bn ($7.5bn) price tag.

That makes the Qatari's bid lower than what's on offer from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO of INEOS, with "some sources indicating" the latter's bid has actually been superior right the way through the process, in what is a huge update to the ongoing takeover saga.

Some light in the tunnel for supporters?

While the supporters hoping for Qatari riches will no doubt be disheartened by the latest major twist in the tale, there is some light at the end of the tunnel, as Jacobs reports the asking price is actually lower than £6bn.

He says: "It is now understood the Glazers may strongly consider an outright sale for between £4.8bn ($6bn) and £5.6bn ($7bn), which is a bit lower than the often quoted £6bn ($7.5bn)."

This of course brings the gap between the Glazers and Sheikh Jassim right down, and fans on both sides of the matter will surely be excited by his rumoured plans for the club. The Nine Two Foundation say they want to "return the Club to its former glories both on and off the pitch" and "invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the Club supports".

There are already reports that the potential new owners are eyeing up superstar signings like Neymar and Jude Bellingham, signings which would certainly bring back the fear factor around Old Trafford, but fans will now simply have to wait and see if they up their offer to try and eclipse Ratcliffe and get closer to the Glazers' asking price.

West Ham United have endured a terrible season by all accounts, fighting a relegation battle which even David Moyes may not survive judging by their performances of late.

With the success of last season, finishing seventh in the Premier League and reaching the Europa League semi-finals, the Hammers were expected to kick on this term, yet it has almost been the complete opposite.

There have to be changes, if not this season then certainly next, and with Lukasz Fabianksi coming towards the end of his career, a change of goalkeeper might not be a bad thing.

The 37-year-old was notably "sensational" in the win over Fulham last weekend – as per journalist Malik Ouzia – however, just a week prior was in calamitous form as his failed clearance gifted Alexander Isak with a simple chance to score from in the drubbing against Newcastle.

It perhaps suggests that the Polish ‘keeper may need to be replaced with it appearing as though he's now an inconsistent figure in the Hammers side.

As a result, Moyes could soon unleash youngster Krisztián Hegyi if he is still in charge during 2023/24 as he is making a big splash for the U21s this term.

Who is Krisztián Hegyi?

The 20-year-old has been at West Ham since 2019, with the club reportedly beating off competition from Manchester United and Real Madrid in order to sign the young talent.

The move has worked out extremely well for the Hungarian gloveman, as he has risen through the youth ranks during his four years at Rush Green. The “wonderkid” – as dubbed by Sam Inkersole not long after he joined in 2019 – played 30 times for the U18 side before moving up a level, and he has impressed ever since.

Hegyi has kept 11 clean sheets in 51 matches for the higher age group and has even turned out against senior opposition six times during his career so far in the EFL trophy.

He appeared twice in that very competition earlier this term, averaging a strong Sofascore rating of 6.9. The youngster conceded just 0.5 goals per game, and made 1.5 saves each match – at a success rate of 75% – while averaging 42.5 touches, suggesting he is solid with the ball at his feet and can play out well from the back.

Having been included in Moyes’ matchday squads on no less than 11 occasions this term, he is clearly in the long-term plans of the club and if Fabianski does move on at the end of the season, there is a perfectly solid replacement already waiting in the wings.

West Ham United secured a crucial victory over Southampton yesterday to edge further away from the Premier League relegation zone, and it will hopefully inject some spark into David Moyes’ side.

This was the club’s first league win since the end of February, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Irons struggled to retain possession during the tie, but they managed more shots than the Saints with Nayef Aguerd ultimately scoring a header during the first half which proved to be more than enough to secure all three points.

Moyes will have been happy to see players such as Lucas Paqueta and Said Benerahma getting back into some sort of form, with the duo receiving ratings of 7/10 and 7.3/10 via Sofascore for their displays, although there were still a couple of bad performances.

Tomas Soucek endured a disappointing match, taking just 33 touches and completing only 11 of his 21 attempted passes. Indeed, he was somewhat of a passenger in the West Ham midfield that sought to establish a foothold in the match.

As Football.London's Jonty Colman noted, he was 'sloppy at times' in possession, a notion backed up by the fact that the Czech lost possession on 15 occasions throughout the clash. Also poor from a physical standpoint, he won just six of his 19 defensive duels.

That said, Moyes may well be disappointed at another one of his players for their abject display – Danny Ings.

How did Danny Ings perform against Southampton?

Ings’ 65 minutes on the pitch were extremely underwhelming, and it’s no wonder he was brought off for Michail Antonio.

The striker made just seven passes at a success rate of 47%, 15 fewer than goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, as he failed to link up well with his teammates.

What was even more damning is that the ex-England international took no shots at all during the match.

West Ham correspondent for the Athletic, Roshane Thomas believes Ings doesn’t quite fit into Moyes’ tactical plan, saying: “I don't think this system works for Danny Ings. He's often too isolated up front. Hasn't quite clicked barring his two goals against Nottingham Forest. Antonio has great work rate so he has no issues playing as a lone striker. But Ings has struggled in that role.”

Taking just 25 touches in a game – 18 fewer than Fabianski – is often a sign that a player is isolated and Ings didn’t quite receive the service he required to make a meaningful difference.

Moyes signed the Englishman to score goals and a tie against his former employers in Southampton should have been the perfect opportunity for him to add another couple to his tally for the club.

If it wasn’t for Ageurd’s winner, the Hammers may well have dropped more vital points and with Ings responsible for scoring the goals to maintain the club’s league status, he has only heaped further pressure on Moyes.

Trevoh Chalobah has established himself as a regular at Chelsea over the past few seasons and his market value has understandably rocketed as a result.

Although the young centre-back recently signed a long-term contract extension at Stamford Bridge, the west London side are now safe in the knowledge that they would receive a significant fee should the academy graduate ever depart.

How much is Trevoh Chalobah worth?

Chalobah has been at Chelsea since joining the U9 set-up and progressed quickly into senior football, enjoying loan spells with Ipswich Town and Huddersfield Town in the Championship, where he was a regular for both sides throughout the season, making a combined 82 appearances.

He would impress again in the 2020/21 season with FC Lorient, making 30 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit, in which he contributed two goals and two assists, with his excellent performances clearly enough to convince those at Chelsea that he was ready to feature in Thomas Tuchel's squad the following year.

Under the German manager, Chalobah, who earns £50k-per-week, would make 30 appearances last season, which included three goals and one assist in 20 Premier League outings, with the 23-year-old earning a superb 7.03 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Teammate Thiago Silva sang his praises after he broke into the team last season and featured alongside the experienced Brazilian in defence.

He said: "He is a player despite being so young who plays like an experienced professional,’ says the Brazilian, ‘and that makes me really happy because I'm there alongside him playing the same position and I can see how he's performing, how he's developing.

"Some people said that he didn't have the ability to do so but he's made it because of his own capacities. That's something that makes me really happy because a player like Trevoh Chalobah is the future of this club."

This season was perhaps always going to be more of a struggle for the Englishman, given the signing of Benoit Badiashile and the return of Wesley Fofana from his long-term injury, but he has continued as a regular under Graham Potter, making 21 appearances in total this campaign.

Unsurprisingly, Chalobah's recognition as a regular first-team player at Chelsea has seen his market value soar in recent years, with FootballTransfers now suggesting that he would be worth €35m (£32m), which obviously is significant for the Blues considering he cost them nothing as an academy graduate.

After criticism for the loan army that Chelsea created years ago, with many never featuring for the club, it is good to see the likes of Chalobah, Mason Mount and Reece James playing a part at Stamford Bridge having come through the academy.

Erik ten Hag managed to lure some serious talent to Manchester United last summer, with the likes of Antony, Casemiro, and Christian Eriksen all joining the revolution at Old Trafford.

It marks a change from the signings his predecessor made, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managing to secure deals for players who couldn’t quite cut it at United (Daniel James) or who were massively overpriced (Harry Maguire) yet it was a move for Donny van de Beek that has represented the worst value for money.

The Dutchman was signed for a fee of around £39m and with the 23-year-old enjoying a sparkling beginning to his career at Ajax, the outlay seemed like it could one day turn into a bargain for the club.

It hasn’t quite turned out like that, with van de Beek struggling to live up to the lofty expectations in Manchester while struggling for game time which has seen his value plummet in the process.

How much is Donny van de Beek worth now?

The £120k-per-week midfielder has played just 60 times during his spell at United, while his tally of two goals and two assists paints a picture of how poorly he has played in that time, failing to add the spark the club required when they signed him.

When Ten Hag took over last summer, the 25-year-old must have thought his appointment could rejuvenate him, especially considering the fact they worked together for two years at Ajax, yet he has featured just ten times in all competitions this term.

The midfielder has started just two matches in the Premier League this season, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.49/10 across his seven appearances in total. He has failed to score or register an assist, averaged just 11.1 touches, and completed only 6.6 passes per game, hardly the quality that Ten Hag is demanding from his players.

Journalist Steven Railston was particularly vocal in his criticism of the player back in November following a loss to Aston Villa, saying:

“#mufc never recovered after conceding two early goals and they were second-best all over the pitch. A really disappointing performance. Donny van de Beek was anonymous again and he shouldn’t be anywhere near the starting XI. Bruno Fernandes couldn’t return quick enough.”

Having signed for £39m, the player is now worth just €20.5m (£18m) according to Football Transfers and this represents a decrease of 54%, with the likelihood that United won’t even recoup half of the fee they splashed out on the Dutchman should he leave in the summer.

It has been a woefully misjudged transfer and his performances on the pitch have failed to live up to expectations, hopefully, Ten Hag will be able to move him on sooner rather than later, at a significant cost to the club.

Aston Villa dropped to 11th in the Premier League over the weekend as they were beaten 4-2 by Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester on their own turf on Saturday.

Unai Emery’s side are sitting comfortably in midtable and one of the team’s best performers throughout the campaign so far has been veteran full-back Ashley Young.

The 37-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 in the Premier League so far this season and this places him second in the Villa squad – only behind Douglas Luiz.

Young has played 17 times in the top flight, starting 13 of those matches, and has contributed with three tackles and interceptions and 0.6 key passes per match for the team.

However, the gem turns 38 in July and Emery may start to think about what life may look like after the former England international retires or parts ways with the club.

Matty Cash, 25, is the other senior option at right-back but the Poland international would not have any competition for his place if Young moved on without a replacement coming into the squad.

Emery could find the dream heir to the ex-Manchester United winger’s place in the side by unearthing the talent of 20-year-old academy full-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden.

The young dynamo has already experienced League Two, League One, and Championship football out on loan in recent seasons and the Villa coach could look to slowly bed him into the side as Young heads towards the end of his playing days.

Reporter Jonny Leighfield previously hailed the talented youngster during the gem’s time on loan at Swindon Town during the 2021/22 campaign, saying: “As soon as the loan deal from Villa was done Garner told us that this kid’s got serious quality, a player who’s destined to play for Villa’s first team.”

The journalist added: “He’s just a cut above.”

“He’s got a brilliant turn of pace and a player who like to do his damage up the other end of the pitch. He’s got everything about him to play either Championship or Premier League football regularly.”

During the first half of the current campaign, Kesler-Hadyen made 1.2 tackles and interceptions and 0.7 key passes per match in the second tier for Huddersfield. This came after he made 1.9 defensive contributions and created 0.8 chances per match in League One during the 2021/22 season.

The 20-year-old may not be producing the kind of numbers that Young has been delivering for Villa in the Premier League, from a defensive perspective, this season but the gem has 17 years of development to catch up with the veteran.

Kesler-Hayden could be the future of Villa’s right-back position, given the glimpses of quality he has shown in the Football League so far, and Emery could find Young’s long-term heir by providing the youngster with chances to impress in the coming seasons.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are both deserving of ‘massive’ new deals, according to pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: What’s the current situation?

At the beginning of January, the Gunners extended the contracts of both players by an additional year, amid continuing talks about new long-term deals.

Both contracts are now set to expire in 2025, but it is important that Mikel Arteta gets them tied down for the foreseeable future, with Manchester City interested in Saka, and Saliba already turning down one proposal from Arsenal.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider in the wake of Gabriel Martinelli committing his future to the club, Whelan urged Arsenal to seek a similar agreement with the aforementioned duo, saying:“Martinelli 100% deserves a contract with the season he’s having.

“But it’s about Saliba and Saka now. That is two integral parts of the squad.

“They’ve got to go all out to get them signed up.

“I think the sticking point was about Champions League qualification, but they’re 100% going to be playing in that competition next season.

“And that’s if they don’t go one step further and win the league.

“There’s no doubt that they look both happy and they deserve a massive new deal for what they’ve brought to this club.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Recently lauded as ‘wonderfully talented’ by Gary Lineker, Saka has been nothing short of fantastic for Arsenal over the past two campaigns, scoring 11 Premier League goals last term, while this season he has already matched the previous season’s output of seven assists in the top flight.

Transfer insider Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT earlier this month that ‘vultures will be circling’ for the winger if there’s ‘any signs of discontent’, so it is important that the Gunners move swiftly, before a rival club spots a window of opportunity.

At the other end of the pitch, Saliba has emerged as a key player for Arteta this season, making the centre-back spot his own, having appeared 20 times in the Premier League, helping his side on their way to the second-best defensive record in the division.

Considering he has already rebuffed one offer from Arsenal, it is paramount that the 21-year-old is tied down to a new deal before he grows frustrated, as given his age, he could be a vital cog in the backline for years to come.

Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Inter Milan midfielder Roberto Gagliardini, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Gagliardini profiled

Gagliardini is 28 years of age and is an out-and-out central midfielder. He joined Inter back in 2017 from Atalanta and has made 175 appearances for the club, contributing to 25 goals.

Sponsored by Nike, Gagliardini has won seven senior caps for Italy but is out of contract at the end of the season.

The Latest: Forest interest

Sky Sports shared a transfer update regarding Forest on Tuesday, with interest emerging on Gagliardini. They claimed that Forest are looking at two potential moves for the midfielder, one of which would see him make the move to the City Ground before the January 31 deadline.

The other would see the Reds look at pre-contract terms with Gagliardini ahead of a free transfer in the summer.

The Verdict: One to watch?

Steve Cooper has plenty of midfield options at this moment in time, however, not many have Champions League experience like Gagliardini.

The likes of Jack Colback, Cafu and Harry Arter are all out of contract at the end of the season, so Forest may see the Italian as an upgrade in midfield and a shrewd signing in a cut-price deal.

It seems to be one to watch over the coming days, but if a winter window transfer fails to materialise, Forest can still look at agreeing on pre-contract terms ahead of the summer.

Aston Villa are confident they will sign a new forward for Unai Emery soon, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Ings and Watkins crucial

Villa have scored 20 goals in 18 Premier League games so far this season, with their two main strikers Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins scoring nine of those.

Ings has actually been linked with a move away from the club this month, with Villa turning down a loan offer from top-flight rivals Everton. It is believed that NSWE will only consider permanent offers for the 30-year-old, and it seems as if they are working on an attacking addition of their own.

The Latest: New forward alongside Moreno?

Football Insider’s Wayne Veysey shared a transfer update on Sunday morning, revealing that Villa are close to a breakthrough in talks to sign full-back Alex Moreno.

Villa are submitting a new bid for the Real Betis defender, while Veysey added that the club ‘are also confident of completing a forward signing soon’.

The Verdict: Good news for Villa

Emery has been chasing a new A-list forward ever since taking over in the Midlands, so it is positive to hear that one could be about to arrive at Villa Park.

Who that is remains to be seen, although the club have been linked with a number of forwards such as Vedat Muriqi, Nicolas Jackson, Gerard Deulofeu and Samuel Chukwueze.

One of those could end up moving to Villa or it could be someone else, and it will be interesting to see where that leaves Ings going forward, should an attacker arrive in the coming weeks.

QPR manager Neil Critchley has confirmed a big boost for the Hoops ahead of their Boxing Day fixture against Cardiff City, with Ilias Chair now available for selection.

The winger will return from Qatar this week after Morocco sensationally reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, with the former Stevenage man making his World Cup debut in their third-place play-off defeat against Croatia last weekend.

It is undoubtedly a big boost for Critchley to have the 25-year-old back at Loftus Road, as he has arguably been the top performer in QPR’s squad so far this season.

Chair’s three goals and six assists in the Championship has helped him to average a superb 7.17 rating from WhoScored, which comfortably ranks him as the best in the Hoops’ squad, so they will be hoping that he can rediscover his pre-World Cup form upon his return to club action.

Although the west London outfit secured an impressive 1-0 win over Preston North End in Critchley’s first game in charge last weekend, it seems likely that Chair could return alongside Chris Willock and Lyndon Dykes in attack.

Ahead of the Moroccan’s return for QPR, Critchley said: “I’m delighted for Ilias. He loves to play football and I’m sure it was a very special moment for him.

“Players want to play and although I am yet to meet Ilias, it’s obvious to see that he is someone who loves to play football and he will feel relieved to have got some minutes under his belt at a World Cup.

“We will be pleased to have him back and we may also have one or two back and I may have a selection headache for the Cardiff game.”

The “exciting propsect” – as dubbed by Glenn Murray – has averaged the most shots, most key passes and second-most dribbles per game in QPR’s squad so far this season, which emphasises just how much of an attacking threat he provides and how delighted Critchley must be to have him back so soon.

Last weekend’s victory moved the R’s back into the play-off positions, and keeping Chair fit and firing could be pivotal to any promotion aspirations that the Hoops may have this season, so it would not be a surprise to see him going straight back into the starting XI on Boxing Day.