All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester United's potential takeover process reached a new landmark on Wednesday when the deadline was reached for bids to be submitted and a new name emerged.

Who has submitted a bid for Man United?

It is believed Sir Jim Ratcliffe submitted his second bid for the club on Thursday after being granted an extended deadline but there has been no confirmation yet from the Qatari party.

Skeikh Jassim's bid was also believed to have been a victim of the deadline, but another bid is expected to land within the coming days.

However, a third bidder has now emerged as a public figure in the race to potentially purchase the club in the form of the Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus.

And speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has provided some insight behind the tabled bid from the 59-year-old:

"Yes, it's true. He has this kind of model that could be kind of new – also involving the fans in the bid, so to have this possibility to also involve them by paying a small amount of money and be part of the club decisions.

"But I can tell you, that from my understanding, the two most credible bids at the moment remain INEOS group and Qatari group. So these two remain the favourites to buy Manchester United."

What could Zilliacus offer for Man United?

The proposed race to potentially own Manchester United has taken a really interesting twist with this bid from the Finnish business being made public.

Presuming a bid does land from Qatar, the three bids which have been made public all offer very different terms for the Glazer family to choose from.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to be interested in buying their 69% share of the club which could leave him with the possibility of claiming more shares in the club further along the line.

The expected bid from Qatar would offer United a fresh start under Sheikh Jassim, who would take on the entire club and wipe their debt in the process.

Whereas, this bid from Zilliacus offers a seriously interesting prospect.

It has been suggested by the 59-year-old that his bid would see him purchase half of the club and the fans would be granted the possibility of purchasing the other half.

Fans could have the possibility to purchase a piece of the club for under $6 (£4.90) and it would offer them the ability to run the club alongside the Finnish businessman.

This would mean fans would have some say in the key decisions that take place at the football club with Zilliacus wanting to give back some of the power to the United faithful:

"Any sport club ultimately should belong to its fans. My bid is built on equality with fans. The current development, where billionaire sheikhs and oligarchs take over clubs and control them as their personal playgrounds is not a healthy trend," he said.

Uncertainty over Tottenham Hotspur's managerial position continues to rumble on this international break…

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

Antonio Conte finally took his leave from the club late on Sunday with the Italian mutually terminating his deal in north London.

Prior to that, Sky Sports reported that the club's hierarchy had been conducting their due diligence on a number of potential successors for several weeks, of which FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is one name that has emerged as a likely candidate.

The 48-year-old has been in charge of the Portuguese giants since June 2017 and has led the Dragons to as many as nine trophies across a near six-year spell, including three Primeira Liga titles.

Is Conceicao a good appointment for Spurs?

Conceicao's only success has come at one of Portugal's biggest clubs, with stints at Ligue 1 outfit Nantes and other Iberian sides such as Vitoria Guimaraes and Sporting de Braga failing to hit the same heights.

This would surely make his fit for the Premier League rather dubious, seeing as his one spell outside his home country lasted just a year, with personal and family reasons being cited.

It would certainly be a big gamble from chairman Daniel Levy, though he's done it before, from the very same neck of the woods. Back in 2007, the Spurs supremo appointed a relatively unknown Spaniard called Juande Ramos, who arrived from Sevilla, where he had won six trophies, including two UEFA Cups.

He inherited a struggling side in the relegation zone and went on to win the League Cup later that year, but after a costly £60m summer spree – in which Luka Modric arrived at the club – the 68-year-old recorded Tottenham's worst-ever start to the league and by October, he was sacked.

According to former Spurs striker Darren Bent, Ramos became a very unpopular figure around the dressing room, losing the trust of key players such as skipper Ledley King and it all largely stemmed from his strict diets.

“When you’ve trained in the morning, you’ve had your lunch at the training ground, which isn’t usually that great, and then you get on a coach and get to the hotel and think, ‘I’m a bit hungry, I can’t wait for dinner’ and there’s just some dry rice," he told talkSPORT.

“Dry pasta, dry chicken, plain vegetables… and no crumble. People tried, people said to him: ‘Look, Juande, people are struggling…' Even our captain Ledley King was like: ‘Listen gaffer, we’re struggling here, what’s up with this food?’."

Conceicao is similar in this sense, according to some reports, and just like Ramos, had big success in Europe, but that clearly doesn't always translate into England, for whatever reason.

As such, Levy could be making an all too familiar mistake if he follows up his interest in the Porto tactician in the coming weeks. Whilst things were bad under Conte, they mustn't rush into another catastrophic appointment and given the evidence above, the 48-year-old could well end up being another Ramos in north London.

Newcastle United reportedly want to sign Borussia Dortmund left-back Raphael Guerreiro as a free agent in the summer.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Guerreiro is out of contract at Dortmund this summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old would certainly not be short of suitors, having amassed an impressive four goals and nine assists in 26 games in total over all competitions so far this term, mainly from the left-back position (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Newcastle interest

Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey says that Guerreiro is ‘wanted’ by Newcastle, among a whole host of other clubs, as a free agent this summer.

Teams from both Italy and Spain, as well as some of Dortmund’s rivals in Germany, have also made their interest known, while Leeds United, Aston Villa and Wolves are also all believed to be interested in his signature.

Burnley, who are currently in the Championship at the moment but look set to make a swift return to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany, are also thought to be thinking about making an ‘audacious’ attempt to try and sign Guerreiro, while the Magpies have also looked at Arsenal and Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney as a potential alternative.

The Verdict: Statement signing

Guerreiro would certainly be a statement signing from the St. James’ Park outfit, as he has the potential to completely transform their backline for the next campaign.

Boasting a total of 214 appearances for Dortmund over all competitions, where he has notched up an impressive 38 goals and 45 assists from defence (four goals and 13 assists in 61 senior caps, including three goal contributions at the most recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Hailed as an ‘amazing player’ by his manager at Dortmund Edin Terzic, and someone who ‘oozes class’ by journalist Josh Bunting, Guerreiro would be sure to make the left-back spot his own should he make the move to the Magpies, with Dan Burn, who has Eddie Howe so far this campaign, primarily a central defender by trade.

Guerreiro actually shares the same agent as the Magpies boss, and if the North East club could snap him up on a free transfer this summer it could turn out to be a real bargain in the future.

West Ham are crying out for a clinical striker who can do it all, as they continue their battle against relegation from the Premier League this season.

Michail Antonio is past his best, Danny Ings offers goals but can't hold the ball up, while summer signing Gianluca Scamacca has failed to live up to the big expectations of him at the London Stadium, and looks likely to follow in the footsteps of several disappointing strikers who preceded him.

David Moyes will, therefore, be wishing that the club still had a powerful, talented goalscorer such as Marko Arnautovic, who impressed under the Scottish manager in a two-season stay at West Ham having initially been brought in by Slaven Bilic.

Could Marko Arnautovic save West Ham now?

West Ham would sign the Austria international from Stoke City in 2017 in a club-record deal worth £20m, having hit 26 goals and 32 assists during his time with the Potters.

He would manage double figures for league goals in both the 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaigns for West Ham, finishing his time with the east London side on 22 goals and 12 assists in just 65 appearances, before completing a move to China, where he joined Shanghai SIPG.

Former Hammers midfielder Jack Wilshere sang his teammate's praises after he joined the club on a free transfer in 2018.

He said: “He is up there. He is right up there.

“Ability-wise, he’s powerful, got so much in his game. His attitude is brilliant. He’s a good character and is one of the leaders in the team as well."

West Ham's woeful form in the Premier League so far this campaign certainly suggests that they are missing leaders in the dressing room, while their lack of goals on the pitch has been a major factor in Moyes' downfall.

Only five sides have scored fewer top-flight goals than the Hammers, while Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen currently lead the way for goals in Moyes' squad, with only four to their name, which emphasises how poor the attacking options have been so far this campaign.

Even at 33, Arnautovic is still outperforming all of West Ham's attackers with Bologna, as he boasts eight goals in 15 Serie A appearances so far this term.

Considering that Scamacca was signed for big money from Italy in the summer but now cannot get a game in Moyes' side, the Scottish manager will perhaps be wishing that he still had Arnautovic at his disposal.

Indeed, with his goals and Premier League know-how, the chances of West Ham suffering a shock relegation would surely be significantly lower.

It’s crunch time for Tottenham Hotspur this evening, with Antonio Conte’s side preparing to take on AC Milan in their Champions League, last-16 second-leg tie in what could be a potentially defining game in the club’s season.

Already out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup – and with a title challenge having failed to materialise – the north Londoners’ sole hopes of ending their lengthy trophy drought now rest in Europe, albeit having failed to progress past the last eight since reaching final in the 2018/19 campaign.

Looking to overturn their one-goal deficit from the first leg, the Lilywhites will once again be without the likes of Hugo Lloris, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon and Yves Bissouma who are all still out through injury, while Eric Dier is set to miss the visit of the Serie A giants through suspension.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how Conte’s men will lineup later today, having suffered a 1-0 defeat just a few days ago away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

What will Tottenham’s starting XI be against AC Milan?

Following that drab loss at Molineux, the former Inter Milan boss could well make three changes to his starting XI tonight, albeit with Fraser Forster – who was somewhat culpable for Wolves’ winner at the weekend – set to keep his place in the sticks.

Ahead of the Englishman, the absence of Dier should see Davinson Sanchez return to the fold alongside Cristian Romero and Clement Lenglet, with Ben Davies – who started at centre-back on Saturday – lining up at left wing-back.

The other wide berth should seemingly be taken up by the resurgent Emerson Royal, meaning that January arrival Pedro Porro and £180k-per-week man Ivan Perisic – who was branded a “liability” by writer Andrew Gaffney after his disappointing display against the Old Gold – are set to give way.

With both Bissouma and Bentancur restricted to the treatment table, Conte is likely to put his trust in academy graduate Oliver Skipp once again alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with the only further alteration set to lie in attack.

Joining talisman Harry Kane – who has scored just one Champions League goal this season – in the forward line will seemingly be Swedish starlet Dejan Kulusevski and recent addition, Arnaut Danjuma, with the Netherlands international deserving of a chance to shine ahead of the misfiring duo of Heung-min Son and Richarlison.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery says that Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be out injured for ‘around 4-6 weeks’.

The Lowdown: Dyche update

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match away at Arsenal in the Premier League tonight, Sean Dyche has confirmed that Calvert-Lewin is still recovering from injury, and did not give a timeframe on when he could return.

He has missed their last three games in the top flight, playing last in Everton’s 1-0 victory against the Gunners at Goodison Park in early February.

The Latest: 4-6 weeks out?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dinnery says that the Arsenal clash will come ‘too soon’ for Calvert-Lewin, and that he could even be facing ‘around 4-6 weeks’ out with his hamstring problem:

“We’re certainly not expecting Calvert-Lewin to be involved against Arsenal, that’s probably going to come too soon.

“I think we’re potentially looking at around 4-6 weeks or so with regards to that hamstring problem.

“It’s not just this injury in particular that the club are focusing on.”

The Verdict: New striker needed

Calvert-Lewin is simply too unreliable in terms of fitness, as he has had so many injury problems in the past.

Former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor has even gone as far as to rant that he is ‘made out of straw’, in that every little issue seems to affect him hugely.

Calvert-Lewin has been a reliable goalscorer in the past when he has been consistently fit, reaching embarrassing’.

Nonetheless, with only 17 goals this campaign, the Toffees are the lowest scorers in the division, and so they need to sign a more reliable striker in the summer, and perhaps even think of moving £100,000-per-week Calvert-Lewin on.

Gabby Agbonlahor has name-dropped Kai Havertz when criticising their poor form for Chelsea on TalkSPORT.

The Lowdown: Chelsea showing no signs of improving

Chelsea are experiencing one of their worst seasons in recent years under the stewardship of both Todd Boehly and Graham Potter having won just one league game this calendar year.

This all despite spending well over £200 million in January to help Potter achieve better results and see if they could make a second-half-of-the-season charge for the top four, which now looks incredibly unrealistic.

The Blues are clearly struggling in front of goal as they’ve scored just three goals in their last 10 games across all competitions and that is likely down to the fact Kai Havertz is having to lead the line in most games despite not being a recognised centre forward.

The Latest: Harsh criticism may well be deserved

The criticism from Agbonlahor on Havertz may well be deserved given his record of six goals in 32 games this season.

He said: (0:50) “For me, these players just look a bit lacking in confidence, a lack of chemistry between them. Look at Havertz, he’s seen two managers off, he’s not doing anything.

“He’s not a number nine, he’s not a number 10, he’s not holding the ball and he’s not scoring goals.”

The Verdict: Potter must get more from this group of players.

While it will indeed be difficult for Potter to decide which players to start in each game given the sheer number of players he’s got to pick from and how they will all have egos that need to be managed, it doesn’t excuse this shocking run of form.

It’s been reported that while results have been shocking under Potter he does still retain the confidence of the Chelsea board and at least one of the clubs’ owners which should give him hope about keeping his job.

Not signing a recognised striker in January is rather inexcusable given that Pierre Emerick Aubameyang clearly wasn’t fancied, Armando Broja is out for the season and Havertz simply isn’t a natural striker and that decision is now certainly coming back to haunt them.

Liverpool have often had success with developing and nurturing their youth talents to become players who can make an impact in the senior team, with Trent Alexander-Arnold being a prime example, and the club have unearthed another gem this season.

Stefan Bajcetic has been thriving in the first-team and has become a regular in midfield over Liverpool’s troubling campaign so far, helping to give Jurgen Klopp some much-needed depth in the middle of the park.

However, it isn’t just the academy graduates currently with the Merseyside giants who have been flourishing with the opportunity to play first-team football this season, as there are many young Liverpool prospects making a name for themselves out on loan.

Tyler Morton, James Balagizi, Marcelo Pitaluga, Adam Lewis, Leighton Clarkson and Conor Bradley are just some of the 17 players loaned out to prove themselves, with the latter quickly becoming a standout performer in his position whilst on loan with Bolton Wanderers.

How is Conor Bradley getting on at Bolton?

The teenage sensation joined the League One club last summer and has since been confidently polishing his skills in his position on the right flank with the Trotters.

Across 29 league appearances, Bradley – who has been dubbed “superb” by compatriot Jonny Evans – has scored four goals, registered four assists and created a whopping seven big chances. He has averaged 63.6 touches, 1.3 shots on goal, 1.2 key passes, 1.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and five successful duels per game, proving to be a huge presence in the right-back role.

Last night the Northern Irish starlet helped Bolton progress to the Papa Johns Football League Trophy final at Wembley after a 2-0 win over Accrington Stanley.

The 19-year-old won an impressive nine duels, completed four successful dribbles, 75 touches and 38 accurate passes, won one tackle and drew four fouls over his 86 minutes on the pitch, earning a 7.2 Sofascore rating.

Bradley has already captured Klopp’s attention, with the Liverpool boss branding the teenager a “top boy” and a “fighter” in an assessment of his development so far.

The German gushed: “Conor, top boy. All good. From the things I know and what I saw, [he is] a wonderful, talented boy with a big heart. A real fighter, and it’s a joy to have him around – that’s what I can say.”

Indeed, the Reds acquired the services of another young right-back in Calvin Ramsay last summer, but the Scotsman has struggled with injury issues since his arrival on Merseyside. Bradley’s impressive progress on loan could further threaten the former Aberdeen gem’s chances to break into the Liverpool first team if Klopp calls upon the Bolton loanee next season.

The future is looking bright for Bradley and if he continues to thrive with the Trotters over the rest of the season, there seems little doubt that he could become Liverpool’s next Alexander-Arnold in the future.

Southampton are ‘trying not to panic’ in their search for a new manager, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Manager search underway

There have been multiple candidates linked to the vacant manager’s job at St Mary’s, with Flamengo boss Vitor Pereira recently emerging as a potential option, while the likes of Ivan Juric and Jesse Marsch have also been linked.

However, interim boss Ruben Selles cannot be discounted, with The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell recently claiming that Southampton want a quick solution, which would make the Spaniard the perfect candidate.

The Latest: Jones’ update

Speaking to GiveMeSport about the Saints’ manager search, Jones indicated that Sport Republic are happy for Selles to manage the team for the immediate future, which gives them time to assess other options, rather than making any hasty decisions.

The transfer insider said:  “Yeah, well, my information really on it is that they’re trying not to panic here and that decision was quickly made to assure Selles that he would take things for now and they would address the matter with him on a regular basis.”

The Verdict: Correct decision

The Saints’ interim boss has already proven he has what it takes to take charge of first-team affairs, at least for a short while, with his side emerging 1-0 winners in a ‘heroic’ performance away at Chelsea on Saturday.

As such, Sport Republic can now afford to take a more cautious approach in their search for a new manager, with the 39-year-old more than capable of remaining in the dugout for the trip to Leeds United, who are without a manager themselves.

There are still good options out there for the Saints, with the recently-linked Marcelo Gallardo being lauded as ‘top class’ by journalist Adam Blackmore, however it would not be a surprise to see Selles take the reins for the remainder of the season, given his fantastic start.

RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol is at the top of Liverpool’s defensive wishlist ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Gvardiol shines at World Cup

The 21-year-old rose to prominence at the 2022 World Cup, standing out as arguably the best centre-back at the tournament and helping Croatia finish third.

Gvardiol started all seven matches for his country in Qatar, averaging an incredible 5.3 clearances per game, and his stock has risen greatly ever since.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Leipzig youngster recently and it is a rumour that is refusing to go away.

The Latest: Liverpool keen on signing

According to Football Transfers, Gvardiol is still wanted by the Reds, who have him at the top of their wishlist for left-sided central defenders this summer.

They are far from alone in showing an interest, however, with Real Madrid and Manchester City also among those eyeing up a move for the Croatian.

The Verdict: Outstanding option for Reds

Gvardiol certainly wouldn’t arrive on the cheap this summer but he is someone Liverpool should consider signing, considering his enormous long-term potential.

[freshpress-quiz id=“419074″]

The Leipzig star has already become a vital player for club and country, making 18 appearances in the Bundesliga this season, while Rio Ferdinand has said he has ‘great presence’.

Admittedly, Virgil van Dijk isn’t going anywhere soon and will be difficult to shift, but if Joe Gomez or Joel Matip leave this summer, as has been mooted, a centre-back spot will open up at Anfield.

Gvardiol could be viewed as Ibrahima Konate’s long-term defensive partner at Liverpool, with the pair having the potential to become one of the most formidable pairings in the world, given the Frenchman’s similar ceiling.