By: Muhammad Saeedon January 04, 2024/comment : 0HITC,
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The Jadon Sancho and Manchester United saga seems to be coming to an end, for the time being anyway!
HITC Football has already reported that the ousted Manchester United star could be a Borussia Dortmund player by the weekend.
In 2021, the powers that be at Old Trafford paid £73 million for Jadon Sancho, but now they are set to take a massive hit on the player as he heads for the exit door.
Danny Murphy thinks the whole situation is ‘ludicrous’ and he feels both parties have managed this situation ‘awfully’ and ‘poorly’, as he told talkSPORT.
The 23-year-old has only played 73 minutes of Premier League football this season and has been cast aside by manager Erik ten Hag since September after further disciplinary breaches.
It was clear that if the player apologised, then he would find his way back into his manager’s thoughts, but that hasn’t happened and now an obvious conclusion is nearing.
Dortmund, currently on a winter break, are training in Marbella and Jadon Sancho is expected to meet up with them ahead of a loan deal.
Danny Murphy was asked if it was a ‘slap in the face’ for Manchester United that they are now going to pay his wages to play elsewhere.
Jadon Sancho to leave Manchester United
“Yeah, but it happens,” responded Murphy. “It has happened many times before and it will happen many times again, because players have power.
“I think it’s ludicrous that it has got to this position, from both sides, I think it has been managed awfully. He has conducted himself poorly. Whoever is looking after him needs a slap in the chops.
“The main objective for people who care about you, the representatives or your family, is to have you on the football pitch doing what you love. The fact that he isn’t on the pitch or playing anywhere and doing what he loves is a shame really.
“I think both sides need to take responsibility for this because good management doesn’t let this happen.”
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Jadon Sancho has flopped in the Premier League
Let’s keep it straight, he was signed before ten Hag would enter the building and it wasn’t like he was pulling up trees under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
During his Man United career, he has 12 goals and six assists, you can’t blame that on ten Hag!
The facts are that Sancho had issues at Dortmund in his first spell and it has continued at Old Trafford where there is a bigger spotlight on him.
Plus, he has now faced a manager who simply didn’t want any of his nonsense and he has been swiftly dealt with.
Ten Hag might not last long at Man United, but that doesn’t mean Sancho will revive his career because he is going backwards here.
By: Muhammad Saeedon January 03, 2024/comment : 0HITC,
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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen on Conor Gallagher and Simon Jordan believes the sight of Chelsea selling their captain to a Premier League rival is a worrying one if the deal is struck for financial reasons.
On one hand, Jordan has his reservations about whether Conor Gallagher is really the man to lead Chelsea back to where they used to be. That the 23-year-old is the club’s captain these days is, with all due respect, a reflection of the lack of leadership in an ever-changing dressing room, and a dearth of players with a genuine, emotional connection to that iconic blue shirt.
If Chelsea are selling Gallagher because they feel he is not up to task, then that is a decision former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan can understand.
But if it’s with Financial Fair Play in mind – a sale borne of out necessity due to the sheer recklessness of the Boehly model – then Jordan has his concerns.
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Tottenham like Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher
“Gallagher is their captain. If the rumours are true, and they are trying to sell to balance the books, then that to me is poor,” Jordan tells talkSPORT (2 January, 10am), Gallagher potentially the second homegrown talent to leave Stamford Bridge to a top-flight rival in the space of just a few months.
“Selling Mason Mount (to Manchester United) is one thing. When you have to do it repeatedly because you want to or you have to…”
In the Roman Abramovich era, the prospect of Chelsea selling their homegrown, London-born captain to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur would not have been considered. Not even a fraction of a split of a second.
Gallagher – one of the few consistently impressive performers during another difficult campaign for The Blues – would also be the first player to leave Chelsea for Tottenham since Carlo Cudicini well over a decade ago.
“He’s alright. He’s a decent player. But if Chelsea want to get anywhere…,” Jordan muses.
“If he is your captain, where are you headed? Is he a world beater? I don’t think so. Is he what Chelsea need to get back to where they would like to be?
“My concern is that, if Chelsea are selling him because of the necessity of meeting FFP, then that is a disappointment. But, at the same time, I don’t think he is going to give them the end product you want from an elite Chelsea side.
By: Muhammad Saeedon January 02, 2024/comment : 0HITC,
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Estudiantes’ Benjamin Rollheiser is set to complete a move to Benfica amid interest from Premier League trio Newcastle, Sheffield United and Burnley.
That is according to Carlos Espinoza, the winger’s agent.
Benjamin Rollheiser has been likened to one Lionel Messi due to his penchant for cutting in from the right onto his left boot, though perhaps a more fitting comparison would be Angel di Maria.
Di Maria returned for a second spell at Benfica last term. But, at the age of 35, the Portuguese giants are hoping to replace their Rolls Royce wideman with a younger model, Rollheiser 12 years Di Maria’s junior.
Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images
Newcastle and Burnley target heading to Benfica
Newcastle, Burnley and Sheffield United have all cast admiring glances in Rollheiser’s direction over the past few months.
Espinoza, however, appears to be snuffing out any flickering hopes on the part of the Premier League trio, with Benfica again snapping up one of the brightest talents in the South American market.
“We are closing with Benfica,” Espinoza tells Globo Esporte.
Rollheiser scored 12 goals and set up eight more in the 2023 Argentinian campaign for Estudiantes. Interestingly, he is the second left-footed Argentine winger to be linked with Newcastle of late, The Magpies reportedly holding talks with Juventus chief Cristiano Guintoli about Matias Soule, so impressive out on loan at Frosinone.
Rollheiser, diminutive and tricky, also had the option to stay on the other side of the Atlantic with Corinthians. The Brazilian giants are reluctantly accepting defeat, however, with Benfica entering the final stages.
“I called Benfica. I’ve got good contacts with Rui (Costa Benfica director),” explains Rubens Gomes of Corinthians. “I asked if they were negotiating for Benjamín and he said ‘yes’.
Benfica are expected to pay around £8 million for Rollheiser.
At 3-2, and after being put through on goal, Diogo Jota did very well to round the Newcastle United goalkeeper, only to, after a small delay, go to ground after feeling some contact.
Former Chelsea defender John Terry was having none of it and he called it a ‘shocking dive’ on Twitter from the 27-year-old.
The on-field referee, Anthony Taylor, gave the initial call as a penalty, so when VAR checked it, they didn’t overturn it because it wasn’t ‘clear or obvious’.
That just made things worse because, from the naked eye, it was clear that a penalty shouldn’t have been awarded.
If you thought John Terry was unhappy with Diogo Jota’s actions, he thought VAR’s call to actually give the penalty was even worse.
“How on earth is that a penalty?” asked Terry. “Shocking dive! The worst thing is VAR give it?”
How on earth is that a penalty? Shocking dive !
The worst thing is VAR give it ?
Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the table
Jurgen Klopp will be wondering how or why his team didn’t see off a struggling Newcastle side earlier.
The Reds had an incredible 34 shots during the game, 15 of which were on target, with Mohamed Salah, converting his second-half penalty after watching his first being saved.
Despite Newcastle’s struggles, they fought and fought until the end.
And if that penalty at the end wasn’t given, then given the drama of this fixture over the years, anything could have happened.
In the end, Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to three points.
By: Muhammad Saeedon January 01, 2024/comment : 0HITC,
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Mikel Arteta has had a transformative reign at Arsenal since replacing Unai Emery as the manager in December 2019, so here are his top five Gunners signings of all time.
The north London club turned to Arteta after Emery oversaw their worst run of results since 1992. Arsenal failed to win any of the final seven games of the Spaniard’s tenure at Emirates Stadium. But Arteta lifted the FA Cup during his first season as his compatriot’s replacement.
Arsenal have since given Arteta the time he needed to remould the side Arsene Wenger and Emery built. Only Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney, Gabriel Martinelli and Reiss Nelson remain at the club from Emery’s last 18-man squad for a Europa League clash back in November 2019.
Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
In return for Arsenal trusting the process, Arteta launched the team into the Premier League title race in 2022/23. They even spent 248 days atop the table to secure the Gunners’ return to the Champions League. Wenger last had the team in UEFA’s elite competition in 2016/17.
Arteta completely overhauling the squad left behind from Wenger and Emery’s tenures has ensured not all of his signings at Arsenal have been a success. But the Spaniard has made a host of successful transfers, as well. So, here are Arteta’s all-time top five Arsenal signings…
5) Ben White (Brighton & Hove Albion – Arsenal, July 2021)
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arteta deemed Ben White as one of his top summer targets in 2021 before Arsenal secured his signing in a £50m transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion. The Spaniard saw the defender as a prime target through his passing abilities to speed up the Gunners’ game in possession.
White had only played one season in the Premier League before moving to north London in what was Arsenal’s third-most expensive transfer at the time. Yet he instantly slotted in with Gabriel Magalhaes to hand the Gunners a stern defence and met Arteta’s visions on the ball.
The return of William Saliba from his loan spell at Marseille in 2022 ultimately meant White transitioned over to right-back. But he made the move with absolute ease to make the spot his own. White delivers tremendous consistency in the position and is a threat at both ends.
White beautifully couples with Saka on Arsenal’s right-hand channel to further justify Arteta signing him from Brighton. The pair have developed an almost telepathic connection to link the Gunners’ attacks. While White is still alert to get back and lock down the full-back zone.
4) Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield United – Arsenal, August 2021)
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Despite having a solid shot-stopper in Bernd Leno, Arteta swooped to sign Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United in August 2021. Arsenal eventually secured his £24m, rising £6m after add-ons, transfer after prolonged negotiations that ran during much of the summer market.
Arteta signing Ramsdale underwhelmed many as he endured relegation with the Blades and AFC Bournemouth in the previous two Premier League seasons. Yet the goalkeeper came in for Leno after the September 2021 international break and proved his doubters were wrong.
Ramsdale became a pillar of Arsenal’s return to the top of the Premier League table with his efforts. He has often produced some implausible saves, including tremendous stops to deny James Maddison of Leicester in October 2021 and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in April 2023.
Such was the brilliance that Ramsdale offered in the 2022/23 season, with 14 clean sheets in 38 Premier League games, that the PFA named the Chesterton-born stopper in its Team of the Season. He should also still be Arsenal’s No1 but is now only the back-up for David Raya.
Arteta signed Raya on loan from Brentford in August 2023 and made the Spaniard his No1 at the next September international break. But the Barcelona native has struggled to justify his position ahead of Ramsdale after nervous displays on the ball and whilst dealing with shots.
Raya was never comfortable with the ball when Arsenal beat Manchester City 1-0 in October 2023 but the Citizens failed to punish his mistakes. Luton Town would not make that error in December 2023, though, when his mistakes gifted goals to Elijah Adebayo and Ross Barkley.
3) Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City – Arsenal, July 2022)
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal let Arteta remould the attack in 2022, as they paid Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang £7m to end his contract before letting Alexandre Lacazette depart as a free agent. Gabriel Jesus would arrive at Emirates Stadium in a £45m transfer from Manchester City to fill their voids.
Jesus helped to transform Arsenal’s attack by reuniting with Arteta, having worked with him at Etihad Stadium. The Brazilian’s dogged style instantly suited the Spaniard’s team next to Saka and Martinelli. Jesus often sacrifices his own chances to score if he can create space.
Arteta never had a striker like Jesus when Aubameyang or Lacazette led Arsenal’s side. But the Gunners have enjoyed a free-flowing attack when the forward, Saka and Martinelli are in sync. If Jesus could score more and remain injury-free, he would be Arsenal’s perfect striker.
2) Declan Rice (West Ham United – Arsenal, July 2023)
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal beat out interest from Manchester City and Bayern Munich to sign Declan Rice in a £105m transfer in 2023. Arteta had made signing the West Ham United product his priority during the January sales. He would quit the Irons after lifting the Europa Conference League.
Rice enjoyed 10 years with West Ham after joining them in his youth and even spent his last season there as their captain. That leadership, which he had honed as the vice-captain since 2020, would see Rice instantly emerge as a leader after Arteta sealed his signing for Arsenal.
He made a seamless transition from east to north London to become a pillar of Arteta’s side. Rice has even stunned pundits like Clinton Morrison with everything that he has offered the Gunners. The midfielder is the complete package by winning the ball and distributing play.
“Unbelievable,” Morrison stated on Sky Sports News (23/12, 12:19). “He won everything in midfield, he drove with it, he’s so cultured on the ball.
“He’s got a turn of pace where he can beat people. His levels have gone to another level and he’s took Arsenal, in my opinion, to another level, as well. I think he’s outstanding, he’s one of the best there is at the moment.”
1) Martin Odegaard (Real Madrid – Arsenal, August 2021)
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal sealed the best signing of Arteta’s Emirates Stadium tenure so far in August 2021 as Martin Odegaard secured a permanent transfer from Real Madrid. The Norway captain had already been in north London since the previous January sales after initially arriving on loan.
Odegaard had intended to return to Los Blancos in the summer but was not a part of Carlo Ancelotti’s side. So, the Galacticos accepted a £30m, plus £4m in add-ons, bid by Arsenal. He has since gone from strength to strength and became the Gunners’ captain in July 2022.
Arteta gave the playmaker their armband after only 18 months at the club, having emerged as a leader by example. Odegaard is the consummate professional and the perfect example of how Arteta wants Arsenal to play. He is not a general yelling orders but a standard setter.
Odegaard also rose to the challenge of being Arsenal’s captain to reach new heights over the 2022/23 Premier League season. The Drammen native only penned one goal and two assists whilst on loan then seven and four in 2021/22. Yet he hit 15 goals and eight assists in 22/23.
By: Muhammad Saeedon January 01, 2024/comment : 0HITC,
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Jurgen Klopp has had a trophy-laden tenure since taking over from Brendan Rodgers at Anfield during October 2015, so here are his top five Liverpool signings of all time.
The Merseyside natives turned to Klopp during his sabbatical from the game after they fired Rodgers. He was still out of work at the time of Liverpool’s approach after stepping down as the head coach of Borussia Dortmund that April. It has proven to be a very successful move.
Klopp led Liverpool to their first English top-flight title in 30 years with the 2019/20 Premier League trophy. The German had already taken the club to their first Champions League title in 14 years during 2018/19, as well. Klopp has since taken EFL Cup and FA Cup honours, too.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Liverpool backed Klopp in several transfer windows to make the Reds title contenders again after failing to win any silverware between 2012/13 and 2017/18. The Reds’ only major title between 2006/07 and 2017/18 was also the EFL Cup under Kenny Dalglish during 2011/12.
A lot of Klopp’s signings for Liverpool have been a hit having helped the Reds lift titles again. Fabinho left them after five years in July 2023 as a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup winner. Yet even he does not sit among Klopp’s top five Liverpool signings of all time.
5) Andrew Robertson (Hull City – Liverpool, July 2017)
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Fabinho narrowly misses out on a place among Klopp’s top five Liverpool signings of all time to Andrew Robertson. The left-back pips the defensive midfielder for the top five as Hull City sold him for only £8m in July 2017. His transfer also featured a further £2m in extra add-ons.
Liverpool further secured themselves a bargain as Kevin Stewart went the other way as part of Robertson’s transfer for a similar fee. In return for raiding the newly-relegated Tigers, the Reds signed a future Anfield hero who redefined the Merseysiders’ left-back role with Klopp.
Despite being a part of the Hull side that got relegated from the Premier League in 2016/17, Robertson emerged as Klopp’s No1 left-back midway through his first season at Anfield. The Glasgow native has since shone with his creativity which is unrivalled by most in his position.
Robertson took double-digit hauls of assists in the 2018/19 (11), ‘19/20 (12) and ‘21/22 (10) Premier League seasons. He even reached 53 assists before his 200th top-flight game for the Reds. Klopp has often overlooked his defensive shortcomings to use his offensive threat.
4) Sadio Mane (Southampton – Liverpool, June 2016)
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
Liverpool agreed terms with Southampton in June 2016 as Klopp signed Sadio Mane despite some from outside of the club questioning the transfer. Onlookers at the time debated if the forward was worth the fee the Reds were willing to spend. But Klopp never had any doubts.
“Maybe people thought, ‘I am not sure he is worth it’, but we were 100% sure about him,” Klopp stated in July 2020, via the Independent, about Mane’s £34m transfer. “Consistency was the key and absolutely now what he is doing and how he performs is consistent.
“The level he performs at is unbelievable. He helps us massively. He is a complete player – offensively and defensively – he works hard [and] he is really quick.”
Mane ultimately left Liverpool to join Bayern Munich in July 2022 after a decorated career at Anfield. He also penned 120 goals plus 48 assists across 269 games across all competitions for Klopp. The Senegal sensation also scored 10 or more Premier League goals each term.
3) Virgil van Dijk (Southampton – Liverpool, January 2018)
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Klopp made one of his best Liverpool signings so far in January 2018 by agreeing an at-the-time world record £75m fee for a defender to take Van Dijk from Southampton. He emerged as a brute force for the Reds’ path to the top of the Premier League and Champions League.
Van Dijk even also managed to avoid a top-flight defeat at Anfield until October 2022. Leeds United ended his 70-game streak with a shock result following 59 wins and 11 draws. It set a Premier League record, as well, which also featured 37 clean sheets and 48 goals conceded.
UEFA also chose Van Dijk as its Men’s Player of the Year for 2019 after helping Liverpool win the Champions League. Lionel Messi beat the centre-back for FIFA’s The Best award in 2019. While Klopp chose Van Dijk to replace Jordan Henderson as Liverpool’s captain in July 2023.
2) Alisson Becker (AS Roma – Liverpool, July 2018)
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Liverpool fans will argue that Alisson Becker has been the Premier League’s best goalkeeper since signing under Klopp in July 2018. The Anfield natives paid AS Roma a world-record fee for a goalie. His £67m move eclipsed the £32.5m Juventus paid for Gianluigi Buffon in 2001.
Yet, despite demolishing Buffon’s 17-year transfer record, Klopp has never regretted signing Alison. The Brazilian has often proven his worth in gold with his sublime shot-stopping skills on Merseyside. Brad Friedel also lauds Alisson for how the goalkeeper reacts to any setback.
“Alisson, for me, is the best right now,” Friedel explained to talkSPORT in July 2023. “Ederson is excellent also. He’s very, very close to him but I like Alisson.
“What I like most about Alisson is when he does make mistakes, like all goalkeepers do, it just doesn’t faze him. He can walk straight back on the pitch again and be very, very good.”
1) Mohamed Salah (AS Roma – Liverpool, July 2017)
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
No player can rival Mohamed Salah as Klopp’s best signing as the manager of Liverpool. The Egyptian has been the King of Anfield since his £34m arrival from Roma in July 2017. He also quickly shook off any suggestions of being a Chelsea flop and then as a one-season wonder.
Salah only scored twice from 13 appearances and played 530 minutes in the Premier League for Chelsea. Yet the winger became the second-fastest player to reach 200 Premier League goal involvements for one club at Liverpool. He took 223 games for 139 goals and 62 assists.
Only Arsenal legend Thierry Henry (206) took fewer fixtures to achieve the feat at Highbury. While Salah has also scored double-figures in each top-flight season he has spent at Anfield to date. He even got the league’s Golden Boot in 2017/18 (32), ‘18/19 (22) and ‘21/22 (23).
