Manchester United figureheads are reportedly ready to give up on their 2028 Premier League title goals as the club's problems are writ large.
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Man Utd want to win PL by 2028
Sheer scale of problems cause rethink
Ratcliffe's plans lay in tatters
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Chief executive Omar Berrada previously said that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted to bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford in 2028 to celebrate the club's 150th anniversary. But the sheer scale of the problems Ruben Amorim's side face has led some insiders to allegedly scrap that plan.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
United have not won the Premier League since 2013 and at present they seem to be going backwards under head coach Amorim, months after sacking Erik ten Hag and spending hundreds of millions in recent transfer windows. They sit 14th in the division and it seems they need yet another player overhaul this summer. A league title win may not happen this decade at this rate.
DID YOU KNOW?
United can potentially qualify for the Champions League this season but to do so, they would need to win the Europa League. They drew 1-1 with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash.
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WHAT NEXT?
The gloom around United could deepen if they fail to beat Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
A Ponte Preta está em situação dramática na reta final da fase de grupos do Paulistão e começa a fazer contas para escapar do rebaixamento.
– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B
Com a derrota no último fim de semana, a Macaca alcançou a marca de cinco partidas sem vencer e precisa dar uma resposta imediata.
No próximo domingo, a Ponte Preta vai até a NeoQuímica Arena para encarar o Corinthians e sabe que, mesmo com o cenário ruim, precisa somar pontos.
Dentro do elenco, o atacante Lucca, um dos líderes do time, deu o recado aos companheiros de equipe.
‘Mais importante é entender que o momento é difícil e complicado. É difícil, mas ninguém falou que seria fácil. Quem não acredita não tem que estar aqui. Eu, como um dos líderes do grupo, posso dizer que vamos lutar até o fim, independentemente do que aconteça’, afirmou.
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نعى نادي الزمالك ومجلس إدارته برئاسة حسين لبيب، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم السابق إبراهيم شيكا، الذي وافته المنية بعد صراع طويل مع مرض السرطان.
وتوفي شيكا في الساعات الأولى من صباح اليوم، بعدما تدهورت حالته الصحية بشكل كبير خلال الأيام الأخيرة، حيث دخل في مرحلة حرجة استدعت نقله لأحد المستشفيات، قبل أن يفارق الحياة متأثرًا بتداعيات المرض.
وقال النادي في بيان رسمي عبر صفحته على “فيس بوك”: “ينعى نادي الزمالك ومجلس إدارته برئاسة الكابتن حسين لبيب ببالغ الحزن والأسى، وفاة المغفور له بإذن الله إبراهيم شيكا لاعب الفريق السابق”.
وأضاف البيان: “يتقدم مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك بخالص العزاء لأسرة الراحل وكافة محبيه، سائلين المولى عز وجل أن يتغمده بواسع رحمته وأن يسكنه فسيح جناته ويلهم أهله وذويه الصبر والسلوان وإنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون”.
طالع أيضًا | عمرو وهبي: هناك حقيقة مفزعة منتظرة لجماهير الزمالك.. وزيزو الدليل
وكان إبراهيم شيكا من الأسماء المعروفة في صفوف نادي الزمالك خلال فترة لعبه، إذ تميز بمهاراته الفردية وقدرته على صناعة اللعب، ما جعله يحظى بحب جماهير النادي الأبيض.
وبعد رحيله عن الزمالك، خاض شيكا تجارب كروية مع عدد من الأندية، وواصل مشواره في الملاعب قبل أن يبتعد عن الكرة تدريجيًا بسبب ظروفه الصحية.
ومن المنتظر أن تُشيع جنازة الفقيد اليوم، وسط حضور عدد من زملائه السابقين، ومسؤولي نادي الزمالك، وأفراد من الوسط الرياضي.. رحم الله إبراهيم شيكا، وأسكنه فسيح جناته.
West Bromwich Albion are now eyeing up a potential bargain deal to strengthen their ranks in January, it has been claimed, as they look to bolster their frontline before the second half of the season.
West Brom struggling for wins in the Championship
Carlos Corberan’s side are struggling somewhat in the early stages of the Championship season, with the Baggies unable to stop drawing games.
The Baggies have lost the fewest games in the division, having been beaten just twice, but their 10 draws are also a league-high, one more than relegation threatened Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers.
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As a result, they sit just outside the playoff spots in the Championship and are already 10 points adrift of early leaders Sheffield United, with another stint in the playoffs their most likely route to potential success this season at this stage.
One of their biggest problems has been finding the back of the net regularly, with their 19 goals scored the fewest in the top half of the Championship, though they do boast the third-best defensive record too.
Of those 19 goals, star striker Josh Maja has 10, while only two other players have managed more than a single goal for the Baggies this season across all competitions, and only five players have even managed to make it onto the scoresheet.
West Brom’s top goalscorers 2024-25
Josh Maja
10
Karlan Grant
4
Alex Mowatt
3
Jayson Molumby
1
Mason Holgate
1
Now, West Brom could be set to address this issue in January, with reports linking them with a surprise swoop.
West Brom monitoring Sevilla forward
That comes as reports from Spain claim that West Brom are one of two Championship sides monitoring former Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho ahead of a potential winter move.
Iheanacho only arrived in Seville over the summer but has endured a tough start to life in the south of Spain, starting just four La Liga games, though he has scored three times in the Copa del Rey.
An FA Cup winner during his time at Leicester City, the 28-year-old has already reportedly been deemed surplus to requirements in Andalusia, with his high wages not deemed value for money given his lack of game time.
Appearances
219
Goals
47
Assists
26
Minutes per goal/assist
120
Now, a fresh report has suggested that both the Baggies and Championship rivals Watford are “closely monitoring the situation” and they are both keen “to sign him in the winter, either on loan or as a free agent.”
Dubbed “very talented” by Brendan Rodgers during the pair’s time together at Leicester, Iheanacho’s career has taken a dip since, with the Nigerian forward scoring just six times for the Foxes last season before moving to Spain.
Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho.
He found the net against the Baggies in both the 2017/18 season and the 2020/21 campaign, helping them on their way to relegation from the Premier League on both occasions, but now could find himself trying to push them back towards the Premier League should he arrive at the club in January. Could he be the man to help Corberan’s side back to winning ways?
As much as Gary O’Neil was a success for Wolverhampton Wanderers during his first season in charge as manager, having guided his team successfully away from the Premier League relegation zone, this campaign to date continues to make for grim reading.
The 4-0 defeat away to Everton this midweek could prove to be the final straw for the 44-year-old at the Molineux helm, with his porous Old Gold side now up to a shocking 36 goals conceded in the top-flight from just 14 clashes.
It remains to be seen between now and Monday night’s game with West Ham United whether the plug is pulled, with some reports stating he could somehow survive to live another contest, even after such a car-crash loss on the road to the Toffees.
O'Neil's future at Wolves
That is the case according to a fresh report by talkSPORT, who state that O’Neil could remain in the Wolves dugout for the game versus the Hammers, even with the hierarchy aware that fans who watch week in, week out have simply had enough of the ex-AFC Bournemouth man’s ways.
The anger Wolves fans feel at the moment was evident for all to see at the end of the disastrous evening at Goodison Park, with audible boos ringing out towards O’Neil, who opted to console his distraught troops after such a harrowing night.
Whether he is kept around short-term or not, it does feel as if it’s inevitable that O’Neil will get the sack at some point down the line, especially if his team’s current woes continue.
Wolves might also feel the need to act fast if they want to attract a top successor, with this former managerial target perhaps back on their agenda to oust the under-fire boss.
Wolves could look towards "genius" replacement
It has been speculated in the past that the Old Gold have been keen on appointing Graham Potter, with the former Brighton and Hove Albion man rumoured to be in the running for the Wolves job back in November when O’Neil was under similar waves of pressure.
Now, with West Ham also reportedly eyeing up the ex-Seagulls boss to replace Julen Lopetegui – according to Football Insider – the Premier League strugglers should swoop back in to try and tempt the out-of-work boss to take over.
graham-potter-championship-leeds-manager-news
It’s very much dependant on whether or not Potter would feel he’s best equipped for the intense heat of a relegation battle, having found his ego in the managerial game to be bruised after a sobering time on the sidelines at Chelsea, where he only managed to pick up 12 wins from 31 games.
Still, there are plenty of reasons why Potter is always linked with these openings when they pop up, having once been branded as a “genius” by football journalist Sam Morton when in charge of Brighton.
Season
Wins
Draws
Losses
Position
22/23
4
1
1
4th (before leaving for Chelsea)
21/22
12
14
11
9th
20/21
9
14
15
16th
19/20
9
14
15
15th
Looking at the table above, the Solihull-born boss would have the capabilities to keep Wolves up based on his first two seasons at the Seagulls, with the potential for the Old Gold to be looking up at the top half of the table down the line.
Moreover, Potter’s insistence on playing with attack-minded full-backs during his time at Brighton would also suit his potential new employers well, with the 49-year-old’s preferred 4-2-3-1 set-up on the South Coast getting the most out of the likes of Marc Cucurella, who played 37 times under the Englishman before joining Chelsea on a £60m deal.
That will be music to the ears of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, who has excelled as a similarly expansive option for O’Neil’s men this season even through all their misery, with the 23-year-old chipping in with three goals and two assists in league action, taking his total tally for the club to ten goals and ten assists in all competitions.
The Algerian defender – who has himself been linked with a big-money move away from Molineux – could be Potter’s next project in that left-sided berth, having also deployed a back three on occasion too, which could allow Ait-Nouri to be unleashed in an attacking sense.
Ait-Nouri
Of course, O’Neil could turn the tide if he picks up a win at West Ham next, but Wolves could do far worse than appointing Potter as his replacement if a dismissal is imminent.
Curtains for O'Neil: Wolves dud was just as costly as Dawson vs Everton
Gary O’Neil might have reached the end of the road as Wolverhampton Wanderers manager after a humbling 4-0 loss to Everton.
Manchester United are already working on a £10 million January deal for Ruben Amorim that they are confident will get done, according to a new report.
January presents the first opportunity for INEOS to make changes to their squad under the management of Amorim. The Red Devils are not expected to be busy, but they appear to have their eye on one or two deals.
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It has already emerged this week that United have made early transfer moves to understand where certain players lie with their future. It started with the Red Devils making an enquiry to Chelsea over the availability of Christopher Nkunku, a player who is unhappy with his situation at Stamford Bridge.
It was then claimed that United have also made an enquiry over the possibility of signing Geovany Quenda from Sporting. The 17-year-old is very highly rated and obviously has a connection to Amorim, but this may be one that waits until the summer, as Amorim made it clear he would not be signing any Sporting players in the New Year.
Geovany Quenda for Sporting vs Manchester City.
Now Amorim’s new side is prepared to offer Joshua Zirkzee in exchange for star striker Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede continues to impress this season, and it looks as though a move at the end of the campaign is likely, and United are trying to get ahead of the rest by offering one of their own players as part of the transfer. But it could be a £10 million transfer that is United’s first piece of business in the New Year.
Man Utd chiefs confidently working on £10m youngster deal
According to TBR Football, Manchester United are working on a deal to sign Sverre Nypan from Rosenborg in January. The 17-year-old midfielder is regarded as one of the hottest properties in football and emerged on many clubs’ radars after his performances last season.
Nypan has scored seven goals and recorded seven assists in 26 Eliteserien appearances this season, as well as grabbing three assists in three Europa Conference League qualifiers. This report states that United, who have had an interest in the youngster for some time, are confident of getting a deal over the line, as Rosenborg have told him to begin choosing his next club once their season finishes in December.
Apps
58
Goals
12
Assists
11
Nypan is said to be available for £10 million this January, but the deal could go up to £20 million after add-ons are added. The Red Devils are aware of this and are set to sit down with Nypan and his representatives to discuss their options.
The Premier League side have been tracking Nypan from a young age, and coming up against him during pre-season will have allowed them to take a closer look at his ability. If United are keen to wrap up a deal, they will need to be quick, as teams such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Aston Villa are also interested and have made contact with his agents in recent months.
With 925 runs scored and only 11 wickets taken after four days, the first Test is on course to a tame draw
Danyal Rasool07-Mar-20220:44
‘Got greedy there’ – Smith rues shot selection
Steven Smith said what had been evident to anyone watching any part of the Test match at Rawalpindi. He described the wicket as “dead” and benign”, and said it offered little to the seamers. With 925 runs scored and just 11 wickets taken after four days, there was much scrutiny on the nature of the surface.Traditionally, Rawalpindi has offered seam movement and general assistance to quicker bowlers, but there has been no evidence in this Test. But with Pakistan left-arm spinner Nauman Ali (4 for 107) the only bowler to boast somewhat stellar figures this game, Smith accepted there was a slightly more in it for the spinners.Related
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“It’s pretty benign,” Smith said of the wicket at the post-day press conference. “There’s not a great deal of pace and bounce in it for the seamers. I think the spinners have offered a little bit. When you hit the right length there’s been a little bit of natural variation and you know, when you get it out a bit wider into the rough I think there’s a little bit there as well. So I thought it would break up a little bit more and probably turn a bit more from the start, but it probably hasn’t done so. But yeah, pretty benign, dead wicket.”Smith admitted there was a remote possibility for Australia to force a result if the last three Australian wickets could ensure the visitors got a somewhat healthy lead. “Hopefully, the tail can stay out there for a while. And if they do, they usually score pretty quickly. If they do, there’s a decent chance that we’d be able to set a half-decent total to potentially have a bowl at. If we get a hundred or something in front, you just never know with this game. We take a few early wickets, a couple of balls hit the rough, some things happen on day five. So hopefully they can spend a bit of time out there. We’ll see how we go.”There is some precedent for Smith’s outlandish optimism. In 2015 in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan and England combined for 1,121 runs across the first four days, only for Pakistan to get skittled out for 173 on the final day. England needed just 99 for victory, and it was only poor light that prevented Pakistan falling to a stunning defeat.On a personal note for the former Australian captain, though, there was disappointment at having missed out on such a conducive wicket. “Pretty annoyed [with the way I got out],” Smith, who fell for 78 trying to sweep Nauman operating with a negative line. “I got a bit greedy with the field they had set. Even if I was hitting that I was probably only getting a single, so disappointed to have worked pretty hard and got myself in a nice position to go on and get a big score.”I’m disappointed in my shot selection and probably just the position of the game as well. Perhaps if we were five down we might have been able to push a little harder in the morning and potentially set something up for the fourth innings of the match. You never know if you get a 100 lead what can happen so yeah, a bit disappointing.”
Leeds United missed the chance to move above Sheffield United at the Championship summit after falling to a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon.
A win would have seen Daniel Farke’s men move into top spot in the division on goal difference, yet the Whites ultimately walked away with nothing, as Todd Cantwell’s first-half penalty proved to be the game’s defining moment.
The manner of the loss will no doubt rankle with Leeds supporters, not least Farke’s decision not to change things up until the 70th-minute mark, with those late alterations doing little to spark the visitors into life.
While the German tactician may then need to look at himself following that outing at Ewood Park, questions must also be asked of a number of his side on the day, with far too many having been off the boil.
How Leeds fared against Blackburn
While it may have been Ao Tanaka who bundled over Tyrhys Dolan to hand the hosts that decisive spot kick, the summer signing wasn’t alone in looking shaky defensively, with Junior Firpo having also been under-par at left-back.
The former Barcelona man notably lost the ball on 12 occasions and won just six of his 11 total duels, as per Sofascore, on what was the defender’s first outing since the defeat to Millwall.
Perhaps a greater issue, however, was the lack of creativity and quality in the attacking ranks, with United States international, Brenden Aaronson, failing to provide a single key pass in his number ten berth.
Key stats – Blackburn vs Leeds
Stat
Highest ranking
Touches
Joe Rodon (116)
Accurate passes
Joe Rodon (90)
Key passes
Dan James (3)
Possession lost
Aynsley Pears (22)
Duels won
Tyrhys Dolan (10)
Aerial duels won
Danny Batth (6)
Tackles
Ao Tanaka (5)
Dribbled past
Tyrhys Dolan (4)
Shots on target
Wilfried Gnonto (3)
Stats via Sofascore
The former Red Bull Salzburg man was, unsurprisingly, among the trio to make way in that first raft of changes, having now gone five league games without contributing a goal or an assist. Grim reading for any playmaker.
In the words of journalist Beren Cross, the 24-year-old was “well off it”, as too – he said – was Joel Piroe, with the Dutch marksman again proving a major issue when leading the line.
The Leeds star who must now be dropped
Piroe, it must be said, remains something of an enigma for the Elland Road side. The one-time Swansea City and PSV Eindhoven man does boast a haul of seven goals this season, yet he is far from a traditional, orthodox number nine.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
As journalist Graham Smyth noted during the encounter, “part of Leeds’ problem” is the way in which Piroe seeks to drop deep or pop up in wide areas, rather than get himself inside the penalty area.
That said, the 25-year-old failed to offer much when he did move away from his centre-forward berth, having been restricted to just 27 touches in total – fewer than teammate Illan Meslier in the sticks (30).
Equally, the misfiring marksman – who did score last time out against Luton Town – also recorded a pass accuracy rate of just 73% and failed to win any of his four total duels, having also lost the ball on eight occasions prior to being withdrawn late on.
As Cross noted in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Piroe – who was awarded a measly 3/10 match rating – was ‘really poor’ and ‘barely involved’, with a decision now needing to be made ahead of next week’s clash with Derby County.
With young Mateo Joseph offering a perfect alternative through the middle, it might be time for Farke to shake things up moving forward.
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Sri Lanka have played 20 Tests in India, lost 11, and won zero. Even the great Sri Lanka teams – those featuring Muthiah Muralidaran, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya – never really got close.Dimuth Karunaratne is leading a much-less lauded group of players, but it’s not like this group hasn’t made history before, Sri Lanka’s captain said on the eve of the series. Not even India have won in South Africa. In 2019, this Sri Lanka side did, even if that was on the drier coastal pitches in Durban and Port Elizabeth.Related
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Either way, this side knows what it’s about, Karunaratne said. And over the past year, they’ve appeared to be building towards something.”I actually see a lot more confidence in the players than in previous tours of India,” he said. “We’ve performed really well in Tests over the past year. We’ve got seniors and juniors who have done well, and our combination is really good.”I think we can do something in this series, just as we did in South Africa in 2019. We were underdogs then too, and we had nothing to lose, so we produced our best. We’ve never won in India before, so the pressure is on India to not let a match slip. Our job is to use that pressure to our advantage.”India’s team is great and they’ve got a young side also. It’s a different India team than we’re used to playing. I think we can be much more competitive here than we were last time.”But to make India sweat, they’ve got to do what Sri Lanka have become a little better at doing under Karunaratne – putting up a half-decent first-innings total. In the 16 Tests he’s led in, Sri Lanka have made more than 250 on ten occasions.”The first innings is huge in a Test match,” Karunaratne said. “We have to hit 300 or 350 every first innings, because the pitches wear so much here, and the bowlers have a big advantage. When it’s good the batters have to take that responsibility and do right by the bowlers. I have a lot of confidence about our team. It’s a team with a bit of experience now, and I think we will avoid the kinds of mistakes we’ve made in the past.”On the bowling front, Sri Lanka are playing their last series with Suranga Lakmal, who is retiring from Tests to play county cricket with Derbyshire. Lakmal does not bowl a lot of overs on the dry tracks Sri Lanka frequently play on at home, but has been perhaps the team’s most consistent performer away from home over the past few years. Since 2018, he has take 55 wickets away, at an average of 22.61.”I know how much of a loss Lakmal will be for me when he goes,” Karunaratne said. “We do have Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando to fill those shoes. But personally I’m really happy for the opportunity that he has to play county cricket. That’s not something that’s easily got.”A lot of the matches we were going to play this year were in Sri Lanka, and there are limited opportunities for him to bowl in home series. We saw in the West Indies series last year how little he bowled. He’s a big loss to Sri Lankan cricket though. As a team, we’re trying to give him a great farewell series.”
Speculation has ramped up surrounding a potential move to Real Madrid for Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton.
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Wharton linked to Madrid Described as the 'Bellingham template'Palace midfielder highly ratedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Sky Sports pundit David Prutton labelled Wharton's potential EFL to Real Madrid pathway as following the "template of Jude Bellingham", citing how well the Palace man has adapted to the Premier League after being plucked from the Championship in early 2024 with little senior experience. These comments come after news emerged earlier this week that the La Liga champions were plotting a surprise move for the 21-year-old.
Advertisementimago imagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
A few eyebrows were raised when the Eagles decided to splash £22 million on the inexperienced midfielder last year, but within six months that fee was fully justified with Wharton called up to the England squad after a hugely impressive start to Premier League life. Now, Palace look set to make a huge profit on their highly-rated young talent with a fee of £70m being hinted at in some quarters.
WHAT DAVID PRUTTON SAID
Prutton said: "I still think it was a punt on potential and unknown talent at that level, but my word has he settled into that really well. To be brutally honest, you wouldn't expect to see that trajectory from Blackburn Rovers to Real Madrid in such a short space of time. But the way he moves and gets about the pitch and the understated manner in which he approaches his profession, his ability to handle the pressure – whether it's England squads or Premier League football – means you have a lot of the make-up that would help him to perform at a top club… There's the template of Jude Bellingham who managed to bounce up into the first-team and then move abroad and seal a huge move to Real Madrid."
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR WHARTON?
Wharton recently returned from hernia surgery, and probably would have attracted more attention in January had he been fully fit. Manchester City reportedly decided not to chase him at that point, but as well as Los Blancos' interest, Liverpool and Manchester United are both said to be keen on signing the 21-year-old. With Palace currently firmly anchored in mid-table, they may struggle to keep hold of their star man for too much longer.