EPL

The areas Man Utd must address in the January transfer window

Published

3 months ago

December 29, 2022

The January transfer window is almost upon us and it is a fast-paced environment where clubs have limited time to bolster their squads.

With the teams having played 15 or 16 games so far, any successful transfer in January is going to bring benefits for much more than half the season. Given Manchester United had a slow start to the campaign, they are one of the teams that stands to benefit from that.

Erik ten Hag’s side started off with two poor defeats against Brighton and Brentford. Since then, the only other defeats have come against Aston Villa and Manchester City. They sit fifth in the table and are looking a very good bet to snatch a top-four place if their current form continues. United will overtake Spurs if they win their game in hand.

That being said, there are limitations in the squad and areas that need addressing, so here is a look at three of them.

This is the obvious position that the club are working on and the coach himself has also answered questions on the topic, stating to Sky Sports: “We are aware we lost a striker, so I think we have to get a striker in but it has to be the right one. The right one will bring quality to the team and not just an add to the squad because that gives you only problems.”

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo means Anthony Martial is the only recognised striker in the squad, with Marcus Rashford also capable of playing through the middle. It is known that he prefers to play on the left, though, and is certainly more effective from there.

January is a very tough time to buy a striker as teams never want to lose a source of goals and end up charging a serious premium. It may need to be a plaster move in January while the planning takes place to sign a long-term target in the summer.

The most heavily linked name is Memphis Depay, who is keen to leave Barcelona and would relish the chance to prove himself at United after failing to do so the first time. He is not a conventional striker, but he may be the most logical option.

If United want to aim higher, they could test Benfica’s resolve and go in for Goncalo Ramos mid-season off the back of his World Cup performances. United were linked with him in the past. Another ambitious idea is the sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus, while Joao Felix is another less conventional option from Atletico Madrid.

Scott Saunders and Rob Blanchette discuss the win over Nottingham Forest, Marcus Rashford’s performance, what Casemiro has brought to Man Utd and alternative January targets to Cody Gakpo.

Until the recent resurgence in form from Aaron Wan-Bisakka, this looked like more of a serious issue for United to address. Diogo Dalot has stepped up this season but there is still scope for United to make a high-profile full-back signing to really lock that position down.

Dalot has impressed and clearly suits the style of play Ten Hag is trying to implement at Old Trafford, but he can be found lacking in certain situations. Wan-Bisakka has stepped up in his absence in the past two matches and impressed, but he is unlikely to ever make that position his own while Ten Hag is coach.

Signing a player like Inter’s Denzel Dumfries would be a statement and it may not be the most expensive deal to do, but he is not definitely a serious upgrade on Dalot on his current form. Another option to explore would be Bayer Leverkusen’s 21-year-old full-back Jeremie Frimpong. He could provide some serious competition for Dalot’s place and AWB may well leave the club in January.

United have now got a very strong midfield, but it would not be a bad thing to sign a young player who can provide some creative cover from deep when Christian Eriksen is in need of a rest or picks up an injury.

That is the role Donny van de Beek should be able to fill, but there is a feeling that if it hasn’t happened yet for the Dutchman, it’s not going to. If he leaves in January, United may be persuaded to sign a creative youngster that can enjoy a healthy amount of minutes from the bench and in any remaining cup games.

A player that is very much in vogue after the World Cup is Azzadine Ounahi. The 22-year-old Moroccan midfielder who plays for Angers is attracting a lot of attention after his superb performances and he could be the kind of player United want to add to the squad. This is likely an area to be addressed in the summer though.

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EPL

Europa League final 2023 tickets: Prices for Budapest decider & where to buy

Published

5 hours ago

March 29, 2023

James Cormack

The Europa League final may not be a bucket list event that, say, the Champions League or World Cup finals are, but UEFA’s secondary club competition will mean a whole lot to those supporters whose sides progress into the showpiece event.

Just eight teams remain in this season’s iteration of the competition with several European behemoths of yesteryear still going strong. Manchester United, Juventus, and AS Roma sit among the favourites to at least reach the final in Budapest.

While the final at the Puskas Arena is still some time away yet, tickets for the event are set to go on sale soon.

Here’s everything you need to know about purchasing tickets for the 2023 Europa League final

There’s little information to access regarding 2023 Europa League final tickets right now, with more details expected to be released later this month.

Thus, exact ticket prices for the final in Budapest are not yet known. These were the prices for last season’s final between Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville:

A release date has not yet been revealed for 2023 Europa League final tickets. In 2022, tickets went on general sale on 20 April.

Supporters will be able to purchase 2023 Europa League final tickets via UEFA’s ticket portal once they go on general sale.

There are three different hospitality packages for the 2023 Europa League final, but all are sold out on UEFA’s website.

The most expensive of these packages – Private Suite Gold – costs €890 per person. UEFA’s Private Suite Silver package is €200 cheaper at €690, with the main difference between these two options being where the suites are located. Silver suites are behind the goal, while gold suites are in the main or opposite stand.

Customers in both suites will also receive a match ball.

The Club package also costs €690 per person which grants access to UEFA’s Sky Club lounge.

All packages include prolonged hospitality service before and after the match, world-class catering, a live TV feed, a parking pass, and, most importantly, a match programme.

The 2022/23 Europa League final is scheduled for 31 May and will be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

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EPL

Tottenham director Fabio Paratici banned from football worldwide by FIFA

Published

5 hours ago

March 29, 2023

Grey Whitebloom

Tottenham managing director of football Fabio Paratici has been banned from football worldwide after FIFA extended the punishment imposed in Italy following his involvement in Juventus’ penalised accounting practices.

In January, the Italian giants suffered a shock 15-point deduction after the club was deemed to have inflated player transfer values in swap deals among other financial offences.

Paratici joined the Juventus hierarchy in 2010 and was the club’s sporting director between November 2018 and the summer of 2021, before he took up a similar role at Tottenham. The investigation into Juve’s accounts scrutinised transactions between 2019 and 2021 – when Paratici was at the heart of the club’s dealings.

At the start of the year, Paratici was one of several former Juventus board members that were banned from football following the conclusion of the investigation by the Italian Football Federation. Initially, Paratici was handed a 30-month ban from just Italian football, although the threat of extending the scope of that punishment internationally always loomed.

On Wednesday, FIFA released a statement confirming that they had indeed taken up that option, extending the ban handed out to Paratici and the other Juventus board members – including former owner Andrea Agnelli – worldwide.

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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Julian Nagelsmann’s future and links to the vacant Tottenham head coach role, Barcelona’s ambition to bring Lionel Messi ‘home’, Brighton teenager Evan Ferguson, Florian Wirtz, Kalvin Phillips and more!

If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

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EPL

Sir Alex Ferguson & Arsene Wenger inducted into Premier League Hall of Fame

Published

7 hours ago

March 29, 2023

Sean Walsh

Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have become the first managers to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

The duo won 16 Premier League titles between them across respective long-term spells with Manchester United and Arsenal.

With 13 of those championships, Ferguson is the most decorated manager in the history of the competition. He is the only coach to have won the Premier League three times in a row, doing so on two different occasions.

Ferguson said: “I’m truly delighted to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honour when you receive recognition like this. However, it’s not just about me as a person. It’s about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I’m also proud for the club, the staff and my players.

“My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that drove me, and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them.

“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee as he transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They became a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us further. Through the years since retirement, we’d go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well in Switzerland. He is a really interesting man and I enjoy his company, but it is still my job to pick the wine!”

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Wenger arrived in England in 1996 as one of the Premier League’s first foreign coaches, and quickly proved sceptics wrong, transforming Arsenal into title winners and changing English football’s culture with his scouting and dietary expertise.

The Frenchman won three Premier League titles with Arsenal, including an unbeaten ‘Invincibles’ season in 2003/04.

Wenger said: “I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame. We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection.

“I’d like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.

“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour for me. It’s like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles.”

In addition to Ferguson and Wenger, there are 16 other inductees in the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry were the first two people inducted when the Hall of Fame was created in 2021. They were followed later that year by Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham.

In 2022, Wayne Rooney, Patrick Vieira, Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes and Ian Wright were inducted.

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