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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

Consequently, catching the attention of Madrid president Florentino Perez, Brighton’s Verbruggen is now viewed as the ‘leading candidate’ to take the gloves over from Courtois.

The Dutchman is under contract at the AMEX until 2028 so Brighton’s owner Tony Bloom; a notoriously stringent negotiator, will demand the Seagulls make a considerable profit on the keeper, who they signed12 months ago for just £16.3 million.

Verbruggen’s first year on England’s south coast has seen him keep eight clean sheets from 29 games in all competitions.

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Agents column: Look no further than Man City, brilliant Brighton, same old West Ham and much more

Jon Smith — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 10:51:08 +0000

In his fortnightly exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Jon Smith, one of football’s first-ever agents and a man who was an integral figure in the forming of the Premier League, discusses Chelsea being a fascinating work in progress, why nothing has changed at West Ham despite all their new signings, why he can’t look beyond Man City for the Premier League title – and more!

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Chelsea remain a fascinating work in progress

Chelsea are a fascinating work in progress, aren’t they?

The Sancho/Sterling thing for instance… Sancho is probably on the same kind of money as Sterling, and I guess he’s younger…

I’m not sure what’s happened with Sterling but obviously something’s gone wrong internally I would have thought.

You don’t just treat a player with that talent and history the way that he was treated. So I think the move to Arsenal is good for him and it’s almost like an internal swap with Sancho.

But what about the likes of Ben Chilwell? He’s on the best part of 200 grand, and he’s now stuck with the kids, which I find that a little bit strange. What happens if Cucurella gets injured?

Putting my agents hat on for a second, you’ve got a player that has to deal with the situation that he finds himself in, and one he clearly won’t like, but in my humble opinion he has to be a professional.

He’s being very well paid, and it’s what he does for a living.

If you’re a professional roofer and you don’t get on with your boss for some reason, and you throw a tantrum because the guy asks you to go up on someone’s roof, then you either do it or you walk out.

So if Chilwell’s that unhappy, walk out. Speak to the PFA for breach a contract.

It doesn’t work that way though as we know, however, so for the short time the player is on Planet Football, the rewards are big and he must behave, in my opinion, like a professional, even if maybe his employers aren’t.

Not that I’m not suggesting Chelsea aren’t of course, because there’s obviously stuff that’s going on that I’m not aware of there.

Brighton have done it again with Hurzeler appointment

I find myself praising Paul Barber and the team at Brighton again.

I mean, they just keep coming up with these names out of nowhere. Fabian Hurzeler, just 31 years of age from the German second division and he seems to have got it straightaway.

The players seem to respect him, though I’m only observing, and from what I’ve seen tactically they’re very adept.

I thought Arsenal looked good at the weekend but Brighton were fantastic.

Admittedly, Arsenal were down to 10 and gave the Seagulls huge respect, and they were certainly happy with that 1-1 draw at the end.

I can definitely see Brighton qualifying for Europe this year.

Decent enough window for Arsenal

I quite like one of the buys Arsenal made this summer; Calafiori.

I’m not sure about Merino because I don’t know an awful lot about him, to be honest. Calafiori and Sterling are two good buys for Arteta.

Pressure is right on ten Hag unless results change quickly

The pressure is always on when you’re Manchester United, and it’s more on the manager than it is on the ownership at this moment in time.

That’s because the ownership were perceived to have done the right thing by keeping him in place.

What I don’t understand is players, for example Casemiro… he was amazing when he first joined the club but what’s happened to him? Why has everything gone so far south?

I just don’t understand what’s going on United.

They’ve got a team of really good players, and it’s just not happening for them. Even Rashford, the eternal servant, just doesn’t look the part anymore.

So I’m kind of sticking my neck out really, but unless things turn around fairly quickly, there must be a Plan B – and the Plan B would would be to replace ten Hag.

It’s kind of more of the same at the moment.

Liverpool looking good under cool, calm and collected Slot

Interestingly enough, sort of across the road is Liverpool, and I have to say that the new regime looks very relaxed.

Arne Slot is calmly getting on with doing the same thing that his predecessor did, and without really adding to the squad as well.

They brought in Federico Chiesa at the end of the window but that really was the extent of their business (Giorgi Mamardashvili doesn’t join for another year).

So far, so good.

Everton must stick with Sean Dyche if they want EPL survival

Down at the bottom of the Premier League, Everton have lost their first three games of the season, just as they lost their first three last season – so at least they’re consistent.

Things look a bit worse in 24/25, but I know Sean Dyche and he’s a great personal motivator so I’m banking on him to somehow turn it around.

There does come a point when you can only turn it around so often, however. A moment when you have to say, ‘right, got to do something else.’

It’s such a mess off the pitch at the moment that I don’t see them getting rid of Dyche because everything else is against them.

I wouldn’t know who’s going to go in there, and whoever it is – if Everton were inclined to go down that route – would want a budget.

Nobody knows what the budget is, because nobody knows whether the club can afford to finish their new stadium.

I don’t think bringing back David Moyes – as has been mooted – is overly relevant at the moment. Moyes is a good coach, but everyone has their day and some of his best are behind him now.

I’ve huge regard for David Moyes and maybe the whole emotional thing plays well. But I think it’s bit of an elastoplast rather than an operational fix.

All go at Juve whilst Dybala wins the plaudits at Roma

Juventus under Thiago Motta are trying to change everything.

They bought a young lad from Atalanta called Koopmeiners, and I’ve watched some videos of him – he’s technically a really good player.

What’s more, he’s gone there in the hope of playing rather than just going straight into the team – that takes guts. Bravo young man.

I’m delighted for Roma fans too, after Paulo Dybala turned down the €75m on offer from Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League.

I hear a number of Roma fans all went to his house to thank him – a lovely little story.

Haaland and Man City already looking ominous

With Man City you can’t look further than Haaland can you. I mean, which planet is this man from?! Just astonishing, unbelievable.

That third goal was quite incredible.

It’s early days but already I can’t see much beyond City for the title again – unless they get a ‘hangover’ after Christmas.

New signings won’t make a difference at West Ham

I just wonder whether all of the new summer signings are going to make a difference at West Ham.

Yes, they had to do it and I think they’ve done well, they’ve bought a couple of decent players.

Wan-Bissaka I like and there are a number of others that were brought in with him.

I just don’t know what it is, maybe a gut feeling, that it’s not going to make a great deal of difference.

I love West Ham so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for them, and I just hope it’s hope it’s going to be a good, fun year for them.

Tottenham looking to youth is the right way to go

The last word this week is on Spurs because I’ve not mentioned them yet.

I think it looks like they’re concentrating on youth now under Ange, doesn’t it? The likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall et al.

It’s an interesting experiment and one which, at the moment, I think is probably the right way to go for them.

The post Agents column: Look no further than Man City, brilliant Brighton, same old West Ham and much more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal transfer news: Sterling deal, Sesko Plan B, Coman and Williams links explained, & more

Charles Watts — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 20:00:00 +0000

This article was originally published on the Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Charles Watts’ exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

Raheem Sterling transfer looks like smart work by Arsenal

Raheem Sterling’s move was a classic case of reacting to an opportunity.

Arsenal didn’t go into the summer window thinking about signing him, Edu openly admitted that himself when he spoke to the club’s media team soon after the window shut. But having been unable to add to their attacking depth, the opportunity was there just before the deadline to try and do a deal with Chelsea because of Sterling’s situation and Arsenal took full advantage of that.

In the end you have to say that it looks like a great piece of business by Arsenal. Ultimately though, it will be judged on how well Sterling does while he is with the club.

But on the face of it Arsenal have landed themselves an excellent player, who can play anywhere across the frontline and who has the experience of winning four Premier League titles under his belt. And they have done it without having to pay a loan fee, without being tied into any sort of obligation to make the move permanent and by committing to only paying a fraction of his wages. It’s Chelsea who will still be covering the majority of them.

So there’s no doubt it’s a good deal for Arsenal. The key thing is though that they need Sterling to rediscover his best form during the year that he is with the squad. Hopefully Mikel Arteta can find a way of doing that and the signs are good, given we know that Sterling credits Arteta for getting the best out of him while he was with Manchester City.

You look at Arsenal’s squad right now with the departures of Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah and with the injury absence of Gabriel Jesus, and it looks light in the attacking department. So Sterling needs to get up to speed quickly and needs to start making a difference.

His game does look well suited to Arsenal. We know Arteta’s side like to get into the box and cut balls back and there are not many wingers better and getting themselves in at the back post to finish off those types of chances. He will also provide much needed cover for Bukayo Saka, which will be crucial over the course of such a demanding season.

So I think it’s a good move for Arsenal.

It had started to look like they weren’t going to get anything done in terms of signing an attacker. Obviously Nico Williams was the player they would have loved to have signed, but that just wasn’t possible, so they had to react to what was out there.

Kingsley Coman was also linked late on, but I don’t know if there was any truth in that. His representatives were certainly doing all they could late on in the window to try and get his name out there to see if they could engineer a move.

Did Arsenal look seriously at other strikers after missing out on Benjamin Sesko?

There was lots of talk about Arsenal signing a striker during the summer, but I never got the impression that was something they were really looking to do once their move for Benjamin Sesko proved unsuccessful.

Sesko was a player they had tracked for a while and – thanks to his release clause – they felt he was available at a price that was under his actual market value. It was an opportunity they felt was too good to pass up. That’s why they tried to get a deal done, but I never looked at it and thought that if they signed him, that he would be coming in as first choice starter ahead of Kai Havertz. He was always more of a development signing. Someone who would get plenty of game time, but would be more of a squad addition at first rather than a starter.

So it wasn’t a case of Arsenal going into the window determined to sign a new centre forward. They were always quite happy with what they had. He was just someone who was possibly available that they felt was worth moving for. When it didn’t happen, I was always of the opinion that a winger would be more likely to arrive than a forward in what time was left of the transfer window.

What Arsenal’s move for Sesko did show was that they are willing to spend big money on a striker if they believe he is the right player. What they won’t do is just spend money for the sake of it and risk bringing someone in that they are not convinced will be the right fit or the right type of profile.

So this summer they kept their powder dry and decided they had enough to get through this season with what they had. Next summer, however, could be a different story.

Declan Rice red card was ridiculous – we won’t see another decision like it again

It was a really frustrating day for Arsenal on Saturday against Brighton. It was a game they should have won and a game I think they would have won pretty comfortably had Declan Rice not have been sent off.

Arsenal were firmly in command of the game before the red card, even if they had not exactly been at their best during the first half.

But Rice’s dismissal completely changed things and I honestly think it was a laughable decision from the referee. I’ve seen lots of talk since that Chris Kavanagh had ‘no other choice’ and by the ‘letter of the law’ Rice had to go.

That’s just rubbish. Of course he had a choice, just as he did in the first half when he decided not to book Joao Pedro for booting the ball 40 yards upfield to prevent Arsenal the chance of taking a quick throw-in after he had run the ball out of play.

Kavanagh had the chance just to go over to Rice and Joel Veltman, tell them both to get up and to get on with things. Had he done that, no-one would have even mentioned the situation again.

But instead he chose to make himself the story. He chose to completely change the context of the game following a nothing incident.

Was Rice a bit stupid to do what he did? Yes. But we will see that sort of thing countless times this season and I guarantee that we will never see a player sent off for it again.

Rice didn’t boot the ball away, he didn’t stand in front of a player for a long period of time to stop a free-kick being taken. He was walking away, had the ball deliberately knocked into him and then nudged it about a foot to his right. He then got deliberately kicked as well.

It was just a ridiculous decision from an over zealous official who was consistently awful throughout the 90 minutes. One that not only left Arsenal with 10 men for half of the contest, but also robbed them of their most important midfielder for the north London derby after the international break.

It was farcical to be honest and I just don’t understand how anyone can look at what happened and think the right decision was made.

Thoughts on Arsenal’s Champions League draw

The Champions League draw could have been worse for Arsenal. When you look at the fixtures, especially away from home, there was certainly the possibility that things could have been tougher for Mikel Arteta’s side.

But that’s not to say that they will cruise through their eight games. There are some tough looking trips there and so they will have to be at their best if they want to secure that all important top eight finish in the new format.

I thought Arsenal gave a decent account of themselves last season in their first season back in the Champions League. They just ran into a Bayern Munich team in the quarter-finals that had a bit too much experience and nous for them.

Having said that though, it was a tie that could have gone either way. Arsenal easily could have come out on top and made the semi-finals, which would have been an excellent achievement having been out of the competition for so long.

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Hopefully they will have learnt a lot from the experience of last season and I see no reason why they can’t have a good crack at it again this time around.

I still look at it at a competition that is winnable for this Arsenal team. They won’t be favourites and nor should they be. But they have the quality to win it, if they get a bit of luck along the way.

I still think the Premier League has to be the priority though.

The post Arsenal transfer news: Sterling deal, Sesko Plan B, Coman and Williams links explained, & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Ex-Tottenham star defends Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice after controversial red card

CJ — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 14:10:05 +0000

Declan Rice has received defence from an unlikely source following his red card in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday.

The Gunners looked to be cruising at the Emirates, going in 1-0 up at half-time thanks to a Kai Havertz strike, while Brighton had managed just 0.08 xG and zero shots on target in the first half.

However, the game turned just four minutes into the second half when Rice was shown a second yellow card for delaying the restart by kicking the ball away to stop Joel Veltman taking a free-kick.

Although a booking by the strict letter of the law, it’s important to point out the ball was still moving at the point Veltman tried to kick it.

Many Arsenal fans also pointed out that Joao Pedro — scorer of Brighton’s equaliser — avoided a booking for an even more obvious offence of the same nature in the first half.

Ex-Tottenham midfielder defends Declan Rice after red card

The incident has sparked fierce debate on social media and among pundits.

But Rice has received defence from a rather unexpected source, with Jamie O’Hara — who featured 56 times for Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham during his playing career — labelling the red card ‘harsh’ and accusing referee Chris Kavanagh of lacking ‘common sense’.

“For me personally, I think it’s harsh. Joao Pedro kicks one away and doesn’t get booked for it,” O’Hara told talkSPORT.

“Declan Rice then gets a yellow for that. If he goes and kicks it into the advertising boardings or picks it up and runs away and then throws it away. Then fine.

“But he taps it a yard. Come on. Where’s the common sense?”

In the midst of a back-and-forth with talkSPORT co-host Jason Cundy — who believes the referee made the correct decision and accused Rice of ‘petulance’ — O’Hara added: “Where’s the common sense rule of a referee? Where you go ‘I can’t send him off for that’.

“Even if it’s a first yellow, you go, Dec, I’m going to give you a booking because you’re stupid. But to send him off, I think that’s really harsh.

“And I love to see Arsenal’s pain, but I think that is undeserving of a red card.”

The post Ex-Tottenham star defends Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice after controversial red card appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Newcastle took risky transfer decision to avoid much worse potential outcome

Mark Brus — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 08:47:17 +0000

Newcastle United decided to let Yankuba Minteh leave for a transfer to Brighton this summer in order to avoid the potentially much worse outcome of having to cash in on star players like Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Fabrizio Romano provided some insight into Newcastle’s perspective on the Minteh deal, with the 20-year-old impressing a great deal since joining Brighton this summer.

Clearly, Newcastle had a superb young talent on their hands, but Romano insists the Magpies do not have major regrets over letting him go, even if he’s now clearly strengthening a Premier League rival.

Minteh could have a big future in the game and perhaps Newcastle will live to regret this at some point, but for now it looks like a deal that saved them from losing more established star players in their team, according to Romano.

Yankuba Minteh in action for Brighton

Minteh transfer a blow for Newcastle, but not a major drama

Discussing Newcastle’s stance on allowing the talented young Gambia international to leave, Romano said: “Yankuba Minteh has started really well since joining Brighton from Newcastle, showing why he’s been regarded as such a top talent for some time.

“Still, there are no regrets from Newcastle because there was no other way for them this summer. They were basically in a situation where they had to sell a top player or Minteh, and they preferred this solution rather than players like Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon or Alexander Isak.

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“Of course it’s disappointing for Newcastle to lose an exciting prospect and to see him shining for another Premier League club, but it’s also part of the game, I don’t think it’s a big drama.”

Brighton have done some smart recruitment down the years and this looks like another move that should pay off for them, even if it ultimately means cashing in on another star name for significant profit in the near future.

The post Newcastle took risky transfer decision to avoid much worse potential outcome appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal fume as footage captures Joao Pedro’s controversial first-half incident that went unpunished

Mehdi Gokal — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 17:50:29 +0000

Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton at the Emirates Stadium was marred by controversial officiating, leaving Gunners fans frustrated.

Arsenal took the lead just before the break with a well-executed lob by Kai Havertz, setting the tone for the match.

However, the game took a significant turn in the second half when Declan Rice received a rather controversial second yellow card, resulting in his first career red.

Rice was punished for allegedly delaying Joel Veltman’s quickly-taken free-kick, a decision that proved pivotal as Brighton equalised soon after through Joao Pedro.

Pedro’s antics went unpunished

Adding to the controversy, TNT shared a clip of Joao Pedro who had earlier kicked the ball away during the first half without any punishment, an action that many believed deserved at least a yellow card.

João Pedro kicked the ball away as it went out of play during the first half but didn't receive a card ? pic.twitter.com/cvB5ryd1vZ

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 31, 2024

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Arsenal slam inconsistent officiating

The decision to send Rice was widely slammed, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Bukayo Saka both coming out and criticising the lack of consistency in officiating.

Saka in his post match interview pointed out the inconsistency, saying:

“We just want some consistency. Joao Pedro booted the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and got nothing for it. Dec got the slightest touch and was sent off…”

????? Saka on red card to Declan Rice: “We just want some consistency”.

“Joao Pedro booted the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and got nothing for it”.

“Dec got the slightest touch and was sent off…”, says via @SamJDean. pic.twitter.com/s59ODGPR05

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2024

This inconsistency in officiating has sparked debate among Arsenal supporters and pundits alike, who also questioned why Rice was sent off for a similar offence while Pedro faced no consequences.

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Watch: Brighton’s Joao Pedro embarrassed Bukayo Saka with brilliant skill during 1-1 draw vs Arsenal

Mehdi Gokal — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 16:04:04 +0000

Brighton continued their impressive start to the season coming out of Emirates with an important point earlier today.

Arsenal took the lead early in the first half through Kai Havertz, but the match shifted dramatically when Declan Rice received a controversial red card for ‘delaying the restart’.

Brighton capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Joao Pedro scoring the equaliser to make it 1-1.

Pedro had an eventful game and was involved in several key moments. He escaped a punishment in the first half for kicking the ball away after it had gone out of play, an offence that should have been penalised.

He also embarrassed Arsenal star Bukayo Saka with a brilliant piece of skill during the game. He showed incredible technique to get past the England international, with a drop of shoulder.

Watch the skill below:

That João Pedro drop of the shoulder ?? pic.twitter.com/DyGv9PIPFj

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 31, 2024

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