Word from sources in Holland, who know Erik Ten Hag well, are talking about his slim chances of survival despite being kept on for this season at Manchester United. Ruud van Nistlerooy is a coach waiting in the wings, is a leading assistant and highly respected by the management of the club and fans alike. Liverpool demolished Ten Hag’s strategy after playing only two games under new coach Arne Slot. A United summer review was widely reported to recommend that Ten Hag leave but he survived by a whisker after winning the FA Cup but that achievement was overshadowed by a poor eighth place finish in the league. It must be remembered that Sir Jim Ratcliffe only triggered a 12 month extension to Ten Hag’s current deal and did not issue a new and longer contract and the league results and team performances are being monitored very closely.
Former legends Jaap Stam and Peter Schmeichel were brought in to strengthen and support Ten Hag and his assistants.
Ajax legend Marco van Basten said Ten Hag is guilty of taking too many Dutch Eredivisie players to Old Trafford. United spent £400million with players mainly arriving from Holland such as Anthony, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia.
Cucurella talks Chelsea chaos as boss Boehly heads for the exit
Chelsea’s full back Marc Cucurella has improved beyond all expectations and was one of the outstanding stars of the Euros recently. He is dependable week in and week out and Enzo Maresca has learned to trust him, often putting his name down as one of the first on the teamsheet. However, Marc talked this week about the possibility of transferring clubs. He says Chelsea’s chaotic transfer policy has made it difficult to bond with players and create a positive atmosphere with so many coming in and others leaving. Cole Palmer made a similar comment earlier this year when he said Chelsea need time to build relationships.
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In other Chelsea news, ClearLake Capital, who own 61% of the shares in the Blues, are moving to buy out Todd Boehly’s 19% share however Boehly, with a net worth of £6.7 billion, wants to buy out ClearLake Capital’s share but I am told this is unlikely to happen as the American company see their investment in Chelsea as a long term project. Despite rumours that the two sides failed to agree on how the club should be run and the strategy of buying and selling so many players, it was in fact Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking which started the rift. Co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano wanted to sack him and Boehly publicly backed him but eventually lost the argument and Pochettino left the club. Negotiations have not started yet and it is hoped within the club that the two sides can find common ground and come to an agreement. Chelsea’s season has started with mediocre results which hasn’t helped the situation.
Tottenham strategy with new players
Tottenham saw several changes during the transfer period and they have tried to explain what is behind the strategy. Ange Postecoglou welcomed five new players, Dominik Solanke, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall and Min-hyeok Hyand. Those departing included Oliver Skipp, Giovanni Lo Celso and Emerson Royal whereas Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic and Tanguy Ndombele all saw their contracts end. Chelsea said, “We wanted to improve the team and we welcomed five new players. They were all researched thoroughly and we believe they have the right attitude, personality and hunger to make this club more successful. Last summer it was about building a team but this summer was about building a squad. We followed Archie Gray for a lot of matches and he is an exciting talent and has the tactical ability to play our style. He is also a future captain of the club. Wilson Odobert we have known for a long time and his transition from France to Burnley last year was impressive, he is a versatile, offensive player, a fantastic dribbler and two-footed.
Dominik Solanke was our top priority as we needed another striker. He can play in our possession dominant team and is aggressive inside the box and has a great physical presence.”
Tottenham supporters are however being realistic and when I talked to them, most do not believe they can win the Premier League but will have a better chance in the Europa League.
Guardiola’s City legacy is enormous
If Pep Guardiola decides to leave Manchester City next year he will leave behind a staggering legacy and £300million for transfers! Big players will follow Guardiola anywhere and over eight seasons his teams have been the envy of world football. Winning big competitions, sought after sponsorship and player sales have enabled Sheikh Mansour to set up a financial structure which makes the club one of the most profitable in football. City made over £140 million during the summer transfer period and for the last two years their accounts register profits of £122 million.
Thanks to Guardiola the income from winning the treble was £712.8 million and next year a £300 million investment in the Etihad’s north stand will provide an extra 6,000 seats which means the stadium will house over 60,000 fans.
The only current problem for City is the 115 charges they face for allegedly providing inaccurate financial information for the 2009-18 seasons. The club deny this and say they have a very strong case however if found guilty they will face very severe penalties.
Back stabbing at Newcastle
While Eddie Howe continues to get the best out of his players and is taking Newcastle forward, behind the scenes there is a back stabbing battle going on. Howe’s influence was cut back when a new Sporting Director was appointed and he is Paul Mitchell. There has been what has been described by Mitchell as “positive conflict” between himself and Howe over the failure to strengthen the team and to bring in Crystal Palace midfielder Marc Guehi.
Since Mitchell’s arrival both he and Howe have had to deal with changes in the hierarchy with the fans’ hugely popular 6% owner Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi forced to step down. There is no doubt that Staveley’s lack of football experience was more than compensated by her total commitment to the club.
Howe wanted a new centre back to enlarge his squad but those offered to him by Mitchell were not good enough for the coach. Howe also did not want the club to spend money simply to bulk up the squad because it could affect future transfers under the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Fortunately Mitchell and Darren Eales agreed with him.
Hot property Eze
When the next transfer window opens in January Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze will be a hot property. Arsenal and Tottenham were disappointed when the window closed without either of them signing the forward. The 26-year-old has a Selhurst Park contract until 2027 and he played in 27 matches last season scoring 11 goals and providing four assists. His playing partner Michael Olise went to Bayern Munich and Eze has now attracted the attention of Manchester United who will enter the race to sign him in January.
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