Pochettino is considering the upcoming January transfer window, despite Chelsea spending £1 billion.
The current January transfer period is in full swing with agreements being reached and transfers being completed. Arsenal appears to have selected Ivan Toney as their top priority for this window and have been informed that it will cost at least £100m to acquire him from Brentford. Chelsea is also pursuing the striker, but will need to sell a number of players from their large squad in order to afford the deal.
In other news, Tottenham has signed Pape Matar Sarr to a six-year contract after his standout season and is targeting Genoa’s Radu Dragusin for their defensive line. The club is said to be working towards a £25m agreement to add the 21-year-old centre-back to their roster, although Napoli has also expressed interest in the Romanian player.
In other news, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has become more involved at Old Trafford after acquiring a minority stake. The wealthy individual is now responsible for football-related decisions and is interested in recruiting Newcastle United’s Dan Ashworth as the new sporting director, replacing John Murtough. Ashworth has had successful roles with the FA and Brighton before joining Newcastle 18 months ago, and Ratcliffe is willing to pay any amount to secure his hiring.
Stay updated with the most recent updates, transfer speculations, and completed transactions below. Plus, discover the newest promotions from football betting websites here.
Is Ivan Toney the solution to Arsenal’s overwhelming anxiety?
Part of the reason for this is that the manager of Arsenal is attempting to determine what has caused his team’s offensive struggles.
With only four goals scored in five games, this is the main reason why they have only earned four points and missed the opportunity to secure a dominant position in the league. They haven’t even been missing many chances. Arsenal is simply not creating opportunities with the same energy and skill as they did last season, and this has caused some anxiety in their recent play. This unease has also carried over into training sessions. Suddenly, everything feels forced and rigid, similar to when Arteta first took over as manager. Additionally, Arteta’s intense coaching style can be frustrating for players when the team is not performing well.
Brereton Diaz’s decision to become a part of Sheffield United
Ben Brereton Diaz, who joined Villarreal on a four-year contract from Blackburn in the summer, has only started two games in LaLiga. However, he is determined to regain his previous form in the Premier League.
Brereton Diaz spoke to the club’s official website and stated that once he became aware of their interest, he immediately reached out to a few individuals and they were able to swiftly finalize the deal.
“I didn’t have much playing time while in Spain and was given the opportunity to go on loan. It’s exciting to now be in England, especially at a fantastic club that I am familiar with from playing against them. I am eager to begin and get started.”
I had a conversation with Chris (Wilder) over the phone where he shared with me the values of the team – determination, dedication, and similar qualities. These are things that I personally appreciate and was eager to be a part of.
It is a wonderful opportunity for me to be here, as playing in the Premier League has always been a dream of mine since I was a young boy. I am excited to begin and give it my all.
Sheffield United announce Brereton Diaz
Sheffield United have officially acquired Ben Brereton Diaz on a loan deal from Villarreal. The club has acted swiftly in the January transfer window to secure the services of the Chilean striker.
Ben Brereton Díaz has signed with the Blades for the remainder of the season and may potentially play in his first game during the FA Cup third round match against Gillingham on Saturday.
“I am pleased to announce that we have acquired Ben, a highly sought-after player, to our team,” stated Chris Wilder. “Many of us are familiar with his time at Blackburn and we are thrilled to have him join us. His adaptability as an attacking player provides us with the flexibility to play on the wings or in the center.”
“He possesses speed, strength, and his impressive scoring record at Blackburn is a testament to his abilities. He also has a significant amount of international experience, having represented Chile in recent years.”
“I was impressed by his eagerness to join the Premier League and play here. I didn’t have to convince him much about Sheffield United as he was already aware of our team and had done his research. He seemed pleased with what he had heard and our offer.”
“Prioritizing the recruitment of players for this team, their desire to join must be the top priority. Ben’s eagerness and passion for the upcoming challenge were crucial factors in my decision. His enthusiasm for representing this club is evident and I am confident that this signing will greatly benefit us in the latter half of the season.”
Phillips is being pursued by Newcastle and Juventus.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City is considering his future at the club and will be asking for assurances about his playing time from City. It has been reported that both Newcastle and Juventus have shown interest in the midfielder for England.
Juventus has inquired about the potential of a loan agreement, while City would rather see a permanent transfer. Phillips’ annual salary of approximately £7m, or £135,000 per week, poses a challenge for other clubs to absorb during the middle of the season, with Financial Fair Play being a contributing concern.
Newcastle has also made an offer for a loan deal, considering Phillips as a possible replacement for the suspended Sandro Tonali.
Manchester City is on the verge of acquiring yet another talented young player.
According to Sky Sports News, Manchester City is nearing a contract agreement with River Plate for the acquisition of attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri.
The agreement may be completed within the coming days, with an initial payment of approximately £12 million plus additional payments based on performance.
If Echeverri, who is 18 years old, were to finish, they would come back to River Plate on a loan for the remainder of the year.
Klopp talks about the future of Phillips and Williams.
Liverpool will not rush to secure another loan for Nat Phillips and will make a decision on his future later in the January transfer window.
The 26-year-old defender has come back from a loan spell at Celtic, where he played in eight matches. It is anticipated that he will move to a different team this month, but there is a chance he could stay at Anfield as backup.
Liverpool’s choices for centre-back have been limited due to Joel Matip’s ACL injury for the rest of the season. Additionally, Joe Gomez has been shifted to the left-back position due to the absence of Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.
This week, Liverpool re-signed Rhys Williams as a centre-back following an unsuccessful loan spell at Aberdeen where he only made one appearance.
Klopp stated that they will need to assess Nat’s situation and consider their own before making a decision. He also mentioned that Nat will continue training with the team until the end of the month and then they will have a discussion.
We have a great respect for both individuals, especially based on their past actions while they were here. Nat’s time at Celtic may not have been perfect, but it does not diminish his skill and talent.
“I will be working with Rhys in a slightly different way. He will be participating in training with the under-23 team. I plan to have a conversation with him about the reasons behind his unsuccessful loan experience. From my past experience with him, I would have expected him to play 100% of the time in Scotland, unless it was for a top team like Celtic or Rangers.”
Since he did not do it, I will need to speak with him regarding the matter. We will wait and see what the result of our conversation is.
A retired player from Everton Women’s soccer team.
Formerly a defender for Everton, Rikke Sevecke has decided to retire from playing at the age of 27 due to a heart ailment.
Sevecke obtained 54 appearances for the Danish national team and played for Everton for three years before transferring to Portland Thorns, an American club in the Women’s Super League, in September of last year.
“I am unsure of where to start,” stated Sevecke on Instagram. “Football has been a crucial aspect of my life since I was able to walk. However, that comes to an end at this moment.”
Recently, I received the results of some tests that were performed in the last few months, which revealed that I have a heart condition.
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I am prohibited from continuing my career as a professional football player, resulting in the immediate cessation of my football career.
“It was incredibly difficult to refrain from making this choice when I personally believed the time had arrived. There were numerous exciting experiences I was anticipating.”
Frank has stated that Toney will not be sold.
Brentford manager, Thomas Frank, has stated that Ivan Toney will stay with the team for this season and will not be traded in the January transfer period, despite attention from Arsenal and Chelsea.
The 27-year-old will rejoin Brentford’s team for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest on January 20, after serving an eight-month suspension for betting violations.
Frank insisted it would only take an “unbelievable price” to prize him away this winter saying: “The very short answer, yes.
“He is a Brentford player, he is here. Clearly we miss a few offensive players, I can’t see why we would sell him and I would love to have him for a longer time.
“If I ever, ever could recommend that, and it’s not for me to say yes or no, that’s Phil (Giles, director of football) or Matthew (Benham, owner), then it needs to be an unbelievable price. So he will stay here.”
Andros Townsend responds to the recent contract extension offered to him by Luton.
Andros Townsend has committed to a new long-term contract with Luton Town, stating that it was a simple choice for him to make.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Townsend said: “One of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made, extremely grateful to Gary, Rob and all his staff for taking the chance on me when no one else would and their continued faith and trust in me long term.”
The individual, who is 32 years old, relocated to Kenilworth Road in October through a temporary agreement until January following his exit from Everton. However, he has now signed a new contract that will bind him to the club until 2026.
Borussia Dortmund gives Jadon Sancho a chance to return after being excluded from Manchester United.
Sancho, who was signed by United for a record-breaking £73m in 2021, has not been on the field for four months due to a dispute with manager Erik ten Hag.
However, the 23-year-old experienced a prosperous period with Dortmund, netting 50 goals in 137 matches and leading the Bundesliga in assists in 2018-19. The German club is now looking to capitalize on Sancho’s struggles at Old Trafford and bring him back to their team.
Source: independent.co.uk
