As they look to maintain their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership beyond the current campaign, Celtic may now wait until the summer in an attempt to land a bargain deal for a midfielder from the English Premier League.
Celtic transfer news
When the Bhoys lost Matt O’Riley in the summer transfer window, there may have been some concern over their ability to fend off competition from Rangers whilst also attempting to cause a few upsets on the Champions League stage. A few months later, however, those doubts have been well and truly put to bed.
Celtic and Rodgers want to sign two attackers in January with cash to spend
There is money to spend midway through the season.
ByHenry Jackson Nov 29, 2024
Rangers have been far from up to scratch and Celtic only look likely to extend their dominance. Meanwhile, they’ve already picked up a memorable victory over Bundesliga side RB Leipzig as well as earned a point against Club Brugge on the European stage, with eight points put towards a potential last-16 place.
Things could get even better when 2025 arrives, especially if the Bhoys manage to land a bargain deal. According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Celtic may now wait until the summer to attempt to sign Christian Eriksen when his contract comes to an end at Manchester United.
The Scottish giants are unlikely to land a January deal given the Dane’s hefty £150,000-a-week salary going alongside any potential transfer fee, acting as a major stumbling block in the transfer. However, if Eriksen is willing to take a pay cut in the summer, Celtic could yet land an undeniable bargain for a player still capable of playing among Europe’s best.
Replacing fellow Dane O’Riley, who swapped Celtic for Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer, Eriksen could take Scotland by storm if he accepted Celtic’s potential proposal.
"Unbelievable" Eriksen could follow O'Riley path
A player at the back end of his career rather than in his prime like O’Riley, Eriksen can still follow a similar path to his countryman by swapping English football for a place in Celtic’s midfield. And despite their age differences, not many would doubt Eriksen’s ability to replicate what O’Riley did for Brendan Rodgers’ side, especially in his final season.
Eriksen’s story is an undeniable fairytale. There were doubts that the Dane would even step foot on a football pitch again after his collapse at Euro 2020. Not only did he fight back, but he climbed his way back to the top by earning a move to Manchester United via Brentford.
Full of praise for Eriksen, Brentford boss Thomas Frank told reporters in 2022 (via The Standard): “Christian is a top player, an unbelievable character and he brings quality and calmness to the team. You can give it to Christian and he’ll always find a solution.”
Now, in one last big potential move, it could be Celtic who benefit from Eriksen’s experience and “unbelievable character” in the middle of the park.
Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson talks about Swepson’s development as he’s set for a Test debut in Karachi
Andrew McGlashan11-Mar-2022Few people have had a better view of Mitchell Swepson’s development over the last few seasons than Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson.Peirson, who also captains Queensland when Usman Khawaja is away on Australia duty, is certain that Swepson is ready for the Test debut that will now come his way in Karachi on Saturday. After a week where the game has mourned the death of the greatest legspinner of them all, Shane Warne, it will be poignant when Swepson becomes cap No. 464.He will be just the second specialist legspinner to debut for Australia’s men’s Test team since Warne’s retirement, after Bryce McGain’s one-off appearance in 2009, having first toured with Australia on the 2017 trip to India.”I’ve kept to him a long time and when he was younger he’d probably give you two or three bad balls an over, but as he’s gone on, and particularly the last two seasons, you just don’t get bad balls from him very often,” Peirson told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s unbelievable consistency and he’s bowling all his variations and landing them exactly where he wants to. You pair that up with his cricket knowledge, how he’s understanding his game and how to play certain scenarios, and I think he’s starting to become the full package.”Swepson enjoyed a breakout season in 2020-21 when he claimed 32 wickets at 23.40 in five Sheffield Shield matches to help Queensland to the title. This summer was tougher with just a single wicket from the two Shield matches he was able to play while being part of the T20 World Cup and Ashes squads – he only bowled two overs against New South Wales – alongside claiming four wickets for Australia A against England Lions in December.But it was the three matches in the Adelaide-based hub at the start of last season, where Swepson claimed 23 wickets and twice bowled Queensland to final-day victories and almost another against New South Wales, that gave an indication of the bowler he had developed into.”At the Gabba he probably doesn’t get the spin he would usually get, he gets the bounce which is also his friend, but playing a lot more games down south, and on day three, day four wickets which have started to deteriorate he’s come into his own,” Peirson said. “It’s fantastic to see that, knowing that if he does get the conditions then he’ll be really dangerous for Australia.”Swepson’s economy rate of under three an over is also eye-catching but Peirson always sees him as a wicket-taking option although Pat Cummins did note how he believed Swepson would be able to do a holding role.”First and foremost, Swepo is your attacking option, that’s why you are playing a legspinner,” Peirson said. “He’s not like a fingerspinner, he’s not holding as the quicks attack from one end, he’s coming on to take wickets. That’s how we’ve used him in Queensland and I think how he will be used moving forward in most teams he plays for. When he’s attacking, setting good fields and the ball is spinning, the scoreboard will naturally stop because he’s bowling so consistently.Having a frontline legspinner as part of a twin-spin attack will be another new chapter in Cummins’ young captaincy career as well, but Peirson has seen enough of Swepson to know he can also look after himself in the middle. He and Cummins will also have the benefit of Khawaja at close quarters.”That’s why he’s such a lovely spinner to have in the team because he knows what he wants to do,” he said. “He’s right at the top of his game in that sense with his skills and how he mentally approaches the game with his tactics. He’s someone who is a pleasure to captain and keep to because he knows what he needs to do.”Sure we can come up with ideas with him, but he has a very clear idea of how he wants to start his spell and that’s really refreshing as a captain. Then you can work together as the day goes on. He’s a forward-thinking spinner. He’s been around Nathan Lyon for a long time and has learnt so much.””It will be a new one for Pat to work out how to best use those guys. We’ve played two spinners before for Queensland and Uzzie was captain so he certainly has the knowledge of how he used Swepo and he’s someone Pat can lean on. I’m intrigued as a viewer to see how they use him.”
Liverpool failed to land Khvicha Kvaratskhelia months before Paris Saint-Germain signed the Georgian from Napoli in January.
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Liverpool tried to sign Kvaratskhelia last summerPlaced a €100m offer for the winger Rejected PSG's offer last summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Per , Liverpool reportedly submitted a €100 million (£83m/$104m) bid to sign Napoli star Kvaratskhelia months before the player completed a move to the French capital. The Reds did not intend to sign the Georgian winger immediately and were ready to let him play for Napoli in the 2024/25 campaign. They had planned to bring the player to Anfield in the summer of 2025.
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Napoli, however, rejected the offer at that time as they were determined to retain their star player. Kvaratskhelia also had an offer from PSG last summer, but he reportedly refuted their offer before eventually signing on their dotted lines six months later. In January, the Merseyside club were reportedly prepared to battle it out with the Ligue 1 champions in the transfer market, but they never came up with a formal offer.
DID YOU KNOW?
Since moving to Paris in January, Kvaratskhelia has appeared in 10 matches across all competitions for Luis Enrique's side where he has scored two goals and provided three assists.
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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR KVARATSKHELIA?
The 24-year-old has been included in PSG's starting lineup in their Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash against Arne Slot's men. He will be next seen in action against Rennes on Saturday in the Ligue 1.
Ruben Amorim is set to have key attackers Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo available for Monday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford after reaching agreement with Ivory Coast and Cameroon. The two players had been set to leave for Africa Cup of Nations duty before the match on Monday but will now be allowed to travel after the game against the Cherries.
Good news for Amorim as duo available
Mbeumo and Amad will be available for Monday's match against Andoni Iraola's side in what is a big boost for Amorim, as reported by The Athletic. The deadline for clubs to release players for AFCON duty is December 15th but Manchester United have reached an agreement that means the two attackers can face Bournemouth. However, it's not clear if full-back Noussair Mazraoui will also be available, particularly as Morocco are due to host Comoros in the tournament opener on Sunday. Mbeumo and Amad are not in AFCON action until Christmas Even when Ivory Coast face Mozambique and Cameroon take on Gabon.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportAmorim frustrated by situation
Amorim had spoken about the situation regarding the three players at his pre-match press conference on Friday and admitted he was frustrated at not knowing whether they would be involved or not. He told reporters: "We are still in conversation with the national teams. The game is Monday. They are here, they are training and we are trying to prepare all the scenarios to prepare the game. It's frustrating, but at the same time nobody knows who is going to play. So it's a good thing I think. So we have players to cope with everything and that is something. With a long week you can see a lot of things and work on several things to prepare for the game and any situation."
Amorim tipped to weak system during AFCON
The loss of the three players to the tournament has led to speculation that Amorim could tweak his system at Manchester United. The Portuguese is being tipped to revert to a 4-3-3 formation as one way of coping without Mbeumo and Amad while they are on international duty. Amorim has reportedly already warned his players that "a change is coming" and it's thought that the team have spent time in training ahead of the game against Bournemouth working on a new system.
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Getty Images SportWhich games will Man Utd's AFCON trio miss?
Manchester United could be without their three stars for a host of games, depending obviously on how far they progress in the tournament. AFCON runs until January 18, a span of time during which United are due to take on Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Wolves, Leeds United, Burnley and Manchester City as well as Brighton in the third round of the FA Cup.
The South Africa batter had tested positive for furosemide, a prohibited substance, in January
ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2022South Africa batter Zubayr Hamza has been “provisionally suspended” by the ICC after he tested positive for a prohibited substance under the anti-doping code.”Hamza has been charged with the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance following the detection of Furosemide in a sample collected out-of-competition on 17 January 2022 and has been provisionally suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process,” the ICC said in a statement. “Furosemide is a Specified Substance contained in Section S5 of the 2022 WADA Prohibited List.”On Wednesday, CSA issued a statement, which confirmed that Hamza was “not disputing” the positive test and was “cooperating fully with the ICC” and had agreed to voluntary suspension commencing immediately while written submissions were presented to the ICC.Furosemide is not a performance-enhancing substance, and CSA said that Hamza had been able to identify how it had entered his system.”The process to follow will entail presenting evidence that there was no fault or negligence, or no significant fault or negligence on the part of Zubayr,” the CSA statement said. “CSA, SACA [South African Cricketers’ Association] and WPCA [Western Province Cricket Association] are supporting Zubayr in this process, and will continue to do so until the matter is concluded.”Hamza, 26, made his Test debut against Pakistan in early 2019 when he became South Africa’s 100th Test player since readmission. He made his ODI debut against Netherlands in November last year, scoring 56 in a washout. The series was postponed after that following the outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid.Hamza has played six Tests in all and had withdrawn from both Test and ODI series against Bangladesh because of “personal reasons”.
Chelsea have been one of the surprise packages under Enzo Maresca in the Premier League in recent weeks, surpassing all expectations in the opening months of the season.
The Blues have failed to pull up any trees in England’s top flight over the last couple of years, finishing outside the top four in each of the last two years, finishing 12th and sixth.
However, in the opening 13 matches of 2024/25, the Italian has transformed the Blues, with their impressive performances of late catapulting them to third in the table, level on points with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Sunday’s victory over Unai Emery’s Aston Villa made it five league matches without defeat, putting the club firmly in the race for a Champions League finish come May.
Throughout the last few weeks, numerous players have caught the eye, playing a major part in their recent success on the pitch.
Chelsea’s star performers in the last five PL matches
Midfielder Enzo Fernández has endured a tricky start to the current campaign, losing his place at the heart of the side alongside Moises Caicedo, with Roméo Lavia staking his claim for a regular spot.
However, the Argentine, who’s the club’s second-highest addition, has enjoyed a resurgence in recent matches, registering two goals and two assists in his last three outings.
Fernandez registered the assist for Pedro Neto’s goal in the draw against Arsenal, before two contributions against Leicester City and yet another goal in the recent outing at Stamford Bridge.
When there are goals in the Blues side, the majority of the time they come through star man Cole Palmer, who registered 33 combined goals and assists in as many league matches during the previous campaign.
However, the 22-year-old has continued his impressive form in recent matches, scoring twice and registering one assist – taking his tally to 14 contributions in 13 Premier League appearances under Maresca.
The former Manchester City youngster produced yet another moment of magic over the weekend, with his superb long-range effort topping off another splendid victory for the Blues at the Bridge.
Chelsea star Cole Palmer
Palmer could be aided in his attempts within the final third after January, with the club targeting more attacking reinforcements in the upcoming window.
Chelsea targeting January move for £400k-p/w star
According to one Spanish outlet, Chelsea have shown an interest in signing former Premier League striker Ivan Toney just a handful of months after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.
The 28-year-old departed Brentford in the summer for £40m, rejecting the Blues in favour of a move to the Middle East after they offered him an eye-watering £400k-per-week contract.
However, the report states that the attacker is already wanting a return back to England, after scoring just three times and failing to settle with his new side – putting the Blues and Tottenham on red alert.
Whilst his time in Saudi has failed to go as he would’ve envisaged, Toney has consistently proven that he’s capable of being a success in England’s top flight, with the Englishman able to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.
On that evidence, he’d be just the tonic to some of the club’s most creative players, chiefly the aforementioned Palmer.
1) Erling Haaland
36
2) Harry Kane
30
3) Ivan Toney
20
4) Mohamed Salah
19
5) Callum Wilson
18
He’s previously been dubbed as “world-class” by former boss Thomas Frank, understandable given his record of 36 goals in 85 Premier League appearances – an average of one goal every 2.3 matches he appeared in.
Toney would certainly be able to bolster his already impressive record in the division with the likes of Palmer operating behind him, with the attacker registering six assists, creating an average of 2.7 chances per 90 this season.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney
It’s unclear how much any deal to secure a deal for the former Bees striker will set them back in January, but it will take a huge weekly wage to convince him to leave his current contract in the Saudi League.
He’s proven he’s capable of delivering the goods in the Premier League, handing Maresca that added firepower needed to secure a top-four finish at the end of the season.
Maresca now ditch £250k-p/w Chelsea dud who Lampard called "phenomenal"
The Chelsea talent has been unable to showcase his ability in recent years.
Luis Enrique has urged Paris Saint-Germain's fans to be respectful amid fears their game versus Marseille could be suspended due to homophobic chants.
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PSG to host top-of-the-table clash against MarseilleAuthorities fear impact of 'discriminatory chants'Match could be suspended if tensions rise between fansFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
PSG's top-of-the-table clash with Marseille is likely to be a heated affair in part due to the return of Adrien Rabiot to the Parc des Princes, with the midfielder having come through French side's academy prior to joining their rivals last year. The battle has led to an increase in the number of law enforcement officers, according to , with concerns that the match could be suspended if "discriminatory and insulting chants" are heard by fans.
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Fan trouble has been prevalent in France and Marseille are set to travel to Paris without their supporters due to a ban on away supporters in this fixture since 2015. Marseille's fans have already been handed bans this season in earlier matches against teams such as Lyon and Saint-Etienne due to concerns over their behaviour. The reverse fixture between the sides ended with a 3-0 win for PSG away in Marseille in October. That match was marred by homophobic chants from PSG fans, resulting in a statement from Ligue 1 condemning the supporters.
WHAT Luis ENRIQUE SAID
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Luis Enrique said: "I've only played three Classiques, only one at home. We know it will be a special match for everyone, for the players but especially for our fans. My thinking is always the same: our fans are very important to us, we need their support in every match, in every competition. We appreciate the way they never give up and encourage us throughout the season. They've always been behind us, and I'd like to have that support until the end of the season.
"With this level of excitement, I think the fans should focus on our team first and foremost, enjoy what we're doing, and respect the opponent. There's no better indifference than not devoting a single moment to the opponent and focusing on cheering for our team. That's my opinion, that's what I want, and I hope that's what happens."
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR PSG?
PSG are desperate to avoid any disruption as they look to seal another Ligue 1 title, with Luis Enrique's side sitting 16 points clear of Marseille with nine games remaining. Having secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League this week, PSG know that any postponement of their game against Marseille would only add to their intense schedule for the remainder of the season.
Keeper set for permanent Wantage Road exit with contract up at end of season
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2022Adam Rossington has left Northamptonshire following his removal from the club captaincy, signing for Essex on an initial season-long loan.Rossington, who is in the final year of his Northants contract, was replaced as their County Championship captain by new head coach John Sadler following the club’s pre-season tour to Potchefstroom last month. A club statement confirming Ricardo Vasconcelos had been appointed to lead the four-day team made no mention of Rossington, who was then described as “unavailable for selection” as Northants brought in Lewis McManus on loan from Hampshire.Northants said in a further statement on Monday morning that Rossington had “requested time away from the squad after a change in the club’s leadership group”, while confirming his move to Chelmsford for the 2022 season. “The cricket committee were happy to support this and maintained a conversation throughout, but unfortunately could not come to an agreement,” the statement added.Rossington took over as club captain in 2019, after Alex Wakely stepped down, and led Northants to promotion that season. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my eight years at Northamptonshire and was looking forward to leading the lads in Division One this season,” he said.”I wasn’t expecting a change so I’m sad to be leaving, but the club will always hold a special place in my heart. We’ve created some wonderful memories in that dressing room that I’ll take with me and I’d like to say thank you to my team-mates and the supporters as well.”Related
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Ray Payne, Northants’ chief executive, said: “It’s disappointing Adam doesn’t see his future with Northamptonshire, but everyone at the club truly wishes him well for the future and we thank him for his fantastic service over the past eight years and as captain most recently.”Adam did a brilliant job as captain after taking over in difficult circumstances in 2019 and the cricket committee had Adam as a central part of our plans moving forward. Conversations around keeping him here had been ongoing since the end of last season so it’s a shame he won’t be with the squad as they take that place in Division One.”Rossington arrived at Chelmsford on Monday morning ahead of Essex’s pre-season media day and will be available for their Championship opener against Kent which starts on Thursday. With his Northants contract up at the end of the season, Essex will be favourites to sign him permanently if he impresses this season.”I’m delighted to bring someone of Adam’s quality to the club ahead of the new season,” Anthony McGrath, their head coach, said. “The signing will give us more options over the course of a busy summer of cricket and create some healthy competition for places which is an important factor to improving as a group and achieving success.”He was Northants’ captain up until recently so will also bring those leadership qualities and added experience to the group, which is important, especially following the departures of experienced squad members last year.”
Leeds United moved back to the top of the Championship table on Saturday, potentially temporarily, with a 2-0 win over Derby County at Elland Road.
The Whites are above Sheffield United, who face West Bromwich on Sunday afternoon, on goal difference and will drop down to second if the Blades pick up any points from that clash.
Daniel Farke’s side have overtaken Burnley, who were held to a draw by Middlesbrough on Friday night, to secure a place in the automatic promotion spots for the time being, though.
First-half goals from Joe Rodon and Max Wober were enough to land all three points for the West Yorkshire outfit against Derby, who essentially played with a back six, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing often dropping in as a sixth defender alongside the back five.
The Whites had to be patient to break down the Derby defence and found their first goal through a set-piece, with Rodon evading his marker to plant a header into the back of the net.
There was then a touch of fortune about the second goal for Leeds, as Brenden Aaronson’s cross deflected across to Wober to fire in from close range with his weaker right foot.
Leeds United's top performers against Derby
Rodon, who scored the opening goal for the Whites, was one of the top performers against the Rams with his dominant display at centre-back alongside Pascal Struijk.
The Wales international, who joined on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, won five of his seven duels in the match and was not dribbled past a single time, which shows that he got the better of the Derby attackers more often than not.
Central midfielder Joe Rothwell also caught the eye with his display in the middle of the park. It was his well-placed corner that allowed Rodon to score the opener, and the Bournemouth loanee completed 66 of his 70 attempted passes in the match.
Wober also had an interesting outing at left-back after he came on to replace the injured Junior Firpo during the first-half, as the central defender operated down the left flank and provided an attacking threat.
The Austria international, staggeringly, scored and registered four shots on goal and two key passes from left-back, whilst no Leeds attacker managed more than three shots against Derby, which shows that he was constantly getting in good positions to make things happen.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
However, there were also some players who found it difficult to perform against a stubborn Rams side at Elland Road on Saturday, and Joel Piroe was one of those.
Joel Piroe's struggles against Derby
The former Swansea star was selected to lead the line against Derby as the centre-forward but struggled to make an impact at the top end of the pitch for Farke.
Piroe, who was picked ahead of Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph, fairly quickly looked out of place against the back five for the Rams as it required him to be reliable under pressure from multiple defenders, which is not one of his strengths.
The Dutch attacker ended the game with a pass success rate of just 65%, with 15 of his 23 passes finding a teammate, and even that does not do it justice, as some of his completed passes were too heavy and forced the receiver to go and recover the ball before playing another pass, which gave the away team time to reset again.
As it is not his natural game to drop deep and constantly fight off defenders to make things happen with the ball, Piroe had fewer touches (32) than Illan Meslier (40), despite the Leeds goalkeeper only having to make one save all match.
Minutes played
90
Shots
2
Big chances created
0
Goals + assists
0
Possession lost
12x
Touches
32
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed marksman failed to score from the two chances that were created for him and did not create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates in the game.
He lost possession a whopping 12 times from just 32 touches, with his loose passing contributing to that, and Farke must finally ditch the lightweight from the starting XI.
Why Daniel Farke should drop Joel Piroe
The Dutchman should be dropped back down to the bench for the Whites after a return of one goal and zero ‘big chances’ created in his last four league starts for the club.
Farke has faced a conundrum this season because Piroe is the team’s top scorer with seven goals in 19 appearances in the Championship so far, but his all-round play often leaves a lot to be desired.
Joel Piroe
He has only completed 73% of his attempted passes and averaged 0.7 key passes per game, which shows that the attacker does little to help his teammates in the build-up phase.
The former Swansea man has also, staggeringly, lost 73% of his duels on the ground and 72% of his aerial battles in the Championship this season, as opposition defenders have dominated him in physical contests.
Due to his poor all-round play, Farke could go back to using the striker as a substitute. Piroe set a club-record for goals as a substitute in a calendar year with his sixth off the bench for Leeds in 2024 against QPR.
Appearances
19
19
Starts
11
9
Goals
7
2
Big chances created
1
4
Pass accuracy
73%
77%
Duel success rate
28%
32%
Duels won per game
1.2
2.3
As you can see in the table above, Joseph offers more to the team as a creative threat and in his work on and off the ball to make himself a presence in the centre-forward position, with almost twice as many duels won per game.
The Spain U21 international does not provide as many goals as Piroe but the Dutchman’s fantastic ability to find the back of the net as a substitute suggests that the one-two punch of starting Joseph and bringing on the left-footed ace off the bench could be effective.
That is why Farke must, now, ditch the Leeds lightweight and unleash the Spanish academy graduate from the start next time out against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.
Bigger talent than Joseph: Leeds are "crying out" for "exciting" marksman
Leeds United have been linked with an interest in the impressive centre-forward.
Manchester City are now preparing an offer for an “amazing” Premier League player who is now among their priority targets, according to a report.
Man City's torrid form
Pep Guardiola is going through his first real bad spell as manager of Man City, with his side winning just one of their last 12 matches in all competitions, and there is no sign of him being able to turn it around any time soon.
City fell to their third loss on the bounce when they visited Aston Villa on Saturday, and former goalkeeper Shay Given was particularly critical of the side’s performance, saying:
“They let all these young players leave the club and now he’s in a real rut, Pep Guardiola. Their legs are gone, they couldn’t match Villa physically, couldn’t match them tactically. They were miles off it so what happens next? That’s the question.”
Man City submit opening bid to sign "energetic" £58m midfielder in 2025
Pep Guardiola is believed to be a big fan.
1 ByDominic Lund Dec 22, 2024
The only solution on the horizon for Guardiola is to be active in the January transfer window when it opens in just over a week, and the manager has set his sights on Atalanta midfielder Ederson dos Santos as one of his main targets.
With Rodri sidelined, City have experienced a significant dip in form which is now becoming a real crisis, so it is clear to see why Guardiola is so keen on a new central midfielder, but he is also looking at strengthening in other areas.
According to reports from Spain, a €80m (£66m) offer is being prepared by Man City for West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus after his impressive displays, in which he has been utilised in a number of different attacking positions.
The Ghanaian is capable of playing in attacking midfield, out wide, and even as a forward, and he has caught City’s eye to such an extent that he is now among Guardiola’s priority targets. West Ham have no interest in sanctioning the 24-year-old’s departure, but a huge offer could prove to be impossible to turn down.
Man City need to strengthen
Given that performances have been way below the standard for some time now, the only way out of this situation could be to bring in new reinforcements, and a new central midfielder is definitely required amid Rodri’s absence.
That said, Jack Grealish and Savinho have hardly set the world alight either, with the former providing zero goals and just two assists in all competitions, so a new winger could also be needed.
Kudus is particularly impressive at dribbling, ranking in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, and he provided 14 goal contributions in the Premier League last season.
Lauded as “amazing” by the media, the 24-year-old has proven himself in the Premier League, so he could be a fantastic signing for Man City, but it remains to be seen whether they are willing to fork out what would need to be a huge sum of money to get a deal over the line.