Former Olympic champion Usain Bolt has pointed to Arsenal's failure to win a trophy as the reason why Manchester United enjoyed a better season.
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Sheffield Wednesday have submitted an offer for a striker target who "likes to be a nuisance", according to an update from reliable journalist Joe Crann, and the player is now trying to push through a move to the Owls.
The Owls could badly do with an injection of extra quality in their squad this month, as they desperately battle to remain in the Championship this season. Former Arsenal youngster Brandon-Ormonde Ottewill has been linked with a move to Hillsborough in the January transfer window, as he looks to possibly make a return to England after playing for Hungarian side Puskas Akademia since 2022.
A current Arsenal player has also been seen as a target for Wednesday before the end of the season, with Gunners attacker Mika Biereth seen as a loan option, not to mention being a potential alternative to Bailey Cadamarteri. He is currently on loan at Sturm Graz, however, sealing a deal earlier this month, so the Owls may have to wait until the summer to sign him.
Orlando City striker Duncan McGuire has also been tipped to join the Danny Rohl revolution, and now another important claim has emerged regarding Wednesday's pursuit of him.
Taking to X, Crann claimed that Sheffield Wednesday have made a third offer for Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire, with a deal potentially getting over the line soon as the player begins to push it through from his side.
"SWFC have been given a boost in their pursuit of young Orlando City forward, Duncan McGuire. Understand they’ve submitted a third and final bid, while the player has rejected a new contract because he wants an overseas move."
In Crann's report for The Sheffield Star, "McGuire’s current club have been in talks with the 22-year-old regarding an extension of his time in Florida, but The Star is led to believe that those talks have now reached an impasse".
|
Sheff Wed's top goalscorers in all competitions |
Total |
|---|---|
|
Anthony Musaba |
5 |
|
Josh Windass |
4 |
|
Marvin Johnson |
3 |
|
Bailey Cadamarteri |
3 |
|
Michael Smith |
3 |
This is exciting news for Wednesday supporters, with McGuire someone who can bolster Rohl's attacking options, at a time when goals from attacking players can come at a premium. This season, Anthony Musaba leads the Owls' scoring charts with just four strikes in the Championship, which highlights the need for more attacking firepower.
The American has scored 15 goals in 37 appearances for Orlando to date, as well as winning one cap for the USA, and while English football is a higher level than the MLS, this level of productivity could aid Rohl greatly. He has been hailed as someone who "likes to be a nuisance" by Stars and Stripes, and he has also perhaps bizarrely been described as the answer to Lionel Messi for Orlando in the MLS, following the Argentina legend's move to Inter Miami.
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McGuire is still only 22 as well, so he would be arriving at Hillsborough as a long-term acquisition rather than a quick fix, and he could grow as a player over time, potentially being an important part of the USA's 2026 World Cup plans come that point.
William Gallas has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to continue playing at least until 41 and appear at the 2026 World Cup.
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Leeds United reporter Phil Hay has been left stunned after an update emerged on one current Whites star.
The current calendar year has been good for Daniel Farke, with Leeds winning all five Championship games in 2024 to get their push for automatic promotion back on track.
The Whites have also won their third and fourth-round ties in the FA Cup this year, with a 4-1 replay win at Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday setting up a trip to Chelsea later this month.
Things are looking good on the pitch, however, a worrying update has emerged off the field from one Leeds star.
Patrick Bamford is starting to find his feet under Farke, establishing himself as a regular in the starting XI this year. His wondergoal against Peterborough was dubbed “fantastic” by the Leeds boss, following a year to forget in 2023.
Talking on his My Mate’s a Footballer podcast alongside Joe Wilkinson, Bamford revealed that he and his family were targeted by angry fans after he missed a penalty for Leeds against Newcastle towards the end of the 2022/23 season.
“The situation Leeds were in was a pretty diabolical one – we were looking like we were going to go down, which we eventually did. I always had Twitter, until about mid-March. The abuse got so bad – threatening my family and even my little girl.
“As I turn up the drive to get in I can’t even cross the gate, there’s two cars [blocking it]. I went to put my window down. As I did, they put their windows up and just started at me. Then the gate opened because my dad had opened it and they drove off.
“I think it was a culmination of the last few weeks. I took a lot of flak for it. The way they expressed it was crazy. It goes from conversations with David [Bamford’s sports psychologist] about sorting out how I’m feeling to then I’ve got to deal with [the fact] Michaela doesn’t feel safe in her own home.
“I rang him literally straight after that happened. He was like ‘how do you feel?’ I said ‘I’m not upset about the abuse, I’m angry that someone’s come up to the house’. The club ended up putting security on the house for the night.”
Taking to X, Hay reacted to the news from Bamford, saying: "This is pretty extraordinary, and concerning. Football as a whole has real anger issues."
Hay’s comments are spot on, and this reveal from the striker is horrific. So-called ‘supporters’ targeting the player and his family is terrible, so it is a real testament to Bamford that he has somehow managed to keep this quiet for so long and even re-find his top form to boot.
Lionesses star Mary Earps is set to leave Manchester United to join PSG on a free transfer and fans have been reacting to the switch on social media.
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Manchester United will look to bring in a new director of football over the coming weeks, with a current Premier League official seemingly top of the list, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Red Devils were quiet in the winter window, which shouldn’t come as a major surprise given current director of football John Murtough’s comments back in December.
“Looking ahead to the January transfer window, we are not expecting it to be particularly busy. There will always be the possibility of deals around the edges of the squad, particularly in terms of finding opportunities for players who are not playing as much football as they would like.
“However, we’ve always been consistent in saying that we do not see January as the optimal time to do business and our recruitment strategy remains focused on summer windows.”
In fact, United and Erik ten Hag failed to make a single signing in January, with the main focus being on several outgoings. A number of players left the club on loan, including Jadon Sancho, Donny van de Beek and Hannibal Majbri, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS now looking ahead to the summer to conduct the majority of their business.
The Old Trafford shake-up is already in motion with the news of Manchester City's chief operating officer, Omar Berrada, being appointed to replace Richard Arnold, and it looks as if one man is in line to replace Murtough as director of football.
Talking in his daily briefing in the last 48 hours, relayed by One Football, Romano said that the “plan” is to bring in Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth in the coming weeks.
“We know Man United need a new director of football, and the plan remains to try to bring Dan Ashworth to the club in the next weeks.”
This isn’t the first time that the 52-year-old has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with reports back in December saying that the Newcastle man was “very keen” on the Red Devils role. He was named as the club’s top target at the time, and it doesn’t look as if that has changed.
Gary Neville is a fan of Ashworth, with the Red Devils legend taking to X earlier in the season to share an interaction he had with the Newcastle man prior to the Magpies’ 3-0 win at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup.
“On my way up to the gantry last night, I bumped into Dan Ashworth. He transformed the FA’s structure, set Brighton up for this incredible period of success and has now built a strong foundation for the new owners at Newcastle. He’s competent, highly qualified and knows what he’s doing.
“Will work with his coach, recruitment team and other departments coherently and calmly. In the last two matches, Manchester United have played two clubs that have installed proper football departments to support the team on the pitch and off it. The complete opposite of United. We haven’t got a sporting director! I used to travel up to Newcastle and feel sorry for their great fans when the energy and enthusiasm had been sapped from them under Mike Ashley. It was painful to see.
“Last night, we saw the Theatre of Dreams turn into the Theatre of Nothing. Every single United fan bored and flat. On the pitch, the players in shock, the performances woeful and a manager struggling in front of our eyes. We’ve seen it before, we know how it ends and we’ve had enough.”
England midfielder Jude Bellingham has lost the immense form he had at Real Madrid and Gareth Southgate plans to hold talks with him.
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Arsenal are starting to look like a team with just one thing on their mind: Premier League glory.
Mikel Arteta's side have won their last four games by a staggering margin of 16-2.
What finishing problem?
|
Arsenal's Previous Four Games |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Date |
Competition |
Opponent |
Result |
|
January 20th |
Premier League |
Crystal Palace |
5-0 Win |
|
January 30th |
Premier League |
Nottingham Forest |
2-1 Win |
|
February 3rd |
Premier League |
Liverpool |
3-1 Win |
|
February 12th |
Premier League |
West Ham United |
6-0 Win |
|
All Stats via Sky Sports |
|||
Their 6-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday was the pièce de résistance of their recent run, with every player on the pitch putting in a serious shift and helping the club record their biggest away win in Premier League history.
However, one man who started against the Hammers shouldn't start away at Burnley this afternoon, but it's not just down to his performance.
The player in question is Polish international Jakub Kiwior, who came into the lineup at left-back on the back of Oleksandr Zinchenko's recent injury.
The former Spezia man, who joined the club following a £20m transfer last January, played the full 90 minutes against the Irons and, despite a couple of shakey moments very early on, left fans impressed with a generally stable defensive display featuring a few nice passing moves.
The Standard's Simon Colling was reasonably impressed with the showing and gave the then-23-year-old a 6/10 on the day, describing his overall impression as 'solid.'
His numbers on the day reflect this assessment, as he registered an expected assists figure of 0.29, made five clearances, two tackles, one interception, and made one key pass.
|
Jakub Kiwior's game vs West Ham |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
93 |
|
Expected Assists |
0.29 |
|
Clearances |
5 |
|
Interceptions |
1 |
|
Tackles |
2 |
|
Key Passes |
1 |
|
Ground Duels (won) |
7 (2) |
|
Aerial Duels (won) |
3 (1) |
|
Dribbled Passed |
2 |
|
All Stats via Sofascore |
|
However, he was dribbled past twice, won just one of his three aerial duels and, even worse, won just two of his seven ground duels.
Ultimately, Colling's assessment that Kiwior was 'solid' is accurate, but with Zinchenko's return date still unknown and several challenging games to come, Arteta should look to bring in an all-round more reliable player in his place for the game today, Takehiro Tomiyasu.
So, the first thing to say is that Tomiyasu missed the game at the London Stadium through a minor injury of his own. Still, with it being widely reported that he should be fine for this game, and that his absence on Sunday was more of a precaution, it looks like he'll have a part to play later today – hopefully from the start.
The first argument for starting the Japanese international at left-back ahead of his Polish teammate is that he has far more experience playing as a full-back. In all, the 25-year-old has played 17 games as a left back for the Gunners and 46 as a right-back, whereas Kiwior has played just 11 times as a left-back and never on the opposite flank while in north London.
|
Takehiro Tomiyasu vs Jakub Kiwior at left-back (for Arsenal) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Tomiyasu |
Kiwior |
|
Appearances |
17 |
11 |
|
Starts |
10 |
9 |
|
Wins |
12 |
6 |
|
Games Against 'Big Six' Teams |
5 |
2 |
|
Goals Conceded |
15 |
12 |
|
Points Per Game |
2.29 |
1.82 |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
The second argument is simply how the pair have fared in their games at left-back and who they have been up against. For example, the former Bologna star has played and won against Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City on the left – he even helped set up Gabriel Martinelli's winner against City.
In comparison, the "quality" Kiwior, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, has faced primarily weaker opposition, with his second-half cameo against Liverpool earlier this month as his only experience against a 'big six' side at left-back.
Furthermore, when the "superb" Tomiyasu, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, played the full 90 against the Anfield side at home last season, he managed to keep Mohamed Salah 'tucked away' according to Squawka's Ben Green, who gave the defender an 8/10 for his performance.
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Ultimately, Kiwior may feel a little hard done by if he loses his spot this afternoon. Yet, with Zinchenko's injury potentially keeping him out of the side for some time, Arteta will want to have a more reliable and defensively astute player ready for some of the mammoth games to come in the title run-in.
Cristiano Ronaldo repeated his tried and trusted "reality" message after his Portugal sided inched past Slovenia on penalties at the Euros.
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Tottenham have been described as "ever closer to closing" a move for one of their rumoured transfer targets, with ex-managing director Fabio Paratici named as being involved in the background.
Despite their reliably reported eagerness to sign another star winger later this year, other media sources have suggested that Ange Postecoglou's side are keen on bringing in a new defender.
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Indeed, both Pedro Neto and Eberechi Eze are top Tottenham targets but it appears the wider recruitment team want to continue overhauling the Lilywhites defence.
|
Tottenham's next league fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Crystal Palace (home) |
March 2nd |
|
Aston Villa (away) |
March 10th |
|
Fulham (away) |
March 16th |
|
Luton Town (home) |
March 30th |
Radu Dragusin was signed from Genoa at around £25 million in January, but the north Londoners have maintained an interest in centre-backs, including Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite – despite some rumours he could cost a marquee fee.
Eric Dier joined Bayern Munich in the winter, with Postecoglou potentially wanting another centre-back to fill the hole he left behind.
Meanwhile, given Ryan Sessegnon's injury curse, Ben Davies' age and Emerson Royal's arguable lack of cutting edge going forward, Spurs are thought to be eyeing up full-back alternatives to star men Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie.
Both men's absences can be felt in the Tottenham side, given they play a pivotal role in Postecoglou's inverted full-back system. There are suggestions that the north Londoners could even re-sign Kyle Walker-Peters from Southampton to fix the problem.
“My understanding is they are looking for someone who can possibly play both sides, not Diego Dalot but someone of that ilk,” journalist Graeme Bailey said to Tottenham News recently.
“I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out, Walker-Peters is someone who Chelsea looked at as well. For these signings as well, the fourth centre-half I still think is probably Lloyd Kelly or Tosin Adarabioyo to come in on a free. Good Premier League players but at the end of the day, they are going to be fourth choice. Spurs don’t need to go and spend £60 million on a centre half.”
Another player to be linked is Republic of Ireland international right-back Festy Ebosele. The Serie A defender has been impeccable for current club Udinese this season, and this has alerted people at Tottenham.
They also describe Tottenham as "ever closer to closing" a move for Ebosele, who would come from the same club as Udogie. Former Derby teammate Craig Forsyth has interestingly called the 21-year-old a "nightmare" to play against.
"He's been getting better and better and that's the thing. It's good to see him improving with that final ball," said Forsyth.
"Still he can get better, there was a lot of opportunities tonight. He's a threat and he's horrible to play against. He's so strong and he's so quick and he can go both ways. He's a nightmare for a defender."