Gilles Grimandi, a former Arsenal scout, recalled how the Gunners missed out on signing French football star Kylian Mbappe in 2013.
Kylian Mbappe.
Grimandi who worked as an Arsenal scout for 13 years, said they held talks with Mbappe before losing him to Monaco.
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He told The Sun;
“The job of scouting is about finding but also missing players. For me, it is Kylian Mbappe. We just could not convince him.
“He was out of contract in June 2013 and we met him in February. If we could have convinced him to join, he would have changed the club. But he then decided on Monaco.
“Arsenal were not always playing their best so it was quite complicated. At first it was easy, as soon as we talked to a player he wanted to sign it. However, if you are not getting results it is difficult to bring top players to help the team. That’s why it is important to stay at the top for as long as possible. It is so much easier. Yet the likes of Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah, who I watched develop, prove you should never forget the talent you have inside your club, even in difficult times.”
The Premier League has referred Manchester City to an independent commission for alleged financial rule violations.
The alleged breaches span a period from the 2009-10 season to the 2017-18 Premier League campaign.
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The charges relate to financial information regarding revenue, details of manager and player remuneration, UEFA regulations, profitability, and sustainability and cooperation on with Premier League investigations.
The Premier League said in a statement;
“In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today [February 6 2023] referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club (Club) to a commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4.
“Commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs. The members of the commission will be appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League judicial panel, in accordance with Premier League rules W.19, W.20 and W.26.
“The proceedings before the commission will, in accordance with Premier League rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private. Under Premier League rule W.82.2, the commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League’s website.
“This confirmation is made in accordance with Premier League rule W.82.1. The Premier League will be making no further comment in respect of this matter until further notice.”
BREAKING: Man City charged by Premier Leaue with numerous breaches of financial rules following a four-year investigation. This is unprecedented: pic.twitter.com/ZGzdX210qP
Since being taken over by the Abu Dhabi group in 2008, Manchester City have become one of football’s powerhouses thanks to considerable financial investment.
The arrival of the Gulf based owners heralded a new era of unprecedented success with the club winning six Premier League titles since the takeover.
Under the guidance of former Barcelona and Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, City won the Premier League in the 2017-18 season, becoming the only team in the competition history to attain 100 points in a single season. In 2018–19, they won four trophies, completing an unprecedented sweep of all domestic titles in England and becoming the first English men’s team to win the domestic treble.
The Champions League title remains ‘unfinished business’ for the Sky Blues after the 2021 final defeat to Chelsea in Porto.
Gabonese footballer, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was seen in Milan, Italy, on Friday night as he was seemingly in no mood to stay in London for the Premier League match between Chelsea and Fulham after finding out he was kicked out of the Blues’ Champions League squad.
Aubameyang
Earlier in the day, it was discovered that his name was omitted from Chelsea’s Champions League squad for their upcoming last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund.
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Chelsea’s coach, Graham Potter added January signings Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Joao Felix to the team, while new arrivals Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, and Noni Madueke didn’t make the cut.
While Aubameyang’s Chelsea teammates played against Fulham in a match that ended 0-0, he was spotted in Milan with his family, going by an image his brother posted to Instagram.
It is also unlikely that the 33-year-old footballer will get back in the team for their next fixture against West Ham on February 11.
Chelsea will return to European action on February 15 when they travel to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund. The London team finished top of Group E with 13 points, ahead of AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg, and Dinamo Zagreb.
Argentine football star Lionel Messi has stated that despite a tense 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina eventually won, he still has a good relationship with French star Kylian Mbappe.
Messi and Mbappe
Argentine football star Lionel Messi has stated that despite a tense 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina eventually won, he still has a good relationship with French star Kylian Mbappe.
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When asked if he has discussed the final from Qatar with Mbappe, Messi said;
“Yes, we talked about the game, the celebrations how people had lived in Argentina in those days that I had been on vacation and the festivities we had. And nothing, nothing more, but good, really good.
“I was on the other side too, I had to lose a world final as well and I didn’t want to know anything about that, about what had happened. And nothing that had to do with the World Cup at that time, that’s why I don’t want to talk about it either. But the truth is that there is no problem with Kylian, quite the opposite.”
Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, an 18-year-old Nigerian midfielder, has completed his transfer from Remo Stars of the Nigerian Professional League to Inter Milan of Italy’s Seria A.
Ebenezer Akinsanmiro
Akinsanmiro who is an academy product of the club, signed a four-year deal with the Italian side. The transfer fee earned from the sale is yet to be declared.
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A statement released after the signing was completed read;
“Midfielder, Ebenezer Akinsanmiro has completed his move to Italian giant, Inter Milan from Remo Stars.
“The teenager who is an academy product of the club has signed a four-year deal.
“He was part of the team that helped Remo Stars gain promotion from the Nigeria National League to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) in the 2020/2021 season.
“He also featured in the 2021/22 Nigeria Professional Football League.
“Most notably, Ebenezer featured for the academy team, Beyond Limits in The Creative Championship and Viareggio Cup World Football Tournament.”
Akinsanmiro now joins a list of Nigerians like Christian Obodo, Taiye Taiwo, Seyi Olajengbesi, Obinna Nsofor, and Ederson Echiejile who earned a rare move to top European Leagues from the Nigeria Professional League (NPFL).
Ahead of the January transfer deadline, it has been reported that Portuguese footballer Joao Cancelo will leave Manchester City on loan to join Bayern Munich for the rest of the season.
Joao Cancelo
Cancelo has been a key player for City in recent times, taking in 36 appearances for the Premier League champions last season while making the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in each of the last two campaigns.
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Some English media platforms reported that Manchester United and Bayern Munich are working out a short-term move with an option to buy him for €70 million (£61.6 million).
The 28-year-old spent three and a half years at the Etihad after joining the club from Juventus in 2019 for €65 million (£60 million).
Cancelo is now eager to leave to get first-team football after losing his place since the World Cup.
The Portugal international has only started three of City’s 10 games since the World Cup and has not featured since the Manchester derby defeat.
City’s shift in tactics, plus the emergence of teenager Rico Lewis, the ability of Nathan Ake to play left-back, and the fact manager Pep Guardiola has five central defenders in his squad means they believe they have enough cover to cope without him for the rest of the season.
Bayern has already lost left-back Lucas Hernandez for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
The club’s full-back Noussair Mazrouai was also sidelined recently, though they did sign the Netherlands international Daley Blind.
Bayern could also lose Benjamin Pavard this summer, with the France defender’s contract running out in 2024, all of which makes Cancelo a timely addition immediately and for the future.
If Cancelo seals a switch before the winter window closes on Tuesday, then he would be in line to make his debut for Bayern in either a DFB-Pokal clash with Mainz on Wednesday or a Bundesliga trip to Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Sean Dyche has been named as the new coach of Everton following the sack of Frank Lampard who left the team at the 19th spot on the Premier League table.
Sean Dyche
Dyche was appointed as coach of Everton on a two-and-a-half-year contract, and his main task would be to get the team out of the relegation zone.
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Speaking to the club’s website, Dyche said;
“It’s an honour to become Everton manager. My staff and I are ready and eager to help get this great club back on track.
“I know about Everton’s passionate fanbase and how precious this club is to them. We’re ready to work and ready to give them what they want. That starts with sweat on the shirt, effort and getting back to some of the basic principles of what Everton Football Club has stood for for a long time.”
Prior to his recent appointment, Dyche was in charge of Burnley for 10 years. He enjoyed a good spell with the club, taking them to the 2018-19 Europa League play-offs, and keeping them in the Premier League for six consecutive seasons.
Dyche was sacked by Burnley last season with eight games to go. He left the club in a relegation fight, which ultimately saw them drop down to the Championship.
Rudi Garcia, the coach of Al-Nassr, has blamed Cristiano Ronaldo for the club’s loss to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup.
The club which signed Ronaldo in a record-breaking deal at the end of December, were defeated 3-1 in the semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup.
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Shortly after the match was concluded, the French coach was left to bemoan his side’s inability to make the most of their chances in the first-half, and he wasn’t afraid to criticise his new star man for missing a gilt-edged chance, either.
Garcia said:
“One of the things that changed the course of the match was Cristiano’s missed opportunity in the first half.
“I congratulate Al-Ittihad. They presented a much better first half than us, and we played a good second half, but unfortunately we were not able to adjust the result. It’s true that we regret losing the Super Cup, but we are still the first in the league.”
Garcia’s blunt verdict capped a miserable night for Ronaldo, who was taunted by Al-Ittihad fans chanting the name of his iconic rival Lionel Messi as he arrived the pitch.
Chelsea has reportedly accepted that selling Kai Havertz in 2023 will result in a significant loss.
Kai Havertz
Havertz, who is yet to set the Premier League alight since his September 2020 arrival, is being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. The German was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for a record transfer fee of £71 million.
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With Chelsea looking to raise funds through outgoing transfers to balance their books after a recent spending spree, there is talk that the Blues could offload Havertz for €60m this summer.
Sky Germany reported that while Bayern Munich has been ruled out as a potential destination, other clubs are ready to enter the race for the 23-year-old, including the likes of PSG, and Juventus.
Everton’s owner, Farhad Moshiri, has put the club up for sale just hours after sacking Frank Lampard due to a poor performance that has landed them in 19th place in the Premier League table.
Moshiri
Guardian reported that Moshiri who became the majority owner of the Merseyside club, having increased his shares to 94 percent last year, is hoping to secure at least £500million from the sale.
His decision to allegedly sell the club comes amid turmoil on and off the pitch, with the Toffees sacking Lampard after a run of defeats that left them joint-bottom at the foot of the Premier League table with just 15 points from 19 matches.
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Moshiri is said to be open to either a full or partial takeover of the club, with his decision coming after months of seeking external investment into Everton. It comes amid their plans to build a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, in a big-money project to move away from their long-time Goodison Park home.
Everton is said to have instructed Deloitte to handle the sale, which is the latest development in a chaotic week for the club following the dismissal of Lampard.
This is however coming barely a week after Moshiri rejected the possibility of a sale. The British-Iranian businessman told the club’s website last week;
“The club is not for sale but I have been talking to top investors to bridge a gap on the stadium. I can do it (the investing) myself but I want to bring top sport investors into Everton. We are close to having a deal done.”
However, since Moshiri’s comments a lot has changed, with Saturday’s loss worsening the club’s perilous league situation and with Lampard being removed as the manager.
Lampard’s sack means that Everton are on the lookout for their seventh permanent manager since Roberto Martinez left in May 2016.
