When I spoke with Tottenham this week, they informed me that Rodrigo Bentancur would probably be sidelined for a few weeks due to an ankle ligament tear sustained in a tackle by Matty Cash of Villa. Manor Solomon, Richarlison, Micky van de Ven, and James Maddison were all receiving treatment in the medical room this week.
Last weekend, Postecoglou only had eight substitutes on the bench, two of whom were goalkeepers. According to the coach, this indicates how serious Tottenham’s injury list is. With only twenty-five players in their squad, they began the match against Villa with four full backs, no defensive midfielder, and young players on the bench. Postecoglou was most impressed by Giovani Lo Celso, who hadn’t started a Premier League match since October 2021 under Nino Espirito Santos.
He scored a goal, was vivacious and intelligent, and did enough to persuade the coach that he can replace James Maddison. Spurs have a very difficult Sunday afternoon matchup against City, as Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal will likely have to play out of position.
Pep Guardiola will choose on Saturday whether to start Jack Grealish or Doku. Jack Grealish has recovered from his illness and City will begin with their most recent lineup of players available. John Stones may miss the City match against Tottenham, according to reports from the medical staff at City. He’s been extremely unfortunate to keep getting hurt.
Pep Guardiola made it apparent that this was a medical decision to not rush him back into the team, even though he was not used as a substitute during the game on Saturday. Although Stones was in training this week, Manu Akanji is most likely to fill in as the defender. “He feels good, but I want to have proper strength training sessions for one or two weeks,” Guardiola stated. I want him to be fully prepared.
“Manu and Rodri are playing excellently together; they break the lines and interact with the wingers at the right moment, moving with the right tempo.” he said. It was excellent both at Chelsea and against Liverpool. Manu, what a signing. holding midfield, center back, and full back. What a player our Sporting Director, Txiki (Bergristain), has brought me.
January is United’s major clear-out month.
In January, Manchester United plans to let go of several players. United wants to further cut their wage bill, and fourteen players who had been on the first team left in the summer. Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton’s current contracts expire in June, and talks are underway to extend them. Complete-back Alvaro Fernandez is in Italy with Girona, while Brandon Williams is on loan at Ipswich, where he has been performing admirably.
Either way, United may decide to cash in and sell both players, or the loan terms could be extended. Even though Victor Lindelof has a short contract and has started 11 of United’s 18 games this season, Erik Ten Hag’s desire for a new defensive center-back puts him in danger. Raphael Verane is now on the bench due to Harry Maguire’s improved play, and United wants to get rid of his big salary. Verane is searching for a way out.
Although Scott McTominay is back in Ten Hag’s starting lineup, rumors are circulating at Old Trafford that the team will take an offer they deem reasonable. Although United and Fiorentina have an agreement for Sofyan Amrabat to be signed on loan, the player has struggled in the Premier League, and United is debating whether to keep him. Christian Eriksen’s contract expires in 19 months, and in February, he and Casimero both turn 32. It is possible for either to be sold.
Because United realizes Anthony Martial won’t draw in big offers from European teams, Martial may be released instead of having his contract extended by another year. Since September 2020, when he turned 28 years old, he has only scored 18 goals. Erik Ten Hag has made it clear that he does not want Donny Van De Beek or Jadon Sancho, and if good offers come in, they will go unless something dramatic happens, like Sir Jim Ratcliffe intervening if he buys 25% of the club shares in time.
It is known that he thinks highly of Sancho. Mason Greenwood’s release from United is likely to occur during two more transfer windows, as both players and fans have expressed their desire for him to leave the team. He is currently on loan at Getafe in Spain.
Emery downplays the success of Villa.
Unai Emery, the coach of Aston Villa, is a realist. Even though his team is currently riding high in the Premier League standings, he thinks it will still be difficult to place in the top six and qualify for Europe. According to Emery, Villa has less chance than Manchester City, United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Newcastle to qualify for the Champions League the following year.
But he adds, “There are still 38 matches left, so anything can happen.” We’ll be strict and determined as always. Despite Arsenal’s insistence that they will pay a high price to acquire Douglas Luiz for the Emirates Stadium, Emery has put an end to rumors that Villa might sell the player in January. “We want to keep Douglas because he’s a very important player for us and he’s happy here,” Emery stated. On Sunday, Villa will visit Bournemouth, where Emery anticipates a fierce matchup against a team that is only getting better.
United monitors Muller of Bayern.
A report about Thomas Muller, the forward for Bayern Munich, has been compiled by Manchester United. This season, the 34-year-old German star has only started four games and is typically a late addition in the second half. Thomas has spent his entire career at Bayern, but he has made indications that he may not sign a new contract before it expires in the summer. Erik Ten Hag, the United coach, has always thought highly of Muller.
Hudson-Odoi coming back to support Forest
Steve Cooper, the coach of Nottingham Forest, expressed his happiness that Callum Hudson-Odoi appears to have recovered from his recent hamstring injury. Cooper told us that although he hadn’t planned to play Callum so early in the game, “it was good to get him back and he is going to be important for us” when he entered the game against Brighton in the second half. Leading scorer Taiwo Awonyi will be sidelined until the New Year due to a surgically necessary groin injury.
Chelsea is pursuing Osimhen once more.
Chelsea attempted to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli during the summer. The 24-year-old was turned down by the Blues, and Nicolas Jackson of Villarreal was sent to Stamford Bridge in his place. A few months later, it seems that Osimhen and his Italian employers have had a falling out over a video that seems to make fun of him; however, the club owners refute this.
Chelsea is once again concentrating on Osimhen because they are not entirely satisfied with Jackson, who is erratic, but any sincere interest may be dashed by Napoli’s exorbitant ยฃ100 million asking price. The Nigerian’s quality is beyond dispute. In 32 games, he has scored 26 goals, and so far this season, he has scored six goals in nine games.