There’s no way to sugarcoat it; the last few weeks have been abysmal for Tottenham Hotspur.
Ange Postecoglou’s side recovered from their shock loss to Ipswich Town by hammering Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad, but instead of going on a run after such an incredible result, the North Londoners have seemingly fallen off a cliff.
They’ve drawn at home to AS Roma and Fulham, lost to Bournemouth and Chelsea and then last night, they drew away to Rangers in a game they really should have lost.
Bar Dejan Kulusevski and Fraser Forster, the whole team were dire, but one player in particular stood out for all the wrong reasons and could be Postecoglou’s own Roberto Soldado.
Soldado's Spurs career
When it comes to transfer flops at Spurs in the last 20 years or so, one name that will always pop up, rightly or wrongly, is striker Roberto Soldado.
The Spaniard joined the North Londoners in the summer of 2013 for a then-club-record fee of £26m, and while that was a lot of money, it seemed reasonable at the time as he’d just scored 57 goals and provided 11 assists in 97 appearances across the prior two campaigns for Valencia.
However, while there were certainly glimpses of brilliance during his time in N17, like a couple of hat-tricks, the Valencia-born poacher just couldn’t get to grips with life in the Premier League and went from one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe to below-average at best.
Appearances
51
46
36
40
Goals
27
30
11
5
Assists
6
5
5
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.64
0.76
0.44
0.27
Moreover, due to the disconnect between expectation and reality, the Spaniard became something of a scapegoat for the team’s troubles, with journalist Sam Tighe describing him as the “flop of the season.”
This simply put more pressure on him to perform, and as every mistake was magnified it became something of a spiral until he lost his place in the team and was eventually sold to Villarreal two years after joining the club.
Roberto Soldado
It would be hard to describe his time at the club and transfer as anything other than a failure, and now it looks like Postecoglou could have his own Soldado in the current squad.
Postecoglou's own Soldado
So, to get straight to the point, the player in question is Timo Werner.
The first thing to say is that due to him being on loan and not a club-record signing, the pressure on the German to perform for the Lilywhites isn’t exactly the same as the pressure on Sodaldo.
However, unlike the Spaniard, the winger has shown very little quality at all during his time at the club, and is earning a whopping £165k-per-week, so he has received just as much criticism from fans and pundits alike.
Appearances
33
Minutes
1616′
Goals
3
Assists
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.27
Minutes per Goal Involvement
179.55′
This criticism, based primarily around his simply abysmal finishing, is the crux of the reason why he’s become the club’s new scapegoat and, therefore, arguably Postecoglou’s version of the former Valencia ace.
However, the manager is the man who made or agreed to the “astonishing” decision, per talkSPORT pundit Andy Townsend, to re-sign him in the summer, so the criticism of the 28-year-old is partly on him as well.
However, the former Chelsea ace was so dismal against Rangers that even the Australian couldn’t ignore it.
He ruthlessly took him off at half-time and doubled down in his post-match press conference, telling the media that the German’s performance “wasn’t acceptable,” which could be the most scathing he’s been about a particular player since taking the job last year.
Ultimately, while Werner doesn’t have a hefty price tag hanging over his head, he is on mega money and has been even more woeful in front of goal, which has seen him become the team’s current scapegoat, akin to what eventually happened to the Spaniard at Spurs.
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Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the greatest manager in the history of the game. Across a career that spanned four decades, his greatest successes began with Aberdeen, ending the duopoly of Rangers and Celtic while winning the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Then came Manchester United. A sleeping giant, the Old Trafford side needed a figure to rejuvenate them. Fergie was the perfect candidate. It took a while, but after winning the FA Cup in 1990, the trophies flowed like fine wine.
In the end, he won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League crowns and a host of other cups.
Perhaps his greatest legacy is that so many of those who played under him eventually took to management themselves. We have taken a look into those who followed in his footsteps, ranked by their relative success in the dugout.
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Competition
Times won
Premier League
13
Champions League
2
FA Cup
5
League Cup
4
European Cup Winners’ Cup
1
UEFA Super Cup
1
Intercontinental Cup
1
Charity Shield
10
FIFA Club World Cup
1
Via Transfermarkt
10 Roy Keane Former Sunderland and Ipswich manager
Given his playing career, Roy Keane looked as though he could make for an excellent manager, especially having played under Fergie for so long.
Taking over at Sunderland in August 2006, the onus was on Keane to lead the club back to the Premier League, and he duly achieved this, securing the Championship title at the first attempt. The club remained in the top flight the following season, but Keane resigned in December 2008.
His next and final managerial role was at Ipswich Town. He couldn’t inspire them to promotion and was sacked in 2011.
Since then, he has had spells as an assistant with the Republic of Ireland and Aston Villa, while a six-month stint at Nottingham Forest, again as a No 2, ended after just six months.
9 Wayne Rooney Current Plymouth Argyle boss
Derby County's former manager Wayne Rooney.
One of United’s finest players, Wayne Rooney hasn’t had it all his own way in the dugout so far. A two-year spell at Derby County saw the Rams slip into the third tier during his second season in charge, although this was largely due to a 21-point deduction.
Next up was D.C. United, taking charge for 53 matches, yet he won just 15 of them before enduring a dismal stint at Birmingham City which lasted only 15 games.
Keen to make his managerial career a success, Rooney hasn’t shied away, despite his status as he finds himself on the south coast with Plymouth Argyle.
8 Phil Neville Former teams include Inter Miami and England Women
Inter Miami coach Phil Neville
Often in the shadow of his brother Gary during their playing careers, Phil Neville has given the managerial side of things a proper go.
He led England Women to the 2019 FIFA World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals for the second tournament in a row, suffering an agonising defeat to the United States.
Stepping down in 2021, Neville soon took charge of Inter Miami, owned by his fellow Manchester United teammate David Beckham. While he led them to the play-offs in the 2022 season for the first time in their history, Neville was sacked in 2023.
It didn’t take him long to get another role in MLS, moving to Portland Timbers last November.
7 Ruud van Nistelrooy Leicester City manager
Ruud van Nistelrooy was one of the deadliest forwards in the Premier League during his spell at United.
After stints with the Netherlands national side and PSV Eindhoven’s youth teams, the Dutchman was announced as manager for the senior PSV side ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
During his sole campaign at the club, he won the Dutch Cup and the Johann Cruyff Shield, yet he resigned with just one match of the league season remaining, despite a solid debut.
Erik ten Hag brought him in as an assistant at United ahead of 2024/25, and when he was sacked, Van Nistelrooy was appointed as caretaker.
In his four games in charge, the Red Devils won three and drew one. His spell caught the attention of Leicester City (having beaten them twice), and the Foxes snapped him up to replace the sacked Steve Cooper.
6 Bryan Robson Steered West Brom to greatest Premier League escape act
Bryan Robson was one of the finest midfielders of his generation, although injury problems hit him hard during his career.
After 13 years at United, with several coming under Fergie’s leadership, Robson was appointed player-manager of Middlesbrough, leading them to the Premier League during the 1994/95 season.
The 1996/97 campaign saw the Englishman guide the club to the League Cup and FA Cup finals, yet they lost both, while Boro were relegated at the end of that season.
He spent another four years at the club before taking over at Bradford City in 2003. He later guided West Bromwich Albion to safety in 2005, despite the club starting the calendar year – and indeed, the final day – at the bottom of the Premier League table.
His most recent role was in charge of Thailand between 2009 and 2011, where he won just six matches.
5 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Another doomed Fergie successor
Former Manchester United managerOleGunnarSolskjaer
Following his playing career, Ole Gunnar Solskjær won two league titles with Molde in his homeland before taking over at Cardiff City in 2014. However, he was unable to prevent them from being relegated and returned to Norway for a second spell at Molde.
Following José Mourinho’s sacking in 2018, Solskjaer was appointed caretaker manager at Manchester United, before being announced as the new full-time boss of the Old Trafford side.
Third and second-placed finishes in the Premier League looked to have United back on the ascendency, but a poor start to the 2021/22 campaign saw the Norwegian sacked before Christmas, and he is yet to take up a new role.
4 Steve Bruce Championship promotion specialist
Out of all Fergie’s former players, Steve Bruce’s managerial career is certainly the one most travelled. 13 different spells across 12 clubs is impressive to say the least, although he has not won a major trophy during his spell in the dugout.
His first real success came with Birmingham City, taking charge for six years as the club became a mainstay in the Premier League. He is both a two-time Championship runner-up and double play-off winner, having also achieved these feats with Hull City.
Bruce then led Hull to the FA Cup final in 2014, losing to Arsenal, before stints at Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United followed.
After two years out of the game, the former defender is back this season, taking the reins at Blackpool.
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1 ByAlex Caple May 25, 2024 3 Mark Hughes Manager on the Premier League and international stage
Mark Hughes didn’t finish his playing career until 2002, yet he was given the Wales job in 1999 aged just 36. In his five years in charge, Wales came close to qualifying for Euro 2004, losing to Russia in a play-off.
A solid stint at Blackburn Rovers saw the club finish sixth in the top flight, securing qualification for the UEFA Cup, with a seventh-place finish coming in 2007/08, his last year in charge.
Failed spells at Manchester City, Fulham and QPR suggested his managerial career was destined to come to an end, but his spell at Stoke City proved otherwise.
Three successive top-half finishes with the Potters ensured they were consistent enough, yet they ended up being relegated at the end of the 2017/18 season. Hughes had departed a few months earlier.
He has been without a job since leaving Bradford City in 2023.
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ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 26, 2023 2 Gordon Strachan Achieved major success in Scotland
Fiery ginger winger Gordon Strachan played under Fergie at Aberdeen and Man Utd, before ending his playing career with a spell at Leeds United, helping them win the old First Division in 1992.
He took charge of Coventry City in 1996, initially as a player-manager, before making a full-time switch to the dugout the following year. Despite finishes of 15th and 14th in the top flight, the Sky Blues were relegated in 2001.
Strachan then steered Southampton to the FA Cup final in 2003, but his greatest managerial spell came at Celtic. Three league titles, two League Cups and the Scottish Cup were the highlights.
Following a poor spell in charge of Middlesbrough, Strachan took over as Scotland manager, but he couldn’t lead the nation to a major tournament, resigning in 2017.
1 Laurent Blanc Success on the continent
Laurent Blanc may not have enjoyed the best of times at United, winning just one Premier League trophy as his playing career was coming to an end, but he made the transition to management rather seamlessly.
He led Bordeaux to second place in Ligue 1 during his first season in charge, before ending their wait for a league title in 2009, also leading the club to Coupe de la Ligue success in the process.
A two-year spell in charge of France saw the nation reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, with Blanc resigning shortly after.
He achieved dominance with Paris Saint-Germain between 2013 and 2016, winning three consecutive league titles along with a host of domestic cups, but the Champions League eluded them. Since then, he has had spells with Lyon, Al-Rayyan and current side Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, though he has not won a major honour since leaving France.
In 2016, when Farhad Moshiri assumed majority ownership at Everton, the Iranian businessmen pledged to retain the finest players and spend money on targets finer still.
How’s that gone? The intervening years have been fraught with inconsistency and, recently, genuine concerns about the Premier League ground on which Goodison Park stands.
The Friedkin Group are gearing up to take the steering wheel, having agreed a deal to take Moshiri’s 94% stake in September. Whether this will happen in time for the January transfer window, and whether funds will be made free to spend on first-team arrivals, is anybody’s guess, though Sean Dyche’s squad sorely needs an addition or two.
Goals are an issue once again, and with Dominic Calvert-Lewin out of contract next summer, this is heightened. Armando Broja will hopefully be fit soon, however, and Beto is starting to find his feet.
Beto's improvements at Everton
Everton signed Beto from Italian club Udinese for a £26m fee last summer, but he flattered to deceive throughout his maiden campaign in England, scoring just three times across 30 outings during the 2023/24 Premier League season.
This year, he’s only notched one strike across seven top-flight appearances, albeit having yet to start and bagging the all-important equaliser against Fulham to salvage a point.
There’s something to be said of Beto’s physicality and athleticism. Contrary to Calvert-Lewin, the Guinea-Bissau international likes to make darting runs through the lines and latch onto surgical deliveries, something that fits Everton’s new less-frequent-crossing style.
Everton are 12th for crosses in the Premier League this term with 187 made so far. Last season, the Merseysiders finished third in the rankings with 752 made. Calvert-Lewin’s struggles have been illuminated.
In Beto, Everton are starting to find a weapon capable of coming up trumps in the closing stages of the match; after all, he equalised against Southampton one week on from his strike against Fulham, though it was chalked off for a marginal offside.
Beto for Everton.
While there are suggestions that he could be on the move in 2025, Everton will want to keep him at the club until the summer. He adds a dimension. Sometimes it’s best not to sell.
Sometimes, though, cashing in is the right thing. Take Demarai Gray, for example, whose time in Saudi Arabia hasn’t provided the on-field riches that the dynamic forward might have hoped for. He’s scored even less than Beto since leaving.
Why Everton struck gold selling Demarai Gray
Gray played for Everton over two campaigns, and held a prominent position in the team at that. He’s never been the most prolific, but pace and positional flexibility allowed for fluidity in the frontline.
You might say that the 28-year-old played the finest football of his career on Merseyside, garbed in blue. Indeed, Gray scored three goals across his first four Everton appearances in the Premier League, and finished that campaign with a praisable nine goal contributions from 28 starts.
During the Jamaica international’s first season at the Liverpool-based outfit, he instantly proved to inject electricity into the frontal group, ranking among the top 8% of forwards in the Premier League in 2021/22 for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
Such faculties even led journalist Scott Saunders to remark: “Demarai Gray is absolutely electric, fair play.”
Demarai Gray: Career Stats by Club
Club
Apps
Goals
Assists
G/A Rate
Leicester City
169
13
15
0.17
Birmingham City
78
8
4
0.15
Everton
75
12
6
0.24
Al-Ettifaq
29
4
5
0.31
Bayer Leverkusen
12
1
2
0.25
Stats via Transfermarkt
Gray’s contribution rate might be at its best with Al-Ettifaq, but he’s performing at a lower level of quality and, moreover, has only actually scored four goals since making the move in August 2023, in a deal worth £8m.
This might not seem like much, but Gray joined the Everton fold for less than £2m, ending a brief and rather unsuccessful stint in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.
While Everton didn’t collect the heftiest figure for his sale, Transfermarkt record that Gray is currently worth about £7m, so that’s about right. Furthermore, when considering the paltry figure that was forked out for his initial arrival from Leverkusen, it can be revealed that the Blues actually collected a bountiful 488% profit on their low-priced and low-risk venture.
While Goodison Park is struggling to hit a rich vein of attacking form under Dyche’s wing, it’s hard to imagine that Gray would inspire the current crop into action. After all, the likes of Iliman Ndiaye perform a similar role to him – and that Senegal international wears the trappings of a finer player than Everton’s ex.
More to the point, Gray is struggling for playing time in the Saudi Pro League under Steven Gerrard, making just four appearances this term, yet to score and with one lonely assist.
After hitting such middling ground across his first campaign in new territory, four goals and four assists apiece across 25 matches, Everton chiefs must be delighted with the funds collected from his departure.
His total tally of four goals from 29 matches for Al-Ettifaq falls below that of Beto, who has hardly been a goalscoring machine under Dyche’s wing but still presents a haul of seven goals from 46 fixtures, starting only 12 of those.
It’s easy to cast a doleful gaze back to a former forward who once did well in the club’s colours, but Gray displayed a streak toward the end that bespoke his non-committal mindset, and since he’s actually scored less than Beto since moving to the Gulf, it’s hardly a sale that has proved detrimental to Everton.
Maybe his best Premier League football lay ahead, but it’s an assumption that falls flat when looking at his performances for Al-Ettifaq. For such a healthy profit, the Toffees did the right thing.
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Everton must regret allowing the talent to leave Goodison Park.
Everything you need to know about Casemiro's salary playing Manchester United
Casemiro arrived at Manchester United after spending nine seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu with Real Madrid, having won every trophy available with Los Blancos before deciding to move to the Premier League for a new challenge.
Casemiro has been a regular for the Premier League side ever since, even if he has not quite hit the heights of his Madrid spell at Old Trafford, while also being one of the top earners in the squad and across the league.
But exactly how much does he earn at Manchester United?
GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!
*
Casemiro's wages at Manchester United in numbers
Under his current contract with Manchester United, Casemiro earns £350,000 ($452,296) on a weekly basis, while his annual salary scales up to £18.2 million ($23.5m)
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in GBP
Weekly wages in USD
Annual wages in GBP
Annual wages in USD
Casemiro
Brazilian
£350,000
$452,296
£18,200,000
$23,519,400
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTop earners at Manchester United
Casemiro is Manchester United's current highest earner, ahead of Portuguese midfielder, Bruno Fernandes who makes about £300,000 per week.
At third comes a surprise entrant in Mason Mount. The former Chelsea man is yet to establish himself at Old Trafford despite being on such high wages.
Rounding off the list at fourth and fifth position are centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire respectively.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages GBP
Weekly wages USD
Annual wages GBP
Annual wages in USD
Casemiro
Brazilian
£350,000
$452,296
£18,200,000
$23,519,400
Bruno Fernandes
Portuguese
£300,000
$387,682
£15,600,000
$20,159,485
Mason Mount
English
£250,000
$323,069
£13,000,000
$16,799,571
Matthijs de Ligt
Dutch
£195,000
$251,994
£10,140,000
$13,103,665
Harry Maguire
English
£190,000
$245,532
£9,880,000
$12,767,674
Top 5 earners in the Premier League
Casemiro is not only the highest earner at Manchester United, but also the fourth-highest earner across the Premier League.
The top spot belongs to Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, followed by his Manchester City team-mate Kevin de Bruyne.
At number three comes Liverpool's Mohamed Salah the number five spot belongs to yet another Manchester City player in Jack Grealish.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in GBP
Weekly wages in USD
Annual wages in GBP
Annual wage sin USD
Erling Haaland
Norwegian
£525,000
$678,444
£27,300,000
$35,279,099
Kevin De Bruyne
Belgian
£400,000
$516,910
£20,800,000
$26,879,314
Mohamed Salah
Egyptian
£350,000
$452,296
£18,200,000
$23,519,400
Casemiro
Brazilian
£350,000
$452,296
£18,200,000
$23,519,400
Jack Grealish
English
£300,000
$387,682
£15,600,000
$20,159,485
Getty Images SportHighest paid players in the world
Despite Casemiro's astronomical wages at Manchester United, him or none of the Premier League players come close to salaries of the highest-paid players in the world.
At the pinnacle sits the top goal-scorer of the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays his football for Al Nassr, followed by his former Real Madrid attacking partner Karim Benzema.
Meanwhile, former Manchester City player Riyad Mahrez makes an appearance at number three, followed by Senegalese internationals Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly.
All five highest paid players in the world currently play in the Saudi Pro League.
Rashid Khan comes up against his former franchise, who have won only one of their three games
Sruthi Ravindranath10-Apr-2022
Rashid Khan is two strikes away from 100 IPL wickets•BCCI
Big PictureGujarat Titans have proved they can take the heat of being part of the IPL. With that win against Punjab Kings, they’ve shown that they are the team to beat – they have the batting firepower and extraordinary bowling that makes them strong contenders for the title – in their very first shot.Is there anything not working for them? Hardik Pandya has shown signs of being captain cool in the making as he stayed calm in tense moments watching Rahul Tewatia do his magic. Titans’ middle order playing a big role in two out of the three wins means it’s no longer a big area of concern. Shubman Gill was back to his fluent best, Hardik chipped in with some all-round contributions, Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson have been effective in the powerplay and death overs alike, and Rashid Khan has been Rashid Khan. The one area they’d want to look at is the opening combination. With Matthew Wade struggling at the top of the order, they have the option to bring in Rahmanullah Gurbaz. But it’s likely they would persist with the winning combination.Titans’ form might intimidate Sunrisers Hyderabad. After a couple of disappointing losses, they beat Chennai Super Kings – who themselves are enduring a rough season – to get a W against their name. While it was quite a convincing win, they’d know by now that they have to bring their A-game to end Titans’ dream start. And they need to plan how to approach Rashid – who comes up against his former franchise – in order to give themselves a better chance.There were a few highlights in the win: the Tamil Nadu pair of Washington Sundar and T Natarajan bowled well to restrict Super Kings to 154, the under-pressure Abhishek Sharma showcased his talent with a 50-ball 75 and Rahul Tripathi, at No. 3, found his range. However, captain Kane Williamson’s form – especially his slow starts – has been a huge concern. While Umran Malik has been hitting impressive speeds, his bowling has been wayward. Will Williamson push himself down the order? Will they bring in legspinner Shreyas Gopal for Malik?Likely XIsSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik/Shreyas Gopal, 11 T NatarajanGujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Matthew Wade (wk)/Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Vijay Shankar, 4 Abhinav Manohar, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Darshan Nalkande, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Mohammed ShamiStrategy PuntAlthough Williamson is struggling at the top of the order, it is unlikely Sunrisers will promote Tripathi to open mainly because of his poor record against Shami and his decent record against Rashid. Shami has been one of the key bowlers for Titans and has picked up six wickets in three games. While he also has the wood over Williamson, having dismissed him four times in nine meetings in T20s, he can also be a threat to Tripathi, who comes into this game on the back of good scores. Tripathi can be dangerous once he gets going, and Shami could be the man who can stop him. Tripathi has been dismissed by Shami twice in seven games, averaging just 10 and striking at 91. He has struck at 141 against Rashid, so he might be key in playing out the legspinner in the middle overs.Stats that matter Shami is the only bowler to have dismissed Williamson three times in the IPL. Williamson averages just 9.67 against the fast bowler Sunrisers have scored runs at 5.1 in the powerplay, the lowest for a team this season (as of April 9) Hardik Pandya is one big hit away from tallying 100 sixes in the IPL Rashid needs to strike two more times for a total of 100 wickets in the tournament
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will be elated with the way that his team have started the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership campaign, with 14 wins from 15 matches.
The Hoops have been almost faultess in the top-flight and are on course to win the title for the second season in succession since the Northern Irish head coach returned to replace Ange Postecoglou last year.
Celtic’s board backed Rodgers throughout the recent summer transfer window, with the likes of Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo, Kasper Schmeichel, Adam Idah, and Auston Trusty, among others, brought in.
Arne Engels
The players the former Liverpool and Leicester City manager snapped up in his first summer transfer window at the club, however, have had mixed success.
Celtic's summer 2023 signings
Celtic brought in ten new players to bolster their squad after Rodgers entered the dugout for the second time; Nat Phillips, Hyun-jun Yang, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Paulo Bernardo, Luis Palma, Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Marco Tilio, Tomoki Iwata and Odin Thiago Holm.
Of those ten players, only Bernardo – who signed permanently this year after his loan last term, and Yang have featured in at least five Premiership matches this season.
Celtic winger Hyun-jun Yang.
Phillips returned to Liverpool in January and Kwon, Lagerbielke, and Tilio are all currently out on loan, whilst Iwata was sold to Birmingham in the summer.
Nawrocki was hailed as “very highly-rated” by Rodgers, who described him as a “great” signing, after his reported £4.3m move from Polish side Legia Warsaw.
The defender, as shown in the video above, was also excited to get going at Parkhead and believed that he would be a good fit in Glasgow.
With the January transfer window less than a month away, however, the Northern Irishm manager must finally cash in on the Hoops flop, who has failed to live up to the hype that his manager created with those comments last year.
Why Maik Nawrocki should be sold
The Polish central defender was signed for a relatively big fee, of £4.3m, and has ended up way down the pecking order at Parkhead, behind Cameron Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Liam Scales, and Stephen Welsh.
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For the money spent, including his reported £12k-per-week wages, Nawrocki has, simply, not offered enough on the pitch for the Hoops, as Rodgers has not deemed him to be above the other players in his position.
He has been an unused substitute on seven occasions and made one appearance, as a substitute in the League Cup against Falkirk, in all competitions so far this season.
23/24 Premiership
Maik Nawrocki
Appearances
10
Starts
7
Pass accuracy
88%
Ground duel success rate
69%
Aerial duel success rate
50%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Nawrocki did feature in ten league games during the 2023/24 campaign but failed to nail down a regular starting spot.
The fact that he lost half of his aerial contests with opposition players may have played a part in that, as the 23-year-old flop was unable to dominate forwards in the air from set-pieces and open play.
Nawrocki has not made a single appearance in the Premiership this season and has not made a matchday squad in the division since October, despite being fit and available – as he has been on the bench for every Champions League game.
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Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the impressive marksman in January.
2 ByDan Emery Dec 2, 2024
Therefore, Rodgers must ruthlessly cash in on the centre-back, who has not proven to be a ‘great’ signing as of yet, due to his lack of importance to the team for the money spent on him.
O lateral-direito Nathan fez seu primeiro jogo na partida deste sábado (19), contra o Botafogo-SP, como profissional no São Paulo sob o comando de Rogério Ceni.
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A cria de Cotia, com somente 19 anos, já havia atuado pela equipe profissional do Tricolor junto a Hernán Crespo, na derrota por 3 a 2 para o 4 de Julho, no Albertão, pela Copa do Brasil, em julho de 2021. Porém, na vitória deste sábado contra o Botafogo-SP, o lateral se destacou devido ao seu bom rendimento em campo.
O camisa 45 teve movimentações importantes junto ao Rigoni, autor do primeiro gol da partida. Com o argentino escalado na função de segundo atacante, Nathan conseguiu buscar espaço para realizar passes importantes durante o tempo que ficou em campo.
Presente durante os primeiros 45 minutos, substituído por Talles no início do segundo tempo, Nathan foi peça essencial para que Rigoni conseguisse abrir o placar da equipe na primeira etapa da competição. O jovem atleta deu o passe para o camisa 7 do Tricolor, que aproveitou da bola para realizar o cruzamento que gerou o primeiro gol da equipe na partida, aos quatro minutos de jogo.
Além dessa assistência, o lateral surpreendeu em sua estreia no Morumbi ao mostrar bastante segurança e qualidade técnica ao chegar pelo lado direito. O jogador se revelou como mais uma boa opção para Rogério Ceni usar na posição, além de nomes como o de Moreira, também da base, mas que se destacou nesta primeira fase do Paulistão.
Agora, o São Paulo se prepara para enfrentar o São Bernardo nas quartas de final da competição, na próxima terça-feira (22), no Estádio do Morumbi, em jogo único.
Two male footballers playing in English football have reportedly escaped a sanction despite testing positive for a banned substance.
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Two footballers test positive for banned substance
Play in top four tiers of English football
Escape a sanction for 2023/24 failed test
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WHAT HAPPENED?
According to , two players tested positive for a banned substance during the tests carried out after Premier League and English Football League games last season. The report adds it is unclear what substances were found in the samples or why they escaped punishment.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The report adds that the number of tests carried out by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has dropped a significant amount year on year. In 2023-24, 2,176 tests across the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two were carried out, compared to 2,546 in those four divisions the year before. That is an 11 per cent fall in testing which is a worrying statistic and raises a lot of questions.
WHAT THE FA SAID
The English Football Association told : “We take anti-doping in English football extremely seriously. We are fully compliant with the National Anti-Doping Policy of the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; fund one of world sport’s leading anti-doping programmes; and input into targeted, researched and intelligence-led drug testing that is directed by UK Anti-Doping. We also operate our own dedicated social drugs programme to safeguard the physical and mental wellbeing of footballers; and to uphold the values and ethics of the sport.”
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WHAT NEXT?
One player who is currently suspended after returning an adverse finding in a urine test last November is Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian has denied any wrongdoing and is awaiting what punishment, if any, will be handed to him.
As The Freidkin Group continue to prepare for their arrival, the prospective new Everton owners have reportedly identified an 11-trophy manager as their new top target to replace Sean Dyche.
Everton transfer news
Whilst the Toffees remain outside of the Premier League relegation zone, it hasn’t exactly been a season in which they’ve set the world alight once again. In fact, their 0-0 draw against Brentford last time out just about summed things up for Dyche’s side in front of the Goodison Park faithful, who are desperate for more than just a team that avoids the dropzone.
Those in Merseyside will be hoping that prospective new owners The Friedkin Group will be able to finally match their ambitions to take the club back into the top half of the Premier League.
If recent rumours are anything to go by too, then that show of ambition could start with replacing Dyche in the technical area. Names such as David Moyes and even Jose Mourinho have been mentioned alongside the job, but neither of those experienced managers reportedly sit top of Friedkin’s shortlist.
Instead, according to TeamTalk, The Friedkin Group now want to appoint Sergio Conceicao at Everton, who has emerged to become the new owners’ top target to replace Dyche.
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They’ll have to put together a convincing pitch, however, given that the former Porto boss reportedly wants a guarantee of signings and he’s coming off the back of such a successful spell in Portugal – winning 11 trophies whilst at Porto.
A serial winner, there’s no doubt that Conceicao would be an impressive option and certainly one that matches Everton’s newfound ambition, but the ball may be in his court rather than Friedkin’s if they push to secure his signature when they arrive.
"Great" Conceicao would be statement appointment
The most successful manager in Porto’s history on the trophy front, Everton would be making quite the statement by appointing Conceicao. however, Friedkin must also deliver a follow-up in the form of fresh faces. If the new owners want to get the best version of the former Porto boss, then handing him a side capable of matching his style would be the key to the ultimate success.
After the 50-year-old was linked with AC Milan last summer, former England boss Fabio Capello praised Conceicao via Sempremilan, saying: “He knows Serie A from his past as a footballer: he played and won here, this can certainly help him manage the pressure of the environment.
“As a coach he has done very, very well at Porto, demonstrating great tactical and attacking attention. His teams are solid and balanced, we saw it in the Champions League: when the Italians met Porto they often suffered.”
The Everton job is by no means a simple role, and Dyche deserves great credit for how he’s kept the Toffees afloat amid endless issues away from the pitch. But as a new era begins, Friedkin could show fresh ambition and chase Conceicao’s signature.