All posts by z3u9t.icu

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed Manchester City will receive an ‘excellent’ risk-free pay-out from UEFA’s latest commercial deal.

The Lowdown: UEFA’s deal

On Monday 12 September, it was announced that UEFA had come to a branding deal agreement with Football Manager for its 2023 iteration of the video game.

This means FM23 will feature the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup for the first time in the game’s history.

This will add to Man City’s sizeable commercial income, which totalled a staggering £271.7m for the 2020/21 financial year.

The Latest: Maguire’s claim

Maguire says that whilst the cash pay-out won’t make a significant difference to City in the short-term, the no-risk nature of the deal will only benefit the Premier League champions.

Speaking with Football Insider, the finance expert said:

“The arrangement with Football Manager can only be considered a positive thing.

“There is no-risk with respect of individual clubs. While one deal like this won’t move the dial a huge amount, it is a case of every little helps.

“All they are doing is lending the company their intellectual property. The cash goes into the central pot, which is then split between the teams.

“City do excellent work in the commercial department, but they will love this as, with this sort of deal, everything is tied up by UEFA.”

The Verdict: The elusive trophy

Whilst City have enjoyed emphatic domestic success over the past few years, with Pep Guardiola’s side having won four of the last five Premier League titles, European silverware is still missing from the trophy cabinet at the Etihad.

The Blues continue to dominate domestically, but without a Champions League victory they will still receive the same agendas from rivals whose clubs do possess such a rich history in the competition.

Deals like the Football Manager licensing contract will spread the club’s worldwide commercial appeal, and it’s now up to the Blues to get it done on the pitch to prove their status as one of football’s biggest clubs, once and for all.

Sunderland have made plenty of big transfer missteps that ultimately led to their slump down the divisions.

However, arguably their worst ever signing was the decision to bring in Jack Rodwell for a large fee on a five-year deal.

Coming from Manchester City, the English midfielder naturally demanded big money, but for the promise he had shown at Everton it seemed worth it.

However, those that have seen the Netflix show ‘Sunderland Til I Die’ will know first-hand just how costly this decision was for the club.

Rodwell was draining resources from a club languishing in the Championship in 2018, and with the 31-year-old on £70k-per-week, he was asked to move on to ensure the safety of the club’s finances.

His refusal brought frustration from fans and those in the hierarchy of the club, as he oversaw yet another relegation to confirm their fall from grace.

He played just 76 times for the Wearside outfit, including twice during that 2017/18 season.

Rodwell was moved on following that season, but the damage had already been done by that point.

In total, it was 211 weeks of misery for the club. They had seen their £10m investment backfire tremendously. All in all, he cost his team £24.8m during his spell, which is roughly over £300k for each of his miserable appearances.

Even when he did play, during their relegation from the top-flight, he averaged just a 6.80 SofaScore rating in 20 appearances He provided no goals and just one assist.

He was labelled a “terrible” and “awful signing” for the Cityzens, but he did not have half the negative impact on them as he did on the Black Cats.

Even now they are striving for a Premier League return, battling away in the Championship.

Many would view the deal to sign Rodwell as one of the worst in Sunderland’s history, with his selfishness caught on camera for all to see.

He rinsed the club dry at their worst moment, and his refusal to leave despite struggling for game time had huge financial ramifications that they are still paying for now.

It will make them think twice before handing out long-term expensive contracts to risky transfer suggestions.

Nottingham Forest are currently enduring a tough return to life in the Premier League having picked up just four points from their opening seven league games, with the jury still out on the wisdom of trying to integrate such a vast number of new additions.

One of those 22 deals that was completed in the recent window saw the newly-promoted outfit pluck England international Jesse Lingard from Manchester United, following the expiry of the 29-year-old’s contract at Old Trafford.

While lauded as something of a coup at the time – having won the race for his signature ahead of West Ham United – the playmaker has since made a slow start to life at the City Ground, failing to net a single goal or register a single assist thus far this season.

In truth, manager Steve Cooper potentially missed a trick in not landing another free agent in the form of compatriot Gareth Bale, with the Wales superstar having reportedly been a player that the Garibaldi were considering in the recent window, following his exit from Real Madrid.

As it proved, the 33-year-old ultimately sealed a move to MLS side LAFC, with the ageing menace seemingly hoping to get up to speed in time for the upcoming World Cup, having been on the periphery in his final campaign at the Bernabeu – making just five La Liga appearances.

While the injury-prone veteran would not have been a figure to rely upon week-in, week-out for Cooper and co, he could well have provided that rare quality of being able to produce something out of nothing, having so often delivered the goods for both club and country over the years.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man has enjoyed a glittering career thus far with a plethora of major honours to his name – including five Champions League trophies – while his overall club record stands at 185 goals and 139 assists in 552 games to date.

Although no longer at his peak, the 107-cap menace still has that ability to be a “game-changer” – as described by journalist Stuart James – having netted twice in stunning fashion for his country against Austria in the World Cup, semi-final play-off back in June.

A man with a knack for the spectacular – notably netting that gravity-defying overhead kick against Liverpool in the European showpiece back in 2018 – Bale would certainly have provided a real magic touch to a Forest side that currently looks in need of imagination and leadership.

Although the one-time Southampton man has been gradually eased into life in America, he has already showcased the difference he can make in the final third, scoring twice in just 11 league outings including a brilliant solo goal against Real Salt Lake last month.

As such, for all the signings that Cooper did sanction this summer, it could well be one that he didn’t make that ultimately proves costly, with the club having missed out on Bale for a second time after previously doing so over a decade ago…

It may be October, but the days are being counted down to the start of the 2022 World Cup. It promises to be a memorable tournament, and Brazil again has strong fancies of becoming world champions. Will this be the last international tournament that Neymar plays in?

The PSG player seems to have been around forever, but he’s still only 30. He’ll be 34 when the 2026 World Cup is held in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Neymar has already got many interests off the pitch, including playing Texas Hold’em poker tournaments in Las Vegas, where he spent part of last summer.

It was 12 years ago that Neymar made his international debut. He goes into the 2022 World Cup with 121 caps and 75 goals. Twenty of those have come in either World Cup qualifiers or the finals.  Just three more goals will see him become the leading scorer for Brazil, going ahead of the legendary Pele.

This year has been an eventful one for the Brazilian international. He began the year on the injured list, not playing until February. By the end of the season, there were rumours that PSG wanted to offload him. Many articles were written about where he would begin the 2022/23 season.

No transfer took place, leaving the French champions with a formidable trio of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi. The new season has seen all three in great form and Neymar has been in great shape.

Up to the international break in September, he’d not just scored eight goals but made seven assists too. No wonder PSG decided to keep him at their club.

Will the 2022 World Cup be his final international tournament? A lot will depend on whether Neymar wants to follow in the footsteps of some of the other members of the current Brazilian squad.

Thiago Silva is 38 years old, Everton Ribeiro 33 and Weverton, 34. If they can still be contributing a great deal to the Brazilian squad, then we can’t rule out seeing Neymar in 2026.

There is much promising young talent in their squad who could make it difficult for Neymar to keep his place. Richarlison, Antony, Raphinha, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Pedro all look to have promising international careers ahead of them. Will they oust Junior in the next few years?

There will still be Copa America tournaments for him to play in. The next Copa America takes place in 2024; perhaps that might prove to be his swan song.

A lot depends on what Neymar wants to do in the future. He’s still enjoying a successful club and international career. There have been some injuries in recent years, which may reduce the number of years he has left in the game. While he remains fit, though, Neymar will likely want to continue his career at club level and playing internationals.

Neymar isn’t just looking to be a successful playing football. One of many talented Brazilian attackers, he loves playing Texas Hold’em Poker and not just having a game with other members of the PSG squad. The 30-year-old has enjoyed success playing against the top poker players in the world.

Since 2020 Neymar has been a cultural ambassador for a poker site. He’s already on record saying that becoming a professional poker player is planned when he retires from football. During the 2014 World Cup, he first started playing poker and admits that he fell in love with the game.

Neymar even named his pet dog ‘Poker.’ He went on to play even more when with Barcelona, and now he’s at PSG. The 30-year-old spent some of this summer playing poker tournaments, and he’s no stranger to playing in Las Vegas.

Several footballers love playing poker. Perhaps one day we’ll see Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo around the same table? Neymar says there are similarities between the two games. He says that it’s “the ways how you read your game and your opponent and choose when to attack.”

Attacking is, of course, what he does best. However, he admits that sometimes he does play too many hands. He’ll have to sort that problem out if he wants to rise to the top of the professional poker circuit.

One fact that might keep Neymar playing is his desire to win a World Cup with Brazil. That’s yet to happen, and who knows, if they become world champions in December, that might persuade him to retire earlier and head for the poker tables.

Photo by Unsplash

Leeds United midfielder Adam Forshaw has been ruled out for at least a month…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to The Athletic’s ever-reliable Phil Hay, who has revealed that the long-serving 31-year-old has undergone surgery ahead of today’s Premier League clash at Crystal Palace.

“There’s no Adam Forshaw again this afternoon. He’s out for a month after a hernia op,” he wrote when discussing team news pre-game.

Worry for Marsch

Forshaw has been absent since August with yet another injury and now manager Jesse Marsch will not be able to call upon the reliable (when fit) star in the next rung of important fixtures.

You only have to look at netbet  to see what the bookies think of the impact the injury has on the odds for Leeds United this campaign.

This should, of course, be a gutting blow to the American head coach as it ultimately leaves him not just light on central midfield options but also now lacking a leader in and around the dressing room.

The former Middlesbrough man is among six players that Marsch leans on for advice and feedback within the playing squad and speaking about him last season, the Leeds boss said:

“Adam’s an important player for us. He’s a big leader for us. He helped set up [a] couple of goals with some of the plays he made. He’s a very reliable leader and player for us. No question.”

Indeed, Forshaw played an integral role in the Whites’ survival bid last season, regularly featuring in the absence of Kalvin Phillips. His influence in the engine room was vital, combining tenacity with authority to get them over the line on the final day against Brentford.

The £20k-per-week Liverpudlian has registered four appearances for the first team this season, including a 90-minute display against Barnsley in the League Cup but his time at Elland Road over the last four years has been blighted by injury, restricting him to just 82 matches.

That said, when he has played, he has done what’s asked of him, if not more, proving to be a key figure in around the dressing room and this latest setback has to be a worry for Marsch.

Without him, his only backup to Marc Roca and Tyler Adams is Mateusz Klich, who has struggled for form over the past 18 months, so whilst Forshaw isn’t the first name on the team sheet, he’s still a vital presence to have around and a solid backup on the pitch.

Photo by Unsplash

Chelsea are believed to be willing to ‘listen to offers’ for forward Christian Pulisic at the end of the season, according to a fresh transfer update.

The Lowdown: Pulisic out of favour

The American star has found himself little more than a peripheral figure at Stamford Bridge this season, struggling to get minutes under both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.

Pulisic has started only six matches in the Premier League in 2022/23 to date, with just one solitary goal coming his way, in all competitions.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from Chelsea recently, with Newcastle United keen on signing him in January, and his current deal expires at the end of next season.

The Latest: Summer exit likely

According to Football Insider, the Blues are now ‘ready’ to hear offers from other clubs for Pulisic’s services, with a summer exit looking on the cards.

Sources claim that the forward has reached the ‘end of the road’ under Potter and there are no plans to offer him an extension on his current contract.

The Verdict: Been a disappointment

It really does feel like a natural parting of the ways with Pulisic and Chelsea this summer, with the 56-cap USA international ultimately a disappointment for the club.

That’s not to say that there haven’t been good moments thrown in, with 26 goals and 21 assists coming his way, but he has rarely felt like a genuine key starter week in, week out.

Pulisic has undoubted talent – Jurgen Klinsmann has described him as a ‘fantastic’ player – but he has flattered to deceive too often and he hasn’t kicked on enough since emerging as a prodigious youngster at Borussia Dortmund.

This summer will be the last chance Chelsea have to receive good money for the winger, so selling him is an absolute no-brainer, allowing an upgrade to come in.

Scottish champions Celtic are currently marching on in the defence of their league title, having steered themselves four points clear at the top of the table following a barnstorming triumph over Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.

Amid that dramatic, VAR-dominated clash against Robbie Neilson’s side, striker Giorgos Giakoumakis continued his recent impressive form in front of goal, with the Greek international netting his fourth goal in the past three league games having made the most of his return to the starting XI.

The 27-year-old had been forced to play second fiddle to teammate Kyogo Furuhashi in the early weeks of the season, although is now providing stern competition for his fellow forward, having started the past three Scottish Premiership games.

The former VVV-Venlo man is not the only figure currently looking rejuvenated under Ange Postecoglou, however, with long-serving ace James Forrest having also continued his recent resurgence after netting the opening goal against the Jambos.

That well-taken header had come just a week on from the 31-year-old netting a clinical hat-trick in the 6-1 thrashing of Hibernian at Parkhead, with that treble having brought up a century of goals for the Scotland international since his senior debut back in 2010.

The Hoops academy graduate now looks completely “reborn” at Paradise – in the words of journalist Josh Bunting – with five goals in just eight appearances across all fronts this season so far, having previously been reduced to something of a bit-part role at the club last term.

While the 38-cap speedster still made 32 outings in all competitions during that title-winning campaign, almost half of those had come from the substitutes’ bench, with the Prestwick-born star having lost his place in the forward line amid the arrivals of the likes of Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda and Jota.

As such, there had been potential surprise when the £4.5m-rated ace was handed a new three-year deal back in May, although as Postecoglou has since suggested, that extension was not for “sentimental reasons” with the diminutive ace clearly still having a role to play moving forward.

The 5 foot 9 winger, who earns a reported £19k-per-week, seemingly “put a marker down” with his treble last week – as per ex-Bhoys striker John Hartson – with this latest effort having once again illustrated the player’s continued importance to the Old Firm outfit, going from a somewhat forgotten figure to hero status once again at Parkhead.

Newcastle United return to action in the Premier League tonight as they host Frank Lampard’s Everton at St. James’ Park under the lights.

The Magpies are unbeaten in their last five matches in the division and will be hoping to extend that run as they face a Toffees team in the bottom half of the table.

Eddie Howe’s men are sitting sixth in the league and could move up to fifth if results go their way, whilst their opponents are 14th and one point above the drop zone.

Newcastle held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw in their last Premier League outing as they picked up a point and a clean sheet at Old Trafford.

Whilst it maintained the unbeaten run and was a solid point away from home, Howe is unlikely to have been pleased with the lack of attacking quality on display from the Magpies as they only mustered two shots on target.

Allan Saint-Maximin and Alexander Isak remain out injured and this means that the manager will need to look elsewhere in his squad to spark the team into life.

One player he could unleash from the start to add some attacking flair to the line-up is academy graduate Elliot Anderson, who has been brought into the first-team fold this season, in central midfield or out wide.

The 19-year-old has made five substitute appearances in the top flight so far and now could be in line to finally be named in the starting XI, as he could make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

In 90 minutes of Premier League football, Anderson has won 53% of his duels, completed five tackles, and created one ‘big chance’ for the team.

Former Magpies scout Graham Carr previously hailed the youngster after being impressed by his performances on loan at Bristol Rovers last term, saying: “He is classy. He receives the ball like Peter Beardsley. He kills it & moves it all in one motion. That is a gift. He stood out like a sore thumb, miles above anyone else. I got in the car afterwards & started ringing people to talk about him.”

During his spell in League Two, the Scotland youth international scored seven goals and provided six assists in 20 starts, whilst creating 1.9 chances and making 1.7 tackles per game.

Anderson, who has played 83 games at club level from U18s to the first-team, is a player who has the potential to inject a spark into the team as he could make a big impact on the ball, with his ability to score and create goals.

He has shown glimpses of what he is capable of doing in possession in the Premier League so far this season and it is now down to Howe to unleash him from the start against the Toffees to see if he can make the step up.

Jacob Murphy and Ryan Fraser have one goal and zero assists in six combined starts between them and it is now time to see whether or not Anderson can ignite the side more than them in the absence of Saint-Maximin by starting on the left of the front three, away from his more natural attacking midfield role.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a double injury setback ahead of their Premier League meeting with AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via football.london), Antonio Conte revealed that both Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison remain unavailable for Spurs’ trip to the Vitality Stadium tomorrow afternoon, as the duo are yet to recover from their respective injuries.

When asked for an update on his team news ahead of Saturday’s fixture, the 53-year-old said: “No news, nothing new. Richarlison and Kulusevski are still out.”

Huge blow

Considering just how impressive both Kulusevski and Richarlison have been for Tottenham since their respective moves to the club, coupled with how short the absence of the duo leaves Conte of options in his three-man attack, it is clear that the fact the Italian will remain without the services of the forwards on Saturday will come as a huge blow to the 53-year-old manager.

Indeed, following Kulusevski’s January switch from Juventus, the £69m-rated winger has been in sensational form for Spurs, scoring six goals and registering 11 assists over his 29 appearances for the north London side – averaging a direct goal contribution every 114 minutes – as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.06 over his 25 league outings for the club.

Meanwhile, since Richarlison’s £60m move from Everton this summer, the £60m-rated striker has also impressed, scoring two goals and providing three assists over his 13 appearances for the club – averaging a direct goal contribution every 139 minutes – in addition to averaging an eye-catching SofaScore match rating of 7.20 over his four Champions League outings for Spurs.

As such, with the continued absence of the Swede and the Brazilian leaving Conte with only the option of deploying either Lucas Moura or Bryan Gil – who have played a combined 147 minutes of first-team football this season, proving how little the Italian trusts the duo – in his three-man attack, it is evident just how much of a blow being without the stricken pair is for Tottenham.

Indeed, with Spurs currently on a run of three games without a win – over which period the Lilywhites have bagged just two goals – it is clear that Kulusevski and Richarlison’s respective returns to action can not come soon enough for Conte – who will undoubtedly be hoping his side can get back to winning ways against the Cherries tomorrow afternoon.

West Bromwich Albion’s recent win over Blackpool saw a return to a flat back four, as Carlos Corberan masterminded just the club’s second win in 13 Championship games.

It also saw a whole host of fine performances, with Conor Townsend singled out for particular praise by SofaScore, who handed him a rating of 7.5, only bettered by the matchwinner Okay Yokuslu.

Labelled a “really productive and industrious player” by Chris Lepkowski, the ever-present 29-year-old – who recorded his 138th appearance for the club last night – has continued to impress this season despite the circumstances.

He is maintaining an average SofaScore rating of 6.84 and has featured in every league game so far.

Whilst something of a late bloomer, having waited until he was 25 to play in the Championship, the Hessle-born ace quickly became a mainstay for the Baggies.

It stood as proof that no matter where you come from or what you have been through if you are good enough the chances will come.

This message will certainly be relayed to Zac Ashworth, who is a talented full-back who will fancy his chances of one day displacing Townsend.

The forward-thinking 20-year-old has made just five senior appearances for West Brom to date, with two of those coming last season in the Championship.

Whilst he has just one goal in seven Premier League 2 appearances so far, last season his return of four assists marked just how creative he could be.

There is a marked similarity between the Wales youth international and former Baggies cult hero Liam Ridgewell, due to their tendency to attack from left-back.

Before Steve Clarke came into the Hawthorns, the 38-year-old had scored once and assisted another in just half a season, following up on an immensely impressive 11 assists during his time at Birmingham. He was poised to be a fine offensive threat, but the somewhat defensive football soon implemented thwarted his time in the Midlands.

However, with the arrival of Corberan, there are numerous positions that could see Ashworth implemented into the senior squad.

Boasting the ability to play in midfield and centre-back, he draws further similarities with Ridgewell who too featured in numerous positions across his career.

It is a testament to his growth that former boss Steve Bruce, who handed him those league appearances last season, claimed that he had come on “leaps and bounds” and was getting “bigger and stronger”.

With a clear eye for the offensive, and the progressive manager to likely unlock that in him, there is everything in place to ensure Ashworth can far surpass Ridgewell’s short but sweet legacy at West Brom.