And that, my friends, is this blog done for the day. After all that frenetic transfer and team lineup chatter, it’s time for us all to go forth and watch some actual football. Thanks for your company and comments and I’ll leave you with Football Daily, which has more to say on the same theme. Enjoy your weekend. Bye.
Marcus Rashford’s renaissance offers lessons to Liverpool’s struggling players, reckons Jürgen Klopp. Andy Hunter has a fuller report from Klopp’s presser.
Back up to Glasgow and a blow for Queen’s Park, who have been thrown out of the Scottish Cup for fielding an ineligible player in their fourth-round victory over Inverness. The on-loan Hearts striker Euan Henderson led the attack inQP’s 2-0 win in Tuesday’s rescheduled tie at the Caledonian Stadium but the 22-year-old should not have played as he was not signed prior to the original date of the game (21 January) before it was postponed due to the weather.
Henderson joined Queen’s on January 27 and Scottish Cup rules say that players can only play if they are registered before the original date of the game. Inverness have been reinstated to the tournament and will now travel to Livingston in the fifth round.
That’s a rare blow for a grand old club, who’ve rocketed up the pyramid in recent seasons and are top of the Championship despite being exiled at Stenhousemuir while they wait for the redevelopment of Lesser Hampden (in the shadow of Big Hampden, where they used to play) to be completed.
Talking of squads, here’s this weekend’s likely lineups in the Premier League:
Aubameyang left out of Chelsea's Champions League squad
The Blues’ mega-spend was always going to have its victims within the squad, and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is out of Chelsea’s squad for the competition, having played in all their group-stage games. Enzo Fernández is in, of course, as is Hakim Ziyech, who almost left. Chelsea face Dortmund in the last 16.
Squad: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Édouard Mendy; Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly, César Azpilicuetea, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana; Enzo Fernándezm N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Denis Zakaria, Hakim Ziyech, Conor Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka; João Félix, Mykhailo Mudryk, Kai Havertz.
Down to Bournemouth, and Gary O’Neil has been basking in a satisfying transfer window for the Cherries, who are also under new ownership and face a testing trip to Brighton tomorrow, as PA Media relays …
Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil believes the January transfer window was a good month for the club after adding some quality to his squad.
The Cherries had a busy window making six signings overall, including securing two deadline-day deals with Illia Zabarnyi and Hamed Traore joining from Dynamo Kyiv and Sassuolo respectively.
O’Neil’s next challenge is ensuring Bournemouth can stay in the Premier League, with the team currently sat third-from-bottom of the table on goal difference, but he believes their January business can move the club forward.
“We had a plan that we set out to achieve in January and everyone did a good job,” O’Neil told a press conference.
“We’ve recruited in areas that we were looking to recruit in and added some quality to the group, it was a good month for us.
“If you look at the whole window, we were really clear on what we were trying to do, if you start with the goalkeeper, for instance, we needed three senior goalkeepers in the squad.
“From that, with the rest of the business you can see in the profile of the players, the age, the transfer fees, there’s a real plan in place to move the club forward.
“That’s not only short term, but long term as well.”
“When it comes to spending,” emails Admir Pajic, “I am not sure what is there to say that would make sense so I want to offer my two cents on another topic before Todd Boehly offers two million cents to outbid me.
“As an Arsenal fan, I’ve been going through that weird feeling that I want Spurs to win their next game as it’s against Man City. It may be worth noting that Spurs have won the last three league games v City at home with Heung-min Son scoring in each one of those three games, City not scoring in any of those and Harry Kane missing two of those three games. A draw would satisfy us as well as Spurs wouldn’t win while City would still drop two points..
Let’s not forget that we need to beat Everton first. It may sound like an easy task given the state of our opponents but we haven’t won at Goodison Park since 2017-18 (5-2) with three defeats and a draw. One of the cures for possible complacency would be a brief look at our record against Sean Dyche’s Burnley in his last years at Turf Moor: in the last five league games, Arsenal won just one, drew three and lost one game while scoring just two goals. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored for both sides in 2020-21.”
While Emma Hayes spoke with confidence about Chelsea’s recruitment strategy, Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal need to look at theirs after ending a second successive transfer window a player short of what he had wanted. “I think recruitment is key if you’re going to be a successful team,” the manager said.
Suzanne Wrack has more:
Conte waits on medical advice for Tottenham return
A full report on Antonio Conte’s health situation, from Nick Ames:
Antonio Conte will learn on Saturday whether he has been passed fit to attend Tottenham’s match against Manchester City as he recovers from surgery to remove his gallbladder.
Conte is recuperating in Italy after Wednesday’s operation. He will take medical advice on whether he is able to be at Sunday’s game and in what capacity, with full involvement on the touchline highly unlikely even if he is cleared to travel. His assistant, Cristian Stellini, would manage the team in his absence.
Patrick Vieira has also been speaking about the shortage of black managers at the top end of the game, as PA Media reports.
Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira acknowledged he remains bewildered by the lack of black managers in top jobs after landing on a list of the most influential black figures in the English game.
Vieira was on Thursday honoured alongside Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Lianne Sanderson on this year’s Football Black List, with Vincent Kompany, who manages Championship leaders Burnley, also recognised for his impact.
While Kompany could join Vieira in the Premier League next season, former England boss Hope Powell’s October departure from Women’s Super League side Brighton left Vieira as the only black manager across the entire English top flight.
“It troubles me a lot,” said Vieira. “It’s difficult for me to get it and to understand it, and I think that just shows there is still a long way to go.”
Of his inclusion on the list, he added: “I think it’s always good to be recognised as a positive role model, I would say.”
Chelsea’s women, unlike their men, did not wave wads about in the market last month. Emma Hayes has explained why: “We’ve bid for big names many times over the years and our decision not to add players this window was that we’ve always wanted to do our business in the summer – it’s easier for team-building.
Asked what bids like Arsenal’s for Alessia Russo show about the status of the women’s game, Hayes deadpans: “That it’s a record bid, that the game is becoming more and more interesting for you guys to report – it gives you a couple of stories but as I said January is a notriously difficult window.”
What FA Cup fifth round games will be live on TV? The answer is most of them, what with the travesty of them all being once again in midweek. Good luck to Brighton fans getting back from Stoke and Spurs fans schlepping back from north Wales or south Yorkshire.
Live #FACup fifth round ties confirmed: pic.twitter.com/qktYj48U1E
— Gary Taphouse (@garytaphouse) February 3, 2023
You’ll never guess what they asked Brentford’s manager, Thomas Frank, about. He has some interesting thoughts, to be fair: “I don’t want to go down the American way with drafts and no relegation and salary caps but it disrupts the competition doing what Chelsea have done. It’s crazy, really a lot of money. Whether it could be [a rule that] you can only buy a certain number of players or have a certain amount in the squad, it would be good for football and for European football if you want a competitive Europa League and Champions League, I don’t know the solution but I’d love it to be a more even competition. It’s more prescient to me with the second lowest budget [in the Premier League] but if you have a good strategy and good people you can compete.” Frank went on to stress his admiration for Graham Potter as a coach.
As for his own actual team, who host Southampton tomorrow, Pontus Jansson and Frank Onyeka are “very close” to a first-team return. “It’s still too soon, but they are very close,” Frank said. “Onyeka is training almost fully with the group; Pontus is slightly behind him.”
Eco-news now, and it’s Green Weekend in the EFL. Jonathan Liew spoke to Swindon’s sustainability officer (and former promotion-winning player) Michael Doughty among others as the League Two club look to set some standards, but wonders whether the game in general is doing enough
Unlike the EFL, the Premier League isn’t even taking part in Green Football Weekend. Its environmental sustainability strategy, scheduled to launch in 2022, is yet to materialise. And while it has its own goals – halving emissions by 2030, going net zero by 2040 – perhaps the reason it has been so taciturn on the subject is the sort of questions it might invite. Questions about short-haul flights. About its official oil partner. About airline sponsorships, cryptocurrency partnerships, clubs funded by some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers. Awkward questions.
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“On Moisés Caicedo,” emails Matthew Carpenter-Arevalo. “I live in Ecuador, where Moisés is revered for his talent and discipline. He also comes from a poor background and is the youngest of ten siblings. He supports many people well beyond his immediate family, and he’s only 21. With Arsenal offering to pay him in a month what he makes in a year, it’s easy to understand his context. I hope the Brighton fans understand that his motivation is driven not by greed but by the responsibility he has to his family and his community.”
Indeed. The worst takes in every bout of transfer fee tut-tutting are always those that turn their fire on “greedy players”. They’re not the ones powering this.
A bit more from Leeds, and PA Media reporting on Jesse Marsch’s insistence that Jack Harrison is happy to stay at Elland Road despite a move to Leicester almost coming to fruition.
Harrison travelled to Leicester for talks with their manager Brendan Rodgers after the Foxes had made a reported late bid of £20million, but the deal fell through.
Marsch said the 26-year-old midfielder, who has 18 months left on his contract at Elland Road, will now sign a new deal with the Yorkshire club.
“In the 11th hour something came from Leicester,” Marsch said. “We’d been talking with Jack for quite a while about renegotiating his contract and it had gone well, but it had stalled at different moments.
“We’ve spent a lot of money in the last couple of transfer windows, I think very wisely, and we’ve invested very wisely.
“Before all the powers that be could get together from different angles, then in the 11th hour there’s some internal discussion in a lot of different ways on what’s best for everyone.
“But once it all came together it was clear that we wanted Jack to stay and Jack wanted to stay and that’s why he’s still here.”
Over to the WSL and Jonas Eidevall has been speaking in the buildup to Arsenal’s match at West Ham on Sunday evening, and inevitably up front and centre was the failed audacious bid for Alessia Russo.
“I think it was clear in the window that we need another forward and we identified targets,” said the Arsenal manager. “The club worked very hard in a very difficult transfer window where it was difficult to find clubs wanting to sell quality players. Now we have to look forward and make the best of the situation. I still have a squad with a lot of quality – we’re short in numbers, I know that, but we can be competitive.
“Without going into details about what our targets were, we searched globally for players so it’s not a WSL thing. It was a tricky window to find clubs wanting to release players, because they too would find it hard to find their replacements.”
Conte could be at Manchester City game
Back to Tottenham now, and a PA Media take on Cristian Stellini’s media conference
Tottenham assistant Cristian Stellini has not ruled out boss Antonio Conte from being present for Sunday’s visit of Manchester City.
Conte is still in Italy following surgery to remove his gallbladder on Wednesday.
The 53-year-old returned to his home country following last weekend’s FA Cup win over Preston but was taken ill with “severe abdominal pain” that was later diagnosed as cholecystitis.
While the Spurs boss revealed on Instagram that his surgery had “gone well” and he was “feeling much better”, it had been expected he would not be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday – but his long-serving assistant did not rule out the possibility of the Italian being on the touchline.
Stellini said: “We don’t know yet when Antonio is coming back. Everything is possible.
“The surgery was good, he is recovering well. At the moment he is at home. We have two days for the game and everything can happen.
“Last week he had a problem that we thought was illness, not a problem like this. When he discovered this, it was a surprise and he was so sad about this, but we have to keep going and work.
“We had the time to speak to Antonio before the surgery about how we prepare and the way to prepare for the next game. Then we have lost him for 12 hours, the time [before and after)] for him to have the surgery. The surgery was not difficult and it is important he recovers well. This is the most important thing.
“Antonio, and probably the doctors that did the surgery for him, they have to decide, but we have 48 hours, we have two days to decide. We have time.”
It has been Stellini leading the training sessions this week, which is a new experience, but he has stood in for his boss previously this season.
Conte was banned for Spurs’ vital Champions League tie at Marseille and his assistant was the key figure on the touchline.
Stellini added: “After the surgery it is normal you don’t have the energy to speak about [the game], but immediately when he recover well from the surgery, he call me back and he start to talk about training and the next game.
“I was a player with Antonio so I know very well his mentality and what he wants from the team.” … Spurs will have a fully fit squad after Harry Kane recovered from the illness that forced him to be an unused substitute in last weekend’s FA Cup win at Preston.
Richarlison (adductor) and Lucas Moura (tendon) have also returned to training this week.
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Scotland now, and Big Ange Postecoglou said the future of Giorgos Giakoumakis was no longer “on his radar” and claimed Instagram users would find out about the Greece striker’s exit before he does.
Giakoumakis remained at Celtic at the end of the transfer window but different deadlines in Japan and the United States mean he can still move to suitors such as Urawa Red Diamonds and Atlanta United. The Hoops visit St Johnstone on Sunday.
De Zerbi urges Brighton fans to get behind Caicedo
Thanks Luke. Is there anyone in Britain who hasn’t been asked, or given their unsolicited opinion, on Chelsea’s transfer spree? I suspect there’ll be more where that came from before the day is out.
Roberto De Zerbi, however, is talking about a deal that didn’t happen – namely Moisés Caicedo’s non-transfer from Brighton, and he affirms that the Ecuador midfielder will be in the squad for the home match with Bournemouth tomorrow. “I was always honest and clear with you,” said the Brighton manager. “I’m very happy Moisés stays with us until the end of the season. I want to speak to our fans because I want them to support him and I don’t want them to criticise him.
“I love Moisés, the people who work inside of Brighton love him, he’s a good guy. I don’t know if he made a mistake or not [in seeking a move] but the transfer window is now closed. I take responsibility for him, and if I say something so clear about Moisés they have to believe in me. We need his performances and he’s a fantatsic guy so I don’t want to criticise.”
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And that concludes my stint on today’s footie countdown blog. Over to Tom Davies to bring it home.
The Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui is, you guessed it, asked about Chelsea’s recent spending spree: “I don’t have anything to say about the other teams … it depends on the economy of each team, of their needs, what they feel they need to improve. It’s not a question for me.
“Obviously in the transfer market, each team has its needs and strategy … I don’t have anything to say about Chelsea.
“We try to improve, to have more choices, we need to be more balanced now. Obviously we have more problems to make a squad list.
“Each one [of our players] has to improve our team, and help to our achieve our aims.”
Does Lopetegui have any team news before tomorrow’s meeting with Liverpool at Molineux (3pm kick-off)? “Nothing to highlight. We have had a good week of work. Now we are focusing to be able to compete with a fantastic team. Liverpool, we know them, they know us … this isn’t the first time we’ve played against them. I think the most important thing is to put the focus on the next match.”
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Lickedy-dickedy fingers, it’s Steve Cooper of Nottingham Forest!
“You really have to be together in how you play, how you behave, how you perform as a team,” says Cooper, before Sunday’s meeting against Leeds, regarding the fresh arrivals in the Forest squad. “What is good, is the players who’ve joined us through the window, is they’re joining a more joined-up dressing room.
“This has been a fantastic atmosphere and a motivated culture all through the season … we’re all motivated and focused to do well … we’re all enjoying working together …
“Here at the training ground, when the doors are closed, it’s a good place to be. We’re going to take that spirit into games, because we’re going to need it.”
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Klopp and Guardiola baffled by scale of Chelsea spree
The Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, and Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, have shared their thoughts on Chelsea’s record transfer spending. The Blues broke the British transfer record by spending £106.8million to acquire Enzo Fernández from Benfica on deadline day and spent a massive £320m in January, taking their total to well above £600m under Todd Boehly’s ownership.
“They are all good players, really good players. So from that point of view, congratulations. When you can do it, obviously they do it. But I don’t know the standard, how it’s possible with all the things around but it’s obviously not down to me to explain how it works,” said Klopp.
See below or click here for more from Klopp and Guardiola regarding that much-talked about issue …
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Mikel Arteta hopes Gabriel Martinelli’s new contract opens the floodgates for other key Arsenal players, including Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, to commit their long-term futures to the club.
Martinelli has signed a deal until 2027, rewarding an excellent season that has brought seven goals in 19 top-flight appearances for the Premier League leaders. It is hoped that Saka and Saliba, both of whose existing terms expire in 2024, will follow suit, with the former thought to be particularly close. Aaron Ramsdale is also discussing a fresh contract and Arteta confirmed there was the collective will to tie down first-team regulars.
Is Unai Emery happy with his Aston Villa squad, post-January? “Completely happy. The squad at the end [of the window] is enough, of course.
“The objective as a team, we have to remember where we were. Every team in the bottom [of the league] were signing a lot of players, to try and keep in the Premier League for the season.
“Our first objective is to keep the Premier League, it’s very important, we are not yet in the top 10. It’s very difficult to win matches … now, our target is to keep the Premier League, and to be in the top 10.
“Tomorrow [at home against Leicester] the match is very important … if we win we have a possibility to be in the top 10. We are going to play 17 matches in the second half of the season, and the game against Leicester that was postponed … no Cups, not playing in Europe … we have the players to get our best performances, and to believe.”
The Chelsea spending question arrives: “Was really, really a big impact … how they signed players, and the money they spent. They showed they are strong financially … for the PL of course it’s more difficut … but the Premier League is maybe now potentially the best league in the world. Financially they are showing it.”
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Tottenham face Manchester City on Sunday. Cristian Stellini is on media duty for Spurs today, and he said the following about the challenge ahead of them: “We have to be worried in the right way … not only [Erling] Haaland, but all the team … it’s maybe the greatest team in the world and they always fight until the end.
“We are scared, in the right way. We respect them. But we feel we can repeat the same first half we had in the last game, and we can do it for 90 minutes.”
QUIZ! … courtesy of Paul Campbell:
“I would like throw in my two-penneth on the Chelsea spending spree,” emails Shaun. “Understandably the focus has been on the amount of money spent and how compliant that is or isn’t with the regulations, but for me there is an aspect of this that worries me far more than the sums of money - the continued stockpiling of players by the (financially) elite clubs, Chelsea being the worst but not the only example.
“For how many years now have they been chewing up and spitting out talented young footballers? More than FFP, I would love to see more done to combat this, whether it be limiting the size of squads, amount of transfers per window or limiting the number of loans a club can have per season, and (if legally possible) limiting the amount of times an individual player can be loaned out by the same club. Look at the attacking players that Chelsea have now and tell me they have any intention of playing them all. As a football fan rather than a fan of any particular (big) club, I am tired of seeing exciting young players come along that then lose the best years of their careers as a pawn for a Hollywood club when they could be shining every week somewhere else.”
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was asked about Varane’s retirement from international duty: “It’s good news … he achieved everything with his nation, it’s incredible … big respect. I’m happy he puts all his energy and experience into our team.
“I didn’t discuss it with him, Raphaël is experienced, he made his own decision about that.
“I can only express my deep respect for his career … still there’s a lot to come, he’s ambitious, he wants to win a lot with Manchester United.”
Patrick Vieira is having a chat with the media before Crystal Palace’s trip to Old Trafford. As usual he is asked about Wilfried Zaha first, who is currently injured: “He is still on the treatment table … his injury will take a couple of weeks, so we have to do without him.
“Wilfried is some who recovers quite quickly … we let him work with the medical staff and try to get him back as soon as possible.
“Nathan [Ferguson] and Macca [James McArthur] are progressing really well … they have trained with the first team in the last couple of weeks but they are not ready … Joachim [Andersen] is progressing slowly, but he is not ready for the game tomorrow.”
Is he happy with the business in January, with Naouirou Ahamada and Albert Sambi Lokonga coming in? “You always have an idea about what you want to do … you always want to do big deals … I’m pleased with the players we managed to bring. It’s a different profile from what we have and that will give me different options. Both of them will be in the squad tomorrow.
“Ahamada is really mobile, running in behind the opposition … his intensity is really good, I’m pleased we brought him in. Lokonga knows the Premier League … he’s got the technical ability to improve our play. His mobility and his strength will help us.
“What’s important for him is to get more involved, to play more games, and we will give him that opportunity … of course he will have to work hard to get that space. We will work with him and try to improve him.”
Vieira is asked about Chelsea’s spending: “They did what they believe they needed to do … it’s not me who has to comment about what they’re doing.
“Manchester United are in a really good period … they are playing well, scoring a lot of goals. We work hard and we played some really good football at times. If we want to have a positive result we will have to raise the quality.
On Raphaël Varane’s retirement from international duty with France:: “From outside it looks surprising, he’s still really young and I believe he has the potential to help the French national team, but I know he went through some difficult times injury-wise. The decision has to be taken with respect, and we have to thank him for what he’s been doing with the French national team in the past few years.”
On Casemiro’s impact at Old Trafford: “I am not surprised by his impact, when you look at the amount of Champions Leagues he won … you shouldn’t be surprised.”
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A textbook reference to Forest simply as “Nottingham” there, from Marsch.
Convincing words from him anyway, on his certainty that the club and the team is heading in the right direction.
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The Leeds manager Jesse Marsch starts with an injury update: “Rodrigo will be out for 6-8 weeks … Archie [Gray] almost back in training … Sonny Perkins picked up a 10-day ankle injury against Accrington Stanley.”
On the injury to Rodrigo: “We’re obviously disappointed … first, as a manager, I feel it’s our responsibility to take care of these guys … trying to manage their bodies so they are not risking harm … he has a small fracture in the bottom of his tibia, you can never protect the players all the way, you can’t treat them like porcelain.
“The emphasis of getting him on [against Accrington Stanley] was getting him and Patrick [Bamford] playing together.
“Pat [Bamford] is in a really good way … physically, this week he’s the best since I’ve been here … and we went out and got Georginio [Rutter, from Hoffenheim]
“We have a really balanced squad, a strong squad, and we’re excited for the matches coming up.”
Is he concerned about the relegation battle? “We can’t avoid the topic of the table, and it’s very tight, which makes the match against Nottingham very important … now it’s time to pick up some more results … if you go through out last seven games, we’ve only lost one … the key is to keep our foot on the gas, so we’re going to get to be the team we want to be.”
What does he think of Chelsea’s spending?
“I mean, I saw Jurgen Klopp’s response, that he needed a lawyer … Maybe I should say I the same thing, that I need Jurgen Klopp’s lawyer here … when teams have the resources and capacity to make big transfers that’s a benefit to them and their club.
“I am totally focused on us. I am thankful to be at a place where we work together … in the transfer windows it’s never easy but we’ve had two very successful windows and there is no question our team and our club is stronger than it was a year ago … it’s my job to make sure it continues to add up to results.
“Envy is not the right word [regarding Chelsea’s spree]. I’ve said I’d love to be here for a long time … as a manager you want to find a place where you have like-minded people … the conversations [within the club] are not too complex. In the big picture we are all working together to get stronger and stronger … are we internally connected to be successful? I think that’s what we have here.”
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Jesse Marsch is about to speak, before his Leeds side’s meeting with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
The Southampton manager Jones continues, regarding the challenge of playing Brentford in south west London tomorrow: “They are very innovative and very structured … they’re a real difficult side to play against. A fantastic manager who’s done really well, players who have been there a long time, and good recruitment. It looks like a really well run club, and that’s exactly what it is.”
Nathan Jones, the Southampton manager, is speaking to the media now before the Premier League meeting with Brentford tomorrow, and is talking about how the club strengthened in the January window.
“I’m happy with who we brought in and I thank the board for backing me.
“We’re always looking at the future … Carlos [Alcaraz] is a top midfielder for the future but one who will also contribute now … and we’ve added three who will add real potency [Mislav Orsic, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu] … we’ve really strengthened the squad, and I am really happy with that. My problem now is picking the team.
“We’ve got a real balance … everywhere I’ve been, I’ve left the squad in a better state than I found it … that’s always the case. This squad is much more potent, much more athletic than it was at the beginning of January.
“[Onuachu] has only been in the building for about an hour … We’d have liked to get him sooner and have a real good week with him.
“Once you see new faces, it does give everyone a lift, and we hope on the pitch it does give us more potency.”
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Interesting words from Klopp, re Chelsea, posted by Tom a while back, on their massive outlay on players: “Graham [Potter] knows [he has to make it work], how quickly it will work I don’t know.”
True, if not especially kind to his Chelsea counterpart.
Thanks Tom and enjoy your soup. Right, what’s occurring?
And with all that, I’ll hand you back to Luke and go and eat soup.
And we zoom straight over to Anfield and the Liverpool manager. Jürgen Klopp says he was encouraged by the display at Brighton, despite their FA Cup defeat. “A win looked possible, unlike the Brighton game earlier in January, we made good steps in the right direction, so yeah there are things that we can use and show tomorrow.
Klopp backs Mo Salah to recover his scoring touch going into his 200th league appearance for the club. “Strikers have to go through these [lean] periods, they all do, we’ve had to make changes and every striker benefits from things being settled. He might not be on a 100% confidence level but the desire to do it is there every hour, there is no problem with him.”
Of Chelsea’s spending he joshes that “I can say nothing without my lawyer … no that’s a joke. It’s part of the business – what can you do about it? It’s a big number and the players they’ve brought in are all really good players so from that point of view, congratulations. I don’t understand how [that level of spending] is possible with all the rules and things around – perhaps you understand how it works. Graham [Potter] knows [he has to make it work], how quickly it will work I don’t know.”
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Talk of Chelsea’s mega-splurge is dominating all pressers today and the Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola can’t resists a veiled barb/brag, pointing out that despite everything City have only been in the top five or six net spenders in recent years yet have won 11 titles. “That’s what really really counts to us. What Chelsea have done, what the other clubs have done is not my business. [A few years ago] eight or nine teams sent a latter to the Premier League about our spending, wanting us banned, so definitely [people treat City different from others].”
Turning to tomorrow’s match at Spurs, Guardiola sends the recuperating Antonio Conte his best wishes “Of course [I wish him well]. Antonio’s an active person on the touchline, he guides his team really well but I think the team know their pattern, so I hope he gets well soon and can come back in his position.”
João Cancelo’s departure to Bayern Munich and the left-back position are inevitably raised: “I’m not going to say one bad word about him, his work ethic, his passion for football, but it happened one or two days before the transfer window. We didn’t think it worth getting a replacement. We could raid the market and pay huge amounts for a left-back but I trust that we can do fine without that. Rico [Lewis] can play there, Nathan [Aké] can play there – we have alternatives. We can handle the situation, I trust the players we have a lot.”
On the injury situation, he confirms that John Stones is out for three weeks to a month with his hamstring injury and that Phil Foden is available.
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The Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag kicks off by stonewalling a question about the Mason Greenwood situation. “I refer you to the statement of the club. I can’t give comment about the process. I can’t say anything about it at this moment.”
Asked whether it will impact the team’s focus tomorrow, he replies: “I always have to focus on the game no matter what – that’s why we are here, We have a lot to do – against Palace two weeks ago we gave a bad performance there, I wasn’t happy. We have to avoid that tomorrow, we need a better game better focus and better way of playing. We have to beat them it’s quite clear
He says new arrival Marcel Sabitzer should be available. “He did only one session but he’s a very fit player. I didn’t have any different expectation on that, he’s come from Bayern and they are always good at looking after players. I think he’s ready to play.”
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Erik ten Hag will be speaking soon. In the meantime, here’s Jamie Jackson critically examining an underwhelming January transfer window at Old Trafford:
Marcus Rashford is pumping feelgood vibes though, chatting about United’s progress. “It’s a great feeling to be at Wembley, the first thing everyone wants at the start of the season is you want to win the first available trophy and the Carabao Cup is the first one. We want to show the hard work is coming off.
“We’ve turned things round and it starts with belief, that we could win trophies and win the biggest games, and we’ve showed it even at our worst that we can beat the biggest teams, it’s not luck. Usually it would take us three or four games to bounce back from bad results but this time we’ve shown we can come back next game and go on a consecutive run of winning games.”
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“Picking up on Charles’s earlier email about being asked by HR to detail his Covid Journey,” writes David Hopkins, “I can tell him it’s no better on HR’s side of the fence. At my previous company the whole HR team was obliged to attend a meeting called ‘Finding The Joy’, so we could share examples of where we’d found the joy in being stuck at home on our own with only a one-hour stroll after work to look forward to.”
Graham Potter’s been having a chinwag with Sky Sports and the task of bedding in those 1,087 new signing. “It’s been a challenge here from day one,” says the Chelsea manager. “The club’s gone through tremendous change, with the new ownership coming in, and there needs to be some stability, a bit of calm. I know that’s difficult with the signings we’ve made but once we bed in we should see progress.”
Thanks Luke, and I greet you with news that Mikel Arteta has unsurprisingly been named manager of the month for January. Marcus Rashford is player of the month.
I’m off for a sandwich. Tom Davies is stepping into the breach.
It’s nearly the four-year anniversary of Maurizo Sarri v Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final! Can you believe it? Good to see Chelsea now being run on entirely sensible lines following that somewhat farcical era.
One of the great social media fan reaction rants:
Honestly, let’s get this kid in the office. Might be who we all need. pic.twitter.com/tRxlwdRC1V
— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) March 6, 2019
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The Manchester United gaffer Erik ten Hag is due to speak to the media at 12pm, so we’ll have some quotes from his press conference, and a story will be coming up in a bit.
“Here we go. Get ready to see Everton relaunch their season at Arsenal’s expense. It’s no coincidence that Everton have a better home record against Arsenal and Chelsea than they do against Watford or Norwich,” comments creasicle.
“That is, for me, the root of the problem. Everton will go absolutely hell for leather tomorrow and the fans will be baying for blood to drag their players over the line. The atmosphere will be incredible. They will be aggressive, bordering on too aggressive but the fans will successfully cow the referee as they always do.
“It’s the sort of thing you see and go ‘if they played like this more often they’d be nowhere near the relegation zone’ but time and time again they up their game for a visit of one of the big boys then revert to type straight after. Everton will win tomorrow and it will have no impact on their season. I’d bet my house on those two things happening.”
“Yes, Spurs has invested in the squad (among other things),” emails Mahmood. “But the quality of the investments? If you hire a proven manager and the manager says we need to trust the process, then the owners need to trust the manager’s calls. If he wants player A, give him player A, not A¹ …
“The problem is ENIC is not passionate about football … As long as we play some European football, keep out of a relegation dogfight, that’s fine.”
The Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno is speaking to Sky Sports News before the Premier League derby date with Chelsea tonight (8pm kick-off). They are generally going very well under Marco Silva and are seventh. Can they qualify for Europe?
“I think everyone at the club knows where we came from … also the players. We don’t speak about [qualifying for] the Europa League,” Leno replies with a straight bat. “We go game by game … we don’t say that – we really do that. You can trust us! I think we will do that until the end of the season.
“I think we will play the same style [at Chelsea] … very brave … we were unlucky with the penalty [against Newcastle] … we try to defend as high as possible.”
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Albert Sambi Lokonga and Naouirou Ahamada arrived at Crystal Palace during the transfer window, from Arsenal and Stuttgart respectively, and are both in contention to feature when Patrick Vieira’s side to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United (3pm kick-off).
The preview on Palace’s website states that extra options in midfield for Vieira may mean Eberechi Eze playing further forward. A dangerous customer, that’s for sure.
Also on Twitter – Razor Ruddock wants your teabag advice:
Here we go todays problem, what’s the best Tea Bag ?
— Neil Ruddock (@RealRazor) February 3, 2023
Max Rushden’s Subaru has been stolen. (This is not a drill, or indeed a joke.)
Where is my Subaru. Subaru. pic.twitter.com/HSbgW0jcto
— Max Rushden 💛🖤 (@maxrushden) February 3, 2023
“Given the general downward trend in the quality of Spurs right-backs since the Walker/Trippier days, I’m fully expecting Porro to not know what a football is,” comments promisinglight. “Happy Friday, everyone!”
Happy Friday to you too.
Over on the official Brighton & Hove Albion official website, the defender Joël Veltman has given an interview. He said their aim is to become an established Premier League club, and also, they want rather than need to win:
“Every game we’re going into we want the three points, even at Manchester City, that’s our goal. At my last club Ajax the goal was ‘we have to win’, but at Brighton its ‘we want to win’, that’s a nice feeling to have both before every game now.”
“All I’ve seen so far is hard work.”
As evidenced by Andy Hunter’s piece posted a while back, Sean Dyche spoke to the media yesterday before Everton’s meeting with Arsenal. The full press conference is available to watch on YouTube:
Before their meeting at home against Brentford tomorrow, Southampton’s social media team have highlighted a tackle by James Ward-Prowse last January, when they beat the Bees 4-1.
It is a very impressive tackle. “Absolute engine,” they say, as opposed to absolute unit.
⏱ Stoppage time
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 3, 2023
🙌 4-1 up
Absolute engine, @Prowsey16 🔋 pic.twitter.com/dbZhdShehj
Spurs board rejects fans' accusation on lack of investment
Tottenham’s board has strongly rejected claims it has failed to invest significantly in its team in recent transfer windows in a letter to the supporters’ trust.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust last month wrote to the board expressing its concerns over the direction of the club, with four key areas raised. These included the medium to long-term strategy of owners ENIC and plans for the January transfers.
A response was provided by Tottenham’s board on Thursday night after the conclusion of a winter transfer window where Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro were signed for Antonio Conte’s side, while Bryan Gil, Djed Spence and Matt Doherty departed on either temporary or permanent deals.
“Like everyone at the club, our head coach wants the team to compete for top honours,” a letter from Tottenham’s board to its supporters’ trust read in response to concerns over the length of Conte’s contract, which will expire on June 30 although Spurs hold the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
“The club has invested heavily in the squad. This is a continual process with the aim of standing the club in good stead on the pitch for years to come.
“Since opening the stadium in April 2019 we have spent more than £500m putting us in the top quartile of spending in the Premier League – and we have made significant investments in the Women’s team too.
“In addition to the summer investment of over £200m we have committed to a further £47m spend this January.
“Despite this we consistently see references to our perceived lack of backing for head coaches and lack of spending. It’s important that we deal with facts – our spend levels quite clearly show that we have backed our football side.
“There is always a fine line between long-term investment and short-termism – which is why our recruitment has to be first class. Mistakes at this level leave a financial and sporting impact for future seasons.
“We have felt the financial impact of supporting player purchases which have not worked out as hoped. We have taken steps to improve this area of operations and the recent windows reflect this.” (PA Media)
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Real Madrid beat Valencia in La Liga last night. Here is our report:
Sky Sports News are currently having an in-depth chat about Fantasy Football selections and all the options for the coming weekend. Seems to be a new feature. Not great content, if you ask me, which you didn’t. Hold tight for more manager press conferences …
Sean Dyche appealed to disgruntled Evertonians to park their grievances with the club and lift his relegation-threatened team, as he denied receiving promises over transfers before taking the job.
The new Everton manager witnessed the fracture between fans and board on his second day in charge when protests were held outside Finch Farm training ground over the failure to make a January signing. Demonstrations against the board are planned for before and after Saturday’s home match against the league leaders Arsenal, with organisers pledging their support to Dyche and his players during the game.
This is next-level from Chelsea’s record signing:
Enzo Fernández says he wants to take Chelsea ‘to the next level’:
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“So even Duncan Ferguson is willing to speak of being on a journey - not something you’d have imagined that he’d be willing to burble when he was in his hard-tackling pomp,” emails Charles. “1970s therapy-speak has truly embedded itself in our consciousness, for good or ill. During the pandemic lockdown of recent memory, I had to have an interview with HR, and their first question was to ask me to tell them all about my “Covid journey”. I could have pointed out that, like everybody else, I was obliged to stay in and not actually go anywhere, but I felt that that might go down on the negative side of the ledger.”
Travelling without moving. Or not? Like it, Charles.
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Graham Potter appears to be drowning in new squad acquisitions at Chelsea. The early signs are not great for him in his new-ish job, it must be said. But as stated, they are early signs. Time will tell.
What do you think of Chelsea’s prospects under Potter? You can email me or even send a message via Twitter with your thoughts …
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Graham Potter has admitted it will be challenging to maintain dressing-room harmony after Chelsea increased the size of their squad with their frantic January transfer business.
The club took their spending to more than £500m under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership when they broke the British transfer record by buying Enzo Fernández from Benfica for £106.8m on deadline day.
The Labour party has called for renewed focus on securing a financial settlement between the Premier League and EFL, after leaked proposals suggested the task could end up being settled by a regulator.
Football authorities have been in deadlock for more than a year on how to create a more sustainable distribution of revenue across the men’s football pyramid, after they were forced into talks by the government. A white paper on reforming football governance is expected to say that an independent regulator would be granted “backstop” powers to impose an agreement should football authorities be unable to reach one.
Will Unwin has interviewed Duncan Ferguson, the new manager at League One Forest Green:
“When I first met the owner and saw his passion and enthusiasm for the club and what he was doing that certainly went a long way to making my mind up,” Ferguson said … “On top of that it was a start for me on my managerial journey. Feeling wanted was a big one for me. And I thought: ‘Why not take this challenge?’”
On the subject of the club’s laudable commitment to sustainability, Ferguson said: “The vegan food is quite nice. Chips are vegan, I didn’t know that.”
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The Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe, has been having a chat with the media soon after seeing his team progress to the Carabao Cup final by defeating Southampton earlier this week. The Magpies host West Ham in the 5.30pm Premier League kick-off tomorrow.
“We’ve tried to refocus the players [after Tuesday],” Howe said, quoted on the club’s Twitter. “It is a very difficult game. If we’re off it in any way it’ll be even harder. There’s been a big push from me & the staff to make sure we’re ready for this game.”
On Alexander Isak, who took a James Ward-Prowse free-kick in the face on Tuesday: “Alex made a vital contribution in that moment. He was able to jump and block the free-kick but took a blow to the side of the head and had very slight signs of concussion. We’ve followed all the protocols but whether he’ll be available, I’m not sure.”
On the suspended Bruno Guimarães: “When you lose one player you have to readjust & there will be an opportunity for the team to regroup and find another way. The good thing for Bruno is that he’ll be available for the final, but we have three huge Premier League games he’ll miss.”
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Speaking of Arsenal, they top the bill in this week’s 10 things to look out for in the Premier League.
Tomorrow lunchtime, Arteta returns to Goodison Park with his accomplished team to face crisis club Everton, who will naturally be hoping to become considerably less crisis-y under the newly installed manager Sean Dyche.
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Martinelli signs new Arsenal contract
Premier League-leading Arsenal have announced the news that Brazil forward Gabriel Martinelli has signed a new long-term contract.
On the official club website, the head coach Mikel Arteta is quoted as follows: “We’re delighted Gabi has signed a new long-term contract. Our supporters see his quality and energy every single time he puts on the shirt and he’s the same every day in training, with his hard work and positive values.
“Gabi is still very young, so we know there’s still much more to come from him and it’s great that we’ll be on this journey together. We’re now excited to continue to develop his huge talent and look forward to seeing him perform with Arsenal in the years to come.”
Gabi’s got the pen. Gabi's signed the contract.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 3, 2023
Gabi’s staying.✍️ pic.twitter.com/DOTCdC9u7z
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Preamble
As Jean-Paul Sartre once said: “50% of football is 90% mental.” Or was it Franny Jeffers? Can’t remember now, but the point stands.
There is lots of football on this weekend, of course there is, so we must prepare ourselves for the physical and mental challenges that lie ahead.
We’ll be tuning into plenty of manager press conferences on this Friday blog, updating you on team news, and sprinkling it all with some (in theory) delightful banter. Allez!
