Former Man Utd target Zion Suzuki has exposed the challenge Erik Ten Hag is yet to overcome

Zion Suzuki has signed for STVV – despite interest and an offer from Old Trafford.
Manchester United have rarely missed a beat in the transfer market since Erik ten Hag was appointed manager last summer, but the latest refusal suggests Ten Hag and the key figures responsible for transfers and departures are plagued by weeks following. The weeks still have a challenge. surpass.

Apart from their vocal public attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong – who last season resisted the Reds’ attempts to become a key player for them by staying at Barcelona – his former Ajax manager Ten Hag and the United recruitment team have on the whole acted swiftly and decisively in the market.

Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Antony were mainstays in their early seasons, as was Christian Eriksen after he was identified as an effective (albeit shorter-term) alternative to De Jong in the engine room. The Danish playmaker on a free transfer was the deal of the summer. Going forward, Ten Hag has similar hopes for Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Eriksen’s compatriot Rasmus Hojlund.0 Although it’s undeniable how much the United squad have improved over the last 14 months, the role of coaching and recruiting also played a role there.

On his first day in office at Carrington, Ten Hag reportedly circled the issues and potential concerns to assess and address should United return to top spot under his stewardship. From the outside though, an upgrade for David De Gea might not have been on the cards back then.

However you judge the long-serving Spanish goalkeeper, his performances as Player of the Season throughout the season before Ten Hag swapped Amsterdam for Manchester saved United from a few more blushes in which is still his deepest streak. But change was on the way (or within reach). After being linked with several modern-minded goalkeepers, all of whom were skilled with the ball, another former Ajax hero, Onana, has been sworn into the ongoing rebuild. As Dean Henderson continued to be questioned, the summer promised a complete Guardian overhaul.

Henderson is expected to leave Old Trafford before the end of that spell and may have been joined by veteran Tom Heaton, who is back at the club for a second term. However, internal discussions with Ten Hag mean that the latter is staying there now. Nevertheless, the club does not want to recruit another goalkeeper yet.

Zion Suzuki might have been that man. Although United have agreed a fee for the young Japanese goalkeeper, they have instead swapped Urawa Red Diamonds for Belgian Pro League club STVV.

While his path to the first team would have, understandably, been more straightforward, the decision remains a headache for United and an indication of a lingering concern Ten Hag will eventually face during his tenure – and Hojlund could very well be lined up to stand. in this way.

Before signing the promising Atalanta goalscorer for a fee that could reach £72m with add-ons, United generally brought in players who were either already in their prime or on the way to their final years, with Hojlund and Tyrell Malacia for him . to reverse the trend. At first glance there are no problems.
Given their difficult situation before Ten Hag, the club was forced to act at the time and this was reflected in their recruitment strategy, or at least success. Looking to the future however, the manager needs to convince the younger target group that there is a succession plan leading to the involvement of the first team.

For the time being, the Dutchman has failed to do so in his relatively short time at the club, especially in the field of goalkeeping. Suzuki, and perhaps also new Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, in whom United had previously expressed interest, clearly saw this as a stumbling block and United would eventually have to look elsewhere to replenish their stock between the posts, provided Henderson continued.

Hojlund and Malacia are – to some extent – convinced that the road is not a big deal in their positions. But the United manager now has just weeks to decide who will be United’s third goalkeeper this season, and he may need to make another decisive move in the transfer market.

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‘The best striker ever’ – Erik Ten Hag admits he admires Harry Kane and why its taking so long to sign him

Erik Ten Hag has spoken publicly about his admiration for Harry Kane, stating that the Tottenham man could become the greatest striker ever in Premier League history.

After weeks of speculation, it now looks like we’ll see some concrete developments on the Kane front, with the Bayern Munich hierarchy traveling to London today to meet Daniel Levy (Ben Heckner).

Reports indicate that the German club hopes to finalize a deal for the Tottenham man (Florian Plettenberg) by the end of this week.
Manchester United have also taken an interest in Kane, with The Daily Mirror reporting last week that the Red Devils had been put on red alert after Tottenham decided to cash in on their star striker. Erik Ten Hag is said to have identified the England captain as his main target. However, the Manchester club have reportedly signed a £74million deal to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta (The Sun).

Harry Kane has the respect of Erik ten Hag

The Man Utd manager has now declined to reveal information about his club’s search for Kane, but he did have words of praise for the Spurs star.
When asked about the 30-year-old striker, Ten Hag told The Guardian: “I’m not talking about players from other clubs. I have to respect the club and respect the player. “I have a lot of respect for Harry Kane especially because he is a great striker, one of the best of all time. Maybe he can be the best striker of all time in the Premier League. “

Stimulates web opinion

From Ten Hag’s statement, it’s pretty obvious that Kane was his main target this summer but Daniel Levy probably refused to sell the striker to a Premier League rival.

United would have probably hoped that Kane himself would push for a move to Old Trafford, but the 30-year-old appears to have considered a move to Bayern.

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Arsenal looking to sign £40million David Raya and what this means for the outstanding Aaron Ramsdale

Oh, to be a fly on the wall for all of the Aaron Ramsdale and Mikel Arteta interactions this week.
Arsenal’s number 1 goalkeeper, hailed as ‘exceptional’ by his manager until April, would rightly ask some questions, rightly feel slightly hurt, and the England international will likely be seeking clarity on his whereabouts amid reports linking the club. to David Raya of Brentford.

Brentford want £40m for Raya, who has another year on his contract, while Arteta clearly want competition, a gauntlet challenge which looks hard to name at the moment.
Ramsdale has been Arsenal’s first choice since arriving in 2021 and played every minute of the last Premier League season, keeping 14 clean sheets to ensure a Champions League return to the Emirates – a great achievement, too if the championship title painfully eluded him.

The 25-year-old boasts three caps for England and would no doubt see next season as an opportunity to show Gareth Southgate that he should start for Jordan Pickford at Euro 2024. But nothing seems certain now and at a time when sure-fire goalkeepers are in demand – seeing Andre Onana over Manchester United – Arteta seems keen to expand his options and that he might even see Raya as an improvement in that department.

Raya was the Premier League’s busiest goalkeeper last season. Not only did he make 154 saves, the most in the league, but he also had to pass the ball more often than any of his peers.
That was 1,882 touches and 1,475 assists, another league high among goalkeepers last season, while 410 accurate long balls topped that ranking well ahead of Everton’s Pickford (294).

By comparison, Ramsdale landed 1,276 touches and completed 934 passes, including 138 accurate long balls, with an overall passing accuracy of 63%, a slight improvement from Raya’s 61%.
So it’s ambiguous and it’s not Ramsdale’s fault that he received the ball less often, even though his long ball accuracy was well below Raya’s 42 at 29% – Manchester City’s Ederson is the reference to 53%.

Ramsdale’s passing has also deteriorated noticeably in the 2022-23 season – falling below 60% accuracy just six times in the first 26 games and then six more times in the last 12 – while appearing to be stronger under pressure The season continued, although arguably most of Arsenal’s teams did so as the scale of the title fight took its toll.

Yet few questioned Ramsdale’s place in the starting XI and Arteta praised the former Sheffield United and Bournemouth keeper on his development a few months ago.
“He was really, really good and probably against all odds,” Arteta said. “Because if you look at his past and where he comes from, he’s been relegated twice, it’s hard to imagine.

“But we saw that he had that character, that charisma and that personality to play for our club and he has the potential qualities that can translate into the way we play.” If you look at the development he has made over the last two seasons, I think he is exceptional.”

From “against all odds”, Ramsdale could soon have his toughest fight yet at Arsenal if he manages to sign Raya, who was wanted by the club in 2020.
Raya is said to be interested in the move as he previously worked with Arsenal goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana who was previously at Brentford. However, Bayern Munich would also like the goalkeeper. Whether Arsenal will live up to Brentford’s valuation is yet to be seen.
“He’s worth £40million,” Brentford boss Thomas Frank said on Sunday. “I would like to get him that. He was one of the four best goalkeepers in the Premier League last season. “What’s the price for a player with just a year left? Declan Rice joined Arsenal for £105m – is that a fair price? And Harry Kane who has a year left and you talk about 150 million pounds?

This week should bring clarity to Arsenal’s interest, and if the move goes through for Sunday’s Community Shield match against Manchester City, gloves will certainly be on the line at Wembley – a number that another top side of the Premier League really has to face. Maybe that’s Arteta’s point then.

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Chelsea Vs Fulham ; Match prediction, Team news and Starting Line-up

The Fedex Field in Maryland is a friendly friend completely first Sunday evening when the western rival of London Chelsea and Fulham in the summer series The Framework of the Rival for Fulham.
The Mauricio Pochettino team took place in a 1-1 draw during its last force test by Newcastle United, while the Huttes of Aston Villa were sunk 2-0

Appreciate

The new Chelsea boys stole the show in the United States in the United States in the United States because Nicolas Jackson after the 4-3 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Christopher Nkunku, his good start in life under Pocsettino Wednesday Wednesday Newcastle.

The former man of Villarreal only took 12 minutes to take Chelsea at the head of Atlanta, but in the first half, Miguel Almiron handed over the blues and made sure that Newcastle saved equality against his colleagues from the capital. Pochettino is unbeaten since taking charge of Chelsea, picking up back-to-back wins over Wrexham and Brighton before a respectable draw against Champions League opponents. This gives Stamford Bridge reason to be optimistic if pre-season success bodes well for the future.

After playing exclusively against British opponents so far, Chelsea will complete their pre-season campaign against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago next month, following Sunday’s deal with Fulham, ahead of Liverpool’s baptism of fire in the Premier League. 2023/24.
With the Blues failing to appease Brighton with offers for Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo, youngsters Andrey Santos and Cesare Casadei continue to create valuable first-team chances in pre-season alongside the exciting winger Ian Maatsen.

Fulham have already met one of their London rivals, Brentford, in the current Premier League Summer Series, beating the Bees 3-2 in their pre-season opener, but against the Europa Conference League they had to get down to business – a bound mansion.
Marco Silva’s side, who secured their seventh and final continental qualification spot in the 2022/23 Premier League, failed in Orlando as Jaden Philogene-Bidace and Villa newcomer Moussa Diaby led the Lions to an easy 2-0. 0 win

An 80-minute kick-off delay due to thunderstorms did not help either Villa or Fulham, whose head coach Silva lamented his side’s understaffing after the match as the Aleksandar Mitrovic saga threatens to disrupt the Cottagers’ preparations.

Amid claims that Mitrovic has vowed to never wear the Fulham shirt again, the Cottagers have dipped into their cash reserves to hire ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man Raul Jimenez, who was unveiled on Orlando soil before Silva’s side fell to Villa’s superiority.

Fulham now renew hostilities with West London adversaries Chelsea after edging past the Blues 2-1 at Craven Cottage only six months ago, as Willian returned to haunt his former club, before Silva’s side also came away from Stamford Bridge with a point in a goalless draw a few weeks later.

Chelsea came through their recent draw with Newcastle without any fresh injury concerns to worry about, although Noni Madueke sat out that contest with a tight hamstring and is classed as a doubt for Sunday’s affair.

Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill also missed the stalemate with the Magpies as precautions, while Angelo Gabriel and Lewis Hall did not earn any minutes either, but the quartet should all have strong chances of being involved here.

The Blues have now officially waved goodbye to Marseille-bound Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi could be the next out of the door, but Pochettino is not missing that selection of out-of-favour attackers too much, as Nkunku and Jackson prepare to start in another formidable attacking line.

Speaking of recently-signed attackers, Fulham’s new number nine Jimenez is in line to make his debut for the Cottagers at FedEx Field, as Mitrovic continues to try to force a move through to Saudi Arabian powerhouses Al-Hilal.

Mitrovic is reported to be training alone as Jimenez prepares to battle Carlos Vinicius for a starting berth, but tough-tackling midfielder Joao Palhinha could be facing a spell on the treatment table after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder against Brentford.

Tim Ream (arm) and Andreas Pereira (ankle) are also on the long-term injury list for the Cottagers, while Tosin Adarabioyo and Antonee Robinson are touch-and-go after sustaining issues over the summer.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Chilwell; Santos, Fernandez, Chukwuemeka; Nkunku, Jackson, Maatsen

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Diop, De Fougerolles, Mbabu; Reed, Lukic; Willian, Cairney, Decordova-Reid; Jimenez

PREDICTION

Full Time:

Chelsea 2-0 Fulham

Fulham may have avoided defeat in both of their Premier League contests with Chelsea last season, but a spate of injuries and distinct lack of depth should cost Silva’s side dear in Maryland.

Chelsea are hardly blessed with a fully-fit contingent either, but Pochettino’s attackers have gelled well in the United States and should help propel their side to a routine win.

 

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Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino has already discovered a major weakness Chelsea had last season

Mauricio Pochettino has identified the fitness of Chelsea’s players as a real weakness in the opening weeks of pre-season.
This is according to a report by The Athletic.
Mauricio Pochettino’s teams are known to be very energetic and strong runners, so it is no surprise that he is already getting the Blues team back into shape.

The Athletic say Pochettino identified Chelsea’s squad fitness as one area that really hurt them last season.
The level of the player is believed to have had an impact on performance in games and the number of injuries sustained. The report says Chelsea are now closely monitoring the exercises players undertake during pre-season this summer, including work in the gym.
We expect the Blues to have a very successful new Blues squad by the start of the Premier League next month!

Many fans will agree that Chelsea were disappointed in the latter stages of last season, but we doubt Pochettino will settle for that during his tenure at the helm.

It’s an exciting time ahead of the five friendlies of this summer’s pre-season tour of the United States.
The Blues have now arrived in the United States with a very young roster of 29 players, so expect a lot of energy and real enthusiasm in the squad.
Journalist Matt Law recently explained on the London Is Blue podcast that Chelsea staff felt Pochettino hadn’t run too much in the first few weeks of his tenure. We can only wish the players good luck with their time in the US if that’s the case.

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Arsenal could seal three USMNT transfers as Mikel Arteta enters the next phase of the summer semester

Arsenal are entering the next phase of the summer transfer market.
Mikel Arteta’s squad brought in Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice for the start of the club’s pre-season tour of the US, which cost the Gunners more than £200m. Arsenal still want to sign more players, but their focus is now on sacking those who are surplus to requirements.

Among them appear to be American stars Matt Turner, Auston Trusty and Folarin Balogun. Goalkeeper Turner has been linked with a move to Nottingham Forest due to the Gunners’ apparent interest in Brentford stopper David Raya, while the Austin Trusty would be a target for Sheffield United following his loan spell at Birmingham City. last season.
football.london reported in June that Arsenal are ready to cash in on Trusty, who signed for the Colorado Rapids club in 2022, while Folarin Balogun will also be available for a transfer. Balogun scored 22 goals for Reims on loan at the French club last season, while Turner was a strong replacement for Aaron Ramsdale, but a move to Raya would not only help the Gunners

first-choice goalkeeper’s future in doubt but also effectively make the USMNT stopper third choice.

The Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath has said that Arsenal are ‘in talks’ with the Blades and if Trusty does leave, Balogun and Turner may not be far behind him. For Gunners fans it would mean three players whose first-team chances are slim heading out of the exit door and bringing in a good chunk of cash.

The Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath has said that Arsenal are ‘in talks’ with the Blades and if Trusty does leave, Balogun and Turner may not be far behind him. For Gunners fans it would mean three players whose first-team chances are slim heading out of the exit door and bringing in a good chunk of cash.

USMNT supporters, though, would see three of their national team’s top players leaving a big Premier League club. Having already seen Christian Pulisic leave Chelsea this summer, the profile of those stars could drop significantly.

It’s certainly one to watch for USMNT fans, who are hoping big things come from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in North America.