By David Bellington
TOTTENHAM’S PROBLEMS UPFRONT
Inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Roberto De Zerbi still looks some way from having the squad he wants. The biggest concern remains in attack, where Spurs need more goals and more creativity before the Premier League season gets underway.
De Zerbi has been using young forwards such as Mathys Tel and Mikey Moore heavily during pre-season, while the situation around Richarlison and Dominic Solanke continues to leave him with questions to answer. Spurs are also dealing with injuries to Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, making the need for attacking depth even greater.
Eli Junior Kroupi remains one of the players Tottenham have been considering as they look for another option up front. Solanke’s injury problems have not helped, while Richarlison has worked hard and looked useful during pre-season. The Brazilian’s future, however, remains uncertain.
There has been a positive development in midfield. Sandro Tonali has looked increasingly comfortable since arriving and has begun to show why Tottenham invested heavily in him. With James Maddison working his way back to full fitness and Mateus Fernandes also joining, De Zerbi has the ingredients for a strong midfield. Now he needs the goals to go with it.
ARSENAL’S LEFT-WING PROBLEM
Arsenal have had to change direction after their attempt to sign Vinicius Junior ended with the Brazilian committing his future to Real Madrid. Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta now have to decide whether to spend big again or trust one of the options already at the Emirates.
Bradley Barcola remains an attractive name, while Nico Williams has also been discussed. Marcus Rashford is another possibility after returning to Manchester United, although a move would depend on the right offer and United’s plans. Arsenal have also considered other alternatives as they search for more quality on the left.
Christos Tzolis could be given an opportunity, while Gabriel Martinelli remains another option. Leandro Trossard’s departure has, however, made the position more important.
Arsenal have already strengthened elsewhere, most notably with Bruno Guimaraes arriving from Newcastle for a reported 75 million pounds. That gives Arteta another powerful midfield option, but the left-wing question remains.
With the season beginning on August 21, there is not much time left for Arsenal to make the final call.
RODRI PUSHING FOR FC BARCELONA
Rodri’s future at Manchester City has become one of the biggest stories of the final weeks of the transfer window. Barcelona remain interested in taking the Ballon d’Or winner to the Nou Camp, while City are understandably reluctant to let one of the most important players of the Guardiola era leave cheaply.
The 30-year-old has returned to training after recovering from back surgery, but new City manager Enzo Maresca has refused to give guarantees over his future. His message has essentially been that anything can still happen before the window closes.
Barcelona’s interest is serious, but City want a substantial fee. The Spanish club’s task is therefore to convince City to accept a figure that works for them while also persuading Rodri that Barcelona is the right next step.
City are already preparing for different possibilities. Their pursuit of Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi suggests the club are thinking beyond the immediate situation, even though replacing Rodri’s influence will be a huge task.
For now, Rodri remains a City player. But this is certainly one to watch until deadline day.
JAISSLE”S FIRST NEWCASTLE WIN
I was genuinely worried for Newcastle supporters after the departures of Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali. They have lost an enormous amount of Premier League quality, while Matthias Jaissle has arrived at St James’ Park with no previous Premier League experience.
His first major test, however, produced some encouragement. Newcastle came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1, with Yoane Wissa scoring twice. New signings Bazoumana Toure and 18-year-old Sean Steur also offered glimpses of what Jaissle is trying to build.
Anthony Elanga’s injury was the worrying moment of the night after Jose Gaya’s heavy challenge left the winger needing to be stretchered off. Thankfully, Newcastle later confirmed that Elanga had escaped serious damage and had suffered bruising to his shin.
The optimism was checked by a 3-1 defeat to Everton, Jaissle’s first loss as Newcastle manager. It was another useful exercise for a manager still assessing his squad, but it also highlighted how much work remains.
Newcastle open their Premier League campaign against Liverpool on August 23. That will be a much better indication of how quickly Jaissle can turn his ideas into a competitive side.
WHY JEFF BEZOZ WANTS LIVERPOOL FC
This story has now moved beyond speculation. Fenway Sports Group have agreed to sell a 30 per cent stake in Liverpool to 1892 Holdings, a consortium led by Amit Bhatia and backed by investors including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
The deal values the stake at around 1.65 billion pounds and puts Liverpool’s overall valuation at roughly 5.5 billion pounds. FSG will remain the majority owner and retain operational control, while Bhatia will become vice-chairman. Bezos himself will not have a board seat. Regulatory approval is still required.
Why Liverpool? That is the fascinating part.
For investors such as Bezos, football is not simply about the immediate financial return. Liverpool have a global audience, enormous commercial reach and a brand that can continue to grow across markets such as Asia and the United States.
There is also an interesting connection with technology. Artificial intelligence is going to change almost every industry, but football remains stubbornly human. You can use AI to improve recruitment, analysis, commercial operations and almost everything around the game. You still need 11 players to actually play the match.
That makes Liverpool a rather interesting investment for people whose businesses are built around technology.
NEW RULES TO PROTECT PLAYERS
Chelsea still have one of the biggest squad problems in the Premier League. Xabi Alonso inherited a group of around 41 senior players and needs to reduce that number dramatically before the transfer window closes. Reports suggest as many as 16 players could need to leave or go out on loan.
The club have already started moving players on, but there is still a long list of decisions to make. Nicolas Jackson, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and several others remain part of the conversation around Chelsea’s squad clear-out.
The issue is bigger than Chelsea, though. FIFPRO and other football organisations have been pushing for stronger protection for players caught in oversized squads, particularly against practices such as isolation from first-team groups or being left without a clear sporting pathway.
Chelsea are not being accused of doing those things. Their enormous squad simply illustrates why the debate has become so important.
There is better news for Joao Pedro. After an excellent season, Chelsea have improved his contract and made it clear that he is central to Alonso’s plans.
HOW WILL THE PROMOTED CLUBS FARE?
I have spent much of the week looking at Coventry City, Hull City and Ipswich Town, and the obvious question is whether all three can survive their first season back in the Premier League.
Coventry return to the top flight after 25 years, with Frank Lampard now facing the biggest managerial challenge of his career. Their opening fixture could hardly be tougher: Arsenal at the Emirates.
Hull have also been positive during their preparations, but there are concerns about whether they have enough attacking quality. Ipswich probably offer the most intrigue of the three, having bounced straight back after relegation and now returning with Gary O’Neil in charge.
The early predictions are not especially kind. One major statistical model has all three promoted clubs going straight back down, although last season showed why such forecasts should be treated with caution. Sunderland and Leeds both survived despite being widely expected to struggle.
Coventry and Hull meet on August 29, which could become an important early marker. Ipswich will also have to adapt quickly to the pace and quality of the division.
The promoted clubs do not need to prove everything in August. But they do need to start collecting points quickly, because once the Premier League starts moving, it rarely gives newly promoted sides much time to catch their breath.
– Ends
