Category: Sport

UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been found guilty of sexual assault in a civil suit in Dublin. The victim will receive compensation of €250,000 for the 2018 incident.

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has been found guilty of sexual assault in a civil trial in Dublin, reports UNN citing the NYT.

Details

A woman who accused mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor of raping her in a hotel penthouse in 2018 was awarded nearly 250 ,000 euros or about $260 ,000 in damages on Friday after a jury found him guilty of sexual assault in a civil trial in Dublin.

McGregor was previously the subject of a criminal investigation in Ireland, his home country, over the allegations but was not charged.

After the verdict Friday, the woman, Nikita Hand, spoke outside the courthouse, her hands shaking as she read the remarks page. She said she hoped the outcome would send a message to victims of sexual assault to "speak out.

"You have a voice," she said.

Enzo Maresca insisted after Chelsea’s win over Leicester on Saturday that he’s “not thinking about Harry Kane”. Fair enough.

Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez scored for the Blues as Didier Drogba and Cesc Fabregas regens as Maresca’s side moved to within a point of Manchester City in second place ahead of their clash with Tottenham.

Cole Palmer started having failed to show up for England duty and after the game Maresca was asked about Kane’s criticism of his countrymen who pulled out of the recent Nations League clashes through injury.

“My reaction is that we finished the game ten minutes ago, we won 2-1,” Maresca said, when asked about Kane’s comments. “There is not any reaction, there is not any comments.

“We finished the game 10 minutes ago. I am not thinking about Harry Kane. I don’t have any comments about that.”

Asked whether the club put pressure on Palmer to skip England’s Nations League games against Republic of Ireland and Greece ahead of the busy festive period, Maresca said: “Absolutely not.”

READ MORE: Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas regens shine as Chelsea enjoy *actual* coaching from Enzo Maresca

Palmer was a doubt for the clash with Arsenal ahead of the international break following a poor tackle by Lisandro Martinez in the previous game against Manchester United.

And the playmaker was on the end of another rough challenge against Leicester, with Wilfred Ndidi fortunate not to be shown a red card for going in studs up on Palmer’s Achilles.

Maresca managed Ndidi during Leicester’s Championship-winning campaign last term and defended the midfielder before calling for more protection from referees.

“I don’t think the target is Cole,” he added. “What I think, and what I said after Man United, is that when there is bad intention, it has to be a different kind of punishment from the referee.

“Man United, I think, was bad intention. I’m not saying Wilf was bad intention because I love Wild. But overall, when there is [bad intention] the punishment has to be different.”

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👉 Man Utd: Amorim told to sign ‘moaning’ Chelsea star for one reason as Petit predicts ‘big impact’

Jackson took his Premier League tally to seven for the season with his fine finish in the first half and his excellent form has meant that Christopher Nkunku has been limited to appearances from the bench.

That’s led Manchester United to be linked with a move for the Frenchman – who’s impressed in Chelsea’s games in the cups and in Europe – but Joe Cole insists Nkunku’s apparent frustration is a good sign for the Blues.

“If the biggest problem Chelsea have is a couple of player being unhappy and not getting enough game time, then you know the club’s in a healthy position,” Joe Cole told TNT Sports.

“Nkunku gives you something different to Jackson. Jackson’s a spinner who’ll run in behind, he’s aggressive, he’ll do a lot. Nkunku is clean and is a good finisher, he can play in a No.10 and can play off either side.

“I think they can complement each other and they will both get game time.

“I don’t mind it when players let it know when they’re not happy. It’s about how he conducts himself.

“When I look at Enzo Maresca, he’ll be dealing with that situation and Nkunku’s standards won’t be allowed to slip. He’s playing European football. He keeps scoring goals and he will get his opportunity to play.”

According to reports, Manchester United summer signing Joshua Zirkzee ‘wants’ to leave the Premier League giants and could be involved in a shock swap deal.

The Netherlands international was Man Utd‘s first summer signing as they paid £36.5m to sign him from Serie A outfit Bologna.

The forward grabbed 12 goals and seven assists in his 37 appearances for Bologna last season but has struggled for the Red Devils.

Zirkzee scored in his Premier League debut as Man Utd beat Fulham 1-0 in their first league match of the new season, but he’s not kicked on.

The 23-year-old is without a goal in ten Premier League matches and has been heavily criticised for his overall performances.

It has been widely reported that Man Utd are considering cutting their losses in January as Zirkzee is being linked with a move back to Serie A.

READ: Man Utd: Amorim ‘must avoid three things’ with target set; Neville in ‘nauseating serial whinger’ crew

A report from Caught Offside has claimed that Serie A giants Juventus are the ‘favourites’ in the race to sign Zirkzee.

‘Juventus are understood to be one of the favourites to take the Dutchman to Turin, given his previous relationship at Bologna with Thiago Motta, now the manager for the Bianconeri of course.

‘He would be an alternative in their attack, though Napoli are another Italian top-flight side to at least have him on their transfer list to evaluate his skillset.

‘CaughtOffside sources have also indicated that both Milan clubs are keen on the player, with Amorim’s former club, Sporting, thought to be interested in making a move when the time is right.

‘In the unlikely event that Zirkzee wants to continue his footballing education in the Premier League, Aston Villa have thrown their hat into the ring.’

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
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👉 Man Utd ‘just contacted’ PSG for £80m France star to be first Amorim signing
👉 Amorim names three things Man Utd ‘have to be better’ at; reveals he will have big say on transfers

A report in Italy claims Zirkzee ‘wants a change of scenery’ and could join Juventus as part of a shock swap ‘exchange’ involving former Aston Villa forward Douglas Luiz.

Luiz left Aston Villa to join Juventus in the summer but his performances have been ‘unconvincing’ and he ‘can leave’ in January.

‘Douglas Luiz could leave Juventus as early as the next January transfer window. Counterbalancing the latest sensational rumours are the difficulties encountered by the Brazilian in these first months in Turin.

‘The feeling between the player and Thiago Motta has never been born, the coach’s trust has been limited so far and the player has not been able to find a way to get back into the project. So much so that he risks being left out even for a long period of the season.

‘The loan would allow the club to save the salary, but it would not be enough to recover resources. Instead, with the help of the Brazilian’s entourage (the same as Zirkzee) they could try to build the road for an exchange on equal terms with another player who wants a change of scenery during the season.’

The Mailbox reckons Ruben Amorim ‘must avoid three things’ to become a success at Manchester United. Plus, there’s some choice words for Gary Neville…

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com…

How good are Man Utd?
I have been reflecting on Ed Ern’s email in the Friday morning mailbox – with it’s “tough message for your own good” about how United’s fans need to be realistic given United have the 7/8th best squad in the league and how the longer their exile from the Champion’s league goes on, the more their fan base will dwindle…

It got me reflecting on just how good United are.

We’ll start with the second charge – United haven’t spent more than, checks notes, one consecutive season outside the Champions League in decades. Just the one. This year, that admittedly does have the biggest chance of extending to two in quite some time (though maybe they’ll pull a Jose and win the Europa). Even then, despite what is being dubbed a disastrous start to the season, and being 13th, they’re only 4 points off Arsenal in 4th place. A real challenge given just how many other good teams are hovering around the same area, but finishing in the top four this season with 27 games left to play isn’t exactly outlandish. Plus, United’s worrying one year absence isn’t exactly comparable to Arsenal’s very recent six years or Liverpool’s one appearance in six years before Klopp arrived – I can admit that it didn’t seem to do either of those teams any harm.

Now, trying to rank squads on quality like that is a fools game, but I do think United’s is better than the eight best in the league (albeit with its issues). If they only have the eight best squad, and Ten Hag got them to eighth plus last year with a cup win despite being absolutely crippled by injuries, will history remember United’s 2023-24 season as a managerial masterclass of managing to maintain par and win a trophy in the face of overwhelming odds. Is Erik a better manager than Klopp, who took probably the second best, though admittedly injury hit, squad in the league and only got them to 5th in 22/23? No, no it really doesn’t. As rival fans will gleefully point out, United should’ve done better last season and this, because of the quality of their squad…

United have had a poor start to the season but, to be honest, ten Hag lost his job during a relatively tricky run of domestic games that he admittedly handled badly and underperformed in (the Europa performances on the other hand…). Since that run has eased up and United have quietly closed the point gap to the pack above them.

While I can see that it’s funny for other teams seeing United in 13th, the truth is that it really isn’t all that bad when you look at the table. Enjoy it while you can as I think the smart money is on United overhauling a lot of the teams between them and the Champions League places between now and the end of the season, possibly even qualifying (though I acknowledge even now given the number of other good teams in the mix, that may not happen. The truth is that if United make a five point swing against the team in 4th with 81 still in play… that would be pretty unremarkable.
Andy(MUFC)

READ: Fight, fight, fight! A bone of contention for every Premier League club

Amorim must avoid these three things to succeed…
With the arrival of every new Manager/Head Coach, we, the United fans, have been filled with excitement.

Subsequent Managers/Head Coaches, since the departure of Sir Alex, have all failed to maintain the said excitement for various reasons. We find ourselves once again in the middle of huge excitement and hype following the arrival of Ruben Amorim.

Football clubs succeed if players perform well on the pitch and players perform well where they are happy and willing to go the extra mile for the team. Team selection, formation and tactics all contribute to the performance on the pitch.

However, three key factors directly and indirectly dictate the attitude, commitment and, thus, performance of individual members of the team.

Amorim will most likely succeed at United if he refrains from arrogance and strict authoritarianism, disrespect of players and bad rapport with individual players. He can have full control of the squad without exhibiting any of the said three behavioural practices. We cannot entertain another period of disappointment. Let’s go United.
Professor (Dr) David Achanfuo Yeboah

Amorim and Postecoglou comparison..
An interesting read of the mailbox and a thought it has brought to my mind…

The moaning about Big Ange…
Originally loved, great charisma, great with the media, exciting front foot football, came from a ‘poor’ league with 1 or 2 ‘decent’ teams that his was winning in …

But then the moans after 18 months or less…
No plan B, Sticks religiously to his system cannot / will not change the way he plays. Subsequently, he is denigrated and after some fun times is now being touted as a next sack candidate because of his stick to the plan inflexibility and ‘spursiness’ of results.

Ruben Amorim
Is being touted as the right man BECAUSE he has an identity, religiously sticks to 1 tactical plan, plays his way and no other way, is coming from an ‘inferior’ league where he has won a couple of times in 4yrs, but is great with the media, has great charisma and can command that dressing room…

Subsequently is lorded by the masses for being the next coming of Fergie or Pep and will have Man Utd in the top 4 this year and back to winning ways in a season or so.

Football media is funny isn’t it..
Al – LFC – Nice quiet unfussy 2-0 v Soton please. No banana skin complacency.

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👉 ‘Dream’ Amorim signing at Man Utd demands £10m signing-on fee to move to Old Trafford

Gary Neville
Whoops Gary, 3000 miles out, the point being Rashford doesn’t deserve any break, even Blackpool. Neville joins the nauseating serial whingers like Scholes and Ferdinand whose managerial experience is… collectively risible.

Still rash is living off one good season in five which achieved his present contract. Ram is going to be screaming at Rash whose workmate along with Garnacho has led to enormous pressure on the defence, although Garnacho has seven goals to four.

Ipswich will be very annoying and will harass the 343. It would not be a surprise to find a fit Maguire between De Ligt and Martinez, but the ram players up front are Mount and Fernando’s, where are the goals coming from, especially without Amad and Garnacho? Could be a long day, one thing is certain those that lose possession and do not bust an intestine to get it back are on the Boxing Day list.

Lastly, why on earth do you pay any attention to Keane who exists in a sad anal mythical clough universe. Neville is now becoming personal without the rainman’s wonky.
Dominic

In praise of Harry…
Harry Kane is subject to a lot of criticism, some justified, the majority not. When he signed for Bayern, i read a number of posts suggesting he was, “No Lewandowski”. Which seemed a bit harsh and a particularly high bar.

With his hat trick on Friday he became the fastest player to score 50 goals in the Bundesliga, a feat achieved in a ridiculously few, 43 games.

Credit where credit is due. He might not be the player he was, and it’s still hilarious that he hasn’t won anything*, but he’s incredibly effective. An outstanding player.

Rob (Liverpool – still in a state of disbelief at this season)

*Kane may well win the league this season, which would ruin that.

Glory of Six
Following Will Ford’s article – I thought some of the choices were interesting to say the least for the other 5’s failings during Pep’s reign and of the “indictments” named against them, there were some strong mitigating retorts:

Arsenal – only one Champions League knockout tie in that time, sure, but that was last year, and pre-Pep? They hadn’t won a single Champions League knockout tie in 7 years prior to Pep’s arrival – so it’s really just “more of the same, with some “in the right direction” stuff thrown in.

Chelsea – won 28 fewer points than City per season in the last 8 seasons? How the mighty have fallen! What’s that? Their average points per season has actually only dropped 5 points in the Pep era, versus the 8 years prior? That’s a drop sure, and definitely not great – but using the yard stick as “City’s points under Pep” a team that have consistently hit 90 points and beyond and who’s average in the 8 seasons of Pep versus the 8 seasons since, has jumped 15 pps. A team who make up a huge portion of the top-10 highest Premier League points totals, no less, is slightly disingenuous, non?

Tottenham – this is slightly spurious, I will grant you, but I’m going to go ahead and say that a) Tottenham having 36 knockout wins, to City’s 85, is not all that shocking and b) guess that if I could be bothered to do the hard stat yards, Tottenham’s 36 knockout wins will represent about the 5th, 6th or 7th best for that period in the English pyramid. Befitting the size of the club they are (no offence, Spurs)

United: This one is slightly damning, and it’s hard to deny that United spending 1.32bil in 8 years for the return of 2 FA Cups, 2 League Cups and a Europa League is chonky but, to mitigate this, United have had 4 permanent managers in that time and everyone knows a new manager’s spend tends to be higher and also – and this is the important bit – for all of City’s spending… they have spent SO well, and there are no clubs that sit favourably next to them on, pound for pound spending.

Liverpool: Is being the closest challenger for the majority of the time, really an “indictment”? No, no I am not so sure it is.

In all, it just really does be very hard to look at Pep’s success at City as anything less than an absolutely deafening 8 years of dominance that comparing others in that era, is like comparing Hill and Schumacher in the 90s (rubbish sport, look it up). Even throwing “dodgy balance sheet” at them hardly works because they’ve even done the spending thing better than previous cheque-book projects.
Harold Ernesto Hooler – Yep, even on a Friday/Saturday (whenever this publishes, IF it publishes), I’m hard at work

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Liverpool vs Man City is not quite so one-sided…
You’re article about how much better than everyone else was a triumph of narrative. I agree that Pep is great but fair is fair- you’ve spoken of a one-sided rivalry with Liverpool – where were you hiding when Liverpool knocked them out of the Champions League?

You may like to pretend Liverpool only had one moment against City but there is that as well- a 5-1 drubbing over two legs. Followed by losing the league by one point while winning the Champions League.

Being unbiased as you are would you consider Liverpool to have been actually the better of the two that season. Or maybe you’d consider winning the league at a canter the following season while Man City failed to win any major title.

So at that point would you consider that Liverpool were a better team than City? No? Perhaps they had been lucky in amassing about twenty points more than City and winning a European cup over that two year stretch.

A couple of years later Liverpool almost won the quadruple while chasing down city and losing by a point, making their third European cup final in the process. They did all this while spending a fraction of what Pep had at his disposal ( I include this because you used it as a stick to beat Man United but oddly never mentioned it in relation to City outspending anyone else)a nd are currently giving them quite a run for their considerable money with a new manager.

So I know it doesn’t fit your ‘hasn’t Pep just made idiots of you all narrative but please don’t include Liverpool as if we haven’t just watched a great team of our own for ten years. City went up against Liverpool many times in Pep’s era and came off worse many times. Pep acknowledges this at every opportunity- why won’t you?
Michael

Sometimes I find myself fascinated by the interactions in this mailbox. Dan’s response to Dixon Hunt is a wonderful example of ‘okay, but what’s your actual point?’.

Dan writes that Dixon is “basing an opinion on a fan base” from a single letter. But that isn’t what happened. Dixon replied to a specific individual, then asked a question of Spurs fans broadly.

Dan then states that the match-going Spurs fans he knows (because the “in general” is doing a lot of work, unless Dan spends time chatting with 60k people at half time) believe that the club is “more than just okay”. He then proceeds to write a list of gripes and grievances that don’t feel like the thoughts and feelings of someone feeling okay, let alone more than okay.

I have absolutely no idea what Dan’s actual point was. But I do know Dan seems to think that how he approaches his own job somehow negatively reflects on how a different human does a completely unrelated job.

Dan, you know you could have just answered the questions, right? You’re coming across as someone going through things and finding it hard to place his own thoughts into any kind of context.

Personally, as one human being with only my own opinions, albeit opinions that are influenced and moulded by the world around me, I do find the ‘Spurs fans are…’ or ‘Spurs fans want…’ stuff tiresome. If you’re writing in to respond to stuff read on twitter, maybe just respond to the actual person on twitter? But that’s absolutely not what happened here. One person responded to another and asked a broader question. Dan came in, bloodshot sweaty eyes, pocket damp with sodden tissues, told everyone he was fine actually, and then proceeded to have a minor breakdown.

It’ll be okay Dan. It’ll be okay.

But if you want general vibes, it’s simple to the point of painful fury and predictability. Fun manager is only fun until it stops being fun because trophy trophy trophy, why can’t we just defend, I’d take a season full of dull one nils. Fun manager is sacked. Dour manager comes in. One nils abound. It is ugly and unwatchable but clean sheets eh, good defence, trophy trophy trophy? No. No trophy. Oh what I would do to enjoy football again. I don’t care about winning I just want to enjoy watching Spurs again. Dour manager is sacked. Fun manager makes us smile. We get overexcited and over-optimistic and we dream too big and then we get hurt. Because fun manager is only fun until…
Thayden

According to reports, La Liga giants FC Barcelona have a ‘defined plan’ to secure their ‘dream signing’ of Erling Haaland from Manchester City.

Man City paid around £51m to sign Haaland from Borussia Dortmund during the 2022 summer transfer window.

Haaland was considered a sure-fire success ahead of his move to the Etihad, but he has arguably surpassed expectations as he has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world.

So far this season, he has 15 goals in his 16 appearances across all competitions. Overall, he has 105 goals in his 114 outings for Man City.

The 24-year-old is under contract until 2027 but has been consistently linked with an exit in recent months. It’s been reported that Man City are in talks with the forward as they are keen to tie him down to a new contract on improved terms.

READ: Guardiola contract ignored as more digs at Rashford take back-page precedent

Earlier this month, a report from journalist Graeme Bailey claimed Man City are “increasingly confident” of getting Haaland to sign a new contract and has “come to terms” with his improved deal including a release clause.

Bailey said: “City are confident about agreeing terms. They’ve been trying for two years.

“Obviously, the issue has always been the release clauses, which are not going to be removed from the contracts in any way, shape or form. It’s not going to happen. City have come to terms with that.

“Their hope is that they can be altered in terms of when they come into play. If he signs a new deal for instance in the next few weeks or months, which City hope, that will, from my understanding, mean it won’t be allowed to be triggered until 2026 rather than 2025.

“They’re not massively worried as the clauses are going to be huge anyway for teams to meet that. And Haaland has always had these in, they make sure these are in there for the long-term safety of the player.

“It’s just the situation that every contract Haaland has ever signed has had release clauses and that’s not going to change for this one. It’s nothing to do with him, or an exit strategy or anything like that, it’s just how they work.”

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👉 Guardiola ‘list of signings’ revealed as Man City target two from La Liga amid £100m bid preparations
👉 Paul Merson makes Man City vs Tottenham prediction: ‘It wouldn’t shock me’

A new report in Spain says ‘everything indicates’ Haaland ‘will’ sign a new contract, but his new ‘exit clause could be decisive’.

It’s claimed that the ‘clause would be close to 100 million euros, which is ‘a high figure but acceptable for Barcelona’.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta already has a ‘defined plan’ to recruit Haaland, who remains their ‘dream signing’ as they scour the market for a striker to replace Robert Lewandowski. The report explains.

‘Laporta’s plan is not to sign Haaland immediately but to wait for the right moment.

‘With Robert Lewandowski secured as the team’s offensive reference until 2025, the president plans to make the final move for the Norwegian in the summer of 2026.

‘Then Haaland, who will remain at an ideal age to lead any project, would be ready to assume Lewandowski’s testimony and become the new point of reference for the Blaugrana attack.

‘The relationship between Joan Laporta and Rafaela Pimienta, representative of Haaland, will be key in this operation.

‘Both maintain a fluid contact, and the president is convinced that this good rapport can be a decisive factor for the Norwegian striker to choose the Camp Nou as his next destination.’

Former Argentina and Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano will manage Lionel Messi after agreeing to become the new Inter Miami head coach, according to reports.

Mascherano and Messi won 19 trophies together at Barcelona and were teammates at international level, losing the World Cup final in 2014.

Since retiring in 2020, former West Ham and Liverpool midfielder Mascherano has managed Argentina’s Under-20 side and coached his country at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The club has not yet confirmed it, but the 40-year-old will replace Tata Martino as Inter Miami head coach, meaning he will go from being Messi’s former club and international teammate to his boss.

Martino left his role after Miami’s shock exit in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs for personal reasons.

Following his departure, he said: “It has been an honour to work at such a special club, and to lead such a special team.

“I’ve enjoyed my stay at Inter Miami and will treasure the memories made and relationships forged here for the rest of my life. I depart with nothing but gratitude for my time here and would like to offer sincere thanks to everyone that made it possible.”

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The experienced Argentine will be replaced by his inexperienced compatriot, according to multiple reports.

Broke by journalist Cesar Luis Merlo, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Messi’s “special friend” will become Inter’s next head coach.

Romano wrote on X: “Javier Mascherano will be the new head coach of Inter Miami, as @CLMerlo reports.

“Agreement done for the Argentine head coach who always had special friendship with Leo Messi. Documents being prepared.”

The Italian journalist later added: “Javier Mascherano’s contract as new Inter Miami head coach will be valid for the next three years.”

Martino managed Messi and Mascherano in the 2013/14 season but could not win a major honour. The following season, Barcelona won the Treble under Luis Enrique.

Inter losing in the first round of the playoffs to Atlanta United came as a major shock and prematurely ends an historic campaign.

Martino led David Beckham’s side to a 74-point finish in the regular season, breaking the total points record in MLS history set by the New England Revolution in 2021.

Messi played 19 times in the regular season, scoring 20 goals and providing 10 assists. He had two goal contributions in the Atlanta series, which lasted three matches.

👉 READ NEXT: Guardiola contract ignored as more digs at Rashford take back-page precedent

Chelsea are planning a huge bid to sign defenders Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo from FC Barcelona, according to reports in Spain.

The Blues have been linked with both Kounde and Araujo for bloody ages and came close to signing the former from Sevilla in 2021 and 2022.

The Frenchman ended up joining Barcelona for around £45million in July 2022.

Speculation of a move to Stamford Bridge has refused to go away, while Araujo has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich since signing a contract extension in April 2022.

The Red Devils have also been thrown into the equation regarding Kounde, with reports in Spain reporting they have made an increased offer after Barcelona rejected their opening bid.

Obviously, that will be a load of nonsense. Even more obviously, knowing it is nonsense will not stop us from writing about it. So here’s some more…

Chelsea plan £125m bid for Barcelona duo – reports

According to reports in Spain, Chelsea are ‘preparing’ to put 150 million euros (£124.6m) on the table for Kounde and Araujo, in a bold double swoop that has been deemed a ‘bombshell’.

Indeed, the Blues intend to ‘make a leap in quality’ and think the two Barcelona defenders can do that for them.

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The report from Fichajes says Chelsea have ‘turned their attention’ signing the ‘defensive pillars’ for a mammoth combined fee in the region of £125m.

Despite Barca’s difficult financial situation, they ‘will not be easy to convince’ to sell as ‘both players are fundamental’ in Hansi Flick’s plans, even if Araujo is yet to play a minute under the German due to injury.

Such an offer from Chelsea will not be instantly snubbed as the report says the Blaugrana still have a ‘delicate financial situation’.

The Blues face the former side of head coach Enzo Maresca, Leicester City, in the Premier League this weekend.

The match at the King Power Stadium gets the Premier League back underway after the third international break of the campaign.

On returning to Leicester, Maresca told reporters on Friday: “I’m excited and thankful. It was a fantastic season.

“The owner and his family are fantastic people. They care for players, staff, all of the people that work in the club. You can see that. I’m still in contact with them.”

Meanwhile, Foxes head coach Steve Cooper said: “Enzo did a brilliant job getting the club back to the Premier League. He’s gone on and had a more than strong start at Chelsea.

“We know we’re coming up against a talented team with a really good coach. This is a game which is a real test but one we need to embrace and be ready for.”

👉 MORE: Chelsea news | Barcelona news | Premier League five-year net spend table

New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has been tipped to revive one star who was “let down” by former boss Erik ten Hag.

Earlier this month, Man Utd appointed Amorim to replace Ten Hag, who was sacked following their disappointing loss at West Ham at the end of October.

Amorim did a brilliant job at Sporting Lisbon as he helped them win the Primeira Liga twice and made a perfect start in the league this season, winning their opening eleven league games.

The 39-year-old has a difficult challenge at Man Utd, though. The Red Devils have endured a miserable start to the 2024/25 campaign as they are 13th in the Premier League.

United have carried on from where they let off last season in the Premier League as they have been held back by poor recruitment in recent years.

Casemiro was one of the worst signings made by Man Utd during the Ten Hag-era as they foolishly invested £60m plus add-ons to sign the 32-year-old from Real Madrid.

The Brazil international surpassed expectations during his debut season in 2022/23, but his form has declined over the past 18 months.

Casemiro has been heavily criticised but his form did improve slightly under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy. Ex-United striker Louis Saha has backed Amorim to get the best out of the centre-midfielder after he was “let down” by Ten Hag.

“You could see how much he was being exposed in Erik ten Hag’s system and ultimately, the tactics were wrong,” Saha said.

READ: Big Weekend: Man City v Tottenham, Ruben Amorim, Liverpool, Cole Palmer, Napoli, Coventry

“Casemiro was being asked to do too much and it’s difficult for him to do well without the right players around him. It doesn’t matter how many trophies he’s won, he was going to struggle in that system.

“I believe he was let down. I’m a big defender of him because he never complains and he’s aware of when he’s not playing well.

“With the right balance in the midfield and the right positioning, we’re going to see Casemiro playing with a different dimension. He has the right quality and leadership that this Manchester United team needs.”

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Speaking to reporters on Friday, Amorim insisted he is the “right guy at the right time” for Man Utd and he “believes in the players”.

“I’m a little bit of a dreamer and I believe in myself and I believe in the club,” Amorim said.

“I think we have the same idea, the same mindset and that can help.

“I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do.

“Call me naive, but I believe I am the right guy at the right time. I truly believe I am the right guy.”

He added: “I know at Manchester United we have to win games. We need a lot of time because it’s a tough league, we have to improve a lot to try to win the title.

“We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take.”

Jamie Carragher admits he thought former Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag lacked “charisma” after interviewing him with Gary Neville early on his reign.

The Dutchman had a promising first season in charge at Old Trafford with Ten Hag leading the Red Devils to an FA Cup final, League Cup glory and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Despite a shock FA Cup final win over arch-rivals Man City last term, Man Utd could only finish eighth in the Premier League and there was an expectation that INEOS would sack Ten Hag.

However, they decided to keep him on and offer him a one-year extension over the summer after speaking with a number of potential replacements.

That proved to be a mistake as they fired Ten Hag just nine matches into the new Premier League season with Man Utd winning just a third of those fixtures.

And former Liverpool defender Carragher admits he and fellow Sky Sports pundit Neville got a feeling that Ten Hag lacked an “X-factor” during an interview after his first two matches as Man Utd boss.

Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column: “The most successful have an aura and personality.

“Only those working in the same environment can offer a first-hand account of how the manager operates behind the scenes, but for those of us on the outside looking in, perceptions matter.

“Without dwelling too much on United’s recent past, this was a red flag against Ten Hag from day one.

“Two games into his reign, Gary Neville and I had the pleasure of interviewing Ten Hag at United’s training ground. He was a polite guy but there was no sense of an x-factor.

“Driving away from the meeting that day, I turned to Gary and said: ‘He must be a supercoach because there isn’t much charisma.'”

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Ruben Amorim has now replaced Ten Hag as the Man Utd manager and former Red Devils striker Teddy Sheringham is pleased with the choice to appoint the ex-Sporting Lisbon boss.

Sheringham said recently: “At the end of the day, we had enough of Ten Hag. I said he should have been gone ages ago. I’m surprised he lasted that long, especially with where he’s got Man United in the league.

“The Premier League is what it’s all about for Man United, for my liking. I know he won the FA Cup with one outstanding performance, but he should have gone in the summer.

“The decision to appoint Ruben Amorim is not before time. It looks like they’ve picked the best man, the right man for the job to come in. They must have thought long and hard about it, about where they were going to go.

“They got an extra two or three months to find the right man after clearly having doubts about Ten Hag in the summer.

“With the decision to bring him in, obviously there’s a few months gone in the season. It’s not the end of the world, that they’ve got a new manager in now. Things change very quickly. Everyone’s saying Man United are miles off of being the top club that they used to be, but if a manager comes in and gets it right, it can all change at Manchester United.”

Ukraine will play Belgium in the playoffs for the 2024/2025 Nations League A. The first match will take place at home on March 20, and the return leg will be played away on March 23, 2025.

Today, November 22, the draw ceremony for the 2024/2025 Nations League playoffs took place in Nyon, Switzerland, which determined the rival of the national team of Ukraine, UNN writes with reference to the UAF.

Details

"In the playoffs for reaching the A-League, we will play against Belgium. on March 20, 2025, we will host the opponent at home, and on March 23, we will play away," the UAF said.

According to the regulations, the third teams of League A groups and the second teams of League B groups will meet in the playoffs for places in League A of the 2026/2027 cycle. The latter, including Ukraine, will play the first matches on their home field. The matches are scheduled for March 20 and 23, 2025. So, the team will play against Belgium in a two-match confrontation.

With the Belgian team, which became the opponent of the Ukrainian national team in the playoffs of the 2024/2025 Nations League for places in Division A the following season, the Blue-yellows met once in history and parted with it in a goalless draw.

In the group stage of LN 2024/2025, the Belgians played in the A2 quartet and showed the following results: Belgium-Israel — 3:1, France — Belgium — 2:0, Italy — Belgium — 2:2, Belgium — France — 1:2, Belgium — Italy — 0:1, Israel — Belgium — 1:0.

addition

The national team of Ukraine in the last round of the group round of the 2024/2025 Nations League defeated Albania in Tirana – 2: 1, thanks to which it finished in second place in the B1 quartet.

Nations League 2024/2025. Playoffs

1/4 finals

Netherlands – Spain

Croatia – France

Denmark – Portugal

Italy – Germany

Matches – March 20 and 23, 2025.

1/2 final

Italy/Germany – Denmark/Portugal

Netherlands / Spain – Croatia / France

Semifinals – June 4/5, 2025, final/match for 3rd place-June 8, 2025.

For places in League A

Turkey – Hungary

Ukraine – Belgium

Austria – Serbia

Greece – Scotland

The matches will take place on March 20 and 23, 2025.

For places in League B

Kosovo – Iceland

Bulgaria – Ireland

Armenia – Georgia

Slovakia – Slovenia

The matches will take place on March 20 and 23, 2025.

For places in the C League

Gibraltar – Latvia

Malta – Luxembourg

The matches will take place on March 26 and 31, 2026.