Struggling Bournemouth need reinforcements but should stick with Eddie Howe January 14, 2020 Bournemouth looked desperate in their 3-0 defeat to Watford last weekend, which saw them slide into the Premier League relegation zone. In a wholly disappointing performance the Cherries looked disjointed, low on confidence and were overpowered by a physically superior Watford. It feels as though there is a disconnect within the club and they are [...]
Wayne Rooney has given Derby reason for optimism after sluggish start to the season January 14, 2020 It has been a difficult season so far for Derby County. They have been off the pace required to earn promotion to the Premier League, while the drink-driving incident that saw Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett charged by police and former captain Richard Keogh sacked has also cast a shadow. But the New Year has [...]
In politics as in football, a star transfer player isn’t enough to save a struggling club January 14, 2020 As every football fan knows, the start of a new year marks the opening of the January transfer window. A host of Premier League teams, anxiously surveying their position in the table, will be forking out eight-figure sums for new players in order to drag themselves out of the relegation zone or up towards the [...]
How Tottenham overtook Chelsea and Arsenal to become London’s richest football club January 14, 2020 They may have lost out to Liverpool on the night but Tottenham Hotspur’s run to a first ever Champions League final came with a consolation prize: they are now London’s richest club. Spurs’ best ever European campaign helped grow revenue by 21 per cent to £459.3m (€521.1m), taking them above rivals Chelsea and Arsenal to [...]
Manchester United facing threat to status as England’s richest football club from Manchester City and Liverpool January 14, 2020 Just two years ago they were the world’s richest team, their unrivalled commercial operation allowing them to capitalise on a brand built up during two decades dominating English football. Now, however, Manchester United are increasingly being left behind by Spain’s big two clubs and in danger of being eclipsed financially by Premier League rivals Manchester [...]
World’s richest football clubs 2020: Barcelona replace Real Madrid at top of Deloitte Football Money League as Manchester United are left behind January 14, 2020 Barcelona have overtaken Real Madrid to become the world’s richest football club, according to Deloitte’s Football Money League. The Spanish champions saw revenue soar to €840.8m (£741.1m) last year – a record figure for any team and almost 10 per cent more than rivals Real Madrid, who are second. Manchester United, in third, remain the [...]
Sergio Aguero tops Premier League list and Watford continue rise as Aston Villa and Bournemouth go into freefall January 13, 2020 Debate over where Sergio Aguero ranks in the pantheon of English football’s imports or whether he gets the credit that he deserves may continue to rage, but some things are plain fact. With 177 goals, he is now the leading non-British scorer in the Premier League history, following his hat-trick in Manchester City’s 6-1 evisceration [...]
Can anyone stop Liverpool from becoming invincible and breaking Arsenal’s 49-match unbeaten record? January 9, 2020 If Liverpool avoid defeat against Tottenham on Saturday evening, they will have gone 38 league games unbeaten; the equivalent of a full season. Unfortunately, there are no medals for that in isolation, but there will be a trophy come the end of the season assuming they stay on course to end their 30-year top-flight drought. [...]
January transfer window: Why Premier League clubs could hold off splashing the cash in mid-season January 8, 2020 The hype and bluster surrounding the Premier League transfer windows, and the shorter January version in particular, is well established. Rumour, counter-rumour and 24/7 rolling news with reporters in club car parks were designed for such occasions and have become ingrained in football culture. All the window means in practice, however, is that after five [...]
Mikel Arteta has restored Arsenal’s work ethic – now they can relaunch their season January 7, 2020 Looking at Mesut Ozil’s face as he departed the field towards the end of Arsenal’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Leeds, you could tell that he had put in a hard shift. At full-time of the first few games of Mikel Arteta’s tenure as manager, that effort has been visible in Ozil’s team-mates, too – [...]