HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today…
Liverpool have had to deal with further speculation that Philippe Coutinho is on his way to Barcelona over the past couple of days, but news from Italy regarding another Reds midfielder has emerged this morning.
Sky Italy are reporting that Serie A champions Juventus have reached an agreement in principle for German international Emre Can, who can leave Anfield on a free in the summer as he has entered the final six months of his current deal.
Celtic’s young defender Kieran Tierney looks destined for great things in the game, and the Scottish treble winners tied the 20-year-old down to a new six-year deal as recently as October.
However, the Daily Record claim he is on Manchester United’s shortlist of left-back targets along with Brazilian Alex Sandro of Juventus. The same newspaper adds that Fulham’s teenage prodigy Ryan Sessegnon is also wanted by United, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham.
Everton are in the market for a striker and Turkish international Cenk Tosun appears to be close to joining the Merseyside club. In fact, the Toffees just need to agree personal terms with the Besiktas centre forward, 26, and Sam Allardyce says a mooted £27m deal could even be wrapped up before tonight’s FA Cup tie with city rivals Liverpool.
Tosun has 14 goals in all competitions this season, including four in the Champions League.
Newcastle also wanted Tosun, but Rafa Benitez could now turn his attention to Watford’s Troy Deeney.
West Ham manager David Moyes has admitted he is shocked by rumours that Hammers striker Andy Carroll could make a January switch to Chelsea, and he’s not the only one. The champions, who are on the verge of bringing in Ross Barkley from Everton for £15m, have been linked with the former Newcastle and Liverpool target man.
That’s a strange one.
Retro deal of the day: Nemanja Vidic (Spartak Moscow to Man United)
12 years ago today, Manchester United paid around £7m to Spartak Moscow for a Serbian defender by the name of Nemanja Vidic.
After a shaky start to life at Old Trafford, he would go on to become one of the club’s finest-ever players as part of a rock solid central defensive partnership alongside Rio Ferdinand.
Vidic won five Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League under Alex Ferguson. He departed for Inter Milan in 2014 and retired two years later.
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
They have some neck.
@Patrick Breen: Could still go to the DRA after this and maybe even a court case, who knows?
@Patrick Breen: they’re dead right. Why not just replay the last free again, the idea they have to replay the whole game is a fair solution is madness.
@Paul Mallon: the fact that they blatantly cheated and think they should get away with it is madness.
@Paul Mallon: replay the last free, seriously. So we’ll just make up a new sport..
@Patrick Breen: the more I think about this I’ve changed my mind from it’s 100% a replay to it only warrants a fine! Realistically the chances of a goal with the last kick of the game is unlikely, especially when it’s a 45 with the packed defence fully set up. And it’s telling that the referee allowed the 45 to be taken before the substitutions had been complete properly – Kilmacud will argue that as the subs were not being managed correctly! Players off players on before 45 can take place – clearly ref was going to allow it be taken quickly which added to the panic & confusion. In my view KMc won this game and an extra man on for 24secs over 70+ mins had NO bearing on the outcome. If this was reversed I don’t general public wud be questioning if Glen won it
@BMJF: It’s not really about the likelihood of a goal. Nobody knows what effect the 16th player had, direct or indirect, even as a distraction to the player in possession. The real issue is what happens if there’s no real sanction. Teams will be making substitutions and making sure the player being replaced is at least very slow leaving the pitch. Now we see Glen have pulled out of the appeals process because a replay is unworkable.
@BMJF: especially when it’s an overpacked defence.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: don’t be silly. The GAA will simply learn to make substitutions like every other sporting organisation!! That’s what will happen. Play will pause before a free is taken etc and Players will have to come off before the replacements go on and ref won’t restart the game until they’re in position. It’s not rocket science. GAA should have accepted some responsibility, read their rules and issued a hefty fine the next morning and that would have been the end of it
I’d watch a live stream of that hearing
Hope they throw the book at them and just award the final to the other team.
@Reggie: haha, don’t know about that now Reg. Certainly interested to hear what their grounds for appeal will be though…..seems cut and dried to me that the rule was broken and one of the consequences have been invoked.
The tone of the anti Kilmacud comments is telling. An anti Dub vibe off them. I’m guessing that If this was reversed and Glen had 16 men for 24secs over a 70+ min game, defending a 2point lead with last play of the game, the general public wud be saying that on balance Glen should remain the winners, and that the extra man for 24 secs didn’t really impact the outcome! But because it’s a big Dub club everyone has knickers in a knot!!
If GAA had issued a fine quickly I think Glen would have accepted the result , as their manager did straight after the game
@BMJF: I would say the opposite, the Ulster team (as always) are being portrayed as the bad guys here… maybe I’m wrong
Kilmacud won fair and square on the field of play. Glen will be looked upon as sore losers. There’s no way Kilmacud will replay the match. They are prepared to hand the cup over to Glen. If the Glen club wants to avoid the lasting legacy of poor losers they really should withdraw the objection and gear themselves up to trying to win the title next year on the field of play. That would give the club a lot of respect.
@Brendan Daniel Naughton: ‘fair and square’, hahahaha, are you well.
Great stuff