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Glasgow Rangers’ move to appoint Kevin Muscat as the new man in charge at Ibrox has taken a twist which could see a former Scotland winger take charge on an interim basis.

Following surprise rejection from Steven Gerrard, it was back to square one for the 49ers. It looked almost certain that the former Rangers manager would be making his return to Ibrox for the first time since leaving in 2021, only for their offer to simply come at the wrong stage of their current project.

Now, Kevin Thelwell and others have been left with no choice but to turn towards other candidates – sparking several rumours. Now that it’s not Gerrard, reports have mentioned Danny Rohl, former West Ham United boss Graham Potter and several other names, but the “favourite” for the job is now Shanghai Port manager Kevin Muscat.

The 52-year-old was previously in contention to take the job before the Gers ultimately turned towards Philippe Clement in 2023. Now, two years on, he could finally get the chance to take charge of the side that he played for between 2002 and 2003.

His appointment would certainly make sense. Muscat is someone that knows the club well from his playing days and someone who has since won everywhere he’s been as a manager.

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Those at Ibrox should also know their candidate pretty well, given how close he’s been to the job in the past. The only obstacle will be getting Muscat out of his position in Shanghai, with the Chinese Super League season not coming to an end until mid-Novemeber.

That said, reports that he’s already got a secret agreement in place about one Ibrox change suggests that he’s been preparing for the job for some time.

Secret Rangers agreement could see interim appointment

As reported by The Daily Record, Muscat already has a secret agreement in place with Neil McCann to join his backroom staff at Rangers and, if he gets the job, the former Scotland winger will reportedly make himself available to take charge until the manager completes his business in Shanghai.

This could see McCann take charge as soon as this weekend against Dundee United and return for the first time since being part of Barry Ferguson’s staff in an interim spell last season.

The delay in Muscat’s arrival would be far from ideal, but handing one of his potential staff members the role on a temporary basis looks like an ideal solution. McCann knows the club well, knows the potential next manager well and could steady the ship before mid-November.

In an ideal world, however, Muscat will call time on his tenure in China and instantly take the vacant Ibrox position. He has been a man in waiting for some time and should take hold of the opportunity whilst he still has the chance.

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Tomás Pochettino, meio-campista do Fortaleza, entrou no radar do São Paulo. O Lance! apurou que ainda não houve proposta oficial e que a intenção do Tricolor seria tentar um empréstimo, especialmente por questões financeiras.

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O Fortaleza, porém, trabalha com a possibilidade de uma venda, o que torna o cenário mais complexo. Pochettino tem contrato até 2027 e, após o rebaixamento para a Série B, o clube avalia seus ativos para 2026.

Além de Pochettino, o São Paulo também acompanha a situação de Gastón Ávila, zagueiro emprestado ao Fortaleza pelo Ajax. A ideia, novamente, seria um empréstimo. O clube cearense considerava mantê-lo para a próxima temporada, caso fosse do interesse do jogador, mas o valor para uma compra, próximo de 20 milhões de reais, é inviável no momento. Para o São Paulo, uma negociação definitiva também está fora do alcance, o que reforça o empréstimo como alternativa.

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➡️São Paulo: Pablo Maia entra na mira da Europa e Rússia

No planejamento para 2026, o São Paulo prioriza reforços por empréstimo com opção de compra, modelo semelhante ao aplicado na chegada de Marcos Antonio no último ano.

São Paulo tem padrão definido para reforços em 2026

O São Paulo definiu um plano para a vinda de reforços em 2026. Sem poder gastar muito ou lidar com folhas salariais além da realidade do clube, é esperado que duas ou três peças pontuais cheguem ao time. A intenção é que sejam atletas jovens e em moldes parecidos com o de Marcos Antonio no último ano – empréstimos com opções de compra.

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➡️Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

Pensando em 2026, uma das ideias é ter de cinco a seis jogadores de Cotia integrados entre os profissionais também. O São Paulo ainda aguarda para saber se irá disputar ou não a Copa Libertadores ano que vem.

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FortalezaMercado da BolaSão Paulo

Celtic have agreed a to a second appointment as a key condition in their deal to bring Columbus Crew mananger Wilfried Nancy to Parkhead.

The 48-year-old Frenchman has been head coach of Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew since December 2022. He began his managerial career with CF Montreal in March 2021 following the departure of Thierry Henry.

Celtic have been searching for a new permanent manager since Brendan Rodgers resigned, with Martin O’Neill, assisted by Shaun Maloney, overseeing the Scottish champions’ last five matches in an interim capacity.

Either Thursday’s trip to Feyenoord or the visit to Hibernian on Sunday will be the duo’s final game in charge however, as Fabrizio Romano revealed the only step left is to iron out the ‘final details’ before exchanging contracts.

The new manager may also have his first Celtic transfer target lined up too, with a move for Columbus Crew star Wessam Abou Ali in the offiing this winter.

And it appears Nancy’s deal with Celtic also includes the arrival of a new assistant manager, with Kwame Ampadu set to follow him from Ohio to Glasgow.

Celtic add Kwame Ampadu to Nancy's coaching staff

As reported by Pete O’Rourke shortly before Romano’s update, Nancy will be joined by Ampadu, who has been his assistant in Columbus since 2023.

The 54 year-old, who was born in Bradford but represented Republic of Ireland as a player, started his managerial career at a youth coach at Exeter City and Arsenal.

He is the father of Leeds United and Wales captain Ethan Ampadu, and has been alongside Nancy for their triumphs in the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup last year.

The pair have been praised for their tactical innovation, with Crew midfielder Aidan Morris explaning: “I think we play a style of soccer that’s very brave, and we’re not scared to try things.

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“We’re always being pushed to try new things, tactically, technically, being pushed outside our comfort zone. Speaking for myself, I’ve had to grow so much since I stepped in with Wilfried.

“He’s asked me do to so many different things and I’ve had some games where I’ve struggled with it, but then the next game or the next few games I’m more comfortable with it.

“So it’s a constant evolution of the game, and he says it’s an infinite game, so he’s always pushing us to try new things, experiment.”

Under-fire Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is personally very keen on signing one marquee forward amid a major setback surrounding their chase for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

Thomas Frank under pressure amid woeful Spurs run

Frank finds himself navigating treacherous waters at Tottenham right now, with mounting pressure threatening his managerial position following a dismal run.

The Dane has overseen just one victory from Tottenham’s last seven fixtures across all competitions, culminating in Saturday’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham.

Spurs’ abject home form compounds their misery right now with just three wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2025, and only bottom-side Wolves have a worse record on their own patch this season.

16. Burnley

2

1

3

7

-1

17. Nottingham Forest

2

1

4

7

-5

18. West Ham

2

0

5

6

-9

19. Tottenham

1

2

4

5

-1

20. Wolves

0

1

5

1

10

Particularly alarming are whispers from within the Tottenham dressing room, where players have reportedly grown bewildered by Frank’s constant tactical tinkering.

Some media sources believe that strategies are frequently modified immediately before kickoff or abandoned entirely during matches, leaving squad members confused about their responsibilities (Jack Rosser).

Tottenham have also conceded eleven goals in their last three games, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s unbelievable error gifting Harry Wilson Fulham’s winning goal last weekend.

Frank’s relationship with supporters has also reached boiling point following his criticism of fans who booed Vicario’s mistake, and carried on jeering the Italian almost every time he touched the ball afterwards.

It wasn’t really the best move by Spurs’ boss to add fuel to the fire, considering his popularity was already waning among a lot of supporters, who are also extremely keen for co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange to hire a new manager.

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Even more worryingly for the north Londoners, credible reports suggest that players feel a ‘growing disconnect’ with the fanbase (The Telegraph), and this quite simply must cease if Tottenham stand any chance of building upon their Europa League triumph in May.

Spurs’ lack of attacking creativity has been subject to plenty of debate too, but the Lewis family are apparently looking to back Frank in January and provide him with major forward upgrades.

It is believed that both FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, who’s been on fire for the last two seasons, and Premier League superstar Semenyo are both on Spurs’ radar heading into next month.

Frank 'intent' on signing Aghehowa as Spurs dealt Semenyo blow

The latter’s contract includes a tantalising £65 million release clause, including add-ons, which will be active in the early stages of January.

Of course, this has piqued real interest from Spurs, with the prospect of Mohammed Kudus on the right and Semenyo on the left coming as a very enticing thought.

However, as per TEAMtalk, Paratici and Lange have now been dealt a crushing blow in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.

The Lilywhites, Man City, Liverpool and Man United are all competing to sign Semenyo in January, but Pep Guardiola’s City side are now casting doubt over a potential move to N17.

This is because they are now the prime contenders with Semenyo ‘keen to engage’ in City talks, dealing Spurs a roadblock and making them outside contenders for his signature.

That being said, Frank personally remains ‘intent’ on signing Aghehowa for Spurs, and there is every reason to believe the Spaniard would be a serious improvement on their centre-forward options.

The 21-year-old has bagged 37 goals in all competitions since the start of 24/25, making him one of Europe’s most lethal strikers right now, but Tottenham will need to fork out around £70 million to make the deal happen.

This would be a club-record deal for Spurs, eclipsing the £65 million they paid for the injury-prone Dominic Solanke last year.

Solanke’s unavailability, concerns surrounding Richarlison and Mathys Tel’s rawness emphasise the need for a new number nine, especially considering Randal Kolo Muani is only at Tottenham on a straight loan.

In terms of pedigree and potential, you could hardly do better than Aghehowa, who’s already been compared to a prime Diego Costa.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been handed a major North London derby boost after an injury update from N5.

Arteta’s side welcome Tottenham to the Emirates on Sunday seeking to extend their remarkable dominance over their rivals.

The Gunners boast a formidable recent record in this fixture, even achieving something they had never previously done in the Premier League era earlier this year.

For the very first time since the division’s inception, Arsenal won three straight top-flight games against Tottenham, with victories in January (2-1) and September last year (1-0) following their 3-2 triumph in April 2024. The January win was enough for Arsenal to prolong their unbeaten run against Tottenham to six matches, having also done the double over Spurs in the 2022-23 campaign.

Since 1995, Arsenal have won 30 games to Tottenham’s 16 with 24 draws, highlighting their indisputable superiority in the modern era.

That being said, Spurs have been handed some encouragement by Sunderland’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal just before the international break — which ended their unbelievable winning run and proved they can in fact be broken down.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Some injury concerns also cloud Arsenal’s preparations.

Gabriel Magalhaes was injured during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal, since returning to London Colney, and it is likely that the centre-back misses at least a short stretch of games, including the North London Derby. The star centre-back is apparently a major doubt to face Tottenham this weekend, and his absence would be a real blow given his undoubted importance to the side.

The injury list extends beyond Gabriel too.

Captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli are all racing to be in contention to face Spurs after their own lay-offs, but the game comes too soon for Gabriel Jesus, who will be last to return to the field as he continues full recovery from an ACL injury (Simon Collings).

Arteta was also dealt a scare when Riccardo Calafiori nursed a hip problem on international duty with Italy, causing him to miss both of their World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Norway.

Mikel Arteta gifted Riccardo Calafiori boost with Arsenal star set to play against Tottenham

Following his return to London for assessments and checks on the problem, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed some positive news about the left-back.

Indeed, it is believed that Calafiori is set to be available for Arsenal’s clash against Tottenham this weekend, with no injury or overload.

Having the former Bologna star ready for selection is a major boost for Arteta.

He has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers this season, establishing himself as the undisputed starter at left-back ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly. The £42 million defender has transformed his fortunes after an injury-plagued debut campaign last season, when he was in and out of the starting 11 and struggled to build any consistent momentum.

Calafiori has completely turned around, becoming an absolutely crucial part of Arteta’s system, offering both defensive solidity and attacking threat from the left flank, chipping in with one goal and two assists from 11 games this season.

With Gabriel very likely to miss the derby, losing Calafiori, who’s been called one of their players of the season so far by Ray Parlour, would have left Arsenal dangerously exposed defensively.

However, the 23-year-old will instead return to the side for what is set to be a mouth-watering clash in the capital.

The Detroit Tigers continued one of the most improbable late-season runs in Major League Baseball history on Sunday by surviving the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3. At one point Detroit was 55-63 on the year and back on August 22 they were 62-66 and 9.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. The torrid 27-11 stretch has moved them into all the way past the free-falling Minnesota Twins and level with the similarly disintegrating Kansas City Royals.

Young centerfielder Parker Meadows has been one of the catalysts for the run, doing nothing but play impactiful baseball since returning from the minor leagues. In addition to providing a spark at the top of the lineup, the 6-foot-5 speedster has played tremendous defense.

His latest escapade—a game-saving home run robbery in the sixth inning on Saturday—saw him climb the fence in deep right-center and take away a two-run bomb from Orioles' Colton Cowser.

Once returning to the dugout, Meadows and his teammates gathered around the ol' tablet to enjoy the dopamine hit of several replays. You could say that a few minds were blown.

Jason Benetti mentioned something similar on the telecast but this little vignette is a perfect encapsulation of the improbably run. A bunch of players in their first or second year in the league locked in, astounded what one of their teammates has just done. Something borderline unbelievable that they've grown accustomed to believing.

Red Rose turn to veteran seamer with Marcus Harris absent to attend the birth of his child

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2025

James Anderson will captain a side for the first time•PA Photos/Getty Images

Lancashire will be captained by James Anderson in their next two County Championship matches, with the 42-year-old stepping into an interim role due to Marcus Harris returning to Australia for the birth of his child.Anderson has only played once in the Championship this season, after a calf injury ruled him out for the first six weeks, but has been in good form in the Vitality Blast. He is set to lead the side against Kent in Blackpool starting on Sunday, in what will be his first experience of captaining a professional XI.Anderson will become Lancashire’s third red-ball captain this summer, with Harris having succeeded Keaton Jennings after a difficult start to the season that also cost Dale Benkenstein his job as head coach.Related

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“Jimmy [Anderson] will lead the side and it is exciting for him and us,” Steven Croft, Lancashire’s interim head coach, told the BBC. “He has captained only once and that was in a pre-season tour T20 game in Dubai so it will be nice for Jimmy and nice for the lads.”He has obviously got a lot to offer on and off the field. It will be a proud moment for him. It is not obviously all on Jimmy but it helps and his presence, particularly as captain, is a massive boost for the rest of the lads.”Lancashire are currently second from bottom in Division Two, having drawn five and lost two of their seven games, but they have enjoyed a successful start to the Blast, winning four of six to sit third in the North Group. Anderson has played his part, returning to the format after more than a decade and taking ten wickets in four matches.The Blast will break after Friday’s fixtures for two rounds of the Championship, with Lancashire facing Kent at home before a trip to play Derbyshire at Chesterfield. Harris will miss both games, but Lancashire will be able to call on Australian overseas signings Ashton Turner and Chris Green.”The way I’m looking at it and what I will say to the team is this is a pivot in the season,” Croft said. “Seven games that have gone before we can’t do anything about. But we still have seven games to climb the ladder and there is still a chance we can go up.”We are only a few wins away from being right at the top so we can use it as pivot in the season to get in the right direction. That break with the Blast, suddenly those wins seem a little bit more attainable.”

Arsenal have had a testing and trialling start to the new season. They’ve already visited Old Trafford, Anfield and St James’ Park. They’ve also faced Manchester City. Therefore, to come away with 13 points from their opening six matches isn’t bad at all.

They’ve spent most of the campaign watching Liverpool come up with late goals. The Reds have galloped to the top of the Premier League by scoring late goals aplenty. It was in the 83rd minute that they scored the winner against Arsenal while against Burnley and Newcastle, they left it until injury time.

Well, in response, Mikel Arteta’s men have delivered late drama themselves. They needed Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time equaliser a week ago and against Newcastle on Tyneside, it required an 84th-minute header from Mikel Merino and another header from Gabriel Magalhaes in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

It was dramatic, it was chaotic, but for Arsenal, it was oh so lovely.

Merino and Gabriel were the heroes but a special mention must go Declan Rice’s way for the manner in which he helped power the away side to victory.

Declan Rice's performance vs Newcastle in numbers

Towards the end of last season, Rice firmly established himself as one of the finest midfielders in Europe.

That stunning pair of free-kicks against Real Madrid put him on the map, with Rio Ferdinand remarking that the England star was one of the finest players on the park.

In comparison, the former West Ham star has had a slower start to 2025/26 but he’s beginning to motor now, really proving that in Sunday’s win over Newcastle.

Truth be told, Rice was playing far too deep in the opening 45 minutes of the game but as he began to move further forward in the second period, he came alive.

It was Rice’s perfectly weighted delivery from the left-hand side that led to the Gunners’ equaliser, playing the ball into Merino who glanced home.

The club-record signing’s display was much more than just that assist, however.

Indeed, it was a display in which he showcased why he is “one of the best midfielders in world football” in the words of analyst Raj Chohan.

Throughout his 90 minutes on the field, the 26-year-old did it all, completing 88% of his passes and amassing 104 touches. He also completed three key passes and won seven of his nine duels.

It was an imperious performance from Rice, a player who is perhaps proving to be the club’s most complete midfielder since the days of Patrick Vieira.

He’s not the only one evoking memories of the great Frenchman, though.

Arsenal's "colossal" star is showing shades of Patrick Vieira

Rice has continued to prove that he’s one of the most important players in the squad. He’s also demonstrated why he’s one of the most clutch players at Arteta’s disposal. He simply comes alive in the big moments and in the big games.

Another player who embodies that is Gabriel. The Brazilian has been an enormous part of Arsenal’s rise during Arteta’s reign and nothing summed up his time at the club more than Sunday’s win against Newcastle.

It actually didn’t start particularly well for the central defender, who was certainly at blame for the game’s opening goal.

The ball was swung in toward the Toon’s towering striker, Nick Woltemade. The German gently leaned on Gabriel who, instead of challenging for the ball, threw himself to the floor in a wildly embarrassing moment.

However, Gabriel responded emphatically with a phenomenal second-half performance, in particular, that culminated in the game’s winning goal.

While the centre-back’s late header sparked pandemonium among the Arsenal players and staff, it was certainly no surprise that he popped up when he did.

After all, like Rice, like Vieira 20 odd years ago, Gabriel is one of the most clutch players we’ve seen at the club. He’s scored 18 Premier League goals, at least six more than any other defender since he made his English top-flight debut back in September 2020.

Like Vieira he’s a warrior, a leader, a titan and a gladiator amongst men. In the words of Statman Dave, via X, his display against Newcastle was “colossal”.

Minutes played

90

Touches

81

Accurate passes

51/60 (85%)

Clearances

9

Blocks

2

Interceptions

3

Tackles

3

Ground duels won

4/4

Aerial duels won

7/11

Woltemade goal aside, it certainly was sublime. Gabriel won more duels (11), made more clearances (9) and won more aerial battles (7) than any other Arsenal player at St James’ Park.

Meanwhile, no player in red or white made more than the defender’s three tackles and three interceptions.

While it would have been easy for the 27-year-old to get carried away after being bundled over easily for the opener, the way in which he bounced back was characteristic of the way he plays his football.

Like Rice, he’s Vieira-esque, a warrior with the heart of a lion, somebody you can never write off. If Arsenal win the league come May, then Gabriel will have had a huge say in that triumph.

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It’s starting to feel like it might be game over for Graham Potter at West Ham United.

The former Chelsea boss ended last season in 14th place, and has already lost three of four Premier League games this year.

On top of that, the team crashed out of the League Cup and simply aren’t playing good football.

Some fans would surely love for the club to re-hire David Moyes, but while that is almost certainly impossible, West Ham do seem interested in another of their former managers.

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One name that seems to continuously pop up is Frank Lampard, who is currently plying his trade with Coventry City and has overseen two wins and three draws in the Championship this season.

Another manager touted for a move to the London Stadium is Nuno Espírito Santo, who Nottingham Forest recently fired despite getting them back into Europe for the first time in a very long time.

However, neither of these managers could really be seen as another Moyes-esque appointment, unlike Slaven Bilic.

Yes, according to a recent report from Ben Jacobs, the Croatian coach is now someone West Ham are interested in.

In fact, Jacobs has revealed that David Sullivan currently “favours” the 57-year-old over other candidates.

It remains to be seen who, if anyone, replaces Potter this season, but Bilic may well be a great option, and something of a Moyes 2.0.

Why Bilic could be Moyes 2.0

So, while it might sound incredibly simplistic, the primary reason hiring Bilic would be a Moyes-esque move is that he, too, would be coming back to West Ham.

The Scotsman was in charge of the club between November 2017 and May 2018, and then came back for a second, more successful spell between December 2019 and June 2024.

In Bilic’s case, he was sitting in the hot seat at the club between July 2015 and November 2017.

During that time, the Croatian took charge of 109 matches, overseeing 42 wins, 30 draws and 37 losses, which resulted in a points per game average of 1.43.

That’s light years better than Potter’s record of six wins, five draws and 13 losses in 24 games at the helm, which comes out to a dreadful average of 0.96 points per game.

Bilic vs Potter at West Ham
Manager	Bilic	Potter
Games	109	24
Wins	42	6
Draws	30	5
Losses	37	13
Points per Game	1.43	0.96
Goals Scored	160	29
Goals Conceded	167	39
All Stats via Transfermarkt

It’s also not much worse than Moyes’ second stint at the club, which saw him rack up 103 wins, 43 draws and 84 losses, which saw him average 1.53 points per game and crucially, win the club some European silverware.

Now, while potentially mirroring the Scotsman’s return to the club is an enticing prospect, there are some other reasons the Hammers might want to re-hire Bilic.

For example, within a year of being appointed manager of West Brom, the “absolutely immense” manager, as dubbed by former professional Lee Hendrie, had led them back up to the Premier League.

Ultimately, while there might be more prestigious options out there, re-hiring Bilic might be the way to go for West Ham, as he’d certainly be an upgrade on Potter, and when Moyes made his return, he won the club a major honour.

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Manchester United did some impressive business on paper during the summer transfer window as they brought Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko in to improve their options at the top end of the pitch.

Mbeumo has hit the ground running since his move from Premier League rivals Brentford, with goals against Grimsby and Burnley in recent weeks.

The summer transfer window was not perfect, though, as the Red Devils were unable to get a deal done for Brighton & Hove Albion central midfielder Carlos Baleba.

There was also a scare late on in the window when Fabrizio Romano revealed that Kobbie Mainoo had told the club that he wanted to leave on loan for the season.

The England international wanted to go out on loan, but was not entertaining any permanent transfers away from Old Trafford, in order to play regular minutes ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

However, Manchester United were unwilling to lose the academy graduate, even on loan, so close to the end of the window, which means that he remained at the club.

Why Man Utd need to get the best out of Kobbie Mainoo

Ruben Amorim must find a way to get the best out of Mainoo now that the player is staying at Old Trafford, because he has proven himself to be an exciting young talent.

His only start of the season so far came against Grimsby in the League Cup. It was an awful night for the club, losing on penalties, but the midfielder showed his quality in and out of possession in midfield.

There should be little doubt over whether or not Mainoo is good enough to be starting matches for Manchester United when you consider his form prior to Amorim’s arrival.

23/24 Premier League

Kobbie Mainoo per 90

Percentile rank vs CMs

Take-ons attempted

2.71

Top 20%

Take-ons completed

1.42

Top 18%

Take-on success rate

53.4%

Top 28%

Goal-creating actions (take-ons)

0.09

Top 4%

Goal-creating actions (shot)

0.09

Top 2%

Goal-creating actions (fouls drawn)

0.05

Top 9%

Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old starlet was one of the most impressive central midfielders in the Premier League at driving with the ball and making things happen in possession in the 2023/24 campaign under Erik ten Hag.

Now, at the start of this season, Mainoo was an unused substitute in the first two matches of the Premier League season, against Arsenal and Fulham, and Amorim explained that it was because he is competing with Bruno Fernandes for a place in the team.

Whilst you can rationalise what the manager says in the quotes above, as his midfield two typically has one creative player and one enforcer to complement each other, it seems like a waste of the talent that he has available to him.

Mainoo is capable of producing quality in the Premier League, such as the goal in the clip above, whilst Manuel Ugarte has made more appearances in the league than him this season, despite his disappointing performances.

The Uruguay international, who was signed from PSG in 2024, has not done enough to suggest that he should be prioritised over Mainoo, and INEOS must finally cash in on him when the transfer window opens again in January.

Why Man Utd should sell Manuel Ugarte

Per Capology, Ugarte currently earns £120k-per-week at Old Trafford. That is over four times as much as Mainoo earns per week (£25k), but his performances do not justify that expense.

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The former Sporting star is a midfield destroyer who ‘suits’ Amorim’s system as a partner for Bruno Fernandes or Mason Mount because he is naturally defensive-minded.

However, Ugarte was dribbled past 1.3 times per game in the Premier League last season, per Sofascore, whilst Mainoo was only dribbled past 0.6 times, which shows that opposition midfielders found it too easy to get the better of him.

He also won 53% of his duels and made two errors that led to shots or goals. Mainoo, meanwhile, won 45% of his duels and made one error that led to a shot or goal, per Sofascore, which suggests that they were both fairly indifferent in physical contests.

Ugarte is, therefore, not enough of an upgrade, if at all, in a defensive sense, to rationalise him playing in the first two Premier League games off the bench ahead of the England international.

These comments on Sky Sports from last October still ring true to this day, as the Uruguay international’s ‘lackadaisical’ play on the ball was an issue for him throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

24/25 PL

Ugarte

Rank vs midfielders

Non-penalty goals

0.05

Bottom 41%

xAG

0.06

Bottom 30%

Shot-creating actions

1.56

Bottom 16%

Progressive passes

3.08

Bottom 18%

Progressive carries

0.81

Bottom 23%

Passes into the final third

2.96

Bottom 36%

Passes into the penalty area

0.45

Bottom 20%

Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, Ugarte was one of the worst central midfielders in the Premier League last season when it came to progressing play and making an impact at the top end of the pitch.

Therefore, the ex-PSG man has flopped at Old Trafford because he has not been reliable defensively, given how easy it has been for players to dribble past him, and he has struggled badly in possession.

In fact, a former Netherlands international claimed in October of last year that Ugarte was “walking” around the pitch and criticised Ten Hag and the club for signing players who are “not even good”, referring to the midfielder.

INEOS must, therefore, cash in on Ugarte when they next get the chance to, because he is standing in Mainoo’s way, despite not being better than the English starlet, and has been a big flop since his move from PSG with his underwhelming performances on the pitch.

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Posts ByHenry Jackson Sep 6, 2025