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Neymar stories are fake news
When we have a superstar name like Neymar, it’s inevitable that there will be big stories in the press from time to time, and I wanted to clear some of those up here. There have been incredible rumours about Al Hilal terminating Neymar’s contract, with stories about a possible move to Inter Miami, or even back to Barcelona…so what’s really going on?
From what I’m hearing, this is absolutely fake news, which is being denied by both the club and the player’s agent. It’s not true – the reality is that we know Neymar is injured and won’t play until the end of the season, so it makes no sense to keep him in the squad list.
On top of that, with the signing of Renan Lodi, there is a rule in Saudi Arabia about a limit on foreign players, so Al Hilal have included Lodi and will remove Neymar from the list, but this is valid only until the end of the season. Then Neymar will absolutely return – it’s not true that his contract has been terminated, he is going nowhere, and there is nothing else to add.
Truth about Karim Benzema and Xavi Simons Arsenal links
We’re also having stories about Karim Benzema and Al Ittihad. In the next few days I will attempt to explain what’s really going on with the former Real Madrid man in Saudi, but for now, I wanted to address questions from numerous Arsenal fans about stories on a possible move to the Emirates Stadium.
Again, guys, I’m afraid that for now there is nothing ongoing between Benzema and Arsenal. If something changes in the next days, if Arsenal decide to bid and try to sign Benzema, I will let you know, but the reality today is that they are not working on this deal. I don’t like to sell dreams – I know it’s an exciting idea, but as of now Arsenal are not working on a deal for Benzema. If they open talks, I will let you know.
In general, it’s one to watch in the next days because of the tense situation with Benzema and Al Ittihad, but for now there is nothing to report on a move to Arsenal. I’ll keep you updated.
Arsenal have also recently been linked as suitors for Xavi Simons, who is having an excellent season on loan at RB Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain. My understanding is that Arsenal were following him last summer but now, there’s absolutely nothing new. PSG are very happy with his loan in Leipzig, and decision time will be in the summer – nothing is being decided in January for Xavi Simons.
Could Aymeric Laporte also be looking to leave Saudi Arabia?
With Jordan Henderson leaving and uncertainty surrounding Karim Benzema’s future in Saudi, we’ve also heard Aymeric Laporte going public with some of his issues since his move there.
Speaking to AS, the former Manchester City defender said: “It is a big change compared to Europe, but in the end it is all about adaptation. They have not made it easy for us. In fact, there are many players that are discontented. We are working on it every day, negotiating so to speak, and to see if it improves a little because this is something new for them too, having European players who already have a long career. Maybe they are not used to this and have to adapt to a little more seriousness. I am also looking for something beyond that is not the economic part and such. In terms of quality of life, I expected something different because in the end here you spend three hours a day in the car. Riyadh is a waste of traffic, of time wasted in the car.”
This has inevitably led to speculation that Laporte could become the latest player to leave Saudi and return to Europe, but I don’t have this information right now, honestly. Henderson was not happy and decided to leave, but I’m not aware of other “desperate” situations so far. Laporte just explained some personal things about his life in Saudi, but I’m told there is nothing happening with any other clubs and he’s currently not seeking a move away from Saudi, despite reports.
Viktor Gyokeres Chelsea links and Blues’ smart sales
I’m also getting a lot of questions about Viktor Gyokeres and Chelsea – it’s not possible for him to move this January, it’s not going to happen. The only way is to pay the release clause, but at the moment no one is paying it, and there is no intention from Chelsea to bid for him. They are not working on this deal, so forget about it, at least for this transfer window.
In the future, we’ll see if things change, but it’s also important to say that, at the moment, Gyokeres wants to stay at Sporting Lisbon until at least the end of the season and respect the club. In the summer, we’ll see what happens, but remember that he has that €100m release clause.
Staying with Chelsea for a moment, a stat from the excellent Transfermarkt caught my eye, which showed that the Blues have made more money from player sales than any club across the last ten seasons. They’ve cashed in on €1.32bn, putting them ahead of other clubs we know who sell players well, such as Benfica, Monaco, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, while Arsenal and Manchester United didn’t even make the top 20.
I think it’s been part of Chelsea’s model – they’ve done some smart business by signing many players, many young talents, sending them on loan and then selling at the right moment. Even last summer I think they did excellent job with the outgoings, bringing in good fees for players like Mason Mount and Kai Havertz – and it was absolutely needed from a technical and financial point of view. Another example is Eden Hazard, who was a wonderful player who they sold at exactly the right moment, this was something smart, even if it was not easy to lose a star like Hazard.
In other news…
Jose Mourinho – Despite reports, Mourinho can’t become Napoli manager for this season due to Italian rules, so there’s nothing to those stories. In the summer, we will see what happens, it’s still long way to go and Napoli have not decided anything on their new head coach so far. It will take time for Napoli to choose, and Mourinho is also not in a rush, he will take some time to decide his next step.
Manu Kone – It’s gone a bit quiet on Manu Kone but interest is still there. It looks like there is nothing concrete for January. Obviously many top clubs are monitoring him, clubs from France, Germany, Italy, England too, but it’s just scouting for now, no concrete talks taking place and I think a summer move is more realistic.
Premier League title race – We saw big wins for Arsenal and Liverpool this weekend as they showed their title credentials. My feeling is that Man City are the favourites but I keep saying that Arsenal and Liverpool will be there until the end. It will be a long way, nothing is easy or guaranteed. Credits especially to Jurgen Klopp because there were a lot of changes to the Liverpool squad in the summer, but they have adapted well and this team is performing at a special level.