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Thoughts on Man Utd’s draw with Liverpool and an update on Donny van de Beek
To start with, I think it’s important to give credit to Manchester United for a strong display to earn a draw against Liverpool yesterday. Many people were writing them off, but they came to Anfield and got a point in a difficult game. Credit as well to Raphael Varane, who had a fantastic game and gave a great reaction after a few difficult months of not playing. He deserved this chance and he was brilliant.
Liverpool, of course, were also very good as they so often are and will feel unlucky not to get the three points. I’m loving the way Trent Alexander-Arnold is playing this season – he’s performing at a wonderful level and came close to scoring a great goal yesterday. I’m sure they’ll continue to have a strong season and have some involvement in this intriguing title race.
Staying with Man United, I have confirmation of my exclusive news from the last few days that Donny van de Beek will be an Eintracht Frankfurt player. It was a ‘here we go’ and we can now say that it’s going to be 100% completed during the new week. Van de Beek is going to travel to Frankfurt for medical tests, it has been approved by Manchester United. It’s a loan deal with a small loan fee, and it’s also important to say that there is a buy option, not mandatory, but the option is there for Eintracht if they want to sign the player permanently in the summer.
From what I understand, the buy option is around €10-11m plus add-ons based on performances that could make it up to a €15m package. An agreement is in place and the player will now undergo medical tests.
Aaron Ramsdale latest and could Arsenal agree another loan with Brentford?
We’re still seeing transfer rumours about Chelsea and a new goalkeeper, with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale being linked in particular after the injury to Robert Sanchez. There have been several reports in the English press claiming that Ramsdale is top of Chelsea’s list for that position, but I’ve been checking and I have to say once again that the situation is the same as when these stories came up before – Chelsea are not negotiating for Ramsdale. They have not made contact on the player side, or on the club side with Arsenal.
At the moment, my understanding is that Chelsea are looking at different opportunities in different positions. They have different ideas and at the moment they are not negotiating for Ramsdale. From what I’m told, Chelsea do not consider Ramsdale as part of their shortlist of targets for January – if the situation changes I will let you know.
For Arsenal as well, there are no changes, they are very happy to continue with him and David Raya until the end of the season. Arsenal will make Raya’s loan move permanent in 2024, as I told you in November.
Some reports have also suggested that Arsenal could try signing Ivan Toney on loan from Brentford, as they did with Raya, but I’m still told Brentford are only open to giving green light to Toney exit in case of an important proposal, otherwise they’re more than happy to keep him there until the end of the season. There are no changes to report so far.
Barcelona still backing Xavi as manager
Many Barcelona fans have been asking me about the future of Xavi as manager, and what’s going on after another negative and complicated moment following the draw with Valencia. It’s just two wins from their last six now for Barca, but from what I’m told there is no change to the manager’s situation – the club, the board, are still backing and trusting Xavi as their manager.
Of course, they all want to change the situation, they are not happy with how things are going on the pitch, but in the dressing room the players trust him. They know the team are creating many opportunities but that they are not scoring enough goals. The hope is that the addition of a player like Vitor Roque will help them, to give them some freshness in the attacking positions.
Barca still believe that Xavi is the right man for the job and they are following and supporting him. Nothing is happening with other managers for the moment, but of course they need to change the situation on the pitch because they can’t continue like this, especially in La Liga, where they are not happy at all, sitting in third place and seven points behind rivals Real Madrid.
In other news…
Kalvin Phillips – For sure, Newcastle now being out of European football doesn’t help at all to sign targets like Kalvin Phillips and others. But Newcastle will keep going with their strategy, looking for opportunities; they are not desperate, it’s just the beginning of their long-term project.
Arthur Vermeeren – This hugely promising talent will leave Antwerp in 2024 for sure. It could be January, otherwise it will be in the summer window. There are many clubs interested in Italy, Spain, England, Germany. There is nothing is concrete or advanced yet, just interest. I think he has to join a team that makes ball possession a priority as he he has lot of quality in that department in particular.
Roony Bardghji – I mentioned Chelsea two weeks ago, but there are really many clubs getting in touch with the new agent of Roony Bardghji. There are no substantial updates yet, just normal contacts. I see him leaving in 2024, also because his current deal expires in 2025 so Copenhagen can’t risk anything. He’s a very exciting talent, I really rate him and look forward to seeing what he can achieve next in the game.