S1 Soccer News

𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐭𝐝 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐧𝐭(𝐡)𝐨𝐧𝐲! 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐤 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐠'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐬 £𝟖𝟔𝐦 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬

The Red Devils had the exciting Sweden winger on their books but decided to make an expensive and wild bet on the Brazilian instead

The date is February 23, 2022, the city is Madrid and Manchester United fans have a new favourite player as well as a new favourite chant. Their teenage idol has silenced the usually deafening Atletico Madrid supporters at the Metropolitano and all that can be heard is a new version of a 1990s smash hit.

"Rhythm is a dancer, Anthony Elanga, come and stop him if you dare," sing the visiting fans. "Comes from Scandinavia, he's United's saviour, scoring goals from everywhere." Elanga has just equalised for United in the Spanish capital and, four days previously, he had scored in a 4-2 win against rivals Leeds.

It helps that he has been with the club since he was 12 and is a pacey winger with tricky feet, following in a fine tradition of United favourites from George Best to Ryan Giggs to Cristiano Ronaldo. There is a sense that he is saving United, too, not just from defeat to Atletico, but also from a gloomy season in which they have already sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and suffered a series of humiliating defeats.

Elanga is also an exciting new figure for United fans to believe in less than a month after that shocking audio of Mason Greenwood emerged, leading to his arrest and his banishment from the squad. The future looks bright for Elanga at Old Trafford.

But fast forward two years and Elanga has left the club, joining Nottingham Forest last summer for a paltry free of £15 million ($19m), having made just five Premier League starts under Erik ten Hag compared to 14 the previous campaign under Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

Meanwhile, Antony, the player who was signed for a whopping £85m ($107m) and took Elanga's place in the team, cannot even get in the starting line-up amid an injury crisis. As United head to Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup, the last chance to save their season, it is tempting to conclude that they put their faith in the wrong winger called Ant(h)ony...

𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐭𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐤 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐠'𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞.

Manchester United's patience with Antony appears to have finally run out, as they will reportedly listen to offers for the Brazilian in the summer.

* Antony signed in summer of 2022
* Has failed to live up to £86m price tag
* United to finally cut losses in summer

The winger joined from Ajax in the summer of 2022, signing for an eye-watering sum of £86 million ($109m) and amid much fanfare. But manager Erik ten Hag, who spearheaded the approach having managed him in the Netherlands, is yet to get the best out of him. With no goals or assists in 20 league games Antony has gone down as one of the worst signings in Premier League history. Indeed, the Daily Mail reports that United may finally be willing to admit their mistake and let him go.

Antony's struggles at United have been clear to see in recent weeks. Even Ten Hag, who has remained one of his staunch defenders when the likes of Jadon Sancho and Facundo Pellistri were afforded no such leniency, has looked elswhere of late. The Brazilian has started just one of United's last eight matches, and has seen youngsters Omari Forson and Amad Diallo brought on ahead of him from the bench.

Ten Hag has pointed towards Antony's struggles with domestic abuse allegations - which he vehemently denies - being behind his poor form this season. But his dire record of nine goals in 70 matches across his entire United career makes for grim reading, and will likely lead to his eventual sale in the summer. Antony has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the past.

Moyes had been coming under pressure from some supporters after a poor run of results, but watched his side bounce back in style with a 4-2 win against Brentford, led by Jarrod Bowen's first career hat-trick.

Bukayo Saka scored for a fifth game in a row as Arsenal moved to within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool with a dominant 4-1 win over Newcastle.

Leverkusen beat Mainz 2-1 to widen gap at top and set unbeaten record.

Lazio beat Torino 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

𝐍𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢 𝟏-𝟏 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐚

Napoli fought back to hold visitors Barcelona to a dour 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday thanks to a goal from Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen.

Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid is advancing to the final stages, the signing stages.

Carlo Ancelotti has offered Luka Modric a chance to join Real Madrid coaching staff.

𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝟏-𝟐 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝

Erik ten Hag’s side picked up a fourth successive Premier League win after two early goals from in-form Rasmus Højlund against Luton Town. We look back at the match at Kenilworth Road with the key Luton vs Manchester United stats.

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝟏-𝟏 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬: 𝐑𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝.

Rodri’s late equaliser salvaged a point for the champions, but it was a day to forget for Erling Haaland. We provide all the key Manchester City vs Chelsea stats after Saturday’s entertaining draw.

Manchester City’s Mr. Reliable, Rodri, came good once again to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea after Erling Haaland’s nightmare in front of goal saw their Premier League title defence suffer a minor blow.

Pep Guardiola’s men looked to be heading for a surprise defeat after Raheem Sterling’s well-worked opener late in the first half went unanswered for a long time, mostly due to Haaland proving uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal.

The Norwegian recorded nine shots in the match, the joint most he’s ever attempted in a single game for City in any competition, and he failed to score with a single one of them. When he headed what appeared to be a routine chance over in the 78th minute, Chelsea might’ve started wondering if it truly was their day.

When will Real Madrid announce Kylian Mbappe signing? Los Blancos eye transfer reveal date following World Cup winner’s PSG exit bombshell.

Kylian Mbappe is reportedly heading to Real Madrid, with the Liga giants lining up a potential reveal date for their latest ‘Galactico’ signing..

* Mbappe apparently heading to Madrid
* But move yet to be made official
* Announcement made around UCL commitments

Mbappe is also waiting on approval from Real regarding his potential involvement in the 2024 Olympic Games, which will take place in Paris. PSG included that option within their proposal to the club’s all-time leading scorer, but he is seemingly set to take on a new challenge at Santiago Bernabeu.

Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League:

68 games
44 goals
26 assists

Mykhailo Mudryk exit path blocked! Chelsea shut down Bayern Munich transfer interest in January despite £89m winger's struggles for regular playing time.

* Chelsea blocked Bayern's attempt to sign Mudryk
* Bayern wanted the winger after Coman's injury
* Instead fast-tracked Zaragoza's move

According to Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich considered a late move to sign the Chelsea winger on loan in the January transfer window following Kingsley Coman's knee injury, but the Premier League side blocked their attempt.

The Blues did not want to part ways with the Ukraine international, who they signed for a whopping £89 million ($112m) from Shakhtar Donetsk a year ago. Mudryk has been far from impressive since joining the Blues, having scored only four times in 44 appearances across all competitions, and he's struggling to hold down a regular spot in Mauricio Pochettino's starting lineup.

Late goals from Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez gave Chelsea a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace away at Selhurst Park on Monday evening. Chelsea trailed to a goal from Jefferson Lerma but Gallagher scored twice, once at the start of the second-half and once at the end, to give the team a huge win and ease some of the mounting pressure on Blues’ boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Connor Gallagher spearheaded a late comeback as Chelsea ended Crystal Palace’s brave resistance with two late goals to wrap up a 3-1 win at Selhurst Park.
A subdued Chelsea had struggled to break down a well-organised Palace side in the first half, with Roy Hodgson’s team playing predominately on the counter-attack and causing plenty of problems in doing so.
Jefferson Lerma’s beautiful long-range strike meant Palace led at the break, but – following a half-time delay while referee Michael Oliver’s technical equipment was fixed – Chelsea equalised moments after the restart, as an unmarked Gallagher finished well in the box.

And the much-improved visitors grabbed the win at the death when a rare opportunity to catch Palace overstretched saw Cole Palmer find Gallagher on the edge of the box to drill home his second.
There was still time for Chelsea to rub salt into the wounds as the Palace fans streamed for the exit, with Enzo Fernandez coolly converting at the end of another late counter.
The win sends Chelsea into the top half of the Premier League, while Palace remain in 15th, five points clear of the drop zone.

𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝟐-𝟎 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐎𝐍 - 𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄.

Defending Premier League champions Manchester City moved to the top of the table ahead of Liverpool's fixture with a 2-0 win over Everton at the Etihad Stadium. A stubborn Everton held their opponents at bay with a dogged defensive display for most of the game until Erling Haaland thumped in his first goal since his return from injury in the second half before adding a second late on.

Manchester City returned to the summit of the Premier League table for the first time since November after two Erling Haaland strikes settled a tight game with Everton.
Haaland had barely been in the game, until a booming hit in the 70th minute sent a wave of relief around the Etihad. A loose ball from a corner fell to him seven yards out, and he crashed his shot through Jordan Pickford to give City the lead.
With five minutes to go Haaland settled the match with a barnstorming goal, barrelling through Jarrad Branthwaite before tucking a shot low into the bottom corner.

Donyell Malen scored twice to help Borussia Dortmund to a 3-0 victory over visitors Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

The Dutch forward had come close with a bicycle kick before he threaded a shot past three Freiburg defenders in the 16th minute.

He then timed his run perfectly to latch on to a Niclas Füllkrug pass and rifle in from a tight angle deep in first-half stoppage time for his ninth league goal. Germany international Fullkrug headed in their third goal in the 87th.

𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐳 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝟏-𝟏 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐰𝐚 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚.

Mainz failed to get a lifeline in their fight against Bundesliga relegation when they were held 1-1 by fellow strugglers Union Berlin.

Both goals came deep into almost 15 minutes of first half stoppage time, caused by a lengthy interruption after fans had thrown tennis balls onto the pitch in ongoing protests against German Football League plans to bring in a strategic partner.

Union's Kevin Volland hit the crossbar and post in the first half. Mainz failed to get the ball over the line in two big goalmouth scrambles, and Karim Onisiwo incredibly headed wide from point blank range in the second half.

Mainz missed a second season win and remain second last, three points behind Cologne who occupy the play-off spot in 16th. Union in 15th are three points ahead of Cologne.

PREMIER LEAGUE STANDINGS 2023/2024

1️⃣ Liverpool - 51 pts
2️⃣ Manchester City - 49
3️⃣ Arsenal - 49

𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐛𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤? 𝐋𝐨𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐒𝐆 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐠.

With Paris Saint-Germain finally resigned to losing Kylian Mbappe, it seems he is set to join Real Madrid - but talks have hit a roadblock again.

* PSG resigned to losing their star player
* Mbappe reportedly in talks with Real Madrid
* Negotiations hit a stumbling block

The Qatari-owned club have tabled an offer for Mbappe to extend his contract, albeit it's believed that it doesn't represent a big rise on his existing terms. Naturally, the PSG hierarchy wants him to stay, but they also don't want to be "held to ransom" by the Frenchman.

Mbappe and Real Madrid are still negotiating his proposed deal there, but they have not come any closer to deciding on his salary, according to The Independent, with a disparity between the player's expectations and the offer currently on the table.

The next few weeks will be crucial for Mbappe's future as he will continue to try and push Madrid into bending to his will. He will be in action next when PSG take on Brest on Wednesday in the French Cup.

𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝟑-𝟏 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬: 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞-𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞.

Arsenal defeat Liverpool at the Emirates to reduce their deficit to the Reds at the top of the Premier League table to just two points. We look back at all the important data angles from the game with our Arsenal vs Liverpool stats report.

Liverpool suffered just their second defeat of the Premier League season as they lost 3-1 to Arsenal. Both of those defeats have come in north London (the other vs Tottenham in September), with this loss opening the exciting 2023-24 title race up once more.

The Reds still lead the Premier League table ahead of Arsenal by two points but know that Manchester City could now draw level if they win their two games in hand, both coming against Brentford this month.

It took a terrible mix-up between the usually-dependant Alisson and Virgil van Dijk in the 67th minute for Arsenal to eventually decide the game. Gabriel Martinelli took full advantage of the pair’s inability to deal with a seemingly innocuous ball over the top for his third goal in as many league appearances. Overall, the Brazilian has now scored five goals against Liverpool in all competitions – against no side has he scored more for Arsenal.

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢 & 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐝’𝐎𝐫 & 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡.

* England captain has always been full of goals
* Missed out on collective honours
* Hoping to end barren run with German giants

The England captain has been one of the most prolific strikers in world football for several years now. He is the all-time leading goalscorer for his country, and at Premier League giants Tottenham, but has never been able to get his hands on major silverware.

Kane considers that to be the reason for his lack of individual recognition, telling The Guardian when asked if he would like to land a prestigious Golden Ball: “I’ve had great seasons in the past but not won a team trophy at the end of it, so you’re never really going to be considered for those Ballon d’Ors and individual awards. It comes down to what you achieve as a team. You have to be able to help your team achieve those things. For us, the Bundesliga and Champions League and of course the Euros here in the summer, only by winning them as a team are you going to achieve those individual awards.”

He added on a much-publicised pursuit of elusive trophies: “It’s hard to win and this season is a prime example of that. People expect Bayern to win every season, just to go and deliver. But it’s been a tough season so far, there’s a long way to go and it’s not been easy. The Champions League is tough, we’ve got Lazio next round. You look at it, it’s probably wide open. I wouldn’t say there’s a clear frontrunner but there’s an expectation to go and win it. It’s different but I enjoy the feeling of competing for titles. We’re in a good title race this season and hopefully come the end of it, we’ll be on top.”

Thiago Silva's swansong? Veteran Chelsea defender drops major hint on his future as the end of his contract edges closer.

Thiago Silva has dropped a hint about where his future lies as he admitted that he feels his time at Chelsea is "ending".

* Silva remains key figure for Chelsea
* Defender's contract expires in summer
* Yet to make final decision on future

The 39-year-old's contract at Stamford Bridge will expire at the end of the season and there is no indication of him being offered an extension. The centre-back claims he has not yet made a decision on his future, but is aware that his playing days are approaching an end.

Silva will see out the rest of the season with the Premier League team as he comes to a decision regarding his next step. The ex-AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star could opt to retire or may seek another club should Chelsea decide against offering him a new deal.

𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐭𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 𝐢𝐧 £𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐦 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭.

Manchester United have offered Jadon Sancho and Antony to Saudi Pro League clubs as they look to recoup the large fees they spent on the players.

* United hope to sell Antony & Sancho
* Have offered pair to Saudi clubs
* Sancho now on loan at Dortmund

United spent a total of £155 million (£197m) to sign the two wingers but neither transfer has truly worked out. Sancho was banished from the Red Devils this squad after hitting back at Erik ten Hag after the coach criticised his effort's in training, and was subsequently loaned to Borussia Dortmund. Antony, meanwhile, has failed to score or assist a goal in 22 appearances this season and has been in and out of the starting XI.

The Old Trafford club will hope Sancho manages to get back to his best in Germany to ensure he attracts interest and possibly a big transfer fee over the summer. Meanwhile, Ten Hag will hope to get Antony firing for the club once again between now and the end of the season.

Sadio Mane loves scoring for his country 🇸🇳

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬.

The Italian coach had the chance to leave for international management, but by staying in Spain, he has the chance to build his next great team

Six months ago, everything was in place for Carlo Ancelotti to leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. The only manager to win each of Europe's 'Big Five' leagues and the owner of four Champions League winner's medals was, at 64, seemingly coming to the end at Santiago Bernabeu. He had just a year left on his contract in the Spanish capital, and the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ednaldo Rodrigues, was already insisting that the legendary Italian would take charge of the Selecao, beginning with the upcoming Copa America.

Madrid, it seemed, were on the downturn. Karim Benzema had left suddenly for Saudi Arabia, Kylian Mbappe was engaged in a battle with Paris Saint-Germain over his future, and both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were edging towards the end of their illustrious careers. What remained was a cluster of unbelievably talented yet, at times, unrefined 20-24 year olds. Ancelotti would have been forgiven for leaving the rebuild to someone else.

But in football, nothing every truly goes to plan. In as early as August, Ancelotti reaffirmed his commitment to the Madrid job, and asserted that he would wait "until the last day" for the club to offer him an extension. Meanwhile, in the background, he went to work, designing a system to get the best out of a changing squad.

By the time December rolled around, he had agreed to a new three-year contract, and now Los Blancos are on a run during which they haven't lost since September. They won their first silverware of the season by beating their arch-rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa, and with the Champions League knockout stage soon to start, they simply cannot be counted out to challenge for a 15th European Cup, either.

Instead of bolting, Ancelotti has reinvented Madrid, and will now oversee the changing of the guard and the start of a potentially glorious new era at the Bernabeu. On current evidence, there is no one better for the job.

𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐭𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤 £𝟏𝟑𝟎𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐛𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥.

Real Madrid may be forced to offload Vinicius Junior to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer, with Manchester United poised to make a sensational move.

*Mbappe rumoured to sign with Real
*Exorbitant wages could see Vinicius sold
*Man Utd poised in shock £130m ($165m) move

That said, the Brazilian is still considered one of Madrid's most important players, meaning it would take a significant bid - and the player's will to leave - for any move to go through. For United, Vinicius is just one of many thought to be targeted by the new ownership, as they also plot a summer transfer for Crystal Palace starlet Michael Olise.

PSG have reportedly tabled a staggering 'pyramids of Egypt' contract offer for Kylian Mbappe - which Real Madrid haven't come even close to matching.

* Mbappe running down his contract
* PSG ready to offer more than €100m per season
* Madrid's package just €30m

It has been reported that Real Madrid are not ready to play the waiting game with Mbappe and will shift focus to alternative targets, with Erling Haaland emerging as another potential option. In the short term, Mbappe remains focused on his duties with PSG and will return to action against US Orleans on Saturday in the French Cup.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Old Trafford to kickstart 2024 in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag's side twice led the match but Ange Postecoglou's injury-ridden squad fought impressively to take a hard-earned point on the road. United remain far away from the top four and are eight points behind Arsenal, who occupy fourth place, but that gap could increase as the Gunners have a game in hand.

Rasmus Hojlund gave United the lead after just three minutes, capitalising on a counter-attack from a Spurs corner. Bruno Fernandes' sensational pass found Marcus Rashford, who dribbled into the box. Despite Destiny Udogie's effort to stop Rashford, the ball ricocheted to Hojlund, who blasted the ball into the roof of the net, making him United's leading goalscorer with seven goals in all competitions this season.

Newcastle may be forced to sell PSG-linked Bruno Guimaraes 😳

Paris Saint-Germain have seen their chances of signing the Brazilian increase after Newcastle posted immense financial losses last year 👀

The Parisians have reportedly made Guimaraes their top target for January, it has been suggested that Guimaraes has a £100m release clause in his contract.

What once appeared an unlikely move this winter could become reality, with Newcastle's financial losses leaving them open to selling key players, according to The Times.

Newcastle's CEO stated they may have to sell players to comply with Financial Fair Play.

"On any player, at any time, it depends on circumstances."

"It’s difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that, if we’re going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players."

The Magpies posted damning losses of £73.4 million this recent tax year, as a result of this the club could be forced into a sale.

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