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Chelsea fans predict Enzo Maresca will be sacked within six months as Leicester manager edges closer to joining the Blues.

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Fans left fuming as Chelsea set to appoint MarescaFormer Leicester boss set to replace PochettinoGuided the Foxes to Championship winWHAT HAPPENED?

reported on Tuesday that Chelsea have reached an agreement with Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca to make him their next head coach. The Italian manager, who is set to replace Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, will pen a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge

AdvertisementWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

While the Blues are close to finalising a new manager within a week of Pochettino leaving the club on mutual consent, fans were displeased to see the appointment of the 44-year-old as they predicted that the Foxes coach would be sacked by Christmas.

A fan named Don wrote on X, "Five-year deal just to sack him in five months what a useless club."

The X handle of Chelsea source predicted the sacking of the new coach by Christmas as they wrote, "Praying for success but he’s gone by Xmas don’t see him making it past it."

The handle named Psycho Sins predicted that the manager would be sacked by the end of the 2024/25 season as he wrote, "LEMME SAVE THIS TWEET HE'LL BE SACKED AT THE END OF 2024/2025 SEASON."

A fan named Clinical Kai is almost certain that Maresca will flop at Stamford Bridge. He wrote, "Poor business from Chelsea, can see him flopping tbh."

Daniel Regha raised doubts over the credentials of the incoming Chelsea boss as he wrote, "Chelsea doesn't learn; Enzo Maresca might be a promising coach to the board, but why offering a five-year deal? This doesn't seem like a smart decision considering how many managers the club has sacked in just two seasons. Moreover, Maresca has done very little to show he's got what the club needs."

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Maresca, a former West Brom player, joined Leicester City last summer and in his very first season, he guided the club back to the Premier League by winning the Championship title convincingly. He had previously worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City and stuck to a similar tactical blueprint to his old mentor with the Foxes.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

The club will be back in action in July as they are all set to travel to the US for pre-season where they are set to face clubs like Wrexham, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

With nine wins, four draws and eight losses, Chelsea have endured a pretty torrid 2023/24 Premier League season so far.

Still, with three league wins on the bounce, a League Cup semi-final, and passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup secured, Mauricio Pochettino has a lot more to smile about than he did a month ago.

However, with the transfer window in full swing, things could get even better, as the latest played touted for a move to Stanford Bridge could be the perfect Moises Caicedo partner, and he has been likened to Enzo Fernández.

Chelsea look north for midfield reinforcements

According to reports from Spain, Newcastle United's Brazillian midfielder Bruno Guimarães is seen as an 'ideal addition' to Chelsea's midfield in the summer by the club, and his name has been resonating 'in the corridors of Stamford Bridge' for some time.

The reports claim that while the Toon do not want to sell one of their best players, the financial situation at the club regarding FFP may force their hand, with the report going as far as claiming that the former Lyon star's days at St James' Park are 'numbered.'

However, Luke Edwards, the Telegraph's northern football writer, revealed last month that the tenacious midfielder has a release clause in his contract, but it is worth £100m, and while Chelsea have shown a total willingness to pay those sorts of prices, it'll still make the deal that bit more complicated.

That said, a midfield pairing of Guimarães and Caicedo or Fernandez might just be enough to tempt Todd Boehly and Co to once again dip into their enormous pockets.

How Guimarães compares to Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo

So, the Newcastle midfielder's comparisons to the World Cup-winning Fernandez stem from FBref, which takes data from a vast swathe of professional football leagues from around the world, and in the case of players from the Premier League, they take players from Europe's top five leagues, look at where they rank for specific metrics, and then create lists of those players who rank very similarly to one another.

In Guimarães' case, the Chelsea man is the ninth most similar player to him across all of Europe's top five leagues.

Douglas Luiz

Aston Villa

Enzo Le Fee

Rennes

Maxence Caqueret

Lyon

Marcelo Brozovic

Al-Nassr

Dani Ceballos

Real Madrid

Alexis Mac Allister

Liverpool

Vitinha

Paris Saint-Germain

Jordan Veretout

Marseille

Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea

Youssouf Fofana

Monaco

That said, how do the two Chelsea players actually compare to the Toon's "complete midfielder", as described by Talent scout Jacek Kulig?

Well, the first thing to note is that he is much more of a direct goal threat than his potential new teammates, registering one goal and three assists this season to Caicedo's zero goal involvements and Fernández's one goal.

However, when it comes to the trio's underlying numbers, it becomes a slightly tighter affair.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.23

0.33

0.08

Expected Assists

0.13

0.10

0.06

Progressive Passes

7.55

8.13

5.00

Passing Accuracy

85.5%

84.6%

91.1%

Goals per Shot on Target

0.17

0.11

0.00

Goal-Creating Actions

0.41

0.27

0.25

Tackles Won

2.24

1.87

2.47

Interceptions

0.87

0.67

0.86

Successful Take-Ons

1.79

1.07

0.74

Ball Recoveries

6.22

4.53

5.56

For example, the "world-class" Brazilian, as teammate Dan Burn dubbed him, emerges victorious regarding expected assists, goal-creating actions, goals per shot on target, interceptions, successful take-ons and ball recoveries.

In contrast, the Chelsea pair excel in other areas, such as tackles won, progressive passes and passing accuracy. Still, if you were to take an overall winner across every metric, it would be hard to argue against the Toon Titan.

Chelsea can form the next Carvalho & JT by signing "immense" £69m machine

The 20-year-old could follow in the Portuguese legend’s footsteps in West London.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 20, 2024

Ultimately, while it looks like it'll be another costly transfer for the Blues to complete, Guimarães' performances this season, combined with his underlying numbers, are evidence enough that he would be worth every penny and could form a brilliant partnership with either Caidcedo or Fernández – or both.

Manchester United have released their retained list for the upcoming transfer window and have announced the release of six players.

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Man Utd release seven playersIn talks with Evans, Heaton, Forson and ShoretireCould see more departures and arrivals this summerWHAT HAPPENED?

United have announced that they have parted ways with first-team players Anthony Martial, Raphael Varane and Brandon Williams, alongside reserve players Charlie McNeill, Marcus Lawrence and Kie Plumley heading into the summer.

They also announced that they are holding extension talks with veterans Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton with their current contracts set to expire this month. The same is the case with youngster Shola Shoretire, who spent the season on loan with Bolton Wanderers.

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According to the club, they have already offered a new contract to 19-year-old centre-back Omari Forson, who broke into the first team this season for Erik ten Hag's side after the club went through a bucketload of injuries in defence. Forson impressed fans and pundits alike for his ball-playing ability paired with his physical prowess which could make him an important asset for the Red Devils in the upcoming season if he agrees to the new contract.

DID YOU KNOW?

The 20-time Premier League winners have also released 37-year-old midfielder Tom Huddlestone, who operated as a player-coach over the last two years for their under-21s team. Huddlestone was registered as a senior team player over the last two years but played with the youth squad in Premier League 2. This season, he only appeared eight times for the side as a player.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

Heading into the summer, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has plans to overhaul the squad and make new signings, and as such, the club will likely have more departure before the start of pre-season.

England captain urges team to play final in the bold style that got them there

George Dobell at Edgbaston11-Jul-2019Eoin Morgan has admitted the prospect of playing in a World Cup final seemed laughable by the time England were knocked out of the 2015 World Cup.England endured a miserable campaign in New Zealand and Australia four-years ago sustaining a series of crushing defeats and failing to make it to the quarter-finals.But a resounding victory over Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday means England will play their first World Cup final since 1992 at Lord’s on Sunday. All of which left Morgan, the England captain, reflecting on a remarkable improvement in his side’s ODI cricket during the last four years.”If you had offered us the position to play in a final the day after we were knocked out of the 2015 Cup, I would have laughed at you,” Morgan said. “Looking back where we were in 2015 to where we will be on Sunday, it is a dramatic improvement in the style of play and the level of expectation which we’ve created.”In 2015 we were way off the mark. We struggled against the top teams – and the teams below that level – so there was quite a drastic change in the way we played and the way we looked at playing our 50-over cricket. The last four years have been a process.”Chris Woakes was named Player of the Match for his return of 3 for 20, but Morgan was equally full of praise for Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, who recorded their fourth century partnership in succession.”Chris is a cool customer,” he said. “He goes about his business, day in and day out, exceptionally. Today was his day. He and Jofra Archer were outstanding. It was one of our bowlers’ standout performances in the last four years.”Jason and Jonny are in the form of their lives. They are imposing when they get in. And they set the tone for the whole group.”While Morgan accepts Sunday’s final will be a high-profile affair, he is urging his team to embrace the occasion and continue to play the bold style of cricket that earned them victory on Thursday.”Sunday’s not a day to shy away from,” Morgan said. “It’s a day to look forward to. We have created the opportunity to play in a World Cup final. It will be a matter of trying to produce everything that we can performance-wise, but enjoy the day.”It’s an opportunity for us on Sunday. A huge one. Making the most of the opportunity of getting to the final would be fantastic, but just getting there is awesome.”Everybody out there on the field and in the changing room loved every ball that was bowled [against Australia]. There was no lack of commitment, application and we had a bit of a day out. It’s cool when it happens like that, particularly when the bowlers bowl like that. It is awesome.”Morgan is particularly pleased that Sunday’s final will be broadcast free-to-air on Channel 4 or, while the British Grand Prix is in progress, on More 4. He says his own experiences of watching cricket on free to air television helped inspire his love for the game and hopes more people will now have the same opportunity.”It’s very cool,” he said. “Particularly given that the 2005 Ashes [which was the last series broadcast free-to-air in the UK] was, for me, sort of the day cricket became cool. Throughout the whole summer, the game was on the front and back page of every newspaper and everyone was talking about it. That is really good for the game and it’s the game I love, so it’s great news that it’s on free-to-air.”

Liverpool have been dealt a potential huge blow ahead of the Reds' Premier League clash with Arsenal this weekend, with an "outstanding" player's involvement in the game in doubt.

Liverpool injury news

The Reds face arguably their biggest match of the season so far on Sunday afternoon, as they head to a Gunners side who are still very much in the title race. Victory for Jurgen Klopp's side at the Emirates could put them eight points ahead of their opponents, however, acting as a major incentive ahead of the game. That would arguably give the north Londoners too much to do up against both Liverpool and Manchester City, turning it into a familiar two-horse race at the top.

Going into Sunday's huge fixture, the Merseysiders' injury problems have eased overall, with so many top players to call upon for the manager. Alexis Mac Allister did go down in Wednesday's 4-1 defeat to Chelsea, however, leading to doubts over his involvement this weekend.

Now, a fresh injury worry has emerged, however, regarding arguably one of Liverpool's most important players at the moment.

Nunez could miss Arsenal clash

Taking to X on Friday, journalist Paul Joyce relayed Klopp's update that Nunez could miss the Arsenal game with a foot injury picked up against Chelsea, with a late fitness test potentially needed.

"Jurgen Klopp says he needs to check on the fitness of Darwin Nunez before Sunday's game with Arsenal. 'He left the stadium in a boot and it was not a football boot. Nothing broken the x-rays are clear, but we have to see if he can get his foot back into a boot.'"

Not having Nunez for Sunday's game would be an absolutely massive blow for Liverpool, considering what a rich vein of form the Uruguayan is in currently. Granted, plenty of chances are still being missed, not least against Chelsea in midweek, but he is such a threat with his pace, power and movement.

Appearances

21

Starts

14

Goals

7

Assists

7

Shots per game

3.4

Key passes per game

1.1

Pass completion rate

73.7%

There is also the small matter of the 24-year-old having 11 assists to his name this season in all competitions, which is more than any Reds player, and Klopp lauded him after the Chelsea match, saying:

"He was really disappointed with himself about missing the penalty, but he is a handful. It was really hard for him. You could see at half-time that he was upset with himself. He missed a header too in the second half, but then he created a goal.

"It's crazy that he creates so many. We scored four goals, so who cares about the ones he didn't score? He will score goals; it will come. He is in outstanding shape, still a bit unlucky, so it's all fine."

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ByTom Cunningham Feb 1, 2024

Having Nunez fit to start would be a major boost for Klopp, but even having him available as an impact substitute would be far from a disaster, allowing him to chase down some tired legs in the second half.

After a busy January transfer window, which saw Corey Blackett-Taylor and Ebou Adams arrive, it seemed as though Derby County could go on and welcome one more fresh face for Paul Warne even after deadline day. A fresh twist has now emerged, however.

Derby transfer news

Sat second in League One and just four points adrift of leaders Portsmouth with a game in hand, the January transfer window could prove to be the difference-maker for Derby come the end of the campaign. The Rams will be looking to make the most of Max Bird whilst they've still got him too, having seen the midfielder complete a permanent move to Bristol City late in the window, before re-joining Warne's side on loan.

Speaking about the deal, Warne said via The Derby Telegraph: "It was quite early on really. Max has been courted by a few clubs over the years. A year or two ago, a couple of clubs had offered big money for him. He didn't go and I always think it's difficult when you are a youth team player and come through the club, you always get looked upon differently by the fans, the staff and by everyone.

"You don't want to become part of the furniture, and I do feel that some players do that. For example, at my previous club, I had Ben Wiles and Jerry Yates. Both were amazing players but got to the stage where they thought they needed to go somewhere else and show their worth."

Perhaps looking to enjoy some good news on the transfer front, reports linked Derby with a move for Dwight Gayle, who was recently released from Stoke City and was seemingly spotted on his way to Pride Park. However, according to Leigh Curtis of The Derby Telegraph, Derby are not pursuing a deal for Gayle as things stand.

"Quick" Gayle would be worth the gamble

As Derby look to gain an edge in the race to leapfrog Portsmouth and win the League One title, Gayle would have been worth a punt, before the reports were rubbished by Curtis. The forward has plenty of experience, whether that be in the Championship or the Premier League, and was once at the centre of Alan Pardew's praise.

The former Crystal Palace boss said via FourFourTwo: "He [Gayle] seems a very uncomplicated player to me. He's very straightforward in his work. He's quick, good in the air and has two feet… blimey, there's not much more you could want is there really? He's got a good attitude, all he needs is experience and to grow in his confidence."

Gayle's Championship numbers speak for themself, but it seems as though Derby have opted out of pursuing the forward, who remains a free agent.

Appearances

145

Goals

62

Assists

21

As the weeks tick by, the Rams will hope that their decision doesn't come back to haunt them and Warne's current options do enough to earn a place back in the Championship.

Ollie Robinson completes ten-for but Middlesex stay in game after poor start

David Hopps at Hove19-Aug-2019A quorum of former cricket writers had descended upon Hove by pure happenstance on the second day and after much reminiscing about Great Stories We Have Known nobody had the faintest idea how to best write this piece. For much of the second half of the day nothing hugely newsworthy happened. Which, in a funny sort of way, was exactly what Middlesex needed as they sought a win to keep their promotion challenge alive from an all but hopeless position.When you are bowled out for 75 on the first day, and suffer a heavy first-innings deficit as a consequence, about the best you could hope for in Middlesex’s position was that the pitch quietened, the match became a backdrop for spectators’ idle chatter and the second-innings score mounted quietly without anybody really noticing.Sam Robson, a good player, slight yet judicious, and eminently capable of going about his work with barely a murmur, made an admirable attempt to maintain that mood until the close. He closed on 61 from 140 balls, a selective knock with 10 boundaries, but Middlesex, at 149 for 4, still trailed by 85.Middlesex’s first task as they faced a deficit of 234, if they were to get back into the match, was to subdue Ollie Robinson who had returned 8 for 34 – the best figures in the Championship this season – in the first innings. Robson did just that admirably, taking 26 from 42 balls from Robinson without much sign of risk. On this occasion, he met the medium pace of Tom Haines more cautiously, finding release only once in a drive down the ground.By the close, however, Robinson’s match tally had swollen to 10 wickets. Stevie Eskinazi was bowled through the gate in the first over and Paul Stirling, who made a third-ball nought, was to fall in identical fashion on a floodlit evening. Jared Warner, a Yorkshire loanee, had Nick Gubbins caught at second slip, although his most dangerous ball came late on when he had Robson leaping in self preservation.That left Dawid Malan, a prize wicket, an excellent first scalp for the debutant left-arm spinner, Elliot Hooper. Malan was unfortunate as his dead bat could not prevent the ball from running into the stumps. He has had a fine season for all that and one senses that in a parallel universe, with England clearly needing an uncompromising character in the middle order, he would be batting against Australia in the Ashes.If Middlesex’s descent to 74 all out was galling enough on the opening day, at least it owed much to the excellence of Robinson on a surface that seamed little and often. But their concession of that lead of 234 must have been more exasperating for their coach Stuart Law as they dragged themselves back into the match only to throw it all away in a careless half-hour before lunch.Sussex resumed at 128 for three with a lead of 53 and, although Luke Wells and Alex Carey both registered half-centuries in extending their fourth-wicket stand to 125 in 38 overs, the loss of four wickets for 11 runs in 37 balls thrust Middlesex back into the match.Toby Roland-Jones took three of them, running in long and languidly from the Cromwell Road End, a bowler with an approach so extensive that it might have a bus stop en route. He did not find the movement that Robinson had on the first day, but he finished with a creditable 5 for 70, removing Wells with a chip into the leg side, Carey to an on-drive that flew to second slip and David Wiese, caught at the wicket for nought. Ben Brown perished, too, for nought, cutting at Tim Murtagh.With Sussex’s lead 76, and three wickets to get, Middlesex were back in the match, only to cast aside their recovery in a dreadful half hour before lunch when Steven Finn and James Harris leaked 57 in six overs down the slope – and one of those was a Finn maiden.There were 13 boundaries in that spell and, as well as Robinson and Will Beer counter-attacked, many of them were gifts. As another half volley was dispatched to an invitingly short leg side boundary, the opening line of Amy Winehouse’s song, “Me & Mr Jones”, came to mind.Ever since he made a century on debut for Sussex, Robinson’s danger with the bat has been apparent and Beer, primarily a legspinner, has busied himself over much of the past decade as Sussex 2nd XI’s most reliable batsman. Nevertheless, as a soft period that exemplified why Middlesex why lie sixth when many expected them to be comfortably in the top three it took some beating.By the time Robinson tapped back a full toss from the legspinner Nathan Sowter immediately after lunch, Sussex were running free. Even at nine down, Middlesex were not free from self-inflicted wounds, this time quite literally as Beer slapped Sowter’s long hop to long off where Finn was struck in the face as the ball ran through his hands.At the time it summed matters up. It will take a lot more of Sam Robson, or someone else, to change that.

Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie have been told what the USMNT need to do in order to justify their “Golden Generation” billing.

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Berhalter's squad is loaded with talentMany play their club football in EuropeNeed to perform on grandest of stagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States now have key men plying their club trade across the world, with few members of Gregg Berhalter’s plans based in domestic MLS. Star turns have been catching the eye at AC Milan, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, PSV and Fulham.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Dominance has been secured in North America, across three CONCACAF Nations League triumphs, but the U.S. are yet to deliver at a World Cup finals and face plenty of questions regarding what constitutes success at a home Copa America in 2024.

WHAT BEASLEY SAID

The class of 2024 are already being billed as a “Golden Generation”, but former international DaMarcus Beasley has told of that moniker: “They still have to win something of importance, and I think that as of today, they have not done that yet. Do I think they have the capability? One-hundred percent. I'm a big fan this group, a big fan of how much talent they have. But they have yet to put it together when it comes to a big game, whether that's a friendly or whether that's a tournament. So it just remains to be seen if this is truly our Golden Generation.”

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GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Tyler Adams, who filled the captain’s armband for the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup and is a Premier League performer at Bournemouth, has said of the “golden” tag: “I think that when you look at our team and the group of players that we have, we are a talented group of players for sure. But I would say that the biggest thing when I think about this team is: That individual success doesn't correlate directly to team success, and that's what we're working towards right now. So, it's great to have everyone playing at a top club around the world. It's probably the first time in a long time in U.S. soccer that we can be recognized at such a high level. That doesn't mean that we're going to have direct success. We're working towards that success right now.”

Romania's Euro 2024 campaign is off to a stunning start as they ran out 3-0 winners against Ukraine – with a bit of help from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

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Stanciu stunner opens scoringRomania go on to claim big winLunin at fault for two goalsGettyTELL ME MORE

The goalkeeper had a vital role in the game, but not in the way he would have wanted as he put Romania in the ascendancy in the first half despite his Ukraine dominating possession with 76 per cent in the first 30 minutes. Lunin's terrible clearance fell to Dennis Man outside the box and he squared it to Nicolae Stanciu for the captain to send it sailing into the top corner with a perfect finish.

Ukraine pushed forward after the opener but were unable to get a dangerous shot off and ended up finishing the half without a shot on target. Instead, it was Romania who came closest again as Denis Dragus' long-range effort was knocked wide of the post. His team almost netted another stupendous goal when the subsequent corner caught Lunin off guard and hit the woodwork.

Eight minutes into the second half, Romania doubled their lead when a challenge saw the ball fall in front of Razvan Marin and he smashed it first time from outside the box, sending it low under the hands of Lunin and into the bottom corner.

The fun kept coming for Romania after that. They were full of confidence against a Ukraine team whose belief had plummeted and before long it was 3-0 as Man's low ball into the middle of the box was diverted in by Dragus.

AdvertisementDID YOU KNOW?

Dennis Man is the first Romania player to provide two assists in a game at a major tournament since national hero Gheorghe Hagi did so against Colombia in the 1994 World Cup. Also, this game is just the second in which Romania have scored two or more goals in a game at a European Championship, having previously done so in a 3-2 win against England at Euro 2000.

GettyTHE MVP

Parma forward Man was a vital figure in Romania's impressive victory. Not only did he set up the first goal, he jinked his way into the Ukraine box and laid off a perfect pass to Dragus to knock home the third and truly wrap up the win. His movement into the box helped Romania find a way to threaten the Ukraine goal throughout the match.

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GettyTHE BIG LOSER

Despite coming off the back of a fine season in which he won La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, Ukraine goalkeeper Lunin could hardly have had a worse opening game to Euro 2024. He needlessly gave away the ball to provide Romania with the chance to go ahead through Stanciu's stunner and then let the ball slip below his hands to put Romania well and truly in the driving seat of this game.

Manchester United have already looked a couple of Brighton players during Erik ten Hag's reign, only to lose out to their Premier League rivals in the end. The Red Devils held a long-standing interest in Moises Caicedo, but he wound up joining Chelsea for the most expensive fee in the competition's history.

United were also keen to sign his midfield partner Alexis Mac Allister, but the Argentine ultimately chose to join arch-rivals Liverpool instead, forcing Ten Hag to explore alternative targets.

Another Seagulls star who has plenty of admirers at Old Trafford is wide player Kaoru Mitoma, and the race to sign him is very much on. United are one of the sides in contention, but they face plenty of competition for the deal.

Osman deal could free up Mitoma

According to reports in Spain, Brighton will consider offers for Man Utd target Mitoma after signing Ibrahim Osman from Nordsjaelland for £16m ahead of the summer. Osman's arrival apparently "opens up the possibility" of Mitoma moving on in the off-season, a "boost" for suitors like United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Brighton are expected to demand €60m (about £51m) to part with Mitoma, a fee that may be beyond another interested party in Barcelona. The Blaugrana had hoped to use Ansu Fati, who's currently on loan at the Amex Stadium, as a bargaining chip, but Osman is already there to fill the void.

Mitoma would be amazing signing for Man Utd

Mitoma joined Brighton from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 and spent the following season on loan at Union SG in Belgium before Roberto De Zerbi unleashed him upon the Premier League last term. He would score ten goals and notch eight assists in 41 games all competitions, and he'll be aiming for similar numbers by the end of the current campaign (with three goals and six assists on the board already).

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Named Japan's player of the year for the past two years, Mitoma is one of the most effective dribblers in European football right now. As you can see in the table below, he ranks fifth in the big five leagues for carries into the penalty area this season (57), despite missing the last five games because of injury and his participation in the Asian Cup.

Rank

Player

Club

Carries

1

Jeremy Doku

Man City

84

2

Dejan Kulusevski

Spurs

66

3

Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal

60

=3

Rodrygo

Real Madrid

60

5

Kaoru Mitoma

Brighton

57

"I have no words left for Mitoma," De Zerbi said in the autumn. "He's really underrated but trust me, he's so so underrated. The world of football hasn't understood the value of Mitoma. He can be an incredible player for any manager, not just for me. He's insane."

£51m would represent a huge bargain for a player with this level of ability, and, given that Mitoma is already proven in English football, it would also be the perfect deal to launch the Jim Ratcliffe era at Old Trafford.