MANCHESTER UNITED may need to hold an end of season fire sale to give new boss Ruben Amorim January transfer wriggle room.
The Portuguese will step into the Old Trafford firing line on Monday after finally severing his links with Sporting Lisbon at the weekend.
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Ruben Amorim could look to make signings in JanuaryCredit: Getty
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Striker Viktor Gyokeres could follow from SportingCredit: AFP
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Man Utd may need to sell to meet PSR requirementsCredit: Getty
Amorim will be inheriting a squad that appears way short of what is required for United to challenge at the top of the Prem.
The new manager is expected to play his preferred back three system with his wing-backs required to work up and down the pitch.
But while the United leadership will be keen to give the new manager the tools he needs to make an early impact – the club’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules position is likely to require departures before the end of the financial year on June 30.
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This is due to be the last year of the Prem’s current PSR regulations, with clubs moving to a Uefa-style “squad cost ratio” system for next term.
But the breach penalties handed out to Everton and Nottingham Forest last season mean all clubs including United will know they risk points deductions for next term if they exceed the “permitted loss” limit of £105m over three seasons to the end of this campaign.
United’s summer transfers under now-axed Erik ten Hag saw the arrivals of Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee for a combined £172m.
For PSR calculations, those arrivals are “amortised” over their contract lengths, meaning a seasonal cost of £37.1m.
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That outlay came with a huge influx of transfer income, as United sold players including Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for a total of £86m, more than making up for the money spent.
Three Sporting stars Amorim could swoop for after joining Man Utd
RUBEN AMORIM has ruled out poaching any of his Sporting Lisbon players in the January transfer window.
But the Portuguese side’s chiefs expect Amorim will come calling in the summer – with his cheque book wide open.
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Here’s are three Sporting starts United could swoop for… but they won’t come cheap:
VIKTOR GYOKERES
Age: 26
Position: Striker
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Cost: £84million
Swede has shone since joining Sporting last summer from Coventry — catching the eye of all Europe’s top clubs.
Hit 43 goals in 50 games last season and boasts 18 strikes already this term.
GONCALO INACIO
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Age: 23
Position: Defender
Cost: £50million
Ball-playing centre-back was handed his debut by Amorim and has since become a key figure in Sporting’s recent title successes.
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Can also slot in at left-back if required and has 12 caps for Portugal.
MORTEN HJULMAND
Age: 25
Position: Midfield
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Cost: £40million
Dane is one of the top holding midfielders in Portugal — and made skipper by Amorim.
He could be the man to replace Casemiro.
But United’s amortisation bill for this season does not just include the summer 2024 spending.
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The club has to include the money spent over the last SIX years, with accumulated costs of £44m for last term, just under £45m for the previous campaign, Jadon Sancho’s 2021 arrival costing them £17m even though he will spend the season at Chelsea.
Dimitar Berbatov tips Viktor Gyokeres to follow Ruben Amorim to Man Utd
United’s amortisation spending even includes £42m for the arrivals of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes in the 2019-20 season – when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge.
That adds up to £168m in PSR transfer costs for this season.
United’s wage bill last term was £364m, with the club announcing losses of £69m, added to the losses of £11m in 2023 and £87m the previous years.
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That does not mean losses of that size in their PSR accounts, as the £105m limit is reached with significant discounts for spending on infrastructure, the youth and women’s teams and community projects, with United also benefitting last term from the final Covid adjustment.
But new club chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already noted that United were close to the PSR limit last season.
And with the club in the Europa League rather than the Champions League this season, it will mean a reduction of up to £50m in TV revenues – although it will also see wage bonuses reduced.
The rules do not prevent clubs from spending in January – but they do have to balance their books by the end of the financial year.
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Selling the likes of Antony or Casemiro is not as easy a get-out as it might appear either.
They would have to receive a fee of £30m for Casemiro to get to zero in accounting terms, with Antony’s five-year deal meaning £49.2m would be taken off any agreed fee received.
Alternatively the Red Devils could sell an academy graduate like Marcus Rashford as his transfer fee would count as pure profit, since he did not cost United a penny.
But if Amorim is going to be allowed to bring players in – there are no limits in the Prem but clubs can only change a maximum of three players in their Uefa squads for the knock-out stage – it appears likely that exits will have to come before the end of June.
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The end of last term saw the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Everton engage in a series of deals that saw them get under the PSR limits.
United might have previously been above those sort of financial requirements.
But they may not be this term – especially if Amorim demands some significant action in the winter window.
Johnny Herbert has insisted he is entitled to his opinions on reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen as a response to criticism from the Dutchman’s father, Jos.
The two former F1 drivers are at loggerheads after Herbert initially remarked that the time penalties dished out to the Red Bull driver during the Mexico Grand Prix “would not stop [him] from pushing Lando Norris off the track in the future”.
Jos was livid that Herbert, who was acting as an FIA race steward at the Mexican Grand Prix, was airing his views in public having administered the penalties, insisting that “a steward shouldn’t talk to the press at all and just deliver work all the time”.
However, Herbert – who was again an FIA race steward in Brazil last weekend – has insisted he is not biased.
And in a barb aimed at Jos, he questioned his position to be critical of Red Bull’s operations, having been outspoken against his son’s team on a number of occasions this year.
“I am Johnny Herbert the steward and the professional during a race weekend and Johnny Herbert a pundit at other times, who expresses what he thinks,” Herbert told SafestBettingSites.co.uk.
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“When I am a steward, I do not express any opinions.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“Everyone has an opinion. [Sky Sports F1’s] Martin Brundle has an opinion. Why can’t I when I am not at the race track? The race track has been my world for 50 years. If I don’t quite agree with what I see on the race track I will say so. It is not just Max. I’ll criticise anyone if I feel it is warranted.
“I understand it from Jos’s point of view because it is his son. Is there any bias? No, of course not. I wasn’t the only one to think that Max was over the top in Mexico. Lando Norris and [McLaren boss] Zak Brown thought so too.
“When I do speak to people on a Monday or Tuesday that is outside my stewarding responsibilities.
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“Jos has always been very outspoken about what is happening at Red Bull. Is that his position to be? It is all very similar. If you have an opinion and you want to make it, then you can.”
Meanwhile, Herbert says that Norris, who trails Verstappen by 62 points in the drivers’ championship with just 86 available in the final three races, will learn from his title fight.
“McLaren and Lando missed out on seven points in Hungary because they let Piastri win and it’s those things they need to be conscious of going into next season,” added the three-time F1 race winner.
“Will they lose the championship this year? No, because they were always on catch-up. They could have got more points, but that is racing. Max had the clear lead and then didn’t win after June.
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“McLaren will learn for next year and have a stronger mindset. Lando will go into 2025 knowing he can beat Max.”
A pig’s head was thrown on to the pitch during a game between Sao Paulo rivals Corinthians and Palmeiras in the Brazilian championship.
The incident occurred as Palmeiras prepared to take a corner in the first half and Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto ran from the penalty box to kick it off the pitch before play continued.
Alberto went on to score as Corinthians won the game 2-0.
“I almost broke my foot, I thought it was a cushion, I went to take it off with my foot, I kind of kicked it. It was a pig’s head, I almost hurt my foot,” Alberto told O Globo’s SporTV., external
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“A new one on me – the big traditional Sao Paulo derby, Corinthians v Palmeiras and someone has thrown a pig’s head on the the field (the symbol of Palmeiras is a pig),” South American football correspondent Tim Vickery posted on X.
Former WEC title challenger Hiromitsu Miura has died. He was 43.
In a statement shared on social media, Miura’s family announced Tuesday that he “passed away suddenly” on Oct. 26 after battling acute leukemia since mid-September.
Miura doubled as both a professional mixed martial artist and boxer, competing mostly in his native Japan.
American fans may remember Miura (13-8) from his five appearances in WEC during the late 2000s. That included a fourth-round TKO loss to then-welterweight champion Carlos Condit on Aug. 3, 2008 at WEC 35. Widely considered one of the best fights in WEC history, Miura gave Condit a run for his money in an all-action affair before he was eventually stopped with punches.
After the loss to Condit, Miura made one more WEC appearance before putting his MMA career on hold to pursue boxing, where he posted a 9-1 record. Miura returned to MMA in November 2015 and one year later captured the Pancrase welterweight championship by winning a unanimous decision against Akihiro Murayama.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
The Detroit Lions, coming off a 24-14 road win against the Green Bay Packers, made a big move ahead of the trade deadline. On Tuesday morning, Detroit reportedly acquired veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
It hasn’t been much of a secret that the Lions, who sit atop the NFC at 7-1, have been looking to bolster their pass rush as they aim to make a Super Bowl run. Last week, head coach Dan Campbell even hinted that Detroit could be close to swinging a deal.
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Not only did the Lions lose star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the season, but Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky and Derrick Barnes are on injured reserve as well. Hutchinson, who hasn’t played since Week 6, still leads the team in sacks with 7.5.
The 32-year-old Smith could change that. This season, he’s started every game for the Browns, who fell to 2-7 on Sunday, and recorded five sacks and six tackles for loss.
In his 10 seasons in the NFL, Smith has totaled double-digit sacks three times, most recently in 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings. This will be his third stop in the NFC North, after he spent three seasons with the Packers and one with the Vikings.
MANCHESTER City’s title bid is being derailed by the absence of a key player from last season.
And we’re not talking about injured midfield lynchpin and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
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Julian Alvarez was a key figure in Manchester City winning their fourth title in a rowCredit: Getty
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Because although the Spain midfielder was undeniably crucial to the triumphs of his club and country, Julian Alvarez was front and centre (and sometimes wide) in Pep Guardiola’s side in 2023/4.
And selling Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for a massive profit in the summer is no longer looking like quite as good a deal for City.
It was not only the Argentinian World Cup winner’s 11 goals and nine assists in 36 PL appearances that was important to City.
The versatile star also gave Guardiola the freedom to rotate his attacking options during or between games, keeping them out of the “red” zone and giving them the chance to perform at their peak more often.
But Alvarez wanted to be the main man, playing regularly in a No 10 or No 9 role. That was not going to happen any time soon, so when Atletico offered him the chance to swap Manchester, where he had never really settled, for Madrid, he wanted the move.
And City regarded as good business a fee of up to £81.5m for a wantaway player who cost an initial £14m in 2022.
Yet Guardiola knew at the time that the sale of Alvarez could come back to bite his team, admitting “if we have many, many injuries it will be a problem”.
Guardiola added: “Maybe it is a mistake, I don’t know, but I don’t like leaving players without playing for a long time.
Pep Guardiola admits Man City were ‘hungover’ for FA Cup final defeat against Man Utd following Premier League title bash
“When everyone is involved with a chance to play, the performance of the teams is always better.”
Unfortunately for City, they have a lot of players without a chance to play at the moment.
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On the flipside, title rivals Arsenal are also feeling the effects of losing key players.
And the Gunners are more dependent on their starting 11 than City and so less equipped to cope with injuries.
Last season, four of Mikel Arteta’s squad played more than 3,000 minutes in the Premier League – William Saliba, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes.
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Not a single City player did the same, with Rodri’s 2,937 league minutes putting him top of their workload charts but also behind Ben White (2,995) and only just ahead of Bukayo Saka (2,933).
Phil Foden, second in the City rankings with 2,865, would have been eighth in the Arsenal list.
The Gunners are undoubtedly suffering from the loss of injured captain Odegaard, whose skillset would be difficult for anyone to replace.
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But a slight drop-off in form from 2023/4 ever-present Saliba and partner Gabriel is also being felt, because of injuries and a lack of match sharpness among the defensive cover.
Last weekend both Arsenal and City learned once more what can happen even to them if their best players are not fit and/or firing.
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Josko Gvardiol gave City hope at Bournemouth but the champions slipped to a 2-1 defeatCredit: Alamy
For most of the defeat against Bournemouth, Guardiola’s men looked pretty toothless, with Haaland struggling to make an impact and a lack of options on the bench to replace him.
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Andoni Iraola’s men were good value for their win.
And Arsenal gave one of their flattest performances of the last two and a bit seasons at St James’ Park, as hosts Newcastle deservedly completed back-to-back home victories over the Gunners.
At one point on Saturday, all three favourites for the title were losing.
But although Liverpool came back to beat Brighton and return to the top of the league, no one at Anfield will be complacent.
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So far the Reds are coping well with the absence of the injured Diogo Jota, such is the array of attacking options that Arne Slot has.
Yet how would they perform if player of the season so far Ryan Gravenberch or Alexis Mac Allister were to be unavailable for an extended period, despite the good form of Curtis Jones?
And what if captain Virgil Van Dijk was out? When the Dutchman, like Rodri, suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out for much of the 2020/1 season, Liverpool’s title defence collapsed.
While Van Dijk and fellow centre back Joel Matip spent months on the sidelines, then Kop boss Jurgen Klopp desperately tried to plug the gap by moving central midfielders Jordan Henderson and/or Fabinho into the back four.
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The entire balance of the team was thrown off and the Reds only just scraped into the top four.
City’s overall strength in depth and potential spending power in the January transfer window mean they should still be well capable of maintaining a title challenge.
But in a battle that could come down to a handful of points, the sale of Alvarez, as much as Rodri’s injury, may prove crucial.
Nate Diaz gave a fan a pair of autographed gloves and also threw in a few hands and a takedown for good measure.
A brief spar went down between Diaz and a fan after the UFC star was stopped in the street and asked to sign some gloves. Diaz agreed, but only if the fan agreed to meet him in honorable combat.
See video below, courtesy of Championship Rounds (originally posted to Diaz’s Instagram Stories).
The fan appeared to be inspired by Shara Magomedov’s recent double backfist knockout as he attempted the maneuver twice in the clip, much to Diaz’s amusement. Diaz is all smiles as he playfully swipes at the fan before later taking the fight to the ground.
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Diaz is then seen mimicking some vicious ground-and-pound before helping the fan up and presumably accommodating his autograph request.
In other words: Just another day in the life of the Diaz brothers.
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