Erling Haaland hails Jadon Sancho and says Manchester United transfer target will only get better

Haaland plays with Sancho at Dortmund (Picture: Getty)

Erling Haaland believes Jadon Sancho will get even better as the Borussia Dortmund star continues to attract major transfer speculation.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all tracking the 20-year-old, weighing up whether to meet Dortmund’s £100million-plus asking price.

Sancho has bagged 19 goals for Dortmund this season and Haaland joined the German side from RB Salzburg last January.

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Haaland snubbed United to sign for Dortmund and the striker heaped praise on his team-mate as he continues to establish himself as one of the world’s best players.

‘He’s a fantastic player, and the stats don’t lie, what he’s been doing for us this season, so he’s a fantastic player and he will become even better,’ Haaland told ESPN about Sancho.

‘We are lucky to have him here.’

While Sancho considers a big-money move in the next transfer window, Haaland has made an immediate impact at Dortmund.

Sancho and Haaland are key goalscorers for Dortmund (Picture: Getty)

The Norwegian has already scored nine Bundesliga goals and there is just 57 minutes per strike.

Haaland continues to be linked with United despite signing a four-year deal with Dortmund.

United may have big ambitions for the next transfer window, but Trent Alexander-Arnold has attempted to throw a spanner in the works with a direct message to Sancho.

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The Liverpool defender said he would love to see Sancho join the Reds, branding his England team-mate a special talent.

‘If he came to us, he’d make our team better,’ Alexander-Arnold told Michael Dapaah on Instagram live.

‘So I’d be more than happy for him to come. I played with him for England and he’s a special, special, special, special talent.’

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Why Napoli star Dries Mertens is stalling over joining Chelsea

The Belgian attacker’s contract expires in July when he will become a free agent (Picture: Getty)

Napoli forward Dries Mertens is stalling over a move to Chelsea despite holding talks with Frank Lampard because he reportedly does not want to leave without becoming the club’s record scorer.

The 32-year-old is out of contract with the Serie A side in July and seemed certain to leave Naples, with Chelsea one of several European giants keen to snap him up on a free transfer.

But the coronavirus crisis has dramatically altered the football landscape with FIFA potentially triggering temporary extensions for players who would be out of contract when seasons are attempted to be restarted.

Serie A’s suspension also means Mertens is stuck on 121 career goals for Napoli, sharing the all-time scoring record alongside Marek Hamsik.

But according to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, Mertens is desperate to claim the record outright and is now considering the prospect of staying at Napoli for one more year to cement his place in the club’s record books.

With no date yet established for when Serie A might return, Mertens is in no hurry to decide his next step and will have to weigh up playing a bit-part role at Chelsea or going down in Napoli history.

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While reports of Lampard being on the phone to Mertens ‘nearly every day’ are wide of the mark, they have been in contact but Chelsea are keen not to put any pressure on the Belgian.

Lampard is attracted to his versatility, able to play in any of four attacking positions: Up top, off the striker or on either flank.

Mertens only has six Serie A goals this season, down on his usual returns (Picture: Getty)

HLN also report that Mertens’ arrival at Chelsea could be costly for another Belgian already at Stamford Bridge, with Michy Batshuayi the biggest casualty of his international teammate’s arrival.

The striker lacks the versatility of Mertens and with Olivier Giroud set to be handed a contract extension, Batshuayi would become even more surplus to requirements than before with Chelsea actively looking for a buyer.

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Thomas Partey’s agents apologise over Arsenal and Manchester United transfer hint

Thomas Partey has been linked with both Arsenal and Manchester United (Picture: Getty)

Thomas Partey’s representatives have apologised for a social media post they shared this week which linked the Atletico Madrid midfielder with a possible move to the Premier League.

It’s understood Arsenal are registered an interest in signing Partey this summer and the 26-year-old’s father fuelled the rumours earlier this month by appearing to confirm that his son was in discussions over a switch to the Emirates.

However, reports in Partey’s native Ghana suggest the Atletico Madrid man – who has a €50 million (£47m) release clause in his contract – would actually favour joining Manchester United.

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The midfielder’s father talked up a move to Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Atleti are looking to fend off interest from the Premier League’s elite by tying Partey down to a new long-term deal which would increase his release clause to €100m (£93m)

But Partey’s agency, JJ Sports Managers SL, cast serious doubt over Partey remaining in Madrid on Wednesday as they uploaded an image on their Instagram page, encouraging supporters to ‘pick’ their client’s next club.

Partey has a £47m release clause in his contract at Atletico Madrid (Picture: Getty)

The Instagram story was live for several hours before being deleted and the agency later apologised for the post in a short statement.

‘In view of the publication that was made today Wednesday 29 April 2020 on our Instagram account, regarding the future of our player Thomas Partey, from JJ Sport Managers we want to convey that this publication was not approved by the company management,’ it said.

‘An internal investigation has been opened to find out what exactly happened, we are sure that this has not been intentional on the part of any of our workers and it is probably an unfortunate mistake.

‘The publication has been deleted as soon as we have become aware of its existence.

‘In addition, the keys of all our social profiles have been modified to restrict access only to essential personnel.’

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Earlier this week, United legend Rio Ferdinand named the Ghana international in his list of dream signings for the club in the summer transfer window.

Financially Man United are in a stronger position than most, because of the way that the club is structured,’ Ferdinand told The Beautiful Game podcast.

‘I’d definitely buy Jadon Sancho. Could you imagine Sancho in that team with him drawing like two or three players to him and then [Marcus] Rashford is playing one-v-one? Oh God. It’s over.

‘I’d maybe go get Partey from Atletico Madrid or [Wilfred] Ndidi from Leicester.

‘I like Saul Niguez. He’s a very, very good player in midfield.

‘And then a centre-back, they still need a centre-back. Whether you go for a young one like a Ben Godfrey or someone like [Kalidou] Koulibaly.

‘I don’t know, it’s difficult.’

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Fred backs Man Utd team-mate to help him hit goals target

Fred is hoping to add more goals to his game (Picture: AMA/Getty Images)

Fred is desperate to score more goals for Manchester United – and believes Bruno Fernandes’ arrival will help him find the back of the net more often.

The Brazilian midfielder has only found the net three times in a Manchester United shirt since moving to Old Trafford in 2018, but he hopes to start hitting the target on a more regular basis.

That aim could be helped by the arrival of Fernandes, Fred suspects.

Fernandes was in magnificent form following his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in January, winning Premier League Player of the Month in February as well as scoring two goals and providing three assists in his first five outings in England’s top flight.

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And Fred is convinced that Fernandes’ added creativity will allow him more opportunities to get on the scoresheet going forwards.

‘I hope so as it’s always important to score goals,’ he told Manchester United’s official website when asked if he wanted to add more goals to his game.

‘I’ve been working on it and, with Bruno’s arrival, we’ve got someone who gives us more freedom, given his quality with the ball at his feet.

Fred thinks Fernandes will get the best out of him (Picture: Getty)

‘So I hope to attack and score more goals and work hard on my finishing to score more goals in a season. I’m certain that, with Bruno’s arrival, more goals will come.’

Fred got off to a rocky start to life at Old Trafford but has thrived in recent weeks under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s stewardship.

And he’s enjoying the role he’s been given by Solskjaer.

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‘My favourite role is where I’ve been playing,’ added Solskjaer. ‘As a second central midfielder, defending solidly but also getting forward and looking to score goals.

‘I think it’s important that a central midfielder has good approach play and finishing skills.

‘The way I’ve been playing is the way I like to play and I feel really good in this position.’

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Raul Sanllehi tells Arsenal there will be no big-money signings in the next transfer window

Sanllehi has told staff to forget expensive signings (Picture: Getty Images)

Arsenal chief Raul Sanllehi has warned staff to forget about any big-money signings because the club’s finances have been severely diminished by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, according to reports.

The Covid-19 pandemic will have a devastating economic impact on football clubs up and down the country, with no matches played since mid-March and no announcement on when the action will resume.

To safeguard against the downturn, Arsenal became the first Premier League club to agree a 12.5 per cent pay cut for the majority of the first-team squad, while executives will face a 30% reduction in their salaries for the next 12 months.

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The Gunners have been linked with a £43.5million move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, but may have to shelve any plans for mega-money transfers until their financial situation improves.

According to the Evening Standard, in a weekly video call with backroom staff lead by managing director Vinai Venkatesham and head of football Sanllehi, the former Barcelona chief admitted the club’s focus is not on expensive summer signings.

Top-flight teams are due to meet again on Friday to discuss when and how football could return and there is an acceptance that the remaining 92 fixtures will have to be played without any fans in stadiums.

On Wednesday, the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) predicted the north London club will register a £19m loss for the year ending May 2020 if the rest of Arsenal’s league games this season are played behind closed doors.

If the government decide that supporters are not allowed to attend sporting events for an even longer period, affecting the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign, the Gunners could be set to lose up to £144m over the next 12 months.

A move for Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey could be put on hold (Picture: Getty Images)

A statement sent to AST members read: ‘The reduction in income from playing BCD for the rest of the season will knock £23m from available cash at the end of the season as will the absence of season ticket renewals (£70m).

‘The combined impact will leave little spare cash this summer, especially if sponsors withhold part of their advance payments for season 2020-21.

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‘Arsenal’s available cash reserves heading into the summer of 2020-21 could be wiped out and a new borrowing requirement of over £50m being required by the end of July if the club is to meet its commitments to pay other clubs instalments due on player transfers and finance wages in June and July.

‘So we certainly don’t predict a big spending transfer window!’

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Michael Owen reveals phone calls with Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher before Manchester United move

Michael Owen joined Liverpool’s rivals Manchester United on a free transfer in 2009 (Picture: Getty)

Michael Owen has revealed that he spoke with Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher about a possible return to Liverpool before joining bitter rivals Manchester United back in 2009.

The striker emerged from Liverpool’s academy with an enormous reputation at the end of the 1996/97 campaign and racked up 23 goals in 44 appearances the following season to establish himself as one of the most exciting prospects in European football.

Owen would go on to score 158 goals for the Reds, winning an FA Cup, a UEFA Cup and two League Cups on Merseyside, but the England forward sealed an £8million move to Real Madrid in 2004, three years after winning the Ballon d’Or.

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Owen phoned Carragher and Gerrard to discuss a return to Liverpool (Picture: Getty)

Injury problems largely defined the rest of Owen’s career as a result of playing so regularly at such a young age and he became a free agent at the end of the 2008/09 season after failing to keep Newcastle United in the Premier League.

Owen sent out feelers to former team-mates Gerrard and Carragher to gauge whether Liverpool would be interested in signing him. But the club were already well stocked up front and a phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson led to him joining the Red Devils.

Owen won the Premier League title with Manchester United in 2010/11 (Picture: Getty)

Asked about the criticism he’s received from Liverpool supporters, Owen told ESPN: ‘I left Liverpool, course went and played for Real Madrid and Newcastle and then my contract expired at Newcastle so I was free to join any club.

‘The first thing I did was pick the phone up to Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard and said, “Go and speak to Brendan Rodgers (Rafa Benitez was actually manager at the time) to see if he’s interested. I’d love to come back” but sadly, at the time, there was some great players there and they didn’t need a centre-forward.

‘So, as much as I was disappointed, it almost made my mind up for me. My dream of going back to Liverpool was never going to happen. Of course, you’ve got no option, you’ve got to look elsewhere, you’ve got to try to stay at the top of your game and play for the best team possible.

‘Everton came in for me to see if I would sign there and when Sir Alex Ferguson phoned me to play for Manchester United of course I’m thinking I’m going to get criticism for it.’

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Owen, who lifted the Premier League trophy the season after joining United, has no regrets about the move, insisting it was too big an opportunity to turn down.

He added: ‘It’s like in any other job if you get offered a good role, or a promotion then everybody says, “Well done, congratulations!” but if it’s football it’s very different. People accuse you of not being true the team you played for and things like that.

‘But at the end of the day it’s a job and you’ve got to try to be the best player you can be in a very short period of time, your career doesn’t last long so I felt as if I had to join.

‘It’s only close to my house anyway, I could live at home, I could play with great players in a great stadium for a great team in the Champions League and maybe have a chance of winning the league.

‘It was just an amazing opportunity. Yes, I get it, I know the rivalry as I’ve lived in the area for a long time but I think anybody that questions whether you should or shouldn’t go is probably more of a fan rather than actually understanding what it’s like to be a footballer.’

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Dietmar Hamann urges Liverpool to avoid Timo Werner transfer

Timo Werner is reportedly keen to join Liverpool (Getty Images)

Dietmar Hamann believes Liverpool should avoid signing RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.

Reports in Germany have claimed that Werner is not interested in a move to Bayern Munich and would prefer to link up with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Werner has been in sublime form for RB Leipzig this season with 27 goals in 36 appearances.

But Hamann, who made 283 appearances for Liverpool, believes the Germany international would struggle to fit in Klopp’s system alongside Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

‘The thing with Liverpool is you’ve probably got the best front three in world football. If you play out wide in Liverpool, even though the full-backs like to get on the overlap, Salah and Mane are both very tricky players, they’ve got huge trickery, they are very skillful,’ Hamann told Sky Sports.

Timo Werner has scored 27 goals for RB Leipzig this season (Getty Images)

‘Timo Werner is not that type of player. His biggest asset by far is his pace. And if I watch games now, even at Anfield, with Liverpool being so superior to most teams, all the teams sit back.

‘If you deny Werner space I think he’s a lot less effective. If you look at his goalscoring at Leipzig, obviously his goal record this season is outstanding, but they like to play on the counter attack, they are not really a possession team.

‘I don’t think he’s got the trickery to play out wide as Mane and Salah have. Then if you look at [Roberto] Firmino’s position, I think the way they are set up you need almost a Teddy Sheringham-type player like Firmino is because he links things up, he’s not really one who goes in behind the back four. He likes to come short and bring Salah and Mane into play.

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‘So I just wouldn’t know where to play him. I don’t think he’s a wide player, I think he’s a player who’s best through the middle, and I just wouldn’t know where he could or where he should play.

‘On the other hand, I think it’s the Africa Cup of Nations, if it goes ahead, early next year, so Mane and Salah might be away for four to six weeks, that’s probably one thing Liverpool have got in the back of their minds.

‘But I’m sure there are players out there who will help Liverpool more next season than Timo Werner.’

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Hamann compares Chelsea and Man Utd transfer target Kai Havertz to Michael Ballack

Havertz is linked with a move to the Premier League (Picture: Quality Sport Images/Getty)

Dietmar Hamann says Chelsea and Manchester United transfer target Kai Havertz reminds him ‘of a young Michael Ballack’ – and believes he would be a great addition to the Premier League.

The former Liverpool midfielder views the Bayer Leverkusen winger as Germany’s best player and believes his ‘arrogance’ is similar to ex-Chelsea midfielder Ballack when he was developing in the game.

Havertz has scored six goals and provided five assists in 22 Bundesliga starts this season and is believed to be courting interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.

And Hamann thinks the ‘exceptional’ 20-year-old would be a great signing for any club.

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‘The one player who stands out for me is Kai Havertz from Leverkusen’ Hamann told Sky Sports when he was asked about Germany’s most talented player.

‘He’s an exceptional player, he reminds me of a young Michael Ballack.

‘He’s got that air of arrogance in a good way about him. He’s two-footed, he’s tall, he’s good in the air, he’s very versatile.

Ballack thrived in English football (Picture: Getty)

‘He can play across the front, he can play any position. I think he’s the best player we’ve got in Germany at the moment.

‘There’s talk about Timo Werner going to England, obviously he’s a different player, but Havertz is the one I’d be looking at.’

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Jurgen Klopp hilariously trolls Trent Alexander-Arnold during Liverpool’s morning Zoom workout

The German coach showed his sense of humour on the squad’s lockdown Zoom call (Picture: Getty)

Jurgen Klopp could not resist teasing Trent Alexander-Arnold during Liverpool’s morning workout Zoom call after the right-back was beaten in the ePremier League Invitational final.

Alexander-Arnold saw off musician Tom Grennan, Newcastle’s Christian Atsu and Manchester City star Raheem Sterling en route to the final, before losing out on golden goal in extra-time against Wolves’ Diogo Jota.

The next day, the Liverpool squad got together for their daily Zoom workout and Klopp was feeling in a playful mood, trolling Alexander-Arnold over his defeat in a clip uploaded to Liverpool’s YouTube channel.

Jota secured the win thanks to a golden goal in extra-time after a tight match (Picture: Premier League)

‘Good morning Trent! Do you want to say a few words about the final yesterday, before we start?’ said Klopp cheekily when the right-back dialled into the call.

‘He got battered,’ chimed in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, which prompted Klopp to burst out laughing before adding, ‘Come on Trent, what happened yesterday?’

Alexander-Arnold tried to explain his performance, saying: ‘It was just like a knockout tournament and then we got to the final, but then we got beat by Wolves in the final.’

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Klopp couldn’t resist twisting the knife, responding: ‘Maybe a question then for Ox, how is it possible that Trent plays for Liverpool and not you?’

Oxlade-Chamberlain replied: ‘Yeah that’s what I’m not happy about. I’ve pretty much spoken to him every day about this tournament and not once did I get the nod.

‘And by the way, every player on the game [mode] is equal, so everyone’s got the same level, same rating, and I still couldn’t get a game.’

Alexander-Arnold hit back: ‘I was winning games! Don’t change if you’re winning.’

‘Clearly the boys got a little bit tired come the final,’ responded the Ox. ‘You needed fresh legs and you didn’t notice that.’

By this point Klopp had clearly had enough and was ready to get on with the workout, laughing as he said: ‘Mute them. Enough.’

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Chelsea are more genuine rivals than Arsenal, says Tottenham’s Dele Alli

Dele Alli is usually happy to goad Arsenal fans (Picture: Getty Images)

Dele Alli has risked the ire of Arsenal fans once again by saying Tottenham players now consider Chelsea more serious rivals than the Gunners.

The Spurs midfielder believes the traditional north London rivalry has faded in significance in recent years, with Tottenham now the dominant force.

While the England international knows the fans will see Arsenal as their fiercest rivals, he reckons the players now see it differently.

Alli was speaking while playing FIFA20 against fellow Spurs player Kyle Walker-Peters, hosted by Rio Ferdinand through Copa90 Football.

‘I think if you ask the fans they will give you a different answer, but as players – obviously the way things have been going with the league and the games – the rivalry with Chelsea is bigger than the one with Arsenal, purely because of what they have done to us in recent years.

‘Maybe for fans it’s different, obviously the north London derby is massive and I always think that rivalry will be there, but as players at this moment in time I think Chelsea is bigger.’

Tottenham have finished above Arsenal in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons and are currently ahead of the Gunners in the table, although only just.

With football on pause during the coronavirus hiatus, Spurs are just one point and one place ahead of Arsenal in the table and the Gunners have a game in hand.

Tottenham’s recent record against their north London rivals could not be described as dominant, with the last six games producing two wins, two draws and two defeats for each team.

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Spurs have just had a worse time against Chelsea, losing their last four on the spin against the Blues.

The rivalry heated up in 2016, though, when Chelsea came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Tottenham, ending their hoped of winning the title and handing the trophy to Leicester City.

Dele may well still be smarting from that result at Stamford Bridge.

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Lukas Podolski sends message to Arsenal board over Mikel Arteta

Podolski wants the Arsenal board to back Arteta (Picture: Getty)

Lukas Podolski has called on the Arsenal board to back Mikel Arteta substantially in the transfer market this summer.

The former Arsenal attacker and Germany international has been impressed with the start Arteta has made to life at the Emirates, with Arsenal losing just one match in 2020 under their new head coach.

Podolski, 34, believes the ‘level is going up’ but Arteta will need support if he is to return the Gunners to their former glories.

And he called on the Arsenal board to spend big in the summer, in order to match Arteta’s ambition.

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‘I see it, the level is going up. It depends on running and fighting spirit,’ he told Ian Wright.

‘You see there is more of a team on the pitch, the fans Arsenal is like one of the big 5 teams in the world.

‘With this team and this potential we have to play every year in the Champions League and fight for the title.

‘We have to invest and I hope Mikel with his team around him will do a great job for the next seasons.’

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While Podolski wants Arsenal to back Arteta in the market, he – and Arsenal fans – may be left frustrated.

Funds are thought to be limited, with Gunners chiefs planning to pursue free transfers and swap deals.

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