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The start of the year has brought with it the beginning of another new era for Chelsea Football Club.

The Blues announced the departure of Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day, and then just a few days later, announced Liam Rosenior as his permanent replacement.

The former Strasbourg boss has quite the challenge on his hands, with qualification for next season’s Champions League surely the objective.

Fortunately, the transfer window is now open, and if reports are to be believed, Chelsea are planning to bring in some top-quality players to help their new manager, including one who’d be a monster upgrade on Pedro Neto.

Chelsea target Neto upgrade

While he’s certainly not a known quantity among Premier League fans, Chelsea supporters have reason to be excited about Rosenior’s appointment.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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The 41-year-old might not be the most experienced of managers, but his record in France was impressive: in 63 games, he oversaw 32 wins, 14 draws and just 17 losses.

Moreover, he has proven himself capable of working with young players, with Strasbourg being the first team in Europe’s top five leagues to field a lineup of players born in the 21st century earlier this season.

However, to help the Blues push on, he’s going to need some more ready-made stars in the squad, which is what the club seem intent on providing him.

At least, that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Chelsea are interested in a ‘big name’ in the form of Rafaël Leão.

In fact, the report has revealed that the club intend to spend €150m on the AC Milan star and Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez.

The report states that the West Londoners are planning to spend €75m of that money on the Spaniard, leaving as much to be spent on the Portuguese star, which converts to about £65m.

It could be a complicated deal to get over the line, but given Leão’s immense ability, it’s one Chelsea should fight tooth and nail for, especially as he’d be a dream upgrade on Neto.

How Leão compares to Neto

Now, throughout his career, Neto has spent more time on the right, but not by much.

For example, in his club career, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star has made 78 appearances on the right, 69 on the left, and 25 up top.

Moreover, with Estevao being the sensational talent he is and Cole Palmer probably being more effective on the right, the Portuguese international is going to be more of a left-sided player for Chelsea, as he was in the game against Manchester City.

Neto’s positional versatility

Position

Games

Gs

As

Right Winger

78

12

18

Left Winger

69

10

8

Centre-Forward

25

1

5

Second Striker

17

5

5

Attacking Midfield

11

3

1

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Unfortunately, this would then put him in direct competition for gametime with Leão if BlueCo get their man, which is a competition he’s not going to win for several reasons.

First of all, he’s not as reliable a source of output.

For example, since the start of last season, he has scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists in 78 appearances, totalling 5298 minutes.

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That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.88 games, or every 196.22 minutes.

In contrast, the Milan star has scored 19 goals and provided 14 assists in 63 appearances, totalling 4335 minutes.

That comes out to a far more impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.90 games, or every 131.36 minutes, which lends credence to analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that he’s “one of the best LW’s in the world.”

Unsurprisingly, the former LOSC Lille star also comes out looking better when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

For example, the 26-year-old does better in most relevant metrics, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, carries into the penalty area, passing accuracy, and more, all per 90.

Leão vs Neto

Statistics per 90

Leão

Neto

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.61

0.43

Shots

2.60

1.74

Shots on Target

1.12

0.64

Passing Accuracy

76.6%

74.2%

Shot-Creating Actions

2.36

3.49

Goal-Creating Actions

0.37

0.35

Carries into the Penalty Area

1.36

1.16

Aerial Duels Won

1.36

0.29

Interceptions

0.12

0.35

Clearances

0.62

0.35

Progressive Passes

2.47

2.97

All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 League Season

Ultimately, while it might not be the easiest of transfers to pull off, Chelsea should do all they can to sign Leão, as he’d be a massive boost to the team and a clear upgrade on Neto.

Related Chelsea have already signed Rosenior his very own Semenyo

The sensational talent could be a game-changer for Rosenior at Chelsea.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

Manchester City look set to welcome an addition to their squad early on in the January transfer window, as they close in on a deal for Antoine Semenyo.

According to Fabrizio Romano, a deal “is almost done” to bring the Ghana international to The Etihad from Premier League side Bournemouth, as Pep Guardiola looks to bolster his attacking options.

This means that Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause with the Cherries, is closing in on a move to Manchester City to fight for the title in the second half of the season.

Where Antoine Semenyo could fit in at Manchester City

With the likes of Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Oscar Bobb, and Savinho already at the club, some supporters may already be wondering exactly where the Bournemouth star will fit in.

City have recently lined up in a 4-3-2-1 system with Foden and Cherki playing behind Haaland, with Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, and Nico Gonzalez in a midfield three.

Signing Semenyo, though, would provide Guardiola with the opportunity to abandon that formation and change to a 4-2-3-1, with Gonzalez and Reijnders behind an attacking midfield trio of Foden on the right, Cherki through the middle, and Semenyo on the left behind Haaland.

The Bournemouth star’s versatility means that he can play in numerous roles, as shown in the graphic above, but he has predominantly played on the left flank this season, producing nine goals and three assists, per Sofascore.

His powerful running, as evidenced in the goal against Liverpool above, could complement the slower and diminutive styles that Foden and Cherki bring to the attack, giving Haaland an attacker who can keep up with his pace and power on the break.

Whilst Semenyo could be a brilliant addition to Guardiola’s side in the coming days, City have been linked to another Premier League star who could be an even better signing.

The star who could be a better signing for Man City than Antoine Semenyo

City’s current focus is on getting a deal done for the Bournemouth star in the January transfer window, but they are also looking ahead to what they can do in the summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to Sky Sports, Manchester City are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The report claims that the Cityzens want to snap him up on a free transfer to bolster their backline, as John Stones and Nathan Ake may be heading into the final throes of their respective spells at The Etihad.

Guehi could be an even better signing for City than Semenyo if they are able to win the race for his signature as a free agent next summer, because he has the quality to be a consistent performer at Premier League level.

Whilst Semenyo is an exciting signing, given that he has scored 20 goals in the Premier League since the start of last season, the danger with signing attackers is there are no guarantees over consistency.

Marmoush, for example, scored 15 goals and provided nine assists in 17 Bundesliga games for Frankfurt before his move to City, per Sofascore, and he has produced one goal and one assist in 15 games for City this term.

Signing a Premier League-proven centre-back is a slightly safer bet, because defenders do not rely on having to produce big moments, with goals and assists, as they are judged more on the consistency of their overall performances week-in-week-out.

Marc Guehi (Premier League)

24/25

25/26

Appearances

34

17

Goals

3

2

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.6

2.7

Clearances per game

4.6

5.2

Duels won per game

4.9

5.5

Ground duel success rate

64%

62%

Aerial duel success rate

54%

69%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Guehi has been remarkably consistent defensively in the top-flight since the start of last season, averaging similar numbers across the board, whilst significantly improving in his aerial duels this term.

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The England international, once described as a “monster” by journalist Bobby Manzi, has proven himself to be a dominant defender who can command a backline in the Premier League, as he also currently captains Palace.

Guehi would also only be 26 by the start of next season, a few months younger than Semenyo, who turns 26 this month, and this means that he would be a long-term signing for City, as well as a player who could hit the ground running.

The Palace and Bournemouth stars are both impressive Premier League performers who would be good additions in their own right, but Guehi is a consistent and reliable defender, rather than an attacker who relies on moments, which could make him a better signing for Guardiola.

Related Man City have a bigger talent than Semenyo in "Rashford-like" 17-year-old

Manchester City arguably already possess a bigger talent than Antoine Semenyo in this 17-year-old star.

Posts ByKelan Sarson

On top of the performance-based aspects, Guehi could also be a better signing for City because he would arrive at the club as a free transfer, rather than a £65m addition.

Nigel Llong has apparently been moved off third umpire duty for the second Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Llong, who was at the centre of an umpiring controversy during New Zealand’s series in Australia, was initially listed by the ICC as third umpire in Hamilton but will now be one of the on-field officials in both matches.Llong was in the news last week for his controversial decision, as a third umpire, to rule Nathan Lyon not out on review during the Adelaide Test between Australia and New Zealand. On the second day of the Test, Lyon top-edged an attempted sweep to slip and New Zealand asked for a review after the on-field umpire turned down their appeal for a catch.After five minutes of replays, Llong upheld S Ravi’s decision even though there was a clear Hot Spot on the top edge of Lyon’s bat, and the batsman had walked halfway to the dressing room in anticipation of being given out.The decision was hotly debated and criticised by television commentators and the media at the time but the New Zealand players and team management were guarded in their response. After New Zealand Cricket questioned the decision, the ICC admitted that Llong had made “an incorrect judgement”. In a tweet, the ICC said: “ICC has reviewed the decision and acknowledged that it was incorrect. ICC confirms the umpire followed the correct protocol, but made an incorrect judgement.”Llong will officiate New Zealand’s two-Test series with Sri Lanka along with Richard Kettleborough and Paul Reiffel. Kettleborough will be the third umpire for the second Test, which begins on December 18, instead of Llong.Former Kent allrounder Llong joined the ECB’s international umpire’s panel in 2006 and replaced Billy Doctrove on the ICC’s Elite Panel of international umpires in June 2012. Llong has officiated in 33 Tests, 98 ODIs and 27 T20 internationals so far.

Aaqib will pass on the tricks of the trade to the young Bangladeshi pacers © Getty Images

Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed will offer specialised coaching and expert opinion to a group of select fast bowlers at the Grameenphone Pacer Hunt Phase Three camp.Aaqib, who was the coach of the world-cup winning Pakistan U-19 team in 2006, will arrive in Dhaka on Monday and will work with the pacers at the camp on the technical and non-technical aspects of fast bowling. He also serves as coach of the National Cricket Academy in Pakistan and accompanied the Pakistan Academy team on their tour of Bangladesh last month.Until Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to opt for a foreign coach, Aaqib was one of the front runners to be appointed as Bob Woolmer’s successor.He will be there at the camp at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) from June 25 to June 28.

Samir Inamdar, the Cricket Kenya chairman, has announced that a tournament involving Kenya A, Uganda, Tanzania and a Coast XI will be held in Mombasa in June.The week-long event, called the Atul Shah Memorial Cup is named after the former Uganda and East Africa wicketkeeper who died last November and is being sponsored by his family.The four teams will play each other on a round-robin basis and then the top two play off in a final and the third and fourth-placed sides in a plate final. All games will be played on turf at the excellent Mombasa Sports Club and Coast Gymkhana grounds.Itinerary
Tue Jun 6 – Teams arrive in MombasaWed Jun 7 – First round Thu Jun 8 – Second roundSat Jun 10 – Third round Sun Jun 11 – Finals and Plate eventMon Jun 12 – Teams depart

North Group

Derbyshire completed their second Twenty20 win of the season, as they inflicted a seven-wicket defeat on Leicestershire, the current champions. Leicestershire’s batting failed to fire, with only HD Ackerman making a significant contribution with 39. Ian Hunter took three wickets in an impressive bowling display. A brief interruption meant a Duckworth-Lewis calculation was needed and Derbyshire easily reached their 103-run target as Luke Sutton made 42 from 32 balls.Nottinghamshire completely overwhelmed Lancashire, storming to a 92-run win at Trent Bridge. Stephen Fleming made the early running with 56 from 42 balls before Chris Read, Mark Ealham and Paul Franks all made quick contributions. Franks hit three sixes from just seven balls. Lancashire’s batsmen made no sort of a start, with Graeme Swann taking three middle-order scalps.

Midlands/West/Wales Group

Gloucestershire put their recent poor form behind them with a seven-wicket win against fellow strugglers Glamorgan. They cantered home with nearly three overs to spare as Phil Weston and Craig Spearman made rapid thirties. Glamorgan’s innings struggled to gain any momentum against a disciplined attack. Carl Greenidge produced the superb figures of 3 for 15 and Martyn Ball also took three.Northamptonshire continued their good form with a 38-run win against Warwickshire. The match was reduced to 14 overs per side but Northants still managed 143 through a late blitz from Ben Phillips and rapid innings from Bilal Shafayat and David Sales. Neil Carter fell first ball for Warwickshire and Phillips completed an impressive all round display by taking 4 for 18.

South Group

Hampshire’s match against Sussex at the Rose Bowl was abandoned after steady rain arrived shortly after the toss had taken place. Sussex would have fielded first after Chris Adams put Hampshire into bat. Hampshire will be without Shane Warne for the rest of their Twenty20 campaign after he was granted a rest ahead of the Ashes, following a request from Cricket Australia to Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman.

ScorecardAustralia, who surprisingly missed out on a Super League spot, took out their frustrations on a shell-shocked Scotland side, bundling them out for a measly 22 and winning well before lunch at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong. Six of the Scots made ducks in the procession, and the highest contribution was Mr Extras, with 10. Of the batsmen, the highest scores were 5 by the opener Ian Young – who hit the only boundary of the innings – and Sean Weeeraratna, who at least resisted for 44 balls. It was the Aussie new-ball attack that did the damage: Gary Putland grabbed 4 for 9 in nine overs, and Man of the Match Cameron Huckett 4 for 7 in eight. Stephen O’Keefe mopped up the last two wickets to finish with 2 for 1. The Australian openers needed only 3.5 overs to knock off the runs and win a match which lasted only 26.2 overs in all.Willie Morton, Scotland’s coach, was dismayed with his side’s performance. "Australia are a strong team but we can’t accept results as poor as that,” he said. “I am very disappointed with the way we played today.”Australia’s coach Bennett King, meanwhile, said that his team would be going all out to win the Plate Championship. "We came here expecting to be playing in the Super League, but we didn’t beat Zimbabwe," he said. "Now we are in the Plate Championship and it must now be our target to win that instead, and we will field the same players in our next match."
ScorecardNepal defeated Papua New Guinea in today’s other Plate Competition match, at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium. PNG laboured to 168 for 9 in their 50 overs: seven of their batsmen reached double figures, but the highest score was only 35, by Vivian Kila. Chris Amini, PNG’s captain, made 34, while slow left-armer Lakpa Lama took 4 for 51 from his ten overs. Nepal’s opener Kanishka Chaugai started well, and although Basanta Regmi made only 8 and skipper Babu Gauchan a duck, Nepal already had 60 on the board by then. Chaugai added 85 with Sharad Vesawkar (36), and finished with 90 not out as Nepal completed victory with 10.4 overs to spare.Chaugai was named Man of the Match, and earned praise from his team manager TB Shah. "Chaugai batted very well today on a good pitch," said Shah. "After a hiccup at the start where we dropped a couple of catches the game went well for us. We do not have any long-term targets for the tournament, we are taking each game as it comes."

CAPE TOWN, Feb 7 AFP – England will decide on Sunday whether or not it will go ahead with its controversial opening World Cup clash against Zimbabwe in Harare after it failed in its final, desperate bid to have the game switched to South Africa.Justice Albie Sachs today rejected England’s last gasp attempt to have next Thursday’s match relocated on safety grounds.Following a briefing from World Cup security chief Patrick Ronan, England players and officials were locked in marathon talks over their next move in the long-running saga.They face two possibilities – either go ahead with the February 13 clash as scheduled or withdraw and be docked four World Cup points, as well as risk a substantial fine imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaking its contractual obligations.The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has no right of appeal against the decision made by South African judge Sachs.Earlier today, Nasser Hussain’s men met with ICC’s Australian chief executive Malcolm Speed to discuss a report the world governing body had commissioned from American security firm Kroll.This concluded it was safe for the six World Cup matches due to take place in Zimbabwe and two in Kenya to go ahead as scheduled.Speed praised the ECB’s handling of the situation but said he hoped Sachs’ ruling was the end of the matter.”The ECB has acted properly throughout,” Speed said.”It has exercised its rights under the contract and I expect they would continue to do so.”There have been suggestions that the ICC might fly England in and out of Harare on the day of the match itself in a bid to minimise safety risks to players and spectators alike.ECB director of corporate affairs John Read said: “The issue is whether we play the match or not.”Travel arrangements are not irrelevant because there are questions about preparation and acclimatisation but they are not directly relevant to this issue,” Read told AFP.England was always meant to be in Cape Town today ahead of taking part in Saturday’s tournament opening ceremony at the city’s Newlands ground.Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) president Peter Chingoka insisted there was “no bad blood” between the teams despite his outright hostility towards England’s relocation bid.”It’s important for the tournament to proceed without interruption,” Chingoka said.”But there is no bad blood between ourselves and the ECB.”We’re looking forward to welcoming England with African hospitality.”Sachs warned Zimbabwe that, despite his ruling, it now carried the “enormous responsibility” of ensuring the safety of everyone at Thursday’s match.”Serious political and economic issues have arisen in Zimbabwe, to which it would be wrong to turn a blind eye,” Sachs insisted 24 hours after the World Cup event technical committee turned down England’s first formal appeal.”Not only must the players be protected, but also the spectators.”Sachs’ decision is set to have implications for all the six World Cup matches due to be staged in Zimbabwe and possibly the two fixtures in Kenya where New Zealand has refused to travel on safety grounds following terror attacks in the East African state.South Africa is due to stage the other 46 games in the February 8 to March 23 tournament.

After Sunday afternoon’s marathon meeting at the PCB’s headquarters, there were changes galore in the set-up. Ostensibly, for this is the official line, these changes have been rung to bring the organisation in line with the working of the ICC. In effect it is a tacit admission that all was far from well in the PCB at various administrative levels. And also, that the entire system needed an overhaul as radical as this one was, to kick the indolence and inefficiency out.So the ‘five wise men’ – yes, there were as many till as recently as last April – advising the Chairman, have now been replaced with five committees!One can only hope, that belated as it is, this attempt at some dispassionate soul-searching and stocktaking augurs well for the game in Pakistan.The good thing about the changes is that every committee has a well-defined job assignment, instead of the vagueness that was prevalent in the times of the now-defunct, Advisory Council. So, for instance, now we would know if there is something wrong with the functioning of academies, or there is a marketing problem, and so on, everybody including the media would know who is to blame instantly.This may have some effect on diligence levels, for, to some extent, it introduces real-time, public accountability.So massive is the scale of changes – "a major restructuring of the PCB to streamline the working of the Board", said the official press release – that only two members of the dissolved Advisory Council have been retained, in Rameez Raja and Javed Miandad, the former for practical and the latter, perhaps for sentimental reasons. The selection committee – the replacements yet to be named, perhaps because one of the prime candidates is abroad these days – too has been given the much-deserved sack, and too late in the day.Though this reorganisation was known, one has learnt, to the Chairman’s confidants for some time, the all-powerful Advisory Council had little or no clue. The result was that two of its members, former cricketer Waqar Hasan and Wasim Azhar, have been sent packing while the fifth member in Yawar Saeed had already been eased out, to do duty as the national team’s manager about three months ago.The question is whether this is a harbinger of more changes? As a logical corollary they should be forthcoming too, and soon. For howsoever good the newly-formed committees might be, if the administrative support staff – which the Chairman says were not put in by him but by his predecessors, the inference being that he is either unable or unwilling to defend their performance any longer – are not overhauled as well.Now a look at the Committees, in terms of responsibilities and scope, as head of Development Committee, Raja still ends up with the largest share of the pie. His domain remains extensive, covering infrastructure development, academies, nurseries, coaching centres, grassroots cricket and also the National Coaching Council. Considering that most of these programmes are in their embryonic stage and even a bit of cavalier handling could do serious damage to the very concepts, whether he can find time to deal effectively with all this while committing himself extensively with his commentary assignments and his job in a bank, is a point of conjecture.In this context, he would have to delegate, and heavily so and who would be assisting him where, would assume greater importance. The committee has yet to be named, which means Raja is still looking for right options. Though one of his former mentors, none other than the redoubtable Majid Khan, is anything but satisfied with his work so far, but one would like to hold judgement on this for the moment.Miandad is the chairman, with Iqbal Qasim to serve as his deputy, in the management committee. This committee would deal with domestic cricket, national umpiring council, rules and discipline. Well, one has been a great admirer of Miandad, and it is a great travesty that for various reasons in his last six years, between 1990 and 1996, he could only take part in 22 Tests.That said his very name does not really go down well with the concept of management. So, apparently, the PCB Chairman didn’t have the heart to tell him to pack off. Or maybe, it is deemed, as one member of the now dissolved Advisory Council had confided in this writer not long ago, it is more prudent to have Miandad on board than put up with the vitriol he is capable of sending the PCB’s way from time to time.Appointment of a treasurer is a mundane affair and Finance and Marketing Committee too doesn’t have any new faces. But the Review Committee is important in the context that PCB still faces quite a bit of pressure from the ICC on the match-fixing issue. Also the likelihood of some of the players continuing to be involved, as has been alleged off and on in recent times, is something that needs constant probe and vigilance. The retired High Court judge to head the committee has still to be appointed. It would be in the fitness of things, if Justice Qayyum, whose landmark judgement on match-fixing had won universal acclaim, and who would be available after his resignation is accepted, is offered the job. At least for the short term, for he is familiar with the lay of the land like no one else.The last paragraph of the press release was most significant in its import, for it promises the appointment of a legal advisor to review the PCB’s constitution, followed by elections of the associations "to keep them in line with the new national administrative structure".This is a great development indeed, provided it comes through, for it pledges return to democratic order – in as far as it could be in an organisation where the government of the day can appoint the top man. And also from the point of view, that the actions of Chairman and the five committees, would be accountable to the Council. That too, if hoping that the previous constitution does not see a change in this regard.But one problem here is that there aren’t many credible elected or electable faces around. They weren’t there even when the so-called PCB Council was ruling the roost, taking turns on foreign trips and bleeding whatever little resources were generated in those pre-satellite television times, when the revenues were precious little to go by. Since then, that is from the early to mid ’90s onwards, they have been mostly irrelevant, dependent on the crumbs that were thrown their way.So the problem is not merely the absence of democratic order. To quote Majid Khan on the issue again, "the country’s educated elite have washed their hands off Pakistan’s sports". Cricket is no exception to this rather sweeping statement, which unfortunately is true. That is one reason why quality leadership – such as like Jagmohan Dalmiya, Madhavrao Scindia, Raj Singh Dungarpur, and I.S. Bindra across the border – is not being thrown up to manage the affairs of the game in this country. And till such time, it doesn’t happen; we would remain dependent on the good or bad decisions of a very limited coterie.Sad as it may sound, but a fact.

Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United’s get out of jail free card.

How often, with the Red Devils seeking a moment of inspiration, a moment of magic, does the Portuguese genius pull a rabbit out of the hat, having come to the aid of a succession of managers in his almost six-year stay at Old Trafford.

As captain, the 31-year-old has managed to keep this sinking ship afloat in recent seasons, notably ending 2024/25 with 38 goals and assists in all competitions, having looked a man possessed under compatriot Ruben Amorim.

Even in a deep-lying role this time around under the ex-Sporting CP, Fernandes is still at the centre of everything good about this current United side – but for how much longer?

What Bruno Fernandes said about his Man Utd future

The United skipper produced one of his finest moments of the campaign in the 4-4 thriller with Bournemouth last week, rifling home a free-kick to drag the hosts back level in that topsy-turvy contest at the Theatre of Dreams.

Even while ultimately left to settle for a point, there was an air of positivity in the aftermath of that game, with Amorim appearing to have finally taken the handbrake off following a subtle switch to a 4-3-3 set-up.

As is the way in the modern Manchester United era, however, the balloon was burst somewhat soon after, with comments from Fernandes’ prior interview with Canal11 filtering through.

Having previously spoken openly about coming close to joining Saudi side Al Hilal over the summer, ahead of his 300th United appearance, the midfielder was far more explosive with his latest comments, accusing the club of wanting him to sell him, but lacking the “courage” to do so.

The £300k-per-week playmaker – who also hinted at having received offers to leave in 2024 – then flirted with the idea of winning titles in Spain, alongside revealing a possible desire to return to Italy, having previously played in Serie A with Udinese.

With just 18 months left on his contract, Fernandes’ future will be a major talking point now heading into 2026. If he does depart, a suitable replacement needs to be found.

Man Utd could turn to the new 'Keane & Scholes' to replace Fernandes

Even without the uncertainty over Fernandes, the midfield unit has been a real priority for INEOS regardless, with the club having been linked with a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba over the summer.

The suggestion is that the Seagulls star remains a target heading into the new year, although he has since been joined by England and Nottingham Forest sensation, Elliot Anderson, with the ex-Newcastle United man now attracting notable interest.

Valued at potentially somewhere in the region of £100m, the 22-year-old wouldn’t come cheap, although he could represent the perfect, long-term successor to Fernandes in that deeper midfield role.

His quality has been on show in the early months of this season, in particular, with Anderson appearing to nail down a starting role alongside Declan Rice at international level, ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

This is no safe and steady Jordan Henderson or Conor Gallagher style partner for Rice, however, with the Geordie superstar looking like a player of all-round brilliance, both in and out of possession.

Indeed, in the Premier League this season, the one-time Bristol Rovers loanee ranks in the top 4% of midfielders for progressive passes and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, highlighting how he can both pick out a pass, while also gliding his way up the pitch at will.

There is steel to match the silk, however, with the £100m man also ranking in the top 18% for tackles and the top 7% for blocks made, with those traits having been on the show as he dazzled in the 2-2 draw with United at the City Ground not too long ago.

Anderson vs Man Utd (01/11/25)

Stat

Record

Minutes

90

Touches

84

Pass accuracy

75%

Key passes

3

Possession lost

25

Dribbles

2/2

Tackles won

1/1

Recoveries

14

Total duels won

7/14

Stats via Sofascore

Comparisons to figures of the past might be cheap and unhelpful, but glowing reports are now flooding in regarding the discarded Newcastle man, with talkSPORT’s Max Scott even going as far as to suggest that he is “a bit of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Zinedine Zidane all rolled into one”.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Man Utd transfer insight Dig deeper—subscribe to the newsletter for expert analysis of Fernandes’ future, midfield succession plans and transfer targets like Elliot Anderson. The newsletter provides focused coverage breaking down contract implications, tactical fits and scouting rationale for Manchester United. Subscribe Subscribe to our newsletter for Man Utd transfer insight Dig deeper—subscribe to the newsletter for expert analysis of Fernandes’ future, midfield succession plans and transfer targets like Elliot Anderson. The newsletter provides focused coverage breaking down contract implications, tactical fits and scouting rationale for Manchester United.

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Whether he has the real match-winning, game-changing quality is another matter, although with United now boasting an array of forwards who have somewhat lifted the burden on Fernandes, there is no expectation for Anderson to directly fill the shoes of the Portuguese talisman.

Instead, the fleet-footed Englishman could provide greater balance and control in Amorim’s midfield department, with there only so long that the club can go on relying on agent of chaos, Fernandes, to bail them out of trouble.

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Posts ByRobbie Walls