LONDON: Last August, Paris Saint-Germain committed to spending €402million ($418 million) on the transfer fees of two forward Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. In a trio of deals concluded between the last week of August and the first week of January, Barcelona committed to spending €407 million on transfer fees for Ousmane Demeble and Philippe Coutinho plus a signing bonus for Lionel Messi.
In among those five transactions were at least three world records (highest transfers fee for any footballer and a teenage footballer, record signing-on fee), three La Liga records (one record fee out of Spain’s top tier, and two in), and one Premier League record (highest fee in or out of England).
Qatar-owned PSG spent more in a single window than any club ever, yet were working on over another €100m worth of deals for AS Monaco midfielder Fabinho and Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak before Financial Fair Play cooled their enthusiasm. Had Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City not been beaten to the punch on Mbappe and signed the France international themselves they would have retained that single-window high watermark. As it was City inflated the Premier League record for commitments on transfer fees to €282 million — and had a deadline-day deal agreed for Alexis Sanchez that would have extended that summer bill to €350 million.
To put the numbers laid down by Barcelona, PSG and City into context, in the three windows following Jose Mourinho’s appointment as manager Manchester United’s total commitment to transfer fees was ‘just’ €382 million, according to figures published by the CIES Football Observatory. United led Deloitte’s 2017 review of club revenue with record annual earnings of €689 million.
In some ways, Barcelona’s response is the most interesting. Embarrassed, infuriated and unnerved by PSG’s use of a release clause to forcibly extract Neymar from them, Barca’s board reacted in three ways.
First, it lobbied UEFA over FFP, banding with other established clubs to have the governing body warn PSG over state-funded excess. Second, it threw unprecedented sums at a new €35 million net basic salary (and €100m signing bonus) to ensure Lionel Messi did not walk out for one of the Gulf-state clubs. Third, it dived into the transfer market to buy Dembele and Coutinho at prices of €105 million plus €42 million of variables and €120 million plus €40 million respectively.
Dembele is 20 and Coutinho 25, both exciting attacking talents. Yet, many professional analysts argue that Barca have overpaid on both — particularly the young France international who infamously fouled up his official presentation by twice losing control of ball he had been asked to juggle for the cameras.
With Coutinho, Barca twice allowed the fee to balloon to levels they had initially indicated they would not pay. €160 million was a figure Liverpool said they would sell the Brazilian for before the end of the summer window, while asking the Catalans for time to secure a replacement. (Liverpool bid for AS Monaco’s Thomas Lemar, only to be gazumped by a deadline-day offer from Arsenal.)
As recently as December, Barca’s stance was that they were not ready to go above €100 million for Coutinho and had grown tired of Liverpool’s refusal to “negotiate in reasonable terms.” If that was no more than a negotiating stance of their own, the asking price climbed another notch when Nike released an online advertisement stating that “Philippe Coutinho is ready to light up Camp Nou” before the transfer was complete.
Nike sponsors both Barcelona and Coutinho. It is understood that the sportswear wanted another of its cadre of elite footballers to fill the space alongside Adidas-affiliated Messi vacated by Neymar, another Nike ‘name’. There is even a suggestion in the Catalan capital that Nike provided additional funding, via Coutinho, to get the transfer over the line.
Its ramifications ripple on through the system. Last January, the entire Premier League spent £215 million ($291 million) on transfer fees. In the first week of the 2018 window, Liverpool have completed one purchase and one sale worth a combined £216 million. They have agreement from Lemar to join them should Monaco consent to sell the France international for what is expected to be a fee of €90 million. Liverpool are also looking at adding more money to the €65 million already committed to Leipzig to bring forward the transfer of Naby Keita.
Serious money for a ‘stepping stone’ club that is verging on three decades without a League title. Yet in comparison to Barca, PSG and City still decidedly second-tier.
PSG, Barca and Man City highlighting two-tier finances in football
PSG, Barca and Man City highlighting two-tier finances in football
Amorim eyes victory in first Man Utd home game to kickstart new era
- The former Sporting Lisbon boss admitted after the draw at the weekend that United would “suffer for a long time” as he puts his stamp on the club
LONDON: Ruben Amorim said struggling Manchester United need a win to kickstart his Old Trafford revolution as he prepares for a “special” first home match against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
United had a disappointing 1-1 draw at Ipswich on Sunday in Amorim’s first game in charge since replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag, leaving them 12th in the Premier League table.
On Thursday they face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League after one win and three draws in their opening four matches in the competition.
“It is said to me that it will be a special time,” Amorim told his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “I just want to win the game, just to give that happiness to the supporters.
“Before the match it will be like a new sensation but after the whistle it will be one more game and we want to win that match.”
Amorim, who changed United’s formation against Ipswich, said the club needed to feel “momentum.”
“It’s important when you are putting an idea,” he said. “If you win it’s a big help.”
The former Sporting Lisbon boss admitted after the draw at the weekend that United would “suffer for a long time” as he puts his stamp on the club.
And on Wednesday he admitted he did not know how long it would take players to get used to his methods, explaining it was difficult to draw parallels with his previous experiences.
“You can say that this is a different league so it’s harder than in Portugal,” he said. “But I also have more experienced players and all these guys play for national teams.
“They just need to increase their confidence and at the moment I don’t know how to answer that question. I don’t know how long.
“But I will know that with a lot of games without time to train it will be tough for me but it will be tougher for them because they are on the pitch and they will suffer a little bit.
“I will try to help and we have to manage to win some games and try to increase that idea in the team.”
Amorim said United had firepower in their ranks despite their lack of goals this season and that he would try to help out-of-form Marcus Rashford.
“We will try to find the right solution for him, as for the other players,” he said.
“He has to be Marcus, first of all, to try to return to that moment. Then he will have the help of all the staff, all the club and all the fans because he’s a Manchester United boy. But he has to be the first one to really want it.”
Israeli soccer team prepares for closed-door match in Hungary after attacks on fans in Amsterdam
- The team will face off Thursday against Turkiye’s Besiktas in an Europa League match that was relocated to Hungary
- Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic told a news conference on Wednesday that his team was focused on its game, regardless of what tensions may exist elsewhere
DEBRECEN, Hungary: Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team returned to Europe on Wednesday for the first time since its fans were assaulted in the Netherlands earlier this month in attacks that were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Israel and across Europe.
The team will face off Thursday against Turkiye’s Besiktas in an Europa League match that was relocated to Hungary. The contest at Nagyerdei Stadium in the city of Debrecen will be played without fans due to security concerns following the violence in Amsterdam on Nov. 7 that resulted in five people being treated in hospitals and dozens of detentions.
Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic told a news conference on Wednesday that his team was focused on its game, regardless of what tensions may exist elsewhere.
“It’s not a question for me what happened outside of the stadium. We saw some videos and everything, but we really try to focus on football,” he said. “We’ll see tomorrow what is the effect.”
The violence in Amsterdam came after local authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrators from gathering outside the stadium where Maccabi was playing Dutch team Ajax.
A large crowd of Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab slogans on their way to the match, video showed. Afterward, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them, according to Amsterdam’s mayor.
The city’s police commander said the incidents had “an antisemitic character.”
Maccabi press officer Ofer Ronen-Abels said Wednesday the events in Amsterdam “had nothing to do with football.”
Before the assaults, Besiktas had requested its home game against Maccabi, originally scheduled for Istanbul, to be moved to “neutral ground” over security concerns.
The club later said on social media that Hungary was the only country willing to host the match and that Hungarian authorities requested it be played behind closed doors.
Hungary has hosted several home games for Israel’s national team for security reasons since the war in Gaza began.
Maccabi held its final practice session at the Kiryat Shalom training complex in Tel Aviv on Wednesday before departing for Hungary, the team said on its website.
Jeddah set for Fanatec GT World Challenge race
- Anticipated SAL Jeddah Race, which will be held for the first time in the Kingdom on Nov. 29-30, will feature two major motorsport races and cover 1,000 km
- Iconic manufacturers taking part include Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, BMW M Sport, Audi Sport and Ford
JEDDAH: Jeddah is all set for the final round of the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe on Friday when a 49-car field tackles a six-hour Endurance Cup race at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The anticipated SAL Jeddah Race, which will be held for the first time in the Kingdom on Nov. 29-30, will feature two major motorsport races and cover 1,000 km, making it the longest circuit race in Saudi history.
Iconic manufacturers taking part include Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, BMW M Sport, Audi Sport and Ford.
The GT4 European Series, supported by RAFA Racing Club, will feature four competitive categories, promising an exciting spectacle for motorsport enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia:
Pro: A showcase for the world’s finest drivers and teams vying for top honors.
Gold: Designed to cultivate and elevate emerging driving talents.
Silver: A competitive platform featuring a mix of amateur and semi-professional drivers.
Bronze: A unique category combining experienced professionals with promising young drivers, offering a valuable learning experience.
Saudi Logistics Services, the official title sponsor for the Jeddah GT Race 2024, announced on Monday the arrival of more than 70 cars from the ports of Barcelona and Valencia in Spain to the port of Jeddah.
The SAL Jeddah GT Race is an endurance racing event that encourages drivers to push their maximum limits and test their stamina, strategy and reliability throughout the intense competition.
The event’s fan zone includes live entertainment and fun activities for families, as well as food festivals.
Messi’s son debuts at Argentina youth tournament as grandparents watch
- The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team
- Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play
BUENOS AIRES: Thiago Messi, the eldest son of the Argentina star, has made his debut in the “Newell’s Cup” tournament in the countryside city of Rosario.
The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team, which lost 1-0 on Monday to host Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition. The team also played Tuesday.
Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentinian club in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of capital Buenos Aires.
Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend.
Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamin Suarez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, Messi’s teammate and close friend at Barcelona and now at Inter Miami.
Messi and Suarez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday, they watched a friendly game of Inter Miami’s U13 team against Union at the same sports complex.
The youth tournament in Argentina brings together eight teams from North and South America.
Salah ‘in a good place’ at Liverpool despite contract impasse, says Slot
- Slot: The only thing I can say is that if I look at my lineups, Mo is more in than out
- The latest contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also due to expire at the end of this season
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes Mohamed Salah is “in a good place” and isn’t affected by his contract impasse with the club.
Salah’s latest deal expires at the end of this season and he told reporters after Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday that he was disappointed not to have received a new contract offer, saying: “I’m probably more out than in.”
The issue dominated Liverpool’s news conference ahead of Wednesday’s match against Real Madrid in the Champions League, with Slot keen to play down any friction with Salah — and even suggested the situation is making the winger play as well as ever.
“I don’t think it distracts Mo at all,” Slot said Tuesday. “Maybe it even brings the best out of him if you look at his performances until now.
“I talk to Mo about what I expect from him, like I do with all the other players, and he is in a good place at the moment. I’m not distracted by his comments and I don’t feel his teammates are.”
Salah has scored 12 goals in 18 appearances for Liverpool this season and is second in the Premier League with 10 goals in 12 games, only behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (12 goals).
Slot even quipped: “The only thing I can say is that if I look at my lineups, Mo is more in than out.”
The latest contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also due to expire at the end of this season.
“In fairness, it goes for all three of them — Mo, Virgil and Trent are all in similar positions,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said. “Every one of them is so focused on the next game and training and preparing properly.”
