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Pep Guardiola refused to join Rodri in his victory speech as the midfielder returned to the club with the Ballon d'Or trophy.

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• Rodri returned to Man City with Ballon d'Or
• Gave victory speech in front of colleagues
• Man City face Spurs on Saturday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rodri, who is currently sidelined with an ACL injury, won the prestigious Ballon d'Or last month in Paris as he trumped Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior in the race. The Spaniard finally returned to Manchester City on Friday with the Golden Ball, having been recovering in Spain, and caught up with his colleagues and manager Guardiola. The midfielder had initially asked the head coach about what to say in front of his team-mates, to which Guardiola jokingly said: "I've never won a Ballon d'Or, my friend!"

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• WHAT RODRI SAID ABOUT WINNING BALLON D'OR

  In his speech, the 28-year-old said: "I don't know what to say, guys. It's a privilege. I miss you, I miss you a lot. It's a privilege to win this. So happy to come back. For me, you guys are my family and this is for the club, for you guys. Congratulations."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rodri, who still has two years left in his current deal, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in the future. The player recently addressed the rumours while hinting he could consider joining Los Blancos who he considers the "best and most successful club in history".

Chelsea have been offered a £205,000-per-week PSG star who could solve a key transfer wish for new head coach Enzo Maresca this summer.

Chelsea eyeing new star attackers in busy summer window

Todd Boehly and BlueCo have made most of the headlines yet again this window in a show of serious spending, with nearly £120 million spent on eight signings.

Chelsea hold new talks with Premier League club over signing £70m "talent"

He’s fresh off the back of an excellent campaign.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 19, 2024

The official arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Estevao Willian and Renato Veiga cost Chelsea around £93 million in total, while deals for Aaron Anselmino and Caleb Wiley most recently have added a further £25.5 million (The Athletic).

Regardless of their spending so far, it remains the case that Chelsea could still make more signings before deadline day on August 30. The west Londoners are believed to be in the market for a new winger, with Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi and Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams on Chelsea's radar.

Maresca has also made it clear he wants a new striker behind-the-scenes, according to some reports, which led to a failed bid for Atletico Madrid starlet Samu Omorodion.

Other marquee names have been linked with moves to Stamford Bridge, like Napoli star Victor Osimhen, but a move for the Nigerian appears less and less likely as the window ticks on due to the sheer size of a potential deal.

Chelsea have considered Lille star Jonathan David as a cheaper option, but the Blues even tried their hand with an audacious approach for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak at the start of this month.

Both Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson were responsible for the majority of Chelsea's goalscoring output last season, but as previously stated, it is believed Maresca is keen on bringing in a new striker to ease the burden.

Chelsea offered PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani

According to HITC, PSG may have just handed them a solution to grant Maresca's wish in the form of Randal Kolo Muani.

The outlet claims Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Kolo Muani from PSG, as they look to offload strikers and make room for Osimhen. The Ligue 1 champions are attempting to strike a deal with Napoli over the Nigerian, but will need to offload both Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos to free up squad space.

The 25-year-old, who's been called a "complete" striker by Kylian Mbappe, bagged 23 goals and 17 assists in the 22/23 season for Eintracht Frankfurt, before joining PSG last summer.

Kolo Muani, on around £205,000-per-week at PSG, hasn't quite reached those same heights at the Parc des Princes, but perhaps Maresca could offer him a fresh start, making this one to watch.

With the USWNT still unbeaten under Emma Hayes, GOAL looks at players on the rise after a draw with England, win over the Netherlands

The U.S. women's national team closed out 2024 on-brand: with a win. This was a big year for the USWNT, who leave it with an Olympic gold medal, a 20-match unbeaten streak overall – 15 straight under Emma Hayes – and unlimited amounts of optimism. The foundation has been rebuilt and, as this group heads into 2025, there are myriad reasons to believe.

Before moving onto 2025, though, the U.S. had two final tests in 2024: visits to England and the Netherlands. Friendlies, yes, but these were big games, on the road, in Europe, matches that were a measuring stick – particularly when you account for the absence of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson. These were final tests against the elite before the U.S. could turn the page on a truly game-changing year of soccer.

The two road tests were something of a mixed bag, but leaned positive. After a 0-0 draw with England, the U.S. came from behind to earn a 2-1 win over the Netherlands Tuesday in a game that was the far more eventful of the two. While the England game was largely middling, you saw good and bad from the USWNT in that Netherlands match. It was a game in which several rose to the occasion, and others struggled in ways that opened up new questions.

And of course, more than anything, the two matches – especially Tuesday – rounded off Alyssa Naeher's legendary career with a yet another celebratory moment. She wore the captain's armband in her 115th international appearance, a stretch that goes back to her debut on Dec. 18, 2014, against Argentina.

Naeher is two-time World Cup winner (2015 and 2019) and an Olympic gold medalist, with shutouts in the finals of both the 2019 World Cup and the Paris Games final this summer. Naeher had another huge game, one that served as one final reminder of how hard she'll be to replace as she moves on.

Overall, who stood out? Whose stock rose, and whose fell? GOAL takes a look.

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  Stock up: Lynn Williams

  The game in London showed why she probably isn't a starter against the very best. The game in the Netherlands showed why she should still have a role when playing those elite teams.

  Off the bench, Williams is a weapon, and that's exactly what she was in The Hague. Brought in to inject life into the team, Williams subbed in and promptly scored what would be the winning goal, providing her 10th career finish off the bench. Since Williams' USWNT debut in 2016, only Alex Morgan, with 11, has scored more goals off the bench.

  It's a key to have a player that can come in and change a game, and that's exactly what Williams is. When you also account for her experience and leadership among a young group, it becomes apparent why Williams can and should stick around. In the 31-year-old winger, Hayes has a perfect, dependable role player.

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  Stock down: Korbin Albert

  Here's the concern for Albert: at this stage of her career, there isn't anything she really does at an elite level. Most teams can find a way to use that, but this isn't most teams. The USWNT demands elite and, when surrounded by some of the world's best at what they do, Albert stands out – or to put it more literally, she doesn't stand out.

  The PSG midfielder struggled to really contribute in the match against the Netherlands, although it must be said that the midfield setup wasn't ideal. Even so, it's been a theme when it comes to Albert: it's still hard to figure out what exactly she can offer the U.S. in big games.

  Is she a more attacking midfielder? If so, she's behind Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle. Is she a defensive midfielder? Stats say no but, if she is, she's nowhere near Sam Coffey. Has she shown more than Hal Hershfelt or Lily Yohannes, two players she is now battling for central midfield spots? Not really and, with the likes of Catarina Macario, Croix Bethune and Olivia Moultrie also in the mix, what will Albert's role be going forward?

  That's the big question Alebrt will have to answer.

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  Stock up: Yazmeen Ryan

  There's still a lot of climbing up the depth chart to do if she wants to really contribute to this attack, but the only way to do that is with standout performances. Ryan had one of those on Tuesday.

  The 25-year-old Gotham FC star came off the bench to prove the assist on Williams' goal, firing a perfect cross straight into the path of her club teammate. The chemistry was there for all to see in that moment, but it was really Ryan's run and cross that made it all come together.

  Spots in the attack are hard to come by in this team, and this group was one without the famous Triple Espresso leading it. Even so, of the newer players, Ryan was the one who had a standout moment, which will only boost her stock as she pushes for more opportunities once that starting three does return in 2025.

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  Stock down: Jaedyn Shaw

  One of the big questions heading into this camp was centered around Jaedyn Shaw. Without the starters in attack, could she be the key player? Could she be the star this team needed to carry a shorthanded group? The answer was no or, more accurately, not quite yet.

  Starting as a striker, admittedly not her best position, Shaw was ineffective in her 45 minutes, struggling to really do much of anything against the Netherlands. That came after a brief cameo against England but, realistically, this Netherlands game was should have been Shaw's night to dominate.

  Instead, it was a reminder Shaw is still very young and very new to all of this. She's done so many good things that it's easy to forget that she still has so much to learn. Just 20, she can't yet carry the attack on her shoulders, and that's OK. Give it a few years time.

  Right now, though, Shaw is a piece, not piece. That will likely change soon but, at the moment, there are still some lessons to learn before she's an unquestioned starter in this attack.

While fans understandably pay far more attention to the players their respective clubs might sign in the transfer window and the sagas often accompanying them, player exits can provide just as much drama.

Unfortunately for Tottenham Hotspur, they've been on the wrong end of a few major transfers over the years, be that Luka Modrić in the late 2000s, Gareth Bale in 2013 or, most recently, Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich last summer.

The Englishman is a modern Spurs legend, but after almost a decade with the club, he did what some thought he'd never do and left the Premier League altogether in search of his first major trophy.

The only positive to come from his exit for the Lilywhites was that he earned them one of the biggest transfer fees in their history, although based on recent reports, they could be set to make even more on one of their current stars.

Harry Kane's transfer

When the final agreements were made and the last contracts signed, Kane's transfer cost Bayern an initial £82m, although the add-ons could reportedly see that figure soar past £100m, and based on his performances last season, we wouldn't be surprised if it already has.

Now, that might seem like an awful lot of money for a player who was 30 years old and entering the final year of his contract at the time, but given his incredible form for the seasons prior and his undeniable importance to the Lilywhites, it was probably fair value.

For example, in the season before he left, the England captain scored a whopping 32 goals and provided five assists in 49 appearances for a Spurs team that looked utterly hopeless at times under Antonio Conte.

Moreover, when you factor in that he went on to score 44 goals and provide 12 assists in just 45 games for Bayern last season, his transfer fee starts to look very reasonable indeed.

Overall, while it was arguably fair value, Kane's transfer fee was undeniably sizeable.

However, according to recent reports, a player in Postecoglou's squad could dwarf it if he were sold this summer.

Cristian Romero's valuation in 2024

Yes, the player in question is one of Tottenham's co-vice captains, Cristian Romero.

The World Cup winner was reportedly of interest to European giants Real Madrid earlier this summer, but little seemed to come from said interest.

However, according to Paul O'Keefe on the Last Word on Spurs Podcast (via TEAMtalk), Madrid are still keen on the talented centre-back but have been told that they'll need to make a mammoth offer of £150m to secure his services.

If this were to happen, it would instantly be the biggest transfer in the history of the Premier League, and while it's an undeniably ludicrous sum of money, it reflects how important the 26-year-old is to the North Londoners.

Since making his £42m move from Serie A side Atalanta in August 2021, the "incredible" defender, as journalist Alasdair Gold dubbed him, has made 98 appearances for the Lilywhites, in which he's scored six goals and provided one assist.

He's also been described as "the best defender in the world" by Lionel Messi, and if there is a player who knows a thing or two about defenders – and how to embarrass them – it's probably him.

Ultimately, while Bale and Kane are the two most expensive outgoings in Spurs' history, there is a chance, albeit a small one, that Romero could surpass them this summer. That said, Tottenham's plan to dissuade Madrid with an enormous asking price will probably work.

Talks underway: Spurs pushing for "dream" Johnson teammate in £60m star

The impressive goalscorer would be an incredible signing.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 7, 2024

La Liga giants and European champions Real Madrid, following their links to Reece James over the years, have set their sights on another highly-rated Chelsea player who has been compared to Manchester United summer signing Leny Yoro.

Real Madrid linked with move to sign Reece James from Chelsea

Since as far back as last year, the Galacticos have been sporadically linked with a move for the £250,000-per-week Chelsea right-back, with Carlo Ancelotti's side also having their eyes on Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold for the role.

"Hard to believe" – Sky pundit "surprised" by transfer news out of Chelsea

The Blues have been very busy this window.

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 8, 2024

The latter has been seen laughing off a move to Spain, though, and Liverpool are quietly confident that Alexander-Arnold will sign a new contract with his current deal set to expire next year as things stand.

James could be viewed as an alternative full-back solution for Madrid, who are reportedly keen to snap up a long-term replacement for Dani Carvajal. The 32-year-old's contract is also set to run out next year, so it is believed Real are scouring the market for potential Carvajal successors.

When fit and available, James is arguably a world-class player in that position, but the England international defender has a major achilles heel in his torrid injury record. Indeed, James practically missed the entirety of last season through injury, with surgery required on a persistent hamstring problem.

Depending on his performances next season, and whether James can stay fit, he could well be a sound option for Ancelotti. Journalist Dean Jones, speaking on the Ranks FC Ultras podcast earlier this year, tipped the Premier League star to make a move to Real Madrid on one crucial condition.

“He’s made his comeback and he’s back in the team, but can we see the real Reece James for a long period of time? If we do then he will end up at Real Madrid," said Jones.

"Genuinely, they’ve wanted him for two or three years if he could become the man he could become, but he’s had setback after setback. He’s so good and if he starts the last game of the season then he’s fit for selection in Gareth Southgate’s eyes. I don’t know, I think there’s a huge temptation to take him.”

Real Madrid looking at signing Josh Acheampong from Chelsea

Interestingly, a new report from The Independent and journalist Miguel Delaney claims that James isn't the only Chelsea right-back who Real are considering.

Indeed, it is believed Real are now looking at signing highly-rated young Chelsea right-back Josh Acheampong, who Delaney writes is tipped for big things at Stamford Bridge.

The 18-year-old's sale would count as pure profit in the eyes of PSR, with Chelsea making a habit of selling academy players in recent years through their agreed exit deals for Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount and others.

Acheampong is valued at around £13 million, according to Delaney, and is seen as a youngster with a similar profile to Man United's Leny Yoro ass he can play as a centre-half in addition to right-back.

Tottenham sit 11th in the Premier League table and results have not been good enough, but that goes beyond the manager and his players

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The cold and frosty animosity from Tottenham supporters towards the club's ownership has bubbled away over the last half-decade or so. It's now starting to reach a boiling point.

It's no longer only a social media phenomena limited to those donning purple and gold colours in their handles and bios – 'purple and gold until ENIC have sold' for those unaware of the trend. Chants demanding Daniel Levy's exit have been a common theme of home losses.

Sunday's 4-3 defeat to Chelsea was the nadir of the Ange Postecoglou era. Spurs have come up with some extraordinary big-game performances this season, notably thrashing both Manchester United and Manchester City on their travels, but this was a step too far up against the closest title challengers to Premier League leaders Liverpool. The very best and very worst of Postecoglou's Tottenham was on full display, with the hosts scintillating early on and then in small bursts, but ultimately too fragile to maintain the two-goal lead they built after 11 minutes.

The Australian manager cannot be absolved of blame and his tactics need adjusting, but Spurs' position of 11th in the table is on those upstairs at the club more so than any one person in the dugout or on the pitch.

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  The stadium excuse

  History is likely to look kindly on Levy and ENIC's ownership of Tottenham as a whole. And, despite these modern discrepancies, that would be fair. Spurs had wallowed towards the red line in both a financial sense and football sense prior to their 2001 takeover from Lord Sugar. The transformation into a 'Big Six' club boasting world-class infrastructure of their billion-pound stadium and Hotspur Way training ground has been hugely successful. It has, however, only taken them so far.

  Tottenham left their old Spurs Lodge training complex in 2012. They've now spent five years in the new ground, seven years on from the demolition of White Hart Lane. Levy and Co. cannot dine on those off-field accomplishments any longer, particularly when the fortunes of the team are declining.

  At times, it feels as if these state of the art facilities have given the club an over-inflated sense of worth. Those on the outside looking in seem to believe ranking high in Forbes and Deloitte lists is more of a priority than good finishes in the Premier League table and in the cups.

  In terms of transfers (which will be discussed in detail later, don't you worry), Tottenham have spent a fair bit more in recent years. You'd hope that'd be the case given previous turnovers and recent hikes in ticket prices. The real sticking point comes to player wages. Little information on salaries is made public, but various sources rank Spurs as around seventh or eighth most-generous employers, dishing out pay-packets on a similar rate to Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham rather than their supposed 'Big Six' peers.

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  Levy losing media support

  Tottenham fans' frustrations towards the ownership are not as widely documented as those of Manchester United or even Liverpool. This might be down to how the mainstream media report on Spurs compared to those two giants of the game, yet Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher didn't hold back with his public tearing down of the current regime.

  After Sunday's loss to Chelsea, Carragher said: "They've changed so many managers. We talk about Daniel Levy a lot. What Daniel Levy's done here in terms of the training ground and and this for me, this is the best stadium in the world. And that's been Daniel Levy's strength in terms of a really stable football club. The stadium he's delivered. He's delivered the training ground.

  "It's probably some time for somebody else to come in because to not win a trophy in that period of time, with the manager they've had. They've never really got out of the way in the transfer market, they've spent decent money without, you know, blowing other teams out the water. The wage bill is always one of the smallest. And you're never going to get the best players.

  "So it might be a time for Daniel Levy – who I've been a supporter of because you look at the actual work that he's doing – but now that work's done, in terms of a stadium and a training ground, someone else needs to be in charge of this football club."

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  Furniture doesn't match the house

  Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a palace, and it's widely believed among fans that the move was ultimately right and the ground itself is without much flaw. There was a great irony on Sunday when the club-led light show paled in insignificance to the dominative tifo across the single-tier south stand, a fan initiative which took several months to sort.

  Mauricio Pochettino warned that the stadium project could not be the end goal for Levy. Prior to the 2019 Champions League final – reminder, he led to a – he said: "When you talk about Tottenham, everyone says you have an amazing house but you need to put in the furniture! If you want to have a lovely house maybe you need better furniture.

  "And it depends on your budget if you are going to spend money. We need to be respectful with teams like Manchester City or Liverpool who spend a lot of money. We are brave, we are clever, we are creative.

  "Now it's about creating another chapter and to have the clear idea of how we are going to build that new project. We need to rebuild. It's going to be painful."

  Pochettino was sacked less than half a year later.

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  Mourinho, Conte and delusions of grandeur

  In Tottenham's Amazon Prime 'All or Nothing' documentary, Levy gave the simple reason for firing Pochettino and replacing him a day later with Jose Mourinho – he was one of the two best managers in world football.

  It was an immediate red flag for the years ahead. Sure, Mourinho is one of the sport's best-ever coaches, but he was on the decline and nowhere near top two in 2019. Speculation arose over Levy's long-harboured ambition to bring in 'the Special One' having first approached him in 2007 after his first Chelsea exit and whether that had blindsided him.

  Mourinho and Spurs never really clicked, which the former puts down to the pandemic and lockdown. He was given his marching orders in April 2021, just days before Spurs were due to meet Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

  An extremely lengthy search for a replacement led Tottenham to Nuno Espirito Santo, who lasted only 17 games before his own dismissal. And then there was Antonio Conte.

  In fairness to the Italian, he did oversee the most successful period that Spurs have really had post-Pochettino, building a solid team of grafters that pipped Arsenal to a Champions League spot in style down the stretch of 2021-22. That work was then reversed by a poor 2022-23 and an infamous ten-minute rant in which he essentially called his players crap and the club losers. Yeah, you don't really come back from those.

  This sequence of events wasn't a coincidence. Tottenham thought they had done the difficult thing by building under Pochettino and they could fast-track their way to tangible success from there, though that wasn't the case. That just isn't how football works.

  In 2023, Levy admitted he was wrong to hire the high-profile duo: "I made a mistake. They were great managers, they were just not right for Tottenham… the way they want to win is different for how we need to win."

  The insinuation is Mourinho and Conte wanted win-now transfer strategies, while the club preferred to plan for the long term. The truth is somewhere in the middle – Spurs can't compete for the superstars of today, yet they shouldn't leave themselves short in squad building for the present either.

Former Chelsea star Oscar has returned to his boyhood club after after earning an astonishing £175 million throughout his stint in Shanghai.

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• Oscar arrived at Shanghai Port for £52 million
• He played 242 times for the Chinese side
• Will return to boyhood club Sao Paulo in January

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After eight years in China, where he earned a reported £400,000-per-week, former Chelsea playmaker Oscar has returned home to his boyhood club of Sao Paulo, where he made his professional debut in 2008.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After five very successful years at Chelsea, where he won a Premier League, Europa League and League Cup, Oscar's move to the Chinese Super League was part of a mass migration towards the country, where players from European clubs could earn gargantuan contracts.

  However, the craze was over as quickly as it started. However, loyal to Shanghai, who brought him for a hefty fee, Oscar remained at the club for eight seasons, winning three Super Leagues, one Super Cup, and one Chinese Cup.

  In leaving Chinese football, he has established himself as a footballing legend there, while also netting a surreal £175 million. He now sees his career come full circle by returning to Sao Paulo.

• WHAT OSCAR SAID

  Speaking on his return to Brazil, Oscar said: "I'm happy to be back in Brazil and to be able to play for Sao Paulo, which is the club where I started out, where I made my base and where I grew up. I thank you for the affection I have received on social media these past few days and I will do my best to achieve great things together."

  On his time at Shanghai, Oscar added: "Today officially marks the end of a chapter that has profoundly influenced my life. After eight years wearing this shirt, it is difficult to describe the complex emotions I feel as I say goodbye. These were intense years, filled with hard work, dedication, and, above all, victories. Together, we won everything possible, and this was only achieved thanks to the unconditional support of everyone who is part of this club and its fans. I want to thank the club for believing in me from day one."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR OSCAR?

  Oscar joins a Sao Paulo side who finished sixth in the Brazilian Serie A last season, and will be playing alongside other well known names, including fellow Brazilian's Luis Gustavo and Lucas Moura. They are set to participate in the Brazil State Championship, with their first game coming against Inter de Limeira on January 15.

Celtic could be extremely busy in the final days of the transfer window and have even made an enquiry over a move for a £10m winger.

Celtic targeting midfielders to replace O’Riley

The Hoops recently lost the services of Matt O’Riley who left Parkhead to join Brighton & Hove Albion in a record exit for a Scottish side. The Seagulls reportedly paid in excess of £25m for the midfielder, who opened up on the decision to leave Celtic, saying: “It is hard. People don’t realise how big the club is until you get up there, It’s a real family club and I was made to feel welcome very early on.

"It’s a very unique place in terms of the passion the fans had is something I had never experienced before. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It is still a little bit emotional speaking about it because I had such good memories there, but like I said it just felt like the right time for a new challenge.”

Now, with money seemingly ready to spend, Celtic have been linked with a number of midfielders to come in and fill the big void left by O’Riley. FC Augsburg’s Arne Engels is one target and has already agreed on personal terms over a move to Parkhead. Celtic have since made a £6.5m offer to the German side, looking to finalise a transfer with time to spare.

Alongside Engels: Celtic can ease O'Riley blow by signing "remarkable" gem

The Hoops have been linked with an interest in the young attacker this month.

By
Dan Emery

Aug 27, 2024

Elsewhere, Los Angeles FC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz is another top target for the Hoops, and it could be that both he and Engels make the move to Glasgow.

Further additions in defence and attack can’t be ruled out either, and by the looks of things, a Serie A winger has attracted the interest of Celtic chiefs.

Celtic make enquiry for £10m winger

According to reliable Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Celtic have also made an enquiry for Lazio winger Gustav Isaksen, who only joined the club from Midtjylland for £10m last summer. However, the Hoops are unlikely to follow up their approach with an official offer, Joseph adds.

Isaksen is primarily a right winger but can also play on the left or through the middle, so he would have offered plenty of versatility to Rodgers’ attacking options.

The 23-year-old is a Denmark international and also doesn’t have a weak foot, with his valuation, as per Transfermarkt, now at a career-high €12m.

Therefore, Celtic could see a move for Isaksen as too expensive, but by the looks of things, another attacker arriving at Parkhead can’t be ruled out after learning of the Hoops’ approach for the Lazio man.

Jude Bellingham has been given a positional promise at Real Madrid after rediscovering his goal touch in the wake of Kylian Mbappe’s arrival.

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• World Cup winner nudged midfielder back
• Opened the season with 12-game goalless run
• Manager has vowed to use him in advanced role

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international starred for the Blancos last season, with a 23-goal haul helping them to La Liga and Champions League titles and himself to a standing among the 2024 Ballon d’Or contenders. Bellingham earned widespread praise while operating in an advanced No.10 role.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  He was always going to be pushed back once Real made World Cup winner Mbappe the latest ‘Galactico’ at Santiago Bernabeu, with another fearsome attacker being added to Carlo Ancelotti’s ranks. After being deployed a bit deeper, Bellingham went 12 games without a goal at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  He was used as a second right-back in a Clasico clash with Barcelona, while often being asked to be more defensive than offensive, but has burst back into life of late with a run of seven goals in his last 10 appearances – some of which have come when covering for Vinicius Junior in a ‘false nine’ berth.

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  TELL ME MORE

  With Bellingham flying again, reports on how Ancelotti has vowed not to tinker with the 21-year-old’s role again. The Italian tactician is said to have told his talismanic midfielder: “I'm not going to put you in any other position than near the penalty area.”

Manchester United have had a far-from-ideal start to the 2024/25 campaign. It was a big summer transfer window at Old Trafford, where the Red Devils spent around £205.9m as per Sky Sports. However, their start to the new season certainly does not reflect the big bucks splashed by Erik ten Hag’s side.

The new campaign actually got off to a winning start for the Dutchman and his side, as they overcame Fulham at Old Trafford. United beat the Cottagers 1-0, with a goal from debutant Joshua Zirkzee sealing all three points in the Premier League’s opening game.

However, things quickly went downhill from there, and the 13-time Premier League champions suffered two defeats in a row. The first of those came at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion, who beat United 2-1 on the South Coast after a late winning goal from Joao Pedro.

Their most recent loss came against big rivals Liverpool. The Anfield side toyed with the Red Devils, eventually securing a 3-0 victory with two goals coming from Luis Diaz and one at the hands of Mohamed Salah. That was a particularly poor performance from United, but there was one player in particular who struggled, a man whose value in the past few months has rapidly declined.

Casemiro’s value in 2024

The player in question here is United’s Brazilian midfielder, Casemiro. The 32-year-old has been a shadow of his former self in 2024 and is far from the destroyer in midfield who helped Real Madrid win five Champions League titles between 2014 and 2022.

Indeed, that has led to plenty of criticism from the wider media, with former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher one of those to criticise the former Brazil captain. Carragher famously said United’s number 18 must “leave the football before the football leaves you” after United lost 4-0 away to Crystal Palace last season.

His performance against Liverpool last Sunday was perhaps the icing on the cake on what is a sad decline by someone who was once one of the best midfielders in Europe.

Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst gave Casemiro a rating of 1/10 following his showing against the Reds, claiming it was “one of the worst” first halves of football by a United player at Old Trafford. He was hauled off at half-time.

His numbers from the game certainly reflect this. As per Sofascore, the 32-year-old completed just 70% of his passes, won only two from five ground duels, was dribbled past twice and made two errors leading to a goal. It was a poor performance.

With that in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that the former Madrid midfielder’s value has dropped so much. According to Transfermarkt, he is now valued at just £16.8m, a far cry from the high of £67.5m he was valued at in 2020 whilst still a Los Blancos player.

Despite his steep decline, the Brazilian is still a player who Ten Hag has trusted throughout his tenure at Old Trafford. The 32-year-old has pulled on that famous red shirt 87 times, scored 12 goals and registered nine assists along the way.

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There is no doubt that the fast decline of United’s number 18 has impacted the team, and it is certainly sad to see such a legend of the modern game look a shadow of his former self. He has now slipped far down the list of highest-valued players at Old Trafford, and there has been something of a changing of the guard.

The next generation of Red Devils stars have now begun to overtake Casemiro, including Alejandro Garnacho.

Alejandro Garnacho’s value in 2024

It has been something of an astronomic rise to the top for 20-year-old Argentina international Garnacho. The winger has become a crucial player under Ten Hag and has since become a full international with the 2022 World Cup winners. The dynamic winger was part of Lionel Scaloni’s squad that won the 2024 Copa America.

In total, he has played 90 times for the Red Devils so far, an impressive number of appearances at such a young age. He has scored 19 goals and has 11 assists to his name, with the 2023/24 campaign in particular proving to be successful for the youngster, his best yet in terms of goals and assists.

The youngster has already scored some crucial goals for United so far, despite being so early in his Old Trafford career. The wing wizard scored United’s opener in both the FA Cup Final and the Community Shield, both against Manchester City.

The cumulation of the United number 17’s impressive performances in Red so far has led to a prestigious nomination for the Kopa Trophy. Garnacho is in with a shot at winning the award for Europe’s best young player, along with fellow United academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo, and the likes of Lamine Yamal.

Given the impressive start Garnacho has made to his Red Devils career, it is no surprise he is so highly valued now. The 20-year-old is worth more than double that of Casemiro, with his current value as per Transfermarkt standing at £37.9m.

Not only does that show just how good the youngster has been for Ten Hag’s side, but it also represents superb profit margins for United. They paid an incredibly low fee to acquire his services from Atletico Madrid back in 2020, just £420k, as per the Manchester Evening News.

Described as a “wonderboy” by football scout Antonio Mango, the 19-year-old certainly seems to be a superb investment for United so far. He has already shot up in value thanks to his impressive performances, and could even receive an award as a result.

It has certainly been a brilliant piece of business from the Red Devils, and Garnacho continues to repay their faith.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 6, 2024