European Leagues

£6billion: Sheikh Jassim set to complete Man United takeover from the Glazers

Sheikh Jassim is reportedly set to complete his £6billion takeover of Manchester United by mid-October and already has a plan to endear himself to the Red Devils faithful.

The wealthy Qatari bidder has been the subject of a long wait to discover whether he has beaten Sir Jim Ratcliffe to become the preferred bidder, but now the delayed process appears to finally be coming to an end.

The Sun have claimed that Jassim has fought off the INEOS chief and an announcement could come as early as next month that Jassim will be taking over from the Glazer family, who have come to an agreement to step away from the club and putting an end to their controversial time in charge.

The Glazers have been in charge for 18 years after burdening the club with debts to complete their £800million takeover, as the servicing of those debts have cost the club a further £1bn – with supporters actively voicing their displeasure against the current regime, as several protests have taken place amid calls for no such takeover to take place in football again.

Those voices will be pleased to hear that Jassim will wipe out United’s gross debt – which stands at £725m – and not take any dividend payments from the club, as opposed to the Glazers in what had become another contentious decision by the American owners.

Jassim plans to pay off the debt in order to save on further fees, while upgrading the facilities both at Old Trafford and the club’s training ground complex Carrington – in addition to investment in the team which includes new signings. Although he will not have an impact in the final few weeks of the summer transfer window.

The news will be music to the ears of many United supporters, at Jassim’s plan to erase their debt and putting them in a much more financially secure position. While the Qatar royal getting the nod over Ratcliffe ensures that the Glazers will finally leave Old Trafford, as the Brit had offered the current owners the chance to stay on in an attempt to be favoured.

Premier League

Odegaard Says Fiery Arsenal-Manchester City Rivalry Natural

Arsenal and Manchester City’s fiery rivalry is a natural byproduct of both teams’ desire to be the best, the north London club’s captain Martin Odegaard said ahead of their Premier League 2024-25 clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Arsenal finished runner-up to City in 2022-23 and took the Premier League title race to the final day last season before once again finishing second behind Pep Guardiola’s side.

Tempers flared during their last meeting in September as Odegaard’s Norwegian compatriot Erling Haaland threw the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and directed heated words at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, asking him to “stay humble”.

“I think in football, games like this, the emotions are so high and the adrenaline is there and everything. That’s something that can happen on the pitch and then when you walk off the pitch, then you are done with it,” Odegaard told British media.

“It is not something I think too much about. I think it is normal when you play these big games that there is a big rivalry. You are competing and you want to be the best. So, that’s how it should be and there should be a little bit of heat sometimes. But then, I think a lot of the players know each other from the national team – England, Brazil, me with Erling – so on the pitch and off the pitch it is a bit different. When we are on the pitch, then it’s a good battle,” he added.

City is fourth in the league standings with 41 points while second-placed Arsenal, with 47 points, is six points behind leader Liverpool, which has a game in hand.

Serie A

Pulisic Named AC Milan Player Of The Month For January

Christian Pulisic has been named AC Milan’s player of the month for January.

The U.S. men’s national team star scored four goals across three different competitions in the month, continuing a prolific season with the Rossoneri.

Pulisic began January by scoring against Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal, then netted a crucial equalizer against Inter as Milan defeated its city rival in the final.

The 26-year-old added a goal in a Serie A victory over Parma, as well as a goal in a Champions League defeat against Dinamo Zagreb in midweek.

With the goal in Zagreb, Pulisic became the first USMNT player to score four times in a single Champions League season.

Pulisic has been AC Milan’s most effective attacking player this season, leading the team with 12 goals in all competitions and sitting second with five assists.

Pulisic will look to score for a third game running against Inter this season on Sunday as the teams face off in the derby at San Siro.

Inter enters the match in second place, while Milan is 16 points behind its city rival in seventh place.

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Premier League

Everton’s Doucoure Scores Fastest Goal In Premier League

Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure scored the fastest goal in the Premier League this season — after barely 10 seconds, against Leicester.

Doucoure ran directly onto a long clearance from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and took the ball into his stride before shooting low into the far corner to give Everton the lead at Goodison Park.

The goal was timed at 10.18 seconds by Opta, the league’s statistics supplier

Opta said it was the earliest Everton scored in the Premier League and the fourth-fastest goal in the competition’s history.