European Leagues

Juventus seeking €200m investment to offset more losses

Juventus is eyeing a fresh €200m investment from banking partners following the release of more losses in its latest financial report.

The Bianconeri’s shares on the Milan Stock Exchange dropped 29% from the same period the previous year, with the extra capital needed to help issue more shares for the club.

New investment is also being cited as a tool to offset the club’s financial losses it has experienced in previous years as net debt has also increased over time.

Financial turmoil has been hanging over the heads of the Agnelli family – majority owners of Juventus – for quite some time now, having lost more than €600m in the last five years with the last time the team posting a net profit in 2016-17.

Earlier this year, Juventus was accused of market manipulation by allegedly inflating player prices amongst other accusations and were initially handed a 15 point deduction.

The points ban was later rescinded in April pending a retrial but it has become evident that the Old Lady’s financial worries off the pitch has had an impact on the growth of the club on the pitch.

Italy’s most successful club has drastically fallen from the heights of winning nine consecutive Serie A league titles between 2011 – 2020. The club has not won the Scudetto since and finished outside the qualification positions for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade.

Furthermore, the club was banned from European competition for this season as Juventus were found to have broken UEFA financial fair play rules, owing to the increasing woes surrounding the club.

Aiming to turn their fortunes around, the Agnelli family is looking to bankers who previously cashed out their previous stakes in the club to re-invest, albeit not being able to make as much of a return on profit as they previously did.

Forbes stated that the only way Juventus will be able to make money is if ‘the Agnelli family sells’, which would bring the end to an ownership that dates back to 1923.

European Leagues

Richard Keys Makes Pep Guardiola Sack Claim After Man City Draw v Everton

Richard Keys believes Pep Guardiola would have been sacked after the loss to Everton if he had not been the Manchester City manager.

Sean Dyche’s team held the Sky Blues to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad on Thursday [26 December], making it one win in nine Premier League matches for Pep Guardiola’s team.

Iliman Ndiaye equalised for the Blues to secure a point, and Keys believes the former Barcelona head coach would have been relieved of his duties had he been managing a team towards the bottom of the table.

Speaking on beIN SPORTS 1 [26 December, 17:11], the 67-year-old said: “It’s one win in 13 in all competitions for City now. Five points from 27 in the Premier League. If that’s a manager at the bottom, he gets the sack.”

Sean Dyche relieves Everton sack pressure after Manchester City draw

Guardiola has been arguably the finest manager anywhere in the world for more than a decade, and while calls for sacking him feel absurd, the Spaniard certainly needs to turn things around at the Sky Blues.

Dyche was under pressure at the Toffees not long ago after a poor start to the season, but the Englishman has turned things around in recent weeks.

The Blues were languishing close to the relation zone before a set of tricky fixtures in December, and many of the Goodison faithful were fearful.

However, Everton have gone up against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in their last three games and have taken a point from each.

Dyche must be commended for the remarkable set of results, and his conservative approach to football has certainly been instrumental.

The 53-year-old head coach has quelled the noise around his future in the Goodison dugout, but it remains to be seen whether The Friedkin Group will pull the plug if things go sideways in the coming months.

With Nottingham Forest up next on Sunday [29 December], the Blues can’t rest on their laurels and must see off Nuno Espirito Santo’s unexpectedly successful team.

In other Everton news, an ESPN image shows what might have helped Jordan Pickford during the Erling Haaland penalty save.

European Leagues

Bruno Fernandes sees red as Manchester United slump to another Premier League defeat

Manchester United’s struggles continued in a bruising St Stephen’s Day defeat at Vitor Pereira’s resurgent Wolves as Matheus Cunha scored one and provided another shortly after Bruno Fernandes saw red.
Gary O’Neil’s successor followed up Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Leicester with another impressive win as the Portuguese’s first match at Molineux ended with a huge boost in their bid to stay up.

Wolves deserved their 2-0 win, exposing the set piece frailties of Ruben Amorim’s stumbling side as Cunha beat Andre Onana directly from a corner shortly after Fernandes’ third sending off the season.

Star man Cunha – whose availability had been in doubt with a Football Association misconduct charge hanging over him – teed up substitute Hwang Hee-chan to wrap things up at the death.

New boss Pereira punched the air after his perfect star continued, inflicting a fifth defeat in 10 matches in all competitions on Amorim.

This was an alarming United display four days on from a 3-0 home humbling by Bournemouth, leaving them languishing in 14th spot.

Cunha shone amid the Molineux fog from the outset, drawing fouls during the early exchanges that saw Leny Yoro and Fernandes booked. The latter decision would prove particularly costly.

European Leagues

Ola Aina And Taiwo Awoniyi Star As Nottingham Forest Execute Toothless Tottenham

Super Eagles stars Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi featured for Nottingham Forest as they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the City Ground, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nottingham Forest returned to Premier League action with a fixture against Tottenham at home. The Tricky Trees have been impressive this season, claiming the scalps of Manchester United and Aston Villa recently, and they were looking to continue their run.

Super Eagles defender Aina kept his place on rhe starting XI, while Awoniyi started from the bench. Tottenham started the game on the front foot, with Mats Selz making some important saves in the first 25 minutes.

However, Nottingham Forest had a big chance in the 28th minute, and they took it. Sweden star Anthony Elanga produced an effort from inside the box to open the scoring.

Tottenham probed hard for the equalizer, but they failed to get it. In the second half, Nottingham Forest were solid and stopped Tottenham for getting good looks at goal. Super Eagles star Aina put in a great shift at right back, registering three clearances and one tackle. Despite facing a lightning-fast Brennan Johnson, he was dribbled past just once.

Awoniyi was introduced into the game in the 87th minute, and he had an opportunity just a minute after his introduction, but he dragged his shot wide.

Nottingham Forest had an easy end to the game, as Djed Spence got sent off in stoppage time. It eventually ended 1-0 to the Tricky Trees, as they won their 10th game of the season.