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Crystal Palace may try and make an ambitious move to appoint an “unbelievable” manager should they decide to sack Oliver Glasner, according to a recent report. It has been a poor start to the Premier League campaign for the Eagles, as they are winless in their opening eight league games and sit in the bottom three. That form is putting Glasner under significant pressure, and speculation over who could replace him is growing.

Crystal Palace may now sack Glasner and replace him with Graham Potter

The Eagles boss may soon find himself out of a job as Crystal Palace consider their options.

By
Brett Worthington

Oct 22, 2024

Graham Potter and David Moyes linked as manager targets

Palace’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Monday night has piled even more pressure on the Austrian, and while David Moyes was mentioned as a possible option to replace Glasner last week, a new name has now also emerged.

It has been reported that the availability of Graham Potter has increased the chances of Glasner being sacked at Crystal Palace. This is according to The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, who states that Glasner’s summer signings are struggling and players look uncomfortable in his system that he is unwilling to change. He then goes on to add that the availability of Moyes and Potter means the chances of Glasner being sacked are increasing.

Potter has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in 2023, but his work at Brighton has meant his name has continued to be linked to jobs. The 49-year-old was close to becoming the new Leicester City manager in the summer, but that didn’t work out. Glasner is believed to have until the next international break to turn things around, and while Moyes and Potter are options to replace him, Palace also have their eye on another manager, but the move will be tricky.

Crystal Palace considering ambitious move for Gareth Southgate

According to Give Me Sport, Crystal Palace may make an ambitious move to bring Gareth Southgate to Selhurst Park. As stated, Glasner is under growing pressure from the board and supporters, and if results don’t improve, a change in the dugout could be forced upon the club.

This report states that Palace may look to try and persuade Southgate to make a quick return to management if they do decide to let Glasner go. This is despite the Premier League side being aware that the former England manager isn’t in a rush to return to football.

Southgate, who has been described as an “unbelievable human being” by Jude Bellingham, is already well known to the Palace fanbase, as he made over 100 appearances for the club in his playing career. So, that and his work as England manager make him someone that Steve Parish may try to pursue in the coming weeks.

Gareth Southgate’s Premier League record
Games	114
Won	29
Drawn	33
Lost	52

This report does state that Palace may find it hard to persuade Southgate to make a U-turn on his decision to have a break from football, especially given the fact they are currently sitting in the bottom three of the Premier League. However, him being out of work makes him an option the South London side could explore at some point.

Brisbane Heat strengthened their hold on a finals berth – and kept themselves in the hunt for top spot – while at the same time pushed Sydney Sixers closer to the exit as they held their nerve in a low-scoring contest.The ball dominated throughout and though Heat had plenty of overs to spare (5.5) they were well into the lower order when Nadine de Klerk hit the winning runs. Left-armer Lauren Cheatle had given Sixers hope, adding to her first-over removal of Grace Harris with two further wickets in the space of four balls in the fifth over, as Heat slid from 1 for 34 to 4 for 37 when Maitlan Brown produced a stunning delivery to remove Anneke Bosch.Jess Jonassen’s departure, caught at square leg against Ash Gardner, further buoyed Sixers before a crucial moment came with 19 runs needed when Laura Kimmince was caught at mid-on but Ellyse Perry, who went for 23 in two overs, had overstepped. Next over Kimmince launched a six off Stella Campbell and though she was lbw next ball attempting a reverse sweep, the target was into single figures.Sixers had been set back early by a superb spell from Courtney Sippel, whose 2 for 12 included a maiden and 15 dot balls. She removed Alyssa Healy with her first delivery as the ball nipped away although Healy did not think she had hit it, and five balls later, Gardner pulled to deep square leg.Jonassen then had Perry caught behind cutting in the sixth over and Shafali Verma, having been given an early life when Poonam Yadav and Jonassen left a catch to each other, was taken at long-on off Poonam to leave them 4 for 34. Nicole Bolton played neatly before falling to a stunning catch by Mikayla Hinkley at mid-off and all the lower order could do was bat out the overs. The entire innings produced just three boundaries, the joint-lowest ever in the WBBL, but in the end Sixers weren’t that short of having enough.Darcie Brown took out Hobart Hurricanes’ top order•Getty Images

Darcie Brown played a starring role as Adelaide Strikers maintained their push for a place in the finals with a resounding 48-run victory in Mackay.Brown removed Hobart Hurricanes’ opening pair in her first spell before returning to take Richa Ghosh’s off stump with a terrific delivery. Between those incisions, Tahlia McGrath had removed the dangerous Mignon du Preez, and Nicola Carey was run out by a direct hit from Amanda-Jade Wellington, moments after being dropped, as Hurricanes crashed to 5 for 44 inside ten overs. It did not get any better from there as the legspin of Wellington and Dane van Niekerk went through the lower order.Strikers had not hit top gear with the bat until Bridget Patterson struck 25 off 17 balls in the closing stages to form a stand of 54 in 5.5 overs with McGrath. The final over from Carey cost 17 runs including two boundaries by McGrath, a no-ball, a wide and a six by Patterson. van Niekerk’s consistent form continued with 44 off 38 balls after Katie Mack had been cleaned up in the first over of the game by a good delivery from Tayla Vlaeminck, who took 1 for 16 off her four overs, while Molly Strano kept a lid on the middle order with 2 for 23.

IPL 2022 welcomes two new franchises and with them come a whole host of questions like how will they impact the tournament format?
This will not be the first time the IPL will comprise 10 teams – that already happened a decade ago. The BCCI confirmed in a release that the season will comprise 74 matches (instead of the current 60), with each team playing seven home and seven away games. That means the tournament is likely to revert to the format used in 2011.Then, the 10 teams were broken into two groups of five but were ranked on one consolidated points table. Each team played the other four in their group both home and away (eight matches), four of the teams in the other group once each (four matches, either home or away), and the remaining team in the other group twice, both home and away. A random draw decided the composition of the groups as well as who played whom across the groups once and twice.The last time more than eight teams played in the IPL was in 2013, when nine teams took part and played a total of 76 matches.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Will it affect player retention?
The IPL has not shared any firm details of its retention policy with the franchises, but it is now known that there will be no right-to-match cards. It is also likely that a franchise will be allowed to retain a maximum of four players, with the local and overseas combinations yet to be ascertained.The two new franchises will then get to buy an equal number of players before the auction through a draft system, the same one that was used in 2016 when Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions briefly replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.Will it impact the value of the eight original franchises?
Yes. The higher the amount the two new entrants bid for their franchises, the higher the amount the original eight will get if they ever decide to sell, like Delhi Capitals did in 2018, when Jindal South West (JSW) bought 50% ownership from the GMR group. At the time, the valuation of the Delhi franchise was pegged at about INR 1100 crore and JSW paid half that amount. So, it isn’t over for the people who lost out on procuring an IPL team on Monday. They can still buy a share of it from an existing franchise for lesser money and enjoy the perks of being an owner.According to one analyst who has been crunching IPL numbers since its inception in 2008, if each of the two new franchises had sold for at least INR 3000 crore, then each of the original eight would have had a minimum value close to INR 2500 crore. And the two new franchises have sold for much bigger sums: INR 7090 crore (Lucknow) and INR 5625 (Ahmedabad).Is there a downside to paying such huge sums of money to own an IPL team?
Paying these massive amounts to the BCCI means the new franchises will take that much longer to make a profit.There are three main revenue streams for a franchise: the central rights income (a share of media rights income and central sponsorship), team sponsorship and gate revenues. After the record sum paid by Star India in 2017 for media rights, each of the existing eight franchises earned close to INR 200 crore from the IPL’s media rights central pool. That is bound to get even bigger as a result of Monday’s events, potentially inching up to the INR 275-350 crore mark per season per franchise going forward for 10 years. All the franchises derive their main income from IPL’s central media rights pool.The new franchises will need to pay out their bid amount over a 10-year period. From year 11, each franchise has to pay 20% of its overall revenue as franchise fee to the BCCI.

A member of the Arsenal squad has opened up about the fear he’s experienced as he gets treated for a “bad” injury, with the player also working hard to get back to full fitness.

Arsenal players sidelined through injury

Mikel Arteta is currently without a few key players, and they’ve done well to come through what has been a testing period undefeated.

"Most underrated" £23m Arsenal star working tirelessly to prove himself

Fabrizio Romano says he doesn’t stop.

ByEmilio Galantini Sep 26, 2024

Arsenal beat Tottenham 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Gabriel Magalhaes, with goalkeeper David Raya taking all the headlines in Bergamo as the north Londoners grabbed their first Champions League point of the season against Atalanta..

They also came away from the Etihad Stadium with a 2-2 draw, and they could’ve even won the clash. Arsenal were leading Man City 2-1 for the majority of the game and did well to hold them when down to 10, but John Stones’ dramatic late leveller meant they had to settle for a draw.

Leicester City (home)

September 28

Southampton (home)

October 5

Bournemouth (away)

October 19

Liverpool (home)

October 27

Newcastle United (away)

November 2

These results have been made all the more impressive considering Mikel Merino is sidelined with a fractured shoulder, while left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has been out for weeks after his calf injury.

Takehiro Tomiyasu is still out with a knee injury as well, and David Raya, Jurrien Timber and Ben White are doubts to face Leicester City as well. Kieran Tierney remains absent with a thigh problem too, so Arteta has a bit of an injury crisis right now.

There is also their biggest miss, £30 million club captain and chief creator Martin Odegaard, who suffered ankle ligament damage on international duty with Norway.

Odegaard admits to fear after "bad" ankle injury

Sharing his own update, Odegaard has shed light on his “bad” ankle injury at Arsenal, all while explaining how his recovery is coming along as he hopes to return as soon as possible.

“It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there,” said Odegaard in his programme notes pre-Bolton.

“But it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can. I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day. I’m working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.

“I’m at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better. I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible. I’m trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can’t be on the pitch. That’s my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.

“It’s something I’m not used to. I’ve been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it. I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse. It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious. I’ve injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That’s what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit.

“Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it’s a bit tricky to say at the moment. In the early stages, it’s crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that it’s about getting stronger and building it up again.”

Manchester United have received a fresh injury blow as the October international break gets underway, according to a recent update.

This is an important two weeks for the Red Devils, as the future of Erik ten Hag is said to be discussed this week, with options still open as to whether he leaves or remains the manager of the Premier League side. The Dutchman will be hoping he remains in the hot seat and his international players return injury-free after the break.

Man Utd board eyeing "outstanding" coach Chelsea nearly hired before Maresca

This Premier League manager could be a contender to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd.

ByBrett Worthington Oct 7, 2024 Man Utd players away on international duty

As with most Premier League clubs, Man United have got a lot of first-team players leaving the club to go and represent their countries across the globe. The Red Devils have players representing teams in Europe, South America, and Africa over the next 10 days or so.

United have James Scanlon representing Gibraltar, looking to add to his goal from that last international break. Meanwhile, they have players such as Victor Lindelof and Altay Bayindir, who will be hoping to represent Sweden and Turkey, respectively.

Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee will be looking to add to their caps for the Netherlands as they face a game against Germany. Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund, Diogo Dalot, and Bruno Fernandes will all be looking to represent Denmark and Portugal in their upcoming games. United also have Lisandro Martínez, Andre Onana, and Amad Diallo away on international duty, as they look to add to their caps for Argentina, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast, respectively.

The Red Devils could have seen more players away on international duty, as three players were meant to be away with their countries but missed out through injury.

Man Utd receive fresh injury concern alongside Garnacho and Mainoo

Manchester United have received an injury blow, as defender Noussair Mazraoui has withdrawn from the Morocco national team due to injury, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. The 26-year-old has played 29 times for his country, scoring two goals, but he is unable to represent Morocco in this October international break.

Mazraoui has played in every single league game for the Red Devils this season after joining the club from Bayern Munich in the summer. The Moroccan started the game against Aston Villa on Sunday but had to be withdrawn at halftime and replaced by Lindelof. The injury is yet to be known, and how long he will be out for is also unknown.

Mazraoui, who is estimated to be on a weekly wage of £135,000, is the third Man Utd player to drop out of international duty already. Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo have also pulled out from representing Argentina and England with respective injury issues.

Games

10

Minutes played

767

Goals

0

Assists

1

Garnacho has been managing a knee issue over the past week and confirmed on Instagram that he wouldn’t be travelling to South America to play for Argentina. Meanwhile, Mainoo was United’s only representative in the England squad, but he has also pulled out after managing an issue in the past week, an issue that saw him miss the recent game against Porto.

“We’ve had a lot of disruption through Covid, but we still have a fantastic overseas list coming over,” says managing director of the competition

Matt Roller15-Jul-2021

Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard have both pulled out of the Hundred•BCCI

Sanjay Patel, the managing director of the Hundred, has insisted that the competition will feature “brilliant overseas players” and “world-class cricket” despite a spate of withdrawals that has shorn the ECB’s new tournament of most of its biggest international stars.More than a dozen overseas players have pulled out of both the men’s and women’s tournaments in recent months due to clashes with international series, quarantine periods and restrictions on international travel, injuries, and positive Covid-19 tests, with the relatively low salaries involved – up to £100,000 ($138,600 approx. US) for men’s players, and up to £15,000 ($20,800 approx. US) for women’s. This has proved insufficient for players to risk travelling to a country where Covid cases are rising.In the men’s competition, Kane Williamson, Glenn Maxwell, Kieron Pollard, Kagiso Rabada, Andre Russell, Shaheen Shah Afridi and David Warner are among the headline withdrawals, while Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney are major losses to the women’s. Three men’s squads and three women’s squads have seen all three of their overseas players withdraw since the start of the year, with two of Welsh Fire’s replacement women’s players withdrawing on top of their initial three.While replacement players have been signed, there is a step down in star quality. In the men’s competition, many of the replacements – including Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen and Carlos Brathwaite – have agreed to stay on after playing in the Vitality Blast for their respective counties, while the women’s competition has seen a number of WBBL regulars drafted in at short notice, including the uncapped Piepa Cleary, Georgia Redmayne and Sammy-Jo Johnson.Related

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But Patel suggested that despite the high turnover in overseas players, the competition would still be able to deliver on its promise to involve “world-class cricket”, thanks in part to the depth of talent within the English game.”We’ve talked about world-class cricket and helping to prepare players to play for England and win global tournaments for future years,” Patel said. “Yes, we’ve had a lot of disruption through Covid, and our overseas playing list, but we still have a fantastic overseas list coming over and we have some brilliant overseas players in the Hundred this year.”If you’ve seen recently the England Women’s series against India, [it was an] absolutely fantastic performance from the England Women and there is now more depth in the English women’s game than there has ever been before, so again, we’re set to see brilliant cricket in the women’s comp.”In the men’s comp, England’s second team just beat Pakistan which is a remarkable achievement, and again just underlines the depth of talent that we’ve got in this country. All those players alongside the England players will be on show in the Hundred and we’re set to see some brilliant, world-class cricket.”That depth of talent, Patel said, meant that the Hundred was “less reliant” on overseas players than might be the case in other competitions, and also highlighted the challenges that other sports are facing with top players withdrawing at short notice due to the pandemic and its wide-ranging implications.”Of course, we haven’t got the original list in either the women’s competition or the men’s competition,” he said. “But if you look at any sporting event right now, they are getting hit with withdrawals. There are people withdrawing from The Open golf, from the squads of the British Lions [rugby union] – there’s no sports tournament which is going to get through this without any form of disruption and that is the world that we live in, and the world that we’ve got to accept.”Now having said that, we’ve still got brilliant overseas stars. I’m excited to see how someone like Devon Conway is going to go, who has burst onto the scene. I can’t wait to watch the five Indian women’s players, who have been able to get into form recently in the Test series and are going to come into the Hundred. One of my favourite overseas players is [Harmanpreet] Kaur, and I want to see her bat in the Hundred. We’ve got brilliant stars still available.”The domestic white-ball talent now for both the men and the women is strong, so I think we’re actually less reliant on overseas players. And look, in future years, I think those stars, once they see it, are going to put their hands up and be involved in future competitions, so we’re not too worried about that at this stage.”Withdrawals since February 2021:Men’s: Kane Williamson, Shaheen Afridi, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Kagiso Rabada, Shadab Khan, Kieron Pollard, Jhye Richardson, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Andre Russell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-NileWomen’s: Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Sune Luus, Amelia Kerr, Ellyse Villani, Nicola Carey, Alyssa Healy, Rachael Haynes, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney

TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara has shared his verdict on one Tottenham player who he believes is “miles” off the pace, following their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday.

Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal as Postecoglou concedes to weakened Gunners

Given the amount of star absences in Mikel Arteta’s line-up over the weekend – with club captain Martin Odegaard, summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, Spain star Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko all missing – Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou had a real opportunity to seriously upset the club’s fierce rivals.

Related Ange thinks £120k-per-week ace has no Tottenham future after drop in form

The Australian is considering drastic action.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini Sep 13, 2024

The Lilywhites did dominate possession and created a host of chances throughout the 90 minutes, but Tottenham’s lack of cutting edge and set-piece weakness eventually cost them dearly.

Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes scored the only goal of the game, leaping above all of his opponents to guide a close-range header past the helpless Guglielmo Vicario, who had real trouble defending his six-yard box from the corner.

This was enough for Arteta’s side, who held on to their narrow lead past the hour mark to come away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with all three points, in what was a regrettable afternoon for Postecoglou and co.

Dejan Kulusevski was criticised against Arsenal for his attacking display, with the Sweden international unable to unlock Arteta’s back line on enough occasions. Meanwhile, a lot of debate has also centered around Vicario’s lack of confidence when it comes to dead balls.

Kulusevski’s game in numbers

Minutes

95′

Expected Goals

0.16

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.11

Assists

0

Touches

49

Passing Accuracy

17/25 (68%

Crosses (Accurate)

5 (0)

Shots on Target

1

Dribbles (Successful)

3 (1)

Duels (Won)

17 (5)

Possession Lost

20

Dribbled Past

3

All Stats via Sofascore

Tottenham must now lick their wounds, reassess and come back stronger in their next Premier League game against Brentford on Saturday, but before that, Postecoglou’s squad travel to face Coventry City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Jamie O'Hara slams "miles off it" Brennan Johnson after Arsenal loss

O’Hara hasn’t held back with his criticism of Spurs after the home defeat, and one player in particular – winger Brennan Johnson.

Taking to X on Sunday, O’Hara called Johnson a “frustrating” Tottenham player to watch, and he’s since shared a further verdict on the Wales international who cost Daniel Levy around £50 million to sign from Nottingham Forest last year.

Indeed, speaking to talkSPORT, O’Hara has also claimed that Johnson is “miles off” the pace at Tottenham, with the 23-year-old proving ineffective on many occasions against Arsenal and beforehand.

“We played well but we don’t score – take your chances. We’ve brought in good players and you expect them to do the business,” said O’Hara. “But I look at it and think have we brought in top players? Solanke, one good season at Bournemouth and we signed him for £60million.

“Brennan Johnson, a good player and a young player at Nottingham Forest. We signed him for £50million and he looks miles off it. Then I look at Archie Gray who we signed from Leeds, he’s a Championship player and then we signed Odobert from Burnley.

“Daniel Levy has built this big shiny stadium and it’s only enjoyable to go to when Beyonce’s on! We’re not signing a top player from Barcelona or Atletico Madrid or someone who is actually at the level of where we want to be.”

Defending champions Western Australia surged into the Marsh Cup final, where they will face New South Wales, on the back of a 159-run victory against Tasmania which secured them two bonus points to jump ahead of Queensland into second place.Having been put into bat the home side knew they needed to big total to give them enough of a target to defend to secure at least the single bonus-point win they needed, but a positive display – including brisk half-centuries for Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis – looked like falling short at 8 for 245 until the last two wickets added a crucial 62 runs.Both teams were still able to reach the final at the start of the day and after the first innings the scenario came down to Western Australia having to restrict Tasmania to 245 or less while the visitors needed to knock off 308 in 40 overs to secure their own bonus point.Jason Behrendorff, playing his first match for Western Australia since October 2018, produced a starring role with a career-best 35 before taking three top-order wickets in his first spell.He blew the Tasmania top order away, removing the dangerous Ben McDermott first ball before having Matthew Wade drag on and Caleb Jewell caught behind to leave them 3 for 39 in the seventh over.With the target quickly becoming out of reach, the only question became if Western Australia could achieve their aim. Jordan Silk was superbly caught by Liam Guthrie running back from short fine-leg and Tasmania aided in their demise with two gifted run outs.Western Australia had lost early wickets when both Josh Philippe and D’Arcy Short were caught in the slips off Jackson Bird but had little choice other than to continue to push on aggressively.Marsh sped to a 29-ball half-century while Sam Whiteman played a little more of an anchor role. The innings stumbled as Tom Andrews removed both batsmen and then Cameron Green was caught behind off Tom Rogers.Inglis, with 60 off 48 balls, and Ashton Turner stablised things with a sixth-wicket stand of 45 in seven overs but when that was followed by the loss of 3 for 14, Western Australia were eight down with 10 overs remaining.Behrendorff, Guthrie and Lance Morris proceeded to club precious runs – mixed with a little bit of fortune – and in the end it proved more than enough.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has claimed that the press are targeting him too much after Los Blancos' slow start to the season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Real Madrid suffer poor start to the season
• Ancelotti's future at Real Madrid questioned
• Italian boss claims media taking shots at him

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• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Real Madrid were looking to follow up their La Liga and Champions League double with a strong start to the season, however, that has not been the case for Ancelotti's side as they have struggled for form and balance in the side after Kylian Mbappe's introduction to the squad. The 15-time European champions are four points off Barcelona in the La Liga standings and sit in 24th in the Champions League league stage standings, which is the last place that will achieve qualification to the playoff stage.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Real Madrid's poor form has put into question whether Ancelotti is the right man to bring the club back into form as he has been unable to bring the required balance into the team, with cracks seeming to open up in the dressing room as well. The Italian coach has now criticized the Spanish press for their constant criticism and claimed that they take 'too many shots' at him.

• AFP
  

  WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  Speaking to the media, Ancelotti said: “It’s normal because the team is not showing its best version, it’s criticism I have to accept, and as always happens in football, the manager is the one most responsible. That said, I think you are taking too many shots at me. Maybe you are tired of me. But I am not tired of this job. The criticism is acceptable, and I understand, also it’s worth noting that the stress can also be fuel for a reaction.”

  Ancelotti was later asked whether some of those shots at him in the media were justified, to which he added: “Your shots? You’re the one taking shots? Because sometimes I read them. I don’t live in another world, I live in this world, and I read. I read the criticism sometimes, and I note the journalist but I am not able to connect the journalist’s name with their face, so I need the press to give me a list of their names and their faces,” he said laughing.

  “As I said, when there is criticism, there has to be some truth behind it. Now if you’re asking me which shots annoy me most, some yes, some do annoy me. It affects, sometimes, your identity. Because I don’t mind when it’s I made a bad change, a bad line-up, that affects the professional side.

  “But when it affects your identity, what you are, who you are, that’s what annoys me. It’s the difference between saying you’ve said something stupid, or you’re stupid. It’s different.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR ANCELOTTI?

  The Real Madrid boss has agreed that there is cause for concern after the start that his side have had, however, the Italian has also claimed that there is no need to write off the season just yet. He added: "It’s normal, it’s not a funeral, we’re still in the fight. We have to have optimism that we can solve the problems that we have had. We have a good squad with quality. So we have to be optimists."

With just a matter of weeks left until the transfer window slams shut, Wolverhampton Wanderers are still at risk of losing one particular player amid fresh attempts from a European club.

Wolves transfer rumours

Following an impressive debut campaign in the Midlands, Gary O'Neil may have been concerned about losing a number of stars this summer. But as the Premier League campaign approaches, Wolves have so far lost just Max Kilman and managed to keep hold of the likes of Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha in a major boost.

That's not to say they haven't received interest, however, with Neto linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Joao Gomes reportedly attracting interest from Premier League giants Arsenal. Alas, as things stand, Wolves are set to start their season up against Arsenal with the majority of O'Neil's best players to call on as transfer deadline day approaches at the end of the month.

Instead of those who consistently steal the headlines at the Molineux though, one particular player who has found himself on the cusp of O'Neil's starting side rather than at the front and centre may yet head for the exit door amid recent interest.

Wolves could land a dream signing for Cunha in "superstar" target

Gary O’Neil could land a Colombian sensation this summer…

ByRoss Kilvington Aug 3, 2024

According to 1908 NL, Feyenoord have made contact with Hugo Beuno and his representatives over a potential loan move this summer, joining Celtic in the race for the left-back's signature. The Bhoys are yet to reach an agreement with Wolves and now face competition from Feyenoord to make matters worse.

Bueno finds himself at somewhat of a crossroads, having lost his starting place to Rayan Ait-Nouri last summer. If game time is what he wants then Feyenoord could be an ideal option in a loan move which could yet reportedly include a buy option. Perhaps joining Kilman out the door, Bueno would be leaving Wolves scrambling for left-back depth.

Wolves still need "excellent" Bueno

Squad depth is often the key in the Premier League, such is the packed fixture list of English football, and this season will be no different. As Wolves look to comfortably avoid relegation once again and perhaps even shock the rest of the league by fighting for a European place, they could look to keep hold of Bueno this summer. In the Spaniard, who earns a reported £10k-a-week, and Ait-Nouri, O'Neil has two strong options fighting for a place in his side.

Progressive Carries

2.68

2.59

Key Passes

0.73

0.97

Tackles Won

1.71

1.70

Ball Recoveries

4.51

5.25

The numbers suggest that there's still a place for Bueno to fight for at Wolves, just as there was for Ait-Nouri when O'Neil initially came in. The 20-year-old has earned praise throughout his time at the club, including from former interim manager Steve Davis, who told Wolves' website following Bueno's full debut in 2022: “I thought he was excellent, didn’t let anyone down. He felt we trusted him, we know him, as a character we know what he’s capable of, and he’s ready. He was ready for that moment and I thought he took it really well. I thought he was excellent.”