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Tottenham and Chelsea managers Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel sit off after Premier League sideline scuffle

Play Video. Duration: 1 minute 22 seconds

The latest London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham was a thriller that ended in a 2-2 draw because of a goal deep into stoppage time by Harry Kane, but that ended up as an afterthought.

The managers stole the spotlight after an explosive end to the game at Stamford Bridge, just like there was in 2016 when Tottenham’s title challenge ended with a 2-2 draw against Chelsea and both sets of players and coaches clashed repeatedly on and off the field.

Six years on, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte shook hands on the field after the final whistle, but Tuchel seemed to not let go of his grip and intimated that Conte look him in the eye.

They squared up and shouted in each others’ faces, before players and coaches from both teams piled in, pushing and shoving.

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel shouts at Tottenham coach Antonio Conte after a Premier League match as people hold them back.
Thomas Tuchel (left) says both managers were “fighting for [their] teams”.(Getty Images: Marc Atkins)

Tuchel and Conte were then shown straight red cards and there is the potential for a further ban.

The pair had clashed during the match, too, when Conte celebrated Tottenham’s first equalizer by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in the 68th minute.

Conte went up to Tuchel and barged into his chest, sparking a melee among the coaching staff and substitutes as Tuchel pointed to Conte and told him to stay in his part of the technical area.

Then, after Reece James put Chelsea back in front in the 77th, Tuchel set off on a sprint past Conte and down the touchline, clenching his fist in delight.

“I thought when we shake hands you looked in each other eyes, but Antonio had a different opinion,” Tuchel said of the post-match clash with former Blues manager Conte.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel holds onto Tottenham manager Antonio Conte's hand as they pass each other.
Conte (right) says next time he will make sure he looks his opposing manager in the eyes when shaking hands.(Getty Images: Marc Atkins)

“He was happy when they equalized and it got a bit heated, but nothing big… I think it was not necessary but a lot of things were not necessary.”

Conte said the referee “didn’t understand the dynamic of what happened … it would be a pity if, for this situation, we miss the next game.”

The Italian manager said he would “pay more attention” next time when he shakes hands with his German counterpart, but both managers said they “enjoyed” the clash.

Tottenham coach Antonio Conte tries to pull away from Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel's handshake.
Thomas Tuchel (left) holds on a bit longer than Antonio Conte (right) may have liked when the pair shake hands after the game.(Getty Images: Marc Atkins)

“I think that, for what happened we did enjoy it,” Conte said, agreeing with an earlier statement from Tuchel.

“Next time we’ll pay more attention, just shake the hand and solve the problem. I’ll stay on my bench, he’ll stay on his bench.”

Tuchel also played down the clash, saying they were simply “fighting for our teams.”

“Nobody got insulted, nobody got hurt, we didn’t have a fist fight or something,” he said.

“For me, it’s not a big deal. It was part of it today and it boiled of course and it featured us. Both nothing bad.”

AP

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Sam Kerr short-listed for Ballon d’Or in fourth consecutive nomination for Chelsea and Matildas star

Sam Kerr smiles and clenches her fists by her sides

Sam Kerr’s stellar year for club and country has been recognized by international football with a fourth consecutive nomination for the game’s most prestigious award, the Ballon d’Or.

The Matildas captain was announced as part of the 20-person short-list on Saturday alongside names such as Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema, English winger Beth Mead, German veteran Alexandra Popp, inaugural winner Ada Hegerberg, and current holder Alexia Putellas.

The nomination comes after yet another stand-out campaign for Chelsea where Kerr finished the 2021/22 Women’s Super League season as the top scorer for a second consecutive year, scoring 20 goals for the Blues on their way to retaining the league title.

The 28-year-old also scored two crucial goals — including an extra-time winner — against Manchester City at Wembley in May to win back-to-back FA Cups.

His performances in the league saw Kerr become the first Australian to win England’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year in June, alongside being named the WSL Player of the Season and voted the Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year.

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Kerr had a record-breaking year in the green-and-gold, too, becoming Australia’s all-time leading goal-scorer in February when she surpassed Tim Cahill’s record of 50 during the Asian Cup. She won that tournament’s Golden Boot with seven goals , with her current tally sitting at 59 in 110 games.

The striker is one of just four players to have been nominated in every edition of the Women’s Ballon d’Or, which began in 2018, ranking fifth, seventh, and third respectively.

Kerr is also the only player from the Asian Football Confederation to be short-listed for the 2022 award, with the list largely dominated by European players who starred at the recent Women’s European Championships.

Fourteen of the 20 nominated players come from the UEFA confederation, while Africa (Asisat Oshoala) and South America (Christiane Endler) have one each. The United States has four nominees, including the youngest in 20-year-old Trinity Rodman.

In the men’s category, seven-time winner Lionel Messi missed out completely for the first time since 2005, as did his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, Neymar.

Instead, France striker Karim Benzema leads the short-list after winning the La Liga and Champions League double with Real Madrid, finishing as top scorer in Spain with 27 goals.

He’s joined on the 30-player list by Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah, England striker Harry Kane, Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, new Barcelona recruit Robert Lewandowski, and new Manchester City signing Erling Haaland.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on October 17.

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Frenkie de Jong’s agents arrive in Barcelona ahead of crunch talks

Frenkie de Jong's agents arrive in Barcelona ahead of crunch talks

3:12 PM GMT

  • sam marsden

  • Moses Llorens

Frenkie de Jong’s agents have arrived in Barcelona amid continued uncertainty over the midfielder’s future at the club, with Manchester United and Chelsea still pursuing his signing.

Ali Dursun and Hasan Cetinkaya, who also represent Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite, flew into the city on Wednesday and are expected to hold talks with the Catalan club in the coming days over both of their clients.

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De Jong’s future has been the subject of much attention throughout the summer. ESPN revealed in July that Barca had agreed to a fee of around €85 million with United, including add-ons, while Chelsea are also interested.

However, the player has so far preferred to remain at Camp Nou.

Barca, meanwhile, have told De Jong that if he wants to stay, he must reduce his salary, although sources have told ESPN he is reluctant to do so at this stage.

Sources confirmed to ESPN earlier this week that Barca sent a letter to De Jong’s camp in July warning that the contract renewal he signed in 2020 under the previous board had alleged irregularities.

Sources close to the player said the contract is legal and claim the letter that Barca sent was intended to put pressure on De Jong to either accept a move away or agree to a wage reduction.

Barca’s board believe there were possible irregularities in other renewals signed at the same time by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet.

However, the timing of Barca’s tactics has drawn questions as they try to raise funds and reduce their wage bill to be able to register their summer signings.

Despite that, De Jong remains happy in Barcelona with his girlfriend and scored in Sunday’s 6-0 friendly win over Mexican side Pumas UNAM at Camp Nou.

Still, the uneasy situation was highlighted when De Jong arrived at training on Wednesday and was subjected to shouted abuse by some Barcelona fans, who called on him to accept a reduced salary.

Dursun and Cetinkaya also represent Braithwaite, who has been told by Barca to find a new club. The Denmark striker was left out of the squad for the tour of the United States last month and has not featured in preseason.

Braithwaite, 31, was even jeered by Barca supporters before Sunday’s game against Pumas. Sources have told ESPN he is open to leaving the club, who has joined as an emergency signing from Leganes for €20m in 2020, but only if the offer is right for him.

Meanwhile, Barca continue to negotiate further wage adjustments with Pique and Sergio Busquets. Sources have said talks have gone well so far.

Both players, along with Jordi Alba, agreed to pay cuts last summer to enable Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero to be registered, and they may have to do the same this year.

With Barca set to kick off the new LaLiga season on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano, none of their five signings have been registered with the Spanish league, nor have the new contracts signed by Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto.

The club have so far sold assets worth over €600m and are now in a position to register some of their signings. However, a league source told ESPN more money must be raised — or wages cut — before Saturday to register everyone.

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Timo Werner returns to RB Leipzig from Chelsea in deal worth up to €30m

Timo Werner returns to RB Leipzig from Chelsea in deal worth up to €30m

Timo Werner is on his way from Chelsea back to RB Leipzig after the two clubs confirmed a transfer agreement for the Germany international on Tuesday.

The deal — a permanent move for the 26-year-old — is reportedly worth in the region of €30 million, although various performance-related add-ons could be included.

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“I’m very happy to be able to play for RB Leipzig again,” Werner, who has signed a four-year contract, said. “I had a great time here between 2016 and 2020, when we performed brilliantly as newcomers in the league. It was a dignified departure for me to leave the club as record goalscorer, but that’s in the past now and I’m looking ahead, because both I and the club have developed in the past two years.

“I had two great years at Chelsea that I’m really grateful for and were crowned with the Champions League trophy. The experience to play abroad in a new league really helped me and my career. Now I’m looking forward to the new season with RB Leipzig and above all to meet the Leipzig fans again, who mean a great deal to me. We want to achieve a lot and of course, I want to become the first Leipzig player to reach the 100-goal mark.”

Werner will be looking to get his career back on track ahead of the World Cup in Qatar after a disappointing two-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

He joined Chelsea in 2020 for €50m, opting not to take part in Leipzig’s rescheduled Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid — delayed due to COVID-19 — to give himself more time to adapt to English football.

Werner started well, scoring eight goals in his first 12 games up to mid-November, but managed just four more for the rest of the campaign as a loss of form and confidence set in.

Werner was completely left out of the Chelsea squad for the match against Everton as talks with Leipzig continued.

He has scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea and although manager Thomas Tuchel is thought to be reluctant to part with the forward given the wider pressure to strengthen the squad, there is recognition the midseason World Cup has heightened the player’s fears over a lack of regular action.

Werner’s arrival follows Leipzig’s announcement on Tuesday that they had completed the signing of FC Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko, who will officially join the club in July 2023.

“Timo Werner’s signing is a special transfer for us,” Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell said. “We had a lot of great years together in Leipzig that saw Timo become the club’s record goalscorer and a Germany international. His return from him means a lot to the supporters because Timo was a real fan favorite and figure of identification for a lot of people .

“The transfer made a lot of sense to us, both because of Timo’s quality and the financial aspects of the deal. Now we want to build on the success that we started together and achieve our goals with Timo’s help. Not only does that mean qualification to the Champions League, but we also want to get as far as possible in the cup competitions.”

ESPN’s James Olley contributed to this story.

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Timo Werner set to rejoin RB Leipzig from Chelsea in deal worth up to €30m

Timo Werner set to rejoin RB Leipzig from Chelsea in deal worth up to €30m

Timo Werner is on the brink of leaving Chelsea to rejoin RB Leipzig, sources have told ESPN.

The 26-year-old is expected to arrive in Germany for a medical ahead of a permanent move thought to be worth in the region of €30 million, although various performance-related add-ons are yet to be finalized.

– Mixed performances for Chelsea new boys against Everton
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– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access

Werner is keen to kick-start his career ahead of the World Cup in Qatar after a disappointing two-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

The Germany international joined Chelsea in 2020 for €50m, opting not to take part in Leipzig’s rescheduled Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid — delayed due to COVID-19 — to give himself more time to adapt to English football.

Werner started well, scoring eight goals in his first 12 games up to mid-November, but managed just four more for the rest of the campaign as a loss of form and confidence set in.

Chelsea signed Romelu Lukaku for a club-record €115m last summer in a fresh challenge to Werner, but head coach Thomas Tuchel began to favor Kai Havertz as his central striker.

Although Lukaku has now returned to Inter on loan, Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 in their first game of the Premier League season with Havertz leading the line.

Tuchel’s side are in the market for another forward, and Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is among those under consideration.

Werner was completely left out of the Chelsea squad for the match against Everton as talks with Leipzig continued.

He has scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea and although Tuchel is thought to be reluctant to part with the forward given the wider pressure to strengthen the squad, there is recognition the midseason World Cup has heightened the player’s fears over a lack of regular action .

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Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly each 6/10 in win over Everton

Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly each 6/10 in win over Everton

Chelsea got off to a positive start despite a sluggish performance in the Premier League opener as they secured a 1-0 victory against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday evening.

A quiet first half saw the home side enjoy the best share of the chances, but it was Thomas Tuchel’s side who took the lead after Abdoulaye Doucoure fouled Ben Chilwell inside the box for Jorginho to score Chelsea’s first goal of the season. The Toffees reacted well after the break as Demarai Gray found space inside the box before testing Edouard Mendy, and it was the home side who came close again to finding the equalizer but for some desperate defending.

Chelsea continued to struggle to create meaningful chances despite some substitutions that saw Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek introduced, with a cautious approach preferring to resist pressure from the home side who lost patience as the game went on. Ten minutes of added time following a medical emergency in the stands forced Chelsea to remain resolute deep into injury time, and they were able to hold on for three vital, hard-fought points.

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Positives

Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy were the standout stars for Chelsea on the day, with their vital contribution in helping to earn a clean sheet.

Negatives

Chelsea’s attacking play was predictable and poor too often, which saw them struggle to create chances from open play. Thomas Tuchel must also find a way to help support Raheem Sterling, who was crowded out by the opposition.

Manager Rating (out of 10)

4 — A win for Chelsea is all that matters, but Thomas Tuchel has plenty to work on after his side’s performance today. The Blues could have easily been punished, with their style of play not doing enough to support the attack, and that is something that must be improved in the next game.

Player Rating (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Edouard Mendy, 7 — A strong hand in the first half denied James Tarkowski from opening the scoring, and the Senegal international then palmed away Demarai Gray’s effort just moments into the second half.

DF Kalidou Koulibaly, 6 — The former Napoli centre-back looked positive at dealing with some defensive situations, particularly balls in the air, but an overall mixed Premier League debut for Everton could have been better with more care taken over some of his passes into midfield.

DF Thiago Silva, 8 — A vital interception that stopped a pass from Demarai Gray that would have created the best chance of the first half epitomises the 37-year-old’s defensive display on the day. Silva’s reading of the game set the standard for his team.

DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 6 — Azpilicueta kept things simple and didn’t look to make many mistakes, though he could have been closer to Thiago Silva in some moments when Everton were quickly breaking down the flank.

FM Ben Chilwell, 6 — The 25-year-old made the most of contact in the box from Abdoulaye Doucoure to win a penalty just before the break to earn maximum dividends from an instinctive run into the box.

MF Jorginho, 6 — A cool penalty saw Jorginho send Jordan Pickford the wrong way from the spot to hand Chelsea the lead. He had plenty of the ball across the 90 minutes but didn’t look to make enough interventions on the defensive side of his game.

MF N’Golo Kante, 7 — The France international broke up the play on a number of occasions. Kante was quick to stop the danger, while he kept things simple when transitioning the play forward.

FM Reece James, 5 — James regularly looked to stretch the play down the right flank, but Everton looked to counter his influence well by ensuring he was closed down. The 22-year-old picked up a needless yellow card for time-wasting before the hour mark.

FW Raheem Sterling, 6 — The England international enjoyed some promising moments in which he looked Chelsea’s brightest player going forward, but he was often left isolated and surrounded by Everton shirts.

FW Kai Havertz, 5 — An anonymous display from the Germany man who struggled to make any meaningful impact on the game.

FW Mason Mount, 5 — Mount struck a shot well early in the game to test Jordan Pickford in an otherwise quiet game for him. Astute movement helped carve a path for Chilwell to run through in the buildup to Chelsea being awarded a penalty.

Substitutions

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chilwell, 65″), 6 — A powerful run forced a foul from Vitaliy Mykolenko to give Chelsea a free kick in a dangerous area.

Christian Pulisic (Mount, 65″), 5 — The USMNT star came on for Mount just after the hour mark, but Pulisic didn’t get the service he required to make an impact.

Marc Cucurella (Koulibaly, 75″) N/R — Cucurella almost registered a debut assist with his well picked-out pass for Raheem Sterling, but the shot was blocked by Mykolenko.

Armando Broja (Havertz, 75″), N/R — Substituted in for Havertz for the final 15 minutes.

Conor Gallagher (Jorginho, 90+8″), N/R — A Chelsea debut saw Gallagher introduced for the final two minutes of the game.

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Marcos Alonso wants to leave Chelsea, says boss Thomas Tuchel after opening Premier League win

Marcos Alonso wants to leave Chelsea, says boss Thomas Tuchel after opening Premier League win

Defender Marcos Alonso was not included in Chelsea’s line-up for their opening match of the Premier League season against Everton as he wants to leave the club, manager Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday.

“He asked to leave and we agreed to his wish,” Tuchel told reporters after his team beat Everton 1-0 for their first victory at Goodison Park since 2017.

“That is why it would not have made sense to put him on the pitch.”

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The 31-year-old Alonso arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2016, being a central part of the team throughout the subsequent seasons.

Barcelona had been keen to sign both Alonso and Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, but the latter signed a new contract at Stamford Bridge with the Catalan club’s finances hampering their ability to make signings.

Chelsea lost defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers during the summer before signing Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella to bolster their backline.

Despite Saturday win, Tuchel said the team’s defense was not up to par against Everton.

“All three of our players in the back three are in their 30s and we struggled a bit in general at the end of the game,” Tuchel said.

“We need to improve our physical level and we are on it.”

Everton defender Ben Godfrey was admitted to hospital following a challenge from Kai Havertz early in the game.

“It feels like it is a small fracture of his leg. We are assessing that. He will be out for a while, Yerry (Mina) has an ankle injury and could be out for a while,” Everton manager Frank Lampard said.

“When it rains, it pours.”

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Cucurella, De Jong among five transfers we still want to see happen this summer…

Brighton defender Marc Cucurella, Manchester United attacker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Chelsea are keen but we really want to see Marc Cucurella playing for Pep Guardiola. Chelsea can have Frenkie De Jong, just for the giggles.

Here are five deals we’re definitely here for this summer…

Marc Cucurella to Manchester City
Watching Cucurella scuttling up and down Brighton’s left flank was one of the joys of last season. After arriving from Getafe for £15million a year ago, the Spaniard took to the Premier League like a duck to water. A duck with lovely, flowing locks.

The ‘do meant you couldn’t miss him, but Cucurella quickly stood out for reasons beyond his barnet. Defensively, he made the fourth-highest number of tackles in the league, and offensively, he flew forward, never at anything less than warp speed. His energy from him was infectious and his influence from him on the Seagulls was such that he was named Player of the Season by the supporters and his team-mates.

So it is understandable that Brighton want top dollar for Cucurella. Given what Pep Guardiola has spent before on full-backs, the Seagulls are right to ask for £50million. Just as it is City’s right not to meet that demand. But it would be very much worth their time. And since they have already sold Oleksandr Zinchenko for £30million, they have weakened their own bargaining position.

And now here come Chelsea, not just to f*** with City, though the Blues’ approach certainly achieves that aim while generating a bidding war for Cucurella. One that City should be more minded to win than they apparently are.

Of course, if Cucurella stays at Brighton, that’s cool. Doubtless he’ll be brilliant again and the Seagulls will enjoy another fine season. They probably will thrive even if he goes. And the 24-year-old belongs on the Champions League stage. We just think he’d be more fun for his Catalan compatriot at City than Chelsea.

Man City shouldn’t allow their own stubbornness to spoil perfect Cucurella opportunity

Frenkie De Jong to Manchester United
Erik ten Hag certainly wants this to happen. The new Manchester United boss is desperate for a meeting with the former Ajax midfielder.

De Jong is pivotal to the plan Ten Hag has for United and the way he wants them to play. As a midfielder, De Jong doesn’t score many goals or claim bundles of assists, but Ten Hag recognizes that the Holland star sets the tempo. “He’s the player who supplies the team-mates who give the assists or who can score goals from their position,” said Ten Hag when De Jong was being utilized as a no.10 at Barcelona.

Ten Hag even used De Jong as a centre-back at Ajax in an effort to improve their build up play from deep and, apparently, there isn’t another player in the world that might be available who could do the job as proficiently.

So it’s a shame De Jong apparently doesn’t want to join United. Quite rightly, he’s digging in his heels while he waits for money owed to him by Barca but even then, word is he doesn’t fancy living in Manchester.

We reckon he should open his mind to the prospect. If for no other reason so that United can have no excuses and we can see how good both De Jong and Ten Hag are when they have everything in place. Otherwise there is a very real prospect of McFred living to fight another season.

Frenkie De Jong to Chelsea
Just for the LOLs. De Jong is obviously loathe to relocate to the north west of England but, apparently, he might consider London. Just imagine all the boiled p*ss in Manchester at the sight of Ten Hag’s most-wanted lining up in blue against McFred and United.

It would also be absolutely hilarious if he stubbornly refused to leave Barcelona given they seem to have already banked and spent the money already. Just not on paying De Jong or his team-mates the deferred wages they are owed.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Sporting Lisbon
We know Ronaldo wants a move. We also know now that almost no one wants to give him one – not Manchester United nor any of the clubs he might consider joining. So at some point during the coming weeks, one party will have to suck it up.

It could be Ronaldo, if he is made to stay at Old Trafford with his tail tucked between his legs. It might be United, who may have to take a hit to get the 37-year-old distraction away from Ten Hag while he begins his rebuild in earnest.

That being the case, a loan move back to Sporting would tick a lot of boxes for Ronaldo. It would enable him to go ‘home’ to where he began his career, while also keeping him the Champions League.

There was some excitement at the reported sighting of one of Ronaldo’s cars being spotted at Sporting’s stadium, but the player’s response was simply to cry ‘fake’ news. Going back to the Portuguese league might not be what Ronaldo had in mind when he declared his intention to leave United, but with no other options, away from Saudi Arabiaa romantic return may be the best way for him to save face and the Red Devils – and the rest of us – to move on. He’s only been back a week, but already he must be making Ten Hag’s t*ts itch.

Man Utd striker Cristiano Ronaldo walks down the Old Trafford tunnel

Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Crystal Palace
It’s not Wan-Bissaka’s fault he was promoted way above the level his talent merits. We’ll blame the transfer brains-trust that watched 804 right-backs and decided he was the best of the lot.

After a bright start to his United career, when slide tackles were still a novelty down Old Trafford’s right flank, Wan-Bissaka’s prospects have nose-dived. It soon became clear that the £45million man had none of the other tools in his locker that a modern-day full-back needs to thrive at a club expected to attack, leading to him being steadily sidelined by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ralf Rangnick kept him there and Erik ten Hag wants rid completely.

Where next? The only obvious solution is to return to Palace, where he made his name from him, at home in the Eagles’ defense. Would Palace take him?

On loan, probably. With long-serving Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne, it feels as though Patrick Vieira is making do at right-back at present. The Eagles boss is keen for his defense to be comfortable in different shapes, and he wants Palace to be on the front foot. Maybe Wan-Bissaka isn’t that suited after all.

But we can all envisage him rediscovering some form and happiness back at Selhurst Park. United just have to accept that they will take a huge hit, however Wan-Bissaka departs.

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Roman Abramovich was at Chelsea ‘difficult’ for Premier League

Roman Abramovich was at Chelsea 'difficult' for Premier League

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said it would be “difficult” to claim the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea was good for the brand of England’s top division following this summer’s takeover at Stamford Bridge, which saw the Russian oligarch sell the club to a group led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly.

Following Abramovich’s arrival as Chelsea owner in 2003, the London club enjoyed unprecedented success, including five Premier League wins and two Champions League titles, and signed some of the world’s leading players due to the financial transformation overseen by the billionaire.

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But following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the UK government sanctioned Abramovich and froze his assets, including Chelsea, due to his connections to Russian president Vladimir Putin. And though Masters declined to say that Abramovich would fail to pass the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test had it been in place when he bought Chelsea 19 years ago, he said that only the club’s fans would suggest that the Abramovich era was good for the league.

“It’s difficult to say now, with hindsight, that it’s all been good, given what has transpired over the last six-and-a-half months,” Masters said in a media briefing at the Premier League London headquarters. “I think if you ask Chelsea fans, they would give you a different answer.

“I think the situation we ended with has given the sport some challenges we’ve got to meet. Ultimately, there wasn’t an owners’ and directors’ test when Abramovich took ownership of Chelsea, so I suppose the answer to the question is , had there been that in place what would have happened and what safeguards we need to build in for the future?

“[There is] a rolling test, yes. Prevention is better than cure, isn’t it? There wasn’t then, there is now, it’s going to change and part of that actually is probably going to be the strengthening of the annual test.”

The Boehly consortium completed its £4.25 billion takeover of Chelsea on May 30 — 24 hours before the UK government’s May 31 deadline for the club to be sold.

And while there was widespread skepticism that the government would close Chelsea down had Abramovich failed to dispose of the club by the May 31 deadline, Masters said that there were real concerns that a deal may not have happened before the cut-off date.

“You’re in unique circumstances, nothing like this has happened before,” Masters said. “There was obviously a genuine concern the sale wouldn’t take place in the timeframe that was available.

“That didn’t happen thankfully. A lot of people worked extremely hard on it at the club’s end, the government’s end and Premier League’s end to make sure things were running as smoothly as possible. All I can say is we’re very pleased that happened, obviously.”

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