Ruthless Ratcliffe to ditch Ten Hag signing and gift Man Utd exciting Spaniard despite Arsenal inter
Manchester United have firmed up their interest in Girona star Miguel Gutierrez and are looking to beat Arsenal to the 22-year-old this summer, as per reports.
Gutierrez is a former Spain U21 international who can play as a left-back or further forward as a left midfielder. He was born in Madrid and spent time in the Getafe youth setup before Real Madrid captured him as a teenager.
Gutierrez eventually gained promotion to Madrid’s senior squad in 2022 but only made 10 first-team appearances for the Spanish giants before leaving that summer.
Fellow La Liga side Girona snapped him up for just €4m, and that transfer has proven to be a masterstroke.
The exciting wide man has registered one goal and six assists in 33 appearances for Girona this term, helping them launch a shock bid for the La Liga title.
Girona have now fallen behind both Madrid and Barcelona, though they are still above other major clubs such as Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club and Valencia.
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Gutierrez might not stay at Girona too much longer though, as huge clubs are queueing up for his services.
Man Utd’s interest in him emerged during the January transfer window. But on March 7, Arsenal were backed to ruin Man Utd’s transfer plans by landing him first.
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All right, so this was the Arsenal side you got
Man Utd in for Miguel Gutierrez
As per an update from the Sunday Mirror (07/04, p70), Man Utd part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains determined to take Gutierrez to Old Trafford.
Both Man Utd and Arsenal have scouted the full-back in recent months, and those scouts have returned glowing reports.
But Ratcliffe is willing to use his massive financial power to help Man Utd win the chase for the coveted Spaniard.
Man Utd signing Gutierrez could signal the end of Tyrell Malacia’s spell in England. Erik ten Hag pushed for Man Utd to sign the Dutch left-back in summer 2022, though he has not played this campaign due to a serious knee issue.
With Luke Shaw also missing a large chunk of the season through injury, Ten Hag has been forced to use the likes of Diogo Dalot and Victor Lindelof at left-back.
Ratcliffe wants to put a stop to all these left-back problems by gifting Man Utd Gutierrez’s signature.
Interestingly, there is the potential for Gutierrez to make a different transfer before landing at Man Utd in the summer.
The report explains how Madrid have a buy-back clause for the player worth just €8m (£6.8m).
Should Madrid land their top left-back target – Alphonso Davies – then they could re-sign Gutierrez before selling him on to Man Utd for a profit.
But if Davies remains at Bayern Munich, then Madrid could ruin Man Utd’s transfer hopes by keeping Gutierrez in Spain.
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Vincent Kompany heaps praise on £80m Man Utd target Ratcliffe is desperate to sign; Everton star reacts to exit talk
Burnley boss and former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has heaped praise on Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who is a key target for Manchester United.
The 21-year-old put in a Man of the Match performance against Burnley on Saturday as the Toffees triumphed 1-0 over the Clarets to gain a vital three points.
Branthwaite has undoubtedly been Everton’s stand-out player this season and will be a key reason they survive relegation if they can finish outside the bottom three.
The centre-back deservedly received his first call-up to the England national team last month, which has only increased his value amid interest from Man Utd, Manchester City, Tottenham and others.
TEAMtalk sources state that Everton will demand a minimum of £80m for Branthwaite this summer.
Speaking after Burnley’s loss at Goodison Park, Kompany said he thinks the youngster has the potential to play at the very highest level.
“If that kid Branthwaite keeps putting his body on the line like this, I can’t keep telling my strikers [to do better]. He’s sliding across five times and doing really well.
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“Branthwaite is a young defender and sometimes it’s important to stay away from the hype a little bit.
“It’s just a really objective analysis of moments where my strikers have done so well and he gets back, sometimes his team-mates get beaten, but he reads the moment to go and cover. It’s a side of the game that he has that is really promising for the future.”
Ratcliffe wants Jarrad Branthwaite at Man Utd
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made bringing a top quality young centre-back his priority for the summer transfer window and Branthwaite is right at the top of his shortlist.
The Everton star could replace Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof or Jonny Evans at Old Trafford, whose futures are all in doubt.
Ratcliffe reportedly sees Branthwaite as a potentially brilliant long-term investment for Man Utd and it will be interesting to see if he is willing to pay a big fee to bring him in.
The defender was asked about the speculation surrounding him on Saturday and refused to rule out a move away from Goodison Park in the summer.
“You have just got to block it all out. I think if you focus on the outside stuff, you get distracted from what you need to do on the pitch.
“For me now, until the end of the season, I am just focussed on winning games for Everton Football Club.”
Everton may have ended their 13-game winless run at the weekend but are still just four points outside the relegation zone.
They could also receive another points deduction, which is expected to be announced next week.
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Postecoglou makes exit decision on Tottenham forward as Bundesliga beckons for seven-goal star
Tottenham are reportedly willing to let Troy Parrott go if they receive a suitable offer this summer, and some Bundesliga sides are said to be keen on him.
Parrott has played just four games for Spurs, but has begun to make valuable contributions in senior football on loans away from north London. He scored eight goals and provided seven assists in League One two seasons ago, leading to a Championship switch last term.
He failed to have a massive impact for Preston, but he’s certainly found his feet with Excelsior in the Netherlands this season.
The Irishman has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 21 Eredivisie games so far.
The last of those goals came in February, but Parrott was injured not long after.
That has not stopped some big names registering an interest in him. It was reported in February that the Tottenham man had drawn the attention of Eredivisie giants Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, among others.
He has clearly shown he’s got what it takes to shine in the Netherlands, so remaining there could be a good move for him.
But it was suggested at the time that Ange Postecoglou was not ready to make a decision on the striker’s exit from Spurs.
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Tottenham willing to sell Parrott
However, it seems he’s now accepted that the striker can play elsewhere.
Indeed, according to Football Insider, Tottenham ‘are willing to let’ Parrott go if they receive ‘an appropriate’ offer.
It’s not clear how much that would be, but the striker will enter the final year of his Spurs contract in the summer, so he’s not likely to command a massive fee.
A move to a new league could beckon, too, as more than just Eredivisie sides want Parrott.
Bundesliga sides after Parrott
According to Football Insider, some Bundesliga sides are interested in him.
It’s not noted which clubs or how many are in the mix for the striker.
However, a move to the Bundesliga would pave the way for Parrott to play in his fifth different league.
In England, he’s played in three, from the Premier League down to League One, and he’s obviously in the Eredivisie at the moment.
As such, if a suitable offer is made for the 22-year-old, the German top flight could become his fifth league and his third country.
He’ll hope after bouncing around for a while, if he does permanently sign for a Bundesliga side, that he can perform well enough to stay there for a prolonged period.
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‘Frustrated and angry’ Wolves boss Gary O’Neil tells referees to ‘get better’ after West Ham loss
Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil has urged the Premier League refereeing standards to “get better” after his side were denied a stoppage-time equaliser against West Ham.
Wolves were infuriated when Maximilian Kilman’s header in the ninth minute of time added on was ruled out following a VAR check, with Tawanda Chirewa deemed to be impeding Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski by standing in front of him in an offside position.
Gary O’Neil fumes after Wolves defeat
Speaking after the 2-1 home defeat on Saturday, O’Neil said he had been to see referee Tony Harrington following the match but the conversation “didn’t go well” because he was still too worked up over the incident.
Asked if he now plans to speak to referees’ chief Howard Webb about the incident, O’Neill said: “I don’t know if he’ll want to speak to me. I don’t know if I have upset the officials.
“But even if he does speak to me, what am I going to get unless I ask for the game to be replayed?
“I’d like to get their thoughts on it, just from an understanding point of view, ‘if you’re telling me I’m wrong why am I wrong?’. Maybe I won’t get that luxury this weekend. The big thing for me is it needs to get better…
“For the most part I discuss things really calmly with them but when you feel it doesn’t help, obviously at this point it hasn’t helped us at all this season so it’s difficult not to feel as frustrated and angry as I did.Related video: Why Everybody's Wrong About Arsenal (FourFourTwo)
All right, so this was the Arsenal side you got
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“I’ll look at my own actions and try and make sure I always behave in a way that is fitting. But explanations is not what I need. I need the officiating to get better.
“Unless I’m completely mad and everyone disagrees and it should have been disallowed.”
Asked if VAR is working properly, O’Neil added: “I’m sure it will be reviewed, the process. I don’t have an issue with things being analysed, I understand sometimes they take longer than we would want.
“What I have an issue with is things being analysed and then landing on the wrong conclusion. Obviously it happens every now and then but for me it is happening too often.”
O’Neil said his Wolves players “don’t feel respected” by officials and suggested they were discussing ways they could take action themselves – although he would not elaborate on how.
“I’m not sure (what they can do),” he said. “I just know how they feel about it and it would be very hard for me to stand in front of them with any real sort of integrity and tell them that they’re wrong so we’ll see where they are and how they feel about it next week.”
While Wolves licked their wounds, West Ham celebrated a win which continues their push for European qualification. James Ward-Prowse scored directly from a corner in the 84th minute and Lucas Paqueta’s penalty cancelled out a first-half spot-kick from Pablo Sarabia.
Days before their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham lost Jarrod Bowen to a concerning injury, but will have gained confidence after the midweek draw with Tottenham and last weekend’s dramatic 4-3 loss at Newcastle.
“The three games we’ve had this week have been huge games,” David Moyes said. “We got something here, we had a good result in midweek, we came really close last week so the boys have done a good job.
“Europe is something we feel we might have got something on but we’ve been put up against maybe the most talked about team in Europe outside Manchester City and Liverpool.”
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Bayern director prays for Arsenal ‘turnaround’ as ‘ashamed’ stars fear ‘slap in the face’ at Emirates
Bayern Munich director Max Eberl hopes Thomas Tuchel’s side react well to their shock defeat to Heidenheim when they face Arsenal on Tuesday.
The German champions travel to London to face Mikel Arteta’s side in the Champions League, with both sides in contrasting form.
Bayern director slams team ahead of Arsenal clash
The Gunners have been outstanding in 2024 and are currently top of the Premier League, while Bayern have lost their last two league matches, at home to Borussia Dortmund and away to Heidenheim.
Tuchel’s men were 2-0 up at half-time but completely capitulated in the second half, conceding three goals to lose 3-2.
Defeat means Bayer Leverkusen can win the Bundesliga next weekend. They face Werder Bremen at home, a day after Bayern’s match against Cologne.
Both sides only have 18 points left to play for and Tuchel admitted defeat in the title race a while ago, with Bayern and Harry Kane – who is facing another trophyless season – only playing for success in the Champions League.
The club’s director, Eberl, is not filled with optimism ahead of the trip to face Arsenal next week and with Tuchel stepping down this summer, he said he does not “give a s**t about the search for a new coach” and is hoping for a “turnaround” on the pitch.
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Asked what gives him hope for Tuesday’s match, Eberl said: “At the moment I can’t think of much. We can say: ‘Okay, the injured are coming back’, but that has always been the case at Bayern in the last few months.Related video: Can Arsenal Overcome their Defensive Weaknesses to Secure a Win? (Dailymotion)
“We haven’t really become stable. It won’t work as easily as saying: Okay, it’s Champions League, Arsenal.
“I already said after the Dortmund game that we would have a test of character in Heidenheim. We passed it in the first half and failed in the second half.
“Now we have the Champions League game against Arsenal. All respect to Heidenheim, but they are a bit better than Heidenheim in terms of football. In terms of attitude, they have the same level as Heidenheim. There’s a lot coming up.
“I don’t give a sh*t about the search for a coach. Now it’s all about the Arsenal game. We have to make a proper turnaround so that we don’t get a slap to the face.”
He added: “We should all be a little ashamed today. And we should make sure that we represent the Bavarian coat of arms in a more dignified manner relatively quickly.”
Arsenal’s fine form in 2024 continued at Brighton on Saturday, winning 3-0 without being tested defensively by Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who lost at home for the first time in seven months.
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Liverpool, Tottenham pursuit of dynamite £90m Championship pair prompts forceful Leeds Utd response
Leeds United are aware that major clubs including Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid are interested in Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville and are hoping to end the links by initiating new contracts with the pair, as per reports.
Gray is just 18 years old but is already a crucial player for Leeds, having featured in 39 of their 41 Championship matches so far this season. Gray has shown his versatility by starring as either a right-back or central midfielder, form which has seen him become an England U21 international, too.
Summerville, meanwhile, has been arguably Leeds’ best player this campaign. The winger has racked up 17 goals and eight assists in 37 league games, helping Daniel Farke’s side compete with Leicester City and Ipswich Town for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
However, it is not guaranteed that Gray and Summerville will continue shining for Leeds next term.
Gray has picked up interest from Liverpool, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Summerville is hot property too, having emerged as a target for Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United.
As many as eight clubs could begin talks for Summerville this summer, it has been claimed.
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But Leeds have no intention of letting the star duo leave this summer. On Saturday, it was revealed that Leeds will offer Gray a 700 per cent pay rise to keep him at Elland Road.Related video: Leeds United: Should Gnonto or James get the nod? (Dailymotion)
During an appearance on The Inside Track podcast, reporter Pete O’Rourke has revealed that Leeds chiefs firmly intend to offer both Gray and Summerville fresh terms.
Leeds want to keep ‘instrumental’ pair
Both players are ‘instrumental’ to Leeds’ success and are therefore in line to be ‘rewarded’ with bumper new contracts.
Although, the wages they will be offered depends on how Leeds finish the season. The Whites are drawing up a Premier League budget and a Championship budget, which will be affected by them potentially returning to the top flight.
Should Leeds’ contract talks fail and they are forced into selling Gray and Summerville, then they will make a huge profit.
Gray came through the club’s academy but is now valued at a whopping £50million thanks to his sky-high potential.
Summerville cost the West Yorkshire side just €1.5m in September 2020 and is now valued at £40m.
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