Category: Slides

Manchester United are reportedly close to signing Wolves star Raul Jimenez.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has publicly admitted he is on the lookout for a new centre-forward this summer.

All of the goal scoring burden was placed on Anthony Martial and Odion Ighalo last term.

Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood chipped in with their fair share from the wide positions.

But for the Red Devils to launch a serious challenge for the title it is deemed that they need a world class forward.

Wolves star Jimenez apparently fits the bill after he netted 27 goals across all competitions last season.

The Mexican moved to Molineux for £33m and it will likely cost United much more than that to take him to Old Trafford.

Portugese sources claim a transfer is already in place and the 29-year-old will be playing Champions League football under Solskjaer next year.

The report adds that super-agent Jorge Mendes has concluded a deal for Wolves to sign Paulinho.

The 27-year-old netted 25 goals in 48 appearances which was enough to convince Nuno Espirito Santo he is the ideal man to replace Jimenez.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer warned last month that he was in the market for a new striker.

“You need competition for places at Manchester United,” the Norwegian said.

“If you think you’ve got a divine right to be playing every game and are doing so well that we’re not going to look for players to replace you, you’re in the wrong place.

“I’ve been here myself for so many years as a striker and Teddy Sheringham comes in, Dwight Yorke comes in, Ruud van Nistelrooy comes in, Wayne Rooney comes in.

“We’ve always got to look at improving, and if they don’t improve, we might have to look somewhere else to get better because we have to be better.

“We’re too far away from where we need to be and want to be.”

Brentford reignited their bid to reach the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Swansea to reach the play-off final.

The Bees overturned Swansea’s one-goal lead from the first leg within the first 15 minutes through goals from Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Marcondes.

Bryan Mbeumo added the third just after half-time and, despite Rhian Brewster pulling one back the Bees, who last week blew their chance of going up automatically, took a big step towards redemption.

Seven straight wins after lockdown had left promotion tantalisingly within Brentford’s grasp, before successive defeats by Stoke and Barnsley consigned them to the play-offs.

That mini implosion set up one, final, dramatic match at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years, before next season’s move to a new 17,250-capacity ground.

They were able to bid farewell in style and a memorable victory means the Brentford Community Stadium could still be hosting top-flight football in September, with the Bees attempting to become the 50th different team to play in the Premier League.

Thomas Frank’s side will now head to Wembley on Tuesday for a £170million showdown with Cardiff or, more likely, their west London neighbours Fulham.

Swansea, who had finished 11 points behind the Bees having gatecrashed the play-offs with an unlikely six-goal swing on the final day, saw their first-leg advantage wiped out after 11 minutes.

Brentford broke quickly from a Swansea free-kick near the corner flag, goalkeeper David Raya catching Matt Grimes’ cross and immediately hurling the ball to Mathias Jensen.

The Danish midfielder came up with one of the passes of the season, inch-perfect through the backpedalling Swansea defence where Watkins was racing towards goal, the striker nervelessly firing past Mulder into the corner.

Four minutes later Brentford had their second and the tie had been turned on its head.

Once again Jensen started the move, finding Said Benrahma who lifted the ball on to the head of Marcondes to guide home.

Raya made a fine save to deny Conor Gallagher as Swansea attempted to hit straight back, but seconds later Brentford almost had a third with Benrahma striking the foot of the near post.

Suddenly the Bees were looking like the side who were sweeping all-comers aside post-lockdown, with their ‘BMW’ strikeforce Benrahma, Mbeumo and Watkins back at full throttle.

They grabbed a third a minute into the second half when Rico Henry, whose red card in the first leg was overturned on appeal, crossed for Mbeumo to volley home.

Swansea halved the deficit when a mistake by Pontus Jansson allowed Brewster to lob Raya with 12 minutes left, but this time Brentford did not choke.

Swansea could not find another to force extra time, and instead it was Brentford who almost added a fourth when Benrahma clipped the crossbar.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) have confirmed that nine Premier League clubs wrote to them back in March asking them not to lift Manchester City’s European ban.

The Citizens were found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations back in February, after the Adjudicatory Chamber of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) stated that the club had broken the rules by ‘overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016’.

Subsequently, the club were handed a two-year ban from Europe and a €30m fine. The former of which has, of course, since been overturned while City will instead have to pay a €10m fine for failing to co-operate with UEFA throughout the process.

CAS confirmed that while City appealed their punishment, nine Premier League clubs wrote to them after the initial ruling pleading for them not to overturn the two-year ban.

Those clubs were: Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle, Spurs and Wolves.

While it makes sense for the European contenders to be keen on another spot opening up in both the Champions and Europa League, it’s interesting to see Burnley and Newcastle among those opposed City’s reinstatement.

Nevertheless, while the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho lamented the lifting of City’s European ban with the latter labeling the decision as “disgraceful” , City boss Pep Guardiola handed out some particularly harsh words for Arsenal following his side’s exit in the FA Cup semi-finals at the hands of the Gunners and former assistant Mikel Arteta.

“And Arsenal, I have all the respect for what they are on the pitch, not much off the pitch,” he said, due to the Gunners’ then suspected – now confirmed – role in the letter handed to CAS by the group of clubs.

Chelsea sealed fourth place in the Premier League to wrap up qualification for next season’s Champions League with a comfortable victory over Wolves.

Frank Lampard’s side needed a point from the potentially nervy encounter at Stamford Bridge in order to clinch a top-four place – but they claimed all three in style.

Mason Mount’s delightful 25-yard curling free-kick and Olivier Giroud’s effort from close range were just 144 seconds apart just before half-time and they settled the contest.

The defeat means Nuno Espirito Santo’s men finish seventh behind Tottenham on goal difference after Jose Mourinho’s side drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace.

However Wolves’ league position could still be enough to claim a Europa League place for next season, should the Blues beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final next month.

Chelsea ended the season on the same points as Manchester United, who beat Leicester City 2-0, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side finish third on goal difference.