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6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Manchester United announce signing of striker Benjamin Sesko
Manchester United have taken their summer spending past £200m by bringing in Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig for a fee rising to £73.3m. The Slovenian has signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford and United believe he has world-class potential and is one of the best young talents in the global game. Sesko cost an initial £66.5m and United have a favourable payment structure, but his arrival means they may need to start selling unwanted players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony. His move completes an expensive overhaul of their attack after the £62.5m signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves and the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford for £65m, which could go up to £71m. United have also signed left wing-back Diego Leon. United only finished 15th last season but Sesko believes he can help Ruben Amorim's team challenge for trophies. He said: 'The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future. 'When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon. 'From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions. 'I cannot wait to start learning from Ruben and connecting with my team-mates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together.' Newcastle had also bid for Sesko and suffered another setback in their frustrating summer as the 22-year-old became another striking target to elude them, after Hugo Ekitike, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Mbeumo. Sesko was a long-time target for Arsenal before they decided to buy Viktor Gyokeres instead while United, who had also considered Ollie Watkins, before opting for the Slovenian after statistical research pointed to him. United had previously been interested in both Delap, who Chelsea signed, and Ekitike, who preferred to go to Liverpool. Sesko scored 21 goals for Leipzig last season and United director of football Jason Wilcox added: 'Benjamin possesses a rare combination of electrifying pace and the ability to physically dominate defenders, making him one of the most exceptional young talents in world football. 'We have followed Benjamin's career closely; all of our data analysis and research concluded that he has the required qualities and personality to thrive at Manchester United. 'Working under the guidance of Ruben and our excellent performance team, Benjamin is joining the perfect environment to support him to reach his world-class potential. 'The desire that all of our new signings have shown to join the club this summer highlights the appeal and stature of Manchester United as we continue to build and develop a team capable of challenging for the biggest honours.'
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Benjamin Sesko reveals why he picked Manchester United over Newcastle in first interview
Benjamin Sesko has revealed why he chose to join Manchester United amid a transfer tussle for his signature. United on Saturday morning confirmed the signing of Sesko, in a deal worth up to £74million from RB earlier this summer showed interest in Sesko, before snapping up Viktor Gyokeres for a cheaper fee, and Newcastle outbid United for the Slovenian only to be rejected by another key summer target. And Sesko says United's pitch for what the future will bring for the club is what convinced him to join. Sesko said: 'The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future. 'When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon. 'From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions. 'I cannot wait to start learning from Ruben [Amorim] and connecting with my team-mates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together.'
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Can new-look Coleraine mount a title challenge?
It has been a whirlwind 12 months for fans, players and staff at Coleraine. The club has had a major shake-up in the last year, spearheaded by 24-year-old Henry Ross, who became the majority shareholder in December. Sweeping changes followed that announcement with sporting director Oran Kearney and head coach Dean Shiels stepping down in May. The club has also switched to a full-time model; Dale Pryde-MacDonald has been brought in as their new general manager and Ruaidhri Higgins is set for his first full season in charge after being appointed in May. There have been plenty of changes on the pitch in recent months too with a number of impressive new additions including last season's Football Writers' Player of the Year Joel Cooper joining from Linfield. Their summer business sees them tipped as title contenders this campaign, but with the Bannsiders without a trophy in the last five years, failing to make Europe in the last four and trying to bed in so many new signings, can they challenge for the Irish Premiership title? 'I have been delighted with everything' This weekend's Premiership opener against Larne is not former Bannsiders player Higgins first game in charge as he was at the helm for their two European play-off games at the end of last season. Coleraine overcame Crusaders to advance to the play-off final, but they were then defeated by Cliftonville, who secured the Irish Premiership's final European spot. "At the time I wasn't sure about the idea about coming in for those games but, when I look back now, it was very beneficial and invaluable," Higgins told BBC Sport NI. "I got to see who we had and what I felt needed to improve both on and off the pitch. Then we were able to bring in some more good players." Higgins has returned to Coleraine, where he made 43 appearances before retiring, after managing Derry City for three years. Seven players have left the Showgrounds during off-season but they have strengthened with the arrivals of Cooper, Kodi-Lyons Foster, Stephen Fallon, Adam Long, Lewis McGregor, Ryan Schofield and Will Patching. There has been changes within the coaching staff too with Higgins bringing in experienced Irish League figures Kevin Deery and Michael Dougherty. "I've been delighted with everything," the 40-year-old continued. "The people around the club have been first class and, off the pitch, people have been brilliant. "The players have been very receptive, very hard working, want to do well and they are showing real hunger." 'This isn't an overnight job' Managers elsewhere also think that Coleraine will be competitive this year with Linfield manager David Healy saying the Bannsiders "should probably be going into the season as favourites" for the league title. "If people see us as a threat, that's brilliant as we want to be," Higgins added. "We want to be very, very competitive and we want to break into that top bracket of teams. "However, we finished 30 points behind the champions last year, which is a ridiculous number to try and make up. We want to bridge that gap substantially, but we also are realistic. "If anyone looks beyond Linfield, it would be quite foolish after how much they dominated last year." The north coast side will be hoping to improve upon a fifth-place finish first and foremost as they have not finished above fifth position since 2021, with Higgins acknowledging that success may not come instantly. The club's last trophy was the BetMcLean League Cup in 2020, and they have not won the Gibson Cup in over 50 years. "If we do something special then great, but this isn't an overnight job," the Limavady native said. "We aren't going to just come in and wave a magic wand, sign a few good players and take off. That's not how it works unfortunately, as much as people would like to think that." 'New signings bring an expectation' Coleraine captain Lyndon Kane has been delighted with how Higgins has settled into the club and believes that he brings a "top tier level of professionalism" to the side. Kane, who made his league debut for the Bannsiders in 2014, has made over 300 appearances to date, but missed the end of last season due to injury. "It's a full circle for me because I actually played with Higgins 10 years ago here," Kane explained. "His attention to detail is unbelievable and he leaves no stone unturned." The defender also believes that the club's signings "bring expectations" but acknowledges the inevitable twists and turns that will come throughout the season. "I think signing players like we have, we are going to bring an expectation. We are bringing winners to the club. Joel Cooper won everything there is to win at Linfield. "However, there is no divine right that you just turn up and win a league then. You have to graft hard and this league is a league like no other. "It throws up many surprises at you and you can't be having off days. We're just going to work hard day-to-day and just see where takes us."
