Latest news with #JoaoPedro
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea set transfer price for forward Liverpool chief agreed deal to sign
The future of Nicolas Jackson at Chelsea remains uncertain after the signings of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro as the Blues have reportedly set their price for the Senegalese striker The Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes tried to sign Nicolas Jackson while in charge of transfers at Bournemouth. That move didn't materialise, but now the Chelsea forward could be on the move again. The 24-year-old has enjoyed two respectable seasons at Stamford Bridge, scoring 31 goals in 80 games across all competitions. Yet doubt has remained over whether Jackson can become the striker needed to fire Chelsea to the biggest trophies in the game, leading Enzo Maresca to sign Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer. Jackson saw minimal action during Chelsea's triumph of the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this month, having not featured at all in the quarter-final against Palmeiras and the final against Paris Saint-Germain, with Joao Pedro now first choice. With the striker's future in west London seeming rocky, the Blues have outlined their price to sell the ex-Villarreal man - a cool £80million. Jackson has interest from clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia, but with eight years left on his contract, Chelsea remain under no pressure to sell the striker. Among his potential suitors are Manchester United, who've allegedly contacted his agents to sound out a possible move. Sky Sports add that it was Liverpool's £79m agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt to sign Hugo Ekitike that acted as a benchmark for the fee Chelsea are demanding for Jackson's signature. Jackson's superior goal contributions over the past two seasons - in a league Blues bosses believe is tougher than the Bundesliga - has led them to their assessment. Jackson has racked up 34 goal contributions over the last two Premier League seasons, five more than Ekitike's 29 during his entire spell with Frankfurt. And while the Frenchman is set to be the Reds' new striker, Jackson was once a top target for Hughes during his days as the sporting director of Bournemouth. During Jackson's tenure at Villarreal, he caught the eye of Hughes who agreed a £20.3m fee to sign for the striker for the Cherries in January 2023. It was another south coast club in Southampton that looked set to buy Jackson but a move failed to materialise thanks to Hughes' intervention. A deal looked almost complete following footage of the striker boarding a private jet to the UK in order to wrap up negotiations. However, due to a hamstring injury that was discovered in his medical, Bournemouth opted to cancel the transfer. Given their position in a relegation battle, the club decided against waiting for Jackson's return from injury in the worry that they'd lose their Premier League status. That didn't happen either, but come the following summer Hughes missed out, and Jackson went to west London instead.
Forbes
a day ago
- Sport
- Forbes
The Lesson MLS Desperately Needs To Learn From The FIFA Club World Cup
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JULY 13: Cole Palmer #10 of Chelsea FC celebrates scoring his team's ... More second goal with team mates Joao Pedro #20 of Chelsea FC and Reece James #24 of Chelsea FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by) The FIFA Club World Cup had plenty of issues, from dangerous summer conditions to matches played before tens of thousands of empty seats. Even so, in terms of overall sporting spectacle, the competition exceeded most peoples' expectations. All the clubs – even the disgruntled European powers – took the tournament seriously, helped in no small part by a total purse around $1 billion. The competition finished with an average attendance just under 40,000 per game, which puts it on near-equal footing with the top domestic leagues on earth. And thanks in particular to fans from Latin America and North Africa, the atmosphere at most games was every bit as genuine as a big UEFA Champions League or Copa Libertadores fixture. Many blasted the event as a contrived money grab, and they have a point. But the outcome underscored this fundamental truth about pro sports: Money grabs can be successful and even lead to sporting progress if they also satisfy a competive need. And the FIFA World Cup clearly did this, giving the majority of a club football world that is too often overshadowed by Europe a chance to compete with the global powers concentrated in the Big Five leagues. It's a lesson Major League Soccer's front office and ownership had better contemplate as it tries to use the momentum created by Lionel Messi's involvement to move the league forward. And so far, some ideas are far better than others. Even as the league prepares to celebrate its 30th season Wednesday at the 2025 MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas, there are three somwhat consistent criticisms where both MLS fans and American soccer fans who prefer other competitions would like to see improvements: Short-Term Focus Hinders Long-Term Growth There are ways to tackle all three desires in ways that can also be financially beneficial to club owners and the league. But too often, such initiatives are so laser focused on the short-term bottom line that they contradict MLS longer-term interests. One of the best examples is the upcoming Leagues Cup, which for two years pitted every team in MLS and Liga MX against each other, and will pit 18 MLS teams against the entirety of 18-team Liga MX in 2025. The idea is actually one of the best to emerge on the continent in recent years and helps the two leagues combine their strengths: Liga MX far outperforms MLS on U.S. TV, while American clubs lead most of Liga MX in terms of global visbility. And the United States-Mexico rivalry has been a defining force of Concacaf Circle for the better part of four decades, making the appeal for even casual fans obvious. But in both leagues' desire to maximize short-term revenue, every single tournament match is still played on American soil. While this maximizes ticket revenue by targeting MLS fans in local markets, plus Mexican American fans who can't regularly see their Liga MX teams in person, it undermines competitive integrity. The fomat tweak in 2025 should help some Mexican clubs in the league phase of the tournament, but the knockout round still heavily favors MLS clubs. And the result is an event that really doesn't capture much attention in the markets where those Liga MX teams actually play their league matches, and therefore does not achieve the legitimacy of similar tournaments like the UEFA Europa League or Copa Sudamericana won't earn that credibility. Unintended Consequences Domestically, similar instances in MLS abound. For example, reportedly at Apple TV's bequest, MLS expanded both the playoff field and the number of Round One games beginning in 2023, in an effort to boost the number of high-leverage games on the MLS Season Pass streaming service each year. What they actually accomplished was to sabotage previous attempts to make the regular season more meaningful. The format lessens the comparative benefit of finishing first over fourth, as well as fifth over ninth. And it more less assures all but the truly awful teams are in contention until the last month. In the Western Conference, Austin FC has been shut out nine times and sits eighth. In the East, New England has won once since May 7 and is still only eight points out. Promotion/relegation advocates will assert this is a symptom of a closed system, but it's only partly true. Liga MX regular season matches have far more urgency despite a playoff system that sees two-thirds of the league qualify, because the playoff structure is tiered to offer more rewards to top-four finishers, and the split-season format gives every league game more meaning. In other words, there were other ways to give Apple TV more playoff games while perhaps improving the regular season urgency, but MLS instead opted for the model that gave more owners a playoff home game. Then there's the whole debacle of the league's attempt to jilt the U.S. Open Cup, presumably because they were no longer directly connected to the marketing or televising of the event. While MLS isn't alone in lacking imagination around how to leverage the Open Cup, the distinct lack of interest in using the event to grow exposure in markets outside its own was comically negligent from a long-term business perspective. It only takes a brief look at the event's history to reveal how it helped contribute to MLS expansion in places like Cincinnati and Orlando. The FIFA Club World Cup wasn't perfect. Its organizers certainly had questionable motivations and questionable financiers. But they also took real risks that involved balancing the immediate bottom line with competitive concerns while giving an under-represented portion of the world's fans something they had long salivated for. Thirty years after MLS was founded, when soccer is far more in the mainstream in the United States than ever, the league's leadership and financial backers still seems unwilling to take similar risks and show faith in the fanbase it is trying to cultivate. Until that changes, a large chunk will continue to seek their soccer elsewhere.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Why Arsenal's Noni Madueke doesn't count as homegrown player but Chelsea's Joao Pedro does
Arsenal and Chelsea have strengthened their squads with the respective signings of Noni Madueke and Joao Pedro, however, only the latter counts as homegrown due to Premier League rules Arsenal have signed England star Noni Madueke and Chelsea have bolstered their attacking ranks with Brazilian forward Joao Pedro. But it's the Blues' newest recruit that counts as homegrown, not the former. Madueke, 23, can not be counted as homegrown due to the winger spending a chunk of his youth playing for PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch league, the Eredivisie. A player's nationality and age have little to do with whether they're considered homegrown. To be categorised as such, a player must be registered and trained by the Football Association (FA) or the Football Association of Wales (FAW) for at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21 – with Liverpool's new Dutch star Jeremie Frimpong aiding the Red's homegrown issues due to his past ties to Manchester City. This makes Joao Pedro, 23, homegrown as he was on the books at Watford between 18 and 21 after signing from Fluminense in 2020. Madueke began his youth career at Crystal Palace before later joining Tottenham Hotspur. Yet his move to PSV in 2018 scuppered his homegrown status. He eventually moved to Chelsea in 2023, and despite having seven England caps, he cannot be considered homegrown across UEFA competitions. The Premier League demands that at least eight out of a squad of 25 players must be homegrown. However, players not from these shores can be granted the status because they have played at an English or Welsh club before turning 21. Madueke completed a £52million move from Chelsea last week. The Gunners have paid £48m up front and £4m in performance-related add-ons in a deal that should keep him at the Emirates Stadium until 2030. On his arrival at Arsenal, Madueke said: "I'm somebody who goes with my gut feeling a lot of the time and I feel like it's steered me in the right direction so far. So, I don't think it's going to be any different here. I think it's going to be a great success and I'm really happy to be here. 'I've spoken to Dec [Rice], Myles [Lewis-Skelly], Bukayo [Saka], even Jurrien [Timber] as well and they all say amazing things about the club and the culture here, how warm it is and how much of a family it is,' Madueke said. 'I'm really happy to be a part of the Arsenal family now." Madueke is Arsenal's fourth summer signing, following Kepa, also signed from Chelsea, Spanish international Martin Zubimendi and Brentford captain Christian Norgaard. Adding Brazil international Pedro is another big statement from the FIFA Club World Cup champions and he has already made a major impact for the Blues. Arriving at Stamford Bridge on a seven-year contract, Chelsea prised Pedro away from Brighton in a deal worth up to £60m. The former Watford player scored 30 goals in 70 games for the Seagulls. Pedro joins a host of new signings at Chelsea this summer. Other incomings include Liam Delap for £30m, Dário Essugo for £18.5mi and Mamadou Sarr for £18m. Brazil youngster Estevao Willian has also joined from Palmeiras. "Everyone knows this is a big club with a great history," Joao Pedro said upon joining Enzo Maresca's side. "They had brilliant players in the past and have brilliant players now. So I am excited to join and you know when you are a Chelsea player you must think one thing — win."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liverpool's £120m Isak Interest Sparking Internal Chaos at Newcastle
Newcastle's Transfer Woes Highlight Structural Shortcomings and Market Limitations Transfer setbacks expose deeper issues Newcastle United, once viewed as the vanguard of football's financial revolution, are facing a stark reality check this summer. The failures in the transfer market have not just exposed limitations in budget or squad depth, but also the structural weaknesses that continue to hold the club back from reaching the levels they aspire to. The recruitment drive that was supposed to bridge the gap to the so-called elite has instead unravelled under the weight of expectation. As reported by The Telegraph. Five priority targets have gone elsewhere. Bryan Mbeumo, Liam Delap, João Pedro and Matheus Cunha have chosen other Premier League rivals. Hugo Ekitike is closing in on Liverpool. Dean Huijsen opted for Real Madrid. These are not isolated disappointments. They are part of a growing pattern that raises uncomfortable questions for a club that had hoped to build on a Champions League return and a long-awaited domestic trophy. Photo IMAGO 'The reality is this: Newcastle are shopping in the top-tier player market because they want to build a top-level team,' the original article noted. But this market is unforgiving. It rewards prestige, legacy and location. Newcastle, for all the money behind them, cannot compete on those fronts. And with financial rules restructured precisely to curb the influence of state-backed ownership, they are finding out just how sharp the elbows at the top of the game can be. Ambition clashes with financial reality There is no denying the ambition at St James' Park. Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan speaks of becoming 'number one' in English football, but vision requires infrastructure. This summer was supposed to be transformative. The club had navigated its way out of immediate PSR constraints and set about upgrading key positions with experienced, plug-and-play talent. Instead, the transfer window has become a litany of missed opportunities. James Trafford had been identified as a key target. A deal was in place for £20 million, with scope to go higher. But Burnley's valuation climbed, Manchester City re-entered the race due to a 20 percent sell-on clause, and negotiations collapsed. The story is indicative of Newcastle's new position in the market. They are good enough to identify top-level talent, but not yet powerful enough to secure it when rivals arrive at the table. Photo: IMAGO Their rise to the Champions League was ahead of schedule. The squad, managed impressively by Eddie Howe, outperformed every projection last season. But progression comes with pressure. Expectations rise. Rivals adapt. Clubs with decades of continental experience can absorb the weight of that pressure. Newcastle, still in the early stages of their revival, are feeling its full impact. Isak saga underscores wider concerns Amid the turbulence, the one fixed point for Newcastle should be Alexander Isak. Yet even that relationship has been tested. Isak, unsettled by contract issues and uncertainty, had been promised a new deal in 2024. When that failed to materialise, his camp felt disrespected. The consequence has been months of speculation linking him with Liverpool and others. Photo: IMAGO Mitchell's departure as sporting director further complicated the picture. Darren Eales, the chief executive, is now on his way out. Newcastle are trying to navigate one of the most competitive transfer markets in Europe without a fully functional executive team. That is not just risky, it is negligent. Still, the club are adamant that Isak will not be sold. 'They insist, from the very top… that Isak is not for sale at any price this summer.' The intention is to revisit contract talks, calm the noise, and secure their prized asset with a deal that makes him the highest-paid player in their history. It is the right move, but one that has come later than it should have. Growing pains of a club learning on the job This is a club still growing into its ambitions. The early years under PIF ownership were focused on laying foundations. Players like Bruno Guimarães, Sven Botman and Isak were shrewd acquisitions. They reflected a recruitment model that aimed to spot talent before it became unaffordable. Photo: IMAGO Now, Newcastle want ready-made quality. That is a different game. The margins are smaller. The setbacks feel sharper. And the clubs they are battling with are more seasoned in the art of winning negotiations. This summer should have been about depth, experience and pushing forward from a position of strength. Instead, it has been a summer of rejections. Anthony Elanga, signed from Nottingham Forest, is a start, but not the kind of statement arrival that suggests Newcastle are ready to make the leap from competitors to contenders. The truth is, Newcastle have overachieved. Their performances last season defied logic, squad depth and financial constraints. But football punishes complacency. The only thing more difficult than reaching the top is staying there. For now, Newcastle are struggling to do either. Our View – Anfield Index Analysis This summer has shone a bright light on the differing levels of project maturity between the two clubs. While Liverpool move swiftly for top targets like Hugo Ekitike and reinforce the squad under clear direction, Newcastle's approach has lacked clarity and cohesion. The Isak situation is particularly telling. That the player, one of the league's standout performers last season, could be unsettled to this extent suggests an internal misstep. Promising a new contract, only to back away due to shifting PSR concerns, is poor planning. And doing so without having a sporting director in place reveals just how stretched Newcastle's structure has become. Liverpool, by contrast, have built their reputation on coherent recruitment, a stable backroom team and smart contract handling. Newcastle's misfires are reminiscent of the early FSG days, where bold ambition often outpaced practical execution. It is also clear that, for all the talk of Saudi wealth, financial restrictions have clipped Newcastle's wings. As a Liverpool fan, that is reassuring. The idea that PIF would simply throw money at the problem has not materialised. Instead, they face the same hurdles everyone else does, only without the historic prestige or global commercial footprint to give them an edge. Newcastle will be dangerous in time. But for now, their frustration is Liverpool's comfort.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Newcastle are having a nightmare in the transfer window
There is no point trying to pretend otherwise; there is no amount of spin that can turn this into a positive for Newcastle United. They have had a bad summer and nobody at the club will try and argue differently. They have tried and failed to sign at least five of their priority targets. They have been snubbed. It is the painful sting of rejection. A realignment in recruitment is needed. Newcastle wanted to sign Bryan Mbeumo (going to Manchester United), Liam Delap (joined Chelsea), João Pedro (signed for Chelsea) and Hugo Ekitike (on the verge of joining Liverpool). They also held a brief interest in Matheus Cunha (gone to Manchester United) and Dean Huijsen (signed for Real Madrid) before swiftly moving on. They are also now in danger of losing out to Manchester City in their attempt to buy goalkeeper James Trafford from Burnley. The player had wanted to join Newcastle for more than a year. Newcastle had a deal worth £20m in place to sign the England Under-21 international, only for the plug to be pulled shortly after Paul Mitchell was appointed as sporting director 12 months ago. The club had been willing to improve that offer to £25m in this window, but Burnley have been holding out for £40m following their return to the Premier League. Negotiations reached a stalemate and now Man City – who negotiated a 20 per cent sell-on clause when they sold him to Burnley in 2023 – have made their interest in the 22-year-old known. It looks like Newcastle are going to miss out on another key target. The reality is this: Newcastle are shopping in the top-tier player market because they want to build a top-level team. That is fine in theory, but in practice, they fail whenever there is competition. The pool of elite players is a small one. Everyone is looking for the same things but other clubs can offer more money, their name carries more prestige, they have a legacy aura. They also have the lure of London and Manchester. When rich clubs have overthrown the old order in the past – like Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and even Chelsea – they shook things up and turned heads with pound sterling. Newcastle have the richest owners in the world in the form of Saudi Arabia's PIF, but the financial rules were changed precisely to prevent Newcastle doing the same. These are long-standing issues. We have gone over this ground before, but this summer has highlighted the problems it presents once more. When Newcastle were looking to close the gap on the 'Big Six', they signed up-and-coming players who could grow with them. They identified players with potential, such as Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães, before the bigger clubs were willing to take a chance on them. Their needs are different now. They have closed the gap, but staying there is a different sort of challenge. They desired 'plug-in-and-play' signings who could make an instant impact on the Champions League and the Premier League. That is the level they find themselves at because of results on the pitch but, given their many failures in this window, they may have to tilt back in the former direction. Unfortunately, Newcastle are the weakest members of that top-tier group from a financial and prestige standpoint. It has been reaffirmed by everything that has happened over the past few weeks. What we have seen, ever since manager Eddie Howe said they needed to be dynamic and move swiftly in the market back in May, is a collision between expectation and reality. A club with huge ambitions has been forced to confront the fact they are not operating at the same level as those they strive to compete with every season. Newcastle currently have the eighth-largest wage bill in English football and that will almost certainly not change this year. The bruising truth is it might never do so. They could edge ahead of Aston Villa, just as they edged ahead of them in the league table last season, but the gap between themselves and the Big Six remains a gulf because so too do the revenue streams. Newcastle may have enjoyed their most successful period for more than two decades, qualifying for the Champions League twice, as well as winning their first domestic trophy for 70 years, but they have exceeded expectations and defied predictions. They have, in short, massively over-achieved. Nobody thought they could qualify for the Champions League and win a trophy 12 months ago, when a second transfer window passed without a first-team signing being made, but somehow they managed it. It was a triumph against the odds, but you cannot keep pulling off miracles. Everyone at the club recognised that back in the spring when shortlists were drawn up. This summer was the chance to build a bigger squad, with more depth and upgrades in key positions. Having rid themselves of PSR constraints, this transfer window was supposed to be transformative. Instead, Newcastle have hit a ceiling they are struggling to break through. They have improved with the signing of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest, which ended a three-year search for a right sided forward. But they have so much still to do. More players will arrive before deadline day, but internally there is a desire not to panic. As frustrating and as disappointing as recruitment has been up to this point, the worst thing they can do is sign someone for the sake of it, just to quieten the clamour for new faces that always comes at this time of year. In turn, Newcastle have refused to be bullied. With Liverpool, and others, circling Isak, the pressure on them has been building. Of course, the player has been unsettled. It would be impossible not to be. Isak had been promised a new contract by former co-owner Amanda Staveley in 2024. However, Mitchell, who left the club last month, decided not to open those talks as Isak had more than three years left on his current deal and the club's PSR position made it difficult. This led to acrimony and the player's agent felt insulted. Everything that has followed can be traced back to that moment. But Newcastle have been steadfast. They insist, from the very top, which means chairman Yasir Al-Rumayaan and co-owner Jamie Reuben, that Isak is not for sale at any price this summer. For the time being, they will let the noise and the distractions die down. They respect the fact the constant speculation about his future has been difficult for him as well as them. But when the dust settles, they will offer him a new deal that would make him the club's highest earner. A mess was created that still needs to be cleared up. It is a difficult task, especially when there is no sporting director and the chief executive, Darren Eales, is working his notice. Running a club without a proper executive team is not the way any football club should operate, let alone one that aspires to be 'number one' according to their chairman. However, for all the setbacks in terms of bringing players in this summer to improve the squad, the one thing Newcastle could not countenance is making themselves weaker. Ambitious clubs do not sell their best players to a direct rival, for well below their valuation, when they have three years left on their contract. And Newcastle do remain ambitious, even if they do not have everything in place to achieve their goals at the moment. Isak is far too good and far too integral to how they play to lose him. Struggling to sign players is one thing; selling the world-class ones you have would be even worse. In a tricky period, that at least has been recognised.
