Latest news with #Solskjaer
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 'offered' surprise Championship deal
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has spent two seasons playing for Besiktas, but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be about to end his spell in Turkey, with Leicester interested in his services Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is being eyed by Leicester after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear that Besiktas want to sell him this summer. Oxlade-Chamberlain has just finished his second season with Besiktas and it seems he could be approaching the end of his time in Istanbul. The former Arsenal midfielder arrived in Turkey in the summer of 2023 after leaving Liverpool on a free transfer. He has endured a rollercoaster time with Besiktas, playing under nine different managers during his two years. It initially appeared as though he would leave the club last summer, just one year into his three-year contract, after being frozen out by Giovanni van Bronckhorst. But he rode out Van Bronckhorst's short-lived spell in charge and ended up becoming more involved once ex-Manchester United boss Solskjaer arrived. The 31-year-old, who is engaged to singer Perrie Edwards, ended up making 20 appearances in all competitions, although he was ineligible to play in the Europa League, having been omitted from the squad. He appeared to blossom under Solskjaer's management, but his wages have presented an issue. According to reports in Turkey, Bestikas are keen to get his £2.2million annual salary off their wage bill and Leicester have approached the club about signing Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Foxes have been relegated to the Championship and are rebuilding after sacking Ruud van Nistelrooy and releasing a group of players. Oxlade-Chamberlain has won the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup with Liverpool, three FA Cups with Arsenal and has claimed the Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup with Bestikas, despite his struggles there. Nevertheless, it seems he is searching for regular game time at this stage of his career, having previously struggled with injuries and with rotation. Speaking to The Athletic in October 2023, he said: 'Whatever your career path is, it's about what keeps you motivated. For some people, it could be money. For others, it's winning. Others might just want to score goals. Whatever it is, you want those needs to be met. That's what gives you the will to keep going. 'I just want to play. I need to play, to take this opportunity and see what I can still achieve while my legs are still moving.' Solskjaer will have to take a pragmatic approach with Besiktas due to their situation. "Everyone knows you need time to shape a team into what you want it to look like. But you have to manage it the best you can, not as you wish it was,' Solskjaer told BBC Sport last month. 'There are things I want my team to do that this one can't. We have come into a difficult financial period because in the past the club has spent money, maybe not so wisely." He added: "Look, recruitment is probably the most important thing in football. You need the structures right and you need to get the right people in. "When you manage two, three, four or five different managers' players, it is hard to make it balance into a team you want to see. Everyone knows you need continuity and patience to get success, but not too many get it." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Metro
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pushing to sign Arsenal star after 'positive' meeting
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Besiktas have held a 'positive' meeting over a summer deal with Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, according to reports in Turkey. Solskjaer, who played for and managed Manchester United, is planning to sign a new midfielder in his first transfer window in charge of Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas. Besiktas were in crisis before Solskjaer's arrival in January but the Old Trafford legend has stabilised the club on and off the pitch. They have climbed to fourth in the Super Lig ahead of their final two games of the season and already qualified for next season's Europa League. Besiktas have been one of the best teams in Turkey since Solskjaer's appointment and the former Premier League star is keen for his team to kick on next season with the help of some summer additions. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. At least one new midfielder will be added to Solskjaer's squad and the ex-Norway international has identified Partey as a top target. Partey has enjoyed arguably his best season at Arsenal and his form has attracted interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid and Juventus, as well as clubs in Saudi Arabia. The 31-year-old's current deal is due to expire at the end of next month and he is yet to agree fresh terms. Partey is believed to be keen on extending his stay at the Emirates Stadium but will of course leave if a deal cannot be struck. Turkish outlet Fanatik say Besiktas have already made contact with Partey's agent and held a 'positive' meeting about bringing him to the club. Arsenal will make one last attempt to keep Partey in north London following the end of the Premier League season, with Mikel Arteta recently confirming he wanted the Ghana international to stay. 'In regards to Thomas, consistency-wise, it's been his best season,' Arteta said before Arsenal's final game of the season against Southampton. 'I think the way he's played, performed, his availability has been exceptional and he's a really important player for us.' Asked if he wanted Partey to remain at the Gunners, Arteta simply replied: 'Yes'. Partey is not the only Arsenal player coming towards the end of his contract, with fellow midfielder Jorginho and full-back Kieran Tierney in the same boat. More Trending Jorginho is expected to join Brazilian club Flamengo on a free transfer while Tierney, whose Arsenal career has been plagued by injury problems, is poised to return to Celtic. 'Well, there's some question marks on a few of them, so we'll have to wait and see,' Arteta said. 'We still have another Premier League match to play on Sunday and after that we have some time to sit down and finalise a few things that have to be done.' Arsenal appointed Andrea Berta as their new sporting director earlier in the year and the former Atletico Madrid chief will oversee transfer dealings this summer. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Rio Ferdinand says Manchester United sold £75m Chelsea flop 'too soon' MORE: Matheus Cunha takes Manchester United star's shirt number ahead of £62.5m transfer MORE: Paul Scholes urges Jack Grealish to join Premier League club after Man City snub
Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Rise and fall of Brandon Williams as ex-Man Utd star sentenced for 99mph crash
Manchester United academy graduate Brandon Williams has been sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years, after a high-speed car crash in August 2023 Less than a year after being released by Manchester United, Brandon Williams has been sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years. And after recently saying it hurt him to watch football, the full back who had been tipped for the very top finds his career in tatters. Williams, 24, pleaded guilty to driving dangerously, with a balloon in his mouth, and hitting a top speed of 99mph before crashing his Audi A3 into a Ford Fiesta on the A34 near Handforth, Cheshire in August 2023. And on Friday he was handed a suspended 14-month prison sentence, 180 hours of community service and banned from driving for 30 months. This was not Williams' first driving offence – he had already accumulated 30 points on his licence – but the damage caused remains untold. And although he avoided prison, there remains serious doubts over whether a player once so highly rated, has a future in the game - having not played a game for 12 months. Rare is the player who can return from such a long spell out of the game to hit the heights of before. And it is hard to predict whether clubs will eventually be willing to take a punt on someone with undoubted talent but too many red marks to his name. Williams joined United's academy aged eight and made his first-team breakthrough under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer while still a teenager in a Europa League draw away to AZ Alkmaar. And after an otherwise forgettable scoreless encounter Solskjaer was more than enthused by the left back's bow. 'You won't see a better full debut from a full back anywhere,' Solskjaer said. 'The boy is just going to improve and improve. He's got the right mentality.' Plenty more opportunities followed with Williams finishing the 2019-20 season by making 36 appearances across all competitions. 'He's been fantastic the few games he's played,' Solskjaer said later in that debut campaign. 'The boy has no fear, he is as brave as a lion and he got us the win.' But as Williams recently said on the More Than A Match podcast, he found life 'went from 0-100 real quick and that's what people will never understand.' The pandemic affected him. While his team-mates were living in their gated mansions, he found life difficult living in a bedroom at his mum's house. But the lockdown summer brought a four-year deal worth more than £50,000 per and external expectations were that he would kick on. There would be no regular starting spot during 2020-21 and he was sent on loan to Norwich City the following year. At Carrow Road, Williams featured semi-regularly as they were relegated to the Championship - and briefly landed himself in hot water because of an Instagram post apparently directed at Canaries fans who he claimed followed him home after a defeat to West Ham. He returned to Old Trafford in the summer of 2022 but could not find a way into new head coach Erik ten Hag's plans and found the attention from those in his outer circle was proving a distraction. With game time limited, the window for off-field distractions grew bigger. 'It was difficult,' he added to More Than A Match. 'You had family members you didn't know was (sic) your family, friends you didn't know was your mates.' Another loan, to Ipswich Town at the start of last season, brought a clean slate and the initial signs were promising. Except the Cheshire crash came a few days before. 'At that point, I was in a bad situation, stuff was going on,' Williams said on the same podcast. He required hospital treatment before he was arrested and breathalysed but tests for drugs and alcohol were negative. Recorder Eric Lamb acknowledged that Williams had 'strong personal mitigation' after committing the offence at a time of depression. Still, prosecutors said that Williams - who had previously received driving bans of six months in October 2023 and 12 months in May 2024 - it was fortunate no one was killed from his 'erratic driving.' Andrew Madden, senior Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor, said Williams' driving "clearly fell far below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver.' Mr Madden added: "Witnesses said Williams kept speeding up and then braking sharply. It was clear he wasn't in control of the vehicle. The driving was erratic and the speed was grossly excessive. Eventually, Williams lost control completely and crashed." Now the career of a player that Manchester United had the highest hopes for is under serious doubt. Williams himself has suggested that continuing his playing career away from the glaring lights of the Premier League may be his best option. He said: "I've had loads of teams trying to get me out - America, Europe and England - but I haven't been ready. I want to go somewhere 100% focused and kick on. "I would like to experience that different culture. I'm only 24 so I could do three or four years abroad. Definitely Europe at a good club or an upcoming club."
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Donny van de Beek points the finger over Man Utd struggles after exit
Donny van de Beek was never given a fair shot at Manchester United and has attributed his injury woes to the amount of time he spent on the bench at Old Trafford Donny van de Beek has claimed his injury struggles date back to his time warming the bench at Manchester United. The Dutchman was signed in 2020 but was unable to ever make himself a regular. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spent £35million to land the versatile attacker, but only made us of him sporadically as Van de Beek's frustration mounted. He scored on his debut but was rarely preferred to Bruno Fernandes with his minutes very much at a premium. He's since left, joining Girona in Spain, but has continued to battle an Achilles issue. The Dutchman has enjoyed far more minutes than he did at Old Trafford but clearly still has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to his underwhelming stint in Manchester. Solskjaer continued to defend his lack of use of the player, but in the years since Van de Beek's health has been a battle. He confessed that the time he spent as a sub means his body was less accustomed to the intensity of playing regularly. He told SportBible: "It's difficult to build rhythm and confidence when you're constantly being sidelined. It's hard to be at your best when you're in and out of the team, and I think when you're not playing regularly. Your body isn't used to the intensity and you become more prone to injuries. The lack of consistent minutes didn't help either." Van de Beek's goal on his debut did little to aid his cause and even when he would impress he was quickly returned to his bench role. He also admits the random cameos did nothing for his case with bit part minutes not helping him become a regular. He said: "I think I deserved more chances, especially in my first year. I didn't play all the time, but when I did, I had some good games. I was convinced I would get more opportunities. I felt good, and thought, 'Okay, my time will come' but for some reason, it didn't happen. After a year or two, it gets harder because if you don't get a longer run of games then it's difficult to prove yourself." Van de Beek would score the last goal of the Solskjaer era as he came off the bench to score what would be a consolation during a 4-1 loss at Watford. The Norwegian was forced to defend his use of the player on several occasions and claimed leaving him on the bench spoke to the quality of the squad. "I think it says a lot about our depth of quality in the squad that we don't have to use him every single game," he said. Despite that claim Van de Beek would make just four starts in his only full season under Solskjaer and things didn't change when Erik ten Hag, who coached him at Ajax, came on board before he eventually left Manchester.
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer delivers savage eight-word dig after beating Jose Mourinho
Besiktas earned a derby win away against Fenerbahce as Ole Gunner Solskjaer earned a win over Jose Mourinho before being able to fire a clever quip in his press conference Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a tongue-in-cheek remark to Jose Mourinho, after the pair faced off in the Turkish Super League. Manchester United hero Solskjaer came away with a victory against the former Chelsea boss as he guided his Besiktas side to a narrow 1-0 win over Fenerbahce. The duo have a shared history after the ex-Norway sharpshooter succeeded Mourinho in the Old Trafford hotseat. Mourinho won the EFL Cup and Europa League while in charge at United but lasted little more than two seasons at the club. After seven wins in 19 games, the Portuguese coach was sacked with the Red Devils 19 points off of top spot. Solskjaer took the reigns as caretaker manager before being appointed as the permanent boss on a three-year contract after winning 14 matches of his first 19. Ultimately, Solskjaer's stint did not bring silverware to the club and he was sacked in 2021. The 52-year-old's move to Besiktas is his first managerial role since being given his marching orders by United chiefs. And Solskjaer has guided Besiktas to fourth in the table since being appointed in January, and sit 20 points behind Mourinho's Fenerbahce's side. That counted for little as the Black Eagles earned an unfancied win to ruffle Mourinho's feathers. Gedson Fernandes' goal on the verge of half-time separated the sides to leave the Special One fuming. "If we played Besiktas 10 times, we'd win eight," he said. "They'd win one, and one would be a draw.' Asked for his response, Solskjaer offered a quick quip after earning three points. "Looks like they'll be winning the next eight," he offered. There were no sparks flying between the managers however. "Ole is here for a few months," said Mourinho "He is experienced and intelligent enough to learn what he has to learn. I am nobody to give him advice. "We spoke in the tunnel before the game. It was normal things two guys who respect each other but have to play a match say to each other. After it was the same. "We are experienced enough for him not to be on the moon because he won, just as I am not in hell because I lost a derby. We respect each other well. I think we like each other too. I would say that." Mourinho did appear in a fiery mood however, with Galatasaray's title win drawing a step closer. The league-leaders are eight points clear of Fenerbahce with four matches remaining. The ex-Inter Milan manager aired some of his grievances. "When some of your players don't perform well enough, it affects your collective performance as well," he said. "The outcome of the league was determined before the league even started. The games we lost at home were decisive. VAR decisions, referee decisions. I am so tired of talking about these. I have no power, nothing changes, but this is the situation, this is the truth." Despite having another year on his contract, Mourinho's future appears uncertain. The veteran's latest comments will do little to quell any speculation over how long he has remaining in Turkey. "I am not speaking about next season," he said. "I will speak internally, not to the media. If there is something, out of respect to the president and the board, I will not bring it into the public."
