Latest news with #Wright-Phillips
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Alexander Isak slammed for treatment of Newcastle team-mates during Liverpool saga
Alexander Isak's transfer saga has shown Sweden star does not care much for the impact his decisions have on Newcastle's dressing room, according to Shaun Wright-Phillips Former Chelsea star Shaun Wright-Phillips has slammed Alexander Isak for the disrespect shown to his Newcastle team-mates while his transfer saga drags on. Sweden star Isak has let his desire to leave St James Park become public knowledge amid keen interest from Liverpool, though the Toon's asking price remains some way higher than what the Premier League champions appear willing to pay having last week had a first bid rejected. And Wright-Phillips, a 36-time England international, reckons Isak has gone about forcing a move in such a way that it could easily be viewed as an insult to his current colleagues. "I think he's handled it very badly because everyone knows you want out but you should go and train,' Wright-Phillips told 'You're not affecting the club, you're affecting the players you've been to war with for the last three seasons. Have a little bit of respect for your team-mates, turn up to train and then go home.' Isak has not featured in pre-season for Newcastle with the club citing a thigh injury, though he has also taken himself to the training ground of former club Real Sociedad for a mini training camp. And Wright-Phillips added that such a decision indicates Isak is being badly advised. "You want to play football at the end of the day and the fans have been unbelievable for him. I feel like he should have just showed up,' he added. 'Everyone's been in a position in football where they don't want to be somewhere but there's only some who don't show up for training. He's obviously been advised to do that because the person I've seen talk and be around in Newcastle doesn't seem like that's in his character. "And we're seeing little bits of Isak now, the way he's handling this by not turning up to training, cause I've seen it as it's everywhere." However he also thinks Newcastle must accept some blame for the farrago. The North East club are in a tug of war with Manchester United for Benjamin Sesko and that shows a lack of long-term planning. "They're putting themselves in a position where the season's coming and Isak might go or not go. If he doesn't go, they have in many ways, an unhappy striker there and I've seen some stuff that fans have written for him, and those fans are not happy with him. He doesn't want to be there. "If Newcastle sign somebody, he has two weeks to get used to the way Newcastle play and get himself settled before the season starts. This, for me, could have been handled four weeks ago.' 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.
Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd face repeat of Alejandro Garnacho mess as theory shows true priorities
Manchester United have been told they are in danger of isolating some of their younger and more promising stars with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo having uncertain futures at Old Trafford Shaun Wright-Phillips has warned that Manchester United risk alienating their young talents if they opt for a sell-to-buy strategy this summer. The ex-Manchester City and Chelsea midfielder highlighted the predicament of Alejandro Garnacho, who seems to have fallen out of favour with Ruben Amorim. Wright-Phillips also expressed concern over 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo's situation, as he looks to be struggling to adapt to his manager's system. Wright-Phillips suggests that academy product Mainoo and Garnacho, who was bought for £420,000, could be seen as valuable assets. The United board appears willing to let the duo leave for a substantial fee in order to alleviate concerns over Profit and Sustainability Rules. Marcus Rashford, another homegrown talent, also looks set to bring in a hefty sum for United this summer. With the club facing financial difficulties after a disastrous season that saw them miss out on European football, significant player sales may be needed to boost their transfer funds. United have already splashed out £62.5 million on Matheus Cunha from Wolves, reports the Manchester Evening News. According to Wright-Phillips, the Red Devils are now in a state of uncertainty, seemingly ready to cash in on players once considered the future of the club. "I don't think they should be getting rid of key players like that," Wright-Phillips told Betway. "Because the same thing in many ways has happened to Kobbie Mainoo without even saying anything. He's just not been playing either and he was that golden child, as well, about a year ago. "It's either that or they're trying to raise money from players they've not had to pay for. Because some of their selling, I'm not really understanding." Garnacho was limited to just 20 minutes in United's Europa League final defeat by Tottenham. The 20-year-old now finds himself on the brink of an Old Trafford exit with teams such as Chelsea and Napoli linked with the Argentinian for around £50m-£60m. The young winger hit out after the humbling loss in Bilbao, branding United's season "s**t" and adding that he would wait to see what his future holds. Wright-Phillips believes that Amorim and United have poorly handled Garnacho's situation. "It's a hard one because I do think he's a fantastic winger," Wright-Phillips added. "I like wingers that try and take on their defenders, entertain, because that's what I based my game off –entertaining the crowd, trying to make the full-back's life hell. Garnacho does that in multiple ways. "He was obviously hurt by the decision not to start him in the final, which, to be honest, I didn't understand either, considering he had started all the other games and played really well in most of them." He continued: "But before the game, the manager's seen something tactically different – whether it worked or didn't work. When he brings him on, that's when the game changed, and it was more United than Spurs, because he was causing them all sorts of problems. "It obviously hurt him deeply, and I think the manager should have just pulled him aside and said, 'Look, I know you were hurt, but you could have just come and said it to me, you didn't have to go public'. But he's gone public. I just think there's a better way for the manager and the club to handle it." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. 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
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Chelsea slammed for selling 'unbelievable' player to Arsenal
Chelsea have been warned they are making a mistake selling Kepa Arrizabalaga to Premier League rivals Arsenal. Mikel Arteta is set to welcome the 30-year-old to Arsenal in the coming days as he looks for a new back-up goalkeeper. Loan signing Neto performed that role for the Gunners last season but struggled in his one and only appearance and has now returned to Bournemouth. Arsenal believe Kepa can be a capable deputy to Raya next season and have reportedly agreed a £5m deal with London rivals Chelsea. Chelsea spent £72m on Kepa in 2018 – making him the most expensive goalkeeper in history – but the Spain international struggled at Stamford Bridge before losing his place in the team. 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 we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Despite Kepa returning to Chelsea from his season-long loan at Bournemouth, the Blues have expressed interest in signing a new shot-stopper this summer and clearly do not rate the soon-to-be Arsenal player. But former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has questioned the decision to sell Kepa to Arsenal following his 'unbelievable' season on the south coast. Wright-Phillips even believes Kepa could have emerged as Chelsea's No. 1 once more, saving the club potentially millions this summer. 'I'm confused. I don't understand,' Wright-Phillips told Betway when asked abut Kepa's imminent move to the Emirates Stadium. 'It's like nobody's been watching Kepa this season. He's been unbelievable. He is part of the reason why Bournemouth finished where they finished. Arsenal hero Ray Parlour believes Kepa should reject a summer move to his beloved Gunners. 'It's all on whether he wants to play, he's not going to play at Arsenal is he? 'He's going to be the No.2, do you want to be No.2? He's obviously been No.1 at Bournemouth. If you're Arsenal, you want to buy him because he's a great No.2 to have. 'But if you're Kepa, you want to play unless you're happy to sit on the bench but if I was a keeper at his age I'd want to play because you'll regret it once you finish.' Speaking to talkSPORT 'The defence was outstanding, but Kepa was unbelievable, as well, I thought. 'I assumed while the season was going on that Chelsea didn't need to buy a goalkeeper because Kepa was going back anyway, but that isn't to be the case. 'You can have as good a goalkeeper as you want, but if you're still going to make the same mistakes in defence, your goalkeeper is still going to concede. 'That's just the fact of the matter. [Liverpool goalkeeper] Alisson pulls off amazing saves when he's needed. Half the time he has to pull off a save, it's not forced errors. 'So if Chelsea can get their defence like that, where they're not making him make unnecessary saves he shouldn't have to make, then I think Kepa is your man to keep. You don't need to forage around. 'Most managers now are looking for goalkeepers that are good with their feet. I think Kepa's alright with his feet, but he might not be at the level they want him to be. More Trending 'But for me, it's a real strange one.' Chelsea are looking to sign a new goalkeeper following Robert Sanchez's inconsistent season at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were in advanced talks to sign France's No. 1 Mike Maignan from AC Milan but the deal collapsed earlier this week, with Chelsea unwilling to match the Serie A club's valuation. Chelsea have multiple goalkeepers on their books but Sanchez has flattered to deceive between the sticks and Dorde Petrovic is set to leave in the pursuit of more game-time. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Arsenal transfer target Rodrygo drops hint on his future after first meeting with Xabi Alonso MORE: Liverpool star convinced Florian Wirtz arrival will force 'dream' move to Barcelona MORE: Jadon Sancho's preferred club tells him they are not interested in summer transfer
USA Today
19-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Retired MLS stars to play with amateur team in US Open Cup: What are they thinking?
Retired MLS stars to play with amateur team in US Open Cup: What are they thinking? Show Caption Hide Caption Messi 'never imagined' he would achieve what he has Lionel Messi says his dream was only ever to be a professional, and thanked God for all his success Stats Perform Video It's been a few months since Dax McCarty helped Atlanta United eliminate Lionel Messi and Inter Miami from the postseason, before retiring after 19 seasons in Major League Soccer. It's been a little over a year since Ozzie Alonso retired, and two years since Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips retired from MLS. Ask any former athlete in any sport: The desire to play again never goes away. The four are now MLS Apple TV analysts, but they're going to step onto a pitch once again in Kansas City, Missouri on Wednesday night. They'll play with six other retired stars on an amateur team from Iowa against a bunch of 19- to 24-year-olds aspiring to play in MLS like they did. They'll play for the Des Moines Menace on the road against Sporting Kansas City II inside Children's Mercy Victory Field at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match is in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup – the longest ongoing tournament in America soccer in its 110th edition. It will be available to stream on YouTube. At least the tournament is older than them? "I just ran sprints for the first time in four months. I still got it," McCarty, 37, said in a video on social media last week – breathing heavily before laying down on some grass. "I don't know how I got convinced, man," Wright-Phillips, 40, told USA TODAY Sports with a sigh. Kljestan, 39, played with the Menace for two games in last year's Open Cup. He did the convincing along with Benny Feilhaber, who is going to play against the MLS Next Pro team he coached for the last three years. The Brazilian national helped SKC win MLS Cup in 2013, the Open Cup in 2017, and is in the franchise's hall of fame. Kljestan and Feilhaber recruited McCarty — the trio competed for playing time together for U.S. Soccer at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Alonso, a four-time Open Cup winner and 2016 MLS Cup winner with the Seattle Sounders, said McCarty influenced him before a flight to their current day jobs. And Kljestan needed his "striking partner' in Wright-Phillips. Kljestan led MLS in assists and Wright-Phillips in goals twice each during their careers, and one of those times was in 2016 when they played together for the New York Red Bulls. "Sasha worked his magic, wore me down and convinced me,' Wright-Phillips said. The Menace is a USL League 2 team that plays from May to August and is typically filled with amateur players in college. The former MLS stars aren't getting paid for participation. They're just in it for the thrills. "When you retire, you can never get that feeling back of playing in a stadium, scoring a goal and hearing everybody cheer for you. There's just nothing in life that can replicate that,' Kljestan said. 'So, just getting that opportunity to do it one more time, or two more times, or three more times depending how many games we win, I think it's pretty exciting for us.' McCarty said he walked away from the game in great shape, but the day-to-day grind and being away from his family took its toll. He started playing some golf and pickleball in his spare time to feed his competitive fire. But it just doesn't compare. "I absolutely want that feeling back,' McCarty said. Alonso misses being in the locker room with his teammates and the pressure to perform. "I miss everything,' Alonso said succinctly. Wright-Phillips — who started his career Manchester City before eight MLS seasons – wants to make up for lost fun. 'I'm one of those players that I don't really miss the game,' he said. 'When I played, I was really uptight. It wasn't fun because I was very hard on myself to always score goals. I didn't enjoy as many games as I should have because you're always worried about three points and worrying about other teams' results. "So, I just want to enjoy the game, try to win and just have fun playing with my friends.' They'll be joined by AJ DeLaGarza, a three-time MLS Cup champion with the L.A. Galaxy who won the Open Cup with Houston in 2018. Victor Ulloa (FC Dallas, 2016) and Justin Meram (Atlanta, 2019) also won Open Cup titles. Matt Hedges (2016 MLS Defender of the Year) and Mikey Ambrose (former six-year MLS veteran) will also play. Their first order of business should be getting on the same page. Kljestan and Wright-Phillips want McCarty to play the whole game since he's the least removed from professional soccer of the bunch. "Their expectations are I'm supposed to play 90 minutes,' McCarthy said. "I don't know how that's going to work out.' They also need to figure out how far they really want to go in the tournament. McCarty said it would be "a little irresponsible and foolish to talk about winning the whole thing." Kljestan said his "dream scenario" would be to at least play against an MLS team in a big stadium again. "It's going to sound delusional, but I want to get to the final. I want to win this. That's the way I am in my mind,' Wright-Phillips said. "I'm not saying I'm going to be leading the line. I'll be on the bench like a great cheerleader. But let's try and get to the final.' On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer announced a record $1 million prize pool would be awarded during this year's tournament. The champion will win $600,000, the runner-up $250,000, and $50,000 for each of the three highest finishers from lower divisions participating. The Open Cup – despite its history – has been a bit of an afterthought in the American soccer space since the summer Leagues Cup tournament between MLS and LIGA MX teams was created in 2019. MLS nearly pulled its senior teams from the tournament last year, but eight competed in 2023, and 16 of the 30 of them will play this year. The former players don't feel responsibility to play in hopes of reviving the Open Cup, but believe their presence will bring some attention. "People over time have seemed to play it down. It's the oldest tournament in the country, and that's to be respected,' Wright-Phillips said. 'A lot of people made their name in this tournament. Why are we above it? Why would I not want to play in this tournament and get more people interested?' Added Kljestan: "This is just getting a group of guys that want to give it one last shot of playing together at the highest level, and it will shine a light to the Open Cup and hopefully bring more eyeballs for it.'
NBC News
21-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC News
MLS preview: What to expect from Lionel Messi, plus other key storylines to watch
Right now, where do you put MLS among the world's best leagues? Twellman: They're not at the Premier League level, and nor should they be. English football has over a 100-year history. Naturally, when you're trying to establish yourself in credibility, you got to do so in the world market. And I would say over the last five to seven years, Major League Soccer has exponentially grown. The way I judge that is, when you talk to scouts around the world, how quickly are they getting to the United States and Canada and Major League Soccer? They're getting there very quickly. I think Cavan Sullivan is a great example of that with Manchester City deeming him the best 14-year-old in the world. He's now playing for Philadelphia Union before he goes to Man City. Wright-Phillips: I love and hate this question because it's so hard. My personal opinion, just having played in both (the MLS and English Premier League) ... let's take the top teams like Inter Miami and Columbus Crew, the teams that have been very dominant over the last year or so. They would have no problems in the Championship, maybe bottom of the Prem. That's how I see it and how I like to see it. It's so difficult to judge. Lionel Messi had an incredible first full season in MLS. What are your expectations for him this season and how good can Miami be? Wright-Phillips: We weren't sure how he would react to being in the MLS, but he's taken it by storm. He's the Messi we've known and loved over the years. What I do know is that, especially in America, Inter Miami won't be seen as a successful side until they win the MLS Cup. So Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets — I think that'll be the No. 1 thing on their list. Until they win that, I don't think people will say it's been a huge success. But saying that, they've been a joy to watch. Twellman: He had 36 goal contributions in 19 games last year. If not for a horrific ankle injury from a slide tackle in Copa America, he would have played probably 25 or 26 games, and he could easily have had 45 goal contributions. If he's healthy this year and he plays 25 games, I think he could be the first repeat winner of the MLS MVP ever because the way he changes Luis Suárez, the way he changes everyone around him. I'm nervous for Miami because I don't think they're as deep as they were last year. They've got to figure that out. Besides Messi, what players are must-watch this season? Wright-Phillips: You'll always enjoy watching Darlington Nagbe. I think a young striker like Patrick Agyemang for Charlotte is very exciting and upcoming. Jack McGlynn just went to the Houston Dynamo. This will be good for him, starting every week. Talking about young players starting every week, I'm thinking of Brian Gutiérrez for Chicago under Gregg Berhalter. Twellman: On LAFC, Denis Bouanga is one of the best players this league has ever seen. You do not have to be a soccer fan to see his impact and to see how he plays. He plays at a high level, 90 minutes of just relentless pursuit of goals and assists. He's had 20-plus goals in two straight years. An unreal player. What other storylines are you watching for? Twellman: The FIFA Club World Cup being in this country, two MLS teams being a part of that, all the eyeballs around the world are going to be on the United States in 2025. It's a perfect preview of what the World Cup is going to be in 2026. Major League Soccer now has the infrastructure, the momentum to really catapult itself with all the eyeballs in the world in 2025 and then ultimately in the World Cup. That's where it's going to be different than 1994. Wright-Phillips: I don't think the casual MLS fan realizes how good of a player Wilfried Zaha is. I was surprised that there isn't a lot more noise around his name for how good he is as a player. We got to remember, this guy was tearing it up at Crystal Palace in the Premiership. It didn't work out for one reason or another, but this is the kind of talent we're talking about that's coming to the league. And I think very soon after Matchday 1, we're going to see a top player and you'll hear his name a lot throughout the season. What team that missed the playoffs last season could take a big step? Wright-Phillips: I'm going to go with Chicago. [Gregg Berhalter] has all the pieces. He has a good young No. 10 in Brian Gutiérrez and then they brought in a really good winger in Jonathan Bamba. He's another player that loves to run at defenders. And then if you were worried about their defense, they bring in Jack Elliott from the Philadelphia Union, who I think is a really underrated center back in the league. Twellman: I'm interested to watch Austin this year. They went out and spent $10 million on Brandon Vázquez. He comes back from Mexico and is a goal scorer. There's a new manager (in Nico Estévez). I don't know if the manager gets them to winning the MLS Cup, but I think he improves Austin to a point that the fan base is now rejuvenated the way they were in the first couple years of their existence. Who is your pick to win the MLS Cup? Twellman: The transfer window changes everything in the summer. The teams you see on Feb. 22 are not the teams you see come MLS Cup playoffs. A lot can change. But as of Feb. 20, I think people are really overlooking Atlanta United and Cincinnati. They had the best transfer windows. Wright-Phillips: You have to look at Cincinnati. Over the years, Cincinnati has always been a team that doesn't concede many goals. ... Now you add Evander, one of my favorite players. You're putting him on a side that is defensively sound. He has a striker in front of him now in Kévin Denkey who is very efficient in front of the goal. When you talk about attacking talent, adding Evander, and you talk about how good they are defensively, that's a team that's built for the playoffs.
