Latest news with #transferbusiness
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spiky Brendan Rodgers rails against Celtic transfer question as simmering 'frustration' emerges
Irked Brendan Rodgers has shut down questions over potential incomings during a spiky post-match interview after seeing off Falkirk. And the Celtic boss insists that, if he can't get new signings in the door before next week's Champions League clash with FC Kairat, he'll happily go into it with the squad he has. Rodgers watched his side comfortably dismantle the Bairns to book a spot in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup but it wasn't long before the post-match questioning led to their transfer business, or lack thereof. READ MORE: Arne Engels earns fierce Celtic defence as Brendan Rodgers hits out at 'negativity' towards record signing READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers creates his own Celtic headaches for Champions League after Falkirk domination – 5 talking points BBC Sportsound's Alasdair Lamont quizzed about any potential incomings before the Champions League showdown. But a frustrated Rodgers replied: "I don't know, I have just come out of the game here. We will wait to see, we have named the squad before the gam. if not that is the squad that we are going with." Pressed on if he was optimistic about getting any deals done, he said: "Ok, let me repeat what I have just said. I have just finished the game. During the 90 odd minutes of the game, I don't know anything. I don't know anything. There might be, but there may not be, but we have the team that we have." Speaking immediately after the terse exchange, pundit Pat Bonner heard some 'frustration' in Rodgers' voice as he said: "Al (Lamont) has got to ask the questions, that is what is job is. The manager obviously has no information for him, and he will be getting a little bit frustrated because this question is going to be asked from now until the end of the window." Rodgers though was a happier customer on TV after the game as he told Premier Sports: "Our whole idea is to be as prepared as we can by the end of the window. "Of course I'd love to have other players in, you saw tonight we had a midfield player wide and putting Scalesy into certain positions as well. So we need reinforcements. But I don't want to keep harping on about it. "I don't need to beg for players that we need. We work with the players who are here, they're doing great, and hopefully we'll get reinforcements by the end." Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chun
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liverpool's remaining transfer business is INEVITABLE
Liverpool have left a lot of their transfer business to the end of the window, despite starting out pretty strong as soon as it opened in June. The Arne Slot 2.0 setup still isn't quite finished yet. This is fundamentally because of the sheer amount of squad turnover Liverpool are attempting to do. 🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨 LFC x adidas Shop the home range today! LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! Sales have been through the roof and sufficient replacements have to be brought in, otherwise the Reds will leave themselves short and hopes of delivering success this season will be shattered. 🔴 With just over two weeks left of the summer, Liverpool's remaining transfer business is inevitable. Liverpool plan to finish strong Of course, the main transfer that is in need of a resolution is Alexander Isak at Newcastle, since the player desires a move to Liverpool and he is currently on strike, hoping to force a departure. The Reds have been primed to make an improved bid on their initial £110m plus add-ons offering, although the willingness to present the Magpies with a new approach hasn't been there. Unless the Tyneside-based club show a willingness to negotiate for Isak, Liverpool will continue to steer clear. But the likelihood of missing out on a British transfer record fee for a player who insists he won't play for his club for the foreseeable is high. Newcastle know they're being forced into a corner and the sensible result of this entire saga is for Isak to be allowed to leave, despite his controversial antics. That would be an integral piece of business for Liverpool to complete. While it would essentially make Hugo Ekitike a £79m back-up striker, we would finally have depth in the position once again. After that, you've got the completion of a move for Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace, another transfer that seems to have stalled recently, even though all of the parties all pretty much on the same page. Liverpool want to buy the Englishman to add to their centre-back depth, the player wants to join Liverpool, whether it be this summer for a fee, or next summer on a free, meanwhile Steve Parish at the Eagles wants to make sure the player brings some money into the club for his departure. £35m was the rumoured fee last week, although it is thought that an extra £5m might be what is causing the current hold-up. Eventually, a fee will be agreed and Liverpool should get their man. But now that Ben Doak has left Liverpool in a £25m move to Bournemouth, the Reds are signalling an intent to sign another attacker, alongside Isak, as the current back-up options are not quite sufficient. It had looked like maybe we could get away without a new winger this summer, using Doak and Rio Ngumoha as the club's depth temporarily, but with the Scotsman now gone, someone else is needed. Both sides of the front-line could do with some assistance, although it's now the right-wing that is most in need of help, given Mohamed Salah is now 33 years old and will eventually need some help. To suggest the deals are inevitable feels a little bit like a push, although they will need to be if the Reds are to deliver the season that everyone is predicting of them. If injuries are out of the equation, then of course Liverpool have a great chance of success, but some areas of the squad are lacking. **🔴 **Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range 🔴
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Nuno raises doubts over Forest transfer business
Boss Nuno Espirito Santo has questioned Nottingham Forest's recruitment process in a surprise swipe at the club. The Portuguese is unhappy with the speed of Forest's transfer business and feels the squad is ill-equipped to handle a European campaign. Forest could spend close to £100m on Manchester City midfielder James McAtee, Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson and Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo in the next 48 hours, while there is also interest in Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz. Yet, before Sunday's Premier League opener with Brentford at the City Ground, Nuno outlined his fears over the lack of signings."Dealing with doubts is the worst thing you can have in football," he said, having guided Forest to seventh last season. "We have doubts, who is going to be [here], when are they [new signings] going to come? All these things create doubts. "Not only me but in the club. What we want is game-by-game to have as many options as possible. Europe will come after, and for sure it will be better, but for now until that happens it is a major concern."The owner is aware, the club is aware, everyone is aware. Everybody knows the reality. This is a lost chance that we had as a group to do it."Forest have signed striker Igor Jesus and defender Jair Cunha from Botafogo, Bologna winger Dan Ndoye and goalkeeper Angus Gunn, but Nuno wants at least another goalkeeper, a full-back, winger and striker. They sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for an initial £55m but Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract despite Tottenham trying to sign the midfielder, which left Forest considering legal action., externalForest will compete in the Europa League this season, returning to Europe for the first time in 30 years, but Nuno feels even the players are concerned. "They are very smart, they know how we operated last season and the way we established ourselves with the dynamic of the work," he said. "This season is different, and then doubts and questions come in. As human beings we can sort problems, but we can't solve doubts."There are players here who know they are going out on loan. Our pre-season was very, very bad. We didn't win one game and scored one goal."You think I'm going to be happy and comfortable here, thinking of that with the expectation?"The players are not supermen, we are going to need to rotate them. That's a major problem with the intensity and demands of the games."
BBC News
08-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Will Celtic's tendency for late business catch them out?
With a Champions League qualifier on the horizon and the domestic campaign already under way, there is growing frustration among Celtic supporters about a lack of transfer business. While they've seen six new faces permanently through the door - Benjamin Nygren, Hayato Inamura, Shin Yamada, Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan and Callum Osmand - only three were part of the squad for last weekend's Premiership opener. Kieran Tierney made his first competitive start since returning to the club while Benjamin Nygren started in place of last season's summer signing Arne Engels. Shin Yamada was an unused substitute while centre-back Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was spotted in the stands at Parkhead in full training gear before his loan deal was announced the following day. But how did Celtic look at this point in last year's transfer window?On 8 August 2024, Celtic had added Paulo Bernardo plus goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo but still hadn't completed deals for Engels, Auston Trusty, Luke McCowan or Adam Idah. Striker Idah, who had spent the 2023-24 season on loan, arrived at Celtic on 15 August for a reported fee of around £9.5m. Alex Valle joined on loan in late August and Engels wouldn't arrive until deadline day for a club record fee of £11m alongside centre-back Auston Trusty and midfielder Luke McCowan. While that timeline shows Celtic's tendency for late business, there's one big difference between where the club sat last summer compared to now - the Champions League play-off. While Celtic went straight into the league phase a year ago, this season they face a two-legged tie against either Kairat or Slovan Bratislava to secure their will need to name his full squad, up to 25 players, for the play-off round by midnight on 14 August - the day before Celtic signed Idah last year - albeit the club are allowed two late additions that can be made until the day before the first leg on 19 or 20 August. So with the deadline edging closer, will Rodgers have the signings he craves when Celtic bid for Champions League qualification?
New York Times
24-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Leeds have prioritised defensive transfers. They have a plan for attacking arrivals, too
Nobody, outside or inside Leeds United, is going to be dishing out pats on the back for this summer's transfer business until next season has concluded. Regardless of how good or bad a deal looks on paper, it is only going to matter once everyone sees how effective that player is at keeping Leeds in the Premier League. Advertisement In the shorter term, a supporter's anxiety is always likely to fester in the positions yet to be filled by the recruitment team. Had a raft of £30million ($40.6m) attackers been drafted in by mid-July, the natural reaction would have been to ask where the defenders and spine are. As it is, Leeds have pinned down six new recruits, with Daniel Farke declaring on Tuesday night that their business was now done in central defence and midfield. The manager called it the core bones of the group. 'I don't want to speak too much about various positions,' he said. 'It's important the core bones of the group are there. That means the central defence and the central midfield are more or less sorted, but I'm open and transparent about it. All the other positions, we're still looking at if we can improve the squad. 'If you speak about the goalkeeper position, we have three really good goalkeepers. Central defence is sorted, midfield is sorted, (but) we won't fall asleep and we'll have a look at every position in order to strengthen.' Seasoned transfer window spectators will be familiar with Farke and the hierarchy's alleged insomnia. His comments mean goalkeepers, full-backs, wingers, attacking midfielders and strikers are all under consideration. United sources, who have spoken to The Athletic anonymously to protect relationships, say sporting director Adam Underwood and his colleagues are well aware of how it looks to outsiders. However, there was no pre-conceived attempt to assemble the team's backbone first; it is simply how the transfers have fallen with the players in question. Naturally, United have tried to bring in as many of their targets as early as possible to aid their integration. The one position where the hierarchy is understood to have been more relaxed on timing is goalkeeper. Club sources have suggested a goalkeeper needs less time than an outfield player to get to grips with Farke's tactics, but there is hope that imminent progress will be made. Lyon's Lucas Perri and Mainz's Robin Zentner have consistently been mentioned as being well-liked. Their desired No 9 is going to be just as critical as a new No 1. These are signings the club has to get right in a season where survival is the main aim. Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz is understood to have been the top striker target for months and The Athletic reported that interest on June 7. As it stands, Fulham remain publicly insistent that the Brazilian is not for sale. Leeds are understood to remain hopeful that a deal can be clinched for the 24-year-old, which should be more likely if and when Marco Silva adds a striker to his squad. The desire for Muniz was established long before this week's developments at Leeds, but Patrick Bamford has been told he is free to leave and Mateo Joseph's transfer request only heightens that need for a new front man. Up to now, no other centre-forwards have been credibly linked, but there will be alternatives if the Muniz chase is derailed. Advertisement Igor Paixao, another Brazilian, is on the shortlist. Marseille's widely reported pursuit in the Feyenoord man has ebbed and flowed, and Leeds have been given no reason to end their interest in the winger. Premier League football and Raphinha's growth at Leeds and then Barcelona are big factors that they feel appeal to Paixao. Landing Paixao and Muniz would be significant statements of intent. A combined cost beyond £60m, added to whatever other business is done, might leave fans expecting significant sales in the same window to balance the books. It is worth noting, however, that the accounting period for this year's profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) is June 30, 2026. Theoretically, Leeds could wait until after next season ends in May to meet their obligations. Joseph could prove to be one sale that is made and Farke was bullish in setting out the case for a sizeable fee. Largie Ramazani is another player who has garnered interest. Greek top-flight outfit Aris Thessaloniki would be open to a loan deal with an option, but Ramazani is understood to have knocked back their move and other European clubs' advances. If Paixao was added to the crop of wingers in Farke's squad, he would have Daniel James, Wilfried Gnonto, Ramazani and Jack Harrison. Dilane Bakwa, a 22-year-old who played as a winger and wing-back for Strasbourg last season, is another wide option Leeds have explored. He is not being pursued at the moment, but could be someone they turn to. The same can be said of Bilal El Khannouss, the 21-year-old who predominantly played as a No 10 for Leicester City last season. The Morocco international has been assessed, but is not an active target at this point. The foundation of the team is in place, barring head-turning offers for their pre-existing defenders and midfielders, but Leeds need to kick into their next phase. Difference-makers in both boxes will be needed to ensure Premier League safety.
