🚨 Alonso staying put, Arteta lauds Pep, ten Hag's pride, Tonali statement, Ange backs Richarlison, Xavi's journo complaint & more
Today's round-up, featuring Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and much more!
Good morning everyone and welcome to another Daily Briefing - thanks for reading, and enjoy! :-)
Today’s top stories:
Two major Man City players out of Super Sunday clash vs Arsenal
Plus more from Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Liverpool
AC Milan
AC Milan CEO Furlani: "We'd like Francesco Camarda to stay with us, I'm sure he wants to stay. Rumours about €10m commission are completely fake."
AC Milan CEO Furlani: “Rafael Leao's contract has a €175m release clause included, but even before that, I can confirm that Rafa's desire is to stay and continue at AC Milan.”
AC Milan CEO Furlani on rumours about Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan's future: "They are both under contract until June 2026. Players are always the ones who decide their future, we hope for Theo and Maignan to stay with us as long as possible."
Milan CEO sends Pioli message as doubts persist [Gazzetta dello Sport]
Arsenal
Ahead of the Super Sunday clash against Manchester City, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta explained the challenge that is presented by Pep Guardiola’s side each time they play [pictures from Sky Sports]:
Arteta: “There’s a chance to see Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhães playing against Man City, yeah.”
Mikel Arteta on Pep Guardiola: "He is the best manager in the world by a mile. He is someone I loved working with and that will stay forever. The intelligence, the way he manages the team, an incredible work ethic, he does a lot behind the scenes that people don't see."
Arteta on Ben White and England: "He has received a lot of love. You just have to see what his team-mates and everyone close to him in football says. Hopefully he can represent his country in the best way possible one day. That’s up to him."
€100m-rated striker is top of Arsenal’s shopping list [CaughtOffside]
Barcelona
Eric Garcia: "I have a contract - what is 100% certain is that I will go back to Barça. Then we will see what happens. I know there’s competition at Barça, but I also know I’m doing well at Girona. I know my football. Competition makes everything better."
Xavi: “Lamine Yamal’s standing ovation at the Bernabéu? He’s showing that he’s a differential player. I see him talented, strong, humble. He will definitely mark a new era here at Barça.”
Xavi on his future: “I’m grateful to the club, the president, Deco. But nothing is changing about my decision now. There are no substantial changes, but the key word for me is thanks. I’m really grateful.”
Barcelona star suffers major injury worry ahead of Las Palmas test [Sport]
Xavi confirms he’s filed complaints against two journalists: “Yes, it’s true and this has never happened to me before. I understand the criticism, but I don’t tolerate lying or inventing things. After some very big lies it's time to say enough is enough.”
Xavi on Mika Faye shining with Senegal: "Mika Faye has already played in a friendly with us, he is capable. He's very good. I like the way he moved the ball, he's aggressive, fast and at a good level, he can help us someday for sure."
What’s the truth with regards to a €35m bid for Hector Fort? Matteo Moretto has an exclusive and timely update.
Barcelona have already sent a new contract proposal to Pau Cubarsí. Long term deal offered with salary increase. New contract also includes €1B release clause. Barça hope to get it done before the end of the season.
Xavi: "Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal can mark a new era here at Barça. They are performing on the biggest stage here at the best level, absolutely. Now they have to maintain this level and I’m sure that they have all the attributes to do this."
Be the first to read EXCLUSIVE NEWS ARTICLES from me, Fabrizio Romano, Christian Falk, Neil Jones, Ben Jacobs, Jonathan Johnson, Charles Watts and Matteo Moretto!
Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso has announced that he will stay at Bayer Leverkusen, putting an end to links with Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid [pictures from Sky Sports]:
Bayern Munich
Bayern director Eberl on Joshua Kimmich out of contract in 2025: "He told us very clearly: ‘I want to know who the new coach is.’ We will see whether he wants to stay, whether we want it, is ultimately it’s up to Joshua to decide."
Bayern director Eberl: "Alphonso Davies case? We are not under pressure. We believe we have made a very fair and correct offer. At some point in life you have to say yes or no. I cannot wait forever. For me, the club is still the strong part.”
Thomas Tuchel on Bryan Zaragoza: "I wasn't entirely uninvolved in the decision to bring him here; I was also in the meetings. We took him out of a familiar environment and also, our assistant is translating in Spanish for him... but it's nonsense that I never speak to Bryan."
Chelsea
Si Phillips has a deep dive exclusive on what Chelsea needs to do this summer in the transfer market.
Ibrahim Umar Hafiz has started his trial period at Chelsea, with the club set to make a final decision on him in April.
Pochettino: "If you look at all the parameters and stats that are used on radio, tv and newspapers we should be in the top four. What does all the data mean? That we are in a good way. We need time with experience playing together."
Pochettino: “I don’t know if Reece James will play again this season, I don’t want to make predictions now. We hope yes but we will see week by week for Reece James and Christopher Nkunku, we don’t have a precise time for their return yet.”
Liverpool
Ahead of their match against Brighton, Jurgen Klopp gave an update on all of Liverpool’s injured players [pictures from Hayters]:
Jurgen Klopp on Xabi Alonso not joining Liverpool: “He is doing an incredible job there. They have a great team and they will probably keep the team together. I understand that he wants to do that. For the other stuff, nothing I have to say about that to be honest.”
Liverpool’s four-man back-up list of Xabi Alonso alternatives revealed [The Times]
Is Roberto De Zerbi a serious contender to take over from Jurgen Klopp? Matteo Moretto has an exclusive deep dive on the Brighton manager’s options.
Ruben Amorim remains the main name on Liverpool’s list as new head coach; not the only one but a concrete option being considered. Liverpool are informed about the clause in his contract at Sporting.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola explained the importance of Kevin De Bruyne ahead of Sunday’s clash against Arsenal [pictures from Sky Sports]:
Pep Guardiola: “Ederson is doing much better, Manuel Akanji will be 100% ready and available to face Arsenal.”
Pep Guardiola: "Kyle Walker’s injury is more serious than John Stones, and he will be out for I don’t know how many games..."
Manchester United
Erik ten Hag was full of praise for Kobbie Mainoo after his debut for England during the international break [pictures from Hayters]:
Erik ten Hag: “Lisandro Martínez could be part of the squad against Brentford. I expect Luke Shaw to play again for us this season, we’re confident.”
Ten Hag on rumours about other managers: “I don’t care. My focus is on the process, on playing at our best level. At Man United, there will always be noise around the club, the team, manager and players. There will always be an issue coming up.”
Bruno Fernandes may miss Premier League clash with Liverpool [Liverpool ECHO]
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Newcastle United
Eddie Howe: “It’s a complex story with Sven Botman’s injury. Initially he had a partial tear, and ultimately the medical team advised him to get surgery but he wanted to carry on. He then aggravated that issue and now has a long road ahead of him. The operation went well.”
Eddie Howe doesn’t want the FA to throw the book at Sandro Tonali [pictures from Sky Sports]:
Sandro Tonali’s representatives GR Sports statement. “It should be noted, in relation to the reports in the English and Italian press, that the ongoing investigation is a due act after Newcastle player Sandro Tonali, decided in October 2023 to self-report to the FA, as he had previously done with the FIGC, in order to clarify his position regarding the betting he had carried out at a time prior to the start of the proceedings in Italy. We are therefore not talking about anything new but simply about recurring facts before the Italian disqualification, which the player voluntarily wanted to bring to light even to the English Federation to put a definitive end to a negative and very painful parenthesis of his life. Sandro Tonali will continue to fully cooperate with the FA as he did with the FIGC and do everything possible to ensure that these proceedings can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Eddie Howe throws down the gauntlet to the FA [CaughtOffside]
RB Leipzig
Amadou Haidara has signed a new deal at RB Leizpig valid until June 2026, club confirms. It includes a release clause in the region of €30m.
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou lauded Richarlison for speaking out on his mental health issues once again [pictures from Hayters]:
Postecoglou: “Bentancur, Micky van de Ven and Richarlison are all fine, available for selection. Richarlison is okay. Had a bit of a knee niggle and we're managing him, he feels good even after training.”
Tottenham could block key man from playing in summer tournament [TyC Sports]
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Gary O’Neil: “Coaching role at Man United? No truth. I don't know where it came from. It’s an honour to be linked with Man Utd even though there is no truth in it. They’re one of the biggest clubs in world football and it’s an honour, but I love it here at Wolves. I am a head coach and I am always going to be a head coach.”