the Daily Briefing: Potter to Chelsea, why Boehly sacked Tuchel, Mbappe vs Haaland, and more - Thursday 8th September
Is Potter the right man for the job? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Good morning guys and welcome to my latest Daily Briefing!
Today’s top stories:
Final details to be discussed for Graham Potter to become Chelsea manager
Napoli’s smart work in the transfer market helps them thrash Liverpool
Barcelona
Xavi: “I'm more than happy for Ousmane Dembele. He's at the same level as the best Neymar when the Brazilian was here at Barca. Trust me, he's an incredible player.”
It was almost over between Dembele and Barca just 7 months ago... now, the Frenchman is in the form of his life and was a joy to watch last night in the win over Viktoria Plzen.
Official, confirmed. Miralem Pjanic leaves Barcelona and joins Sharjah FC on permanent deal, contract valid until June 2024 with option until June 2025.
Chelsea
There’s a positive feeling after talks with Graham Potter - click here for all the latest details on this move.
Thomas Tuchel was surprised to be sacked by Chelsea, but here’s why I think it was the right time for him to go.
What about Mauricio Pochettino? Find out more about his links with Chelsea here.
📰 In other news, Thomas Tuchel overruled Chelsea moves for Cristiano Ronaldo and Jules Kounde, and struggled with the responsibility over transfers this summer (Independent)
Galatasaray
Galatasaray are closing in on the signing of former Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata as free agent. A One-year contract has been verbally agreed, now just waiting to get it signed.
Mauro Icardi has officially greeted Galatasaray fans after joining the club on loan from Paris Saint-Germain…
Inter Milan
Inter Milan CEO Beppe Marotta on Romelu Lukaku: “Lukaku’s future to change after Tuchel sack? Too early, we’ll see with Chelsea at the end of season.”
And on Milan Skriniar after interest from Chelsea and PSG in the summer: “Skriniar is key player and we will do our best to keep him - it’s also up to the player whether he wants to sign new deal or not, we are optimistic.”
Leeds
Juan Mata was never close to joining Leeds, despite some transfer rumours surrounding the Spaniard a few weeks ago.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp when asked if he's worried about getting the sack like Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea: “Not really, this is not the case. Our owners are rather calm and expect me to sort the situation and not think someone else will.”
You can read more about Liverpool’s terrible UCL start here.
Manchester City
Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe? Both were at their very best in the Champions League this week - click here for my thoughts on the debate about which player is better.
Manchester United
Erik ten Hag had one conversation with another Ajax player but saw the move blocked - click here for my exclusive story.
📰 In other news, Manchester United are ready to hold talks with Marcus Rashford over a new long-term contract (Sun)
Napoli
Giovanni Simeone is an underrated signing by Napoli - click here for my thoughts on the club’s transfer business this summer and how it helped them thrash Liverpool 4-1 in a surprise in last night’s Champions League.
Nottingham Forest
Official, confirmed. Serge Aurier has signed for Nottingham Forest on a free transfer. The deal had been signed on Deadline Day and is now completed. Even outside the transfer window, Forest can’t stop signing players!
RB Leipzig
Marco Rose will be appointed as new RB Leipzig manager, full agreement in place. Leipzig want to get it signed in the next hours to have Rose at work on tomorrow training session. He’s now expected to be in charge for the game against Borussia Dortmund, if there are no issues.
Tottenham
Richarlison is starting to show why Tottenham signed him, beating Chelsea to his signature. Watch below as he couldn’t hold back the tears after this emotional night in the Champions League…
Wolves
Wolves’ appeal over a work permit for Diego Costa has been accepted. The former Chelsea striker flew to England last night to finalise the deal, a one-year contract is ready and a medical has been scheduled.
Final details to be discussed and then Graham Potter will be the next Chelsea manager, and why it was the right time for Thomas Tuchel to go
My exclusive deep dive into the managerial situation at Chelsea as they close in on Graham Potter.
41 min ago
Why Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel and why Graham Potter is Todd Boehly’s choice
There are the final details to be discussed in the next few hours and then Graham Potter will become the new Chelsea manager, the feelings are positive already from Wednesday afternoon when the contacts started. Todd Boehly believes that Potter is a manager with a vision for the present and the future, he can have an immediate impact on the squad but also an ability to build the Chelsea identity of the coming years.
I believe that Tuchel is an excellent manager but that the situation with Todd Boehly was really tense in the last days, which is why we could no longer go on together. He probably needed time to make an impact on a team that has changed a lot; but I believe that if an owner no longer believes in a manager, it is always better to part immediately rather than wait and lose a season.
From Tuchel’s perspective, however, the decision was completely unexpected.
The situation in the dressing room was not great, it was a bit tense behind the scenes at Chelsea, but yesterday morning Tuchel was ready to take the next training session and prepare for the next game. He was ready to restart the process, but Todd Boehly, during the night, decided to sack him. It was a surprise to the manager, but it’s not just about the Dinamo Zagreb result - Boehly feels he spent a lot of money in the summer on important players, and results and performances are not what as expected.
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