Rodri’s two potential successors
THE Manchester Evening News explains that life without Rodri promises to be complicated for City. Internal solutions exist with Gündoğan, Kovacic, Nunes and Lewis but the club also looks outside and wants to strengthen itself in the winter transfer window. The name of Samuele Ricci was mentioned yesterday, but two other avenues emerge according to information from Football Insider. The first option is called Martín Zubimendi. After refusing Liverpool’s approach, the Spaniard regrets his choice and wants to join England. But Manchester City risks having to spend a large sum to convince Real Sociedad. The other possible option is called Nicolo Barella. His profile appeals, it’s a credible alternative to Rodri, but again, it looks complicated since Inter want to keep their player. There would be talk of a transfer worth nearly €80 million.
Barça launches operation 2026
Barcelona prepare to officially welcome Wojciech Szczęsny according to Mundo Deportivo. The goalkeeper is due to land in Barcelona today to undergo his medical and sign his contract. His goal is to be ready for the match against Sevilla on October 20. Beyond that, the Catalan club is taking stock of its players’ contracts and has established a very precise strategy. According to Sportthe management’s objective is that no player starts a season if his contract ends at the end of the season in question. The idea is to plan a transfer beforehand in order to draw in liquidity. And the work is immense since several players will be free in 2026. The contracts of Lamine Yamal and Pedri are the priorities. The extensions of Marc Bernal and Fermín López are about to be concluded. On the other hand, those of Araujo, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen are less obvious. The club wants to renew them, but no discussions have yet started, because the first two prefer to focus on the recovery process to be back as quickly as possible.
Ten Hag in the heart of the storm
Manchester United’s heavy defeat at Old Trafford (0-3) against Tottenham shakes the entire press. Starting with the Daily Starwhich is about a rainy evening. The main person responsible for this disappointment is Erik ten Hag and all the tabloids strongly criticized him. THE Daily Mirror speaks of a “sacred evening of mrde» for the Mancunians. THE Daily Mail goes even further. For them, Ten Hag no longer has excuses and he is an obstacle to the progress of this team. He has served his time and must go. THE Daily Express* relays the Dutch technician’s response to these criticisms at a press conference. He does not fear dismissal, he does not feel worried and is still asking for time. Behavior seen as a provocation by the British press.
