Rangnick works out midfield targets
Manchester United are looking to overhaul their midfield under new manager Ralf Rangnick. The interim boss may have to deal with the departure of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard on free transfers, while Donny van de Beek could also leave Old Trafford. The Sun reports that John McGinn of Aston Villa could cost more than £50 million, £32m is needed for Amadou Haidara, and England duo Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice could be summer signings.
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Paper Round’s view: McGinn has been impressive for a couple of years now but at 27 would not be a long-term solution. The other players listed are all younger, and in Haidara’s case is much cheaper. If United lose two players from their side without recouping any transfer fees, they may try to find bargains rather than splash out huge sums of cash to improve their midfield.
‘I couldn’t say no to Manchester United’ – Rangnick
Wilshere linked with Wrexham
Following the takeover of Wrexham by North American actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, there have been rumours that former Arsenal and West Ham midfielder Jack Whilshere could be linking up with the Welsh side as they attempt to make their way up the football pyramid. However, manager Phil Parkinson denied that any rumours were based in truth.
Paper Round’s view: While there is no suggestion that Parkinson is being dishonest, it is rarely worth giving credence to something a manager says: they only tell you the truth when it is useful for them to do so – that is just part of the job. Wilshere is only 29, and needs to find any club to play for before he will soon be forced into retirement by going stale.
Clubs consider vaccine clauses
Premier League sides are considering introducing contracts for players to ensure that they are vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Telegraph reports that sides are wondering if they can and should enforce such requirements, with players forced to isolate if they test positive for the virus amid reportedly low uptake amongst professional athletes.
Paper Round’s view: While one can see why clubs do not want to lose out on being able to use their players as much as possible, there was already a problem about respecting bodily autonomy when it came to putting pressure on players to do as they were told by medical staff. While the evidence appears to show the vaccine is overwhelmingly safe, enforcing such requirements is less morally clearcut.
Allegri ready to clear house
Max Allegri is gearing up to sell five players in the winter transfer window as he looks to rebuild his squad, with Inter Milan and AC Milan leading the way in the Serie A table so far. There are four players who could be sold: Dejan Kulusevski, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Arthur Melo. The club will need to sell before they can go back into the transfer market.
Paper Round’s view: Getting rid of Cristiano Ronaldo will have helped Juvetus’ bottom line a huge deal but it appears as if there is far more to do in order to properly resolve their financial difficulties. As bad as the coronavirus has been, the severity of their recent struggles suggests that Juventus might have been operating close to the edge before the pandemic hit.
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