Liverpool have moved a major step closer to being sold after the High Court ruled against current co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett in their dispute with the club's board.
Hicks and Gillett failed in their attempt to block a £300million sale of the club to the owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise.
Last week the board of the Anfield club, led by independent chairman Martin Broughton, agreed to sell to their parent company, New England Sports Ventures (NESV).
Hicks and Gillett's three-and-a-half year reign had left the Anfield club in debt to the tune of £230million.
The decision by Judge Christopher Floyd to side with the board and major creditor the Royal Bank of Scotland has paved the way for a sale to be concluded before Friday's deadline, which could have resulted in administration.
In a further blow to the American pair, who in court were accused of committing "a calculated breach of contract", they were also denied the right to appeal.
"I am not prepared to grant any relief," said Mr Justice Floyd. "If I did it would risk stopping the sale and purchase agreement going ahead."
However, speaking on the steps outside the High Court, Broughton suggested that the sale of the club to NESV might now face a fresh challenge.
On Tuesday, former interested party Peter Lim tabled a new and improved £320million offer, which included £40million for the acquisition of new players.
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The cash-only deal offered by the Singapore businessman is likely be discussed at a hastily arranged board meeting on Wednesday evening.
"We will have a full board meeting this evening once board has been reconstituted and proceed with the sale process," said Broughton.
"We're delighted with the result, justice has been done. That's what we came for and that's what we got. We have a great future."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Birkir Bjarnason is currently being linked with a move away from Aston Villa in this summer’s transfer window.
The 30-year-old joined Villa from FC Basel in January 2017, and he has scored four times and registered three assists in 37 appearances for his English club in all competitions.
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Last term, Bjarnason, who is believed to be attracting interest from Italy, scored three times in 23 Championship appearances as Steve Bruce’s side reached the final of the playoffs before losing to Fulham.
The midfielder, who is valued at £1.8m by Transfermarkt, is currently with Iceland at the 2018 World Cup, but his nation have failed to make it through the group stages of this summer’s tournament.
According to Takvim, Trabzonspor are extremely interested in signing Bjarnason this summer, and the Villa supporters have been reacting to the transfer speculation.
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There are some Villa fans who are entirely against the sale, and others have put extortionate values on the midfielder, which is just another way of saying that the Iceland international should be kept ahead of the new Championship season.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Arsenal are in the midst of a busy schedule at the moment. They survived a scare in last night’s 2-1 second leg defeat to Ostersund but up next is a tasty battle for silverware as they play Premier leaders Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger had a chance to rest a few of his key players – especially those with injury problems – last night and will be hoping that the added rest whittles down his injury list.
Here’s the lowdown on the injury issues facing three of Arsenal’s most important players, according to PremierInjuries:
Alexandre Lacazette
When was he injured?: Lacazette’s injury has been an ongoing issue, but the club made the decision to send the player for knee surgery on February 13th.
Potential injury return date: 11/03/2018
Will he be missed?: Lacazette has only scored once in the league since early December, so the Gunners should be able to cope without him – especially after signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January. Danny Welbeck can lead the line as well if needed.
What the manager has said: “He is doing well, I think he will be ahead of the planned recovery – four weeks, maybe three and a half.”
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Aaron Ramsey
When was he injured?: Ramsey missed six games after limping off in a 1-1 draw with Southampton on December 10th, and has only seen limited action in the new year.
Potential injury return date: 25/02/2018
Will he be missed?: Ramsey has a habit of coming up big at Wembley, having scored the winner for Arsenal in two FA Cup Finals, so Wenger will be eager to have him in his side for Sunday and would provide a handy welcome bonus were he fit.
What the manager has said: “I don’t rule him out yet, it depends on how well he can improve with the intensity of training until Sunday.”
Mesut Ozil
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When did he become ill?: He contracted sickness for the fourth time in fourteen months on Monday (19/02/2018).
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Potential injury return date: 25/02/2018
Will he be missed?: Some would argue Ozil’s absence from a game that will require Arsenal to defend can be as much a blessing as a curse. But on paper at least, he’s still the Gunners’ most talismanic talent and the likeliest player to produce some magic in Sunday’s cup final.
What the manager has said: “Mesut was sick until today, he was in bed on Monday and Tuesday for sickness. I would have played him, but he will not be involved tomorrow. He should be OK for Sunday.”
It’s over and done with now. Cesc Fabregas is a Chelsea player.
Trying to find logic in Arsene Wenger’s thoughts on this one is a pointless task. The Arsenal manager keeps his cards so close to his chest that few at the club appear to have an idea of where he’ll move next. It’s to an extent that some have even questioned whether Wenger himself knows what his next move will be.
But this one is entirely on him, not the player, who apparently wanted a return to the club that rounded out the final years of his education and made him the player he is today.
I’m not buying the argument that the signing of Mesut Ozil last summer offsets the need for a player in the mould of Fabregas this year. How can having too many world-class players be a bad thing? Are Arsenal really in a position where they can turn their noses up at a player who will make them better in every sense?
Here’s the thing about Ozil: he doesn’t have the personality to be a leader, at least not a vocal one. He can lead with his performances, but he generally strikes as a kind of introverted genius. At Real Madrid his numbers were outstanding, but the focus was on Cristiano Ronaldo. Ozil helped pull the strings at the Bernabeu, but Xabi Alonso was equally as important at getting Real to play.
Of course, Arsenal have Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, but Fabregas is something else. Ramsey was phenomenal last season when he made it onto the pitch, but let him have an injury-free 38-game season where he replicates that form before we declare players of Fabregas’ quality wholly unnecessary.
The popular defence of Wenger’s refusal to re-sign Fabregas is in questioning where he’d fit into the current Arsenal side. He’d play in midfield, obviously, in the central position he held for much of his time in north London; there’s no ambiguity about that. Sarcasm aside (ask a silly question, get a silly answer), no one can say Fabregas would never have gotten a game (or Ramsey or Ozil) when the club’s horrific injury record is staring back at them.
Arsenal’s problem in every title race they’ve been in since moving to the Emirates is the running out of steam sometime around the three-quarter mark; the big injuries always seem to hit during or after January, with cruel, humorous consistency. You look to other clubs in England like Manchester City and Manchester United who have gone the distance in recent seasons, but better examples would be those from the continent.
Bayern Munich’s midfield talent pool is ludicrous. Thiago Alcantara’s injury last season was more an annoyance that one which would derail their campaign. Mario Goetze stole the headlines last year ahead of his switch to Bavaria, but he was in and out of the side. Pep Guardiola had the option of fielding either Philipp Lahm or Javi Martinez in the midfield, both to much success. The point is, that team never ran out of energy; ideas maybe, or just became far too entrenched in Pep’s ideals, but they never looked like they were running on empty.
Barcelona were the same when they signed Fabregas in 2011, Real Madrid’s swelled midfield department brought them two trophies last season, while Juventus had the luxury of being able to rotate Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, and Claudio Marchisio. Strength in depth and depth in quality did nothing to damage those clubs’ pursuit of silverware and ultimate success.
The other annoyance about this Fabregas situation is that the Spaniard is an Arsenal player. Not in the sense that he was once on the books of the club, but in his style of play. Wenger doesn’t stray too heavily from the possession-based game, essentially wanting to walk the ball into the net, and Fabregas would have continued to improve on the current product. It’s a similar statement made following Ozil’s signing: Arsenal didn’t really need him. Well they did, because he has obviously helped to better the team’s play. What Arsenal definitely didn’t need was a lumbering Marouane Fellaini sitting in front of the back four, yet his signing was trumpeted by a large group.
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Part of Arsenal signing Fabregas for a second time would have been in keeping him away from a rival team, but the majority of it should have been because a world-class player came on the market for what was, relatively speaking, a very good price, at £27 million.
There’s no other way to paint this other than an incredible loss to Arsenal, a reckless decision that will without doubt come back to haunt the club somewhere down the line.
Gylfi Sigurdsson believes Tottenham Hotspur must score early against Maribor in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Andre Villas-Boas’ team have drawn all three of their Group J games so far this season and could only manage a 1-1 draw against the Slovenian champions last time out.
But the Tottenham midfielder is hopeful that an early lead will open the game up and encourage the White Hart Lane crowd to get behind the team.
He told Tottenham’s official website: “It would be ideal if we get an early goal. That means Maribor cannot just sit there and defend and it would the game up.
“That would also get the crowd right behind us and it will be a great atmosphere. That is important for us.”
Sigurdsson, who scored the equaliser at the Ljudski vrt Stadium two weeks ago, also believes the size of the White Hart Lane pitch will work in their favour and that Spurs still have a realistic chance of progressing in to the knock out stages.
“It’s a big pitch at White Hart Lane so hopefully we will get wide, get some crosses in and break them down this time,” he added.
“It is still in our hands and we now have the advantage of playing at home. Hopefully we will use that advantage and take the three points.
“We want to progress to the knockout stage, so it is important for us.”
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According to Dutch media outlet Voetbal Inside, Brighton and Hove Albion are in talks with AZ Alkmaar over a deal for winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh, rated at €25m (around £22m) by the Eredivisie outfit, and Southampton should be watching developments closely.
What’s the word, then?
Well, VI report that the Seagulls are negotiating with the Dutch club to bring the highly-rated Iran international to the Premier League, with AZ demanding around £22m for the top goalscorer in the top flight of the Netherlands last term.
VI say that the 24-year-old could join the south coast club on a four-year deal with the option of a fifth if a deal is agreed, as Chris Hughton looks to strengthen his squad following an impressive debut campaign in the Premier League.
One of their main problems was scoring goals though, and adding Jahanbakhsh to the squad should go some way to eradicating that issue given his record during the 2017/18 campaign.
How did he do last season?
He was excellent, and showed why he is ready for a big move to the Premier League.
The tricky winger scored a remarkable 22 goals and provided a further 14 assists from out wide in 39 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt.
The 24-year-old brings far more than just goals and assists though, and he showed why he is feared so much by opposition defenders by the fact he successfully completed 111 of the 178 dribbles he attempted 33 Eredivisie outings last term.
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Why should Southampton hijack Brighton’s move?
Like the Seagulls, one of Saints’ main issues during the 2017/18 campaign was their shortcomings in the final third, and adding Jahanbakhsh to their squad would surely sort that out.
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The Iranian wideman’s brilliant record shows that he could make a huge impact at St Mary’s, and at £22m he is well in the south coast outfit’s price range – even if he would be a club-record purchase.
The 24-year-old would certainly be a welcome addition for the likes of Charlie Austin and Manolo Gabbiadini, who were often starved of service as Southampton, whose move for a 26-year-old midfielder would surely seal Mario Lemina’s exit, only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship.
Liverpool conceded a last-gasp equaliser in their 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday, and Reds fans weren’t impressed with Georginio Wijnaldum’s performance from the substitutes’ bench.
The hosts were leading 1-0 when the Netherlands international replaced captain Jordan Henderson in the 65th minute, but the 27-year-old failed to bring the energy and impact at both ends of the pitch that Jurgen Klopp and the Anfield faithful would have been expecting.
Instead, the Merseyside outfit could have found themselves 2-1 behind when they failed to close down Victor Wanyama before he fired into the top corner, but Harry Kane missed the chance to score from the penalty spot before eventually getting another opportunity to do so in stoppage-time after Mo Salah looked to have netted the winner just minutes earlier.
Liverpool supporters were quick to have their say on the Dutchman’s display via social media, and while one labelled him as a ‘horrible player’, another said he “offered nothing”.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Tim Sherwood has spoken for the first time since the club were forced to deny making an approach for Ajax manager Frank de Boer.
The Eredivisie side claimed Spurs had approached them about the availability of de Boer earlier this week, but that was strongly denied by the North London club.
And Sherwood, who signed an 18-month contract in December, admits the whole situation was a little strange for him but he will not let it get in the way of Spurs’ final two games of the season.
He told SkySports: “It was a strange situation, when a club has come out and said they’ve been spoken to and so has the manager and the club that I am working for is coming out and denying it.
“That’s where we are with it and I’m no further forward with that. The people upstairs will know whether I’m good enough to take on this club and if I’m the person they want to take on this club.
“The next two games won’t make any difference.”
And Sherwood also admits he is unsure of whether he will be the manager at White Hart Lane next season, but will be sitting down with chairman Daniel Levy at the end of the season to find out whether his position is untenable or not.
“We play West Han and then we play at home to Aston Villa. After that I will sit down with the chairman and we’ll decide what the plan is moving forward,” he added.
“Whatever will be, will be at the end of that. I’ve just got to carry on with my business, show my personal pride and professionalism, and make sure that the lads are prepared to win for team, for the fans and for this great club.
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“What will happen at the end of the season? Who knows?”
global advisor Shebby Singh believes the Ewood Park club have got the right man in charge to take the club forward.
The Championship club, who currently fifth in the table, have been searching for a new manager since Steve Kean resigned at the end of September.
And Singh believes that the club are now in right position to begin moving forward with their aims of returning to the Premier League.
He told Sky Sports: “I cannot do anything about speculation. The club was linked with everybody, but we all know who we actually approached and who we actually spoke to.
“Yes, we have made the right decision.”
But Singh also admitted that the club had made mistakes in the past by rushing in to managerial appointments and insisted they made the right decision this time round by taking their time.
“We drew up a list of criteria that we were looking for and then we tried to find the best individual who meets that. That takes time,” he added.
“Also, lessens from the past are very important. We possibly rushed in to a decision last time but we could not afford to do that, which is why we have taken our time.
“It might have taken longer than usual for some people but I don’t think it has been detrimental to the progress of the club in any way.”
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Berg’s first game as Blackburn manager will be a trip to managerless to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
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There is a tendency for fans and pundits to select their England team in a similar way to fantasy football; their desire to see England cast off the shackles and throw caution to the wind for once leads to tactical recommendations that would not be seen either at club level or in other elite international teams.
Sometimes, even the managers are swept up in it; Roy Hodgson fielded Danny Welbeck, Raheem Sterling, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge all in the same team in World Cup 2014 and Dele Alli, Adam Lallana and Harry Kane alongside Rooney and Sterling in France two years ago, with just Eric Dier protecting the defence.
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Gareth Southgate’s formation for England’s penultimate Russia 2018 warm-up match, the 2-1 win over Nigeria at Wembley – where he fielded Alli and Jesse Lingard either side of Dier, with Sterling behind Kane – hinted at a similarly adventurous approach.
That system may work against the ‘smaller’ nations, such as Tunisia and Panama, who England face in their first two Group G matches, where England need to be on the front foot and the threat of a counter attack isn’t so great.
However, as uninspiring as it may be, a two-man holding midfield axis of Dier and Jordan Henderson may well be needed against the elite nations, should the Three Lions get that far.
It won’t go down well with those who want to see a tubthumping England side, but it is a tactically mature idea; even Brazil, famed for their Samba style, now shield their defence with a holding duo, well aware that their current crop is not vintage and that having elite attackers isn’t that useful without keeping the back door shut behind.
It remains to be seen if Southgate thinks that way, but it may well be that Alli and Lingard will go from playing alongside each other in midfield to competing for the most advanced spot in the engine room.
Looking at the stats makes the perception of the two players’ seasons interesting; Lingard is seen as having the season of his career, while the Alli is perceived as having dropped his level in the past year.
Yet, the Tottenham man is ahead on all the statistical measures and his closer relationship with Harry Kane is something else that may give him the edge.
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Also, Alli is more of a central midfielder, who can burst forward at this stage of his career but may also end up playing further back anyway; whereas Lingard is a converted winger, and now a number 10.
He is disciplined and hard working, but Alli feels a more natural fit to settle into the midfield trio, arriving late onto crosses to slot home.
But who would you choose? Let us know by voting between Alli and the £31.5m-rated Lingard below…