FOOTBALL

Will Liverpool break the bank to keep Mo Salah?

Published

3 years ago

October 10, 2021

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Liverpool have had a brilliant start to their 21/22 season.

Before the October international break, the Reds sat second in the league table, only a point shy of league leaders Chelsea.

Unsurprisingly, Mohamed Salah was central to the Merseyside outfit’s great form, making 12 goal contributions in 9 matches in all competitions.

If you have been following the Premier League for the past few seasons, you have grown accustomed to Salah scoring goals for Liverpool week in, week out.

One of best signings ever

The Egypt international has made a mockery out of the €42 million price-tag Roma had slapped on him, as he went on to score 134 goals in only 212 appearances for Liverpool after leaving the Italian capital.

Salah’s transfer will go down as one of the most successful signings in the history of the Premier League, both in terms of cost-effectiveness and success.

While the Reds are thrilled to have him at Anfield, they are yet to secure the long-term future of their Egyptian talisman.

This January, Salah will enter the final 18-months of his contract at Liverpool.

Contract deadlock

Talks are underway between Salah and Liverpool, but an agreement is yet to be seen on the horizon.

Salah was essential to Liverpool’s Champion’s League and Premier League triumphs. So, expectedly, they are eager to tie him down to a long term contract.

If reports are to be believed, Liverpool are willing to bump Salah’s current £200k-a-week salary to £250k per week.

But, Salah’s representatives are reportedly asking for a whopping £500k per week, which will make him the most expensive player in the Premier League.

Other than splashing €40m for RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool did not bring in any other players during the summer.

But, they were busy committing their current stars to new deals, handing the likes of Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson, Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, and Fabinho fresh contracts.

Salah signing the new deal would sum up the perfect summer window for Liverpool, but the parties hit an impasse over financial details.

The 29-year-old is arguably the best in the world right now, so it is not unfair of him to demand more salaries than the highest-paid players in the Premier League.

At the moment, Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne draw the heftiest paychecks from their respective clubs, each making £385k per week before taxes.

Fenway Sports might stand firm

However, the Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s majority shareholders, have shown in the past that they are not willing to cave in to outrageous wage demands.

They have already shown Giorgio Wijnaldum the door at Liverpool, despite the Netherland international’s importance in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool setup.

A situation more similar to Salah’s emerged in Boston Red Sox, the Major League Baseball team owned by the FSG.

They refused to break the bank to keep hold of Mookie Betts, the most high-profile player in the Red Sox dressing room.

Betts later joined the LA Dodgers in a 12-year deal worth $350 million, much to the dismay of the Red Sox faithful.

It is too early to say that FSG will take the same route in Salah’s case.

Because of the pandemic, other clubs in Europe do not have the financial might to launch a serious bid for Salah, which plays to the favour of Liverpool.

Perhaps, a compromise will be reached soon, which will see Salah agreeing to an amount of around £300k-a-week.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

5 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

5 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

5 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.