Football News: Review Of The Day 28th January 2023

Review of the Day

Contracts

Stefan Bajcetic has signed a new deal with Liverpool which will tie him to the club until 2027.

Marcus Fraser will now be out of contract in 2025 after agreeing a 2-year extension to his deal with St Mirren.

Burton Albion winger Mustapha Carayol has extended his deal until the end of the season.

Plymouth Argyle defender Macauley Gillesphey has put pen to paper on a 2-year extension taking his contract up to 2025.

Kieran Trippier has extended his deal with Newcastle United until 2025.

Former Chelsea player Marcos Alonso has signed a new contract with Barcelona to run until 2024 with an option for a further year.

St Johnstone striker Stevie May has agreed to stay until 2025.

Girondin Bordeaux teenager Marvin De Lima has agreed a deal which runs until 2026.

Southampton youngster Lewis Payne is now tied to the Saints until 2025.

Barrow have given Niall Canavan a deal which will end at the end of next season.

OGC Nice midfielder Hicham Boudaoui has extended his contract until 2027.

Barcelona youngster Angel Alarcon has a new contract running until 2025.

Transfers

Michail Antonio has claimed he could be leaving West Ham United in the January window, but David Moyes has stated that the club have "no intention" of selling him.

The Premier League's bottom club Southampton have signed full-back James Bree from new manager Nathan Jones' former club Luton Town.

Celtic have paid an undisclosed fee to Suwon Samsung Bluewings for South Korean striker Oh Hyen-gyu.

Bournemouth have agreed to pay over £20m for Villareal forward Nicolas Jackson. The Cherries have also signed Darren Randolph from West Ham United, while AS Roma full-back Matias Vina has arrived on loan.

After running out on a move to Everton, Arnaut Danjuma has joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Villareal.

Burnley have completed the signing of Lyle Foster from KVC Westerlo for an undisclosed fee.

Heart of Midlothian have stated that they rejected a bid from Blackpool for Toby Sibbick after new Tangerines head coach Mick McCarthy is reported as saying: "We've been looking around at players and interested in players, but I wouldn't discuss transfers unless someone comes into the building, and then I'd say you'd know by then. I'm not quite sure they (Hearts) are being honest. Are they just trying to trigger somebody else to come in and offer more? I don't get that. Sometimes people say somebody has bid hoping they can get a bigger bid. They say somebody has made a bid, so it looks great to the club, the crowd and the fans that they're keeping him." Hearts responded with the following statement: "We can confirm that Blackpool submitted one bid for Toby on Monday, at 8.33pm, which was dismissed out of hand. Subsequently, Blackpool have been told that Toby, a much-valued part of our team, is not for sale. For anyone to suggest that we have been not been 'honest' about the situation is, in itself, extremely disingenuous. The club would prefer to conduct all transfer matters in private, but we will not sit back and let the good name of Heart of Midlothian be besmirched."

Ross County have signed Eamonn Brophy on loan from St Mirren. St Mirren have also recalled Lewis Jamieson from his loan spell with Airdieonians, while Toyosi Olusanya has been sent to Arbroath on loan.

Watford have signed Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous for £450,000. Hibs will not be losing Kevin Nisbet to Millwall, despite the two clubs agreeing a fee, after he rejected the move.

Forest Green Rovers have paid an undisclosed fee to sign Rangers' former Manchester United youngster Charlie McCann.

Stoke City have signed Bersant Celina on loan from Dijon.

Leeds United defender Cody Drameh has joined Luton Town on loan.

Sunderland youngster Leon Dajaku has joined Swiss club St Gallen on loan.

Coventry City have completed a trio of signings. Sean Maguire has signed from Preston North End, Luke McNally on loan from Burnley and St Albans have sold teenage Riccardo di Trolio to the Sky Blues. Di Trolio has also been loaned back to the non-league side for the rest of the season.

West Ham United have loaned Conor Coventry to Rotherham United.

Former West Ham youngster Sorba Thomas has signed for Blackburn Rovers from Huddersfield Town.

Hull City have loaned young keeper Harvey Cartwright to Wycombe Wanderers.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have paid an undisclosed fee of £50,000 for Bristol City goalkeeper Dan Bentley. Leaving Wolves is fellow goalkeeper Matija Sarkic on loan to Stoke City.

Jordan Hugill has joined Rotherham United on a free transfer from Norwich City.

Newcastle United have agreed a deal with Everton to sign want away midfielder Anthony Gordon. Gordon had been absent from training with the Toffees in recent days as he looked to force a move.

Bournemouth have paid over £10m for Antoine Semenyo from Bristol City.

Rangers manager Michael Beale has said that the club are talking to "three or four more" players as they look to close the gap on SPFL leaders Celtic.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have agreed a fee with Flamengo for young midfielder Joao Gomes. Wolves have also loaned former Liverpool youngster Ki-Jana Joever to Stoke City and Jackson Smith has gone on loan to Wallsall.

Joe Gelhardt has joined Sunderland on loan from Leeds United. Also joining the Mackems is Isaac Lihadj for an undisclosed fee from LOSC Lille.

Forest Green Rovers have signed Charlie Savage from Manchester United and Tyler Onyango from Everton. Both players are on loan for the rest of the season.

Cameron Jerome has been released by Luton Town and signed for Bolton Wanderers.

Stoke City's Aden Flint has joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

Free agent midfielder Grant Ward has signed for Bristol Rovers.

Colchester United have paid Lincoln City an undisclosed fee for Tom Hopper.

Michael Morrison has joined Cambridge United on a free transfer from Portsmouth.

Exeter City have signed Demetri Mitchell on a free transfer from Hibernian and have paid an undisclosed fee for Bolton Wanderers defender Will Aimson.

Hull City goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright has moved to Wycombe Wanderers on loan.

Following his release from Wycombe Wanderers, Sulley Kaikai has signed for MK Dons.

Sutton United have taken Matt Dennis on loan from MK Dons and signed Hisham Kasimu on a permanent deal from Farnborough.

Leyton Orient have taken Kieran Sadlier on loan from Bolton.

Charlie Lakin has moved to Doncaster Rovers on loan from Burton Albion.

Blackpool youngster Tayt Trusty has joined Hartlepool United on loan.

Rochdale have taken two former Manchester United youngsters on loan. D'Mani Mellor has arrived from Wycombe and Owen Dodgson from Burnley.

Tranmere Rovers have spent an undisclosed fee on Bristol Rovers' striker Harvey Saunders.

Qatari club Al-Wakrah have paid an undisclosed fee for AFC Wimbledon forward Ayoub Assal. The Dons only revealed it was a record transfer fee for the club in its current iteration.

Stoke have sent Matt Baker to Newport County on loan.

Swindon Town have sold Ben Gladwin to Crawley Town for an undisclosed fee. Rejoining Swindon is free agent goalkeeper Roshan Greensall, who had left the club after his contract expired last year.

Colchester United have signed Will Greenidge from West Ham United on a permanent deal.

Tom Eastman has move to Harrogate Town on loan from Colchester United.

Queens Park Rangers' former Liverpool youngster Conor Masterson has returned to Gillingham on loan.

Northampton Town have spent an undisclosed fee on Barnsley midfielder Will Hondermarck.

Free agent midfielder Shane McLoughlin has signed for Salford City.

Walsall have signed Yann Songo'o on loan from Bradford City.

After reports of bids for him from both Chelsea and Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion's Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo has confirmed his desire to move. Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi had said the player was "focused only on Brighton" after he "spoke with him like a father, not a coach." But Caicedo's post on social media tells a different story: "I am grateful to Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best. I always play football with a smile and with heart. I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful. I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador. The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take this magnificent opportunity." Caicedo has since been excused from training with the first team according to reports after it was noticed he was not training with the team on Friday.

Former Manchester United and Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has joined Western Sydney of the Australian A-League on loan from OGC Nice.

Bologna have sent Sebastian Breza to Carrarese on loan.

Lorient have paid around £6m to sign Bamba Dieng from Olympique Marseille.

Inter Miami have loaned Emerson Rodriguez to Santos Laguna.

Pescara have signed Hamza Rafia from Juventus.

Sivasspor have signed former Leeds United winger Samu Saiz from Girona.

Celta Vigo have taken Clemente Montes on loan from Universidad Catolica.

Stade Reims goalkeeper Patrick Pentz has signed for Bayer Leverkusen.

Racing Strasbourg have taken Yuito Suzuki on loan from Shimizu S-Pulse.

Como have signed Alfred Gomis on loan from Stade Rennais.

Young Sassuolo winger Riccardo Ciervo has moved to Venezia on loan.

Union Berlin have paid just under £4m for Aissa Laidouni from Ferencvaros.

Girona wideman Manu Vallejo has joined Real Oviedo on loan.

Former Manchester City youngster Omar Elabdellaoui has joined Bodo/Glimt as a free agent.

In a cross-Major League Soccer transfer, Sean Johnson has signed for Toronto on a free transfer from New York City FC.

Montpellier HSC have signed Benjamin Lecomte from AS Monaco.

Brazilian goalkeeper Leo Jardim has moved to Vasco da Gama from LOSC Lille for around £1.5m. Lille have brought in veteran French goalkeeper Benoit Costil from AJ Auxerre on a free transfer.

Mateusz Praszelik has moved to Cosenza on loan from Hellas Verona.

Cadiz have signed Roger Marti on loan from Elche.

Almeria have paid £50,000 for Diego Marino from Sporting Gijon.

In another all-MLS transfer, Philadelphia Union have paid £400,000 for Joaquin Torres from CF Montreal.

Venezia have paid around £750,000 for Spezia's Mikael Egill Ellertsson.

Rennes have agreed to pay a loan fee of over £1m to get Karl Toko Ekambi from Olympique Lyonnais.

Schalke 04 have paid a smaller loan fee of £150,000 to Lorient for German defender Moritz Jenz on loan.

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim have paid £200,000 for John Anthony Brooks from Benfica.

Spezia have loaned Petko Hristov to Venezia. Leaving Venezia is Domen Crnigoj on loan to Salernitana after they paid a £250,000 loan fee.

Rapid Vienna have sgned Denso Kasius on loan from Bologna.

Spezia have paid £3.2m for Przemyslaw Wisniewski from Venezia.

Inter Miami have sold Damion Lowe to Philadelphia Union for a fee of under £200,000.

OGC Nice have paid £10m for Youssouf Ndayishimiye from Basaksehir.

AJ Auxerre have taken Ionut Radu on loan from Inter Milan.

Montpellier HSC have received a fee of £400,000 from VfL Wolfsburg for Nicolas Cozza.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini has moved to Serie A leaders Napoli on loan from Atalanta. Veteran goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu has left Napoli on a free transfer to join Fiorentina.

Former Barcelona youngster Cristian Tello has left Los Angeles FC on a fre transfer to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Fateh.

Nantes have signed Joao Victor on loan from Benfica.

Young winger Raul Moro has joined Real Oviedo on loan from Lazio.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have recalled Fabio Silva from his loan with Belgian club RSC Anderlecht and sent him to PSV Eindhoven on loan instead.

Cadiz have signed Gonzalo Escalante on loan from Lazio.

Former Everton and Manchester City forward Jo has moved to Al-Jabalain on a free transfer from Ceara SC.

Bristol City have signed Nikita Haikin on a free tranfer from Bodo/Glimt.

1.FSV Mainz 05 have paid £5m for Ludovic Ajorque from Racing Strasbourg.

Real Valladolid have taken Cyle Larin on loan from Club Brugge.

Teenage forward Alexis Tibidi has had his loan move to SC Altach ended early so that he can move to ESTAC Troyes.

Bayer Leverkusen have signed teenage striker Gustavo Puerta from Bogota FC for under £1m.

Borussia Dortmund have spent nearly £8m on 16 year old winger Julian Duranville from RSC Anderlecht.

Former Arsenal forward Yaya Sanogo has signed for Armenian side Urartu FC after a spell with no club.

Injury Round Up

Sunderland captain Corry Evans has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in the derby win over Middlesbrough.

Swansea City goalkeeper Steven Benda is also likely to miss the rest of the season due to a "significant" knee injury which means he faces "a lengthy spell" on the sidelines.

Hibernian defender Rocky Bushiri has an ankle injury that means he will be out "for at least three months".

West Bromwich Albion winger Matt Phillips is set to spend the rest of the season on the sidelines as he needs surgery on an injured quad muscle.

Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Lee Nicholls has also had his season ended early. The 30-year-old has had shoulder surgery.

An ankle fracture has ended Hartlepool United defender Rollin Menayese's season.

Real Madrid defender David Alaba is believed to have suffered a recurrence of his muscle injury just as he was set for a return to action. It is expected to see him missing for another month. With first-choice left-back Ferland Mendy facing a spell on the sidelines as well, it looks like Eduardo Camavinga could continue to fill-in at left-back.

Job Changes

Wigan Athletic have sacked Kolo Toure after just 9 matches in charge of the Championship club. The Latics failed to win a single game under Toure and sit bottom of the table. Also leaving with him will be two members of his coaching staff, Kevin Betsy and Ashvir Johal. A very strange decision, both to appoint him and a team of novice coaches and to then not give them time to find their feet. Toure will doubtless return to his successful career as a car salesman now....

Duncan Ferguson has taken on his first role as a head coach at Forest Green Rovers in League One. Former Everton team-mate Tony Grant has come in to work as Ferguson's assistant at the vegan club. It is probably the most unlikely appointment I could imagine, especially as chairman Dale Vince had said he was looking for someone with experience! He replaces Ian Burchnall, who was sacked on the 25th with Rovers rooted to the bottom of League One. Burchall's assistants Michael Doyle and Ben Turner have also gone with him.

Mark Clattenburg has quit as head of the Egyptian Referees Committee after just 5 months in the role. Zamalek's president, Mortada Mansour, had criticised Clattenburg from the moment he was appointed, regularly appearing on the Cairo club's own TV channel to attack him, including making allegations of a personal nature (which have coincided with Zamalek's poor form).

Ajax have sacked Alfred Schreuder. With the Amsterdam giants on a run of seven league games without a win their head coach has paid the price.

Manager number 3 of the season has arrived at Cardiff City with the appointment of former Nottingham Forest head coach Sabri Lamouchi. He will be assisted by Sol Bamba.

Ben Dawson has been permanently appointed as Under-21s Lead at Newcastle United. He had been fulfilling the role on a temporary basis after Elliott Dickman left in December. Neil Winskill will assist him as Professional Development Coach and Methodology Lead.

Leeds United have brought in former Manchester United coach Chris Armas to work as an assistant to Jesse Marsch, the second coach from Ralf Rangnick's time at Man Utd to join their bitter rivals Leeds.

Bayern Munich have sacked goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic with immediate effect. Tom Starke has returned to the Bavarians to take up the vacant role.

Former Rangers midfielder Claudio Reyna has "resigned as the club's sporting director" Austin FC have stated. Reyna will stay at the MLS franchise as a "technical advisor".

Disciplinary Charges

Newcastle United midfielder Joelinton has been banned from driving for 12 months and received a £29,000 fine after being caught drink-driving.

Atletico Madrid have hit out at their own fans after an effigy of Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr was hung from a bridge with a banner reading "Madrid hates Real" above it. Atleti have termed the incident "repugnant" and said that the rivalry between the two Madrid sides is "the greatest.... so is respect. No individual, whatever their intentions or colours, can tarnish the coexistence between different supporters. It is everyone's responsibility to avoid this. Such acts are absolutely repugnant and inadmissible and shame society. Our condemnation of any act that attacks the dignity of persons or institutions is categorical and unreserved. We do not know the perpetrator or perpetrators of this despicable act, but their anonymity does not avoid their responsibility. We hope that the authorities succeed in clarifying what happened and that justice helps to banish this type of behaviour." Vinicius has been targeted in recent years for racist abuse, with Atleti fans escaping sanctions after singing racist songs aimed at the player as Spanish prosecutors claimed they could not identify those responsible.

Following Chelsea's use of a loophole to sign players on what are in effect 8 year deals, UEFA are to change FFP regulations to ensure that the transfer fees can only be spread over a 5-year period.

Four Uruguay players have been ordered to carry out football-related community service, pay fines of up to £17,500 and been banned by FIFA for confronting the referee at the end of their World Cup match against Ghana. Uruguay players were incensed after their penalty appeals were dismissed by the referee. Diego Godin and Edinson Cavani received one game bans, while Fernando Muslera and Jose Maria Gimenez will have to sit out 4 matches.

The Uruguayan Football Association was also fined over £40,000 for the behaviour of their supporters and players. They are also ordered to partially close their stadium for their next home international match.

Aston Villa have been fined £20,000 after admitting that their players "failed to conduct themselves in an orderly manner" after Southampton scored against them last weekend. The goal was eventually disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee for a foul in the build-up, but not before the referee was surrounded by Villa players.

On-loan Arsenal midfielder Miguel Azeez has been given a 1-match ban after picking up a flare on his debut for his loan club Wigan Athletic.

Bolton Wanderers striker Dion Charles has successfully appealed against his red card over mistaken identity. The three-match ban will now be served by his teammate Elias Kachunga, who had been guilty of lashing out at Forest Green Rovers' Brandon Cooper.

Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has put into words what most people have thought for years, officials in Spain favour Real Madrid. Marin said, after they lost in the Copa del Rey to their local rivals in a game littered with controversial decisions going in Real Madrid's favour: "I have maximum respect for the refereeing collective and I am convinced that their intention is always the best, but anyone who observes (the situation) from the outside can see that for decades the same thing almost always happens. Unfortunately it no longer surprises anyone, it is not news. It's very obvious and you just have to remember the story. (Real) Madrid is a club with a very strong environment, with many interests around it. They create such pressure that it is normal for it to affect the people who must make decisions. They are aware of what awaits them if they are harmed with some mistake or even with some success. It is usual to campaign against those who they consider to be harmful. The second yellow yesterday was obvious, undoubted and adjusted to regulations. But with 0-1, in the 71st minute, playing the pass for the semifinals of the Cup in their own stadium, leaving Real Madrid with 10 players is a major decision. We have gotten used to the system. We read pages and pages in the press, (listen to) hours of radio and (watch) television in the days leading up to a derby, talking about the need to protect a certain player from a specific team. Honestly, I think that the players who weren't protected last night were (Antoine) Griezmann or (Álvaro) Morata, for example, who was kicked repeatedly, but that's the system."

Barcelona have been ordered to reduce their wage bill by a further £150m if they wish to sign new players. It is being reported in Spain that a new contract for Gavi, which would increase his salary, has been blocked by La Liga until the wage bill is trimmed. Key centre-back Ronald Araujo's contract is also awaiting ratification, despite the departures of Gerard Pique and Memphis Depay.

Pointless List Of The Day

Today's list courtesy of Transfermarkt is the list of the teams with the worst form in the last 10 matches in the top 5 leagues in Europe. Up to and including Friday 27th January 2023:
1. Everton - England - W 0 - D 2 - L 8 - Goal Difference -17 - Points 2
2. Schalke 04 - Germany - W 1 - D 0 - L 9 - Goal Difference -24 - Points 3
3. Montpellier - France - W 1 - D 2 - L 7 - Goal Difference -13 - Points 5
4. Sassuolo - Italy - W 1 - D 2 - L 7 - Goal Difference -12 - Points 5
5. Sampdoria - Italy - W 2 - D 0 - L 8 - Goal Difference -12 - Points 6
6. Angers SCO - France - W 2 - D 0 - L 8 - Goal Difference -8 - Points 6
7. Augsburg - Germany - W 1 - D 3 - L 6 - Goal Difference -7 - Points 6
8. Troyes - France - W 1 - D 4 - L 5 - Goal Difference -9 - Points 7
9. Racing Strasbourg - France - W 1 - D 4 - L 5 - Goal Difference -7 - Points 7
10. Bournemouth - England - W 2 - D 1 - L 7 - Goal Difference -7 - Points 7
11. Cremonese - Italy - W 1 - D 4 - L 5 - Goal Difference -6 - Points 7
12. Hellas Verona - Italy - W 2 - D 1 - L 7 - Goal Difference -5 - Points 7
13. Udinese Calcio - Italy - W 1 - D 4 - L 5 - Goal Difference -4 - Points 7
14. Crystal Palace - England - W 2 - D 2 - L 6 - Goal Difference -8 - Points 8
15. Hertha Berlin SC - Germany - W 2 - D 2 - L 6 - Goal Difference -8 - Points 8
16. Chelsea - England - W 2 - D 2 - L 6 - Goal Difference -7 - Points 8
17. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - Germany - W 2 - D 2 - L 6 - Goal Difference -3 - Points 8
18. Elche CF - Spain - W 2 - D 2 - L 6 - Goal Difference -1 - Points 8
19. Werder Bremen - Germany - W 3 - D 0 - L 7 - Goal Difference -15 - Points 9
20. Spezia Calcio - Italy - W 2 - D 3 - L 5 - Goal Difference -7 - Points 9
21. Real Valladolid - Spain - W 3 - D 0 - L 7 - Goal Difference -6 - Points 9
22. AC Ajaccio - France - W 3 - D 1 - L 6 - Goal Difference -11 - Points 10
23. AJ Auxerre - France - W 3 - D 1 - L 6 - Goal Difference -8 - Points 10
24. Cadiz - Spain - W 2 - D 4 - L 4 - Goal Difference -5 - Points 10
25. West Ham United - England - W 3 - D 1 - L 6 - Goal Difference -3 - Points 10

Toffees Not For Sale

Everton 'owner' Farhad Moshiri has dismissed stories that the club is up for sale. The Guardian had reported that it was made available for £500m but Moshiri claims he is only looking for extra finance: "The club is not for sale, but I've been talking to top investors of real quality to bridge a gap on the stadium. I can do it myself. But I want to bring top sport investors into Everton. We are close to having a deal done. It is not selling the club at all, it is just bringing more expertise in terms of global sponsorship, commercial development. A lot of specialist sport investors have this pool of knowledge and it is to secure that for Everton." He also gave his backing to the current board, despite fan protests against them, claiming that he has faith in them. In fact very similar to comments he made on Frank Lampard just before Lampard was sacked.

Birmingham City are up for sale, though one recent bid for them has fallen through in December. However the club has now revealed that they are in talks with a potential investor looking to take a shareholding in the club.

Coventry City's new majority owner Doug King has become sole owner after buying out the rest of SISU's shareholding. King has also reverted the company name back to 'Coventry City Football Club Limited' after it had been called 'Otium Entertainment Group Limited' during Sisu's tenure. Otium are Sisu's parent company.

Written by Tris Burke January 28 2023 12:26:07