Key events
WSL: Chloe Kelly has accused Manchester City of attempting to “assassinate her character”, as she leaves to join Arsenal on loan for the remainder of the season.
Kelly used social media late on Thursday to allege that her parent club had been “planting negative stories” about her in the media. City have been contacted by the Guardian for a response.
It was the second time in just over 24 hours that Kelly had aired her disappointment at City, having posted a longer statement on social media on Wednesday night, accusing the club of dictating who she could and could not join.
So disappointed to find out tonight that people at the club are briefing journalists against me if I am to sign at a club before the window shuts. They’ve called reporters to assassinate my character and tried to plant negative stories about me in the football media.
To those responsible, I am disappointed in this. As I said in my previous statement, I just want to find happiness again.
Brighton reject £75m Al-Nassr bid for Mitoma
Ed Aarons
Brighton have rejected an improved offer of £75m for Kaoru Mitoma from Al-Nassr, with the Saudi Pro League side set to give up on their hopes of signing the Japan winger.
An initial £54.4m offer was rejected on Thursday by Brighton for Mitoma, who signed a new contract worth about £80,000 a week in October 2023 and will have another two years remaining on his deal at the end of the season. He is believed to be not interested in moving to Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career having scored five goals in 23 appearances so far this season.
Manchester United: Ruben Amorim has praised Alejandro Garnacho for the way he has kicked on and “changed in everything” since the disappointment of being left out of the Manchester derby.
It has been seven weeks since Garnacho and Marcus Rashford were surprisingly omitted from the United squad that went on to secure a late comeback win at City.
Amorim has not been happy with the latter saying on the eve of the Europa League match against FCSB that he “has to change” and meet his standards to have a future at Old Trafford.
Speculation rumbles on over Rashford ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline, as does talk about Garnacho’s future – although the 20-year-old’s response to the City setback appears starkly different.
He changed right away since that game against City. The way he understands things and understands that I just want to help him, I just want to win games. He changed in everything: the approach when you talk with him, the way he recovers.
He understands that sometimes I’m a different coach, that I am demanding in my way and sometimes it’s hard with the first impact because it’s a different kind of coach. He understands that it is never in a bad way, it’s always for him, but I am different person.
Garnacho has been linked with a January exit due to Chelsea due to United’s need to juggle profit and sustainability requirements.
Steven Gerrard: Farewell, Stevie G. The 44-year-old former Liverpool and England midfielder has left the Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq with them 12th in the 18-team table, having lost eight of their 17 matches.
Whether he jumped or was pushed, the former Liverpool captain is once again bequeathing a club at risk of the drop. So what comes next for the manager?
Coaches come and go in Saudi Arabia and just like with Nuno Espírito Santo, fired by Al-Ittihad in November 2023 after a similar length of time despite winning the Jeddah club’s first title for 14 years, Gerrard’s coaching career will not be defined by what happened to him at Al-Ettifaq. It won’t help his reputation though. As he leaves, perhaps the positive is that living and working in a different country (literally so as he reportedly stayed in Bahrain, making – as many expats in that part of the world do – the short commute into eastern Saudi Arabia) and in a very different football culture could turn out to be a significant learning experience for a coach who is still relatively young.
More from John Duerden below.
Rangers: Vaclav Cerny says Rangers feel at home in Europe after qualifying for the last 16 of the Europa League with a 2-1 win over Union Saint-Gilloise last night.
Rangers, whose erratic domestic form this season has all-but handed the title to their Old Firm rivals Celtic, held on for the win that took them to eighth place – avoiding the playoffs.
Philippe Clement’s side were joined in the last 16 by earlier opponents Lyon, Olympiacos, Manchester United and Tottenham and, asked if European football suited Rangers, Cerny, on loan from Wolfsburg, said:
Yeah, almost every game we’ve played has been a good game. I don’t think we have had a bad game in Europe this season. We were just well prepared for every single game. It’s a big one. That’s what we wanted before it all started. We had some tough opponents, and it’s a very, very good achievement to go into the top eight.
If you see that many of the opponents we played finished in the top eight as well, it is a good sign and we should be confident to go through. There are more eyes on those games, obviously, but the mindset is to do this every game. But I think it’s a good thing also that we can measure [up] with such an opponent.
Analysis: The WSL transfer window closed last night and in a month featuring a world-record move, Tom Garry rates who got top marks and whose dealings are rated as two out of 10?
Ed Aarons
Transfer latest: Arsenal and Aston Villa’s hopes of signing Sverre Nypan have been dealt a blow after the Norway under-21 midfielder decided to stay at Rosenborg until the summer. Mikel Arteta’s side had been hopeful of beating Villa and Manchester City’s sister club Girona to the signature of the 18-year-old who has been compared to the Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard.
But after holding talks with Arsenal and Villa this week about a potential move this month, it is understood that Nypan has opted to defer a decision on his future for now and will stay in his homeland. Arsenal are still believed to be in talks with his representatives over a potential move in the summer, with Rosenborg thought to want around £10m upfront and significant add-ons.
Dominic Booth
Manchester City: Pep Guardiola was asked about his reaction to the Champions League playoff draw first thing in his press conference today.
It’s like a derby now – four years in a row facing Madrid! Either Bayern or Madrid, it was going to be tough. The draw could be nicer, yes. But the draw is the draw. Real Madrid is extremely difficult and Bayern [would be] extremely difficult.
A look back on the past few years of Real Madrid v Manchester City:
Celtic fans face ban from Bayern Munich away leg after Uefa charge
Celtic fans face being banned from attending the Champions League clash at Bayern Munich after the club were hit with a Uefa disciplinary notice.
The Scottish champions were on a suspended ban for away fans after a series of fines over the use of pyrotechnics, and an incident at Villa Park on Wednesday has sparked a potential triggering of the punishment.
Photographs show someone among the travelling support holding a green smoke canister, which was then thrown on to the pitch during Celtic’s 4-2 defeat by Aston Villa.
A club statement read: “As a result of the use of pyrotechnics during our match against Borussia Dortmund last year, Celtic Football Club was sanctioned by the Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body.
“The decision meant that, not only did the club receive a fine of E20,000, but also that, if such behaviour was repeated at a match in the next two years, the club would be prevented from selling tickets to supporters for one away match in UEFA club competitions.
“Unfortunately, the club has received a further disciplinary notice from UEFA following the match against Aston Villa FC on Wednesday evening.
“The club will obviously make robust representations to UEFA and will make every effort to ensure that our fans can attend our next UEFA Champions League match. However, clearly there is a risk that supporters may not be able to attend.
“In light of this situation, it is incumbent on the club to make supporters aware of this risk, when considering making arrangements for travel, until further information is provided by Uefa.”
Celtic are due to play the second leg in the Allianz Arena on February 18-19. PA Media
Newcastle: Eddie Howe has warned that Newcastle’s hopes of Champions League qualification could be jeopardised if they do not replace Miguel Almirón (which they are not expecting to).
Almirón made the move to Atlanta for about £10m this week after 6 seasons at the club.
Miguel’s departure leaves us a little bit short in the position he played. We’re certainly stretched in that area but, as I’ve said many times this month, it was a deal we needed to do. It’s probably not ideal for us in this moment to be light in that [right wing] position but it is what it is.
We knew that this window would be a window that we didn’t recruit in. That’s still the case. We’re not actively looking to bring players in.
More from Louise Taylor on Howe before Newcastle’s trip to Fulham tomorrow.
And here’s a reminder of those Champions League matches we have to look forward to.
The Europa League draw in full
Ferencvaros v Viktoria Plzen
Porto v Roma
Winners to play Lazio or Athletic Bilbao in round of 16
Twente v Bodø/Glimt
Fenerbahce v Anderlecht
Winners to play Olympiacos or Rangers in round of 16
Union SG v Ajax
PAOK v FCSB
Winners to play Lyon or Eintracht Frankfurt in round of 16
AZ Alkmaar v Galatasaray
Midtjylland v Real Sociedad
Winners to play Manchester United and Tottenham in round of 16
The seeded team, named first, will play at home in the second leg.
First legs will be played on 13 February, with the second legs a week later.
The first few ties:
Ferencvaros v Viktoria Plzen
Porta v Roma
AZ Alkmaar v Galatasaray
And a reminder of the teams in the draw, which will be performed by Aritz Aduriz, the former Athletic Bilbao striker.
Seeded teams
9. Bodø/Glimt
10. Anderlecht
11. FCSB
12. Ajax
13. Real Sociedad
14. Galatasaray
15. Roma
16. Viktoria Plzen
Unseeded teams
17. Ferencvaros
18. Porto
19. AZ Alkmaar
20. Midtjylland
21. Union SG
22. PAOK (GRE)
23. Twente
24. Fenerbahce
Thanks Simon and hello all! Before this draw begins, a quick reminder as to how it works. It is very similar to the Champions League.
From the knockout phase play-offs onwards, the tournament is a bracket. The teams that finished the league phase between ninth and 16th will be seeded for the first draw of the knockout phase, and will face a team placed 17th to 24th. The seeded team will, in principle, play the return leg at home.
Potential opponents are also pre-defined by pairings of teams’ final league positions. For example, teams finishing ninth and tenth will face the sides that ended 23rd or 24th; teams finishing 11th or 12th will be drawn against either the 21st or 22nd-placed sides and so on.
The eight clubs that prevail in the knockout phase play-offs progress to the round of 16.
With that I’m going to hand over to Yara El-Shaboury, who will take you through the Europa League draw and whatever the next chunk of Friday has in store for us. Bye for now!
Plymouth have broken their transfer record this morning by signing the Ukraine international defender Maksym Talovierov. The 24-year-old, who has joined from Austrian club LASK, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract. Plymouth did not disclose the size of the transfer fee but it is understood to be in excess of £1.5m.
Plymouth head coach Miron Muslic said: “I have been open since I joined Argyle that we would be patient to bring in the right players who could help the team. In Maksym we feel we have done just that as he is a commanding presence who will add height and physicality to the side, but he is also good on the ball and technically good.”
Talovierov will be available for selection for Saturday lunchtime’s clash with West Brom, subject to EFL approval and international clearance.
The Europa League draw is just a few minutes away. TNT Sports are broadcasting it in the UK, and on their YouTube channel here:
The teams in the hat: Ajax, Anderlecht, AZ Alkmaar, Bodø/Glimt, FCSB, Fenerbahçe, Ferencvaros, Galatasaray, Midtjylland, PAOK, Porto, Real Sociedad, Roma, Twente, Union SG, Viktoria Plzen.
Ben McAleer from WhoScored has taken a look at Jacob Murphy, the (relatively) underappreciated member of Newcastle’s scalpel-sharp attacking trident:
Newcastle’s 4-1 defeat by Bournemouth was an exception rather than the rule. Since mid-December, Newcastle have been imperious in the Premier League. They have won seven of their past eight games and bounced back from that Bournemouth game by beating another south-coast side, Southampton, to climb to fifth.
Eddie Howe’ team, who trail fourth-placed Manchester City on goal difference, will fancy their chances of another victory when Fulham visit on Saturday. Very few defences can handle the Newcastle attack at the minute. Alexander Isak has been sensational this season, scoring 17 goals in the Premier League – only Mohamed Salah (19) and Erling Haaland (18) have more. Anthony Gordon has directly contributed to a goal in 10 of his past 11 Newcastle outings. The pair deserve immense credit, but so does the third member of the scalpel-sharp trident.
Much more here:
Obviously I initially said teams would progress from the playoffs into the quarter-finals, which isn’t a thing. They’ll go into the round of 16.
A date for the diary: The draw to determine the round of 16 and with it the remainder of the knockout rounds will be held on 21 February.
The Champions League draw in full!
Paris Saint-Germain v Brest
Benfica v Monaco
The winners of these ties play Liverpool or Barcelona in the round of 16
PSV Eindhoven v Juventus
Milan v Feyenoord
The winners of these ties will play either Arsenal or Internazionale
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Bayern Munich v Celtic
The winners of these ties will play Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16
Atalanta v Club Brugge
Borussia Dortmund v Sporting
The winners of these ties will play Lille or Aston Villa in the round of 16
The seeded team, named first, will be at home in the second leg unless there’s a very good reason why they can’t be.
First legs will be played on 11 and 12 February, with second legs a week later.
It’s Real Madrid v Manchester City! And Bayern v Celtic
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Bayern Munich v Celtic
The winners of these ties will play Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16
OK, this is happening! The first ties:
Paris Saint-Germain v Brest
Benfica v Monaco
The winners of these ties play Liverpool or Barcelona in the round of 16
PSV Eindhoven v Juventus
Milan v Feyenoord
The winners of these ties will play either Arsenal or Internazionale
I don’t want to short-change you, but I’m not going to bother with the rest of the silver/blue business. I’ll be back when they start completing ties.
The first draw has been made! And it has sensationally thrown Brugge into the silver side, and Sporting in the blue.
In their infinite wisdom Uefa are going to draw all the unseeded teams followed by all the seeded teams. In other words, they’ll draw half of all the ties followed by the other half of all the ties, meaning it’ll be a while before any actual pairings are confirmed.
Uefa are still preambling. I have learned that one side of the draw will be silver and the other side will be blue.
Uefa are going big on the preambles here, so I’ve got time to remind you of the basic rules. There are eight seeded teams and eight unseeded teams. The two seeded teams with the highest league finish will be drawn against the two unseeded teams with the lowest league finish and so on, until everyone’s paired up. So Atalanta will play Sporting or Brugge, and Borussia Dortmund will play the other one, while PSG will play Monaco or Brest and Benfica will get the other one. You can play teams from your own country, and teams you played in the group. Got it? Great.
Seeded teams
9. Atalanta
10. Borussia Dortmund
11. Real Madrid
12. Bayern Munich
13. Milan
14. PSV Eindhoven
15. Paris Saint-Germain
16. Benfica
Unseeded teams
17. Monaco
18. Brest
19. Feyenoord
20. Juventus
21. Celtic
22. Manchester City
23. Sporting CP
24. Club Brugge
Here’s the final Champions League group stage megatable:
Brace yourself for the Champions League draw, which starts in just a few minutes. Today’s draws will be broadcast live in the UK by TNT Sports and on their YouTube channel, here:
And here is a healthy dollop of further transfer gossip:
Here’s more on the future of Evan Ferguson, with Chelsea joining a six-way race for his services as we go into the final weekend of the transfer window:
The Brighton manager, Fabian Hurzeler, has said that the reason he has been limiting the playing time of the club’s record signing, Georginio Rutter, is that he has “issues with his muscles” that means “we have to protect his health”.
Rutter has played only two full games since signing for the club from Leeds for £40m last August, and has played more than 45 minutes only once since Christmas, against Norwich in the FA Cup.
“There have been some small issues with his muscles and therefore we also need to protect his health,” Hurzeler said ahead of Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest. “I know that it is not always understandable why we choose the starting XI, but there are so many things going on.
“The main thing for me is that I am responsible for the person behind the player, to protect him and protect his health. It’s not only a decision about performance, especially when young players get injured.”
Chelsea join race for Brighton’s Evan Ferguson
Chelsea have joined the race to sign the Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson. Brighton are willing to sell or loan the Republic of Ireland international, who has been the subject of interest from Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Bournemouth, Everton Tottenham and West Ham.
Champions League and Europa League draws will be happening over the next couple of hours: the Champions League goes first, at 12pm CET/11am GMT, with the Europa League an hour later.
In short the teams that finished between ninth and 16th in both league stages will be seeded, and those that finished between 17th and 24th will be unseeded. In each pairing the unseeded team will, unless there’s a good reason not to, play the second leg at home. So far, so straightforward.
Beyond that, and to add a bonus level of complication, sides have been paired for the draw. So the ninth and 10th-placed teams can only play either the 23rd or the 24th-placed teams, and so on until 15th and 16th play 17th and 18th.
Then in the round of 16 the teams that progressed directly from the group in first and second place will face the winners of those 15th/16th/17th/18th playoffs and so on from there, until the teams that finished seventh and eighth play the winners of the ninth/10th/23rd/24th playoffs. In each of these pairs, one will go into the top half of the draw and one into the bottom.
All clear? Good.
Hello world!
Well this could be a big, messy, sprawling, wild Friday. Just over three days to go in the men’s mid-season transfer window, which officially closes at 11pm GMT on Monday, there’s fallout from a busy week of European action with every British club involved in the Europa League snagging spots in the round of 16 in Thursday’s last round of group games, and there’s a look ahead to a weekend in which the Premier League leaders go to the division’s form team and the bottom two face off. Here are some things to look out for in the English top flight this weekend:
Article by:Source: Simon Burnton (earlier) and Yara El-Shaboury (now)
