the Debrief

Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing - thanks as always for reading, and hope you enjoy!

Today’s top stories:

* New Champions League format explained

* Arsenal thrash Sheffield United and eye Victor Osimhen

* Latest on the Manchester United manager saga

* Plus more from Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid

AC Milan

* Rafael Leao on links with Chelsea and PSG: “My future is very clear and it’s here at AC Milan. I’m under contract for the next four years, AC Milan helped me in difficult moments and I won’t forget that. I want to win again at Milan, my focus is here.”

Arsenal

* What a goal this was by Ben White in last night’s thrashing of Sheffield United! Arsenal have now scored 31 goals in their last 7 Premier League games. Ft Sheffield Utd 0-6 Arsenal [Pictures from Sky Sports]

* Arsenal made history with this result - no team in English football has ever done this before!

* Arsenal’s William Saliba had more passes (169) than the entire Sheffield Utd team combined (142) last night. Mikel Arteta’s response: “Good! We’re trying to improve in every phase of play, the chemistry of the players and the desire of the players to improve in every area.”

* Arsenal are being linked again with Victor Osimhen and their interest is genuine - more here from Fabrizio Romano.

Aston Villa

* Aston Villa statement on club record post-tax operating loss of £119.6m for the 2022-23 season. “It’s important to note that these figures are in line with the strategic business plan and we continue to operate within the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability rules. The owners of Aston Villa remain committed to the long-term and sustainable development of the Club. We look forward to continued progress on the delivery of our strategic plan.”

Athletic Bilbao

* Alvaro Djalo to Athletic Bilbao starting from July 1 - it’s now official. He’s joining the club in a €15m plus €5m deal.

Barcelona

* Raphinha could be sold by Barcelona this summer, but where will he end up?

* Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are expected to be out for more than one month after their injuries. De Jong has a lateral ligament sprain in his right ankle, while Pedri has a right quadriceps injury.

Bayern Munich

* Is Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich future already in doubt? Fabrizio Romano takes a look in his exclusive column.

* What next for Thomas Tuchel if Bayern don’t get past Lazio in the Champions League tonight?

* Real Madrid have a fee in mind for Alphonso Davies as they look to avoid paying ‘crazy’ money for him.

* Matthijs de Ligt on his future: “I’m not thinking about that now. I’m very happy at Bayern Munich. Of course I haven’t had an easy season so far. I was injured for a long time. But at the moment I feel good and am fit, I want to play.”

* Bayern director Max Eberl: “Bayern can’t sign superstars all the time. Now Harry Kane has proven his worth for Bayern, but we can’t make such transfers all the time. We want to build a team. And there are very, very good players who maybe don’t cost €80/100m.”

* Feyenoord manager Arne Slot on Bayern job links: “I really can't answer that, but it's nice that I'm on a list!”

Chelsea

* Victor Osimhen to Chelsea transfer interest is nothing new - more here from Fabrizio Romano’s column.

* Could Chelsea and Milan both be going after the same manager this summer?

* ‘Give Michael Edwards the keys’ at Chelsea?

* Mauricio Pochettino: “I think the performances have been very good, I’m so happy with the performances. If the fans want to listen, perfect. If not, what can I do? They’ll keep booing. But I’m giving my best to this team. Boo me, not the players. It’s fine.”

Fulham

* Fulham are among the clubs on alert as Habib Diallo could be on the move on the cheap this summer, according to Ben Jacobs.

Inter Milan

* What a well-taken finish by Kristjan Asllani in Inter’s win last night. FT Inter 2-1 Genoa [Pictures from TNT Sports]

Juventus

* Juventus will hold internal talks over a possible change in manager - more info here from Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive column.

Las Palmas

* Las Palmas have now formally completed the agreement to sign Manu Fuster from Albacete. The fee will be around €1.5m for the permanent move.

Liverpool

* Has Xabi Alonso already decided NOT to take over as Liverpool manager?

* Jamie Carragher has highlighted a possible Liverpool title advantage…

Manchester City

* Phil Foden transfer worry for Man City - could his fine form attract interest from these European giants in the summer?

Manchester United

* Zinedine Zidane for Manchester United manager? Fabrizio Romano addresses the speculation.

* Could Harry Kane really be heading back to the Premier League?

* Casemiro on INEOS plans: “The new owners want to do ambitious plans. I hope that they arrive and grow together with us. It is important for the club to have people who want to grow here.”

* 📰 A growing number of Man Utd players think Erik ten Hag will be replaced in the summer (Mail)

Osasuna

* What a move and finish this was by Osasuna in their game last night! FT Osasuna 1-0 Alaves [Pictures from ViaPlay Sports]

PSG

* PSG and Victor Osimhen - what’s the latest? Fabrizio Romano takes a look in his exclusive column.

* Luis Enrique on getting used to play without Kylian Mbappe also in the Champions League after recent subs: “Maybe yes, maybe no. Who knows?”

* Nuno Mendes is set to return as Luis Enrique confirms: “He could start tomorrow, but won’t play the whole game. He is a top-class player, it’s fantastic to have Nuno back — he’s great both offensively and defensively.”

Real Madrid

* Real Madrid have a fee in mind for Alphonso Davies as they look to avoid paying ‘crazy’ money for him.

* It looks increasingly likely that this Real Madrid player will leave in the summer…

Tottenham

* Tottenham midfielder Pierre Emile Hojbjerg has signed for USG Italy as new agency, represented by Luca Puccinelli. Hojbjerg is under contract at Spurs until June 2025.

Bayern’s possible advantage over Liverpool in the race for Xabi Alonso

Is Xabi Alonso going to Liverpool or Bayern? I think he doesn’t know at the moment. So imagine me! It’s too early to know where he’s going, but I really think it’s going to be a really important month, I would say, because the discussion, the internal discussion at these two clubs have already started.

The advantage for Bayern is that they already have a structure in place, whereas Liverpool still need to hire a new director. The interest from Liverpool is absolutely there - they still want Xabi Alonso as a priority target, but both clubs, Liverpool and Bayern, have alternatives as well. They have other candidates because they know that it’s going to be not an easy fight.

Bundesliga football expert Kevin Hatchard joins the show to talk about Bayer Leverkusen’s fairy tale run this season. Can Die Werkself remain unbeaten this season? Will they win the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Europa League? Our experts weigh in.

Plus, Fabrizio Romano on Xabi Alonso’s future, Pochettino’s prospects of staying at Chelsea and what a Man United player exodus might look like in the summer.

Why Kylian Mbappe finally decided to leave PSG for a new challenge

We still have to wait for formal steps with Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid, as from what I’m hearing nothing is signed yet. Still, I really think this time it’s the end of the saga and the formal step will happen soon, and Mbappe will communicate with PSG once he’s formally signed the document. At that moment, PSG will announce that Mbappe will leave the club as a free agent.

Angus Scott and Ben Jacobs are joined by French Football Insider, Jonathan Johnson, to go in-depth on Mbappe’s decision to leave PSG and his future at Real Madrid. They also discuss the impact of the departure on PSG and Ligue 1. Could this actually be a blessing in disguise for both?

Fabrizio Romano joins in his normal spot with some worrying news for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern and some critical updates on Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White at Arsenal.

On this week’s show we debate the merits of adding a blue card to the game of football. Will it result in a better product and how will it be implemented?

Joining Angus and Ben are FIFA Referee and Rules Analyst, Christina Unkel, and CBS Football Reporter, James Benge.

Fabrizio Romano joins as always to update the Mbappe to Real Madrid saga and how Liverpool plan to replace Jurgen Klopp.

The latest on Klopp, Van Dijk and Edwards at Liverpool…

Jurgen Klopp announcing his departure from Liverpool will obviously impact the futures of some key players such as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah - it’s normal, because there will be a new manager and new directors. It’s obvious that there will be a new project and so they will take some time to discuss with the club before deciding their future.

I don’t think Liverpool fans need to panic - conversations will be needed, but it’s a normal process, it’s part of the change and part of explaining to the players what will happen next.

Osimhen. Rakitic. Benzema. Almiron. All names that are circulation just hours before the January transfer window shuts. Fabrizio Romano joins Ben Jacobs and Angus Scott to discuss the very latest on the deadline and make some bold predictions.

Friday morning brought the shock news from Liverpool Football Club that first-team manager, Jürgen Klopp, would be leaving the Reds at the end of the 2023/24 season.

As one of the most successful managers and most charismatic personalities in the Premier League, he will be sorely missed.

Speaking to official club media, the German let it be known that he was “running out of energy” and that he wanted to “tell the truth” to supporters who have sung his name with fervour from the Anfield terraces over the years.

From a first-ever Premier League title, another Champions League title after an incredible semi-final comeback over Barcelona and much more besides, there have been so many brilliant memories that Klopp has given to the Liverpool faithful.

At present, the Reds sit atop the Premier League table, and the aim will surely be to give Klopp the best possible send off.

A full video of Klopp’s official statement can be found via this link to Liverpool’s YouTube channel.

What do you think about this announcement Liverpool fans? Who would you like to see as Klopp’s replacement? Let us know in the comments!

Victor Osimhen confirms transfer decision for the summer

There’s an important story on Victor Osimhen. Speaking to CBS, he said yesterday that he’s already made a decision on his future - he will move from Napoli in the summer. Although he signed a new contract, there is a release clause there and his decision is to leave in the summer.