Jordan Henderson won’t take Saudi riches and shame on you for doubting him…

The Mailbox doesn’t doubt that Jordan Henderson will do the right thing over his offer from Saudi. Also: the Glazers never had any intention of selling Manchester United…

Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…

Faith in Henderson
I was surprised to see Sarah Winterburn’s article about Jordan Henderson appear on your pages today, appears a little hasty to me?

Agree that Henderson would rightly be throwing his ally status and charitable legacy under the bus, but is this speculation really worth the tweets its written on? Clicking through to source, we find the information on which the article leans: ..the Daily Mail claiming that former Reds team-mate Henderson and Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are his ‘first targets as Al-Ettifaq boss

Now there is a buzz on social media that Henderson is ‘considering the offer’ but come on, really? Who’s selling this and are we, and you F365 really buying it?

Nah, not for me, are we binning Henderson’s character on the say so of the daily mail? THE DAILY MAIL?? They’ve created further nonsense today I see with the follow up ‘he will decide in the next 48hours’. Come on, we’re better than this.

Henderson’s going nowhere, and I’d be very surprised if the sum total of this was more than ‘Henderson took a call from an old friend as courtesy’.

Cheers
Marc (LFC – hope I’m right on this one – apologies in advance)

…There is absolutely no way Jordan Henderson has spent the summer getting into the best shape of his life in preparation for the Saudi Pub League. He decided to rival Ab King Mo in readiness for one more big season at Liverpool and a final international bow with England at next summer’s Euros. The story he’s going for more money to see Bobby and Stevie has more holes in it than a hedgehog’s lilo . . .
Jo (Gakpo to bring joy to the world next season) Kent

…You seemed to have had a right pop at Henderson for purportedly leaving Liverpool for a Saudi team

I scoured the articles, couldn’t find any actual quotes or information from Henderson.

Look forward to media watch. Where you love to destroy media outlets for their poo without any actual evidence.

In tomorrows slow news day I’m looking forward to the “ Poch wants Kane, Kane dilemma, Kane is a disgrace to some human right, Kane is evil, no actual quote from Kane story.

Embarrassing
Ade

Ah, Jordan
Genuinely disappointed at the news that Jordan Henderson is likely heading to Saudi Arabia. He has been very comfortable in speaking out in support of LGBTQ+ issues when many of his colleagues are conspicuously silent, but he’s shown that those principles can easily be bought for a few quid a spending time with Stevie G.

The move is even stupid from a football sense. He would almost definitely have gone to the Euros next summer, but there is no chance he’ll be on the plane if he is plying his trade in the Middle East.
Andy the Hammer (also disappointed in myself for believing him)

Read more: Over the rainbow? Will Jordan Henderson really sell his soul for Saudi Arabia gold?

Succession depression
So here’s my freshly-concocted theory about the drawn-out sale of my beloved football club. I don’t think the Glazers had any intention of selling the club, putting a ludicrous value on it hoping nobody would come in for a full takeover. How long did it take for the City takeover? How long for Newcastle? Weeks, a couple of months at most? Yet here we are, over 8 months after they announced they were seeking investors and, after much fannying about, we’re still no clearer on the outcome. Is it all just smoke and mirrors?

According to t’internet, for context re the value, the most valuable sports team in the world is across the pond – the Dallas Cowboys. I read an article (Forbes) from September 2022 that valued the Cowboys at around $8bn (£6.2bn). The same article valued Utd at $4.6bn (£3.6bn). The Glazers have seemingly placed a much higher value on the club their mogul daddy purchased for under a billion, leveraging most of this by placing massive debts on the club. Reports are the current bidders are sitting in the region of £6bn, and it appears they are still not sure about selling – you what mate?!

I think they tested the market with a ludicrous value in the hope that someone would come in with partial investment, so they don’t have to put their hands in their own pockets for a change to spend money on infrastructure etc. Furthermore, they could point to the lack of interest in full buyout to appease those pesky fans, who all want them out. As it turns out, the offer of partial investment came in. As did the unexpected interest from Qatar, so they kept pushing the price up to see how far they could go before potential buyers got fed up and looked elsewhere. Their bluff was called, however, as Qatar matched their crazy valuation, and they now they have a major decision to make.

A major decision, sure, but not one that should take months! If £6bn big ones doesn’t make up your mind then what are you waiting on? No doubt the Glazer kids are sitting bumbling around a Ouija board all day trying to contact the other side to ask what Malcolm would do. As he shouts back in a gruff Scottish accent “Well he wouldn’t be sitting with his d*ck in his hands for 8 months, now f*ck off you bunch of nosy f*cking pedestrians!”, whilst Avram mumbles something about a rap he has planned for the next shareholder meeting and Joel sends another pic of his genitals to Richard Arnold. They are that useless they can’t even contact the correct dead patriarch ffs!

If you had a golden goose, which you did very little to acquire, would you sell or keep it? On one hand you can feed it very little and it will continue to lay big fat golden eggs for you and your family forever. On the other hand every time you look at it, it hisses at you, tells you how much it hates your guts after years of neglect (yes it talks, and what?) and the guy at the market will give you £6bn to get rid of it. £6bn for something you mortgaged and it covered the payments, yet still holding out for every drop of blood? You have to admire the brass necks on them.
Garey (again, just f*ck off!) Vance, MUFC

Daft double departure
Further to United transfer success and Neill’s email, I thought at the time and feel vindicated that United allowing Ferguson and Gill to leave at the same time was utterly reckless. Knowing their mutual intent to leave, the club should have staggered it at all costs, whichever order was feasible.
Tom, United in Reading

Fans have the power
Alright All

Following my recent mail regarding the City fans‘ boycott of the Charity Shield (NOT the Community Shield, iffy bastard FA, notwithstanding), I’ve just read that, as a result of the intended boycott, an additional £9k has been raised for the Manchester Central Food Bank. Nine thousand quid. Sterling work Blues, I salute you.

The fact that after 13 years of Conservative government, one of the richest countries in the world has foodbanks all over it, brings a shame upon us all, especially those who vote for them, of course. I hope you’re proud of yourselves, whoever you are. Time to take a really looooooong look in the mirror, I think.

Anyway, the boycott… As City’s 1894 Group stated “Fan power ended the Super League, it stops price increases, it brought in the £30 away tickets, it stopped ID cards, it brought in Safe Standing…. Fans have more power than they realise. Broadcasters moving kick off times is one of the current issues affecting everyone and the initially proposed kick off time for the Charity Shield was just ridiculous” Let’s face it, enough is enough. The FA have moved this away from Wembley before (last season!) and Arsenal, who are only competing by invitation, have a convenient match on their doorstep whilst City fans face the same 400 mile round journey for the third time in four months and face not getting home until after midnight on a Sunday.

It’s not on. City’s first two fixtures are away at Burnley (local enough, tbf) on a Friday night and our first home game is at 8pm on a Saturday night.

Football at 8pm. On a Saturday night.

This. Is. Just. Bollocks….

….and I’ll tell you, it doesn’t happen in Germany.

Definitely helping
Levenshulme Blue, Manchester 19
PS. We really could learn of a lot from the German fans (Eintracht Frankfurt, aside, obvs).

Sack race
I’m in the Gary Neville / Roy Keane boat of wishing managers had more time, and never particularly want to see a man lose his job, but 14 Premier League managers got sacked last season (and then Gary O’Neil randomly after the season), so let’s not pretend they can all get through 23/24 unscathed…

Talking about the runners & riders in the sack race would inevitably boil down to the bottom half of the table and some easy to pick out names – Steve Cooper at Forest, Paul Heckingbottom at Sheff Utd – so I thought it would be more interesting (and fun) to try and pick some outside of the box ‘value bets’ for managers who could face the chop this season. Managers on the face of it who should be safe as houses. But they aren’t.

Though it pains me as a lifelong United fan, Pep and Klopp are totally bulletproof given recent seasons, although hopefully one or both get bored and move on in a year or so!

Eddie Howe
Not even in Newcastle fans’ wildest dreams did they think Champions League football would come this soon. Howe & his staff deserve huge credit. But expectations will now change. The new owners will get a taste of big European nights at St James Park. Conversations with prospective recruits will run that bit more smoothly. It’s not too hard to see a scenario where Newcastle have worked their way through to the Knockout stages but are lying 6th/7th/8th in the league come December/January. Will the new owners be tempted to pull the trigger on a Mourinho and target cup success, or a Nagelsmann?

David Moyes
If not for Europa Conference League success, he probably would have gone last season. But he did win a trophy for West Ham. A European trophy no less. Will that still save him if they have another season languishing around 14-17th? They have a Thursday/Sunday grind now with Europa League football. They’re losing their captain and best player. No one has arrived yet. Writing could be on the wall.

Mikel Arteta
Hang on. I do have logic… A fantastic season last year. No doubt about it. I don’t even think they “bottled” the league. Man City are a far superior team to everyone in the league right now. No shame to be had finishing second and running them pretty close. But like Eddie Howe up north, expectations have now changed.

Top 4 would have been viewed as a success this time last year. Not anymore. They’ve finished second. They’re bringing in £100m Declan Rice. They’ve bought Kai Havertz. Timber is on the way to add depth & quality at centre half and right back. Saliba & Saka have signed new

deals.
It might get them over the line e.g. Mourinho at Chelsea 2014. Finished 3rd and bought Fabregas and Costa. Walked the league next season.

It might blow up in their faces e.g. Solskjaer at United. Finished 2nd to City. Bought Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo. He went backwards.
Declan Rice is a fine player. But he has never played in a front-foot, possession-based system before. He didn’t with West Ham. He doesn’t with Southgate’s England who play a double-6, counter attack system, with 3 centre backs behind him, in every proper game. He certainly didn’t play front foot football when he was Irish for a while. He most likely will be a success. But it’s not guaranteed.

Kai Havertz is being lined up as a left-sided 8 it seems. May work. May not work. He won’t play wide ahead of Saka & Martinelli. Arsenal don’t really operate a traditional “10” which seems to be Havertz’s best position.

Chelsea & Liverpool will be back with a vengeance this season one would expect. City are nailed on Top 4 and United will be in the mixer again if they can sign a striker. Newcastle and Spurs will be in the conversation. If Arteta fails to get Top 4 is he in trouble? An awful lot of money has been spent… And Arsenal fans aren’t exactly known for their ability to stay calm and not overreact.

Erik ten Hag
Surely to God, the Glazers will f**k off at some stage this year. ten Hag has done wonderfully well to bring some sense of normality back to United and is building something. He’s actually longer odds in the sack race than Jurgen Klopp.
But new owners are new owners and new owners are trigger happy. Not beyond comprehension that they would want their own man if ten Hag can’t back up last season’s success. Incredibly stupid and guaranteed to undo the goodwill gained by just not being a Glazer, but not impossible…

Mauricio Pochettino
Todd Boehly is the owner of Chelsea Football Club.

Roberto De Zerbi
Brighton are very well run and I’m sure they won’t panic if European football takes its toll on a relatively small squad. I really, really hope they don’t. But still…
James, MUFC

Superstar swapsies
This may be a crazy and unrealistic idea for a host of reasons but…

Mbappe’s contract is up in a year and then he’s off to Real Madrid, and PSG will get zero for him (boo hoo!).

To further compound the situation, no club could probably afford what PSG would ask in transfer fees (min 150-200 million), let alone wages.

So why not have some team approach PSG and offer to take him on loan for a year? If Harvey Barnes is being quoted as 35 million pounds, Mbappe for 40 or so million would be a game changer for a team and would probably guarantee 20+ goals.

Practically speaking, probably most of the top EPL teams could afford to take a punt, and my oh my wouldn’t he put the fear of God into EPL defenders!

In fact, ive always wondered why teams don’t swap players for a season, e.g. Rashford to PSG for Mbappe for one season?

I bet you can all think of other “fantasy” swap scenarios.
Adidasmufc (Alas this is more likely to happen than those m@#$*ker Glazers selling up)

Boehly knows
I must congratulate Chelsea for their transfer business this far in this window.

I was expecting a fire sale, but it has been anything but.

Everyone knew they had an excessively bloated squad filled with many disgruntled players who wanted to leave. Everyone knew that they needed to sell.

Yet not one single player has been sold for less than the market value.
Instead, some players (Mount, for example) have gone for more money than anyone anticipated.

12 players gone for just under £200m is a feat. Especially considering that my club (Man Utd) can’t seem to sell any player, even at a loss.

Todd Boehly, you are the man. (You still know nothing about football, though)
Tunji, Lagos.

ITK
Kane is still nailed on to go to United. It will happen after August 19th when United take on Spurs.

United would have got Hojlund, Onana and hopefully Amrabat over the line by then and sold some deadwood in the form of Fred, Henderson and Maguire.

Spurs will be desperate because I don’t expect Kane to extend his contract and Kane would hopefully have made that clear to Levy by then. The only team desperate enough to splash 70 plus million at that point would be Manchester United.

Watch this space.
Hakim, Sri Lanka

Fight, fight, fight
In response to Oliver from Geneva’s response to my light hearted (I hope) tirade, I wasn’t talking about The Guardian or Football365, although The Athletic do get a bit “What does the re-carpeting of The Players’ Lounge at Scunthorpe tell us about their summer transfer plans – here’s a 5,000 article…)

I follow a few Twitter and other accounts on social media which, during the season are great for highlights, opinion, humour etc. Some are official, some aren’t, my point was they have very little actual football news to deliver for a few months and the reach can be annoying, not depressingly so, just irksome. Those who are happy with it are free to be happy with it.

As for shouting at clouds, I tried it, they don’t listen.

Regards
Robert