As the dust settles on another Premier League season the chat turns from results to transfers and manager movements and, here at SBOTOP, we’re tracking the biggest clubs to see who is shaping up for a productive summer… and who we think will make a fast start in 2024/25.
Manchester City won a record fourth league title in succession and the pre-season Premier League 2024 betting odds will no doubt back the Sky Blues for a fifth, but down the road at Old Trafford a new broom is sweeping through the club. INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has bought a minority stake in Manchester United and, as the new man on the ground, he has already started to make some serious waves.
There is plenty of speculation around the future of manager Erik Ten Hag and his situation has not yet been clarified but, in the meantime, Ratcliffe is pushing the club to move in a different direction, both on and off the field. The Red Devils have spent eye watering sums in recent seasons, and a fair amount on players, such as Casemiro and Raphael Varane, who are near the end of their careers. Ratcliffe wants the club’s buyers to focus on younger, more marketable players but, if they focus on the Premier League, these players won’t come cheap.
Two names have already been mentioned, Everton’s highly rated defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Crystal Palace’s exciting forward Michael Olise. At 21 and 22 years old these two certainly fit the bill but United will have a serious challenge to lure them away from their clubs. They think they may be able to get Brantwhaite at a good price to help the Toffees cope with their money problems but the Liverpool club is playing hard ball, and they value their player at £80m, around twice the amount United want to pay. Olise has a release clause of £60m in his contract so the two might cost up to £140m combined.
If Manchester United can pull off this kind of signing it will signal some serious intent at the start of Sir Jim’s involvement and a move in a new direction. Of course, the future of manager Ten Hag is still uncertain and reports in the UK say INEOS won’t be rushed into a decision; though there were plenty of rumours around Manchester that the Dutchman would be gone regardless of whether or not the Red Devils beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
It almost looks like they didn’t expect to win the Cup and have been caught with a more difficult decision!
Ratcliffe means business though and he knows how to make money; and, in off the pitch matters he has already given the non playing staff a week to decide if they want to stay at the club. He is scrapping the club’s flexible ‘working from home policy’ and has told staff if they don’t like it…they can resign.
One month left on Bruno’s release clause
Manchester United’s stunning FA Cup win means Newcastle United have been edged out of the Europa places; and so Magpies manager Eddie Howe is under pressure over the summer to ensure he can balance the books as well as kicking off the new season with a strong set of Premier League 2024 results. The club has already released Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie who have made a combined 428 appearances and they may soon have a decision to make on their prize asset, Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
There is just one month left on the player’s £100m release clause so any interested parties will have to move quickly. Guimaraes has been happy in the North East but the lack of European football may make him receptive to a move and that will alert the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Arsenal.
Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola is an admirer of the midfield ace and Guimaraes has previously said: “We know that Manchester City is a step above all teams in England.”
So this could be a match made in heaven.
Maresco nearing Chelsea move
Already the managerial merry-go-round is in danger of spinning off its axis and it seems that Leicester City are getting ever closer to losing their manager Enzo Maresco, as Chelsea are aiming to offer a long term contract for the Italian and talks are said to be progressing well.
Club officials are currently meeting their target in Marbella in the south of Spain, and they are expected to return with positive news. Maresca is keen to make the move but he wants to ensure Leicester are looked after, and that will include a quick resolution of this story.
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