Key events
Right, I’m going to head off now – Daniel Gallan’s here for the rest of the day.
Some silly noises about Karim Benzema to Chelsea, which feels like the most Chelsea signing ever – an unreal, world-class No 9 signed on loan after his prime to bang in 2 in 12 before they sign some kid in the summer for £93m.
Where’s Kalvin off to? The Manchester City defensive midfielder – who could really do with actually playing some football – continues to be linked with Newcastle, with Sky Sports also reporting interest from West Ham, Everton and Juventus. He’s only featured once in the Premier League since the start of October.
Sounds like Forest’s transfer window plans remain unchanged despite the charge of breaching the league’s profit and sustainability rules.
“It doesn’t changing anything, we have to continue our work,” said their manager, Nuno. “The balance of the squad is important. We have to organise the squad. The idea is try to improve, it’s not easy, especially in this window but we are working on that.”
“We are all concerned at the club, i’ll be telling the players to forget about this and focus on our job” 💬
Nuno Espírito Santo on Nottingham Forest being charged for breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules 👇 pic.twitter.com/sbQySgBHzQ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 16, 2024
Here it is, the Rumour Mill has dropped. Michael Olise to Manchester United leads that one – poor guy, what’s he done to deserve that. Renato Sanches also gets a mention, currently not finding much love in Rome. He always transports me back to the summer of ‘16, running the show at the Euros.
Amid the chat of people moving around, here’s someone who’s staying in one place – Sarina Wiegman ain’t done with the Lionesses.
There were also some gongs awarded last night. Messi, really? Voting was based on performances from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 so it didn’t include his World Cup win. Odd.
Preamble
Taha Hashim
Morning, folks. This window – which has been rather unflashy so far – rumbles on. The key story remains whether Jordan Henderson is allowed a return to the big show, the former Liverpool midfielder reportedly desiring an out from Saudi Arabia. The world’s smallest violin and all that.
The big story to emerge in the last couple of hours is that José Mourinho has been sacked by Roma, with the Serie A side ninth in the league. Nicky Bandini wrote this about him yesterday, signalling that the end was near – and now it’s come. What next for the two-time Champions League winner? A dip into international waters?
There’s also the latest drama at Everton, with Forest also in a pickle.
Send in your transfer wishlist, good-luck messages for José, views on whether the transfer window is simply an illusion conceived to distract us from the mundanity of everyday life, knock-knock jokes, whatever you fancy!