Key events
Eric Dier has taken a bit of stick over the weekend for what appears to be a German accent in his first Bayern interviews. Obviously other Englishman abroad have been guilty of this in the past – Joey Barton at Marseille, Steve McClaren at FC Twente.
But I think it’s actually quite an intelligent and sympathetic thing to do, to slow down the speech, make it easier to understand. I think of it as a subconscious kindness, even if most Europeans are fluent in English.
It’s also worth noting that Dier is fluent in Portuguese, owing to his childhood in Lisbon. I would expect him to be speaking German very quickly, he seems like an intelligent bloke. Also, as per the above video, I didn’t know that Dier was born in Guildford. The internet seems to think he was born in Cheltenham, before his move to Portugal.
Hannibal Mejbri has landed in Spain and will be unveiled as a Sevilla player very soon. He has shown glimpses of talent at Manchester United, and could definitely develop into a top midfielder at Sevilla. It’s a loan deal with a €20m buy option, although Fabrizio is reporting that after an initial verbal agreement, Manchester United requested for a potential buy-back clause on Sunday.
We’re awaiting official confirmation of Valentín Barco’s move to Brighton, who have paid the £8m release clause to Boca Juniors. What a superb deal that is for a brilliant young left back. When Pervis Estupiñán was injured, James Milner filled in and did an OK job. Barco is a great second option for Roberto De Zerbi. PSG and Manchester City were interested, but Brighton have moved first.
Monday means one thing at Guardian HQ: Premier League talking points.
A new striker at Old Trafford would cast serious doubts over the future of Anthony Martial. It feels like I have been typing that sentence for years. Martial is 28 now, and has just two goals in 19 appearances this season. Despite that, West Ham, Inter Milan and Fenerbahce are all keen on the Frenchman, who has reportedly rejected approaches from Saudi Arabia.
The really interesting thing about Guirassy is that he scores different types of goals. Left-foot, right foot, dinks, headers, tap-ins, when he’s through on goal and from long range. There’s obvious talent here. The below video, from earlier in the season (where started with 15 goals from nine league appearances) is good evidence of that.
Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy has a release clause of just €17.5m. Only Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé have scored more goals than the Guinean striker in Europe’s top five leagues, so understandably there is interest from abroad. West Ham desperately need a striker, with Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio all sidelined with injury.
However, Manchester United are lurking and could compete for Guirassy. Rasmus Højlund has not lived up to expectations, Marcus Rashford is struggling, and once again the club are looking for a short-term fix up top. Where is Odion Ighalo when you need him?
It should be mentioned that Guirassy is 27 years of age. He’s been a streaky striker at best throughout his career, but has had a mammoth 2023-24, scoring 19 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions. He’s benefitted massively from a change in tactics at Stuttgart, who only narrowly avoided relegation last season. This year, they are third, just behind Bayern, with Guirassy the focal point of the attack, in front of three attacking midfielders. He’s not a wonderkid or an irrepressable young talent. He’s a vastly improving striker that fits very well into his current tactical system. The question is whether that form could continue in a different system, a different team, a different country. I think he would be an excellent buy for West Ham. For Manchester United, I’m not so sure.
The Rumour Mill is live and doing god’s work.
Preamble
Monday morning in the UK and we hit the mid-way point of the January transfer window. There is a lot to discuss. West Ham’s need for a new striker. Tony Mowbray’s new-found enthusiasm for the Birmingham City buffet. West Ham’s need for a new striker. Brighton wonderkids. Oh, yes.
We’ll start with Jordan Henderson. He’s reportedly not happy in Saudi Arabia and itching for a move back to Europe – he’s had enough of “growing the game” after six months out there. His club, Al-Ettifaq, don’t want to lose the 33-year-old, and that’s fair enough, because they signed him to a three-year deal in July.
However, Ajax have been linked with Henderson and manager John van ‘t Schip spoke to ESPN last night, insisting there had been “serious talks” with the midfielder.
There is serious talk going on with Henderson. He still has some things to arrange in Saudi Arabia. It could be a nice match. It’s no secret that we could really use that type of player. Other guys can benefit from that.
Let’s see if there are any further developments today.