Man Utd’s situation regarding Bryan Mbeumo has shifted significantly after Nottingham Forest submitted a bid for Yoane Wissa that falls about £30m short of Brentford’s asking price.
Swift change It’s rare to glimpse the MailOnline’s internal hierarchy of headline priorities, but Friday offered an interesting peek behind the scenes.
This piece, released at 9:11 am…
‘Marcus Rashford arrives at Man United training EIGHT Minutes [sic] after boss Ruben Amorim and the squad depart Carrington as forward’s cold exile continues’
…was updated by 10 am to emphasize the key detail, likely resulting in multiple reprimands:
‘Marcus Rashford arrives at Carrington in sparkling £177k Audi to train alone after the squad had left the complex – as forward’s Man United exile continues’
The removal of excessive ALL CAPS was surely a tough decision, his ‘exile’ is no longer ‘cold’, and now there’s ambiguity around the timing of Ruben Amorim’s departure versus Rashford’s arrival, but do take note of that posh car before he heads off to Barcelona and stay quiet.
Why this matters This recent update has led to a pertinent Q&A from the Manchester Evening News:
‘Why Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford drove into Carrington amid transfer decision’
Because a) he is a footballer eager to train and b) he wasn’t keen on taking the bus.
How’s everything? Rashford is part of a group that the MailOnline has given perhaps the most uninspired nickname in football history:
‘Inside Man United’s first week of pre-season as Gang of Five’s shadow hangs over Carrington while club struggle to sell outcasts’
That’s amusing. Where’s the creativity? No alliteration, rhyme, or pun? How about The Rash Pack? The Infamous Five? If you’re not going to do it well, then don’t do it at all.
However, Mediawatch is intrigued. In what way does the ‘shadow’ of Rashford and his cut-off colleagues ‘hang’ over Man Utd, apart from the club setting exorbitant prices on their heads and then wondering why interested parties are reluctant to buy players they are openly trying to offload?
This isn’t clearly explained, and Chris Wheeler does seem to have been slightly blindsided. His four mentions of Rashford in a broader piece include: how Man Utd aims to sell him; that he has returned to training early with a positive attitude; and that the other players the club plans to offload have opted not to do so, as is typical.
It truly sounds like the ‘Gang of Five’s shadow hangs over Carrington’. Wait until Sir Jim hears about the car Rashford drove in.
Another twist, just as last summer With virtually no movement regarding Rashford, we must continue to feign there’s any action concerning Bryan Mbeumo’s future.
This is understandably challenging, given that it’s well-known the player seeks a move to Man Utd, but talks with Brentford over a fee are slow and, as always, secretive.
Nevertheless, updates are available if you look closely enough. Take the Daily Mirror, which announces that the transfer has ‘taken a fresh twist as Brentford receives new bid’.
How unfortunate that the headline suggests said ‘new bid’ originates from Man Utd for Mbeumo when it’s actually from Nottingham Forest for Yoane Wissa.
Does Forest’s offer, approximately £30m beneath Brentford’s valuation of Wissa, truly qualify as a ‘fresh twist’ in relation to Man Utd’s interest in Mbeumo? No. It more so highlights that Man Utd is closer to reaching a breakthrough in their negotiations. But yes, if you need to pretend something is occurring at Old Trafford.
The same outlet also features this story:
‘Bryan Mbeumo ‘very frustrated’ by Man Utd transfer as Brentford star’s coach breaks silence’
And Mediawatch is pleased to confirm that Cameroon assistant coach Ashu Cyprian Besong has finally weighed in on the topic after a lengthy silence.
If these quotes don’t prompt movement, then nothing will:
“Yes, obviously he’s very frustrated with how long it’s taken. But he’s a professional and anticipates these things. I spoke to him about a week ago, and he is very calm about everything going on.”
It’s unfortunate that the headline only accommodated how Mbeumo was “very frustrated” instead of “very calm”.
No chance of agreement Arsenal’s pursuit of Noni Madueke has sparked a reaction sorely needed this summer: strong outrage at a relatively sensible but admittedly pricey transfer.
The prevailing sentiment seems to be that Arsenal might be making a mistake; The Sun suggests that ‘Chelsea could be about to repeat their Mo Salah transfer blunder by selling Noni Madueke to Arsenal’.
This is a daring statement from Lloyd Canfield, Sports Journalist and Sport Social Media Manager, who believes the Blues are ‘selling what appears to be the most obvious Salah replica the club has had in years’.
Good grief. While there are some resemblances in underlying statistics and style, this comparison is frankly absurd and unhelpful.
Moreover, claiming ‘it signals the sale of a player who perhaps epitomizes BlueCo’s model better than any other’ is strange for two reasons: the £52m sale of a player Chelsea brought in for £29m less than two years ago represents that model, just as much as the fact that ‘his replacement is an 18-year-old Brazilian wonderkid, Estevao Willian, who remains talented yet largely unknown outside South America’.
Madueke’s subdued performance last season is then justified by saying it’s ‘important to remember he had Nicolas Jackson on the end of many chances he was creating’.
Why that didn’t prevent six different Chelsea players from assisting at least one of Jackson’s 13 goals, which left Madueke setting up fewer goals than Christopher Nkunku, Tyrique George, and Jackson himself last season, remains unclear.
‘With Liam Delap and Joao Pedro already appearing clinical in the Club World Cup, Chelsea’s frontline next season could have shown an opportunity for Madueke to explode into the player most fans believe he can become.’
Someone’s forgetting the other £55m forward Chelsea has signed; that frontline must also accommodate Jamie Gittens, and the player with 20 combined goals and assists in 67 Premier League appearances makes sense if a buyer is ready to meet his asking price.
Madueke might thrive at Arsenal, or he might not. But is it genuinely necessary to insist there’s no middle ground between advocating against his acquisition and likening him to one of the greatest players in Premier League history?
Bees knees Just as the shock of the only Premier League club without a manager is about to wear off, the MailOnline has released this piece JUST DAYS later:
‘Jordan Henderson returns to Premier League with free transfer to surprise club, after quitting Ajax early having already ditched his Saudi nightmare’
A mid-table team that recently let go of an experienced central midfielder in his 30s? Brentford is, once again, about the least ‘surprising’ club for Henderson to have joined. This is rather odd.
Image Source: Bryan Mbeumo @ Instagram
