Everton chaos preventing players moving to Goodison
Everton are resigned to missing out on January loan target Anthony Elanga because of Manchester United‘s reluctance to expose the 20-year-old forward to the ongoing chaos and uncertainty at Goodison Park, sources have told ESPN.
United manager Erik ten Hag is prepared to allow Elanga to leave Old Trafford on loan this month to build his first-team experience. Sources have said that Borussia Dortmund is the most likely destination for the player, whose only senior start since the World Cup was in the Carabao Cup against Charlton on Jan. 10.
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But while Everton have maintained a long-standing interest in the Sweden international, sources have said that United see few potential benefits from sending Elanga to a team that is embroiled in a relegation battle. United’s football department had already expressed a reluctance to sending Elanga to Everton even before the dismissal of manager Frank Lampard this week plunged the Merseyside club into even greater uncertainty. There have been reports this week the club has been put up for sale (which have been denied by owner Farhad Moshiri), while Netherlands international Arnaut Danjuma backed out of a move to Goodison and joined Tottenham Hotspur instead.
Dortmund, meanwhile, are keen to take Elanga to the Bundesliga and with the German club having a long track record of providing a platform for young players to play and develop, sources have said that a move to Signal Iduna Park is United’s preferred option. — Mark Ogden
USMNT’s Weah being tracked by European clubs
Lille and United States forward Tim Weah is reportedly on the radar of several other European clubs, though making a move before the winter transfer window closes is unlikely.
Among the clubs linked with Weah are Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach and LaLiga side Sevilla. A source with knowledge of Gladbach’s thinking has confirmed to ESPN that Weah is a player the club admires and is tracking.
However, Die Fohlen have a greater need for a striker at the moment, especially if Marcus Thuram departs, and that isn’t a position they see Weah filling. While Weah has played as a central striker at times in his career, recent seasons have seen him deployed as a wide player, even taking a turn as an attacking full-back for Lille.
He has filled a similar role for the U.S. national team, including at the recent World Cup. It seems likely that any firm approach for the player will happen later on down the road. — Jeff Carlisle
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Manchester City‘s shirt deal with Etihad Airways is reportedly the biggest in the Premier League, worth an annual $79m, with Real Madrid‘s $77m-a-year partnership with Dubai-based airline Emirates the largest in the world game.
But with United now appearing to be on an upward trajectory again under manager Erik ten Hag — with the team breaking into the top four of the Premier League table — sources have told ESPN that the Old Trafford hierarchy are confident of finding a sponsor to replace TeamViewer that is prepared to pay a world-record figure to have its name on the team’s shirt.
And although it was reported that Arnold, who will mark his first year in charge of United next week, travelled to the Swiss town of Davos under the instruction from the club’s owners, the Glazer family, to find a buyer for the team, sources have told ESPN that the focus of the trip was to boost the search for a new sponsor because of kit production for the 2023-24 season needing to start in late March.
Arnold was accompanied in Davos by Victoria Timpson, United’s CEO of Alliances and Partnerships, and Ellie Norman, the chief communications officer, who has recently started her role at Old Trafford after leaving her post as the head of global marketing and communications with Formula 1.
As part of their charm offensive in Davos, United rented a storefront in the town with a luxury lounge designed to project the club’s image and brand to potential sponsors and partners. — Mark Ogden
