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      Arsenal still owed £8m by crisis club Derby for Krystian Bielik as desperate Rams step up search for new owner

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      DERBY COUNTY reportedly owe Arsenal an outstanding fee for the purchase of former Gunners midfielder Krystian Bielik.Telegraph Sport claims the Emirates giants are one of the Rams main creditors after the two sides made a deal over the sale of the player.
      Arsenal are still owed £8million by Derby in transfer fees for Krystian BielikCredit: PA:Press Association
      It is thought groups or individuals interested in purchasing the Pride Park club will have to take responsibility for its liabilities which is reported to be in the region of ‘tens of millions of pounds”
      And Derby, who play Swansea next, are claimed to still owe the Gunners £8m for Bielik who signed for the Rams in August 2019 when Philip Cocu was managing the team. 
      The Poland player, who has two senior international caps, joined Derby for a club-record fee reported to be worth up to £10m. 
      It is thought the agreement between the sides enabled the Rams to pay a small chunk of the transfer fee upfront with the rest of the cost to be paid in structured instalments. 
      However, the Telegraph reports that only £2million has been paid so far.
      It is claimed that any prospective owners interested in buying the Rams are expected to take on transfer fee payments owed to Arsenal. 

      Earlier this week Derby are reported to have axed the jobs of twenty staff with administrators overseeing cost-cutting measures at the Championships. 
      The BBC says jobs were cutting despite administrators hoping to obtain some-term funding next week. 
      This month it has been claimed the Rams were late paying one of their transfer instalments to Arsenal.
      This is thought to have resulted in the Football League temporarily adding a charge to their transfer embargo before the situation was remedied. 
      Reports claim the Gunners have been informed they will receive the transfer fees owed to them with the Rams’ administrators including the figure in financial negotiations with interested buyers. 
      Bielik, who made 15 Championship appearances for the Rams last term, is currently recovering from a knee injury. 
      The defensive midfielder’s injury is reported to be his second knee problem since joining Derby two years ago. 
      It is thought the Rams, who went into administration in September, also owe money to Polish outfit Lech Poznan for the purchase of winger Kamil Jozwiak. 
      And it is claimed the fee owed for the player takes Derby’s transfer fee ‘debts’ over  £10m. 
      The Poland winger joined the Rams for £4m in September 2020. 
      The Rams are reported to owe £26million to HM Revenues and CustomsCredit: PA
      Derby’s financial challenges include £26million owed to HM Revenues and Customs. 
      It is reported Phillip Cocu, who was sacked by the side in November, will not receive £5million owed in compensation to him following the club entering administration. 
      And it is thought the club’s administrators Quantuma has distributed marketing materials to groups and individuals interested in buying the Rams.

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      Wayne Rooney slams ‘disrespectful’ Derby owner Mel Morris for keeping him in dark as club entered administration More

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      Football fans set to be allowed to drink alcohol at their seats after 36-year ban if review recommendation is allowed

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      FOOTBALL FANS could be allowed to drink alcohol in STANDS in the near future following a fan-led government review.Supporters haven’t been allowed to enjoy booze while watching football since 1985 but a change in the rules is to be recommended.
      Fans are allowed to drink from their seats at cricket matchesCredit: Getty
      According to The Times, ex-sport minister and Conservative MP Tracey Crouch has completed an independent review of the matter.
      She is set to push for a pilot on serving alcohol at clubs in the National League and League Two with a view to extending it to a higher level.
      British football’s 36-year ban on alcohol being drank in stands was introduced in a bid to battle hooliganism.
      Other top European leagues allow supporters to enjoy a pint in their seats while they watch the action unfold.
      There is also no such ban in other British sports, such as cricket and rugby.
      Crouch believes the move could encourage fans not to binge drink before games and will generate much-needed revenue for lower-league clubs.

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      She told The Times: “Take a club like Dulwich Hamlet, which is in National League South. It’s revenue is generated through its refreshments.
      “If it gets promoted to the National League Premier, it effectively stops generating that revenue during a game.
      “They said openly in evidence to us that they cannot afford to get promoted because of the rules around alcohol.
      “Lots of clubs generate a lot of their income through their bars and I think it’s time to look at this issue again.

      “We do have this bizarre situation where you can go to Headingley and drink as a cricket fan, but go to Elland Road and you can’t drink as a football fan.
      “We kettle people into drinking quickly at half-time. And that is the unhealthy aspect of the football fan’s relationship with alcohol.
      “They drink a lot in a short space of time. So my recommendation is to pilot this and not have to down a pint at half-time.”
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      Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris, 27, hit with four-game ban and £5k fine for historic tweets nine years ago

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      PETERBOROUGH talisman Jonson Clarke-Harris will miss the next four matches after being banned for tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013.The striker, 27, has also been fined £5,300 by the FA, and will undergo a face-to-face education programme.
      Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris has been banned for four-matches
      The tweets in question referred to sexual orientation.
      Clarke-Harris was charged with breaching FA rule E3.1 and E3.2 in August.
      An FA spokesperson said: “Peterborough United FC’s Jonson Clarke-Harris has been suspended for four matches, fined £5,300 and is required to complete a face-to-face education programme after admitting six breaches of FA Rule E3 in relation to social media comments posted between 27 October 2012 and 6 March 2013.
      “The comments were insulting, abusive, improper and brought the game into disrepute contrary to FA Rule E3.1.
      “The comments also constitute “an aggravated breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as they included reference to sexual orientation.
      “An independent Regulatory Commission was subsequently convened and imposed the above sanction during a paper hearing. Their written reasons will be published in due course.”

      The punishment means Clarke-Harris will miss key Posh games against Coventry, Bournemouth, Bristol City and Middlesbrough.
      Outspoken owner Darragh MacAnthony has not yet responded after briefly to reacting to the charge in August.
      He said previously: “Somebody, just after we won promotion, spent hours going through a then-18-year-old’s tweets to find stuff and then reported him. World we live in nowadays. More on this nearer time of hearing etc.”
      Peterborough are yet to comment publicly on the matter.
      Wayne Rooney slams ‘disrespectful’ Derby owner Mel Morris for keeping him in dark as club entered administration More

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      Anthony Martial’s body language is ‘HORRIBLE to watch’ and striker ‘has not done enough at Man Utd’, slams Dion Dublin

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      ANTHONY MARTIAL’S body language at Manchester United is ‘horrible’, according to Dion Dublin.And the Frenchman has apparently ‘not done enough’ to justify a spot as the Red Devils’ No 9.
      Anthony Martial’s body language is HORRIBLE at Man UtdCredit: Getty
      That is according to former Red Devil Dion DublinCredit: Rex
      Martial put in another abject performance as United lost 1-0 at home to West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
      The 25-year-old is now 14 games without a goal – having not scored since February.
      And Dublin – who played for United between 1992-94 – says Martial doesn’t want to put in the required work to be the club’s main striker.
      Speaking after the Hammers’ first win at Old Trafford since 2007, Dublin told BBC 5 Live: “We need to see more from Martial, we have said it many times before but he is not helping his cause.
      “I want to see him sweating and putting the ball in the back of the net.
      “He has not done enough since being at United, you see flashes and think it is the start then he doesn’t do anything.

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      “His body language is horrible to watch, he doesn’t want to run around and work hard to be Manchester United’s No 9.
      “There were too many parts in the game where Manchester United did not do enough, the final third was poor.”
      United paid an initial £36million for Martial from Monaco in 2015 and will let him go if they get a £40m bid in January.
      He has 78 goals in 263 appearances after scoring on his debut against Liverpool.
      Fans online were also unhappy with Martial’s West Ham showing.
      One wrote: “Martial’s career is finished at Man Utd if we’re being honest.”
      Another United fan account tweeted: “If 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo could track back, defend and run up and down the pitch, what excuse does 25-year-old Martial have?
      ⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
      “Slow, uninterested and static up front. Makes it hard to defend him.”
      And Ryan posted: “Genuinely think I put more effort making my cup of tea this morning than Martial did tonight. This is Man Utd’s #9.”
      SunSport explored five Premier League clubs Martial could move to in January after it emerged he is reportedly willing to stay in England if he leaves Old Trafford.

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      Man Utd star Matic escapes three-match ban for kneeing West Ham’s Coufal in the privates after referee spotted incident

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      NEMANJA MATIC will NOT face any FA action despite kneeing Vladimir Coufal in the privates.Manchester United star Matic aimed a shot at the midriff of Coufal after a challenge during West Ham’s Carabao Cup win on Wednesday night.
      Nemanja Matic kneed Vladimir Coufal in the groin in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday
      But the Serbian has avoided a three-match ban

      It appeared referee Jon Moss had failed to spot the incident, leaving fears the Serbian would be hit with a retrospective violent conduct charge from the FA.
      But SunSport understands Moss’ report landed at Wembley on Thursday morning where he made it clear he had seen what happened.
      And because the match officials saw and dealt with the clash in real time, FA regulations mean no further action can be taken so Matic will escape a three match ban.
      The Serb lashed out at the Hammers right-back as United lost 1-0 – with fans assuming it was missed because VAR wasn’t being used.
      Manuel Lanzini’s early goal gave the East Londoners their first win at Old Trafford since 2007.
      But the Argentine had to leave the pitch after the Coufal incident thanks to ANOTHER bad challenge from Matic.

      Czech Coufal did not make a meal of it but it looked a painful one
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      The United holding midfielder’s first lucky escape came just before the hour mark.
      Coufal – who came off the bench to replace injured Ryan Fredericks early on – had the ball by the sideline as Matic tried to shut him down.
      The Czech quickly tried to move the ball on and played it off Matic’s shins and out of play.
      But the midfielder followed through and lashed out by kneeing the right-back in the groin.
      Coufal went down and appealed to the nearby fourth official – though he did not make a meal of it.
      Matic ran off as if nothing as happened and appeared to get away with it because there was no VAR for the Carabao Cup tie.
      However Moss has since confirmed he saw it during the game.
      Matic doubled down on his good fortune with a nasty tackle on matchwinner Lanzini later in the game.
      The former Chelsea man raked his studs down the Argentine’s ankle after a late challenge and the ref missed it again.
      Lanzini was subbed off injured as a result soon after.
      Fans online were furious Matic got away with both challenges but particularly his sneaky knee on Coufal.
      ‘SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RED’
      After Aouar claimed it wasn’t even a foul, Pete replied and wrote: “I’ll come and knee you in the b******s and then see what you think.”
      Brendan tweeted: “VAR wouldn’t have done anything anyway.
      “You must be forgetting it goes blind whenever a United player does anything wrong.”
      Batesy said: “If that happened to Fernandes he would’ve been rolling around on the ground for at least five mins.”
      Chris asked: “Why would you need VAR to spot that, surely one of the four officials would have spotted that.”
      Michael simply added: “Should have been a red.”
      Before Dylan chimed in with: “Yet United fans constantly cry about referees ‘hating’ them and giving them no decisions.
      ⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
      “VAR could easily see that as violent conduct.”
      David Moyes recorded his first win over United since being sacked as their manager with the victory.
      But the Hammers’ bubbles were slightly faded soon after the final whistle as they were drawn at home to perennial Carabao Cup winners Manchester City in the next round.

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      Wayne Rooney’s Derby players to be asked if they can have pay DELAYED amid club’s financial crisis

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      WAYNE ROONEY’S Derby players will be asked to accept a pay DELAY to help the crisis-stricken club.The Rams plunged from 12th to bottom of the Championship on minus two points on Wednesday — having been docked 12 points for entering administration.
      Derby boss Wayne Rooney has vowed to help his stars amid the crisisCredit: Rex
      Rams insiders revealed that funds are low at the bank after owner Mel Morris’ reign and it will be a major effort to cover  payroll for the next few months.
      Derby appointed administrators Quantuma to run the club as they try to find a buyer.
      A request will be made for the squad to allow the Rams to hold back a chunk of their salaries — around a third — rather than be paid in full at the end of the month.
      That will be a blow for the new faces in Rooney’s group, who signed on the maximum £4,500-a-week wage the club were allowed to pay under EFL restrictions.
      Some will see their salary temporarily reduced to around £3,000 a week in the first major cutback measure at Pride Park.
      The players may have no option but to accept this deferral plan, while Derby hope the EFL will also give it the green light rather than add a three-point penalty for late payments.
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      Overall the payroll saving would work out at around £400,000 a month.
      This money would be returned once a new buyer for the club is in place.
      Defender Curtis Davies, 36, reckons the players are lucky to have boss Rooney in this crisis.
      He said: “He’s a born winner. Obviously  it would be easy for him to walk away.
      Wayne didn’t need it in the summer when he couldn’t sign the players he wanted — but he’s willing to stand by us.Curtis Davies
      “But he’s in the meetings and he’s telling us, ‘I’ll stand in front of you, I’ll back you all the way. I’ll be the main one to take on any flak, any questions, whatever needs to be done.  I’ll be in the trenches with you’.
      “The biggest compliment you can give Wayne is he doesn’t need it.
      “He didn’t need it in the summer when he couldn’t sign the players he wanted — but he’s willing to stand by us. That shows how much he wants to succeed in management.”

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      Wayne Rooney reacts to the news Derby County is heading into administration More

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      How Arsenal lined up last time they faced Wimbledon with legends like Bergkamp, Vieira and Keown playing in 3-1 win

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      ARSENAL play AFC Wimbledon for the first time in 21 years tonight.The Gunners welcome the Dons to the Emirates in the Carabao Cup third round but last time the teams faced off, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Martin Keown played.
      Arsenal last played Wimbledon in April 2000
      It was April 2000 and Arsene Wenger’s side travelled to Selhurst Park for the Premier League fixture.
      Uriah Rennie was the referee in front of the 25,858 fans and the Gunners eventually ran out 3-1 winners on an action-packed afternoon.
      David Seaman started between the sticks behind Keown and Oleg Luzhny.
      Lee Dixon and Sylvinho played as full-backs in support of a star-studded midfield.
      Ray Parlour, Marc Overmars and Vieira accompanied Gilles Grimandi in the middle of the park.
      And Dutch sensation Bergkamp supported Gunners cult hero Kanu up front.

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      Andreas Lund put the home side 1-0 up after 12 minutes before Kanu turned the game on its head with two goals by the 42nd to make it 2-1 to Arsenal.
      Wimbledon were given a glimmer of hope just a minute later when Luzhny was sent off.
      But they could not make the extra man count and went down to ten themselves with three minutes of normal time remaining.
      Jason Euell was shown a red before Thierry Henry – who came off the bench – wrapped up the points on 89 minutes with a penalty.
      SunSport has explored how the Gunners are expected to line up for Wednesday night’s game.
      Mikel Arteta could make nine changes from the team that beat Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor last time out.
      That is despite Spanish gaffer Arteta stating he will field a competitive team against Mark Robinson’s men.
      Asked whether he will rotate his side in his pre-match press conference, he said: “I hope that I can put out the strongest team I can.
      ⚽ Read our Arsenal live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from The Emirates
      This is how Arsenal could start against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup third round tie
      “That means that the players have performed really well and then give a really strong performance and this is what we want to do.”
      Then pressed on if he will give players in the squad minutes who deserve it, he remarked: “Absolutely and you have to praise that for sure.
      “Let’s see who’s available, how they recover and what is the best way to approach the game.” 

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      Phil Jones confirmed in Man Utd squad against West Ham and could play first game for club in 20 MONTHS

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      PHIL JONES is set to take the next step on his long journey back from injury after he was named in the Manchester United squad to face West Ham.The defender has not played for the first team since January 2020 and recently revealed how his knee injury saga left him “an absolute mess”.
      Phil Jones has recently appeared for Man United’s U23 side
      But United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed the 29-year-old as part of his matchday squad for the Carabao Cup visit of West Ham.
      Jones has revealed how life on the sidelines has seen him subject to abuse from fans and admitted he used to return home from Carrington in tears.
      His last Red Devils appearance came almost two years ago in an FA Cup tie against Tranmere.
      Following that match Jones opted to go under the knife in an attempt to repair a niggling meniscus issue.
      His return to action has been arduous and the likes of skipper Harry Maguire, summer-arrival Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly now sit comfortably above him in the centre-back pecking order.
      But Jones is desperate to put those injury woes behind him after turning out for United’s U23 side and completing several behind-closed-doors friendlies.

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      He has notched 224 appearances since moving to Old Trafford from Blackburn in 2011, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League and Carabao Cup.
      Solskjaer is set to ring the changes as United welcome West Ham to the Theatre of Dreams.
      The teams meet for the second time in four days following the Red Devils’ dramatic 2-1 victory in their Premier League clash on Sunday.
      Jesse Lingard could be rewarded for his match-winning efforts with a start while struggling Donny van de Beek is also tipped to make an appearance.
      But Solskjaer’s likely XI points to United’s strength in depth, with stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Luke Shaw and David De Gea all given the night off.

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