Premier League

FIVE serious contenders have emerged in the race to buy Manchester United.The Red Devils have been on the market since November, when the Glazer family finally succumbed to fan protests.
Avram Glazer, left, and Joel Glazer, right, are finally set to sell Man UtdCredit: PA
US merchant bankers Raine are overseeing the sale and have set a February 17 deadline for offers to be submitted.
Boyhood Man Utd fan and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe was joined in the race by a Qatari bid earlier this week.
And according to the Mail, as many as FIVE legitimate contenders are set to battle it out for the Red Devils.
Ratcliffe, 70, has reportedly recruited Wall Street giants JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to assist in his offer.
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But the Qataris – whose bid comes from an individual fund and is not formally affiliated with Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari Sports Investment ownership – are confident they will produce the most compelling offer.
Among the other serious contenders are claimed to be multiple Saudi bids.
A number of potential Saudi Arabian buyers have reportedly expressed their interest and signed confidentiality agreements in order to view United’s financials.
None of them are affiliated with Newcastle United’s ownership group.
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The Glazer family are looking to receive around £6bn for the 20-time English champions.
But a fee of between £4.1bn-£4.5bn has been deemed more feasible.
It’s understood the successful bidder will likely have to spend around £2bn on upgrading facilities at Old Trafford and Carrington.
Back in November, United legend David Beckham was linked with fronting a consortium to try and buy his old club.
Tech giants Apple and Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega were mentioned as contenders when the Glazers first expressed a willingness to sell.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has plenty of competition to buy Man UtdCredit: AFP More

SO FAREWELL Jesse Marsch, doomed to failure at Leeds and on a hiding to nothing the minute he opened his mouth at Elland Road.He arrived in England with an impressive coaching pedigree at New York Red Bulls, RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg.
Jesse Marsch was on a hiding to nothing as Leeds managerCredit: PA
But nothing could give him wings with football’s toughest crowd.
Compared to TV character Ted Lasso and derided for his accent, his positivity and even his clothes, the American never stood a chance of winning over the good folk of Yorkshire, where they still worship Marcelo Bielsa as one of their own.
Dour, monosyllabic and communicating via a series of grunts, what was it that so endeared Bielsa to the Leeds supporters?
Because even though Bielsa Ball was taking their team back to the Championship at a rate of knots, they were still inconsolable when he was replaced by Marsch a year ago.
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There is an unacknowledged snobbery in English football which means we can never accept a Yank can teach us anything about the game we gave to the world.
Even though no English manager has EVER won the Premier League title, we still cling to the belief that only someone from a ‘proper football country’ can be trusted to run our top teams.
And according to that Little Englander philosophy, people like Marsch should stick to American football, baseball and basketball… or owning most of our big clubs.
It meant that he spent his entire time at Leeds desperately trying not to say the ‘s’ word, because the mere mention of ‘soccer’ would drive the fans apoplectic.
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Yet that didn’t prevent him from signing US internationals Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams during his first transfer window nor from adding Weston McKennie last week.
Marsch knew drastic measures were called for after Leeds had avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season courtesy of a last day win at Brentford.
And to be fair to the owners, they backed him to the tune of £134.8million for 13 new signings.
They also gave him longer to put things right than Scott Parker, Thomas Tuchel, Steven Gerrard, Bruno Lage, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Frank Lampard received from top- flight rivals this season.
Yet results never improved and with the revolting crowd turning ugly, Marsch’s departure was always going to be just a matter of time.
But it wasn’t the nature of his sacking as much as the timing which came as such a head scratcher.
Because the Leeds hierarchy must have known that they were about to wield the axe when they forked out £25m – which could rise to £35m – for Georginio Rutter, before signing McKennie and Diogo Monteiro on transfer deadline day.
And what exactly were they thinking when they appointed Marsch’s long-term sidekick Chris Armas as his No 2 two weeks ago?
Surely it wasn’t just last Sunday’s unfortunate 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest which convinced the board that change was needed.
More likely it was a panicked reaction to Everton winning their first game under new boss Sean Dyche and threatening to drag Leeds into the bottom three.
Yet they didn’t have much of a succession plan because they are now scrambling around trying to find a managerial replacement after being rebuffed by Carlos Corberan and Andoni Iraola.
And the only thing at Elland Road that’s guaranteed is that the next man won’t come wrapped in a star-spangled banner.
WENGER BINGO

LIONEL MESSI? Tick.
Cristiano Ronaldo? Tick.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gerard Pique, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Yaya Toure, Eden Hazard, Luis Suarez? Tick, tick, tick.
And now former Arsenal star Gilles Grimandi has revealed to SunSport how close the club once came to signing Kylian Mbappe.
That’s Wenger Bingo.
TITLE RACE IS PEPPED UP
PREMIER LEAGUE chiefs might just have revived this season’s title race by charging Manchester City with 115 breaches of their financial rules.
Because prior to the s*** hitting the fan, the reigning champions were barely going through the motions of defending their crown.
Pep Guardiola had clearly tired of winning the same trophy year after year.
And the Spaniard was keeping himself amused with avant- garde line-ups which involved leaving out his best players and isolating the game’s most prolific goalscorer.
But, all of a sudden, he has fire in his belly again and a new point to prove.
And that can only be bad news for league leaders Arsenal as they prepare for Wednesday’s top-of-the-table clash at the Emirates.
No one knows how this disciplinary case is going to go, nor how long City’s lawyers can drag it out for.
All we can say for certain is that Pep will be more spiky and sarcastic than ever in his press conference on Friday.
Casemiro was sent off for throttling Crystal Palace’s Will HughesCredit: Getty
MANC MOANERS
MANCHESTER UNITED fans are up in arms that Casemiro was sent off for throttling Crystal Palace’s Will Hughes, while Jordan Ayew went unpunished for raising his hands to Fred in the melee.
On the other side of Manchester, fuming City fans are demanding to know why Chelsea aren’t also being charged for manipulating Financial Fair Play rules.
It’s football whataboutery at its finest.
Like the motorist being done for speeding on the side of the motorway while other cars fly past at 80mph, you just have to accept your punishment and take it on the chin.
SHARP TONGUE
SPORT is full of bad losers – but Billy Sharp became its first bad winner after Sheffield United’s FA Cup victory over Wrexham.
The bitter Blade accused the non-leaguers of a lack of respect following Tuesday’s fourth-round replay.
And sticking the boot into opponents three divisions below you is a surefire way to garner approval.
Billy Sharp mocked Wrexham after Sheffield United’s win on TuesdayCredit: Getty
SHEIKHEN NOT STIRRED
INVESTMENT bankers handling Manchester United’s takeover imposed a February 17 deadline for bids to be submitted.
But what happens if some random oil sheikh comes in with an offer next Saturday?
Do the Glazers turn him away because he is 24 hours late? I don’t think so… it’s not eBay.
AJ OPPONENT NOT JERMAINE MAN
ANTHONY JOSHUA has confirmed that his next opponent will be Jermaine Franklin.
American heavyweight Franklin is the bloke who lost his last fight to Brit Dillian Whyte and comes into the ring with no titles to his name.
Hands up who is going to pay to watch that.
And even if Joshua wins, what exactly will it prove?
BRIDGE OF CRIES
THE Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is tearing up the newly-installed paving at the historic Swilcan Bridge ­following a global outcry.
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But as the woman from Brookside discovered, no good can ever come from digging up a patio.
What could possibly be buried under the 18th fairway? LIV golf’s credibility perhaps? More

JAMIE CARRAGHER has made his top four predictions, while admitting his Manchester United “worry”.The race for Champions League qualification is set to hot up in the coming weeks, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Man United and Newcastle currently occupying the spots.
Jamie Carragher offered up his top four predictionsCredit: Rex
Just one point separates fourth-placed Toon from Tottenham – but Carra reckons Eddie Howe’s side will fend off the North Londoners.
According to Metro, the former Liverpool defender believes that the top four will remain the same.
This would see United return to the Champions League at the first time of asking under Erik ten Hag.
And as a former Red, Carragher is worried about the progress being made by his old side’s bitter rivals.
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Speaking on Sky Bet’s The Overlap, he said: “It does feel different to me under Erik ten Hag.
“I always felt there was a negativity around the previous managers. With Jose Mourinho it felt like there were problems between him and the board.
“With Louis van Gaal, I’m not sure the fans were ever on board with his style of football.
“And with Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], no one ever thought he would be a manager who could win United a title.
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Erik ten Hag has enjoyed a decent start to life at Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
“But now it feels like they’ve got a manager who knows what he’s doing.
“Also, it feels like there’s a spirit at United that we haven’t seen for a while.
“It feels like that’s coming back. I think there’s something happening at Manchester United that I didn’t see with those other managers. So it’s (a) worry, yeah!”
Carra, 45, also ate humble pie regarding his previous criticism of Lisandro Martinez.
Last August he claimed he was “convinced” that the £55million signing wouldn’t work – due to concerns regarding the Argentine’s 5ft 9in height.
But now labelling Martinez as his “biggest surprise” of the season – Carragher said: “He’s been a big part of Manchester United’s spirit.
“There was a game I saw a few weeks ago and he was a sub, and someone scored a late goal, and he was right involved in the celebrations.
“At the World Cup with Argentina, we saw him have that fight – with him and Casemiro coming in, they feel more powerful and strong.
“Someone of that size will get exposed in the air – that has to happen at some stage.
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“Every player has weaknesses; the best players hide them or make sure they don’t get exposed.
He’s a really good player and he’s surprised me the way he’s coped.”
Lisandro Martinez has performed well for Man UnitedCredit: Getty More