Premier League

CHELSEA have started looking for yet MORE wingers – as they are planning for next season without both Jadon Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk.The Blues have Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and youngster Tyrique George as flank options, while Cole Palmer drifts wide when he sees the opportunity.Enzo Maresca will seek new attacking reinforcements this summerCredit: AlamyJadon Sancho is expected to return to Man UtdCredit: AlamyMykhailo Mudryk will likely remain unavailableCredit: GettyBut boss Enzo Maresca is working on the likelihood that neither on-loan Sancho nor Ukrainian Mudryk will be available next term.Forward Christopher Nkunku, who was a target for Bayern Munich in January, also remains likely to be moved on.Madueke is another to keep an eye on and could well be allowed to move on should a club come in with the right sort of offer.Chelsea chiefs are ready to pay Manchester United £5m to back out of their agreement to sign one-time England winger Sancho.And the club are still in the dark over the future of Mudryk after he was provisionally suspended for a failed drugs test.Mudryk costs the Blues £7.3m plus his £5.2m wages every season, with his amortisation precept still standing at nearly £45m this summer.The Ukrainian faces a potential four year ban under World Anti-Doping rules which are followed by the FA.Brazilian boy wonder Estevao Willian is being viewed as a potential first team squad member next year after his arrival from Palmeiras in a deal worth up to £48m.Join SUN CLUB for the Chelsea Files every Tuesday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Stamford BridgeIt is expected that Ecuadorean teenager Kendry Paez, 18, will be sent out on loan next season, although he could first be included in the squad for this summer’s Club World Cup.The youngster has been training with Liam Rosenior’s Ligue 1 side Strasbourg this week as he prepares for the move to Europe.Chelsea vs Tottenham descends into chaos as Romero sparks mass melee after shoving Colwill to groundChelsea have wanted to help Paez acclimatise to European life and the training culture before making the move permanent.Sources have indicated that there is no guarantee he will join Strasbourg next season, though it seems likely.OPEN THE DORONE winger Chelsea are tracking is Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens.The England Under-21 international is keen on a move to the Premier League with Liverpool also keeping a close eye.Chelsea have identified Jamie Gittens as a potential targetCredit: GettyChelsea may feel they hold an advantage over the Reds, with midfielder Carney Chukwumeka already on loan with the Bundesliga club.Dortmund hold an option they can activate for the former Aston Villa man, signed by Chelsea for £20m.The German side are understood to be able to sign Chukwuemeka for just below his £40m release clause at Stamford Bridge.That means any deal which involved Gittens would require Dortmund’s clause to be renegotiated, which some believe to be unlikely at this stage.Chukwumeka’s loan has been disrupted by injury but he scored on his first Bundesliga start in an eye-catching performance against Freiburg over the weekend.The midfielder also played a role in Serhou Guirassy’s goal, with a superb defence-splitting pass.Dortmund are keen to make the move permanent, so long as they qualify for the Champions League this season.’GAMING’ THE RULESCHELSEA’S near £200m sale of their relentless winning women’s team was a perfect example of “gaming” the Prem’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.Despite that, Uefa will NOT allow the Blues to include the sale to parent company BlueCo 22 in their calculations, meaning a likely eight-figure fine for breaching Euro regulations.Chelsea sold its women’s team to parent company BlueCo in an attempt to remain in line with the Prem’s PSR rulesCredit: GettyUefa will not allow the Blues to include the sale in their calculationsCredit: PABut with Prem clubs – who voted against clamping down on “inter-group” property sales last summer – having also agreed to maintain the PSR status quo until the end of next season, Chelsea could have few other assets to flog to the company owned by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.Two of those are on the Stamford Bridge site, the restaurant at the front of the ground and the Health Club situated at the corner of the main East and Matthew Harding Stands.There is also the 117 acre Cobham training ground, a section of which is understood to have been sold to BlueCo this season.And at the main entrance to Cobham, there stands a large detached house, also owned by the club.However, the sale of the women’s team does mean that the costs and revenues associated with Sonia Bompastor’s side cannot be used in PSR calculations for this season or next term.ENZ OF THE ROAD?TALK of a summer exit for Enzo Fernandez is growing, with Madrid giants Real and Atletico both snooping around the Argentine playmaker.But the eight and a half year deal agreed when the South American made his £106m switch from Benfica in January 2023 means the Blues could be faced with a HUGE loss on any transfer – causing them a significant PSR issue.Enzo Fernandez could leave Stamford BridgeCredit: GettyThe massive contract length allowed Chelsea to “amortise” his annual cost – not including estimated wages of £9.3m a year – at £14.5m per season.Yet if Fernandez did leave this summer, with six years still to go on his initial deal, Chelsea would need to agree a deal of £87m JUST to break even.Any figure below that would significantly cut into their PSR calculation numbers, even if the Blues will be allowed to bank their up-front £30m entry fee for this summer’s Club World Cup.SAFETY CONCERNSCHELSEA fans need to be careful in Poland this week.The club failed in their bid to get more than 742 tickets for Thursday’s Europa Conference League quarter-final away to Legia Warsaw.Chelsea travel to face Legia Warsaw this weekCredit: ReutersThe behaviour of the Polish club’s notorious ultras was the reason why Chelsea received less than the normal 2000 tickets for an away game due to fears over the travelling supporters’ safety.Although Chelsea asked for more tickets Uefa insisted that they had to stick with the original amount.Equally, Legia are allowed only 1000 fans inside Stamford Bridge next week which is half the number they requested and there will be a huge police presence at the game.Legia fans are known for causing all sorts of problems home and away.They were banned from five away European games due to violent clashes before the Conference League match at Aston Villa in November 2023.In total, 46 men were charged after fans ran riot. A number of police officers were injured.In a statement, Villa said: “This shocking behaviour followed Legia club officials’ complete lack of cooperation with West Midlands Police, Aston Villa and UEFA throughout the day.”Legia have continued to be in hot water with Uefa this season. They unfurled a giant banner before a game against Molde criticising the governing body and this led to a one-game stadium ban.NO EXCUSESLOOKING through the Legia squad offers another example of how absurd it is the Blues are even in this competition.The Polish side’s most notable and valuable player is former Wolves defender Ruben Vinagre.According to Transfermarkt, in total the Warsaw squad is worth just over £31miliion, or one Malo Gusto.This week they face up with a Blues squad valued at a staggering £791m and recently confirmed as the most expensive in history in UEFA’s financial report.Chelsea have few excuses for not winning this competition. More

PAUL SCHOLES has not been afraid to stick the boot in on Manchester United this season.So much so that one player phoned him up about his criticism.Manchester United’s players have been criticised throughout the seasonCredit: PAPaul Scholes refuses to hold back in his fiery approachCredit: YouTube/The OverlapScholes revealed on The Overlap Fan Debate via Sky Bet one unnamed United man took matters into his own hands – and got in touch about the negative press.The legendary midfielder, 50, said: “Players can be a little bit touchy these days.“I had a player this year, who contacted me and wasn’t happy with some of the things I’d said.”He wanted to meet me at the training ground.READ MORE ON MAN UTD”I said, ‘Of course, no problem,’ and gave him my number but he never got back to me.“I would have done it. If I’m saying things I believe and he wants me to explain why, it wouldn’t have been a nice conversation.”But I said if they or anyone else has a problem, there’s my phone number.”Scholes did not say who the irked Red Devils player was – but there is no shortage of people at Old Trafford he has slammed this season…Most read in FootballJoin SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Old TraffordAUGUST 2024 – ANDRE ONANABefore the season even started, Scholes was piling in on United – and Andre Onana was the first man caught in his crosshairs.Scholes: “I’ve heard a lot of United fans say how excited they are for the new season… I’m struggling with that.Paul Scholes feels like Man Utd are ‘begging’ for money to build new stadium “The goalkeeper is a big concern for me. Even in pre-season with some of the goals he conceded. I worry to death about him.”AUGUST 2024 – MATTHIJS DE LIGTUnited brought in defender Matthijs de Ligt for £42million – and it is safe to say Scholes was not convinced given his lack of minutes for Bayern Munich last season.Scholes: “We’re talking about players who can’t get into their team.”He’s not playing for Bayern, that has to be a big concern, especially when Eric Dier is playing in front of him. That is a massive concern for me.”SEPTEMBER 2024 – MATTHIJS DE LIGTIt didn’t take long for the club icon to continue his De Ligt rant and reckons Erik ten Hag was desperate to replace Harry Maguire.Scholes: “He couldn’t wait to get de Ligt straight in ahead of Maguire, he was just waiting for the opportunity.”And look, in all honestly, I’m not sure it is that much of an upgrade.”He might be slightly better but he is not a massive improvement where you think, ‘Wow.'”Andre Onana was criticised before the season startedCredit: RexMatthijs de Ligt’s signing to replace Harry Maguire raised questionsCredit: The TimesOCTOBER 2024 – NEW SIGNINGSHe blasted the club’s “ridiculous” transfer strategy – and namedropped five flop arrivals. Scholes: “Zirkzee, what is he? Is he a No9 or a No10? Is he going to get you 20 goals? I don’t think so.”Rasmus Hojlund does alright – but is he gonna score you 20 goals? I don’t think so.”I think they are relying more on hope than actual proven quality and they spent so much money as well.”It’s a ridiculous amount of money and some of them can’t get in the team.”You think of Ugarte coming into the club, who was supposed to change the midfield, Ten Hag didn’t play him.”De Ligt, £50m and he didn’t play him. Jonny Evans has come in at 36-years-old instead of him.”Martinez, Ten Hag brought him into the club. What must he be thinking? Jonny Evans is playing, Harry Maguire started, Victor Lindelof comes on before him.”OCTOBER 2024 – ERIK TEN HAGIt was not just the players feeling the heat from Scholes, who also went in on Ten Hag just before his sacking.Scholes: “There’s been no improvement. “I think that’s the biggest disappointment with two and a little bit years in, a lot of money has been spent and we’re not seeing improvement.”You’d like to think by now they’re up there challenging them. The top three teams I know Liverpool, City and Arsenal are ahead of most other teams.”You’d like to see them getting even a little bit closer to that, but it doesn’t feel like it.”JANUARY 2025 – KOBBIE MAINOOAfter a few quieter months as Ruben Amorim replaced Ten Hag, Scholes continued his onslaught in the New Year by raising questions over Kobbie Mainoo’s fitness levels.Scholes: “Mainoo with his legs has to be a worry. “He doesn’t finish a lot of games.”JANUARY 2025 – MAN UTD SQUADScholes then took aim at pretty much the entire squad – as just three avoided the chop in a game of “keep or sell”. Mainoo, Onana and Alejandro Garnacho avoided the ruthless culling but the rest he was asked about were dumped. Scholes is worried Kobbie Mainoo is not fit enoughCredit: GettyThe ex-midfielder wanted Marcus Rashford ‘banished’ before his Villa loanCredit: GettyScholes said Luke Shaw and Mason Mount are “never fit”, Casemiro is past his best and defenders De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez can go. For Antony, Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford, Scholes simply replied: “Sell.”JANUARY 2025 – MARCUS RASHFORDRashford took plenty of flak inside and outside the club ahead of his loan move to Aston Villa – and Scholes did not hold back.Scholes: “I think Marcus has let a lot of people down with his attitude.”He’s 27, he’s clearly not training properly, he’s not living his life properly. “In a way, he’s saying he doesn’t want to be involved with the team and the fact of letting his teammates down, he should be banished from the dressing room.”FEBRUARY 2025 – RUBEN AMORIM & PATRICK DORGUPatrick Dorgu only arrived in the January transfer window but it did not take long for Scholes’ attention to be drawn to the defender when United played Leicester in the FA Cup.He seemingly took a sarcastic swipe at Amorim playing the Danish full-back out of position.An unimpressed Scholes posted on Instagram: “Inverted wing-backs… you saw it at [Old Trafford] first.”Patrick Dorgu operated on the right in the FA Cup against LeicesterCredit: GettyAlejandro Garnacho threw a strop when he was subbed off against IpswichCredit: ReutersMARCH 2025 – ALEJANDRO GARNACHOScholes singled out Garnacho for criticism after the Argentine winger threw a strop when substituted off against Ipswich. Scholes: “He looked like he was sulking a little bit to me.”Garnacho’s biggest strength is running through. Sometimes he makes the wrong decisions but he had a lack of energy and a little bit of silkiness.”He will need to get better as they don’t really have anything else to call on.”MARCH 2025 – SIR JIM RATCLIFFEAnd the 11-time Premier League winner even took a swing at owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the ambitious £2billion new stadium plans. Scholes: “You can be gullible at times, and believe what he says, just because you’ve never heard anyone say anything before. You don’t know how realistic it is, it’s all up in the air.Read More on The Sun”Words are cheap, and we could say anything about anyone, you can say in 10 years we’ll have the biggest and best stadium.”For a long time, we’ve been called the richest club in the world, but I feel like we’re begging a little, asking for the stadium and that we need £2billion, and selling players to buy players.” More

MANCHESTER UNITED will jet to Asia straight after their final Premier League game for two post-season friendlies.Ruben Amorim’s side will make a 15-hour, 6,600 mile trip to Malaysia after concluding their Prem campaign on May 25.Ruben Amorim will take his side to Asia in MayCredit: RexThe Red Devils have announced that they will play an ASEAN All Stars side in Kuala Lumpur on May 28.United stars will then jet 1,500 miles to Hong Kong for a match against their national team just two days later.It’s believed that the trip will make the club around £8million.Red Devils CEO Omar Berrada said: “We appreciate the amazing level of support that Manchester United enjoys around the world and this summer we are delighted to deliver a schedule that provides our fans in Asia, Scandinavia and the United States the opportunity to connect with the club and watch the men’s first team play live in local settings.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”Importantly, tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch.”They also create unique opportunities for us to collaborate with our valued commercial partners, and to deepen relationships with our fans in regions such as Asia and the US.”Man Utd stars will report for international duty following the conclusion of their post-season tour, with England in action against Andorra on June 7.Tottenham and Newcastle were both criticised for playing each other in Hong Kong three days after the end of the 2023-24 season.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKMan Utd have already confirmed that they will travel to the US for a pre-season tour this summer.The Red Devils will participate in the Premier League Summer Series, playing West Ham in New Jersey, Bournemouth in Chicago and Everton in Atlanta.Amorim says Man Utd ‘need to be better’ after 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest Fans on social media have slammed United’s post-season plans.One fumed: “Another season we won’t be ready for. How many injuries will we pick up here …then off to America with no new signings. The last 12 years on repeat”While a second reasoned: “I get why do they do it, but this summer in particular I feel the footballing side would benefit from sticking around closer to home.”A third raged: “It’s all about the cash imagine the back lash if Bruno gets a 12 month injury as a result.”And another added: “They will be knackered before they even start the season.” More

A LOYAL Manchester United fan has been forced to give up his Old Trafford seat of 45 years to make way for corporate hospitality.Michael Carney, 81, has followed United through thick and thin – from the Busby Babes and the Holy Trinity of George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law to the 1999 Treble and today’s lows.A loyal Manchester United fan has been forced to give up his Old Trafford seatCredit: PAMichael Carney has held his Man Utd seat for 45 years at Old TraffordCredit: PAHowever, the club are taking the longtime fan’s seat away and are forcing him to move from his spot in the lower section of the Sir Bobby Charlton stand.Carney was among the die-hard Man Utd fans who received a season ticket renewal letter that informed them their seats will be converted to hospitality sectors this summer.It read: “We have identified a small number of general admission tickets directly adjacent to the home and away dugouts that will be converted to hospitality seats this summer.”This reflects the high value of this unique location and will help to raise hospitality revenue to keep general admission Season Ticket prices lower. Read More on Man Utd”Your current seat is included within this block, and we will therefore need to find you an alternative seat for next season.”And Carney made his feelings known by aiming a powerful placard at the Red Devils’ hierarchy during Sunday’s goalless derby against Manchester City.The sign read on one side: “I was sat here before you were born!”And the other side read: “74 years of loyal support – for what?”Most read in FootballCarney, who still keeps newspapers from the Munich air disaster and Best’s phenomenal performance at Benfica in 1966, feels his beloved club is hanging him out to dry.He told the BBC: “It is very sad after all these years. They could put you anywhere and I don’t think you will be able to argue much. If you don’t like it, clear off.Paul Scholes lays into Sir Jim Ratcliffe for ‘having the cheek’ to introduce ‘ridiculous’ Man Utd’s ticket prices “They are brilliant seats. Mine is smack on the halfway line, midway between the dug-outs and the directors’ box.”One way of looking at it is that we have been fortunate to be sitting there for all those years – but you get used to it.”It has been happening on an individual basis for some time now. Before every game, you get an email saying if you can’t make the game, let them know and they will give you your money back. “If you have not been, the lads around will ask whoever is in the seat how much they paid for it. Very often it would be £250-£300. Fan protests”That is a good way of seeing what they want to do now, taking everyone out en-bloc.”Man Utd have been making a lot of controversial changes, which include brutal cuts, under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos, who are in charge of sporting operations.The club told season ticket holders who are sat right behind the dugouts at Old Trafford will have to move to make way for a VIP hospitality area.This situation led to another protest after the Manchester derby with hundreds of fans venting their frustrations over next season ticket price rises, the cutting of concessions and the amount of money paid to service United’s £1billion debt.Some seniors will see the cost of their season tickets rise by 57 per cent – a situation branded “shameful” when it emerges last month.A wider “sit-in” protest was also arranged by the 1958 fan group.However, it is expected that the conversion of these seats will allow the club to generate significant additional revenue, which would help minimise increases to season ticket prices.Other Premier League clubs have followed the same formula for the seats located over the dugouts.Read More on The SunChelsea are charging an extraordinary £12,500 for one ticket for their final two home games of the season against Liverpool and Man Utd at Stamford Bridge.The staggering prices for the Blues’ VIP dugout experience are a new record for the Prem – and will cost punters £139 for every minute of action on the pitch. More