July 26, 2022
The brief from today:
Close quarters for teams at the World Cup
FIFA outlined the accommodation arrangements for the 32 teams participating at this year’s World Cup, and things will be different compared to previous tournaments. For starters, the much smaller size of host nation, Qatar, means that all eight stadiums are in, and around, the capital city, Doha. The result of this is that 24 of the teams will be staying within a six mile radius of each other, while the remaining teams won’t be too much farther. In addition to the close proximity, participants will stay at their specific individual hotel, and use their assigned training ground throughout their time in the tournament. This marks a change from previous World Cups where teams would spend time traveling to various host cities, staying at different hotels, and using different training facilities. FIFA Chief Operating Officer, Colin Smith, touted the benefits of this continuity saying, “Players will have more time to train and rest during the competition.” The issue, however, is teams will also be close to all the fans attending from around the world, rather than have more remote bases as in past tournaments. Whether this causes any disruption remains to be seen. Due to the limited number of hotels available, the arrangements made for teams are: “hotels, villas, resorts and non-hotel accommodation, including sports academy residences and school/university housing.” With the World Cup now about four months away, this logistical setup will be the first of its kind, and whether it’s successful will be known soon.
Transfer market hijacking
PSG confirmed the signing of Nordi Mukiele from RB Leipzig today. The transfer fee wasn’t officially disclosed, but it’s rumored to be around €16 million including bonuses, and he will be under contract for the next five years. The deal was meant to be straightforward for PSG once they began discussions with Leipzig, and ultimately it was, but there was a third party trying to interfere late in proceedings. Chelsea, known to be looking for another defender, tried to tempt Mukiele shortly before the deal with PSG was finalized. Such a tactic isn’t isolated to Chelsea, in fact the West London team have been on the receiving end of it numerous times this transfer window. When they agreed a fee with Leeds for winger, Raphinha, Barcelona swooped in knowing the player wanted them instead, and hijacked the deal. Chelsea were also chasing Matthijs de Ligt, then at Juventus, but once again the deal was scuppered when Bayern Munich came in and completed the deal in their favor. As if that weren’t bad enough, Chelsea also had a transfer fee agreed with Sevilla for their defender, Jules Kounde, but then the personal terms became an issue. The reason for the limbo? Barcelona. When it became apparent to Kounde that the fellow La Liga side were interested in him, his head was turned, and now he may be potentially heading to Barcelona instead of London. It isn’t completely unheard of for such things to happen in the transfer market, but the frequency of it this summer has been marked; Chelsea’s high profile has made it difficult to ignore. Of course other clubs have been dealt blows as well, Milan lost Sven Botman to Newcastle despite having agreed personal terms with the Dutchman. In the end, Newcastle’s offer to Lille was just too good to pass. Newcastle themselves also missed out on Reims striker, Hugo Ekitike, despite the better offer, when he opted to join PSG. All these incidents, plus others, certainly blur the line on whether it’s more vital to seal the deal with the player, or the club. As a result, more of these last ditch interferences should probably be expected with one month left in the transfer window.
Ramsey and Juventus part ways
Welsh midfielder, Aaron Ramsey, has left Juventus after both parties agreed to terminate his contract with one year left. Ramsey joined Juve in 2019 as a free agent after his spell at Arsenal, and the absence of a transfer fee meant he secured a massive €7 million per year salary. Juve coach, Allegri, made it quite clear since last season that the midfielder wasn’t going to figure for him, and with the World Cup around the corner Ramsey needed to secure consistent football. The negotiations over the severance pay went back and forth with Ramsey looking for €4 million, and Juve offering €2 million. In the end, the rumor is they met in the middle and he will now depart with a final payment close to €3 million. Considering his influential role in the Wales national team, Ramsey is almost assured of a place in the World Cup squad, but he still needs to secure a club promptly to ensure he stays match fit. Fellow Welsh veteran, Gareth Bale, recently opted to join MLS side, LAFC, after his contract expired with Real Madrid, but it appears that Ramsey has interest in England that he may entertain instead.
Ramsey’s time at Juventus comes to and end