GM football fans. It’s Monday, Jan. 5 - Tensions grow at Manchester United following Ruben Amorim’s press conference, European clubs lag far behind US sports teams, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY RESULTS
Premier League: Leeds 1-1 Manchester United. Leeds’ seven-game unbeaten run is their longest in the Premier League since May to November 2001. Fulham 2-2 Liverpool. Timed at 93:53, Cody Gakpo’s goal was the fourth-latest on record to take the lead but not win the match. Fulham’s Harrison Reed scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time to give Fulham a 2-2 draw with Liverpool—watch the long-range goal here. Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea. Enzo Fernandez scored an injury-time equaliser for managerless Chelsea, extending Arsenal’s lead in the Premier League to six points. Separately, reports suggest Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior is interviewing to take over the Chelsea role.
Results…
Premier League: Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal | Everton 2-4 Brentford | Newcastle 2-0 Palace | Spurs 1-1 Sunderland | Villa 3-1 Forest | Brighton 2-0 Burnley | Wolves 3-0 West Ham (Table)
La Liga: Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona | Real Madrid 5-1 Betis (Table)
Serie A: Juventus 1-1 Lecce | Atalanta 1-0 Roma | Lazio 0-2 Napoli | Inter 3-1 Bologna (Table)
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Paris FC (Table)
TOP TALKING POINTS
United Tensions Grow
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has called for the club’s hierarchy to let him do his job without interference. The comments, made after a 1-1 draw at Leeds United, also hinted at an exit by the Portuguese manager, who repeatedly stated that he was ready to move on when his contract expires in 18 months. It follows Amorim’s hints about possible friction with the board over tactics and transfers during Friday’s media press conferences.
Amorim, whose official title has been ‘head coach’, also claimed that he joined to be the club’s manager, not their head coach. “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. I know that my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, it’s not (Antonio) Conte, it’s not (Jose) Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United.” He also questioned whether United had become too sensitive to outside criticism, suggesting that if “people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club.”
Man United moved up to sixth following their draw and are level with fifth-placed Chelsea, despite having only one win from their last five league games.
European Clubs Lag
European football clubs are being heavily outperformed financially by US sports franchises, according to the Financial Times (paywall). Sportico estimates that Real Madrid are the world’s most valuable football club, yet rank only 22nd overall among sports teams globally. Of the top 10, six teams compete in the NFL, three in the NBA, and one in MLB.
Investors are reportedly concerned that European football clubs are struggling to control costs, alongside the structural risk of relegation. Others point to stagnating media rights, with the Premier League securing only a 4% uplift in its latest domestic cycle, compared to the NBA’s 165% increase in its 2024 media rights deal.
According to the most recent figures from Uefa, more than half of Europe’s top-flight clubs reported operating losses in 2024, with an aggregate loss of €300m. Transfer spending pushed overall pre-tax losses up to €1.2bn, while combined debt rose 10% to €28.1bn.
Ex-Player Leads Club Takeover
Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is leading a €400m (£348.2m; $469.2m) bid with foreign investors to purchase his boyhood club Sevilla. The 39-year-old, who is currently a free agent after leaving Mexican club Monterrey, is the public face of the takeover despite not being the largest investor.
The investors are seeking a 100% stake in the Spanish club, which currently sits 11th in La Liga. Sevilla’s finances have deteriorated after recording €81.8m in losses in 2023-24, while the club’s estimated €180m debt has complicated the valuation of the deal. A group of American investors recently conducted due diligence but dropped their offer from €3,400 per share to €2,700, causing negotiations to break down.
The deal is expected to take time to finalise. Ramos can, therefore, still play in La Liga this season if he signs with another club, as league rules prohibit a player from competing while also holding an ownership stake in a club.
POLL
Should Manchester United stick or twist with Ruben Amorim?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia scored a hat-trick in their 5-1 win over Real Betis with top scorer Kylian Mbappe not in the squad (More); they’re within four points of Barcelona (Table)
> Former Barcelona defender Dani Alves has become the co-owner of Portuguese third-division club Sporting Clube de Sao Joao de Ver (More)
> Celtic fans protested outside the stadium following the team’s 3-1 defeat to Rangers that left the champions level on points with their rivals; it’s Wilfred Nancy’s sixth defeat in eight games (More); Hearts beat Livingston to move six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership (More)
> Lens consolidated its place at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-0 win at Toulouse; PSG are one point behind following their 2-1 win in the Paris derby (More)
> Championship leaders Coventry City dropped points for the third consecutive match following a 3-2 loss to Birmingham (More) | Two Championship fixtures were postponed due to weather conditions (More)
Americas
> Los Angeles midfielder Riqui Puig has undergone ACL surgery on his left knee and is expected to join the team for the start of the next season in July 2027 (More)
> Monterrey forward Anthony Martial opened his scoring account in Mexico, finding the net against Leones Negros in the Copa Pacifica (More)
Rest of the World
> Morocco are through to the quarter-finals of Afcon after beating Tanzania 1-0; Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz has now scored in every game (More)
> Former Canada boss John Herdman has been appointed the new head coach of the Indonesia men’s national team (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Should football managers have full control over football decisions at their clubs?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (48%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🙅♂️ Nope (47%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 W.T: “Yes, they’re the 'boots' on the ground and have a better idea as to what the team needs. Oftentimes, team execs care more about profits than they do the actual game. If what I read about Enzo and Chelsea is true, sacrificing performance for the sake of high resale value for your players ruins the game.”
🙅♂️ S.G: “Player training and selection is enough responsibility. Adding dietary, player acquisition, and which linens are used are superfluous to the job description. Small focus, big results. Manage up. Tell the Director(s) what you need, what you want, and what non-negotiables are. Then put your head down and do your work. Let them do the rest.”
🙅♂️ R: “Managers should have considerable input into decisions, but not total control. You'd end up just limiting the club to players that the manager has personal knowledge of. There are so many players worldwide that it's impossible to fully assess their capabilities without a team. There is a danger of missing out on some gems.”
✍️ M.A: “As an aspiring manager, I see a football club as an ecosystem, not a one-man state. The manager should have full control over tactics, training, and team selection, while the club sets the long-term philosophy, squad profile, and recruitment framework. What should not happen is managers holding clubs hostage over individual signings, or boards forcing players and overloading squads. Modern football needs alignment over absolutism, with clear roles, a shared vision, and accountability on both sides.”
EXTRA TIME
Are American transit systems ready for millions of soccer fans?
Barca keeper goes viral for sacrificing defender to block a shot.
The Premier League has completed the circle of parity.
How does Maresca's Chelsea record compare?
… and why Chelsea are considering appointing Liam Rosenior.
MLS launch new match ball for 2026.
Bayern’s Luis Diaz releases a song based on his career.
GAME FACE ON
Question: What do the following players have in common?
Jordan Henderson. Ilkay Gundogan. Eric Cantona. Wes Morgan. Tim Sherwood.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I am not going to quit. I am going to do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me. I came here to be the manager.
Answer
They’ve all captained their teams to a Premier League title.
