Jamie Carragher referenced Manchester City's 115 FFP charges when predicting who will win this season's Champions League on CBS Sports.
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Sunderland are a team reborn in the past two years following promotion back to the Championship after spending several years stuck in the pits of League One.
The Black Cats took an alarming drop from the heights of Premier League football and whilst they didn't know it at the time, a reset across the whole club allowed them to offload their high earners and rewire their recruitment strategy.
In the years that preceded their drop into the third tier, the North East giants made ill-fated decisions in the transfer market, splashing the cash and blowing their wage budget on underperforming talent.
Indeed, Sunderland were incredibly wasteful and the likes of Jack Rodwell, record-signing Didier Ndong and Ricky Alvarez were three of several players who failed to prevent their plight.
Likewise, the acquisition of Wahbi Khazri in January 2016 was another who contributed very little during his time at the club.
Sam Allardyce was instated as Sunderland's manager in October 2015 and was tasked to keep them in the Premier League.
A manager known for working miracles in the fight against survival, Allardyce used January as an opportunity to bolster his squad, making the £9m capture of Khazri from Bordeaux his fourth signing of that window, despite president Jean-Louis Triaud saying the club had no intention of selling the Tunisian international unless a "ridiculously high offer" comes in.
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Sunderland's winter signings – 2015/16 |
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Jan Kirchhoff |
from Bayern Munich |
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Steve Harper |
Free Agent |
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Lamine Kone |
from Lorient |
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Wahbi Khazri |
from Bordeaux |
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Emmanuel Eboue |
Free Agent |
Having beaten off interest in the shape of divisional rivals Aston Villa and Everton to capture the highly-rated attacking midfielder, Sunderland would have expected the 24-year-old, at the time, to become a revelation on English shores.
He arrived as one of the most sought-after playmakers in Ligue 1, posting an impressive 15 goals and 15 assists in 64 appearances for Bordeaux and would have wanted to emulate the likes of Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard and Robert Pires – three exports from France's top division who became stars in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, Khazri never came close to eclipsing the impact that trio had on England's top flight and instead, crumbled on the weight of expectation, registering just five goal contributions in 34 top-flight matches.
Allardyce would guide Sunderland to survival in that season, however, relegation in the following sent the 74-cap Tunisian on his way, initially on loan to Rennes before wrapping up a permanent £6m switch to Saint Etienne in June 2018, by which time the Black Cats were in League One and managed by Jack Ross.
Khazri's career on Wearside may have fallen on deaf ears, but back in France, he unlocked the potential that his formative years promised, both at club level and on the international stage for Tunisia
Whilst he scored the winner for his country in a famous 1-0 victory over France at the 2022 World Cup and hung up his boots as the national side's second-top scorer in history, he's also made a name for himself in Ligue 1 with Saint Etienne and Montpellier.
Although his form for the latter has been patchy, posting just six goal contributions in 37 matches since arriving at the club in 2022, the years that preceded this drop-off in form were highly productive.
In his sensational 2018/19 campaign for Saint Etienne, he plundered an impressive 14 goals and eight assists in all competitions, inspiring his side to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 and Europa League football.
Since departing the Stadium of Light in 2018, the playmaker's 52 goals across spells at Rennes, Saint Etienne and Montpellier is more than any current Sunderland player during that time.
The recent two-match skid must not detract from Tottenham Hotspur's sensational start to life under Ange Postecoglou, who has restored the feel-good factor after a tumultuous few years.
After finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, Spurs have charged into the ascendancy this term and occupied pole position until defeat against Chelsea at the start of last week.
A deluge of injuries and suspensions meant that the squad was somewhat threadbare heading to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, and despite leading for 87 minutes, the hosts' Pablo Sarabia inspired a dramatic late turnaround.
While Postecoglou has undisputably orchestrated a revolution down the N17, not all have reached their peak yet; Yves Bissouma and Cristian Romero were among the underachievers last year, now revived, but despite an upswing, Richarlison still cuts a divisive figure.
Signing from divisional rivals Everton for £60m in July 2022, Richarlison severely struggled across his first campaign in London, only scoring once in the league and being branded as "useless" by The RedMen TV's Chris Pajak.
This year, he has been better, posting one goal and three assists from ten Premier League outings, which means that he is now just one direct contribution behind last year's total despite playing 17 fewer fixtures.
The £90k-per-week forward does also rank among the top 13% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90, as per FBref, emphasising the import of his presence to Tottenham.
The Brazilian is among the absentees at Tottenham right now, sidelined for several weeks following a groin operation, and while Brennan Johnson is firing himself into form, Richarlison's "relentless” running – as has been noted by Goal editor Joe Strange – will be missed.
There is hope. Off the bench in September, it was Richarlison's contribution that proved definitive against lowly Sheffield United, bagging a goal and assist apiece in the dying embers to maintain early renaissance that placed the club near the front of the Premier League table.
Such an influential display bespeaks his best qualities and big-game potential, and this is something that will need to be captured and shaped when he returns from his current injury.
If he can rediscover the clinical touch that served him so well at Everton, Postecoglou could find a dangerous weapon at his disposal, but considering that he has been outscored by Spurs starlet Troy Parrott since joining the club, he will need to make significant improvements to bring his career to its apex.
Parrott is not quite among the current wave of prodigious talent pervading Spurs' youth academy right now, but at 21-years-old, he remains an exciting prospect and has been earning his stripes out on loan for the past few years.
Having plundered 31 goals and six assists from 38 matches for Spurs' development sides the 20-cap Republic of Ireland international (with four goals) has been touted for a good career, and while he still has progress to make, there is definitely a natural goalscoring ability to be nurtured.
Last season, Parrott enjoyed a loan spell with Preston North End in the Championship, scoring four goals from 22 starts, though he was perhaps unfortunate to be plying his trade with the division's second-lowest scorers.
Speaking of his loan addition, Preston manager Ryan Lowe said: "His work rate is phenomenal. For the size of him, he is a bit of a unit inside. He's not massive, but very strong, uses his body very well & he got down the sides plenty of times."
Now on the move again, Parrott's rate of scoring is something that Postecoglou will be aware of, even if he isn't earning starting appearances on every occasion.
After his spell with Preston last season, Parrott completed a season-long loan move to Dutch side Excelsior, following in the footsteps of former Lilywhite, Marcus Edwards.
Hailed for his "exciting" performances in the Netherlands this season, as per Alasdair Gold, Parrott has scored three goals and supplied one assist from nine matches in the Eredivisie.
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Troy Parrott: Characteristics |
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Strength s |
Weaknesses |
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Passing |
Crossing |
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Lay-offs |
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Drawing fouls |
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*Sourced via WhoScored |
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As per Sofascore, the Irishman has only played from the outset on two occasions, and given that he is averaging 30 minutes per match, this equates to a goal per 90.
Parrott will hope to start earning greater opportunities from the opening whistle, but having proven his worth through his predatory skills, he will surely earn chances to impress further over the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign.
While the striker would be hoping for a regular starting berth, he is outperforming fellow Spurs loan star Dane Scarlett, who, albeit only 19-years-old, has yet to score or assist from ten outings on loan with Ipswich Town in the Championship.
Scarlett is considered one of the club's most promising starlets and earned some valuable experience with League One side Portsmouth last term, scoring six times and registering two assists across all competitions, starting 19 times in the league.
But, clearly, he still needs time to grow into his skin; Parrott, based on his goalscoring record this season, may well be confident enough in striking on goal to effectively serve Postecoglou, and given that there is a lack of depth in the first-team, he might have been a valuable tool to hold within the pack.
Having now scored seven times since Richarlison arrived at Spurs, Parrott is outscoring the five-goal Spurs player, and while circumstances differ, this is something that Postecoglou will be desperate to bring up a notch, else a time will come when his hand may be forced regarding the £60m man's future at the club.
With talented hopefuls such as Parrott and Scarlett snapping at his heels, maybe the sharpened cutting edge that all Spurs supporters hope for will materialise, but if it doesn't, and the club's Australian manager feels inclined to dip into the transfer market, such budding talents will be able to serve as understudies.
Jurgen Klopp's side wasted countless chances at Anfield as they succumbed to Eberiche Eze's early goal for the visitors
Liverpool's week from hell came to its conclusion on Sunday, as they backed up a disappointing draw at Manchester United and their embarrassing defeat to Atalanta with a lethargic 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace that leaves them with a mountain to climb in the Premier League title race.
Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the game after just 14 minutes, as he slid in an effort from close-range after a superb one-touch move from Palace down their left-hand side. They were unfortunate not to go 2-0 down, too, as Andrew Robertson made a heroic goal-line clearance to deny Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Liverpool eventually came into the game as Wataru Endo hit the crossbar before Dean Henderson made fine saves to deny Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah in the first half, and then Darwin Nunez early in the second period.
The Reds continued to pile on the pressure, and both Curtis Jones and substitute Diogo Jota wasted gilt-edged chances, while at the other end, Alisson Becker somehow denied Mateta from close-range. In the end, Palace held on to leave Liverpool two points adrift of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has praised Leandro Trossard after his performance against Wolves on Saturday.
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Tottenham have reportedly made an out-of-window "offer" to sign a defender after Micky van de Ven's injury blow, and his club have already replied.
The Dutch defender limped off clutching his hamstring during Spurs' 4-1 defeat to Chelsea last Monday, dealing an almighty blow to manager Ange Postecoglou who will also be without Cristian Romero for another two league games through suspension.
Eric Dier and Ben Davies started the game against Wolves today, with Pedro Porro and Emerson Royal either side of them as the inverted full-backs. Dier, before this afternoon and Chelsea, didn't play a single Premier League minute under Postecoglou who was seriously out of favour.
The Australian's glaring lack of depth at centre-half was exposed late on at Molineux, and Postecoglou will be without van de Ven until January at the earliest.
This has resulted in reports that Spurs are set to accelerate their plans to sign a centre-back mid-season, with Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly and Everton's Ben Godfrey among the names attracting their interest.
Tottenham have also been linked with a move for Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, who looks very likely to leave Chelsea in January. Uruguay and Club America defender Sebastian Caceres is another name to have been mentioned in parts.
The 24-year-old has impressed for Uruguay under Marcelo Bielsa lately, most recently putting in an excellent shift during their 2-0 win over Brazil in the last round of internationals.
According to Mexican journalist Fernando Esquivel, writing on X, the north Londoners have wasted absolutely no time in moving forward with their plans to sign a centre-half. Indeed, Spurs have already lodged an "offer" for Caceres after van de Ven's injury blow, which amounts to around £3 million.
However, this apparently wasn't enough to tempt Club America into selling, who swiftly replied with a polite no. The Liga MX side are asking for around $5-7 million in total.
The matter isn't entirely closed, though, as Tottenham maintain contact with Caceres' club and another development on this could be expected pretty soon.
"EXCL. América REJECTS Tottenham's offer for Sebastián Cáceres," wrote Esquivel.
"It can be known that the offer was around £3,000,000 for a % of the letter, while America asks at least €5,000,000 for a high % of the letter. The Mexican Club values Cáceres at close to €7,000,000 for his total record. The English maintain interest and contacts. A new update is expected in the near future."
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Sebastian Caceres – fact file |
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Date of birth – August 18, 1999 |
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Hometown – Montevideo, Uruguay |
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Age – 24 |
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Height – 1.80m |
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Position – defender, centre-back |
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Foot – right |
Caceres is now a regular for his country alongside Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo at the heart of Bielsa's defence, and for under £10 million, we believe he could in fact be quite the snip.
Tottenham are in desperate need of cover in that area of the squad, so if chairman Daniel Levy and new sporting director Johan Lange are serious about backing Postecoglou, that is one signing they seriously need to make in January.
On the pitch, Everton don't deserve to be in the relegation zone. Sean Dyche turned a corner at Goodison Park and had the Toffees comfortably on course for a mid-table finish, but their exploits away from Goodison Park put an end to that progress and resulted in a 10-point deduction to leave them in the relegation zone once more in the Premier League.
Whilst a continuation of their recent form should quickly ease fears over the drop, given that they're only two points adrift of safety, those in Merseyside will undoubtedly be feeling frustrated. The news doesn't stop there, either, with reports providing an important update on 777 Partners' ongoing takeover attempt.
If anyone's in desperate need of some good news in the Premier League, it is Dyche. The former Burnley boss has been exceptional for Everton this season and was finally turning his squad into a side capable of avoiding a relegation battle. Dragged back into the bottom three, there's no doubt that he'll prove his expertise once again to weather the storm. Dyche may even get the good news that he so desperately needs along the way, too.
According to Paul Brown and Philippe Auclair for Josimar, the €350m (£305m) for the purchase of Everton has been provided to 777 Partners by an insurance company called Haymarket and that figure could rise to €500m (£436m), if necessary. This means that they should be able to fund a deal to take over the Premier League side if the deal is ratified.
From Everton's perspective, they'll be hoping to see the takeover reach completion before the January transfer window to see Dyche handed the chance to welcome some reinforcements. He's already shown what he can do with the current squad available and now he could have the opportunity to strengthen even further, perhaps returning the Toffees to previous heights in the process.
Of course, it's interesting to see that 777 Partners are already borrowing money to complete the takeover, in what might be seen as a worrying sign around Goodison Park. If the deal does go through, however, in the list of the Premier League's richest owners, Everton's new arrivals will reportedly sit as high as fifth, and borrowing money in these situations is often the norm. With that said, the Toffees will have no excuse but to avoid relegation battles and perhaps even move into the top half.
As we've seen over the years, no matter how much money a club has, recruitment is the key – just look at the difference between the Manchester clubs. And Everton will have to become aware of that fairly quickly if 777 Partners do arrive. The last thing that those at Goodison Park will want to see is money wasted. Dyche and others must ensure that whoever arrives has the desired impact, rather than joining previous transfers on a lengthy list of flops.
When the January transfer window does open and if 777 are in by then, it will be interesting to see exactly how much Everton act. Their current squad has enjoyed a good enough season so far, but the need for depth could see further reinforcements come through the door.
Marcus Thuram paid tribute to 'best uncle' Thierry Henry after guiding Inter to Scudetto win on Monday.
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Lionesses star Chloe Kelly celebrated her 100th Manchester City appearance against Arsenal on Sunday, joining some exclusive clubs in the process.
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Following reports of an ankle ligament injury for midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, it's now believed another Tottenham star is set to be out till 2024.
As many as ten Spurs players are currently unavailable, with one suspended and a seismic eight on the treatment table. Cristian Romero is serving a match ban, but the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, Ashley Phillips, Pape Matar Sarr and, now, Bentancur are all sidelined through injury.
At the start of November, Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou was enjoying a 10-game unbeaten run after winning consecutive Manager of the Month awards. Now, the Australian is fresh off the back of three losses in a row, and a plethora of his squad members are unavailable for selection.
Bentancur's ankle problem will come as an especially sore one to take for supporters and Postecoglou, as the Uruguay midfielder had only just returned from a nine-month injury absence sustained last season.
"It wasn't a great tackle," said Postecoglou on Bentancur after Tottenham's loss to Villa.
"I thought he started the game so well and I think it was the reason we got a real good foothold on the game. He's such a creative player. It's the last thing we needed, another injury. So disappointed to lose him but we're yet to see the extent of it."
The South American could've provided some real steal in the Spurs midfield for looming encounters against league champions Man City and London rivals West Ham, not to mention Champions League qualification rivals Newcastle United.
This week, Spurs appeared to be slowly approaching the return of winger Solomon at one point, but now the Isreali will join Bentancur as a sidelined star till 2024. The Standard previously estimated a December return for Tottenham's summer signing, but the same outlet and journalist Nizaar Kinsella have some bad news on that front.
Indeed, they claim Solomon is now expected to miss the rest of 2023 and won't return until the new year. The former Fulham winger has provided two assists over his limited appearances in a Spurs shirt and would've been a wonderful option to call upon in the festive period.
Alas, Postecoglou will have to cope without Solomon's presence for a while longer yet, as the Tottenham boss also ponders how to get the very best out of his limited squad.
The 24-year-old has been praised as a "special" player by former Chelsea boss Avram Grant, but he'll be forced to watch on from the Spurs sidelines until next year.
Being called "among the best" for his one-v-one ability, Postecoglou really could've done with him.
“Manor is a special player; he was excellent at Fulham,” said Grant to Ynet. “I spoke with him, and he’s thrilled to be at Tottenham; he has improved his killer instinct. What sets him apart is his amazing one-on-one ability; he’s among the best. He is a Premier League player in every sense."