Coutinho tops list of players who need to move before deadline
The transfer window deadline in Europe has is just under two weeks away and clubs are busy putting the finishing touches to their squads for the new season.
However, while there have been some big-money moves already (Man City dropping £100m to land Jack Grealish, Chelsea spending £97.5m to sign Romelu Lukaku and Man United parting with £73m for Jadon Sancho), even in the face of the financial issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the elite clubs are still struggling to move on players to balance the books.
That means a lot of unhappy players, unhappy clubs, and a lot of uncertainty for some as we head into the final stages of the window.
Here’s a list of some top players who could use a change of scenery if they are able to negotiate an exit to pastures new.
Lingard 2.0 had a brilliant four months on loan at West Ham last season, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in 16 games, and it was enough to persuade Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to give him a chance in the Man United first-team squad. The problem is the player ahead of him in the pecking order is Bruno Fernandes. Lingard built up his confidence with some stellar performances, but that will dissipate quickly if he finds himself on the bench too often. Every big club needs to rotate players to compete in multiple competitions, but it feels like Lingard’s career will suffer if he stays.
Man City are well stocked in attacking midfield and the £100m addition of Aston Villa‘s Grealish only added to their options. However, Silva has reportedly made it clear that he wants to leave, and manager Pep Guardiola took the unusual step of mentioning him by name during a news conference earlier this month, saying: “Not just Bernardo, there are two or three players that want to leave Man City, but they are our players and when they bring some offer and they want to leave, we are open to discuss but it depends on them.” Silva’s issue is that he wants to move to LaLiga, where Barcelona and Real Madrid are suffering from unprecedented financial constraints. City value the transfer at around €60m for him, and there are just no takers at that price.
For a player of Shaqiri’s quality, 63 games over three seasons just isn’t enough first-team football. The Switzerland midfielder is a wonderful option as a backup, but he hasn’t been happy playing behind Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. It’s certainly tough to break that trio up, and with Diogo Jota back to full fitness there’s another player ahead of him in the pecking order. But for the sake of his career, Shaqiri would do well to move on — especially when Liverpool have a readymade replacement in young Harvey Elliott — with Lyon interested. Striker Divock Origi is another who may be considering his future at Anfield after playing only 17 times last season.
1:53
Julien Laurens says Arsenal’s defensive struggles from last season are already causing problems.
ESPN first reported in February that Arsenal had an agreement with Bellerin to allow him to find a new club this summer after a decade of service. The right-back is still only 26 and the Gunners have reportedly explored swap deal options with both Atletico and Barcelona, while talks with Inter Milan collapsed, but there seem to be few takers. Arsenal are well stocked at right-back with Calum Chambers, Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles — as well as left-back Nuno Tavares, who played there last weekend — yet none are top quality, and Bellerin deserves more for his loyalty over the years than being ushered out the back door.
Chelsea are specialists in obtaining players they can’t move on: see the careers of Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta, Baba Rahman, Ross Barkley and Michy Batshuayi as evidence. But Hudson-Odoi is in a different class and could actually raise some cash if the Blues decide to let him go. Sources told ESPN that Bayern Munich were interested last year, and while that may have cooled, the England winger might look at the £34m exit of striker Tammy Abraham to Roma this summer as a sign that he might be better off starting afresh.
After a breakthrough season in 2016-17 that saw the midfielder makes his senior England debut, Winks’ career has stalled somewhat. Still only 25, he made just 15 appearances in the Premier League last season and it remains to be seen whether he has the confidence of new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Winks was an unused substitute in the opening win against champions Man City, with the younger Oliver Skipp preferred instead, and while he has spent his entire career at Tottenham, it may be time to move on if he still has international ambitions.
1:16
Craig Burley addresses Barcelona’s mounting debt after Gerard Pique took a pay cut to get two players registered for LaLiga.
Where to start? With a total debt that has risen to €1.35 billion, despite the exit of Lionel Messi, Barcelona are in a financial mess. Clearly they would accept offers for most of their squad — except for wunderkinds Ansu Fati and Pedri — and defender Samuel Umtiti and midfielder Miralem Pjanic are among those high earners at the top of the list, but none more so than playmaker Coutinho. The Brazilian was signed for €160m from Liverpool in 2018 but hasn’t impressed, and it’s remarkable he’s still at the club. Maybe he’ll get a new lease on life (and the No. 10 shirt) now that Messi has gone, but surely Coutinho has had enough of Camp Nou.
Real Madrid are no strangers to spending a lot of money on a player who flops, and their €60m outlay on Jovic in 2019 saw him score twice in 33 games. He netted four in 18 after rejoining old club Frankfurt on loan last season, but despite the fact that Madrid have no backup to Karim Benzema up front, Jovic is likely to move on again. Inter Milan and West Ham have both been linked with loan moves for the Serbia international, who really needs to put his Bernabeu nightmare behind him.
Having penned an incredible NINE-year contract back in 2017, Saul was always going to struggle to force an exit if his career plans changed. This summer it appears he wants to leave LaLiga’s champions after falling out of favour under Diego Simeone, but Atletico are sticking to their guns and requesting over €50m to make it happen. Sources told ESPN that Barcelona briefly explored a swap deal with Antoine Griezmann before talks collapsed, while Premier League giants Man United and Liverpool have been repeatedly linked with a move for the midfielder.
BAYERN MUNICH: Corentin Tolisso
Bayern have been excellent at snapping up players on free transfers in recent years (Leon Goretzka and Robert Lewandowski for example) but after losing David Alaba for nothing to Real Madrid this summer, they might see Tolisso do the same next year when his contract expires. The 27-year-old midfielder doesn’t seem to have a future in Munich but reportedly wants to see out his contract and assess his options. A swap or loan deal could still be on the cards before the end of the window, but only if it suits player and club.
Brandt is one of those players who seems like he’s been around for ages, but is still only 25. However, having signed for Dortmund for €25m in 2019 from Bayer Leverkusen, his career hasn’t hit the heights he might have expected as he has been overshadowed by young talent like Gio Reyna, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. He has still notched up over 40 games a season at Dortmund, but has been linked with Milan and Arsenal as questions over his future continue.
2:28
Craig Burley and Steve Nicol discuss Erling Haaland’s possible decision to transfer from Borussia Dortmund to another club after displaying frustration with the team.
With two goals in three games so far this season, Icardi’s future seemed set. But after PSG’s signing of Lionel Messi, suddenly it looks like the lesser of the two Argentina internationals may move on. The former Inter Milan striker has always attracted attention for his off-pitch lifestyle with wife and agent Wanda Nara, but a return to Italy has been mooted for some time. Juventus are reportedly keen to bring him in on loan, and that may help PSG’s efforts to lower their wage bill after their Messi move.
One of the reasons Juve are reportedly looking at Icardi is doubts over the future of Dybala. The Argentina striker has seemingly been in contract negotiations for months as his deal expires in 2022, with various moves to Tottenham, Man United, Barcelona and Man City all speculated about in the past few years. His class is clear, with 100 goals in 254 games since joining Juve in 2015, but the fact that he hasn’t been able to easily agree to new terms after spending six years at the club may point to a larger issue. If he gets star billing when Cristiano Ronaldo departs, perhaps that’s enough to persuade him to stay?
What a strange career Sanchez has had. After his European breakthrough with Udinese, he flopped at Barcelona. Then after reigniting his career at Arsenal, he became one of the worst signings in Premier League history at Man United. Now he is approaching something like his old form at Serie A champions Inter Milan, the club are in a financial crisis and having to move on all their best players. Most recently linked with a move to Napoli, staying in Italy seems the best bet for the 32-year-old winger’s career.
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Bradford Doolittle
CHICAGO — Right-hander Cade Horton was removed after three innings of his start in the Chicago Cubs‘ game against the New York Mets on Tuesday because of back tightness. The club said Horton was removed “as a precaution” after throwing just 29 pitches.
Horton, a leading NL Rookie of the Year candidate, allowed a leadoff homer to New York’s Francisco Lindor but settled down and looked sharp for the remainder of his short outing. Horton allowed two hits, struck out two and departed with the Cubs leading 5-1.
After the Cubs extended the advantage to 6-1, New York rallied against the Chicago bullpen, scoring five unearned runs against Michael Soroka to tie the game and later grabbing the lead in a matchup with playoff implications for both clubs.
Horton, 24, is 11-4 on the season with a 2.67 ERA over 118 innings. The win total leads all rookie pitchers and the ERA leads rookies who have logged at least 100 innings.
The 12-team College Football Playoff has significantly broadened the pool of candidates to include any team that has a chance to win its conference — and that makes every FBS race matter longer, as the selection committee’s five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the playoff.
Heading into the final Saturday of September, the shifting continues as conference races are just beginning to heat up.
Below you’ll find one team in the spotlight for each of the Power 4 leagues and another identified as an enigma. We’ve also tiered schools into three groups. Teams with Would be in status are featured in this week’s top 12 projection, a snapshot of what the selection committee’s ranking would look like if it were released today. A team with Work to do is passing the eye test (for the most part) and has a chance at winning its conference, which means a guaranteed spot in the playoff. And a team that Would be out is playing in the shadows of the playoff — for now.
The 13-member selection committee doesn’t always agree with the Allstate Playoff Predictor, so the following categories are based on historical knowledge of the group’s tendencies plus what each team has done to date.
Reminder: This will change week-to-week as each team builds — or busts — its résumé.
Jump to a conference:
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten
SEC | Independent | Group of 5
Bracket
SEC
Spotlight: Ole Miss. The Rebels gained serious top-12 consideration this week after a 4-0 start that included back-to-back wins against SEC opponents (Kentucky and Arkansas) and a 45-10 drubbing of a talented Tulane team. Ole Miss is No. 7 in ESPN’s strength of record metric, which means the average top-25 team would have a 47.7% chance to achieve the same record against the same opponents. The real test, though, is on Saturday when Ole Miss hosts LSU (3:30 p.m., ABC). If the Rebels win, they should be undefeated heading into back-to-back road trips to Georgia and Oklahoma. Those are the most difficult games on the schedule. If the Rebels can go 2-1 against those three opponents, they’d almost certainly be in. ESPN’s FPI gives Ole Miss a 67% chance to reach the playoff.
The enigma: Texas. The Longhorns dropped out of the top 12 this week because Texas Tech moved in. That doesn’t mean Texas isn’t a playoff team — it just hasn’t proved it yet with wins against San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston. The SEC season opener at Florida on Oct. 4 is also a strange one, as it’s a game the Longhorns could lose but shouldn’t if they are a real playoff team. They’ve got a bye week to prepare for it. A Texas win won’t do much to reassert its place in the national picture, but a loss would be telling. The most likely outcome is the selection committee will learn more about Texas on Oct. 11 against rival Oklahoma, which is in the projected top 12 this week.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Work to do: Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas, Vanderbilt
Would be out: Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina
Big Ten
Spotlight: Indiana. No team saw its playoff chances increase more this week than Indiana, which jumped 28% and now has a 57% chance to reach the CFP, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. Saturday’s historic beatdown of the Illini pushed the Hoosiers to No. 11 in the latest projection, but that means they would be excluded from the field during the seeding process. IU would get bumped out to make room for Memphis, the projected winner of the American and fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. Because Memphis is currently projected outside of the committee’s top 12 — and projected Big 12 winner Texas Tech is currently in the No. 12 spot — the committee’s No. 11 team is the one that gets bounced. If the Hoosiers continue to dominate, though, they will likely climb to a safer spot within the top 10. Indiana has a tougher playoff path this year than last, as it travels to both Oregon and Penn State. ESPN’s FPI gives the Hoosiers less than a 50% chance to beat the Ducks but projects them to beat Penn State.
The enigma: Michigan. The true identity of this team — whether it’s been with interim head coach Biff Poggi or head coach Sherrone Moore — remains a mystery. The Wolverines continue to develop along with freshman starting quarterback Bryce Underwood, who has rebounded since the Week 2 loss at Oklahoma. Michigan found a way to win at Nebraska, the defense for the most part has been above average, and the Wolverines don’t have to play Penn State or Oregon. With the exception of the regular-season finale against rival Ohio State, Michigan’s toughest game will be on Oct. 11 at USC. The Wolverines most likely need to at least split with those opponents to avoid a third loss. If Michigan can do that and finish as a two-loss team, the selection committee would give the Wolverines serious consideration for a top-12 spot. The question is how many other two-loss teams would be out there — and how their résumés would stack up.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State
Work to do: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, USC, Maryland, Washington
Would be out: Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin
ACC
Spotlight: Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have the third-best chance to reach the ACC title game (12.2%), according to ESPN Analytics, behind Florida State and Miami. Georgia Tech doesn’t face either of those teams during the regular season — which is why the Jackets might not lose until the regular-season finale against rival Georgia. And they took the Bulldogs to eight overtimes last year in one of the wildest games of the season. If the Jackets finish as a one-loss team with a close loss to Georgia, they’d be in the ACC title game. Florida State and Miami play each other, so one of them has a guaranteed league loss. Georgia Tech would be a lock with an ACC title, but what if it loses, with its only two losses coming to two conference champions — Georgia and whoever wins the ACC? The committee would have a significant debate about this, and it would depend on how the game unfolded and how many other two-loss teams were out there. It’s hard to imagine the committee excluding the ACC runner-up in that scenario, which means the league could get three teams in.
The enigma: Syracuse. That’s right, the Syracuse team that beat Clemson. On the road. With its backup quarterback finishing the game. Are these guys for real? Their lone loss was to a Tennessee team that remains in the committee’s projected top 12. The wins, though, leave something to prove before Syracuse is taken seriously as a contender in the ACC, let alone the CFP. The Orange needed overtime to beat UConn, and the committee will look right over a 66-24 win against Colgate. It’s going to get more difficult, as the Orange will face Georgia Tech and have back-to-back November road trips to Miami and Notre Dame, with a bye week in between. And if Syracuse is going to keep winning, it’s going to have to do it with backup quarterback Rickie Collins, an LSU transfer. ESPN’s FPI gives the Orange less than a 50% chance to win each of those games and the Oct. 4 trip to SMU.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Florida State, Miami
Work to do: Cal, Georgia Tech, Louisville, NC State, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest
Would be out: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, SMU, Stanford, Virginia Tech
Big 12
Spotlight: Iowa State. The Cyclones are still hanging around at 4-0, but Texas Tech has eclipsed them as the team to beat in the Big 12 after Saturday’s win at Utah. The Red Raiders now have the best chance to win the league (28.6%), while Iowa State’s chances of even reaching the game are now seventh best at 13%. The Cyclones’ best win is against rival Iowa, as the season-opening win against K-State in Dublin has been diminished by the Wildcats’ 1-3 start. Iowa State had a bye week to prepare for Saturday’s home game against Arizona, which could be more difficult than it might seem. The key stretch for the Cyclones, though, starts on Oct. 25 against BYU, followed by Arizona State and a Nov. 8 trip to TCU.
The enigma: TCU. Just how good is this Horned Frogs team? The season-opening win at North Carolina caught the nation’s attention for all the wrong reasons — the focus was on Bill Belichick’s first loss as a college coach, not the Frogs’ road win. The 35-24 win against SMU was more impressive, even though it was at home, as it was against the best competition to date and the last scheduled game between the former Southwest Conference rivals. Coach Sonny Dykes has engineered the Frogs to a miracle playoff berth before. Can he do it again? According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, TCU has the third-best chance in the Big 12 to reach the CFP (17.6%). If the Frogs don’t clinch a spot with a Big 12 title, it’s going to be tough to win a debate over other contenders if they finish with two losses.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Texas Tech
Work to do: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, TCU, UCF, Utah
Would be out: Baylor, Kansas State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Colorado
Independent
Would be out: Notre Dame. The Irish got their first win on Saturday against Purdue and earned some style points in the process, beating the Boilermakers 56-30. They did exactly what they needed to following an 0-2 start. Now they have to do it nine more times. Even with a 10-2 finish, an at-large bid isn’t a guarantee. It depends on how many other 10-2 teams the committee has to consider, what their résumés are — and what those two losses look like. If nothing else, Notre Dame might finish with two of the best losses in the country.
Group of 5
Spotlight: Memphis. The Tigers jumped into the top G5 spot following their 32-31 win against Arkansas on Saturday. Memphis edged South Florida for lead contender status for a playoff bid as one of the five projected highest-ranked conference champions. Memphis rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat Arkansas, its fourth straight home win against an SEC opponent. According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, Memphis has a 36% chance to reach the playoff, the best among Group of 5 schools. The American has a 73% chance to send a team to the CFP, as four of the six Group of 5 teams with at least a 5% chance come from that conference (Memphis, North Texas, South Florida and Tulane). Speaking of North Texas …
The enigma: North Texas. Meet the Mean Green, an undefeated team that has wins against Washington State and Army. It took overtime to beat both Army and Western Michigan on the road, but North Texas dismantled Washington State 59-10. South Florida and Navy are the two toughest opponents remaining, but North Texas doesn’t currently have any top-25 teams on its schedule. According to ESPN Analytics, it has the second-best chance to win the American (21.5%) behind Memphis (42.7%). Those teams don’t play each other during the regular season.
If the playoff were today
Would be in: Memphis
Work to do: Navy, North Texas, South Florida, Tulane, UNLV
Bracket
Based on our weekly projection, the seeding would be:
First-round byes
No. 1 Miami (ACC champ)
No. 2 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
No. 3 Georgia (SEC champ)
No. 4 Florida State
First-round games
On campus, Dec. 19 and 20
No. 12 Memphis (American champ) at No. 5 LSU
No. 11 Texas Tech (Big 12 champ) at No. 6 Texas A&M
No. 10 Tennessee at No. 7 Oklahoma
No. 9 Penn State at No. 8 Oregon
Quarterfinal games
At the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
No. 12 Memphis/No. 5 LSU winner vs. No. 4 Florida State
No. 11 Texas Tech/No. 6 Texas A&M winner vs. No. 3 Georgia
No. 10 Tennessee/No. 7 Oklahoma winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State
No. 9 Penn State/No. 8 Oregon winner vs. No. 1 Miami
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