Football News: Review Of The Day 8th December 2021

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Review of the Day

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Contracts

Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire have given young Venezuelan full-back Miguel Angel Navarro a new contract which runs until 2024 with a club option for a further year. The 22-year-old has received a Green Card and so will no longer take up an international spot in their roster. They have also given Wyatt Omsberg a 1-year deal but with a club option for 2 more years.

In the League of Ireland, St Patrick's Athletic have given Chris Forrester a new deal which also runs until 2024.

Also in Ireland, Bohemians have given Dawson Devoy a 1-year deal.

Back in MLS, DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler, Maciel and Jon Bell have all got new 1-year contracts from New England Revolution.

Goalkeeper Eloy Room has been given a 2-year deal by Columbus Crew, with a club option for another year on top of that.

Rochdale have given midfielder Abraham Odoh a contract until 2023.

Transfers

Bayer Leverkusen's sporting director Simon Rolfes has dismissed reports emanating from Mexico that Leverkusen had agreed a deal to sign Santos Laguna goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo. Rolfes told Bild at the weekend: "The rumors about us signing Acevedo are nonsense. They are simply not true."

Despite Velez Sarsfield announcing that they had sold Thiago Almada to Atlanta United, for what would be an MLS record fee of $16m, Atlanta themselves have denied a deal is in fact complete. Almada and Sarsfield have said the 20-year-old will be joining in January but an Atlanta statement read: "We have seen reports about Thiago Almada. We have not committed to acquiring the player at this time; we can confirm that we retain an exclusive option to permanently transfer the player. The option extends into 2022. We will have no further comment on the player at this time."

40-year-old former Manchester City and Chelsea 3rd choice goalkeeper Willy Caballero has joined Southampton on a short-term deal. The Argentine veteran has been a free agent since being released by Chelsea in the summer.

Free agent former Southampton midfielder Gaston Ramirez has signed for Silvio Berlusconi's Monza.

Former Liverpool and Atletico Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez has retired from playing at the age of 40.

Injury Round-Up

The Premier League is funding and will run a trial on a saliva test to see if it can be used to diagnose concussion in footballers. Rugby union has already run a trial in February, with results being described as "game-changing" and now they will partner with association football and rugby league to set up specialist services to manage brain health for retired former players from all three sports.

West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma has suffered a hamstring injury, adding to the Hammers shortage of centre-backs, with Angelo Ogbonna out for the season. Full-back Ben Johnson also has a hamstring injury, but it is reported as less serious than Zouma's.

Tottenham Hotspur have been hit by a CV outbreak which has seen a number of players and staff test positive.

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic's return from injury has been held up after the Croatian also tested positive for CV.

Managerial Changes

Venezuela have appointed former Argentina head coach Jose Pekerman as their new national head coach. Pekerman has also led Colombia to two World Cups while in charge there.

RB Leipzig's head coach Jesse Marsch has left the club by 'mutual agreement' (ie been sacked) with Leipzig sat in just 11th place in the Bundesliga after a disappointing and inconsistent start to the season. Marsch leaves with the lowest points average in RB Leipzig's short history but had only been in charge for 4 months. Achim Beierlorzer is to take interim charge.

Championship club Preston North End have sacked head coach Frankie McAvoy, who took charge in May after a spell as interim boss. PNE are currently sat 18th in the table.

Former Accrington Stanley boss Paul Cook has been sacked by Ipswich Town.

Ryan Lowe has resigned as manager of Plymouth Argyle and taken up the job of rescuing Preston North End from the drop. Plymouth have promoted Lowe's assistant Steven Schumacher to manager.

Disciplinary Charges

The German FA are investigating Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham after he questioned the appointment of referee Felix Zwayer to a match which his side lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich. Zwayer was given a 6-month ban for his part in a match-fixing scandal in 2005. During the game there was controversy as Zwayer rejected Dortmund's penalty appeals before later giving Bayern a penalty for a handball by Mats Hummels. Bellingham told Viaplay: "For me, it wasn't [a penalty]. He [Hummels] is not even looking at the ball and he's fighting to get it and it hits him. You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game. You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect? You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game." Bellingham has been given a fine of 40,000euro by the German FA for "unsportsmanlike behaviour".

A duo who were given suspended prison sentences in January 2020 for bribery offences have just been given bans from football by the English FA. Former Barnsley and Swindon Town coach Tommy Wright was banned from all football-related activity, except for coaching, so basically everything except what he actually does, for 6 years. Which will really show him the error of his ways I am sure! Dax Price, a football agent, has been banned from all football-related activity for 9 years and to pay £1,000 in costs.

Hartlepool United have been fined £3,000 and Forest Green Rovers £1,000 for failing to control their players during a League Two match between the two clubs on 20th November.

Dundee United midfielder Calum Butcher has been charged for his studs-up challenge on Celtic's David Turnbull at the weekend. Butcher was booked for the challenge but it has been deemed to be a red card offence.

FA Cup 3rd Round Draw

Boreham Wood v AFC Wimbledon
Yeovil Town v Bournemouth
Stoke City v Leyton Orient
Swansea City v Southampton
Chelsea v Chesterfield
Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town
Cardiff v Preston North End
Coventry City v Derby County
Burnley v Huddersfield
West Bromwich Albion v Brighton and Hove Albion
Kidderminster Harriers v Reading
Leicester City v Watford
Mansfield Town v Middlesbrough
Hartlepool United v Blackpool
Hull City v Everton
Bristol City v Fulham
Tottenham Hotspur v Morecambe
Millwall v Crystal Palace
Port Vale v Brentford
Swindon Town v Manchester City
Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers
Luton Town v Harrogate Town
Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle
Manchester United v Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United
Newcastle United v Cambridge United
Barnsley v Ipswich Town or Barrow
Peterborough United v Bristol Rovers
West Ham United v Leeds United
Queens Park Rangers v Rotherham
Charlton Athletic v Norwich City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Leeds 49ers?

It has been revealed that the investment arm of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers, 49ers Enterprise, have an option to buy the rest of Leeds United from current majority owner Andrea Radrizzani. The 49ers, who bought an initial 10% stake in Leeds back in 2018, have until January 2024 to take up their option. Paraag Marathe, the president of 49ers Enterprise and Leeds vice-chairman, has made promises to make Leeds "one of the biggest clubs in the world" and to modernise and increase capacity of their Elland Road stadium.

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Written by Tris Burke December 08 2021 00:27:47