Takeover Complete

GM football fans. It’s Friday, Dec. 20, and we’re covering Everton’s takeover completion, Paul Pogba imprisoning his brother and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

FIXTURES

Premier League MW17: Aston Villa vs Manchester City, Sat 21 Dec, 12:30 / 07:30. Only against Newcastle have City won more Premier League games (31) and scored more Premier League goals (102) than they have against Villa (30 wins, 98 goals). Crystal Palace vs Arsenal, Sat 21 Dec, 17:30 / 12:30. The Gunners are unbeaten in all nine of their Premier League London derbies in 2024, while Palace have lost their last four league meetings with Arsenal. Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool, Sun 22 Dec, 16:30 / 11:30. Liverpool have lost just two of their last 23 Premier League games against Tottenham. But Spurs won this exact fixture 2-1 last season. See the full list of fixtures here.

Results…

• English League Cup, QF: Tottenham 4 - 3 Man Utd (Highlights)

• English League Cup SF fixtures first-leg: Arsenal vs Newcastle | Tottenham vs Liverpool (Fixture details)

• Conference League: Chelsea 5 - 1 Shamrock | Betis 1 - 0 HJK | Vitoria SC 1 - 1 Fiorentina (See full results)

• Coppa Italia, Last 16: Inter Milan 2 - 0 Udinese (Quarter-final fixtures)

TOP TALKING POINTS

Everton Takeover Complete

The Friedkin Group (TFG) has completed their takeover of Everton. See American billionaire Dan Friedkin’s statement here. While no sums have been disclosed, Fahrad Moshiri is expected to make a significant loss after the British-Iranian businessman invested around £750m into the club.

Moshiri’s nine years at the Merseyside club are marked by chaos and financial instability. While his lavish spending was initially welcomed, Everton’s finances unravelled. Over the past five years, the Toffees have posted losses of £420m. The construction of the new stadium, set to open at the start of next season, is likely to stand as Moshiri's most important contribution to the club. Learn more about Moshiri’s era at Everton here.

TFG has invested around £826m into Roma. Although they have failed to qualify for the Champions League, the owners have boosted commercial revenue, invested in the women’s team and they plan to build a new stadium. Last year, TFG also bought Cannes, a fourth-tier French side. One source told The Athletic that TFG grew Cannes too quickly “without necessarily focusing on where to grow fast”.

Pogba’s Brother Imprisoned

Paul Pogba’s brother, along with five other men, were sentenced to prison after being convicted of extortion attempts targeting the footballer. Mathias Pogba, who played for Wrexham between 2010-2012, has received a three-year prison sentence, two of which are suspended.

In 2022, Paul was subject to extortion attempts and threats by his brother and childhood friends. Paul told the courts that he paid the group €100,000 but they demanded an additional €13m from the French midfielder. Paul also claimed that the group wanted to discredit him by claiming he asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on teammate Kylian Mbappe.

The 2018 World Cup winner can return to competitive football in March after his ban for a failed drug test reduced from four years to 18 months. He is currently a free agent and there is little known about which club he will play for next season.

Barcelona Double Blow

Barcelona are seeking a court order to extend Dani Olmo and Pau Victor’s registrations until the end of the season. Like all La Liga teams, they are subject to an annual spending limit. As they struggle to raise revenue elsewhere, Barca are now looking to the courts to increase their €447m spending cap.

The Catalan side took a similar approach when trying to register Gavi in 2023. A court ruled that La Liga accept the midfielder’s new contract and his registration into the first team. Barca will argue again that, by denying the players registrations, the Spanish league is violating workers’ rights in the country.

Reports also suggest that the club is facing challenges in their bid to re-open Camp Nou in the first quarter of 2025. There’s a chance that the stadium is partially reopened at the end of the season. The stadium should be finished by the summer of 2026, with the capacity increased to around 105,000, the highest in Europe. See more on the €900m renovation here.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased his shareholding in Manchester United with an additional £79m investment (More) | Wolves appoint Vitor Pereira as new head coach (More) | British actor Stephen Graham reportedly faces FA investigation after calling a referee “a f***ing Teletubby” in a non-league game (More)

> PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s face was left bloodied after being sliced by a boot while making a save (More) | Manuel Neuer to agree a contract renewal at Bayern Munich until June 2026 (More)

> Manchester City women’s Alex Greenwood undergoes knee surgery; recovery could take between three and 12 months (More) | Mercury/13 has secured funds to expand its portfolio of women’s football clubs (More)

Americas

> The MLS has published the 2025 General Allocation Money available to clubs; Atalanta United will receive the most at $6.5m (More)

> New York Red Bulls sign former Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (More) | FC Dallas sign Brazilian midfielder Ramiro Benetti to a two-year deal (More)

> Argentina tops FIFA men’s football rankings for second straight year (More)

Rest of the World

> Multiple Saudi Arabian clubs are interested in signing Marcus Rashford, 27, and believe he is the right player to boost the league’s global profile (More)

> FIFPro, the global players’ union, has released its latest women's workload report (More)

> Clubs have paid football agents $709.6m in fees in men’s professional football in 2024, a new FIFA report on football agents has found (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you agree with Sky that Thierry Henry is the greatest Premier League forward of all time?

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🤩 Absolutely... (44%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅 No, it is... (66%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🤩 J.B: “Thierry possessed touch, finesse and power and could score from anywhere.”

• 🙅 C.S: “Did he display the same longevity as Shearer or Rooney? Or as pivotal to Arsenal's success? He didn't make much of an impact in Europe either.”

• 🙅 J.J: “There are many forwards in front of him: Ronaldo, Rooney, Bergkamp to name a few”

• 🙅 D.R: “Robbie Keane played in an era packed with world-class forwards and still held his own. Competing against the likes of Henry, Van Nistelrooy, and Drogba, he managed to leave a lasting legacy despite not always being in top-tier teams… Unlike forwards who thrived in world-class setups…”

EXTRA TIME

Who are the 'transfer gurus' running your club's January business?

The surprising origins of football club names…

… and an old list of clubs and their nicknames. (via X)

First impressions of UEFA’s club competitions overhaul.

Roy Keane gets a leaf blower for Christmas.

Vini Jr’s new dancing Nike advert. (via X)

The new Spurs third kit will feature the old crest.

Will any Premier League calendar year records be broken in 2024?

Can Paris FC compete with its rivals PSG?

How a new Man Utd stadium could take shape. (video)

Sports Illustrated ranks the best 50 defenders of all time.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who Am I…

• I’m a two-time Premier League champion.

• I started my senior career at Reims in 1991, before playing for Marseille, Arsenal, Villarreal and Aston Villa.

• I earned 79 caps for my country, including winning both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Bundesliga

• Bayern Munich vs Leipzig (19:30)

La Liga

• Girona vs Valladolid (20:00)

Serie A

• Verona vs AC Milan (19:45)

Scottish Premiership

• Motherwell vs Kilmarnock (19:45)

EFL Championship

• Luton vs Derby (20:00)

*All time in UK. ET -5. CST -6. PST -8. MST -7. CET +1.

Answer

Robert Pires.