Transfer news live updates: Latest on Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and more

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Colin Millar
Transfer news live updates: Latest on Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and more
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Pochettino on fan frustrations and Maatsen

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Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said he "understood" why fans were disappointed after a section of the travelling support booed his players after a 1-0 defeat by Middlesbrough.

Hayden Hackney's goal means Chelsea must rally in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final and Pochettino expressed his own frustration at his wasteful side.

"We made mistakes in the first half and gave chances for them to score," Pochettino told Sky Sports. "They were aggressive and played on the transition. It was hard to break down this block.

"We had too many chances to score and that's football. It's only the first half of the tie and we have another 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge so we have to be positive."

On the reaction of unhappy fans, he added: "I didn't see what was going on there. I can't say anything about that, but of course we can understand why our fans will feel disappointed but there's still 90 minutes to play."

Asked, meanwhile, about Ian Maatsen's anticipated loan move to Borussia Dortmund, Pochettino said: "I think it’s obvious that he is not here because he is in negotiations. When something happens, the club will inform."

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Wasteful Chelsea beaten by Boro

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Chelsea squandered a string of chances as Championship side Middlesbrough claimed a 1-0 win in the first leg of Tuesday's League Cup semi-final.

Hayden Hackney's first-half goal at the Riverside proved decisive as Mauricio Pochettino's team dominated possession but failed to find the back of the net, with Cole Palmer notably wasteful with the goal gaping.

Chelsea's players were booed by some of their own fans at the final whistle but will have the chance to make avenge the disappointing defeat in the second leg on January 23.

Liverpool face Fulham in Wednesday's second semi-final.

Al-Khelaifi: PSG best club for Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says he wants Kylian Mbappe to stay, describing the French side as “the best club for him”.

Mbappe is into the final six months of his PSG contract, which means he is free to negotiate with other clubs about a potential free transfer this summer.

The Athletic has reported that Real Madrid — thwarted in their attempts to sign the 25-year-old in 2022 — have set him a deadline of mid-January to decide whether or not to join them.

But Al-Khelaifi has spoken publicly about his desire to keep the France international, telling broadcaster RMC’s Rothen s’enflamme podcast: “I’m not going to hide that I want Kylian to stay.

“The best player in the world is Kylian and the best club for him is Paris. He is central to our project.”

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Werner: I've come to win something

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Timo Werner has been speaking about his loan move to Tottenham — and says he's hungry for silverware.

“I’m very happy to be here,” Werner said in an interview on Tottenham’s official website. “I joined a very big club. To talk with the manager, it was a really good talk; he gave me straight away the feeling that I need to join a club, what I want to feel.

“Also the tactics and the style, how he lets the team play; for me, I thought straight away that it fits perfectly. Also, the new stadium was really something special. Straight away I loved it. It will be even more special to score for the home team and have the whole crowd behind you when you score.

“I hope that I can be the best player I can be here. I can play every position up front; that’s always good when you have players who can change position, even in the game. I think that’s one of my strengths, to be flexible.”

Werner, who was part of the Chelsea side that beat Manchester City to win the Champions League in 2021, added: “When I left the Premier League, you already know straight away that you miss something because it’s the best league in the world. I missed London as well.

“My aim to come back here is to fight for another win in this league and also maybe for titles. When I joined my old club (Chelsea) I also said I want to be a winner and I want to win titles here and we won the Champions League so I think it should not be too bad to say I’ve come here to also win titles, to win something.”

How and why Spurs moved quickly on Werner

Fittingly for a player as pacy as Timo Werner, one of the most striking things about his loan move to Tottenham Hotspur is the speed with which it happened.

Agreed over the weekend in the early knockings of the transfer window, Spurs insiders have been commenting on how unusual it is for them to be so speedy.

Typically in January, things have gone to the wire. Across 12 years, seven of their last nine signings in the winter window have been on deadline day (or later in the case of Ryan Nelsen), with the others on January 29 and January 28.

In the case of Werner, Spurs acted quickly for a few reasons. One is that Postecoglou has demanded publicly and privately that the club don’t hang about this window. And among the Spurs’ hierarchy, there is a desire to give the head coach, who has made such a good start, what he wants.

Technical director Johan Lange was acutely aware of this need for speed and worked to get as much in place as possible heading into January. He was one of the key figures in this deal, along with Postecoglou, who has admired Werner for a long time and is confident the former Chelsea forward can do well in his system.

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Will Werner silence doubters?

Timo Werner has arrived in north London — what do our Tottenham experts think of the deal?

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Tottenham confirm Werner arrival

Tottenham have confirmed the arrival of Timo Werner on an initial loan deal from RB Leipzig.

The Athletic reported on Saturday that the clubs had agreed a switch until the end of the season for the former Chelsea forward.

Tottenham will cover Werner’s full salary for the remainder of the campaign and will have an option to buy the 27-year-old for a fee believed to be in the region of €15-20million.

Werner will wear the No. 16 shirt.

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Henry opens up on depression struggles

Thierry Henry says that he has struggled with depression and cried “almost every day for no reason” at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Henry was head coach of MLS side CF Montreal during that period and says being unable to see his children for a year “was tough”.

“Everything came at once especially, during COVID time,” Henry said on the Diary of a CEO podcast. “That is when I really stopped. I was becoming a coach and I was trying to find things to stop myself from thinking about what had been chasing me. Deal with what has happened. We tend to run, instead of facing our problems. You stay busy and try to avoid what has happened. When COVID happened, I couldn’t not run.

“I was isolated in Montreal. Not being able to see my kids for a year was tough. Something like that had to happen to me for me to understand vulnerability, empathy, and crying. Understand that anger and jealousy are normal.

“I was crying almost every day for no reason. Tears were coming a lot. Why? I don’t know. Maybe they were there for a very long time. I was crying for everything. I don’t know if that needed to come out. It was weird, in a good way.

“I didn’t know (that I was battling depression). I would like to think so. How did I know? I don’t know the signals. I can’t tell you that I was or I wasn’t (battling depression) because I don’t know the signals.

“I’m a human being. I have feelings. Throughout my career and since I was born, I must have been in depression. Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? Obviously not, but I adapted.”

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Dortmund hope Sancho to arrive on Wednesday ahead of loan

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Borussia Dortmund are hopeful that Jadon Sancho will arrive in Germany on Wednesday ahead of his proposed loan move from Manchester United.

The 23-year-old is close to completing a return to Dortmund two and a half years after leaving for United, with only the final stages of the paperwork to be signed on a loan deal which does not include a purchase option.

The loan agreement is worth a minimum of £3.5m and Dortmund will cover a proportion of Sancho's salary, with United potentially receiving bonus payments based on performance.

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Why buying a new striker is not the answer to Arsenal’s scoring slump

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After Arsenal’s 2-0 loss at home to Liverpool made it three defeats in a row in all competitions, the overarching narrative was that Mikel Arteta’s team lack a clinical goalscorer.

Perhaps that is true. Arteta may not have an Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah who are hellbent on being on the scoresheet in every game — but does he actually need one? The rational answer is that they probably don’t.

Hang on, don’t reach for the keyboard just yet — let’s talk things through. In the last four games, Arsenal have created chances worthy of five non-penalty goals. They have only scored twice.

Yes, for Arsenal fans that is very frustrating, but Arteta’s side have simply fallen victim to some short-term statistical variance. A dollop of bad luck, some bad shooting in specific moments, and some great goalkeeping can all conspire against you to compound such frustration.

Simply delving into the transfer market is not guaranteed to fix that issue.

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Boca Juniors' Barco set for Brighton medical

Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco is set to undergo a medical in Argentina ahead of completing a $10m move to Brighton.

The 19-year-old is poised to join the Premier League side on a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months.

Barco is currently with the Argentina Under-23 side and will have tests from the national association's training ground, before finalising his expected move to England.

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Bowen and Paqueta face spell on sidelines with injuries

West Ham United duo Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta are expected to be out for an extended period with injuries.

The 27-year-old is expected to be out for at least one month with the issue, in what will be a blow to manager David Moyes, with Bowen leading the way as West Ham’s top scorer this season.

Paqueta, meanwhile, is set for a spell on the sidelines due to a calf injury.

The 26-year-old's appearance was cut short to just 14 minutes in the FA Cup third-round draw against Bristol City. It also prevented the attacking midfielder from participating in the goalless Premier League draw against Brighton & Hove Albion five days before.

The initial problem occurred during the warm-up preceding the 2-0 victory against Arsenal, leading to Paqueta's substitution in the 33rd minute at the Emirates Stadium.

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Everton succeed with Calvert-Lewin red card appeal

Everton's appeal against the red card shown to Dominic Calvert-Lewin against Crystal Palace has been successful.

The England international, 26, was sent off in the second half of Thursday’s 0-0 FA Cup draw at Selhurst Park following a challenge on Palace right-back Nathaniel Clyne.

The tackle initially wasn't deemed worthy of punishment by referee Chris Kavanagh, before the decision was made to dismiss him following consultation with VAR officials and a review at the pitchside monitor.

Calvert-Lewin was facing the prospect of missing Everton's next three matches through suspension but will now be free and available for selection.

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Brighton's Weir joins Port Vale after Blackpool loan

Brighton midfielder Jensen Weir has joined League One side Port Vale on loan for the remainder of the season.

Weir, 21, spent the first half of the campaign with Blackpool - making 16 appearances in all competitions, but has now switched to their League One rivals.

The son of Brighton's technical director David Weir scored 11 goals in 52 appearances on loan to Morecambe in the third tier last season.

"Jensen had found his match time has been limited in the last few months," David Weir said. "This move to Port Vale will provide him with an opportunity to potentially play more regularly in the second half of the campaign."

Weir Brighton in 2020 from Wigan Athletic, and has previously had loans with Cambridge United and Morecambe. He has also been capped by England at under-20 level.

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Eintracht confirm Koch deal for summer

Eintracht Frankfurt have confirmed they have reached a pre-contract agreement with Robin Koch which will see the defender join the Bundesliga club permanently when his Leeds United deal expires at the end of June.

We reported that Eintracht and Koch had agreed terms to extend his loan spell beyond the end of this season, with the 27-year-old able to speak to foreign clubs about a future move on January 1 as he entered the final six months of his Leeds deal. He has now signed a deal with Eintracht until 2027.

Koch joined Eintracht on loan from Leeds in the summer, following the West Yorkshire side’s relegation to the Championship.

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Man Utd Women fans warned about anti-Skinner chants during friendly

A small group of Manchester United Women supporters were warned about singing ‘we want Skinner out’ after players and staff are said to have become uncomfortable with the chanting during a friendly match against Dutch side PSV.

On Friday night in Malta, United manager Marc Skinner was subjected to songs that called for him to leave the club during their mid-season friendly.

It has been alleged that at half-time a supporter, who was not participating in the chant, was asked by a United security guard to stop singing the song.

United have said that this was to de-escalate tension between the fans, players and staff, but supporters at the match told The Athletic that the players were applauding them — as they normally would — after the game ended.

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Chelsea's Evrard returns from Brighton loan due to hamstring injury

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Chelsea goalkeeper Nicky Evrard has returned from her loan at Brighton & Hove Albion due to a hamstring injury she sustained while on international duty.

The 28-year-old Belgian, who joined Chelsea from OH Leuven in the summer, has undergone surgery following a medical review.

She is expected to face an extended period of recovery. The club expressed its full support for Evrard and confirmed that she will begin a rehabilitation programme under the guidance of the medical team.

Wolves midfielder Cundle secures Stoke loan after Plymouth recall

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Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle will spent the second half of the season on loan at Stoke City after being recalled from his loan spell at Plymouth Argyle.

Cundle netted five goals in 27 appearances for Plymouth, but just 13 league starts — but he will now spend the second half of the campaign at their Championship rivals Stoke.

The move sees the attacking midfielder follow boss Steven Schumacher, who was recently appointed as the new Stoke boss after his stint at Plymouth.

Cundle, 21, also spent last season on loan in the Championship, making 34 appearances for Swansea City.

Alexander-Arnold out for three weeks with knee injury

Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham and is set to be out for three weeks with a knee injury.

England international Alexander-Arnold, 25, picked up the knock in the 2-0 FA Cup victory over Arsenal on Sunday.

Liverpool welcome Marco Silva’s side to Anfield on Wednesday night before a Premier League meeting with Bournemouth and the second-leg of the semi-final later this month.

They also face Norwich City or Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup fourth round with the home game with Chelsea on January 31 now the likeliest target for a return.

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