Key events
Do you think Mowbray is revelling at the Birmingham opportunity? Yes that was a sloppy pun on the manager’s love for chocolate.
In a press conference when he was in charge of Sunderland he discussed his favourite flavour of Revels and I have to say I agree with his, the orange one. What’s your favourite? Let me know via email or X – @rendellx.
Birmingham City name Mowbray manager
Birmingham City have named their new manager and it’s Tony Mowbray who has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.
The 60-year-old was sacked by Sunderland in December after just over a year in the role.
“I am excited to be joining Birmingham City at this time,” he said on his appointment. “I can’t wait to get back on the training pitch and start working with this talented group of players.
“My focus is on building their confidence, delivering results, and giving Blues’ fans a team they can be excited by and proud of. I know from personal experience how passionate Bluenoses are, home and away, and I’m looking forward to having their full support for the team starting on Saturday at home to Swansea City.”
American Emily Fox has been one of the main rumours for Arsenal in this window and eagle-eyed fans spotted her in the background of a picture, now deleted by the club, on social media.
Now it’s been talked about on social media will Arsenal confirm the signing sooner rather than later? Time will tell. You can see the image below:
From one coy manager to another as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was relatively tight lipped about the rumoured return of Jordan Henderson. The England international has reportedly not settled in Saudi Arabia and wants a move back to the Premier League.
“Did Hendo have a press conference and say that?” Klopp said when asked. “Ahh, it’s just written! That means for me it’s not existing.
“He didn’t call me! We spoke actually, but not about that. So really nothing to say about that.”
Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier set tongues wagging last week with the rumour he is close to a move to Bayern Munich. The move would see him reunited with former Spurs teammate Harry Kane but Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel is keeping his cards close to his chest about the transfer.
“Have you already asked the sporting director?” he said when asked about Dier. “There will be no comment from me.”
Kalvin Phillips has failed to play many minutes for Manchester City since signing in 2022 and so it makes sense as to why he wants a loan move away from the club. Juventus looked to be the front runners but the Italian side have reportedly now backed out.
⚪️⚫️ Juventus have no intention to proceed for Kalvin Phillips deal at current conditions after talks with Man City on loan fee/salary coverage.
Newcastle remain interested in Kalvin Phillips, race open to more clubs. 🏴
Juventus priority is now Tiago Djaló as new centre back. pic.twitter.com/Nyaov6S0aD
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 7, 2024
Before Manchester United face Wigan in the FA Cup, manager Erik ten Hag was asked if the club’s potential targets in this transfer window would be put off of signing for United after some high profile players have failed to carve a place in the team.
“That is always on those players and the confidence you have in your capabilities,” Ten Hag said. “I can tell you one thing: the Premier League is tough, Manchester United is tough to play there because it is easier to play in almost any other team than Manchester United because the pressure is always high – you have to deal with that.
“If you have confidence in yourself, then this is the best challenge. This is the best club you want to be at as a player. That depends from player to player, especially it depends on the character and personality of the player.”
The big headline in women’s football emerged yesterday afternoon when Chelsea confirmed striker Sam Kerr had ruptured her ACL. It’s a huge blow to the Women’s Super League defending champions as well as her national team Australia with their captain now expected to miss the Olympics. Read the full story:
While I gather some transfer news for you let’s reflect on some of the weekend’s top lines. First up the talking points from the FA Cup, including a few upsets:
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to today’s transfer live. We are in the full swing of the window now and the rumour mill is in overdrive about who could move where next.
One of the top stories centres around PSG forward Kylian Mbappé, whose contract at the French side ends in the summer. He has been heavily linked to Real Madrid for some time and now some outlets, like Foot Mercato, are reporting he had agreed terms with the Spanish team. If there are any updates on the move I will bring them to you here.
The busy weekend of FA Cup fixtures also spill into today with Wigan hosting Manchester United, I’ll bring you any team news updates or any news lines for that fixture too. The competition’s fourth round draw is also taking place today at 7.50pm GMT.
Right let’s dig into some transfers shall we? If you have any thoughts on the transfer window get in touch with me via email or X – @rendellx.
