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Celtic have less than a week to go to complete the remainder of their business before the summer transfer window officially slams shut on Friday night.

The Hoops have made four new signings to bolster their squad so far since the end of the 2023/24 campaign, as Kasper Schmeichel, Viljami Sinisalo, Paulo Bernardo, and Adam Idah have all arrived on permanent deals.

Idah and Bernardo spent time on loan in Glasgow last term and this means that the Scottish giants are yet to sign any outfield players who were not already at the club last season.

However, the Scottish Premiership champions are set to change that as they are closing in on a deal to sign Alex Valle on a season-long loan from Barcelona.

Fabrizio Romano claims that the Hoops are poised to bring the Spanish youngster in on a temporary basis, with a verbal agreement already in place between all parties, whilst the left-back has signed a new contract with the LaLiga giants.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reports that Celtic will pay a loan fee of £1.3m to cover the defender's wages for the 2024/25 campaign.

Alongside their swoop for Valle, the Glasgow-based outfit are also reportedly looking to bolster Brendan Rodgers' options in the wide areas this week.

Celtic pursuing deal for Serie A forward

According to Corriere dello Sport (26/08/2024), as relayed by La Lazio Siamo Noi, the Hoops are interested in a deal to sign Lazio winger Gustav Isaksen before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Scottish giants are already in talks with the Serie A side to discuss a possible move for the forward ahead of Friday's deadline.

It states that the Hoops are preparing to make an offer to sign the 23-year-old star on a season-long loan with an obligation to make it permanent next summer.

However, the outlet does not reveal how much the Bhoys are prepared to pay to make it permanent at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, or how much Lazio would want for his services.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Anthony Joseph adds that Celtic have made an enquiry over the availability of Isaksen and states that Lazio are not looking to sell him this week.

It remains to be seen, though, whether or not they are open to allowing the Danish wizard to leave on loan amid this seemingly strong interest from the Hoops.

If Rodgers and his recruitment team do manage to get a deal over the line for the Serie A whiz before the deadline then they could land a big upgrade on Daizen Maeda out wide.

Why Celtic may want an upgrade on Daizen Maeda

The Japan international is a hard-working winger who puts a shift in for the team, with the manager once claiming that he has the work rate of "two players".

He presses hard for the side and never gives defenders a moment of peace with his relentless running in and out of possession for the Scottish giants.

However, Maeda's work in the final third when in possession of the ball lets him down at times and Celtic could improve their output as an attacking force by landing an upgrade on him this week.

The 26-year-old has produced one assist in two games in the Premiership so far this season, teeing up Reo Hatate with a knock-down header at the back post, but he has also missed two 'big chances' and failed to find the back of the net.

His finishing in front of goal was also an issue for him during the 2023/24 campaign in the Scottish top-flight, as Maeda only managed six goals in 28 outings.

Appearances

28

Goals

6

Big chances missed

12

Key passes per game

0.5

Assists

3

As you can see in the table above, the winger missed a whopping 12 'big chances' and failed to hit double figures for goals and assists combined.

The Japanese forward also failed to create at least one chance per match for his teammates, with 0.5 key passes per game, and these statistics show that he was unable to provide consistent quality as a scorer or a creator of goals for Celtic in the Premiership.

Why Celtic should sign Gustav Isaksen

The Hoops should now push to secure a deal to sign Isaksen from Lazio in the coming days because the Danish star has the potential to come in as an upgrade for the club.

He only produced three goals and one assist in 12 starts in the Serie A in his first season in Italy but his underlying numbers showed signs of promise. His three goals came from 1.59 xG and the forward created 2.03 xA worth of chances for his teammates, which suggests he was a ruthless finisher and unfortunate not to record more assists.

His form in limited minutes in Italy indicates that Isaksen could thrive in a Celtic team that provides him with more chances to find the back of the net, as shown by Maeda missing 12 'big chances' and still scoring six goals.

The 23-year-old wizard joined the Italian side from FC Midtjylland last summer and his form for the Danish side during the 2022/23 campaign backs up the theory that he could excel as a goalscorer in a dominant team.

Appearances

32

Goals

18

Big chances missed

4

Key passes per game

1.7

Assists

5

As you can see in the table above, Isaksen, whose form was hailed as "extraordinary" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, enjoyed a sublime goalscoring record as a winger with 18 strikes in 32 outings in the Superliga.

He only missed four 'big chances' in total, in comparison to Maeda's 12 'big chances' missed to score six last term, and this suggests that the Denmark international would come in as a huge upgrade for Celtic as a finisher on the flank.

Isaksen, who can operate on either wing, also created 1.7 chances per game for Midtjylland – more than three times as many per game as Maeda managed in the Premiership last season – and this indicates that he would also provide the Hoops with more creativity.

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The Hoop have been linked with an interest in the talented youngster this month.

ByDan Emery Aug 26, 2024

Therefore, Rodgers could improve his team, certainly in possession in the final third, by swooping to sign the Serie A ace before Friday's deadline.

Last month it had emerged he was in discussions over a possible South Africa comeback with an eye on the T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2021The chances of AB de Villiers featuring in this year’s T20 World Cup have dimmed, with Cricket South Africa stating that he has decided “once and for all, that his retirement will remain final”.Related

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de Villiers retired from all international cricket in May 2018, but has been active in franchise T20 competitions. Last month, when he was playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021, it emerged that he was in discussions with South Africa coach Mark Boucher over a possible comeback with a view towards featuring in the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in October-November in India.On Tuesday, CSA announced in a release that discussions with de Villiers have concluded. There was little other detail on this development, with the release largely focusing on the squads that have been named for South Africa’s upcoming Test and T20I tour of the West Indies.At the time when de Villiers revealed he had been in talks with Boucher, he had sounded enthusiastic about the prospect of a South Africa comeback.”Last year, he asked me if I would be interested. And I said, ‘absolutely’. And come the end of the IPL, we will have a look at where we are at with regards to my form and my fitness,” de Villiers had said.”Also, the situation with his team – he’s got to look at his guys who have been performing well over the last while. If there’s no space for me, so be it. If I can slot in there, it will be fantastic if all those things fall in place. Waiting for [the chat with] Bouchy towards the end of the IPL, and we will then plan accordingly.”Ever since his sudden retirement announcement in 2018, talk of a comeback has constantly surrounded de Villiers. He came closest to ending his retirement on the eve of the 2019 ODI World Cup, when he made a last-minute offer of an international return, but was rebuffed by the then team management.Hopes of a de Villiers comeback had intensified after a new leadership group including director of cricket Graeme Smith and coach Mark Boucher – both former international team-mates of de Villiers – took over the national team’s reins towards the end of 2019, but those hopes now seem extinguished.de Villiers, 37, is among South Africa’s greatest-ever batters, their fourth-highest run-getter in Test cricket and their second-highest in ODIs and T20Is. He remains one of the world’s finest T20 players, and was in red-hot form during IPL 2021 before the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic brought the tournament to a premature halt, scoring 207 runs in six innings at an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of 164.28.

Gary Lineker has opened up on his exit from BBC's Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, insisting he "never really enjoyed" presenting the show.

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Lineker presented SPOTY for 23 yearsWill step down from MOTD next yearHost's podcast empire is boomingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Lineker was the host of the SPOTY ceremony for 23 years until his final appearance last year. The departing Match of the Day presenter didn't even watch this week's ceremony, in which England star Jude Bellingham missed out on the main prize, and admitted it's the TV role that he "never really enjoyed".

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During a live show of The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker expressed his disillusionment with the ceremony, citing recent changes such as a new production company and the restriction against going off script during interviews.

WHAT LINEKER SAID

“People are starting to assume that it was part of my kind of termination or forthcoming termination with the BBC,” Lineker said. “But, just to make it clear, what happened with Sports Personality of the Year is that it went to an independent production company and it was granted at the start of the year. Now, I saw that as an opportunity to get out of presenting Sports Personality. It’s a great show, but it’s the one TV gig that I never really enjoyed.

“I think I share that with Des Lynam, who did it for many years as well. It’s a very strange show to do. Also, it’s the one thing where every single word that you say on it has to be agreed by all parties at the BBC. Every single interview you do, you have to say what questions you’re going to ask. I mean, I like to ad lib, I like to go off piste. You can’t do it [on] Sports Personality, not in recent times. Every nominee had to have exactly the same time of interviewing, so as to be impartial and fair.

“It was purely that. So, it was February, and it’s nothing to do with my recent announcement. There were four presenters, and four presenters is too many for that show anyway. There you have it.”

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LINEKER?

Lineker will also stand down from Match of the Day at the end of the season, but he needn't worry; his Goalhanger Podcasts empire is dominating the charts.

Batter comes into contact with Covid-19 carrier, but not while on England duty

Matt Roller16-Jun-2021Ollie Pope will miss Surrey’s next four T20 Blast fixtures after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.Pope, the middle-order batter, had been due to link up with his county this week following England’s Test series defeat against New Zealand, but has been forced into self-isolation in line with track-and-trace protocols.He will miss home games against Sussex, Hampshire, Essex and Somerset, but is expected to be available for the London derby against Middlesex on June 25. Surrey are currently unbeaten in their Blast campaign, having won each of their opening three fixtures.”Ollie Pope will not be available to play cricket until June 24 having had contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19,” a Surrey statement said. “He will now have to self-isolate until that time.Related

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“Pope did not come into contact with the individual during his time with England in the recent LV= Insurance Test series against New Zealand and he has not had any contact with any Surrey CCC players or staff.”A handful of county cricketers have missed games this season due to Covid-related issues. Ben Duckett missed Nottinghamshire’s win against Northamptonshire on Sunday as a precaution, while Tom Helm, the Middlesex seamer, has been self-isolating after testing positive, ruling him out of the early rounds of the Blast.The rest of England’s Test squad have either returned to their counties already or are due to shortly, though Rory Burns has been given a short break by Surrey and will return next week.Chris Woakes – who has bowled 18 overs in the last nine months – has been rested for Birmingham Bears’ fixture against Leicestershire on Wednesday night in order to manage his workload after a long break. Ben Stokes is due to return for Durham imminently following his hand injury, though has not been named in their squad to play Lancashire on Friday.

Leeds United lost a number of their key players after the team failed to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking last season.

The Whites lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May, after finishing third in the division, and are now in their second campaign in the Championship.

Daniel Farke had to watch on as Archie Gray, Georgino Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, and Glen Kamara all moved on from Elland Road on permanent deals.

It was reported that Gray and Rutter both had £40m release clauses, which were activated by Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, and it was recently claimed that a current Leeds player wants to copy them.

Illan Meslier's contract situation

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT last week, journalist Ben Jacobs revealed that Illan Meslier would like to have a release clause in his contract in West Yorkshire.

The report claimed that the left-footed shot-stopper would like to protect himself in the event that Leeds fail to earn promotion again, with a clause that would allow him to join a top-flight side.

Meslier is currently contracted through to the summer of 2026 and this means that, if the Whites opt against cashing in on him, the Frenchman could remain in the second tier for another two seasons, barring a promotion.

Jacobs, however, added that the 49ers are looking to remove such clauses from current contracts and are reluctant to insert them into future deals, which suggests that the French goalkeeper may not get his wish in negotiations over fresh terms.

49ers must finally ditch Illan Meslier

With this recent news in mind, the 49ers and Leeds must finally cash in on the dud because he is seemingly already thinking about moving on from the club if they fail to win promotion.

After watching so many key players move on due to release clauses this summer, the Whites cannot allow their assets to control their own future and potentially leave the team shorthanded when teams come in to activate the clause.

Therefore, the 49ers should brutally ditch Meslier and bring in a goalkeeper who is committed to the long-term cause under Farke, whether that is in January or next summer.

Appearances

44

Save success rate

68%

Goals prevented

-4.49

Error led to shot

1

Error led to goal

1

Red cards

1

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old dud significantly underperformed as a shot-stopper by conceding 4.49 more than expected based on the xG of the efforts on his goal, whilst he also made two direct errors that led to a shot or a goal.

Meslier kept 18 clean sheets in the Championship last season, sharing the Golden Glove with West Brom's Alex Palmer, but these statistics suggest that the Leeds defence deserved that accolade more than the Frenchman.

The Whites liability also let in a staggering 28.6 more goals than expected based on the post-shot xG against him across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Premier League seasons.

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These statistics do not suggest that Meslier's performances have been good enough in recent years to warrant wanting a release clause for a bigger move, which is another reason why the 49ers should look to ditch him and sign a better, and more committed, goalkeeper.

Manchester City want to sign Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt and Ederson from Atalanta as they aim to solve their nightmare 2024-25 campaign.

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City are aiming to fix nightmare seasonClub likely to be active in JanuaryMarmoush and Ederson set to be targetedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Premier League champions are likely to be active in the transfer market this month after a horror run that saw them win just one of 13 matches prior to victory at Leicester last time out. They have identified two of Europe's most highly-rated talents to help dig them out of a hole this season, according to . Omar Marmoush has lit up the Bundesliga, while Ederson could cover for the ongoing absence of Rodri.

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Egyptian Marmoush ranks joint-second alongside Harry Kane for goals and assists across Europe's top five leagues in 2024-25, registering 13 goals and eight assists. Only compatriot Mohamed Salah has more goal involvements than the pair. Ederson has been a fundamental part of Atalanta's run to the top of the Serie A during the winter break but could be tempted by a move to the Premier League.

WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

Manager Pep Guardiola accepts business will be necessary this month, saying: "In some positions we need help. When we're all together we're the team we were but with important players out for weeks and months it's so difficult."

Of the fatigue the squad have been failing, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said this week: "People were playing too many games. But they have to do it because if you don't have anyone else, you have to play. They took the burden, hopefully people come back and we get back into a rhythm as a team."

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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

City's immediate prospects have improved with the return of players from injury, as demonstrated by the fact Guardiola was able to leave Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish Jeremy Doku and Ilkay Gundogan on the bench for that Leicester victory. But with the likes of Walker, De Bruyne and Gundogan in the late stages of their careers, it still makes sense to attempt to reduce the squad's average age. The race to finish in the European places looks set to be competitive – but with the Champions League and FA Cup still to play for, City can still save their campaign.

The same injury made him miss the whole of Hampshire’s 2020 season

Matt Roller17-Jul-2021Aneurin Donald has been ruled out for a second consecutive summer after a recurrence of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which saw him miss the whole of Hampshire’s 2020 season.Donald, 24, joined Hampshire from Glamorgan in August 2018 citing his desire to play international cricket and had a strong first full season with the club, scoring 554 County Championship runs at 39.57 and making 203 T20 Blast runs while striking at 138.09.But he suffered an ACL injury in December 2019 which required surgery, ruling him out for the whole of the 2020 summer, and reported a knee twist during an intra-squad match in March which has required further reconstructive surgery.The news is a significant blow to Donald’s career. Aged 19, he equalled the record for the fastest double-hundred in first-class cricket by hitting 234 off 136 balls against Derbyshire at Colwyn Bay, and he had shown flashes of brilliance in white-ball cricket as a top-order batter. James Clegg, Hampshire’s head of sports science and medicine, said that he was “absolutely confident” that Donald would be able to resume his career in 2022 despite another setback.”Most ACL failures occur when a new unstable episode disrupts the repaired ligament graft,” Clegg said. “In Aneurin’s case, the scans showed that his repaired graft was slowly failing – ultimately you rely on the harvested graft tissue repairing and being able to withstand the demands cricket places on it.”It is really unfortunate Aneurin finds himself back in an ACL rehabilitation programme and these are inevitably long, drawn-out processes but he is the model professional and continues to go above and beyond. Whilst he now unfortunately faces a significant spell on the sidelines, we are targeting a full return to play in 2022 and are absolutely confident Aneurin will return despite this setback.””I’m devastated to be back on the sidelines following my reinjury,” Donald said. “It’s certainly a tough pill to swallow after such a long rehabilitation process that led to me being back in a position to feature on the pitch at the start of this pre-season.”Unfortunately, after trying to continue without a functioning ACL, a scan showing a tear in my meniscus a few weeks later finally led to surgery being the only remaining option. Fortunately, with thanks to Andy Williams and his team at the Fortius Clinic, my second surgery was a success, and I have already begun to dive into the rehabilitation process once again with a full recovery fully expected.”

Liverpool fans will hope Darwin Nunez goes on a devastating run of form now, having broken his goalscoring duck for the 2024/25 Premier League season last time out against AFC Bournemouth.

This was the Uruguayan attacker’s first start in the league under the new Arne Slot regime, and he repaid his manager’s faith with a strike in the one-sided contest, as the Reds swept the Cherries aside 3-0.

Under the previous stewardship of Jurgen Klopp, Nunez hadn’t exactly sparked into life and shown himself to be a consistent finisher of chances though, with a satisfactory but not amazing 11 top-flight strikes managed last campaign before the German handed over the reins.

Once upon a time deep into the German’s tenure, the Reds nearly snapped up a younger but still potent Erling Haaland, who could have cost pennies to land, when weighed up next to Nunez’s extortionate £85m price tag.

When Liverpool could have signed Haaland

Amazingly, Borussia Dortmund managed to snap up the ice-cold Norwegian’s services in 2019 for an extremely low £17m, after the Scandinavian had become a scarily clinical goal machine for RB Salzburg in nearby Austria.

Netting a ridiculous 29 times from just 27 appearances for Salzburg, the goals wouldn’t let up for the Nordic great in Germany either, with 86 strikes coming his way from 89 games, as Dortmund laughed all the way to the bank when Manchester City became interested.

Dortmund’s unbelievable gain could well have been Liverpool’s theoretically, with the Reds eager to get Haaland through the door in 2019 before his major move to the Bundesliga.

Ex-Molde scout John Vik revealed in 2022 to the Athletic that Liverpool – alongside Arsenal – had their eyes on a growing Haaland when he was still playing in his native Norway, but none were willing take the plunge and gamble on the towering centre-forward. At the time, he was playing for Molde and could have been available for just £4m.

That must be a major regret on the end of the Reds, who could do with a deadly striker away from Nunez and a misfiring Diogo Jota, with Haaland now one of the world’s best talents at rivals Manchester City.

Erling Haaland's transfer value in 2024

According to Transfermarkt, Haaland’s valuation has now shot up to a steep £152m, a far-cry away from his humble beginnings at Dortmund when he cost a meagre £17m to pick up.

The menacing 24-year-old has become a “special talent” striker – as per Jesse Marsch – donning a City shirt under Pep Guardiola’s expert management, with a staggering 100 goals and 14 assists registered across 105 appearances to date.

As can be seen in the table below, having Haaland at Slot’s disposal right now would undoubtably improve Liverpool going forward, with Nunez and Jota’s combined goal total this Premier League season so far staggeringly eight off the lethal 24-year-old’s total.

Players

Games played

Goals scored

Haaland

5

10

Nunez

4

1

Jota

4

1

The Reds would have been able to win him for much less than what Man City forked out as well, with the reigning top-flight champions having to pay up a £51.2m fee, which is still modest for such a devastating attacker, but high compared to his previous £4m price-tag back in Norway.

Haaland doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon either when it comes to his dangerous form in-front of goal, with the world class Man City striker capable one day of going for a lavish amount to another club.

Whilst City revel in having a striker of the Norwegian’s quality at their disposal week in week out, the Reds will regret not just taking a punt on the prolific forward when he was a raw unpolished gem playing for Molde.

100% aerials won: 8/10 Liverpool star is now as undroppable as Gravenberch

Arne Slot’s side climbed to the top of the Premier League on Saturday…

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 22, 2024

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been handed some good news this week as an injury update comes out of London Colney, and it is much-needed as the Gunners prepare for a crucial run of games.

Arsenal earn 0-0 draw away to Atalanta in Champions League opener

The Gunners earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw away to Europa League champions Atalanta in their opening Champions League game of the new season on Thursday evening, with goalkeeper David Raya taking many of the plaudits.

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Indeed, it is safe to say Raya was the hero in Bergamo following his sensational double save to deny Mateo Retegui an opening goal for Atalanta. The Spaniard first denied Retegui from the penalty spot, diving expertly to his right before getting straight back up to acrobatically claw the Atalanta forward’s follow-up header off the line.

It was a moment of magnificence, and arguably one of the finest double-saves in recent memory. Due to their recent succession of injuries to key first team players, Arsenal had an array of academy players on the bench last night, so Arteta will be silently thrilled to come away from a difficult ground with a clean sheet and a point.

“I think we started the game really well in the first 20, 25 minutes,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Atalanta.

Atalanta

Statistics

Arsenal

2

Shots on target

2

4

Shots off target

3

51

Possession (%)

49

1

Yellow cards

0

7

Fouls

11

4

Corners

2

“I think we played with the ball in the right areas, with a lot of intention and were effective, but without creating too many clear-cut chances. After that, we lost control of the game because we were very inconsistent with the ball, giving a lot of simple balls away – and against a team that are man-to-man [that] costs you moments to transition because the moment you lose your man, there is a space and you are in equal numbers in the backline or overloaded. Defensively we didn’t suffer – that’s the reality.”

Arsenal take on Premier League title rivals Man City at the Etihad Stadium next in one of their biggest tests of the season, but Arteta looks set to be without a few crucial stars for the trip to Manchester.

Club captain Martin Odegaard will be out for a while after injuring his ankle on international duty with Norway, whereas summer signing Mikel Merino is sidelined after fracturing his shoulder in training.

Arsenal given "massive boost" after Mikel Merino injury update

Merino was expected to be out till late October, following his collision with Gabriel Magalhaes in the Spaniard’s first ever London Colney training session.

However, Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has relayed some positivity out of Arsenal, with Arteta handed a “massive boost” after injury news on Merino, who is progressing well and only a few weeks away.

“Mikel Merino, obviously a disappointment for him picking up that shoulder injury as soon as he’d signed for Arsenal,” said Bridge live on air this week.

“We understand that [he] is actually progressing quite well and a few weeks away now. So that will be a massive boost for Mikel Arteta when he comes back to really bolster that central midfield.”

Arsenal signed Merino in a £32 million deal from Real Sociedad in the summer window, following the 28-year-old’s brilliant 2023/2024 campaign at both club level and internationally.

The former Newcastle United ace scored eight goals and assisted five others in 45 appearances across all competitions for Sociedad last term, and played a key role during Spain’s triumph at the Euros.

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe has been strongly criticised after the "disrespectful" dismissal of Caen head coach Nicolas Seube.

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Seube sacked by Caen on SundayMbappe blamed for ruthless decisionReal star owns majority stake in Ligue 2 clubFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Former Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe completed a surprise takeover at Caen on July 31, shortly after joining Real Madrid on a free transfer. Mbappe's company Interconnected Ventures purchased a majority stake in the Ligue 2 club via its investment arm Coalition Capital, with the World Cup winner reportedly pumping €15 million (£12m/$16) of his own money into the venture.

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Unfortunately, Mbappe's investment has not yielded immediate success on the pitch for Caen, who have slipped to 16th in the Ligue 2 table at the mid-way point of the 2024-25 campaign. Seube paid the ultimate price for Caen's form as the club announced his sacking on Sunday, saying in an official statement: "After a year at the head of the professional team, Stade Malherbe Caen has decided to end its collaboration with Nicolas Seube."

WHAT THIAM SAID

The news of Seube's departure did not go down well with former Caen defender Brahim Thiam, who played for the club between 2005 and 2009. Thiam pointed the finger of blame at Mbappe and his family for failing to uphold the club's core values in a scathing rant to . Seube also enjoyed a legendary playing career at Caen, and Thiam feels he deserved far better treatment.

"It's as if we kicked Nicolas Seube in the butt by telling him: go away! In fact, it's just disrespectful," Thiam began. "I'm not saying that Nicolas Seube, through his time at the club had a totem of immunity because the results are not good. But I don't even take that into account. I'm just wondering: is this the new Malherbe? Is it forgetting a little bit the history, the values of this club? This decision doesn't surprise me. I don't have the words to describe it. I call it a rag against a guy who deserves a big hat tip and who, perhaps, everyone will talk about to their children and grandchildren. Because I think that Nicolas Seube is probably the emblematic player of the last 30 years at Caen. I think that from the moment Pierre-Antoine Capton (the chairman of the club's supervisory board) sold 80% of the club's shares to the Mbappe family, Nicolas Seube's future was dotted. That's my personal conviction. The future would not have been made with him."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Caen moved quickly to replace Seube, with Bruno Baltazar having been confirmed as the Mbappe ownership regime's first head coach appointment. Baltazar will hope to get off to a good start when Caen resume their Ligue 2 campaign against Clermont Foot on Friday. Mbappe, meanwhile, is due back in La Liga action with Real Madrid against Valencia on the same day.