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Barcelona’s 3-1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night was marred with concern as Dani Olmo suffered a painful shoulder injury while scoring the second goal. Having finished a sweeping team move with an exquisite left-footed strike from the edge of the box, Olmo lost his balance mid-shot and crashed awkwardly onto his left shoulder.

A win that came at a cost

Atletico drew first blood inside 20 minutes when Alex Baena timed his run to perfection before coolly sliding the ball past Joan García. But the lead didn’t last long. Pedri carved Atletico open with a superb through ball that released Raphinha, who danced past Jan Oblak and tucked home the equaliser. The hosts were gifted a chance to turn the scoreline on its head late in the first half after Olmo was tripped inside the penalty area. Yet Robert Lewandowski, usually ice-cold from the spot, blasted his attempt well over the bar in a moment he will want to forget. The miss didn’t derail Barca, though. Just after the hour mark, Olmo produced a moment of quality that restored their lead, but hurt himself in the process and was subsequently replaced. Barca held on for the three points, but celebrations were dampened when early assessments confirmed the midfielder had suffered a dislocation and is expected to miss at least four weeks. 

AdvertisementBarca issue statement

Barcelona have confirmed the recovery timeframe for Olmo in an official statement: "The first team player Dani Olmo suffered a dislocated left shoulder in the game on Tuesday against Atlético Madrid.  After tests, it has been decided to follow a conservative course of treatment. Recovery time is approximately one month."

Getty Images SportHistory repeating itself for Olmo?

For Olmo, the injury is especially disheartening given his history. During his time at RB Leipzig, he endured a similar dislocation to the same shoulder, an issue that ultimately required surgery and left him sidelined for two months. Tuesday’s setback has revived those concerns, with Barcelona anxious about what further scans may reveal.

The timing is also problematic for Flick, who is already without Fermin Lopez. Should Olmo be ruled out for an extended period, the Barca manager would be left with only Dro Fernandez as a natural attacking midfielder, though Raphinha could be repurposed into a central role if necessary.

Flick acknowledged the concern while speaking after the match. "Pedri is fine, just a little tired. Dani Olmo has shoulder problems…we’ll see," he said cautiously.

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Flick lauds Barca's courage and control

Despite the injury setback, Flick was effusive when reflecting on his side’s performance. The Barca head coach described the victory as "perfect", praising the squad for delivering on the tactical plan crafted ahead of the match.

He said: "It was perfect. The players have been at a great level. We played against a great team but we fought and fought together. It’s been great, I’d say fantastic. We did what we had talked about before the game and that makes me happy. I am very satisfied. We controlled with the ball, we created more space than in other games and we took our chances. This was a key match. It’s always important to gain confidence."

On the opposition bench, Diego Simeone was gracious in defeat as he reflected on his team's efforts: "We started well, but they managed to hurt us inside, with the ball filtered inside. In the second half, it was the opposite: they started a little better but, after 20 minutes, we were the ones who looked for the game. We couldn’t complete it, but I liked the team. We know that they have very good feet and that they play with a lot of people inside so that disorder appears in the rival centre-backs, and today it worked very well for them. But I feel very calm and happy with what the team did."

Manchester United are plotting a loan swoop for a “complete” £64 million player in January, according to a recent report.

Ruben Amorim completed his first training session as Man Utd head coach on Monday afternoon, as he prepares his new side to face Ipswich Town on Sunday, in what is his first game in charge of the Red Devils.

Man Utd transfer news

All focus around Old Trafford will be on that first game under the Portuguese and then the many other matches United face in the next few weeks. However, as the days and weeks go on, the January transfer window is getting closer and closer, and it seems United are slowly putting potential plans in place.

One player United could look to sign in January is midfielder Oihan Sancet, as the Red Devils have been linked with a move for the Athletic Bilbao midfielder. Sancet has a release clause of £67 million, but United are not the only team interested, as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are also keen on signing the Spanish international.

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As well as Sancet, Man Utd have their sights set on AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic, as Amorim sees the USA international as an upgrade to Marcus Rashford. The winger has been in excellent form in Italy, and that has put him on the radar of the Red Devils as well as Arsenal and Liverpool. But Pulisic doesn’t come cheap, as a minimum offer of £54 million would be needed to get negotiations underway.

However, both these deals could be difficult to do, as United may have to settle for loan deals in January, and they have their eye already on one potential target.

Man Utd plotting January loan swoop for Randal Kolo Muani

According to L’Equipe, relayed by Fussball News, Manchester United are interested in signing Randal Kolo Muani on loan in January. The Paris Saint-Germain striker, who is used to a 3-4-3 formation from his time at Frankfurt, has been with the French giants since September 2023, but it has been a testing 18 months or so, as he’s yet to nail down a regular starting spot.

The 25-year-old, who has been labelled “complete” by Kylian Mbappé in the past, scored six goals in 26 Ligue 1 appearances last season. In this 2024/25 campaign, Kolo Muani has started just two of the 12 games he has played in all competitions, but he has scored two goals during that time.

This report states that United are thinking about a loan swoop for Kolo Muani, who is in the 90th percentiles for non-penalty XG per 90 minutes for forwards, in January, as their expensive summer business may mean they can only do loan deals in the New Year. So, the fact that Kolo Muani’s contract runs until 2028 allows the Red Devils to take the Frenchman on loan.

However, United could face a potential stumbling block as the striker, who cost PSG £64 million, has stated that he has not thought about leaving the French club. He said: “No, I never thought about it. You have to keep the mentality. It’s up to me to keep working so that the coach trusts me.”

da betano casino： With those at Carrow Road looking to hand Johannes Hoff Thorup the players to finally get the best out of his system on a consistent basis, Norwich City have reportedly opened talks to sign a January target.

Norwich transfer news

da casino： The Canaries have been one of the most interesting sides to watch in the Championship so far this season. Whilst it’s been goals galore at times, there’s also been moments to forget against struggling sides such as Queens Park Rangers and Portsmouth. What has become clearer by the day is that they are, simply put, a side in transition and in the early stage of a fresh project under Thorup.

When things have clicked, Norwich have been undeniable. When they haven’t, however, which has arguably been too often, the Canaries have been predictable and beatable, as was the case against Burnley last time out.

The January transfer window could quickly add the consistency that Thorup and Norwich so desperately crave, however, especially if they add the much-needed experience that they’ve been linked to.

According to Goal in Brazil, Norwich have opened talks to sign Marlon from Brazilian side Cruzeiro in the January transfer window. The 27-year-old left-back is reportedly worth up to £4m in a deal that certainly isn’t cheap for those at Carrow Road, but one which may prove to be worthwhile.

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As things stand, Thorup’s best option down that left-hand side is the young Callum Doyle. And although the 21-year-old has impressed, experience can often prove to be the key to unlocking a place in the Championship playoffs – experience which Marlon has in abundance.

Even if the 27-year-old simply added further depth too, it would be more than welcomed amid a hectic schedule in England’s second tier.

Marlon can add key experience amid playoff push

Sat as many as eight points adrift of the playoffs in the Championship ahead of the January transfer window, Norwich need all the help they can get if they are to push on and cause the ultimate shock come May. What could start with Marlon should end with further reinforcements, but it remains to be seen whether those at Carrow Road will be willing to splash out beyond the left-back.

A player who has spent the majority of his career in Brazil, barring spells in Turkey playing for Ankaragucu and Trabzonspor as well as in Portugal at Boavista, a January switch to Norwich would also be a big deal for Marlon whilst he is still 27 years old and arguably in his best years.

£4m is certainly a hefty fee for a 27-year-old, however, especially given that Thorup already has Doyle to call on. Questions would also be asked whether investing in a left-back is the best way to transform this current Norwich side.

Marlon has the experience to hand the Canaries a solid option, but whether he’d be the best use of their funds leads to another answer entirely.

It would not be overdoing it to suggest the wheels have well and truly come off at West Ham United this season.

Well, we say this season, but in reality, things have been going wrong for East Londoners for some time, and Graham Potter has not helped.

The former Chelsea manager led the club to a 14th-place finish in the Premier League last year, but as things stand, he has them in the relegation zone, with one win and three losses this year.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, it’s time for the Hammers to find a new coach, and while Slaven Bilic’s name has been thrown around, there is another out-of-work coach who’d be a far better option.

The coaches linked with West Ham

Given the size of the club, it’s not been a surprise to see a host of pretty good managers linked with West Ham over the last couple of weeks.

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One of those has been Gary O’Neil, who has been out of work since being fired from Wolverhampton Wanderers last season.

Now, there is certainly a line of thinking that suggests hiring a manager who was fired by another relegation candidate is a bad idea, but it’s important to remember he also saved the Old Gold and Bournemouth before that from going down.

So, while he might not be the perfect long-term option, he might be worth bringing in for this season to stabilise the ship – he can’t be worse than Potter.

Another, more exciting name touted for the job has been Nuno Espírito Santo.

The Portuguese boss is another one fired by a Premier League side, but it’s really not the same, as after saving Nottingham Forest from relegation, he then led them back into Europe for the first time in generations.

Lastly, as we’ve already mentioned, Bilic has been touted for a return to the London Stadium.

Now, while there is an undeniable romanticism to that idea, there is another free coach who’d be a way better hire.

The manager West Ham should hire over Bilic

There are quite a number of quality managers out of work at the moment, from Marco Rose to Sean Dyche.

However, the one West Ham should be going all out for, and should stand a chance of getting, is Luciano Spalletti.

The Italian coach is currently out of work after being let go by the national team.

Still, fans shouldn’t be put off by the fact that things didn’t work out there, as even Roberto Mancini failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, despite being European champions at the time.

Moreover, it was his record at club level that even earned him the chance to manage the Azzurri, and it is an impressive one.

For example, he won back-to-back promotions with Empoli, two league titles and two cups with Zenit Saint Petersburg, back-to-back Coppa Italias with AS Roma and the big one, Napoli’s first Serie A title in a generation in 22/23.

Unsurprisingly, then, when we hold up his record to Bilic’s, there is only one winner.

During his last spell in club football, the coaching “phenomenon,” as dubbed by former Roma sporting director Walter, oversaw 96 games, of which he won 62, drew 16 and lost 18, resulting in a points per game average of 2.10.

In contrast, Croat’s last job was with Al-Fateh, where he oversaw 36 games, won 13 of them, drew nine and lost 14, which came out to an average of 1.33 points per game.

Games

96

36

Wins

62

13

Draws

16

9

Losses

18

14

Points per Game

2.10

1.33

Ultimately, while Bilic would probably do a better job than Potter, it’s crystal clear that Spalletti would be a far better hire for West Ham.

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