AS Monaco is a bit of an enigma. A French club not actually in France, Monaco’s rebirth dating back to 2011 has taken the club from the bottom of Ligue 2 to the top of Ligue 1, from one extreme of the transfer market to the other.
There’s no question that Diego Simeone is the best thing to ever happen to Atletico Madrid. The Argentine’s appointment in December of 2011 ushered in the club’s most successful spell in the modern era. That Simeone has been able to accomplish as much during the height of Lionel Messi’s powers at Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo’s at Real Madrid only adds to his legend.
Finally, a bit of good news for Newcastle United supporters around the world. After a net spend of around $26 million in the summer transfer window (or roughly one-tenth of a Neymar if you prefer), The18 can confirm that the club have steered cleared of a dreaded investigation from UEFA over financial fair play.
This will undoubtedly bring great joy to manager Rafa Benitez, who was promised “every last penny” by owner Mike Ashley back in May and then landed Jacob Murphy from Norwich City as the club’s marquee signing.
Welcome to a Wenger Watch transfer deadline special, where we will come to a conclusion on Wenger IN vs. Wenger OUT based on the deadline day happenings at Arsenal.
The deadline day happenings at Arsenal were pretty underwhelming really. Manchester CIty is all mad because they don't have Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal have Alexis Sanchez but not Thomas Lemar or Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, who has inadvertantly become the new Banter King of Merseyside.
What a moment this was: Philippe Coutinho, plagued by a back injury that, according to Brazil national team doctor Michael Simoni, “was something emotional” and simply required “a pep talk” to resolve, turned out for Brazil after missing Liverpool’s opening five competitive fixtures and scored a goal 16 minutes after coming on! Warrior.
Well, the thing that everyone expected to happen happened. PSG have officially signed Monaco phenom Kylian Mbappe on loan for this season with a mandatory purchase clause for $214.26 million next summer, which they will almost certainly do.
Transfer deadline day is one of the most confusing days of the year for soccer fans. So much information is flying around, it's difficult to keep track of it all. Have my club signed a player? Have they not signed a player? Have they given up? Are they still negotiating? I don't know! No one seems to know!
To help sort through the confusion, we came up with five handy ways to tell if your club has ACTUALLY, signed that big name, or if the signing is just a rumor blowin' in the wind.
Arsenal fans singing songs to persuade Alexis Sanchez to stay, I'm done pic.twitter.com/4YqvYA6pI2
— José (@MourinhoMindset) August 30, 2017
The closing of the transfer window sees various plot lines reach a unifying crescendo: Leicester City, with their Premier League title and Champions League adventure now firmly behind them, are about to be torn apart. Monaco, already torn apart, are subject to further tearing. Barcelona still have Neymar cash to flush, and they’re giving any wide player that scored more than 10 league goals last season the eye.
The end of the transfer window is a stressful time for everyone. Will business get done? Will business not get done? Will my club's glaring weaknesses be addressed? Who will sign the next hot young thing? When is it OK to start celebrating a signing? Which news outlets can I trust and not trust? It's all very maddening and it makes me want to throw up.
Thats why I've decided to ignore the transfer deadline, if only for just a few wondrous moments, and just watch dog videos. You should too! Here are some to get started: