The real games begin as the window closes

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( August 26, 2022 [The Independent]( Miguel Delaney's Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney   The real games begin as the window closes   United and Chelsea set to be biggest movers It’s often said in football that you know which clubs are badly run by who is trying to do business in the last few days of the window, but that’s a rule of thumb that might have to be someway suspended this year. The last six days are set to be even more frenzied than the months that have built up to it. At least half the [Premier League]( still wants to do considerable business with even those two clubs held up as models for the transfer market - Liverpool and Manchester City - potentially making purchases. It sums up this window, but so does one figure, that only illustrates the ominous financial strength of the Premier League. Nottingham Forest alone have so far spent more than the entire Eredivisie. The Dutch competition might well see more outgoings, with two of its biggest stars in Antony and Cody Gakpo pursued by Manchester United. The latter may well depend on Cristiano Ronaldo’s status, and whether he actually accepts an offer from Sporting, his first club. United and Chelsea are almost certain to be the busiest, even as regards just trying to get deals. Both still want at least three players. For United, it’s a forward, a goalkeeper and a right-back. For Chelsea, it’s a finisher, a wide player and a midfielder. Another aspect to all this is that even pulling off one of those signings has a significant knock-on effect, as some of the other bits this week illustrate… Ten Hag not on surest footing with goalkeeper Kevin Trapp has confirmed he turned down a concrete offer from United, but that’s partly because it would have left Eintracht Frankfurt in the lurch. German clubs are nowhere near as wealthy as their English counterparts, but that means they do tend to be better run. It just went against all of Frankfurt’s planning to be forced to look for a first-choice goalkeeper this late in the window, especially with how little United were willing to pay. “It wasn’t real money,” one source says. Trapp was ultimately persuaded by that, although he was hugely tempted by United. Erik ten Hag will instead turn his attention to Borussia Monchengladbach’s Yann Sommer and Freiburg’s Mark Flekken. While David De Gea did a good job Monday, and playing longer balls actually suited United for that specific game, the Dutch coach has now fully realised he needs a goalkeeper comfortable with the ball at his feet. If it gets to that, and De Gea is eventually ousted, it will mean United could have some expensive bench. The Spanish goalkeeper is on around £350,000 a week, with Ronaldo understood to be earning more than £500,000 a week all in. There is then Harry Maguire’s situation, with the captain a reserve right now. It shows the dysfunction at United - but also just how much needs to be sorted. A compelling look at football's most controversial move [“The Figo Affair” is now out on Netflix](, and this newsletter can’t recommend it highly enough. If you’ll forgive us sounding like Mark Kermode for a moment, it has a Rashomon quality in how everyone has a different side to the story, and all of those perspectives are different. The word “lie” is used a lot in the documentary. “It’s a story about truth and everyone’s version is different,” co-director David Tryhorn says. “As soon as we realised that, we understood it would be a mistake to try and tell our version of the truth – instead, we could use these unreliable narrators to contradict each other throughout the film.’” From watching, it’s still difficult to decide whether Luis Figo wanted to join Real Madrid, or he left for Barcelona against his will. One thing is for certain. Everybody underestimated Florentino Perez as a potential Madrid presidential candidate. That is what really comes across on a documentary, that is well worth watching. The first major football move of the 21st century shaped everything that was to follow. City of Lights leads to mutterings behind the scenes Inevitably, there was no mention of the trouble around the Paris [Champions League final]( in the montage ahead of Thursday’s draw. Uefa’s response to that has aggravated a lot of people in European football more than they have possibly realised. There's then the ongoing aggravation about Paris Saint-Germain's influence. Many football industry insiders insist it was telling that so many people went on the record for a very good New York Times piece by Tariq Panja on the issue.   Top stories [Gerrard? Lampard? Moyes? Decisive days ahead will decide Premier League sack race]( [Champions League group stage excitement at an all-time low as financial disparity widens](   Miguel's Dispatches There was a sense of coming together at Old Trafford on Monday, and not just for a defiant performance against Liverpool on the pitch. So many legends of the club were there, including Bryan Robson, Gary Pallister, Peter Schmeichel and Jaap Stam. The Dutchman looked his typically intimidating self as he did media before the game, but was beaming after it. It does all feed into a wider point about this. No matter how shambolic Manchester United get, no matter irretrievable the situation seems, they remain one of the biggest stories about. This, put bluntly, is why so many consortiums and billionaires want to buy the club. You only have to look the cacophony of noise about that last week, feeding into a spell where it seemed there was a massive headline about United every single day. It has all meant that, even in a start to the season this good and with this many storylines, there is an obvious choice for the main match this weekend. I will be at Southampton, for a third consecutive United game I am covering. That is still what brings the most interest.   Quote of the day "They can f***ing play good football." Erik ten Hag ensures we have to be careful of the firewalls, as he praises his Manchester United team with a considerable air of defiance   Reading the game quiz A total of 10 figures have played for England in the World Cup, and been sacked from a Premier League job. Name them. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)   INDYBEST /BEST SPORTS BUY](   8 best pre-workout supplements to fuel your training sessions Packed with energy-boosting ingredients, you can wave goodbye to running on empty [Click here for our reviews](     Essential reading Why Liverpool’s creaking midfield needs an overhaul](   [Luis Figo documentary reveals betrayal and lies behind transfer to Real Madrid that shaped modern game](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). 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