Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs make big considerations

The Independent’s football newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( July 21, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs make big considerations Bayern Munich could yet learn the hard negotiation way At the start of the summer, some well-informed sources insist, [the Harry Kane camp felt a move to Manchester United was very much on](. It was just that the Old Trafford hierarchy very quickly balked at the idea of dealing with Daniel Levy, which explains the current pursuit of Rasmus Hojlund. Now, Bayern Munich think [a move for Kane is very much on](. There are people speaking as if this is almost certainly going to happen before the summer is out. As one of the same sources said, though, “Bayern have no experience of dealing with Daniel”. The main problem here is that nobody wants to pay more than £60m for someone with a year left on his contract, and Bayern have already gone beyond that. Tottenham Hotspur still want much more. Tottenham still looking elsewhere - but maybe to next year Spurs have been making contingency plans, though, just in case. They pretty much have to since, even if it’s not this summer, they will have to think about replacing Kane sooner rather than later. They have been looking at a range of attacking options. [The club really like Ivan Toney but that would more likely be one if Kane leaves]( on a free next summer, given his suspension. If it’s this summer, a potential option is Flamengo’s Pedro, who Spurs are looking at. Arsenal still monitoring two main positions Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal’s business isn’t done yet, even if that does depend on sales. They still expect to bring in at least £60m, with a large chunk of that made up by the sale of[Folarin Balogun](. Brighton are interested, but the current expectation is that he will go abroad. That could be a pity for Arsenal as that might have facilitated a potential deal for Moises Caicedo. This is what is more interesting about what Arteta said. He still wants signings in two positions - midfield and right-back. What he goes for may depend on what comes in, as he’d ideally like both. From that perspective, Southampton’s [Romeo Lavia](would currently allow a better right-back option than Caicedo since he is buyable for at least £30m less. Arsenal may soon have competition there, though, if they don’t move… Klopp's plans changed If [Jordan Henderson does follow Fabinho to the Saudi Pro League](, the expectation is that Liverpool could go for two more midfielders. Lavia is one they are strongly considering, but there is actually a host of names given they were already going for two this summer even before these prospective departures. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were just at the top of a long list. Others they greatly like are Khephren Thuram and even Conor Gallagher. One consideration for Klopp might even be that he has lost a lot of experience this summer, especially if Henderson follows James Milner. The priority has been an ability to press with full force, and superb physical capacity, but a touch more seniority might be thought about for one of the next signings. It does show, nevertheless, how the influence of the [Saudi Pro League]( has completely changed plans. Wiegman faces two major decisions before muted start England open their [Women’s World Cup on Saturday](, although a match against Haiti is an admittedly low-key beginning to a campaign that could yet be the story of the summer. This is one that is likely to be a slow-burn build-up, but it’s also why there is an importance to this game beyond the result. Wiegman is still figuring out her team, and competitive matches are better for that, no matter who they’re against. It is why there can be real value to the group stage for teams who are expected to at least get to the quarter-finals. That may be dependent on the decisions Wiegman takes here. She is still figuring out centre-half and centre-forward, although some sources talk of how she is also developing a new system around that. That may not even be properly unleashed until the latter stages. For Saturday, Esme Morgan did well in the build-up game against Canada and the current expectation is that she will slot in at centre-half.   Top stories [Why this Women’s World Cup will be unlike anything we’ve seen before]( [Manchester United sign Andre Onana in £43m transfer from Inter Milan](     Miguel's Dispatches Given how 24/7 the football world has become, where the summer often features as much news as the regular season, I am not actually going to the Women’s World Cup until the knock-out stages. That meant it was impossible not to feel a little sense of missing out, as there is nothing like a big event getting started. I was back in Ireland at the weekend, though, and you could see the buzz building up before Thursday’s otherwise encouraging 1-0 defeat to Australia. It reminded of last summer with Euro 2022. The split nature of the tournament means that probably won’t be the case in England until it gets properly competitive with the last-16. It does mean a distinctive vantage point, though. With international tournaments, my experience for the last 12 years has been being in the host nations for the entirety. That can mean you are in a bubble and almost miss the general discussion back home. This will be a situation where I start on the outside before going in. Speaking of Ireland, that feeling reminds of a line by the celebrated late journalist Con Houlihan, about the country’s nation-building event that was Italia 90 - a first ever qualification. “I missed the World Cup - I was at it.”       QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Apple coming into the league has been great although they didn’t allow my staff to sit in their seats today. My staff got kicked out of their seats today by members of Apple." Wayne Rooney takes aim at the multinational electronics company after taking charge in the MLS all-star game   Reading the game quiz Reading the game quiz Eight Premier League players were captains for title-winning teams at least twice. As a clue, Eric Cantona was only captain for one of his four title wins, so is not included. Name the eight. ([You can find out the answers here](. 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