Premier League favourites Manchester City have already picked up a piece of silverware, beating Manchester United on penalties to win the 2024 Community Shield for the first time since 2019.
It’s about time for the Sky Blues who have won the last four Premier League titles and then slipped up in the pre-season curtain raiser year after year. And it looked likely that Pep Guardiola’s team would lose again after Alejandro Garnacho had given the Red Devils a late lead, before Bernardo Silva equalised for City. Manuel Akanji, who missed a penalty at Euro 2024 for Switzerland, blasted home the decisive strike in the shootout and the smiles spread across players and fans on the sky blue side of Manchester.
Guardiola has such a richly talented squad that he adds players incrementally and carefully year on year and this summer’s only signing, 20 year old Brazilian winger Savio, made an appearance at the Wembley showcase and he and looked very lively indeed. The Red Devils meanwhile, will be pleased by much of their showing with Garnacho impressive; and United fans have had more good news today with the suggestion that captain Bruno Fernandes is ready to sign a new contract t keep him at the club until 2027. And Bayern Munich centre back Matthijs De Ligt is expected to sign for the Red Devils over the next 24 hours after the two clubs agreed a fee of £43m for the Dutch international.
Wingback Aaron Wan Bissaka is leaving the club, on his way to West Ham United, as Erik Ten Hag prepares an attack on the top four. He will have his work cut out, but there seems to more unity at Old Trafford now and new chief executive Omar Berrada has cleaned out his entire X account to delete any previous loyalty to his former employers at the Etihad.
Liverpool inch closer to Zubimendi deal
According to the SBOTOP Premier League 2024 betting odds Arne Slot’s Liverpool are the third favourites to win the league title and the Reds are still trying to strengthen their team, while keeping an eye on potential outgoings. Midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold is yet to sign a new contract and is attracting interest in Spain, while the club’s recruitment team is working round the clock to bring Real Sociedad’s midfield ace Martin Zubimendi in the opposite direction to Merseyside.
The 25 year old is a fans favourite in St Sebastien having been with Sociedad since 2016; and he came off the bench for Spain in the final of Euro 2024, deputising for the excellent Rodri, as La Roja lifted the European Championships. Zubimendi recently pledged his loyalty to the Basque club, rejecting attention from Arsenal and Real Madrid but Liverpool are determined to get their man and are ready to meet his release clause at 60m Euros. He has featured in Sociedad’s pre-season, playing against Bundesliga side Union Berlin last Friday but, if the move goes through Zubimendi will link up with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis MacAllister in a powerful midfield, and Liverpool fans will be hoping Slot gets his man well before the transfer window slams shut.
London Calling for Neto
Tottenham Hotspur have been busy in the market, making one of the signings of the summer after completing a £65m deal to bring striker Dominic Solanke to the club. The price makes the former Chelsea star the seventh most expensive Englishman of all time and it is a record fee for selling club Bournemouth. He scored 19 goals for the Cherries last term and will be sadly missed on the south coast, but Solanke might just be the man to replace Tottenham legend Harry Kane.
And in other Premier League 2024 news a move to the capital city is also on the cards for Wolves winger Pedro Neto who is ready to complete a medical ahead of a £54m move to big spenders Chelsea. The 24 year old Portugal star has been with the East Midlands club since he was 19 and, while he has been beset by injury problems all too often Neto made a huge impact last term, scoring twice and making nine assists in 20 Premier League appearances. He will join Cole Palmer at Chelsea and the two of them should provide plenty of ammunition for Chelsea’s front men, with competition for places at Stamford Bridge fierce with Christopher Nkunku and Raheem Sterling also able to play out wide.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is the latest manager to be given the task of managing such a big squad which has underachieved badly given the amount of money splashed out over the past two years, but Neto, at £54m, could well turn out to be very good value.
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