O Botafogo vai viver uma semana repleta de clássicos. Do sub-20 ao profissional, o Alvinegro vai enfrentar os três rivais cariocas nos próximos dias – e em confrontos de tom decisivo. O LANCE! mostra a agenda do Glorioso.
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+ Virada épica e aplicação tática: Botafogo faz jogo histórico e aumenta confiança para sequência do ano
O time sub-20 será o mais agitado. A equipe de Ricardo Resende tem pela frente o primeiro jogo das semifinais do Campeonato Carioca e o decorrer do Brasileirão.
A equipe comandada por Luís Castro, por sua vez, segue na busca pela boa fase e vai atrás da terceira vitória consecutiva no próximo domingo.
AGENDA DO BOTAFOGO NA SEMANA QUARTA-FEIRA – 22 de junho Carioca sub-20 – Semifinal
Botafogo x Vasco CEFAT – 10h Transmissão: BotafogoTV
+ VÍDEO: Apresentadores da Botafogo TV vão à loucura com gol da vitória sobre Internacional
SÁBADO – 25 de junho Brasileiro sub-20 – 3ª rodada
Flamengo x Botafogo Gávea – 13h45 Transmissão: FlaTV
DOMINGO – 26 de junho Brasileirão – 14ª rodada
Botafogo x Fluminense Estádio Nilton Santos – 16h Transmissão: Globo e Premiere
An attacking “monster” is reportedly wanted by Manchester United in the summer transfer window as Ruben Amorim looks to add more firepower to his squad.
Man Utd transfer news
It looks as though a new striker could be near the top of the Red Devils’ wishlist once this season reaches its conclusion, with a lack of elite quality in that area at present.
In fact, United have even been linked with a sensational swoop for Bayern Munich and England superstar Harry Kane this summer, who was constantly backed to move to Old Trafford during his Tottenham days.
Harry Kane for Bayern Munich
Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson is another reported target for the Red Devils in the coming months, with the 20-year-old a player with a big future in the game. United are believed to be willing to spend £50m on the Swede amid interest from other top clubs.
On the flip side, there are players being linked with moves away from Old Trafford, including Rasmus Hojlund, who may still be young, but is struggling to make a positive impression under Amorim. United could be willing to make a £30m loss on him by moving him on at the end of the campaign.
Man Utd want to sign attacking "monster"
According to a report from Spain, Manchester United are interested in signing Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the summer window.
The Englishman is among a host of targets for the Red Devils at the end of the season, as United seek to bolster their attack, with Canada star Jonathan David also among their targets amid his fine performances for Lille, who are into the last-16 round of the Champions League.
Everton's DominicCalvert-Lewincelebrates scoring their first goal
Calvert-Lewin has been a top striker for some time now, being seen as an option for United in the past and being lauded by football talent scout Jacek Kulig as a “monster” of a player:
At 27, the Everton man is also still young enough to come in and not drift past his peak too quickly, which is an error the Red Devils have made far too often in the past, having brought in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani beyond their prime years.
Calvert-Lewin has shown over many years that he can be a force in the Premier League, which is an obvious positive to bringing him in, meaning he shouldn’t take any time to hit the ground running, combining pace, hold-up play and reliable finishing.
That said, the one big concern surrounding the £100,000-a-week attacker is his injury record, with constant absences coming his way during his time at Everton – so much so that the Toffees have considered selling him at different times.
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For that reason, United would arguably still be wise to look elsewhere, which is nothing against Calvert-Lewin’s ability, but more his lack of availability week in, week out.
Glasgow Rangers were in the market to sign a new central defender in the recent January transfer window to bolster their depth in that position.
Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen eyed up a player in that role, due to injuries to the likes of John Souttar, Dujon Sterling, and Leon Balogun, and eventually brought in Rafael Fernandes on loan from Lille.
He has been an unused substitute three times and his only start so far came in the embarrassing 1-0 defeat to second tier outfit Queen’s Park in the SFA Cup.
Another player who was linked with a move to Ibrox in the January window was former Rangers defender Nikola Katic, who went on to sign for Plymouth Argyle instead.
Niko Katic's current market value
The Bosnia international joined the Championship team on loan from FC Zurich and is currently valued at just €1.5m (£1.2m) by Transfermarkt.
Despite his unimpressive market value, Katic, who made 59 appearances for Rangers, has caught the eye with some impressive performances for the Pilgrims.
The former Gers titan made a whopping 17 clearances and won five of his six duels in a historic 1-0 win over Premier League giants Liverpool in the FA Cup.
Katic has also won 65% of his duels across five appearances in the Championship for Plymouth, showing that he has hit the ground running as a dominant defender.
Rangers, however, have already hit the jackpot on their own dominant, 28-year-old, centre-back in the form of Scotland international John Souttar.
Rangers hit the jackpot with John Souttar
The Light Blues signed the Scottish defender on a free transfer from Hearts in the summer of 2022, and he was valued at £1.2m by Transfermarkt at the time of that move.
Market Movers
Souttar endured a frustrating debut campaign at Ibrox as he missed 50 games for club and country with an ankle injury, which caused his value to drop to £1m. He did not allow that setback to put him down, however, and has bounced back to become an incredibly valuable member of the squad.
July 2022
£1.2m
July 2023
£1m
March 2024
£2m
May 2024
£2.5m
October 2024
£2.9m
December 2024 – present
£3.7m
As you can see in the table above, his value has since soared by millions to the point where he is now worth more than three times as much as Katic, who is the same age as the Rangers star.
In the Scottish Premiership this season, Souttar has started 16 games for the Gers and caught the eye with his dominant defensive work – winning 69% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial battles.
John Souttar
The 28-year-old colossus, who was hailed as “unbelievable” by international teammate Andy Robertson, has also won a staggering 87% of his duels across seven appearances in the Europa League so far this term.
This shows that Souttar has been a rock at the heart of the Rangers defence, rarely allowing opposition players to get the better of him, which is why the club hit the jackpot when they signed him back in 2022.
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The next Rangers manager will be sure to make some key changes to the playing squad when they take over the reins.
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Not only did they sign an excellent defender who has performed well on the pitch, but they also signed a valuable asset whose market valuation has soared in recent years.
Temba Bavuma’s performances in South Africa’s 2-1 ODI series win over England have landed him an SA20 deal after he was snubbed at the auction last year. Bavuma will replace Tom Abell at Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Bavuma’s big-hitting impressed the franchise to call him in for Abell, who will be joining England Lions.Bavuma was South Africa’s leading run-scorer in the series, with 180 runs from three matches, which was his most successful as an ODI batter. He struck a match-winning century in the second ODI, which also sealed the series, and maintained a strike rate of over 100 throughout the three matches. Having previously been criticised for his lack of big-hitting, Bavuma hit 23 fours and three sixes on two of the biggest grounds in South Africa in Bloemfontein and Kimberley, and also led the South African side well.
Bavuma has been under criticism for his poor scoring rate in T20Is. He had also spoken of his “disappointment” at not being picked in the SA20 auction last September. He had set his base price at Rand 850,000 (US$48,000 approx.) but did not find any takers. Despite being South Africa’s white-ball captain, not getting picked in his country’s T20 league had “let him down”. However, he redeemed himself in white-ball cricket with a series-winning, high-quality hundred against England in the second ODI.After his hundred, Bavuma spoke about the pride he felt in being able to show people “I am still here”, and said he had worked with stand-in coach Shukri Conrad on changing his mindset to be able to take on bowlers more. His back-foot play and his shot selection against spinners were particularly impressive, and later he said it was one of his best innings.
After chasing leather around the ground, the visitors’ openers repelled Australia’s new-ball surge
Tristan Lavalette01-Dec-2022
Steve Smith celebrates after raising his double century•Associated Press
by 524 runsWest Indies debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul weathered a short ball assault late on day two on a grassy Optus Stadium pitch after double centuries from Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith powered Australia into a commanding position in the first Test.After spending 152.4 overs in the field, Chanderpaul impressively defied Australia’s star-studded attack alongside skipper Kraigg Brathwaite as the West Indies showed belated fight in a bid to claw back into the match.Chanderpaul, the son of legendary batter Shivnarine, copped an initiation into Test cricket as he edged a sharp delivery from quick Mitchell Starc through the slips. He then was hit on the pads by Starc only for the not out decision to be upheld in an umpire’s call.Chanderpaul was all at sea against quick Josh Hazlewood’s accuracy before a fluent drive through long on was a much-needed confidence boost. But he was back in the wars after being hit in a delicate spot, which required medical attention, before copping blows to the body from fierce short balls from Cummins and Hazlewood.Showcasing doggedness and similar technical characteristics to his father, Chanderpaul soldiered on gamely and started to look increasingly comfortable on a pitch playing few tricks. He unleashed several cavelier shots to counter the short ball but made it through his first test in this format.The gritty opening partnership has provided a much-needed spark for West Indies after a forgettable performance in the field.Australia declared 15 minutes into the final session when Travis Head was bowled for 99 just one delivery after Smith brought up his fourth Test double century.Head’s dismissal brought a close to Australia’s massive first innings, where they had three straight century-plus partnerships to vindicate Cummins’ decision to bat first on a green-tinged Optus Stadium surface which hasn’t produced fireworks so far.Australia’s massive innings was dominated by Smith and Labuschagne, who combined for a 251-run partnership and batted almost through the entire first session.Labuschagne reached his second Test double century just before lunch, celebrating by taking off his helmet followed by an enthusiastic wave of his bat. Two balls later, out of nowhere, he was dismissed just short of his highest Test score of 215 when he edged the spin of Brathwaite to wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva.Riding a dose of luck, Labuschagne continued his strong form at Optus Stadium, where he scored 143 and 50 three years ago against New Zealand in the last Test played at the ground.Marnus Labuschagne leaves to a rousing reception•Associated Press
Just before lunch, Smith equalled Sir Donald Bradman with his 29th Test century. He reached the milestone with a single to long on, who was strangely not brought in to restrict the run.In the process, Smith also passed 4000 Test runs at home. Only Bradman (98.22) and Sir Garfield Sobers (66.8) have better home averages than Smith’s 64.53.He also continued his dominance over West Indies, who he currently averages 232.33 against from six Tests.Even though the match meandered amid a smattering of fans, who started to create their own excitement by mocking West Indies’ sloppy fielding, Smith was unwavering in his concentration. He also reinforced his penchant for his new refined technique, where he has eradicated shuffling across the crease.Eyeing a declaration, Australia put the foot down in the second session with Head scoring at better than a run a ball in a 166-run partnership with Smith to flatten a lifeless West Indies attack.After aggressive captaincy early on day one, Brathwaite’s 30th birthday was soured as he sought a defensive approach and he might face further criticism for his use of the bowlers.Quicks Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales were surprisingly not used in the first hour despite West Indies needing early wickets to claw back into the contest.Brathwaite finally had some cheer later in the day in a rearguard along with his new opening partner Chanderpaul in belated signs of life from the tourists.
Coach plays down own role in series marked by superb tactics and man-management
Andrew Miller20-Dec-2022Brendon McCullum, England’s Test coach, says it is “scary” to think how good a leader Ben Stokes could become after his transformative influence in the year just gone, having secured a historic 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan with a ninth Test victory in the space of ten games.Speaking to Sky Sports in Karachi, in the aftermath of England’s eight-wicket win in the third and final Test, McCullum played down his own crucial role in the team’s rise from the ruin of last winter’s Ashes, stating bluntly that he does “bugger all” behind the scenes. Instead, he lavished praise on his captain, for his work both on and off the field.”The skipper was absolutely magnificent right throughout the series,” McCullum said. “Not just on the field, where everyone sees the decisions he makes and the strings he pulls, but it’s his man-management and his ability to get the very best out of each member of the side, off the field, which is the most impressive part from our point of view.”It’s the captain’s mantra, this side is very much in the image of the skipper,” McCullum added. “And Stokesy wants the guys to go out there and play with the most amount of freedom that they can.”He’s got the benefit of a long and distinguished career behind him, and he’s in that stage of his life where he wants to do something significant and make a real impact, not just on the game but on other people’s careers. He’s identified that taking away that pressure and that fear of failure allows the talent and the skill to come out.”ESPNcricinfo LtdStokes himself was at the crease on the final day, finishing 35 not out in England’s pursuit of 167 for their clean sweep. But it was England’s efforts on the very first day of the tour, in Rawalpindi, that set the team on course for history, as they racked up a remarkable 506 for 4 in 75 overs, including four centuries from Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, the eventual Player of the Series.”That was more than I thought we were going to make, to be honest,” McCullum said. “The way that Crawley and Duckett started for us in that Test match, it really laid a marker out for where this team wants to be, and for how brave our cricket needs to be as well.”It was about playing the role that the team needs you to play, rather than getting too caught up in your own stuff, and it was a huge day that allowed us to try and force a result. Maybe the series would have been different if we hadn’t have gone down that route.”The defining aspect of England’s wins, however, was ultimately their ability to prise out 20 wickets in a Test, with a range of different tactics and personnel coming to the fore, from the part-time spin of Will Jacks and the skilful use of reverse swing in Rawalpindi, to Jack Leach’s first-innings four-for and the decisive pace onslaught of Mark Wood in Multan, and ultimately to the remarkable emergence of the legspinner Rehan Ahmed with his debut five-for in Karachi.”It’s a great achievement,” McCullum said. “If you look at the whole six or seven months, we’ve taken 20 wickets in a Test on nine out of 10 occasions. So it’s one thing scoring fast and putting teams under pressure with the bat, but you got to be able to bowl teams out as well.”And the mantra within the group is ‘how do we take wickets?’ Every time we’ve got the ball in our hand, ‘how are we going to try and get this guy out?’ If you go for runs, you go for runs, but we back ourselves that will chase those runs down later on. I think once you have that mindset, you free yourself up from having to worry about runs. It allows you to look at things with a positive mantra.”Related
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Stokes’ field placings were eye-catching throughout the tour, but they had to be too, with not a single traditional slip catch off the seamers all series long. Instead, he backed his bowlers with leg slips for the short ball into the ribs, and close catchers in the eyeline to capitalise on mistimed drives, a process that Stokes himself admitted had been entirely down to instinct, rather than pre-set plans.”A lot of my decisions were based on what I thought was the best option at any given time,” Stokes told Sky Sports. “I feel as if out here is probably the easiest conditions to mess around with a few different things. You don’t have to have a slip because it’s not going to go to slip in three games for us. So you use that slip somewhere else, maybe to visually upset the batsman.”Watching on from the dressing-room, McCullum was impressed. “The skipper never lets the game drift,” he said. “He’s always got something happening. He’s always pulling a string somewhere and the guys follow him. It’s a great combination to have, and it makes it pretty easy when you’re watching from up in the coach’s box.”There’s maverick in it and genius in a lot of it,” he added. “He’s just got an insatiable appetite to keep moving the game forward, which is super-impressive. But for me, it’s the man management, it’s the consistency of message, it’s the pure passion and drive that he’s got to make a significant difference in Test cricket, and English cricket, which is most impressive.”So I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve taken over this job when Stokesy has got the reins, and I think he’s only going to get better and better and better, which is quite scary. Because if he continues to improve and drive this team forward then, with the talent that sits within the dressing room, they will give it a good shake anyway.”I don’t do bugger all, to be honest,” McCullum joked. “I just make sure that the guys remain consistent with their own beliefs, and that they all want to be the best version of themselves. To be honest, it’s a really easy job … don’t tell my bosses. But I’m really enjoying myself, and I couldn’t I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.”Looking on from the Sky Sports studio, however, Stuart Broad gave a more nuanced assessment of McCullum’s under-stated influence in the dressing-room.”I’ve not seen him throw many balls, I’ve not seen him talk technically to anybody, but you watch every training session, he walks around and speaks to every single player,” Broad said. “Just checking in and seeing how they are, seeing what their mindset’s like, making sure they are taking the options that are right for the mantra of the team. He’s an incredible man-manager.”
Chelsea forward Sam Kerr and USWNT star Kristie Mewis have announced the arrival of their first baby, while also revealing his name.
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Announced imminent arrival in November 2024
Welcomed new addition to their family
Proud parents to son Jagger Mewis-Kerr
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Australian superstar Kerr and United States international Mewis stated in November 2024 that they were expecting their first child. They have now confirmed that they are proud parents to a baby boy.
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THE GOSSIP
Mewis, who is 34 years of age, is on the books at West Ham. Partner Kerr, who has endured injury troubles of late, is a WSL rival as she turns out for London neighbours and defending champions Chelsea.
Getty Images Entertainment
DID YOU KNOW?
They now have plenty to keep them busy off the field, with a newborn being welcomed into the Kerr-Mewis household. They have been engaged since late 2023, having first got together in 2021.
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WHAT NEXT?
It has been revealed that their son is called Jagger Mewis-Kerr. Messages of congratulation have poured in from across the footballing world – with Hannah Hampton, Millie Bright, Aggie Beever-Jones and Niamh Charles among those to pass on their well wishes.
أكد عمرو أدهم، عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، أن الفريق استحق بطولة كأس مصر للموسم الحالي، بعد الفوز على بيراميدز في المباراة التي أقيمت مساء الخميس.
وتوج الزمالك بـ كأس مصر للمرة 19 في تاريخه، بالفوز على بيراميدز بركلات الترجيح 8-7 بعد انتهاء اللقاء بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1.
وقال أدهم خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “الزمالك”: “مباراة صعبة جدًا مع منافس محترم وفريق متكامل، وأن نخرج بالمكسب فهذا شيء كبير، نادي الزمالك هو من يصنع للاعبين التاريخ”.
طالع | هشام نصر: التجديد مع لاعب الزمالك متروك للمدير الفني الجديد
وأضاف: “بطولة مستحقة وإن شاء الله المقبل يكون أفضل للزمالك، أبارك لكل الجماهير واللاعبين الأبطال والجهاز الفني والمجلس، ليلة سعيدة علينا كزملكاوية ونستحق الفرحة كلنا، رغم الظروف الصعبة خلال الموسم قدرنا نفوز على بطل إفريقيا”.
وأتم: “كنت أشاهد المباراة في الاستاد وسيناريو المباراة كان صعبًا جدًا، وربنا كلل تعب ومجهود الفريق ببطولة مهمة وغالية، ويكون هذا اللقب لكي نبني عليه ونضع الزمالك في المكانة التي تليق به”.
After much hype and anticipation, Celtic’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich ultimately ended in defeat.
On Wednesday night at Parkhead, despite a late rally, the Hoops were narrowly beaten 2-1 by the Bundesliga leaders in the first leg of their tie, leaving Brendan Rodgers’ side on the brink of elimination as they head to Bavaria next Tuesday.
Daizen Maeda
Nevertheless, many of the Celts’ most impressive players did put in an eye-catching performance, with one of Ange Postecoglou’s finest buys seeing his stock continue to rise.
Celtic's Japanese connection
When Postecoglou was appointed Celtic manager in the summer of 2021, barely anyone in the entire western hemisphere had ever heard of him.
The Aussie had a big job on his hands upon his arrival, considering the Bhoys had finished a whopping 25 points behind Rangers the season before, enduring a first trophyless campaign for over a decade.
Ange Postecoglou of Celtic
Off the pitch, with no director of football in place, he was tasked with leading the recruitment, and 14 players arrived during that first summer, to replace the ten who departed, including Scott Brown, Odsonne Édouard, Kristoffer Ajer and Ryan Christie who, between them, made 1,121 appearances for the club.
Many of Postecoglou’s signings were roaring successes, but it was his knowledge of the Japanese market that really came to the fore.
Having won the J1 League title with Yokohama F. Marinos, Ange convinced the Celtic board to sign Vissel Kōbe striker Kyōgo Furuhashi for £4.5m, and what a piece of business this would prove to be.
Kyōgo scored a hat-trick on his home Premiership debut against Dundee, bagging 16 goals in the first half of his first season at the club, including a brace during the League Cup final victory over Hibs, and his impact, in business terms, would essentially prove to be proof of concept, as a Japanese influx was to follow.
Six months after Kyōgo’s arrival, another trio of Japanese players joined him in Glasgow, namely Yosuke Ideguchi, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda in January 2023, before both Yūki Kobayashi and Tomoki Iwata were signed the following season too.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
So, now that Kyōgo has departed for Stade Rennais, another of the Japanese contingent has really come to the fore and proved to be an exceptional value-for-money signing.
Celtic's current best player
Daizen Maeda’s header against Bayern Munich this week, following on from his hat-trick against Raith in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, took his tally to 22 goals for the season, as well as 51 for the club in total.
Having previously netted against Slovan Bratislava, Borussia Dortmund and Club Brugge in the league phase, Maeda has become the first Celtic player since Joe Craig in 1977/78 to score four or more goals in a single European Cup campaign.
In the intervening years, Mo Johnston, Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, Kenny Miller, Georgios Samaras and Moussa Dembélé had all reached three; Adam Idah’s last chance to join his team-mate on four is likely to come at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
Given that Maeda has now scored 11 goals across all competitions since Boxing Day, right-back Alistair Johnston described him as “one of the most in-form players in Europe”, while analyst John Walker praised his “elite pressing and work-rate”.
Speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club, former Hearts and Hibs midfielder Michael Stewart notes that Maeda has “stepped up a level” in recent weeks, adding he has become “top class”.
So, let’s compare the Japanese forward to some of Celtic’s other top strikers of the last decade.
Maeda
145
51
24
194
Kyōgo
165
81
19
126
Édouard
179
87
38
140
Dembélé
94
15
81
121
Griffiths
261
123
51
118
As shown in the table, Maeda’s statistics are comparable to Celtic’s best forwards of the past decade, which is impressive considering he’s predominantly been deployed out-wide.
Having been signed for just £1.6m, transfermarkt believes Maeda is now worth over four times that, £7m, proving to be one of the Hoops best value editions of recent years.
Worth 2x more than Kyogo: Celtic star proved that he could play for Bayern
Celtic fell to a narrow defeat in the Champions League on Wednesday night…
David Beckham and Gary Neville, who have been inspired by Ryan Reynolds and Tom Brady, have completed a takeover of Salford City.
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Other Class of '92 stars have stepped asideFurther investors are still being soughtAiming to emulate other famous ownership groupsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?
The former Manchester United and England team-mates had been working with the League Two outfit as part of the fabled Class of ‘92 ownership group. Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes have now relinquished their respective stakes, with Beckham and Gary Neville having spent several months finding suitable investment partners.
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They have joined forces with Declan Kelly, founder of US-based advisory firm Consello, and Lord Mervyn Davies, chairman of the Lawn Tennis Association. It is claimed that around $15-20 million (£15m) has been raised, with each member holding a five or 10 per cent stake – totalling 80 per cent of the club. The remaining 20 per cent has been earmarked for future partners.
GettyWHAT DAVID BECKHAM SAID
Beckham and Neville will not be involved in the day-to-day running of Salford, but are fully committed. Inter Miami co-owner Becks, who works with Lionel Messi in Florida, told : “I will be over every big decision that’s made and every little decision that’s made. That’s what my commitment is to Gary. It’s what my commitment is to the club.
“We’re definitely not doing it for a laugh and it’s also not for the romantic side of things. Yes, we care about the club — but we’re doing it to win. We want Salford to be successful and we have had success, but then we want it to go on to the next level.
“I always dream big so I’m always going to want us to get to the pinnacle of football and be in the Premier League. But there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of investment to be done up until that point. The Championship is a league that we want to get in but it’s step by step. We want success very quickly but these things take time.
“There’s a reason why we’re not going to be going up this year. So what is that reason? How do we solve it? And what do we need to put around the team, the manager and the club to ensure we have that success? But if we can do that, fast forward it and be up in the Championship, that’s what the dream would be.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
Beckham added on taking inspiration from close friend and NFL legend Brady, along with Wrexham’s Hollywood superstar co-owner Reynolds: “We’ve all been inspired by what Ryan Reynolds has been doing at Wrexham and I’m not saying this is why we’re doing it because it’s not. But I’ve spoken to Ryan about it so many times now and he said the feeling around the city, the feeling around the club, is so exceptional. That’s the kind of thing that we want to create.
“Tom Wagner and Tom Brady have done an incredible job with Birmingham. I went to a game a few months back and the atmosphere in the stadium was one of the best I’ve seen for a long time. That’s what we want to create. We want to create that community, add to the community and fan base we’ve already got — and then lift it.
“When you see what the Toms are doing, there is investment, there is a plan and it would be the dream to talk about the growth of Salford City. It’s not only growth on the field, which is what we care most about, but we want success. Because if we’re having success then we’re also having the opportunity to say: ‘Now we we’re going to invest, now we’re going to get a bigger stadium, now we’re going to get a bigger training facility and then it will go on. That is what we’re aiming for.
“We’re not going to turn around and say: ‘OK, there’s a bunch of money, we have no plan but we have the money and now we’ll go and get the players’. That’s not how we work in business. It has to be sustainable.
“It has to be a real plan around the club because we want to be taken seriously on the field, firstly, and then on the business side. We don’t want to look stupid or make the mistakes that others have in the past.”