Gm football fans. Route One here.

I’m writing today’s newsletter from my home office.

It feels good to finally be in a good routine. I plan to work from here for the next couple of weeks before I get bored and look for a coffee shop nearby.

Wherever you are today, whether you’re commuting or working from home, I hope today’s newsletter brings a little bit of joy to your day.

On that note, thank you again for those who emailed us following yesterday’s newsletter with your favourite parts of the newsletter.

A big big big thank you to those that forwarded yesterday’s newsletter to their mates. It’s the main way that we grow here so we really appreciate it.

If you wish to contribute to the newsletter in anyway, don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].

Let’s get into it, shall we.

Today’s newsletter includes:

• 🔵 Everton’s for sale - good or bad for Toffees?

• 😅 OPINION: Can the best midfielder in the world be this bad at two-touch?

• 🔁 Our FPL changes this week, Odegaard + Wissa OUT

TOP NEWS

Everton for sale: Miami-based 777 Partners close to full takeover

What do you need to know? 777 Partners have been in discussion with Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri to take over Everton.

The 777 Group already have a number of football clubs in their portfolio, including Sevilla, Hertha Berlin and Standard Liege.

According to Toffee Web, New York based MSP Sports Capital were on the verge of taking a 25% stake in the Blues for a £150m investment which would have gone towards the development of the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

These talks collapsed last month and it seems that 777 are in the lead to take full ownership of the club.

Is this good or bad for Everton fans?

Well, it’s hard to tell. But 777 have had negative press in Belgium as Standard Liege fans protested against their association with the club.

While much of this fury is directed at the club’s poor performances on the pitch, banners read ‘No money, no ambition’. The firm is also embroiled in ongoing court cases around mismanagement and financial insecurity - originally reported in by Norwegian investigative journalism website Josimar.

Overall, things aren’t looking great for Everton. Next month, the club will go before an independent commission for an alleged breach of the Premier League’s financial fair play rules - though the club denies any wrongdoing.

What’s more, the club has posted financial losses for the 5th successive year. Their cumulative losses amount to more than £430m.

In a Financial Times interview on 31 August, Josh Wander, co-founder of 777, says that they’ve done a good job of investing in clubs that have “done a horrible job of commercialising the product”.

Clearly, securing a return on investment will be front of mind for the Group.

This might be a good thing for Everton’s financial troubles, but it suggests there will be little heavy investment in the club’s infrastructure or, more importantly, recruitment.

Is this yet another time business is placed ahead of fan’s needs? We think so…

OPINION

Can the best midfielder in the world really be this bad at two-touch?

Bellingham is the best midfielder in the world right now. There, I said it.

If I were to choose any midfielder in the world to be in my starting 11, he’d be the first name on the team sheet. And if you’re entering a fit of rage right now screaming ‘De Bruyne’ in that voice in your head, I don’t want to hear it.

Of course, De Bruyne is unbelievable. That cannot be denied. But I believe that a player should be judged on the impact they have on a team’s ability to win. Arguably, Man City could have won what they had with or without De Bruyne in the team.

Arguably (and get ready for this hot take), Gundogan was of more value to City, especially when the push came to shove.

You may not want to hear that, but it’s true.

In the 20/21 season, when Aguero had left, it was Gundogan who scored 13 goals. When Liverpool were applying the pressure in the next season, it was Gundogan who was clutch in the second half of the season, with 5 of his 8 goals in that period. When Arsenal were ahead last season, it was Gundogan who scored 6 goals during the key phase to ultimately overtake the Gunners.

You get my point.

So, with this metric guiding us, I can confidently say that Bellingham is the best midfielder in the world as of this moment. Consistency is key, yes, but he’s showing all the signs that his level of performance isn’t going to slow down any time soon.

And, at 20 years old, Bellingham is setting new boundaries and making us rethink how players should be performing at such a young age.

He’s not just a good player that’s making an impact, he’s leading some of the most experienced players in the world.

Captaining Dortmund at such a young age and now dominating La Liga with 5 goals in 4 opening games from midfield. This is no mean feat and something that cannot be overlooked.

But Bellingham does have one red mark against his name.

If you watched the two-touch between Walker, Ramsdale, Phillips, and Bellingham (here), then I’m sure you’d be just as shocked as I was.

Bellingham, to put it nicely, was dreadful at two touch.

I couldn’t believe it. This generational talent struggled every time the ball came to him.

It’s like he had forgotten that he’s meant to win the Ballon d’Or in the next couple of years. And, if the judging ranks two-touch abilities as high as I do, then it doesn’t look like he’s going to win the coveted award any time soon.

Because let’s face it, two touch is more valuable than bagging goals from midfield, more difficult than gliding past the best players in the world effortlessly, and certainly more impressive to chicks on the beach than last-minute clutch wins for the biggest club in the world.

If I were Real Madrid, I would be pissed at England’s social media team. After this video was posted, Bellingham’s value must’ve plummeted.

I’m sure that winning the league, potentially a UCL and a Ballon d’Or will repair some of the damage.

But, clearly, Bellingham isn’t working on the right stuff in training.

I’ve got a bit of advice for the youngster: stop dominating on the pitch and lock yourself in the gym with Foden who will teach you a thing or two about silky two touch.

PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS

🚨 Emanuel Dennis has decided to play in Turkey and is close to leaving Nottingham Forest, according to Fabrizio Romano via X. Adana Demirspor + Instanbul Basaksehir have offered loan deals with 100% salary covered.

🛟 Borussia Dortmund are expected to offer Sancho a ‘lifeline’ in the next transfer window if the relationship with Ten Hag doesn’t improve. Tbh this is gossipy reporting from The Sun. So far this is unsubstantiated.

😬 Liverpool star Kostas Tsimikas left out of Greece squad ‘due to shocking admin blunder’, according to Greek football outlet Hellas Football. Manager Gus Poyet was informed that Tsimikas and others were ineligible to play due to picking up two yellow cards - yet suspension only occurs after 3. Tsimikas is expected to agree fresh terms at Liverpool until 2027.

👹 Man United are in talks with American tech company Qualcomm to be their next shirt sponsors, reported by The Athletic. United are targeting a deal worth £60m ($75.1) per year. The deal is expected to go ahead in the next campaign.

EUROPEAN HEADLINES

❌ Bonucci sues Juve

Bonucci not just good at defending his goal line, but it seems like his honour is also something he doesn’t want to concede.

Italian reporter, Gianluca Di Marzio, has stated that the centre-back is now set to take legal action against Juve.

The claim: he wasn’t given appropriate conditions for training and preparation ahead of his exit from the club.

Any money that he is awarded will go to children’s hospital Neuroland. 👏🏼

🧢 Barcelona prep for Erling Haaland transfer

90min claims to have been told that Barcelona are preparing to make their own move for the Norwegian striker.

Haaland has a release clause that will be activated in 2025 which means he could leave for a fixed price. But, City are working hard to convince the striker to remove the release clauses in his contract.

The headlines doesn’t mean much. I could prep to sign Haaland in 2025. Doesn’t mean I’ll be able to, nor does it mean Haaland would want to join my local team - which, for what its worth, is in a better financial state than Barcelona.

FANTASY PREMIER FOOTBALL

So, with the two week international break, we have a little more time than usual to think about what we want to do.

Route One are currently on 259 points. Not bad and tbh there’s not a lot of difference between teams - as expected at this part of the season.

We have 2 free transfers and we’re currently happy with our team, but we have two transfers in mind…

Our transfers…

Midfielders

The first transfer we’re going to make is Maddison in for Odergaard.

Using Fantasy Football Hub’s stats comparison, Maddison’s xG and xA are higher.

And while Spurs have Arsenal + Liverpool in their next 5 games, the rest of the games look good (Sheff United, Luton, Fulham + Crystal Palace).

It also means that Arsenal face a strong defensive line at Spurs, as well as City and Chelsea. Enough said.

Son is another great shout with the highest xP of the midfielders at 6.9, but he’s £1.3m more expensive than Maddison. If you can afford him, he’s probably the better option.

Attackers

We currently have Haaland and Wissa upfront. Obvs the robot isn’t going anywhere. He’s going to sit upfront with that captain armband firmly wrapped around his arm.

However, we’re having second thoughts about Wissa.

We’re thinking Alvarez. He’s 2nd (behind Haaland) in overall points for forwards (28) and City have a decent run of games coming up.

He seems a good choice.

But with the UCL kicking off after Gameweek 5, as well as the game against Newcastle in the League Cup, means that Pep might rotate the squad.

More on this in tomorrow’s newsletter.

Defenders

Kieran Trippier has been subbed out by 129,377 managers.

Look, while 1.25 points per match is not good enough for a 6.5m defender, what were people expecting from their tough opening fixtures?

Fixtures will be easier in the next run of games - Brentford (H), Sheff United (A), Burley (H), West Ham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Wolves (A).

We’re keeping Chilwell in the team because we are using the two free transfers on Maddison and a replacement for Wissa.

But, if you’re undecided, we’re betting on Trippier having some better attacking returns when the defensive pressures are off in the upcoming fixtures.

What do you think? Feel free to email us…

MEMES 😂

BIG-GAME PLAYER

The puzzle section

Route One trivia:

WHO AM I?

• The highest fee paid ever for me was £5m

• I’ve scored over 300 career goals

• I once played with Nwankwo Kanu

• I was top scorer at my boyhood club for 4 consecutive seasons running

Answer will be revealed in tomorrow’s newsletter.

Yesterday’s answers:

1. Which club did Jürgen Klopp manage before joining Liverpool? Borussia Dortmund

2. Who scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history? Sadio Mane

3. Which team has the most yellow cards in Premier League history? Chelsea

Thank you for reading Route One. Feel free to email any feedback or share any insights with us on [email protected].