🍬 Toffee take-over more sour than sweet...

Plus: Rooney wants to fight THIS YouTuber

Author

Route One
October 19, 2023

Gm football fans.

Route One here, the lifeguard stopping you from drowning in boring football coverage.

Today’s briefing is a ~4 min read:

  • Toffees takeover is becoming more sour than sweet 🔵

  • Stat of the day: expect more nail-biting moments in the Premier League this season 😰

  • Extra time: Wazza wants to fight a YouTuber after only recently becoming Birmingham City manager 🥊

🗞️ Morning Brief

The Times

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali is to play on Saturday versus Crystal Palance, despite threat of a year-long ban for betting breaches. On Tuesday, Tonali admitted to betting on matches at his hearing.

Sport Bild (Germany)

Liverpool are interested in Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala who’s contract runs until 2026.

Mail

Newcastle are preparing a bid for Manchester City’s midfielder Kalvin Phillips. England’s midfielders has just two starts in nearly 18 months.

i News

Former Spurs head of recruitment Paul Mitchell is favourite to become sporting director at Manchester United. The reports suggest that current football director John Murtough’s job is at risk.

TOFFEE CRUMBLE… 🍬

It’s been a month since Everton announced the potential takeover by 777 Partners.

And the deal has been stalled.

Well, in case you need a recap…

  • Everton’s current owner, Farhad Moshiri, wants out.

  • Miami-based 777 Partners want to buy Everton.

  • This firm has a multi-club investment model including Hertha Berlin, Standard Liege, and Genoa.

  • Fans at these clubs regularly protest against 777’s ownership.

  • Questions have been raised about 777’s financial health.

Ok, so now we have that out of the way, why has this deal been stalled?

The U.K. regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), asked 777 to provide audited financial statements.

And, guess what, they missed the deadline…

Now, 777 must convince the FCA, Premier League, and England’s Football Association that it classifies as a “fit and proper” steward of the 145-year-old club.

Good luck, lads…

Apparently, these bodies aren’t even happy with the financial statements that have been provided.

Imagine what the other one’s hidden under their mattress will look like…

Note to Everton fans: keep scrolling, you’ll wanna miss this part.

As it stands the Toffees have:

  • $500m worth of debt.

  • A half-built stadium.

  • Projected losses of about $100m.

At least they have an in-form Liverpool team at Anfield to look forward to this Saturday, right?

Right??

EXTRA-TIME ⏱️

Wayne Rooney wants to fight a YouTuber. We’re not joking. Eddie Hearn told The Overlap that Wazza is bombarding him with messages to set up a fight with Jake Paul. If his punches are anything like his volleys, then Paul is in trouble…

Ex-QPR chairman takes his top off to do business. Tony Fernandes posted a picture of himself on LinkedIn receiving a top-less massage while in a business meeting. Let’s hope this doesn't inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs… that’d be a weird episode of The Apprentice.

First lesson I’ve learned: don’t f**k around with Algeria’s manager. After subbing off West Ham’s Said Benrahma, Djamel Belmadi didn’t like his player’s attitude. So… he grabbed him by the shirt and squared up to him.

Second lesson I’ve learned: don’t ask Nasri for his shirt. Danny Murphy still isn’t over the time that Nasri shoo’ed him away after asking for his shirt after a game.

C’mon San Marino!! FIFA’s bottom-ranked side celebrates like they’ve won the World Cup after scoring their first goal in nearly a year against Denmark. They went on to lose 2-1 but, in our minds, there was only one winner.

STAT OF THE DAY: EXPECT LATE DRAMA IN THE PREM 📊

We’ve all been there… your team is leading by one goal in the 90th minute.

The fourth official steps up to the touchline, only to reveal there are 13 minutes (!!) of added time remaining.

Anxiety is through the roof. And your mood is entirely dependent on whether your team can make it to the final whistle without conceding.

But, just how long are games lasting in English football?

Opta’s done the maths.

But we’ll stick to good stuff. Route One style… 🥁

1 / Premier League games last over three minutes longer than last season. 

Games are now lasting longer in all the top four English leagues.

On average, the match clock ticks over the 100-minute mark across all the leagues.

2/ The ball is in the field of play for an extra 3m 56s in the Premier League

And, guess what, it’s all the way up to a huge 7m 30s in League Two… fans are really getting their money’s worth.

The Premier League has so far seen a 2.2% increase in the percentage of ball-in-play time. This stat increases as you journey down the English football pyramid.

2/ More added time = more late drama

What is it about added time that just makes players crumble?

Opta analysed the total number of shots in added time (across both halves) and has found a marked increase across all four leagues…

What’s more, the Premier League and Championsip have seen huge percentage increases in the number of goals scored during stoppage time.

The moral of the story: don’t leave the stadium - or risk missing out on the best action…

MEME 😂