Gm football fans. Route One here.

It’s Thursday. Which means it’s basically the end of the week. Which means anything that you do from this point on can be pushed out to next week. Right?

Anyway, we’re getting closer and closer to Gameweek 5.

If there’s one thing to remember ahead of this weekend, it’s one thing.

Nope, not the wedding anniversary. Nada, not your kids Sunday league game. And, no, certainly not wishing your childhood friend a hbd.

No no no. It’s more important than that: remember to get your FPL transfer in before 11am BST this Saturday. Nothing else matters.

Let me know your transfers by emailing [email protected]. Always up for a good ol’ chat.

Let’s get into it, shall we.

Today’s newsletter includes:

• 🗞️ Morning brief: United to sell Sancho, latest news on Everton takeover, Klopp’s future, and more…

• 💰 Barcelona’s financial woes continue

• 💭 Opinion: Southgate must be more ruthless - or face the consequences

MORNING BRIEF

Everything you need to know

🚨 Manchester United prepared to sell Jadon Sancho this summer and Saudi clubs were quoted a £65m asking price, according to The Athletic.

🎰 Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo has been given a 5-month ban by the Football Association after admitting 375 breaches of betting rules. The defender may have placed bets or passed on information that could be used for betting between January 2014 and March 2017.

🔵 Everton’s takeover with 777 Partners is facing government scrutiny. Whitehall sources have expressed doubt about 777’s suitability for ownership, according to Telegraph Sport. As we reported yesterday, the company has faced allegations of fraud, offering illegal loans and failing to pay bills.

If the deal were to go through, it would be that half of the PL’s 20 clubs would be backed by American money. Let that sink in.

👊🏼 Jurgen Klopp’s agent, Marc Kosicke, rules him out of the running to become the new coach of Germany following the sacking of Hansi Flick.

🎟️ Manchester City have sold out of every ticket that they have offered for all 19 Premier League home games this season.

TOP NEWS

Barcelona’s financial woes persist

It’s no secret that the Catalan side have had their fair share of financial problems over the past few years - and these issues are continuing as reported in the Telegraph on Wednesday.

What’s happening? The football finance company, Libero, were meant to buy 9.8% of Barca Vision, a new subsidiary of the club. But, after their share price plummeted as much as 25%, this deal looks in doubt.

What does this mean for Barcelona? Well, Barcelona have been trying to sell off assets in order to boost their revenue. The reason is that they’re trying to increase their wage bill under La Liga regulations.

Therefore, if Libero fail to uphold the deal, it would mean that Barcelona’s directors would personally have to cover the cost. The Telegraph is reporting that they would be liable for around £20m.

Libero say the deal for Barca Vision - which includes a range of media and digital rights including NFTs - is “secured by external strategic European investors”. That’s a whole bunch of corporate rubbish that doesn’t actually reveal anything.

The issue is that Libero isn’t the only investor pulling out of deals. Over the past 12 months, other investors have not been able to pay which has forced the club to repackage existing deals and seek new investors.

Verdict: It’s not an ideal situation to be in. That’s for sure. But, the club used this tactic by selling €700 million worth of future income streams last season, and this ultimately allowed them to sign the players that won them the league.

It’s a hire-wire approach, but it has proven to work.

If anything, it’s providing the fans with a better experience. The club is doing what it can to stay competitive with recruitment.

As the club claims to position themselves to sign Haaland - which would obviously be an expensive endeavour - it’s likely that they want to show they’re not worried about their financial health.

But, whether or not their financial strategy is bound to fail is yet to be seen.

QUICK LINKS

• 📖 Future of football transfers: Can Premier League clubs keep smashing records? (LINK)

• 🎥 England Beating Scotland is like Pouring Salt on a Slug, Claims Simon Jordan 🤷‍♂️😅 (LINK)

• 🎥 LetsTalkFPL: FPL Team Selection Gameweek 5 (LINK)

OPINION

Southgate, I have some advice: be more ruthless

We get it, Gareth. You’re the nice teacher that everyone likes.

Heck, I’d probably enjoy playing under him.

That said, I can’t help but think that this is the reason why Southgate isn’t an elite manager. Don’t get me wrong, he’s done a good job. And, on many occasions, he has proven me wrong.

But, I couldn’t understand why he felt the need to bring Maguire on when England were 2-0 up on Tuesdays game against Scotland. England were dominating, and unless Maguire scored a bicycle kick on the edge of the box, there was nothing he could do to prove his worth.

His confidence is at an all time low and Southgate set him up for failure.

It was downright tone deaf…

BIG-GAME PLAYER

The puzzle section

Route One trivia:

Who Am I?

• I originally played Gaelic football.

• I cost Everton £60,000 in January 2009

• I suffered a broken leg playing for the Republic of Ireland in March 2017

Answer will be revealed in tomorrow’s newsletter.

Yesterday’s answer:

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: Lee Hughs

MEMES 😂

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