Man City charged LATEST: Club could face RELEGATION or expulsion while suffering Bellingham BLOW
PREMIER LEAGUE champions Manchester City could be EXPELLED from top-flight English football after their breach of 115 financial rules allegations.
Other possible punishments include a points deduction for the reigning champions, transfer bans, spending limits and even the stripping of previous titles.
The investigation into the club's dealings has lasted for four years.
And now the Premier League have published their findings on their website - and it does not make good reading for the Etihad club, although at this stage they have been charged but not found guilty.
Furthermore, reports suggest that the charges could be detrimental to their hopes of signing Jude Bellingham this summer.
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Fernandez beams in first snap in Chelsea top
Enzo Fernandes cracked a smile as he was pictured in Chelsea colours for the first time.
The 22-year-old joined the Blues from Benfica on transfer deadline day in a £107million British record move.
He jetted to the UK from Lisbon on Wednesday on board a private plane.
The Argentina international then headed to Chelsea's Cobham training base to finalise his move.
And he was pictured in his new colours on Wednesday evening.
Fernandez posed in training gear while holding up a Blues shirt with his name and number on the back.
He will take the No5 at Stamford Bridge - recently vacated by Jorginho.
Fernandez's deal to Chelsea is a new British transfer record.
It beats the £100m transfer Manchester City paid to sign Jack Grealish in 2021.
Jorginho 'might need legs around him'
Ex-Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre believes new midfielder Jorginho needs a powerful partner to thrive for Arsenal.
Silvestre reckons the ex-Chelsea star, 31, could lack dynamism.
The former Man United ace told : "I think Jorginho is a top player but in comparison to the other teams fighting for the Champions League, he’s not as dynamic.
“He’s more of a ball player and his positioning is excellent.”
“Quality, yes. But he will need legs around him to cover ground like Kante.”
United tipped to target Marco for free
Manchester United could move for Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus when his contract expires this summer.
That’s the claim this evening after the Red Devils’ three January signings were all loanees.
In came keeper Jack Butland, striker Wout Weghorst and, last night, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.
Germany star Reus, 33, has been linked with a move to the Middle East when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
But journalist Christian Falk, via , suggests United might also be keen.
Caicedo fee too much - for now
Mikel Silvestre reckons Arsenal were right to duck out of a spending war for Moises Caicedo – but should be tempted again in the summer.
The ex-Manchester United and Arsenal defender also feels Brighton star Caicedo would not have been a first-choice midfielder for the Prem leaders.
The Gunners instead opted to buy the much-cheaper Jorginho.
Silvestre told : “I think Caicedo would have been a backup to start but one for the future.
“Young, energetic, understands the game and very committed offensively and defensively.”
“Might be one for the summer. He’s done well at Brighton but I think the fee, for me, is a bit too much.
“He’s a good player and he would fit in the Arsenal way.”
Leeds 'turned down Axel'
Leeds reportedly rejected the chance to take Manchester United’s Axel Tuanzebe on a deadline day loan.
The forgotten Red Devils defender, 25, was eventually shipped out on loan to Stoke City.
The deal was confirmed early on Tuesday, just hours after the transfer window in England shut, as he prepares to spend the rest of the campaign in the Championship.
The Potters were looking for a replacement for Australian World Cup star Harry Souttar after he moved to Leicester yesterday.
However, Leeds were also looking at bringing in another centre-back to help bolster their Premier League survival hopes.
They did sign Maximilian Wober from RB Salzburg but also allowed Diego Llorente to join Roma until the season’s end.
Gordon under fire over Everton comments
Simon Jordan is fuming with Anthony Gordon for his comments made after leaving Everton.
Gordon secured a £45m move to Newcastle in the final week of the transfer window.
His departure came after he missed three days of training in a row and then made his feelings even clearer by hanging in a transfer request.
Gordon said on social media: "It was a really difficult decision and it's been a really tough week for me. I've been at Everton for my whole footballing career so far, so it's been difficult.
"But this is an opportunity that I couldn't really miss out on. I didn't mean to disrespect or offend anyone at Everton.
"And I'm hoping they know that and hopefully they can reinvest the money now and stay in the Premier League.
"I never imagined it or wanted it to go like that, that's why it's been such a tough week for me.
"But I just couldn't miss out on this opportunity and they got a lot of money for me."
"So I'm hoping they can reinvest it into the squad."
And talkSPORT host Jordon was angry with what Gordon said about his former club. He said: "Players going from Everton to Newcastle saying 'I'm glad I've gone so I can give the club back £45million'.
"Do one! You’re only going because it suits you!"
Arsenal ‘expected to trigger Elneny deal’
Arsenal are reported set to extend Mohamed Elneny’s contract at the Emirates Stadium.
According to PA reporter Mark Mann-Bryans, the decision has not been impacted by the midfielder’s injury.
He wrote: “Expecting Arsenal to trigger Mohamed Elneny’s option to extend his contract by a further 12 months.
“Conversations underway and injury has not had an impact on the decision, which could be announced in the next week or so.”
City 'in for Bellingham and Maddison'
Manchester City are tipped to move for England midfielders Jude Bellingham and James Maddison as leaders Arsenal threaten to dethrone the Prem kings this season.
Liverpool and Real Madrid have been rated the frontrunners for Borussia Dortmund's Bellingham.
But it's claimed Arsenal had two previous approaches for him rejected.
And Manchester United have also been linked with joining a bidding war this summer.
Now The Mail suggest Etihad chief Pep Guardiola is lining up an approach for Leicester City's James Maddison.
The 26-year-old is nearing the final 12 months of his contract, with no hint so far of signing an extension.
Spence 'finally getting the full 90'
Tottenham right-back Djed Spence completed a deadline day move to Rennes in search of regular football.
But fans have been left baffled by the number he will wear for the French side.
In his brief time at Tottenham, Spence wore the No24 shirt.
Now the 22-year-old has crossed the channel for a stint with Rennes until the end of the season.
But he has been assigned an unusually high number by the French outfit.
Bizzarrely, Spence will wear the No90 for his new side.
Spence has been underused by boss Antonio Conte at Spurs, playing a total of 41 minutes in all competitions all season.
And fans have aimed a cheeky joke at the highly-rated former Middlesbrough man after his number was revealed, in relation to his lack of action at Spurs.
He has played four times for England U21s, and is tipped for big things in the future, so a loan move to Rennes is the perfect opportunity to get his career back on track.
But reacting to his new No90 shirt, a social media user wrote: "Nice to see him finally get a full 90."
'McKennie would've been better off at Arsenal'
New Leeds loanee Weston McKennie would have been better off at Arsenal or Aston Villa.
That's the verdict of 106-cap ex-USA striker Eric Wynalda after McKennie moved from Juventus for the rest of the season.
Wynalda told the : “Is this the best move for Weston McKennie? The answer is probably no.”
“Juventus are trying to get a couple of the players to walk the plank and get some money out of them due to their current situation.
“Arsenal and Villa would have been good destinations.
“The concerning part for me is if three American players are part of a team that gets relegated. That’s what worries me. I think that it’s a realistic possibility. This is football.
“Jesse Marsch has got great ideas and he turned down Everton for this. He’s not afraid to go for it. He’s not afraid to go for it. He’s not afraid to walk into the fire.”
Red Devils linked with Reus swoop
Manchester United could move for Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus when his contract expires this summer.
That’s the claim this evening after the Red Devils’ three January signings were all loanees.
In came keeper Jack Butland, striker Wout Weghorst and, last night, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.
Germany star Reus, 33, has been linked with a move to the Middle East when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
But journalist Christian Falk, via , suggests United might also be keen.
Oldest pro, 55, swaps Japan for Portugal
Kazu Miura, the world's oldest pro footballer, has signed for a new club to continue his incredible 37-YEAR career.
The 55-year-old forward, who spent a decade starring for the Japanese national team, began his professional career back in 1986 with Brazilian side Santos.
Since then he has moved teams on 14 occasions - but had spent 17 years with Yokohama FC before being loaned out to Suzuka Point Getters last year.
And now Miura, who turns 56 on February 26, has secured another loan move to the 15th club of his career.
He has sealed a temporary switch to Portuguese second-tier side Oliveirense.
And it makes sense given the majority owners of the European outfit also own Yokohama.
Oliveirense, who are ninth in the Portuguese second division, take on fifth-place Vilafranquense on Saturday, when Miura could make his debut.
Speaking after joining his new team, Miura said, via : "Even though this is a new place for me, I'll work hard to show everyone the kind of play I'm known for."
Miura, who was playing before Lionel Messi was BORN, is the oldest player in history to score in the J-League.
The icon originally shot to stardom in the early 90s when he trumped England legend Gary Lineker, who played for Grampus Eight, to the J-League's most valuable player award.
Blues to leave leave £116.5M talent out of Euro squad
Chelsea boss Graham Potter is set to leave £116.5MILLION worth of talent out of his Champions League knockout squad.
And that includes FOUR of the Blues' new January signings, who may not play in Europe's top club competition for at least 18 months.
Then to top it off, Potter looks on course to add insult to injury for unwanted winger Hakim Ziyech by telling the Morrocan he is being booted OUT of the 25 who can play against Borussia Dortmund later this month.
Chelsea spent a British record fee of £107m to capture Argentina ace Enzo Fernandez.
He arrived at the 11th hour on deadline day to follow Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, French defender Benoit Badiashile, Ivorian striker David Datro Fofana, English winger Noni Madueke and teenage Brazilian Andrey Santos alongside loan capture from Atletico Madrid Joao Felix.
But Uefa’s Champions League regulations only allow clubs to change THREE of their senior list of players for the knockout stage.
And with none of the arrivals meeting the requirements to go on the 'List B' of junior players - meaning Charlie Webster, Lewis Hall and injured Armando Broja will remain on that list - Potter faces the unenviable task of having to give the bad news to the unlucky quartet.
It seems likely that Fernandez, Mudryk and Felix will be the trio given the green light with Chelsea having to hand Uefa the updated squad list by midnight on Thursday.
Caicedo 'might be one for the summer'
Mikel Silvestre reckons Arsenal were right to duck out of a spending war for Moises Caicedo - but should be tempted again in the summer.
The ex-Manchester United and Arsenal defender also feels Brighton star Caicedo would not have been a first-choice midfielder for the Prem leaders.
The Gunners instead opted to buy the much-cheaper Jorginho.
Silvestre told : “I think Caicedo would have been a backup to start but one for the future.
"Young, energetic, understands the game and very committed offensively and defensively."
"Might be one for the summer. He’s done well at Brighton but I think the fee, for me, is a bit too much.”
“He’s a good player and he would fit in the Arsenal way.”
'Chelsea overpaying - Fernandez is no Casemiro'
Danny Murphy believes Chelsea are "having their pants pulled down" in the transfer market - especially over Enzo Fernandez.
The ex-Liverpool star claims the £106million Benfica midfielder is currently nowhere near the ability of Manchester United's Casemiro and City's Rodri.
Murphy told talkSPORT: “Chelsea are overpaying for players.
"I still don’t think the majority of their first XI gets anywhere near Man City’s team.
“I’ve watched Enzo Fernandez live and he’s decent, but he’s not £100m. They’ve been absolutely bent over there.
"He’s a good midfielder, he’s tenacious, he’s young, he gets on the ball and he’s brave.
“But he’s not Casemiro, he’s not Rodri.
"They’re overspending on players, clubs are seeing Chelsea come and they’re basically just pulling their pants down.”
Baggies dropped Omari bid to sign Albrighton
Chelsea wonderkid Omari Hutchinson saw a transfer deadline day move to West Brom break down.
The 19-year-old had reportedly been on the brink of a loan switch to the Baggies.
But it's claimed the Championship outfit decided to sign veteran Marc Albrighton instead.
The 33-year-old wing-back joined West Brom on loan until the end of the campaign.
Albrighton has barely featured for Leicester this season, starting just once in the Premier League.
His switch scuppered Hutchinson's chance to join the Hawthorns outfit, according to Chelsea writer .
Instead the youngster will be staying with the Blues.
Why Zubi might have snubbed Arsenal
Martin Zubimendi's belief in Real Sociedad might have persuaded him to snub Arsenal.
Spanish football expert Terry Gibson - the former Manchester United and Spurs striker - reckons the Spain midfielder, 23, has a strong bond with his childhood club.
Gibson told El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast: “There were rumours that he turned down Arsenal.
“I think he senses what’s going on at La Real.
“That’s the pull they have; a lot of these youngsters come through (the academy), local, they want to play for Real Sociedad.
"It’s their ambition, their dream and they are fulfilling that.
"They’re playing for a really good team, with a really good manager. A fantastic football club.”
Fans note flaw in Chelsea's £600m spree
Chelsea supporters have been quick to highlight a HUGE blunder in the club’s transfer recruitment despite owner Todd Boehly splashing out £600m on new players.
The Blues spent a stunning £326m in the January transfer window - which is more than a third of the total £815m paid across the whole of the Premier League.
Enzo Fernandez broke the British transfer record by joining Chelsea for £107m on deadline day.
The World Cup-winning Argentina midfielder became the EIGHTH arrival in January alone, following the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge.
However, despite all of the new additions, fans have been quick to point out one glaring omission to Graham Potter’s squad.
One wrote: “Gotta admire Chelsea’s transfer policy. Struggling for goals so spunk hundreds of millions on every position but a striker.”
SEVEN Chelsea players could go in summer
Chelsea are set for a summer sales extravaganza - to help balance the books after their unprecedented spending spree.
New Blues chief Todd Boehly has overseen deals which could add up to a staggering total £606m this season.
While offering long-term contracts to stagger payments - in accounting terms, over up to eight years will offset the official cost of the deals - Chelsea do have to start shifting some excess players to meet Financial Fair Play regulations.
And the need to sell will be heightened if Chelsea do not get back into the top four and miss out on the minimum £80m income from TV and gate receipts of reaching the knockout round of next season’s Champions League.
Chelsea’s January splurge of up to £329.9m, capped by the British record £107m capture of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, was on top of the huge summer outlay.
It meant the Blues spent more last month than ALL the clubs in the other Big Five leagues - Spain, Germany, Italy and France - COMBINED.
Fernandez’s fee plus salary will add around £19m per year to Chelsea’s outgoings, estimated to bring them to a likely paper “loss” of around £180m in 2022-2023.
Prem rules limit clubs to losses of £35m per season over three years, with Uefa regulations allowing clubs to lose £26.5m over the same period, set to rise to £90m from next term.
Enzo's arrived!
Chelsea fans are excited by new boy Enzo Fernandez's apparent arrival by jet in the UK.
The British record signing was a last-minute capture from Benfica.
The sight of the Argentina midfielder's plane landing was greeted with "Yesss".
And, seemingly in a two-man competition with Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes, one fan posted: "Best Fernandez in the league just landed."
Lokonga ‘really happy’ with Eagles move
Albert Sambi Lokonga is "really excited" by his loan move from Arsenal to Crystal Palace.
He told the club media: “I can’t wait to get started.
“I’m really happy to join Crystal Palace. I want to go as far as possible with the team.
“I will try to push for me and the team to do the maximum to reach the top.”
The Belgian joined for the remainder of the season.
Herrera seals Bilbao move
Ex-Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has secured a permanent move from PSG to Athletic Bilbao.
That's after the La Liga outfit activated the option to buy clause that was included in his loan move in the summer.
The 33-year-old has signed an 18-month contract until 2024.
Herrera is currently in his second spell with Bilbao having had three years there before signing for United in 2014.
The Spain international spent five seasons at Old Trafford, winning the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League.
He then won seven domestic trophies in three years at PSG.
'Smart, experienced' Jorginho is 'good business'
Former Gunner Kevin Campbell believes that new signing Jorginho will be able to help the team with his “experience”.
He told Sky Sports: “I like it, I know a lot of the fan base is thinking another Chelsea player etc.
“But he’s experienced, he’s smart, he’s a good user of the ball and he’s somebody who can sit at the base of the midfield if Thomas Partey isn’t there or isn’t playing and dictate the play.
“That’s what Arsenal have lacked. Elneny usually comes in and does a good job, Lokonga hasn’t been the signing that everybody thought he could be and develop into so getting some more experience in that midfield is important.
“Right now, when you look at 18 months, Arsenal have big ambitions and he’s a proven Champions League player. Good business.”
Red Devils 'stopped Elanga joining Everton'
Manchester United reportedly blocked a deadline day loan move that would have seen Anthony Elanga move to Everton on loan.
According to Sky Sports reporter Vinny O’Connor, the Toffees failed to convince United into doing the business.
He tweeted: “Anthony Elanga was another target Everton missed out on.
“They wanted him on loan but couldn’t persuade Manchester United to let him go.”
Doherty hopes to impress
The former Tottenham man joined Atletico Madrid for the remainder of the season on deadline day.
Speaking about moving forward he said: “I am here until the end of the season, but that doesn’t have to be the end.
“That will be up to me and I will try to perform well and see where it takes me.
“Initially now it is only for six months but let’s see if I can continue to do well for the club and see what happens going forward.”