Romelu Lukaku and José Mourinho, Sunderland youth revolution, Evan Ferguson and much more — Volume 2, Issue #4
The transfer window is closed, and the first international break is on the horizon.
We've had reunions, hattricks, and dismantlings. The first chunk of the season is done, and into the international break we go.
Round 3 for Romelu and Mou
The more we got into the summer transfer window, the less certain the future of Romelu Lukaku looked. He started the window back at Chelsea, returning from his season-long loan spell at Inter. There was a belief, especially from Inter, that he would be back, whether on a loan or permanent, which seemed to be the only query. At first, it was Inter, but then they pulled out due to frustrations over Lukaku initiating talks with Juventus. Then Juve pulled out due to not being able to shift Dušan Vlahović — to make way for Lukaku. Saudi Arabia’s interest was swatted away from Lukaku several times.
So, in came Roma and José Mourinho. It felt too good to be true. There are so many layers to the deal.
Lukaku made his intentions to continue playing in Serie A clear. His record in the league speaks for itself — 57 in 97 games — and shows the prolific nature he has shown in a three-year span.
Tammy Abraham’s ACL injury in the backend of last season meant there was a hole to be filled up front. I, for one, believe Andrea Belotti is a fine option for a season, but evidently, Mourinho has felt the arrival of Lukaku brings in more reassurance of goals.
It's a relationship that has been interesting, to say the least. The pair first crossed paths at Chelsea when Mourinho returned in 2013, but they were only together for two months before he went to Everton. They were back together in Manchester. Lukaku was brought in from Everton, ironically priced out of a move to Chelsea, in 2017. Under Mourinho, Lukaku scored 33 goals in a season and a half at United.
For a season-long loan, considering their financial drawbacks, Roma have been able to get one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers in the last decade. And Lukaku has been able to secure a team with which he can start to feel valuable again, at least in the short term.
As the wonderful Musa Okwonga has put it, Moukaku are reunited.
Ansu Fati to Brighton; a transfer made by the footballing gods.
There is something Football Manager-like about Brighton right now.
A club that was entering their first season in the Premier League half a decade ago. Five years later, they're gearing up for a European campaign, have a manager who finished fourth in the nominations for the 2023 UEFA Men's Coach of the Year award in Roberto De Zerbi, and in the most FM move of them all, they just poached Barcelona’s number 10 and once beloved golden boy in Ansu Fati.
Now, obviously, there is a factor on Fati’s side to go from what many would deem the pinnacle of football — being seen as the next player for a club’s future to be built around — to going out on a dry loan.
The main factor is injuries. It has been the key aspect of Fati’s halt in development. Since breaking into the first team in the 2019/2020 season, he has missed a total of 108 games.
There is a brilliantly insightful video by Tifo Football that delves into the extent of the injuries.
A snippet from the video; “Fati returned to Barcelona after ten days, and they took over with his rehabilitation. He [Fati] called the doctor [Ramon Cugat] a few weeks later to say the knee had been inflamed.”
“With Barca, he was undergoing two recovery sessions per day — one more than he was supposed to.”
There were external and internal pressures for Fati to succeed from day 1, and it was evident why. His talent was incomparable. By 17, he was the youngest scorer in Barcelona history, UEFA Champions League history, and the Spanish men’s national team.
Four years later, he hasn't been able to put it all together at the Catalan club but has been given a lifeline at one of Europe’s most exciting projects. He comes into a club that is settled, hungry, and willing to learn — all aspects that have been derided from his Barca journey to date.
He joins an array of talent in the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson, and João Pedro, and more.
It must feel like a real-life simulation for Brighton fans. Something dug up by the purists of the football gods.
Sunderland youth revolution continues
When Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League in 2017 with an average squad age of 29, many saw a club needing a drastic change from top to bottom. The infamous Sunderland 'Til I Die Netflix documentary went some way to making those changes, but all it did was bring more unnecessary attention to a club that would go on to suffer back-to-back relegations.
So, in came the youngest owner in English football: Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. A 25-year-old French businessman. And with his much-needed arrival, a youthful dawn was upon a dark club.
Tony Mowbray, a manager in the more traditional management mould, has overseen one of the Football League’s most intriguing projects for the last year.
Sunderland's recent success, with the club narrowly missing out on a Play-off Final spot last season, can be attributed to the facelift of the club's policies under Louis-Dreyfus.
Most importantly, the Black Cats' transfer strategy has resulted in such a dynamic group of players and a bond between the club and the fans that hasn't been witnessed in years.
The window that just closed emphasises the extent of their new-form transfer policy. Poaching players from clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Benfica, with the signing of Jobe Bellingham, an extremely highly-rated player, being the statement of their future ambitions.
A squad now with an average age of 23.3 years old.
16-year-old youth product Chris Rigg, who scored the fifth and final goal in their 5-0 win against title favourites Southampton, was synonymous with all that's good at Sunderland right now.
Evan Ferguson, the boy wonder.
A bit more Brighton chat, because who doesn't love a dose of Brighton throughout their day? And after the weekend, you would find it hard to find a person who isn't an admirer of the sensational footballer Evan Ferguson is turning into.
His hat trick on Sunday afternoon against Newcastle was the latest landmark in what is certain to be a career that places him among one of the elite centre-forwards in world football.
All three goals were performance elements of a complete modern-day #9. His first showed the instinctive nature of a box occupier by tapping away a parry from Nick Pope. The second was the true display of the quality of his ball-striking — follow through and keeping it low over a long distance. Ferguson’s third had a component of luck to it, but the goal came from knowing how to pick up the position between the lines and conjure up the shot.
“Especially in the first half, he played very well, found the right position between the lines. He understood very well the position. He is working to complete his quality, he can become big, big, big. He can become the top scorer in Europe.” said Roberto De Zerbi.
Becoming the face of elite goal-scoring in the Premier League, let alone the world, is a challenging task right now, especially with the ever-presence of Erling Haaland. But, Evan Ferguson is starting to make a pretty good case that he's next up.
‘Sarri-ball’ rebranded
Ask Napoli, Chelsea, or Juventus fans; the first year of Maurizio Sarri isn't the most entertaining. Heck, ask the fans of the other 17 teams he has managed; they'll tell you the same.
It's marmite, but it's gradual. If given the time, it can be a masterpiece. However, often that time isn't given to ‘Sarri-ball.’
And the start of this season seemed like it was going to be another case of that. After two losses in Lazio’s first two games, many would be under the illusion that a trip to his former employers and the champions Napoli would be a disaster waiting to happen.
However, for someone who has been critiqued for being too ‘predictable’ throughout his career, on Saturday night, he was anything but.
Adopting a counter-attacking style straight from the offset, was a massive plus for the attacking #8s pairing of Daichi Kamada and Luis Alberto on the night.
They clearly looked to pick off what seemed like an unusually physically weary Napoli side. In the second half, that tactic was in full effect. Exploiting the vast amount of spaces left by Napoli’s 4-4-2 high press and the interchange between the #8s and wingers was where Lazio had their joy.
It was not vintage ‘Sarri-ball,’ far from it. But, it was a glimpse of a manager willing to adapt for the betterment of his team. He outcoached a quiet, often lost, Rudi Garcia.
In the second season, Sarri isn't something football fans are used to, but he often shows why in the few times he has been given the chance.
Trouble in Lyon
The domestic dominance of Paris Saint-Germain, the fictional-like rise of Lens, and even the recent consistency of Marseille and Stade Rennais have put Lyon in a more damning light than they have ever been.
Why them? Why, with all the historical prestige, stature in the European game, and obscene production line of talent, do they still struggle year after year?
This season will almost certainly be another in the ever-growing collection of underperforming seasonal outings. So far, they are winless in four — losing three and a scoreless draw to Nice — in which xG had Lyon's 0.20 was far inferior to Nice’s 1.95.
Rooted to the bottom of the table.
PSG travelling to town was always strung with hopefulness rather than assurance. However, despite many expecting a Paraian win, the dismantling that occurred was just the breaking point for the fans.
The players looked disinterested, the manager looked hapless, and he is clearly trying to angle his way out of the situation; a club in turmoil would be an understatement.
American investment was meant to open up the purse strings, but all it did was tighten them. The likes of Bradley Barcola, Castello Lukeba, and Romain Faivre — all players with high ceilings in their own right — only showed the lack of ambition to build around the young core.
Jean-Michel Aulas stepping down from control of the club, has only taken the stability that the club could depend on, away.
Ultimately, that is it. A club that used to be seen as one of France’s most dependable, has turned into one of its most fragile.