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So with the Bundesliga becoming the first major European league to resume, Manchester United fans had the chance to watch former transfer target Erling Haaland in action for Borussia Dortmund.

And the Norway international failed to disappoint. Lucien Favre’s men ran out comfortable 4-0 winners on derby day against Schalke, with Haaland netting once and setting up another – as per Sofascore, his 8.4 match rating was only bettered by teammate Raphael Guerreiro.

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The 19-year-old was linked with a move to United before eventually leaving RB Salzburg for Dortmund in the January transfer window. And after seeing his goal-scoring display on Saturday afternoon, fans of the Manchester side took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the striker.

A couple of United fans revealed their regrets over missing out on Haaland’s signing.

Judging by the incredible start Haaland has enjoyed in his time at Dortmund – he has now managed 13 goals in 12 games for the club – it’s fair to say United may look back on missing out on the Norwegian with a bit of regret.

And with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side eventually only ending up with Odion Ighalo on loan on deadline day, it does feel like a missed opportunity for United.

Key information about bet365 Stadium

The bet365 Stadium was built in 1997 and now houses the Championship side Stoke City. The ground is located in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire and is one of the country’s first newly built modern stadiums.

Its capacity stands at 30,089 and it has a pitch that measures 105m by 68m. The surface is covered with natural grass and it has undersoil heating installed with no running track surrounding it.

Bet365 Stadium’s record attendance of 30,022 was achieved during Stoke City’s clash against Everton on 17 March 2018.

A history of bet365 Stadium

Bet365 Stadium was built in 1997 and it served as Stoke City’s replacement for their old home, Victoria Ground, where they played their football for 119 years. The first talk of potentially moving to a different venue started in the early 1990s and following the Taylor report. The idea was to either convert their previous ground into an all-seater or move to a different stadium altogether.

By early 1996, the decision had been made and the construction started during the 1996/97 campaign. In August next year, the bet365 Stadium was born but, back then, it was called the Britannia Stadium due to sponsorship reasons. However, despite the erection of their new home being done rather quickly, the opening didn’t exactly go as planned.

With only one clear access road towards the stadium, supporters from the city had to take different routes, effectively going the other way for over a mile only to use a roundabout and then turn back towards the ground. This, unsurprisingly, caused great congestions on the road. Still, after the initial complications, everything was finally set.

Club legend Sir Stanley Matthews officially opened the stadium and the first game to be played there was between Stoke and Rochdale in the League Cup and it was watched by 15,439 fans on the day. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and unfortunately for Stoke, the whole season ahead was a disaster, ending in their relegation from the league.

A decade after it was first opened, the club finally obtained full ownership of bet365 Stadium in a £6m deal after the previous joint-partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Stoke-on-Trent Regeneration Ltd. Of course, it wouldn’t be until the sponsorship deal in 2016 that the ground would get its current name.

Interestingly, in 2006, the access to the stadium was finally fixed when work took place on the A50 that allowed entrance to the ground from the eastbound direction along with an addition of a bridge across the road.

After long talks and promises of possible expansions, bet365 Stadium finally got a boost in capacity in the summer of 2017, which took the final tally to just over 30,000 that still stands to this day. The ground has been used for other events such as musical concerts, funfairs, firework displays and so on.

Interestingly, in European competitions, the bet365 Stadium is known as the Stoke ground due to UEFA regulations on sponsorships.

Tickets to watch Stoke City at bet365 Stadium

All tickets to watch Stoke City play at bet365 Stadium can be found on the club’s official website. The price varies depending on the age and the stand you choose to be seated in but the cheapest adult ticket costs £25.

The club also offers a season ticket scheme as well as memberships that can get you discounts over the course of the season.

Related links

https://www.stokecityfc.com/ – Official website of Stoke City

https://www.stokecityfc.com/club/bet365-stadium/stadium – History of bet365 Stadium

https://tickets.stokecityfc.com/ – Stoke City Ticket Office

Manchester City fans have reacted to the reports that the club won’t receive a ban from the Champions League following investigations into Financial Fair Play.

The news comes from The Athletic’s Sam Lee, who states that the findings on the case are set to be revealed next month, but sources say they will only receive a fine.

Lee also touches on how many within the sport expected Pep Guardiola’s men to be banned from Europe following such expensive spending.

This comes after reports from Der Spiegel suggested the club had lied about spending millions in the transfer market, hiding various costs which should have been calculated for FFP.

Now, with this incredible report, the fans are buzzing with the result. A lot of fans have laughed at the fact they might be free from trouble, as another supporter said: “We can spend what we want”.

Another fan joked by saying “get the bubbly out”, whilst another follower touched on how they will just spend big in the summer again.

Here’s what some of them have had to say…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Lee Bowyer has revealed that it is uncertain whether Lyle Taylor will be able to play for Charlton Athletic against Cardiff City, as reported by London News Online.

What’s the story?

Taylor has been unavailable for Charlton’s last 10 Championship games, having suffered knee ligament damage while on international duty with Montserrat.

It had initially been hoped that he would be available for the Addicks’ match against Preston North End at the very beginning of November, but he eventually missed that game, as well as the 2-1 loss against Millwall.

The aim now is that the 29-year-old will be able to make his comeback against Cardiff on Saturday, though it is not a certainty, as Bowyer told London News Online: “He’s got a bit of tightness somewhere and it’s just going to be a case of trying to manage him this week and seeing how he goes.

“Whether he makes it or not is touch and go, I’m going to try everything in my power to try and get him ready.”

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Can’t be rushed

Having Taylor would be a massive boost for Charlton because he can be a key member of the team.

This is signified by the fact he scored 5 goals and got an assist during the first 6 league games of the campaign.

This would also be the perfect time to have an influential player come back from injury, as Bowyer’s side have now only picked up 1 point from their last 4 games.

However, it is the extent of his importance that suggests he shouldn’t be rushed back as a recurrence of the injury would be a massive blow for Charlton’s season.

They should definitely get Taylor into the team if he is able to play, but Bowyer shouldn’t rush the striker back if he is not completely fit.

According to the Daily Record’s Duncan Castles, Jose Mourinho is working hard on getting Lille’s Luis Campos to Tottenham Hotspur as their new technical director.

The same source claims that the man in question is currently one of the hottest prospects in his position – best known for his stints at Monaco and his current gig at Lille – and Mourinho sees him as a suitable man to fill in the vacant spot at the London club.

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Bringing in such a big name would definitely go a long way to helping the Special One bring some silverware back to the club, and for that reason, many of the Spurs fans were actually delighted to hear this update.

They even called Campos a potential long-term game-changer and would seemingly prioritise signing him over getting new players to join Tottenham.

Needless to say, they are all up for this move.

You can see some of their reactions and comments down in the tweets below:

Elsewhere, Graham Roberts suggested a bold transfer move just recently and it seemed to divide many Spurs fans in the process…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As the January transfer window beckons, fans become more and more excited about the prospect of new arrivals at their club.

However, they also have to keep one eye on potential departures as players’ contracts enter the final few months before they’re able to move for free.

Leeds United have a number of key players whose contracts expire next summer, but we have just been given an insight into the club’s priorities when it comes to getting these deals done.

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What’s been said then?

In a Q&A session for Leeds Live. Beren Cross revealed where Leeds currently are in terms of negotiating new contracts for four of their current playing staff. He said:

“Klich is the next one to be signed off. There is intent to get something done for Pablo too. Berardi seems to be the last man standing when it comes to 2020 expiry dates. Not heard anything on Alioski.”

Mixed bag

This update is a real mixed bag.

The fact that Mateusz Klich is seemingly set to be signed to a new deal is great news as he’s started every single league game under Marcelo Bielsa and is creating the highest number of opportunities, 2.3 each outing.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

Likewise, hearing that the club are wanting to get Pablo Hernandez tied down to a new deal is a promising development as the two-time Player of the Year winner is arguably the Whites’ most important player – something elevated by their run of just two wins from their previous five matches when he’s been out injured.

However, his updates on Ezgjan Alioski and Gaetano Berardi paint a more glum future as their situations don’t look like being resolved in the near future.

With rumours circulating that Ben White could be on his way back to Brighton, it may be key to get Berardi signed onto a new deal, and with Alioski becoming Bielsa’s first-choice left-back in recent weeks, tying him down to updated terms could be equally important.

All in all, this is a mixed bag, and only time will tell what happens with all four of these players.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to allnigeriasoccer.com, Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of three Premier League clubs fighting to clinch the signature of Chelsea goalkeeper Prince Adegoke.

What’s the word?

Adegoke is a member of the academy squad over at Stamford Bridge, and with the club yet to decide on their next intake of scholars, the 16-year-old could well be available to sign elsewhere in the near future.

It is believed that he is highly-rated by the youth team staff at the club as he was once named on the bench for an U18 fixture aged just 14, and he was part of the side that won the Premier League International Tournament last month.

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The report also suggests the Nigerian is keen on staying with the west London outfit, but his hand may be forced if they do not keep him on.

Meaning Wolves could swoop in, though, they will have to beat off interest from Arsenal and Bournemouth to do so.

Statement

On the face of it, capturing a young starlet doesn’t seem too much like a statement of intent, but if they are to convince Adegoke to join the club ahead of both Chelsea themselves and Arsenal, then they are doing something right.

Even more so when you consider how Blues boss Frank Lampard has been handing chances to youth this season – it would only take a good season or two to throw his name into the reckoning.

The move would also double up as a positive to Fosun’s ambitions to start transforming their own academy to a standard that would allow progression into the first team.

Check out a hilarious review of Wolves’ new ‘Mexico’ kit in the video below…

Several of their youngsters featured in the Carabao Cup defeat last week, but that is merely the first stage in the process as only Morgan Gibbs-White has truly come through the system to become somewhat a squad player under Nuno – he has played 64 times in the old gold shirt.

By beating off two European finalists to such a highly-regarded prospect, it would only go to show that the west Midlands club has enough about it to lure such talents – which is a major benefit going forward.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Barcelona’s bout vs Celta Vigo ended up in a comfortable 4-1 victory for the Catalans. But not all was as rosy as it might seem and Sergio Busquets’ absence was glaring. Luckily for them, the experienced Spaniard was introduced in time to change the game.

Snapshot

Ernesto Valverde’s troops returned to winning ways at the Camp Nou last weekend and they dispatched a struggling opponent in a seemingly effortless manner.

But the Catalans were not really as impressive as the scoresheet could suggest, as we’ve already discussed previously, and a lot of their power came from one man and one man only – Lionel Messi.

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The little Argentine wizard bagged a set-piece hat-trick with one penalty and two free-kicks on the day.

But apart from Messi and his usual brilliance, the game took a turn for the better once Busquets was introduced about halfway through the first 45 minutes played in Catalonia.

A silver lining

Of course, Busquets was only introduced because Nelson Semedo picked up an injury and couldn’t continue the game.

The Portuguese was then promptly taken off and Valverde made a bold call by replacing the defender with the Spanish midfielder. Even though that seemed like a big blow for the Catalans, and might still prove to be in the long run, it was actually a blessing in disguise for that particular clash.

Busquets was introduced in the 22nd minute of the game and until that point, Celta Vigo were actually pretty much handling their opposition rather well.

Barcelona were restricted to only one shot on goal and lost possession a total of six times.

Celta, on the other hand, attempted 12 tackles and five interceptions in that time span and the possession fluctuated quite bit with the visitors even having the edge at certain points in the game.

But Busquets’ presence immediately put out that fire that was brewing.

Barcelona’s pass success rose to 90% and their rating for the rest of the game was much higher, rising from 6.15 to 6.81.

The midfielder himself scored the final goal and the only one from open-play while also doing what he does best – control the game.

He tallied 89% passing accuracy with 83 touches on the night and managed two tackles and two interceptions, the highest number in the team for the former category and second-highest for the latter.

All in all, his substitution clearly changed the game for Barcelona and in a way, Semedo’s injury had a silver lining.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Football Insider, Wolves have been beaten to the signature of promising youngster Edson Silva by Sporting Lisbon.

What’s the word?

Earlier in the year, the same website had reported that the west Midlands club were pursuing the Portuguese talent after his standout performances for amateur side GC Alcochetense.

They also compared the young midfielder to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, claiming his playing style is of a similar nature.

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These latest reports suggest that the Primeira Liga outfit have signed Silva on a three-year deal, also inserting a hefty £39m release clause should anyone such as Wolves come knocking on the door again in the future.

Alcochetense is located less than 20 miles from the capital city, so the move may be down to locality if it wasn’t for the club producing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, and Nani.

Big blow for Fosun

This news comes as a devastating blow to Wolves and their long-term ambitions to develop from within.

The 18-year-old is clearly very highly rated, and if he turns out to have half the career of Pogba, it would have been better than most in the footballing world.

Fosun have had so much success in recent times in recruiting young stars like Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves, mainly from Portugal, so this will be a slight notch on their record.

Are Gareth Southgate’s Aston Villa roots the reason behind the Wolves player in the video below being overlooked?…

Given the comparisons to Pogba, someone of this ilk may have been able to make the academy better and take it onto the next stage, especially as they are now faced with injuries to summer arrivals Meritan Shabani and Bruno Jordao, which may set them back a little further.

The youth setup is evidently moving in the right direction as even now, before a senior appearance has been made, Chem Campbell is attracting significant interest from some of the Bundesliga’s biggest clubs.

But these latest reports surrounding Silva will likely come as a major disappointment.

Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter in fury after they discovered that Unai Emery had left Mesut Ozil out of the squad once again for the game against Bournemouth.

The Germany international has made just one Premier League appearance all season, playing 71 minutes of the 2-2 draw against Watford.

Ozil has also made one appearance in the Carabao Cup, again playing 71 minutes of the win over Nottingham Forest.

Emery said that he left the former Real Madrid man out of the side in the midweek Europa League win over Standard Liege because other players deserved their place more – it is a puzzling situation between player and coach.

It is also a decision by Emery that the Arsenal fans on Twitter don’t appear to be behind.

One supporter called Emery a disgrace, while another said that his treatment of Ozil is getting out of hand.

Let’s take a look at some more of the reaction from the unhappy Arsenal fans on Twitter…