#or helms in ajax's case

[hdawg1995]

It's Scalla's birthday and Ajax was able to jump though space, time, what ever it was that put him in her future and not his just to surprise her! He would get there a little late, maybe the last to arrive, and surprise his role model with the fact that he was HERE in HER timeline!

That... was the plan anyway...

sunbreeze grove was a buzz with soft laughter and quiet cheering. There were balloons floating in the sky as the warrior approached, Hector looking ready to fly up and chase a few. Ajax hadn't thought of bringing balloons... maybe he should have brought an actually present instead of just... you know, himself and Hector.

"You think she'll be disappointed?" he asks the baby dragon, startling them out of their pounce.

a dragon of few words, Hector tilts his head and frowns with narrowed eyes. 'doubt it'.

"Yea, you're right." He said. "Scalla will just be happy to see us. She hadn't been visiting lately..."

Why hadn't she been visiting? normally he sees The Other Hero of Lore once a week, but maybe she is getting Better. Now that he has seen the horrors and event she has been though, he understands why she flees to the past so much. Maybe Scalla not visiting meant she was finally moving on from certain things.

Ajax ignores the small, tiny, almost unnoticeable pang of sadness he feels at the thought of not seeing his mentor again.

Looking out at the grove again, he can see some familiar faces- Artix, Cysero, Twilly, even Ghost! They all seem to be standing around a pit, the cheering getting loader as he got closer- oh. Cysero did indeed make a pit for the food monsters to fight in. Ajax watches the hotdog monsters chase a balloon mage long enough to get noticed.

"Oi, green hair!" Cysero calls. "Five bucks to place a bet! Ten to watch!"

"oh uhh I-" he starts looking though his bag for some coins when he realizes something. "wait... ten bucks to WATCH?"

"Yea!"

"nope." He takes several steps back from the pit. "Thats a scam."

"Finally! Someone calls him out." Ghost comments from his spot, floating above the pit.

Ajax watches them bicker about undead not having pockets and floating is cheating. Its all very silly and it brings a smile to his face but as something taps him on the leg, he is reminded of where he is.

"Haiyas!" Twilly greets him. "Are you a friend of Scalla's?"

Right. Not his timeline. Also his first attempt at timeline jumping.

"Yea. I'm Ajax." He stoops to shake Twilly's offered hand. "Nice to meet you!"

"Oh! Scalla mentioned you! She said you weren't coming!" the red moglin tilts his head. "Did things change?"

"Something like that. Now i can surprise her!" he smiles and Twilly laughs.

He says Scalla will be very happy to see him, especially with all thats happened. He think he knows what the moglin is talking about when he notices Artix shy away from the conversation.

...he isn't sure what that means but part of him thinks he should just walk away from that one...

and walk away he does. He bids farewell and gets told where the birthday girl is by a purple haired woman he... doesn't know. Rolith's wife he thinks? he only remembers seeing her once in his timeline. She directs him to the main house and he is off like a bolt. Hector catches up, balloon in his jaws as he sits up with it. Ajax stoops to tie the balloon to the dragon's horn when the door he is in front of opens.

"Sorry, one second!" He calls up.

"Ajax?"

he frowns with the realization that Scalla opened the door, which means his plan to sneak up on her or jump out from behind a door way to surprise her is out the window. However, the shock and hope in her voice is enough for him to smile and stand, ready to give her a hug and catch up and-

"...Scalla?"

Ajax has never seen scalla without her helmet before. He has rarely seen her face, just used to seeing her visor. He remembers her eyes were red like Draco's with hints of orange in the right light, but...

She smiles and cocks her head to the side, long brown hair tumbling over, a few stands getting caught on the hook of her wings which fold tightly together. Shes watching him with bright eyes that glow with a yellow light he had seen behind her visor -oh... that makes sense actually- and... he can't get over her hair.

"The one and only." she says.

They stand in the door way for a little too long; the party guests have gone quiet and someone clears their throat loadly.

This prompts Ajax to plant a hand on Scalla's head.

"May i help you?" she almost growls as he pats her hair.

"Just smoothing out your helmet hair." he smiles.

"Helmet ha- AJAX!" shes swatting at his hand as they laugh. "I don't have helmet hair!"

"Are you sure?" he reels back for a moment before reaching back in and ruffling the little tuffs of hair that barely count as bangs. "Cause you have worn that helmet for YEARS!"

"AJAX!" She grabs his hand and twists it behind his back as he cackles. "My hair is FINE!" she bites the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"I'm surprised you -ow- have hair!" He isn't having a easy time keeping balanced and trying to look at her.

that comment seems to make something click in the older hero since she lets him go, allowing him to tumble to the ground. Ajax stands up and brushes the dirt off. When he looks at Scalla again shes got almost half of her locks in her hands, petting it like she doesn't believe it's real.

"I'm kinda sad you're a brunette." He comments.

"Not all of us can have bright green hair like you." She looks up at him.

Its so weird seeing the top of Scalla's head. Seeing long brown hair draped over her shoulders. Normally he would be weirded out by the lack of armor but he has seen her casual clothes before- although the vest looks new. must be a gift,- and have NEVER seen her hair.

He feels weird. Like he just noticed something odd about his best friend. Only instead of odd, its just her hair. Normally its a dark shadow of spikes and tangle- he touched it once while they were hanging out because he has very little impulse control and wonderer if it even was hair sticking out of her helmet. The answer was Technically Its Hair. When she has that helmet on everything becomes... chaos. EnTropy, he realizes. Like a shadow of it's true form.

"Does he always stare like that?" Rolith's wife- uhh... he can't remember her name...

"No, Alina." Scalla turns to her. "Hes just shocked. He has never seen my hair before."

"Oh!" Alina looks... startled. hands over her mouth and eyes very wide. "so this is your protégé!"

Ajax notices Artix slump back in the background, Cysero catching him. Thats... weird. Scalla's Artix is weird.

Speaking of, Scalla has grabbed him and has him in a head lock he wasn't prepared for.

"Not fair! I wasn't ready! HEY!-" He attempts to protest the headlock, but realizes too late her actual goal.

She flips his hood off, and unties his hair.

"Hey!-" he wants to be mad because it takes forever to get his hair how he likes it, but...

"You want to make fun of MY helmet hair? look at yours!" She ruffling every strand he has and is laughing. He can't remember if he has ever heard her laugh this... happy before.

He has heard it hallow and humorless, and cheerful and full of warmth, but never "happy". There is way too much to unpack in this moment.

Elysia breaks up their wrestling match- mostly because Cysero had moved the ticket booth over to where Ajax was trying to get free and Scalla was preventing it- and cake is served. It feels strange to be sat around so many familiar faces who only know him though second-hand accounts from Scalla. He has to introduce himself to people he has known for years and when he talks about his adventures they all assume it takes place somewhere other than Lore. which is... not entirely false.

Ajax was helping clean up when he found himself alone with Artix. Other than himself, Artix was the only one in full armor ready for battle, which helped Ajax feel less awkward about being in full heavy plate.

"So..." the paladin started, taking a stack of plates to the kitchen. "Scalla is your... mentor."

"mhmm." Ajax nodded. "Shes showing me the ropes and guiding me though the rougher parts of being a adventurer."

Artix makes a non-committal sound as they set the plates in the sink.

"You probably have a lot of questions for her." the paladin says.

"Yea. She seems so happy its..." he frowns and looks at a dirty plate. "i hate to say it, but it feels off. like something bad is happening behind the scenes."

Artix claps a hand on his shoulder and gives Ajax the same smile he gave the warrior during the dark orb search. A smile full of trust and confidence.

"You're used to looking out for her?"

"Kinda." he scratches the back of his neck. "She seems pretty scary when she goes all quiet and starts staring at people rather than talking. From what i've seen i seem to be the-... i seem to be one of the few people who can get though to her when shes like that."

Artix shakes his head and turns his attention to the plates. "You're right. You are the only one who can get though to her."

oh... thats worrisome.

"I think this is a good thing." Ajax says, taking his gauntlets off because he is going to focus on something other than the conversation and oh look dirty dishes! "Her mental health hasn't been great- and here she is without a helmet!"

Artix nods along, watching the warrior clean the plates.

"What do you know about me and her?"

Ajax thinks for a moment. Something is raising the alarm but he shrugs it off. "Not much. You helped raise Draco."

"yea. something like that." Artix folds his arms and stands awkwardly to the side.

oh boy awkward social interaction.

"I'll be blunt." Artix says and Ajax mentally thanks him. "When you showed up, I had the wrong idea."

"huh?" Ajax puts the clean plate in a dish rack.

"I thought... you and scalla were..." he made some sort of hand motion and ajax repeated it with a tilt of his head. "Dating."

"nope." He turns back to the plates. "Shes a lovely person and i'm sure anyone would be happy to be with her, but shes not my type."

Artix is quiet for a long time. Long enough for Ajax to finish the dishes and Scalla to come into the kitchen and drag the two of the out.

"You were washing dishes. Of course you were." Shes smiling as she scolds the warrior.

"I dirtied them, i should clean them!"

"washing your own plate? sure. you washed EVERYONE'S!" he can tell she isn't actually mad. besides, who gets mad about washing dishes?

"oh!" Ajax takes his bag and starts looking though it once scalla has dragged him and Artix out of the house. "Almost forgot your present!"

Scalla tries looking over his shoulder so he moves away. "its not wrapped!" he says. After a few fake searches in his bag for her gift she rolls her eyes and holds her arms out expectantly.

"Just give me my present!" she laughs. he isn't going to get used to that. it sounds so happy it makes him want to laugh too.

"Okay, here it is!" he feints with his bag only to spin around and wrap his arms around her. "A hug!"

Scalla is frozen for a moment, which he expected. The last time he "hugged" her was when she was drowning in her head, trying to attack Jaania. It takes her a moment before she hugs him back. Its a tight squeeze with her resting her head against his. Theres a tear going down her cheek and she whispers Thank You.

"I told you- like a god damn snugglebear." He gently knocks his head into her's and notices Artix.

He is smiling with tears in his eyes. He gives Ajax a thumbs up before leaving.

yea scalla's Artix is weird.

"Now that i gave you your present..." he pulls away to hold her at arm's length. "WHAT happened?"

"its a... complicated story?"

the short version, he finds, is Scalla sat in her Inn at the Edge of Time for... well, she said it felt like months... battling the Tomix simulation.

It was awful at first. She couldn't even convince herself to go into the arena at first. After a while, the simulation... reacted to her. The first time it acted odd- "Avatar of time scalla said its like a ghost in the gnomish tech. Not a real ghost, but the simulation doing something it shouldn't. like its possessed."- was when she had a small break down. Normally if you stop fighting, the simulations in the inn continue fighting, but the Tomix simulation stopped. another time the breakdown was... big. huge even. and the simulation turned itself off and kicked her from the arena. Eventually it went from having break downs because she was Fighting Tomix, to not having break downs because...

"Only you could view The Inn at the Edge of Time breaking as the simulation pitying you." Ajax patted Scalla on the back.

the party was over now. it was just them and the dragons, sitting on the fountain, watching Draco and Hector play.

"You go cry in front of a realistic simulation of Tomix and watch it stop fighting you and come back and tell me that isn't pity." She glared off into the distance. "i couldn't stand it... I didn't like the thought of Tomix pitying me. I wanted... i don't know... to make him proud."

"Ah."

They stared up at the sky for a while longer, watching the oranges turn to purple and then the dark blue of night.

"I think he would be proud." Ajax whispers. "You faced your grief and grew from it."

"yea." She ran her hands though her hair. "I'm... not all there yet... but i have hair again."

The warrior's laugh rings though the grove, gets carried by the breeze, and almost covers the sound of another laugh.

Almost.

The dragons stop their tug-o-war game to look around while the warrior and dragonlord search for the third voice.

"Just the wind." Ajax says. because he doesn't want to say what he thinks.

"Yeah. Just the wind." Scalla agrees for the same reason.

"I'm glad you're better, Scalla." Ajax changes the subject. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks for coming... and for putting up with Artix. He uhh... hasn't been the same since i came back."

"Yea he thought we were dating." Ajax blurts.

"Ew." Scalla smiles.

"Hey! I'm a catch!"

"Agreed. Its just gross he thinks the first guy i get close to is dating me."

"Oh."

draco walks over to the heroes and snorts. "You guys are being weird."

He is scooped up by Scalla while Hector tackles Ajax into the fountain.

"You guys should get going." She says and looks up at the sky. "Your ride is here."

Sure enough, the tear in space, time, and reality appears above, almost invisible in the night sky. Ajax frowns.

"Can i be honest?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"I don't know. Social norms?" Ajax looks to Scalla seriously. "Now that you're getting better... am i going to see you again?"

Scalla tilts her head. hums. runs her fingers though her hair. tilts her head the other way.

"scalla!" Ajax says.

"Of course you goof." She slaps his knee. "I've been going back in time for more than just nostalgia now, you know."

And... yea, he does know. It just feels better when its said.

"Thanks." he says. "That'll do."

"That'll do for what?" Scalla asks.

"That'll do as a birthday present. Since you missed mine." Ajax smirks and quickly gathers his dragon.

"I MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY?" Scalla is standing, Draco on her shoulders equal parts horrified and angry. "W-WHEN WAS IT?"

"Last month." Hector grows to his titan size as the pair make haste to the tear in the sky.

"THAT DOESN'T COUNT AS YOUR PRESENT!" Scalla roars from bellow.

"IF MY HUG COUNTS-" Ajax starts as Hector hovers above the grove. "-YOU ASSURING ME WE'RE FRIENDS COUNTS!"

"AJAX!" Scalla can't seem to counter that argument and watches as the second hero of lore and his dragon fly off. She watches until the tear is gone and calm has returned.

"Fine." she says. "But next year i'm getting you a new fishing rod."

[jflashandclash]

Tales From Mount Othrys

VIII    

           Pax’s first impression of Tartarus was that it was fluffy. Hot, but fluffy.

         When he woke, his throat felt like he had drank a liter of soda, stuffed some Mentos into his gullet immediately afterwards, and leaned back for ensuing explosion.

         Someone had his head in their lap and, thus far, he’d give his stay a 6 out of 10 stars, only so low because he was pretty sure each breath was caustic to his lungs. High, because apparently he got to sleep in people’s lap and have that person press a cup to his lips.

         Pax was expecting cooling water.

         Whatever he greedily slurped down wasn’t water.

         Pax, and the whole Pax family, prided themselves in their ability to handle spicy food. People always assumed it came as second nature since they were from Central America. False. Plenty of areas in Belize and Mexico had more savory foods. Their main dish was rice, beans, and chicken with red recado. Not spicy. Pax had trained himself to fit the spice-immune stereotype, mostly to mess with Matthias.

         Now, his mouth, throat, and stomach felt like they were on fire. He retched, trying to spit it out. The person holding him clamped a hand over his mouth.

         A cooling sensation spread through his system as the liquid settled into his body.

         When he opened his eyes, they burned. After blinking a few times, he realized the feeling wasn’t going away. Maybe he’d need to change his rating to 5 out of 10 stars.  

         Panicked, green eyes gazed back down at him. For a moment, he wanted to sob in relief about seeing Alabaster. Alabaster would know how to take care of him and get them back home. He’d be okay suffering like this for a few moments in Alabaster’s lap.

         Upon seeing the dark curls sticking to the girl’s face, Pax felt himself get worried. “Lou Ellen?” he said or tried. His voice came out like crackling rocks. Good to see her alive, but that meant no Alabaster. No Luke. No—Pax seized upon realizing who else they were missing. “Where—”

         “He’s up!” Lou Ellen’s voice was just as scratchy.

         “’Up’ is a generous descriptor,” Pax said. He should probably save his breath for something other than sarcasm and bad jokes, but what was the point in living if you had to do that?

         Relief returned to him when he saw someone limping their way. The closer Axel got, the more Pax’s hope sank.

         Axel looked terrible. The blisters that had covered his arm, the one from the fun encounter with the River Styx, had busted. The skin under was raw and bloody. The exposed skin on Axel’s face was cracked and flaking, something Pax had never seen. While Pax and Hiro—his littlest brother—both sunburned and were mocked relentlessly for it in school, he’d never seen Axel burn.

         The tension in Axel’s jaw eased when he saw Pax sitting up. He staggered across an obsidian abyss into the white, waist-high fluff that Pax and Lou Ellen were curled on.

         He held a travel cup in either hand. Something flickered inside.

         “Another for each of you,” Axel said, barely needing to lean down to hand them to Lou Ellen. “Start drinking and don’t spill.”

         She traded an empty cup for the two, carefully balancing the handles in one hand. Pax hoped nothing bad had happened to the hand she had propping him up. Lou Ellen made a face, clearly displeased.

         Pax sat up to glance inside his supposed cup. He swallowed. There were flames boiling, making the interior of the cup glow. “You know, back in the circus, I never did learn how to properly eat fire—”

         “Ajax,” Axel said. The tone was icy, serious, too much like their father’s. From the looks of it, Axel was exhausted, in pain, and, worse, nervous about their environment.

         Pax took his cup without another word. The more he sat up, the more he sank into the white fluff around them. “Why are we drinking this?” he asked, his voice shrinking at the enormity of their situation.

         “It’ll sustain us, I think,” Lou Ellen whispered. “Alabaster and I have used the River Phlegethon in… in experiments…” Her voice trailed off. Alabaster, Lou Ellen, and the other children of Hecate did experiments that Pax wasn’t allowed to see. Lou Ellen always laughed it off when he asked. He wondered if those laughs had always been nervous.

         Pax wanted to cheer up Lou Ellen and find a way to stall drinking this fire or—assuming that’s what he had earlier—stall drinking more of it. He also didn’t want to upset Axel. He hated when Axel sounded like their dad.

         He gulped one more time and held the cup out towards Lou Ellen.        “To sleeping with the other one’s brother,” he said by way of cheers.

         For a split second, he thought Lou Ellen would strike him with her cup. Then, her expression cracked into an anxious grin. She giggled and whispered back, “To sleeping with the other one’s brother.”

         Axel kept his gaze vigilantly out to survey the area. However, Pax saw his brother’s tufted ears twitch and his cheeks, if possible in the heat, go redder. The ears dropped low to his hairline.

         Making people uncomfortable: the best way to distract from any situation.

         Pax and Lou Ellen clanked their cups together. Wisps of fire slipped over the edge. They both made faces before tilting their heads back.

         The experience wasn’t better the second time.

         Once Pax was done coating his insides with napalm, he winced, rubbing away any residual flame-stache he might have acquired on his upper lip. He glanced around, trying to find something to lighten the mood. “The cotton ball bed is a nice touch. Very considerate for Tartarus.”

         Lou Ellen paled. “I—I panicked. I wanted feathers. This was probably safer…” Her hands trembled as she collapsed her cup and shoved it into a travel case at her back.

         Pretending Axel hadn’t heard their earlier cheers, he awkwardly patted Lou Ellen’s shoulder. “Lou Ellen saved our lives. If she hadn’t done this, we would have probably died on impact.”

         “And now the Underworld has a thousand year supply of cotton balls,” Pax said, giving Lou Ellen a thumbs up.

         “The Princess Andromeda might not be happy when their entire stash disappears. I had to pull from somewhere,” she said shyly, blushing at Axel’s touch on her shoulder. “Like I said, I panicked. We’re a long ways away, and Alabaster made me practice with cotton balls for transportation circles…”

         Pax nodded. He blinked at Axel, noticing something different about his condition. “You’re looking… visible.”

         Axel let his hand fall off Lou Ellen’s shoulder. “I don’t know what happened to Hades’ helm. I was a little distracted when we were falling. After I crawled out of the cotton balls—”

         “They were once heavily concentrated in one spot,” Lou Ellen supplied, motioning to the twenty-foot diameter dispersal.

         “—it was gone.”

         Pax was relieved Axel had no intentions of hunting through thousands of cotton balls to find it, if it was even down here. Had Luke been around, or maybe even Alabaster, that would have been the new field trip assignment. Nothing like a scavenger hunt through hell.

         Axel offered a hand to Pax. “We need to get moving.” That tone made it clear Lou Ellen and Axel had already discussed their next course of action and that they were either on a timeline or in some kind of danger.

         Pax took his hand. “Didn’t Alabaster suggest we flee down here because monsters are down here?” When Pax first got to his feet, he almost face-planted back into the cotton balls. His body felt stiff and ached. Axel kept a hold on him while he got his footing.

         Once Pax was stable, Axel reached down to help up Lou Ellen. She wavered against Axel’s chest for a moment—Pax hoped so Lou Ellen could curl against Axel a little longer and not because she was woozy. “Not all of them support Kronos, or are my siblings. And, even if they’re both those things, they’re not always friendly,” she said.

         Axel helped the two of them navigate the white fluff. The cotton balls were almost up to Pax and Lou Ellen’s chests and nearly impossible to push through with how exhausted they felt.

         “Lou Ellen, not that I don’t appreciate you saving our lives and other small things, but what are you doing here?” Pax said, already huffing. He wanted to keep things light, to keep everyone distracted from where they were and how badly they needed suntan lotion in this sunless world.

         Lou Ellen’s breath came in tight gasps. She giggled despite herself. “I’m not the best at distance spell casting yet. Conjuring something here is one thing. Keeping you invisible takes concentration.”

         They made it through the white fluff and stumbled onto the obsidian ground. Even with his combat boots on, Pax could feel how uneven the terrain was.

         Axel checked Lou Ellen and Pax over. She had her arms folded across her chest, like she was somehow cold here. Once Axel decided neither of them had lost a limb, he waited patiently for Lou Ellen.

         She gestured downriver.

         They began to walk.

         “And Witch Boy just let you stay willingly? His little sister on her lonesome to help fight Hades and his army?” Pax asked.        

         Pax could feel Axel’s glare. This—he and Lou Ellen sneaking down here on their own—was going to be a sore subject for months. It was Axel’s fault for thinking he could sneak into the Underworld on a dangerous mission without telling Pax. The more Pax saw that this place wasn’t exactly Candyland, the more Pax realized why Axel hadn’t said anything.  There was no way Axel was finding a girlfriend down here and Pax would have never approved of his vacation choice.

         Lou Ellen held up the hand that she’d kept tucked under her armpit. Except, she wasn’t holding up a hand. She was holding up a stump of a hand, the skin looking cartoonishly cut. He could see the clean white of her bones and red of her muscles. No blood. Apparently, she had lost a limb. Her giggle was suppressed by the disgusting toxicity of the air. “Alabaster told Jack to take my hand to keep track of where I was. So, I gave it to him.”

         Axel frowned at the stump. “That’s… brilliant and disgusting, Lou Ellen.”

         She blushed, tucking the stump back under her armpit. “Thanks. When Al’s invisibility spell wears off, Jack will realize he’s holding a disembodied hand.” She laughed again. “I hope he freaks out.”

         “That’s mean,” Axel chided, though a smile cracked along his cracking lips.

         “And hilarious,” Pax said, “That’s a really impressive trick of the Mist.”

         Lou Ellen’s face fell.

         Axel’s smile soured. “It is a trick of the Mist, right?” he asked.

         “Um… it was supposed to be,” she said, her voice quiet. “I wasn’t specific in my spell casting… or the time limit for it…”

         Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped the air out. Half-a-second later, he could hear Axel do the same.

         “We should get your hand back onto your body as soon as possible, in case the magic keeping the limb and stump preserved starts to fade,” Axel said, gently.

         Lou Ellen glanced down. “But, we’re so close. And, it’s not like we’re going to be visiting Tartarus sometime soon on a joy ride.”

         From what Pax could see, the landscape stretched on into dismal plateaus of pain for miles, each gradually decreasing in elevation. He feared how they would get out of here if they continued downward.

         “A fun side-trip? Where are we going?” Pax asked. Normally, he didn’t scare easy with Axel around. Seeing the look of determination on Axel’s face made him worried about what made Axel so determined.

         Axel clenched his jaw, scowling out into the abyss. “To repay one of the biggest debts humanity has ever accrued.”

  ***

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! :D And I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. Stay tuned to see which celebrity is showcased in next week’s episode of Cottonballs from Hell.

[gadgetsrevv]

Man United could get a lot worse before they get better thanks to bad transfer business and indecision

Daniel James’ first-half strike was cancelled out by Jannik Vestergaard’s towering header, piling the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.

Steve Nicol explains how much blame should be placed on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after winning only one league game in the last nine.

With Alexis Sanchez now on loan at Inter, Craig Burley examines how it went so wrong for him at Manchester United.

There is good news and bad news for Manchester United supporters right now, even though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team go into the international break having posted the club’s worst start to a season since 1992-93.

The good news: having identified the need to weed out under-performing (and in some cases, non-performing) players, things will eventually get better at Old Trafford. The bad news: there is a real danger of things actually getting worse before light appears at the end of a long, dark tunnel for the most successful club of the Premier League era.

– ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now! – Europa League group stage: All you need to know – All major completed transfer deals

An uninspiring draw against Wolves and another at Southampton, either side of the 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, are more reflective of where United are at right now than the 4-0 opening-weekend victory against Chelsea. And with an impressive Leicester City next up at Old Trafford on Sept. 14 after the international break, the pressure is already beginning to build on Solskjaer and his players, who face an almighty battle to secure a top-four finish this season.

There is a strong argument to suggest that this current United team (and squad) is the weakest seen at Old Trafford in 30 years. For all the positive spin applied to recent performances by Solskjaer, it would be naïve to suggest that a start of one win, two draws and a defeat from their opening four games is nothing more than a blip.

Back in 1992-93, when United began the inaugural Premier League campaign with two defeats, one draw and a win, they were able to climb off the canvas to go on and win the title, the club’s first since 1967. But not even the most optimistic United supporter, player or coach would claim that the Class of 2019 has the ability to emulate Sir Alex Ferguson’s team of 27 years ago.

Some might contest the suggestion that this is the weakest United team in three decades by pointing to the side that finished seventh under David Moyes in 2013-14, but that team had the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney to call upon. Solskjaer’s team boasts no such depth of experience or quality and that is mainly due to the hapless, and at times disastrous, recruitment of players since the turn of the decade.

Make no mistake, the problems facing United now can be traced back to before Ferguson retired in 2013, with the exits of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in 2009 proving to be the start of the slide, when star players were repeatedly replaced with inferior signings. But this summer’s transfer business has left the United squad looking as though it has been hollowed out and, while admirable and sensible as a long-term strategy, the decision to clear out the deadwood and give youth a chance is also a dangerous one in a competition as demanding and unforgiving as the Premier League.

Since January, Solskjaer has sanctioned the departures of Marouane Fellaini, Antonio Valencia, Ander Herrera, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian, with only Harry Maguire, Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka being added to the squad. Mason Greenwood, a 17-year-old, has been promoted to the first team, with Tahith Chong, 19, also given an opportunity to prove himself by Solskjaer.

Greenwood and Chong may develop into world-beaters, but neither is yet ready to shoulder the burden of playing for Manchester United, and the pressure could prove incredibly heavy for Greenwood should either of the club’s two senior forwards, Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial, be sidelined at any time this season.

Solskjaer and Man United are slowly refreshing a squad in dire need of major changes but the slow pace and lack of depth could mean they fall a lot further before they rise.

In midfield, there is nobody to cover for Paul Pogba should he be injured or suspended, while a defence which had seven centre-backs prior to Smalling’s loan move to Roma still relies on converted winger Ashley Young, now 34, to fill in for full-backs Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw.

– Dawson: United’s painful hunt for transfer chief – Miller: Mixed-up Pogba sums up United’s problems – Ames: United’s Europa League travel itinerary is bad

United clearly need to reshape and rebuild their squad, but by allowing so many players to leave — particularly after the window for signing new ones has closed — is a huge risk and possibly even negligent. Solskjaer’s squad is an injury away from a crisis in every area of the pitch, but they must somehow safely navigate the team through to the January transfer window without suffering the kind of injury and form setbacks that afflict every side.

Had United been able to appoint a technical director — they have now been actively looking for one for over nine months — the gaping holes that have appeared in the squad may have been filled before they appeared, but perhaps that is wishful thinking at a club where, according to ESPN FC sources, Martial was retained because he is the favourite player of co-chairman Joel Glazer and Marcos Rojo, who made just three starts last season, had a move blocked to Everton because the owners did not agree with the sale.

Solskjaer, meanwhile, is on board with the plan to reshape the squad, but he also admitted during preseason that he would need a replacement up front if Lukaku was sold. No replacement arrived, however, and Sanchez also left; rather than having one in and one out, United had two out and none in up front. They have also allowed two experienced midfielders to leave without replacements and sold two right-backs with just one coming in.

United believe it could take as many as four transfer windows before their squad is competitive again, but they seem to have done all of the cutting this summer without realising the need for depth. It is a bold strategy, but with an inexperienced manager at the helm and too many youngsters in key positions, the short-term pain could stifle the intended long-term gain.

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Moise Kean: How did Everton land deal for superstar youngster?

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Moise Kean: How did Everton land deal for superstar youngster?

Moise Kean’s arrival at Everton was one of the standout deals of the transfer window

Everton’s signing of Italy’s brilliant teenage striker Moise Kean from Juventus was one of the surprise deals of the transfer window.

Kean, 19, emerged as one of Europe’s top young attacking talents in Serie A last season, showing enough promise to be given his full international debut by manager Roberto Mancini in November 2018.

Juventus’ decision to sell Kean prompted surprise and anger among many of the club’s supporters – while Everton’s ability to close out the move was regarded as a major coup for the Merseysiders and director of football Marcel Brands.

This is how the Toffees secured the signature of one of Europe’s brightest young talents, and why former PSV director of football Brands is central to an effective recruitment process.

How the deal was done

Kean had been on the radar of the well-connected Brands, along with many others, for 18 months and Everton formulated plans for a loan deal in January, a window the Dutchman rarely likes to get involved in unless the circumstances and the players are special. Kean was one of those exceptions.

Juventus, with Serie A and Champions League commitments, were not receptive to any such deal, while in the remaining months of the season Kean’s profile rose dramatically on the strength of his performances and, sadly, when he was subjected to racist abuse during Juventus’ game in Cagliari in April.

This led to concerns behind the scenes at Goodison that a move for Kean, which was at the forefront of Brands’ plans, would now be more difficult. In March, he made his first start for the national side, scoring in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Finland, which Italy won 2-0. The goal meant he became his country’s youngest goalscorer, at just 19 years and 23 days, since Bruno Nicole in 1958.

Everton, however, remained convinced a deal could be done and all the pieces fell perfectly into place.

Brands and Everton chairman Bill Kenwright have a good working relationship with super-agent Mino Raiola, who represents Kean, while a changing of the guard at Juventus opened the door for a move.

Maurizio Sarri replaced Massimiliano Allegri, who was a mentor to the youngster, with Sarri’s personal favourite Gonzalo Higuain returning to Juve after loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea. Kean was being pushed down the pecking order.

Higuain joined an attacking force led by Cristiano Ronaldo and complemented by Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Douglas Costa and others.

Italian journalist Stefano Boldrini, London correspondent for Italian daily Gazetta dello Sport, told BBC Sport: “The story of Kean surprised a lot of people in Italy because at the end of last season he was very good. He scored for Juventus and he scored for Italy.

“But with Sarri and the Allegri departure, a lot of things changed in Juventus. The younger Kean had to move.

Moise Kean played 16 Serie A games for Juventus (five starts) and scored seven goals

“We spoke to Roberto Mancini and he said it is a pity younger Italian players do not find places and have to move. He said he is sure Everton will be a good experience because Everton is a well-organised, ambitious club who wants to get back into the big European competitions so it may be a good experience.”

Everton also took advantage of what could be called Juve’s ‘in the moment’ mentality which means they demand instant results rather than count on too many works in progress, such as Kean.

Juve also needed to recoup money after heavy outlay on fees and salaries on the likes of Ronaldo and, this summer, Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax and Aaron Ramsey from Arsenal.

Raiola, who also negotiated the De Ligt deal, knows he can work with Brands and Kenwright and regarded Everton as the ideal club for Kean to get regular football, not guaranteed at Juventus and perhaps not by other clubs who may have taken an interest such as Inter Milan, Arsenal and Manchester United.

This all enabled Everton to strike a deal which resembles a real bargain at £27m with add-ons that will leave any potential final fee just short of £30m.

The final flourish was added when Everton were able to seal the deal without the buy-back clause Juve would have preferred.

Everton’s personal touch

Everton director of football Brands brings the personal touch to his transfer dealings, believing it can make the difference when closing out the sort of deals that are his trademark – namely young, emerging talent that can serve a club well and retain serious sell-on value.

In other words, Moise Kean.

It was a key factor in convincing Kean that Goodison Park was the place for him.

The approach was perfectly illustrated on the day Kean signed for Everton in the presence of his mother, who was handed a personalised Everton shirt by Brands as he told her: “We will take care of your son.”

Joep Schreuder, leading presenter with Dutch state broadcaster NOS, told BBC Sport: “This deal for Moise Kean is typical of Marcel Brands.

“He talks to the wives of the players, to the family. He knows everything – and I mean everything. If Kean has a nephew he will know about him.

“Marcel knows the hard world of money but gives it a personal touch. It is his way of persuading and convincing players to come. He plays the family card. He will know everything about the mother, the father, the family, their circumstances.”

Kean has revealed how impressed he was on first meeting with Brands – and it is his attention to detail that proved key in persuading the young Italian and others that Everton is a club on a new footing and the perfect platform for the next stage of a career.

Of course finance plays a big part, but the Kean deal and others were based on a personal presentation given to each prospective signing on how Everton see them working within the squad, analysis of the player, performance statistics, strengths and capabilities, different systems and styles they may be expected to play.

When Everton agreed a deal with Manchester City for Fabian Delph, Brands went to the England midfield man’s house to deliver his pitch and presentation.

Kean felt this additional detail demonstrated how much Everton wanted him, how much homework had been done and how they mapped out his future. Brands made it clear to Kean he was a desired investment and not simply a commodity.

Brands used this approach while sporting director at PSV, persuading the in-demand Mexican attacker Hirving Lozano to leave Pachuca for the Dutch club in the summer of 2017. It was a deal six months in the making, including two visits to the player and his family.

Lozano, who helped win the league title in his first season when Brands was still at the club, is now moving to Napoli in a 42m euros deal.

The Brands touch worked on Lozano and it worked on Kean.

Everton also have a three-tier care system for players once they have signed to ensure they have no off-field distractions, so Kean will even have details such as a National Insurance number, mobile phone, car and housing options all dealt with by designated members of staff.

Brands, who has formed a shrewd negotiating partnership with chairman Kenwright, put the full force of his package in front of Kean and completed what may prove to be a transfer of real significance for Everton.

The Brands factor

The 57-year-old Dutchman arrived from PSV in May 2018, replacing Steve Walsh as director of football after his disastrous spell. Such has been his impact that he was appointed to Everton’s board seven months after his arrival and placed in charge of overall football strategy at the club.

Marcel Brands told Moise Kean’s mother: “We will look after your son”

Kean’s acquisition has his imprint all over it – a young player ripe for development placed in the hands of the manager, in this case Marco Silva, to apply the polish.

It is a strategy that has served him well, such as when he acquired the young Georginio Wijnaldum from Feyenoord at PSV in 2011 and when he brought the tyro Mousa Dembele from Willem II to AZ Alkmaar in 2006, the former Spurs midfield man playing a key role in their unlikely Eredivisie title triumph three years later.

“He has an unbelievable knowledge of world football and this Kean deal shows everything about Marcel Brands to me,” Schreuder added.

“He is adaptable and creative – remember he did so many smart deals with not so much money at AZ and PSV. He is never lazy and he is so well-connected.

“Marcel is a correct guy with good manners. He talks to families but he can also take coffee with agents such as Raiola and the owners of the big clubs in the world.

“He has signed Kean and it will not be his last like this. He can do other types of deals too.

“Let’s say there is a player who is not in a good way at a big club, then Marcel Brands will try to persuade him that there can be new life in football, new fun, that his wife will be happy and then maybe in two years you might move on but first give us two years at Everton. “

Brands has given Everton’s transfer strategy the new dimension of a man at the helm whose name means something when he calls the big clubs and agents, an area where Walsh struggled.

Everton have now done three deals with Barcelona for Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes and also negotiated smartly with Juventus to sign Kean.

How big is Everton’s coup?

Kean has already generated real excitement at Everton, particularly with his explosive cameo as a substitute in the 1-0 win against Watford.

Former Everton winger and BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin saw a lot of Kean last season – and believes his former club have engineered what could be the best piece of business this summer.

Moise Kean career stats Team Appearances Goals Verona 20 4 Juventus 21 7 Everton 2 0 Italy 3 2

He told BBC Sport: “I can see this being the deal of the season. When I look at the players who have been bought, say like Joelinton at £40m to Newcastle, Kean is miles ahead and the price is cheaper.

“Kean is also much younger. I was staggered by the relatively low price Everton have paid and also thought an Arsenal or a Chelsea might try to get him as well.”

He added: “I’m not shocked Everton got him. I just thought they would have to spend a lot more. Three, four or five years down the line he could become an Everton great. He has such potential.

“He has work-rate, match intelligence. I love him as a player and told quite a lot of people about him.

“I don’t really go on about that many players. I remember telling people to go and get Virgil van Dijk when he was at Celtic, Kieran Tierney from Celtic. There are very few you think are a no-brainer but, if you have watched Kean often enough, he is. I think this could be a fantastic deal at an incredible price.”

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Remixing the Robotech Saga

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Writer Brenden Fletcher discusses Robotech's place in remix culture and how that influences his new comic.

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For anyone fearing that the new Robotech: Remix comic will be headed up by a new creative team, don’t worry. A hardcore fan is at the helm. Writer Brenden Fletcher, known for his work in comics such as Gotham Academy, Batgirl, Isola, and Motorcrush loves Robotech.

Not just the Macross Saga like many more casual fans. He loves anything and everything to do with the franchise, including the various Japanese series that spun out of Macross and the original versions of the three anime that made up Robotech. Even thought Fletcher is a big fan that doesn’t mean he’s sticking too close to what we’ve seen before. Robotech: Remix will be making big changes to the Robotech franchise that comes in the wake of recent events in the comic. The biggest being that Dana Sterling, the lead character of least popular entry in the franchise, The Masters Saga, is now stranded in the past with characters from the popular Macross Saga. We have an exclusive look at the line-up of the new cast here!

With Robotech: Remix being announced at San Diego Comic-Con we sat down for an in-depth chat with Fletcher about his history as a Robotech fan, his feelings about Dana’s history, remix culture, and what’s in store for the comic as a whole. 

Q: So where to begin?

Here’s a good place to start. I was never in love with Dana Sterling as a character. I don't know a whole lot of people who were. I think we all saw that she had potential, if for no other reason than she was in the Robotech story, a child of two very important heroes that I think we all loved from the Macross arc.

Any Robotech fans are probably all really in love with the Macross saga. If you're a creative and you get an offer to do a Robotech thing, you probably want to play in the Macross sandbox. So when you're handed a thing and the place you have to pick up the story is more of the Masters Saga or Southern Cross era, it's maybe a little disappointing. I don't know that anyone wants to envision a part of the story that has anything to do with the Logan fighter. Did anyone like that mecha?

Q: The mecha were not the strong point of Southern Cross/Masters.

I don't mind the Ajax actually. I thought the Ajax was always a little cool. I was so-so on the Hover Tank until I got the Matchbox toy for Christmas. That thing was amazing. Carl, my best buddy who does the A cover for the first issue of Robotech: Remix, he got the Hover Tank first. I loved that thing. I would go over to his house just to play with that Hover Tank. I got the non-transforming, weird, hybrid VF1S.

Anyways, so Dana would not have been my first choice as a younger person to tell a story about. Now as an older Robotech fan I see the value in digging into the meaty potential material that was left on the table with Dana Sterling. Her past, her future, her emotional state. Even in the original Southern Cross version of the character, Jeanne Fránçaix, there's a lot of questions around why this young woman is so boy crazy. Why that's her focus over anything else in Southern Cross. There's at least a little bit of context behind that in the Master's Saga. That's something that I really want to dig into in my arc in my story for this comic.

What is the cause of being in that place in your life? What can lead someone to want to feel close to people, but then be desperately afraid of being close to people? I think we all know what the answer is with Dana. It's that her parents left her on Earth at ten years of age, seemingly never to return. I'm sure Rolf Emerson and uncles Rico, Bron and Konda did their best to bring her and Bowie up but I mean those two kids are messed up. They're both in need. You watch the Masters Saga and these are both kids in really weird places in their lives. Neither of them are necessarily happy. Neither of them are happy at all. Bowie is not comfortable being a part of this military machine at all. They're both longing for something else. I think in the context of Robotech you can take that back in their psychology to being unhappy as a result of not getting to properly reach adulthood with their parents. Knowing that their parents are off doing something else that was seemingly more important than them.

In the Titan series Simon [Furman’s] done a great job of crafting this thing that has the bones of Macross, but brings this most important character back inside of it. During Simon's story when Dana comes out of hibernation I would guess she's about 30 years of age. She comes into a world just before she would have been born.

read more: The Robotech Comics Are Making Dana The Star

In my story, and I won't spoil the end of Simon's story, in my story, she's still there. Ten years later. Max and Miriya never got together. Dana's never been born. Things seem okay. So what's the point of Dana? Where does she belong? Did she ever matter to her parents? They just left her. I mean we know as human beings; of course she mattered to her parents. [When] they left her behind, in their minds, it was to protect her.

Dana carries this with her. Dana, now a 40 year old woman living in her own past where the only version of her is this middle aged version. It is a story about her own broken nostalgia. The way that we could almost have nostalgia for the Robotech that we grew up with. Looking back on these stories that we enjoyed as kids, she's looking back at a time where she was happy as a child, but knowing what's about to happen is the moment that ruined her life.

And she might have to experience that all over again.

In this case her parents aren't even a couple, so what is the point of it all? What was the point of her saving the universe, coming back in time and saving maybe this universe? Or maybe every timeline? She doesn't know yet. What was the point of her existence [if this] doesn't really matter? If this timeline can continue forward without her. What part does Dana Sterling play in the universe, and meta texturally, in the story of Robotech?

So many people with Robotech say, "You can just skip that second part. Who needs it?"

To the title, Robotech: Remix, what point does a character originating from Southern Cross have to do in amongst other characters originating in another show called Macross?

You're taking somebody who wasn't supposed to be there and dropping them in.

For the most part, in the way that Robotech was assembled from three series back in the early '80s, there were very few instances of footage from one series being edited into the other. There were some shots of the Masters being edited into Macross to help tell the Robotech story. There are very few instances where we are seeing that mash up for real happening.

It's interesting in the original show that the Masters Saga is the one that suffers the most from having to be welded next to Macross because they have to change the most to make it work. 

I love people talking about re-imagining what Southern Cross could have been. Not to say, I think they did an amazing job with it to turn it into the Masters. It actually gives the child of Max and Miriya more depth. I mean more depth than she had as Komilia in spin off Macross stuff. It's so interesting to see people imagine what it would have been like if Carl Macek had decided to make Lana (Nova in Robotech) the "Dana Sterling" character because her temperament is a little more like Komilia from Macross. Her hair color is the same as Komilia. It seemed like that would have been the natural fit, but the decision to make Jeanne be the child of the Sterling's, to turn her into Dana, is a really interesting one. It brings us to where we are today and it gives me so many gifts for the series that I'm doing now.

read more: Things You Didn't Know About The Creation of Robotech

You're reading between the lines for both The Masters Saga and Southern Cross?

I'm looking at both. I'm looking at Masters, but I'm also looking at Southern Cross. I'm now working in a space where there are no limits to the way a character can exist. Simon rewrote those rules through the series he did with Brian Wood and this "Event Horizon" thing. All bets are off now. This is the world that I get to play in.

What was that like for you when you were first handed the idea of doing this comic? Did you know all these things were going to happen?

No, no, no. When (former Titan Comics Senior Brand Manager) Chris Thompson invited me to go out for coffee for him, I suspected this was wanting to talk to me about Robotech. I sat down with him and I said, "All cards on the table, I'm only interested in working on my own IP right now. I've got a lot on my plate. I am a huge Robotech fan. Massive Macross fan. I think they're perfect as they are and I appreciate what you guys are doing with the comic, but I can't imagine that there's anything that I want to do with it creatively that's going to be enough to take me away from my own things that I'm building."

Then he told me what Brian and Simon were doing with their series and what "Event Horizon" would actually be and what that could mean for what I could do into the future, and I think I might have used a few swear words. I hung my head and I said, "It's too cool and it feels like it would probably be the most fun thing I could ever work on." Then I asked him a question about characters that I could use and the way I could use them, and he said, "Yeah, no limits man." I just about lost it. I did leave the meeting saying, "Let me think about it. Let me think about it." It went on to be a little bit of a negotiation, but my mind was reeling. 

I think everything that Simon and the guys have put together is fantastic. Very humbled and very nervous to be filling their giant shoes with this. I don't think I can. I can do something fun with a little bit of a different flavor. I think that was why Chris had asked me to take it over. He knew I was a big fan. It's why it's being relaunched I think because the tone's different.

In what way?

Well you can see just from the approach to the art and the artists that I'm bringing in. It's definitely got a more anime flavor to it. If you've read any of my other work, it is not as straightforward and head down serious as the harder sci-fi military approach that Simon and Brian had used. My tone varies. I like to be able to shift over to that when it's appropriate. The stuff that attracted me to Robotech to begin with is the soap opera stuff. Slice of life stuff, the love triangles, is why I was in it. I mean I love the cool transforming robots, but the love triangle was what sold it to me. That's where I am with this, not to say that there is a love triangle.

read more: How Robotech Was Ahead of its Time With Representation

I think Macross as an ongoing franchise has really cornered the market in making sure that every iteration, every sequel has one very powerful love triangle. To the extent that the last series was called Delta and has the symbol of a triangle and there are songs called "Triangular." I love that, I think it's great. I don't think that should form the core of what a great Robotech story is but I think the interpersonal relationships are integral and they need to be front lined, for me, to feel invested. So I think we've got a great sci-fi military set up. What I want to do is take that and deliver you the interpersonal stuff that will break your heart within the sci-fi military set up that I've been handed.

I think I can kind of spoil a little bit here. I think your readers can put together just from looking at the covers what this is. We've got middle aged Dana reliving her past, in a situation where she doesn't exist as the child that should be there. Her parents have never gotten together. This is, to be a little crude and break it down to its barest elements; it's Back to the Future with Dana trying to get Max and Miriya together so that she can feel like she has a place in this universe.

We've already seen a little bit of that in the back up stories. Is the purpose of those back stories to set up things for your run? Does it take place before that run?

Yes, it takes place before the run and there are some elements to the "Curtain Call" story that seem innocuous that are actually critical to larger reveals that will happen in maybe my third arc of the story. Down the road. Minmei is one of those. What happened to Minmei. If you're reading "Curtain Call" in the back of the "Event Horizon" stories, you'll note that she is no longer alive and part of what's shocking in that story is that she has seemingly returned, but in the form of a hologram during a concert. But, is that just a recording? What's the deal with that? If this isn't Minmei, well who's doing this and why? What's the purpose?

Not to say that all of that will be resolved in the last "Curtain Call" installment, but you'll certainly get a clue as to who is behind it, but why is another matter. I think they are a bunch of clues about why as well.

So then the title Robotech: Remix itself, talk a little bit about that. How does that play in? I've noticed even on the covers that we've seen, there's a little bit of vapor wavy look to them.

At its core for me, Robotech is one of the first artifacts of remix culture in greater pop culture. I mean it might not be, it's a corporate entity. It's a thing that was done to meet a demand. Not an audience demand, but a business demand, but being able to get a program into syndication in the early '80s. Hitting an episode number and just piling stories on to another story just to get a certain number. I think it’s unprecedented, incredible. I think that remix art has a place in the world above and beyond the artistic bones that we're used to creating as a being, as a living, breathing thing. I think that I want to honor that with this series. 

read more: The VF-1 Valkryie: A Truly Iconic Mecha Design

I think again that Simon and Brian Wood have provided me a great context to do that. Robotech is, to me, this great work of early remix culture in a way. Opening all these other doors that Simon's opened, it's taking this to the 'nth level here. So I get to actually make a comment within the narrative and in another textural way about what that means to the characters to coexist in places that they suspect they shouldn't. Maybe that they are better for, or greater, or changed in a profound enough way to find value in that coexistence. Then the meta textural way for us to understand how and why these things happened in media in the eighties and how we can talk about it now in a way that makes sense and enhances those things that we loved from the past and seeing them in new ways in the present and into the future.

I'm a big fan of all this stuff. I think that there are smarter people who can talk about it academically, but what I can do is give you a little bit of commentary, food for thought, within the new narrative that I can present. Hopefully if you're taking that into account when reading this story. I'll let you look to the future of the overall Robotech narrative through a different lens. 

Where can it go as a comic? Where can it go outside of the comic once you understand it in this context? Once you understand that Dana Sterling can live through the Masters Saga, live through the New Generation, rediscover her parents and her other sibling born in space, Maia Sterling, then there's the Shadow Chronicles. A bunch of other stuff happens and she has to go back in time and relive some of it without her, but also understand that there are other timelines, other universes, other worlds. What does that mean to her? What does that mean to the other characters? What does that mean to the future of Robotech as a brand?

read more: The Robotech/Macross License Has Been Extended

All these different things around them, they could be a part of, they all could have some impact.

What does that mean for us as creators? Or even fans? What do you want to see then as a fan? I know what I want to see. I'm going to try to put that in the story.

Can you give us a little bit of an idea of what that might be?

What can I say? I may have already said too much.

That's fine. What I find interesting about what you're saying and about Dana re-experiencing her life and I'm sure this is intentional because of how deep you've done this. You literally having her experience deja vu all the time in reference of course to the Southern Cross opening theme. Was that intentional?

Again, it's much like Robotech, experiencing her life again, but not the exact same way. It is changed, it is different. It's interesting to me that you say she lived through all of that, went back through time and she's still having issues with her parents. She hasn't dealt with all of this stuff. Exploring that would be something I'm very interested to see. Yes. That is the crux of this thing.

In a way are you, because it could have been very easy in another version of this comic to just tell the Masters Saga and do it "better." Have it be more connected. Not having the weird boy crazy stuff. Whatever else. Now you're telling a story and being able to comment on it without changing it either. Was that important for you to do?

Yeah. I think honoring what Simon and Brian have all labored over for these years is important to me. I feel like when I'm picking up the baton I don't want to say no to any of the choices that they made coming in. I want to put my best foot forward from that point that they left behind. I feel like what I'm doing is the natural extension of where Simon has left it. I also don't want to spoil the end of "Event Horizon".

I'm sure there are other choices that could have been made. I'm sure I could have pitched something else. This is what I want to see after knowing "Event Horizon". After just looking at what I find interesting about these characters. Looking at the part also of Robotech that maybe had the most heavy-handed edit to it, to make it make sense. Even in of itself, to make it an appealing thing where Southern Cross had maybe failed on a few accounts. Finding what about it could be magic in the context of Robotech and then rewriting it and re-editing it to play to its strengths on its own and within the context of a larger saga. It's all very interesting.

The characters of Jeanne versus Dana are very interesting. These are all things that I'm looking at and commenting on in a way. A thing that we don't talk about as creators in the Robotech world very much is where everything came from. I want to do that. I want to talk about the importance of Jeanne Fránçaix as a character. I want to talk about the importance of "Deja Vu" as an opening theme song. I mean, I don't want to reveal in this interview how/why I'm thinking about it, or how that exactly factors in. It's important to me that we acknowledge the past while we're remixing to create the present and the future.

Are there any pivotal moments from the original Masters Saga that really stood out to you that really informed your writing of Dana?

All those moments where she has a breakdown. That moment in that back alley and she's got the things that became the Cha-Cha's. That moment where her artifice is down, she loses her mask. Or basically every scene with Bowie. Thinking about why Dana's mask is important for her [and] for Bowie. As kids who grew up for a number of years almost as siblings. Dana feeling for this young boy who's in a place that he shouldn't be and wanting to protect him. Knowing that he is suffering emotionally the way she is, but he can't cover it. [She tries to] lift him up through her own performance.

In "Dana's Story" she sees Bowie's not having a great time. She's like, "Oh I'll sing. No. I'll tell you a story."

That is exactly it. I think you can see it in "Curtain Call". Bowie is a 10-year-old boy in this story. Dana is a 40-year-old woman. She has watched her best friend be born and grow to a 10-year-old boy. She knows what happened with her Bowie in the past. As much as she felt protective of Bowie during the Masters saga, imagine that now with a bunch of years later and she's almost in a parental role with a young version of her best friend. Knowing what could become of him. Knowing where his heart is and wanting to do anything in the universe possible to protect it. 

Just the fact that she took him to a music concert.

This is not Macross. It's not all about music, but also, in every part of the Robotech saga, with the exception of Shadow Chronicles and Love Live Alive, music played a pivotal role. It's part of the culture war against the Zentradi. In Masters Bowie is obviously a musician and that's where his heart is. He would rather play music than fight. Dana even plays guitar. Musica had a hand in controlling the clones through music. It goes without saying that in the New Generation we have Yellow Dancer.

As a kid that stuff was so important to me. I grew up around music. My parents were musicians and it’s part of what sent me to Robotech. That music played such an integral role in every part of the saga. Again, not in the way that Macross has grown in Japan over the years to be something bigger with Delta having a girl group of essentially, magical girls whose music is central to the storyline. That's not what Robotech's about. To me, when I want to see a new chapter of Robotech there has to be music in it somewhere. So that will play a part in everything that I'm doing here.

On just a side note, a little easter egg (in Curtian Call) Bowie's wearing his Casio size portable keyboard on his back and his strap says, Sato Dan on it. The two composers of the Southern Cross score. I'm a big nerd. Have you listened to the music score? Speaking of taking a thing and making it your own, there are pieces of music in there that are almost direct lifts from other bands. There's an action cue that's essentially "Synchronicity II" by The Police.

Video of The Police - Synchronicity II Video

Here's the super deep cut question, because we know in the show about Maia Sterling who showed up in Shadow Chronicles. We assume that's the same one that we saw in that weird vision at the end of Masters. What about the one that Dana mentions with Zor where he says, "Do you have a boyfriend?" and she answers, "No, I just had a brother."

I don't know if I should say anything. It might be something that is addressed in the very concrete way in the story.

read more: The Biggest Stories From San Diego Comic-Con

Do you have anything else to say for the fans that are going to be reading this? People who might be coming to this for the first time. In the past it’s ostensibly been said, "you can read the Robotech comic if you've never seen the series."

It's my goal to make this super readable, but I'm also coming into it adopting a massive cast and entire saga of stories that take place before mine. I admit that it's a challenge to make it streamlined. My inner fan, what I want to see out of it, but also presenting it as a clean, easily readable story. I hope it's appealing to everybody. I can't pull myself far enough away from it to know that it is or not. I almost have to have the finished first issue and give it to my wife and ask her, "Does this make sense to you?" Everyone else whose read it is sort of too deep in the weeds to know for sure. It is my goal to make it something super accessible while also answering a lot of questions that my inner fan needs answered.

Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. Follow him on Twitter! He also co-hosts a Robotech podcast, which covers the original series and the new comics. Give it a listen! Read more articles by him here!

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Interview Shamus Kelley

Jul 30, 2019

Robotech

SDCC 2019

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[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/real-madrid-on-the-brink-after-barca-humbling/

Real Madrid on the brink after Barca humbling

Los Blancos was not overwhelmed by its opponent Wednesday. In fact, Real dominated El Clasico. Lionel Messi was quiet, Barcelona rode its luck, but though the Catalans only had four shots during the entire match Real was still humbled 3-0. And against your bitterest rivals that’s tough to take.

Barcelona’s win over Real, thanks to a Luis Suarez brace and a Rafael Varane own goal — in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg — also increases the prospect of the Madrid club ending the season without a trophy.

Real is nine points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga and with a league meeting against the Catalans on March 2 that gap could increase further soon.

Santiago Solari, Real’s second manager of the season, put his bravest face on as he analyzed his side’s 4-1 aggregate cup defeat to Barcelona.

“We applied ourselves well, with energy, but we weren’t decisive,” he told reporters.

Real’s Copa del Rey exit leaves the Champions League as Real’s only realistic chance of silverware in this tumultuous campaign.

Admittedly, the 13-time champions have pedigree in Europe’s premier cup competition, but progressing to the quarterfinals at the expense of Ajax on March 5 is not a foregone conclusion.

The Dutch side must overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit, but will be encouraged by their performance in Amsterdam and by the absence of suspended Real skipper Sergio Ramos for the second leg.

The holders will be favorites against Ajax, but also a boon to Real’s opponents is the team’s lack of ruthlessness in front of goal since Cristiano Ronaldo, the most prolific scorer in the history of the European Cup and Real’s record scorer, departed to Juventus last summer.

Forwards Karim Benzema (15) and Gareth Bale (13) have 28 goals between them this season but neither has particularly impressed or made a strong case that new acquisitions aren’t necessary in the summer to fill the Ronaldo void.

Last season, the Portuguese scored 26 goals in 27 La Liga appearances and 44 goals in all competitions for the Madrid outfit. Over his nine seasons in Madrid, Ronaldo scored 311 La Liga goals — 32% of Real’s total.

Then Real manager, Julen Lopetegui, said in the summer that the team would be able to replace the goals lost through Ronaldo’s sale.

But this season Real has scored 43 league goals — 22 fewer than Barcelona — at an average of 1.72 per game. Ronaldo’s absence is felt.

With 13 league games remaining, Real is unlikely to come close to last season’s tally of 94 league goals, scored at an average of 2.47 per game, though Ronaldo and co only managed a third-place finished last season to suggest that this is a gradual demise of an aging squad.

Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features and videos

On the positive for Real, the prospects of suffering the most defeats (13) since 1973/74 now seems unlikely after an upturn in fortunes since Solari’s appointment in October, first as a caretaker boss and now on a permanent basis.

By winning 21 of his 29 matches at the helm, the Argentine has stopped the rot which had seen Real plummet to ninth in La Liga. He has also given promising teenager Vinicius Junior a first-team chance.

The dashing Brazilian, described as “just a kid” by his manager, is being preferred to the more experienced Bale, Marco Asensio and Isco and has amassed 31 appearances for Real so far this campaign, scoring seven times and making 13 assists.

Signed for $52 million, he did not come cheaply but the 18-year-old’s performances suggest that, despite a torrid season, he could be the key to a bright Real future.

[soccernetghana]

Sorry Muntari, your dream to play for Kaizer Chiefs might not come true!

[caption id="attachment_773223" align="alignnone" width="775"] Sulley Muntari has been accused of insulting Kwesi Appiah in Lesotho[/caption] Former AC Milan and Ghana international midfielder Sulley Muntari would one day like to play in South Africa and he specifically wants to join Kaizer Chiefs.  However, there are several factors that might prevent him from realising that dream. At 35, Muntari is already in the twilight of his career and if he has been following Chiefs as he claimed when speaking to Marawa Sports Worldwide, the left-footer should know the history of this club, especially with Ernst Middendorp at the helm. Amakhosi may be in need for a central midfielder following the departure of George Maluleka and they need someone with experience to fill the void the left by him. But that player is definitely not Muntari. Take nothing away from Muntari, his talent and his qualities, but Chiefs are more for the future than bringing in high-profile players who are almost ready to retire. In 2003, Amakhosi re-signed the late Shoes Moshoeu following his return from Turkey - and at the time, he was 38 years old but when Middendorp arrived, the midfielder was released because he was deemed past his best by the German mentor. Shaun Bartlett played for Chiefs at 34, and like Moshoeu, he had just returned from Europe where he had been since the late 1990s. And he was released after two years - as Chiefs' transfer policy took a different direction and this has been the case since. Of course, some would argue that the late Arthur Bartman was in the twilight of his career when he joined Chiefs in 2009 - but it's different with goalkeepers and at the time of his signing, the well-travelled shot-stopper was seen as an emergency signing because Itumeleng Khune was injured and had to get back to his full fitness for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. And Bartman did a fantastic job between the sticks for the club - assuming the No.1 role in Khune's absence. But there are three high-profile players Chiefs chose to ignore when they became available for free in recent years - Luis Boa Morte, Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar. Perhaps they were right in overlooking Boa Morte because, at the time, Chiefs had some fantastic players in midfield - and for them, this was not about trying to get the attention of the world but to stick with what they had - and the former Portugal international was snapped up by Orlando Pirates. Everyone expected Sundowns, Pirates, Chiefs to go crazy when McCarthy became a free agent and returned to the country - but this wasn't the case. McCarthy ended up training with Ajax Cape Town before Pirates snatched him up from under their nose - and he'd go onto retire at the Soweto giants. At the time, McCarthy admitted he grew up supporting Amakhosi but he was put off by the fact that Bobby Motaung said he was finished - and according to him, that's why he gave his all whenever he faced them in competitive matches. Pienaar grew up supporting Pirates but there were rumours that he could join either the Sea Robbers or Chiefs - but, as usual, the Naturena-based side looked elsewhere and the former Bafana Bafana skipper ended up joining Bidvest Wits where he would only last for six months before hanging up his boots. And Chiefs were vindicated from those who criticised them when they didn't sign Pienaar - and almost everyone agreed that they made the right call by not signing him. If Muntari really wants to play in South Africa, it's best he looks elsewhere because holding out for a move to Chiefs may not come true because reputation alone isn't enough when it comes to this club. In addition, Chiefs are still not allowed to sign players, meaning Muntari will have to wait longer if that is to happen. Credit: Goal.com source: https://ghanasoccernet.com/

[footballghana]

Sorry Muntari, forget Kaizer Chiefs and look elsewhere

Former AC Milan and Ghana international midfielder Sulley Muntari would one day like to play in South Africa and he specifically wants to join Kaizer Chiefs. 

However, there are several factors that might prevent him from realising that dream.

At 35, Muntari is already in the twilight of his career and if he has been following Chiefs as he claimed when speaking to Marawa Sports Worldwide, the left-footer should know the history of this club, especially with Ernst Middendorp at the helm.

Amakhosi may be in need for a central midfielder following the departure of George Maluleka and they need someone with experience to fill the void the left by him.

But that player is definitely not Muntari.

Take nothing away from Muntari, his talent, and his qualities, but Chiefs are more for the future than bringing in high-profile players who are almost ready to retire.

In 2003, Amakhosi re-signed the late Shoes Moshoeu following his return from Turkey - and at the time, he was 38 years old but when Middendorp arrived, the midfielder was released because he was deemed past his best by the German mentor.

Shaun Bartlett played for Chiefs at 34, and like Moshoeu, he had just returned from Europe where he had been since the late 1990s.

And he was released after two years - as Chiefs' transfer policy took a different direction and this has been the case since.

Of course, some would argue that the late Arthur Bartman was in the twilight of his career when he joined Chiefs in 2009 - but it's different with goalkeepers and at the time of his signing, the well-travelled shot-stopper was seen as an emergency signing because Itumeleng Khune was injured and had to get back to his full fitness for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

And Bartman did a fantastic job between the sticks for the club - assuming the No.1 role in Khune's absence.

But there are three high-profile players Chiefs chose to ignore when they became available for free in recent years - Luis Boa Morte, Benni McCarthy, and Steven Pienaar.

Perhaps they were right in overlooking Boa Morte because, at the time, Chiefs had some fantastic players in midfield - and for them, this was not about trying to get the attention of the world but to stick with what they had - and the former Portugal international was snapped up by Orlando Pirates.

Everyone expected Sundowns, Pirates, Chiefs to go crazy when McCarthy became a free agent and returned to the country - but this wasn't the case.

McCarthy ended up training with Ajax Cape Town before Pirates snatched him up from under their nose - and he'd go onto retire at the Soweto giants.

At the time, McCarthy admitted he grew up supporting Amakhosi but he was put off by the fact that Bobby Motaung said he was finished - and according to him, that's why he gave his all whenever he faced them in competitive matches.

Pienaar grew up supporting Pirates but there were rumours that he could join either the Sea Robbers or Chiefs - but, as usual, the Naturena-based side looked elsewhere and the former Bafana Bafana skipper ended up joining Bidvest Wits where he would only last for six months before hanging up his boots.

And Chiefs were vindicated from those who criticised them when they didn't sign Pienaar - and almost everyone agreed that they made the right call by not signing him.

If Muntari really wants to play in South Africa, it's best he looks elsewhere because holding out for a move to Chiefs may not come true because reputation alone isn't enough when it comes to this club.

In addition, Chiefs are still not allowed to sign players, meaning Muntari will have to wait longer if that is to happen.

Source: goal.com

source: https://footballghana.com/

[fematrend]

Real Madrid and Juve lead chase for Kante and more news

Barcelona and Ajax have always had a good relationship with each other, but recent events have seen the teams open a dialogue over an even closer bond regarding transfers, according to Sport.

The report claims that Frenkie de Jong's move - and the ongoing talks for Matthijs de Ligt - have prompted the clubs to consider giving each other first refusal on upcoming talents.

In Barca's case, they would be offered any breakthrough players from the Dutch side's academy, while Ajax would be given the pick of La Masia as the Catalan side look to prepare their own hown-grown talents for European football.

The proposal is said to be being looked at favourably by both sides and the signing of De Ligt could be the final push to get it over the line.

Courtois says no to Real Madrid De Gea swap

Thibaut Courtois has rejected a possible move to Manchester United as part of a deal involving David de Gea going the other way

The Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper, 26, wants to to remain at the Bernabeu after he joined the club from Chelsea last summer, despite being axed by returning manager Zinedine Zidane in favour of Keylor Navas.

Courtois is said to prefer the idea of a swicth to Paris St-Germain if he has to leave as Real as yet again linked with United's Spain No.1.

Benkovic to reunite with Rodgers at Leicester

Brendan Rodgers expects Croatian defender Filip Benkovic to feature for his Leicester side next season, according to the Mercury.

The 21-year-old was loaned to Celtic in the summer where Rodgers worked with him before moving to the King Power Stadium. 

He is set to return to the Midlands as part of Rodgers' plans for the new season.

Alderweireld unsure of Tottenham future

Toby Alderweireld has said he does not know if he will be at Tottenham next season.

Spurs recently triggered a one-year contract extension in the 30-year-old's deal - which was set to expire at the end of this campaign.

But the new terms include a £25 million ($33m) release clause that can only be activated in the upcoming summer transfer window. Manchester United were strongly interested last year.

Liverpool to move for Dybala

Liverpool could be ready to agree a deal to sign Juventus forward Argentine Paulo Dybala in a matter of weeks, accoring to Tutto Mercato.

The 25-year-old has scored nine goals in 35 Juve matches this season and manager Jurgen Klopp is said to be ready to make a move to boost his already strong frontline.

The Anfield club are ready to move fast with Manchester United and others said to be interested in the Argentine.

Man Utd vs Bayern for Griezmann

Manchester United head the queue for Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, who reportedly wants to leave the club.

Spanish outlet Sport say the France forward has made his mind up about leaving the La Liga club just months after announcing his desire to in the face of interest from Barcelona.

United are said to be the frontrunners to sign a player they have long been linked with along with Bayern Munich.

Falcao desires Atletico return

Radamel Falcao would not say no to a return to Atletico Madrid, according to Don Balon.

Antoine Griezmann seems likely to live this summer while Diego Costa's time with the club may be limited as well.

Falcao is interested in a potential move to Inter, but he would be unable to resist a chance to come back to Atleti. 

Barca more likely to pursue Jovic over Griezmann

Luka Jovic is Barcelona's likely target this summer rather than Antoine Griezmann, according to Sport.

Barca are debating whether to sign a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez or a more short-term option.

Jovic is seen as the more feasible option instead of Griezmann, who would command a larger transfer fee. 

Navas hits out at Solari

Keylor Navas criticised former Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari, saying he never felt he would get a chance under his former manager.

The Costa Rican is back in the fold under Zinedine Zidane, and Navas says he would like to stay at the club going forward if his time on the pitch can continue.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas criticised Santiago Solari, saying he never felt he would get a chance regardless of what he did under the former head coach.

Navas made just his fourth start of the La Liga season against Celta Vigo on Saturday, given his opportunity by Zinedine Zidane after the Frenchman returned to the helm earlier this month.

The goalkeeper was a regular under Zidane, winning four Champions Leagues under the leadership of the legendary midfielder.Yet his role evaporated under Solari as Thibaut Courtois joined the club and became Solari's go-to starter throughout his tenure.

The Costa Rica international said there was nothing he could do to convince Solari he deserved to play more often.

"I did have the feeling that whatever I did in practice, I wasn't going to play," Navas told Cadena COPE on Tuesday.

"But I've always been a professional. I was motivated to do things well because I'm privileged."

Navas, who joined Madrid in 2014, is contracted until mid-2021 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 32-year-old said he was focused on the La Liga giants, but warned he needed to be playing more often.

"I have a contract. My enthusiasm has always been at Real Madrid and I am focused on what is coming," Navas said.

"I have given everything for this club and I will continue giving it while I'm here, but I don't want to spend another year like that."

Real Madrid are set to take on Huesca following the conclusion of the ongoing international break.

Juve and Madrid in for Kante

Juventus and Real Madrid are in for N'Golo Kante as the Frenchman's role at Chelsea continues to change,,

PSG have also been said to be interested, but remain a distant third on the list as Juve and Real remain the most likely landing spots.

Kante's role at Chelsea has changed this season, although a potential move isn't directly related to his relationship with Maurizio Sarri, according to the report.

Pjanic on Real Madrid's wish list

Miralem Pjanic is one player Real Madrid will look to bring to the club this summer, according to CalcioMercato.

The midfielder is seen as "irreplaceable, but not unsellable" as several clubs remain interested in the Bosnian.

Barcelona, Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid all pushed to sign Pjanic last summer, and Madrid look likely to return for him this time around.

Vinicius: I chose Real Madrid project over Barca money

Vinicius says he was more convinced by Real Madrid's project despite a larger offer from Barcelona last summer.

The winger says he visited both clubs, and conversations with Marcelo and Casemiro helped sway him.

Herrera agrees to new Man Utd deal

Ander Herrera has agreed to a new deal with Manchester United, according to The Sun.

The midfielder becomes the fifth player to sign a new contract since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as the club's manager.

Herrera's contract is set to expire at the end of the season, but he has agreed to a deal that will keep him with the club going forward.

Benitez and Newcastle move closer to new deal

Rafa Benitez and Newcastle are closing in on a new contract, according to the Mirror. 

The manager has been given a written offer for a new deal with the club but has yet to officially commit himself.

Benitez is unlikely to sign a deal that would include a handcuff clause and must also be guaranteed money to spend this summer. 

'Adrien is a prisoner being held hostage!'

Adrien Rabiot's mother and agent, Veronique Rabiot, has hit out at Paris Saint-Germain's treatment of her son, comparing him to a prisoner. 

The PSG midfielder remains barred from the first team after opting not to re-sign with the club.

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2CvCQLU

[365footballorg-blog]

5 managers of big teams in danger of losing their jobs

The managers of a few high profile teams haven’t performed to the level expected of them and this has raised speculations about their future. Some of them have won major trophies with their current side and are still running out of time to turn things around.

#5. Joachim Löw – Germany

Germany’s World Cup winning manager may not be in charge of the team when they take the field in next month’s international break.

Joachim Löw cuts the figure of a man bereft of ideas and unable to make a team out of the talented individuals at his disposal which is very unlike the German team we were used to under his tutelage.

Germany went into the 2018 World Cup as defending Champions and was knocked out in the group stage after losing to Mexico and South Korea. Löw faced criticism for his team selection in Russia as he left out Leroy Sane from the squad after a fantastic season at the club level and then left Marc-André ter Stegen on the bench to start Manuel Neuer in goal despite the latter playing only playing four games in 2017/18 due to injury.

Before their most recent defeat, at the hands of France, Germany was on a run of three competitive games without scoring for the first time in their history. In 2018, the Germans played 11 games, won three, lost six and drew two. Only one of Germany’s victories was in a competitive game.

Is it time for a new face at the helm of one of the most successful teams in international football?

🇨🇵 ️vs 🇩🇪️

The Germans are suffering their worst run for 18 years.

And boss Joachim Low could be fearing for his job after his side crumbled against the world champions.

MORE: https://t.co/pn0fVOnfTI pic.twitter.com/izxZj79y6g

— FOX Sports Football (@FOXFOOTBALL) October 16, 2018

#4. Ernesto Valverde – Barcelona

Ernesto Valverde won the domestic double last season with Barcelona and nearly won the league undefeated. However, his pragmatic approach to the game hasn’t endeared him to the Barca fans.

Valverde used a four-man midfield last season and he got results with this system even though the style of play was a far cry from the free-flowing football associated with Barcelona. This season, he shifted to a 4-3-3 system to accommodate Ousmane Dembele into the starting lineup but results haven’t gone his way.

Although Barcelona is still second in the league table, they are currently without a win in four La Liga games. They drew three of those games with two of those draws coming in home games and their only defeat so far coming at the hands of bottom-placed Leganes. To make matters difficult for Valverde, he only has two fit centre-backs available till December. 

Another factor contributing to the case being built against Valverde is his treatment of certain players. He has hardly used their summer signing Malcom and promising La Masia graduates like Carles Aleñá are not even getting a look in.

Contract talks between Valverde and Bartomeu have been postponed because Valverde doesn't feel like the board backs and protects him enough.

[Sport] pic.twitter.com/nJhXYbyDve

— Barcelona Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) October 14, 2018

#3. Niko Kovač – Bayern Munich

Niko Kovac took over as Bayern Munich manager in the summer after an impressive season with Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of which he beat Bayern in the DFB-Pokal final.

The Croat was given the task of returning Bayern to its former glory after a couple of below-par seasons for their standards despite winning the Bundesliga. He started his tenure brightly with seven straight wins across four competitions and the start of this run was a 5-0 win over his former club in the DFL-Supercup.

After a strong start, the Bavarian side is now without a win in four games. They picked up one point in the previous three league games and lost the previous two games without scoring while conceding a combined five goals. Their most recent defeat was by three goals to nil against Borussia Monchengladbach at home. In the Champions League, they were outplayed in a home game by Ajax in a 1-1 draw.

The current poor run is only four games long and one can argue that Bayern can swiftly turn things around given the quality of their team but it looks like Kovac has already fallen out with his players. Apparently, senior figures of the side are unhappy with his rotation policy and team selection.

The Bayern board has backed the manager in recent interviews but time is quickly running out for Kovac.

Bild | Bayern players are revolting against Niko Kovac's training methods. According to Bild-info, Kovac obliges his players to go on a bike ride for 20 minutes after every training and 30 minutes after every game for regeneration. This „overtime“ is annoying the players. pic.twitter.com/9Tksw38XCd

— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) October 12, 2018

#2. Julen Lopetegui – Real Madrid

Julen Lopetegui is another manager who took over at a major European team in the summer facing an uncertain future. The former Spain manager was deemed worthy of replacing Zinedine Zidane who won an unprecedented hat-trick of Champions League titles with the Los Blancos. The defending European Champions also sold Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer and that only made Lopetegui’s task even more daunting.

The Spaniard’s first competitive game in charge of Real Madrid was the UEFA Super Cup match against rivals Atletico Madrid. Atletico won the game 4-2 after extra time to inflict Real’s first defeat of the season. 

After the Super Cup, Real Madrid seemed to be adapting to Lopetegui’s philosophy and went on a run of five wins and one draw. During this run, they scored 15 goals and this led many to believe that Ronaldo wasn’t missed.

However, now, Real Madrid are without a win or a goal in four games and have lost three of those games. They were subjected to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Sevilla and a shock 1-0 loss to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

Lopetegui will be under pressure to turn things around but if he doesn’t win the El Clasico on 28 October, then he might be sacked for the second time this year. 

The absence of #CristianoRonaldo is proving costly for Julen #Lopetegui's #LosBlancos. pic.twitter.com/s7ExHviX6s

— Sportsbet.io India (@Sportsbet_io_IN) October 8, 2018

#1. Jose Mourinho – Manchester United

For a team that has dominated the Premier League era, Manchester United are currently on a league title drought for their own standards. Jose Mourinho was expected to be the man to lead United back to the glory days and the Portuguese managed delivered three trophies in his debut season despite finishing sixth in the league and being constantly criticized for the style of play.

The criticism of United’s style of play still persists but the results haven’t gone their way this season. After a trophyless season in 2017/18 during which a friction erupted between Mourinho and his star player Paul Pogba, there was pressure on Mourinho to deliver big this season.

However, after a poor summer transfer window which clearly annoyed Jose Mourinho, things have gone from bad to worse. United are currently eighth in the league table with 13 points and lost against Brighton, West Ham and at home to Spurs. They were also knocked out from the League Cup by Championship side Derby County in another home game.

Mourinho’s statements and reactions in the aftermath of these results haven’t helped his case either. The 3-2 comeback win against Newcastle United right before the international break may have saved Mourinho’s job for now but the game against Chelsea after the break will be crucial.

OFFICIAL: The FA have charged Jose Mourinho over comments he made in Portuguese to a television camera after Manchester United's game against Newcastle United. pic.twitter.com/z8LGErLSOO

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) October 16, 2018

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5 managers of big teams in danger of losing their jobs was originally published on 365 Football

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Champions League draw reaction Premier League clubs happy difficult for Spain’s big three

Alejandro Moreno and Ross Dyer rank Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool in terms of who got the hardest group draw in the UEFA Champions League.

ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno speaks of Virgil Van Dijk’s importance to Liverpool, after the Dutch star-man was awarded UEFA player of the year.

The draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage took place in Monaco on Thursday and, as ever, threw up some intriguing story lines. Mark Ogden picks his highlights and makes some predictions.

Jump to: Group A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H

English clubs get it easy

It is the luck of draw, but while the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid got groups with heavyweight rivals, the Premier League’s quartet will all be happy with their outcomes.

Tottenham landed Bayern Munich, but will expect to overcome Olympiakos and Red Star Belgrade, while Liverpool and Manchester City will expect to coast through as group winners and Chelsea are favoured to take Group H. Another year, another Man City vs. Shakhtar clash

The two clubs were paired together in the group stage for the third successive season, so it might take an imaginative publicity campaign to tempt supporters to turn out for this fixture again. City’s executives will be happy to land yet another group lacking big-name glamour, but their fans might have wished for a bit more star quality.

Group F is the most difficult

Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter were drawn together in Group F, alongside Slavia Prague, whose cheerful directors chuckled at the prospect of three huge games in the Czech capital. It will be different for the hierarchy at the other three, however, with concerns over missing a top-two spot due to the strength of competition.

Messi and Ronaldo get along

In recent years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have sat stony-faced with each other, as they wait to discover who has won the Player and Forward of the Year awards. This time around, the pair were laughing and joking — mainly at Eric Cantona’s speech — before the prizes were announced. Messi claimed best forward, but both missed out to Virgil van Dijk for the big one.

Eric Cantona

Having been given the UEFA President’s Award, convention dictated that Cantona give an acceptance speech. Dressed in jeans, creased shirt and flat cap, the former Manchester United forward made the most of his moment by quoting Shakespeare and discussing science and the ageing of cells, before closing by saying “I love football.” All of which left the audience utterly bewildered.

Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League is on Sept. 17 and 18.

Group A: PSG and Real Madrid go through

Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid meet in heavyweight clashes and while both will expect to progress to the Round of 16, the story of this group is likely to be about which team finishes top and earns a seeding in the knockout stages. Finishing second could lead to a nightmare draw against another Champions League big-hitter. Galatasaray and Club Brugge, meanwhile, will enjoy a tough battle for the Europa League spot that comes with third place.

B: Bayern Munich and Tottenham go through

Bayern and Tottenham will be favourites to qualify, but both must be wary of slipping up in hostile arenas when they travel to Athens and Belgrade for clashes with Olympiakos and Red Star. Red Star beat Liverpool 2-0 at home last season and are the dangerous outsider in this group; they could upset Spurs if last season’s runners-up fail to rediscover consistency. Olympiakos can be tough to beat at home, though they are something of a soft touch on the road.

C: Man City and Dinamo Zagreb go through

This group is basically a case of who will finish runners-up behind City, who are many observers’ favourites to win the Champions League. Shakhtar have the most recent pedigree in the competition, but Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta will believe they can reach the knockout stages. Champions League debutants Atalanta may suffer from losing home advantage by playing at the San Siro in Milan rather than their 21,000-capacity stadium in Bergamo.

– UEFA Champions League group-by-group draw – Van Dijk beats Messi, Ronaldo to UEFA POTY award  – Cantona delivers unique acceptance speech

D: Juventus and Leverkusen go through

Juventus and Atletico Madrid, who met in last season’s Round of 16, are the two to beat in this group, but Bayer Leverkusen could separate them. Juventus have strengthened in the summer, but questions hang over Atletico following the departures of Antoine Griezmann, Rodri and Diego Godin. Diego Simeone remains at the helm and has signed Portuguese wonderkid Joao Felix, but Leverkusen will be a tough nut to crack; Lokomotiv Moscow could also challenge for second.

E: Liverpool and Napoli go through

Reigning European champions Liverpool meet Napoli again, having played out two big encounters in last season’s group stage. Salzburg and Genk look to be making up the numbers, so Liverpool’s encounters with Napoli should decide who tops the group. Only a last-minute save by Alisson at Anfield stopped Napoli dumping Liverpool out at the group stage a year ago, so the Italians will fancy their chances.

F: Barcelona and Inter go through

The most eye-catching group of all features three previous winners — Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter — slugging it out for two places. Barca will expect to finish top, but Dortmund could beat them. Inter, meanwhile, are still an unknown quantity under Antonio Conte, but the nerrazzuri have plenty of quality so don’t take your eyes off this group. Slavia Prague make up the numbers.

G: Lyon and Leipzig go through

Zenit St Petersburg’s Twitter feed joked prior to the draw that the Russian champions were the top seed that everyone wanted to get. Benfica, Lyon and Leipzig were the lucky clubs in each pot and while this group might lack glamour, it is perhaps the most competitive, with all four teams in with a chance of qualifying. Lyon made it to the knockout stages last season and will be favourites.

H: Chelsea and Valencia go through

Europa League winners Chelsea will be delighted to get an Ajax team weakened by the departures of Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie De Jong, as well as a Valencia outfit that scraped in as Spain’s fourth qualifier and Lille, who finished a distant second to PSG in France. Chelsea, with Christian Pulisic signed to replace Eden Hazard, are in transition under Frank Lampard, but should top this group.

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Why you should watch the Bundesliga: Is this the year Bayern finally slip and Dortmund win it all?

This year’s Bundesliga season is upon us and so it seems only right to identify some intriguing themes for the coming months. With Bayern Munich having just advanced to a seventh successive championship, the Bavarians look like the obvious favourites for this year’s title, but that doesn’t account for some interesting developments elsewhere in the division, and nor does it give the full story of German football’s top flight.

Without further ado, here are seven intriguing storylines for you to watch (and a bonus one, just for fun).

1. Is this the year Bayern finally slip?

It is strange to refer as a club between eras when they’ve just won the league title and then added two World Cup winning full-backs to their squad, but that’s Bayern Munich for you.

The champions have signed Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard, from Atletico Madrid and VFB Stuttgart respectively, but questions remain. How will they cope with the loss of retired Arjen Robben, so often a reliable insurance policy off the bench in tight games? Will they be able to fend off a vengeful Dortmund?

Niko Kovac will enter his second season in charge, which is in itself something of an achievement given the continual criticism he faced last year. However, he seems to enjoy the respect of his players even as they stumbled out of the UEFA Champions League. Bayern’s focus must be on regaining the continent’s top prize, but they must be very careful not to take their eye off matters at home. (The bookmakers currently have them as odds-on favourites to retain the title, with Dortmund a distant second in the betting.)

Bayern have won a remarkable seven straight Bundesliga titles but will that mantle slip this season?

2. Dortmund’s unfinished business

To paraphrase the 1984 hit single by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, “the youth, the youth, the youth is on fire.”

Jadon Sancho scored one and set up the other to give Borussia Dortmund a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup — Germany’s traditional season opener — to confirm his status as one of the best forwards in Europe, young or otherwise. Sancho, 19, was a key force in Dortmund’s championship pursuit last season, a pursuit so sustained that it was easy to forget just how young they were: this season’s squad has an average age of 25, so you can expect more of the same. (Related: watch out this season for the occasional cameo from 16 year-old Gio Reyna, son of former U.S. international Claudio.)

Last time around, all Dortmund lacked was experience in key moments and they’ve since added that in the form of returning club legend, centre-back Mats Hummels. Most notable is the arrival of Julian Brandt, fresh off an eye-catching spell at Bayer Leverkusen. Last season, Dortmund found the net only times fewer than Bayern; with Brandt on their staff, a prodigious provider of assists and a reasonable goalscorer, they have a good chance of outscoring last season’s champions.

Jadon Sancho, right, and Dortmund are still young and finding their feet but they’ve got the talent and energy to win their first title in this decade.

3. The Nagelsmann era begins at RB Leipzig

The finest signing of the German transfer window was arguably not a footballer at all; it was the unveiling of Julian Nagelsmann, one of the most coveted coaches in Europe, at the helm of the RB Leipzig project.

Though Leipzig have attracted much criticism for their big-spending approach and corporate overlords, something that’s still a novelty in the Bundesliga, their progress remains inexorable: since being founded in 2009, they’ve soared from the fifth division up to the top, finishing second, sixth and third in three seasons among the giants. They had the best defensive record in the German top flight last season, and Nagelsmann believes that they can be contenders for the title. For that to be the case, though, he must galvanise his team’s attack, which has seen no major additions this summer.

RB Leipzig scored only 63 times in the league last season, 26 fewer than Bayern and 19 fewer than Dortmund. Nagelsmann will back himself to increase that output, given that his over-performing Hoffenheim team scored 70 times, the third-highest total last season. A front line featuring a mix of Timo Werner, Yussuf Poulsen and Emil Forsberg certainly has goals in it; the only question is, how many.

4. The arrival of Union Berlin

Union Berlin are playing their first-ever season in the Bundesliga since the original club was founded in 1906, which naturally means an intensification of their rivalry with Hertha Berlin, a longstanding Bundesliga side across the city.

Uersfeld: Inside Union Berlin’s promotion party

It’s a clash of contrasts: Hertha in the west against Union in the east, the wealthy incumbent against the working-class upstart. Yet Union are keen not to let inexperience cost them and have already assembled a squad of players with sufficient accomplishments at the highest level. The most eye-catching name is by far Neven Subotic, formerly of Borussia Dortmund, who played over 250 games for them in one of the most successful periods in their history; but Christian Gentner, a veteran and former captain of VFB Stuttgart, will also add some Bundesliga nous.

5. The rise of Kai Havertz

When one of the greatest footballers in history says that you could one day follow in his footsteps, you pay attention.

Lothar Matthäus, the first and only German to be named FIFA World Player of the year, recently stated that one day Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz could receive the same accolade. The German game loves a breakout star, reserving a special affection for its young players — just look at Sancho last season — and Havertz looks like being the next to find fame on the international stage.

At 20, the playmaker scored almost one goal every two games last season (20 in 42 matches), already has three caps for Germany and is the youngest ever to play 50 games in the Bundesliga.

Kai Havertz is Germany’s next great No.10 and should continue to improve as the fulcrum of Bayer Leverkusen’s attack this season.

6. Getting streetwise at Paderborn

How will newly promoted Paderborn adjust to the challenges of the Bundesliga? They have the division’s smallest stadium — with a capacity of 15,000, some 7,000 fewer than Union Berlin — and few stars in their squad, while just selling two of their leading goalscorers. Coach Steffen Baumgart will therefore have a particularly tough task on his hands but has made a commitment to keep his team up by playing attacking football.

Some cause for comfort is that the two players who scored in perhaps Paderborn’s most noteworthy win last season, a 4-1 win in mid-May over fellow promotion challengers SV Hamburg, are still at the club. Sebastian Vasiliadis and Christopher Antwi-Adjei, who both found the net twice in that startling victory, have been joined this summer by Rifet Kapić, who showed some promising touches in preseason.

The odds are against them but given the swaggering manner of their promotion (they scored 76 goals in 34 matches) you suspect that may be just how they like it.

7. Wolfsburg, a club hungry on two fronts

Last season was a strong one for VFL Wolfsburg as a club but left plenty of room for growth. In the 10th year since they won their only Bundesliga title, their men’s team finished sixth in the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, their women’s team clinched the league and cup double but were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage of the UEFA Champions League by eventual winners Lyon.

Winners of this trophy in 2013 and 2014, they will look to go yet further this year and spearheaded by Pernille Herder, Europe’s player of the year in 2018 and the Bundesliga’s top scorer last season, they are well-placed to do so. This summer, the men’s team has looked very good in preseason, most notably with a fine 2-0 win over PSV Eindhoven, and with the additions of Joao Victor they should score more of the goals that would raise them towards the league’s very elite.

And finally… someone is learning German

It would not normally be major news that a 56-year-old man is about to take up intensive German classes, but it is news when that man is Jose Mourinho.

The former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United boss revealed this information in an interview with Sky Sports, saying that he would be going to two or three lessons a week from September onwards. He also emphasised that he would persist with the language despite its difficulty, that he would be patient in awaiting the right job and that he would only consider a position in one of Europe’s top five leagues, in a club befitting his level.

Leaving us to connect the dots as he so obviously has, that would suggest that Bayern Munich are one club that may be particularly high in the former Man United manager’s esteem. It will be interesting to see how long Mourinho will wait and whether, once he becomes more explicit in his ambitions, Bayern will be at the tip of his tongue.

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Moise Kean: How did Everton land deal for superstar youngster?

Moise Kean’s arrival at Everton was one of the standout deals of the transfer window

Everton’s signing of Italy’s brilliant teenage striker Moise Kean from Juventus was one of the surprise deals of the transfer window.

Kean, 19, emerged as one of Europe’s top young attacking talents in Serie A last season, showing enough promise to be given his full international debut by manager Roberto Mancini in November 2018.

Juventus’ decision to sell Kean prompted surprise and anger among many of the club’s supporters – while Everton’s ability to close out the move was regarded as a major coup for the Merseysiders and director of football Marcel Brands.

This is how the Toffees secured the signature of one of Europe’s brightest young talents, and why former PSV director of football Brands is central to an effective recruitment process.

How the deal was done

Kean had been on the radar of the well-connected Brands, along with many others, for 18 months and Everton formulated plans for a loan deal in January, a window the Dutchman rarely likes to get involved in unless the circumstances and the players are special. Kean was one of those exceptions.

Juventus, with Serie A and Champions League commitments, were not receptive to any such deal, while in the remaining months of the season Kean’s profile rose dramatically on the strength of his performances and, sadly, when he was subjected to racist abuse during Juventus’ game in Cagliari in April.

This led to concerns behind the scenes at Goodison that a move for Kean, which was at the forefront of Brands’ plans, would now be more difficult. In March, he made his first start for the national side, scoring in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Finland, which Italy won 2-0. The goal meant he became his country’s youngest goalscorer, at just 19 years and 23 days, since Bruno Nicole in 1958.

Everton, however, remained convinced a deal could be done and all the pieces fell perfectly into place.

Brands and Everton chairman Bill Kenwright have a good working relationship with super-agent Mino Raiola, who represents Kean, while a changing of the guard at Juventus opened the door for a move.

Maurizio Sarri replaced Massimiliano Allegri, who was a mentor to the youngster, with Sarri’s personal favourite Gonzalo Higuain returning to Juve after loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea. Kean was being pushed down the pecking order.

Higuain joined an attacking force led by Cristiano Ronaldo and complemented by Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Douglas Costa and others.

Italian journalist Stefano Boldrini, London correspondent for Italian daily Gazetta dello Sport, told BBC Sport: “The story of Kean surprised a lot of people in Italy because at the end of last season he was very good. He scored for Juventus and he scored for Italy.

“But with Sarri and the Allegri departure, a lot of things changed in Juventus. The younger Kean had to move.

Moise Kean played 16 Serie A games for Juventus (five starts) and scored seven goals

“We spoke to Roberto Mancini and he said it is a pity younger Italian players do not find places and have to move. He said he is sure Everton will be a good experience because Everton is a well-organised, ambitious club who wants to get back into the big European competitions so it may be a good experience.”

Everton also took advantage of what could be called Juve’s ‘in the moment’ mentality which means they demand instant results rather than count on too many works in progress, such as Kean.

Juve also needed to recoup money after heavy outlay on fees and salaries on the likes of Ronaldo and, this summer, Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax and Aaron Ramsey from Arsenal.

Raiola, who also negotiated the De Ligt deal, knows he can work with Brands and Kenwright and regarded Everton as the ideal club for Kean to get regular football, not guaranteed at Juventus and perhaps not by other clubs who may have taken an interest such as Inter Milan, Arsenal and Manchester United.

This all enabled Everton to strike a deal which resembles a real bargain at £27m with add-ons that will leave any potential final fee just short of £30m.

The final flourish was added when Everton were able to seal the deal without the buy-back clause Juve would have preferred.

Everton’s personal touch

Everton director of football Brands brings the personal touch to his transfer dealings, believing it can make the difference when closing out the sort of deals that are his trademark – namely young, emerging talent that can serve a club well and retain serious sell-on value.

In other words, Moise Kean.

It was a key factor in convincing Kean that Goodison Park was the place for him.

The approach was perfectly illustrated on the day Kean signed for Everton in the presence of his mother, who was handed a personalised Everton shirt by Brands as he told her: “We will take care of your son.”

Joep Schreuder, leading presenter with Dutch state broadcaster NOS, told BBC Sport: “This deal for Moise Kean is typical of Marcel Brands.

“He talks to the wives of the players, to the family. He knows everything – and I mean everything. If Kean has a nephew he will know about him.

“Marcel knows the hard world of money but gives it a personal touch. It is his way of persuading and convincing players to come. He plays the family card. He will know everything about the mother, the father, the family, their circumstances.”

Kean has revealed how impressed he was on first meeting with Brands – and it is his attention to detail that proved key in persuading the young Italian and others that Everton is a club on a new footing and the perfect platform for the next stage of a career.

Of course finance plays a big part, but the Kean deal and others were based on a personal presentation given to each prospective signing on how Everton see them working within the squad, analysis of the player, performance statistics, strengths and capabilities, different systems and styles they may be expected to play.

When Everton agreed a deal with Manchester City for Fabian Delph, Brands went to the England midfield man’s house to deliver his pitch and presentation.

Kean felt this additional detail demonstrated how much Everton wanted him, how much homework had been done and how they mapped out his future. Brands made it clear to Kean he was a desired investment and not simply a commodity.

Brands used this approach while sporting director at PSV, persuading the in-demand Mexican attacker Hirving Lozano to leave Pachuca for the Dutch club in the summer of 2017. It was a deal six months in the making, including two visits to the player and his family.

Lozano, who helped win the league title in his first season when Brands was still at the club, is now moving to Napoli in a 42m euros deal.

The Brands touch worked on Lozano and it worked on Kean.

Everton also have a three-tier care system for players once they have signed to ensure they have no off-field distractions, so Kean will even have details such as a National Insurance number, mobile phone, car and housing options all dealt with by designated members of staff.

Brands, who has formed a shrewd negotiating partnership with chairman Kenwright, put the full force of his package in front of Kean and completed what may prove to be a transfer of real significance for Everton.

The Brands factor

The 57-year-old Dutchman arrived from PSV in May 2018, replacing Steve Walsh as director of football after his disastrous spell. Such has been his impact that he was appointed to Everton’s board seven months after his arrival and placed in charge of overall football strategy at the club.

Marcel Brands told Moise Kean’s mother: “We will look after your son”

Kean’s acquisition has his imprint all over it – a young player ripe for development placed in the hands of the manager, in this case Marco Silva, to apply the polish.

It is a strategy that has served him well, such as when he acquired the young Georginio Wijnaldum from Feyenoord at PSV in 2011 and when he brought the tyro Mousa Dembele from Willem II to AZ Alkmaar in 2006, the former Spurs midfield man playing a key role in their unlikely Eredivisie title triumph three years later.

“He has an unbelievable knowledge of world football and this Kean deal shows everything about Marcel Brands to me,” Schreuder added.

“He is adaptable and creative – remember he did so many smart deals with not so much money at AZ and PSV. He is never lazy and he is so well-connected.

“Marcel is a correct guy with good manners. He talks to families but he can also take coffee with agents such as Raiola and the owners of the big clubs in the world.

“He has signed Kean and it will not be his last like this. He can do other types of deals too.

“Let’s say there is a player who is not in a good way at a big club, then Marcel Brands will try to persuade him that there can be new life in football, new fun, that his wife will be happy and then maybe in two years you might move on but first give us two years at Everton. “

Brands has given Everton’s transfer strategy the new dimension of a man at the helm whose name means something when he calls the big clubs and agents, an area where Walsh struggled.

Everton have now done three deals with Barcelona for Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes and also negotiated smartly with Juventus to sign Kean.

How big is Everton’s coup?

Kean has already generated real excitement at Everton, particularly with his explosive cameo as a substitute in the 1-0 win against Watford.

Former Everton winger and BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin saw a lot of Kean last season – and believes his former club have engineered what could be the best piece of business this summer.

Moise Kean career stats Team Appearances Goals Verona 20 4 Juventus 21 7 Everton 2 0 Italy 3 2

He told BBC Sport: “I can see this being the deal of the season. When I look at the players who have been bought, say like Joelinton at £40m to Newcastle, Kean is miles ahead and the price is cheaper.

“Kean is also much younger. I was staggered by the relatively low price Everton have paid and also thought an Arsenal or a Chelsea might try to get him as well.”

He added: “I’m not shocked Everton got him. I just thought they would have to spend a lot more. Three, four or five years down the line he could become an Everton great. He has such potential.

“He has work-rate, match intelligence. I love him as a player and told quite a lot of people about him.

“I don’t really go on about that many players. I remember telling people to go and get Virgil van Dijk when he was at Celtic, Kieran Tierney from Celtic. There are very few you think are a no-brainer but, if you have watched Kean often enough, he is. I think this could be a fantastic deal at an incredible price.”

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