62 2GM Tuesday July 21 2020 | the times
SportFootball
Manchester City made their first move
in the transfer market yesterday when
they inquired about the Bournemouth
defender Nathan Aké.
Pep Guardiola wants to sign two
centre backs this summer and likes the
25-year-old Holland defender because
he is left-footed and can also play at left
back, which has proven to be another
problem position for the City manager.
City have not at this point told
Bournemouth how much they are
willing to bid for Aké but have made it
clear that they would be interested in
buying him at the end of the season.
Bournemouth are resigned to losing
the player. They have previously valued
him at £35 million, although that figure
may go down if the club are relegated.
Chelsea are also thought to be interest-
ed in Aké, who left Stamford Bridge for
Bournemouth in a £20 million deal
three years ago.
Guardiola, meanwhile, has lashed
out at the Arsenal board, claiming that
he has little respect for how they
conduct their affairs.
It is understood that Guardiola and
the City hierarchy are annoyed with
Arsenal over their role in a campaign
linked to the club’s appeal to the Court
of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the
way in which they went about appoint-
ing Mikel Arteta. When City played
Arsenal in December, officials from the
north London club offered Arteta the
job in a secret meeting at his Manches-
ter house. Arteta was Guardiola’s assist-
ant at the time and no one else at City
was aware of the meeting despite the
two clubs’ executives sharing a board-
room hours earlier.
Three months later Arsenal were one
of ten clubs who wrote to the CAS in an
effort to thwart any City attempt at
delaying their two-year Champions
League ban while their appeal was
being considered. Last week the CAS
lifted the ban.
“Arsenal, I have all the respect for
what they are on the pitch — not much
off the pitch — but on the pitch, a lot,”
Guardiola said, after they had beaten
his side 2-0 in the FA Cup semi-final.
It is not the first example of bad blood
between the clubs. In 2009 Arsène
Wenger, then the Arsenal manager,
suggested that City were guilty of
“financial doping” by spending so much
in the transfer market after signing
Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor
from Arsenal.Nigel Pearson is to be paid a £1 million
bonus if Watford stay in the Premier
League despite being dismissed as their
head coach with two matches of the
season left.
Watford are three points above the
relegation zone and their fate will be
decided on the final day unless they
avoid defeat at home to Manchester
City tonight. Pearson’s bonus is not
dependent on him being in charge and
the money would reflect him collecting
25 points from 20 league matches to lift
the team from the bottom of the table
when he took charge in December.
Pearson, 56, signed the deal until the
end of May and it was extended to cover
the prolonged season.
Zlatko Dalic, the Croatia manager, is
among the long-term candidates to
succeed Pearson, who remains shocked
by his sacking. Some of the disagree-
Chelsea near Havertz deal
Gary JacobSacked Pearson set to get his £1m bonus
ment with the club appeared to stem
from their unhappiness that he
replaced the injured Étienne Capoue
with Tom Cleverley instead of Natha-
niel Chalobah in the 3-1 defeat by West
Ham United on Friday. Pearson gave
the team a “dressing-down” at half-time.
Pearson has exchanged good luck
messages with Hayden Mullins, who
has been put in temporary charge for
the second time this season. Under
Mullins, Watford lost 2-0 to Leicester
City and drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace
in his two matches in December. He
said that the players have a sense of
responsibility and wanted to complete
the job for Pearson.
“The players know the enormity of
the task,” Mullins said. “We can’t be
complacent. We have worked hard to
get ourselves into a good head space.”
Mullins rejected the suggestion that
Troy Deeney, the striker, would also
help with coaching. “Troy’s focus issolely on playing,” he said. “He is a
fantastic leader for us.”
When Mullins reported for training
on Sunday morning he was asked to
meet Gino Pozzo, the Watford owner,
and Scott Duxbury, the chairman, who
told him he would be taking charge.
Pozzo and Duxbury then held a meet-
ing with the players. Watford’s survival
could depend on maintaining a better
goal difference than Aston Villa and
Bournemouth. At present they have a
four-goal advantage but have conceded
14 times without scoring in the past two
meetings against City.
Pearson has tweeted his appreciation
for the support he had received from
fans. “Although not able to finish the
task I was brought in to achieve, I wish
Watford the best for their final two
games,” he said.
Watford v Manchester City Tonight,
6pm. TV Sky Sports Main Event.
Radio BBC 5 live.Gary Jacob
Chelsea have edged closer to signing
Kai Havertz, the Germany attacking
midfielder, while also stepping up their
interest in West Ham United’s Declan
Rice.
The west London club are willing to
meet Havertz’s wage demands and
appear to face no rivals for the Bayer
Leverkusen star’s signature. However,
they appear to be offering less than
£70 million plus bonuses for a player
whom Leverkusen value at closer to
£90 million.
Havertz, 21, has told the Bundesliga
club that he wants to leave and
Leverkusen are expected to hold talks
with Petr Cech, the Chelsea technical
and performance adviser, after the
Premier League season ends on
Sunday.
Leverkusen have told Havertz and
Chelsea that they are counting on himplaying for them in their Europa
League campaign next month. They
hold a 3-1 lead over Rangers from the
first leg of their round-of-16 tie. The
club, who finished fifth in the Bundesli-
ga, would qualify for next season’s
Champions League if they can win the
Europa League.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have faced
resistance in their efforts to bring Rice
back to Stamford Bridge. The England
midfielder, 21, joined West Ham from
Chelsea at the age of 14. West Ham are
in a stronger position to keep the player
having all but secured their Premier
League status with victory over
Watford on Friday. It is understood that
they do not want to sell.
Chelsea are willing to offer Ross
Barkley and Michy Batshuayi, both 26,
as part of a swap deal, but West Ham
are not believed to be interested in
either the England midfielder or the
Belgium striker.City keen on
Aké to bolster
their defence
Paul HirstDean Henderson believes that he is
good enough to displace David de Gea
as Manchester United’s No 1 next
season, but he will seek another loan
move unless he receives assurances
that he will have a serious chance of
being first choice at Old Trafford.
De Gea’s place in Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer’s team has been brought into
question again after he let Mason
Mount’s shot squirm through his hands
in United’s 3-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat
by Chelsea — the latest in a string of
costly blunders.
Solskjaer could replace De Gea, 29,
with Sergio Romero for tomorrow’s
crucial match at home to West Ham
United but, in the longer term, Hender-
son, 23, is convinced that he can
displace De Gea as Solskjaer’s
first-choice goalkeeper next season
after enjoying a successful second year
on loan with Sheffield United.
It is understood that the England
Under-21 international is willing to
return to Old Trafford next season, but
only if Solskjaer suggests that he will
have a chance of being No 1. If not, the
academy graduate, who is expected to
be called up to the senior England
squad in September, will seek a loan
move elsewhere.
Sheffield United want Henderson
back next season but he may seek a
loan move to a bigger club if a suitable
offer comes along.
Henderson is also believed to be in
talks with United over a new and
improved deal. His present
contract, which he
signed 12 months ago,
expires in two years’ time
and is worth £35,000 a week.
He is after a bigger deal worth about
£100,000 a week after his form at Bram-
all Lane has enhanced his reputation.
De Gea signed a new four-year
contract worth £375,000 a week last
September.
Henderson is regarded as one of the
best English goalkeepers in the Premier
League alongside Nick Pope, of
Burnley, and Gareth Southgate’s No 1,
Jordan Pickford, who has struggled at
times this season for Everton.
De Gea’s form is a source of concern
for Solskjaer and his squad. It is under-
stood that some United players are
worried about the fact that De Gea has
made several costly mistakes over the
past two years. This season alone the
Spain international has been culpable
for conceding soft goals against Totten-
ham Hotspur, Everton and Watford.
In some training sessions this season,
his performances have not been up to
scratch either, according to sources.
Solskjaer’s decision to start De Gea
ahead of Romero annoyed the
33-year-old, who had played in each of
United’s FA Cup games until last
weekend. Romero, who joined United
on a free transfer in 2015 and has won
96 caps for Argentina, is arguably the
best back-up goalkeeper in the PremierLeague. He has kept 38
clean sheets in his 59
appearances for the club.
Solskjaer will need an assured
performance from whoever he picks in
goal tomorrow. A win would lift United
above fourth-placed Leicester City,
whom they play in the final game of the
season on Sunday. Chelsea, who are
one point and one place above
Leicester, take on Liverpool tomorrow
before facing Wolverhampton Wan-
derers in their final match.Eric Bailly, meanwhile, has thanked
the supporters who wished him well
after he suffered a head injury in an aer-
ial collision with Harry Maguire, his
team-mate, on Sunday. The 26-year-
old United centre back was taken to
hospital but was released on Sunday
night.
“I am OK,” he wrote on Twitter. “It
was just a scare. I feel the pain of yester-
day’s defeat even more. But we have to
get back up and refocus on the two big
games we have this week.”kHenderson eyes United No 1 spot
after string of errors by De Gea
Dean
Henderson
Man Utd 2015-present (0
games); Grimsby, loan, 2016-17
(7 games, 6 goals conceded);
Shrewsbury, loan, 2017-18
(48, 39); Sheff Utd, loan,
2018-present (85, 75)David
de Gea
Atletico Madrid B, 2008-09
(31 games, 37 goals conceded);
Atletico Madrid, 2009-11
(84, 112); Manchester
United, 2011-present
(402, 414)De Gea Henderson
36 Appearances 35
35 Goals conceded 30
63.1 Save % (inside box) 68.6
90.5 Save % (out box) 94.4
7 Catches 15
1 Drops 4
32.6% Long pass accuracy 31.2%
98.5% Short pass accuracy 98.6%Records this season
Paul Hirst