Happy Monday! The first weekend of the new year provided plenty of entertainment on the field, as well as some major stories off it as the January transfer window begins to kick into full gear. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Monday, Jan. 8
🏆 EA Sports FC 24 Team of the Year Voting Kickoff Show, 2 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 FA Cup: Wigan vs. Manchester United, 3:15 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Tuesday, Jan. 9
🏴 EFL Cup: Middlesbrough vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
⚽ The Forward Line
🛑 Kylian Mbappe isn't going anywhere … yet
Kylian Mbappe's future was a hot topic of discussion over the weekend as a wide variety of rumors made the rounds, all of which had cold water poured over them this morning. "There is no agreement around the future of Kylian," the player's representatives said in a statement, and though they added little detail about the options in front of him, it's clear he will have a major decision to make sooner rather than later.
Real Madrid, a long time suitor, has reportedly set a mid-January deadline for Mbappe to make a decision but as Jonathan Johnson writes, it seems unlikely he will meet it. The player has several good reasons to wait on making a decision, both as it pertains to his professional ambitions and negotiating power.
- Johnson: "It makes little sense for Mbappe to commit his future to PSG without knowing what will happen in the Champions League with Real Sociedad the French giants' round of 16 opponents, which offers a golden chance to reach the quarterfinals and potentially go deeper. … Committing to Real this early, ahead of a potentially Ballon d'Or worthy run of success with both club and country, given France's UEFA Euro 2024 and Olympic interests, would deprive Mbappe of the strongest possible negotiating position should he succeed -- which he absolutely believes he can. It also is unlikely given the fact that, at this moment, the one thing that PSG likely hold over any other interested suitor, Real or otherwise, is the fact that they agreed to release him to represent Les Bleus at the Paris games this summer, which would be a big ask for any other club to match."
While Mbappe stays put in Paris for now, another surprise move stole the spotlight at the start of the weekend. Reports emerged early Saturday that Timo Werner would swap RB Leipzig for Tottenham Hotspur on loan with an option for a full transfer. Should the move go through, it would mark a shock return to England for Werner after a less-than-ideal stint with Chelsea but as Chuck Booth writes, it might just be a good fit if Ange Postecoglou leaves a spot on the wing open and opts to play Son Heung-min centrally.
- Booth: "Postecoglou's attack is built on spacing and quick passing which is where Werner can excel. While his issues finishing chances are well documented, with Werner only scoring 12 goals from an expected goals of 21.10 in the Premier League and Bundesliga during the last three seasons, Werner can also play a pass from wide areas. With nine assists from an expected assist total of 4.18, if Werner is played with good finishers, he can become a provider after creating space by running the channels with his elite speed."
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🏆 FA Cup takes over
Teams across England and Wales took a break from league play for the FA Cup third round over the weekend, when Premier League teams entered the fray. Most of the top clubs secured fairly easy passageway to the next round, most notably reigning champions Manchester City with a 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town. There's one more big game on the calendar: today's matchup between Manchester United and Wigan Athletic.
As the heavy favorites, the game offers United a chance to keep things routine in the middle of a season that has been anything but. They have just one win in their last five games in all competitions and were scoreless in three of those games, but have had more than a week to recover from a year-end defeat to Nottingham Forest. United are still missing several players through injury, but with most of their options in attack available, the expectation will be on them to get the job done.
While United aim to join England's other top sides with wins in the third round, one of them is already out of the running. Arsenal dominated but ultimately lost 2-0 to Liverpool yesterday, meaning the Gunners now have just one win in their last seven. A trademark of Arsenal's poor run has been a total inefficiency in attack and according to Charlie Davies, Mikel Arteta's team selection is worth questioning after his team's elimination from the FA Cup.
- Davies: "They're missing a striker. We know Kai Havertz is not a striker. It didn't work out at Chelsea long term. Arsenal bought him to come in as a midfielder or an inverted winger at the best, but more an attacking midfielder. He's been played at the 9. Mind you, [Eddie] Nketiah, whose been the replacement for [Gabriel] Jesus, was on the bench. Gabriel Martinelli, on the bench, so [Arteta] had other options. He chose to go with Kai Havertz leading the line."
🔗 Top Stories
🇩🇪 Franz Beckenbauer dies: The legendary German known as "Der Kaiser" died at age 78. He won the World Cup as a player and a manager with Germany as well as coming to the United States as part of the legendary New York Cosmos side.
🇧🇷 Zagallo dies: Mario Zagallo, the first person to win the World Cup as a player and a manager, died at the age of 92, his family announced over the weekend.
🏆 Team of the year: Ahead of today's EA Sports FC 24 Voting Kickoff Show, the Morning Footy crew picks their teams of the year from 2023.
🤝 Transfer window latest: More on Werner's potential move to Spurs, plus a look at what Serie A's top teams need to do during the January transfer window.
🩹 Kerr ruptures ACL: Australia and Chelsea forward Sam Kerr ruptured her ACL during the English club's warm weather camp in Morocco and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, highlighting the continuing streak of ACL tears in the women's game.
🇮🇹 Italy check in: Roma picked up a win over Atalanta but left something to be desired, while VAR stole the show at the end of Inter's win over Hellas Verona and Napoli's Pasquale Mazzocchi had arguably the worst debut one could envision.
❌ Diniz out: Brazil fired interim coach Fernando Diniz after just two wins in six games and as they embark on a managerial search before the Copa America now that Carlo Ancelotti is out of the running.
🇺🇸 USMNT roster drop: An MLS-heavy roster makes up the group for the USMNT's January camp. Plus, a look at which Americans are worth keeping an eye on in 2024.
🔮 NWSL mock draft: Ahead of Friday's NWSL Draft, here's a look at which talents from college soccer are earning interest from the league's 14 teams.
🇫🇷 Hitting the road: After an 8,000 mile trip, Martinique-based Golden Lion lost 12-0 to Lille in the Coupe de France on Saturday.
🗳️ Vote for Attacking Third: Attacking Third is up for Best Diverse Voice Podcast at the 2024 Sports Podcast Awards, and you can vote for them here.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- FA Cup: Wigan Athletic vs. Manchester United, Monday, 3:15 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Under 2.75 goals scored (+125) -- Manchester United might be the heavy favorites in this one, but they are usually underwhelming on the days they win, and that might not change despite the fact that they're facing lower-tier opposition. - EFL Cup: Middlesbrough vs. Chelsea, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Both teams will not score (+110) -- Another one-sided affair is seemingly on its way in a different English cup, this time when Chelsea head to Middlesbrough for the EFL Cup semifinals. It should be a fairly routine outing for them, and they are the favorites to come out with a clean sheet.
📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.
📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.
3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Just because the NWSL season is over doesn't mean that our coverage of the women's game is going anywhere. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT. NWSL offseason and European domestic season all winter long.
👟 Kickin' It (Tuesday, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
