Jose Mourinho says because of the riches of other Premier League clubs Manchester United are no longer able to tempt rival clubs to sell their best players. AFP
Jose Mourinho says because of the riches of other Premier League clubs Manchester United are no longer able to tempt rival clubs to sell their best players. AFP

Jose Mourinho concedes Manchester United no longer able to tempt best players to move



Jose Mourinho believes the Premier League landscape has changed to such an extent that Manchester United are no longer able to entice their rivals with big-money offers for players.

United were once the financial powerhouses in the English top flight but the proliferation of billionaire owners and the lucrative broadcast deals means other clubs no longer feel obliged to sell their prize assets.

Mourinho pointed to the example of United paying large sums to Tottenham Hotspur for Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov and asserted that a similar swoop for Harry Kane or Dele Alli, for example, would be nigh-on impossible.

The Portuguese therefore accepts that any additions to his squad may have to be below the elite level - although he expects minimal movement at United in the January transfer window.

He said: "It's more difficult to buy players of a high, high, high level. The clubs are more powerful. The clubs don't want to sell, and to sell is to go to absolutely incredible levels.

"Before the smaller clubs were almost begging the big clubs, 'Get my best players. I need to sell. Please, you are powerful. Buy my best player'. At this moment, they don't want to sell.

"A few years ago, who was Tottenham's best player? Michael Carrick. And a few years later, who was the best player? Berbatov. Can we go there now and bring Harry Kane? Dele Alli, [Christian] Eriksen, Son [Heung-min]? Can we go there and bring those players here? No.

"The transfer market is very difficult unless the clubs want to go to what I call crazy numbers.

"You have no chance in the market unless you go to crazy numbers, or instead you go to what you call the second level players and still have crazy numbers, but that second level is the level people say, and I agree, that's not what Manchester United is.

"Honestly, I don't think we are going to sign [anyone in January]. If we do, I would say one player. I don't see us going more than that."

_____________

Read more:

Andy Mitten: Relief, but not much else to shout about as Manchester United reach Champions League last 16

Merseyside derby: Liverpool have gone from cavalier to cautious just as Everton have made the opposite journey

Pep Guardiola admits Fifa plan will change Manchester City's transfer policy

Premier League predictions: Liverpool and Manchester City march on

_____________

United visit Southampton on Saturday as they head into a month where Mourinho is eyeing a concerted push up the table as they look to close the gap on the top four.

He anticipates being without Alexis Sanchez for the hectic festive schedule, with the Chilean forward set for around six weeks on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring in training on Thursday.

Sanchez has endured a disappointing few months since leaving Arsenal for United in January and was left out of the squad altogether for the midweek Uefa Champions League win over Young Boys.

Mourinho rejected speculation of a falling out with Sanchez, and empathised with the 29-year-old forward's fortunes, as he expressed his exasperation that other managers are not similarly scrutinised for how they treat their big names.

He added: "When we speak about Alexis, I think you should ask why every time a player is not playing in Manchester United, there is always a rumour. There is always a problem. It's only here.

"In Chelsea when Willian doesn't play there is no problem with Willian and [Maurizio] Sarri. In Man City, when Gabriel Jesus is not playing for weeks, there is never a problem. It is just a normal decision.

"Here is the only club where every day the manager has problems with the players. You make me feel very, very special because I am the one who is different from everybody else.

"But speaking about Alexis - a frustrating season. It's a season where he is not playing a lot, where he had small injuries, where he now has a big injury.

"I don't like and don't believe in the word curse but I have to admit it was probably a very unlucky six months, and we expect the new year brings better things for him."

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5

 

 

 

The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.

Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

SPECS

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
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Company Profile

Company name: Yeepeey

Started: Soft launch in November, 2020

Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani

Based: Dubai

Industry: E-grocery

Initial investment: $150,000

Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

The specs

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000

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