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The “Northern Notebook” is i‘s weekly look inside the biggest football clubs in the north of England, providing insight, analysis and news on the burning issues of the day

Newcastle United’s first post-takeover sponsorship deal has raised hopes at the club that they will be able to broker a significant uplift in the value of their main club sponsor next season.

Fresh from completing the signing of Sven Botman this week, the club have turned their attention to trying to lure some of the best young talent to the club. Newcastle have negotiated a deal to sign 18-year-old England under-age international left-back Jordan Hackett from Spurs and are interested in Southampton’s 16-year-old prodigy Tyler Dibling.

It is part of a long-term strategy at St James’ Park that will see investment but also the need to raise commercial revenue to stay within financial fair play regulations. They are hampering Newcastle’s hopes of adding further to their squad – even though the club are remaining active in the market.

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As i revealed earlier this month, the club have negotiated an early break from Fun88 and have put their main sponsor out to tender.

Online marketplace Noon – which is owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, who are 80 per cent owners of Newcastle – has agreed to pay what club sources say is a ‘low’ seven figure sum to be the club’s sleeve sponsors. But it far outstrips last season’s deal with travel company Kayak.

There have been eyebrows raised that the new sponsor is so closely linked to PIF but it’s understood the deal has gone through the Premier League’s new sponsorship assessment panel, which has been set up to ensure ‘fair market price’ is being paid for commercial tie-ins.

i understands the club can point to hugely increased web traffic to back up their case that Newcastle’s profile – along with interest in the club both at home and overseas – has shot up since Mike Ashley sold the club in the autumn of 2021.

For all that, they are looking to sign the next big thing rather than big names on sizeable contracts – which makes last week’s links to Neymar in international media something of a non-starter.

Perhaps someone should tell midfielder Joelinton, though, after he sent out a tongue-in-cheek message to the Brazil forward telling him to join Newcastle. “We can get him a spot. If he comes, it will be – I can’t explain it,” he said.

“The 10 shirt is waiting for him. I’ll send a message to Bruno (Guimaraes). He has his number, he will send a message inviting him to play here.”

In reality, the club continue to monitor Armando Broja’s situation at Chelsea. Reims forward Hugo Ekitike remains of interest even though talks have broken off for now.

Brentford lead Lewis-Potter chase

Brentford have emerged as front runners to sign Hull City’s Keane Lewis-Potter, one of the Championship’s most coveted young players.

i understands the Bees have offered around £16million for Lewis-Potter, who is an England under-21 international and is keen on a move to the Premier League.

There has been strong interest from Everton and West Ham but Brentford have moved decisively to secure his signing with an offer that has forced Hull to – reluctantly – sell.

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Fabio Borini keen on Sunderland return

Former Sunderland striker Fabio Borini is interested in a surprise Black Cats return, i understands.

Borini, who can play anywhere across the front three, is currently with Turkish Super Lig club Fatih Karagumuruk and scored three times in 21 appearances last season. But the 31-year-old is keen to return to England and the player has been offered to Sunderland as they look to add to their squad ahead of their return to the Championship next season.

Borini played close to 100 games on Wearside across a loan spell which was converted to a permanent move in 2015. He returned to Milan in 2017 after Sunderland’s relegation but has always retained an affection for the club and any move would add experience and know-how to a relatively young Sunderland side.

Sunderland have favoured youth in their recruitment drive and it remains to be seen how far – if at all – the move goes. Last season’s reunion with Jermaine Defoe was disastrous but Borini has been playing regularly and at 31 still believes he has many good years ahead of him.

Alex Neil has funds available to strengthen after Sunderland’s much-needed promotion via the play-offs.

The Black Cats have agreed a deal with Arsenal for promising defender Daniel Ballard, who spent last season on loan at Millwall. He can play either as a centre-back or defensive midfielder.

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Frank Lampard will be backed in the transfer market to replace Richarlison after Everton agreed a deal to sell their talisman to Tottenham for a deal worth £60million.

A week of tortuous negotiations between Spurs and Everton finally reached a conclusion on Thursday morning but only after the Toffees rejected what they considered a ‘derisory’ written offer of £40million at 4pm on Wednesday. They had already knocked back a proposal that would have included Anthony Gordon, who is regarded as a critical part of Lampard’s rebuild.

Negotiations are understood to have become increasingly tense between Daniel Levy and Bill Kenwright, with the latter increasingly frustrated at attempts by his Spurs counterpart to low ball Everton on their most saleable asset.

In the end, a £60million deal works for all parties, with Spurs getting a key target of Antonio Conte’s while Everton are now able to arm Lampard with a sizeable fund to shape a squad that needs major surgery after last season’s brush with relegation.

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As reported in i last week Richarlison, who had his Tottenham medical in Brazil, where he is currently on holiday, had indicated to the club that he wanted to leave to play Champions League football.

The timing of the deal means that Everton are now able to include the sale in the 2021-22 financial figures, which gives them much greater wriggle room to re-invest in the transfer market. Had a deal been done after July 1, it would have had a major impact on what Lampard could spend.

But Everton sources have downplayed the idea that the club had to sell to avoid Premier League penalties for breaching financial sustainability rules. The club has been working with the league to stay within those parameters after racking up big losses over consecutive seasons.

While losing Richarlison is a big blow, the club are now set to keep Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the club in the face of interest from Newcastle and others. And Everton are set to step up efforts to secure players capable of increasing the club’s goal threat.

But i can reveal that a deal for Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks will not be pursued by Lampard after the Everton manager did extensive due diligence on the England international.

Instead, they will concentrate on targets elsewhere – with the club having made a pitch to Christian Eriksen, the Denmark international who is considering where to play next after his successful stint with Brentford.

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Chelsea’s Connor Gallagher is a player Lampard likes but whether the Blues will sell is another matter. He has just returned from a successful spell at Crystal Palace, where he earned an England call-up, and early indications are that he will be part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans for next season.

Whether a move to Everton might appeal is another matter.

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A major row is brewing between the biggest clubs in European football and the hundreds of others across the continent over the disparity in revenue distribution from Uefa competitions.

And Manchester United are digging their heels in to maintain the status quo.

Changes are due to come into effect in two years. The current cycle runs from 2021 to 2024.

The European Leagues group, which represents more than 1,000 clubs in 37 professional leagues, released data revealing that £2.3bn of the £2.95bn annual income from Uefa competitions from the current 2021-24 cycle went to 96 clubs, with only £143.7m split among the remaining 750.

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Revenues from 2024 to 2027 are predicted to reach around £4.1bn per year and those pushing for fairer distribution, including the European Leagues, warn that failure to address the current imbalance will destroy competitive balance in domestic leagues and competitions.

That would, it is feared, make it even harder for other clubs to qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League in future.

The stark figures were presented at a meeting of the Club Advisory Platform – attended by more than 400 football figures from 37 countries covering 240 clubs, 32 leagues and officials from Fifa and Uefa – in Amsterdam recently.

Jacco Swart, managing director of the European Leagues, gave the presentation in which he urged clubs to join forces to resist attempts by the small group of Europe’s biggest clubs to further cement their dominance by refusing to share income from Uefa competitions.

A “conclusions” report from the meeting stated that “the influence of Uefa club competitions [UCC] on the future of domestic competitions is growing, and not in the right direction unfortunately. Domestic competitive balance is being further disrupted and undermined. Not only financially, but also sportingly and organisationally.

“Given what is at stake, joint action is needed. If nothing changes, financial and sporting polarisation will continue to grow, resulting in more and more clubs and competitions suffering negative consequences.

“To defend and protect the interests of all domestic competitions and clubs in Europe, meaningful and potentially drastic changes in the UCC’s distribution model for post 2024 are required. Clubs and domestic leagues together, have their own individual responsibility to redistribute centralised revenues, in such a way that it contributes to having exciting domestic competitions at all professional levels. The international club competitions must support and encourage these goals, not make them harder to achieve.”

It is hoped that the Club Advisory Platform can be used to bring clubs together to resist Europe’s biggest clubs pushing for a larger cut of revenues.

But Manchester United’s chief financial officer, Cliff Baty, has argued that the reason revenues are increasing is due to the lure of Europe’s most lucrative clubs.

“One thing I would say from our perspective is that (the split) gives us a degree of certainty that helps in terms of sustainability, and all the discussions that are happening around financial sustainability and financial fair play in football,” he said. “If you take that away, it’s going to increase the volatility and it’s going to be more difficult for us to manage.

“And whilst I appreciate the sentiment of wanting to give more money (to smaller clubs and those outside European competition) the pie is getting bigger – (and) the reason the broadcasters are paying that much money is for the product, frankly at the Champions League level.”

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Manchester United finished sixth in the Premier League last season and will play in the Europa League next campaign.

Baty added: “If you’re changing the distribution and wanting more money, I think you’ve got to be careful. We all know where the value is created, let’s not kid ourselves.

“I think we should put more money down, I totally agree with the sentiment, but the value is created at the top.

“So if you start changing that, and making it more difficult for the bigger clubs to perform, it’s hard.”

It is thought that formal discussions will begin on the distribution of finances from Uefa competitions in Autumn and continue into next year.

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England must use playing at home to their advantage if they are to end their semi-final hoodoo and win Euro 2022 this summer, according to Karen Carney.

The Lionesses have reached the final four in each of the previous two World Cups and did likewise in the last European Championship in 2017 when they lost against the host nation the Netherlands, who were managed by current England boss Sarina Wiegman.

Wiegman, who replaced Phil Neville as England boss in September, certainly appears to have whipped her squad into good shape judging by Friday’s warm-up against the Dutch at Elland Road when they ran out emphatic 5-1 winners.

“I played in Holland in 2017. They beat us and went on to win it and they had that home crowd advantage with the buzz and the atmosphere… players embrace that. I think we will have to constantly play on that,” Carney, who was capped 144 times, tells i.

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“They’ve got to three semi-finals in a row now. The hardest part is that shift and transition – that the men’s team have found – is getting from the semi-final to the final and then turning silver into gold. To get your hands on a trophy when you’re already close is really difficult.

“I really do think that England have a great chance but there are four or five teams who are all on the same level. I don’t think there’s a really big gap now between the best and rest – it has been narrowed down. You see that in men’s and women’s football, the gaps are getting smaller and smaller. Because the margins are so small I think the home advantage will be massive.”

There has certainly been an uptick in mood and momentum since Wiegman took charge.

England lost seven of their final 11 matches under Neville and Hege Riise, who stepped in during the interim period between Neville’s departure and Wiegman’s arrival, presided over a win and two defeats in her three games.

But under Wiegman, England have rediscovered their winning touch and made themselves difficult to beat, securing 11 victories and two draws in 13 games.

“I was fortunate to meet her at the Euros draw and she was amazing,” Carney says enthusiastically. “I think everyone who has worked with her speaks really highly of her and I got that vibe of ‘we’ve got a good one here’. It was cool to meet her in person and it echoed what everyone else has been saying [about her].

“She has a great CV behind her and is a manager that has already won a major tournament on home soil. She’s made the team defensively solid, you can see that she wants to defend properly and get numbers behind the ball. And she’s not afraid to mix it up. We saw when she was quite happy to put Millie Bright up top and go for it.”

Wiegman hasn’t shied away from making big decisions either. The headline news from England’s squad announcement concerned a player who was left out rather than any who were included: Steph Houghton, the player perhaps most synonymous with the Lionesses’ rise over the past decade and captain in each of the previous three tournaments, was controversially left out.

“She’s just not ready to compete,” was Wiegman’s pragmatic assessment of the centre back, whose season was ended in January due to Achilles and ankle injuries. Houghton’s armband successor is Arsenal midfielder Leah Williamson, who was handed the role in April.

“First and foremost, Steph’s been an incredible servant to our country and an unbelievable captain but an England jersey and the captaincy is unfortunately only ever borrowed,” Houghton’s former teammate says.

“The baton has now been passed over to Leah for this tournament and she’s got experience in the younger age groups, she’s been captain of Arsenal and probably been nurtured into this role.”

Williamson, 25, symbolises a new era for England, but she is far from the only one. There is plenty of excitement surrounding Manchester City winger Lauren Hemp, 21, who Carney believes will be “really key” for England following a season in which she scored 10 Women’s Super League goals and won the PFA Young Player of the Year for the fourth time in five seasons.

Manchester United forward Alessia Russo is another one to watch, according to Carney, who also believes that Manchester City midfielder Keira Walsh has gone under the radar given how impressive her WSL performances have been.

But while Houghton is absent, there remains a strong core of experienced players running through the heart of the squad, including Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Jill Scott and Ellen White.

Although there is an argument to be made that a 12-month delay to the tournament may have hindered England given the likes of Fran Kirby have struggled with injury over that period, Wiegman’s squad does have a nice balance to it, blending youth with know-how.

Time will tell whether it will be enough to see England overcome that final hurdle.

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Manchester United are edging ever closer to completing the £73m signing of Frenkie de Jong in a deal that will make the 25-year-old midfielder the most expensive Dutch footballer of all time, taking in accumulated transfer fees. Not bad going for a player sold by Willem II to Ajax for just €1 only seven years ago.

The Eredivisie club, who also allowed Virgil van Dijk to slip through their net, did manage to negotiate a sell-on clause in that deal entitling them to a sizeable sum when De Jong moved from Ajax to Barcelona for £65m in 2019. Still, De Jong’s marked development since must have caught some at his former club by surprise.

So eager were Barca to secure De Jong’s signature ahead of their European rivals that they struck an agreement with Ajax in January of that year, before Erik ten Hag‘s fearless young team had even eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus in successive Champions League knockout rounds and lifted a first Eredivisie title in half a decade.

De Jong had already caught the eye and captured the imagination of Ajax observers by playing in an inventive role under Ten Hag, the new Manchester United boss who, like so many associated with that great Ajax side, enjoyed a significant reputational boost by the end of that particular season.

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Ten Hag tapped into Ajax’s Total Football philosophy in a way that numerous others had been unable to and in De Jong possessed a player with both the tactical intelligence and technical ability to fit the style of play that is synonymous with the Netherlands’ most decorated club.

In the second half of 2017-18, after Ten Hag’s appointment in December 2017, De Jong became increasingly prominent, often playing as a left-sided centre back. Unusually for a defender, De Jong completed 2.5 successful dribbles per game from defence which put him in the top 20 most efficient ball carriers in the Dutch top-flight.

In total, he completed 54 of his 58 attempted dribbles; as though the ball was connected to his right foot by an invisible string. Like Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara, De Jong is a master at using the outside of his boot to manoeuvre his way into space.

Having a defensive playmaker able to step into midfield with the ball and deliver penetrative passes into the final third is a hallmark of the Ajax way and De Jong thrived in that role. So much so that he provided the third-most assists in their squad that season with seven, behind attackers Dusan Tadic and David Neres.

Daley Blind’s arrival from Manchester United the following summer resulted in Ten Hag shifting De Jong up the pitch into central midfield where some of his other qualities came to the fore.

During Ajax’s run to the last four of the Champions League, for instance, De Jong was integral to their “counter-press” a strategy that is geared towards winning the ball back as quickly as it has been lost. De Jong ranked joint-sixth for interceptions and seventh for tackles in the competition.

Owing to his varied skill-set and bravery on the ball, De Jong appeared to be a natural fit for Barcelona but the move didn’t quite pan out as all might have hoped. In De Jong’s defence, the club he joined is a different proposition entirely from the one he will leave behind. There aren’t too many to have flourished amidst the dysfunction at the Nou Camp over the past few years. A rotating cast of managers is also unlikely to have helped his cause.

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Transforming United’s midfield overnight will be no easy feat either. Too often during United’s descent into the doldrums, the midfield has been static and one-paced. In theory, De Jong should be the perfect antidote to that, but then so too should have Donny van de Beek, his former midfield partner in Amsterdam, who has managed a combined nine Premier League starts – five of which were at Everton – across two painfully unfulfilling seasons.

But having emerged as one of the most promising and coveted midfield players in Europe during his first stint working under Ten Hag, the hope will be that De Jong can not only rediscover that form but surpass it, and drag United along with him. Ten Hag is clearly eager to surround himself with players that share his ideology: Christian Eriksen, another summer target, trained with Ten Hag’s squad before joining Brentford and was schooled in the Ajax system prior to joining Tottenham.

United, now entering their sixth marriage since bidding a tearful farewell to Sir Alex Ferguson, can ill afford for this relationship to fail to spark. But by reuniting Ten Hag with De Jong, they are at least making a public show of commitment to their latest managerial experiment.

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Everton will block any attempt by Tottenham to include Anthony Gordon in their proposal to sign Richarlison this summer.

Spurs have held advanced discussions with the Toffees over the Brazil international and have floated the idea of England under-21 international Gordon being included in a package which would offer funds to Frank Lampard to rebuild his squad.

But i understands there is “no way” Everton would listen to any offers for Gordon, who is considered integral to the club’s close season overhaul. The winger is also keen to remain at Goodison Park and is comfortable with Everton’s decision to rebuff all offers for him.

It is a different story with Richarlison, whose position is dictated by Everton’s difficult financial situation.

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The club are in talks with the Premier League to ensure they comply with profit and sustainability rules, which means that in effect they are required to sell one of their prized assets to provide funds for Lampard to reinvest.

The Toffees are also heading towards a potentially significant date – 30 June – which is the end of the financial year.

Any sale before then would give them leeway with the Premier League to re-invest all of that money over the next 12 months. If no deal is done before the end of the month, it will be up to the league’s authorities to decide whether the sale will be counted against spending in the current financial year.

Spurs know that but Everton won’t be pushed into selling below their valuation for the Brazil international, who was so integral to their Premier League survival last season.

As revealed by i last week, Richarlison is keen to join a club that can offer Champions League football and Everton are prepared to listen to offers.

Everton also hold an interest in Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn who has made clear his desire to leave the north London club in search of more game time. The Toffees face competition from Ajax for the Dutchman but a swap deal involving Richarlison is unlikely as the club wants a straight cash sale only.

Spurs have made most of the early running but have not yet matched Everton’s valuation, which is in excess of £50million. The Toffees would prefer a bidding war and with Chelsea also monitoring the player’s availability, there is a hope that they can receive a big fee.

In one of those twists that only the summer transfer window can serve up, BBC journalist Jon Sopel posted on social media that Bill Kenwright and Daniel Levy met in London at the table next to his on Monday night. Everton were insisting no deal had been brokered yet, though.

The Toffees are determined to bring in players who will prevent a repeat of last year’s disastrous season.

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Everton will announce Burnley defender James Tarkowski on 1 July, when his contract with the Clarets runs out. i first revealed the Toffees interest in the centre-back in April, and were first to reveal the club’s interest in Hull’s Keane Lewis-Potter – who is another priority target.

Against that backdrop, a consortium being brokered by Peter Kenyon continues to lead efforts to broker a takeover of the club.

The Kenyon-fronted takeover, which includes US millionaire John Thornton and real estate tycoon Maciek Kaminski, has exclusivity and is understood to be progressing smoothly.

Some takeover sources even believe a deal could be close to agreed by the start of the season after Farhad Moshiri indicated a willingness to sell.

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Although it ended in disappointing fashion, Arsenal appear intent on capitalising upon a season of progress and promise by investing heavily in a talented but under-manned squad.

The Gunners spent £150m last summer, largely to overhaul their defence, and could splash out a similar amount to give their attack a makeover this year following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January and Alexandre Lacazette this month.

Portugal U21 playmaker Fabio Vieira has already joined from Porto in a deal that could be worth £35m if certain clauses are met with Gabriel Jesus set to follow imminently after a £45m transfer was agreed with Manchester City. Raphinha is another top target with Leeds said to be holding out for £65m for the winger, although Arsenal could face competition from Champions League clubs for his signature.

Should Arsenal succeed in persuading Raphinha to swap Elland Road for the Emirates, it would leave Mikel Arteta with an array of attacking options to pick from, with two players for every position: Bukayo Saka and Raphinha on the right wing (assuming Nicolas Pepe leaves), Martin Odegaard and Vieira in the No 10 position, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe on the left and Jesus and Eddie Nketiah up front. More exciting still is that Jesus would be the elder statesman of that particular group at just 25.

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The club has certainly demonstrated its faith in Arteta and the project he has set about assembling over the past three years so far during this transfer window.

Jesus’ impending arrival sees the Brazilian reunite with Arteta: the pair worked together at City for two years during Arteta’s spell as Pep Guardiola’s assistant. That link has surely played a role in Jesus’ decision to trade in Champions League football for the Europa League, as has the promise of a more significant first-team role in north London than he has ever been accustomed to in Manchester.

In some ways, Jesus is an intriguing character to build a frontline around, given he tended to play more as a wide forward than through the middle in his final campaign at the Etihad. A record of 95 goals in 236 games for City isn’t to be sniffed at, particularly given he was rarely afforded a run of starts as a striker, nor is a return of one goal in every three appearances for Brazil but it will be interesting to see whether more consistent game-time will translate to a higher conversion rate.

Jesus underperformed his expected goals (xG) in each of his five-and-a-half Premier League seasons at City, massively so in 2020-21 when he returned 14 goals from an xG of 21.02, according to Understat. Clearly, though, Arteta has faith that Jesus can be the sharp-shooter that Arsenal sorely lacked throughout last season – Bukayo Saka top-scored with 11 league goals, a total bettered by 13 players in the division, while each of the four clubs that finished above Arsenal in the table had superior goal records.

That Arsenal pursued a deal for Jesus is a demonstration that both technical director Edu Gaspar and Arteta’s judgements are trusted. And if Jesus can finetune his finishing, it will prove to be a masterstroke.

Interest in Raphinha is also intriguing. Arsenal aren’t exactly short of having left-footed players that can play on the right wing with Saka, Pepe and even Odegaard, all having done so for Arteta in the past. Buying another is hardly a priority, but acquiring a craftsman of Raphinha’s class would represent a significant statement of intent given the sky-high standard of his performances over the past two years and there is no question that he would enhance Arteta’s options considerably.

With the contentious five substitutes rule returning in 2022-23, it is little surprise that top clubs are looking to stockpile their squads with at least two players of roughly similar ability for each position. It could even lead to a positional switch for Saka, who initially made his first-team breakthrough playing on his strongest side. Jurgen Klopp did similar after bringing Mo Salah to Liverpool in 2017, with Sadio Mane switching from the right wing to the left: suffice to say that particular move worked out pretty well.

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The main fear that Arsenal fans may have had when the battle for fourth place slipped away was that it would have a knock-off effect in the transfer window: that it would become harder to convince top-tier players to join a club competing in Europe’s second-tier.

So far, that doesn’t seem to be the case; Arsenal have bounced back from a dispiriting run-in in eye-catching fashion. With Chelsea adapting to a new ownership structure and Manchester United slow to get their Erik ten Hag rebuild off the ground, Arsenal’s decisive action could stand them in good stead for the start of the new season in just over four weeks.

How Arsenal could line up after summer rebuild

Arteta used a 4-2-3-1 formation or variation of throughout last season and given the profile of player Arsenal are targeting this summer it seems unlikely that Arteta will deviate away from that too much.

Nketiah will expect a more prominent role in the squad after enjoying a strong end to 2021-22, signing a new contract, and inheriting Thierry Henry’s old No 14 shirt. But Jesus will be the leading man in attack and likely to be flanked by Saka and Raphinha, should Arsenal sanction a club-record fee for the latter.

Arteta is a huge fan of Odegaard and his position as No 10 is safe despite Vieira’s arrival.

The benefit of adding depth in key areas means that Arteta will have more game-changing options on the bench for Premier League matches where five substitutes will be allowed and the option to refresh his side to cope with a tightly congested season and additional matches that participation in the Europa League will bring.

Arsenal already look to have a stronger squad now than they did just a few weeks ago, with Vieira and USA international goalkeeper Matt Turner signed up and Jesus to follow. So much so that a fully changed XI would still contain William Saliba – fresh from an excellent season on loan with Marseille – in defence and Martinelli and Smith Rowe in attack.

And it is indicative of the club’s recent squad building that a team comprised of players aged 24 and under wouldn’t be all that different from Arteta’s strongest side. Central midfield pair Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka (both 29) are the most experienced members of the squad.

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It might be a subtle tweak to the pattern. A removal of a collar. The reintroduction of a previously removed collar. A new two-centimetre thick sleeve trim. A “Visit Rwanda” advert added to the upper arm.

Sometimes, you have to look really closely to be able to see the change in shirt design from one year to the next, like a particularly tricky spot-the-difference game.

Nonetheless, the annual kits launch has become something of an internet phenomenon in recent years.

From the (clearly intentionally) “leaked” design months in advance to the official confirmation, the ensuing debates, the articles based on a couple of social media posts slagging them off. A football subculture played on repeat, year on year.

And it’s become big business: the Big Six alone released 168 new kits in the past decade, each year selling a different home, away and third kit. If it hasn’t dropped already, your club’s 2022-23 iteration will be coming soon.

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It is a long departure from attempts in the late 1990s by Labour’s Football Task Force to ensure every club played in a jersey for at least two years. It was even mooted that clubs include a “sell-by” date on labels making clear how long before the garment went out of date. By 2010, all 20 Premier League clubs produced a new home, away and third kit each year and, with little opposition, they have ploughed on ever since with this money-printing yet environment-damaging and fan-fleecing operation.

Yet in the current climate (crisis) can clubs and their kit suppliers continue on this path? Some steps are being taken by major sportswear brands to tackle the mountains of discarded jerseys forming in the planet’s landfill sites. But here’s where the already polluted waters become further muddied.

Puma take care of the kits for Manchester City and the pair have promoted the fact all of the company’s kits are made from 100 per cent recycled polyester. Yet the 2022-23 City home jersey on Puma’s website states only that it’s “made with at least 20 per cent recycled material”. As does the youth version.

When I asked Puma from an explanation yesterday, they did not respond. Nike, suppliers of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, made a song and dance about introducing jerseys made entirely from recycled polyester a few years ago. Yet the company declined to comment on why a 2021-22 Liverpool “stadium” home jersey on its website promises only that it is made from “at least 75 per cent recycled polyester fibres”. There is, weirdly, a 2021-22 “match” home jersey made from 100 per cent recycled materials.

Chelsea and Spurs shirts do, however, appear now to honour this promise. At the time of writing, Chelsea’s 2022-23 season shirt isn’t yet available but Tottenham’s shirt for the upcoming season claims to have been made from 100 per cent polyester. (And it’s yours, today, for only £115 – entirely reasonable during a cost-of-living crisis.)

Recycled polyester still takes hundreds of years to decompose and causes microfibres to enter the environment.

German side St Pauli clearly weren’t convinced by the sustainability claims of major sportswear brands, and explored how to create an entirely sustainable kit in 2018. They did not believe the offerings from major sportswear brands were 100 per cent sustainable and decided to make their own.

“Their shirts are made of 100 per cent recycled polyester (post-consumer PET) — no petroleum is used as a raw material, the production consumes approximately 32 per cent less CO2 and are very socially sustainable,” Andrew Aris told me. Aris is director of Spirit of Football, an NGO based in Germany trying to educate clubs and fans on football’s environmental impact.

“Ideally every shirt not bought is the most sustainable solution. Brentford using the same shirt two seasons in a row is positive, but shouldn’t this be the norm?”

Meanwhile, English football’s sustainability leaders, Forest Green Rovers, have trialled making kits with bamboo and used coffee beans. In the words of Rovers’ CEO Dale Vince: “It’s time the world of football wakes up and smells the coffee about the future of the planet.”

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Manchester United’s long pursuit of Frenkie de Jong is expected to gather pace this week, with the Red Devils edging closer to an agreement over a £73million fee with Barcelona.

Sources in Spain expect a resolution this week and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that De Jong is announced before the weekend after other details around the deal were ironed out.

It is a move that Erik ten Hag has prioritised as central to his Old Trafford overhaul and it says much about the way the club are prepared to back their new manager that they have put other deals on the backburner to secure a transfer that has proved somewhat tortuous.

Getting their man would ease some of the tension surrounding the club, which remains in the grip of a civil war best illustrated by the outrage that greeted Friday’s dividend payments to the Glazer Family.

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Condemned by Gary Neville and the club’s Supporters Trust, they come as supporter group The 1958 pledge to continue protesting the ownership next season.

Neville tweeted on Friday: “That’s why Dividends have to stop for a period. Every penny has to go back into the club until it becomes attractive again. The club has become a graveyard for players. Culturally for owners to take [money emoji] out of a poorly performing business is demoralising!”

They secured a high-profile PR coup when plans to protest CEO Richard Arnold led to him meeting them at a pub to speak about events around the club.

A new era, nevertheless, has begun with former Ajax manager Ten Hag back on the training ground and preparing to lay foundations for what has to be an improved campaign.

Ten Hag and Steve McClaren oversaw the first day of pre-season training on Monday, with the club’s non-internationals returning for days of testing and early preparation.

It will be crucial as Ten Hag looks to push a pressing game incorporating quick movement and good understanding between players on a squad that looked capable of doing anything but last year.

It will take time to get that right but Ten Hag has that: the Manchester United board appear to be ‘all in’ on him, hence their willingness to negotiate with Barcelona over de Jong.

His former player Robin Ruiter told i earlier this year that it was on the training ground where Ten Hag laid the foundations for success. The players can expect long, intense sessions which are mentally draining but drill them on the essentials.

Ruiter recalled Ten Hag would blow up every 20 seconds at first to correct small movements from players until it “all fell into place”.

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Similarly, there will be an emphasis on building a winning culture. McClaren told his son’s ‘McClaren Performance’ podcast last week that the club’s mentality had to improve.

Transfer progress would help and De Jong could be followed by other deals.

As reported by i last week, it is now down to Manchester United and Brentford in the chase to secure coveted free agent Christian Eriksen.

Despite reports elsewhere, the Dane has not turned down Manchester United’s overtures. All parties are still waiting for a decision from the player himself, who has made it clear that his call will be based on footballing reasons. He wants regular first-team football in the run up to the Qatar World Cup.

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