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Leeds United are still in the hunt to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen this month, but they will have to be creative with the deal due to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules.

Daniel Farke’s side are looking for another forward to provide cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin this week, but funds are severely restricted. They are actively pursuing Strand Larsen, and have had one bid, thought to have been for about £36m, rejected already by Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The i Paper understands that Leeds remain at the table to sign the 25-year-old despite that bid falling short, with the player very keen to seal a switch to West Yorkshire. Strand Larsen’s former Premier League playing agent, Tore Pederson is, in fact, a season ticket-holder at Elland Road.

Wolves are looking for closer to £40m for the Norwegian, but they do need to sell now as their bargaining position will not be as strong in the summer, when they are almost certainly going to be a Championship club again.

Crystal Palace are understood to be monitoring the situation and could make a move if they sell Jean-Philippe Mateta to Nottingham Forest, or elsewhere, in the coming days. They would be able to stump up the cash quickly, given Mateta is set to leave for a similar fee.

But all is not lost for Leeds. They have proposed a structured offer for Strand Larsen, one that allows payments to be staggered, thus avoiding the wrath of PSR regulators.

Leeds were not expected to add to the loan capture of Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton & Hove Albion this month. But sources said Strand Larsen offers a market opportunity they could not pass up in their battle to avoid relegation straight back down to the Championship.

Newly-promoted clubs can only lose £61m over three seasons, as opposed to £105m for other Premier League sides. And while Sunderland are described as being in the “perfect” PSR position, having come up to the top flight with a low wage bill before selling some big-name players at the right time, Leeds must be careful this month.

Structuring payments to Wolves would allow Leeds to take some of the expense into next year’s figures, when PSR becomes the new squad cost ratio (SCR) rules. Palace would be in a stronger position after a Mateta sale, but Leeds have currently made the only offer on the table, despite a host of other Premier League clubs having expressed interest in a player who wants to leave a club who need to sell.

Leeds essentially had to secure promotion to the Premier League last term, such was their inflated wage bill and heavy financial losses. More income from being in the top flight enabled Farke to add to his squad last summer, but that expenditure left little for future business.

Striker Joel Piroe has only started two league games all season and has thus attracted interest from a host of clubs, mainly in the Championship. The i Paper has been told, however, that the 26-year-old, having worked so hard to become a Premier League striker, wants to stay and fight for his place in the team.

It is understood that Fulham’s impressive forward Harry Wilson is a player Leeds will look to sign again in the summer, when the Wales international’s contract expires. Securing Premier League survival will be crucial to that deal coming off.

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Newcastle United face their Champions League date with destiny with doubts clouding their season.

While Europe has offered hope (especially at home), it’s difficult to argue that they progressed this season.

So what has gone wrong – and what is being done about it?

Recruitment

If you’re waiting for a game-changing signing from Newcastle in January, you will be disappointed. The big signings – a midfielder, a goalkeeper and a versatile forward – are all being planned for the summer because of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), player availability and January premiums.

That cautious strategy puts the pressure on Howe to extract more from a squad that feels like it lacks cutting edge and creativity. But it’s also a reflection on a chaotic summer that, in retrospect, has caused progress to stall.

One voice at Newcastle spoke of “panic” at times in the summer and it’s clear now that they overspent on Yoane Wissa and, in Nick Woltemade, signed a project who does not easily fit their system and was nowhere near the top of their list in the summer. The fundamentals behind signing Anthony Elanga were sound but he is struggling.

The rule of recruitment is that you judge a window over years rather than months but a pivot in transfer strategy was needed and is apparently underway. They need to move away from the conservative approach that only players who have an established body of work (100-plus appearances in a big five league) should be targeted.

Transfer policy needed a reset. But Newcastle might have to suffer in the meantime.

Eddie Howe is still PIF’s man

Faith in the manager has not wavered this season, despite the apparent plateauing of progress. Senior sources compare Newcastle with the clubs who have changed manager recently and think their stability will bear fruit in the long run. Eddie Howe has “total confidence and support” moving forward.

That is not the same as being entirely happy with the way the season is going. There is a list of mitigating factors from injuries to lack of time on the training pitch, but also an acceptance that certain performances haven’t hit the standards Newcastle have set.

It’s understood there has been healthy debate about managerial decisions and team displays in recent months.

Tactical malaise

Are teams wise to Newcastle now? 4-3-3 is Howe’s desired formation but Aston Villa made it look stale on Sunday. They had players creating havoc in the pocket – Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers – while Newcastle’s attacking patterns felt predictable.

Howe bristles at talk of a Plan B – and he is regarded as one of the sharpest tactical minds in the division – but Newcastle’s results against the best teams this season tell their own story. If they beat Paris Saint-Germain, it would be a much needed scalp in a season where the majority of their wins have come against the middleweights.

Have Newcastle dialled down the intensity? They have covered the fourth most distance per game in the Premier League, the fourth most sprints (3,322 to league leaders Bournemouth’s 3,599) and have made the most recovery runs in the division. There’s not a lot wrong with their pressing game but what they lack is ingenuity and a game-changer.

Razor thin margins – and bad luck

As one club insider pointed out, no club is underperforming their expected points total more than Newcastle. Based on big chances created and xG (expected goals) in individual matches, Newcastle should be 4th. Instead they are 9th.

That perhaps explains why there has been no mid-season attempt to rip things up and start again. Data-wise, these things should even themselves out over the course of the season.

But that stat also illustrates how tight the margins are in the race for the top five. Last season Newcastle had an attack centred around Alexander Isak, who buried the big chances. This year Woltemade and Wissa are not as reliable – unless either of them catches fire, that is a worry.

Opta analyst is predicting them to finish 7th, with a 3.91 per cent chance of a return to the Champions League. At the moment, sadly, that feels about right.

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Sunderland look set to stick rather than twist in the January transfer market, clearing a path for them to reboot their squad in the close season again with one of the healthiest financial positions of any club in the division.

While the recruitment picture could change if compelling options become available – or they need attacking replacements – the Black Cats’ incomings in the next week may be limited to a backup goalkeeper if interest in Anthony Paterson is stepped up.

Sunderland confirmed a loan deal for Dan Neil to Ipswich Town on Tuesday but reports that Eliezer Mayenda could be allowed to move to Paris FC have been played down to The i Paper.

So far Sunderland’s only outlay is the £3m they spent to beat Celtic to talented youngster Jocelin Ta Bi, viewed as “one for the future” and a low-risk investment in potential that they can develop.

The reasoning? The Black Cats are once again taking a long-term view of their development, protecting their financial status with an eye of recruitment in the summer.

The i Paper understands the club’s position in terms of both the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) and the new squad cost ratio (SCR) rules is “excellent”.

Sunderland’s squad cost is not in the top 20 in England and – despite a steep upturn in wage costs to coincide with their return to the top flight – it still ranks significantly below other rivals.

With the club’s commercial revenue set to grow after their return to the top flight, Sunderland have the chance to build a squad capable of ensuring they become an established top flight club.

Football finance experts believe they have as much as £120m in terms of PSR headroom, allowing them to carry out further recruitment if they wish.

With transfers amortised over the length of the contract signed, that headroom is the equivalent of signing five players valued at £50m on long-term deals.

But – in keeping with Sunderland’s mantra of being competitive while maintaining sustainability – they look set to pass on the chance of adding to the squad in January, with prices and player availability not suited to their careful team-building policy.

And insiders suggest that the club’s recruitment model will not shift significantly in the coming years, following a blueprint of mostly signing young players with the likes of “game-changers” like Granit Xhaka.

What will not be happening while owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus continues to lead from the front is a splurge to try and fast-track the club’s jumping into the Premier League’s middle order.

Signings will have to be prepared to sign up to being part of the culture that Regis Le Bris has created, so anyone expecting Hollywood signings in the summer might be disappointed.

“We haven’t abandoned the plan to become a different club in the Premier League. We’re doing things the way they’ve always done,” according to one insider.

The model has already attracted admiring glances from elsewhere in the top two divisions.

Leeds United managing director Robbie Evans said the Black Cats have created a “perfect storm” PSR-wise, with minimal losses, healthy player trading and a low wage bill.

It is a stance Professor Rob Wilson, football finance expert and programme director at University Campus of Football Business, agrees with.

“They’ve spent well, they’ve sold well and they’ve also got this benefit of this £120m from the Premier League, which you can essentially spend without making a loss,” Wilson says.

“They’ve been very shrewd in how they’ve gone about things. They’ve signed some players who weren’t fancied by other teams who have performed.

“So if they are true to their model there’ll be some sales and re-running the model again.

“There’s a level of being realistic with the fans which is not ‘let’s go and spend a load of money because we’ve been relatively successful in the Premier League this season’, it’s let make some good trading profits and keep building.”

Judging by the shrewd way they have approached January, there seems little danger of that.

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When Thomas Frank was appointed, Tottenham would not have envisaged him fielding the same questions as Ange Postecoglou was a year ago.

Frank’s predecessor dismissed the notion that Spurs could be relegated as “ridiculous hysteria”– but instead of retreating this season, the fear has only gained legs.

Are Spurs too big to go down? Saturday’s draw with Burnley left them eight points above the relegation zone, a gap narrowed by defeat to 18th-placed West Ham the preceding weekend.

Frank’s call for “calm heads” is certainly in his interests. The obvious reaction would be to sack him. Instead the board have held their nerve during a run of one win in eight league games.

Over the next six weeks Crystal Palace, engulfed in a doom loop of their own, are the only bottom-half club they face.

Upcoming fixtures (Premier League)

• 1 February – Man City (h)
• 7 February – Man Utd (a)
• 10 February – Newcastle (h)
• 22 February – Arsenal (h)

Is it possible Spurs take zero points from that run? That is possibly a glass-half-empty reading.

They have beaten City in eight of their last 15 meetings, Newcastle have won twice on the road all season and Manchester United have spent another season in crisis despite the recent upturn under Michael Carrick.

Why Spurs are in freefall

A more optimistic reading is that due to the chaotic nature of this season’s table, Spurs are also just nine points off the top four. All the same you will struggle to find many of their supporters, who spent the weekend making eyes at Mauricio Pochettino and singing “Frank out”, interpreting the situation that way.

That is not just pure pessimism. Since mid-November, Tottenham have dropped 11 points from winning positions. Palace, Burnley and Sunderland are the only teams below them in the form table over the last six weeks.

After their 10th game of the season on 1 November, they were in the Champions League places. Since then they have picked up 1.09 points per game; on the same trajectory until the end of the season, they would finish with 44 points.

Over the same period West Ham are picking up 1.2 points per game – continued, that would earn them 38 points. So, not enough to overtake their London rivals, but enough to give them a scare.

Depleted numbers

January has done little to help rectify the slide. Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies, Richarlison, and Joao Palhinha have joined long-term absentees James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski on the sidelines. Spurs have made two signings – midfielder Conor Gallagher and left-back Souza – while a move for Liverpool’s Andy Robertson has collapsed.

The pursuit of two-time Premier League winner Robertson was a bid to import leadership into the dressing room. It was expected across the board that this was always going to be a quiet window for most clubs, not least because so many are hamstrung by profitability and sustainability rules, but in north London it has meant squad numbers are being depleted and not growing.

None of this is good news for Frank, who has a number of unhappy players in his ranks – Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani among them – and with fans in open mutiny over his style of football.

In Postecoglou’s final season, Spurs finished 17th and suffered 22 defeats – the most any side has managed without going down in Premier League history.

There is no such thing as any club being too big to go down, though people said it repeatedly of Aston Villa and Newcastle in their own relegation seasons. Nobody is seriously expecting that fate at Tottenham. And yet the fact they are engaging in “six-pointers” with Burnley and West Ham (and winning neither) suggests it is creeping closer than you might think.

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I am lucky enough to have been to most of the major English football derbies, but I had never done Portsmouth vs Southampton. I had been told, fairly forcefully, that I needed to change that and that I would not regret it.

And those people were right, obviously. With a double dose of recency bias, it might just be my new favourite fixture in English football. Through the prism of Sunday’s magnificently fraught 1-1 draw, I would like to explain why…

1. The hatred

I know you think that you hate your rivals, and that is clearly true, but I have never seen anything quite like this. There is something deeply visceral about the way in which Portsmouth and Southampton supporters treat each other. It goes beyond the pantomime of some other derbies.

Portsmouth is England’s only island city, and as such it has a definite vibe that is hard to put your finger on but is probably best described as: everyone you meet is friendly but you would absolutely believe that they could knock you out in five seconds.

Southampton give as good as they get, mind. There is a regular chant at this game: “Go get your father’s gun, and shoot the Pompey scum.” Which… yeah, probably a bit much.

So too is the etymology of the “Scummers” nickname for Portsmouth fans: “Skates”. I will let you look it up, for reasons of decency. But yeah, you can’t park there.

I think there is a misnomer that the most hateful rivalries are either intra-city and surrounding areas or between northern powerhouse cities. The South Coast derby and the South Wales derby disprove that theory. It is horrible and it is wonderful because it is horrible.

The atmosphere was visceral in the best way, that glorious mix of tension, nerves, hate for the opposition, love for your own club and desperation for your next seven days and beyond not to be ruined. This is the good stuff.

2. The ground

The location of a derby matters. I am sure Southampton supporters will vehemently disagree, but I reckon that this game is twice the occasion for being in Fratton Park.

It is squeezed between terraced houses and yet still in the city. It is a pure throwback, with the crowd a distance from the pitch that genuinely felt unsafe when Southampton players were taking a throw or leaving the pitch. And it is in a city that has a distinct edginess that ramps up even further on days such as these.

These old grounds seem to keep the noise inside better than newer stadiums on which millions has been spent to ensure effective acoustics. Archibald Leitch – you were a real one.

3. The pre-match

In 2019, the last time the two teams met at Fratton, there was such violence outside the ground that a “bubble” system was introduced for Sunday. For those who don’t know, that means Southampton supporters could only get to the game by travelling to St Mary’s, getting on an official coach and getting their ticket – after being frisked and bags checked – on the way to Portsmouth.

I don’t agree with bubble matches, but you see the point here: the streets are narrow and it is easy for away supporters to get “approached” by home fans and problems ensue. It also means that Southampton got the full away end, even if they had to be in it almost two hours before kick-off.

The 12pm kick-off time, moved at the advice of police, makes pre-match entertainment tricky. Many home supporters deal with that by getting into the ground early and drinking out of two-pint glasses at 10am. You have to admire it.

4. The range of policing

Quick one, but still worthy of note: there might have been a zero per cent chance of Portsmouth and Southampton supporters meeting on Sunday, but this was still a major police operation. Walking to a football match and seeing dozens of officers reiterates how big the fixture is. It only increases your excitement.

There were police on foot, in cars, in vans, on cycles and in helicopters. NB: a copper on a bicycle invites jeers from supporters. Not sure why, but quite funny.

The one thing I didn’t see: police on horses. That may or may not be related to a police horse being punched at this ground in 2019. Some people are awful.

5. The comparative lack of success

Portsmouth have won one trophy since 1950 and almost went out of business in recent memory, spending time in the fourth tier of English football. Southampton have won one major honour in their history, an FA Cup 50 years ago.

You may disagree, but that improves a derby for me. Manchester United and Liverpool hate each other, no doubt, but their fixtures typically have repercussions for title races, cup wins or Champions League qualification and are watched by the entire nation.

The last five South Coast derbies

• Portsmouth 1-1 Southampton – Championship, 25 January 2026
• Southampton 0-0 Portsmouth – Championship, 14 September 2025
• Portsmouth 0-4 Southampton – Carabao Cup, 24 September 2019
• Southampton 2-2 Portsmouth – Championship, 7 April 2012
• Portsmouth 1-1 Southampton – Championship, 18 December 2011

Here, the rivalry is closer to the whole of the truth and it is kept relatively in-house. Portsmouth and Southampton might not win another trophy between them in the next 50 years; the chances are probably in favour of that slightly bleak reality. But you will always have that day when you won away at them.

6. The weather

There is nothing anyone can do about this: the best derbies, particularly between comparatively non-elite teams, are played in wind and rain. You get the obvious advantages: ball zipping quicker across the pitch, potential problems of goalkeeper handling, the chance of a defensive mistake and sliding tackles extending further.

But there is also a temporary seasonal affective disorder that seems to affect players in these conditions, as if the stormy weather has whipped up their own tension to the point of overflowing. So yeah: “It was the rain and wind that made me push that bloke into an advertising hoarding.”

7. The fight

Referee Lewis Smith deserves huge credit for managing Sunday’s game expertly: every decision right, didn’t bring out yellows early, calmed down nonsense and dealt with the one big scrap sensibly.

But that fight was monumental. A clash on the far touchline led to first a two-person altercation and then a melee that involved all 22 players. Every time you see both goalkeepers pushing opposition players around near the halfway line, you know they have lost control.

At that point Fratton became a boxing crowd, urging vengeance and violence with some of those fans roughly a metre from the scrap. Smith had little choice but to watch the pockets of trouble from a distance, like an ice hockey official working out who to send to the sin bin. Obviously nobody likes to see this (ahem).

8. The goal celebrations

There were two goals, diametrically opposite in aesthetic. Southampton’s opener involved a beautiful touch-and-pass in one movement from Finn Azaz and a fine run and finish from Leo Scienza. Ebou Adams equalised from a set-piece aerial scramble with an accusation of handball over the bundled finish.

But they shared something brilliant. With Scienza scoring at the opposite end to the away supporters, he ran the entire length of the North Stand, cupping his ear as he went, to end his sprint in front of the red-and-white mass.

So what did Adams do? He ran the entire length of the North Stand, whipping up his arms as he went, and ended his own 100-yard run at one corner of the Fratton Stand. Was this grown-up behaviour? Absolutely not. Was it wonderful for a watching neutral? Oh yes.

9. The laughable idiots

After Southampton scored the opener, one Portsmouth-leaning chap did an immediate homage, getting onto the pitch and ambling all the way down to the Southampton supporters. He did so without a steward stopping him.

The gentleman proceeded to goad the away end, indicated that he had a large appendage and then pulled up his shirt to reveal a significant belly – all paid for – as he was being led away. Hope it was worth it.

Later in the half, another Portsmouth fan got on – nearer the away end this time. As well as being taunted by the away supporters, he was also targeted with a metal crutch that then – amusingly – had to be passed back up through the Southampton supporters by the stewards.

Both supporters were led away and will presumably not attend a match at Fratton for a very long time; they are a pair of dolts. But these are also the scenes nobody likes to see that you secretly like to see a bit.

10. The scoreline

The derby finished 1-1. It became stretched towards the end and Portsmouth looked the more likely to score, but were also absolutely knackered by the energy expended in getting back into the game against a supposedly higher class, and certainly more expensively assembled, opponent.

I am calling it: 1-1 is the perfect derby scoreline. It has to be a draw, because football has somehow been deliberately designed to make the vast majority of us never quite reach the top or bottom of the emotional spectrum; there is always another peak to climb or barrel to be scraped.

And 1-1 fits in everything we need from a derby snugly. It is never not competitive. Both sets of supporters get the moment of elation, be it taking the lead or celebrating an equaliser. Both get the fear too: “We are losing in the worst game possible” and “We have cocked it up despite leading”.

And you walk out of Fratton, whether you are a Portsmouth fan, Southampton fan or me, feeling simultaneously sated and wanting more. You hate derby days until the final whistle, at which point you can’t wait for the next one. And that is exactly how it should always be.

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Touch down at Almaty International Airport, and you are on the edge of the world. Situated on the border with Kyrgyzstan and just 300 km from China, the skyline is dominated by the Tian Shan mountains and the 4,979-metre Talgar peak. While visitors might expect to see the Medeu – the world’s largest high-mountain skating rink – they don’t necessarily expect a city breathing European football.

Yet, Almaty, a city of two million that bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics, has forced its way onto the map. At the end of summer, Kairat stunned Celtic, qualifying for the Champions League on penalties after two goalless draws.

As fans in yellow and black celebrated becoming only the second Kazakh club to reach a European group stage, Kairat Boranbayev, the club’s president and majority shareholder, was hoisted into the air by his players in triumph.

It is a coincidence that he shares a first name with the club founded in 1954. Boranbayev bought the former railway team in 2012, saving them from obscurity in the second tier while he was still director of KazRosGaz, the Russian-Kazakhstani gas company.

Boranbayev concentrated on youth development. He poured millions into infrastructure, and the return on investment is staggering. Agent Ken Van Deyck, a regular in Kazakhstan, confirms: “They have a top-level academy and they produce a lot of talent.”

Today, over 160 alumni of the Kairat academy play in Kazakhstan’s professional divisions. Every year, roughly 25 graduates are ready for the first team, drawn from a pool of 3,000 children training across the 13 academies in the country.

The club’s boarding school system, for players aged 14 and older, ensures both athletic and academic growth leading to six academy graduates featuring in the team that defeated Celtic, including goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov, who made three saves in the penalty shootout.

The academy is the rock of the club according to Alim, a local supporter: “When Kairat Boranbayev became the owner, he brought a business approach and started from the foundation first, the academy, and then building some infrastructure around it. It was new for a Kazakh club.”

This success is not a surprise for Zarko Markovic, the former Kairat defender who is now a sporting director in Serbia.

“This is a very organised club with one of the best owners in football,” Markovic said.

“A guy who likes football and who likes football players. He makes a very friendly, even family connection with the players, always happy to help.

“It was his goal when he took over the club in 2012 to play the Champions League and I am very happy for him.”

This vision was funded by Boranbayev’s ruthless business acumen. His empire spans gas, pharmaceuticals, gyms, and dining – he brought the McDonald’s license to Kazakhstan in 2016. He is a charismatic figure who invited Kanye West to perform at his daughter’s wedding to the grandson of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev. With a fortune peaking near £450m, he was the country’s 14th richest man.

But his proximity to the former president’s clan became his liability. Following the “Bloody January” unrest of 2022 and the political shift under president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Boranbayev was targeted. Accused of embezzling 14.5bn tenge (about £20m) in a gas deal, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

He was eventually released in November 2023 following a plea deal, returning over £120m in assets, gas companies, and real estate to the state. Now 59, the grey-haired oligarch is enjoying a remarkable rehabilitation.

Also serving as president of the Kazakh Paralympic Committee, thanks to football he has returned to the public eye – a scenario deemed impossible just months ago. His Tselinny Centre of Contemporary Culture, a hub designed to mirror his philosophy at the football academy, opened in September.

Wednesday’s clash with Arsenal at the Emirates is a meeting of extremes: Arsenal are top of the Champions League table, while Kairat are bottom, though they avoided a total wipeout by scrapping a point against Pafos in October.

Former Gunner Andrei Arshavin played for Kairat from 2016 to 2018, but the current star is Dastan Satpayev, a 17-year-old prodigy signed by Chelsea for £3.5m, who will officially join the Blues when he turns 18 in August.

For Alim: “the match is a celebration, Kairat’s Champions League run is a moment of pride. Fans gather behind the blue and yellow barriers, celebrating a milestone for the country.”

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No matter how bad things get at Manchester United, you are never far away from an exhilarating high some rival supporters experience only a handful of times in their lifetime.

Ruben Amorim will always have Lyon. Erik ten Hag lifted two trophies. Even David Moyes still gets a chill when he hears Olympiacos’ results.

Michael Carrick has masterminded two in nine days, the last 14 months of horror already forgotten. The revolution televised for the world to see, one so refreshingly simple in a world of intricate tinkering and tactics boards, it has sent supporters into a dizzying dance of euphoria.

Amorim told us Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo could not play in the same team together. Mainoo didn’t do enough running to warrant a place in the side. He said they had to suffer before anything could get better.

All Carrick has done to transform the fortunes of his resurgent side was to say no, that is not right.

Mainoo covered more kilometres against Manchester City in last weekend’s swashbuckling victory than any team-mate managed in this Premier League season. An uptick perhaps down to having such a point to prove.

Mainoo starts and Fernandes’ new freedom

To then match that mileage at the Emirates, against the best in the land, only emphasises just how wrong Amorim got it. As does the link-up play with Fernandes.

Two glorious footballers, given licence to do what they do best, aren’t going to stifle each other, as Amorim feared they would. It takes two to tango, and what a spectacle we have been treated to so far.

Mainoo’s assist for Matheus Cunha’s winner on Sunday won’t linger in the memory, given the sumptuous strike that followed. But you cannot teach composure like that, to nutmeg an onrushing opponent, a league leader on his home turf, in the tightest of spaces.

WOW! INCREDIBLE from Matheus Cunha! pic.twitter.com/MVRNaPCOcR

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 25, 2026

What Mainoo has done against City and Arsenal, having not started a single Premier League game all season under Amorim, is not normal. To come into the side and produce these performances, under these circumstances, defies logic. Amorim’s especially.

Every player who started against both City and Arsenal was deployed in their strongest, most natural position. Nobody shoehorned into a role to satisfy the manager’s dogmatism.

Casemiro built his entire career sitting in a midfield three alongside two expert ball-players in Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Mainoo isn’t there yet, but his synergy with Fernandes certainly has echoes of the trophy-laden Real Madrid duo. Manuel Ugarte doesn’t give you that.

Luke Shaw was an adept centre-back under Amorim, but he feels most at home at full-back. Harry Maguire has always been most at ease in a partnership rather than a triumvirate. Amad Diallo has so much ability he was a threatening wing-back. But as potent as he is further forward? Not in your life.

What is most frustrating for supporters of Amorim – the Portuguese spoke so well and seemingly gave his all that he still retains many – is that he always had the tools to finally be that Sir Alex Ferguson successor to get it right.

Ineos has its flaws, but in terms of recruitment, it has excelled since walking through the Old Trafford doors. Proven Premier League strikers are driving lasting change. Young, hungry talents elsewhere, minus the ego and inflated pay packet, have settled in nicely.

Amorim has to take credit for Patrick Dorgu’s push up the pitch, but that is where his positive legacy starts and finishes. We all believed him when he said that, such was the monumental task at hand, it would take years to see any real transformation.

In less than two weeks, Carrick has shown that it does not take a genius to bring the good times back.

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