Cartilage Free Captain

Good morning and welcome to another edition of A Look at the Lower Leagues, where the hoddle takes a glance at the lower levels of the English football pyramid. Sure, it’s fun watching the Premier League (this season not included), but it can also be fun to see what clubs like Cardiff City are up to.

If there’s one thing I know, it’s how much you all crave your Leagues One and Two content on the day Tottenham are supposed to play in the Premier League. So, here you go.

League One:

Last we checked in here, Bradford City were battling it out for the automatic spots. Now, after winning just two of their seven games in 2026, they’re barely hanging on to the playoff spot. The question is whether or not former Wrexham star Paul Mullin, who is now at the club on loan, can revive their promotion hopes.

Otherwise, it appears Cardiff have strengthened their grip at the top. They’ve got a game in hand on third-place Bolton and currently sit eight points clear.

Top six:

Cardiff (63 Pts, +26 GD, 30 MP)

Lincoln City (61 Pts, +22 Pts, 30 MP)

Bolton (55 Pts, +12 GD, 21 MP)

Stockport (53 Pts, +7 GD, 30 MP)

Huddersfield (49 Pts, +11 GD, 31 MP)

Bradford City (49 Pts, +4 GD, 29 MP)

Bottom four:

Burton (32 Pts, -12 GDm 30 MP)

Wigan (31 Pts, -10 GD, 29 MP)

Rotherham (31 Pts, -12 GD, 29 MP)

Port Vale (22 Pts, -18 GD, 28 MP)

League Two:

Poor Harrogate Town. Hoddle Headquarters has a soft spot for this small club, which currently sits dead last in the league. All hope’s not lost, though. They’re only three points away from safety. Nothing else in the league looks terribly exciting to me. Barnet are in a good run of form and solidly 12th, just three points away from the playoff spots. That’d be a fun story to watch if it continues to develop.

Top seven:

Bromley (62 Pts, +22 GD, 30 MP)

Notts County (57 Pts, +16 GD, 30 MP)

Swindon Town (55 Pts, +16 GD, 3o MP)

MK Dons (54 Pts, +26 GD, 30 MP)

Cambridge United (53 Pts, +15 GD, 29 MP)

Salford (52 Pts, +6 GD, 29 MP)

Walsall (49 Pts, +7 GD, 30 M)

Bottom two:

Newport Coutny (21 Pts, -25 GD, 29 MP)

Harrogate Town (21 Pts, -28 GD, 31 MP)

National League

Can Scunthorpe make a return to the English Football League? The Irons were relegated from League Two in 2022, ending their 72-year run in the Football League. They followed that up with a second straight relegation, sending them to the National League North. They were promoted back to the National League via playoffs last season, and now sit in third place in the league. With Rochdale and York City battling it out for the lone automatic bid, Scunthorpe will be pushing to make the return via the playoffs.

Top two:

Rochdale (70 Pts, +36 GD, 28 MP)

York City (68 Pts, +49 GD, 30 MP)

Fitzie’s track of the day: See No Evil, by Television

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Luka Vuskovic: Tottenham’s hottest prospect, but when will he actually play for them?”

Alasdair Gold: “Every word Thomas Frank said on worrying Kulusevski update and if Spurs are in a relegation battle”

The Independent: “Thomas Frank ‘desperate’ for Tottenham wins as relegation battle looms”

Sit down, Adele. Back off, Tom Holland and Jude Law. Tottenham Hotspur supporters have a new Ray of Light. 1980s pop superstar Madonna was spotted in the stands at Sunday’s Tottenham Hotspur Women match against Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, taking in the match alongside members of her family and entourage. The Material Girl, 67, told the Daily Mirror that she took her “second Uber ever” up to North London to catch the match at Spurs’ home ground, which unfortunately ended a 2-0 Spurs loss to the six time reigning WSL champions (match report coming later). It’s official — Spurs are now Vogue.

But why was she there at all? Well, in what appears to be one of the biggest Spurs secrets I can remember in a hot minute, two of Madonna’s adopted children, twins Stella and Estere, are both enrolled in Tottenham Women’s academy and she posted a couple of shots on Instagram while at the Spurs Women U14 match at the training ground earlier that day. After the U14 match, a 5-0 win, she opted to visit the stadium to watch the WSL match vs. Chelsea.

If you’re a borderline geriatric Gen-Xer like me, then you remember what a massive cultural icon Madonna was… and is… but especially was. Her music was staggeringly popular in the 1980s and 1990s, and as a musical artist she was part of the cultural zeitgeist in a way that’s almost impossible to recreate today in a musical societal structure that is fractured post-MTV. Madonna recaptured some of that massive popularity with a series of releases in the early 2000s, but has essentially retired from performing in recent years. That said, I watched Bad Bunnys Super Bowl halftime show last night and it was impossible to watch the guest appearance by Lady Gaga and not think to myself that Gaga would not be here if not for the path that Madonna blazed.

But that’s secondary to the fact that OMG Madonna was in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a Spurs Women match squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! And not only that, it kinda rules that there are two literal Material Girls in Tottenham’s academy.

“I knew she was here today. Two of her daughters are in the academy. She’s been down here and watched a lot of games. Two of her daughters are in the Spurs academy. Having people like that at the game supporting the Spurs Women is vital for us. Hopefully, I’ll be able to meet her now, having people like that at the game is unique for us as a team.”

A new Spurs celebrity is certainly something to Cherish. It’s good that we are all able to Live to Tell this story, and hopefully she can Open [her] Heart to Spurs fully and she won’t end up simply being a Beautiful Stranger.

Good morning! I tend to understate things, but today is a big day.

Today marks the fourth anniversary that fitzie took over the reigns of the hoddle of coffee! Huzzah! Rejoice! Rejoice!

This is honestly a big day for me. When I took over the reigns from Pardeep Cattry in 2022, I thought I might only last a couple years. Nor did I think I’d come close to matching her reign as the hoddler-in-chief. It’s almost inexplicable that, after four years, I remain here as your hoddler-in-chief.

I’ll get to some more reflections soon, but first I’d like to offer some thanks:

Menno: The man with the plan, who I emailed on 13 January 2022 about my interest in the position when Pardeep announced she was leaving. He trusted me with one of this site’s most frequented pages. I have done my absolute best to repay him in full - through my writing voice, scheduling, and so much more. None of this would be possible without that. My sincerest thanks go to you, and I will always be on your team.

BroadbrookSpurs: We’re actually friends in real life! I wasn’t sure if I should take this position on when it became vacant. I was going through a pretty difficult time in my life and was taking an extended break from this site (going so far as to actually block it at one point). I wasn’t sure if I was the right person for the job after being away for so many months, but Broadbrook convinced me otherwise. Because of him I emailed D-Menno. And here I am four years later. He’s a terrific guy.

Pardeep and my other predecessors: I knew I had a lot to live up to when Pardeep left, and I wonder if she felt the same after Kim and Dustin. Pardeep was my entry into Cartilage Free Captain, and I am very grateful.

To you hoddlers and lurkers: I was a hoddler and regular commenter before I took on the hoddle. I remember interacting with so many of you before assuming this responsibility. I am very thankful for your camaraderie and your opposition to my viewpoints. And I am thankful to the new faces and voices that have emerged in the years since. I am also thankful for you all addressing me honestly if you disagreed with my takes, my music taste or my undying love for Harry Winks.

I’m genuinely surprised I made it this far. When I became the hoddler-in-chief, all I wanted was to do as good a job as Pardeep (not going to lie - I wanted to surpass her tenure too. It’s the long runner in me). Here I am, four years later, still wondering how Pardeep was able to do this. But I have so much to be grateful for, I really do.

I’ve said this story before but I’ll say it again: I first encountered Carty Free during the 2018 Winter Olympics. I was actually working for a media organisation during the PyeongChang Games, and I worked the graveyard shift (10pm-10am). There was always a period when nothing went on, and during that time I discovered Cartilage Free Captain.

It took some time for me to understand the Hoddle of Coffee and Carty Free writ large, but I dove in as a commenter during the 2018 World Cup. I am extraordinarily thankful I did, and I recognise the romance of celebrating my four-year hoddleversary during the Winter Olympic Games eight years later.

There were a few goals I mentioned during my first hoddle: That you would learn more about me, that it would be fun for all of us, that I had tonnes of ideas, and that I’d cultivate a hoddle which reflects the community.

It’s up to you all to determine if I’ve delivered on those promises. I will say I’ve done my damnedest to do so. And I might’ve given the game away a few weeks ago when I said you don’t even need me to comment on this site.

Now, I look towards the future and what it holds. I’m not so sure.

These past 24 months have been exhausting. I don’t know how I’ve managed to do it, and most of the time I don’t know how to hang on. I really don’t. I will say I’m grateful to Dustin, Matty and Sean for helping me out in my most challenging moments.

Sometimes it’s about putting a few words on a page. Sometimes it’s about a lot more. Sometimes my eyes are half-closed when I type and I wonder if any of you notice it (I only remember one time in which you did). There are times where I feel like I’m hanging on by a thread, but I do my best for you all.

I love this community, and I remember what it brought me at 3am ET on 12 February 2018. I hope to bring all that do you.

With deepest love and admiration,

fitzie

—-

FOUR MORE YEARS!

FOUR MORE YEARS!

FOUR MORE YEARS!

Fitzie’s track of the day: Pedestrian at Best, by Courtney Barnett

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Madonna, soccer mom: Why the Queen of Pop was watching Tottenham’s Under-14 girls’ team”

BBC: “Chelsea back to winning ways against Spurs in WSL”

Alasdair Gold: “How Thomas Frank must be privately feeling about Cristian Romero and that Souza debut”

Telegraph: “Billionaire owner, big-name players… now London City Lionesses need a fanbase”

After a 2-2 draw against Manchester City last weekend, there was a small amount of optimism that Tottenham Hotspur could also get a result against the OTHER Manchester club as Spurs traveled to Old Trafford to play United. And for a while it looked like it might be possible. Tottenham played United relatively even and even had a few chances in and around United’s box in the opening half hour.

But a 30th minute red card for a reckless tackle by Cuti Romero on Casemiro put paid to any chances of that happening. Spurs were suddenly down to ten men and within minutes were down a goal thanks to a well worked corner routine and a shot into the bottom corner by Bryan Mbeumo. Tottenham managed to hang in defensively for much of the second half with Guglielmo Vicario making a number of smart saves, and Xavi Simons elicited a whisper of hope when he flashed a shot just wide of the post early in the second half, but Bruno Fernandez poked a second goal past Vicario late and Tottenham never threatened again. The final score was 2-0 to United.

Another match of “what might have been” but wasn’t due to one pretty stupid play. Here are my match reactions.

Match Reactions

With both RBs out injured, Frank opted to start in that unbalanced back three with Palhinha as a hybrid RB/RCB, Cuti in the middle, and Micky LCB. It got cut open early on by Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo but stabilized.

Lovely pass from Xavi in the 11th minute to Gallagher in the box. Tricky finish and Conor could put it away, but it did showed Spurs do occasionally have some ideas in the box.

Xavi Simons was great today, and showed some incredible vision.

Looked like Michael Oliver decided to swallow his whistle again in this match but at least he was consistent in not making calls unless he had to.

Speaking of… Cuti. Wow. Not a good challenge and he went in really hard on Casemiro. Don’t think there’s much to complain about with that straight red, but it means Spurs’ captain is out the next four matches (for is second straight red of the season) and that suuuuuucks in the midst of what is a rough stretch of matches — vs. Newcastle, vs. Arsenal, at Fulham, and vs. Palace. At least Dragusin’s fake-agent will shut up for a while now.

That red is a shame too because Spurs were actually playing pretty well — they were playing United more or less even and had some good box entries until the red. Gallagher and Sarr were both doing well and pulling Odobert for Dragusin means Spurs just have less to work with going forward. A lot more pressure on Solanke to make something happen now.

Figures that United’s opening goal was a stupid one, low and slow and just leaks into the bottom corner. Vicario should’ve saved that.

Look, I’m not saying that Cuti didn’t deserve to be sent off, but Amad put in a real shithead tackle as well which was a borderline red card, but Spurs will never get that call on the road.

And another knock for Udogie. Love the guy but he’s made of glass. At least we got a first look at Souza. Kid might be raw but he’s got a motor. Give him that legacy number.

The match was basically decided after that red. Spurs were never going to get going afterwards and it was all rear-guard defensive actions from that point out, though I should stress that Spurs played quite well defensively. Simons did his best but there’s just nothing there to work with. At least with Ange in charge you knew they were going to at least attack the goal.

Somehow this match will be used by the board as justification to give Frank more time, won’t it? I just can’t see anything getting better the rest of the season, and meanwhile Michael Carrick has United rolling.

A week off is a godsend currently for Tottenham Hotspur. Their squad has been decimated by injury, and currently it feels like there is no light at the end of tunnel (beyond those belonging to incoming trains). With barely enough senior players to field an XI against Manchester City last weekend, things are expected to be only slightly better against the red side of Manchester as Spurs head north to taken on Manchester United.

United, on the other hand, have the majority of their squad fit and firing as they sit pretty in fourth place on the Premier League table, flying high after the firing of Ruben Amorim. Michael Carrick has done an admirable job as a caretaker manager; securing a series of results that will have Spurs fans asking what could have been. Instead of going a similar route, Thomas Frank is still running the show in North London, and has steadied the ship somewhat after it looked like it was heading to join the Titanic.

Things are still poised precariously for the Lilywhites, though, and they need to go on a good run to ensure safety - let alone challenge for European spots. Here’s hoping that run can really get going against United.

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Old Trafford, Manchester, UK

Saturday, Februrary 7, 2026

Time: 7:30 a.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. UK

TV: USA Network, TNT Sports 1 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Unknown

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

In the middle of last month, reports emerged that Brazilian side Bahia were interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur striker Alejo Veliz, who is currently on loan back at his first club Rosario Central in Argentina. The report stated that Baha were looking at a January transfer with a “quite high” transfer fee, but the window came and went without the transfer going through.

But it looks like it WILL go through, just not until this summer. Fabrizio Romano is reporting now that a full agreement has been reached with Tottenham for a summer sale of Veliz to Bahia, effective in June. The transfer fee is reportedly €9m (£7.8m).

That’s actually a decent fee for a player who obviously has no future at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs reportedly spent £9m (with escalators potentially rising to £13m) to purchase him from Rosario Central 2023 and he did get a few matches in his first season at the club, but has spent the past season on loan at Sevilla, Espanyol, and back at Rosario Central with varying degrees of success. This season, he has 6 goals in 18 appearances in Argentina, which is apparently enough for Bahia to make a move.

£7.8m is actually a pretty good return on investment, especially if the fee they actually paid to Rosario Central is closer to the £9m than the £13m; I don’t know what the triggers were for escalators but I find it hard to believe many were actually met, which probably makes €7.8m a slight profit after considering amortization of his fee. Not too shabby, I guess.

Romano hints that the January move didn’t pan out because Veliz asked to stay at Rosario Central until the end of the season, and wanted to make the move in summer. So this is a pre-agreement, likely made official on June 1. Sounds fine by me.

Tottenham Hotspur confirmed their spot in the Champions League Round of 16 thanks to their final group stage win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany a couple weeks ago. That win cemented their place in the top 8 spots of the group table, meaning they not only advance but earned a bye past the two-legged playoff round.

This also gives Tottenham the opportunity to re-jigger their squad, although they are restricted by UEFA rules which state they can only make three changes to the squad with which they started the competition. Today, Spurs released their Champions League List A squad in a release on their website.

Tottenham Hotspur Champions League R16 squad — List A

The additions to the squad are Conor Gallagher, whom Spurs purchased from Atletico Madrid in January, Radu Dragusin, who has now recovered from an ACL injury last season, and Mathys Tel, who is brought back into the side. Omitted were Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur, who are both injured, and Brennan Johnson, whom Spurs sold to Crystal Palace last month. Also omitted were Dejan Kulusevsi and Yves Bissouma.

We can probably glean a little bit of info by reading between the lines of who made the cut and who didn’t. I’m personally happy to see Tel make the squad again, especially since Richarlison will be out for a few weeks; there’s a decent chance he’ll get some CL minutes against whoever their R16 opponent is. Mohammed Kudus and Kevin Danso also retain their spots; perhaps there’s hope that their injuries aren’t as bad as feared? On the flip side, leaving Deki, Davies, and Bentancur out suggests that all of them are longer-term injuries and that we either won’t be seeing them play for a while, and/or it was deemed their recovery is better served by playing league minutes. Leaving Bissouma out entirely is a bit head scratching, as it leaves Spurs pretty thin in central midfield. But whatever.

Less clear is whether new signing Souza is eligible for List B or not; I haven’t gotten a firm answer on that yet, nor have I seen the List B squad.

What do you think about this squad? I’d ask you to put your replies in the comments, but you’re already doing that since you haven’t read this article.

While the Champions League has brought plenty of positive results, Tottenham Hotspur is still winless in its last six Premier League contests, with many of those against the bottom of the league. However, the dramatic 2-2 draw last weekend inspires some hope going forward, which is crucial for this very tricky run of fixtures that continues on Saturday.

Trouble in the league has not been the recent story for Manchester United. Since Michael Carrick took over, the Red Devils have won three in three — including wins over the best two teams in the country — snapping a stretch of three straight draws and jumping up to fourth in the table. Spurs have a modest amount of momentum to build on, but the home side holds the majority of confidence heading into this one.

Match Details

Date: Saturday, February 7

Time: 7:30 am ET, 12:30 pm UK

Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

TV: USA Network (US), TNT Sports 1 (UK)

Table: United (4th, 41 pts), Spurs (t-14th, 29 pts)

These sides met in North London back in November before the wheels had completely fallen off. Thomas Frank’s group was trying to respond after the abysmal Chelsea loss, but found themselves down a goal with under 10 minutes remaining. Mathys Tel equalized in the 84th minute before Richarlison nodded in the apparent winner shortly after, but unfortunately United scored at the death to end the match 2-2.

Two Things to Watch

Care-rick effect

The caretaker bounce was to be expected, and United look like a completely different side. Wins over City and Arsenal are hard to discredit, and while last weekend against Fulham was a bit frenetic at the end, the fact of the matter is that the former Tottenham player has done something that Spurs have failed to achieve all season: win three in a row (even across all competitions).

The reasons for this run are many, including just a general vibes boost from the managerial change, but it is hard to ignore that five of the eight goals scored over these three matches came from summer signings (specifically Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko). This really stands out after yet another uninspiring transfer window from Spurs, where consistent scoring remains a big gap.

Speaking of vibes, it is no secret which dressing room is behind its manager right now and which one is nearing revolt. Cristian Romero’s complaints are not directly at Frank, but there is plenty of blame to be spread all around. Spurs finished well last weekend and should be ready to show up for this one, but doing so would probably be in spite of their leadership, not because of it.

The right opportunities

United’s goals under Carrick have come in all sorts of forms, with counters, defensive lapses, and long-range strikes all finding the back of the net. Self-infliction is what worries Spurs supporters most, and after conceding two goals in each of the past three matches, and 10 over the last five, it is fair to question the defense’s ability and focus. Having both Romero and Micky van de Ven would certainly help, but the defensive issues are deeply embeded into this squad.

On the flip side, Arsenal scored twice against the Red Devils, as did Fulham. Tottenham is not scoring a ton, but does have multiple goals in three of the last four, so there could be opportunities on the other end as well. Relying on its center backs would seem to be a bad strategy, though it has cashed multiple times; instead, the return of Dominic Solanke is a very welcome addition.

This should be a match that sees both teams willing to attack, and perhaps comes down to which defense succumbs to the pressure. I am probably ready to retire the Spurs road narrative after just two points over the past three away trips, but Frank does have a history performing well against bigger sides. Under Carrick, United seems to be just that, perhaps setting the stage for a positive outing early Saturday.

Good morning, everyone. Are you ready for a big weekend in sport?

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Tottenham Hotspur have a big match against Manchester Untied at Old Trafford on Saturday. We’ve all known Thomas Frank’s future has been in question, but what does Cristian Romero’s recent instagram post say about his own? I love the off-the-field drama. I just wish watching Spurs was as exciting.

Otherwise, there’s of course the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in northern California.

Other than the moon landing, the Super Bowl occupies every slot in the top 10 most-watched US broadcasts. And at No.2 overall (again, after the moon landing), is last year’s Super Bowl.

That pales in comparison to the Puppy Bowl, though. I mean, just look at these pups.

But the biggest - and I mean BIGGEST - game of the weekend comes tonight. It’s St John’s versus UConn in men’s college basketball.

The venue: Madison Square Garden.

Does it get any bigger than this?

The Johnnies began the season in the ranked fifth in the nation but, after a really bad loss against Providence, crashed out of the Top 25 altogether. They’ve since strung together eight wins in a row and now sit at No. 22 in the polls.

They’ve got a tough matchup against Connecticut, though, whose only loss this season was against Arizona. I think it’s going to be a tight game. Neither school has had real dominant stretches in the Big East.

But hopefully the New York crowd lifts St John’s over the Huskies.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Elderberry Wine, by Wednesday

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold: “Thomas Frank has ‘no idea’ if Cristian Romero will be at Tottenham next season”

The Athletic ($$): “‘Fiorentina have a serious set of owners’: Fabio Paratici on why he left Tottenham”

BBC: “Celtic chairman calls for unity over fan boycott plans”

Yahoo Sports: “Leicester City docked six points for financial breach”

City insiders have doubted whether Levy could get £1bn for his shares, given it is a minority stake and offers no position of influence or power. His stake does not give him any preferred bidder status for control of Tottenham.

Not only does Levy’s stake come with no voting rights, place on the board or position of influence at Tottenham, it does not give the holder any first refusal or preferred bidder status if the club are ever sold.

— Matt Law, The Telegraph

”My understanding at this stage is that nobody has met Levy’s valuation. Now, we heard some reports suggesting that two failed prospective bidders, who were ruled out to buy 100 per cent of Tottenham, are going to team up and try to take Levy’s 29 per cent.

”One of them is the former DJ, Brooklyn Earick, and the other is Hong Kong-based businessman, Ng Wing-Fai, who put together a broader group.

“… Spurs sources I speak to say two things really clearly.

”One, they’ve not been informed that Levy is about to sell and two, there is scepticism that whether the individuals that were named in the press have the funds to meet Levy’s valuation.

”The other thing to note is that this isn’t a trojan horse into the club, so if somebody buys Levy’s stake, it comes with no power, and Tottenham are adamant that you can’t then go and take more shares off more people and get a longer-term pat to buying the entire club.

“So it’s a lot of money and ultimately, even if someone does buy Levy’s 29 per cent, they’re not going to get any control of even voting power.”

— Ben Jacobs, talkSPORT

”I had a very brief exchange with Daniel, he was on a flight, just to get some sort of understanding of where he is in it all so that you can get some degree of ‘from the horse’s mouth’.

”His opinion, these guys don’t have the money and are creating noise, and publicity. So, whether that’s positioning from Daniel about the fact that he wants to call their bluff...

”I mean listen, let’s be clear, he will sell his shares in ENIC, that’s what he’ll do if the price is met, and take the opportunities that that kind of money will present to him.

“… The deals that get done are the ones that you hear about at the last minute. There’s a few exceptions, we know there’s a few exceptions, that we get to hear it from the beginning, from its gestation, to its end product. But most of the time when it’s big deals or football clubs being sold, or major shareholdings being sold, you tend to hear about it just as it’s about to be done or when it’s done.

”So in this instance, it looks like people are running around, running their mouths and don’t have the cash to do it.”

— Simon Jordan, talkSPORT