This morning, the double red derby ended in a 2-2 draw, thus concluding the 20th round of the Premier League where Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal all drew their matches, while Manchester City secured two consecutive victories with a 4-1 win over West Ham.
The collective underperformance of the top teams has provided an opportunity for Manchester City to catch up, despite only winning three out of their last eleven games, including a record of one win, two draws, and six losses from the tenth to the eighteenth round. However, they are only two points away from the top four.
The general manager of Lorient has confirmed that their defender, Huseynov, who is a target for Manchester City during the winter transfer window, will be leaving the club.
Manchester City's signing of Lorient defender Huseynov is nearing completion, as the team seeks to strengthen their defense and midfield protection, which have been abstract this season. Despite a 4-1 victory over West Ham, City only had nine shots compared to their opponent's seventeen. The defensive issues can only be resolved through new signings, but unfortunately, City's winter transfer activity has been more noise than substance so far.
Currently, there has been no significant progress in Manchester City's pursuit of targets such as Zubimendi, Guimaraes, Wirtz, and Musiala. The rumored transfer of Marmoush to City has also been debunked by Sky Sports and Bild reporter Eric Peters.
The only confirmed interest and ongoing negotiation by City is for Lorient defender Huseynov.
Both the "Manchester Evening News" and Fabrizio Romano have confirmed that the 20-year-old Lorient central defender Kusaynov is a target for Manchester City during the winter window, and negotiations for his acquisition have already begun.
Having previously excelled in the Belarusian league before moving to one of Europe's top five leagues, City hopes Kusaynov's arrival will help address some injury issues. Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, and Tottenham are also monitoring him.
The player's expected transfer fee is around 20 million pounds (approximately 30 million euros), and multiple teams are interested. City has changed their plan to try and sign him in January.
In a recent interview, the player's agent believes his client is ready to play for one of Europe's top clubs.
In a pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Toulouse, Lorient's general manager Pierre Draioci confirmed Kusaynov's impending departure: "If Kusaynov must leave and the offer is attractive enough, it is crucial to maintain financial balance. I hope that after selling Kusaynov, the team's level does not decline, and the club's ambitions remain unchanged. Therefore, the sports director's idea is to make every effort to enhance the team's offensive capabilities."
The 20-year-old Kusaynov is an Uzbekistan international, standing at 1.86 meters tall, fast, and physically strong, embodying the robust tradition of French league defenders.
His contract with Lorient expires in 2027. This season, he has played 16 games for Lorient, contributing one assist. He has started 11 times and come off the bench twice in Ligue 1, averaging 1.2 tackles, 1.9 interceptions, and 4.4 clearances per game defensively. He has helped the team keep seven clean sheets, playing a total of 1219 minutes. His only drawback is a lack of composure, being somewhat rash, as evidenced by his red card in Lorient's 1-3 loss to Marseille. This characteristic makes him more suitable for the role of a full-back, with explosive aggression and offensive prowess. His market value according to Transfermarkt is 12 million euros. He has already made 18 appearances for his national team and has become another central defender to emerge in Ligue 1.
Lorient signed Kusaynov for only 100,000 pounds in 2023, and if sold to City, they would make a 200-fold profit.
In the double red derby, Arnold's performance was disastrous.
This morning at 0:30, Liverpool hosted Manchester United in the 20th round of the Premier League. Liverpool, led by Kloet, is leading both the Premier League and the Champions League with a record of 23 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss in 27 matches; while Manchester United continues to struggle, with ten Haag having been sacked and Amorim winning fewer and losing more matches, suffering four consecutive defeats and ranking 14th in the Premier League, 23 points behind Liverpool.
Before the match, Manchester United was widely expected to lose, with predictions of a sixth consecutive defeat! The double red derby was seen as a match without suspense!
In the first half, Amad missed a header, and Hoilen missed a one-on-one chance. In the second half, Lima broke the deadlock, Gakpo equalized, De Ligt gave away a penalty, Salah scored from the spot to take the lead, Amad saved the day, and Maguire missed a golden opportunity to win the game. Arnold, who has recently been linked with Real Madrid, made frequent mistakes, delivering a disaster-class performance.
B Fei's outside-of-the-foot pass saw Dalot quickly bypass Arnold on the left and deliver a cross. If not for Amad's goal-line clearance, Liverpool might have conceded earlier:
Arnold was outmaneuvered by Dalot, regained possession but carelessly lost it again + showed lackadaisical defense, ultimately leading to a goal:
Arnold's passing error handed possession to Amad, allowing Manchester United to launch a quick counterattack:
Arnold was embarrassed by B Fei and received a yellow card:
After conceding the second goal, Arnold made another mistake, gifting Manchester United a counterattack opportunity. Van Dijk's expression after making up for the defense:
Arnold's catastrophic performance in the double red derby has raised questions about his worth, especially considering the news that Liverpool offered him a massive five-year, 78 million-pound contract just yesterday. Is such performance worth it?
Ultimately, Liverpool drew 2-2 with Manchester United at home, ending Manchester United's four-game losing streak in all competitions and maintaining Liverpool's unbeaten run of 24 matches.
In the last 24 games, Liverpool has achieved a record of 20 wins and 4 draws, drawing with Arsenal 2-2 away, Newcastle 3-3 away, Fulham 2-2 at home, and Manchester United 2-2 at home.
In the standings, the Reds have 46 points and are at the top, leading the second-placed Gunners by six points with one game in hand. The Red Devils have 23 points and are in 13th place. Since taking over Manchester United, Amorim has won only two out of the first eight Premier League matches, losing five, with a 4-0 home win over Everton and a 2-1 away win over Manchester City, as well as a 1-1 draw with Ipswich.