Brentford reject second Man Utd bid for Mbeumo | FA guarantee Wiegman’s future ahead of Euro 2025 | Verstappen in Mercedes talks
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Welcome to Back Pages, bringing you everything you need to know about the biggest sports stories making the headlines in the morning's newspapers. I'm Dharmesh Sheth and joining me are ESPN's Mark Ogden and Charlie Wyatt from The Sun. Welcome along to you both. OK, then let's start with the Express and what's turning into a bit of a transfer saga with regard to Manchester United and their pursuit of the Brentford forward Brian Mbumo.

Their headline says, Brian Battle, United ready to offer £200,000 a week, but Brentford will not be moved. Charlie, is it inevitable that we're going to see Brian Mbumo in the red of Manchester United come the start of the new season?

Yeah, I think we will. It feels, although it is a saga, we're going to get to the end of it eventually. It appears as though he'd rather play for Man United than Tottenham. There's interest from Spurs, although not a bid. And although Brentford have waived away, what, 55 plus 7.5 million today, they want 65 million. They're going to get it. Great signing for Manchester United equally.

Brentford are in a strong position. They know that United want this player, so I don't think Brentford will be in any great rush. Obviously, they've got a few other issues going on at their club at the moment as well. But I think United, when they do get Mbumo, quite clearly he's told them that he wants to go there. That would be a strong addition for them. Yeah, absolutely.

Mark, Charlie says strong addition and Bumo is set on going to Manchester United. Look, in the past few years, when pundits and experts are talking about Manchester United's recruitment...

They've been pretty critical. And what has been aimed at United is that they've been signing players that haven't really got that Premier League experience. But look, Mateus Cunha is in and Bumo looks inevitable. Are you starting to see lessons being learned at Manchester United about the recruitment now?

Yeah, I think so. I think obviously the two obvious strikers that you mentioned that they've picked up the last couple of years, Rasmus Hoyland and Joshua Zirk, because he both came from Serie A, mid-ranking clubs in Serie A that didn't really translate their

albeit patchy form in Serie A to the Premier League so they were never really going to cut it considering how few goals they scored in Italy so I think they've identified the fact that they need a massive upgrade in quality up front and also a sense that they're going to assign players who can drop straight into the team and know what the Premier League's about you can't have players who need a kind of an acclimatisation process obviously Mateusz Kunja and Mbumo both know the Premier League they've both got great track records in the Premier League but that comes at a cost

And United are finding that you can't just pick up Brian Mbumo for £50 million. You're going to have to go the distance. And if not pay up Brentford want, go very close to it. But I mean, they are pretty much, you know, within two or three million pounds of a deal being done now. And Mbumo's made it clear that he wants to go to United. And when that happens...

when a player says, I want to go and I want to play for this club, that's where he ends up. That's inevitable. So, you know, I think Brentford are pushing it as far as they can. But I think, as Charlie says, he'll end up at United pretty soon. And then they can move on to the next target, which will probably be somebody in midfield. But yeah, they are looking for players who've got Premier League experience that can go straight into the team and not have a six-month, 12-month wait before they show they can do it. Charlie...

There's been lots of speculation and lots of talk about how many changes Manchester United are going to need, not only incomings but outgoings as well. They clearly want to be challenging at the top of the league. How many windows, realistically, do you think this is going to actually take? Because Ruben Amorim has been very clear that this is a big job that United have got to do, both on and off the pitch.

Yeah, it's obviously not going to be sorted this summer, is it? Nigh on impossible for them to be where they want to be. And that's to be not just challenging for a Champions League spot, to be challenging for the title. And of course, you know, as we know, United are way off. You know, another season they could have got relegated.

So I think United fans will be patient. They're going to have to be patient, but equally, it does make it easier. As, as Mark said, when you're signing players who were proven in the Premier League and these two signings are exactly that. I mean, it's pretty obvious really, isn't it? That it, you know, it will make the manager's job easier and will make that improvement quicker by signing players like M Bumo, who had another terrific season, you know, foot for Brentford scored what 20 goals. He will hit the ground running. Um,

There's no doubt about that. And let's hope United's next couple of signings will be similar. But equally, I think it's going to be this time next year before we can really look at the success of these two windows and really judge where United are going to be. But they're going to improve. It's inevitable that Man United will improve. It certainly can't get any worse, that's for sure. But I think United fans do have some cause for concern.

Optimism, but they're going to have to be patient. Yeah, on the flip side is the Brentford side of the story. They're obviously going to be losing one of their best players, but they have finally got a new manager, a new head coach following Thomas Frank's departure to Tottenham Hotspur, and it is Keith Andrews, Mark. And the Telegraph's online edition has said, look, he's far more than just their set-piece coach, but look...

In black and white, it is a set-piece coach to a head coach. How big a risk is this appointment, do you think?

Well, it is a risk. We've seen clubs over the years in the Premier League that have lost their management promoted from within. It's not really worked out the majority of the times. But I think we have to give Keith Andrews the respect that he deserves. He's not an unknown. He had a Premier League career with Wolves, with Hull City, played for the Republic of Ireland 20, 30 times. He's a player with real experience. So that means he has that top-level experience which he can translate as a coach. But obviously, Thomas Frank...

is a really hard act to follow at Brentford. And not only that, you're going to lose Brian O'Boomer, your best forward. You're probably going to lose Christian Norgard in midfield. So straight away, you've got a kind of a rebuilding job as well as kind of getting the fans on side and getting the players on side. So it is a tough start for Keith Andrews, but he has got that

you know the credentials the pedigree of being a coach a good setup so brentford wouldn't have pointed him if they didn't think he could do it because brentford to be fair they're a club that study all the data they know what's out there they know who the the contenders are and they know what keith andrews does so he deserves his chance but yeah it's a massive task because you know thomas frank is such a hard art to follow

I think it'll be a good appointment. Sorry to interrupt. I think it'll be a good appointment. It is a gamble, but equally, if Brentford have got another manager from Italy who'd not been in this country before, that's a gamble as well. It wouldn't surprise me, although Brentford appointed him,

And it wasn't Thomas Frank's appointment. It would not surprise me if Thomas Frank has really given this appointment his blessing and told the club, look, I think we'll be in safe hands. I really do. Everything so far, Brentford have got right. They know what they're doing. So I have full, you know, real faith that they've got the right man there. Just picking up on what you've said there, Charlie, there is that tendency, isn't there, for Premier League clubs to go for the foreign coach, but...

You know, British and Irish managers tend not to get that opportunity at the highest level. Should we actually be applauding this appointment for that reason?

There'll be a lot of managers, as you said, British managers, Irish managers who've done their coaching badges in this country and who've been playing in the English pyramid who will be absolutely delighted with this. Because when you look at the appointments made, certainly during the season, last season, by Southampton, by Leicester, they were all gambles.

And they didn't work, any of them. Keith Andrews, he's 44, he's a year older than Arteta. So he's not really, really young. He's been at Sheffield United under Chris Wilder and obviously with the Republic of Ireland team as well. And obviously had a real positive contribution last season. Let's not forget Brentford were the only team to have three players who got into double figures. So he's played a part in that, was clearly a bit more than a set-piece coach.

As I said earlier, Brentford know what they're doing. I understand why some Brentford fans are worried, but I don't think they should get too stressed about this one.

OK, Charlie, let's get to your paper in the back page of The Sun. And it focuses on the UEFA Under-21 Championship final, England up against Germany on the eve of that final. The Midas Tuch. We'll come to the fact that Thomas Tuchel is flying out to Slovakia for this game. But I just want to focus on one of the sub-headlines. Mark, I'll come to you first on this.

Lee Carsley so grateful for Thomas Tuchel's support now look it was clearly he was managing the senior team he said he was going to go back to the under 21s he's got them to the final what does it say about the qualities that Lee Carsley has got that he's managed to do that

Well, look, first of all, you've got good players and it needs good players to have a team that gets to the final. So you have to keep credit for the squad first of all. But obviously we saw during his brief time in charge of England that he did well with the team. He had a couple of

up and down performances but he left there on a high I think and he's a very understated coach and I don't think he likes the glare of the spotlight I think he's much happier in the under 21 position I think when Thomas Tuchel came in he was the most relieved man at the FA that they had somebody who could take the pressure off him but it is important that the under 21 coach has a relationship with the senior coach because obviously the pathway to the first team is the young players that are coming through so

that he has Thomas Tuchel flying out to the final at the weekend to watch these young players, the people at Harley-David Elliot, who've had such a great tournament, is good. It shows the sense that there's a relationship between the two most important teams in the men's game, in the FA, certainly. So I think it shows that Kars is a very good coach, a very kind of humble coach. He's no ego about him, but he's happy where he is, away from the glare of being the top man in the big job.

Charlie Marks says that word, pathway. So, which players in this squad have a realistic chance of getting to Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad for next year? Realistically, not that many. Maybe Harvey Elliott. I think...

Thomas Tuchel, he's been in America for the Club World Cup and he was at the game yesterday. I think, in fact, he admitted before the tournament that he really wanted Liam De Lappe to be in the under-21s and that would have been interesting to see him play up front for England tomorrow night. Of course, he's been playing for Chelsea at the Club World Cup. But,

But, you know, Thomas Tuchel, he's going to be at the game. He's going to be sat near the German national senior coach, Julian Nagelsmann, who's interrupting his holiday in Mallorca. So they're going to be sat near each other. I think it was one Slovakian journalist asked Thomas Tuchel which team he wanted to win. Tomorrow, of course, he said it'd be England. And it just feels written in the stars that this time next year...

England are going to end up playing Germany, aren't they? At some stage in the World Cup, whether it's group stages, knockout stages, I don't think either team are going to get to the final, but it just seems, yeah, just written in the stars that Tuchel's going to end up playing Germany on a few occasions. Let's go to The Guardian now, and they feature...

An article there on Serena Wiegmann and her future, and the headline is, carry on Serena. FA says Wiegmann can stay whatever happens at the Euros. Charlie, so big FA backing for Serena Wiegmann here. Is it the right approach on the eve of a tournament like this?

Well, look, you know, we've been here before. I mean, for a start, she's got a contract for another two years. So in many respects, I guess you could imagine that Mark Bullingham, the FA chief executive, would say that if it was an utter disaster. And, you know, it's going to be very difficult for England, isn't it? They're in a really tough group. There's no guarantee that they're going to get to knockout stages. Maybe they'll look at it again, but I'm sure they definitely want her to stay for the next two years. But...

But I think the approach is the right one in terms of Thomas Tuchel. His contract is still the World Cup. We're going to see how we go. And then they'll make the decision. I don't like these long contracts. It should just be each tournament at a time. It makes perfect sense to do that. So...

I'm not quite sure why they decided to give her such a long contract. I guess it's because she's done so well and they wanted to tie her down. But yeah, it looks as though she's on safe ground, even though I think it could be a tough few weeks for her.

Yeah, Mark, Charlie says a tough few weeks and he references the group that England find themselves in. And if you couple that alongside the players that have retired in the lead up to this tournament, it's been quite a tumultuous few weeks, hasn't it, for the Lionesses? With all of that in mind, what do you think would qualify as a successful tournament for them?

well all of that you mentioned is another reason why it's probably a little bit naive to say now that she will still be in charge after the tournament because you know did the mary up situation really bright situation did that point to kind of unrest in the camp that hasn't been resolved by by the two going as serena got full control of the camp and also that these like say france and the netherlands in the group it's basically three

three into two places with respect to Wales I think Wales will struggle to get out of that group but you know you can't say at this stage she'll definitely be in charge but I know what's happened obviously Mark Bunningham has been asked the question will she be in charge and he has to give an answer and if he said if he says no I'll have to wait and see we'll still be talking about this right now because it would be a situation where they should have given her his backing so it's difficult but

Results dictate everything. We know that Gareth Sedgwick went into a couple of tournaments with uncertainty of his future, with backing from the FA. Last summer, he was backed by the FA to stay, but he left. And I think sometimes the FA are terrified of change. They don't like change, and obviously they like stability.

But it's going to be a tough tournament because England haven't played well since the World Cup final a couple of years ago when they lost to Spain. It's been a difficult two years. So they need to get out of the group. And if they don't, I think Mark Bullinger might be revisiting that comment about Serena staying. Do you agree with that, Charlie? Do you think that if it's a group stage exit, then Serena Wiegman could be under threat after all?

It'd be the manner of the defeats, wouldn't it? If they lose to Wales as well. Look, I think that really depends. But I think the FA...

know quite how difficult these next few weeks are going to be. And, you know, no one's expecting England are definitely going to, you know, go all the way. They've got the belief there. That's important, of course. But as Mark said, with a few of those high profile departures before the tournament, you know, potentially maybe it's not as settled camp as you'd hope.

Yeah, just a few days now until Wimbledon gets underway. The tournament gets underway on Monday, of course, and a lot of the papers have gone with...

What looks like nightmare draws for the British players, Charlie. Emma Raducanu, potentially, if she gets past her first-round opponent, who's a Welsh wildcard, of course, and could be the 2023 winner in round two, the number one seed in round three, provided she gets through it all. Jack Draper as well. To win it, he's going to have to get past the likes of Sina Djokovic and Alcaraz in the final, potentially. It's not looking easy, is it, for them?

No, it's tough, but it's interesting. I mean, you know, let's start with Radhikanu. Uh, you know, what a brilliant story. She's going to be facing Mimiju, who, who, what, 17, uh, who remembers watching Radhikanu, what, four years ago, uh,

win the US Open. She was just 13 at the time and she has described Ratakhani today as inspirational. And that's going to be a really... We can't look beyond this first round for Ratakhani because, you know, she's obviously been struggling anyway. You know, she's going to play...

you know, a teenager with nothing to lose, who's had a couple of really good wins on grass, beaten top 100 players in the last weeks. And she's been having to do her biology A-levels in the middle of all of that as well. And, you know, she's in the top 300 now. So that is a really, really difficult match. I'm sure it will be on centre court or court one. So only then can we really think about Raducanu's...

progression beyond that because I think that could be a very, very close and really uncomfortable match for her. Yeah, and on to Draper, it's tough. He's, what, fourth in the world. He's got to potentially play Marin Silic in the second round. He's got to get past Sebastian Baez in the first. And he's, I think, 38, something like that in the world. So that's quite a nasty first-round match.

Potentially third round, Alexander Bublik, who he lost at the French Open. Bublik's won on Halle recently, so he's in really, really good form. So while potentially it's Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal, I don't think anyone can really think that Draper at the moment can be looking at the match. And of course,

assuming that Djokovic is going to be in the quarterfinals. I mean, he's been in every final since 2017, but, you know, we're at this stage of his career that, you know, potentially he could suffer a slip-up. So it's going to be really interesting. I also love the fact that, going back to the women, we've got three British players aged 17 and

for the first time, I think. So, yeah, lots to talk about. I think it's going to be a brilliant tournament. And obviously the weather is going to be very, very difficult for the players as well. Yeah, lots of coverage of Wimbledon in the papers and lots of coverage, Mark, on the F1. The Austrian Grand Prix is this weekend, but you probably wouldn't have thought it because it's completely being overshadowed just now with a real...

Real huge plot line with regard to Max Verstappen and Mercedes potentially. Toto Wolff has said yes, not denying it, talks are underway between Verstappen and Mercedes. What do you make of it? Can you see this happening?

Well, Verstappen and Red Bull haven't been a happy camp for maybe 18 months, two years. So it's not the biggest surprise that he might want out of Red Bull. But to go to Mercedes is huge. It's like leaving Liverpool for Man City or something of that. Because it's the biggest contender. And the other situation with George Russell as well. At Mercedes, who obviously fancies himself as being the next world champion. So the two of them in the same team is unlikely to happen. But

Are they really rivals in the sense that we're getting this picture now, this massive rivalry building up? Is it a real rivalry? Is it a confected rivalry? Is it one for us guys in the media to spin up? But obviously, it seems that having the same

two egos in the same team would be very difficult but Mercedes don't seem to mind that they seem to think that obviously Verstappen is the best driver George Russell's got a situation with his contract so maybe it's a ploy to to put a bit of pressure on him but either way it's a great story and it's it's it's a bigger story than the race at the weekend yeah Charlie it is a great story but and it's also given added spice because these two have had a bit of a feud of late haven't they

Yeah, they don't like each other. I mean, it's pretty obvious that they don't like each other. They're not hiding that, are they? So, yeah, it's a great side story. Really interesting. You know, Russell, it does seem that they're quite happy with Russell and his...

season so far, the car's not been brilliant, but as Mark said, Verstappen's been having problems with Red Bull for a while. Mercedes wanted Verstappen last year, it didn't happen. So, yeah, that could potentially be bad news for Russell if he comes over and he might be looking for another drive as well. But equally, yeah,

Yeah, he's going to have plenty of options. So, yes, it's one to keep an eye on. But those two in the same team, which I don't think is impossible next year, would be a brilliant spectacle, both watching the races, but also what was going on behind the scenes. Another spectacle is the Lions tour, Charlie, in 20 seconds.

Just tell us how big this is, because Andy Farrell is saying there is nothing bigger than a Lions tour. And, yeah, there's a big talk for tomorrow's one. They've been warned that they could be bashed up. Real test, first of all. Yeah, just... When players like that say it, and coaches and everyone, it's the biggest thing in rugby. So, yeah, it'd be fascinating. Charlie, Mark, thank you so much for your time on Back Pages tonight.