After much speculation over her future, Lionesses keeper Mary Earps is reportedly set to leave Manchester United and join French giants PSG on a free transfer this summer.
The 31-year-old has been at Man United for nearly five years after joining from German side VfL Wolfsburg back in 2019 and has gone on to become not only the Red Devils’ number one but England’s too, emerging as one of the national team’s biggest leaders over the past few years.
Having picked up the 2023 Sports Personality of the Year among multiple other awards following her heroics at the Euros and World Cup, along with her campaigning on behalf of women’s sport, her stock has never been higher, but deliberations surrounding a new contract have dragged on for months.
Unfortunately for Man United Women fans, it looks as though the two parties have in the end failed to reach an agreement and they’ll have to big goodbye to Mary ‘Queen of Stops’.
Mary Earps will leave Manchester United at the end of her contract to join Paris Saint-Germain 📝 pic.twitter.com/82k5qAAwbq
As per multiple outlets, there has been no resolution between Earps and the WSL club despite lengthy negotiations and the fan-favourite player is now expected to leave Manchester when her contract expires at the end of the month.
According to the Evening Standard‘s Simon Collings, United are “understood to have made the goalkeeper a strong offer to stay, but she is keen for a new challenge elsewhere”, though Earps herself said the decision would ultimately be “up to the club” – the suggestion being it wasn’t a big enough deal.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s fair to say this will be a big loss for the club and not the only instance in which they won’t receive any kickback from the move, having similarly let a first-team star and fellow Lioness Alessia Russo go for free and join title rivals Arsenal at the end of her contract last summer.
But it isn’t just money the supporters fear has influenced the decision.
Not forgetting the top scorer Parris, & FA Cup final goalscorers Williams and Garcia. It is just a HUGE mess.
As you can see, there is now fear that other members of Marc Skinner’s squad could also be on their way out because of the other decisions made by higher-ups, with Spaniard Lucía García having also confirmed her exit on Wednesday, 26 June.
ADVERTISEMENT
The club has faced huge backlash following their decision to move the female players into portable facilities for the benefit of the men’s team whilst the Carrington Training Complex undergoes a reported £50 million revamp. Admittedly not a great look for parity throughout the club.
Kick Off podcast host and producer, Bruno Quinney, reacted to the news by calling it “unbelievable” and claiming that the women’s team “is going backwards” since Sir Jim Ratcliffe came in as co-owner.
“So much for a world-class sporting operation”, he added, posing the valid question: “Why can’t the serially underperforming men’s team move into portable buildings?
Earps is yet to issue a statement on her imminent departure but she’ll certainly be sorely missed by the United faithful.
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
26th June 2024 
