Former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard has finally found himself a new club as he is set to join South Korean side FC Seoul on a free, pending a full medical, but many football fans were left scratching their heads after he was presented with a flute after touching downat the airport.
Lingard has been a free agent in the transfer market ever since his contract at Nottingham Forest expired last summer and despite reportedly receiving interest from more than 20 clubs in that time, the ex-Man United midfielder has now decided to try out life in the K-League.
While many will be wondering why he chose FC Seoul, in particular — especially when he had been linked with the likes of Lazio, Everton and his former loan club West Ham for the longest time — even more might be raising an eyebrow as to why exactly a fan gifted him a flute when arrived in South Korea.
Well, obviously, there is some context behind it.
Jesse Lingard received Danso, a traditional Korean wind instrument, as a gift from a fan at Incheon International Airport😂 #kleaguepic.twitter.com/8usj420rYt
As explained by Korea Football News on X, the flute is actually a traditional Korean wind instrument made out of bamboo called a ‘danso’ and as for why was given it (besides being a token of the new culture he is embracing) you’d have to go back to his time at United and West Ham.
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For those who remember his in-form periods for the Red Devils and purple patch for the Hammers, Lingard was well known for whipping all manner of amusing celebrations, from the moonwalk and making the now official ‘J-Lingz’ logo with his hands to, you guessed it, playing the flute.
He enjoyed the dance and flute playing gesture on more than a few occasions during his time across the two clubs and given its humorous nature, not to mention his popularity and Premier League profile at the time, the celebration went on to be mimicked by others and even feature in multiple FIFA games.
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All that being said, while it might look a bit random that he was given a woodwind instrument at first glance, it’s actually not that bizarre when you look into it — even if the whole thing did start out as a nod to St Patrick’s Day away back in 2017. We expect he’ll be whipping out the flute if he scores on debut.
JESSE LINGARD was mobbed by fans as he arrived in South Korea to complete his FC Seoul transfer… and was bizarrely handed a flute.
GALATASARAY have signed Premier League duo Forest Serge Aurier and Fulham Carlos Vinicius on loan AFTER transfer window shut pic.twitter.com/4Ujii0rNzj
Soon to pen an apparent two-year deal with the club after passing the first part of his medical and his official unveiling imminent, the 31-year-old is expected to join up with FC Seoul right away.
Although there are few concrete details surrounding the exact terms of the deal, it has been reported that the Warrington-born footballer will sign his contract “within the next 24 hours” and is rumoured to have been promised a “lucrative salary”.
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Linagrd’s signing will also likely serve as a bit of a marquee coup for the K-League, similar to the raft of senior players that have recently joined Saudi Arabia and could potentially attract more talents from Europe to make the switch later in their careers.
🚨🇰🇷 Jesse Lingard has completed first part of medical tests on Monday as new Seoul FC player.
Final part will be completed today ahead of signature on Wednesday.
Lingard will join Seoul FC on two year contract in the next 24h, if all goes to plan. pic.twitter.com/68OiTC1vD4
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)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
7th February 2024 
