NBC SPORTS are “pressing” the Premier League for a 39th match in the USA.
The broadcaster claim top-flight bosses have been “receptive” in talks – despite such plans being rejected in 2008 amid a public outcry in England.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters suggested last week the door remained “ajar” on an historic extra round of games overseas.
But fans might still be surprised to hear NBC Sports’ confident words over extending their exclusive coverage.
Jon Miller, the organisation’s president of acquisitions and partnerships, told The Athletic: “We’ve had conversations with the Premier League.
“They’ve been very open and receptive to listening to me.
“We did the Premier League Summer Series last year where we had… Fulham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford.
“Nine games in seven days in five cities around America. It was great.”
Miller is also dreaming of better audio links – players, coaches and fourth officials being mic’d up so fans can hear more revealing stuff.
Demand for the Prem in the US was highlighted when Manchester United‘s tour last summer attracted a record crowd for the sport Stateside.
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The Red Devils’ 2-0 friendly win over Arsenal was watched by a sell-out 82,262 at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford in New Jersey.
NBC Sports won an exclusive six-year contract in 2022 for continuing to show Prem games.
By Dave Kidd
WHEN Manchester United got lucky in their FA Cup semi-final, Antony’s first instinct was to goad heartbroken opponents Coventry. To rub their noses in the dirt.
Antony seems to be a vile individual but this isn’t really about Antony. Because Antony is merely a symptom of the hideous sickness within England’s top flight.
There is so much wrong.
After our elite clubs persuaded the FA to completely scrap Cup replays — which gave us Ronnie Radford and Ricky Villa and Ryan Giggs — without due recompense or reasoning with the rest of English football.
The previous day, after his Manchester City side had defeated Chelsea in the other FA Cup semi-final, Pep Guardiola whinged about the fixture scheduling of TV companies who effectively pay much of his £20m salary.
Up at Wolves, Guardiola’s friend and rival Mikel Arteta was playing the same sad song about fixture congestion, despite his Arsenal side having played two fewer games this season than Coventry — who don’t have £50m squad players to rotate with.
Chelsea, oh Chelsea. The one-time plaything of a Russian oligarch now owned by financially incontinent venture capitalists who have piddled £1billion on a squad of players who fight like weasels in a sack about who should bask in the personal glory of scoring the penalty that puts them 5-0 up against Everton.
The deal reportedly earns the top flight about £360million a season.
The Athletic say the arrangement is “more than five times the first deal signed with NBC… in 2012”.
Miller added: “There are two things that really bring the viewer and the fan closer to the action: access and audio.
“People love to hear what Jurgen Klopp is saying to his team or what he’s saying on the sidelines.
‘We realize there’s got to be some protection against that. But those are the kind of things we’re continuing to push the envelope on.
“And the Premier League is responsive. They’re really good when we come to them with ideas. Far be it for me to try to tell the Premier League what makes a good product. Their product is spectacular.
‘But much like we do with the NFL, and golf, we constantly have conversations with our partners and brainstorm on things we can do to make the games better and more appealing to try to grow our audience.”
By Dave Kidd
NOW we know Jurgen Klopp’s final major trophy haul at Liverpool — one Champions League, one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and (if you must) a World Club Cup.
But where does his reign stand among the greatest of the Premier League era?
In black-and-white terms, Klopp is way behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, the only two men to have won multiple Premier Leagues and a Champions League at the same club.
Those two sit alongside Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Sir Matt Busby as the undoubted all-time managerial greats of the English game.
But Klopp ranks in the next tier down — with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho (the Chelsea version), Bill Shankly and Don Revie.
These were all men with the strength of character to transform their clubs in their own image and enjoy success but who did not win as much as they might have done.
Had Klopp managed to keep his intentions under wraps and ended up with another title, perhaps even a treble or quadruple, he’d have edged himself up into that highest echelon with Ferguson, Guardiola, Clough, Paisley and Busby.
But deciding the timing and the manner of your exit is one of the toughest calls for any manager or sportsman.
Klopp got it wrong.
Read Dave Kidd’s take on Klopp’s demise in full here.
Or click here to check out all of Dave Kidd’s articles.
