Category Uncategorized

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United are closing in on the signing of Pablo Fornals from Villarreal for a £24m fee, Football FanCast understands.

The Hammers turned their attention to the attacking midfielder earlier this week after realising that a deal to sign Celta Vigo’s Stanislav Lobotka would prove prohibitively expensive.

Fornals, nevertheless, is a player that is admired by manager Manuel Pellegrini and sources have confirmed that the manager explicitly asked for his signing.

Mario Husillos, the club’s Director of Football, has driven the deal and a fee of £24m has been agreed between the two clubs.

A tricky playmaker who has won two caps for Spain, Fornals scored five goals and registered six assists in 2018/19 and will reinforce the club’s attacking midfield ranks; they already have Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini, Jack Wilshere and Robert Snodgrass capable of playing in the No.10 role.

Is a move for Fornals sensible, then, at such a price?

Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below!

Ben Goodwin

“I think Fornals is an excellent signing for the Hammers and could be the perfect midfield partner for Declan Rice. Rice offers defensive stability and recycles the ball smartly, but he needs a creative influence alongside him and Fornals will offer that magical spark. His versatility, vision and skill opens up loads of options for Manuel Pellegrini, who is no doubt delighted to be landing such a gifted technician.”

Christy Malyan

“Pellegrini seems to be a fan, he can play across the midfield, he’s 23 years old and he’s already played for the Spanish national team. Fornals seems to tick all the boxes but £24m is a lot of money for West Ham and you have to wonder how much will be left in the kitty to address some clear deficiencies in the squad, particularly at full-back and up front. Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson should bring enough verve and class to the midfield on their own.”

Matt Dawson

“Even at a price as high as £24m, Fornals would be a wonderful capture for West Ham. However, given the club already have plenty of creative outlets it does perhaps seem a questionable signing in that regard. That being said, the talents he has at his disposal should light up the London Stadium if his move does go through. He’s confident with the ball at his feet and he’s already proven himself in one of Europe’s top five leagues. This is a solid acquisition.”

[ad_pod ]

The Evening Chronicle have compiled a list of potential Newcastle United transfer targets, and the inclusion of Aaron Mooy has really got fans talking.

The Magpies will almost certainly need new signings in the middle third this summer, as three first team midfielders could leave the club.

Mo Diame will be out of contract, Isaac Hayden is expected to depart to be closer to his family, while Jonjo Shelvey could leave in search of regular playing time.

With that in mind, it is no surprise to see the Chronicle’s list of targets include Mooy, as well as James McCarthy and Joao Mario.

According to the report, Benitez and Newcastle have admired the Australian international for quite some time.

He scored seven times and added four assists across two Premier League seasons with Huddersfield, and certainly has the work rate and energy required to play in a Benitez midfield.

Fans on Twitter aren’t too fond though, mainly due to the rumours of a big-money takeover, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a move for Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos this summer, per El Des Marque.

What’s the word?

Ceballos, primarily a central midfielder who can also play on the left flank, has enjoyed a productive season at Santiago Bernabeu, making 34 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals.

However, new boss Zinedine Zidane has barely utilised the 22-year-old; he was not included in the squad for the final three games of the Liga season, against Villarreal, Real Sociedad and Real Betis.

He is subsequently likely to leave this summer, with Spurs listed as the “main player” in negotiations; they are reported to be willing to pay up to €50million (£44m) to secure his signature.

This news comes, of course, amid reports that Real are keen to sign Christian Eriksen from Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

A bargaining chip

Spurs could come out of this whole saga with a new midfielder and a bucketload of cash if they play their cards right.

Eriksen, it seems, is poised to move to the Spanish capital, following in the footsteps of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale by swapping north London for Madrid.

But Spurs’ interest in Ceballos adds a layer of intrigue and chairman Daniel Levy could insist on receiving the midfielder in part-exchange.

That gives him the high ground in negotiations; Real would surely like to reduce his asking price for Eriksen, which is reported to stand at over £100m, and they are unlikely to stand in the under-utilised star’s way if he wants to make the move to England.

If Real add some cash on top, Spurs will have the funds to reinvest in other areas of the squad and they will have strengthened their midfield, essentially, for nothing.

اعترف كيفين دي بروين نجم فريق مانشستر سيتي إنهم يفتقدون الحدة أمام المرمى، وذلك بعد خسارتهم أمام توتنهام اليوم في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وخسر مانشستر سيتي بهدفين دون رد، في الجولة التاسعة من البريميرليج، في ملعب توتنهام.

وقال دي بروين في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي للنادي: “أعتقد أننا لعبنا بشكل جيد ولكننا افتقدنا الحدة أمام المرمى، هددنا توتنهام بثلاث أو أربع فرص، هذا جيد جدًا، ولكن إذا لم تكن جيدًا بدرجة كافية أمام المرمى، فإن الأمر يصبح صعبًا”.

وأضاف: “لقد كان لدينا لحظات صعود وهبوط مع دخول وخروج اللاعبين، من الصعب على اللاعبين العائدين من الإصابة أن يكونوا أقوياء على الفور”.

وواصل: “نحن نقوم بعمل جيد في الثلثين الأولين، ولكن ليس بنفس الجودة في الثلث الأخير، ولكن هذا سيأتي”.

وتابع: “نحن بحاجة إلى أن نكون أكثر حدة، ولكن كما أقول ذلك سيأتي قريبًا”.

وأكد دي بروين أنه ليس في كامل لياقته البدنية، حيث قال: “كان الأمر صعبًا، كان لدينا حوالي سبعة أيام في فترة ما قبل الموسم، الأسبوع الماضي لعبت مع المنتخب الوطني بعد جلسة تدريبية واحدة”.

واختتم: “عدت ليلة الأربعاء من بلجيكا ولم أتمكن من الذهاب إلى النادي لأنه يتعين علينا إجراء اختبار كورونا، لذلك لم أتمكن من العودة إلى كامل لياقتي”.

Has there ever been a better time to be a Sheffield United supporter?

After achieving promotion to the Premier League last month from the Championship, the Blades are now just months away from welcoming the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City to Bramall Lane.

Yet before his side play their first top-flight game in 12 years in August, Chris Wilder will undoubtedly be looking to strengthen his squad this summer. With United in need of bringing in a goalkeeper when the transfer window, it is clear that their number one target simply has to be Dean Henderson.

Having excelled on loan at the club during a campaign in which he conceded just 41 goals and kept a remarkable total of 21 clean sheets in the second tier, the £2.25m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) would arguably be the Blades’ signing of the year if they can convince him to make a permanent switch from Manchester United.

However, with the Star reporting that the Red Devils are reluctant to sanction a deal, the Blades may have to seek the possibility of securing another loan move.

An outstandingly talented player, Henderson has all the ingredients needed to thrive in the Premier League yet with both David De Gea and Sergio Romero ahead of him in the pecking order at Old Trafford, he may have to leave the club in order to fulfil his potential.

By rejoining the Blades, the England under-21 international would undoubtedly benefit from learning from the likes of Wilder and his assistant Alan Knill who have an excellent track record of getting the very best out of their players.

What do you think United fans? Would you welcome back Henderson in the summer? How impressed were you with the keeper’s performances last season? Let us know below.

Following the recent euphoria at Arsenal, inconsistency plagued Crystal Palace once again as they failed to overcome Everton and improve their concerning home form.

However, the fact that they kept out the side who thrashed Manchester United a week earlier, some positive signs could be taken from the otherwise frustrating encounter.

Roy Hodgson’s attack was toothless on the day with disappointing striker Christian Benteke having another day to forget. However, one who had a match to remember was goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. With the Eagles in need of a reliable goalkeeper all season, Guaita’s impressive work has spearheaded to pole position in that regard.

The Spaniard was on song against a terrorizing Everton attack, who hounded forward looking for goals. While Palace’s defending remained stable, the Toffees still managed to breach it and get through on goal. However, Guaita stood like a rock who wouldn’t let anything go past him on the day.

He made a few stunning saves, including one crucial one off Cenk Tosun in the second half to keep the hosts in the game. The Spaniard might need to work on his lacklustre distribution, yet his impressive shot-stopping ability and agility in goal is a positive trait for Roy Hodgson’s side.

Guaita kept his sixth clean-sheet this season with a solid display and kept Palace’s impressive defensive record in check. Now that he’s performing so well in pulling off terrific saves, keeping out oppositions and rarely making mistakes, the Eagles have found a trustworthy #1 to rely upon for the near future.

While his signing did prove to be a lot of hassle for the Eagles across two transfer windows, the £60kp/w star (as per SpotRac) looks worth it.

Palace fans, do you think Guaita can be trusted in the long-term? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]

Sheffield United fans have backed David McGoldrick to win the Player of the Season award after his heroic debut campaign at Bramall Lane.

Certain fans are hoping McGoldrick prevails in what is to be a tightly contested voting process with Billy Sharp, Enda Stevens, Dean Henderson and Oliver Norwood all getting shouts in the replies section on Twitter.

Despite Sheffield United having so many outstanding players this season it was David McGoldrick who got the most love amongst fans on Twitter.

Recency bias may well play a part in the Twitter responses on Monday night as it came just hours after a McGoldrick brace against Hull City all but secured promotion to the Premier League for the Blades.

Chris Wilder’s side have had an incredible season and it is a testament to McGoldrick’s ability that he is the fan’s pick to win the award. The Ireland international has hit 15 Championship goals this season after joining on a free from Ipswich last summer.

Here’s what Sheffield United fans had to say on Twitter…

[ad_pod ]

Manchester United were dumped out of the Champions League by Barcelona on Tuesday, and one stunning stat shows exactly why the Red Devils can’t compete with the big boys anymore.

On the chalkboard

If they’re honest, most Manchester United fans had probably admitted defeat as soon as they saw the starting XI at the Camp Nou.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could not select Luke Shaw due to suspension, so opted instead to deploy Ashley Young on the left side of defence, with Victor Lindelof on the other flank.

Chris Smalling and Phil Jones started out in the middle, something that is surely music to the ears of any opposing forward player.

Here’s the kicker though – three of the back four that started on Tuesday, as well as David De Gea, started a 2-1 Champions League defeat to Basel in December 2011, a match that dumped the Red Devils out at the group stage.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Absolutely atrocious

Let’s put this into perspective shall we? In 2011, Barack Obama was the United States president, Adam Johnson was a Manchester City player and Marcus Rashford was 14 years old.

And yet, eight seasons later, four of the back five (including De Gea) are still being used as regular first team options, despite fans and managers alike yearning for new centre back options every single summer since.

That’s not even the worst part either; three of the four that started both matches have been given new contracts in the last few months, while De Gea, the only one who actually deserves a new deal, is yet to get one. It is mind-numbingly stupid.

Solskjaer didn’t help himself by putting his best centre back in Lindelof at right back, but the fact of the matter is that no manager can build a strong defence around Young, Smalling and Jones.

The latter pair in particular have never proven themselves to be anything more than absolutely mediocre, their reward for which has been to get a shiny new contract, showing just how directionless the club currently are.

Until the owners and Ed Woodward bite the bullet and clear out the massive number of bang average players currently on the books at Old Trafford, it really won’t matter who leads the troops from the dugout, things will only get worse.

تحدث محمد يوسف المدير الفني السابق لـ الأهلي، عن صعوبة مواجهة الوداد في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الأهلي يلتقي مع الوداد يوم السبت المقبل في ذهاب دور نصف نهائي البطولة الأكبر على المستوي القاري.

وقال يوسف في تصريحات إذاعية عبر أثير راديو “أون سبورت إف إم”: “مباراة الذهاب تعتبر شوطا واحدا فقط، والأخر الذي سيُلعب في القاهرة، والمدير الفني بيتسو موسيماني لديه دراية كاملة وخبرات كبيرة بأجواء إفريقيا”.

وتابع: “لابد أن يسجل الأهلي هدفًا في المباراة على ملعب الوداد، ويجب أن يتم تحفيز اللاعبين للقيام بذلك”.

طالع أيضًا.. الأهلي يُعلن جاهزية لاعبه لمباراة الوداد

وأكمل: “المباراة ستكون مغلقة من الجانبين، والوداد والرجاء فريقان لديهما مميزات تكتيكية ويلعبان بجماعية”.

وأوضح: “على الرغم من كونهما أقل في الناحية البدنية والمهارية، لكن لابد من توخي الحذر من التكتيكك الجماعي الخاص بهما، ومن حظ الأهلي والزمالك عدم وجود جماهير”.

وأختتم: “المباراتان ستتسمان بالصعوبة على الفرق الأربعة، وكذلك الإياب مهما كانت نتيجة المواجهة الأولى، ويجب عدم وجود فارق أهداف كبير لأن ذلك يؤثر بالسلب على الناحية النفسية للاعبين”.

أكد بيرند شوستر، لاعب برشلونة السابق، أن استمرار ميسي مع الفريق يثير قلقه، بعدما فشلت مساعي النجم الأرجنيتين، في الرحيل خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية.

ميسي أراد الرحيل من برشلونة، لكنه قرر البقاء في النهاية، بسبب الشرط الجزائي في عقده المقدر بـ 700 مليون يورو، لكنه أكد بأنه سيستمر رغم الخلاف مع إدارة النادي.

طالع أيضًا.. برشلونة يُعلن التشخيص النهائي لإصابة جوردي ألبا

وقال شوستر في تصريحات لإذاعة “أوندا سيرو” الإسبانية: “ميسي يثير قلقي، لا أعرف ما إذا كان واضحًا بشأن دوره في الفريق هذا الموسم”.

وأضاف: “رحيل سواريز سيؤثر عليه بالتأكيد، ليس لأنه صديقه المقرب فقط، لكن بسبب وجوده في الملعب أيضًا، لأن ميسي في عدم وجود لويس، يحصل على أدوار أخرى”.

وأشاد شوستر بالمدافع الشاب رونالد أراوخو: “لقد كان جريئًا أمام إشبيلية، وأحببت رؤيته هكذا”.

وتعادل برشلونة لأول مرة هذا الموسم، أمس الأحد، في مواجهة إشبيلية، بالجولة الخامسة من الدوري الإسباني.