Tag Futebol

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As we enter a new week, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham continue in their attempts to ready their squad for their first game of the new season against Aston Villa on August 10th. Today’s Spurs transfer roundup includes fresh comments from a top target, an update in regards to a star midfielder and the potential exit of an England international.

Ndombele comments good news for Spurs

Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele has stoked the fire of a move to North London by telling Teléfoot that he would be interested in a move to Spurs. “Yes, it’s true that Tottenham is a great team, it’s a big club,” he said. “They finished fourth in their league, they’re a finalist in the Champions League, it’s still a big club like any other. Which player would not be interested in a big club?”. Spurs have already lodged a bid for the player.

Eriksen says no to United

Whilst Christian Eriksen may be looking for a move this summer, Manchester United is of no interest to him according to journalist Tom McDermott. The Dane was reportedly approached by the Red Devils, but the former Ajax player told the Old Trafford outfit that he would not be moving to Manchester.

Rose surplus to requirements

The Sun is reporting that Spurs are willing to let left-back Danny Rose leave the club, but his £80,000-a-week wages are making him difficult to offload. Pochettino would be interested in bringing in Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon as a replacement for the 29-year-old.

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Rangers are set to send winger Glenn Middleton out on loan to Doncaster Rovers, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s the story?

With Steven Gerrard’s side rapidly becoming overloaded with options on the wings after the signings of Jordan Jones and Jake Hastie, competition is fierce on both the left and right side of attack.

Middleton then may not get the first-team football he needs next season and the paper report that the club have taken the decision to farm him out to the English League One side.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The outlet reckon that the Gers want to bring back Ryan Kent to the club, adding another barrier to Middleton’s progress at Ibrox.

By letting him leave for England in 2019/20, Gerrard paves the way for that crowd-pleasing Kent move.

Middleton’s development

The teenager initially looked like becoming a firm part of Gerrard’s plans last season, making 25 appearances before the winter break, scoring five goals and assisting five times.

Since then though he’s hardly had a look in, playing just four times between January and the end of the season.

That’s not without good reason.

Despite looking like an exciting option on occasion, consistency was the player’s big problem and a loan away to a competitive league like League One will help him learn what it takes to win matches with attacking contributions on a regular basis.

A loan really is the best thing for his development right now and there’s every chance he can prove to Gerrard that he deserves a place in the squad come the 2020/21 season.

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It will be an intriguing summer in the transfer market for Everton.

Many supporters will be wondering what the future holds for Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma, two players who starred for the club last season on loan from Barcelona and Chelsea respectively.

The former, a Portuguese international, has already indicated that he wants to join the Toffees on a permanent deal after snubbing West Ham’s advances, so his future is a bit clearer than Zouma’s. Marco Silva though, has suggested he wants to have Zouma back at Goodison Park next season.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Sadly for the Merseysiders, the French international has returned to Chelsea and things have gone quiet in regards to a permanent switch – however, there may be a perfect alternative in Real Sociedad star Diego Llorente.

The Spaniard, formerly of Real Madrid, is supposedly on Everton’s radar and they have been tipped as the favourites to sign him by a Spanish news outlet – the report indicates that €30m(£26.66m) could be enough to do a deal.

According to WhoScored, the 25-year-old Spaniard had an 84.8% pass success rate in La Liga last season, whereas Zouma recorded a percentage of 83.6% in his 32 Premier League appearances.

Additionally, from a defensive point of view, Llorente has eerily similar stats in comparison to the former Saint-Étienne centre-back in regards to his tackling and the amount of clearances he makes. Llorente made 1.2 tackles per game last year and 3.8 clearances per game, the former being 0.2 more than Zouma whilst the clearances are the same.

Zouma may not even leave Chelsea after the Blues were hit with a transfer ban – this could mean they try and hang on to as many experienced stars as possible. He’s a solid centre-back who the Everton fans have loved having at the club and are hoping for his immediate return, but things aren’t always that easy in football.

If a deal for the Frenchman doesn’t materialise, then Llorente appears to be a strong alternative.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to debate whether or not Salomon Rondon would be a good signing, after the Newcastle forward tore them apart on Saturday evening.

The Venezuelan international played a huge role in Christian Atsu’s goal by making life hard for Dejan Lovren, and then managed to grab an equaliser to make it 2-2 with a thumping volley into the bottom corner, impressively with his weaker left foot.

Has Salamon Rondon had a better season than Bobby Firmino? Matt from The Magpie Channel discusses in the video below…

The strike was Rondon’s 10th Premier League goal of the season, whilst he has also recorded an eye-catching seven assists for the Magpies since signing on loan from West Brom – 17 goal involvements for a club who spent the season battling relegation is very good indeed.

After watching him tear them apart and even give Virgil van Dijk a headache, some Liverpool fans reckon the 29-year-old would be a handy signing.

However, others are against the idea of bringing him to Anfield, as seen by the mixed responses on Twitter…

If you were to tell a Leeds United supporter two weeks ago that their final day clash with Ipswich Town would end up being a meaningless fixture, they would have understandably been puzzled.

However, with the Whites faltering at the final hurdle in their battle with Sheffield United for a top-two position in the Championship, Sunday’s draw at Elland Road with Aston Villa confirmed that in order to achieve promotion this season, Marcelo Bielsa’s side will have to prevail via the play-offs in May.

Although momentum is key heading into this particular knock-out competition, Leeds may benefit more in the long-term if they give one of their most impressive academy products the chance to impress on Sunday.

Having signed for the Whites from York City in 2017, Ryan Edmondson was initially assigned to the club’s under-18 side last season yet a number of impressive performances saw him quickly move up to under-23 level where he has thrived this year.

Under the guidance of head coach Carlos Corberan, the forward’s development as a player has improved considerably as he has become more composed in-front of goal during the current campaign with his 19 goals playing an influential role in helping his side clinch the Premier League Development League North title in March.

After yet another superb outing in the under-23’s 3-2 victory over Coventry City on Monday, it is surely time for Bielsa to consider handing Edmondson his first ever Championship start.

Although the 17-year-old made two brief substitute appearances for the first team in 2018, it is surely worth seeing if he is ready to make the step up in level against a Tractor Boys side who have already been relegated to the Championship.

Having already reaped the rewards from giving the likes of Jack Clarke, Jamie Shackleton and Bailey Peacock-Farrell the chance to prove themselves this season, Bielsa could unearth yet another gem if he is willing to take the risk at the weekend.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Edmondson start against Ipswich following his recent performances for the U23’s? Or is it still too early to play the 17-year-old? Let us know below.

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Newcastle are reportedly in the race to sign Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser.

What’s the story?

According to The Daily Record, Newcastle will battle Arsenal to sign Fraser this summer.

The Scottish international, capped six times by his country, will enter the last year of his contract next season, meaning Bournemouth could well be tempted to cash in this summer.

According to the aforementioned report, Arsenal are weighing up a £20m bid for the winger while the Magpies take a different approach, plotting to use Matt Ritchie as “bait” in a player-plus-cash deal.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

A senseless swap

On the surface, a swap deal does makes sense for Newcastle, upgrading a winger who rarely adds goals or assists to one who has 18 goal involvements in 37 games this season.

However, even if the Cherries do indeed fancy taking Ritchie back, this swap would actually weaken the Magpies’ squad more than it would strengthen it.

Due to low quality and poor depth available to Rafael Benitez, players like Ritchie are used in multiple positions. He has already played left-midfield, right-midfield and left-wing-back this season.

Fraser meanwhile is an out and out winger, and would not offer the versatility or leadership that Ritchie adds to the side, even if the latter vey rarely gets on the scoresheet.

Fraser is also at his best on the left flank, where Miguel Almiron has surely got the first choice spot nailed down for the considerable future.

Quite simply, this move makes no sense for the Magpies, and if this is the type of deal Mike Ashley is going to spend the summer shopping for then it would be no surprise if Benitez walks out the door.

علق المدرب الجنوب افريقي بيتسو موسيماني المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي على مواجهة الوداد البيضاوي المغربي.

المباراة من المقرر إقامتها مساء اليوم على أرضية ميدان استاد القاهرة الدولي في إياب الدور نصف النهائي ببطولة دوري أبطال افريقيا.

رئيس الوداد: نتيجة مباراة الذهاب أمام الأهلي سببت لنا إحباطًا كبيرًا

وقال موسيماني في تصريحات للموقع الرسمي للاتحاد الافريقي لكرة القدم: “لم نفز بأي شيء بعد”.

وأضاف: “سجلنا هدفين في الدار البيضاء ويمكنهم القيام بالمثل في القاهرة. يجب أن نواصل القتال حتى النهاية”.

يذكر، أن الأهلي قد نجح في مباراة الذهاب التي أقيمت على ملعب مركب محمد الخامس بالمغرب.

Both Birmingham City and Aston Villa have, unsurprisingly, been charged by the Football Association for failing to ensure that their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during Sunday’s Second City derby.

The charges relate to an incident following a poor challenge on Villa’s Jack Grealish, by City’s Maikel Kieftenbeld, which resulted in a melee involving a number of players from both teams.

BBC Sport report that both clubs have until Monday to respond to the charge.

The FA action was largely expected, and the fact that it may have perpetuated the disgraceful assault on Grealish by a City fan, meant the charge was somewhat inevitable.

It would be a surprise to hear that either club will contest the charge, which will more than likely result in a hefty fine.

Certainly the fracas set the tone for a feisty opening, and the FA are right to lay down the law on the rivals.

It is certainly not the example that players are expected to set for young fans, and their responsibilities as role-models need to be considered at all times.

Grealish, of course, went on to get the winning goal, and secure a precious three points in their push for a play-off spot.

Was the FA’s action correct? Should the club accept the charge and move on? Let us know what you think…

Alan Shearer slammed the Swiss national side regarding their handling of the incident regarding Newcastle’s Fabian Schar today, amid growing concerns that failure to change the concussion rules in football is putting players’ lives at risk.

Speaking in his column for The Sun, he called for a complete change in how head injuries are dealt with, and suggested football authorities should copy the protocols used in rugby, and other sports, on allowing medical teams to treat players immediately.

He also called for independent medical staff to be on hand to make the decisions regarding a player’s ability to return, taking any decision away from parties with a vested interest.

Fans have taken to Twitter to applaud the former England star, and there seems to be almost universal agreement that something needs to be done as soon as possible to prevent a repeat of the events in Georgia on Saturday.

Here are some of the comments:

Certainly, it is a very important issue, and one that should benefit from the amount of exposure it has received this week.

The authorities need to act now, and surely will, as there will be no hiding place if next time it happens, a player suffers severe brain damage, or even dies.

What are your thoughts about Shearer’s comments? Are his ideas for change the right thing to do? Let us know your opinion…

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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill has confirmed, via The Nottingham Post, that he has spoken to owner Evangelos Marinakis about the club’s future plans on the pitch, and the first thing he should have asked the Greek tycoon about is tying Ryan Yates down to a new contract.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Marinakis has been in England for the last week or so because of the redevelopment plans for The City Ground, and he remained in the country to watch the 3-0 victory against Hull City on Saturday.

O’Neill has since confirmed, via The Nottingham Post, that the duo spoke to each other about a number of different subjects including potential summer transfers, but the priority should have been discussing the ever-improving Yates.

The 21-year-old has only become a regular fixture in the starting XI since the 66-year-old replaced Aitor Karanka at the helm, and he has more than taken his opportunity with six consecutive league starts.

Long-term contract needed

The impressive midfielder only signed a new three-year deal with the Reds last summer following successful loan spells with Notts County and Scunthorpe United, but now he is establishing himself as a key player for the Championship club.

Yates has many impressive aspects to his game and if he continues at the rate he is, he could be a huge asset for Forest in the future – both in terms of his quality and his price tag.

If the east Midlands outfit want to progress and get better then they need to be tying down players like the 21-year-old down to new long-term contracts, and that should be one of Marinakis’ main priorities over the next few months.