Tag Futebol

Chelsea may have a transfer ban, but that has not stopped them from being linked with a host of players.

And Valencia’s Goncalo Guedes is just one of them, with Plaza Deportiva (via Sport Witness) reporting that the west London club have already made an offer in the region of £62.4m for the 22-year-old.

They would, of course, only be able to register him should the Court of Arbitration for Sport freeze their transfer embargo.

Bearing that in mind and the fact that the same report also mentions Chelsea’s bid has been turned down, a deal looks unlikely. And from the Chelsea faithful’s perspective, thank goodness!

Why? Well what would signing Guedes actually solve? Having agreed to sell Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, the Europa League winners are in desperate need of another goalscoring winger.

After scoring five La Liga goals in the season that has just gone by and in the one before that, Guedes is clearly not that.

If players like Guedes are who Chelsea are going to be chasing if CAS do them a favour, then they are probably better off not having their transfer ban frozen.

In their desperate attempts to replace Hazard, rather, they really should be targeting names such as Nicolas Pepe, with the Ivory Coast international netting 22 times for Lille in Ligue 1 in the recently concluded 2018/19 campaign.

Pepe, who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the past (via Daily Mirror), possesses the sort of firepower Chelsea will need now that Hazard has gone and can provide balance to the Blues’ attack.

While Callum Hudson-Odoi can cut in from the left-hand side with his right foot, Pepe can do the same on the other flank with his left foot.

It does not have to be the Lille man Chelsea sign this summer if they are able to bring in players. But Guedes or another winger with similar numbers and they could be in for a long season.

Chelsea fans, is Guedes capable of making up for the loss of Hazard? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

It truly was an incredible season for Liverpool, wasn’t it? Finishing second in the Premier League with 97 points and just one defeat was, of course, a bitter pill to swallow but a phenomenal achievement none the less.

After all, who could forget a memorable sixth Champions League victory that truly cemented Jurgen Klopp as one of the world’s best? Truly amazing stuff, as we’re sure you’ll agree.

Yet, it’s only going to get harder from here. Getting to the top is one thing and staying there is another but that’s what is needed from the best teams in the world. Indeed, replicating their form will be hard both collectively and individually, perhaps for none more so than Georginio Wijnaldum.

Clearly, the Dutchman was mightily impressive this season, truly making that attacking midfielder role his own. Making 35 appearances in the Premier League, also playing in 12 Champions League games, he managed five goals in that time. Not the greatest return, right? Well, the goals he did score were hugely important. You just look back to his two goals against Barcelona that were absolutely vital in making it to Madrid.

Of the 13 goals Wijnaldum has scored for Liverpool, the only goal not against a team you wouldn’t consider on the highest level came against Middlesbrough in the last game of the 2016-2017 season. Frankly, even that was a truly vital contribution, being the opener that eventually secured Champions League football for the following campaign.

Essentially, the midfielder can be counted on as a big game player.

So why is it going to get more difficult for the former Newcastle man? Well, primarily due to the increased competition he will face. Sky Sports have reported Liverpool are close to agreeing a contract extension with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a figure largely on the periphery as it stands.

The Englishman made just two Premier League appearances this season and failed to play in the Champions League after suffering damage to cruciate and medial ligaments as well as the tendons to his hamstring last season. After reports initially suggested he would miss the whole season, he actually returned earlier than expected and, despite not making a significant impact, it will certainly be a big season ahead for the midfielder.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was a key figure in the Liverpool midfield up until his injury. He made 32 league appearances, scoring three and assisting seven, as well as racking up more key passes (1.1 per 90 mins to 0.7) and dribbles (1.3 to 0.8) in the Premier League last term than Wijnaldum did this time around.

Obviously, how he will return remains to be seen, but should he be the player he was previously, it spells problems for Wijnaldum.

A further problem arrives in the shape of Naby Keita. The £48m signing showed glimpses of promise in his 25 league games this season, but ultimately failed to make a huge impact after such a long wait to bring him to Anfield. Still, it was his first season in the Premier League and it’s never easy to adapt.

After all, just look at Kevin de Bruyne at Chelsea or Bernardo Silva at Manchester City, neither were even close to the standard they are at now in their first season.

With Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and even Jordan Henderson enjoying an advanced role in the engine room towards the end of the season, there is serious competition for places here. As a result, it could get very difficult for Wijnaldum.

Liverpool fans, who do you think will start in midfield next season? Will Gini be given a starting role or will he have to settle for the bench? Comment below. 

David de Gea has posted his feelings on Instagram and he expressed his sadness at losing a player of Valencia’s experience.

The Ecuador international responded:

This translates as “Brother, thank you very much, I’m also going to miss you, you’re amazing.”

De Gea and Valencia have been playing together for about eight years and have clearly developed a very close friendship in that time.

Valencia was a great player but his legs have gone in recent years and, though though experienced and determined, wingers had found it increasingly easy to get past him.

The former Wigan man joined as a flying right winger for £16m and played in that position until Louis Van Gaal arrived and signed both Memphis Depay and Angel Di Maria.

Valencia was converted into a right-back as a result, where his physical prowess and speed made him perfect for an overlapping role.

Valencia was then made club captain by Jose Mourinho in 2018 and has won six major trophies with the club. He leaves having made 339 appearances, scoring 25 goals and registering 62assists.

It will be interesting to see how Solskjaer replaces Valencia but surely Diogo Dalot deserves a chance to make the Manchester United right-back spot his own.

Southampton have managed to avoid the drop this season despite a miserable campaign on the whole which only picked up when Ralph Hasenhuttl arrived.

The new Saints boss has really managed to turn things round at St Mary’s, and he now sits ready for a big summer where he will be hoping to bring in plenty of new signings and see a big improvement in league position next term.

Hasenhuttl will have his eye on players already no doubt, and one man who he has indeed got his eye on is Birmingham City forward Che Adams, who has been in superb form this term for the Blues.

The Saints are linked with a £15m move for the former Sheffield United ace, who has really turned up the heat in the last 12 months and become one of the most sought after talents in the second tier.

Adams looks tailor made for the Premier League with his pace, power, and excellent finishing all attributes which make him an exciting prospect to clubs in the top flight.

Southampton are desperate for some new players who can hit the ground running and in Adams they would be getting someone who can bang in the goals and has a point to prove in terms of showing his worth at the top level of the game.

While Birmingham won’t want to lose their star man, Premier League money will often talk, and they won’t want to stand in the way of allowing Adams to go on and perform at the heighest level in the English game.

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Newcastle United will be turning their attention towards the summer transfer window after effectively securing their survival this season, and recent reports suggests a potential swap deal could satisfy all parties concerned.

What’s the word, then?

With Fulham’s relegation to the Champioship confirmed after a 4-1 thrashing at Watford a few weeks ago, there is an acceptance that Alexsander Mitrovic will move on as he hit double figures for the Whites this season.

Their eyes have therefore been cast in the direction of a striker who has an excellent record in the Championship.

According to The Chronicle, Dwight Gayle, who has scored 21 goals in 36 appearances on loan at West Brom this season, is a potential target for Fulham.

The 28-year-old is destined to leave Newcastle this summer and Gayle has suggested he would be willing to stay at the midlands club.

A swap deal with Salomon Rondon would appear to make sense on paper given both players have thrived on their respective loan spells this season.

However, if for some reason that deal falls through, Benitez should use Gayle as bait to land Fulham’s Tom Cairney, a player he has admired for a considerable length of time.

Swap deal for Cairney and Gayle

The Scottish international was a crucial part of the Fulham team promoted from the Championship last season, scoring the winning goal in the playoff final against Aston Villa.

He has struggled this season, however, and has been in and out of the team, scoring once and assisting once.

Cairney has a sublime left foot and is versatile able to play in all central midfield positions.

Newcastle have lacked creativity from the centre of the park this season with Mohamed Diame and Isaac Hayden mainly focusing on the defensive side of the game.

The Toon’s main creative threat, Jonjo Shelvey, has had a season blighted by injury and when he has played he has struggled to reach last year’s high standards which saw him touted for an England call-up.

The Scot would therefore provide that spark for Newcastle and his precise passing would be hugely beneficial for dynamic talents Miguel Almiron and Ayoze Perez.

Benitez was keen on Cairney in 2017 so it would be interesting to see if the Spaniard re-visits the possibility of signing him at the end of the season, as his addition would solve a creative problem in the Magpies midfield whilst also giving Fulham a guaranteed Championship goalscorer in Gayle.

تمنى محسن ياجور مهاجم نهضة بركان المغربي تجاوز رقم محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي الأهلي الحالي كأفضل هداف في تاريخ البطولات الإفريقية للأندية.

ونجح محسن ياجور في التتويج بلقب الكونفدرالية مع نهضة بركان، بعد الفوز على بيراميدز بهدفٍ وحيد.

وكان محمود الخطيب مهاجم الأهلي في فترة السبعينيات والثمانينيات قد نجح في تسجيل 37 هدفًا إفريقيًا مع ناديه.

وقال محسن ياجور خلال لقاء عبر برنامج “جمهور التالتة” المذاع على قناة “أون تايم سبورت 2”: “واجهنا صعوبات في هذه النسخة بسبب البعد الجغرافي والسفر الكثير داخل القارة”.

وأضاف: “كان لدينا ثقة كبيرة في قدرتنا على الفوز، رغم أن فريق بيراميدز قوي ورأيناه في نصف نهائي أمام حوريا كوناكري الغيني، ولكن ربما ضياع النسخة الماضية أعطت الفريق دفعة قوية بألا يخسر النهائي عامين متتاليين”.

وتابع متحدثًا عن هدف نهضة بركان في مرمى بيراميدز وهل احتسب له أم للمدافع ايسوفو دايو: “والله حتى أنا لا أعرف، فئة كبيرة تقول إنني من أحرز الكرة وأخرى تقول زميلي دايو، ولكن الأهم أننا أحرزنا الهدف واحتسب”.

وعن وجود لمسة يد عليه أثناء تسجيل الهدف، واصل حديثه: “عندما ضربت الكرة برأسي لم أشعر بلمس الكرة ليدي لأن درجة حرارة جسد اللاعب خلال المباراة تكون مرتفعة، والله صراحةً لم أشعر بالكرة”.

وأردف: “انا بالفعل سجلت 34 هدفا وهذا الهدف لو احتسب لي سيتبقى لي هدفين لكسر رقم محمود الخطيب، ولا أعرف هل احتسب لي أم لا، وإن شاء الله السنة المقبلة إن لم يحتسب هذا الهدف لي فالفارق بسيط وسأعوضه بسهولة”.

وعن تجاوزه عدد أهداف محمد أبوتريكه في البطولات الإفريقية: “لاعب بحجم أبو تريكة الذي أعطى الكثير للكرة المصرية وتوج مع المنتخب والنادي الأهلي شرف لي أن أتخطى رقمه، هذا يبقى في الذاكرة ويظل إنجازًا شخصيًا”.

وتابع: “كان بودي أن أتجاوز رقم محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي الأهلي لأن هذه ستكون ذكريات جميلة، وحتى يكون هناك تنافس في السنوات المقبلة يصب في صالح الكرة العربية”.

واختتم مشيدًا بأداء الأهلي: “هو فريق جيد مقارنة بالسنة الماضية، ويلعب كرة طويلة ويتحول من الدفاع للهجوم بطريقة مذهلة بشكل كبير، والوداد يعاني من بعض المشاكل والتخبط”.

يذكر أن الأهلي أقصى الوداد المغربي من نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا بنتيجة 5-1 ذهابًا وإيابًا.

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Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Bruce has revealed some crucial team news ahead of the club’s trip to play Stoke this weekend.

He revealed that Fernando Forestieri, Lucas Joao and Gary Hooper were all in contention for the game as the Owls boss left supporters foaming at the mouth.

Fans of the Yorkshire club struggled to contain their excitement, as they reacted to the news on Twitter with complete jubilance. One individual explained that he felt like a child on Christmas Eve whilst another described how big of a boost it was.

Forestieri has recently just been found not guilty of racial assault following a pre-season incident during a game with Mansfield.

Hooper meanwhile, has been out with injury for a considerable period of time and hasn’t played for Wednesday since December 2017. However, he has played for the U23 side in recent weeks as he stepped up his recovery.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

As for Joao, he had been missing since February, when he limped off with a knee injury. Fears that surgery would be required were dispelled and he’s now set for a comeback.

Here’s how Wednesday fans reacted to the news…

أعلنت لجنة المسابقات بالاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم عن تعديل مواعيد وملاعب بعض المباريات في مسابقتي الدوري الممتاز وكأس مصر.

وقررت المسابقات تعديل بعض المواعيد بناء على طلب الشركة الراعية ولاعتبارات خاصة ببث المباريات.

وتقرر تغيير بعض المباريات المقرر إقامتها في الخامسة والنصف لتقام في الخامسة مساء، وإقامة بعض المباريات المقرر لها في الثامنة مساء لتقام في الثامنة والنصف.

كما تقرر تغيير أماكن بعض المباريات بعد ورود الموافقات الأمنية لتقام المباريات على النحو التالي: الدوري المصري

تقام مباراة الإسماعيلي مع أسوان في الخامسة مساء بدلا من الخامسة والنصف، ومباراة المقاولون العرب مع إنبي في الثامنة والنصف بدلا من الثامنة مساء، وذلك على الملعبين المحدد لهما سابقا، وذلك يوم الخميس المقبل 15 أكتوبر الجاري.

– مباراة الاتحاد السكندري مع الانتاج الحربي ضمن الجولة نفسها في موعدها المحدد في الخامسة والنصف مساء السبت المقبل 17 أكتوبر مع نقلها إلى استاد برج العرب بدلا من استاد الأسكندرية .

-مباراة وادي دجلة مع الجونة ضمن الجولة نفسها في موعدها غدا الأربعاء 14 أكتوبر على أن تقام في الخامسة مساء باستاد السلام بدلا من بتروسبورت. كأس مصر

-تقام مباراة طلائع الجيش مع بيراميدز في دور الـ8 في الثامنة والنصف مساء غد الأربعاء 14 أكتوبر باستاد المقاولون بدلا من استاد بتروسبورت.

Everton have endured a very turbulent season but could still finish in seventh position. 

It will be a hard task but the Toffees are equipped enough to do just that. Wins are going to be very important and Marco Silva must direct Everton away from the bad form they’re i if they have any chance of obtaining a strong position.

With the attacking options they have, it’s always likely Everton will find the back of the net but their main problem has been stopping the ball from entering their net.

The defence has not been good enough, nor the support from midfield at times, which could be improved if Everton signed Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny this summer.

Elneny (who is valued at £9 million on Transfermarkt) is underused at Arsenal which perhaps could see him open to a move away in the summer.

After making 11 appearances this season, with just two starts in the Premier League, the Egyptian’s talent is obviously underrated by the Gunners and Everton could take advantage of his current situation.

Given his experience, consistency and reliability, the midfielder’s would at the very least be a top squad player. He’s a fantastic tackler and a willing runner, and he’d be a player that Marco Silva could rely upon. Individual inconsistency has been somewhat of an issue so far this term, and the arrival of someone like Eleneny would help to curb that.

It’s unlikely the 26-year-old would come with a massive fee, given his current standing in the Arsenal squad, which means value for money may not be a problem.

With brilliant defensive skills, Elneny could sit in front of Everton’s backline, giving them an extra layer of protection to help stop the flood of goals they have been conceding.

Do you agree Elneny would make a good signing… Let us know!

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Ralph Hasenhuttl has a huge task on his hands this season as he bids to steer Southampton clear of the relegation zone. There is a feeling of deja-vu around the club with a familiar pattern of domestic failure characterising the Saints’ season so far.

The current and previous campaigns have underlined the lack of strength in both the identity of the club and the calibre of players residing within the senior squad.

The arrival of Hasenhuttl, though, has helped to rebuild Southampton’s identity, but his squad still leaves plenty to be desired.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the players who the south coast club should be actively looking to offload this summer in order to maximise their resources, using figures provided by Spotrac.

Players whose wage doesn’t reflect their contribution

Two of Southampton’s top earners, Charlie Austin and Fraser Forster, are draining £7.28m a year between them. Both players earn a healthy £3.64m, which equates to £70,000 per week, but their wages are not a fair representation of their importance to the club.

Austin’s lack of first-team opportunities under Hasenhuttl suggest the manager could be interested in offloading him this summer. And considering both the size of his current salary and his record with injuries, it would be a wise decision to sell the former QPR hitman if a fair offer is forthcoming.

Forster, meanwhile, is behind both Angus Gunn and Alex McCarthy in the pecking order and will surely be seeking a fresh challenge in order to resurrect his career.

Sofiane Boufal has shown some promise on loan at Celta Vigo, where he has scored two goals and provided three assists so far this season, but his previous struggle at Southampton suggests that Hasenhuttl could use his £3.38m yearly salary to much shrewder effect.

Finally, it appears abundantly clear that Cedric Soares, also earning £3.38m per year, is surplus to requirements after being sent on loan to Inter Milan in January, with Jan Valery thriving in the absence of the Portugal international.

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

Trim the deadwood

Steven Davis currently pockets £3.12m per year, a huge sum of money considering the 33-year-old’s standing at the club. Fortunately for the Saints, they can be rid of the Northern Ireland international when his contract expires in June.

Jordy Clasie and Sam Gallagher, earning £2.6m and £2.08m respectively, are both burning money and should be offloaded if potential suitors are prepared to sign either player on a permanent basis.

Results of Southampton’s summer sale

Drum-roll please… a grand total of £21.84 million would be wiped from the yearly wage bill if the aforementioned talents all departed in the summer.

That’s a staggering sum of money for a club of Southampton’s relative financial power. That figure alone would be enough to pay the yearly salary of Danny Ings, the club’s top earner, more than five times over. The 2018 summer signing currently earns £75,000 per week, which works out at £3.9m per year.

The fact Hasenhuttl could free up the funds to pay another five players on Ings’ salary without having to chop a single first-team regular underlines the flaws which have been prevalent in Southampton’s transfer policy in recent years and it’s about time that changed in the summer, starting with a well needed clear-out.