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Leicester City have been linked with a number of wide options heading into the summer transfer window.

Two of the most prominent names have been Florian Thauvin of Olympique Marseille and Borussia Dortmund’s Thorgan Hazard.

It is certainly key that the Foxes bring in another wide option next season with on-loan Cengiz Under set to return to AS Roma. It should definitely be the former Newcastle United man Thauvin who Brendan Rodgers and Jon Rudkin target.

Both at the same age of 28, albeit Hazard being two months younger, the Frenchman is enjoying a much better season throughout 2020/21.

He has eight goals and nine assists in all competitions for Marseille, whilst the Dortmund man can only boast three goals and four assists, the lowest amount of goal contributions he has racked up in a single season throughout the entirety of his senior top-flight career.

Whilst Thauvin is clearly excelling thanks to his tangible output throughout the current campaign, the £25.2m-rated wideman continues to outperform Hazard in his general play.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leicester-city-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-mcgregor-iheanacho-soyuncu-dewsbury-hall-rodgers” title=” Latest Leicester City news, transfer rumours and more… “]

According to WhoScored, he attempts more than double the Belgian’s shots per game in the league, racking up two per match in Ligue 1, compared to the Dortmund man’s 0.7 per game in the Bundeslliga.

Thauvin’s composure and threat on the ball continues when looking at his 1.6 dribbles per game compared to Hazard’s paltry total of just 0.4. For context, even Leicester defender Wesley Fofana has completed more than that with his 0.6 per game according to WhoScored.

Meanwhile, the former Newcastle man is far more of a creative influence too, providing 1.5 key passes compared to Hazard’s 0.8.

So, whilst on paper, both Thauvin and Hazard may seem like extremely similar players, the former is the stand-out right-winger.

He then should certainly be Leicester’s number one priority should they, as is expected, choose to recruit a wideman in the summer transfer window.

AND in more news, the Foxes have been dealt a huge blow in the race for Celtic Odsonne Edouard…

Six of Everton’s Premier League rivals have signed up to become founding members of a European Super League (ESL).

Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal have been threatened with a ban from the English top flight if they go ahead with their plans, under which they would be guaranteed annual European qualification.

Everton already given green light for £500m arena

Everton have committed to the building of a new 53,000-seater stadium at Bramley Moore Dock in time for the 2024/25 season, but the future of the game is now shrouded in uncertainty (via The Guardian).

The construction of the stadium is expected to cost £500m and inevitable, concerns about the project have been raised in light of the ESL announcement, as club fan channel Toffee TV released a video discussing how the Super League might ‘kill’ the new stadium.

Everton confident Super League will be nipped in the bud

However, The Athletic correspondent Patrick Boyland reported that Everton remain hopeful. The Toffees are optimistic that the plans for the new competition, which are ‘light on detail’, will unravel before they even ‘get off the ground’.

Boyland added that the new stadium is intended to be a ‘catalyst for a renewed assault on the Champions League places’. Intriguingly, JP Morgan, who are set to fund the Super League, have been enlisted by Everton to back the Bramley-Moore Dock project.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Everton fans probably don’t need to worry, as there has already been some encouragement on Tuesday morning,

Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekhol revealed that some of the executives involved are getting ‘cold feet’, with ‘strong differences of opinion emerging in private’.

The united front could soon break down.

In other news, Gary Neville had this to say about Everton’s Super League stance.

Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips believes there are two areas of the pitch in which Leeds United must improve next season.

The summer transfer window could be a busy one at Elland Road as Marcelo Bielsa aims to fine-tune his squad. Leeds are currently in mid-table in the Premier League, and while that may suggest not too many reinforcements are needed, the hope is that next season sees a push for European football.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Phillips discusses Leeds’ summer business

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips claimed a left-back and a striker need to come in at the end of the season, pinpointing them as the key areas to improve upon:

“They need a left back and another striker before anything else.

“They’re your two main priorities when you look at the Leeds squad, a recognised left back and another striker because they’ve relied heavily on Bamford this season.

“It’s always difficult in your second season so they’re the priorities. They could also look to get a utility player in the midfield area that can do two or three different jobs.

“Those players should be the priority.”

Transfer Tavern take

It is hard to disagree with Phillips’ thoughts on Leeds’ summer business, with the rest of the squad well covered in terms of quality and depth.

The seemingly imminent exit of Ezgjan Alioski will leave a void at left-back and Bielsa can’t be depending on youngster Leif Davis at this point given his lack of experience, with just 31 minutes of league action coming his way this season.

Equally, Leeds have relied on the goals of Patrick Bamford too much this term – his league tally of 14 is twice as much as anyone else – so they need another option to add more firepower in the final third.

In other news, one pundit has been explaining a key moment that happened after Liam Cooper’s red card against Manchester City. Read more here.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is facing a headache at Southampton following the international break, with Nathan Redmond’s superb performance against Bournemouth at the weekend highlighting his potential as a striker in the Austrian’s 4-2-2-2 system.

The former Norwich City man, who reportedly earns £60k per week at Southampton, has endured a poor campaign that has seen him manage just one goal and one assist in 20 Premier League appearances, resulting in a less than impressive 6.45 average rating.

However, despite having not found the net in any competition since the 3-0 win against Sheffield United in December, the 27-year-old looked full of confidence at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday and contributed two goals and one assist in the 3-0 win.

This could give Hasenhuttl a very difficult decision to make following the international break, with Southampton set to face Burnley at St Mary’s in their first game back on April 4th.

Danny Ings is currently sidelined through injury but it is expected that he could make his return against his old side following the international break, so it will be interesting to see whether or not Hasenhuttl throws him straight back in.

There is also the added competition of young Nathan Tella, who has impressed in recent weeks in a striker role, particularly in the 2-0 win against Sheffield United recently.

Che Adams has also found his feet again after a poor run of form that saw him fail to find the net in January and February, before breaking his duck with a screamer at Bramall Lane, which he then followed up with goals against Manchester City and Brighton.

He was also unfortunate not to make it four goals in four in the 3-0 win at Bournemouth, as his fierce strike from 25 yards was ruled out for a tight offside.

Redmond was undoubtedly the star of the show though, as he played in Moussa Djenepo for the opening goal with a perfectly-timed pass and then making it 2-0 before half-time with a superb run and finish, before completing his brace by finding the bottom corner after Stuart Armstrong’s effort came back off the post.

Therefore, Hasenhuttl arguably has three in-form strikers to choose from right now, whilst Ings will surely demand a place in the starting eleven when he returns from injury, which gives the Austrian a huge decision to make following the international break.

And, in other news… Southampton could sign their next Mane with £8.5m swoop for 18-goal beast

Rangers took another huge step towards title glory with a comfortable 3-0 win against St Mirren at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, with Steven Gerrard’s side superb once again to extend their unbeaten run.

Goals from Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi secured the win for the Gers, who were rarely troubled by Jim Goodwin’s side.

The result means that, should Rangers’ Old Firm rivals drop points away at Dundee United on Sunday, Gerrard’s side will be crowned champions for the first time in 10 years.

Whilst there were plenty of standout performers at Ibrox, including Kent for his superb goal and overall display, Connor Goldson produced another near-perfect performance.

As per SofaScore, the former Brighton man earned an impressive 8.3 rating for his display, with only Kent earning higher and getting the man of the match award as he was rated 8.7/10 for his performance.

Goldson was superb from a defensive point of view, as he contributed three tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and one blocked shot during the 90 minutes, as per SofaScore.

For context, the centre-back has averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 2.9 clearances and 0.5 blocked shots per game in the Premiership this season, which emphasises that he really raised his game on Saturday to help bring Gerrard’s side one step closer.

It was not just his defending which was excellent on Saturday however, as he also completed 72 of his 80 passes during his time on the pitch, resulting in an impressive 90% pass accuracy – which again is an improvement on the 84.1% he has averaged in the Scottish top-flight so far this season.

One of those passes found Kent for the opening goal, as the 28-year-old earned his second assist of the campaign at Ibrox.

Goldson also won nine of his 13 duels during the game, resulting in a 70% success rate, whilst St Mirren striker Colin Quaner failed to win any of his aerial duels during the game, which demonstrates just how well the Rangers defence were able to shackle the Buddies target man.

Therefore, whilst Kent might have stolen the show for his goal, it was arguably Goldson who was the star performer at Ibrox for Gerrard’s side.

And, in other news… Rangers’ “big talent” is proving he can challenge in Gerrard’s side next season

ظهر آرون رامسدال، حارس مرمى آرسنال الإنجليزي في مقطع فيديو وهو يحتفل بشدة بأحد أهداف فريقه أمام مشجعي ليدز يونايتد، في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين.

وكما يمكنك أن تتخيل، لم يكن مشجعو ليدز سعداء على الإطلاق، حيث صرخوا في وجهه بكل أنواع الشتائم.

بعد أسبوعين تقريبًا من فوز آرسنال، ظهر رامسدال في “بودكاست” بن فوستر، “فوزكاست”، حيث تحدث عن المباراة.

روى الحارس البالغ من العمر 23 عامًا قصة عن كيفية إلقاء جميع أنواع المقذوفات عليه بعد هدف آرسنال الأول في ذلك اليوم، ومن بين الأشياء التي ألقيت على  رامسدال كانت العملات المعدنية.

كشف رامسدال أنه ببساطة لا يستطيع ترك العملات المعدنية في الملعب وقرر وضعها في جيبه.

وقال رامسدال: “بعد الهدف الأول، تم إلقاء بعض الزجاجات والأشياء … بعض الولاعات، وقمت برميها جانبًا، الشيء التالي الذي تعرفه، بدأ المال يتدفق …”.

وأضاف: “أنا أنظر حولي وكان هناك جنيه إسترليني واحد – حسنًا ، لقد جمعت جنيهين، لذلك أخذت هذا المبلغ”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مجموعة مصر | مدافع غينيا بيساو: مواجهة محمد صلاح حلم.. وأشجع آرسنال وليس ليفربول

وواصل رامسدال: “ثم توالت العملات كان هناك حوالي 50 قطعة، لذلك أنا أجمعهم وأضعهم في منشفتي بالشوط الأول، وأركض بين الشوطين وأضعهم في غرفة تغيير الملابس”.

وأردف رامسدال: “الشوط الثاني يأتي، يأتي عدد قليل من العملات، قبل ركلة الجزاء، لقد عدت إلى هنا وأتحدث إلى كالفين فيليبس، وأقول يجب أن يكون مشجعوك محملين بالأموال، كان حوالي 17 جنيهًا إسترلينيًا ثم غادرت الملعب”.

وأتم حارس مرمى آرسنال: “فاتني بعض المال، لم أتمكن من استلامه جميعًا لقد جمعت حوالي 17 جنيهًا، أعتقد أن عامل غرف الملابس ربما أخذها”.

Aaron Ramsdale on Leeds fans throwing coins at him
“I said to Kalvin Phillips: ‘bloody hell, your fans must be loaded! I got 17 quid and I left some money out there.’”#afc
😂 pic.twitter.com/u2icjAqTkq

— Gilles 🇳🇬🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@_Grimanditweets) December 29, 2021

MatériaMais Notícias

É boa a procura por ingressos para o clássico entre Flamengo x Fluminense, neste domingo, no Pacaembu, em São Paulo. Até a tarde desta sexta-feira, foram vendidos antecipadamente 20 mil ingressos do duelo. Dois setores já estão esgotados:arquibancada amarela e cadeira coberta azul.

Nesta sexta-feira, torcedores fizeram filas em busca dos bilhetes para o clássico, em diferentes postos de venda. Portanto, a expectativa é de um bom público, mesmo com o Fla x Flu longe do Maracanã.

A venda dos ingressos segue na internet e retorna aos pontos físicos neste sábado, a partir das 10h.

Confira os preços dos ingressos:

Arquibancada (Portão Principal, Portão 22 e 21) – R$ 50 (Inteira) e R$ 25 (Meia)(Torcida-Flamengo)
Arquibancada (Tobogã- Acesso Rua Passaláqua) – R$ 50 (Inteira) e R$ 25 (Meia)(Torcida-Fluminense)
Cadeira Especial (Laranja) – R$ 60 (Inteira) e R$ 30 (Meia) – Torcida Mista
Numerada descoberta (Manga) – R$ 80 (Inteira) e R$ 40 (Meia) – Torcida Mista
Numerada coberta (Azul) – R$ 100 (Inteira) e R$ 50 (Meia) – Torcida Mista
Pontos de venda e entrega dos pedidos comprados pela internet

Funcionamento das bilheterias em SP:

Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo – Morumbi (duas torcidas)
Praça Roberto Gomes Pedroza, nº 1 – Bilheteria 1
Horário de funcionamento: dias 18/03 e 19/03, das 10h às 17h
Venda somente com cartão de débito

Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho – Pacaembu (duas torcidas)
Rua: Desembargador Paulo Passalaqua, s/n –Bilheteria Tobogã Par
Horário de funcionamento: dias 18/03 e 19/03, das 10h às 17h
Venda em dinheiro e cartão de débito

Loja Oficial do Palmeiras – Academia Store Tatuapé (duas torcidas)
Rua Itapura, 1566 – Tatuapé
Horário de funcionamento: dias 18/03 e 19/03, das 11h às 18h
Venda somente com cartão de débito

Bar Garota Da Vila – somente ingressos do Fluminense
Rua Júlio Diniz, 82 – Vila Olímpia
Horário de funcionamento: 18/03, das 10h às 17h
Venda somente com cartão de débito

Loja Adidas – Shopping Eldorado – somente ingressos do Flamengo
Av. Rebouças, 3970 – Pinheiros
Horário de funcionamento: dias 18/03 e 19/03, das 12h às 20h
Venda somente com cartão de débito

Postos de venda no RJ:

Gávea – Sede Flamengo
Av. Borges de Medeiros 997
(Dias 18 e 19/03, das 10h às 17h)

Laranjeiras – Sede Fluminense
Rua Álvaro Chaves, 41
(Dias 18 e 19/03, das 10h às 17h)

Scott McTominay is facing a race against time to be fit for Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Newcastle at Old Trafford on Sunday night.

What’s the word?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that McTominay is still a major doubt for their upcoming game against the Magpies.

“Of course, Paul [Pogba] is out and Phil [Jones] is out. I don’t know how Scott is. I don’t know how Donny [van de Beek] and Edinson [Cavani] will be either,” Solskjaer said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“They’ve got a chance, I think, so we’ve just got to give them until before training on Saturday as we need to pick a team on Saturday. We’ll see how they are and hopefully they can both be available.”

It could leave the club legend in a tight spot for the game against Newcastle as Donny van de Beek is also a doubt, having missed the trip to Turin for the Europa League clash with Real Sociedad on Thursday due to injury.

Solskjaer faces an anxious wait

The 24-year-old beast was withdrawn with 30 minutes remaining of United’s 4-0 victory over the two-time Spanish champions after appearing to pick up a knock too long after the break, which resulted in him being replaced by Nemanja Matic.

Few would have envisaged the Scotsman would have turned out be such a roaring success after initially struggling for game time at Old Trafford.

However, McTominay’s absence would be a big loss for the Red Devils, with the Scotland international brimming with confidence after bagging three goals in his past six games across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

Match of the Day 2 pundits Dion Dublin and Micah Richards recently praised his “outstanding” performance during United’s 6-2 win over Leeds United, linking up well with Bruno Fernandes in the midfield.

The pair are developing a blossoming partnership after Fernandes set up the young Scot for his opener against Leeds in December, as the Red Devils crushed Marcelo Bielsa’s side 6-2 to clinch all three points at Old Trafford.

With United losing their cutting edge in the league recently, having dropped points in four out of their previous five fixtures, Solskjaer faces an anxious wait over the fitness of one of his most consistent and reliable performers this season.

United play host to a struggling Newcastle on Sunday with Toon boss Steve Bruce surely keen to get one over his former club at the Theatre of Dreams.

AND in other news, Solskjaer sets out contract stance with Edinson Cavani in the last few months of Man Utd deal…

Mohammed Salisu looks to be in contention for his first appearance in a Southampton shirt on Monday night when the Saints face Brighton and Hove Albion away from home.

It was confirmed by Ralph Hasenhuttl earlier in the week that the Ghanaian, who joined from Real Valladolid during the summer, could make his first appearance for the first-team against Graham Potter’s side.

The Austrian manager has suggested previously that Salisu needed to learn how to play in this Southampton side and improve his fitness before he could be considered for selection, but it seems as if he has done enough to convince his manager that he is ready to play against the Seagulls on Monday.

Following Southampton’s collapse against Manchester United last weekend, which saw them lose 3-2 despite winning 2-0 at the break, Hasenhuttl must consider making some defensive changes to his side, and that includes handing 21-year-old Salisu a start.

Jannik Vestergaard was full of praise for the young defender earlier this year, saying: 

“He looks comfortable on the ball, has an amazing physique and is just generally a nice guy.

“Quiet for now, but it’s always difficult coming as a new player, so maybe he’s just saving up his words for later!

“But I think he’s a big talent and he has a lot of years ahead of him.” 

However, the Danish international might not be too happy if Salisu takes his place in the first-team, after what was a nightmare display from the 28-year-old last time out, as he earned a 5.97 rating for his display.

Therefore, Vestergaard, who earns £60k per week at Southampton, would certainly be lucky to keep his place, and Hasenhuttl must hand Salisu a spot in his starting XI on Monday evening.

Brighton have produced some very solid performances recently and showed against Liverpool last weekend that they can get in behind a defence, so it would make sense for the Saints boss to entrust Salisu to start alongside Jan Bednarek, rather than Vestergaard, who isn’t the most mobile of defenders.

Hopefully for Salisu, who is valued at £10.8 million by Transfermarkt, this can be the first of many appearances in a Southampton shirt, as he looks to have a big future ahead of him at the South Coast club.

And, in other news… Saints club update could spell bad news for 26 y/o Hasenhuttl is “not always so happy with” 

Recent reports revealed that Glasgow Rangers striker Chris McKee has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Ibrox until 2022. Now Rangers must focus on tying down the irreplaceable James Tavernier.

What was the story?

The club captain has been in electric form this season, having scored 14 goals and supplied 10 assists across all competitions, with nine of those goals in the Scottish Premiership so far.

Ever since Steven Gerrard first took charge of the 54-time Scottish champions, the 29-year-old has struck 34 times in 126 games in total.

Naturally, his performances haven’t gone unnoticed, with West Ham and Newcastle United among his admirers south of the border.

Despite Gerrard’s insistence the skipper wasn’t for sale in the summer, former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday believes it is only a matter of time until they face a bidding war in the not too distant future.

Speaking on Open Goal, as quoted by The Herald, Halliday said: “Take away his penalties, he has still scored six goals. How can a team not be watching that? Everyone has their price, I think he would wait until the summer.

“But if a team sits down and offers double, triple your money – some people are going to get their head turned.”

Keep Tavernier at all costs by any means necessary

Halliday’s stark warning will come as no surprise to many, least of all Ross Wilson, who was the key figure behind Southampton’s recruitment strategy before he joined the Gers.

However, this doesn’t mean that his statement should be simply ignored, either.

Reports in recent months claimed that West Ham were considering a bid for the ex-Wigan star in the summer, and there’s no doubt that the right-back may be tempted by such a move, should the Hammers return for their long-term target before too long. After all, every footballer has a price.

So if Wilson can convince him that he would be best served by staying at the Govan stadium, and that Gerrard is the man to get the best out of him like he has done so far, then that would be a real statement of intent.

Gerrard has developed an attacking, possession-based brand of football that relies heavily on the backs bombing up and down the wings and providing width and Tavernier has shown he is a player who can do precisely just that.

The free-scoring full-back is the undisputed first-choice starter, and it would be a bitter blow if the Light Blues can’t convince him to sign a new contract, especially when you consider the fact that his current deal will run out in just over a year’s time.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must act quickly to fend off Premier League interest in Borna Barisic…