Chelsea are believed to be interested in bringing former defender Tino Livramento back to the club this summer before loaning him back to Southampton, according to a new transfer update.
How good is Tino Livramento?
The 20-year-old spent 12 years as a Blues player in the youth system, arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2009, before eventually departing in 2021.
Livramento joined Southampton at that point, and he has been a strong signing for the Saints overall, albeit unfortunately missing the vast majority of the 2022/23 season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury, being limited to just 26 minutes of action in all competitions.
In total, the £8,000-a-week right-back has made 34 appearances for Saints to date, scoring once and registering two assists in that time, as well as averaging 1.9 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game in the Premier League during the 2021/22 season.
While Chelsea deeming Livramento surplus to requirements two years ago, a shock report is now suggesting he could be set for a return to west London with a view to forcing his way into the side further down the line.
According to The Daily Mail, the Blues are interested in a "surprise" move to bring the youngster back to the club in the current transfer window, but would bizarrely send him straight back to the south coast:
"Chelsea have held talks with Southampton over a potential deal for their former right back Tino Livramento that would entail loaning him back.
"Southampton value the 20-year old at £38million and have been rejecting offers from Newcastle United over the past week. They also wanted to have the England U21 international in their ranks for next season after his last campaign in the Premier League was blighted by injury.
"Chelsea sold Livramento to Southampton for £8m which also included a hefty sell on percentage. The approach comes as a surprise with Reece James and new signing from Lyon Malo Gusto already on their books."
This news certainly comes as a surprise to many of a Chelsea persuasion, especially considering the Blues look fairly well-stocked at right-back for the long-term future, as the report alludes to.
There is no question that Livramento is a talented young footballer with a potentially big future in the game, however, being described as "outstanding" by current England Under-21s manager Lee Carsley and also possessing an "aura" about him, according to Theo Walcott.
The Southampton youngster certainly won't want to be playing in the Championship long term, following the south coast's side relegation from the Premier League, so if they cannot secure promotion at the first time of asking he may well expect top flight football instead.
With Reece James unquestionably Chelsea's strongest right-back option and Malo Gusto also coming in to provide competition for the England international, however, it is difficult to see how Livramento is going to be able to enjoy regular football and continue his development as a player at any point, considering both of those players are relatively young themselves.
There would be a heartwarming element to his return to west London, though, having ultimately not made the grade at senior level, and if Mauricio Pochettino sees him as a shrewd addition to his squad in the future, the new Blues manager should perhaps be trusted in his decision-making.
Arsenal are poised to once again return to a Premier League rival for reinforcements, if reports are to be believed…
Is Joao Cancelo going to Arsenal?
The latest comes from German outlet Kicker, who detail the Gunners' pursuit of Manchester City star Joao Cancelo.
With the Portugal international having been banished to Bayern Munich for the latter half of last season, the Bavarian giants opted against activating their buy-out clause to keep him at the Allianz permanently.
This has opened up an opportunity for others to try and swoop for the out-of-favour full-back, who would add to most teams he joined.
The report states that the 29-year-old is top of Mikel Arteta's wish list, however, he has drawn up a number of alternatives for that role should they fail in securing his top target.
His expected transfer value of €55.6m (£48m) could prove troublesome given the money they are already set to expend this summer on players such as Kai Havertz and Declan Rice.
Should Arsenal sign Joao Cancelo?
Despite being snubbed by Bayern, that is not to suggest that the Portugal international did not impress during his short stint in Munich.
Maintaining a 6.96 average rating, he would record five goal contributions alongside an 85% pass accuracy, 0.9 key passes and 1.5 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
He was his usual creative self from defence, but to return within a system akin to Arteta's, he could truly thrive.
Having been one of the first to popularise the inverted full-back role under Pep Guardiola, this defender defined a position that is becoming more and more commonplace in the modern game.
During the season in which it arguably reached its peak, Cancelo would boast a 7.33 average rating in the league, buoyed by his offensive figures rather than his work as part of the back line. One goal and seven assists gave way to 1.1 key passes per game, yet he would marry this with 2.3 tackles per game too, via Sofascore.
He was their fourth-highest-rated player within a term where they won the Premier League once again.
This form even led journalist Zach Lowy to laud him, comparing his talents to his exceptional Liverpool counterpart. He wrote: "This season, it seems like the biggest individual rivalry is between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Cancelo. Two world-class footballers."
To now place this kind of quality into Arteta's side, allowing him to recapture that form as he is in the midst of his prime years, he could prove to be the catalyst that topples Guardiola's reign over English football.
declan-rice-west-ham
After all, his presence inverting beside Rice, who is closing in on a move to north London, could prove remarkable.
The creativity of Cancelo would allow the West Ham United captain to thrive as a defensive asset, yet his own beginnings as a defender give him that well-rounded skillset to also allow the 24-year-old to showcase his offensive talents too.
Last term for the Irons, their midfield general would uphold a 7.19 average rating alongside one key pass, 2.1 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, via Sofascore.
These figures could be set to only increase further if placed alongside the Citizens' former favourite, who would join with a serious point to prove.
With a pairing that could defend, create and score all from the engine room, these two could spur each other on to true greatness.
Mitchell Marsh’s injury will see Australia making a mandatory change in their batting line-up ahead of the third Test between India and the visitors in Ranchi
Daniel Brettig13-Mar-20170:53
Quick Facts – Marcus Stoinis
One of the quirks of international cricket can be the pitting of two players from the same state for the same role even though the pair may take on quite different posts in domestic ranks. Throw in an argument within the same state over who should bat where and the identity of Australia’s new No. 6 batsman becomes even more fascinating.Ahead of the pivotal third Border-Gavaskar Test in Ranchi, Australia’s selectors seem to be pondering one of the Victorians Marcus Stoinis or Glenn Maxwell for the No. 6 batting position in place of the injured Mitchell Marsh and ahead of the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade – another Bushranger. While Maxwell has the advantage of being part of the touring squad for the entire trip so far, Stoinis seems a smoother replacement for Marsh given his all-round skills and strong seam bowling.Maxwell was not even in the Victorian Shield side at the start of the summer, having been dropped seemingly as a result of his unsuccessful attempt to move north to New South Wales during pre-season. When he did return, runs were not so easy to come by, though one innings of 81 illustrated his qualities. A tally of 129 runs at 25.80, batting largely at Nos. 6 and 7, underwhelms.Stoinis, meanwhile, has been the Bushrangers’ preferred choice at No. 3 for several seasons and has done so with some distinction – until this season. In seven matches he has tallied a mere 197 at 17.90, making his highest score of 46 in his most recent match against Western Australia in Alice Springs. Much has been made of Stoinis’ improved bowling in the past 12 months, but as a batsman only his breakout 146 in an ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park last month has provided a reminder of the composure and power that led Victoria to pick him at first drop in the first place.Wade, Victoria’s captain, has watched Stoinis closely over several seasons. “He has developed beautifully,” Wade said. “He has batted at No. 3 for Victoria over a three or four-year period now and averaged quite high in first class cricket. I think he’s only got improvement, I said that to him before he got picked in the one day team in New Zealand and we saw what he did there.Marcus Stoinis got Matthew Wade’s vote of confidence•Cricket Australia/Getty Images”He’s not a finished product that’s for sure. He’ll come in and play a really strong role for us if we need him but he’ll improve playing each game at international level. No one expects people to come in and start dominating international cricket from ball one, but he’ll improve from game to game that he gets at international level.”In terms of roles, Wade acknowledged that Stoinis’ use in the top order had been devised partly to help his chances of international selection. “I think he’s a very strong batter. Obviously batting No. 3 in Shield cricket has placed him in a really good spot to play an allround role for Australia,” Wade said. “He can bat anywhere in the order.’But the last couple of years we’ve seen improvements from his bowling. [Playing for] Australia A he really, really took the pace off. He knocked off a couple of their big players in that series so I think the last couple of years that’s probably what the selectors have seen a bit more in him. They always knew he was a really strong batter, but his bowling has improved out of sight the last few years.”Stoinis and Wade, of course, have been two of the batsmen coming in earlier in the Bushrangers’ order than Maxwell, a point he raised earlier in the season and was subsequently fined as a result. At the time, Steven Smith said Maxwell’s comment that it was “painful” to be batting below Wade in the Bushrangers order had been highly disrespectful.”I think probably batting below the wicketkeeper is also a bit painful as well,” Maxwell had said. “I think the wicketkeeper should be batting at seven unless you’re trying to squeeze an extra bowler into your line-up.”That same week, the coach Darren Lehmann had retorted to questions about Maxwell’s possible Test selection with the words: “Are you going to pick a bloke who hasn’t made a hundred in two years?”Given all that history, it was perhaps not so surprising that Wade was unsure how Maxwell would bat if given the nod to rejoin the Test team in Ranchi.”In Test cricket, you’ve got to show defence first, obviously,” he said. “But I’ve got no idea how Glenn’s going to come out and play if he gets the opportunity, that’s probably a question you would have to ask him. But in Test cricket, your game is built around defence at times, but I’m not sure how he’ll play if he comes out.”As it stands, the selectors seem left to choose between Maxwell, and an alternative in Stoinis who hasn’t made a Sheffield Shield half-century this season. The apparently least likely option is to recall Usman Khawaja, a player with far more recent runs behind him.
Ravindra Jadeja’s nine wickets in Ranchi have pushed him to No. 1 in the ICC bowler’s rankings, while Cheteshwar Pujara became the highest ranked Indian batsman, at second place
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-20170:28
Jadeja makes the No.1 spot his own
Ravindra Jadeja has overtaken R Ashwin at the top of the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, after taking nine wickets against Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cheteshwar Pujara was also a major gainer as his 202 off 525 balls propelled him above Virat Kohli to become the top-ranked India batsman in Tests. He was at No. 2, behind Australia captain Steven Smith.Although the Ranchi Test was drawn, at the end of the fourth day, the hosts had seemed in quite a dominant position thanks to these two players. Pujara, by facing more balls than any other Indian (where data is available) in Tests, secured a whopping 152-run lead though Australia had put up 451. It was the third double-century of his career, second against Australia, and it helped him continue a rich vein of form in the 2016-17 home season – 1259 runs at 66.26 with four hundreds and seven fifties.The top bowlers in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Jadeja, meanwhile, has outbowled his closest competitor Ashwin in the first innings this season – a sign that he was becoming a threat even without the pitch helping him too much. In all, Jadeja has taken 67 wickets at 22.98 with four five-wicket hauls in 24 innings. The changes he has made to his bowling, namely the ability to draw batsmen forward with flighted deliveries, as opposed to his usual method of bowling darts to get bowleds and lbws have made a strong impact. Kohli, at the end of the Ranchi Test, singled out Jadeja as “standing apart” from the rest of his bowlers.The top batsmen in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Smith consolidated his place at the top of the rankings with scores of 178* and 21 in Ranchi. Smith has 941 rating points is now joint-fifth highest ever with Peter May. Only Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (942) have ever got more.India will hold on to their position at the top of the rankings at the April 1 deadline for a cash award of $1 million. Australia and South Africa, on the other hand, have a chance to take over the second position. If Smith’s men at least draw the upcoming Dharamsala Test, they will finish at No. 2. South Africa can take over if Australia lose, and they either draw or win the Hamilton Test against New Zealand. The team that finishes second will be awarded $500,000 and the third-placed team will get $200,000.
Before the start of the Border-Gavaskar series, KL Rahul had four Test centuries and only one fifty. Now, halfway into the fourth and final Test, he has added five more half-centuries to his tally but hasn’t converted any of them into a hundred. On Sunday, having scored 60 and laid the platform for India’s reply to Australia’s 300, he was out to a short ball from Pat Cummins.”Quite honestly, not regretting anything,” Rahul said when asked about the series he has had so far. “Obviously, a little disappointed that I have not been able to convert the starts and get big runs for the team. As an opening batsman, my responsibility is to spend as much time in the middle as I can, try and get big scores in the first innings so that we don’t have to bat in the second innings.”On a personal front, [it] hasn’t been the worst series for me. Got starts, batted really well, enjoyed batting in the middle, and the Aussie bowlers haven’t made it easy. They have challenged us in all the games. Thoroughly enjoyed batting and hopefully [I can play] one good knock in the second innings. Might be the knock I have been waiting for the whole series.”Not for the first time in the series, Rahul was out playing an aggressive shot. This time, he tried to hook Cummins – having earlier either swayed away from or fended at his other short balls – and toe-ended it to cover. Rahul said he had bungled the execution of the shot rather than the thinking behind it.”Horrible execution for sure,” he said. “But having batted out there in the middle for a long time, I thought I could have taken him on as there were no fielders at the back. Like I said, horrible execution, the intent was right.”But I can always sit here and question intent and a hundred things. But then in the middle, I thought I could take him on but [it was] unfortunate it didn’t go my way. Hopefully, in the second innings, I can get him away. So I will go out with a positive intent in the second innings again.”Rahul said the conditions had given some assistance to all of Australia’s bowlers, the spinners and the quicks, and that they had kept India under pressure right through the day.”It has been a fantastic cricket wicket,” he said. “Something in it for everybody. [Nathan] Lyon and [Steve] O’Keefe spun it and of course, [facing] Josh [Hazlewood] and Cummins in the first session, I can say, is the toughest session I have faced in Test cricket so far.”They put the ball in the right areas and they swung the ball, bowled with a lot of pace and venom. There is something in it for bowlers and it will keep us interested in the second innings when we go out there to bowl.”Given the control Australia exerted, Rahul said India had done well to end the day where they did – six down and trailing by 52. He said India’s pace of scoring – they have made their runs at 2.72 per over so far as compared to Australia’s 3.38 in their first innings – was a reflection of how well Australia bowled.”I think we played really well,” he said. “They did put a lot of pressure. They put the ball in the right areas. It’s not like we missed out on any boundary balls. These are the sessions in Test cricket that you have to grind it out and play these off.”You tell yourself that the runs will come, maybe after tea in the last hour. When I was batting in the first session, my intent was to give the ball and the bowlers the respect and I can come out in the second session and make some runs.”One prominent feature of the Dharamsala pitch has been the cracks on its surface. In the morning session, Hazlewood, in particular, got the ball to misbehave frequently off them, though this tendency died down as the ball grew older. Rahul said the cracks would continue to play an influential role in the match.”I think the ball will do things off the cracks,” he said. “Even when we bowled the first day, a few balls did do something funny off the cracks. The conditions are really good for the fast bowlers like I was mentioning. The conditions aren’t too hot. There is some swing out there and the fast bowlers out there are enjoying bowling on this wicket.”
اقرأ أيضًا | آلان شيرر يكشف عن مرشحه للتتويج بـ الدوري الإنجليزي
وتشير صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، إلى أن قرار ألونسو بالاستمرار مع باير ليفركوزن، سيفتح الباب أمام روبن أموريم مدرب سبورتنج لشبونة كمرشح رئيسي لتولي تدريب ليفربول.
ويركز المدير الرياضي الجديد لليفربول ريتشارد هيوز والرئيس التنفيذي لكرة القدم مايكل إدواردز، الآن على أموريم وروبرتو دي زيربي مدرب برايتون، لخلافة كلوب.
Aston Villa have made contact to enquire about a summer deal to sign Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto, according to reports.
Is Wilfried Gnonto leaving Leeds?
The Whites’ left-sided winger only arrived at Elland Road from FC Zurich last summer and majorly impressed during his 28 appearances in his debut season, so after suffering relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, his future is currently up in the air.
The Italy international’s agent, Claudio Vigorelli, has revealed that his client will hold “talks” regarding his future in Yorkshire, and despite reporter Graham Smyth claiming that the club “hope to keep” him beyond the ongoing window, he has plenty of potential suitors waiting to snap him up should he depart.
The Mirror have credited Crystal Palace, Brighton, West Ham and Everton all with a strong interest in the 19-year-old, but it won’t come cheap to strike a deal considering that he still has four years remaining on his contract in LS11 meaning that his side won’t be forced to cash in.
The Daily Mail recently claimed that NSWE, Unai Emery and Monchi have approached Leicester City to discover the availability of Harvey Barnes, but with the Foxes looking to demand £35m for their prized asset, Gnonto could provide a much cheaper and younger alternative.
Are Aston Villa signing Gnonto?
According to Italian reports (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa have “asked for information” on Gnonto, though it’s not specified whether the player has been contacted directly or if it was Leeds. The Midlands outfit have “lined up” alongside Everton and Bundesliga club SC Freiburg to try and strike a deal and they are firmly “in the mix” to receive his signature.
The Villa Park side “appreciate” their target’s profile and it’s stated that he “will leave” Daniel Farke’s team, who have set a price tag of €25m (£21m).
Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto.
Should NSWE submit a bid for Gnonto?
Aston Villa have faced Leeds on multiple occasions and will know exactly what Gnonto is capable of having come up against him during his debut campaign in the top-flight, and having been dubbed a “pocket rocket” by football pundit Tam McManus, NSWE should certainly consider testing the waters for the winger.
Sponsored by Puma, the teenager racked up six goal contributions (four assists and two goals) in 24 Premier League outings last season whilst recording a total of 50 shot-creating actions over the course of the campaign which was the fourth-highest total throughout his squad, as per FBRef.
The Verbania native is also a versatile operator having been deployed in seven various positions over the grass since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, so he’d be a fantastic option for the boss to have at his disposal should any unexpected injuries occur.
Having dropped down to the Championship, Gnonto is likely to want to complete a move either back to the top-flight or to a competitve league overseas rather than remaining in the second tier, so this switch could be of appeal to him, therefore the board should capitalise on this by trying to convince him of the project at Villa Park.
Manchester United finished third in the Premier League in 22/23 and secured qualification for the Champions League group stages next season.
However, Erik ten Hag may not be content with only competing for a place in Europe and could look to make additions to his squad with the aim of gunning for the title.
Football Insider recently reported that the club want to add a 'marquee' number nine to their squad. This makes sense when you consider that they ranked eighth in the division for goals scored in 2022/23.
Marcus Rashford, who was deployed out wide or through the middle, was the only United player to hit double figures (17) for goals and this suggests that the club failed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, who departed Old Trafford in November of last year.
The Portuguese legend plundered 18 league goals, which made him the side's top goalscorer, in 21/22 and ten Hag is currently lacking a prolific number nine who can be a reliable scorer alongside Rashford in the final third.
Who could replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United?
United's head coach could finally find the dream heir to Ronaldo's throne in the number nine position by securing a deal to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus this summer.
He is a reported transfer target for the Premier League giants and is thought to be available for a fee in the region of €90m (£77m), just 18 months on from his £66m switch to the Italian side from domestic rivals Fiorentina.
The 23-year-old marksman endured a difficult campaign in front of goal during the 2022/23 campaign as the Serbian international scored ten times in 27 Serie A outings, although the exciting forward managed to marginally outperform his xG of 9.73.
Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
Whilst that return was still more than any United player outside of Rashford produced last term, Vlahovic did not live up to the standards he set for himself in the previous two campaigns.
The former Fiorentina hotshot racked up 24 goals in 36 league matches in 2021/22 after an equally impressive 21 strikes in 37 Serie A games the season before that.
These returns are particularly outstanding when you factor in that no Manchester United player has scored more than 18 league goals in a season since Robin van Persie struck 26 times in 2012/13.
Vlahovic, who was once hailed as "incredibly prolific" by scout Jacek Kulig, has the potential to be a goalscoring machine for the Red Devils, despite a dip in form over the last year, in the same way that Ronaldo was before his move to Saudi Arabia.
Ten Hag is clearly in the market for a marquee no.9 and Vlahovic's returns in two of the last three seasons indicate that he would be exactly what the manager is looking for.
Liverpool will prioritise the signing of a "physical" midfielder this summer as Jurgen Klopp's side look to bounce back from a disappointing campaign.
What kind of midfielder do Liverpool want?
Having already brought in Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister earlier this summer for an initial fee of approximately £35m, Liverpool are expected to bolster their midfield ranks further in the transfer window.
Having an endured a difficult campaign in which the midfield was held largely culpable for poor form, Klopp has prioritised fixing his engine room. The signing of Mac Allister helps, as well as the wages freed up by the departing Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner, but more is required if the Reds are to return to the top of the pyramid.
Having already been linked with a host of new names this window, Fabrizio Romano believes Liverpool will focus on a more robust, "physical" midfielder next to follow on from the signing of a more creative playmaker in Mac Allister.
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano stated: "So, I think from what I'm told, Liverpool will give priority to a physical midfielder after signing a creative midfielder in Alexis Mac Allister. So, the idea is to go for a physical midfielder now."
"Manu Kone remains on the list, Khephren Thuram remains on the list, these two names for sure."
He added: "Liverpool will explore also other options, for example, they appreciate Barella but they know very well that the player is very happy at Inter and is going to be very difficult to sign Nicolo Barella. There is no release clause into his contract, so it is a very complicated situation."
A more physical midfielder makes sense given Klopp's desire to play high-intensity, counter-pressing football which requires a more combative and disciplined central midfield.
What do we know about the transfer links so far?
Of those mentioned by Romano, Nice's Thuram appears to be the priority target for the Reds. Journalist David Lynch even claimed that an agreement is expected to be struck between the two clubs for the 22-year-old, with Le Parisien suggesting a fee of just over £50m would be required to get a deal done.
Manu Kone, who is currently a teammate of Thuram for France at the U21 European Championship, has been linked with the Reds, but Florian Plettenberg has suggested that a move for the Borussia Monchengladbach man is "very unlikely".
Meanwhile, Nicolo Barella's high price tag appears to have put him out of Liverpool's reach, but certain Italian sources have suggested a bid could be coming Inter's way. It is thought that the 26-year-old would cost just under £70m, which would make him Liverpool's most expensive midfield signing of all time.
A final midfield name that has been linked is Celta Vigo sensation Gabri Veiga, who has enjoyed a hugely impressive season in La Liga. A £34m release clause in the youngster's contract makes him an even more tantalising prospect, but he is more of a technical player than others on Liverpool's shortlist.