Tag Futebol

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Celtic are interested in signing Manchester City winger Brandon Barker, according to The Daily Mail.

The paper say that having worked with the player at Hibernian, Hoops boss Neil Lennon is keen on adding him to his squad this summer on a permanent basis, with City likely to cut ties with the 22-year-old ahead of his contract expiring next year.

Barker was an effective performer on loan for Hibs in the 2017/18 season, possessing pace and attributes suited to direct wing play.

Outspoken pundit, Chelsea flop, Celtic legend. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith throws back to Chris Sutton in the video below…

His attacking contribution was far below the levels Celtic are accustomed to though and he is unlikely to be an improvement on any of the squad players at Celtic Park already.

It’s not the standard of target that many fans have been hoping for ahead of the transfer window opening and it’s fair to say it’s a report that hasn’t gone down well.

These supporters have taken to Twitter over the last 24 hours to share their thoughts on the potential deal…

كشف سيف الدين الجزيري مهاجم المقاولون العرب عن تفاصيل حديثه مع مواطنه فرجاني ساسي لاعب الزمالك بشأن تواجده ضمن صفوف القلعة البيضاء.

وقال سيد الدين الجزيري في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة ام بي سي مصر: “طبقًا لما تحدثت فيه مع فرجاني ساسي أنه مرتاح ببقائه في الزمالك وهذا ما أعلمه ولا أعرف باقي التفاصيل ولا أتحدث معه كثيرًا في هذا الأمر”.

وبسؤاله عن حمدي النقاز وندمه على الرحيل من الزمالك؟، أوضح: “بالتأكيد لا، هو أخذ خطوة فمن المؤكد أنه لن يندم عليها”.

طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وطلائع الجيش اليوم في نهائي كأس مصر

وأوضح: “حمدي النقاز انتقل للترجي التونسي وهو من أفضل الأندية في تونس، نحن أصدقاء ولكنه متواجد هناك ويشارك والأمور جيدة”.

واختتم: “نريد أن نرى صورة جيدة في السوبر الإفريقي، والكرة المغربية مستواها قل بسبب كورونا، وأتوقع فوز الأهلي على نهضة بركان بهدفين دون رد، والأهلي والزمالك لعبوا نهائي أبطال إفريقيا”.

When Jordan Hugill arrived at the Riverside Stadium last summer, Middlesbrough fans had every right to be excited given his previous goal-scoring escapades with Preston North End.

Having reached double figures for the Lilywhites in two consecutive seasons in the Championship before moving to West Ham United in 2018, the forward clearly had the pedigree needed to succeed for the Smoggies during his season-long loan deal from the Hammers.

However, after suffering a dismal start to life in North Yorkshire in which he failed to score in his first 10 league appearances, Hugill desperately needed to produce something of note to illustrate just why Tony Pulis decided to sign him.

Although he eventually opened his account by scoring in back-to-back games against Wigan Athletic and Brentford, the 26-year-old’s lack of consistency saw him fail to establish himself as a regular starter for the Smoggies as he was continuously rotated with Ashley Fletcher by his manager.

Despite producing encouraging performances against play-off contenders Derby County and West Bromwich Albion, Hugill’s awful run of 14 games without a goal or an assist in the Championship left Boro is desperate trouble as their over-reliance on Britt Assombalonga to deliver the goods eventually culminated in a failure to secure a top-six finish.

With the Smoggies facing a third consecutive season in the second tier, it is clear that in order to be successful next year, they cannot afford to make any mistakes during the upcoming transfer window.

Therefore, when you consider the fact that Hugill only managed a measly total of six goals in the 2018/19 campaign, Boro should steer well clear of signing the £7.2m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) in the summer on a permanent deal.

If they do decide to bring him despite his failures, it would not be at all surprising if the club end up struggling over the coming years.

What do you think Smoggies fans? Would you welcome a permanent move for Hugill in the summer? Or does he not deserve another chance to impress at the Riverside following his underwhelming loan spell? Let us know below.

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Marcelo Bielsa has long been revered as one of the best managers in the world by his peers.

He has been an influencer for the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, and it may be time for those two to give a little back to the man who helped make them the managers they are today.

Bielsa’s influence

It’s no secret that the Argentine was a hugely important part of making Pochettino one of the world’s leading coaches.

The Leeds manager initially scouted the Spurs boss at the beginning of his playing career, and he eventually played under him as he took the reins at Newell’s Old Boys.

Pochettino went into detail about his time working with Bielsa in an interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport (Via SportWitness) saying:

‘I was 13 when Bielsa and Jorge Griffa took me from a small town called Murphy and brought me to Newell’s. He gave me my debut.

‘He’s like my second father. We were also together at Espanyol and in the national team. I owe him everything.’

The former Marseille boss also has a strong relationship with Guardiola, who once described him as “the best coach in the world.”

Ask for a favour

Although Bielsa is a very proud man, he shouldn’t hesitate to ask his two protégés for a favour now that they’re managing two of the biggest clubs in the world.

City and Tottenham both have a wide array of youngsters available for loan, and Leeds should have first dibs due to their manager’s close ties with the men in charge in both Manchester and north London.

Guardiola has already helped the 63-year-old by sending him Jack Harrison last year, but they should approach the Citizens for a few more players.

Patrick Roberts, Tosin Adarabioyo, Douglas Luiz and many others could be useful additions to the Leeds squad next season, and Bielsa could use his relationship with the City boss to broker a deal.

The same goes for Pochettino and Spurs, Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Oliver Skipp are all candidates to go out on loan to the Championship this summer.

The Whites will almost certainly dip into the loan market again in the upcoming window, and when they do their first port of call should be their gaffer’s two close allies.

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It has recently been reported that Manchester City will not be targeting a new left-back this summer and will instead give their backing to Benjamin Mendy, a player who has been difficult to rely on since he arrived at the club.

Mendy arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Monaco in a £52m deal back in 2017, a transfer which saw him become the world’s most expensive defender until Liverpool splashed out £75m on Virgil van Dijk.

However, despite looking like a phenomenal player whenever he has made it out onto the pitch, the Frenchman hasn’t made as many appearances as the Cityzens would’ve liked – he has managed just 14 Premier League starts in almost two seasons.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

Mendy has also been a bit of a headache off the field. The 24-year-old has caused Guardiola angst by spending the early hours of the morning out partying, whilst he has also stepped on thin ice by turning up late for a treatment session.

So, are City right to give Mendy their backing and not sign a new left-back? Football FanCast’s writers have their say…

Matt Dawson 

“Given Manchester City spent so much on Mendy, the sensible thing would be to stick by him. He’s easily one of the best in his position in the division when he’s fit. However, I think it’s incredibly alarming that they’re not in the market for a back up option at the very least. Fabian Delph is quite frankly terrible in that position and his display against Spurs in the Champions League tells you all you need to know. Guardiola might like Zinchenko but he shouldn’t be someone the club become over reliant upon whenever an injury occurs.”

Harry Sherlock

“Mendy is the best left-back City have had for quite a while. On the pitch, the left-back is excellent at crossing the ball and also has that potent cocktail of skill, pace and precision in his passing. There are very few truly world-class left-backs out there who can walk into Guardiola’s side. Mendy, if he can stay fit, has all the attributes to be City’s first-choice left-back for the next five years. Guardiola is right to back him; he could be the club’s secret weapon in next season’s inevitable title charge.”

James Beavis

“In my view Pep has undoubtedly made the right call. It’s about time City did this instead of simply going out and spending big money on someone else. Mendy’s unfortunate run of luck won’t continue forever, and with a full pre-season under him he should be raring to go for the start of the 2019/20 season – Man City fans will be excited for that. The Frenchman will be a like a new signing and even if he does suffer again, Oleksandr Zinchenko has proven himself to be a more than able deputy.”

Another game, another win for Aston Villa. They’re the in-form team in the Championship at the moment, and John McGinn has the quality to take them all the way to the Premier League.

He’s played 34 times for the Villans this season, playing over two thousand minutes, but he’s still running the show in the centre of the park and the opposition can’t deal with him. This is their fifth win on the bounce, and lots of praise should be heaped on his influence.

Dean Smith’s side have been tearing up the league since Jack Grealish returned to the starting line-up against Derby in early March. He’s had a massive impact going forward, but he wouldn’t have that licence to be creative if McGinn wasn’t doing all the hard work behind him.

There were worries Villa would be stopped in their tracks, with the international break ending their momentum, but it’s done anything but that. It looks like it’s given them the rest from the promotion push they needed.

Keep this up and they’ll make the play-offs, no doubt.

McGinn’s consistency has been incredible. He’s played 90 minutes in 16 of the Villans’ last 20 games, and two of those he missed were through suspension. He’s been the mainstay in this side, and to have his calming influence in the play-offs will benefit the team no end.

The pressure is mounting as the wins keep coming. The victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday was anything but relaxed and the players know the expectation from the terraces means things will only get nervier.

With McGinn there though, he can steer the ship back to the Premier League.

Villa fans, where do you think your club will finish this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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When England’s squad for the international break was announced last week there was shock over a few individual exclusions. One of which was Wolves’ Conor Coady.

The centre-back has been terrific for Nuno Santo’s team in 2018/19, but Gareth Southgate failed to find room for him in his England squad. However, the reasoning behind it has now been given with the 48-year-old Three Lions boss suggesting that it would be difficult to move him into a four-man defence.

Wolves’ foundations this season have been built on a three-man backline and although England deployed the same system at the World Cup, they’ve now reverted to a more traditional defensive set up.

Some supporters of the club feel as though Southgate’s reasoning makes perfect sense and is a fair judgement, with one fan even claiming he’d get destroyed if he was to play in England’s system. Another said it was lousy timing for the central defender that the national team now plays in a different way.

There was a split opinion, though, as some fans argued that despite a change in the system, Coady is far better than the likes of James Tarkowski and Michael Keane who are among the squad.

Although playing in a different position, the late call up of Callum Hudson-Odoi was also brought into question.

Here’s what the Molineux faithful have been saying on Twitter.

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Crystal Palace’s Wembley dreams were destroyed by Watford on Saturday, with the Hornets stinging the Eagles in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and thus booking a semi-final against Wolves.

While there was fairly little that could be done about Andre Gray’s winner, Etienne Capoue’s opener was certainly preventable from a Palace point of view – particularly if you’re Vicente Guaita.

On the chalkboard

Javi Gracia’s side were quick to test the Palace ‘keeper’s ability to deal with crosses and soon found that it was basically non-existent – queue a torrent of balls into the box and corners which eventually paid dividends.

Jose Holebas whipped a decent ball into the box and the former Getafe man Guaita came flying off his line to try and punch it away but just flapped at it, allowing Capoue to eventually fire into an empty net.

It could have been worse but for some fine stops from the Spaniard, although he might not have been forced to make them if his decision making was better, as Watford continued to exploit the number 31’s Achilles heel.

The errors were the latest of parallels to be drawn with Palace flop Steve Mandanda, who endured a torrid time on SE25 in the 16/17 season.

Mandanda 2.0

The Marseille cult hero arrived in summer 2017 carrying the reputation as one of the best in Europe – France’s number two at the time, the goalkeeper had high expectations when he swapped Ligue 1 for the Premier League.

It didn’t quite go to plan, though, and, following a series of errors, an injury and a rumoured spat with then-boss Sam Allardyce, the veteran returned to his home country at the end of the season. Nightmare.

Is the FA Cup distracting Crystal Palace fans from their EPL issues? Pla>yamker FC’s Sam thinks so in the video below…

Considering the parallels to be drawn between Guaita and Mandanda, it appears the Spaniard could be set to follow in the footsteps of the ex-Palace man.

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According to The Sun, Manchester City are targeting Ben Chilwell as part of a £150m triple-swoop to increase their number of home-grown players, with Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka and West Ham’s Declan Rice joining the Leicester man on Pep Guardiola’s list.

Despite having spent a similar amount on the signings of Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo to strengthen at full-back, the former Barcelona boss is still not satisfied with his options it would seem and Chilwell would presumably vie with injury-prone Mendy for a starting spot at left-back.

The 22-year-old has impressed in defence for the Foxes this season and his performances have earned him a call-up to the England squad, but what could be yet to come for the left-footer and City if he were to trade the King Power Stadium for the Etihad Stadium in the summer? We consider the potential consequences…

Sterling continues on the left-wing

A lack of options beyond Mendy has led Guardiola to deploy utility man Fabian Delph and Oleksandar Zinchenko out of position and at left-back – both have done a decent job despite being natural midfielders, but the arrival of Chilwell, a defender by trade, would mean they are less likely to feature there.

Guardiola rarely plays Mendy and Leroy Sane together, perhaps because the overlapping runs of the former would obstruct the latter, who is also left-footed. Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, has been playing on the left for City frequently of late, where he can cut in on his right foot.

Perhaps the signing of Chilwell, who also enjoys bombing up and down the flank, will mean Guardiola uses Sterling on the left far more often.

Delph back in midfield

As previously mentioned, the 18-cap former Villa man came through as a midfielder but found his Cityzens breakthrough playing elsewhere under Guardiola, however Chilwell’s arrival could mean his opportunities are far more limited once again.

Having made 11 appearances in the Premier League this campaign, the Yorkshire-born ace has been much less of a fixture this season but still seems to be a key player in the dressing room. With Fernandinho ageing and the Brazilian’s ideal replacement Frenkie de Jong moving to Barcelona instead, could Delph do a job at the base of midfield? He is certainly willing to delve into the ‘dark arts’.

On the latest After 90 Sergio Aguero reveals a very embarassing secret. Find out what in the video below…

The Etihad Stadium outfit look far less likely to win when former Shakhtar Donetsk man Fernandinho isn’t in the starting XI and they sorely miss his bite in the middle of the park. Guardiola may feel inclined to reintegrate Delph into the starting XI once his left-back situation is sorted and while City hunt for a more long-term replacement for their anchor.

England spot confirmed

Having won five caps with the Three Lions so far, Chilwell’s England career has well and truly begun but could just as easily be stunted whiles he remains at Leicester and the likes of Danny Rose impress with Spurs.

A move to a top six club will all but establish the 22-year-old as an England international and further his career on all competitive stages and, unlike many of the other sides around them, City can offer regular game-time despite the plethora of stars already on their books thanks to Guardiola’s excellent squad management – everyone who has earned them gets minutes.

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According to The Mirror, Everton are taking an interest in AC Milan right-back Davide Calabria, who has impressed this season for the Italian giants, catching the Toffees’ eye as well as Manchester United’s with his performances.

What’s the word, then? 

Well, Marco Silva’s Everton have been keeping tabs on the Italy Under-21 international, who has made 23 appearances under Gennaro Gattuso at the San Siro this season.

Calabria has impressed in the defensive aspects of his game in the current campaign, with his tackling and concentration standing out alongside his willingness to bomb forward and be involved in the final third – the 22-year-old has one goal and one assist to his name in Serie A.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The right-back, who came through Milan’s academy, has performed so admirably this season that he is even keeping Andrea Conti out of the side, a man who cost the club €24m in the summer of 2017.

Could he be the next Seamus Coleman?

As most of us know, Coleman has been at Everton for a while now – this summer will mark a decade since his arrival on Merseyside.

The Irishman has been a firm fans favourite for the majority of his time at Goodison Park having originally rocked up as an unassuming young full-back for just £150,000 from Sligo Rovers, but his performances this season suggest he is starting to decline as a footballer.

Jonjoe Kenny has made eight league starts this season in periods where Coleman has deserved to be dropped, but the 21-year-old has also done little to convince Silva that he should be starting consistently over the 30-year-old – a new face should probably be bought in to solve this issue.

And, with the reported interest in Calabria, Everton could have a player who becomes the next Coleman, such is his youthful age and ceiling to improve.

The 5′ 8″ Italian could potentially end up spending the same period of time with the Toffees as the Irishman has, whilst their similarities extend further with both of them possessing good stamina to get up and down and contribute to the attack – they are both also full-blooded defenders.