Tag Futebol

Daniel James is exactly what Manchester United need.

James completed his initial £15 million (with £3m more in add-ons potentially coming as per Sky Sports) move to Manchester United on a five-year contract earlier in the week, and while it wasn’t exactly a blockbuster signing, the deal is a real leap in the right direction.

“Daniel is an exciting young winger with lots of skills, vision, exceptional pace and a good work ethic,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told the club’s official site.

Young? Lots of skill? Vision? Exceptional pace and a good worth ethic? Where have we heard that before?

Not since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson have United truly followed their core values of promoting young talent who fit the United mould, and that must hurt fans. The likes of Marouane Fellaini, Angel di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Alexis Sanchez have all arrived under different stewardship, but all failed in one aspect or another to satisfy supporters’ thirst for excitement and the “United way”.

Now, of course, we’re not suggesting for one minute that James could become the next Cristiano Ronaldo. That would be ridiculous. However, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to suggest that he holds all the traits the Portuguese don displayed at Old Trafford on his way to becoming a five-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest players of all time; core values that any budding Red need if they want to “make it” at the club – speed (Ryan Giggs said he was the fastest player he’s ever seen), passion, age, potential etc.

Hungary boss Marco Rossi even said the former Swansea ace reminded him of Brazilian Ronaldo and Usain Bolt. Not bad going.

With any signing, there’s obviously a chance that this won’t work out. However, at a fairly low price considering the madness of today’s transfer market and a player with a lot of his career ahead of him, United are heading in the right direction.

Manchester United fans, how pleased are you with signing James? Do you agree it’s a step in the right direction? Let us know in the comments below…

Somehow, it ended up being an encouraging season for Everton, who ended the campaign in eighth place.

While there were calls amongst sections of support online back in February for Marco Silva to be sacked after a loss to former club Watford and suggestions before that in the Telegraph that he was under pressure at Goodison Park, a late surge which saw the club pick up wins against Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal did see the Toffees finish eighth.

Clearly, there must be an ambition to finish higher than that but there does appear to be something to work with. Still, the next phase of the Silva project will – as things stand – have to make do without the services of one Kurt Zouma, who remains a Chelsea player.

So, despite Silva’s reported belief (via the Telegraph) that the Frenchman can once again play for Everton, they must now begin the search for a replacement, at least as a contingency.

So to that end, The Sun have reported that Everton are to join Aston Villa and manager-less Newcastle in the race for Bristol City star, Adam Webster. Granted, the Championship man doesn’t have the same of pedigree as Zouma, but it would be a promising move.

Indeed, the Englishman featured in 44 Championship games last season, scoring three goals. Standing at a little over 6ft 2in, the centre-back is particularly strong in the air, WhoScored identifying aerial duels as a key strength alongside interceptions and concentration. In fact, they rated him as the best defender in the league in what was undeniably a great season.

Webster was integral in achieving eighth-placed finish for Bristol City last time out. While they were lacking up top, their defence showed entirely the opposite and they conceded just 53 goals, less than eventual winners Norwich and promoted Aston Villa.

With Zouma’s future uncertain and Phil Jagielka having been released, perhaps the former Ipswich Town ace would be worth the apparent £12m mooted in the report.

Everton fans, what would you think of this potential signing? Does it show a lack of ambition? Or do not enough Premier League clubs look to the talent within the Championship? Let us know! 

أعلن أمير توفيق مدير التعاقدات بالنادي الأهلي عن أسباب التعاقد مع المغربي بدر بانون مدافع الفريق المنضم حديثًا من نهضة بركان خلال فترة التعاقدات الجارية.

وكان الأهلي قد أعلن بالأمس عن قيد بدر بانون في قائمته الأولية للموسم الجديد. طالع التفاصيل

وقال أمير توفيق خلال استضافته ببرنامج جمهور التالتة المذاع على قناة اون تايم سبورت 2: “تابعنا بدر بانونمنذ  فترة طويلة، وكابتن محمد يوسف ومحمد فضل كانت أعينهما عليه منذ 3 سنوات قبل أن أعمل بالأهلي، وخلال الفترة الأخيرة كنا نبحث عن مدافع بمواصفات معينة، كان أمامنا أكثر من خيار ولكن استقررنا عليه”.

وأضاف معددًا مميزات اللاعب: “بدر يمتلك مقومات كبيرة ويتحمل الضغوط ويجيد التعامل مع اللاعبين ويقودهم في الملعب وعلى مستوى فني عالي، وصفقته أقل بكثير من 3 مليون دولار”.

واختتم متحدثًا عن طاهر محمد طاهر: “كنا نحاول التعاقد معه منذ فترة، كنا نعلم إنه لاعب جيد، وتواصلت معه ومع نادي المقاولون والأمور سارت بشكل سلس”.

يذكر أن الأهلي سيواجه الاتحاد السكندري اليوم في نصف نهائي كأس مصر.

Over to you Mauricio: Tottenham need their boss to work transfer miracles this summer on a relatively small budget.

It seems like just about everyone needs to rebuild next season to keep up with highflying Liverpool and Manchester City, and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino will be expected to do so with a much smaller budget than other big-spending Premier League rivals. Again.

As per Telegraph, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is expected to give the go-ahead to a £30million move for midfielder Andre Gomes, who has spent the majority of the season on loan at Goodison Park with Everton from Barcelona. Given the club’s lack of top quality midfielders, we can more than understand this move – Spurs can only rely on Moussa Sissoko for so long.

The same report also suggests that Pochettino is keen on investing what would probably be a very large portion of his transfer funds on highly rated Nice right-back Youcef Atal, who would set the club back at least £34million.

For a side who already have Serge Aurier and Kieran Trippier at their disposal, though the latter is the subject of interest from Manchester United, it seems wasteful to not invest the money elsewhere in a position that demands more attention.

Tottenham ideally also need to sign at least one English player to ensure they comply with Premier League and Champions League home-grown player rules, with Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Grealish two players who have been on their radar for quite some time now.

Targeting Atal could put both sets of plans in jeopardy, and is it really worth it? Yes, Trippier has been terrible this season, and yes under normal circumstances i.e. a giant transfer pot to play with, he would be out. But that isn’t the case, and Spurs need to spend more carefully.

Spurs fans, how would you feel about Atal? Think the money could be better spent elsewhere? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

With Ryan Kent likely to remain at Liverpool next season, life is going to feel weird for Rangers fans.

The winger has been a sensation in Scotland this campaign, scoring six and assisting nine as Kent won the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award in a season where Rangers will finish second in the league table, and although fans want to see the 22-year-old remain in Glasgow on a permanent deal, it is likely Kent will return to Liverpool come to the end of his loan.

Kent will be missed, but Gerrard has already taken action in finding his replacement in the form of Motherwell winger Jake Hastie, who will be joining Rangers next season on a free.

The 20-year-old attacker has been impressive this season for both his parent club and Alloa Athletic, making 42 appearances across the Scottish Premiership and Championship, scoring 11 goals and assisting seven, six of those strikes coming for Motherwell.

Hastie has shown signs this season of being a smart acquisition for Rangers, and playing in the exact same position as Kent means that the Motherwell attacker could fill in for the Liverpool attacker nicely come next season.

The winger has plenty of Premiership experience under his belt already this season and won’t find playing against some of the biggest teams in Scotland a challenge for Rangers, and at just 20, Hastie will grow leaps and bounds under Gerrard’s management.

Not being able to secure Kent permanently might be seen as a loss, but it opens a door for Hastie to come in and make a name for himself at Rangers, and he has already shown he has the potential to be something special in Scottish football.

Rangers fans, will Hastie be a good replacement for Kent? Let us know!

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Ruben Neves was sublime in Wolves’ Championship-winning campaign. His signing was a huge coup for a club of that level, moving from an established Champions League side where he was captain, to joining a team whose quality didn’t even come close to those he was leaving behind.

However, his move has been warranted, helping to lead the club into the top half of the Premier League and to an FA Cup semi-final.

But, with Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker arguably outperforming the Portuguese sensation in recent months, is Nuno Santo getting the best out of him?

Neves has still had an impressive season but his numbers in 2018/19 would suggest he and the club could benefit from a slight change of position.

Ruben Neves (Wolves 2018/19 – Premier League)

3 goals

2.2 tackles PG*

2.2 shots PG

0.8 key passes PG

80.6% pass success

(Stats courtesy of WhoScored. *= Per game)

Given Neves came to the club as a more defensive midfielder, he’s been outshone in that capacity by both Dendoncker and Moutinho this season. Although his reading of the game is superb, the amount of tackles he makes per game is less than both of his midfield partners.

Surprisingly, his pass success percentage is also lower than Dendoncker’s. Considering how accomplished he is with the ball at his feet it may be a slight concern that he’s continuing to be outperformed in that area too.

Wolves can solve that issue by moving him further forward. The 22-year-old has a keen eye for goal and this is something Nuno should look to exploit more in the future.

The Midlands club tried operating with him as a number ten against Watford but their compact midfield were able to mark him out of the game.

Wolves Fan TV place the blame for Wolves’ FA Cup semi-final collapse on John Ruddy in the video below…

However, the fact he boasts the second-most shots-per-game out of anyone at the club demonstrates the impact he can have in the final third, and shows why Wolves could find themselves scoring a lot more if they were to move him closer to Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota in attack.

Wolves don’t have too much left to play for this season so it’s definitely worth seeing what he can do in an advanced role.

[ad_pod ]Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa appeared before the press ahead of Saturday’s vital game against Birmingham City and there were lots of questions to be answered after Leeds moved back into second place at the weekend. Here are the two main takeaways from this afternoon’s press conference.

Kemar Roofe and Ezgjan Alioski are fit

“Roofe is healthy. He couldn’t play with the Under-23s because there was no game but he will be with the squad.Same as (Gjanni) Alioski and Douglas has the injury. We say sorry for this. It is a shame.”

The return of Leeds’ top scorer is a massive boost as the Whites head into the final stretch of the season. With Patrick Bamford missing a penalty and putting in a poor performance against Millwall, Roofe could be straight back into the starting 11 for the Birmingham game. Roofe has netted 14 times in the Championship this season and his return may be exactly what Leeds need. Ezgjan Alioski went off with a knock against Millwall but will be ready to play this weekend.

Bielsa respects Birmingham

Exactly what Leeds fans wanted to hear from Bielsa. Birmingham may be just five points above the relegation zone but underestimating them is dangerous. The Blues looked very sharp against West Brom last week and Bielsa certainly understands the task that his team have in front of them with Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz forming one of the deadliest partnerships in the division.

Leeds United fans must have been extremely worried when they heard that Pablo Hernandez had picked up a knock during their defeat at Birmingham City.

The Spanish midfielder has been at the heart of Marcelo Bielsa’s revolution at Elland Road with his 12 goals and 11 assists helping to propel the club into a battle for automatic promotion this season.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Hernandez left St Andrews on Saturday wearing a medical boot yet has still travelled with the squad ahead of their game with Preston North End later tonight. Although it is not certain whether he is fit enough to start, the Whites must not risk the 33-year-old as if they do, it could end up being a disastrous decision if he picks up another injury.

Hernandez is arguably Leeds’ best attacking outlet and could make all the difference between his side finishing in the top-two ahead of Sheffield United or having to settle for the lottery of the play-offs, a competition that they have not had a good relationship with in recent times. In 2006, the club lost 3-0 in the Championship final to Watford and following a relegation to the third tier they were unsuccessful in both 2008 and 2009.

With six games to go between now and May, the Whites may benefit from giving Hernandez a rest from action at Preston as not only will it freshen up the squad for their trip to Deepdale but it will also give the midfielder a better chance of recovering to full fitness for Saturday’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

Bielsa could replace the former Valencia star with Keemar Roofe or Stuart Dallas whilst Jack Clarke may also be an option although he is unlikely to start having featured for the club’s under-23 side last night at Elland Road.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa risk Hernandez at Preston tonight? Or is it too big of a risk to take at this stage of the season? Let us know below.

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According to Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague, new Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane wants to bring Tottenham Hotspur attacker Christian Eriksen to the Bernabeu in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

On Monday, it was announced that Zidane had been reappointed as Madrid head coach, just 10 months after leaving the same role.

It seems likely that Los Blancos will spend big this summer as they look to improve on what has been a turbulent and disappointing 2018-19 campaign.

According to Balague, who posted a video on his official Twitter account, Zidane is keen to bring Eriksen to the Spanish capital in this summer’s transfer window.

The Denmark international will see his current deal with Spurs expire at the end of next season.

The Tottenham fans have recently questioned whether the 27-year-old wants to still be at the club and it is shaping up to be a very interesting summer transfer window.

What would Tottenham be losing?

It would probably be fair to say that Eriksen has not been at his best in recent weeks.

The playmaker has still contributed seven goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season, though, and his overall record for Tottenham is excellent.

Indeed, the Dane has managed 63 goals and 81 assists in 264 appearances for his English club in all competitions since a 2013 switch from Ajax.

It would not be a surprise if the reported interest from Real Madrid had turned his head, with the reigning European champions sure to spend heavily this summer.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

Spurs need to be careful that Eriksen’s exit – if it indeed happens – does not start a trend of key players moving on in search of pastures new.

Indeed, teams will be closely monitoring the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli, particularly if the north London outfit fail to progress past the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

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Martin Keown believes, via his Daily Mail column, that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will finish in the top four with Manchester City and Liverpool, with Arsenal set to miss out.

The Gunners moved into the Champions League qualification spots at the weekend, as they defeated Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men 2-0 at the Emirates.

What’s he said?

Arsenal and Tottenham both have a break from Premier League duty, with the former not in action again until April.

Chelsea, however, face Everton this weekend, while United are in action in the FA Cup against Wolves.

Spurs are currently third, with 61 points, after a run of terrible form that has seen them take one point from a possible 12, while the Gunners are fourth, a point further back. The Red Devils sit two points behind Arsenal, while Chelsea are three off the pace; they can, of course, make that up against the Toffees this weekend.

There will be something of a sprint for qualification for the Champions League between now and May, then, and Keown believes that United will overhaul Arsenal, such has been their form under Solskjaer.

The Norwegian, of course, tasted his first Premier League defeat at the Emirates.

Keown also believes that Liverpool will pip City to the title.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he said: “On August 6, a week before the start of this season, I predicted this top four (Liverpool first, City second, Spurs third and United fourth) and I’m standing by it.

“(Mauricio) Pochettino is too good a manager to let Spurs slip and United’s re-emergence under Solskjaer has been stunning to watch.”

Won’t go down well in north London

Keown’s words are unlikely to go down well at Arsenal.

The Gunners have battled their way into the top four, by virtue of beating one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League, and their former defender, who won three titles at the club, demeaning their achievement is only likely to infuriate the fanbase.

Arsenal have a soft run-in, with their toughest games coming against Wolves, Everton and Leicester City away from home. They do not face a single top-six side before May.

They are currently in the box seat to qualify for the Champions League and are right to be hopeful of even overhauling Spurs in third.

Keown is a pessimist at heart; fans may well just ignore him.