Tag Futebol

Jack Grealish is undoubtedly one of Aston Villa’s biggest stars right now.The 24-year-old midfielder has been extremely prolific for the Villans in the 2019/20 campaign, already netting nine goals and adding eight assists to his tally across 28 games in all competitions.

>Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….

But for exactly that reason, it doesn’t really surprise to see him linked with an exit, with Manchester United reportedly interested in his services ahead of next season.

Villa’s icon Gabby Agbonlahor, however, believes that the club should definitely keep their star if possible because he is yet to reach his full potential, even claiming this season’s relegation strugglers could go onto to challenge for Champions League qualification.

Here’s what he said on talkSPORT:

“He’s getting better and I don’t think you’ve seen him at his peak yet. If they can keep hold of Jack and then rebuild, start spending more money on the right players, why can’t Villa fight for top four again? I don’t see a reason why not.”

Of course, keeping Grealish could be much easier said than done, especially if he keeps performing at such a high level.

But if Villa manage to do exactly that, it would undoubtedly be a huge statement for the rest of the Premier League teams and a massive platform for them to build on going forward.

Only time will tell, though.

Elsewhere, former Villa man Stiliyan Petrov posts a heartfelt message to Alan Hutton following his retirement…

It appears as if Dele Alli’s honeymoon period under new Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is over after a disappointing showing in the FA Cup third round.

Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 with struggling Championship outfit Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Sunday afternoon, meaning the pair will have to battle out a replay in north London to seal their place in the next stage of the competition.

Boro forward Ashley Fletcher opened the scoring with a fine finish in the 50th minute before Spurs needed heroics from Lucas Moura, who headed home a Serge Aurier cross just over ten minutes later.

Alli, who played the full 90 minutes, was blasted on social media following the full-time whistle up in the northeast with much of the travelling support absolutely reeling by his attitude and performance.

Here’s some of the reaction…

One supporter labelled him an array of adjectives, including ‘slow, lazy and arrogant’ while another claimed his presence on the pitch was ‘anonymous.’

Alli was even described as being the worst player on the pitch in a white shirt, stating that he couldn’t string a pass together and that he tries too many flicks.

It has led to several more fans wanting the 23-year-old to be sold amongst other things…

The England international was berated as a flop who must be benched for the time being and then sold in the summer, while some of the Spurs faithful didn’t want to wait another few months and wished for him to depart during the January transfer window.

Per SofaScore, Alli had the lowest rating of anyone on the pitch, winning just 30% of his ground duels, losing possession 19 times and being dribbled past twice – against a side that sits 16th in the second tier, that’s just not good enough.

And it couldn’t be without controversy either as the midfielder was once again booked for diving, giving the travelling crowd more ammo to fire at him on Twitter…

Alli has started every single Premier League game under Mourinho since he took the helm but has provided just one goal and one assist in his last six matches, seven including this outing on Sunday.

Spurs are in the hat for the fourth round later this evening, if that’s any small consolation.

Can you remember how much each of these transfer icons cost? Only experts will get 100% on our quiz…

And in other news, Daniel Levy must open the chequebook to bolster this key area this month…

[ad_pod ]

Spurs’ Champions League knockout stage dreams have been brought to life after their 1-1 draw with Barcelona matched the result between Inter and PSV and thus ensured they finished second in their group on ‘goals for’ alone.

Despite the Nou Camp outfit missing key men Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, they still had the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho at their disposal – the former capitalised on a Kyle Walker-Peters mistake to give the hosts the lead and the latter was unlucky not to net as he hit the post twice – but Spurs’ defensive solidity and a late Lucas Moura equaliser were enough to get a point.

A key cog in the Lilywhites’ back line, Toby Alderweireld’s future at White Hart Lane has been hanging in the balance as contract talks stalled amidst interest from Manchester United, but a celebratory post-match tweet from the Belgian international has got fans hopeful that the situation may soon be resolved.

You can find the tweet below, along with all the best reaction from Spurs fans.

Jermaine Jenas spoke exclusively to Playmaker FC about why Spurs are better than Spurs right now. Check out the video below…

Everton suffered their first defeat of the 2018-19 Premier League campaign on Sunday afternoon, with West Ham United recording a 3-1 win at Goodison Park.

It would be fair to say that a lot of Everton supporters were furious with a number of aspects of their team’s performance.

However, many of the fans found a positive in the display of Bernard, who came off the bench at the interval of the Premier League clash.

Bernard joined Everton on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk during the summer, with the 26-year-old snubbing a number of clubs to make the move to Merseyside.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”297163″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts MythBusting Rashford & Spurs Headache”]

The Brazilian made his Premier League debut against Bournemouth at the end of last month, before appearing for 45 minutes against West Ham.

The Everton fans now feel that it is time for Bernard to be handed a starting role, with many calling for head coach Marco Silva to make an important change to his XI.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

While Southampton fans were no doubt delighted to see their side match Arsenal in a 1-1 draw last weekend, there was one surprise omission from the starting XI – Sofiane Boufal.

The Moroccan international had recently earned his place in the starting XI with a stunning goal against West Bromwich Albion and although he’s struggled to completely replicate his impact as a substitute from the opening whistle, he’s done a decent job overall.

Perhaps unexpectedly then, Mauricio Pellegrino decided to leave Boufal out of his starting line up last Sunday, leaving Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic to both impress in his absence.

But rotation certainly isn’t unusual at this time of the season and with Leicester City coming to town on Wednesday evening, it already feels like the right time to bring the 5 foot 9 winger back into the fold.

So, Southampton fans, would you start Boufal against the Foxes or are there team-mates more deserving of a role out wide? Let us know by voting below…

According to reports from The Daily Record, Rangers have taken the rather audacious step of circulating a list of players available for summer transfer and their valuations to English clubs.

The most lucrative name on the list is young winger Barrie McKay, who ended the 2016/17 Scottish top flight campaign with five goals to his name, with Rangers valuing him at £2million.

The 22-year-old is one of the most exciting talents at Ibrox so that price-tag seems a little on the low side. But his contract is due to expire at the end of next season, meaning he’ll be able to discuss a free transfer with foreign clubs – including those in England – from January 2018 onward.

Thus, Rangers’ temptation to cash-in now, even for just £2million, is certainly understandable and it appears McKay is already garnering interest from England, with The Daily Mail reporting earlier this month that former Gers boss Mark Warburton is keen to bring him to Nottingham Forest.

So, Rangers fans, where do you stand in this debate? Should the club sell McKay this summer? Let us know by voting below…

Just four months ago, Yann M’Vila was left heartbroken when a permanent switch to Sunderland fell through on transfer deadline day, but now the club have announced that the midfielder has turned them down.

What happened?

A statement released by the Black Cats has confirmed that a three-and-a-half-year deal was on the table for the Frenchman ahead of the January window.

M’Vila spent last season on loan at the Stadium of Light, impressing on the pitch and making 37 Premier League appearances.

The 26-year-old was reported to have been close to sealing a permanent switch from Rubin Kazan in the summer after he was left out of the squad for the Russian Premier League season.

However, a deal failed to materialise and the midfielder headed back to Russia with the knowledge that he could make a free transfer in December.

That time is now, but it seems as though M’Vila has had a change of heart, with Sunderland announcing:

“I was contacted this week by Yann M’Vila’s representatives, who advised that the player no longer wishes to join Sunderland.

“There was a three-and-a-half-year agreement in place, however after discussions with the manager we have decided not to enforce the contract. Any player that we bring to Sunderland Football Club must be wholly committed.

“Yann M’Vila will therefore not be joining us in January and we wish him well for the future.”

Who should Sunderland turn to now?

The Black Cats seem intent on strengthening their midfield in January, with the Daily Mail reporting that Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini is a target.

The report claims that the Red Devils are willing to listen to offers for the Belgian, but Sunderland may look to do a loan deal, if any, as they are understood not to have a huge budget for January recruits.

It could be a good fit for both parties as Fellaini has the physicality to muscle out opponents in the middle of the park, and he also has that strength when pushed further forward.

Another plus is that manager David Moyes is a big fan of the 29-year-old having coached him for five years at Everton before taking the midfielder with him to United in 2013.

Elsewhere, Sunderland are believed to have taken an interest in Sheffield Wednesday’s Kieran Lee, but the Sheffield Telegraph quotes manager Carlos Carvalhal as saying that Lee is happy at the Championship club.

Lee is traditionally a defensive midfielder, but he is also comfortable playing on the right wing, and is not afraid to tackle.

As well as having grit, Lee has scored four goals so far this season, but it will be tough for Sunderland to prise him away from the Owls after starting every Championship fixture in the campaign.

[ad_pod id=’domino-survey’ align=’center’]

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Well, it was certainly an eventful 90 minutes . . .

After yesterday’s 0-0 procession between Newcastle and Manchester United in the showpiece game today’s match felt like it really deserved the often over-hyped tag of ‘Super Sunday’. There were a myriad of talking points – Pedro’s impact, Courtois’ return, West Brom’s lack of solidity – to add to what is fast-becoming somewhat of a ‘soap opera season’ for Chelsea in particular.

One thing is for sure is that today’s game won’t have made easy viewing for one sizeable chunk of the Manchester area. Pedro was a revelation – as player’s who graduate from Barcelona’s La Masia academy so often are – and suggested that the early season panic among those who had loudly predicted Chelsea to win the title may have been just that.

Can Manchester City keep up the pace against Everton? It remains to be seen. But before we get into another healthy serving of Premier League action let’s first digest this one with the THREE things we’re learned from West Brom v Chelsea …

Goodbye Terry?

So long sweet prince, it’s been good. But is the end of JT as we know it?

Well, probably not, but it does look like the Terry of AVB vintage – exposed, cumbersome, not very good at defending. Terry will get better as the season goes on, but will he be given the chance to do so?

Pedro’s impact

Pedro injected some real life into the decaying corpse of Chelsea’s Premier League title challenge with an impressive debut goal + assist. Terry’s sending off may have steal many of the headlines, but it’s the Spaniard who was the real story.

Like his compatriot Cesc Fabregas last year, it looks like the winger can revitalise Chelsea going forward and earn much need points.

West Brom Fragile

Tony Pulis’ sides are supposed to be known for their difficulty to break down but West Brom looked anything but today. Pedro ran through the middle too easily for Chelsea’s first and Pulis’ side were caught too far forward for Costa’s second.

While it’s difficult to imagine the Bagies struggling as much if they’d faced the Chelsea of last week’s is still must be cause of concern for Pulis.

Barcelona have given Frenkie de Jong an ultimatum over his future, amid a reported €60m bid from Tottenham for the midfielder.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Spurs have reportedly made bid for De JongBarcelona have offered midfielder a new dealNetherlands international yet to put pen to paperWHAT HAPPENED?

Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona have essentially given De Jong an ultimatum, and have demanded he either sign the contract that has been offered to him – it has been on the table since November – or bring an offer to the table. Following that report, Jijantes claims that Tottenham have made a bid worth €60m (£51m) for the midfielder, and have offered him a four-year deal with the same wages he is currently earning at the Camp Nou. It remains to be seen if De Jong would be willing to make that move, or if Spurs would need to sell players to fund it, given the costs involved.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

De Jong's current contract expires in 2026, and Barca are aware that this summer may mark the final time they can receive a hefty fee for the 26-year-old, and would prefer to go into the next transfer window knowing his intention to either leave or remain. There is rival interest to Spurs, with Chelsea and Manchester United also interested, along with Paris Saint-Germain. Barca have placed a €100m (£85m) asking price on De Jong.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

De Jong remains a key part of Barcelona's squad and has made 23 appearances in all competitions, with his only absences coming through either injury or suspension. He has also won 54 caps for the Netherlands.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BARCA?

De Jong's side face Celta Vigo away from home this weekend. They then face Napoli in the Champions League next week.

GOAL breaks down what the U.S. could look like when the next major tournament rolls around next summer.

The U.S. men's national team's 2023 summer schedule is now over. They lifted a Nations League trophy, topping Mexico and Canada in memorable wins, but then a heavily-rotated team fell short in the Gold Cup. There's still plenty left to do this year, though, from Gregg Berhalter's first matches back in charge against Uzbekistan and Oman, friendlies against Germany and Ghana and then some Nations League matches to close the year.

There's plenty of soccer to be played this year, of course, and plenty of storylines left to unfold, from Berhalter's initial lineup decisions to a series of major transfers. Still, from the moment Panama's final penalty kick hit the back of the net in the Gold Cup on Wednesday night, all eyes turned towards one thing: the Copa America.

South America's premier tournament is coming stateside in 2024 and, while participants still haven't been confirmed as we await results from the Nations League, it's a safe bet to assume the U.S. will be there.

The Copa America is very much the USMNT's big moment this cycle, the one real chance for this team to get competitive fixtures on the road to 2026. With no World Cup qualifying necessary and big-time friendlies far less common than in years past, the U.S. won't have many big moments to truly prepare for the world's biggest tournament hitting home soil.

Because of that, the Copa America is paramount. Berhalter and co. will get the chance to go against opponents like Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and the list goes on. Running the gauntlet of South American teams will be difficult, for sure, but there is confidence that the U.S. can make some sort of run when the tournament gets going next summer.

Picking a squad won't be easy, and much can change over the next year. There's also the added complication of the 2024 Olympics, which could see several of the USMNT's younger stars and seasoned veterans head to Paris rather than compete in the Copa America. It remains to be seen how the USMNT will balance it all, but the team's top stars will no doubt be on full display against South America's finest next summer.

With that said, GOAL takes a look at what the USMNT lineup could look like and which players could jump into the XI by next summer:

(Players with * are also Olympic eligible)

GettyGK: Matt Turner

This one is pretty obvious. Turner is the current USMNT No. 1 and he likely will be this summer.

Part of that is because of his play, as Turner continues to be fantastic every time he puts on a USMNT shirt. The other part is that, at the moment, there really isn't anyone to challenge him, as the rest of the goalkeeping pool isn't really playing at the highest level.

Still, we'll have to see how many games Turner plays between now and next summer as his role at Arsenal may have an impact on this race.

In contention: Zack Steffen, Gaga Slonina*, Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath

AdvertisementGettyLB: Antonee Robinson

He's recently signed a new contract at Fulham, leaving no doubt about his future. Robinson is clearly comfortable at Craven Cottage, and that's good news as he looks ahead to the Copa America.

The key question, though, has to do with his backup. For some time, the U.S. has looked for someone to fill that role. It appears they have it in DeJuan Jones, who should get another opportunity in the fall.

In contention: DeJuan Jones, John Tolkin*

GettyCB: Tim Ream

We'll have to see if Father Time does ever catch up with him but, if it doesn't, he'll be there next summer.

The Fulham star was fantastic at the World Cup and even better in the Premier League last season, which is why he's still here even at age 35. There are younger options on their way up, of course, but if Ream can continue on at a high level, can the U.S. really move on?

In contention: Miles Robinson, Auston Trusty

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyCB: Chris Richards

If the Nations League was any indication, Richards is coming for this spot.

He'll need to kick on at Crystal Palace, for sure, but his performances earlier this summer offered a glimpse into how good he can be. He's been tabbed as a future USMNT star for years, and this may be the season where he proves it.

In contention: Cameron Carter-Vickers,Walker Zimmerman, Jalen Neal*