Category Uncategorized

[ad_pod ]

Manchester United fans on Twitter have celebrated the news that the club will not pursue a deal for Newcastle youngster Sean Longstaff.

The 21-year old midfielder was rumoured to be a top priority for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer, but Craig Hope from the Daily Mail has now suggested that United do not intend to bid for the Englishman.

Longstaff enjoyed a breakthrough campaign this season, becoming a regular under Rafa Benitez until a knee injury curtailed his promising season in March.

Despite making a total of just nine Premier League appearances thus far in his young career, Longstaff is already being touted as a future England regular and has been compared to Michael Carrick for his ability to control the game from a deep-lying playmaker position.

With Ander Herrera’s departure to PSG, Manchester United are in need of midfield depth and have been linked with the England U21 international.

However, if recent claims are to believed then the Red Devils are still searching for their next centre-midfielder and United fans are overjoyed that Longstaff is not the primary target.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

[ad_pod ]

Everton star Richarlison has revealed he’s spoken with Brazil teammate David Neres about a potential switch to Goodison Park this summer, as reported by The Liverpool Echo.

What’s the story?

Marco Silva has a big transfer window ahead of him as he determines how to improve his team to the extent they could possibly challenge the top six of the English Premier League.

One area that could be improved is at right-wing and Brazilian outlet UOL reported last week that Everton have been in negotiations with Ajax about a potential move for Neres.

The 22-year-old was in action for his country alongside Richarlison against Bolivia in the Copa America, and the Everton man later revealed he is keen to link up with his compatriot at Goodison Park.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

As quoted by The Liverpool Echo, he said:

“I’ve spoken to him about it already. I told him the doors are open for him there, and that he could help us a lot.

I hope he comes. He’d be very welcome there. I’ve known him since we played together for Brazil’s U20 side, and he’s a guy I get along with really well. Hopefully I’ll see him there.”

Worth the fuss?

With Neres obviously now aware of the situation at Everton, as well as potentially happily joining up with one of his Brazil teammates, he’s definitely a player the Toffees must try to land this summer.

Scoring 12 goals and assisting 15 times last season he emerged as one of the most exciting players at one of the most exciting teams in Europe – Ajax.

Having a left-footed winger on the right flank, coupled with the right-footed Richarlison on the left, could give Everton a massive attacking threat that puts opposition defences under serious pressure.

Still just 22 years of age but on the cusp of great things, this could be the last summer Everton have to land him before the super rich teams swan in and snap him up themselves.

If the deal is there, and makes financial sense, it must be done.

يبدو أنّه ليس فقط نادي مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، الذي يرغب في التعاقد مع الأرجنتيني، ليونيل ميسي، نجم هجوم برشلونة، في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية القادمة، حيث يحلم نادي تشيلسي بضمه لصفوفه.

ميسي يرغب في الرحيل عن صفوف برشلونة مُنذ الموسم الماضي، حيث لم يتوصل حتى الآن إلى أي اتفاق بشأن تمديد عقده، الذي ينتهي مع برشلونة بنهاية الموسم الجاري في 30 يونيو 2020.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أحد أعضاء مجلس إدارة بارتوميو يرشح نفسه لانتخابات رئاسة برشلونة

وبحسب الصحفي الإسباني الشهير “جيلم بالاجي”، فإن رومان أبراموفيتش مالك نادي تشيلسي يُراقب مصير ميسي في برشلونة.

وأضاف: “تشيلسي سيكون في المُعادلة إذا أصبح ميسي مُتاحًا، إنهم يفكرون في الأمر بكل تأكيد”.

ميسي في الصيف الماضي كان قد دخل في خلافات مع جوسيب ماريا بارتوميو رئيس مجلس إدارة النادي السابق، ثم تراجع عن قراره بالرحيل بسبب قيمة الشرط الجزائي في عقده التي تبلغ 700 مليون يورو.

[ad_pod ]West Bromwich Albion recorded a 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the second leg of their Championship playoff semi-final at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night.The Baggies lost the resulting penalty shootout, though, and are now facing another season of Championship football.It will be a very interesting summer transfer window for the club, with a number of players expected to depart and indeed arrive.One of those who could leave is Ahmed Hegazi.The 28-year-old has had an impressive season for the Baggies and he was brilliant on Tuesday night.Indeed, according to WhoScored, Hegazi made eight tackles and won three aerial duels against Villa, with on-loan Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham struggling to make his mark for the visitors.

It was a frustrating finish to a good performance from Albion, and a number of their supporters were keen to pay tribute to Hegazi.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

انتهت أحداث مباراة اتحاد جدة والتعاون بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لكل فريق في إطار منافسات الدوري السعودي.

اتحاد جدة التقى مع التعاون على أرضية ملعب مدينة الملك عبد الله في إطار الجولة الرابعة من دوري كأس الأمير محمد بن سلمان.

وأحرز رومارينيو لاعب اتحاد جدة الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 59 من عمر المباراة، فيما سجل عبد الله الجوعي لاعب التعاون هدف التعادل لفريقه في الدقيقة 73.

وشارك المصري الدولي أحمد حجازي لاعب اتحاد جدة والوافد الجديد في المباراة منذ بدايتها. أهداف مباراة الاتحاد والتعاون:

وبهذه النتيجة ارتفع رصيد اتحاد جدة إلى النقطة 5 محتلًا المركز العاشر، والتعاون في المركز الحادي عشر برصيد 5 نقاط.

[ad_pod ]

The Daily Star is claiming that Newcastle United have added Burnley wonderkid Dwight McNeil to their summer wish-list.

Rafa Benitez’s scouts have supposedly given a glowing report of the 19-year-old and the wings are certainly a position which needs improving for next season.

The current options

Newcastle’s wingers consist of Matt Ritchie, Kenedy, Christian Atsu and Jacob Murphy, who is out on loan to West Brom.

Miguel Almiron and Ayoze Perez can play out-wide but that is not their best position, they are more suited to playing centrally.

Ritchie has been converted to a wing-back because the wingers so crucial to Benitez’s preferred 4-2-3-1 have performed so poorly that the Newcastle manager changed to a three at the back system.

Ritchie is the only Newcastle winger to have had a productive season scoring twice and more importantly assisting five in the Premier League, however, he does have more bookings than combined direct goal contributions.

The other wingers have been poor. Kenedy, in particular, has disappointed the Newcastle fans since joining on a season-long-loan from Chelsea.

He has one goal and one assist in 23 appearances and in truth has not recovered since he missed a last minute penalty against Cardiff City back in August.

Since then his confidence appears to have vanished and he looks a shadow of the player that the Toon signed in January 2018 on a short term loan deal, as he scored two and assisted two in 13 appearances, but also provided really energy down Newcastle’s left.

Atsu is quick and works hard but his end-product is dreadful: the 27-year-old has made 24 appearances this season but has not contributed a goal or an assist. For a Premier League winger these stats are not acceptable.

The Ghanaian international is not good enough for the Premier League and he will need to be moved on in the summer.

How McNeil will fix the problem

An ideal replacement for Atsu or Kenedy would be McNeil, who has provided flair and pace to a pretty functional Burnley team, but more importantly end product.

The Rochdale-born winger has provided three goals and five assists in 17 appearances. This is more than Atsu and Kenedy have provided combined and a marginally better return that Ritchie.

Adding McNeil to the squad is unlikely to be cheap as he has just signed a new contract lasting until 2023 but, if Benitez did manage to sign him, Newcastle would be able to return to their 4-2-3-1 formation and with Ritchie and McNeil on the wings Rondon would receive a lot more quality service and inevitably score more goals.

The 19-year-old is a good-old-fashioned winger who aims to get to the by-line and whip crosses into the box, a quality which eludes all of Newcastle’s wingers bar Ritchie.

McNeil would probably relish the chance to move to Tyneside and work under a world-class manager, but the question for Toon fans will regard whether Mike Ashley will give Benitez the budget to bring the Burnley man to Newcastle?

West Ham are set to axe long-term absentee Winston Reid this summer opting for Alaves’ Guillermo Maripan.

West Ham have not been without their injury problems in recent times and Winston Reid, once a star player in the side, is one of their most challenging.

Reid has been absent since last March having picked up an injury against Swansea City and, though he has since recovered, has struggled to battle his way back into the squad.

A task made infinitely harder by impressive debut seasons from Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop – the former touted his much-anticipated return from injury in the next few weeks.

The Daily Mail have stipulated that Manuel Pellegrini is keen on reinforcing his current defensive options this summer and is looking to find a player who can consistently partner with either Diop or Balbuena without risk of prolonged injuries.

One candidate in particular, Guillermo Maripan, is said to have caught his eye. The mammoth defender has been hugely impressive this season for La Liga’s surprise package Deportivo Alaves.

Alaves were topping the table at one point, but now occupy 5th place – in line for the European spots – and Maripan has played a key role.

The Chilean, who has reportedly been likened to Barcelona’s Gerard Pique because of his ball-playing tendencies also shows shades of the mightily impressive defensive general Balbuena, and could be the perfect option for compatriot Pellegrini as he looks to transform the Hammers into a contemporary footballing team.

West Ham face stiff competition from Roma, however – and the Serie A side are said to be the favourites to secure his services this summer (as per The Daily Mail).

West Ham fans, how desperate are you for a defensive overhaul? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

علّق ديان لوفرين مدافع منتخب كرواتيا على الخسارة التي تعرضوا لها في مباراة الأمس أمام منتخب فرنسا، في بطولة دوري الأمم الأوروبية.

وتلاقى المنتخبان في الجولة الرابعة من المجموعة الثالثة في المستوى الأول، حيث فازت فرنسا بهدفين مقابل هدف. أهداف مباراة فرنسا وكرواتيا

وقال لوفرين، في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي للبطولة: “لم نبدأ بشكل جيد في أول 15 دقيقة، لكننا بذلنا الكثير من الجهد ولعبنا بشكل أفضل في وقت لاحق من المباراة”.

وأضاف: “هذا هو منتخب فرنسا، هم بحاجة فقط إلى فرصة واحدة إذا لم تكن في حالة تركيز”.

وواصل: “من المحبط أن تلعب ضدهم، أنت تلعب بشكل جيد، لكنهم يحققون النتيجة الإيجابية في النهاية، سنستفيد بعض الدروس من ما حدث”.

Liverpool’s game against arch rivals Manchester United could put them back on top of the table or set them on a path of self-destruction once again.

It’s 29 years since Liverpool last won the top division in English football, and don’t the players and fans know it. That and the fact they’ve never won the Premier League has been a stick used to beat the Reds with over the last two decades. Glory has been close on a number of occasions, but they’ve always faltered.

Particularly when looking back at 2013/14, the pressure from the terraces was immense from April onwards. The fans were singing ‘we’re going to win the league’, the team bus had a red guard of honour for every home game and Steven Gerrard made his famous ‘this does not slip now’ speech. Liverpool wrapped themselves in a frenzy of pressure, and it got to them.

This year the pressure is mounting already and it’s only February. Posts are being shared on Twitter asking fans to turn up to games early because ‘we’ve got a title to win’ and it won’t be long before the streets are lined with fans. The problem is, Liverpool have to beat United or their fans and players will quickly get the shakes, and they haven’t beaten United at Old Trafford since 2009.

City have dealt with the pressure before in 2011/12 and 2013/14 where hope seemed lost with less than ten games to spare but they finished strongly in both those seasons to hold their nerve and clinch the title. Last season was a breeze, this season won’t be, but they seem prepared for it.

In the big games since the turn of the year against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, City have turned up and played without fear. However, Liverpool have looked wobbly and times, particularly against Brighton, Palace, Leicester and West Ham, teams they should be beating. The blue side of the title race have slipped up too, but they appear to have regained their stride.

City fans will cheer United on before their Carabao Cup Final against Chelsea because they know the game would mean more than just three points. It instils the ‘Liverpool are going to bottle it’ storyline inside the heads of the fans to a point where they overcompensate, become too passionate and then pile pressure on their own side.

Do you think Liverpool will beat United on Sunday?

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the most consistent producers of the next generation of talent in recent years, and murmurs emerging from their academy ranks hint that Troy Parrott is one to watch for the future.

What’s the word?

Parrott is a name which Tottenham supporters have become increasingly familiar with in recent weeks in light of Harry Kane’s absence.

After scoring 11 goals in just seven games in the U18’s Premier League this season, it was no surprise that Parrott was mentioned as a potential candidate to replace Kane during his spell on the sidelines.

But, at just 17 years of age, it’s even less surprising that a call-up has yet to materialise. The club’s long-term vision for Parrott, however, is beginning to take shape after the budding goal machine signed a contract extension with the club.

Indeed, according to football.london, Parrott signed his first professional contract with the club on his 17th birthday on Monday, with the player taking to Instagram to express his delight at the ultimate birthday gift.

Daniel Levy has learned from Reo Griffiths setback

That Daniel Levy has wasted absolutely no time in offering the prolific forward a professional contract surely has its roots in Spurs’ transfer history.

Around this time last year, Reo Griffiths was bookmarked as one to watch in Tottenham’s youth ranks. The teenage sensation, like Parrott, boasted a relentless record in front of goal, prompting speculation over his credentials to solve the club’s notable second striker conundrum.

But unforeseeable disappointment laid on the horizon as he completed a permanent transfer away from north London last summer when he agreed terms with Lyon.

Spurs’ inability to keep hold of their academy jewel represented a huge setback and the fact Levy has moved to tie up a deal on Parrott’s 17th birthday is telling: he has seemingly learned his lesson from Griffiths’ departure.

In the midst of an era which is slowly being defined by the willingness of aspiring academy players to challenge themselves away from the comfort and familiarity of English football, Tottenham’s latest agreement should be regarded as an excellent piece of business.