ذكرت تقارير صحفية إيطالية أن خوانما لوبيز، وكيل أعمال ألفارو موراتا، مُهاجم فريق يوفنتوس، قد سافر إلى تورينو للقاء مع مسؤولي السيدة العجوز لمناقشة مستقبله.
موراتا يلعب مع يوفنتوس مُنذ عام 2020 على سبيل الإعارة من أتلتيكو مدريد، ولديه عقد ينتهي في 30 يونيو 2022.
وحسب شبكة “توتو ميركاتو” الإيطالية، فإن وكيل اللاعب قد سافر بالفعل إلى إيطاليا ويستعد للقاء مع مسؤولي يوفنتوس لحل موقف موراتا.
ويرغب برشلونة في التعاقد مع موراتا لتدعيم هجومه بطلب من تشافي هرنانديز، حيث يتواصل النادي مع يوفنتوس وأتلتيكو مدريد لحسم الصفقة.
اقرأ أيضًا.. برشلونة يضع خطة بديلة حال فشل التعاقد مع موراتا
وأشارت الشبكة إلى أن موراتا عازم على الانتقال إلى “كامب نو”، لذلك سافر وكيله إلى إيطاليا للحديث مع مسؤولي يوفنتوس.
وقالت الشبكة إنه مع إصابة أنسو فاتي جناح الفريق، ومدة غيابه التي قد تصل إلى ثلاثة أشهر، أصبح برشلونة عازمًا أكثر على التعاقد مع موراتا هذا الموسم.
موراتا هذا الموسم مع يوفنتوس، شارك في 29 مباراة بمُختلف المسابقات، وسجّل 8 أهداف وقدم 5 تمريرات حاسمة.
In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has tipped his old side to challenge for the top six under manager Marcelo Bielsa next season.
The Whites have had a great campaign this term following their promotion from the Championship. After 29 games, they currently sit in 11th place on 39 points, all but securing their status as a Premier League outfit.
Undoubtedly, things are going well for Bielsa and Leeds, and Palmer is expecting them to push on if the Argentinian manager is backed in the summer transfer window.
Speaking exclusively to FFC about what Leeds could achieve next season, the ex-England international said:
“I would think that if Bielsa stays next season at Leeds United, he will have been guaranteed funds to push Leeds United. I would think next season, he’d be looking to push Leeds United in the top six, top seven.”
Last summer, the Yorkshire club brought in the likes of Raphinha and Diego Llorente, with the former impressing particularly. In 24 league appearances, the Brazilian has scored six goals and provided five assists and is now being linked with a move to rivals Manchester United. If Leeds can acquire similar quality in the next window, then they may be able to go up another level.
Next up for them in the Premier League is a home clash against bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.
Crystal Palace and West Ham United are two clubs that are thought to be interested in Watford centre-back Francisco Sierralta.
According to Enzo Olivera, four Premier League clubs want to land the 23-year-old, with the Eagles and the Hammers two of the interested parties name-checked by Last Word on Sports.
Sierralta’s Watford breakthrough
Sierralta made the move to Vicarage Road back in September from Udinese but had to remain patient for an opportunity in the Championship.
His first second-tier start came on Boxing Day in the 1-0 win over Norwich and the Chile international has been a regular for the Hornets ever since.
Transfer Tavern take
Sierralta is valued at just £450,000 by Transfermarkt, which, to us, seems to be a relatively low figure for a South American international who will turn 24 in May.
He has experience of playing in Serie A and Primera Division and will have just 12 months remaining on his Watford contract in the summer.
Palace have just one centre-back under the age of 30 on their books at this moment in time, so bringing in Sierralta could prove to be a smart decision over time. However, it seems as if the Eagles may face competition for his services, should they firm up their interest.
In other news: Many Palace fans buzz at Connor Wickham footage, find out more here.
O lateral direito Kevin, de apenas 18 anos, destaque da base do Cruzeiro, é a principal novidade na lista dos jogadores relacionados pelo técnico Deivid para a partida contra o Guarani, neste domingo, às 16h, no Mineirão, pela 10ª rodada do Campeonato Mineiro.
Eleito o melhor da posição na Copa São Paulo Júnior de 2016 e convocado para a Seleção Brasileira Sub-20, em março deste ano, Kevin iniciou, na última quinta-feira, um período de adaptação na equipe profissional da Raposa e foi relacionado pela primeira vez.
– Aconteceu tudo muito rápido e agora estou tendo essa oportunidade do Deivid entre os profissionais. Ele conversou comigo, me passou confiança e disse para eu ficar tranquilo. Caso eu entre em campo, vou tentar aproveitar da melhor forma possível para poder ajudar o Cruzeiro e me manter no grupo profissional – disse ele.
As outras novidades na lista para a partida contra a equipe de Divinópolis são os meias Alisson e De Arrascaeta, que desfalcaram o Cruzeiro na vitória sobre o Atlético-MG, por 1 a 0, no último domingo, no Independência.
Confira a lista de relacionados Goleiros: Fábio e Rafael Laterais-direitos: Kevin e Mayke Zagueiros: Bruno Rodrigo, Bruno Viana, Léo e Manoel Lateral-esquerdo: Fabrício Meio-campistas: Alex, Alisson, Allano, Ariel Cabral, De Arrascaeta, Elber, Federico Gino, Lucas Romero, Marciel, Matías Pisano, Sánchez Miño Atacantes: Douglas Coutinho e Rafael Silva :
Seamus Coleman’s horror show of an afternoon in defeat to Newcastle United let Carlo Ancelotti down on Saturday.
The Republic of Ireland international was gifted a return to the Toffees starting line-up for the visit of Steve Bruce’s Toon to Goodison Park, but struggled to match the pace of the game as he continues to find his way back from a hamstring injury.
Coleman had only started one of the Blues’ last five top-flight fixtures and played just five minutes in their last two, as Mason Holgate held down the role having excelled over the festive period as cover at full-back.
Newcastle continually looked the side in control at Goodison Park throughout Saturday’s meeting, despite travelling to Merseyside without a win in 11 games across all competitions, with Everton void of ideas in a flat performance from Ancelotti’s side.
The result sees Everton remain seventh in the table and fail to capitalise on a chance to move ahead of Liverpool in fourth, while now only winning just two of their last eight home league fixtures this season.
Coleman’s presence rarely looked likely to yield a route into the game for Everton, with it not until after Callum Wilson broke the deadlock for the visitors that the £70,000-per-week gem delivered a threatening ball into the Magpies box.
Not long after and it was from Coleman’s side of the field that Newcastle were able to double their advantage, with Jamal Lewis able to hit on the counter and find Wilson alone in the box to fire past Jordan Pickford again.
Coleman never seemed to have Lewis or any of his opponent’s numbers on Saturday, as he ended the game with a miserable return of success in just one of five duels having been beaten on the ground in each of his three contests and once in the air, per SofaScore.
Lewis, for Newcastle, won two of his three ground duels and was able to deliver five crosses into the box, which could have proved to be more dangerous on another day with four failing to find a teammate in black and white.
Outside of the duel, Coleman could only offer three clearances as he sought to keep things simple in efforts to protect Pickford’s goal, having failed to record a single successful tackle or an interception, with United regularly able to find a way around the 32-year-old.
Ancelotti never saw Coleman successfully bring possession out from the back or down the wing, either, with the defender failing to complete his only attempted dribble. Helping to see that he only produced two crosses into Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin and earn SofaScore’s lowest match rating out of anyone on the pitch at 6.2 out of 10.
Holgate will have been frustrated to see Coleman struggle in his place, with the 24-year-old having recorded one tackle, interception and four clearances while winning two of five ground duels in last week’s 1-1 draw with Leicester.
Ancelotti will now have to debate his options when Everton visit Leeds on Wednesday night, hoping to extend the Toffees run of form on the road with a fourth-straight win.
AND in other news, a £120k-p/w Everton maestro has been tipped to secure a £4.5m move this month…
After getting back to winning ways against Newcastle last time out, Leeds United will be hoping to clinch back-to-back victories for the first time in 2021 when they visit Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side ran out 2-1 winners against the Magpies in the Premier League last week, with goals from summer signing Raphinha, and Jack Harrison, proving enough to see off the Tyneside club.
Aside from the one enforced change the Leeds boss will have to make in the centre of defence – Diego Llorente has been ruled out for the next few weeks after pulling up with yet another injury – Bielsa may opt to make a couple more alterations to his line-up too.
And with that in mind, below is a look at how Leeds might line up when they take on Leicester at the King Power Stadium.
In front of first-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier, Bielsa may look to move Luke Ayling in from right-back to partner Liam Cooper in the centre of defence.
That switch could then see Stuart Dallas move back to right-back, whilst the 39-cap Gjanni Alioski – once dubbed a “liability” by Noel Whelan – could also be dropped from the starting line-up, with 5 ft 11 man Leif Davis pushing to get a rare start at left-back, in what would be his first Premier League start of the campaign.
In midfield, Dallas’ return to the back-four could see Bielsa stalwart Mateusz Klich come back into the team after being named on the bench for the victory over Newcastle.
Elsewhere, Bielsa is likely to stick to the same personnel that got Leeds all three points against the Magpies, with Raphinha and Jack Harrison out wide, and Patrick Bamford once again the lone striker up front.
Southampton were unable to find a way past Fulham’s defence as they slipped to a 0-0 draw at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side could’ve moved back into the top four with a win in West London but were frustrated against the Cottagers, with Theo Walcott in particular disappointing.
As per SofaScore, the winger picked up a shocking 5.6 rating for his performance, which was comfortably the worst of any player on the pitch.
The 31-year-old, who joined on loan from Everton during the summer transfer window, struggled to have any influence on the game and was wasteful on the rare occasions he did receive the ball.
During the 90 minutes, Walcott touched the ball just 32 times, which was less than Southampton shot-stopper Alex McCarthy, who touched the ball 40 times.
The former Arsenal man was also able to complete just 8/12 passes during the game, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 67%, emphasising that he struggled to get involved in the Saints build-up play.
Perhaps most frustratingly for Hasenhuttl, Walcott was successful in just one of his seven dribble attempts, with the Fulham defenders clearly getting the better of him during the 90 minutes.
The Englishman also came out second best when battling with the home team, as he was able to win just three of his 15 duels during the game, resulting in an overall success rate of just 20%, with the physical nature of the game clearly causing problems for the winger.
Despite his lack of touches, he was still able to lose possession on 20 occasions, which will surely anger Hasenhuttl, as this game represented a real opportunity to pick up three points.
Whilst it did seem that Walcott had won the game for the Saints when he finished from Che Adams’ cross late on, this was ruled out for offside, and it was the loanee’s only real contribution of note.
In Danny Ings’ absence, Walcott will have to produce much more effective displays in Southampton’s upcoming games if the South Coast club want to keep pressure on the top four.
And, in other news… Hasenhuttl drops big transfer hint ahead of January, could be Saints’ next KWP
If Victor Orta was at Molineux at the weekend to watch Leeds United transfer target Adama Traore, then he would have been left in no doubt as to why he would be such an incredible signing for the Whites.
Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Spain international is on the radar of Marcelo Bielsa’s side and that Elland Road is being seen as his main destination in this January transfer window.
And on Saturday afternoon in Wolves’ 3-2 defeat at home to West Brom, Traore proved why he would be Bielsa’s game-changer.
Despite Nuno Espirito Santo’s men falling to a surprise loss to the relegation-battling Baggies, Adama produced flashes of brilliance that would add a different dimension to Leeds.
As per Sofascore, his 7.4 match rating was the second-highest of any attacking Wolves player, and when you look at his stats, it’s easy to see why.
The Spaniard’s physicality was there for all to see, and he won an impressive 10 of his 13 total duels, proving that he’s becoming more and more of a Premier League tested and battle-hardened winger – only Nelson Semedo won more duels for Wolves.
He also completed five of his seven dribbles on the day, the joint-highest of any player on the pitch, and his ability to go through the gears so quickly makes him a massive danger for opposition defences – The Express and Star’s Joe Edwards noted that he “had the beating of (Kieran) Gibbs on a fair few occasions and got some shots off”.
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen hailed Adama as someone who can “scare any team”, and that’s a testament to the winger’s raw pace and directness – nobody in the Premier League has a better average this season than him with his 3.7 dribbles per game.
Bielsa’s fondness for his wingers is evident by the very simple fact he’s signed an abundance of them in his time in charge at Elland Road.
But in Traore, he wouldn’t just be an ‘option’. The Spaniard has proven that his style of play would be a game-changer for Bielsa, and Saturday’s display against West Brom showed that.
Meanwhile, Leeds should hand this “supremely-gifted” starlet a chance in the Premier League…
Glasgow Rangers were reportedly ready to raid two Scottish Premiership rivals in the summer as Steven Gerrard bids to stop Celtic from winning an unprecedented 10th league title in a row.
According to a report from The Sun at the time, Gerrard had identified then-Livingston striker Lyndon Dykes and Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson as his top priorities in the transfer market. However, a move for either player failed to materialise, with the Ibrox boss focusing instead on signing Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on four-year-deals.
The in-demand striker wasn’t short of suitors in the summer, as the 25-year-old had scored 9 goals and supplied 8 assists in 25 games in the Scottish Premiership last season, amid interest from English Championship clubs Barnsley, Middlesbrough and Stoke City, with Barnsley having two bids rejected by Livi.
In the end, Dykes signed for Queens Park Rangers instead, after the Scottish Premiership side accepted a bid for the Australian-born forward in August, which is believed to be somewhere in the region of £1.98m.
Indeed, Ross Wilson decided to look elsewhere instead, with Daily Record columnist Fraser Wilson saying they weren’t willing to pay as much as QPR.
The Rs paid just shy of a £2m fee for the striker, which isn’t a crazy amount, especially when you consider the fact that Wilson paid more than that for Itten and Roofe.
Since then, the 6-cap Scotland international hasn’t stopped scoring for his new club and his country, as he has already scored three goals in nine appearances in the Championship so far this season. Even Jermain Defoe has only managed to score twice so far.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but if the Light Blues had bit the bullet, he could’ve been their starting striker for years to come if they had brought him to Ibrox and he was able to hit the ground running. His stats show that he would’ve been able to do this, given his impressive goal return for Livi, as he has shown that he can score goals on a regular basis at a decent level in a similar vein to Dado Prso.
Standing at 1,88m tall, Dykes is exactly the same height as the legendary Gers striker and surely would have been the perfect foil for Alfredo Morelos. The comparisons with Prso don’t stop there either, as the Croatian scored 26 times in 96 appearances for the Gers. By comparison, the Scotsman bagged 14 goals in 36 games in all competitions for Livi.
Anyone who watched Scotland’s historic shootout victory over Serbia will know he put in a tremendous shift, but he offers so much more than just that, as QPR manager Mark Warburton hailed him as a “fantastic” beast, whilst Gerrard once described him as a “dangerous” threat. These aren’t just your Average Joes, these are genuinely some of the best managers in the game who admire the former Livingston forward.
The Gers weren’t willing to part ways with a meagre fee for him in the summer, which now looks like a rather stupid decision several months later, as he has already been tipped as a Scotland legend in the making.
AND in other news, Gerrard could unearth the next Ryan Jack in Glasgow Rangers loanee Stephen Kelly…
Last year it was Tanguy Ndombele, this year it’s Dele Alli.
There has always been some sort of perplexing saga going on at Tottenham Hotspur with the divisive Jose Mourinho at the helm.
The €70m-rated (£64m) attacking midfielder has started just two of their eight matches in all competitions this season, even missing the matchday squad 50% of the time.
It comes not too long after Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing‘ docuseries in which Mourinho described Alli as “lazy,” although he said it with more colourful language.
As a result of a combination of the above, the 24-year-old has had his Spurs future thrown into doubt with a loan move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain thought to be in discussion during the final stages of the summer transfer window.
Indeed, Alli could be running out of time to convince the Special One over his credentials, so perhaps he should consider reinventing himself to give him the best shot at salvaging his career in N17.
On the Chalkboard
Currently, Mourinho’s system does not account for a number ten, which is Alli’s true position.
Instead, he looks to Harry Kane to drop deeper, thus allowing Heung-min Son to nip in behind as an inside forward – this was best seen against Southampton where the pair combined for all five goals.
Harry Kane’s heat map for Premier League season so far, via SofaScore.
Such a tactic has long been a mainstay of the Portuguese’s gameplan – think of Marcus Rashford at Manchester United and Samuel Eto’o in the treble-winning Inter Milan side.
This is probably the position Alli will need to transition into if he’s to have much of a future under Mourinho at Spurs.
Considering he’s sat on £100k-per-week as the third-highest earner at the club, if push comes to shove, Daniel Levy could well look to cash in.
In 2017, Alli was lauded as a “freak of a talent” who could one day be up there with Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes as one of the best midfielders in Premier League history, and boy was he right to after a campaign which produced a whopping 21 goals and nine assists.
But the Englishman, who is now out of the England squad too, has failed to hit such substantial heights since, managing just nine goals last season.
We also know that the 57-year-old isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers or cast-off players he either cannot trust or cannot get the best out of.
At the current rate, Alli could well become Mourinho’s next Kevin De Bruyne, who he infamously sold whilst in charge at Chelsea before he went on to become a household name in the Premier League at Manchester City.
Of course the Belgian is merely one example – albeit a relevant one given Alli’s position – but you could also throw in Romelu Lukaku and Mohamed Salah too.
It certainly appears as if a new role as a Son-like inside forward would be the only way the two-time PFA Young Player of the Year earns any form of redemption in north London.
AND in other news, Spurs must surely regret Levy decision on £22m Mourinho target who’s better than Doherty…