Tag Futebol

Sell up Mike Ashley: Newcastle fans are in dreamland as the club is lined up for sensational £350m takeover by Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Well, it’s happening (apparently) the Sheikhs are back with a taste for Premier League football and this time it could be Newcastle United who are set to benefit, according to The Sun.

If the rumours are true (the report also states that the new regime would want the Spaniard to stick around), what a moment this will be for the club and manager Rafael Benitez, who have long since suffered the reign of their current department store tycoon.

Since making his arrival in March 2016, the Newcastle boss has understandably grown more and more frustrated with Mike Ashley’s blatant lack of ambition and investment. It says it all that only recently have they broken their transfer record, which – by the way – was set by Michael Owen all the way back in 2005.

It’s a glorious time for all those involved, it really is. Benitez has long since waited for the moment his shackles would be lifted and it seems like that day is finally on the horizon. And best news of all, he will apparently remain in charge under the potential new owner for the foreseeable.

Indeed, contract negotiations had been stalling between Benitez and the club until the news had emerged that Ashley was willing to sell up for a sizeable £350million. Now, with the prospect of some real investment and financial clout in the transfer market, there is every chance that he will extend his tenure, so he can continue his quest in the long-term.

This will come as promising news to the Magpie faithful, we’re sure.

During what will surely be a rapid and turbulent period of transition, we’d argue that it will benefit the club to no end having a manager who appreciates the culture and history surrounding Newcastle United and the plight of its fans, as opposed to some mercenary who’s hired because of their botched history with “big” European teams.

Newcastle fans, are you happy with the idea that Benitez would stay? How likely do you think the takeover is? Let us know in the comments below…

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When it comes to robust forwards in the Premier League there aren’t many better than Salomon Rondon.

The striker doesn’t find the net on a regular basis and has failed to come close to matching the 17 strikes he netted in 2014/15 over the last four years.

Yet, he’s still a force to be reckoned with. The Venezuelan scored 11 goals this term on loan at Newcastle. It’s hardly impressive, but it didn’t have to be given his contribution to the team in other areas.

It took Rondon seven games to score his first Newcastle goal after signing temporarily from West Brom. For all the world it looked like he was going to struggle again. But what followed was five strikes in his next eight matches. It was a superb turnaround.

However, despite being inconsistent in front of goal for large parts of the season, he was anything but when it came to aerial duels.

At 6 ft 1, the 29-year-old isn’t the tallest of attackers but his ability to bully defenders and gain an advantage with his physicality is phenomenal.

Over the course of the 2018/19 Premier League campaign, he won 146 aerial duels, winning on average five per game.

It’s a tally that puts him behind just Aleksandar Mitrovic, Steve Mounie, Troy Deeney and Glenn Murray for battles won in the air by out-and-out strikers. Considering Newcastle don’t particularly play long ball football, it’s hugely impressive.

Given his aerial prowess, he’d make a superb addition to the Wolves squad. Last week The Daily Mail claimed that the club had made contact with West Brom for his services.

The player has a £16.5m release clause according to the report and, for the benefit of Nuno Santo’s wing-backs, they have to trigger it.

This season Matt Doherty claimed five assists from the right whilst Jonny only claimed the one from out on the left.

However, if Wolves are able to bring in Rondon, who was able to win as many as nine aerial duels in one game this term, they could be in dreamland.

Raul Jimenez isn’t exactly weak in the air but both Jonny and Doherty could find themselves boasting far greater attacking stats if they have Rondon to aim for with their crosses.

Wolves have been brilliant to watch on the counter-attack this campaign, but they could be about to discover another devastating form of attack.

The grind never really stops for Jurgen Klopp.

Not only is he responsible for delivering Liverpool’s present success, he’s also responsible for making sure they maintain their dominance in future. Klopp’s clearly a big believer in promoting youth and has some impressive talents whom he can’t wait to start working on next season.

Among those leads is a certain Ryan Kent, whose excellent work at Rangers won him many plaudits over this season. The 22-year-old’s enjoyed a prolific season under Steven Gerrard, scoring six goals in the Scottish Premiership. The former Liverpool captain’s given him free will to do as he pleases, something Kent’s really benefitted from.

He’s been an irresistible figure in the attacking third for the Gers, with his electric movement and tricky dribbling ability bamboozling defenders. The 22-year-old’s caused nightmares thanks to his ambitious nature, which has allowed him to score stunning goals and trouble opponents with his fiery movement.

Kent (valued at just £1.58m by Transfermarkt) is more than ready to glitter up Liverpool’s attack, being a prolific squad option for Jurgen Klopp next season. The German gaffer must recognize the excellent potential in this exciting talent and slowly integrate him into his style for maximum effect.

Knowing his excellent work with youngsters over the years, Kent’s the perfect player for him to mould into something special. The 22-year-old possesses bags of potential, showcasing confidence moving forward with the ball while also causing destruction in the final third.

If moulded well enough, he could become Liverpool’s leader in attack and keep their attacking flare raging on for years to come.

Liverpool fans, do you want to see more off Kent next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Slipping up at this stage of the season could be disastrous for Doncaster Rovers as it may see them throw away their chances of reaching the play-offs after such a successful season.

Grant McCann’s side saw their streak of four consecutive victories in League One end last Friday as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of automatic-promotion chasing Sunderland.

Although this particular result was not pounced upon by their nearest challengers Peterborough United who drew against Fleetwood Town, the Cambridgeshire-based side closed within three points of Donny by securing a late equaliser against the Black Cats yesterday.

Despite Rovers currently have a vastly superior goal difference in comparison to Posh, if they do not deliver an immediate response to their defeat at the Stadium of Light, panic may start to set in between now and May.

Therefore, it is extremely important that they are at their very best when they face Accrington Stanley later tonight as a win would allow them to move six points ahead of Peterborough.

Although John Coleman’s men are currently 18th in the league standings and just two points above the drop zone, a victory over Rovers would see them take a massive step to securing survival and so they will be gearing up to cause an upset.

With the likes of John Marquis and Herbie Kane returning to full fitness in recent weeks, there is no reason why the South Yorkshire-based outfit cannot end the season on a high.

However, if they fail to beat Stanley, they may struggle to pick up the points necessary to secure a top-six finish in their final two fixtures as they face tricky match-ups with Oxford United and Coventry City who are both in fine form in the third tier.

What do you think Rovers fans? How important is it to get back to winning ways against Accrington? Are you confident that your side can still secure a play-off position this season? Let us know below.

Everton haven’t been at their best throughout the current campaign but they’re slowly starting to build up ahead of steam, having taken nine points from their last three Premier League fixtures. 

The Toffees’ rise in form has been great for supporters to watch but it won’t mean anything if they fail to secure a European spot from here on in until the end of the season.

Of course, one player who could play a huge part in the Toffees’ European push is Richarlison. He’s valued at £71 million, according to CIES (via Daily Mail), which is a crazy amount of money when you consider the fact he was signed for £50 million (as per BBC) back in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, the Brazilian has been impressive this season but he’s not done enough to suggest he could attract a fee of £71 million and his value on Transfermarkt is only £40.5 million.

His 13 goals in all competitions have certainly helped Everton but some fans may have been expecting a better return from a player who broke their club’s transfer record. He’s looked dangerous at times but he’s also gone missing on a number of occasions against some of the bigger sides, which hasn’t helped the Toffees.

Of course, he still has plenty of potential at the age of 21 but Farhad Moshiri must think about possibly selling him if he can attract a fee of £71 million, as a £21 million profit would be great for the Toffees and it would allow them to go out and sign someone like David Neres who’s thriving right now.

With lots of areas requiring improvement in the summer transfer window, perhaps selling Richarlison would provide the club with enough money to go out and bring in the right players who can help them challenge the top six teams.

Everton fans, do you think you should sell Richarlison if he can attract £71 million? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

If Liverpool are to win the Premier League this season, they will have Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk to thank for it.

The signing of van Dijk has been one of the best bargains in football this decade, which is impressive considering the Dutch international remains the most expensive defender in history.

His physicality and style turned Liverpool from a solid top four side to genuine title contenders overnight, but despite his impact on the Reds, he shouldn’t be labelled as the ‘Premier League Player of the Season’ just yet.

There’s no doubt that van Dijk has been the best defender in the Premier League this season by a country mile and has been amongst the best performing players in the league, but to call him as the ‘Player of the Season’ when there is still six games of the season left to go is a stretch.

The title race is yet to be concluded, and run-in for a Champions League place has only just started, and players are and have been performing on par with van Dijk, mainly Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling of Manchester City, are also in contention for the Player of the Season award.

The trio will likely be the favourites for the award, and if you are to argue who will likely be the player to get the accomplishment come award season you can make a good case for either of the City players claiming the prize.

We live in an era where defenders are the underrated stars, but in van Dijk Liverpool have a defensive superstar who has taken the Merseyside team from potential league chasers to genuine title contenders, and if the Reds can make it to the end of the season still top of the pile and unbroken by the pressure, the former Southampton man will emerge as the favourite for Player of the Season.

Liverpool fans, will van Dijk win Player of the Season? Let us know!

Once Hector Bellerin got injured in January, Arsenal fans couldn’t help but prepare for the absolute worst.

Already in midst of defensive crisis, losing the primary right-back meant they had to rely on their reserves, something not many fans were confident to do considering the wider struggles of the team.

Stephen Lichsteiner had nightmares and Shkodran Mustafi’s was also wobbly, but the player who’s risen up the ranks is Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Originally a winger, Unai Emery moulded the youngster into a successful wing-back by working on improving his defensive skills.

As a potential wonderkid, Maitland-Niles’ reputation down the wings was already well-known and his adventurous style suits Emery’s high-voltage one perfectly.

A risk which has paid off, the 21-year-old development under Emery’s among Arsenal’s stories of the season. At a period where transitioning from a winger to a wing-back can have a catastrophic result, the Ilford-born academy graduate worked really hard to hold his own.

The make-shift right wing-back’s best came against Manchester United, who had danced their way into tormenting Arsenal in the FA Cup fixture earlier on. However, like the side, the youngster had learnt his lesson and did a great job in keeping Marcus Rashford and Anthony  Martial quiet.

Indeed, he made 4 interceptions, 2 tackles and 3 ball recoveries (stats via Fotmob), while also making some glaring runs forward.

However, he’d receive a great share of the spotlight a few nights later. Maitland-Niles shone through in Arsenal’s terrific turnaround against Rennes, playing a part in creating the first before scoring the second with a thumping header.

He’s perfected the transition into his new position and has added new-found vibrancy to Arsenal’s game with his compelling work.

Arsenal fans, are you impressed by Maitland-Niles development under Emery? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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England manager Gareth Southgate announced on Wednesday his squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro.

West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice wins his first call-up for the country after declaring his international allegiance to England over the Republic of Ireland.

And Southgate has also included a total of five Spurs players in his selection.

Full-backs Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier, the latter of which scored the opening goal in the World Cup semi-final against Croatia in the summer, are both included, along with midfielders Eric Dier and Dele Alli and striker Harry Kane.

Spurs fans, however, are far from delighted with the national team manager’s selections.

Alli only returned from injury against Southampton last weekend, while Kane has rushed his way through his recovery from a ligament problem to make his comeback, but has appeared half-fit in recent games. Dier, too, missed four games prior to the encounter with the Saints.

And supporters are worried that some of the club’s key stars could pick up even more injuries as the club look to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top four.

Take a look at some of the best reaction below!

أشاد البرتغالي جيمي باتشيكو المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك بلاعبي الفريق بعد الفوز على المصري البورسعيدي في مباراتهما ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وانتصر الزمالك على المصري بهدف وحيد في إطار منافسات الجولة 31 من الدوري.

وعلم “بطولات” أن باتشيكو حرص على الإشادة باللاعبين في غرف خلع الملابس بعد المباراة على قدرتهم على تحقيق الفوز وتنفيذ تعليماته الفنية.

طالع أيضًا.. حمادة أنور: غياب طارق حامد مؤثر.. ولم أر تصرف فرجاني ساسي مع الحكم!

وأكد لهم سعادته بتحملهم المسئولية والتماسك في الملعب رغم خوض جزء كبير من اللقاء بنقص عددي بعد طرد فرجاني ساسي.

أقام لاعبو مصر المقاصة ممرًا شرفيًا لنظرائهم بالنادي الأهلي تكريمًا لهم على فوزهم ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وحسم الأهلي لقب الدوري المصري الممتاز للمرة 42 في تاريخه وذلك بعد خسارة الزمالك أمام أسوان بهدفٍ في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما بالأمس.

ويلاقي الأهلي منافسه مصر المقاصة اليوم في إطار منافسات الجولة 28 من بطولة الدوري. شاهد المقاصة ينظم ممر شرفي للاعبي الأهلي

طالع أيضًا.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الأهلي ومصر المقاصة في الدوري

ويتصدر الأهلي ترتيب الدوري برصيد 72 نقطة أما مصر المقاصة فيحل بالمركز السابع برصيد 36 نقطة.