Category Uncategorized

Former Crystal Palace striker Marcus Bent has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he is surprised new Fulham boss Marco Silva was not considered for the job in the Selhurst Park dugout.

Prior to the appointment of Patrick Vieira, Palace looked at a host of managers in their quest to replace Roy Hodgson.

That includes Lucien Favre and Nuno Espirito Santo, who both at some point looked like they would be in charge of the Eagles for the upcoming campaign.

Silva, however, now managing Fulham after Scott Parker’s move to Bournemouth, was not a name under consideration and that has surprised Bent.

“I’m surprised a lot of clubs haven’t considered him for a while, to be honest,” the ex-Palace player said. “Maybe they’re looking at Vieira as a name, but I think he [Silva] would’ve been a good appointment.”

The Vieira appointment is an interesting one, with the Frenchman lacking Premier League experience, in contrast to 43-year-old Silva, who has had spells at Watford and Everton.

With his stature in the game, though, perhaps Vieira will be able to attract players at a time where Palace are undergoing a revamp. Their squad is, of course, down to the bare-bones right now due to expired contracts.

Many Wolves fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on Samu Costa.

As per Record (via Sport Witness), the Midlands club are reportedly interested in signing the Portugal U20 international in the summer window, and there is a belief that they would be willing to pay the €25m (£21.5m) fee required in order to secure his signature.

While Costa is a very promising player in his own right, having represented his country youth level and helped Almeria reach the La Liga 2 play-offs while on loan from Braga in the 2020/21 season, he is still quite raw at just 20 years of age, and has no prior experience of playing in the Premier League.

Thus, £21.5m does seem a bit steep for someone who is not guaranteed to be a success at Molineux.

Wolves fans on Costa transfer update

These WWFC supporters fumed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘stupid’:

“If this happens at these prices then it will just confirm who is driving our transfer strategy. Absolute joke”

Credit: @PaulaAdey

“This smells funny”

Credit: @Ry_Oakley

“If they sign this kid for that price Fosun need to drop any pretence of them not being Mendes pocket greasers. Joke”

Credit: @LoneWol99231327

“Poor business that”

Credit: @logan67890

“This is so stupid”

Credit: @Millenwwfc

“Joke of a price”

Credit: @lewis__wwfc7

In other news, find out what transfer update has been slammed by Wanderers here!

كشفت تقارير صحفية سعودية، النقاب عن تفاصيل النسخة المقبلة من بطولتي دوري أبطال العرب للأندية والمنتخبات.

وأوضحت صحيفة “الرياضية” السعودية وفق مصادر لها تفاصيل اجتماع أمس بالاتحاد العرب، برئاسة الأمير عبد العزيز بن تركي الفيصل، وحضور كافة أعضاء المجلس حضوريًّا وعن بُعد عبر الاتصال المرئي.

طالع | أحمد مجاهد: لم أر مدرباً في حياتي مثل كيروش.. يذكرني بـ الجوهري

وأكدت الصحيفة وفق مصادر لها أن الاتحاد العربي سيقدم جائزة تصل إلى 6 ملايين دولار لبطل النسخة المقبلة من دوري أبطال العرب للأندية.

وستُلعب البطولة من دور الـ 32 وتصل إلى تصفية 12 فريقًا، تقسّم على مجموعتين، وتُلعب بنظام التجمع بعد المونديال المقبل.

وأشارت المصادر إلى أن كأس العرب للمنتخبات ستلعب بالتجمع، وسيلتقي رئيس الاتحاد العربي، رئيس الاتحاد الدولي “فيفا”، على هامش المونديال لوضع الترتيبات التي تخص البطولة.

وأكد الأمير عبد العزيز أن التنوع في مسابقات الاتحاد العربي على مستوى الرجال والسيدات للأندية والمنتخبات، سيسهم في تنمية وازدهار وتطور أندية ومنتخبات الاتحادات العربية.

New Zealand’s first four batsmen were very keen to put their hands up and take responsibility for getting a good score in the National Bank One-Day International series against England

Lynn McConnell11-Feb-2002New Zealand’s first four batsmen were very keen to put their hands up and take responsibility for getting a good score in the National Bank One-Day International series against England.Chris Harris, who should play his 200th ODI in Wellington on Saturday, said today, “They are going out and trying to score most of our runs and obviously, in the ideal scenario that is what they are trying to do and hopefully they will do that in this series.”It was going to be an interesting series with England having improved and New Zealand were keen to start well.Harris said New Zealand’s failing in Australia was that the side had not scored enough runs.”We got ourselves in situations where it looked like we were just starting to get back on top and then we lost wickets in clumps. After a big partnership it is crucial that you start another one and when we started to get back into a situation where the game was even we just started to lose two or three wickets and obviously we were in trouble again.”Basically it is just a matter of posting better totals than we have been,” he said.Harris said he had shelved plans to try and change his bowling action that he had worked on over the last winter.”I’m just using a little bit more variation on the crease. I did try to bowl a little quicker but it didn’t really work for me and I couldn’t get that extra 10 or 15 per cent that I needed and just reverted to what worked in the past,” he said.Harris said the personal pressure on him during the VB Series had been tough as he flew to and fro across the Tasman.”It was very tough mentally and it wasn’t just the travel it was the emotions of what I went through and obviously a pretty tough time losing your mother-in-law at such a young age, not just on me but the whole family.”I did find it difficult but I did look forward to going back and trying as well as I could,” he said.Harris also confirmed that he had not given up his hopes of playing Test cricket again, although he acknowledged that under the circumstances it was unlikely, but he never gave up hoping.Similarly, he still had aspirations of scoring more ODI centuries, although that would be dependent on the state of matches rather than an elevation up the batting order.”I’d like to get some more [hundreds] but it is obviously a bit difficult in the situation I am now batting in. It would either take for me to be promoted up the order or for us to be four or five down for not very many and having to bat through the innings.”The side was feeling disappointed about their failure to compete in the finals of the series.”Obviously we were delighted with the way we played against Australia but hugely disappointed with the way we finished.”He didn’t think there was a psychological block against South Africa, rather New Zealand just didn’t play well enough against them.”They’ve got a pretty steady line-up and they are consistent performers and they are a good all-round side. On the odd occasion we’ve put pressure on them, we’ve run them close and they’ve won on the last ball, or we’ve lost on the last ball and that’s when we have performed more how we have to compete against them. I don’t think we’ve done that often enough,” he said.”We play our best form of cricket when we put on a good total and defend it, like nothing on Earth,” he said.

MatériaMais Notícias

14 dias após o início da pré-temporada do Santos, o atacante Ricardo Oliveira se recuperou de caxumba e se apresentou no CT Rei Pelé, nesta quarta-feira. O camisa 9 aparenta estar bem e foi recebido com festa pelos companheiros.

Será preciso pelos menos de 15 dias para o capitão do Peixe fazer a pré-temporada individualmente. Ele não estará em campo na estreia do Peixe no ano, no dia 3, contra o Linense, pelo Paulistão.

No período em que esteve longe do CT, Rodrigão e Kayke foram testados por Dorival. O primeiro começou o jogo-treino contra o Nacional-SP como titular.

Em 2016, o atacante de 36 anos fez 39 jogos e 29 gols.

RelacionadasSantosThiago Ribeiro supera depressão e se diz pronto para nova chance no PeixeSantos25/01/2017SantosDorival ‘fala mais alto’ e freia busca do Santos por novo zagueiroSantos24/01/2017SantosApós receber propostas, Rodrigão explica fico no Santos e celebra golSantos24/01/2017

No matter who Tottenham Hotspur’s next manager will be they are in desperate need of at least one centre back who can be a leader but also be good on the ball, and Merih Demiral fits the bill according to Forza Italian Football editor Conor Clancy, who has raved over the Turkish international’s qualities.

Demiral is regarded as one of the best defenders in the Serie A so seeing links suggesting he could be set for a move to the Premier League is quite surprising considering the two clubs interested, Everton and Spurs, have nothing on Juventus in terms of winning silverware.

The Turkey international would surely have a great chance of becoming Spurs’ first-choice centre-back when in competition with the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier or Toby Alderweireld, and Alasdair Gold has confirmed that the club do have one eye on Demiral this summer.

And if Demiral was to join Spurs this summer then he would easily walk into the starting line-up and make them a better team almost immediately – that’s according to Clancy who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“He can pass the ball well and he’s a little bit old school as well so he’s more than happy to go into the trenches and he will go to war with a striker if he needs to, and I think he improves any team he goes into.”

After being handed just 10 starts in the league Demiral may be frustrated at his lack of game time, especially considering his competition to play alongside Matthijs de Ligt is a 33-year old Leonardo Bonucci and a 35-year-old Giorgio Chiellini.

Juventus would be making a huge mistake by selling Demiral even if they receive the reported £40 million price tag that Everton are looking to meet, as they need replacements for both Bonucci and Chiellini sooner rather than later.

West Ham United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were dealt a devastating blow on Saturday evening as David Moyes’ side struggled to pick up all three points on their travels.

And several members of the Irons squad badly let the 58-year-old down, leaving the East Londoners in sixth place, some five points adrift of the top four. They could well drop to seventh by the end of Sunday, too.

Moyes was able to welcome back Declan Rice for the first time in seven matches, whilst there was also a recall for Jarrod Bowen, who certainly needed to make a statement having been snubbed from the starting XI in their previous two outings.

However, after offering the Scotsman absolutely nothing when entering the pitch early against Everton last time out, the 24-year-old winger was found wanting once again as the Hammers came from behind to snatch a draw at Brighton.

The Seagulls not only had nothing to play for but they were also contending with plenty of injuries, meaning it really should have been a game where West Ham picked up the win.

Bowen was ineffective and weak once again on the right flank.

As per SofaScore, he managed only 27 touches throughout the 64 minutes he was on the pitch – by comparison, even Lukasz Fabianski, who was graded their worst player, was more involved in the game, touching the ball 32 times.

Similarly, the Polish goalkeeper also recorded more passes (13) than Bowen (ten), which further shows just how little he was involved on the night.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-transfer-rumours-gossip-team-injury-news-gsb-update” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

Furthermore, the former Hull City dynamo failed to register a single shot, with the Irons managing just three on target all game, and also did not register a successful dribble.

Bowen was wasteful with the ball, losing possession every 2.7 touches and he did not manage to provide Michail Antonio with an accurate cross from two attempts either.

He won just two of five duels (40%) to round off a disastrous night on the south coast.

On social media, Manchester United loan star Jesse Lingard copped a lot of flak for appearing to be a disappointment for another game but the figures would suggest he had a decent game, managing two key passes, making 100% of his three dribbles and managing a whopping 82 touches of the ball, via SofaScore.

Indeed, even football.london’s ratings column graded the attacking midfielder higher than Bowen, who was described as “pretty anonymous” whilst the Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claimed he “lacked a cutting edge.”

All in all, the £27m-rated attacker, who earns a reported £60k-per-week at the London Stadium, certainly failed to justify his return to the line-up and as result, let his manager and the side down with a pathetic showing.

With absolutely crucial matches against West Brom and Southampton on the horizon, Moyes may want to think again about selecting Bowen.

AND in other news, Get rid: Moyes must axe £13.5m-rated West Ham disaster, he’s cost GSB £4.3m per goal…

MatériaMais Notícias

Na volta aos trabalhos nesta segunda-feira, o Flamengo homenageou as vítimas do acidente envolvendo o avião da Chapecoense, na semana passada, com uma missa, conduzia pelo Padre Dirceu Rigo, da Igreja Matriz de São Jorge, localizada em Quintino, Zona Norte do Rio de Janeiro.

Os jogadores Juan, Ederson, Guerrero e Jorge estavam presentes na cerimônia que aconteceu na sala de imprensa do clube, no Centro de Treinamento do Ninho do Urubu. O dirigente Rodrigo Caetano também marcou presença e agradeceu a todos que estavam ali para acompanhar a homenagem.

Zé Ricardo e Jayme de Almeida não só acompanhavam a missa, como também fizeram parte dela, lendo trechos da Bíblia para todos os que estavam presente na sala de imprensa no Ninho do Urubu, que eram cerca de 60 pessoas.

Com imagens da Chapecoense espalhadas pelo local, uma flâmula com o escudo do clube e velas representando a equipe, o Padre fez questão de lembrar com carinho de todos que se foram, não só os atletas, mas também os jornalistas. Missa durou cerca de uma hora e terminou com todos confraternizando entre si.

RelacionadasFlamengoZé Ricardo faz treino tático no Ninho de olho no duelo contra o Atlético-PRFlamengo05/12/2016FlamengoInício de Zé Ricardo no Flamengo traz leva de jogos marcantesFlamengo05/12/2016FlamengoAprovado após ‘intensivão’, Zé Ricardo busca evolução em 2017Flamengo04/12/2016

Leeds have been handed a major boost ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Sunday with the news that Anthony Martial has been ruled out for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team.

The Frenchman has been out of action since injuring his knee while on international duty back in March, and in some early team news confirmed by the club’s official website, the Red Devils are “still set to be without” him after he didn’t train with the rest of the squad on Thursday.

The news will come as a major relief to Marcelo Bielsa after the way in which the striker terrorised them in the reverse fixture back at Old Trafford, when Manchester United ran riot and put six past Leeds in an absolute demolition job.

While Martial didn’t get on the scoresheet, he picked up two assists and his 9.1 match rating (as per Sofascore) was the second-highest of any player on the pitch that day, only behind two-goal man of the match Scott McTominay.

The 25-year-old was at his electric best playing up front on his own, pulling Leeds centre-backs Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling this way and that with his quick feet and skills.

The Whites just couldn’t live with him at all, with Martial completing a whopping seven of his eight attempted dribbles on the day and earning his team a penalty after being fouled inside the area – to put that into context, the Frenchman has averaged just 1.6 successful dribbles per game in the Premier League this season.

He also created three official big chances, the most of any player, and provided a whopping four key passes, again the most of any player (Sofascore). His directness with the ball at his feet, and his creativity in picking out his teammates made him an absolute menace for Leeds to deal with and they will be happy not to see him on Sunday.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

Knowing that they won’t have to come up against him again will be music to the ears of Bielsa, and could well prove to be a real game-changer in terms of who walks away with the three points this time around.

Meanwhile, Leeds could make an exciting swoop for this Bundesliga ace…

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy could try to offload winger Erik Lamela as Spurs aim to sell six players this summer. 

Levy could offload Lamela

Lamela, who has made the vast majority of his appearances from the bench this season, starting just five times, has been described in the past as the ‘perfect’ Jose Mourinho player, due to his ability to get under the opposition’s skin.

However, with his contract expiring at the end of 2022 and no sign of a new deal yet, the Mail’s report touts Lamela as one of the players Levy could look to offload as he plots a Lilywhites summer overhaul.

While he has attracted plenty of pundit praise this season, with the likes of Paul Robinson calling him a ‘fantastic player’ and Noel Whelan lauding the ‘world beater’ – could this summer be Lamela’s time to leave north London?

Transfer Tavern take

The Argentine’s career at Spurs could perhaps be best summed up by a brief cameo against Arsenal in the north London derby recently.

Coming on for Heung-min Son in the 19th minute, the 29-year-old went on to score a sensational rabona flick before being sent off later in the encounter for a flailing arm (BBC) – brilliance and petulance.

Proving impactful on occasion, the time could still be right to offload Lamela given his age and contract situation – not to mention any funds recuperated could go a long way to fund possible new signings in a difficult climate.

As Tottenham search for a ‘leader’ to marshal their backline (Alasdair Gold), maybe now is the time to wave goodbye and raise a kitty to invest at the back.

Alongside Lamela, Danny Rose, Serge Aurier, Hugo Lloris and Juan Foyth are touted as potential candidates for summer exits.

In other news: Tottenham make enquiry for ‘extraordinary’ star, find out more here.