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In their first game back in front of fans in the Premier League, Aston Villa turned up to Spurs on Wednesday night and spoiled the party, winning 2-1.

Dean Smith’s side fell behind to a fine strike from Steven Bergwijn, but managed to turns things around later in the first-half thanks to an own goal from Sergio Reguilon and a coolly taken finish from Ollie Watkins.

And while Villa managed to seal all three points and make the trip back up to the Midlands a good one, one man who was arguably the biggest disappointment for the side, was Anwar El Ghazi.

The Dutchman once again started on the left despite the return of Jack Grealish, with the club captain being deployed in the number ten role instead.

That was a major show of faith in the winger, but he failed to capitalise, and he was the big let-down for Smith even in an impressive victory away from home at one of the Premier League’s big six.

As per Sofascore, he finished with a 6.5 match rating, which was the lowest of any Villa player, and when you look at his underlying numbers it’s no surprise to see why.

He lost a whopping 13 duels on the night, which was by far the most of any player, and lost possession 16 times too, again the most – El Ghazi was just too easily outmuscled by the Spurs back-line or just pressured into making mistakes whenever Japhet Tanganga in particular looked to step in front of him and be proactive in his defending.

He also failed to complete any dribbles, and committed three fouls too as his frustrations got the better of him.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him a 6.5, saying: “Started on his favoured left with Grealish inside and El Ghazi, Targett and Villa’s captain worked well together. El Ghazi should have notched his 10th of the season but, somehow, he got his feet in a muddle as he miss-hit Grealish’s ball into him.

“El Ghazi should have done better when he latched onto McGinn’s ball over the top but took too much time which allowed Alderweireld to clear. A bit quiet but he kept Tottenham thinking.”

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The Dutchman just didn’t cover himself in glory, and Smith would not have been happy with his display at all.

Meanwhile, this Villa man stole the show for Dean Smith…

Some Manchester City fans are unhappy after it was revealed that there is a real possibility Harry Kane could join the Citizens for a fee over £100m.

Last week, Kane dropped a bombshell when he revealed he wanted to leave Tottenham this summer (Sky Sports). Other than a few loan spells, the England international has spent his whole career with Spurs, but he has failed to win a single trophy despite scoring over 200 goals for the club (Transfermarkt).

The news of Kane’s desire to leave has attracted plenty of interest from across the Premier League, including City. According to journalist Ian Cheeseman, Kane leaving Spurs and making the move to the Etihad Stadium for a fee of over £100m is a real possibility.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts but, although this indicates City could get their hands on a world-class striker, many fans felt the potential fee is too high.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Kane news below

“Noo”

Credit: @STERLINGRAZZ7

“Suddenly I don’t like this transfer”

Credit: @cancelo27

“Yeah we’ll pass”

Credit: @its_comando

“No”

Credit: @mohamedamiin2

“NO WAY! Better spend money on Haaland any day!”

Credit: @imshaant

“We are idiots if we pay more than £80m for him. But we are idiots in transfer fees. Our negotiation power is really low”

Credit: @Owaiskhan072

In other news, Man City fans are livid at this Raheem Sterling news.

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Emprestado ao Cruzeiro até o final do ano, o volante Denílson não correspondeu às expectativas na Toca da Raposa e rescindiu seu contrato com o time mineiro. Em nota oficial, o clube não explicou os motivos, mas confirmou o fim antecipado do vínculo com o jogador.

– O Cruzeiro comunica que em comum acordo com Denilson está liberando o jogador dos compromissos restantes do clube na temporada. A decisão foi tomada já que o profissional não terá seus direitos econômicos adquiridos pelo Cruzeiro. A diretoria aproveita ainda para agradecer a toda dedicação e profissionalismo de Denilson no período e deseja felicidade ao jogador na sequência da carreira – diz a nota.

Denílson chegou ao Cruzeiro no dia 19 de julho. Revelado nas categorias de base do São Paulo, o volante estava no Al Wahda, dos Emirados Árabes Unidos, equipe que recebeu US$240 mil pelo empréstimo até dezembro deste ano.

Apesar das boas passagens pelo São Paulo e Arsenal, da Inglaterra, Denílson colecionou atuações irregulares nas últimas temporadas. Em baixa no time dos Emirados Árabes, o jogador também não conseguiu se firmar na equipe celeste. No Cruzeiro, o jogador entrou em campo por apenas cinco vezes, sendo somente duas na condição de titular.

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O duelo entre América-MG x Flamengo, válido pela 35ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, será no Mineirão. O jogo estava marcado inicialmente para o Independência, mas mudou de local nesta quinta-feira. A informação foi registrada no site da Confederação Brasileira de Futebol.

Este será o terceiro duelo entre os times nesta temporada. O Flamengo venceu os dois primeiros compromissos, ambos em Cariacica. O primeiro deles foi válido pela Primeira Liga, enquanto o segundo foi no primeiro turno do Brasileirão.

O Flamengo tinha a intenção de jogar contra o América-MG no dia 17, para atuar na mesma data e horário do Palmeiras, mas a CBF não aceitou o pedido do clube. O líder do Brasileirão enfrenta o Atlético-MG no dia 17, no Independência.

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Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Orkun Kokcu, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

La Repubblica (via Sport Witness) claim Spurs could battle their north London arch-rivals Arsenal and teams from Italy to sign the Feyenoord midfielder.

It’s suggested that the Eredivisie outfit are open to a sale and value the 20-year-old at around €12m (£10m).

Despite Kokcu being under contract until 2025, there are thoughts that the Turkish international will leave the Dutch side this summer.

Shades of Eriksen

The Netherlands has long been a breeding ground for some of Europe’s best talents, such as the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong, who have gone onto thrive at Juventus and Barcelona, respectively. Whilst the Premier League and Spurs, in particular, have experienced it first-hand.

One fine example is Christian Eriksen, who signed from Ajax and became one of the best attacking midfielders the club has seen, providing 69 goals and 90 assists across 305 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

His departure 18 months ago is still being felt today, as neither of Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso – Spurs’ pair of £55m signings – have stepped up to the plate, at least in terms of creativity and goal contributions.

The Frenchman has elevated his game this term, for sure, but has still only directly accounted for 16 goals in 72 appearances (one goal every 4.5 games), whilst the Argentine’s 11 contributions in 62 matches (one goal every 8.8 games) is far from inspiring.

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Neither are close to Eriksen’s level. He was such a crucial influence in providing a goal or assist every 1.9 games.

On the face of it, Kokcu doesn’t seem like the solution, given he’s only made two goals and one assist this campaign but it’s the diversity in his skill set that could suggest he’s a far more suitable option for Spurs right now.

Even more so if Daniel Levy manages to clinch Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who has quickly risen up his shortlist to replace Jose Mourinho following a double blow over Julian Naglesmann and Brendan Rodgers.

The 51-year-old has a proven track record in developing young talent in the Eredivisie, with both the aforementioned Dutch stars a product of his stewardship.

Kokcu’s distribution is very impressive, averaging over an 83% passing accuracy despite managing 1.8 long balls, proving he has the capability to pull the strings in the middle and dictate play, as per WhoScored.

That’s on top of his capabilities from set pieces – one accurate free-kick and 0.9 accurate crosses per 90 minutes – something Eriksen was renowned for.

Speaking to Goal, Jaap Stam backed the 20-year-old’s potential for the Premier League.

“The pace of the game, the quality, the intensity is a lot higher. But he has the ability. He is a player who has the personality to want to improve, he always wants to do better,” explained the former Man Utd colossus.

“He’s certainly got the ability to make that step to the Premier League. He has creativity, scoring ability, stamina and running ability. He keeps on going. I saw him as a very promising player.”

His average of 2.2 shots and 1.5 key passes in the Eredivisie this term would suggest that he’s also been rather unlucky to not have added further numbers to his poor-looking returns.

If Levy manages to clinch ten Hag, then he should absolutely also try to raid Kokcu from the Dutch top-flight, too. Spurs could well replace Mourinho and finally Eriksen in one summer.

AND in other news, How Spurs could line-up under managerial target Erik ten Hag…

Many Sunderland fans were delighted with comments from Aiden O’Brien following their 1-0 victory over Bristol Rovers in League One on Saturday.

The three points against the Pirates were important for the Black Cats in the fight for promotion. As it stands, they are now third in the table after going on an unbeaten run of 10 games in the league (Sky Sports), and they are just three points behind leaders Hull City with two games in hand (BBC).

O’Brien scored the only goal of the game this weekend, and he spoke to Sunderland’s media team after the match. After his strike, he celebrated by imitating a shark, and he revealed that the celebration was inspired by Lee Johnson’s pre-game team talk.

A clip of the 27-year-old’s comments were shared on Twitter by the Wearside club’s official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from Sunderland supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts – one made a comparison with Johnson’s predecessor Phil Parkinson, who was regarded in some quarters as a “dour” figure.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from O’Brien below

“Everything about this is class, so refreshing to hear this attitude after the last couple of years. And what a turnaround for O’Brien, completely different player compared to the Parky days, mainly in that he exists”

Credit: @Scrivener30

“Class”

Credit: @lewygsafc

“Good attitude that lad”

Credit: @Tom01Crangle

“Love that little grin at the word “battle””

Credit: @AdamHegarty19

“The difference is mad… you’d never have that banter with Parkinson or last few managers to be fair”

Credit: @seaneagle12

“Love to see that their having banter as well as winning games. Never saw that under Parkinson. Ha’Way The Lads”

Credit: @LukeNor15892157

In other news, many Sunderland fans enjoyed this injury update.

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O Corinthians entrou em campo duas vezes desde a demissão do técnico Cristóvão Borges após a derrota no Dérbi e levou a campo a mesma formação nestes dois compromissos, uma vitória e uma derrota contra o Fluminense, ambas por 1 a 0, mas primeiro pela Copa do Brasil e neste domingo pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. A ideia do técnico Fabio Carille é manter o esquema 4-1-4-1 e as mesmas peças no próximo jogo, quarta-feira, às 21h45, diante do Cruzeiro, pela abertura das quartas de final da Copa do Brasil. O interino, porém, tem uma dúvida para este duelo: Cássio ou Walter no gol?

Cássio atuou no primeiro dos duelos contra o Fluminense, a vitória por 1 a 0, mas saiu de campo reclamando de dores no ombro esquerdo. Ele ficou dois dias sem treinar no CT Joaquim Grava e só apareceu no campo no último dia da preparação, quando treinou sem restrições e foi confirmado na equipe. O camisa 12 teve o nome divulgado na escalação para o jogo deste domingo, mas foi cortado após último exame no vestiário da Arena. O reserva Walter foi quem atuou na derrota por 1 a 0 do Brasileirão.

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Agora, Cássio seguirá o tratamento das dores no ombro esquerdo para saber se fica à disposição na quarta-feira, novamente na Arena Corinthians, diante do Cruzeiro. Fabio Carille evitou comentários técnicos sobre os dois goleiros, e afirmou que pretende esperar pelo aval médico para fazer sua escolha. O restante da equipe seguirá a lógica dos últimos compromissos.

-A ideia é repetir a escalação, até porque gostei do comportamento da equipe nesses dois jogos e não tenho algumas peças à disposição, como Gustavo, Jean e Marciel. Nos últimos jogos melhoramos a triangulação, o ficar com a bola, ter mais posse, controlar melhor o jogo. Acho que é por aí – disse o treinador.

Assim, o Corinthians que enfrenta o Cruzeiro será o seguinte: Cássio (Walter); Fagner, Yago, Balbuena e Guilherme Arana; Camacho; Marquinhos Gabriel, Giovanni Augusto, Rodriguinho e Marlone; Romero. O departamento médico do Timão trabalha para tentar colocar alguns dos seis lesionados à disposição:Pedro Henrique, Vilson, Uendel, Guilherme, Rodrigo Figueiredo e Bruno Paulo estão em tratamento.

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansFabio Carille

Carlo Ancelotti should urge Everton to seal the Italian a reunion with SSC Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and sign a commanding partner for Ben Godfrey this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Koulibaly tops Everton’s shortlist for defensive signings after Ancelotti made centre-back upgrades a priority for the next transfer window.

The Italian tactician is understood to be chasing the arrival of a world-class option capable of delivering the same level of impact that Liverpool saw from £75m signing Virgil van Dijk and that Manchester City have benefited from with their £65m capture Ruben Dias.

Everton chiefs are understood to be structuring a deal that would see the Goodison Park outfit sign Koulibaly, despite knowing a move for the Senegalese powerhouse would have little resale value as he turns 30 in June.

Napoli had demanded £69m for Koulibaly’s exit amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United last summer, but reports by Gazzetta dello Sport via FourFourTwo have claimed the Serie A side are now willing to slash their asking price.

The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium hierarchy believe this summer is the right moment to sell the 43-cap international, as Koulibaly will have two years remaining on his £195,000-per-week contract come the end of the season.

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Ancelotti has instructed Director of Football Marcel Brands and his team to target a new centre-half in the off-season, as he does not believe Everton’s current options have the right skill set to work together long-term.

Michael Keane has opened the most Premier League fixtures at centre-half for the former Napoli head coach at 25 from a possible 28 so far this season, while Yerry Mina has started 19, Ben Godfrey has opened 11 of his 21 outings in the centre and Mason Holgate six of 18 appearances.

Should Everton sign Napoli’s Koulibaly?

A move for Everton to sign Koulibaly in the summer would likely still come with a hefty price tag, despite the reports from Italy that Napoli are willing to lower their asking price for the £54m-rated titan.

Koulibaly’s representatives from Lian Sports Group will likely also push for a hefty wage after securing Leroy Sane a £298k-p/w deal when he left Manchester City for Bayern Munich last summer, which was more than three times the salary the German was on at the Etihad Stadium.

But Ancelotti convincing Everton’s owner Farhad Moshiri to sanction a swoop could see the Italian acquire a dream partner for Godfrey, who the Toffees boss is said to consider as the best of his current central defenders and the one with the most potential.

Blues supporters are often bowled over by Godfrey’s performances, as well, with the £20m signing from Norwich City earning a wealth of praise for his efforts against Manchester City in the FA Cup last Saturday despite losing the quarter-final tie.

Koulibaly could be the perfect partner for Godfrey, having been lauded by Kevin Campbell as an “excellent” target for Arsenal last summer, while former Chelsea star Craig Burley claimed “is Koulibaly a great get for most clubs? Absolutely, he is a fantastic centre-half,” amid Liverpool and Manchester United’s interest.

Koulibaly’s experience and knowledge could also help Godfrey fulfil the potential Ancelotti sees in him, even if bringing the 6 ft 1 brute to Goodison Park would likely be an expensive operation for Everton.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…

MatériaMais Notícias

O pontapé inicial da trajetória de Diego com a camisa do Flamengo está prestes a acontecer. Chegando sob forte expectativa, o meia estreará neste domingo, às 11h, no Mané Garrincha, diante do Grêmio, em um confronto que lhe rende boas lembranças no gramado.

Pelo Santos, foram apenas quatro duelos, com os dois mais importantes em dezembro de 2002: válidos pelas semifinais do Brasileirão. E Diego, ao lado de Robinho, Elano & Cia., garantiram a vaga na decisão, despachando o Grêmio que tinha nomes como Danrlei, Tinga e Rodrigo Fabri.

Entre 2002 e 2003, são duas vitórias, uma derrota e um empate (o único jogo no qual Diego marcou). O LANCE! recorda alguns dos detalhes das partidas. Confira!

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Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from the 4-1 defeat against Manchester City as they travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

A defeat against Brendan Rodgers’ side would all but end Jurgen Klopp’s side’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title this season, and they will have to be at their best if they are to earn all three points against the in-form Foxes.

Klopp is still without all three of his main centre-back options at Liverpool due to injury, so we could see Ozan Kabak or Ben Davies make their debuts at the back following their arrivals in the January transfer window.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp to line his side up on Saturday, with three changes from the side that started against Man City…

Alisson keeps his place in goal, despite his horror show against City last time out, as there is no doubt that he is still one of the world’s best goalkeepers.

There are debuts for both Kabak and Davies at the back, following the news that Fabinho is set to miss the game due a minor muscle injury.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson unsurprisingly start at full-back, and the former will be hoping for a repeat performance from last season, when he starred in a 4-0 win at the King Power which well and truly emphasised the Reds’ title credentials.

Jordan Henderson moves back into his preferred position in defensive-midfield, with Thiago dropping out, as the Spaniard looked tired in the game against City and perhaps wasn’t at his best as a result.

James Milner also comes in for Curtis Jones to provide some experience in midfield, whilst the front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino will be the key to breaking down this impressive Leicester side.

And, in other news… Klopp can unlock “world-class” beast at LFC with position change