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Abdoulaye Doucoure endured a rapid decline in his performance level with a challenging display in Everton’s Boxing Day victory over Sheffield United.

The French box-to-box engine room monster offered plenty of energy beside Tom Davies as Carlo Ancelotti sought to maintain the Toffees’ push at the top of the Premier League table, with a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane enough to move up to second in the standings.

However, Doucoure failed to match his willingness to run with regular quality on the ball, as the £20m summer arrival often proved wasteful in possession and lacked his usual commanding presence.

Doucoure was widely lauded for his excellence in Everton’s win over Leicester City earlier this month, with the former Watford man stepping up to the task of covering Allan’s defensive duties at a sublime level after the Brazilian was forced off with a hamstring injury.

“What a performance. He was everywhere. He fully deserves Man of the Match, for me. It was intent from the very first moment. He was a little bit offensive in the first-half when Allan was on, but when Allan went off, he sort of went into a defensive role and started to dictate the play,” Micah Richards noted while speaking on Match of the Day.

“This is a position where a full-back goes out [on Everton’s left-hand side], but he’s not afraid to go out there and stop the danger. It was a great tackle [on Jamie Vardy].

“He’s a player I would love to have in front of me because you know he’s going to do all the dogged work. Look at his positioning. It’s intelligence as well. It’s not just making tackles. It’s being in the right position, at the right time.”

Doucoure was a shadow of himself from just 10 days prior at Bramall Lane on Boxing Day, with the 27-year-old losing possession 18 times, dribbled past twice, committing two fouls and failing to register a single successful tackle, per SofaScore.

Ancelotti could only see his summer signing snatch possession with two clearances against Sheffield United, with Doucoure further failing to record any interceptions as he lost six of eight ground duels and two of six aerial contests.

The midfielder’s sole bright spark from the night came in the form of a key pass when Doucoure played Gylfi Sigurdsson in to steal victory in the 80th-minute, marking the former France U21 international’s first assist since matchday four.

Doucoure never came close to doubling his goal tally for the term, either, with the powerful 6ft brute unable to strike a single shot at Aaron Ramsdale’s net whilst losing one of two attempted dribbles.

Ancelotti will hope to see Doucoure shrug off his slack display when Everton return to action at home to Manchester City on Monday, as fixtures come thick and fast with West Ham United bound for Goodison Park next Friday as well.

AND in other news, an Everton ace enjoying his “best moment” let Carlo Ancelotti down against Sheffield United.

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O presidente do Flamengo, Eduardo Bandeira de Mello, se mostrou satisfeito com o fim da disputa judicial com Ronaldinho Gaúcho. Na última quarta-feira, a juíza Daniela Valle da Rocha Muller, da 9ª Vara do Tribunal do Trabalho do Rio de Janeiro, homologou o acordo entre as partes, no qual o clube terá que desembolsar R$ 17 milhões ao atleta. O mandatário rubro-negro disse que ninguém foi prejudicado na decisão.

– Sehouve um acordo, é sinal que foi bom para as duas partes. O importante é que está resolvido. Isso é importante porque estamos limpando mais um esqueleto do nosso armário. Foi uma contingência que encontramos quando chegamos aqui, em 2013. Graças a um bom trabalho do nosso jurídico, estamos conseguindo solucionar agora – comentou.

O pagamento será dividido da seguinte forma: uma parcela de R$ 5 milhões e outras dez de R$ 1,2 milhões. A verba virá do Ato Trabalhista.

Ronaldinho chegou ao Flamengo em 2011 como uma das principais contratações do futebol brasileiro nos anos 2000. Com a camisa rubro-negra, ele disputou 74 jogos, marcou 28 gols e conquistou o Campeonato Carioca 2011, além de garantir a vaga na Libertadores 2012. Depois de 15 meses, deixou o clube por conta de salários atrasados e acordos não cumpridos.

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O lateral-esquerdo do Flamengo, Jorge, esbanjou habilidade ao dominar, de letra, um lançamento. A jogada lembrou um lance semelhante protagonizado por Neymar na partida do Barcelona, contra o Athletic Bilbao, no último final de semana.

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Os gols de Jairzinho pelo Botafogo seguem na memória de Dorvino Tomaz da Silva. Faz tempo, mas especialmente entre o fim dos anos 1960 e o início dos anos 1970, o lavrador alvinegro frequentava o Maracanã. E garante que o “Furacão da Copa” comemorava com ele alguns gols, na arquibancada. Agora, décadas depois, ele recebe o abraço de Jair Ventura, auxiliar técnico do time e filho do craque.

– Hoje, ele não lembra de mim. Mas é um amigo. Ele fazia o gol e me abraçava. Era muito legal – lembra Dorvino, de 86 anos, ao LANCE!. À época, no Rio, ele trabalhava como pedreiro.

O senhor que assiste aos treinos do Alvinegro com seu chapéu preto lembra também de Ferretti e Rogério, dois companheiros de Jairzinho que também deram alegrias ao Glorioso. Dorvino mora em Vitor Hugo, distrito de Domingos Martins, onde a equipe de Ricardo Gomes faz a pré-temporada. E o outro lado do abraço também ficou feliz de ver a genética dele fazendo alguém feliz.

-É muito gratificante saber que um membro da sua família é capaz de dar essa alegria para alguém. Muito legal – explica Jair Ventura.

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Brighton could face a battle to retain the services of teenage defender Haydon Roberts, who has been the subject of renewed interest from Leeds.

Football Insider reported that the Whites have rejected a second bid for the 18-year-old, having already turned down an initial offer from the Elland Road outfit last week.

A Leeds source indicated to Football Insider that the club went back to the Seagulls with an improved offer of £800,000 for the England under-18 international, but that has also been rebuffed.

Roberts is in the final year of his contract at the Amex Stadium but Brighton do not want to lose the youngster, who they believe is capable of becoming a Premier League player (as per Football Insider).

The 18-year-old made his second senior appearance for the club in last week’s Carabao Cup win against Portsmouth, having also played (and scored in) the competition a year ago against Aston Villa. However, he has yet to even feature in a matchday squad for a Premier League fixture. [via TransferMarkt]

According to Football Insider, the teenager has been compared to Seagulls team-mate Ben White, who plays in the same position and has also been the subject of renewed transfer interest from Leeds. Following a fruitful loan spell at Elland Road last season, the Yorkshire club made three unsuccessful bids to try and sign him permanently, with the 22-year-old signing a new contract at the Amex at the start of this month.

Roberts, who made 14 appearances for Brighton’s under-23 side in Premier League 2 last term, has stiff competition ahead of him in Graham Potter’s first team, with five centre-backs in the senior Albion squad.

Considering that Brighton had assigned a £50m price tag on White to ward off prospective suitors, for Roberts to draw comparisons with the 22-year-old is a glowing reflection on the teenager.

It is quite understandable why the Seagulls are reluctant to sell him, particularly for a measly sum of £800,000; although they ought to give consideration to a potential loan exit for the youngster so that he, like White has done, can gain valuable first team exposure elsewhere before returning to his parent club when the time is right.

Brighton fans, what do you make of Leeds’ reported offer for Roberts? Have your say by commenting below!

After missing out on Callum Wilson, Aston Villa are set to go back to Bournemouth to try and land one of their other attacking stars…

What’s the word?

According to the reliable John Percy at the Telegraph, Dean Smith’s side are set to make a £16m bid for Cherries forward Joshua King as he steps up his pursuit of a new striking option.

It’s claimed that Villa are keen to sign two strikers this summer and that they withdrew their offer for Wilson when it was made clear he was moving to Premier League rivals Newcastle United.

Brentford talisman Ollie Watkins is still a top priority but it appears King is another target for the club.

However, The Sun have previously suggested that the south coast side would want £25m to let him go.

Proven and versatile

If those reports are to be believed, then potentially adding someone like King alongside Watkins could be exactly what Villa need this summer.

Smith’s current striking duo of Wesley Moraes and Mbwana Samatta combined for a mere six goals last season, two fewer than Jack Grealish’s eight – they can’t rely on their skipper every single week.

This struggle for goals has been one of Smith’s biggest nightmares and one of the huge reasons why the club were embroiled in a relegation dogfight for most of the season.

The 28-year-old can play anywhere along the front three and has netted at least six goals in the last five Premier League campaigns with a career-best coming during the 2016/16 season where he bagged a whopping 16 times, via WhoScored.

He still did well in a struggling Cherries outfit, contributing directly to ten goals whilst averaging 2 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game also.

It’s no wonder Eddie Howe once labelled him a “complete package” as he’s “outstanding physically, technically and mentally” and has also added that he’s “quite unique”.

If Villa are to avoid another relegation scrap, then adding proven PL players such as King is a smart way to go about business – though, they may have to increase that £16m bid if they are to secure him before next month.

AND in other news, £20m target  would be an instant upgrade on Douglas Luiz… 

انتقد ليوناردو المدير الرياضي لنادي باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي، مرة أخرى موقف فلورنتينو بيريز رئيس ريال مدريد، تجاه النجم الشاب كيليان مبابي. 

هذا الأسبوع، أكد كيليان مبابي للصحافة رغبته في الرحيل عن باريس سان جيرمان خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الماضية للانضمام إلى ريال مدريد.

تصريحاته أشعلت إسبانيا ووضعت قادة ريال مدريد على أهبة الاستعداد، وعازموا على وضع أيديهم على المهاجم الفرنسي في الأشهر المقبلة.

كيليان مبابي لديه عقد مع باريس سان جيرمان حتى يونيو 2022 ولا يزال ليس لديه أي خطط لتمديد عقده في هذا الوقت.

وقال رئيس ريال مدريد يوم الثلاثاء: “نأمل أن تتم تسوية كل شيء في الأول من يناير”، وتصريحاته لم تحظِ بتقدير على الإطلاق من قبل باريس سان جيرمان، كما قال ليوناردو لصحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية.

وقال المدير الرياضي الباريسي: “أرى عدم احترام لمبابي، إنه ليس لاعبًا عاديًا، إنه أحد أفضل اللاعبين في العالم، ما يحدث هو مجرد استمرار لعدم احترام لباريس سان جيرمان وكيليان، في هذا الصدد”.

وأضاف: “إنها مستمرة منذ عامين، أتذكر فقط أن فترة الانتقالات قد انتهت، وأن الموسم جار، هناك مباريات ولا يمكن لريال مدريد الاستمرار في التصرف بهذه الطريقة، عليهم التوقف!”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بنزيما: أستمتع باللعب مع مبابي ومهاجم برشلونة.. وسنقدم كل ما لدينا أمام إسبانيا

وأردف: “من مدريد ينفون ذلك، لكني أعتقد أن ريال مدريد يعمل منذ فترة طويلة لشراء مبابي [كوكيل حر]، لقد تحدثوا علنًا عن مبابي لمدة عامين، كما لو كان أمرًا طبيعيًا، لقد أبلغناهم عدة مرات أننا لسنا سعداء، أعتقد أن هذا شيء يجب معاقبتهم عليه، إنه ليس طبيعيًا”.

وواصل ليوناردو: “نحن نتحدث عن واحد من الأفضل في العالم، لا أعتقد أنه من الجيد الاقتراب من لاعب مثل هذا لفترة طويلة، الجميع يتحدث عن ذلك، إنه في العام الأخير من عقده، لكن هذا يعد عدم احترام”.

وشدد: “فكرتنا هي تمديد عقد كيليان مبابي، لم يتغير شيء في خططنا، إنه جوهرة، إنه مثالي لباريس سان جيرمان، لدينا كيليان، ميسي، نيمار… لم نخطط للمستقبل بدون مبابي”.

وردا على سؤال عما إذا كان باريس سان جيرمان تحدث إلى جيانلويجي دوناروما قبل نهاية عقده، نفى البرازيلي ذلك، وأوضح: “لم نتصل به قبل يونيو، فتحنا محادثات للتعاقد مع جيانلويجي بمجرد أن أصبح وكيلًا حرًا، بعد إعلان باولو مالديني”.

أفادت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن الحكومة وافقت على زيادة أعداد الجماهير في ملاعب كرة القدم داخل إسبانيا بداية من الجولة المقبلة.

الجولة المقبلة من الدوري الإسباني (الثامنة) تنطلق يوم الجمعة بمواجهة أتلتيك بلباو وديبورتيفو ألافيس، على ملعب سان ماميس في أقليم الباسك.

شبكة “كواترو” الإسبانية، أكدت أن الحكومة بصدد الإعلان عن قرار رسمي بشأن زيادة أعداد الجماهير داخل مدرجات كرة القدم والألعاب الرياضية بالكامل.

وأشارت التقارير إلى أن الزيادة ستكون من 60% إلى 80% من سعة كل ملاعب كرة القدم ببطولة الدوري الإسباني.

وعادت الجماهير هذا الموسم بعدما غابت خلال الموسم الماضي عن المدرجات، ولكن بنسبة 60% بسبب إجراءات فيروس كورونا.

وبذلك سيستفاد فريق أتلتيكو مدريد من زيادة عدد الجماهير، حيث يستضيف الروخي بلانكوس نظيره برشلونة ضمن الجولة الثامنة على ملعب واندا ميتروبوليتانو يوم السبت المقبل.

Tottenham target Victor Osimhen is unlikely to move to Spurs in the future, according to the player’s agent. 

Osimhen has attracted attention from a number of European giants, including Premier League rivals Chelsea and Liverpool, and the Lilywhites were rumoured to have launched a bid for the 21-year-old.

Jose Mourinho has previously made it clear that he wants to sign a back-up for the club’s leading goalscorer Harry Kane who will also be able to provide the England international with some healthy competition.

However, Osimhen’s agent Ariyo Igbayilola told The Cable that the 21-year-old will only join the north London club if Kane leaves in return. The representative revealed: “We told Mourinho that if he wants Victor, will Harry Kane be leaving? If Harry Kane is still play for Tottenham will Victor play? Because he will always be benched for him.

“Kane is their number one striker and he is the captain of England, all these will always work for him in the club but at Victor’s detriment. He needs a club where he will always play full game week in, week out. Not to be kept on the bench.”

While this will no doubt be a bitter blow for Mourinho, it is easy to see where Igbayilola is coming from.

Indeed, Kane is unquestionably the number one striker at the club, which has often been to the board’s detriment in the transfer market as it is difficult to convince forwards to come and act as the second choice.

You can read the very latest on this transfer news story and others on our dedicated Tottenham Hotspur transfer rumours page.

After arriving at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy from RSC Charleroi for £10.8m, Osimhen has made an electric start to his Ligue 1 career, scoring 13 goals in his first season for the Mastiffs. He also scored against Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the Champions League (WhoScored).

Moreover, he will surely be looking to add to his tally of eight caps for Nigeria, which could be in threat if he isn’t playing regularly in a domestic league. As it stands, it is hard to imagine the 21-year-old would be comfortable moving to north London knowing he would be below Kane in the pecking order.

Tottenham fans, what do you think of Osimhen’s decision? Let us know down below!

Name: Tyler Onyango

Club: Everton

Date of Birth: 4 March 2003

Position: Midfielder (Central/Defensive)

Tyler Onyango – his career so far

Luton-born teenager Tyler Onyango is a life-long Everton fan that was scouted and signed by the club at the age of just eight. And even though he has been at the club for a really long time now and his talents were never really a big secret, he started to get everyone’s attention only in recent times.

The now 17-year-old midfielder is Kenyan but was born in England and has been long touted as one of the next big things to come out of the Blues’ academy. Even since his arrival, he was always among the best and most valued performers, clawing his way up the ladder and through the youth ranks with ease.

So much so that in October 2019, when he was aged only 16, Everton decided to fast-track and promote him to their U23 side and he made his grand debut in the Toffees’ 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven in the Premier League International Cup.

Still, the exceptional gem would first tally 16 appearances for the U18s before joining up with the older squad, tallying five goals and one assist there in the process as well. So far, he could also muster nine appearances for the U23 squad and has one assist under his belt along the way.

Needless to say, these are impressive stats for a young 17-year-old midfielder who’s mostly been playing with lads older than himself. But despite his obvious talent and quality even at such an early stage of his career, Onyango is still patiently waiting for his senior team call-up.

But with all the potential hiding behind the rough edges of the midfield gem, that should just be a matter of time by this point.

Transfer latest

Whenever there is an update on Onyango out there in the media, it’s almost always some really exciting Everton news for the fans. The youngster has been tipped for greatness on multiple different occasions and seems to be on the right path towards potential stardom in the not so distant future.

As of right now, there are no transfer rumours or transfer news that should be concerning the Toffees as Onyango doesn’t seem to be on the radar of other big teams that could potentially make a swoop for the young talent.

Both Paul Tait and David Unsworth heaped praise on him, highlighting his abilities and both his on and off the ball contributions to the team. With that in mind, his senior call-up should be just around the corner. If he can keep developing properly, that is.

Even though it’s really difficult to make such huge claims for a 17-year-old player, Onyango definitely seems like one of the stars in making and Everton should ensure his talents are further developed at Goodison Park and not somewhere else.

Only time will tell, however.

Player profile

The thing that stands out the most about the young midfielder is definitely his imposing physique and presence he brings onto the pitch. Standing at 6ft 3in, Onyango usually makes quick work of the opposition’s attackers, utilising both his great sense of positioning and pure physical strength to shrug them off the ball.

But it’s not just the things the does out of possession but also when he has the ball at his feet and Everton are on the attack. Even though it’s not always his primary task nor does he perform it brilliantly every game but the 17-year-old has the ability to receive in tight spaces, pass when under pressure and switch the play when necessary.

This makes him a great modern defensive midfielder in making and once these things get polished enough, he should be ready for his big step-up. With that being said, however, Onyango can and sometimes does struggle in tight spaces and when he’s not given the time and space he needs to do his thing.

At the moment, there’s still a long way for him to go but the foundations are certainly there and if he can work on his shortcomings while also highlighting his strengths, the future will certainly look bright for both him and the Toffees.