Tag Futebol

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a fresh injury blow ahead of tonight’s Premier League encounter with Liverpool.

According to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, first-choice left-back Sergio Reguilon will miss the match with a muscle injury.

It’s claimed that the 24-year-old is set to miss ‘around three weeks’ which will come as a major blow to Jose Mourinho and his squad.

Reguilon was an unused substitute during their 4-1 win over Championship strugglers Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup fourth round on Monday night.

He underwent a scan on Wednesday to determine the extent of the problem.

This news comes at the worst possible time as Spurs not only have a difficult fixture against the defending champions, who they could leapfrog into fourth place this evening, but they also have London rivals Chelsea, a fifth-round tie with Everton and the league leaders Man City on the horizon.

As Kilpatrick says, he’s likely to be out for three weeks which means he’ll miss all of the aforementioned quartet of fixtures.

To make matters worse, Mourinho could even be without Ben Davies, the likely replacement for the Spaniard, as he was forced off with a knock in injury time earlier this week, though he’s hoping to be passed fit, as per the same report.

That leaves the Spurs boss with a mounting problem and a crucial decision as to who will fill the void. It could mean the relatively inexperienced Japhet Tanganga is thrown into the deep end in the role for only the fourth time in his short career.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-spurs-news-and-transfer-rumours” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

And even if Davies makes it, he has been wildly inconsistent, surpassing a mediocre 6.8 WhoScored average only twice in his eight league starts and in the last encounter with the Reds, he managed a disappointing 6.48.

Whoever is selected by Mourinho is going to face a tough evening with Mo Salah likely to line up on the right flank for Jurgen Klopp. The Egyptian winger has contributed towards 16 goals in 16 league starts this term.

After signing from Real Madrid alongside Gareth Bale for £25m in the summer, Reguilon has set the ground alight for Spurs this campaign.

He has started 12 of his 13 top-flight appearances and has featured a total of 20 times in all competitions, providing five assists, via Transfermarkt.

The five-time Spain international has been Spurs’ best left-sided defender as per WhoScored ratings (6.87), which also ranks him seventh in the whole squad of all players who have started ten or more matches in the Premier League.

Only Harry Kane (14) and Heung-min Son (ten) have contributed more assists than Reguilon this campaign, so clearly his influence in attack is just as valuable as what he can do defensively.

Even then, he’s performing better than Davies – per FBRef, the 24-year-old is averaging double the number of tackles per 90 (2.37) as well as double the number tackles and interceptions combined per 90 (3.47) than the Welshman, proving to be the tougher defender to get past on that flank.

Therefore, in his absence, Spurs are likely to be a far weaker team – both in attack and defensively. And there’s no guarantee that Davies is in full fitness, as suggested by Kilpatrick.

Mourinho has plenty to ponder before kick-off tonight.

AND in other news, Mourinho must unleash “unplayable” Spurs beast on Liverpool tonight…

After a scare in the FA Cup fourth round against Cheltenham Town at the weekend, Manchester City were eventually able to progress thanks to a late flurry of goals.

However, the performance may be a cause for concern for Pep Guardiola, as those on the fringes of his squad arguably failed to perform against League Two opposition.

Therefore, it seems likely that the Spanish manager will make plenty of changes for the trip to West Brom on Tuesday night, where a win could take the Citizens to the top of the Premier League table.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up against the Baggies, with nine changes from the team that beat Cheltenham…

Ederson returns in goal with Zack Steffen having seemingly established himself as Manchester City’s cup goalkeeper with another appearance against Cheltenham Town last weekend.

Guardiola will likely rotate his entire defence, with John Stones and Ruben Dias resuming their partnership at centre-back, whilst Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko come in for Eric Garcia and Benjamin Mendy at full-back.

Phil Foden is one of just two City players to keep his place, and he drops into midfield to fill the void left by Kevin De Bruyne, who misses out through injury, with Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan providing the more defensive duties in midfield.

Raheem Sterling comes in for Ferran Torres on the left-wing, with Bernardo Silva replacing Riyad Mahrez on the right, with the Portugal international having finally found his shooting boots in recent weeks following his goal against Aston Villa.

Gabriel Jesus keeps his place up front after his winning goal at the weekend, but the Brazilian can not afford to be so wasteful against Sam Allardyce’s side on Tuesday night.

And, in other news… Txiki can sign Pep a Gabriel Jesus upgrade in “top goalscorer”

What a strange time this is for Sunderland.

The Black Cats are at the centre of a potential takeover and they have just hired a new manager in Lee Johnson.

However, they now won’t play for a fortnight with their next three games were postponed.

On the chalkboard

Just as the positivity had been reinstalled at the Stadium of Light after their 4-0 win over Lincoln, proceedings in the north-east have become rather depressing again.

Because of an outbreak of COVID-19 within the squad, the Academy of Light has been shut until December 27th with a variety of players now having to self isolate.

Four players have tested positive for the pandemic which has only added to an ongoing list of fitness concerns within the squad.

Denver Hume is currently out injured while Luke O’Nien has a dislocated shoulder and is out until the New Year.

However, they received another damaging blow this week when Johnson revealed that Josh Scowen could miss as many as seven weeks with a shin injury.

It really does feel as though Sunderland players are dropping like flies at the moment.

The solution

Fortunately for the Black Cats, they do have a number of midfield players available to them. With Max Power ruled out against Wimbledon, George Dobson came back into the XI and was paired next to the ever-reliable and ever-consistent Grant Leadbitter.

Though, with Scowen missing they needed to find another midfielder from somewhere.

That happened to be Elliot Embleton, a man who usually prefers to play in more advanced roles. The 21-year-old had a serious hamstring injury last season which meant he didn’t play at all for Sunderland and to this day, he has still only featured on 16 occasions for the first-team.

He’s never truly had a consistent run to establish himself as a regular but now with a host of players out and lacking fitness, his chance could arrive.

It’s unfortunate the youngster never really got an opportunity under Jack Ross or Phil Parkinson. After all, the former held him in high esteem. “Embleton has been terrific since he came back for pre-season. You can see what he can provide in the final third, so I was pleased with that,” Ross commented in July 2019.

Of course, his season was ruined by injury last term but he is now fully fit and has developed nicely.

Against Wimbledon, the midfielder was assured and composed as he completed 88% of his passes, created two chances and had two shots.

If we see more of that, it’s likely Embleton will be in the team more. He definitely deserves a run.

In other news, Johnson must unleash Sunderland talent with “magic feat”…

Manchester United are back in Premier League action tonight as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side find themselves in the midst of a title race at the top of the table, having picked up three wins and two draws from their past five games in a row, with the Red Devils sharing the spoils with Leicester City last time out.

United have a number of fringe players who will be looking to make an impact tonight as Solskjaer prepares to rotate his side ahead of the clash with Wolves.

Here is Football Fancast’s predicted starting XI, which sees Solskjaer make four changes from the trip to the King Power Stadium for this evening’s entertainment.

David de Gea should be given the gloves once again, meaning Dean Henderson will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Even with Solskjaer taking the opportunity to rotate his squad, it’s hard to imagine Harry Maguire won’t be starting at centre-back tonight.

Alex Telles will most likely be handed a start tonight, giving Luke Shaw some time off before the weekend clash with Aston Villa; Victor Lindelof won’t be risked so Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe will start on the right-hand side of the defence.

Paul Pogba is set to start in the midfield alongside Scott McTominay with Bruno Fernandes just in front of them as the classic No. 10.

Despite scoring against Leeds, Daniel James offered very little against Leicester, so recalling Mason Greenwood and keeping Marcus Rashford on the left wing with Edinson Cavani leading the line makes most sense.

That means that Anthony Martial will have to drop to the bench, such is the strength in Solskjaer’s squad right now.

AND in other news, Solskjaer must force Man Utd to sign Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle…

Liverpool have been handed a major blow in their reigning title season as Virgil van Dijk could miss the remainder of the term with ACL damage.

The centre-back picked up the injury in the Merseyside derby, following a tackle from Jordan Pickford in the opening minutes. The Reds must now adapt to their backline without the influential Dutchman, but Anfield legend Jamie Carragher has his doubts.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the ex-defender raised his worries over how Liverpool will cope with such a reduced roster (via The Mirror).

“Dejan Lovren went and they didn’t replace him so they only have three centre-backs and one of those, Joel Matip, is always injured,” he said. “There are question marks now about Joe Gomez. So there is no doubt that Liverpool had to go big in the transfer market.”

Can Gomez step up in van Dijk’s absence?

After their 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa, a draw at Goodison Park and now their top centre-back sidelined, hope will be bleak in the red district of Merseyside. With Joel Matip also reported to have picked up an injury, it’s ultimately down to Gomez to command the backline and step up to the plate.

It’s likely Jurgen Klopp will be forced to play Fabinho alongside the Englishman, with fellow Three Lions international Jordan Henderson filling the empty No.6 slot. The versatile Brazilian recently played in defence alongside van Dijk and put in a solid shift, but it may be a lot to ask of him to keep up appearances for potentially the entire season.

Last campaign, the £75million record signing played every minute of Premier League football for the Reds. His influence showed, keeping 15 clean sheets and contributing to six goals (via Transfermarkt). Indeed, it was more than enough to see Liverpool over the line and lift their first ever Premier League trophy – setting a new record for the fastest time, no less.

Tough times for Liverpool ahead

Gomez’s stats for the 2019/20 season were mostly inferior to his defensive partner. Not only did van Dijk look a lot more solid in defence, but he was also much more of a threat going forward. According to WhoScored, the Netherlands international averaged more passes (85.8) and more accurate long balls (5.4) than his teammate, with 71 and 3.7 respectively.

Gomez also fell short with 2.1 clearances to van Dijk’s 4.3 and picked up six more bookings in fewer appearances.

Trusting £36m-rated Gomez to command the same kind of authority as van Dijk is a tall ask. Indeed, he was even criticised by his own teammate Alisson after the Reds’ 3-0 defeat against Barcelona in 2019 after failing to block a Lionel Messi free-kick.

There will be enormous pressure on him to not just perform at the highest standard, but to also ensure he himself doesn’t risk an injury or suspension, which will only further endanger Liverpool’s title chances.

In other news, Michael Edwards may have put clever plan in place with deadline day deal…

Celtic could be on the verge of a delivering a masterclass on deadline day if emerging reports ring true…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, the defending Scottish champions have submitted a loan offer for West Ham outcast Robert Snodgrass with Neil Lennon keen to add a new winger to his ranks.

When asked about potential incomings after their 2-0 win over St Johnstone, the Bhoys boss remained coy, saying: “You can link names at me all you like but you’re not going to get a straight answer. I’ll be with Peter [Lawwell] and Nick Hammond tomorrow and we’ll be looking at a few things.”

The 33-year-old was born in Glasgow and is a lifelong Hoops supporter.

Wing upgrade?

Snodgrass is a vastly experienced wide man who could instantly improve Lennon’s side even despite his advancing years, we’ve seen with Scott Brown that players can still cut the mustard well into their thirties.

The Scotsman is able to play on both sides as well as through the middle. He also still delivered five goals and five assists from just 17 starts last season, via WhoScored.

Whilst throughout his career, Snodgrass has averaged 1.9 key passes, 1.6 shots and 1.2 dribbles per game, hinting that he’s very much a creative outlet which is perhaps what the Bhoys currently lack in Moi Elyounoussi.

When playing on the left-wing this season, the Saints loanee has failed to deliver a single goal or assist, per Transfermarkt.

Fellow Hammers teammate Mark Noble once lauded Snodgrass as “a top player, he’s got loads of quality” whilst Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara believes he can “show lots of trickery” and is “absolutely superb.”

And unlike Elyounoussi, he’s not on as much money. Spotrac claim the veteran midfielder is raking in around £40k-per-week in comparison to the Saints man’s £60k-per-week.

This could be a bargain masterstroke from Nick Hammond and co.

WHILE in other news, Celtic move for £10m flop would be an unforgivable error

Glasgow Rangers ran riot over their arch-rivals Celtic as a Connor Goldson brace secured the victory at Parkhead on Saturday afternoon. It’s fair to say that Rangers fans are absolutely loving what Steven Gerrard is doing at the club, but perhaps the Gers boss deserves far more credit than he has been getting in recent weeks.

Gerrard’s side crushed Celtic in a convincing 2-0 away win at Celtic Park at the weekend. In doing so, the Liverpool legend became the first manager to steer the Ibrox outfit to back-to-back away league wins against their rivals since March 1997 under Walter Smith.

It’s worth remembering that Brendan Rodgers, who was in charge of Celtic at the time, was “surprised” to see his former captain linked to the vacant manager’s job at Rangers. How the tables have now turned.

The Light Blues have improved drastically since the last campaign, that much is already clear, as they are currently enjoying a 14-game unbeaten run, stretching back to the 1-0 win over Aberdeen at the start of the season. In contrast, the Gers had already been humiliated at home by Celtic at this stage last season. And they seem to be getting even better with every passing week.

It’s obvious for all to see that the Ibrox outfit have massively improved defensively, as Neil Lennon’s side failed to register a single shot on target in the first Old Firm derby of the season.

The Rangers boss was described as a “tactical genius” by lifelong fan and former defender Alan Hutton after Glen Kamara “nullified” the attacking threat of Celtic wing-back Jeremie Frimpong. He told Football Insider: “It was really a bit of tactical genius from Gerrard to use Kamara’s energy up and down the pitch to stop one of their main threats on the day.”

Per SofaScore, the 24-year-old won seven out of nine ground duels, whilst he made three tackles, one clearance and one interception. A look at his heatmap shows a hub of activity on the left wing, which shows that he put in a defensive shift. Perhaps what is most telling is the fact that he wasn’t dribbled past at all.

When you consider the fact that Gerrard is juggling domestic and European competitions this season, only then does it become clear that he is actually doing a brilliant job.

Most importantly, the award-winning manager, who was named The Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month for August after guiding the Gers to five wins and a draw, seems to have changed the mindset and mentality of his team, after they came up short as Celtic were confirmed as Scottish champions for the ninth season in a row last term. The Bhoys were 13 points clear of their nearest challengers when the campaign came to a premature close.

Former Rangers defender David Weir told The Daily Record that “the Rangers squad is in a really good place right now.”

“But what’s really interested me has been the way Rangers have reacted after the win. It’s been very low keen with none of the players getting over excited on social media.

“They’ve learned from what happened last December when maybe they were guilty of getting carried away. It’s much more business like this time and I like that. I think it’s promising.”

Whilst there is still a long way to go, if Gerrard’s side can regain the title, maybe then – and only then – will Gerrard finally get the full credit he deserves.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must take a gamble on long-term target Jack Wilshere…

Newcastle United had a fairly moderate end to last season – the club finished their campaign in 13th place, having accumulated 44 points in Steve Bruce’s first season, as well as making the FA quarter-final against Manchester City.

Overall it may be a season to forget for the Magpies, whose proposed takeover bid from the Saudi Arabian Private Investment Fund continues to play out – the fans will be hoping that a deal will be met soon so that the club can start their new life away from Mike Ashley and begin to build a team under new owners.

To do so now, however, will be a tasking effort, as the current financial climate in football, thanks to the effects of COVID-19 has caused many clubs to be forced to sell their best performers – meaning that if Newcastle finds themselves in a financially positive position with or without new owners, they could find themselves signing some great players for great prices if hopeful.

So, what would be the most realistic signings for the club to make?

Ryan Sessegnon

The youngster only managed six league appearances for Tottenham last season, and will likely be aiming for regular football this coming season, something which may not come if he were to stay at Spurs.

With a current market value of £22.5 million, the Toon could try to negotiate a possible loan deal or even a permanent transfer depending on Spurs’ view on the player. Sessegnon is a versatile player, and currently, Newcastle has Danny Rose occupying at Left-Back, meaning that if Sessegnon were to join Newcastle, he could find himself playing in a more attacking position such as Left Midfield, or even muscle his way into Left-Back over Rose, who is now 30.

A move to Newcastle could be a wise one for the 20-year-old, and he would be a welcome addition to Steve Bruce’s side who have been heavily linked with the player over the past few weeks.

Harry Wilson

The 23-year-old Welsh international has struggled to break into Liverpool’s first-team given the world-class talent that the club already possesses. Wilson has had previous loan spells, most recently last season at Bournemouth where he scored 7 goals for the club.

His previous loan spells at Derby and Hull were also very successful – with his time with the Rams being his best season during the 18/19 campaign.

The winger scored 16 goals with 4 assists during his season on loan at Derby and showed fans the talent and potential that he has. Newcastle would make a great fit for Wilson, and would likely get the game time he deserves at the club – but the Magpies will face competition if they were to secure his signature, with Premier League new boys Leeds also keen on signing the youngster on loan.

Callum Wilson

It is likely that key players for Bournemouth, such as Callum Wilson, will leave the club this summer after their relegation. Having played in the Premier League for some seasons now, Wilson has established himself as a quality Premier League goalscorer – and has attracted the attention of many clubs over the years.

Newcastle has been linked with a move for the player but will have some negotiating to do after it was reported Steve Bruce may have as little as £30 million to spend this summer given the failed takeover.

The 28-year-old scored only 8 goals this season in what was a poor campaign for the striker, but his ability and goalscoring prowess would offer better options upfront for the club, with Joelinton only managing 2 league goals.

Jeff Hendrick

The 28-year-old Ireland international is currently a free agent after his contract expired with Burnley at the end of this season, and Newcastle are already in to try and agree on a deal with the midfielder for his services according to the Daily Mail.

Having played 24 league games for Burnley this season, Hendrick had a moderate season, averaging a 75.6% pass completion rate, but would offer the Magpies bundles of Premier League experience for their midfield.

With the current financial climate in football, a free transfer for a player of Hendrick’s ability and experience would be a no brainer for the club and could save them some important funds to invest in areas of the squad that need it most.

Giacomo Bonaventura

A name that may not be known too well to the Newcastle faithful, and possibly an ambitious but not unrealistic transfer – Bonaventura has only until the end of August before his contract with AC Milan expires – and the Magpies could get an extremely talented and experienced midfielder at all levels of the game could be captured on a free transfer, or for a cut-price due to the ending of his contract.

The 30-year-old scored 3 goals with 5 assists this season in 29 league appearances – and averaged an 85.6% pass completion rate. Bonaventura would be a fantastic signing for the Toon, and Bruce and the club should certainly make an offer for him.

Burnley have begun transfer talks with a French midfielder who has drawn comparisons with two-time Premier League winner N’Golo Kante.

The Daily Mail reported that the Clarets have held talks with Ligue 1 side Angers over a move for Baptiste Santamaria, who is valued in the region of £12m and has drawn comparisons with his fellow countryman at Chelsea.

As per Daily Mail, Aston Villa had targeted the 25-year-old earlier this year, with Leicester and Everton also having their attention piqued by the midfielder.

Santamaria has been a mainstay of Angers’ first XI for the last four years, racking up 146 appearances for the club, with 134 of those coming in the French top flight. He started all 28 of their Ligue 1 games last season before the league was curtailed amid the global pandemic, scoring once and providing one assist (as per TransferMarkt).

Kante’s ball-winning abilities as a midfield anchor have been lauded by the likes of Eden Hazard and Sir Alex Ferguson, and Santamaria also stands out for his knack of breaking up opposition attacks. He won 3.3 tackles per game in Ligue 1 last season and even that was only a slight improvement from 3.1 the previous campaign, along with averaging 1.6 interceptions per game in 2019/20 (as per WhoScored).

To put that in context, nobody at Burnley last term had a higher tackling average than 2.4 per game, while only two men (both defenders) had a better interceptions average than the Angers midfielder (as per WhoScored). The 25-year-old is no slouch when he gets the ball, either, with his passing success rate of 81.5% bettered only by Josh Brownhill (82.5%) among Sean Dyche’s squad.

The Clarets were linked with another tough-tackling midfielder in recent days in Huddersfield’s Lewis O’Brien, whose match averages of 3.2 successful tackles and 1.2 interceptions are impressive yet slightly below Santamaria’s level. However, the Terriers man often plays in an advanced midfield role, in contrast to the Frenchman’s position at the base of midfield.

Santamaria’s statistics certainly suggest that he would make Burnley’s midfield a sturdier unit and one which will not be bypassed easily by opposing teams. Also, at 25, the Frenchman boasts plenty of top division experience and yet is only set to come into the peak years of his career now.

Just as Kante was plucked from Caen by Leicester five years ago, Burnley could yet pull off their own left-field raid on Ligue 1 if they can complete a deal for Angers’ no-nonsense midfielder.

Burnley fans, do you think Santamaria would be a good addition at Turf Moor for £12m? Comment below with your views!

According to Express, Arsenal have started the talks with Kia Joorabchian, Philippe Coutinho’s agent, in hopes of potentially sealing that deal in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Barcelona man is now once again on the market after spending a season on loan at Bayern Munich.

Of course, he will first aim to finish the Champions League campaign with the Bavarian giants and will then start thinking about a potential transfer away from the Catalans.

However, there are other teams also willing to sink their teeth into this deal and the Gunners just might face stern competition from the Premier League as the likes of Tottenham Hotspur were also previously linked, albeit to the major dissatisfaction of their fans.

Express also explain that Arsenal are not exactly sitting on heaps of money and Barcelona currently value their flopped playmaker at around £73m, which would, as it seems, be out of reach for the London team. But, in that case, Arsenal could potentially offer some of their own players in an attempt to lower the asking price.

Matteo Guendouzi, for instance, is a name that often pops out in those conversations. Mundo Deportivo, however, claim the Catalans are not interested in anything like that, preferring a loan with a big fee if a permanent transfer can’t be negotiated.

One positive for Arsenal would be the fact Joorabchian mentioned Coutinho is open to a return to the Premier League, as per Express’ report, and this could indeed throw a lifeline to the Gunners.

Verdict

Even though he’s had a couple of rough spells ever since his big-money transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona, Coutinho is still quite an impactful player on his day. Landing him could seriously boost Mikel Arteta’s squad.

However, as is the case with most big-name players on today’s market, the Brazilian would come with a hefty price tag above his head. But the report mentions the Catalans would be open for a loan deal as well and maybe this is an avenue the Gunners could potentially explore.

Arteta has slowly but surely been improving the team and maybe they already have what it takes to attract Coutinho back to the Premier League.