Tag Futebol

Newcastle United’s prospective £300m takeover has been a long and drawn-out process and it appears as if it is still quite some way off from being resolved.Premier League CEO Richard Masters didn’t give much away when asked about the current situation during an interview with Sky Sports’ Bryan Swanson but he did hint towards ‘timing’ not being an issue – meaning this is surely set to rumble on.And Keith Downie has responded on Twitter, questioning previous reports that have suggested the takeover being given the ‘green light’ in recent weeks.He said:

Downie believes that there is still plenty of work to be done and given it has taken nearly two months already, the Magpies faithful are going to be far from pleased with the news.

The Premier League have also had to deal with ‘Project Restart’ and following their announcement that the season will resume in mid-June, it is hoped that their focus can now be put towards approving the takeover.

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AND in other news,ÂLee Ryder slams Mike Ashley for contract situation…

Several Sheffield Wednesday fans have been praising Liam Palmer after footage emerged on social media of the defender helping a mascot prior to Scotland’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Cyprus.

In the video, it shows the right-back tying the youngster’s shoelaces for him as the two sides lined up in the tunnel before the game in Nicosia.

The 28-year-old was starting his third fixture in a row for Scotland and is becoming a regular pick under manager Steve Clarke (Transfermarkt).

He helped the Scots win the game 2-1, with goals from Ryan Christie and John McGinn coming either side of Georgios Efrem’s equaliser to give them all three points (BBC Sport).

It was actually a dead rubber with neither side able to secure automatic qualification for next summer’s tournament, although Scotland can still make it via the play-offs so getting into a winning habit is crucial for them.

After seeing the footage of Palmer being very helpful towards the young mascot, several Sheffield Wednesday fans were quick to praise his act of kindness with many suggesting it shows how good a person he is.

Here is what some had to say…

Sheffield Wednesday fans, what are your thoughts on Liam Palmer’s performances this season? Let us know in the comments below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Anthony Gordon has spoken out about his first-team chances and what it has been like to train with the senior squad.

What did he say?

The 18-year-old has been making a lot of noise down in the youth ranks and fans have regularly been calling for his name on the teamsheet. Gordon made a first-team appearance back when he was 16 in the 2017-18 Europa League campaign.

However, he got just two minutes under his belt against Apollon Limassol that night and has not made another senior appearance since.

The promising youngster told the Liverpool Echo: “Everything has changed since then. I’ve matured a lot, both as a player and as a person and hopefully everyone can recognise that.”

When asked if he chats with Marco Silva on his first-team chances, Gordon replied: “He doesn’t really speak about it.

“He’ll give me things to work on and tell me when I’m doing right or wrong. He just wants me to progress and keep getting better at the things he thinks I should be getting better at and it’s all I want as well and I know my time will come if I keep doing that.”

For his debut, the attacker replaced Kevin Mirallas in late 2017 over in Cyprus.

“It was amazing for me to be around all the players at such a young age.

“I hadn’t trained with them or anything before that, it was literally straight in and so to be training out there with Morgan Schneiderlin, Kevin Mirallas and [Ademola] Lookman was unbelievable and I was just trying to soak it up and learn as much as I could because that’s where I wanted to be.”

Silva needs him

The academy star has scored six times in 10 games this season and provided three assists along the way.

Compare this to the fact that Everton have just 11 goals in the league so far and there is certainly a suggestion to be made that Gordon may deserve a chance in the first team.

Up next for the Toffees is the must-win clashes against Southampton and Norwich City. Silva simply cannot afford to lose these, and perhaps Gordon could help change that.

The injuries to Bernard and Andre Gomes are going to change things for the Blues and now would be a better time than ever for the youngster to step up.

After all, Silva must change something to transform the club’s fortunes.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Bleacher Report journalist Dean Jones, Arsenal are interested in making a move for Juventus defender Merih Demiral.

What’s the word?

Unai Emery’s side made reinforcements in the centre-back position in the summer transfer window, bringing in David Luiz from Chelsea, and tying up a deal for St Etienne’s William Saliba – the latter heading straight back to the French side on a season-long loan however.

Despite Luiz’s introduction into the first-team, the Gunners have looked shaky at the back, and had conceded 14 goals in the Premier League prior to their clash against Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

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Now, Jones has suggested Demiral “will be open to the idea of a move in January if he can’t break into the team”, and that both Arsenal and Manchester United are interested in securing his signature.

The answer

Standing at 6 foot 4, Demiral is a physically imposing presence, despite only being 21. The Turkey international has forged his career on the back of being an uncompromising defender, and that is exactly the kind of ruggedness and no-nonsense approach Arsenal could do with.

Last season at Sassuolo, the centre-back had an impressive average of 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in Serie A, and made 5.6 clearances too. Since Emery took charge of Arsenal, the north Londoners have been intent on trying to play out from the back, and at times, they really could have done with someone to just take charge of the situation and clear their lines. Demiral’s career appears to show he would have no problems in defying orders and just playing it safe when it’s absolutely required.

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Think back to Arsenal’s kamikaze defending in the clash against Watford at Vicarage Road, and how the Gunners were brutally caught cold by trying to play out from Bernd Leno’s goal-kicks. As evidenced by his high clearances per game statistic, Demiral may have sensed danger better and simply gotten rid. It’s the kind of ‘defend-first’ mentality Emery’s side could really do with.

أصدر نادي برشلونة الإسباني بيانًا رسميًا، أكد خلاله التواجد ضمن مشروع السوبر ليج “دوري السوبر الأوروبي، الدوري الأوروبي الممتاز”.

برشلونة أشار إلى أنه مستمر في السوبرليج مع أخذ الموافقات النهائية من الأعضاء والهيئات الاجتماعية، وأكد أن عدم المشاركة في السوبرليج سيكون خطأ تاريخيًا.

وشدد برشلونة في بيانه على أن محكمة العدل منحت المشروع الحماية القانونية المطلوبة، مؤكدًا أنه لا يوجد معنى للنقاش والحوار في ظل عملية الترهيب الغير مبررة.

وأفاد برشلونة في بيانه أنه يشارك في التحليل الذي أجرته معظم أندية كرة القدم الأوروبية الكبرى، وأوضح أنه بالنظر إلى الوضع الاجتماعي والاقتصادي الحالي، من الضروري إجراء إصلاحات هيكلية تهدف إلى ضمان الاستدامة المالية والجدوى لعالم كرة القدم.

وأوضح البيان: “في هذا السياق، وافق مجلس إدارة نادي برشلونة على سبيل الاستعجال، على أن يكون جزءً، بصفته ناديًا مؤسسًا في السوبر ليج، وهي مسابقة تهدف إلى تحسين جودة العرض وجاذبيته، يتم تقديمه لمشجعي كرة القدم وفي الوقت نفسه، وكمبدأ لا غنى عنه لنادي برشلونة، البحث عن صيغ جديدة للتضامن مع جميع أفراد عالم كرة القدم”.

وأضاف: “تم اتخاذ القرار على أساس الاقتناع بأن الاستقالة المزعومة من المشاركة في هذه المبادرة كنادي مؤسس كان من الممكن أن تكون خطأ تاريخيًا، بصفتنا نادٍ رياضي مشهور عالميًا، ندافع عن مهنة قيادة النادي، والتي تعد جزءً لا غنى عنه من هوية المؤسسة والروح الرياضية والاجتماعية والمؤسسية”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كرونكي يعتذر لجماهير آرسنال بسبب السوبر ليج ويؤكد دفع غرامة لترك المسابقة

وتابع: “على أي حال، احتفظ نادي برشلونة، الكيان الذي كان وسيظل دائمًا ملكًا لكل فرد من أعضائه، بالحق في تقديم مثل هذا القرار المهم إلى الموافقة النهائية من هيئاته المؤسسية المختصة بعد دراسة ضرورية وعميقة”.

وواصل: “بالنظر إلى رد الفعل الاجتماعي الذي أنتجته المبادرة في العديد من المجالات المختلفة، لا يمكن إنكار أن نادي برشلونة يفهم أنه من الضروري فتح تحليل أعمق بكثير للأسباب التي أدت إلى رد الفعل هذا من أجل إعادة النظر، وعند الضرورة، النهج والصيغة المقترحة في البداية لمعالجة وحل كل هذه القضايا دائمًا لصالح المصلحة العامة لعالم كرة القدم، يتطلب التحليل المتعمق هذا الوقت والصفاء اللازمين لتجنب أي عمل متسرع”.

وأكمل: “نعتبر أنه من المهم بنفس القدر الإشارة إلى الحقيقة الموضوعية، وهي أن محكمة العدل قد منحت بالفعل الحماية القانونية المطلوبة، وهذا يؤكد ظهور المبادرة من قبل الأندية المؤسسة لمشروع سوبر ليج، وبهذا المعنى يرى النادي أنه سيكون من غير المناسب إنشاء عملية التفكير والنقاش الضرورية، في ظل معايير الضغط والترهيب غير المبررين”.

وأتم: “ورغم إدراكه الكامل للأهمية والاهتمام التثقيفي الذي يثيره هذا الأمر، وكذلك الحاجة إلى التصرف دائمًا بأقصى قدر من الشفافي، فإن نادي برشلونة سيتصرف في جميع الأوقات بمعايير حكيمة، ويدعو إلى أقصى قدر من التفاهم والاحترام والصبر تجاه المجتمع، ولجميع الرأي العام”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Charlton have enjoyed an excellent start to life back in the Championship.

Lee Bowyer oversaw an unbeaten start to the campaign in which the Addicks won four and drew two of their first six games, and have won five and drawn three of their 11 Championship games in total.

The south Londoners sit just four points off the Championship summit, and everything seems to be going fairly well at The Valley.

There are, however, two players who should probably be doing a bit better…

Tomer Hemed

The Israel international is a player who knows where the back of the net is, having scored 17 goals in 38 games for his country.

In addition to that impressive record, the 32-year-old has scored a decent amount of goals at Championship level before, so why has he not netted for Charlton yet? It’s not like he can argue that he isn’t familiar with the division.

Hemed notched 17 goals for Brighton in the 2015/16 season, and went on to hit 11 the following year – he does know how to score goals in the Championship, and it is down to him to rediscover his goalscoring touch for the Addicks.

Chuks Aneke

Having scored 17 goals in League One last season, Charlton fans would’ve been forgiven for thinking they were getting a striker who knows where the goal is when Chuks Aneke arrived back in the summer.

Disappointingly, the 26-year-old has scored just once in eight appearances this term.

You might argue that we’re being harsh given the fact Aneke has moved up a division, but if Macauley Bonne – a player who Charlton signed from Non-League back in the summer – can deliver the goods with two goals in five appearances, then Aneke can step up a bit.

If these two players could turn it up a notch, Charlton could potentially fly up the table.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer has a big decision to make ahead of the game against Swansea on Wednesday evening.

The Addicks are in a spot of bother at left-back, with first-choice Ben Purrington set to be assessed ahead of the game and his backup option Lewis Page also struggling to stay fit.

Alarmingly, the situation has added significance given who the Swans have available to line up on the right flank…

Who do they have?

The Welsh side have the in-form Andre Ayew available to them, a man who has been in eye-catching form so far this season upon his return to the Liberty Stadium.

Ayew, who has 80 caps for Ghana, spent last term on loan at Fenerbahce but has returned to south Wales in focused fashion as he embarks on his first taste of Championship football.

The 29-year-old has registered three assists in seven league appearances so far in 2019/20, while also recording 2.4 shots and 2.1 dribbles per game.

His skill and the difficulty he causes opponents out on that right flank is emphasised even more by the fact that Ayew gets fouled two times per game on average.

Who does Bowyer have to choose from?

Aside from the aforementioned Purrington – who has been playing on with a calf problem lately – Bowyer may have to look at some unnatural options for the left-back role with Page also unavailable – the 23-year-old is yet to appear this term.

The south Londoners may have to consider the likes of Naby Sarr and Deji Oshilaja for the position.

Sarr is a natural centre-back according to Transfermarkt, although a left-footed one meaning he could potentially be moved out to left-back, whereas Oshilaja – as per his Transfermarkt page – is able to operate at left-back and right-back as well as at centre-back.

Two other options Bowyer has at his disposal are Chris Solly – who can play in both full-back positions – and Adam Matthews- the recent arrival can also operate in either full-back area as well as at right-midfield.

With Ayew in such good form, the decision in Bowyer’s hands is certainly a big one.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Leeds’ first-half display didn’t provide many answers for Marcelo Bielsa as they went into the break at Oakwell with the game level at 0-0.

It took Leeds until the final ten minutes to finally break the deadlock as like they did against Swansea, they struggled to actually find the back of the net before eventually prevailing 2-0.

Jack Harrison was one of the poorer performers from a Whites perspective and was withdrawn at half time with Helder Costa coming on.

He won the free-kick for Leeds’ opening goal so he definitely had a key impact in securing a win for the visitors.

However, it may not be Costa that’s causing Harrison the most problems.

On the chalkboard

The 22-year-old started the season in brilliant fashion by scoring against Bristol City but since that outing, he hasn’t been able to contribute to a single goal.

Harrison has been struggling and with Costa breathing over his shoulder, the 5 foot 9 winger’s place could be under threat.

Against the Reds last Sunday, he had just one shot and achieved a pass success rate of 65% according to WhoScored.

He also managed a solitary key pass but had two unsuccessful touches in 45 minutes on the field.

It was an unconvincing display, one where he failed to really get forward.

The heatmap above demonstrates where Harrison was most involved at Oakwell but as you can see, he spent most of the time behind the halfway line. That isn’t ideal for someone you expect to be influencing the game in the final third.

This time you can see Ezgjan Alioski’s heatmap. His average positions were much higher up the field which can be argued as a reason for why Harrison was deeper last weekend.

Alioski is known for getting forward and already has a goal to his name this term, adding to the seven he scored in 2018/19.

With that in mind, the North Macedonian might be one of the reasons for why Harrison has struggled since his introduction into the side.

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Considering Alioski is such a presence in attacking scenarios, it may have the Manchester City loanee thinking he needs to be more disciplined and sit back, rather than leaving a big gap in behind down the left.

That, in turn, leads to a less daring display from Harrison who is playing deeper than he would probably like to.

Unless he starts getting further forward, it’s difficult to see how he’ll improve his numbers in terms of goals and assists.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jack Wilshere has had a completely stop-start West Ham United career to date, but he may now just have the perfect opportunity to repay the faith both the club and manager Manuel Pellegrini have shown in him over the next few weeks.

Football London reported at the weekend that having missed the clash against Manchester United through injury, Manuel Lanzini will be out for up to a month with bone bruising on his foot.

The Argentina international had started all of the east London outfit’s five Premier League matches prior to that, and he was joined by Wilshere in the starting XI in the opening two of those against Manchester City and Brighton.

However, the former Arsenal man then missed out on the squad altogether for the following encounters with Watford and Norwich City, with Pellegrini suggesting he had been rested for the former – he played 82 minutes in the cup tie against Newport County just a few days later.

The 27-year-old, who made his return to the pitch in the top flight as a substitute against Manchester United on Sunday, may well be in contention to start the Carabao Cup clash with Oxford United on Wednesday, and he needs to perform well.

As things stand, it looks as though he will be battling summer addition Pablo Fornals for a spot in the starting XI with Mark Noble and Declan Rice appearing to once again be favoured picks for their Chilean manager.

There is no doubt given his injury issues in the past that the Irons took a punt on bringing Wilshere to the London Stadium, even though Pellegrini and director of football Mario Husillos had quickly identified him as a target in 2018.

Per West Ham’s official website, the latter said on completing the signature: “Manuel and I identified him as a target as soon as we joined the club and we are delighted to have succeeded in securing Jack’s signature above a number of other teams.

“On the biggest stage, he has shown that he has game-changing abilities, as well as having the creativity and intelligence to make a real difference to our squad.”

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The fact he only played eight Premier League games last term due to injury means we haven’t really seen that quality yet, with one goal and one assist all he has to show for his total of 12 outings in all competitions.

The midfielder, who earns £100,000-a-week according to Spotrac, now has the chance to step up and prove that he can have a big season at West Ham and be game-changing, and he must not waste it.

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Wolves attacker Jota scored a wonder-goal in his side’s 4-0 Europa League win against Pyunik at Molineux on Thursday night, and Liverpool fans were quick to react on Twitter and are clearly impressed by the 22-year-old.

The Portuguese forward took a while to get going in the Premier League last season with his first goal not arriving until December, but a tactical change by manager Nuno Santo to switch him from the wing to playing off of striker Raul Jimenez worked wonders.

Jota ended the 2018/19 campaign with 10 goals and seven assists in 37 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt, while he has started the current campaign with two goals and five assists in five outings.

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One of those goals was a brilliant acrobatic effort against their Armenian opponents on Thursday, which has attracted interest from a wider football audience, including Liverpool supporters.

16-year-old Harvey Elliott was the only attacking-based new signing to arrive at Anfield during the previous transfer window, and it may well be an area that the Merseyside outfit look to strengthen either in January or next summer.

If the majority of the following fans had their way, they would be bringing the 22-year-old in.

While one individual said that “he reminds me a little bit of a young Luis Suarez”, another said he “would be a really good back-up for Bobby”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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