Liverpool must beat Juve to Aouar

Liverpool have reportedly been joined by Juventus in the race for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have been linked to the Frenchman on numerous occasions, with Klopp reportedly keen to add to his midfield ranks especially with the expected departure of Georginio Wijnaldum.

However, they are set to be in a battle with Serie A giants Juventus for his signature according to TuttoSport.

Liverpool need to make sure they are victorious in their pursuit of Aouar.

At just 22 years of age, the midfielder has forged a reputation as one of the most promising players in Europe.

He has accumulated plenty of experience despite his tender years, racking up 163 appearances for Lyon, scoring 30 goals and providing 31 assists.

The £45m-rated midfielder has also already been afforded opportunities on the international stage, making his international debut in a 7-1 thumping of Ukraine in October 2020 – a game in which he racked up two assists.

Aouar’s performances have not just earned him admirers in the recruitment departments of some of Europe’s biggest clubs though. Even his fellow professionals are taking notice.

Following Lyon’s 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium in the UEFA Champions League group stages this season, Manchester City creator Kevin De Bruyne hailed the Frenchman’s “fantastic” performance.

So with Georginio Wijnaldum seemingly set to depart Anfield and Aouar only having two years left to run on his current contract, there does not seem a better time for Michael Edwards to move for the midfielder.

It will not be easy to combat the likes of Juventus in the transfer market but he needs to make sure that the Reds secure Aouar sooner rather than later or miss out on him to a European rival.

AND in more news, take a look at which Liverpool starlet has been handed a devastating injury blow ahead of the latest round of international games…

West Ham eye Celtic’s Jack Hendry

David Moyes could land a defender more productive than Craig Dawson by sealing a bargain swoop for Celtic-owned centre-back Jack Hendry this summer.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Irons have joined the race for Hendry ahead of the next transfer window as interest continues to swell for his services.

Hendry is currently on loan with KV Oostende and is expected to join the Belgian Pro League outfit permanently at the end of the season, owing to a £2m purchase clause in his contract.

But Oostende may look to make a quick profit, as scouts from West Ham, Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are all keeping tabs on his situation, while Burnley saw a bid rejected in January for the centre-back now excepted to be rated at around £10m.

Several Premier League and Championship clubs, along with Bundesliga duo SV Werder Bremen and SC Freiburg, plus AZ Alkmaar, Brondby IF and KRC Genk have also been touted as potential destinations for the 25-year-old previously.

Hendry has not ruled out a return to Celtic, either, with reports by the Mirror over the weekend claiming the three-cap international could chase a second chance at Parkhead while he eyes a return to the Scotland national side.

The centre-half has not represented his country since 2018 but has seen his profile grow this season, having helped Oostende go from a side that narrowly avoided relegation last term to one with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League at the end of the campaign.

Should West Ham sign Hendry?

West Ham are expected to be in the market for a new central defender at the end of the season, with Moyes said to be on the lookout for at least one or two senior options who can supplement the current group assembled at the London Stadium.

Whether Hendry is in the running remains to be seen, but the Celtic-owned enforcer could represent a cheaper option than most and is currently performing at a more productive level than the Irons are seeing from Dawson – who Moyes has confirmed he wants to retain.

The Hammers were not afraid to submit big bids for defenders last summer, with Sky Sports claiming that a £30m offer was made for Burnley’s James Tarkowski. The Sun also suggested a £25m bid was on the cards for Olympique de Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car, who would have been presented with a £150,000-per-week contract.

Hendry could come at a fraction of those sums and has been lauded by Oostende boss Alexander Blessin, who noted in November: “He’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him.

“He’s been a tower of experience for us. Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. When you get signed by a club the size of Celtic at such a young age, then you obviously must have a lot of qualities.”

Dawson is likewise often lauded for his leadership for West Ham, yet has offered Moyes fewer successful tackles per game (0.5) in the Premier League this season than Hendry has averaged in the Pro League (1.2) to date, per SofaScore.

Hendry also averages more clearances (4.5) than Dawson (4.0), wins possession in the air more often (2.9, 76% to 2.6, 70%) and is yet to make an error that leads to a shot, while the Watford-loanee has committed two thus far.

Moyes may not install Hendry as a starting option next season but if the West Ham boss is looking for depth and does not want to spend excessively, winning the European-wide race may be a reasonable route to go.

AND in other news, David Moyes has confirmed his intent for West Ham to sign a £42k-p/w brute this summer

Stones was superb for City on Tuesday

Manchester City eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League thanks to a 2-0 victory against Borussia Monchengladbach at the Puskas Arena on Tuesday night.

It was always going to be tough for Marco Rose’s side to get back into the tie, having also suffered a 2-0 defeat in the first leg but Pep Guardiola’s side were in complete control for the entire 90 minutes.

Kevin De Bruyne scored a superb opener as his left-footed shot from outside the box flew in off the bar, before Ilkay Gundogan quickly added another as he slid the ball past Yan Sommer following good work from Phil Foden.

Whilst City’s attacking play was a joy to behold at times, their defence deserves a lot of credit for securing yet another clean sheet in the Champions League, with John Stones excellent at the back once again.

As per SofaScore, the former Everton man would earn an impressive 7.6 rating for his display, with only Riyad Mahrez (7.7) and Kevin De Bruyne (7.9) earning higher.

The centre-back made three tackles and four clearances during the 90 minutes, which far exceeds the one tackle and the 1.8 clearances he has averaged per game in the Champions League this season.

Stones, who is currently valued at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt, was also involved in five duels with Monchengladbach players during the game and wonn every single one of them, which emphasises just how in control he was at the back.

The England international also had 129 touches of the ball on Tuesday night, which was comfortably the most of any player from both sides, with Kyle Walker’s 99 touches the closest to him.

He used the ball extremely well too, as 115/119 of his passes would find a Manchester City shirt, resulting in an incredible 97% pass accuracy, which again is higher than the 93.1% pass accuracy he has averaged so far in the competition.

Considering Stones lost possession just four times during the game and wasn’t dribbled past once, it is clear that he produced a near-perfect display for Guardiola’s side, and the Spanish manager will surely be delighted with just how confident his team looked at the back once again.

And, in other news… Txiki may end up regretting £25m City transfer call with “phenomenal” gem

Alli criticised for Spurs vs Dinamo Zagreb

Alasdair Gold has criticised the display of Dele Alli despite Tottenham Hotspur beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Harry Kane got himself on the scoresheet twice to give Spurs a decent home lead going into the away leg in Croatia, but while there were some very good performances for Jose Mourinho’s team, Gold was critical of Alli’s.

Writing in his latest ratings piece for football.london, the journalist claimed that the former MK Dons star looked “rusty” and gave him a mere 5/10 overall rating, the worst out of any Lilywhites player to have started the game in North London.

Alli looked rusty

Alli did look quite rusty throughout the match in what was not one of his best by his usual high standards.

The attacking midfield player failed to record a single shot on goal, successful dribble or key pass, and also lost possession of the ball no fewer than on 10 separate occasions in total throughout the clash (Sofascore).

The performance will certainly put question marks over whether he should be starting in the derby away at local rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, as THFC will surely be looking to stamp their authority on the fixture and continue their climb up the Premier League table.

In other news, find out who Mourinho is planning to start ‘virtually every game’ here!

Após antecipar jogo, Dorival lamenta ausência de selecionáveis no Santos

MatériaMais Notícias

Antes do clássico contra o São Paulo no domingo de Páscoa, dia 27, o Santos ainda enfrenta o Rio Claro neste fim de semana pela 10ª rodada do Paulistão. Entretanto, o duelo com o rival do Morumbi já tira o sono do técnico Dorival Júnior.

Com cinco titulares convocados para a Seleção Brasileira, o Peixe se viu obrigado a antecipar o duelo com o XV de Piracicaba, válido pela 11ª rodada, para esta terça-feira. O clássico, porém, teve a data mantida pela FPF e o Alvinegro sofrerá sem os “selecionáveis” Ricardo Oliveira, Lucas Lima, Zeca, Thiago Maia e Gabigol.

O técnico Dorival Júnior, além de lamentar a ausência de seus principais jogadores pada o clássico, ainda atenta para o fato de uma possível lesão ou suspensão, como é o caso do lateral Victor Ferraz, que recebeu o terceiro cartão amarelo diante do XV e não encara o Rio Claro.

– É ruim. No ano passado perdemos quatro jogadores no momento mais importante do campeonato. Até pedi levantamento de todo nosso grupo de apoio para vermos a quantidade de jogos que ficaremos sem esses elementos ao longo do ano. Não serão poucas. E justamente em um momento importante. Já são cinco desfalques, e com uma lesão e outra suspensão, viram sete. É ruim – lamentou Dorival.

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No ano passado, por conta de amistosos e Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo, o Santos também sofreu com os desfalques de Lucas Lima e Ricardo Oliveira, convocados por Dunga, e de Gabigol, chamado para defender a Seleção Olímpica.

Leeds United: Pundit discusses Casilla’s future%%sep%% %%sitename%%

Pundit Kevin Campbell has recently talked about Kiko Casilla’s future at Leeds United and has talked about interest from other clubs.

Casilla had joined Leeds from Real Madrid in January of 2019 on a free transfer, when the goalkeeper had penned a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Whites. Campbell though, seems to have provided an update about his future.

Spanish clubs could be interested in Casilla

Campbell was recently talking to Football Insider and he talked about Casilla’s situation. Campbell believes that the Spaniard is still a ‘good goalkeeper’ but things ended up going ‘sour’ when an incident involving him had seen the veteran get banned from playing football temporarily.

Campbell also believes that moving back to Spain could be the right move for the former Los Blancos man, as there are clubs who are looking at him there.

He said:

“I am sure there are clubs in Spain interested in signing Kiko Casilla.  He is a good goalkeeper but I things went sour with what happened last year, the situation and the issue for which he was reprimanded.

“I just think it is the right move for him, to go back to Spain, and I am sure there are clubs there that would take him.”

Casilla hasn’t played too much for Marcelo Bielsa’s men this season and has made just one senior-team appearance in the League Cup. He has even been relegated to playing with the Under-23s in Premier League 2 and in the EFL Trophy (as per Transfermarkt).

Last season in the Championship though, the 34-year-old had made 36 appearances for the Whites while keeping 15 clean sheets.

Following a win over Hull last season, journalist Phil Hay had praised Casilla and even said the shot-stopper showed his “Champions League credentials.”

Replacement might be needed for Casilla

Considering how often Casilla had played last season and the fact that he was a regular for the Whites before that, he perhaps still carries some influence in the club’s first-team and could yet step in if an injury issue arises.

Having said that, the veteran may need first-team football and that is something that Leeds can’t quite offer. So while it may be time to let him leave, the club absolutely must replace him.

In other news, a Premier League star has been tipped to sign for Leeds – read more here.

Grady Diangana at risk of being West Brom’s next Chadli

Grady Diangana has found life tough since making his permanent switch to West Brom this summer.

Indeed, the enigmatic winger has struggled to replicate the lucrative returns that saw him help the Baggies to promotion last season.

On Albion’s way to the Championship runner-up spot, the then on-loan Diangana delivered eight goals and seven assists from just 23 starts, via Transfermarkt.

Everyone at the Hawthorns got a glimpse of what was to come when he bagged himself a brace on debut against Luton Town, so it’s no wonder that sporting and technical director Luke Dowling pulled the trigger on signing him for the long-term.

The 22-year-old cost the Midlands outfit an initial £12m, which could rise to £18m in add-ons, according to the Express & Star.

That sum was a considerable chunk of their summer transfer budget. Karlan Grant cost the exact same fee, but one that is spread out in £2m instalments over six years, whilst they accounted for the permanent £9m addition of Matheus Pereira.

As a result of such an outlay, you’d want a huge bang for your buck – well, Diangana’s just not delivered in the big time.

Despite featuring in 15 of their 17 league outings this term, the 5 foot 11 attacker has contributed just one goal and has certainly struggled to repeat his attacking output from the second-tier.

Per WhoScored, Diangana has regressed from 2.4 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per game in 2019/20 to a pathetic 1.5 dribbles, 0.8 shot and 0.3 key passes per match.

This suggests that he’s struggling to combat the rise in quality of opposition as he’s clearly not been able to beat his man with his dribbling ability and as a result, he simply has not bee able to get near the goal to fire off chances.

Once dubbed an “explosive” threat who’s a “total nightmare” to play against by Sky Sports pundits Lee Hendrie and Keith Andrews, the young wide man has been wholly ineffective and is now bordering on becoming one expensive flop.

In some ways, it draws serious comparisons to that of Nacer Chadli, whose spell at the Hawthorns was disastrous – the irony being that he was once voted the ‘Flop of the Year.’

After splashing out a club-record £13m to Premier League rivals Spurs for his signature, the Belgian winger scored only six goals in 38 appearances before being relegated. An all too familiar position to that of Diangana and Albion right now.

The £10.8m-rated former Hammers ace is in grave danger of becoming another Chadli as a rate of two goal contributions in 32 top-flight appearances is currently way worse than even the ex-Baggies disaster achieved.

AND in other news, WBA must OFFLOAD £50k-p/w flop once dubbed a “manager’s dream”…

Preview: West Brom XI vs Liverpool – predicted lineup, latest team and injury news

There are no easy games in the Premier League and West Brom have it all to do if they are to drastically turn around their plight this season.

Sam Allardyce’s men now head to defending champions Liverpool looking for only their second win of the current campaign.

In the 66-year-old’s first game in charge, the Baggies were thrashed 3-0 by arch-rivals Aston Villa, and now they face an almighty task at Anfield.

Albion have suspensions and injuries to deal with, so it will be interesting to see how Big Sam lines up the squad this afternoon.

Here’s the XI we’re predicting as the division’s leaders host second from bottom…

There could be as many as four changes as Allardyce looks to spark a reaction today.

In goal, Sam Johnstone keeps his place as do the majority of the back four barring Dara O’Shea, who makes way for PL veteran Branislav Ivanovic.

Club captain Jake Livermore is suspended for this match after receiving his marching orders for a lunge on Jack Grealish last weekend, so there’s a change afoot in midfield.

Romaine Sawyers and Chelsea loan sensation Conor Gallagher could partner each other with Matheus Pereira returning from his own suspension to take an advanced place in the engine room.

Whilst in the attack, only Matty Phillips keeps his place at right-wing.

It means Karlan Grant is axed for Charlie Austin up top, and Grady Diangana also drops to the bench in favour of the £9m-rated Callum Robinson on the left flank.

The likes of Sam Field, Hal Robson-Kanu, Kyle Bartley and Conor Townsend are all still out through injury.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to sign former West Ham star in January swoop…

Clube gaúcho registra contas de luz em nome de jogador e dá calote

MatériaMais Notícias

Certo dia, Feliphe retornava ao alojamento do Pelotas, localizado no Estádio Boca do Lobo, quando foi surpreendido por um chamado da secretária do clube. A moça entregou ao atacante uma conta da Companhia Estadual de Energia Elétrica, ou CEEE, a empresa que gerencia a eletricidade no Rio Grande do Sul.

Morador das dependências do clube, Feliphe não entendeu, mas acabou descobrindo que o Pelotas havia registrado quatro relógios de luz das dependências da Boca do Lobo em seu nome. No final do ano, após o clube não ter pagado as contas de junho, julho, agosto, setembro e outubro, ele foi notificado pela CEEE que estava devendo.

A reportagem teve acesso às vinte contas registradas – e não pagas – em nome do atacante. Elas estão registradas no endereço Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 3390, onde está localizado o prédio que é usado de alojamento para atletas, dentro do complexo do Estádio Boca do Lobo. O valor total das contas devidas chega a R$ 5.164,20. O jogador entrará na justiça contra o clube sob supervisão do advogado Filipe Rino.

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– Pensei: “Eu tenho bens e imóveis em Pelotas e não estou sabendo”. Estava pagando luz e não sabia. A primeira conta foi logo quando cheguei, em fevereiro. A secretária parou de passar para mim e passou para eles (direção do clube). Ela disse: “Tem correspondência para ti”. Quando vi, era a conta de luz. Achei que estava errado, não tinha assinado nada com a CEEE. Depois que falei isso, as contas pararam de chegar para mim – afirma Feliphe, ao LANCE!.

O atacante, em nenhum momento, autorizou registrarem as contas de luz em seu nome. Apenas ficou sabendo após o recebimento da correspondência no alojamento da Boca do Lobo.

– Ninguém veio me pedir aval para poder por meu nome nas contas. As contas vieram no meu nome, mas não paguei. Eles pagavam antes, mas pararam. Corro risco de entrar no SPC porque eles não estavam pagando. Até então, para passar um nome, mudar o representante da conta, teria que ir na empresa e mudar para meu nome, caso eu aceitasse a condição. Acabou que não fiquei sabendo de nada. Só fiquei sabendo quando a conta chegou. Jogaram no palitinho e me escolheram – diz o jogador, que tem grande identificação com a torcida do clube pelas atuações na Série D de 2014.

Apesar de ter descoberto os registros no começo do ano, o atacante não buscou a diretoria do Pelotas para resolver o assunto. Em maio, rompeu a tíbia e a fíbula, o que resultou em operação e, posteriormente, fisioterapia. O clube parou de pagar o salário combinado e passou a depositar ao jogador um salário mínimo todo mês, o piso do INSS, até outubro, quando acabou o contrato com o clube gaúcho.

– Eu não cheguei a falar com ninguém. Estava em uma situação tão complicada, com o psicológico tão complicado. Estava sem receber, não sabia o que fazer. Estava esperando, pelo menos a questão de trabalhar, receber o que me deviam. O clube não me deu a fisioterapia. Tive que usar o meu convênio médico. Tenho conta para pagar. A situação me deixou sem reação de tudo. Fiquei seis meses sem receber – lamenta Feliphe, que fez “bicos” após se recuperar de lesão comopintor, lavador de carro e cortador de grama.

PELOTAS NEGA QUE ATLETA NÃO TINHA CONHECIMENTO DE SEU NOME NAS CONTAS

Atual presidente do clube, Flávio Gastaud era vice-presidente de futebol do Pelotas quando o nome de Feliphe foi colocado nas contas de luz do time gaúcho. Gastaud nega que o jogador não tinha conhecimento dos registros.

– O Pelotas tem onze fletes que moram os jogadores, dentro do complexo da Boca do Lobo, mas com entrada externa. Quatro jogadores pediram para colocar luz e o Feliphe colocou no nome dele, espontanemante. Ele ficou como coordenador dos fletes. Ele forneceu toda documentação. Tanto a luz quanto a televisão assinada estão sendo tiradas do nome dele – explica Flávio, ao LANCE!.

Questionado sobre os motivos de os jogadores terem de pagar a luz do alojamento do clube, o atual presidente disse:

– Como são onze fletes, havia um consumo grande de luz. Um gastava mais que o outro. O Pelotas exerceu um valor padrão para cada um. Mas o Pelotas paga todas as contas de luz. Cada um pode consumir até “x” reais. O ambiente de futebol sempre causa desconversa. A diretoria resolveu pagar as contas integralmente, de luz, água e telefonia.

Flávio Gastaud, porém, admitiu que as contas de luz ainda não foram pagas.

– Sei que tem pendência, que não é tão antiga. Todas contas que estejam em aberto, no nome dele, serão pagas pelo clube para evitar problemas com ele. Eu não posso te deixar de reconhecer que eventual pendência que tenha é do Pelotas. De maneira alguma, ele será prejudicado – completou o presidente.

O mandatário também falou sobre a forma de pagamento feita após a lesão de Feliphe, que passou a ganhar menos do que estabelecido em contrato com o Pelotas.

– Esse é o procedimento legal. Eles combinam um valor na carteira e outro no direito de imagem. A hora que o atleta se lesionou, com acidente de trabalho, passou a ganhar pela previdência paga pela média de cinco anos atrás. Como ele não tem imagem, só recebe a previdência.

Manchester City must prioritise De Bruyne’s new contract

Although Manchester City may be casting one eye ahead to the January transfer window, the board must prioritise giving Kevin De Bruyne a new contract first.

It was suggested recently by Italian Football journalist Fabrizio Romano on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast that the Citizens have begun negotiations with the Belgian midfielder over a new contract with the club.

The 29-year-old has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015, having contributed a superb 58 goals and 96 assists in 233 appearances for the Etihad Stadium outfit (per Transfermarkt).

Although his current contract is set to run until 2023, extending that further would all but ensure that he stays with City for the rest of his career, while he is still able to play at the very top.

However, with the Belgian’s superb passing and crossing ability a key part of his current game, we see no reason why he couldn’t play at the top well into his 30’s, even if he does lose a yard of place.

Therefore, the Citizens must prioritise giving the midfielder a new deal as soon as possible, to ensure that the £108 million rated maestro is fully focused on pushing City back up the league.

During his time with City, De Bruyne has won the Premier League on two occasions, the FA Cup once, and the League Cup four times (per Transfermarkt).

Securing his long-term future would give City the best chance of adding to that trophy haul, as the Belgian international demonstrated his immense quality in the Premier League last season, as he contributed 13 goals and 20 assists in 35 top-flight appearances, which earned him a season rating of 7.97 – the best of any player across the campaign (per WhoScored).

After that wonderful season, he was heavily praised by Alan Shearer on Match of the Day, with the former Newcastle United man saying:

“He’s unbelievable, that right foot is absolutely deadly and he provides ridiculous entertainment. The speed of his feet and to have the ability [to score].”

“When you’re a forward, he finds you. He’s got every right to go for goal but he’s probably trying to get the assist record, which he gets, and the weight of his pass in behind is superb.

“Whatever it is, he can do it. What a player, what a season, he’s unbelievable. I gave Player of the Year to Jordan Henderson as well but he has been a stand-out performer.” (per Manchester Evening News)

Therefore, De Bruyne is clearly a hugely important player in City’s side, and fans will be hoping that he follows Guardiola’s suit and commits his future to the club in the coming weeks.

And, in other news… Manchester City dodged a huge bullet by not signing playmarker loved by Iniesta in 2018

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