With this coming summer likely to define the future of Liverpool, the Reds and FSG appear to have their eye on one man who has been vital in the success of a fellow Premier League side.
Liverpool transfer news
After the bombshell of Jürgen Klopp's departure at the end of the season was revealed last month, it has brought the futures of many of Anfield's stars into question. Assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, as well as elite development coach Vitor Matos will leave alongside the German, leaving a number of vacancies on Merseyside.
Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool beat Chelsea in the 2022 Carabao Cup final.
Sporting director, Jorg Schmadtke also departed at the end of the January window, leaving his desk vacant for the remainder of the season. With the contracts of Mohammed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all set to expire in the summer of 2025, owners Fenway Sports Group have a lot to do on Merseyside.
Eager to have their next sporting director in place well before the summer window opens, reports have suggested that FSG are looking to their Premier League rivals for the next man to head up their recruitment.
Newcastle chief Ashworth "liked by Liverpool"
Talking to GiveMeSport, journalist Ben Jacobs discussed the potential names in contention for the empty sporting director role at Anfield, admitting that Liverpool like Newcastle United's Dan Ashworth and a move would not be "beyond the realms of possibility".
Dan Ashworth speaking with Steve Cooper.
Speaking to the outlet, Jacobs said:
“I don't see Liverpool returning for Ward because he's left more recently. That's a Manchester United candidate. I don't think Ashworth is beyond the realms of possibility because he's liked by Liverpool. I also think there's less chance that Liverpool will come in for Mitchell because they've looked at him in the past and chose not to move. So, it would be surprising if they returned for him.”
Ashworth rose to prominence as technical director at Brighton, before leaving the south coast in February 2022 to become sporting director at the Tyneside outfit. Instrumental in Newcastle's impressive fourth-placed campaign last season, the 52-year-old quickly earned plaudits for a transfer strategy that propelled the Magpies into Europe.
After it was reported late last year that Manchester United were also interested in the services of Ashworth, Newcastle boss, Eddie Howe stressed how important he is to the side, telling the club website:
“He’s connected with everything that goes on in terms of the decision-making at the club. He’s hugely important and has been a really calming influence behind the scenes, his vast experience has really helped”.
With Manchester United also on the lookout for a sporting director, Liverpool could be desperate to get any deal done quickly to avoid the disappointment of losing out to their bitter rivals. Ashworth's knowledge of the English game and pedigree at the highest level may create a fierce battle to get his signature, as he is thought to be the top target at Old Trafford.
An off-field rebuild at Anfield will likely start with a fresh face in the sporting director's position. In Ashworth, Liverpool may have a man capable of dealing with big clubs and able to deliver large-scale change in a short timeframe. Whilst Ashworth could be a real coup for the Reds, FSG may have a battle to bring him to the club.
O Fluminense segue se reforçando para fortalecer o seu elenco de olho na disputa da Libertadores. O zagueiro Manoel, que rescindiu com o Cruzeiro na segunda-feira, é esperado nesta terça para assinar contrato de 2 anos com o Tricolor das Laranjeiras. A informação foi inicialmente divulgada pelo “Ge”, e confirmada pelo LANCE!
> Confira a classificação do Campeonato Carioca
RelacionadasFluminenseApesar da sequência positiva no Carioca, setor de armação do Fluminense ainda peca; veja a análiseFluminense12/04/2021FluminenseFluminense acerta a contratação do atacante Bobadilla, do Guaraní- PARFluminense12/04/2021FluminenseFluminense faz proposta por Abel Hernández, atacante do InternacionalFluminense12/04/2021
Experiente, o zagueiro foi revelado peloAthletico-PR e defendeu o Furacão entre 2009 e 2014. Após esse período, Manoel, de 31 anos, chegou ao Cruzeiro como reforço para a temporada em que a Raposa viria a conquistar o bicampeonato consecutivo do Brasileirão. Com a camisa da Raposa, ele disputou 171 partidas.
> Confira mais notícias sobre o Fluminense
Na temporada 2019, o jogador foi emprestado ao Corinthians, e se consolidou como titular em boa parte do ano até se transferir e ter uma curta passagem pelo Trabzonspor (TUR). No ano seguinte, ele disputou o Brasileirão – Série B com a camisa do Cruzeiro.
O clube carioca acertou a contratação do zagueiro David Braz, doGrêmio, e deRaúl Bobadilla, atacante de 33 anos do Guaraní (PAR). Além deles, os nomes de Cazares, que deixou o Corinthians, e do atacante Abel Hernández, do Internacional, também estão bem encaminhados para a sequência do Fluminense na temporada.
The Tshwane Spartans coach also looks ahead to catching up with Gary Kirsten as an opponent
Liam Brickhill30-Aug-2019
Getty Images
Tshwane Spartans coach Mark Boucher is expecting “great things” from Tom Curran, the England and Surrey allrounder who will join his team as their marquee international signing for the upcoming second edition of the Mzansi Super League.Curran, 24, was part of England’s World Cup winning squad, and has been capped across all three formats. Boucher hopes Curran will bring some of the expertise and energy he gained from being part of England’s campaign, to the MSL.”He’s come from an environment in which England just won a World Cup, so that can only be good,” Boucher said. “He’s been in that side for a while. He’s been a performer at county level and for England, I’m looking forward to great things from him over here. He brings a wealth of experience but he sounds like a nice team-man as well.”Boucher has one former team-mate – AB de Villiers – in his squad and will come up against another when the competition begins in November. Gary Kirsten, who played in 167 international games alongside Boucher and also coached him at international level, has been confirmed as head coach of Durban Heat.”It’s always a pleasure being in Gary’s company, whether as a player with him, whether batting with him or whether he was my coach as was the case at the end of my career,” Boucher said. “It will be nice to have a coffee with him, check how things are going, catch up with his family.”He’ll be excited to get involved in this league and I’m sure we’ll have some nice competitive chats while we play against each other, which is the way it should be. It’s a very good thing for South African cricket that he is involved in this competition.”Boucher admitted that the inaugural edition of the MSL experienced some “teething problems”, but he remains optimistic about the future of the competition in his second season as Spartans’ coach.”There are so many different competitions around the world at the moment. It’s almost that you felt South Africa had to have its own competition as well,” Boucher said.”We had some teething problems last year and hopefully we learned from those and we can move on and make it even bigger and better. There are so many competitions, that have done really well; the IPL, the Big Bash [League], but those have got their problems as well, so we just need to manage things well and hopefully the competition goes from strength to strength.”MSL
Spartans stumbled through the first MSL season last year, finishing fifth out of six teams by winning just four of their 10 matches and missing out on a playoff spot. But there were some successes on the field too, and seamer Lutho Sipamla was one of the finds of the tournament. He burst onto the scene to finish as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 16 dismissals, and had made his T20I debut for South Africa by the end of the season.”A guy like Lutho comes into the equation, he had a fantastic season with the Warriors and a great season last time for us at the Spartans,” Boucher said. “It’s a reward for guys doing well, but also mixed with a bit of talent that we see, that we can work in this environment that can take their game a step forwards.”Sipamla will likely open the bowling alongside Lungi Ngidi, who was part of the Spartans squad last season but played no part in the competition after injuring his knee in the field while on tour in Australia.”We lost Lungi at the beginning of the competition. He was our first pick – that happens, you have guys who get injured which put us on the back foot straight away. Hopefully this year we keep all our players on the field and we can be more prepared on the field as well.”
كشفت تقارير صحفية أن أحد الأندية الإيطالية يفكر في إمكانية الحصول على خدمات نجم فريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، الصيف المقبل بمقتضى صفقة مجانية.
وسينتهي العقد الحالي للنجم المصري مع ليفربول، في صيف 2025، أي نهاية هذا الموسم.
وسبق أن صرح محمد صلاح بعدم وجود مفاوضات بينه وبين مسؤولي ليفربول، فيما يخص تمديد إقامته في “الأنفيلد”، مما ضاعف من حدة التكهنات حول مستقبله مع النادي الإنجليزي.
وذكرت تقارير صحفية أن أحد الأندية يفكر جديًا في إعادة محمد صلاح إلى الدوري الإيطالي، حيث سبق له اللعب في صفوف فيورنتينا وروما، قبل انتقاله إلى ليفربول.
وحسبما ذكرت شبكة “interlive” الإيطالية، فإن نادي إنتر ميلان لديه رغبة قوية في الحصول على خدمات محمد صلاح، وزميله في ليفربول فيرجيل فان دايك نهاية الموسم الحالي.
وينطبق وضع محمد صلاح على فيرجيل فان دايك، حيث ستنتهي صفقة الهولندي في يونيو 2025، دون وجود لأي مؤشرات حول الاتفاق على التجديد.
اقرأ أيضًا.. تقرير إنجليزي يتساءل: هل عمر مرموش القطعة المفقودة في ليفربول لمنافسة مانشستر سيتي؟
وأوضحت الشبكة، المختصة في شؤون إنتر ميلان، أن النادي الإيطالي يحلم بإبرام صفقتين من ليفربول، في ميركاتو العام الجديد.
وأفادت بأنه من الصعب للغاية أن ينتهي الأمر بـ محمد صلاح بالانضمام إلى إنتر ميلان، ولكن الرئيس التنفيذي للنادي جوزيبي ماروتا يسعى إلى القيام بمحاولة، مثلما سيفعل مع فان دايك كذلك.
ويرى إنتر ميلان أن محمد صلاح سيعزز خط هجوم إنتر ميلان، تحت قيادة المدرب سيمون إنزاجي.
وأشارت إلى أنه على الرغم من تلك الرغبة القوية، فإن شركة “أوكتري” الأمريكية المالكة لنادي إنتر ميلان قد ترفض كلتا الصفقتين.
ويأتي هذا الرفض المحتمل لكون محمد صلاح وفان دايك كبيرين في السن، 32 و33 على الترتيب، وبالتالي لا يمكن بيعهما في وقت لاحق، كما أنهما يحصلان على رواتب مرتفعة للغاية.
Agora é oficial. Na tarde desta sexta-feira, o Bahia anunciou a chegada do atacante Maycon Douglas, que estava no ABC.
Após se destacar no clube potiguar, o atleta despertou a atenção do Tricolor e agradou o técnico Dado Cavalcanti.
A chegada é um pedido da comissão técnica, que vê espaço no elenco para a contratação de peças para o setor ofensivo.
De acordo com o Bahia, Maycon Douglas, que já está em Salvador, assinou por empréstimo até o fim do ano.
RelacionadasJuventudeMatheus Peixoto sonha com classificação e artilharia do GauchãoJuventude23/04/2021GrêmioAlisson sofre lesão no tornozelo e fica fora de combate no GrêmioGrêmio23/04/2021Futebol NacionalSão Caetano contrata o lateral Gustavinho para a disputa da Copa Paulista 2021Futebol Nacional23/04/2021
Everton have had what some may call a turbulent time over the last couple of seasons.
Whether that be because they're consistently finding themselves in relegation battles or because they get handed the most severe points deduction in Premier League history. You name it, Everton have more than likely experienced it.
Fortunately, for the Toffees, their ten-point deduction has now been dropped to six after a successful appeal was accepted by an independent commission.
However, although that has turned their fortunes around for this term, this still doesn't excuse the fact of their poor form over the last three Premier League campaigns.
Financial Fair Play: What is PSR, how does it work and who's in trouble?
Leicester City have become the latest club charged with an alleged PSR breach, but what could happen next?
ByStephan Georgiou Apr 16, 2024
Since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, who left for Real Madrid in 2021, the club have failed to finish within the top half of the table, with their highest position being 15th. Whereas, when the Italian was in charge, they managed to finish in 10th and 12th.
Granted, these positions are still not as high as what Roberto Martinez managed with the side in the 2013/14 campaign or even as high as what David Moyes managed in the 2010/11 campaign, but, they are far more respectable results than what Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche have managed to attain thus far.
Frank Lampard
One of the key reasons behind Everton's under-performance can be put down to the lack of fight and form that the squad are currently undergoing.
Of their last seven games in all competitions, The Toffees have only managed to win once in what was a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the replay of their third-round FA Cup tie.
In fact, the last time that Dyche's men managed to score more than one goal in a game was all the way back in December, when they faced fellow relegation battlers, Burnley, and beat Vincent Kompany's side 2-0.
This lack of goal-scoring prowess is one of the key reasons why Everton once again find themselves fighting to retain their Premier League status.
As per Toffee Web, across the 2023/24 campaign thus far, Abdoulaye Doucoure is the club's top goalscorer with six goals.
Now, although this is a more than solid return from the midfielder, having six goals be the most any player in the team has scored across the season is fairly concerning.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is supposed to be Dyche's talisman, has only managed to bag five goals this term, one of which came in this year's edition of the Carabao Cup.
With this in mind, there's no wonder that the 11-capped England striker has now seen his value plummet.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's transfer value in 2024
As per Football Transfers, Calvert-Lewin has an estimated transfer value of around just £8m. Although this fee is likely on the lower end of the scale of what Everton would demand for him, it puts into perspective how poor he has been of late.
The striker has been Dyche's main point of attack this season, with the 26-year-old playing a total of 28 games across all competitions this term.
This number would have likely been much higher if he hadn't suffered a couple of injuries at the start of the season.
The absences in question have ruled the former Sheffield United man out for a total of five games. One of those missed came from an incident that the attacker suffered towards the back-end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Missing five games may seem like a lot for most players, but, in the case of Calvert-Lewin, this is a fairly consistent theme.
During the 6 foot 2 striker's time with the Toffees, he has been a common visitor to the treatment room. In fact, since the 2016/17 season, he has missed 81 games through injury, with a large bulk of those coming in the 2021/22 campaign.
Calvert-Lewin's injury history
Season
Injury
Games missed
2020/21
Muscle
3
2020/21
Hamstring
2
2021/22
Broken toe
32
2022/23
Knee
8
2022/23
Hamstring
3
2022/23
Hamstring
3
2023/24
Cheek
4
Data via Transfermarkt.
This injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the England international as he was just coming off the back of his most prolific season ever after managing to bag 21 goals in all competitions.
Unsurprisingly, this term was the last of which Ancelotti was in charge of the club. The Italian entrusted the youngster to help carry his team to their best finish in the last five years of tenth.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
Calvert-Lewin impressed the Real Madrid manager so much that he tried to plot a raid on his former club for a fee worth somewhere in the region of £50m for the then-England international.
When Ancelotti wanted Calvert-Lewin to join him in Madrid
For a lot of players in world football, the fee of £50m is a threshold that they will likely never reach.
However, as aforementioned, whilst in charge of the Toffees, the now 64-year-old managed to get the best out of the Everton striker that anyone before or after him has managed.
But, why on earth would Ancelotti want to spend £50m on a player who has had two strong seasons out of six?
The only time Calvert-Lewin has managed to hit double-figure returns in the goals department was when Ancelotti was his coach.
It was evident to see that the Italian knew exactly how to play to his strengths and the perfect way to extract the most out of the striker possible with the manager hailing him:
"He is a complete striker. It is not easy to find a striker with these characteristics," said Ancelotti.
"He has a lot of energy, is really fast. I am really pleased he is doing well and scoring goals because at the end a striker is judged on the goals he scores. It's a great achievement for him [the England call-up]. I hope it will not be the last. It depends on him. He is doing really well. He needs to have consistency."
Carlo Ancelotti
In a separate interview, the Italian delved deeper into the characteristics Calvert-Lewin possesses which make him the "complete striker."
"He is fast, has good skills, is strong in the air and works extremely hard for the team. He also has a fantastic mentality, and his desire to improve has impressed me ever since I came to the club," he said.
"Dominic has all the attributes to become one of the best strikers in England and in Europe."
Despite receiving this amount of praise from the only manager to ever win each of Europe's top five leagues, due to the injuries he sustained which stopped his momentum and due to Everton losing some key players over the years, the striker has yet to fulfil the hype in which Ancelotti surrounded him with. Indeed, perhaps the regret cashing in a few years ago when his market value was so high.
Spinner admits he thought he would be watching series at home – but now keen to prove his worth as a bowler
Matt Roller26-Aug-2019Vishwa Fernando’s 6, Monty Panesar’s 7, Clive Eksteen’s 4… and now Jack Leach’s 1.The list of the greatest unbeaten single-figure innings in Test history is not a prestigious one, but its members all share cult-hero status. In no other sport are players so prominently exposed for their inability in one facet of the game – Neymar wouldn’t make much of a centre-back, but he doesn’t ever have to spend 30 minutes trying to rescue a point there – and while those who fail are mocked, success as a tailender can turn an unremarkable player into a legend.ALSO READ: From Vishwa to Panesar – six great single-figure inningsLeach’s 60-minute, 17-ball epic in a remarkable last-wicket stand of 76 with Ben Stokes to haul England across the line at Headingley could so easily have been forgotten. Stokes offered a difficult catch to Marcus Harris at third man, repeatedly cleared fielders on the rope by the finest of margins, and would have been lbw but for the absence of DRS; if any of those had turned out differently, Leach’s efforts would have been an irrelevance.Instead, he found himself exalted.”I don’t know what it is,” he said. “It’s probably because I look like a village cricketer out there in my glasses, the bald head – maybe people think ‘that could be me!’ All the others look pretty professional.”The support’s been amazing, the support today for all of us was incredible. The noise was insane, and I’m just enjoying playing for England.”While wiping his glasses before facing each ball made him a subject of amusement, Somerset’s former strength and conditioning coach Daz Veness paid tribute to his “outstanding mental strength”.”Bat down, gloves off, helmet off, glasses off, glasses cleaned, everything back on in reverse order,” he tweeted. “You’ll bowl when I’m ready and my mate has caught his breath. And not before.” In the manner that county team-mate Marcus Trescothick has done in the final years of his career, Leach – who cannot wear contact lenses because he suffers from astigmatism – managed to dictate the pace of the game throughout his stay at the crease.”I just have to make sure they are clean every time they were facing up because I would really regret it if it had been smudged,” he said, “and then they zoom in on the glasses and say ‘he didn’t clean his glasses’.”I just had to stay calm and do the job at hand. I felt good out there, I was really focused on what I needed to do.”Generally left to face a ball or two at the end of an over, Leach left, ducked, weaved and defended his way out of trouble. “I got on with it,” he said, “and it [the target] quite quickly seemed to go down. Suddenly it’s eight to win, and you’re like ‘oh my God’.”It is all a bit of a blur to be honest. I didn’t want to get in Stokesy’s bubble when he was doing really well, hitting those sixes. I didn’t want to say too much but I also wanted him to just focus on the next ball, especially when we got close.”He said in the changing room that he got nervous when it was down to eight. It seemed so close but the way we were playing it was still quite far away. I just wanted him to focus on every ball, and if it was there he would hit it for six.”Jack Leach wipes the sweat from his glasses during his innings of one not out•Getty Images
There was, of course, the run-out-that-wasn’t. If Nathan Lyon had managed to gather the ball as Leach found himself stranded halfway down the pitch, the narrative around his innings would be starkly different.”That was not a nice moment,” Leach said. “There were two balls left so I thought [Stokes] might squeeze a single so that I could face one and he’d have the next over. But it’s all good. I don’t want to focus on that moment – I want to focus on running down to Stokes when he hit the winning runs.”And so he might. If his team-mates’ hardships rarely seem to extend beyond a bad run of form, it is worth reflecting on the multiple setbacks that Leach has overcome on his ascent to the Test side.He suffers from Crohn’s disease, a bowel condition that is often triggered by stress. In 2015, he fractured his skull after fainting on his way to the toilet in the middle of the night. The next summer, his hopes of an international call-up were twice set back; first by comments from his county captain Chris Rogers that he was not “emotionally” ready, then by the news that routine tests at Loughborough had revealed an illegal kink in his bowling action.Last summer, he found out he had broken his thumb the day before he was set to be announced in the Test squad to play Pakistan. A concussion suffered after being hit by a Morne Morkel bouncer then cost him the chance to prove his form ahead of the India series, and he was again left out.Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that Leach revealed he thought he would “be watching at home” during this series.Childhood friends Jos Buttler and Jack Leach celebrate England’s win•Getty Images
“I wanted to be ready to play and not presume anything,” he said. “It’s been a tough lead-in because obviously the county cricket has been all T20 stuff, my last long bowl was the Australia A game [for the England Lions in July] which was quite a while ago. That’s been a challenge but I’ve tried to stay ready through training, and my opportunity has come about so I’m trying to make the most of it.”If those comments are damning on the suitability of the county fixture list, they also serve to add to Leach’s status as a normal bloke. To stay match-fit between the Ireland Test and his Ashes debut at Lord’s, he went home to play for his club side, Taunton Deane. Once part of the Cardiff MCCU production line under Mark O’Leary, he is an example to every club, university, and county cricketer as to what can be achieved with sheer dedication.It is important, too, to remember that Leach has bowled well in his two opportunities this series. Since Graeme Swann’s retirement, England have longed for a spinner who can tie down an end at home; for all Moeen Ali’s mercurial talents, he has generally been a wicket-taker rather than a defensive option.So Leach’s economy rate of 2.64 in this series has been just as important as his five wickets. Moving into the final two Tests, at the traditionally more spin-friendly venues in the country, he will be expected to play a role of increasing importance.”I think I have more to offer with the ball,” he said, “and hopefully I’m able to show that over the next couple of games. Obviously the last couple of times I’ve been doing media stuff at the end of games it’s been for my batting, which is mad! I want to be helping the team out with the ball primarily, and I’m looking to bring my best to Old Trafford.”
كشف زكريا ناصف عضو لجنة التخطيط بالنادي الأهلي، حقيقة وجود خلافات مع مارسيل كولر المدير الفني للفريق وأسباب التباطؤ في إبرام الصفقات وعدم إتمام التعاقد مع التونسي محمد بن رمضان.
وقال ناصف في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “الأهلي”: “النادي الأهلي مؤسسة، ويلتزم بتوزيع الاختصاصات، لجنة التخطيط هي المسؤولة مع محمود الخطيب عن قطاع كرة القدم، الفريق الأول والناشئين والكرة النسائية”.
وأكد: “نخطط لوجود لعبة كرة الصالات في الأهلي، الأندية العالمية تسير على هذا النهج، والأهلي الآن تصنيفه عالمي، ولذلك لا بد أن تواكب حتى لو ببطء، ما جعل الأهلي عالمي الفوز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا والمشاركة في كأس العالم للأندية”.
وأضاف: “الناس يغضبون من بُطء الصفقات لكن الأهلي ليس طرفًا وحيدًا في الصفقة، هناك ناد ووكلاء ولاعبون آخرون أسرهم يتدخلون، في النادي الأهلي يوجد بند الإعارة، لإنتاج لاعبين يعودون لنا بعد تألقهم، المعيار هو قوام الفريق ورؤية النادي المستقبلية ورؤية المدير الفني، ولا يوجد نزاع بين لجنة التخطيط وكولر كما يتردد”.
خالد مسعد: فضلت مشاركة الأّهلي على أندية أوروبية في مهرجان اعتزالي
وأوضح: “عندما تولينا المسؤولية في البداية كان الفريق يعاني من أزمات وكان لا بد أن نضع خطة، كان هناك 6 لاعبين يلعبون بقدمهم اليسرى، ولا يوجد بديل لـ حسام عاشور، على مدار الفترة الماضية كل المدربين السابقين حققوا بطولات”.
وتابع: “وأيضًا كان قطاع الناشئين يعاني من أزمة لأن العدد كبير، مدرسة الكرة كان بها 500 لاعب، الآن بها 150 لاعبًا فقط، نُقلل من أجل العمل مع أفضل جودة، ولدينا كوادر جيدة مثل وليد سليمان ومحمد شوقي”.
وواصل: “دائمًا ننظر لقوام الفريق لنحدد النواقص، بعد إصابة علي معلول كان لا بد أن نتحرك سريعًا لاستقطاب بديل، وهذا ما حدث”.
وكشف ناصف: “محمد بن رمضان كان سعره عاليًا فرفضنا التعاقد معه، الآن لدينا 4 لاعبين أجنحة، و2 مهاجمين، يتبقى مهاجم، ويتبقى لدينا مكان للاعب أجنبي، وبناءً على رؤية النادي نملك الوقت، الناس يريدون إبرام الصفقات بضغطة زر، المدير الفني هو صاحب القرار وارد أن يحتاج للاعب في مركز معين، ثم يغير رأيه”.
وأردف: “سنتعاقد مع صفقة قبل غلق القيد وربما تكون محلية أو أجنبية، تم عرض العديد من الأسماء علينا، لكن لجنة الإسكاوتنج تستغرق الوقت في عملها، ونعرض على كولر، نشعر بالقلق كالجماهير ونحزن مثلهم ولا نقصر”.
وشدد: “لا نعاني من أزمات في أي مركز بالفريق وحتى إذا لم نضم لاعبًا جديدًا وتم تأجيل الصفقة ليناير المقبل، اسم الأهلي يُصنف خليجيًا أكثر منه إفريقيًا، لأن بعد أن حققت المكسب على الهلال والاتحاد أصبحت نظرة الجميع لك أنك غني ولكننا بالتأكيد نمر بأزمة دولار”.
إستاد أبيدجان محذرًا الأهلي: سنكون الحصان الأسود في دوري أبطال إفريقيا
وتطرق ناصف للحديث عن معايير انضمام اللاعبين للأهلي ورحيلهم: “قرار المدير الفني هو الحاسم في مشاركة أي لاعب، يجب أن يتواجد لاعبون في كل مركز، بالإضافة للاعب جوكر، حاليًا الفريق يمتلك أكثر من جوكر مثل أكرم توفيق وعمر كمال وطاهر محمد طاهر، وليس بالضرورة أن كل لاعب جيد يتم التعاقد معه يظل جيدًا، وارد ألا يتأقلم، والمدير الفني له صلاحيات في مشاركة أي لاعب”.
واستطرد: “يتم عقد جلسات مع كولر، لكن ليس بعد كل مباراة، وهو متفهم جدًا وأحيانًا يطلب رأينا، ولم تحدث خلافات إطلاقًا بينه وبين محسن صالح، وتحركنا بعد السوبر الإفريقي لأنه وارد أن يأتي وقت تكون مجبرًا على تعديل قراراتك بسبب متغيرات، وفكرة المدير الرياضي كانت مطروحة لكنها كانت تحتاج للوقت المناسب”.
وأتم: “اللاعبون بالتأكيد لديهم شعور بالمسؤولية، ريال مدريد لم يبدأ الموسم بشكل جيد، بالتأكيد نشعر بالقلق بعد خسارة السوبر الإفريقي، ولا نعاني من مشاكل في غرفة الملابس ولا مشاكل مع المدير الفني، ومهمتنا توفير المناخ الجيد للمدير الفني واللاعبين”.
Tottenham Hotspur have plateaued of late and it is a concern that Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to solve as he targets Champions League qualification this season.
Aston Villa's advantage in fourth place is slender, only two points, but last weekend's home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers has sparked worry in north London.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou.
Inconsistency has long been an issue at Tottenham and while progress has been made under Postecoglou's leadership this term, there is a long way to go before the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are matched at the summit of English football.
Still, Postecoglou wields a talented crop of players, with summer signings such as James Maddison and Micky van de Ven joining the likes of Cristian Romero and Heung-min Son.
The younger stars are also among the finest across Europe, with Pape Matar Sarr, 21 years old, looking like one of the finest rising talents in England.
The fee Spurs paid for Pape Sarr
Back in the summer of 2021, Tottenham were at a crossroads, with Jose Mourinho's project proving to be a bitter failure. Nuno Espirito Santo, perhaps slightly disappointingly, was appointed.
He, too, flattered to deceive down N17 and was relieved of his duties just 17 matches into his tenure, but one of his greatest successes in this snapshot period was the £15m signing of talented teenager Sarr from French side Metz.
Pape Matar Sarr
Sarr, 18 at the time, was recognised for his multi-functionality but he wasn't ready for Premier League football and so returned to Metz on a season-long loan.
That much he was prepared for, and while he ebbed and flowed from form in Ligue 1, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano had been coloured impressed and revealed that he had been informed of the player's Paul Pogba-esque attributes.
Pape Sarr's market value in 2024
Now, Sarr is fast-rising as one of Tottenham's most valuable squad members, having already eclipsed that £15m fee paid for his services back in 2021.
Indeed, according to CIES Football Observatory's valuation model, the 18-cap Senegal international has been appraised at around £43m, though, in truth, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy would likely demand an even greater fee to grant his departure from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, just that £43m figure marks a 187% increase in value, and barring any unforeseen external factors, this will continue to burgeon over the coming years.
Last year, Sarr was an unknown, if promising commodity, but his market value has skyrocketed in such a short time after his exploits throughout the current campaign.
Pape Sarr's season by numbers
Sarr truly has the making of a first-rate midfield machine at the top of the game. Sarr is crisp. He is cultured; he is combative.
Above all, Sarr is calm. Equanimity sits at the centre of his skill set, allowing him to read the game expertly, perusing it as if a compelling novel, identifying chinks in the opposition's armour and marrying this trait with an intelligence that allows him to strike at the perfect moment.
Last season, Tottenham struggled to mesh the cogs together but the Senegalese talent was a bright spark, only used sporadically but showcasing his skills and notably impressing when forced into a starting berth at the San Siro during the Champions League last-16, winning five tackles and nine duels against AC Milan.
The framework had been settled. Perhaps there was some uncertainty about how well Sarr would take to life under Postecoglou's influence, but this was swiftly wiped away as he thrived when entrusted with a big role in the system.
Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr celebrating a goal.
Across his 21 Premier League outings this season, the 6 foot midfielder has posted three goals and two assists, completed 89% of his passes and averaged 0.9 key passes, 1.1 tackles, 4.9 ball recoveries and 3.2 successful duels per match, as per Sofascore.
He also ranks among the top 10% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 11% for assists, the top 20% for pass completion, the top 13% for progressive passes and the top 28% for both progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
Pape Matar Sarr: Similar PL Players
#
Player
Club
1.
Rodri
Manchester City
2.
Ross Barkley
Luton Town
3.
Douglas Luiz
Aston Villa
Source: FBref
His selfsame style as Rodri, midfield linchpin at Manchester City, is possibly the most glowing endorsement that can be attributed to his potential, with energy, composure and all-action brilliance staples of Rodri's approach with the Premier League champions.
It would be a brave person to argue against Rodri's title as the best holding midfielder in the business, with his manager, Pep Guardiola, stating that "he's the best midfield player in the current world by far" – he's probably not wrong.
In the English top-flight this year, the 27-year-old has played 21 times, scoring six goals and placing three assists for his peers, also completing 93% of his passes, averaging 2.2 tackles and 7.1 ball recoveries per clash while succeeding with 78% of his dribbles and 61% of his duels.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
The £220k-per-week monster also ranks among the top 7% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 11% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for pass completion, passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 10% for progressive carries and the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90.
There's no such thing as infallible in football, but the Spaniard's patently been performing to a standard that will leave his signature hung in the halls of the Premier League's all-time greats.
Sarr is possibly not quite as innately solid in his defensive duties but he is sharpening a deadly attacking instinct to complement his core clutch of qualities that make him one of the most exciting midfielders across the continent, already noted for his "top-class" efforts in English football by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
The road ahead is long and tiring, but it is the path that Sarr must walk if he is to emulate Rodri and take the qualities that have already drawn comparisons and shape them into some unquestionably world-class.
Still, there are worse players to be compared to; it's a testament to Sarr's captivating ability and the possibilities that lie ahead.