Tag Futebol

Celtic maintained their excellent domestic form on Sunday lunchtime with Ange Postecoglou’s men overcoming a bogey ground for the Hoops in recent years.

Indeed, the Bhoys had only won one of their last six visits to the Tony Macaroni Arena before they defeated Livingston 3-0 today.

It was a comfortable victory as Celtic opened up their advantage at the top of the Premiership table to four points.

Greg Taylor was one of the stars of the show, as he picked up the official man of the match award on what was his 100th appearance for the club.

He notched the game’s second goal shortly after the interval, meaning he has now scored in consecutive matches after previously finding the net just once in his 181 career outings up to that point.

That said, the full-back wasn’t the only one to put in a convincing performance this weekend.

Part of the praise must go Kyogo Furuhashi’s way, as he swatted aside the doubters to rediscover his form.

The Japanese striker had been part of a big problem that saw Celtic struggle for goals in the Champions League with Postecoglou’s men failing to find the back of the net in Europe’s elite competition before Giorgos Giakoumakis scored against Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.

Kyogo had looked toothless in that competition and with only two goals in his last ten matches prior to today, there was an easy case for his Greek teammate to be given the nod up top instead.

However, calls for that may well stop after the win at Livi, with the former scoring a thunderous left-footed strike in the first half before the latter missed a penalty after coming off the bench.

The goal was classic Kyogo, as the forward peeled off the last man, darted in behind and then lashed the ball home.

It was an expertly taken strike with Sky Sports commentator, Ian Crocker, claiming it was a “masterclass in finishing” from the 27-year-old.

Few would argue against that, with the Japan international proving in his time at Celtic that he is a ruthless finisher. Today was his 29th in the famous green and white hoops and of all of those strikes, today was likely one of his most satisfying.

During his 80 minutes on the pitch, he didn’t see much possession, with just 25 touches and 15 passes, but all that mattered was the one that left his boot in the ninth minute.

It was a welcome return to form and one that he will be hoping has sent a message to Postecoglou and his critics – ‘doubt me at your peril’.

Immediately, Kyogo has gone from a player who should be dropped to someone who must now be one of the first names on the team sheet again.

His “world-class” movement, as hailed by Jota, has the potential to cause big danger for Real Madrid in a few days’ time.

West Bromwich Albion finally decided that enough was enough with Steve Bruce on Monday, as the club’s hierarchy decided to part ways with the 61-year-old.

Under-21s boss Richard Beale took over whilst the managerial search goes on, and today they had to travel to a Reading side who occupy a play-off spot. The Royals remain there despite a sensational away victory for the Baggies, which made a mockery of the form book.

Before today, West Brom were on an eight-match run in the Championship without a win. However, following today’s result, they have finally crawled out of the relegation zone.

Whilst there were a few star performers for Beale this afternoon, and despite surrendering 58% of the ball to Reading, it was Taylor Gardner-Hickman whose clinical quality won them the match.

Despite Matt Phillips being the man to open the scoring, earning a SofaScore rating of 7.0, he was far outplayed by the youngster, who was handed the second-highest rating of anyone on the field with 8.0.

The versatile gem was deployed in central midfield alongside Jake Livermore in a 3-4-3 system, and in addition to teeing up Phillips for the opener, he also managed to nab a goal himself to secure the result.

His insistence on creating was outlined in the fact that he lost the ball 18 times, suggesting that he often came up short in pursuit of that killer ball.

The 20-year-old, who has previously been dubbed “a cut above the rest” and “menacing” by journalists Joe Ellis and Alex Dickens respectively, showed once again why he has earned these plaudits in the past. However, it was the youngster’s defensive work which truly made him shine today.

Gardner-Hickman won seven tackles this afternoon, also making three interceptions in midfield. He was everywhere on the pitch, and the fact that his two goal contributions came despite his team having less of the ball than their opponents further outlines his proficiency.

When West Brom really needed someone to step up and be a hero to end their miserable run, it was an academy graduate who stole the show with an immense performance.

Everton have had their ups and downs when it comes to their recruitment strategy under the ownership of Farhad Moshiri and have spent well over £500m on transfer disasters since he joined the club in 2016.

Despite their financial struggles and relegation concerns over the last 18 months, it hasn’t entirely been a poor strategy from the powers at Goodison Park, something that we are starting to see this season after signing eight new players over the summer transfer window.

Everton are now 11th in the Premier League table, matching their bitter Merseyside rivals Liverpool for points at the moment, something that has been achieved with the help of new recruits like James Tarkowski, Conor Coady and Amadou Onana over their first eight outings in the top flight so far.

However, there is one player who has been with the team since 2017 that has been one of the stand-out performers in the team over the campaign to date, as Jordan Pickford has been Lampard’s saviour on many occasions.

The Sunderland-born goalkeeper joined Everton for £30m in a club record fee at the time and has proven that he has been worth every single penny in a rare Moshiri transfer masterclass.

This season, Pickford has the third highest save percentage in the entire Premier League (84.2%), with only Bournemouth’s Neto (92.9%) ahead of him. Meanwhile, he has the joint most saves made (30) alongside Nick Pope and David Raya.

His most notable performance came in the Merseyside Derby when Pickford made a whopping eight saves against Jurgen Klopp’s side to deliver his team a point, collecting the Man of the Match award for his outstanding contributions throughout the game.

Frank Lampard is a huge admirer of the England number one, and lavished praise on Pickford for his performance against Liverpool:

“I’ve relied on Jordan a lot he’s an amazing keeper and we’re fortunate to have a player of this level.”

The talented 28-year-old who was dubbed a “hero” by BBC broadcaster John Bennett during their relegation fight, has also been attracting transfer interest with reports that Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in signing the ‘keeper. However, he remains in contract at Goodison Park until the summer of 2024.

With that being said, Lampard will be incredibly thankful that Pickford has returned to action after sustaining an injury, as the season certainly looks like it’s in safe hands for Everton with the England stopper in fine form.

Fulham manager Marco Silva has ‘approved’ a move for Paris Saint-Germain defender Layvin Kurzawa, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Kurzawa deal made priority

The 29-year-old has been told that he is free to leave the Parc des Princes this summer after falling down the pecking order under new manager Christophe Galtier.

The Daily Mail first credited Fulham with an interest in the left-back earlier this week, before it was revealed that the Cottagers have made it their ‘priority’ to bring him to the Premier League ahead of deadline day.

The Latest: Silva gives green light

Taking to Twitter, Romano reports that Fulham’s deal for Kurzawa has been ‘approved’ by Silva, with fresh discussions expected ‘in the next days’.

“Negotiations between Fulham and PSG for Layvin Kurzawa will continue in the next days, new round of talks scheduled. Kurzawa, approved by Fulham manager Marco Silva.

“The two clubs are considering a permanent transfer – it’s still under discussion.”

The Verdict: Perfect signing

Whilst recent seasons at PSG haven’t been the most enjoyable, you can see exactly why Silva has given Fulham the green light to go ahead with this move.

The Frenchman has clocked up 23 assists throughout his career, highlighting his attacking strengths down the flank, and would bring plenty of experience and success to Craven Cottage, having won a remarkable 18 trophies during his time in Ligue 1.

Should he put pen to paper in this huge week ahead, Kurzawa would provide excellent competition and cover for Joe Bryan and Antonee Robison on that left-hand side.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a quiet summer transfer window so far, with Bruno Lage only securing two permanent signings. Nathan Collins has arrived from Burnley while the club have also signed Goncalo Guedes for a fee of £27.5m.

However, two new faces alone will not likely be enough for Lage to lead Wolves to another top-half finish this season. The manager did hint at “three of four” new signings before the end of the transfer window and this is news all the Molineux faithful would have been dying to hear.

One player that could be heading to the Premier League side shortly is midfielder Boubacar Traore, with Wolves presenting French club Metz with two proposals in order to take the player, who Metz have valued at £18m, away from them.

French outlet Republican-Lorrain have claimed that Wolves are leading the chase for Traore and Lage could sign him on loan for the season for €6m (£5m) with an option to buy for €8m (£6.7m) next summer. The second proposal for the player is a loan deal now with an obligation to buy next summer for €10m (£8.4m).

It is made clear in the report that Wolves are the only side to put in a concrete offer and Lage could be adding to his side shortly if all goes to plan.

The midfielder, dubbed as “exploding” by manager Frederic Antonetti, clearly has the potential to form an interesting duo with Ruben Neves in the heart of the Wolves midfield.

The 20-year-old’s impressive defensive attributes could give Neves more freedom to push forward in order to give more support to the club’s stagnating front line.

Traore ranks in the top 1% compared to positional peers in the top five European leagues for pressures (29.25 per 90) and in the top 11% for dribbles completed (1.30 per 90) and with Joao Moutinho, Neves’ regular midfield partner only making 18.42 pressures per match and completing 0.52 dribbles, Traore could be viewed as an upgrade.

Indeed, with Moutinho turning 36 years of age in September, the signing of a new long-term partner for Neves in the heart of Lage’s midfield would certainly appear to be a wise move for the manager to make this summer – with the prospect of Traore and the 25-year-old linking up together certainly looking have the potential to be incredibly deadly for the Old Gold.

It’s clear the 20-year-old has massive potential and if Lage could secure his signing, then it could totally rejuvenate the Wolves’ midfield.

Newcastle United have made three signings so far this summer, and a reliable source has made a big transfer claim on the club’s plans for the final few weeks of the transfer window.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, the Magpies will move in on “two or three” more targets this summer.

The Italian told GIVEMESPORT: “I can see Newcastle moving on two or three targets. It depends also in this case on the outgoings, but they will be in for a striker and a creative midfielder.”

Big boost for Howe

This claim from Romano is a big boost for Eddie Howe and the St James’ Park faithful as they set out in their efforts to climb the Premier League table for a top ten finish this season, as adding players to continue strengthening the squad should only the Newcastle manager in an even greater position to achieve that target.

Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett have already signed permanently this summer, but as the transfer insider stated, Howe is still keen to add another attacking player and a centre-forward before the window slams shut on September 1st, and Newcastle are not short of speculated targets.

The Magpies have been linked with a number of attacking players including James Maddison, Timo Werner and Anthony Gordon to name a few, but so far the club haven’t been able advance upon their interest on those named, with two bids rejected for the Leicester playmaker already.

Howe has spoken out on the club’s current transfer plans for incomings in his pre-match press conference ahead of their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest (via Chronicle Live), saying: “Nothing has progressed any further, the situation has remained the same since we signed our last signing.

“We’re working hard to try and add to the group, we’re active in the market and we’ll wait and see if we can add players before the window shuts.”

In the second half of last season, Newcastle were a formidable force, putting in impressive performances as they gained 38 points from 23 matches between November, when the manager joined the club, and April.

With that being said, Howe will be hoping that by the time the transfer window shuts, the club will have done enough to ensure that he can continue to churn out three-point performances going into the new season to secure a respectable finishing position in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace have recently been linked with signing Brazilian forward Matheus Nascimento, and the striker could be an excellent prospective long-term addition to Patrick Vieira’s side.

What’s the word?

It was reported recently that Palace had been in talks for the Botafogo man, who has also attracted interest from Champions League holders Real Madrid.

However, the Eagles hold an advantage over the Spanish giants because co-owner John Textor is also a majority shareholder in Botafogo, which is likely to make any potential deal significantly easier to complete.

The report claims that the 18-year-old has been offered the chance to continue his development in the Premier League, having established himself at the Estadio Nilton Santos in recent years with eight goals in his first 45 appearances for the Brazilian outfit.

In a recent interview with FootballFanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke discussed the potential signing of Nascimento.

He said: “They do have a link here with their co-owner being part-owner of Botafogo as well, so maybe they can use that to try and get a deal done for Nascimento. He’s really highly regarded in Brazil, still only young as well so if they’re able to get this signing done I’m sure it’s a signing that all Crystal Palace fans would look forward to seeing.”

Supporters will love it

Palace do seem to hold the edge over Real Madrid in this particular transfer which will delight fans in itself.

Considering Los Blancos’ record of recruiting from Brazil, with Marcelo, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo some notable recent examples, you would hope that Nascimento has a similarly promising future ahead of him.

While it is unlikely that the 18-year-old would feature in Palace’s first team right away, signing him now would allow him to adjust to English football before making an impact in the future.

The prospect of signing young talents from abroad is always an exciting one for fans, and the Selhurst Park faithful will surely be thrilled to hear that the Eagles could win the race for Nascimento.

AND in other news… Bid made: Crystal Palace in talks for “superb” £13m signing, he’s Gini Wijnaldum 2.0

Manchester United are interested in signing Portuguese striker Joao Felix from Spanish side Atletico Madrid this summer but face competition from Premier League rivals.

What’s the story?

According to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha, United want to bring Felix to Old Trafford, but they face competition from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur who are also interested.

The report also explains how United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League could complicate the deal and give the London clubs an advantage.

With The Red Devils now without Edinson Cavani who has departed, they are short of options up front so are looking to recruit a striker.

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He’s what Erik Ten Hag needs

Last season the little United relied heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo for goals. He scored an impressive 24 and although he couldn’t propel them to Champions League qualification he was the reason they qualified for the Europa League.

However, if United are to recapture their past successes under new manager Erik Ten Hag, they can’t rely on a 37-year-old who is probably only going to be around for one more season.

They need to plan ahead, and signing Felix would represent that. The striker grabbed headlines when he moved to Atletico Madrid from Benfica for £113m in 2019.

As a teenager, it was always going to be difficult to live up to the price tag, although he has been directly involved in 44 goals in 110 appearances for the club which isn’t a bad return.

The £63m-rated star has been described as “outstanding” by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

It’s easy to write him off as he has been around for a few years and not yet reached the levels expected, but at only 22 years of age, he has got a lot more to give, and working under a coach like Ten Hag would benefit him.

The Dutch manager has a record of nurturing young players while managing Ajax – with the club having produced names such as Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech and Matias de Ligt during his tenure.

Moving to Manchester would allow Felix to take advantage of what playing for a big club brings commercially as well as being a catalyst for the re-build.

Once more, he can spend his first season at the club learning from his compatriot – and one of the best strikers of all time – Ronaldo.

If he were to move to Chelsea then he would have the pressure of coming straight in and being expected to score 20 plus goals to try and lead them to a title.

He needs to move to a club where he will be afforded time to develop and reach the potential he undoubtedly has, and United is the perfect place for that at the moment.

AND in other news: Ten Hag closes in on Man Utd swoop for £54m-rated “genius”, he’s a big upgrade on Fred…

Enrico Camelio has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments made while speaking on Italian radio station Radio Radio (via Sport Witness), the Italian journalist revealed that, according to a source in London, both AS Roma and Lazio are interested in a move for the 26-year-old – who has been deemed surplus to requirements by Antonio Conte – in the summer transfer window.

Regarding the interest in the France international, Camelio said: “We received a message around 1.30 am from a London source, and informed us of the interest of Rome and Lazio in the midfielder.

“We then crossed paths, certainly finding confirmations on the Biancocelesti, while we are working on the Giallorossi. [Jose] Mourinho wants a powerful player and he is the ideal figure. He would come on loan.”

Conte will be buzzing

Considering just how poor Ndombele has been for Spurs ever since his £63m move to north London in 2019, the news that both Roma and Lazio are interested in taking the midfielder off Tottenham’s hands this summer is sure to have left Conte buzzing.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances in 2021/22 – only three of which came under the 52-year-old manager – the £27m-rated talent was in disappointing form. He scored just one goal, provided one assist and created one big chance for his team-mates, completing an average of just 0.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and 25.6 passes and winning 3.6 duels per game.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

These returns saw the £200k-per-week Frenchman, who John Wenham dubbed “laughable”, average a shocking SofaScore match rating of 6.58, ranking him as Spurs’ second-worst performer in the league.

However, it was not only last season in which Ndombele turned in largely below-par performances, with the 26-year-old also earning uninspiring seasonal SofaScore ratings of 6.85 in 2019/20 and 6.90 in 2020/22.

As such, considering his hefty weekly wage and his disastrous returns on the pitch, the news that both Roma and Lazio seem serious in their interest in the former Lyon starlet is undoubtedly fantastic news for both Tottenham and the player, as it is clear that a parting of the ways would best suit both parties this summer.

AND in other news: Huge Bastoni transfer twist now emerges, Spurs supporters will be buzzing

Liverpool have been heavily linked to Darwin Nunez and the speculation has certainly ramped up since it was reported that Sadio Mane may leave this summer, but now a new update has emerged that suggests the Reds may have made their move.

What’s the latest?

According to Portuguese news outlet Record, Liverpool have now made a club-record offer for the Benfica star.

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As per the report, the Merseyside giants are said to have tabled an offer of €100m (£85m) to secure a deal for Nunez this summer.

The news has further been backed up by Dominic King this morning with the popular journalist tweeting:

“Liverpool want to sign Darwin Nunez and are prepared to smash their transfer record to get him.”

Klopp loves him

There is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp will be thrilled to have Nunez join the squad at Anfield, and clearly already loves him as he was full of praise for the striker when Liverpool faced Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season.

The German coach claimed in his pre-match press conference for the second tie (via Sky Sports Premier League):

“An extremely good looking boy eh?! He was calm for the finish. He is good, really good. If he stays healthy, he has a big career ahead of him.”

Nunez who was hailed a “diamond” by Steve McManaman has been attracting attention from some of the biggest clubs in the world following a highly impressive season for Benfica, with Manchester United and Atletico Madrid both name-dropped as interested parties by King in his aforementioned tweet.

The 22-year-old has scored 34 goals and contributed four assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for his Portuguese side which is phenomenal for a youngster, and his 26 league goals saw him become the top goal-scorer in the Primeira Liga during the 2021/22 campaign.

It is clear that Klopp views the goal machine as a good fit for his formidable forward line that already boasts top talent like Mohamed Salah and he would be an idyllic replacement for Mane’s goal contributions should the Senegalese winger move on this summer.

With that being said, if Liverpool can beat their competitors for the signing by making the club record-breaking transfer bid there will be high expectations on the young striker to adopt a lot of responsibility in the front three next season.

AND in other news: Liverpool plot bid to sign “glorious” £64m “nightmare”, he’s better than Darwin Nunez