يبحث نادي برشلونة عن التعاقد مع مهاجم جديد خلال الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي، من أجل تدعيم صفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بطلب من المدرب، رونالد كومان.
وتخلى برشلونة عن لويس سواريز قبل أسبوع، ووافق على فسخ تعاقده مع اللاعب الأوروجوياني الذي انتقل إلى أتلتيكو مدريد بسبب راتبه السنوي المرتفع.
اقرأ أيضًا.. حرب منتظرة بين برشلونة ووكيل فاتي
ولكن هذا لا يتعارض مع نية برشلونة في ضم مهاجم جديد، حيث يضع مهاجم أولمبيك ليون ومنتخب هولندا، ممفيس ديباي، كهدف أول لمركز المهاجم بعد استبعاد، لاوتارو مارتينيز.
لكن المفاجأة هنا هي ما كشفت عنه شبكة “كواترو” الإسبانية، والتي أكدت على أن برشلونة يدرس التعاقد مع مهاجم إسبانيول ونادي ريال مدريد الأسبق، راؤول دي توماس.
ويريد برشلونة استغلال هبوط جاره الكتالوني إلى الدرجة الثانية الإسبانية من أجل التفاوض على ضم راؤول الذي يعد أحد أبناء ريال مدريد وخريج “كاستيا” في عام 2015.
وبحسب الشبكة الشهيرة أن برشلونة قد استفسر عن إمكانية التعاقد مع دي توماس، الذي يمتلك شرطًا جزائيًا في عقده مع إسبانيول قيمته 60 مليون يورو.
لكن ما قد يسهل مهمة برشلونة في ضم اللاعب بمبلغ أقل من المطلوب هو راتب راؤول الكبير مع إسبانيول في الوقت الحالي، وهو ما قد يجبرهم على الاستغناء عنه بسبب هبوطهم للدرجة الثانية.
وكان إسبانيول قد تعاقد مع دي توماس في يناير الماضي من بنفيكا مقابل 25 مليون يورو، في محاولة لإنقاذ الفريق من الهبوط إلى الدرجة الثانية، لكن في النهاية فشل.
Brighton beat Crystal Palace for the second time this season on Saturday, and Roy Hodgson’s performance on the day was nothing short of abysmal.
Selhurst Park has seen just three league victories for the Eagles all year, and Saturday’s clash against Brighton didn’t exactly go to plan either.
The Seagulls took the lead in the first half when Glenn Murray capitalised on a mistake from James Tomkins, but Luka Milivojevic levelled from the spot for the hosts.
Anthony Knockaert decided the outcome of the match with a stunning strike though, cutting inside Patrick van Aanholt and curling a wonderful effort into the far top corner.
While the visitors deserve immense credit for taking the few chances that fell their way, the blame for the Eagles should be place entirely on Hodgson, whose team selection and game management were downright absurd.
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The wrong midfield
It didn’t take a genius to work out that Brighton would set up defensively in south London, but Hodgson clearly didn’t figure it out.
His side had 63 per cent of the ball, eight more corners and spent most of the match in the opposition’s half, per Whoscored, yet the boss opted for a midfield three without an ounce of creativity.
With all due respect, Milivojevic, Jeffrey Schlupp and James McArthur wouldn’t break down a deep, organised defence if you gave them all year, but Hodgson waited until the 77th minute to introduce Max Meyer.
A 4-2-3-1 formation, with Milivojevic and Cheikhou Kouyate offering Meyer the freedom to roam around in the number ten role, could have caused absolute havoc between the Brighton lines of defence.
Ridiculous decisions
If the gaffer’s starting XI and system were completely wrong, his in-game decisions were even worse.
Aforementioned, he took way too long to make changes. On top of that, when the change eventually did come, it coincided with a switch to a 4-4-2, a switch that ultimately took Palace’s best player out of the game.
Sticking Zaha out wide in a 4-4-2 formation in the hope of launching crosses in towards two strikers is the sign of a manager going backwards, not forwards.
Change required
With the likes of Michy Batshuayi, Zaha, Milivojevic, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Mamadou Sakho, the Eagles have some of the best players in the league outside of the top six.
As long as Hodgson is at the helm though, they will continue to play uninspiring, rigid football.
The ex-England boss did a superb job rescuing the club from the mess left by Frank de Boer, but providing he does little more than steady the ship until the end of the season, he should be sacked this summer.
Not in the field, but outside it, as acclaimed sporting director Monchi seemingly (as per the Daily Mail) left AS Roma to join them, only to make a U-turn back to former club Sevilla in the last moment.
Indeed, another embarrassing ordeal for the Gunners, who continue their search for Sven Mislintat’s successor. Things are never simple at Arsenal, are they?
Obviously, Monchi ticked all the boxes to please not only Unai Emery – whom he had worked with before – but power-hungry Stan Kroenke as well.
Now, the Gunners need to look for someone similar who will help them make a profit and also acquire top-level talents at cut-price. Not too hard a job then.
So, here we’ll look at two alternatives for Arsenal’s next Director of Football.
Marc Overmars
The former Gooner himself, Marc Overmars fantastic work at Ajax must’ve gotten Arsenal’s attention by now.
He’s responsible for discovering and bringing together such a bright young squad, being responsible for signing the likes of Hakim Ziyech, David Neres, Daley Blind and Dusan Tadic at cheap prices.
Overmars also adjourned the Frenkie De Jong sale, making Ajax a huge amount of profit with a ridiculously expensive sale. He can bring many blooming young talents and price away some Ajax players with him, and work along Emery to make Arsenal great again.
Paul Mitchell
Despite having worked with rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Mitchell’s impressive CV surely suits Arsenal’s desire.
He did a great job in recruiting some core Spurs players, getting in Kieran Trippier, Dele Alli and Toby Alderwiereld for dirt-cheap prices.
He’s also done well in recruiting blooming young talents for RB Leipzig, signing young sensation Jean Kevin Augustin and midfielder Kevin Kampl. Mitchell’s scouting knowledge and ability to spot talents makes him a prime candidate, with his work in Naby Keita’s sale, where he made the German side twice the profit from what they signed him with serving as an example.
Arsenal fans, who do you want to be your next Director of Football? Join the discussion by commenting below.
Arsenal managed to get the better of Southampton at the Emirates yesterday in the Premier League, which lifted them into fourth position.
The Gunners will be desperate to ensure consistency from here on in as they currently find themselves in a very promising position, with Manchester United’s draw certainly helping their cause.
Interestingly, Arsenal received a boost on the transfer front recently, as according to Telefoot (via HITC), Lille may be forced into selling Nicolas Pepe.
Indeed, Arsenal reportedly (as per football.london) have a long-standing interest in Pepe that while spearheaded by now former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat has not entirely dimmed since the German’s departure.
The Ivory Coast international has made a name for himself in the current campaign having produced an impressive 17 goals and 11 assists, so the Gunners must do everything they can to lure him to the Emirates in the summer.
Lille’s sporting director Luis Campos has stated that he may be forced into selling Nicolas Pepe in the summer transfer window.
Here’s what he had to say:
“We are not a rich club,”
“It means that if a really good proposal comes in for Pepe, we have to sell him.”
THE VERDICT:
Nicolas Pepe, who is valued at £36 million (by Transfermarkt), is arguably one of the most dangerous wingers in European football and he could definitely take Arsenal’s midfield to the next level.
Indeed, hearing news that Lille may be forced into selling him comes as a big boost as the North London club definitely have the financial resources to go out and put in a good offer for him.
Charlie Nicholas believes that Celtic’s Europa League run will end in defeat on Thursday night in Valencia.
Brendan Rodgers’ side face a massive task trying to turn around a 2-0 first leg defeat, with the Sky Sports pundit predicting a 1-0 win for the home side.
In their heart few of the travelling Celtic support would argue with Nicholas’ prediction but the credibility of the former Hoops striker could hardly be lower among the supporters that once worshipped him as he burst on to the scene in the early eighties.
During the winter break Nicholas predicted that the signings of Jermain Defoe and Steve Davis made Rangers favourites for the SPFL title. Since that claim Celtic have opened up an eight point lead over the Ibrox club.
Looking at Thursday’s match, he told Sky Sports:
“There’s not too much hope for Celtic. I think it’s about sitting back and hoping they get chances. I tipped Celtic to win the first leg but it was my heart over my head. Valencia don’t score a lot of goals, they don’t destroy you, but I think they will win this and Celtic will be out.
“The way that Valencia manipulated the game in the first leg tells you the reality of where Celtic are in Europe. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Brendan Rodgers makes a few changes as they have Motherwell at home at the weekend and then they go to Hearts which is a really tough match. Brendan might already be thinking about the domestic games”
CHARLIE PREDICTS 1-0.
In his other predictions, Nicholas tipped Arsenal to turn around their 1-0 first leg defeat to Bate Borisov with a 5-0 win at the Emirates Stadium and Chelsea to join them in the last 16 thanks to a 3-0 win at home over Malmo.
Martin Dubravka is reportedly attracting interest from Juventus and several Premier League clubs, so should Newcastle cash in on the shot-stopper?
What’s the word?
As reported by Chronicle Live, the Magpies have begun talks with Dubravka over a new contract.
The 30 year-old’s agent has confirmed that Juventus would like to sign him though, as well as multiple teams within England.
“We can confirm that Martin belongs to the Juventus scout department’s list of long-term players,” his agent told Czech news outlet Ruik, as reported by Chronicle Live.
“However, we must mention that it is not only monitored by Pavel Nedved’s Juventus, but there are also Premier League clubs. Our personal tip with my brother is that Martin stays in England.
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“Our effort, but also Newcastle’s endeavour, is to negotiate a new contract at the end of this season, as Martin came to Newcastle as a virtually unknown Czech league player, but quickly became a major player of the entire team and already has an excellent reputation throughout the English league.”
Blessing in disguise
Judging from his agent’s comments, Dubravka is clearly happy to stay on Tyneside, where he became somewhat of an instant cult hero due to his performances last season.
He hasn’t been anywhere near as solid this campaign though, making silly mistakes at Tottenham and Wolves, both of which cost the Magpies crucial points.
He is an excellent shot-stopper, but it is more than possible that last season’s incredible purple patch was merely the result of confidence and momentum after such a stunning debut against Manchester United.
The Slovakian has now reverted to the mean, and if a giant club like Juventus came in with a ridiculous offer it would surely be very hard to refuse.
Given that experienced stoppers like Ben Foster, Joe Hart and Lukasz Fabianski were all scooped up by other Premier League sides for pennies last summer, it would not be difficult to replace the Slovakian and re-invest his transfer fee in other areas of the squad.
Selling to a rival from within England would be a foolish move, but when or if Juventus come calling, cashing in on the struggling shot-stopper could be a blessing in disguise.
Luton Town midfielder Alan McCormack said he felt “gutted and angry” after missing a sitter in the dying minutes of the 1-1 draw with Coventry City.
After Elliot Lee saw a free-kick saved, the ball fell to McCormack six yards from goal, but he sent his effort straight at the goalkeeper as his side were forced to settle for a point.
What’s the word?
McCormack’s miss cost his side the opportunity to move seven points clear of second-placed Barnsley at the top of League One.
But he was refreshingly honest when asked about the chance, admitting that he should have done better.
Quoted by Dunstable Today, he said: “I said to myself, ‘they hadn’t got anyone outside the box, so I’m going to go on the end of the wall, spin and then get the rebound off the keeper or any little knockdowns.’
“Then when I’ve spun and checked, the ball is right in front of me and I don’t know, I kind of rushed it a little bit.
“I smashed it, thinking the keeper was going to go the other way, but I should have just placed it in the corner where there was too much space.
“I’m disappointed, gutted and angry and feel not that I’ve cost the team three points, but one little tap-in there, we could walk away with three points.
“That’s the one little disappointing factor we’ve not been at our best but to walk away with three points would have been tremendous.”
Refreshing Honesty
McCormack will surely go up in the estimation of supporters after his honesty here.
Not many players will front up as the midfielder has, but his miss did ultimately cost his side all three points.
And that he has come out and held his hands up is an admirable step.
McCormack has made 18 appearances in total this season, with Luton seemingly poised to win promotion to the Championship.
He has been such a big part of their promotion push that he is unlikely to lose his place in the team. In fact, his stock may have risen higher this weekend, such has been his candour.
Jesus Perez is set to become Tottenham Hotspur manager.
It is, of course, only a temporary measure, with Mauricio Pochettino suspended for the next two games against Southampton and Liverpool, after an altercation with referee Mike Dean following the 2-1 defeat to Burnley – as reported by London Evening Standard.
However, supporters need not worry. Perez – who will assume the Tottenham gaffer’s role in the dugout – is a key Pochettino lieutenant and will be able to bring the best out of an XI that already respects him.
Here are five reasons why Spurs fans should rest easy…
Perez knows Pochettino’s plans inside out
Perez and Pochettino go back a long way. They first worked together at Espanyol, in 2010, with Perez initially coming in as a technical analyst. He earned his way into the manager’s good books and became technical first-team coach before following the Argentine to Southampton and then to Spurs.
The pair are sure to be in contact during the games against the Saints and the Reds, but they may as well not be; Perez has an inherent knowledge of Pochettino’s gameplans and tactics.
A cool head
Perez is rarely seen without a notepad on the sideline and he has the cooler head than Pochettino. While he was involved in the altercation with Dean, he also looked to move Pochettino away, and he is more reserved than the boss on the sidelines.
That is not to say he is without passion; he has a ferocious stare and has been seen getting caught up in the celebrations when Spurs score.
But he is more reserved and will assess the game from a distance, something that may benefit Spurs with Pochettino in the stands.
Genuine tactical insight
Perez is Pochettino’s point man when it comes to assessing the dangers of the opposition.
He shows the players videos and analysis both before games and during them, regularly showing them clips during half-time, per Football.London.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur – Turf Moor, Burnley, Britain – February 23, 2019 Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino remonstrates with referee Mike Dean after the match Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Perez has been in his job with Pochettino for nearly a decade and knows exactly what the Spurs boss will be looking for.
He can then transmit that to the players, and raise their games; against Southampton and Liverpool, there should be very little drop-off from the norm.
A superb motivator
Ryan Mason, a player given his big break at Spurs by Pochettino after numerous loan spells, still hears Perez’s voice in his head, having spent two years working under the pair at White Hart Lane.
Speaking to ESPN in 2018, he said: “I still hear Jesus’ voice now.
“When I’m training or playing and my body is telling me, ‘You’re knackered’, I still hear his voice saying, ‘You’re a strong boy, Mase!’ That stuck. It’s always there. He’s amazing at his job, he really is.”
Mason added that Perez is meticulous about absolutely everything, and that little goes on at Spurs that he isn’t aware of.
He said: “He knew everything! I’m not a clubber, I don’t go out drinking, so I felt pretty safe.
“But I’m sure if a couple of the lads fancied a night out and the odd drink, Jesus would know about it. He always knows.”
Familial Ties
Perez and Pochettino live in each other’s pockets.
The pair can, per the aforementioned reports, spend up to 12 hours a day together at Spurs’ training ground.
Not only that, they live just a minute apart, with their families having become close, and regularly drive to work together.
If Perez cannot oversee two victories, you can bet your bottom dollar Pochettino will remind him about it every day on their commute!
Christian Benteke recently returned from injury, but the 28-year-old faces a difficult task of getting back into Crystal Palace’s starting XI.
Compatriot Michy Batshuayi has made a fine start to life in a blue and red shirt, scoring the opener in his new club’s 4-1 win away at Leicester City over the weekend, leaving the former Liverpool man in a tricky predicament.
A move away from Selhurst Park could now be on the cards with the transfer window still open in China.
The Breakdown
Het Laaste Nieuws (via HITC) reports that Crystal Palace are in fact actively looking to sell Benteke to a Chinese Super League side in a development that is hardly surprising.
Benteke has struggled for some time now with the Belgian only managing to find the back of the net on three occasions in 31 Premier League appearances last season, while he has shown nothing since then to suggest he can rediscover the form he displayed in his debut campaign at Selhurst Park.
With that in mind, the Eagles are playing things smart by trying to shift the ex-Aston Villa No.9 to China.
With whatever money they can recoup from the sell, they can invest it towards buying Batshuayi from Chelsea permanently with the talented Belgium international looking like he will have no problems when it comes to scoring.
Be it now or in the summer, a Benteke departure would probably be in everyone’s best interest.