Tag Futebol

Bruno Fernandes scored a stunning volley to rescue a point for Manchester United against West Brom but that wasn’t enough to stop them from slipping further behind their arch-rivals Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw at West Brom on Sunday and despite moving back above Leicester City into second place on goal difference alone, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are now seven points behind the league leaders, who also have a game in-hand.

However, that should take nothing away from the performance of Fernandes, who was Solskjaer’s one shining light against Sam Allardyce’s side.

The Portuguese midfielder came off the bench in the second half to help United to seal a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals in the midweek win at home to West Ham, and he was on top form once again at the Hawthorns.

Not to be outdone by the likes of Connor Gallagher and Mbaye Diagne, it took another moment of magic from Fernandes to level the score after he met Luke Shaw’s cross with his weaker left foot.

As per SofaScore, the 26-year-old earned an impressive 7.9 match rating for his theatrics, that being the best of any midfielder – including his teammate Scott McTominay – and indeed any player on either side on Sunday.

During the full 90′ minutes, Fernandes, who is currently valued at £81m via Transfermarkt, would take 102 touches of the ball, which was significantly more than McTominay, who could only manage 81 despite playing in a deep-lying midfield position.

He always looked to get his foot on the ball and try and make things happen, and towards the end of the game, could be seen picking it up close to the half-way line and trying to spot passes and runners from deep.

It was no surprise then that the Portugal international also successfully completed eight long balls from nine attempts against the Baggies as he tried to exploit gaps in their defence, which was far greater than his season’s average of 3.9 per 90 in the Premier League – it pointed to his desire to try and get the home side moving from side to side and trying to upset their defensive valance.

However, what was perhaps most impressive was his three shots on target, which was more than any other player on the pitch, as he proved to be United’s hero once again.

Therefore, despite the disappointing result, it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying, as Fernandes showed he is a cut above from the rest of the pack. It’s just a shame none of his teammates were able to match his determination and energy.

AND in other Man Utd news, Manchester United suffer fresh Paul Pogba injury setback before trip to West Brom…

According to journalist Armando Napoletano, speaking to Calcio Napoli 24 Live via Napoli Magazine, West Ham United are eyeing Spezia Calcio striker M’Bala Nzola along with Newcastle United and Fulham – with the reporter then claiming he is ‘destined to leave’ Liguria. 

Nzola, who has impressed for the Serie A relegation battlers since their Italian play-off promotion win, scoring nine goals in 13 top flight appearances (Transfermarkt), is now apparently back on the Hammers’ radar after reports claimed GSB made contact at the end of December (Corriere dello Sport).

West Ham eyeing Nzola

Indeed, reporter Napoletano has shared an update on West Ham’s interest in the 24-year-old – claiming they are still very much keeping tabs alongside fellow Premier League clubs.

Nzola has been one of the shining lights for Spezia since their promotion, but Napoletano has shared a grim outlook for the club as he says that the forward is ‘destined to leave’.

He also states, depending on the ‘technical result’, the Italian side will change a lot in the summer – with Nzola touted as one their main assets to inevitably depart, especially if they get relegated.

Even though he doesn’t make it clear whether or not an exit could happen in January, Napoletano does explain that West Ham and GSB are eyeing Nzola.

Transfer Tavern take

Spezia coach Vincenzo Italiano, via TUTTOCALCIOnews, likened him to a Didier Drogba recently – potentially evidence as to why the Hammers and David Moyes are reportedly keen.

Metropolitan Magazine also lavished the forward with praise, drawing particular attention to his ‘enviable’ physical strength and speed.

Time will tell whether West Ham do swoop for Nzola, but their interest appears to be have remained since December.

In other news: West Ham fans buzzed over this ‘huge news’, find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday are once again on the hunt for a new manager after Tony Pulis’ shock sacking earlier this week and a number of interesting names have been linked with the newly-vacant Owls role…

What’s the word?

One of which is former Bayern Munich midfielder Thorsten Fink, who won a Champions League title during his time at the Bundesliga giants.

The 53-year-old is currently out-of-work after leaving Japanese Super Cup winners Vissel Kobe in September, citing a desire to return to Europe.

According to the Sheffield Star, Fink is thought to be on chairman Dejphon Chansiri’s radar, whilst they also claim that the German would welcome a chance to manage in England.

Another Carvalhal?

Speaking to reporters this morning, the Thai businessman revealed that he wouldn’t shirk away from a foreign appointment, and it’s easy to see why as the only manager to bring success to Hillsborough under his tenure has been Carlos Carvalhal.

Yes, there was the abomination under Jos Luhukay, but the Portuguese boss is a good blueprint to replicate this time after failures from Steve Bruce, Garry Monk and Tony Pulis.

Prior to his appointment in south Yorkshire, Carvalhal had never managed in England but had taken control of Sporting Lisbon and Besiktas, who are both top-flight teams.

Fink has won titles at Basel, also nearly guiding them to an impressive win over Man Utd in the UCL but for Ashley Young’s 90th-minute equaliser back in 2011.

He’s also fresh off a stint managing the likes of Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Lukas Podolski, leading Vissel Kobe to their first-ever trophies.

Former Bayern star Bastian Schweinsteiger once claimed Fink could one day return to manage the Bundesliga champions, he added:

“[Even as a player] he taught us a lot about discipline, positioning and tactics. It was clear to all of us that he would one day become a coach.

“I am convinced that Thorsten would make a very good coach of Bayern. He has the necessary mentality and self-confidence. At Basel, he has proven he can handle the pressure of managing a title favourite.”

It may well be a rather left-field appointment, but desperate measures are needed with the Owls staring down the barrel at relegation to League One.

No manager has even gotten close to the fourth-place finish under Carvalhal, in fact, their best final position since was 12th under Bruce.

It’s certainly a roll of the dice, but Chansiri has had success doing it this way before.

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday must avoid hiring “desperate” unemployed man as their next manager…

MatériaMais Notícias

No rachão dos jogadores do São Paulo, o atacante Rogério foi o grande destaque marcando dois belos gols.

David Sullivan would be heading for disaster by signing Marcus Edwards amid claims West Ham United are a likely destination for the Vitoria Guimaraes winger.

What’s the word?

According to O Jogo (5/1, p. 19), the Irons are lining up an £18m bid to bring Edwards back to the Premier League just one-and-a-half-years on from leaving Tottenham Hotspur.

The London Stadium is considered a likely destination for the Spurs product, after seemingly fending off firm interest from a host of clubs in England and Portugal including London rivals Fulham and Crystal Palace plus Southampton.

Edwards quit Tottenham in 2019 due to a lack of playing time in north London, though accepted that his struggles to breakthrough also stemmed from a poor attitude in his youth.

He played just 15 minutes of first-team football altogether outside of loan spells with Norwich City and SBV Excelsior Rotterdam before moving to Portugal, where he has scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists in 50 games across all competitions to date.

Spurs would be due 50 per cent of any fee paid to Vitoria for Edwards after insisting on a sell-on clause to be included in their deal for the midfielder, who is considered to be among the most gifted dribblers to emerge from the north London side’s academy in recent years.

Anderson 2.0

Edwards enjoyed a tremendous debut season with Vitoria Guimaraes last term to net nine goals and pen nine assists, but has struggled to reach the same heights this term with a sole strike and two further assists added to the London-born 22-year-old’s account.

Rarely has Edwards offered a gifted touch in the final third to provide goals or assists during Liga NOS fixtures this season, with the former England U20 international recording just 0.5 key balls and 0.9 shots a game beside 0.1 accurate crosses, per SofaScore.

He additionally averages a mere 10.4 accurate passes and loses possession 11.0 times a game in the Portuguese top-flight, but uses his effectiveness on the ground to make 2.3 successful dribbles and win all 4.5 of his duels.

Mauricio Pochettino lauded Edwards for his potential whilst in charge of Tottenham, believing the diminutive 5 ft 6 attacker with lightning-quick feet reminded him of FC Barcelona great Lionel Messi.

“The qualities – it’s only looks, his body and the way that he plays – remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi,” Pochettino said, via quotes by Sky Sports. “He is a very good prospect and potentially he can be a top player, but we need to be patient and tell him that he has a lot of talent, enough talent to be a top player, a great player.”

That potential is still yet to truly unfold and Sullivan would instead be handing David Moyes a new Felipe Anderson, who may be recalled from a failed loan spell with FC Porto in order to protect his market value ahead of a sale in the summer.

AND in other news, David Moyes has dodged a huge bullet as West Ham dealt blow in bid to sign an 11-goal target.

رشح تشافي هيرنانديز أسطورة برشلونة والمدير الفني الجديد للفريق، خافيير ماسكيرانو ليخلفه في تدريب السد القطري بداية من يناير المقبل.

السد القطري ترك تشافي هيرنانديز بعد مفاوضات طويلة مع برشلونة، ليعود الإسباني من جديد إلى البلوجرانا في منصب المدير الفني.

طالع أيضًا | بعد ترحيب تشافي.. برشلونة يبدأ اتصالاته مع هدف ليفربول وباريس سان جيرمان

صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، أكدت أن تشافي اجتمع قبل رحيله مع الشيح محمد بن آل ثاني الأسبوع الماضي، وأكد له أن خافيير ماسكيرانو زميله السابق في برشلونة هو الأنسب لخلافته.

وأشارت التقارير إلى أن مالك السد لم يكن مقتنعًا تمامًا بتوصيات تشافي تجاه زميله السابق، ولا يزال يدرس أسماء أخرى لخلافة المدرب الإسباني.

من ناحيته، يخطط ماسكيراتو الذي يعمل في الاتحاد الأرجنتيني لكرة القدم الآن، اتخاذ خطوة إلى الأمام في مسيرته بأن يصبح مدربًا، وكانت فكرته مماثلة لـ تشافي بأن يبدأ في آسيا مع فريق عربي، ومن ثم يبدأ الانتقال إلى أوروبا.

Hands up if you saw that result coming then? Not even the most optimistic of Aston Villa fans could ever have imagined that by the end of Sunday night, they would have beaten Premier League champions Liverpool 7-2.

Let alone it being the early contender for win of the season, but it’s right up there with one of the biggest shocks of the modern top-flight era. Dean Smith’s side comprehensively out-played the title holders at Villa Park, and it’s not unfair to say that the score-line could actually have been even more embarrassing for the visitors – they had 18 total shots and even missed three big chances.

And whilst summer signing Ollie Watkins went home with the match-ball after his perfect hat-trick, it was Villa talisman Jack Grealish who rather fittingly stole the show on one of his boyhood club’s greatest ever games.

The 25-year-old chipped in with two goals himself, but it was his overall creativity and movement that ran circles around Jurgen Klopp’s dazed defenders.

As per Sofascore, he finished with a perfect match rating of ten, with even hat-trick hero Watkins ‘only’ managing a 9.1. And when you look at the underlying numbers behind his performance, it’s easy to see why.

Grealish registered an incredible five key passes on the night, which was the same as both Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson combined, who were the duo with the most for Liverpool.

As well as splitting the Reds defence wide-open time and time again, the England international also pressed from the front, making a team-high three tackles, and winning an impressive five of his six total duels.

Amid all the speculation linking him with a move away over these past few seasons, Grealish must surely be grinning from ear to ear at seeing his side currently sit in second in the Premier League table.

Watkins may be the man in the headlines, but it was Grealish who stole the show.

David Moyes’ failure to seal a summer deal for John Lundstram could have cost West Ham United, as Chris Wilder has admitted that the Sheffield United midfielder could now leave Bramall Lane in January.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, Lundstram’s stay at Bramall Lane may be nearing its end after a breakdown in last-ditch talks to agree on a new contract, following the midfielder’s rejection of several improved offers.

Wilder has made it clear that he would like the 26-year-old to remain with the Blades, but United chiefs will listen to bids come the winter market after their latest offer – thought to be in line with other recent deals signed by senior players – was knocked back.

Their most recent proposal will remain on the table in hopes that Lundstram commits his long-term future to the side he helped secure promotion into the Premier League, and for whom he started 26 of his 34 top-flight appearances last term and all six to date this season.

Lundstram will also be able to negotiate with foreign clubs in January with his current terms set to expire in the summer, when the former Everton trainee will become a free agent if a winter move or a new contract is not first secured.

Wilder has stated that he would “love” Lundstram to stay at Bramall Lane after marking the midfielder as non-transferable in the summer, having been courted by the likes of West Ham, Brighton and Rangers.

The Irons remain interested in a potential deal for the £7.2million-rated midfielder, per ExWHUemployee, though it remains to be seen if the east London outfit revive their failed efforts when the January window opens.

Perfect partner for Rice

Moyes’ failure to seal a deal for Lundstram in the summer could now come back and cost West Ham, with Wilder and Sheffield United accepting that the midfielder may have to be sold in January a welcome invitation for more potential suitors to step in.

Lundstram has shown what he can bring to the Premier League in his 40 top-flight appearances since helping the Blades to secure promotion in 2018/19, with five goals and three assists last term from central midfield – including winning strikes against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth plus a brace at home to Burnley.

He further created a total of eight big chances last season, squandered four himself and averaged 1.0 shots, 0.6 key balls, 0.5 successful dribbles, 1.4 tackles and 28.6 accurate passes (83%) a game, per SofaScore.

The Liverpool-born ace is yet to score or assist this term having wasted his two big chances and not created a clear-cut chance, but has improved his tally for key balls to an average 1.7, total passes to 30.5 and successful dribbles to 0.8 per match, suggesting he could be the perfect partner for Declan Rice if Moyes can land a winter bargain.

AND in other news, David Moyes needs a “terrific” West Ham man he expects “much more” from to step up now more than ever.

It seems that West Ham United are still going strong for James Tarkowski. A defender is surely very high on David Moyes’ list of transfer priorities and Burnley’s ace seems to fit the bill.

However, in all likelihood, even if the Hammers somehow get this deal over the line, it won’t be a cheap operation, that much is certain. Recently, West Ham have bid around £27m to land their target but the Clarets want more.

And they want a lot of money. Following Nathan Ake’s switch from Bournemouth to Manchester City, the defenders’ price tags in general have suddenly skyrocketed. For that reason, Burnley want nearly double the initial offer.

But when everything is said and done, Tarkowski just might be worth that much. And for that reason, it’s quite surprising to Ally McCoist that his quality hasn’t attracted more suitors.

In fact, he could definitely do much better than West Ham. Here’s what he had to say about the whole transfer saga for TalkSPORT: “When you talk about £27m. That’s a great price because he’s a good player, he’s definitely a good player. You’re taking a chance on that all day.

“It would make sense to me [if he left], but I thought there would be more clubs interested, to tell you the truth. And if you’re sitting in his shoes, is it a good move for him going to West Ham at this moment in time? I’m not sure it is. Maybe he’s just hanging on to see what will happen.”

Verdict

It does feel like West Ham are being quite ambitious with this signing, simply because it may cost them a small fortune. With the current circumstances limiting their budget greatly, it does beg the question whether they even have the financial power to get this deal over the line.

And if so, it will undoubtedly deplete the warchest almost entirely, leaving nothing more for additional reinforcements.

Is that the right way to go?

Tottenham Hotspur have already been busy before the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season by handing out new deals to Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp.Â

Skipp signed a new four-year deal last week and Dier followed suit almost immediately, keeping him in north London until 2024 at the very least.

Now it seems as though Japhet Tanganga is about to jump on the bandwagon, ending months of speculation over his future at the club.

According to The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, as per Dan Kilpatrick for The Evening Standard, Tottenham have made a breakthrough in contract talks with Tanganga’s representatives and a deal is ‘almost done.’

The Athletic had claimed earlier this month that talks between the two sides had stalled, as his representatives were unimpressed by the original offer on the table, but this no longer appears to be the case, as he is now one step nearer to finalising fresh terms with Spurs.

Tanganga, 21, has played six games in the Premier League this season before succumbing to a back injury.

Although he has been absent since the restart, he has worked his way back to full match fitness, and was named on the bench for the past three games in a row.

If he signs a new deal, it could push Juan Foyth out the door, as he has fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho. While questions remain over Foyth’s future at the club, Tanganga has been one of the few positive talking points in a tough season for Tottenham.

Spurs struggled to get off to a good start after surging to the Champions League final last year and Mauricio Pochettino was sacked as a result of a slump in form.

The academy graduate has grown accustomed to his role in the first team, as he has not looked out of place at all, receiving a higherÂWhoScored rating than his colleagues and close rivals Toby AlderweireldÂandÂJan Vertonghen, to name but a few.

Tanganga, who is currently valued at £6m via Transfermarkt, has impressed Mourinho during his debut in the defeat to eventual Premier League champions Liverpool at the start of the year.

If he can maintain this impressive form, he should be able to save the club a lot of money in the long run.

Tottenham fans, has Tanganga made the right decision? Let us know down below!