Category Uncategorized

Amid their worst patch of form under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have reportedly turned their attention towards the transfer market and a La Liga duo who would hand their midfield a much-needed boost.

Man City transfer news

Losing four games in a row for the first time in his managerial career, Guardiola finds himself in uncharted waters at the Etihad and five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table. The international break, for once, was perfectly timed for the Citizens, who have been given the chance to gather their thoughts and perhaps finally begin to welcome a plethora of players back from the sidelines.

It’s a period of form that City cannot afford to dwell on after the international break, with the visit of bogey team Tottenham Hotspur to come before Feyenoord make the same trip, with Guardiola’s side making what is currently an ominous journey to Anfield a few days later. Three crucial games, it could be a make-or-break week for all involved.

Man City scouts impressed by versatile £2.5m gem who could replace Walker

Man City are on the lookout for a long-term replacement for a key player and their scouts have spotted a potential target.

By
Brett Worthington

Nov 14, 2024

Increasingly in need of reinforcements, meanwhile, the Premier League champions have seemingly turned their attention towards La Liga. According to CaughtOffside, Manchester City are now monitoring both Williot Swedberg and Alberto Moleiro ahead of potentially joining the race to sign the midfield duo alongside Newcastle United and Liverpool.

Swedberg – Celta Vigo’s talented 21-year-old – can play at left-wing and in central midfield, in what would be crucial added depth for Guardiola’s injury-struck side. Meanwhile, Moleiro is an attacking midfielder who is continuing to play a vital part for Las Palmas at just 21 years old.

City could certainly do with a midfield boost amid Rodri’s season-ending injury and Kevin De Bruyne’s own fitness struggles in the middle of the park.

Man City need midfield refresh

Man City’s main focus in the January transfer window should centre around replacing Rodri. Without their defensive midfielder and recent Ballon d’Or winner, Guardiola’s side have been more vulnerable than ever before. Mateo Kovacic has attempted to fill that gap, but it’s been to no avail. Once the Citizens tick that task off their list, however, they should shift their focus towards replacing De Bruyne, whose contract comes to an end next summer.

That’s when Moleiro should come in. The Las Palmas star has impressed in the current campaign – scoring four goals in 13 appearances – and has been earning praise for some time in La Liga. In 2023, Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig dubbed the midfielder’s touch as “silky”.

Replacing De Bruyne is a near-impossible task, but at 21 years old, Moleiro has plenty of time to grow into the player that City may desperately need next summer.

انضم اللاعب الإيطالي، جورجينيو، إلى صفوف إحدى الفرق المشاركة في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، نسخة 2025، حسب إعلان رسمي اليوم الجمعة.

وتستضيف أمريكا منافسات كأس العالم للأندية في الفترة بين 14 يونيو و13 يوليو، في النسخة الأولى من نظامها الجديد بمشاركة 32 فريقًا.

ومن ضمن الفرق المشاركة في كأس العالم للأندية نادي فلامينجو البرازيلي الذي تعاقد مع جورجينيو، في صفقة انتقال حر.

وكان من المفترض أن ينتهي عقد جورجينيو مع آرسنال في 30 يونيو الجاري، ولكنه توصل إلى اتفاق مع النادي الإنجليزي من أجل إنهاء صفقته بشكل فوري.

اقرأ أيضًا | منافس الأهلي.. رئيسة بالميراس: لدينا فريق قوي وسننافس على كأس العالم للأندية

وبناءً على ذلك، انضم صاحب الـ33 عامًا إلى صفوف فلامينجو بشكل مجاني تمهيدًا لمشاركته في كأس العالم للأندية.

كان جورجينيو قد انتقل إلى الدوري الإنجليزي في 2018، من بوابة تشيلسي، قادمًا من نابولي وفاز بدوري أبطال أوروبا، الدوري الأوروبي، كأس السوبر الأوروبي وكأس العالم للأندية.

وانضم جورجينيو إلى آرسنال في يناير 2023 وشارك في 78 مباراة.

ويلعب فريق فلامينجو في المجموعة الرابعة بكأس العالم للأندية رفقة أندية تشيلسي والترجي وليون.

Liverpool have always been regarded as a behemoth of the English game, but Anfield and its many supporters languished as a fallen giant for many interminable years and that’s a fact.

Jurgen Klopp stretched his influence onto Merseyside in 2015 and painted the football-frenzied city in brilliant red once again, but it wouldn’t be fair to say that Liverpool were bereft of joy and excitement in the overtures of the German’s appointment.

The 2014/15 campaign was drab and, perhaps more aptly, disastrous. It was Brendan Rodgers’ last full campaign and a return to disappointment for the club, but the year before, while bringing about no silverware, was an unforgettable rollercoaster.

Luis Suarez in the front seat, of course.

Luis Suarez's Liverpool brilliance

He might not have got his paws on the Premier League title, but Suarez’s name is certainly woven into the very fabric of Liverpool’s storied history.

The recently-retired Uruguay international joined Liverpool from Ajax in a £22m deal way back in 2011, having earned a reputation of great promise during his time with the Dutch giants.

His time on Merseyside was a thing of singular brilliance. Even now, over a decade beyond his departure date, Suarez is hailed among the finest players to have performed in England’s top flight, and perhaps the architect of the most awe-inspiring individual campaign since the modern Premier League was founded in 1992.

Still kicking about in the MLS with pal Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, Suarez has led an unforgettable career, and though the riches ran deeper with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in Spain, the 39-year-old’s 31-goal haul, with 11 assists too, across just 33 top-flight matches in 2013/14 almost single-handedly supercharged an unlikely title conquering.

It wasn’t to be. Suarez understandably wanted to leave in search of pastures new after that agonising failure. This was over a year before Klopp would even alight in Liverpool, remember, and when Barcelona offered a jaw-dropping £65m sum for his signature, it was a no-brainer.

Now, a new era. The annals record that one-time Suarez-fevered patch to be several ages in the background at Anfield, in fact. Klopp’s time has flown past and now Arne Slot is at the wheel.

This is a team studded with first-class stars, but there’s one in particular who could be Slot’s own version of the Uruguayan great, and no, it’s not Suarez’s countryman Darwin Nunez.

Luis Diaz could be Liverpool's next super-money star

As the more discerning minds might have guessed from the big blocked text right ahead, the man in question is Luis Diaz, who has gone from strength to strength under Slot’s wing this season.

Last year, Klopp utilised Diaz’s electric pace and penetrative dribbling to a positive effect, but Slot has seized such qualities and refined them into something potent and deadly.

Having scored 13 goals and supplied five assists across 51 matches in all competitions in 2023/24, Diaz was definitely effective, but under Slot’s wing, he’s notched nine goals and two assists from merely 16 appearances.

The 27-year-old carries a very singular threat, and in such a way, is a bit like Suarez in that he’s so distinctive. His loping gait is instantly recognisable and there’s a real menace to his attacking approach, crackling with energy and ideas upon every final third entry.

Matches (starts)

37 (32)

11 (8)

Goals

8

5

Assists

5

2

Touches*

43.8

41.8

Shots (on target)*

2.5 (0.9)

1.6 (0.8)

Pass completion

85%

87%

Key passes*

1.8

1.4

Ball recoveries*

3.4

2.8

Dribbles (completed)*

1.8

1.5

Tackles + interceptions*

1.0

1.4

Total Duels won*

4.6

4.0

As per FBref, Diaz ranks among the top 4% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers in 2024/25 for goals scored, the top 7% for pass completion, the top 10% for shot-creating actions and the top 15% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting his robust style.

Of course, he’s not a centre-forward and nor is he stylistically similar to Suarez, but Diaz is one of Liverpool’s most profitable players to be sure, and recently bagged a Champions League hat-trick when placed at number nine by Slot during Liverpool’s 4-0 romping of Bayer Leverkusen.

His silky-smooth style of performance has even drawn comparisons to players such as Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, who has been on fire himself this term, scoring nine goals and supplying four assists across 13 matches.

According to FBref, that is, with the stats-built site revealing that, stylistically, the respective stars align. With this in mind, Diaz could perhaps fetch a transfer fee surpassing that of Suarez’s, for Musiala has been attracting attention from Manchester City of late and is believed to be transfer-priced for a fee in excess of £100m.

He wouldn’t command the same dizzying transfer fee that Philippe Coutinho’s sale to Barcelona marked, but Diaz would certainly be sold for a handsome sum, and given that La Blaugrana have a long-standing interest in the South American, perhaps his stunning exploits could lead him to a lucrative transfer to Spain, much like Suarez.

Indeed, Diaz, who has been hailed as an “incredible” signing for Liverpool by Klopp, was pursued by outfits as mighty as Barcelona this summer, and The Athletic reported that Liverpool would only entertain proposals that far outstretched the £50m total fee that was paid to bring him in from Porto several years ago.

Perhaps, in today’s bonkers market, that £65m figure that Barca paid for Suarez might not even cut it for Liverpool. Whatever happens, the Reds have well and truly hit the jackpot with this one. Diaz is sure to play a significant part in the trophy-hunting efforts of Slot’s side, and maybe he’ll be allowed to venture off to Spain at some stage – for a most lucrative sum.

Biggest gem since Trent: Liverpool have found an £89m star in the making

Liverpool have an academy talent who could be every bit as good as Trent Alexander-Arnold.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 12, 2024

Arsenal have been struggling for goals as of late. The Gunners have failed to find the net in three of their last six games in all competitions, drawing blanks in defeats to Bournemouth, Newcastle and Inter Milan.

Across those three games, Arsenal had 36 shots on goal, suggesting that creating chances isn’t so much the problem for Mikel Arteta’s side, but finishing them off is.

Even prior to their goal drought, fans had been imploring Arteta to bring in a world-class striker, in the hope that it would finally allow Arsenal to mount and sustain a serious Premier League title challenge. Despite links with a number of huge stars, including Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres, Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, however, no such move has materialised.

Gunners now want Kolo Muani

According to TBR Football, Arsenal have now identified Paris Saint-Germain striker Kolo Muani as a man who could potentially solve their woes in front of goal. The 25-year-old striker, who joined the Ligue 1 giants in 2023 from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth £76.4 million, is out of favour with PSG boss Luis Enrique and has not featured in any of the club’s last three league games.

TBR Football claim that PSG are now open to allowing Kolo Muani to leave on loan this January, and that Arsenal are interested in bringing him in on a short-term basis. Manchester City, Manchester United, and West Ham United are also keen on the France international, according to the report.

A separate report from L’Équipe’s Florian Plettenberg earlier this week went one further, claiming that a number of Premier League clubs, though it did not name which, have already contacted PSG about a loan move for Kolo Muani. Plettenberg’s report also claimed those requests include the option to make the move permanent.

Would Kolo Muani solve the Gunners' striker woes?

Kolo Muani started his career in his home country, signing his first professional contract with FC Nantes in 2018. He went on to make just shy of a century of appearances for the Canaries before moving to Frankfurt in 2022.

In his only full season at Deutsche Bank Park, the Bondy-born striker scored 23 goals in all competitions, helping Oliver Glasner’s side finish as runners-up in the German Cup.

Newcastle eyeing "complete" Isak replacement from Champions League giants

The Magpies could be forced to replace their star man.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 30, 2024

Since his big money move to the French capital, however, Kolo Muani has struggled to replicate that form. Last term, he scored just nine goals in 40 games across all competitions, while this term he has just two in 10, though most of his appearances have come from the bench.

Despite his struggles at PSG, however, he still remains a regular for the France national team. To date, he’s made 25 appearances for Les Bleus, scoring eight goals. Speaking about Kolo Muani last month, France boss Didier Deschamps said: “He’s interesting, he’s radiant, He is confident and has a very specific profile where in his runs with the ball there is presence. He is a good header and with us he is very often successful.”

Kent batter flies to Pakistan ready to become first man born in 2000s to represent England

Matt Roller14-Sep-2022England will arrive in Karachi early on Thursday morning for their first tour of Pakistan in 17 years, a historic visit that will see them play seven T20 internationals while under presidential-level security conditions.The length of their absence is illustrated by the fact that their 20-man squad had made a single professional appearance between them when England played their last international in this country back in 2005: Moeen Ali, who will deputise as captain in the early stages of this tour, playing for Warwickshire against Cambridge UCCE as a 17-year-old.The youngest member of the touring party, Jordan Cox, had just celebrated his fifth birthday when an England team last landed in Pakistan. One of five uncapped players in the squad and one of six who will not travel on to Australia for the T20 World Cup, Cox is set to become the first player born in the 2000s to represent England men at some stage during the series.His call-up came as a surprise to him, despite two impressive seasons in the T20 Blast for Kent and one in the Hundred for Oval Invincibles. “I haven’t really been picked up in any leagues,” he told ESPNcricinfo before leaving for Pakistan, “so I thought I must be slipping under the radar, just doing my thing without anyone really noticing. Then, next thing I know, I’m being picked on a tour.”Related

• Hales gets England recall as Bairstow's T20 World Cup replacement

• Why Hales' England return could define Buttler's captaincy

• Hussey, Saker appointed to England's World Cup coaching staff

His phone rang at 8.20am the morning after Invincibles were knocked out of the Hundred and, not recognising Matthew Mott’s number, he rolled over in bed in his Manchester hotel room and ignored it. A follow-up text prompted him to ask his team-mate Jack Haynes where he knew Mott’s name from over breakfast – “I’m the worst person in the world with names” – and his pancakes went cold as he tried to take the news in.”I still can’t really believe it now,” he said. “Obviously it’s an absolute honour to represent your country, especially at 21. When I was a kid, I really wanted to play cricket but I didn’t realise this [an England call-up] was going to happen as quickly as it has. It must mean they think I’m a good player, which means a lot.”Cox made a name for himself at senior level with a double-hundred for Kent in the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy – he was bizarrely forced to self-isolate immediately afterwards after posing for a photo with some fans – but while his first-class record (three hundreds, and an average of 37.82) is solid, it is in the shorter formats that he has starred.He played a key role in Kent’s Blast title in 2021, coming in at No. 5 and balancing boundary-hitting with strike rotation, before impressing at No. 3 this season and adapting to a number of different positions in Invincibles’ batting line-up in the Hundred.”They’ve seen me bat everywhere in the order. It’s not all about hitting sixes for me: I start my innings by being busy, getting ones and twos by hitting the bigger pockets and looking to play strong shots for four, then kicking on from there. Hopefully I can fill the gap that they needed.”Cox grew up as a wicketkeeper – he is one of four on this trip, along with Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett – but has quickly earned a reputation as one of the best boundary-riders in county cricket, most obviously for his role in a stunning relay catch with Matt Milnes in the Blast final last season.