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Looking to compete with some of Europe’s best both on and off the pitch, Monchi now reportedly wants Aston Villa to sign a player who’s been compared to John Obi Mikel ahead of Chelsea.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans proved in the summer that they’re here to stay when it comes to competing for a European place in the Premier League and they’ve since backed that up in the form of results. Losing just once in their opening seven league games – sitting fifth as a result – and even defeating European giants Bayern Munich in between in the Champions League, things can’t get much better for those at Villa Park.

They won’t want to stop there under Unai Emery, however. Whilst they’ve got the chance, there’s no doubt that Aston Villa will want to put their Champions League status to good use by adding further reinforcements to their side in 2025.

Aston Villa wonderkid who earns 3x more than Duran is "wasted" at new club

Aston Villa sold him in 2022

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 18, 2024

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Monchi now wants Aston Villa to sign Mario Dorgeles ahead of Chelsea after scouts compared the Nordsjaelland midfielder to former Premier League star John Obi Mikel. It’s not just Chelsea that the Villans will be competing against, however, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Brentford also reportedly keeping tabs on the 20-year-old in a busy battle for his signature.

Having won the race to sign Amadou Onana from Everton a few months ago, Aston Villa should be confident in their pursuit of yet another reinforcement and perhaps one that will complete Emery’s midfield once and for all. When 2025 arrives, Dorgeles will be one to watch.

Why Dorgeles is a man in-demand

After making an excellent start to the campaign at Danish side Nordsjaelland, Dorgeles has become a man in-demand around European football. At just 20 years old, his best is still to come in what is an exciting thought given that only four midfielders in world football managed better ball retention than the Ivorian in the 2023/24 season.

What’s more, if he is to follow in Obi Mikel’s footsteps, then swapping Scandinavia for the Premier League certainly makes sense with Villa left hoping that he decides to add a fresh twist by moving to the Midlands instead of Stamford Bridge.

It’s in the Midlands that Dorgeles could form an impressive partnership with current Villa star Onana. The Belgian has got off to the perfect start at Villa Park, quickly becoming one of Emery’s most important players, and could now receive a boost in the form of a midfield partner when 2025 arrives.

With so many of Europe’s top clubs keeping tabs on his progress, Dorgeles has the ultimate decision to make next year. Whether that ends in another vital addition to Emery’s ever-advancing Aston Villa project remains to be seen, however, as they continue to take strides on and off the pitch.

Sunday's 2-1 loss to Leicester has left Tottenham precariously sitting above the Premier League drop zone on the precipice of crisis

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And so it has come to this. Little over five years ago, Tottenham Hotspur were 90 minutes away from being crowned champions of Europe for the first time in their history. Even in eventual and perhaps predictable defeat, they had the hope of a bright future to look forward to having just moved into their new billion-pound stadium designed to close the gap on the elite.

Half a decade on, it's now a very real possibility that Spurs will soon be playing in the Championship. The fall from grace has been painful for all involved. Think of Homer Simpson attempting to fly across Springfield Gorge on Bart's skateboard, only for gravity to hurl him down the cliff-face, hitting every jagged rock on his way to the bottom. He's airlifted to an ambulance, which promptly crashes into a tree and he topples out the wrecked vehicle back down the same cliff-face on a stretcher. That's the state of Tottenham right now.

At the time of writing, the Lilywhites sit 15th in the Premier League table having accrued a mere 24 points from 23 games – a tally which they cleared during the first 10 games of last season upon Ange Postecoglou's arrival. Ipswich Town are the only other club in the bottom five to have not changed their manager to this point, and that's down to the credit Kieran McKenna has stored in the bank following successive promotions.

The problems in N17 go beyond the man in the dugout, however. Postecoglou is not blameless, but he is definitely not the main reason why Tottenham are side-eyeing the second tier.

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  Constant failure

  The first sign of Tottenham's decline ironically came around 12 months before their trip to the Champions League final, with the club going a year-and-a-half without an incoming. This was despite then-manager Mauricio Pochettino's desperate plea to help rebuild a playing squad he felt had hit the glass ceiling, and it's a minor miracle he was able to lead them to the brink of continental glory.

  "When you talk about Tottenham, everyone says you have an amazing house but you need to put in the furniture," said the Argentine, half-referencing the stadium move. "If you want to have a lovely house maybe you need better furniture."

  Chairman Daniel Levy has become notorious for shying away from the spotlight, particularly when Spurs seem to be in trouble. He did, at least, provide an explanation of this staggering lack of transfer activity at a meeting with the club's Supporters' Trust in October 2018. False presumptions that certain players would leave in order to free up funds and space was one reason cited, but concerningly, 'transfers were complicated with several variables' was another. This is the kind of remark that would leave Roy Keane flabbergasted and telling people to do their job.

  By the time Pochettino finally got some new faces through the door in 2019, it was too late. The cycle had ended with that team and he was the one who paid the price, with Levy hiring Jose Mourinho – a man he claimed to have been the second-best manager in the world at the time, despite that clearly not being the case.

  To the shock of no one, Mourinho didn't work out. He ought to have been sacked long before the 2021 Carabao Cup final, yet Levy chose until days before that showdown with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to axe him. After roughly two months of searching for a successor, the job landed at the feet of Nuno Espirito Santo, who lasted about the same timespan into the 2021-22 season before he too was unceremoniously fired.

  Then came Antonio Conte, the only manager to lead Tottenham to a top-four finish since Pochettino left. To the Italian's credit, he figured out how to get the best out of the Harry Kane and Son Heung-min duo without compromising at the other end of the pitch. He wanted to bridge the gap to the title contenders and fight for more than Champions League qualification. Just one player was signed in his only summer window that immediately improved the starting XI – Ivan Perisic, at this point in his mid-thirties – and three-quarters of the way into a challenging season professionally and personally, Conte lost his job after an astonishing 10-minute rant at a press conference digging out his players and the board.

  In Pochettino's five full seasons, Spurs finished fifth, third, second, third and fourth. Since then, it's been sixth, seventh, fourth, eighth and fifth. They still haven't won a trophy since 2008.

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  Levy's lost credit

  It can't be forgotten that Levy did well to build Tottenham up as a contending club again after spending the nineties and early-noughties in the wilderness, but it is equally as impressive how he's lost a large proportion of the fanbase since his crowning moment of the stadium move.

  At the start of the first coronavirus lockdown, there was significant backlash to the furloughing of club staff, so much so that this was quickly reversed. One year later, Spurs decided to throw their hat into the short-lived European Super League ring. More recently, soaring ticket prices in spite of a lack of success have been protested, as has the decision to remove concession prices. The sentiment among regular match-goers is they are being priced out for tourists.

  During Sunday's 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester City, Tottenham supporters chanted against Levy, while a banner was unfurled in the single-tier south stand claiming it was 'time for change'. Levy has always been able to fall back on his prestige and expertise as a businessman, but as so many have pointed out, Tottenham are a club first and foremost, and that appears to have been forgotten.

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  Postecoglou's doomed reign

  Similarly to Nuno two years prior, Postecoglou was handed the head coach's job when other candidates, notably Arne Slot, decided against taking it. To make matters worse, the sale of Kane – a man whose quality was definitely taken for granted – to Bayern Munich was sanctioned on the opening week of the season. Had Tottenham plummeted into the no-man's-land of mid-table, it would have been understandable.

  Alas, Postecoglou managed to steer Spurs to a respectable fifth-place finish, only two points behind Aston Villa in the Champions League spots. There were signs of promise for this new era. Like Conte though, the Australian was afforded only one player to come straight into his starting XI, as well as three teenagers and an extended loan for Timo Werner.

  The squad needed surgery even prior to the injury crisis that has plagued their current campaign. Postecoglou's Tottenham are now on life support and he is hanging by a thread. After every defeat comes a new report that the board want to stick with the Australian and support him through this period, though all the while doing little to actually stand that sentiment up.

  Unlike his predecessors who weren't afraid to make their ill-feelings towards the board known, Postecoglou has dressed up his request for reinforcements in a dignified manner and more along the lines of a cry for 'help'.

  "I've said all along, the players need help and I've also said the club are working hard in that area to try to alleviate some of those problems," has been the constant message. "The players are going out there and giving everything they can because we can't call off games. We've got another game in three days' time that these players have to front up for. The injury situation will ease and I'm confident they will sort of help us. Even one more player coming in, just in the short term will give us an opportunity, at least to navigate these last 10 days, two weeks, of what's been a really hard slog for this group of players."

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  On-field problems

  Through the autumn, Spurs' main issue was their wild inconsistency. They were a team capable of winning away at both Manchester clubs with a combined score of 7-0, yet would be too easily undone when a game wasn't going their way – 12 of their 13 defeats in the Premier League have been by a single goal in matches where the opposition simply shut up shop.

  Those would be understandable teething issues for a project team at or close to full strength, but Postecoglou has not been afforded that luxury. A detailed report from into their spate of injuries this season did not necessarily blame the head coach, though did suggest his high-energy style in training as well as matches hasn't done much to relieve the strain.

  'Ange-ball' in full flight is breathtaking. It has made Tottenham one of the best watches in all of Europe and they have a clear identity again. But it's a style that often requires perfection in order to succeed, and at the moment, Spurs aren't even good enough to get lucky. There's been an absence of scrappy wins and draws, their penchant for late goals and comebacks from last season evaporating into thin air.

  Tottenham, under Pochettino or anyone else, have been unable to win major honours because when you scratch beneath the surface of the first XI, there has always appeared a serious lack of quality and options. Only now has that truly been exposed with Postecoglou's makeshift lineups which are coming potentially at the detriment of his players' careers, with several soldiering on through injury just to help the cause.

توصل الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي، إلى اتفاق شفهي مع نادي ريال مدريد الإسباني، بشأن شروط رحيله عن الفريق.

ويتولى أنشيلوتي تدريب ريال مدريد ويملك عقدًا مع النادي الملكي يمتد حتى 30 يونيو 2026.

وودع ريال مدريد دوري أبطال أوروبا هذا الموسم من دور ربع النهائي على يد آرسنال، وخسر لقب كأس ملك إسبانيا أمام غريمه برشلونة، وينافسه الآن على لقب الدوري الإسباني حيث يتصدر خصمه الترتيب.

وبحسب صحيفة “ذا أثليتك”، تم التوصل إلى اتفاق شفهي، بين أنشيلوتي وريال مدريد حول شروط رحيل المدرب، وفي انتظار الإجراءات الرسمية.

ويتعلق الشرط الأساسي بالتوصل إلى اتفاق بشأن راتب أنشيلوتي للعام المتبقي من عقده مع ريال مدريد.

اقرأ أيضًا | أنشيلوتي: الفوز على برشلونة يقربنا من لقب الدوري.. وكنت قاسيًا على جولر

من المتوقع صدور إعلان رسمي يؤكد رحيل أنشيلوتي عن ريال مدريد، قبل نهاية موسم الدوري الإسباني، وقد يتم ذلك بعد مباراة الكلاسيكو ضد برشلونة يوم الأحد القادم.

ويسعى ريال مدريد لاتخاذ قرار بشأن من سيتولى تدريب الفريق في كأس العالم للأندية الذي ينطلق يوم 14 يونيو الجاري.

ويعتبر تشابي ألونسو الخيار الأول لريال مدريد، يليه سانتياجو سولاري ثم راؤول جونزاليس أو ألفارو أربيلوا.

في الوقت نفسه من المتوقع تولي أنشيلوتي تدريب منتخب البرازيل بعد الرحيل عن ريال مدريد، حتى يكون جاهزًا لمباراتي تصفيات كأس العالم في يونيو ضد الإكوادور وباراجواي.

da realbet： Liverpool are believed to be “monitoring” a 25-year-old who is enjoying a superb start to the season, according to an update from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Liverpool transfer rumours

da bet nacional： The Reds continue to be linked with new signings, with Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni reportedly wanted, being seen as a similar option to Real Sociedad ace Martin Zubimendi, of whom a summer move failed to materialise.

Further up the pitch, Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze has been backed to seal a move to Liverpool, too, with a potential cut-price £50m transfer on the cards. He has a £68m release clause that can be triggered in 2025, but the Eagles may accept a lower offer, as they still look to receive big money for the England international.

The Reds are also said to be scouting Borussia Dortmund attacker Karim Adeyemi, as the club possibly look to eye replacements for Mohamed Salah, should the Egyptian superstar fail to sign a new deal before next summer.

When it comes to possible outgoings at Liverpool, Darwin Nunez’s lack of minutes has seen him linked with a switch away, with Barcelona rumoured to be eyeing a switch for him.

Liverpool "monitoring" prolific forward – Sky Sports

According to Plettenberg on X, Liverpool are eyeing Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, with his current club desperate to keep hold of him:

Marmoush stands out as such an eye-catching option for Liverpool, not least because of the sensational start to the season that he has made for Frankfurt. He has averaged a goal every 72 minutes for his club side across all competitions, finding the net nine times in a total of 656 minutes, most of which have come in the Bundesliga.

Omar Marmoush’s Bundesliga stats this season

Total

Appearances

6

Starts

6

Minutes played

503

Goals

8

Assists

4

Shots per game

4.7

Key passes per game

2.3

Dribbles per game

2.0

The 25-year-old has been likened to Salah in the past, perhaps also in part due to him also being Egyptian, and former goalkeeper Ahmed Shobair has waxed lyrical over him, saying:

“What he’s done in the German league since last season deserves even more praise and attention. Marmoush proves every day that he’s a distinguished talent and wonderful player. There’s little doubt that a transfer to one of Europe’s biggest clubs is very close.”

Related Liverpool struck gold on "superstar" who’s worth more than Alexander-Arnold

He’s a real linchpin for the Anfield side…

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair Oct 8, 2024

Ideally, Marmoush won’t necessarily be needed because Salah will stay put, but if he does move on, or Liverpool feel like that they could do with him coming as well to steadily usurp him over time, he could be a shrewd addition to Arne Slot’s squad.

Aymeric Laporte scored to clinch a draw against Al-Taawoun as Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League title hopes suffered another blow.

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Al-Nassr held to a 1-1 drawFound themselves trailing for over an hourLaporte found the net to salvage a pointFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesTELL ME MORE

Al-Nassr were looking to carry forward their momentum from the 3-1 win over Al-Akhdoud and they were indeed the dominant force in the first quarter of the match. However, as the match progressed, the hosts started to up the ante and increase their influence on the proceedings.

Cristiano Ronaldo was bottled up by the two central defenders and the Portuguese was forced to drop deep frequently to get more touches on the ball. And just at the stroke of half-time, the 39-year-old cut a frustrated figure as Saad Fahad Al Nasser drew first blood with the defensive line caught napping. The left-back went on the overlap and a teasing cross from Fahad Al-Jumayah escaped the entire Al-Nassr defence to land kindly at his feet, and Nasser did the rest.

Stefano Pioli's men turned up the heat in the second half, showing more precision and purpose in the attacking third. Angelo Gabriel was introduced, replacing Abdulrahman Ghareeb, and the substitution proved a game-changer. He proved to be a menace on the right flank with his probing crosses and in the 64th minute, Aymeric Laporte got his head to one of those deliveries to erase the deficit.

In the final quarter, Al-Taawoun started defending with two blocks of five and four in an attempt to shut down Ronaldo and Sadio Mane. Although Al-Nassr continued to enjoy possession in the opposition half, goal scoring opportunities came at a premium as they lacked the cutting edge in front of goal. They are now 11 points behind leaders Al-Hilal and are fourth in the league table, which means they are outside the qualification criteria for the AFC Champions League Elite division.

AdvertisementTHE MVP

Angelo was the only bright spark in a rather lacklustre Al-Nassr side. The 20-year-old tried to make things happen with his skill and confidence on a day when the big guns fell deafeningly silent. It was one peach of an assist for Laporte's goal and if his strikers were a bit more clinical the scoreline could have been different.

GettyTHE BIG LOSER

Al-Nassr's brittle defence was once again exposed by Al-Taawoun. Nawaf Boushal couldn't stop the cross from being delivered, Mohamed Simakan was beaten by his marker, whereas, Sultan Al-Ghannam had little idea that Nasser had been lurking behind him during the opener. Going ahead, Pioli must fix his defensive problems if they are going to challenge for the AFC Champions League with the domestic league title already seeming like a distant dream.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

After this disappointing draw, Al-Nassr will be back in action against Al-Khaleej on Tuesday in their next league encounter.

Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have been left out of Liverpool's matchday squad for their Carabao Cup clash against Southampton.

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• Salah, Van Dijk left out of Liverpool squad
• Ngumoha could make his senior debut
• Liverpool take on Southampton in Carabao Cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arne Slot took a bold call ahead of Liverpool's Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Southampton on Wednesday as he left out star players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk from the travelling squad. The Dutch manager named a second-string starting lineup as he wanted his first-team stars to rest amid a hectic run of fixtures in December.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This is the first time that Salah has been excluded from the Reds' matchday roster in the 2024/25 campaign as he has appeared in all of the 23 matches the club have played thus far. Van Dijk, on the other hand, has made 21 appearances.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Liverpool academy's 16-year-old forward Rio Ngumoha has been included in the squad and could make his senior debut for the club against the Saints.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  After facing Southampton, Slot's side will be back in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they take on Tottenham Hotspur in an away fixture.

The current World Cup in India has seen plenty of promising performances, and even more compelling characters, emerge from the less established nations

Jack Sheldon25-Feb-2013The history of women’s cricket can be traced back to a quintessentially English occasion – a contest between the villages of Bramley and Hambledon near Guildford in Surrey. A match report published in the said: “The girls bowled, batted, ran and [took] catches as well as most men could.” It may come as a surprise to recent converts that this match took place in 1745, nearly 103 years before the birth of WG Grace.The journey of women’s cricket has not always been smooth since then. Although women beat the men to staging a World Cup, England’s players were demeaningly forced to wear restrictive skirts until as recently as 1997. The international game was monopolised by the traditional powerhouses of England, Australia and New Zealand, who between them shared all of the silverware ever awarded. India were competitive at times, without ever winning a trophy. Those outside this clique often looked short of class.This was true till as recently as the 2009 World Cup, when none of the lesser teams were even close to causing an upset. However, times have changed quickly. The current World Cup in India has seen plenty of promising performances, and even more compelling characters, emerge from the less established nations.It is worth dwelling on Sri Lanka’s efforts. The team was not formed until 1997 and, despite quickly overtaking Ireland and the Netherlands, had not beaten any of the top four teams in 30 matches before this tournament. In 2009, they finished last after being bowled out for 75 by South Africa in the seventh place play-off. Just four years later, in this edition of the World Cup, they smashed their highest ODI total and pulled off the highest-ever run chase in the Women’s World Cup against two of the tournament’s favourite sides.Apart from the one game in which they were ‘Dottined’ by West Indies, there is little reason to believe that Sri Lanka cannot reach the final. Dottined? That is a reference to Deandra Dottin, dubbed the ‘female Chris Gayle’. Many male cricketers would love to call on her hitting ability, which is second to none in the women’s game. But she is not West Indies’ brightest star. That title belongs to Stafanie Taylor who, at 21, has already scored four ODI centuries, taken 70 wickets and won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award. Like Sri Lanka, West Indies were unheralded until recently. But they are now a genuine threat to any international outfit.There is a strong correlation between the introduction of de-facto, full-time contracts and the evident improvement in the teams benefitting from them. In Sri Lanka, modest contracts, linked to the military, were launched in 2011 and players now receive a match fee. This allows them to focus on cricket virtually full-time, without having to worry about bringing money in through other means. This also holds true for the West Indies, where key players are on annual retainers. Although Pakistan are yet to enjoy real success, they now have more contracted players than any other nation and were able to post their highest World Cup total, in the match against India.Top teams, too, have begun receiving remuneration in recent years. Until 2005, Claire Taylor, one of England’s greatest batsmen of all time, had to supplement her cricket career with a job in the I.T. sector. It is an indicator of the pace of progress that even those boards that were traditionally accused of apathy towards the women’s game are making a sizeable investment in the sport.But why has it taken so long? I’d argue that the absence of media coverage hindered women’s cricket for a long time. The 2009 event was the first World Cup to receive a global telecast; in contrast with tennis, where the Wimbledon ladies’ singles final has been televised for decades. The presence of cameras has allowed fans and, perhaps just as importantly, administrators around the world to challenge their prejudices about the women’s game. There has been a substantial increase in coverage in newspapers, magazines and online sites. As a result, success and failure are increasingly visible and those responsible for the development of the game can no longer afford to be an embarrassment.The ongoing World Cup has already been the most competitive women’s international cricket tournament of all time and, with the continuing improvements in funding, exposure and facilities, one can expect the game to spread globally. If there is one thing the tournament has proved, it is that women around the cricketing world can bowl, bat and take catches just as well as most men.

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil is leaving no stone unturned in his goal to take the club into the top half of the Premier League next season.

If it weren’t for a late-season collapse during 2023/24, they might have achieved that goal. It was an encouraging start by the former Bournemouth manager, however, and the onus is for him to improve the Old Gold next term.

Having made a few signings so far this summer, will he bring in another couple of players to bolster his squad before the transfer window closes?

Wolves could move for Colombian sensation

According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey last week, the Molineux outfit have been offered the chance to sign James Rodriguez, who ended his recent spell with São Paulo by tearing up his contract.

Having shone at the most recent Copa América tournament, Rodriguez should have no shortage of offers, especially in Europe.

Could O’Neil tempt the former Real Madrid playmaker into moving to the Premier League, as he would be a wonderful signing.

Why James Rodriguez would be a perfect signing for Matheus Cunha

Last season saw Matheus Cunha emerge as one of O’Neil’s key players at the Old Gold, scoring 14 goals while chipping in with eight assists, becoming their top goalscorer in the process.

There is no doubt he can get even better next season, especially if there is someone like Rodriguez playing just behind him, creating plenty of chances for the Brazilian to slot away on a regular basis.

The 33-year-old didn’t exactly enjoy the best spell in Brazil, scoring just twice in 22 matches for São Paulo, but he did enjoy a decent stint at Olympiacos in Greece during the 2022/23 season.

The attacking midfielder rolled back the years in the Greek top flight, scoring five and grabbing five assists in just 17 games, showing that he can still shine in Europe if given the chance.

Despite his club form not being the best, he shone for Colombia at the 2024 Copa América as they reached their first final since 2001.

Colombia may not have won the competition, but Rodriguez was certainly one of the finest performers throughout the tournament.

Across six matches, Rodriguez scored once while registering an impressive six assists, showcasing his attacking talents in the USA.

Not only that, but the former Real Madrid gem also created five big chances, averaged 3.3 key passes per game and averaged 1.3 shots per game, giving Colombia the best chance for success.

He was hailed as a “superstar” by journalist Nico Cantor following his exploits at the Copa América, while his former manager Carlo Ancelotti dubbed the midfielder as “fantastic” during his spell with Everton.

Rodriguez may be coming towards the end of his career, but his displays for his country this summer certainly prove that he has the ability to make a difference.

Cunha may find himself with the chance to score more than 20 goals should the Colombian join the Old Gold this summer, and it would signal a major statement of intent by O’Neil.

More creative than Ait-Nouri: Wolves explore move for £3m Neto replacement

Gary O’Neil is targeting another teenage signing after Pedro Lima…

By
Ross Kilvington

Jul 24, 2024

It might sound like trite at this point, but Fabrizio Romano has moved to mollify Liverpool fans with claims that FSG are stirring up a transfer sauce somewhere in the background of another gripping summer window.

This effectively just corroborates comments made by sporting director Richard Hughes during Arne Slot's first press conference as head coach, stressing that the emphasis is on working with the current crop. Signings, it was said, will be made, but later down the line, probably in August.

Jurgen Klopp bowed out with a Carabao Cup and a third-place Premier League finish last term, restoring the Reds' Champions League pedigree and enforcing sweeping midfield changes after his long-standing engine room malfunctioned, sapped and having run its course.

Liverpool are well stocked across the field, with a cascade of academy talent stretching tendrils into the first team too. However, one or two improvements must surely be made to close down Manchester City and Arsenal, and indeed fight for the prize in Europe's elite continental competition.

Liverpool interested in wide options

There's hope that FSG will move to strengthen Liverpool's senior set-up with an exciting new attacking option, and according to Football Insider, that man could be Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, with the Anfield side among the favourites to sign the talent.

Eze was excellent last season and is also being targetted by Tottenham Hotspur, but after the Eagles sold Michael Olise to Bayern Munich for roughly £50m, signing the 26-year-old won't be easy.

Still, the England international is understood to have a £60m release clause in his contract – now, Liverpool just need to lodge an official bid.

Why Slot wants Eberechi Eze

Eze signed for Palace from Queens Park Rangers in 2020, completing a transfer rising to £20m after dazzling in the second tier. Fleet-footed and an adept dribbler, Eze has since sharpened his striking skills to a fine point, praised as a "Champions League player" by pundit Danny Murphy.

Murphy also claimed that the Englishman is "on a different planet", though inserted the caveat that he's not always fit – something that has inhibited Eze throughout his four years at Selhurst Park.

He has only reached 30 top-flight starts once in a single campaign, having completed his fourth year with Palace, but the sheer level of his quality suggests that he would be worth every penny.

Look, for example, at how his efforts in the Premier League last season compare to the performances of Luis Diaz. Off the bat, it can be noted that Eze is more progressive, potent and powerful in his displays.

Even creativity, which Diaz appears to have pipped Eze in, boils down to circumstance. Eze created more big chances and placed key passes into his teammates' paths with greater regularity, though was let down by poor finishing and decision-making.

Of course, though, Eze's glowing attacking traits is his finishing, so clinical, so effective. This is corroborated by FBref's statistical analysis, marking him as one of the Premier League's deadliest of his position last season.

Indeed, ranking among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers in 2023/24 for goal scored and shot-creating actions, the top 5% for shots taken and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90, Eze is on the way to becoming a "superstar" – as has been said by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Who knows, he might prove to swiftly surpass Liverpool's Colombian flanker and prove to be Anfield's finest left winger since the days of Sadio Mane.

Why Eze would be Liverpool's best LW since Sadio Mane

Firstly, this is not to discredit Diaz, who was tireless and tenacious down the flank last season, breathtaking in his dribbling feats at times and invariably determined to aid the team.

But the Colombian has faced criticisms revolving around his output. 13 goals and five assists across 54 appearances is not the dazzling tally that befits his lofty talents.

It's certainly not the tally that Mane would put up each season. The Senegalese winger is one of Liverpool's most iconic figures in modern history, forming a crucial part of Klopp's deadly frontline.

He was sold to Bayern Munich in 2022 but still bagged 23 goals and four assists across all competitions during his final year as a Red, ever incisive in front of goal.

His movement, intelligence and fluidity across the frontline have established him as one of the Premier League's finest forwards of all time, described as "world-class" by Klopp and adored by the Liverpool masses.

He was at his barnstorming best during that final term, an all-encompassing, fear-inducing forward. He ranked among the top 7% of positional peers in the Premier League for goals scored, the top 12% for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for passes attempted and the top 12% for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.

Truly, Diaz has not fallen short by failing to emulate Mane to the same degree – there are scant few forwards littered across the last decade of European football who would have been able to do as such. But indeed, Diaz's underlying numbers are not as impressive as Eze's, who would stand an excellent chance of making his mark on Liverpool's left flank and bringing some newfound attacking impetus to Slot's outfit.

Liverpool, indeed, were plagued by poor finishing last year, with wayward shooting at the crux of the late-season wobble that ruined title aspirations across three competitions. Still, having created the most big chances in the Premier League with 102, Eze would enter the right zone to continue his free-scoring success.

Liverpool need to add an ingredient or two to their unit under Slot, and Eze could be the perfect man for the job – the second coming of an unforgettable 'superstar'.

Liverpool targeting £30m ace who'd be their most creative CM since Coutinho

He’d be an interesting addition to Arne Slot’s budding project.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 21, 2024

عقد البرتغالي جوزيه بيسيرو، المدير الفني لفريق الزمالك، جلسة مع اللاعبين قبل انطلاق مران اليوم الثلاثاء على ملعب النادي، استعدادًا لمواجهة سيراميكا كليوباترا في نصف نهائي كأس مصر.

وأكد جوزيه بيسيرو على أهمية اللقاء، مشددًا على ضرورة تحقيق الفوز للوصول إلى النهائي، كما طالب اللاعبين بإغلاق ملف بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر والتركيز على المواجهة المقبلة. تدريبات خاصة للجفالي ورفاعي

خضع ثنائي الفريق، أحمد الجفالي وأحمد رفاعي، لتدريبات تأهيلية خاصة تحت إشراف علاء رجب مخطط الأحمال، حيث أديا مجموعة من التمارين الفردية بالكرة وبدونها، بهدف تجهيزهما للعودة للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية قريبًا.

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خضع اللاعبون الذين شاركوا في لقاء بتروجت الأخير ببطولة كأس عاصمة مصر، لبرنامج تأهيلي واستشفائي خاص، شمل تدريبات خفيفة بالكرة، إلى جانب جلسة تأهيلية في صالة الجيمانيزيوم، وذلك لتجنب الإرهاق قبل مواجهة سيراميكا المرتقبة. تدريبات تأهيلية لـ شيكابالا وشلبي

خاض محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا، ومصطفى شلبي ثنائي الزمالك، تدريبات تأهيلية في صالة الجيمانيزيوم.

ويواصل الثنائي البرنامج التأهيلي الموضوع لهما، بعد تعرض شيكابالا لإصابة بكدمة في الركبة خلال مباراة بتروجت الأخيرة في كأس عاصمة مصر، في حين يعاني مصطفى شلبي من إصابة بكدمة في الساق.

ويسعى الجهاز الطبي للفريق بقيادة الدكتور محمد أسامة لتجهيزهما للمشاركة في التدريبات خلال أقرب وقت ممكن.

ويستعد الزمالك لملاقاة سيراميكا كليوباترا مساء الجمعة المقبلة على استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الدور نصف النهائي لكأس مصر، في لقاء يسعى فيه الأبيض لمواصلة مشواره نحو اللقب.