Tag Futebol

Seventh take on eighth as Wolves travel to London this afternoon for a clash with Tottenham Hotspur, and both teams will see this game as a must-win with Spurs fighting for a place in the top four and Bruno Lage’s side hoping to return to a good run of form to secure European football next season.

However, the Portuguese manager has revealed a setback ahead of the game which could put Wolves at a disadvantage against their opponents…

What’s the word?

Lage has placed huge doubt over the availability of Hwang Hee-chan after his highly-anticipated return against Arsenal was hit with a setback, and the 45-year-old confirmed fans’ fears after the game.

Lage told the media: “I spoke with the doctor and we made the decision for him to come to the stadium. When he arrived he felt his back and he couldn’t move, like a spasm. He was on the bench but it was impossible to put him in the game.”

He further confirmed that the Wolves forward would miss “one or two” days training, which in turn would make him highly doubtful to appear against Spurs this afternoon.

Fans will be gutted

Hwang has now been out of the squad for over a month with a hamstring injury, missing seven games for Wolves, and the inclusion of the winger in the squad against Arsenal would have been thrilling for fans, but now they will surely be gutted that a further setback has emerged in his recovery.

The 26-year-old secured his long term future with Wolves last month after initially joining the club on loan in 2021. Making an impressive impact on the side with four goals and one assist before his injury issues, Lage was keen to complete a permanent deal for the South Korean, who has now sealed his commitment to the club for £14m.

Lage will surely be conscious of the challenge which lies ahead against Spurs, so whilst wanting to choose his strongest team, he will not want to hinder the progress Hwang has made in recent weeks since returning to training. With his back spasm removing him from training for a few days, it will likely see the Molineux faithful needing to wait until next week at the earliest to see him back in action.

It’s a case of short-term setback for long-term benefit, but given his status as Wolves’ joint-top scorer this term, his absence against a Europe-chasing rival in Spurs will come as a big blow for the Old Gold.

In other news: Wolves sealed their dream deal with this signing

As per an update by Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, there has been a promising update as Tottenham Hotspur’s links to Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho continue.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye attacker move?

Since the departure of former club favourite and long-serving midfield creator Christian Eriksen, there is certainly a case to be made that Tottenham have severely missed his presence.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli have failed to replicate the Dane’s influence further forward leading to Tottenham reportedly scouring the market for fresh faces.

Juventus ace Dejan Kulusevski, who can operate as an advanced playmaker, is on Fabio Paratici’s transfer list whilst the Lilywhites have also been linked with Man United outcast Jesse Lingard and Coutinho.

In an update on the latter target, Mundo Deportivo have now dropped a fairly encouraging claim.

The Latest: Coutinho ‘would choose’ Tottenham…

As per their information, it cannot be ruled out that Barca may sell Coutinho ‘in the coming days’ as they work to find him a new club.

Indeed, the Brazil international is apparently ‘already’ eyeing an exit and is ‘receiving offers’ – but is it believed the 29-year-old ‘would choose’ Tottenham over fellow suitors Newcastle United.

The Verdict: Get it done Paratici?

There is little denying that the midfielder comes with plenty of pedigree having already dazzled for ex-club Liverpool in England.

Coutinho managed a brilliant 54 goals and 45 assists in all competitions for the Reds over his 201 appearances, highlighting the fact he is a proven Premier League player, while compatriot Roberto Firmino has even called him ‘magical’ and ‘phenomenal’ (Goal).

Barca would apparently accept €20 million (£16.6m) for the player this month too, but the only red herring for Spurs is arguably Coutinho’s sky-high £380,000-per-week wages.

This is almost double the salary of Tottenham’s highest earners Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele with the South American almost certainly having to accept a big wage reduction if he wishes to seal a north London move.

In other news: Tottenham racing to sign ‘sensational’ player with Levy willing to table ‘huge’ offer, find out more here.

Alex Gidman fell one short of a century as Gloucestershire’s batsmen finallyfound some form in their County Championship Second Division match withLeicestershire at the County Ground in Bristol

10-May-2010
Scorecard
Alex Gidman fell one short of a century as Gloucestershire’s batsmen finallyfound some form in their County Championship Second Division match withLeicestershire at the County Ground in Bristol.The captain Gidman led from the front as he found the boundary on 10 occasions on hisway to 99 before Leicestershire skipper Matthew Hoggard had him caught by AndrewHarris. Gloucestershire finished the day on 314 for 6, which had looked beyond themafter Gidman lost the toss and quickly saw his slide slump to 8 for 2.But Gidman shared a fourth-wicket stand of 138 with Hamish Marshall (86)after Chris Dent’s 34 had helped overcome the early setbacks. Hoggard must have hoped for better, having put Gloucestershire in on a green looking pitch, although he would have been happy with his own return of 3 for 49.A combined total of 43 wickets had fallen on the first days ofGloucestershire’s previous two Championship games at Bristol, both of whichended in defeat, and neither yielding a single batting point to either team. But they went into this game heartened by successive away victories over Middlesex and Surrey and despite the early loss of openers Will Porterfield andJonathan Batty hey showed resolve to fight back.Both openers fell in Hoggard’s opening six-over spell of 2 for 10. WillJefferson took a juggling catch at second slip to send back Porterfield for aduck and Batty was lbw pushing forward, having made 6.England Under-19 player Dent has been used to walking out with his team in astate of adversity this season and not for the first time he showed a goodtemperament to add 66 for the third wicket with Marshall. His 64-ball innings featured five fours and meant the new ball had been seenoff by the time he fell lbw on the back foot to Claude Henderson in the slowleft-armer’s second over.It was 82 for 3 at lunch and the afternoon session saw Marshall reach hishalf-century off 101 balls, with eight fours, and Gidman follow suit from 91deliveries, with seven boundaries. Marshall made only one century in a disappointing campaign last summer so hehad every right to feel frustrated when playing down the wrong line to Harrisand departing lbw when looking set for three figures.Gidman was on 74 when tea was taken at 212 for 4. But, having played withgreat fluency and punishing anything dropped short, he began to lookmore sketchy as he approached his hundred. Hoggard may have sensed that as he took the second new ball. He pitched the second delivery with it short and Gidman top-edged a pull shot to Harris, who took a good tumbling catch running in from fine leg.The crestfallen Gidman had faced 183 balls and hit 10 fours. But his good workdidn’t go to waste as Taylor accelerated towards a half-century off 90 balls,with nine fours before gloving a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Tom New offNathan Buck.

Shanan Stewart has never been so interested in Ross Taylor’s leg. The chances of Stewart making his ODI debut on Tuesday depend largely on how Taylor feels ahead of the third match in Hamilton but the captain Daniel Vettori is in no doubt that Stewart can handle the step up to international cricket if required.”He’s scored runs for a long time now for Canterbury and he’s a very good player of spin bowling,” Vettori said. “He’s quite aggressive in those middle stages. I think Twenty20 cricket has really helped his game, and of late he’s in form. Whilst it’s four-day cricket he’ll still be feeling good about himself.”Vettori was speaking of the 227 that Stewart made over the past week in the Plunket Shield match in New Plymouth, after which he got a call-up to the one-day squad. Vettori believes Taylor is a 50-50 chance to overcome the leg problem that kept him out of the second ODI.New Zealand will consider playing Taylor even if he is not fully fit, such is his importance to the team. But after nearly a decade in the domestic system, Stewart, 27, is looking forward to the chance to step out for his country and test his skills against the No. 1 one-day team in the world.”It’s a dream and if you want to make your debut you may as well make it against the best and see where you’re at,” Stewart said after joining the squad in Hamilton. “It’s just having a clear mind, being confident in yourself and being aggressive, hopefully I can carry that on.”Australia will be keen to make Stewart’s introduction to international cricket as tough as possible, although the visitors know their bowling is not the main concern in their camp. In both games, Australia have batted first and made totals they felt were sub-par, and it is a trend the coach Tim Nielsen wants to rectify in Hamilton.”I don’t think we’ve made as many runs as we would have liked,” Nielsen said of the Napier and Auckland matches. “Both the grounds were the size and setup for big scores. We feel that we’re close to playing well but we’re certainly not playing anywhere near our best at the moment. It is a big game. It’ll be hard to win the last two knowing that you’re 2-1 down.”

New South Wales’ most experienced opener has only been spoken of in Test terms when remembering his past exploits

Cricinfo staff26-Mar-2010New South Wales openers have had a high profile throughout the season but the state’s most experienced specialist has only been spoken of in Test terms when remembering his past exploits. Last June Phil Jaques had an uncertain future following three back operations, but after completing a full campaign with the Blues he heads to England next week to re-join Worcestershire and continue a journey that he wants to finish in Australian selection.He leaves home with the satisfaction of gaining a two-year deal with New South Wales that provides security in the next phases of his career. It is a huge boost given the state is crammed with openers – Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich and Shane Watson are in the Test unit in New Zealand – and the squad is packed with impressive young batting talent in Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith and Moises Henriques.Jaques, who is 30, has earned the loyalty during a decade of consistent output and he played in every New South Wales game in 2009-10, which was a significant achievement considering the doubts over his back. “It’s a big relief,” he told Cricinfo of gaining the contract. “I wasn’t sure where I was heading. [Before the season] I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen beyond this year. I can really push forward now and get some figures up on the board next summer.”When he walks out to bat he knows his back is not going to break and the prosthetic disc that was replaced between L5 and S1 has become part of him. For three years he struggled with the problem while establishing himself as a Test batsman, but he was forced home from India in 2008 and has since been stuck on 11 Tests, 902 runs and three centuries. Over the season he modified his training, focussing more on recovery and shivering through a lot of ice baths, and feels strong again.A three-month stint with Worcestershire is the next stage in his re-development and it will be the sixth time he has appeared on the county circuit. He has also represented Yorkshire and Northamptonshire and four of those seasons resulted in hauls of more than 1000 first-class runs. A British passport streamlines the appointment but there is no thought of him trading his Australian status when there is the goal of another Test.He is firm when asked if he has given up on playing for his country? “I wouldn’t be playing cricket if I had,” he said. “I’m very ambitious, I still want to play the highest level I can. If that opportunity came around again I’d grab it with two hands.”Cricket delivers a variety of role models and Simon Katich is the one who older players look to after a long absence from the top team. “Simon got back in the side when he was 33,” Jaques said. “There’s no reason why I can’t do what he’s done. I definitely model myself on what he’s done. He’s the prototype of fighting back from being dropped or being out of the side. I definitely take some inspiration from that.”Katich returned to national attention by breaking records at New South Wales and Jaques will have to be in peak form if an opening reappears. He rates his first season back as “solid” and something to build on. There was a century in the Sheffield Shield along with four fifties and 636 runs at 39.75. The highlight was a mighty 171 against Queensland, the second-highest score in the one-day competition, and overall it was enough to prove his value to himself and those around him.In Worcester he will build on his batting and his body until he is replaced by Smith for the Twenty20 games and Shakib Al Hasan for the second half of the first-class campaign. “As the home season went on, my back got better and better,” he said. “To stop now would be a waste. The first three months, it will be good to get back into the habit of scoring runs and playing all the time. Then I’ll have a bit of a break and freshen up and hit the season running next year. We’ll see how it all unfolds.”

West Ham United are plotting a move for Nathaniel Phillips in the January transfer window, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claim that the Irons are lining up a swoop for the Liverpool colossus at the turn of the year after suffering a devastating season-ending injury blow to first-choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna.

An inside source has told the site that the 24-year-old, who is way down the pecking order at Anfield, is amongst their list of defensive targets this winter and that the Hammers have been laying the groundwork for a potential switch.

It’s thought that around £12m would be enough to seal his signature on a permanent basis, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate all earning minutes ahead of him.

Bargain solution

With Ogbonna facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, there’s no knowing if he will ever return to David Moyes’ plans, especially given that he is currently 33 and in the final year of his contract.

Phillips at 24 makes a lot of sense as he wouldn’t be a temporary short-term fix, let alone an expensive one. His experience across the Premier League and in Europe could even make him a considerable upgrade, having featured 23 times for the Reds across all competitions.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/west-ham-news-transfer-updates-rumours-gossip-david-moyes-gsb-premier-league” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

The £25m-rated academy gem particularly impressed last season, where he filled in during an injury crisis at Anfield, with Van Dijk absent due to an ACL injury, the very same thing which has now afflicted Ogbonna.

He caught the eye of Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, who dubbed his towering 6 foot 3 defender an aerial “monster” after a particularly glowing display against RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Phillips featured in both matches against the east Londoners in 2020/21 and helped his team to two victories, including one in which he silenced Michail Antonio entirely. As per SofaScore, when Liverpool won 3-1 away to Moyes’ side last January, the Irons talisman was limited to one shot on target and one successful dribble from three attempts, whilst he had only three passes all game and lost 66.6% of his duels.

Indeed, across his time in Merseyside and his loan spell at 2. Bundesliga champions Stuttgart, Phillips has won an average of 4.8 aerial duels per game, as well as four clearances and 1.4 tackles per match, via WhoScored.

Considering his value, experience and availability, Irons head of recruitment Rob Newman could quite easily land Moyes a bargain solution to his centre-back problem with a swoop for Phillips this January.

On the above evidence, he would be a perfect signing to fill that void, with Kurt Zouma the first-choice and another place effectively up for grabs.

AND in other news, Forget Rice: “Important” Hammers gem who had 53 touches was Moyes’ one silver lining vs City…

Everton have received a potentially significant injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Brentford this afternoon.

What’s the word?

Rafael Benitez revealed in Friday’s press conference that key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure could make his long-awaited return from a metatarsal issue, having missed the Toffees’ last four top-flight fixtures.

“He’s been training today, so it’s one play that may be available,” the Spaniard confirmed. “Because it’s a metatarsal issue, if he’s fine then he’s fine.

“We have to make sure he goes to the game if everything is healed and the player is confident. It’s always a risk coming back from injury, but not a massive risk.”

Benitez was then quizzed over the availability of another engine room operator Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who has only featured in one minute of action since he was hauled off at half-time against Wolves at the start of the month.

“It’s complicated. After two years, to play against Wolves was not easy. After we had to make a decision against Spurs, I put (Mason) Holgate in – we have to be honest, it didn’t work. Sometimes it’s like that.”

Benitez will be buzzing

News that Dourcure could return to either the starting line-up or the matchday squad for the trip to the Brentford Community Stadium will leave Benitez absolutely buzzing.

The Frenchman is a crucial cog in the Blues’ engine room and was in fine form before he picked up his injury, scoring two goals and providing a further four assists in just eight Premier League appearances.

Since Doucoure’s fitness setback, Everton have only picked up one point from a possible 12, dropping to 12th in the top-flight table and highlighting his importance to the side.

Therefore, the 6-foot beast’s potential return could provide a big boost to Benitez’s charges this afternoon as they attempt to end a six-game winless run.

In other news… Forget Iwobi: Benitez must unleash Everton’s £4.5m-rated “important player” 

Leeds United’s season has hardly gone to plan so far in 2021/22 as they find themselves just three points above the drop zone.

With the last international break of the year drawing to a close, Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa will need to consider some adjustments ahead of their return to action against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

The Yorkshire side are amongst the lowest scorers (11 goals from 11 games) in the division, despite averaging the sixth-highest number of shots per game.

Of course, injuries have played their part, with Patrick Bamford missing their last six league games, but truth be told, Bielsa’s wide options have been far from outstanding.

Raphinha aside, both Jack Harrison and Dan James have struggled for form – in fact, as per WhoScored, they are the two lowest-rated players in the squad with six or more starts, with the former Manchester City dynamo being graded at 6.33 and the Welshman slightly better at 6.36.

Therefore, it could be wise to turn to rarely-seen 2020 summer signing Crysencio Summerville, who has played just 69 minutes from the bench in this Premier League campaign.

The 20-year-old, who signed in a £1.3m deal from Feyenoord, made a goalscoring U21 debut for the Netherlands this week and left a lasting impression on the manager.

“You can see that a number of players are developing well and we are also getting stronger across the board. This time we had Wouter Burger, Crysensio Summerville and Micky van de Ven: three new guys. They left a good impression on me,” Erwin van de Looi told Voetbal International.

“This means that the players who were there at the start [of the qualifying cycle] are also put on edge.”

Bielsa should look to ride this crest of form from Summerville and unleash him in the league when his team returns to action on Sunday. Given the ailing form of the aforementioned wide duo, it can hardly be that much of a risk.

The young Dutch winger can play on either flank and has excelled for Leeds’ U23 squad, for whom he has provided nine goals and eight assists in 22 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

LeedsLive reporter Joe Donnohue waxed lyrical about his form on social media, tweeting: “Summerville a wriggler, impossible to handle”, whilst Chris Powell once dubbed him a “bag of tricks” having coached him at ADO Den Haag in 2019/20.

The £1.35m-rated wing sensation must be unleashed sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, Leeds can find Bielsa’s dream Ayling successor in 24 y/o who “no opponent can handle”…

يرى ضياء السيد المدرب العام السابق لمنتخب مصر أن الأهلي لن يسمح بعودة رمضان صبحي لاعب بيراميدز الحالي مرة أخرى لصفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالقلعة الحمراء.

وكان رمضان صبحي قد فضّل الانضمام لنادي بيراميدز على الأهلي لينتقل له على سبيل البيع من هدرسفيلد تاون الإنجليزي في عام 2020.

طالع أيضًا.. خالد الغندور: الحديث عن عودة رمضان صبحي لـ الأهلي “تسلية”.. وبيراميدز لم يعرضه للبيع

وقال ضياء السيد خلال مداخلة هاتفية ببرنامج “بوكس تو بوكس” المذاع على قناة “إل تي سي”: “الأهلي نجح في تعويض رمضان صبحي، والدليل نجاحه في تحقيق العديد من البطولات بعد رحيله”.

وأضاف: “قد تكون هناك فوارق فنية بين اللاعبين، لكننا نتحدث عن نادٍ حقق العديد من البطولات بعد رحيل اللاعب”.

وواصل: “لا أعتقد أن رمضان صبحي يرغب في العودة للأهلي، وعلى الجهة الأخرى لا أتوقع أن يسمح النادي برجوع اللاعب، لأن القلعة الحمراء لم تفعل ذلك من قبل”.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will hope that his side can continue their positive momentum as they host Aberdeen at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership tonight.

The Gers are unbeaten in four matches in all competitions and eight in the Premiership and have a chance to extend those runs against the Dons.

They come into this clash with Aberdeen after goals from Alfredo Morelos, his 100th for Rangers, and Kemar Roofe secured a 2-1 win away at St. Mirren on Sunday.

How many changes will Gerrard make for the match? Here is our predicted XI…

There could be as many as three changes tonight, with Allan McGregor, Calvin Bassey and Glen Kamara coming into the side.

The first change comes between the sticks, with the experienced McGregor coming back in for Jon McLaughlin. Gerrard axed the veteran against St. Mirren, explaining that his body needs to be managed throughout the season to maintain his fitness.

He said:

“We are going to have to [rest him].

“He’s at that age. He’s made a decision for us to play on, and have had that chat and it was about me saying to Allan at times we are going to have to look after him. We want Allan fit for the rest of the season, he is so important for us, but I can’t ask him to go game, game, game. His body is at a stage where he needs looking after at times.”

After sitting out for one game, the head coach could bring McGregor straight back in. This is no slight on McLaughlin, who did nothing wrong against St Mirren, but it is simply rotation to keep both players involved.

The second change comes at left-back with Bassey replacing Borna Barisic.

Recently, Football FanCast published an article explaining why Gerrard should drop the Croatian international to the bench, with his performance against St Mirren was not being good enough to warrant a starting berth tonight. He was too lightweight at the weekend as he lost 66.6% of his duels on the pitch.

In midfield, Gerrard could axe 27-year-old John Lundstram from the team in order to start Glen Kamara in the middle of the park.

The Finland international had a watching brief against St. Mirren and Football FanCast published an article explaining why he should now be unleashed against Aberdeen, especially given Lundstram’s struggle for St. Mirren’s goal on Sunday.

Kamara’s metronomic passing could help Rangers control the match, with a 90% pass accuracy this season showing he is efficient on the ball. He could use his ability in possession to dictate the flow of the game and keep the Gers on the front foot.

The front three should stay the same. Morelos and Roofe both scored and Ianis Hagi put in a terrific display out wide on the right. The Romanian international recorded an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.5 as he won a penalty, created one chance and completed 90% of his passes.

AND in other news, Gerrard must ruthlessly axe £18k-p/w Rangers dud v Aberdeen, he was shocking on Sunday…