Tag Futebol

Memphis Depay shined while on international duty for the Netherlands versus Spain in a friendly game last night.

The match finished 1-1 as Manchester United star Donny van de Beek cancelled out an opener from Sergio Canales, with Premier League players such as Nathan Ake, Gini Wijnaldum, Hector Bellerin and Rodri on show.

However, it was the performance of Depay that may have caught the eye for several members of the Goodison Park faithful.

Indeed, the Merseyside club were linked with a move for the Holland international back in June, and may well rekindle their interest in the January transfer window given that he seems to have opened the door to a possible move away from Lyon this week.

Depay shone for his country

Indeed, Depay shone for his country on the night, achieving a 100% shot accuracy and also an 86% pass success rate. The 26 year-old also won no fewer than five of his duels, and managed to record five crosses, three successful dribbles and one key pass in the game (Fotmob).

This is not the first time that he has impressed while on international duty either, as former Toffees boss Ronald Koeman once described him as ‘a joy to watch’ when he was manager of the Oranje.

Depay could be a good signing for Everton

Indeed, Depay could be a good signing for the Blues as he is more than capable of stepping in if the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison are injured or misfiring in front of goal.

He has already scored five goals and supplied a further three assists in ten appearances in Ligue 1 so far in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt), highlighting that he has an eye for both a goal and an assist.

Nonetheless, time will tell if Ancelotti opts to renew his summer interest when January rolls around.

In other news, find out which Everton player has been linked with a January exit here!

Portsmouth are looking to move Paul Downing on after the arrival of Danish defender Rasmus Nicolaisen, according to The News.

With the summer transfer window currently open, manager Kenny Jackett has opted to bolster his defensive options, bringing in the likes of Cameron Pring, Callum Johnson and Sean Raggett.

Following that trio of new signings, Jackett also agreed a deal to bring in Nicolaisen earlier this week..

The youngster’s arrival to Fratton Park has added strength in depth at the back for Pompey but a latest report has now claimed that Downing could be set to leave as a result.

The 28-year-old defender, valued at £225k, arrived at the club in 2019 after leaving Blackburn Rovers and has since made 16 appearances for the first team.

Downing’s chances of appearing for Jackett’s side in the starting eleven do seem to be in doubt with the likes of Raggett, Nicolaisen and Jack Whatmough all vying for a place.

A poor start to the new League One season for Pompey has seen them fail to find the back of the net, but they have kept two clean sheets in consecutive 0-0 draws against Shrewsbury Town and Rochdale without Downing’s involvement.

Downing is better off moving elsewhere and finding first team football, as his Portsmouth spell has not really gone according to plan.

Limited appearances and the fact he is now fourth choice leaves him with little chance of appearing in what is set to be one of Portsmouth’s most important campaigns to date, given that they must ensure promotion.

Do you think Downing should stay at Fratton Park? Let us know in the comments section below…

Lyon’s Houssem Aouar has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in the ongoing summer transfer window. The 22-year-old midfielder is certainly a hot prospect in the market and it doesn’t exactly come as a surprise following his great season over in France.

Arsenal are one of the firm admirers of the player and Mikel Arteta has already submitted a £31.2m transfer offer that also included one of the Gunners’ own player.

However, according to the latest reports from RMC Sport (via TalkSPORT), Lyon have now rejected the offer as they still value their star at around £45m.

Of course, we don’t exactly know the identity of the player who was reportedly offered to the French outfit but there is some suspicion it might have been Matteo Guendouzi. Seeing how he has been frozen out of the squad by Arteta, it would make sense for the Gunners to try and offload him this summer.

Manchester City were also one of the clubs mentioned as interested in Aouar but so far, it seems that Arsenal are in a better position or simply pushing for the transfer more.

Be that as it may, Arteta will still have to improve his offer if he is to land the coveted 22-year-old. Nowadays, no player comes cheap, especially a young star such as Aouar.

Only time will tell how successful Arsenal will be in their pursuit.

Verdict

Adding one of the players into the deal does seem like a good opportunity for Arsenal to offload some of the ‘deadwood’ from the team. However, it’s becoming painfully obvious that Lyon value their star too much to just accept any player from the Emirates.

For that reason, it would be wise for Arteta to up his offer just a little bit unless he wants to see this big opportunity pass him by.

Morgan Schneiderlin has admitted that he should have moved to Tottenham instead of Manchester United back in 2015.

Schneiderlin wanted Spurs move

Schneiderlin completed a £31.5m to the Red Devils after impressing at Southampton. However, he made just 47 appearances for the Old Trafford outfit in 18 months.

He then moved on to Everton and is now back in France, his homeland, with Nice. He has recently taken part in an extensive interview with The Athletic, and he has revealed he made the wrong choice in snubbing Spurs.

He explained:

“I had interest from Tottenham because Pochettino had gone there. A couple of other teams called my agent, but when Man United were interested, there was no other choice. Man United and Real Madrid are the two biggest clubs in the world. You can’t refuse Man United but if I was to listen to my heart, I would have signed for Spurs. I knew the manager and how he would be with me, his training style. He called me to ask me to go to Spurs. He wanted me 100 per cent.”

Perfect Pochettino match

One of the main reasons for Spurs’ interest in the midfielder will have been due to his connection with former boss Mauricio Pochettino. Schneiderlin missed just five Premier League games under the Argentinian during the 2013/14 campaign, which was Pochettino’s only season in charge of Southampton.

That was arguably when he was at his peak. He made 88 appearances for Everton, but just 34 of those came in his last two seasons. Now with Nice, he has appeared in all six Ligue 1 matches so far this term and he will now be hoping to put his Premier League woes behind him.

Let us know what you think below!

Leeds United must continue to bolster their defence if they are to mount a serious assault on the Premier League and a move for one of Victor Orta’s targets could help achieve that…

What’s the word?

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, Swansea City centre-back Ben Cabango is thought to be on the list of potential targets this summer.

It’s claimed that the Whites are yet to make a firm approach for the 20-year-old, but he is someone their Spanish director of football admires greatly.

Although the Welshman has recently signed a contract extension through to 2023, so Cabango is not likely to come cheap.

Imposing presence

Cabango has just been called up to Ryan Giggs’ Wales squad for their fixtures in the Nations League and it’s no surprise to see that as well as learning of Orta’s interest given his form this term.

Per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 colossus averaged 5.4 clearances, 1.2 interceptions and one tackle per game as well as winning 3 aerial duels and notching a passing success rate above 80%.

Only United skipper Liam Cooper won more in the air during their Championship-winning campaign.

However, little magician Pablo Hernandez managed to get the better of Cabango in the last meeting between the two sides. The veteran scored the winner back in July and recorded three successful dribbles, two shots and one key pass despite only playing the second half only, per SofaScore.

But that shouldn’t sway Leeds from making a move as the powerhouse has managed to maintain his place in the starting XI following his debut back in November.

Swans boss Steve Cooper lauded him after the match, saying: “He played really well with and without the ball, and he had a good round of applause from the lads in the dressing room.”

Cooper, Robin Koch and Cabango isn’t a bad trio to have at your disposal, especially after the blows to both Ben White and Gaetano Berardi.

AND in other news, Leeds could land their next Rio Ferdinand in PL outcast…

Having conceded 40 goals in the Premier League this season – the joint-most of anyone in the top ten – it’s no surprise to hear Tottenham being interested in making some defensive reinforcements this summer.

The latest player to be linked with a switch to north London? Hellas Verona’s Marash Kumbulla.

According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Spurs have earmarked the centre-back as a potential option to replace Belgium international Jan Vertonghen, who reports claim is set to leave on a free transfer when his contract comes to an end.

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The report adds that Spurs could face intense competition from Premier League rivals Everton, and Serie A giants Inter.

After hearing about the links to the 20-year-old, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their rumoured transfer target.

One Spurs fan in particular however, raised some concerns about potentially signing Kumbulla, wondering whether he could be another Vlad Chiriches.

At just 20-years-old, Kumbulla could well be the future of Spurs’ defence.

If Vertonghen does indeed leave north London this summer, then going after someone who is considerably younger may be the way to go, particularly with the financial impact of the current situation set to take effect for the next couple of seasons at least.

Kumbulla may be the answer for Spurs.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans react to this PL star’s admission.

تحدث وجيه أحمد رئيس لجنة الحكام بالاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، عن قرار الجبلاية بعدم استخدام تقنية الفيديو في مباريات كأس مصر.

وقال وجيه أحمد في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “أون تايم سبورتس 2”: “قرار مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة بعدم استخدام تقنية الفار في مباريات الكأس هو وجهة نظر، هم يرغبون في أن يعتاد الجماهير على حدوث تعطيل في التقنية في بعض الأوقات نتيجة حدوث أي مشكلة”.

وأكمل: “عدم استخدام الفار في مباريات الكأس جاء بالاتفاق مع الأندية، واتحاد الكرة أبلغهم ولديهم علم بذلك”.

وأردف: “الهجوم على المنظومة التحكيمية أحيانًا يكون مبررًا، وهناك بعض الحالات يكون تصويرها بدون فائدة ولا يساعد الحكم، والإخراج التلفزيوني لا يخدم الحكام في الملعب”.

وعن طرد أشرف بن شرقي في مباراة الزمالك والإسماعيلي، قال: “اللاعب ارتكب مخالفة بالتهور باستخدام المرفق، وتقدير الحكم كان أنها تستحق إنذارًا فقط والمسافة كانت قريبة والقوة غير متواجدة، ولكن الاعتراض على الحكم وركله للكرة في الأرض يستحق الحصول على إنذار ثانٍ وطرده”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Everton’s recruitment over the past couple of years has been hit and miss, to say the least. The signing of Richarlison for £50m has so far worked a treat, with his 13 league goals last season hinting he has an incredibly bright future on Merseyside. However, some signings like Moise Kean for £27.5m and Cenk Tosun for £27m have been a waste of money up until this point.

On the other hand, there is one man who has proved to be an almighty signing – left-back Lucas Digne.

The £27m-rated star has been an incredible addition for Everton and even won the Club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the year awards in his debut season.

Now, as Everton continue to struggle this campaign, the merits of Marcel Brands’ decision continue to come to the fore. This season, Digne has three league assists for the club, which is just one less than the amount he achieved last year.

Most recently, the former Barcelona man delivered a sweet pass to Tosun, who headed home a 97th-minute equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur. Plus, with Digne still only 26 years old, there could be many more years left to come from the Frenchman on Merseyside.

Also, when you consider the costs of other left-backs around Europe over the years, it has truly turned out to be a monumental signing from Brands. Players such as Benjamin Mendy have cost Manchester City £52m, whilst Ferland Mendy cost Real Madrid £47m.

On the other hand, Digne cost just £18m and has averaged more crosses per game than any other Everton player with 2.3 per game. On top of this, the defender has also averaged an impressive 2.6 key passes per league match, which is the highest of any player residing within the Toffees squad this season.

In truth, it was always going to be tough to replace Leighton Baines, who was so fantastic for many years at left-back.

However, it seems Brands has come close with this magnificent signing.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Last weekend was quite remarkable for Real Madrid but in so many ways, it was also much more than just a single win for a team that’s largely used to doing exactly that most of the time.

Zinedine Zidane hasn’t enjoyed the best of times in his grand return to the Spanish capital and granted, the opening stages of the ongoing 2019/20 season have been quite rocky for the French manager.

Slowly but surely, however, Real Madrid have been picking up the pace and silently getting better and better with each passing game.

Previously, the team struggled to string together good results, following a maximum of two scrappy wins with an obligatory defeat or a disappointing draw but suddenly, the sky seems much clearer above the Santiago Bernabeu.

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After all, we’re talking about a team that is undefeated in their last five outings, tallying only one goalless draw in the process and not conceding a single one along the way as well.

If that wasn’t impressive enough then the fact that Zidane’s men have scored a total of 16 goals in those five games definitely should be.

And especially if we compare it to the start of their ongoing campaign.

At the very beginning, it took Real Madrid a total of ten games to get to that exact tally and they also needed six games to record their first clean sheet of the season.

By all means, a clear improvement in all aspects can be seen in the last couple of weeks already.

There are, however, a couple of factors that have to be taken into consideration.

Of course, the emergence of Federico Valverde, the 21-year-old midfield gem that has rejuvenated Real Madrid’s middle of the park, as well as the arrival of Rodrygo Goes, their young prodigy, to the scene.

But when everything is said and done, we shouldn’t look past Zidane who has obviously managed to get the team to dance to his tune.

And not a moment too soon.

Let’s see if Real Madrid can continue this winning trend moving forward.

أفادت تقارير أن رئيس نادي برشلونة خوان لابورتا قدم عرضًا لتمديد عقد ليونيل ميسي لمدة ثلاث سنوات.

بدأ الحديث عن مستقبل ليونيل ميسي في برشلونة مرة أخرى، قبل أسابيع قليلة من انتهاء عقده الذي ينتهي بنهاية الموسم الحالي في يونيو.

وفقًا لـ “ESPN”، وضع رئيس النادي الجديد، خوان لابورتا، عقدًا جديدًا لميسي لمدة ثلاث سنوات، والذي سينتهي بالتالي في عام 2024، وسيبلغ عمر ليونيل حينها 37 عامًا.

يريد برشلونة خفض راتب ميسي (بحد أقصى 50 مليون يورو في السنة)، وبالتالي يمكن تقديم عقد طويل الأجل نسبيًا له.

سيسمح هذا للنادي بتخفيض رواتبه بشكل كبير مع الاحتفاظ بجوهرته لبضعة مواسم أخرى.

اقرأ أيضًا.. 300 مليون يورو غرامة على الأندية المنسحبة من السوبر ليج

مع بلوغه سن الرابعة والثلاثين في يونيو المقبل، إلى جانب انتهاء عقده، يظل ميسي نجم برشلونة ولديه 33 هدفًا و14 تمريرة حاسمة في 41 مباراة بقميص البلوجرانا هذا الموسم.

قبل أيام قليلة، شوهد والده ووكيله خورخي ميسي في برشلونة، في إشارة إلى أن المفاوضات بشأن التمديد المحتمل بدأت بالفعل، وهو ما تم نفيه لاحقًا.