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أوضح المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة، تشافي هيرنانديز، عن تطورات إصابة كانسيلو أمام لاس بالماس، مشيراً إلى أن برشلونة لديه طموح كبير في منافسة ريال مدريد وجيرونا على لقب الدوري الإسباني.

وحل برشلونة ضيفاً على نظيره لاس بالماس، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ19 من مسابقة الدوري الإسباني “لاليجا” على ملعب “جران كاناريا” في اللقاء الذي انتهى بفوز برشلونة بنتيجة 2/1.

وبهذه النتيجة، ارتقى رصيد برشلونة إلى النقطة 41 في المركز الثالث في سلم الترتيب العام للدوري الإسباني، فيما تجمد رصيد فريق لاس بالماس عند النقطة 25 بالمركز العاشر.

اقرأ ايضاً.. فيران توريس يكشف عن أسباب فوز برشلونة أمام لاس بالماس بالدوري الإسباني

وقال تشافي هيرنانديز في تصريحات صحفية عقب المباراة:”في الشوط الأول افتقدنا إلى التمريرات في العمق، كان لديهم دفاع متقدم وكان علينا تنفيذ تلك التمريرات بشكل صحيح، لكن فرينكي فقط هو من قام بذلك بشكل صحيح، لم نتوقع أن يكون لدينا مساحة كبيرة”.

وبين:”كانسيلو بخير، يبدو أن إصابته في الركبة ليست خطيرة”.

وتابع ‏تشافي: “الفوز يكلف الكثير، مدريد فاز في الدقيقة 80 وجيرونا فاز في الدقيقة الأخيرة، نحن لسنا وحدنا، بالطبع لدينا الأسباب للطموح للمنافسة على الدوري، أولًا وقبل كل شيء لأننا أبطال الدوري الحاليين”.

وأضاف ‏تشافي: “استقبلنا الهدف بسبب عدم التنظيم الدفاعي، لكن لا يوجد فريق حتى اليوم كان سيعود ضد لاس بالماس”.

وواصل: “في الشوط الأول كنا سيئين، لكن في الشوط الثاني تحسنا وكنا أكثر هدوءًا، كان فوزًا مستحقًا”.

وأكد ‏تشافي: “بين الشوطين أخبرت اللاعبين أنهم إذا فعلوا ما عليهم سنفوز 3-1”.

Arsenal are a club that seemingly can do no wrong of late.

Recruiting well in the summer market, Mikel Arteta added the finishing touches to his squad that finally would facilitate his philosophy. Then, they would go on a sensational run that currently has them eight points clear at the summit with just nine games left to play.

This continued good form was only bolstered by yet another immaculate transfer window in January, which saw three new additions welcomed to the Emirates.

In unprecedented fashion, the club identified its weaknesses and simply spent what was required to strengthen.

Whilst Jorginho has offered a steady presence in the dressing room, the acquisition of Leandro Trossard has understandably stolen the show. In no time at all, the Belgian has become a key component in the creative exploits of this team.

Having signed from Brighton and Hove Albion and shone with such finesse, this has unsurprisingly seen a sharp upturn in value too.

How much is Leandro Trossard worth now?

With the 28-year-old seeking to force a move from the south coast outfit, it was the Gunners who were willing recipients of such a talented individual. They parted with an initial £21m to secure his services, as the good news just kept rolling into north London.

With ten goal contributions already to his name before making the move, it was expected that he might struggle to adapt to the huge step up that a title race might demand.

However, with a further eight goal contributions in just 11 league games for Arsenal, it is clear that he has taken to the challenge with ease.

The £40k-per-week maestro was even given particular praise by broadcast journalist Buchi Laba, who wrote on Twitter: "Man is Jesus Esque. A creative Machine that makes things easy for his teammates."

What further exacerbates his ever-improving importance to this side is the rate at which his value has soared. Given the initial fee paid, CIES Football Observatory already suggests that this figure has risen to €35m (£31m), marking a £10m increase in just three months.

With the Belgian magician only just entering his peak years now too, it bodes extremely well for the immediate future of both the player and the club. Trossard offers a level of experience within this exceptional youthful outfit, and for Arteta, he has been priceless.

It is likely that his value will only continue to rocket if his performances continue in the same vein, which will surely only command further silverware for the Gunners.

Liverpool are not interested in bringing Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell to the club this summer, according to reliable journalist David Lynch.

The Lowdown: New sporting director needed

The Reds are having a tough season on the pitch, with both performances and results simply not good enough and a top-four finish in the Premier League now looking more unlikely by the week.

Away from the field, Liverpool have also been going through a rocky patch, however, having been run so seamlessly during previous years of success at Anfield.

The influential Michael Edwards left his role as sporting director last year and was replaced by Julian Ward, in what looked like a natural and strong transition.

Things took a dramatic and disappointing twist when Ward announced late last year that he too would leave Liverpool at the end of this season, though, suggesting that all is not well in his role.

It means the club are now working hard on finding a successor, with Monaco’s highly-rated sporting director Mitchell recently reported as a front-runner.

The Latest: Liverpool don’t want Mitchell

According to Football Insider‘s Lynch, however, Mitchell is ‘not in the running’ for the soon-to-be-available position at Liverpool. The 41-year-old has confirmed that he will depart Monaco once this season reaches its conclusion but he won’t be heading to Anfield.

He is ‘not among the names being considered’ currently and Tottenham are thought to be eyeing up a potential move for him instead.

The Verdict: Massive appointment this summer

The role of a sporting director is so vital in the modern game, as Edwards showed during his time at the club, enjoying such a great working relationship with Jurgen Klopp and proving to be key to the signings of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, among others.

He saw something in the pair that he felt was perfect for Liverpool, and having arrived as good players, they are now among the greatest attacking players in Reds history.

Perhaps it is a coincidence, but it is no surprise that Klopp’s side have struggled since Edwards’ exit, and with the Ward news also thrown in, some stability is badly needed this summer.

Mitchell looked to be a strong option, given his reputation as an influential figure at Monaco, but whoever the club bring in as sporting director, it has to be the correct appointment, as Liverpool look to kick on and forget about this grim season.

Journalist Joshua Barrie has revealed that forgotten midfielder Nnamdi Ofoborh is still a Rangers player amid his latest cryptic social media posts.

What's the latest on Nnamdi Ofoborh and Rangers?

Sadly for the 23-year-old, he is yet to make his debut for the club despite having arrived from Bournemouth back in 2021. Indeed, he has worryingly been sidelined due to a heart issue.

In a new development on the situation, Ofoborh took to social media recently to write (via The Sun): "Two years, two operations, hundreds of appointments."

He then added: "Silent on the situation so I look like the bad guy, all the mistreatment of the last two years will come out."

Clearly, the midfielder is unhappy with how he's been treated at Rangers amid his health issues and this has understandably led to speculation about his future with the club.

However, while speaking about it all on the Rangers Review podcast, Barrie claimed that, "contrary to reports", Ofoborh hasn't left Rangers but insisted that manager Michael Beale must clarify what's going on soon.

He said (3:54): “From what I'm told at the moment, he's still a Rangers player, contrary to reports.

"I think it's something that Michael Beale will have to clear up at the press conference, which will be on Thursday or Friday of this week, to kind of clear up those comments.

"But I think you've got to also obviously give them the kind of benefit of the doubt that it will have been such an emotionally kind of testing couple years for him.”

What happened to Ofoborh at Rangers?

Ofoborh has seen Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale all take charge of Rangers matches since arriving in Scotland but has been unable to help any manager during their time at Ibrox.

Back in July, former manager Van Bronckhorst spoke about how he felt "really bad" for the midfielder but accepted that his future was pretty uncertain.

It seems as though little behind the scenes has changed for good from Ofoborh's point of view judging from his latest social media posts.

With that in mind, it will be good to learn from manager Beale if the 23-year-old is likely to return to football any time soon and if that will be as a Rangers player.

For now, he remains at Ibrox, but a long-term stay with the Scottish Premiership club seems pretty unlikely.

Leeds United scout Alex Davies was in the stands for Preston North End vs Coventry City on Tuesday amid links of a move for Viktor Gyokeres.

The Lowdown: Gyokeres links

The Whites have been heavily linked with a move for Coventry forward Gyokeres in recent months. Reports following Javi Gracia’s arrival at Elland Road claimed that the club are plotting a move to sign the 24-year-old regardless of what division they find themselves in next season as they think he could be a key addition.

Gyokeres, hailed by his manager Mark Robins for his “unbelievable” power and technique, has scored 15 Championship goals this season and can play anywhere across the front three.

The Latest: Davies in attendance

Jordan Webber, who appears on Swans Cast Media, took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to say that Swansea’s chief scout, Lee Maybury, was at Deepdale for Preston vs Coventry.

Davies, who first mentioned Ben White’s name to Victor Orta, was also on that list to presumably cast a further eye on Gyokeres.

The Verdict: Disappointing display

Gyokeres struggled to back up a match-winning display on the weekend against Sunderland, with the game against Preston finishing goalless.

The Sweden international had an evening to forget, as per SofaScore, ending with a match rating of 6.4/10. He gave possession away 23 times, lost 13 of his 17 duels and failed to register a shot on target.

He was Coventry’s second-worst starter on the night, so Davies may have come away with some reservations about the forward, so it’ll be interesting to see if Leeds make their move in the summer.

In the last two years, Glasgow Rangers have won a Premiership title and a Scottish Cup and reached the final of the Europa League.

Indeed, despite trailing their crosstown arch-rivals by nine points in the race for the league crown this season, it’s fair to say that the Ibrox side haven’t had it so good in years.

Between 2016 and 2018, the Light Blues suffered immeasurably, struggling to even finish second in the league and going through a raft of managers which included Mark Warburton, Graeme Murty (twice), and Pedro Caixinha before finally securing Steven Gerrard, who managed to rebuild the club successfully.

Funds were wasted on players who quite simply weren’t fit for the challenge. The likes of Umar Sadiq, Dalcio, Eros Grezda and Bruno Alves were poor signings who failed to contribute on the pitch, all while wasting precious funds, but it was a signing made by Caixinha in the summer of 2017 which perhaps rinsed the club more than any other – Carlos Pena.

How much did Carlos Pena cost Rangers?

Upon his arrival at Ibrox, a Mexico international forward who had represented his country at the World Cup appeared to be a solid signing, despite the extravagant £2.2m transfer fee that it reportedly cost to lure him to Glasgow.

Alas, initial hype soon turned to despair when he took to the field, looking constantly lost and failing to contribute in most matches. He did manage to (somehow) score five goals in 14 appearances before joining Cruz Azul in January 2018 for the remainder of that season.

A spell in rehab before joining Necaxa was his next move, but his loan spell was cut short and his Rangers contract was terminated in February 2019, with Gerrard happy to get the Mexican’s substantial £26k-per-week wages off the books.

For just 14 appearances, Pena cost the Ibrox club £4.2m in total between his transfer fee and his wages for the 84 weeks that he was contracted at the club, a colossal waste during a time when it was imperative to make the most of the limited budget at a time when European football was scarce.

Rangers Review journalist Derek Clark described the move as a “disastrous transfer in what was an equally disastrous spell for the club” last year, following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which justified Rangers’ reasons for terminating Pena’s contract early.

The previous couple of seasons have finally seen some excellent decisions made both on and off the pitch, and hopefully missteps like the signing of the Mexican are a thing of the past.

Rangers boss Michael Beale can persuade star man Ryan Kent to sign a contract extension with the club amid Premier League interest fading away, according to Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Kent’s contract

One of the main talking points off the pitch at Ibrox is the future of winger Kent who sees his contract tick into the final few months alongside ten other first-team players (Transfermarkt).

The 26-year-old has bagged 33 goals and 55 assists in his 208 games for the Gers following his £7.5m move to the SPFL from Liverpool back in 2019.

Kent has retained his importance throughout the years and remains part of Beale’s key plans with him starting all 11 of his manager’s games in charge at Ibrox so far.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the journalist claimed that interest in him as a free agent has wavered from Premier League sides recently and his relationship and form under Beale could be enough to tempt him into an extension with Rangers, Jones said:

“A while back, we were talking about Premier League interest in Ryan Kent, but that’s not really there at the moment.

“It has cooled off so, if things go well between the manager and the player here, I think he might be able to talk him into staying.”

The Verdict: Time to sign?

Amid Jones’ comments that a move to the top-flight south of the border are likely off the table at the moment, Kent would seemingly be very happy to remain in Glasgow given their form under Beale and another shot at the Champions League set to come next season.

With a move to current Championship side Burnley, touted by Football Insider, who are set to be playing Premier League football next campaign given their seven point gap at the top and 17 point advantage over third in the automatic promotion place, a Prem move might not be off the table but a switch to one harbouring European aspirations like Rangers could be.

The reports of a move to Vincent Kompany’s side left former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson completely baffled with him seeing the move as a step down, should the former Liverpool man see the interest of sides such as Burnley in the same vain, you could well expect to see him don the Light Blues shirt again next season.

Newcastle United have been gifted a big injury boost before they play Bournemouth in the Premier League, as Alexander Isak is back in the squad.

The Lowdown: Head injury

Isak, who had come on as a substitute, had to be substituted off with a head injury in Newcastle’s 2-1 win at home to Southampton in their recent Carabao Cup semi-final.

He received a blow to the face from a powerful free-kick from James Ward-Prowse, and was subsequently taken off in injury-time.

As a result, Isak Eddie Howe’s team drew 1-1 against West Ham United in the Premier League at St. James’ Park last weekend.

The Latest: Back in squad

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match against the Cherries, Howe has confirmed that Isak has ‘fully recovered’ from his injury, and that he will be ‘in the squad’:

“He will be in the squad. He’s fully recovered with no problems. Initially he got hit on the head and he didn’t feel too bad but we had to follow protocols. He’s been good this week.”

The Verdict: Big boost

Having Isak back in the squad will certainly be a big boost for Howe and his team.

The club-record signing has had twice in his opening three appearances in the Premier League, including against Liverpool at Anfield.

He also netted the winner upon his return from a hamstring injury against Fulham in January, showing how much of a poacher he can be in front of goal.

The Magpies have been goal-shy in recent games, scoring just eight times in eight matches in all competitions since January, and Isak has shown that he can be ruthless when given the chance.

Tottenham Hotspur have now stepped up their interest in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Leandro Trossard, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Interest in Trossard

Brighton have now made a habit out of identifying talented players and selling them on for a profit, with the likes of Marc Cucurella joining Chelsea for £60m, and interest has now started to grow in Trossard.

Chelsea were reported to have watched the Belgian earlier this season, and the player’s agent is even reported to have offered him to the Blues, as well as Liverpool, but Tottenham are now also in the mix…

The Latest: Spurs step up interest

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Antonio Conte wants to add the 28-year-old to his squad in the January transfer window, with the Brighton player in line to leave, given that his contract expires at the end of the season.

However, the Spurs manager may have to play a waiting game right up until deadline day, as the report indicates that a move will not have a chance until later this month.

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The Verdict: Get it done?

Lauded as ‘unreal’ by Rio Ferdinand earlier this season, the 24-time Belgium international is enjoying a fantastic 2022/23 season, smashing in seven goals and three assists in 16 Premier League games, including a hat-trick away at Liverpool, indicating his ability to perform in matches against the league’s best sides.

There is no doubt that Spurs could do with some more options in forward areas, given that there is currently no time span on when Lucas Moura will return from injury, while Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison are also out.

Trossard has proven Premier League experience, unlike some of the other names being linked with moves to north London, such as Tete and Marcus Edwards, meaning that he would be able to hit the ground running, and make an instant impact in strengthening Tottenham’s bid for the top four.

Wolves picked up another valuable point in their fight against relegation on Wednesday night as they drew 1-1 with Aston Villa.

Daniel Podence handed Julen Lopetegui’s side the lead with a brilliantly taken strike, with the Old Gold excellent value for a half-time advantage, but they failed to hang on to what would have been a superb three points against a resurgent Villa side.

Danny Ings was the man to break Wolves’ hearts late on, as he collected Tyrone Mings’ ball over the top and easily beat Jose Sa for the leveller.

It could have been much worse for Lopetegui too, had Leon Bailey taken his golden late opportunity but the Jamaica international would inexplicably shoot wide after rounding Sa.

While Podence scored a brilliant goal, Lopetegui arguably has Max Kilman to thank for his side holding on to a point at Villa Park on Wednesday evening.

As per Sofascore, the centre-back would earn an impressive 7.5/10 rating for his performance, with only Podence and Mings (both 7.7) rated higher.

With Wolves leading, the former Futsal star produced a superb piece of defending to keep the scores level, as he turned Ludwig Augustinsson’s goal-bound volley wide on the line.

This certainly impressed Express and Star journalist Liam Keen, as he tweeted:

“Absolutely unbelievable from Kilman. Augustinsson shot beats Sa and is going in, but the defender makes an incredible header off the line.”

Kilman would also contribute a mammoth 11 clearances, three tackles and two blocks, which is even more impressive when you consider he has averaged just 4.3 clearances, one tackle and 0.9 blocks per game in the Premier League so far this campaign.

The 25-year-old was also assured in his passing, completing 46/55 passes at Villa Park with an accuracy of 84%, which once more, is slightly better than his season average of 82.8%.

If Wolves are to remain in the Premier League this season they will need defenders to put their bodies on the line on a regular basis, as Kilman did against Emery’s side on Wednesday, so the English defender should be recognised as Lopetegui’s true star performer.