Tag Futebol

Steve Bruce should urge Newcastle United to launch a summer swoop to sign Celtic-owned defender Jack Hendry and add a no-nonsense titan to his ranks at St. James’ Park.

What’s the word?

According to the Mirror, the Magpies feature in a small clutch of Premier League sides monitoring Hendry’s situation ahead of the next transfer market.

Celtic are expected to recall the 25-year-old to Parkhead at the close of the current season, following a tremendous campaign on loan with Belgian Pro League side KV Oostende.

Hendry joined the Diaz Arena natives for the 2020/21 term after being shunned by previous Hoops boss Neil Lennon, who resigned last month, but he is expected to chase a second chance in Glasgow as he eyes a return to the Scotland national side.

The centre-half played just 11 minutes across all competitions during Lennon’s second tenure at Celtic, but has proven a key fixture of the Oostende line-up with starting roles in 21 of his 22 Pro League outings to date.

De Kustboys boss Alexander Blessin has been full of praise for the Glasgow-born defender, whose side have a £2m option to buy him, noting in November: “He’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him.

“He’s been a tower of experience for us. Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. When you get signed by a club the size of Celtic at such a young age, then you obviously must have a lot of qualities.”

Oostende could easily look to sign Hendry and flip him for profit in the summer market, with Newcastle, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers said to be tracking his situation as he nears the final 12-months of his Celtic contract.

Should Newcastle sign Hendry?

With funds expected to be tight at St. James’ Park in the off-season, Bruce may have to shop around for cheaper options to plug gaps in his defence and Hendry could emerge as a worthwhile solution if his future is not with Celtic.

Newcastle are at risk of losing Fabian Schar this summer, with the Swiss international said to be considering his options, while Federico Fernandez – who is also due to be a free agent at the end of the season – is yet to be offered a new contract despite ongoing negotiations.

It would obviously remain to be seen how much Oostende or Celtic may ask for, depending on the Belgian side taking up their option to purchase Hendry, but the 25-year-old is proving to be a no-nonsense type player who is hard for Pro League attackers to beat.

The three-cap Scotland international, who has not represented his national side since 2018, is only dribbled past 0.1 times per game in the Belgian top-flight this term, per SofaScore. He also offers 4.5 clearances to keep the danger away from Guillaume Hubert’s goal.

Hendry records 1.2 successful tackles a game, too, and plays the ball out from the back with 31.1 accurate passes – 23.8 in his own half – while providing a goal threat with 1.2 shots, as Oostende mount a surprise push for Champions League qualification.

Newcastle defenders Schar (0.8/1.5) and Jamaal Lascelles (0.8/0.9) have each offered fewer successful tackles per game in the Premier League this season, while Fernandez (0.3), Ciaran Clark (0.3), Isaac Hayden (0.5) and Schar (0.7) are each dribbled past more often when fielded at centre-half, per WhoScored.

Only summer free-agent Fernandez (5.6) and captain Lascelles (4.6) offer more clearances and more shots (1.3, 1.4 respectively) per game than Hendry, while no current natural Toon centre-back plays a higher number of accurate passes, per SofaScore.

Much is still to be decided with Hendry’s future, much like with Fernandez and Schar at Newcastle, however, the 6 ft 3 Hoops-owned enforcer should be a target for Bruce if United do look to add another member to his backline this summer.

AND in other news, some Newcastle players want a “very good organiser” lauded by those he’s worked with to replace Steve Bruce…

COVID-19 has been around for so long that it’s kind of difficult to imagine the old days. Remember going to stadiums or the pub to watch a match with your friends? It’s really been ages.

For the impact it has directly on athletes’ health and the way we watch the games, we need some innovation here. It’s time to improve the situation and make life easier.

Fortunately, leagues like the UEFA, teams, and even fans are all beginning to wake up and start thinking creatively about how football can not only adapt to COVID-19 but thrive once again.

Safer Conditions For Players

This is the biggest concern for everyone. Without healthy players, we would have no football to watch. But with cases surging, it’s hard to guarantee player safety not just in football but for all sports.

Fortunately, some really cool tech breakthroughs can at least help provide early warning signs and detection of COVID-19.

One example is the Oura ring, which is already being used in the NBA. The custom-fitted (and stylish) ring can track user activity levels, heart, respiratory rate, and body temperature changes.

This is cool enough, but then all this data is analysed and can then be used to generate a risk score that flags early warning signs.

The result is that diagnoses can be made sooner, and players can quarantine before risking exposure to their teammates and even their competitors.

That’s just the beginning, too, of the different types of wearables that effectively monitor COVID symptoms and ensure player health from both infectious diseases and tracking injury and recovery.

Safer Stadium Experiences

For now, this a little further down the road. Football stadiums have already done a good job improving health and safety measures. One of the coolest you may have seen is the temperature gun that can detect temperature and show whether somebody may be experiencing a fever (they’ve had these airports for a long time, actually).

As stadiums begin to open back up, other tools will be further used to improve safety.

Signify is an exciting new tech which can disinfect the area using UVC ray to reduce the risk of airborne COVID-19 spread.

We can also expect stadiums to be at limited capacity for the next couple of years. This, unfortunately, won’t help the ticket prices, but when you do get to go, it should be a less crowded and more pleasant experience!

Mastering The In-Home Experience

For most of us, this will be the way we watch football for the foreseeable future. There’s nothing wrong with this.

But there are numerous to enhance your football watching experience. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen numerous VR breakthroughs. One great product worth checking out is Livelike, which is specifically designed for sports.

It also includes game streaming, social networking, gamification, and other ways your spice up your viewing experience.

On the note of streaming, you’ll need to get a reliable VPN. Typically, we recommend a UK VPN as that’s the best way to access Premier League Content.

VPNs or virtual private networks allow you to change your virtual server to connect to not just the UK but any country that might be streaming a football match that you might want to see.

At the same time, VPNs are also powerful cybersecurity tools that are important to keep you safe as there have been rising cybersecurity attacks since the pandemic outbreak.

The Future of Football in the COVID-19 World

There is good news. With a vaccine now available, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We will eventually get back to football the way we used to enjoy it.

In the meantime, however, football must adapt and not just for the sake of the pandemic but for players, coaches, fans, and everyone. We all deserve a safer, healthier experience.

The silver lining here is that this will all be possible. And in the meantime, you can enjoy the best football action from the comfort of your home. While it might not be at the stadium, their food and drinks are at least a whole lot cheaper!

Steve Bruce must urge Mike Ashely to dig deep and sign Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori for Newcastle United on loan during the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Bruce has been requesting further information on Tomori’s situation ahead of a potential move to land the centre-half in a temporary deal this month.

The Toon boss is eager to improve his squad in the mid-season market, after a steady start to the season has left the St. James’ Park natives comfortably clear of the drop zone but distant from the European places.

Newcastle are expected to be working under a restricted budget in the January sales, though funds will be made available should the Magpies offload those offering little impact, as Bruce also eyes a new creative wide forward, box-to-box midfielder and a full-back.

Tomori has been shunned to the fringes at Stamford Bridge following Thiago Silva’s arrival in the summer, with Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard opting against fielding the England international in any Premier League fixture since matchday two.

The former Canada U20 star played the final 45 minutes of September’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, before being omitted from 10 of the following 18-man squads after snubbing a season-long loan deal to join West Ham United on Deadline Day.

David Moyes’ Irons had agreed a deal with Chelsea that would have seen the Hammers pay a £50,000 fine every time Tomori did not feature but they were turned down by the 23-year-old as he decided that staying in south-west London presented the best option for his development.

Time to dig deep

Tomori’s decision to remain at Stamford Bridge has not worked out for him yet though, with Lampard frequently favouring Kurt Zouma alongside Brazilian great Silva, and as such he must consider leaving Chelsea on loan this month.

Should Tomori accept a temporary move away from south-west London, Mike Ashley must reach deep into his pocket to meet whatever Chelsea demand for a half-season loan and acquire Bruce a £15.5m-rated titan who Lampard believes is a “fantastic” talent.

The 6ft centre-half was very impressive during his chances to feature in the Premier League last season, with Tomori helping to four clean sheets in 15 starts that featured 1.9 successful tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 2.8 clearances a game, per SofaScore.

He also won 5.2 duels per game with a 62% success rate, played 67.1 accurate passes, including 0.3 key balls, and took 89.9 touches that helped toward 0.4 shots for one goal.

No current Newcastle central defender is averaging a higher number of successful tackles per league game than Tomori achieved last term, with Federico Fernandez leading the charts as well as for total passes with a tally close to half that of Tomori’s.

AND in other news, Newcastle United could move to sign a £14.5m-rated gem who can “make things happen” in January.

Tony Pulis can end Sheffield Wednesday’s striker nightmare with one simple loan swoop this January…

What’s the word?

According to WalesOnline, the Owls are one of several Championship teams eyeing a move for Leeds sensation Sam Greenwood next month.

It’s claimed that the likes of Cardiff City and AFC Bournemouth, two teams in and around the top ten, are also keen on securing his services.

The report suggests that the 18-year-old forward is highly-rated down the road in Yorkshire and isn’t far off breaking into the first-team, so it could be quite the coup for the Hillsborough-based side.

Striker solution?

It’s no secret that Pulis is absolutely crying out for a proper centre-forward.

Josh Windass is their top goalscorer on three goals for the season, and he’s primarily an attacking midfielder, leaving goal-shy Jordan Rhodes as, technically, their only centre-forward.

Indeed, Steven Fletcher was never truly replaced. A nightmare scenario.

Greenwood cost United £1.5m from Arsenal in the summer and has drawn plenty of raving endorsements throughout his short career to date.

His former coach at Sunderland, Paul Bryson, spoke very highly of the teenager, he said:

“He always had the ability to unlock defences. Very good technically and excellent from dead-ball situations. His delivery from corners and free-kicks was good and he scored some wonderful goals at Sunderland.”
Whilst The Athletic’s Phil Hay claimed on his podcast (via This is Futbol): “From what we’ve seen of him so far, his movement and his finishing and everything else, he looks like a very natural striker.”
Greenwood is yet to feature in the men’s game, but has proven to be a prolific and lethal marksman at youth level – this season he’s already bagged six goals in eight appearances in the Premier League 2, adding to his 15 goals and six assists for Arsenal U18s, per Transfermarkt.
It’s no wonder he’s been likened to Robin van Persie before.
Dejphon Chansiri must sanction this move in January. It’ll be a cheap deal with a very high ceiling for success – a risk well worth taking.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Windass drops huge revelation over Tony Pulis…

MatériaMais Notícias

Amigos e fãs de Lugano em Canelones criaram uma espécie de “torcida organizada” para o zagueiro e a seleção uruguaia. “La barra de Canelones” é o nome do grupo que já acompanhou jogos da Celeste na Copa do Mundo, além de partidas do são-paulino pelo mundo com uma grande faixa com a imagem do capitão comemorando um gol. Eles agora já pensam em viajar para São Paulo e acompanhar um jogo do camisa 5 no seu retorno ao Morumbi.

– Temos que ir em algum jogo. Já temos muitos amigos que dizem para ir em alguma partida (em São Paulo). Pode ser (na estreia), quem sabe na seleção também, se for levar uma pessoa experiente para jogar. Vamos ver ainda – despistou González, que já levou a faixa da “barra” para a Inglaterra, França, África do Sul e Brasil, na Copa do Mundo de 2014.

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Lugano se reapresentou ao Tricolor há duas semanas e exames indicaram que o zagueiro estava abaixo de seu peso ideal. Por conta disto, o veterano de 35 anos tem feito trabalhos de reequilíbrio muscular com os fisioterapeutas do clube paulista no Reffis. O ídolo pode ir a campo pela primeira vez ainda nesta semana, mas não há previsão de quando será seu primeiro jogo.

Os mais otimistas ainda mantêm esperanças de que Lugano possa estrear no jogo de volta da fase preliminar da Copa Libertadores da América, contra o Cesar Vallejo (PER). A partida está marcada para o dia 10 de fevereiro, no Pacaembu, uma semana após o confronto de ida em Trujillo. No Campeonato Paulista o debute é sábado, 19h30, contra o Red Bull Brasil, em Campinas.

MatériaMais Notícias

A atuação do Flamengo no primeiro tempo da partida contra o Ceará tem que servir como exemplo do que não se deve fazer em 2016. Afinal, o Rubro-Negro fez exatamente o oposto daquilo que o técnico Muricy Ramalho orientou durante a pré-temporada: jogou de forma espaçada, errou passes no meio de campo e ficou em desvantagem na defesa por diversas vezes. Não à toa, levou um gol e poderia ter sofrido mais do bem armado Ceará.

Em linhas simples, o Rubro-Negro jogou da seguinte forma na etapa inicial: Wallace, Márcio Araújo e Juan trocavam passes na zaga e ficavam sem opções na saída de bola, já que todos os demais estavam mais avançados. Nas poucas vezes que conseguia avançar, errava passes e dava o contra-ataque ao Ceará, que marcava com duas eficientes linhas de quatro atletas. Por conta disso, o goleiro Everton quase não trabalhou no primeiro tempo.

Com as mudanças no intervalo – permaneceram apenas Paulo Victor, Wallace, Emerson e Guerrero – o Flamengo voltou melhor, embora tenha se beneficiado com a total modificação do Ceará, que substituiu os onze. No entanto, o gol sofrido nos primeiros minutos – em posição duvidosa – não desanimou o Rubro-Negro. Melhor posicionado, com mais qualidade no passe no meio de campo – após as entradas de Canteros e Mancuello – e a boa opção ofensiva com Marcelo Cirino, o time de Muricy Ramalho evoluiu.

Mais do que ter crescido na partida, o Flamengo deixou ainda mais claro o que estava errado no primeiro tempo. Os “reservas” Canteros, Mancuello, Alan Patrick e Marcelo Cirino se saíram melhor do que os “titulares” Márcio Araújo, Willian Arão, Everton e Gabriel. Naturalmente, a saída de bola melhorou e os erros de passe foram menos constantes. Resta, ainda, evoluir na marcação. O 4-1-4-1 compactado que Muricy deseja não encaixou.

Em suma, apesar da derrota nos pênaltis, o amistoso com o Ceará foi bom para observação, algo que é fundamental na pré-temporada. O Flamengo ainda tem muito a melhorar na parte tática. Isto é, encaixar a compactação, tanto na defesa quanto no ataque, melhorar a saída de bola e caprichar mais no passe. Além disso, a defesa ainda precisa de sérios ajustes. Wallace, Juan e Cesar Martins bateram cabeça em certos momentos da partida e perdeu na velocidade em boa parte das jogadas.

De bom, ficam as boas entradas de Mancuello e Marcelo Cirino e a evolução ofensiva no segundo tempo, tanto é que o Rubro-Negro marcou três vezes e ainda criou outras oportunidades. Antes da estreia no Campeonato Carioca, o Flamengo ainda tem mais duas partidas de laboratório: o amistoso contra o Santa Cruz, domingo, na Arena Pernambuco, e a estreia na Primeira Liga, quarta que vem, contra o Atlético-MG, no Mineirão. Bom para fazer ajustes.

Ross Wilson has said that he would like to make two more signings for Glasgow Rangers if possible, speaking during a Q&A on Wednesday.

Wilson in transfer revelation

The Gers were busy this summer, bringing in no less than eight first-team players including the likes of Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi and Bongani Zungu.

The January window is fast approaching, and Wilson was asked by Vital Football whether he would like to sign a player on a pre-contract agreement or initially on loan with an option to buy. He responded:

“In an ideal world I’d sign two players (as long as we need two and they fit our strategy!).

“The two examples you mentioned are both important to us but they key word you mentioned is targeted. That needs to mean we have done the work and followed the clear strategy and process to get to the signing stage on those two examples.”

Is there any need?

The heavy investment during the summer has worked wonders for the Ibrox outfit so far this season. The Gers are unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions, lead the Premiership by nine points and are also joint-top of their Europa League group after three matches. Everyone at the club could hardly have asked for a better start.

It is always important to keep an eye out for any interesting talent, which Wilson will do. However, halfway through an important campaign, too many new arrivals could disrupt the flow of things. As the sporting director himself says, it is important to find players who match exactly what the club need.

In other news, Rangers fans rage at this latest Castore offering.

Liverpool fans will be considering themselves lucky that they haven’t been monumentally rocked by the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho so early on in the season. The Reds will be looking to retain their Premier League title and losing the Dutchman looked like it would have a detrimental effect on their reigning term.

But in a miraculous turn of both luck and good form, stand-in defenders Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams have done a superb job of keeping the ship afloat. Joe Gomez has arguably been one of Jurgen Klopp’s most important players during this time, stepping into the shoes of natural leader van Dijk.

Teenaged centre-back Williams has massively stepped up to the plate and is already shifting his attention to his future at Anfield.

Fighting talk from Rhys Williams

Following his performance against Atalanta in Liverpool’s midweek clash, the 19-year-old expressed his delight over making his debut Champions League appearance. He went on to thank Klopp for his recent flurry of opportunities and says he is determined to repay the manager’s faith.

“I want to become an irreplaceable piece of this side. It’s a great team with great players,” Williams said post-match (via Liverpool ECHO).

Such fighting talk despite only making his senior debut this season is something the manager simply cannot ignore. After Trent Alexander-Arnold’s astonishing success story, it’s inspired many other academy graduates to follow down a similar path.

Whilst this paints a vivid picture of what a workhorse Williams is, it could be bad news for Gomez moving forwards. Even with his hard graft these last couple of weeks, the nature of football is a cruel one and players get dropped to make room for new up and coming talents.

Should Williams prove to be an option that Klopp simply cannot ignore, there’s a big chance he could edge out the England international for his space alongside van Dijk in the future.

Alexander-Arnold himself has already been impressed by the 6 ft 5 powerhouse. Speaking to LFCTV GO, the full-back lauded his teammate’s ability to step up.

“We’ve got an amazing squad,” the Merseyside local said. “You’ve seen Rhys Williams stepping in and doing a world-class job, at a young age with such little experience. He’s got a bright future ahead.”

In other news, Liverpool given boost ahead of potential Ozan Kabak signing…

Arsenal have signed former Chelsea players David Luiz and Willian over the last few transfer windows and it looks like another ex-Stamford Bridge man has been attracting interest from the Gunners following his latest comments.

Speaking recently, former Premier League star Oscar has said that he has been called by Luiz and Willian and they have been trying to convince him to join the Gunners. Oscar told Fox Sports Brasil, via TEAMtalk: “They called me, they had to call me. Because we have good communication. Sometimes I talk to them. They said ‘come to Arsenal, come here”

“But for me it’s a little more difficult. I have a contract with Shanghai, it’s a little more difficult to leave. Willian had finished his contract. I was happy that they got together again. And happy that Willian is happy.

“The most important thing is to be happy, regardless of the place. So I hope they are happy there.”

It would be a very weird signing if the club were to make a move for Oscar as he has been playing in China since 2017, per Transfermarkt, but he did perform well in England’s top flight for Chelsea as he won two Premier League titles and a League Cup trophy during his spell there.

Across his career, the 29-year-old has played 398 times, scoring 97 goals and supplying 129 assists, per Transfermarkt, which is a very respectable track record. He seems to be getting on well with Shanghai SIPG as he has managed five goals and six assists in 2020 in the the Chinese Super League, averaging 4.2 key passes and 2.8 shots per game, via WhoScored.

However, he is playing in a league which is different in quality to the Premier League and it could be hard to replicate this consistency in England.

Fellow Brazilians Luiz and Willian will know how much quality he has from their shared international duty, but it seems like a risk for Arsenal to look to take a punt on a player nearing his 30s and playing in China.

Gunners fans, do you want Arsenal to sign Oscar? Comment below with your views!

Manchester United have only made one transfer so far this transfer window, and it was a very good one as highly rated Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek joined the club from Ajax.

However there seems to be a growing frustration from a lot of supporters of the club that there have not been more signings, especially when it seems like the news on their pursuit on the possible signing of Jadon Sancho varies from positive to negative on a daily basis.

According to Rob Dawson, who works at ESPN, and tweeted out by utdreport, Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seems to now be in the same boat as supporters of the club. He has been largely accepting of the financial implications that recent events have caused but now he is starting to become annoyed and impatient that deals he thought would happen have not materialised.

With their Premier League season getting underway as they play Crystal Palace at the weekend, all associated with the club will not want any rifts because it could affect the campaign, and hopefully Ed Woodward starts to bring in some more signings to please the manager and the fan base shortly.

Here is what fans said following the news:

Man United fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!