Tag Futebol

Alessia Russo's early strike couldn't set the European champions on their way to victory on Friday night, with questions to be asked of the coach.

When Alessia Russo broke the deadlock just 15 minutes into England's opening game of the new Women's Nations League campaign, it looked like the Lionesses might ease their way past a potentially tricky opponent. Unfortunately for Sarina Wiegman and her side, it would not turn out to be as straight-forward as that, with Portugal boss Francisco Neto getting his game plan spot on to allow Kika Nazareth to grab a well-earned point in a 1-1 draw with the European champions on Friday night.

England's first half was really positive. Lucy Bronze's fantastic cross was clinically converted by Russo to put them 1-0 up, with Lauren James and Grace Clinton in particular catching the eye in a sharp opening 45 minutes. However, though the former fired a few warning shots throughout the game, and Clinton had a huge claim for a penalty turned down just before half time, the Lionesses didn't create too many clear cut chances to turn their dominance into a greater lead. That was one thing they were made to pay for in the end.

The other was on Wiegman's end, with her not reacting to the game quickly enough with her substitutions. While Neto timed things perfectly, ensuring his team stayed in the match for the first hour before opting to change shape and introduce three positive subs, Kika among them, Wiegman waited until the 84th minute to bring on Chloe Kelly and Aggie Beever-Jones – almost 10 minutes after Portugal's equaliser had flown into Mary Earps' top corner.

The result of such hesitation was a disappointing point, though they could well have left the Algarve empty-handed, even, such was the momentum their hosts had after levelling the scores. Still, the Lionesses will have to improve before their second game of this new Nations League campaign, with world champions Spain coming to town on Wednesday.

GOAL rates England's players from Estadio Municipal de Portimao…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Mary Earps (6/10):

Held a good starting position to deal with Portugal's threat over the top. Had very little to actually do when it came to shot-stopping and couldn't do anything about the goal.

Lucy Bronze (6/10):

A wonderful cross for Russo's opener was the highlight of a fantastic first half up and down the right. Replaced by Carter at the break and her absence negatively impacted the team.

Leah Williamson (4/10):

Made a poor decision to follow the ball into a midfield area and didn't win it, thus opening the space up for Kika to attack and score Portugal's equaliser. Did make two big blocks to make amends somewhat in the late stages.

Millie Bright (5/10):

Kept the ball well but struggled to win many of her duels.

Niamh Charles (6/10):

Solid all-round display on her first England appearance since July. A welcome return to the fold in a position of weakness.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Keira Walsh (5/10):

Kept the ball well and showed good movement to support the attack, though struggled to win tackles out of possession.

Grace Clinton (6/10):

Some heavy touches here and there but generally a bright display, although she didn't do enough to thwart Kika for the goal.

Ella Toone (5/10):

Had some really nice moments linking up with the players around her in the first half, but faded in the second.

Getty ImagesAttack

Jess Park (6/10):

Grew into the game in the second half especially, when the impetus was really on her to provide the width on the right after Bronze went off. Was a real bright spark.

Alessia Russo (7/10):

A superb finish to break the deadlock. Worked hard and showed good movement to keep Portugal on their toes.

Lauren James (7/10):

Did well to regularly evade her markers and make her mark. Played a lovely ball over to Bronze in the build-up to the first goal and was often England's greatest goal-threat.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPSubs & Manager

Jess Carter (6/10):

Replaced Bronze at half time and settled well at right-back, though often in a conservative manner given it's not her best position.

Chloe Kelly (N/A):

Had just six minutes of normal time to make an impact in the end.

Aggie Beever-Jones (N/A):

Introduced at the same time as Kelly and wasn't going to change the course of the game in that period.

Sarina Wiegman (4/10):

Took far too long to react to Portugal's changes and improved performance, with the eventual equaliser not at all a surprise. Had plenty of the bench to turn to as well, but just did so too late to ensure victory.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Athletic, clube da elite do futebol mineiro, de São João Del Rei, anunciou um reforço com larga experiência no esporte para a sequência do Campeonato Mineiro. O atacante Ricardo Oliveira vai vestir a camisa do Esquadrão de Aço.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalRicardo Oliveira expõe ‘fato inédito’ na carreira para justificar saída do São Caetano antes mesmo de estrearFutebol Nacional04/02/2022América MineiroAmérica-MG só fica no empate com o Athletic no IndependênciaAmérica Mineiro05/02/2022CruzeiroDe virada, Cruzeiro derrota a Caldense fora de casa pelo MineiroCruzeiro05/02/2022

Novamente, o Athletic recorre a um nome famoso para reforçar o seu elenco. Em 2021, a equipe chegou a anunciar o uruguaio “Loco” Abreu, que fez muito barulho, mas poucos jogos dentro de campo.

Ricardo Oliveira, de 41 anos, chegou a acertar com o São Caetano para a disputa da Série A2 do Campeonato Paulista, mas não houve acordo, e ele deixou o time paulista dez dias depois sem estrear pelo Azulão. A última equipe do atacante foi o Coritiba, no ano passado, quando fez 18 jogos, marcando dois gols pelo Coxa.

Ricardo Oliveira tem grande historia no futebol, com passagens por Portuguesa, Santos, São Paulo, Atlético-MG, Valencia-ESP, Betis-ESP, Zaragoza-ESP, Milan-ITA, Al Jazira-UAE e Al Wasl-UAE, além da Seleção Brasileira, onde foi campeão da Copa América (2004) e Copa das Confederações (2005). Agora, ele voltará ao futebol mineiro, depois de ter relativo sucesso no Galo, até 2020.

Big things were expected from Joshua Zirkzee this season following his arrival at Manchester United but he could soon be on the way out of Old Trafford in January.

The Dutchman scored 12 goals and produced seven assists in all competitions for Italian side Bologna last term, prompting United and INEOS to splash no less than £36.5 million to bring him to Manchester and join Erik ten Hag’s growing number of ex-Eredivisie stars.

A winning goal against Fulham on his debut was a promising start, but since then, Zirkzee’s spell in England has been nothing short of a disaster.

In the last eight games, the 23-year-old has failed to register a single goal or assist and has come under heavy scrutiny for his lacklustre performances, including from Dutch football legend Frank de Boer, who, after United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last month, called him a “champion in losing the ball.”

“He was absolutely shocking. How many times does he make the wrong choices on the pitch?” De Boer said of Zirkzee after the match.

Zirkzee now eyeing Man Utd exit

Following his difficult start to life at Old Trafford, Zirkzee reportedly already wants out of Man Utd. That’s according to Calcio Mercato, who report that the forward, who has thus far cost United just shy of £2,800 a minute for the 526 minutes he’s played, is eyeing a return to Italy as soon as January.

The Italian outlet report that Zirkzee could soon be back on the radar of his former Bologna boss, Thiago Motta, who is now in charge of Juventus. The Old Lady are understood to be looking for a new striker in case Dusan Vlahovic leaves the club when his contract expires in the summer, and Zirkzee’s Serie A pedigree and experience playing under Motta make him a logical option.

It remains to be seen, however, whether United would be open to letting Zirkzee leave Old Trafford so soon after his arrival, with the 2001-born attacker having only penned a £105,000-per-week, five-year deal in July.

Zirkzee out, Kolo Muani in an option for Man Utd

Should Zirkzee indeed leave United, the Red Devils could already have a replacement waiting in line in the form of Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani.

According to a recent report from The Boot Room, Kolo Muani’s agents have reached out to Man Utd over a potential move to the club, ahead of a likely move away from the Ligue 1 giants.

Manager now wants £70m flop sold and agents have reached out to Man Utd

Would he be a strong option for the Red Devils?

ByHenry Jackson Oct 20, 2024

Kolo Muani joined PSG for a fee of £70 million from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023 but has failed to make his mark in the French capital, scoring just 11 times in 49 games. This season, he’s started just two games for Luis Enrique’s side and was left out of the squad for PSG’s most recent match against Strasbourg.

The Boot Room claim that the Frenchman “has been offered to a number of Premier League clubs ahead of the January transfer window,” one of which is United. Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle have also been contacted, according to the report, so his situation could be one to watch if Zirkzee leaves in 2025.

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has echoed Alyssa Healy’s call for scheduling of more Tests in the women’s game, especially as part of multi-format series.Devine, who has 111 ODI caps and is only the third New Zealand woman to play 100 T20Is, said she yearns for “the opportunity to pull on the whites,” a reality that has eluded her in an international career spanning nearly 15 years. New Zealand women haven’t played a Test since 2004.”I think you ask any New Zealand player, whether they want to play a Test match or not, and I can guarantee you everyone would put their hand up and say that they would absolutely love the opportunity,” Devine said on the eve of the first ODI against England in Bristol, a venue that recently hosted the first non-Ashes women’s Test held in over half a decade.”I know certainly from my career, I have been pretty vocal about [the fact that] I would love to play Test cricket and certainly I would love to see the format used in the Ashes,” Devine said. “And, it’s going to be played in the Australia-India series, with, I guess, points carried across all formats. That’s a great way to play and keep the pressure on throughout the series.”New Zealand’s ongoing tour of England, which began with the hosts winning the T20Is 2-1, doesn’t feature a Test. However, in a deviation from what has become the norm in the women’s game, the calendar features more than one Test. England hosted India for a standalone Test in June. Later this month, India will play Australia in a one-off fixture in Gold Coast, as part of a multi-format series.For Devine, the No. 1 women’s T20I allrounder, the slight uptick in women’s Tests this year is “fantastic”.Related

• Alyssa Healy looks to Rohit Sharma's template for cross-format opening success

• Devine joins Sciver atop T20I rankings for allrounders; Shafali Verma remains No. 1 batter

• Heather Knight calls for England to be more 'ruthless' in ODIs against New Zealand

“Look, I’d absolutely love to play Test cricket, I’d absolutely love to take on the Aussies, I’d love to play India obviously, love to play England, anyone – just to have the opportunity to pull on the whites. It’s something I haven’t been able to do in my longish career.”I would love to see more Test cricket in the women’s arena. It’s fantastic that there are two Test matches this year, which is the most in quite a while. So, I will certainly be watching that game (Australia vs India, starting September 30) with interest.”Earlier in the day, Healy had spoken with measured optimism about more multi-format series taking place in the future among a wider pool of women’s teams.”I love that it’s been spoken about. I wouldn’t say it’s going to be the new norm [against all teams] but imagine the Kiwis (New Zealand) standing up and saying, ‘We’d be really interested in playing one of these multi-format series,” Healy said at Fox Cricket’s launch of Australia’s seven-match home series against India that begins on September 21.”These multi format series are really fun to be a part of and the point structure is just a whole other ball game,” she said. “I never thought we’d have two Tests in the one summer… to be able to play against India and then England in the Ashes is really exciting. My Baggy Green is tucked nicely in my backpack and hopefully I can pull it on my head twice [this summer].”

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou will have the services of January signing Antonin Kinsky available against Liverpool amid their injury crisis.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Spurs sign Kinsky after injury crisis
• New signing Kinsky receives work permit
• Available to play against Liverpool

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tottenham had to rely on third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin during their 2-1 Premier League loss to Newcastle United with Guglielmo Vicario facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines and Fraser Forster out due to illness. Spurs had planned to buy a backup to take over from Forster and did so by signing Kinsky from Slavia Prague for a reported fee of £12.5 million ($16m).

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kinsky was unable to train with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday as he had not received his work permit and international clearance. However, as per The Daily Mail, the Czech U21 international has received his work permit and will now be allowed to train under Postecoglou ahead of Spurs' Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Tottenham will be very keen on throwing the kitchen sink at trying to win the Carabao Cup this season as they aim to distract from a dire league season. They currently sit 12th in the Premier League table, and have not won a major trophy since 2008, when they last lifted the Carabao Cup.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR KINSKY?

  The Czech keeper is likely to be the first choice for Postecoglou until Vicario returns to full fitness.

Manchester City have reportedly opened talks with Palmeiras to sign Vitor Reis as Pep Guardiola keeps pushing for January signings.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Man City target Palmeiras' Vitor ReisPrepare €40m transfer packageMan City also after Marmoush and KhusanovFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

It seems that Manchester City are finally beginning to find their feet this season after an abysmal start to the season as the defending Premier League champions sit sixth in the standings with just 10 wins in 20 league clashes this season. As such, the eight-time Premier League champions are looking to improve their squad this January and have three major targets in their sights.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have noted Palmeiras' Reis as a 'key target' for the January transfer window and have already opened talks with the player and the club's entourage. As per the report, City have prepared a bid worth €40 million (£33.5m/$41.1m) as Palmeiras have previously rejected lower bids from other clubs.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Guardiola's side are also keen on signing Eintracht Frankfurt's in-form forward Omar Marmoush and Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov this month and have already held in-depth talks regarding the two targets.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

Guardiola will be keen on acquiring his January targets as swiftly as possible as Manchester City look forward to their upcoming clashes in the Champions League to try and get the best possible finishing position in the league table with a top-eight finish out of sight.

Chris Wood lead a superb defensive bowling display as Hampshire Hawks beat Essex Eagles by 13 runs to get their Vitality Blast competition rolling.Left-arm fast bowler Wood’s four overs went for just 15, along with the scalp of Aron Nijjar, with fellow homegrown star Liam Dawson returning a miserly 1 for 17.Joe Weatherley top-scored with 42 as the Hawks struggled to 155 but despite Tom Westley’s 44 the Eagles were bowled out for 142 – losing their last five wickets for 22 runs.Hampshire were stuck in and were contained well by the Essex bowlers as they reached 39 for the loss of James Vince – aggressively pulling Sam Cook to midwicket – in the powerplay.Simon Harmer, for the second match in succession, struck with his second delivery to york Tom Alsop.Cook took career-best T20 figures against Somerset and once again impressed with analysis of 2 for 21 as he had Australian D’Arcy Short caught behind by Will Buttleman – leaving the visitors 59 for 3 in eight overs.Weatherley rebuilt with Dawson and James Fuller through 35 and 33-run stands without any explosion to the run rate.Dawson was stumped off Harmer and Weatherley – having notched 42 from 34 balls – picked out deep midwicket to leave Hampshire facing a below-par total.But James Fuller plopped Jamie Porter for back-to-back sixes back over his head at the River End in the penultimate over to boost the tally, before he skied to cover.Buttleman lasted only seven balls on debut before he hooked Brad Wheal to fine leg.Michael Pepper also departed in the powerplay, caught behind attempting to sweep Dawson, as Essex reached 41 in the first six overs.The impetus was raised as Paul Walter lifted Mason Crane for sixes into the Hayes Close End houses from the first over of the leg-spinner’s first two overs.Westley also lofted over the straight boundary, but Crane got the last laugh, and loud grunting send-off, as Walter danced past a straight one to be stumped, before Westley was run out by a Ian Holland direct hit.Ryan ten Doeschate was bamboozled by Crane, struggling for four dots before slicing to short third man – as the England spinner pulled back his first 13 balls going for 37 to end up with two for 42 from his four overs.Jimmy Neesham clubbed Wheal into the Doug Insole Pavilion with a pull to accompany some powerful fours but he was caught at midwicket with 36 still needed.Nijjar pulled to deep fine leg, Simon Harmer and Sam Cook were run out and Plom was bowled by Wheal to confirm the victory.

England win with 39 balls to spare, reduce Rahul, Pant knocks to the footnotes

Deivarayan Muthu26-Mar-20212:36

Bell on Stokes-Bairstow stand: ‘Some of the best power-hitting you’ll see’

Despite suffering a collapse of 10 for 116 to bungle a chase of 318 in the first ODI, England captain Eoin Morgan insisted that there was no reason for the world champions to veer away from the turbo-charged approach that has served them well. Three days later, Morgan wasn’t available for the second match – he has been ruled out of the third too with a hand injury – but Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow epitomised that approach to help England mow down a bigger target of 337 with almost 40 balls to spare. Jason Roy also did his thing at the top, as England reduced KL Rahul’s more sedate century in the first half to a footnote.Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya had exploded in the end overs for India, but overall they couldn’t match up to England’s sustained aggression. While India hit 34 boundaries in their entire innings, England ticked past that mark in the 34th over of the chase. By then the asking rate had plummeted to less than five an over. India’s left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya bore the brunt of the Stokes-Bairstow assault, conceding 0 for 156 runs between them in 16 overs.Stokes, Bairstow and Jos Buttler all fell in a space of eight balls, but debutant Liam Livingstone and Dawid Malan, who was playing his second ODI, completed England’s drubbing of India to set up a decider on Sunday.It was Roy who made the early running for England, tucking into Prasidh Krishna’s short balls and swatting him for a triptych of pulled fours in the sixth over. Roy followed it with back-to-back fours off Bhuvneshwar Kumar; by the end of the powerplay he claimed 39 of the 59 runs England had scored. He notched up his first half-century of the tour when he hauled a Yadav wrong’un over long-on for six.Bairstow, becalmed in the early exchanges, sailed to his own fifty with a flurry of boundaries. He forged his 13th century partnership with Roy, which is now the most by any English pair. It needed a moment of brilliance from Rohit Sharma in the field to separate the duo. He swooped down to his right from midwicket to capitalise on a mix-up and run Roy out for 55 off 52 balls.Enter Stokes. He was a bit of a non-starter in the first ODI (1 off 11 balls). He had started in skittish fashion in the second, too, padding up to a wrong’un from Yadav, although it wasn’t threatening the stumps. Krunal then drew an outside edge from Stokes, but there wasn’t anyone at slip to snaffle that. All of this was a red herring, with Stokes revving up to smash 84 off a combined 33 balls from Yadav and Krunal, including ten sixes. Only Morgan and stand-in captain Buttler have struck more sixes for England in an ODI innings.After Stokes got to his fifty off 40 balls, he went 6,6,6,1,6,4,2,6,6,2,4, but fell short of a hundred, with Kumar having him caught behind down the leg side. Bairstow, however, had brought up his hundred in the same manner as he had raised his fifty: with a towering six off Yadav.After India were inserted again, Rahul had made a contrasting hundred, collecting 68 of his 108 runs through singles and doubles. He cautiously navigated the spinners and it was only after passing fifty that he hit over the top. Likewise, Virat Kohli accumulated in risk-free fashion after the hosts had dawdled to 41 for the loss of openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in the powerplay. On Tuesday, India had two fewer runs in that period for the loss of no wickets, but such a cagey start hadn’t hurt them then. It did come back to bite them on Friday despite a 28-ball half-century from Pant and a 16-ball 35 from Hardik.Reece Topley, who was playing only his second ODI since 2016, was particularly impressive with the new ball, often landing it on the seam and gleaning substantial movement and bounce off the pitch. After hitting an awkward in-between length against Dhawan, he pushed one across him from a fuller length to have him nicking off for 4 off 17 balls. Rohit, who had got out chasing what might have been an off-wide wide from Stokes in the first match, tickled a leg-stump half-volley from Sam Curran straight to short fine leg in the second.Moeen Ali, who has had a rough winter, put in a decent shift, returning 0 for 47 in his 10 overs. He gave up only one boundary in his spell, but that was down to a fumble from Stokes at extra-cover. As for Adil Rashid, he cut short Kohli’s innings at 66, besting him for the ninth time in international cricket. Rashid could have got him much earlier – when Kohli was on 35 – had Buttler not closed his gloves too early. The keeper’s error allowed Kohli to add 31 to his tally before the subsequent correction brought Pant to the crease. The left-hander closed out Rashid’s spell with a powerful slog-swept six over midwicket.Pant went on a six-hitting spree, but the lack of urgency from the top four and England’s own six-hitting spree meant it was in vain.

In explaining how he got off the mark with a reverse sweep in two successive T20Is, Finn Allen provided a glimpse into his mindset. He used the word fearless up front. It can come across as a word that is overused but this 21-year old really does bat like that. For proof, check out his 29-ball 71 in a rain-reduced game that helped New Zealand to a 65-run win in Auckland.His ten fours and three sixes was a reflection of how he batted during this season’s Super Smash. Allen scored 512 runs at 193.93 strike-rate in 11 games. It is the third-highest strike-rate among batsmen with 500-plus runs in a T20 tournament. Big-hitting luminaries Andre Russell and Alex Hales are the other two, but neither were playing their first T20 tournament like Allen.When asked why he played a reverse sweep to get off the mark in the second T20I in Napier, especially after his golden duck on debut, Allen said that he backs himself to pull it off despite the risks involved.”It was just about being fearless, continuing to be like that from the Super Smash,” he said. “The fear of not getting out and wanting to take it to the opposition. I felt like it is a shot that I worked on a lot against left-arm spin this summer.”I thought that it is a shot I play a lot so why not pull it out [against Nasum Ahmed]? It doesn’t matter the situation. I could have easily thought I haven’t scored a run yet, just get one under the belt. But I felt like it was the best option for me. Talking to Guptill at the other end, he said back yourself and back your skills. I went for it.”Allen did the same at Eden Park on Thursday. After Martin Guptill hogged most of the strike in the first two overs, Allen reverse swept Ahmed over point for four. He cultivated the shot originally as a means to counter Mitchell Santner in the Super Smash but is now finding a lot more uses for it.”I just felt it was a good option,” Allen said. “The whole field was up and I knew roughly what he was trying to bowl. I felt like it was a good match-up for me. I was lucky that it came off. We just went from there.”I found out a lot of guys got out trying to hit Mitch Santner down the ground. I wanted to hit the reverse sweep but over the top, which is a potential boundary option for me. I think I spent two or three days batting left-handed against the spinners in the nets. Luckily it came off and just kept going from there.”Once he had struck that first four, he struck two more off the next couple of deliveries and added a straight six to take 19 off the Ahmed over. New Zealand were away with both Guptill and Allen going after literally every delivery.Allen’s best shot was perhaps the square-cut six over point off Rubel Hossain, that leapt high into the Eden Park stands.”From the beginning I felt I was in the zone. I was focused on my partner and the bowler. I didn’t hear anything else. (In the end), I had a moment to appreciate the guys who hung around in the rain to watch us. It was pretty cool,” he said.But the T20I series against Bangladesh weren’t all bed of roses for Allen. It taught him that in international cricket, you can’t always rely on plan A.”With all the games I play, I want to have the same brand. I want to approach it in the same aggressive way. But I think this series has made me realise I need to have more options. Get in similar positions and look to be dominant, but have more than one option for a particular delivery,” he said.Also helping Allen perform the way he liked was a dressing room full of people offering him their unstinting support. “I definitely didn’t think it would be so easy to integrate into an international side. I think it just shows how good the group is. The coaching staff made it easy for me to fit in and feel comfortable. It helped my confidence to go out there and play the way I did. It is a similar way Wellington brought me in here,” he said.

Manchester City are constantly looking to improve and upgrade their team where possible each year as they chase continued success on the pitch.

The Cityzens may have been disappointed with only one major trophy won last season as they lifted the Premier League title but did not win the Champions League or either of the two domestic cups.

Pep Guardiola may, therefore, want to bolster his options across the pitch in order to add more pieces of silverware to the trophy cabinet next campaign.

Brazil international Savinho – a left-footed forward who typically plays on the flank – has arrived on a permanent deal to compete for a spot in the attack.

He may not be the only player to be brought in by the Premier League champions, though, as they could look to make further additions to their forward options.

One player they could look to upgrade on is winger Jack Grealish, who the Cityzens are reportedly willing to cash in on before the end of the window.

Aston Villa are said to be keen on a deal to bring the England international back to Villa Park but City would want to recoup a large portion of the £100m they spent on him.

Man City's interest in Dutch playmaker

Guardiola could land a big upgrade on Grealish by swooping to sign one of the club's reported transfer targets ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Earlier this summer, TEAMtalk claimed that Paris Saint-Germain starlet Xavi Simons is one of the talented midfielders on Man City's radar this window.

The report stated that the Cityzens are keeping tabs on his situation with the French giants, after a loan spell with RB Leipzig in Germany last season.

It revealed that Bundesliga side Bayern Munich are currently leading the race for Simons, who played against them for Leipzig last term, but no deal has been finalised yet.

TEAMtalk added that PSG are willing to cash in on the attacking midfielder for the right price and it has been reported elsewhere that a fee of £85m would be needed to secure his services on a permanent basis.

It remains to be seen whether or not City will find enough interest, at the price they want, to offload Grealish before the end of the transfer window.

However, even if he stays, Guardiola could land a big upgrade on the former Villans captain by securing a deal to sign Simons from the Ligue 1 champions.

Jack Grealish's struggles for City

Since his £100m move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021, Grealish has failed to consistently provide quality at the top end of the pitch for City.

Supporters and the club could be forgiven for expecting big things from a player with such a gigantic price tag but the winger has not lived up to the hype yet.

The 28-year-old attacker has produced just 14 goals and 18 assists in 125 games in all competitions for the English giants, which averages out as one direct goal contribution every 3.9 matches.

He managed just three goals and three assists in 26 Premier League outings during his debut campaign with the Cityzens. That was an underwhelming start to life at The Etihad after his blockbuster move from Villa, as he rarely threatened the opposition's goal.

Grealish did follow that up with an improved five goals and seven assists in 28 league games during the 2022/23 season, as City won the title as part of the treble.

Appearances

20

Starts

10

Goals

3

Assists

1

Key passes per game

1.4

Dribbles per game

0.9

However, as you can see in the table above, the English winger struggled again last term with a lack of appearances, starts, goals, and assists in the top-flight.

Overall, Grealish has not done enough in his three seasons with City so far to have justified a £100m price tag, due to his lack of goals and assists as an attacking player, and that is why now could be the right time for them to cash in on him.

Selling the England international would then free up space, and potentially some funds, to splash £85m on Simons, who could be a big upgrade on the current Cityzens flanker.

Why Xavi Simons could be an upgrade on Jack Grealish

The Netherlands international, who England fans will recognise as the player who scored against them in the semi-final at the Euros, is coming off the back of a sublime season with RB Leipzig on loan.

He had enjoyed a terrific campaign with PSV in his home country in 2022/23 with a return of 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances for the Dutch giants.

Just like Grealish, Simons is an attacking midfielder who can operate centrally but is typically deployed on the left flank, cutting inside onto his favoured foot to wreak havoc in the final third.

However, unlike Grealish, the Dutch wizard, who was hailed as "wonderful" and an "artist" by analyst Ben Mattinson, has the quality to make a consistently big impact at the top end of the pitch.

His ability to make things happen as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a left wing position suggests that he could come in and provide far more to City's team than the Englishman.

Appearances

32

20

Goals

8

3

Assists

11

1

Big chances created

14

3

Key passes per game

2.5

1.4

Dribbles completed per game

2.6

0.9

As you can see in the table above, Simons wiped the floor with Grealish's contributions as a scorer, a creator, and a dribbler in the 2023/24 campaign.

These statistics show that the £85m-rated star can chip in with an impressive goal threat whilst also progressing his team up the pitch through dribbles, and then having the composure in dangerous positions to pick the right pass to create a chance for his teammates.

Man City could unearth De Bruyne 2.0 in swoop for "world-class" £128m star

The Cityzens have been linked with an interest in the Bundesliga sensation this summer.

ByDan Emery Jul 22, 2024

This is why Guardiola must now swoop to sign the PSG youngster as a big upgrade on Grealish, as he could come in and offer significantly more in the final third – as suggested by his last two seasons for Leipzig and PSV.