Tag Futebol

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has not enjoyed the best of luck in the Champions League so far this season as his side sit bottom of their group after four games.

The Hoops have lost three of their four matches, drawing the other one, as the Australian has been unable to muster up a win in the competition.

He is not the first manager of the Glasgow giants to struggle in Europe, though, and one man who failed to achieve success on the continent was Ronny Delia.

The Norweigan manager was knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifying rounds in both of his seasons at Celtic Park, whilst also failing to make it to the last 16 of the Europa League in those campaigns.

He struggled badly in European competitions and was also no stranger to a big blunder in the transfer market during his time in Glasgow.

The most expensive purchase in his four windows in charge was Croatian central defender Jozo Simunovic in the summer of 2015 from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee reported to be in the region of £5.5m.

Former Hoops full-back Tosh McKinlay showered the centre-back with praise at the time of the move, saying:

“Simunovic will be top drawer. He’s different class. This is a guy who has already played over 50 times for Dinamo Zagreb, has captained Croatia’s Under-21s and has great pedigree.

“I have seen a lot of footage of him, he’s a fantastic footballer. Simunovic is Rolls Royce material. He will make a big impact in the Scottish game.”

However, he only made 11 Premiership appearances in his debut campaign with the club as he missed a whopping 42 matches due to injury that term.

This ended up being a recurring theme of his time in Glasgow as he only played more than 18 top-flight games in one of his five seasons, which came in 2016/17 as he featured in 25 matches.

In total, he was injured for 108 competitive games for Celtic in his five years at the club, whilst making 126 competitive outings in all competitions in that time.

TheCelticBlog previously described him as ‘error prone’ and claimed that he had made ‘calamitous’ mistakes, whilst former Hoops shot-stopper Pat Bonner once stated that the club had seen big errors from the defender “so many times”.

Celtic eventually decided to part ways with the centre-back at the end of his contract in the summer of 2020, allowing him to leave on a free transfer.

This meant that the Hoops did not recoup a single penny of the significant £5.5m they paid for him in 2015 and were not rewarded with a great deal on pitch, as he struggled with injuries and became too prone to making mistakes when he was available to feature.

Therefore, Delia dropped a clanger by splashing out to sign the flop in the summer of 2015 and it is not a transfer that should be looked back on as a success.

The Liverpool Echo journalist Adam Jones has revealed a big injury boost for Everton involving Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Lowdown: Lampard confident

Frank Lampard revealed after the 1-0 win against West Ham United at Goodison Park in the Premier League that he was confident that Calvert-Lewin would be available against Southampton after the international break.

He left him out of the squad as a precaution, as he did not want to risk aggravating the injury the striker had already picked up.

The Latest: Still likely to be involved

Taking to Twitter, Jones has revealed that Calvert-Lewin is ‘still in line to be involved’ for the Merseyside club against the Saints after the international break, despite rumours of a setback.

Expanding in his article for The Liverpool Echo, the journalist added that the Toffees are simply being ‘cautious’ with him after he felt some ‘tightness’ in a training session at Finch Farm recently.

The Verdict: Big boost

Of course, it will be a big boost for Lampard and his team if they can call upon Calvert-Lewin against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

Neal Maupay did well to score the winner for the Blues against the Hammers last time out, but the Englishman offers a different kind of threat.

Calvert-Lewin reached double figures for goals in the top flight in each of the two seasons before his injury-hit campaign last term (Transfermarkt), and will no doubt be desperate to rekindle that kind of form upon his return to the pitch.

Nonetheless, the 25-year-old will be hungrier than ever to impress ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November, where he will be hoping to make a late dash into Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

Deadline day may be just around the corner but Tottenham Hotspur are back in Premier League action this evening as they travel across the capital to face West Ham United.

This London derby is usually one full of goals and drama, so we could be in for an exciting night at the London Stadium, where Spurs manager Antonio Conte will be looking for his side to continue their unbeaten run.

Whilst for Irons boss David Moyes will want to build from their first win of the new campaign at the weekend.

Tottenham were victorious in their clash against newcomers Nottingham Forest on Sunday but only just and it has led to question marks from some sections of the Lilywhites faithful.

And with this being just the second game in a hefty seven-match run over the next few weeks, we could see some rotation from the Italian.

Heung-min Son has looked off the boil so far in 2022/23, failing to replicate his attacking exploits from last term. He’s made only one assist from his four appearances and is already four goals behind his frontline partner Harry Kane, who also leads him for average shots and key passes per game too.

It could be time to make the bold call of dropping him for this encounter, something that Conte can now easily do thanks to the £60m summer arrival of Richarlison, who came off the bench to deliver a beautiful outside-of-the-boot cross for Kane’s winner only a few days ago.

We’re yet to see much of the Brazil international but that was to be expected, with Kane, Son and Dejan Kulusevski the favoured and in-form front three, though the South Korean’s recent struggles will have surely opened up a spot heading into kickoff.

Richarlison has long been the talisman for Premier League rivals Everton, where he scored 11 times and laid on five assists last season to take his total for the club to 68 goal contributions in 152 appearances.

The 25-year-old dynamo was once described as the “complete striker” by his former manager Carlo Ancelotti, a multi-Champions League winner.

“Richarlison was a fantastic talent before me [Ancelotti’s arrival last month] and will be a fantastic talent after me. He has skills and ability… power and strength and speed.”

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This surely makes the £135k-per-week star a more than viable candidate to step up in Son’s absence, to even potentially stake a claim at a regular starting spot.

He’ll be hungry to deliver exactly that, which is why Conte must look to start Richarlison this evening.

The former Watford man also has a very impressive record against the Hammers, winning five of the eight head-to-heads, in which he’s bagged two goal and assisted two more, including one last campaign.

Conte could well haunt Moyes by unleashing the Brazilian maverick, who seems to be a real thorn in his side.

AND in other news, Spurs eyeing late double swoop before deadline day…

West Ham United are closing in on a deal to bring Borna Sosa to the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Croatian media outlet Index, who claim that, with the 24-year-old full-back’s representatives having been in England since Monday in order to discuss a switch to David Moyes’ side, the VfB Stuttgart defender is now believed to be very close to sealing a move to east London.

The report goes on to state that the Croatia international’s current side have already begun their search for a replacement for the left-back, with Sosa expected to depart the Mercedes-Benz Arena in a deal worth around €20m (£17m) in the coming days.

However, the report does go on to suggest that Newcastle United are also interested in a move for the former Dinamo Zagreb starlet, with it being said that Eddie Howe’s side would have no trouble in outbidding the Hammers in the race for the wing-back due to the club’s mega-rich Saudi Arabian owners.

Dream Kostic alternative

While Filip Kostic’s increasingly likely move to Juventus is sure to come as a gutting blow to Moyes – with it being evident that the Serbia international was the 59-year-old’s primary target for a new left-back this summer – should the Scot manage to get a £17m deal over the line for Sosa in the Eintracht Frankfurt star’s place, it would certainly help to ease this blow.

Indeed, the Stuttgart sensation appears to very much be a player in the same attack-minded mould as Kostic – something that was evident over the duo’s performances in the German top flight last season.

Over Sosa’s 28 Bundesliga appearances last time out, the £20.7m-rated talent was a constant creative threat for VfB, scoring one goal, providing eight assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 2.2 key passes, 2.5 crosses and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the £15k-per-week wing-back who Sven Mislintat dubbed “a real weapon” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.26, not only ranking him as Pellegrino Matarazzo’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 13th-best player in the German top flight as a whole.

In comparison, over Kostic’s 31 Bundesliga appearances in 2021/22, the £21.6m-rated wing-back scored four goals, provided nine assists and created 16 big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 2.8 key passes, 3.3 crosses and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £43k-per-week talent average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.25, ranking him as Frankfurt’s best performer in the league and the 15th-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, while it is true that Kostic does better Sosa’s metrics in a number of areas, considering the fact that the Croatian is five years the Serbian’s junior, the latter could still improve upon his already impressive attributes – something which cannot part be said about the 29-year-old, who is likely already at his peak.

Indeed, while Kostic may well have represented an option who would immediately improve Moyes’ first-team squad in the short-term, Sosa would be a signing who could gradually take over the reins of Aaron Cresswell on the left of the Hammers backline, before becoming the club’s first choice in the position for many a year to come.

So, considering all of the above, there is an argument to be made that the Stuttgart star is a much better investment for the Irons to splash the cash on this summer, as the 24-year-old’s long-term prospects are certainly much brighter than those of Kostic.

Everton have reportedly made contact regarding a move for Burnley forward Maxwel Cornet, with the Toffees in dire need of new reinforcements this summer.

What’s the word?

As per BBC journalist Fraser Fletcher, the Merseysiders are believed to be among a handful of Premier League clubs who are “in talks” to sign the 25-year-old in the current transfer window. The player is believed to be available for a fee in the region of £17.5m, owing to a release clause in his existing deal at Turf Moor.

Writing on Twitter about the race to sign the Ivorian gem, the transfer insider noted: “Maxwel Cornet future will be decided this week I’m told, he will leave Burnley. Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Everton and 1 more unnamed club are in talks for the Burnley player, All pushing hard and keen on securing, best offer wins”.

As Fletcher mentioned, it would appear that the former Lyon man is set to move on from the Clarets following their recent drop into the second tier, having only arrived in Lancashire in a £12.9m deal last summer.

Supporters will love it

Following the club’s dramatic escape from relegation on the penultimate day of last season, the hope among Everton supporters would have been to see significant investment made in the playing squad this summer in order to avoid another relegation dogfight next term.

Alas, at present it would appear that Frank Lampard’s side have only been weakened by the £60m departure of former talisman Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur, while the club’s solitary incoming at Goodison Park has been that of experienced centre-back James Tarkowski on a free transfer.

However, reports that the 29-year-old could be joined at the club by former team-mate Cornet should raise the excitement levels among the Everton faithful, with the £13.5m-rated man seemingly the type of player who can make an instant impact next season.

The £44k-per-week speedster offers undoubted quality in the final third, having chipped in with nine goals and one assist in his 26 Premier League outings last term, notably providing a goal and an assist against Lampard and co in the 3-2 victory for Burnley in April.

While largely deployed as an attacking left-back during his previous spell in France, the 25-cap machine proved himself a real menace in a centre-forward role under both Sean Dyche and Mike Jackson last term, having also shown his ability to feature on either flank.

That versatility will help to ease the blow of the departure of the aforementioned Richarlison, with the Toffees in need of another dynamic attacking presence who can feature all across the front line.

Indeed, the club appear to be in desperate need of additional quality, with their recent 4-0 defeat to MLS outfit Minnesota United in pre-season showcasing that an improvement upon last term is not a guarantee, as the threat of relegation remains a distinct possibility.

In truth, what will most please supporters about the potential Cornet deal will simply be that the club are making moves to strengthen, having been frustratingly inactive in the summer market thus far.

AND in other news – “We hear…”: Journalist drops major transfer update on £30m Everton target, it’s bad news

A big Leeds United claim has emerged on their pursuit of Charles De Ketelaere in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Belgian journalist Alexandre Braeckman has claimed that the Whites will attempt to persuade the attacker to make the switch to Elland Road if AC Milan pull out of the race this weekend.

The reporter tweeted:

“Situation unchanged. If they (Milan) don’t reach an agreement for Sunday evening, it’s over. And then Leeds will go to try to convince the player, as they planned :)”

He added: “Leeds is waiting. They know their bid is good enough for Bruges. Now it’s a matter of time, if the player doesn’t join Milan, they will try to convince him to join the Premier League :)”

Supporters will be excited

This claim will leave supporters excited as it suggests that there will be imminent movement in the race to land the Belgium international.

Milan appear set to make a final decision tonight and that could open the door for Leeds to make their move if the Italian giants opt against a deal for the talented youngster.

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The fans will find this exciting because it means that Victor Orta can work his magic in the upcoming week to persuade the gem, which could result in him joining ahead of the first game of the 2022/23 campaign.

They kick off their Premier League season against Wolves on the 6th of August and De Ketelaere could be in the building in time to feature.

Supporters will also be buzzing with the prospect of the attacking midfielder joining the club as he has the potential to be an excellent signing for Jesse Marsch’s team, after an exceptional season last term.

In 2021/22, De Ketelaere scored 14 goals and assisted nine in 39 Pro League outings. He created a whopping 16 ‘big chances’ for his teammates and delivered 1.8 key passes per game as he showed that he has the quality to consistently unlock opposition defences.

At the age of 21, he has the potential to grow and develop over time. This means that Leeds would be bringing in a player who could make a big impact in the final third in the immediate future, whilst also being an investment as his value could increase over time as he hones his skills.

Therefore, fans will be hoping that Milan drop out of the race and will be excited by the plan to convince the gem to move to England.

AND in other news, “Leeds are interested..”: Journo drops big transfer update, supporters will be buzzing…

Transfer insider Dean Jones has made a claim involving Wolverhampton Wanderers and Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa. 

The lowdown: European woes

Initially brought across the Atlantic by Inter Milan in 2017, Barbosa – known as Gabigol – was loaned to Benfica and then Santos, as he managed a meagre two goals during his time in Europe.

Since returning to his homeland on a permanent basis with a move to Flamengo though, the 25-year-old frontman has scored a sensational 102 goals and registered another 28 assists in 158 appearances for the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A side and has earned senior international recognition with Brazil.

That form has led to strong links with a return to Europe as the likes of West Ham, Arsenal, Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle United all pay close attention to the flamboyant hitman…

The latest: Hat in the ring?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones has suggested that Wolves could join the list of potential suitors for the 18-cap ace this summer as a Premier League swoop beckons.

He said: “Now, whether that ends up being Aston Villa or Newcastle or West Ham, I don’t know, but I do think that this might be the summer Gabigol finally lands, and whoever takes that punt, it might be worth it.

“Wolves as well, by the way, they might even come into the equation. Somebody is going to take a punt on him.”

The verdict: Marquee signing

Bruno Lage could certainly be on the lookout for an additional centre-forward firepower in the transfer window with Raul Jimenez struggling to recapture his best form after the head injury and Fabio Silva still adapting to life at the elite level.

Those issues, coupled with injuries to key attackers such as Pedro Neto, meant that scoring goals was a major issue at Molineux last term as the Old Gold ended the campaign as the lowest scorers outside of the Premier League relegation zone with just 38 strikes.

Already boasting a well-decorated career, Gabigol – who was described as having ‘everything’ a striker needs by Brazil legend Zico – scored 18 times and registered two assists in 35 appearances during the 2021/22 campaign.

In that time, the mercurial tattoo-laden Brazilian with an eye for the spectacular earned a 6.95 Sofascore rating comprising of 0.7 successful dribbles, 1.2 key passes and 2.4 shots per game in the South American nation’s top flight.

With 147 goals total in 298 career outings, signing the £23.4million valued maverick could be a worthwhile risk from Lage and Jeff Shi as the Wanderers attempt to address an alarming lack of goal threat.

Everton are in the running to sign Owen Wijndal from AZ Alkmaar, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Wijndal, 22, came through the youth ranks at AZ, who finished fifth in last season’s Eredivisie and reached the Europa Conference League Round of 16.

The left-back has made 143 appearances for the senior side in total and now wears their captain’s armband.

With two years left on his contract, he’s valued at £10.8million by Transfermarkt, but De Telegraaf claim he’s available for as little as £8.6million.

The latest

Eredivisie champions Ajax are keen on Wijndal but he wasn’t satisfied with their first contract offer.

It would seem that he’s open to moving to the Johan Cruyff ArenA, but he’s reluctant to keep his other suitors waiting ‘much longer’.

Indeed, the likes of Everton, Napoli and Sevilla are ‘concretely interested’ in signing him.

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The verdict

Wijndaal is an impressive young player.

He managed to record 12 assists from his left-back berth in 43 games last term, an excellent return. Indeed, no defender in the Dutch top-flight could better that tally.

And he’s also earned 11 caps for the Netherlands, a top-10 ranked international side.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig has called him a ‘superb’ player, but the key consideration here is whether Everton really need him.

The Blues paid up to £17million to sign Vitalii Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv in January, and though the two players could theoretically compete for the role, it perhaps wouldn’t be the best allocation of resources, even if he looks like a bargain.

In other news, Paul Brown says Everton could land this Brazilian…

Manchester City are believed to be readying a bid for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to a report from 90min.

The Lowdown: Phillips profiled

As per the Whites’ official website, the 26-year-old is a product of the Elland Road youth system, working his way up through the ranks to make his first-team debut for the club back in 2015 and going in to make 234 appearances for Jesse Marsch’s side.

The maestro has become an integral feature of his hometown club’s starting XI over the years after helping them gain promotion to the Premier League in 2020. However, his impressive performances appear to have caught the eye of many top-flight rivals, with the champions among those looking to secure his signature.

The Latest: Man City preparing bid for Phillips

In an article published by 90min, it is claimed that City are now ‘readying a bid’ for Phillips after making ‘several enquiries’ about the Leeds midfielder.

The source stated that Etihad Stadium scouts have been ‘hugely impressed’ with their target’s progress since the Whites’ promotion two years ago, with Pep Guardiola making his admiration for the 19-cap England international ‘clear’.

It’s reported that City are currently ‘conducting background checks’ to decide whether or not they fully believe the 26-year-old be a good fit in the dressing room ahead of an ‘opening bid’.

Phillips has insisted that he would be ‘happy to stay’ in Yorkshire, but the source suggests that a move to the Etihad ‘does appeal’ to him.

The Verdict: Ideal Fernandinho replacement

With it being confirmed that Fernandinho will be leaving City this summer, the club need to find a suitable replacement for the Brazil veteran in the middle of the park, and the £45m-rated Leeds talisman could well be the perfect candidate.

Despite only playing 23 times this season, mainly due to a long-term hamstring injury, Phillips has still been an absolute rock in the Whites’ midfield. He averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per Premier League game (via WhoScored), demonstrating that he can be hugely effective at breaking up opposition attacks.

Leeds probably wouldn’t be able to match any offer from City if one is to materialise in the coming weeks.

Therefore, it may be a case of the Elland Road academy graduate – who was once dubbed an “exceptional” player by former Leeds and Man City defender Danny Mills – having to decide whether to commit his future to his boyhood club or make the switch to the Etihad, where he could go on to achieve big things at the highest level in years to come.

In other news… this Manchester City first-team maestro could be set for a surprise exit over the summer

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst was not shy of handing out opportunities to academy players as his side ended the Premiership campaign with a 3-1 win at the weekend.

Adam Devine, Charlie McCann, Leon King, Tony Weston, Ross McCausland and Cole McKinnon were all given minutes on the pitch to showcase their quality at first-team level.

Lowry caught the eye with a goal and an assist from midfield but he was not the only youngster who impressed on the day as Devine put in an exciting showing at the back.

FFC recently published an article suggesting that the right-back may be the next Nathan Patterson who can play a back-up role to James Tavernier and be sold for a profit in the future, but this matured performance against Hearts suggests that he could have a brighter future at Rangers.

Instead of being viewed as a player who can be a squad player and moved on in a few years to rake in a few million, he could be seen as the long-term replacement for the captain.

This is why van Bronckhorst must finally unleash the 19-year-old on a regular basis at the start of the 2022/23 campaign to help him ease into the role.

Journalist Craig Vickers was impressed by his display against Hearts as he praised him after the match, Tweeting: “Devine isn’t as clean technically as Patterson and doesn’t have his self-belief in possession, but he looks like another powerful runner in that position.”

Reporter Joshua Barrie replied to this by Tweeting: “Thought Devine took his chance over this past week well. Next season’s understudy?”

These comments suggest that he did enough to pass the eye test and the statistics back up that he enjoyed a great afternoon in the Scottish top-flight.

As per SofaScore, he completed 84% of his passes and 100% of his attempted dribbles in the game as he proved that he is comfortable on the ball and likes to get forward. He also made a whopping six clearances to go along with one interception and two tackles as he got stuck in defensively and worked hard for the team throughout the 90 minutes.

The fact that he played the entire match also indicates that van Bronckhorst trusts him to perform throughout an entire first-team match, which bodes well heading into next season. The Dutch head coach must now continue to give him chances as he moulds him into being Tavernier’s successor in the years to come.

AND in other news, Wilson plotting Rangers bid for “top notch” 16 G/A “master”, GVB needs him badly…