All posts by n8rngtd.top

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to German media outlet Bild, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in €50m-rated (£43m) Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, and he is the defensive midfielder they need to allow Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele to flourish.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Bild report that the current Bundesliga leaders feel that the Switzerland international is one of the players they could receive a club-record transfer fee for, with their current leader the €45m they got from Arsenal for Granit Xhaka.

Bild say that Monchengladbach feel they could get at least £43m for the 22-year-old, who is interesting a number of top European clubs.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Spurs are among those according to the story, along with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Premier League rivals Manchester United.

As good as Wanyama pre-injury

The north London outfit have suffered without an out-and-out defensive midfielder in their team this season to protect the defence, with the likes of Winks, Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko playing in the deepest midfield roles –  the 10 goals they have conceded in their previous two fixtures is proof of that.

Mauricio Pochettino does have Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier available, but he clearly doesn’t trust them given their lack of minutes this season.

To be fair to the Argentine, the former was awful when he came on in the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City last month as his recent injury issues appear to have caught up with him, while the latter doesn’t look the same player that was such a mainstay in the starting XI during the early stages of the 47-year-old’s reign at Tottenham – his first Premier League start of the campaign was last time out against Brighton.

Buying Zakaria would allow the likes of Winks and Ndombele to flourish going forward though, as it is a role he is playing with his club right now.

The 22-year-old is the deepest of Monchengladbach’s central midfield trio – in a team that has only conceded six times in seven matches – and according to Bundesliga.com, he has a pass completion rate of 88% in the German flight this term.

A look back at his stats from this season and previous ones show he is more than on a par with Wanyama before he suffered his multiple injury issues with Spurs, as he averaged 2.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions in the 2017/18 season, and 2.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions this term, as per WhoScored.

Meanwhile, the Kenya international’s most consistent run in the starting XI came when Tottenham finished second in 2016-17, with his defensive stats standing at 2.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions in 36 Premier League outings when Pochettino’s men only let in 26 goals.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Phil Parkinson suffered his second loss as Sunderland boss against Shrewsbury on Saturday but he is confident that his style can produce a winning formula.

What did he say?

A big issue for Sunderland under Jack Ross was their inability to score goals. Last season, that resulted in too many draws which meant they had to settle for a play-off place, but it appears that it is an issue that has stuck with the squad since his departure.

The Black Cats drew a blank in Parkinson’s two defeats, which meant that Tuesday’s thumping of Tranmere likely came as a welcome relief for fans, many of whom enjoyed the attacking display of Duncan Watmore in particular.

That is the style Parkinson is looking to implement at the Stadium of Light, and suggested that dominant performances like the one on Saturday would lead to points for his side more often than not.

Watch League 1 Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Speaking in his post-match press conference, as reported by SAFC.com, he said: “We have totally dominated the game and the one attempt from them has resulted in a goal.

“In terms of the way we wanted to set out I couldn’t have asked for anymore but as everyone knows it’s all about sticking the ball in the back of the net.

“We have completely dominated the game – if we keep playing like that then we are going to win a hell of a lot of games at this level.”

Change in approach?

Parkinson’s success in taking Bolton up shows he knows how to manage a big club playing at a lower level than they are typically accustomed to, but his comments indicate he will alter his methods.

That could be a worry, as it creates a risk that his new strategy may be less effective. However, it may be a necessary one.

His promotion-winning Wanderers team scored only 68 goals in 2016/17, 12 less than the Black Cats managed last year, and therefore his achievements there were built on a solid defensive foundation, as his side conceded only 36.

As a result, his desire to move towards a style with more attacking intent and dominance of the match is of a significant contrast to his tried-and-tested method, though he may feel he has quality attacking players at his disposal.

One of those could be Will Grigg, who has 101 League One goals in his career, and if Parkinson can instil that clinical edge into his players, and Grigg in particular, then Sunderland should be able to gather some consistency.

It will be interesting to see if the manager continues to set his team out in a similar fashion, as if the Black Cats’ midfield imposes itself onto the opposition they should be a handful, as the display against Tranmere suggested.

Birmingham City moved to within one point of the playoffs with a victory at St Andrew’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Clotet’s men sealed a 2-1 victory over Luton Town after striker Lukas Jutkewicz headed home the winner eight minutes from time.

Left wing-back Kristian Pederson had handed the home side the lead right before half-time when he met fellow wing-back Maxime Colin’s cross with the final kick off the first half.

Watch Birmingham City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But Harry Cornick robbed the goalscorer of the ball to equalise with just over 20 minutes remaining in the match.

The Blues now sit 11th with just three points separating them from third place, so that only goes to show just how tight the division is this year.

Following the match, Marc Roberts took to Twitter to share his thoughts, who received his plaudits in return from sections of the Birmingham faithful.

One supporter hailed him as ‘Mr. Consistent’ having previously been the team’s scapegoat. His manager is undoubtedly inclined to agree given the fact he’s played all but one Championship game this campaign.

Another fan claimed he was ‘solid as a rock’ while a further member of the St Andrew’s crowd believed he was so outstanding that he has to be worth at least £3.5m now.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

[ad_pod ]

Lots of Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed by The Times that Wilfried Zaha has sacked his agent, Will Salthouse.

The Ivory Coast international made his intentions to leave Selhurst Park clear in the summer, handing in a transfer request amid interest from Arsenal and Everton, although the Eagles managed to keep hold of their talisman.

Now, however, the 26-year-old forward has parted ways with his agent, reportedly due to his failure to seal a move away from Selhurst Park.

Salthouse, who has invested in the same businesses as club chairman Steve Parish, maintains a good relationship with the Palace supremo – The Times reports that Zaha cited that relationship as the reason for his decision to cut ties with the agent.

Exit talk had died down somewhat after Zaha had made three starts and one appearance off the bench in Palace’s first four Premier League games this term, although the Ivorian’s latest decision had sparked life into the discussion once again.

Let’s see how the Palace fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Barcelona beat Villarreal 2-1 at Camp Nou on Tuesday in a game that saw the return of Ousmane Dembele.

Snapshot

It was not a perfect game for Barca; they took a 2-0 lead but Santi Cazorla scored before half-time and the Yellow Submarine continued to put the Catalan giants under pressure.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Lionel Messi was injured prior to half-time, leading to manager Ernesto Valverde handing Dembele his second appearance of the season.

Dembele was injured after the curtain-raiser against Athletic Bilbao but now appears to be nearing his best following his comeback.

The best is yet to come

It’s pretty understandable that Dembele’s first appearance after a lay-off was not as outstanding as it could have been.

But the most important thing is that the Frenchman showed glimpses of the skills that he possesses.

In the 45 minutes he spent on the pitch of the Camp Nou, Dembele registered two key passes, one dribble and three crosses from a total of 42 touches.

While he may not have come off the bench to hit the back of the net, Dembele is, at the very least, back on the field of play.

Besides, if Messi is set to spend any significant amount of time on the sidelines, the Blaugrana will need the Frenchman at his best.

His first appearance since his injury will have whetted the appetite of many fans; it remains to be seen if he can build on it.

[ad_pod ]After recent poor performances for Manchester United he Paul Pogba debate has reeled its head again (as if it ever went away).The Frenchman is an enigma. There’s no other play in the world quite like Pogba who can look so utterly impressive one week then so poor the next – it’s genuinely remarkable.Indeed, we dare say it’s one of the main reasons Pogba’s still tolerated at the club – the fact that somewhere, deep down, he has it in his locker to be one of the best players in the world. How could anyone forget about the flurry of form after Jose Mourinho was sacked in December (eight goals and five assists in 10 games)?Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

We all know there’s something there, but it’s getting to the point now where people are starting to really question if extracting said talent is really worth the effort. Sir Matt Busby biographer Patrick Barclay and ex-Premier League forward Stan Collymore are the latest to wade in on the debate…

Fairly comprehensive.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

West Ham United backed up the big-money arrival of striker Sebastien Haller during the summer transfer window with the £8m signing of Albian Ajeti on the penultimate day before the deadline, but it’s fair to say he is yet to make his mark.

Following the departures of Andy Carroll, Marko Arnautovic and more recently Javier Hernandez, it appears that Haller and Ajeti are fighting for the lone centre-forward role in manager Manuel Pellegrini’s preferred 4-1-4-1 formation used in all matches so far this season.

However, the latter has been an unused substitute in all of the three Premier League fixtures he has been available for to date, with his only minutes coming when he played the full game against Newport County in the Carabao Cup.

Having failed to find the net against the League Two outfit, the Switzerland international must have smelt blood and sensed he had an ideal opportunity on his hands when he was named alongside Breel Embolo up top for his nation’s Euro 2020 qualifier at home to Gibraltar on Sunday.

The minnows came into the clash having conceded 12 goals and scored none in their four Group D games to date, and it looked to be a great chance for the 23-year-old attacker to get on the score-sheet and prove a point to his club manager.

However, despite his country having 40 shots against their opponents, Ajeti failed to find the net with either of his two shots during the encounter with neither being on target, as per SofaScore.

While he didn’t get a goal, you might well have expected him to have some other impressive attacking statistics in what was a comfortable and one-sided 4-0 victory, but it just wasn’t the case.

He finished the match having failed to make a single key pass, while he made just the six accurate passes in total.

On the plus side he did look lively and aware in the penalty area, which is a trait that the man who recently left the London Stadium, Hernandez, was well known for.

Pellegrini has largely ignored Ajeti when it has come to the Premier League to date, and on this showing it’s not difficult to see why.

West Ham will be hoping that he is simply lacking confidence and form, and that they haven’t thrown more money down the drain.

[ad_pod ]

The Caribbean region hopes to have at least one of its sovereign states in play

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2025Cricket West Indies (CWI) has asked the ICC to provide a fair and transparent pathway for at least one of the Caribbean’s sovereign nations to represent the region at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.The issue is that in cricket, the Caribbean island nations compete under the “West Indies” banner and are administered by one cricket board (CWI), but only sovereign nations are allowed to contest at the Olympic Games. At the Los Angeles Olympics, where six nations each will compete in the men’s and women’s T20 disciplines, the region hopes to have at least one of its sovereign states in action.”The Caribbean has always punched above its weight at the Olympics, inspiring the world with our athletic brilliance,” CWI president Kishore Swallow said in a statement. “Cricket’s return to the Games in 2028 must not exclude our young cricketers from the same dream that has inspired our athletes. The Olympic Charter emphasizes fairness, transparency, and universality. We are simply asking that these principles be upheld – not just in spirit, but in structure. West Indies cricket must have a pathway, and fully deserves an opportunity to compete.”West Indies Women are ranked sixth on the ICC T20I rankings, and the men are fifth. If the teams are finalised based on rankings (at a cut-off date) and not much changes to the current positions, both the men and the women should make the cut, but there is an additional complication: USA, as the hosts, might gain automatic qualification despite their low ranking. This isn’t confirmed yet, but if that were to happen, only five further spots would be available.The ICC has so far made no announcement on what the Olympics qualification process would be.In its proposal to LA28, the ICC had suggested the six teams be shortlisted based on the T20I rankings at a cut-off date. The final call on qualification, while not taken yet, is expected to be made this year.On the question of USA, Kit McConnell, the International Olympic Committee’s sports director, had said in October 2023, “Normally, the host country is one of the teams in the team sports, and then we look at a balance of global strength and regional representation, and try and find that balance within the available quota as well.”Barbados were one of the teams at the Commonwealth Games in 2022•Getty Images

CWI has suggested…

• If rankings are used and West Indies men and women teams technically qualify, an internal qualifying tournament among its Olympic-affiliated member countries should determine which island represents the West Indies; or
• Have a global qualifying pathway that includes associate ICC members in the five ICC Development Regions plus member countries of the West Indies.

The first of these would have the CWI, through domestic tournaments, pick their champions for the LA Olympics. The second would involve a more rigorous selection process, in which the sovereign nations that are members of the CWI compete alongside a host of other nations for Olympics spots.At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, when women’s T20 cricket was included, Barbados took part. West Indies were direct qualifiers, and Barbados were selected because they were the champions of the West Indies’ regional competition of the time – the Twenty20 Blaze.What the CWI board has stressed is that qualification criteria must be “fair and transparent”.CWI chief executive Chris Dehring said, “Our nations have proudly flown their individual flags atop Olympic podiums as perennial gold medallists. Now, with cricket’s inclusion, we must ensure that our cricketers are not shut out of history. We are ready to collaborate. We are ready to compete. But above all, we are asking for fairness.”Cricket has only once been played in the Olympics, way back in 1900. On that occasion, France and Great Britain competed, with Great Britain winning the two-day match by 158 runs.

Despite not looking fully fit, he pulled off a superb piece of fielding to seal KKR’s one-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-20252:04

Rayudu: KKR have to sort out their middle order and bowling changes

Rinku Singh played a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) last-ball win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Eden Gardens but may have injured himself in the process of keeping his team alive in the race to the playoffs in IPL 2025.He first scored an unbeaten 19 off 6 balls as KKR took 22 off the final over of their innings to post a total of 206 for 4. Then, when RR needed 22 off the last six balls of the chase, Rinku made a couple of critical saves. Off the first ball of the 20th over, he ran to his right at deep cover and dived full length to deny Jofra Archer a boundary, after which he was seen limping while holding the region near his right groin.Related

• KKR 'need to sharpen up' in the middle phase to stay in contention, says Rayudu

• No rush, just Russ: measured mayhem is KKR's new mantra

• Race to IPL 2025 playoffs: SRH become third team to get knocked out

• Riyan Parag becomes first batter in IPL to hit six sixes off successive balls

With RR needing three runs off the last ball – two to take the game into a Super Over – Shubham Dubey dug out a yorker from Vaibhav Arora towards mid-off. Rinku charged in from his position on the long-off boundary, collected the ball, and threw it on the bounce to Arora, who ran out the diving Archer to seal a one-run win. Rinku was originally placed at long-on but was moved to long-off by captain Ajinkya Rahane just before that ball.Vaibhav Arora ran out Jofra Archer off the final ball•AFP/Getty Images

“[The diving effort on 19.1] was very important because everyone in India knows that the outfield here is very fast,” Rinku told the broadcaster after the match. “So you have to react accordingly. Once the field restrictions are lifted after the powerplay, I field outside the 30-yard circle. I enjoy my fielding a lot. And to be honest, I like fielding more than batting.”ESPNcricinfo TimeOut expert Ambati Rayudu said Rinku always had his eyes on the ball and was impressed by the way he picked it up: “That was a great pick-up. The ball wobbled just before his hands but his eyes were stuck to the ball. So, it was a very good pick-up.”With KKR needing to win every game to have a realistic chance of making the playoffs, they put on a strong fielding performance while defending 206. In the first over of RR’s chase, Rahane ran backward from midwicket and took a diving catch to dismiss Vaibhav Suryavanshi despite having stitches on the webbing of his right hand, which was heavily bandaged.”Fielding is the factor where you can control as a unit,” he said after KKR moved to sixth place on the points table. “If you can save 10 or 12 runs in the field, that’s a bonus. That’s what we decided – let’s give our best in the field, bowlers are doing their job anyway. It is all about if you can take one or two brilliant catches, stop a couple of runs, and in the end that was the difference.”KKR’s next play Chennai Super Kings at home on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are both interested in signing Emre Can from Juventus, according to Tuttosport via Calcio Mercato. 

Juventus are keen on offloading Can as they look to substantially trim their midfield ahead of the new campaign.

The Serie A champions already had a lot of central midfielders, before adding two more to their ranks this summer in the form of Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey, who signed from PSG and Arsenal respectively.

They also added defender Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax, but have kept hold of almost all of their squad from last season, barring 19-year-old forward Moise Kean who joined Everton for £25m earlier this summer.

Because of this, Juve have a huge wage-bill to contend with this season – which includes Cristiano Ronaldo’s reported £538,000-a-week salary and Aaron Ramsey’s bumper £400,000-a-week contract – so are looking to offload some members of the first-team squad, with Can sitting top of the list.

Barcelona were rumoured to be interested in the Germany international, with a swap deal for Ivan Rakitic being mentioned as a possibility last week, however that is not thought to be an option now as the Catalans are also trying to trim their midfield area instead of adding to it.

Tuttosport claim that former club Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are both thought to be interested in the 25-year-old, though, which could serve as a much better alternative for the ex-Liverpool man as it looks unlikely he will receive consistent game-time in Turin under new boss Maurizio Sarri given their engine room recruitment.

Can certainly has good pedigree, having featured in some of the biggest footballing occasions throughout his career. Still only 25, the midfielder has won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, Serie A with Juventus and the Confederations Cup with Germany. 

Only two Barcelona midfielders – Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal – averaged more tackles per game than the former Liverpool ace last season (2.2) while he also maintained a higher passing success rate than the likes (87.1%) of Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez, so could make an impact for either suitor. PSG have signed Idrissa Gueye and Ander Herrera to beef up their midfielder so a move to the French capital would seem unlikely.

He has also played in the League Cup and Champions League final during his time with Liverpool, so would bring a wealth of experience to any side he joined if he did leave Juventus in the next week.

Is Emre Can good enough for Barca or Bayern? Join the discussion by commenting below…