Tag Futebol

Chelsea have made it their mission to bring in another high-profile striker in this transfer window. 

According to Football Insider, Frank Lampard wants to add another marquee singing to his roster and another talented centre-forward to compete for a place in the team.

The report claims that, with the backing of the Chelsea board and Roman Abramovich, Lampard really wants to kit out his squad ahead of next season. He has already secured the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, who cost a combined £90m.

ESPN reported that Chelsea have a further £120m to spend this summer, which will help the Blues to strengthen several areas of concern.

Lampard has identified his defence as the main priority, with hopes to replace goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who hasn’t done enough to prove himself to the manager this season. It now seems that the Stamford Bridge legend is looking to ensure he has one of the best attacking units, if not the best, in the Premier League.

Chelsea have acknowledged that they need to bridge the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City. In order to do so, the Blues must field an attack that any opposing team will fear and it seems that this is exactly what Lampard is trying to do.

The report hasn’t mentioned a specific new target, but with big money potential transfer Kai Havertz also on the radar, it’s likely that the club want to spend big. However, this could be a problem for Werner, who may have joined Chelsea with the idea of becoming the main focus up front.

If Lampard brings in another high-calibre centre-forward, the German may have some serious competition on his hand, especially with the 42-year-old’s ruthless nature this season in his regular chopping and changing of the starting lineup. As such, Werner may be snubbed in favour of the potential new signing on more than one occasion.

Do you think Chelsea should sign another striker this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

West Ham United could move quickly on from Grady Diangana with a dip into the transfer market and one name has been linked with a move to the London Stadium this week…

What’s the word?

According to A Bola (via Sport Witness), the Hammers are one of three Premier League clubs chasing Sporting Lisbon winger Jovane Cabral this summer.

It’s claimed that West Ham have been following the 22-year-old since last season, although the Portuguese outfit are yet to receive any concrete offers for their attacking star.

They are believed to want around €20m (£18m) for his services with Tottenham Hotspur and newly-promoted Fulham also in the race.

Diangana alternative

On Wednesday, news broke that the Irons hierarchy had accepted a bid of £18m from West Brom for their loan sensation Diangana, meaning the Hammers are going to lose out on one of their own exciting talents.

However, Cabral wouldn’t be a bad replacement whatsoever.

Per WhoScored, the Portuguese wizard provided six goals and two assists in just 19 appearances, averaging 2.9 shots, 2.1 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game.

It means Cabral manages more attempts at goal than any other Hammers player, including Michail Antonio and Seb Haller so clearly he’d be a nice threat to have in east London.

He has been likened to one-time Irons target Gelson Martins and dubbed as a “wing sensation” by PortuGOAL whilst Manchester United’s January addition Bruno Fernandes has been a bit of a mentor for him even since swapping Portugual for Old Trafford.

“I didn’t teach him anything. What he did in the game is down to his quality, his ability. In my opinion, he did not have a great game because I know Jovane’s quality and I think he can give more,” said Fernandes to Canal 11 (via InsideFutbol).

David Moyes couldn’t do much wrong if he manages to clinch Cabral as a direct successor to the departing Diangana.

AND in other news, Hammers plotting shock transfer for the ‘German Messi’…

According to Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold, Tottenham are set to face yet another struggle to meet the home-grown requirements within their squad.

What did he say?

The north London side have had to make some tough decisions over the past year when it’s come to registering players for either the Premier League or Champions League, with strict rules in place to ensure homegrown players are given a fair chance.

In the Premier League squad submitted by Jose Mourinho back in February, only a 20-man squad was named in a list that could have had 25 – that was down to the fact only four homegrown players were selected, meaning four spaces had to be left.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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And now, Gold has admitted that Spurs are set to face similar difficulties for the following season. He said: “(Victor) Wanyama has now left the club so Tottenham have the exact amount of foreign players required for a European squad. That would mean that in terms of their European squad Tottenham cannot sign any more foreign players to use without removing others.

“Should Danny Rose and Kyle Walker-Peters return then they will not impact squad numbers as they slip back into their homegrown player spots. However, should they depart then Tottenham’s lack of homegrown options will continue to be glaring. Finance will play a part this summer – with British players tagged with a premium on their fees – but after a season in which they signed just two British players – one loaned out – among six signings, it’s something that needs to be addressed.”

Dilemma

The fact Spurs ended up naming five players less than they could have in the Premier League a couple of months ago just goes to show the extent of the problem the north London side are facing.

Big-money signings from abroad are all well and good, but this is just a reminder of the need for Spurs to start promoting from within. Japhet Tanganga showed how a player coming from the academy can make the most out of the chance being given to him, making ten appearances for the senior side after making his debut.

With finances set to be tight this summer, Spurs have the perfect chance to remedy their homegrown issue by trusting in their academy talents.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans react to their interest in this Premier League starlet.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية أن المشاركة الأولى للنجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو مع فريق مانشستر يونايتد قد تتأجل لوقت آخر.

وكان مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي قد نجح في استعادة خدمات كريستيانو رونالدو في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي لهذا العام، وذلك بعد التوصل إلى اتفاق مع يوفنتوس الإيطالي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لينجارد عن احتفاله أمام أندورا بطريقة رونالدو: هدية ترحيب بعودته إلى مانشستر يونايتد

وغادر رونالدو معسكر منتخب البرتغال وتوجه إلى إنجلترا يوم الجمعة الماضي، بعد حصوله على بطاقة صفراء خلال مواجهة منتخب أيرلندا في إطار التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس العالم في قطر.

وغاب رونالدو نتيجة لذلك عن مواجهة قطر يوم السبت الماضي، وسيغيب عن ملاقاة منتخب أذربيجان مساء الغد في إطار التصفيات نفسها.

وذكرت تقارير في اليومين الماضيين أن رونالدو قد يشارك لأول مرة مع مانشستر يونايتد يوم السبت المقبل، أمام نيوكاسل يونايتد في الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي.

ولكن صحيفة “ذا صن” الإنجليزية، ذكرت أن رونالدو قد لا يشارك في مباراة السبت المرتقبة، حيث قد يتأجل ظهوره الأول مع مانشستر يونايتد ليوم الثلاثاء من الأسبوع القادم.

وأوضحت أن رونالدو لن يستطيع المشاركة مع زملائه في التدريبات الجماعية إلا يوم واحد فقط، حيث سيضطر للبقاء في العزل صحي لمدة 5 أيام في تشيشاير، حسب قواعد فيروس كورونا.

وحتى بدون قيود كورونا، فإن رونالدو لن يستطيع التدرب مع زملائه في الجلسات الجماعية للفريق إلا يوم الجمعة، بعد عودة الجميع من معسكرات منتخباتهم.

وأفادت أن ذلك لن يكون كافيًا بالنسبة للمدرب أولي جونار سولشاير، من أجل إشراك رونالدو أمام نيوكاسل، حيث من المتوقع أن يتواجد فقط على دكة البدلاء.

وأشارت إلى أن المشاركة الأولى لـ رونالدو مع مانشستر يونايتد قد تكون يوم الثلاثاء أمام يانج بويز، في الجولة الأولى من دور مجموعات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

After his now infamous altercation with the Arsenal fans during the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace, Granit Xhaka’s future at the Emirates looked bleak to say the least.

It appeared as if he had reached the point of no return, with his ‘apology’ for the incident only coming several days after the game, with his manager Unai Emery publicly admitting that his then club captain had been in the wrong.

Reports in recent weeks have mooted a possible return to former side Borussia Monchengladbach for the Switzerland international, but it now appears his Arsenal career may not be over just yet.

Following Emery’s own willingness to reintegrate the midfielder back into the squad, The Athletic journalist David Ornstein has now revealed that Xhaka is highly-regarded by the club and that they feel they have missed his presence in the team.

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After hearing Ornstein’s update on Xhaka, Arsenal fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

Many supporters of the north London side rubbished the idea that the midfielder is supposedly important to the team, and insisted they simply haven’t missed him at all and wouldn’t want him back.

Check out some of the reaction of Arsenal fans below:

Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s willingness to give Granit Xhaka another chance will go down as another failure on his part.

اكتسح فريق نابولي نظيره أودينيزي بخماسية لهدف في منافسات الدوري الإيطالي، ليصعد للوصافة وينعش آماله في الصراع على المراكز المؤهلة لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وحل أودينيزي ضيفًا على نابولي بملعب “دييجو أرماندو مارادونا” بمنافسات الجولة 36 للدوري الإيطالي.

الهدف الأول سجله بيوتر زيلينيسكي في الدقيقة 29، وبعد دقيقتين فقط أضاف فابيان رويز الهدف الثاني لنابولي.

وفي الدقيقة 41 أحرز ستيفانو أوكاكا هدف أودينيزي الوحيد، لينتهي الشوط الأول بتقدم نابولي (2-1). 

في الشوط الثاني، جاء الهدف الثالث عن طريق هيرفينج لوزانو في الدقيقة 56، وبعد 10 دقائق، أحرز جيوفاني دي لورينزو الهدف الرابع.

والهدف الخامس سجله لورينزو إنسيني في الدقيقة 90، لتسحم المباراة لصالح نابولي بنتيجة (5-1).

بهذه النتيجة، يرفع نابولي رصيده للنقطة 73 في المركز الثاني، لحين نهاية لقاءات الجولة، ويتجمد رصيد أودينيزي عند 40 نقطة.

ويتواجد أتالانتا في المركز الثالث بـ 72 نقطة ويتساوى معه ميلان الرابع، ويوفنتوس خامسًا بـ 69 نقطة. أهداف مباراة نابولي وأودينيزي

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The Championship season is still in its infancy, and teams haven’t begun to separate just yet.

Indeed, there are just three points between ten spots from 2nd to 11th, but that won’t be the case for much longer.

As always, the league will begin to take shape over the next few weeks, and as we head into the festive period we should have a clearer picture of which teams are going to be challenging the playoff spots.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Leeds have a great opportunity to separate themselves from the pack in the next few weeks as their upcoming fixtures are more than favourable.

United have already played nine of the 11 other teams that currently occupy the top 12 alongside the Whites, and their run of fixtures in November should stand them in good stead to pick up a number of points.

Leeds’ next match comes against QPR, and although the London club currently sit eighth in the league, a game against a team that has conceded 26 goals in 13 matches represents a great chance for the Whites to get a win.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

After that, Marcelo Bielsa’s side play five of the bottom eight teams in the Championship, and that’s where the Whites can put themselves in a commanding position in the league.

That run of matches may be what decides Leeds’ fate this term as they’ll either be riding the crest of a wave after a string of good results or they’ll be disheartened by faltering against opposition they should be beating.

This is a true test of not only Leeds’ character but also Marcelo Bielsa’s.

This will undoubtedly be a vital portion of the campaign that United supporters will look back on one way or another at the end of the season.

If they pick up maximum points more often than not, they’ll be in a very promising position.

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.

After enjoying an impressive beginning to the campaign that saw them start the match-day weekend in the top-half of the Premier League table, Crystal Palace fell to a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Snapshot

As many would have expected, Roy Hodgson’s side were set up to try and soak up the pressure before hitting the Blues on the counter-attack. Unfortunately for the Eagles, whilst they held out for the first-half, they couldn’t stop the west London side from breaching their defence just after the break.

A fine flick from Willian set Tammy Abraham free inside the box, and the centre-forward buried the opportunity to give Chelsea the lead. The goal seemed to give Frank Lampard’s men the confidence in their search for a second, and former Borussia Dortmund man Christian Pulisic duly obliged with just over ten minutes remaining. In a game where they mustered just one shot on target in the entire game, Hodgson desperately needed someone like Christian Benteke to bring a focal point to their attack.

Off the bench

At 6 foot 3, the 28-year-old has always been an intimidating presence up front. He has an incredible career average of winning 6.9 aerial duels per game, and against Chelsea, his side could really have done with that. Palace averaged just 40% possession at Stamford Bridge, and whilst Jordan Ayew battled admirably at the top of the pitch – he earned two free-kicks and won eight duels – he was starved of service.

Bringing someone like Benteke on to partner him, or even replace him, would have brought the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend into the game. Whenever Chelsea pressed, the Palace defence could simply go back-to-front instead of trying to play through the lines, and that would have helped get them a much-needed foot-hold in the contest. Instead, Hodgson chose to bring on Jeffrey Schlupp and James McCarthy despite the side needing goals. It was a major in-game insight that the experienced boss completely missed.

According to 90min, Arsenal are at the head of the queue for Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Malaga in the second tier before becoming a key player for the Yellow Submarine in the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign – making eight La Liga appearances.

90min reports that Chelsea and Manchester City have both expressed an interest in the centre-back but Arsenal are said to be leading the race.

Torres, who is currently with the Spain squad on international duty, only signed a new five-year contract with the La Liga club at the start of the month.

However, 90min report that the deal includes a release clause of somewhere between £43.6m and £65.4m.

A selection of Arsenal fans have been on social media commenting on the transfer speculation, and there are a number of mixed views on the 6 ft 4 ace.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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

According to Italian publication Tuttosport (via The Daily Mail), Juventus are preparing to swoop for Paul Pogba in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

The France World Cup winner was the subject of intense transfer speculation over the course of the summer, with both Juventus and Real Madrid being regarded as the two front-runners for his signature.

However, a move failed to materialise before the end of deadline day, and Pogba has thus had to stay put at Old Trafford. Tuttosport now claim the 26-year-old is desperate to leave United, and is intent on securing a move away in the upcoming January transfer window.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The report adds the Bianconeri are primed to take advantage of the situation surrounding the Frenchman, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently reluctant to let him go without first signing a replacement.

White flag

If selling Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez without buying someone as cover wasn’t a form of surrender, then doing the same with Pogba would be absolutely that. The Red Devils are in no state to let another high-profile player go, such is the wafer-thin nature of their current squad.

Despite only picking up two assists in his five appearances across all competitions this season, the midfielder is still a major upgrade on United’s other options in the position. His attacking forays and ability to pick a pass marks him out as a completely different proposition than what Solskjaer’s side currently possess.

Pogba has averaged 2.8 key passes per game this season in the Premier League, whilst his central midfield competitors, Nemanja Matic (n/a), Fred (1), and Scott McTominay (0.7), all average considerably less. When he’s fully-fit and on the pitch, the former Juventus star remains an important part of the way United play.

Getting rid of him in January, when the Red Devils will find it difficult to source their first-choice replacement, would be tantamount to a gross case of negligence.