Tag Futebol

Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore is on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer shortlist this summer, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

Spurs are, of course, now managed by former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

They’ve yet to make ‘official contact’ with the Midlands outfit but are said to be weighing up a move.

Wolves, for their part, are ‘open’ to letting Spain international Traore leave.

However, they have slapped a £45million price tag on the 25-year-old, who has two years left on his contract. They see similarities with Diogo Jota’s move to Liverpool last summer.

Another of Traore’s potential suitors, Leeds United, apparently have alternative targets in mind.

How has Wolves star Traore performed recently?

He scored three goals and provided two assists in 46 appearances last season, a considerable slump after registering 18 goal contributions in 2019/20.

However, Traore did top the Premier League for successful dribbles per 90 minutes with 4.1, edging Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin (via WhoScored).

Twitter fan feed Talking Wolves relayed the news, and here’s how supporters reacted, with one fan encouraging the club to build the squad around the winger.

These Wolves fans urge club not to sell Traore

“If we let him go that is just stupid.. we need to bring in at least 2 first team players, not sell first team players”

Credit: @wwfcsam1

“He goes, we’re down”

Credit: @dougan_the

“The only attacking threat we have, that would be stupid”

Credit: @satsomboon

“We need to add to the squad, not just replace especially Adama who is different to every option we have in attack”

Credit: @MattPrice_02

“Nuno don’t you dare”

Credit: @sophiaeclayton

“Neves, Neto and Traore are Wolves crown jewels. The club should be building a squad around them.”

Credit: @MoHussain19

In other news, fans react to this update on a potential incoming. 

Many Southampton fans are raging at the news that Danny Ings has turned down a new four-year contract at St Mary’s.

The 28-year-old has been one of the Saints’ best performers over the past couple of years, scoring 34 goals for the club in the Premier League in that time (Transfermarkt), but there have been question marks over his future for several months. He has not signed an extension to his contract, which runs out next summer, and has been linked with moves to both Manchester City (Sky Sports) and Tottenham Hotspur (Eurosport).

It now seems that he is edging ever closer to exit door. As per The Athletic, three-cap England international Ings has turned down a four-year contract to stay on the south coast even though the agreement would have made him the best-paid player in the club’s history – he is already the Saints’ second-highest earner on £77,000 per week (Salary Sport).

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from Southampton supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Ings’ contract snub

“Cheerio then”

Credit: @Sam_Gibbo1885

“This should have been sorted last summer after he’d just had a great season and missed the Golden Boot by 1 goal. Lower sell on value now and can’t see us keeping him another season to then leave on a free!”

Credit: @haywardaj

“Shame, he was my fav player as well and he’s snaking us”

Credit: @SaintLiam02

“Sadness”

Credit: @1loubear101

“Great…”

Credit: @Saintsfc_8

“Snake”

Credit: @salisuszn

In other news, Southampton want to sign this defender.

This summer is one of the biggest in recent history for Celtic as new manager Ange Postecoglou desperately tries to repair the rubble from a disappointing campaign.

The Hoops have already welcomed Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide to the club but they need to press on and welcome more new faces to Parkhead.

On the chalkboard

One of the biggest areas of concern this summer is in the middle of the park. Scott Brown has departed Celtic after exiting for a player-coach role with Aberdeen and that has left a significant void not just in terms of his technical and physical ability, but also in terms of his leadership skills.

Shaw could fill in for Brown in the middle, while Ismaila Soro is a name who should now earn more minutes, but both players are still particularly raw.

The Ivorian caught the eye on a number of occasions last season, prevailing in 2.2 tackles per game and winning as many as ten successful challenges against Lille in the Europa League. However, like Brown in his formative days, he still lacks tactical discipline.

The Bhoys have been linked with a move for somebody who Postecoglou knows well in Aaron Mooy, but their perfect Brown replacement lies elsewhere.

The solution

Speaking on the Cynic podcast about midfielders Celtic should have on their shortlist, they suggested St Pauli youngster Finn Ole Becker as a potential acquisition.

The midfield general is just 21 years of age but has all of the qualities which would enable him to thrive in Glasgow.

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Described as “very exciting” on the podcast, the German started 27 times last term in Bundesliga 2, combining progressive ball carrying with eye-catching defensive work.

The Cynic lists one of Becker’s strengths as defensive positioning, something which can be seen in his 1.3 tackles per game last season.

Although he lacks a huge physical presence, his slight and agile frame allows him to move about the pitch in a swifter way compared to Brown in his final few campaigns at Celtic.

Pivotally, he also possesses the ability to progress the play. Becker ranks in the 78th percentile across similar leagues for dribbles per 100 passes (7.7) and is in the 84th percentile for key passes per 90 minutes.

The German’s decision making is intelligent, something which sets him apart from Soro, who has a tendency to be erratic with his choices.

Becker wouldn’t be a like-minded Brown replacement but he’d still be able to provide a similar screening in front of the back four. His ability to roam forward could also be important when transitioning between defence and attack.

Valued at £2.5m to £4m, he’d be a bargain for Postecoglou to snap up in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Celtic open talks to sign £8.5m gem of the “highest quality”, Ange will love him…

Everton arguably have one of the best left-backs in the Premier League, especially in the final third with Lucas Digne’s crossing second to none, however links suggesting that they could move for Marcelo this summer is a concern for former defender, Michael Ball.

Digne is hugely effective for the Toffees in the final third with his seven assists last season proving to be the most in the entire squad, and five of those came from crosses into the box – something that he has become well renowned for since joining from Barcelona.

Despite Digne being so important for Everton and more specifically, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the Toffees are being linked with Marcelo who could see his game time severely limited next season with Ferland Mendy performing very well for Real Madrid last season at left-back.

Marcelo is still a very good left-back despite being in the twilight years of his career now but it would not be a signing that seems necessary unless Digne was to leave this summer, something that concerns Ball, who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“The Marcelo links surprised me and also concerns me. Obviously, he’s 33 and was a fantastic full-back in his prime and I could probably see that happening if Ancelotti was still the manager.

“It concerns me because does it mean that Digne could be on his way out and ready to move on? So that concerns me about Marcelo because why bring him in if you’ve got Digne and two young left-backs in the squad who are ready to pounce if Digne’s not available.”

There is no doubting that Marcelo is a top-class full-back and his trophy cabinet speaks for itself really but if Everton are to get anywhere near the top seven and qualify for Europe, a 33-year old left-back is not the way to go about it.

With fresh reports suggesting that Rafa Benitez is no longer going to be in the dugout for Everton next season, their search for a new manager continues and thus, new signings will be put on the back burner.

The changing of the guard in Australia’s international playing ranks has received further expression today with an unprecedented seven revisions made to the annual list of Australian Cricket Board (ACB) contract holders.

John Polack01-May-2002The changing of the guard in Australia’s international playing ranks has received further expression today with an unprecedented seven revisions made to the annual list of Australian Cricket Board (ACB) contract holders.After a season that saw sweeping changes to the personnel in the country’s one-day international side, a number of long-serving international players have surrendered their status as contract holders to several members of the new wave of cricketers beginning to make their mark in Australia.Queensland off spinner Nathan Hauritz and batsman Jimmy Maher, Tasmanian all-rounder Shane Watson, and Western Australian paceman Brad Williams head the list of newcomers, continuing their accession into elite company by securing places on the annual contract list for the first time.Western Australian opening batsman Mike Hussey is also among today’s winners after being recalled to a list on which he won inclusion for a single 12-month period two years ago.And confirmation of Queensland fast bowler Andy Bichel’s status as one of Australia’s leading contemporary players has similarly been provided with his recall to the full list for the first time in two years. Bichel was not included on last year’s original list, and only formally won back his contract after appearing in three successive Test matches for Australia during the 2001-02 international season.New South Wales paceman Stuart Clark has meanwhile added to the sense of change by supplanting Ashley Noffke as the ‘bolter’ in this year’s field and gaining a contract at the end of his first full season of first-class cricket. A tall, accurate right armer, Clark captured 45 first-class wickets to be a standout player at domestic level in 2001-02, after appearing in a total of only 10 first-class games to that point of his career.”The contract will give me some extra confidence going into the new season because I’ll know that I’m in the selectors eyes for higher honours in the future,” said Clark of his elevation today.”I have been in the mix for a Blues pace bowling spot for a while, but it was only this year that I was able to grab my opportunities.”I was happy with my form and consistency in both forms of the game last season and hopefully I can continue that for the Blues next year.”Alongside Noffke, those out of favour in the shake-up are former international players Michael Slater, Damien Fleming, Colin Miller, Greg Blewett, Simon Katich and Shane Lee.New South Wales, with eight representatives, remains the state with the most players on the list. Queensland’s increasingly strong contribution to national squads has also been reflected with the inclusion of six of its players, while Western Australia maintains a significant presence of its own with five.Two players are included from each of the three remaining states, ensuring that the 2002-03 list contains the lowest number of Victorian representatives since the central contract system was formally introduced three years ago.The 25 elite ACB contracts have come to represent hotly contested property in Australian cricket circles over recent seasons. Each of the contracts now offers its holder a base salary of $A110,000 as well as providing recognition of the player’s place among the core group of cricketers from which Australian Test and one-day international teams will be selected over the following 12-month period.In accordance with a formula specified in the compact between the ACB and the country’s player-representative body, the Australian Cricketers’ Association, the highest ranked player among the group of 25 will receive a salary of $440,000 as his base income for the next year.The full list of 2002-03 ACB contracted players is: Michael Bevan (NSW), Andy Bichel (Qld), Nathan Bracken (NSW), Stuart Clark (NSW), Adam Gilchrist (WA), Jason Gillespie (SA), Ian Harvey (Vic), Nathan Hauritz (Qld), Matthew Hayden (Qld), Mike Hussey (WA), Justin Langer (WA), Brett Lee (NSW), Darren Lehmann (SA), Martin Love (Qld), Stuart MacGill (NSW), Glenn McGrath (NSW), Jimmy Maher (Qld), Damien Martyn (WA), Ricky Ponting (Tas), Andrew Symonds (Qld), Shane Warne (Vic), Shane Watson (Tas), Mark Waugh (NSW), Steve Waugh (NSW), Brad Williams (WA).

Everton will listen to offers for Moise Kean this summer, former Toffees striker Marcus Bent has told The Transfer Tavern.

Kean spent the 2020/21 season out on loan at Paris Saint-Germain, where he performed exceptionally well.

The 21-year-old forward scored just under 20 goals in all competitions and the Ligue 1 outfit now want to keep him for another year.

According to Fabrizio Romano, PSG are looking to do another loan deal rather than pay the £35m-40m Everton want for a permanent transfer.

However, Bent has suggested that if Kean is to leave again, the Merseyside club will look for a transfer fee based on what he has heard.

“We would consider it at the right price,” the ex-Everton player told TT when asked about Kean’s future. “He’s young, he’s a good player and he’s clearly talented – and that’s what I got from Everton people behind the scenes.”

It probably makes sense for Everton to hear from their next manager before selling Kean.

If he plays two up top, he could use the Italian alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who also had a prolific 2020/21 campaign.

Kean’s pace could complement Calvert-Lewin’s aerial threat – won 4.7 aerial duels per league game last season (via WhoScored) – pretty nicely.

Somerset all rounder Keith Dutch who joined the county before the start of the 2001 season has no regrets about his move to the west country

Richard Walsh09-Feb-2002Somerset all rounder Keith Dutch who joined the county before the start of the 2001 season has no regrets about his move to the west country.The twenty eight year old told me, “I’ve been very impressed with the set up here. Somerset are a very forward thinking club. They have good facilities, an indoor Centre of Excellence and two very keen and developing coaches in Kevin Shine and Mark Garaway, who have really got involved and are taking the club forward.””It’s been a good move for me and I was delighted to have an input into the success of the 2001 season which was good news for everyone. Now we have to look to maintain and improve on that this season,” he told me.He continued, “When I came here there were no promises or guarantees,but if I performed I was told that I would get a chance. The backroom staff gave me every opportunity to play and prove myself. I came here as an unproven player but after the first third of the season I started to blossom in 2001.”Despite scoring over 500 championship runs, which included his maiden first class century, and taking 35 wickets in the four day competititon it will be for the dramatic innings he played against Warwickshire in the semi-final of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy that he will be remembered for by most people.What was he hoping for in 2002 I asked him. “I definitely think that we can win another trophy this year. We have got a strong squad, and on the plus side we have got Richrad Johnson who may get overlooked by England, which is disappointing for him but good for Somerset,” he said.On a personal front “Dutchy” and his wife Emma have recently bought a house near to Taunton and are settling in with their three year old daughter Lauren.He told me, “It’s a lovely place for us to live as a family, the quality of life here is so much better than where we were in North London.”He concluded,”It’s getting to that time of year when we are brushing up our skills ready for the new season.I’m really looking forward to it!”

With Ange Postecoglou finally through the door, Celtic can finally begin preparing for next season.

It will be a pivotal summer for the Hoops who need to get things spot on if they’re to challenge for the title in 2020/21.

On the chalkboard

One of the biggest difficulties the Bhoys had last term was in wide areas.

Mohamed Elyounoussi may have scored 17 goals in all competitions but that was through a combination of playing on the flanks and in central areas.

James Forrest spent the vast majority of the campaign out injured and didn’t return properly until the final months of the season.

Combine Neil Lennon and John Kennedy’s reluctance to play Karamoko Dembele with Ryan Christie’s arduous campaign and it never looked like a recipe for success.

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Dembele netted his first senior goal on the penultimate weekend but Christie struggled to replicate Forrest’s rampant energy in a wide area.

An attacking midfielder by nature, he was keen to drift inside and rarely got in behind the defence whilst playing in an unfavoured position. That culminated in a difficult term for the Scot who scored 13 fewer goals than in 2019/20.

The solution

As Celtic gear up for next term, they need a wide player capable of getting in behind and dominating the defence.

Postecoglou may find that in teenage sensation, Dembele, but Dominic McKay can give the Australian a helping hand with some shrewd activity in the transfer market.

One player who’s been on their radar for a while now is Bright Osayi-Samuel. He was linked with a move to Paradise at the end of 2020 but he eventually swapped Queens Park Rangers for Turkish outfit Fenerbahce in January.

That being said, his spell at Fener could already be coming to an end. Rangers have reportedly made a formal offer to sign the 23-year-old but their Old Firm rivals, Celtic, are also in the mix again, according to a separate source.

If they want to bring a direct winger to the club they’d find few better options in the summer market.

A rampaging ball of fun, Osayi-Samuel is capable of beating opponents all ends up on a regular basis.

Speaking about the attacker previously, QPR boss Mark Warburton commented: “I’m not sure many teams have that blistering pace. As long as he knows how to use it and that’s the key for him learning the game.

“He’s working so hard. He’s got that sheer pace which terrifies defenders and when he uses it wisely like he did today he looks a real handful.”

The Englishman only bagged four goals in all competitions last term but there are signs that he’s improving.

Throughout 2020/21, he completed 2.8 dribbles per game for the Rs which was significantly more than anybody in the green and white hoops. For context, Odsonne Edouard was Celtic’s top dribbler with 1.6 per match.

Capable of playing on the left or the right, he’d offer plenty to a Bhoys team who were lacking genuine pace on the flanks last season. McKay should push to get Osayi-Samuel to Celtic Park to add that pace to Postecoglou’s squad.

AND in other news, Celtic interested in signing “creative” 28-goal beast, he’s an upgrade on Elyounoussi…

Karachi Blues, who are battling for survival in the Grade-I, let some of the initiative slipped away on the first day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy match against Sargodha at the UBL Sports Complex here on Monday

09-Jan-2001Karachi Blues, who are battling for survival in the Grade-I, let some of the initiative slipped away on the first day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy match against Sargodha at the UBL Sports Complex here on Monday.Sargodha recovered to reach 180 in their first innings after being reduced to 67 for seven an hour into the afternoon session.Karachi Blues, in reply, survived two overs to close on two without loss. But Suleman Huda might have perished LBW to pacer Umair Hasan had umpire Sajjad Asghar not declared a no ball.After electing to bat first on a slow track, Sargodha lost the top five batsmen for only 26 runs on the board. Stand-in skipper Naved Latif, who amassed 394 against Gujranwala barely eight weeks ago, fell to left-arm paceman Imranullah for a first-ball duck. Imranullah bowled a fine opening spell to claim three wickets which left Sargodha taking lunch at 46 for five.When wicket-keeper Shahid Mahmood was bowled by left-arm spinner Salman Fazal for 14, Sargodha slumped to 67 for seven. However, dogged batting, engineered by left-handed Ashraf Bashir, by the lower order brought respectability to the score.Ashraf and Faisal Khan Afridi, a burly right-hander, shared an eighth wicket stand of 51 in 40 minutes. Afridi used the long handle effectively to make 31 off 32 balls with five fours. He also lifted Salman Fazal over long-off to the top railing of the stand for massive six.Ashraf finally departed when he holed out to Karachi Blues captain Farhan Adil at cover off part-time off-spinner Nomanullah after making 39 of 130 deliveries in two hours and 10 minutes. He put on 38 for the ninth wicket with Tariq Munir.Tariq slammed six boundaries on his way to a top-score of 44 in 87 minutes off 75 balls before he was caught behind by Rashid Latif shortly after the second new ball was taken by Mohammad Javed.Imranullah and Salman Fazal claimed three wickets apiece for 26 and 74 runs respectively while Javed chipped in with two for 31.

Tottenham Hotspur may be gifted the perfect opportunity to bolster a key area of weakness this summer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Star claimed that Manchester City could offer defender Nathan Ake as a makeweight in their attempts to bring Harry Kane to the Etihad Stadium.

Citizens striker Gabriel Jesus is also being considered in this regard but Pep Guardiola may be reluctant to lose the Brazil international, so they may prefer to offer the former Bournemouth defender plus cash for the England talisman.

The 26-year-old Dutchman is currently valued at just €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory, so you would imagine that the Premier League champions would need to offer a substantial wedge of cash to tempt Spurs into a sale, especially as they are looking at around £150m for Kane’s signature, as per The Telegraph.

Vertonghen 2.0

As reported by The Athletic earlier in the season, one of Spurs’ biggest problems has been in defence, where a lack of cohesion and an abundance of individual mistakes have been the worrying and defining themes of their dismal campaign.

Last summer, the club let Jan Vertonghen depart for nothing after seven years in north London, but Daniel Levy and the club’s hierarchy failed to provide Jose Mourinho with a viable successor.

He did manage to sign Joe Rodon before the domestic deadline for £11m, and whilst he has performed decently whenever given a rare opportunity, he is no Vertonghen. The 6 foot 2 Belgian could play in the middle and at left-back, whilst his vast experience and leadership in the Premier League was a valuable asset which has clearly been missed by Spurs this season.

Alasdair Gold at football.london believes that the side have lacked a leader at the back, which is why they are said to be searching for one as a top priority this summer.

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Since his £41m move to City, Ake has struggled for minutes on the pitch (993), with John Stones and Ruben Dias the preferred centre-back pairing under Pep Guardiola.

Interestingly, the Dutch centre-back can also play on the left – just like Vertonghen – and that makes him an appealing candidate for Tottenham in the summer, especially as Ben Davies had a spell on the sidelines towards the end of the campaign through injury.

Ake has earned the praise of one of the Premier League’s best, too. Speaking to the Bournemouth Daily Echo in March 2020, Liverpool colossus Virgil van Dijk waxed lyrical about his fellow countryman.

The Netherlands captain gushed: “First of all, he’s a fantastic guy. I speak with him quite a bit at the national team and I think he’s a fantastic player as well,” revealed the Dutch international before adding: “He has the quality but he has to have more than just the quality these days. But he’s still young, he’s improving and you never know what decision might happen.”

This merely echoes the words from his former teammate and Bournemouth captain Steve Cook, who lauded the 5 foot 11 defender as an “amazing player” and an “even better person” following the confirmation of his move to City.

Ake was one of the few bright sparks during the Cherries’ relegation campaign last year, during which Spurs saw first-hand the qualities he possesses.

The 26-year-old captained the side to a clean sheet back in July 2020 despite Jose Mourinho having the services of Harry Kane. That afternoon, Ake silenced the England talisman and even recorded a better rating (7.3) than him (6.6), as per SofaScore. He also put in three blocks to deny Kane, made one interception and registered five clearances.

Levy could do very little wrong in bringing Ake to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, even if it means sending their star striker in the opposite direction.

At the very least, they’d be getting an immediate fix to the defensive problems, along with a likely abundance of cash to fund a rebuild elsewhere in the squad.

AND in other news, Spurs hiring 45 y/o gem dubbed “the best” by Guardiola would be shades of Mauricio Pochettino…