All posts by h79snht.top

Everton displayed their powers of recovery when they dug deep to find a late goal in the Merseyside derby, James Tarkowski lashing beyond Alisson Becker in the final frame of injury time.

It’s remarkable how the Toffees rise to the occasion when pitted against noisy neighbours Liverpool, losing just one of their past eight meetings at Goodison Park.

But under David Moyes, Everton have quickly shaped into a team capable of beating many opponents, with their recent draw actually ending a three-match winning run in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace are up next, waiting at Selhurst Park. The 16th-place Toffees will sit level on points with Oliver Glasner’s side should they win, but it won’t be easy, not least because the Everton medical room gets more and more packed.

Everton missing key players

Abdoulaye Doucoure will serve a one-match suspension after his involvement in the post-match ruckus against Liverpool, who also saw Curtis Jones and head coach Arne Slot dismissed.

He joins an existing list of absentees that is anything but short: Nathan Patterson, Orel Mangala, Seamus Coleman, Dwight McNeil, Youssef Chermiti, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Armando Broja are all out.

The major concern, of course, is that star attacker Iliman Ndiaye is set for a spell on the sidelines after jarring his knee in the first half. Moyes has confirmed that the former Marseille man has suffered a “medial knee ligament injury”.

While Jack Harrison performed well in his stead on the left flank, the loanee has yet to score or assist a single goal this season, the same as Jesper Lindstrom on the right.

Everton might need to look for offensive support from elsewhere, and wouldn’t it be the perfect time to inculcate Charly Alcaraz into the starting line-up?

Everton's answer to Eberechi Eze

Everton brought Alcaraz in from Brazilian club Flamengo last month, tying him down to a loan move with an obligatory buy clause worth about £13m.

Charly Alcaraz – Career Stats by Club

Club

Apps

Goals

Assists

Racing Club

83

12

5

Southampton

48

8

5

Flamengo

19

3

2

Juventus

12

0

1

Everton

2

0

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

He’s a combative and animated midfield presence, capable across a range of roles but at his best when playing off the centre-forward. With Doucoure sidelined, it feels like number ten has his name on it in south London.

Such an electric and dangerous skill set will be needed to overcome Palace’s own midfield maestro: Eberechi Eze.

The England international is one of the silkiest and most dynamic players in the Premier League, ranking among the top 4% of positional peers in the division this term for shots taken, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

With Ndiaye sidelined, Everton will need another flashy star to step up and drive forward play. That could be Alcaraz, who himself ranked among the top 2% of positional peers in the Brasileiro Serie A 2024 campaign for shots, the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90.

Some might feel that the loss of Ndiaye puts the writing on the wall for a Blues side that has suffered so much misfortune in recent years, but something feels different with Moyes back in the dugout.

Everton are playing with purpose – and maybe, even, gusto.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp described Ndiaye as a forward capable of “dynamite” moments, and he’s indeed been integral over the past several weeks, netting in all three of Everton’s wins with their new manager in the dugout.

Alcaraz is effectively dovetailing into a squad plying with unbridled joy, readying themselves for an abiding partnership with one of the most revered figures on the blue patch of Merseyside.

It’s worth noting that he’s only featured two times for his new English outfit, but has made an impression in both contests. Against Bournemouth in the FA Cup, Alcaraz was a bright spark off the bench, neat in possession and hungry to win the ball off opponents.

His cameo against Liverpool saw him complete his one attempted dribble, win both ground duels and make a tackle, as per Sofascore, instrumental in piling on the pressure and sparking a late-stage comeback that sent Goodison into a frenzy of euphoric madness.

Alcaraz, moreover, played 19 games in the English top flight with Southampton, scoring four goals and supplying two assists for a team that was tail-spinning out of control and into the second tier back in 2022/23.

This potency could be realised with Everton now that Doucoure and Ndiaye are set to miss out later on today. This may feel like it’s to the detriment of Everton’s overall fluency, but it does present Alcaraz with a glorious opportunity to come up trumps and prove to Moyes that he deserves to play a big part over the coming months.

Everton have clearly got a top talent on their hands; when he moved to Italy on loan with Juventus last year, a buy option was inserted into the deal that totalled £40m. This makes a firm comment on his high-ceilinged future, albeit it was a move that failed to reach that permanent point.

Hailed as “one of the biggest talents” to have come from Argentina in recent years by scout Jacek Kulig, Alcaraz is gearing up to play a big role in Moyes’ Everton squad, with the glut of recent injuries set to fast-track him into a prominent role.

Related Ndiaye upgrade: Everton wanted £67m Liverpool star but Rafa refused

He’s one of the Premier League’s best forwards.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Feb 14, 2025

There is no getting away from it: this season has been a disaster for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side crashed out of the FA Cup against Aston Villa, were demolished in their League Cup semi-final against Liverpool and are currently 12th in the Premier League.

Now, while much of the team’s misfortune could and probably should be put down to their dreadful injury record, it’s hard not to criticise some of those who have remained fit for subpar performances.

With that said, and while it might not feel like it, the future is bright for Spurs, as they have some exciting young talents in the squad and a number of first-teamers worth an awful lot of money, including one who has won comparisons to a Premier League star with an eye-watering price tag.

Spurs' most valuable players

So, before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at which Spurs players currently have the highest valuations, and perhaps to nobody’s surprise, the number one spot belongs to Cristian Romero.

According to Football Transfers, the no-nonsense centre-back is worth up to €80.7m, which converts to around £67m, and while that is an enormous sum of money for a defender, it’s hard to argue it’s not justified.

For example, while he’s had plenty of injury problems this season, the former Atalanta star is undoubtedly one of the Lilywhites’ most important players, both for his performances and leadership.

Since moving to N17, the 26-year-old titan has made 112 appearances for the club, in which he’s scored seven goals and provided one assist.

Moreover, he was named one of the club’s co-vice-captains in 2023, and away from Tottenham, he’s won a World Cup and two Copa América titles, which feels like more than enough justification for his lofty valuation.

Moving from defence to attack now, and the second most valuable player in Postecoglou’s squad at the moment is Brennan Johnson, who Football Transfers have priced at up to €69.5m, which is about £58m, and since moving to N17 in 2023, he’s probably just about justified that number.

In his first season, the Welshman racked up a tally of five goals and ten assists in 34 appearances, but this year, he’s taken it up another level and is currently the team’s top scorer with 12 goals and three assists in 33 games.

Johnson’s Spurs record

Season

23/24

24/25

Appearances

34

33

Minutres

2248′

2147′

Goals

5

12

Assists

10

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.44

0.45

Minutes per Goal Involvement

149.86′

143.13′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, at just 23 years old, there are still a few years in which he could further improve, which might also be considered in his valuation. With all that said, another star in the squad has been compared to a Premier League star who is worth even more than Johnson and Romero.

Spurs' £82m superstar in the making

While this season has been far from ideal, there are a number of other players alongside Romero and Johnson who could be a part of the next great Spurs team, like Dominic Solanke, Djed Spence and Mikey Moore.

However, in this instance, the player is the club’s other first-choice centre-back, Micky van de Ven.

The Dutch international completed his £43m move from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023 and, within just a few games, became one of the best players in the squad, thanks to his defensive nous, quality on the ball and blisteringly quick pace.

In fact, he’s so fast he set a Premier League record for the fastest sprint when he hit 37.38km/h against Brentford last year.

On top of this, he has also been likened to William Saliba by FBref, which compared players in similar positions in the Premier League last season, then created a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and concluded that the Frenchman was the fourth most similar centre-back to the Lilywhites ace.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, passing accuracy, passes into the final third and penalty area, shots and passes blocked, ball recoveries and more, all per 90.

While the comparison to an Arsenal star is probably not one the Lilywhites faithful will welcome with open arms – understandably so – it is encouraging for the Dutchmam’s future price tag.

Van de Ven & Saliba

Statistics per 90

Van de Ven

Saliba

Non-Penalty G+As

0.12

0.08

Progressive Passes

4.15

4.13

Passing Accuracy

93.8%

92.4%

Passes into the Final Third

4.65

4.61

Passes into the Penalty Area

0.12

0.12

Shots Blocked

0.58

0.45

Passes Blocked

0.38

0.39

Interceptions

0.69

0.76

Carries

54.7

52.4

Ball Recoveries

5.54

5.61

All Stats via FBref for the 23/24 PL Season

For example, the Gunners’ number two is currently valued at up to a whopping €99m by Football Transfers, which converts to about £82m, and if he’s so statistically similar to Tottenham’s star defender, who’s to say he too won’t be worth as much in the future.

Ultimately, things might not be going well for Spurs this season, but their squad is full of exciting and promising players, with Van de Ven very much one of them.

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The exceptional midfielder is enjoying life away from Spurs.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 20, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Com acordo para defender o Flamengo até dezembro de 2023, Arturo Vidal desembarcará no Rio de Janeiro na tarde desta quarta-feira, no Aeroporto do Galeão, e marcará presença no Maracanã, onde o Rubro-Negro enfrenta o Tolima, pela Libertadores, a partir das 21h30. O jogador realizará exames e assinará contrato com o clube nos próximos dias.

O anúncio oficial do Flamengo, porém, só deve acontecer no dia 16.

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Antes, Vidal retornará à Itália para resolver pendências e questões pessoais. A viagem para o país onde atuou nas últimas duas temporadas, pela Inter de Milão, deve ocorrer no fim de semana.

Confirmado como reforço e inscrito na CBF, Vidal poderá atuar pelo Flamengo a partir de 18 de julho, data da abertura da janela de transferências. De férias, o atleta tem mantido uma rotina de treinos no Chile, e a questão física não deve ser problema para o camisa 22.

Além de Vidal, o Flamengo já acertou a contratação de Everton Cebolinha para o segundo semestre. Vindo do Benfica (POR), o atacante já treina no Ninho do Urubu há uma semana, e será oficialmente apresentado como reforço do clube na quinta-feira.

فرض التعادل السلبي كلمته على مباراة منتخبي الإمارات وأوزبكستان، وذلك بالمواجهة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم ضمن تصفيات آسيا لكأس العالم 2026.

والتقى منتخب الإمارات مع أوزبكستان على أرضية ملعب “آل نهيان”، في إطار مواجهات الجولة التاسعة من تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وحاول لاعبو المنتخب الإماراتي على مدار شوطي اللقاء تسجيل هدف يضمن لهم الثلاث نقاط، إلا أن الحالة الدفاعية الصلبة للمنتخب الأوزبكستاني حالت دون ذلك.

طالع أيضاً.. تشكيل منتخب فلسطين أمام الكويت في تصفيات كأس العالم.. موقف وسام أبو علي

على الجانب الآخر، فشل لاعبو منتخب أوزبكستان في ترجمة أي فرصة إلى هدف، على مدار شوطي اللقاء، لتنتهي المواجهة بالتعادل السلبي.

ويتواجد منتخبا الإمارات وأوزبكستان في المجموعة الأولى رفقة كل من إيران وقطر وقيرجستان وكوريا الشمالية.

بتلك النتيجة، يحتل منتخب أوزبكستان وصافة ترتيب المجموعة برصيد 18 نقطة، بينما يأتي منتخب الإمارات بالمركز الثالث بـ 14 نقطة.

Allrounder will return to UK after jarring his knee in the field on debut in Rawalpindi

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Dec-2022

Liam Livingstone was handed his Test cap alongside Will Jacks•Getty Images

England allrounder Liam Livingstone has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series with Pakistan after sustaining a right knee injury during the first Test.Livingstone, who was making his debut in the format, jarred his knee while fielding a ball on the boundary on day two, after England had posted 657 in their first innings. He remained off the field for all of Pakistan’s first innings, but did bat in England’s second effort, scoring an unbeaten 7 but looking in clear discomfort as he hobbled between the wickets. He scored 9 in the first innings and did not bowl.A scan on Sunday morning (day four) revealed the extent of the damage. He will now return to the UK on Tuesday and begin a rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the ECB and the Lancashire medical teams.Related

Ben Stokes hails 'greatest away Test win' as England stick together in adversity

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At this stage, England have yet to make a decision on whether to call up a replacement. A destructive batter in the shorter formats, Livingstone’s main selling point on this tour was his spin capabilities, offering legspin and offspin options to the team. Will Jacks, drafted into the XI for this Test at the very last minute following illness to Ben Foakes, took 6 for 161 with offies of his own on debut. Meanwhile, Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed offers an exciting albeit raw option as a legspinning allrounder.Fast bowler Mark Wood, also with the squad, seems the most likely to replace Livingstone in the XI in the short term. The second Test at Multan, which begins on Friday, is expected to play out on a similar docile surface. The Durham quick’s lightning pace will no doubt be a boost provided he can return to match sharpness in the next few days after missing the opening Test with a hip injury.

حقق منتخب السعودية فوزًا هامًا على حساب منافسه البحرين بنتيجة 2-0 في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء اليوم ضمن منافسات تصفيات آسيا لكأس العالم 2026.

وأقيمت المباراة بين السعودية والبحرين على أرضية ملعب الأخير، ضمن الجولة التاسعة من تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

ويتواجد منتخب السعودية في المجموعة الثالثة لـ تصفيات كأس العالم، بجانب منتخبات اليابان وأستراليا وإندونيسيا والبحرين والصين.

طالع | ترتيب مجموعة السعودية في تصفيات كأس العالم بعد الفوز على البحرين

وسجل مصعب الجوير الهدف الأول للسعودية، من عرضية رائعة لعبها سالم الدوسري تصل عند مصعب الجوير سددها بقوة وتتحول إلى مرمى البحرين مباشرة.

وأضاف عبد الرحمن العبود الهدف الثاني بعد تمريرة من المجرشي، تحرك بها داخل دفاع البحرين وحولها في الشباك. أهداف فوز السعودية على البحرين في تصفيات كأس العالم 

وبهذه النتيجة وصل رصيد منتخب السعودية إلى 13 نقطة متواجدًا بالمركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب المجموعة بـ تصفيات كأس العالم، بينما تجمد رصيد البحرين عند 6 نقاط في المركز الخامس.

الفوز في الجولة الأخيرة على أستراليا سيرفع رصيد السعودية إلى 16 نقطة، متساويًا مع أستراليا، وهنا ستُحسم الأفضلية إما بفارق الأهداف أو المواجهات المباشرة، ما قد يمنح السعودية المركز الثاني المؤهل مباشرة إلى المونديال، بشرط أن تتفوق على أستراليا في الفارق التراكمي.

لو تعادل أو خسر الأخضر أمام أستراليا، فسيكتفي بالمركز الثالث على الأغلب، مما يعني خوض الملحق الآسيوي، وهي فرصة لا تزال قائمة ولكنها أكثر تعقيدًا.

Leeds United are back in action in the Championship this evening as they travel to Bramall Lane to take on second-placed promotion rivals Sheffield United.

The Whites, who beat the Blades 2-0 in the reverse fixture at Elland Road, have the chance to move five points clear of Chris Wilder’s side with a win tonight.

Daniel Farke’s team come into this huge clash off the back of a brilliantly dramatic win over Sunderland in West Yorkshire last time out in the second tier.

Pascal Struijk came off the bench to score twice against the Black Cats, who had taken the lead through Wilson Isidor, and the Dutch defender should come into the starting XI tonight.

Why Pascal Struijk should start against Sheffield United

The left-footed colossus should come in for several reasons. Firstly, he offers a naturally left-footed centre-back option that Farke does not have with Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon together, which opens up more angles to play out from the back down the left side.

Secondly, Struijk, as shown by his heroics last time out, offers a big threat from set-pieces and that can help to decide tight games. He has scored five goals in the Championship this season, including the opener against Sheffield United at Elland Road.

The Dutch ace should also start on defensive merit. Struijk has won 60% of his duels in the league and helped the side to keep 13 clean sheets in 24 starts, which shows that he can be a dominant force at the back for Farke.

Chalkboard

Expand Collapse

Ilia Gruev could drop out, allowing Ampadu to move into midfield, for the centre-back to come in, but he is not the only player who Farke should unleash, as Joe Rothwell should also start.

Why Joe Rothwell should start against Sheffield United

The Bournemouth loanee should be brought into the starting line-up after he was named on the bench for the win over Sunderland, as he came on to change the game last time out.

Like Struijk, Rothwell was integral to both of the goals that turned the match around. He produced a sublime free-kick to tee up the centre-back for his first header, before whipping in a brilliant left-footed cross from open play to assist the winner.

After the match, the Leeds boss described the English gem as a “pure baller” who is “one of the best” players on the ball in the country at his best.

Bringing him into the starting line-up for this game does, however, mean that Farke would have to ruthlessly ditch Ao Tanaka from the side this evening, which may be an easier decision for the German boss after the Japan international’s struggles last time out.

Vs Sunderland (H)

Ao Tanaka

Joe Rothwell

Minutes

71

19

Pass accuracy

84%

100%

Key passes

1

2

Duels won

3/8

0/0

Dribbled past

4x

0x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Rothwell offered more in his 19 minutes on the pitch than Tanaka did in the opening 71 minutes, as the midfield ace only created one chance and left a lot to be desired defensively, being dribbled past a whopping four times.

Therefore, it could make sense to rest the Japanese maestro for tonight’s clash with the Blades and, instead, hand the Cherries loanee an opportunity to start after his sensational cameo against Sunderland last Monday.

Related Farke must now unleash Leeds' very own Gustavo Hamer

Leeds United wanted to sign the Sheffield United star last summer.

Posts ByDan Emery Feb 24, 2025

It will then be down to Rothwell to take his chance and prove to the manager that he deserves to be a regular starter, rather than being in and out of the team.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo recuou nas conversas por Fransérgio, do Bordeaux-FRA. As equipes não se entenderam no formato do negócio e o Alvinegro deixou as conversas “de lado” nos últimos dias. Antes um atleta no topo da lista nas buscas do clube, o volante de 31 anos perdeu parte desse status.

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+ John Textor diz que Botafogo já tem ‘planos B e C’ para Zahavi e explica buscas do clube no mercado

O Bordeaux exige que o Botafogo compre o jogador. Os Girondins pagaram 4,5 milhões de euros (R$ 27,2 milhões, na cotação da época) para tirar o jogador do Braga-POR em agosto de 2021 e querem recuperar parte do investimento.

A equipe francesa quer, no mínimo, 2 milhões de euros (R$ 11 milhões). O Botafogo já comunicou que não vai pagar nada por um jogador de 31 anos e não pretende fazer nenhum tipo de investimento agora.

A intenção do Glorioso é um empréstimo com opção de compra. A diretoria pretende se resguardar e não quer ser obrigada a fazer um investimento se não tiver certeza que o jogador dará resultados em campo.

+ Textor deseja reunião com irmãos Moreira Salles e revela planos de novo local de treino para o Botafogo

O estafe do jogador esperava que houvesse um contato por parte do Botafogo durante o fim de semana, o que não aconteceu. O clube se mantém irredutível, afirmando que não fará investimentos por Fransérgio a curto prazo.

Fransérgio foi revelado pelo Athletico Paranaense e soma passagens por Internacional, Ceará, Guaratinguetá, Marítimo-POR e Braga-POR, clube por onde atuou por quase cinco anos e é ídolo.

Seamer says aggressive gameplans can give her a second wind at back end of career

Valkerie Baynes02-Dec-2022

Kate Cross is going all-in on England Women’s new approach•Getty Images

Kate Cross says England Women are ready to embrace a more aggressive approach under the guidance of new head coach Jon Lewis.Upon linking up with his charges at their training base in Loughborough last week, Lewis revealed he wanted them to play less safe and “walk towards the danger” just as he had seen the England Men’s sides do across formats in his previous role as their elite pace bowling coach.It’s an approach that may come naturally to the younger members of the squad, with the likes of Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp, Issy Wong and Lauren Bell all fearlessly grabbing the international opportunities given to them over the summer during the final months of Lisa Keightley’s three-year tenure as head coach.And while Kate Cross, the 31-year-old seamer, believes it will require a “mindset shift” for the team as a whole, she’s all in.”If you’re not willing to move with the times, then you’re going to get stuck behind anyway,” Cross said from Antigua, where the ODI squad is preparing for the first of three matches against West Indies on Sunday.”I’m not daft, I know that people are going to work out how to face me and how to attack me and that’s ultimately going to put pressure on me. So if I can get ahead of that curve now, then that’s pretty handy for me as a player.”How it looks for me might look very different to how it looks for Freya Kemp or Katherine Brunt. That’s where I think Lewy is going to come in and be really clear with our roles in the team, and what that looks like and what is needed from us.”From a bowling point of view, we’ve got such a big unit now and a really exciting unit, that it will be more how we approach the game as a unit, because it’ll be up to the five or six bowlers that are out there to try and bowl teams out. It’s going to be interesting, but I’m really looking forward to it.”Related

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Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight back in West Indies squad for ODIs against England

Cross is an admirer of how England Men’s red- and white-ball teams have executed the positive ethos promoted by their respective head coaches, Brendon McCullum and Matthew Mott, reacting on her Instagram stories to an ECB post about the Test team’s feats on the opening day in Pakistan, saying: “Changing the game, this team”. And she said the concept wasn’t completely alien to the Women’s group, who had talked about adopting a similar approach under Keightley and captain Heather Knight over the summer.”Personally for me, it’s a really nice time for this to come in,” she added. “It’s getting that second wind in your career. You don’t want to be the old senior pro that is stuck in their ways and just does what they always do. It feels like a really nice time for me personally as well, to be getting that messaging.”The thing that I’ve noticed with the youngsters is just the lack of fear that they have when they play. That’s probably an element of coming in and making debuts in the Hundred and playing in front of big crowds, and having the opportunity to impress people. Sometimes I think players from my generation could have been doing that, but it was a bit behind the scenes, you weren’t on TV, it wasn’t even live-streamed back then.”Those youngsters are just used to that environment. For me, what is exciting is they don’t really care who’s bowling at them or who they’re bowling at, they just go and do their thing. That’s the making of a really exciting team.”The ODIs in Antigua will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship, in which England are yet to get off the mark following their 3-0 defeat by India in September.Cross is not part of the T20I squad staying on – with Brunt, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Sarah Glenn and Wong joining them – for five matches from December 11. She will return home along with Emma Lamb, Alice Davidson-Richards and Tammy Beaumont after the third ODI in a week’s time but for now she is relishing being back in the Caribbean, where she made her international debut in 2013 and where she came as a youngster herself to watch the men play on the 2004 Test tour.”I remember coming out here as a young kid watching [Steve] Harmison and [Matthew] Hoggard bowling on pitches like this and making West Indian players look silly,” she said. “I also did see Brian Lara get 400, so maybe I shouldn’t say that. But I’m a huge cricket fan, I’ve been lucky to come out here and watch England men play, so it’s great to be back here… it’s a special place for me.”

يبدو أن نادي الهلال السعودي بصدد خطوة مميزة في إدارته الرياضية، قد تعيد رسم ملامح سوق الانتقالات في المنطقة، بعدما اقترب من التعاقد مع أحد العقول التي صنعت أمجاد ليفربول في العصر الحديث، وكان له الفضل في واحدة من أكثر اللقطات تأثيرًا في مسيرة النجم المصري محمد صلاح.

فقد كشفت صحيفة “الرياضية” السعودية، أن شركة كرة القدم بنادي الهلال توصلت إلى اتفاق مبدئي مع الإنجليزي مايكل إدواردز لتولي منصب المدير الرياضي للنادي، بداية من الموسم الكروي المقبل 2025-2026، على أن يتم حسم العقود والتفاصيل النهائية خلال الفترة القريبة القادمة.

إدواردز ليس اسمًا عابرًا في عالم الإدارة الرياضية، فهو الرجل الذي كان خلف واحدة من أهم صفقات القرن بالنسبة للجماهير العربية، حين أقنع إدارة ليفربول الإنجليزي بضم محمد صلاح من روما في صيف 2017، الصفقة التي تحولت إلى نقطة فاصلة في مسيرة “الملك المصري”، وجعلته أسطورة في أنفيلد خلال سنوات قليلة.

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لم يكن صلاح وحده من جلبه إدواردز إلى ليفربول، بل كان خلف ضم الحارس البرازيلي أليسون بيكر والمدافع العملاق فيرجيل فان دايك، ما شكّل العمود الفقري لفريق يورجن كلوب الذي حصد دوري أبطال أوروبا والدوري الإنجليزي.

وعمل إدواردز داخل أسوار ليفربول بين عامي 2011 و2022، وتدرّج من رئيس لفريق التحليل الفني إلى مدير رياضي، ثم خرج من النادي رافضًا عدة عروض ضخمة من أندية مثل مانشستر يونايتد وتشيلسي، قبل أن يظهر الهلال في الصورة هذه الأيام بخطة طموحة لإقناعه بخوض تجربة جديدة في الشرق الأوسط.

ورغم تقدم المفاوضات مع إدواردز، إلا أن الصحيفة السعودية أكدت أن الهلال يحتفظ بخيارات بديلة، أبرزها الإسباني روبيرتو أولابي، المدير الرياضي السابق لريال سوسيداد، والذي أعلن رحيله عن النادي مع نهاية الموسم الحالي.