Category Uncategorized

It feels as if Tottenham Hotspur have been linked to just about every Ligue 1 player since football was put under lockdown, and it hasn’t stopped yet as new reports have emerged over a different target.This time it is Amiens striker Serhou Guirassy who is mooted with a move to Spurs, and fans have been reacting to the fresh news on Twitter.According to Le 10 Sport, several Premier League teams are chasing the 24-year-old after a relatively goal-laden campaign with the relegated Ligue 1 outfit.Along with Spurs, London rivals Chelsea and West Ham are also said to hold interest in the centre-forward – he could cost between €15m (£13m) and €20m (£17.4m).Guirassy has found the net nine times from 24 appearances this campaign, including a brace against champions Paris Saint-Germain and further strikes versus Lille and Marseille.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

He has previously played in the Bundesliga with Koln, where he bagged four goals in 21 games, via Transfermarkt.

Although Spurs fans do not seem too keen on the young striker, here’s how they have been reacting…

AND in other news,ÂSpurs fans react to Jan Vertonghen contract latest…

Tottenham Hotspur managed to grind out a 2-1 win over Wolves on Sunday but they still have a problem to solve regarding Harry Kane.

On the chalkboard

Spurs needed a late goal to overcome Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at Molineux, with Jan Vertonghen sending an excellent header into the bottom corner after Christian Eriksen’s injury-time corner.

Per WhoScored, Kane turned in a battling, hard-working display.

He completed five dribbles throughout the game and also won five aerial duels while making four clearances.

He had two shots on goal, though only one was on target, but his passing accuracy was again a worry.

Watch Spurs vs Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

He attempted 21 passes and just 12 were accurate, though one was a key pass, notching an accuracy of just 57%. No outfield player on the pitch had a lower pass completion rate.

Kane was also booked after a cynical foul on winger Adama Traore.

Worst trait

Kane has struggled when it comes to his pass completion thus far this season.

Under Mourinho, the England captain has never once managed to notch a pass completion rate higher than 67%, per WhoScored.

Against Manchester United, in a dispiriting 2-1 defeat, he had just 66.7%. Against Bournemouth, it was 65%, Burnley 61.8%, West Ham 60.7% and Wolves 57.1%.

This is becoming an issue and it does not appear that he is improving.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

Only twice has Kane had a lower accuracy – against Arsenal and Crystal Palace under Mauricio Pochettino – and Mourinho isn’t improving the trait.

Kane has actually struggled to score under the Portuguese, netting in just two of his games, and if he can’t pass or hit the back of the net, he is a problem.

It is one that must be solved.

Meanwhile, Spurs legend Ledley King is confident of the club doing one thing. 

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…

Comments from Adam Forshaw and Marcelo Bielsa in recent weeks made it seem as if Robbie Gotts was nearing the point where he would be deemed ready to make his first-team debut.

Indeed, the young midfielder looked set to be the next youngster in line for a shot at the senior squad, but what happened on Wednesday night may have set him and certainly a few others back.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Rather than being called up to first-team action, Gotts has remained in the U23 side, and it may be fair to say that Wednesday represented one of the worst evenings in the midfielder’s young career.

Indeed, the 20-year-old led his team out as captain as they were thrashed 7-1 by Derby’s U23 side on a sour night.

It was an all-round poor performance from Leeds’ youth team, but a lot of blame will have to rest with Carlos Corberan and his captain for the night as Gotts failed to galvanise his team while donning the armband.

The youngster seemingly wasn’t the greatest of leaders out on the pitch, and that doesn’t bode well for his chances of breaking into the first-team anytime soon. With Mateusz Bogusz and Alfie McCalmont missing through international duty, this was an ideal opportunity for him to step up and perform.

However, that failed to be the case. Instead, the midfielder would likely have been better off simply not playing on Wednesday too. Amidst many poor performers, his reputation won’t have been enhanced at all.

Of course, losing 7-1 is a team effort and the blame can’t solely lie on Gotts’ shoulders, but this result certainly doesn’t reflect well on him and it may have set his development within the squad back a little bit.

With Leeds looking for someone to step up and be counted, the youngster clearly still has a long way to go. He was one of the most experienced men in the side but his team simply wilted away without too many traces of improving.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.

Manchester City’s Leroy Sane seemed destined to join Bayern Munich last summer until a serious injury sustained in the Community Shield put all transfer talk on hold.

With the German now well on the path to rehabilitation, the speculation has once again resumed that a mega-money deal is in the pipeline for next summer and accompanying this are numerous reports claiming to identify his successor on the City flanks.

Step forward Mikel Oyarzabal, 22 years of age and one of the brightest lights in La Liga since being handed his debut by none other than David Moyes in 2015 after emerging through the Real Sociedad academy.

A Spain international, boasting six caps, and less importantly nicknamed ‘Bigfoot’ due to his size 11 boots, Oyarzabal is presently enjoying a fine season with the Txuri-urdinak scoring four goals in 13 league appearances with four assists thrown in.

And even looking beyond such contributions, his impish trickery and intelligence movement would be a huge boon to any side.

Though lacking Sane’s directness and searing pace, Oyarzabal has technical ability to spare while his fondness for cutting in tallies with Pep Guardiola’s penchant for inverted wingers. Providing an aerial threat would also be a significant bonus for a team as small as the reigning champions.

With recent reports in mind, perhaps it’s now time to throw it over to those who know the Basque ballers best.

Evidently, they think the world of him.

Eusebio Sacristán, former Real Sociedad coach

The former Barcelona midfielder oversaw Oyarzabal’s development for three years at the Anoeta and though not naturally inclined to lavish praise on any of his players, here makes something of an exception, as per UEFA.com.

“I see him grow from day to day. Everything that he brings to the side is positive and as a coach I’m very happy with him.”

Robert Moreno, Spain assistant coach

A late third for La Roja against Sweden over the summer helped to further establish the winger as an international to be reckoned with, which is no mean feat given the nation’s attacking riches.

Post-match Moreno’s mention of the player’s work-rate is pertinent considering Guardiola’s infamously high demands, as per eldesmarque.com.

“He is a special player, who has a goal, something that is not easy. He does not get tired of running.”

Guillem Balague, Spanish football journalist

What Balague doesn’t know about La Liga can be written on a postage stamp and in 2017 the respected pundit was asked by Sky to name the five most promising talents set to make their mark.

The first name on his list was Oyarzabal, as per SkySports.com.

“Comparisons have already been made with Antoine Griezmann, a previous La Real superstar, and if he does eventually leave, it will certainly be for big money.”

Verdict

£68m is the rumoured release clause that would help lure this superstar-in-the-making to the Premier League.

In the event of Sane’s departure, City should pay it.

In seasons to come it will be viewed as a bargain.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

There’s only so much one man can do.

Having gone through a rather baron spell in front of goal that hadn’t seen him find the back of the net since the end of August, Lukas Jutkiewicz finally ended that drought by scoring the winner against Luton on Saturday.

Speaking after the game, Blues boss Pep Clotet spoke about just how effective someone like Jutkiewicz can be in this division:

“For us he is very important because he is a dominant striker in the Championship, this means the opposition has to put double effort on him, this means he always keeps one-and-a-half, or two centre-backs occupied. That frees up the second striker.

“Importantly for me, tactically he manages to give us that space our players need in front of him.”

Watch Birmingham City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

The only problem with what Clotet is saying there, is that Jutkiewicz isn’t getting any major help from his current strike partner.

Although his physical presence is taking away some of the efforts of the defenders, nobody is there to pick up the pieces. Alvaro Gimenez for instance has only found the back of the net once this season in 12 appearances.

Birmingham at the moment are working out of a 4-4-2 formation, with Gimenez acting as his main partner.

However, the best way to utilise Jutkiewicz would be to have a third person playing off of him to give the defenders something else to think of, but more importantly another option for him to give the ball to.

If they adopted more of a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Jude Bellingham pushing further up the field in support, Jutkiewicz can use his aerial prowess to win balls in the air for the pacier Bellingham to run off and behind the defence.

As he showed with his goal against Charlton, he certainly knows how to time his runs and create space for himself.

The more options for Jutkiewicz to play with, the better that Birmingham are going to be because they’re going to get more chances.

This isn’t so much about making Jutkiewicz a better player, it’s about what makes him great and turning that into a strength for the team.

That’s the little spark that Birmingham are missing at the moment.

Gaetano Berardi hasn’t had the best of careers in west Yorkshire. His rescinded red card last weekend was his eighth in Leeds colours.

It’s a rather shambolic record but sums up why he cannot be trusted by Marcelo Bielsa and those around him.

The referee in Leeds’ defeat at The Den adjudged him to foul Tom Bradshaw, although he barely touched him, while he also deemed it to be worthy of a dismissal.

It was a bizarre incident but that hasn’t stopped the Swiss defender taking on vast amounts of criticism.

In a thread on Twitter, many took to the social media platform demanding that this was his final season at Elland Road.

The 31-year-old was blasted a complete liability as one went as far as suggesting he needed sacking off. That was echoed by a number of supporters – a further individual said to get him gone.

Another supporter said he was costing the club points.

Berardi has been a bit-part figure of the squad in recent times and has started just twice in the Championship this term.

Whether Bielsa keeps the faith in him with Liam Cooper out injured remains to be seen.

Here’s what’s being said about the centre-back.

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…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has expressed his concerns with Leeds and their inability to find a solution to break down Charlton at the weekend – issuing his thoughts on Twitter.

What’s he said?

Typical Leeds. That’s how Saturday afternoon at The Valley felt.

Marcelo Bielsa men dominated possession, perhaps by their most dominating number yet this season at 71.6%.

They also had 19 shots but they failed to score as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat. The Whites got themselves in multiple positions but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Eddie Nketiah and Adam Forshaw went close but they were ultimately left to settle for their first dropped points away from home this season.

It was a game that caused concern, understandably so given they dropped to fourth, but Hay gave his assessment the day after. He said:

Where will the answers come from?

Despite the fact Leeds couldn’t find the back of the net, their lack of ability in finding an answer to Charlton’s resistance was alarming.

It was rather ironic that what fans had demanded didn’t come off either.

Helder Costa has been the topic of debate in recent weeks, as has Nketiah but neither of them were able to cough up the goods.

The former was particularly disappointing in losing possession of the ball 17 times while the Arsenal loanee also missed a wonderful chance at the near post.

Bielsa has teased playing him and Patrick Bamford as a pairing for some time now but they met by a stubborn Addicks defence who were intent on not conceding.

They played well together against Brentford as the former Boro man created the space for Nketiah inside the area but this time there was no such fortune, perhaps because of how little they’ve played alongside each other.

The change to a 3-5-2 system had worked against Stoke last month when they won 3-0 but this was another solution that failed to work.

Perhaps starting Nketiah on his own could work or bringing Tyler Roberts back into the starting XI can provide a fix.

Only time will tell.

[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… 

For Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds, the problems are beginning to mount.

It may not define their season as Liam Cooper alluded to after the game but a first away defeat of the campaign and the same old issues lingering around suggests the pressure is slightly on.

Leeds were again dominant – something that seems to be a key theme of their current term. Against Derby and Swansea they had over 60% of the possession but against Charlton it was over 70%.

19 shots were taken and none of them went in, not even Helder Costa could produce when it mattered.

Leeds fans have been calling for his inclusion in recent weeks and after their timid display against the Rams, it had never been so evident that they needed some extra quality after hitting the post and missing a penalty.

After all, this is a player who was involved in 29 goals for Wolves in the Championship over two seasons.

An injury to Pablo Hernandez meant he was finally given a chance to start in the league but after all of the hype surrounding him, he failed to live up to expectation.

Costa has been a revelation at times for the Whites in 2019/20, establishing a relationship with Eddie Nketiah that’s seen them combine for two goals – that’s half of the total contributions the Portuguese has been involved in.

Yet, versus Charlton, that creativity and goal threat wasn’t there.

He lost the ball as many as 17 times as he failed to deliver the goods in what was an unacceptable display for what has been expected of him.

The 25-year-old didn’t have a single shot on target while he failed to produce an accurate cross despite playing all 90 minutes, via SofaScore.

Perhaps this was evidence of why he hadn’t yet started in the league and after this performance, he’ll have to work harder to ensure he stays in the team.

In the League Cup this season he’s averaged three successful dribbles but on this occasion, he only managed one as the Wolves loanee was anonymous for large spells at the Valley.

Leeds have had issues when it comes to creativity, particularly from Jack Harrison who has managed just three accurate crosses from 37 this season.

Costa, however, doesn’t look like solving that for the time being.

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

Just as we thought we were about to get some rest from all the Neymar stories, Globoesporte published an interview with the Brazilian’s former president, Jose Carlos Peres, who claims that the player is definitely heading to Real Madrid.

And that, even though it sounds good on paper, would be an extremely bad move for Los Blancos.

What’s the word, then?

Even though Barcelona were chasing Neymar for almost the entirety of the summer – only for him to stay at Paris Saint-Germain – it now seems that we’ve seen another big twist in the story.

Before the Brazilian joined Blaugrana way back in 2013, he was playing for Santos in his homeland.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And according to Peres, his former club are entitled to a percentage of Neymar’s supposed transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, regardless of the club he chooses in the end.

But the Santos president seems to be extremely confident that the Brazilian superstar is actually heading to Real Madrid and not to Barcelona, and he said so himself when talking to Globoesporte.

“(The money) will still come! He will go to Real Madrid, if not now, it will be at the end of the year,” Peres stated in his interview.

And if this is true, it could spell even more headache for Zinedine Zidane.

An unbalanced team

Real Madrid’s transfer window was far from perfect. Apart from the arrival of Eden Hazard, hardly anyone slots right into the starting lineup and directly strengthens the team.

Neymar, for all his skill and reputation, would likely do exactly that but he would be an extremely costly acquisition that would hardly solve Real Madrid’s major concerns.

He would no doubt drain most of their resources and after spending close to £300m this year, it remains to be seen whether they can do a repeat next year.

But even if they financially can justify it, there’s still the question of whether another winger is actually needed in the squad. Currently, Real Madrid have five natural left-wingers and an additional three players who can also play there. So, theoretically, Neymar would be the ninth available option in that role.

Other areas should be their priority going forward. They’re missing a substitute for Casemiro in defensive-midfield, more competition in the central areas for the likes of Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos and especially refreshment in defence.

Going for Neymar would only limit their potential in the upcoming transfer windows and would further unbalance the squad.

For those reasons, they should simply stay away from him altogether.

[ad_pod ]

أكد مصدر بالنادي الأهلي جاهزية ناصر ماهر صانع ألعاب القلعة الحمراء للمشاركة في مباريات الفريق خلال الفترة المقبلة.

ناصر ماهر كان قد تعرض للإصابة بخلع في الكتف خلال مباراة الأهلي ومصر للمقاصة في الجولة الأولى من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز هذا الموسم.

طالع | نُقل إلى المستشفى.. “بطولات” يكشف تشخيص إصابة ناصر ماهر في مباراة الأهلي والمقاصة
 
وقال المصدر، لـ “بطولات”، إن ناصر ماهر أصبح جاهزًا بشكل كامل للمشاركة في المباريات دون أي خوف عليه.

وأضاف: “طبيب الفريق أكد لـ المدرب بيتسو موسيماني أن اللاعب جاهز للمشاركة في المباريات بداية من لقاء الإسماعيلي المقبل في الدوري”.

وأتم: “ناصر ماهر يستطيع حاليًا الدخول في التحامات دون أي خوف”.

يذكر أن الأهلي يستعد لمواجهة الإسماعيلي مساء الأربعاء المقبل، في إطار مباراة الجولة 12 المؤجلة من مسابقة الدوري.