Tag Futebol

Everton’s offensive focal point Dominic Calvert-Lewin is approaching a return to competitive action after a prolonged period severely hampered by consistent setbacks. 

What’s the word?

As relayed by the ECHO, Lampard recently expressed his relief at welcoming the club’s talisman back into the thick of the competitive preparations, although it is still unclear if he will be available for the City clash.

He said:

“Having Dominic back in the fold is a great thing for us because players who can make a difference at the top end of the pitch means points.”

It appears to be touch-and-go regarding his inclusion in the starting line-up, if indeed the matchday squad, and it will be an agonising wait over the next 24 hours as the medical department assess the likelihood of his availability.

DCL is a “beast”

The 25-year-old hotshot has scored 59 goals and assisted a further 18 from 197 appearances for the Toffees, and the chasm left by his absence this season has certainly been felt by his team, who currently fight against the vice of the relegation zone, just one point away from the 17th placed strugglers. 

And in his most prolific season, the £86k-per-week phenom scored 21 goals and served five assists from 39 appearances across all competitions, playing an integral role for his team as they completed an impressive tenth-placed finish.

However, this season Calvert-Lewin has been restricted to just six outings, scoring one solitary goal.

As per FBref, despite his injury woes, Calvert-Lewin ranks within the top 2% of forwards for aerial success rate over the past year, indicating a towering presence that the Toffees have been missing might bear fruit for the side upon his return.

Once lauded as a “beast in the air” by journalist Josh Wright, his inclusion is simply paramount, Everton cannot afford to continue the downward slump; it will lead to the unthinkable prospect of relegation from the Premier League.

And with the Merseyside outfit only scoring 12 goals in the division this term – a lowly tally worsened only by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest – someone of Calvert-Lewin’s ilk simply must enter the fray at Goodison Park and navigate the proud club away from danger.

City, in retrospect, have scored the league’s highest goal tally with 43 strikes, 31 goals above Everton, and it truly will take something spectacular to rebuff their advances.

Especially with the Toffees losing ten matches on the trot against their menacing opposition; it will not be easy, but Lampard will demand a cohesive and resilient performance, and when they do have the chance to break and threaten the City goal, they will feel far better about their forward surges with the imposing Calvert-Lewin lurking in the penalty area.

That’s if he is fit enough to feature, so the manager will certainly be sweating over his availability heading into kick-off on Saturday.

Everton defender Michael Keane is set to leave Goodison Park on loan during the upcoming January transfer window. 

The Lowdown: Keane’s season so far

Having been a prominent figure for the Toffees last season, making 38 appearances across all competitions, things have been rather different this term. The defender has featured just three times for Frank Lampard’s side across the Premier League and Carabao Cup so far in 2022/23.

Now that the January transfer window is just a month away from opening, it seems as though the Merseyside club have made a decision regarding Keane’s future.

The Latest: Keane set for loan exit

According to a recent report from the Liverpool Echo, the Englishman is set to wave goodbye to Goodison Park during the upcoming transfer window.

The report adds that a Premier League trio consisting of West Ham United, Fulham and Leicester City are interested in signing the 29-year-old on loan from Everton.

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The Verdict: Would be ideal for Keane

Given the lack of playing time he has had this season, it’s easy to see why Everton think a loan move away from Goodison Park in January would be ideal for Keane.

Bearing in mind how Lampard has the likes of Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate as his other centre-back options, it seems unlikely that, injuries aside, Keane would get a significant haul of minutes across the second half of the season for the Toffees.

Despite the £80k-per-week defender being criticised for his “abysmal” performances in the past by Noel Whelan, that there are reportedly a host of clubs interested in signing Keane in January shows that he can offer something to prospective loan suitors.

If the centre-back can join a club in January on loan where he’d be able to play regularly, this could put him in a good position to return to Everton and have a better shot at breaking back into the team on Merseyside.

Tottenham Hotspur’s sights are set on finding a successor to the long-serving Hugo Lloris and a surprising name has emerged as a potential target…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercatoweb, Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte is very interested in Juventus’ £10m goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and would like to bring him back to north London, some five years after leaving arch-rivals Arsenal.

The Poland international – who is in line to start at the World Cup this week – is out of contract in the summer of 2024 and it’s thought that the Old Lady aren’t willing to offer him an extension at this moment in time, meaning he could even be sold.

That’s because the Serie A giants have already lined up Empoli’s Guglielmo Vicario as his replacement. However, it remains to be seen exactly how much the 32-year-old would command, with his current value in the region of €20m (£18m), per CIES Football Observatory.

Lloris successor

Szczesny was a divisive figure for the Gunners throughout his 11-year association with the club – some considered him a fan-favourite but others thought he was something of a “liability”.

He eventually lost his place to David Ospina because of his erratic nature between the sticks.

Indeed, former Juve great Stefano Tacconi slammed the Pole for his performances whilst on loan to AS Roma. He said to Gazzetta TV (via the Independent): “He’s a good goalkeeper, there’s no doubt about that,” before adding: “But he’s an uncontrollable lunatic – he’s completely mad. And for this reason, he’s a risk.”

The 6 foot 5 veteran has certainly turned things around as he has now been the no.1 at the Allianz Stadium for a little over four years, replacing the legendary Gigi Buffon, and is set to feature at his second World Cup and fifth major international tournament.

That evolution is probably best surmised by Spurs’ current sporting director Fabio Paratici, who was the man to bring Szczesny to Juventus. He once described the shot-stopper as ” one of the best goalkeepers in the world” to reporters in 2020.

As per FBref, the former Arsenal graduate has the second-best save percentage (85.7%) of any keeper in the Serie A this season, and has conceded the fewest goals per 90 (0.35) of any glovesman too.

Whilst Lloris will always be remembered as a “legend” for his devotion to Spurs, there’s no denying that some of his own displays have been questionable the older he has gotten and at 35, it certainly would be wise to plan for life after the £100k-per-week stalwart.

Szczesny may be a controversial signing but Paratici has got it right with several questionable signings from the Italian top-flight, where both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur were heavily out-of-sorts.

The former foe could therefore be a surprise successor to Lloris, if Conte’s interest is genuine.

AND in other news, Spurs still keen on £40m “exciting talent”, he could be a surprise World Cup sensation…

Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley is more likely to stay at Parkhead for longer rather than return to England, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: O’Riley shining at Celtic

The 21-year-old joined Celtic from MK Dons during the January transfer window, having impressed across the border in League One in the first half of last season.

O’Riley has impressed in a Hoops shirt to date, registering five assists in just 10 Scottish Premiership starts in 2022/23, putting his wand of a left foot to good use.

It could be that interest comes from English clubs once again, given his current form, but there appears to be hope that the midfielder won’t be going anywhere.

The Latest: McAvennie makes positive claim

That’s certainly the opinion of McAvennie, who told Football Insider that the pace of the SPL suits O’Riley’s game better:

“Listen, nobody noticed him [at MK Dons] and then Ange noticed him. His idea of a player is different to everyone else’s. I do not know if O’Riley has got the pace for English football now. I think he is quick but the pace in England is frightening.

“I do not know if he would want to leave at the moment. I think he is really enjoying it, his family are Celtic supporters.

“Why would you want to go down to a team in the bottom half of England? He has just arrived really. I am not too concerned about him. I think they will get another year out of him.”

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The Verdict: Brilliant long-term prospect

O’Riley looks like a fabulous young footballer, possessing such natural technical ability and already enjoying such a big influence for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Presenter Jack Collins felt he produced a ‘masterclass’ of a performance in Tuesday’s 1-1 Champions League draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, as he performed on football’s biggest club stage.

O’Riley’s current Celtic deal runs until the summer of 2026, and on this current evidence, the hope is that he stays until that point and beyond, given his long-term potential.

Saudi Arabian consortium PIF completed their takeover of Newcastle United in October of last year and have enjoyed just over a year in charge of the club.

The team has been successful on the pitch since they became owners as Eddie Howe led the team to survival in the Premier League after taking over from Steve Bruce last season.

Newcastle are now sitting sixth in the top-flight table after 11 matches in the current campaign and the success could be put down, in part, to PIF’s work in the transfer market.

They have not been afraid of splashing the cash since arriving in England, in either of their two windows in charge so far. Back in January, they brought in Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, and Chris Wood on permanent deals.

Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Matt Targett, who was on loan earlier in the year, and Nick Pope followed them in the summer to bolster Howe’s squad.

One player PIF have struck gold with is Dutch central defender Botman, who joined from Ligue 1 side Lille ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Newcastle reportedly paid an initial fee of £32m for the gem and Howe hailed his potential at the time of the move, saying:

“I’m delighted Sven is joining us. He is technically very good, physically very good and has a great attitude.

“At 22, he already has solid experience at the top level but he is at a great age to grow with this team.”

Chronicle journalist Charlie Bennett recently claimed that the machine has “scary potential” and his form in the Premier League this season, at the age of just 22, backs that claim up.

Botman has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 in the top-flight for the Magpies, winning 73% of his individual duels and completing 87% of his attempted passes. This shows that he has been dominant out of possession and comfortable on the ball, whilst providing consistently impressive performances.

Meanwhile, Harry Maguire, who cost Manchester United an eye-watering £80m, has averaged a rating of 6.91 or lower since the start of the 2021/22 season. His new teammate Lisandro Martinez, who reportedly cost them £57m, has averaged a score of 6.88 in his ten Premier League outings so far.

These statistics suggest that Botman, who Josh Bunting described as “colossal” only this week, has been incredible value for money for Newcastle as he has been outperforming two centre-backs who cost considerably more money than he did.

At the age of 22, he now has many years ahead of him to develop and hone his skills in order to improve his performances on the pitch for the Magpies. Now, imagine how good he can be in a few years if he is able to grow because of Howe’s coaching and his experience in the Premier League.

If Maguire and Martinez are worth £80m and £57m respectively, then Botman could end up being worth far more than £32m, which is why PIF have certainly struck gold by signing him.

Glasgow Rangers have recently gone through a minor goalkeeping crisis in the last few weeks. With Allan McGregor seemingly announcing his retirement at the end of last season, only to perform a miraculous U-turn just weeks later, he would be ushered to the sidelines as Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave Jon McLaughlin the number one jersey.

This meant no new goalkeeper was signed during the summer transfer window, and it will surely be a decision that will come back and haunt the Dutchman, especially with the Ibrox side conceding 20 goals in 14 matches already.

McLaughlin alone let in eight in just two matches, making a howler against Celtic while also conceding four against Ajax in the Champions League. An injury to the 35-year-old meant McGregor came in against Napoli and saved two penalties but the Light Blues still succumbed to defeat.

A new goalkeeper is now a priority, but the club could have solved the problem by making a bargain swoop in the summer.

Rangers should have signed Fraisl

Rangers were linked with a move for Martin Fraisl before last season ended, as the Austrian was set to be available on a free transfer following his decision to leave German side Schalke.

The 29-year-old kept eight clean sheets in 26 matches for the club last season, making a total of 50 over the course of his career.

Fraisl was praised for doing an “excellent” job by Schalke’s sporting director Rouven Schroder during his spell at the club last year and Rangers should have acted a lot quicker to secure his signature.

The goalkeeper eventually joined Bundesliga 2 side, Arminia Bielefeld, following his release from Schalke and has impressed in the German second tier.

He boasts an incredibly impressive average SofaScore rating of 7.1 for his performances so far, which has seen him save 75% of the shots he has faced, while also enjoying an average of 49.3 touches per match – proving he is comfortable on the ball and can distribute it well.

For comparison, Gers’ number one McLaughlin has averaged an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.50 over his six Premiership fixtures this term, ranking him as the Light Blues’ sixth-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

Signing Fraisl might have been a gamble by the Dutchman, but staying still in the transfer window and not adding another goalkeeper to the ranks will be a call that, come the end of the season, could have massive ramifications for the 47-year-old manager.

Southampton tried to sign Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips on deadline day but a move failed to materialise, David Ornstein reports.

The Lowdown: Phillips out of favour

The 25-year-old finds himself well down the centre-back pecking order at Anfield currently, even though he started the recent Premier League draw at home to Crystal Palace.

Phillips will not get in ahead of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez when everyone is fit, so it is hard to see him featuring much in the coming months.

A summer exit was mooted numerous times throughout the window and it looks as though he could have departed Liverpool right at the death on Thursday.

The Latest: Saints made late move

That’s according to The Athletic‘s Ornstein, who took to Twitter to say that Saints attempted to snap him up on deadline day:

“Aston Villa have agreed to sign Jan Bednarek from Southampton on 1yr loan. 26yo centre-back has chosen #AVFC & is heading to medical. #SaintsFC tried for Nat Phillips but Liverpool reluctant, so will pick from 2 other options.”

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The Verdict: Bad news for Nat?

Phillips finds himself in a tough situation where he will surely want to be playing regular football, so it is easy to have sympathy for him staying put at Liverpool and not featuring.

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Jurgen Klopp has described the Englishman as ‘absolutely insane’ in the past, following some heroic performances in 2020/21, but he isn’t up to the Reds’ standards, as the Palace game showed, when Wilfried Zaha raced behind him opened the scoring.

The hope is that Phillips could seal a move elsewhere in January, potentially filling in for Liverpool now and then before that time, possibly in the Carabao Cup.

Leeds United could make a move for Southampton striker Che Adams this week, according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs. 

The lowdown

Leeds, Jacobs says, first tried to sign Adams back in 2020, only a year after his £15million move from Birmingham City to Southampton.

The Scotsman, now into the final two years of his deal at St Mary’s, played the full 90 minutes against the Whites in Saturday’s 2-2 draw.

Leeds may face competition if they do make a move, with The Athletic reporting that Everton are exploring a loan-to-buy deal.

The latest

Jacobs writes that ‘Leeds expect a busy week in the transfer market’, with a move for Adams seen as ‘a possibility’.

He’s ‘one of many forwards Leeds are considering’ as they seek to bolster their striker ranks.

Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl ‘doesn’t want to lose him’ but, significantly, the club’s board are ‘open to offers’.

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The verdict

Would Jesse Marsch have liked what he saw on Saturday?

Well it was actually a fairly quiet afternoon for Adams in some respects, with journalist Jacob Tanswell noting that he was ‘starved from any meaningful service’ in the first half.

Indeed, he only completed seven passes, and his solitary shot missed the target (via SofaScore).

On the other hand, though, the 26-year-old was able to draw two fouls, win four out of six ground duels, make two tackles and create a chance.

And Saints reporter Benjy Nurick also hailed his ‘terrific’ contribution in the build-up to their equaliser.

Adams, who’s scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists in his top-flight career, could offer a strong all-round contribution for Marsch – especially going by Rangers legend Ally McCoist’s praise for the player.

Indeed, the Scotsman called him ‘clever’ and even a ‘breath of fresh air’.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are ‘ready to push ahead’ to sign Lucas Paqueta and Bamba Dieng for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Attackers wanted

Having recently been linked with moves for the likes of James Maddison and Maxi Gomez, it is clear that Eddie Howe is now looking at bringing in attacking reinforcements to St. James’ Park.

They have already signed goalkeeper Nick Pope, central defender Sven Botman and left-back Matt Targett, so they can now focus on strengthening their options in the final third with time ticking down towards the September 1 deadline.

The Latest: Paqueta and Dieng interest

Taking to Twitter, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that the North East club are ‘ready to push ahead’ for moves for both Paqueta and Dieng, adding that their prices fit well into their budget:

“Newcastle are ready to push ahead with moves for Marseille’s Bamba Dieng and Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta. The prices for both players fit well into Newcastle’s budget and they have both been on the club’s radar since the turn of the year.”

Expanding in his piece for 90min, the journalist shared that Marseille could be willing to sell Dieng for £15m, while Lyon could sell Paqueta for £33m plus add-ons.

The Verdict: Exciting

The fact that the Tynesiders are pursuing both of these deals is exciting for the Toon Army.

Dieng managed a handy eight goals and three assists in total over all competitions last term (Transfermarkt), and the striker has even been labelled the ‘new Sadio Mane’,  with the Senegal international starring alongside his countryman in their African Cup of Nations (AFCON) triumph.

Paqueta meanwhile would certainly add more guile in midfield alongside his former Lyon teammate and fellow Brazilian Bruno Guimarares, scoring an impressive 11 goals and making a further seven assists from the middle of the park last campaign (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, with Maddison thought to cost around £60m, the Magpies could get both Dieng and Paqueta for less, which would be a real bargain.

A big Leeds United update has emerged on their pursuit of Mergim Berisha in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Journalist Omer Celikbasli has revealed that the club are in talks with Fenerbahce to sign the centre-forward after making an initial offer that was below their valuation.

He tweeted: “Leeds United have offered €2m for Mergim Berisha. Fenerbahce demanded €5m from Stuttgart and Mainz, as he did. Negotiations are ongoing.”

Fellow reporter Osman Cengiz has added that the Whites will offer him a four-year deal if they agree a fee with the Turkish giants, tweeting:

“Leeds United, who want to transfer Fenerbahce’s striker Mergim Berisha, continue their negotiations with F.Bahce. Fenerbahce, who offered €5m to Leeds, will sign a 4-year contract with Berisha in case of an agreement. Berisha also has offers from Germany.”

Supporters will be delighted

The supporters will be delighted by this news as it shows that the club are making serious moves to improve the attacking options at Jesse Marsch’s disposal.

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Leeds only scored 42 goals in their 38 Premier League matches last term and this suggests that they are in dire need of reinforcements at the top end of the pitch.

In Berisha, Victor Orta could find a cheap – at a potential fee of €5m (£4.3m) – option to come in and add another goal threat to the team. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder/striker scored four goals in 10 league starts for Fenerbahce last season, after making the move from Salzburg in Austria – where he thrived.

He made 87 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga for multiple clubs before moving to Turkey and racked up an impressive 34 goals and 24 assists. During his time with Salzburg, he found the back of the net 22 times and set up 13 goals in 56 outings.

The gem also caught the eye in the Champions League for them as he scored four goals and provided two assists in six matches in the 2020/21 campaign.

These statistics suggest that he has the potential to make a big impact in the final third for Leeds if he is able to adapt to Premier League football. He has shown that he can score and assist goals on a regular basis in Austria and has proven himself at the top level in Europe, whilst he still has room to develop at the age of 24.

Therefore, supporters will be delighted with the club’s attempts to sign the Fenerbahce striker and will now be hoping that Orta can get a deal over the line before the window slams shut at on September 1.

AND in other news: Orta could land Marsch his very own Scamacca in Leeds swoop for 56 G/A “wonderkid”