Tag Futebol

Sunderland have been guilty of surrendering plenty of money on decidedly talentless individuals, with plenty of high-profile blunders over the last decade.

However, other than the obvious candidate in Jack Rodwell, one of the most expensive has to be Papy Djilobodji.

Signed for an initial £8m fee in 2016, the Senegalese centre-back was coming in to replace the much beloved Younes Kaboul.

He arrived with a high pedigree and had just helped Werder Bremen escape a similar relegation scrap during a successful loan spell. Hoping to complete a similar feat with the Black Cats, he made the move and signed on for a £35k-per-week deal.

Just 24 appearances and a relegation later, he was swiftly cemented as one of their worst ever signings.

Having featured just 18 times during that ill-fated season, the 33-year-old was dribbled past 0.8 times per game and only kept one clean sheet.

In total, he cost the club £9.5m during his miserable 109 weeks at the club, which ended as sourly as was expected after a loan spell with Dijon in France.

Djilobodji had dropped down the divisions with them and remained on big money, so to see him eventually sacked after reporting back for pre-season late and failing his fitness test was disappointing.

It meant that the Wearside outfit could recoup no fee for the defender who had already cost them so much, and left the owner at the time Ellis Short rather short-changed.

Sunderland journalist James Hunter outlined one of the many examples of his “awful defending” in a tweet, as his side were on the wrong end of a 4-1 drubbing to Burnley.

It was a horrendous acquisition and one that has to go down as one of the worst alongside another defender, Emmanuel Eboue.

The former Arsenal full-back suffered a similarly horrific (and short) spell at the club, signing in March 2016 before having his contract terminated by the time that same month was up.

He was, at least, brought in on a free in this instance, so the fact he did not feature once makes it easier to swallow. Like Djilobodji, he too was sacked, due to a suspension from FIFA.

The former Chelsea man was hands down the worst signing out of the pair of them, however, simply due to his hefty price tag.

He missed plenty of matches, and when he was available his performances were evidently below par. He cost them big money for their status and played a large role in their relegation. Sunderland certainly had a howler with this deal.

Arsenal are very much a club on the up at present, with Mikel Arteta having enjoyed an incredibly successful transfer window over the summer, adding the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos to his first team squad, as well as moving a number of the Gunners’ deadwood onto pastures new – be that on a temporary or permanent basis.

This hard work in the off-season has seen the north London side start the 2022/23 Premier League campaign in emphatic fashion, with the Spaniard’s side currently sitting at the top of the league table – having won six and lost one of their opening seven fixtures of the season, scoring 17 goals and conceding just seven in the process.

Indeed, the £45m acquisition of Jesus looks to have been a particularly wise move by the 40-year-old manager, with the 25-year-old centre-forward having already scored four goals, registered three assists and created three big chances over his seven Premier League fixtures this season, as well as taking an average of 3.4 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 2.6 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the former Manchester City striker average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.34, not only ranking him as Arsenal’s second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 21st-best player in the division as a whole – a quite remarkable feat considering the Brazilian has only been at the club for a little over two months.

And, considering his devastating start to life in north London, there is one former Arsenal signing who would arguably have been the perfect addition to Jesus in Arteta’s attacking arsenal at The Emirates Stadium – Thierry Henry.

Indeed, Arsene Wenger’s £11m signing from Juventus back in August of 1999 is already a deal written into the history of the Gunners, with Henry ultimately going on to become one of the greatest forwards the Premier League has ever seen – scoring a quite astonishing 228 goals and providing 103 assists over his 376 appearances for the club.

Aside from his evident ability in the final third and desire to create opportunities for his teammates, the Frenchman’s composure in possession, his raw pace when running at defenders and his Brazilian-esque trickery on the ball are all traits that could easily be attributed to the Gunners’ current attacking star.

Furthermore, with both players being able to operate on the left-wing, a partnership of Henry and Jesus in Arsenal’s front three would have allowed Arteta to rotate the two players as and when he felt it was required – something that would wreak havoc for centre-backs and full-backs of the Gunners’ opponents.

As such, the argument that Henry’s addition would be perfect for Arteta’s current Arsenal side is an extremely easy one to make, as the 45-year-old’s undoubted ability going forwards would very much appear to be the icing on the Spaniard’s already incredibly tantalising attacking cake.

Leeds United suffered their first defeat of the new Premier League campaign at the weekend as they were beaten 1-0 by Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.

Jesse Marsch was tactically outclassed by Seagulls boss Graham Potter and you can’t help but feel as if the Whites were just lacking something in the attack.

Their prospects certainly changed after the introduction of summer signing Luis Sinisterra from the bench.

It was the second outing in a row that the Colombian winger looked like a bright spark and you’d have to wonder why he wasn’t started, particularly as Dan James’ struggles continued.

‘Another who made a difference when he came on. Direct running helped Leeds bypass Brighton’s press. Came closer to an equaliser than anyone else,’ Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Graham Smyth wrote in his post-match ratings column.

In just half the time on the pitch, Sinisterra fired off more shots, managed one fewer pass and had one big chance missed, in comparison to James, via SofaScore.

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Life after Raphinha has so far looked good despite the Welshman’s struggles – after all, this was their first loss from four and they thrashed Chelsea 3-0 last weekend.

The Brazil star sealed his dream move to FC Barcelona after he finished as Leeds’ top goalscorer and most creative player (1.8 key passes per game) last term.

Sinisterra was signed as his replacement in a £21m deal from Eredivisie side Feyenoord, where he scored an eye-catching 23 goals and laid on 14 assists in the very same campaign, as per Transfermarkt.

So he really ought to be starting for the Whites.

James has failed to score in his last 17 league appearances for Leeds, meanwhile, Sinisterra has already scored for his new club, firing a rocket in past Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, where he also provided an assist.

Once described as “really exciting” and as a “mouth-watering prospect” by former shot-stopper Paul Robinson to Football Insider, it’s clear that Sinisterra should be playing in the starting XI every weekend.

Marsch is merely holding his side back by not playing the summer signing.

AND in other news, Leeds eye late swoop for “brutal” 68-goal machine, could be bye-bye Dan James…

Aston Villa are eyeing up a move for Real Betis player Nabil Fekir in the last few weeks of the transfer window as Steven Gerrard looks to add another new face to his squad.

What’s the news?

That’s according to reports in Spain who claim that Villa are one of a few English sides interested in signing the Frenchman.

The club faces competition from fellow Premier League sides Manchester City and Newcastle United, however, and Gerrard will need to act fast to land the player.

Football Observatory values the player at around the £34m mark.

Their own Dembele

Gerrard has overcome a poor opening day defeat to Bournemouth with an excellent 2-1 win against Everton and he will hope this can kickstart their season into some life.

The Englishman has added quality in the mould of Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos to his side, but it’s evident that he is still looking for another one or two additions.

Fekir could be an excellent signing if he utilises the potential that made him one of the most sought-after players in Europe back in 2018. He almost sealed a move to Liverpool from Lyon before the deal broke down.

A surprise transfer to Real Betis in 2019 may have been a downgrade for what his prodigious talent was worth, but he has excelled in Spain.

The 29-year-old has scored 18 La Liga goals, while FBref’s player comparison model shows that he is in a similar mould to Barcelona player Ousmane Dembele.

The two share a lot of traits, notably both struggling to utilise their incredible talents to live up to their youthful promise before eventually grabbing the headlines in La Liga last term.

Statistically, the two are also extremely similar, demonstrating a set of eye-catching attributes. Both averaged over five shot-creating actions per match last season in La Liga (Fekir 5.19 and Dembele 5.24) while both supplied the same number of goal contributions, with Fekir scoring six and registering eight assists as Dembele only scored once, however, he grabbed a wonderful 13 assists in the league.

Both players aimed to create chances from wide areas with their silky technical play, as the pair delivered 159 crosses between them over the course of the season (Fekir 63 and Dembele 96).

The two players have proven that they can inject some attacking menace into their side’s attack and if Fekir makes the move to England, Gerrard could have his own mercurial talent in the French World Cup winner.

There is no doubt that the “delight to watch” – in the words of GOAL – would shine In the Premier League.

Newcastle United have not offered Martin Dubravka to Leicester City as part of their bid for James Maddison, according to Craig Hope of The Daily Mail.

The lowdown

The newspaper’s northeast football correspondent reported that Leicester have ‘shown an interest’ in signing the 33-year-old goalkeeper from Newcastle.

On Monday, the Magpies made a second bid for Foxes midfielder Maddison, this time worth in excess of £40m.

The reason that Leicester may be looking at Dubravka is that Kasper Schmeichel is on his way to Nice, with a medical likely to take place in the next 24 to 48 hours (via Sky Sports).

The latest

Hope took to Twitter to inform supporters that, while Leicester are genuinely keen on Dubravka, a cash-plus-player deal is not currently believed to be on the table.

However, he hints that Newcastle could still choose to submit an offer of that nature further down the line, tweeting: “Leicester have shown an interest in NUFC goalkeeper Martin Dubravka but understand he is not yet part of the package for James Maddison. That could change, of course.”

The verdict

What kind of discount could Newcastle receive if they threw Dubravka into the deal?

He turned 33 at the start of this year, and the CIES Football Observatory value him at a maximum of €7m, which equates to £5.9m. That wouldn’t be an enormous saving by any stretch, but it’s potentially worth a try for the Magpies.

That’s because they’ve already signed a goalkeeper in the form of £10m man Nick Pope, which means that the Slovakian is no longer indispensable.

Dubravka, who was dubbed ‘amazing’ by Allan Saint-Maximin, has been an excellent servant for the club, but the Toon’s 2919/20 Player of the Year may view a move to the King Power Stadium as an attractive one if it means that he could be their first-choice ‘keeper to succeed Schmeichel.

Leeds United held transfer talks on Monday and are targeting Southampton’s Che Adams and Atlas’ Julian Quinones, according to The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones.

The Lowdown: Marsch’s comments

The Whites have already spent close to £100m this summer, but it looks as if they will surpass that figure over the coming weeks. Andrea Radrizzani is set to be in Leeds this week to plan the club’s next moves in the market, with a new forward and left-back areas which could do with bolstering.

Phil Hay has recently stated that Arnaud Kalimuendo and Martin Terrier ‘remain of interest’ at Elland Road, but it looks as if two different players are also firmly on their radar.

The Latest: Journalist’s update

Jones shared a story in The Daily Mail on Monday, saying that Leeds would discuss transfer targets, so those talks would have now taken place.

The journalist name-checked both Adams and Quinones, claiming that the Whites are ‘targeting’ the attacking duo.

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The Verdict: Cheaper options

Leeds would reportedly like to do business with Southampton for Adams at £10m, whereas Quinones holds a £4.5m Transfermarkt valuation.

They appear to be cheaper options compared to Kalimuendo and Terrier, with the former having an asking price of €25m (£21m) and the latter in excess of £30m.

The money appears to be there for the Whites, who were willing to pay what would have been a club-record £31m for Charles De Ketelaere, so it’ll be interesting to see who arrives in Yorkshire over the next four weeks and at what price.

Steven Gerrard has been extremely active this summer in an attempt to ensure Aston Villa’s success for the coming season.

One position which he has certainly strengthened is central midfield, with Boubacar Kamara coming on a free to add a more defensive option.

This leaves the door open for him to add one more, with a box-to-box midfielder with an attacking flair the likely pick.

It is, therefore, no surprise to see him in the market for Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with Football Insider reporting that Gerrard is a “huge” admirer. He is reportedly available for just £10m.

Perhaps Gerrard sees a little bit of himself in the 28-year-old and feels that with the correct management he could have a similar impact on his Villa side that he did on Liverpool all those years ago.

The midfielder has seen his playtime at Anfield dwindle over the years due to a mix of injuries and Jurgen Klopp’s reinforcements to counter that.

He was given a decent run throughout the Champions League last season, however, earning an average SofaScore rating of 7.07.

In the last campaign in which he was not ravaged by injuries, in 2018/19, he recorded 11 goal contributions in all competitions. Perhaps given a decent run in a team with considerably fewer expectations, he can recapture this kind of form.

Last season, however, when he did feature he impressed, sitting in the 96th percentile for progressive carries, the 99th percentile for shots total and the 96th percentile for progressive passes received in comparison to midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues.

He could bridge the gap between Kamara and the attack and would pair well with the Frenchman due to his 4.32 progressive passes per 90.

Back in his playing days, Gerrard enjoyed late entries into the box and scoring goals of all kinds. He did have a particular fondness for scoring a screamer or two, which is also similar to Oxlade-Chamberlain in that regard.

Perhaps giving this forgotten man one last chance as he enters his prime years could prove incredibly profitable for Villa and help them further bridge the gap between them and the big six.

AND in other news: Gerrard can now axe “underwhelming” flop as Villa plot bid for “emphatic” £30m target

talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has provided an update on Aston Villa’s search for a new centre-forward…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider revealed that Villa boss Steven Gerrard is likely to be in the market for a new striker this summer, having already bolstered other areas of the pitch with five major arrivals thus far in the current window.

Crook stated: “They got a lot of business done early and then it’s gone a bit quiet. They were obviously linked with Luis Suarez. So, I think Gerrard is scouring the market and that would probably have a knock-on effect with Danny Ings.”

As the journalist alluded to, the future of Danny Ings is currently uncertain, amid reports that the Midlands side are ‘open to offers’ for the Englishman, despite having only signed him on a £25m deal last summer.

With regards to potential incomings, it would appear that Luis Suarez won’t be arriving at Villa Park, despite previous links, although Lille’s Jonathan David is one name that has been mentioned of late.

Pulses racing

That news will no doubt bring with it a real deal of excitement among the club’s supporters, with hope brewing that the Villans can recruit a top-class centre-forward in order to help solve their goalscoring woes.

The most recent campaign saw Ollie Watkins finish as top-scorer with just 11 goals – all of which came in the league – while the aforementioned Ings finished in second place with only seven goals to his name, showcasing the need for a more prolific presence to lead the line.

There are high hopes for academy graduate Cameron Archer following his recent impressive form at England U21 level, the 20-year-old netting four goals in just four games for the Young Lions over the summer, although it remains to be seen whether he will be handed a first-team chance or shipped out on loan.

One highly-rated forward who has already secured a temporary departure from the club is former Barcelona man Louie Barry, the teenager joining MK Dons until the end of the season.

It would appear then that Gerrard is keen to look beyond the academy for a new striking addition, with solving the club’s final third woes of paramount importance, having seen his side concede more goals (54) than they scored (52) in the top-flight last term.

Knowing that the 42-year-old is ‘scouring the market’ for a quality recruit will, however, set pulses racing, with there no doubt a sense of anticipation as to just who could be coming through the door.

A deal for Ings came out of the blue last year, perhaps there will be another surprise swoop before the start of next season…

AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez

Frank Lampard is under pressure to get his summer recruitment spot on if he wants to remain at Everton for the long haul.

Narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League with a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in their penultimate match last season won’t keep the fans on board for very long.

He appears to have made a solid start, with James Tarkowski close to signing for the Toffees and there will surely be more to come.

With there being plenty of areas to improve in the Everton squad, there could be a lot of transfer activity this summer. The likes of Jonjoe Kenny and Cenk Tosun leaving the club could free up wages for more attractive signings.

Portuguese outlet O Jogo (via Sport Witness) have claimed that Everton are interested in Porto winger Otavio, with Lampard looking to bolster his squad. They have made an enquiry but may have to pay up to €60m (£51.4m).

The player earns £29k-per=week at his current club and that will be expected to rise if a move to the Premier League materialises.

With the news that Brazilian forward Richarlison wants to leave the club, there could be a large transfer kitty that Lampard could utilise, and signing Otavio would be a wise move.

Although largely deployed on the right-hand side of midfield, Lampard may utilise his attacking potential and push him further forward where he can feed Dominic Calvert-Lewin plenty of chances, he notched nine league assists last season.

He isn’t shy of getting stuck in defensively either, something that Everton missed last season. Compared to positional peers in the top five leagues, Otavio ranks in the top 1% for pressures (28.99 per 90) and tackles (3.03), proving that he has the ability to be a success at both ends of the pitch.

He was dubbed “phenomenal” following a performance for Portugal and at 27 years of age, he could be about to approach his peak years.

It would be an expensive move but it could just prove game-changing to get Everton back to winning ways and Calvert-Lewin back among the goals.

AND in other news, Everton “still interested” in signing £107.8m duo this summer, Lampard will love them…

Rangers ended the 2021/22 campaign on a high as they won the Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win at Hampden Park at the weekend.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s side needed extra time to win the match as brilliant goals from Ryan Jack and Scott Wright ensured that James Tavernier was lifting the trophy after full-time.

The Gers brushed aside the disappointment of missing out on success in the Premiership and Europa League and will now head into next season with one trophy to build on.

Whilst many in light blue impressed in the win, one of the best performers on the day was Hearts central defender John Souttar.

After the game, ex-Dundee FC manager James McPake heaped praise on the 6 foot 1 defender, Tweeting: “John Souttar has cruised this. He’s the real deal. Top player. To be out for so long and to play the way he has in a cup final.”

The centre-back is set to join Rangers on a free transfer this summer and his performances throughout the 2021/22 campaign suggest that he is the dream heir to Connor Goldson’s throne at Ibrox.

Van Bronckhorst’s go-to man at the heart of the defence is out of contract at the end of the month and is, currently poised to depart from Glasgow to pastures new. The club already have his replacement in the door, though, as Souttar has been exceptional in the Premiership.

As you can see in the graphic above, with stats provided by SofaScore, the Hearts man stacked up incredibly well in comparison to Goldson.

Both players were consistently brilliant for their respective clubs and have proven that they are elite performers in the Scottish top-flight. Journalist Ewan Murray dubbed Souttar as “outstanding” earlier this year and his stats back that up as he has made himself a brick wall at the back for his team.

His form for Hearts suggests that losing Goldson is not as big of a blow as it may seem on paper. If the Scotland international can adjust to van Bronckhorst’s tactics and hit the ground running then it seems as though he will be a very important player for the club next season.

He is a proven player at this level and still has more development to go through at the age of 25. Souttar can be Rangers’ starting centre-back for many years to come and is, hopefully, the dream replacement for the English colossus at Ibrox.

AND in the news, Enquiry made: Rangers avoided disaster with “annoying” dud whose value dropped £8.4m…