Paris Saint-Germain and England goalkeeper Mary Earps met famous musician Pharrell Williams while enjoying NBA Paris action on Saturday.
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Chelsea reportedly tried to hijack Tottenham Hotspur's move for Bayern Munich star Mathys Tel on transfer deadline day.
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The recent defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion may say otherwise, but Tottenham Hotspur do appear to now be fashioning a solid, settled side under Ange Postecoglou, with arguably only a few positions up for grabs.
Despite the collapse at the Amex, the back five – including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario – seemingly picks itself, while the 3-0 triumph over Manchester United showcased the benefits of deploying Dejan Kulusevski alongside James Maddison in the centre of the park.
With six goals in six, Brennan Johnson is now a nailed-on starter on the right flank, while on the opposite side, long-serving star, Heung-min Son, will no doubt secure that role amid his return to injury, with club-recording signing Dominic Solanke deployed through the middle.
It could then be said that the main area of concern at present is at the base of the midfield, with Rodrigo Bentancur – who was awarded a measly 4/10 match rating by football.london’s Alasdair Gold following his weekend display – arguably not a natural fit in that deep-lying berth, while teammate Yves Bissouma has flattered to deceive amid his off-field issues.
With new arrival Lucas Bergvall still only 18 – and fellow youngster Archie Gray having been typically deployed in the backline – the Lilywhites may need to dip into the transfer market in January to acquire a suitable addition or upgrade.
As reported by Football Insider last month, the north London side are among the clubs – alongside Liverpool and Newcastle United – who are in the race to sign Lille midfielder, Angel Gomes, with the former Man United academy asset an attractive prospect with just under a year left on his existing deal.
The 24-year-old – who has again been called up by interim England boss Lee Carsley for the upcoming international break – would be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with Premier League suitors in January, ahead of joining next summer.
That report has been followed up by recent claims from ex-Spurs ‘keeper Paul Robinson, who stated that “what I hear from people at the club, Gomes could definitely be an option.”
While Robinson had suggested that Gomes would be an asset as an “attack-minded midfielder”, the Englishman has looked better suited in a deep-lying role of late, ensuring he could be the man to oust Bentancur and Bissouma as Postecoglou’s number six.
It was in that role that the diminutive playmaker starred on his first senior start for his country against Finland last month, notably racking up 130 touches and enjoying a 94% pass accuracy, while also winning four of his eight ground duels, as per Sofascore.
A “special” talent – as described by his one-time Lille boss, Jocelyn Gourvennec – who is adept at controlling a game and retaining possession, Gomes has been touted as perhaps the missing piece for the Three Lions, with the nation arguably crying out for a Luka Modric-esque talent who can dictate the tempo.
Like the former Spurs hero, the in-demand star stands at just 5 foot 6, but is a truly effective performer at the base of the midfield, with former United coach Paul McGuiness likening him to Frenkie de Jong, in the way that he “can receive the ball off the back four and then move away, use disguises and so on”.
Also like Modric – who chalked up 41 goals and assists in 160 games for the Lilywhites prior to departing for Real Madrid in 2012 – Gomes can also provide a cutting edge in the final third when required, having registered eight assists and created 15 ‘big chances’ in Ligue 1 last season.
Modric, meanwhile, provided a similar record of six assists and 12 ‘big chances’ in La Liga in 2023/24.
Not just akin to the Ballon d’Or winning Croatian, the Lille maestro can also offer the upgrade on Bentancur that is needed, as evidenced below when looking at their respective stats last term.
|
Gomes vs Bentancur – League stats 2023/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Gomes (Ligue 1) |
Bentancur (PL) |
|
Games |
31 |
23 |
|
Minutes |
2578 |
1007 |
|
Goals |
0 |
1 |
|
Assists |
8 |
1 |
|
Chances created |
48 |
8 |
|
Pass accuracy |
91.34 |
85.26 |
|
Tackles made |
26 |
23 |
|
Interceptions |
18 |
17 |
|
Duels won |
91 |
65 |
|
Possession lost |
238 |
172 |
|
Stats via Squawka |
||
Seemingly more astute at retaining possession, creating chances and proving stronger in the duel, Gomes would no doubt tick a lot of boxes for a progressive, attack-minded coach like Postecoglou.
As stated above, there will be notable competition for his signature due to that expiring contract, yet if Spurs can steal a march on their rivals, it could prove a worthy venture.
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1
By
Robbie Walls
Oct 7, 2024
Glasgow Rangers recorded a fourth straight win without conceding a goal in all competitions as they secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Hibernian on Sunday.
Tom Lawrence, who brilliantly curled the ball into the top corner in the first half, scored the only goal of the game for the Light Blues, whilst Jack Butland saved a penalty just before half time.
Philippe Clement is looking to add to his trophy haul this season, having won the League Cup with Rangers last term, and was allowed to make wholesale changes to the squad during the summer transfer window in order to compete for silverware.
Head of recruitment Nils Koppen and the Belgian boss sanctioned the departures of experienced players like Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, and John Lundstram, among others.
Allowing a large contingent of the club’s players over the age of 30 opened the door for the Gers to invest in young talent in order to develop a team over the years to come.
Rangers invested in promising prospects who could grow with more game time at Ibrox and one summer signing who has hit the ground running, despite his young age, is Connor Barron.
The central midfielder arrived in Glasgow during the summer transfer window after his contract with Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen came to an end.
That allowed Rangers to snap him up, with compensation due to be paid for his services, and they appear to have hit the jackpot with the Scotland international.
Barron has started all six of the club’s matches in the Premiership so far this season and showcased his quality in and out of possession for the Light Blues.
The Scottish maestro has offered reliability on the ball for Rangers with a pass success rate of 91% and 59.8 completed passes per match in the league.
This shows that the central midfielder rarely gives the ball away and helps to keep play ticking, which allows him to dictate the tempo of matches and control games for Clement. He knows when to slow the game down with simple passes and when to speed it up with balls forward between the lines to start attacks.
Out of possession, Barron has buzzed around the pitch to break up attacks and disrupt the opposition with 3.2 tackles and interceptions and 4.0 ball recoveries per match.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Connor Barron |
Rank vs Rangers midfielders |
|---|---|---|
|
Tackles per game |
2.2 |
1st |
|
Interceptions per game |
1.0 |
1st |
|
Clearances per game |
2.7 |
1st |
|
Blocks per game |
0.7 |
1st |
|
Pass accuracy |
91% |
1st |
|
Stats via WhoScored |
||
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old has been the outstanding defensive star of the Rangers midfield this season, whilst also being the most reliable passer in the engine room.
With the January transfer window coming up after the turn of the year, the Gers could look to land a dream midfield partner for Barron by dipping into the market to sign one of their reported targets.
During the summer transfer window, Football Scotland revealed that the Ibrox giants had sent scouts to watch Motherwell star Lennon Miller in action.
The report claimed that Clement was looking to revamp his squad with young talent and the then-17-year-old starlet fit the bill, having enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Scottish top-flight last season.
It was stated that Rangers were interested in signing the Scotland youth international and that they sent representatives to keep tabs on his progress in pre-season.
However, a move never materialised as the transfer window came to a close and Miller remained at Motherwell, as Rangers either could not afford to sign him or decided that they did not want to push for him in that particular window.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast last month, James McFadden and Derek Ferguson both urged the Light Blues to swoop for the central midfielder next year.
McFadden claimed that the teenage star’s understanding of the game is “ridiculous” whilst Ferguson described him as a “big” and “strong” athlete, who could follow in Barron’s footsteps at Ibrox.
Clement and Koppen must now make a move for the Motherwell sensation when the January transfer window opens for business, as he could be a dream for Barron in midfield.
Firstly, the 18-year-old is another young Scottish midfielder who could develop and grow alongside his fellow Scotland U21 international at Ibrox.
This means that they could learn alongside each other and become the mainstay central midfield pairing for the club for many more years to come, barring any potential moves away for big money.
Miller, who Graham Dorrans claimed has a “bit of arrogance” in his play, could also be a dream for Barron because he offers an attacking threat from the middle of the park, which is a part of his game that the Rangers star is yet to show in Glasgow.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Lennon Miller |
Connor Barron |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
6 |
6 |
|
Goals |
2 |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
0 |
|
Assists |
2 |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.5 |
0.7 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell star has produced four goals and assists in six outings, along with 2.5 key passes per game, whilst the Gers man has yet to register a single goal contribution.
This suggests that they could complement each other in the middle of the park as Barron could buzz around the pitch to win the ball back and provide a metronomic presence with his high pass accuracy, whilst Miller could push on and get involved at the top end of the pitch.
However, the 18-year-old gem has also made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match and won 60% of his ground duels in the Premiership this term, after winning 68% of his duels across 25 league outings in the 2023/24 campaign for Motherwell.
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This shows that both players can hold their own defensively, making them a secure midfield pairing out of possession, and Clement must now swoop to sign Miller in January to form an exciting partnership for Rangers moving forward.
Flamengo are hoping to convince Arsenal and Jorginho to agree to a transfer that would take the midfielder back 'home'.
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Manchester United have produced some exceptional midfielders over the course of the Premier League era. Their esteemed Carrington academy is one of the highest-reputation talent production lines in England. Arguably the best of the bunch is Paul Scholes, who played 718 times for the Red Devils and won 11 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
In more recent times, Paul Pogba came through the United academy to become one of the best midfielders in the world, and Kobbie Mainoo is the current generation academy midfielder in the United side.
However, there was another academy graduate one midfielder who United let go a few years ago, who could have become a key first-team player.
Angel Gomes was widely regarded as one of the most exciting players coming through the United academy this century. He set two records on his Premier League debut for the Red Devils, which was handed to him by Jose Mourinho back in May 2017.
The midfielder, who was born in London, became his boyhood club’s youngest player in the Premier League, at the age of 16 years and 263 days old. He was also the first player born in the 2000s who played in the English top flight.
Despite a recording-breaking start to life in that famous red shirt, the youngster did not manage to lock down a permanent place in the squad. Gomes played just ten games for the Red Devils between 2016/17 and 2019/20.
He did, however, manage to maintain exemplary form whilst representing United’s academy sides. Across all competitions for the under-21s, the under-18s and in the Uefa Youth League, Gomes played 66 times, scoring 29 goals and grabbing 17 assists from midfield.
He was so good during his academy days that football statistician Statman Dave described him as an “unbelievably gifted” footballer.
Then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who took over midway through the 2018/19 season, did not quite give Gomes the opportunities, and he left the club for French side Lille. Even though his market value at the time was ÂŁ3m, as per Transfermarkt, he left his boyhood club for nothing.
The 24-year-old has seen an incredible rise since moving to France. He first spent a season on loan in Portugal at Boavista, where he honed his skills and has since excelled for Lille. His superb performances have even earned him an England call-up, and he has now played three times for his country under Lee Carsley.
The midfielder’s Lille career has gone from strength to strength since his move from Old Trafford via the Estadio do Bessa. He has played 123 times for the club, scoring nine times and grabbing 19 assists.
His role has certainly shifted. Once an enterprising creative number ten, Gomes is now an incredibly versatile midfielder, who has even played as a number six at times, turning into something of a first-phase specialist.
|
Gomes stats per position for Lille (min 45 mins played) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Central midfield |
37 |
1 |
6 |
|
Attacking midfield |
36 |
4 |
6 |
|
Left midfield |
12 |
2 |
2 |
|
Defensive midfield |
11 |
0 |
2 |
|
Right midfield |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Second striker |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
|||
As he has shown for the Three Lions in recent weeks, the Lille number eight is superb at receiving the ball of the centre-backs and carrying the ball forward. He is a wonderful ball carrier, and his slight 5 foot 6 frame helps him to evade defenders with ease.
Given his performances in a Lille shirt since leaving United, the diminutive playmaker has seen his value skyrocket from what is was when he departed Old Trafford more than four years ago. He is now valued at an impressive ÂŁ23.4m, as per Transfermarkt, which is a huge 680% increase from the ÂŁ3m he was valued at when he left his boyhood club.
According to GiveMeSport, United are interested in bringing Gomes back to Old Trafford. Should they manage to do so, he could line up alongside the likes of Mainoo and fulfil the potential he once had in a United shirt all those years ago.
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Robbie Walls
Oct 16, 2024
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his "first goal after 40" in Al-Nassr's 3-0 win over Al-Feiha – but new signing Jhon Duran stole the show.
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Aston Villa have continued the good form that got them Champions League football last season into the 2024/25 campaign. Unai Emery’s side have been impressive once again, and find themselves in third in the Premier League on 18 points.
Impressively, the Midlands outfit are top of the new-look Champions League format. They are one of only two sides, along with Liverpool, to have won all three of their games so far, which included a famous 1-0 home win over Bayern Munich.
There have been several standout players for Emery’s team this term, although none more so than Jhon Duran.
It has been a simply phenomenal rise to the top for Villa’s number nine. 20-year-old Colombia international Duran simply cannot stop scoring and boasts a stupendous record in a villa shirt, especially this season.
He has played 13 matches in all competitions but has played a remarkably low amount of minutes given his importance to Emery’s side, just 437 altogether. That equates to just 4.4 full 90-minute games on average. Incredibly, he has seven goals already, a remarkable record in such a short amount of time.
The youngster is not far off catching his tally from last term. He scored five Premier League games in 2023/24 and is already on four in just 232 minutes this season. In total, his Villa record stands at 15 goals in 62 games, and just 1666 minutes.
The former Chicago Fire striker joined the Villans in January 2023, costing them ÂŁ18m including add-ons. Unsurprisingly, he has risen in value since his big move to the Premier League. News outlet AS Columbia says Villa reportedly value him at ÂŁ75m, should other clubs wish to buy him.
If the Colombian star leaves Villa Park for pastures anew, he could become their first major sale since Jack Grealish departed the club in 2021, a sale which proved to be brilliant given his value today.
Boyhood Villan Grealish ended his love affair with the Midlands side in 2021 when he made the move from Villa Park to the Etihad Stadium and Manchester City. NSWE fetched a hefty sum for the attacker, with City breaking the British transfer record to sign him, paying Dean Smith’s side £100m.
The boyhood Villa fan, described as a “menace” by football statistician Statman Dave, left Villa Park with an exceptional record.
He has been on the receiving end of a hostile reception or two when he returned there wearing the Sky Blue of the Citizens despite helping the club win promotion back to the Premier League in 2018/19, and survive relegation the following two seasons. If not for that, they may not be playing Champions League football.
|
Grealish stats for Villa per season (all comps) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2013/14 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
2014/15 |
24 |
0 |
3 |
|
2015/16 |
21 |
1 |
1 |
|
2016/17 |
33 |
5 |
5 |
|
2017/18 |
31 |
3 |
6 |
|
2018/19 |
35 |
6 |
8 |
|
2019/20 |
41 |
10 |
8 |
|
2020/21 |
27 |
7 |
10 |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
|||
There are certainly arguments to be made that the England international simply has not lived up to the price tag at the Etihad Stadium.
He has played 135 times for the Sky Blues, scoring 14 goals and grabbing 20 assists in all competitions. Grealish did play a big part in the club’s historic treble in 2022/23, but beyond that his personal success has been few and far between.
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With that in mind, it might not come as much of a surprise that he has decreased in value considerably since joining the Citizens. Once a ÂŁ100m player, Transfermarkt believe the City number 10 is now worth just ÂŁ45m, ÂŁ30m less than what Duran is worth now.
The considerable drop in value could be considered harsh, given he has contributed to a treble win and several other trophies outside of that. However, he has certainly not lived up to expectations from a goals and assists point of view.
Given the drop in Grealish’s value, it certainly seems as though Villa made the correct choice in selling him back in 2021. Whatever the case, Emery’s side have invested the money perfectly and are now one of the deadliest sides in England and the whole of Europe.
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Manchester United are keen to raid Sporting CP in the wake of announcing Ruben Amorim as their new coach, it has been reported, as they look to turn around their disastrous start to the Premier League season.
Less than a week after the announcement of Erik ten Hag leaving Manchester United, the Red Devils confirmed that Ruben Amorim would step into the vacancy in the Old Trafford technical area.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements”, the Red Devils announced.
“He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.”
Ten Hag was well backed in the transfer window by the Manchester United hierarchy, bringing in several of his former Ajax players to the club during his two year tenure including Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs De Ligt in the most recent transfer window, as well as the infamous arrival of Antony in a deal worth ÂŁ86m.
It is expected that Amorim will be afforded the same luxury, and that could see him return to Sporting to land fresh talent, with his 3-4-2-1 system not one that United’s current squad appear well suited to as things stand. Now, a surprise name has been put forward as his potential first signing.
That comes as reports in Spain claim that Amorim is considering an attempt to bring former Wolves and Barcelona forward Francisco Trincao to Old Trafford in the upcoming transfer window.
Though United would likely be keen to poach some of Sporting’s top talent, heavy spending in recent seasons means that money is tight at Old Trafford, meaning that the likes of Goncalo Inacio, Pedro Goncalves and Marcus Edwards could all be off the table.
However, Trincao represents an excellent opportunity, with the Portuguese forward reportedly available for just €15m (£12.6m).
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Still just 24-years-old, Trincao has already tasted Premier League action during a loan spell at Wolves, where he found the net three times in 30 appearances, though those outings were largely as a substitute.
However, it was under Amorim during the pair’s stint together at Braga that Trincao hit the headlines, enjoying a campaign that persuaded Barcelona to shell out ÂŁ26m to sign him in 2020, before he fell out of favour and returned to Sporting on loan, before being signed permanently.
Having now played under Amorim over 100 times, he understands what the new Manchester United boss wants from his forward players and is enjoying a resurgence in his career in Portugal, having grabbed three goals and five assists in nine outings so far this season.
|
Trincao under Ruben Amorim (Braga and Sporting) |
|
|
Appearances |
128 |
|
Goals |
31 |
|
Assists |
21 |
|
Yellow Cards |
5 |
Utilised largely as a right-winger, the Portuguese talent could solve United’s right-sided headache, and the arrival of a low-cost but well suited addition to the squad would demonstrate a major departure from previous transfer policies where reputation was placed above fit in the starting XI. For just ÂŁ12m, Trincao could be a very savvy addition.