Arsenal will not be going back to sign Dusan Vlahovic in January. At least, that is what Fabrizio Romano has said. The Gunners are linked with Vlahovic following an injury to Gabriel Jesus, who is sidelined until March. Eddie Nketiah has shown promising signs that he can fill the void left by Jesus but, then again, it’s only been three games. It was reported last week that Arsenal were in constant contact [Calciomercato] regarding a swoop for Vlahovic. This is somebody who Mikel Arteta tried to sign last January but he wound up joining Juventus in a £66 million transfer [Sky Sports].…
Author: bigbanng
In an official statement issued by the club, Real Madrid have hit out at French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet after his comments against Zinedine Zidane. The former Real Madrid and France icon was in contention to be named the manager of the national team, but the FFF decided to renew Didier Deschamps instead. Following that reports emerged claiming Zidane could manage Brazil after being snubbed by Les Bleus. In response to that, Le Graet said (h/t Guardian): “I don’t give a damn, he can go wherever he wants. I know very well that Zidane was always on the radar. He had a lot…
Maybe it is a risk but if you want to develop something to create a winning attitude and culture you have to go this way, says Manchester United Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said it was a risk to relegate Marcus Rashford to the bench for disciplinary reasons but maintained it was necessary to create a winning culture at the club. Rashford, who later said he had overslept and was late for a team meeting, started as a substitute against Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year’s Eve as punishment. He came on for the second half and scored the winner…
Al-Nassr Head Coach, Rudi Garcia, hopes that Cristiano Ronaldo will “rediscover the pleasure of playing” when he brings a little stardust to the Saudi Arabian league. “The only thing I wish for Ronaldo is that he rediscovers the pleasure of playing and smiles again because in recent months between Manchester United, the national team and then at a personal level he hasn’t had easy moments,” Garcia said this yesterday on the side-lines of the Dakar Rally being staged in the kingdom. “If he finds the pleasure of playing again, that will already be a goal achieved,” added the coach who…
Manchester City were hailed for their ‘sensational’ and ‘liquid football’ as they turned on the style during their FA Cup triumph over Chelsea. The Premier League champions cruised to a 4-0 win over Chelsea in a tie that saw City race to a 3-0 lead at half time. Getty5Chelsea didn’t help themselves but City played very well Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring on 23 minutes with a stunning free-kick before Julian Alvarez’s penalty doubled their advantage on 30 minutes after Kai Havertz inexplicably handled the ball inside the box. Phil Foden then made it 3-0 as he rounded off a…
Real Madrid’s defeat at the hands of Villarreal was not a poor performance in isolation. Los Blancos have been struggling for a while now. Their dip in form before the World Cup break was put down to fatigue and injuries. But they have not looked much better since the start of the second half of the season either. The display against Real Valladolid was nothing to write home about. They looked sluggish for most parts, and were saved by Thibaut Courtois’ performance in goal. Ultimately, two late goals from Karim Benzema saved the day. A Copa del Rey match away against Cacereno…
Pep Guardiola has told Kalvin Phillips he needs to be in ‘perfect condition’ all year round after calling out the midfielder for being overweight following his return from the World Cup. The 27-year-old came on as a late substitute against Chelsea in mid-week for his first match action since his return from Qatar and could now be set to start against the same opposition on Sunday in the FA Cup. Guardiola was scathing about Phillips’ fitness when he returned to Manchester after representing England at the World Cup. The Spaniard left the midfielder out of his squad completely for the first game following the tournament against Liverpool in the…
YouTuber Mark Goldbridge has slammed the recent Manchester United links to Al Nassr forward Vincent Aboubakar. The Lowdown: Man United reportedly submit loan bid for Aboubakar According to Saudi outlet Okaz (via the Daily Express), the Premier League side have submitted a loan bid for the Al Nassr forward. This could lead to former Man United star Cristiano Ronaldo registering a space in the Saudi Pro League side. Manager Erik ten Hag stated in a previous press conference that club need more competition in their squad. Meanwhile, the club have also been linked with Burnley striker Wout Weghorst per The Athletic, with the Red Devils reportedly offered the chance to sign the on-loan…
Ronaldo receives rapturous welcome from Al Nassr fans Cristiano Ronaldo ended 2022 with a bang by completing a free transfer to Al-Nassr last month after Manchester United terminated his contract during the Qatar World Cup. However, he could have sensationally reunited with Jose Mourinho at AS Roma instead of starting a new chapter in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo has joined Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract worth £177million, potentially ending his illustrious career in Europe. After his United exit in November, speculation about his next destination was rife, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner reportedly keen to stay in the continent to extend his Champions League goalscoring…
La Liga champions Real Madrid have reportedly lodged an offer to sign Spanish full-back Pedro Porro amid interest from Tottenham. According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Real Madrid tabled an offer to sign Pedro Porro this year. But the Spanish full-back, who has a release clause worth €45 million, is closing in on joining Tottenham. While the north Londoners have not secured an agreement yet, the player wants to join them. Pedro Porro has been sensational since joining Sporting CP from Manchester City. The 23-year-old, who rose to prominence at Girona FC, never got to make his mark…
Manchester United remain linked with a number of players around Europe as Erik ten Hag attempts to add to his squad. The Red Devils have been much-improved since the arrival of the Dutchman at Old Trafford in the summer and they are now firmly embroiled in the fight to earn a place in the Champions League come the end of the campaign. A striker is on Ten Hag’s shopping list following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, a number of players could be set to wave goodbye to the club with the side’s cloth expected to be cut between now and the end of the month.…
Saudi Arabia isn’t wasting time to milk for what it’s worth soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to the kingdom. Neither are others in the Gulf eager to join the bandwagon. Playing for nine-time Saudi league champion Al Nassr FC for US$211 million over 2.5 years, Mr. Ronaldo appears happy to do the Saudis’ bidding. He was welcomed this week by fireworks and deafening roars in the club’s packed, 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park or King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. Mr. Ronaldo’s value to the kingdom goes beyond putting Saudi soccer on the world map. The player is likely to boost Saudi efforts to…
Paul Merson has urged Manchester United to ‘break the bank’ and sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who he feels is better than Erling Haaland. The 29-year-old England international is among the best strikers in world football and has registered 265 goals and 62 assists across 412 games for Spurs. Kane has previously been linked with both United and Manchester City but Tottenham have so far refused to let him leave the club despite his previous desire to move on. He is currently under contract until June 2024 and would generate a massive transfer fee if he was to leave north London in January or in the summer. Merson,…
Real Madrid have plenty of options at centre-back right now. They have three of the best in the world there in the form of Eder Militao, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger. Further, the club have Nacho Fernandez and Jesus Vallejo as back-up options. Yet, we have seen them struggle at the back at times this season. Also, the club appear to have set their eyes on signing the best young talent from across the world and one player who is rumoured to have caught their eye is Josko Gvardiol, who enjoyed a stunning World Cup campaign with Croatia as they…
Manchester United’s first season under Erik ten Hag seems to be going according to plan so far with the Red Devils in the top-four of the Premier League while also making it through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. Up next is an EFL Cup quarterfinal tie at home against League One side Charlton Athletic and Ten Hag spoke on the importance of staying grounded and not letting complacency creep into their game. Despite the Addicks being 57 places below in the English footballing pyramid and the Reds being on a roll having won seven consecutive times, players need to…
Manchester United are in the market to finally replace Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo is far gone and now history in the mind of some Manchester United fans but Erik Ten Hag is bent on replacing the Portuguese superstar and beefing up his squad with another highly rated star. The Red Devils are currently light on attacking firepower and Ten Hag has not hidden his desire to fill the gap left by Cristiano Ronaldo following his explosive interview with British journalist, Piers Morgan. Last week when asked, Ten Hag told the press his desire to sign a quality player. “We need good players. Not only numbers, you need…
Liverpool begin their defence of the FA Cup this evening, with Wolverhampton Wanderers the third-round opponents. Down in 19th in the Premier League, they recently appointed Julen Lopetegui, and it will be Jürgen Klopp’s first meeting with former Real Madrid and Spain manager. Darwin Nuñez has been dominating recent discussion at one end of the pitch for Liverpool. While the defence has come under major scrutiny, shipping goals with far too much regularity, things would have a different complexion if the Uruguayan had buried at least a few more of his 15 missed big chances. Some of the Erling Haaland…
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images The draw for the Copa del Rey Round of 16 took place today and Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have learned their opponents for the next phase of the cup competition. Valencia, Villarreal, Espanyol, Barcelona, Levante, Sporting Gijon, AD Ceuta, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Mallorca, Alaves, Real Betis, Osasuna, and Athletic Club were left in the tournament along with Real Madrid and Atletico after the Round of 32. And, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be facing Villarreal while Diego Simeone & co. are set to come up against Levante as they battle it out for a spot in the quarter-finals of…
Barcelona forward Memphis Depay is reportedly keen on returning to Manchester United this month, as per the Spanish outlet Sport. The 28-year-old joined the Red Devils back in 2015 from PSV Eindhoven. The forward moved to Old Trafford with the reputation of being one of the best young talents in Europe. However, he failed to find his feet in the Premier League and was eventually shifted out to Olympique Lyonnais a couple of years later. Depay signed for Barcelona back in 2021 as a free agent after running his contract down with Lyon. The Dutchman was a regular starter at Camp…
Cristiano Ronaldo has changed Saudi Arabian football forever. While there is undoubtedly domestic quality in the Saudi Pro League and plenty of players have already moved over from the European game, there’s no denying that one of the greatest athletes in history joining the division was a watershed moment. Having played his entire club career in Europe up until this point, Ronaldo took the massive decision to start chasing glory in the Asian game by securing a lucrative move to Al-Nassr. Naturally, the finances go a long way to explaining why Ronaldo has opted for a transfer to Saudi Arabia, but the…
The transfer rumors pages have been full of stories about Jude Bellingham’s next destination. Borussia Dortmund’s 19-year-old English midfielder is the hottest property in world soccer right now, and could be worth even more than Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. CIES Football Observatory, part of the International Center for Sports Studies in Switzerland, has published its January 2023 list of the world’s most valuable soccer players. The list calculates player value based on an algorithm that factors in age, nationality, contract length and current club as well as ability and results. Kylian Mbappe had topped the list in June 2022, but…
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Marcus Thuram is the subject of interest from Real Madrid. The reigning La Liga champions want to sign the 25-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach attacker, who reached the 2022 FIFA World Cup final with France, in a Bosman move in the summer transfer window. Marcus Thuram has come leaps and bounds since joining Borussia Monchengladbach in July 2019 from Guingamp. The Frenchman was a promising young forward three and a half years ago. But he has been one of the most enterprising attackers in the Bundesliga during that period. At the same time, the player…
Manchester United midfielder Fred has never quite been fully appreciated at Old Trafford – rightly or wrongly – but Erik ten Hag knows exactly what his “example” brings to the current squad. Signed by Jose Mourinho four years ago, the Brazil international was a favourite under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he continued to be a regular starter when Ralf Rangnick was sworn in as interim manager. Fred was, also, a rare shining light in that, otherwise, uninspiring spell before Ten Hag stepped into the dugout this summer. Often subject to criticism – from pundits, supporters and general observers – the former Shakhtar Donetsk man has had…
Manchester United have been tipped for a new beginning with Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure expected to unleash other members of the squad. Wayne Rooney had a similar awakening in 2006 when Ruud van Nistelrooy left following a disagreement with Sir Alex Ferguson. Ronaldo’s tantrums put manager Erik ten Hag into tough situations earlier this season with supporters eager to know what was causing friction. The Dutchman was forced to answer awkward questions when the Portuguese refused to come on as a substitute in October which may have detracted from the manager’s focus on other issues. Bridges were burned on the eve of the World Cup…