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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, pundit Steve Howey delivered his verdict on the huge injury blow suffered to Celtic defender Christopher Jullien.

The centre-back was stretchered off against Dundee with significant swelling to his knee and scans have now revealed that he will face around four months out with a serious issue.

It’s a huge blow to Celtic’s hopes of retaining the SPFL title. They were already 19 points behind their rivals Rangers coming into this weekend’s fixtures and it looks like an uphill task.

Jullien has already suffered from a spell on the sidelines this season so his campaign has now got even worse. For a Hoops backline who have conceded on such a regular basis, it’s not great news for the team either.

They shipped 19 goals in just six Europa League outings and their defensive woes were bad enough before losing one of their key men.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Howey delivered a damning verdict on Jullien’s injury. He said:

“It’s obviously a big disappointment and I think it’s a huge disappointment, and you just hope the lad gets back fit and well and stronger and better.” 

Howey then opened up on the title race: “Listen, let’s be honest, it would have been a miraculous recovery if they did get anywhere near clawing that back. I think it’s done. I still think there’s 40 something points to play for so it’s still within the realms of possibility, but it’s a tall order.

“I mean, Rangers have to go on an absolutely horrendous run and have so many injuries and Celtic have to do exactly the opposite. But as I said, I think after that game at the weekend, and Rangers winning and bearing in mind, winning and not playing very well. Albeit, the lad did get sent off but I think that was the last chance.”

Celtic’s six-game winning run in all competitions before the New Year helped boost their confidence significantly but after suffering a loss to Rangers, any slight hope of beating Steven Gerrard’s men to the title are all but gone.

The Hoops have been rumoured with signing a new centre-back this month and that has only taken on greater importance with Jullien’s injury.

AND in other news, Celtic can find their new Van Dijk in £32k-p/w beast, Rodgers dubbed him “sensational”…

أشاد عبد الظاهر السقا مدير الكرة بنادي فيوتشر، بالبداية القوية للفريق في الظهور الأول ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ونجح نادي فيوتشر في الفوز على إيسترن كومباني برباعية مقابل هدف وحيد، اليوم الخميس، ليواصل انطلاقته القوية ببطولة الدوري.

طالع |  رابطة الأندية تعدل موعد مباراتي الأهلي وسموحة والزمالك أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا

وعلق عبد الظاهر السقا على مستوى الفريق عبر قناة “المحور”: “كل مباراة ستزيد الفريق تماسكا وتفاهما، ما زلنا في بداية الموسم وسنتطور أكثر وأكثر”.

واستكمل: “الصفقات الجديدة كان هدفها إشعال المنافسة بين جميع اللاعبين بسبب تقارب مستواهم، وهو ما يفيد الفريق بشكل عام”.

وواصل: “كريم نيدفيد (المعار من الأهلي) من أهم مكاسب لقاء إيسرن كومباني، فاللاعب شارك في وسط الملعب والظهير وقدم مستوى مميزًا”.

وتغنى بمستوى مروان محسن: “لقد استعاد ثقته بنفسه وسجل هدفين في ٤ مباريات، بالتأكيد سيضيع الفرص لكنه سيسجل أيضًا لأنه كثير المحاولة”.

واختتم: “المباراة كانت صعبة أمام إيسترن كومباني رغم الفوز برباعية لأننا واجهنا مدربا محترما مثل علاء عبد العال”.

يُذكر أن فيوتشر قد حقق 7 نقاط في أول 4 مباريات بالدوري المصري الممتاز، هذا الموسم.

Newcastle surely look back at the summer of 2018 with a bit of regret, after missing out on key striking target Alassane Plea.

What was the story?

Sky Sports claimed that the Magpies were interested in signing the Frenchman who had scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 the season before. It was revealed that the Tyneside club had seen a £27m bid rejected by Nice, with the likes of West Ham, Fulham and Tottenham also interested in his services.

In the end, Plea left France to join Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, where he’s cemented himself as a proven finisher, capable of delivering big moments in big games.

Imagine him and Saint-Maximin

With Allan Saint-Maximin’s arrival from Nice in the summer of 2019, Newcastle have seen first-hand what a player from the south of France can do for them. And whilst Plea was with the current Magpies star in Ligue 1, they both developed a fine understanding together.

As per Transfermarkt, in Saint-Maximin’s professional career, the most goals he has combined for with a teammate, is with Plea. That link-up would have been incredible to see further grow at St James’ Park, and the French duo could have help tear the Premier League to shreds.

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Instead, Newcastle didn’t go further than their initial bid, and the striker has gone on to perform well at Monchengladbach. If any Magpies fan was watching the Champions League in mid-week, when the German side took on Real Madrid, then they would have seen Plea set up both of his team’s goals in a very impressive 2-2 draw.

Rated at £27m by Transfermarkt, Plea really would have been a fine signing for Newcastle.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na tarde desta segunda-feira, Muricy Ramalho já falou como técnico do Flamengo, apesar de deixar claro que precisa esperar o resultado da eleição presidencial – já que acertou com Eduardo Bandeira de Mello, que tenta a reeleição nesta segunda-feira. O atual mandatário foi questionado pela reportagem do LANCE!, se mostrou surpreso pela declaração de Muricy, mas se declarou lisonjeado pelo reconhecimento do treinador.

– Vamos esperar terminar a eleição e depois conversamos sobre técnico. O maior clube do Brasil é o Flamengo – afirmou Bandeira de Mello, que novamente questionado sobre a confirmação de Muricy Ramalho em São Paulo, completou:

– Ótimo. Vamos aguardar o final da eleição, mas fico muito lisonjeado em ter o reconhecimento por de um treinador do calibre de Muricy Ramalho.

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Além de Eduardo Bandeira de Mello, Cacau Cotta e Wallim Vasconcellos concorrem ao cargo de presidente do Flamengo para o triênio 2016-2018. Respectivamente, os dois querem para o cargo de técnico Jayme de Almeida e Jorge Sampaoli.

Wolves are preparing to kick their 2020/21 season into gear after suffering two early defeats, including their shock demolition at the hands of West Ham. The Irons will be thrilled with their electric performance, firing four past Nuno Espirito Santo’s men at the London Stadium.

The international break will have given the players time to get their heads back in the game as they get ready to face Leeds on Monday. It goes without saying that the man Marcelo Bielsa should be most wary of is the clinical Raul Jimenez. It’s very likely he will have come up with a plan catered to keeping the goal-getter quiet, but there’s one man the Wolves star may be able to exploit.

Jimenez could do a number over Leeds

Despite Leeds’ impressive start to their returning Premier League season, a few cracks have already shown. Whilst their attack has been a handful for the opposition, their defence is something that may need extra attention before they host Wolves this weekend. One man in particular who will need to produce a solid performance is Robin Koch, who has already proven he has a mistake in him.

The centre-back gave away a penalty in his side’s opening match of the season against Liverpool, which arguably handed the Reds the win despite Leeds fighting tooth and nail for a result. In his most recent performance against Manchester City, Koch was dribbled past three times and lost four of his six attempted duels. His one main weakness has been identified as error proneness, which opens the door for Jimenez to exploit this (via Sofascore).

The £36million-valued striker has already bagged two goals this season and will be looking to add more to his portfolio. Wolves are just one point behind Leeds at the moment so it will be a very evenly-matched game, but Nuno will be putting faith in his clinical attack, especially the widely-regarded Jimenez.

Conor Coady recently lauded his teammate as a “sensational” player and the forward has a big chance to live up to the skipper’s comments.

In other news, Wolves did great business by offloading unwanted Benik Afobe…

Glasgow Rangers have a lot of talent, especially in midfield, with the likes of Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis at the club.

This might see some of the other players in that position, especially the younger ones, seek a move, either on a permanent or temporarily, and it looks like one player might leave sooner rather than later.

According to The Scottish Sun, Oldham Athletic, who play in England in League Two, are trying to land Jamie Barjonas on loan. The Glasgow Rangers midfielder is only 21, and is around the first team set up at Ibrox as he was an unused substitute against Hibernian last weekend, per Transfermarkt.

Oldham are managed by Harry Kewell, who used to play alongside Gers manager Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, and Gerrard is very keen for Barjonas to get some more consistent first-team football.

There is clearly potential for Barjonas to become a first-team player at the Gers as he has featured for the Scottish U19 side four times and Gerrard sees him as a bench player at the club currently despite him still being quite young. However the fact that he is yet to feature in the Scottish Premiership this season highlights that there is definitely some room for improvement and therefore a loan move could be ideal.

Not only will the midfielder play consistently, but it is also his chance to impress and show that when given the chances he can perform.

He has managed 49 appearances throughout his career, with eight of these being for the youth sides at the Gers, per Transfermarkt, and he has scored five and assisted six. He has already played in England before for Bury so he should easily be able to adapt to Oldham and with Gerrard knowing Kewell well, this is definitely a move that benefits all parties.

Glasgow Rangers fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Let us know down below!

أكد حسام البدري، المدير الفني السابق لمنتخب مصر، أن علاقته بالدولي المصري محمد صلاح، جناح ليفربول الإنجليزي، كانت جيدة مشددًا على أن اختياره قائدًا للمنتخب جاء بموافقة اللاعبين الكبار.

قال البدري خلال استضافته ببرنامج “مان تو مان”، المذاع عبر قناة “أبو ظبي الرياضية”: “علاقتي بمحمد صلاح جيدة، ولو كانت علاقتي به غير جيدة كما تردد كيف تم اختياره قائدا للمنتخب بموافقة اللاعبين الكبار”.

أقرأ ايضًا.. البدري يعلن سبب رفض تقديم استقالته من تدريب منتخب مصر ويصرح: كنت قادرًا على التأهل لكأس العالم

أضاف: “محمد صلاح في الفترة الأخيرة كان معه هناك عناصر في المنتخب قديمة مثل عبد الله السعيد وحجازي والنني، وجميعهم يستحقون ارتداء الشارة، ولكن الفكرة كانت أن يكون قائد المنتخب مستقر دائمًا في التشكيل الأساسي بالملعب، بالإضافة إلى نجومية صلاح وإنجازاته، ونجد أن هناك منتخبات كثيرة جدًا تعطي الشارة لنجم الفريق”.

وبسؤاله عن ما تردد بأنه لم تكن هناك سيطرة منه على غرفة الملابس وأزمة مصطفى محمد: “لا يستطيع أحد أن يشكك في هذه الجزئية لأنها لم تكن موجودة، في تاريخي كله معروف أنني أسيطر بجانب حب اللاعبين”.

تابع: “سنة الحياة اختلاف في وجهات النظر الفنية، ولكن يسود الأمر الاحترام، وهذا حدث طوال مسيرتي ومع الأهلي ومع نجوم كبار، ولكن لم أفقد السيطرة، ومصطفى محمد نفسه خرج وقال أنه كان متوترا لأنه أحرز الهدف في وقت متأخر، الناس تقول إنه كان يوجه ألفاظه للمدرب، لماذا أصلا يتم توجيهها لي؟ ماذا حدث مني؟”.

وواصل: “مصطفى محمد تأخر عن مجيئه للمعسكر وعندما سُئلت قلت إنني متفهم موقفه وقلت إنه من الصعب أن يشارك، وبالتالي لو أنا علاقتي كانت غير جيدة بي كيف شارك في المباراة الثانية وأحرز هدفًا؟”.

استكمل عن طارق حامد وغيابه أمام الجابون: “طارق شارك في كل المباريات وهو عنصر هام جدًا، ولكن يجب أن نضع في حساباتنا أمور أخرى، أننا نلعب كل 5 أيام وصعب أن يكون أي لاعب في نفس المستوى بسبب الإرهاق، وهذه كانت أسس وأولويات مشاركة طارق”.

وعن تعيين الجهاز المعاون له، قال: “لم أرفض تعيين طارق مصطفى معي في الجهاز المعاون، عندما توليت المسؤولية هو كان وقع عليه الاختيار هو وباقي الجهاز المعاون، ولكن أنا فترتي كانت غريبة”.

اختتم: “صعب أن تعين مدير فني وتختار له الجهاز المعاون رغم أنهم مميزين، ولكن هذا الأمر لم يحدث من قبل ولم يحدث في كرة القدم، أنا أتحدث عن نظام عمل وهذه من ضمن الصعوبات التي واجهتها، ولكن بعد أن خضت التجربة معهم وجدتهم مميزين”.

Current Sunderland owner Stewart Donald has left the door open for Sammy Yu and Mark Campbell to make takeover bids.

Back in April 2018, Donald arrived as the club’s new ownerafter taking over from Ellis Short but, just 19 months into the businessman’s tenure, he made public his desire to sell the club.

With Sunderland missing out on the chance of promotion from League One for a second successive season, there have been calls from some fans for Donald to sell up.

Sammy Yu and Mark Campbell have both been credited with takeover interest over the last few weeks, although the former claimed that Donald had failed to acknowledge attempts to contact him regarding the matter.

Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle as quoted by Sunderland Echo, Donald spoke about a potential bid arriving and revealed how talks went with Campbell.

“The fans have asked me to leave, and whether it’s Mark Campbell or somebody else,” he said.

“If somebody passes the EFL [tests], has the funds and has the vision… I’m not quite sure what the fans want me to do.”

Donald was speaking after he met with fans on Thursday to discuss the sale of the club and other pressing matters.

It seems that, if either Yu or Campbell have the necessary funds, then Donald will welcome a bid – so why has it taken this long?

Something does not seem right at the moment and it appears that the current Black Cats owner is holding out for a bid that will guarantee getting his money back on his initial investment.

Donald says that he does not know what fans want, but it seems quite clear they want a new owner to come in and for things to change as quickly as possible.

Who do you think has a better chance of taking over Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

Leeds United journalist for The Athletic, Phil Hay has said that he cannot see Marcelo Bielsa walking away from the club this summer, in response to a fan on Twitter.

What did he say?

Bielsa has had a dramatic impact at Elland Road since he arrived in the summer of 2018, guiding the club to third position in the Championship last season.

His side are now top of the table with nine matches to play, but the Argentine is set to see his current deal expire in the summer.

With there being plenty of uncertainty surrounding contracts due to the suspension of the football season, Hay said he cannot see Bielsa walking away from the club.

“I don’t see him walking away with things poised like this – but everyone is waiting for firm guidance from FIFA about how expiring contracts will be managed,” he wrote on Twitter.

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One more year?

Bielsa has worked wonders at Leeds and his side are now arguably the best team to watch in the Championship, while also sitting on the brink of promotion.

If they do seal a place in the Premier League, the opportunity to manage the club in the top flight would surely be too good to resist for the Argentine, but it remains to be seen what will happen with contracts given the unprecedented circumstances.

If the season is cancelled and Leeds are made to try for promotion again next term, the big question is whether Bielsa will want to be a part of trying to do it all over again.

However, if the season is completed and he can guide them back to the Premier League, then surely he would want to test himself in England’s top-flight?

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…

It was an afternoon that Calum Chambers is unlikely to forget anytime soon. Away at Swansea in the monsoon-like rain back in November 2014, the England international got torn to shreds by Jefferson Montero. The winger had too much pace for the Arsenal man, and inspired a 2-1 comeback victory for the hosts.

Whilst the 25-year-old has done well to put those scars to one side by forcing himself into a first-team regular at the Emirates now, there is still a feeling that he is very much a round peg in a square hole when playing at right-back. His lack of natural athleticism mean he isn’t the typical modern-day full-back, and whilst he’s a central defender by trade, the defensive side of the game when playing on the flank completely changes.

And that is exactly why Chambers will be hoping he has learnt from that nightmare of a few years ago, when he takes on another equally quick, but technically gifted winger in Brighton’s Leandro Trossard, on Thursday night.

After enjoying an impressive cameo against Liverpool last time out, Seagulls boss Graham Potter insisted that the door is very much open for Trossard to make the leap from the bench to the starting line-up. He said: “He can do both, it’s just the right time, the right game. We are coming to a period where we need to use everybody.”

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And with the Gunners so defensively fragile this season, Potter may well be inclined to unleash the Belgian at the Emirates. As per Whoscored, the £15m man has averaged an impressive 1.3 dribbles and two key passes per game, whilst he hasn’t been afraid to try his luck either, managing 1.3 shots per game too. If Chambers allows the 25-year-old to have a run at him one-on-one with space in behind, then the defender will have an incredibly long night.

The former Southampton man has made 1.6 fouls per game in the Premier League this season, and much of those have been for making tactical fouls after a winger has gotten past him. He has the perfect opportunity however on Thursday night, to show that he has well and truly learned from that fateful clash against Swansea all those years ago.

Meanwhile, Arsenal turning away from prominent managerial candidate due to financial reasons would be criminal.