[ad_pod ]

Ukraine manager Andriy Shevchenko has been talking up the ability of new Celtic signing Maryan Shved, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s he said?

Shved was called up to the Ukraine squad for recent qualifying matches against Serbia and Luxembourg, although was an unused substitute in both matches as his country picked up important wins.

Despite not handing him another cap, Shevchenko remains a massive fan of the 21-year-old and believes the player is motivated to succeed at Celtic when he arrives for pre-season later this month.

How does Neil Lennon turn his doubters into believers? The answer lies in the video below…

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the AC Milan legend said:

“I’ve been watching him closely for the past two weeks in our training camp. It’s clear he has a lot of talent. There is still work to be done, but he has progressed hugely.

He has just made a very big transfer for a massive club like Celtic and he is motivated to show them what he can do when he goes to Scotland.

There’s no doubt he has improved a lot and he will go on to be a big player for Ukraine.”

Long-awaited impact

Shved’s arrival at Celtic was announced back in January, but the player did not move to Scotland, instead staying in Ukraine to finish out the season with Karpaty Lviv.

Celtic fans have had to watch on with keen interest as the player scored and created goals on a regular basis, netting 15 last season playing from the right flank and through the middle in attack.

Shevchenko knows a thing or two about being a successful attacker, so to hear him so full of praise for Shved should be exciting for supporters, as should the fact he has seen significant progress in the player’s game.

That suggests he has the potential to improve even further in Scotland.

With Celtic needing competition and cover for James Forrest, as well as relief for Odsonne Edouard, the early signs suggest they could be onto a winner with this signing.

[ad_pod ]

According to The Evening Standard, Southampton will be happy to just recoup the £18m they paid for Mario Lemina if they are to sell him this summer, and that is a baffling decision for a number of reasons.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 25-year-old has made it clear that he is keen for a move away from St Mary’s this summer, having joined from Juventus in 2017.

The Evening Standard report that Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City have all expressed an interest in a deal for the Gabon international, who they would need to pay at least £18m to secure.

Lemina has made 52 appearances in all competitions for the south coast outfit – scoring two goals and providing two assists – but he spent the majority of manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s reign so far on the sidelines with an abdominal injury.

When he did return towards the end of the 2018/19 campaign, he only started one of Saints’ final five Premier League fixtures.

Watch Southampton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Club’s confusing decision

In a day and age where transfer fees are going crazy, it seems mad that Southampton would seemingly be willing to accept just £18m for a player like Lemina.

He has played for the likes of Juventus – including an appearance in the 2017 Champions League final – and Marseille during his career, and outshone Paul Pogba in a 2-2 draw between Saints and the Red Devils at St Mary’s in December of last year, as you can see via WhoScored.

Having completed 55 of the 62 dribbles he attempted in 2017/18, and 23 out of 35 last term, it is clear how talented the African is on the ball. If he can find that consistency that was sorely lacking in red and white, he will be a real force to be reckoned with.

Additionally, Aston Villa have just signed a player one year older than Lemina in Tyrone Mings for an initial fee of £20m, which could rise to £26.5m with add-ons, even though he has only played 857 minutes of top flight football in his career.

Southampton’s new man Moussa Djenepo divides opinion amongst fans in the video below…

Similarly, Bristol City are reportedly demanding £30m for centre-back Adam Webster – someone who has never played in the Premier League.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, Southampton are really under-selling themselves when it comes to their midfielder, and in reality they should be demanding a lot more money for his services.

دافع المدرب الأرجنتيني، دييجو سيميوني، المدير الفني لنادي أتلتيكو مدريد، عن فريقه، عقب الإقصاء من مسابقة كأس ملك إسبانيا، وذلك خلال حديثه عقب الانتصار على إيبار في الليجا.

أتلتيكو مدريد فاز على مُضيفه فريق إيبار بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، مساء أمس الخميس، على ملعب “بلدية ايبوروا”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة التاسعة عشر من الدوري الإسباني. شاهد اهداف مباراة اتلتيكو مدريد وايبار

أتلتيكو مدريد أقصى من مسابقة كأس الملك، على يد فريق كورنيلا، الذي عانى أمامه برشلونة من أجل تخطي دور الـ”32″، وسيميوني أوضح أنّ ما حدث لـ أتلتيكو بالإقصاء من الدور التمهيدي على يد فريق مغمور يُمكن أنّ يحدث لأي نادٍ كما حدث لـ بايرن ميونخ وريال مدريد.

وقال سيميوني في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “لقد لعبنا أمام مُنافس لا يسمح لك بالتفكير قليلًا، اللعب في ملعب إيبار دائمًا لا يكون سهلًا أبدًا، لقد استفادوا من ركلة الجزاء التي حصلوا عليها، كنا سيئين في البداية، ولكننا تحسّنا وتمكنا من العودة في النتيجة بفضل سواريز”.

وأضاف: “في الشوط الثاني المباراة كانت أصعب بكثير، عانينا حقًا، وأنا سعيد بهذا الانتصار والحصول على النقاط الثلاث”.

وشدد: “لم نتخيل مباراة سهلة أمام إيبار، نحن نعرف هذا الفريق جيدًا، لقد تقدموا في النتيجة الأمر الذي ساعدهم في المباراة، وصعب الأمور علينا، ثم سواريز ساعدنا وسجّل أهدافا كانت هامة للغاية بالنسبة لنا اليوم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سيميوني مُشيدًا بـ سواريز بعد ثنائية إيبار: يفعل أشياء غير عادية

وعن الابتعاد في ترتيب الليجا، رغم الإقصاء من الدور التمهيدي لمسابقة كأس ملك إسبانيا: “هذا يجعلنا ننتبه ونفهم أن كرة القدم أكثر تعقيدًا، برشلونة فاز في الوقت الإضافي على كورنيلا (الفريق الذي أقصى أتلتيكو مدريد من الكأس)”.

وتابع: “بايرن ميونخ خسر أيضًا في الكأس وريال مدريد، كرة القدم ليست بسيطة، المنافسون يتنافسون، يفعلون ذلك بشكل جيد، وهذا يجعلنا دائمًا في حالة تأهب، وكرة القدم رائعة لأنها تمنحك فرصة للفوز دائمًا”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “أنا سعيد بما أراه داخل غرفة خلع الملابس، الجميع يريدون اللعب، عندما يخرج أحدهم أرى الآخر يريد أنّ يلعب وآخر يرُيد أنّ يبقى، أنا سعيد لأن الفريق يتنافس داخليًا وأنّ الجميع يريدون اللعب”.

[ad_pod ]

Leicester have developed into a fabulous young side over the last few years with a number of players rising through the ranks.

The likes of Ben Chilwell and Hamza Choudhury are progressing into fine footballers whilst they’ve also developed the creative James Maddison since he arrived.

However, they could be about to add another talented young Englishman to their ranks with The Daily Mail suggesting the club are to snap up James Justin for £12m.

With that in mind, Leicester fans have taken to Twitter to debate whether they should be signing the player or if Daniel Amartey should be kept as their back-up right-back behind Ricardo Pereira.

Some supporters seemed to be divided over the transfer with one fan claiming the 19-year-old would be useful at left-back too. A further supporter said he’d be a great addition to the squad.

But despite the potential Justin possesses, another member of the King Power faithful claimed that three players could all play in his role instead, choosing to focus on Caglar Soyuncu, Filip Benkovic and Josh Knight.

The Luton right-back played a vital hand in securing the Hatters promotion last season, making 35 starts in League One.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

[ad_pod ]

According to The Sun, Manchester United could involve Eric Bailly in a swap deal which sees them try to bring Harry Maguire to Old Trafford this summer.

What’s the word?

Maguire has been one of the most impressive central defenders in the Premier League over the last couple of years and yet another transfer saga involving the player looks set to play out over the coming months.

The 26-year-old attracted the interest of United during the 2018 summer window but they now look as though they’re going to return for the defender again this year.

The Sun claim that Ed Woodward is prepared to meet Leicester’s £80m asking price for the defender but they could involve both Bailly and Marcos Rojo in a swap.

Bailly is rated at £22.5m per Transfermarkt so it would be terms which likely heighten the value of the deal even further.

Costly blunder if they don’t accept

The fact United would have to pay more than what Liverpool paid to bring Virgil van Dijk to Anfield is absurd.

Leicester clearly value the player very highly and a mega asking price of £80m tells the story.

Yet, if Woodward tried to include Bailly in a swap deal for Maguire, the Foxes would be stupid to reject it.

Despite injuries, the Ivorian has easily been one of United’s best defenders. That may not be saying a lot given the state of their backline, but the fact remains that he’s a high-class central defender.

Maguire is also in that bracket but as far as replacements go, landing Bailly in return for their star defender would be superb business.

Could Daniel Sturridge be set to reunite with Brendan Rodgers? Check out the video below to find out…

The Foxes centre-back enjoyed a steady term in the Premier League throughout 2018/19 but his performances didn’t live up to the displays he turned in before the World Cup.

As a result, losing him wouldn’t be the end of the world, particularly if they can bring in a direct replacement as part of the deal.

Getting Rojo as well would perhaps be a little questionable, but if they have a chance of bringing arguably United’s best defender to the Midlands, they must accept.

Losing Maguire after letting Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante may not be the best statement but the addition of Bailly would certainly soften the blow.

[ad_pod ]

Like the other 19 Premier League sides they will be competing with next season, Liverpool are fine-tuning their squad ahead of the transfer window’s closure on August 8th. Today’s Reds transfer roundup includes an update in regards to a Premier League goalkeeper, a young star completing a loan move and interest in a Ligue 2 striker.

McCarthy not on radar

According to the Liverpool Echo, Jurgen Klopp and co are not interested in taking Alex McCarthy to Anfield after the Southampton goalkeeper was linked earlier this week. The report says that the club’s management have not mentioned the Southampton shot-stopper’s name as they contemplate signing a new understudy to Alisson.

Ojo joins Rangers

21-year-old winger Sheyi Ojo has joined Rangers on a season-long loan. The youngster recently signed a new five-year deal with the Reds, but will now link up with the 54-time Scottish champions as he continues his development.

Reds pursue Paris FC forward

Jornal de Noticias via Sports Witness is reporting that Liverpool are interested in Paris FC striker Silas Wamangituka. The 19-year-old scored 11 goals last season for the Ligue 2 outfit and is also being pursued by Barcelona and Braga.

“Lots of teams looked at him, Tottenham, West Ham, even Liverpool wanted him at one point. That tells you a lot.”

It’s not often you see Liverpool be so impressed by a player at Everton that they are actually interested in signing them, yet that was the case for Andre Gomes according to former Leeds striker Noel Whelan via Football Insider.

The Portuguese international enjoyed a successful loan spell at the Toffees, so much so that Marco Silva signed the midfielder from Barcelona this week on a permanent deal for a reported £22 million by BBC Sport, beating out a multitude of clubs such as the aforementioned Spurs and West Ham, yet it seems odd that the Reds were interested in Gomes.

Sure, the former Barcelona man is a player of obvious talent. When comparing Gomes to Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho last season looking at stats from WhoScored, the Portuguese midfielder made more dribbles per 90 than any of the Reds trio at 1.5, as well as more long balls at 3.5 per game, but from here, everything goes in favour of those representing the red half of Merseyside.

Gomes averaged 6.1 fewer passes than the lowest passing Liverpool player from the tree at 44.4 to Georginio Wijnaldum’s 50.5, as well as making 0.3 fewer key passes than Henderson, who he himself only averages 0.5 per game.

With Fabinho also outnumbering Gomes and his Liverpool counterparts in the defensive stats and you start to get the picture as to why the former Barcelona man wouldn’t have been too exciting a signing for the Reds, who also have Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returning for the new season.

Liverpool fans, would Gomes have been a good signing? Let us know!

يخوض نادي ليفربول المنافس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مباراة قوية مساء اليوم، الخميس، أمام توتنهام في الجولة العشرين على ملعب “توتنهام هوتسبر” في العاصمة البريطانية “لندن”.

وتنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” بقيادة الحكم الدولي، مايكل أتكينسون.

ويسعى ليفربول في تلك المباراة للعودة إلى النتائج الإيجابية بعد غياب الفوز عن الفريق الإنجليزي في البطولة المحلية في آخر 5 مباريات، بالإضافة إلى الخروج من كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي على يد مانشستر يونايتد يوم، الأحد الماضي.

اقرأ أيضًا | محمد صلاح بعد خسارة مصر أمام الدنمارك: مباراة تاريخية.. فخورون بكم

ولكن هناك معضلة أخرى بسبب هجوم ليفربول الحالي وخاصة، محمد صلاح، الذي لم يسجل في آخر 5 مباريات أيضًا في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، ولكنه يظل على رأس قائمة الهدافين في البطولة برصيد 13 هدفا حتى الآن.

وبالتالي، يرغب محمد صلاح في استغلال صحوته في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي وتسجيله هدفين في مرمى مانشستر يونايتد رغم الخسارة 2-3، للعودة مرة أخرى للتسجيل في الدوري الممتاز.

تسجيل محمد صلاح لهدف جديد مع ليفربول اليوم يعني وصوله إلى 20 هدفًا، وهذا يمنحه فرصة الانضمام إلى 4 أساطير من النادي الإنجليزي قد نجحوا في تسجيل 20 هدفًا أو أكثر في 4 مواسم متتالية.

حتى الآن، نجح محمد صلاح في تسجيل 19 هدفًا في جميع البطولات التي خاضها مع ليفربول هذا الموسم بإجمالي 113 هدفا في 180 مباراة فقط، بحسب صحيفة “مترو” البريطانية.

وإليكم أرقام الأساطير الأربع الذين سجلوا 20 هدفا أو أكثر في 4 مواسم أو ما يزيد:

1- جوردون هودسون سجل أكثر من 20 هدفًا في كل موسم من 5 مواسم متتالية من الفترة بين 1930 وحتى 1935.

2- بيلي ليدل سجل أكثر من 20 هدفا في كل موسم من 4 مواسم في الفترة بين 1954 وحتى 1958.

3- روجر هانت سجل أكثر من 20 هدفًا في 5 مواسم متتالية في فترة الستينيات من القرن الماضي.

4- إيان راش سجل أكثر من 20 هدفًا في 6 مواسم متتالية ما بين 1981 وحتى 1987 قبل الرحيل إلى يوفنتوس.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Jackie McNamara thinks Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty could be about to get his chance to impress Steven Gerrard in competitive action, as reported by website Football Insider.

What’s he said?

Gerrard has moved to strengthen his midfield significantly from the one he acquired last summer.

Arrivals such as Scott Arfield, Steven Davis, Glen Kamara and, most recently, Joe Aribo have given him plenty of options beyond already established players like Ryan Jack.

One player who hasn’t had a look in is Greg Docherty, who was shipped off on loan to Shrewsbury Town in 2018 without getting the chance under the then new Rangers boss.

McNamara thinks, however, that his return this summer and involvement in pre-season bodes well for his Ibrox future.

As quoted by Football Insider, the former Scotland international said:

“There’s some coming back from injury like (Graham) Dorrans, (Jamie) Murphy doesn’t look too far away – they are quite heavy in that midfield area.

“Docherty’s back as well that was on loan. The fact that he’s brought him back, I think he doesn’t send him out on loan or sell him.

“He’s put another lad out, he’s put (Ross) McCrorie out, so it suggests he’s (Docherty) done well to get an opportunity and be in the squad.”

Can Docherty get regular action?

As McNamara notes, the exit of McCrorie to Portsmouth for the season on loan should free up a bit of space for Docherty to at least move up the midfield pecking order.

McCrorie made 31 appearances last season and while you would expect new signing Aribo to mop up the majority of those, the former Hamilton man Docherty should at least be more involved than frozen out on the fringes of the first-team squad.

The 22-year-old made 50 appearances on loan at the Shrews last term, scoring ten goals, assisting ten more and winning their player of the season award.

Clearly a hit in English League One, he deserves a chance to show what he can do for the Gers before any decision is made on his future at Ibrox.

[long_read]

[ad_pod ]

Christian Eriksen’s Tottenham Hotspur future remains up in the air this summer.

The Spurs playmaker has not been the subject of a single bid in this transfer window, per The Guardian, despite airing his desire to leave after the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.

It remains to be seen if Real Madrid will move for him – they have also been heavily linked with Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, per the aforementioned report – but would Spurs actually be better off by pushing him out of the exit door this summer?

There are a number of positives to consider, which Football FanCast runs through below!

[snack_break title=”The money”]

This one is obvious.

Reports suggest that Daniel Levy values the Denmark international at around €100m (£89.9m) and such a figure could be immediately reinvested into the playing squad.

However, Madrid are reportedly only willing to stump up €80m (£72.2m), which is still a considerable figure for a player entering the final year of his contract.

Spurs have already smashed their transfer record this summer to sign Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon and one feels that they may need a bit of help as they look for further reinforcements.

Links with Giovani Lo Celso and Dani Ceballos of Real Betis and Real Madrid respectively persist and, while the latter could join on loan, the former has a release clause of £88m.

That money does not grow on a tree at Spurs’ training ground.

Selling Eriksen, then, and adding the cash to the coffers would see Spurs cover a significant portion of the fee required to sign Lo Celso.

If Mauricio Pochettino believes the Betis man is better than Eriksen, that feels like a no-brainer.

[snack_break title=”Alli’s freedom”]

Dele Alli is not a winger.

This has been much discussed but he was often pushed out to the flank to make room for Eriksen throughout the 2018/19 season and his output suffered as a result.

He scored just five Premier League goals last season and provided three assists.

Compare that to 2016/17, when he primarily played off the shoulder of striker Harry Kane: he scored 18 Premier League goals and registered nine assists.

The difference is night and day and selling Eriksen could free up a spot at No.10, particularly if Lo Celso isn’t signed.

The Dane’s departure could be just what the England international needs.

[snack_break title=”Lo Celso and Ceballos”]

It is difficult to imagine that both players will come in if Eriksen doesn’t go.

Ceballos, as mentioned above, is a target for Spurs.

But to bring in Lo Celso, too, one feels that Eriksen will have to depart, otherwise, they face a severe overload of attacking midfielders.

It may not be too much of a bad thing, though.

Lo Celso enjoyed a sensational season with Betis while Ceballos would offer a deeper-lying alternative to Harry Winks, who has not had a lot of support in recent months.

[snack_break title=”Proper back-up”]

Eriksen has basically been forced to play every game at Spurs when he’s fit.

The club haven’t had a proper alternative in the No.10 role for quite some time, perhaps since Clint Dempsey left the club.

And now, irony of ironies, it could happen as soon as he departs.

Indeed, both Lo Celso and Ceballos can play in the role, as can Alli, and it would mean that Spurs fans no longer have to watch a mid-season blip from their one-and-only creative hub.

Eriksen, after all, played 51 times in all competitions last season; he made 47 appearances in 2017/18 and 48 in 2016/17.

It is no wonder he was tired.

[snack_break title=”Winks further forward”]

Harry Winks needs to add another string to his bow.

A truly excellent water-carrier in midfield, his statistics are unspectacular and he failed to register a single assist last season.

Eriksen’s departure, though, could see him move further forward, with Mauricio Pochettino spreading the creative responsibility throughout the team.

One feels that Winks can become an excellent vertical midfielder, looking to break the lines and pass through teams, instead of merely offloading the ball to the nearest runner.

This is not to say that he will suddenly become an attacking midfielder, but he could well flourish in a role with more attacking requirements.

Playing alongside both Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko in midfield, he will certainly have the bruising support needed to venture forward every now and again.

[/long_read]