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Além de buscar reforços para o elenco visando a disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro, o Avaí também trabalha para manter o valores formados nas categorias de base, casos do zagueiro Lipe e do atacante Gustavo Simões.

RelacionadasAvaíAvaí tenta a contratação de Aloísio “Boi Bandido”Avaí21/03/2022AvaíAvaí precisa quebrar marca negativa diante do BrusqueAvaí18/03/2022AvaíVolante Lucas Ventura é apresentado pelo AvaíAvaí16/03/2022

>Não perca nada com o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Os dois jogadores tiveram seus acordos prolongados até 2025 com uma multa rescisória pensando em negociações com o futebol do exterior bastante considerável. O valor estipulado em contrato foi de 30 milhões de euros, algo equivalente a R$ 162,6 milhões.

-Muito feliz em estar renovando meu contrato com esse clube que sempre me acolheu e me deu muitas oportunidades. Queria agradecer primeiramente a Deus, todas as pessoas que me incentivam todos os dias e aos meus empresários por dar todo o suporte – publicou Lipe em sua rede social.

-Muito feliz em continuar representando a instituição AVAI FUTEBOL CLUBE.
Uma agremiação que desde que cheguei me recebeu muito bem e que sou muito grato por acreditar no meu trabalho. Quero fazer história aqui dentro e dar muitas alegrias ao torcedor avaiano – se manifestou Gustavo em seu perfil.

Fora do Catarinense e da Copa do Brasil, o Avaí tem como próximo desafio a reestreia na elite nacional como mandante frente ao América-MG. A partida em questão tem previsão de ocorrer no dia 10 de abril.

It’s been a frustrating campaign for Arsenal so far this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side has looked brilliant at times, but injuries, suspensions, and sporadic drop-offs in form have seen them fall six points behind Liverpool atop the Premier League table.

However, while some of the Gunners’ stars haven’t been consistent enough this season, the same cannot be said of Bukayo Saka, who has taken another step forward this year, as evidenced by his sensational tally of seven goals and 11 assists in 20 appearances.

Saka’s 24/25

Competition

EPL

UCL

EFL Cup

Appearances

14

4

2

Minutes

1162′

343′

99′

Goals

5

2

0

Assists

10

1

0

Goal Involvements per Match

1.07

0.75

0.00

Minutes per Goal Involvement

77.46′

114.33′

N/A

All Stats via Transfermarkt

So, recent reports linking the club to another brilliant attacker who’s been compared to the young Englishman should leave fans excited.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are one of four Premier League clubs interested in Atalanta star Ademola Lookman.

Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have all recently sent scouts to watch the Nigerian dynamo in action, who the report claims is ‘open to a return to England.’

However, along with having to beat the competition, the North Londoners will have to pay a pretty penny to secure the forward’s services, with reports from earlier this year claiming Atalanta value him at around €70m, which is about £58m.

In all, it would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Lookman’s ability, it is one worth pursuing, especially with his comparisons to Saka.

Lookman's comparisons to Saka

So, before we examine Lookman’s sensational level of output over the last few seasons, let’s look at this comparison to Saka.

It primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, over the last 365 days, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for everyone, and from there, they have concluded that the Englishman is the most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Nigerian.

Now, there are some apparent similarities between the pair, namely the fact they are goalscoring and game-changing forwards for their respective teams, even if the Atalanta ace is right-footed, but to get a better understanding of how FBref reached this conclusion, we can examine the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely.

Lookman & Saka

Stats per 90

Lookman

Saka

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.76

0.66

Progressive Passes

3.59

3.67

Passing Accuracy

73.9%

74.6%

Key Passes

3.26

3.05

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.43

0.63

Successful Take-Ons %

40.0%

40.9%

Aerial Duels Won

0.65

0.55

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

These metrics include but are not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive passes, passing accuracy, key passes, crosses into the penalty area, and aerial duels won, all per 90.

However, while his similarities to the Hale End icon are certainly encouraging, the 27-year-old’s form over the last few seasons should be reason enough for Arteta and Co to sign him up.

For example, since joining Atalanta, the incredible forward with “blistering” pace, per U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored 42 goals and provided 23 assists in just 95 appearances, which equates to an incredible average of a goal involvement every 1.46 games.

Moreover, with experience playing off the left, off the right, in midfield and up top, the Wandsworth-born phenom could replace any of the Gunners’ attacking players should their form drop off.

Ultimately, while it could be an expensive transfer to get over the line, Arsenal must do what they can to secure Lookman’s signature in 2025, as he looks like the perfect addition to their attacking options.

Related Arsenal must regret selling £35m ace who's outscoring Trossard & Martinelli

The experienced attacker left Arsenal before Arteta took charge.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 10, 2024

Hosts’ defence started with a scare after Myburgh’s 33-ball fifty, but Henry and D Bracewell pulled things back to give Taylor perfect send-off

Himanshu Agrawal04-Apr-2022New Zealand 333 for 8 (Young 120, Guptill 106, Floyd 2-41) beat Netherlands 218 all out (Myburgh 64, Henry 4-36, D Bracewell 2-23) by 115 runsNew Zealand gave the departing Ross Taylor a perfect send-off by comprehensively beating the Netherlands to seal a 3-0 sweep of the ODI series. Fittingly, it was him who took the winning catch, as centuries from Will Young, who bettered his career-best tally with 120, and Martin Guptill, who hit an ODI century after three years, fashioned their total of 333. The pair added 203 for the second wicket before a death-overs push by the lower order propelled them further.But despite posting a competitive total, the hosts’ defence started with a scare, as the visiting opener, Stephan Myburgh blazed his way to a 33-ball half-century, the second-fastest in ODIs for a batter from Netherlands. Myburgh cracked three fours in the opening over of the chase, slashing and driving Matt Henry at will.Kyle Jamieson from the other end wasn’t spared either, with Myburgh thrashing eight fours and a six within the first six overs of the reply as all hell broke loose. Having faced 24 balls out of those, he had raced to 43 while Max O’Dowd at the other end sat on 4 from 12 deliveries.Tom Latham brought a double bowling change by introducing cousins Doug and Michael Bracewell in tandem, but that made little difference; Myburgh got into the offspinner Michael Bracewell with two successive sweeps – the first of which brought up his half-century – and a slash through point for four.The Netherlands had galloped to 74 without loss in the mandatory powerplay – their highest in ODIs after the first ten overs – before Colin de Grandhomme pressed the brakes for New Zealand. Off the fourth ball of his first over, he dug in a slower ball on a short of a length and got it to angle away, as Myburgh found fine leg with his pull, departing for 64 off 43 balls. That wicket broke Netherlands’ momentum, who then lost O’Dowd in the next over when Doug Bracewell got a leg-before decision overturned via DRS.And although Vikramjit Singh and Bas de Leede put on 46 after taking their time, what was 128 for 2 soon became 177 for 7, with Henry grabbing three of those wickets, including his 100th in ODIs when he trapped Vikramjit for 25.But the luxury of bowling to a big total on the board was provided to their bowlers by Young and Guptill, who had got together when New Zealand were 12 for 1 in the fifth over. They brought up their fifty stand in the 15th over, mainly depending on strike rotation as the bowlers kept it tight, with extra bounce playing its part too, much like it did in the second ODI on Saturday.Guptill was the quieter partner, sitting on 36 off 59 balls after 18 overs, with New Zealand ticking over at less than five runs an over. But it was then that the two settled batters decided to take on the spinners Michael Rippon and Pieter Seelaar. Guptill bashed two fours and a six in the next three overs, where he and Young combined to pick 25. He got to his fifty off 66 balls with a six that sailed wide of long-off, as Young followed soon after.Young raised his half-century after depositing Rippon for six, which went bang over the bowler’s head. And like Latham did in the last match, Guptill and Young ensured the singles came kept coming along with the occasional boundary in the middle overs, which set the platform for what was to follow.The two kept milking runs without looking uncomfortable until Young had a heart-in-the-mouth moment: when on 71, he pulled de Leede to deep square leg in the 34th over and found the man on the fence. But O’Dowd in the deep seemingly assumed he was about to fall over the rope and dropped it on to the field.The last 16 overs brought New Zealand 158 runs, as they stepped on the gas thereafter. The carnage started with Young and Guptill finding the fence at will, as Guptill got to his century with another six over long-off. Although he departed for 106 in the 39th over after a short ball lifted off the surface to take his glove and helmet on its way to the keeper, it was Young who continued the hitting.He too got to his second ODI century – the first of those had come in the first ODI of this series – with a maximum, before the shot of the day came from the man who mattered most. Taylor sent Logan van Beek over deep midwicket for six in typical Taylor way when he swung across the line in the first ball of the 41st over, with Young smashing a four and a six consecutively two balls later.However, van Beek had his man soon after, when Taylor went to hack a slower delivery to the leg side, only to end up ballooning it to the keeper behind, walking back with 14 to his name in his final international appearance. New Zealand kept losing wickets after that, as their experiment of promoting Michael Bracewell, de Grandhomme and Doug Bracewell above Latham – who eventually came in at No. 8 – didn’t work out particularly well.Doug Bracewell cracked 22 off 9 balls, while Latham and Ish Sodhi provided the finishing touches, as they got to 333 and Taylor walked into the sunset with a win.

أوضح آرني سلوت، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، حقيقة دخول اللاعب داروين نونيز في شجار مع أحد أعضاء الجهاز الفني، ما أدى إلى استبعاده من مباراة الجولة الماضية ضد وست هام.

وخاض ليفربول مباراة في الجولة الثانية والثلاثين من الدوري الإنجليزي ضد وست هام حيث فاز بهدفين لهدف.

وغاب نونيز عن مباراة ليفربول المذكورة، حيث لم يتواجد في التشكيل الأساسي أو دكة البدلاء.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كونور برادلي: تجديد عقد محمد صلاح وفان دايك أمر جيد لأمثالي في ليفربول

وبرر آرني سلوت الموقف آنذاك بأن نونيز شعر أنه ليس على ما يرام، مما أدى إلى استبعاده من المباراة.

وظهرت تكهنات تفيد أن نونيز دخل في مشادة حادة مع أحد أفراد الجهاز الفني لنادي ليفربول، مما أدى إلى استبعاده من مباراة وست هام، كقرار تأديبي.

ولكن سلوت نفى الأمر، حيث قال في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “جارديان” الإنجليزية: “لم يكن نونيز على ما يرام في اليوم السابق للمباراة، دخل الملعب ولم يتمكن من المشاركة مع الفريق في اليوم التالي”.

وأضاف: “هذا قد يعني أشياءً كثيرة، ولكنه نعم، لم يكن على ما يرام”.

وعند الضغط عليه وسؤاله بشكل مباشر عن حقيقة وقوع مشادة بين نونيز وفرد من الجهاز الفني، رد الهولندي: “لا، لم يحدث، لقد غادر الملعب لأنه لم يشعر بأنه على ما يرام”.

واختتم: “كما قلت، لقد غادر الملعب، ومن ثم لم يتبادل أي كلمات مع أحد أعضاء الجهاز الفني”.

Celtic will be looking to move further up the Champions League standings this evening as they prepare to travel to Croatia to take on Dinamo Zagreb away from Glasgow.

The Hoops are currently 20th in the league phase and are four points ahead of the bottom 12, which would see them knocked out of the competition, with three matches left to play.

They are up against a Dinamo side that is on seven points, one fewer than Celtic, and could provide a tough challenge for Brendan Rodgers’ side tonight.

The Scottish giants have enjoyed a strong start to the season in the Champions League, with one defeat in five matches, and they held Club Brugge to a 1-1 draw last time out in the competition.

Celtic’s last game, however, was in the Scottish Premiership and ended with a 3-0 win over Hibernian at Parkhead to extend their lead at the top of the table.

The Hoops are now nine points clear at the top of the Premiership after goals from Arne Engels, an own goal from Joe Newell, and Kyogo Furuhashi secured all three points against Hibs.

Despite the comfortable scoreline for the hosts, Rodgers could look to make some changes to his starting line-up, starting with an alteration in defence.

Why Liam Scales should be dropped

Cameron Carter-Vickers was rested against Hibernian and that meant that two left-footed defenders in Liam Scales and Auston Trusty were selected from the start.

The former Tottenham Hotspur central defender’s presence was missed at the back for the Hoops as the away side created five ‘big chances’ in the match, despite only having 26% of the ball.

Thankfully, Kasper Schmeichel was on hand to make a stunning nine saves, seven of which were from shots from inside of the box, to keep the clean sheet and prevent some sloppy defending from Celtic from ruining the scoreline.

Hibernian found it far too easy to break in behind of Trusty and Scales, with the former often the one closest to putting any pressure on the forwards when they did get through.

Carter-Vickers and Trusty were the centre-backs picked for the League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, which Celtic won 6-0, and the last two Champions League clashes – a win over RB Leipzig and a draw with Club Brugge, and Rodgers could drop Scales from the starting XI to bring that pairing back together.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Ireland international is not the only player who could be taken out of the line-up for tonight’s clash in Croatia, though, and not even the only Irishman.

Why Adam Idah should be dropped

The summer signing from Norwich City, Adam Idah, was selected to lead the line against Hibernian and he had an opportunity to show Rodgers that he can be the main number nine for the club.

He had scored three goals in his previous three Premiership matches for the club, with two goals against Hearts and one brilliant strike against Ross County in a 5-0 win for the Scottish giants.

Unfortunately, the Ireland international was unable to step up and showcase the best of his abilities to push for a regular spot in the starting XI, which is why he could be instantly dropped from the team for tonight’s match.

The 6 foot 3 marksman had two ‘big chances’ to find the back of the net against Hibernian but fluffed his lines both times, failing to beat the goalkeeper on both occasions.

Minutes

67

Shots

3

Big chances missed

2

Big chances created

1

Duels won

2/5

As you can see in the table above, Idah missed two ‘big chances’ from three shots on goal on Saturday and lost the majority of his physical duels with opposition defenders.

He did, however, create one ‘big chance’ for his teammates but was not rewarded with an assist for his efforts. That does not make up for how wasteful the former Norwich man was with the opportunities that came his way in the box, though.

That is why Rodgers must ditch Idah, who was handed a 6/10 rating by 67HailHail, from the starting XI and bring Kyogo Furuhashi back into the side for this clash with Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

Why Kyogo Furuhashi should start

Whilst the Japan international has not had a perfect start to the season for the Scottish giants, the Celtic star produced a moment of magic with his goal off the bench on Saturday.

James Forrest threaded a ball through into the box and Kyogo expertly let the ball go between his legs before controlling on his right foot on the spin and dinking the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to make it 3-0.

It was a sensational bit of skill and showcased the kind of invention that the experienced forward can bring at the top end of the pitch when he is at his best.

The 29-year-old attacker has not always been at his best this season, though, as the wasteful forward has missed a whopping 14 ‘big chances’ in ten starts in the Premiership, along with three in four starts in the Champions League.

Former Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou once dubbed Kyogo a “threat” and that best sums up the striker, who constantly gets himself into good positions to score.

Appearances

5

Starts

4

xG

2.36

Goals

1

Dribble success rate

60%

Duel success rate

42%

As you can see in the table above, he has racked up 2.36 xG in the four starts in the Champions League so far this season, but has only scored one goal.

Interestingly, he has never actually scored away from home in Europe, but the stats do showcase that the £19k-per-week dynamo has been getting himself into great positions in front of goal, and the final action has just let him down at times.

Kyogo has scored 81 goals in 153 appearances in all competitions and this suggests that the goals will come, as one did against Hibernian on Saturday, and that is why Rodgers should bring him into the starting XI after Idah’s struggles last time out.

Celtic struck gold with "outstanding" ace who's now similar to a £54m star

The Hoops only paid £4.5m to sign the impressive forward during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure.

ByDan Emery Dec 10, 2024

With the January transfer window just around the corner, Fulham have reportedly received an early approach to sell one of Marco Silva’s star men in an exit that would be quite the blow.

Fulham transfer news

The Cottagers are enjoying an impressive campaign and have well and truly become an established Premier League side once again, putting their days in the dropzone to bed on a permanent basis. Their transfer business deserves great credit for such security too, given how successful the likes of Alex Iwobi and, more recently, Emile Smith Rowe have been.

Brazilian press claim Fulham are about to make January bid for "top" talent

He’s been described as “one of Brazil’s biggest midfield talents.”

ByBarney Lane Dec 14, 2024

Forced to settle for a point against high-flying Liverpool last time out, despite taking the lead twice at Anfield, Fulham are a side to watch even when they square off against England’s best sides.

With their recent success may well come the interest of European clubs in certain star players in what is a given for almost every club on an upwards trajectory. The task that those at Craven Cottage could be handed is keeping hold of those very star players better than they have done with the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joao Palhinha in the past.

With that said, according to Fabrizio Romano, Palmeiras have made their first approach to sign Andreas Pereira, but Fulham consider their midfielder to be “untouchable” and will likely shut down the Brazilian club’s dream move before it progresses.

When January arrives, it’s imperative that Fulham keep hold of not just Pereira, but also the likes of Antonee Robinson too as clubs swarm to pick apart an increasingly impressive squad.

"Untouchable" Pereira has been revived at Fulham

Pereira looked down and out at Manchester United before Fulham came calling. At the time, it seemed a gamble for the Cottagers to sign the Brazilian, who had failed to offer the decisive touch on the biggest stage. But he soon found himself revived under Silva and has not looked back since. Now an important figure, earning a reported £50,000-a-week, Pereira should stay put and continue a revived spell.

At the centre of Silva’s praise, the Fulham boss told reporters as relayed by United in Focus in 2022: “He has been outstanding this season. I know a lot of people had doubts when I decided to sign him but I knew his qualities and his character.

“Even last season we had a conversation about his future, but it wasn’t the right moment for him to join us. He’s a key player on and off the ball and with set pieces. Two assists this afternoon. A top professional who is enjoying himself at the moment in a white shirt.”

As Palmeiras come calling, Pereira should remain untouchable and remain an important player at the heart of Silva’s Fulham side on the rise.

Khaled Mahmud, the Bangladesh team director, feels Mustafizur Rahman should not have been allowed to pick and choose the formats he wished to play, as it has led to a fast-bowling vacuum in the Test side. Mustafizur is currently playing in the IPL for Delhi Capitals, having taken eight wickets in as many matches this season.Ahead of this year’s IPL, the BCB gave Mustafizur the clearance to play in the tournament even when Bangladesh were playing Tests in South Africa.It wasn’t a topic of particular interest at the time because Bangladesh had already won the ODI series, and they still had Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam around. While there has been debate about who decides on the format, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan has been saying since mid-2021 that the centrally contracted Bangladesh players will be allowed to pick and choose their formats, regardless of their experience.It started as a verbal promise last year, and the players have since signed the 2022 contracts by providing their choice of format in some cases. Mustafizur was given the IPL No Objection Certificate (NOC) this season after the Bangladesh selectors didn’t pick him in the squads for the South Africa and Sri Lanka Tests. Mustafizur has not played a Test since February last year, having taken just four wickets in the last four years.”(BCB president Nazmul Hassan) Papon said that the players can discuss which format they want to play but this was only applicable to the senior players, not all players,” Mahmud said in a press briefing at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.”Would it be okay if (Mahmudul Hasan) Joy said that he doesn’t want to play Tests? How old is Mustafiz? How long has he been playing for? He is not Shakib, Tamim, Mashrafe or Mushfiq. These players have provided service for many years. I don’t know why Mustafiz doesn’t want to play Tests. The board should decide which format a player plays.”Shakib and Tamim are 34-35 years old. They deserve breaks. But Litton Das doesn’t need breaks. When he becomes Shakib or Tamim, I will say that he deserves rest. Mustafiz must play Tests. It is his peak time. I am not saying he should play all the Tests but he should definitely be available for six to eight matches per year. I used to hear that he doesn’t want to play due to bio-bubbles, but now things have changed so that can’t be an excuse anymore. If Taskin and Shoriful can play (Tests), he should too.”Capitals are currently just outside the top four with four games remaining in the league stage, so Mustafizur will be available for them till May 21 at the very least. There’s still no movement from the BCB or the selectors to bring him into the Test side, but Mahmud said that with Taskin Ahmed already out of the Sri Lanka series due to a shoulder injury and Shoriful Islam’s availability still subject to a fitness test, the home side are missing out on their best bowler, regardless of the format.”With Taskin injured, one of our main bowlers is out. Shoriful could be injured any time soon. Both Taskin and Shoriful are injury-prone bowlers. In that case we need Mustafiz who, when you consider his experience, skills, technique and tactics, is Bangladesh’s best fast bowler. Mustafiz would have provided balance to the side.”There’s a lot of cricket in the three formats so everyone needs time off. Taskin and Shoriful also deserve rest. When we have enough bowlers, we probably won’t need Mustafiz in this format but till then he should provide support. He is dangerous in white-ball cricket but I also know that he can be a handful with the red ball too.”Mahmud came down strongly on Mustafizur’s commitment towards red-ball cricket and Bangladesh, but also felt that someone should have gotten in touch with him to clarify the situation.”He might get two or four crores in the IPL, but isn’t cricket bigger than the money? Isn’t the country bigger than money? We never played for money. Now a cricketer needs the BCB’s help when he is dying. (Mustafizur) won’t need the BCB (in that situation). They can themselves help others (financially). Why won’t I want to play for Bangladesh?”Cricket board means Mustafiz, and Mustafiz means the cricket board. They are both in the same place. There’s no distance. Maybe nobody spoke to him.”

Enzo Maresca was slammed for his "boring" tactics in Arsenal defeat as William Gallas believes Chelsea should have stuck with Mauricio Pochettino.

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• Chelsea went down to Arsenal in the London derby
• Maresca under scrutiny after just four wins in 13 PL games
• Gallas believes Chelsea were better under Pochettino

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory, courtesy of Mikel Merino’s first-half header, at the Emirates on Sunday. The win solidified the Gunners’ second-place position, while Chelsea’s ambitions of securing a top-four finish took a major blow.

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• GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea’s uninspired performance has become a recurring theme in recent weeks. Despite boasting a squad valued at over £1 billion, the team has been struggling for consistency since the turn of the year. Their poor run of form, which includes just four wins in their last 13 league matches, has raised serious questions about Maresca’s tactics and decision-making.

• WHAT GALLAS SAID

  One of the biggest criticisms of Chelsea’s approach under Maresca has been their possession-heavy style that often fails to translate into meaningful goal-scoring opportunities.

  Gallas did not hold back in his assessment of Maresca’s system, describing it as a throwback to a different era. He was particularly baffled by the decision to play Reece James in midfield, likening the approach to something from decades ago.

  Speaking to Gallas said: "It was man-to-man everywhere on the pitch, I was surprised that Reece James played as a midfielder and it was like being back in 1980. We are in 2025, how can you ask your players to do that? The defenders Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill looked scared on the ball and with more pressure from Arsenal they might’ve scored the second goal, the goal they did score was from a corner.

  “For me, it was boring, especially for a London derby. I played so many of those games and it was more intense. Fans want to see the players fighting, running, and challenging, but nothing happened."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Gallas believes that based on Chelsea’s recent performances, Mauricio Pochettino might have been the better option to lead the club. Pochettino was sacked in the summer of 2024 after he guided the Blues to a sixth-place finish.

  “Looking at the performance against Arsenal, you’d say that Chelsea would be better off with Mauricio Pochettino," the former defender opined.

  “What I saw of Chelsea against Arsenal, the system and how they played, I was a little bit disappointed. But right now I think Enzo Maresca is on the right path, they are still on course to qualify for the top four. Sometimes owners at big clubs are not patient.

  “The new owners have made a lot of decisions until now when they don’t see results, now it’s up to Maresca to show that he is the manager Chelsea were looking for.”

Here’s something no one has been able to say for a while: Manchester City are struggling for goals.

Right now, the Sky Blues are the joint-sixth highest scorers in the Premier League with 22 from 13 games, meaning they’ve bagged fewer goals than Brentford and the same number as Wolverhampton Wanderers, a current member of the bottom three.

As noted by Opta’s The Analyst, of Man City’s starting lineup deployed at Anfield on Sunday, only Erling Braut Haaland had scored a Premier League goal this season, a fact that remained true following their lacklustre display on Merseyside, and even the usually unstoppable Norwegian has only netted twice in his last eight league outings.

Of course, the Citizens’ current decline has been largely attributed to Rodri’s injury, leaving them exposed at the back and vulnerable to counter-attacks, but they’re also struggling to score goals too.

Thus, despite already boasting one free-scoring, often unplayable Nordic centre-forward, could the four-in-a-row Premier League champions make a move for another?

Manchester City looking at Viktor Gyokeres move

According to a report by Florian Plettenberg of Sky Deutschland on social media, Manchester City have “intensified their efforts” to sign Sporting Clube de Portugal striker Viktor Gyökeres.

The Sweden international has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the last month or so, which isn’t too surprising considering Rúben Amorim, his now former Sporting boss has just arrived at Old Trafford.

When pressed on the matter, Gyökeres himself said: “We’re sad to see him (Amorim) go….. follow him to Manchester? I don’t know, I’m here and I like it here. I don’t think about it.”

However, could he indeed follow Amorim to Manchester, but end up donning a sky blue shirt, rather than a red one?

Analyst Ben Mattinson described Gyökeres as a “ball-striking monster”, with reference to this thunderous free-kick he scored during the Taça da Liga quarter-final against Nacional in late October.

That was one of 24 goals Gyökeres has scored already this season, including five in five Champions League appearances, most notably bagging a hat-trick during Manchester City’s 4-1 thrashing at Estádio José Alvalade last month.

He was also the top-scorer in this season’s UEFA Nations League with nine, including four when Azerbaijan visited Stockholm in November, a haul that meant he pipped a certain Haaland to the golden boot.

Transfer Focus

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Where Gyökeres would fit in at Manchester City

Overall, since joining Sporting from Coventry City 18 months ago, Gyökeres has scored 67 goals in 71 appearances for the Lions, the key figure, certainly on the playing side, as they won last season’s Primeira Liga title at a canter.

Given that the Swede will celebrate his 27th birthday next June, next summer feels the right time for him to make a big-money move, having made very little impact at the highest level before exploding onto the scene in Lisbon last season.

On the face of it, this proposed move makes little sense at all, considering Man City already have the great Haaland leading the line.

However, Gyökeres should be viewed as more of a replacement for Julián Álvarez, who was sold to Atlético Madrid for a whopping £81.5m last summer, without being replaced; İlkay Gündoğan’s, so far, underwhelming return notwithstanding.

It was viewed that Álvarez’s departure would have little impact because he didn’t play much anyway, but this was a complete myth because, contrary to popular belief, only seven outfielders accumulated more than his 3,481 minutes, while only Rodri, Phil Foden, Ederson and Kyle Walker saw more Premier League action than the Argentine forward.

So far this season, Savinho, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Jérémy Doku and an ageing Kevin De Bruyne, persistently hampered by injury, have scored a combined seven goals across all competitions, with Grealish specifically approaching an entire year since he last scored a club goal against Crystal Palace; 353 days and counting.

So, as bonkers as it may be to say, Gyökeres could be just the man the Sky Blues need to bolster their attacking firepower, consequently replacing Alvarez in the process.

Man City want to sign Premier League star who could be their own Odegaard

Manchester City are reportedly keeping tabs on the impressive Premier League attacker.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2024

Strauss, a strategic advisor to the ECB, backs McCullum to make a massive impact on English cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2022

Brendon McCullum has coached Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders on the T20 circuit•BCCI

Brendon McCullum “knocked it out the park” during his interview to become England’s new Test coach and “blew us away with his clarity of thinking”, according to Andrew Strauss, a strategic advisor to the ECB.McCullum’s appointment was confirmed on Thursday after two days of interviews at the start of this week and Strauss, who was part of the interview panel along with CEO Tom Harrison, performance director Mo Bobat and managing director Rob Key, said that he was “delighted” with the decision.”I was involved with the interview process and he knocked it out the park,” Strauss told talkSPORT at the Sports Industry Awards on Thursday night. “But these appointments aren’t about interviews. They’re about approach, really, and about the reputation that people have and I know he’s the sort of guy that the England players will look up to and he’ll be able to show them the way.”He’s done that with New Zealand cricket as captain, he’s done that in the short-format tournaments he’s been involved with. I think he’s going to make a massive impact on English cricket. He’s got such clarity of thought and approach.”He’s a guy who keeps the game of cricket very simple but he’s got a positive intent in everything he does and that’s exactly what the England Test team need right at the moment: some good, strong leadership, some direction. I know Brendon is just so excited about the prospect of coming out here and not just trying to take the English cricket team forward but also doing his bit to take Test cricket forward generally.”Related

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Strauss added that McCullum’s appointment felt “nicely connected” with the positive approach espoused by Key and Ben Stokes, England’s new Test captain, and suggested that they would make some changes in personnel when the squad to play New Zealand at Lord’s on June 2 is announced next week.”The first thing is about mindset, and embedding that mindset in the players,” Strauss told Sky Sports at the same event. “There might be a couple of selection changes, players that play in that style naturally, I would have thought. But the most important thing of all is the connection and alignment between him and Ben Stokes, the captain: them forging a strong, productive relationship is going to be crucial.”He’s a very positive guy with a very clear mindset and he will embed that in that Test team at a time when confidence is a bit low and people need a bit of clarity and direction. He’s an impressive guy. He can’t wait to start – and quite frankly, I can’t wait for him to start.”He was just unbelievably ambitious [as a player]. He used to run down the wicket against some of the quickest bowlers in the world, he always took the positive option, he wasn’t scared of failing.”He wasn’t scared of making mistakes and I think that’s what this Test team needs a bit at the moment. They need someone to back them, they need someone to give them confidence and inspire them and they need to actually break the shackles and realise how good they are and I think he’s the perfect person to do that.”