Category: Football

Man United and Solskjaer get plans for the summer going with latest deal

Manchester United have announced academy graduate Tahith Chong has joined Werder Bremen on loan for the 2020/21 season.

Chong joined United from Feyenoord in 2016 and has been limited to just 16 appearances in all competitions since being promoted to the first team in 2018.

The winger, 20, signed an improved contract in March, keeping him with the club until the end of the 2022 season.

Negotiations between the two European clubs concluded after a decision was reached over how the player’s wages will be split.

Given the current transfer market, many teams who do not have the same financial power of a club like United will be looking at … Read the rest

Versatile Willian a Swiss Army Knife signing

It was interesting to read Mikel Arteta talk about the reasons behind the signing of Willian on a free transfer. There was a financial element, of course, in that he is nominally ‘free’, in as much as we didn’t have to pay a fee for him.

“That really suits us at the moment,” said the manager, and you can understand why. He also spoke about the player’s character, calling him a ‘winner’, and making it clear that’s something he feels the squad needs. In his seven years at Chelsea, the Brazilian racked up plenty of medals and trophies, including two Premier League titles and a Europa League win in a game I have no recollection of whatsoever.

But if you’re looking for the real insight into this deal – from a footballing perspective at least – Arteta says:

We had a clear intention to strengthen in the attacking midfielder and

… Read the rest

Trent explains why he’s “nowhere near” fulfilled after winning basically everything with Liverpool

Young right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has said he’s “nowhere near” fulfilled after winning the Premier League title with his boyhood club.

The Scouser has been with the Reds his whole life, and has lived the dream of every fan by lifting the two most illustrious trophies available to a Liverpool player.

2019 brought the Champions League title, and the English league title followed just over 12 months later – it’s been an incredible ride for everyone involved.

But Trent isn’t yet fulfilled at Liverpool, and wants to continue fighting for more. Speaking to The Face, the full-back said he has a desire to win at any cost.

“I’d say I’m chill, quite laid back,” he admits. ​“But when you step onto the pitch there’s something that clicks and it’s just that competitive nature that’s in every athlete really.

“That desire to win at any … Read the rest

Video: Man City punished on the break as Maxwel Cornet fires Lyon into the lead

In the 23rd minute of Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Lyon, the Citizens found themselves in danger after a lovely ball was played over the top of their high line.

Karl Toko Ekambi ran onto the pass and before being tackled by Eric Garcia, but the ball spilled out and into the path of Maxwel Cornet.

The forward punished sweeper-keeper Ederson for being out of his goal as he tucked the ball into the back of the net with a tidy first-time finish from just outside the box.

Take a look at Lyon’s opener that sets them on the way to another upset below:

Pictures from BT … Read the rest

Differing reports on Dybala future

There are different reports on Paulo Dybala’s future at Juventus as Gazzetta dello Sport report that the club would only entertain offers over €90 million for the player while Fabrizio Romano suggests his future in Turin is secure.

La Joya was widely expected to renew his contract with the Bianconeri this summer, extended his deal to 2024 or possibly 2025, with just a final agreement missing.

Tuttosport now report that the renewal talks are on hold for the moment, at least until after the summer, as La Joya has asked for at least €15 million a season, while Juve are only prepared to offer €8 million plus bonuses.

Alongside, Gazzetta dello Sport report that the Covid crisis negatively affected Juventus’ balance sheet (an estimate: €70 million as of 30/6/2020) and could force the Bianconeri to think about a heavy sale to finance the new course they’re taking.

Gazzetta report that … Read the rest

'Get me signed'- Former Man United man reveals reason he left

Former Manchester United man Ashley Young has opened up on what made him leave the club a little suddenly.

The experienced Englishman left Old Trafford in January to join Inter Milan despite being the club’s captain at the time.

Young was one of United’s more senior players and was understood to be an influential member of the dressing room.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has gotten rid of a fair number of players in his short tenure so far and the versatile defender opted to leave halfway through the season.

At the time Young wasn’t a regular in the starting XI as he was battling it out with Luke Shaw and surprise up comer Brandon Williams.

According to the Mirror, Young said: “Obviously being in England all my life, it was a totally different change, but it was an experience that I jumped at.

“It was an opportunity for me to … Read the rest

Where there’s a Willian there’s a way

The signing of Willian from Chelsea has generated a lot of discussion. The focus of conversation has been less to do with Willian’s quality and more to do with his age. Starting your much needed rebuild with a three-year deal for a 32-year old doesn’t speak to an approach ready to ‘outsmart the market’- not to mention that it is impossible to ignore the links to Willian’s agent.

Over the last three windows, Arsenal have signed 32-year old David Luiz, 29-year old Cedric Soares and now 32-year old Willian from Joorabchian’s stable. Joorabchian has long-established links with Raul Sanllehi and Edu Gaspar- Edu and Tite’s title winning Corinthians sides were built on the back of Joorabchian’s … Read the rest

People in Scotland are calling for The S*n to be boycotted after disgusting headline

Many citizens in Aberdeen are calling for The S*n to face a boycott, after a typically atrocious headline from the rag.

Several people died after a train derailed near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire after heavy rainfall, with a landslide said to be the likely cause of the accident.

The Scottish edition of The S*n’s front page the following morning featured a photograph of the driver with the headline ‘DEATH EXPRESS‘.

Obviously, this wasn’t received well by the people of Aberdeen, who have now called for the rag to face a city-wide banning.

Loads of people from across Scotland took to social media to express their disgust at the handling of the ‘reporting’ of the fatal crash.

A petition shared on Change.org, which demanded an apology from The S*n and a Liverpool-style ban, has amassed over 40,000 signatures.

The S*n have since shared a written letter of apology, after … Read the rest

Ben Chilwell set for Chelsea medical after clearing out his things at Leicester

Although finding a new goalkeeper should be Chelsea’s main focus this summer, there’s been a lot of rumours about signing a new left back too.

Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell’s name keeps coming up and it’s probably good timing for him to make this move, especially after the inevitable Brendan Rodgers’ slide has started at the club.

You’ll see different opinions about his quality and his rumoured price tag of £80m does seem excessive, so Chelsea will probably need to find a way of bringing that down if they want this move to happen.

READ MORE: Chelsea given hope in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak

The other problem was that the player seemed to be happy to stay where he was, but that’s changed after they failed to finish in the top four and murmurs of transfer requests have started to emerge.

This is a report which remains … Read the rest

Juventus linked with Thomas Partey

Juventus have been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, despite him reportedly being close to joining Arsenal.

The Bianconeri are planning an overhaul of their squad, following the appointment of Andrea Pirlo last week, with Blaise Matuidi having already left the club to join Inter Miami.

Juventus news site Ilbianconero report that the club are currently focused on the outgoing players, rather than making purchases, but they are looking to sign a striker, two full-backs and at least one or two new midfielders for the squad.

For this reason, the website report that Juve have resumed contacts with Atletico over 27-year-old midfielder Partey, who can a number of roles in the team, including across midfield.

Ilbianconeri suggest Partey is ready to leave Los Colchoneros this summer, should the right opportunity be available, and will be available for €40-50 million.

The report suggests the Bianconeri will look … Read the rest