Tag Futebol

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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…

Celtic winger Mikey Johnston is seeking advice from Belgium international coach Shaun Maloney in his efforts to reach the standard required at Celtic Park, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s he said?

Johnston made something of a first-team breakthrough last term, making 23 appearances and scoring five goals.

However, with Scott Sinclair entering the last year of his contract and playing less under Neil Lennon than Brendan Rodgers – he only started two of the five league games after the Scottish Premiership split in April – there’s a real opportunity to stake a claim for that left wing position.

On the advice of Roberto Martinez’s assistant and former Celtic star Maloney, he’s been working with sports scientist Hugh Watson outside of Celtic training to put in the extra work required to be a hit at the Hoops.

How can Celtic improve next season? A Hoops fan tells us how in the video below…

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said of working with Watson:

“I’ve been working really hard in training and over the summer. I came back in flying and feeling like I was really fit.

“It was Shaun Maloney who recommended him. He used him a lot when he was here. I still text Shaun here and there because he’s got good advice for me. I always like to listen to people who have got a lot of experience.

“I was away on holiday doing stuff every day when I was there, then I met the fitness coach when I got back for a couple of sessions. Most people do it, it’s just what you do when you get to this level. I just needed to come back in really flying.

“You don’t get much of a holiday anyway and that’s what you need to do if you want to come back in flying. At a club like this, that’s what everyone has to do.”

Johnston’s pre-season

Celtic have played a few pre-season tune-up matches already in preparation for their qualifying test against Sarajevo on Tuesday night and Johnston has featured heavily.

He scored two in a 6-1 mauling of Austrian amateurs Pinkafeld before starting the next match against SC Wiener.

Against Swiss side St Gallen he featured from the start too, perhaps a hint that Lennon sees him as someone who can be in his starting XI against the Bosnians.

The 20-year-old has been one of the stand-out players so far, even winning a man of the match award from the club’s official website in the most recent encounter.

Clearly the extra work he is putting in has paid off so far. The aim now will be cementing his position in the team for competitive matches.

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According to Sky Sports News, West Ham United are facing serious competition from Valencia for Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez.

The report has claimed that Valencia have actually agreed a deal with Celta. However, Gomez favours a switch to the Premier League.

And now ExWHUemployee has reported that the Hammers have actually offered the Uruguay international double the wages that Valencia have put on the table.

It will seemingly be up to the centre-forward to decide whether he wants to continue his journey in Spain or instead seek a move to English football.

Gomez has a £45m release clause in his contract at Celta, which the La Liga outfit reportedly want met in order to sanction a sale.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

ExWHUemployee has claimed that West Ham have blown Valencia’s contract offer out of the water, though, and that has led to a host of social media activity.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Hammers faithful can be seen below:

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Some Everton fans have taken to Twitter to express their delight at the club’s dig at Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

The Toffees were handed a brutal run of fixtures over the festive period after the official Premier League fixtures were revealed yesterday, including games against their Merseyside rivals, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

In response to that, the Toffees’ official Twitter account tweeted: “We don’t mind the cold… or the wind. Up the Toffees.”

This was of course in reference to Klopp’s comment after the 0-0 draw at Goodison Park last term, in which the German cited ‘windy conditions’ as the reason for his side’s struggles throughout the 90 minutes.

It was a result that ultimately cost them the league title, as they ended up finishing second behind Manchester City by a single point.

That fact alone is enough to give the Toffees supporters some bragging rights, and they were left feeling even better after the club’s official account jumped on the bandwagon in aiming a dig at Klopp.

Let’s take a look at what some of the Everton supporters have said on Twitter…

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West Ham United fans are split when it comes to a potential move for Kevin Strootman ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

Sky Sports News have claimed that West Ham, along with Everton and Manchester United, have been offered the chance to sign the Marseille midfielder on loan.

Indeed, the report claims that Marseille are keen to shift the 43-time Netherlands international off the wage bill for next season.

Strootman was once regarded as one of the finest midfielders in European football – that is no longer the case but the 29-year-old still has plenty to offer.

The West Ham fans have been discussing whether their club should swoop for the former Roma ace this summer.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

And there has been a fairly mixed reaction to the report, with some wanting the Dutchman to arrive but others rejecting the move for a number of reasons.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Manchester United are reportedly monitoring the situation of Adrien Rabiot, but the Frenchman is just one more headache Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could do without.

What’s the story?

According to The Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils are still interested in Rabiot despite failing to qualify for the Champions League.

The PSG ace is out of contract this summer, meaning clubs can effectively snap him up for free.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

While the report claims both Real Madrid and Barcelona have shown interest, United are still in the race and want the 24 year-old to replace Ander Herrera.

Disaster waiting to happen

There is no question Rabiot is a gifted player. The 6 ft 2 in ace would provide physicality, composure and balance in the United midfield.

He is a fantastic passer of the ball and loves striding forward from deep, and should perhaps be seen more as a replacement for Nemanja Matic than Herrera.

However, the last thing Solskjaer needs right now is another mercenary with attitude problems.

Last summer, Rabiot refused to be a part of France’s standby list after missing out on the World Cup squad, per BBC.

Earlier this season, he effectively ruled himself out for the remainder of the campaign, refusing to pen a new contract and resigning himself to the bench, per AS.

When the Red Devils knocked the Parisiens out of the Champions League, the midfielder was spotted later that night partying in a Paris nightclub, per GOAL.com.

The mentality at Old Trafford right now is a far bigger issue than the actual talent on offer within the squad, and signing Rabiot to what will no doubt be massive wages, for free signings are able to negotiate huge salaries, will only worsen an already fractured mindset around the club.

If this is the type of signing Ed Woodward is offering up, then Solskjaer has no chance of mending the mood in the red half of Manchester.

Newcastle fans are all desperate to bring in Salomon Rondon this summer, it’s obvious. The chances are, though, with a lot of other clubs interested in bringing the Venezuelan in, the Geordies could well be missing out. That doesn’t mean a striker won’t come in, it just means the Magpies will look elsewhere, and Wesley Moraes could be perfect.

The Geordies who are reading this probably won’t be aware of who Moraes is, and if you’re not, you’ll enjoy having a look at the numbers he’s been putting up recently, even if he is doing it in the lesser-known Belgian Pro League. Moraes has managed to bag himself both ten goals and nine assists and with a Transfermarkt valuation of £16.2 million, he would be an ideal man to fill Rondon’s shoes.

Whilst his combined 19 goals and assists may not sound incredible, Moraes is the sort of player who would take the Northeast by storm. The front-man is just 22-years-old, making him seven-years senior to Rondon, and if he can be snapped up for a similar price to the Venezuelan West Brom man then it would be a no brainer from Rafa Benitez and Mike Ashley to do so.

Whilst looking at his numbers, age and similarities to the man they all want to badly in Rondon, all of this is useless without substance. That is exactly where The Chronicle have swooped in with a story. Moraes, who has aptly been described as a ‘6ft 3in Brazilian striker’ who has been in ‘fantastic form’ by the Newcastle paper and it has only added another edge to the Magpies’ striker hunt.

Rafa Benitez may not be the man in charge at St James Park come the start of the 2019/20 season, but that doesn’t mean that Wesley Moraes won’t be coming in. The recruitment team at St James Park may do their best to make themselves look incompetent at times, but with Moraes, they’re certainly barking up the right tree, and the 22-year-old would be a worthy #9 at the club.

Do you want to sign Wesley Moraes, Newcastle fans? Comment below!

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According to Belgian media outlet Le Soir, Southampton are ready to offer €23.5m (£20m) to sign Standard Liege attacker Moussa Djenepo, and they may well have found their next Sadio Mane in the process.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Le Soir report that Saints are eyeing up the 20-year-old, with the story suggesting that talks between the two clubs over a potential move may even have already taken place last week.

Le Soir say that rumours previously suggested the south coast outfit were interested in Wolfsburg’s Victor Osimhen, but the fact that he is looking likely to join French side Lille means that Southampton have turned their attentions elsewhere – to Djenepo presumably.

The Mali international has enjoyed an impressive season for the Belgian outfit, scoring 11 times and providing a further six assists in 38 appearances in all competitions.

Would he be a good signing?

He is far from the finished article, but then neither was Mane when Saints signed him from Red Bull Salzburg in 2014.

What is clear is that Djenepo is a great dribbler, can score and can create.

The fact that he has those statistics at 20 years of age is certainly impressive, as is the fact that he only moved to Europe from his home country in 2017.

The reported interest in the youngster suggests Southampton are ready to raid the smaller European leagues for talented individuals – as they did with Mane previously – and the African attacker certainly looks to have bundles of potential.

Like the Liverpool ace, Djenepo primarily features on the left wing but is capable of playing anywhere across the front three, which is sure to be an attractive trait for Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Has Jack Stephens unfarily been made a scapegoat at Southampton? The Ugly Inside discusses in the video below…

The Premier League strugglers have long been looking for an attacker who can cause chaos and make the same impact in the final third that Mane did, and in the Standard Liege man they may just have found him.

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Loads of Celtic fans have been running the rule over their end-of-season awards, and plenty of them feel James Forrest was robbed.

After limping past Kilmarnock on an emotional Saturday, Celtic enjoyed their annual awards night on Sunday.

The Bhoys’ goal of the season went to Scott Brown for his thunderous effort against St Johnstone, while Kristoffer Ajer scooped the young player of the campaign award.

Next came the all-important ones of players’ player of the year and player of the year, both of which were won by Callum McGregor.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

There’s no doubting the midfielder has enjoyed a phenomenal season, but fans can’t believe Forrest didn’t win one of the two big accolades.

The winger has 17 goals and 20 assists in all competitions, and has scored some huge goals including a beauty against Aberdeen in the cup and an Old Firm winner.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans can’t believe the club’s decision to snub the 5 ft 9 ace…

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Dwight Gayle has hinted his future could be away from Newcastle United by revealing he’s enjoying life in the Midlands with West Brom, according to The Express and Star.

The 29-year-old striker is on a season-long-loan from the Magpies, in a deal which saw Salomon Rondon go the other way – both men have excelled for their respective clubs.

What did he say?

Asked if he saw his future at the Hawthorns, Gayle replied: “Yes of course. I’ve really enjoyed the season and the fans have taken to me and showed great support. I’m going to see what happens in the summer, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here.”

These quotes could give Newcastle a big boost in their pursuit of Rondon. With Gayle hinting he sees his future at the Hawthorns, maybe a swap deal can be done rather than the Toon paying the reported £16.5million release clause for Rondon, which would rise to £20million if the Baggies are promoted.

Championship is Gayle’s level

Gayle has played 99 Premier League games scoring 21 goals over a period of four seasons with both Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

His Championship record meanwhile is 95 appearances and 54 goals while he also has assisted 15 – this comes from three seasons in the Championship with Newcastle, Peterborough and West Brom.

The stats clearly show that Gayle is more suited to the Championship than the Premier League in every way, he simply scores twice as many.

Gayle played a key part in the Newcastle side that was promoted as champions from the Championship, scoring 23 goals in 32 appearances. However, once they were promoted Gayle only missed three games all season and managed to only score six goals. He also had less shots per game, going down from 2.8 to 1.6.

This could be down to the fact defending is better in the Premier League, but it also seems likely that Gayle has less confidence than he does in the Championship.

The ex-Peterborough man will be remembered fondly by Newcastle fans for helping secure promotion but he is better in the Championship and the Toon have upgraded with Rondon, who has scored nine goals and registered five assists in the Premier League.

Gayle’s quotes are likely to help Newcastle in their pursuit of the Venezuelan, or at the very least push himself a little closer to the exit door. Clearly not at the required standard, his comments have done the Magpies a welcome favour.

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن نقل فرجاني ساسي لاعب فريق الكرة بالزمالك إلى أحد مستشفيات مدينة الدار البيضاء عاصمة المغرب بسبب الاشتباه في إصابته بفيروس كورونا.

ويستعد الزمالك لخوض مباراته أمام الرجاء المغربي، في التاسعة من مساء الأحد المقبل بتوقيت القاهرة، الثامنة بتوقيت المغرب، في ذهاب دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

أقرأ ايضًا.. بعد الأهلي | كاف يغلق مران الزمالك أمام الإعلام.. ومسحة طبية للفريق

وأفاد موقع “البطولة” المغربي وفقًا لمصدر خاص، أنه تقرر نقل فرجاني ساسي لأحد المستشفيات بمدينة الدار البيضاء بعد الاشتباه في إصابته بفيروس كورونا.

وأوضح أن هناك شكوك حول إصابة اللاعب التونسي بكورونا قبل وصوله إلى المغرب مساء أمس، بعدما نفى في وقت سابق تعرضه للعدوى في بلده، مشيرًا إلى أنه قرر الدخول في “حجر صحي اختياري” لبضعة أيام قبل اللحاق ببعثة الزمالك في المغرب.

يذكر، أن فرجاني ساسي قد تخلف عن المشاركة مع منتخب تونس في اللقاء الودي أمام نيجيريا في النمسا بسبب الاشتباه بإصابته بفيروس كورونا.