علق جناح نيوكاسل يونايتد على خسارة فريقه أمام برشلونة بهدفين لهدف واحد، في الجولة الأولى بمرحلة الدوري في دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وعلى الرغم من أن أنتوني جوردون سجل هدفًا متأخرًا لتقليص الفارق مع برشلونة لكن هذا الهدف لم يكن كافياً ليمنع برشلونة من الخروج بالثلاث نقاط من ملعب سانت جيمس بارك.
وقال جوردون في تصريحات نشرتها “بي بي سي” البريطانية: “مباراة صعبة للغاية، فريق قوي، شعرت أننا أتيحت لنا أفضل اللحظات لكنهم حافظوا على الكرة”.
أقرأ أيضاً.. راشفورد: اللعب مع برشلونة يثير حماسي.. وفليك مدرب من الطراز الرفيع
وأضاف جناح نيوكاسل مشيداً بثنائي خط وسط برشلونة :”لقد صعب برشلونة علينا الضغط المعتاد وسيطروا على مجريات اللعب، لقد أبدعوا في الحفاظ على الكرة، كان بيدري ودي يونج رائعين”.
وواصل عن ماركوس راشفورد: “إنه مستوى رائع، سجل راشفورد هدفين من العدم، يجب أن يكون الأمر نفسه بالنسبة لنا وأن نستغل الفرص عندما تتاح لنا”.
وتابع :”هذا طبيعي كبشر، فالتأخر بنتيجة هدفين للاشيء أمام برشلونة يبدو معركة شاقة، سجلنا الهدف وهذا دليل على عقليتنا، كنا منهكين”.
وختم :”يمكننا أن نفخر بأسلوب لعبنا، بذلنا قصارى جهدنا ضد أحد أفضل الفرق في العالم، لم أكن أعتقد أن المباراة مليئة بالفرص، كانت لدينا أفضل اللحظات لكننا كنا بحاجة لاستغلالها”.
يلتقي فريق نادي بيراميدز، مع نظيره الأهلي السعودي، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال والتي ينظمها الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، لأبطال القارات.
طالع | تشكيل بيراميدز أمام الأهلي السعودي في كأس إنتركونتيننتال.. القوة الضاربة
ويلتقي بيراميدز مع نظيره الأهلي السعودي، في تمام التاسعة مساءً، على ملعب الإنماء (الجوهرة المشعة) بمدينة جدة، ضمن منافسات دور ربع النهائي من بطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال وأيضًا المنافسة على لقب بطولة كأس القارات الثلاث.
طالع | يورتشيتش: حلم بيراميدز أصبح حقيقة.. وطالبت اللاعبين بهذا الأمر أمام الأهلي السعودي
وكان بيراميدز، قد تأهل لمواجهة الأهلي السعودي، بعدما يحقق الفوز على أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي بنتجة 3-0، في المباراة التي أقيمت بالقاهرة ضمن مواجهات الدور التمهيدي الأول لبطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال.
ويشارك بيراميدز في بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، للمرة الأولى في تاريخه، بعد التتويج ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا الموسم الماضي.
ومن المقرر أن يشهد تشكيل بيراميدز القوة الضاربة، بتواجد اللاعب البرازيلي إيفوتون داسيلفا والكونغولي فيستون مايلي بجانب تواجد ثلاثي قوي في خط الوسط بلاتي توريه ومهند لاشين وكريم حافظ. تشكيل بيراميدز المتوقع أمام الأهلي السعودي اليوم في كأس الإنتركونتيننتال
حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي.
خط الدفاع: أحمد سامي – أسامة جلال – محمد الشيبي – محمد حمدي.
خط الوسط: كريم حافظ – مهند لاشين – بلاتي توريه.
خط الهجوم: أحمد عاطف قطة – إيفرتون داسيلفا – فيستون ماييلي.
Tottenham Hotspur are still planning to sign a new number 10 for Thomas Frank before the transfer deadline on September 1, and they’re now turning to alternatives after missing out on a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White.
£166k-a-week star's U-turn over joining Tottenham revealed as deal agreed
Details have emerged about a change of heart.
1 ByEmilio Galantini Aug 1, 2025
Spurs put the finishing touches on a loan-to-buy deal for Joao Palhinha this week, ending their pursuit of a tenacious holding midfielder, but chairman Daniel Levy and the recruitment team have a few other key areas to reinforce.
Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025
Average match rating
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
Sky Sports report that a new left-back is on the agenda, and their eagerness to sign a playmaker hasn’t waned despite the truly bizarre saga surrounding Gibbs-White.
Frank was set to welcome the England international in a £60 million move, with the Lilywhites scheduling a medical to take place on July 11. Gibbs-White was about to join Mohammed Kudus in a statement £115 million double-deal, sending a clear message to the warning to the rest of the Premier League that Spurs mean business.
However, this dream was quashed by controversial Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who put a grinding halt to the transfer.
Marinakis’ threat of legal action against Spurs for an alleged ‘illegal approach’ prompted the move to stall for weeks, before Forest made the surprise announcement that Gibbs-White had committed his future to the City Ground.
The 25-year-old put pen to paper on a brand-new £150,000-per-week contract, becoming the highest-paid player in their history and ending Tottenham’s hopes of signing him, for this summer at least.
“As long as I’m in charge of all of these actions, approaches should take place, I repeat, in an appropriate manner,” said Marinakis, in a scathing dig at Spurs after the new contract was confirmed.
“I would never let anyone from any other team get a player from us or make something we don’t agree with. And especially, as I said, with some guys that they belong to our family.
“Therefore, with Morgan, it didn’t take long to come to an agreement. It was a very short conversation, full of passion and love for the club.”
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Tottenham are working on alternatives to Gibbs-White, with Spanish news outlet Estadio Deportivo now claiming they are real admirers of Stuttgart star Enzo Millot.
Tottenham prepared to hijack Atlético Madrid deal for Enzo Millot
According to Estadio and journalist Pablo Casas, Spurs have “entered the bidding” and are “very serious” about competing for Millot’s signature.
Enzo Millot for Stuttgart
Atlético Madrid have been in talks for the 23-year-old, and Diego Simeone’s side could sign him in a matter of “hours” if they just trigger his £17 million release clause and agree personal terms.
However, the delay in negotiations has alerted Frank’s side, and Tottenham are now apparently prepared to hijack Atletico’s talks for Millot.
Stuttgart, for their part, are surprised by Atlético’s slowness in moving the deal forward, but Simeone’s loss could be Frank’s gain as the north Londoners pose a real threat.
It is worth noting that the clause increases as we get closer to the start of the Bundesliga campaign, so it is in both Spurs and Atlético’s best interest to strike a quick deal, and Stuttgart don’t intend to accept any offer below.
The Frenchman bagged 12 goals and eight assists in all competitions last season, and could be an option absolutely worth considering.
Se Rogério Ceni viveu seus últimos dias como técnico do São Paulo enfrentando notícias de que tinha mau relacionamento com o elenco, a prova concreta de que a história por si só não é totalmente verdadeira veio no treino da última quarta-feira (19) no CT da Barra Funda, quando os jogadores mais experientes do elenco tentaram, em vão, manter o antigo comandante no cargo.
Tinham o apoio do coordenador de futebol Muricy Ramalho. Em reunião virtual, o ex-treinador tricampeão brasileiro foi voto vencido na pauta levada pelo diretor Carlos Belmonte, de trocar Ceni por Dorival Júnior.
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Muricy está de repouso em casa após voltar a sentir os sintomas de uma arritmia cardíaca, conforme o LANCE! revelou. Conversou de forma remota com Belmonte e o gerente Rui Costa. Foi o único a se posicionar pela manutenção do pupilo no cargo.
Segundo fontes revelaram ao L!, na hora da comunicação ao elenco, um grupo, formado principalmente pelos mais experientes, como Arboleda, Calleri e Rafinha, pediram para conversar a sós com Belmonte. Expuseram que eram contrários à saída de Ceni e assumiram parte da culpa pela má fase do Tricolor.
Pouco adiantou. Foi quando foram avisados que Dorival Júnior estava negociando para assumir o posto. O nome foi bem recebido pelo plantel, apesar da tristeza pela saída do ídolo são-paulino, transparecida pela enxurrada de postagens de condolências nas redes sociais.
Para dar adeus ao antigo chefe, o elenco esperou até o anoitecer por Ceni, que apareceu na Barra Funda após o fim do treino para recolher suas coisas. Se despediu de todos, um por um, além dos funcionários do CT. Lágrimas escorreram de alguns olhos. O clima triste só foi quebrado por Milton Cruz, que pediu palmas ao ex-goleiro no momento em que entrou em seu carro.
– Não é fácil ver, acima de tudo, um companheiro de 18 meses ir embora – disse um jogador que pediu para não se identificar ao L!, por meio de sua assessoria.
Pessoas próximas de Ceni confidenciaram à reportagem que seu objetivo para os próximos dias é voltar a estudar.
+ Confira os jogos e classificação do Brasileirão-23 na tabela do LANCE!
> CTA: Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!
“The day I feel comfortable about bowling 20-30 overs and I get the nod from the doctors, I’ll run to play a match”
Daya Sagar21-Oct-2024
Mohammed Shami has been out of action since the ODI World Cup final last year•Getty Images
India fast bowler Mohammed Shami is now “100%” pain-free and wants to play one or two Ranji Trophy games to try and be fit for the tour of Australia that will start at the end of November. Shami is on the road to recovery after sustaining an ankle injury that has kept him out of action since the ODI World Cup final last year, and was seen bowling full tilt at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday after the first Test between India and New Zealand.Shami said that was the first time he had bowled with a full run-up since his recovery.”It felt great yesterday because I had been bowling with half a run-up on and off since I can’t put too much stress on my body,” he said during an event organised by Eugenix Hair Sciences in Gurugram. “Yesterday, we decided that I would bowl properly, and I gave my 100%. It felt great, [and] the results are good. Hopefully, I’ll be back on track soon.”Related
Rohit: Don't want Shami 'undercooked' in Australia
Shami bowls at full tilt on the sidelines in Bengaluru
When asked if he was pain-free now, having undergone surgery in February, Shami said, “100%”. Shami has exactly a month to try and be fit for the first Test against Australia beginning on November 22.”The Australia series is still far away,” he said. “The only thing I want to focus on is how to keep myself fit, and how strong I can be before going there. I know what kind of an attack we want for that Test series, so it’s better I spend some more time on the ground before going. If I get fit and I get a gap of eight to ten days, then it’s better I play one or two domestic matches before going to Australia.”I don’t know when I can play next, but the day I feel comfortable about bowling 20-30 overs and I get the nod from the doctors, I’ll run to play a match. I want to spend as much time as I can on the ground before going for the Australia series.”I don’t want such a thing that I clear my fitness here and something happens to me there. That’s not what I want. I want to be strong while leaving from here so that there are no issues there.”Shami represents Bengal in domestic cricket and their next Ranji Trophy fixture might be too soon for him to play, beginning October 26 at home. Their two subsequent games after that are from November 6 against Karnataka in Bengaluru and from November 13 in Indore against Madhya Pradesh, which will mark the end of the first leg of the red-ball tournament. If Shami does regain match fitness next month, he could also aim to play the three-day warm-up game slotted between India and India A in Perth before the first Test starts in the same city.Shami had similarly spent months off the field immediately after the 2015 World Cup when an ankle injury troubled him and he had missed the IPL that year too, like in 2024. Having not played a single game in nearly a year, Shami said the one thing such injuries had taught him was patience.”Don’t get frustrated and focus as much as you can on fitness and game,” he said about spending months off the field. “It’s very difficult to come back on track after an injury so patience is the biggest thing. Injuries teach you patience and that makes your skill purer.”Fitness is the main thing [you have to focus on in recovery]. You shouldn’t doubt your skill and talent when you’re away because certain things are built in you. I agree you need something like rhythm but your skill will never leave you. It’s your fitness you have to fight for.”Shami had played a crucial role in India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018-19, when he bagged 16 wickets in four matches at 26.18, finishing behind only Jasprit Bumrah’s tally of 21 wickets among fast bowlers in that series. He played just the first Test, in Adelaide, when India toured next in 2020-21 before he returned home with an injury. India went on to win that series with several other players also injured, and fielded a nearly second-string side in Brisbane to take home the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Shami said India’s pace attack, which also features Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, instils fear in the opposition because of the pace and variety the three bowlers offer.”We have worked as a unit since 2014,” Shami said. “India never had three bowlers at a time who could bowl over 140kph. Maybe two at max. Now we even have some on the bench who can bowl 145kph. Every opponent waits for one easy kind of bowler, but that’s how you create fear that all our bowlers are 145kph and have different kind of skills. And we showed how to fight when we toured overseas. Earlier we used to be on the safe side or our pace attack wasn’t that aggressive. This generation knows how to pay it back.”To pick India’s pace attack for the five Tests, India could also choose from the pool of Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed who have all been picked for an India A side that will play two four-day games starting October 31 (Mackay) and November 7 (Melbourne) before the three-day game against India in Perth.Whether he is able to make it to Australia or not, Shami said if there is “bounce on some wickets, there’s nothing better for our pace attack. We just need some runs on the board which our bowlers can defend.”
Em clima de festa após conquistar a classificação para as oitavas da Copa do Brasil, o Sport, agora, acompanha com atenção o primeiro confronto na Série B, contra o Novorizontino. A partida, válida pela terceira rodada da competição, acontece neste domingo (30), às 15h30, em Novo Horizonte. Os dois primeiros jogos, que seriam contra CRB e Vila Nova, ainda não tem data para acontecer.
A vaga para a próxima fase da Copa do Brasil quebrou um tabu de seis anos e garantiu R$ 3,3 milhões aos cofres do Leão. Na temporada, o rubro-negro já disputou 27 partidas onde tem um retrospecto bastante positivo de 21 vitórias, 4 empates e 2 derrotas. Além do retrospecto positivo, o título invicto no estadual e a decisão diante do Ceará, pela Copa do Nordeste, fortalecem o elenco comandado por Enderson Moreira.
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– Os resultados obtidos até agora são fruto de um trabalho árduo de toda a direção. O título estadual nos motiva ainda mais para o restante do ano. Sabemos das dificuldades que iremos enfrentar, principalmente durante a Série B, competição longa e com viagens desgastantes, mas queremos recolocar o Sport como um dos protagonistas do futebol brasileiro”, comentou o presidente do clube, Yuri Romão.
Diante da vitória sobre o Coritiba, o Leão manteve os 100% de aproveitamento na Ilha do Retiro na atual temporada. Com 65 gols, o rubro-negro possui, ao lado do Fortaleza, o melhor ataque do futebol brasileiro em 2023.
Entre os principais destaques do elenco, estão o experiente atacante Vagner Love além de Luciano Juba, atleta que passou pela base do clube da Praça da Bandeira e chegou a ser elevado para o time principal como lateral-esquerdo. Todavia, foi atuando como atacante que ele, efetivamente, despontou na equipe além de já ter chamado a atenção de outros clubes do cenário brasileiro.
Depois de sua estreia na Série B, no próximo domingo (30), a equipe irá retornar à capital pernambucana onde irá se preparar para o jogo contra o Ceará, valendo o duelo de volta na final da Copa do Nordeste. Após perder a primeira partida por 2 a 1, o Sport precisa, ao menos, vencer por um gol de diferença para carregar a disputa rumo as penalidades. Qualquer triunfo por dois ou mais tentos dá a conquista no tempo regulamentar para o Rubro-Negro.
An “interesting” striker is now a top target for Glasgow Rangers in the summer transfer window, with Gers manager Russell Martin personally green-lighting the move.
Rangers need response after Martin criticism
It’s fair to say that Martin has already made his presence felt as Gers boss, producing some stinging criticism of his players after last weekend’s 1-1 draw away to Motherwell on the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership season.
“Some of them have to drop their ego, I’ll look at us tactically and accept my responsibility in it. But today, it’s not really tactical, it’s a mentality problem, and we got more than what we deserved actually.
Rangers managerRussellMartinapplauds fans after the match
“We need work out who really wants to be all in and who doesn’t. But Europe is not an excuse. This club demands to play in Europe. We’ve qualified for that, so we’re going to be playing in Europe a lot and we’re going to have games after the European games a lot, and we have to manage them way better than today.”
Granted, Rangers did bounce back in midweek with a 3-0 win at home to Viktoria Plzen in Champions League qualifying, but a response is still required in the league on Saturday, as Martin’s side host Dundee.
The draw with Motherwell was further proof that additional firepower is needed for the Gers before the transfer window closes, and a key update has now emerged regarding one target.
Martins green-lights Rangers' move for striker
According to TEAMtalk, Macca Tel Aviv striker Dor Turgeman has now “emerged as one of Rangers’ top targets” in the current window, with a move for him being approved by Martin.
The 21-year-old is mentioned in the report as “one of the best strikers in the Israeli Premier League”, but the Gers “will have to sell players before committing to new signings”, amid doubts over the futures of the likes of Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane.
Turgeman was linked with a move to Rangers last month, and it is easy to see why the Premiership side are such admirers of him, given his status as an exciting young player.
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The youngster has scored 32 goals in 113 appearances for Tel Aviv, while at international level, he has one goal to his name in 10 caps for Israel. Scout Jacek Kulig has lauded Turgeman as an “interesting” striker, while journalist Kai Watson has heaped further praise on him.
“If you’ve followed me for any length of time you won’t be surprised to see Dor Turgeman here. The 21-year-old Israeli international is great with both feet, a strong carrier of the ball and lethal inside the box. He has all the tools to go to the top.”
As mentioned, Rangers’ pursuit of Turgeman could ultimately be dependant on what happens with other strikers at the club this summer, but he stands out as a talented long-term option who could be a star at Ibrox.
دافع آرني سلوت، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، عن تصرفه في مباراة جالطة سراي في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، مساء يوم الثلاثاء، حيث تعرض الجانب الإنجليزي للهزيمة.
وحل ليفربول ضيفًا على جالطة سراي في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية من مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26، حيث خسر بهدف دون رد.
وأجرى آرني سلوت العديد من التعديلات على التشكيل الأساسي لفريق ليفربول في مباراة الأمس، أبرزها تواجد النجم المصري محمد صلاح على دكة البدلاء قبل الدفع به في الدقيقة 62، إلى جانب ألكسندر إيزاك.
وسُئل سلوت عما إذا كان المداورة التي قام بها لعبت دورًا على أداء الفريق وأدت إلى ارتكاب الأخطاء الفردية، حيث رد في تصريحات نشرها موقع ليفربول: “الأمر صعب، قد تكون هناك أسباب كثيرة لارتكاب لاعب خطأ في التمريرة أو ارتكاب هفوة”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. ردود أفعال جماهير ليفربول على أداء محمد صلاح أمام جالطة سراي: لا نفهم ما يفعله سلوت
وأضاف: “ما تراه، وأعتقد أنني شرحته مرارًا وتكرارًا، هو أن بعض لاعبي فريقنا غابوا عن فترة ما قبل الموسم، لذا لا يمكن إشراكهم في كل مباراة، يمكن ذلك لكن هذا قد يشكل خطرًا على اللاعبين”.
وواصل:”لقد رأينا هذا الأمر أكثر فأكثر لأن المتطلبات تزداد باستمرار، وإذا زادت، يجب إعداد اللاعبين لها، هذا يعني أنني لا أرغب دائمًا في التدوير، ولكن في بعض الأحيان أحتاج إلى ذلك لأن اللاعب غير جاهز للعب ثلاث مرات لمدة 90 دقيقة في سبعة أو ثمانية أيام”.
وأردف: “أنا معجب بفريقي كثيرًا، لكن ليس لدينا 25 أو 26 لاعبًا، لذلك إذا انتهى بنا الأمر بإصابة اثنين أو ثلاثة أو أربعة لاعبين، سيكون لدينا 15 أو 16 لاعبًا، سيكون لاعبين مثل ريو نجوموها وتري نيوني، في حاجة إلى لعب معظم الدقائق، وعندها يمكن أن تصبح الأمور معقدة”.
وأكد: “لكن هذا قرار اتخذناه معًا، أنا أؤمن به تمامًا، لأنه إذا كان لديك 25 لاعبًا، فسيكون من الصعب جدًا إدارة فريقك، نتيجة لذلك، مع عدم حصول إيكتيكي وإيزاك وكونور برادلي وماك أليستر على فترة إعداد ما قبل الموسم التي يستحقها اللاعبون، فإن هذا يؤدي أيضًا إلى حقيقة أنني لا أستطيع إشراكهم في كل مرة”.
No further play possible as heavy rains curtail contest in series finale
Valkerie Baynes17-Nov-2024
Ground staff bring on the covers as rain stops play•Getty Images
Match abandoned England leave West Indies with a 3-1 T20I series victory after the final match of their Caribbean tour was washed out.Play was abandoned after just five overs in the fifth and final T20I with Evin Lewis and Shai Hope steering the hosts to 44 without loss before a heavy storm set in at Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia.It wasn’t quite the start West Indies’ opening pair had staged less than 24 hours earlier, when they raced to 56 for nought in the first five overs and 136 for 0 in nine, on their way to chasing down a record 219 in Saturday’s dead rubber. But it wasn’t far off, with Lewis striking two sixes and three fours on his way to 29 not out before the rain arrived.Lewis had just pulled a John Turner delivery for a thunderous six over deep midwicket and sent the next ball in the air wide of mid-on for four before he was rapped on the helmet by a steepling bouncer attempting another pull on the last ball of the over – and ultimately the match.The rain arrived just as he was about to undergo on-field concussion checks, but he walked off smiling with the rest of the players.With Hope unbeaten on 14 off 10 balls, it was an abrupt end to what had loomed as another entertaining encounter to end the series after the same pitch had yielded 32 sixes on Saturday.On that occasion, West Indies had won the toss for the only time in this series, but they made a strong start in the face of Jos Buttler’s decision to bowl first on Sunday.Turner, who was playing just his second T20I after making his debut in the fourth game of this series, conceded 22 runs from his two overs while Jofra Archer, replacing Saqib Mahmood for this match, went for 16 off 2. Jamie Overton, who didn’t bowl despite taking the field on Saturday, conceded five runs off his solitary over on Sunday.Player of the Series Mahmood was comfortably the leading wicket-taker for the series with nine at an average of 10.55 and an economy rate of 6.33 with a best of 4 for 43 in the 1st T20I, eight of his wickets coming in the powerplay. Next best was West Indies’ left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein with five.”The one thing I noticed being here previously is the crosswinds at most grounds,” Mahmood told the post-match presentation. “I felt that if I wanted to take the new ball, I’d have to work on my away-swinger a little bit just because Reece Topley and Jofra [Archer] would want the new ball from the other end to swing the ball back in. That’s something I worked on. To perform and show that in a game was nice.”Phil Salt was the leading run-scorer with 162 including 103 not out in the first game and 55 in the fourth. Jacob Bethell, his 21-year-old team-mate, also impressed with 127 runs for once out, and at a superior strike rate of 173.97. The England duo were split by West Indies captain Rovman Powell on 153 runs.
It would be fair to say that West Ham United have had a mixed summer transfer window so far.
While the Hammers have made a few smart additions to the team, like Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf, they’ve also decided to take a gamble on the perennially unfit Callum Wilson.
Moreover, as we saw on Saturday, they haven’t added enough quality to Graham Potter’s squad, and that could ultimately end up costing them come May.
Fortunately, the club have now been linked with a new exciting midfielder, someone who could be an upgrade on another of their targets: Mateus Fernandes.
West Ham target Fernandes upgrade
Arguably the most significant transfer saga for West Ham at the moment concerns Southampton’s exciting Portuguese ace Fernandes.
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The Irons have been linked with him consistently over the last couple of weeks, and even though they saw a £30m offer rejected, they have reportedly gone back in with a new and improved bid.
The Saints ace looks like a real talent, but it now looks like the Eastenders are eyeing another midfield star, someone who could be an upgrade.
At least that is according to a recent report from Football Insider, which claims that West Ham are interested in Fabio Vieira.
The report has revealed that the Arsenal man’s agent has been speaking to clubs about a transfer this summer, and one of the sides he has been in talks with is the Hammers.
It’s not clear how much the former Porto man would cost, but considering he joined the North Londoners for £34m in 2023 and hasn’t been a success there, the fee would likely be a lot less than Fernandes, even though he could be an upgrade on his compatriot.
How Vieira compares to Fernandes
The first area to compare between Fernandes and Vieira is their output last season, and while it is not the be-all and end-all, it is an area in which the Arsenal man comes out on top.
In his 42 appearances on loan at Porto, totalling 2697 minutes, the “phenomenal” midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored five goals and provided six assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.81 games, or every 245.18 minutes.
In contrast, the Southampton star managed to rack up a tally of three goals and six assists in 44 appearances across all competitions last season, totalling 3409 minutes, which comes out to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 4.88 games, or every 378.77 minutes.
Now, it is worth pointing out that the Portuguese league is a significantly weaker competition, but the Santa Maria da Feira-born ace was also able to produce two goal involvements in just 398 minutes of Europa League action.
Moreover, there is far more pressure to make an impact at a club the size of Porto, whereas the remit for a recently promoted side like the Saints last year is to simply survive.
Finally, on top of being more of a goal threat, the 25-year-old also comes out way ahead when we take a look under the hood at their respective underlying numbers.
For example, he comes out on top in most key metrics, including, but not limited to, actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, shot and goal-creating actions, key passes, shots and more, all per 90.
Vieira vs Fernandes
Statistics per 90
Vieira
Fernandes
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.34
0.22
Non-Penalty G+As
0.39
0.18
Progressive Passes
6.08
4.51
Progressive Passes Received
5.93
3.37
Progressive Carries
1.32
2.45
Shots
2.25
1.32
Shots on Target
0.73
0.43
Key Passes
2.01
1.07
Passes into the Final Third
2.01
0.86
Passes into the Penalty Area
4.07
3.04
Live Passes
42.8
37.1
Shot-Creating Actions
4.74
2.48
Goal-Creating Actions
0.59
0.21
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season
In other words, the Gunners ace is a far more creative, incisive and dangerous midfielder, which sounds like just what the Irons need.
Ultimately, Fernandes would be a good signing in his own right, but Vieira looks to be the better player and would likely be available for less as Arsenal are looking to sell players.
Therefore, West Ham should do what they can to bring in the former Porto star before the window slams shut next month.
Huge Fullkrug upgrade: West Ham submit bid for £43m "revelation"
The dangerous goalscorer would be unreal for West Ham and a problem for Füllkrug.