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Steve Bruce can discover Newcastle United’s next Steven Taylor with the capture of Hull City prospect Jacob Greaves in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, Newcastle are among a host of English sides monitoring Greaves’ situation at the KCOM Stadium as the young centre-half continues to catch the eye.

A number of Championship outfits have been scouting the 20-year-old this season after Greaves established himself in Grant McCann’s first-team squad, starting all 12 of his League One appearances as the Tigers strive to secure an immediate return to the second-tier.

McCann awarded Greaves his step up to the Hull first-team in October after a successful season on loan with Cheltenham Town in League Two last term, and could soon be on the move again as more and more suitors descend on Humberside.

The Tigers boss expects Greaves will enjoy a strong career in professional football, having returned to the fold a better player and with more experience after his brief spell away.

“I’ve been really impressed. We saw a lot of him last year at Cheltenham and he won the EFL player of the month award the first month he was there. It’s brilliant to see him play two games and play like he has done. It’s a testament to him,” McCann said, via quotes by Hull Live.

“We see him every single day and we know what he has got. He has all the capabilities to go on and have a tremendous career. He’s come in and looked very assured in and out of possession, he’s been brilliant.”

Newcastle’s next Steven Taylor

Bruce urging Mike Ashley to sanction a January deal for Greaves to join Newcastle could see the Magpies discover their next Taylor, who proved an outstanding player in black and white during his 12 years in the Toon first-team.

Taylor made 268 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions before joining Portland Timbers in 2016, having proven a hit following his graduation from the Magpies academy in 2004 when awarded his senior debut under Sir Bobby Robson aged 18.

Bruce could have his own Taylor in Greaves, who has helped Hull to keep five clean sheets in League One this term with 0.8 successful tackles a game, plus 1.3 interceptions, 4.3 clearances, 1.8 ground duels won, 4.3 aerial contests won and is dribbled past just 0.3 times a game, per SofaScore.

The 20-year-old has also proven to be a safe bet in possession with 35.9 accurate passes a game, while penning an 88% completion rate for passes played in Tigers territory, and is yet to commit an error that has led to a shot, goal or penalty be awarded in the third-tier.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce is keen to sign a “fantastic” £15.5m-rated brute for Newcastle United…

Celtic are easily at their lowest ebb in the last ten years.

This season was supposed to be all about silverware, a tenth successive league crown and dominating Rangers once again.

However, as it turns out, they can’t even dominate the likes of Ross County.

Neil Lennon’s side were knocked out of the Champions League by Hungarian opposition and then shipped eight goals in two games against Sparta Prague as the Hoops exited the Europa League.

11 points behind the Gers in the league and now out of the Scottish Cup too, it has been a disastrous campaign.

Fans have started protesting outside Parkhead and things are getting rather messy in Glasgow from a green and white perspective.

It feels like only a matter of time before Lennon gets the boot and if they want to make full use of the January window for a new manager, they will have to get someone in soon.

It’s now only four weeks before the market opens and Celtic are already being linked with a new midfielder.

That happens to be boyhood Hoops fan James McCarthy. The Crystal Palace enforcer is out of contract at the end of the season and thus, can begin discussing terms with the Bhoys as soon as January.

It’s not a signing that catches the eye immediately, but Nick Hammond could help fix a glaring issue in the Celtic squad by bringing the 42-cap Irishman to Scotland.

First and foremost, he is in the Scott Brown mould, someone who evidently has not been at the races this season.

He might be Celtic’s captain but his performances are not indicative of that. Brown has been woeful and against Sparta last week, he was at fault for the opening goal and made the fewest touches of any player to start the game for Lennon.

Known by many in the game as a bruiser, someone who gets stuck in, that’s the exact qualities that McCarthy could replicate if he made the move across the border.

Once dubbed a “class player” by Roy Hodgson, it’s clear to see why that assessment has been delivered.

Although he is effective in defensive situations, he is also a safe and measured passer with the ability to dictate the play from the middle of the park.

In 2020/21 so far, McCarthy has managed 2.2 tackles per game. For immediate context, Brown only manages 1.5 a match. Vitally, though, the Palace titan commits fewer fouls (0.5) over the course of a game than the Celtic skipper (1.5).

Not only is McCarthy strong in the tackle but he does so by winning the ball and then moving it on. The same cannot be said for Brown, someone who is becoming a greater liability as the weeks go by.

At the age of 35, he is no spring chicken and needs replacing. This must be one of the first priorities for any new manager coming in.

It would be an ideal signing, especially on a free transfer.

In other news, Celtic must UNLEASH this player instead of Scott Brown…

Manchester United teammates Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba helped France to a 1-0 victory over Portugal that sent the world champions through to the Nations League finals for the first time at the expense of Bruno Fernandes.

But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have been secretly pleased to see the Portuguese magnifico steal the show with a fine individual display during the international defeat.

Despite Fernandes’ best attempts to make the magic happen, the Red Devils have been affected by an inconsistent start to the season, which has seen repeated calls for Solskjaer’s sacking, amid reports that Pogba is unhappy at Old Trafford, among other things.

Portugal, who were unbeaten in their past six games prior to the fixture with France, suffered a rare defeat. Whilst Joao Felix struggled, his older international teammate shined.

Per SofaScore, the 26-year-old dynamo received a high statistical score of 7.3 for his efforts – he made four key passes, which is more than any other player on the pitch managed including Pogba, took 62 touches of the ball, registered 32 out of 46 passes (70%), won two out of four ground duels in total, took one shot on target and completed three out of six accurate crosses, as well as being fouled twice, whilst he made one tackle and one interception, which implies that he also contributed defensively as well.

Squawka gave Fernandes, who earns £180,000-a-week according to Spotrac, a solid grade of 7/10, which was a higher rating than Cristiano Ronaldo received, whilst The Hard Tackle went a fraction below, claiming he was ‘the most creative player on the pitch, Bruno Fernandes played as many as 4 key passes while coming close with an effort of his own’ whilst he ‘put in a shift defensively as well.’

Recently described as an “exceptional” talent by talkSPORT pundit Trevor Sinclair, the Portugal international hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down anytime soon, as he has scored five goals and supplied three assists in seven games in the Premier League so far this season, whilst he is averaging 2.9 shots and 2.9 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, even Pogba is only managing 1.7 shots and 0.3 key passes per league game, as per WhoScored.

At a time when he faces constant scrutiny from fans and pundits alike, Solskjaer will be delighted to see Fernandes fully firing on all cylinders. Now he will be hoping he can continue his fine form for club and country after the international break.

AND in other news, Exit pending: Ed Woodward must cash in on Manchester United talisman Paul Pogba…

أعلن تركي العلي المدير التنفيذي لنادي السد القطري، أن مدرب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، تشافي هرنانديز قد أبلغ ناديه برغبته في تدريب برشلونة، مُشيرًا إلى أنهم وافقوا بالفعل على فسخ عقد المدرب الإسباني.

ودخل برشلونة في مفاوضات مع لاعبه السابق، لقيادة الفريق خلفًا للهولندي رونالد كومان، الذي تمت إقالته لسوء النتائج.

اقرأ أيضًا.. آس تكشف: شركة هندية سحبت عرض رعاية برشلونة بعد رحيل ميسي

وقال تركي في تصريحات نشرها الحساب الرسمي لنادي السد عبر موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “لقد وافقت إدارة السد على انتقال تشافي لبرشلونة بعد دفع قيمة الشرط الجزائي المنصوص في عقده”.

وأضاف: “اتفقنا مع برشلونة على التعاون العملي مستقبلاً، تشافي يعتبر جزءًا مهمًا من تاريخ السد ونتمنى له كل التوفيق في المرحلة القادمة”.

وواصل: “تشافي أبلغنا في الأيام الماضية برغبته في خوض تجربة برشلونة في هذا الوقت بالتحديد بسبب المرحلة الحرجة التي يمر بها نادي مدينته ونحن نتفهم هذا وقررنا عدم الوقوف في طريقه”.

وأتم قائلًا: “سيبقى تشافي وعائلته محل ترحيب في الدوحة وستبقى العلاقة مستمرة”.

MatériaMais Notícias

A união das quatro linhas com as novas essências acadêmicas do futebol parece algo cada vez mais raro no Brasil. A ciranda dos mesmos nomes nos grandes clubes é interminável. No entanto, existe uma dupla nova que promete uma metodologia diferente no cenário nacional em 2016.

O ex-jogador Athirson, com grandes passagens por Flamengo, Santos, Cruzeiro, Juventus (ITA), Bayer Leverkusen (ALE), e Denis Alves, formado em educação física pela Uerj (onde também integra o projeto Labesfut), farão esta tabelinha no Flamengo-PI. Com o Estadual e a Copa do Nordeste no radar, muito mais que títulos e a vaga na Série D do Brasileiro, o objetivo da dupla é deixar acima de tudo um legado no período em que estiverem atuando em Teresina.

– Nosso objetivo vai além da equipe profissional. Quero passar a experiência que tive dentro de campo e tudo o que vivenciei nele para as pessoas do clube. Pegar os jovens, os treinadores da base e passar para eles meu conhecimento. Palestras em universidades. O Denis é um cara muito inteligente e que vai agregar muito nessa nossa caminhada – declarou Athirson.

A parceria Athirson e Denis não é nova. Os dois trabalharam juntos no São Cristóvão, onde livraram o tradicional clube do Rio de Janeiro do rebaixamento da Série B do Estadual. Na visão do acadêmico, o desafio no Flamengo-PI fará com que o plano de trabalho dos dois sirva de exemplo e apareça como uma nova alternativa dentro do futebol nacional.

– Essa união com o Arthirson, que foi atleta de nível internacional e tem vasta experiência, será muito rica. Sou muito estudioso da questão tática do futebol. Vai ser muito legal ter essa experiência no Piauí, e importante que ela aconteça lá também. Estou montando um curso de ciência do futebol para apresentarmos com a chancela do Esporte Clube Flamengo. Já conversei com o presidente Tiago Vasconcellos sobre isso e seria também o nosso legado – disse Denis ao L!.

Os dois estão em Teresina nesta semana fazendo a avaliação dos jogadores que atuaram pelo Flamengo-PI nesta temporada. Após saberem com quem pretendem contar, vão trazer novos atletas, uma vez que alguns contatos já foram feitos. O objetivo é começar a temporada do ano que vem no dia 4 de janeiro.

ESTÁGIO COM GUARDIOLA

Athirson não é do tipo de se acomodar. Além de estudar o futebol e fazer cursos para treinador (fará em breve o curso de licença A da CBF), o ex-jogador passou alguns meses na Alemanha observando a metodologia do atual campeão mundial. Além de visitar o Bayer Leverkusen, um de seus ex-clubes, o brasileiro passou um período no Bayern de Munique ao lado de ninguém menos que o espanhol Pep Guardiola.

O convite foi feito por Rafinha, lateral do clube bávaro e amigo de Athirson, que ficou surpreso com a forma de trabalho de um dos profissionais mais badalados.

– O Guardiola se preocupa muito com o que acontece fora de campo. Foi uma experiência muito boa, como também no Bayer Leverkusen, que foi onde atuei – disse.

Com a crescente onda de técnicos estrangeiros no Brasil, Athirson se mostrou defensor do intercâmbio, mas não vê o momento do profissional nacional em crise.

– Acho legal esse intercâmbio. O técnico estrangeiro tem uma dinâmica diferente do sul-americano. Vejo essa troca de forma bem positiva – analisou.

MESTRADO ADIADO POR OPORTUNIDADE

Denis Alves é um verdadeiro estudioso da parte acadêmica do futebol. Além da graduação em Educação Física, ele tem pós-graduação em Treinamento Desportivo. O auxiliar de Athirson também faz parte do Labesfut da Uerj, onde também fará mestrado.

No entanto, o convite feito pelo amigo para aplicar a parceria no Flamengo-PI fez Denis adiar seus planos de estudo para o futuro.

– Quando o Athirson fez o convite entendi que seria uma ótima oportunidade de mostrar um trabalho. O mestrado neste momento ficou mais pra frente– afirmou.

Newcastle United have been dealt a fresh injury blow after Craig Hope confirmed on his official Twitter page that Paul Dummett picked up a fresh knock against Middlesbrough.

As per a tweet from the Daily Mail journalist, the 28-year old went off shortly after coming on and he was not the only one to pick up a knock after the friendly game:

“I’m told NUFC picked up a couple of fresh knocks at Boro, and perhaps explains why Monday’s rematch called off. Paul Dummett among them, he went off shortly after coming on. No update from club though.”

Indeed, the Tyneside club suffered a rather humiliating 5-1 thrashing by their local rivals managed by veteran Neil Warnock, as Allan Saint-Maximin scored the only goal for the Magpies, according to The Chronicle.

However, perhaps the most worrying bit of news to come out of it is the fresh injury to Dummett, who had already come off the back of an injury-hit 2019/20 term as he missed 12 matches with an Achilles tendon rupture, as per Transfermarkt.

As a result, the Welsh international was limited to just 17 appearances in all competitions, as Steve Bruce will be hoping that this new knock is not as serious.

Indeed, Dummett has been a loyal servant at St. James’ Park over the last nine consecutive seasons, in where he has played in 185 games in total, scoring three goals and making one assist (via Transfermarkt).

The Welshman is also very capable of filling in a number of different roles (per the website), which is handy for the squad, and so Bruce will be hoping that the injury is not a serious one.

As Hope has confirmed, there has been no update from the Toon as of yet.

Geordies, how big of a blow could Dummett’s injury be? Comment below!

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has said he is a fan of Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey and believes that the youngster “made the right decision” in moving to the Amex Stadium.

The 19-year-old joined the Seagulls on a permanent deal from Chelsea in January of this year and has broken into Graham Potter’s line-up recently, starting against Leicester and Manchester United.

Speaking on Sky Sports alongside Patrice Evra last night, Redknapp said of the teenager [via Sussex Live]: “I like him. Me and Patrice were talking about him before the show and Patrice is a fantastic full-back, so he’ll know better than anybody.

“He was in the Chelsea Youth Cup-winning team. He’s made a big decision, because he could probably have stayed at Chelsea with all of his mates getting in the first team.”Redknapp added: “I like watching him play. It’s a massive decision for a player to maybe stay at Chelsea or perhaps go to another club and play. He’s made the right decision for him right now because he’s in the first team.”Lamptey may have been questioning his wisdom about leaving Chelsea for Brighton earlier in the year when he wasn’t even getting into Potter’s matchday squad, let alone obtaining game-time. However, his patience has been rewarded with starts in their last two matches, with his Seagulls debut against Leicester seeing him named as Sky Sports’ man of the match.At Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard has shown plenty of faith in the Blues’ young prospects, with Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount playing regularly while the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Billy Gilmour and Reece James have also forged a way into the first team (as per TransferMarkt).Lamptey may well have thought himself capable of following suit but, having made just three senior Chelsea appearances before his January move, he now has two for Brighton and will almost certainly add a few more to that total in the remaining weeks of this season.Also, at just 19, he still has ample time to maybe return to Chelsea in the future as an established Premier League player who got his break at Brighton because he appreciated the value of senior game-time, something he is now getting with the Seagulls.Brighton fans, was Lamptey right to leave Chelsea? Have your say by commenting below!

Leicester have been named amongst those interested in acquiring the services of Lyon striker Moussa Dembele this summer.

Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic connections continue to cast light on some tempting transfer targets ahead of next season. The French forward, who joined Lyon from the Scottish outfit in 2018, is reportedly on the manager’s radar. A price hasn’t been set, but Dembele’s current Transfermarkt value sits at £36million, which isn’t an unreasonable amount by any means.

According to France Football (via Sport Witness), Rodgers is keen on reuniting with his former player and using his clinical nature to bolster the Foxes’ attack. However, Dembele is aware of the interest and isn’t making Leicester a ‘priority decision’ despite enjoying his time under Rodgers at Celtic.

The 23-year-old hasn’t specified why he doesn’t see the Midlands outfit as an attractive move, but that could all change if they secure Champions League football next season.

As it stands, Leicester are third in the Premier League table after a fantastic run of form, pushing Manchester City to the wire for second place. With just four points between them and the holding champions, they could well finish in their highest position since their 2015/16 fairytale win.

Club icon Jamie Vardy is still a regular, but he isn’t getting any younger and Leicester must be equipped to fill his boots. The England international currently leads the entire Premier League with the most goals scored – his tally of 19 trumps the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mohamed Salah who have both also had prolific seasons.

Dembele’s stats are numbers to be marvelled at and could be the answer to replacing Vardy once his powers start to diminish. The Frenchman has a 2019/20 season total of 22 goals, just falling shy of last campaign’s tally of 23 (via Transfermarkt).

If Leicester secure Champions League football and continue to show grit in the Premier League, they could sway the striker into joining the King Power after all. And if there is a possibility to sign him up, Rodgers should do everything he can to make that happen.

Would you like to see the Foxes snap up Moussa Dembele, Leicester fans? Join the discussion in the comments below!

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has revealed that Lewis Mayo will likely go out on loan this coming season, but only after the ‘Gers have been able to bring in a replacement for the injured Nikola Katic.

The Croatian centre-back suffered a damaging training injury which will see him sidelined for the foreseeable future, and that could well see Mayo step up to be a part of Gerrard’s plans for the new season. He featured in the Veolia Trophy but, with just three competitive appearances to his name, he needs to play more regularly.

Gerrard has acknowledged this and says he wants him to go out on loan, but only once a replacement is in. He explained:

“I need to replace Katic because I need four good centre-halves if we are looking at what we are hoping is going to be another 60-game season.

“We love Mayo. His attitude has been fantastic and he has a really good chance.

“But I think he needs game time rather than to be number four centre-back.

“We will keep him in until we get the right one in and then we will look to Lewis out to get him 30 games for his development.

“But I have to be selfish with Lewis in the short term.”

Losing £1.44m-valued Katic is a blow for Gerrard. The 27-year-old made 19 appearances in the Premiership last term and featured the most at centre-back after Connor Goldson. Whilst Mayo may be an exciting talent, it is surely too early into his professional career for him to step right into the starting XI.

Some time away from Ibrox, allowing him to play regular first-time football, should benefit all involved. Hopefully Gerrard will bring in that replacement for Katic sooner rather than later.

‘Gers fans, is Gerrard right to seek a loan move for Mayo rather than throwing him straight into the fray? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho has been on Manchester United’s radar for what feels like eternity.

The England international has been linked with a big-money move to Old Trafford for a number of months now, amid suggestions that he could finally be set for a return to English football after a few years in Germany.

The likes of Chelsea and Liverpool are also reported to be monitoring the situation, but recent reports have claimed that United are the ones in pole position.

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However, a fresh update from The Daily Express has claimed that the current situation surrounding the world at the moment makes it “far-fetched” that United could spend £120m on Sancho.

As such, it’s suggested the Manchester side could could active their buy-back clauses on Memphis Depay or Wilfried Zaha.

Whilst the reasons behind such a stance is understandable, this could turn into a monumental mistake from Ed Woodward. Make no mistake about it, if United have second thoughts about signing Sancho, then the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool will no doubt be prepared to blow them out of the water and beat them to the punch.

If Sancho really is the priority signing for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer, then there really shouldn’t be any settling for second-best, whatever the circumstances.

Getting the Dortmund starlet in would mean United have a winger for the next decade or so in their first-team – both Depay and Zaha on the other hand would come with a question mark due to them initially failing to make the grade at Old Trafford.

Sancho’s arrival would be a statement of intent that Solskjaer’s team are battling for the biggest and best signings in world football. Going for cheaper alternatives would completely undermine that and set United back years. Re-signing a flop would make them a laughing stock, and another sign that they are not amongst the elite.

Meanwhile, Man Utd would make a statement of intent with move for this Serie A ace.