Tag Futebol

In their current guise, Arsenal look like a team destined to battle it out with the best in the world for years to come, but it hasn't been that way for very long.

In the latter years of Arsène Wenger's tenure, the Gunners struggled to maintain their place in the top four and looked a million miles off challenging for the Premier League or Champions League.

The north Londoners had a muddled squad and often made blunder after blunder in the transfer market, and while it was often the club or fans who felt burned by these moves, sometimes the players themselves were less than happy with the situation.

Lucas Perez's time at Arsenal

Yes, Lucas Perez, a player who left such a small mark on Arsenal's history that fans might be forgiven for forgetting that he even pulled on the famous red and white shirt in relatively recent memory.

The Gunners signed the Spanish striker in August 2016 for a fee of around £17m, and he was enthusiastically welcomed by Wenger, who said, "He's not only a goalscorer, he's a guy who combines well with partners, who can give a final ball and makes good runs. He's got a good eye for goal and had an outstanding season last year."

While the fee wasn't massive, the fact he had scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 games the season prior left fans excited, although he would not hit such heights in north London.

The A Coruña-born forward would last just a season at the Emirates, in which he scored seven goals and provided five assists in 21 matches.

While that's an impressive return of 0.57 goal involvements per match, he was consistently picked behind Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez, and injuries to his ankle and hamstring only made it harder for him to stake a claim in the first team.

Things came to a head in the summer of 2017 when the club broke their transfer record to sign Alexandre Lacazette and gave him the number nine shirt, which was the number Perez was wearing at the time.

This perceived slight was clearly the last straw, and in a remarkable turn of events in July 2017, the Spaniard was quoted by his local newspaper La Voz De Galicia (later verified by ESPN), saying: "They [Arsenal] are not being fair with me. The act of taking away my [shirt] number without telling me anything to give to a teammate, that was the last straw for me.

"I feel like I was tricked. In February I was not allowed to leave for China but it was promised that I would be playing more and then I had even fewer opportunities. But the shirt number was an ugly gesture."

Unsurprisingly, his outburst quickly led to the Gunners sanctioning his departure, and he returned to Deportiva La Coruna on loan for the 2017/18 season, where he would score nine goals and provide eight assists in 37 games before he was finally sold on to West Ham United in August 2018.

In all, his one season at Arsenal was an abject failure for all involved and stands as one of the rare occasions in the club's recent history in which the transferred player themselves is the most vocal about how poorly a move has turned out.

How Lucas Perez fared after Arsenal

While the 5 foot 11 poacher enjoyed a fruitful season back in Spain in the 2017/18 season, his return to London a year later did not go quite as swimmingly.

In his one and only season in Claret and Blue, the then-29-year-old would play just 712 minutes of first-team football across 19 appearances – six starts – score six goals and fail to provide a single assist.

I

t was all a bit too similar to how his time had gone in the north of the capital, as despite a reasonably impressive return of a goal every 119 minutes, the Spaniard just couldn't nail down a place in the starting lineup.

Unsurprisingly, he was sold the following summer and joined Deportivo Alaves back in Spain, where he would spend two seasons, scoring 15 goals and providing nine assists in 70 games, with his most memorable moment being the goal he scored away at the Bernabeu which helped the team beat Real Madrid 2-1.

Following his two years in the Basque Country, the former Gunner opted to join Elche for the first half of the 2021/22 season, where he scored two goals and provided one assist in 19 appearances, before he then joined Andalusian outfit Cadiz in January 2022 for a calendar year, where he managed a slightly better return of eight goal and two assists in 33 games.

However, he had one more move left in him in December 2022.

Where Lucas Perez is now

It was announced in December 2022 that Perez would return to his boyhood club, Deportivo La Coruna, despite the team playing in Spain's third division.

However, what was even more remarkable about his decision to head back home was that it cost him a significant amount of money. With Depor down on their luck in the third tier, paying Cadiz the full amount for his services was out of the question, so Perez paid half his fee with his own money, about £435k.

Moreover, he has also taken a six-fold pay cut to play for the club, but that doesn't seem to be a problem, as following his first game for the side – in which he netted a brace – he said, "It was special I'm going back home, to the Riazor. What I liked the most was the atmosphere, it was incredible."

The hometown hero hasn't just been taking it easy either, as in his 46 games since rejoining the team, he has scored 18 goals and provided 21 assists, meaning he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.17 games, which has helped the team reach second place in the table this season.

Arsenal already have the ideal Zinchenko replacement in "magnificent" teen

The Hale End gem has been training in a new position recently.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Mar 1, 2024

Ultimately, it might not have worked out for Perez in England, but he's been able to fasten an impressive career elsewhere, and his return to Depor is a genuine feel-good story in modern football.

Since Joe Rodon joined Leeds United on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur, he's started 27 out of a possible 30 Championship games, including the last 22 in a row. While he ranks fifth in the overall squad leaderboard for minutes played (2,674), he leads the way among defenders.

On Saturday, Rodon once again played the full 90 minutes as Leeds beat Rotherham 3-0 to make it six wins on the bounce and continue an amazing streak of defensive form. Across that sequence of victories, Daniel Farke's side have only shipped a single goal.

The manager has publicly confirmed that Leeds want to keep the Welshman, who won their player of the month award in December, both because of his footballing ability and his intangible attributes. He said:

"Behind the scenes, we are working. There is no doubt we are more than happy with Joe,” Farke said. He is growing into this club more and more, a leader role, you see how much it means to him to wear this white shirt.

"He is just happy to be here. He is crucial. We are more than happy. We would like him to stay for a bit longer, but right now it is not an urgent topic – he will stay for us until the end of the season."

It's recently been reported that, for Leeds to sign Rodon, they need to get promoted back to the Premier League. There's no option to buy in their loan agreement with Spurs, so they'll need to open fresh negotiations over a longer-term deal.

Spurs demand £15m for Rodon

Football Insider journalist Pete O'Rourke has now shared a fresh Rodon to Leeds update. He reports that Spurs want between £10m and £15m to sell him in the summer, a valuation that put off "multiple" Premier League clubs during the January window.

Ange Postecoglou wants to offload Rodon and bank a healthy windfall, but Leeds may struggle to afford it unless they return to the top flight, and it will be difficult to convince the player to choose them too.

Premier League funds essential for Rodon deal

You only need to look at last summer's transfer window to see the difficulty of doing a £15m deal for a Championship club. Only two incoming second-tier transfers (where the fee was disclosed) surpassed eight figures – Leicester's £10m move for Harry Winks and Southampton's £15m deal for Shea Charles.

Leeds have a “beast in the making” waiting to replace Joe Rodon

Leeds United could look towards their youth if a permanent deal for Joe Rodon can’t be reached.

By
Kelan Sarson

Feb 12, 2024

By contrast, in 2022/23, when Leeds were last in the Premier League, they signed four different players for a fee of £15m or more and shelled out nearly double that figure to land Brenden Aaronson from RB Leipzig, as you can see in the table below.

Then there's the problem of attracting players. If Rodon is offered the chance to start games in the Premier League, then it's highly unlikely that he'll favour the Championship, regardless of the bond he's forged with supporters.

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico do Santos, Ariel Holan, reconheceu os erros do time na derrota por 3 a 0 diante da Ponte Preta na noite desta sexta-feira, no estádio Moisés Lucarelli, em Campinas. O treinador afirmou que o Peixe não soube controlar a bola no campo ofensivo e nem se posicionou para impedir os contra-ataques da equipe do interior.

RelacionadasSantosLucas Braga diz que Santos não foi efetivo e que faltou finalizaçãoSantos16/04/2021SantosATUAÇÕES: Ninguém se salva em derrota do Santos para a Ponte PretaSantos16/04/2021SantosSantos joga mal, leva três gols no primeiro tempo e perde para a Ponte Preta em CampinasSantos16/04/2021

– Nós podíamos defender melhor os contra-ataques no primeiro tempo e praticamente aí se definiu o jogo. Tivemos erros na administração da bola no campo rival no primeiros tempo. Esses erros provocaram os contra-ataques e não estivemos próximos para impedir o início dos contra-ataques. Quando as bolas são lançadas nas costas fica muito difícil defender. Cometemos erros na posição e na administração dos contra-ataques – afirmou o técnico.

Devido à maratona de jogos, o Santos entrou na partida desta sexta com apenas dois titulares, os zagueiros Kaiky Fernandes e Luan Peres. O técnico acredita que os erros tem ligação direta com as mudanças na equipe.

– Faltou trabalho, tempo para fazer ajustes para que não sobre tantos espaços entre linhas e que as ações sejam coordenadas quando estamos pressionando e quando perdemos a bola. Isso é trabalho e rapidamente temos de tratar de corrigir. Não é fácil fazer tantas mudanças e termos uma equipe com coordenação – analisou.

The midfielder has run into a familiar problem of struggling to weave his usual magic for the Three Lions at Euro 2024

England were off to a winning start in a European Championship, but there was an overall sense of disappointment after the game and a focus on Phil Foden. We're not talking about the 1-0 victory over Serbia on Sunday, however, but when England beat Croatia at the last Euros.

Foden's quiet and at times sloppy display was one of the main talking points in Gelsenkirchen after he was billed as one of the players to watch at Euro 2024 following a blistering campaign with Manchester City. It was a similar story after England's unconvincing 1-0 win over Croatia at Wembley three years ago, when Foden hit the post before being the first player to be substituted by Gareth Southgate. Foden had also been tipped to light up that tournament after scoring nine goals and providing five assists for City in the campaign that preceded it, but he made just three appearances in England's run to the final.

The circumstances then were different to now, but the outcome was the same: Foden flattering to deceive on the international stage despite a stunning season with City. So why can't he do for Southgate what he has been doing for Pep Guardiola for years? And is the Catalan coach to blame?

• Getty Images
  

  Significant drop-off

  Foden shrinking when putting on an England shirt is nothing new. He has played 35 games since making his Three Lions debut in 2020, scoring four goals while setting up eight. That's an average of 0.34 goal involvements every game. By contrast, he has played 270 games for City and contributed to 140 goals, an average of 0.52 per match. And in the last season, he contributed to 39 goals in 54 games, an average of 0.72.

  Even considering the big difference in overall quality between City and England and the gulf in coaching ability between Guardiola and Southgate, it's a significant drop-off. Especially when putting Foden's numbers next to those of his fellow midfielders at City, who tend to replicate their club form at international level.

  Kevin De Bruyne has an average of 0.75 goal involvements per game for Belgium compared to 0.71 for City; Bernardo Silva's average is 0.44 for Portugal and 0.37 for City; Rodri's is 0.1 for Spain and 0.22 for City; Erling Haaland's average is 1.1 for both Norway and City; Jack Grealish's England average is 0.28, for City it's 0.26.

  Julian Alvarez is 0.52 for City but 0.25 for Argentina, also a big drop-off, with the important caveat that he starred at the 2022 World Cup and was his team's second-top scorer behind Lionel Messi.

  Foden's former City team-mates also had similar trajectories at club and international level. Ilkay Gundogan's average for City was 0.32, for Germany it's 0.33. Raheem Sterling's was 0.6 for City, only marginally higher than his 0.57 for England.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Struggling out wide

  A lot has been made of the fact that Foden tends to play out on the left wing for England while last season with City he enjoyed more freedom, operating as a No.10 when De Bruyne was unavailable or playing off the right. In a number of games, he also started out on the left, the position he used to play in his first four seasons after breaking into the first team.

  Indeed, Southgate gave a sarcastic response when asked last year why he didn't play Foden more centrally for England. "He doesn't play there for his club, so presumably there's a reason for that," he said. "It depends on the level of the game really. You'd have to speak with Pep Guardiola, the best coach in the world, who plays him from wide."

  The big difference between City and England, however, is Guardiola encourages his players to move all over the pitch and rotate with their team-mates, confusing the opposition and opening up more space for each other. Positions are much more rigid in Southgate's side, even if the manager would not like to admit it.

• Getty
  

  Lacking freedom

  Southgate said a month before the tournament "the key with Phil is where he ends up, not his starting position." He added: "It's where these players arrive and where they are allowed to drift to. We never pin these forwards to the touchline. There is this freedom."

  But that freedom was not on display in Gelsenkirchen. With Luke Shaw still not fit and Kieran Trippier forced to play at left-back on his weaker foot, England did nearly all of their attacking down the right flank.

  Bukayo Saka mostly stuck to that, while Kyle Walker, who is encouraged to come into midfield more at City, stayed close behind him, doubling England's threat down that side.

  That combination provided the only goal of the game for Jude Bellingham, but it also meant that Foden could not get into the space in which he thrives the most, coming off the right wing on the half-turn and cutting onto his deadly left foot.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• getty images
  

  Missing Shaw

  Of the 27 goals Foden scored in all competitions last season for City, just three came while attacking from the left. Ten came while attacking from the right, with 13 coming from attacks through the middle or arriving in the middle of the box. It is unsurprising, therefore, that he was not able to cause as much damage operating in a different sphere.

  Foden's capacity to drift inside was further reduced due to a lack of support from Trippier, who was not able to get forward with the same regularity as Josko Gvardiol did for City in his spectacular end to the season.

  The absence of Shaw, the only natural left-back in the squad Southgate took to Germany, has badly affected Foden, and the Manchester United defender looks unlikely to start against Denmark on Thursday, which does not bode well for Foden's prospects against Kasper Hjulmand's side.

Payne, Josh Shaw and Ryan Higgins claim three wickets each as visitors are bowled out with 26-run deficit

ECB Reporters Network25-Jun-2019

Some impressive seam bowling saw Gloucestershire grab a narrow advantage on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Glamorgan at Bristol.David Payne, Josh Shaw and Ryan Higgins ended with three wickets each as the visitors were bowled out for 287 from an overnight 187 for 4, a first-innings deficit of 26.Marnus Labuschagne contributed 65 and Graham Wagg 33, but it was a struggle for the Glamorgan batsmen with the floodlights on beneath heavily overcast skies.By the close Gloucestershire had made 41 for 2 in their second innings and led by 67, James Bracey unbeaten on 14.Play did not begin until 2pm because of overnight rain and Glamorgan found the going tough against a Gloucestershire attack giving little away.Payne, who had bowled without any luck the previous day, struck twice in an over to apply some pressure.The left-arm seamer sent back Labuschagne, caught behind off a thick edge, having added only nine to his overnight score, and four balls later had Owen Morgan, on five, caught at second slip by Miles Hammond.Labuschagne’s innings took his tally of Championship runs for the season to 769 at an average of 64. His dismissal left Glamorgan 201 for 5.The second new ball was taken at 232 for 7, Wagg surviving a tough caught-and-bowled chance to Payne on 10 as he and Dan Douthwaite took the total to 247 for 7 at tea. Douthwaite fell for 23 in the final session, lbw playing across a ball from Higgins, having added 49 for the eighth wicket with Wagg.Marchant de Lange hit a big six over mid-wicket off Higgins, but then edged Payne through to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick, who took a good catch, diving to his right.Without further addition, Wagg was caught at third man by Payne off a top edge, looking to attack Higgins and Glamorgan missed out on a third batting point by 13 runs. Payne was the pick of the Gloucestershire attack with 3 for 90, well supported by Shaw and Higgins.The pitch was still offering a bit for the seamers and the home side quickly lost skipper Chris Dent at the start of their second innings. With the total on three, he edged Michael Hogan to David Llloyd at first slip and departed for two.Hammond and Bracey took the score to 35 before a swinging delivery from Douthwaite beat Hammond’s forward defensive push and bowled him for 21.With their lead only 61, Gloucestershire could not afford to lose further wickets. They were spared that threat when the light closed in, even with the floodlights on, and the final seven overs were lost.Meanwhile, heavy rain at Wantage Road meant the second day of Northamptonshire’s match with Leicestershire was abandoned without a ball bowled. Very heavy rain swept in overnight, leaving the umpires to make a very early decision to scrap the morning session.An early lunch was called for 12pm but after an inspection shortly afterwards, will rain still falling steadily and puddles forming on the outfield, it was decided no play would be possible. If the skies clear for day three, Leicestershire will resume on six without loss replying to Northamptonshire’s 299.

Amit Mishra and Kagiso Rabada lead a strong performance with the ball after fifties from Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer

The Report by Mohammad Isam28-Apr-2019

Delhi Capitals vaulted to the top of the IPL points table with a 16-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at home, the win putting them in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. They had star performers all around, starting with half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer, then a good finishing job from Sherfane Rutherford and Axar Patel, and finally a clinical bowling performance led by Amit Mishra and Kagiso Rabada.Mishra took two wickets in the crucial 13th over, and Rabada was excellent in the death overs – not to forget Ishant Sharma’s four-run 19th over – to leave Royal Challengers with no chance of pulling out a fourth successive win in their late-season resurgence.Dhawan, Iyer set a strong platform
Dhawan and Iyer struck fifties, lasting exactly 37 balls each. They struck seven fours and five sixes between them, as they added 68 runs for the second wicket that put Capitals in a position to push towards a big total. Dhawan mostly got his boundaries on the on-side, apart from hitting a four and a six through the covers and long-off. All five of Iyer’s boundaries – the two fours and three sixes – came through midwicket, while he found plenty of ones and twos on the leg-side too.Late charge gives Capitals a winning total
But once Dhawan and Iyer fell within three overs of each other, Capitals slowed down significantly. In between their dismissals in the 13th and 16th overs, Rishabh Pant also fell for seven off as many balls, which left the rest of the batting with a lot to do to get close to the 200-run mark. Colin Ingram fell for 11 too, to make it tougher, but Rutherford and Axar added 46 runs in the last 3.1 overs to get them to a score that eventually proved good enough. Rutherford struck three sixes and a four in his unbeaten 13-ball 28, while Patel struck three fours in his unbeaten 16.Rishabh Pant pulls off a stunning catch•BCCI

Capitals fielders back up their bowlersRahul Tewatia, fielding as a substitute, dropped Shivam Dube at a crucial juncture in the game, in the ninth over. That was, however, just one blip in an outstanding catching performance from the Capitals players on the day.The first was from Axar, who plucked Parthiv’s crunched cut out of thin air at point in the sixth over. Rutherford then took a straightforward – though hard-hit – catch off a Kohli pull at the deep soon after, but the real stunners were to follow. Axar again, away at deep midwicket, made good ground, caught the ball, and did a neat skip to avoid the boards to send AB de Villiers back, and Shikhar Dhawan pulled off a cool, running catch for Dube’s dismissal.The what-a-catch moments, though, belonged to Pant. First, when he hared away towards square-leg and threw in the dive to just about pouch Heinrich Klaasen. And then, in the penultimate over, when he dived and flung out his right hand to grab the chance off Gurkeerat Singh’s flash.Kohli & Co. lose their way
Parthiv Patel once again provided Royal Challengers with a fast start, hitting seven fours and a six in his 20-ball 39, as he added 63 with Virat Kohli in the opening stand. But once Axar caught Parthiv smartly at point off Rabada, Royal Challengers slowly slipped downwards.Kohli and AB de Villiers both fell to catches in the deep trying to pull half-trackers from Axar and Rutherford respectively, before Heinrich Klaasen, playing only his second IPL game of the season, was brilliantly caught by Pant in the 13th over. After Klaasen’s attempted scoop hit his helmet and lobbed away from the wicketkeeper, Pant ran hard to his left and dived to complete the catch at full stretch. Shivam Dube’s departure later in the same over added to Royal Challengers’ woes, as the equation went up to 77 from seven.No late surge as Rabada and Ishant shine
Gurkeerat Singh hitting Ishant for two fours and a six in the 17th over certainly gave Royal Challengers some hope, with the equation down from 52 off 24 to a very gettable 36 from 18. But Rabada conceded just six runs in the following over and Ishant, desperate to have another go and prove a point, then went for four in the penultimate over, before Rabada shut down the chase with another efficient final over in which he gave away just nine runs.

Sri Lanka’s selectors now strongly considering handing the ODI reins to Karunaratne for the World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Mar-2019Dimuth Karunaratne’s forthcoming stint with the Hampshire county side may be cancelled, with Sri Lanka’s selectors now strongly considering handing the ODI reins to Karunaratne for the World Cup.Hampshire had signed Karunaratne as their overseas player in February, but Karunaratne has now been asked to remain in Sri Lanka through April, in order to play the provincial one-day tournament, during which the selectors will assess his suitability for the Sri Lanka one-day side.Karunaratne has not played an ODI since the last World Cup, and has been pigeon-holed as a Test batsman, partly owing to poor returns in the one-day format – his average is 15.83 after 17 matches.But as Lasith Malinga’s one-day captaincy is yet to yield a victory for Sri Lanka in nine matches, the selectors are considering a left-field move.”The selectors haven’t confirmed anything, but they’ve told me to keep in mind there’s a possibility I could become one-day captain,” Karunaratne told ESPNcricinfo. “They’ve asked me to stay back for the provincial tournament. If I get picked for the World Cup squad, there will be camps and training after that as well, so I might not be able to go to Hampshire in those months.”Although Karunaratne does not generally score as quickly as your standard ODI batsman, there is now a hope he will be able to hold Sri Lanka’s innings together. In recent years, Sri Lanka has frequently lost early wickets. They were unable to last the full fifty overs in any of the four full ODIs they just played in South Africa.The selectors have also been impressed with Karunaratne’s ability to band the team together in tough situations. Sri Lanka’s recent historic upset against South Africa in Tests was partly credited to the manner in which Karunaratne was able to coax the best from a group of inexperienced players. Several of the stars of that series have since paid tribute to Karunaratne’s leadership.In an interview with , chief selector Ashantha de Mel said his committee wants “to see what Dimuth did for the Test team, with the ODI team”. Angelo Mathews, de Mel said, was also in the frame for the captaincy, because Mathews was “someone who has been accepted by everyone in the team”.”But we are also looking at Dimuth,” he said.Through all this, it is still not clear if Malinga will lose his job – the selectors have not ruled out his captaincy for the World Cup either. Essentially, at present, there are three possible choices for captaincy, each with its drawbacks. Karunaratne is not thought of as a one-day player; Mathews is often injured, and although Malinga is both an automatic choice in the one-day XI, and has been fit over the past few months, the selectors do not believe he has the full support of the dressing room.In any case, Karunaratne has not done his chances any harm by hitting 109 off 115 balls for Sinhalese Sports Club in the semi-final of the Premier Limited Over tournament on Sunday.

MatériaMais Notícias

A semana é decisiva para o Internacional. Após ser derrotado pelo Flamengo no Maracanã, o Colorado precisa vencer o Corinthians e torcer pelo tropeço do Rubro-Negro diante do São Paulo.

+ Elenco do Real Madrid recebe carros de luxo de presente. Confira fotos!

Para o confronto dentro do Beira-Rio, o técnico Abel Braga vai contar com o retorno de Victor Cuesta, que estava suspenso.

O volante Edenilson, que sentiu dores musculares, não deve ser problema para entrar em campo.

+ Quem são os fregueses na era dos pontos corridos do Brasileirão? Confira!

Confira a provável escalação do Inter: Marcelo Lomba; Heitor, Lucas Ribeiro, Víctor Cuesta e Moisés; Rodrigo Dourado, Edenilson, Patrick, Praxedes e Caio Vidal; Yuri Alberto.

RelacionadasFutebol InternacionalLazio x Bayern de Munique: onde assistir e prováveis escalaçõesFutebol Internacional22/02/2021Futebol InternacionalBrigando por artilharia no Bahrein, Erick Luis foca em Al-Hidd forte no fim da temporadaFutebol Internacional22/02/2021Futebol InternacionalJoão Félix fala sobre idolatria a Cristiano Ronaldo e Kaká, e diz que deixa valor de transferência de ladoFutebol Internacional22/02/2021

Manchester City are willing to submit a huge offer to bring a rising star to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report.

Man City's summer signings

The Sky Blues secured four fresh faces during the previous transfer window in the form of Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic, and despite the squad’s impressive form this season, club chiefs are of course assessing who they could sign in January.

The Etihad Stadium outfit have been linked with moves for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and AC Milan forward Francesco Camarda, but should the hierarchy fail to secure the services of the latter player in particular, Pep Guardiola has set his sights on one of his teammates at the San Siro Stadium.

Man City want to hand “important contract” to record-breaking star

They have “seriously tried” to sign him in the past.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 28, 2023

The Serie A’s left-winger Rafael Leao has firmly established himself as Stefano Pioli’s overall best-performing player so far this season with a match rating of 7.14 (WhoScored – AC Milan statistics), but it’s not the first time that he’s been on the radar of the champions in England.

The Portugal international was strongly associated with a switch towards the end of last year, and whilst a deal for the 24-year-old has failed to come to fruition ever since, the following update would suggest that the board are willing to go one step further in order to secure his services in 2024.

Man City preparing bid for Rafael Leao

According to Spanish reports (via CaughtOffside), Man City are interested in Leao ahead of January. The Premier League giants are “keen on signing” the attacker and are claimed to be “willing to offer” approximately €150m (£129m) to get a deal over the line.

The AC Milan star will likely find a move attractive considering that he could compete for trophies on a regular basis, not to mention that he’d be able to get coached by Guardiola, so this could be one to keep a close eye on in the near future.

Leao could be a "difference-maker" for Guardiola

In the Serie A this season, Leao already has seven contributions, four assists and three goals, to his name in 12 appearances, which shows how prolific he can be in the final third, and he’s constantly posing a threat even if the end product isn’t always there (Transfermarkt – Leao statistics).

Standing at 6 foot 2, Almada’s native has recorded 21 shots over the course of the current campaign which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – AC Milan statistics), highlighting how much of a “difference-maker” he can be in the opposition's area, as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Sponsored by Adidas, the forward is even a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions over the grass since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even as an attacking midfielder, so his ability to provide cover would make him a useful option to have in the building.

Having been named AC Milan’s Player of the Year during the 2021/22 season, Leao knows what it takes to be successful and is clearly getting the individual recognition that he deserves, so should the club get him to put pen to paper, it would be a massive coup for Guardiola and Man City.

Sunderland announced the dismissal of Tony Mowbray unexpectedly last night, Black Cats fans and EFL neutrals alike shocked by the Black Cats deciding to axe their 60-year-old boss.

Mowbray had steered Sunderland to a commendable ninth spot in the Championship this season, the former Blackburn Rovers manager had his youthful side within touching distance of the playoff positions even without a prolific striker in the ranks.

The Black Cats hierarchy will now be searching for his immediate replacement to kickstart a sustained push up the league, with a bold left-field appointment potentially already up their sleeve in a bid to appease the stunned masses at the Stadium of Light.

Here are five potential names that could replace Mowbray in the Sunderland hot-seat…

1 Nathan Jones

Linked with a number of vacancies since his dismissal from Southampton in February this year, Nathan Jones could well want to return to management with Sunderland.

The former Luton Town manager reportedly rejected an advance from Championship side Rotherham United recently, waiting it out for a more notable job offer.

Jones could come in and get his managerial career back on track if he was to help Sunderland win promotion, the ex-Championship Manager of the Season accolade winner instrumental in Luton's rise from non-league to the top flight.

The Welshman could also make the Black Cats sterner, his Hatters teams were noted for being hard to break down and resilient as underdogs.

2 Steven Schumacher

Sunderland could poach a manager from a fellow second-tier team instead of appointing someone out of work, Plymouth Argyle boss Steven Schumacher potentially enticed by a switch to the Stadium of Light from Devon.

Schumacher has galvanised his Pilgrims team ever since taking charge, picking up the pieces from Ryan Lowe's exit to Preston North End back in 2021 and guiding Plymouth to the League One title in his first full year at the helm.

In the second tier to date after promotion, Plymouth continue to punch above their weight with an exciting, gung-ho approach to games – Schumacher's men scoring 31 times already this season, two more goals than Sunderland currently.

The Black Cats would well attempt to test the waters to see if Schumacher would be tempted by the Sunderland vacancy, a manager who has been in hot demand before with West Brom even keen at one stage on the Plymouth man before appointing Carlos Corberan.

3 John Eustace

John Eustace is another name also being touted to replace Mowbray at Sunderland, the former Birmingham Cit boss still out of work after harshly being dismissed in October.

Eustace had started the season extremely well with the Blues before being axed for Wayne Rooney to come in, winning five of his opening 11 games in the Championship which included impressive back-to-back home wins over Huddersfield Town and West Brom just before his controversial sacking was made public.

The 44-year-old is relatively unproven in his managerial career elsewhere – previously on the books at non-league Kidderminster Harriers as boss – but the popular former Blues manager deserves another crack at a second-tier job if Sunderland were to offer him an opportunity.

4 Kevin Muscat

Sunderland could well approach Kevin Muscat for the vacancy, the current Yokohama F. Marinos manager was previously in the running to take over at Millwall and Rangers before both moves never materialised. Still, Muscat would be a good fit for the vacancy at the Stadium of Light.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender turned successful manager has impressed fans in both Australia and Japan with his managerial methods – winning 95 of his 200 games in charge of Melbourne Victory, whilst being similarly successful at Yokohama after Melbourne with 66 wins from 115 games to date.

Muscat could also get the Black Cats firing on all cylinders in attack, his style of play in Japan centres on high-energy football that overwhelms the opposition.

If Sunderland want to go bold and slightly left-field with their next manager whose reputation just keeps increasing in the game, Muscat could well be their pick.

5 Lee Carsley

It's well known to fans of the Championship that Sunderland are a club that are willing to give youth a chance, the Black Cats coming in with the youngest average age for the division this season in their team.

Lee Carsley as their next appointment would make perfect sense therefore, the ex-Everton midfielder has become a respected coach and manager since hanging his boots up with the England U21s and other clubs.

The 49-year-old helped the young England squad win the European Championships under his management this year, getting the best out of top talents such as Cole Palmer and Curtis Jones in the age bracket.

Carsley could well fancy a change of scenery, and with Sunderland's squad boasting a whole host of future up-and-coming gems in Jobe Bellingham and more, it might be an attractive job offer he can't turn down.