Tag Futebol

David Moyes may have just been handed a big boost over one of his West Ham summer transfer targets…

What’s the word?

It’s widely believed that the Scotsman views Tammy Abraham as his no.1 choice to bolster the Hammers’ frontline, whilst it’s also thought that Chelsea are open to selling the 23-year-old after he struggled for minutes under Thomas Tuchel.

An ever-reliable source has provided a fresh update into the Irons’ pursuit, and it’s surely great news for Moyes.

Speaking on this week’s ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, the trustworthy ExWHUemployee claimed that the England international is open to a switch to the London Stadium this transfer window.

He said:

“Apparently Abraham is keen on a move to West Ham.

“He likes Declan, he likes some of the other players in the squad and obviously he’s a London boy and stuff, so I think he is tempted to come to West Ham.

“And obviously Moyes likes him a lot so we might see some movement on that in the next few weeks.”

Boost for Moyes

It’s no secret that the East London side are absolutely desperate for a new forward before next season.

Currently, Moyes is set to head into a Europa League campaign with just one senior option – an injury-prone Michail Antonio, who flattered to deceive in their pre-season game against League Two outfit Leyton Orient earlier this week.

The 31-year-old, who has been converted from a winger, has never started more than 24 matches in the big time since his arrival at West Ham. And that speaks volumes.

If Abraham is truly Moyes’ top target, then this news will certainly be encouraging and should give the Irons the boost they need to pull the trigger on his signing.

The Blues are said to value the Englishman at around £40m but could be enticed into selling him for an initial £30m, as per Football Insider, which is closer to the 58-year-old’s £25m valuation.

Despite seeing his game time tail off following the arrival of Tuchel in January, Abraham still finished the season as their second top-goalscorer on six goals, just one fewer than their penalty-taker, Jorginho.

Once described as a “phenomenal player” by former Premier League manager Alex McLeish, the 6 foot 3 striker has found the net 30 times since his breakthrough at Chelsea. It’s no wonder ex-academy teammate Kasey Palmer dubbed him “the goal machine.”

This latest update from Ex should leave both Moyes and the Hammers faithful absolutely buzzing. It’s time to make a move for the £36m-rated Abraham.

AND in other news, David Moyes set for West Ham boost as encouraging Rush Green development emerges…

Football Insider pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has been giving his thoughts regarding a possible Celtic return for Martin O’Neill as the club’s director of football.

The Lowdown: O’Neill links

Celtic have a new manager in Ange Postecoglou but are still looking to land a director of football after talks with Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin broke down at the beginning of June.

According to Football Insider, who were informed by a Celtic source at the end of June, O’Neill has informed the Hoops hierarchy he is ‘interested’ in the newly-created role.

O’Neill, who holds his UEFA Pro Licence as a coach, was Celtic boss for four years between 2001-2005, winning seven major honours at Parkhead, but it now appears as if he is keen on a position higher up in Glasgow.

The Latest: Agbonlahor reacts

Agbonlahor was talking to Football Insider about O’Neill and a potential return to Parkhead.

The 34-year-old seemed to be all for a move, describing it as a ‘perfect appointment’.

“I think it could be a good appointment.

“Martin O’Neill knows the club better than anyone. It would be a perfect appointment. He loves the club so he’s the sort of person who can get the right players in and the right system in place.

“He loves Celtic and he won’t want them to be losing the title to Rangers again.

“So, definitely, I think it would be a great appointment.”

The Verdict: A no brainer?

Having O’Neill in as DoF to work closely with Postecoglou appears to be a no brainer. The 69-year-old could help Postecoglou when it comes to settling into Celtic Park life during his first season, while also assisting in transfer dealings.

Celtic, if they still have their hearts set on a DoF, could do with filling the vacant role as soon as possible, with the transfer window open and time ticking until the new season.

O’Neill has made it clear he would be keen, so the ball seems to be in Celtic’s court. If it was down to Agbonlahor, he would be returning to Scotland.

In other news: Celtic may have completed some under-the-radar business on pre-season Wales tour, find out more here. 

Leicester City could sign Schalke 04 defender Ozan Kabak for a significantly reduced fee this summer amid claims that Liverpool have turned down another opportunity to sign the Turkey international.

What’s the story?

According to Goal, the Reds have been offered the 21-year-old again for a cut-price fee of £8.5m as the German outfit desperately attempt to raise funds and get one of their top earners off their wage bill.

Kabak has been strongly linked with a move to the Foxes in recent weeks, so Brendan Rodgers’ charges could secure themselves a bargain.

The next Wesley Fofana

Liverpool reportedly passed up on the chance to sign Kabak for £18m earlier in the window and aren’t expected to change their minds following the arrival of Ibrahima Konate. That means Leicester could be at the front of the queue when it comes to securing the youngster’s signature over the coming months.

Kabak enjoyed a relatively successful loan spell at Anfield last season, helping Jurgen Klopp’s charges finish third in the Premier League after they suffered an injury crisis.

He achieved a respectable 6.72 WhoScored rating from his nine top-flight appearances and impressed the Liverpool manager during his short time on Merseyside.

“Ozan came in at 20 from Germany, was a big prospect but wasn’t lucky with the last two teams he played for; one went down (Stuttgart), and the other will probably go down (Schalke). But nobody really doubted his quality,” said Klopp.

However, the German decided to go down a different route this summer, so Rodgers could now take advantage of Kabak’s availability.

The former Celtic boss has cultivated an enviable reputation of developing young talent during his managerial career, with Wesley Fofana the latest youthful centre-back to benefit from his guidance.

Since arriving from French outfit Saint-Etienne on a five-year deal nine months ago, the France under-21 international has gone from strength to strength, making 38 appearances for the Midlands outfit and winning the FA Cup along the way.

It’s a sign of how well he acquitted himself in his first season at Leicester that he achieved the fifth-highest WhoScored average rating in their entire squad with 7.01, which also made him their best-performing centre-back.

Kabak could be the next beneficiary from Rodgers’ tutelage should he make the switch to the King Power Stadium, strengthening Leicester’s potential push for Champions League football.

In other news… Leicester could make a huge mistake as transfer claim emerges, fans would be gutted 

A key development has emerged regarding Tottenham’s interest in Dusan Vlahovic.

What’s the talk?

According to Football London, Nuno Espirto Santo has approved the club’s pursuit of the Fiorentina centre-forward, and Fabio Paratici has now opened talks over a potential deal for the attacker. Tottenham have been tracking the forward this summer but could not make their move as the managerial situation was still unclear following Ryan Mason’s departure.

Football London claimed that Nuno has sanctioned a swoop for Vlahovic and Tottenham are now working to bring the Serbian to north London to bolster their attacking ranks, with the forward valued at £36m.

Imagine him and Kane

Whilst you could look at this news on paper and assume that Vlahovic is a replacement for Harry Kane, who has reportedly asked to leave the club, it could be that Paratici and Nuno are eyeing him as a partner for the England international. Tottenham have been unable to find reliable competition for the 27-year-old at the top end of the pitch, with the likes of Roberto Soldado and Vincent Jannsen coming in over the years and failing to make an impression.

With Vlahovic, they could finally find the player they have been seeking. The 21-year-old could provide excellent cover for Kane and potentially be able to play alongside him in games where Nuno wants to be aggressive and attack teams. This is why Spurs supporters could get excited about this deal and why they should not be worried about it hinting at an exit for their academy product, as it is not quite as simple as one man coming in while another goes out.

Earlier this year, the Serbian spoke about how former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery helped him become a champion on the pitch. He also compared himself to Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and believes that he can be as good as the Leeds-born striker.

He told Corriere dello Sport, as transcribed by Goal.com: “When I was down, he (Ribery) spoke to me and told me to never give up. That’s how I understood what it means to be a champion on the pitch and in life.”

Speaking to La Repubblica, as transcribed by Goal.com, Vlahovic said: “I watch him (Haaland) and I try to understand his finishing and how he moves. Then, I focus on my strong points and my weaknesses. It may be presumptuous, but with commitment, I can get there too.”

Vlahovic was directly involved in 24 Serie A goals in 34 starts for Fiorentina last term, scoring 21 and assisting three for his teammates. This shows that he is able to score consistently at the top level, and while it remains to be seen how he would adapt to playing in the Premier League, he could be a superb addition to Nuno’s squad ahead of next season, not least as the manager has green-lighted a possible move for him.

Imagine if he could play alongside Kane and score 20+ goals to supplement the England captain’s goals and assists. Add in the likes of Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura and Tottenham fans could start to get very excited about the prospect of their attacking options and what they could do at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League.

AND in other news, Paratici facing Spurs disaster over “fantastic” £100k-p/w beast, Nuno will be livid…

Coach Dav Whatmore has admitted that the form of Sri Lanka’s batsmen so farin England has been a cause of concern with the First Test at Lords startingThursday now fast approaching

CricInfo12-May-2002Coach Dav Whatmore has admitted that the form of Sri Lanka’s batsmen so farin England has been a cause of concern with the First Test at Lords startingThursday now fast approaching.The tourists were forced to follow-on against Durham last week and were thenbowled out for 186 against Middlesex at Shenley on the weekend.With reference to the latest collapse, he said: “I’m not very happy withthat. It isn’t very clever. It just goes to show you are never really securein this game.””I would have liked one of the openers to have gone on, but I think thechange of pace with the ball skidding a bit had an effect. Theirmedium-pacers did well and got it to move off the seam.”Nevertheless, the top six for Lords has apparently been decided, which thenleaves a tricky decision for the number seven position between ThilanSamaraweera and Russel Arnold. The option of playing eight batsmen has alsoapparently been ruled out.In the fast bowling department, Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa are certain toplay and Whatmore explained the decision rest them before Lords.”There are no injures. They have had a lot of cricket,” he said.”We would rather build them up away from competition with training andrunning. We know what they can do.”The tours selectors – Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu and ChandraShaffter, the manager – then need to pick two more seamers, with RuchiraPerera and Charitha Fernando the favourites to play.Meanwhile, Whatmore admitted to being caught unawares by the recall ofall-rounder Dominic Cork, although he had anticipated the call-up of JohnCrawley.”Crawley has been playing very well, as has Marcus Trescothick, and possiblyAlec Stewart also,” he said.”But I’m pleasantly surprised that the other guys might be a bit short ofruns.”It looks as though they have gone for experience and it gives them a bitmore flexibility in what they want to do.”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield has suggested that Manchester United will likely end their interest in Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish after signing Jadon Sancho.

Speaking to FFC, Hatfield said:

“Man United was obviously the big one last season. It looks like they’ve kind of changed their tack a little bit. Jadon Sancho looks to be coming through the door there.

“He plays a similar position, obviously on the wing, normally on the other side for Dortmund.”

Sancho’s move to Manchester United is now official, and after shelling out a reported £73m on the England international, it seems unlikely that they would be willing to spend the necessary fee to bring Grealish to Old Trafford this summer.

Although Manchester City are likely to still be interested in the 25-year-old, it is undoubtedly a big boost for Smith and Aston Villa that one of the main contenders to sign Grealish this summer are now seemingly out of the race.

If the Villans can keep hold of their talismanic captain this summer, then it could prove to be a very successful season for Smith’s side, especially if he can combine well with summer signing Emiliano Buendia.

Last season saw Grealish contribute an impressive six goals and 10 assists in 26 Premier League appearances, averaging a superb 7.56/10 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which was unsurprisingly enough to see him ranked as the best player in Smith’s side for the 2020/21 campaign.

The “incredible” attacker is likely to attract a lot of interest after some strong showings at the Euros but if Hatfield’s prediction is true and United have ended their reported interest in Grealish, whixh does make sense given they’ve now splashed the cash on Sancho, then it would be a massive boost for their hopes of keeping Grealish at Villa Park, which will obviously delight Villa fans.

And, in other news… Villa can land major El Ghazi upgrade with PL winger

Peshawar ended Lahore Blues’ hopes of defending their Quaid TrophyGrade-I title when they thrashed them by 206 runs on the penultimate dayof the match at Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar Thursday

15-Feb-2002Peshawar ended Lahore Blues’ hopes of defending their Quaid TrophyGrade-I title when they thrashed them by 206 runs on the penultimate dayof the match at Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar Thursday.According to details available here, Peshawar, on the other hand, putthemselves in contention for next month’s final by regaining their lead atthe top of Group-II with 60 points. Lahore Blues have only 39 points withjust one round to go.Despite a opening stand of 81 between Imran Farhat (50) and Imran NazirJunior (30), the visiting team collapsed to 212 in their second innings afterbeing set an improbable 419 for victory.Peshawar all-rounder Taimur Khan was the wrecker-in-chief with figures offive for 35 with medium-pacers.

MatériaMais Notícias

Mais um campeão brasileiro será valorizado pelo Palmeiras: Róger Guedes assinará provavelmente nesta terça-feira a renovação de seu contrato. O atacante já tinha um vínculo longo (até março de 2021) e a duração não deve mudar, mas o clube lhe dará um aumento e consequentemente aumentará sua multa rescisória após o jogador despertar interesse na Europa. O percentual dos direitos econômicos não será alterado, também.

Contratado no fim do Paulista de 2016, Guedes havia recebido uma proposta durante o Brasileirão, do Spartak Moscou (RUS). Os russos estavam dispostos a pagar 8 milhões de euros (na época quase R$ 29 milhões), e o Verdão recusou. Apesar da renovação, o Palmeiras segue com 25% dos direitos de Róger; os outros 75% pertencem ao Criciúma.

A fatia do atleta foi adquirida por R$ 2,5 milhões, e Paulo Nobre foi quem fez o aporte para a contratação. O clube tinha a preferência para comprar outros 25% até dezembro, por R$ 5 milhões, mas não a exerceu.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasTchê Tchê exalta disputa no Verdão: ‘Não vai jogar por ser mais bonitinho’Palmeiras30/01/2017PalmeirasGuerra ‘estreia’, e Palmeiras vence jogo-treino na Academia de FutebolPalmeiras30/01/2017PalmeirasRafael Marques diz que entenderá se não for inscrito, mas mostra confiançaPalmeiras29/01/2017

Na última semana, o Palmeiras prolongou os vínculos com Thiago Santos, Moisés e Tchê Tchê – o trio também recebeu um aumento. Exceto pela saída de Gabriel Jesus, vendido para o Manchester City, o Verdão protegeu os jogadores que tiveram importância na conquista do Nacional.

Além destas renovações, o goleiro Jailson teve o contrato prolongado até o fim de 2018, enquanto Alecsandro e Zé Roberto permanecem até o fim de 2017. Já o lateral-direito Fabiano teve 40% de seus direitos comprados e assinou por cinco temporadas. Dudu, por sua vez, teve 50% de seus direitos comprados e agora pertence 100% ao Verdão.

Róger Guedes tem 34 jogos pelo Palmeiras. Na campanha do Brasileirão, disputou 31 partidas e fez quatro gols. Nesta pré-temporada, vem treinando como titular no time de Eduardo Baptista – ele começou jogando nos dois amistosos, contra Chapecoense e Ponte Preta e deve seguir assim na estreia do Paulista, domingo, contra o Botafogo-SP.

Former Southampton vice-chairman Les Reed believes that Mario Lemina could still become world class, amid links with Newcastle United and West Ham United.

The Gabonese midfielder is still contracted to Southampton, although he hasn’t appeared for the St Mary’s outfit in the previous two seasons having spent time out on loan.

Lemina was in Turkey with Galatasaray 12 months ago, before spending this season at Fulham.

His only Fulham goal came at Anfield back in March, although that 1-0 victory was unable to save the Cottagers from relegation.

Lemina is unlikely to return to west London next season, but the midfielder could yet stay in the Premier League, with both Newcastle and West Ham interested in signing the former Juventus man who could be available for £7m.

That’s because he’s reportedly not part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s plans for next season, which shouldn’t come as a great surprise considering Lemina only played a handful of times under the Austrian two years ago before the Saints boss opted to loan him out.

Despite his testing period with Southampton, Reed, who was involved in the deal which saw Lemina move to the Premier League, has exclusively told Football FanCast that he could still become a top player in the right circumstances:

The former England technical director said: “Mario Lemina could be world class, he’s a superb athlete. When he first got in the team at Southampton, everyone thought we got the best deal out of Lemina and Pogba from that Juventus midfield.”

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن نادي مانشستر يونايتد يهتم بالتعاقد مع المدرب جوليان لوبيتيجي الموسم المقبل، بعد نهاية موسمه مع إشبيلية.

لوبيتيجي يعيش لحظات صعبة مع النادي الأندلسي، بعدما تعادل في 7 من المباريات الـ10 الأخيرة، مع الخروج من بطولة الدوري الأوروبي أمام وست هام.

طالع أيضًا.. لوبيتيجي يغازل إيسكو: لا يمكنني إخفاء إعجابي به

مانشستر يونايتد يسعى للتعاقد مع مدير فني جديد بداية من الموسم المقبل، وجوليان لوبيتيجي ينضم الآن للقائمة التي يتصدرها الهولندي إريك تين هاج.

صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، أكدت بأن جوليان لوبيتيجي ليس أولوية لـ مانشستر يونايتد لكنه ضمن المدربين المرشحين، خاصة في ظل اهتمام كبير من النادي الإنجليزي للتعاقد مع ماوريسيو بوتشيتينو مدرب باريس سان جيرمان وكذلك تين هاج من أياكس.

لويس إنريكي مدرب منتخب إسبانيا كان أيضًا ضمن القائمة لكنه فضل الاستمرار مع منتخب لاروخا للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العالم المقبلة في قطر نوفمبر 2022.