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According to the BBC, Tottenham have submitted a whopping £53m bid for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who is on Everton’s radar as per a report from earlier this month.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it was reported that the Toffees and Spurs were locked in a battle to sign the Argentina international this summer, as the north Londoners searched for a Mousa Dembele replacement.

Everton were also keeping tabs on the 23-year-old as they looked to build on Marco Silva’s impressive first campaign at Goodison Park.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Real Betis secured Lo Celso for a bargain £21.5m after they exercised their option-to-buy agreement in the loan deal they agreed with Paris Saint-Germain, and it appears that they are looking to make a quick profit on their investment.

Andre Gomes is half the price

There should be no chance that Everton will go anywhere close to matching Tottenham’s bid for Lo Celso.

Of course, the fact that he hit 16 goals and recorded six assists from midfield makes him an attractive proposition this summer for the Toffees, but that price should immediately put Everton off.

Director of Football Marcel Brands certainly shouldn’t even think about matching Spurs’ bid, especially after it was reported that Barcelona are looking for a fee in the region of £25m-£35m for Andre Gomes.

The Portuguese international enjoyed a phenomenal 2018/19 campaign whilst on loan from Barcelona to the Toffees, and a number of fans would be in dreamland if the club could sign him on a permanent basis.

Significantly, the fact that the 25-year-old Gomes is tried and tested in English top-flight football, a stage in which a number of promising foreign exports have failed on, should be reason enough for the Toffees to drop their interest in Lo Celso.

With Gomes available for around half of what Tottenham bid for Lo Celso, Brands and Silva should definitely pull out of the race.

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Sheffield Wednesday are one of the many clubs interested in Coventry’s Jordan Willis once his contract is up at the end of the season, according to the Coventry Telegraph.

If the Owls are to pursue the 24-year-old, then it could be a sign that the brakes have been thrown on a potential deal for the club’s Player of the Year Michael Hector.

Signing Willis

The Sky Blues centre-back could prove to be one of the shrewdest signings of the summer.

The 24-year-old has already made 208 senior appearances in his career, and with such experience at a young age, he could be a top class Championship centre-back for the next decade.

The defender has spent the past few years cutting his teeth in League One and Two, but performances in those leagues have shown that he is more than ready to make the step up.

Unfortunately for Steve Bruce, he isn’t the only person monitoring Willis’ situation; Derby, Hull, Bristol City and Luton have all been linked to the centre-half.

Hector alternative

Murmurs of Willis’ arrival should be worrying for Wednesday fans who want to see the club bring in Chelsea defender Hector.

The Yorkshire club are interested in bringing the Jamaican back after his incredible loan spell at Hillsborough, but this signing may be a signal that things aren’t going smoothly on that front.

Current centre-back Tom Lees doesn’t look like he is going anywhere, and with so much interest in Willis, he isn’t going to move to a club that can’t offer him a starting spot.

If the Owls bring in the Coventry man that may be their centre-back pairing sorted for next season, meaning that the defender is either staying at Stamford Bridge or heading elsewhere.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Hector has been linked with a move to Fulham and this Willis link may indicate that the Jamaican has opted to stay in London rather than return to Sheffield.

Look away now City fans: Bayern Munch have apparently started talks with Manchester City over summer transfer of Leroy Sane.

Genuinely, this transfer story is testament to just how good Manchester City have it at the moment, if they’re willing to part way with one of the brightest talents in world football.

The Daily Record understands the Bundesliga champions have been given the green light to liaise with the German international’s representatives with a view to agreeing contractual terms.

Bayern’s move for Sane isn’t anything new – they were after the player in 2016 but were pipped to his signature by the mega money of City. But now with the star spending increasingly more time on the bench and the periphery of the squad, Bayern seem likely to wind up the deal with little to no complications.

As much as City fans may want to keep their star, the situation between the club and player has deemed it incredibly unlikely. The 23-year-old has rejected a series of offers to upgrade and extend a contract that expires in the summer of 2021, and City’s director of football Txiki Begiristian apparently does not want to risk a stalemate scenario in which the forward simply runs down his contract and transfer value, so he may be forced to sell in the coming window.

Manchester City have one of the brightest talents in world football in Leroy Sane, only a fool would deny that. To lose him at this stage in his career when he has already demonstrated how devastating he can be – passing the remarkable 10 goals and 10 assists mark – would truly be a travesty of the highest order.

City fans, how sad would you be to see Sane go? Knowing how good your club have been in the market, are you at all worried? Let us know in the comments below!

أكد سيد عبد الحفيظ، مدير الكرة بالأهلي، أنه لم تصدر أي إساءة في حق محمد فضل عضو اللجنة الخماسية باتحاد الكرة من جانب محمود كهربا لاعب الفريق، مشيرًا إلى أن الواقعة أخذت أكبر من حجمها.

ونشبت مشادة بين كهربا ومحمد فضل وصلت للتشابك بالإيدي خلال احتفالية الأهلي بتتويج الدوري والتي أقيمت أمس على استاد الأهلي وي السلام عقب مباراة الأحمر وطلائع الجيش التي حسمها الفريق بثلاثية نظيفة.

وقال عبد الحفيظ في تصريحات للموقع الرسمي للنادي الأهلي إن الواقعة التي تناولها البعض بين محمود كهربا، لاعب الفريق، ومحمد فضل، عضو اللجنة الخماسية، في حفل التكريم أمس، أخذت أكبر من حجمها.

وأضاف: “والكل يعلم أن مثل هذه العلاقات تسير في إطار الاحترام المتبادل، ولا توجد أي نية للإساءة من جانب أي طرف للآخر، خاصة أن الأجواء احتفالية، وتكريم للأهلي ولاعبيه من جانب اتحاد الكرة بعد موسم شاق من كافة الوجوه”.

طالع أيضًا.. خاص – الخطيب يعد محمد فضل بتوقيع عقوبة على كهربا.. وشكوى منتظرة للانضباط

وتابع: “حرصت على مشاهدة فيديو الواقعة أكثر من مرة، واستمعت لكلام محمود كهربا، ولم أكتفي بذلك، بل استمعت أيضًا للعديد من زملائه الذين كانوا قريبين منه”.

وواصل: “ولم تصدر أي إساءة في حق الكابتن محمد فضل، وغير مسموح بذلك أيًا كانت المبررات، بل إن كهربا في كل حديثه معي أكد على تقديره واحترامه الكامل للكابتن محمد فضل، والعلاقة الطيبة التي تربطه معه”.

وأردف: “لكن يبدو أن هناك سوء فهم شكليًا حدث بخصوص الواقعة، وهذا لا ينال من الرفض القاطع من جانب الأهلي لأي إساءة أو تجاوز في حق أيّ من عناصر المنظومة الكروية”.

ووجه عبد الحفيظ التحية لاتحاد الكرة وجميع القائمين عليه، خاصة أنهم تحملوا الكثير في سبيل عودة النشاط الكروي، واستكمال مسابقة الدوري بكل درجاتها في ظروف صعبة للغاية.

وأختتم: “هذا الأمر يحسب لكل العناصر الذين تعاونوا وأعادوا الحياة للملاعب بعد جائحة كورونا التي سادت العالم وتسببت في إلغاء مسابقات وبطولات رياضية عديدة”.

يثق مدرب نادي كايزر تشيفز السابق، فاروق خان، في قدرة النادي الأهلي على التتويج ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا للموسم الحالي مع مديره الفني الجديد، بيتسو موسيماني.

وحصل موسيماني على مهمة تدريب الأهلي مع بداية شهر أكتوبر الحالي، بعد رحيل رينيه فايلر عن القلعة الحمراء بسبب ظروفه الأسرية.

ونجح المدرب الجنوب إفريقي في قيادة الأهلي خلال 4 مباريات حتى الآن منها 3 في بطولة الدوري المصري ولم يخسر أيًا منها ولم تهتز شباكه بأي هدف، بل واستطاع الفوز في المغرب على حساب الوداد البيضاوي في ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا 0-2.

وتنتظر موسيماني مباراة العودة يوم الجمعة المقبل، على استاد “القاهرة” الدولي لحسم بطاقة التأهل إلى المباراة النهائية والتي من المفترض أن تُقام يوم 6 نوفمبر القادم.

اقرأ أيضًا.. وزير الرياضة السابق: استكمال الدوري سبب نجاح الأهلي والزمالك وبيراميدز إفريقيًا

وتحدث خان عن ثقته في فوز الأهلي بالبطولة مع موسيماني في تصريحات لصحيفة “The Citizen” الجنوب إفريقية، وقال: “يمتلك بيتسو في هذا الفريق 9 لاعبين يلعبون مع المنتخب المصري، لا أشك في أنه سيفوز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، إلى جانب خبرته الطويلة كمدرب مع صن داونز في تلك المسابقة”.

وتابع: “نحن بحاجة إلى منح بيتسو الاحترام، فقد اجتاز المرحل الابتدائية والثانوية والجامعية، لذلك لديه كل ما يلزم للتتويج بتلك البطولة”.

وأضاف: “بالطبع المهمة مع الأهلي لن تكون سهلة بالنسبة لموسيماني، خاصة مع تغيير الثقافات بين البلدين فمصر دولة إسلامية ومختلفة تمامًا عما اعتاد عليه هو وجهازه الفني هنا في جنوب إفريقيا”.

وعن اختيار موسيماني لـ كيفين جونسون كمدرب مساعد: “قرار جيد لأنه يمتلك الخبرة وقد هزم الأهلي من قبل عندما كان في بلاتينيوم ستارز”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “كان من المهم حقًا بالنسبة له أن يجلب الأشخاص الذين يمكنه الوثوق بهم في تلك الأجواء الجديدة، اعتقد أنه سيقدم أداءً جيدًا في دوري أبطال إفريقيا”.

Liverpool continued their march towards a first Premier League title with a narrowly fought win over Fulham at Craven Cottage this weekend.

The Reds had a late penalty from James Milner to thank for handing them all three points, and the pressure is now back on rivals Man City to keep putting points on the board in what is sure to be an exciting finish to the Premier League season.

Manager Jurgen Klopp will be hopeful of landing that title and bringing success to Anfield, but we here in the Tavern also feel that the club need to be planning for the summer and making some big name signings to keep enhancing their squad.

And one man we feel would be a shrewd addition for the Reds is current Norwich City starlet, Max Aarons, who has been in fine form for the Canaries this season as they sit atop the Championship table.

While Norwich might well see themselves promoted come the end of the season, Aarons would be hard pressed to turn down a move to a club the size of Liverpool.

Despite playing at right back in the main, a position Liverpool do have options in, Aarons is a future star, and his ability to bomb down the wing, gold delivery, and adept defensive ability make him someone who is going to be a target for many top clubs.

Liverpool should therefore ensure they are at the head of that queue of clubs.

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Barnsley have confirmed that Ben Williams has signed a new deal with the club, extending his terms until 2022.

The Tykes have made a wise move in tying the 19-year-old down at Oakwell, as he is a player of huge promise with a high potential future value. The left-back has been in and around the Barnsley first team this season, and has made twelve appearances in all competitions, including eight in League One.

The young Welshman is not yet ready to start week in, week out, but he has taken big strides forward in his development this year. 

It’s a major positive for the Yorkshire club to have secured the services of such a talented youngster. Manager Daniel Stendel also deserves plenty of credit for the sensible and measured way he is bringing Williams through into the first team picture.

Following the announcement of the young defender’s new contract, plenty of Barnsley fans took to Twitter to congratulate Williams and express their excitement over the deal…

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Lewis Holtby has said that he feels he deserved more chances at Tottenham Hotspur, per The Independent.

The German midfielder spent two years at Spurs following a move from FC Schalke 04 but struggled for minutes, making a total of 42 appearances for the club.

What’s the word?

Holtby is currently with Hamburg in the second-tier of German football after seeing his stock rapidly diminish in recent years.

Capped 24 times by a Germany Under-21 team that also featured Mesut Ozil and three times by the senior team, it appeared that Holtby was destined for the top after breaking through at Schalke.

A total of 79 appearances at the club earned him a move to Spurs in 2015, with the north London club paying £1.5million for his signature. He had initially agreed to join on a free transfer in the summer but the transfer was accelerated and completed in January.

However, he struggled to nail down a spot in the team, falling behind the likes of Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen in the pecking order, and he soon looked for a way out, joining Fulham on loan prior to another short-term move to Hamburg, which eventually became permanent.

And he has told The Independent that he felt that, while he was perhaps naive, he was mistreated in north London.

“I loved the time in England,” Holby said. “You can’t compare Fulham or even back then Schalke to Tottenham. It was definitely frustrating though because I had good spells where I felt I deserved more game time. But I did expect more of myself, I had more expectations to succeed.

“I thought I had the quality but maybe I was a bit naïve. I made too many rash decisions. I wasn’t as professional as I am now in a lot of things. There’s a lot of things that I’ve gained now over the years and I think if I was there now I would act differently, I think I have more in my locker.

“I was so eager to play, so desperate to start week-in-week-out that I made the move [to Fulham and then to Germany]. You get very stressed in periods when you don’t get the game time. It’s different now, I have more experience.

“Sometimes, when you’re young, you’re eager, but you need a bit of patience and to push yourself even more. That’s how it works at the highest level and maybe that was missing a bit from my point of view at that age.”

Brought on himself

Holtby did not have the patience nor the willingness to stick it out at Spurs due to his delusions of grandeur.

A signing designed to add depth to the squad, the midfielder was, admittedly, used sparingly in the Premier League and was rarely picked from the start.

That, however, was because of his lack of ability in the first-team, rather than anything else.

Against the likes of Dembele and Eriksen, Holtby simply didn’t cut the mustard; a good passer of the ball and an industrious player, he was a water-carrier and nothing more.

His move to Fulham did not work out either. Indeed, he came in to help them avoid relegation. They went down.

Now at Hamburg, another club with whom he has been relegated, it appears he has found his level.

As for his fall from grace, he has nobody to blame but himself.

Many were left stunned at Stamford Bridge when Kieran Trippier made an awful mistake, scoring a comical own-goal to seal Chelsea’s win in the London Derby on Wednesday night. 

However, this isn’t the first time Spurs’ full-backs have left them down this season.

While the mistakes aren’t as glaring as the England man’s comical gaffe, Spurs have a persisting issue when it comes to defending through the wings. There’s a reason why teams look to work down the sides to hurt them.

Trippier himself has made errors leading to goals multiple times, famously against the Manchester clubs this season when he gave the ball away leading to Marcus Rashford’s goal for United and being beaten too easily by Raheem Sterling for Riyad Mahrez’s goal.

Not only Trippier, but second-in-command Serge Aurier’s also infamous for his error-prone nature. A temperamental full-back often too aggressive for his own good, Aurier’s often made glaring mistakes in allowing attackers past him and costing goals for Spurs.

Danny Rose is quite similar, being questionable defensively and often being the target for opponents to run through, having dipped since the 2015/16 campaign that made him England’s first-choice left-back.

Ben Davies is probably one of Spurs’ more consistent outlets, but even he was outsmarted with Pedro’s movement on Wednesday night. While Spurs’ full-backs are big assets going forward because of their drive and crossing ability, they’ve created this hole of vulnerability on the defensive end.

After watching his side lose back-to-back games, Mauricio Pochettino needs to face reality. The most glaring problem is with his full-back’s frailties, as he needs to work them to be stronger and wiser defensively to weather the storm ahead.

Time to spend, Daniel Levy.

Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer remained confident that Thomas Muller will extend his contract amid rumours of joining Manchester United.

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• Bayern confident Muller will extend stay
• In talks with the player over a one-year extension
• Linked with a move to Manchester United

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The veteran attacker's current contract expires in June 2024 but Bayern Munich chief Herbert Hainer claimed that the club are in touch with the player and are confident that he will extend his stay by one more year despite the player being linked with a move to Manchester United.

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• WHAT HERBERT HAINER SAID

  Speaking to , Hainer said, "Thomas knows exactly what he has at FC Bayern, and we know what we have in Thomas. I can also imagine that things can happen relatively quickly.

  "Thomas is an absolutely deserving player. We all want Thomas to end his career at Bayern Munich. We are in talks with him and I really hope that Thomas Müller stays with us."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Other than being linked to the Red Devils, former World Cup-winning Germany captain Lothar Matthaus recently advised the 34-year-old that he should consider making a move out of the club if he wants to play more regularly.

  He further suggested that Muller could consider moving to the MLS where he could unite with former Champions League rival Lionel Messi.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR THOMAS MULLER?

  The Germany international has seen his game time reduced since Harry Kane moved to the club this summer. He has appeared in 15 matches for the club across all competitions, clocking just 575 minutes on the pitch and has scored twice and provided five assists.

  He could be next seen in action on December 9 when his club face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.