Category Uncategorized

Lee Johnson has breathed fresh life into this Sunderland team and they are now currently sitting comfortably in the playoff places.

Though, if there was one negative to take from his reign at the Stadium of Light, it would be constant injury problems.

On the chalkboard

Johnson’s tenure has been plagued with fitness and injury concerns. At the moment, he has three centre-backs missing in Bailey Wright, Jordan Willis and Tom Flanagan. He is also missing his full-backs in Conor McLaughlin and Denver Hume.

You can also add new signing Ross Stewart to that list and midfield stalwart Grant Leadbitter too.

The 35-year-old limped off the field of play during Sunderland’s draw with Crewe after just a matter of minutes. Leadbitter had been introduced as a substitute but went down holding his shoulder and he looked to be in some pain.

A stretcher was brought onto the field but fortunately, he was able to walk from the field of play. That being said, he suffered a dislocation to his shoulder and will now face a period on the sidelines.

The good news is that it won’t require surgery. However, if Leadbitter was to suffer the same injury again, he would have to go under the knife.

Time to unleash Neil

With Luke O’Nien currently playing at centre-back and Max Power playing at right-back, it leaves Johnson’s side quite stretched in the middle of the park.

Elliot Embleton was loaned out in the January transfer window too so the manager could have to pick from the club’s academy crop to fill the void.

Carl Winchester has now started successive games but if they’re looking for alternative options, they simply have to unleash Daniel Neil.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

The 19-year-old made a late cameo in the dying embers during Sunderland’s 2-0 win over Rochdale, an appearance that marked just his second in League One. He is rarely seen in the first-team but as Johnson’s selection of Oliver Younger told us last weekend, there is a space for young talent if they work hard.

Neil certainly has those qualities and could add a sense of freshness to the Sunderland midfield if chosen. Possessing the ability to play as a number 10 or slightly further back, there are plenty of roles to suit his qualities and attributes.

Those already with the Mackems obviously rate him highly too. Speaking about the teenager just before the season kicked off, O’Nien commented: “Dan has been exceptional right throughout pre-season.”

The midfielder continued: “Every day in training, he’s like a dancer with those magic feet. He’s creating and scoring goals in training all the time.”

Johnson has favoured two more defensive-minded players in his midfield since taking charge but he evidently loves attacking players. You only need to look at the way Aiden McGeady and Charlie Wyke have contributed this term. Between them, they have been involved in 35 league goals.

Add a more offensive player in the style of Neil to the equation and you could see the Black Cats scoring even more.

It’s a frightening prospect but Neil could certainly get more game time now. Leadbitter’s injury has opened up a vacant spot that Sunderland’s youngsters could benefit from.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: SAFC must land 29-goal ace who Moyes once dubbed “priceless”…

أكد أنس أسامة لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة السلة بنادي الزمالك أن الفروقات بين الفرق المشاركة في كأس العالم للأندية ليست ضخمة.

وأسفرت قرعة كأس العالم لأندية السلة عن مواجهة الزمالك لفريق سان بابلو بورجوس الإسباني بطل أوروبا في الدور نصف النهائي.

وقال أنس أسامة في تصريحات نقلها الموقع الرسمي لنادي الزمالك عقب إجراء القرعة: “الزمالك لم يشارك في كأس العالم صدفة بل نستحق أن نكون هنا بعد التتويج ببطولة إفريقيا”.

وأضاف: “ننتظر دعم ومؤازرة الجماهير التي دائما ما تكون خلف الفريق في كل المحافل والمنافسات، وأنصح الجميع بضرورة التطعيم ضد فيروس كورونا حتى يتمكنوا من الحضور”.

طالع أيضا.. وزير الرياضة: اتحاد السلة كلل جهوده بتنظيم كأس العالم للأندية

وتابع: “الفروقات بين الفرق المشاركة في البطولة ليست ضخمة، والزمالك قادر على تحقيق نتائج جيدة في البطولة”.

واختتم: ” الفريق يضم لاعبين متميزين ومع التدعيمات نستطيع تقديم مستوى جيدًا يليق باسم وتاريخ نادي الزمالك”

ويشارك الزمالك في مونديال الأندية لكرة السلة المقرر إقامته في مصر بصفته بطلا لبطولة إفريقيا التي أقيمت في رواندا.

While Leeds United may have gotten back to winning ways against Southampton last time out, Marcelo Bielsa must consider unleashing Helder Costa when Aston Villa make the trip to Elland Road on late Saturday afternoon.

The Whites ran out 3-0 winners over the Saints in the Premier League, but the scores were locked level at 0-0 before a second-half salvo knocked the wind out of the home side’s sails.

And one man who was instrumental in changing the complexion of that game, was Costa.

The £10.8m-rated star has been on the periphery of things in the Premier League this season, after initially starting the first eight games of the campaign. Since then, both Jack Harrison and Raphinha have nailed down the starting wide positions, with the 27-year-old Costa left looking in from the outside.

But after coming on at the break for Harrison against Arsenal, the exciting winger has shown flashes of being back to his best. He delivered an emphatic finish at the Emirates to pull one back against the Gunners as Leeds tried to mount a second-half fight-back, while he was equally impressive against the Saints, this time picking up an assist after again coming on for the same player.

Against Southampton, he attempted more dribbles, provided more key passes and won more duels than Harrison, while his quick feet and trickery also saw him earn four free-kicks for his side – the joint-most of any player on the day.

Speaking earlier this season, his former manager at Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo, waxed lyrical about his fellow Portuguese man, saying: “When we arrived in the Championship, Helder was injured. They were major injuries and it took a lot of time for him to recover. So that season was not the best for him, but in the first season we were in the Premier League, Helder was immense and had a huge impact on the team.

“He’s a very talented player, but things happen naturally, players move from here to another place. It happens in football. Honestly, I’m delighted he’s showing his quality and enjoying his football.”

With his long-term future up in the air, Costa doesn’t appear too much time to really stamp his mark on Leeds and prove to Bielsa that he deserves to remain at Elland Road.

But given his recent performances from off the bench, he’s absolutely deserving of a rare start when Aston Villa come to town on Saturday afternoon. He could well be the Leeds boss’ game-changer if given the opportunity.

Charlie Wyke’s turnaround at Sunderland simply has to be applauded.

After his first two campaigns in the North East, he cut a pillar of frustration. Everyone associated with the Mackems could quite easily be painted with a similar brush, but the way in which the target man has responded has been nothing short of emphatic.

Prior to this season, Wyke had bagged just 11 goals in all competitions across two campaigns for Sunderland.

Yet, in this term alone, the 28-year-old has beaten the opposition goalkeeper on 13 occasions.

The latest of those goals came against Wimbledon, when he notched a quite tremendous hat-trick in a 3-0 win for Lee Johnson’s side.

Though, what if we were to suggest the Black Cats could find their new Wyke? Well, they could certainly find that if they pursue a deal for Preston North End striker Jayden Stockley.

Football League World reported that both Sunderland and Hull were interested in a move for the 27-year-old this week but with him scoring just once this season, there are quite clearly obvious concerns.

To make matters worse, the Preston forward has netted only one goal in 22 League One outings previously. That being said, there is a lot more to the player than just his ability to find the net.

In fact, he offers rather similar traits to Wyke, someone who has become an imperious figure when leading the Sunderland side. For starters, the duo are both 6 foot 2 and both are colossal when it comes to aerial battles.

Wyke has won a massive 4.3 aerial duels per game this season, beating the ‘keeper twice with his head in League One. As for Stockley, he has won 3.8 aerial duels on average per match.

Although, what is the Sunderland target like when it comes to bringing others into play and utilising his strength?

We’ll let Preston teammate Chris Maguire do the talking here. He once waxed lyrical about Stockley, saying: “He’s a fantastic player and has really hit the ground running since he came here. The guy can hold up a house. He’s strong and his hold-up play is one of the best I’ve played with.”

So there you have it. Although the striker might not be the best at finding the net in the Championship, he is superb at doing what Wyke does best – holding things up.

It might not be the best of ideas to have two very similar players in the squad but it proves what he could bring to the Stadium of Light if Kristjaan Speakman signs him.

AND in other news, Drop him: Sunderland ace who lost possession 17x will surely have Johnson seething…

2020, like the several years that preceded it, were a disaster for Sunderland.

For a second season in a row, they failed to achieve promotion from League One and then to make matters worse, an EFL salary cap was introduced.

The Black Cats have bigger financial muscles than almost every club in the third-tier but it’s now increasingly difficult to flex them.

Thus, Sunderland only have room for one more player over the age of 21 to bring in during January. That’s not particularly very good news, but fortunately, Lee Johnson can call on the academy.

It’s a rejuvenated part of the football club and the U23s have gone from winning zero games last term to winning five in 2020/21. The academy has been a contentious talking point at the Stadium of Light in the last few years and to say Stewart Donald managed it terribly would be putting things lightly.

He was the one that oversaw Josh Maja’s exit to Bordeaux while Joel Asoro also departed for Swansea. However, there are a number of other academy stars from Sam Greenwood and Bali Mumba to Luke Hewitson, Morten Spencer, Joe Hugill and Logan Pye.

Keeping their rising stars has not been a priority in recent years but under their new ownership, it could be about to change.

That’s because it’s expected that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will target promoting from within and improving the academy. It’s a strategy that makes perfect sense when you consider they have Kristjaan Speakman acting as the newly appointed director of football.

He was in charge of Birmingham City’s academy when they brought through Demarai Gray, Nathan Redmond and Jude Bellingham so he has already achieved plenty at that level.

In a Q&A on the Sunderland Echo this week, journalist Phil Smith revealed that the academy had been left severely “underpowered” during Donald’s reign but that was about to change. He cited that Dreyfus aims to plough significant investment into the academy and is hoping to appoint someone to manage that side of the business.

This can only be a good thing, especially with the finances dwindling at Sunderland the longer they stay at this level of the football pyramid.

It feels like Dreyfus and Speakman are incredibly keen to make up for one of Donald’s biggest neglects and that can only be a good thing.

If they manage to get everything sorted, Sunderland could well and truly begin the New Year with a bang.

AND in other news, Johnson must brutally axe Sunderland ace with just 3 starts all term…

MatériaMais Notícias

A lista com os 30 jogadores que defenderão o Atlético-MG na primeira fase da Copa Libertadores está definida. Na noite desta segunda-feira, o clube divulgou os inscritos para a competição continental, trazendo como destaque as presenças do badalado Robinho, além do recém-contratado Junior Urso e de Juan Cazares, que é pivô de uma polêmica por seus direitos econômicos envolvendo Banfiled (ARG) e Independiente del Valle (EQU).

O “Rei das Pedaladas” Robinho retornará a uma disputa de Copa Libertadores ostentando a camisa 7. Já Junior Urso, que volta ao país após defender o Shandong Luneng, ficará com a camisa 20. A dupla ainda não entra em campo na quarta-feira, contra o Melgar (PER).

RelacionadasAtlético MineiroVazam fotos de supostas camisas do Atlético-MG feitas pela DryworldAtlético Mineiro15/02/2016Atlético MineiroGalo registra contratos de Robinho e Júnior Urso no BID da CBFAtlético Mineiro15/02/2016

Já Juan Cazares viajou para Arequipa (PER), amparado por uma inscrição provisória junto à Conmebol. Porém, sua presença na partida ainda é um mistério.

Outro dado curioso é em relação à numeração de Erazo. Além de suceder Jemerson, que foi negociado com o Monaco (FRA), o equatoriano herdou a camisa 4.

CONFIRA A LISTA DO ATLÉTICO-MG NA ÍNTEGRA:

1-Victor

12-Giovanni

24- Uilson

2- Marcos Rocha

3- Léo Silva

4-Erazo

5-Rafael Carioca

6-Douglas Santos

7-Robinho

8-Leandro Donizete

9-Lucas Pratto

10-Dátolo

11-Cazares

13-Carlos

14-Mansur

15-Edcarlos

16-Pablo

17-Hyuri

18-Lucas Cândido

19-Carlos César

20-Junior Urso

21-Gabriel

22-Thiago Ribeiro

23-Dodô

25-Yago

26-Tiago

27-Luan

28-Henrique

29-Patric

30-Eduardo

Journalist, and transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano has denied claims Paris Saint-Germain are in talks to buy Moise Kean from Everton after his terrific spell on loan in the French capital.

What’s the word?

While speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano claimed that PSG would love to keep Kean at Les Parc des Princes beyond his season-long loan, but said that they are yet to hold any negotiations with Everton.

Kean has scored 11 goals for the Ligue 1 giants in 18 appearances across all competitions, including three in his last three top-flight outings. He opened the scoring against Stade Brest on Saturday night, to take his number of goals in the current campaign to the same total as his haul from the previous two seasons combined.

There had been talk of a potential £31m fee being discussed, with Everton loath to selling the Italy international for anything less than the £27.5m paid to Juventus when Kean was signed under Marco Silva in the summer of 2019.

However, Romano denies the speculation surrounding Kean’s future, and suggests any potential deal for the £53,000-per-week forward is likely to be on hold until the end of the season.

“What I’m told about Kean is that there is no negotiation between Paris Saint-Germain and Everton and yes, for sure Paris Saint-Germain would love to keep the player but Everton have always been so clear, they want him back at the club,” Romano told Give Me Sport.

“So, if Paris Saint-Germain wants to sign him, they will have to make an important bid and convince Everton.

“Let’s see if, next summer, they will do this kind of business but at the moment, it’s not so easy. And, for sure, Everton will fight for Moise Kean [and say] ‘you will make an important bid or the player will be back’ and he’s doing an amazing job for Paris Saint-Germain but at the moment, negotiations are quiet.”

An exciting update?

Romano denying claims that PSG have made efforts to sign Kean on a permanent deal should excite Everton and Ancelotti, as the Italian could be set to welcome a striker back to Goodison Park who is bubbling with the confidence that his maiden year on Merseyside stripped him of.

Kean was rarely able to show why Everton fought for his signature in 2019 during his first season in England, with the 20-year-old netting just twice in 33 games across all competitions and struggling to start fixtures with only four opening roles under Ancelotti.

Yet, life in Paris has been much kinder to the 8-cap international, who would be able to use what he’s learned from his time training and playing beside the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as he would hope to rival Dominic Calvert-Lewin for game time if he does come back in the Premier League next term.

Former PSG boss Thomas Tuchel could not sing Kean’s praises much more prior to his sacking, too.

“[Kean] has a big heart, he puts on intensity. He is not afraid, he is courageous. He does what is necessary,” Tuchel said, via quotes by BeIN Sports. “I wouldn’t want to be a defender against him right now, it’s really hard to play against him.”

And even if Kean ultimately opts to hand in a transfer request, Everton will be able to tout his services to a wider group on the open market to drive up their asking price this summer than selling to PSG now, given how well he’s performed in France.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands must sign “quick” Everton target who “makes football look easy”.

Manchester City were seemingly extremely close to signing Frenkie De Jong in 2018, with the young midfielder’s family reportedly scouting out potential properties in Manchester ahead of a potential move from Ajax.

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who suggest that City wanted the Dutch international to take over from Fernandinho in their side and he was ready to join the Citizens before Barcelona announced their interest.

He would ultimately join the La Liga giants in a deal worth £65m in January of last year, with him completing the move last summer.

Since then, he has established himself as a key first-team player with Blaugrana, having made 53 appearances in all competitions, contributing two goals and five assists, as per Transfermarkt.

The young midfielder could well have been the perfect man to replace Fernandinho in this City side, although Rodri has done a fairly impressive job since joining from Atletico Madrid last summer.

So far this season, the Dutchman has averaged a solid 6.94 rating across his eight appearances in La Liga, whilst earning an impressive 7.11 rating across his three appearances in the Champions League, via WhoScored.

When De Jong joined Barcelona, he attracted a lot of praise from former coaches and managers, with the youngster’s U’15 coach  at Willem II, Jos Bogers, suggesting:

“I had an interview for the Willem II website and was asked about my favourite player. Obviously, most coaches name Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi, but I said Frenkie De Jong. He was fantastic technically – a natural talent.”

The Barcelona manager at the time of his signing, Ernesto Valverde, was also clearly very excited to work with him, saying:

“He’s a really exciting signing for the club, both in terms of the present and the future. He’s a great player with a really, really big future in front of him. We are hoping for the best for him, because his success will be the club’s too. He’s a great signing, a really great acquisition.”

Considering De Jong has established himself as a key player at Barcelona despite being just 23-years-old, it seems clear that he is destined for a big future, and would have been a big success had he joined Manchester City in the Premier League, so the club’s sporting director, Aitor “Txiki” Begiristain Mujika, will be frustrated that he was unable to complete a deal to sign him back in 2018.

A potentially disastrous decision in the long-run.

And, in other news… 100% aerial duels: Man City beast produced another superb display vs Burnley

Crystal Palace signed former England goalkeeper Jack Butland from Stoke City on a three-year-deal, via Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

The 27-year-old made 168 appearances for the Potters, keeping 50 clean sheets in all competitions, but he has struggled for consistency in the Championship.

Palace bought Butland from Stoke City after Wayne Hennessey suffered an injury whilst away on international duty with Wales and he will provide competition for Roy Hodgson’s first-choice goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

And Sky Sports revealed the Eagles have signed him for an initial fee of £1m, which could rise significantly with add-ons, whilst the same outlet quoted Palace chairman Steve Parish as saying: “We have added another experienced player of high calibre to our squad in Jack. It marks a really successful window for us, with five quality signings, adding great depth to Roy’s squad.”

Big call by Roy Hodgson

Most, if not all managers at some point in their career will look towards seasoned professional footballers who can make an instant impact, who are reliable, relatively cheap with potential re-sale value. You only have to look at the miracles that Chris Wilder has worked with Sheffield United to understand the idea.

Hodgson himself is no stranger to relying on veterans. In fact, far from it, as former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill and ex-Hamilton pair James McArthur and James McCarthy are great examples of players who have established themselves as first-team regular starters at Selhurst Park.

Now, we’re not saying the Englishman will supplant Guaita, that’d be a bit of a stretch of the imagination considering his current form. What we will say is that there is a fair chance that Hodgson will throw him in at the deep end to test the waters.

SofaScore gave him a decent grade of 6.99 for his last Premier League season, where he played 35 games, kept 6 clean sheets, made 1.1 clearances per game, and only made one error leading to a goal. By comparison, Guaita committed two errors that led to two goals last term, via SofaScore.

Once hailed as an “outstanding” player by his former manager Mark Hughes after he kept the scoreline respectable at the bet365 Stadium at home to Everton, Butland could turn out to be a real bargain.

Hodgson, who gave him his first cap for his country, has shown that he has full confidence in his senior players in the past. Now he must do the same with Butland.

AND in other news, Jairo Riedewald steals the show as Crystal Palace battle to draw with Brighton…

West Bromwich Albion have endured a tough start to life in the Premier League.

The Baggies find themselves winless from their opening three matches, which puts them one place above the relegation zone at this early stage.

Last weekend’s exciting 3-3 draw with free-spending Chelsea provided some hope but Slaven Bilic’s men went into the break three goals to the good, so it’s a case of two points lost rather than one gained.

Slaven Bilic has switched system during the off-season, one that incorporates wing-backs alongside three centre-backs. When deployed, it is vital that there is sufficient balance in the midfield otherwise the side can quickly become overrun.

Having gone up against the likes of James Rodriguez, Youri Tielemans and N’Golo Kante, who have all seemingly come out on top – might it be time to consider who is playing there for Albion?

It’s clear to see that a partnership of Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore isn’t working out. Neither player is averaging above a 6.19 rating per WhoScored with the former performing the worse of the two.

Perhaps the Croatian should look to Sam Field instead.

Speaking to the Express & Star this week, Bilic claimed that the 22-year-old ‘has an important role to play’ this season and has opted against another loan move away from the Hawthorns.

However, the defensive midfielder, who is capable further up the pitch too, is yet to feature for more than 17 minutes so far this campaign.

Field is no stranger to the Premier League either, former Baggies boss Tony Pulis called on him last time the club was in the big time. He’s actually played 21 times at this level, per Transfermarkt.

The unpopular manager even labelled the academy graduate a “fantastic player” and went as far as claiming that “he’s as good and as gifted as any footballer I’ve seen at that age.”

Even Gary Megson lauded Field as having a “great future” and now at the age of 22, it’s time to see that come to fruition.

Forget Sawyers, it’s time for Field to shine.

AND in other news, Albion could land their next Kevin Phillips in £18m monster with “pace to burn”…