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”.

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to a worrying transfer update, which claims that the club do not agree with West Brom’s evaluation of Salomon Rondon.

According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle are reluctant to exceed £12m to make Rondon’s loan move into a permanent one.

The problem with that of course is that West Brom’s release clause for the player is set at £16.5m, and the Baggies seem in no rush to lower the asking price.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

The 29 year-old joined the Magpies on loan last summer with Dwight Gayle going the other way, and the swap has been beneficial to both sides if truth be told.

Gayle has smashed in 17 goals for the Baggies while Rondon has grabbed ten so far this season on Tyneside.

The Venezuelan gives so much more than just his goals though, and it is his physicality and work ethic that really endears him to both Rafael Benitez and the Toon Army.

Rondon’s role in Benitez’s system is absolutely crucial, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

The news came to a shock to every Arsenal fan in the world, and months later it’s still hard to fathom how the club ended up making that decision.

Aaron Ramsey’s departure for Italian super giants Juventus was and still is something that was hard to accept for most Arsenal fans. Here, we have one of the best midfielders the club had had in the Premier League era leaving the Gunners in the prime of his career after the board retracted a contract offer for the Welshman.

Arsenal have a poor history when it comes to dealing with stars at the club, from allowing Robin van Persie to leave on the cheap to the countless amount of players making the move from north London to Manchester City, player negotiations have never been the Gunners’ strongest suit, and Ramsey’s departure might just be the worst case this decade.

Since the announcement that Ramsey will be heading the Turin, the 28-year-old midfielder has been one of the best players in the Arsenal team and a large reason why the club have stumbled their way into third place in the Premier League table, and it is bemusing what Emery or the Gunners board don’t see in the Welsh international.

The case of ‘he doesn’t fit in the team’ is a weak and lazy excuse from Arsenal fans who can understand why the decision was made not to renew Ramsey’s contract. If anything, the former Cardiff City player has been one of the players to thrive in Emery’s new system.

Starting as an eight or a 10 in the team always results in an increase of productivity and attacking threat from Arsenal, and his ability to score more than the average midfielder is what makes Ramsey so unique to the club.

The club have made some bad mistakes in the past, but allowing Ramsey to leave for free might just be up there as one of the worst Arsenal will ever make.

It’s no real secret that West Ham are largely dependent on the majestic Felipe Anderson to turn up with the goods and win them matches these days.

The Brazilian’s being forced to do everything in the final third, from creating to scoring goals.

Manuel Pellegrini can’t really trust upon those he currently has to be a big influence in the final third either. So it’s no surprise he’s looking to bring in influential figures in the summer and according to reports from CalcioMercato, he’s eyeing Hoffenheim’s Kerem Demirbay. The 25-year-old’s been a key figure in Julian Nagelsmann’s exciting German side, helping them play some stunning attacking football in the Bundesliga.

He’s acted as their creative lynchpin, who works extremely hard to create goals for his side. Demirbay’s scored 4 goals and assisted 9 this season, while also averaging 3 key passes and 2 dribbles per game (stats via WhoScored) to become Hoffenheim’s attacking engine.

Indeed, finally, the German can be that missing link between midfield and attack, creating chances through the middle.

Demirbay’s style not only benefits someone like Anderson, but will allow the Brazilian some freedom. He could look towards getting into goal-scoring positions more often knowing someone like the German is behind him to supply defence-splitting passes.

That’s a mouth-watering prospect, Anderson off the leash.

Demirbay’s incisive passing, attacking flair and powerful shooting ability makes him the attacking midfielder the Hammers have missed for a long time. He could be the hard-working, creative advanced midfielder they’ve missed since Dimitri Payet’s departure to light up their attack with his menacing work going forward.

West Ham fans, would you be pleased with Demirbay’s potential addition? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Leicester have essentially told clubs chasing Ben Chilwell to abandon their hopes this summer, according to The Daily Star. Losing him would undoubtedly be a big blow to the Foxes.

What’s the word?

Chilwell is one of the most promising full-backs in the Premier League but amid interest from Manchester United and Liverpool, Leicester have issued a hands-off warning to any club considering pursuing an interest.

The English international has been sought after for a while with Manchester City registering interest in the player back in January, according to ESPN.

However, as per The Daily Star, Foxes officials have told Brendan Rodgers that their days of selling their top players are over.

The 22-year-old’s value is nearing the £40m region, which is no surprise given his performances in the top flight and the fact that he is an England international.

Change in system for Leicester?

The next step after retaining Chilwell’s services should be a new primary formation for Leicester, one which sees the England international’s impressive attacking attributes come to the fore.

Rodgers should opt to move to three at the back with two rising stars in Filip Benkovic and Caglar Soyuncu operating alongside Harry Maguire.

Benkovic and Soyuncu boast considerable potential and they could form part of a solid defensive unit which really ignites the club’s new era under the Northern Irishman. Maguire’s experience of playing among a three-man defence for England would also benefit this system.

What this would mean further up the field is pushing Ricardo Pereira and Chilwell into advanced wing-back roles on either flank. The former has featured further forward already this season and done it to an impressive degree so the pair of them should be able to do a significant amount of damage in the final third.

Both have the ability to deliver the ball into the penalty area and by using them in this way it would give Rodgers an interesting new dimension. This formation would ensure Chilwell flourishes and help develop some of the club’s other rising stars.

وجه وائل جمعة لاعب الأهلي السابق نصيحة للاعبي الأحمر قبل المواجهة المرتقبة أمام الوداد المغربي والتي ستنطلق بعد قليل في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الأهلي يواجه نظيره الوداد على استاد القاهرة، في إياب دور نصف نهائي البطولة القارية.

طالع أيضًا.. تشكيل الأهلي أمام الوداد.. فتحي ظهير أيسر ومروان محسن في الهجوم

وقال وائل جمعة في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “بي إن سبورتس”: “نعرف أحكام كرة القدم، الكرة تظل في الملعب حتى صافرة نهاية مباراة الإياب، وقها تعرف اذا كنت في النهائي أم لا”.

وتابع: “الأداء هو من سيحدد، خاصة أن الأهلي يواجه الوداد الفريق المحترم الذي يمتلك لاعبين جيدين، وارد أن يتغير الأداء غير المرضي للفريق المغربي في مباراة الذهاب”.

واختتم: “لكن ما يهمني أداء الأهلي ودخوله بشكل قوي وبتركيز اللاعبين هذا سيكون الفارق في صعود الأهلي أو عدم تأهله، المارد الأحمر متقدم بهدفين فلا داعي للاستعجال”.

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Everton’s decision to bring Richarlison to the club raised plenty of eyebrows last summer. The Brazilian had a mercurial maiden campaign at Watford, scoring five goals and providing 5 assists in an electric 13-game opening, but his form tailed off and he found himself struggling to break into the starting XI towards the season’s end.

His tangible dip in quality coincided with Marco Silva’s departure from the club, so it was no surprise that his decision to take the reigns at Everton saw the Watford man move to Merseyside in a £40 million deal.

The signing was the most expensive of Marcel Brands’ first summer as Everton’s director of football. Brands was brought into the club to revolutionise their transfer strategy but this deal was widely perceived as ill-judged and poor value for money, despite Richarlison’s massive scope for development.

Journalists, pundits and a multitude of Twitter experts needed no second invitation to savage Everton in the public spotlight, tipping Richarlison to flop and suggesting that the mega-money deal underlined the reckless inflation of a broken transfer market.

Paul Merson, a regular pundit on Sky Sports, led the charge with a scathing assessment on the deal, via Liverpool echo.

“I think that’s [ Richarlison signing] what’s spoiled the window if I’m being perfectly honest.

“I think that happened so early, and at £40m that set the benchmark. Teams then have gone, ‘Well if you’re getting £40m for him I want £60m, £70m, £80m, £90m and £100m.

“I think that’s the problem”

Merson was clearly alluding to the negative impact Richarlison’s switch could have on the inflation which is beginning to define the modern market, but his season proves that the pundit was wrong to suggest that the Toffees had dramatically over-paid.

It would be a gross exaggeration to say that Richarlison has been an utterly resounding success, however. Inconsistency has plagued his season and there are facets of his game which are clearly in need of improvement if he wants to fulfil his potential.

But the bottom line is this: he has scored 12 goals in the Premier League this season and his value now stands at a gargantuan £70.9 million (€82 million), according to CIES Football Observatory.

That exponential rise in value can be explained in part by the size of the fee which prised him away from Vicarage Road last summer, but it’s his form for both club and country which has sent his valuation into the stratosphere.

And, when looking back on Merson’s verdict with the wonderful benefit of hindsight, it becomes clear that Brands, Silva and the rest of Everton’s decision-makers actually got excellent value for money and the pundit was foolish to suggest that the Toffees were somehow tarnishing the market with their dealings.

What Everton did was pay a fair price for a target who clearly had the potential to thrive in this division and his form this season attests to that.

At just 21-years-of-age there’s no doubt Richarlison is worth the £70.9 million valuation which has been slapped on his head and Everton’s £40 million decision now looks like a masterstroke.

أعلن الجهاز الفني لنادي بيراميدز، تشكيل الفريق لمباراة المقاولون العرب في ختام مباريات الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويواجه بيراميدز نظيره المقاولون العرب، في المباراة التي تنطلق في الخامسة والنصف على استاد الدفاع الجوي.

ويقود مسؤولية الفريق خلال المباراة، هاني سعيد المدير الرياضي، ومحمود فتح الله المدرب العام لفريق الكرة.

ويعود أحمد الشناوي لحراسة عرين بيراميدز في مباراة اليوم أمام المقاولون، بسبب غياب المهدي سليمان الحارس الأساسي. تشكيل بيراميدز أمام المقاولون

حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: طارق طه – عبد الله بكري – محمد عطوة – ولفريد كانون.

خط الوسط: عمر العيوني – إسلام عيسى – محمد فتحي – محمود حمادة – إبراهيم حسن.

خط الهجوم: حسام غانم.

ويتواجد على مقاعد البدلاء: أحمد دعدور – محمد حمدي – أحمد أيمن منصور- أحمد توفيق – إبراهيم عادل.

ويحتل بيراميدز المركز الثالث في ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 64 نقطة، فيما يتواجد المقاولون في المركز الرابع بـ 53 نقطة.

Another year, another year of Arsenal’s defence being an absolute car crash.

From Shkodran Mustafi yet again proving to be one of Arsenal’s worst signings in the Premier League era to the defence as a whole, capitulating at the slightest change in pressure, Unai Emery has a massive task on his hands when it comes to sorting this mess.

But it wasn’t that long ago when things looked promising, and you can pinpoint the day and time to when it all went wrong for Arsenal this season, at 8:38 PM on the 5th December 2018, the moment Rob Holding was stretchered off the pitch against Manchester United with a ruptured ACL.

Until that moment, the 23-year-old defender had been one of Arsenal’s best players all season and the Gunners best centre-back. His improvement under Emery was astonishing, going from an okay centre-back to a figure who many fans can see leading the backline for years to come.

Holding’s absence has seriously hindered the Gunners’ defence, and although many fans and pundits believe Emery will be looking towards the summer transfer window to strengthen the defence, the return of the English centre-back would be what helps the club’s defensive problems for next season.

The former Bolton Wanderers defender is expected to be back in time for the 2019/20 Premier League season, and with Holding impressing Emery so much in the games he has played this season, it would be wise for the Spanish manager to give the centre-back another chance in the starting XI and to continue his development as a player.

Arsenal fans, should Holding be in next season’s starting XI? Let us know!

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have reacted with genuine delight to the VAR controversies that characterised the club’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester City.

Spurs progressed to the semi-finals on away goals despite a 4-3 defeat on the night at the Etihad Stadium.

A crazy opening 25 minutes saw five goals scored as Spurs and City traded blows in a classic encounter.

Raheem Sterling scored a brace, with his second appearing to give Pep Guardiola’s men the lead they needed to progress.

However, Fernando Llorente’s goal in the second half, which appeared to strike his arm, sent Spurs through, with a VAR review allowing the strike to stand.

Sterling then appeared to complete his hat-trick in the final stages of injury time, to send City through, only for VAR to disallow the strike for an offside in the build-up.

Spurs fans could not believe the reversal in their fortunes, as they will now play in their first Champions League semi-final in a generation, against Dutch giants Ajax.

And loads of supporters have expressed their delight at VAR, with many reacting with declarations of love.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!