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It was always going to be a hard deal to pull off, but after weeks of speculation, it is looking likely that Matthijs de Ligt won’t be heading to Liverpool this summer.

The Ajax captain has been one of the most talked about players in world football in recent months. With the 19-year-old defender expected to leave his boyhood club this summer, de Ligt’s future has been at the centre of much speculation, with Liverpool one of the front-runners for the teenagers signature, but now, it appears Jurgen Klopp’s side will be missing out.

According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool have opted to drop out of the race for de Ligt, with the report stating that this is due to the club focusing their attention on other areas of the team, namely a versatile attacker.

Although it makes sense for Jurgen Klopp to shift attention from a starting centre-back to an attacker to provide cover for the front three, it is a decision that could come to haunt the club and manager in the future.

Liverpool have been defensively fantastic this season, in large part, to the impact of Virgil van Dijk and emergence and development of Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, bit if de Ligt was to be added to the mix, the Reds’ defence would be unbreakable for years to come.

De Ligt and van Dijk have bee good internationally and could have been perfect together at Liverpool, but with Klopp seemingly looking elsewhere for improvements, only time will tell if the club got this decision right.

Liverpool fans, would signing de Ligt take the Reds to the Premier League title? Let us know!

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Tottenham Hotspur are tracking Torino midfielder Soualiho Meite, per Calciomercato.

What’s the word?

Meite, an ex-France youth international who has been capped at Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-20 level, mainly plays in defensive midfield in Serie A.

Now 25, the star moved to Torino from Monaco in 2018 and has already endured something of a nomadic career, also playing for Auxerre and Lille as well as Zulte Waregem and Bordeaux on loan.

However, Spurs are said to be interested as they look to make their first signing since January 2018 this summer.

The report claims that Meite, valued at £11.7million by Transfermarkt, could leave if Torino fail to qualify for the Europa League this season; they are currently seventh, two points behind current qualifiers Roma with two games of the season remaining.

A major punt

This seems like a punt from Spurs.

Meite hasn’t settled at a club yet and he has played just 36 times in total for Torino, scoring twice and laying on three assists.

If the club are to replace Mousa Dembele, who left in January, one feels that they need the finished article with some genuine experience of playing in the top-flight.

Meite, at this stage, does not offer that. He doesn’t have the grace in possession, the elegance in the tackle or the pure footballing knowledge to offer the same game-changing qualities as the Belgian.

At his best, Dembele was perhaps the finest midfielder in the Premier League, capable of rampaging through the opposition press and winning the ball back before pulling off a Cruyff turn to get out of trouble.

We have seen no evidence that Meite can do either of those things and it is remarkably unlikely that he would be able to step into Dembele’s shoes.

He could well turn out to be a star, of course, and the club’s scouting department cannot be underestimated.

But if Mauricio Pochettino’s men are to move to the next level, they need to be aiming higher.

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Sheffield Wednesday fans on Twitter are embarrassed after a club statement congratulating Sheffield United on their promotion to the Premier League was posted on Twitter.

A statement from their chairman showed respect and wished their bitter rivals luck for the near future as they prepare for life in the top flight.

Dejphon Chansiri referred to the two teams as “friends of the same city” whilst ensuring Wednesday fans that they will be giving it their all to make sure they join their cross-city rivals in the Premier League next year.

The comments went down like a lead balloon amongst Wednesdayites with supporters fuming that the club would wish any good fortune on the team they share such a huge rivalry with.

It’s no secret that the Owls and the Blades don’t get along and the reaction of the fanbase on Twitter shows how out of touch the chairman’s well-wishes are.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

Here’s what Wednesday fans have been saying on Twitter…

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in fury, after ESPN’s Andy Mitten revealed on the FourFourTwo podcast that the belief inside the club was that Mauricio Pochettino was going to join in the summer, before they appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer instead.

When the Red Devils sacked Jose Mourinho, the two names being thrown around were Zinedine Zidane and Pochettino, with nobody expecting Solskjaer to stay beyond his interim spell.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

However, a run of just one loss in 17 games led to the former Cardiff boss being handed the job on a permanent basis, although that decision appears to have been a rushed one based on their form since making that decision.

Solskjaer has overseen just two wins from his last 10 games in the Old Trafford dugout, leading many to feel that his appointment was a hasty one, whereas Pochettino looks to have guided Spurs into the top four and has them in the semi-finals of the Champions League without making a signing.

Let’s see how the understandably annoyed United fans on Twitter have reacted to the frustrating news…

Lucas Joao’s time at Sheffield Wednesday has seen him turn into an enigma of sorts in the eyes of the club’s supporters.

Since moving to Hillsborough in 2015, the Portuguese forward has only shown glimpses of his talent and has been let down by a lack of consistency in front of goal which has resulted in him failing to reach double figures in the Championship in the previous three seasons.

However, the 2018/19 campaign could see Joao finally break through this particular barrier if he can find the back of the net in at least one of the Owls’ remaining eight fixtures. With Steven Fletcher expected to miss today’s trip to Stoke City due to a groin injury (via the Stoke Sentinel), boss Steve Bruce could opt to call on the former Nacional star, but only if he passes a fitness test of his own.

A return to the starting eleven for Joao could allow him to establish a permanent place in the starting eleven for the rest of the season if he can put together a run of performances that see his side move into the play-off positions. Despite being 10th in the Championship, the Owls are just two points behind the top six and therefore have a great opportunity of forcing themselves into the promotion equation in May.

Competitions for places up-front could see five players fighting for just two positions when Gary Hooper and Fletcher return and so for Joao, it is pivotal that he stands-out if given the chance.

A poor run in the side will force the 25-year-old to watch on from the sidelines at Hillsborough and do nothing to prevent concerns over his future at Wednesday. If the club are to achieve promotion at the end of the season, Joao may be moved on if he cannot improve his consistency as the Premier League represents an even tougher challenge.

What do you think Owls fans? Should Joao be given a chance to lead the line if fit? Is he good enough to make the step up to the top flight next year if you get promoted? Let us know below.

يتطلع ظهير أيمن الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة الجديد، سيرجينيو ديست، لمواجهة يوفنتوس في دور المجموعات من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2020/2021.

وأوقعت القرعة برشلونة في المجموعة السابعة والتي تضم كلاً من يوفنتوس، دينامو كييف وفينيرفاروش، وبالتالي، ستكون هنالك مواجهتين منتظرتين بين ليونيل ميسي وكريستيانو رونالدو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ديست: لم أفهم رسالة ميسي لي بعد مباراة إشبيلية

وأجرى ديست حوارًا مع شبكة “بي إن سبورتس” تحدث في البداية عن أيامه الأولى مع برشلونة، وقال: “إنه لأمر رائع حقًا أن أكون في أكبر نادٍ في العالم، لقد قابلت ميسي بالفعل، وكان كل شيء على ما يرام”.

وتابع: “عندما شاهدت ميسي في صالة الجيم، كانت لحظة خاصة ومميزة جدًا بالنسبة لي بعد مباراة سيلتا فيجو (في الدوري الإسباني)”.

وأضاف: “توقيعي لبرشلونة حلم وتحول إلى حقيقة، كنت أرغب دائمًا في اللعب مع هذا النادي الكبير، اتصل بي وكيلي وعندما علمت بأنه يمكنني الانتقال إلى برشلونة، لم أتردد كثيرًا”.

وعن طموحاته: “ما زلت شابًا لكني أحب التحديات، لهذا السبب اخترت برشلونة، أريد أن ألعب في أعلى مستوى وأتطور، آمل أن أكون جيدًا وأساعد هذا الفريق”.

واختتم تصريحاته بالحديث عن مباراة يوفنتوس في دوري أبطال أوروبا: “اللعب مع ميسي ضد كريستيانو رونالدو سيكون لحظة خاصة جدًا، علينا الفوز بتلك المباراة”.

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Huddersfield Town have confirmed that striker Steve Mounie has been called up to the senior Benin international squad ahead of their crucial African Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo.

Benin must avoid defeat against Togo in order to qualify for the prestigious tournament. 

Mounie has struggled at the John Smith’s Stadium this season. The 24-year-old forward has only managed two goals and three assists in 25 Premier League outings, as per Transfermarkt’s stats.

A lack of goals has crippled the Terriers this season, as the Yorkshire club have only found the back of the net 15 times in the league in total. They’re currently rooted to the foot of the table with only three wins to their name and just 14 points on the board.

The fact that Mounie is their joint-second top scorer highlights the extent of their struggles in the final third. Jan Siewert’s side now need arguably the biggest miracle in Premier League history to secure top flight survival this season, but the 13-cap Benin international has shown no indications he’s capable of firing them to safety.

The striker has in fact become a laughing stock amongst many Huddersfield fans, as their reaction to his international call-up demonstrates…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dream reign as Manchester United interim manager doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon.

In his first ten Premier League games, he’s won 26 points from an available 30, only dropping points to Liverpool and Burnley. He’s ignited a fire in United’s belly, something which doesn’t look to be defusing anytime soon.

While there are an uncountable number of things he’s improved upon since arriving in December, there are little things he’s still very raw at. Solskjaer might’ve got United playing like United again, but his timing and knowledge of substitutions hasn’t really been “vintage” yet.

Once a famous substitute himself, Solskjaer’s often created some of his own problems making poor changes. This was evident in Manchester United’s 0-0 draw against Liverpool, which extraordinarily saw three United players limp off before half-time. Ander Herrera picked up an early injury and was substituted with Andreas Perreira, who recovered well from the Burnley despair.

However, it was Solskjaer’s other substitution which came back to haunt him. He prematurely brought on an unfit Jesse Lingard, who soon after limped up after further injuring his hamstring. He should’ve just brought on Alexis Sanchez, who inevitably had to be the third and final substitute before half-time.

The wasted substitution meant Marcus Rashford, who suffered an injury early on, had to play on with much pain. If he and Lingard miss a chunk of games, Solskjaer has to take the blame, as the Norwegian needs to learn more about timing and implementing his substitutes better.

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According to Sky Sports, a Chinese club have begun negotiations with Manchester United over a deal for midfielder Marouane Fellaini.

Then-Red Devils manager David Moyes brought Fellaini to Old Trafford for a fee of £27.5 million in 2013, as per BBC. The 6’4” Belgian has since made more than 150 appearances for the club, according to Transfermarkt. He became a particularly effective player during the Jose Mourinho era at old Trafford, when the Portuguese coach regularly used the 31-year-old as an impact substitute or auxiliary forward.

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…

So impressive was Fellaini under Mourinho that the Belgium international was handed a new contract by the club in June 2018.

However, Fellaini has barely featured for the club since the interim appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the time has come for him to move on to pastures new.

When the story of Belgian’s potential departure emerged, plenty of United fans took to Twitter to voice their opinions on his seemingly imminent exit…

In what was one of Tottenham’s longest-running transfer sagas, the ‘will he stay or will he go’ drama surrounding Toby Alderweireld over these past couple of seasons finally came to an a couple of months ago.

The Belgium international has been linked with a move away for the longest time, with Manchester United often being a team perennially linked with sealing his signature.

But in a twist of fate earlier this season, it was confirmed that Spurs had agreed terms with the centre-back over a new deal, and that his future at the club was tied down until 2023.

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It meant that speculation he could leave on a free transfer this summer (his contract was set to expire come the end of the campaign) could be put to bed. Or should it?

The man signed for £11.4m from Atletico Madrid whilst Mauricio Pochettino was in charge has had a largely disappointing campaign this season. As per Whoscored, the Belgian’s average match rating of 6.79 puts him tenth amongst all Spurs players – behind even Jan Vertonghen (6.85) and just barely ahead of Tanguy Ndombele (6.76).

Perhaps even more damaging for the centre-back, is that his average of 1.2 tackles per game ranks him 13th – the same number as the likes of Ndombele, Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura. His interception numbers are also poor at just one per game, the same as Harry Winks. Compared to his own career average, Alderweireld’s numbers for tackling, interceptions, pass accuracy and just overall match rating are all down this campaign.

So having gotten him to sign a new deal with the club, Spurs have ensured they won’t be losing him for free this summer, and have done well to protect his market value. That should encourage ENIC and Daniel Levy to consider the tough decision of cashing out on a player who just committed his future to Spurs.

Whilst it would be ruthless, Spurs could get decent money for the centre-back once again, and ensure they also get rid of a player who appears to be showing clear signs of regression.

Meanwhile, Spurs must finally bring an end to this AVB signing’s career.