David Beckham has sent a heartfelt birthday message to former Real Madrid team-mate and Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario.
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Leeds United might be having to rapidly change their plans for the summer after Championship playoff heartbreak, but they still remain keen to add to their ranks ahead of the new season.
Firesale incoming at Leeds
A 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Wembley ensured that Leeds United will spend another season in England's second tier, and that is likely to have a knock on effect on their transfer business as their sorry play-off record continued.
Leeds' play-off record (League One and Championship)
Year
Exit stage
2024
Final
2019
Semi-final
2009
Semi-final
2008
Final
2006
Final
1987
Final
Daniel Farke's side still owe £73.5m this summer in outstanding transfer fees from their time as a top-flight club, and it has been reported that they will have to raise up to £100m from player sales this summer, leaving a grim outlook at Elland Road.
Chief among those likely to leave is Championship player of the year Crysencio Summerville, while the likes of Wilfried Gnonto and Archie Gray have also been mooted as potential sales as the Yorkshire side look to balance their books.
There are also question marks over plenty of returning loanees, with Diego Llorente, Rasmus Kristensen, Max Wober, Marc Roca and Jack Harrison all set to return from spells away from the club.
But Leeds remain keen to formulate transfer plans of their own despite the ongoing uncertainty, and now they have been tipped to make one move in particular.
Leeds believe they can still win Rodon race
That comes with Leeds still keen on turning Joe Rodon's loan move into a permanent one despite their second tier status next season. The Welshman, who is contracted to Tottenham but spent the year at Elland Road, was a key part of Farke's defence this season and has become a fan favourite too.
Leeds make contact to sign international midfielder for Farke
The 49ers aren’t wasting any time.
ByCharlie Smith May 30, 2024
He was dubbed "outstanding" by former Leeds man Jon Newsome back in September after one particular performance against Millwall.
"Outstanding. Absolutely outstanding. Joe Rodon was man of the match for me. He got his head on everything. He was a different class, he really, really was", Newsome told BBC Radio Leeds.
He went on to rack up 43 appearances, and Leeds Live report that those at Elland Road still hold hope that they can win the race for his services despite interest from teams in the top flight and an eight-figure price tag of around £10-15m.
The reliable Phil Hay has also backed Leeds to try and keep him beyond this summer despite rumoured interest from clubs that can offer Premier League football, admitting that the club should be doing everything to "get it done".
“I’d be really surprised if they didn’t have another go at Rodon, I really would. It will come down to what his alternatives are,” Hay said.
“If you looked at him this season as a team who has just been promoted or you’re bottom-end of the Premier League, the money you’d have to pay for him, by Premier League standards, isn’t massive, he might be worth a punt.
“Tottenham tend to bargain pretty hard, but he’s been so good this season and so steady you’d absolutely say if you can get him back that fills the right centre-back, get it done.”
Though it will likely come down to Rodon's personal ambitions, he seems to have settled in well at Elland Road, and should Leeds be able to keep him he could be the man to help them back to the top flight next season.
Eoin Morgan has suggested he is hitting the ball as well as at any time in his career after a match-defining performance against Pakistan.Morgan made 66 from 33 balls as England pulled off a record T20I chase at Emirates Old Trafford and against this opposition. It was his fourth half-century in his seven most recent T20I innings and sustains a remarkable record that has seen him average 59.37 in T20I cricket since March 2019 with a strike rate of 183.39.Morgan’s impressive numbers extend to ODI cricket. Since July 14, 2018 he averages 61.38 in the format with a strike rate of 106.79.ALSO READ: Morgan, Malan lead England home in tall chaseAnd Morgan, who was subsequently named Player of the Match, revealed the secret of his improved form was his increased comfort with the role he has been required to fulfil in the England side. Morgan effectively fulfils a floating role which can change game to game as required by his team. He has batted at No. 4, 5 and 6 in his last eight ODIs and at No. 4 and 5 in his last three T20Is.”Am I hitting the ball as sweetly as I ever have? Definitely,” Morgan said. “The numbers definitely back this up, even before this series started, and certainly within T20 cricket.”The last two years in international cricket are my best numbers to date. That’s great because if I can combine a little of that [form] with my experience, I think that will go a long way to winning games. It’s nice that I am feeling good but it’s actually replicated in the numbers as well.”Why? It’s about being comfortable in the role. It’s about having experience and confidence in the roles that I play. Before I became captain, I didn’t feel that comfortable jumping up and down the order. But now that it’s my decision I feel more at ease, particularly when I am moving up and down the order between No. 4 and No. 6. I’d feel more comfortable if I was slipping down to No. 6 with Jos Buttler coming in ahead of me, than I would beforehand.”He also hinted he was more accepting of England’s policy towards T20 cricket. In recent times – while they were focusing on their 50-over World Cup ambitions – England rarely fielded their strongest T20 XI. Instead the format was often used for rest and rotation of senior players and as an opportunity to take a look at other options.”I’ve accepted that we’re on a different part of our journey at the moment with one team,” Morgan said. “We’re trying to grow and learn and build strength in depth. So, I’m just taking that on rather than being fussy about selection or down about us not putting out our best XI all the time.”Morgan also sounded encouraged by the number of options his T20 team has at the top of the order. With Tom Banton and Dawid Malan both making half-centuries during this series, they are pushing the likes of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Buttler and Joe Root for places in the top three. And while that will leave the England management with some tricky choices ahead of the T20 World Cup, it’s the sort of problem Morgan is happy to face.But despite the impressive contributions made by Banton and Malan, Morgan hinted that Buttler, Roy and Bairstow – with their proven track record in international cricket – remained in pole position to retain their places in England’s first choice side.”I’m delighted by the options,” Morgan said. “We’re just in a period of our game where there are a lot of really good top-order batters available to us.”It’s great to see Banton and Malan coming in and scoring runs; Tom more so. The way he played was the way we see him in a Somerset shirt which is awesome and Dawid’s just continued to score runs at a rate. His start to his international career is unlike many others.”The question is, do they perform in that way against the best in the world or do they perform just against a certain number of teams? The three guys we have at the top of the order in our strongest XI, and that includes Jos, do it against everybody. It’s one of our strengths. If you were to bring one of the younger guys in who’s less experienced, it might be a bigger challenge.”But if it doesn’t work out at the top, we have options. That’s the best position we’ve been in for some time with our T20 cricket just simply because the majority of the guys have been rested for the last few years.”Morgan also hinted that, despite the next T20 World Cup being moved from Australia to India, his quickest bowlers – Mark Wood and Jofra Archer – remained vital to his side’s plans.”They absolutely have a role to play in India,” he said. “The importance of pace is emphasised on the really slow, flat wickets. If you have that extra pace, you can still skid through someone, bowl a wide yorker or hit the stumps and get a wicket. When you’re a little bit slower, that pace isn’t there and it’s difficult to skid through someone unless the ball is reverse swinging.”
Michael Olise trolled Harry Kane when he signed his Bayern Munich team-mate's match ball after his stunning display against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
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Kane bagged another Bayern hat-trickTeam-mate left hilarious message for himStriker identified Olise as the culpritWHAT HAPPENED?
Kane scored four times as the German side started their Champions League campaign with a 9-2 win in Munich, ensuring he went home with the match ball for the second game in a row, after netting a hat-trick against Holstein Kiel at the weekend.
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The 31-year-old has made a habit of scoring trebles since joining the Bundesliga team from Tottenham, and it seems his team-mates are growing tired of having to sign balls for him. Kane posed alongside his trophy after Tuesday's game, but a message reading: "Bro not again" caught the attention of many.
WHAT KANE SAID
Kane was asked on social media who left the message on his ball, he replied: "It was my guy Michael Olise".
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR KANE?
The England star has scored nine goals in just five matches so far this season and will hope to add to that record when his side meet Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
England Test spinner will reportedly move to Yorkshire after declining contract extension
ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2020Somerset have confirmed that Dom Bess will leave the club at the end of the 2020 season having declined a contract extension, with England’s incumbent Test spinner reportedly set to join Yorkshire.Bess made his first-class debut for Somerset in 2016 but has had to make do with limited opportunities due to the presence of Jack Leach, also a rival for the England berth. Bess went out on loan to Yorkshire during the 2019 season, and then subsequently shot back into contention for the Test side after being called up as cover for the winter tour of South Africa.He played in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, where he took a maiden five-wicket haul, and then featured ahead of Leach in all six behind-closed-doors Tests this summer – although twice was not required to bowl.However, with left-armer Leach still first choice at Somerset, Bess has opted to move on in search of first-team cricket, leaving behind the Taunton pitches that encouraged both players’ development. Overall, he claimed 79 first-class wickets at 27.29 for Somerset, but only featured in three List A games and once in T20.”This is not a decision that I’ve taken lightly,” Bess said. “I’ve been with Somerset since joining the Academy, I’ve grown up here and some of my best friends are in the team with me.”It’s been a really hard decision. There were good discussions with the club and they offered a contract extension, however I think it’s the right decision in terms of needing first-team opportunities. Given the direction that I want to go with my cricket I think it’s time to move on.”I want to thank the Somerset fans for everything they’ve done in terms of supporting me and the whole team when we’re out on the pitch. That’s always meant a lot to me. Somerset is a special place and hopefully I can help to play a part in the team being even more successful before I leave.”With his contract due to expire, Bess had attracted interest from Warwickshire, while Yorkshire’s coach, Andrew Gale, said last year that they were keen to make the signing permanent. Should Bess, who has 19 wickets at 40.57 from his ten Tests, win an England central contract then his new club would not have to carry him on their wage bill.
يواصل مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك برئاسة حسين لبيب، جهوده في الوقت الحالي، من أجل إيجاد بديل للمدرب البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز الذي قرر الرحيل عن قلعة ميت عقبة قبل نهاية عقده.
وأخطر جوميز إدارة نادي الزمالك بالرحيل عن تدريب الفريق مساء الثلاثاء الماضي، ووقع المدرب البرتغالي عقدًا مع فريق الفتح السعودي.
طالع | الزمالك يوضح سبب اختيار حازم إمام والمندوه في الجهاز الفني المؤقت
إدارة نادي الزمالك قررت تعيين جهاز فني مؤقت بقيادة أحمد مجدي المدرب المساعد ومعه حازم إمام الظهير الأيمن السابق للفريق وعماد المندوه مدربًا للحراس.
وأفاد مصدر لـ بطولات: “أسهم السويسري كريستيان جروس ارتفعت لتولي تدريب الزمالك بعد تواصل إدارة النادي مع المدرب الذي أبدى ترحيبه بتولي تدريب الفريق”.
وأضاف: “المدرب السويسري طلب من إدارة الزمالك الانتظار لحين الاستقرار على العناصر التي سيضمها للجهاز الفني، أولاً”.
وتابع: “إدارة الزمالك كانت تضع روجيه ميكالي المدير الفني لمنتخب الشباب خيارًا أول بالنسبة لها ولكن وجود شرط جزائي في عقده منع استكمال التفاوض لعدم رغبة النادي في تحمل أي أعباء مالية بخلاف الراتب للجهاز الفني الجديد”.
جروس كان قد تولى تدريب الزمالك من قبل تحديدًا موسم 2019، وحقق لقب كأس الكونفدرالية مع الفارس الأبيض، كذلك بطولة السوبر المصري السعودي بالفوز على الهلال السعودي.
Villa Park was bouncing when Jhon Duran scored an emphatic brace off the bench to ensure that Aston Villa salvaged a late draw against Liverpool in the Premier League, for it all but confirmed a place among Europe's elite.
Unai Emery watched his team get picked apart by ravenous Eagles later that week, last week, but it didn't matter, with Tottenham Hotspur already losing at home against Manchester City, confirming that the Villans would grace the Champions League for the first time in its modern branding.
But there's no denying that a remarkable campaign finished with a whimper, Villa crashing out of the Europea Conference League against Olympiakos in the semi-final and winning just one of five final top-flight fixtures.
Of course, this hardly matters when the proud supporters know that the summit of European football lies around the corner, when the giddying chance to make more history, in turn, opens the door to exciting new additions.
Former loanee Ross Barkley is expected to be the first to make the move to the Midlands this summer in a shrewd move following his excellent spell with Luton Town last season, but Emery is certainly not going to stop there.
Villa lining up exciting deal
According to FC Inter News, Aston Villa are interested in launching a summer move for Inter Milan star Denzel Dumfries, who has played a big part in Simeone Inzaghi's Scudetto-winning season.
The Dutch dynamo is out of contract in 12 months and has earned plenty of attention in recent months, with Manchester United notably keen on pursuing a deal.
But Villa are confident that Champions League football and the consequent windfall provide them with the means to complete a swoop, with the Italian club hoping to collect €30m (£25m) for his sale.
Denzel Dumfries' season in numbers
Dumfries has been on Inter's books for three seasons after transferring away from his homeland, where he had earned acclaim with PSV Eindhoven, with journalist Antonio Mango hailing him as "a joy to watch".
Having now amassed 131 displays for Inter – scoring 11 goals and adding 20 assists – the Netherlands star has cemented himself as one of the most dangerous and dynamic wide defenders in Italy, even described as a "monster" by journalist Alan Rzepa.
Matches played
30
29
Matches started
18
23
Goals
4
2
Assists
4
2
Clean sheets
15
2
Pass completion
81%
84%
Big chances created
6
6
Key passes per game
0.9
0.4
Ball recoveries per game
1.8
3.8
Dribbles per game
0.4 (52%)
0.4 (38%)
Duels won per game
2.9 (53%)
3.6 (47%)
Take a look at the table above. Dumfries is far more potent in an attacking sense, and while he's not very active in deeper phases of possession, he still maintains superiority over Villa right-back Matty Cash in creativity and effectiveness in the duel and in his ball-carrying.
It is worth noting that Villa kept two clean sheets in 23 matches where Cash featured from the outset, as opposed to six clean sheets across the 15 fixtures where he was not.
As per FBref, the Netherlands international ranks among the top 3% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 12% for assists, the top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 6% for aerial duels won per 90.
FBref make it clear to see that the 28-year-old does not fit into the constraints of a traditional full-back, instead pushing high up the pitch to best utilise his attacking abilities.
He's been known to dream of a move to the Premier League and it would now be the perfect way for Emery to follow the soon-to-be-confirmed transfer of Barkley with a real statement of intent.
Why Denzel Dumfries would be perfect for Villa
Dumfries certainly differs from the industrious but lacking in game-changing moments of Cash, but this measure of balance could actually be perfect for Villa as they look for crafty new ways to stay ahead and ensure that the 2024/25 campaign does not lurch them back toward the lower depths of the Premier League table.
1.
Kyle Walker
Manchester City
2.
Alejandro Grimaldo
Bayer Leverkusen
3.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool
4.
Andrew Robertson
Liverpool
5.
Jeremie Frimpong
Bayer Leverkusen
It's particularly interesting that Dumfries bears a stylistic similarity to Manchester City phenom Kyle Walker, who might be getting on a bit but remains one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history, instrumental throughout Pep Guardiola's dynasty, completing 300 appearances.
Walker also spent the 2010/11 campaign on loan at Villa Park when growing into his skin in the early days of his Tottenham career, scoring one goal and supplying three assists from 15 Premier League matches.
Having recorded the fastest speed in the 2022/23 Premier League at 37.31 km/h – despite being 32 years old for most of the campaign – Walker's pace has been a singular weapon for Guardiola's trophy vacuum, with Three Lions teammate Jordan Pickford hailing him as "the best right-back in the world."
Cash does a good job for Emery's Villa, but Dumfries would bring the breakneck pace and inborn predatory instinct to provide the squad with an additional dimension fitting for a club emerging as a budding power at the height of continental competition.
Walker does not barrel ahead with the same regularity as he once did, ranking among the top 8% of positional peers for progressive carries per 90 across Europe's top five leagues in the 2019/20 campaign, but, unquestionably, he's still got it in him and has demonstrated such immense athletic attributes and how they can contribute toward a team of elite-level success.
Pundit Kenny Cunningham called him a "phenomenal athlete", and given that Dumfries is endowed with explosive, aggressive athleticism, always eager to hunt down opportunities in the final third and contribute toward attacks with goals and assists, he might just be the Premier League's natural heir to Walker's place in the division.
Villa must cash in on flop who’s earning more than Luiz & Ramsey
Monchi must ensure that this player is sold this summer.
ByAngus Sinclair May 25, 2024
On Sunday, the Victoria and New South Wales-based players will arrive in Brisbane for two weeks’ quarantine
Andrew McGlashan04-Sep-2020A number of Covid-19 tests have been done, and some more are yet to happen; the coffee machines have been arranged and the cricket kit is packed. On Sunday, the first hub of the Australian home season will begin to come together in Brisbane as the Victoria and New South Wales-based players of the women’s national team arrive in the city for two weeks’ quarantine ahead of the series against New Zealand.Due to the Covid-19 numbers in both states – Melbourne, in Victoria, is under a stage-four lockdown until mid-September and New South Wales was declared a hotspot by the Queensland government – there is a fortnight of being mostly confined to the floor of a hotel for the first group of the squad before the players from other states arrive.However, they are permitted three hours a day in the nets at the Allan Border Field. The players have had three Covid-19 tests before leaving and will have three more during the two-week quarantine. The New Zealand squad is due to land on September 9.
Meg Lanning has sorted two coffee machines to be flown up to Brisbane, one on each floor for the first quarantine. Someone will have to look after that because think most of us are pretty uselessAshleigh Gardner
As with the men’s tour of England, the preparations began a long way out. Ashleigh Gardner, one of four New South Wales-based players in the 18-strong squad, decided to move out of home, where she lives with her mother and brother, so they did not have to go through the same restricted lifestyle as her. She has been staying with Alyssa Healy for the last few weeks.”It’s been a different lead-in to any other tour,” Gardner told ESPNcricinfo. “We made the decision it would be too hard for them [family members] to be on the same regime I was and not being able to go and do things, so I moved in with Alyssa which has been cool. It’s very different to what we are used but we leave on Sunday, so things are all starting to get pretty real.”ALSO READ: WBBL season to be held entirely in Sydney hub amid Covid-19 challengesIn the lead-up to the tour, Gardner trained in a separate group away from the NSW squad with her Australian team-mates Healy, Erin Burns and Rachael Haynes, along with stand-by Sammy Jo-Johnson and a couple of coaches. Being an allrounder, Gardner has bowled “quite a bit” while the coaches have “thrown endless amounts of balls to us”.”It’s not the most ideal lead-in to a tour but everyone is in the same boat and we’ve tried to make the most of the facilities and people we have,” she said.Crucially, the quarantined players will be able to access nets during their first two weeks. It is a similar set-up that Cricket Australia hope to get signed off for the men in Perth when they return from the UK.Ash Gardner has been living with Alyssa Healy for the past few weeks•Getty Images”It will be challenging but it will be nice to see some new and familiar faces even if it is from a distance,” Gardner said. “Will be nice to change the environment and scenery from what we’ve had in the last four months.”Aside from the three hours at training, however, the rest of the time will be spent at the hotel. There will a common area where players can meet for meals, an Xbox and table tennis, but also a lot of Netflix.Gardner is leaving her dot-art painting at home but has some electronic versions on her iPad. The captain, meanwhile, has arranged some very important items. “Meg Lanning has sorted two coffee machines to be flown up to Brisbane, one on each floor for the first quarantine,” Gardner said. “Someone will have to look after that because think most of us are pretty useless.”When the quarantine is complete the rules and restrictions will remain very tight. Collecting takeaway coffee and food, avoiding crowds, wearing masks. “It’s about being sensible and smart, doing the right things,” Gardner said.It will be more than six months since the T20 World Cup final when the first T20I of the series is played on September 26. Gardner admitted there would be uncertainty among all the players.”A lot of players will feel a bit underdone without match practice before an international series. Personally, there’ll be plenty of nerves, there won’t be a player who doesn’t have some. We’ve just got to back our ability and know what we’ve been able to achieve in the past.”But there is huge relief that cricket is on the horizon. “It feels like we’ve had the longest pre-season in history; we are all pretty sick of just training and nothing else. It’s exciting that games are so close, both the internationals and the WBBL.”
Christian Pulisic opened the scoring for AC Milan, but it was nowhere near enough to save the Rossoneri in a 3-1 Champions League loss to Liverpool.
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Pulisic scores for MilanVan Dijk, Konate and Szoboszlai lead LiverpoolRossoneri fall in first Champions League match of seasonGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Christian Pulisic started Tuesday's tie between Liverpool and Milan in the Champions League off with a bang, scoring just three minutes into the match. After breaking through on the right side, Pulisic slotted a shot past Alisson to give Milan an early lead.
Unfortunately for Milan, though, protecting that lead was easier said than done. Ibrahima Konate leveled the match in the 23rd minute, rising above the Milan defense to score from a header from a Liverpool corner. Virgil van Dijk then did the same just before halftime, exploiting Milan's shotty set-piece defense.
Liverpool then went on to make it 3-1 midway through the second half as Dominik Szoboszlai scored to effectively seal the result for the visitors.
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Pulisic started and went all 90 minutes for Milan, continuing his good run of form despite the result. He's now scored three goals for the Rossoneri this season to go with his recent finish for New Zealand while on U.S. men's national team duty.
His international teammate, Yunus Musah, did not get off the bench in the loss. This is coming off Milan's win over Venezia last Saturday, where Musah only played 16 minutes of action.
GettyDID YOU KNOW?
The goal was Pulisic's ninth career Champions League goal and his second with AC Milan. He previously scored five goals for Chelsea in the competition, most famously his semifinal finish against Real Madrid en route to the Champions League win in 2021, as well as two for Dortmund.
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MILAN?
Milan will have to recover and refocus rather quickly, as Pulisic and Co. prepare to face rivals Inter Milan in Serie A this weekend.
Liverpool await two emotional Premier League fixtures to close the door on Jurgen Klopp's heroic Anfield tenure but even the most optimistic of supporters will have accepted that the three-horse title race is no more.
It's been nine years of peaks and valleys; the good, the bad, and the ugly all wrapped into one rollercoaster journey that has welcomed silverware of the shiniest standard, memories of a lifetime, certain to be recalled with perfect clarity many years from now.
Feyenoord's Arne Slot has been all but announced as Liverpool's new head coach, and while he has big boots to fill, there is every hope that the Reds will continue to thrive as one of Europe's elite.
FSG's CEO of Football and Liverpool's new sporting director Richard Hughes have plans to sign several exciting upgrades this summer, with central defence to be addressed with haste.
Talk of Darwin Nunez's future on Merseyside has dominated the recent transfer chatter at Liverpool, with Barcelona interested in the Uruguayan – who has incited rumours by deleting recent Liverpool-related imagery across social media accounts.
But for all Liverpool's wastefulness, the problems stretch beyond the attack, with Liverpool's soft belly exposed far too often this season. Slot needs rearguard reinforcements.
And that's why reliable reports from Germany suggest that the Reds are interested in signing Willian Pacho from Frankfurt, who is valued at about €60m (£51m).
Frankfurt are actually keen to mark contact with the Premier League giants and this could mark a golden chance for Slot to land a highly-coveted new defender to kickstart his project.
Pacho, who is 22 years old, has enjoyed an excellent first season in Germany after transferring from Belgian club Royal Antwerp for about £13m, playing a big part in his side's comparatively successful season, well placed to finish sixth and secure a place in next term's Europa League.
As per Sofascore, the left-footed Pacho has completed 31 Bundesliga matches for Die Adler, keeping seven clean sheets, providing two assists, completing 85% of his passes, averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 4.4 clearances and 6.7 ball recoveries per game.
This is a compelling assortment of qualities that have been blended together to make for the trappings of a leading defensive figure on the European scene – with Pacho already said to have a "big future ahead" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Moreover, the 6 foot 1 titan ranks among the top 6% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 18% for passes attempted, the top 22% for progressive passes, successful take-ons and tackles, the top 20% for clearances and the top 16% for blocks, as per FBref.
His ball-playing quality and elite athleticism make for the perfect tools, and it's no wonder that Liverpool have started to shift the gears ahead of the summer.
Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmoller said that Pacho's defending "is absolutely world-class" earlier this season, with the Ecuador international actually winning 60% of his ground duels in the German first division.
Of course, he has some distance to go before he reaches a level even close to Virgil van Dijk, who has been an imperious leader for Klopp's Liverpool this season, winning 77% of his duels in the Premier League.
Joel Matip ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Fulham back in December and will not feature again this season. The 32-year-old veteran is also out of contract this summer and it might be better to put sentiment to one side and allow Matip to depart.
That, however, leaves just injury-prone and error-prone Ibrahima Konate and unrefined talent Jarell Quansah as Van Dijk's partners in the centre of defence.
All three are high-quality players but Konate cannot burden the weight alone and Quansah's exciting rise could be sent in a spin if too heavy a weight is dumped on his shoulders.
And while he would offer depth and cover to such stars, Pacho's ability is actually as such that he could find himself cementing a place as Van Dijk's successor in the Liverpool defence.
Van Dijk is approaching his 33rd birthday and is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. The Anfield captain may well sign a new deal but his fuel tank will not run forever and Edwards is right to have earmarked a player in Pacho who could be shaped over the coming years ahead of a future position as the leading man at centre-back.
It's hardly as if he hasn't proved himself against the best of the best either, actually triumphing magnificently against Harry Kane as his outfit thrashed Bayern Munich 5-1 earlier in the campaign, silencing the England captain, who has scored 44 goals and placed 12 assists from 45 matches since signing from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £82m last summer.
|
Frankfurt 5-1 Bayern Munich: Willian Pacho Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Pacho |
|
Minutes played |
90' |
|
Touches |
66 |
|
Accurate passes |
33/43 (77%) |
|
Long balls |
4/9 |
|
Possession lost |
11x |
|
Tackles |
6 |
|
Clearances |
7 |
|
Ground duels won |
7/10 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As the table above highlights, Pacho was a tenacious and thorny presence, subduing any hapless Bayern hopes of stemming the flow from Frankfurt, winning 70% of his ground duels, making six tackles and seven clearances – all of which are far above the average expected from a defender.
Bayern were horrific on that wintry December day but this must not detract from a Herculean performance from the hosts, with Pacho the pick of the bunch in the defence as he squashed attacks and even maintained an air of positivity in possession, attempting nine long passes.
|
Frankfurt 5-1 Bayern Munich: Harry Kane Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Kane |
|
Minutes played |
90' |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Touches |
25 |
|
Accurate passes |
9/11 (82%) |
|
Shots on target |
1 |
|
Shots off target |
2 |
|
Blocked shots |
2 |
|
Big chances missed |
2 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Ground duels won |
2/5 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
Further examination from Kane's metrics, and collation between the respective tables, illuminates just how bleak a contest the Die Roten goal machine suffered that day, wasteful in front of goal, ineffective and insubstantial in the duel and restricted to just 25 touches, completing nine passes.
Well and truly marshalled. A glimpse at Pacho's quality and how he could perform in the Premier League for Liverpool.
It's funny that Liverpool boast such an elite clutch of defensive players but have been unable to muster fitting solidity and command in the lower third.
It's funny, but Liverpool aren't laughing. With Pacho welcomed to the fold, all could change for an outfit targetting an illustrious new era.
Slot could ditch Nunez by signing "generational" £38m talent at Liverpool
This would be a real statement of intent after Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
By
Angus Sinclair
May 7, 2024