Manchester United are firmly in the running to bring an exciting defender to the Premier League in another raid of Rasmus Hojlund's old club, Atalanta.
Who are Man United's signings?
Over the summer, Erik ten Hag’s side recruited seven fresh faces, with five of those being on a permanent basis in the form of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Jonny Evans and Altay Bayindir, while there were also two who joined on loan.
At Old Trafford, Sofyan Amrabat and Sergio Reguilon both put pen to paper on deals for the remainder of the season, the former having the option to stay for good should he impress during his time on the road, and whilst the previous window has closed, club chiefs are already looking at who they could secure next.
The Red Devils are assessing their options in the market and have identified Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini as an ideal candidate, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Harry Maguire, who was heavily linked with a move to West Ham United before September 1st.
Back in August, Scalvini, who is 19 years of age, was watched by scouts during the last international break while he was representing his nation, Italy, and the teenager must have made a positive lasting impression because they are now considering an approach at the start of the new year.
Giorgio Scalvini transfer update…
According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness) in a transfer update on Giorgio Scalvini, Man United are “in the race” to sign the defender at Atalanta. Ten Hag’s club, Juventus and Inter Milan all hold a “strong interest” in the colossus, whilst Napoli also made an enquiry over the summer. The Serie A side value their prized asset at €50m (£43m), though as it stands, it’s not yet known whether his suitors would be willing to pay such a price.
Atalanta defenderGiorgio Scalvini.
How good is Giorgio Scalvini?
According to talent scout Jacek Kulig, Scalvini is a "huge talent" who rose through the ranks to stardom alongside Rasmus Hojlund, so should he put pen to paper at Man United it could be a massive coup for Ten Hag.
The youngster is currently averaging 2.6 aerial wins and 2.5 tackles per league game this season (WhoScored – Scalvini statistics), highlighting the physical presence he adds to the defence both on and off the ground, but he’s also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch.
Standing at 6 foot 4, Scalvini has posted 15 final third contributions (12 goals and three assists) in 124 appearances throughout his professional career, with his height being useful when it comes to getting on the end of set pieces in the opposition’s box.
Furthermore, he has the ability to operate out wide at right-back and higher up in defensive midfield alongside his usual role at centre-back, so his versatility is yet another attractive attribute and a reason as to why he would be a fantastic acquisition at Old Trafford.
كشف الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم عن هوية الحكم الذي سيتولى مسؤولية المباراة المرتقبة مساء اليوم السبت، بين منتخبي إيطاليا وسويسرا.
ويلتقي المنتخبان في إطار منافسات دور الـ16 من مسابقة يورو 2024، بملعب “الأولمبي برلين”، في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
وتأهل منتخب إيطاليا إلى منافسات الدور ثمن النهائي من البطولة الأوروبية عقب احتلاله المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة الثانية برصيد 4 نقاط، بينما حل المنتخب السويسري وصيفاً بالمجموعة الأولى بـ 5 نقاط. حكم مباراة إيطاليا وسويسرا اليوم في يورو 2024
Após um período ruim na Série B, onde a equipe chegou a brigar na zona de rebaixamento, o Guarani finalmente subiu de produção e conseguiu respirar na tabela de classificação.
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Um dos motivos para a subida dentro das quatro linhas é o técnico Felipe Conceição. Com uma formação mais equlibrada, o Bugre começou a somar pontos e foi superado apenas no quarto jogo do comandante.
Antes do revés diante do Juventude, na noite do último domingo, o Guarani havia vencido dois jogos e empatado outro.
No total, durante a passagem de Felipe Conceição no Brinco de Ouro da Princesa, o Guarani marcou quatro gols e levou três.
Na próxima rodada, o Guarani, que se encontra na 13ª posição, com 21 pontos, volta a campo na sexta-feira, quando encara o CSA, em casa.
Na coletiva de imprensa após a vitória do Palmeiras por 1 a 0 sobre o Red Bull Bragantino na noite desta quinta-feira (5), Abel Ferreira admitiu que fez testes de uma possível formação alternativa da equipe durante a própria partida. Além disso, planeja fazer isso mais vezes, devido à falta de tempo para aperfeiçoar tais soluções nos treinos:
– Sim (fiz testes durante a partida), é um risco que corro. Sei que, ao fazer isso, poderíamos sofrer um gol. Mas não tem outra forma de testar alternativas para a equipe ter outras soluções de ataque. Testar a ‘saída de três zagueiros’ com Felipe Melo ou Menino, jogar com dois volantes e um na frente, usar o Scarpa na esquerda, entre outras possibilidades… – confessou.
A frequência de jogos, que já costuma ser alta no calendário brasileiro, está mais elevada do que o comum por causa da paralisação de quase cinco meses do futebol nacional devido à pandemia de Covid-19.
À exceção da semana dos dias 23 a 29 de agosto, o Verdão teve sempre dois jogos por semana desde o retorno das atividades, com uma média de somente dois a três dias de intervalo entre uma partida e outra. Por isso, o português lamentou que a solução que lhe resta é testar novas alternativas dentro dos jogos:
– Quem está no futebol sabe que tem que correr riscos e não temos tempo para treinar, esta é a grande verdade. A única forma que tenho de tentar outras alternativas é dentro do jogo – lamentou o técnico do Verdão.
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Além disso, Abel elogiou a atuação de Gabriel Veron, autor do único gol da partida. O jovem de 18 anos saiu do banco após uma contusão do titular Wesley, que teve que ser substituído:
– Eu gosto de falar dos jogadores individualmente, mas eles aparecem no contexto coletivo. Infelizmente, o Veron teve a oportunidade devido a uma lesão do Wesley, mas ele aproveitou bem. Sabemos da qualidade dele, tem muita vontade e muita qualidade, procura cumprir com compromissos coletivos da equipe, porque eles (os jogadores) sabem que, quando temos uma ideia coletiva e nos libertamos dentro dela, o individual aparece. E ele tem muita qualidade individual – afirmou o português.
Com a vitória sobre o Red Bull Bragantino, o Verdão se classificou para as quartas de final da Copa do Brasil e aguarda sorteio para conhecer seu próximo adversário. Pelo Brasileirão, o Alviverde volta a campo no domingo (8), às 16h, para enfrentar o Vasco da Gama, no Rio de Janeiro.
يزداد الحديث عن مفاوضات نادي برشلونة الإسباني للتعاقد مع نيكو ويليامز، لاعب أتلتيك بلباو، خلال السوق الصيفي.
ويملك نيكو ويليامز شرطًا جزائيًا في عقده مع أتلتيك بلباو بقيمة 58 مليون يورو.
وتوضح صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية، أن اللاعب لديه عروض من عدة أندية، لكن قراره واضح.
وأشارت إلى أن قرار نيكو ويليامز إما أن يكون هناك خيار التوقيع لبرشلونة هذا الصيف أو سيختار الاستمرار لمدة عام آخر في أتلتيك بلباو.
ولفتت الصحيفة النظر إلى أن تشيلسي هو الفريق الذي أبدى أكبر قدر من الاهتمام به، وقدّم عرضًا قويًا، و سيدفع الشرط الجزائي دون أن يتردد.
ولن يحرز تشيلسي تقدم في المفاوضات مع أتلتيك بلباو، ما لم يمنح نيكو ويليامز الموافقة.
اقرأ أيضًا | بيدري: ثلاثي إسبانيا صفقات مثالية لـ برشلونة
وكان باريس سان جيرمان مهتمًا أيضًا وأظهر استعداده لدفع الشرط الجزائي، لكنه لم يستمر في التفاوض في الوقت الحالي بسبب عدم رغبة الجناح في مغادرة إسبانيا.
وينتظر نيكو ويليامز التحركات التي قد يقوم بها برشلونة في الأسابيع المقبلة.
وهناك اهتمام كبير بالتعاقد معه ولكن الوضع الاقتصادي لبرشلونة معقد وبالتأكيد ستكون هناك حاجة لبيع بعض اللاعبين حتى يتمكن من تنفيذ الصفقة.
وسينتظر نيكو نادي برشلونة، مدركًا أنه يمكن التوصل إلى اتفاق بشأن سنوات العقد والراتب ولكن مع عدم اليقين بشأن ما إذا كان يمكن دفع الشرط الجزائي أم لا.
وأعطى ديكو المدير الرياضي لبرشلونة الأولوية لخيار آخر، لكن الرئيس، خوان لابورتا، ليس لديه أي شكوك ويضع ويليامز كهدف أساسي.
من ناحية أخرى تفيد صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، أن برشلونة يقوم بجمع المعلومات والأرقام لمعرفة ما إذا كان التوقيع مع نيكو ويليامز ممكنًا ضمن المعايير الاقتصادية للأسابيع المتبقية من السوق.
وأوضحت أن مصادر من النادي مقتنعة أنه يمكنهم التوقيع معه لو كانت تكلفته السنوية تتراوح بين 20 إلى 25 مليون يورو في الموسم الواحد.
Tottenham Hotspur are a club famed for its recent failures, with Daniel Levy's relentless pursuit of silverware culminating in a sharp shift in the club's mindset.
The chairman was sick of the ridicule, and their lack of trophies was highest on the agenda for things that needed solving. Therefore, the appointments of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte made sense for that venture, but not for an outfit that had been making steady progress under Mauricio Pochettino, surely closing in on the elite honours.
Levy would admit his mistakes whilst speaking at a recent fan forum "I had gone through a period where we'd almost won. With Mauricio we went through some very good times. We didn't quite get there but we came very close and we had a change in strategy. The strategy was 'let's bring in a trophy manager'.
"We did it twice and look you have to learn from your mistakes. They're great managers but maybe not for this club. For what we want, we want to play in a certain way and if that means it has to take a little bit longer to win maybe it's the right thing for us. That's why bringing Ange in was from my point of view the right decision."
However, it was not just managerial mistakes that were made, with their ventures into the transfer market hardly proving more fruitful.
Whilst the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Tanguy Ndombele mark two of their more lucrative failures, it could be argued that stars such as Clinton N'Jie marked the larger disappointment, given the excitement his arrival brought.
How good was Clinton N'Jie?
Having emerged as a clinical youngster setting French football alight, it seemed like a major coup when Spurs were the side who managed to snag his services.
After all, the £12m expended seemed like a drop in the ocean to secure ample backup for Harry Kane, as a 22-year-old seemingly set to grow into true competition for their in-form front man.
Especially after he triumphantly declared his loyalty to the Lilywhites, revealing the club that he had snubbed to join the Argentine's revolution: "I was never scared that my transfer to Tottenham would not be confirmed. I never spoke to Arsenal representatives on the phone, they simply contacted my agent. My choice was made, I was determined to join Tottenham."
A fine return of seven goals and eight assists in Ligue 1 during the 2014/15 season drew excitement, but it would be a tally he did not even come close to matching during the following two years in north London.
Football – Tottenham Hotspur Training – Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground – 16/9/15 Tottenham’s Clinton Njie, Joshua Onomah and Kyle Walker during training Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Boyers Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.
In fact, the Cameroonian forward was only afforded a miserable 14 matches to showcase his worth, to which he unsurprisingly failed. As such, he would fail to score a single goal, assisting only once before moving on. To see such a promising career stagnate under a coach famed for his youth cultivation was desperately disappointing, especially given how the likes of Kane and Dele Alli had flourished under his leadership.
N'Jie was vocal in what he expected upon joining, and ultimately, what he failed to receive: "Here, I will be working under Mauricio Pochettino, a manager who plays youngsters and allows them to progress."
What was said about Clinton N'Jie when he signed for Spurs?
Given his nationality and the positions he took up, it took little time for the media to latch onto the blistering marksman and begin comparing him to his countrymen. Unsurprisingly, Samuel Eto'o was the first port of call.
The Cameroon legend had starred across a glittering career, enjoying spells with Inter Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea among numerous other huge clubs. Calling time on his period playing, the 42-year-old finished having scored 364 goals and won all manner of trophies, including a truly impressive four Champions Leagues, league titles in Italy and Spain, as well as a host of domestic honours too.
Former teammate Xavi would rush to praise the lethal striker, noting: "Today I do not have doubts. For me Samuel Eto'o is the best striker in the world,".
Samuel Eto'o's clubs
Appearances
Goals
Assists
FC Barcelona
199
130
40
RCD Mallorca
160
70
9
Inter Milan
102
53
25
Antalyaspor
77
44
14
Anzhi Makhachkala
73
36
16
Then, even Pep Guardiola would laud his contribution, despite the pair not exactly seeing eye-to-eye during their tenure together: "Incredible player, outstanding striker, one of the best I met and have seen, personality, character, top scorer, more pressure, better performance. I had him for one season."
So, to see just how outstanding Eto'o became, it marks a laughable notion that sections of the media sought to force the comparisons between him and N'Jie, with The Mirror just one of many outlets suggesting he was the 'successor to Samuel Eto'o'.
Given the respective careers the two have enjoyed, it is fair to say that the media got this one horribly wrong, with the only real similarity being their shared nationality.
What is Clinton N'Jie doing now?
Seeking to shrug off his Tottenham nightmare, the 30-year-old made a desperate return to French football with Marseille, enjoying limited success – bagging 16 goals in 83 games.
It always felt like that spell in England completely ravaged what was set to be a promising lifespan in the sport, and yet he seemingly holds no grudges: "I do not regret. It’s a choice I had to make. Everyone thought it was a good solution. I gained a lot of experience during this adventure in Tottenham. It has served me a lot for the future and it still serves me. So I have no regrets."
Even if he now spends his days featuring in Turkey, and struggling at that.
The 43-cap flop has just a sole goal in the Super Lig this campaign, having only scored twice and assisted another two across an entire campaign in the Turkish top flight last term. It outlines a remarkable fall from grace for the forward, who was once regarded among some of the most talented young stars in Europe.
His career has now boasted a pitiful 34 goals across spells in England, France, Russia and Turkey, with the latter two marking a searing indication of the unfulfilled potential.
For comparison, Eto'o would match that tally across all competitions in the 2005/06 season alone, lighting up Spanish football for the Catalan giants, and proving that N'Jie was never likely to emulate the levels he posted.
The state association wants outstation players to play in the 20-over TNPL, which is against the strict guidelines laid down by the BCCI
Saurabh Somani07-Jul-2018
TNPL
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has challenged the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) directive, which prevents outstation players from participating in T20 leagues, saying it exhibits “a complete and utter disregard” for the interests of players, depriving them of the opportunity to “earn a living” and “showcase their talents to the world”. The state association further accused the CoA of arbitrariness and malice in forming the rule.TNCA’s response came after the CoA wrote an email to the association asking that it desist from having outstation players play in the 20-over Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) following the strict guidelines issued for domestic T20 leagues.TNCA had wanted outstation players to be able to participate in the TNPL, but the guidelines not only barred that, but also further said that all support staff and match officials part of any league also had to be from the home association.The CoA said that in its communique to the TNCA that “pursuant to the decision of the working committee at its meeting(s) held on 13th August 2009 and 24th June 2016, BCCI does not grant permission to any member to allow participation of players from outside the jurisdiction of the said member in the T20 tournament being organised or conducted by any member. This decision has been consistently applied/enforced since 2009 by refusing permission to other state associations like the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Goa Cricket Association as well as in respect of the second edition of the TNPL in 2017.”At the BCCI’s SGM on June 22, which the CoA later ruled as invalid, the BCCI members had passed a resolution to “consider and to take decisions on the T20 tournaments hosted and organised by state associations”. A member present at the SGM told ESPNcricinfo that the plan was to allow a maximum of two players per team. In the case of the TNPL, this would have meant 16 players at the most. “How will giving 16 players who haven’t got an opportunity to play in the IPL be detrimental?” the member said. “This would have benefitted cricketers.”Another association member present at the meeting said that the plan was to only allow those players, who had not played either for India, or in the IPL, in the preceding year, to participate in the TNPL. Moreover, such players would be restricted to participating in only two T20 leagues in the year, their home association’s T20 league and one other, or any two if their home association did not have a T20 league.The TNCA based its decision to have players from out of the state in the TNPL citing the banned SGM, and also said that Amitabh Choudhary, the acting BCCI secretary, had been apprised of the tournament and necessary particulars “well in advance”. It also said that the BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) head had arrived in Chennai on Thursday to conduct a session on implementing the anti-corruption code, “which belies the position taken by the Committee that it is an unapproved tournament.”It also pointed out in its letter that outstation players had been taking part in Tamil Nadu state-run tournaments since several decades.”Even currently the TNCA league has several “outstation” players playing within its jurisdiction and this has been so for several decades. Eminent former crickets such as Sunil Gavaskar, M A K Pataudi, Salim Durrani, M L Jaishimha, G R Viswanath have played in TNCA tournaments like Buchi Babu,” the TNCA wrote.”Brijesh Patel, K R Rajagopal, Sunil Valson, Vivek Razdan have played in 1st Division League and the like. Likewise players like Rahul Dravid, Zaheer Khan, Venkatesh Prasad, Vikram Rathore, Venkatapathy Raju, Arshad Hyub, Suith Somasundar, have continued to play till recently. Even currently players like Piyush Chawla, Sandeep Sharma, Robin Bist, Srikar Bharath, A G Pradeep still play in league tournament at TNCA.” However, the tournaments that the TNCA has mentioned aren’t in the T20 format.An official close to the developments in TNCA said that the body would try to negotiate with the CoA so that a mutually satisfactory solution for all could be worked out, but he did admit that if the CoA were to withhold permission for outstation players despite everything, it was likely that the TNPL would have to proceed without them since the players themselves might not be comfortable taking part in the tournament in those circumstances.
كشف مصدر خاص باللجنة الأولمبية المصرية النقاب عن تطورات جديدة في أزمة استبدال اللاعبة شهد سعيد حال عدم مشاركتها في أولمبياد باريس 2024.
وكان قرار ضمّ لاعبة منتخب مصر للدراجات، شهد سعيد، إلى بعثة مصر المشاركة في أولمبياد باريس 2024، قد أثار موجة غضب عارمة على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي.
اتحاد الكرة يوضح لـ “بطولات” سبب تأخر سفر بعثة منتخب مصر الأولمبي لـ فرنسا
وفي ظلّ موجة الغضب، صرح رئيس اتحاد الدراجات، وجيه عزام، لـ “بطولات” أنّه سيتمّ اتخاذ قرار نهائي بشأن مشاركة شهد سعيد اليوم.
وقال المصدر في تصريحات خاصة لـ “بطولات”: “لاىيحق لاتحاد الدراجات تغيير اسم لاعبة أرسل اسمها في البعثة الرسمية للأولمبياد”.
وأضاف: “شهد سعيد اسمها أرسل بالفعل للجنة المنظمة لأولمبياد باريس ولن يتم تغيير اسمها لأن اتحاد الدراجات لم يطلب ذلك قبل إرسال اسمها”.
وأتم: “اتحاد الدراجات يحق له منع اللاعبة من المشاركة في أولمبياد باريس لكن لا يمكنه استبدالها”.
وتعود هذه الضجة إلى واقعة سابقة خلال سباق الطريق ببطولة الجمهورية، شهدت دفع شهد سعيد لزميلتها جنة عليوة، مما أدى إلى إصابتها ونقلها إلى المستشفى.
وعلى الرغم من إيقاف شهد سعيد محلياً وغرامتها 5000 جنيه، قرر اتحاد الدراجات إدراج اسمها في بعثة باريس، ما أشعل مواقع التواصل الرافضة لمشاركتها. واقعة دفع شهد سعيد لزميلتها جنة عليوة
Leeds United travelled to Stoke City on Wednesday night full of confidence after coming from 2-0 down to record a 3-2 victory over Norwich City on Saturday afternoon
Unfortunately, the Whites were unable to carry that momentum to the bet365 stadium as they fell to a 1-0 defeat late on and were ultimately punished for their shambolic performance.
The major talking point ahead of kick-off was Daniel Farke's decision to drop Crysencio Summerville, whose brace dragged Leeds back from the jaws of defeat and inspired them to secure three points late on against the Canaries.
The "baller" – as lauded by the German himself following his stellar individual display – was dropped for Jadon Anthony, while Daniel James and Glen Kamara made way for Wilfried Gnonto and Ilia Gruev.
Despite performing terribly on the night, Farke's men did have the opportunity to take the lead from the spot, however, Patrick Bamford was entrusted to take the penalty and blazed it over the bar, as Leeds were left cursing their decision to let him take it.
In the end, that miss proved to be the turning point as Stoke stole the three points in the 80th minute courtesy of a Pascal Strujik own goal.
Leeds United's worst performers against Stoke
As the saying goes, the real test of any footballer is if they can do it on a cold and windy night in Stoke and on this occasion, it appears Leeds weren't up for passing that test.
Given the outcome of the result, it is easy to pass the blame on the pantomime villain Bamford, who missed from 12 yards out, but there were several other players who hardly painted themselves in a positive light, especially from a defensive point of view.
Archie Gray was described as looking "jaded" by Leeds United writer Beren Cross for his performance against Norwich and unfortunately for the youngster, he put in a similar display against Stoke, recording the joint lowest match rating (6.4), as per SofaScore, while losing possession on 19 occasions and winning four of his nine ground duels.
On the same flank, there was also another notable villain in the form of Wilfried Gnonto, who was making his first start for the club since returning from injury, and it's fair to say, it was one to forget.
The stats behind Wilfried Gnonto's performances vs Norwich
The 19-year-old wouldn't have expected to be pulling on a Leeds United jersey again this season after handing in a written transfer request this summer, but a move never materialised and the Italian has an opportunity to showcase his talents in the Championship.
The £20k per-week dud, however, will be fearing for his place in the side moving forward following an abject display on Wednesday night, with the Italian struggling to make an impact in the final third.
Those woes were evidenced by the fact that the versatile forward player – who can operate centrally or on the left – recorded zero successful dribbles as he failed to utilise his skillset against the Potters, having also made zero key passes on the night and lost possession 13 times, as per SofaScore.
Off the ball too, the teenager shirked the responsibility of winning possession back for his team, putting in a rather weak display which saw him win only four of his 11 ground duels and make three fouls.
The player with the joint worst match rating of any starting player on the Leeds side (6.4/10), even lower than that man Bamford (6.5) – as per SofaScore – it was no surprise to see him hooked in the 70th minute, especially after making just 38 touches in the match, fewer than teammate Illan Meslier recorded between the sticks (67).
With performances like that, Leeds will potentially have regretted not selling him when they had the chance to in the summer.
Taylor is expected to be available for nine games, as well as the knockout stage if Somerset qualify
ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2018
Jerome Taylor is a picture of exertion•Getty Images
West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor has signed for Somerset for the rest of the Vitality Blast. He is expected to be available for nine South Group games, as well as the knockout stage if Somerset qualify.Taylor was a member of the West Indies squad that lifted the 2016 World T20, and played his most-recent T20I in January. He has previously appeared in county cricket for Sussex and Leicestershire.”We are delighted to have secured such a high-quality player for the business end of the Vitality Blast,” Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said. “He brings with him a wealth of international T20 experience and is a player who can really impact games with the ball, both with the new ball and especially at the end of an innings.”Taylor is set to debut in next Friday’s game against Surrey at The Oval. Once one of West Indies’ fastest bowlers, he claimed 5 for 11 as England were bowled out for 51 in Jamaica nine years ago and has played more than 150 times for his country across all formats. In T20, he has taken 104 wickets in 89 games, with an economy of 8.12.”I’m really excited to be joining Somerset for the Vitality Blast,” Taylor said. “It’s a real honour to join such a prestigious club and I hope that I can help bring my experience to what looks like a really exciting group of young players.”