Kyle Walker has defended Manchester City's decision to celebrate their Premier League title triumph before playing the FA Cup final.
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Chelsea fans are enduring a second year of footballing misery this season, as they sit tenth in the Premier League, miles off the Champions League places and 1-0 down in their League Cup semi-final against Championship side Middlesbrough.
Mauricio Pochettino has been unable to build a cohesive team with the wave of new players he was handed in the summer, and a number of those recent acquisitions could already be on the precipice of an early exit from Stamford Bridge.
For example, Axel Disasi has been a regular in the side since joining in the summer. Still, he has been underwhelming at best, and now, with Athletic Bilbao's Aitor Paredes linked to the club, the Frenchman could be about to lose his place.
According to a recent report from the Sun, Chelsea are keen to add Athletic Bilbao's Paredes to their defensive ranks this month, and even sent scouts to watch him play against Seville last week.
The report has also revealed that, alongside the Blues, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Serie A behemoths Inter Milan are interested in securing the 23-year-old's signature this winter.
Should Todd Boehly and Co manage to get ahead of the competition, then they won't have to break the bank to get this deal over the line, as the Sun claim that a fee in the region of £20m should be enough to tempt Bilbao into selling due to the defender's contract expiring next summer.
In the case this deal goes through, the comparison to former captain Cesar Azpilicueta might become hard to ignore, and if he performs even close to the level of the Spaniard, that could spell trouble for Disasi.
Azpilicueta had a brilliant career in west London, and considering he was bought for just £7m, he might well be one of the greatest transfers in the club's history – having made 508 appearances in all competitions, while winning a plethora of major honours.
With that in mind, comparing the young and relatively inexperienced Paredes to him could be construed as too kind, but there are a couple of key similarities.
First, both are defensively-minded players who can be deployed as both a centre-back and full-back depending on what is needed at the time, and second, they're both Spaniards who – if this deal does go ahead – would have joined the Blues early on in their careers and at similar ages.
While Blues fans would surely be delighted with a defender who could potentially replicate the career of a former captain, Disasi might be less pleased, as he would surely see a dramatic drop in his game time if he wasn't just sold altogether.
The former AS Monaco man has featured in 90% of Pochettino's Premier League starting XIs this season, but in the words of talkSPORT pundit Andy Jacobs, he's been "a disaster."
Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, the board also don't seem to have a particularly favourable opinion of him either, as only last month, TEAMtalk revealed that he was among several names that the club would be willing to sell in January to raise funds.
So, how do the pair stack up when you compare their underlying numbers? Well, while there are a couple of areas in which the Chelsea man comes out on top, such as tackles won and general passing accuracy, he lags behind in most other critical areas.
|
Aitor Paredes vs Axel Disasi |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats per 90 |
Paredes |
Disasi |
|
Passing Accuracy |
85.9% |
89.7% |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
0.48 |
0.45 |
|
Tackles Won |
0.24 |
0.68 |
|
Blocks |
0.83 |
0.79 |
|
Clearances |
3.45 |
3.28 |
|
Miscontrols |
0.24 |
0.51 |
|
Dispossessed |
0.06 |
0.56 |
|
Ball Recoveries |
5.48 |
5.08 |
|
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season |
||
The Spanish "titan", as described by journalist Luis Calabor Nunez, comes out on top for shot-creating actions, blocks, clearances, ball recoveries, and he is dispossessed a lot less than the Frenchman.
At the end of the day, for as often as Pochettino is playing Disasi, he isn't showing much in the way of improvement, and if Chelsea can sign Paredes for £20m and offload the former Monaco man for around the same price, then this deal seems like a no-brainer.
Kieran McKenna will reportedly wait to see if Erik ten Hag gets sacked before deciding among Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton.
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Leeds United just about did enough to overcome Preston North End in Championship action on Sunday afternoon, a late Joel Piroe penalty the decisive goal in the game that saw the Whites' relentless drive to not settle for a draw pay off.
Spraying David Cornell's goal with 20 efforts on the day, Daniel Farke cut a relieved figure at full-time that his determined Leeds side continued their top form at Elland Road by picking up a last-gasp 2-1 victory.
Farke will hope Leeds can cruise to more straightforward victories this month away from this slight scare versus the Lilywhites, with this potential recruit enhancing the Whites going forward significantly.
A report from Football Insider in the last few days has indicated that Leeds are in 'very advanced talks' to land Burnley winger Manuel Benson on loan until the end of the season, beating fellow promotion rivals Southampton to his signature if all goes smoothly.
Russell Martin's Saints, who currently occupy second spot in the Championship on goal difference, could lose out on a deal for the Belgian attacker despite originally having an offer accepted, according to Football Insider.
Starring in the second tier last season for Vincent Kompany's Clarets on the way to a Championship title, Leeds will want to add Benson to their ranks to give the West Yorkshire titans a talent who knows how to get out of the division.
Moreover, with Benson's audacious trickery on the ball and ability to thunderously hit a shot two standouts from his attacking arsenal, the wantaway forward could well displace Dan James on his arrival to Elland Road and complement Georginio Rutter's equally skilful approach.
Despite scoring the equalising goal last time out against Ryan Lowe's tricky visitors, James could well find his starting spot for the Whites up for grabs if a deal can be reached for Benson.
Benson blows his counterpart out of the water when comparing the two slick wingers on FBRef, the Clarets star bettering James in the aspects you want your full-throttle winger option to exceed in.
The current Burnley man trumps the former Manchester United midfielder when it comes to shot-creating actions per 90 minutes over the last year, the 26-year-old Clarets winger coming in at a superior 5.64 to James' lesser 3.46.
Moreover, Benson stands out when it comes to progressive passes received and progressive carries with an astounding 15.75 passes received and 10.50 successful carries contrasted with James' 11.51 and 4.79 respectively.
The fringe Belgian attacker at Turf Moor almost feels readymade to slot into the Whites XI, perfect for the attacking football Farke insists his team play.
Rutter could well have a field day alongside his new teammate if Benson joins, the once scapegoated Frenchman a revelation in West Yorkshire this campaign – the 21-year-old now just one assist away from reaching double figures for the season and would relish the idea of playing alongside yet another "electric" attacker – as he was described by EFL pundit Sam Parkin.
Once a star man at Turf Moor before finding himself on the fringes this campaign – helping himself to 15 goal contributions last season in the second tier – Benson could take Leeds to the next level if all progresses without a hitch this transfer window.
Unfortunately, Benson coming in could signal the end of James in the Whites first team as Farke aims to assemble the strongest starting lineup capable of going toe-to-toe still with the top two in the Championship.
Kylian Mbappe is finally heading to Real Madrid, but fans have branded him the 'Kevin Durant of football' following the transfer announcement.
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While Tottenham Hotspur have caught the eye on numerous occasions this season and have made considerable progress under Ange Postecoglou's leadership, they do sit outside the top four after the Premier League term's midway point.
Of course, Spurs are just three points behind third and fourth-placed sides Arsenal and Aston Villa, having recovered from a slump before the festive period, welcomed back injured stars and made a couple of astute January signings to strengthen the cause.
Radu Dragusin (defender) and Timo Werner (forward) have indeed both joined the ranks this month but Postecoglou is still on the prowl for a midfielder, and if Tottenham are to complete further business by next week then this will be the focussed position.
That doesn't mean that efforts haven't been taken to map out plans ahead of the summer, however, with Harry Kane still not directly replaced as the team's focal frontman.
Postecoglou opted against signing a star centre-forward in the summer and while Werner was welcomed earlier in January, the former Chelsea man is more versatile than he is prolific and the goalscoring onus will not be placed on his shoulders.
One prominent name reportedly on the radar is Brentford's Ivan Toney, but with the England international attached to a price tag of £100m, securing his signature might be somewhat infeasible.
As such, it's exciting to hear that Daniel Levy could be working toward a deal for Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee, with Tutto Mercato Web reporting that Tottenham are in the mix for the dynamic forward along with divisional rivals Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Zirkzee is understood to have a €40m (£34m) release clause in his contract and has attracted the attention of frontrunners AC Milan, with fresh reports also suggesting that Manchester United have held formal discussions for the Dutch player's possible transfer.
Zirkzee burst onto the scene as a youngster with Bayern Munich and scored four goals from just three starts during the 2019/20 German Bundesliga season, announcing himself as a prodigious talent.
However, he didn't manage to cement a starring spot in Bayern's illustrious outfit and was transferred to Bologna in 2022, completing an inauspicious season in Serie A, scoring just two goals across five starting displays, hampered by injury and ineffectual performances.
Now clicking together, he has returned with vigour this term and so far yields a healthy return of eight goals and four assists across just 19 starts in all competitions, praised for his "extraordinary qualities" by his manager Thiago Motta.
The striker has complemented his goalscoring exploits with 1.3 key passes per game in the Italian top-flight, as per Sofascore, also creating eight big chances for his teammates.
The £19k-per-week whiz excels through his elegance on the ball and in his link-up play, imposing at 6 foot 4 and intelligent in his movement and spatial awareness in the box.
As per FBref, Zirkzee ranks among the top 14% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 18% for successful take-ons and the top 19% for clearances per 90.
Given his dynamism and protean threat as an offensive force, Zirkzee could be the perfect fit for Postecoglou's fluid, multi-faceted system at Tottenham.
He is also considered a similar player to Marseille striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, (as per Football Transfers' Player Comparison model) who was once an absolute menace on English shores for Spurs' rivals Arsenal.
Once described as a “phenomenal” talisman by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, Aubameyang might be 34 years old now but he is still scoring for fun on Europe's major stage, netting 13 goals and providing seven assists from 27 matches for Marseille this term.
Enjoying some of the best days of his career at the Emirates Stadium, the Gabonese striker was well-regarded for his pace but an underrated and equally integral aspect of his skill set lay in his off-ball movement and innate understanding of his role in attacking sequences.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp once said of his erstwhile Borussia Dortmund student: “He's one of the best players for the counter-attack that you can find on this planet because of the timing of the runs and the really outstanding finishing record in situations like that.”
|
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Arsenal Stats by Season |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
|
21/22 |
21 |
9 |
2 |
|
20/21 |
39 |
15 |
4 |
|
19/20 |
44 |
29 |
3 |
|
18/19 |
51 |
31 |
8 |
|
17/18 |
14 |
10 |
4 |
|
Source: Transfermarkt |
|||
Zirkzee is starting to showcase his skills as a high-class centre-forward and can emulate such attributes; he might not have the same kind of searing speed but he is ruthless on the break and drifts into promising openings with remarkable regularity.
He's also shown himself to be one of the more creative strikers the European game has to offer and this is something that Aubameyang has embraced in recent years after witnessing the wane of his pace.
Indeed, Aubameyang ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for assists per 90 to showcase his skill across various facets of the striking game.
Zirkzee was once praised for his "prolific" beginnings at the Allianz Arena by Kulig and is now showing signs of rekindling this cutting edge in Italy, with a complete style of play to ensure that he has a myriad of weapons to inflict damage on opposition.
And if the rangy ace can continue to build on the gains made during his time at Bologna and make the move to Tottenham, there's a good chance that he could take his game to the next level and provide Postecoglou with the kind of all-encompassing talisman to offer shades of Arsenal's former hero in Aubameyang, but actually surpass his ability with a blend of clinical shooting and creative ingenuity.
Endrick has teased an imminent major announcement ahead of officially completing his transfer to Real Madrid this summer..
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Rangers and Philippe Clement are interested in making a move for a "great finisher" whose father was once a renowned goalscorer in the Premier League, according to a new transfer rumour.
The Gers continue to be linked with new signings, even though they won't be able to bring in contracted players until the summer transfer window. Dwight Gayle is a free agent who has been backed to join Rangers, however, with the 34-year-old leaving Stoke City on deadline day and is now able to talk to other clubs.
He is someone with so much experience down the years, making his mark in both the Premier League and the Championship, and he could come in as an effective squad player for Clement, as they look to edge Celtic in the battle for Scottish Premiership glory.
Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland is another individual who was continually linked with a move to Rangers during January, but he ended up staying put. A new update suggests that the Gers could still snap him up this summer, along with making Abdallah Sima's loan move a permanent one, assuming Clement's side get Champions League football.
It looks as though the Scottish giants are targeting another attacking player, however, following a new update.
According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, Rangers are interested in signing Stoke City forward Tyrese Campbell, "keeping close tabs" on his current situation.
"Rangers are keeping close tabs on Stoke City ace Tyrese Campbell, sources have told Football Insider. It is believed that the Gers have revived their interest in the left-footed Championship forward, who is set to become a free agent in the summer.
"The club were very interested in a move for Campbell four years ago, with Football Insider revealing at the time that they held talks with him to try and lure him away from the bet365 Stadium. Now, Philippe Clement’s side could make a fresh attempt to secure the services of the 24-year-old, who is the son of former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell."
Campbell could be a great signing by Rangers, and the fact that they have rated him for some time suggests he really is a strong target, having rejected a move to Ibrox back in 2020.
The 24-year-old, who is the son of former Everton and Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell, has only made 12 Championship appearances this season, so a move away from Stoke could appeal to him at the end of the season, at which point he may well be a free agent. Former Stoke manager Michael O'Neill is someone who has spoken of Campbell in glowing terms in the past, saying of him:
"Tyrese is a great finisher. If you are a good finisher you have to get in the positions and he did that today."
Rangers gem who lost the ball 17x shone alongside Fabio Silva vs Livi
Rangers cut the gap at the top of the table to just three points with a win over Livingston today
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Ross Kilvington
Feb 3, 2024
A tally of 34 goals and 20 assists in 153 appearances for Stoke is a good return that highlights Campbell's end product, as does two in as many caps for England's Under-20s, so he could be a shrewd free signing by Rangers this summer.
USMNT star Tim Weah opened up in an interview to share his feelings on his harrowing red card incident against Panama on Thursday.
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Chelsea have unveiled 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu following completion of his transfer from Barcelona.
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