Em clássico pela quinta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, Flamengo e Botafogo se enfrentam neste domingo, às 11h, no Mané Garrincha, em Brasília. Tanto o Rubro-Negro quanto o Alvinegro chegam para o duelo com cinco pontos, mas os portugueses Paulo Sousa e Luís Castro vivem momentos distintos no comando das equipes cariocas.
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O Flamengo vem de atuações ruins, e o trabalho de Paulo Sousa voltou a ser questionado de forma mais veemente. Por outro lado, Luis Castro dirigirá o Botafogo pela quinta vez – sendo o primeiro clássico -, que vem apresentando evolução neste início de trabalho.
O clássico deste domingo será no Mané Garrincha devido ao fechamento do Maracanã, que está realizando troca do gramado.
Confira mais informações da partida entre Flamengo e Botafogo:
Estádio: Mané Garrincha, em Brasília (DF) Data e hora: 8 de maio de 2022, às 11h Árbitro: Anderson Daronco (Fifa/RS) Assistentes: Bruno Boschilla (Fifa/RS) e Rafael da Silva Alves (Fifa/RS) Árbitro de vídeo: Daniel Nobre Lins (RS)
Onde assistir: Premiere e Tempo Real do LANCE!
FLAMENGO (Técnico: Paulo Sousa) Hugo Souza; Pablo, David Luiz e Filipe Luís; Isla, Willian Arão, João Gomes, Everton Ribeiro, Arrascaeta e Bruno Henrique; Gabigol.
Suspensos: – Pendurados: Marinho, João Gomes e Gabigol Lesionados: Fabrício Bruno, Gustavo Henrique, Vitinho, Matheuzinho, Matheus França, Santos e Pedro.
BOTAFOGO (Técnico: Luís Castro) Gatito; Saravia, Kanu (Klaus), Cuesta, Daniel Borges; Oyama, Patrick de Paula (Tchê Tchê), Chay; Gustavo Sauer, Erison e Victor Sá.
Suspensos: – Pendurado: Philipe Sampaio Lesionados:Carlinhos, Rafael e Philipe Sampaio; Barreto e Joel Carli.
The Greek forward has fallen to the third option in Cruz Azul attack, behind Bogusz and Sepúlveda
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Giakoumakis signed for the Apertura 2024 for a fee of $10.5 millionHe has not been able to establish himself with Vicente Sánchez's teamThe forward has scored two goals in 10 matches of the Clausura 2025Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
Giorgos Giakoumakis’ time at Cruz Azul may be nearing its end. The Greek striker has struggled to earn a regular role under Vicente Sánchez and is now reportedly drawing interest from Major League Soccer clubs – potentially paving the way for a return to the league following his previous stint with Atlanta United.
Giakoumakis became Cruz Azul’s first signing under then-head coach Martín Anselmi ahead of the Apertura 2024, brought in to compete with Ángel Sepúlveda and Gabriel Fernández and bolster the club’s attacking options.
According to a report from TUDN’s Adrián Esparza, a departure is now on the table. While Giakoumakis hasn’t quite met expectations at , his prior success in MLS hasn’t gone unnoticed. GiveMeSport’s Tom Bogert reports that multiple MLS clubs are interested in acquiring the forward.
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Giakoumakis, 30, joined Cruz Azul from Atlanta United in a deal reportedly worth around $10.5 million. Since arriving at , he has played 31 matches, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists across Liga MX, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and the Leagues Cup.
However, the Greek striker is currently going through a rough patch in the Clausura 2025. He has fallen behind Ángel Sepúlveda and former LAFC star Mateusz Bogusz in the attacking pecking order. Giakoumakis has only scored two goals in 10 appearances this tournament and hasn’t found the net since Matchday 5.
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
Giakoumakis has played in leagues across Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, Scotland, the United States, and now Mexico. His most prolific season came in the 2020-21 season with Dutch side VVV-Venlo, where he scored 29 goals in 33 matches – his only campaign with the club. He also posted strong numbers with Atlanta United, netting 24 goals in 43 appearances for the MLS team.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CRUZ AZUL?
Cruz Azul face an important clash this Saturday when they host Pumas on Matchday 14 of the Clausura 2025. At Pumas’ request, the match will be played at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla. Since Pumas agreed to let Cruz Azul use their stadium as a home venue this season, they asked for the game to be moved out of respect for their fans – wanting to avoid the unusual situation of having their supporters in the stands of the opposing team while being listed as the away side.
Under Vicente Sánchez, Cruz Azul currently sit in sixth place with 25 points, and a win tonight would bring them closer to the top spots in the table as they aim to qualify for the final phase and fight for the title.
After this match, they’ll have just a couple of days to rest before facing América again this Tuesday at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario for the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. The aggregate score is currently tied 0-0.
The winger goes into the international break off the back of two outstanding displays for the Gunners, which she'll hope to replicate against Belgium
When Chloe Kelly completed her loan move from Manchester City to Arsenal in January, eyebrows were raised. Those were mostly in the direction of City, who were letting an established England star, and one of the most productive wingers in the Women's Super League over the last few years, join one of their biggest rivals for a Champions League place. For Kelly and Arsenal, though, it's proving to be the perfect switch.
On Sunday, the winger raced to the byline and dug out a great cross with her weaker foot to pick out Beth Mead on the edge of the box. Her fellow Lioness latched onto the delivery brilliantly, meeting it on the volley with her own weaker wing to find the back of the net in spectacular fashion for her 50th WSL goal. It broke the deadlock and set Arsenal on their way to a fifth-successive league win, which allowed them to move back into second and maintain a seven-point cushion inside the European places.
The response to that goal from the fans, who had made the short journey across London to support the team away at Crystal Palace, said it all. "We want you to stay," they sang at their January signing, whose own post-match comments suggested she'd be open to a permanent switch to the club she came through as a youngster.
It's easy to see why, as Kelly fits brilliantly into what this Arsenal team wants to do. It's not only fuelling their strong end to the season, in the Champions League and the WSL, but it's giving her chances of starting for England at this summer's European Championship a serious boost, too.
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City's loss is Arsenal's gain
It was for the best interest of all parties that Kelly moved on in January, having fallen wildly out of favour at City amid reports of a relationship breakdown with then-head coach Gareth Taylor. But it never felt like the eventual solution was ever going to work out well for her parent club, with them sending a talented and extremely motivated attacking asset to a team battling with them for one of the three available European spots.
Some doubted whether Kelly would get the playing time she was after as Arsenal have a lot of quality options for their forward line, but actually she was perhaps the missing piece in that area. Her addition as the Gunners’ fourth winger – alongside Mead, Mariona Caldentey and Caitlin Foord – has given head coach Renee Slegers the ability to regularly chop and change in those positions, be it between games or during. It has kept the attack fresh, full of energy and firing on all cylinders, which has been important while the fixtures have stacked up.
It’s also given Slegers more license to use Caldentey centrally, as she did in Thursday’s incredible comeback against Real Madrid and again in the clinical win over Palace. In both games, the Spaniard played brilliantly – and so did Kelly.
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Flying form
The England winger’s final ball was a key feature of that victory over Madrid, with superb cross after superb cross delivered into the visitors’ box. Those produced Arsenal’s first two goals of an eventual 3-0 win, which overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit on what was the first occasion in seven years that a team had come back from two goals down at the halfway point of a Women’s Champions League knockout tie.
Kelly continued that fine form in Sunday’s win over Palace, creating two of the Gunners’ four goals to take some serious momentum into this upcoming international break. Six weeks ago, the 27-year-old was left out of the England squad for the first time in Sarina Wiegman’s tenure, owing to a lack of minutes. Now, with her well up to speed again, she feels like a must-start against Belgium on Friday.
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Bringing plenty to the table
"She came in with a lot of motivation and with a smile on her face and she said, 'I want to enjoy football. I want to represent Arsenal. I want to do my best for the team'. I think that's what she's done since she came in,” Slegers said of Kelly last week, before highlighting some of the off-pitch values she’s also brought to the table. “I knew the qualities she had as a player, but to see her day in, day out, I think she really contributes to our training environment. She's very feisty, she's a winner, very competitive. She's great. We're very happy with her.”
In a week which saw Kelly's creativity really stand out, Slegers was keen to praise the winger's work ethic out of possession after the win over Palace, too. "It’s very demanding to play for Arsenal, in all positions," she explained. "I think definitely the wide position is hard work and you need to bring quality and you need to bring intelligence on the ball, but then you need to bring a lot of work rate out of possession and you see all our players doing that. Chloe is one of them and she did it really well."
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Enjoying her football again
It's not like Kelly ever lost any of these traits. Even in her limited game time at City this season, she was able to show glimpses of her quality. It's just that she's in a different environment now which is not only providing her with more opportunities, but helping her to regain the confidence she lost in what became a difficult situation in Manchester.
"I think the way Renee sees the team play and the wingers play is sometimes inverted wingers and it’s quite new to me, but something where I feel like I can add to the team," Kelly said this past week. "I just want to be at my best every day for the team and Renee gives me confidence in those areas. Sometimes you make mistakes in those areas, but it is about the reaction as soon as you lose it and I think for me, that’s really important, but the confidence she gives me is really high, so I’m feeling good at the moment.
"I always said I really wanted to get my smile back and this club has done just that for me and I’m very grateful. You can see when I have a smile on my face, I just play free and I have good energy. For me, that’s what it’s all about. I think when Renee gives that confidence to you, you just have to show and repay that. I’m just having fun, so when I’m having fun, I’m at my best."
Since taking over as manager at Newcastle United, Eddie Howe has had the luxury of spending hundreds of millions of pounds. Of course, that is because of their takeover in 2021, when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund bought the majority stake in the club.
It is fair to say that the new owners at St James’ Park have not been afraid to splash the cash when they need to. Last summer, they were held back by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules so did not spend much. However, in recent years, the likes of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon have all joined for a sizeable fee.
The Magpies’ record signing is Alexander Isak, but he has been linked with a move away from the club recently.
Alexander Isak’s potential move away
Swedish striker Isak has been sensational since his club record £63m move to St James’ Park, from Spanish outfit Real Sociedad. The striker has 46 goals and nine assists in 85 games for the club in all competitions.
He has been a consistent goalscorer in the Premier League, despite struggling with injuries throughout his Magpies career. He has already hit double figures for the 2024/25 season, having only played 15 games.
Games
22
30
15
Minutes
1526
2266
1203
Goals
10
21
10
Assists
2
2
4
Despite having scored two goals in a game eight times, the 25-year-old had never managed to score a Magpies hat trick. However, that all changed last weekend after he smashed three goals past Ipswich Town in a 4-0 win, a phenomenal performance.
However, things are perhaps not as good as they might seem. According to Spanish reports, the deadly centre-forward is a target for French giants Paris Saint-Germain. He has been ‘singled out’ by PSG boss Luis Enrique as a potential signing. It could cost around £83m to sign him.
Newcastle Alexander Isak
Should Isak leave, the Magpies are in danger of repeating a sale from the 1990s that proved to be a costly error.
The transfer repeat Newcastle will hope to avoid
There are few players as underrated in Premier League football than Andy Cole. He scored 187 Premier League goals, the fourth most in the competition’s history. Incredibly, only one of those strikes was a penalty.
For the Magpies, Cole was devastating. He played just three seasons at the club, but managed to score 68 goals and grab 23 assists in 84 appearances. In the 1993/94 season, he bagged 34 goals in 40 Premier League appearances.
It was off the back of this unstoppable form that Manchester United paid a British record fee of £8.6m. According to The Transfer Index, that would be a jaw-dropping £123m in today’s money, an extraordinary fee with inflation.
It is fair to say that Cole’s move to Old Trafford paid off for him. He went on to play 275 games for the club, scoring 121 goals and grabbing 44 assists in that time. He also won five Premier League titles and was a crucial part of the treble-winning side in 1998/99.
Despite the money they received, the Magpies surely regretted selling their striker. Although they signed Alan Shearer as his replacement, those two could have formed a clinical partnership.
Cole could have also been a big difference-maker in their hunt for the Premier League title. Newcastle finished second twice, in 1995/96 and 1996/97, but had they kept the striker he could have been the man to give them the edge and win the league.
This is simply not a mistake that Newcastle can make with Isak. The money is lucrative, and perhaps hard to turn down. However, they are building a project, with ambitions to win the Premier League, as Amanda Staveley explained after the takeover in 2021.
The Swedish striker could be the key force behind that. Finding someone as clinical in front of goal as Isak is a rarity for Newcastle. They are once-in-a-generation strikers, the likes of Cole and Shearer.
This is not to say the Swede will hit these heights, but his numbers at this stage are undeniable, and he could be the man to take them to the top. Selling Isak could be a huge mistake for the Magpies, and they might well lose their best hope of finally lifting a Premier League title, just like they did when Cole left all those years ago.
Newcastle in pole position to sign £25m ace who could be the new Hall
Newcastle have crafted a mini-resurgence but need to get active in the January transfer window.
Após se destacar na partida que deu a classificação do São Paulo para as semifinais do Paulista, nesta terça-feira (22), Luciano falou de sua titularidade e surpresa ao entrar no time no lugar do Calleri.
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Luciano foi ovacionado pela torcida durante toda a partida e ressaltou que foi uma surpresa o fato de ter sido escalado como titular, uma vez que em seu período afastado por conta de lesão, Calleri que assumiu a titularidade na posição
Ao ser questionado sobre o ocorrido, o camisa 11 destacou que só ficou sabendo que seria titular na palestra antes do jogo, feita por Rogério Ceni.
– Eu também não sabia. Acho que agora ele está fazendo esse mistério, a gente não sabe. Fiquei sabendo na palestra. Acho que também no outro jogo, eles vieram com três zagueiros, ele sabe da movimentação. Mas também, o Calleri entrou, fez gol… É uma dúvida boa para o treinador – explicou.
Com um bom desempenho durante o jogo, decisivo para que o São Paulo pudesse avançar na competição e se classificar para a penúltima etapa, Luciano criou diversas oportunidades, uma delas com um gol de bicicleta, defendido pelo goleiro do São Bernardo, Alex Alves, ainda no primeiro tempo.
TABELA > Veja a tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos resultados
Na segunda etapa da competição, o jogador chegou a marcar, mas estava impedido. Ainda no segundo tempo, foi substituído por Nikão. Luciano comentou sobre a substituição e sobre o apoio que recebeu da torcida durante todo o tempo que esteve em campo.
– Acho que o goleiro foi bastante feliz, eu cumprimentei ele ali depois, dei os parabéns para ele. O treinador optou por tirar, acho que eu tenho que saber lidar com isso, depois a gente teve uma melhora também, soube fazer os gols e graças a Deus saímos com a classificação. Também me sinto muito feliz aqui, a torcida me abraçou de tal maneira que quando eu cheguei, tiveram vários que descreditaram, mas com um bom trabalho, com o dia a dia fui conquistando eles. Espero ficar aqui por muito tempo e conquistar mais e mais – disse.
O São Paulo agora se prepara para as semifinais da competição, ainda sem adversário definido.
كشف حسام عاشور، قائد الأهلي السابق، كواليس المشادة الشهيرة التي جمعته بزميله السابق محمود عبد المنعم كهربا، لاعب الاتحاد الليبي الحالي، وذلك خلال مباراة القمة بين الأهلي والزمالك.
وقال عاشور، خلال ظهوره ضيفًا في برنامج “مان تو مان”: “حدثت مشادة بيني وبين كهربا في مباراة جمعت الأهلي بالزمالك على ملعب بتروسبورت، ولم أتمالك نفسي وقمت بصفعه على وجهه”.
حسام عاشور: لا يوجد لاعب في مصر يستحق 100 مليون.. وكنت آخر من يوقع على بياض
وتابع عاشور: “كنا خاسرين بهدفين دون رد، وكانت المباراة تبدو كأنها نهائية، وكلنا كنا تحت ضغط عصبي شديد لأننا غير معتادين على الهزيمة، وفوجئت بكهربا يوجه لي لفظًا خارجًا، فلم أتمالك أعصابي وقمت بضربه”.
وأضاف: “يمكن وصف ما حدث بأنه نرفزة ملعب، لكن الأمر انتهى سريعًا، وتصالحنا بعدها مباشرة، وعادت علاقتنا جيدة كما كانت”.
وكان الأهلي قد تعاقد مع محمود عبد المنعم كهربا قادمًا من رحلة احتراف برتغالية قصيرة بعد الرحيل عن الزمالك، في فترة الانتقالات الشتوية لموسم 2019-2020.
Arsenal are closing in on appointing Andrea Berta as their new sporting director, per reports.
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Gunners want Berta appointed
Was with Atletico Madrid
Now poised to move to north London
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱
WHAT HAPPENED?
Per Fabrizio Romano, Berta is keen to move to Arsenal as their new sporting director as they bid to replace the departed Edu Gaspar. The director has snubbed interest from AC Milan in favour of the Premier League, Gianluca Di Marzio reports, with a deal to be finalised this week.
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Arsenal have had Jason Ayto working as the club's sporting director in the interim after Edu's departure. He remains a candidate to take the role permanently if the deal for Berta falls through, but he is instead expected to work as his No.2.
DID YOU KNOW?
Berta's background is in banking but, according to the , he began his career in football with FC Carpenedolo, before joining Parma and then Genoa. Following that spell, he moved to Madrid, where he has worked until his mutual termination in January of this year.
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WHAT NEXT?
Arsenal play PSV in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.
Sheffield Wednesday fans must have been fearing another defeat last night when Norwich City travelled to South Yorkshire, after a humiliating 6-2 loss at the hands of Watford in the Championship had seriously soured the mood at Hillsborough last time out.
But, the Owls bounced back with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Canaries instead of succumbing to another loss in the league, as Johannes Hoff Thorup’s away side offered very little in attempting to get anything out of the contest.
Hit by a worrying injury list, Norwich crumbled on the road, as Danny Rohl’s men eventually strolled to a much-needed three points with Josh Windass standing out in particular for the rejuvenated hosts.
Windass' performance in numbers
Windass got his team up and running with the opening strike of the contest, with the entertaining 30-year-old latching onto a Marvin Johnson through ball early into the first half to then power home an effort past a shaky George Long for 1-0.
Away from that crucial contribution, the Wednesday number 11 did fade in and out of the game with only 30 touches coming his way from the 66 minutes he was present for on the Hillsborough turf, but he would still manage to notch up a key pass for his efforts alongside winning two ground duels.
That strike is already Windass’ fourth goal of the Championship season for the inconsistent Owls, who know they can rely on their attacking midfield ace to come up trumps when they need a moment of magic, with six goals and two assists picked up last season in league action as Rohl’s men managed to beat the drop.
Rohl and Co will hope wins like these against Norwich can go far in steering them away from those dreaded relegation spaces again, with other midfielders on the night away from just Windass also impressing those watching on, especially Shea Charles who assisted the game-clinching second goal of the clash when Dominic Iorfa headed home the Southampton loanee’s delivery.
Charles' performance in numbers
The Northern Ireland international has been a steady performer for his new side ever since putting pen to paper on a loan switch to move to South Yorkshire in the summer, with the 21-year-old starting 11 games for Wednesday in the league to date.
This showing against a beleaguered Norwich side is arguably his most impressive, away from just picking up the assist for Iorfa’s decisive header.
The Owls’ number 44 was calm and controlled on the ball whilst also showing the necessary grit to protect his side’s clean sheet in the 2-0 victory.
Stat
Charles
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
1
Touches
48
Accurate passes
31/33 (94%)
Key passes
4
Big chances created
1
Tackles
2
Total duels won
4/7
Looking at the table above, it was a well-rounded display from the central midfielder, with only two passes misplaced all match seeing him end the game with a 94% pass accuracy in-tact, whilst also managing to win two tackles and four duels as a forceful presence in the middle of the park.
Sheffield Star journalist Alex Miller would rightly praise Charles’ performance after the game, gifting the 21-year-old a high 8/10 rating post-match and singling out the fact that the Southampton loanee ‘never stopped running’ amongst other glowing words.
Rohl will hope his team has turned a corner ahead of the Steel City Derby that awaits them in the next round of second-tier fixtures, with Bramall Lane no doubt bouncing this coming Sunday as the Owls aim to burst the Blades bubble with back-to-back wins.
Sheffield Wednesday in new contract talks with "very interesting" 19 y/o
The U.S. winger was deployed in a deeper role, where he impressed, while McKennie moved back to a more natural midfield position
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Weah, McKennie both start for JuventusWeah deployed at RB, with McKennie at No. 10 spot defeat Como 2-1 on heels of Randal Kolo Muani's braceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
USMNT duo Tim Weah and Weston McKennie's Juventus defeated Cesc Fabregas' Como 2-1 on Friday in a Serie A clash. Weah was deployed as a right back for the match, while McKennie moved to a more natural No. 10 role in a 4-3-3 formation under manager Thiago Motta.
A brace from French forward Randal Kolo-Muani helped secure all three points, but they left it late. After opening the scoring 34 minutes in to hand Juve an early lead, Como equalized on the brink of halftime off a brilliant header from Assane Diao. However, luck would end in the favor, as a late penalty was awarded their way in the 89th minute — which Kolo Muani converted to secure victory.
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Weah impressed heavily in his right back spot, including playing an important role in the opening goal for the by winning a crucial tackle in the midfield to gain possession before playing the ball to Nico Gonzalez, who assisted Kolo Muani's opener.
McKennie, meanwhile, played fantastic in a midfield position after weeks of being deployed at defense himself. The 26-year-old completed 87 percent of his passes, creating three chances and recording 60 overall touches on the ball.
DID YOU KNOW?
Weah was heavily deployed as a RWB under Max Allegri throughout the 2023-24 season but had not featured in a defensive role under Sergio Conceicao until Friday's match.
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?
The are back in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday when they take on Dutch side PSV in the Knockout Round Playoffs. The contest will feature as Leg 1 of their affair.
Being one of the biggest clubs in England, Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with a plethora of sensational players over the years.
The likes of Jimmy Greaves, Gary Lineker, Ledley King and Harry Kane are just some of the supreme talents who have etched their names into the club’s illustrious history, but as the fans will attest, for all the greats they have seen pull on the shirt, there have been plenty of flops as well.
One such example was Spanish striker Roberto Soldado, who joined the club as part of the not-so ‘magnificent seven’ in the summer of 2013.
The former Valencia ace thoroughly underwhelmed in North London and is rightly remembered as one of the most disappointing transfers in the club’s modern history, but just a few years later, Daniel Levy and Co signed another promising attacker who was arguably even worse and went on to cost the club a pretty penny.
Soldado's underwhelming Spurs stint
In the aftermath of Gareth Bale’s £85m move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, Spurs went on a spending spree to try and replace the Welshman’s world-class output, and while the players they signed were nicknamed the ‘magnificent seven’, it would be hard to claim any of them were successes, bar Christian Eriksen, of course.
Soldado’s £26m move to the Lilywhites, a club-record deal, was arguably the standout signing in this batch of new arrivals, and in Levy’s defence, it looked like a superb deal at the time.
In the two campaigns prior, the Valencia-born poacher racked up an astounding tally of 57 goals and 11 assists in 97 matches, meaning he was averaging a goal involvement once every 1.42 games for his hometown club.
Roberto Soldado
Unfortunately for Spurs, his simply sensational goalscoring form came to a shuddering halt in England, and while he still managed to produce a middling return of 16 goals and 11 assists in 76 games for the club, there can be no denying that he was ultimately a flop and a costly one at that.
However, as disappointing as the club’s record-signing was, Levy and Co would make a similar mistake just a few years later, when they signed another prolific forward who ended up being even worse than Soldado in North London.
Vincent Janssen's costly Spurs career
Yes, the goalscorer in question is Dutch centre-forward Vincent Janssen, who joined Spurs in the summer of 2016 alongside Moussa Sissoko, Victor Wanyama and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.
The then 22-year-old cost the club around £18.6m, and while that sounds like a lot of money, he was arguably worth it at the time.
For example, like Soldado, the promising striker was in a rich vein of form when Levy and Co came knocking, having scored 32 goals and provided seven assists in 49 games for AZ Alkmaar the campaign prior, but like the former Valencia star, this incredible ability to find the back of the net all but disappeared once his transfer had been completed.
In his first season in England, the Heesch-born ace looked totally out of place and could only muster up a rather paltry return of six goals and four assists in 38 games.
Unsurprisingly, this was not enough to justify a place in the first-team squad, and the following season saw him move on loan to Fenerbahçe before he spent his third and final season as a Spurs player sidelined with a foot injury before being sold to Mexican outfit Monterrey for just £6m in July 2019.
Tottenham flop Vincent Janssen.
Overall, the underwhelming striker, whom Lineker once brutally described as a “poor man’s Soldado,” left Spurs with a tally of six goals and four assists in 42 games, which means that due to his £18.6m transfer fee and the £2.75m he earned in the two campaigns he was actually in North London, he cost the club a whopping £21.3m.
That means that the former AZ ace cost Levy and Co around £507k-per-appearance, £3.5m-per-goal, £5.3m-per-assist and £2.1m-per-goal-involvement.
Transfer Fee
£18.6m
Wages
£2.75m
Total
£21.3m
Appearances
42
Cost per Appearance
£507k
Goals
6
Cost per Goal
£3.5m
Assists
4
Cost per Assist
£5.3m
Goal Involvements
10
Cost per Goal Involvements
£2.1m
Ultimately, while Janssen is far from the worst Spurs player in recent memory, he is one of the most underwhelming ones, and considering the amount of money he cost the club, he can’t be considered anything other than a major flop.
Brennan Johnson is now being outperformed by a player Spurs let go for £0
Spurs may have made a mistake in allowing the talent to leave the club.