Tag Futebol

Chelsea have endured a topsy-turvy ride this season, and currently perch outside the Premier League top-four after 15 matches, despite a convincing victory over AFC Bournemouth this week.

What’s the word?

With owner Todd Boehly assuming the ownership role from Roman Abramovich earlier this year, funds were injected into the outfit over the summer, but the new era has not quite taken flight, with the Blues losing four out of five matches in the weeks preceding the World Cup in Qatar. 

Romano tweeted:

“Negotiations are progressing to final stages for Benoit Badiashile to join Chelsea, expectation is for the deal to be completed soon for €35/40m (£31/35m) fee.

“There’s an agreement in principle on personal terms with Badiashile, he’s now keen on the move as reported yesterday.”

With a deal ostensibly closing on completion, boss Graham Potter will be eager to slot him straight into the fold, ready to exhibit his refined attributes from the core of Chelsea’s team. 

Rudiger replacement 

With the player eager to move to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea displaying determination to get a deal over the line, the cogs are well-placed to welcome one of Europe’s most vibrant and dynamic centre-backs to the Premier League.

Badiashile is the quintessential modern defender, boasting an imposing physicality and an innate ball-playing ability that will allow his team to have faith in forward transitions being instigated with swift precision from the defensive third.

Making 135 appearances for Monaco since ascending from the youth ranks, the 21-year-old already holds a wealth of experience that belies his tender age.

And having played 11 times in the league this term, Badiashile’s two goals further allude to the all-encompassing aura of his presence, with a regular direct goal threat from the defence a fine tool to wield when seeking success.

With the recent departure of Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer to Real Madrid, Chelsea moved to replace their exemplary defender this summer by signing Wesley Fofana for an initial £70m and Kalidou Koulibaly for £33m – the former has spent much of the campaign injured and the 31-year-old Koulibaly has not reached the heights he did for Napoli.

Rudiger himself boasted plenty of offensive threat and passing pedigree, ranking in the top 4% for goals scored and 7% for attempted passes when compared to positional peers over the past year.

But with the signing of the £35.3m-rated Badiashile, Potter might finally be able to get the Bridge rocking, instilling authority and assurance; a centrepiece to the club’s prospective good fortunes over the coming years. 

As per FBref, the Frenchman ranks within the top 7% of defenders for progressive passes this past year, also within the top 8% for rate of goals – this indeed illustrates the skill set he would bring, going in tandem with Potter’s own fluid philosophy. 

Once lauded as “tenacious” and “complete” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Badiashile would certainly bring a dogged attitude to the side, who could mould him to their own creation over the next several years, ultimately unleashing one of the game’s best defenders around.

Manchester United are in the race to sign one of Europe’s most talented young forwards, with a foray into the transfer market expected in the forthcoming window. 

What’s the word?

According toCorriere dello Sport, United boss Erik ten Hag is among the growing list of managers interested in the services of Dusan Vlahovic, who has also garnered attention from fellow Premier League giants Arsenal and Chelsea. 

Despite only signing for Juventus in a£66.6mdeal from Fiorentina in January 2021, the forward is open to a move away from the Old Lady, who have failed to win the past two league titles afternine in a row from 2012 to 2020, also sittingten pointsbehind leaders Napoli this term. 

With the Red Devils searching for a new striker following theacrimonious departureof Cristiano Ronaldo last month, who agreed a mutual termination of his contract following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Vlahovic could fit the profile of centre-forward that the club are seeking. 

United’s next Van Nistelrooy 

Juventus are understandably said to be reluctant to wave goodbye to their most coveted offensive asset, but with the Turin club currently plagued byfinancial difficulties, an enticing offer might be too good to refuse. 

Vlahovic has been in fine form in 2022/23, scoring seven goals and setting up two more from15appearances across all competitions. Last season, departing Fiorentina for Juventus midway trhough, the 22-year-old scored 29 goals and supplied six assists from 45 appearances, alerting the major players across the continent to his prowess.

Should Ten Hag surge towards a deal for the phenomenon, he could bring a potent attacking force to the the Premier League, with the19-capSerbian – scoring ten goals for his country – already demonstrating an innate ability in front of goal which sets him head and shoulders above most positional peers. 

FBrefranks Vlahovic within the top 19% of forwards for rate of non-penalty goals over the past year, while also highligting his relentless pressure in the opposition penalty box by ranking him within the top 11% for total shots. 

The marksmanship of the “monster” (as dubbed by his former coach Ivan Tomic) certainly bears a resemblance to a former Old Trafford striking sensation in Ruud van Nistelrooy, who etched his name into Premier League folklore with his devastating clinical ability, earning a reputation as one of the best goal-poachers in the game. 

The deadly Dutchman bagged 150 goals and 25 assists across219outings for the Manchester giants, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during his time at the club. 

Should Vlahovic channel that aura and transfer his abundant talent to the Premier League, United might just acquire a forward who could emulate the success of one of their deadliest-ever strikers.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are listed as one of the two Premier League sides who “stand out” in the chase to sign Real Madrid defender Nacho, according to reports. 

The Lowdown: Minutes decreasing…

32-year-old Spanish defender Nacho has been a loyal servant to Los Blancos. Having come through the academy ranks, Madrid is all he has ever known. 

However, playing time has now become an issue for the versatile veteran, with the central defender, who can also play both full-back roles, compiling a mere 141 minutes from seven appearances with just one start made in La Liga this term. 

As he nears the 300 game mark for Real Madrid, Nacho may need to evaluate his future with his contract expiring in the summer of next year. 

The Latest: Wolves on high alert

According to Sport Witness, who relayed a report from the Spanish press, there is a possibility for Nacho to switch clubs in the upcoming winter market, which has put Wolves on alert. 

Real Madrid have offered the versatile defender a one-year contract extension, though it is said that the Spaniard has not accepted this proposal due to the concerning lack of minutes.

Wolves are listed as a “stand out” destination alongside Aston Villa, with the Old Gold’s interest “not accidental” due to the arrival of Julen Lopetegui as the new boss at Molineux. 

It is said that Lopetegui knows Nacho well from their shared time at the Bernabeu, with the Spanish boss always liking the player. 

The Verdict: Get it done!

Although Wolves’ back line has hardly been the biggest problem at Molineux this season, improvements can still be made, and there is very little depth behind the first-choice centre-backs.

And besides, an addition like £133k-per-week Nacho at the back – a defender schooled in a possession-based, progressive approach – could slowly but surely help the side in their goalscoring woes too, with the Real Madrid man able to commence attacks from deep due to his ability to play out.

With Wolves bottom of the table, a familiar face could go along way in Lopetegui’s revival mission. 

After Saturday’s disappointing result against Leicester City and the three injuries that Frank Lampard noted after the game, tonight’s EFL Cup fixture with Bournemouth seems to have lost a level of importance to Everton.

The Toffees fell to 16th with their last result, and on the weekend once again travel to the Vitality Stadium to face a side that sits just one point below them.

Instantly the Premier League has regained full focus, as there will be a fear of falling into a similar position that led to such dramatics last season.

With that in mind, Lampard will have a fine balancing act when it comes to the cup game, to put out a side that is competitive but allowing his more important players to rest for the bigger repeat fixture on Saturday.

Both James Tarkowski and Conor Coady have played nearly every minute for Lampard in the league, so it is likely that at least one of them will drop out.

Especially with the recent news that Yerry Mina is back in contention for the match, following his injury sustained in their opening-day defeat to Chelsea.

Although the Colombian would have a tough task displacing either of the aforementioned stalwarts at centre-back permanently, before their summer arrivals he was regarded as the best defender at Goodison Park when fit.

The only issue was, and clearly remains, that he was never fit.

Last season, despite missing large parts of the season, the 28-year-old boasted a 36% win percentage, up from 19% in his absence.

Paddy Boyland outlined this in his tweet, where he claimed that the: “Defence looks much more solid when Mina is there.”

During this time, he averaged 0.9 tackles and 2.8 clearances per game whilst boasting a 67% success rate with the duels he would compete in, via SofaScore.

There is clearly a fine player in there, as outlined by journalist Luis Miguel Echegaray who labelled him “special” as Barcelona completed the deal to sign him.

In the past Everton have been reliant on his fitness to save their defensive woes, but with these newcomers, this burden is somewhat lifted.

Perhaps now he could have the platform to finally build up some fitness without the necessity to rush him back, starting with tonight’s first game of the week against the Cherries.

Leeds United have been dealt a fresh injury blow ahead of their Premier League meeting with Leicester City on Thursday evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via the Yorkshire Post), Jesse Marsch revealed that Pascal Struijk will be unavailable for selection for the trip to the King Power Stadium tomorrow evening, as the defender picked up a knock in training this week.

However, the 48-year-old went on to suggest that, all being well, the Dutchman should be back in time for the visit of Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

Regarding the condition of the 23-year-old, the American manager said: “Pascal picked up a little bit of an injury and won’t be available for tomorrow but we’re hopeful that by Sunday he’ll be available. We’ll see how the next few days go.”

Bad news

Considering just how impressive Struijk has been in the Leeds backline so far this season, the fact that the centre-back will not be fit to feature against the Foxes on Thursday is undoubtedly bad news for Marsch and his side.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League fixtures in 2022/23 – all of which have come at left-back – the £13m-rated talent has been in exceptional attacking form, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.7 shots – 0.4 of which have hit the target – making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

The £29k-per-week defender has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping his side keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 3.3 tackles – the joint eighth-most in the entire league – 1.7 interceptions, 1.6 clearances and winning 7.3 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per game.

These returns have seen the player who Marsch himself claimed is currently playing at a “high level” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Whites’ sixth-best performer in the top flight – a quite extraordinary feat considering the fact he has been playing in an unfamiliar position.

As such, while Leeds do have Junior Firpo available for the trip to Leicester, it is nevertheless clear to see that the absence of the 23-year-old will come as a huge “blow” – in the words of Graham Smyth – to the Whites’ chances of bringing all three points back to Elland Road on Thursday night, as Struijk has been an integral part of Marsch’s backline this season.

Transfer expert Dean Jones has shared that Sevilla feel that they have a ‘good chance’ of signing Everton target Ben Brereton Diaz in the January window.

The Lowdown: Sevilla in pole

It was reported earlier this month that Sevilla are in ‘pole position’ to sign Brereton Diaz in January, with his current deal at Blackburn Rovers in the summer.

He is thought to be ‘open’ to playing abroad, namely in Spain, but the Goodison Park outfit are still in the race for his signature.

The Latest: Jones update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has shared that Sevilla feel that they have a ‘good chance’ of signing Brereton Diaz, despite the Merseyside club’s interest:

“If Brereton Diaz goes into the Premier League, then I think they’ve (Everton) got as good a chance as anybody.

“But the thing I’m still told to look out for, with Brereton Diaz, is that Sevilla want him, and he is aware of that. They feel they’ve got a good chance of signing him.”

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The Verdict: Do not rule Everton outWhile Sevilla may feel like they are favourites for Brereton Diaz, they are currently in a bad place, sitting in the bottom half of the La Liga table.The prospect of playing in the Premier League may encourage the striker to make the move to the Toffees instead, although Sevilla could still offer him UEFA Europa League football if they come third in their Champions League group.Hailed as a ‘beast’ by former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray, Brereton Diaz scored a very impressive 22 goals in the Championship last season, and already had eight to his name in this term before today’s trip to Hull City (Transfermarkt).Nonetheless, the Chile international is clearly ready to make the step up to the top flight, but it will be interesting to see if he ends up choosing Sevilla and Spanish football.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has provided an update on the fitness of his squad, following Saturday’s thumping Scottish Premiership victory at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

Speaking after that 6-1 thrashing of Hibernian, the 57-year-old – via Celtic TV – revealed there should be no new injury concerns ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup, quarter-final clash with Motherwell, despite a handful of figures having been forced off yesterday.

Summer signing Sead Haksabanovic was withdrawn at half-time with an ankle complaint while striker Giorgos Giakoumakis was also substituted late on, although that attacking pair – as well as the absent David Turnbull – should be fit to feature in midweek.

The title-winning coach stated: “From what I know about today, I think everyone will be okay for Wednesday. We took Sead Haksabanovic off because he had a bit of an ankle issue going into the game, but he was really keen to play. Once the game was done, we could take him off at 45. I think everyone else was good. Hopefully, by Wednesday, David Turnbull will be okay as well.”

The former Yokohama boss also revealed pre-match that talisman Jota could make a return to training next week, with the Portuguese gem having been absent from the win over Lee Johnson’s side, as well as Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig.

Big boost

While there are still a number of other injury woes for the Old Firm side to contend with – as both Callum McGregor and Carl Starfelt remain sidelined – it will be positive news for Postecoglou that he will not be faced with more issues this week, with it set to be a big boost as the Bhoys looked to continue the defence of their League Cup crown at Fir Park.

In the case of Haksabanovic, the former Rubin Kazan man has begun to impress in his new surroundings, having notably teed up teammate James Forrest for the game’s opening goal on Saturday afternoon.

The 23-year-old had also had a hand in the first goal in last week’s dramatic triumph over St Johnstone, while the Montenegro international had looked ‘dangerous’ in the club’s European loss earlier this week, in the words of Glasgow Live’s Ben Banks.

Having the £4.95m-rated ace fit to feature this week would be a real lift such has been his creative spark in recent games, while teammate Giakoumakis will be hoping to maintain his recent goalscoring form, after netting three times in his last two top-flight games.

The Greek marksman’s latest brace came at the end of a week in which the champions had been left to rue their profligacy in front of goal, with the 27-year-old potentially now staking his claim for a more regular role ahead of fellow forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

Having such competition for places will be vital amid this current hectic run of fixtures, hence the notable boost that Postecoglou won’t have more injury woes to contend with following yesterday’s stunning win.

Leeds United have been dealt a setback in their bid to bring Daichi Kamada to Elland Road.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by German publication BILD (via TEAMtalk), who claim that, following earlier reports of both Leeds and Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in a move for the Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder, Everton have now also joined the race for the 26-year-old – who could be available to sign on a pre-contract in January.

However, BILD went on to state that, despite the fact that Japan international’s current deal at the Deutsche Bank Park is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, Eintracht are not open to the idea of parting with the attacker this winter – with the Bundesliga side said to be doing everything they can to convince Kamada to extend his stay at the club.

Orta must act

Considering just how impressive Kamada has been in Germany so far this season, it is not difficult to understand why Leeds, Spurs and Everton would all be interested in a deal to bring the midfielder to the Premier League this winter – especially if the 26-year-old is available to sign on a free transfer.

Indeed, over his six Bundesliga appearances in 2022/23, the £18m-rated talent has been in astonishing form, having already scored four goals, registered three assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 0.7 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the player who BT Sport’s Lucy Ward dubbed “exceptional” average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.15, not only ranking him as Oliver Glasner’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 34th-best player in the German top flight as a whole in the current campaign.

For comparison, should Kamada have achieved these numbers for Leeds this season, the 21-cap international would rank as the Whites’ second top-scorer, joint-best assist provider and joint fourth-best big chance creator, while his average match rating would see him rank as the club’s fourth-best performer in the Premier League.

As such, should the £7.2k-per-week midfielder fail to put pen to paper on a new deal with Eintracht, Orta simply must do all he can to land Kamada ahead of both Tottenham and Everton – as it is clear to see that the Japanese sensation would represent an exceptional addition to Marsch’s current attacking arsenal at Elland Road, not to mention an absolute steal on a free.

Leeds United have a definite interest in Martin Terrier but they’ll need to fork out to secure his signature this transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, who claims that the Yorkshire giants are keen on the Stade Rennes forward and that he’s one of many targets in the role.

“Terrier is one there’s definite interest in from Leeds. But I do question whether they have the kind of money available to sign him, because he would probably cost £35 million, £30 million,” he revealed to GIVEMESPORT.

“Given the sales or Raphinha and Phillips, that’s doable, for sure. I think there’s a handful of potential targets. But at the moment it’s not clear who exactly they’re going to push for.”

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Marsch needs him

The Whites have enjoyed a busy summer of business off the pitch, bringing in no fewer than six new names, all of which will add a lot to manager Jesse Marsch’s squad.

However, they are still lacking another striker to provide backup and potentially challenge Patrick Bamford to the starting spot.

Both the American and his predecessor, Marcelo Bielsa, had to suffer from the Englishman’s absence throughout last season. He was only able to play in nine top-flight matches with injury and Leeds struggled, largely because they did not have another senior striker.

Winger Dan James and young forward Joe Gelhardt were left to pick up the pieces but ultimately, no one could replace his 17 goals from a season earlier.

Terrier, whilst he would be a sizeable investment, is certainly an exciting candidate to help Marsch’s frontline.

The 25-year-old delivered a whopping 21 goals and four assists across 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season as he enjoyed something of a career year in France. He was largely deployed upfront but also out on the left flank, as per Transfermarkt.

And there are plenty of reasons to why he would be an instant hit in the Premier League, having earned lofty comparisons to that of ex-Arsenal marksman Thierry Henry.

“He’s a very quick, left-sided right-footed attacking player whose trademark is coming in off the left flank and whipping shots in; a-la Thierry Henry,” claimed European football writer Tom Williams to the Sky Sports Transfer Talk podcast.

“Looking at his age and the phenomenal season he had last season, he will probably think that if he is ever going to make a big move to the Premier League, it’s probably going to be now or never.”

Marsch and co cannot afford to go into the rest of the season without another option to Bamford, so the signing of a new frontman must be among the priorities at Elland Road.

Director of football Victor Orta could well seal a “real coup” in Terrier, as claimed by journalist Pete O’Rourke, so it’s on him and his recruitment staff to get this one over the line.

It may cost around £34m, according to reports in France, but it would be worth every penny, given his recent goalscoring record. Marsch needs someone like the Rennes goal machine before September 1st, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Orta could seal perfect £40k-p/w “liability” heir as Leeds move for £12k-p/w “bargain”…

Nottingham Forest’s extensive summer of recruitment looks set to continue…

What’s the word?

That’s according to manager Steve Cooper – via Nottinghamshire Post – with the Welshman insisting that there is still more work to be done in the transfer market, despite the newly-promoted side having already brought in 12 new faces this summer.

Discussing potential incomings, the 42-year-old stated: “We’re still trying to put the final squad together. Yes, there will be more business. We’re still shaping the squad as we want it, and that’s going to be with some new additions.

“We definitely need certain types of profiles in certain positions, to get the team to the vision I have for it. We keep building towards that.”

The latest arrival at the City Ground is that of Stuttgart midfielder Orel Mangala, with the Midlands side having secured a reported £12.7m deal for the one-cap, Belgium international.

Supporters will love it

Excitement will no doubt be reaching fever pitch among Forest supporters as the club readies itself for a return to Premier League action for the first time in over two decades, with a season opener against Newcastle United to come at St James’ Park next Saturday.

This latest claim from Cooper will, however, spark an even greater frenzy among the club’s fanbase, with supporters set to love the fact that the former Swansea City boss wants to add even further depth to his side before the end of the window.

It would appear that the two-time European champions are doing all they can to ensure they are best prepared to compete back in the top flight after such a lengthy absence,  with the obvious goal seemingly to avoid a swift return back into the Championship.

The summer so far has already notably seen the high-profile addition of former Manchester United man Jesse Lingard and the club-record capture of Nigerian ace, Taiwo Awoniyi, with it a hugely intriguing prospect as to who else could be coming in the door before 1 September.

One name that has also been doing the rounds of late is Portuguese colossus, William Carvalho, with the 30-year-old’s Real Betis teammate Alex Moreno also another believed to be on the radar of the Garibaldi.

To even be in the conversation for such players is a testament to the rapid revival of the club during Cooper’s tenure, with the former England U17 coach having inspired a dramatic turnaround of fortunes since his appointment back in September.

At that stage, Forest were languishing at the foot of the table in the second tier after losing six of their opening seven league games of the season under Chris Hughton.

Fast forward just under a year and the club are now eagerly anticipating life back in the Premier League and with a raft of new signings in tow – with the prospect of even more to come in the near future.

Supporters must be simply loving the ride.

AND in other news: Contact made: Forest in talks for “superb” £10m signing, just imagine him & Mangala