Rafael Benitez has suggested he could quit Newcastle United over the club’s lack of investment, according to his Manchester City pre-match press conference quotes, as reported by Sky Sports.
The Magpies have yet to make a new signing this month, despite sitting just one place above the relegation zone.
What’s the word?
Newcastle have attempted moves for a number of players this month, but none have yet come off.
The club were in talks to sign Jordan Lukaku on loan from Lazio but, per BBC, the deal fell through.
Chronicle Live report that a bid was tabled for Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron, too, but that the club refused to increase the offer after receiving little encouragement from the American club.
And the Spaniard’s frustrations at the way the club have been operating appear to have boiled over.
Sky Sports report that, when asked if he could guarantee that he would stay at the club until the end of the season, Benitez said: “No, I cannot guarantee anything. I guarantee I will be focused and try to do my best every minute.
Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…
“We will wait until Thursday (transfer deadline day) and see what happens.
“Hopefully we can get three points against Manchester City and then everybody will be happy.
“I came here and I decided to stay in the Championship because I can see the potential of the club. I will try to do my best until the last minute.”
Coming home to roost
You reap what you sow.
Chairman Mike Ashley has continually failed to invest in the football club he owns, and he is yet to break the club-record £17million fee (per BBC) the club paid for Michael Owen in 2005 prior to his arrival.
To put that into perspective, Owen is now a pundit and retired in 2013, six years ago.
And here we are. Benitez stuck with the club through relegation, brought them back into the Premier League and steered them to a 10th-placed finish last season.
Now, he is being hamstrung by a lack of investment from the club’s owner, and the Magpies are just two points clear of Cardiff City as the very real spectre of the drop looms once again.
Few fans would blame the Spaniard, one of the best managers in world football, if he did walk away – Ashley will be the man at fault and he will have serious questions to answer.
Carlo Ancelotti’s reign as Everton manager got off to the perfect start with a win and a clean sheet at home to Burnley on Boxing Day, and many Toffees fans commented on Bernard’s display against the Clarets.
The experienced Italian coach looked to have selected the Brazilian on the left wing in a 4-4-2 formation pre-match with Alex Iwobi ruled out through injury, although it quickly became apparent he was playing behind the front two instead.
Indeed, he did a fair bit of roaming across the attacking lines, finding pockets of space – perhaps an early signal of what he is going to be tasked with doing when starting under the 60-year-old.
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According to WhoScored, the 27-year-old made three key passes and completed three successful dribbles before he was replaced by Moise Kean in the 76th minute with the score still tied at 0-0.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk man showed his defensive contribution too by making one tackle and one interception against Sean Dyche’s men.
It’s fair to say that many were impressed with what they saw from the South American, with one labelling him as a “magician”, and another comparing him to former Toffee Steven Pienaar.
One individual chose to comment on how good Bernard looked when he was playing in central areas rather than out wide, saying he looked “absolutely lethal” there.
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Indeed, of those matches where his position has been recorded by Transfermarkt this term, all of the others were from the left wing.
Not everyone agreed that the 27-year-old was good against Burnley though, with one describing him as “poor” – albeit after he picked up a knock.
Another suggested earlier in the game that this wasn’t a clash for Bernard to shine in, although he may well have proved that supporter wrong with how he played before he was taken off by Ancelotti.
In other Everton news, Toffees fans were split on one of Bernard’s much-criticised teammates vs Burnley, with one saying “Ancelotti has made him play well again”.
Since arriving at Wolves on loan from Benfica, Raul Jimenez has made a huge impact on the Midlands-based side who won promotion from the Championship last season.
The Mexican international striker has hit four goals and recorded four assists in 15 Premier League starts so far in the current campaign, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have claimed impressive scalps against Manchester City and Chelsea with Jimenez playing a starring role.
His goals and assists tally isn’t particularly earth-shattering, but it is the other traits of his game that are helping Wolves’ attack click. The 27-year-old is a deceptively fast, tall and strong forward whose first touch and aerial ability are a Godsend for his less physical attacking teammates.
As a result, the question of making his loan move permanent has cropped up, although his parent side Benfica are reportedly after a sum of around £33m according to O Jogo. So, we asked fans if they think he’s worth it.
Understandably, 57% of Wolves’ supporters think it would be a good investment, as shown by the results below…
Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to the rumours surrounding Frenkie de Jong, as Ajax will reportedly demand €75m (£66.6m) for the young midfielder.
Tottenham fans were ecstatic when recent reports claimed they would fight Barcelona to sign de Jong, and it definitely seems like the youngster will be on the move next summer.
According to Football London, Ajax will not let players leave in January, but will cash in next summer if their asking price is met.
This comes after reports last week claimed the Dutch club have set a huge €75m asking price.
Tottenham of course have a good relationship with Ajax after signing the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen, but it will certainly be difficult to fend off the interest from Barcelona.
Fans are praying they pull the trigger though, while others are already chalking it off due to the infamously frugal Daniel Levy.
Either way, you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening to move within five points of leaders Manchester City, but Red Devils fans weren’t impressed with Marcos Rojo’s performance.
With Phil Jones and Eric Bailly still missing because of injury Rojo, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof lined up in a three-man defence against the Gunners, and they certainly had plenty of defending to do.
Despite Jose Mourinho’s men taking an early two-goal lead, the hosts had 33 shots at goal – including 15 on target – during the 90 minutes and David De Gea was in fine form between the sticks, with Rojo partially at fault for Alexandre Lacazette’s strike for the hosts.
Man United supporters were quick to have their say on the Argentine defender’s display via social media, and while one described the it as “horrible”, another said he was “still not convinced about Rojo”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
According to reports from The Liverpool Echo, Everton are expected to make an announcement imminently over the signing of Malaga striker Sandro Ramirez.
The 21-year-old rose through the youth ranks at Barcelona before signing for Malaga last summer and he’s no stranger to the Premier League’s rumour columns, having been linked with Tottenham Hotspur during a succession of transfer windows.
And it appears the Spaniard, who is currently on international duty at the U21 European Championship, is finally set to make his long-awaited move to the English top flight, with The Echo reporting that Everton have completed a £5.2million transfer deal and will make an announcement imminently.
The Toffees are in need of added firepower this summer, especially if Romelu Lukaku leaves for Chelsea or Manchester United as alleged by the tabloids, and his single season at Malaga suggests Ramirez is the man to provide it.
Indeed, the 5 foot 9 forward netted 14 times in La Liga last term, finishing eighth in the division’s scoring charts. But perhaps most impressive was hit shooting accuracy of 54%, meaning he worked the ‘keeper with one of every two efforts at goal.
His all-round link-up play is tidy as well, completing 79% of his passes and laying 32 chances for his team-mates – three of which were converted into assists.
But can Ramirez fill Lukaku’s boots single-handed? Let us know by voting below!
For Southampton fans, the annual summer purge of their star players must be incredibly frustrating, but they seem to be able to regenerate their squad each time with relative ease.
Not only that, but it seems to be with no real detriment to performances on the pitch. The reason for this constant transformation is the conveyor belt of talent that continues to come through their youth academy.
It’s a set-up that has already spawned the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, and one that shows no signs of easing up anytime soon as the next crop of Southampton youngsters begin to break into first-team action at St Mary’s.
So, it won’t be long until the next big thing on the Hampshire coast is wearing the famous red and white jersey, and here are FIVE players on the verge of breaking into Claude Puel’s team on permanent basis…
Matt Targett
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A player who is just as adept at playing at left-back as he is left-wing, Targett is already developing into a steady player at just 21. The youngster, who has been on Southampton’s books since the age of eight, made his Premier League debut back in the 2014/15 season after injury to first choice left-back Ryan Bertrand.
That season saw him feature in six league matches during Ronald Koeman’s first season in charge and from there his career has gone from strength to strength. Once again injuries meant that Targett was called upon last season and he played more of a prominent role in Southampton’s previous campaign with 14 appearances to his name.
The youngster, who had represented Scotland’s U-19’s, then made the transition to England’s youth set-up. After going through the ranks he has been a feature of England’s U-21 side and was in the squad that won last summer’s Toulon Tournament.
This versatile youngster is a useful part of Claude Puel’s squad and that versatility will see him pick up many minutes during the course of this season and beyond.
Sam McQueen
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This left-sided winger first made his debut for the Saints back in 2014 but it’s only this season where McQueen’s time in the first-team has come to the fore. After a loan spell at Southend, McQueen has patiently waited for first-team opportunities and Puel has been the man to give him the chance to show what he can do in the top flight.
The 21-year-old made his debut back in October in the club’s 3-1 win over Burnley and his input was incredibly positive as he managed to win a penalty, which all but wrapped up his side’s win over Sean Dyche’s men. Since then, he has made that first-team berth his own on the left-hand side with ten appearances across all competitions.
His performances are earning rave reviews, and rightly so. With each outing, McQueen has grown in stature and he is certainly repaying the faith that Puel has shown in him.
Josh Sims
What a way to introduce yourself to the big stage. Before the game with Everton last month everyone was asking ‘who is Josh Sims?’ when his name was included in the starting line-up but by the end of the game there was no forgetting who this young man is.
It took just 48 seconds for Sims to make his impact in the Premier League as he assisted Charlie Austin for the only goal of the game. He might not have known too much about it but he certainly was not going to forget that moment in a hurry.
It may have been his debut but the way he played in that game you would have thought this was someone who had played for the club for over a decade. The stats from that performance say it all, with his staggering 95% pass completion rate making a lot of people sit up and take notice that afternoon.
Since that incredible debut, he has been used sparingly with substitute appearances against Crystal Palace and Arsenal, but it seems as if Puel is cleverly managing his game time right now.
Jake Hesketh
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Another of the young crop of players coming through the ranks at Southampton is Hesketh. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder from Stockport is yet to make his Premier League bow this season but he has already been handed a taste of the top flight by Ronald Koeman back in the 2014/15 season.
That campaign saw Hesketh make his debut against Manchester United as a substitute for Dusan Tadic and days later he would make his first ever start for the club against Burnley. Since then, Hesketh has found his route to the first-team blocked but that’s not to doubt the promise that this youngster has.
Hesketh was a key member of the 2015 side that won the U-21 Premier League Cup for Southampton which, with the amount of talent that seems to be produced on the South Coast, is no real surprise.
League action may have evaded him this season but he has featured in the EFL Cup – his goal back in September secured a third round win over Crystal Palace – and if he is patient enough then a run out in the top flight can only be around the corner.
Harrison Reed
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Southampton seem to be packed to the rafters with young midfield talent of late and another player who falls into that category is Reed.
The 21-year-old from Worthing in Sussex was also a member of the 2015 U-21 Premier League Cup winning side and already has 14 Premier League appearances under his belt.
Reed was given his league bow under Mauricio Pochettino back in the 2013/14 season but the bulk of his game time has come under the stewardship of previous Saints boss Ronald Koeman.
Koeman’s first season in charge saw Reed given nine Premier League outings and one FA Cup run-out.
The England U-19 and U-20 international hasn’t quite matched the same level of activity over the past two seasons with just the solitary league showing, but he is still highly regarded by the Southampton hierarchy and will be looking to be given a first-team opportunity in the near future.
David de Gea is doing little to quash the rumours suggesting that Manchester United are “pleading” with him to return to Old Trafford.
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De Gea posts cryptic tweetOnana has struggledSpaniard linked with shock returnWHAT HAPPENED?
It has been claimed that the Red Devils are, a matter of months after releasing the Spaniard as a free agent, eager to put a short-term deal in place with a player that they know well. De Gea spent 12 years on United’s books, taking in 545 appearances, before being allowed to move on in the summer of 2023 when his contract came to a close.
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Andre Onana is now first choice in Erik ten Hag’s plans, but he is due to head off on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Cameroon in January and has endured a tough start to life in English football. De Gea would bring stability and familiarity to United’s keeping department, with the 32-year-old still without a club as things stand.
DID YOU KNOW?
De Gea has been back in Manchester of late, meeting up with some former team-mates, and has posted a cryptic ‘thinking’ emoji message on social media as speculation regarding his future continues to rage.
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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
De Gea won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League during his time with United. He has kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the Red Devils' long and distinguished history, with four Player of the Year awards collected through more than a decade of loyal service in Manchester.
Recuperado da Covid-19, o lateral-direito João Lucas voltou a trabalhar com o grupo do Flamengo nesta quarta-feira. O atleta testou positivo para o novo coronavírus no dia 8 de julho e, por conta disso, ficou de fora das finais do Campeonato Carioca. O time se reapresentou no CT do Ninho do Urubu nesta tarde, após folga de uma semana após a conquista do Estadual – o 36º do clube.
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Ao ser diagnosticado, João Lucas foi isolado, de acordo com os protocolos de combate ao novo coronavírus, e voltou a ter contato com o grupo após 14 dias.
Sem João Lucas como opção, Rafinha, o titular, atuou no sacrifício na decisão do Carioca, diante do Fluminense. Assim, o camisa 13 deu sequência à recuperação da lesão no tornozelo direito, enquanto Filipe Luís está tratando a panturrilha direita – local o qual sentiu dores também no Fla-Flu decisivo.
O próximo compromisso do Flamengo será no dia 9 de agosto, às 16h, no Estádio do Maracanã contra o Atlético-MG, pela primeira rodada do Brasileiro.
O empate entre Paraná e Londrina, que terminou 2 a 2, deixou o Tubarão na quinta colocação do Campeonato Paranaense, com 15 pontos, apenas quatro atrás do Athletico, líder da competição.
O Tuba tem o quarto melhor ataque da competição, com 13 gols marcados, dois deles de Junior Pirambu, artilheiro da Série D em 2019, quando ainda defendia o Brusque. Com alguns centroavantes no elenco, o camisa 9 ressaltou a disputa por posição.
– Eu sempre busco meu espaço, mas tem que ser respeitada a opção do treinador e também respeitar meus companheiros de trabalho. Estou muito tranquilo em relação a isso, o grupo é muito unido, ninguém tem vaidade, todos estão focados no mesmo objetivo – disse o atacante, antes de analisar o Campeonato Paranaense.
– É um campeonato muito difícil, bem nivelado. O professor Alemão busca nos deixar bem em todos os aspectos, sejam eles físicos, táticos ou mentais, ele nos prepara da melhor maneira possível para continuarmos em busca do nosso objetivo. Acredito que estamos no caminho certo – concluiu.
O Londrina voltará a campo no próximo domingo, às 18h, diante do FC Cascavel.