Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes fired Portugal ahead against Iceland on Sunday with a beautiful strike from the far corner of the box.
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Jenni Hermoso has thanked the support of "thousands of players" during a tough year involving the Luis Rubiales scandal and Jorge Vilda controversy.
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Aston Villa could have a big say on where the Premier League title ends up this season as they prepare to take on Manchester City on the final day of the campaign.
If the Villans can stop Pep Guardiola’s side from winning on Sunday and Liverpool win at home to Wolves, then Steven Gerrard’s former club will be crowned champions.
While the Midlands club will undoubtedly be aiming to get a result for themselves and their own fans rather than anyone else, it seems as though the Villans have been dealt a double injury blow which could impact their chances of doing just that.
City’s defensive duo of John Stones and Kyle Walker are reportedly in contention to feature in Sunday’s clash after returning to training, having recently been sidelined with injuries.
Taking into account how Guardiola’s side have the best defensive record in the Premier League with just 24 goals conceded in 37 games, having two of their main defenders back in the frame will undeniably make them a tougher opponent for Villa to try and beat.
With Stones having one of the highest percentages for passing accuracy (93.2%) and has the highest percentage for aerial duels won out of players to be involved in more than two per game in the top flight this season, he will be a welcome addition back in City’s line-up.
The England centre-back is also listed higher than the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake in terms of overall performances this season according to WhoScored, with a rating of 7.13/10.
As for Walker, the fact that City have conceded 10 goals in the league throughout the 17 games in which he hasn’t played this season suggests that they are much better defensively when he’s in the team.
Taking this into account, if the league leaders are able to play both England internationals this weekend, it will be worrying for Gerrard and undoubtedly make it harder for Villa to end their season on a high note with a win against the title-chasing Citizens.
The Villa manager must now be hoping that his attacking players have what it takes to trouble City’s defence and give their travelling fans something to shout about after the 1-1 draw against Burnley on Thursday.
In other news: Gerrard already heading for big summer disaster at AVFC over £13.5m-rated “magician”
West Ham United are interested in signing Burnley forward Maxwel Cornet, according to a report from The Telegraph.
Signed for £13million ahead of the 2021/22 season (BBC), Cornet proved to be an instant success at Turf Moor when scoring on his second outing for the club against Leicester City.
Despite the addition and the subsequent exploits of the flamboyant Ivorian attacker, Burnley were relegated on the final day of the Premier League campaign.
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Now, as the Lancashire club potentially look to cut their cloth accordingly, Cornet could be among those sold this summer…
As per The Telegraph, West Ham are preparing to battle with Everton for the signature of the 25-cap Ivory Coast international.
It’s claimed that the Hammers are ‘considering a move’ for the man hailed as ‘sublime’ by journalist Fran Martínez following a standout display for Lyon.
The report also states that there is a £17.5million relegation release clause in place that could see the 25-year-old move on this summer.
At the reported price, adding Cornet to the squad at the London Stadium is a move that makes an abundance of sense.
Albeit David Moyes is well stocked in the wide attacking departments at present, the Ivorian’s ability to play across multiple positions on either side, as well as centrally and even in more defensive positions, makes the star a wholly worthwhile target.
Predominantly operating as a centre-forward last term, Cornet scored nine times and provided one assist in 26 appearances for Burnley and could therefore act as a viable understudy to Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma and even Jarrod Bowen.
In other news: West Ham love Ligue 1 frontman who was a ‘breakout sensation’ last season, read more here
Aston Villa have made Rangers defender Calvin Bassey a priority defensive target, according to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.
Villa have been extremely busy when it comes to summer signings ahead of Steven Gerrard’s first full season in charge. The club are reportedly willing to spend over £150m and have already made Philippe Coutinho’s loan move permanent.
Deals for Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos have also been agreed and reports in recent days have stated that NSWE are now closing in on a move for Rangers defender Bassey.
Sky Sports reporter Dorsett provided an update on the club’s transfer plans on Tuesday morning. He stated that Gerrard wants more after Coutinho, Kamara and Carlos, adding that Bassey is a ‘key’ target.
James Tarkowski is also name-checked in the report, however, Villa correspondent Gregg Evans has claimed that a move to the Midlands is unlikely.
Bassey starred in Scotland last season, turning out as a centre-back and a left-back, two areas that could do with bolstering at Villa Park.
Providing Ashley Young and Matt Targett leave over the coming months, Lucas Digne will be the only senior left-back available to Gerrard, so Bassey would provide adequate cover.
He’d also challenge for a starting spot at centre-back, where he impressed in the Europa League final, and who knows, he could form a solid partnership with Carlos, providing a move goes through.
In other news: Villa may now move for another Rangers star after Bassey; Gerrard loves him – transfer insider.
Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane’s expected summer exit from Anfield would be a ‘huge blow’ for the Reds, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.
In recent weeks, the 30-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Bayern Munich as he seemingly eyes up a new challenge while still at the peak of his powers.
In fact, Liverpool rejected a £21m bid for Mane’s services on Sunday, as the Bundesliga giants look to bring in a replacement for the possibly exit-bound Robert Lewandowski.
The Senegal star still looks highly likely to move on this summer, though, bringing an end to a glorious spell at Anfield in which he netted 120 goals and won six trophies.
Speaking to GiveMeSport amid Bayern’s unsuccessful transfer offer, O’Rourke couldn’t hide his disappointment at Mane’s potential exit from Liverpool.
The journalist lamented:
“It’ll be a huge blow [to lose him]. Sadio Mane has been an unsung hero for the last six seasons at Anfield.
“He was one of Jurgen Klopp’s first big signings and he’s been an astute piece of business having established himself as one of the best players in the world during his time at Anfield, so to lose somebody of his calibre would come as a blow, because it’s not an easy fix to try and replace him, because he’s such a key player for Liverpool and never seemed to get injured.”
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While Mane may now be 30 years of age, he is still operating at an incredibly high level, scoring 23 goals in all competitions this season and playing a huge role in a memorable campaign for Liverpool, ranking as the squad’s fifth-best player according to WhoScored.
Ideally, he would remain at Anfield for several more years, continuing to achieve great things and further enhancing his legendary status at the club.
As it stands, though, it looks as if Liverpool will have to plan for life without Mane immediately. Therefore, it is essential that a suitable replacement is found, enabling the transition to be as seamless as possible.
In other news, Liverpool have a strong interest in one Premier League player. Find out who it is here.
Newcastle United are reportedly now eyeing up a move to sign Alvaro Morata this summer.
The St. James’ Park outfit look set to kick start their summer business as the club confirmed the completion of Matt Targett’s permanent move from Aston Villa, following his loan spell in the North East last season.
With the riches that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have at their disposal, he will almost certainly not be the only arrival on Tyneside before the window shuts.
As per Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Magpies have now made ‘initial contact’ over the potential signing of Morata, who is set to return to Atletico Madrid after his loan spell at Juventus ends.
The Old Lady would be interested in a permanent deal, but have not been able to agree on a fee with Atletico, while Arsenal and FC Barcelona are also thought to be interested in his signature.
Morata is 29 years of age now, and so signing him for a big fee would come as a huge risk.
Yes, the Spain international has had a stellar career, winning the UEFA Champions League on two separate occasions with Real Madrid as well as many other accolades (Transfermarkt), but he has not always been the most prolific, evident by his time in English football before with Chelsea, where he only managed one goal every three games.
He does still have his qualities, after all, Juve manager Max Allegri claims that he is ‘one of the best in Europe at a technical level’, but for the long-term project, the Toon are better off going for a younger and hungrier striker to lead the line for the next few campaigns.
In other news, find out which six-foot-one gem NUFC are now ‘pursuing’ here!
Liverpool’s next transfer target has been revealed, following the recent signing of Benfica hotshot, Darwin Nunez…
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed that the Merseyside outfit’s next priority this summer will be to focus on bringing in a central midfielder, having wrapped up a club-record deal for the Uruguayan in recent days.
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Looking ahead to what manager Jurgen Klopp will do next in the current window, Jones stated that the centre of the park is the German’s main focus: “I think it’s the next big position that he’ll be looking at. We know they’ve had an eye on players like Tchouameni recently, and they might have gone through with it, but they were definitely keeping an eye on players at that level.
“If Milner would have gone and Oxlade-Chamberlain was leaving, then I would feel like they had reason to strengthen right now. But, as it stands right now, Liverpool have got loads of numbers in that area of the field.”
As the respected source alluded to, the Reds had been heavily linked with a move for French starlet Aurelien Tchouameni in recent months, although the 22-year-old has since opted to make the switch from Monaco to 14-time European champions, Real Madrid.
That verdict will no doubt be music to the ears of the Anfield faithful, with supporters likely to be demanding even more transfer activity in the coming weeks, despite fending off rival interest to land the highly-coveted Nunez.
Even at the end of a campaign that so nearly saw Klopp’s men swoop an unprecedented quadruple, the belief is that the Premier League powerhouse will need to strengthen once again if they are to keep pace with title winners Manchester City, particularly with the Etihad outfit having added Erling Haaland to their stellar squad.
Having begun to assemble an enviable forward line of their own – even with Sadio Mane’s looming exit – the FA Cup winners will now need to focus on other areas of the pitch, with adding further quality in the centre of midfield seemingly a must.
The current first-choice trio of Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho were instrumental in that stellar campaign last term, although some younger, fresher legs could well be needed, hence the previous interest in the aforementioned Tchouameni.
Equally, the former Borussia Dortmund boss also has a number of fringe players in his midfield ranks that may need to be moved on, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain having been heavily linked with a £10m exit this summer.
There has been a suggestion that England wonderkid Jude Bellingham is a top priority for FSG, although the teenager is likely to be a target of the future, with it yet to be seen just who could be coming through the door in the current window.
Nevertheless, just knowing that Liverpool aren’t resting on their laurels and are still keen to bolster their ranks will be welcome news to the club’s supporters.
Arsenal are believed to be hopeful of securing the signing of Leeds United winger Raphinha, amid the ongoing battle for the Brazilian’s signature.
As per Goal’s Charles Watts, the Gunners are still ‘firmly in the hunt’ to land the 25-year-old this summer – as well as compatriot Gabriel Jesus – with the Premier League outfit holding the belief that they can secure a deal for the forward, so long as rival suitors, Barcelona, do not ‘rekindle their interest’.
The La Liga giants had been heavily linked with a move for the nine-cap gem, although their ongoing financial woes have seemingly put paid to any hopes of a deal, for now, with Jesse Marsch’s side set to demand around £45m.
The Emirates outfit are believed to be joined in their interest, however, by north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are also said to be monitoring the situation, albeit with the Blues concentrating on a deal for Ousmane Dembele.
Sporting director Edu has already acted swiftly this summer to secure the notable arrival of Porto star, Fabio Vieira, with the Portuguese playmaker set to join the club in a £34m deal having shone for the Primeira Liga champions in recent seasons.
Despite only making his senior, first-team debut at the tail end of the 2019/20 campaign, the 22-year-old has gone on to score ten goals and register a further 18 assists in the club in all competitions, proving himself a real dynamic, creative presence in the final third.
The attacking midfielder enjoyed a particularly profitable 2021/22 campaign in which he scored six goals and provided an additional 14 assists in just 27 outings in the league alone, unsurprisingly recording an outstanding 7.45 average match rating, as per Sofascore – the fifth-highest in Sergio Conceicao’s squad.
The £22.5m-rated starlet will provide further creativity and attacking spark to a squad already littered with young, explosive talent, with Arteta set to have a wealth of forward options at his disposal next term.
That competition for places could be strengthened even further by the addition of Raphinha, however, with it a mouthwatering thought as to just how devastating both the “outrageous” talent – as he has been dubbed by Anthony Lewis – and the aforementioned Vieira can be in partnership next season.
With the younger man likely to operate in a more central, midfield role, the former Rennes star – who made the move to Elland Road from France in a £17m deal two years – is likely to provide further threat from either flank, posing a real danger to any defence with his lethal left foot.
That quality was evident last term as the £40.5m-rated “baller” – as described by teammate Tyler Roberts – recorded an impressive haul of 11 goals and three assists, taking his total tally to 29 goal contributions for the Yorkshire outfit in the top-flight over the last two campaigns combined.
With his 14 goals and assists from last term, as well as the 20 goal contributions of potential colleague Vieira, Arteta and co could potentially be gaining 34 extra goals and assists to their squad next term, with that added quality only set to boost their hopes of a top-four berth.
There may still be work to do to get the deal done, although bringing in the Leeds man could help Arsenal form a devastating attacking duo.
IN other news, Arsenal now plotting record-breaking bid for £100m gem, he’d be a “superstar” signing
Aston Villa have been tipped to make a move for West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek, with the Czech Republic international facing an uncertain future at the London Stadium.
According to journalist Ashley Preece – in a Q & A for Birmingham Mail – sporting director Johan Lange is currently “exploring” potential targets ahead of a summer move, with the Hammers ace believed to be one figure of interest who is possibly up for grabs.
Asked if the Midlands outfit are in the market for a new central midfielder, Preece stated: “Yes, Villa are looking to add more quality in CM. Johan Lange exploring options. Tomas Soucek is said to be available…”.
This follows reports that the 27-year-old is of interest to Villa, along with a handful of other Premier League clubs, with the suggestion being that David Moyes could be willing to cash in on the 52-cap giant in the current transfer window.
Amid all the talk regarding a possible departure for current first-team regular Douglas Luiz – who has just a year left on his existing deal – Villa supporters will love hearing that Steven Gerrard and co are being active regarding a potential replacement, with Soucek seemingly an ideal candidate to fill the void.
Dubbed “unplayable” by Yannick Bolasie, the former Slavia Prague ace – who joined the Irons on an initial loan deal in January 2020 – has been integral to his current club’s remarkable resurgence in thr last couple of years, forging a formidable midfield partnership with Declan Rice.
While the Englishman has often stolen the limelight in that time, the 6 foot 4 colossus has undoubtedly been impactful in his own right, having chipped in with 20 goal contributions in 86 top-flight games so far for the east London outfit.
That haul includes a particularly impressive tally of ten league goals from the 2020/21 campaign as the Hammers secured Europa League football, while he provided a respectable five league goals last term from his defensive midfield berth.
A sheer menace in both boxes, the £40.5m-rated monster unsurprisingly ranks in the top 8% for touches in the attacking penalty area – and also in the top 1% for clearances made and the top 2% for aerial duels won – among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, showcasing both his attacking and defensive prowess.
A forceful and imposing presence in the centre of the park, the £47k-per-week brute would provide some much-needed steel to a Villa side which had been lacking a bona fide defensive-minded midfielder last term, with the aforementioned Luiz deployed as something of a makeshift stop-gap in the holding role.
While perhaps not the most glamorous addition, Soucek would offer a reliable and consistent asset for Gerrard’s side, with supporters set to be delighted if Villa can make another statement of intent this summer by poaching the player from a club who have been on the rise in recent years.
AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez