Tag Futebol

Former Manchester City star Michael Ball insists that Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent may have used the club’s interest in signing him as leverage to negotiate a higher wage at Old Trafford.

City were briefly but heavily linked with a potential bid for the Portugal international, although no deal was struck.

Indeed, United announced less than 24 hours after the first reports of City’s interest surfaced that they had struck an agreement to bring Ronaldo into the club.

He made his debut over the weekend, scoring twice in the clash with Newcastle United, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men won 4-1.

Ball believes that Ronaldo and his representatives ultimately used City as leverage, allowing him to secure a bigger payday at Old Trafford after leaving Turin.

Reports have suggested that United are currently paying the legendary former Real Madrid and Juventus star a wage of close to £500,000-per-week.

The ex-City and Everton man said: “Whether Ronaldo and his agent have used Manchester City to up his wages at United and make the deal happen, using Man City as a pawn, to go ‘you don’t want one of your legends to be going to your main rivals’ and Man United have panicked and come in to give Cristiano whatever he wanted.

“That is an option that I feel is more to the truth than what we’ve seen.”

Liam Kennedy has now dropped some reassuring insight on the potential takeover of Newcastle United after a rumour emerged involving Mukesh Ambani.

The Lowdown: Ambani rumour

As per The Shields Gazette, the name Mukesh Ambani has recently been trending amid rumours that he may revisit a possible takeover at St. James’ Park having previously bene linked with one back in 2008 and 2011.

This comes as the North East club await the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case over the stalled takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, which is set to take place this month after a delay in proceedings, according to The Chronicle.

The Latest: Kennedy on rumour

Writing in his latest piece for Newcastle World, Kennedy has claimed that the Toon Army should be sceptical over the latest link, but did reassure them with some insight from parties involved in the potential deal with the KSA consortium.

The journalist says that there ‘remains a confidence’ from all parties involved in the bid that a deal can still be done.

The Verdict: Reassuring

It is certainly reassuring to hear that all parties remain confident in the deal, given the constant delays that have been happening with cases.

The arbitration hearing between the Tyneside outfit and the Premier League is not set to take place until early next year now, and so the fight goes on to get a takeover over the line.

Nonetheless, with rumours with regards to Ambani seemingly squashed by Kennedy for now, there is at least still some hope from the KSA consortium.

In other news, find out what ‘massive blow’ NUFC have received here!

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco tem a defesa mais vazada do Campeonato Brasileiro – são 17 gols sofridos em oito rodadas. Na última, sábado passado, em vitória sobre o Avaí, em São Januário, pela primeira vez, a equipe comandada pelo técnico Milton Mendes não sofreu gol. Este tempo evidencia uma melhora do trabalho da equipe na disputa da elite do futebol nacional para que os objetivos sejam alcançados. Um ponto, diga-se de passagem, de atenção de olho em uma continuidade para que contestações sobre os zagueiros fiquem de lado.

A defesa, vale lembrar, é o setor mais criticado pelos torcedores do Vasco. Tanto que é a posição que mais recebeu reforços para a disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro – já são três zagueiros contratados, Paulão e Breno, que formam a atual dupla titular, além de Lucas Rocha. Há ainda a expectativa pela chegada de Anderson Martins, que segue em negociação pela rescisão no Qatar. Caso o Cruz-Maltino mude a estatística de gols sofridos, a tendência é que a ida ao mercado da bola seja paralisada.

Esta sequência vai ser colocada em teste já na quarta-feira. No Nilton Santos, às 21h, o Vasco enfrenta o Botafogo e com atenção redobrada no setor defensivo – o único que vem sendo poupado das críticas é o goleiro Martin Silva. Um ponto colocado em prática na equipe por Milton Mendes nas últimas semanas é fazer com que todos os jogadores atuem ofensivamente e defensivamente, ganhando assim em número e qualidade na transição para que além de não sofrer gols, gols sejam feitos a favor do Cruz-Maltino.

– O Avaí teve envolvências, é uma equipe que joga bem. Impuseram um ritmo depois que levaram o gol. Acho que foi mais mérito nosso do que deles. Martin defendeu bolas boas, zaga tirou bolas boas, meio estava compactado. Sofremos no fim do primeiro tempo porque nossos homens de lado não estavam indo para dentro. Arrumamos no intervalo e as oportunidades apareceram – respondeu o técnico Milton Mendes em entrevista coletiva ao ser questionado sobre o primeiro jogo do Vasco no Brasileiro sem sofrer gols.

O Campeonato Brasileiro está apenas no começo e uma evolução neste sentido ainda nesta altura da competição pode fazer com que o Vasco deixe de lado o receio de um novo rebaixamento e comece a mirar em voos mais altos.

Os oito jogos do Vasco no Brasileiro

1ª rodada
Palmeiras 4 x 0 Vasco
Gols: Jean, Guerra e Borja duas vezes (Palmeiras)

2ª rodada
Vasco 2 x 1 Bahia
Gols: Luis Fabiano e Yago Pikachu (Vasco), Gustavo (Bahia)

3ª rodada
Vasco 3 x 2 Fluminense
Gols: Luis Fabiano, Manga e Nenê (Vasco), Henrique Dourado duas vezes (Fluminense)

4ª rodada
Grêmio 2 x 0 Vasco
Gols: Lucas Barrios e Luan (Grêmio)

5ª rodada
Vasco 2 x 5 Corinthians
Gols: Luis Fabiano duas vezes (Vasco), Marquinhos Gabriel, Jô, Maycon e Clayton duas vezes (Corinthians)

6ª rodada
Vasco 2 x 1 Sport
Gols: Luis Fabiano e Douglas (Vasco), André (Sport)

7ª rodada
Chapecoense 2 x 1 Vasco
Gols: Girotto e Arthur (Chapecoense), Jean (Vasco)

8ª rodada
Vasco 1 x 0 Avaí
Gol: Yago Pikachu (Vasco)

RelacionadasVascoNenê reassume a 10 do Vasco e Milton exalta disciplina táticaVasco18/06/2017VascoLuis Fabiano mira sequência no Rio para Vasco ficar no ‘pelotão de cima’Vasco18/06/2017VascoMilton sai em defesa de Eurico após protestos da torcida: ‘Acho injusto’Vasco18/06/2017

Watford have had a mixed start to life back in the Premier League but one man who has disappointed for Xisco Munoz’s side is William Troost-Ekong.

The Hornets were impressive in their opening fixture against Aston Villa, winning 3-2, but have since slumped to successive away defeats against Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur without scoring a goal.

This may well give Xisco some selection headaches for when his team returns to action following the international break, and Troost-Ekong could certainly be in danger of losing his starting spot.

As per WhoScored, the centre-back is currently rated as the 14th-best performer in Watford’s side so far this season, despite playing 90 minutes in all three of their Premier League fixtures.

His 6.24 average rating is the worst of any player to feature in all three games, which emphasises that he has been consistently mediocre, and it is a stark contrast to the 6.69 rating he averaged across 32 appearances in the Championship last season.

Despite being a centre-back, the Nigerian has not managed to win a single tackle in any of his Premier League appearances so far this season, whilst he also scores poorly in terms of blocks (0.3) per game.

For comparison, last season saw the 28-year-old average 0.9 tackles, 0.6 blocks and 0.7 interceptions per game in the Championship, despite him arguably having to do less defending because of how Watford were able to dominate most games, whereas in the Premier League he will surely need to do a lot more from that sense.

The £3.6m-rated defender has plenty of competition in his position, with Francisco Sierralta, Craig Cathcart and Christian Kabasele all rated higher than him so far this season, so unless Troost-Ekong can improve his performances, it would not be a surprise to see him dropped in the near future.

In other news… Signed for nothing, now valued at £7.2m: Giaretta delivered a masterclass with Watford ace

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo segue de olho no mercado e com um foco definido: a contratação de um centroavante. Com isso, o atacante revelado pelo clube, e negociado com o Munique 1860 (ALE) no ano passado, Lucas Ribamar foi oferecido e empolgou, inicialmente, a diretoria. Contudo, os valores que o Glorioso deveria arcar com vencimentos afastam o jogador de General Severiano.

Vendido aos alemães no ano passado por cerca de R$ 9 milhões, Lucas Ribamar foi pouco aproveitado em Munique e tem o desejo de ser negociado para ganhar mais oportunidades. Até agora, o atacante atuou apenas em quatro partidas e sequer balançou as redes. Sua equipe ainda amargou, nesta terça-feira, o rebaixamento para a Terceira Divisão do futebol alemão, após perder em casa, por 2 a 0 para oJahn Regensburg, que trocou de divisão com o time bávaro.

Mesmo com o alto salário, padrão europeu, que o brasileiro ganha, o Botafogo não descarta totalmente o negócio e deve esperar na próxima semana para saber a situação do jovem atacante. Como dificilmente seguirá no Munique 1860 com o descenso, os agentes de Ribamar ainda aguardam propostas da Europa para ele seguir por lá. Entretanto, a ideia de colocá-lo novamente no Alvinegro, com a disputa da Copa Libertadores, animam o jogador e seus empresários.

Em caso de negócio com Ribamar, a diretoria também não descarta contratar mais um centroavante, já que no momento só conta com Roger e Vinicius Tanque para o setor. A ideia é trazer um nome de impacto como reforço, sem ‘fazer loucuras’.

Para desembarcar em General Severiano, Lucas Ribamar chegaria por empréstimo de um ano, além de vencimentos dentro dos padrões. Com a camisa do Botafogo, o goleador participou de 32 partidas e marcou quatro gols.

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Darren Pattinson has said he disagreed with his surprise selection for the second Test against South Africa at Headingley. To the astonishment of almost everybody he was called up at the last minute to replace the injured Ryan Sidebottom, after 11 first-class matches, but was promptly dropped and hasn’t even been named in England’s Performance Squad for the winter.”I don’t think I’d be picking someone to play the one Test when they haven’t really played that many first-class games and weren’t in the squad,” Pattinson told . “It was a left-field selection. If I was in [the selectors’] situation, I wouldn’t have picked me to play for England when there were guys like Steve Harmison – who I know has had his problems – waiting in the wings and ready to go. It’s really an astonishing story, when you think about it.”Pattinson didn’t disgrace himself on the field, claiming the scalps of Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince, as England were hammered by 10 wickets. A few weeks later he played for England Lions as South Africa warmed-up for the one-day series, but now he is preparing for pre-season with his club, Dandenong, and Victoria before resuming the Sheffield Shield.”If I never played another international, I’d be OK with that,” he added. “As far as the England players were concerned, they were nice and very welcoming. I guess [Michael] Vaughan was coming to the end of his captaincy at the time, so there might have been a few issues there. I didn’t get all the stuff he said, but I take it, it was mostly to do with the selection.”Pattinson came within one win of finishing the season with a Championship medal, but Nottinghamshire were beaten by Hampshire in the final game. However, Pattinson ended with a very respectable 47 wickets at 24.65 even though he was carrying a groin injury by the final weeks of the summer. But he still hasn’t quite come to terms with his England experience.”The whole England thing was unexpected and I was certainly more than happy to get the opportunity to play international cricket,” he said. “But with all the stuff that came with it, it’s hard to say just how I view the whole experience right now. I’m sure I’ll look back in a few years and be happy I played a Test, but there are a few mixed feelings at the moment.”

Scorecard

With a forcing cut off David Wainwright for four, Mark Ramprakash finally became the 25th man in history to score 100 first-class hundreds when he notched three figures for Surrey against Yorkshire.The last player to achieve the milestone was Graeme Hick, in 1998, and the other 23 names include the grand figures of WG Grace, Don Bradman, Denis Compton and Wally Hammond. For all Ramprakash’s remarkable form since 2006, he has struggled this season: his last hundred, the 99th of his career, came at the start of May against Sussex. Today’s knock was his 11th innings since hovering on a mere 99 hundreds, during which agonising time his top-score was 48.The wait is now over, however, as Ramprakash reached his third century of the season from 196 balls with nine fours and a six.”When I started out I never dreamed about making that many hundreds but I’ll certainly take it now,” he said. “I feel honoured to join such a high calibre of names who have also achieved the feat. It’s definitely something I’ll cherish for the rest of my days. I’d like to dedicate this to my mum, dad, sister, wife and daughters.”Without their love and support I could not have achieved this milestone.”Ramprakash starred in a second-wicket stand of 259 with Scott Newman and remained unbeaten on 112 as the match petered out into a dull, but far from insignificant, draw.

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid with comments made on Clyde Superscoreboard in regards to star striker Alfredo Morelos.

It has already been a busy summer for 25-year-old Morelos. The forward has been away at the Copa America with Colombia, and stayed with the side until the penultimate day of the tournament as his country finished third. The former HJK Helsinki man has also been heavily linked with a move away from Ibrox, with Porto in particular interested in his services (A Bola).

Clyde radio had been discussing the striker’s return to Glasgow, and they got some vital bits of information wrong, it seems. Not only did they says Morelos is not yet back in Glasgow – he is – they also said he had finished international duty before before Filip Helander and Borna Barisic, which was also false.

The supporters, it seems, were far from happy with the misinformation, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the mainstream media (MSM).

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Morelos comments below

“Thought that myself. Sweden and Croatia both went out almost two weeks before Colombia went out the Copa America”

Credit: @KG367919716

“Once again, the outstanding journalism from the MSM that Rangers are denying us.”

Credit: @marshalldave38

“Hence the reason MSM are at an all time low, agenda driven media with no research at all…. And they wonder why they are dying”

Credit: @boxing_rugby

“Sort it out”

Credit: @bobbybatemn1872

“Yes Wiliam was …….poor”

Credit: @howudiddling

“The misinformation on @ClydeSSB in the last 2 minutes has been mental. He’s back in Glasgow. He played in the 3rd/4th place play-off so didn’t finish before Barisic or Helander. Give us peace ya rockets.”

Credit: @kenny47110

In other news, Rangers fans laud this man against Real Madrid.

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing AC Milan forward Rafael Leao this summer as Bruno Lage looks to make his mark on the first team squad at Molineux.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (as reported by Sport Witness), the Italian giants will either sell Leao or Jens Petter Hauge over the coming months, with a €15m (£13m) asking price mooted for the Portuguese striker.

The report added that there have been some discussions between the two clubs, while Wolves could once again be aided by super-agent Jorge Mendes, who represents the 22-year-old.

Imagine him and Jimenez

Wolves’ extensive collection of Portuguese talent has been well documented in recent years, and they could be about to add another highly-rated young Iberian star to their ranks.

Leao moved to San Siro from Lille back in 2019 for a substantial fee after impressing in Ligue 1, and his standout performances drew extreme praise from his former Sporting Lisbon manager Tiago Fernandes.

Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb in August 2019, Fernandes compared Leao to the Brazilian Ronaldo and claimed that he was capable of playing for any top club in Europe, saying:  “He reminds me of Ronaldo, the ‘Phenomenon’, for speed, technique and quality in the decisive part of the action. Rafael has the talent to play for Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​all the best European clubs.”

However, the 22-year-old has struggled to find his best form in Serie A. In 40 appearances for the Rossoneri last term, Leao bagged seven goals and provided a further six assists for his teammates, a respectable return but not a mind-blowing one either.

He has done enough to showcase his top-class potential, though, and a switch to Wolves could be the perfect move for the youngster’s development.

The Midlands outfit have developed a reputation for being an extremely effective counter-attacking team during their three-year stay in the Premier League, so Leao could be a natural fit for their system.

His natural pace and power would compliment Raul Jimenez’s heading and finishing ability perfectly, potentially forming a dream duo at Molineux next season.

In other news… Wolves must land “phenomenal” £27m-rated gem who has “magical powers”, Lage needs him 

هاجم رئيس الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا” رابطة الدوري الإسباني ونادي ريال مدريد بعد البيان الرسمي الذي خرج ضد باريس سان جيرمان عقب تجديد عقد، كيليان مبابي.

وأصدر الدوري الإسباني بيانًا يعبر فيه عن غضبه واعتراضه الشديد من قيام باريس سان جيرمان بتجديد عقد مبابي زاعمين أن النادي الفرنسي قد خرق قواعد اللعب المالي النظيف.

وقع مبابي على عقده الجديد يوم، السبت الماضي، لمدة 3 سنوات أخرى ليستمر في العملاق الفرنسي حتى يونيو 2025 وهو ما أغضب رابطة الدوري الإسباني بقيادة، خافيير تيباس، الذي طالما يتهم باريس سان جيرمان بعدم الالتزام بقواعد اللعب المالي النظيف.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كلوب: لا أؤمن بما قاله محمد صلاح عن مواجهة ريال مدريد

ورد تشيفرين على الاتهامات الموجهة إلى باريس سان جيرمان في تصريحات لشبكة “بي بي سي سبورت” البريطانية: “الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم لديه قواعد مالية عادلة وصارمة للغاية”.

وتابع: “كل من سيحترم قواعدنا هو موضع ترحيب للعب ضمن بطولاتنا، من لا يحترم القواعد لن يحترم”.

وأضاف: “لا ريال مدريد أو أي شخص آخر سيخبر الاتحاد الأوروبي بما يجب فعله، فهم غاضبون بسبب وجهة نظر واحدة، بقدر ما أعرف، كان عرضهم مشابهًا لعرض باريس سان جيرمان”.

ووصف بيان الدوري الإسباني أن عرض باريس سان جيرمان لتجديد مبابي هو إهانة لكرة القدم وفضيحة مع وجود خسائر مالية يعاني منها النادي الفرنسي.

وواصل تشيفرين تصريحاته: “لقد قلت ذلك مرات عديدة، سأقولها مرة أخرى، أخبروني بحجة واحدة لا تجعل هؤلاء الأشخاص ملاك لنادي باريس سان جيرمان”.

واستمر: “إذا قلت إن الأندية هي ملك الجماهير، ألا تعتقد أن الأندية الإنجليزية لديها مالكون، لديهم مالكون من أمريكا، بعضهم من الشرق الأوسط، لديهم مالكون من إنجلترا، لذا فهو نفس الوضع تمامًا، لقد سئمت حقًا من هذه الاتهامات دون أي أسباب ملموسة”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “أريد أن أعرف من خالف القواعد لأن كل من يخالف القواعد يتعرض لعقوبات”.