Tag Futebol

Bayern Munich endured a torrid night against their former manager, Pep Guardiola, on Tuesday evening as the Bavarian outfit faced Manchester City in the Champions League.

Prior to kick-off it was an extremely tricky tie to predict but City are in the mood right now, with the Citizens undoubtedly playing some of their best football all season.

Guardiola’s men ultimately made things relatively comfortable at the Etihad as they struck home three unanswered goals.

The first was an absolute peach from Rodri, who bent the ball home on his weaker left foot right into the top corner.

That was followed by two second-half goals in the space of six minutes from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland.

Likely cursing their luck, it’s safe to say that there was a rather unhappy Bayern dressing room post-match, with former Man City star Leroy Sane, and ex-Liverpool man Sadio Mane coming to blows.

What happened between Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane?

Sensational reports coming out of Germany this afternoon suggest that the two attackers were involved in a heated post-match bust-up.

In a remarkable turn of events, Mane allegedly punched his teammate, causing blood to stream from the German’s lip.

The news was relayed by Sky Sports reporter, Simon Thomas, who told viewers this evening:

“Mane punched Leroy Sane in the face after that defeat. Sky Germany are reporting that Sane’s lip was bleeding after the altercation with the players needing to be separated by their fellow teammates in the dressing room.

“The duo were seen arguing in the latter stages of the game last night.”

After the players landed back in Germany following the game, Mane was picked up privately from the airport while Sane travelled back to base on the team bus.

The news comes in what has been a rather bleak week for Bayern with the club now facing a Champions League exit after sacking Julian Nagelsmann.

He was ultimately replaced by ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel who now already has a huge problem to deal with in Munich.

Scottish champions Celtic continue to march on in the defence of their league title, with the Hoops looking rather imperious as a result of the consistent brilliance of highly-coveted boss, Ange Postecoglou.

Lauded for his "beautiful attacking football" by BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves, another defining feature of the 57-year-old's tenure has been his "exceptional" recruitment record, according to ex-Parkhead skipper Scott Brown, having regularly snapped hidden gems on the cheap.

As Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge stated last season, the likes of Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda have "ripped the league to shreds" since arriving from Japan, with few having anticipated such a stellar impact from that standout trio.

They are not alone in having proven truly astute business for the Old Firm outfit, however, with fleet-footed winger, Jota, having also blossomed into a real leading presence in Scottish football since his initial loan arrival back in the summer of 2021.

How much is Jota worth now?

The former Benfica ace was also something of an understated addition after being snapped up on deadline day just under two years ago, having had a limited impact at first-team level prior to that, notably scoring just twice in all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign while on loan at La Liga side, Real Valladolid.

As it proved, however, the Lisbon native's temporary move to Glasgow quickly developed into something of a masterstroke for Postecoglou and co, with the exciting talent having scored 13 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions last season.

That scintillating run of form unsurprisingly led to a desire to keep the former Portugal U21 international at the club for the long term, with the Bhoys ultimately able to strike a deal for a fee of around £6.4m ahead of this season.

While that figure places the 24-year-old in seventh on the list of the club's most expensive arrivals of all time – as per Transfermarkt – it would seem that such a deal is still something of a bargain, such has been the forward's remarkable rise in valuation of late.

According to Football Transfers, the £17k-per-week magician is now said to be worth as much as £13m, with that roughly equating to an increase of 103% in relation to the £6.4m fee that was paid out back in July.

Such a rise has no doubt been vindicated due to the 5 foot 9 man's strong showings once again in the current campaign, with Jota having scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists across all fronts to date.

The winger's creative quality, in particular, has seen him hailed as something of a "striker's dream", according to pundit Marvin Bartley (BBC Sportscene (24 April 2022, 19:31), with it evidently clear that the signing of the beloved trickster has also been a real 'dream' for those at Celtic Park.

Potential new Manchester United owner Sheikh Jassim is already plotting a move to sign Jude Bellingham, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Takeover chaos

Jassim, along with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, held talks with Old Trafford officials talks last week over a potential takeover. The pair were set to make improved second offers for the club, with Fabrizio Romano one of many reporters to say that those bids were made ahead of the Wednesday evening deadline.

However, it has since emerged that no fresh bids were officially made in time, with Jassim and Ratcliffe’s respective teams handed an extension.

Both parties are expected to launch world-record bids in the region of £5billion by the end of the week, with previous reports stating that Jassim is very confident about a full takeover at Old Trafford. It looks as if he is already planning a marquee transfer ahead of the summer as well, following a fresh update in the last 24 hours.

The Latest: Transfer update

Football Insider shared news regarding Jassim and United on Thursday morning, name-checking Bellingham. They revealed that Jassim is a ‘huge fan’ of the Borussia Dortmund midfielder and is planning a stunning move to sign the player.

Jassim is expected to hand Erik ten Hag a huge war chest in the transfer window and will immediately go all out for the England star if a takeover is completed.

The Verdict: Get it done

Ten Hag appears to have two regular starters in midfield in Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, so Bellingham could be the missing piece in his midfield jigsaw.

A new midfielder and forward are thought to be United’s transfer priorities, with Bellingham starring for club and country this season. He has been Dortmund’s best-performing player, as per WhoScored, outperforming both Fernandes and Casemiro.

Bellingham has averaged more passes than both United stars per 90 minutes, with reporter Dr. Constantin Eckner saying he is ‘the perfect box-to-box player’ with ‘no glaring weakness’.

He tops Dortmund’s charts for tackles made each game, resulting in being described as a ‘monster‘ by members of the press. The Englishman has also weighed in with four goals and four assists in the Bundesliga this season, and at the age of 19, you’d expect he still has plenty of time to improve on his already impressive game before hitting his prime.

Therefore, he could be the perfect midfield signing for Ten Hag over the summer to partner Fernandes and Casemiro, so the United boss may be hoping Jassim takes over from the Glazers.

Liverpool supporters have raged at the news that the club have set a €70m (£62m) price tag for Diogo Jota amid interest from Premier League rivals Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Newcastle eyeing Jota

Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, Arthur Melo, James Milner, Adrian and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will all be out of contract at the end of the season, with the majority of them likely to be departing.

The Portuguese, however, is one new name to have recently been linked with an exit after journalist Jacque Talbot reported that the Magpies are considering a move for him in the summer.

The Latest: Liverpool fans react…

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool lovers expressed their opinions on Jota potentially being sold to Newcastle and it’s fair to say they weren’t happy.

They said:

“I’d be absolutely shocked if Klopp sold him!!!!!” – @Ac1984Ross

“After what John Henry said, we’re definitely selling him if we’re going to buy anyone in the summer. What a joke of a club.” – @AlexisManolis1

“Selling him would be a very bad idea.” – @Babini_R

“They can just stay away.” – @LfcMatthi

“NOT A CHANCE!!!!”- @anfield_buzz

“Triple it. Saudi Arabia can pay state owned tax if they want to do business. Although in all seriousness I don’t think we should engage in any business with them. Why would we help a team that already has a massive financial advantage over every other team.” – @fatpanda72

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The Verdict: Don’t let him go

Jota has had a hugely positive impact at Liverpool since joining, posting 49 goal contributions in 99 appearances, so it’s important that they do everything they can to keep hold of him.

FSG and Jurgen Klopp are in a very strong negotiating position though with his contract not set to expire until 2027, so won’t be forced into sanctioning a sale.

Manchester United won their first major trophy in six years by defeating Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final at Wembley over the weekend and it looks like Erik ten Hag is proving to be the manager the Old Trafford side have wanted since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Just like Fergie, the Dutchman isn’t dwelling too much on success, preferring to look ahead to the future and strengthen his squad for bigger tests to come.

What is the latest on Kim Min-jae to Man Utd?

With the Red Devils recently linked with a move for Napoli defender Kim Min-jae according to Corriere dello Sport (via GOAL) Ten Hag looks as though he has identified a player who could improve his backline.

The defender has a release clause of £42m which will be activated for 15 days during the summer transfer window and this could be the ideal opportunity for United to strike, especially with his performances this term.

Would Kim Min-jae improve Man Utd?

The Dutchman is still undergoing his rebuild of the United squad despite recent success, and with the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof not receiving as much game time compared to last term, another centre-back will surely be required once the transfer window opens.

The South Korean “rock” – as described by Matteo Bonetti – has been exactly that for Napoli this term as they eye their first League title in over 30 years. The defender has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.3/10 for his league performances, ranking him as the club’s fourth-best player this term.

He has kept ten clean sheets from 23 matches and won 63% of his total duels while making 1.7 tackles and four clearances per game, underlining just how important he is to the club.

He could form an excellent partnership with United defender Lisandro Martinez, with the Argentinian centre-back settling into life at the club with ease and the duo would be an excellent defensive pairing.

Indeed, Martinez is also ranked as the fourth-best player for his club in the league this term, while also winning 61% of his total duels, making 3.6 clearances and 2.4 tackles, becoming one of Ten Hag’s most important signings this season.

The duo have registered similar statistics this campaign with regard to pass completion rate (90% to 87%), tackles won (23 to 20), aerial duels won (66% to 54.9%), and interceptions (26 to 22).

Both Martinez and Jae also rank in the top 20% for progressive passes across Europe’s big five leagues so not only do they possess an incredible defensive ability, but they can start attacks regularly from deep.

Bonetti also described the Napoli star as “unbelievably good” and if Ten Hag wants to take his defence to the next level, signing him should be a priority this summer.

Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling has been hailed by presenter Conor McGiligan for his display on Wednesday night against Manchester United.

What’s the latest?

It was a night which Leeds fans will feel their side missed a golden opportunity to create some daylight on their relegation rivals after what was a stunning start to the game.

The Whites took an early lead and found themselves 2-0 up shortly after the break through a Raphael Varane own-goal.

Wilfried Gnonto impressed once again for the Yorkshire club and found his name on the score sheet for the opening goal of the night.

However, it was Ayling who received a lot of praise from McGilligan who was stunned by the right-back in the first half of the game at Old Trafford: “Ayling has been absolutely immense against that cheat,” McGilligan tweeted.

Presence at the back

The 31-year-old has played a big role in the Leeds side this season with 14 appearances in the Premier League now under his belt with half of those from the starting XI.

However, the veteran has been involved in what has been a massively underwhelming campaign for the Whites and he has failed to provide much of an attacking threat from the right-back spot.

Ayling has only returned one assist in the Premier League so far this season as well as grabbing another assist in the FA Cup against Cardiff City.

Per 90 minutes, Ayling has provided 1.6 shot-creating actions but it is his defensive ability which has made up for his lack of attacking intent (via Fbref).

Comparing him against other full-backs, Ayling ranks in the top two percentile for tackles per 90 minutes and the upper sixth percentile for clearances.

With an average of just over three tackles over the last year, his return of 12 tackles against the Red Devils is made to look even more impressive (via SofaScore).

And considering he gave away the ball 24 times, it just goes to show how impressive of a defensive shift he put in to earn the praise from McGilligan.

Everton are set to complete the signing of Arnaut Danjuma over the coming hours this weekend after it was reported on Saturday morning that the Villarreal winger is having a medical and Frank Lampard will surely be hoping that the player can come in to instantly improve the performances.

The Toffees are currently 19th in the Premier League with just 15 points collected so far and if things continue over the second half of the season there is no doubt that the club could be in with a serious chance to lost their top-flight status.

Not only that, Everton have the joint-second worst goal tally in the entire league currently which has ultimately been a huge contributor to the struggles at Goodison Park following Richarlison’s exit in the summer and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury problems.

As a result, acquiring players who can positively impact the attacking threat in the team will be essential for the side’s safety and the remainder of the January transfer window will give Lampard the golden opportunity to not only save the club but also to save his own job that has come under threat with every poor performance.

One player who has been linked with a move to the blue side of Merseyside this month is Lyon striker Moussa Dembele – a player who has a reported transfer fee of £3m which would certainly suit the Toffees’ financial constraints.

The 26-year-old ace ranks in the top 20% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, shots in total and touches, proving that he is a huge presence in front of goal.

Over 340 career appearances, Dembele – who was hailed “unplayable” by former Celtic teammate Leigh Griffiths – has scored 151 goals and registered 47 assists with a goal contribution every 111 minutes which is a consistent and reliable output that could be extremely valuable to Lampard over the remainder of the campaign.

The Frenchman has been lavished with praise over his career so far, however, perhaps the highest praise he has earned to date came from former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, who claimed:

“I have played with the greatest strikers – Ronaldo, Henry, Raul. You knew on the biggest occasions they would win you games – and Dembele is already showing that.”

Lampard could form the perfect attacking partnership between Danjuma and Dembele if the two deals are completed as the Villarreal winger is prolific in creating chances in front of goal with 12 shot-creating actions tallied up already this season in 10 appearances, so combining that with the centre-forward’s keen eye for goal could be deadly for opponents.

With that being said, there is no doubt that Dembele would be a major coup for Everton and if the powerbrokers could secure the signing of the talented striker he could be the linchpin in improving their survival chances as they head into their second round of league fixtures.

Journalist Beren Cross has revealed that Leeds United are working on bringing in a new striker with Georginio Rutter, Viktor Gyokeres and Sebastian Driussi all targeted.

What’s the word?

With the January transfer market now open, the Whites wasted little time in adding defender Max Wober from Red Bull Salzburg to their ranks as he was announced just three days into the window.

With that area of the field now strengthened, it looks as though the club are going to try and bring in some quality further up the field to help out with the attack.

For instance, recent reports have claimed that Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter is a key target. However, it seems as though other options, such as Gyokeres and Driussi are also being considered.

Indeed, in an article for LeedsLive, Cross explained: “A striker is being worked on. Leeds like Rutter, Gyokeres and Sebastian Driussi, who was linked with the Whites last November too.”

Exciting options

Gyokeres has been linked in recent weeks to a number of different Premier League clubs – including Brentford, Crystal Palace, and Everton – so Leeds might find it hard to win the race for the 24-year-old Coventry City striker.

Driussi is an interesting alternative target. As Cross mentions, Jesse Marsch’s side were touted as a possible destination for the player last year. Seeing as he netted 25 goals in all competitions for MLS side Austin FC in 2021/22 it’s not hard to see why he might have caught the eye of the Whites’ American manager either.

Rutter, though, seems to be the man closest to a move. As per reliable transfer source Fabrizio Romano, negotiations are already ‘very advanced’ with personal terms now sorted. The French striker is still only 20 years old but has already played 64 times for Hoffenheim, scoring 11 goals and setting up eight more.

With these three names being touted, it will certainly be interesting to see who Leeds opt to push the boat out for and if they can get anything over the line this month.

Aston Villa are looking to wash out the deadwood and fortify the ranks now that Unai Emery has assumed the role of head coach at the club, with the Spaniard eyeing some top talent from his former club.

Indeed, last week The Mirror reported that Arnaut Danjuma was one talent the Midlands outfit hold a vested interest in, with sights set on luring him to Villa Park and bolstering the offensive flanks.

Emery knows the player well, having signed him for his previous Spanish outfit, and could use his relationship with the Yellow Submarine and Danjuma to forge a worthy acquisition for the ambitious Claret and Blue.

Valued at €40m (£35m), Danjuma would be a welcome addition to the side having flourished at Villarreal since his move from AFC Bournemouth for £21.3m in August 2021, and could take the Premier League by storm with a second shot at success in England’s top-flight.

Emery’s next Di Maria

Originally a winger, the 25-year-old Danjuma has found success in Spain as his side’s centre-forward, finding a prolific edge to his game and consequently seeing his stock rise.

His market value rose from £22m to £43.8m after a resounding debut season that saw him score 16 goals and serve four assists across 34 appearances, before dropping to £30.7m this term after a slight decline in goal-scoring efficiency.

Still very much regarded an “exceptional talent” by the likes of EFL pundit Clinton Morrison, the six-cap Netherlands international has snatched five goals from 15 fixtures this term, despite Villarreal scoring just 15 leagues goals so far – the lowest of any team in the top-ten of the Spanish La Liga. 

And a move to Aston, to play under the wing of Emery once again, the manager who gifted the ace the most fruitful spell of his career, might prove to be a very good move indeed for all parties involved.

His exploits could leave him breeding similar success to that of World Cup winner Angel Di Maria, who scored 35 goals and assisted 27 more from 88 outings under the tutelage of the 51-year-old.

While Danjuma offers a more direct approach, it is likely that he would be deployed out wide by and large for Villa, should he join, allowing the likes of Danny Ings or Ollie Watkins to flourish in the centre-forward role, and he would need to utilise his creativity, blending it with his eye for the back of the net, to truly earn his place among the division’s finest talents.

As per Sofascore, in the 2020/21 EFL Championship season with the Cherries, the gem scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in a seasonal show that earned him the move to Spain, with his eight big chances created and 1.5 key passes per match channels that must be tapped into once more, giving him a dynamic sheen not too dissimilar to Di Maria.

Indeed, the Argentine showed those attributes in Qatar just this winter, scoring in the final as well as supplying two key passes per game.

Based on that, it would be quite the signing for Emery’s villains, bringing in a player he knows well and thus transforming his new side in the process.

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to sign Adrien Rabiot, according to reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

Corriere dello Sport claim that the France midfielder is expected to leave Juventus during the January transfer window as he enters the final six months of his current £148k-per-week contract.

However, despite appearing at the front of the queue to sign the World Cup finalist, the north London outfit are facing stiff competition from the likes of Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona and his former club, Paris Saint-Germain.

It’s also thought that the Old Lady are only demanding around €15m (£13m).

Paratici masterclass

This sort of move has all the hallmarks of being another transfer masterclass from Lilywhites sporting director Fabio Paratici, following the same sort of process as signing Rodrigo Bentancur nearly a year ago.

Something of a divisive figure in Turin, the Uruguayan has become an instant favourite with his eye-catching displays in the Premier League for Spurs and whilst Rabiot has recently caught the eye on the world’s biggest stage by reaching the final as a Les Bleus regular, it hasn’t always been easy in the black and white stripes of Juve.

Back in 2013, the Frenchman was described as an “absolute monster” by journalist Robin Bairner and he’s gone full circle because in Qatar, ex-West Ham United star Frederic Piquionne lauded him as the “best player” at the tournament, also comparing him to the great Emmanuel Petit.

Across five starts, Rabiot averaged a 7.13 rating on Sofascore as he was the hard-working metronome of Didier Deschamps’ engine room. Indeed, he ran 12.1km, 11.6km and 11km in games against Australia, Denmark and Poland, whilst he also averaged two tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, too.

It was only at the end of last season that the Juve midfielder was named in Sportmediaset’s ‘Flop XI’ (via Get Football News Italy), so it shows just how far he’s come in such a short space of time and he ought to continue that upward trend in the Premier League, where Spurs have proven success in aiding that development – as seen by Bentancur’s impressive rise under Antonio Conte.

As such, if Paratici does manage to get a deal for the World Cup sensation done for just £13m, then it could well be another masterclass on the cards and one that would hugely benefit the Italian’s depth options heading into a hectic schedule in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

AND in other news, Paratici can make big statement by signing £78m “monster” who’s “what Tottenham need”…