According to reports in The Sun, Ronald Koeman is set to have his transfer dreams dashed by Barcelona who have moved in on his Ajax target Davinson Sanchez.
What’s the word?
We discussed earlier this week that Koeman was looking to break his club’s transfer record by bringing Virgil van Dijk to Goodison and it seems that’s not the only centre-back he’s been looking at ahead of the January transfer window.
Young starlet Sanchez is one of Colombia’s top prospects, and has performed well in his debut season at Ajax.
The Sun report that Sanchez has been attracting attention from Koeman but that Barcelona have already moved in to take him to the Nou Camp.
Quoted in the report, Ajax coach Tonny Bruins said: “Barca are lucky because otherwise Davinson Sanchez would already be playing at Everton under the orders of Ronald Koeman, who is enthusiastic about the boy. He has personally confirmed this to me on several occasions.”
Is there still a chance he could arrive at Goodison?
The Sun reports that Sanchez has already rejected a chance to join Barcelona, unhappy that he would be shipped out to their ‘B’ team in the lower leagues rather than being allowed to star for first-team alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
If that’s still the case, then there’s potentially still hope for Koeman in attracting the 20-year-old to Liverpool, although he would need a work permit to play in the Premier League.
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Worth the fuss?
Sanchez has already won one of the world’s most prestigious club trophies, while he was part of the Atletico Nacional side that won the Copa Libertadores earlier this year – the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.
A tough tackler with plenty of pace, he has the potential to be a first-team regular for years to come at Everton.
He’s featured in 17 matches for Ajax this campaign, helping his team to seven clean sheets, almost half of his games.
Also already a Colombia international, it’s clear the 20-year old has something about him and all this gossip about his future may just be the start of a transfer chase involving more of Europe’s biggest clubs.
As reported by The Daily Mirror, Everton are planning a January move for Leicester winger Demarai Gray as a direct replacement for Yannick Bolasie who suffered a horror injury last week.
What’s the word?
Yannick Bolasie was a big money summer signing for Everton, moving after an impressive season at Crystal Palace.
Unfortunately for the player, the club and the Toffees’ fans Bolasie suffered a severe knee injury last Sunday at home to Manchester United.
Now Ronald Koeman is on the search of a replacement and if The Mirror are right, have found their man.
The paper reports that Everton had already been tracking the progress of Gray, who joined Leicester in January, with a view to signing him next summer.
Those plans have been hastened and now they reckon Koeman wants the England U21 international in January.
Why would he move from the champions?
Gray has actually found his first team football under Ranieri limited and despite playing a star cameo role in the league run-in last season, didn’t in fact start a single game.
He’s continued that pattern this season and a move to Everton could present a fresh chance to become a regular starter in the Premier League.
Everton would be obtaining a talented young winger who has represented England at every youth level from U18s up.
With over 100 professional appearances at the age of 21 already, fans wouldn’t need to worry that he doesn’t have what it takes to come in and play for the first team from the off.
The structure of the World Cup has been ripped up and altered after the FIFA council approved a new proposal.
The 2026 tournament will now include 48 teams, rather than the traditional 32 who compete for the coveted trophy.
At a meeting in Zurich today, the council unanimously agreed to expand the competition, according to BBC Sport.
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So, what does it all mean for the format? Well, there will be 16 groups from A to P with three teams in each, and the top two nations will qualify for the knockout rounds of the last 32.
In total, 80 matches will be played in the expanded tournament, which will run for 32 days.
The overhaul of the World Cup structure has raised eyebrows, mainly because of the significant revenue for FIFA.
The world governing body found through its own research that the new-look tournament could rake in a potential increase of £521m.
This is the first time since 1998 that the World Cup has had reform.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told his players that they should “enjoy” their games more, despite a disappointing run.
The Merseyside outfit have not won any of their last three Premier League games, which has pushed them 10 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea.
The Reds went from second to fourth last weekend following a 3-2 defeat to relegation battlers Swansea City at Anfield.
Klopp’s men fought from 2-0 down to draw level 2-2 thanks to goals from Roberto Firmino, but they were undone in the 74th minute when Gylfi Sigurdsson found the winner for Swansea.
Liverpool have been criticised for their defensive frailties this season, having conceded 27 league goals and recording just six clean sheets.
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At the other end of the pitch, the Merseyside outfit have a strong attacking presence, and Klopp has told the players to start enjoying their high-tempo style.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss told the UK’s written press:
“We are Liverpool, a really good football-playing side, and we don’t enjoy the job we have to do. It is not as though we are a team at the bottom of the league that has to defend 80 per cent or 90 per cent of the time.
“In most of our games we are dominant, so we have to enjoy this, even when we don’t come through after five minutes.”
Liverpool face a must-win clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday, but if they lose to the title favourites, then their chances of winning the league will be dashed.
Had Arsenal beaten Watford in midweek, the gap between the two teams would stand at six points. As it stands, it’s nine points instead, after a limp start gave the Gunners too much of a mountain to climb as they succumbed to a defeat to Watford.
The dynamic of Arsenal’s visit to Stamford Bridge, our Fixture in Focus this week, has changed dramatically as a result.
Chelsea lost to Tottenham and drew with Liverpool in January, and although they’re not exactly enduring a slump in form, had Arsenal closed the gap to six points this week prior to their meeting with Conte’s side this weekend, the pressure on Chelsea would be at its highest level yet this season. Defeat would have then seen their lead cut to only three points and seen Chelsea put under the sort or pressure they really haven’t felt all season.
Instead, once again, you really can’t rely on Arsenal. An easy victory was expected for the Gunners at home to Watford, but perhaps the lure of an actual title race was too much for them. Maybe it’s easier to talk about winning the title than actually setting out to do it. The Watford result seems to suggest that.
The bigger issue for most neutrals, though, is the fact that Saturday afternoon’s big game is no longer Saturday afternoon’s big game. If Arsenal win, they maybe – just maybe – there is room for Chelsea to slip up, and to put them under pressure once again. But the dynamic is different from what it could so easily have been.
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From a game in which Chelsea somehow found themselves under pressure to get a result against a side high in confidence, it is now a game where Chelsea know exactly what they need to do against a team who have just lost to a side everyone expected them to beat, and are in crisis once again.
It goes deeper than simply being a must-win game for Arsenal. If the neutral feels robbed of the spectacle, it’s because of both teams and the situation they find themselves in.
Arsenal are without most of their central midfielders, they’re short on form, there’s a feeling they’ve thrown away yet another title tilt because of their own incompetence and their manager is banned from the touchline – though whether that actually matters much is subject to debate.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are a machine. They are a tank with caterpillar wheels roaming over the terrain of the Premier League. They are armoured and seemingly unstoppable. They are relentless and very well drilled. And they have this mentality, one that means they are totally happy to sit back and soak up the pressure, one that allowed them to be totally happy with a point at Anfield, where they took a lead in the first half and were totally content with the situation because it meant Liverpool had to score twice. It’s like they are now treating the league as a knockout competition and claiming victories on away goals.
Conte’s men are so far ahead of the chasing pack that they simply don’t need to care about winning so long as they don’t lose. And if they don’t lose this weekend that should be good enough.
The neutrals have been robbed of the spectacle, not just in this game, but in a league where it all looked so promising. There were six teams capable of winning it. Six teams with great managers, great players, and mostly interesting styles of play. It felt like the Premier League was back to the top of the European pyramid, or fast approaching it. It felt like we no longer had to cringe a little bit when someone called the English top division the ‘Best League in the World’.
Now, we have one team who surely can’t be caught, and five other teams battling for three Champions League spots and wondering how they could have spent so much money this summer – nearly £560m between them – and yet come up so short. Two will be very disappointed when they have to settle for the Europa League next season.
There’s something not quite right about Arsenal’s visit to Stamford Bridge this weekend. That might make it all the more likely that Arsenal surprise with a well-earned victory. But Chelsea are surely too machine-like for that.
Arsenal fans are likely still reeling from that 3-1 defeat to Chelsea last weekend, which was made all the more embarrassing by a late goal from former Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal No.1 Petr Cech played a fateful hand in that, inadvertently passing the ball to his one-time Blues team-mate, who swiftly latched onto it and chipped it over the Czech shot-stopper.
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That has lead to claims of long-term concerns over Cech’s form amongst those in power at the Emirates Stadium, particularly in regards to his distribution.
The Daily Star even alleged earlier this week that Cech will be dropped for Arsenal’s coming Premier League clash with Hull City on Saturday, with understudy David Ospina taking his place in the starting XI.
We thought we’d bring the issue straight to the Arsenal fan base, asking them to vote for whether or not Cech should be dropped in our exclusive poll.
Well, the results are now in and although the verdict was by no means unanimous, a significant 61% want to see Ospina start instead against the Tigers.
Does Arsene Wenger feel the same? We’ll have to wait and see.
Mauricio Pochettino has handed Tottenham Hotspur a huge boost by stating he’s happy at the club and isn’t interested in links to a job with Barcelona, The Daily Mail reports.
What’s the word?
After a fairly uninspiring campaign in La Liga and an atrocious performance in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening, Luis Enrique’s time with Barcelona seems to be up- and Mauricio Pochettino has been touted as a potential replacement.
The Argentine boss has done a fantastic job at White Hart Lane, turning top-four hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur into a side capable of challenging for the Premier League, so interest in the boss’ services is not surprising.
However, Pochettino himself seems keen to remain loyal to the project he has undertaken in North London and isn’t interested in a move to Catalonia- despite the wealth of talent available to the Spanish side.
What was said?
Speaking ahead of Spurs’ Europa League clash with Gent this evening, Pochettino addressed rumours by saying:
‘I can’t say anything about that. I’m at Tottenham. I am very happy, four more years of contract, and enjoying an exciting project. It’s true it’s not an easy project, but I’m very happy here.’
Is this the right call?
Unfortunately for Tottenham fans, Mauricio Pochettino’s future will likely see the Argentine boss move to a bigger side in Europe. However, this summer certainly isn’t the right time for Pochettino to make a move as Spurs’ success hangs in the balance.
With Spurs moving to Wembley for next season, for the final reconstruction of White Hart Lane, Pochettino’s side will have a lot of issues to overcome and a failure to qualify for the Champions League in either this season or the next could severely hurt their long-term chances.
If Pochettino were to leave, key-players like Hugo Lloris, Danny Rose, Dele Alli and Harry Kane could follow- so Spurs will battle with everything they have to keep the Argentine boss within their clutches.
Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira has flown to England to discuss two deals with Manchester United and Manchester City for two of the club’s biggest talents, Portuguese outlet A Bola reports.
What’s the word?
The Premier League campaigns of both Manchester United and Manchester City have identified frailties in their squads, which Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will be keen to fix this summer- and the solution could come from Benfica.
A Bola reports the Portuguese side’s president is in the north west to discuss a potential double-deal that could see Nelson Semedo and Ederson Moraes move to the Premier League, with the former joining United and the latter moving to Manchester City.
Remarkably, the two deals combined could earn Benfica a whopping £67.7m.
Why are they needed?
Semedo and Moraes would both significantly improve the relevant areas of Manchester United and Manchester City, with the full-back strengthening Mourinho’s options at Old Trafford whilst Moraes could become City’s new first-choice goalkeeper.
United’s options at full-back are extremely limited, with question marks raised as to whether Matteo Darmian is good enough, and Semedo could fill the position for the next decade- becoming the new Patrice Evra, albeit on the opposite side.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Moraes has been earmarked by Pep Guardiola as the solution to his goalkeeping woes, with summer signing Claudio Bravo enduring a troubled debut season in the Premier League whilst Willy Cabellaro also has question marks on him. Joe Hart, it seems, is out of the picture entirely.
He’s been linked with Chelsea, who seem to have few problems defensively right now, but when Leonardo Bonucci is available, he’s only going to make your team better. The fact that Bonucci will know what to expect both from Antonio Conte and Chelsea’s back three system makes it even more of a perfect fit.
In fact, with Cesar Azpilicueta a possible replacement for either Marcos Alonso or Victor Moses, Chelsea may not even have to change up their back line in order to accommodate him.
But his sensational performance at the weekend did two things: it proved he’s not petulantly looking for a move away from his current club, and it also proves that if he does move, he’ll be a perfect signing for pretty much any Premier League team there is.
At the weekend, Bonucci may well have felt at fault for Duvan Zapata’s opener, but after that he controlled the game for Max Allegri’s side, coming up with 87 touches and 72 passes, with an accuracy of 90%.
He’s clearly the kind of centre back the Premier League is falling in love with: good on the ball and able to set up attacks, but he did have a more important contribution for his team, too: he scored the equaliser, a goal which extended Juve’s lead at the top of Serie A.
If he is a realistic target for Antonio Conte this summer, the stats show that he’ll surely fit easily into a back three who often control the base upon which Chelsea’s attack is built, and might even bring a goal threat at the other end, too.
It seems a day doesn’t pass without a completely speculative update on Wayne Rooney’s future and 21st March 2017 is no different. In fact, the Manchester United captain’s omission from the latest England squad, which may or may not be due to an injury, has only heightened talk of him leaving Old Trafford behind this summer.
We’ve heard plenty of chatter about the Chinese Super League and the MLS, but the latest reports from Sky Sports have mooted West Ham as a potential next destination, with an Irons insider allegedly confirming the east Londoners will be one of the clubs interested should the veteran forward become available this summer.
No doubt, the Hammers are in need of a new frontman. Star striker Andy Carroll suffers too many injuries to be relied upon, whilst it speaks volumes that West Ham’s two top scorers in the Premier League this term are midfielders Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini.
But it’s safe to say not everybody is convinced by the idea of Rooney moving to the London Stadium. In fact, Manchester United and West Ham fans are struggling to hold their sides together…
And even supporters from rival clubs, including Arsenal and Spurs, have joined in the mocking on Twitter: