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West Brom have edged closer to signing Okay Yokuslu, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Telegraph’s John Percy revealed that the Baggies were in talks with Celta Vigo over a move for the Turkey international before Saturday’s crunch match with relegation rivals Fulham.

He claims that a defensive midfield addition has been among Sam Allardyce’s priorities this transfer window, alongside a new forward too.

An initial loan deal for Yokuslu is expected to go through before the deadline on Monday. He has been cherry-picked over Leicester City youth product Hamza Choudhury.

Biggest need filled

Big Sam’s side are the leakiest defence in the Premier League, conceding a whopping 12 more goals than any other side but given he has plenty of options at the back, it’s on him to find the best partnership.

Although, an anchorman presence would certainly help as their midfield gets bypassed far too easily. Aside from rarely-seen academy graduate Sam Field, Albion do not have anyone else in the role.

When asked about the potential of defensive reinforcements, Allardyce told reporters, via BirminghamLive: “Unless I get rid of any of the six centre-halves I already have, no. I can’t bring another centre-half in when I already have six.”

But in Yokuslu, he’ll be getting a solution to this ongoing nightmare.

He also added: “If we can get a good defensive midfield player who can pass the ball as well as intercept and keep the pressure off the back four then we will try to get him.”

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Indeed, this is what the 26-year-old would bring to the Hawthorns.

Currently, Allardyce has often turned to a partnership of Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore, neither of which are defensively-minded enforcers.

In fact, the former has been the Baggies’ worst player this season with an average WhoScored rating of 6.13 – no other regular starter has managed worse.

Livermore isn’t too far behind with an average rating of 6.17.

But Sawyers has been left wanting in multiple matches this season – it’s as if he’s not adapted to the rise in opposition quality and game intensity from the Championship to the Premier League.

Per FBRef, he is dribbled past 1.53 times every 90 minutes and is only able to successfully tackle his opposite number 29.4% of the time, which is again, the worst between him and Livermore.

The 29-year-old also ranks 11th in this squad for tackles and interceptions combined per 90 (3.18).

By comparison, the €10m-rated (£9m) Celta Vigo powerhouse is managing 4.51 tackles and interceptions and is only dribbled past 1.18 times per 90, via FBRef.

That makes him the more industrious and imperious option, so no wonder Allardyce has given the nod over this move.

Yokuslu has been described as a ‘fine physical specimen’ because of his 6 foot 3 frame and is said to be a ‘swashbuckling midfielder who likes to get stuck in,’ which would be right up Big Sam’s street going by his aforementioned remarks.

To make this move even better, the imposing colossus is equally adept at playing in central defence too, so that should aid their leaky backline.

As the Yokuslu is initially coming in on loan, it’s pretty much a risk-free deal as he’s only thought to be on £29k-per-week in Spain. If they stay up, they’ll only have to pay £4.4m for him permanently too, and that could be a bargain.

Allardyce can finally stop persisting with Sawyers upon this imminent arrival, as evident above, he’s the solution to this defensive nightmare.

AND in other news, West Brom urged to sign “quality” 24-cap international…

Tottenham Hotspur retained the top spot in the Premier League with an impressive victory over their arch-rivals, Arsenal, on Sunday evening.

Jose Mourinho once again has his red-hot goalscoring duo, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, to thank as the pair combined for both goals in the 2-0 victory.

The South Korean needed just 13 minutes to get on the scoresheet as he fired home a scorcher from well outside the penalty area before the 27-year-old marksman rifled one in from close range right on half-time.

In the end, Spurs hung onto a deserved victory despite the Gunners’ second-half dominance but largely, it was all bark and no bite.

Mikel Arteta’s men managed seven attempts at goal to Spurs’ one in the final 45 minutes, and struggled to find a way past a defence that has now kept four successive clean sheets in the division.

However but for all the positivity, Mourinho will surely be unhappy with what he saw from Giovani Lo Celso, a play who has been on the receiving end of some flak in recent weeks.

The ‘Special One’ criticised the Argentinian playmaker last month:

“I feel that when he plays he’s not the Gio that we know, not the Gio that we know that he can be an amazing player. But with the ball of course great criteria and he knows what he’s doing of course, and understands the way we want to play. But we need more intensity to be fitter, to be more intense and to be stronger in the transitions.”

It was only his second start in the Premier League this season on Sunday, which only goes to show the lack of faith Mourinho currently has in him, and that’s also reflected in the fact that Lo Celso is only averaging 44.8 minutes per appearance at the moment.

That certainly feels a bit like Tanguy Ndombele from last season, and the £31.5m-rated star did himself no favours.

Per SofaScore, he won just two of eight duels (25%) and failed to register a single shot, tackle, successful dribble, accurate cross or key pass in his 72 minutes on the pitch.

Lo Celso was also wasteful in possession as he lost the ball 13 times – more than any other Spurs player bar Son – and made just 18 of 29 passes.

Given Mourinho’s comments and the lack of reaction since, it would be a surprise to see the former Betis man start again in the upcoming games, unless of course, Ndombele hasn’t returned from illness.

AND in other news, Spurs can land Mourinho his next John Terry with swoop for £50m monster…

After yet another supreme performance for England, it’s been no surprise to see Jack Grealish’s name once again hit the headlines.

But whilst the Aston Villa star produced a fine display in the Three Lions’ victory over Iceland on Wednesday night, one of his teammates at club level also delivered a timely performance: Conor Hourihane.

With John McGinn and Douglas Luiz holding down the two central midfield positions for Dean Smith’s side this season in the Premier League, Hourihane hasn’t had much of a look-in thus far, making just three appearances and 151 minutes of football.

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When on international duty with Ireland however, it’s been a different story, featuring in all of their UEFA Nations League and friendly games over the past couple of months.

And against Bulgaria on Wednesday, Hourihane sent a message to Dean Smith that he’s ready to be called upon whenever he’s needed. Whilst the game ended in a 0-0 draw, the midfielder showed off his typically silky passing, and a more defensive edge too.

As per Sofascore, his 7.4 match rating was the highest of any midfield player on the pitch, and it was easy to see why. He boasted an impressive 92% pass accuracy and 73 touches, whilst he also sent in five crosses and completed seven of his ten attempted long balls.

That’s not to mention that he made a team-high four tackles – including one last ditch one – and one interception too. If Smith was keeping an eye out on how his players were getting on over the international break, then he would have been left impressed by Hourihane’s display in mid-week.

Spurs could be looking at a potential blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester City on Sunday. Along with their recent injury updates, a concern has risen over Gareth Bale, who featured for Wales against players who later tested positive for coronavirus (via Manchester Evening News).

Whilst there’s no case of Bale having the virus himself, the rigorous testing at the club could flag something up following his international spell.

If the Real Madrid ace is forced to self-isolate, Jose Mourinho will be without options on the right-hand side. Erik Lamela will miss the City match after the manager confirmed he is “in the last period of his recovery”. This leaves only Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn to deploy in Bale’s absence. However, the Brazilian has had an inconsistent season so far – despite starting the first three Premier League games of the term, he has been limited to substitute appearances since.

Moura played just ten minutes against West Ham last month and was left on the bench in Tottenham’s narrow win over Brighton. He reappeared in the most recent match against West Brom, but was limited to a 12 minute cameo (via Transfermarkt).

With the 28-year-old being somewhat out of favour, Mourinho could take a gamble and switch up his lineup to face his former club.

Moussa Sissoko has quite often played on the right for France – as he did against Sweden earlier this week – and puts his pace to good use down the flank. The gaffer could opt to put the £90,000 per week midfielder’s versatility to the test and position him on the right-hand side against City.

It will be a daring move with Bergwijn and Moura available for selection, but Sissoko’s balance of both attacking and defensive abilities will help get Spurs over the line.

Tony Cascarino was full of praise for Sissoko last season for making easy work of taking on Manchester City’s defence. He lauded the 31-year-old for his “danger” on the ball and claimed that once he beats his man, “there is no way he is going to be stopped”.

This would of course leave a gap in the midfield, which Mourinho can play safe with and start Harry Winks alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The two defensive midfielders will hopefully help to keep the likes of Kevin De Bruyne at bay.

It will certainly be a bold and potentially risky tactic from Mourinho, but Pep Guardiola will not be expecting it. Catching them out with the element of surprise could work very well in Spurs’ favour, who are currently second in the league table.

In other news, Dele Alli situation could brew storm between Daniel Levy & Jose Mourinho…

Lots of Newcastle United fans have been slamming the decision from Steve Bruce to not play Isaac Hayden versus Southampton in the Premier League.

Indeed, the former England U21 international was left on the bench for the game and was not brought on by Bruce during the match either.

The St. James’ Park faithful ended up losing the game 2-0 at St. Mary’s Stadium thanks to goals from Che Adams very early on in the first half and Stuart Armstrong late on in the second.

Saints ended up having 60% possession of the ball, with 15 shots and 561 passes recorded (Sofascore), and if Hayden would have played Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team may not have been as dominant in the middle third especially.

The defensive midfield player has won 5.2 of his duels per appearance in the top flight so far in the 2020/21 term, as well as averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.3 clearances and 1.3 interceptions a game (Sofascore).

Newcastle fan reaction to Bruce’s decision on Hayden

These members of the Toon Army blasted the decision by Bruce not to play Hayden on Twitter:

In other news, find out which Magpies star was slammed for his display here!

Tottenham Hotspur are not interested in signing Jesse Lingard or Wout Weghorst in the current transfer window, that is according to reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold.

It has been a busy few weeks for Spurs who have moved to bolster their squad for the 2020/21 campaign. Joe Hart, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt Doherty were all brought in prior to the season kicking off, whilst Sergio Reguilon and Gareth Bale have now also arrived.

However, it seems that the spending won’t stop there as Jose Mourinho has admitted that he still wants another two additions before the window closes in early October.

Two names who have been linked with moves to north London are Lingard and Weghorst. The Times suggested that Mourinho was keen to reunite with the £15.75m-valued Manchester United midfielder, with The Mirror then claiming that any move hinged on Dele Alli’s future.

Meanwhile Weghorst, who is valued at £27m, has been touted to join Spurs by De Telegraaf, who suggest that he is seen as an ideal back-up option to star striker Harry Kane.

But links to both players have now been downplayed by Gold, who has suggested that “links with Spurs looking to sign Jesse Lingard and/or Wout Weghorst are wide of the mark.”

Lingard has struggled for game time at Old Trafford recently under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, making just five Premier League appearances for the Red Devils during 2020, just one of which was a start (Transfermarkt).

Weghorst on the other hand has been a regular for Wolfsburg and was prolific in the Bundesliga last season, netting 16 goals in 32 appearances whilst also chipping in with three assists.

However, whilst it seems that Mourinho is keen on a couple more additions in the next few weeks, including a back-up striker, it looks as though these two players will not be following Bale and co through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs fans, do you think that the club should sign Weghorst and Lingard? Let us know below…

Having secured Premier League football for another season, all attentions at Aston Villa will firmly be on how the club can strengthen their squad for the start of the new campaign next month.

Dean Smith’s side spent heavily last summer in a bid to beat the drop, and The Athletic claim that “as much as £80m could be invested”, with “two or three signings expected to go straight into Dean Smith’s strongest starting XI and a couple of others targeted to freshen up the squad”.

One man who has been linked with a move to Villa Park, is Brentford defender Rico Henry. Reports have suggested that Villa are searching for players with pace, and are keen on bringing in some wing-backs this summer, with the Bees ace fitting that description to a tee.

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The 23-year-old played 51 games last season as Brentford fell short at the last hurdle in the Championship play-off final against Fulham, playing the majority of his games at left-back, and at left-midfield too.

Henry has actually previously worked with Villa boss Dean Smith, when the pair were at Walsall together.

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And speaking after the youngster was voted Football League Young Player of the Month back in October 2015, Smith said: “If I were to liken him to anyone it would be a young Ashley Cole. And it’s up to him how far he can now go in the game. I’ve recommended him a couple of times to the England Under-19s because, if there’s a better left-sided player in the country at 18 years of age, I’d like to see them.

“He’s a pleasure to coach and to have around the place, not just as a footballer but as a person. He’s got a great personality, which will hold him in good stead. He’s got a good engine and pace, he can get up and down the pitch and he’s got two goals already this season which is very good for a left-back.”

With Smith himself knowing all about Henry’s qualities, Villa can strike gold by bringing the Brentford speedster to the club this summer. It would give them a left-back who could potentially be a part of the back-line for at least the next five years or so.

تحدث محمد أسامة طبيب فريق الكرة الأول بنادي الزمالك، عن إصابة محمد عبد الشافي الظهير الأيسر، التي تسببت في غيابه عن معسكر منتخب مصر، وموقفه من مواجهة توسكر الكيني.

ويجري منتخب مصر معسكره الأول تحت القيادة الفنية للمدرب الجديد كارلوس كيروش، لمواجهة ليبيريا وديًا استعدادًا لمواجهتي ليبيا في تصفيات كأس العالم قطر 2022.

وقال أسامة في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “أون تايم سبورتس”: “محمد عبد الشافي يُعاني من أزمات في الركبة تحتاج لفترة راحة فقط”.

طالع | قبل العودة للزمالك.. فاتح تريم يمنح مصطفى محمد فرصة أخيرة في جالطة سراي

وأضاف: “الأمر بسيط ولم يكن هناك داعي لتضخيمه، واتفقت مع طبيب المنتخب على استكمال البرنامج العلاجي للاعب، وعدم انضمامه لمعسكر منتخب مصر”.

وأردف: “عبد الشافي يُعاني من خشونة في الركبة، وسيخضع لنظام طبي معين وسنعطيه حقن، وإن شاء الله هناك احتمال أن ينجح في اللحاق بمباراة توسكر الكيني”.

واختتم: “عبد الله جمعة عاد إلى التدريبات ولا يُعاني من أي إصابة، وفريق الزمالك كله بلا إصابات”.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه نظيره فريق بيراميدز وديًا مساء غدٍ الخميس في إطار استعداداته لمواجهة توسكر الكيني في دوري أبطال إفريقيا. 

MatériaMais Notícias

Um dos parceiros de Cuca nos tempos de jogador na Academia de Futebol, Mazinho encheu a bola do treinador do Palmeiras. No mês em que completa 50 anos, o ex-volante e lateral-direito, campeão de quase tudo pelo Verdão nos anos 90, deu apoio ao comandante em entrevista à revista do clube que é enviada mensalmente para sócios-torcedores e associados.

-Se eu tiver de dizer alguma coisa para a torcida é de que confiem no Cuca. É um treinador que conhece bem o clube, sabe todos os movimentos internos e externos, sempre foi comprometido e trabalhador. Mas é preciso dar tempo ao tempo – comentou o ex-atleta, que atualmente vive em Barcelona e gerencia as carreiras dos dois filhos, Thiago Alcântara, do Bayern Munique (ALE), e Rafael Alcântara, no Barcelona (ESP).

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-Saímos da 12ª colocação no Paulistão e avançamos para a final. A partir dali, tive a certeza de que uma semente havia sido plantada. A base do grupo de 1992 ficou para o ano seguinte, o que ajudou a fortalecer o elenco campeão – disse Mazinho, lembrando do ano em que atuou com Cuca no Palmeiras.

O ex-atleta foi campeão com a seleção na Copa América de 1989 e chegou à Copa de 90 atuando como lateral-esquerdo, jogando pelo Vasco. No Palmeiras, foi contratado como lateral-direito, posição em que ajudou o Verdão a ser campeão paulista de 1993. Depois, passou a ser volante, posição a qual brilhou e conseguiu uma vaga na Copa de 1994. Um jogo decisivo para a convocação foi Palmeiras 6 x 1 Boca Juniors (ARG), pela Libertadores do mesmo ano.

– Sem dúvida. Eu carimbei meu retorno à Seleção naquele jogo. Fiz grandes partidas ao longo da minha carreira, mas essa foi a mais marcante. Lembro que teve uma comoção muito grande da imprensa em torno do meu nome, mas me lembro do estádio inteiro pedindo meu nome na Seleção. A torcida teve uma participação fundamental. Costumo dizer que minha passagem pelo Palmeiras foi emocionante por dois motivos: consegui ajudar o clube a sair da fila e disputei uma Copa do Mundo – disse Mazinho.

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Leicester City welcome Crystal Palace to the King Power Stadium on Saturday in a battle between two sides trying to recapture their best form.

The Foxes are now eight points adrift of second-placed Manchester City following two consecutive draws and a defeat to Everton, and will be looking over their shoulders at Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United below them.

Palace, meanwhile, seem to have opened up a big enough gap over the bottom three to be sure of their survival, but can still be hopeful of a top 10 finish.

Roy Hodgson’s team are only three points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in seventh and while they have suffered two defeats since the resumption of football, European qualification remains a possibility.

Form

Leicester have not found their best form following the resumption of Premier League football and are now just three points clear of Wolves in sixth.

Brendan Rodgers’ side have just one win from their last six matches following a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park in midweek and were also knocked out of the FA Cup against Chelsea last weekend, so a return to winning ways would be very welcome.

Palace also lost to Burnley on Monday following a 4-0 defeat at the hands of champions Liverpool but had won their four games prior to that.

Goal scoring remains an issue for the South London side, but their five goals conceded in their last two will perhaps be of more concern to coach Hodgson.

Team news

Daniel Amartey and Ricardo Pereira are Leicester’s only injury concerns going into the game at the weekend, with neither player likely to feature again this season.

James Maddison is one player who could come back in after starting on the bench against Everton, while Demarai Gray, Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho could all be pushing for recalls.

Crystal Palace meanwhile will continue to be without long-term injury worries Martin Kelly, Jeffrey Schlupp and James Tomkins, although Kelly and Schlupp are being assessed with an eye to a return shortly.

Christian Benteke is a major doubt due to a thigh injury and is facing a race against time if he is to feature.

How to watch

One of five live matches happening in the Premier League this Saturday, the game at the King Power Stadium kicks off at 15:00 UTC.

The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, while fans can also follow the game by watching live stream football.