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Chelsea are one of the most interesting teams in the Premier League at the moment, as their strategy is markedly different from that of their rivals in the traditional 'big six.'

The decision to spend enormous sums of money on highly-rated but relatively unproven youngsters is an incredibly high-risk move, and while it might still come good in the long term, it's not led to pleasant viewing for the fans this season.

The likes of Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo all arrived at the club with hefty price tags, and aside from Palmer, it would be hard to argue that any of them have lived up to their potential as of yet.

This situation is made all the more puzzling by the club's decision to sell so many of their talented youngsters in the past, such as Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marc Guehi.

However, there is one player the club released as a youngster that currently stands out as the worst decision of them all, especially as he's outperforming Caicedo this season and is now worth more.

Declan Rice's post-Chelsea career

Unsurprisingly, the player in question is former West Ham United captain and current Arsenal star Declan Rice.

The England international started his footballing journey with the west Londoners as a young boy, but at age 14, he was surprised with the news that his services were no longer wanted by the Blues, which Rice described as "extremely tough" to deal with as a youngster.

However, he was soon a part of West Ham's academy, and after working his way through the youth sides, he made his Premier League debut at 18 years old on 21 May 2017, against Burnley.

Just over three years later, with Mark Noble injured, David Moyes gave Rice the captain's armband in a league game for the first time, and he would wear it in 21 games the following season.

The Kingston upon Thames-born "controller", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, became the leading figure for the Irons as time went on, and by the time he finally left, he had made 245 appearances for the first team and helped them lift the Europa Conference League, leaving as a bonafide legend – even if some fans weren't best pleased with his choice of destination.

How Declan Rice compares to Moises Caicedo this season

When a player moves for as much money as Rice did in the summer – £105m – there is always a chance that they'll fail to live up to the expectations placed upon them, or worse still, flop altogether.

However, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who would describe the 24-year-old's move to the Gunners as anything other than a success, as in his 33 appearances so far this season, he has been immense in his defensive duties, and he has chipped in with four goals and five assists to boot.

In comparison, Caicedo, who cost around £115m, has been anonymous in attack as he has failed to score a single goal and has provided just a single assist in his 30 appearances for the Blues.

However, with neither player being signed for their attacking output, how do their underlying numbers compare this season? Does the Ecuadorian international come out on top regarding passing or defending?

Well, unfortunately for Mauricio Pochettino, his record-breaking signing comes out on top in just one metric, passing accuracy, and even then, it's by just 0.9%, which is likely due to his tendency to make fewer passes per game.

Rice

Caicedo

8.91

5.16

1.97

0.48

90.4%

91.3%

2.36

1.89

1.48

0.91

3.71

3.28

1.70

1.24

0.79

1.29

0.61

0.75

1.14

1.08

In contrast, Arsenal's "dominator", as Kulig described him, comes out on top in every other relevant metric, including progressive passes and carries, shot-creating actions, interceptions + tackles, clearances and aerial duels and he is less likely to miscontrol the ball or be dispossessed as well.

Rice's superior underlying numbers are also represented in his valuation, as CIES Football Observatory values the Englishman at €100m, or about £86m. In comparison, they value Caicedo at just €60m, which is about £51m – or about £64m less than what he cost the club.

Chelsea must regret selling £58m flop who's now outscoring Cole Palmer

The experienced forward has been on fire this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 15, 2024

Ultimately, the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace may still come good for the Blues, but as things stand, it's hard to disagree with former Blues star Frank Lebouef, who described the club's decision to release the Englishman all those years ago as a "huge, huge mistake."

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Quais daqueles torcedores ou analistas mais fanáticos não desconfiaram de uma suposta entrega do Corinthians para o Novorizontino a fim de prejudicar o Palmeiras? Muitos, não é? Acontece que a atuação do Timão dentro de campo destruiu essa hipótese e mostrou um elenco digno da enormidade do clube. Para completar, o jogo ainda trouxe coisas valiosas para o trabalho de Mancini.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFutebol NacionalCom quatro times da Série A, Paulistão define mata-mata; veja os confrontos e rebaixadosFutebol Nacional09/05/2021CorinthiansATUAÇÕES: Estreante Mandaca é o destaque de vitória do Corinthians no PaulistãoCorinthians09/05/2021CorinthiansMandaca comemora estreia com gol pelo Corinthians e dedica o tento a mãe: ‘Dia inesquecível’Corinthians09/05/2021

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> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2021 clicando aqui

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> Fagner 400 jogos! Veja jogadores que mais vestiram a camisa do Corinthians

Já garantido nas quartas de final do Paulistão e sem se preocupar em perder a liderança do grupo, o Alvinegro foi para a Neo Química Arena sem pressão, podendo jogar um futebol mais solto e foi isso que a equipe escolhida pelo treinador fez durante os mais de 90 minutos do duelo. Com a ausência dos titulares, poupados, quem entrou mostrou valor para poder ser utilizado.

Fica até feio chamar de “reserva” um time com Bruno Méndez, Gil, Fábio Santos, Camacho, Mateus Vital e Jô, mas essa é a condição atual deles pelo que têm mostrado as escalações de Vagner Mancini. A questão é que boa parte deles pôde mostrar que a condição é subjetiva, pois se houver esse equilíbrio entre “reservas” e “titulares”, quem vai ganhar, nesse caso, é o Corinthians.

No entanto, não foram apenas os veteranos que puderam mostrar serviços. Os jovens também se destacaram, como Mandaca, que estreou no último domingo. O volante atuou improvisado na lateral direita e fez um jogo pra lá de consistente, com direito a gol da vitória. Já Matheus Donelli, Roni e Gabriel Pereira mostraram muita segurança em suas funções e passaram no “teste”.

Além da parte esportiva, que deixou uma ótima impressão, o quesito dignidade foi um destaque altamente positivo. Mesmo com a pressão de fora vinda de alguns corintianos (ou não) para “entregar” o jogo para o Novorizontino, o elenco passou ao largo disso e fez o que a história do Corinthians pede, que é vencer e honrar a camisa que vestem. Mas também, tolos aqueles que acham que neste momento do clube alguém cogitaria cometer tal atrocidade.

Em um ano de reconstrução e de adaptação dos jovens no elenco principal, o Timão não pode ter o luxo de “perder” para qualquer equipe. Todas as vitórias servem para construir a confiança desde os garotos até os mais velhos, que precisam de afirmação. Imagine a importância dessa partida para Mandaca e o que representa marcar um gol em sua estreia pelo Corinthians, principalmente sendo na Neo Química Arena. Não há preço ou rivalidade que pague por isso.

Com um calendário apertado, que vai exigir, mais do que nunca, um elenco forte e homogêneo, Vagner Mancini deve ter ficado feliz com o que viu em campo, ainda mais nas partidas decisivas que virão nas próximas semanas. A confiança adquirida também deve ter sido motivo de comemoração no vestiário e entre os deuses corintianos, que agradeceram tamanha dignidade.

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Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy by extension are planning to make a "top-level" signing for manager Ange Postecoglou this summer.

Spurs back Postecoglou with key January signings

In their race to seal a top four finish and Champions League qualification, it was imperative for Spurs to back Postecoglou with key signings like Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin in the January window.

"World-class" Tottenham star may now consider leaving after developments

He could apparently “reassess his future” this summer.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 22, 2024

Dragusin, who joined in a £25 million deal from Genoa, came in to provide a much-needed back up centre-back option to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Van de ven's injury absence earlier this season really crippled Postecoglou's side for a period, while Romero appears consistently flirts with suspension.

Werner's addition gifts Tottenham some attacking versatility in the forward areas, and he got off to a good start, bagging two assists in his first two top flight matches.

Crystal Palace (home)

March 2nd

Aston Villa (away)

March 10th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Luton Town (home)

March 30th

West Ham (away)

April 2nd

Reports suggest Spurs are already planning for the summer window, and it is believed that another major defensive signing could be in the offing. Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite is among the options Levy and co are considering ahead of the summer, among a few others, with Postecoglou seemingly plotting a defensive reshuffle.

Tottenham planning to make "top-level" defender signing

Now, according to journalist Dean Jones, Tottenham are indeed planning to make a "top level" defender signing this summer as the club cast their net far and wide.

“The situation hasn't changed, and Tottenham have always intended to sign two top-level centre-backs across 2024," said Jones.

"They’ve got one through the door, and now, in the summer window, the plan is to go after another. Calafiori and Morato might be mentioned now, but the net is being cast wider than that. They’ve got some interesting options opening up to them. Still, from what I understand, they’re not committing at this stage, even though they want to make early moves in the summer transfer window similar to how they did in the winter market.”

In terms of the players linked, we believe Branthwaite could be the best option for Spurs, albeit a potentially expensive one. Homegrown and playing a starring role for Everton this season, Sky pundit Jamie Carragher is among the 21-year-old's growing list of admirers.

"I think he is [special]. And what is really special as well is the amount of centre-backs we have in the Premier League aged 21 or younger," said Carragher on Sky.

“I remember being a young lad going in myself at Liverpool and it’s an unforgiven position, I had to go to full-back for the next three or four years and then go back to centre-back, so you can see the quality we have.

“Branthwaite has been outstanding, Murillo I think has been outstanding. But I think this lad has been pretty special and he’s a big part of why in my eyes Everton still have a great chance of staying up, him and his partnership with Tarkowski.”

Former Glamorgan batsman rekindles best form with 173 from 144 balls

ECB Reporters Network06-Jul-2019

Aneurin Donald•Getty Images

Ian Holland scored his maiden first-class century and Aneurin Donald reached three figures for the first time since joining Hampshire during the first day of their Specsavers County Championship fixture with Warwickshire.Holland provided the glue to the Hampshire innings having been promoted to open, while housemate Donald added the flair and fireworks. The pair smashed an 82-year record for the fifth wicket for Hampshire, as they clubbed 262 together, beating the 235-stand between Gerry Hill and Donald Walker at Portsmouth in 1937.Hampshire were also boosted by Sam Northeast’s half-century; on the day he was called up for the England Lions squad to face Australia A at Canterbury next weekend.Warwickshire had elected to field without a toss on a green-tinged wicket, under glorious blue skies. They were able to call on Olly Stone for the first time this season. Fast bowler Stone has been sidelined since January after picking up a bone stress injury in his lower back while on England duty in the West Indies.After almost seven months out it only took 19 balls before he found himself back in the wicket-taking fold as he located Felix Organ’s outside edge, the ball flying to the second slip. Stone didn’t take long to grab a second scalp as India Test star Ajinkya Rahane caressed a boundary first ball before nicking to Will Rhodes as first slip next ball.With the ball nipping around, and Hampshire 31 for 2, Northeast and Holland needed to rebuild. And they did with a 98-run stand, which negated the new ball and built a strong foundation for the rest of the day’s play.Northeast fell for 59, after a 54-ball fifty, soon after lunch when Oliver Hannon-Dalby produced a near-unplayable delivery to find an edge behind. Rilee Rossouw provided a precursor to what was to come with a typically entertaining 34 before he was bowled off his pads by a spearing delivery from spinner Jeetan Patel.From then on in it was Holland and Donald dominating the Warwickshire bowling. Holland was boosted up the batting order to replace the out-of-form Oli Soames and Joe Weatherley, who has broken his ankle, as he returned to the side.He was watchful to reach a 103-ball fifty and continued to climb to three figures while allowing the attacking to be done from the other end. Holland, who rose to fame in Australia for winning reality cricket TV show Cricket Superstar, eased past his previous best of 58 before reaching a ton in 201 deliveries – bringing up the milestone with a deft sweep.While Holland grafted for his runs, Donald looked at ease from ball one as he scored at a comfortable run-a-ball, picking up a half-century in 48-balls. The 22-year-old Welshman, who joined from Glamorgan at the end of last year, went on to his first century since July 2016, his breakthrough double ton, in 103-balls.But it was his next 20 balls which left the Ageas Bowl with a collective jaw-drop as he moved from 100 to 150 with sixes and fours galore.Holland reached 143, as he showed some attacking intent before he edged Stone behind to end the mammoth partnership. Donald also failed to see out the day when he top edged the final ball to deep square leg – he ended on 173 with five sixes and 21 fours from 143 balls. Hampshire closing on 450 for six.

Chelsea fans are enduring a second year of footballing misery this season, as they sit tenth in the Premier League, miles off the Champions League places and 1-0 down in their League Cup semi-final against Championship side Middlesbrough.

Mauricio Pochettino has been unable to build a cohesive team with the wave of new players he was handed in the summer, and a number of those recent acquisitions could already be on the precipice of an early exit from Stamford Bridge.

For example, Axel Disasi has been a regular in the side since joining in the summer. Still, he has been underwhelming at best, and now, with Athletic Bilbao's Aitor Paredes linked to the club, the Frenchman could be about to lose his place.

Chelsea transfer news – Aitor Paredes

According to a recent report from the Sun, Chelsea are keen to add Athletic Bilbao's Paredes to their defensive ranks this month, and even sent scouts to watch him play against Seville last week.

The report has also revealed that, alongside the Blues, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Serie A behemoths Inter Milan are interested in securing the 23-year-old's signature this winter.

Should Todd Boehly and Co manage to get ahead of the competition, then they won't have to break the bank to get this deal over the line, as the Sun claim that a fee in the region of £20m should be enough to tempt Bilbao into selling due to the defender's contract expiring next summer.

In the case this deal goes through, the comparison to former captain Cesar Azpilicueta might become hard to ignore, and if he performs even close to the level of the Spaniard, that could spell trouble for Disasi.

Aitor Paredes' style of play

Azpilicueta had a brilliant career in west London, and considering he was bought for just £7m, he might well be one of the greatest transfers in the club's history – having made 508 appearances in all competitions, while winning a plethora of major honours.

With that in mind, comparing the young and relatively inexperienced Paredes to him could be construed as too kind, but there are a couple of key similarities.

First, both are defensively-minded players who can be deployed as both a centre-back and full-back depending on what is needed at the time, and second, they're both Spaniards who – if this deal does go ahead – would have joined the Blues early on in their careers and at similar ages.

While Blues fans would surely be delighted with a defender who could potentially replicate the career of a former captain, Disasi might be less pleased, as he would surely see a dramatic drop in his game time if he wasn't just sold altogether.

How Paredes compares to Disasi

The former AS Monaco man has featured in 90% of Pochettino's Premier League starting XIs this season, but in the words of talkSPORT pundit Andy Jacobs, he's been "a disaster."

Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, the board also don't seem to have a particularly favourable opinion of him either, as only last month, TEAMtalk revealed that he was among several names that the club would be willing to sell in January to raise funds.

So, how do the pair stack up when you compare their underlying numbers? Well, while there are a couple of areas in which the Chelsea man comes out on top, such as tackles won and general passing accuracy, he lags behind in most other critical areas.

Stats per 90

Paredes

Disasi

Passing Accuracy

85.9%

89.7%

Shot-Creating Actions

0.48

0.45

Tackles Won

0.24

0.68

Blocks

0.83

0.79

Clearances

3.45

3.28

Miscontrols

0.24

0.51

Dispossessed

0.06

0.56

Ball Recoveries

5.48

5.08

All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season

The Spanish "titan", as described by journalist Luis Calabor Nunez, comes out on top for shot-creating actions, blocks, clearances, ball recoveries, and he is dispossessed a lot less than the Frenchman.

At the end of the day, for as often as Pochettino is playing Disasi, he isn't showing much in the way of improvement, and if Chelsea can sign Paredes for £20m and offload the former Monaco man for around the same price, then this deal seems like a no-brainer.

Performance in Ireland tri-series has given everyone a lot of confidence, says chief selector Minhajul Abedin

Mohammad Isam21-May-2019

Mosaddek Hossain scored a 27-ball 52* in the tri-series final•Getty Images

There will be no changes to the 15-man provisional World Cup squad Bangladesh had announced over a month ago, with Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector, saying that the performances in the Ireland tri-series, which Bangladesh won, had convinced the selectors that the squad was the right one.”There is much confidence on and within the 15-member squad currently in England,” Abedin, who was also the team manager during the tri-series, told ESPNcricinfo. “Everyone in the squad has shown that they are capable of performing at the highest stage, which is why we selected them in the first place.”The question marks were mainly over Abu Jayed and Mosaddek Hossain, but both passed with flying colours. Mosaddek’s quickfire half-century against West Indies in the final helped Bangladesh clinch their first multi-team ODI trophy, while Jayed took 5 for 58 against Ireland in an earlier game.Liton Das and Rubel Hossain, also not considered automatic starters at the World Cup, also did enough in their limited opportunities during the tri-series to stay in the squad. Liton hit a 67-ball 76 against Ireland in his only outing, while Rubel picked up 1 for 41 in the same game.Four reserve players – Taskin Ahmed, Farhad Reza, Nayeem Hasan and Yasir Ali – had travelled to Ireland for the tri-series, but will now continue training in Dhaka along with the two other standby players – Imrul Kayes and Taijul Islam – in preparation for the July series against Afghanistan A, who will play two four-day and five one-day games.Most of Bangladesh’s World Cup squad is now training in Leicester before the squad – including captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal, who were given a break – head to Cardiff for their two warm-up games against Pakistan and India on May 26 and 28 respectively.Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain

As the legendary German manager bids farewell to Anfield, GOAL counts down the best buys of his nine-year tenure

Jurgen Klopp's time as Liverpool manager is almost at an end – and it's been one hell of a ride. The Reds were in utter disarray when he took over from Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, a once-great club in real danger of becoming an irrelevance. Klopp quickly set about arresting the decline before eventually putting Liverpool back on their perch, winning a first English title for three decades, in the summer of 2020 – just one year after leading the Merseysiders to their sixth European Cup.

His charisma, coaching skills and powers of motivation were all key but, in conjunction with Liverpool's transfer team, he also bought ridiculously well, making one smart signing after another.

Below, GOAL ranks Klopp's best buys during his nine-year tenure…

• Getty
  

  10Luis Diaz (January 2022, £47m)

  Liverpool intended to sign the Colombian in the summer of 2022, but Tottenham's move for Diaz during the January window forced the Reds into the market earlier than anticipated. It didn't take long for the fans to realise just why Klopp & Co. felt they couldn't afford to miss out on the Porto winger, either.

  Diaz hit the ground running at Anfield, playing a pivotal role in the quadruple bid as he rapidly went about establishing himself as the best dribbler at the club – and the team's best attacking option on the left flank. The heroic way in which he dealt with his father's kidnapping in 2023 only further endeared him to the club's supporters.

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• Getty
  

  9Joel Matip (July 2016, free)

  The former Cameroon international may never have received universal acclaim in England, but he'll forever be a cult hero at Anfield, beloved for both his quirky personality and impressive performances in defence, most notably during the quadruple bid of 2021-22.

  Matip may have been cruelly plagued by injury, which almost inevitably brought a premature end to his time at Liverpool, but the Reds got eight seasons of service out of the free transfer from Schalke, who will always be fondly remembered for his assist in the 2019 Champions League final win over Tottenham.

• Getty Images
  

  8Diogo Jota (September 2020, £41m)

  Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool paid such a significant sum of money for a player that had scored just nine Premier League goals the season before. However, the Reds had done their homework on Jota, who wasn't just a forward of enormous potential, but also a perfect fit for Klopp's pressing football.

  Were it not for injuries, Jota would have an even better strike-rate for Liverpool, but he's already done enough to be considered one of the finest finishers to have ever played for the club.

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• Getty
  

  7Gini Wijnaldum (July 2016, £23m)

  Liverpool took advantage of Newcastle United's relegation to snap up Netherlands international Wijnaldum, who proved his valuable versatility and incredible footballing intelligence by adapting to a deeper role at Anfield to become a key contributor to the team that conquered Europe – and then the world.

  Wijnaldum sealed legendary status for himself with his two-goal salvo in the miraculous Champions League win over Barcelona in 2019, but many supporters arguably only realised the true importance of Wijnaldum, whom Klopp described as "a manager's dream", as the Reds struggled to replace him after his departure on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

The consortium will take over from IMG-Reliance, which pulled out of its deal following the suicide bomb attack in Kashmir that has strained relations between India and Pakistan

Danyal Rasool19-Feb-2019

Hasan Ali is pumped up after a wicket•PSL

Two days after IMG-Reliance pulled out of its deal to produce television coverage of the fourth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a replacement for the remainder of the tournament has been found. The PCB has declared that a consortium of Blitz and Trans Group will produce TV coverage throughout the course of this season’s PSL from now on.”The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced the consortium of Blitz and Trans Group as the new live production partner for the HBL Pakistan Super League 2019,” the PCB said in a press release. “Blitz are the PCB’s broadcast partners in Pakistan, while Trans Group are the event management partners.”Blitz and Trans Group will start their coverage when the matches resume on Wednesday, 20 February, and will continue to provide the same high quality coverage which the followers experienced in the earlier games of the event.”The announcement by IMG-Reliance, an Indian company, that they would not be producing TV coverage of the PSL came on Sunday, three days after a suicide bomb attack in Kashmir killed 44 Indian paramilitary troops, severely straining relations between India and Pakistan. The acrimony spilled over into cricket, not just with IMG-Reliance’s decision, but with TV channel DSports ceasing broadcasting of the PSL in India. Cricketgateway’s website, which has provided online coverage of the PSL for the past two seasons, has also stopped providing its coverage in India.IMG-Reliance’s decision left the PCB scrambling to find a replacement within the two days that the PSL was on a break for before games resume in Sharjah on Wednesday, The deal with Blitz and Trans Group goes some way to assuaging fears that the PSL would be left without a production partner, a major concern given TV revenue was overwhelmingly the largest source of income for the tournament.There was also speculation that the India-Pakistan clash at the World Cup on June 16 in Manchester may be in jeopardy. It led to outgoing ICC CEO David Richardson to say that “no indications” had been sent from either board that the match would not take place but that the ICC was “monitoring” the situation.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has revealed he has told Barcelona chief Joan Laporta to give up on plans for a Super League.

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Initial Super League scrapped in 2021Barcelona, Real Madrid & Juventus keep it on agendaPSG president labels plans 'stupid'WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona and Real Madrid remain the only two clubs keen on implementing a European Super League after its ill-fated launch in 2021. The proposed project quickly collapsed when a host of clubs promptly withdrew amid a fierce backlash from fans. Laporta continues to back the idea but has been told by Al-Khelaifi that's it's a "stupid" plan when the two men met recently when Barca faced PSG in the Champions League.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT AL-KHELAIFI SAID

He told : “I asked him, ‘When are you going to give up the stupid idea of the Super League?’ I’m sure he will give it up. It makes no sense.

“I have always said that the Super League is not going to exist. The Champions League is the best competition in the world for everyone, and those clubs (Barcelona and Real Madrid) are playing in the Champions League because they know how important it is."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Barca and Madrid were boosted in their hopes of creating a Super League in December when the European Court of Justice ruled that blocking breakaway leagues is against EU law. Laporta has claimed that such a competition could be up and running by next season and said he believed there were 15 clubs who would be willing to join. A host of the teams he mentioned, including Ajax, Feyenoord and Roma, were quick to hit back and refute the Barca president's claims.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA & PSG

PSG's win over Barcelona saw the Ligue 1 side book a Champions League semi-final spot against Borussia Dortmund. Both teams look set to be part of an expanded Champions League competition for next season, with PSG closing in on another French title and Barca currently second in La Liga.

Newcastle United are keen on signing an "extremely important" new creative player, one they have seen up close and personal in recent tweeks.

Newcastle midfielder search

It has been no secret that the Magpies are entertaining the idea of signing a new midfielder during the January transfer window, mainly due to the 10-month suspension that Tonali has picked up for breaching betting rules while at AC Milan. The absence of the Italian has left a significant void in the middle of the park, and Eddie Howe's side are already looking jaded without him, with injuries and fatigue leading to some patchy form in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Various players have been in the conversation to move to St James' Park and fill the Tonali-shaped void, with Newcastle reportedly keen on signing Manchester City and England ace Kalvin Phillips.

Meanwhile, the Magpies have been linked with the likes of Ruben Neves and Scott McTominay, too, and as it stands, it would be a surprise if the club didn't address the situation in January. Now, a new name has been thrown into the hat – one who can play a number of other positions too.

Newcastle interested in Dortmund's Julian Brandt

According to a transfer update from The Mirror over the weekend, Newcastle are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt, with Arsenal also believed to be in the mix.

"Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Julian Brandt is wanted by Arsenal and Newcastle. Eddie Howe’s Toon have had a close-up view of the 27-year-old Germany star in their two Champions League games, Brandt scoring in Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat of the Magpies.

"They like what they have seen, also the case with the Gunners. Arsenal have been tracking Brandt although Dortmund have so far refused to consider any bids for a player they secured for around £22million."

Brandt has been a superb performer in the Bundesliga for a sustained period of time, not only catching the eye for Dortmund but also shining for Bayer Leverkusen. The 27-year-old could be exactly what Newcastle are looking for, with Brandt's statistics highlighting what a creative force he can be.

Julian Brandt at Borussia Dortmund	Total
Appearances	185
Goals	36
Assists	39

That is an impressive return from midfield, but the Germany international is also a hard-working figure – something that Howe demands in his midfielders – and he has been hailed as "extremely important" for Dortmund by manager Edin Terzic in the recent past.

Brandt is also someone who Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp personally wanted in the past, once seeing him as a strong alternative to Mohamed Salah before he made the move to Anfield – the fact he can play on either wing as well as in midfield means he could still have an important role once Tonali returns.

At 27, the German is in and around the peak of his powers, and should be for the foreseeable future, but whether Dortmund would even consider selling him in the near future is certainly up for debate, especially in January.