Tag Futebol

Tottenham Hotspur have entered talks to sign Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and could hijack Inter Milan, according to journalist Michele Criscitiello.

Who will Spurs sign this summer?

The north Londoners, buoyed by the arrival of new manager Ange Postecoglou, are seeking to strengthen their ranks in many different areas before next season.

One of the major positions Spurs could reinforce is the goalkeeping position, especially after long-serving number one Hugo Lloris recently declared that he is seeking a new challenge.

The Frenchman, who has been at Tottenham for over a decade since signing from Lyon in 2012, told Nice-Matin that an exit is very much on the cards – a year before the expiry of his current contract.

“We have reached an important moment, whether it be for the club or me,” said Lloris.

“It’s the end of an era. I have a desire for something else. I will carefully study what is possible. However, I haven’t forgotten that I have a year left on my contract at Tottenham, and in football, it’s always hard to predict what will happen."

As a result, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly been targeting Brentford's David Raya, though despite agreeing personal terms, it is believed there is an impasse on his £40 million asking price.

Alternatives who have been in the frame include Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, but according to reports in the lasr 24 hours, Tottenham have set their sights on a new target for in-between the sticks.

Indeed, Empoli's Vicario is now of serious interest, with Italian reporter Criscitiello telling SICafè on Sport Italia that Spurs are in talks for the 26-year-old.

They could also hijack Inter Milan, who apparently had the 6 foot 4 Vicario "in their grip" but are "wasting time" – meaning Tottenham are swooping in.

"The Nerazzurri had Vicario in their grip," said Criscitiello.

"But now they are wasting time and as a result the goalkeeper has fallen heavily in these hours, with important money, at Corsi's house. Tottenham. Empoli are negotiating with the English, I don't know the figures."

Who is Guglielmo Vicario?

The Italian starred for Empoli last season under Paolo Zanetti, even standing out as their second-best performing player by average match rating according to WhoScored.

Off the back of his national team call-up last year, BBC journalist Moseph Ekine was also effusive in his praise for the shot-stopper, calling him one of Serie A's "very good" keepers who has been "superb" for Empoli.

If Spurs can get a deal done, they may well have an excellent Raya alternative.

Manchester United are in the midst of an ownership battle at Old Trafford and Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani's fifth bid to try and acquire the Premier League giants will also offer an 'exit route' if he isn't successful, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest ownership news involving Manchester United?

As per Sky Sports, Sheikh Jassim is understood to have submitted a new and improved fifth bid to try and secure control of Manchester United and has indicated that this will be the final offer on the table for the Glazer family to consider.

The Qatari businessman and his Nine Two Foundation want to buy 100% control of the Premier League giants and has set a deadline of this Friday, in a proposal that would see £1 billion of club debt wiped alongside a separate ring-fenced fund to improve infrastructure around Old Trafford and the Carrington training complex.

As per ESPN, his rival bidder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his petrochemicals firm INEOS want to buy a 69% stake in Manchester United instead of immediately seeking full authority at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe is said to be the leading candidate to buy Manchester United and has put forward a deal that could see Joel and Avram Glazer stay on in minority stakeholder positions, as per Sky Sports.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs has said that by submitting a fifth bid, Sheikh Jassim and the Nine Two Foundation has given them a platform to 'control the narrative' of the situation.

Jacobs told FFC: "I think the last thing to say is that with Nine Two Foundation, they were always going to have to improve, as I previously reported, and they have done now. They were always going to try and control the narrative. What the fifth bid does is not only gives them obviously a better chance of winning because their bid is higher, compared to the fourth one, but also an exit route too and that's another important point. If they are successful in beating Ratcliffe, even though the Ratcliffe group remain cautiously optimistic, then they are trying to force the issue."

Will Manchester United be able to conduct transfer business in the process of a sale?

Despite being in the process of potentially changing hands at ownership level, Manchester United and their boss Erik Ten Hag look to have taken a proactive approach in the transfer market and are already making inroads on potential summer additions.

Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has agreed personal terms with the Red Devils ahead of a move to Old Trafford; however, both clubs are still yet to come to a compromise over a fee for the England international, as per Football Insider.

Il Mattino via The Sun also claim that Napoli defender Kim Min-jae is also a target for Manchester United and is preparing for a move to the Premier League.

Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund has also cropped up on Manchester United's radar, according to talkSPORT. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Red Devils conclude many deals despite being in the process of a takeover.

Chelsea's long search for a new holding midfielder may be coming to a conclusion after opening talks with one of their Premier League rivals.

After being linked with a number of players in the January window, Chelsea were unable to bring in Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion, nor Amadou Onana from Everton.

The need to strengthen in that position is even more paramount now following strong reports that N'Golo Kante is on his way to Saudi Arabia this summer.

According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Chelsea are now back in for one of their former targets, having held talks with Everton over a potential £55m deal for Onana.

Is Amadou Onana a good option for Chelsea?

Onana arrived at Everton from Lille in a £33m deal last summer and featured in 33 of their 38 Premier League matches, starting 29 of those.

In what was a hugely disappointing campaign for the Toffees as they narrowly dodged relegation, Onana came in for praise for his midfield displays.

Indeed, Daily Mail reporter Dominic King described the Belgium international as a "colossus" for his performance in February's 1-0 win over Arsenal.

Onana had a team-high 47 touches that day, intercepted the ball a game-high two times and passed the ball 30 times – the most of any outfield Everton player.

That was not even necessarily Onana's best display of the season, either. With a 94% pass accuracy, six ball recoveries, five tackles won and even a key pass, Onana's first-half display against Newcastle United in April was described as "wonderful" by football analyst Statman Dave.

With a reported valuation of £55m, Onana is considerably cheaper than Caicedo, who is also aged 20 but is said to cost in the region of £70m. That is due to the Brighton ace signing a new deal earlier this year, shortly after handing in a public transfer request.

Both men are very similar in terms of their defensive numbers last season, with Onana tackling 2.61 players per game, as per FBref, compared to 2.87 for Caicedo. Interestingly, the latter fared better in terms of his success rate when it came to challenging players – 71.4% v 58.8%.

However, Caicedo did edge things in terms of blocks per 90 minutes (1.23 v 0.91) and interceptions (1.60 v 1.34). Unlike Caicedo, though, Onana made zero mistakes leading to an opponent's shot, whereas his positional peer was guilty of doing so three times in the Premier League last season.

Onana also won more aerial duels per 90 minutes (2.17 compared to 1.06), while it was Caicedo who came out on top for passing accuracy – 88.5 v 83.3.

Ultimately, the two men have strengths in different departments, but they are both solid holding midfielders that have proved themselves in the Premier League, albeit with contrasting fortunes for their respective teams.

Chelsea may yet have the funds to sneer Caicedo from Brighton. Otherwise, bringing in Onana from Everton is far from a bad alternative.

South Africa have left for Australia with two spinners, but Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj could end up being tourists on the three-Test tour

Firdose Moonda16-Oct-2016South Africa have left for Australia with two rookie spinners in their squad, but Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj could end up being tourists on the three-Test tour. With five specialist seamers to choose from, and JP Duminy’s offspin, South Africa have plenty of other options, and an all-pace attack is not out of the question, especially in the first and third Tests.”The big decision will be whether to play four seamers or [three seamers and] a spinner,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said. “We will have to assess how guys go in the warm-up games, what type of spinner we are looking for in those conditions, if we do play a spinner, and what the best four seamers will be in those conditions, if we play four seamers.”Although the WACA is not the pacemen’s paradise it once was, and South Africa will be wary not to repeat what they did in anticipation of a green mamba in Brisbane in 2012 when they picked four quicks and Duminy (who then got injured), it remains an option to give all of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and fit-again Morne Morkel a go, especially as it will be a rare opportunity for them to play together. Morkel sat out the New Zealand Tests with a back injury, but confirmed his return to fitness by turning out for the Titans against the Warriors last week. But with the new transformation targets, the return of Steyn and Philander, and the emergence of Rabada, he may not get into the team unless South Africa play four quicks. And that means Kyle Abbott will be lucky to be considered at all.The other venue where South Africa will consider an all-pace attack is Adelaide because that is where they play their first day-night Test. On the evidence of last summer’s match between Australia and New Zealand, and what Domingo saw of the ongoing Pakistan-West Indies match, he expects the fixture to be headlined by bowlers. “It definitely looked like it was swinging quite a bit in Dubai,” he said – South Africa’s departure press conference was done before legspinner Devendra Bishoo set about dismantling Pakistan.The feedback Domingo received from members of South Africa’s A squad, which included opening batsmen Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, who used the pink ball during their unofficial Test series in Australia in August, also suggested there is an advantage for bowlers.”A lot of our players played with the pink ball on the South Africa A tour, and they have given us feedback. I don’t know if it’s going to last five days. I think they’ve got to leave some grass on the wicket because the pink ball has got a history of scuffing up, so they try and prolong the quality of the pink ball while leaving some grass on the wicket. We’ve also heard that it is very tough to bat under lights and the ball does nip around,” Domingo said. “I don’t know how many pink-ball Tests there are going to be, but I know most of the players are really excited by it, especially the bowlers. The bowlers are licking their lips. The batters might not be that excited, but the bowlers are looking forward to it.”South Africa have ample opportunity to see if the bowlers will benefit as much as has been hinted at in their warm-up matches. Their first practice game will take place under lights in Adelaide and they have a second in Melbourne ahead of the third Test. As an added bonus, they also have another two-day games ahead of the first Test to prepare themselves thoroughly.Among the things South will concentrate on in the regular red-ball game is which of their spinners to play, if they are to pick one. They have already noted that Australia struggled to pick Shamsi in the ODIs and may want his surprise factor. However, Maharaj is hot off a 13-wicket haul in the opening domestic first-class match of the season. South Africa have dispensed with the idea of an offspinner, given “Australia, generally, hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for offspinners”, according to Domingo. “The Australian line-up does have a lot of right-handers – Steven Smith, Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Peter Neville, so quite a lot.” And if South Africa want someone to turn the ball away from the left-handers, Duminy, who has made public his desire to contribute more with the ball, will be looked at.The spotlight on their own attack does not mean South Africa have forgotten about the opposition’s. Australia’s young seamers were the focus of the recently-completed ODI series, where they failed to trouble South Africa’s line-up and did not manage to bowl them out once. But they will be replaced by the big guns in the Tests. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will be back, and du Plessis indicated South Africa are ready for the challenge.”Starc is a huge bowler for them, but, statistically, he has been more an asset in one-day cricket than in the Test team. There will just be a little bit of preparation for us with left-arm quick again,” du Plessis said. “He is one of those guys who can crank it up and get it close to 150 and also reverse swing. Josh Hazlewood is a pretty standard bowler, he just hits good lengths all day, similar to someone like Dale and Vern.”South Africa know the difference players of the quality of Steyn and Philander can make to the team, after struggling through most of the previous summer without them, and so will know how much Starc and Hazlewood will buoy Australia. And, so, they also know how much they will have to do to get the better of Australia in their backyard.

Suzie Bates hammered 38 and bagged two wickets as the Southern Vipers stormed to the Kia Super League final with a comprehensive 59-run win over Loughborough Lightning

ECB Reporters Network14-Aug-2016
ScorecardSuzie Bates was again instrumental to Southern Vipers’ success•Getty ImagesSuzie Bates hammered 38 and bagged two wickets as the Southern Vipers stormed to the Kia Super League final with a comprehensive 59-run win over Loughborough Lightning.Bates gave the Vipers the perfect start with her quick scoring, before Lydia Greenway and Sara McGlashan push the total to 156. With 1200 watching at the Ageas Bowl, Bates then finished off the Lightning innings, after three wickets each for Linsey Smith and Arran Brindle, to give the Vipers four wins from five in the tournament.The result means Lightning will have to overcome Western Storm on Finals Day to decide who faces the Vipers in the final.After smashing 73 together for the first wicket against the Western Storm on Friday, Bates and Charlotte Edwards wasted little time reacquainting themselves after skipper Edwards had won the toss and batted.Bates, in particular, looked in fine form as she biffed cuts and drives to the boundary, before unleashing a massive straight six straight down the ground. Sophie Devine managed to break the partnership on 49 as she had the subdued Edwards lbw with her first ball but Georgia Adams immediately struck back-to-back boundaries to keep the hosts in control.Bates top-edged a sweep to Thea Brookes at short fine leg for a swift 38 – leaving her one run behind Nat Sciver in the competition’s leading run-scorer list – and Adams was caught by a good over-the-head catch by Georgia Elwiss but Greenway and McGlashan led the Vipers to their highest score of the tournament with a 62-run stand.The pair added quick runs, with the reverse sweep a favourite shot for both, before Greenway was bowled in the last over.For the Lightning, Evelyn Jones, who had spent the rest of the campaign batting in the lower middle order, was sent up to open and she started well, carving early strokes over the off side.While Evelyn Jones prospered her partner Dane van Niekerk struggled, however, her torment over when she was bowled coming down the track to Smith. Left-armer Smith, who took four wickets on her first Ageas Bowl appearance earlier in the week, bowled Devine two balls later.Evelyn Jones was given a life when Katie George spilled a catch on the square leg boundary but an over later she departed leg before to the standout Smith for 33.Amy Jones and Ellyse Perry attempted to get the Lightning back on track but the run rate slowed to five an over, before Amy Jones was bowled by Brindle. Captain Elwiss was caught by Greenway, Sonia Odedra was run out, and Thea Brookes was stumped to leave the Lightning facing defeat.Paige Scholfield holed out to deep midwicket off Bates before Beth Langston ramped on to her leg stump to hand the Vipers a third bonus point win from three at home.

واصل منتخب كوريا الجنوبية العروض القوية في النسخة الحالية من كأس آسيا 2023 المقامة في قطر ليتغلب على أستراليا بنتيجة (2-1) في دور الـ8، ويتأهل لنصف نهائي البطولة.

لعبت مباراة استراليا وكوريا الجنوبية مساء الجمعة في إطار مواجهات دور الثمانية من كأس آسيا وذلك على ملعب الجنوب في قطر.

سجل منتخب أستراليا الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 42 من عمر المباراة بواسطة كريج جودوين.

واستطاعت كوريا الجنوبية تسجيل هدف التعادل في الدقيقة 90 من ركلة جزاء نفذها اللاعب هوانج هي تشان، لينتهي الوقت الأصلي للقاء بالتعادل (1-1).

وفي الشوط الإضافي الأول ومن ركلة ثابتة أحرز جناح توتنهام هيونج مين سون هدف الفوز لمنتخب بلده في الدقيقة 104.

ونال إيدين أونيل لاعب منتخب استراليا بطاقة حمراء في الدقيقة 107 ولم تسفر محاولاتهم في الدقائق الأخيرة من اللقاء عن تغيير النتيجة لينتهي اللقاء بفوز كوريا الجنوبية بنتيجة (2-1). أهداف مباراة استراليا وكوريا الجنوبية في كأس آسيا

BBC pundit Chris Sutton has claimed that two recent big mistakes from officials could end up seeing West Ham United relegated at the end of the season.

What's the latest on VAR and West Ham?

In their last Premier League home game, the Irons may well have had a penalty when Danny Ings fired a shot which struck Thiago Alcantara's arm in the box. Contact was clearly made, but after a VAR review, nothing was awarded and Liverpool went on to pick up all three points.

Following that, West Ham then travelled away from home to take on Crystal Palace, but fell to a 4-3 defeat at Selhurst Park.

Controversy also surrounded this game, however, with Eberechi Eze winning a cheap penalty at the Hammers' expense, which led to the decisive goal of the game.

And while talking about these incidents on BBC Radio Show 606, Sutton slammed both calls and suggested they may end up costing David Moyes' men.

He said: "Do you know what? It wasn't a penalty. I thought Eze dived, went down too easily.

"But West Ham were wronged against Liverpool… ultimately two poor decisions could send West Ham down."

Can West Ham still be relegated?

It seems as though Sutton isn't the only one to feel as though West Ham have been hard done by in recent times with VAR not working in their favour.

Unsurprisingly, manager Moyes slammed the recent call against Palace, calling it "soft" on Match of the Day (via Daily Mail). He perhaps was even behaving himself on that occasion too, having been furious in light of the Liverpool decision.

Indeed, after Thiago's missed handball, the 59-year-old told the press: “I think the hardest thing is the disrespect from VAR. That VAR didn’t have at least said take a look, that’s them saying they don’t think it is a close decision.

“A lot of football people have seen a lot worse (handball decisions given) than that recently. Somebody in VAR didn’t have enough football knowledge to know that was close. Whoever it was chose not to send the referee.

“They need to apologise to the football club. We need to win points to say in the Premier League.”

Moyes is certainly right with that last point, West Ham still aren't safe from relegation with just 34 points after 33 games and could yet be dragged into the bottom three with five matches to play.

With that being the case, if the Irons do go down, these two major calls in back-to-back games could be viewed as a turning point.

Under the ownership of controversial tycoon Fahrad Moshiri, Everton has developed a notoriously unwanted reputation as one of the country's worst-run clubs.

This is mainly attributed to their managerial merry-go-round and a series of inexplicably poor transfers that have left the club in monstrous debt and having ever lacked a strong spine on the pitch.

However, one signing that at the time was deemed a masterstroke was the unbelievable coup of James Rodriguez in the summer of 2020 from Real Madrid. The 31-year-old began his career in England in electric form, but the honeymoon quickly soured in yet another transfer flop for the Toffees.

Where is James Rodriguez now?

The 90-cap international rose to worldwide fame and stardom thanks to his ridiculous 2014 World Cup campaign. The imperious playmaker was in unstoppable form in Brazil and registered eight goal contributions in five matches, and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer.

The attacker narrowly missed out on the Golden Ball award as he came second to Lionel Messi, but even Argentine legend Diego Maradona argued that the Colombian was more deserving of the title than his counterpart.

This earnt the midfielder a £63m move to Real Madrid, where he was tipped to continue his exponential rise as one of the globe’s most elite technicians.

But, his time in Spain was blighted by injury and inconsistency, and in his final season at Los Blancos, he only managed 14 appearances in all competitions and was deemed surplus to requirements.

Nevertheless, the then 29-year-old still remained a joyous prospect, just a player enveloped and overwhelmed by the humongous expectation of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful. So when Everton secured his services it sent shockwaves across the blue sections of Merseyside and a chance for the gift to revive his stuttering career.

Rodriguez began his debut season in England in formidable fashion, recording six goal contributions in his first six outings.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin heaped praise on the new signing in his early in the North West and said:

“He’s a top, top player. He’s a different level, he dictates games.”

But, the artist failed to appear in 15 of Everton’s Premier League matches and cut a frustrated, unmotivated, and anonymous figure by the end of the season.

Upon Carlo Ancelotti’s departure from the Toffees, Rafa Benitez was appointed as the new manager, but the Spaniard failed to develop any kind of rapport with Rodriguez, who swiftly left for Qatar.

A stint at Olympiacos then followed, but the former Monaco prodigy had his contract terminated with the Greek giant, to leave one of the world’s most revered forces in grave danger of slowly petering into irrelevancy. Irrespective of his quality, perhaps Everton let him go at just the perfect time.

تحدث إمام عاشور، لاعب فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي، عن الفوز الذي حققه المارد الأحمر على نظيره سيراميكا كليوباترا في نصف نهائي كأس السوبر للأندية الأبطال.

وكان فريق النادي الأهلي قد نجح في تحقيق فوز على سيراميكا كليوباترا، بهدف دون رد في مباراة كأس السوبر المصري بشكله الجديد المقام في الإمارات.

فيديو | الأهلي يلدغ سيراميكا بهدف في الوقت القاتل ويصعد إلى نهائي السوبر المصري

وقال إمام عاشور في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورت”: “أشكر الله على الانتصار، وأشكر اللاعبين كانوا رجالًا ولم يقصروا في أي نقطة عرق واحدة”.

وأضاف: “لم يسعفنا الوقت لإجراء عملية استشفاء لأننا وصلنا الإمارات مساء أول أمس”.

وعاد إمام ليوجه الشكر لزملئه قائلًا: “أشكر اللاعبين، مهما أتحدث عنهم لا أستطيع منحهم حقهم، حتى الدقيقة 90 نلعب بروح وربنا وفقنا واستطعنا تحقيق المكسب”.

واستكمل: “جميع اللاعبين لم يوجد لاعب قصر في أي شيء، وطبيعي أن نعاني من إجهاد، لعبنا مباراة منذ يومين واليوم نخوض مباراة، والقادم أفضل”.

وأشار: “أما عن الهدف الذي سجلته، فلقد شعرت أنني ما زال في نفس، فركضت بالكرة حتى وصلت إلى المرمى وحدث توفيق من عند الله”.

وأتم إمام عاشور: “محمد الشناوي بحالة جيدة وإن شاء الله سيكون متواجدًا المباراة المقبلة”.

وكان محمد الشناوي قد تعرض للإصابة خلال المباراة غادر على إثرها اللقاء ليشارك بدلًا منه مصطفى شوبير.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة مودرن فيوتشر في مباراة نهائي كأس السوبر المصري للأندية الأبطال، يوم الخميس المقبل. هدف إمام عاشور في مرمى سيراميكا

Sky Sports presenter Kaveh Solhekol has revealed that the Glazer family are still not fully convinced about a potential sale of Manchester United.

What's going on with the takeover of Man United?

A second round of bids have gone in to try and acquire ownership of the club, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim Hamad Bin Al Thani's consortiums thought to be the frontrunners to complete a takeover.

The Glazers have been heavily criticised over the years, with fans eager to see them leave, but they may be concerned about the lack of involvement from the family as the process for a takeover continues.

They have not spoken to any of the potential candidates buying the club, and Solhekol has revealed on Sky Sports (3.30), that they are still not wholly enamoured by the idea of a sale.

"The first point to make is that the Glazers aren't personally involved in this, they haven't met any of the bidders," he stated.

"From their point of view, they are not convinced that they want to sell the club, and if they are going to sell the club, they want a big, big price.

"So they want lots of bidders competing against each other putting the price up. That hasn't really happened."

What needs to change at United?

The Glazers, who took over the club in 2005, have attracted heavy criticism for the way in which they have run United.

The team is now set to reach ten years without winning the Premier League title, and the lack of investment from the Glazers into the club has meant that Old Trafford has fallen behind other stadiums, the team has fallen behind on the pitch and United are now in debt.

Their lack of care for the club saw a number of poor decisions at footballing level, headed by former chairman Ed Woodward, as a lot of money was spent on disastrous transfers and incompatible managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Although United have spent a lot on transfers in the last ten years, there have been a lot of failures in the market as a result of the lack of direction from the top.

Sheikh Jassim's consortium has promised to invest in the infrastructure of the club, to improve the first team, stadium and youth academy, and this is necessary thanks to the poor ownership from the Glazers over the last 18 years.