Juventus had a really difficult task overcoming AC Milan at the weekend.
But the lads from Turin managed to salvage all three points after a narrow 1-0 victory over their rivals.
And the game certainly wasn’t easy as the goal arrived in the 77th minute and it came courtesy of the man who started it on the bench – Paulo Dybala.
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The young Argentine forward replaced Cristiano Ronaldo early in the second half and it seems that Maurizio Sarri hit the nail squarely on the head with that substitution.
Needless to say, many Juventus fans were simply adoring Dybala after the game, swarming social media and Twitter with their brilliant messages of support and showering their star with praise.
Some of them seem to believe Dybala is born to become a champion and has warranted donning their no.10 shirt.
You can see some of their replies and reactions down in the collection of tweets below.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to Football Insider, Southampton are confident that Fraser Forster’s value will rocket to more than £20m by the time his campaign on loan at Celtic is over.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the 6 foot 7 goalkeeper described as a ‘man-mountain’ by The Times recently seems to have rediscovered his form whilst out on loan with his former side – Scottish giants Celtic.
Reunited with Neil Lennon, Forster has made 15 starts across all competitions for the Bhoys since signing on a season-long loan deal back in the summer.
Across these outings, the 31-year-old has conceded just ten goals and has also registered seven clean sheets as he looks back to his commanding self.
However, the Saints’ belief that his value will soar to over double the £10m that they spent on him back in 2016 is a ludicrous belief to hold.
There’s no way Forster will be worth that
Despite the aforementioned statistics from Forster, which are undeniably impressive, a few things must be brought into the conversation to add a bit of necessary context.
Firstly, the Scottish League really isn’t an accurate barometer of a footballer’s quality and is arguably a weaker division that the Premier League – Football Insider report that a move back to England’s top-flight is perhaps the more likely destination for Forster, with his £70k-a-week wages almost certainly putting him out of Celtic’s reach.
Furthermore, what Premier League side would want to take the gamble of Forster given the way his career in England went before his departure?
The six-cap England international didn’t play a single minute of Premier League football across 54 matches for the Saints during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaign, with his last outing for Southampton coming in a 3-0 loss against West Ham.
Forster was third-choice behind Alex McCarthy and Angus Gunn for almost two years, and is merely enjoying a mini-resurgence in a much weaker division.
Quite why Southampton think that will make him worth £20m is a mystery.
Big news for Liverpool: Xherdan Shaqiri is back in full training for the Reds.
The Switzerland international has been struggling with a calf injury, which has kept him out of the action since September. During that time, he has missed eight of the Anfield outfit’s games, but now it looks as though he could be in contention for their clash against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
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The £22.5m-valued former Bayern Munich man – as per Transfermarkt – has been a valuable rotation option since joining from Stoke City following their relegation last term.
In 34 matches in all competitions, he scored six goals and provided five assists last season, including a brace against Manchester United. As we approach a busy Christmas period, his return to the fray could be a big boost to Jurgen Klopp.
There is certainly plenty of positivity from the club’s supporters, and it seems that many are calling for him to play as soon as possible. They have been reacting to the news on social media platform Twitter, and you can see some of the best comments below.
It was in 2017 that Liverpool agreed what was to be a club-record fee to bring in RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita, as reported by BBC Sport at the time.
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However, it is not until the summer of 2018 until the Guiunea international actually made his move to Anfield.
They may have known the move was coming, but this didn’t stop the excitement that plenty of Liverpool fans felt about seeing him arrive.
They were overjoyed to see him coming through the door, but he had big shoes to fill, taking the number 8 shirt that had been worn by Steven Gerrard before he left, while one fan also saw him as Emre Can’s replacement.
During his time with RB Salzburg, the now-25-year-old played a total of 71 games, scoring 17 goals and adding a further 15 assists.
Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?
His dynamism and ability on the ball had one fan predicting that the Premier League would be going to Anfield – he may be right if the current campaign continues, but Keita hasn’t played the role expected.
The midfielder has made just seven starts and 11 substitute appearances across all competitions this term, and wasn’t even included in the squad for the second-leg against Atletico Madrid.
The signing of Keita had some Liverpool fans gloating about what was going on with their rivals Manchester United.
There were suggestions he is better than Paul Pogba, while they were laughing about Marouane Fellaini signing a new contract.
None of the three will have done exactly what their clubs were hoping for in the time since, as Pogba has managed just eight appearances this term, while Fellaini is now in China.
Meanwhile, one former Liverpool player has made a stunning admission.
Philippe Coutinho has failed to live up to the hype since leaving Liverpool in January 2018.
The Brazil international was in stunning form for the Reds before his departure, scoring 20 goals and providing 13 assists in his last 45 league games, but it was pretty clear he wanted to make the move to Barcelona – there were rumours he was refusing to train to his full capacity in an attempt to force a switch, whilst he also handed in a transfer request.
Since then, though, his stock has plummetted. He failed to make the grade at Barcelona, being sent out on loan to Bayern Munich after just 76 games, and now the Bavarians don’t seem eager to sign him permanently. The Blaugrana paid £106m for his services, but now he is said to be worth just £50.4m as per Transfermarkt.
Phil Thompson, though, said he would take him back “in a heartbeat” at Anfield (Sky Sports via Goal.com). As you can imagine, this has got the club’s supporters talking, and it seems they are torn over whether they would like to see him return. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.
Would you like to see Coutinho back at Liverpool? Let us know in the comments!
Tottenham fans and Jose Mourinho will be desperate to make some new signings this summer, but keeping Harry Kane is far more important than any new arrival the club could possibly lure to north London.
The Lilywhites talisman threw his future into doubt recently with comments made during an Instagram Live chat with Jamie Redknapp, in which he revealed that he could seek an exit if the club do no match his ambitions.
The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?
And while the £135m-rated (Transfermarkt) star will be the first to admit he hasn’t quite been at his best this campaign, only mustering 17 goals in all competitions and 11 in the Premier League as opposed to his usual ridiculous numbers, doing whatever it takes to convince him his future lies with Tottenham should be the first order of business for Daniel Levy this summer.
Just take a look at some of his lethal finishing in the video below, as he tortures Newcastle with three exquisite shows of a true striker’s instinct…
The video shows the phenomenal range of goals the England skipper can score, whether it’s picking up a scrappy ball and turning it home, sprinting 50 yards to finish with aplomb or whipping a thunderous effort into the top corner. You name it, Kane can do it – he has bagged a truly sensational 181 goals in 278 Tottenham games.
Whether it by signing an adequate back-up to rescue him from persistent injuries, shoring up the defence or signing a playmaker to replace the creativity lost by Christian Eriksen’s departure, every move Tottenham make this summer should be focused around making their number nine happy.
Spurs fans, have you seen Adrian Durham go absolutely in on Kane and Mourinho…
Throughout the Premier League era and especially after the takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, Manchester City have made some wonderful signings.
Just think about the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero; but what of the lesser remember names that represent some of City’s not-so-successful business in the last 27 years?
Pep Guardiola rarely gets it wrong, to be fair, but there have been many occasions over the years where Man City have spent money, often massive amounts, on bang average footballers.
So we’ve recalled the Citizens’ 20 worst signings of the Premier League era so far -agree?
Maicon
First up is Brazil legend Maicon who would have perhaps have gone down as a completely different signing had the Sky Blues captured him four or five years earlier.
When the right-back arrived at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2012 for £3m, still a fair sum of money back then, he was the wrong side of 30 and beginning to battle with repeated injuries.
He would only appear 13 times before being shifted onto Roma a year later.
Bernardo Corradi
Would it be fair to say that Man City’s current Bernando (Silva) was inspired by his club’s Bernando from a decade before (Corradi)? No, probably not.
The hot-headed former Italy international striker was signed by Stuart Pearce prior to the 2006/2007 campaign and lasted just one term in Manchester before his loaning out to Parma and subsequent departure the following summer, scoring just three goals and collecting two red cards.
Nolito
Britain Soccer Football- Huddersfield Town v Manchester City – FA Cup Fifth Round – The John Smith’s Stadium – 18/2/17 Manchester City’s Nolito in action with Huddersfield Town’s Joel Coleman Reuters / Andrew Yates Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account
Pep Guardiola’s Citizens forked out the best part of £15m for a Spanish centre-forward in his pomp in the summer of 2016, Nolito – a year later the Spanish international was to return to his homeland with Sevilla.
In reality, the former Barcelona man, who impressed at EURO 2016, never adapted to the English game or way of life, infamously commenting not long before his City exit that he and his family had changed colour due to the lack of sunshine in England’s climate.
Roque Santa Cruz
Early in the reign of what is now known as the City Football Group, the east Manchester outfit were like a teenager after just receiving their first pay packet, splashing their cash on any old thing just because it’s their money and they can.
The £17.5m acquisition Roque Santa Cruz is certainly an example of that having been purchased based on a half-decent scoring record at Blackburn Rovers and a grand total of four goals for the Etihad side goes down as one of their worst PL era signings.
Christian Negouai
How could we not include in this list the only player in Premier League history to have been sent off in his only match in the league?
The great irony here is that Christian Negouai only made 11 appearances in total for the club but he somehow managed to get himself sent off on three occasions, with the other two coming in the League Cup and the FA Cup.
Jack Rodwell
Last seen refusing to give up his extortionate contract on the Sunderland documentary on Netflix, Jack Rodwell was one of the rising stars of English football when he swapped Merseyside for east Manchester in 2012 in a deal worth £12m.
But injuries limited the ex-England central midfielder to just 15 outings in his first season with the Citizens and even fewer the following term meant he was offloaded to the Stadium of Light after just two years, leaving the Etihad in a downward spiral in such contrast to the way he had arrived.
Laurent Charvet
The story of Laurent Charvet is rather similar to that of Rodwell; captured for big money after a couple of impressive seasons in England and moved on after two campaigns having barely made 25 appearances.
The right-back was simply never up to the task, utterly woeful, and the fact that he was deemed not even good enough to play for Sochaux in the year after his City exit says it all really.
Gerry Creaney
Manchester City v Charlton Athletic Nationwide 1st Div. 3/9/96 Pic: Tony O’Brien /Action Images Manchester City’s Gerry Creaney celebrates his 87th minute winner
City fans might well want to look away for this one.
Imagine swapping one of your best players and fan favourites in Paul Walsh for someone as ineffective as Gerry Creaney, and also paying £500k for the pleasure, well that’s exactly what City did in 1995 and three years and four outbound loans down the line Creaney was released!
Jo
Talking of shocking moves, this one is up there with one of the worst transfers of all time in world football, let alone just for City and in the Premier League era.
Jo, who’s somehow played 20 times for Brazil and scored a few goals as well, signed for a fee believed to be a club-record £19m from CSKA Moscow in the 2008 summer transfer window and the Sky Blues certainly got value for money, if you count that as a miserly six goals in 42 games.
Jerome Boateng
On paper, Jerome Boateng was a huge waste of money for Man City but in reality, the move could have paid off if they were a little more patient with him.
Roberto Mancini saw his potential whilst he was playing for Hamburg, though the centre-back only remained under his reign for one injury-affected season and played out of position at right-back for most of it.
Nowadays we, of course, know Bayern Munich’s Boateng as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and seven-time Bundesliga-winning global star.
According to Dom Howson, Sheffield Wednesday are in talks with three players over new contracts this summer.
As it currently stands, the Owls are facing an exodus once the transfer window opens as 17 players could be departing the club. A total of 12 senior players could see their contracts expire in June, alongside the five loanees currently at Hillsborough who are also due to return to their parent clubs this summer.
Writing for Yorkshire Live, Howson has revealed Wednesday are currently holding talks with Osaze Urhoghide, Morgan Fox and Steven Fletcher. However, the club aren’t looking to finalise any decisions until there is more clarity on the whether the 2019/20 season will resume or not.
Extending Fletcher’s deal with the Hillsborough outfit could be Garry Monk’s first step in making his plans for the upcoming campaign. The Scotland international has scored 13 goals in the Championship this term and, as a result, he is the top scorer in his team by a distance (via Transfermarkt).
Urhoghide could also be a piece of good business if the youngster is given a new deal. The defender has made just three league appearances for Wednesday this season but could provide healthy competition for the other two right-backs in the roster. The addition of the 19-year-old will also help lower the average age of Monk’s struggling squad.
Fox is currently Wednesday’s only recognised left-back in the senior squad, so letting him slip through the net this summer would put the club under pressure to sign new personnel in this position. Additionally, after three years with the Yorkshire side already, an experienced player is a vital one for a manger to have in his arsenal.
It seems Monk has selected three of the most important and promising players to keep at Hillsborough, but to how many more of the 12 potential free agents will he offer a lifeline?
Wednesday fans, who else do you think should be offered a contract extension this summer? Join the discussion in the comments below…
Manchester City were reportedly willing to break their transfer record to sign Benfica defender Ruben Dias until the outbreak of coronavirus forced a rethink.
The print edition of Portuguese newspaper Record claimed [via Sport Witness] that the Premier League champions were prepared to spend €100m (£89.57m) on the 23-year-old to trigger his release clause, with Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira declaring that he could have sold two of the club’s players for that amount this summer before the impact of COVID-19 on football clubs’ finances.
Had Manchester City signed him for that amount, it would have been the most expensive acquisition for a player in their history, trumping the current record of £62.6m for Rodri from last summer.
Dias has been ever-present in a Benfica side with the best defensive record in the Portuguese top flight this season, conceding just 14 goals in 24 league matches. He has also chipped in with three goals for the Eagles so far in 2019/20.
The Portugal defender is often composed in possession, with an 88.8% passing accuracy rate, while he averages 2.1 successful headers, 1.3 successful tackles and 2.8 clearances per game (via WhoScored) – beating most of Manchester City’s current centre-back options for those metrics.
The centre of defence is a position where Pep Guardiola has had difficulties this season. Aymeric Laporte has been injured for most of the campaign while both Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones have faced criticism from pundits and supporters respectively over their performances. Indeed, veteran midfielder Fernandinho has been shunted into a centre-back role throughout the season to fill the void.
Manchester City also have the option of teenager Eric Garcia in that position, although the 19-year-old has been the subject of transfer enquiries from Barcelona, as claimed by ESPN.
Considering Dias’ fine record this season and Manchester City’s central defensive woes, the Benfica man would have seemed the perfect addition for the Etihad Stadium outfit this summer were it not for the impact of coronavirus on the transfer market.
Now that the Portugal defender seems out of reach, it has become increasingly important to hold on to Garcia, who has been lauded by many City supporters for his performances so far and who has posted some impressive statistics whenever he has played in the Premier League this season.
Man City fans, how big a blow it is to miss out on Dias? Does that make it all the more vital that they keep Garcia this summer? Share your views in the comments section below!
Brighton forward Viktor Gyokeres has admitted that he doesn’t know whether or not he has a future at the club.
The 22-year-old has just returned to the Amex Stadium following a loan spell at German second tier outfit St. Pauli and, while he has hinted that he would like to remain a Seagulls player, he confessed that his career is currently in some limbo.
He told Swedish media outlet Fotbollskanalen [via Sussex Live]: “It’s a good club playing in the Premier League, so it’s clear you’re aiming for it, but we’ll see what happens. Otherwise, you can take it from there. Right now, I don’t know what will happen next season.
“But you can see what alternatives there are if I’m not in Brighton. I hope to be there. I’m not thinking about it right now or talking to my agent. Right now, I have a little vacation from everything and then I’ll be ready for next season. I don’t really know what they are thinking. It’s hard for me to say.”
Gyokeres hit seven goals and provided four assists in 26 league appearances at St. Pauli this season, a contribution which proved crucial as the Hamburg-based club narrowly avoided relegation to the third tier.
The Swedish attacker had an impressive match average of 1.9 shots in 2. Bundesliga, while a return of 1.8 successful dribbles per game shows that he is adept at taking on opposition defences (as per WhoScored).
He has struggled for recognition at Brighton, though, making just five senior appearances for the Seagulls. Those all came in domestic cup competitions in the 2018/19 campaign, with three games as an unused substitute the closest he has come to getting a run in the Premier League. [via TransferMarkt]
The 22-year-old boasts the versatility of being able to play as a centre-forward or left-sided winger, with the occasional appearance on the right flank also highlighting his ability to feature anywhere across the front line (as per TransferMarkt).
Gyokeres has put his best foot forward for recognition by Graham Potter with his form for St. Pauli during his loan spell, although the Brighton manager already has an abundance of attacking options at his disposal such as Neal Maupay, Aaron Connolly, Leandro Trossard and Glenn Murray.
Indeed, such is the competition for places in the Seagulls’ attack that Alireza Jahanbakhsh hasn’t even been able to make it into recent 20-man matchday squads and has been linked with Ajax (De Telegraaf) and PSV Eindhoven (Voetbal International).
Right now, it appears that the Swedish forward has an uphill task on his hands to forge his way into Potter’s plans for next season.
Brighton fans, do you think Gyokeres deserves a chance to prove his worth for the Seagulls? Comment below with your views!