كشف مهاجم منتخب إنجلترا الأسبق، بيتر كراوتش، عن فريقه المرشح الأقرب للفوز بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لهذا الموسم 2023/2024.
وتتنافس 3 أندية على اللقب أولها آرسنال المتصدر ثم ليفربول صاحب المركز الثاني ومانشستر سيتي في المركز الثالث، وفارق النقاط ضئيل للغاية.
اقرا أيضًا.. ليفربول يترقب فحوصات روبرتسون قبل مواجهة برايتون
وتحدث كراوتش عن مرشحه في حوار عبر شبكة “talkSPORT” البريطانية، وقال: “قلت إن ليفربول سيفوز باللقب في بداية الموسم، اعتقد أن الكثير من الناس سيقولون إن ذلك تحيزًا”.
وتابع: “ربما يكونون على حق بعض الشيء، لكن آرسنال عاد إلى المنافسة وبقوة من وجهة نظري”.
واستمر: “من الواضح أن مانشستر سيتي سيكون المرشح الأوفر حظًا نظرًا لخبرته في السنوات الماضية، يمكن القول إنه سباق بين حصانين، لكن آرسنال أعاد نفسه إلى المنافسة بالفعل”.
وأتم: “لكنني سأظل مع ليفربول، ما زلت أعتقد أنهم قادرون على القيام بذلك”.
Celtic have agreed a £2.1m transfer fee with Gangwon FC for forward Yang Hyun-jun, however, a move is proving complicated.
What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?
It has been a busy few weeks off the pitch at Parkhead, which began when Ange Postecoglou left the cub to join Tottenham. Since then, Brendan Rodgers has been brought in for a second stint in charge of the Hoops, and new signings have been made.
The first player to arrive was midfielder Odin Thiago Holm, who joined from Eliteserien club Valerenga and signed a five-year contract in Glasgow. As well as Holm, Australian winger Marco Tilio has also penned a five-year deal with the Hoops, joining from Melbourne City.
There has been a major departure, though, with star winger Jota joining Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25m.
More attacking additions could be on the cards as a result, with Yang a player who has been linked with a move to Parkhead. Reports last month claimed that Celtic made a significant transfer offer for the K-League winger, with journalist Jason Lee saying:
“According to Korean media, Celtic have sent an official transfer offer to Gangwon FC for Yang Hyun-Jun. The offer is believed to be "significant and final" as Celtic await Gangwon's response. The player is eager to move to Celtic.”
There has now been a further update from Football Scotland, who say that Celtic and Gangwon have in fact agreed on a £2.1m deal which includes a 12% sell-on clause.
The player is keen to move to Scotland, however, Gangwon are now stalling over a deal as they believe Yang could help them avoid relegation. Gangwon want to keep their forward until January when their season finishes, but Yang is even willing to give up his salary to push through a move to join Rodgers’ side ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Former Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers.
Who is Yang Hyun-jun?
Yang is primarily a right-winger who can also play on the left or through the middle, so would bring plenty of versatility to Rodgers’ attacking options and may rival current right-wingers James Forrest and Liel Abada, although the latter of the two has been linked with a move to Sporting Lisbon.
He was described as “excellent” and a “level above” in the media following a pre-season display against Tottenham last year and has contributed to 14 goals in 69 senior appearances for Gangwon.
The 21-year-old is under contract until the end of 2025 and has been described as an unpredictable and eye-catching player in the media, labelled as Gangwon’s up-and-coming star last year by the K League media.
Celtic have enjoyed plenty of success by bringing players in from the Asian market over recent years, and it looks as if Rodgers is keen to continue looking in that direction. Former manager Postecoglou signed the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Oh Hyeon-gyu from Japan and South Korea, and with a deal agreed for Yang, hopefully, he’ll be the next to arrive in Scotland.
A deadline has been set for the completion of Mason Mount's transfer to Manchester United from Chelsea.
Will Mount join Manchester United?
The Red Devils have already seen two bids rejected by Chelsea for Mount, the latter of which was worth somewhere between £50m-£55m when add-ons are taken into account. However, the Blues have stood firm and, while initially wanting £75m for the midfielder, would now accept a figure around the £60-65m mark.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, however, time could be running out for a move, with a short deadline set for the finalisation of the deal.
"The conversation between Man United and Chelsea for Mason Mount continues," stated the journalist. "Man United will bid again, as I told you. Mason Mount has an agreement with Man United, wants to go to Man United, but timing will be crucial."
"Sources believe that this deal has to be completed by the end of next week. So this is why for Chelsea this is another crucial point."
If Romano's sources are correct then a deal for Mount would need to be done by July 2nd, putting a potentially difficult deadline on an already tricky deal.
As Romano states, United are expected to bid again for the 24-year-old, who only managed 24 appearances in the Premier League last season for a chaotic Chelsea side who had three separate managers during the campaign.
New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was reportedly eager to hold contract talks with Mason Mount as his current deal expires in the summer of 2024. However, his time at Chelsea seems all but over now, with the club not wanting to lose him for free.
For United, signing Mount from a rival would be an astute piece of business. The attacking midfielder managed a combined 70 goals and assists in 195 appearances for the Blues and has thoroughly impressed every manager he has played under.
Who else will Man United sign?
Naturally, Man United are not only interested in signing Mount and are expected to bring in several players during the transfer window. However, even Erik ten Hag himself has admitted to being unsure over available funds given the club's current ownership situation.
It appears United are interested in signing a central striker this summer, with Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen and Rasmus Hojlund all having been linked. It would take a whopping transfer fee to lure any of them to Old Trafford this summer and United have already pulled out of a potential deal for Kane as a result.
The Red Devils were strongly linked with Napoli sensation Kim Min-jae as a centre-back option considering his €50m release clause, but it seems Bayern Munich have jumped ahead of the English club in the queue.
Ten Hag may have to wait for clarification on the takeover process before being able to make significant moves into the transfer market this summer.
India completed a 3-0 whitewash in devastating fashion as a seven-wicket haul from R Ashwin shot New Zealand out for 153 in their last innings of the series
The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Oct-2016 Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:56
Agarkar: If Ashwin stays fit, can’t see India in much trouble this home season
India completed a 3-0 whitewash in devastating fashion as a seven-wicket haul from R Ashwin shot New Zealand out for 153 in their last innings of the series. India declared just under an hour from tea, after Cheteshwar Pujara had completed his eighth Test hundred, to set New Zealand a target of 475 and give themselves a day and a half to take 10 wickets. They only needed 44.5 overs, as New Zealand lost nine wickets for 115 runs in the post-tea session.Ashwin’s figures of 7 for 59 were his best in Test cricket, as were his match figures of 13 for 140. He picked up his 21st five-wicket haul, his sixth ten-wicket match haul, his seventh Player of the Match award and seventh Player of the Series award – fourth in a row – as well. There probably isn’t a more influential cricketer anywhere in the world today. Certainly no one has played a bigger part in India securing the No. 1 Test ranking, a feat they got to celebrate when Virat Kohli was handed the ICC Test championship mace at the end of the match, in front of a capacity crowd in Indore.Set a similar task last year in another dead-rubber Test, on a similar slow turner at Feroz Shah Kotla, South Africa chose to block their way to a draw. They didn’t succeed, but they did make India toil for 143.1 overs. New Zealand, having until now given India a harder time on this tour than South Africa did in theirs, adopted an entirely different approach and collapsed spectacularly.Their two most accomplished batsmen, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, exemplified this approach. Both came out looking to attack Ashwin, their tormentor through the series, and ended up playing a part in their own undoing.Williamson hit Ashwin for three fours in his first two overs, either side of tea, but in that time also gave the bowler enough of a clue that he was looking to step across his stumps and play him with the turn as much as possible. He shuffled across again to the eleventh ball he faced from Ashwin, premeditatedly, and a flatter, quicker one turned in and trapped him in front. Like he had done to Kumar Sangakkara on the 2015 tour of Sri Lanka, Ashwin had dismissed Williamson four times in four innings.In his first over at the crease, Taylor jumped out and hit Ashwin over the top for a four and a six off successive balls. As Ashwin’s spell continued, he stepped out again to whip him over midwicket, and then drove him against the turn through the covers. Having gone to 32 off 24, though, he chanced a sweep off a ball that was too full for the shot. It sneaked under his bat and bowled him.Luke Ronchi, James Neesham and Martin Guptill all fell in the next seven overs, the latter two to Ravindra Jadeja, and it seemed almost certain that the match wouldn’t go into a fifth day. BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner hinted that it just might, while putting on 24 for the seventh wicket, but Ashwin came back to break their partnership, bowling over the wicket to the left-handed Santner and beating him with natural variation. Coming forward to defend, Santner inside-edged the ball into his pad and then onto the stumps.India didn’t have to wait too long for the eighth and ninth wickets, but Watling and Trent Boult briefly raised the possibility of their having to come back on Wednesday to take the tenth, by putting on the longest partnership of the innings. They stuck around for 10.1 overs, causing India a bit of frustration – Jadeja bowled a 45kph donkey drop to Boult, Ashwin dragged down a legbreak to Watling – and threatening to take the fourth day into an extra half-hour, before Boult came down the track to drive Ashwin and popped back a waist-high return catch.Cheteshwar Pujara finished with a century and three fifties in the series•BCCI
India declared halfway through the morning session, one ball after Pujara brought up his hundred by helping a short ball from James Neesham to the fine leg boundary. It was a fitting way to reach the landmark, given that the area behind the wicket had fetched him 57 of his runs and six of his nine fours, with the lap-sweep and late cut his go-to shots against the spinners. Having gone to lunch batting on 50 off 98 balls, he had sped away to score 51 off 50 in the second session. At the other end, Ajinkya Rahane helped an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 58 hurry along at 6.44 an over, stepping out to play his favourite chips down the ground and inside-out drives.Ahead by 276 overnight, India had only extended their lead by eight runs when M Vijay was run-out by a brilliant piece of fielding from Guptill in the eighth over of the morning. In walked Gautam Gambhir, who had retired hurt late on the third evening with a shoulder injury. His re-entry sparked an immediate upsurge in India’s run rate, as he took frequent singles against New Zealand’s one-day fields, and pounced on anything remotely loose, his standout shot a drive drilled past extra-cover off Boult.Gambhir’s urgency rubbed off on Pujara as well. He ran as fast as his troubled knees would take him, ending up with a dirt-streaked shirt from all the times he had to dive into the crease, and looked outside his usual repertoire of shots, even jumping out of his crease at one point to flat-bat Boult back over his head.The pair added 76 for the second wicket before Gambhir fell for 50 off 56 balls, chipping Jeetan Patel to short extra-cover. Kohli, the first-innings double-centurion, fell in the sixth over after lunch, given lbw looking to sweep Patel although replays suggested the ball may have struck his pad outside the line of off stump.With nine overs to bat out before tea, New Zealand lost one wicket, Umesh Yadav going around the wicket in his first over and attacking the stumps to get Tom Latham lbw playing around his front pad. New Zealand were 38 for 1 at tea. They probably wouldn’t have imagined that it would all be over after just one more session.
Newcastle United's fate has been sealed and the Tyneside giants will compete in the Champions League next season after emphatic seasonal success this year, and requisite moves on the transfer front must now be made.
What's the latest on Newcastle's pursuit of Harry Maguire?
One name that has entered transfer circulation is Manchester United's world-record £80m centre-back Harry Maguire, with a recent update from Dean Jones stating that the defender is set to depart Old Trafford this summer after falling out of favour under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag.
While there is a vested interest in the 30-year-old from Serie A outfits such as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, Newcastle have also been credited as possible suitors, should the Red Devils grant Maguire's departure to a top-four Premier League rival.
It's thought a potential loan move could even be on the cards for the centre-back.
Should Newcastle sign Harry Maguire?
While Maguire has endured a turbulent ride in Manchester at times, perhaps none more so than this season where he has found a regular starting berth hard to come by, he is a commanding and aerially superlative "colossus" – as dubbed by Simon Jordan – to wield at the foot of the pitch.
In March, 90min reported that Maguire was among the players at the Theatre of Dreams informed that they are free to depart at the conclusion of the season, with the Magies stated to be 'monitoring' the situation.
Maguire has made 31 appearances across all competitions this term but has started only eight times in the Premier League, and with £190k-per-week wages, it is unlikely he will remain beyond the summer with a utility role.
Praised for his "dominating" demeanour on the pitch by Ten Hag, Maguire would be a good addition for Newcastle because injecting an imposing presence into a defence that boasts the joint-meanest defence in the English top-flight this term – alongside champions Manchester City – will only enrich the flourishing current crop.
Man United's Harry Maguire
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 17% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 20% for progressive carries, the top 11% for rate of blocks and the top 12% for aerials won per 90.
He would surely thrive alongside Sven Botman, who has been a revelation at St. James' Park since signing for £35m from Lille last summer.
While Maguire isn't the most mobile of defenders, he does boast an imposing physicality, which could run in tandem with Botman's own brutish approach to his play.
Indeed the £90k-per-week Dutchman has been lauded as a "leader" by journalist Josh Bunting, a quality he certainly shares with Maguire, while averaging a Premier League match rating of 6.99, as per Sofascore, completing 87% of his passes, making 3.3 clearances per match and winning 67% of his duels.
Such a tenacious and iron-clad partnership would only bear fruit for Howe, and signing Maguire might actually be a shrewd move to take as the Magpies continue their ascent.
Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams has been ruled out of the remaining three Premier League games, Phil Hay reports.
What’s the latest Leeds injury news involving Adams?
The USA international has been missing since March after suffering a hamstring injury in training. The Whites have lost six of the nine top-flight fixtures without the 24-year-old, conceding a whopping 27 goals during that time.
Leeds, who now have Sam Allardyce in charge until the end of the season, find themselves in the bottom three and two points from safety heading into this weekend’s clash with Newcastle United, and they won’t be able to call upon Adams for that match as well as the fixtures against West Ham and Tottenham.
Hay was present for Allardyce’s pre-Newcastle press conference on Thursday, where it was confirmed that Adams, Stuart Dallas, Liam Cooper and Luis Sinisterra would all be missing once again.
The reporter then relayed a further update, with Allardyce saying ‘there's no prospect of Adams being back for any of the remaining games’.
Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams looks on.
Not ideal for Big Sam…
There was some hope that Adams, labelled as an “exceptionally bright young footballer” by Gary Lineker, could have returned before the end of the campaign. Injury expert Ben Dinnery initially thought that the USA international could return in early April, whereas former manager Javi Gracia also teased a potential return prior to the end of the season.
However, he definitely won’t be returning for the final three games, so Allardyce will need to find the right balance in midfield without Adams. He selected all three senior midfielders available to him against Manchester City in Adam Forshaw, Weston McKennie and Marc Roca, so it’ll be interesting to see if the trio all get the nod once again.
One could drop out to potentially make way for a more attacking player such as Brenden Aaronson or Rodrigo, though, with Saturday’s meeting at Elland Road appearing to be make or break in Leeds’ season.
A spirited second half showing from Leeds United wasn’t enough to secure a point against Manchester City as they went down 2-1 at the Etihad this afternoon.
Sam Allardyce’s first match in charge didn’t exactly start off well, with the Whites two down at half-time having been thoroughly outplayed and out-fought during the opening 45 minutes.
The second half was much better, and following Rodrigo’s goal with just five minutes left, there were genuine hopes that an equaliser could be found during the dying minutes of the tie, yet it never arrived and Leeds find themselves languishing in 17th spot in the Premier League.
Allardyce struggled to get a tune out of the vast majority of his squad, with Jack Harrison arguably the worst among the starting XI, as he failed to provide any meaningful attacking output during a disappointing display.
How did Jack Harrison perform for Leeds United?
The winger hasn’t enjoyed the best of times recently. Against Fulham in April, he received a Sofascore rating of just 5.9/10, succeeding with just one dribble attempt and winning only one duel throughout the tie – and today's performance was arguably even worse.
He was only on the pitch for 65 minutes and failed to generate anything resembling a chance against the champions, which will worry Allardyce heading into the final three games of the season.
Another 5.9/10 rating from Sofascore for Harrison was the worst across the starting XI, and he took fewer touches than goalkeeper Joel Robles, who had 45 during the match compared to a paltry 15 from the winger.
Even worse was the fact that the Englishman attempted just five passes during the match and was successful with just one. Giving the ball away against City is a fatal error, and they punished Leeds this afternoon.
His failure to deliver an accurate cross or complete a single dribble was compounded by his lack of physicality against the opposition defence, as he lost every single one of his duels contested – and there is no doubt he was a passenger for Allardyce today.
The 26-year-old went missing once again and these recent poor performances will surely be a cause for concern heading into the next few weeks. Can the manager trust him against Newcastle United next weekend? After this display, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him drop to the bench as the Whites bid to avoid their battle against the drop going down to the wire.
Aston Villa travel to Brentford this weekend, with Unai Emery's side looking to keep their Champions League hopes alive with another win in west London.
The Villans have been in superb form in recent weeks, winning seven and drawing one of their last eight Premier League fixtures, which has put the Midlands outfit in with a great chance of securing European football for next season.
However, with six points separating Villa and the top four and just seven games remaining, Emery's side could still achieve their Champions League dream should they continue their unbeaten run until the end of the campaign.
Brentford away represents an extremely tricky game for Emery's high-fliers, and the key to picking up three points could be keeping talismanic striker Ivan Toney quiet.
For that reason, we think the Spaniard should consider unleashing Diego Carlos for the first time since August, as the former Sevilla man has not been given a runout since recovering from his long-term injury.
Should Villa unleash Carlos vs Brentford?
The 30-year-old, who earns £100k per week, would join Villa in a deal worth £26m last summer, but disaster struck on his home debut against Everton as he ruptured an Achilles tendon which has kept him out for much of the season.
However, he has returned to the bench in recent weeks and has been left to watch on as the Villans enjoy an impressive unbeaten run, but he could still play his part in helping Emery's side finish the season strongly.
Last season saw the centre-back average a strong 6.75 match rating from WhoScored for his performances in La Liga, with an average of 2.4 aerials won and 3.5 clearances per game.
Neither Ezri Konsa nor Tyrone Mings – who have been part of Emery's preferred centre-back partnership since he took over – can match that from their overall displays this season, while he also beats Konsa for clearances per game, as well as both players for aerials won.
This suggests that in the long term, he could be a better option for Emery at centre-back, and with one of the Premier League's most in-form strikers set to test Villa's defence on Saturday, it might be the perfect time to unleash Carlos.
Toney has contributed an impressive 18 goals and four assists in 29 Premier League appearances this season, while he is also crucial to Thomas Frank's side's build-up play, as he has won the third-most aerial duels per game of any Brentford player.
Carlos is a man who has been dubbed a "monster" by Ollie Watkins, and his physicality and ability in the air could see Villa silence Toney this weekend, so surely Emery must seriously consider giving him his first start since August.
Arsenal have placed Everton midfielder Amadou Onana on a three-man shortlist for the summer transfer window, according to a recent report from Football Insider.
Who could Arsenal sign this summer?
The Gunners have surpassed all expectations this season, currently sitting eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table, however, Mikel Arteta is still keen to bring in additional reinforcements in several different positions.
In terms of attacking options, Arsenal could well look to bring in Ansu Fati, although the Barcelona forward would set any potential suitor back a lot of money, given that he is valued at around €100m (£88m).
Fati is not the only Barca player being targeted by Arteta, as the Spaniard is also believed to be interested in centre-back Eric Garcia, while the same report also links the Gunners with a move for young Brazilian forward Vitor Roque.
According to a report from Football Insider, Arsenal have a three-man shopping list of midfield options for the summer transfer window, which includes Moises Caicedo, Declan Rice and Onana. The north London club, and by extension sporting director Edu Gaspar, are said to be long-term admirers of the latter player, and there is a suggestion that he could be the cheapest of the three options, although his availability will be determined by whether Everton are relegated.
However, the 21-year-old will still set back any potential suitor a huge fee, as it has since been reported the Toffees are set to demand £70m for him this summer, amid interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Everton midfielder Amadou Onana in Premier League action.
Would Amadou Onana be a good signing for Arsenal?
Onana has really started to find his form in recent weeks, playing the full 90 minutes for Belgium in their 3-2 win away at Germany, achieving a 7.4 SofaScore rating after winning seven ground duels and making three tackles, with the latter figure the highest of any player.
Not only that, but the central midfielder was praised for his leadership abilities in the wake of his performance, with reporter Christopher Beesley describing him as "captain material".
That said, the youngster is not yet on the level of Rice, ranking lower than the West Ham United ace in terms of pass completion rate, interceptions won and non-penalty goals per 90 over the course of the past year. Onana is not yet the finished article, but if Arsenal are unable to seal a deal for Rice this summer, it seems as if he could become a real target, making tis one to watch.