da bwin： A Seleção Brasileira foi derrotada pelo Uruguai por 2 a 0, nesta terça-feira (17), em Montevidéu, no Estádio Centenário, pela quarta rodada das Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2026. Nuñez e De La Cruz marcaram para os uruguaios. O próximo desafio agora é somente em novembro contra Colômbia e Argentina. Por enquanto, assista no vídeo acima à entrevista coletiva na íntegra do técnico técnico Fernando Diniz após a derrota canarinho:
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da heads bet： + Você quer trabalhar no seu clube do coração? Matricule-se no curso Gestor de Futebol e entenda como!
+ Uruguai passa fácil pelo Brasil e assume a vice-liderança das Eliminatórias
Meet the teenage Warwickshire player who might end up as one of the fastest bowlers in the women’s game
Valkerie Baynes21-Mar-2020Issy Wong doesn’t just make solving a Rubik’s Cube in a matter of seconds easy, she makes it like the simplest thing in the world too.When a spectator at last year’s Kia Super League Finals Day was spotted with a Cube – that 3-D puzzle that ranks alongside Pac-Man and Space Invaders as the quintessential icon of a 1980s childhood well spent – someone in the Southern Vipers’ dugout dropped their team-mate right in the spotlight: “You should see Wongy, she can do it in 30 seconds.”So there she was, a teenager who had barely played a handful of games for the Vipers, on live TV, reeling her way through a complex puzzle as her team cheered her on. For the record, she solved it in 33 seconds, smashing her previous personal best of 35.
Just 33 seconds!
17-year old Isabelle Wong was speedsolving the Rubik's Cube during #KSLFinalsDay
: @ECB_cricket pic.twitter.com/SQKIJSxtgb
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 2, 2019
“I think we can call that performing on the big stage,” Wong says with a laugh. “I was the most nervous I’ve ever been, I was shaking like a leaf in the wind.”Asked how she does it, she responds with the most astute of analogies.”With most things, if you know what you’re looking for, it becomes a lot clearer, so there’s certain patterns, certain things you can look for, and once you see that, that’s almost like a trigger for the next pattern of moves,” she says. “Like in cricket, if you see a half-volley outside your off stump, you know the next step is a cover drive. It’s almost the same thing but on a much smaller scale.”Wong is not just quick with a puzzle in her hand. Put a cricket ball in it and she is seriously rapid too. She hovers around the 70mph mark at the age of just 17, and has her sights set on going much faster.”It’s obviously a long way off at the moment, but the 80-clicks mark has never been hit by a girl yet, so it’s certainly an ambition of mine over the next few years,” she says. “Hopefully I can keep getting stronger, keep getting quicker. I just want to keep going, and that’s in the back of my mind.”Clever, ambitious and precociously talented, Wong has created quite the buzz among some high-profile peers, and the excitable chatter accompanying her emergence on the elite scene has been recognised with a call-up to play for Birmingham Phoenix in the Women’s Hundred.Tony Marsh/CricpixThere, presuming the tournament goes ahead despite the current uncertainty over what impact the Covid-19 pandemic will have on the English season, Wong will be captained by New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.”Issy Wong is a name that really stands out for me,” Devine says. “I’ve heard a lot of her name thrown around the last year or two. Any bowler that can bowl at some decent clicks is certainly going to catch your eye over a lot of people.”Word of mouth is that she hits the deck hard and hurries batters up, which I think is a really exciting thing in the women’s game.”We’re seeing a lot more of it now – bowlers bowling with real pace. And she’s certainly going to offer something slightly different for us in having that extra pace. She’s obviously a pretty smart cricketer as well, so there’s lots to work with there.”Born in London to English parents – her father has Chinese heritage – Wong acknowledges the cricketing traditions of her mother’s native Yorkshire, but her only real connection with the sport lies with her grandfather “who played a bit when he was younger”.”When I was in trouble and it was a bit awkward, I always used to say, ‘So Grandad, how’s the cricket going?’ to change the topic,” she says. “But apart from that no one in my family really played.”The Wongs moved to Warwickshire when Issy was five, and she started playing the game at an after-school club. One of the coaches suggested she join her local club, which she did around the age of seven and from there she joined Warwickshire.Progressing through the county’s youth pathway, she was part of the Warwickshire women’s side that lifted the county T20 trophy last year, and then she was named in the England Women’s Academy squad.Now in her final year at Shrewsbury School, where she became the first girl to play for the 1st XI in 2019, Wong plans to delay going to university so that she can focus entirely on cricket for a few years “and see where that could take me”.Paul Greetham, Warwickshire’s high-performance manager, describes Wong as a “major success story” of the county age-group system.”From a very early age she had this obvious desire to bowl quicker than anybody else, particularly, and as her batting’s developed, she’s learnt she can hit the ball quite a long way as well, so she’s always had a bit of X-factor about her, and always shown a high level of ambition without coming across as arrogant or cocky,” Greetham says.Tony Marsh/Cricpix”I can remember as a 12- or 13-year-old she was stating that she wanted to be the fastest women’s bowler ever. She’s always had that about her.”The other thing that I think sort of set her apart is that she always seemed very comfortable playing amongst boys, and she wasn’t just satisfied with playing alongside them, she wanted to beat them. I’ve always admired that about her.”A smooth run-up and energetic attack on the crease, combined with a good technical bowling action, lend Wong the speed that has so many people talking about her, but Greetham believes desire plays a big part too.”Not everybody’s got that,” he says. “She still is a developing athlete. I genuinely think she can get close to 80 miles an hour at some point, and I don’t think there has been a female seamer that has reached those heights. She’s got that ambition to do it. “Bowling aside, at this early stage of her career there is still the prospect of Wong developing into an allrounder given the enjoyment she derives from hitting the ball a long way and her lack of inhibition when it comes to hitting in the air.”My batting is, um, hit and miss, I’d say,” Wong says. “When it comes off, it’s, I think the word is ‘entertaining’. I’m certainly more of a bowler, but looking to keep developing my batting and hopefully develop into an allrounder as I get older.”Greetham believes her batting can reach a high level. “I think she’s better than a lower-order batter,” he says. “I think she could develop into definitely a middle-order batter, there’s no two ways about that. She’s got enough about her and she loves batting as well.”Should the English season get underway in some form or other, and the inaugural Hundred goes ahead as planned, Wong will have the opportunity to expand her cricketing education among some of the best in the business.”It will be a big step for her in terms of who she’ll be playing with or against,” Greetham says. “Any 18-year-old would be relatively inexperienced, but the thing that she won’t be is daunted. She’ll just see it as another game of cricket and one that she wants to have an impact upon.”It seems Issy Wong is making something of an impact on the game as a whole already.
Afghanistan were 95 for 2 at stumps, staring at a mammoth 491-run deficit
Sreshth Shah27-Dec-2024
Brian Bennett celebrates his century•Zimbabwe Cricket
Bulawayo was buzzing on the second day of the Boxing Day Test as the home fans celebrated one landmark after another, with Zimbabwe creating history against Afghanistan by getting to their highest Test score of all time. Overnight centurion Sean Williams posted his personal best in Tests, the captain Craig Ervine scored his fourth Test ton in a 13-year career, and Brian Bennett struck a dramatic maiden hundred, taking Zimbabwe to 586.Williams set the tone early with a cut through point to pass 150. He looked to be aggressive to the leg side but mistimed a pull off Naveen Zadran to deep midwicket, adding only nine to his overnight score before departing for 154 in the day’s sixth over.The No. 7 Bennett, playing only his second Test, then looked busy upon arrival. His early strokes allowed Ervine, starting overnight on 56, to get his eyes in, and together they put on 82 in only 20.2 overs for the sixth wicket. Ervine showed off his ease against spin to dominate square of the wicket. He reached triple figures with a flick towards backward square leg in the 109th over, took off his helmet, and revealed a smile that bore a feeling of satisfaction.Left-arm spinner Zia-Ur-Rehman had Ervine nicking to the keeper for 104 two overs later, followed by Brandon Mavuta’s dismissal for 0 in the same over, those two wickets did not bring any respite for the inexperienced Afghanistan bowling unit. The turn was predictable, the pacers were ineffective, allowing Bennett and the lower-order to score freely.Bennett, a few streaky boundaries aside, peppered boundaries through the covers, and after lunch the message was clear that the remaining batters would also play positively. Teen debutant Newman Nyamhuri, known for his left-arm seam bowling in the domestic circuit, showed he can also contribute with the bat. He was out on 26 to Zahir Khan, but not before bringing up Zimbabwe’s 500 with a big six down the ground. It ended a 21-year wait for Zimbabwe to breach that mark in Tests.Naveed Zadran celebrates the wicket of Sean Williams•Zimbabwe Cricket
The mystery spin of AM Ghazanfar didn’t have much impact either, with Bennett and Blessing Muzarabani (19) crunching sixes off his overpitched deliveries. As Zimbabwe pushed towards their previous highest score of 563 for 9, achieved against West Indies in 2001, errors crept into the Afghan fielding effort too. Fumbles and misfields allowed singles to become doubles, and Muzarabani survived a dropped chance at deep midwicket too.However Muzarabani fell with Zimbabwe at 550 for 9, earning Azmatullah Omarzai a maiden Test wicket, and with only the No. 11 remaining, Bennett, on 82, moved to fifth gear. A six off Zia-ur-Rehman through midwicket took him to 89, and back-to-back twos in Trevor Gwandu’s company got him closer to triple digits. His 96th run also took Zimbabwe to 564, a new high in their 32-year history in the format.But that was not enough for the crowd. Only a Bennett century would make the innings perfect, and it arrived in cinematic fashion in the 135th over. Zadran had set up a short-ball ploy with two sweeper fielders in the deep on the leg side, but Bennett went for the pull anyway. The fielder in the deep took the catch, only to see that he had stepped into the boundary line, and Bennett roared “come on” in the direction of his family on the grass banks, which included his father and twin brother. He would pin another six next ball over the same region before Ghazanfar picked up his third wicket by removing Gwandu, leaving Bennett unbeaten on 110.”[It is] not just my first Test century but my first century for Zimbabwe, so it’s a great feeling,” Bennett said after the day’s play. “To get a Test match hundred at Queen’s [Sports Club] with my family watching, with Sean Williams and Craig Ervine also getting hundreds and putting on a record score for Zimbabwe in Test matches. I don’t think there’s any better feeling to that. So, yeah, I’m just very proud.”At first, when I saw it going, I thought it was six, but when I saw it coming down, I was like, oh shucks, I’m in trouble here,” he recalled the drama. “But you know what? You create your own luck in cricket. And when it stepped over the boundary there, I was lost for words, actually.”It wasn’t too much about me getting to my hundred. It was more about us getting a big score and getting the Afghan guys out on the field for as long as possible. So credit to the tail-enders as well. They did a good effort for me to get my hundred but also, I think we were six down, and with our tail, we added 120 [121] runs.”Afghanistan’s reply to 587 began in overcast conditions after tea, and Sediqullah Atal lost the battle of the debutants to Gwandu trying to flick across the line in the second over. Gwandu got a ball to swing in and shape away late to gain his maiden Test scalp. The seamer would bowl four overs before an injury while fielding ended his day early.Muzarabani was metronic from the other end, bowling in the channel around off stump, and challenged Abdul Malik’s bat on occasion. It needed someone of Rahmat Shah’s experience at No. 3 to get the runs flowing. His strong off-side play earned him four fours in the space of as many overs bowled by Gwandu and Nyamhuri. Malik, instead, offered soft hands when possible, with his only boundary a gentle glance towards fine leg.With the pitch still good for batting and the effects of the new ball wearing off, both batters milked the Zimbabwe bowling, but looking to make something happen Ervine brought Muzarabani back and the idea worked. Malik, who had mostly offered defensive shots, was proffered a short ball by Muzarabani and the rising delivery forced the error, straight to Ben Curran at fine leg.Hashmatullah Shahidi, at No. 4, battled against the fading light to face some tricky overs of spin from Williams and part-timers Mavuta and Bennett. He struck three boundaries in 24 balls, while Rahmat moved to 49 after surviving one catching chance at slip. Bad light stopped play three overs before close, with Afghanistan on 95 for 2, staring at a mammoth 491-run deficit.
His average of 14.06 is the second-lowest average for a batsman with a Test century
Gaurav Sundararaman01-Dec-2019ESPNcricinfo Ltd 7 – The number of batsmen Test hundreds coming in at No. 8 or below against Australia. The previous instance was in 2017, when Wriddhiman Saha made 117 in Ranchi. 2006 – The last time a Pakistani scored a Test hundred at No. 8. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal made 113 against India in Karachi, a Test Pakistan won to take the series 1-0. Yasir is the ninth Pakistani to achieve this feat.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Only one batsman – Jerome Taylor (12.96) has a lower average than Yasir Shah while scoring a Test century. Yasir’s average after the century stands at 14.06. 213 – Runs added by the last four Pakistan batsmen in the first innings in Adelaide. This is the second-highest for Pakistan in Australia. The best was in 2016 when the last four added 230 at the Gabba in Brisbane. 105 – Runs added by Babar Azam and Yasir, the best seventh-wicket stand for Pakistan against Australia. 87 – The ninth-wicket stand for Pakistan, their highest for that wicket in Australia. Overall, it’s the second-highest ninth-wicket stand against Australia. 89.33 – The average seventh-wicket stand for Pakistan in this series. This is the most they’ve averaged for any wicket in this series. Pakistan’s top five wickets average 18.77 runs while the bottom five average 40. 2015 – The last time Australia enforced the enforcingfollow-on in Tests, against West Indies in Hobart. They’ve not chosen to enforce the follow-on on five occasions since. Pakistan were last made to follow-on at Centurion against South Africa in 2013.
Manchester United have a reported interest in Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres, who worked with Ruben Amorim in Portugal, but they look unlikely to win the race for his signature.
A recent report claimed that the Sweden international has decided that he would rather sign for the club’s Premier League rivals Arsenal instead of making a move to Old Trafford to reunite with his former boss.
The former Coventry star, who scored a staggering 52 goals in all competitions for Sporting in the 2024/25 season, is available for a fee of just over £61m, but it is the Gunners who seem to be in pole position to bring him over to England.
His incredible goal return in Portugal suggests that this news is a blow for Amorim and for Manchester United. However, the club are reportedly eyeing up a star who could be the manager’s next version of Gyokeres.
Man Utd battling to sign Spanish striker
The Premier League giants appear to be in the process of identifying alternative options in the number nine position, as the Swedish star looks to be headed elsewhere.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are one of a number of teams eyeing up a move to sign FC Porto’s Spanish striker Samu Aghehowa in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Chelsea are all also keen on doing a deal for the former Atletico Madrid centre-forward in the coming weeks.
FC Porto's SamuOmorodioncelebrates scoring their first goal
It states that the Portuguese giants are looking for a fee of up to £63m for the 21-year-old marksman, with United and their Premier League rivals now set to battle it out for his signature.
Whilst they appear to be on the back foot with Gyokeres, the Red Devils should push to win this race to unearth Amorim’s next version of the Sporting superstar.
Why Samu could be Gyokeres 2.0 for Amorim
The Porto marksman is similar to the Swedish ace from a physical perspective, as he stands at 6 foot 4 and has the physicality to occupy and cause problems for defenders.
FC Porto's SamuOmorodioncelebrates scoring their first goal
In fact, talent scout Jacek Kulig once described him as a “monster” in the making due to his physicality and speed, which suggests that the forward could offer similar attributes to Gyokeres.
The Spain international’s performances in the Portuguese top-flight also suggest that he has the potential to be a prolific striker for United, albeit not as prolific as Gyokeres could be in the short-term.
Starts
23
31
xG
14.07
30.95
Goals
19
39
xG differential
+4.93
+8.05
Minutes per goal
119
72
Conversion rate
23%
28%
As you can see in the table above, Samu enjoyed a brilliant season with Porto, scoring 19 goals in 23 starts and outperforming his xG, yet still ended with 20 fewer goals than the Sporting number nine.
It is worth remembering, though, that the Spanish marksman is six years younger than Gyokeres and has plenty of time left ahead of him to hone his skills and improve his output as a scorer.
Samu, dubbed “outstanding” by journalist Josh Bunting, did also score six goals in nine matches in the Europa League, which shows that he can perform on the European stage.
Whilst he may not be the final, polished, product in comparison to the seasoned Gyokeres, the Porto star appears to have the physical and finishing attributes to develop into Amorim’s next version of the Swedish marksman, which is why he could be a shrewd signing for the club.
Twist: "Extraordinary" £60m+ star now plans to snub Man Utd to join Arsenal
The Gunners have received a boost in their pursuit of a forward, who Andrea Berta has already held talks to sign.
أصدرت فوربس قائمتها لأعلى 10 لاعبين كرة قدم أجراً في العالم بحلول عام 2025، ويتقاضى اللاعبون مجتمعون 945 مليون دولار هذا الموسم.
وتأتي أرباح اللاعبين من الملعب ومن خلال عقودهم مع فرقهم ومن خلال الإعلانات أيضاً، ويدخل النجم المصري محمد صلاح لاعب ليفربول الإنجليزي في هذه القائمة.
ويتصدر كريستيانو رونالدو مهاجم النصر السعودي والأسطورة البرتغالية هذه القائمة حيث يتقاضى 280 مليون دولار أي ما يعادل 240 مليون يورو، كذلك يتقاضى ليونيل ميسي الأسطورة الأرجنتينية ونجم انتر ميامي 130 مليون دولار أي ما يعادل 111 مليون يورو.
اقرأ أيضاً.. لاعب ليفربول: محمد صلاح أفضل من كريستيانو رونالدو
ويأتي كريم بنزيما مهاجم اتحاد جدة السعودي في المركز الثالث حيث يتقاضى 104 ملايين دولار أي ما يعادل 90 مليون يورو. قائمة أعلى 10 لاعبين أجراً في العالم لعام 2025
1- كريستيانو رونالدو 280 مليون دولار
2- ليونيل ميسي 130 مليون دولار
3- كريم بنزيما 104 مليون دولار
4- كيليان مبابي 95 مليون دولار
5- إيرلينج هالاند 80 مليون دولار
6- فينيسيوس جونيور 60 مليون دولار
7- محمد صلاح 55 مليون دولار
8- ساديو ماني 54 مليون دولار
9- جود بيلينجهام 44 مليون دولار
10- لامين يامال 43 مليون دولار
ويعد ريال مدريد صاحب النصيب الأكبر في هذه القائمة بثلاثة لاعبين وهم كيليان مبابي وفينيسيوس جونيور وجود بيلينجهام.
أكد أسامة حسني، نجم الأهلي السابق، إن القلعة الحمراء تقدّر كثيرًا الدور الذي قام به عماد النحاس خلال الفترة الماضية، مشيرًا إلى أنه كان أحد الأسباب الرئيسية في تحقيق الفريق للقب الدوري الموسم الماضي، وكاشفًا عن موعد التعاقد مع المدرب الأجنبي الجديد.
وقال حسني في تصريحات عبر برنامج “اللعيب”، على قناة “mbc masr”: “نشكر الكابتن عماد النحاس على مجهوده الكبير في الموسم الماضي، ففي واحدة من أصعب الفترات التي مر بها الأهلي، تولّى المسؤولية في آخر ست مباريات، وتمكّن من الفوز بها جميعًا، وكان سببًا مباشرًا في حصول الفريق على بطولة الدوري”.
وأضاف: “أما هذا الموسم، فقد خاض الفريق تحت قيادته خمس مباريات، تعادل في الأولى أمام إنبي، ثم فاز في أربع مباريات متتالية، وهو ما ساهم في تصدر الأهلي لجدول الدوري وعودته بقوة إلى المنافسة، وهذا جزء مهم جدًا في مشوار الفريق”.
طالع أيضًا | رانجنيك يكشف لـ”بطولات” الحقيقة الكاملة.. هل اقترب من تدريب الأهلي؟
وتابع أسامة حسني: “لكن السؤال الآن، هل الأهلي بحاجة إلى مدير فني أجنبي؟ بالفعل، الأهلي يحتاج إلى مدرب أجنبي صاحب شخصية قوية، ومعه جهاز بدني مميز أيضًا، لأن هذه الفترة تتطلب إعدادًا خاصًا للفريق”.
وأردف: “خلال الأيام الماضية سمعنا أن التعاقد مع المدير الفني الأجنبي قد يتأخر إلى فترة التوقف في شهر نوفمبر أو حتى كأس الأمم في ديسمبر، لكنني أؤكد أن المدير الفني الأجنبي سيكون متواجدًا خلال فترة التوقف الدولي الحالية، وخلال أسبوع على الأكثر سيتم الإعلان عنه رسميًا”.
واختتم أسامة حسني تصريحاته قائلًا: “الأهلي درس العديد من السير الذاتية، ويبحث عن مدير فني يتمتع بشخصية قوية ويمكنه الاستمرار مع الفريق لمدة موسمين أو ثلاثة على الأقل، لتحقيق الاستقرار الفني المطلوب في المرحلة القادمة”.
سلطت إحدى الشبكات الإنجليزية، المتخصصة في أخبار ليفربول، الضوء على مستوى النجم المصري محمد صلاح خلال الموسم الحالي، وتراجع أدائه بشكل ملحظوظ.
وتعرض ليفربول لهزيمة مساء أمس السبت على يد تشيلسي، بهدفين لهدف في الجولة السابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2025/26.
وتُعد تلك الهزيمة هي الثالثة على التوالي لـ ليفربول في مختلف المسابقات، والثانية في الدوري الإنجليزي.
من جهة أخرى، يواصل محمد صلاح مستواه الضعيف خلال الموسم الحالي، حيث لم يسجل إلا 3 أهداف حتى الآن، منها هدفين في الدوري الإنجليزي، أحدهما من ضربة جزاء.
وقالت شبكة “liverpoolnews247” الإنجليزية إن بداية محمد صلاح للموسم الجديد مع ليفربول لم تكن جيدة حتى الآن، مع معاناة ليفربول من وضع حرج في الأيام القليلة الماضية بسبب الهزائم الثلاثة.
ونشرت الشبكة تصريحات على لسان الطبيب راجبال برار، المتخصص الشهير في العلاج الطبيعي، حيث قال: “على الرغم من تقدم محمد صلاح في السن، فإن عاداته والتزامه باللياقة البدنية تصل إلى 99 %، هو يستفيد بالفعل من وجود فترات راحة خارج الموسم للتعافي وبناء الفريق بسبب عدم مشاركة مصر في غالبية البطولات الدولية”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. ديلي ميل عن محمد صلاح بعد هزيمة ليفربول أمام تشيلسي: لا يستطيع ضرب باب حظيرة
وأضاف: “ومع ذلك أعتقد أن سلوت قد يكون أكثر حرصًا مع محمد صلاح في بعض المسابقات الأقل مستوى حتى لا يضطر لخوض ثلاث مباريات أسبوعيًا”.
وواصل: “كما أظن أيضًا أن جزءًا من سبب تعاقد ليفربول مع لاعبين مثل فلوريان فيرتز وألكسندر إيزاك هو تخفيف بعض المسؤولية عن كاهل صلاح مع تقدمه في السن”.
وأشارت الشبكة نفسها إلى أنه لا يمكن لليفربول الاعتماد على صلاح كثيرًا هذا الموسم، حيث إنه من الطبيعي أن يبدأ في التراجع مع تقدمه في السن، إذ يفقد سرعته الزائدة وتفوقه على المدافعين.
واعتمد ليفربول بقوة على محمد صلاح الموسم الماضي، وبدأ مستوى الفريق يتراجع مع قلة تهديف نجمهم مع نهاية الموسم نفسه وبدايات الموسم الحالي.
وأكدت أن ليفربول يحتاج إلى البدء في التخلي تدريجيًا عن الحاجة إلى محمد صلاح لإنقاذهم عندما يحتاجون إلى هدف أو لحظة سحرية، وقد أثبتت بدايته في الموسم الجديد ذلك.
In a move that would see them get one over on Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United are now reportedly plotting a last-ditch hijack to sign an England international this summer.
Full focus on Bilbao for Man Utd
Although there are still three Premier League games left to play, they are likely to be seen as opportunities to rest key players at Manchester United. The Red Devils’ domestic campaign has long been over and they could yet finish as low as 17th to increase their embarrassment to beyond simple failure. But, in quite the twist, they could still qualify for the Champions League.
Mason Mount
After smashing Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate, Manchester United will square off against fellow strugglers Tottenham in a game between two sides desperate to change the narrative of their seasons.
Like those at Old Trafford, there’s still every chance that Spurs finish as low as 17th in the Premier League. But, just like United, they could do the unthinkable by securing Champions League football through the Europa League.
Given just how much both sides have struggled this season, that qualification wouldn’t be without its controversy and many have already had their say, including Arsene Wenger.
The legendary ex-Arsenal manager recently told reporters: “No – they should qualify automatically for the Europa League again but not necessarily for the Champions League.
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“Especially when you’re in the Premier League where already five teams qualify. I think it’s something [for Uefa] to think about and to review. On the other hand, people will tell you that to keep the Europa League focused, interesting and motivated you need to give them that prize (of qualifying for the Champions League).”
However, if Manchester United end their season lifting the Europa League, the words of Wenger will simply become an afterthought, and their summer transfer window could suddenly come to life.
Man Utd plotting late Angel Gomes move
According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are now plotting a last-ditch hijack to sign Angel Gomes ahead of Tottenham this summer. Squaring off both on and off the pitch, the two Premier League sides are chasing the England international as his LOSC Lille contract comes to an end and he becomes a free agent at the end of June.
Whilst it is reportedly Spurs who lead the race, Manchester United should hold the advantage that Gomes came through their academy not so long ago. Having left as an attacking midfielder in 2020, the 24-year-old has since reinvented himself as a No.6 in France and could now make quite the return to Old Trafford this summer.
Dubbed “always impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Gomes looks set to have quite the decision to make between his boyhood club that let him go and a Premier League rival this summer.
It’s set to be a vitally important summer for Tottenham Hotspur this year.
After a campaign that has been defined by an incredible number of injuries and the emergence of several incredible youngsters, Daniel Levy and Co have to make some big investments in the upcoming transfer window to ensure Ange Postecoglou, or whoever is in the hot seat, can take the club forward next season.
However, while sorting out the right incomings is going to be of paramount importance, it will be just as crucial to keep a hold of the team’s best players.
Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy.
Unfortunately, this could be a problem for the North Londoners, as recent reports have touted one of their stars with a move to Real Madrid, a move reminiscent of Gareth Bale’s in 2013.
Tottenham Transfer news
According to a recent report from Spain, Cristian Romero could be on his way to Real Madrid this summer.
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The report has revealed that the Argentinian international has not hidden his interest in playing for the Spanish giants and that should they come in for him at the end of the season, he’d ‘be willing to take the step.’
The one piece of good news to come from the report is the claim that while Los Blancos like the player, he is only seen as one of a few options at the moment, although the fact his contract expires in two years makes a move for him more realistic than some of their other targets.
While Romero has been out of action for much of this season, his importance to Spurs cannot be underestimated, so losing him to Real would be a disaster, similar to the loss of Bale over a decade ago.
Why Romero's exit would be a Bale repeat
So, there are a couple of reasons why losing Romero this summer would be very reminiscent of Bale’s departure in 2013, with the most straightforward being that both players would have gone to Real Madrid.
The second similarity would be their respective importance to the North Londoners.
For example, in his final campaign for the Lilywhites, the Cardiff-born phenomenon was a force of nature, scoring 26 goals and providing ten assists in just 44 appearances, which came out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.22 games.
Now, it’s probably fair to say that the former Atalanta star does not have quite the same impact on the team as the Welsh icon did, but that doesn’t mean he’s not incredibly important, and if Lionel Messi thinks he’s “the best defender in the world,” he’s got to be up there with some of the best in the league.
For example, he’s one of the club’s co-vice captains, and across his 115 appearances for the team, he’s scored seven goals, provided one assist and averaged 1.69 points per game, which is an average significantly reduced by the limited appearances he’s made across this dismal campaign.
Romero’s Spurs career
Appearances
115
Goals
7
Assists
1
Yellow Cards
29
Second Yellows
3
Red Cards
1
Points per Game
1.69
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In fact, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the team have struggled so dramatically in defence during the season he and Micky van de Ven have been out of action for significant amounts of time.
Finally, while Levy and Co would likely receive a sizable fee for the World Cup-winning “monster,” as dubbed by journalist Charlie Eccleshare, it seems unlikely that they’d be able to sign a defender as good as him and could end up wasting the money on several players as they did in 2013.
Ultimately, Romero is obviously not on the same level as Bale, but were he to leave Spurs for Real Madrid this summer, his move would certainly mirror the Welshman’s.
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