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After a good spell of defensive solidity, Chelsea’s defence has absolutely crumbled in recent weeks. 

Humiliating 4-0 and 6-0 defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester City have seen many eyebrows raised over Maurizio Sarri’s defence, and failure to improve could now see the Blues spend heavily in the summer to improve that area of the squad.

The Breakdown

Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) reports that Chelsea are keen on signing Ajax central defender Matthijs de Ligt in a move that makes perfect sense, though it could be a deal that proves extremely difficult to pull off.

The likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also said to be interested in de Ligt, according to the Spanish outlet, leaving Chelsea with some serious competition if they do intend on making an offer for the 19-year-old.

The Blues, however, must do all they can to see off rival interest; de Ligt is exactly the kind of player they need at the back going forward.

David Luiz has been an absolute shambles in defence at times this season and, at 31 with his contract set to expire in the summer, his long-term future does not look to be anywhere near Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Antonio Rudiger, who started off the season well, has also been poor of late, constantly committing silly fouls and failing to win simple headers.

By no means will de Ligt solve all of the problems at Stamford Bridge, but signing a defender with his potential would definitely be a good start and a step in the right direction for the west London club.

Southampton must target a new right-back when the summer transfer window opens in a few months time.

Ralph Hassenhuttl faces a real battle to save the Saints from relegation following their dreadful form in the Premier League this season. Should the Austrian manage to save his side from the drop, he absolutely has to target a new right-sided defender in the transfer window. With Cedric Soares joining Inter Milan on loan in January, it’s unlikely the Portugal international’s long-term future is at St. Marys.

The Italian giants have the option to make his stay in Italy permanent for just £9.5m which would leave the Saints short of options at the back. Landing a new right-back should definitely be a priority in order to add some stability to their leaky back four.

One man Hassenhuttl should be looking to sign is Nantes youngster – Enock Kwateng. Valued at just £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old was part of the France side which won the won the European U19 Championship in 2016 alongside superstars such as Kylian Mbappe. Kwateng has been ever-present for his current employers this season but could be set to depart his homeland with his contract due to expire at the end of the campaign.

Kwateng is a fantastic defender who would finally give Southampton some solidity on the right flank. The Frenchman loves to get stuck into a challenge, averaging an incredible 2.8 tackles per game in Ligue 1. Despite his young age, he reads the game expertly, allowing him to make an impressive 3.8 interceptions per game this season (WhoScored). Kwateng also tends to get forward to help out the attack without neglecting his defensive duties.

Available on a free transfer, this move should be a no brainer for the Saints.

Southampton fans, thoughts?

كشف نادي بايرن ميونخ بطل دوري أبطال أوروبا عن غياب مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، عن تدريبات الفريق الجماعية صباح اليوم، الأثنين.

ويستعد العملاق الألماني لمواجهة إشبيلية في بطولة السوبر الأوروبي في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءًا يوم، الخميس المقبل، في العاصمة المجرية بودابست.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فليك يرفض مقارنة نجمي بايرن ميونخ بـ روبن وريبيري

وأفاد الموقع الرسمي لنادي بايرن ميونخ بأن ليفاندوفسكي يعاني من إجهاد، وفضل الجهاز الفني إراحته من التدريبات الجماعية حتى لا يتعرض للإصابة قبل مواجهة الخميس.

بينما عاد ظهير أيسر الفريق، ديفيد ألابا، إلى التدريبات الجماعية بعد تعافيه من إصابته العضلية في فخذه الأيسر والتي كان يعاني منها طيلة الفترة الماضية.

وكان بايرن ميونخ قد استهل مشواره في الدوري الألماني بفوز كبير على شالكه يوم، الجمعة الماضية بنتيجة 8-0.

أكد الإسباني، مونشي، المدير الرياضي لنادي إشبيلية، أنّ ناديه تلقى عرضًا من أحد أندية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز (رفض الكشف عن اسمه)؛ لبيع جول كوندي، خلال نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية.

كوندي تألق مع إشبيلية خلال الموسم الماضي، واستطاع أن يقود الفريق الأندلسي للفوز ببطولة الدوري الأوروبي على حساب إنتر ميلان في النهائي.

وليس سرًا أنّ مانشستر سيتي يريد التعاقد مع كوندي، رغم رفض مونشي ذكر اسم وصيف الدوري الإنجليزي، الذي قدم عرضًا قدره 46 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

وقال مونشي في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ذا صن” البريطانية: “كوندي مُحترف رائع، وليس لدي شك في احترافه والتزامه لنادينا”.

وأضاف: “لقد وصل عرضًا من نادٍ من الدوري الإنجليزي، قمنا بتقييمه ورفضناه رغم أنه كان أكثر من ضعف ما قمنا بدفعه قبل 12 شهرًا (23 مليون جنيه إسترليني)، إلا أننا نعتبره غير كافٍ”.

وواصل: “إذا وصلت المزيد من العروض فسنقيمها ونقرر كما نفعل دائمًا، نحن لا نخشى البيع، لأن هذا ما فعلناه خلال العقدين الماضيين، وهذا ما سمح لنا بالتطور والنمو”.

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Hoffenheim Director of Football Alexander Rosen have confirmed that they have received a bid worth €50million (£42.8m) for reported Newcastle United target Joelinton, per Bild.

The 22-year-old striker has scored 10 goals in all competitions thus far this season.

What’s the word?

Joelinton joined Hoffenheim in 2015 from Brazilian club Sport Recife.

However, he has had to wait for his breakthrough at the club, having spent two years on loan with Rapid Wien.

During his spell in Austria, the attacker scored 21 goals and laid on nine assists in a total of 79 appearances.

And he has hit the goal trail again upon his return to the Bundesliga, leading to reported interest from a number of European clubs.

Per the aforementioned report, Newcastle are willing to pay €60m (£51.4m) to secure his signature but Rosen is keen to retain the club’s prized asset.

He told Bild: “We have developed great strength to be able to say no, which we have proven in the past.”

Asked if Newcastle had been the club to table the bid, he replied: “To be honest, there is not one, there are not five, there are dozens of clubs that are interested in him.”

Far-fetched

Unfortunately, this seems like little more than a pipe dream for Newcastle fans.

The Magpies broke their transfer record in January, signing Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United for a fee of £20m.

That deal was the most expensive for the club since 2005, when they secured Michael Owen from Real Madrid.

To expect the club to now be willing to pay almost triple that for any player, let alone one who has spent just a season in a top European league, feels fanciful.

There appears to be a number of clubs looking to sign Joelinton – he is surely unlikely to end up on Tyneside.

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Manchester United pulled off a Champions League miracle on Wednesday night when they overcame a two-goal first leg deficit against PSG to progress to the next round of Europe’s elite club competition.

The Paris club’s star-studded side very rarely lose at the Parc des Princes, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men produced a wonderfully disciplined and clinical performance to triumph against the odds.

The Norwegian coach’s impressive start to life at Old Trafford was given another layer of gloss with this remarkable success. Considering how many key players weren’t available to him too, including Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, he’ll certainly have learned a few things about his squad on Wednesday.

Lukaku is back (and better than ever?)

Towards the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign, and at the outset of Solskjaer’s tenure, Romelu Lukaku looked utterly bereft of confidence. The £75 million striker’s finishing touch had deserted him and the United faithful were beginning to turn on the 25-year-old.

Marcus Rashford established himself as the first choice striker under the new boss, and only a month or so ago it looked like it would take something very special from Lukaku to restore his reputation at Old Trafford. He has delivered something special since then though. 

His recent form has been magnificent. He’s scored six goals in his last three games – two in each. His most recent brace was by far the most important, as his well-taken double gave United hope in Paris.

Ahead of the 2nd leg between Atletico Madrid and Juventus, 442oons reimagine the first leg in the video below in their own unique way…

Faith in youth the answer to injury crisis

United’s injury crisis was well documented heading into this game. On top of Pogba’s suspension, Martial, Lingard, Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and club captain Antonio Valencia were all ruled out.

The likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Andreas Pereira started against the Ligue 1 giants, and all acquitted themselves well. On top of that, several academy starlets were named on the bench. 19-year-old Tahith Chong and 17-year-old Mason Greenwood actually both made it onto the pitch.

This proved that United have some serious squad depth and some exciting youth prospects who Solskjaer isn’t afraid to use on the biggest stage. That will be crucial to alleviating United’s injury woes during this difficult period.

Rashford is ice cool

The two-legged tie was decided by a last minute penalty. The VAR-assisted decision to award the spot kick was controversial to say the least, and the lengthy delay that the review process caused will only have served to set Rashford’s nerves jangling.

If he was nervous, the 21-year-old England man didn’t show it. The 31-cap international stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty beyond iconic veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. 

Rashford is, of course, a huge talent with a great future ahead of him. When the time comes to reflect upon his career, that night in Paris, and that highly-pressurised penalty, could be considered to be one of the defining moments.

أشاد مدرب ليستر سيتي بريندان رودجرز بالطريقة التي لعبوا بها خلال مواجهة مانشستر سيتي، اليوم الأحد في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

واستضاف ملعب الاتحاد مباراة الفريقين، في الجولة الثالثة، حيث فاز ليستر سيتي بخمسة أهداف مقابل هدفين. أهداف مانشستر سيتي وليستر سيتي

وقال بريندان رودجرز، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “للتغلب على مانشستر سيتي، يجب أن تجري بقدر ما تستطيع، بكل قوتك، لذلك يجب أن تكون لديك هذه العقلية، كان الانضباط التكتيكي جيدًا وبسبب الهجمات المرتدة، يجب أن تحصل على تمريراتك بسرعة”.

وأضاف: “لقد حققنا نهاية رائعة، أظهرنا رباطة جأش جيدة، وحافظنا على هدوئنا وأظهرنا ما يكفي لإحداث مشكلة للخصم، لقد كان أداءً ونتائج رائعة، استغرق الأمر مني 13 عامًا للعب بهذه الطريقة”.

وأوضح: “مهتم جدًا بالهجوم والتحلي بالعدوانية، أحاول أن أكون إيجابيًا ولكني بحاجة إلى التفكير في طرق أخرى للحصول على نتائج في المباريات”.

وتابع: “عليك أن تجبر الخصم على اللعب في منتصف الملعب، وعليك أن تكون جيدًا في التمريرات والضغط على منافسك للوصول إلى منطقته، نجحنا في ذلك، ولكن بشكل عام كان على اللاعبين أن يلعبوا بجد”.

ورغم خسارة مانشستر سيتي، فإن رودجرز حرص على الإشادة بالمدرب بيب جوارديولا حيث قال: “بيب مدرب مميز، رائد حقيقي في اللعبة، ولكن اليوم حققنا أداءً مميزًا”.

أعلن نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي، منذ قليل، إصابة النجم السنغالي ساديو ماني بفيروس كورونا المستجد، كوفيد 19.

وأصدر بطل الدوري الإنجليزي بيانًا، جاء فيه: “أثبت اختبار ساديو ماني إصابته بفيروس كورونا، وهو يخضع حاليًا للعزل الذاتي وفقًا للإرشادات اللازمة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مواعيد مباريات ليفربول في دور مجموعات دوري أبطال أوروبا

وأضاف: “أظهر المهاجم الذي بدأ وسجل في الفوز 3-1 على آرسنال يوم الإثنين الماضي، أعراضًا طفيفة للفيروس لكنه يشعر بصحة جيدة بشكل عام”.

واختتم: “مع ذلك، كما هو الحال مع تياجو ألكانتارا، فإننا نتبع جميع البروتوكولات المتعلقة بفيروس كورونا، وسيعزل ماني نفسه على مدار الفترة الزمنية المطلوبة”.

ولم يشارك ماني في مباراة الأمس أمام آرسنال، في كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية والتي انتهت لصالح الجانرز بركلات الترجيح.

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Mo Diame was a key player in Newcastle’s survival bid last season but a recent report hints he will depart in the summer window.

What’s the word?

Diame’s contract is due to expire in June 2019, but a surprising recent report from The Chronicle suggests that his future hinges on Rafa Benitez’s selection policy.

The report claims that Diame will trigger an automatic one-year extension clause in his contract if he starts three more times this season.

The 31-year-old, who has started 21 Premier League matches this season, is hoping to secure a two year deal rather than a short-term extension, and it seems that he will need to pursue that particular interest away from Tyneside if Benitez’s decision-making against Everton is anything to go by.

Rafa Benitez’s selection policy is key

Benitez hasn’t included the Senegalese midfielder in his starting XI since his side lost 2-0 at home to Manchester United at the start of 2019.

Sean Longstaff’s emergence and Isaac Hayden’s surprisingly consistent form in the heart of midfield have left him sidelined and, with Ki Sung-yueng and Jonjo Shelvey back in contention for first-team selection, Benitez has plenty of options to consider even with Longstaff’s recent injury setback.

That the Spaniard opted to start Ki alongside Hayden against Everton was telling: Diame is no longer a key player and he is relatively disposable as he moves towards his 32nd birthday.

With an acute awareness of the clause in Diame’s contract playing on his mind, it seems that Benitez’s decision to restore Ki was symptomatic of his desire to let the former Hull City man’s contract expire in the summer.

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Arsenal fans have ruled out the prospect of Arsene Wenger returning to the club as a technical director.

The club are continuing to search for the perfect appointment to the role after undergoing a number of setbacks.

Monchi, the well-regarded transfer specialist who was working at Roma, opted to snub a move to the Emirates in favour of a return to Spanish club Sevilla, where he had spent the majority of his career as a player.

Marc Overmars, the club’s former attacker, also headed off any speculation at the pass by signing a new contract at Ajax on Monday amid suggestions he could become the primary target.

The bad news led one supporter to float the idea on Twitter of Wenger, the club’s most successful ever manager who left the club at the end of last season, returning to the club in an upstairs role.

But other fans were quick to pile in to poo-poo the idea, having been scarred by the latter years of Wenger’s reign where the club mainly finished fourth.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!