All posts by n8rngtd.top

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been banned for 10 months after admitting to betting on matches he played in during his time at AC Milan.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Tonali admitted to betting offences
• Midfielder hit with lengthy ban
• Domestic campaign brought to a close

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tonali admitted to the offence of betting on games in which he played and has now negotiated a 10-month ban with Italian prosecutors. Without his cooperation, the Italy international would have faced a three-year ban.

  Tonali is not the only Italian player facing a ban, as both Aston Villa's Nicolo Zaniolo and Juventus' Nicolo Fagioli are also implicated in the ongoing betting scandal. The latter has already been banned for seven months.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tonali appeared to be aware that the shoe was about to drop, having embarked on a lap of honour after the Magpies' 4-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend, and has now been informed of his punishment. Tonali will miss the remainder of the Premier League season and Euro 2024, should Italy qualify.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  FIGC (Italian Football Federation) president Gabriele Gravina said: "The FIGC Prosecutor and Tonali have reached an agreement which I have already approved.

  "The agreement consists of a 10-match ban plus eight months of rehab activities and at least 16 appearances."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Newcastle spent £55 million ($66m) on Tonali when prising him away from AC Milan during the summer transfer window, but have got just 10 games out of the 23-year-old before seeing him removed from Eddie Howe’s plans.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was showered with fake money by AC Milan's fans upon his return to the San Siro with Paris Saint-Germain.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Donnarumma trolled by fans
• Joined PSG from Milan in 2021
• Fans remain angry

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Goalkeeper Donnarumma made his return to the San Siro with PSG, having moved to the French club back in 2021. The goalkeeper moved on a free transfer, and it was reported at the time that he would earn more than £10m ($12m) per year, sparking the Serie A club's ire.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Milan's ultras printed fake cash with Donnarumma's face on it, christening him 'Dollar-umma', implying that he made the move purely for money. Since the move, he has won Ligue 1 twice.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The Italy international made 251 appearances for Milan during his time with the club, although he only had the Italian Super Cup to show for it. He also won Euro 2022 with Italy.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Donnarumma will hope to get one over on his former employers before taking on Lecce in Serie A this weekend.

England boss Sarina Wiegman has admitted she is 'very worried' about the women's football calendar and has urged FIFA & UEFA to 'solve' the problems.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Wiegman concerned about women's calendar
• Believes players should be having 'proper rest'
• Urges FIFA and UEFA to act and 'solve' problems

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The women's football calendar is a constant talking point, with it severely imbalanced and often seen as a contributing factor to the ACL crisis that the sport is suffering from because players at the very highest level are granted very few opportunities to rest.

Advertisement

• WHAT WIEGMAN SAID

  England coach Wiegman raised her concerns about the calendar again on Tuesday, admitting that she is "very worried" about it because it "looks similar to last year". The Lionesses don't have a major tournament to contend with this summer but there is an international break in June before the Champions League begins in early September again. Those who play their football in Spain, that being Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh in England's case, will also have league games to play in June after international duty.

  "What you want, what the players ask all the time, too, is where is the rest for us? Because they want to compete, we want the players to be fit and fresh, which means that you always also need rest, a proper rest, and that you need to train in between June and July, too," Wiegman said. "We have had conversations with clubs. These have been very good conversations but we still don't have a solution for that period. I think that FIFA and UEFA need to solve that for the players. I don't want to get in the same situation with the players, with the clubs, that we had last year [when there were disagreements and negotiations about when clubs would release players to the national team]. No one wants that because that's how the conversations with the clubs have been, too. So hopefully UEFA and FIFA solve that, especially this summer, but then after when we talk about the calendar from 2025 onwards, this really needs to be solved. It's complex at moments but players at the highest level, the demands are so high, they need a proper rest in between seasons. Things really need to be changed."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Lionesses will have more time off this summer than they have had since the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, many England stars were part of the Great Britain team that played in the Olympic women's football tournament in Japan, then the European Championships and World Cup occupied the following two summers. However, England's Euro 2025 qualifying fixtures in June will limit the amount of rest the players get.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Last summer, England star Alessia Russo was a prime example of the lack of rest top players get. There were just 17 days between the forward starting the World Cup final in August and then making her Arsenal debut in a crucial Champions League qualifier in September, such was the short turnaround between the tournament and the new season.

An injury-time winner from Galeno saw Mikel Arteta's side fall to a 1-0 defeat in Portugal after a toothless display from his attack

Arsenal's return to the Champions League knockout stages got off to the worst possible start as a stunning injury-time strike from Galeno saw them sink to a 1-0 defeat at Porto in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Mikel Arteta's side went into the game full of confidence having hit 21 goals in five Premier League games since the turn of the year, but they were left frustrated by a resolute Porto outfit and failed to even muster a single shot on target during what turned into a scrappy and at times tortuous affair.

Despite that, the visitors at least looked set to take a draw back to north London for the second leg, a result which would have still left them overwhelming favourites to go through. But Galeno, who produced an incredible double-miss from close range in the first half, had other ideas when he curled home a delicious effort from 25 yards after Gabriel Martinelli's poor cross-field pass had been cut out with just seconds remaining.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Estadio do Dragao…

• Getty Images
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  David Raya (7/10):

  Got down sharply on a couple of occasions to deal with some shots on target, something he hasn't been used to having to do in recent weeks. Could do nothing about Galeno's superb late winner.

  Ben White (6/10):

  Was constantly popping up in central midfield alongside Rice. Like Saliba, he looked a bit off it at times when in possession.

  William Saliba (6/10):

  Looked unusually nervy at times. Got caught napping on a couple of occasions and was lucky Galeno didn't punish him for his hesitancy in the first half. Missed a good chance just before half-time when he headed wide.

  Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):

  Was far more convincing on the night than his centre-back partner. Typically strong performance.

  Jakub Kiwior (5/10):

  Relatively solid in the first half, although he could have moved the ball quicker to Martinelli at times. Porto targeted him a bit more in the second half and he struggled on more than one occasion, especially after he was booked.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Midfield

  Declan Rice (7/10):

  He was booked after 65 seconds so had to be careful all night to avoid a second yellow. Kept things ticking over and made a vital block in the second half at the near post.

  Kai Havertz (5/10):

  Sent a header wide right at the end of the first half that he could have done better with. Never really threatened from open play.

  Martin Odegaard (6/10):

  Always looked the most likely to prize open the solid Porto backline. As bright as anyone in an Arsenal shirt going forward. Pressed excellently as always.

• Getty Images
  

  Attack

  Bukayo Saka (5/10):

  Has been in sensational form in recent weeks, but struggled to find any space to do Porto much damage. The hosts handled him very well.

  Leandro Trossard (5/10):

  On the fringes of things. Dropped deep at times to try and get involved as he wasn't getting much service in the final third. It just wasn't his night.

  Gabriel Martinelli (4/10):

  He was probably Arsenal's best outlet in the first half, but his touch let him down a couple of times. Nowhere near his best and seemed to drift out of the game after the interval. Really poor decision and pass in stoppage-time which Porto pounced on to score the winner.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Subs & Manager

  Jorginho (5/10):

  On the final 20 minutes but couldn't alter things. Misplaced a couple of passes, which was unusual for him, although that probably summed up the game.

  Mikel Arteta (5/10):

  No real surprise he stuck with the same XI that has performed so well in recent weeks, but maybe he could have opted for Jorginho from the start to help his side get more control. Only made one sub, which was surprising given how flat Arsenal's attack was.

Erik ten Hag leapt to the defence of Casemiro amid claims the Manchester United midfielder should have been sent off in the 2-1 win at Luton.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ten Hag defends Casemiro
• Luton wanted Brazilian sent off
• Dutchman claims midfielder is treated unfairly

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Casemiro picked up an eighth booking in his last 10 matches for a foul on Luton captain Carlton Morris in the scrappy win at Kenilworth Road and evaded a second yellow for a late challenge on Ross Barkley, with the Hatters' appealing to referee David Coote to send the Brazilian off. However, Dutch manager Ten Hag claimed after the game that Casemiro is often unfairly penalised by officials.

Advertisement

• WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  "Even when he is not touching opponents he gets booked. Often the first moment of the game," Ten Hag told a press conference. "I think it’s crazy and it was so unfair that first booking. That second could have been so that’s why I took him off. He touches an opponent and he gets booked."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Casemiro got sent off twice for United last season, against Crystal Palace and Southampton, and was banned for a total of eight matches, tarnishing an otherwise excellent debut campaign at Old Trafford. His form has nosedived this season although he has looked closer to his old self since returning from injury, and Ten Hag praised the impact he has had since making his comeback in January after more than two months out with a hamstring problem.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  'LIFTED THE LEVELS'

  "You can see now he is back in the team he gives so much calmness and organisation," Ten Hag added when quizzed on Casemiro's recent performances. "I am very happy that since he is back the team has lifted the levels."

Jurgen Klopp took a cheeky dig at rival fans who belittle winning a Carabao Cup title after beating Chelsea in the final.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Klopp's dig at rival fans
• Hailed Carabao Cup win as special
• Liverpool next face Southampton in FA Cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Virgil van Dijk's solitary strike in the extra-time helped Liverpool clinch their first trophy of the season as they beat Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday at Wembley. After lifting the trophy, an elated Klopp claimed it was "special" for him to win the title and also took a dig at rival fans who belittle the importance of the Carabao Cup.

Advertisement

• WHAT JURGEN KLOPP SAID

  Speaking to , Klopp said, "The whole celebration after the game was second to none. It was really special. It's really crazy when you think about and I know fans of other clubs will say 'Its just a Carabao Cup' and stuff like this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you wish you would be here. Come here and play a game like that, against an opponent like that and win it. You deserve to win it. That is super special. But, nobody in this country wants to see a quadruple winner, that’s why they put the next round of the FA Cup just three days after the final, and I have no clue who we can line up on Wednesday, so we’ll see that."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The German manager will aim to win as many titles as possible in his final season at Anfield as he had earlier revealed that he would part ways with the club at the end of the ongoing campaign to take a year-long sabbatical.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty/ GOAL
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  The Reds missed several star players like Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. On top of that, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo picked up fresh injuries against the Blues to add to Klopp's misery. The German will find it difficult to name a starting lineup against Southampton on Wednesday in their fifth-round FA Cup clash.

Arsenal target Tammy Abraham has refused to close the door over a transfer move away from Jose Mourinho’s Roma side, despite confessing his love for the Stadio Olimpico outfit.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from The Mirror, who claim that the former Chelsea man has left the door open for a potential return to Premier League and Arsenal, after what has been a productive year-long spell at Roma.

Following his final game of the Serie A season, Abraham was asked as to whether he will still be playing his football at Roma next season.

He told DAZN via Football Italia: “Like I’ve always said, I fell in love with this club from the first day and I will always help the team as much as possible with my goals and assists.

“I love this club. They’ve given me the opportunity to show myself, my heart is here. We’ll see what the future holds, but my heart is here.”

Laca OUT, Tammy IN

Despite a season of progression, Arsenal boss Arteta seems eager to carry out his gradual restructuring of the first team. As such, the likes of £182k-per-week Alexandre Lacazette, amidst his rapidly expiring contract, looks as though he will depart the club after what has been five years at the Emirates Stadium.

This season has seen the Frenchman labelled as a “liability” by FOX journalist James Dodd in what has been his least prolific in terms of attacking returns, scoring four goals and amassing seven assists, with Arteta seemingly keen to replace him with a scorer in the ilk of Abraham, who has endured an emphatic first season abroad with Roma and has consequently been dubbed “mercurial” by BT Sport.

The 24-year-old England starlet has chipped in with 27 goals and five assists for Mourinho’s side, with nine goals in 12 Europa Conference League appearances integral in their bid for European glory.

£67m Abraham has been an extremely positive influence for I Giallorossi and will look towards the Europa Conference final in what could be a bid goodbye if the likes of Arsenal come calling with a homecoming offer.

In other news: Huge blow: Arsenal suffer major setback before Everton clash, Arteta will be worried 

Celtic not only ended their 2021/22 SPFL season with the league title under their belt but they also did it whilst boasting the best-attacking record in the top flight.

Having played 38 games, the Hoops found the net 92 times, which is 12 more than their fierce rivals, Rangers, did.

One player that ended up playing a rather significant role in Celtic’s attack this season was Jota.

Signed on loan from Portuguese club Benfica back in the previous summer transfer window, the winger played in 29 league games for the Bhoys.

In those appearances, the 23-year-old scored ten goals and delivered 11 assists along the way.

Rather unsurprisingly, there have been reports claiming that the Hoops are looking to make the winger’s stay at Parkhead permanent this summer.

Should they be successful in those attempts, the focus can then shift to potentially bringing new players to the club and help strengthen Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

One figure that the Bhoys have been linked with recently that could form a scary attacking partnership with Jota is Ferencvaros striker Ryan Mmaee.

With 141 senior club appearances under his belt across all competitions, the 24-year-old striker has scored 49 goals and delivered 25 assists in the process.

This season saw the Moroccan rack up 19 goals and 11 assists in 37 appearances for his current side, which included two games against Celtic in the Europa League.

This shows just how much of a deadly striker he is who can not only score goals but provide them as well.

It also backs up why he was described as being “prolific” for the Hungarian side by journalist Maher Mezahi on Twitter.

Having racked up the second-highest average for shots and dribbles per game in the Europa League this season for his current side, he clearly has the attacking talent to be a suitable addition to the Parkhead club’s ranks.

With all of this in mind, if Celtic can start their next campaign with both Jota and Mmaee in their side, it would give Postecoglou the chance to form a potentially frightening attacking pair that could give the Hoops a great chance to not only possibly regain the SPFL title but to go as far as they can in Europe as well.

In other news: Celtic can replicate CCV masterclass by signing 25y/o gem who’s “one of the very best”

Nottingham Forest have been promoted to the Premier League and are wasting no time in getting a team together that can compete in the top flight with a new transfer target emerging.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Nottingham Forest are plotting a record-breaking £20m bid for Morgan Gibbs-White this summer.

As per the report, Wolverhampton Wanderers are keen to keep hold of their player who has been impressing in the Championship this season on loan with Sheffield United, however, the midfielder desires consistent game time which is something Wolves haven’t been able to provide so far.

Cooper will love him

Gibbs-White is no stranger to Steve Cooper as the pair worked together at Swansea City and England U17s, so there is no doubt that the Forest manager would love to have him at the City Ground as he already knows his potential and strengths.

This season the 22-year-old has been impressive at Sheffield United in the centre of the pitch scoring 12 goals, contributing ten assists and creating 16 big chances for his team, playing a huge part in their Championship play-offs challenge.

Gibbs-White has been receiving high praise from his teammates too with David McGoldrick hailing his influence on the team this season.

McGoldrick claimed: “He’s got the world at his feet. You know, great kid, great player. He’s got all the ability in the world.”

With that being said, there is clearly potential there for the youngster to thrive in any team he is given the opportunity to play consistently for and if Bruno Lage cannot offer him that at Wolves next season, then it could be mutually advantageous for both the club to profit and Gibbs-White to move on somewhere else.

Nottingham Forest could be the perfect next step and a golden opportunity for the player to get more Premier League experience if Cooper offers him a key role in the team next season.

By adding his creativity and flair, Gibbs-White could form a formidable attacking partnership with Brennan Johnson to compete.

AND in other news: NFFC plotting bid to land 1st summer signing of £14k-p/w “king”, Cooper would love it

Wolverhampton Wanderers youngster Dion Sanderson has attracted interest from the Championship ahead of the summer window, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: One of our own

A graduate of the academy system with the Wanderers, Sanderson made his solitary senior outing to date in the Carabao Cup in 2019, playing 90 minutes in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.

Since then, the versatile youngster has spent time on loan at Cardiff City, Sunderland, Birmingham and Queens Park Rangers.

Following the completion of his most recent spell at QPR, the 22-year-old appears to have an uncertain future at Molineux and suitors could be lining up to strike…

The latest: Wanted man

As per the Daily Mail report, Sheffield United and one former temporary home of the defender, Sunderland, are both keen on making the deal happen.

It’s claimed that Wolves are ‘open to a sale or loan’ of the starlet who was hailed as a ‘Rolls Royce’ defender by ex-Sunderland manager Lee Johnson for his form in the early part of the 2021/22 campaign whilst on loan in the North East.

The report also states that Sanderson wants to obtain regular competitive action and that is ‘more likely’ to be found away from the Midlands club at present.

The verdict: Time to sell

Unfortunately, at present, it seems as though the talented starlet is going to fall short of the standard required to be a Premier League regular for Bruno Lage.

Despite enjoying a stellar season, earning a 6.92 Sofascore rating which comprised of winning 4.3 duels, making 2.7 clearances and completing 1.0 interceptions on average per game in League One, with Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Max Kilman all in situ the route to first-team action is a congested one.

Should suitable offers be forthcoming, sanctioning the departure of Sanderson and putting the funds towards a potential midfield rebuild under Lage has got to be the smart move from the club’s hierarchy.

In other news: Three Premier League clubs want ‘unstoppable’ Wolves star, read more here