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Carlo Ancelotti has pledged that Real Madrid will reach the Champions League final despite an alarming dip in form.

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• Real lost 2-0 to Liverpool in midweek
• Kylian Mbappe struggling in Spain
• Ancelotti remains defiant

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ancelotti's Real Madrid have endured a dip in form in recent weeks, culminating in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League. While Real have won their last two La Liga games, that came after two humbling defeats, a 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona and a 3-1 loss to AC Milan.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Real's dismal Champions League form – they have won just two of their five games – has left them 24th in the league phase table, the final position from which a team can reach the knockout round play-off phase. Now, Ancelotti has relayed a message to Spanish news outlet , insisting that Los Blancos will reach the final.

• WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  Ancelotti is close friends with Italian journalist Alberto Cerrutti, who said: "I sent him a message this afternoon and I spoke to him. I told him that was going to call me and he told me to tell you that Real Madrid will be present in Munich for the Champions League final."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Real are back in action against Getafe in La Liga on Sunday. Their next European fixture comes on December 10, when Los Blancos face Atalanta in Italy. They also have games against Red Bull Salzburg and Brest to come.

Ange Postecoglou confronted angry Tottenham supporters after Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth saw them drop to 10th in the Premier League table.

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• Tottenham beaten by Bournemouth
• Supporters clashed with Postecoglou at full-time
• Spurs fans called out for behaviour

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tottenham suffered their sixth defeat of the 2024-25 Premier League season on Thursday against Bournemouth. After the frustrating loss at the Vitality Stadium, a section of Spurs fans hurled abuse at head coach Postecoglou, who walked across the pitch to confront the angry supporters in the away end and exchanged a heated conversation. One of the insults from the fans was 'Poste-no-clue'.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  Spurs supporters' behaviour towards their own manager did not go down well with some X users, who called the fanbase 'spoilt' and 'classless'.

  @NjokuOTR wrote on X, "Posto No Clue. Classless fans."

  @nragavan3011 found humour in Spurs fans' behaviour as he wrote, "Postenoclue is objectively funny."

  A user with the handle @g9muskan slammed those digging out Postecoglou and wrote, "Blaming the managers while the club hasn’t won anything since 2008 is comedy gold."

  @lthfcg wrote, "Embarrassing spoilt fans. Not even 18 months in, clear gaps in the squad, & an injury crisis making us even worse. Brain dead fans, all of them."

  Meanwhile, @matthayesthfc wrote, "This is an absolute disgrace. Anyone directing any abuse at this man should be ashamed. Think what you want about his tactics and ability, but he has represented this football club with passion, dignity and respect. The game would be a lot better with more men like him."

  And @iaind93 claimed, "Said it at the time Tottenham was a bad fit for him, never going to win anything there."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Celtic boss addressed the issue in his post-match press conference: "They're disappointed and rightly so. They gave me some direct feedback, which I've taken on board. I didn't like what was being said because I'm a human being but you've got to cop it.

  "I've been around long enough to know that when things don't go well you've got to understand the frustration and disappointment. And they're rightly disappointed because we let a game of football get away from us. But that's OK. I'm OK with all that. All I can say is I'm really disappointed and I'm determined to get it right and will keep fighting until we do."

  He added: "It comes down to us as a collective being a lot more determined to control a game of football and not let the opposition take control."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

  Spurs, who have not won a single game since their 4-0 demolition of reigning champions Manchester City, will aim to get back to winning ways on Sunday as they take on an in-form Chelsea side at home.

The winds of change have blown for Liverpool this year, with Arne Slot's budding project seemingly heading in the right direction. Pre-season results must be taken with a pinch of salt but the smoothness of the Dutchman's style's inculcation is promising to say the least.

Having defeated Arsenal 2-1 in an entertaining friendly in Philadelphia, the Reds are starting to prove their ball-playing faculty, and while fans hope to see some activity this summer in the centre of the park, signing a build-up specialist to orchestrate from the base of the midfield and offer competition to Wataru Endo, treatment is needed elsewhere.

Central defence has long been considered an area in need of revamping at Anfield, especially after Joel Matip's contract expired in June, but Jarell Quansah's emergence has eased the need for immediate investment.

The attacking flanks are similarly in need of some added firepower, especially as the lionised Mohamed Salah steps into his final year, and since sporting director Richard Hughes suggested Liverpool could see a "crescendo" in August, FSG seem set to accelerate their interest in the coming weeks.

Liverpool ready to pounce

As per Football Transfers, Liverpool are among the top Premier League clubs interested in signing Pedro Neto this summer, though Tottenham Hotspur currently have the lead in the race.

Title favourites Arsenal and Manchester City are also interested in signing the 24-year-old, who has suffered his share of injury problems in recent years but remains one of the most coveted wingers in English football.

Valued at £60m by Wolverhampton Wanderers, it's generally accepted at Molineux that the Portuguese winger will be sold this summer, and given he is highly effective across both flanks, he could be the perfect addition to a Liverpool side stepping back into the Champions League and indeed a new era.

Why Liverpool could sign Pedro Neto

Neto has been a prominent figure in the Premier League for a number of years now, having signed for Wolves from Serie A side Lazio in an £8m double swoop with Bruno Jordao back in 2019.

He was only 19. Now, a fully-fledged sensation, Neto has established himself as one of Wolves' most talented players in modern history, described as an "incredibly talented and physically very gifted player" by boss Gary O'Neil at the start of the 2023/24 season.

Injuries might have been his enemy but Neto succeeded in levelling up to an elite-level quality last term, notching three goals and 11 assists across 24 fixtures in all competitions, albeit missing two large portions with hamstring injuries.

Slot, like Jurgen Klopp, implements an intense style of football that is birthed from high-octane training sessions, though, unlike his predecessor, the 46-year-old has an exemplary fitness record across his past two clubs: Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Neto, moreover, has a lot of experience on the right flank, with his left-footed preference allowing him to drift inside and wreak havoc, evidenced by his ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last season for assists and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

The Portugal international would be a dynamic and versatile option for a healthy attacking fold on Merseyside, and while supporters crave the signing of Anthony Gordon, this might actually be the one to go for.

How Pedro Neto compares to Anthony Gordon

Hailed as a "pace monster" by analyst Ben Mattinson, Neto would add a dimension to Slot's wide play and enhance the overall fluency of a Liverpool side that is already tantalising a successful season.

Gordon was deservedly crowned Newcastle's Player of the Year for 2023/24 after his prolific campaign, scoring 12 goals and supplying 11 assists across all competitions and being praised for taking "it up a level" by pundit Jamie Carragher.

The former Everton player has also hit a career goal contribution rate of 0.28 while on the right, as opposed to 0.40 on the left, so he wouldn't be able to sort out Liverpool's Salah conundrum with the same success as the protean-performing Neto.

Given that Liverpool already yield one of the Premier League's finest left-wingers in Luis Diaz, who has been linked with a move away this summer but seems unlikely to be going anywhere, with no contact pointed Liverpool's way.

And as a further point, while Gordon offered far greater striking output than the Old Gold phenom last season, the underlying numbers suggest that Neto could offer more to the Liverpool first team.

As you can see from the table above, Neto is a more creative and more progressive player than Gordon, at least, he performed as such last term. His goalscoring wasn't at the same standard but he also played in a goal-shy Wolves team, tasked as the architect of the playmaking.

And a move to Slot's Liverpool could alter that considerably, for the Anfield outfit created more big chances in the Premier League last year than any of their rivals (with 102).

Wolves, conversely, ranked 16th (with 54), making a telling comment on the importance of Neto's creative input. Newcastle, as an addendum, ranked joint-second with 97 big chances created – one can only imagine the chaos Neto would have wreaked if placed in either of the northern sides.

Liverpool must sign Neto this summer; that is by no means meant to discredit Gordon's exciting skillset, but the Portuguese, when fit and firing, is a force to be reckoned with and would make a marked improvement on the Reds.

Liverpool's 8/10 talent who sank Arsenal can make Slot forget about Gordon

There have been some promising pre-season signs over the pond from Slot’s Reds…

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By
Angus Sinclair

Aug 1, 2024

The MLS commissioner addressed several pressing issues, including a potential schedule change and spending power for Inter Miami, Seattle in CWC

CARSON, Calif. – Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber looked at the gathered media at the Dignity Health Sports Park's Stadium Club Area Friday and pointed to the obvious.

"It's hard to believe was our first true soccer complex," Garber said. "Think about what that means. This week, we broke ground on NYCFC's new stadium in Queens – over 10 years in the making. When that stadium, along with Inter Miami's new stadium, comes online, we will have 28 soccer stadiums that have been built, which is remarkable."

MLS has come along way since the last time the Galaxy hosted a title game in 2014, with vast improvements in infrastructure and expansion in key markets. Yet, there are plenty of challenges ahead – from more transparency on the impact of what the Apple TV pact is doing for the league to the MLS roster spend.

Garber, who this week extended his contract through 2027, touched on all of that in more in his State of the League address, one day before the LA Galaxy host New York Red Bulls for the 2024 MLS Cup. GOAL look at the key takeaways.

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• Potential schedule changes

  With two major FIFA international tournaments in the U.S. over the next two summers – the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup – there has been plenty of speculation of potential switch of schedule for MLS.

  Garber said that MLS will not play during the 2026 World Cup and will take to-be-determined break for the Club World Cup next summer (which also coincides with the Gold Cup in the U.S.) Outside of those two competitions, the Commissioner didn't offer specifics about potential changes, but did outline the challenges in doing so. It's been reported that the league is considering a fall-to-spring schedule.

  "We could be the only league, or one of only two leagues in the world that works on our schedule," Garber said. "It's complicated. And I say this to all of you regularly – we're across three time zones, multiple weather factors. We're traveling across a continent, and making those changes is something we've got to be very, very thoughtful about. I do think that we are considering more than ever before this opportunity to change, but it's not something that we're ready to talk about right now.

  "We've got a lot of work to do and that work is ongoing."

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  The impact of FIFA Club World Cup

  Like many observers of Thursday's Club World Cup draw, Garber was sympathetic of the Seattle Sounders' plight in next year's tournament. Both Seattle and Inter Miami will represent MLS in the 32-team field.

  "We're proud to have the Seattle Sounders with a pretty tough draw," Garber said with a smirk before adding. "We proud to have Inter Miami, our record-setting Supporters' Shield winner, representing our league. It's a chance for us to showcase our growing competitiveness on the global stage against the world's best clubs in meaningful matches."

  Garber was also asked how MLS teams can be competitive in the tournament, considering the differences between the North American league's payroll and ones around in Europe and South America. Garber acknowledged MLS clubs are on the lower end of overall transfer market value on the global stage, and mentioned there could be changes following the next board meeting for the two participants in the tournament.

  "We're working on ways that we can provide each team with some opportunity to be more competitive," Garber said.

  Garber seemed to indicate a desire for all of MLS clubs to more proactive in growing their fanbases to justify adding more resources to roster spending.

  "There's been a year work on what kind of things we need to do, specifically, to grow our fan base," he said.

  Garber pointed to a wide range of topics that league is exploring, including finding content partners to better tell its story, to looking at changes to the competitive structure of the league.

  "I don't have an answer to it," he said, "but we're looking at it now that we'll have 30 teams. We have the same playoff format, [or] maybe we don't. But all those things will go into, you know, a pathway to grow our fan base and make our league more competitive."

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  Conflicts with U.S. Open Cup, Leagues' Cup

  Garber received criticism for his decision to largely pull MLS clubs out of the U.S. Open Cup last year. He was emphatic in largely reversing that decision in his remarks Friday.

  "We will participate in the U.S. Open Cup again next year, we will likely have more teams, and believe that tournament play, if we could manage it with 30 teams, where at least a team at each team is in one tournament, is good for the club. It's good for the fans," he said.

  He added, "We want teams to have an opportunity to lift a trophy, and maybe if some of them can live multiple lift multiple trophies, that's a good thing. But it is going to be nearly impossible for all teams to be able to participate in all tournaments. It's just not enough games during the schedule, with or without any change in the calendar."

  When MLS reduced participation in the Open Cup, some fans protested the Leagues Cup, contested between MLS and Liga MX. Garber admitted the tournament needs improvement and said there could be changes for next season.

  "I think we need more MLS vs. Liga MX matches," he said. "That was really the point of the Leagues Cup in the beginning."

  Despite the issues of Year 2, Garber stands behind the tournament.

  "It worked super well on the first year," he said. "That was not just about Lionel Messi, it was just the way the tournament laid out. And we're looking at modifications that will, I think, make it more focused on what it is that we're trying to achieve, which is this great rivalry between our two leagues."

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  The impact of Apple TV

  As one of the league's accomplishments, Garber pointed to the fact that viewers on Apple TV watch 65 minutes out of an average 90 minute match on the streaming service – highlighting the strong engagement on the platform. He did not offer any addition insight into the streaming data of MLS Season Pass.

  For all the growth MLS has seen with its attendance numbers, its decades-long challenge has been solving how to become a more appealing product on TV – a significant source of revenue for all sports leagues around the world. With Apple TV's MLS Season Pass numbers still very much shrouded in secrecy, it has led to concerns that the product might not be drawing strong viewership.

  Garber mentioned that with the shift from linear to streaming services being a relatively new phenomenon, both parties are still determining what the success metrics are in this new landscape.

  "I also want to point out that this is a new world for all of us," he said. "As we get into a world of streaming, the entire industry has got to figure out a new metric. Is that metric, average minute audience? Is it unique viewers? How could we figure out the way to compare the audiences that we've had in the past to the audiences that we have now? How important is subscriptions to viewership? To us, subscriptions are very important."

  He added, "Somebody's paying for the opportunity to watch a game, so when they do watch it, it is intentional. That's leading to the 65-minute time that people are spending on our games. But we are very pleased with those viewership numbers."

  He also noted that having more structured programming, with most games being played on Saturdays and a select set being played on Wednesdays, has paid dividends.

Leeds United must split their focus between preparing for the opening game of the 2024/25 Championship season and pursuing targets in the summer transfer window.

The Whites face off against Portsmouth at Elland Road on Saturday in their first match of the campaign, as they look to bounce back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Using the transfer window to build a side that is capable of competing for promotion will be important and that is why the next few weeks could be crucial to their chances of a top-flight return.

Daniel Farke has already lost three of his key players from last season, as Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, and Crysencio Summerville have all completed moves away from Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Alex Cairns, and Joe Rothwell have been added to the Leeds squad to bolster the manager's options across the park.

The exit of Summerville, however, will need further work from the Whites in the transfer market and they are reportedly looking to the Championship to find a replacement for him.

Leeds learn price for forward target

According to Football Insider, Leeds are in the market to add a new winger to their squad to provide the team with more firepower after they sold their Dutch whiz.

The report claims that the Whites are interested in a deal to sign Jonathan Rowe from Championship rivals Norwich City, who they beat in the play-offs last season.

It states that the Canaries, however, are looking for a sizeable fee of £15m to allow their academy graduate to move on from Carrow Road this summer.

The outlet adds that the West Yorkshire outfit have already offered £7m to sign the England U21 international – a bid that was swiftly swatted away by Johannes Hoff Thorup's side.

Norwich are looking for more than double that fee after they sold Gabriel Sara to Galatasaray for £20m, which strengthened their negotiating position when it came to Rowe.

Football Insider also claims that the Canaries are reluctant to cash in on the winger to one of their divisional rivals, as it would weaken their chances of promotion and strengthen Leeds'.

This all means that a move for the English flanker looks set to be a difficult one for the club to pull, given Norwich's stance and the £15m valuation on his head.

If they can get a deal over the line for him, though, then Farke could unleash Italian forward Wilfried Gnonto in a new role for the 2024/25 campaign.

Where Jonathan Rowe could play for Leeds

The 21-year-old attacker is a versatile talent who can play on the left or the right due to him being comfortable dribbling, passing, and shooting on either foot.

However, the majority of his appearances in the 2023/24 campaign came on the right side of the attack for Norwich, with Spanish whiz Borja Sainz deployed on the left.

In fact, his first goal for the Canaries came from him drifting inside from the right to unleash a rocket of a left-footed shot into the top corner against Hull City on the opening day, as shown in the clip above.

Playing on the right allows Rowe to either come into the middle to utilise his incredibly strong 'weak' foot or to go on the outside of defenders on his preferred right-foot to create for himself or others.

In the 2023/24 campaign, the England youth international, whose movement was hailed as "impressive" by analyst Ben Mattinson, showcased his ability to provide a big threat in the final third.

As you can see in the table above, Rowe is a proven Championship goalscorer who could come in and bolster Farke's options on the flanks.

The Norwich star, who scored four goals in six pre-season games this summer, could come in and play on the right side of the German's frontline, which would then open up the left side Gnonto to be unleashed in a new role this season.

Potential new role for Wilfried Gnonto

Summerville dominated the left flank for Leeds last season with 19 goals and nine assists in the Championship, which meant that other players rarely got the chance to showcase their talent in that position.

His exit has opened up a vacancy in that role and Gnonto could step up to make it his own if Rowe comes in to play on the right, instead of as a direct replacement for Summerville in the left-wing slot.

In the 2023/24 campaign, the 20-year-old talent played the majority of his games on the right but he could thrive even more on the left side for Leeds.

As you can see in the table above, Gnonto is a lethal finisher who can outperform the quality of chances that are created for him, with eight goals from 5.36 xG.

But he potentially suffered from Georgino Rutter's passing angles through the middle of the park. As a predominantly left-footed player, the Frenchman often opened up on the left side of the pitch and threaded passes through to Summerville in the left channel and in central positions on that side.

This resulted in the Dutch winger ending the season with 16.41 xG in the Championship, whilst Rutter created 22 'big chances', which shows that the team consistently created high-quality opportunities for him in the left wing role.

Now, imagine Gnonto using his incredibly efficient finishing skills with the level of chance creation that he would get from playing on the left with Rutter's passing angles on his left foot.

Farke's own Klich: Leeds express interest in signing "exciting" £12m star

The Whites are reportedly keen on a deal to sign the Premier League youngster.

By
Dan Emery

Aug 5, 2024

The Italian dynamo could, as Summerville did, cut in on his right foot to make the most of Rutter's creativity and provide a fantastic goalscoring presence on the left flank, with Rowe then lining up on the right to form a very exciting attack for Farke in the Championship this season.

Rangers medics have been left "genuinely concerned" by an injury to a key player, according to a worrying update from journalist Keith Jackson.

Rangers transfer & injury news

The Gers are back in action on Saturday evening, taking on St Johnstone in a Scottish League Cup second round clash at Ibrox. Away from the on-field action, Philippe Clement's side continue to be linked with new signings, on top of the nine new faces who have already arrived in the summer transfer window.

Albion Rrahmani is one name who has been mentioned as a potential addition at Rangers before the end of the month, with the 23-year-old forward currently plying his trade at Rapid Bucharest. He has also won four caps for Kosovo, highlighting an element of pedigree at international level, too.

Meanwhile, Mali emerging talent Mahamadou Diarra has also been linked with a summer move to the Gers, with contact thought to have been made with the player's agent.

There are also injury problems for Clement to contend with at the moment, however, not least to Ridvan Yilmaz, who picked up a serious-looking thigh problem in the midweek defeat to Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League.

Journalist drops concerning Rangers injury update

Speaking on the Daily Record Sport's Hotline Show [via Ibrox News], Jackson claimed that Ridvan Yilmaz faces months on the sidelines through injury for Rangers, in a huge blow for Clement.

"I’m being told the injury is so bad, the swelling is so bad around the thigh, he’s still not been able to get a scan to find out the full extent.

"The medical department are genuinely concerned by this, there’s a feeling it could be weeks going into months, possibly Autumn before Yilmaz will be in any position to make a comeback."

This would be an absolutely huge setback, both for Yilmaz and Rangers, assuming the left-back's injury does end up being as serious as it is feared to be.

The 23-year-old has started all four games in the Scottish Premiership and Champions League so far this season, playing every minute until he went off injured during the week, showing that he is a key figure under Clement. His manager has described him as a "fighter", clearly valuing him, and Besiktas writer Aaron Armstrong has described the traits the Gers boss will now be missing.

“I’d say there isn’t really a well-known full back that’s identical to him. For me the thing with Rıdvan is that we expect young full back talents to be attacking, especially those who are pacey and have high work rates. But he’s firstly a very good defender, he’s never out of his depth and always aware. He has improved his crossing a lot from last year and he has good fundamentals like vision and reading the play."

As bad as the ref: Clement's 6/10 man just cost Rangers a UCL jackpot

Philippe Clement’s men now drop into the group stages of the Europa League

By
Ross Kilvington

Aug 14, 2024

The hope is that Yilmaz's layoff is as short as possible, but this update does not bode well, hampering Rangers' hopes of league glory this season in the process.

GOAL reviews key takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Reyna's big goal and Robinson's effort vs Liverpool

Even without Christian Pulisic taking the field, it was a big weekend for Americans Abroad. From much-needed goals to big performances in big games, there was plenty to be excited about.

Gio Reyna stole the show, no doubt, scoring a monumental goal for Borussia Dortmund. It was his first since May 2024, and it certainly felt like a turning point for the young American. With that goal, he now has 14, the most by a U23 American in a top five league, surpassing even Pulisic. It was a reminder of how young Reyna is and, at his best, how good he can be.

Speaking of the best, zoom in on Antonee Robinson, who stood tall against Liverpool. The Reds came all the way back for a draw, but Robinson was fantastic with two assists and one lockdown defensive performance against Mohammed Salah.

Things are trending upwards for the USMNT's big stars heading into 2025, particularly if Reyna can get going. GOAL looks at key takeaways from Americans Abroad.

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  The Premier League's best left-back

  The social media chatter has been particularly active: “Antonee Robinson is the best left-back in the Premier League.” Some said it with their hearts. Some said it with statistics. On Saturday, anyone who wasn’t saying it saw it with their very eyes. 

  Where do you even begin? Is it with the two assists in Fulham’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool? Is it the tireless work rate? Is it with the defensive masterclass against Mohammed Salah, the best attacker in the Premier League? Robinson did it all with the world watching. 

  It’s not something said in jest – Robinson IS the Premier League’s best left-back. Often overlooked due to his consistency, he can’t be anymore. Perhaps he deserves to be playing at a higher level, but in other ways, there’s no chance he could be playing at a level higher than he is right now.

  So put some respect on Robinson’s name. He continues to earn it in the biggest games.

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  Reyna creates his own momentum

  He sure needed that, didn't he? Given the chance to start for Dortmund, Reyna scored exactly the type of goal to get himself back on track.

  Just seconds into the second half, Reyna smashed home his first goal in more than a year, giving Dortmund a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim. They were unable to protect that lead, conceding a goal in the 91st minute, but, in terms of Reyna, this was a great day for the big picture.

  After having a few decent moments against Barcelona midweek, Reyna finally made an emphatic statement. By crushing that goal, Reyna announced that he can be a real contributor for this Dortmund team. One swing of the foot doesn't erase how difficult it has been, but it's one hell of a start.

  Now, it's all about how Reyna builds on this momentum. Can he hold onto this newfound starting spot? That's the aim. Reyna is still very much in prove-it mode, but, thanks to Sunday's goal, he has reason to feel confident heading into 2025.

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  Champions League highs, Serie A lows for Juventus

  It was ann odd week for the Americans at Juventus. Midweek was the highest of highs. The weekend? Well, it wasn’t that. 

  After a Weston McKennie-Tim Weah connection led the way in a win over Manchester City, Juve’s poor run in Serie A continued on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Venezia. With that result, Juventus have now drawn four consecutive league matches, which isn't the formula for winning a Scuddeto now, is it?

  McKennie was largely solid in midfield, continuing to build on his goal against City midweek. Weah couldn't quite make his mark in the attack, with Kenan Yildiz being more of a focal point on the other side. Meanwhile, fellow American Gianluca Busio stepped up with a good performance for Venezia, helping the relegation favorites steal a point from a visit to one of the league's giants.

  Venezia will take that point and run, while Juventus will be extremely frustrated. Fresh off their biggest win of the season, Juve failed to carry on that momentum. Now, despite still being without a loss in the league, they sit nine points behind league-leaders Atalanta. Too many draws, too few points, and that lesson was driven home once again this weekend for Juventus.

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  Pepi situation gets weirder

  Entering the weekend, Ricardo Pepi had scored 10 goals in 613 Eredivisie minutes. PSV benched him on Saturday anyway. It proved costly. Pepi came on for the final 23 minutes, but was unable to save PSV in a 1-0 loss to Heerenveen.

  It was just PSV's second loss of the league season, with the only other coming against Ajax in November. That Ajax game, conveniently, was when Luuk de Jong scored his most recent goal. The Dutch veteran has been PSV's starter since Pepi arrived and, despite the American's goalscoring run, seems to remain the preferred option up top for the Dutch giants.

  Will that remain the case? Can PSV afford to not continue riding the Pepi train? Saturday showed that they may not be able to continue on without the striker, who has been too good to ignore all season long.

Chelsea started their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 loss against last season's champions, Manchester City, despite creating more big chances, and having a higher xG created.

This has been a familiar problem for Chelsea in recent years, and therefore striker links have been cropping up all summer. Nicolas Jackson is the current number one striker option at Chelsea, and despite having a strong debut campaign, there are still question marks over his clinical finishing.

Jackson made 44 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea last season, scoring 17 goals, providing six assists, and totaling 3,534 minutes played.

Chelsea transfer news

After being asked about his future on Saturday evening, Sporting striker Victor Gyokeres refused to rule out the possibility of leaving the Portuguese team, stating that you "never know" what is going to happen.

The 26-year-old has a well-documented £86m release clause, having only joined Sporting for €24.00m (£20m) from Coventry in July 2023, and has been linked with Chelsea this summer.

Gyokeres made 50 appearances for Sporting in all competitions last season, scoring 43 goals and providing 15 assists, and has started this current campaign in similar form, scoring six goals and providing three assists in the opening four games.

Gyokeres vs Osimhen comparison

Gyokeres and Osimhen are both lethal strikers, who are both expected to seal big moves in the coming years, and both would be significant upgrades in the finishing department, to current striking options at Chelsea.

The main difference between these two strikers, is their preference of play, with Gyokeres being more complete, and wanting to run the channels, and contribute in all phases, whilst Osimhen is more of a box dominator type.

Gyokeres offers an even more clinical nature than Osimhen, scoring at a crazy rate of 0.22 goals/shot, and outscoring his xG by +0.17. Osimhen, on the other hand, underperformed his xG, producing a brilliant 0.65 per 90, but achieving a -0.03 G-xG metric.

This production by the 26-year-old comes with a lower shot volume than Osimhen, who takes 3.69 shots per 90, compared to Gyokeres, who takes 3.13 shots per 90.

By acquiring the ex-Coventry star, you also don't lose other assets that Jackson gives you over Osimhen, as the Swedish striker is also a complete forward type, who averages 3.66 progressive carries per 90, 1.68 progressive passes per 90, and 0.31 assists per 90.

The one aspect the Napoli star does have over Gyokeres, is his overall physicality, and ability to bully defenders. This box presence allows Osimhen to pin defenders in the penalty area, hold them off, and create shooting chances for himself.

Aerially, Osimhen is impressive despite having fewer aerials won per 90 than Gyokeres, most of Osimhen's aerial duels come in the penalty area, where he is marked by multiple players, purely to stop him exercising his dominance in the box.

For the reasons stated above, though, Chelsea must swoop to sign the Sporting star before the end of the window due to his impressively clinical nature in front of goal in comparison to the Nigeria international.

Chelsea hit the jackpot on "elegant" star who's worth way more than Felix

Enzo Maresca recently signed Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid

By
Ross Kilvington

Aug 24, 2024

Neymar's father has revealed the real reason why his son left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain, and it involves club legend Lionel Messi.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Neymar joined the Parisians in 2017
• PSG paid record €222m fee to Barca
• Neymar's father sheds light on historic transfer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar’s record-breaking move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017 remains one of the most talked-about transfers in football history. The €222 million deal not only shattered the world transfer record but also marked the end of an era for Barcelona’s famed 'MSN' attacking trio of Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez. For years, the personal reasons behind Neymar’s decision to leave Camp Nou were shrouded in mystery. However, his father, Neymar Sr., has now disclosed the surprising factor that led to this monumental move.

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  WHAT NEYMAR SR SAID

  According to Neymar Sr., his son’s decision to leave Barcelona was not motivated by financial incentives or dissatisfaction but rather by a desire to avoid taking the spotlight from Messi.

  “Going to PSG was his decision, he decided to change," he said on the 'Jota Jota Podcast'At that time we were in a very difficult situation at Barca because we didn’t know what the sporting management thought. It seemed that the club wanted him to take Messi’s place and he didn’t want that. He decided to leave, to go somewhere else. I wanted my son to stay at Barca. Until the last days, we tried to keep him from leaving. But he left because he didn’t want to take Messi’s position and be Barca’s biggest star."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Neymar’s loyalty to Barcelona was evident even before he joined the club. His father also shared insights into how Neymar prioritised his dream of playing at Camp Nou and in the process rejected Real Madrid, who were willing to pay more to the Brazilian.

  "Signing for Barca was entirely his decision," Neymar Sr. said. "I had in my hands offers from Barca and Madrid. The one from Madrid was three times higher. And he said no, he wanted to play with those guys (Suarez and Messi). His dream was to play for Barcelona.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  However, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez previously denied the claims, asserting that Madrid could not compete with Barcelona’s financial offer. The exact details of the competing offers remain unclear, but Neymar’s decision underscores his preference for joining a team that aligned with his ambitions and dreams, rather than one offering the highest pay check.

Southampton will be pleased with their late transfer business, as the clock ticks ever close to the end of deadline day, with a major swoop already sealed.

Aaron Ramsdale has now officially joined the Saints after rampant speculation surrounding the Arsenal goalkeeper's future linked him with a switch to the South Coast, but a deal for James Ward-Prowse to rejoin the ranks has seemingly fallen to the wayside, with the former Saints great now expected to put pen to paper on a move to Nottingham Forest at the death.

Regardless of that disappointing outcome on the transfer front, the Saints will hope they have enough bodies in central midfield for the long and gruelling Premier League season ahead, as a new young midfield talent for the future in the same ilk of Ward-Prowse is eyed up.

Southampton pursuing late deal

As per Football Insider, Southampton are in a late race to sign New England Revolution star Noel Buck, who has many admirers watching him from afar back in England.

Buck, who has won himself eight England U19 call-ups across his fledging career to date, is being lined up for a last-minute move to Russell Martin's men, with the report stating that the newly promoted outfit view Buck as very much being one for the future.

Martin will hope Buck can turn into an exceptional midfielder in his first team over time, with the teenage ace potentially becoming Southampton's next Ward-Prowse if everything goes to plan, when you consider his promising numbers playing for the New England Revolution.

How Buck could become Southampton's next JWP

Of course, this won't be an overnight thing, with Ward-Prowse taking his time too before becoming an icon in the middle of the park for the South Coast, amassing a ridiculous 410 first-team appearances for his boyhood club in the end before West Ham United came calling.

Buck has a long way to go yet but has shown signs of his immense potential playing out in America already, with an eye to create openings and score goals that bear similarities to the soon-to-be Forest man.

Showing a knack for scoring from the centre of the park, as well as picking up three assists playing for New England Revolution over the last three years when glancing at the above table, moving to St. Mary's now could be the best possible next step for Buck to further his progression.

Ward-Prowse isn't the only top player to have emerged out of the Saints academy, with fellow midfield stars in the form of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gareth Bale exploding into life in the men's game after unassuming starts as youth players on the South Coast.

In and around the first-team set-up at the MLS titans since the age of 17, Southampton could also the next best club for Buck owing to the fact Ward-Prowse was launched into the senior set-up around the same tender age, with his debut in the Saints first-team coming about when he was just 16 years of age back in 2011.

The rest is now history after that point, with a stunning 55 goals and 52 assists tallied up from his 400 plus first-team matches, but with no homecoming now on the cards.

Yet, Southampton won't be overwhelmed by nostalgia for too long, as Buck represents the Premier League side going after new and hungry gems to benefit the future of the club.

Sky Sports: Southampton working to sign £65,000-p/w player after Ramsdale

They are hoping to beat other Premier League sides to his signature.

By
Ben Browning

Aug 30, 2024