Tag Futebol

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to do something for the first time in over six years…

What’s the word?

According to Italian news outlet Tuttosport, Spurs are interested in bringing former Juventus general manager Fabio Paratici to North London this summer.

The Athletic have previously suggested that Daniel Levy could look to appoint a new director of football, something he has not done since the departure of Franco Baldini in 2015.

Paratici is very close to Spurs’ mooted managerial target Antonio Conte, who left Inter Milan this week after winning the Serie A title. Reports suggest the pair have remained in touch since their time in Turin.

Imagine him and Conte

A move such as this one would signal a significant change in direction at the Lilywhites, moving back to a more foreign model that we tend to see in Italy and Germany.

In recent years, the bulk of all club decisions have been made between Levy and technical performance director Steve Hitchen but there is a void between them and what happens on the pitch.

This is where Paratici could come in, and given his relationship with Conte, the Spurs chairman could well be onto a winner by eyeing the pair of them for his vacant roles.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-managerial-updates-transfer-news-rumours-gossip-and-more-levy-kane-enic” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

His chances of securing Paratici have been increased since it was officially announced that the 48-year-old would be leaving the Serie A giants after 11 seasons.

Paratici is widely considered to be one of the masterminds behind the golden era at the Allianz Stadium, where Juventus secured 19 trophies under his tenure, as well as bringing big names like Cristiano Ronaldo to the club.

“Fabio has written the history of Juventus in recent years,” claimed president Andrea Agnelli. “A journey characterised by professionalism, self-sacrifice and many successes. Nineteen trophies in 11 years are the best testimony of his work, which is fully part of the long tradition of our club. Today is the time to thank him for having been able to create a strong professional bond, accompanied by daily passion.”

Conte steered the Italian side to three league titles and two Supercoppa Italianas during his time under the long-serving general manager and has since continued his successful managerial career, adding a Premier League title and FA Cup triumph with Chelsea to his record as well as winning this season’s Serie A with Inter.

Given their history of success, this could be exactly what Spurs need considering they have not won anything since 2008, yet have gone close on more than one occasion.

Paratici and Conte has been a very lucrative partnership before, so Levy could do no wrong in sealing the pair of them to help transform the perennial North London strugglers into a club the fans will be proud of.

AND in other news, Spurs surely risk losing Harry Kane after talks with “pathetic” coach with 30% win rate in the PL…

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, former Newcastle United centre-back Steve Howey has claimed that Mario Lemina would not be liked by the fans if he cared more about his social media than the club.

Lemina, who posted a bizarre video on social media back in 2019 when seemingly trying to engineer a big move away from Southampton, has been linked with a move to Newcastle this summer despite failing to keep Fulham in the Premier League this season during his loan spell away from St Mary’s.

The £40,000 per week midfielder, who regularly uses the hashtag #TonicLikeLeminade on his Instagram account, had been linked with a move to Manchester United back in 2019 but since then he has lost his place in the Southampton side and failed to impress at Fulham, with a 6.58 WhoScored rating.

Speaking on why Newcastle fans wouldn’t like their club to sign Lemina and why the midfielder must be careful what he is like off the pitch, Howey exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Even if he performs on the pitch then I still wouldn’t want to see him doing a lot on social media because there are an awful lot of people that don’t have a lot of money, and they won’t want to see somebody on social media flashing their new house or car.

“I mean, obviously with Lemina, if he is like that and the Southampton fans are not happy with him then can you imagine what Newcastle fans would think of him?”

Steve Bruce has confirmed that he would love to bring Joe Willock back to the club this summer either permanently or on another loan deal after the 21-year old’s impressive performances since January.

Newcastle are well stocked in Lemina’s position as they have Jonjo Shelvey, Sean and Matty Longstaff, Isaac Hayden and Jeff Hendrick all on long term deals.

West Indies cricket teams have been faced with desperate situations inthe past few years and today is no exception

Haydn Gill09-May-2001West Indies cricket teams have been faced with desperate situations inthe past few years and today is no exception.Down 1-3 in the seven-match Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationalseries against South Africa, they go to Kensington Oval this morningin a must-win situation to keep alive their hopes of winning thetrophy.We need to get desperate from this game, but it shouldn’t have come tothis stage, captain Carl Hooper said yesterday after a morningpractice session that attracted a large crowd at Queen’s Park.We should have been desperate a long time ago to pull even with theseguys.Hooper and the West Indies are still upbeat about their chances.But against the background of three successive, comprehensive defeats,there are others who have a dim view.A general worker at Kensington said yesterday it might be easier forLord Nelson or Bussa to wuk-up than for the West Indies to win amatch.He might be among a small group, but the truth is that in the lastthree encounters, the West Indies were hardly competitive.And Hooper knows it too.A couple of games ago I was trying to emphasise that I was a bitconcerned about the bowling, he said.The batting is now a problem as well.We’ve played four One-Day games so far and our highest score is 220.That is a bit worrying given the fact that sometimes we have played asmany as eight batters.We must bat and bat properly. Regardless of if we bat first or last,we must be able to give the bowlers a score that they can work with.Hooper himself is peeved he has not been able to convert his promisingstarts into significant contributions. In every match, he looked theclass batsman we know he is, but returns of 43, 48, 29 and 46 haveunderstandably frustrated his followers.Obviously I am disappointed with the 40s. I’m not making any excuses,he said.The times when I have got out, they have been 10, 12, 15 overs left. Icould have gone on to get, if not a hundred, 70s, 80s, 90s.After two defeats by eight wickets and another by 132 runs, thebiggest margin of victory for the South Africans in 22 One-DayInternationals against the West Indies, Mike Findlay and fellowselectors have made adjustments to the 14-man squad that was utilisedfor the first four matches.There is a recall for opening batsman Daren Ganga, whose record in theshorter form of the game hardly suggests encouragement.The 21-year-old Trinidadian, who takes Ricardo Powell’s place at thetop of the innings, averages seven in as many matches. His techniqueand temperament, however, are as good as anyone else’s in theCaribbean.Ganga had two difficult tours South Africa and Australia and he hasbeen given the opportunity here in the Caribbean in conditions that heis familiar with, Hooper said.The second and final change in the squad is perhaps the mostinteresting.The inclusion of leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine ahead of left-armerNeil McGarrell, could prove decisive in the middle of the innings.There is a possibility that Ramnarine may try to bowl outside the legstump as he did so effectively in the Antigua Test, but it could be abit of a risk in the One-Day game.Ramnarine has got a part to play. We’ve been struggling to takewickets in the middle overs, Hooper said. He’s been brought into thesquad so he can play that role and pose a bit more variation and punchto the attack.In the first four matches, South Africa were able to launch theirinnings with calculated aggression which has caused the West Indiesmajor problems in containing them in the first 15 overs.In successive matches, by the time the field restrictions were eased,South Africa had raced to 67, 70, 88 and 74, and in each match theWest Indies took just one wicket in that period.Herschelle Gibbs, in particular, was very successful in charging thefast bowlers, but Hooper said there wasn’t a likelihood a spinnerwould be given the new ball to counter the problem.A spinner has been introduced before the 15 overs and hasn’t provedthat effective, the West Indies captain said.Opening with a spinner with the new ball is a big ask. Even though Ihave been successful in bowling in the middle stages of the game, Idon’t think it is something that we want to do.

Nuno Santo admitted on Friday afternoon that Wolves need to plan better.

The point he was clearly to make is that their squad hasn’t been big enough to deal with the injuries which have plagued their arduous season.

With that in mind, the Old Gold should consider finding greater depth in the summer transfer window.

Shaqiri an option?

Wolves have been linked with a number of attacking players to bolster their ranks in a few months’ time. The likes of Trincao, Goncalo Guedes and Lucas Ocampos have all been linked, but Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan seems to think another option would suit Wolves.

He was speaking about the future of Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri, suggesting that Premier League clubs might take a punt on him despite doubting his work rate.

Whelan commented: “He’s got huge talent but it depends on what style of play you’re looking for in a player. Is he going to be a worker and give you that excellent work rate? Probably not. But he’s a luxury player and he’s definitely worth taking a chance on.

“Where would he end up going? You’re probably talking middle of the table. Maybe Wolves, that might suit a player like him. But I doubt the top six would take a chance on him. He’s got a great left foot but he hasn’t been playing regularly. He’s been a bit-part player.”

Wolves must sign him

Shaqiri might be a luxury player and lacks work ethic at times, but with Wolves needing to expand their squad this summer, he’s certainly worth a punt.

Capped 86 times by Switzerland, he possesses plenty of experience and has played for some of the biggest clubs in world football such as Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. He has appeared at numerous major tournaments for his country and is blessed with the ability to create chances at will.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-news-and-views-lingard-leao-jimenez-mir” title= “Read the latest Wolves news and views!”]

Speaking about the 29-year-old earlier this term, The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce said: “I absolutely love watching him. He’s just a real rare breed, isn’t he, with that ability to create something out of nothing, just incredible intelligence as well as the breathtaking technique.”

The technique Pearce speaks about is one of his most valuable assets. Whether it’s creating a chance with a wonderful pass or scoring a sublime overhead kick, Shaqiri is a phenomenal player when he gets going.

At the same time, however, the £80,000-per-week earner is a huge enigma. After all, the Swiss winger has only scored one goal this season, which came in the Carabao Cup against Lincoln way back in September.

That said, he could add a great deal to a Wolves side who might be missing Pedro Neto at the start of next season.

After the Portugal ace suffered a broken patella, they’ve had to rely on Daniel Podence in wide and central areas. Unfortunately, he’s been rather poor in successive games now.

The 25-year-old lost possession 19 times against Sheffield United and then won just one of his ten duels in the 4-0 drubbing against Burnley.

Podence hasn’t created too much this term, either. Although he has shown flashes of brilliance, he’s only managed 0.8 key passes per match. On that evidence, is it any surprise that Fabio Silva and Willian Jose have only scored four goals between them?

Shaqiri, by comparison, has 1.3 key passes per match to his name this season. During the course of his career, that average is 1.6 per game.

Although he can be inconsistent, he could add a great deal of quality to Nuno’s team this summer if he moves to Molineux. Wolves should consider signing the attacker despite his flaws.

AND in other news, Wolves could sign big Silva upgrade in “outstanding” £71m gem with “excellent speed”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Marlon Harewood, who played 15 times for Newcastle United, has claimed he can’t understand why Mike Ashley sacked Chris Hughton despite just guiding the club back to the Premier League.

Harewood played under Hughton at Newcastle when the Magpies stormed to the Championship title during the 2009/10 season, which saw them end up with 102 points.

Hughton, who is now Nottingham Forest’s manager, was sacked by Mike Ashley during their first season back in the Premier League and was replaced by Alan Pardew, who ended up guiding Newcastle to a fifth-placed finish in 2012.

Speaking on why Hughton may have got sacked at Newcastle United and how the news was a shock to him at the time, Harewood told FFC:

“Things just don’t work out sometimes in football. Maybe there were disagreements behind the scenes but we don’t know what happened.

“For me when I was there, he was amazing so I was a bit taken back that he did get sacked because I didn’t understand why.”

Harewood only spent three months on loan at Newcastle in 2009 from Aston Villa, the team who beat the Magpies on the final day of the previous season to confirm their relegation.

Newcastle United were embroiled in a relegation battle just a few weeks ago, but they have a comfortable cushion above the relegation spots now.

MatériaMais Notícias

Quem ostentou o curioso apelido de “Highlander” não se acostumaria fácil com a rotina fora dos gramados. Celebrando 42 anos, Paulo Baier aponta ao LANCE! a sensação de comemorar seu primeiro aniversário após ter encerrado a carreira:

– Está fazendo diferença sim. Convivo mais com a família, antes eu passava concentrado ou jogando. Às vezes, bate uma vontade de jogar, mas já tive um ciclo, pude deixar um legado nos times pelos quais passei, e só tenho a agradecer a todos eles.

Suas atenções seguem voltadas para o futebol. Porém, a corrida agora é atrás de outro sonho:

– Penso em mais para o futuro, quem sabe no ano que vem, seguir um trabalho como técnico. Já fiz alguns estágios e estou confiante de que posso ir bem.

Destaque por clubes como Criciúma, Palmeiras, Goiás e Atlético-PR por aliar sua vivência ao desafio de ser referência, Paulo Baier vê o futebol brasileiro com bom espaço para novos “Highlanders”:

– Um bom “Highlander” é o Zé Roberto, que conseguiu manter o nível da nossa época. Tem o Magno Alves, com 39 anos, e muitos outros. A gente deixou um exemplo muito bom, aumentando em pelo menos dez anos o ciclo de um jogador. Muitos jogadores paravam em torno dos 30 anos, mas hoje há gente em alta. O Campeonato Brasileiro está muito nivelado, isto chama muita atenção também.

RelacionadasBrasileirãoDe Paulo César a Paulo Baier: o ‘legado’ de um aniversarianteBrasileirão25/10/2016

Aos olhos do ex-meia, o novo momento da Seleção Brasileira transmite confiança. Em especial, por ele ter conhecimento do modo de Tite trabalhar:

– A mudança foi muito boa. Tite foi meu treinador no Palmeiras, e ele é excelente não só em relação ao comando, mas em passar confiança. Isso ajuda muito.

Ao analisar a nova safra, Baier traça um jogador como promissor:

– Gosto muito do Gabriel Jesus. Além do potencial, ele tem um bom pensamento, e um espírito de jogar muito bom.

Com a sabedoria de quem completou 42 anos e tem histórias para contar em tantos clubes, Paulo Baier ainda deixa um conselho aos jovens. Segundo ele, a longevidade vai muito além de talento:

– O futebol resulta em profissionalismo, em fazer um pouco mais do que nos treinos. Quando o treinador apitar, não ser o primeiro a ir embora. Vai lá, treina um cruzamento, bate uma falta, tenta um chute a gol. Isso vai ser muito importante.

Palavras de quem lidou com a responsabilidade e “coleciona” muitas histórias nos gramados do país afora.

Many Sunderland fans are delighted after a report from Football Insider suggested that Jordan Jones is eager to sign for the club permanently in the summer.

The 26-year-old made the move to the Stadium of Light on loan from Rangers in January and has impressed so far on Wearside. In 11 matches for the Black Cats, he has two goals and four assists to his name (Transfermarkt) and has proven to be a breath of fresh for the League One outfit – his arrival has given them the impetus to push for promotion to the Championship.

He is set to return to his parent club at the end of the campaign, but this report suggests that he would be eager to stay upon Wearside rather than return north of the border. The report added that a fee of £600,000 would be enough for Rangers to sanction a permanent sale.

The news was shared on Twitter by @sunderlandafc11, and it attracted plenty of attention from Sunderland supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Jones news below

“Just don’t get our hopes up please”

Credit: @LukeeWelshh

“what a Monday morning man”

Credit: @LB01__

“Would be happy with this.”

Credit: @AL_SNR58

“This man has my heart”

Credit: @ow3n__

“That’s good news…”

Credit: @John67684101

“he would be some player for the Championship”

Credit: @WilliamHorrigan

In other news, many Sunderland fans loved these comments from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

After being held to a 1-1 draw against Newcastle last time out in the Premier League, Aston Villa will be hoping to return to winning ways when they take on Tottenham on Sunday night.

Dean Smith’s side thought they had snatched all three points at St James’ Park last week thanks to an own goal from Ciaran Clark, but a late Jamaal Lascelles header ensured that the Magpies earned a draw.

Meanwhile, Spurs come into the game off the back of a disappointing exit in the Europa League in midweek, falling 3-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the second leg of their last 16 clash.

Smith could make some key changes to his starting line-up, with some late injury news sure to have a bearing on how he goes about things. With that in mind, here is a look at how Villa might line up when Spurs make the trip to Villa Park.

In goal, Emi Martinez will be keen on adding to his impressive record of 14 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, which would take him above Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy and into second – only Manchester City’s Ederson would be above him in the pecking order with 16 to his name.

The backline could see one key change with the return of Matty Cash. The full-back was named on the bench against Newcastle after making his recovery from injury and is surely pushing for a recall in place of the £25,000-a-week earning Ahmed Elmohamady.

Further forward, the big debate and decision for Smith is whether he throws Jack Grealish straight back into the starting line-up.

Reports indicate that Villa are set to make a late call on the England international, but with the kind of difficult run they have endured – just three points from a possible 15 – his introduction could be the kind of lift that they need.

The other change could see Anwar El Ghazi come in for Trezeguet out wide, with Bertrand Traore confirmed as being available for the game against Spurs.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn; Traore, Grealish, El Ghazi; Watkins.

MatériaMais Notícias

A briga pela liderança do Brasileirão segue bastante acirrada. O Palmeiras venceu o Figueirense na última rodada por 2 a 1, no Orlando Scarpelli, e abriu vantagem de quatro pontos na liderança, pois o Flamengo foi derrotado pelo Internacional por 2 a 1 (64 a 60 pontos).Completando o G6 estão Atlético-MG, Santos, Botafogo e Atlético-PR.

RelacionadasOcultaTABELA! Confira a classificação atualizada do BrasileiroOculta11/09/2016

Many Everton fans have been left to laud the news that Carlo Ancelotti would like to stay with the Goodison Park faithful for ‘as long as possible’.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to Southampton in the Premier League on Monday night, the Italian boss said: “I would like to be there when the new stadium is opened. I think the contract will continue. I would like to stay as long as possible.”

The Merseyside club have recently announced that the planning applications for the new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock in addition to a community-led legacy project were unanimously approved by Liverpool City Council.

The fact that Ancelotti has said that he would like to still be in charge of the Toffees when the new stadium is opened has certainly delighted several Blues supporters, added to the fact that he sees himself at the club in the long-term.

The 61-year-old has pushed EFC into challenging for UEFA Champions League qualification in the 2020/21 term, and will surely be aiming to take them to even greater heights if possible.

Everton fan reaction to Ancelotti news

These Everton fans lauded the news on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to call it ‘amazing’:

“My God, can this week get any better?”

Credit: @BlueBren

“That’s amazing to here that”

Credit: @hmmmm123456543

“The week that keeps on giving!”

Credit: @DragonWales9

“I really can’t like this enough”

Credit: @adamskip77

“Music to my ears”

Credit: @dwfilm_

“Could be the best thing to happen to this club for decades”

Credit: @adam_1878_

In other news, find out which Blues loanee’s latest display ahs been slammed by fans here!