يسعى نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي إلى التعاقد مع نجم فريق نابولي الإيطالي خاليدو كوليبالي، وذلك في موسم الانتقالات الشتوي المقبل.

ويرغب بطل الدوري الإنجليزي في تعزيز خط الدفاع، مطلع العام الجديد، بعد تعرض فيرجيل فان دايك لإصابة طويلة الأمد.

وعانى فان دايك من تمزق في أوتار الركبة وخضع لعملية جراحية ناجحة (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا)، وهو ما يعني ابتعاده عن الملاعب لأشهر طويلة.

وارتبط ليفربول، منذ إصابة فان دايك قبل أسبوعين، بأكثر من لاعب كبديل محتمل للهولندي ومن ضمنهم خاليدو كوليبالي.

وحسب شبكة “كالتشيو ميركاتو” الإيطالية، فإن ليفربول سيحاول حسم صفقة كوليبالي من نابولي في شهر يناير القادم.

وسبق أن رغب بطل أوروبا في ضم المدافع السنغالي هذا الصيف، ولكنه لم يحسم الصفقة في النهاية.

ورغم ذلك فإن الشبكة المذكورة أكدت أن مسؤولي ليفربول ينوون الدخول في محادثات مع نظرائهم في نابولي خلال الميركاتو الشتوي القادم لبحث إمكانية نقل كوليبالي إلى الأنفيلد.

يأتي هذا في الوقت الذي أكد فيه كوليبالي على إنه سعيد في نابولي ولا يفكر في مسألة الرحيل (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

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Manchester City fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they want to see the club sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who has enjoyed a phenomenal season on a personal level.

The Portuguese midfielder has recorded a simply stunning 28 goals and 15 assists across all competitions in the current campaign, form that has attracted the reigning Premier League champions’ attention, according to Correio da Manha.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

Whilst Fernandes is clearly a talent that cannot be ignored, it seems strange that Pep Guardiola would target another attacking midfielder when he already has so many at his disposal.

City have Phil Foden, David Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne already within their ranks, and should surely be targeting a replacement for the ageing Fernandinho rather than yet another attacking midfielder – in that respect, if they did sign Fernandes, it would be a strange move.

Despite being seemingly overstocked in that specific department, loads of City supporters on Twitter still want to see the 24-year-old arrive at the Etihad Stadium this summer…

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For months Leeds fans may have laughed off talk of the famed ‘Bielsa burnout’ as they were flying at the top of the Championship.

The premise is that Marcelo Bielsa’s style of play proves too physically demanding for a team to continue high levels of performance throughout an entire season.

Seemingly avoiding the burnout

Leeds had seemed to escape the dreaded fatigue that comes with playing under Bielsa this term, as they seemed to constantly dig in to score late goals and secure themselves points late in games.

Many mistook these late surges as evidence to disprove the fact that Bielsa’s teams wilt with tiredness. However, this phenomenon isn’t to be studied throughout 90 minutes of a game, it is about the team’s capability to continue playing up to standard throughout a full season.

Fans of the Yorkshire club were quick to tell everybody that they knew better, the Bielsa burnout is a myth and the club will storm through and be promoted to the Premier League with no problem at all.

Perhaps the club should have heeded the warnings of Ander Herrera who played under Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao, when he said (via iNews): “I can’t lie to you, in the last months we couldn’t even move. We had five games to play in the league and were in two cup finals and I think we lost all of them.

“Our legs said ‘stop’. We used to play always with the same players and were not at our best in the finals. We were a completely different team than we had been before.”

Happening before our eyes

It’s happening to Leeds right in front of us. Since the halfway point of the season, they have lost nine of their 20 Championship games but their storming start to the campaign left them in a strong position to be promoted, their league position blinding fans to what was really happening.

The Yorkshire outfit haven’t been the same team since Christmas but it has taken many fans until their automatic promotion hopes were dashed to admit it.

Losing their last two games against 10-man Wigan after leading early on and being comfortably dispatched by Brentford shows the regression Leeds have gone through in recent weeks.

On top of that the players can’t hold themselves together whilst playing this rigorous style, Gjanni Alioski had to come off against Brentford whilst Liam Cooper struggled throughout the match.

The numbers don’t lie, Leeds’ form has deserted them at the worst possible time and it is no coincidence that their players look dead on their feet late on in the season after running their socks off under Bielsa for over 40 games.

Signing stars from a team that has been relegated is one of the more underrated methods of acquiring first-team players, but Liverpool are a club that have mastered the art perfectly.

From Georginio Wijnaldum to Xherdan Shaqiri to Andy Robertson, Jurgen Klopp has been exceptional at picking up players from clubs dropping down into the Championship and is likely to do the same with the plethora of talent available from the teams relegated this season, but one name stands out above all.

Fulham teenage superstar Ryan Sessegnon is player that is likely to be at the centre of a bidding war from a multitude of teams this summer, with the 18-year-old impressing in his first season in the top-flight after a breakout year in the Championship last campaign, and Liverpool are in the race.

Sessegnon, who has one year left on his current deal and is a Liverpool fan, has been linked with the Reds already this season via the Daily Star, and there is no doubt the 18-year-old attacker would be a success on Merseyside.

Being able to play both at left-back and at left-wing, Sessegnon will find plenty of opportunities in the Liverpool first-team as cover for both Robertson and Sadio Mane, and given his young age, the Fulham man is a player who can grow under Klopp and develop into a starting player.

Sessegnon has the potential to become one of the world’s best and replace the likes of Robertson and Mane at Liverpool, and given the Reds’ exceptional record with signing talent from relegated clubs, it seems like a no-brainer that Klopp should go all in for the England U-21 international this summer.

Liverpool fans, should the Reds make Sessegnon a priority this summer? Let us know!

Sunderland are in action again tonight when they take on one of only two sides to have beaten Jack Ross’ men this season, and revenge may be on the players’ minds at the Stadium Of Light.

Burton Albion halted Sunderland’s seven-game unbeaten start in September, and having tasted only one further league defeat since, the Black Cats will be keen to avoid a repeat.

Jack Ross spoke to the Sunderland Echo about that loss, and reflected on the importance of it in the context of the season.

He said: “You never want to get beat. The truth is I’m not sure I could have ever imagined us only losing two games by this point because it’s a tough league.

“I think it was important for a couple of reasons.

“One, in terms of how I would deal with it publicly, the players don’t really know, it’s all fine and well when you’re winning games.

“Then more importantly, it was within the dressing room and within here [training ground] because I always maintained that I’m happy to have discussions and communications, I’m quite open that way, balanced with the fact that I’m the manager.”

So having had frank talks with his players, everyone knew what the expectations were, and how to right the wrongs from that game.

It certainly worked, as Sunderland then went another 14 games before tasting defeat again — to this season’s nemesis side, Portsmouth.

So with Pompey still to come to the Stadium Of Light, tonight is the first chance for Sunderland to set the record straight against a previous victor.

But with Burton sitting in mid-table security, they can play free of any pressure, and enjoy the occasion on Wearside, which will make them dangerous opponents.

Ross knows how tough the game will be, with The Brewers fresh from a win over Barnsley — a result that helped Sunderland in their automatic promotion bid.

He said: “They’re a difficult team to prepare for playing against because they have changed, Nigel is not afraid to change systems and ways of playing.

“That can sometimes make it unpredictable in terms of what you’re going to face.

“They’ve played a midfield diamond with two strikers of late but they’ve had three home games. “You have to [go] back to Charlton for their last away game and they played a very different way. So you prepare as much as you can for those scenarios, but again, we’re in a good place.

“How we’ve performed over the last couple of months and particularly the last week gives us a lot of encouragement.”

With the Black Cats on a revenge mission, and in a strong position in the table, it is hard to see any other outcome than a home win, and for their march towards the Championship to continue at pace.

A victory tonight, with none of their rivals playing until tomorrow, will see Sunderland ease into second, and sit just five points behind leaders, Luton.

The pressure will then be on the others to perform tomorrow, but Ross must make sure he takes care of his own business first.

What do you think of Sunderland’s season to date? Is automatic promotion now a formality? Let us know your thoughts…

علّق أولي جونار سولشاير مدرب فريق مانشستر يونايتد على خسارتهم اليوم أمام آرسنال، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وخسر الشياطين الحمر بهدف دون رد، في الجولة السابعة، في الأولد ترافورد.

وقال سولشاير، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “هذه هي كرة القدم، لحظات صعود وهبوط، لم نقدم أداءً جيدًا خاصة في الشوط الأول، هذا ما يتعين علينا معالجته لأننا نعرف أن هؤلاء الأولاد يمكن أن يكونوا جيدين للغاية”.

وأضاف النرويجي: “كنا نعلم أننا سنخوض مباراة كبيرة أمام آرسنال، وللأسف في الشوط الأول لم نلعب بشكل جيد بدرجة كافية”.

وواصل: “لعبنا بشكل أفضل في الشوط الثاني، ولم يكن علينا أبدًا الدفاع كثيرًا، ولكن عندما اضطررنا لذلك، كنا بطيئين للغاية وبوجبا منحهم ركلة الجزاء”.

وتابع: “كان بيليرين يبتعد بالكرة عن المرمى، لم يكن هناك حاجة للدخول على الكرة، لم يلمسه بوجبا بشكل كبير، لكنها على الأرجح ركلة جزاء”.

واستكمل: “كان على بوجبا أن يظل واقفًا على قدميه، هو يعرف أنها ركلة جزاء سهلة مثل تلك التي كاد أن يحصل عليها ماتيتش”.

وأردف: “لقد حدثت لنا الكثير من الأشياء التي يمكن أن تحدث بشكل خاطئ في إحدى المباريات، اليوم لم نحقق ما نأمله”.

واختتم: “الآخرون هم من يحكمون على ما إذا كنا نحرز تقدمًا أم لا، علينا مواصلة العمل ولدينا فرصة جديدة يوم السبت أمام إيفرتون”.

Newcastle have once again defied the odds under Rafa Benitez to solidify their place in the Premier League for another season.

The Spanish manager has once again done a superb job at St James’ Park to lead his club to a mid-table finish despite a host of off-field problems which continue to plague the club.

However, there is a bigger and more pressing issue for the Magpies going into the summer, and that revolves around the future of their manager, who has this weekend admitted he does not know exactly what is happening with regards to his contract with the club.

Benitez is the man at Newcastle really, and the club need to be going all out to ensure he is kept in the role for as long as possible.

The Spaniard has been a superb manager for the club, and it’s easy to look past the fact that the club might well be back in the Championship had it not been for the former Valencia manager.

His experience, way of setting up a team and getting the best out of certain individuals is something which is admired around the world in managerial circles, and if he was to leave, it would be a bitter blow to the Magpies.

Benitez is more than capable of plying his trade at a huge club across Europe, but the cards are in Newcastle’s hands at the moment, and they should be doing all they can to ensure they keep their manager and at the same time maintain their Premier League status.

Sunderland have suffered a number of torrid seasons in recent years, and it would be fair to say that the fans who stuck with their side during those lean… and leaner… times are the epitome of loyal supporters.

But it was not always so bad, particularly when you look back to May 2007, when Roy Keane led Sunderland to Premier League promotion in style, clinching the Championship title dramatically, on a memorable afternoon at Luton Town.

A moment in time – Sunderland, 2007

Sunderland fans had snapped up their allocation for the promotion party in Bedfordshire, just minutes after they went on sale, but that did not stop thousands of them making the journey down the A1, with hoards of them, somehow, finding seats in the home sections, which saw red and white fans on three sides of the ground.

Keane’s side went into the game — with promotion already assured — one point behind the other promoted team, Birmingham City, and knowing that they would need the Blues to drop points at Preston North End, to stand any chance of claiming the famous Championship trophy.

But Sunderland were not worrying about other events when they stormed out of the gates at Kenilworth Road, with Anthony Stokes driving a low shot into the net in the fourth minute, followed two minutes later by a 25-yard thunderbolt from Daryl Murphy’s left foot, seeing the Wearsiders 2-0 up in a mind-blowing opening.

The travelling fans were going wild, with the small stadium erupting, as if the Black Cats were the home side.

When Sunderland made a similarly electrifying start to the second half, with Murphy adding his second, and Sunderland’s third, from close range, the game was done and dusted, with fans’ thoughts turning to events at Deepdale, in their title quest.

With Birmingham’s game still goalless — which had Sunderland top by a point — Ross Wallace scored a fourth for Keane’s side and only a Birmingham goal would sway the title back towards the Midlands.

Substitute, David Connolly, glanced an 86th header in to complete Sunderland’s rout, and at the same time, news filtered through that Simon Whaley had scored for Preston against Birmingham, and the title celebrations began in earnest.

Similar highlights may have been scarce for Black Cats’ fans since, but this year has, at last, given them something to smile about again.

The club is under new ownership, they have a young manager who looks the part, and a group of players who play for the jersey — meaning fans have a club they can, once again, be proud of.

Ironically, it is the side they trounced that day, Luton, they are competing against for the League One title this year, but if they clinch it, and recruit wisely in the summer, ahead of a Championship campaign, fans could well be celebrating another title winning season again next year!

What are your memories of that game in 2007, Sunderland fans? Will Jack Ross get you back to that position again? Let us know your thoughts below…

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Leeds United fans have rallied around and are getting behind their team after Andrea Radrizzani posted a defiant tweet against the EFL.

The Italian fired back after it was announced that Conor Hourihane wouldn’t be punished after he seemingly punched Mateusz Klich during Sunday’s game. Radrizzani posted: “Speechless!! …Nothing will stop us.”

The statement “Nothing will stop us” has seemingly united the fanbase who have now given backing to the owner and the team, willing them on to win promotion to the Premier League.

Sunday’s altercation may have severely affected Leeds’ playoff chances after Anwar El Ghazi’s red card was rescinded and Patrick Bamford instead received a two-game ban.

The Whites now head into the playoffs without the striker, whilst Aston Villa can continue their momentum with a fully available squad.

Supporters now have an extra incentive to get into the Premier League in order to get away from the EFL, an establishment that the Elland Road faithful have often taken issue with.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

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Youri Tielemans has been some signing for Leicester City.

The 21-year-old joined the Foxes on loan from Monaco during the January transfer window.

And the 5 ft 9 ace’s numbers at the King Power Stadium have been very impressive indeed.

In 10 Premier League appearances for Leicester, Tielemans has scored twice and provided five assists – the latest of which came against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Indeed, the midfielder set up Harvey Barnes in stoppage time as Brendan Rodgers’ side came from behind to draw 2-2 in the English capital.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Brendan Rodgers would like to sign Tielemans on a permanent deal this summer, but Tottenham Hotspur are also being linked with the Belgium international.

Many of the Foxes supporters took to social media in the aftermath of the West Ham match – some just to praise the midfielder, but others have called on their club to sort out a permanent deal ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: