Tag Futebol

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Leicester City defender Filip Benkovic posted a goodbye message to Celtic fans on Instagram on Wednesday, suggesting he won’t be returning on loan during the summer transfer window.

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The Croatian enjoyed a successful 2018/19 season on loan at the Scottish champions, making 27 appearances and helping the club lift their third successive treble of domestic trophies.

C’mon the Hoops’ Keith remembers the late Phil O’Donnell in the video below…

There had been speculation he could return for a second season on loan at the Hoops, a door opened by former manager Brendan Rodgers back in May.

However, his latest Instagram post would suggest that won’t be the case given he has wished the club well in their quest for ‘ten-in-a-row’.

He had formed a partnership in defence with Dedryck Boyata and the duo’s departure has prompted the club to make a big move for Christopher Jullien since the end of last season.

Benkovic was a popular figure with supporters, as demonstrated by the reaction to his latest message, with many fans taking to social media to lament the fact he won’t be playing in Celtic colours next term…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has defended himself against West Brom accusations that Oliver Burke was mistreated on loan last season, speaking to Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

West Brom technical director Luke Dowling said earlier this week that Burke wouldn’t “be going anywhere near Celtic with the current manager”, claiming that the Hoops boss’ handling of the attacker’s loan left a lot to be desired.

Lennon though has hit back at the senior Baggies figure, claiming that if anything Burke was treated too well.

How can Celtic improve next season? A Hoops fan tells us how in the video below…

As quoted by Sky Sports, the 48-year-old said:

“We treated him very well.

“He played a lot of games. Maybe in hindsight I was too good in treating him too well at times, compared to the rest of the group.

“I have no idea where this sort of tirade has come from. This could have been dealt with privately and professionally.

“As a club we have to defend ourselves robustly because it is totally unacceptable.”

Burke’s loan

A quick look at Burke’s opportunities under Lennon sees that he played on eight occasions between Brendan Rodgers’ departure and the end of the season. That’s from 14 possible appearances.

Playing more than half of the available games hardly suggests that a player has been frozen out, so why West Brom have felt the need to publicly go after Lennon and the Hoops on Burke’s development is unknown.

With Odsonne Edouard returning from injury around the time Lennon came in, it makes sense that Burke’s opportunities would be less frequent.

Lennon and Celtic are right to defend their record of developing players given the many that have passed through the doors of Celtic Park in recent years and left better players.

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Rangers fans aren’t convinced that James Lawrence is a viable transfer option for Steven Gerrard this summer after he was linked with a move to Ibrox.

The Daily Record reported on Sunday that the club were weighing up a £3m move for the Anderlecht centre-back, with the Gers boss said to be a big fan of the player’s talents.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Signing for the Belgian giants last summer, he was part of a rather disastrous season for the club, who are now embarking on a new era under Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany.

A Welsh international, he would likely have enough ability to compete at Scottish Premiership level, but the fee involved and the fact Rangers already have two first-choice defenders in the position has fans questioning whether it’s smart business.

Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic should be considered good enough to start consistently next season and while back-up is needed, supporters seem to think that can be delivered for less money.

These fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…

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Aston Villa confirmed on Monday afternoon that Anwar El Ghazi had joined the club on a permanent deal after impressing on loan during the 2018-19 campaign.

And now the Villa fans have taken to social media to call on their club to sort out a permanent transfer for Tyrone Mings.

Like El Ghazi, Mings was also excellent whilst on loan at Villa Park last term.

The centre-back joined Dean Smith’s side from Bournemouth during the January transfer window and went on to make 23 appearances for Villa, who secured promotion back to the Premier League by beating Derby County in the playoff final.

As it stands, the 26-year-old will begin pre-season training with his parent club next month ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

However, after learning that El Ghazi’s loan switch had now become permanent, the Villa fans are hoping for similar news when it comes to Mings.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Villa supporters in response to a tweet from Jack Grealish can be seen below:

It has been a season that has seen Newcastle fans worry more about whether they can keep Rafael Benitez rather than if they will stay up in the Premier League. And while there were signs that they would be in for a long battling season, in the end, it was a campaign where the Magpies did not do too bad.

After their first ten games of the season, registering no wins, Newcastle were left in the relegation zone and needed a desperate change in form if they were to survive.

They, of course, managed to do that, with a couple of games really helping to turn things around for them as they went on to secure a 13th-place finish.

Newcastle 1-0 Watford (Saturday 3rd November 2018)

It was the first win of the season for Benitez and his men, a win that they so desperately craved at the time. It was the victory that got them out of the relegation zone, and showed everyone that they won’t be a pushover club.

The 1-0 win over a talented Watford side was the kick-start that everyone at the club needed, a result that led to three straight wins and allowed Newcastle to really climb up the table and begin to kick on in the season.

Newcastle 2-1 Manchester City (Tuesday 29th January 2019)

Now this was one hell of a night!

At the time of the match, Newcastle once again had seen their form drop and found themselves battling to stay out of the relegation zone. But, through some miracle, Benitez had managed to galvanise his side enough to topple the eventual Premier League champions. It was simply unreal!

The win over City was by far the highest point of Newcastle’s season, and probably became the main focus of any team talk when they found themselves against the ropes. This is seen as the game that allowed the Toon Army to push on and keep their Premier League status for yet another campaign.

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In all facets of the club, it appears as though Wolves can do no wrong.

At senior level they finished seventh in the league whilst lower down, Rob Edwards’ U23 side won the Premier League 2 Division 2 title.

It’s been a fantastic campaign right the way through the club and it’s now time for them to build on that success.

A way of doing so would be to bring through some of the best performers at youth level and should they do so, they can be assured of a smooth transition, such has been the good work Edwards has done.

On the chalkboard

The 36-year-old is a figure who seems to have done everything at Wolves. He’s been a player at Molineux, coached the first team on an interim basis and now lead the academy to domestic success.

He’s a hugely respected figure so it’s no surprise to see the young members of the club looking up to him in the way they have.

And the way he’s set up his team in 2018/19 is something that will benefit any transition into the senior team greatly.

Initially, Edwards deployed a four-man back line, but given Nuno Santo sets his team up with three in defence it didn’t make too much sense.

So after four games of the Premier League 2 campaign, he switched things to mirror what the first team have been doing.

It was a genius decision and since that moment, it appears as though they’ve reaped the rewards. The likes of Max Kilman and Ryan Giles are two members of his squad to have benefited the most, appearing in the first team on a few occasions this term.

They’ve featured in a variety of different positions, including at left-wing back, an area that initially wasn’t in Edwards’ plans when the campaign first got underway.

Their transition into the first team has been seamless because of their experience in a recognised system. Edwards deserves a huge amount of praise for that, and in the long-term, the more youngsters are familiarised with the first-team’s system, the greater chance they’ll have of making it at Molineux.

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Loads of Everton fans have been reacting to their drab draw against Crystal Palace, and there’s only one thing on the minds of the Goodison faithful.

Everton have perhaps become the most confusing and impossible to predict side in the Premier League in recent weeks, putting in some incredible performances sandwiched between some really underwhelming displays.

And after smashing Manchester United 4-0 last weekend, it was perhaps inevitable to follow it up with an absolute snooze-fest, as the Toffees and Eagles mustered a combined three shots on target at Selhurst Park.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

All three of those efforts on target came from the visitors, and Cenk Tosun had a potential goal of the season contender denied, as Vicente Guaita saved the Turkish international’s ambitious back heel.

Marco Silva’s side were by far the better team, but as has happened so often this season they just couldn’t turn their dominance into goals.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a fan favourite due to his work rate, but with just six goals in 34 league outings this term fans are calling for the 22 year-old to be replaced.

Take a look at the Twitter reactions down below, where it’s pretty clear what the number one item on the Toffees’ summer shopping list will be…

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Tottenham Hotspur can seal progress to their first Champions League semi-final in a generation on Wednesday, as they take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side won the first leg of the quarter-final 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, meaning any kind of draw or win, or even a 2-1 loss, would see them safely through to a last-four encounter with Ajax, who conquered Juventus in Turin on Tuesday.

They will be without Harry Kane, however, after the England captain sustained ligament damage during the first leg.

Dele Alli, meanwhile, is likely to wear a protective cast after sustaining a broken hand in the first leg.

With Kane injured, it is likely that Spurs will favour a counter-attacking gameplan.

It worked to great effect against Borussia Dortmund in Germany as Spurs picked up an excellent 1-0 win at Signal Iduna Park, and could do so again, with Spurs looking to break with pace and aggression.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has put together a predicted XI for the encounter…

The big talking point here is clearly Victor Wanyama’s selection.

The Kenya international returned to form against Huddersfield Town at the weekend, scoring in the 4-0 thumping of the Terriers.

Lucas Moura playing through the middle, with the support of Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son, allows Spurs the opportunity to counter with lightning speed, and it would also be mightily harsh to drop the Brazilian after his hat-trick against Huddersfield!

Tottenham Hotspur continue to be linked with a move for Ryan Sessegnon, per the Daily Express.

The 18-year-old has been a rare bright spark in a roundly terrible season for Fulham, who have already been relegated to the Championship, with his asking price set at £40million.

The Express claims that a number of clubs, including Juventus and Liverpool, are also interested in securing Sessegnon’s signature this summer, with the teenager certain to depart the London outfit.

But should Spurs splash £40m on a teenager who has spent just one season in the top-flight?

Football FanCast writers give their verdicts below…

Matt Dawson

“If Spurs signed Ryan Sessegnon then they may well have another Gareth Bale on their hands. It’s hard to see him replicating the feats of the Welshman but there is a comparison in the fact he’s a player that can play at left back and further forward. £40m would be a ridiculous sum of money to pay for him, even in today’s market and after the season he’s had it’s difficult to justify that fee. However, if he starts finding goals in the top-flight, as he did in the Championship, he’d be some player for Tottenham. Given how Pochettino has developed young English talent in the past, he may be the manager to get the best out of him.”

James Beavis

“No, they should steer clear. While Sessegnon may well be a star in the future, Tottenham are in a position now where they need players that are guaranteed to perform if they want to compete in the Premier League and Champions League. Given his form for Fulham this season that isn’t the case with Sessegnon. Signing him has Tottenham written all over it, but he would be a massive risk and Spurs need to change their policy this summer for the best of the club.”

Billy Meyers

“No, they definitely shouldn’t sign him for that much money. Whilst he has done fairly well at times this season for such a young player, Spurs have areas of the field which demand more attention than the position Sessegnon plays – the fact that they had to reshuffle the side completely against Manchester City when Moussa Sissoko went off injured tells you that midfield is just the start of where they need reinforcements. He would be somewhat of a luxury signing, and one that they should certainly steer clear of.”

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Bournemouth have been dealt a big injury blow in the shape of Charlie Daniels, who is now set to miss not just the remainder of the current campaign but the start of the next one too due to a knee problem – Cherries fans on Twitter were heartbroken.

The left-back picked up the injury during training last week and has since had surgery to stabilise the damaged area, although now there will be a long period of rehabilitation before he can return to the field.

The 32-year-old, who has played 24 times under Eddie Howe this season, has been a fixture in the starting XI since moving from Leyton Orient in 2012.

Him becoming the latest in a number of Bournemouth players to succumb to similar types of injuries is surely concerning.

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Lewis Cook, Callum Wilson and Simon Francis have all sustained long-term knee problems recently; there’s certainly something for the doctors and sports scientists at Vitality Stadium to look into.

Here’s what the Bournemouth faithful had to say about Daniels’ injury on Twitter…