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Abidal reveals why Barca decided against signing man despite his Spurs exploits
Tottenham Hotspur parted ways with Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 following a woeful start to the season that left the club in 14th in the Premier League table before his departure. The 49-year-old has since become the boss of French giants Paris Saint-Germain, succeeding Thomas Tuchel at the Parc des Princes in January 2021. However, he was linked with becoming Barcelona boss just after he left Spurs, but his links with Espanyol and a joke he had made while he was at Tottenham about preferring to work on a farm in Argentina than manage the Catalans did not do him any favours with the Josep Bartomeu-led board. Erstwhile Barcelona director of football Eric Abidal has revealed that Pochettino was his most preferred candidate to replace Ernesto Valverde who was sacked ...
26-year-old fears Man United want to extend his contract to sell him for bigger fee
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly fears the club want to extend his contract so that he is more valuable ahead of the summer transfer window, Sky Sports reports. The Ivorian has been with the Red Devils since 2016, but he has registered only 100 appearances due to multiple injuries and competition for places. Earlier this month, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that contract talks were underway with the centre-back, and he was hopeful for a quick resolution. However, it has since been reported that Bailly could snub a contract renewal beyond June next year after being dropped for the AC Milan trip despite being fit. It is now revealed that the 26-year-old has fears over signing an extension as that could be a step to make him ‘more valuable in this summer’s transfer market’...
Manchester United could let Donny van de Beek leave this summer
Donny van de Beek could be set to leave Manchester United this summer, according to 90min. Van de Beek joined Man Utd in the summer transfer window of 2020 from Ajax for approximately £40 million. The Dutch midfielder’s time at Old Trafford has not worked out as hoped. Since scoring as a substitute on his debut against Crystal Palace, he has started just two league games and 12 in all competitions, failing to score. Van de Beek’s opening day goal against Crystal Palace was his last at club level Competition for places in Van de Beek’s position is high at Man Utd. PFA Player of the Year favourite Bruno Fernandes already occupies the attacking midfield position, while club-record signing Paul Pogba and veteran Juan Mata can also play there. However, the Dutchman has undoubted ability. In Aja...
Barcelona and Real Madrid target rejects Chelsea move
David Alaba has rejected a move to Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, reports Sky Germany. Alaba has been a regular at Bayern Munich for the best part of the last decade, making 421 appearances in all competitions for the Bavarians. During that time, he has won nine Bundesliga titles, six DFB Pokals, and two Champions Leagues. David Alaba has had a highly successful time at Bayern Munich However, the Austrian looks nailed on to depart the Allianz Arena this summer on a free transfer, having rejected a new contract. This has got several of Europe’s top clubs keeping an eye on the situation, hoping to bring in one of the world’s best defenders for cheap. Two clubs who were looking at the defender were Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. However, Sky Germany are claiming that he has said no to bot...
Arsenal star fully deserves plaudits from Mikel Arteta after stunning display
Martin Odegaard has only been at the club for just over 50 days, but he is certainly making his mark in Arsenal colours. Before the January transfer window, the Gunners were struggling to create chances and score goals from midfield. Their attack looked threatening, but they required some support from behind, especially from the No.10 position. Despite youngster Emile Smith Rowe being handed the opportunity to solve these issues, it soon became clear that more experience and depth was needed. A couple of months later, it is a completely different story and that is thanks to one man – Odegaard. He may only have two goals and zero assists in 12 appearances, but Odegaard’s displays have left many supporters urging the club to sign him permanently this summer. The Norwegian...
Newcastle players left surprised with recent reports regarding Steve Bruce’ future
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce is under tremendous pressure because of his side’s recent run of form. Apparently, some of the first team players are looking to hold face to face talks with the club’s managing director Lee Charnley regarding the manager’s feature at the club. According to Football Insider, some of the players are in shock after the club decided to back Bruce despite the recent results. Apparently, club owner Mike Ashley is prepared to stick with Bruce until the end of the season as per Sky Sports. The Newcastle players expected Steve Bruce to be sacked after the defeat against Brighton. The Magpies were beaten by Brighton in their last game and they are currently two points clear of the drop zone. They are in desperate need after turn round if they are to be...
Wolves reportedly keen on signing £62m-rated South American this summer
Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing the Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos at the end of the season. The 26-year-old has been outstanding for the Spanish outfit since joining them in 2019 and Wolves are looking to strengthen their attack with the signing of the Argentine international. Ocampos can play across the front three and he could prove to be a quality addition to the Wolves attack alongside Raul Jimenez and Pedro Neto. The 26-year-old has 7 goals and 4 assists to his name so far this season. According to Football Insider, the player has three years left on his Sevilla contract and he has a release clause of £62 million. Apparently, the Spanish club could sell him for much less because of the financial crisis due to the pandemic. SL View: Upgrade on Adama Traore? It will be...
‘He’s definitely a talent’: Former Hammers ace claims he would take 20-goal star at West Ham
Former West Ham United player Frank McAvennie has claimed that Odsonne Edouard could prove to be a quality addition for the Hammers. However, the former Hammers ace has warned that David Moyes should consider the striker’s attitude before making a move to sign him. McAvennie said to Football Insider: “I would take Edouard at West Ham but the way he downed tools with Lenny was disappointing. The boy’s got talent and West Ham need a striker. But if David Moyes would have that kind of player, I don’t know. But you get the ball up to him and he keeps it. He’s definitely a talent.” Apparently, the Frenchman was angling for a move away from Celtic when Neil Lennon was in charge of the Scottish club and he was being unprofessional at the time. It will be interesting to see where the 23-...
European World Cup Qualifiers Preview – March 2021
Club football goes dormant for a fortnight as national teams return to action for the first time since November 2020. The European section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification gets underway on March 24. All 55 UEFA national teams seeded into ten qualifying groups will battle it out for 13 places at the final tournament. Group winners will secure an automatic berth in Qatar, while the runners-up will have to navigate through the play-offs. Though the original design incorporated two matchdays for June 2021, the postponement of the Euro 2020 has caused havoc in the international schedule. To complete the qualifying group stage by November 2021, national teams in Europe will commit to three matchdays instead of two as planned initially. Like the last competition, the teams will face each ...
UEFA European U21 Championships Preview
The 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship is just around the corner, with 16 European nations set to battle it out for glory in Hungary and Slovenia. The 2021 tournament was rescheduled following the postponement of Euro 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time, there will be a two-month vacuum between the group stage and the knockout phase. The tournament’s group stage runs from March 24-31, with the group winners and runners-up qualifying for the eight-nation knockout stage from May 31 to June 6. Another novelty means the knockout phase will have home-and-away two-legged ties to determine the semi-finals participants. Hungary and Slovenia will co-host the event, with four cities in each country hosting the games behind closed doors. However, you should be able ...
Luis Suarez’s best moments as he hits 500 goals
Luis Suarez has been one of football’s very best players over the past decade. As brilliant as he is controversial, the Uruguayan hit an astonishing milestone of 500 goals this weekend. Among active players, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Robert Lewandowski have reached this figure. And what better way to celebrate the occasion than by looking back at the key points of his phenomenal career? Here are Luis Suarez’s best moments (so far). Making his name on the big stage Suarez celebrates against South Korea Suarez came into the tournament off the back of an an astonishing season at Ajax, scoring 49 goals in 48 appearances. So it came as no surprise that he shone at the 2010 World Cup. Playing in his first ever international tournament, he opened his account in...
Arsenal confirm star duo will play just one game each during the international break
15 Arsenal players will be in action over the international break this month, and manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping to have them all return without any fitness issues for the campaign run-in. Premier League action resumes on April 3, with the Gunners hosting Liverpool before welcoming Slavia Prague five days later in the first-leg of the Europa League quarter-finals. Advancing to the semi-finals will further boost Arsenal’s chances of winning the competition and playing Champions League football next term, and Arteta needs his key players to be fully fit in the coming weeks. The Gunners boss will be very wary of the international break curse, but he has been handed a boost with two of his star players only playing once during the break. Gabon has called up their skipper Pierre-Emerick Au...
