General Football News
Villa reportedly weighing up £35m club-record summer deal for England international
According to Football Insider, Aston Villa are weighing up the potential cost of signing Ross Barkley permanently for £35 million this summer. The England international joined Dean Smith’s side on a season-long loan from Chelsea last summer, and he has featured in 14 Premier League games, scoring three goals and weighing in with one assist. Villa would have to break their transfer record if they want to sign the Barkley permanently, but Smith is yet to make up his mind if the 27-year-old is actually worth it. The Villans boss is a fan of the Chelsea midfielder, but the fact that he does not have a recognised position and that the side have a better winning record when he is not on the pitch is giving him a headache. Sportslens View Villa have won six out of the 14 games he has played, and ...
‘No longer for sale’ – Journo claims NUFC takeover talks are on hold, reveals Barnes’ stance
According to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, all Newcastle United takeover conversations have been halted by Mike Ashley adviser Justin Barnes, and the club is no longer for sale. To underline how significant this blow is, I’m told this morning all #nufc takeover conversations have been halted by Justin Barnes and the club is, effectively, no longer for sale. Everything paused until relegation matters decided. https://t.co/MdVq1qw8E7 — Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) March 2, 2021 Talks have been paused until the club’s Premier League status is decided, and it is definitely not the type of news the Magpies supporters want to hear at the moment. Newcastle are just three points away from the relegation zone after 26 Premier League games, and they have Fulham breathing down their neck. The St J...
Leeds owner misses out on purchase of Spanish club as Malaysian Prince seals deal
Spanish outlet Marca reported last December that Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani was keen to oversee a takeover of La Liga giants Valencia. The Italian knows the club president Anil Murthy, and The Athletic’s Phil Hay recently claimed that his desire to own such a club has always been real. The Leeds owner would love to invest in another club, but it does not appear that it will be Valencia given the latest developments. According to Spanish outlet A Punt, the Prince of Johor has reached an agreement to buy the club from current owner Peter Lim, and the sale is expected to be processed on Monday. Lim is more than keen to sell his stakes having fallen out of favour with the fans, and while Radrizzani considered the possibility of buying the club, there were doubts over whether the Leed...
Midfielder set to join London club for free 9 months after West Ham exit
According to The Sun, Colombian midfielder Carlos Sanchez is set to join Watford today as the Championship outfit look to bolster their squad in a bid to boost their promotion chances. Sportslens View The 35-year-old has been a free agent since leaving West Ham United at the end of his contract in June 2020, and it appears that he is on his way back to London. Sanchez struggled to impress during the two seasons he spent with the Hammers, making 18 appearances in all competitions under Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes. Watford are keen to add his experience to their ranks, and they will be hoping that he can help them return to the top-flight at the end of the campaign. Xisco Munoz’s side are currently third in the Championship table after 33 games, three points off the automatic promotion...
‘Why I came here’ – Gareth Bale says he rejoined Spurs because of two players
Tottenham Hotspur bounced back from successive Premier League defeats at the hands of Manchester City and West Ham United in style, securing a 4-0 victory over Burnley on Sunday to record their 11th win of the campaign. Spurs head coach Jose Mourinho will now hope that his men can reproduce the same level of performance when they play Fulham, Crystal Palace and Arsenal in their next three league games. He may have to stick with his formation against Burnley to get the desired results in those fixtures, though. Gareth Bale started his third league game of the season against Sean Dyche’s men, and it yielded a brace and an assist. The Wales international has played just nine Premier League games for Spurs since arriving on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, and he appeared to finally have r...
‘A very exciting move’ – Guillem Balague urges Celtic to appoint Spaniard as next boss
Celtic are in search of a manager to replace Neil Lennon, and they need someone who can snatch the Scottish Premiership title back from Rangers’ hands next season. As expected, several names have been linked with the job, with assistant manager John Kennedy – who has been put in interim charge – also tipped to take over on a permanent basis. It will be interesting to see who Celtic appoint as their next manager, but Spanish football expert Guillem Balague reckons Domenec Torrent would be perfect for the job, taking to Twitter to outline why. Well, wouldn’t that be interesting! @DomeTorrent would be in my eyes a very exciting move. Number two to Pep at Bayern and City, and a great believer in possession based football and in the need to give spectacle to fans https://t.co/WRIPX0aJxX — Guill...
Arsenal man reportedly on radar of Barcelona presidential candidate
According to Catalan radio station RAC1, Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on his radar as a potential replacement for Ronald Koeman. Sportslens View The La Liga giants are holding an election this weekend in order to bring in a permanent successor to former president Josep Bartomeu, and Laporta is widely seen as the favourite to emerge as the winner. He is eyeing a second stint as Barcelona president, and key changes could be made if he is elected. Current manager Koeman could be asked to leave at the end of the season, and it appears that Laporta wants the Arsenal boss to replace him. Arteta is a product of Barcelona’s famous La Masia, and he is seen as someone who could bring an attractive style of play that produces results and trophies to t...
Leeds reportedly eyeing 36y/o as potential manager should Bielsa leave, Leicester keen too
According to Portuguese journalist Bruno Andrade, Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim has admirers in the Premier League. Leeds United and Leicester City are both said to be following his progress with the Portuguese top-flight outfit. Rúben Amorim já salta aos olhos da Premier League. A evolução do português no Sporting é acompanhada com atenção por Leeds e Leicester, visto que Marcelo Bielsa não definiu ainda se renova contrato e Brendan Rodgers está valorizado (chance de sair para um clube mais poderoso) — Bruno Andrade (@brunoandrd) March 1, 2021 Sportslens View Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is out of contract at the end of the season, and while the Argentine is expected to pen another one-year deal, club president and owner Andrea Radrizzani says they are ‘analysing options’ should he le...
Report shares key role Marcelo Bielsa played as French side appoint new manager
Ligue 1 outfit Marseille announced Jorge Sampaoli as their manager last Friday, with the Argentine succeeding Andre Villas-Boas who was sacked last month. The former Sevilla boss will now look to impress on his second managerial stint in Europe, and Marseille have Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa to thank for Sampaoli’s arrival. According to Telefoot, the boss of the Elland Road outfit and Sampaoli were in discussion on the telephone for over 90 minutes about whether he should sign for the French outfit or not. 🚨 Toujours selon nos informations, Marcelo #Bielsa a échangé plus d’une heure et demi au téléphone avec #Sampaoli avant sa signature, le confortant encore plus dans son choix de rejoindre l’#OM (@YassinNfaoui) pic.twitter.com/0ILJLraH9E — Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) Febru...
Peter Crouch comments on Rangers chances of winning the Europa League
Rangers are potentially a few wins away from winning the Scottish Premiership this term after an unbeaten run in the campaign. Steven Gerrard’s men have won 26 games and drawn four times in 30 league fixtures this term, with 15 points between them and second-placed Celtic – who have played a game more. Rangers are also looking to go far in the Europa League after securing a berth in the last-16 following a 9-5 aggregate win over Royal Antwerp in the round of 32. The Light Blues will face Czech giants Slavia Prague in their bid to make it to the quarter-finals, and former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has commented on their chances of going far in the competition. “The Europa League looks more winnable for our teams and I wouldn’t discount Steven Gerrard taking Rangers deep into the compet...
‘They’d be fighting relegation’ – Paul Merson makes ominous Villa prediction
Aston Villa secured their 12th Premier League victory of the campaign yesterday at the expense of Leeds United, with Anwar El Ghazi’s fifth-minute opener proving to be enough to hand the visitors all three points at Elland Road. While Dean Smith’s men left with a valuable victory, many would argue that they were not the best team on the pitch. Villa had just 30% of the possession, completing (227) less than half of the passes Leeds (517) completed. The Midlands outfit lacked creativity with their talismanic captain Jack Grealish missing, and Smith will be hoping to have him back for the rest of the season. The 25-year-old has played 22 out of 24 league games this season, weighing in with six goals and 10 assists, and it is safe to say that he was hugely missed in their last two games. They...
Jack Grealish’s two-word reaction to missing the last two Premier League games
Aston Villa have been without their skipper Jack Grealish for the last two Premier League games, but they have managed to pick up three points from a possible six. Dean Smith’s men secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Leeds United at Elland Road yesterday, bouncing back from last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Leicester City. Villa were not at the top of their game during both encounters, struggling to create chances due to the absence of Grealish. They visit 20th-placed Sheffield United on Wednesday and will be hoping to leave with all three points in order to boost their chances of playing European football next season. It remains to be seen if Grealish will be playing against the Blades, but the 25-year-old cannot wait to get back on the pitch, and he has taken to Instagram to...
