Month: September 2020

Liverpool talks ‘advancing’ for Brazilian within their ‘financial strength’

Liverpool are progressing well in negotiations to land Fluminense goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga, according to reports in Brazil.

The Reds have so far made one signing this summer with Konstantinos Tsimikas joining from Olympiacos, with any deals made likely to provide further competition, rather than replacing anybody in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.

And Brazilian media outlet UOL claims that Liverpool are attempting to sign Pitaluga with a bid already placed by the Merseysiders.

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Discussions between Liverpool and Fluminense are said to ‘have evolved and the trend is for an agreement to be made by selling the 17-year-old’.

The Reds have been monitoring Pitagula for a while and have kept in touch with the player’s agent Fabio Braga with the Brazilian club originally ‘not willing to do business’.

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Liverpool have already made a bid for the Brazilian youngster with ‘a counterproposal’ from Fluminense ‘does not seem to escape Liverpool’s financial strength’.

The next week ‘must be decisive to close the deal’ with the Brazilian outfit hoping to include a sell-on percentage in the potential transfer.

Liverpool intend to make Pitagula the ‘heir’ to Alisson’s throne at Anfield with ‘the idea’ that they use the English loan market to improve him in the meantime.

Any deal will be made easier with Pitagula having a ‘European passport due to German descent’.

 

Bellerin becomes Forest Green’s second largest shareholder

Arsenal and Spain defender Hector Bellerin has become the second largest shareholder at Forest Green Rovers.

The League Two club’s environmentally friendly approach to football has attracted the attention of Bellerin, who first became aware of their stance following a pre-season friendly with the Gunners in 2014.

Rovers are recognised by FIFA and the United Nations as the world’s greenest football club.

FEATURE: Top ten Premier League virgins we are most excited to see

Under chairman Dale Vince, a British green energy industrialist, the club has employed eco-friendly developments such as solar panels on its New Lawn home ground, the use of a solar-powered robot grass mower, and the creation of the world’s first organic football pitch.

Like Bellerin, Rovers are vegan and became the world’s first carbon neutral sports club in 2017.

Bellerin, who recently raised money to plant 60,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest, will work with Vince in a new relationship with the aim to help raise the environmental agenda in football among clubs, leagues and supporters.

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The 25-year-old said: “When I first played Forest Green Rovers – all I knew about them was that it was a long way from London! As I heard more about the club and its work, I knew I wanted to meet them and be part of it.

“So many people feel there’s no solution to the world’s problems, but Forest Green are already doing plenty – and showing others the way.

“I’m so excited to be part of the FGR family. I’ll be helping where I can, supporting people who want to change the world for the better.”

Vince, chairman of Forest Green since 2010, said: “I like Hector’s approach, his personal journey and the things he’s trying to do – they make sense.

“I’m looking forward to working with him on FGR and this wider agenda we have a shared interest in.”

 

Man Utd still need to replace player who left in 2005 – Smith

Alan Smith still thinks Man Utd are trying to replace Roy Keane 15 years on from his Old Trafford departure.

Keane played 480 matches in all competitions for the Red Devils, winning seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League before his exit in 2005.

Man Utd are currently struggling to bring back the glory days under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and former Red Devils man Smith – who deputised for Keane in a defensive midfield role when his team-mate was struggling with fitness – thinks the current side are crying out for a player like Keane.

FEATURE: Top ten Premier League virgins we are most excited to see

“Roy Keane is probably impossible to replace as a player and as a character, especially at Manchester United,” Smith told the Utd Podcast.

“I still don’t think it’s been done now, and it’s been crying out for someone like Roy Keane to be in the dressing room and on the field as Roy was.

“No-one could ever replicate it, so it was [about me] trying to do as good a job in a similar position. It wasn’t like, ‘you’re going to be a Roy Keane’. I could never do that job.”

When put to him that Keane is seen as overrated by some, Smith added: “You could ask any player that’s played with him or against him and I’d say 99 per cent of them would all have the same answer for you.

“For me, it’s not just a case of Roy being a leader. That’s so disrespectful to him as a footballer as well.

“You don’t play for Manchester United and captain them based on just being a leader. That’s such an unfair criticism of someone who’s probably been one of the Premier League’s greatest central midfield players.”

 

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Premier League 2020/21 season: When does it start, how to watch it on TV, and key dates

The Premier League 2020/21 season promises to deliver much as Liverpool aim to defend their title, and we’ve got all you need to know.

Covid-19 has caused unprecedented uncertainty in football, essentially rewriting the football calendar for 2020.

The 2019/20 season ground to a halt back in March as the world struggled to come to grips with the challenges of containing the pandemic, meaning the new season had to be delayed.

However, barring any public health emergencies, the Premier League is back with a bang again for 2020/21, and it promises to be as dramatic as ever.

What are the key dates for the 2020/21 Premier League season?

The season gets underway on Saturday 12 September, with the first match kicking off at 12.30pm at Craven Cottage, where newly-promoted Fulham play host to Arsenal.

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There will be breaks for the UEFA Nations League in the second week of October and the third week of November, although no further dates have been planned at the time of writing. The International breaks will also hold the playoffs for the Euro 2020.

The late start will have a serious knock-on effect on next summer too, with the season scheduled to finish on May 23rd, just 19 days before the rescheduled Euro 2020 Finals begins.

Will there be a winter break in the 2020/21 Premier League season?

In a word: no. Last season was the first time that English football finally succumbed to persistent calls to follow other top leagues in Europe and schedule a winter break.

The plans ensured each team had at least a little time off in February. However, with the Premier League already facing a shortened season as a result of the lengthy suspension of the 2019/20 season, the winter break has been scrapped for now.

What about the Cup competitions?

They are still there, although some have been altered due to the circumstances. The biggest change sees FA Cup replays scrapped for this season, which may produce a few more upsets than usual.

The FA Cup final is scheduled for May 15th with the semi-finals in their traditional mid-April slot.

The League Cup final takes place February 28th, but the usual two-legged semi-finals have been replaced by a one-legged shootout instead.

Will every match of the 2020/21 Premier League season be streamed?

When the Premier League did eventually return in June, fans were able to watch every single match live on their televisions.

This season, matches will once again take place behind closed doors, at least initially, but there are no plans to once again make every match available for broadcast.

There will almost certainly be special allowances made for season card holders at clubs, but at the moment it appears to be proving difficult to come up with a solution that serves everyone.

In general, though, we are back to the usual system of broadcast rights holders and specific selected matches for television.

How can I watch the 2020/21 Premier League season on TV?

Sky Sports once again hold the majority of the TV rights this season. The broadcast giant will screen 140 live matches this season.

BT Sport meanwhile have 58 games and Amazon Prime 22.

Will the TV matches be free-to-air?

Well, yes, some of them will, but it will depend entirely upon the generosity of Sky.

They will broadcast some of their matches to screen on their Pick channel. It can be found on channel 159 on Sky and channel 144 on Freeview.

How can I watch the 2020/21 Premier League games not free-to-air?

You’re certainly not short of options when it comes to watching Premier League football.

You can subscribe to Sky TV on any one of their many packages, making sure the sports channels are part of your bundle.

Another option for those not wanting to commit to a contract is Now TV. You can purchase NOW TV individual passes for specific times that cover the matches you want to watch.

BT Sport will require a subscription. Amazon Prime will too, although you may be able to get a free trial that covers at least some of the games you want to watch.

 

Villa target £25m-rated attacker after missing out on Wilson

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Aston Villa have turned their attention to signing Bournemouth forward Joshua King, after missing out on Callum Wilson, according to reports.

Villa had a £15m bid rejected for Wilson last week. Newcastle United then came in the for the forward and on Monday they signed the England international for around £20m.

Dean Smith’s side have been quick to seek out new targets, however. The Express & Star have reported that Villa remain keen on Brentford’s Ollie Watkins, though they could also target Bournemouth’s King.

F365 Says: Newcastle close in on hat-trick to soften takeover blow

Even though Villa returned with a £21m bid for Wilson, the player favoured a move to Newcastle. Several Bournemouth players have received interest from Premier League sides this summer, with King being amongst them.

In the 2019/20 winter window, King came close to signing for Manchester United, though the deal fell through at the final moment.

The Norweigan has a lot of Premier League experience, playing regularly for the Cherries over the past five seasons. The forward has featured in 161 top-flight games, scoring 48 goals in the process.

The Sun reported last month that Bournemouth have set their valuation for King at £25m. They are said to be unwilling to accept an offer lower than their that fee.

Villa are keen to bolster their attacking armoury this summer. The Villans have been heavily linked with Watkins in recent weeks, but Tottenham Hotspur may try to hijack their move for the EFL striker. 

The Birmingham-based side have made just one signing so far this window. Nottm Forest full-back Matty Cash has made the move to Villa Park in a deal that could rise to around £16m.

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Leicester join Leeds, Aston Villa and WBA in chasing EFL star

Leicester City have joined the race to sign Brentford full-back Rico Henry this summer, according to reports.

Henry has been a target of a number of Premier League clubs this window. Leeds United, Aston Villa and West Brom have already expressed their interest in signing him.

Now Leicestershire Live have expanded on the Daily Express’ report that Brendan Rodgers’ side are showing interest in signing Henry this summer.

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The report adds that Brentford are looking for around £7m if they are to sell Henry. But with a number of Premier League sides interested, the fee could end up being nearer to £10m.

Brentford look set to lose a few of their key players this window. Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma have also been the subject of heavy interest from several Premier League clubs in recent weeks.

It is no wonder why so many clubs are keen to sign Henry this summer. He enjoyed a fantastic season last term as Brentford narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

The left-back made 51 appearances throughout the season, providing three assists in the process. Henry played a part in all of Brentford’s Championship outings last season.

The 23-year-old signed for Brentford from Walsall in August 2016, after being named in the 2015/16 PFA League One Team of the Year.

Henry joined Brentford for an initial fee of £1.5m, though that amount could eventually rise to £5m with add-ons.

Leicester sold left-back Ben Chilwell to Chelsea earlier in the window for around £50m. But they have acted quickly to replace him as they have brought in Timothy Castagne from Atalanta.

Henry would still be a really good signing for Leicester as well as a number of other Premier League sides.

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‘Done Deal!’ – Fulham close in on former Chelsea defender

Fulham are edging closer to signing Torino defender Ola Aina on loan, according to a transfer expert in Italy.

The defender came through the ranks with Chelsea before making his professional debut in August 2016.

Aina made six appearances in all competitions for the Blues under Antonio Conte in 2016/17. He only started two of these games, however, with both starts coming in the EFL Cup.

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The 23-year-old could never establish himself in Chelsea’s first-team, and he spent the next season on loan with Championship side Hull City.

He made 44 league appearances for the Yorkshire outfit during that campaign, before joining Torino on loan in 2018/19.

After impressing in his debut year, Torino opted to sign Aina permanently for a fee of around £9 million last summer.

The right-back has enjoyed an impressive couple of years in Italy. He has been an ever-present for Torino, as he has made 69 appearances in all competitions.

Nicolò Schira has revealed that Aina is now close to returning to the Premier League with Fulham.

The former Chelsea man looks set to move to Fulham on an initial loan deal, with an option to buy him next summer for around €12.5m.

The report adds that the deal includes a 10% sell-on clause for Torino for any future sale of Aina.

The defender represented England at youth level from U16 to U20. But at senior level, he opted to play for Nigeria, and since 2017 he has been capped 17 times.

Aina will come in to compete with Cyrus Christie to be Fulham’s first-choice right-back.

The Cottagers have already been busy this summer having made four new signings. Harrison Reed and Anthony Knockaert have both signed permanently after spending last season on loan from Southampton and Fulham respectively.

Mario Lemina has joined on a season-long loan from Southampton, while Antonee Robinson has signed from Wigan for around £1.9m.

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West Ham, Newcastle target £18m-rated Inter Milan star

West Ham and Newcastle United are planning a move for Inter Milan left-back Dalbert Henrique, according to reports in Italy.

The 26-year-old signed for Inter from French side Nice in August 2017 on a five-year deal.

But the transfer has not gone to plan for the Brazillian. Henrique only made 24 Serie A appearances across his first two seasons at the club.

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In the 2019/20 campaign, Henrique spent the year on loan with Milan’s league rivals Florentina. The full-back enjoyed a far stronger season last term with his new club.

He made 34 appearances in all competitions, and he provided nine assists as Florentina finished tenth in Serie A.

Henrique has now returned to Inter, but he is not a part of Antonio Conte’s plans and they hope to cash in on him this summer.

According to FC Inter News, this has alerted West Ham and Newcastle who are both keen to sign Henrique this window.

The report adds that the Hammers have already contacted the player’s agent, and Inter may demand a fee of around £18m if they are to sell their man.

West Ham seem keen to bring in a new left-back who can challenge Aaron Cresswell for a starting spot.

Tomas Soucek is the only player to join West Ham this summer. The midfielder has joined on a permanent deal worth around £15m after he spent last season on loan at the London Stadium.

Newcastle meanwhile have signed midfielder Jeff Hendrick and goalkeeper Mark Gillespie on free transfers from Burnley and Motherwell respectively.

But the Magpies have had a busy weekend on the transfer front. They are close to finalising three deals that will see former Bournemouth teammates Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser move to St James’ Park.

Steve Bruce’s side are also close to signing Norwich full-back Jamal Lewis, after having a £13.5m bid for the youngster accepted.

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Buttigieg: Dems exacerbating 'crisis of belonging in this country' with 'identity politics'

Democratic presidential candidate Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE said Saturday that Democrats are exacerbating a crisis in the U.S. by using identity politics.

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In a speech to the Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBT rights group, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., who is gay, warned of a “crisis of belonging in this country” being exacerbated by “so-called identity politics” that emphasize how one person hasn’t walked in another’s shoes.

“Something that is true, but it doesn’t get us very far,” he said.

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“I’m not talking about pretending there are equivalencies between the different patterns of exclusion in this country,” Buttigieg clarified.

“Divisive lines of thinking” have entered Democrats’ mindset, Buttigieg continued, explaining: “Like when we’re told we have to choose between supporting an auto worker and a trans woman of color, without stopping to think about the fact that sometimes the auto worker is a trans woman of color, and she definitely needs all the security she can get.”

“The wall I worry about the most is not the president’s fantasy wall on the Mexican border that’s not going to get built anyway,” Buttigieg said. “What I worry about are the very real walls being put up between us as we get divided and carved up.”

“When an auto worker, 12 years into their career, is no longer sure how to provide for their family, they’re not part of the country we think of ourselves as all living in together. That’s why we can’t seem to get on the same page,” Buttigieg said.

Delaney hits Warren for Fox town hall snub: If you're not using it, I will

Presidential candidate John DelaneyJohn DelaneyThe Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says country needs to rethink what ‘policing’ means; US cases surpass 2 million with no end to pandemic in sight Minnesota AG Keith Ellison says racism is a bigger problem than police behavior; 21 states see uptick in cases amid efforts to reopen The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan says there will be consequences from fraying US-China relations; WHO walks back claims on asymptomatic spread of virus MORE criticized Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE’s (D-Mass.) decision not to accept a Fox News town hall on Tuesday, saying that he would take it. 

“If you’re not using your town hall, I will,” said the former Democratic congressman from Maryland. “Democratic candidates have to campaign everywhere and talk to all voters.”

Warren said Tuesday that she will turn down an offer to appear in a Fox News town hall, slamming the network as a “hate-for-profit machine.”

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“I’ve done 57 media avails and 131 interviews, taking over 1,100 questions from press just since January,” she tweeted. “Fox News is welcome to come to my events just like any other outlet. But a Fox News town hall adds money to the hate-for-profit machine. To which I say: hard pass.”

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Several other presidential candidates have recently appeared in Fox News town halls or accepted offers to appear from the network.

Sens. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) and Amy KlobucharAmy KlobucharHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Democrats demand Republican leaders examine election challenges after Georgia voting chaos Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-Minn.) have already participated in Fox town halls and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE (D) is slated to appear on May 19. Sanders’s event drew 2.6 million views and was the most-watched town hall this year. 

More than 20 people are currently vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Warren’s campaign has recently seen some momentum while Delaney is considered a long-shot candidate.