Month: June 2021

Liverpool have reportedly opened talks with PSV forward Donyell Malen over a move to Anfield this summer.

The 22-year-old Dutch international notched 27 goals and ten assists in an outstanding Eredivisie season.

Malen is currently part of Frank De Boer’s Euro 2020 squad and started the win over North Macedonia on Monday.

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He produced a wonderful assist to set up Memphis Depay in the 3-0 win.

And Sky Sports Germany (via Anfield Central) claim Liverpool have ‘opened talks’ with Malen.

The report goes further, suggesting it’s sporting director Michael Edwards who is pushing for the move, which lends ambiguous weight to the rumour.

As does the claim that Malen is the ‘next Mohamed Salah‘, seemingly because his transfer would be close-ish to the £34million Liverpool paid Roma for their Egyptian hero.

Malen has a market value of £27million, though the report doesn’t give any indication if that is a price PSV would be willing to accept.

Liverpool have already secured the signing of Ibrahima Konate for £36million from RB Leipzig and are on the hunt for a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who has moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

And Jurgen Klopp is said to be a big admirer of Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn and has asked Andy Robertson about his countryman’s ability.

That’s according to The Athletic, who claim the Liverpool boss wanted to know if McGinn ‘ever stopped running on matchday’.

The report states that ‘the interest from Liverpool is very real’ and quotes Klopp from 2019, when the German said: “John McGinn, what a super player he is.”

And his admiration has not waned since, though the article does concede that interest is one thing, while actually moving to sign him is another.

It’s thought that Dean Smith is desperate to keep hold of the midfielder and it would take a bid of £50million for Villa to even consider a transfer.

A further report claims that Klopp is ‘planning to change the Liverpool system’ in time for next campaign with Thiago Alcantara set to be ‘the heartbeat of the team’.

 

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Frank Lampard has revealed the one “problem” he had with N’Golo Kante in his time as Chelsea boss.

Lampard was sacked by Chelsea in January as Thomas Tuchel was brought in to lead the Blues to Champions League glory.

Kante played a key role in Lampard’s time at Stamford Bridge, as he has done for every manager he’s played under.

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The Frenchman was pivotal in securing European glory for Chelsea, winning the Man of the Match awards in both legs of the semi-final against Real Madrid and the final against Manchester City.

Rio Ferdinand claims Kante is the Euro 2020 MVP and Lampard called him “priceless”, before picking out a “problem” he had with the midfielder in training.

“When I arrived at Chelsea he’d been off the back of playing so regularly for a few seasons because everyone relies on him so much, he’d had an injury that took him into my first season, we missed him a lot,” Lampard said.

“You seriously miss N’Golo in big games because he’s a big-game player. Nobody will want to play against him because of the attributes he’s got.

“In those big games, finals, tournament football, players like N’Golo are just priceless.

“The main reason why he’s so good that he’s the best in the world at being a destructor. When I say destructor I’m talking about winning the ball back. To win the ball back with his anticipation, having the speed to get tight and close distances, his main attribute for me is destruction, leaving areas to win balls back.

“An old-fashioned holding midfield player you’d say would sit in front of the back four, Makelele did it years ago for Chelsea so well.

“But he has so much more to his game. When you see the distances he closes to get in front of people, that acceleration and speed, that is something special to him, it’s very unique.”

He added: “He can do multiple jobs at the same time. He makes people around him better, he helps everybody.

“He’s exactly how you’d expect from the outside, nothing’s an act, he’s very humble, very quiet, he doesn’t want loads of conversation.

“The problem I found with him more than anything was trying to hold him back in training because every day you train and you let him off the leash in an opposed session he does that, and you have to try to pull him back because he can just put that output into anything he does.

“He’s incredible, he’s exactly what you see from the outside.”

 

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Gary Neville claims the combination of Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling “brought an energy” to England that was missing with Mason Mount and Phil Foden in the team.

Mount missed Tuesday’s win over the Czech Republic as he’s been forced into isolation, while Phil Foden wasn’t included as he was at risk of suspension having picked up a yellow card against Croatia.

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Grealish and Saka have received widespread praise for the performances and Sterling scored the only goal of the game to secure England top spot in Group D.

And Neville claims the trio gave the whole team a much-needed lift.

He said: “The fact that England were already qualified before the game against the Czech Republic mean that it was a composed qualification and the performance last night was a much-needed boost. Grealish, Saka and Sterling’s performances gave everybody a lift in the first half and there was a lot more energy in the game and we looked a lot more balanced.

“We weren’t talking about Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, and a lack of creativity last night because of the performances of Grealish, Saka and Sterling. Phil Foden and Mason Mount are more static as players, they are both exceptional but they aren’t live wires so there was a bit more speed, pace and unpredictability as Grealish, Saka and Sterling dovetailed down that left-hand side.

“That brought an energy to the performance generally and, all of a sudden, the rest of the players looked energetic with them. Those three players moved around so quickly like bees that were buzzing and everything felt more enthusiastic.”

Neville also gave his thoughts on England’s potential last 16 opponents.

The Three Lions could face any of the sides in the ‘Group of Death’ – a worrying prospect for Gareth Southgate and his side.

Neville added: “The reality will kick in for these players later on in the week, they have a giant of a game on Tuesday. It’s an event in itself and one which would elevate confidence beyond belief if they were to win. But to win those games against a team like France or Germany takes something really special and spectacular.

“We would be massive underdogs against France, against Germany we have an opportunity, Portugal even more so. You cannot go more than a 50-50 chance against Germany and Portugal, for France I’d go 70-30 against, that is not being negative or pessimistic, it’s realistic.

“Look at the France teamsheet and tell me how many England players would get in ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Raphael Varane. They have a damn good team. All of England’s potential opponents have good players and while we should be confident we have to realise our opponents will be confident as well and that it will be tough to win.”

 

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Jurgen Klopp has “very real” interest in John McGinn and he would be “perfect” for Liverpool this summer, according to Andros Townsend.

McGinn made the move to England in 2018 from Hibernian as he joined Aston Villa.

Since then, the midfielder has shone for the Villans as he has played 111 times for them.

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McGinn was part of Scotland’s 26-man squad for the European Championships. He played in all three of their Group D games before they exited the competition.

The Athletic have reported that Klopp wants to know whether McGinn “ever stops running on matchdays”.

They add that Liverpool’s interest in the Villa man is “very real”. Dean Smith’s side would want between £45m and £50m for McGinn.

Townsend has told talkSPORT that he would “fit straight into the way” Liverpool want to play under Klopp:

“The type of player McGinn is, I think that would be perfect for the way Jurgen Klopp likes to play,” Townsend said.

“He’s fast, strong, he gets about the pitch, he’s defensive-minded when needed.

“People will raise their eyebrows because it’s John McGinn from Scotland, but if you look at the way he plays and his credentials, 100 per cent he can slot straight into that Liverpool team.

“He’d fit straight into the way they want to play.

“Liverpool play with two holding midfielders, Jordan Henderson being one of the them and, if he goes, John McGinn can be the other.

“He’s got the discipline to just sit and allow the attacking players to do their thing and allow the full-backs to get high, so I think it would be a good fit to get someone in of that stature to marshal just in front of the back-four.

“But, what I will add to that is Aston Villa are going for it as well.

“You see the signing of Buendia, so they’re probably saying, ‘listen guys, stick with us and we’re going to spend some money and give it a real go to try and break into the top six and European football this season’.”

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Norwich City have signed Angus Gunn on a four-year deal from Southampton. He previously spent a season on loan with them in 2017/18.

The 25-year-old – son of former Canaries number one Bryan, who went on to manage the club – started his youth career with Norwich before moving to Manchester City, and then had a season back with the Carrow Road outfit on loan in 2017-18

He signed for Southampton in the summer of 2018, and last season spent time on loan at Stoke.

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Rating the England players v Czech Republic

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Gunn, who was called up to the England squad in 2017 but did not play, said on Norwich’s official website: “It was a few years ago since I was here on loan, and it was an unbelievable feeling then.

“Getting the deal done feels the same, if not better, because it’s more of a permanent thing. I’m really looking forward to it.

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“It’s the club that I grew up supporting and the strides that it has made over the last few years show it’s a club still on the up.”

Boss Daniel Farke said: “We got the feeling that Angus will be the perfect fit to our goalkeeping group.

“We’ve got two very experienced goalkeepers in Tim Krul and Michael McGovern and a young goalkeeper in Daniel Barden. Angus fits perfectly into this goalkeeping team.

“He’s in a perfect age and is full of potential. He’s proven that he can play on the top level and was fantastic for us three seasons ago.

“He played almost each and every second for us and of course he has a huge identification and connection with the football club through his father.

“He has had a call-up to the England national team and there was a big money move to Southampton. That says a lot about his potential.

“After he was our number one goalkeeper three years ago we got the feeling that we helped give him the perfect platform.

“We needed a strong addition to our goalkeeping squad and for the short, medium and long term we believe that Angus is the perfect fit.”

Norwich, preparing for their Premier League return after winning the Championship last season, signed winger Milot Rashica from Werder Bremen earlier this week. Midfielder Emi Buendia has departed to join Aston Villa.

Kylian Mbappe has reportedly “asked to leave” Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool are therefore ‘on transfer alert’.

The Reds and Real Madrid have been the two clubs most consistently linked with Mbappe in recent weeks, months and years, and the French star is now said to be keen on a move.

Daniel Riolo of RMC Sport (via Marca) claims Mbappe – who is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal – has told PSG he wants to leave the club.

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He said: “I know that Mbappe asked to leave, but it is complicated because first you have to find a club that has the money to pay him, but the news is that he really does not want to stay.

“The player does not believe in Leonardo’s project. If he does not leave this summer, it will be for free next season. And in Doha [the capital of Qatar where PSG’s owners are based] they do not want to hear about it.

“If Mbappe expresses this desire to leave, it means that he will have to find a club and that PSG will need to look for a replacement.

“But yes, the news is that Mbappe does not want to stay at PSG.”

Jurgen Klopp has reportedly been in contact with Mbappe’s representatives, specifically his father Wilfried, but the Liverpool boss also previously stated that the finances required to bring the World Cup winner to Anfield would make the deal impossible.

Klopp said back in November 2019: “We cannot do it, it is as easy as that. OK, from a sporting point of view, there are not a lot of reasons to not sign him, what a player he is.

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“But it is about the money of course. No chance. Absolutely no chance, sorry for killing that story!”

But that’s not stopped Liverpool being put ‘on transfer alert’ by the news of Mbappe’s desire to leave, according to the Liverpool Echo.

A more likely summer transfer could be for Aston Villa’s John McGinn.

Klopp’s interest in the midfielder is ‘very real’.

 

Manchester United legend Nicky Butt has advised against the club signing Declan Rice, instead urging them to prioritise the pursuit of Raphael Varane.

Butt, who made 270 Premier League appearances for United, feels Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is already well-stocked in midfield, and has questioned whether Rice is an upgrade on Scott McTominay.

Varane, on the other hand, would address the urgent issues at centre-half, with United having conceded the most goals out of any top-four side last season.

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The Frenchman is as decorated as they come, having won three La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues in his decade-long spell at Real Madrid.

His time in the Spanish capital appears to be nearing an end, however, with his contract due to expire next summer.

Real have tried to tempt him with a new deal but he is yet to accept, leaving them with little choice but to cash in on him while they can. Reports have suggested he could be available for a cut-price fee of £40million.

That has alerted a number of clubs, including United, with a new centre-back thought to be a priority of Solskjaer’s.

Butt thinks Varane would be a fantastic addition to the side, but has branded the club’s supposed plans to also pursue Rice as unnecessary.

Speaking to Ladbrokes at the launch of their European Championships 5-a-side Bet, the former midfielder said: “It’s about getting the right players who will allow you to challenge for trophies. It’s a winning club, so we can’t go this long without silverware.

“The biggest thing that needs addressing for me at Manchester United this summer is that centre-back position; we need a partner for Harry Maguire.

“It has to be someone that’s going to be compatible with Maguire. If you spend the kind of money you did on Harry Maguire, you then have to follow it up by bringing someone in who can play with him.

“He’s the club captain; Victor Lindelof is too similar to him. It needs to be someone with pure, blistering pace, someone who can play out from the back.

“Everyone talks about Raphael Varane. I understand he’s a little bit older than most people would perhaps like, but you just have to go back to the days of Teddy Sheringham.

“I think we bought him when he was 32, and we went and won the treble with him. If Varane is available, then I’d go all out for him.

“I think Man United are solid enough in midfield. I keep hearing things about Declan Rice, but is he a better player than Scott McTominay? I’m not sure.

“I think with McTominay, Paul Pogba and obviously Bruno Fernandes, we’re in a good place in the middle of the park.”

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Paris Saint-Germain are ready to hijack Arsenal’s move for Ben White if the Gunners don’t meet Brighton’s asking price, according to reports.

White, 23, has enjoyed a stellar season at the Amex, starting 36 Premier League matches as Brighton conceded the joint-fewest goals of any bottom-half side (46).

His composed performances at the heart of the defence have drawn admiring glances from a number of big clubs, including Arsenal, who have made him a top priority this transfer window.

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Brighton, however, recently rejected a £40m bid from the Gunners, and are said to be holding out for £50m.

While Mikel Arteta expects the Kroenke family to invest in the squad this summer, Arsenal are not blessed with the deep pockets of PSG’s Qatari owners, who will swoop if the North London club continue to dither.

The report from the Mirror claims Mauricio Pochettino, the PSG manager, ‘kept close tabs’ on White during his loan spell with Leeds United, and received ‘glowing reports’ from Marcelo Bielsa about the performances of the centre-half, who inspired Leeds to promotion.

After Brighton rejected several bids from the Yorkshire club to sign him permanently, he has gone from strength to strength under Graham Potter this season, winning his first cap for England and then making the 26-man European Championships squad.

Adam Lallana – White’s Brighton teammate – is confident he won’t be fazed by the pressure in the England camp. He told The Times earlier this month: “In any case, having played alongside Ben at Brighton & Hove Albion this season, I can vouch that he is a player who steps up the bigger the game.

“He is someone who looks even more comfortable when in the company of the best players.

“His physique is something that he has worked on throughout this season. At 6ft, perhaps there were question marks over his size as a centre half, but those have been dispelled.

“The fact that he has also played right-back this season illustrates his versatility and that will be the main reason why [Gareth] Southgate has called him into the squad after the injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold.”

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Robert Lewandowski struck to keep Poland’s Euro 2020 hopes alive after coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Spain in Seville, where the hosts missed a second-half penalty.

Spain, who could only manage a 0-0 draw with Sweden in their opening Group E fixture, went ahead in the 25th minute through Alvaro Morata, after his close-range effort had initially been ruled out for offside before being overturned by VAR.

Poland, beaten by Slovakia in St Petersburg on Monday, responded and were deservedly level early in the second half when Bayern Munich forward Lewandowski headed in at the back post.

There was, though, more drama to come when Spain were awarded a penalty, after the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor, only for Gerard Moreno to hit the post with his spot-kick and Morata then knocked the rebound wide.

Both sides still have qualification in their own hands heading into their final Group E matches, when Slovakia go to Seville and Poland play Sweden – who picked up three points from their second fixture – in St Petersburg.

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Poland had created an early chance when Mateusz Klich tried his luck with a long-range effort, which flew just over.

However, it was Spain who took the lead as they went ahead midway through the first half.

Morata swept in a low cross by Moreno, which was swiftly flagged offside – only for VAR to overturn the decision and allow the goal to stand.

After seeing his 20th international strike confirmed, Atletico Madrid frontman Morata – who had been four games without a goal – ran straight over to celebrate with coach Luis Enrique.

Spain were close to a second when Gerard’s 20-yard free-kick curled just wide of Wojciech Szczesny’s right-hand post.

Poland threatened when Lewandowski clipped the ball across to Karol Swiderski at the near post.

The PAOK forward, though, could only smash a volley over the bar from close range when he looked set for a simple header.

Poland should have equalised just before half-time.

Swiderski’s low 20-yard drive smashed against the base of the post and Lewandowski – who plundered a Bundesliga record 41 goals for Bayern last season – sent the rebound straight at Unai Simon from point-blank range.

There was still time for Spain to break down the left through Jordi Alba, and Moreno sent a low effort into the side netting.

Poland started the second half brightly, and equalised through Lewandowski in the 54th minute when he headed home a deep cross from Kamil Jozwiak at the back post.

Spain, though, were given a chance to swiftly retake the lead.

Moreno went down in the area following a challenge from Jakub Moder when contact on the Spaniard’s foot looked minimal.

Initially, Italian referee Daniele Orsato had not given a foul, but was advised to review the incident – and he then signalled a penalty.

Moreno hit his spot-kick against the base of Szczesny’s right-hand post, and Morata stabbed the rebound wide.

Substitute Ferran Torres glanced a header off target before Szczesny saved bravely from Morata and the Manchester City man chipped over.

Mercedes might have missed out on their traditional front row lockout at Circuit Paul Ricard, but an upbeat Valtteri Bottas is still confident of fighting for victory in tomorrow’s French Grand Prix.

Bottas will start the race from third on the grid, after Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton claimed the first two spots ahead of him.

But the Finn was still happy with how things were going, especially having just endured an abject time in Baku two weeks ago where he finished out of the points.

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“It’s been a strong weekend,” he agreed. “For sure a lot better than a couple weeks ago, and I was hoping to fight for the pole.

“The last run in Q3 felt good so I didn’t feel like there was much more lap time to make up,” he said after putting in a best final round lap time of 1:30.376s, just under four tenths off Verstappen’s pole effort.

“I think Red Bull had the edge in a straight line here which made the difference,” he commented.

“We are definitely fighting for the win tomorrow,” he confirmed. “We’re between the two Red Bulls. With two cars against one so on strategy, we can be smart and bring the challenge to them.

“Nothing is going to come easy but we’re ready for the challenge tomorrow.”

“Valtteri has bounced back strongly from a tough weekend in Baku,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

“Like the cars around us, we will start the race on the medium tyre, which will give us the opportunity to race hard tomorrow and hopefully put pressure on Max.

“The long runs yesterday looked closely matched, so I’m sure we’re in for a real fight all the way to the chequered flag.”

However the team’s trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin admitted that Red Bull appeared to have a significant speed advantage over Mercedes this weekend.

“There’s quite a gap to pole,” he said. “Our laps were pretty good in the end so second and third is a fair result for us. Valtteri continued build through the day from the solid baseline he’d established yesterday.

“The early parts of the session were a bit messy as we kept getting caught in a bunch of cars on the out-lap and struggled to get the tyres in the right window.

“By the end we had good track position and we looked pretty close to Max for the first half of the lap.

“Our main issue seems to be a loss on the straight from turn 9 down to turn 11 and by sector three we’re no longer able to gain anything back in the corners.

“We’ve seen many times this year that our race pace is better than our qualifying, and we’ve shown that we can win races from behind,” he pointed out. “So we’re still optimistic that we’re playing for the win tomorrow.

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