Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has eased fears about his fitness and declared he is fit to play in Norway's friendly with Czech Republic.
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Phil Foden revealed his success mantra after reaching his best goalscoring season with Manchester City with a stunning hat-trick against Aston Villa.
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Glasgow Rangers ran out of patience with Michael Beale, and he was relieved of his duties just ten months into his reign at the Ibrox side.
His sacking didn’t come as a surprise, as the 43-year-old led the Gers to just eight wins across their opening 14 matches in all competitions while failing to qualify for the Champions League along with slipping to an underwhelming Old Firm defeat against Celtic.
With a plethora of names linked with the vacant role, Philippe Clement was announced as the new boss recently and his calm, yet no nonsense approach appears to be an ideal fit for the club, especially with a solid debut win under his belt.
Hibernian were swept aside in Glasgow on the weekend 4-0 and the performance was a marked improvement from what the supporters were used to from Beale, who failed to inspire much confidence with a distinct lack of playing style or tactical identity.
Clement will need to work with the current group of players for now, and he certainly seemed to get a tune out of them against the Easter Road side, but will this continue?
Some of Beale’s summer arrivals have yet to light up Ibrox so far, with Cyriel Dessers scoring just four goals across 16 matches and has failed to live up to his £4.5m price tag.
Sam Lammers is also another name who has yet to showcase his true talents in Scotland, despite costing £3m from Serie A side Atalanta in the summer.
A fresh start could be just what these two players require in order to hit the ground running and the next few matches will be crucial with regard to how effective they can be under Clement.
Following the end of the 2022/23 campaign, Beale saw the likes of Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield and Alfredo Morelos depart Ibrox due to their contracts expiring and the need for attacking replacements was paramount during the summer.
Lammers became one of his first signings and while he had featured mainly as a centre-forward for Atalanta, Eintracht Frankfurt and Feyenoord in the past, Beale sought to drop him slightly deeper – as a number 10 ideally – in order to bring the best out of his technical ability.
The Dutchman had scored only six goals in all competitions across the previous three seasons and this record hardly boosted the mood of the Ibrox faithful surrounding his move, but with a summer rebuild in progress, trust was placed in Beale.
Fast-forward a few months and this trust appears to have been misplaced as Lammers has struggled to cope with the demands of playing for the Light Blues.
The 26-year-old has played 17 matches since the start of the season, yet has managed to score just once, while grabbing a solitary assist and this is not the form you would associate with a player who cost £3m to sign.
The former QPR boss made some questionable decisions in the transfer market and while his summer arrivals have come under various degrees of scrutiny, some of the players he sold could have made a bigger impact than Lammers.
Antonio Colak appears to be enjoying a new lease of life away from the Gers at Parma, and he could have still offered something that Lammers and Dessers have struggled with so far – goals.
The Croatian striker joined the club under Giovanni van Bronckhorst and enjoyed a stellar spell under the former Feyenoord coach, scoring 14 goals before the season was halted due to the 2022 World Cup.
Van Bronckhorst stated that Colak was “experienced” while journalist Josh Bunting even claimed that the frontman “has everything” following his excellent start.
While rather limited in terms of speed and mobility, Colak was always in the right place at the right time and this clinical nature prevented Rangers from performing worse than they did.
Following Van Bronckhorst’s sacking in November last year, the 30-year-old failed to fit into Beale’s system while scoring just another four goals for the club, and it appeared as though he could be on his way out after just one season in Glasgow.
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Antonio Colak's Premiership statistics |
2022/23 |
|---|---|
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Goals |
14 |
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Shots on target per game |
1.2 |
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Scoring Frequency |
102 minutes |
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Big chances missed |
10 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
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Stats via Sofascore |
|
Rangers ultimately accepted a bid of £2.5m from the Italian outfit and this represented a solid profit on the £1.8m that the Light Blues shelled out on him just a year prior.
In truth, an offer of £2.5m was too good to turn down for a player who has now turned 30, yet the Light Blues have missed his ruthlessness in front of goal during the first few months of the season.
Colak has played nine games for Parma so far this term and has managed to score three goals in Serie B as he aims to lead the club back to Serie A.
The former PAOK striker currently sits third across the Parma squad for goals in the second tier, while also ranking fourth for shots per game (1.2) and third for scoring frequency (a goal every 101 minutes) which indicates that he is enjoying a solid start to life in Italy.
His goal tally means he has outscored Lammers this season and while the Dutchman has recorded 3.2 shots per game, showing a willingness to get on the scoresheet, the fact he ranks in a lowly eighth position in the squad for scoring frequency (a goal every 564 minutes) suggests that he is far from being a reliable option in the final third.
Colak didn’t stand much of a chance with Beale still being in charge of the Light Blues and a move seems to have revitalised the player as he approaches the twilight years of his career.
There is no doubt that he is outscoring Lammers, however, and his knack for finding the back of the net from close range may have given the Gers a better start to the current season.
If he continues his current form, the Ibrox side could look back and regret letting him move on, especially as he may have shone in Clement’s tactical system.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing though and the onus now is for Lammers to vastly improve and begin to demonstrate his considerable talents to the supporters.
Celtic star Matt O'Riley was coolness personified with his Panenka penalty against Rangers in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox.
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Nottingham Forest are claimed to have reached an agreement to sign Fluminense star Nino, but the player himself has delivered an update on his future contrary to reports.
Nino is naturally a centre-back who has plied his trade at the Maracana Stadium permanently since 2020, having joined following a successful loan spell the season before, and he’s since gone on to make a total of 228 appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Nino statistics).
However, Brazil’s international will reach the expiration of his deal in December 2024 (Fluminense contracts), meaning that Fernando Diniz’s side don’t have long left to cash in should they not want to risk losing their prized asset for free.
Fluminense’s captain was recently reported to have agreed on a €7m (£6m) move to join Steve Cooper's side at the start of next year, and this was soon backed up by a reliable journalist. Bruno Andrade stated that the two parties have a verbal arrangement in place with the 26-year-old only needing to sign the contract to get the deal done, but it would appear that a switch is far from nearing completion following an update from the man himself.
Speaking to Globo Esporte (via Sport Witness), Nino confirmed that whilst Nottingham Forest do want to secure his services, nothing has yet been decided regarding him moving to the Premier League.
He said: “I also found out about the interest on the day before [the final]. My agent already knew that my focus was on recovery, on being able to play this game 100%.
“I did it, thank God. I met with them this morning, they gave me all the possible situations, nothing is certain yet, what is certain is what I’ve always said, that I have a great affection for Fluminense, I’m very happy here, and if one day I leave, I want to leave in a way that’s good for me and for Fluminense.”
Nino has been a rock at the heart of the backline this season, currently averaging 3.7 clearances and three aerial wins per game in the Brazilian Serie A (WhoScored – Nino statistics), and he’s also been excellent with the ball at his feet.
Standing at 6 foot 2, Diniz’s colossus is recording a 91% pass success rate as it stands which highlights his brilliant calmness and composure on the ball, and this is higher than any of the regular starters have managed so far this term at The City Ground (WhoScored – Nottingham Forest statistics).
Furthermore, Nino already knows what it takes to compete and be successful at a high level having won the 2022/23 Copa Libertadores trophy, alongside previously representing his nation at the Olympics, so he would be able to pass on a much-needed winning mentality to the squad who are already in the Midlands.
Erik ten Hag hailed a "fantastic" Jadon Sancho but he insisted that there are "issues" which complicate the forward's future at Manchester United.
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Tottenham are now "battling" to keep a player who is "keen to move on" as injuries expose manager Ange Postecoglou's lack of depth in the squad.
In the last 11 days, Spurs' absentee list has grown to such an extent that it's brought into question their ability to truly contend near the top of the Premier League table. Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon and young goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman were already on the treatment table before killer blows for both Micky van de Ven and James Maddison really gave Postecoglou a problem.
The star summer signings were both hauled off in Tottenham's 4-1 defeat to Chelsea the week before last, with Maddison suffering ankle ligament damage and van de Ven pulling up with a serious hamstring issue. The latter has formed an incredible partnership with Cristian Romero at the heart of Spurs' defence, and his pace is seen as pivotal to Postecoglou's high line. Meanwhile, Maddison's creativity in midfield has been a god-send since his £40 million move from Leicester City.
Tottenham's star duo are both expected to be back in early 2024, by the time January's transfer window will be open, but you could still make a very serious argument that sporting director Johan Lange needs to back the Spurs boss with more options in key areas.
Ahead of a long season, the Lilywhites may not be able to rely on their traditional starting eleven all of the time. Indeed, when Postecoglou's favoured stars aren't available for selection, it is imperative that the Australian has quality alternatives to choose from.
Contrary to recent reports, which stated that Spurs are open to the possibility of selling midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in January, TEAMtalk now believe the north Londoners have pulled a U-turn on this decision.
The outlet shares that Tottenham are now "battling" to keep Hojbjerg in January, coming amid their real lack of squad depth. Both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr will also be off to the Africa Cup of Nations early next year, which would leave Postecogloiu with just Rodrigo Bentancur and Oliver Skipp as senior options in midfield if Hojbjerg does depart.
The Denmark international, though, is "keen to move on" after only being used sparingly before a succession of Tottenham injuries handed him more game time.
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Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg strengths |
|---|
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Passing |
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Through balls |
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Concentration |
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Ball interception |
Called "sensational" by members of the press (Seb Stafford-Bloor), Postecoglou has said that Hojbjerg is a "very important" player at Tottenham.
"It is obvious someone that has played regularly would have wanted to play more but ultimately our performances have been strong and he has had to bide his time," said Postecoglou on Hojbjerg last month.
"He has also been very important in a lot of the games that we’ve won late or had to shore up late. He has been one of the people who has helped us and it is not like he hasn’t contributed at all. He’s been a really important part for us."
Nottingham Forest are set to scout an exciting new player in January, but a reliable journalist has revealed that there are two other clubs who are also looking to bring him to the Premier League.
Steve Cooper’s side have made an extremely mixed start to the new campaign having won three, drawn four and lost five of their opening 12 games, meaning that they currently find themselves 15th in the top-flight table. The Reds suffering relegation at the end of the season is highly unlikely given the poor start that the three newly-promoted teams, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town have had, but nonetheless, it’s better to be safe than sorry by bringing in fresh faces.
Ahead of January, Evangelos Marinakis will be assessing his options in the market, and he’s set his sights on a potential move for Universitario’s attacking midfielder Piero Quispe, who has made a total of 88 senior appearances across all age levels in his homeland (Transfermarkt – Quispe statistics).
However, Peru’s international was already on the radar of Reds chiefs over the summer alongside Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion, but with a deal failing to come to fruition before the deadline, the 22-year-old is set to be the subject of a second approach from the Midlands.
According to Christian Martin (via Todo Sport and Sport Witness), Nottingham Forest are expected to send representatives to watch Quispe in January as they consider making a fresh move based on his performances, whilst the Bees and the Seagulls are also set to deploy their chiefs once again.
“We had already reported the polls and from our source we found out that he was on the books of Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Brentford. These last two share scouting reports.
"Wonder Kid, that’s what they call him and mention him as one of the most promising wonder boys. The good foot reminds us of Nolberto Solano. We understand that ‘Nobi’ Solano is sometimes consulted by him, especially Nottingham Forest is looking for a player in that position and we know that in January there will be a new survey from these three clubs.”
According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Quispe is naturally an “advanced playmaker”, and he loves to get involved with the action in the final third having posted 19 contributions (11 goals and eight assists) in 88 outings since the start of his career.
The Lima native is also a versatile operator having been deployed in four different positions over the pitch following his arrival on the professional scene, including two roles in the centre of the park and out wide on both the left and right flanks.
Furthermore, Quispie has already had a taste of what it's like to be successful having been crowned Peruvian Champion for 2022/23, so he will possess a much-needed winning mentality which is something that he could pass onto the rest of the squad should he sign a deal at The City Ground.
Lionel Messi has been named MLS Player of the Matchday for the first time in his Inter Miami career, with a starring role played against Sporting KC.
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Paris Saint-Germain were crowned Ligue 1 champions on Sunday for the third year in a row after Monaco fell to a 3-2 defeat at Lyon.
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