Tag Futebol

An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their plans to bolster the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window…

What’s the latest on Aston Villa’s interest in Alberto Moleiro?

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Villans are prepared to pay €25m (£22m) to sign Las Palmas attacking midfielder Alberto Moleiro at the end of the season.

The report claims that Premier League teams Liverpool and Villa are both willing to match the Spanish side’s price tag, which is €25m (£22m) as a fixed fee.

It is stated that LaLiga giants Barcelona were only prepared to offer that much as part of a package with €15m worth of add-ons that were not guaranteed, which could open the door for the English teams to swoop in.

However, Mundo Deportivo also claims that the gem would be open to remaining at Las Palmas for another season if they are promoted to LaLiga, with the club currently sitting three points clear of third in LaLiga 2.

How would Alberto Moleiro fit in at Aston Villa?

The Spanish wizard has played between 19 and 21 matches as a left winger, right winger, and an attacking midfielder respectively in his career and this means that the youngster could line up in any of the three roles behind Ollie Watkins.

Moleiro could strike an instant connection with the Villa centre-forward as the 19-year-old is a creative talent who likes to constantly provide his fellow attackers with opportunities to score.

In LaLiga 2 this season, the teenager – whose “silky touch” was once lauded by scout Jacek Kulig – has produced 1.7 key passes per game and created 11 ‘big chances’ in total, which shows that the maestro is consistently opening up opposition defences for his side.

Meanwhile, Douglas Luiz (1.3) is the only Villa player with more than one key pass per match in the Premier League this term – providing just four ‘big chances’ – and this suggests that Unai Emery does not currently have one outstanding creator who he can rely upon to carve teams open.

Moleiro, if he can make the step up to the Premier League, has the potential to come in and be the creative presence in midfield that they have been lacking this season.

Watkins could greatly benefit from this as his form under Emery has shown that he has the scope to be an excellent goalscorer for the club if provided with the right services.

Since the World Cup, the Englishman has plundered six goals and one assist in ten Premier League appearances. Now, imagine the figures the marksman could rack up over the course of a season with a playmaker regularly creating big chances for him to score from at the top end of the pitch.

Emery could form an exciting pairing in the final third by signing Moleiro with that precisely the reason Johan Lange and the Spanish head coach must work to get this deal over the line in the coming months.

Presenter Conor McGilligan has claimed that Javi Gracia’s style will be more structured and less chaotic than Jesse Marsch’s at Leeds United.

Why have Leeds United moved for Gracia?

After sacking Jesse Marsch at the start of February, Leeds found themselves in a difficult position when their first-choice targets refused to leave their current positions to join a relegation battle mid-season.

Leeds fans may be apprehensive about the appointment with the club in the relegation zone, but McGilligan is of the impression that Gracia’s tactics may see the team improve from Marsch’s reign.

Speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan explained why Gracia’s style is different to Marsch’s and hinted at potential defensive improvements to come under the Spaniard.

“He [Marsch] wanted chaos. That’s what he’s essentially mentioned, those frantic moments were something that Leeds were able to thrive on.

“And mostly with the unit press, Leeds flew forward, and a lot of the time in defence, you’ll just see Leeds chasing. You’d see Leeds all attracted to the ball, and you’d see four defenders running after the ball and maybe that attacker would ping it off to the right.

“I remember Jarrod Bowen doing that against us for West Ham last year, where we’d all charge towards the ball and then they’d pick it off to a winger and he’d be in acres of space, based on moments, based on frantic chaos.

“This is not going to be the case with Gracia. He wants ultimate control. So that narrow attacking system is completely different to utter chaos with Marsch in our system. So yeah, a structure to defend, a structure to attack and a lot of pragmatism, there’s a huge difference, there.”

Can Gracia keep Leeds up?

Gracia has been out of work since a short spell at Qatari outfit Al-Sadd and returns to the Premier League having previously had a fairly productive spell at Watford.

He guided Watford to their best-ever Premier League finish in 11th place in 2018/19, as well as the FA Cup final that year, before being sacked the following season.

Leeds are currently in 19th place, and with 39 goals conceded in 23 games – the fourth-worst defensive record in the division – their leakiness at the back has proven costly this season.

If Gracia can quickly implement a defensive structure to the side that Leeds evidently lacked under Marsch, he may have a good chance of saving Leeds from relegation, especially given that they have outscored most of their relegation rivals thus far, and a change in approach from Marsch’s reign could be beneficial to the Leeds backline and their points tally.

Tony Scott has admitted on the All Together Now podcast he’s not excited by the appointment of Lee Sargesson because Farhad Moshiri still runs Everton.

The Lowdown: Moshiri the key problem

Given Everton have experienced a steady fall from grace over the last few years there has always been one person that’s been front and centre of many problems and that is Moshiri.

The Everton owner has appointed a ridiculous number of managers during his time owning the club with very few of them having the same style of play as the one before them which shows a lack of planning.

Moshiri has also spent a huge sum of money, over £500 million since he bought Everton, and that has ultimately seen them become hamstrung by Financial Fair Play regulations of late, but he is seemingly trying to get things right on a transfer and recruiting front now as Everton have prised away Sargesson from Brighton.

The Latest: Off-field improvements being made

Scott has acknowledged the appointment of Sargesson as the clubs’ manager of scouting operations but knows nothing will change at Everton until Moshiri leaves or at least relinquishes his power and control.

He said: (9:40) “We had Steve Walsh come from Leicester who handpicked Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy, Kante and all these players and look what happened there. We had Marcel Brands with the pedigree he had coming from PSV and we were saying he’s found all these European wonder kids and then nothing.

“Because they weren’t allowed to do their job so you just hoping that we have found someone who’s allowed to do their job because we know for a fact that Marcelo Bielsa was Farhad Moshiri’s man, Kevin Thelwell wasn’t allowed to do his job and this is what it all boils down to and not getting optimistic about changes at the football club because we know the man that’s pulling the strings is Moshiri.

“It shouldn’t be, he’s the owner and should let Kevin Thelwell run the football club from top to bottom but he’s not being allowed to and we know this from signings and we know this from managerial appointments. He will have had a say in the Sean Dyche appointment but we know quite well he wouldn’t have wanted Marcelo Bielsa in a month of Sundays.

The Verdict: Everton have to get off-field decisions correct

As Scott has pointed out on the podcast, Everton have indeed appointed some well-thought-about footballing people over the last few years and the fact that none of them have worked out would point towards them not being the problem.

Instead, the finger must be pointed at the owner Moshiri, who so far, is yet to learn from any of his past mistakes, but with Dyche at the helm and the experienced Thelwell working alongside him, this could be his chance to take a back seat.

If Moshiri continues to speak and get involved with what happens on a day-to-day basis then Everton will continue to be on a slide towards the Championship, but if they can indeed get their own house in order, things could soon look brighter.

Arsenal could make a late offer in a bid to bring Amadou Onana to The Emirates in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke, who claimed in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, after seeing a £70m bid turned down by Brighton & Hove Albion for Moises Caicedo, Edu may well be tempted into a late offer for the Everton midfielder – for whom the Toffees are reported to be demanding a figure in the region of £50m to part with this month.

Regarding the Gunners’ interest in the 21-year-old, the journalist said: “He looks like a real top player, and also in the Belgium team as well. So I’m sure Arsenal, as well as a number of other clubs, are keeping tabs on his situation.

“If there’s any chance he can be prised away before the window closes, I’m sure Arsenal and these other interested clubs will maybe make an offer for him.”

Forget Caicedo

While it is undeniable that Caicedo would make a sensational addition to Mikel Arteta’s current options in the heart of his Arsenal side, considering the fact that Brighton are reported have set an astonishing £100m price tag for the Ecuador international, the argument that Onana would be a dream alternative to the 21-year-old is a relatively easy one to make.

Indeed, despite playing for an underperforming Everton side, the £23m-rated talent has nevertheless highly impressed over his 18 Premier League appearances following his £33m move to Goodison Park last summer, making an average of 2.6 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 1.2 clearances and winning 6.8 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per game.

In comparison, over Caicedo’s 18 top-flight fixtures this season, the £16m-rated starlet has made an average of 2.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 0.7 clearances and won 5.8 duels – at a success rate of 57% – per match – all while playing for a side who currently occupy sixth place in the Premier League standings.

Furthermore, Onana has also impressed going forwards, with the £100k-per-week youngster having scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance, in addition to taking an average of 1.1 shots, making 0.4 key passes, playing 1.3 long balls and completing 28.1 total passes – at a success rate of 85% – per outing.

These returns have seen the 21-year-old who French journalist Julien Laurens dubbed an “incredible talent” average an extremely impressive Sofascore statistical rating of 6.94, currently ranking him as Everton’s fourth-best outfielder in the top flight of English football.

Further still, Laurens also clearly believes that Onana possesses huge scope for future development, with the journalist and broadcaster revealing in an interview cited by The Echo at the time of his move to Everton:

“I’m as excited as you and I’m not even an Everton fan! So I want to see him here. The good thing is that he really wanted to come to you and not go to West Ham United or other Premier League clubs that were pushing for him. Because he’s an incredible talent, there is no doubt.

“Whether he is a big success straight away or whether you have to wait a little bit – I don’t know. But he’s got all the qualities to succeed in England. I think English football suits him perfectly and he suits English football perfectly in the sense that he’s good on the ball, he’s strong, he’s intelligent, he’s powerful – he’s a [Aurelien] Tchouameni, he’s a Paul Pogba bracket of player.

“The difference maybe [to Pogba] is that he’s a bit more defensive-minded if you ask him to be, and do that kind of work. He’s very happy, he’s not reluctant to defend a lot. He can sit as the holding midfielder.

“You would lose a bit of what makes him quite special in the sense that he’s got the power to do box-to-box, drive the ball and do things like that. But I think he can also be disciplined and be quite good defensively in 50-50s, in the air, in the duels, on the floor. All of that he can do, but I still feel his best role will be having a bit of freedom to run up and down the pitch.”

As such, considering his impressive start to life in England, coupled with his potential for further development and the fact he is available for around half of Caicedo’s £100m asking price, it would indeed appear as if Onana would represent something of a dream alternative to the Brighton wonderkid for Edu to get over the line in the remainder of the transfer window.

West Bromwich Albion could be set to reunite Carlos Corberan with one of his former stars…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to journalist Alan Nixon, who, speaking on his Patreon, suggested the new boss is “watching developments” with Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

The maestro made a £10m move to the Tricky Trees in the summer after beating Corberan’s Huddersfield Town side in the play-off final but has since struggled to retain a starting spot in Steve Cooper’s side.

As such, a loan move to the Midlands could now materialise this January window. Having not even made the bench for their win over Southampton, Nixon seems to think this “confirms rumours that he is available.”

Their next Gallagher

Having loaned from the Premier League in the past with success, this move could be instrumental in their sensational push for promotion.

Starting the season terribly under Steve Bruce, Corberan’s entry halted their run of just one win in 13 Championship games which had seen them slump into the relegation zone.

Now, the Baggies have won eight of their last nine games, and sit just one point from the play-off spots.

Adding O’Brien to a squad already in unstoppable form could be a masterstroke, especially if he can capture the loan success that Conor Gallagher had at the Hawthorns during his 2020 move.

Before truly bursting onto the scene for Crystal Palace, the 22-year-old had starred for a poor West Brom side that succumbed to relegation.

However, he managed to record a 6.74 average rating throughout that season, scoring twice, assisting two more, and recording 2.7 tackles per game too, via Sofascore.

He was a shining light in an otherwise dull team, but now O’Brien could be just another string to Corberan’s ever-improving bow.

The 24-year-old stopper was outstanding under his old boss for the Terriers, where he would record a 7.00 average rating whilst only missing three of their 46 Championship games.

He would score three, assist a further three, and record a similarly impressive 2.2 tackles per game.

It was this season that led the Spanish manager to dub him an “exceptional” midfielder, showcasing the relationship they shared.

This could play a huge role in tempting him towards a reunion, in an effort to exorcise their playoff demons of last season.

O’Brien’s potential loan move could be even more imperative than Gallagher’s was, given their current form and the endless possibilities this season now holds.

Insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that Harry Maguire could be a good signing for West Ham United amid recent links in the media.

What’s the latest?

It’s no secret that the Manchester United defender has been much maligned in recent times. As a result of his poor form, he has been dropped at club level, making just three Premier League starts all season.

With the January window now open, talks have begun to suggest that he could be on his way out of Manchester in the near future with the Hammers named as a possible destination.

Indeed, former England International Stuart Pearce told TalkSport: “If I was West Ham, if I was Newcastle, if I was Aston Villa, I’d be all over trying to get Harry Maguire out of there. I’d be asking the question whether he’s available.”

Amid all this, Ex has weighed in on the idea of a possible transfer. He told The West Ham Way podcast (8:37): “There was talk of Harry Maguire. You know, West Ham fans will laugh at that but I would take him.

“Not that I think that we need him with [Kurt] Zouma and [Nayef] Aguerd back but if [Craig] Dawson goes, possibly.”

Redemption arc

Before his move to the Red Devils, Maguire had established himself as one of England’s finest central defenders – hence the £80m transfer fee paid for him.

And while he all know how things have turned sour recently, he did remind plenty of his quality with his performances for the Three Lions at the World Cup.

With that in mind, it certainly seems plausible that he could rediscover some of his past best form if he leaves Man United and moved to the right club.

It remains to be seen if West Ham have any real interest in a deal but with Dawson long linked with an exit, perhaps the club will be in the market for a new centre-back in the near future.

Manchester United are ‘talking’ to David De Gea regarding a new long-term contract, according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas.

The Lowdown: Four deals extended

The Premier League giants have recently triggered one-year extensions on the deals for Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Diogo Dalot and Fred, though doubts were raised when the 32-year-old’s name wasn’t included in the list.

The Red Devils goalkeeper will be out of contract at the end of the season, creating speculation surrounding his future, though a positive update on the club’s stance has now emerged.

The Latest: Negotiations ongoing

Taking to Twitter, Thomas revealed that MUFC are currently in discussions with De Gea over extending his stay at Old Trafford.

“Man Utd: Talking to David de Gea about a new longer-term contract, meaning they haven’t triggered the year extension in the current one (yet). They have triggered extensions until 2024 in the contracts of Rashford, Dalot, Shaw and Fred, however.”

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The Verdict: Correct decision

De Gea has been hailed a ‘world class’ shot-stopper by journalist Josh Bunting, and United wanting to retain his services for the foreseeable is completely the right decision given his impressive record between the sticks.

The Spaniard has kept a total of 174 clean sheets during his time in the top flight, and even despite a perceived dip in recent years, nine of those shutouts have come in just 20 games across all competitions this season.

Erik Ten Hag will know that the 6 foot 2 colossus is a key cog at the back which is why the club need to do everything they can to get him to put pen to paper on fresh terms as soon as possible.

Tottenham Hotspur like World Cup defender and RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol ‘a lot’ alongside rivals Chelsea, according to reports from Italy.

The Lowdown: Paratici eyeing new defender?

Recent reports have suggested that sporting director Fabio Paratici has his eyes on a new defender to potentially shore up Spurs’ leaky backline.

Tottenham’s recent goals against record in the Premier League will be a point of frustration for Antonio Conte, who is attempting to clinch Champions League qualification yet again this term.

The north Londoners have conceded 11 goals in their last five top-flight games before the World Cup break and have shipped more goals in total than any other team in the top eight.

The Latest: Spurs eyeing Gvardiol…

In a recent interview with Gvardiol’s agent, Calciomercato made a Tottenham transfer claim involving the Croatia international, who played the full 90 minutes in his country’s two World Cup games so far.

They stated in the article that both Spurs and Chelsea like the 20-year-old ‘a lot’ amid their search for defensive options, so it appears that Paratici and co very much have their eyes on him.

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The Verdict: Make the move?

Reported to have been valued at around £80m earlier this year, the marquee defender is perhaps one of Paratici’s most unattainable targets financially.

That being said, if Spurs were to really push the boat out, the Croatian youngster could seriously strengthen Conte’s options at the back.

Hailed as a ‘beast’ and ‘one of the most talented defenders in Europe’ by Bundesliga writer Manuel Veth, Gvardiol’s tender age and massive potential indicates that the only way is up for a very promising player, and one who we will hopefully see in a Tottenham shirt at some point in the future.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou endured a rough debut season in the Champions League group stages as his side finished bottom of their table without a win in their six matches.

His team picked up two points in those games but he is not the first Hoops manager to struggle in Europe. Ronny Deila is another former boss of the Glasgow giants who failed to make his mark on the European stage.

Deila spent two seasons at the club and was unable to qualify for the Champions League in either of those campaigns, whilst he only won two of his 14 matches in charge in the Europa League in that time – failing to make it past the intermediate stage in that competition.

The Norweigan head coach could not crack that level of football with the club and some of his signings during his spell in Glasgow could have played a role in that.

One signing the manager dropped a howler on was the arrival of Nadir Ciftci from Premiership rivals Dundee United in the summer of 2015 for £1.5m.

There were warning signs for Celtic to heed as he was due to answer a charge of “excessive misconduct” as the Scottish FA accused him of biting an opposition player in a game against Dundee for his former club.

He was subsequently banned for eight domestic matches and did not appeal the decision, which meant that he started his Hoops career on the back foot.

Whilst he was banned from playing in the Premiership, he played six times in Champions League qualifiers and failed to score or assist a single goal.

Ciftci then came back from his ban to score four times in 11 league appearances, whilst registering zero goal contributions in three Europa League outings, and was loaned out to Eskisehirspor for the second half of the campaign.

The club eventually opted to cut his contract short by a year as they released him in the summer of 2018, after making just four appearances in Brendan Rodgers’ time in Glasgow and spending time out on loan at Plymouth, Motherwell, and Pogon Szczecin.

Since departing Celtic Park, Ciftci has played for four different clubs in Turkey and spent six months at St. Johnstone back in Scotland earlier this year. At the time of writing, he is in the second tier of Greek football with Makedonikos – who he joined at the start of October 2022.

This shows that he has not gone on to prove Celtic wrong for allowing him to leave and has, instead, proven that Deila had a howler by deciding to sign him in the first place, as he is playing second-division football at the age of 30 – seven years after joining the Hoops for £1.5m.

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has enjoyed a promising start to life in the dugout at the Stadium of Light since taking over from Alex Neil at the helm.

The former Blackburn Rovers boss has only lost two of his eight Championship matches since his first game against Rotherham and has the club sitting ninth in the table as it stands.

Neil was also a success on Wearside as he guided the team to promotion out of League One via the play-offs in less than a year in charge before he moved on to Stoke.

However, the Black Cats have not always had the best of luck with managerial appointments and one who stands out, for the wrong reasons, is Paulo Di Canio.

The Italian joined the club in March 2013 and picked up eight points from seven games at the end of the 2012/13 campaign. He then failed to win any of the first five Premier League matches of the following campaign and was sacked in September 2013, six months after arriving at the Stadium of Light.

His results on the pitch left a lot to be desired and his work in the transfer market in the summer of 2013 also caused plenty of problems for the club moving forward.

One of the signings the former West Ham midfielder had a nightmare with was his compatriot Emanuele Giaccherini. Sunderland snapped him up from Juventus for a fee in the region of £6.5m, after playing for Italy at the European Championships in 2012.

He had scored six goals and provided seven assists in 52 outings for the Old Lady and the left-winger was unable to improve upon those average numbers after moving to England.

Giaccherini scored four goals and assisted four in 32 Premier League matches in his first two seasons – suffering an ankle injury in his second campaign – with the Black Cats before heading out on loan to Bologna for 2015/16, where he found the back of the net seven times in 28 Serie A appearances.

Sunderland then opted to cash in on the Italian in the summer of 2016 as they decided that he was ‘surplus to requirements’ and sold him to Napoli for a fee of £1.2m.

This meant that the club lost out on £5.3m from the initial price they paid for him in 2013, a decrease in value of roughly 82% from £6.5m.

When you consider this and his sporadic impact on the team with a goal contribution every four league outings, Di Canio made a mistake by deciding to splash the cash on him during his only window in charge of the club.