As revealed on Liverpool’s official website, Ben Woodburn has joined Oxford United on a season-long loan deal.
Before that, lots of Liverpool fans had taken to Twitter to react after The Evening Standard reported that the youngster was close to completing the move.
The Wales international will be joining the League One side for the entirety of the 2019/20 season, where he will look to kickstart his career after a period of stagnation at Liverpool.
Woodburn, 19, burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old and became the Reds’ youngest ever goalscorer with a strike against Leeds in the League Cup, scored in front of the Kop at just 17 years and 45 days of age.
The teenager also netted the winner on his debut for Wales, but since then, the 5 foot 9 forward’s career has stalled somewhat.
A loan to Sheffield United last term didn’t help the matter as Woodburn made just one start for the Blades in the Championship, as well as six appearances from the bench.
Let’s take a look at how the Liverpool fans on Twitter reacted to the news before the move was made official…
لا يمانع أندريا بيرلو مدرب يوفنتوس في مقارنته بماسيمليانو أليجري، المدير الفني الأسبق للفريق، قائلاً إنه خطط للوصول لنهائي كأس إيطاليا.
السيدة العجوز تعادلت 0-0 ضد إنتر ميلان في مباراة الإياب وبفضل الفوز 2-1 الأسبوع الماضي حسموا التأهل لنهائي كأس إيطاليا
اعترف بيرلو بأنه كان يأمل في الوصول إلى هذا الإنجاز في موسمه الأول كمدرب.
قال بيرلو لـ “Rai1” بعد المباراة: “كنت آمل ذلك، كوني مبتدئ، كانت خطتي الوصول لنهائي كأس إيطاليا، ودور الـ 16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا”.
وأضاف: “كلاعب كان الأمر أسهل، وينتهي الأمر بعد المباراة، كمدرب عليك التفكير في المباراة التالية على الفور، لكننا لم نحقق أي شيء بعد، الآن سنرتاح ونستعد لمباراة السبت”.
قام الدفاع بعمل رائع لإبعاد روميلو لوكاكو ولاوتارو مارتينيز، وتابع بيرلو: “لطالما قلت إنني محظوظ لأن لدي أربعة مدافعين جيدين للغاية، إنهم يتأقلمون مع طريقتنا في الدفاع ويتحسنون، ليس فقط عودة جورجيو كيلليني، الآخرين يبلوا بلاء حسنا وأنا سعيد بهذا”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. كونتي عن إهانة رئيس يوفنتوس له: يجب أن يكونوا أكثر أدبًا واحترامًا
وتمت مقارنة بيرلو بماسيميليانو أليجري بعد المباراة وكان سعيدا بالتعليق، وأردف: “من الجيد أن أسمع ذلك، وإذا نجحت في الفوز بما فاز به يمكنكم ان تسموني أليجريانو”.
وأستطرد: “كل مباراة مختلفة ونستعد بطريقة مختلفة، إنتر ليس لديه أي تسديدات تقريبًا على المرمى ولدينا الفرص، نحن راضون جدًا”.
لم يشارك ألفارو موراتا وباولو ديبالا الليلة وسُئل بيرلو عما إذا كان يعتقد أنه يستطيع الللعب بكل منهم، بما في ذلك كريستيانو رونالدو، ورد: “آمل أن يكونوا متاحين، منذ البداية لم أجدهم متاحين في نفس الوقت”.
وأتم: “كان موراتا يعاني من الحمى، ولا يزال ديبالا يعاني من مشاكل في الركبة، عندما يكون لدينا الثلاثة تحت تصرفنا، نأمل في إيجاد حل لأنه سيزيد من جودتنا”.
Former Celtic hero Jackie McNamara has told Football Insider that the problems between the club and Olivier Ntcham have been resolved.
What’s he said?
McNamara has had his say on the Ntcham situation, and he thinks any beef between Celtic, Neil Lennon and the player has been squashed.
The French midfielder had stated his desire to leave the Bhoys and said that he was too good for Scottish football, per L’Equipe, amid interest from his homeland and Portugal.
Marseille had been linked, according to The Daily Record, as had Porto, per Football Insider, yet their interest has seemingly cooled.
And after the Frenchman came on as a late substitute in Wednesday’s 5-0 demolition of Nomme Kalju, McNamara believes that the tricky situation has been sorted.
The ex-Dundee United manager said: “Neil’s obviously dealt with that internally and spoke to the boy. It’s probably a case of he’s been back home and people have put things onto it and spun things differently.”
A well-resolved issue
Ntcham’s return to the side certainly support McNamara’s comments as it’s hard to envisage Lennon simply caving to his demands and playing him anyway, and he could well be like a new signing if he knuckles down and concentrates on his football.
The 23-year-old was magnificent in his debut season, arriving from Manchester City for £4.5m, performing well as he racked up 48 appearances. The former Genoa loanee directly contributed to 15 goals and looked to be nailing down a starting role at the club.
Yet in his second season, he looked a shell of himself as he saw Ryan Christie, Scott Brown and Callum McGregor establish themselves as the preferred midfield three under both Lennon and Brendan Rodgers.
If Ntcham wants to earn his big move away then he’ll have to replicate or perhaps even better his form from his debut season in Glasgow, and despite strong competition ahead of him it will easier for him to thrive if he and Lennon set their differences aside, as McNamara has suggested is the case.
If he can get his head right and perform then not only will Lennon have another top-class option alongside Brown, McGregor and Christie for his midfield, but Ntcham may get his big move after all, and bank a tidy profit for the Hoops in the process.
أفادت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية، أنه من المقرر نقل مباراة آرسنال وبنفيكا، في ذهاب دور الـ32 من الدوري الأوروبي خارج البرتغال.
وكان من المفترض أن تقام المباراة على ملعب دالوش في لشبونة العاصمة البرتغالية يوم 18 فبراير.
صحيفة “ستاندرد” الإنجليزية، أفادت بأن آرسنال قد يواجه بنفيكا على ملعب أوليمبكو بالعاصمة الإيطالية روما، بسبب القواعد الصارمة التي تمنع دخول النادي الإنجليزي للبرتغال.
القواعد الصارمة في البرتغال، تأتي للحد من تفشي فيروس كورونا، وهو ما سيجعل المباراة تُلعب في أرض محايدة بين بنفيكا وآرسنال، في إيطاليا.
العديد من المباريات سيتم لعبها في أرض محايدة، أبرزها التي تشارك بها الفرق الإنجليزية، في الدوري الأوروبي أو دوري أبطال أوروبا.
Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed that former West Ham goalkeeper Adrian is close to signing for the club as a replacement for Simon Mignolet, who is heading for Club Brugge.
The Spanish stopper is currently a free agent after leaving the Hammers following the end of last season, in which he made just two appearances in the FA Cup and none in the Premier League after Lukasz Fabianski’s arrival.
The Champions League winners have been forced into the market after reluctantly accepting Belgium international Mignolet’s request to leave, as he had made clear to Jurgen Klopp that he no longer wanted to be Alisson’s deputy – the Reds have recouped an initial £6m from the 31-year-old’s exit.
Adrian had some good moments during his six years with the Irons – notably knocking Everton out of the FA Cup with the winning penalty in a shootout – and should be a solid, dependable figure to rely on as No.2 behind Alisson.
Let’s take a look at how the Liverpool fans on Twitter reacted to the news…
أكد سامي قمصان، المدرب العام للنادي الأهلي، أن تحقيق الميدالية البرونزية في كأس العالم للأندية 2021، لهذا الجيل تُعد تجربة جديدة في مشوارهم.
فاز الأهلي على نظيره بالميراس البرازيلي، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء اليوم الخميس، في مباراة تحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع بمونديال الأندية 2021، بركلات الترجيح، بنتيجة 3 – 2، ليتوج بالميدالية البرونزية.
أقرأ ايضًا.. أحمد حسن كوكا يُعلق على حصد الأهلي برونزية كأس العالم للأندية
أضاف سامي قمصان خلال مداخلة هاتفية عبر قناة “الأهلي”: “تجربة جديدة بالنسبة لنا واستفدنا منها أشياء كثيرة جدًا أهمها تحقيق الميدالية لهذا الجيل ونكمل عليها ونحصد دوري أبطال إفريقيا في الموسم المقبل ونعود لكأس العالم للأندية ونلعب على مركز أفضل”.
تابع: “كان طموحنا قبل البطولة أن نكون متواجدين وسط الأربعة الأوائل، وبعد ذلك نحقق شيء مختلف، كان أفضل مركز حققه الأهلي من قبل المركز الثالث، كان طموحنا نحقق شيء أفضل ولكن راضين عن المركز الذي حققناه في النسخة الحالية”.
وواصل: “بيتسو موسيماني قال بعد المباراة سنعود بطموح آخر ونحقق مركز أفضل في كأس العالم للأندية، ووجود الخطيب يعطي لنا مسؤولية كبيرة وقوية جدًا ويعطي للاعبين طمأنينة وقوة كبيرة”.
وعن مباراة المريخ السوداني المقبلة في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، قال: “المحلليون يعملون على مبارياتهم، وبداية من غد سنشاهدها ونستعد لهم ونحقق البطولة العاشرة”.
واستهل الأهلي مشواره في مونديال الأندية بالفوز على الدحيل القطري بهدف دون رد، ثم هُزم من بايرن ميونخ في مباراة نصف النهائي بهدفين دون رد، قبل أن يفوز اليوم على بالميراس البرازيلي.
It is impossible to talk about Douglas Luiz without first touching on two words that have followed his short career around like a stray mutt. Those two words are work permit.
When the young Brazilian was signed by Manchester City in July 2017 for £10.7m he was immediately loaned out to Girona, the Spanish club that the City Football Group had recently acquired a majority stake in.
This made sense threefold because that summer Girona had achieved promotion to La Liga for the first time in their history, meaning the midfielder could acclimatise to European football in the challenging environs of a league similar in tempo and style to the one he had just left behind with Vasco da Gama.
Furthermore, Luiz was a highly regarded number six and it was in CFG’s best interests to maximise Girona’s chances of remaining in the Spanish top flight by loaning them the best of City’s peripheral talent. That close season also saw the temporary secondment of three other emerging stars.
The last consideration was that in Spain work permit issues for South American players are more lenient than in England and it couldn’t hurt Luiz’s cause – should he prove himself a success and return to the Manchester City ranks – if he boasted numerous appearances against Barcelona, Real Madrid et al.
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The first two aspects of Luiz’s move worked like a charm. Girona finished a very respectable tenth while the youngster made 15 outings, not overly impressing but showing enough glimpses of his ability to break up play and pick a pass to retain Pep Guardiola’s attention.
It was with the work permit issue where the masterplan came unstuck. With City having missed out on signing Jorginho and in need of a back-up for the ageing Fernandinho, they turned to Catalonia.
Only the Premier League’s criteria is trenchant on a player needing to be a full international and/or be exceptional enough to have a first team spot presumed. Luiz was then 20 with only a handful of under 23 games for the Selecao under his belt. Everyone also knew that Fernandinho was the main man for the defensive midfield job at the Etihad.
Exasperated at the situation City sent him back to Girona and here he thrived, making considerably more impact in considerably more games.
And so eye-catching were his performances that Aston Villa thought they would chance their arm and take advantage of the circumstances with a £15m bid, aware that, for them, the latter of the Premier League’s conditions stands up. They succeeded too and in Douglas Luiz they have a steal.
In 2018/19 the 34-year-old missed 91 days through injury and, had he not been on loan, it can be reasonably assumed that Luiz would have featured in at least several games of a campaign that saw City crowned as champions.
More so, City’s insistence that a buy-back option to be inserted into the deal suggests they’re acutely aware of the calibre of player they’re letting go.
That City exercised a similar buy-back clause to re-sign Angelino proves that it’s one the champions are willing to exercise and not merely a ploy to spare their blushes further down the line.
Luiz is a player who could very conceivably settle and excel at the hub of what is already a strong Villa midfield.
Now the work permit has finally been sorted Dean Smith can consider how to introduce him into the fold.
كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أنّ فريق ريال مدريد، يرغب في التعاقد مع أحد لاعبي سبورتينج براجا البرتغالي، في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية القادمة.
النادي الملكي، ارتبط بالرحيل عن صفوفه، قائده الدولي الإسباني، سيرجيو راموس، والذي ينتهي تعاقده بنهاية الموسم الجاري، ولم يُمدد تعاقده مع اللوس بلانكوس.
وبحسب صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، فإن ريال مدريد يرغب في التعاقد مع الدولي البرتغالي ديفيد كارمو من صفوف براجا.
وأوضحت الصحيفة أنّ ريال مدريد، سيواجه مُنافسة من جانب ثنائي الدوري الإنجليزي، ليفربول ومانشستر يونايتد.
اقرأ أيضًا.. بعد خطف أوباميكانو قبل ليفربول.. بايرن ميونخ يقترب من ضم هدف ريال مدريد
وقالت الصحيفة أنّ المسؤولين داخل مانشستر يونايتد، لديهم إعجاب بقدرات كارمو صاحب الـ”21″ عامًا.
وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أنّ كارمو يوجد في عقده شرط جزائي قدره 40 مليون يورو (34 مليون جنيه إسترليني)، وهو مبلغ مالي ليس بكبير على الأندية المذكورة.
كارمو والذي يُعاني في الوقت الحالي من إصابة قوية في الكاحل، يُعد من الركائز الأساسية داخل براجا، وهذا الموسم شارك في 21 مُباراة بمُختلف المُسابقات.
When you think of Real Madrid, your mind probably immediately goes to some of the biggest names of the footballing stage. The likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
And as fate would have it, these absolute fan favourites are often strikers, attacking players who bring joy and excitement to the fans. Not often do you hear people chanting goalkeepers’ names. But one such mythical person did exist in Los Blancos’ ranks for many years, a player presented at the turn of the century.
Of course, that someone is none other than Iker Casillas, a legend sprung out of Real Madrid’s academy and a loyal servant of the club. And Casillas truly was a name revered among the fans and within the club for a very long period of time.
Until, that is, he wasn’t.
And while this is definitely not something entirely new and uncommon in the world football, it was quite a shocking revelation. Players come and go; one day you’re the hero and the next a villain. This is especially true for players who swap shirts, and even more true for those who decide to don the colours of both rival clubs. Luis Figo and a certain pig’s head can certainly attest to that.
Real Madrid’s Portuguese star Luis Figo celebrates after scoring a penalty against Anderlecht’s during his Champions League group D soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium December 5, 2000.SP
But sometimes, this change of heart happens without a great incentive. Let’s stay with Casillas’ example for a bit longer.
The now 38-year-old joined the senior Real Madrid squad in 1999 and stood in between the sticks until 2015 when he made the move to Porto. But not before being banished from the club like he was a nobody. A legend left alone to cry in a press-conference, with a couple of journalists offering him a handkerchief to wipe the tears from his face.
With a shivering voice, he said his final goodbye and then he was gone, never to look back again. And you’d think that the emotion from that scene would teach Real a thing or two but the very same scenario just might be unfolding with their current goalkeeper and a faithful servant of the club, Keylor Navas.
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Navas’ journey is, however, nowhere near as impressive as Casillas’ and the two hardly fit in the same sentence as far as their careers or maybe even abilities are concerned. The Costa Rican arrived in 2014 from Levante and has since been on a rollercoaster ride with the Galacticos.
He has gone from substitute to number one and then back to the bench.
But there was one constant throughout his five-year spell in the capital and that was his commitment. Maybe he was never the flashiest of choices, maybe he was often overlooked and underappreciated, but he was always there. Ready and on standby. And when he was called upon, he acted and most of the time he delivered.
That’s what describes him best. Rarely will anyone talk about his saves that made sure Real made it past this or that opponent, but they will be quick to point out his blunders along the way. But that comes with the territory.
Casillas knew it and Navas probably knows it too. And he still remains undeniably underappreciated.
Even now Thibaut Courtois has been signed and already dubbed a flop, so who will step up and face the challenge once again? Navas, that’s who. And despite that and Zinedine Zidane’s affection towards his faithful goalie, Madrid are still looking to find a way out of this rotting relationship.
Once again a player who’s given the club the benefit of the doubt, who’s given them his faith and his commitment, could possibly be thrown out the door with the first real chance they get.
We cannot say for certain that it will happen but if it’s happened to people bigger than him then it’s sure bound to happen again.
Gareth Bale is living through that same drama as well. A player with a multitude of crucial goals and triumphs under his belt is being forced out quite disgracefully. For all their pedigree and fame, the Spanish giants certainly lack that human touch and respect for their own heroes; Cristiano Ronaldo was also booed and condemned the first chance they got to do so.
Once the players become dispensable, they’re replaced in a heartbeat, no matter their value. For that reason, it’s not a stretch assuming the same thing will eventually happen to someone of Navas’ stature in the club.
He is far from perfect but he’s been their saviour since 2014, stepping up and patching them up when they needed it the most. With Casillas gone, he jumped into the fray. He played a big part in Zidane’s extremely successful Champions League run and now that Courtois is underperforming he’s ready to take the team on his back once again and adapt, as he has done ever since his arrival.
Why do we always hear rumours and stories about Real wanting to throw him out, then? It’s a question that continues to persist without answer.
But judging by Navas’ character and mentality, when the time finally comes he’ll be ready to, in typical Navas fashion, take another one for the team.
أعلن البرتغالي جايمي باتشيكو المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي الزمالك، عن القائمة المسافرة إلى السنغال مساء اليوم.
ويستعد الزمالك لمواجهة فريق تونجيث، المقرر لها يوم الثلاثاء المقبل في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات بدوري أبطال إفريقيا.
طالع أيضا.. مجموعة الزمالك | أزمة في مولودية الجزائر واللاعبون يهددون بالإضراب عن التدريبات
واستبعد الجهاز الفني للفريق بقيادة البرتغالي جايمي باتشيكو، الثنائي محمود حمدي “الونش” وحازم إمام، من القائمة المتجهة إلى السنغال، بسبب تعرضهما للإصابة. قائمة الزمالك لمباراة تونجيث في دوري أبطال إفريقيا
حراسة المرمى: محمد أبوجبل، ومحمود عبد الرحيم “جنش”، ومحمد عواد.
خط الدفاع: حمزة المثلوثي، وأحمد عيد، ومحمود علاء، حسام عبد المجيد، محمد عبد الغني، أحمد فتوح، عبد الله جمعة.
خط الوسط: فرجاني ساسي، وطارق حامد، محمد أشرف “روقا”، إسلام جابر، إمام عاشور، يوسف “أوباما”، أحمد سيد “زيزو”، محمود عبد الرازق “شيكابالا”، أشرف بن شرقي.
خط الهجوم: حميد أحداد، مروان حمدي، حسام أشرف، أسامة فيصل.
وخاض الفريق مرانه اليوم على ملعب النادي في ميت عقبة قبل التوجه إلى مطار القاهرة للسفر إلى السنغال على متن طائرة خاصة مساء اليوم.