Arsenal are on the hunt for another defender this summer, as Mikel Arteta weighs up his options ahead of deadline day on Friday.

The Gunners were struck with the blow of Jurrien Timber’s opening-day injury, dismantling the comfort of the depth the Spaniard had in his back line for the long season ahead.

Luckily for the manager, and sporting director Edu Gaspar, the north Londoners will have time to seek a resolution for their squad shortages, with minimal but crucial time left to delve into the market.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

Having already exceeded the £200m mark in spending this window, the Gunners have been linked with an influx of defensive reinforcements following the blow to Timber.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

As per a report from the Express earlier this month, names such as Edmond Tapsoba, Kyle Walker-Peters and Timothy Castagne were mentioned as potential candidates to be captured by Arsenal.

One name that was mentioned alongside the list was Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who has also emerged as a player who could be targeted at the Emirates before the end of the window.

Meanwhile, in a report by the Daily Mail this week, the Englishman was highlighted as being 'among the prominent targets' for Arteta’s side, with Palace valuing the 23-year-old at £50m.

What could Marc Guehi offer to Arsenal?

Having previously been lauded as a “beast” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Guehi has emerged as one of the strongest centre-backs in the Premier League for his consistent and impressive performances since his emergence at Selhurst Park.

After rising through the ranks at Chelsea, the defender embarked on two loan spells at Swansea City, where he captured the eye of the Eagles, making the move to south London permanently in the summer of 2021.

Two years down the line, it’s difficult to imagine Palace’s backline without Guehi’s presence, making 85 appearances so far for the club in all competitions, and having a stint as captain where his leadership qualities shone.

For Arsenal, eyeing a swoop for the titan makes a lot of sense, especially when taking into consideration the success of the last English defender the Gunners captured from a fellow Premier League side.

When Edu and Arteta signed Ben White from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021, not many would have anticipated the direction of the 25-year-old’s role in north London, as well as his success and importance in the side.

Signed as a centre-back, the former Seagulls gem has become a highly-valued player in the Spaniard’s system, featuring as both a right-back and in his familiar position when called upon.

While Guehi’s positioning would be unlikely to change, Arsenal could replicate the success made by signing a young English talent from a Premier League side in capturing the Palace ace.

Arguably the main advantage of the White transfer was the instant familiarity with the demands of the English game, which can leave some foreign players stalling when they first arrive.

Like the Gunners’ versatile defender, Guehi could follow his footsteps in integrating naturally into the side, making the potential transfer one of a low-risk and high-reward deal, emulating that of Edu's business that saw White arrive in north London.

Celtic have enjoyed great success in the transfer market over the years having been able to unearth gems before selling them on for significant fees.

Who are Celtic's biggest ever sales?

The Hoops do not have Premier League money to be able to afford to splash out multi-millions on players to bolster their squad and this means that their player trading is incredibly important in order to generate funds.

There have been several examples of excellent pieces of work by the Bhoys, including their five biggest sales which saw them identify young talents and develop them into sellable assets.

Player

Fee received

Jota

£24.9m

Kieran Tierney

£23.1m

Moussa Dembele

£18.8m

Odsonne Edouard

£13.9m

Virgil van Dijk

£13.4m

Fees via Transfermarkt.

One player whom the club played a blinder with was central defender Kristoffer Ajer, whose value soared during his time at Parkhead.

Ange Postecoglou, who arrived towards the end of his spell in Scotland, also secured a masterclass with the timing of his sale as the Norway international has not had the best of luck down south.

How much did Celtic sign Ajer for?

Ronny Deila signed the then-17-year-old for a reported fee of up to £650k from IK Start in 2016 after the teenager had already racked up an eye-catching 61 first-team appearances and scored 14 goals for the Norwegian side.

He had already emerged as a fantastic talent at such a young age and, interestingly, arrived at Parkhead as a versatile midfielder or forward player.

Ajer had scored seven goals in 14 matches as a centre-forward for Start and the rest of his outings came in a variety of midfield positions.

Brendan Rodgers opted to send him out on loan to Kilmarnock during the 2016/17 campaign and he racked up 16 Scottish Premiership appearances.

His experience during that loan spell then set him up to break into the Northern Irish head coach's squad for the 2017/18 season. Ajer went on to play 34 times in all competitions for the Hoops that term and all bar two of his appearances came as a centre-back, which was a far cry from his outings as a number nine for his former club.

The 6 foot 5 colossus was converted into a defender by Rodgers, who seemingly saw that he could excel in that position instead of as a striker or an attacking midfielder, and became a mainstay of the backline at Parkhead for a number of seasons.

Ajer ended up with 176 first-team appearances and chipped in with seven goals and seven assists for the Scottish giants during his time with the Bhoys prior to his eventual exit in the summer of 2021.

How much was Ajer worth at Celtic?

Football Transfers rated the Norway international's Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at €25.5m (£21.8m) in July 2021, a whopping 2,050% increase on the initial £650k that was spent to secure his services in 2016.

Postecoglou arrived at Celtic that summer and sanctioned a sale for the towering defender as he joined Premier League side Brentford for an initial fee of £13.5m, although there were undisclosed add-ons that could increase that figure.

This means that the Hoops made a staggering profit of 1,977% on the giant centre-back, who enjoyed a sublime final campaign with the club in the 2020/21 season.

Ajer, who was described as "faultless" by former boss Neil Lennon, averaged a fantastic Sofascore rating of 7.15 across 35 Premiership matches for the Scottish giants as he caught the eye with his strong defensive displays.

The 25-year-old made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match and won 62% of his duels, as per Sofascore, showing that the former IK Star prospect was able to make multiple defensive interventions per game to cut out opposition attacks.

His performances were good enough to convince Brentford to splash out a minimum of £13.5m to secure his services, a deal that turned out to be a masterclass from Postecoglou.

How much is Ajer worth now?

At the time of writing, Football Transfers rate Ajer's xTV at €10.3m (£8.8m), representing a staggering drop of 60% from the €25.5m xTV he had at the time of his move to the Bees two years ago.

This shows that the Australian head coach, who is now the manager of Tottenham in England, sold the brute at the perfect time.

Celtic were able to cash in on him whilst his value was high, making a gigantic profit in the process, and enjoyed his talents on the pitch for a number of years before that.

Why is Ajer worth that much?

The 25-year-old's market value has dropped over the last two years as he has struggled with form and injuries during his time with Thomas Frank's side so far.

Ajer averaged an unimpressive Sofascore rating of 6.84 across 24 Premier League appearances during his debut campaign for the Bees, which was the 11th-highest score within their squad and the fourth-highest rating out of their centre-back options.

This is an indication that the former Celtic star was not one of Brentford's top performers or one of the best within his own position, despite his previous impressive displays for the Scottish giants.

His 2022/23 campaign was disrupted by having surgery on his hamstring and the Norwegian ace only managed to appear in nine Premier League matches throughout the season and averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.44 in those games.

He ranked 24th out of his club's 25 players based on his average Sofascore rating last term as the central defender proved himself to be an unreliable player for Frank, both in terms of his worrying displays on the pitch and his lack of availability due to injury.

All of these factors have led to his market value plummeting over the last two years and he is now only worth a fraction of what he once was at Parkhead.

Therefore, Postecoglou and Celtic turly hit the jackpot by deciding to sell him when they did.

After defeating Rangers 1-0 in their most recent outing, Celtic ensured a solid start to the season which has left them four points clear of their Old Firm rivals and level on points with Motherwell at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

The Hoops are, of course, seeking a third consecutive title win, and their third under Brendan Rodgers, who returned to the club earlier this summer, following Ange Postecoglou's exit to Tottenham Hotspur.

Even with a change of management, however, Celtic's stars have hit the ground running, with one particular standout recently earning significant praise from former rival Barry Ferguson.

What did Barry Ferguson say?

Speaking after Celtic's Old Firm derby win at Ibrox, Ferguson had nothing but good things to say about the scorer of the match winner, Kyogo Furuhashi.

Ferguson told Go Radio, via 67HailHail: “He is nowhere near Henrik Larsson. But he is a top-class player. His goalscoring record speaks for itself.

"What would he be worth now? I mean he recently signed a new long-term contract. I am sure Celtic will look kind of Kieran Tierney-type of money. He is a game-changer – he comes up with a real bit of quality in the game. That’s a sign of a top centre-forward.”

Tierney, of course, completed a move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019 for a reported £25m. This means that Ferguson believes Furuhashi is currently worth a similar price. Truth be told, however, a player who scored 34 goals in all competitions last season may even cost an even bigger fee in today's market. And Celtic will not even be thinking about a potential sale any time soon, considering the fact that the forward's current contract doesn't expire until 2027.

How has Kyogo performed this season?

After performing so well last season, Kyogo has simply picked up where he left off at the start of the current campaign, scoring three goals in five games to help Celtic remain on course to successfully defend their Scottish Premiership title.

The Hoops haven't been without their moments to forget, however, with a 0-0 draw against St Johnstone leaving them frustrated, and a shock 1-0 Scottish League Cup defeat against Kilmarnock confirming their early exit from the competition.

With Kyogo at the forefront of everything good that Rodgers' side do, they should remain on course to pick up yet another title. If the forward has yet another incredible campaign in front of goal, it will be interesting to see just who comes knocking next summer though.

Celtic have already suffered a major loss to the Premier League recently, with Postecoglou opting to make the move to Spurs, resulting in Rodgers' return.

Now, the last thing they'll want is for England's top clubs to come sniffing around their star striker. Although they solved their manager problem well, replacing him may not be such a simple task. In an ideal world, the 28-year-old remains in Scotland, keeps up his excellent form, and writes himself into the Celtic history books in the coming years.

County executives assured there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further

George Dobell08-Mar-2018ECB chairman Colin Graves has sought to ease the concerns of anxious county executives by assuring them there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further.In a chief executives’ meeting on Thursday, Graves insisted that plans for such payments had only been at draft stage and would have to have been ratified by the board before implementation. As a result of concerns raised by the counties – and most notably by the resignation from the board of Andy Nash – those plans will now be reviewed.While the mood among the counties does appear to be somewhat appeased – there is no serious talk of a vote of no confidence – there are still some awkward questions to answer. At least one club would appear to have already received a payment from the ECB, while at least two more have budgeted for it.Meanwhile, those counties concerned that the suggested compensation payments might signal a change in the long-term policy of the ECB were further alarmed by the news that the new County Partnership Agreements (the successor to Memorandums of Understanding) are likely to be bespoke to each club. While the aim of that is largely to reflect the differing needs of clubs in different parts of the country, it might also be interpreted as providing potential for a further divide between Test-hosting clubs and the rest. In the past, the ECB’s funds have been largely split on an equitable basis (with some room for performance-related bonus payments) among the counties.It has also been revealed that, at some stage in the last couple of years, Sport England expressed some concern over Graves’ position of chairman of the ECB’s new nominations committee.While the ECB has made much of the fact that its board will shortly be mostly made up of independent members, the nominations committee effectively has the opportunity to vet every prospective applicant. All other board members with affiliations to counties – the likes of Richard Thompson, the Surrey chairman, or Peter Wright, the Nottinghamshire Cricket Board chairman – are obliged to step down in May when they will be replaced by independent board members. Giles Clarke, the ECB president, is also expected to step down in May. Alan Leighton is expected, at some stage, to take over as chairman of the nominations committee.Furthermore, it has emerged that in March 2016 the ECB provided an assurance that Graves would abstain from “any vote or decision which could be deemed a conflict of duty… as is his statutory duty”.Although Graves, who was previously chairman of Yorkshire, did excuse himself from the room when the recent allocation of major matches was validated by the board, questions remain as to whether he did so on other occasions; notably when the decision to strip Durham of their Test status was approved. Graves no longer has any direct financial link to Yorkshire, though family trusts set up by him but run independently are owed £20m by the club.

Arsenal have slowly cultivated one of the best young squads in Europe, marking a magnificent turnaround from the turgid group of players that Unai Emery had inherited.

Much of this transformation can be attributed to Mikel Arteta's cut-throat start to managerial life, as has now brutally terminated the contracts of nine different players during his time in charge.

Whilst some of those were relatively inconsequential, as the likes of Willian, Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac all fell fowl of the Spaniard's new policy, the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi and more recently Nicolas Pepe were departures that truly turned heads.

It has clearly been a method that brings results though, with last season's second-place finish their highest in seven years.

Now, a new generation of stars has emerged to take the place of these ageing duds, spearheaded by the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Declan Rice and William Saliba.

However, there is one talent – a certain Emile Smith Rowe- that has endured one of the toughest years of his short career recently and faces a true battle to recapture his place in this stunning side.

Who is Arsenal's highest-value player?

Whilst the Gunners' 'starboy' in Saka unsurprisingly ranks the highest from within their squad, with a €120m (£103m) valuation, there are some other highly-rated assets who will hope to soon rival the England international.

However, that will be a tough task given how the 22-year-old continues to go from strength to strength, seemingly evolving with each passing year to find new ways to dominate the Premier League.

Given the England Player of the Year has featured in every league game of the last two seasons should outline his importance, made even better by the fact he built on his 18 goal contributions during the 2021/22 term to score 14 and assist 11 most recently.

However, such form will actually make for a frustrating reading for Emile Smith Rowe, who was arguably at a similar level to the trickster, marking just a €25m (£21.4m) disparity between their respective values in 2021.

That gulf has since grown to €85m (£72.7m), with the attacking midfielders' injury having hampered what had been a blistering emergence onto the scene.

Having made his true breakthrough during the 2020/21 season, as he made 20 Premier League appearances and enjoyed his international debut with England, it was the campaign following where the 23-year-old would truly announce himself as one of the division's brightest young stars.

Hitting double figures in the league, Saka's ten goals and two assists saw him lauded by many, with Arteta even noting: "When you want to take the game to the next level, when you become a real important player in such a big club, that should be the only priority and every detail is important and relevant. You have to make him aware of that, you cannot give percentages away that can make big differences and he has changed that.”

"The other night he wasn’t 100 per cent fit but he stepped forward and he wanted to play with a difficult injury that he had. There is no complaining, he is just looking forwards, he is really determined, he has changed the way he is living as well a little bit and some of the habits that he had and he’s been superb.”

However, undergoing groin surgery back in September 2022 among numerous other ailments has set the starlet's progress back significantly, failing to make a league start in the entirety of last term.

Now back and ready to force the issue once again, the hope will be that Smith Rowe can put these frustrations behind him to start raising his value once again.

How much was Emile Smith-Rowe worth three years ago?

Making his Premier League debut in late 2019, it was in the following year that he would begin to establish himself as someone worthy of intrigue.

However, given the England international had done little to warrant widespread interest at the time of his emergence, his €2.7m (£2m) valuation marked a fine if unassuming foundation on which he could build a successful career.

Emery clearly saw potential in him, hence why the Spanish boss threw him into Europa League action first, with his faith having since been repaid despite the current Aston Villa figure having departed the Emirates years ago now.

What is Emile Smith-Rowe's market value now?

It is a testament to Smith Rowe's earlier performances that his value has not declined too much during his spell on the sidelines, which had reached a peak in 2022.

That €40m (£34m) figure, as per Transfermarkt, likely played down just how highly-rated he was around north London, and with that having since dropped to just €35m (£30m) more recently, again it likely does not scratch the surface of Arteta's true valuation of the young English maestro. Despite that, a 1400% increase from that aforementioned initial figure marks truly exceptional growth.

Bukayo Saka

£103m

Gabriel Martinelli

£69m

William Saliba

£56m

Jurrien Timber

£36m

Emile Smith Rowe

£30m

All stats via Transfermarkt

After all, his talents are well-known, with former Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher having lauded him too: "I always want him to do well, you're urging him on. To watch him in full flow, I've said he's the best player in the Premier League running the ball."

Carragher's colleague Gary Neville would support this notion, again mentioning him in the same bracket as Saka: "He's a breath of fresh air. Him and Saka make you feel joy about football. They still play with that spirit and it's wonderful to watch."

Why is Smith Rowe worth that much?

All of these glowing recommendations and fine figures help to explain why Smith Rowe has garnered such a huge valuation, with his nationality certainly aiding in that being boosted.

However, the praise is always linked back to that impressive 2021/22 season, which remains by far the best of a stop-start career.

Maintaining a 6.92 average rating, his 12 goal contributions helped buoy this figure alongside 0.9 key passes and 1.2 shots per game, via Sofascore.

Should Arteta reintegrate him back into the side soon, which could very well happen given the frustrations surrounding Kai Havertz, and he recaptures this form, that value could soon creep back up towards the levels set by teammate Saka. Either way, they well and truly struck gold by unearthing his talents from Hale End.

Will Russell/Getty Images

A hamstring strain has given Jackson Bird an injury scare ahead of the South Africa tour, for which Australia depart next week with a tour match scheduled to begin on February 22. Bird sustained the injury in the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in Brisbane, where he walked off the field after bowling 15.1 overs on the second day and didn’t take the field on the third to undergo scans.Queensland, meanwhile, took strong steps towards going on top of the table by taking six Tasmania wickets in the massive chase of 426. Tasmania scored 208 runs and still need 218 more for victory.Tasmania’s No. 4 Jake Doran (95) was responsible for a large portion of those runs as he steadied them after an early burst from Queensland’s new-ball bowlers Michael Neser and Luke Feldman who reduced Tasmania to 3 for 55. The recovery arrived through two 50-plus partnerships that Doran built – for 61 runs with Matthew Wade, and then for 59 with Ben McDermott. Even as Wade and McDermott got out in the twenties, Doran hauled Tasmania past the 200 mark, before being caught off the legbreak of Mitchell Swepson, 10 balls before stumps were drawn.Neser inflicted the bulk of the damage with three wickets, while Swepson, Feldman and Jack Wildermuth took a wicket apiece.The day began with Queensland on 6 for 195 in in their second innings, having already established an overall lead of 335. Jimmy Peirson stretched that lead with a half-century and extended his overnight partnership with Neser, who chipped in with a valuable 34. Peirson was the ninth man dismissed, for 61, before Queensland folded for 285.With Bird off the field and Gabe Bell, who carved up the middle order on the second day, also under an injury cloud, Wade got to turn his arm over for his very occasional medium-pace and struck in three consecutive overs for lower-order wickets, including that of Peirson. Bell had taken 3 for 42 and Wade finished with 3 for 13.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo viveu uma noite intensa e de mais uma superação quanto a adversidades oriundas do surto de Covid-19, que, ao todo, atingiu 19 atletas do elenco. O palco foi o Maracanã, pela quinta rodada da Libertadores: vitória por 4 a 0 sobre o Independiente Del Valle, assegurando uma vaga antecipada às oitavas da competição. Além disso, o ataque foi letal nas chances criadas.

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Se não teve gol do Gabigol, retornando após dois jogos como desfalque, teve mais uma assistência para a conta do camisa 9: agora são dez passes no ano, liderando o quesito no clube. Já quanto à artilharia, também liderada por Gabriel Barbosa, Pedro voltou a ir à rede e, hoje, é o vice-artilheiro da equipe, com 11 gols.

Logo em seguida, fechando o pódio, aparece Bruno Henrique, autor de dois gols na última noite – em um deles contando com um passe açucarado de Arrascaeta. O camisa 27 entrou na vaga justamente de Gabigol ao longo do jogo, após dores de seu companheiro no tornozelo direito (foi constatada uma lesão ligamentar no local). Bruno passa a somar dez tentos nesta temporada.

Ao todo, Fla soma 67 gols marcados em36 jogos na temporada

O gol que resta citar surgiu de outro atacante: Lincoln, o responsável por abrir o placar – após cruzamento de Matheuzinho, na medida. Ou seja: quatro gols e uma assistência através dos atacantes, mostrando, sobretudo, que a estratégia de esperar os equatorianos e dar o bote em momentos oportunos surtiu efeito.

A próxima oportunidade para que o Flamengo siga com o ataque em ascensão, em meio a tantos contratempos, será neste domingo, quando o Rubro-Negro receberá o Athletico-PR no Maracanã, às 16h, pelo Brasileirão. Gabigol não deve se recuperar a tempo, cabe destacar.

A LISTA DE ARTILHEIROS DO FLAMENGO EM 2020

Gabigol – 16
Pedro – 11
Bruno Henrique – 10
Arrascaeta – 7
Everton Ribeiro – 5
Gerson – 3
Michael – 3
Filipe Luís – 2
Diego – 1
Gustavo Henrique – 1
Lucas Silva – 1
João Lucas – 1
Rodrigo Muniz – 1
Bill – 1
Pedro Rocha – 1
Vitinho – 1
Lincoln – 1
Gol contra – 1 (diante da Portuguesa-RJ)

A LISTA DE GARÇONS DO FLAMENGO EM 2020

Gabigol – 10
Arrascaeta – 6
Diego – 4
Michael – 4
Bruno Henrique – 3
Everton Ribeiro – 3
Gerson – 2
Renê – 2
Pedro – 2
Vitinho – 2
Ramon – 2
Isla – 1
Pedro Rocha – 1
Filipe Luís – 1
Matheuzinho – 1

انتهت قبل قليل مباراة منتخب مصر الأول أمام نظيره بوركينا فاسو، في خضم منافسات تصفيات إفريقيا المؤهلة لكأس العالم، بفوز الفراعنة بهدفين مقابل هدف.

واحتضن ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي مباراة مصر وبوركينا فاسو في الجولة الثالثة من تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وسجل هدفي منتخب مصر، اللاعب الدولي محمود حسن تريزيجيه في الدقيقتين الثالثة والسابعة، ثم قلص لاسينا تراوري النتيجة بهدف لبوركينا فاسو في الدقيقة 56.

فيديو | في 4 دقائق.. تريزيجيه يسجل هدفين لـ منتخب مصر أمام بوركينا فاسو

بتلك النتيجة يرتفع رصيد منتخب مصر إلى 9 نقاط متربعًا على عرش ترتيب المجموعة الأولى، محققًا العلامة الكاملة.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر على رأس المجموعة الأولى التي تضم إلى جواره منتخبات بوركينا فاسو وغينيا بيساو وسيراليون وإثيوبيا وجيبوتي.

وتقام تصفيات قارة إفريقيا المؤهلة لنهائيات كأس العالم بشكل جديد بعد زيادة عدد مقاعد منتخبات إفريقيا لـ9 ونصف، إثر ارتفاع عدد المنتخبات المشاركة في المونديال المقبل.

وتم تقسيم الـ54 منتخبًا إفريقيًا على 9 مجموعات بواقع ستة في المجموعة الواحدة، ويتأهل متصدر كل مجموعة مباشرة إلى نهائيات كأس العالم، فيما يتنافس أفضل أربع منتخبات أصحاب المركز الثاني على النصف مقعد المتبقي بنظام الملحق القاري ومن ثم الإقليمي.

ويستكمل منتخب مصر مشوار تصفيات إفريقيا لكأس العالم بمواجهة غينيا بيساو في الجولة الرابعة. موعد مباراة مصر وغينيا بيساو

ومن المقرر أن يحل منتخب مصر ضيفًا على غينيا بيساو، يوم الإثنين المقبل، العاشر من يونيو الجاري، وذلك في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

أثارت تصريحات كارلو أنشيلوتي المدير الفني لفريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ريال مدريد الجدل بشأن المشاركة في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، خاصة بعد بيان النادي الملكي.

أنشيلوتي أعلن في تصريحاته أن ريال مدريد لن يشارك بسبب العائد المادي من بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025 بنظامها الجديد.

وبعد ساعات قليلة، أصدر نادي ريال مدريد بيانًا رسميًا، للرد على تصريحات أنشيلوتي، بل ونفيها تمامًا، لتأكيد المشاركة في مونديال الأندية، مع الإشادة بالبطولة التي ستقام في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

طالع أيضًا.. فينيسيوس ردًا على الحكم ضد جماهير فالنسيا: أنا جلاد العنصريين

تضارب المواقف أثار الجدل، ما بين رفض أنشيلوتي بلسان ريال مدريد، ورد النادي نفسه وتأكيد المشاركة، مما يشير إلى تكذيب المدرب الإيطالي بشكل غير مباشر.

تلك الأمور الفوضوية لم تكن معتادة في نادٍ بحجم ريال مدريد، ولكن حدث ما حدث، وتأكدت مشاركة الملكي في البطولة، دون الحديث عن الأموال التي تحدث عنها أنشيلوتي.

الصحفي داماشيللي، الذي أجرى المقابلة مع أنشيلوتي، قال: “أؤكد ما تم نشره حرفيًا، أخبرني كارلو أن ريال مدريد لن يذهب لبطولة كأس العالم للأندية لأنه هراء بالنسبة له على المستوى الاقتصادي والرياضي والصحي للاعبين”.

ولكن هناك جزئية يجب أن يتفطن لها الجميع، وهي أن كارلو أنشيلوتي عقده مستمر مع ريال مدريد حتى يونيو 2026، ولكن ليس بالضرورة أن يستمر حتى نهاية العقد.

منذ أيام قليلة، انتشرت تقارير حول رحيل دافيدي أنشيلوتي نجل كارلو ومساعده في ريال مدريد، حيث رفض الإيطالي الاستماع للعروض حتى صيف 2025 لتحديد مستقبله.

انتظار دافيدي حتى 2025، قد يشير إلى أن كارلو سيضع حدًا لمسيرته مع ريال مدريد في ذلك الوقت، ومن ثم يبحث عن تحدٍ جديد، وربما يكون المنتخب البرازيلي، للاستعداد لمونديال 2026.

خاصة وأن المنتخب البرازيلي عيّن دوريفال جونيور، وهو مدرب ليس ذو اسم كبير في عالم التدريب، كمرحلة انتقالية حتى يأتي كارلو أنشيلوتي، الذي يراه الاتحاد البرازيلي الرجل الأنسب لقيادة السيليساو.

كل هذه الأمور مجرد تخمينات، ولكن الأمر سيكون بيد بطل أوروبا وكارلو في النهاية، وقد لا يذهب بالفعل أنشيلوتي لبطولة كأس العالم للأنديه لأنه سيكون خارج ريال مدريد، ويشارك النادي الملكي بمدرب آخر.

Liverpool came so close to Premier League glory during the 2013/14 season, embarking on their best campaign in years, only to be unstuck by a poor collapse over the final few weeks.

Despite this, the future looked promising. Players such as Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling had all shone under Brendan Rodgers, and although they sold Luis Suárez to Barcelona for a fee of £75m, the Northern Irishman was aiming to kick on and lead his team to glory.

With the mercurial Uruguayan gone, Rodgers looked to spend the vast fortune obtained from his sale in the transfer market.

He spent big on the likes of Mario Balotelli, Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic and Dejan Lovren, and it didn’t take long for the Anfield side to unravel as they struggled both domestically and in the Champions League, where they returned following a four-year absence.

There was another name who arrived at Merseyside that summer who looked like he had a bright future – Alberto Moreno.

How much did Liverpool sign Alberto Moreno for?

For what seemed like a bargain at just £12m, the talented Spaniard arrived on Merseyside towards the end of that transfer window with the opportunity to become the first-choice left-back at the club and aged just 22, Moreno looked like he would be a long term star for the Reds.

Rodgers lavished praise upon him once he arrived, saying: "He has got huge potential.

"We needed a left-sided player. We monitored him for a while and when we felt we got the value and the worth, we were able to clinch the deal.

"He's a really exciting young player. When you watch him, he's very attack-minded, very quick and he serves the ball really well.

"At 22, he's hungry to succeed. He has got improvements to make but he's one of the players we've brought in this summer who is ready to play straight away.”

High praise indeed and the future certainly looked bright for a youngster who was beginning to make his mark at international level, having made three appearances for Spain prior to moving to England.

The move simply didn’t work out, however, as Liverpool failed to bring the best out of Moreno, and he subsequently went on to rinse them of a vast sum of money during his time at the club.

How much did Alberto Moreno earn at Liverpool?

During his five-season spell at Anfield, the Spaniard earned a total of £16.9m in wages with his weekly wage ranging from £48k-per-week during his first season, to £73k-per-week during his final campaign.

Judging by his performances and relative lack of success at the Reds, his signing is looked back upon as a big failure and a case of what might’ve been for the defender who spent 250 weeks in England.

Indeed, across his five years in England, Moreno drained the club of £29m across several years, combining both his transfer fee in 2014 with the cost of his wages during that time period.

It was yet again another case of poor transfer business by Rodgers the summer after they had come so close to Premier League glory.

Did Alberto Moreno deserve to earn that much at Liverpool?

The left-back made 41 appearances for the club across his first season, scoring two goals and grabbing an assist, although he was criticised by ESPN journalist James Tyler, who said he was “dreadful” towards the end of that campaign.

Six assists and a goal were registered during the 2015/16 season as Moreno made 50 appearances, and it looked as though he had the trust placed in him by Klopp during the embryonic stages of his tenure at the club.

He helped Liverpool reach the Europa League final, where they were defeated by his former side Sevilla, but with a new era on the horizon, Moreno looked set to play a big part in the Reds challenge for glory in the coming years.

It proved to be a false dawn however, as the Spaniard started just twice in the Premier League during Klopp’s first full season in charge, failing to rank in the top ten across the squad for accurate passes per game, successful dribbles per game or tackles per match.

The next two seasons saw him fail to kick on and attain a regular spot on the starting XI, making just 18 league appearances during 2017/18 and 2018/19, and ranking outside the top ten in the squad for overall Sofascore rating, indicating that when he did get a rare opportunity, Moreno failed to really grab it with both hands.

The former Sevilla defender did win a Champions League winners medal, yet he made just one appearance during the whole tournament and failed to emerge from the bench in the final.

In total, his 141 appearances meant he cost the best part of £205k per game, while his meagre goal tally of three ensures he cost the Anfield side £9m for every time he found the net.

Where is Alberto Moreno now?

Upon his release from Liverpool following that triumph in Madrid, Moreno returned to his homeland, joining La Liga side Villarreal on a free transfer that summer.

The left-back has been given a lifeline by the Spanish club, making 93 appearances across his four years while also scoring six times and registering seven assists, certainly better numbers than when he was in England.

Moreno also won another Europa League title, helping his side defeat Manchester United in the final back in 2021.

It didn’t work out at Liverpool for the player who looked like he could be the next big talent to emerge from Spain nine years ago.

Perhaps it was the right player at the wrong time, yet Moreno didn’t really hit the ground running at Anfield and although signs looked promising once Klopp arrived, the signing of Andy Robertson put bed to him claiming a regular spot in the starting XI.

Rodgers did make some terrible signings as manager between 2012 and 2015, but Moreno is sadly up there as one of the worst when you consider the finances.

Klopp has made far fewer mistakes in the transfer market than his predecessor and this not only has helped their bank balance, but also performances on the field, with the club returning to prominence for the first time since the 1980s under the enigmatic former Borussia Dortmund manager.