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Manchester City still have plenty to play for this season before attention turns to how their squad will shape up for the start of next campaign with anticipation that mass change could be on the way.

Manchester City's changing landscape under Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has been the most successful Premier League manager of his generation by a landslide, but his side won’t be registering a record-shattering fifth successive title this campaign.

Liverpool sit 20 points above the Citizens and look likely to come away with the crown, which has shifted the focus at the Etihad Stadium towards securing Champions League qualification and their efforts to claim the FA Cup.

Nevertheless, the changing dynamics at City are likely to stir plenty of speculation over the next few months. Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly close to finalising terms with MLS outfit San Diego FC, planting a seed that could see several high earners leave in search of a new challenge in the off-season.

During a busy January, Guardiola was able to bring in Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah as part of his quest to rejuvenate an ageing side with younger starts who have the capacity to develop into long-term assets.

Manchester City’s January window transfer spend

Incomings: £181.2 million

Outgoings: £0

As a consequence, some of the old guard may begin to make way. Simply put, there is no room for sentiment if the Blues have designs on adding to their trophy haul over the coming years.

Providing some excitement, Manchester City could move to sign AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez for a bargain fee of £29.5 million should the stars align. If he were to arrive, you get the impression he wouldn’t be the only big name to sign on the dotted line.

However, outgoings will be needed to leverage the cost of new bodies, and the Blues could be about to see one of their key men link up with a former teammate who had success at the club.

Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic could join Julian Alvarez in Spain

According to reports in Spain via FourFourTwo, Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic could be on the move to Atletico Madrid and sees a potential change of scenery as something that would appeal at this stage in his career.

The Croatia international isn’t keen to leave Europe’s top five leagues at this stage, and the demand of a £25 million fee to hasten his departure may prove to be a hurdle for Diego Simeone’s men to overcome.

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ByDominic Lund Feb 27, 2025

However, Atleti are keen to take advantage of Guardiola’s desire for fresh additions across the board, leaving the situation somewhat open to interpretation.

Deputising for Rodri during much of this campaign, Kovacic has registered five goals and a solitary assist in 32 appearances. Despite holding a strong influence on the field, his age may count against him as the Blues look to the long-term as a benchmark to get themselves back off the canvas.

Between all parties, it may be worth coming to an agreement that could see the Croatia international play out the remaining peak years of his career in the Spanish capital.

Smog could pose start-time issue as England add extra bowling option to line-up

Vithushan EhantharajahUpdated on 08-Dec-2022Ollie Pope has retained his spot behind the stumps at the expense of Ben Foakes, while Mark Wood is back as their pace spearhead, as England made one change to their victorious XI from Rawalpindi, ahead of the second Test against Pakistan in Multan.Wood returns as a direct replacement for Liam Livingstone, who sustained a knee injury on day two in Rawalpindi – he has now returned to the UK for rehabilitation.Livingstone’s injury had initially pointed to an obvious return for Foakes, whose keeping is superior to Pope’s and, with Will Jacks stepping up with six wickets on debut, they had demonstrated they could cover for his absence as a spin option. Foakes had been Ben Stokes’ go-to keeper since the allrounder became captain at the start of the English summer, playing six out of seven Tests, with his one absence – against India at Edgbaston – coming when he failed to recover fully from Covid.However, a virus in the camp ahead of the first Test threw plans in disarray with Foakes, the first-choice wicketkeeper, falling ill on the evening before day one, meaning Surrey team-mate Pope had to take the gloves. The 24-year-old impressed in his first stint in the role since 2019, taking six catches and a stumping in the match. He also scored 108 in the first innings, along with 15 in the second.Though Foakes is now fully fit after recovering from last week’s bug, the decision was made to persist with Pope. Stokes was empathetic to Foakes, who he still regards as the best technical wicketkeeper in the game right now.”The communication to Ben was that the real positive for him to take out of this selection is that it’s just for this Test match,” said Stokes on Thursday. “Foakesy still is the No. 1 gloveman in England and I’ll still keep saying it, that he’s the best keeper in the world. It must sound a bit silly to not be picking him, but you’ve got to look at the conditions we face out here. Pakistan is a very hard place to come and bowl.”Adding Mark Wood into the side gives us the best opportunity to take 20 wickets. That’s what we came here to do, we came here to try and win games of cricket, not be concerned, especially going into this game with a 1-0 lead. We want to keep continuing to press the way that we play and we felt bringing Woody into the team was the best opportunity for us to do that out here in this specific Test match.”When asked if Foakes had been dropped down the pecking order of keepers, Stokes responded unequivocally: “No, absolutely not.”Mark Wood stepped up his preparation during the first Test and is now back in the side•Getty Images”That is one thing we did say to him: don’t take this as anything going into the future. We didn’t have any of this on our radar before we started the first Test match with the illness that Foakesy unfortunately had, which allowed us to think like this. This is definitely no sign of Ben Foakes’ future going forward and in the dressing room.”With Pope set to continue batting at No.3, Stokes revealed he has also spoken to opening batter Ben Duckett – another part-time keeper – about the prospect of lightening Pope’s load during the match. While this does not necessarily mean the gloves will be passed around, it is a bit of insurance off the back of conversations with Pope about his workload during the first Test. He was on the field for 292 of the 388.3 overs of the match.”It’s something that, even in the last Test match, was in the back of our minds, speaking to Popey about how he felt about keeping and batting three,” Stokes said. “And then, similarly, we just had a quick word with Ducky. Very unlikely, but if circumstances mean that Popey is a bit tired he could take the gloves, albeit very unlikely.”You know, the performance that Popey put in last week as an individual was outstanding. To stand behind the stumps for the amount of time that he did, after scoring a hundred and then standing in the field and going back out there and batting again, especially as someone who’s not used to doing that role. It’s a very crucial position out here and he took it in his stride and really enjoyed his time behind the stumps.”I thought he did a fantastic job as someone who’s a part-time keeper, so it’s great that we’re able to have different options. But as I said at the start of the presser, the team that we’ve picked for this Test match will have very little bearings going forward into the next game or even the summer. Foakesy is our gloveman and I can’t stress that enough.”Wood, meanwhile, will earn his first Test cap since sustaining an elbow injury on the tour of the Caribbean in March. He missed the whole of the English season after undergoing two bouts of surgery, and though he returned to international duty on the T20 tour of Pakistan and went on to play an integral role in England’s T20 World Cup win in Australia, a subsequent hip issue ruled him out of the semi-final and final.Wood returned to England to recover from that injury at home but, after missing the Test squad’s training camp in Abu Dhabi, he was deemed unavailable for selection for the first Test given how little he had bowled up to that point. He also felt unwell ahead of the Test though his illness was unrelated to the virus affecting the rest of the group.Wood offers a point of difference with his extreme pace, showcased during the World Cup where he bowled the most deliveries (31) above 150kph (93mph) and registered the fastest delivery of the tournament at 154.74kph (96.2mph). Stokes confirmed his county team-mate was fit and raring to go and welcomed the extra zip he will bring, especially when it comes to the short-ball tactic England deployed so effectively in the first Test.”Having someone in your squad who can bowl 150km/h is a massive bonus for any team around the world, especially out here with Pakistan being a very hard place to come and win. Having someone of this calibre and what he brings, the way in which he bowls, is going to massive for us. He is going to add to our ability to take 20 wickets I think, and it’s a bit of a different story to having three low 80mph bowlers compared to Mark Wood bowling.”Further complications for England’s preparations could come from the local conditions, with heavy winter smog expected to delay the 10am start time, as well as create potential health issues for the players. Videos from the ground sent to the team show visibility at less than 10 yards between 9am and 9.30am before eventually clearing at around 11am. England’s flight into Multan from Islamabad on Tuesday was delayed by three-and-a-half hours as a consequence.Related

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Multan’s air quality index was rated as “unhealthy” on Thursday, with a level of micro-particles 18.5 times higher than the guideline set by the World Health Organisation. Local advice is to wear masks outside and avoid outdoor exercise, which will become a problem from Thursday onwards, when England train for the first time at the Multan Cricket Stadium.The ECB medical staff on the tour, led by medical director Dr Nick Peirce and team doctor Anita Biswas, will take a view on conditions at the venue on Thursday. Training began at 11am with every member of the squad taking part in nets. Only assistant coach Paul Collingwood missed practice through illness.Stokes said he was not worried about the smog, and went as far as to say he does not expect the heavier air to effect how much work the team will be able to get through in the field.”I think it’s just another thing we are going to have to deal with. It doesn’t seem like it was any more draining because of how muggy it was. It was just a little bit sweatier, so might have to bring a few more pairs of whites to the game.”The pitch is dry and seems a lot more muggier here than it was in Islamabad. I think square, it’s quite a big, hard, dry square. Looking at that you might see reverse swing coming into a Test match a lot earlier than it did.”Meanwhile, gun shots could be heard 1km away from the Ramada Hotel this morning, where both teams are staying in Multan. Four arrests were made by Pakistan police authorities, who say the shooting was between two rival gangs.No one was injured and security plans remain unaffected. Both England and Pakistan are understood to have already left for the ground at the time of the shooting, which took place around 9:30am.England 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Ollie Robinson, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James Anderson.This article was updated on December 8 to reflect England’s confirmed Test XI

Another riveting bout of deadline-day action for those of a Liverpool persuasion. Ah well, can’t have it all. If anything, it stands as a measure of Liverpool’s prudence, so careful and assured in the market.

And it’s bore fruit for sure. Arne Slot’s side are six points clear of Arsenal (with a game in hand) at the Premier League’s peak and qualified in first place in the revamped Champions League group phase.

Federico Chiesa signed for £12.5m in the summer and remains the only first-team arrival to alight at Anfield since August 2023, when Jurgen Klopp took a chance on Ryan Gravenberch.

Don’t hold your breath until this evening. However, FSG are genuinely gearing up to make things happen come summer, with an exciting name emerging in defence.

Liverpool lining up new defender

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are gearing up for a marquee signing, albeit one that will arrive after the end of the season, in the form of Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.

One of the key pillars of Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flying side, Murillo has been valued at £80m and is also attracting interest from Arsenal, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool’s intrigue is concrete, however.

With Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk out of contract at the end of the season and Joe Gomez nearly leaving for Newcastle United last summer, it’s imperative that Liverpool make their first central defensive permanent signing since 2022.

Why Liverpool want Murillo

Van Dijk is the impenetrable bastion in front of Alisson’s goal. He’s a machine, supreme leader, inimitable performer. The Netherlands star changed everything when joining Klopp’s project for £75m in January 2018, going on to win it all.

But he’s set to leave in a matter of months along with talisman Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the homegrown wonder, unless Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards complete a breakthrough in a protracted and ever-more-worrying stalemate.

Enter Murillo. Even if Van Dijk, who wants to stay, does indeed retain his captaincy on Merseyside, he turns 34 this summer and a success plan will be needed.

Let’s have a look at why Murillo’s the talk of the town over in Nottinghamshire. The Brazil defender, aged 22, has been hailed “one of the best signings in Nottingham Forest’s history” by journalist Leonardo Bertozzi, instrumental in preserving top-flight status last year and pushing on to defy odds and fight to leap over the Champion League fencing this year, third in the Premier League and six points clear of Manchester City.

It rather helps that he’s left-footed, for Van Dijk has dominated that side of the defensive line for club and country over so many illustrious years.

He’s good, this Murillo, but he’s no Van Dijk. He could be, though. With time and patience and a place in the Anfield hothouse, the South American titan might just realise his potential and become a superstar under Slot’s wing, starring alongside Ibrahima Konate for many years to come.

Liverpool will not want to lose their linchpin and flatter to deceive over the coming years, and while, indeed, Van Dijk’s immediate future will be in Slot’s squad, signing Murillo could be the most important signing at the club in many years, perhaps even since the Dutchman wandered through the doors all those years ago.

Transfer Focus

BBC reporter Emily Anderson hailed Murillo as a “defensive warrior” last season, and he was, but his transcendental performances for the Tricky Trees this season have confirmed that he’s worthy of stepping into Van Dijk’s shoes.

Dream transfer today: Liverpool could sign their own Palmer for £20m

Liverpool would romp home to the Premier League title in even more style with this late purchase.

1

By
Kelan Sarson

Feb 3, 2025

Celtic chiefs have now received a reply after making a late bid to sign an “excellent” attacker, according to Sky Sports.

Celtic transfer plans before deadline

The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers have re-signed Jota during the January window, with the winger returning to the club from Rennes. Celtic did lose Kyogo Furuhashi to the French side, with Alexandro Bernabei also being sold and Stephen Welsh and Odin Thiago Holm departing on loan.

It looks as if Celtic want to bring in a few more players before Monday’s deadline, though, with a left-back on the agenda. Rodgers recently confirmed that Celtic and Tierney have a pre-contract agreement for the summer, but “ideally”, the club would strike a loan deal with Arsenal for the second half of the season.

“Ideally it would [happen in January] but, at this moment, he’s still an Arsenal player. I think everyone is agreed that it will definitely take place in the summer. If we can do it beforehand, then great.

“I don’t know. I think that, like I said, we’d prepared that for the summer. And I don’t want to speak too much on it, with the greatest respect, because he’s not a Celtic player here now with us. But, if we were able to do it, of course we would like to do that. But that’s out of our control at this moment in time.”

It has been claimed since then that Tierney will remain at Arsenal until the summer, leaving the Hoops exploring other full-back options including Manchester United’s Tyrell Malacia.

A second attacking addition of the month after Jota is also wanted, with talks held for Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, who is valued in excess of £10m.

Celtic eyeing loan for international left-back as Tierney alternative

Kieran Tierney will be back at Celtic Park, but maybe not until the summer.

By
Barney Lane

Jan 30, 2025

Another heavily linked forward has been Sondre Orjasaeter of Sarpsborg. Recent reports claimed that Celtic had made a bid for Orjasaeter, and more details of that offer have now been shared.

Celtic bid for Sondre Orjasaeter rejected – Sky Sports

Taking to X on Thursday, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph revealed that Celtic’s bid for Orjasaeter was worth around £4.6m and has been rejected by Sarpsborg. Discussions are continuing over a transfer, with the Norwegian side looking to bring in around £7m.

Author Timothy Fellowes has recently praised Orjasaeter‘s dribbling as his “biggest asset” suggesting that “his stats & style of play are similar to Nicolas Kuhn”, believing he would have an “excellent impact” should he join Celtic.

The 21-year-old has contributed to 30 goals in 95 career appearances, and should Celtic get their way, he’ll be looking to add to that tally in green and white, starting next week.

The same group will play the T20 tri-series against Pakistan and Bangladesh in Christchurch

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2022Fast bowler Adam Milne has been included in New Zealand’s squad for the T20 World Cup after missing recent tours due to an Achilles problem.Milne was part of last year’s tournament in the UAE after being called up as a replacement for Lockie Ferguson. During a career interrupted by injuries, he has taken 32 wickets at 26.68 in 31 T20Is. He forms the frontline pace options alongside Ferguson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult.New Zealand coach Gary Stead said they will want to see how Milne went in the tri-series against Pakistan and Bangladesh early next month, but was confident he would be ready for the World Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”We’ve had a lot of conversations with Adam and the medical crew around him and we are confident that if everything goes well for him that he’ll be available for the tri-series games beforehand,” Stead said. “I guess that’s ultimately a final test for him to make sure he’s where we want to be. We believe he’ll be ready and that’s why he was selected.”Also included in the 15-player squad are Finn Allen and Michael Bracewell who will appear at their first World Cup. Devon Conway will be the frontline wicketkeeper while Mark Chapman and Ish Sodhi retain their places.There is no specialist back-up for Conway with the gloves, but Stead indicated that Allen or Glenn Phillips could step in if needed at short notice.”We felt that in the last World Cup that Devon did a really admirable job and you expect in Australia that probably even less balls will go through to the keeper,” he said.Allen, the hard-hitting opening batter, has made a promising start to his international career and already has a T20I hundred – 101 off 56 balls against Scotland – while striking at 169.54 from his 13 matches.Stead said that he had a first-choice 12 in mind for the World Cup, but the tri-series will be used to fine-tune plans including the combination they go with at the top of the order with Allen, Conway, Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill all options to open. Daryl Mitchell will be used in a middle-order role.”I’ll hold those cards close to my chest on what we will do [with opening], but think we’ll see during the tri-series we’ll be trying a few different people there,” he said.Kyle Jamieson was not considered for selection as he continues his recovery from the back injury he picked up in England.Guptill will become the first New Zealander to appear at seven men’s T20 World Cups.The same squad will play the T20 tri-series involving Pakistan and Bangladesh which will be staged early next month in Christchurch although extra players may be called in to manage workloads of those heading to Australia.”Along with the all-important game time, those matches will be a great chance to refine our combinations and game-plans ahead of our departure to Australia,” Stead said.New Zealand open their T20 World Cup campaign against hosts Australia, at the SCG, on October 22.

In an international career spanning 18 years, he officiated in 331 matches, the second-most for an umpire

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2022

Rudi Koertzen, the former South African umpire who was part of the ICC’s elite panel, has died aged 73. He died in a car accident while driving from Cape Town to Despatch in Eastern Cape in South Africa, where he lived with his family.Koertzen’s son, Rudi Koertzen jr, confirmed the news. “He went on a golf tournament with some of his friends, and they were expected to come back on Monday, but it seems they decided to play another round of golf,” Koertzen Jr told Algoa FM News, a South African website.Koertzen was part of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires for eight years from 2002 and officiated in 331 international matches, a record at the time of his retirement in 2010, which has since been broken by Pakistan’s Aleem Dar. Along with Dar and West Indies’ Steve Bucknor, Koertzen was one of three umpires to stand in over 100 Tests.Related

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“It is a very big loss foremost for his family and then for South Africa and cricket,” Dar said of Koertzen’s death. “I stood in so many games with him. He was not only very good as an umpire but also an excellent colleague, always very cooperative on field and also always willing to help off the field. Because of the way he was, he was also well-respected by players.”Fellow South African umpire Marais Erasmus said: “Rudi was such a strong character, physically and mentally. He paved the way for South African umpires to get to the world stage. Made us all believe it’s possible. A true legend. As a young umpire, I learnt a lot from him.”At the age of 43, Koertzen’s first international series was India’s tour of South Africa in 1992-93; his first game was the second ODI in Gqeberha (then Port Elizabeth). He went on to become one of the best and most well-respected umpires in the world, and won praise in September 1999 for refusing a bribe to manipulate a match between West Indies and India in Singapore. The 2007 World Cup final, however, was a blip in his career: Koertzen was the third umpire in that match in Barbados, where the officials came in for criticism – and were penalised by the ICC – following a chaotic finish to the game.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

After retiring as an international umpire in 2010, Koertzen published a book, (with Chris Schoeman), in which he addressed the 2007 World Cup final. Koertzen went by the nickname “Slow Death” because of the amount of time he took to raise his finger while giving a batter out.The last representative game Koertzen stood in was in 2011, an IPL match between Royal Challenger Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru.At the time of his death, he was still umpiring a few games in his hometown of Despatch and helping his local club, Despatch Cricket Club, with preparing pitches.”A legend in his own right passed away this morning and will definitely leave a great void in the cricket world,” Despatch Cricket Club said in tribute today. “We want to express our heartfelt sympathy and empathy to Uncle Rudi Koertzen’s family and loved ones.”Cricket South Africa chairperson Lawson Naidoo said: “Rudi departs at the time when cricket is beginning to enjoy the fruit of his toil. His passing has robbed us of a giant upon [whose] foundation we now stand.”While this is a sad day for cricket in South Africa, we are however comforted by the many lessons of servitude and servant leadership he has left behind for us to embody and emulate.”In his youth, Koertzen played top-division club cricket in Kimberley and was a medium pacer. Before becoming a professional umpire, as he told ESPNcricinfo in an interview in August 2010, he “worked for the railways as a carpenter in Port Elizabeth. Then I worked as a superintendent in the building trade, in the civil engineering section, supervising new buildings and renovations. I worked for them for 28 years and was a semi-professional umpire until … 1993.”

استطاع فريق الأهلي السعودي، تحقيق فوز مثير على منافسه كاواساكي الياباني بهدفين دون رد، بالمباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم السبت، ليتوج بطلاً لبطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للمرة الأولى في تاريخه.

الأهلي واجه كاواساكي على أرضية ملعب مدينة الملك عبد الله الرياضية (الجوهرة المشعة) بمدينة جدة، في نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا.

وتقدم جالينو بالهدف الأول للأهلي في الدقيقة 35 من تسديدة رائعة خارج منطقة الجزاء، سكنت الشباك مباشرةً.

طالع أيضاً.. تشكيل منتخب مصر أمام زامبيا في أمم إفريقيا للشباب.. خضر وزعلوك يقودان الهجوم

وأضاف فرانك كيسييه الهدف الثاني للأهلي في الدقيقة 42، بعد كرة عرضية من روبيرتو فيرمينو، قابلها كيسييه برأسية سكنت المرمى.

وحصد الأهلي السعودي بطاقة تأهله إلى النهائي بعد تخطيه عقبة الهلال بنتيجة 3-1، بينما تأهل فريق كاواساكي إلى المباراة النهائية بعد الفوز على النصر السعودي، بثلاثية مقابل هدفين. هدف الأهلي الأول أمام كاواساكي

هدف |
الأهلي السعودي يتقدم 1-0 كاواساكي الياباني عن طريق جالينو في الدقيقة 34 .. نهائي دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة
الهدف بصوت المعلق سمير المعيرفي #الأهلي_كاواساكي #دوري_أبطال_آسيا_للنخبة #قنوات_الكاس || #منصة_شوف pic.twitter.com/mWlpAgq7UR — قنوات الكاس (@AlkassTVSports) May 3, 2025

هدف الأهلي الثاني أمام كاواساكي

هدف |
الأهلي السعودي يتقدم 2-0 كاواساكي الياباني عن طريق فرانك كيسييه في الدقيقة 42 .. نهائي دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة
الهدف بصوت المعلق سمير المعيرفي#الأهلي_كاواساكي #دوري_أبطال_آسيا_للنخبة #قنوات_الكاس || #منصة_شوف pic.twitter.com/lhr8CMRAf0 — قنوات الكاس (@AlkassTVSports) May 3, 2025

يبدو أن الساعات القادمة قد تشهد تطورات مثيرة داخل جدران النادي الأهلي، في ظل التحركات المستمرة لحسم هوية الجهاز الفني الذي سيقود الفريق الأحمر حتى نهاية الموسم الجاري، بعد قرار إدارة النادي برحيل السويسري مارسيل كولر.

وعلم بطولات، أن عماد النحاس، المدير الفني السابق لعدد من أندية الدوري الممتاز وأحد أبناء الأهلي، أصبح ضمن الأسماء المرشحة بقوة لتولي المسؤولية الفنية للفريق بشكل مؤقت حتى نهاية الموسم.

وبحسب المصادر، فإن هناك قناعة داخل القلعة الحمراء بقدرة النحاس على قيادة الفريق في هذه المرحلة الانتقالية لما يمتلكه من خبرات فنية وشخصية قوية داخل غرفة الملابس.

ويأتي طرح اسم عماد النحاس في الوقت الذي تسعى فيه إدارة الأهلي إلى إتمام التعاقد مع مدير فني أجنبي جديد يتولى المهمة بداية من الموسم المقبل، مع تأكيدات بأن المدرب الأجنبي هو من سيقود الفريق في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية المقررة نهاية العام الجاري.

طالع أيضًا | شوبير: هناك اسم مطروح بقوة لخلافة كولر في الأهلي.. ومنصبان لـ محمد شوقي

وفي السياق ذاته، كان الأهلي قد استقر على استمرار بعض أفراد الجهاز المعاون الحالي خلال الفترة المؤقتة، مع دعمهم بوجوه جديدة قد تساعد في استقرار الفريق فنيًا ونفسيًا قبل نهاية الموسم.

وتم طرح أكثر من اسم لقيادة الفريق مؤقتًا، إلا أن أسهم عماد النحاس ارتفعت بقوة في الساعات الماضية، في ظل ترحيبه بتحمل المسؤولية في هذا التوقيت الصعب.

يُذكر أن عماد النحاس سبق له قيادة أندية عدة أبرزها أسوان والرجاء والشرقية والمقاولون العرب والاتحاد السكندري وطلائع الجيش، وحقق نتائج جيدة في بعض الفترات، ما يجعله خيارًا منطقيًا لإدارة الأهلي لحين ترتيب أوراق الفريق بشكل كامل مع المدير الفني الجديد.

ومن المنتظر أن يتم الإعلان الرسمي عن الجهاز الفني المؤقت خلال الساعات القليلة المقبلة، بعد الانتهاء من كافة المشاورات والمفاوضات.

Chelsea have been fantastic in the 2024/25 Premier League season, and are flying high under Enzo Maresca. One of the main reasons for this is the fact they have been so ruthless in front of goal. The Blues have a squad filled with attacking firepower, and it is fair to say they have turned up this season.

The West Londoners have scored 37 goals in the top flight, the second-highest behind only Tottenham Hotspur with 39. Furthermore, the Blues have also created the second most big chances, with 61. Liverpool are the only side with more, creating 71.

Now, with the January transfer window approaching, it seems Maresca wants to only add more goals to his side because Chelsea are linked with a new striker.

Chelsea could sign big-name striker in 2025

Going into the January transfer window, rumours are beginning to swirl again concerning Nigeria centre-forward Victor Osimhen. The 25-year-old is currently on loan at Galatasaray from Italian giants Napoli and is enjoying an excellent season in Turkey.

Now, according to reports on the continent, Chelsea are one of the clubs who are willing to exercise the player’s release clause at the turn of the year. The report suggests that the Blues have ‘shown great interest’ in signing Osimhen this winter.

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However, they would not be alone in their hunt for his signature. Premier League rivals Manchester United and French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also showing interest.

Should a deal for the 25-year-old get over the line, he could cost a hefty sum, reported to be around £62m. Although he is on loan in Turkey, there is a break clause in his contract that would see him have the chance to leave and sign permanently for a new club, if they meet the above sum of money.

How Osimhen compares to Nicolas Jackson

In a Chelsea side that is already devastating in front of goal, adding Osimhen to that attack could wreak havoc on the Premier League. The striker is simply deadly and has been fantastic for Galatasaray this term, scoring 12 goals in 15 games in all competitions.

However, the 25-year-old is not only clinical for the Turkish giants. His record for Napoli is outstanding.

In 133 appearances for Gli Azzurri, Osimhen has scored 76 goals, grabbing 18 assists, averaging 0.71 goals and assists per game. In the Scudetto-winning season of 2022/23, he scored 31 times in 39 games.

Should the Blues sign Osimhen this winter, he would be merely adding to the firepower they have in attacking areas. Of course, their first-choice striker is Nicolas Jackson, who has performed superbly under Maresca so far.

In 16 top-flight games in the 2024/25 campaign, the Senegal striker has scored nine times and provided three assists. He has been a consistent goalscorer for his side, not going longer than two games without a Premier League.

Perhaps Jackson’s best game in the top flight this season came against West Ham United away from home. He scored twice and grabbed an assist for Cole Palmer in a 3-0 win against their London rivals.

Having both Osimhen and Jackson at the club as striking options will be great depth. As the stats via FBref show, they are both fantastic players. The Nigerian striker averages 1.07 goals per game in the league this season and 0.33 goals per shot on target. In contrast, the Chelsea number 15 averages 0.64 goals per game and 0.39 goals per shot on target.

Goals

1.07

0.64

Shots on target %

41.2%

52.3%

Shots on target

2.51

1.65

Goals per shot

0.14

0.2

Goals per shot on target

0.33

0.39

Signing Osimhen can only be a good thing for the Blues. Not only would they be signing “one of the best strikers in the world” as labelled by Joao Cancelo, but they’d be bringing in excellent competition for Jackson, which could only make him a better player.

Maresca will have tactical flexibility, with the option to play one or both of the centre-forwards and will always have goals in his side. £62m is a big investment, but there are certainly reasons to believe it is a good way to spend money in January.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo está fazendo barulho no mercado da bola nas primeiras semanas de John Textor como dono de 90% da SAF. O Alvinegro é ambicioso e mira nomes que antes não eram da realidade do clube para reforçar a equipe visando já o Campeonato Brasileiro.

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Além do trabalho da análise de mercado, setor reforçado por Textor durante a chegada do executivo, o Botafogo busca jogadores que podem melhorar a qualidade da equipe no curto prazo mas que também têm potencial de revenda no médio prazo. Não à toa, a média de idade dos três é de 24 anos.

As negociações com o Palmeiras por Patrick giram em torno de R$ 34 milhões; o valor de Victor Sá junto ao Al-Jazira, dos Emirados Árabes, é de R$ 12,5 milhões e Luís Oyama, do Mirassol, custará entre R$ 2 e 3 milhões. Somados, os valores variam de R$ 48,5 a 49,5 milhões.

Existem, claro, cláusulas de desempenho que podem fazer o Botafogo adquirir mais direitos econômicos desses jogadores no futuro, mas essa é a quantia que está negociada neste momento.

Lucas Piazon, Philipe Sampaio e Renzo Saravia já chegaram ao Botafogo. A ideia de John Textor era de, no mínimo, seis reforços para o começo do Campeonato Brasileiro – mas esse número por aumentar diante das circunstâncias do Alvinegro no mercado.