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Rangers have a "concrete" interest in signing a young star this summer, but may have to battle off Premier League interest to make it happen.

Rangers relying on Celtic slip up

A poor few weeks has left Rangers needing Celtic to slip up to find a way back into the Scottish Premiership race between now and the end of the campaign.

Trailing their rivals by three points and with an inferior goal difference, Philippe Clement's side could win at Celtic Park in the next Old Firm derby and still need Celtic to either drop points or suffer a heavy loss in the final games of the season.

Scottish Premiership as it stands
	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
Celtic	33	24	6	3	54	78
Rangers	33	24	3	6	49	75

But the future could look bright at Ibrox if the latest links are to be believed.

Rangers join race for teenager

Now, fresh reports have linked Rangers with a move for teenage sensation Ethan Sutherland, who has been wowing fans in Scotland's League One. In search of first team action, Sutherland left Premiership St Mirren in January for Alloa, and has impressed in Scotland's second tier.

Though still just 17-years-old, Sutherland has played a variety of roles for Alloa already. Of his 14 appearances since January, eight have come as a left-back, while just three have come in his more natural left-wing position. He has also played at both right back (1) and right midfield (1).

During this time, he has managed to rack up an impressive two goals and six assists, and has attracted the attention of both Chelsea and Manchester City for his performances. He is very highly rated at St Mirren, with Stephen Robinson revealing that though he wasn't ready for the first team just yet, he is a "real prospect".

"We think Ethan is a real prospect, but what he lacks is experience, a mentality and a determination when things go wrong," Robinson explained in January.

Rangers could land Diomande's perfect partner by repeating Jack masterclass

Rangers should be making their move for a midfielder who is out of contract this summer…

By
Ross Kilvington

Apr 25, 2024

"The only way you do that is when you are playing games. He’s not ready for the first team but going on loan will be the best for his development."

But he has just a year left on his current deal with the Scottish side, and that has attracted interest from other clubs with Rangers the latest to show their appreciation.

As per Football Insider, Philippe Clement's side have a "strong" and "concrete" interest in signing the winger this summer. Though the Premier League interest may prove problematic, they add that Rangers will "be hoping he would prefer to remain in Scotland at this stage of his career", while they also point out that Rangers could "offer the attacker a quicker route to the first team at Ibrox" than he would be offered at either Manchester City or Chelsea.

It remains to be seen whether a move ultimately materialises, but Rangers will be keen not to lose yet more Scottish talent to clubs outside Scotland, especially one with such high potential.

Alejandro Garnacho had a certain goal against Brighton ruled out by Manchester United team-mate Joshua Zirkzee inadvertently being offside.

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Brighton take on Man Utd in Premier LeagueGarnacho thought he put his side 2-1 upGoal disallowed as team-mate Zirkzee was offsideWHAT HAPPENED?

After Danny Welbeck's first-half opener against his old club was cancelled out by Amad Diallo on the hour mark, Garnacho thought he had given his team the lead 10 minutes later. However, when he scored from the tightest of angles, his effort took a flick off team-mate and summer signing Zirkzee – who happened to be in an offside position mere centimetres from the goalline. After a lengthy VAR review, the goal was chalked off and the scoreline returned to 1-1 on Saturday at the Amex.

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On such fine margins are games won and lost, and in the end, this disallowed goal turned out to be crucial as a 95th-minute winner from Joao Pedro meant Brighton secured a last-gasp 2-1 victory. The Red Devils looked like they were heading for a second straight win after beating Fulham last time out – courtesy of a late Zirkzee winner – but now it is a long journey back to Manchester for Erik ten Hag's side.

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Ten Hag's United will want to bounce back from this result when they face Arne Slot's Liverpool in their next Premier League game on September 1. Hurzeler's Brighton now have six points from his first two games in charge, with the Seagulls taking on Crawley Town in the Carabao Cup second round on Tuesday.

Aston Villa secured a sensational 4-0 victory over Ajax in the second leg of their Europa Conference League tie in midweek and the result could give them plenty of momentum heading into their weekend clash against West Ham United.

Villa lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend in a result that threatened to derail their bid for a top-four finish in the Premier League, but Unai Emery must be confident heading into tomorrow’s clash.

In the reverse fixture, the Midlands side defeated the Irons 4-1 and another result like this would surely make the Spaniard a happy man.

With the clash coming just three days after their European exertions, it is clear there could be a change or two among the team in order to add some freshness to the side.

With this in mind, here's a look at the starting XI that Emery could unleash against the Hammers…

1 GK – Emiliano Martínez

The World Cup-winning goalkeeper did not put a foot wrong against the Dutch giants in midweek, keeping his 12th clean sheet of the campaign.

Truth be told, he didn’t actually have to do much, making zero saves during the clash, as Villa eventually ran away with it, and he could sit back and admire how well they were playing.

The former Arsenal man will be aiming to add another clean sheet against West Ham tomorrow.

2 RB – Matty Cash

Cash played the full 90 minutes against Ajax and delivered an excellent performance. Not only did he finish the game with a 93% pass success rate, but the defender showed his willingness to get involved by taking 67 touches along with losing possession just seven times.

Emery will be hoping for a similar display against the Hammers and he will retain his place on the right side of the defence.

3 CB – Pau Torres

The Spaniard won 100% of his ground duels against Ajax, and he has impressed for Villa this term since joining from Villarreal.

Indeed, he has only been dribbled past on 0.5 occasions per game in the top flight, while the defender has won 54% of his total duels contested.

Keeping a clean sheet in midweek will have given him a confidence boost as he keeps his place for the weekend.

4 CB – Clement Lenglet

Diego Carlos started against Ajax; however, he was taken off in the 74th minute due to injury, with Lenglet replacing him.

The on-loan centre-back has made just 21 appearances for the Midlands side since arriving last summer, and it took until the 22nd of December for him to make his league debut.

Since then, however, Lenglet has started every single Premier League match and this won't change ahead of the West Ham clash.

5 LB – Lucas Digne

Alex Moreno was chosen as the starting left-back for the second leg against the Eredivisie outfit, yet his performance was certainly below par.

He lost possession 17 times, while completing just 75% of his passes, and it was a poor display all-round.

This opens the door for Digne to take his place against West Ham, and it would be just his second league start of 2024 following last week’s defeat.

6 RM – Leon Bailey

The former Bayer Leverkusen winger scored his 12th goal of an excellent campaign against Ajax on Thursday, and he has arguably been one of the standout performers this season for Emery.

Bailey has also registered 11 assists across all competitions and against West Ham, the Spaniard will deploy him on the right of the midfield in what will likely be a 4-4-2 formation.

7 CM – Youri Tielemans

Captain John McGinn misses the next few matches due to suspension following his red card against Spurs last weekend and this will see Tielemans take his place.

The Belgian has often been deployed in a more advanced role or out on the left, but with McGinn missing combined with Boubacar Kamara’s injury, Emery may have little choice but to unleash the former Leicester gem.

Surprisingly, the 26-year-old has started only ten league matches this term. Expect tomorrow to be his 11th.

8 CM – Douglas Luiz

The Brazilian has been the life of this Villa side throughout the 2023/24 campaign, registering 20 goal contributions – ten goals and ten assists – for the club.

Once again, he will take his place at the heart of the midfield, with Tielemans as his partner against West Ham.

9 LM – Jacob Ramsey

Morgan Rogers was given the nod to start on the left against Ajax, but he took just 13 touches, won one duel, and failed to have a shot on target.

He was hooked at the break for Tielemans and against the Hammers, Emery may go with Jacob Ramsey on the left.

The £70k-per-week gem has started just eight league matches this term as he has battled a few injury problems.

Hailed as a player who could be “top class in the future” by Jamie Carragher, Ramsey has had a season he would soon rather forget as he focuses his attention on the 2024/25 campaign.

10 ST – Moussa Diaby

The Frenchman hasn’t quite had the impact many expected upon his move from Germany last summer, as he has scored just seven times in all competitions.

He managed to score against Ajax, however, and this should give him a boost ahead of tomorrow's tie, where he will retain his place in the starting XI.

The Red Devils' tour of the United States has exposed the team's many weaknesses and left the squad depleted just as things start to get serious

Manchester United’s pre-season began with a dismal defeat to Rosenborg in Norway and Erik ten Hag telling his players their performance was “not the standard for top football” while telling them off for not being fit. It ended with a crushing 3-0 loss at the hands of arch-rivals Liverpool in South Carolina.

In between there were wins over Rangers and Real Betis as well as a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, which came with the twin blows of Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro suffering long-term injuries. Many of the team’s most important players did not feature at all after going deep at the European Championship and Copa America, and they now have less than a week to fine tune themselves for the Community Shield against Manchester City.

United beat City the last time they met in the FA Cup final, when they staged a huge shock which ultimately led to Ten Hag keeping his job. United, though, now feel very much like the underdogs heading into Saturday, especially after City thrashed Chelsea 4-2 in their final pre-season game.

At best, the pre-season feels like a waste of time, albeit one United could not control due to so many big hitters missing it. At worst, it feels like a it has drained already tight resources and dampened the mood ahead of the new campaign.

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  Worst summer in six years

  In terms of results, this has been United’s worst pre-season campaign since 2018-19, Jose Mourinho’s last stand with the club. United won just one of six games in that sorry campaign, which also included a heavy defeat by Liverpool.

  The discontent between the Portuguese and the club’s hierarchy was tangible during the pre-season tour and inevitably spilled over into the season, as Mourinho was dismissed before Christmas.

  The results might have been marginally better this time around, but the injuries to Yoro and Hojlund make it even worse than Mourinho’s last pre-season. The arrival of Yoro had greatly excited fans, especially as the club had beaten Real Madrid to his signature, and he had impressed in his debut against Rangers and was one of the main attractions of the tour.

  All the hard work United did behind the scenes in convincing the 18-year-old to move to Old Trafford and not Santiago Bernabeu was undone though in the first half of the first game of the tour against Arsenal, however. A seemingly innocuous tangle with Gabriel Jesus led to Yoro breaking his foot and being ruled out until November.

  A fractured metatarsal is one of the worst injuries a player can suffer. David Beckham and Wayne Rooney picked up the same injuries in the build-up to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, while more recently, Lisandro Martinez suffered the same injury in April 2023.

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  Defensive concerns

  The Argentine’s campaign instantly came to an end and the injury continued to haunt him early into the following season, forcing him to undergo a second operation on his foot in September. Just a few games after returning to action, he then suffered a serious knee injury.

  Martinez’s injury troubles were surely a motivating factor in the pursuit of Yoro, so it was hugely frustrating that the Frenchman should fall victim to the same injury in only his second appearance for the club.

  Martinez has just returned to training with United after the Copa America and United must pray that nothing happens to him before or during the Community Shield. Harry Maguire missed the Liverpool game as a precaution while 36-year-old Jonny Evans came off at half-time due to illness and Victor Lindelof was substituted as a precaution.

  Will Fish, who admittedly was unlikely to be part of the first-team squad, came off on a stretcher, meaning Martinez is currently United’s only central defender with no question marks over his fitness. And he will need some time to get up to speed.

  Things are certainly not looking good for United’s defence, which conceded 58 goals last season in the league and the second-highest amount of shots, as well as being the second-worst backline in the Champions League group stage.

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  Mainoo needs support

  United’s midfield also raises plenty of questions. Casemiro has continued to look like he is reaching the end of his time at the top of the game and reinforcements are yet to arrive.

  A deal for Paris Saint-Germain's Manuel Ugarte seems unlikely before the Community Shield, but United will desperately need to bolster their midfield before the transfer window closes. Kobbie Mainoo was a revelation last year, but he has only just returned after reaching the Euro 2024 final with England and he needs a more energetic partner than the ageing Casemiro.

  Mason Mount has had a promising pre-season, although that is partly down to the fact he has been able to play as No.10. Will he be able to still thrive when Bruno Fernandes gets back in shape? It is doubtful.

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  Hojlund-shaped hole

  The biggest concern of all, though, is up front, where United have a huge void to fill in the absence of Hojlund. The Dane had an up-and-down season while trying to bed-in to United, ending the campaign with a credible 16 goals in all competitions.

  But the team really struggled without him. It is no coincidence that United’s resurgent form at the start of 2024 came to a halt when he picked up an injury in February, with Fulham sinking the Red Devils at Old Trafford.

  United do at least have new signing Joshua Zirkzee to fill in, but the Dutch striker is yet to train with his new team-mates and Ten Hag has admitted he will need some time to adapt. That means United may have to begin the season with Jadon Sancho playing as a false nine, an experiment they tried in the previous pre-season tour but abandoned when the proper season began.

  Sancho was back playing as a false nine against Real Betis and Liverpool and looked particularly lost against the Merseysiders. He was not expected to remain with United after falling out with Ten Hag and joining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January, so him starting the campaign playing out of position will provide another stern test of his relationship with the manager.

Celtic turn their attention back to the Scottish Premiership this weekend as they prepare to welcome St. Johnstone to Parkhead on Saturday afternoon.

The Hoops head into this match off the back of a 4-2 win over Livingston in the quarter-finals of the SFA Cup last weekend, thanks to a hat-trick from Daizen Maeda and one strike from Kyogo Furuhashi.

That win created a semi-final tie with Aberdeen next month and the Bhoys will now look to secure a domestic cup before the end of the campaign, having been knocked out of the League Cup by Kilmarnock back in August.

For now, the attention should be on the Premiership as Celtic are currently two points behind Rangers, who do not play until Sunday, at the top of the table.

A win would send the Hoops up to first, at least until their rivals play, and would be a much-needed response to the 2-0 defeat to Hearts last time out in the division.

Brendan Rodgers could look to make some changes to the starting XI that lined up against Kilmarnock and one alteration he should make is to bring Daniel Kelly in for Paulo Bernardo, amid the club's injury issues in that position.

Latest Celtic injury news

The Hoops look set to be without their captain against St. Johnstone on Saturday as Callum McGregor continues to deal with an Achilles issue.

Rodgers recently stated that he is hoping that the Scotland international will be ready to return from his absence after the international break, which starts next week.

The Celtic skipper has not featured for the club since he scored in the 7-1 drubbing of Dundee at the end of last month, and it remains to be seen whether or not the central midfielder will make an appearance in March.

McGregor is not the only Hoops star out through injury, though, as Reo Hatate remains out with the calf injury he sustained whilst on international duty with Japan.

The manager recently confirmed that the talented dynamo is due to return to team training during the international break, with the hope that he can feature against Livingston in the Premiership at the end of this month.

These injury blows mean that Rodgers is limited in what he can do with his midfield trio against St. Johnstone on Saturday, as Kelly and Odin Thiago Holm were his only substitutes for those positions last time out.

Holm has been an unused substitute in each of the club's last five matches in all competitions and has only made eight appearances – with two of those coming as a starter – in the Premiership since his permanent move to Glasgow last summer.

Kelly must now finally be unleashed from the start in the Premiership as the Norwegian youngster is seemingly out of favour, and Bernardo has struggled in recent games.

Paulo Bernardo's recent struggles for Celtic

The 22-year-old whiz, who is currently on loan from Portuguese giants Benfica, has been fairly unimpressive in his recent performances for the Scottish giants.

Bernardo started against Livingston last time out in the SFA Cup but was substituted with the score at 2-2 in the 61st minute after failing to score or assist any goals in just over an hour on the pitch.

That display came after the young gem had also started against Hearts at Tynecastle in Celtic's last Premiership match. His outing that day only lasted 45 minutes as Rodgers opted to haul him off after an uneventful first-half display.

He failed to register a shot on target or create a single chance for his teammates, which highlights how little the midfielder offered in possession. Bernardo was also dribbled past (twice) as many times as he completed tackles, as the Jam Tarts players found it too easy to get the better of him.

Appearances

15

Starts

10

Goals

2

Assists

2

Key passes per game

0.5

Duel success rate

48%

As you can see in the table above, the attacking midfielder has rarely provided quality at the top end of the pitch, with both of those assists coming in one match against St Mirren on New Year's Day, particularly with less than one chance created per game.

Rodgers must now unleash the teenage whiz – Kelly – from the start due to Bernardo's underwhelming displays and the injuries to Hatate and McGregor.

Daniel Kelly's Celtic stats this season

The 18-year-old talent has burst onto the scene in the first-team this season and has shown glimpses of quality in his limited minutes for the side so far.

He has made four appearances as a substitute for the Scottish giants, with two outings in the Premiership and two in the SFA Cup – including coming on for Bernardo against Livingston last time out.

Kelly, who was recently hailed as a "real powerhouse" by Scotland U18 boss Billy Stark, has already scored his first senior goal for the club with a fantastic finish against Dundee in the 7-1 win for Celtic last month.

Minutes played

45

Goals

1

Pass accuracy

83%

Dribble success rate

100%

Interceptions

1

Hyun-jun Yang cut the ball back across the box for the naturally left-footed whiz to curl the ball into the back of the net with his weaker right foot.

That strike came after the teenage dynamo had scored three goals in 22 games for Celtic at youth level during the first half of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Hoops youngster could, therefore, offer a similar or greater goalscoring threat in comparison to Bernardo, who has only scored two goals in 15 Premiership matches.

Kelly has not made his full first-team debut for the club yet, with only cameo appearances under his belt to date, and Rodgers must finally unleash him from the start to see what the talented maestro can produce.

Bernardo's recent performances do not suggest that he deserves to keep his place in the starting XI and the injuries to Hatate and McGregor have provided the manager with the perfect opportunity to bring the B team star in for what could be his breakthrough moment in the senior team.

Sri Lanka coach said he hoped this series would encourage more Sri Lankan players to tour Pakistan

Danyal Rasool in Karachi29-Sep-2019In what could be seen as an encouraging development as far as Sri Lanka playing a Test series in Pakistan before the end of the year is concerned, Sri Lanka coach Rumesh Ratnayake said he hoped the ongoing limited-overs series would encourage more Sri Lankan players to tour Pakistan. The three-ODI, three-T20I series currently being played by Sri Lanka in Pakistan is in lieu of the originally scheduled two-match Test series, which was postponed owing to several first-team Sri Lankan players’ reluctance to tour Pakistan at this time.”This will be a precursor for that [Test] tour [in December],” Ratnayake said. “I’m sure this will certainly encourage the others to take decisions, but we can’t enforce it on them. They have taken a decision and we have to respect that, but certainly if things go well, this will be a huge thing for the future, not only for them but for all other countries to be here.”The tour was affected by ten Sri Lankan players deciding against touring, resulting in Sri Lanka selecting a somewhat inexperienced team to tour Pakistan. Compounding their problems, head coach Ratnayake said the team’s “preparation hadn’t been that good”. Regular afternoon rains during much of the last week inhibited the teams’ ability to get full training and practice sessions in, and Ratnayake revealed wet weather in Sri Lanka had hampered their ability to turn up fully prepared.”Even before we came here, the preparations were hampered by rain. It seems as if it’s raining in the whole world. We had only had a day’s training outside, and today was the second day. So, as you can imagine, the prep hasn’t been all that good, but that’s not going to be an excuse because they are all professional players. “The people who have taken their place are challenged to do well, it’s for their future also, so I hope there won’t be any rain.”If anything, the elements may throw up the opposite challenge for the sides. Following a week with unseasonal, torrential downpours in a city completely ill-equipped to deal with them, a stiflingly hot, humid weekend meant spending much time outside practicing would push players’ physical fitness to the limit. Ratnayake, however, was already busy working away at several strategies to motivate his players, which included playing up to the image of his side being comprehensive underdogs.”There are various ways of motivating them. One is the challenge of facing this Pakistan team, and we talked about the Pakistan team being Goliaths and us not,” he said. “That’s the sort of the way we are motivating them, but they are professionals and I’m sure they’ll do what’s needed to be done.”The challenge today was from the heat rather than the rain. It was sunny but the focus was for the batsmen to know the sort of conditions they will face during the match, and ensuring they train well enough to be prepared for whatever comes their way.”While much of Pakistan will be tuned in to the cricket over the next week, they will, like Ratnayake, be hoping the Sri Lankan players who opted to stay home will be watching closely, too.

Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid awarded only white-ball contracts for 2019-20 season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2019Jofra Archer’s rise in England cricket continues after being awarded an ECB central contract across all formats.Barbados-born Archer only made his international debut in May shortly after he qualified to represent England and then went on to play a crucial role in the triumphant World Cup campaign and the Ashes series. He was among six players to receive both Test and white-ball contracts for the 2019-20 season, announced on Friday.In all, the England selectors awarded 10 Test contracts and 12 white-ball contracts.Opening batsman Rory Burns earned a Test contract after becoming the third-highest runscorer of the Ashes series with 390 runs from his 10 innings. Batsman Joe Denly – who missed out on World Cup selection after much discussion about his possible role as a spin-bowling all-rounder – was awarded his first white-ball contract.Moeen Ali, who was dropped for the second Test against Australia and took no further part in the Ashes, missed out on a Test contract, as did Adil Rashid. Both had been contracted across all three formats last year but were awarded only limited-overs deals for next season. Rashid has not played since the World Cup final in July because of a right shoulder injury that required painkilling injections during the tournament.Jason Roy, who battled to establish himself as a Test batsman through the Ashes was awarded only a white-ball contract.James Anderson, whose Ashes campaign was ruined by a calf injury, retained his Test contract and World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan remains on a white-ball contract – confirming his intention to play on in ODI and T20I cricket.Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett and David Willey missed out on white-ball contracts for 2019-20, with Plunkett voicing his disappointment at the decisionThe selectors can also award a limited number of increment contracts, which went to Burns, Denly and Jack Leach for 2018-19 in recognition of their performances for the team through the current season. Leach and Tom Curran received increment contract for the 2019-20 year commencing on October 1.

BREAKING: Jofra Archer awarded an all-format contract by the ECB, Rory Burns and Joe Denly get Test and white-ball contracts for the first time.

More to follow… pic.twitter.com/XCmp5GIbWk

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 20, 2019

Incremental:Tom Curran, Jack Leach

خطف  منتخب نيجيريا فوزًا قاتلًا من ليبيا، بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي جمعتهما اليوم ضمن منافسات التصفيات المؤهلة لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025.

واستضاف منتخب نيجيريا نظيره الليبي على ملعب استاد أدوكيي أميسيماكا، في الجولة الثالثة من التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس أمم أفريقيا 2025 المقامة في المغرب.

طالع..فيديو | محمد صلاح يسجل هدف مصر الثاني أمام موريتانيا في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا

وسجل فيسايو بشيرو هدف المباراة الوحيد في الدقيقة 87 قبل نهاية اللقاء بدقائق ليقود بلده لفوز هام من أجل التأهل لكأس أمم إفريقيا.

وبتلك النتيجة ارتفع رصيد منتخب نيجيريا إلى 7 نقاط في المركز الأول من ترتيب المجموعة، بينما منتخب ليبيا تجمد رصيده عند نقطة واحدة في المركز الرابع.

وفي منافسات نفس المجموعة، حقق منتخب بنين الفوز على رواندا بثلاثية نظيفة، ليرتقي إلى المركز الثاني برصيد 6 نقاط، بينما رواندا في المركز الثالث بنقطتين.

وتقام تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا المغرب 2025 من مرحلة واحدة بمشاركة 48 منتخبا، تم تقسيمها على 12 مجموعة بواقع 4 منتخبات في كل واحدة، يتأهل منها المتصدر والوصيف. أهداف مباراة نيجيريا وليبيا اليوم في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا

MatériaMais Notícias

Após dois dias de folga, o elenco do Corinthians se reapresentou na tarde desta segunda-feira (29), no CT Joaquim Grava, ainda sem próximo compromisso definido, já que São Paulo vive a fase emergencial de contenção ao novo coronavírus, o que impede a realização do Campeonato Paulista no Estado.

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Após passar boa parte da última semana no Rio de Janeiro, onde derrotou o Mirassol, por 1 a 0, em Volta Redonda, pela quinta rodada do Paulistão, na última terça-feira (23), e empatou no tempo normal por 1 a 1, vencendo por 5 a 4 nos pênaltis, o Retrô (PE), pela segunda fase da Copa do Brasil, em Saquarema, os atletas do Timão voltaram ao seu Centro de Treinamentos.

A realização dos últimos jogos em outra Unidade da Federação fez parte da tentativa da Federação Paulista de Futebol manter o seu Campeonato Estadual.

Na retomada das atividades, o técnico Vagner Mancini fez um trabalho integrado com todos os atletas a disposição – o que excede os entregues ao Departamento Médico, como Danilo Avelar, Mantuan, Ruan Oliveira e Mateus Vital. O treinador corintiano comandou uma atividade técnica, em campo reduzido, e depois partiu para um treino tático.

Na manhã desta segunda-feira (29), a diretoria da FPF se reuniu com os presidentes dos clubes que integram a Série A1 do Paulistão, através de videoconferência, onde foi definido que um protocolo mais severo seria montado para buscar a manutenção do Estadual junto ao Ministério Público. Contudo, de acordo com o “GE.Globo”, a entidade máxima do futebol paulista ainda cogita levar alguns jogos fora de São Paulo, principalmente de Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, São Paulo, Red Bull Bragantino e Ponte Preta, que estão envolvidos em mais de uma competição.

>> Confira a tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

Burnley have already made one signing in the January transfer window, bringing in David Datro Fofana from Chelsea on loan, but as we reach the final five days of the transfer window, the Clarets look far from done.

Vincent Kompany, trying to do all he can to keep his side in the Premier League, is keen on Ajax winger Carlos Forbs, again on an initial loan deal. Nottingham Forest are interested too, and it could come down to which club offers more first-team minutes.

Meanwhile, Kompany is also looking to strengthen at the other end of the field with a move for Montpellier defender Maxime Esteve. It emerged this week that the Clarets are working on a deal for one of their "main options", with Montpellier coming under pressure to sell as the player enters the final 18 months of his contract.

Speaking ahead of his side's game against Lille this weekend, manager Michel Der Zakarian was adamant that Esteve would feature and said that any departure wouldn't take place until the early part of next week.

Burnley now close to signing Esteve

According to a fresh update from French newspaper L'Equipe, Burnley are now on the verge of signing Esteve. The fee will be €12m, which works out as just over £10m.

Esteve is attracting interest from a number of teams, but Burnley have forged ahead and they are now close to completing an agreement for the centre-back.

"Dominant" Esteve can be a smart long-term addition

Now that Burnley are seemingly well on the road to landing Esteve, it's worth taking a look at what kind of player Kompany could be getting. Talent scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a "dominant" force at the back, and his numbers from this season support that assessment.

The table below shows how Esteve performs in some of the key metrics compared to fellow under-21 defenders in Ligue 1 (who have appeared in at least 10 games). You can see that he's comfortable and precise in possession and also smart in his positioning, which allows him to make a particularly high volume of clearances and interceptions.

Passing accuracy (%)

81

6th

Tackles per game

1.3

11th

Clearances per game

4.5

1st

Interceptions per game

1.6

3rd

Duels won (%)

55

7th

Aerial duels won (%)

59

6th

He's already prevailing in the majority of his duels, and that figure should improve as he becomes more experienced and continues to develop physically. Indeed, it's worth remembering that he's only 21 years old and has played just 60 first-team games at Montpellier so far.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

Twice capped by France's under-21 side, Esteve is a highly rated young defender who would be something of a coup for struggling Burnley. He'd be walking straight into a dogfight, but Montpellier themselves are only two points above the relegation places, so he's used to scrapping it out towards the bottom of the table.