Ruben Amorim assured Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte he has his backing ahead of their reunion at Old Trafford.
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With the appointment of Regis Le Bris finally ending Sunderland's search for a new manager, the club can now look to bring in the new players that they hope can take them back to the top six of the Championship next season.
Sunderland target new talents this summer
The latest news out of the Stadium of Light has focused on the club bringing young stars to the club. Former West Ham man Divin Mubama is one name linked with a move to Wearside after the 19-year-old left his boyhood club at the end of last month.
Report: Sunderland want to seal summer reunion with 25 y/o defender
He is one of the best players in his current league.
ByHenry Jackson Jun 28, 2024
Sunderland are also said to be one of a host of second tier clubs attempting to sign Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on loan this summer. Whilst the Black Cats will face stiff competition to secure the services of the 21-year-old, the club's record of developing young talent could be what tips the scales in their favour.
Whilst rumours of Sunderland signing new players will excite much of their fanbase, the news of Chris Rigg's new contract at the Stadium of Light could be the club's best business of the summer. The 17-year-old academy graduate has agreed a new deal to keep him at the club until 2027.
With young players clearly important to Sunderland's strategy this summer, the club are also in the market for established second tier talents.
Sunderland interested in former Sheffield United star
As first reported on the X account of reliable Sunderland journalist Michael Graham, the Black Cats hold a very serious interest in signing experienced free agent Oliver Norwood. The 33-year-old was released by Sheffield United upon the expiration of his contract and Sunderland are now poised to make a move for the midfielder.
Graham claims that the Black Cats will face stiff competition from fellow second tier outfits West Bromwich Albion and Watford to secure Norwood's services this summer.
Norwood featured 27 times in the Premier League last season as the Blades suffered relegation back down to the second tier. Whilst the 33-year-old struggled against some of the top flight's elite talents in the middle of the park there is no doubt that his 381 appearances in the Championship would be a huge asset to Sunderland next season.
Whilst Norwood has been something of a journeyman across English football throughout his career, the midfielder started out as a product of Man United's youth academy. Despite never breaking into the first team at Old Trafford, Norwood made 33 appearances for the Red Devils' under 21s and even earned the praise of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Speaking to The Athletic back in 2020, former Man United reverses manager Warren Joyce recalled Sir Alex's admiration of Norwood telling the outlet: “The gaffer (Ferguson) really liked Norwood. He saw him as a good man, a genuinely good character. So, he came on to me and suggested I get in touch with Scunthorpe."
Whilst a career at the Theatre of Dreams never quite materialised, Norwood has gone on to become a proven performer at Championship level and could be a vital part of a Sunderland side that will no doubt be looking to make the playoffs next season.
A number of players have already left Nottingham Forest this summer, and it appears that the side could be set for further exits from the City Ground before the transfer window closes.
Forest set for further exits this summer
With much of last season clouded by the looming threat of financial sanctions, it had long been known that this summer would see Forest part ways with numerous star players. So far, the window has seen this prediction come true, with a number of players calling time on their careers at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest eye "fantastic" former player who wants to quit his club
They could finally get their man…
ByTom Cunningham Jul 18, 2024
Nottingham Forest departures summer 2024
Player
Club joined
Fee received
Moussa Niakhaté
Olympique Lyon
£27m
Orel Mangala
Olympique Lyon
£15m
Remo Freuler
Bologna
£3.8m
Odysseas Vlachodimos
Newcastle United
Undisclosed
Brandon Aguilera
Rio Ave
Undisclosed
Jonathan Panzo
Rio Ave
Loan
Marko Stamenic
Olympiacos
Loan
Despite the multitude of players who have already left the club, Forest could be set for further exits, with attacking talents Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga both attracting interest from other sides.
The duo have both been linked with moves to fellow Premier League side Newcastle United, with the Magpies attempting to bolster their attack ready for next season and cover for the potential loss of Anthony Gordon.
With the Forest departures set to continue, it looks as if a club official is travelling to England to negotiate a deal for another of Nuno Espírito Santo's players.
Club official set for talks over Forest midfielder
Sport Witness has relayed a story from the Turkish press claiming that Fenerbahce are showing interest in Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangare, with a club official set to travel to England for talks.
The outlet states that Fenerbahce's sporting director, Mario Branco, will be travelling to speak to clubs about both Sangare and Crystal Palace's Jefferson Lerma. It is claimed that the Süper Lig side are still in the market for a new midfielder after seemingly losing the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur's Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, and will choose to pursue one of the other midfielders.
Lerma has been previously linked with a move to Fenerbahce, though Sport Witness reports that the Colombian recently played down these rumours in the press. Sangare, on the other hand, is a new name for the Turkish side and could be a likely exit from the City Ground after failing to impress during his time at Forest.
The Ivorian midfielder arrived at The City Ground on deadline day of summer 2023, joining for a reported fee in the region of £30million. In his first season in England, the former PSV man struggled, starting just 13 Premier League games last term.
Speaking shortly after his appointment as Forest manager in December 2023, Espirito Santo spoke of Sangare's struggles, telling the press:
“He is not in his best moment yet. He was seriously ill, he lost weight and has had injury problems. But he is an option for us. I know him and I expect him to help the team. He can be very, very helpful to us.”
Having signed a five-year contract with Forest, the club may choose to persevere with Sangare into the future or just cut their losses and hope to recoup as much of the initial fee as possible this summer.
MatériaMais Notícias
A Libertadores tem os finalistas definidos. Campeões das duas últimas edições, Palmeiras e Flamengo se enfrentam para definir o melhor time da América em 2021. A seleção da semana do torneio, definida pela Conmebol, foi dominada pelas equipes.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasBoletim: Felipe Melo e renovação, Galo vai à Fifa por anulação de semifinal da LibertadoresPalmeiras01/10/2021Atlético MineiroAtlético-MG entra com pedido na Conmebol para anulação do jogo contra o PalmeirasAtlético Mineiro01/10/2021PalmeirasNa disputa pelo tri, Palmeiras é dono da maior parte dos recordes entre clubes brasileiros na LibertadoresPalmeiras01/10/2021
Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez, Felipe Melo, Gabriel Veron e Dudu representaram o Verdão, que também viu Abel Ferreira ser eleito o técnico da semana. Diego Alves, Filipe Luís, Willian Arão, Everton Ribeiro e Bruno Henrique foram os cinco do Flamengo no time. O único intruso fora da final é Nacho Fernández, do Atlético-MG.
Dessa forma, a seleção da semana da Libertadores ficou: Diego Alves; Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez e Filipe Luís; Everton Ribeiro, Felipe Melo, Willian Arão e Nacho; Dudu, Gabriel Veron e Bruno Henrique.
O Alviverde eliminou o clube mineiro na semifinal, se classificando com o gol marcado fora de casa, enquanto o Rubro Negro passou pelo Barcelona de Guayaquil vencendo os dois jogos.
Palmeiras e Flamengo se enfrentam em Montevidéu, no Uruguai, no dia 27 de novembro, pelo título da Libertadores de 2021.
continua após a publicidade
Looking to push on from relegation battles once and for all next season, Queens Park Rangers have reportedly reached an agreement to welcome their fifth signing of the summer transfer window.
QPR transfer news
It's been a busy but cheap summer transfer window at Loftus Road so far, with Paul Nardi and Hevertton Santos two examples of how the Championship side have taken advantage of the free market, whilst also spending to welcome Liam Morrison and Daniel Bennie. Morrison, arriving from Bayern Munich's second side, is a particularly impressive coup at just 21 years old and should be battling for a place in Marti Cifuentes' side come August.
The central defender told QPR's official website after officially signing for the club: “I’m delighted. It has been something that has been in the works for the last couple of weeks and I am really looking forward to getting started. I know the Championship is a step up but I am confident I will be able to handle that step.”
With defensive reinforcements welcomed, those in London have reportedly turned their attention towards bolstering Cifuentes' attacking options. According to Football Insider, QPR have reached an agreement to sign Zan Celar from FC Lugano this summer, with a medical already booked. The forward featured for Slovenia at Euro 2024, coming from the bench when his side held England to a 0-0 draw in Group C.
Now, having crashed out of the tournament in the Group Stage despite that draw against the Three Lions, Celar is on the move and seemingly set to make QPR his sixth club in a busy career at just 25 years old. Having previously played for AS Roma, there's no doubt that Celar will be looking to get back to a top flight level.
QPR set to seal "major coup" Celar
A player many will know from his time at Roma, Celar has since stolen the headlines at Lugano to earn the praise of Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, who described the forward as a "major coup" for QPR. His move to English football is one that he's more than earned after an excellent spell in Switzerland, in which he proved his goalscoring exploits for all to see.
Given that QPR managed just 47 goals in the entirety of the last Championship campaign – just over double what Celar managed alone in Switzerland – they could certainly do with a forward capable of finding the back of the net at such a ruthless rate.
As Cifuentes looks to move his side on from the frustration of relegation battles, Celar represents exactly the type of signing that QPR should be welcoming this summer.
أعلن اللاعب الجزائري أحمد القندوسي انتقاله رسميًا إلى صفوف فريق نادي سيراميكا كليوباترا قادمًا من الأهلي.
وكشف قندوسي عن إتمام انتقاله بإعلان وكالة أعمالة “Seven Eleven” عن إتمام الانتقال ببيان مقتضب عبر فيس بوك، جاء فيه: “المزيد من السحر قادم مع نادي سيراميكا كليوباترا”.
وكيل أحمد قندوسي يحسم الجدل حول عودته لـ الأهلي وحقيقة وجود بند لمنع انتقاله لـ الزمالك
وأوضح المنشور المقتضب، أن قندوسي مستمر مع ناديه الجديد حتى عام 2027 في إشارة لمدة التعاقد.
وفي الوقت ذاته أعلن نادي سيراميكا عن إتمام شراء لاعبه المعار من النادي الأهلي، عبر الحساب الرسمي بموقع “فيس بوك”: ” أحمد قندوسي، سيمفونية الإبداع .. عرض مستمر حتى2027″.
قندوسي كان قد انضم للأهلي قادمًا من فريق وفاق سطيف الجزائري، قبل أن يعار لصفوف سيراميكا، ثم يقرر مسؤولو القلعة الحمراء عرضه للبيع بسبب تصريحاته التي ترتب عليها تحويله للتحقيق.
وكان قندوسي قد انضم إلى سيراميكا على سبيل الإعارة من نادي الأهلي في وقت سابق، قبل أن يقرر الأهلي عرضه للبيع بعد المشكلة التي حدثت بين إدارة الناديين.
وشارك قندوسي. في 10 مباريات مع سيراميكا هذا الموسم بواقع 8 في الدوري و2 بكأس السوبر، سجل خلالهم هدفين وصنع 5 أهداف.
He has a splint on and will be reviewed by a hand specialist in a week
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2021
Jimmy Neesham’s most recent international assignments were the T20I series against West Indies and Pakistan•Getty Images
New Zealand allrounder James Neesham has undergone surgery for a compound dislocation on his left ring finger. Cricket Wellington said on Twitter that Neesham has a splint on, and that he will be reviewed by a hand specialist in a week. Neesham had sustained the injury during Wellington Firebirds’ game against Canterbury Kings on January 16. He is expected to return to action for the back end of the ongoing Super Smash tournament, where Wellington are currently leading the table.Neesham had featured in five of his team’s six matches thus far, scoring 65 runs and taking eight wickets – the joint-most – at an average of 16.25. On Saturday against Canterbury, he top-scored with 49 to lead Wellington to 154 for 7. However, he was unable to close out the match with the ball, conceding 30 runs from 3.4 overs as Wellington suffered their first loss of the season. He underwent surgery later on Saturday night.
Neesham, who has mostly been restricted to T20 cricket in recent months, had struggled for form during the IPL in the UAE, managing just 19 runs and two wickets from five matches for Kings XI Punjab, who finished sixth on the table and missed out on the playoffs for the sixth straight year.Despite that lean run, Neesham was included in the T20I squad for the home series against West Indies and Pakistan. He made a decisive contribution in the first T20I against West Indies at Eden Park, stroking an unbeaten 24-ball 48 – his highest T20I score – to take New Zealand to victory in a rain-affected chase.
Coach Domingo also looking at building competent pace battery with New Zealand tour in mind
Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2021Shakib Al Hasan will be eased back into the thick of things in his comeback series. He will bat in the middle order, and not at No. 3, where he scored two centuries and five fifties at the 2019 World Cup. That spot will now be taken by Najmul Hossain Shanto, a young left-handed batsman who is trying to establish himself in the side.Since the World Cup, Bangladesh have played only six ODIs but they have already used four batsmen in that position. Shanto has shown good form at that position in Tests against Pakistan and Zimbabwe last year, but he still has a lot to prove in ODIs.Russell Domingo, the head coach, believes the move not only gives Shakib some breathing space but also ensures the middle order is stocked with his experience, alongside Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. It’s an experiment they want to make now, to see if it can be a viable option building into the 2023 World Cup. He confirmed, though, that nothing was set in stone.”Obviously Shanto has been in really good form,” Domingo said. “He played in the last series against Zimbabwe and we need to make sure that we develop some young batters. In the sub-continent, the top three is the best place to develop young batsmen. It is great to have Shakib back. He had an unbelievable World Cup at No 3.”At the moment I am probably thinking of having the experienced players of four, five and six being Shakib, Mushfiq and Riyad. It gives us good maturity and experience in the middle-order. We know playing in the sub-continent where the middle-order is so important.”Shakib hasn’t played international cricket in a while so batting at No. 4 would give him the breathing space coming back into the side. We know he is a world-class player. This batting line-up is not set in stone. There’s a long way to go for the World Cup. We need to look at various options before we settle on a batting line-up.”Domingo was also quite clear that Soumya Sarkar will now don the role of a finisher, quite different to what he’s done so far. He has batted outside the top six only twice in ODIs and once in a T20I last year.”At the moment I think the top-order is pretty established with Tamim [Iqbal] and Liton [Das] opening the batting. We want to maybe have a look at Soumya in the middle order. We are trying to find someone that can be a power hitter in the back-end of our innings, and maybe bowl a few overs.”I know Soumya has always played at the top of the innings. We need to try to find guys who can fit into these roles as the season goes on. By the time we get the World Cup, everybody has played at various roles, and then we can finalise what is our best line-up.”At the moment we are looking at Soumya to bat in the middle-order and finish games with someone like (Mahmudullah) Riyad. He has experience and he is a clean hitter of the ball. I have a lot of faith in his batting. Hopefully he can put together some good performances.”It is a tough role at No. 6 and No. 7. Sometimes you need ten an over and you get a good ball. Sometimes you come in at 50 for 5, and you get a good ball. It is a tough situation and people must be patient to allow him time in that role.”The only remaining area that begged curiosity is whether Bangladesh will have a pace-heavy attack, or whether they will continue to rely on spin. Domingo said that he wants to play three seamers, particularly with the upcoming New Zealand tour in mind, where he believes Bangladesh won’t play more than one spinner.”There’s no doubt that we always wanted to play at least three seamers in our 50-over side,” he said. “There’s some exciting young prospects at the moment. Guys like Shoriful [Islam] and Hasan Mahmud. Rubel [Hossain] and Mustafizur [Rahman] have been bowling really well. Taskin [Ahmed] has shown improvement. There’s a whole host of guys pushing for places. We need to make sure we provide them the opportunity to play one-day cricket.”I think we can’t just be a team that plays spinners all the time. We are going to New Zealand in six weeks’ time. There I can assure you we can play only one spinner so we have to make sure we have seamers who are ready to play international cricket. I can’t see myself playing an ODI without three seamers.”Domingo however doesn’t want to treat this West Indies series as anything but a competitive one. He said that they have acquired footage of all the uncapped players, who he believes will have a point to prove in Bangladesh.”(Performance analyst) Shrinivas (Chandrasekaran) has done some pretty good work for us. He has got footage on pretty much all the players from the CPL and domestic one-day tournaments. He managed to get some of those clips for us.”We have had a look at all the players. They might be an inexperienced international side but a lot of them have played CPL and domestic cricket. They have very good records. We cannot take them for granted. It will be a tough challenge. West Indies is a proud cricket nation.”These young players will have a point of prove. They want to make sure that they establish themselves in the sides. They’d be very motivated. We have to be on our game from ball one. We can’t expect West Indies to roll over. It will be a hard-fought and close contest. We can’t be complacent going into the series.”
Chelsea’s massive spending under Todd Boehly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, with the club still desperately wanting to build on last season’s sixth-placed Premier League finish.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has already arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer, joining new boss Enzo Maresca from their time together at Leicester City last season where the pair claimed the Championship title.
However, more needs to be done to bolster the ranks, with the Italian keen on further adding to his squad – as demonstrated by the links with Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo.
The Uruguayan is also subject to interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United, with either side needing to fork out €100m (£84.5m) for his signature this summer.
Araujo isn’t the only player who’s been targeted by the two sides, joining one other talent who’s caught the eye of Maresca and Erik ten Hag.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Chelsea have scouted Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez as a potential option at left-back for next season.
The Hungarian, who has featured at Euro 2024 for his nation, has also previously attracted interest from Manchester United, with neither side yet to make an official move for the 20-year-old.
Kerkez, who joined the Cherries for £15m last summer, made 33 appearances in the Premier League last campaign, settling straight into life in England’s top flight.
Jacobs confirmed that Bournemouth are reluctant to part ways with their talented youngster and value him at around the £35m mark – a tempting price for Maresca’s side.
He fits perfectly into Boehly’s current recruitment, signing talented youngsters with huge potential, with Kerkez’s talents potentially allowing one current Blues player to realise his potential next season.
Winger Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea for a staggering £88.5m back in January 2023, arriving with huge potential following his time at Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.
However, his time in London has been anything but successful, scoring just seven goals in his 58 appearances for the club since his big-money transfer.
He’s looked unsettled at times, failing to make a huge impact on games, but should Kerkez arrive at Stamford Bridge, the Ukrainian international could seriously reap the rewards and start to look like the player Boehly signed 18 months ago.
With the Hungarian being a full-back, his main responsibility is to regain possession for his team, a role at which he excelled at last season, winning an average of 2.2 tackles per game in the Premier League.
The "incredible" Kerkez, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also demonstrated his defensive qualities by making 0.9 interceptions per 90 alongside 1.4 blocks – helping Antonio Iraola’s side record a 12th-placed finish.
|
Milos Kerkez's stats in the PL (2023/24) |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Games |
33 |
|
Goals and assists |
1 |
|
Progressive passes per 90 |
2 |
|
Progressive carries per 90 |
2.1 |
|
Tackles per 90 |
2.2 |
|
Interceptions per 90 |
0.9 |
|
Blocks per 90 |
1.4 |
|
Stats via FBref |
|
However, he’s also impressed with his aggressive nature in attacking, completing an average of two progressive passes per 90, as well as 2.1 progressive carries – demonstrating his desire to get forward at every opportunity.
His direct playstyle sees him overlap the wideman on the left-hand side, a feature of his play that could aid Mudryk who likes to drift inside onto his favoured right foot.
The Ukrainian simply hasn’t done enough to provide value for money since his move to the club, with the upcoming season crucial in his
development at Stanford Bridge.
Injuries to Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell have hampered his progress, with Mudryk unable to strike a solid partnership down that side of Chelsea’s attack.
However, should Kerkez arrive at the club, it could be the springboard for the 23-year-old to succeed at the club, whilst the club can finally solve the left-back role that has caused them no end of issues in recent times.
Carlo Ancelotti has urged Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe to take responsibility after the Frenchman's slow start in Spain.
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Mbappe has failed to live up to expectationsAncelotti identifies Mbappe's weaknessTold the Frenchman to take more responsibilityFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Mbappe transfer saga finally ended this summer as Real Madrid completed his signing for free after his Paris Saint-Germain contract ran out. It was one of the most talked-about moves in the last transfer window, however, the Frenchman has yet to live up to Los Blancos' expectations. In 14 matches across all competitions thus far, the France captain has scored eight times and provided two assists.
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Per , manager Ancelotti has reportedly identified the player's weakness and has also urged him to take more responsibility in the attack. The Italian coach is worried about the 25-year-old's inability to act once he loses possession of the ball. Mbappe had a forgetful outing in El Clasico as he failed to find the back of the net and missed several chances against arch-rivals Barcelona who won 4-0.
DID YOU KNOW?
Last week, Spanish journalist Romain Molina claimed that Real Madrid already 'regret' signing the Frenchman from PSG. In an interview, Mollina said, "They regret bringing him in. I guarantee that. I have spoken about it on and off (the record). It hasn’t been at all what they were expecting. It was a whim of [Florentino] Perez. It was only Perez who wanted him."
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?
Ancelotti's side will aim to get back to winning ways in the midweek as they take on Serie A giants AC Milan in an exciting Champions League encounter at home.