Amad Diallo has fuelled speculation about his future at Manchester United by erasing any references to the club from his social media accounts.
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Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly met with Michael Emenalo, Saudi Pro League’s director of football, ahead of an expected summer clearout in west London.
Chelsea’s miserable form continues.
On Saturday evening, despite taking the lead inside ten minutes through Enzo Fernández, the Blues were beaten 2-1 at Villa Park, the late winner coming in the final minute of the 90.
This means Enzo Maresca’s side have now lost three consecutive Premier League away games, winning only two of their last ten league fixtures played anywhere, so now find themselves outside the Champions League places.
As the Blues’ woes rumble on, one rather important position epitomises their struggles.
Saturday saw summer signing Filip Jorgensen start a third successive Premier League match in goal, although he won’t remember his trip to the Midlands fondly, letting Marco Asensio’s rather tame shot to squirm straight through him in the dying embers of the game.
Matt Law of the Telegraph labelled it a ‘howler’, Malik Ouzia of the Evening Standard described it as a ‘clanger [that] gifted Villa all three points’, while Maresa himself admitted he remains “always concerned” by Chelsea’s ongoing goalkeeper crisis.
That’s because, as noted by Chris Wilson of the Independent, this is not a new thing, stating that ‘Chelsea’s goalkeeping woes continue’.
Jorgensen is only donning the gloves because Robert Sanchez, who had started 21 of the first 23 Premier League matches this season, has been dropped following a string of high-profile errors.
The Spaniard was last seen in the league during the 3-1 defeat at Manchester City, in which Sanchez ‘endured a terrible performance’ in the words of GOAL, mere days after, as noted by Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian, he’d ‘added to his growing list of mistakes’ during the home win over Wolves.
Prior to the 3-0 defeat at Brighton, Maresca confirmed Jorgensen is now his starting Premier League goalkeeper at the moment, with Sanchez therefore set to feature in Conference League matches, the Blues face København at Parken in the first leg of their last 16 on Thursday week, but given how the pair are performing, this hierarchy certainly is not set in stone.
However, is Chelsea’s best goalkeeper, outperforming both Sánchez and Jörgensen, currently out on loan, a decision they’re surely living to regret as every week passes?
As noted by Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport, Chelsea began the season with eight first-team goalkeepers on their books, before four of them, namely Gabriel Słonina, Eddie Beach, Kepa Arrizabalaga and, most notably, Đorđe Petrović, departed on loan.
Petrović joined Chelsea for a reported fee of £14m from the New England Revolution in August 2023, having been, as Tom Bogert of the Athletic put it, ‘the best goalkeeper in Major League Soccer’.
The stats certainly back up this claim; according to FBref, the Revs’ shot-stopper racked up the highest post-shot expected goals – goals allowed figure of any goalkeeper in MLS throughout the 2022 season, his figure of +13.1 at least three higher than the next-best on this list.
The Serbian arrived in West London to little fanfare but, by the end of last season, had established himself as Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice, starting all 23 Premier League fixtures from ten December onwards, as well as the EFL Cup Final defeat to Liverpool.
However, surplus to requirements this season, Tom Weber of Football Transfers believes he was deemed ‘not good enough with the ball at his feet’ to play in a Maresca team, he therefore joined Strasbourg on loan in August, the other club owned by Todd Boehly’s group BlueCo.
Well, under new manager Liam Rosenior, les Bleu et Blanc are enjoying an excellent season, knocking on the door of European qualification, as outlined by Nick Hartland of Get French Football News, while Raphaël Jucobin of the Guardian notes that the 40-year-old manager has made a ‘big impression’ in the Alsace, but he’s not the only one.
Rosenior has described his goalkeeper as “world-class”, so let’s see how Petrović compares to the two misfits Chelsea decided to keep instead.
|
Petrovic vs Sanchez & Jorgesen 2024/25 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Petrovic |
Sanchez |
Jorgensen |
|
Appearances |
19 |
22 |
16 |
|
Minutes |
1,710 |
1,980 |
1,440 |
|
Goals conceded |
26 |
29 |
18 |
|
Goals conceded per 90 |
1.29 |
1.38 |
1.14 |
|
Clean sheets |
5 |
4 |
5 |
|
Clean sheet % |
26.3% |
18.2% |
31.3% |
|
Save % |
76.3% |
74.8% |
76.6% |
|
Post-shot xG – goals allowed |
+4.8 |
+0.7 |
-0.2 |
|
Pass completion % |
79.9% |
73.3% |
83% |
|
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and FBref.com |
|||
As outlined in the table, it’s actually Jorgensen whose statistics are the best, very marginally in most cases, albeit these are surely inflated by the fact he’s played against minnows such as FC Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League, as well as both Barrow and Morecambe in domestic cups.
For Petrović, two statistics are most telling. First, his post-shot expected goals – goals allowed figure of +4.8 is exponentially higher than both of Chelsea’s current goalkeepers, while the Serbian ranks fourth in Ligue 1 for this metric this season.
Also, Petrović’s pass completion % figure of 79.9% is higher than Sanchez’s and only marginally lower than that of Jorgensen, dismissing the notion that he could not have played out from the back to Maresca’s required level, underlining that the Blues made a mistake forcing him to depart on loan.
Not just Jorgensen: Maresca's 4/10 star is now on borrowed time at Chelsea
Chelsea’s 4/10 star is now on borrowed time after poor Aston Villa performance
By
Connor Holden
Feb 23, 2025
Arsenal and England full-back Ben White recently signed a new long-term deal with the Gunners.
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Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison has lavished praise on a "beast" youngster at Spurs, who he says is "so powerful".
Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou are really loving life at the moment, having won six out of a possible eight league matches heading into the newest international break. Indeed, this is their best start to a season since 1960, and they went on to win a double that year.
Tottenham also remain unbeaten in the top flight, and while supporters aren't getting too carried away, it's safe to say that an air of real positivity has been restored at N17. Antonio Conte slammed the culture of Spurs – tearing into chairman Daniel Levy and his squad – in his last hurrah before departing as manager last year. However, his vicious rant now seems like a thing of the distant past.
The Premier League table-toppers remain in very good stead after their latest win, a 1-0 victory over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, with summer signing Micky van de Ven scoring the only goal as Spurs scraped past them with ten men. Postecoglou has praised the spirit of his players, but also insists that they're goals are to improve and Spurs haven't achieved anything just yet. Here's nearly every word Postecoglou said on Tottenham's season so far:
“We’ve played some good football and we’ve had all sort of different challenges thrown at us. We’ve been behind in games away from home, we’ve had to score last-minute winners. It’s not like it’s been smooth sailing.
"We’ve had to work awfully hard to be in the position we are and I guess from my perspective it’s great that they’re getting rewarded with results and that can only help us grow as a team. But it’s not like they’re sitting in there thinking we’ve achieved anything. We haven’t achieved anything, all we’ve done is lay some really good foundations. Our goals and ambitions lie in improvement."
There have been a few star players to pick out of Tottenham's eleven. The likes of Maddison, van de Ven, Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, Dejan Kulusevski and Destiny Udogie have really impressed on-lookers, with the latter already looking like a very important player already after joining up from Udinese over the summer.
The Italy international starlet actually signed in the summer of 2022 but spent the entirety of last term on loan at Udinese. Coming straight into the Spurs fold, Udogie has started all eight of Tottenham's league games, with Maddison now calling him a "beast" and heaping praise on the left-back's "powerful" style of play.
|
Udogie strengths |
Udogie weaknesses |
|---|---|
|
Dribbling |
Holding on to the ball |
|
Ball interception |
Crossing |
|
Tackling |
“Destiny is just a beast, man. He’s so good. When I talk about learning and adapting with the manager’s new style, him playing inside is not natural to him. He’s still working on that himself," said Maddison on Udogie (via football.london).
“He’s actually better on the ball and he can take the ball and dribble in the middle of the pitch and open it up for us. He’s got good receiving skills and he’s so powerful and so good.”
Steve Cooper has continued his successful tenure at Nottingham Forest so far this season, with the Midlands club looking like a side ready to break away from relegation trouble and into the Premier League's mid-table. Their most impressive moment has come against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where they defeated the Blues in one of the moments of the campaign so far.
After a solid start, those at the club could yet turn their attention towards further reinforcements, be it in January, or preparation for the future with next summer's targets lined up. And that could include one particular player, whose current contract expires in the summer.
Nottingham Forest's transfers were once again extensive in the summer, welcoming a number of additions, from Anthony Elanga, and Divock Origi, all the way to Ibrahim Sangare. And, so far, although some may believe that their transfer tactics are rather drastic at times, they've been rewarded for their spending. From Cooper's perspective, he will hope that his side return in even better form after the international break, too, as they look to create distance between themselves on the dropzone.
|
Player |
Price |
|
Ibrahim Sangare |
€35m (£30m) |
|
Anthony Elanga |
€17.5m (£15m) |
|
Chris Wood |
€17m (£15m) |
|
Andrew Omobamidele |
€13m (£11m) |
|
Murillo |
€12m (£10m) |
|
Nicolas Domininguez |
€10m (£9m) |
|
Matt Turner |
€8m (£7m) |
|
Odysseas Vlachomidos |
€5m (£4m) |
|
Callum Hudson-Odoi |
€3.5m (£4m) |
|
Nuno Tavares |
€1m loan fee (£870k) |
|
Ola Aina |
Free |
|
Andrey Santos |
Loan |
|
Gonzalo Montiel |
Loan |
|
Divock Origi |
Loan |
Off the pitch, meanwhile, the latest Borna Barisic transfer news is certainly interesting for the Midlands club. According to TeamTalk, Forest and Evangelos Marinakis are still interested in signing the Rangers left-back, whose current contract comes to an end next summer, meaning that he's free to start discussions over a move come January.
The Croatian does reportedly have a new deal on the table, however, which would see him extend his time at the Gers by another two years. Perhaps handing Forest some hope is the fact that he is yet to put pen to paper on that deal, adding fuel to the fire when it comes to the rumours.
With current Forest left-back Harry Tofolo facing a five-month ban for breaching betting rules come the end of next season, welcoming Barisic wouldn't exactly be a bad idea for Cooper. The 30-year-old would arrive with plenty of experience, having won the Scottish Premiership with the Gers. It is at the club that Barisic has been at his best throughout his career, and has earned deserved praise as a result, including from Pat Bonner, who once described the left-back as "superb" when speaking to BBC Sportsound.
So, Barisic is certainly one to keep an eye on in the coming months, especially if he fails to sign a new contract at Rangers. Forest haven't been afraid to splash the cash in the past, either, meaning that if the Scottish giants want to cash in, the Midlands club could be there waiting to welcome the Croatian. He would add another element down Forest's left-hand side, that's for sure.
With just two pre-tournament friendlies to go before the hosts kick-off vs Bolivia on June 23, GOAL's staff got together to pick our 23-man roster
Following their CONCACAF Nations League triumph, the USMNT now have their eyes set on the 2024 Copa America. The last time they appeared in the competition was 2016, where they made a heroic semifinal run, and now they're back in search of glory on home soil.
Gregg Berhalter now has just two friendlies on the eve of the tournament, against Colombia and Brazil, to prepare for the team's tournament opener against Bolivia on June 23, and so any final decisions when it comes to his 23-man squad will have to largely be made based on club performances.
So who should be on that final roster, and who will have to be left at home at what is a crucial juncture on the road to the 2026 World Cup? Here at GOAL we put our best USMNT minds together to select what we believe should be Berhalter's final Copa America squad.
Check out our selections below, and let us know how right – or wrong – we were in the comments section at the end…
Glasgow Rangers will be looking to continue their positive form since Philippe Clement took charge of the club a few weeks ago as a Premiership tie against Hearts awaits this afternoon.
A 4-0 win over Hibs last weekend was followed up with a well-deserved point against Sparta Prague in the Europa League in midweek, despite the Gers being the poorer side for much of the contest.
With the fixtures coming thick and fast for the Belgian, he could well make some changes ahead of the Hearts clash.
The Belgian provided an update on the current injury situation surrounding the squad when talking with the media prior to the game today, saying: "Kemar [Roofe] will not be available for the weekend – next week we need to take a good look at how he is getting on and how we bring him back long-term.
"Borna [Barisic], we will see if he can train tomorrow or not."
The Belgian also opened up on other Ibrox stars who have been out of action for a period of time, including Jose Cifuentes, Tom Lawrence and Dujon Sterling.
"[Jose] Cifuentes will hopefully train tomorrow with the team – Tom Lawrence and Dujon Sterling will not be available."
With some vital players out, Clement must rely on several names who didn’t quite get a fair crack at the whip under Michael Beale, and Ridvan Yilmaz is someone who could be trusted to start.
The Turkish left-back has shown glimpses of his impressive talents since joining the club last summer, yet he has failed to secure a regular run of matches.
He has missed 38 games due to a variety of injury issues during his brief Gers career thus far, as the £12k-per-week gem has only made 20 appearances in total, scoring once.
His goal came in a recent League Cup tie against Livingston, where he was offered a rare start under Beale, and he gave the Ibrox faithful an indication that he should be utilised more with a wonderful display.
The youngster scored an excellent solo goal that was praised by Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie, who said: “Brilliant play from Ridvan Yilmaz, that's the variation of options he gives you!
“Runs the full length of the Livingston half driving beyond two men before finishing from range. That's some goal from your left-back.”
Although he doesn’t get forward as often as Barisic, the Turk can clearly give Clement something totally different against Hearts compared to the Croatian defender, and Barrie was quick to praise his versatility following the showing against Livingston.
The journalist said: “Think Ridvan's forward running and combination play has made a big difference tonight. Just gives you more options, and the opposition a greater variety of problems.”
It makes no sense to start Barisic if he is struggling with a knock, whereas Yilmaz will be fresh considering he wasn’t part of the Europa League squad.
If he performs well against the Jambos, he could well send a message to Clement that he is ready for a sustained run in the first team.
Neal Maupay trolled Scott McTominay and quipped the Manchester United man was a fan "desperate for his shirt" after clashing with the Brentford ace.
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There have been question marks over the future of "outrageous" Celtic hero Reo Hatate in recent times, but now a key update has emerged, providing more clarity over the situation.
The 25-year-old has proven to be an excellent signing by the Hoops since arriving at the club last year, completing a move from Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale.
Hatate's statistics highlight the impact that he has made in a Celtic shirt in his relatively short time at the club, with 15 goals and 16 assists coming his way in a total of 76 appearances to date. This season, he has two apiece in the Scottish Premiership, helping Brendan Rodgers' side top the table.
That being said, there have been some doubts over the Japanese's future at Parkhead, even though Hatate signed a new deal with Celtic in September, with a move away during the January transfer window not out of the question. The Hoops ace has been linked with a move to Tottenham, which would see him link up with former manager Ange Postecoglou in the process.
He has, however, picked up a serious hamstring problem that will keep him sidelined for around two months, having suffered the issue in the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid in October, when Rodgers' men drew 2-2 at home to the La Liga giants.
According to a new update from Football Insider, Hatate looks set to stay at Celtic beyond the January transfer window due to the hamstring injury he is suffering from:
"Reo Hatate’s hamstring injury has ended any possibility of a January move away from Celtic. Premier League clubs have sent their scouts north of the border on several occasions to assess the 25-year-old central midfielder – who has been linked with Tottenham."
While Hatate's injury is clearly a big blow for Celtic, it could potentially end up being a blessing in disguise if it means he stays put at Parkhead for the remainder of the season and beyond.
The central midfielder has been such an important part of the Hoops' success since arriving at the club, so to lose him midway through the season, especially after only just extending his stay at Parkhead, would represent a major setback.
Hatate's quality is highlighted by the fact that Scotland and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn has described him as "outrageous" in the past, while Liverpool star Andy Robertson has called him a "serious player".
|
Reo Hatate's key Celtic statistics |
Total |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
76 |
|
Goals |
15 |
|
Assists |
16 |
It could be that the midfielder decides to look for a new challenge at the end of the season should interest in his signature emerge, but on the plus side, Celtic do at least find themselves in a strong bargaining position given that he has only recently signed a new deal.
For now, Rodgers will just hope to get Hatate back in the fold as soon as possible and allow him to play a key role in what is hopefully yet another Scottish Premiership title win this season.