Tag Futebol

Declan Rice has come in for some criticism from pundits of late but he was arguably the player of the match on Sunday as West Ham drew 1-1 with Aston Villa.

How did Declan Rice perform against Villa?

David Moyes’ side would earn a point against the Villans at the London Stadium to take them outside the relegation spots on goal difference, but they perhaps could and should have scored more.

While the attackers struggled to produce the goods once again, Rice produced the sort of performance that had seen him valued at a mammoth £150m by Moyes last summer.

As per Sofascore, the England international would earn an impressive 7.7/10 rating for his display, which was the best of any player on the pitch other than the two goalscorers, Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins.

The former, in particular, has enjoyed a fine season in claret and blue, scoring seven goals and supplying five assists in a campaign where very few have been a beacon of hope for the Hammers.

It’s perhaps easy to suggest that he has been the standout man compared to Rice, but the midfielder hit back at his doubters over the weekend.

During the 90 minutes, the 24-year-old would enjoy 63 touches of the ball, completing 41/47 passes with an impressive success rate of 87%.

Rice also played two key passes and created a big chance for the Irons, while he also won 70% of his duels in what was a superb all-round display.

However, it was the defensive side of the game in which the former Chelsea man best excelled, as he contributed a remarkable seven tackles, two interceptions and one clearance at the London Stadium.

Considering he has averaged just 2.2 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the top flight so far this season, it is clear just how impressive he was on Sunday afternoon.

The impressive midfielder, who was lauded for his “incredible potential” by former Hammers star Jose Fonte in 2021, has faced criticism from Roy Keane recently for his role in West Ham’s poor season.

The former Manchester United man said: “He’s got to focus on doing well for West Ham this season. I don’t think he’s been that great this season. He’s not really kicked on for all the talk about him and all the PR coming out of west ham about him… I think he needs to do a lot more.

“He doesn’t score enough goals and he doesn’t get enough assists.”

While Rice wasn’t able to contribute a goal today, the big chance he created suggests he was unfortunate not to register an assist, while he also looked back to his best from a defensive point of view.

More performances like his one on Sunday will surely be vital for the Hammers in their ongoing battle against relegation this season.

Tottenham Hotspur are laying the groundwork over a deal to sign Alex Scott, according to reports…

What’s the latest on Alex Scott to Spurs?

Football Insider has claimed that scouts at the north London outfit have recommended the 19-year-old midfielder ahead of the summer transfer window, with fears that multiple Premier League teams will look to target him.

Spurs had representatives at Bristol City’s recent 1-0 win over Norwich City and have watched him for some time.

The Championship side slapped a £25m price tag on his signature during the recent January window.

Is Scott the next Jack Grealish?

Scott has emerged as a key player for the Robins in recent seasons, despite his young age. This season, the teenager has remarkably only missed one Championship outing, starting 30 matches in central midfield.

The maestro – who can play as a no.6, no.8 and a no.10 – has been dubbed the ‘Guernsey Grealish’ for both his playing style and appearance, with him proving to be a big influence in the final third having provided five assists already this term.

City’s rising starlet has quick feet, a deft touch and can quickly transition play from defence to attack – when compared to other attacking midfielders across FBref’s next eight divisions, he ranks inside the top 3% for all of the following metrics: tackles (2.47), interceptions (1.12), blocks (1.58) and clearances (1.38) per 90.

Clearly, he can do pretty much anything to help his side, which is perhaps why his former youth coach Brian Tinnion once claimed that: “His work rate and his desire to learn has been unbelievable.”

More recently, his current boss Nigel Pearson heaped further praise on his qualities (via BristolLive).

“He’s just a very unique talent and he’s got a very impressive temperament. I think he’s destined for the very top,” he said before adding: “Alex Scott will continue to progress and be a top player. He also knows he has the humility that he has to do it for us while he is here and he just enjoys playing football.”

Grealish’s big ‘come-up’ came in the Championship, so it’s easy to see why so many have made the comparison between Scott and the former Aston Villa star, so given the evidence above, Spurs would certainly be getting an exciting talent for the long-term future and perhaps one that could make an impact sooner rather than later.

In the Robins gem, Lilywhites sporting director Fabio Paratici could well secure the next Grealish for the club, especially considering they nearly signed the original back in 2018.

AND in other news, Spurs could find dream Son heir in “unbelievable” £22m-rated gem who terrorised Porro…

Wolves were once ‘very close’ to signing marquee Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez when he played for River Plate.

The Lowdown: Fernandez saga ends…

The South American was at the centre of a tug of war between Chelsea and Benfica on transfer deadline day with the saga going on well into late hours.

Eventually, the clubs finally found a breakthrough in negotiations and Graham Potter’s side acquired their midfield target for a British record £106.8 million.

Fernandez joins the west Londoners on a reported mega contract worth around £315,000-per-week, but according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, things could’ve been very different.

The Latest: Wolves were once ‘very close’ to Fernandez deal…

The reporter, writing on Twitter, claims Wolves actually could’ve signed the 22-year-old whilst he was at River Plate.

He explained:

“Just been reminded #Wolves were very close to signing Enzo Fernandez from River Plate for £17m. Sliding doors moment right there.”

The Verdict: Big miss?

At the time, few could have guessed he would become an Argentina star and play a pivotal role in their World Cup triumph last year.

That being said, one wonder what might have been if Wolves’ £17 million move for Fernandez didn’t fall through.

Even before the starlet’s World Cup exploits, he was making quite a name for himself for Benfica in the Portuguese top flight with some very impressive performances.

According to WhoScored, Fernandez featured as one of Benfica’s most selected players over the first half of 2022/2023 whilst also ranking as one of their best players overall.

He averaged the second-most tackles per 90 out of any player in their squad and chipped in going forward too – registering five assists and coming in third for successful key passes (WhoScored).

Beyond his performances in the Middle East for Argentina, it’s clear Fernandez could’ve become a real asset for Wolves going by the numbers.

Chelsea are interested in instigating yet another hijack in the January transfer market, and this time could swipe Matheus Nunes from under Liverpool’s noses…

What’s the word?

Wolverhampton Wanderers completed the signing of Nunes from Sporting Lisbon for £42.2m last summer, but the Old Gold will face a strenuous task in maintaining one of their star midfielders following the interest from some of the Premier League’s most prominent teams.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have initially been the club with the most intense interest in a potential £50m deal, but a recent report from The Telegraph has pushed the Blues into contention.

While the west London outfit have indeed issued sweeping changes on the transfer front since Todd Boehly’s arrival last year, the central midfield is still an area subject to reinforcement, especially given the expiring contracts of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho in the summer.

Ditch Enzo plans?

Nunes has chalked up 22 appearances for Wolves since leaving his homeland, but he is yet to score and has provided just one assist from his deployment at the heart of his side, but the abundant quality awaiting full harness is evidence enough that he could yet be crafted into a leading force on the European scene.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola once heralded the 24-year-old as “one of the best midfielders in the world”, such is the natural talent at the ace’s disposal.

And while he hasn’t quite hit sixth gear in Wolves colours, it is worth noting that he has arrived at an outfit barren of fluidity and devoid of life across the early stages of the campaign, now offering mounting positivity following the arrival of Julen Lopetegui in November.

As per Sofascore, the “special” gem, as lauded by former coach Ruben Franco, has averaged 1.2 shots, 0.9 key passes and 1.7 tackles per game in the Premier League, also completing 83% of his passes, and the tools to clinch more prosperous fortunes are certainly there for the Portuguese maestro.

If Chelsea do indeed choose to forge ahead with plans for the 11-cap phenom, he could prove to be the perfect alternative to the high-profile Enzo Fernandez, whom the Blues are struggling to prise away from Benfica following his triumphant World Cup tournament with Argentina, where he also won the Best Young Player.

With a €120m (£105m) release clause, the South American sensation is his side’s most coveted asset by a long stretch, and Chelsea have found their pursuit positively fruitless thus far, following a bid earlier this month that the Portuguese club rejected.

And with Nunes available for half of this fee, Potter must push for the current Premier League player, with resources then amiable to inject into another area of the field; while Chelsea’s opulence stretches high and wide, after parting with over £400m in less than a year, being somewhat more circumspect in this particular instance could prove worthwhile in the long run.

As such, Boehly would be prudent to ensure that Nunes does not fall into rival clutches; while landing Fernandez might appear to be the more arresting option, Nunes – who would indeed come for a portion of the price of his Argentinian counterpart – could be the key to unlock success in an expansive pool of talent at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been handed an injury boost before the North London derby next Sunday, with one of the players on the treatment table now set to return.

The Lowdown: Tottenham’s injury concerns

Spurs have had to deal with their fair share of injury issues this season, with £60m forward Richarlison being sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury when competing for Brazil at the World Cup, and he is still yet to return.

Rodrigo Bentancur was also injured at the tournament in Qatar, having to undergo an MRI scan to assess the severity of the issue, while Dejan Kulusevski has not been deemed fit enough to make the squad for the last two matches in the Premier League, or the FA Cup clash against Portsmouth.

The Latest: Stellini’s update

While Tottenham assistant manager Cristian Stellini did not go into specifics about who the player in question may be, he recently delivered a promising verdict when asked about the chance of one of the three aforementioned players returning before the North London derby in seven days’ time.

Conte’s assistant revealed (via Football London): “Well, not for all the players we are so confident but we are confident we’ll recover someone.” 

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-updates-2/” title=”Tottenham latest updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Great news for Spurs

It is unclear which player Stellini is confident will be able to return, but all three of those mentioned above have been key figures for Spurs this season.

Richarlison has made an impact since arriving from Everton last summer, netting twice in the Champions League and bagging three assists in the Premier League.

The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke lauded Kulusevski as ‘brilliant’ last August, and the Swede is enjoying another good season, weighing in with six goal contributions in ten league outings, Meanwhile, Bentancur is ranked as the second-best league performer in the squad, with an average SofaScore rating of 7.27.

Having any of these attacking options available for the crucial match against Arsenal will be welcome news for Conte, with the manager looking to further get Spurs’ season firmly back on track after winning the last two games.

Everton were knocked out of the FA Cup following a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last night, and Frank Lampard will surely be feeling the pressure as the club are now out of all domestic competitions, while also currently occupying a place in the Premier League relegation zone.

The Toffees are currently 18th in the top flight after an awful run of form, collecting just 15 points from a possible 54 after 18 league games, which puts them in a hugely vulnerable position going into the second half of the season.

However, Lampard’s side did show glimpses of their capabilities throughout their clash against the Red Devils, something on which the manager picked up when speaking in his post-match interview.

The 44-year-old stated: “No one is happy in defeat, I am the worst, but you can control the performance, you can’t always control the result, but the performance was great, in lots of ways.”

“We can always be better, but the performance was good when you consider this is a Man United team in good form, their strongest team, they score after a few minutes, but then we show resilience, bravery on the ball, defensive organisation and work ethic, a bit like we did against City, but we were much dangerous tonight in the game and we had good chances in the game.”

Everton had 42% possession and showed strengths in their defensive display with more tackles completed, more duels won and more clearances made than their hosts. However, their lack of killer instinct to convert the chances provided and natural finishing in front of goal ultimately cost them progression in the FA Cup.

One player who ghosted yet again for the Merseysiders, though, was summer signing, Neal Maupay and the striker continued to prove against Erik ten Hag’s side that he has been another one of Farhad Moshiri’s disastrous pieces of recruitment.

Over his 69-minute performance, Maupay failed in 100% of his dribble attempts, only had 28 touches and was dribbled past once, proving once again to be ineffective in front of goal.

In the summer, Everton desperately needed to replace Richarlison and add a centre-forward who could emulate Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s eye for goal, as the Toffees striker has been dealing with a number of injury issues over the last 18 months.

Indeed, Maupay boasts a wealth of Premier League experience and had scored 26 times at that level for Brighton, but he is not the prolific game-changer which was much-needed at Goodison Park, netting only once in 15 appearances so far.

Now that Calvert-Lewin is back fit, there is no reason for Maupay to start for Everton; and if the Toffees can acquire the services of a reliable goalscorer during the January transfer window, it should push the £50k-per-week Frenchman further down the pecking order.

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale has dropped a hint to the Ibrox board over his wish to see Malik Tillman sign on a permanent basis. 

The Lowdown: Tillman’s time at Rangers

The Premiership giants signed Tillman on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich with an option to buy. Since then, the 20-year-old has gone on to make 23 appearances for the Gers across all competitions, scoring four goals and delivering three assists along the way.

On Saturday, the American scored two goals in Rangers’ 3-0 friendly win over Bayer Leverkusen, which led to Beale sharing his thoughts on the player’s future at Ibrox.

The Latest: Beale’s verdict on Tillman

Speaking after seeing the midfielder in action against Leverkusen (via Daily Record), the Rangers boss admitted that he would “definitely” make Tillman a permanent player at Ibrox if possible.

Beale said: “I’m delighted that Malik’s here and we’re going to give him the freedom to run out of midfield and get into positions he was in today. We have to let Malik go and make the game and make the team.

“In football you have ideas but players dictate and I have to allow these players to go and express themselves. Malik is a fantastic talent and we’re lucky to have him here in Scotland.

“He’s only 20 but he has a huge future ahead of him, hopefully for this club. Would you buy him? I would. It’s a pretty obvious one.

“He’s exactly what I like in a footballer. He can take the ball, he can twist and turn and you can see what he could grow into.

“He’s exactly the type of player we want at this club. I don’t know the exact fee or where we are going to get it from but if we can do it, I would definitely sign Malik, yes.”

The Verdict: A no-brainer for Rangers

Throughout the current Premiership campaign, Tillman has shown how impressive he can be for Rangers in an attacking and defensive sense.

For example, in addition to boasting the third-highest number of shots on target (10) at the club, he has also won more tackles (20) than any other player at Ibrox, marking him out as someone who can be effective in the final third and diligent further back the pitch.

His overall performances, which have been described as “outstanding” by The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell, have earned the on-loan midfielder a season rating of 7.11/10 from WhoScored, making him the seventh-highest rated player at Rangers.

Taking all of that into account, it would appear to be a no-brainer for the Gers to do all they can to make Tillman’s loan move permanent in the summer, duly making Beale a happy man in the process.

Manchester City transfer target Jude Bellingham has been hailed by Graeme Souness in the wake of his performances for England at the World Cup.

The Lowdown: Manchester City target Bellingham

According to reports from Sky Sports Germany, Manchester City are competing in a colossal three-way race with Liverpool and Real Madrid for Bellingham’s signature, in a deal that could amount to £130m.

The central-midfielder is at the World Cup with England at present, and his performances will have only increased interest on Pep Guardiola’s behalf, most recently starring in the 3-0 victory over Senegal to secure progression to the quarter-final.

The Latest: Souness’ comments

After the starlet’s impressive display last time out, Souness was quick to heap praise on the Man City target and also believes that potential big move will come in 2023, saying (via Manchester Evening News):

“I think he’s fabulous and destined to be a star, unless he gets a big head on those shoulders or he gets a bad injury.

“He’ll be getting a very good education where he is currently, and I’d imagine next year he’ll leave Dortmund.”

The Verdict: Generational talent

Guardiola has previously described the midfield maestro as the “complete package”, so it is no wonder that he wants to bring him to the Premier League in the near future.

In his last match for England, the youngster displayed his aptitude in a defensive sense, registering four tackles, while also winning more duels than any other player on the pitch, with 11.

This performance only adds to an already exceptional run of form with club side Borussia Dortmund, where the Englishman’s attacking talents have also been on show, completing an average of 1.79 dribbles per 90 over the past year, an amount that puts him in the 95th percentile compared to positional peers throughout Europe.

Still at such a young age, the 19-year-old would be able to run the Man City midfield for the next decade, and so even though his price tag may seem extraordinarily high, he could just be worth every penny.

Wolves have been credited with an interest in Pau Torres recently and the Spain international could be the man to replace Conor Coady in Julen Lopetegui’s side at Molineux.

The Old Gold have struggled defensively so far this season with a lack of centre-back options already costing the Midlands club in the Premier League.

Bruno Lage made the bold decision during the summer to loan club captain Coady to Everton, despite the loss of Romain Saiss on a free transfer.

Willy Boly was also allowed to join Nottingham Forest, which left just Max Kilman and new signing Nathan Collins as senior options in the heart of the defence, with the inexperienced Toti and Yerson Mosquera available as backups.

After Collins’ red card against Manchester City, Lage was forced to deploy Ruben Neves at centre-back, which already undermined his decision to let Coady go, and now signing a centre-back to replace the Englishman at Molineux will be a priority for Lopetegui after the World Cup.

The 56-year-old manager will no doubt be keeping a close eye on proceedings in Qatar as he considers options for his new side and he could find the ideal replacement for Coady in Spanish compatriot Torres.

Spain take on Germany, Costa Rica and Japan in Group E and will no doubt be looking to go far in the competition after a promising European Championships that saw them defeated by Italy on penalties in the semi-final.

Gone are the days of Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos starting at the back for Spain and Torres’ solid form for Villarreal in recent seasons suggests that he could be one of the starters in Luis Enrique’s defence.

Last season saw the 25-year-old centre-back average an impressive 6.86 rating from WhoScored for his performances in La Liga, while he also featured 12 times in the Champions League as the Yellow Submarine reached the semi-finals.

Wolves have looked shaky at the back in a number of Premier League fixtures this season and Torres could add an air of calm at the back, which has been missing since Coady’s exit.

Villarreal B coach Miguel Alvarez testified to this in his description of the defender when he was still a teenager.

He said: “He has especially, for a defender, a tremendous ease of playing passes through the lines, always finding the free player. Above all, he was excellent at making decisions; a tremendous calmness on the ball, which few defenders have.”

Therefore, he possesses experience at the top level of both club and international football, which is something neither Kilman nor Collins can boast, so he would be a superb addition to Wolves’ backline as they look to replace Coady and amend Lage’s mistake after the World Cup.

Former top-flight referee Dermot Gallagher has given his verdict on a penalty claim for Tottenham Hotspur during their recent Premier League clash against Liverpool. 

The Lowdown: Spurs denied a penalty against Liverpool

During the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, the home side were denied a penalty when Reds defender Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to have shoved Ryan Sessegnon to the ground in the penalty area, only for referee Andy Madley to wave the incident away.

The game ultimately ended 2-1 to the visitors as the Lilywhites failed to overturn the two-goals deficit put on them by half-time.

Focusing on the penalty claim, which could have had a big impact on the final result, Gallagher has since shared his thoughts on the matter.

The Latest: Gallagher’s verdict

Speaking on the latest edition of Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Gallagher believes that Madley was right not to blow for a penalty over this particular incident.

The 65-year-old said: “I think this is a little nudge, a little lean, but certainly not a barge. I’d have been very surprised if they had come to the conclusion of penalty.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-3/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Disappointment for Spurs

Antonio Conte’s side may have come away from Sunday’s match with no points but they had more attempts at goal (14 vs 13) and more big chances (4 vs 2) than Liverpool.

Some Spurs fans will have been disappointed by the decision to not get a penalty during the first half, and it could be all the more galling for them to hear that Gallagher has downplayed the incident.

Having netted a consolation goal in the second half through Harry Kane, it could be said that this penalty decision may have been the turning point in the game and led to a different result, with the incident happening when Liverpool’s lead was just 1-0.

Nonetheless, the best thing Spurs can do now is to move on from this disappointment, focus on getting through to the next round of the Carabao Cup by beating Nottingham Forest on Wednesday and then pick up a positive result in their final league game before the World Cup break against Leeds United at the weekend.