Chelsea are still fighting for a Champions League place in the Premier League this season despite some inconsistencies in their performances. 

At the time of writing, the Blues were looking to take the scalp of title chasing Liverpool and give Manchester City a massive boost in their own hunt for the top prize in England.

The summer is set to be an interesting one too for the Blues, who are set to be under a transfer ban barring a successful appeal, something which could have a massive effect on how the club continues to move forward.

And with the future of Eden Hazard still looking like it’s going to end up away from Stamford Bridge, Chelsea could have done without the news emerging this weekend that Barcelona could be set to make yet another move for Brazilian midfielder Willian.

Willian has been a superb player for Chelsea over the years, and has at times been undervalued by many in the game.

However, his consistency and ability to produce in big moments is something that should not be looked past, and if Chelsea were to lose both Willian and Hazard, they would have a serious rebuilding job on their hands heading into the next few seasons.

The Brazilian has that natural ability about him where he can win games with moments of magic, and while the lure of Barcelona is a big one, he could go down as a Chelsea legend if he stays put and helps the club to more trophies in the coming seasons.

Willian is a class act, and with the cost Chelsea would face to find a suitable replacement, it is simply not worth it for the club to allow a sale.

يرفض ليوناردو بونوتشي مدافع وقائد يوفنتوس الإيطالي، إلقاء اللوم على زميله باولو ديبالا، بعد تعادل البيانكونيري مع لاتسيو بهدف لكل فريق.

وتعادل يوفنتوس أمام لاتسيو في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين على ملعب أوليمبكو مساء اليوم، ضمن الجولة الثامنة من الدوري الإيطالي للدرجة الأولى.

وقال ليوناردو في تصريحات لشبكة “سكاي” البريطانية: “لقد قدمنا أداء رائعا لمدة 93 دقيقة و45 ثانية، كنا جيدين جدًا في الدفاع، ولم يخلق لاتسيو أي فرصة على مرمانا”.

وأضاف: “استقبلنا هدفًا من كرة كان يمكننا التعامل معها بشكل أفضل، لكن في النهاية كانت سببًا في التعادل”.

وأكمل: “هناك لحظات لا بد من المخاطرة بالكرة، وأحيانًا لا بد وأن تبعد الكرة خارج الملعب”، ومع ذلك رفض بونوتشي إلقاء اللوم على ديبالا الذي تسبب في خروج الكرة إلى رمية تماس، وكانت وراء هدف لاتسيو في الدقائق الأخيرة.

وشدد: “ليس خطأ ديبالا، وكذلك بيرنارديسكي، فقدنا الكرة وأربعة أو خمسة منا ارتكبوا أخطاء بعدم الاعتراض أمام لاتسيو ومنع الكرة”.

وأردف: “لم يكن هناك ما يشير إلى أننا اقتربنا من استقبال هدف، ولكن إذا لم تكن في أشد تركيزك، أنت مُعرض لاستقبال هدف في أي وقت”.

وعن هدف لاتسيو، الذي سجله كايسيدو وكان بونوتشي يراقبه داخل منطقة الجزاء، ولم يتمكن من الدفاع عن مرماه، قال قائد يوفنتوس: “كيف كان بإمكاني الدفاع؟ كايسيدو كان جيدًا في الالتفاف بالكرة، وسدد الكرة بشكل جيد”.

واختتم: “بالتأكيد يمكنني فعل المزيد، ولكن علينا النظر إلى الكرة، خاصة وأن يكون أمامك خصم مميز”.

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Leicester are interested in completing a deal to sign Daniel Sturridge in the summer, according to The Sun. But is he a risk worth taking?

What’s the word?

Brendan Rodgers is reportedly plotting a reunion with Sturridge according to The Sun who are claiming he could join the Foxes on a free transfer.

The forward’s contract ends in the summer, meaning he’d be free to talk to clubs when his current deal ends in June.

At 29, Sturridge has started just five times in all competitions for Leicester this season so it’s hardly a surprise that Jurgen Klopp has been willing to let his contract run down.

According to The Sun’s report, Liverpool are also set to be braced by interest from MLS clubs.

Career revival on the cards?

Sturridge has had a torrid time with injuries in recent seasons and has gone from being one of the most prolific strikers in the league to sitting among the substitutes, forced out of the team by the dynamic trio of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Given how sensational they’ve been, Klopp’s team selection is more than understandable. But, if Sturridge was to make the move to the King Power then he’d be set for a career revival.

Rodgers is the manager he flourished under the most when the pair were at Liverpool together. In the 2013/14 season, the Englishman scored 21 goals in 29 Premier League appearances, almost helping them to the title.

Although his injury record is concerning and makes the deal a risk, a Rodgers and Sturridge partnership has the potential to be a dream link up for the Foxes.

Jamie Vardy has been tasked with scoring the brunt of the goals in the Leicester side for a while, but with Sturridge they’d have someone else capable of finding the net regularly too.

On a free transfer, it would represent far better business than Kelechi Iheanacho and Islam Slimani have been for the club.

It’s clear Tottenham need a replacement for Mousa Dembele. Far too clear, in fact, considering the state of their midfield after a couple of injuries since his departure. Well, they might just have found the man in Real Betis’ Giovani Lo Celso.

Despite their impressive run in the Champions League, it’s clear Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield needs a world-class addition to prevent them from being caught out on the counter-attack. Indeed, The Sun believe they’ve identified their man in Lo Celso.

The 23-year-old has impressed in La Liga this season, despite Betis being 13th. He’s played 30 times and has shown experience beyond his years in the heart of their midfield. Most importantly, he’s well-drilled defensively and that’s ideal for Spurs right now.

He’s not afraid to score a few goals too. He’s bagged five goals in seven Europa League appearances this season, along with nine in the league. The Argentinian is valued at £36m on Transfermarkt but has four seasons left on his contract so he won’t be cheap.

Obviously, the back-up to Harry Kane issue has been a problem in North London for a number of years now, so introducing goals from the engine room seems like a better way of fixing the over-reliance on the England international.

Daniel Levy can’t expect the players he tries to sign this summer to be cheap, though. At this point, he needs world-class talent to challenge the already-high quality they possess. They’ve saved money this last 12 months, so why not splash it now?

Spurs need a controlling midfielder and they’ve found him in Lo Celso, if the reports are to be believed. If they secure him, they will soon get used to challenging for trophies. If they don’t want to spend the money, then they can forget about winning anything anytime soon.

Spurs fans, who do you think your team should sign in central midfield? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Leicester could be about to make an attempt to sign Getafe’s central defender, Djene. The centre-back has impressed this term but the Foxes shouldn’t be considering a deal.

What’s the word?

Getafe have been one of the stories of the season in La Liga, currently sitting in fourth place. One of their star players has been Togolese defender Djene.

The 27-year-old has been a rock for them, featuring 32 times across all competitions. The Spanish side have conceded just 31 goals in the league which is the second-best record of anyone in La Liga.

And Djene could now be about to make a move to the Premier League, with Mundo Deportivo claiming Leicester are one of the clubs interested in his services.

However, they face stiff competition from Arsenal and Everton who are also keen on the player. The report states that he has a release clause of €35m (£30m).

Leicester should forget making a move

With Harry Maguire possibly on the move this week after The Sun claimed he was attracting interest from Manchester City, Leicester could well be in the market for a replacement.

However, the Foxes should forget about making Djene his possible successor. The defender may have impressed in Spain but there’s a particularly underwhelming stat that should put suitors off him.

So far this campaign, Djene has a pass completion rate of just 71.1%. Maguire and Jonny Evans both possess success percentages of 84.8% and 83.8% respectively.

Considering the style of football Leicester play, putting the Togo international into their defence would be an accident waiting to happen.

Brendan Rodgers has put an emphasis on quick transitions between defence and attack, playing through the lines using Maguire and Youri Tielemans. However, Djene’s addition could see this suffer. His passing simply isn’t good enough and for a team who plays such pleasing football he wouldn’t fit in.

His inability to complete as many passes means there’s the fear of a stray ball too. As a result, activating his release clause this summer would be a huge risk.

[ad_pod ]The long-running battle for ownership of Sheffield United between Kevin McCabe and Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud may finally be over after the Saudi Prince has started to look elsewhere.According to reports, the co-owner of the Yorkshire club has now looked towards Italy for his next sporting venture as he seems set to buy Serie A outfit Sampdoria.

Power struggle over

After weeks of court hearings and years of internal battles, it seems that the power struggle at Bramall Lane is finally over.

Al Saud seems to have lost patience with McCabe and took to Twitter to post a dig at the Blades chairman a few months back.

Unlike McCabe, the Saudi royalty has no real ties to Sheffield United, and he may feel like the club isn’t worth the hassle as he can look elsewhere for a football club to own.

He has been involved in other football clubs previously. He was formerly chairman of Al-Hilali in the early 2000s, and he is currently a 50% shareholder at Belgian club KFCO Beerschot.

The future

If the co-owner has truly given up on taking McCabe’s share of the club, then United’s future is still uncertain.

The local businessman has outlined his intentions of selling the club if he is to win his case against Prince Abdullah. It can be inferred the Saudi Arabian believes the courts will settle in the Englishman’s favour as he looks to buy another club.

The Blades are heading into what will likely be the most important transfer window in the club’s history, and the last thing they need after the ongoing ownership dispute is further disruption.

It may take months for McCabe to find a buyer, and during that time it is unlikely that he will want to invest his own money into the club.

Chris Wilder has been vocal about his frustrations with the ownership in the past, but if this circus around Bramall Lane continues the 51-year-old could very well walk away from the club.

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Marco Silva continued to boost his reputation at Everton by leading his side to a sensational 4-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

It was a result which naturally left supporters in awe of the calibre of football on show and individual praise was dished out to a multitude of players, including Kurt Zouma.

The centre-back has grown into the season and established himself as a firm favourite amongst the Goodison Park faithful.

Earlier this month, Everton fans pleaded with the Frenchman to stay at Goodison Park next season, and the vast majority now appear to be in unanimous agreement that Marcel Brands should do everything in his power to conclude a permanent deal in the summer.

However, that Chelsea have been hit with a transfer ban ahead of the summer window suggests any such deal is incredibly unlikely.

With Gary Cahil’s contract due to expire in the summer Chelsea will be left with just three senior central defenders and Ethan Ampadu, 18, for cover in that position.

And with Maurizio Sarri powerless to change that situation in the transfer market Zouma will presumably be needed to bolster his options.

It would be a major coup for Everton to land a player of the 6 foot 3 defender’s enormous quality from a club as prestigious as Chelsea, but it may take something special from Brands and the recruitment team to pull this deal off.

Either way, there’s no doubt how the Everton fans feel about the 24-year-old loanee’s future.

Here’s what they had to say in light of his performance on Sunday…

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Leeds fans are feeling gutted after Ezgjan Alioski had to come off injured against Brentford.

The Macedonian international has been one of Marcelo Bielsa’s most consistently selected players this season having started all 44 of Leeds United’s Championship games so far.

It is unknown how long the left-sided player will miss for the Whites, but initial signs don’t look good as the usually resilient Alioski had to be replaced by Stuart Dallas early on at Griffin Park.

With Barry Douglas also ruled out for the remainder of the season this injury will be a huge dent in Leeds’ promotion push, with Leif Davis or Dallas two potential options who will have to step up to play left-back during the most vital part of the season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are still behind in the race for the Premier League and an injury to a key player such as Alioski will make things much harder for the Whites in the final two games of the campaign.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

حدد مجلس إدارة نادي برشلونة الحالي موعد إجراء انتخابات رئاسة النادي، حسب ما أفادت صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية.

وأوضحت الصحيفة أن المجلس اجتمع اليوم الخميس، واستقر على يوم الأحد 24 يناير 2021 ليكون موعدًا لانتخابات رئاسة برشلونة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بيدري: الاستماع إلى نصائح ميسي فخر.. وشعرت بصدمة عند رؤيته أول مرة

وأشارت إلى أنه بين التواريخ التي تم النظر فيها 17 و 24 يناير، وتم اختيار الأخير، على الرغم من أن نهاية الأسبوع برشلونة سيلعب بعيدًا عن أرضه أمام إلتشي بمنافسات الليجا.

ووفقًا للصحيفة ذكر برشلونة أنه في غضون الأسابيع القليلة المقبلة، سيتم جعل التقويم الانتخابي النهائي رسميًا، بالإضافة إلى الأماكن واللوجستيات الخاصة بالعملية برمتها.

يأتي ذلك بعد استقالة المجلس السابق برئاسة جوزيب ماريا بارتوميو، والذي قدم استقالته قبل احتساب تصويت سحب الثقة الذي رغب أعضاء برشلونة في إجراءه.

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Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United venture to the new White Hart Lane for the first time on Saturday to face the daunting task of trying to cause a shock against an in-form Tottenham Hotspur under Mauricio Pochettino, but there’s four key starting Xl changes the Hammers should make to give themselves some hope.

What are they?

The quartet of alterations would mean changes in the defence, midfield and attack from last weekend’s disappointing Premier League home draw with Leicester City at the London Stadium.

At the back, it’s time for summer signing Ryan Fredericks to return at right-back in place of veteran Pablo Zabaleta and to the left of him at left centre-back, Issa Diop to do the same by replacing Angelo Ogbonna.

Looking further forward into the left centre of midfield, a rethink is also a must for Pellegrini here, giving Jack Wilshere his first start since early September 2018 by ousting Robert Snodgrass.

And finally, up front, lone striker Marko Arnautovic needs to be replaced by Lucas Perez.

How will they give West Ham a chance of pulling off an upset?

Suggesting these changes to the starting team is all well and good but how exactly are they going to give the Irons a chance of pulling off an upset in north London?

Well, Fredericks at right-back rather than his mentor Zabaleta will give West Ham that much-needed pace to be able to cope with Heung-min Son.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the back four, centre-half performances have really let the side down in recent weeks. Pellegrini’s tried to make Ogbonna alongside Balbuena or Diop work and but it just hasn’t with at least two goals conceded in each of the last six matches.

It’s time to reunite Balbuena and Diop in the partnership that was working so well up until the former’s injury prior to Christmas.

Snodgrass started the term well in Claret & Blue but has since faded away and offered little more than the odd deadly set-piece. With Wilshere back, the 27-year-old desperately needs starts and the Scot will have to be the unlucky one to drop out in the centre – the weakest link.

Another incentive for Wilshere’s inclusion is his willingness to beat Spurs, bitter rivals of his former club Arsenal, and the same will apply for Perez, who should replace an out-of-sorts Arnautovic and bring form to the table after what should have been two goals against the Foxes.

Despite four alterations, Pellegrini shouldn’t waver from the 4-1-4-1 that was effective on home soil last time out as these are like-for-like changes, ones that will give his team the best possible chance of taking something back to east London.