Getafe have admitted Mason Greenwood "would suit" Barcelona after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's comments on the Manchester United loanee's future.
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Greenwood impressing on loan at GetafeRatcliffe has opened door for his return to Old TraffordBarcelona also interested in English forwardGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
United sent Greenwood out on loan to Getafe on September 1 after concluding a six-month investigation into his conduct away from the pitch. He saw charges of attempted rape, assault, and coercive control against him dropped in February last year, but the club ultimately decided against reintegrating him into the first team. Moving to La Liga has allowed Greenwood to rebuild his career, though, and after recording 13 goal contributions in his first 24 appearances for Getafe, it has been suggested that Barcelona could make a formal offer for the forward this summer.
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Getafe president Angel Torres is still hopeful that Greenwood will stay at Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez beyond the end of the season, but admits that Barcelona would be the ideal fit for the 22-year-old if he were to move on to a new challenge. "He is very comfortable and crazy about staying another year," Torres said to Spanish radio station . "It's a matter that they [United] have to decide. There is new ownership. They have to decide. In Spain, he has a market. Barca's way of playing would suit him well but it depends on Manchester United. If it's true, he'll tell me."
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Torres' comments came in response to news from Old Trafford earlier in the week, with United's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe opening the door for Greenwood's potential return to the club. The INEOS chairman confirmed that a fresh decision over Greenwood's future will be taken when his loan deal at Getafe expires. "He’s a Manchester United footballer so we are in charge of football,” Ratcliffe said. "So the answer is yes, we have to make decisions. There is no decision that’s been made. The process will be: understand the facts not the hype and then try and come to fair decision on the basis of values which is basically is he a good guy or not, and answer could he play sincerely for Manchester United well and would we be comfortable with it and would the fans be comfortable with it."
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?
Greenwood is still under contract at Old Trafford until 2025, but has not played a competitive game for United since January 2022, and it remains to be seen whether he will be given another chance under the INEOS regime. For now, the one-cap England international's focus remains locked on matters at Getafe, who are set to come up against his potential suitors Barcelona in their next La Liga game on Saturday.
Four wins from five and their place confirmed in the Scottish Cup final, it's fair to say that Rangers have got off to a good start under new boss Philippe Clement. The former AS Monaco man has breathed new life into the Scottish Premiership giants, who may yet have a say in Celtic's pursuit of a third consecutive title and a first since the return of Brendan Rodgers.
With games coming thick and fast, Clement will simply be hoping to see the Gers continue their fine form and unbeaten run for as long as possible. That may prove more difficult, however, after recent injury news emerged to deal the new manager a frustrating blow.
Rangers injury news
Clement has already had to deal with several Rangers injuries during the early days of his tenure. The Belgian has been without John Souttar, Borna Barisic, Dujon Sterling, Nicolas Raskin and Rabbi Matondo at various stages in what has been a difficult few weeks when it comes to finding consistent options. Those absences make Clement's start all the more impressive, however, and beg the question as to just how good the Gers will be when the new manager has a full squad available.
The answer to that question looks unlikely to come anytime soon, though, with Clement confirming more Rangers injury news. The manager said, via Four Lads Had a Dream: “Ahead of Prague, You want to build from game to game, you want to give players a chance but we miss a few from the European squad. One player is unavailable but I will not tell you who. Minor [injury] but may not make it Thursday or Sunday.”
With that said, only time will tell just who it is that Rangers will be missing for their next Europa League clash, as Clement continues to remain coy over his squad's availability.
Rangers team news vs Sparta Prague
Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack.
With the chance to potentially move top of Group C with a win over Sparta Prague, Clement must get his Rangers selection right from the players that he has at his disposal. The new boss has already faced the Czech Republic side in charge of the Gers, of course, when they held them to a 0-0 draw in Prague in just his second game in charge. Now on four points, two points adrift of group leaders Real Betis, Rangers have the chance to lay down a marker halfway through the group stage.
Having eased past Hearts to progress into the final of the Scottish League Cup last time out, the likes of Danilo and Ryan Jack could keep their starting place, whilst Cyriel Dessers may well get an opportunity to feature at some stage.
If the Scottish giants can go one better than their previous away day by defeating Sparta Prague, then it will show just how much they've improved in such little time since the arrival of Clement. Even without what is currently an unknown injury, the Gers have the opportunity to make it six games without defeat under their new boss.
Liverpool are interested in completing the signing of an "exceptional" player who has broken Reds hearts in the past, according to a fresh transfer rumour.
Liverpool may need Mohamed Salah replacement
Jurgen Klopp has assembled one of the strongest attacking units on show at Anfield in many years, with five brilliant options to choose from in the final third. Mohamed Salah is the undisputed star man, but Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo are top-quality players in their own right, too.
There is the worry that Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, however, with the 31-year-old out of contract at Anfield in the summer of 2025, and therefore having to make a key decision regarding his future later this year. He will either need to sign an extension or move on to pastures new, most likely a Saudi Pro League club.
Should that happen, it is essential that the Reds and FSG act fast and replace the Egyptian superstar with a fantastic player, trying to fill the void left by one of the best players in world football over the past five or six years. While not necessarily a tailor-made immediate successor for Salah, it looks as though Liverpool are eyeing up one highly-rated young attacking ace.
Liverpool want Crysencio Summerville
According to an update from Anfield Watch, Liverpool are interested in signing Leeds United youngster Crysencio Summerville, seeing him as an exciting prospect.
rutter-summerville-leeds-opinion
"Liverpool are considering a move for highly-rated Crysencio Summerville during the upcoming summer transfer window, Anfield Watch can reveal.
"The 22-year-old Dutch winger has been turning heads with his impressive performances for Leeds in Championship this season, leading to a slew of interest from clubs in the Premier League, with Jurgen Klopp's side among the former Feyenoord star's admirers."
As mentioned, Summerville, who shares the same agent as Curtis Jones, may not yet be close to Salah's level, in terms of being a world-class player who any team on the planet would want on their side, but he is someone with a high ceiling who Liverpool know a lot about. That's because he scored the winning goal in Leeds' 2-1 win at Anfield last season, in what remains the Reds' only Premier League home defeat in front of fans since April 2017.
Appearances
23
Starts
21
Goals
12
Assists
6
Key passes per game
3.0
Dribbles per game
2.6
The Dutchman has plenty of admirers, one of whom is former Reds striker Michael Owen, who has said of him in the past:
"This is such a good goal. Look at that for a touch [Summerville’s first]. The ball is behind him. He takes one lovely touch with the outside of his foot, then another one to keep him away from the defender and finishes it brilliantly. This is a really hard chance. He’s behind the defender in many ways when he gets the ball. I mean how he does that is really, really exceptional."
Still only 22, Summerville has starred in the Championship this season, shining out wide, and he could be seen as a good squad player to begin with at Liverpool, before becoming more of a key man over time.
Having endured a patchy start to the new Premier League season, despite remaining unbeaten, it finally seems like Arsenal are clicking into gear and recapturing the rhythm that saw them come so close to immortality last year.
With standout victories over Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven, Mikel Arteta's men have laid a fine foundation for success across the board, with the Spaniard likely boasting grand ambitions of challenging on all fronts.
However, much of the media interest surrounding the current campaign, Kai Havertz's questionable performances aside, has been aimed at the goalkeeping position.
With Aaron Ramsdale having started the term as no.1, given the England international's impressive and ever-improving form since joining, the loan acquisition of David Raya drew questions.
The Spaniard is a fine shot-stopper who boasts exemplary ball-playing skills, but many wondered what the need to replace their current keeper was when the 25-year-old had largely impressed.
However, when the opportunity arose the Brentford loanee certainly took it, with it now widely recognised that he will maintain his starting spot.
Despite all the interest and debate such a saga has whipped up, it could be argued that back in 2020, Arteta actually sold a man who outperforms both of them.
Who has Mikel Arteta sold whilst at Arsenal?
Upon being appointed following the troublesome tenure of Unai Emery, there was plenty of work for the young inexperienced coach to undergo before he could take the Gunners back to the top.
After all, he had inherited a hugely bloated wage bill consisting of ageing luxury stars, many of whom were unlikely to stick around and star for the long-term project that was being crafted.
As such, the 41-year-old was cut-throat, with stars such as Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette all falling foul of the new regime. The former two even saw their contracts terminated in an effort to speed up their exit and free up significant wages to spend on a brighter future.
However, some departures did get lost in the mass exodus, with Pep Guardiola's ex-assistant perhaps a little too eager to completely revamp the squad.
Stars such as Matteo Guendouzi and Bernd Leno have gone on to enjoy fine stints since departing the Emirates, but few have enjoyed a rise to prominence like Emiliano Martinez, who joined Aston Villa in 2020.
After deputising well for the injured German goalkeeper, it became clear that despite his blistering form, the Argentine would not be handed a long-term show of faith. So, in a deal that has since become legendary for the international repercussions it held, the 31-year-old would seek greener pastures.
Having since made 119 appearances for the Midlands outfit, as an ever-present stalwart who has helped them in good times and bad, he is now reaping the rewards of having a fine outfit in front of him, who even charged to a European spot last season.
However, the true outstanding contribution of the shot-stopper's career thus far has come with his national team, more specifically during the 2022 World Cup.
Selected as Argentina's undisputed number one by Lionel Scaloni, the 6 foot 5 titan would play every minute of every game as they charged through the tournament. Brushing aside a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia, they would ease past Poland and Mexico before crushing Australian dreams with a narrow round of 16 victory.
Next came the Netherlands, who they defeated on penalties as Martinez starred, before an emphatic 3-0 win over Croatia cemented their spot in the final.
Whilst Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe stole the show offensively, the 32-cap superstar would make the decisive intervention, producing a phenomenal late save to deny Randal Kolo Muani in extra time before making two penalty saves to win his country the ultimate prize.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Final – Argentina v France – Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar – December 18, 2022 Best Young Player winner Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez, Golden Ball winner Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Golden Glove winner Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez pose with the trophies REUTERS/Carl Recine
Journalist Thierry Nyann would seek to highlight his contribution, which saw him win the Golden Glove award and later the award for Best Goalkeeper in the World: "Big shouts to Emiliano Martinez — Argentina wouldn’t have won the World Cup without him. A World Class Goalkeeper".
To think, Arteta was willing to sanction his exit for what now seems like a nominal fee.
How much did Aston Villa sign Emi Martinez for?
Whilst few could possibly have foreseen the glistening future Martinez would enjoy, there were signs that Arsenal had a truly special keeper on their hands.
After all, his work during that spell in the first team was exceptional, managing a 7.21 average rating as he recorded 3.8 saves per game, via Sofascore.
Therefore, the £17m spent marked a relatively risk-free signing for the Villans, who had secured a fine first-choice goalkeeper for the foreseeable future.
How much was Emi Martinez worth at Arsenal?
Having spent eight years at the north London club, his was a stint largely spent in the shadows, patiently awaiting a moment to shine.
As such, he would record just 38 appearances, the bulk of which came in cup competitions, and in that period before his exit.
€40.7m (£35.1m)
2023
Aston Villa
€21.4m (£18.5m)
2022
Aston Villa
€6.9m (£5.9m)
2021
Aston Villa
€0.7m (£0.6m)
2020
Arsenal
€0.5m (£0.4m)
2019
Arsenal
FootballTransfers, recognising his diminutive status, would therefore only value Villa's number one at €3.8m (£3.2m), which marked the pinnacle during that period at the Emirates. Unsurprisingly, this was a figure that would skyrocket in the following years.
How much was Emi Martinez worth at Aston Villa?
Although his value has since decreased slightly now, with the hype surrounding those World Cup performances understandably inflating such a number, it still remains at a level where Arteta will hold much regret regarding the departure.
Emiliano Martinez
After all, as recently as February was the Argentine worth a lofty €40.7m (£35.1m), with that having now dropped to a still admirable €30.9m (£26.7m).
When taking the former figure, since leaving the Gunners Martinez has actually seen a 105% increase when comparing that valuation with the fee first paid.
Why is Emi Martinez worth that much?
That value is not a figure solely upheld by his international displays though, as despite Villa's patchy start to the Premier League season, Martinez has starred.
The former Reading star is averaging an admirable 7.28 average rating this league term, making him the seventh-best-performing goalkeeper in the division, buoyed by his 3.4 saves per game and 84% pass accuracy, via Sofascore.
For comparison, Raya and Ramsdale have only managed 7.15 and 6.63 average ratings respectively, thus emphasising the earlier point. Arteta may have been vindicated in the sales of Ozil and Aubameyang, but he got it all wrong with Martinez.
Tottenham Hotspur are "on the verge" of a surprise signing as Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg breaks some transfer news this morning.
Postecoglou chasing early January deals
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou made clear last month that the north Londoners will attempt to seal their January business early, as the head coach wants to bed new recruits into the squad nice and quickly.
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Indeed, Tottenham are linked with signing a centre-back, midfielder and forward this month, with Postecoglou recently saying he's "hopeful" of sealing new players soon after the winter window opens.
"Obviously if we can do business early it's great for us, not just because of losing [Cristian] Romero but there's a whole month there – why waste it?," said Postecoglou on Spurs' January transfer plans.
"If you can bring them in early, even if they don't play you can bed them into training and our style of football because it's not like we're going to sign somebody and they'll hit the ground running. Maybe they could.
Trevoh Chalobah
20th December
Jean-Clair Todibo
20th December
Morato
19th December
Radu Dragusin
16th December
Sebastian Caceres
14th December
Jarrad Branthwaite
13th December
"Whereas if you leave it towards the end of January, it's potentially not until mid to end of February when they get up to speed, depending where they're coming from, the league they're coming from. So there's a whole lot of moving parts. So yes, I'd love to do something early in the window but even me saying that puts a challenge on us – because other clubs know we want to do something early.
"You've got to play the game, we'll see what happens but I'm hopeful it will be much earlier than the end of the window before we bring someone in."
Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for Genoa defender Radu Dragusin. Postecoglou's side, in their desperate search for a new centre-back, are thought to be making headway and want a deal done soon.
Tottenham are advancing in talks to sign Dragusin after agreeing personal terms (Fabrizio Romano), but according to Sky reporter Plettenberg, there has been quite an unexpected transfer development out of N17 just this morning.
Timo Werner "on the verge" of joining Tottenham
According to the journalist, RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner could be a Spurs player very soon.
It is believed Werner is "on the verge" of joining Tottenham on loan and "final negotiations" are taking place today.
The Germany international can play anywhere across the attacking midfield area and further forward. Werner has scored two goals in eight Bundesliga appearances this season.
حسم التعادل السلبي مواجهة غزل المحلة والاتحاد السكندري، التي أقيمت اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.
وأقيمت المباراة بين غزل المحلة والاتحاد السكندري، في الجولة الخامسة من مسابقة الدوري المصري على استاد المحلة.
طالع..طارق العشري يوقع على عقود تدريب فريق عربي جديد
واستحوذ زعيم الثغر على الكرة في المباراة حيث وصلت نسبة امتلاكه للكرة 59% بينما 41% لصالح غزل المحلة، بينما سدد أصحاب الأرض 11 مرة في مقابل 4 مرات فقط للفريق السكندري.
ورفع الاتحاد السكندري رصيده إلى 8 نقاط في المركز السادس من جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري، بينما غزل المحلة عنده 5 نقاط في المركز الرابع عشر.
يحل فريق ليفربول ضيفاً على نظيره توتنهام هوتسبير، ضمن منافسات الجولة السابعة عشر من مسابقة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.
وسيخوض ليفربول مواجهة اليوم أمام توتنهام على ملعب “توتنهام الجديد” في تمام الساعة السادسة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
ويحتل ليفربول المركز الأول في ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، برصيد 36 نقطة، بينما يأتي توتنهام هوتسبير في المركز الحادي عشر برصيد 23 نقطة.
ويسعى ليفربول إلى تحقيق الانتصار بالعلامة الكاملة اليوم، بعد أن سقط في فخ التعادل في آخر مواجهتين أمام فولهام ونيوكاسل يونايتد.
اقرأ ايضاً.. جوتا: سأشتري “ورقة وقلم” حتى يجدد نجم ليفربول عقده
ودفع آرني سلوت المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، بالدولي المصري محمد صلاح بالتشكيل الأساسي في مواجهة اليوم. تشكيل ليفربول اليوم أمام توتنهام في الدوري الإنجليزي
حراسة المرمي: أليسون بيكر.
خط الدفاع: أندرو روبيرتسون – فان دايك – جو جوميز – ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد.
Here we go again. How irresponsible can Virender Sehwag get? One can understand his liberal swishing of the bat out in the middle, but look what he’s done now. He actually had the audacity to publicly go on record and say that there’s too much cricket and that players “need a break” to guard against burn-out. Worst still, he was cheeky enough to say that Sourav Ganguly was the best captain he has played under and added that (take a deep breath) “we miss him”.Obviously, none of this would sit well with the Indian board, who promptly issued a warning. One wonders how Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, controlled a chuckle when he read out this statement: “As a player you cannot give your opinion on any other player.” Shah, probably realising his folly a day later, attempted a cover-up operation: “It was not a warning, just our advice to him. There is no question of taking action against Sehwag. The matter is closed.”But, more pertinently, why was it an issue in the first place? Sehwag isn’t the first to be pulled up for opening his mouth. The two Singhs – Harbhajan and Yuvraj – have been gagged earlier and Greg Chappell has faced the music as well, except that his comments, unlike the other three, were against Ganguly. So it’s 3-1 at the moment, but the refereeing has been quite hopeless.Around a month back, at the pre-match press conference before the sixth one-dayer against England at Jamshedpur, Sehwag was asked about Ganguly. His response was guarded, more an effort to pass the question rather than create a stir: “… there’s no question of looking back … We have already forgotten that chapter.” No warning then, no yellow card, no nothing.Around two weeks back, Sachin Tendulkar was asked, again in a press conference, about too much cricket. One of his responses: “I have been happy with my schedule. It is important to physically and mentally recharge yourself after every series. One must make sure there is a break after matches and series.” Tendulkar expresses his opinion. No hassles. Sehwag expresses his opinion. Warned. Inference: open your mouth but just don’t say what the board doesn’t want to hear.And what if you are asked about your former captain? He might have been your greatest backer, he might have revitalised your career, and he might be your hero, but it’s almost anathema to take his name, more so if you are praising him. If the Indian board has its way, a few years down the line you may watch this version of a player interview.Interviewer: Who have been the key players in India becoming the best team in the world?
Player: Sorry, I am not in a position to answer that.I: Tell us about the World Cup final. What a superb innings from your captain …
P: I wish I could talk about that innings. But I can’t publicly comment on other players.I: Do you still have fond memories of your debut?
P: Great moment. I need to thank one man for having faith in me during that time. I am sure you know who I am talking about. That’s all I can say.I: A thousand Twenty20 games in the last year. Isn’t it too much?
P: That is for the board to comment.
Gideon Haigh reviews Out of My Comfort Zone by Steve Waugh
Gideon Haigh23-Jan-2006
Michael Joseph, hb, 801pp, £20
Eight hundred and one pages; 300,000 words; 1.9 kg. In this statistically-minded age, it is the dimensions of Steve Waugh’s autobiography that first command attention. He has, again, swept the field. Bradman disposed of his life in 316 pages, Hobbs in 320, Allan Border in 270. And this after 10 tour diaries, an album of photographs, and three biographies. The man’s a machine.The hackneyed sportspeak of the title isn’t insignificant either. This is not a comfortable book to hold, let alone read. Most sport memoirs are slight, perfunctory and produced with little care. Waugh has the opposite problem. His stupendous effort in producing this book oozes from every page, almost every passage. He writes like he batted, seemingly in thrall to the idea that the man with the most pages wins. Unable to determine what is important, he has convinced himself that everything is.That’s a shame. There are hints here of genuine self-disclosure, of the drive that made him the cricketer he was, and of the frailties contained by his tight-wound personality. “For me,” he explains, “the hardest part about not doing well was that I began to think I was a failure not just as a player but as a person too.” He was, he admits, a bottler up of his emotions, even with brother Mark. At the peak of his twin’s travails in the match-fixing mess, Waugh recalls, they had a heart-to-heart that, in the great tradition of Aussie stoicism, wasn’t: “Before we parted, we had one of those moments where you know you should let your guard down and just do something. I’m sure we both sensed it – the notion that we should embrace and reassure each other it was going to be okay. But we didn’t.”Waugh is the voice of pragmatism when he wonders if he came back a better player after omission from the Australian side: “Sounds fantastic in theory, but most players who get dropped either don’t make it back or are no better prepared when they get their next chance.” But he is the voice of suggestibility when he enumerates his host of superstitions above and beyond the famous red rag – the alighting on him of a ladybird, for example, he took as a good omen.Captaincy was even lonelier than playing: “A captain can tell he’s skipper the moment he sits down to a team dinner at a restaurant and the chairs on either side are vacant for longer than they have been in the past.” He admits to the occasional “mild anxiety attack” at the coin toss. By the end of his career, his only confidante was his wife, to whom he “let all my pent-up emotions gush out and bawled like a baby” when he was retrenched as one-day skipper.Just when Waugh seems about to open up, however, he seeks the comfort of cliche (“An overwhelming sense of anticipation on top of the comforting knowledge that this was an Australian cricketer’s ultimate sporting adventure stirred me as we gathered at Sydney airport in readiness for my second Ashes tour”) and the safety of statistics (“I performed okay in our other matches, playing in all eight games and finishing fourth in the Australian batting aggregates”). His comfort zone is not merely small but well-fortified.Waugh is also prone to descriptions that are like literary slog-sweeps: batting on an awkward pitch is like “being a wildebeest crossing a swollen African creek bed, knowing that eventually a submerged crocodile will eventually sink its fangs into your flesh”; Michael Bevan was “a `pyjama Picasso’, creating masterpiece after masterpiece to the point that his genius became mundane when people were spoiled by his continued brilliance”; Gavin Robertson “once had the classic textbook technique but it somehow metamorphosed into a batting stance that resembled a badly constipated individual with a `headless chook’ approach”. The writer might have left his comfort zone, but did he have to try taking the reader with him?