Man Utd line up Juve defender, Betis bargain as Chelsea eye Arsenal keeper

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24 Feb 2024

Chelsea remain keen to offer Aaron Ramsdale an escape route from the Arsenal bench, while Manchester United are linked with a defender from Serie A and a La Liga-based midfielder…
CHELSEA PLAN SANCHEZ SALE, TARGET RAMSDALE
An unintended consequence of Chelsea winning the Carabao Cup final could be even tighter financial restrictions on the Blues next season if they have to abide by UEFA’s FFP processes as well as Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules. But that doesn’t seem to be stopping them from having a nosey in the market…

Mauricio Pochettino is on the look out for a new goalkeeper with Robert Sanchez already being ushered towards the exit door. HITC reckon Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale is a target as the England keeper prepares to leave the Emirates rather than remain on Mikel Arteta’s bench.
Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili is also understood to be under consideration but Ramsdale remains the primary target for the Blues. Though the Arsenal keeper won’t come cheap simply because he’s second choice at present. Reports earlier this season suggested the Gunners might ask for as much as £50million for David Raya’s stand-in.
Chelsea are also watching Jules Kounde, according to Fichajes, with Barcelona open to selling the former Sevilla defender, who has been playing out of position at right-back.
Read more: Why Chelsea may have to turn down European football if they beat Liverpool in Carabao Cup final

7 MLS wonderkids who could be set for a big move to Europe in 2024

MLS has become a breeding ground for young footballing talent in the past decade or so. Ballers like Miguel Almiron, Jack Harrison, and Alphonso Davies all cut their teeth in Major League Soccer, and more are on the way.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of knowing about a diamond in the rough before it’s unearthed and cut into a fine gem by Europe’s big boys. Who’s next, though?

We’ve compiled a list of candidates who we think have a big move to Europe in the future. Keep your eye on these lads — one of them might be playing for your team soon.

Benjamin Chremaschi

This kid has everything going for him. A rangy midfielder with great awareness, he prefers to play as a 10, equally able to win the ball back or create a chance.
Chremasci is brilliant at wriggling out of tight situations and enjoys playing in central areas under pressure. As he fills out physically, he’s only going to improve his all-round game. Chremasci is still only 18, and is eligible to play for both the USA and Argentina.
There’s a certain teammate of his at Miami who might be whispering sweet Spanish nothings in his ear about La Albiceleste.
A very promising teenager training and playing with Lionel Messi every day — we’d say Benjamin Chremaschi is poised to succeed.

Gavin Beavers

Eighteen-year-old Beavers is the youngest goalkeeper to start a game in MLS history. If there’s one thing MLS has always done brilliantly, it’s produce top goalkeepers — see Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, et al.
Beavers is 6’6″ and gaining heaps of valuable experience at Real Salt Lake. His future is in his hands now, and he can be whatever he wants to be.
Los Angeles Galaxy, players including Landon Donovan holding the trophy, and David Beckham, front left, celebrate after defeating the the Houston Dynamo 3-1 in the MLS Cup championship soccer game, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Carson, Calif.
© Provided by Planet Football
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club to win the MLS Cup?

Matai Akinmboni

The DC United centre-back broke into the first team at just sixteen. That’s so, so young for a central defender.
Wayne Rooney’s former defensive protege has been training with Villareal in his spare time, and Europe will have its eyes firmly fixed on Akinmboni.

Reed Baker-Whiting

Seattle Sounders have a big prospect on their hands in Reed Baker-Whiting. A powerful runner with two good feet, the eighteen-year-old is the kind of midfielder who can bend a game to his will and make a huge impact.

Owen Wolff

Wolff likes to keep possession of the football and progress it forward for his team, rarely letting the opposition get a look in.
The teenager solidified a regular first-team place at Austin FC last season, and went to the Under-20 World Cup with the USA. A big move awaits.
Goodison Park, Liverpool, UK. 7th Oct, 2023. Premier League Football, Everton versus Bournemouth; Jack Harrison of Everton
© Provided by Planet Football
READ: An XI of ex-MLS players thriving in Europe: Davies, Almiron, Harrison…

Nimfasha Berchimas

North Carolina-based Charlotte FC’s winger prodigy has only just turned sixteen, and is already right at home on the pitch among the adult pros.
Hopefully it’s not too much, too soon as Bayern are said to have an eye cast firmly in Berchimas’ direction. Like Sauron. In Lord of the Rings. Sauron’s eye.

Esmir Bajraktarevic

There’s a revolution in the offing in New England. Bajraktarevic has already made his senior debut for USMNT and he won’t be old enough to buy a beer for another couple of years. The winger is full of tricks and has a penchant for a worldie.
Stardom awaits if Esmir wants it.
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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the top 30 goalscorers in Major League Soccer history?

English Premier League predictions, fixtures and results: 24 – 26 February 2024

It’s another crunch weekend in the English Premier League, as teams jostle for position at both ends of the table ahead of the all-important run in.
Fans of goals need look no further than Saturday night’s fixture under the lights at the Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal go up against Newcastle.
The pair have rattled in 111 EPL goals between them so far this season.
And the Gunners have notched a staggering 21 in their last five, which has seen them snaffle a maximum, 15-point haul.
It could be the Toon Army’s decidedly leakier defence that proves the difference, then, as Eddie Howe and Co attempt to keep the European qualification show on the road for a second consecutive campaign.
Reigning champions Manchester City can keep the heat on leaders Liverpool at the top of the Premier League when they travel to Bournemouth for the Saturday evening kick off.
Pep Guardiola’s side squeezed to a home victory in midweek, meaning they can go within a point of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, who aren’t in action.
Manchester United have defied the doubters in recent weeks, winning four on the spin amid confirmation of a takeover by Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
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Talk of building a ‘Wembley Stadium for the north’ will have to wait for now, as inconsistent Fulham arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Devils have traded fortunes with former boss David Moyes and his increasingly sorry West Ham, who face Brentford in a London derby of sorts on Monday night.
Three straight losses have sent the Hammers tumbling out of the top six picture, while the Bees are only five points above the relegation zone.
Sunday’s sole EPL match sees Sheffield United go to Wolves.
And the good news for Chris Wilder is that they’re away from home, after successive 0-5 beatings were doled out to his Blades at Bramall Lane.
Elsewhere on Saturday there’s an opportunity for Aston Villa to secure their top three berth when they host Nottingham Forest.
Unai Emery’s side are in patchy form but have won two of their last three, while Forest ended a long winless run last weekend to take the edge off their relegation angst.

There’s plenty of that stress for Everton, too, who face an unenviable trip to Brighton.
Sean Dyche’s side just can’t buy a win at the moment, leaving themselves outside the drop zone on goal difference alone thanks to their 10-point deduction.
Crystal Palace and Burnley also meet for a relegation six-pointer at Selhurst Park.
It’s a start to south London life for coach Oliver Glasner, who replaced veteran Roy Hodgson in the week following a health scare for the ex-England boss.
The Clarets need points very quickly if they are to start chipping away at the seven-point barrier between themselves and sanctuary.

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest
Brighton & Hove Albion v Everton
Crystal Palace v Burnley
Manchester United v Fulham
AFC Bournemouth v Manchester City
Arsenal v Newcastle United
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United
West Ham United v Brentford

Liverpool coach reveals how Klopp replacement ‘search’ should go amid Xabi Alonso rumours

Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders thinks it is impossible to replace Jurgen Klopp and the club should not try to find a replica of the German manager.
Klopp’s shock decision to step down at the end of the season began an unenviable task for owners Fenway Sports Group of finding a successor for a manager who has won every club honour – bar the Europa League – during his time at Anfield.
ophies this weekend in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday and the finale to the season could see them contend for another three in what would be a remarkable send-off.
But Lijnders, who with the rest of Klopp’s backroom staff is also leaving, insisted there was no point in trying to find someone who would be a clone of the 56-year-old, with former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso currently the leading candidate.
“No one can replace Jurgen Klopp. But I think the past showed already a few difficult transitions,” said the Dutchman.
“What was the most difficult transition inside this club was (Bill) Shankly saying ‘That’s me’. (Bob) Paisley stepped up and was completely different from Shanks.
“It shows, as a club, we have to search for someone who wants to grow, who has the mindset to develop.

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“I think we did the right thing by announcing early so the club has real time to make this transition smooth but the past has already shown that it is really impossible.
“The (Pep) Guardiola team of Barca, he says out of nothing ‘That’s me’ and then Tito (Vilanova) took over and has the highest win ratio ever – that was probably the most difficult transition in the last 15 years.
“What I’m trying to say is they don’t have to replace Jurgen, they have to find a good, good manager because nobody will replace Jurgen.”
Mailbox: Why Liverpool, not Bayern Munich, is the right job for Xabi Alonso…
There was a concern that Klopp’s announcement could possibly derail a team which leads the Premier League, faces Southampton in the FA Cup next week and is favourite for the Europa League, having been drawn against Sparta Prague in the last 16.
However, that has not been the case with five victories and just one defeat since the news broke and Lijnders said that was down to the mentality within the dressing room.

“I think you underestimate our squad, the personalities in it,” he added.
“They have been through a lot already, in recent history but also how they grew up; a lot of these boys had to show character from a young age – not everything went easy for them.
“A lot of us get a lot of criticism but we grow with this, it only feeds us. All these boys know how to deal with it.
“A lot of these boys didn’t win anything with Liverpool yet so of course they give everything despite the manager saying he is leaving.
“We are stable enough to deal with it. That’s what I thought before – but you never know. It is in the back of your mind but I, we, trust the squad enough that they can deal with that.
“We never make it more complicated than it is and I like that. It is the next game, that’s our final – and it is a final so let’s give everything on this planet to win this one and give joy and emotion to the fans.”

Liverpool will make a late decision on the fitness of forwards Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, who both missed the midweek win over Luton, and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who has not played since the league win over Chelsea at the end of January.
Read next: Carabao Cup final and Arsenal versus Newcastle among Big Weekend highlights

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have given away Ballon d'Or trophies for different reasons

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have plenty in common after putting together iconic careers respectively, including winning numerous Ballon d'Or awards.
The pair also share the habit of giving all of their golden balls away, albeit for differing reasons. Messi won a record-breaking eighth Ballon d'Or last year after winning the World Cup, playing a part in Paris Saint-Germain's title and making a huge impact in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.

Ronaldo won the last of his five Ballon d'Ors in 2017, but like Messi, he does not keep any of them in his personal trophy cabinet. Instead, the former Barcelona and Real Madrid superstars have donated each of the 13 Ballon d'Ors they have won between them.
All eight of Messi's reside in Barcelona's museum at the Camp Nou, even the last, which he won away from the club, in a clear gesture of his respect and appreciation for their role in his journey. Four of Ronaldo's five Ballon d'Ors are also in a museum, but they're in his own personal museum on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
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READ MORE: Jose Mourinho’s Lionel Messi comments speak volumes about bitter rivalryInstead of being a celebration of a club's history, Ronaldo's trophies have been donated for the celebration of his own achievements on the island where he was born and raised. However, Ronaldo decided to donate his 2013 trophy to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children affected by life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses.