Blog (Page 248)

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has warned Son Heung-min that he is not undroppable after an underwhelming start to the season. The 30-year-old shared the Premier League’s Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah last season and scored 28 goals in all competitions for club and country, but is yet to get off the mark in his seven 2022/23 outings. Son’s performances as a whole have fallen way short of the standards he set himself last season, when Conte admitted that he would have been ‘crazy’ to even consider resting or dropping the South Korean because of his form. But with Dejan Kulusevski’s January arrival backed upRead More →

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has admitted that Graham Potter’s departure to join Chelsea leaves new signing Billy Gilmour in a tricky situation. Young midfielder Gilmour left Chelsea for Brighton on Deadline Day in a deal worth around £9m, believing he would get more minutes under Potter at The Amex than he would under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge. Tuchel is even reported to have urged Gilmour to choose Brighton as Potter would be able to help his development, all while Chelsea owner Todd Boehly tried unsuccessfully to keep the Scot. Just a few days later, however, Tuchel was relieved of his duties at ChelseaRead More →

Kylian Mbappe‘s contract with Paris Saint-Germain was advertised as a three-year deal but the last of those three years is now understood to be optional, with Mbappe himself holding the power to decide whether to trigger it or not. Jurgen Klopp convinced Liverpool to make a move for Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde in the final days of the transfer window, but the Spanish side had absolutely no interest in discussing a sale. Cristiano Ronaldo rejected a summer move to Saudi Arabia that would have seen him pocket a col £211m per year. The Manchester United forward is now reconsidering that offer as he expectsRead More →

LAFC Academy product Christopher Jaime became the team’s first player to sign an MLS NEXT PRO contract.  “This is a significant moment for our Club as a next step in our professional pathway for our young, talented academy players like Chris,” said LAFC Co-President and General Manager John Thorrington. “It is testament to the hard work of everyone involved – our technical staff, scouts, and coaches but particularly speaks to the sacrifices made by Chris and his family. We are pleased to see Christopher continue to develop in our system as one of the players on our inaugural MLS Next Pro roster.” LAFC recently announcedRead More →

USMNT figure Ricardo Pepi opened up about his recent time in Germany with FC Augsburg, revealing ‘it was quite a tough time’ after finding it difficult to adapt.  The striker completed the move from Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas to Augsburg in January, breaking club record with transfer fee of $20m. But the American quickly experienced a downturn in form, going from 13 goals and three assists to the bench.  “It was quite a tough time. A different country, a different culture and a different competition. It was honestly a lot at the same time,” Pepi told Voetbal International. “My feeling was that I couldRead More →

Santos Laguna goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo revealed he looks up to Liga MX and El Tri figure Guillermo Ochoa, adding ‘I know what he represents to Mexican football, and to myself as a fan’. Acevedo has faced the Club America goalkeeper on several occasions in Liga MX, but only recently began interacting with Ochoa on a national team setting.  The Santos Laguna only debuted with El Tri on December 8, 2021, become a keen option as third-choice goalkeeper for head coach Gerardo Martino in just under a year. But despite the limited timeline, Ochoa has already become a source of inspiration and guidance for Acevedo. “IRead More →

Many on the outside have given up on Charlotte FC’s MLS Cup Playoffs hopes, but those within certainly haven’t. The expansion club have enjoyed plenty of highs during their debut seasons in the league, but went into Saturday’s clash with defending champions NYCFC on a run of five defeats in their last six games. The gap between themselves and the top seven in the East was widening, but luckily, NYCFC were the last team Charlotte beat and they managed to repeat the feat thanks to Daniel Rios’ fifth-minute goal at Bank of America Stadium. Six points now separate CLTFC from the Playoffs with just fourRead More →

Tottenham are back in Champions League action on Tuesday when they travel to Sporting CP. Spurs were due to face Manchester City on Saturday but the game and the rest of English football’s schedule was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. In their last outing, Antonio Conte’s side beat Marseille 2-0 thanks to two headed goals from Richarlison. GK: Hugo Lloris – Spurs were a nervy wreck on their return to the Champions League last week and Lloris’ display between the sticks didn’t help. Needs an assured performance as captain. CB: Cristian Romero – Surprisingly subbed off before full time last against MarseilleRead More →

The top 23 players in FIFA 23 have been revealed, with five players sharing the honour of being the game’s top talent. Usual suspect Lionel Messi is there at 91 overall, but this year, he is joined by Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne. It’s the first time in Ultimate Team history that five players have shared the game’s highest rating and the first time since FIFA 19 that Messi hasn’t been on his own at the top of the rankings. The top players in FUT 23 / EA Sports Behind them is the 90-rated group of Mohamed Salah, Virgil vanRead More →

The 2022/23 WSL season will kick off on Friday 16 September, after the opening weekend was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. All fixtures up and down the football pyramid were postponed between 9-11 October as a mark of respect for the long-serving monarch, who passed away in Balmoral on Thursday, The 2022/23 WSL season will now open with Arsenal vs Brighton at Borehamwood on Friday evening, kick off at 19:30 (BST). Manchester United host Reading on Saturday, before Aston Villa versus Manchester City, West Ham against Everton, Leicester versus Tottenham and Liverpool against Chelsea all take place on the Sunday. The Women’sRead More →