Month: January 2023

Tottenham plan to sign Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford this summer.

Hugo Lloris, 36, is currently Spurs’ No1 but a string of poor performances from the Frenchman have left the North Londoners searching for a replacement.

Football Insider believe Antonio Conte has selected Toffees stopper Pickford as his preferred choice.

Pickford, 28, has made over 200 appearances for the Merseysiders since leaving boyhood club Sunderland in 2017.

He also has 50 caps for England, representing the Three Lions at two World Cups and Euro 2020.

Although Lloris is contracted until 2024, Tottenham are aiming to confirm his successor in the coming months.

Pickford signed a six-year contract at Everton in 2018, but Goodison Park chiefs could look to cash in on their prized asset as they attempt a major rebuild in the summer.

Regardless of whether the relegation candidates avoid the drop this season, Pickford is eager to play at an elite level with Spurs an enticing suitor.

In other news

Newcastle and Tottenham are set to battle it out to agree a permanent deal for Romelu Lukaku in the summer, although they may face competition from Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus according to reports in Italy.

Championship outfit Watford are holding out for a £25million fee for Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr, with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace potential buyers, say The Sun.

French media believe West Ham and Aston Villa are interested in signing Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.

Erik ten Hag is waiting for a full diagnosis on Christian Eriksen’s ankle injury after the midfielder was pictured leaving Old Trafford on crutches.

The Denmark international was on the receiving end of a strong challenge from Reading striker Andy Carroll during Manchester United’s 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round victory.

Carroll avoided punishment from referee Darren England for the tackle, though he was later sent off for two bookable offences.

Eriksen’s injury is a cause of concern for United, with crucial Premier League clashes and a Europa League showdown with Barcelona on the horizon, and Ten Hag is waiting for a full assessment on the problem.

“It’s always difficult to say so soon after the game finished, but it’s an ankle [injury] and we have to see what the diagnosis is,” he told a post-match press conference.

“It will be a minimum of 24 hours before we know that, and then I can say more.”

Victory for United keeps the club in contention across all competitions this season and the performance of Antony caught the eye, having provided the assist for Casemiro’s opener.

Ten Hag had called for more from the pre-season signing following the midweek EFL Cup win against Nottingham Forest and, while he has seen progress, feels there is still more to come.

“I have some experience with him. We have to challenge him and if you challenge him he can adapt, adjust his game, that is what we have to do, definitely,” he added.

“He has to be more variable, more dynamic, but also he needs his team-mates and his team-mates around him. But also [needs to know] how to use your team-mates.

“He has to work on that, but he is investing in that at the moment, and you see the progress. But still I think there is a lot of room for improvement.”

Julian Nagelsmann urged Bayern Munich to return to form swiftly after a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt extended the Bundesliga leaders’ “results crisis”.

Randal Kolo Muani struck in the second half to cancel out Leroy Sane’s opener and extend the defending champions’ winless run in the Bundesliga.

Bayern have been held to three consecutive 1-1 draws since the league resumed after the World Cup and winter break, and they sit just one point ahead of Union Berlin at the summit.

With a Champions League showdown against Paris Saint-Germain just over two weeks away, poor form is a cause of concern and Nagelsmann went as far as to dub the situation a “crisis”.

“In order to be able to play big games, you have to play the small ones in such a way that you are in a good run from the psychology point of view,” he said after the game.

“We don’t have too much time before the big games to get into this run. So, we must start at some point – the first step is always the hardest. It’s a result crisis.

“The acceleration of the game was not good at all. In all three games, the opponent defended deeply.

“We also had a lot of situations today where we can use the very good players in spaces, but we played it almost exclusively on the wing.

“The opponent can adapt well to this. We should have done a lot more. There are a lot of points we really could have done better.”

Thomas Muller, captain for the draw against Frankfurt, assessed the situation similarly and declared the performances are not good enough for a club of Bayern’s stature.

“Frankfurt made it difficult for us. But the situation is as it is. We have to do better,” Muller told Sky.

“Drawing three times – that’s not possible, we’re Bayern Munich. It is clear that we are dissatisfied, that we do not win three times in a row. It’s brutally annoying.”

Simone Inzaghi will not “waste time imagining what happens in the future” amid speculation over Milan Skriniar’s future at Inter.

Defender Skriniar missed Saturday’s trip to lowly Cremonese through suspension, though his absence was not felt too keenly as Inter recovered from an early setback to win 2-1 thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s double.

The centre-back has been repeatedly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but with just over three days of the transfer window remaining, Inzaghi is not worrying about losing Skriniar.

“That is not a question for me, it is for directors [Giuseppe] Marotta and [Piero] Ausilio,” Inzaghi told DAZN.

“Milan is a great professional, he is here at the moment and trains to his best. I cannot waste time imagining what happens in the future.”

Inter were well worth their win at Cremonese, who are yet to secure a victory in Serie A this season.

Inzaghi’s side had 30 shots and got 10 of those on target, albeit they relied on the quality of Martinez to get over the line.

Martinez moved onto double figures for the season with his 21st-minute equaliser, when he reacted sharply to turn home a rebound from Edin Dzeko’s volley.

The forward has now scored at least 10 Serie A goals in four separate seasons with Inter, becoming only the third foreign player to achieve that feat in the club’s history.

Dzeko supplied the pass for Martinez’s second-half winner, and Inzaghi hailed the duo’s partnership.

“They are fantastic,” the coach said. “They are doing very well but [Joaquin] Correa and [Romelu] Lukaku are also returning to get back in good shape.

“They played about 20 minutes and the team will need them because Edin and Lauti can’t play all the games.”

Inter moved up to second with their victory, but having lost to Empoli on Monday they are a distant 10 points behind runaway leaders Napoli.

“It was tough against a Cremonese side that in the last few days had knocked Napoli out of the Coppa Italia and picked up a point in Bologna,” Inzaghi said.

“I am very happy with the character shown by my team, as after a nasty defeat, conceding an early goal against the run of play could have been really damaging.”

Despite Napoli’s advantage at the summit of Serie A, Martinez is not giving up on the Scudetto.

He told DAZN: “We are racing only against ourselves, as we dropped a lot of points, it’s a big gap at the top and Napoli play [on Sunday].

“We must be calm, focus on ourselves and continue to improve.”

Son Heung-min welcomed his return to goalscoring form after hitting a brace in Tottenham’s FA Cup victory at Preston North End.

A second-half double in Saturday’s 3-0 victory brought an end to a barren run for Son, who had scored just once in 13 appearances.

Spurs had struggled during that stretch, falling behind in the hunt for a top-four finish in the Premier League and seeing speculation mount over the future of Antonio Conte.

An FA Cup trip to Deepdale offered a break from that pressure, however, and Son flourished leading the line.

Back amongst the goals, Son feels the result can provide a boost ahead of next Sunday’s league showdown against Manchester City.

“I needed the goals for my confidence. It was really important, they were from the kind of positions where I like to shoot,” he told BBC Sport.

“In the first half I had a couple of chances, they were on target and the keeper made a good save. The second half, they went in.

“The goals were needed, as an attacking player you always need goals, it doesn’t matter how good you are playing or how bad you are playing.

“The most important thing is to get that goal. I think today it was important that I could help the team and get into the next round, I’m very happy.

“When you look at the scoresheet, it looks like a comfortable win but the FA Cup has never been comfortable. We suffered a lot away from home, the lads did an amazing job.

“There’s a lot of talk about our performances and how we are playing. We are focused, we’re doing what we have to do and we know what we have to improve.

“We have so much space to improve, so this game could bring us some really good energy for next weekend.”

Son’s goals were his first in the FA Cup since he netted against Southampton in February 2020. Indeed, each of his last four strikes in the competition have come in the fourth round.

Spurs, meanwhile, have now progressed beyond the fourth round for a fourth straight season, their longest such run in the FA Cup since 1979 to 1983, though they have been knocked out in the fifth round in the previous three campaigns.

Harry Kane remained on the bench on Saturday – it was the first time he has not featured in a Tottenham game since October 2021, ending a run of 68 successive appearances.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag acknowledged Casemiro’s attacking output has taken him by surprise after the Brazilian scored twice in Saturday’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Reading.

United booked their passage to the fifth round thanks to the straightforward victory at Old Trafford.

Despite the ultimately routine nature of the win, it took United 54 minutes to break Reading’s resistance – the breakthrough came via Casemiro’s impudent scoop following Antony’s incisive pass.

Casemiro then got a second four minutes later, his long-range strike taking a slight deflection en route to the bottom-right corner, with Fred getting the third with a cheeky flick.

It was just the latest in a series of exceptional performances from Casemiro since his reported £60million move from Real Madrid in August, the brace taking him to four goals for the season.

Add to that his five assists, and Casemiro’s nine goal involvements for the campaign is the fourth-most in the United squad, while he also ranks fourth for open-play chances created (28).

When asked if he was surprised by Casemiro’s impact in this regard, Ten Hag told ITV: “Yes. We know he’s a great player. The midfield at Madrid with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, it was great…

“I think he’s capable of that [being an attacking threat]. We see offensively he’s a part, and he enjoys it when he can come in [to the attack].

“What I like is dynamic football with variations and many positional switches, so we have to make the opponents think, so we can make the most.”

United captain Harry Maguire credited the midfielder with having a transformational effect in several aspects.

“He’s done what he was brought in to do,” Maguire said. “He’s a phenomenal player, he has been throughout his career. You don’t win what he’s won without being a top player.

“He’s improved the team, improved the morale and improved the performance, and it’s great to have him.”

Casemiro scored a magnificent brace before Fred flicked home audaciously as Manchester United’s Brazilian stars sparkled in Saturday evening’s FA Cup win over Reading.

Erik ten Hag surprisingly only made one alteration for a seemingly straightforward fourth-round assignment that his side initially made hard work of at Old Trafford.

But second half samba magic in the Manchester rain sealed United a 3-1 victory on a night when Amadou Mbengue grabbed Reading a consolation after Andy Carroll was sent off.

Marcus Rashford saw a goal ruled out for offside in an opening period that saw United fail with their 15 shots and nearly go behind in after Junior Hoilett caught Tyrell Malacia out just before the break.

But Antony’s excellent defence-splitting pass put compatriot Casemiro through to beautifully lift over goalkeeper Joe Lumley early in the second half.

The former Real Madrid midfielder followed that with a fizzing 30-yard strike that was added to by a daring flick by Brazil team-mate Fred.

Ex-Liverpool striker Carroll received his marching orders shortly before United’s third and Reading’s travelling fans were able to celebrate Mbengue’s goal as Paul Ince’s men ended brightly.

The result means United’s Old Trafford clash with rivals Leeds can be played on February 8 – one of eight fixtures they face in a jam-packed month.

Next month will surely end with a shot at Carabao Cup glory after Wednesday’s 3-0 semi-final first-leg win against Nottingham Forest, making Ten Hag’s selection here all the more eye catching.

Harry Maguire replaced Lisandro Martinez in the only alteration from the City Ground win and United dominated possession throughout a one-sided first half.

Home debutant Wout Weghorst saw a smart flick blocked and Christian Eriksen bent a 20-yard free-kick narrowly wide.

Another set-piece opportunity soon followed and Lumley did well to parry in-form Rashford’s stinging strike, with Eriksen’s follow-up attempt thwarted.

Antony missed efforts either side of a timely Tom Holmes block that prevented Weghorst getting away a close-range strike on the turn.

Eriksen was denied by another important Holmes block, with Bruno Fernandes curling over and dragging across the face of goal as the onslaught continued.

United finally appeared to have opened the scoring in the 35th minute, only for the VAR to intervene.

Rashford met Weghorst’s looping header back across goal with a headed effort that Lumley could not prevent crossing the line, but the target man had strayed offside in the build-up.

Casemiro saw penalty appeals fall on deaf ears as United ended the half with 15 shots to Reading’s two, although complacency so nearly allowed Hoilett to make his count.

Malacia was caught napping at a cross, with the Canadian nipping ahead of him to get away a close-range shot that previously untroubled David De Gea denied.

The stoppage-time opportunity was completely against the run of play and United finally added some bite to their attack in the 54th minute.

Antony superbly slipped through Casemiro, who kept his cool to expertly lift over Lumley in front of the rocking Stretford End.

The 30-year-old pointed at his compatriot during the celebrations in recognition of the assist – but there was no need to share the love four minutes later.

Fred had no idea Casemiro would meet his lay-off with a stunning first-time strike from 30 yards that skipped past Lumley and nestled in the bottom corner.

It was a fine drive and Carroll’s sending off for a second bookable offence for a late challenge on Casemiro in the 65th minute ended any faint hopes of a comeback.

United were playing with the shackles off and substitute Fred took inspiration from his Brazilian roots when meeting Fernandes’ near-post cross with a fine flick a minute later.

Reading pulled one back in the 72nd minute as substitute Mbengue scored a free header from a corner and Ince’s team had further openings that they failed to capitalise on.

Alejandro Garnacho looked most likely to add gloss for United but there was to be no more goals.

Ousmane Dembele is expected to miss a run of important games for Barcelona after suffering a strained thigh in their LaLiga win over Girona on Saturday.

The French winger, described by coach Xavi as Barcelona’s “most important player in one-on-one situations”, may struggle to be back in time for the Europa League play-off first leg against Manchester United, which takes place on February 16 at Camp Nou.

Barcelona have yet to give an official estimate of how long Dembele faces on the sidelines, but local reports have suggested it may be a three-week absence.

The injury took some of the shine off an eighth win in nine LaLiga games, in which Dembele’s replacement off the bench, Pedri, scored the only goal.

Dembele made way after 26 minutes and underwent checks before visitors Barcelona embarked on their short journey home.

Barcelona announced on their website: “Tests this evening on Ousmane Dembele have revealed that he has strained the rectus femoris muscle in his left thigh. It means he is sidelined until he can recover from the injury.”

Xavi said of Dembele’s blow: “It’s a shame because he is an important player.”

Dembele has eight goals and seven assists for Barcelona this season, with those combined 15 goal involvements bettered only by Robert Lewandowski’s 27 (22 goals, five assists) among Xavi’s squad.

Barcelona have LaLiga games against Real Betis, Sevilla and Villarreal before the United game.

Fashionista Serge Gnabry has been told to smarten up his act by Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn.

After a dressing-down from sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, the fallout continued on Saturday after Gnabry’s trip to Paris Fashion Week on his recent day off.

Salihamidzic branded Serge Gnabry “amateurish” after the Germany forward returned from Paris to put in a disappointing display in the Bundesliga draw against Koln on Tuesday.

Rather than spending his downtime in Paris last Sunday, Salihamidzic felt Gnabry should have been resting between games to ensure he was in his best condition to turn on the style for Bayern.

Gnabry was only a substitute for Saturday’s game with Eintracht Frankfurt. It was the third game in succession where Bayern have been held 1-1, seeing their Bundesliga lead whittled down to one point.

Kahn, speaking ahead of the game, said the best way for a player to answer any critics would be to ensure their on-field performance was unimpeachable.

“If I know that it’s not the best time, then I have to go on the pitch, score three goals and be the best man. That would be my answer to a topic like that,” Kahn told German broadcaster Sky, addressing the Gnabry situation.

Bayern’s players had plenty of time off after the World Cup, where Gnabry was a member of the Germany squad that tumbled out at the group stage.

“We now simply expect performance – and we demand it,” Kahn said. “We discussed this with Serge. Hasan spoke to him and made it clear. I think he understood.”

Jurgen Klopp defended himself from criticism amid a difficult season for Liverpool as he insisted he did not become a “bad manager overnight”.

Liverpool are ninth in the Premier League at the season’s halfway point, trailing leaders Arsenal by 21 points and fourth-placed Manchester United – who have played a game extra – by 10.

It is a far cry from last season when they entered the final weeks of the campaign with the possibility of winning four trophies.

They ended up with an FA Cup and EFL Cup double, losing out to Manchester City in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Liverpool have been badly impacted by injuries throughout the season, while some key players have struggled for form.

A lot of the criticism is falling at the feet of Klopp, but he spoke defiantly ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

“I didn’t become a bad manager overnight,” Klopp told reporters. “I was never as good as people probably said or not as bad as some people might think.

“But imagine if you [the media] were here today talking to another coach of Liverpool because last season we’d won all four trophies and I said, ‘See you later, [I’m going on] holiday!’.

“Imagine if you saw a different [manager] and he has to explain these things and he tells you how it is. Nobody would listen!

“They’d say last season was great and this year is not great – so go!

“You have to have wide shoulders and really just take it. It’s tough, I’m sorry, but we will go for it with all we have to get out of it and then play in a way that the people can’t wait to go to the stadium again.

“Hopefully we can get through this together and get much closer again. From there we all know anything can happen.

“So far, we’ve not given the fans much this season, but we are still in two cup competitions, and we’ll not give up in the league. Why should we?

“Other teams are doing really well and we respect them a lot, but we want to beat them and I will see how we can do that at Brighton.”

Klopp does not want to blame Liverpool’s problems entirely on their injury woes, though at the very least he believes they would be much closer to the top four had the likes of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota not missed the majority of the season up to now.

“It was clear it would be difficult, but with lesser injuries I think we can agree we could easily have had at least five points more,” he added.

“Okay, that still wouldn’t make a brilliant season, but we would be fighting for the Champions League. That’s a normal season.

“But injuries to decisive players have made it an especially average or bad season so far, and you cannot just replace them.

“On top of that, if you don’t have time to train and you have three days until the next game, it’s not like you can invent football in those one and a half sessions.”