Month: April 2023

Crystal Palace fans may only have a few more weeks to enjoy Wilfried Zaha before he flies the nest.

The Eagles star has shone for the best part of 12 years across two spells at Selhurst Park but his current contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign.

Palace are reportedly ready to offer the 30-year-old a bumper new contract to keep him in South London but plenty of big-name suitors are said to be keen on a free swoop.

Ahead of Palace’s clash at Wolves tonight, where Zaha is ruled out through injury, we look at where the dynamic talent could be heading.

Premier League switch

Having proven himself to be one of the Premier League’s trickiest customers, it is easy to see why a number of clubs in the English top flight might fancy snapping him up on a cheap deal.

Arsenal are long-term admirers after failing to land the Ivorian back in 2019 and reports suggest they are still keeping an eye on his situation.

Newcastle are another potential suitor to emerge and are likely to be able to offer Champions League football. That could hand the Magpies the initiative over other interested parties, such as Chelsea and West Ham.

European heavyweight

Zaha is said to be desperate to test himself at the top level and there are some elite clubs said to be in the mix for his signature.

Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have all been mentioned in reports and swapping Selhurst Park for the bright lights of any of those giants might seem a no-brainer.

But while the prospect of challenging for domestic and continental trophies would surely appeal, it remains to be seen whether the dazzling winger would be happy playing a potentially more peripheral role.

Regular football on the continent

That is why a switch to the likes of AC Milan, Roma or Marseille might prove the better option.

While not chasing titles in their respective leagues this term, the trio are still able to offer a route into Europe’s elite competition and would no doubt look to unleash him as a regular starter.

Given his entertaining approach to the game, it would be no surprise to see supporters on the continent instantly take to him, too.

Remain at Palace

Speculation has surrounded Zaha’s future for much of his time at Palace, with an eventual move to pastures new seemingly inevitable.

But it appears the Eagles are not ready to let their club legend leave just yet, with reports suggesting they are set to table a £200,000-per-week contract in a desperate bid to keep hold of their No11.

With it being an overall underwhelming season in South London, whoever is chosen to succeed Roy Hodgson may have a big bearing on whether they can convince Zaha to stick around or not.

LiveScore Daily is here to deliver all the big talking points from the world of football throughout the day. Keep refreshing this page for the latest stories in bite-sized chunks.

Dazzling Jota

Jurgen Klopp is delighted to have Diogo Jota fully fit and firing again for Liverpool. 

Jota, 26, has netted four goals in his last two Premier League outings and will be looking to shoot down West Ham at the London Stadium tomorrow night. 

Reds boss Klopp said: “He is an exceptional player, super smart, can play a lot of different positions. He has super interesting skills for an attacking player. 

“Diogo this season had a really bad [calf] injury that kept him back, nothing else. If he stays fit he is an outstanding player. 

“When you are that long injured you need rhythm, it is an ongoing season and nobody waits for you — that is the most difficult thing.”

FA Cup kick-off dispute

The FA Cup final will kick off no later than 4.45pm on June 3 after the Metropolitan Police deemed the Manchester derby at Wembley to be a high-risk fixture. 

No decision has yet been taken regarding the kick-off time for the match between Manchester City and neighbours United but the police will not sanction a 5.30pm start. 

United’s penalty shootout victory over Brighton set up the first Manchester derby in a final in the competition’s 151-year history. 

ITV are preparing to screen the match and the Epsom Derby on the same day. 

The race had been due to start at 4.30pm but neither the Jockey Club or broadcaster have confirmed whether the Met advice regarding the Cup final would affect their scheduling.

Have faith in Kane

Harry Redknapp believes Harry Kane will stick around at Tottenham. 

The England skipper, 29, is out of contract next summer and has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United at the end of the season. 

But former Spurs boss Redknapp has not given up hope of Kane extending his stay in North London. 

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “Harry is so good. If he went to Man Utd, you could see them possibly winning the title. 

“That is the difference he could make to a team. He’s a leader, a great footballer. 

“I think he’ll stay at Tottenham — his life is good. I wouldn’t be surprised if he signed a new contract.”

Jurgen Klopp was willing David Moyes to survive at the depth of West Ham’s early-season crisis because the Liverpool manager dreaded becoming the old man of the Premier League.

The Hammers took just four points from seven games at the outset of this campaign but Moyes guided his team to 10 points from the next five to buy himself some time.

There have been turbulent times since, including a run where his players took just one point from a possible 21, yet the Londoners look like surviving for another season in the top flight after pulling clear of the relegation zone.

On Wednesday, they host Liverpool, who have won 10 of their last 12 Premier League games against them. 

The exceptions both came at the London Stadium, with a 1-1 draw in February 2019 and a 3-2 victory for West Ham in November 2021.

When the season began, Moyes was the oldest Premier League boss and he turned 60 on Tuesday.

Klopp, at 55, is still some way short of being a veteran manager but he was wary of the possibility of all his Premier League colleagues being younger men.

Managerial situations at other clubs rarely interest him — but this was different.

He said: “In this specific one I was really in it. Because if West Ham would have sacked David, I would have been the oldest manager in the Premier League and I wanted to avoid that.

“Yes, David has to stay. David is a top colleague. They have a good team and they show now their quality again.”

Klopp has enjoyed having a post-match beer with Moyes in the past and was pleased he managed to ride out the storm.

The German added: “He’s a really good person as far as I know and I like that he always finds a way to get a team going. “

Moyes is no longer the Premier League’s oldest boss, with 75-year-old Roy Hodgson’s mid-season return to Crystal Palace changing that.

Celtic have the chance to clinch the Premiership title in the first post-split fixture against Hearts at Tynecastle on May 7.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are 13 points ahead of city rivals Rangers with just five games remaining.

The SPFL released the post-split fixture list todayand revealed that the final Old Firm league game of the season would take place at Ibrox the following weekend on May 13.

Rangers face Aberdeen — who beat them 2-0 at Pittodrie on Sunday — at Ibrox in their first post-split game.

The final Edinburgh derby of the season will take place on the last weekend of the season at Tynecastle.

Celtic finish their league season with a home game against Aberdeen, while Rangers are at St Mirren.

At the other end of the table, basement side Ross County and second-bottom Kilmarnock meet on May 28 — the last day of the season — at Rugby Park as the campaign concludes with each team having 19 home and away fixtures.

In order to achieve that balance, five pairings have been reversed in the post-split schedule.

In the top six, Celtic host Aberdeen for a third time, the Dons are at home to St Mirren for a third time and Hibernian welcome Rangers to Easter Road for a third time.

In the bottom six, Motherwell host Dundee United for a third time and Kilmarnock will play St Johnstone at Rugby Park for a third time.

Bayern Munich are not the only club in the hunt for Randal Kolo Muani, according to Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche.

Reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern are making urgent moves to find a prolific striker to join them at the end of the season, having not adequately replaced Robert Lewandowski when he left for Barcelona ahead of this campaign.

France international Kolo Muani has been linked with a transfer following a strong first season in Germany’s top flight with Frankfurt.

Uli Hoeness, the influential former Bayern president, is reportedly keen on seeing 24-year-old Kolo Muani come in to strengthen Thomas Tuchel’s attacking options.

However, Krosche told German broadcaster Sky Sport: “So far there have been no specific enquiries, neither from Bayern nor from others.”

Krosche is nevertheless alive to interest in the former Nantes player, who has managed 13 goals and 10 assists in 28 Bundesliga games for mid-table Frankfurt, converting 20.31 per cent of his chances.

“Bayern Munich are not the only club occupied with him,” Krosche said. “On the other hand, Randal still feels very comfortable with us, and he also has a lot of development areas that he can work on very well with us.”

Buoyant Barcelona are edging towards the title and Rayo Vallecano are next in the Catalans’ firing line. 

Xavi’s men have an 11-point advantage at LaLiga’s summit, though Real Madrid could reduce that gap by beating Girona this evening. 

Elsewhere, Real Betis can close in on fellow top-four chasers Real Sociedad with victory in Seville, while Atletico Madrid will be looking to bounce back from their weekend defeat at Barca by beating Mallorca. 

And there is plenty on the line at both ends of the table when Villarreal host Espanyol at El Madrigal.

Game of the week: Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona (Wednesday, 9pm)

Sunday’s 1-0 win against in-form Atletico will have boosted spirits at the Camp Nou, following back-to-back draws for the Blaugrana. 

But they will need to be wary of Rayo, having dropped points when the teams played out a 0-0 draw on the season’s opening weekend. 

Los Franjirrojos’ form has tailed off dramatically in recent weeks, however — picking up just one win from their last 10 league fixtures. 

With Barca last tasting defeat in LaLiga back in February, they will fancy their chances of triumphing in the capital.

Girona vs Real Madrid (Tuesday, 6.30pm)

Real Madrid will not be resting on their laurels in Catalonia after drawing 1-1 with mid-table Girona earlier this season. 

Carlo Ancelotti’s men will also be acutely aware that tonight’s hosts have only lost once in five LaLiga outings — picking up victories over Espanyol and Elche during that run. 

However, Los Blancos are in impressive form themselves, with four consecutive wins in all competitions. 

Marco Asensio has been a key figure across those fixtures, having found the net against Chelsea, Cadiz and Celta Vigo in the last fortnight.

Real Betis vs Real Sociedad (Tuesday, 9pm)

Inconsistency has plagued both Real Betis and Real Sociedad in recent weeks — but tonight’s hosts will need to win this crunch clash if they are to secure Champions League football for next season. 

Los Verdiblancos sit six points behind their Basque opponents and are running out of time to close the gap on Imanol Alguacil’s outfit. 

They will be boosted by memories of their meeting in October, though, when goals from Juan Cruz and talisman Borja Iglesias saw Betis secure a 2-0 triumph at the Reale Arena. 

A similar outcome this evening would blow LaLiga’s top-four race wide open.

Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca (Wednesday, 6.30pm)

Sunday’s defeat to Barca ended Atletico’s recent hot streak, so they will be anxious to return to winning ways against Mallorca. 

Diego Simeone’s side sit comfortably in third place ahead of this encounter, having won six LaLiga matches on the bounce before last weekend. 

But Atleti will need to pay close attention to Los Piratas star Lee Kang-In, who put in a sensational showing against Getafe on Matchday 30. 

The South Korean forward netted a brace — his eighth and ninth goal contributions of the campaign — as Mallorca ran out 3-1 winners in Palma.

Villarreal vs Espanyol (Thursday, 6.30pm)

Thursday night’s match-up between Villarreal and Espanyol will have implications for both the race for Europe and LaLiga’s relegation battle. 

The hosts can make up ground in their quest for the top four by beating Luis Garcia’s team, while the Periquitos could climb out of the drop zone with a victory. 

Villarreal have lost back-to-back games, though that pales in comparison with Espanyol’s poor form — they have suffered defeat in six of their last seven fixtures. 

Frontman Joselu may be the visitors’ best chance of claiming a surprise triumph. Only three players have scored more goals in Spain’s top tier this term, though he has not found the net in five outings.

The week’s other games

Cadiz vs Osasuna (Tuesday, 6.30pm) 

Getafe vs Almeria (Wednesday, 6.30pm) 

Celta Vigo vs Elche (Wednesday, 9pm) 

Valencia vs Real Valladolid (Thursday, 6.30pm)

Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla (Thursday, 9pm)

Follow each game with our unbeatable live scores service. Simply tap the Scores tab on the web or download the LiveScore app from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android.

Mikel Arteta reminded Manchester City that Arsenal still hold top spot in the Premier League and will not relinquish it without an almighty fight as the top two prepare for an Etihad Stadium battle.

The Arsenal manager explained how City old boys Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have been adamant the Gunners are title material since joining last summer. 

That has helped to feed positivity around the team and it remains in place, despite Arsenal drawing their last three games to allow second-placed City to narrow the gap.

Arsenal’s lead stands at five points, with City having two games in hand, plus Pep Guardiola’s team have home advantage on Wednesday.

Defender William Saliba misses out through injury and Granit Xhaka is a doubt. 

On the eve of the game, Arteta insisted his players should still believe in their title dream.

He said: “One hundred per cent. But we knew from the beginning that City were the team to beat, probably with Liverpool because of what those teams have won in the last six, seven years.

“We were the ones that wanted to be closing that gap as much as we possibly could.

“We are toe-to-toe with them. We knew we had to go to the Etihad. We know after that we have another five difficult games.

“That game is going to be really important, but is it going to define the season? The answer is no.

“If we win tomorrow night, we haven’t won the league, that’s for sure. It will shift a little probably, the percentage, but five games in this league with the games we still have to play, very tricky still.

“The belief is there. We really want it and we’re going to show that again tomorrow night. 

“But then you have to deliver in the right moment, the right performance, and it has to be perfection.

“It’s going to be a tough night and challenge but the opportunity is incredible for us. 

“We knew from the beginning that if you want to win the Premier League you have to go to Spurs and you have to beat them. You have to go to Chelsea and beat them. 

“This is what we’ve been doing and that’s why we are here.

“Now we go to City and we have to beat them. If you want to be champions you have to win those matches, it’s as simple as that.”

It helps that Arsenal have title winners in Zinchenko and Jesus within their ranks.

Arteta added: “For sure. The experience is key when you’ve been in those moments, to handle those moments and understand the importance of certain things.

“When they came in, after two or three weeks they said we can win the league. It’s been going on since August. This process has been coming for a long time.”

Arteta, a former assistant coach at City, has not spoken to Guardiola recently and it will be pure business between the former colleagues on Wednesday.

Arsenal need to stop Erling Haaland but they will be aware threats come from all quarters with City, exemplified by Riyah Mahrez hitting an FA Cup semi-final hat-trick at the weekend.

Arteta said: “Obviously we are working on their threats as well as working on their weaknesses and we know what they are. You have to control every single one.

“When you look at the numbers, there’s no comparison with anybody else. Haaland’s able to produce that because the set-up is done in the right way for him. 

“Preventing the source is something that is probably the best recipe.”

Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus has reaffirmed his second bid to buy Manchester United remains on the table.

Zilliacus said earlier this month he would not be entering a third round of bidding for the Old Trafford outfit but that his second offer would still stand.

He insists that remains the case ahead of the deadline for third bids to be submitted on April 28.

Zilliacus, 69, tweeted: “As said when I announced that I would not do a new third-round bid, I have today informed the bank handling the sale of United that my bid from round two stands. 

“My bid does not have a cap. The final price is subject to negotiations with the sellers.”

United’s current owners, the Glazer family, are considering either selling the club or bringing in external investment after announcing last November they were seeking “strategic alternatives”.

Interested parties were invited to submit bids in February and leading offers went through to a second round of bidding in March.

British businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe and a Qatari consortium led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani were believed to be the frontrunners. 

It is unknown how many parties have entered the process with Zilliacus the only other one, of those seeking a full takeover, to go public.

One other involved is American hedge fund Elliott Investment, who have made an offer for a minority stake.

It has been reported the Glazers value United at £6billion.

Assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis will return to on-field Premier League duty in Sunday’s game between Manchester United and Aston Villa after being stood down for one round of matches following his clash with Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.

TV footage appeared to show the official elbowing the Scotland captain at half-time of Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield on April 9 but he was cleared of any wrongdoing by the FA. 

He returned to action last weekend, running the line in the Championship encounter between Preston and Blackburn, and will be the assistant VAR for Leeds’ game against fellow strugglers Leicester at Elland Road on Tuesday.

Hatzidakis will also get back out on the pitch in Manchester United’s match against Aston Villa, assisting referee Jarred Gillett at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, the Premier League announced on Tuesday morning.

The official apologised to Robertson on a Zoom call, with the player accepting his explanation for what happened and the FA taking no further action.

In a statement issued by Professional Game Match Officials Limited a fortnight ago, Hatzidakis said: “I fully assisted the FA with their investigation and have discussed the matter directly with Andy Robertson during an open and positive conversation.

“It was certainly not my intention to make any contact with Andy as I pulled my arm away from him and for that I have apologised.

“I look forward to returning to officiating matches.”

Leicester gave their Premier League survival bid a timely boost with Saturday’s comeback victory over Wolves.

Goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Timothy Castagne helped the Foxes secure a first win since February 11, meaning Dean Smith’s side travel to fellow strugglers Leeds in high spirits this evening.

Iheanacho’s penalty was his eighth goal of the season in all competitions, meaning he now sits only two goals shy of Harvey Barnes in the club’s scoring charts.  

Ahead of tonight’s crunch contest, we consider whether Iheanacho could be the key man in the East Midlanders’ fight against the drop.

Versatile option

Against Wolves, Iheanacho lined up in an attacking midfield role where he played just behind the experienced figure of Jamie Vardy.

It is a relatively new position for the Nigeria star, who usually occupies a traditional centre forward berth — not that the man himself has any concerns.

After Saturday’s win, Iheanacho said: “At this point, I don’t mind where I play. I just need to help my team to get the points that we need.

“If I play up front or No10, or even on the wing, it doesn’t matter. As long as we stick together as a team.”

If the 26-year-old did feel uncomfortable in his new position, he did not show it. 

Iheanacho took three shots, completed both of his attempted take-ons and boasted a pass success rate of over 80%.

Finding form

Iheanacho’s cool penalty against the men from Molineux — doing the honours in place of an injured Vardy — marked his second goal in as many games.

In a 3-1 defeat to his former club Manchester City, the forward tapped home a parried shot to reduce the Foxes’ arrears and almost had a second when his low strike hit the base of the post. 

New Leicester boss Smith has every right to be excited about his 42-cap international netting in consecutive games, too.

Back in the second half of 2020-21, Iheanacho enjoyed the best goalscoring run of his career when bagging an incredible 11 goals in 11 Premier League games.

Starved of minutes

Interestingly, that purple patch came at a time when games were being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it also came during a campaign where the marksman started 25 times. Last season, that tally reduced to 22. This term, he has only played 10 Foxes games from the first whistle.

It is hard for any player to hit new heights when opportunities are restricted — a point acknowledged by former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers back in February.

He explained: “He’s a player that’s been really unfortunate. Jamie Vardy is a legend of the Premier League and this club and since I came in here, he’s been sort of the focal point really of the team. 

“But of course, time moves on and it’s about managing Jamie now.

“For Kelechi, with the players now that we have in, it really suits his game, how he links things and so on. He’s at a prime age, so this can be his moment.”

Time to shine

Iheanacho ranks inside the Premier League’s top 20% of forwards for shots taken, assists and possessions won in the attacking third per 90 minutes this term.

Those range of metrics showcase an attacker who contributes in several areas and has far more to his game than just scoring goals.

But as has been clear from his early days at the Etihad, Iheanacho’s biggest strength is his ability to put the ball in the back of the net.

With confidence sky-high, now is the time for Leicester to make him their main man.