كشف رئيس نادي رابيد بوخارست، فيوريل مولدوفان، آخر التطورات المتعلقة بلاعب الفريق الجديد، آرون بوبيندزا، الذي لم يشارك معهم حتى الآن رغم حصوله على خدماته رسميًا، أمام أنظار الزمالك المصري.
كان الزمالك قد أعلن في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي لهذا العام حصوله على خدمات آرون بوبيندزا، بعد الظفر بتوقيعه الإلكتروني.
اقرأ أيضًا.. مدرب رابيد الروماني يرد عبر “بطولات” على مشكلة قيد بوبيندزا بعد شكوى الزمالك
ولكن الأمر تغير بعد ذلك، حيث تهرب آرون بوبيندزا من المجيء إلى مصر للتوقيع رسميًا على عقود انتقاله إلى الزمالك.
وفي النهاية، انضم آرون بوبيندزا إلى صفوف رابيد بوخارست، ليقرر الزمالك اللجوء إلى الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم من أجل رفع دعوى قضائية.
ولم يشارك آرون بوبيندزا في أي مباراة رفقة رابيد بوخارست حتى الآن، وهو ما استدعى تصريحًا من رئيس النادي فيوريل مولدوفان.
وقال مولدوفان في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “gsp” الرومانية: “نأمل أن يتم حل الأمر، من حيث الوثائق، بحلول مباراتنا ضد فارول (21 أكتوبر الجاري)”.
وأضاف: “سنرى ماذا سيحدث مع بوبيندزا، لأن لدينا خلاف مع الزمالك، يتم ذلك بوساطة الفيفا وسنرى ما هو القرار الذي سيتم اتخاذه في هذا الشأن”.
وواصل: “نأمل أن نحصل على ترخيص مؤقت ونحصل عليه في أقرب وقت ممكن، ربما حتى في المباراة مع فارول”.
USMNT Olympics star Tanner Tessman is linked with a blockbuster transfer to reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan.
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Tessman recently promoted with VeneziaLinked with Inter Milan moveSet to star for USMNT at Paris GamesWHAT HAPPENED?
Gianluca Di Marzio report that the Serie A champions have opened talks with Venezia for the American midfielder. The 22-year-old has been discussed as a summer purchase for the Nerazzurri, but he would be loaned back to the Venice-based club for the 2024/25 season.
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Tessman netted seven times for Venezia in 2023/24, including a brilliant goal in their promotion playoffs semifinal vs Palermo.
The Texas native has been an outstanding player for the now-Serie A side, but has also put in his shifts on the international stage. He's become a clear favorite for U23 USMNT Olympics boss Marko Mitrovic, and is expected to lead the midfield line at the Paris Games this summer.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tessman was promoted with Venezia for the second time this season. He was on the squad in 2021 when they made their way from Serie B to Serie A as well.
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The midfielder will look to represent his country at the Paris Games this summer, with a finalized roster expected in early July. Following the conclusion to the Olympics, a potential transfer to the Serie A champions may arise.
Coach plays down speculation about Henry Nicholls moving to top of the order
Melinda Farrell27-Jun-2019Gary Stead is backing Colin Munro and Martin Guptill at the top of the order as New Zealand aim to bounce back from their first loss of the World Cup, against Pakistan.The openers have struggled to make runs since their first match of the tournament and there has been speculation that one of them could make way for Henry Nicholls against Australia at Lord’s on Saturday.But Stead played down the chances of any changes, pointing to Nicholl’s relative inexperience opening the batting. Nicholls has batted in the middle order for most of his ODI career, although he opened in four matches earlier this year against India and Bangladesh.”He’s definitely an option but Henry hasn’t done a lot of [opening] either,” said Stead. “But Henry’s definitely an option we’ll consider.”We’ll review it again when we get down to London but there are only 15 players here and you pick people to do certain roles as well. We have to balance up current form with, I guess, the roles that we are trying to play with the guys.”An unbroken Guptill and Munro partnership successfully chased 137 against Sri Lanka at the start of New Zealand’s campaign but since that match the returns have been comparatively slight. Guptill has made two ducks and a total of 65 runs in five innings since that and Munro’s numbers have been similar; one duck and 67 runs.”Look it’s no secret, Colin and Martin got away to a great start in the Sri Lankan game and runs have been a bit scarce since then,” said Stead. “But they’re not the only openers in the competition that haven’t got runs and we only have 15 players in the squad. So you start weighing up what does that look like in terms of changing too much in the team and that’s something we certainly don’t want to have, wholesale changes everywhere in our order.”There is no disputing Guptill’s value at the top of the order – he averages a tick under 43 in 175 ODIs – and while Munro averages a more modest 24.92, his explosive hitting in the Powerplay has given New Zealand rapid starts in the past.”There’s no doubt that if he does do that then he can change the game really quickly,” said Stead. “So again that’s part of our thinking and our hope that can be the case. You saw against Sri Lanka what Colin and Martin can do if they get in.”It’s getting later on in the tournament and it hasn’t happened regularly but that’s cricket. We can’t have everything go our way, the way we want, because if they batted very well you wouldn’t be able to see the skills of Kane Williamson on order either.”That last comment was made with tongue-in-cheek humour, of course, but New Zealand have relied on Williamson and Ross Taylor to shore up the innings after early losses several times throughout the tournament. Stead said the openers weren’t trying to be overly aggressive rather than set up a solid base.”We are trying to do that we are trying to get a base,” said Stead. “But sometimes you get good balls or you’re a little bit out of form and those things happen in cricket.”Colin hasn’t got off to lightning starts in any of the games, he’s just trying to play good cricket shots and that’s just all our guys try and do all the time.”New Zealand has yet to cement a semi-final berth and next face Australia, a side very much on a roll, before taking on what could be a desperate England side, fighting for a place in the top four.”I never expected we’d go through the whole tournament, play and be unbeaten,” said Stead. “There’s only one team that’s like that at this stage and that’s India and they are a very good team as well so I think when you play nine games in a round robin and you look at the numbers, there’s maybe five or six games you need to win, that’s ultimately our target first up.”A defining feature of Australia’s victory over England at Lord’s was their decision to play and open with two left-arm quicks, a masterstroke that paid off with Jason Behrendorff taking five wickets and Mitchell Starc collecting four. Stead expects Australia will also take note of Pakistan’s successful tactic of opening with left armers Mohammed Amir and Shaheem Afridi, who bowled a particularly destructive new-ball spell.”In some ways it’s good because Pakistan had three seamers against us and we probably expect, after Behrendorff’s success at Lord’s as well, that he’s likely to play again,” said Stead. “We certainly won’t take that for granted but we’ll plan to have two left armers play against us. But it’s good we’ve had that, I guess, exposure to left armers, in the last game. But this is a completely new wicket and a different surface and part of what we try to do is adapt to different situations and hopefully we can do that in this next game.”I also think that our bowlers have done a really, really good job for us so far and the talk here before we came into this tournament was that they were all going to be 350 wickets and we haven’t had one close to that so I think your bowlers are the guys who will keep us in the game and if we play well as a team then we think we are every chance against Australia.”
Chelsea fans are enduring a second year of footballing misery this season, as they sit tenth in the Premier League, miles off the Champions League places and 1-0 down in their League Cup semi-final against Championship side Middlesbrough.
Mauricio Pochettino has been unable to build a cohesive team with the wave of new players he was handed in the summer, and a number of those recent acquisitions could already be on the precipice of an early exit from Stamford Bridge.
For example, Axel Disasi has been a regular in the side since joining in the summer. Still, he has been underwhelming at best, and now, with Athletic Bilbao's Aitor Paredes linked to the club, the Frenchman could be about to lose his place.
Chelsea transfer news – Aitor Paredes
According to a recent report from the Sun, Chelsea are keen to add Athletic Bilbao's Paredes to their defensive ranks this month, and even sent scouts to watch him play against Seville last week.
The report has also revealed that, alongside the Blues, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Serie A behemoths Inter Milan are interested in securing the 23-year-old's signature this winter.
Should Todd Boehly and Co manage to get ahead of the competition, then they won't have to break the bank to get this deal over the line, as the Sun claim that a fee in the region of £20m should be enough to tempt Bilbao into selling due to the defender's contract expiring next summer.
In the case this deal goes through, the comparison to former captain Cesar Azpilicueta might become hard to ignore, and if he performs even close to the level of the Spaniard, that could spell trouble for Disasi.
Aitor Paredes' style of play
Azpilicueta had a brilliant career in west London, and considering he was bought for just £7m, he might well be one of the greatest transfers in the club's history – having made 508 appearances in all competitions, while winning a plethora of major honours.
With that in mind, comparing the young and relatively inexperienced Paredes to him could be construed as too kind, but there are a couple of key similarities.
First, both are defensively-minded players who can be deployed as both a centre-back and full-back depending on what is needed at the time, and second, they're both Spaniards who – if this deal does go ahead – would have joined the Blues early on in their careers and at similar ages.
While Blues fans would surely be delighted with a defender who could potentially replicate the career of a former captain, Disasi might be less pleased, as he would surely see a dramatic drop in his game time if he wasn't just sold altogether.
How Paredes compares to Disasi
The former AS Monaco man has featured in 90% of Pochettino's Premier League starting XIs this season, but in the words of talkSPORT pundit Andy Jacobs, he's been "a disaster."
Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, the board also don't seem to have a particularly favourable opinion of him either, as only last month, TEAMtalk revealed that he was among several names that the club would be willing to sell in January to raise funds.
So, how do the pair stack up when you compare their underlying numbers? Well, while there are a couple of areas in which the Chelsea man comes out on top, such as tackles won and general passing accuracy, he lags behind in most other critical areas.
Stats per 90
Paredes
Disasi
Passing Accuracy
85.9%
89.7%
Shot-Creating Actions
0.48
0.45
Tackles Won
0.24
0.68
Blocks
0.83
0.79
Clearances
3.45
3.28
Miscontrols
0.24
0.51
Dispossessed
0.06
0.56
Ball Recoveries
5.48
5.08
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
The Spanish "titan", as described by journalist Luis Calabor Nunez, comes out on top for shot-creating actions, blocks, clearances, ball recoveries, and he is dispossessed a lot less than the Frenchman.
At the end of the day, for as often as Pochettino is playing Disasi, he isn't showing much in the way of improvement, and if Chelsea can sign Paredes for £20m and offload the former Monaco man for around the same price, then this deal seems like a no-brainer.
Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has shared his surprise as West Ham look at signing a "unique" forward option for manager David Moyes.
West Ham seeking new attacking signings
Reports over the last week have suggested that the Irons are looking to make new attacking additions this winter, coming after a few injury worries.
West Ham open negotiations to sign "really fast" striker likened to Kudus
The east Londoners are on red alert over signing a new forward.
ByEmilio Galantini Jan 13, 2024
Michail Antonio suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee problem recently, while the absence of star winger and makeshift centre-forward Jarrod Bowen also gives Moyes a real headache to deal with.
Mohammed Kudus is with Ghana at AFCON right now as well, resulting in West Ham having just the out-of-favour Danny Ings, Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma and youngster Divin Mubama to choose from as alternatives.
Lucas Paqueta playing further forward isn't an option for Moyes either, as the Brazil international is reported to be out for around two months through injury.
West Ham's current absentees
Reason (via Premier Injuries)
Lucas Paqueta
Injury (Calf)
Jarrod Bowen
Injury (Ankle)
Michail Antonio
Injury (Knee)
Mohammed Kudus
AFCON
Nayef Aguerd
AFCON
As a result, West Ham are eager to bring in a new forward option in January, and it is believed Moyes is personally working hard to make a signing in that regard.
There have been a fair few targets named, such as Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez, Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy and Ajax captain Steven Bergwijn.
The latter player has been one of Ajax's shining lights in an otherwise dismal campaign for the Eredivisie giants. Indeed, Bergwijn has netted seven goals and grabbed three assists in the Dutch top flight this season – marking himself out as their best performing player per 90 by average match rating (WhoScored).
Steven Bergwijn for Ajax
The Netherlands international, who also featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, couldn't quite cut the mustard at former club Tottenham though. Bergwijn was sold by Antonio Conte in the summer of that same year, with reporter Michael Bridge expressing his surprise at West Ham's interest.
Sky journalist "surprised" as West Ham eye Bergwijn
The Sky correspondent backs that West Ham are looking at signing Bergwijn in January alongside a few other options, but claims the 26-year-old is a "very interesting" option given his lacklustre stint across London.
“I must say, I was a bit surprised when I saw this because when Bergwijn left, unless he was misquoted, he gave the impression that he didn't like the Premier League. But he might have liked London. That would be a very interesting one," said Bridge to GiveMeSport.
son-steven-bergwijn-tottenham-opinion
“I know it's been talked about, and there's interest there. But how far that goes, I don't know. Bergwijn signed for Ajax for over £20m, and I'm sure much would depend on how much West Ham are willing to pay this winter. That one is a bit of an eye-opener, I have to be honest because he didn't set the world alight at Spurs. He had a few injury problems. I think it's just interest at the moment, and he’s one of several players they’re looking at.”
Bergwijn did have an admirer at Spurs in former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who called him "unique".
Newcastle United’s most important game of the season takes place tonight as the Magpies could become the second English team to fall out of the Champions League with a defeat at home to AC Milan, following in Manchester United’s footsteps.
To qualify for the knockout phase, Eddie Howe’s side must beat the Rossoneri and hope Borussia Dortmund can do a number on Paris Saint-Germain at the Westfalenstadion. However, Newcastle couldn't be coming into the game on a worse run of form, having lost heavily to both Everton and Tottenham Hotspur over the past week.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe.
Nevertheless, Howe could bolster his team tonight by making one change in particular to the starting lineup to ensure the Geordie outfit complete their side of the bargain.
Tino Livramento’s stats this season
Ever since Dan Burn suffered a back injury during a 1-0 win against Arsenal back in November, Howe has put full trust in Tino Livramento to make the left-back berth his own which had been going swimmingly well.
Prior to Burn’s injury, the £40m summer signing had started merely one game all season which came in an impressive 1-0 home victory against Manchester City in the EFL Cup. Now, the 21-year-old has started six of Newcastle’s last seven games in all competitions.
The ex-Southampton defender certainly impressed in Burn’s absence, playing out of position from his preferred right-back spot. Former Celtic head coach Neil Lennon even admitted that Livramento has been “outstanding” every time he watches him.
However, Livramento’s superb string of performances came to a halt away at Spurs on Sunday. The young fullback was handed a 4/10 match rating by The Shields Gazette as the Magpies were trounced in London.
During the game, Livramento lost possession of the ball five times, won merely 25% of his total duels, was dribbled past twice and failed to create a single opportunity for his team before being taken off with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Tino Livramento's Stats vs Spurs
Accurate Long Balls
1
Tackles Won
0
Blocks
1
Clearances
2
Dribbled Past
2
Duels Won %
33.3
Aerial Duels Won
0
Stats via FotMob
Livramento’s poor display may have earned him a spot on the bench for tonight’s crucial European clash and one player in particular will be champing at the bit to take his place.
Lewis Hall’s stats this season
Lewis Hall joined his boyhood club during the summer transfer window for a whopping £28m from Chelsea despite making just 12 appearances for the Blues across the last two seasons and was handed a £7k-per-week contract at St. James' Park.
Nonetheless, Hall had proved his ability for the London club and was even labelled a “quality” player by football scout Jacek Kulig after making his debut for Chelsea almost two years ago.
Since joining Newcastle, the teenager has made only four starts, although half of these came in the League Cup. His last start for the Magpies was in the 2-0 defeat away at Bournemouth.
The 19-year-old was taken off at half-time for Livramento when the game was still goalless, with Howe explaining after the match that the reason was solely due to his lack of match fitness.
Regardless, Hall is still putting up a good fight statistically when compared to Livramento this season.
Per 90 Metrics
Lewis Hall
Tino Livramento
Goals
0.38
0
Expected Goals
0.02
0
Assists
0
0
Expected Assists
0
0.07
Progressive Passes
4.62
3.7
Progressive Carries
1.54
2.33
Attempted Passes
49.2
43.7
Passes To Final 1/3
2.31
2.33
Final 1/3 Touches
12.3
13
Tackles
5.38
2.33
Tackles Won
2.69
1.7
Blocks
1.54
1.37
Interceptions
1.15
1.17
Ball Recoveries
6.15
6.16
Stats via FBref
Furthermore, Livramento can play on both sides of the centre-backs, meaning there is also the possibility that Howe decides to bench Kieran Trippier who picked up a booking against Spurs at the weekend, leaving him suspended for Newcastle’s home bout versus Fulham.
Howe could potentially drop Trippier, who struggled over the past two games, especially during a 3-0 defeat against Everton, and put Livramento at right-back, with Hall being handed the nod on the left.
Anyhow, Hall is a superb player and will eventually start knocking on the manager’s door to get more minutes under his belt. Tonight could be the perfect opportunity for Howe to test out his new fullback pairing ahead of Fulham on Saturday.
Tottenham Hotspur shifted away from the old managerial strategy and appointed Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou in the summer, with the craggy-faced Australian engineering a welcome resurgence over the first months of the campaign.
It was the best of times down the N17, with the staunch Spurs faithful roaring in adulation as the players – energised by exciting summer signings James Maddison and Micky van de Ven – clicked into gear and launched an unlikely charge to the forefront of the Premier League table.
Ange Postecoglou.
The dog days appeared to have returned after this period of bliss, with injuries and suspensions ravaging the progress and leaving Tottenham engulfed in a five-match winless run, which was finally ended in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 home victory over Newcastle United.
But the fact that Postecoglou has been forced to contend with a startling lack of defensive cover has hindered the progress, and this has to be the top priority in January.
Tottenham transfer news – Illia Zabarnyi
According to the Mirror, Tottenham have identified Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi as the perfect player to strengthen Postecoglou's side's defensive ranks in January.
It's understood that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was interested in signing the player in 2021 following his performances in his Ukrainian homeland with Dynamo Kiev, but the Cherries won the race and snapped him up for £24m in January 2023, when he ultimately felt the time was apt to make the move to the Premier League.
Still only 21-years-old, it's said that Fabio Paratici is a huge admirer of the player with Zabarnyi having impressed with his integration into life on England's south coast. While Bournemouth have paved a solid foundation for his future career, Spurs would only be too happy to swipe the starlet away from the Vitality Stadium.
Illia Zabarnyi's season in numbers
Bournemouth didn't convince all when they decided to sack Gary O'Neil at the end of the 2022/23 campaign after he kept the Cherries afloat, but the appointment of Andoni Iraola was projected to be a progressive and impactful move.
A slow start did little to quell fears that the upheaval might backfire, but with Bournemouth now picking up 13 points from a possible 15 in the league after suffering a 6-1 defeat against Manchester City, sights have been set up the table.
Bournemouth defenderIllia Zabarnyi.
Zabarnyi has been crucial, starting all 16 matches and actually having yet to miss a minute, as per Sofascore, having also completed 82% of his passes, averaged 4.3 ball recoveries and 3.8 clearances per game and 57% of his contested duels.
Bournemouth defeated Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford on a historic afternoon for the club last time out, and Zabarnyi underscored his credentials as a top-class defensive prospect with a commanding display, making five clearances, blocking three shots, and winning two tackles and interceptions apiece.
Much was made for Iraola's side's incisiveness in Manchester, but such feats would have been rendered impossible had the base not done its job and held the squad together.
Illia Zabarnyi's style of play
Zabarnyi still has a long road to travel but he can take much confidence from his exploits across the maiden stage of his career, where he has been described as "composed & intelligent" and "complete & dominant" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 19% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons and the top 10% for blocks per 90, showcasing his ability to progress the play with the ball at his feet and noting his positional security.
Strength
Weakness
Blocking
Passing
*Sourced via WhoScored
Such attributes are not too dissimilar to that of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, with the world-class Dutchman the player who Zabarnyi has moulded his own game from, as he once stated in an interview.
Physically imposing and strong in the air, the 32-cap international's aerial dominance is something that is not easily replicated, but he has invested time into establishing control in this regard and could grow into a player of first-class stature with a transfer to Tottenham.
It is important to stress again that Zabarnyi is only 21, having already cemented a starring role in an impressive Premier League side; when Van Dijk was the same age, he plied his trade for Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie.
While that is certainly nothing to sniff at, it's an illumination of how much a player will grow, and Spurs might be wise to snap Zabarnyi up before the price tags touted get somewhat exorbitant.
Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk.
Moulding him into a player of Van Dijk's standing, Postecoglou may well provide his London club with a rock-solid leader in the rearguard to ensure the years come are fruitful, with the Liverpool captain even considered "the best centre-back of all time" by the likes of pundit Michael Owen.
While several erstwhile professionals might have a thing or two to say about that, the £220k-per-week monster has been the heart of Liverpool's backline since signing from Southampton for £75m in December 2020, having now amassed 237 appearances, scoring 20 goals and supplying 14 assists for good measure.
Van Dijk ranks among the top 6% of positional peers for passes attempted, the top 12% for goals, the top 5% for assists and the top 3% for aerial wins per 90.
This season, in the Premier League, he has averaged 4.7 ball recoveries and 4.9 clearances per game, completed 91% of his passes, won 72% of his ground duels and 79% of his aerial duels.
Such statistics underscore the unparalleled calibre of his skill set, and while Zabarnyi has a long way to go before he reaches the same level, he has the talent to shoot right to the top over the coming years.
With a manager such as Postecoglou honing his craft and stars such as Van de Ven and Cristian Romero to absorb knowledge from, this is exactly the kind of move Tottenham need to make to fortify their defensive ranks.
Both players had missed Bangladesh’s previous ODI series, against Zimbabwe, due to fitness issues
Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2018
CWI
Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have returned to Bangladesh’s ODI side for the three-match series against West Indies, which starts from December 9. Both players had missed Bangladesh’s previous ODI series, against Zimbabwe in October, due to fitness issues.Shakib made his return from a finger injury by leading the Test side to a 2-0 win over West Indies. Tamim, who suffered multiple injuries, has taken longer. He had fractured his wrist during the Asia Cup in September and then missed the West Indies Tests due to a side strain. He was named in the BCB XI squad for a one-day practice match against the West Indians on December 6.Their inclusions have forced Najmul Hossain Shanto and Fazle Mahmud out. Mahmud had made two ducks against Zimbabwe.With the return of Tamim and Shakib, the Bangladesh team management will have a problem of plenty in the top order. They will have to pick one out of Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das as Tamim’s opening partner, with Shakib set to bat at No. 3. Among the three contenders, Imrul had a good run recently, emerging as the top run-getter in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, scoring 349 runs in three matches with two centuries and a fifty.Bangladesh Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nazmul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Hider, Ariful Haque. In: Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal Out: Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Fazle Mahmud
Former Serie A star Radja Nainggolan has slammed Matteo Guendouzi due to his underwhelming performances at Lazio.
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Guendouzi has replaced Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Struggling to fill his shoes
Nainggolan takes savage swipe
WHAT HAPPENED?
Guendouzi joined Lazio on loan from Marseille in the summer, with the Serie A club holding the option to buy him outright in the summer. The deal came about after the Italian side sold Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Al-Hilal for €40m (£34m/$44m), and the ex-Arsenal ace has struggled to fill his sizeable shoes. Before his exit, the Serbia international scored 69 goals and registered 59 assists in 341 games.
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Guendouzi has made 28 appearances for Lazio this season in Serie A, scoring twice and laying on three assists, and was also sent off earlier this term, in their 1-0 defeat to AC Milan. Nainggolan, who made 367 appearances in Serie A but now plays in Poland for Bhayangkara, does not believe he is stacking up to Milinkovic-Savic.
WHAT NAINGGOLAN SAID
Speaking on Twitch, he said: “Guendouzi only knows how to run. For me, he sucks. I say it like that. Do you start someone like Milinkovic-Savic and replace him with someone like that? He's not doing well, Lazio is doing badly. Tell me one quality about him. He's not fast and those who do athletics must have resistance. For me he is not for Lazio, between him and (Alfred) Duncan, I'd take the Fiorentina midfielder for life. He's not strong, period. He's a normal player."
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WHAT NEXT?
Lazio are currently eighth in Serie A, and have lost three of their last five games. They are next in action on Friday, against Salernitana.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have benefitted from the talent from their academy in recent years, with another star looking to be the next big thing at Molineux.
The £42.5m sale of graduate Morgan Gibbs-White handed the Old Gold a financial boost last summer, earning a significant profit from the Englishman that stormed through the academy to eventually catch alight on loan.
Now, Gary O’Neil could be close to harvesting Wolves’ next young star, with 18-year-old striker Nathan Fraser on the cusp of breaking through into the first team.
Nathan Fraser’s career so far
Starting his journey with the Midlands club at the age of seven, Fraser signed his first professional contract at Molineux in 2022 after excelling on his journey through the ranks in the academy.
The Ireland U19 international made a statement in the 2021/22 campaign, where he netted ten goals and claimed two assists in 24 appearances, with one goal coming in the Premier League 2, showcasing his ability to perform at a higher level than his age suggests.
Once lauded for his “dedicated” rise to prominence in the squad at Wolves by sporting director Matt Hobbs, the teenager has become a reliable source of goals in the club’s academy.
Last season, Fraser netted seven goals in 26 appearances, prompting a promotion to even higher levels, thanks to the promise O’Neil has seen in his progression.
How Nathan Fraser’s future at Wolves could look
In September, the 18-year-old was officially promoted to the first-team squad after scoring his first senior goal on his debut in the Carabao Cup in August.
Against Blackpool, the Wolverhampton-born sensation scored and assisted to show the manager first-hand what he can offer the squad, with his scoring record in the 2023/24 campaign continuing to impress in the academy.
With five goals in eight appearances this season, the teenager has outscored O’Neil’s star man Pedro Neto this term, reinforcing how deadly he can be when given a chance in the final third.
Nathan-fraser-wolves
Described as an “aggressive and strong” figure in attack by academy coach, Jonathan Hunter-Barrett, the future of Fraser at Molineux could be very bright, particularly when assessing the squad’s options to take the throne from departed goalscorer, Raul Jimenez – who joined Fulham over the summer after scoring 57 goals in 166 games for Wolves.
While Matheus Cunha’s goal-scoring ability is outweighed by his explosive nature to inspire positive passages of play, the teenager could surely battle fellow striker Fabio Silva for a place in the first team.
Nathan Fraser vs Fabio Silva 2023/24
Nathan Fraser
Fabio Silva
Age
18
21
Appearances
8
10
Goals
5
1
Assists
1
0
Figures via Transfermarkt
The Portuguese forward is still adapting to the pace and physicality of the English top flight, with his naivety in front of goal perhaps calling for another loan spell to lure him out of his shell.
With O’Neil’s support, Fraser could be in a position to become Molineux’s heir to Jimenez, with his goal-scoring prowess and suitability to the Premier League perhaps greater than that of the misfiring Silva.