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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

The Guardian reports that Napoli star Fabian Ruiz is wanted by Manchester City and the club are set to battle for his signature with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

What’s the word?

Ruiz has been making a lot of headlines in recent seasons with some excellent performances in the Champions League and in Italy. The 23-year-old has one goal and one assist so far and has averaged a rating of 7.42 in Serie A this season.

The Spaniard has five caps for his country now and appears to be establishing himself as one of Europe’s most coveted talents. In the report, it states that City sent scouts out to watch Ruiz in their 3-2 win over Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League.

In 2018, Napoli paid the buyout clause for the then-Real Betis man, which The Guardian states was worth €30m (£25.5m). However, in the report, it is explained that Napoli’s chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis said last week: “I paid €30m for Fabián and he’s a fantastic player. If some of the European top clubs were to offer €180m we can start talking about selling him.”

As City and two La Liga giants circle it’s easy to see why Laurentiis thinks he has a treasure chest in his possession, but it’s not only Europe’s super clubs who can see the potential of Ruiz.

Sergio Busquets is one of the most revered midfield anchors of his generation, and if anyone was in a position to analyse the potential of emerging central midfield players then it’s certainly him.

While speaking about Ruiz in the same breath as Frenkie de Jong, the Barcelona icon said, per Daily Mail: “Both Fabian and De Jong have a great deal of quality,” said Busquets.

“Perhaps Frenkie still needs to adapt fully to the Barcelona style of play, but both represent the present and the future.

“I am sure they will become the best in the world in their respective roles.”

Pep must consider Foden

It has been known for a few months now that David Silva will be departing the Etihad at the end of the season, and Pep Guardiola may be looking for a replacement as a result.

With the Spaniard leaving huge boots to fill, Phil Foden might not come into the playmaker role on a permanent basis right away, as Guardiola bleeds him in slowly. However, signing Ruiz could prove to be a big problem for Foden and directly impact the speed at which he stamps his mark on the starting XI.

There is no doubt that the City boss adores the teenager and wants to see him at the Etihad for years to come. After all, Guardiola has labelled him the “most talented player he has ever seen”, which is unparalleled praise to receive from a man who has managed dozens of superstars in his illustrious career.

But the signing of Ruiz may mean that the 19-year-old finds even less game time, with his arrival providing Guardiola with a more experienced option to trust in centre midfield.

The Napoli man is known for his nimble nature, while he is also left-footed and possesses similar playmaking qualities to Foden. He is more of a deep-lying player by nature, but he also possesses the tendency to burst forward and influence the game in the final third, as his return of five goals and four assists in Serie A last season proves.

Should City sign the ex-Betis man, Foden will be left facing a similar scenario to the one he is currently in, one that renders him on the fringes of the first team squad and struggling for regular opportunities.

حالة من الجدل تسود الوسط الرياضي في الساعات الجارية، بسبب بطولة الجمهورية لموسم 2020 – 2021، لمواليد 1990، وحسمها لصالح الأهلي أو الزمالك.

وخسر الزمالك من الأهلي بهدفين لهدف، في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات الجولة التاسعة والأخيرة للبطولة.

اقرأ ايضًا.. صور | الزمالك يسقط أمام الأهلي بثنائية ويحصد لقب دوري الجمهورية

فيما احتفل لاعبو فريق الشباب لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك مواليد 1999، بحصد لقب بطولة الجمهورية لموسم 2020-2021، كما أعلن الموقع الرسمي للأبيض، عن تتويج الفريق رسميًا باللقب.

ويحتل الزمالك المركز الأول في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 15 نقطة بفارق هدفين عن الأهلي صاحب المركز الثاني بنفس الرصيد من النقاط.

إلا أن لاعبو الأهلي أيضًا قاموا بالاحتفال بعد المباراة مُعتبرين أنفسهم أبطالا للنسخة الحالية من بطولة الجمهورية، بسبب تغيير اللائحة وتحويلها لفارق المواجهات المباشرة بدلاً من فارق الأهداف، وهو ما يصب في صالح الأهلي.

ويستعرض بطولات لائحة اتحاد الكرة التي تنُص على أن الاحتكام في حالة تساوي النقاط يكون لفارق الأهداف.

Aston Villa’s summer spending spree has, so far, paid off with the majority of Dean Smith’s additions making a significant contribution to the Premier League.

Their club-record signing Wesley has notched four goals in his last seven games as he slowly adapts to life in England while a couple of their defence have been performing at an elite level.

Tyrone Mings is second in the top-flight for clearances per game (7.2) while Frederic Guilbert ranks third for interceptions per game (2.9), via WhoScored.

Any criticisms of Villa’s reported £144.5m spending and subsequent comparisons to Fulham have surely been put to bed after the start they’ve had to the season as they currently sit 12th in the league on the back of successive league victories for the first time this campaign.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Although, it could have been a very different story had they signed Pione Sisto, who appears to be struggling in La Liga since rejecting a move to the west Midlands.

According to recent reports, Villa’s former summer transfer target will be made available in January, according to TODOFICHAJES, who claim Celta Vigo want to offload the winger.

Sisto has appeared sporadically for Fran Escriba’s side this season, starting zero matches with him coming off the bench on five occasions. Now seems like a good time to assess the mistake Villa would have made if everything had gone to plan.

In just 46 minutes of action, the 24-year-old has failed to record a single key pass, has recorded only 0.4 shots per game, and has lost his side possession 2.8 times per match.

On top of that, he has only managed to get 17% of his crosses to a teammate, proving highly wasteful.

These are quite damning figures, and although there’s nothing to suggest that this level of poor performance would have translated onto the pitch for Villa, it still highlights why it may have been a blessing in disguise as Sisto clearly has a negative aspect to his game.

Aston Villa’s summer signings’ performances so far this season are rated in the video below…

Marca reported that the west Midlanders had a bid of €10m (£8.6m) accepted by Celta Vigo, with the club offering the Denmark international a contract of approximately €1m-per year (£863k) – something he rejected.

Had he joined in the summer and produced the level of output as mentioned above in the claret and blue shirt, there’s no doubt Smith would have been left asking himself why he brought him to the Premier League.

The 48-year-old can be glad that the rest of his squad have lived up to their price tags so far.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

“Wilfried Zaha’s a diver!”

“Cheat!”

“Ban him!”

You may well have heard these kind of shouts from the opposition terraces whenever the Ivorian is playing for Crystal Palace, and to get straight to the point, these accusations are lazy and can be put down to sheer conformity.

Back in January, The Guardian’s Paul Doyle declared that opposition fans willingly “pretend” to watch Zaha dive, when they know deep down that they’ve just seen him get taken out by one of their own players – even describing the Palace talisman as one of the Premier League’s most persecuted players.

“Every week supporters get their metaphorical kicks pretending they are watching Zaha acting when they know full well he is not. Usually, in fact, Zaha is receiving literal kicks, on top of verbal abuse.

“Zaha is one of the Premier League’s most persecuted players, partly because lots of people pretend he is not persecuted at all.”

It is a bandwagon that Zaha himself has pleaded with people to stop jumping on in the past, and it is also one that was put to shame by the VAR intervention in the Eagles’ 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

“I feel just everyone jumps on the bandwagon. I read stuff on Twitter, half of you lot don’t even watch me play, but you come online and say ‘he is a diver’. Actually watch me play and then you will see how often I get kicked.”

Before you could have even uttered the two syllables that make up the flamboyant winger’s surname, referee Martin Atkinson sounded his whistle to penalise Zaha for diving after a challenge from Calum Chambers in the box.

After a VAR check, however, Atkinson retracted the booking and rightly awarded the south Londoners a spot kick.

Ian Wright – who played for both Arsenal and Palace – summed it up perfectly on Match of the Day, highlighting how quickly Atkinson had made up his mind on a decision that eventually turned out to be incorrect.

How did he make up his mind so fast? One assumes that this unfair assumption towards Zaha, the perception of him being a diver, came into play.

This is the first incident in which VAR has jumped in front of the metaphorical bullet that are the largely baseless accusations aimed towards Zaha, and it was a moment that got a few thoughts flowing, chief amongst those being whether the 26-year-old would even have this ridiculous reputation if VAR had existed since his Premier League debut for Palace in August 2014.

Because it seems that, once these incidents involving Zaha are put under the microscope, the level of wrongdoing is minimal. Clearly, an unfair reputation precedes him.

أجرى الفرنسي زين الدين زيدان، المدير الفني لنادي ريال مدريد، تعديلات على قائمة فريقه المستدعاة لخوض مباراة خيتافي، في مسابقة الدوري الإسباني.

ريال مدريد يحل ضيفًا على خيتافي مساء الأحد، على ملعب “كوليسيوم ألفونسو بيريز”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الثالثة والثلاثين من الدوري الإسباني.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ريال مدريد: تهانينا لـ برشلونة ومشجعيه على التتويج المستحق بكأس الملك

زيدان صباح اليوم، أعلن قائمة الفريق، وشهدت القائمة استمرار غياب إدين هازارد وداني كارفاخال رغم عودتهما إلى التدريبات الجماعية، إلى جانب رافاييل فاران وسيرجيو راموس بسبب إصابتهما بـ كورونا، فضلًا عن لوكاس فاسكيز وفيرلاند ميندي، بينما يغيب ناتشو وكاسيميرو بسبب الإيقاف (طالع قائمة ريال مدريد).

ومن أجل التغلب على الغيابات، قرر زيدان استدعاء أربعة لاعبين من فريق الكاستيا. قائمة ريال مدريد لمباراة خيتافي في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: كورتوا، لونين، ألتوبي.

الدفاع: ميليتاو، مارسيلو، أودريوزولا، تشوست، ميجل، بابلو رومان.

الوسط: كروس، مودريتش، فالفيردي، إيسكو، أريباس، بلانكو.

الهجوم: بنزيما، أسينسيو، فينيسيوس، ماريانو، رودريجو.

📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados para medirnos al @GetafeCF!
ℹ️ Zidane incorpora a última hora a cuatro jugadores del Castilla. #GetafeRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/4QlFieYPY4 — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 17, 2021

Liverpool may have narrowly progressed in the Carabao Cup but it hasn’t taken fans long to forget about the elation of a penalty shootout victory.

The Carabao Cup quarter-final draw was made on Thursday and it has left some supporters dissatisfied, with rivals Manchester United and Manchester City both getting relatively easy draws, on paper at least.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Reds travel to Aston Villa whereas their title competitors get a trip to League One Oxford United, with the Red Devils hosting League Two Colchester United, who have knocked out Crystal Palace and Tottenham previously.

Man City, in particular, have had kind draws in recent times and benefited from that on their road to Carabao Cup success last term.

Some Liverpool fans feel it is unfair, with others knowing that it is an all too predictable outcome, though they should do well to remember that the Citizens lost to League One Wigan in the FA Cup in the same season they won the league with 100 points, so shocks are possible.

Here is how some of the Anfield faithful have been reacting to the cup draw…

أعلن نادي إنتر ميلان انسحابه من المشاركة في بطولة دوري السوبر الأوروبي في بيان رسمي أصدره عبر موقعه الإلكتروني منذ قليل.

وانضم إنتر ميلان إلى الأندية الإنجليزية وأتلتيكو مدريد المنسحبين من البطولة الجديدة التي كانت تضم 12 فريقًا بعد احتجاجات الجماهير، الحكومات ومؤسستي الاتحاد الدولي والأوروبي لكرة القدم.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رئيس يوفنتوس يستسلم: لا يمكننا إقامة دوري السوبر الأوروبي بدون الأندية الإنجليزية

بيان إنتر ميلان للانسحاب من دوري السوبر الأوروبي

“أكد نادي إنترناسيونالي ميلانو أنه لم يعد جزءًا من مشروع دوري السوبر الأوروبي، نحن ملتزمون دائمًا بتقديم أفضل أداء للجماهير، كان الابتكار والشموال جزءًا من حمضنا النووي منذ تأسيسنا، إن التزامنا مع جميع أصحاب المصلحة العامة لتحسين صناعة كرة القدم لن يتغير أبدًا.

يعتقد إنتر ميلان أن كرة القدم، مثل أي قطاع رياضي آخر، يجب أن يكون هناك تحسين لمسابقاتها باستمرار من أجل الاستمرار في إثارة الجماهير من جميع الأعمار في جميع أنحاء العالم، في إطار الاستدامة المالية.

من خلال هذه الرؤية، سنواصل العمل مع المؤسسات وجميع أصحاب المصلحة العامة من أجل مستقبل الرياضة التي نحبها جميعًا”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Phil Parkinson seems to be taking a defensive approach with Sunderland and it is the most appropriate course of action to take if he is to win promotion.

On the chalkboard

The former Bolton boss has quickly grown used to the inconsistent performances of this Sunderland team, and has two wins and two defeats from his four League One matches so far.

Though still struggling away from home, he has already improved the defence slightly with three goals conceded in four league games, and two clean sheets out of two at home.

Southend manager Sol Campbell spoke of the importance of home form in mounting a promotion push, following their defeat against the Black Cats. Parkinson has already overseen an upturn in form in that department, and if he can continue to make shrewd decisions like playing Luke O’Nien at right midfield, then the Black Cats could be on course for success.

O’Nien provided the defensive qualities that are expected from a right-back on Saturday but crucially added the winning goal, and with George Dobson also showing signs of improvement there is reason for optimism from a defensive standpoint.

Watch League 1 Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Platform for success

Despite an underwhelming attack which resulted in too many draws last term, Sunderland were equally disappointing in defence.

They may have only let in 47 goals in 46 league games, but they conceded a goal in 33 of those matches, and if they repeat such a record this campaign they will fail to pick up the number of wins required for promotion.

That was a primary reason behind their failures last season, and it is little surprise that the two sides who kept the most clean sheets finished in the promotion places.

Parkinson is taking the right approach in order to achieve the club’s aim. It was how he built success at Bolton in the 2016/17 season, with his Trotters side conceding only 36 goals in the league as they finished in second.

Sunderland have an international goalkeeper in Jon McLaughlin, and recruited two centre-backs over the summer, so there is no reason why they don’t have the base for promotion success.

Should they do so, their away form will likely improve and considering they are yet to lose at home in 2019/20, that would put them in with a great chance of getting back into the Championship.

أشاد جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي، رياض محرز، بدور مدربه، بيب جوارديولا، بعد المستوى المميز الذي يظهرون عليه في الموسم الحالي قبل مباراة باريس سان جيرمان في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويواجه مانشستر سيتي مضيفه باريس سان جيرمان يوم، الأربعاء، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “حديقة الأمراء” بقيادة الحكم الألماني الدولي، فيليكس بيريش.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بوتشيتينو قبل مواجهة مانشستر سيتي بدوري أبطال أوروبا: جوارديولا أفضل مدرب في العالم

وتحدث محرز عن مدربه الإسباني في مؤتمره الصحفي قبل مباراة الغد، وقال: “بيب قدم الكثير لكرة القدم، يستحق الثناء، نعلم مدى أهميته بالنسبة لنا كلاعبين في مانشستر سيتي لأنه يساعدنا من الناحية التكتيكية”.

وعن مباراة باريس سان جيرمان: “فريق رائع للغاية، لقد رأينا ذلك في مباراة بايرن ميونخ، لكن لدينا من القوة اللازمة للتعامل مع تلك المواجهة وسنرى ذلك غدًا”.

وأضاف: “نحن نلعب في دوري أبطال أوروبا، أفضل بطولة من الممكن أن تتواجد بها، كفريق نركز على مباراة الغد والفوز بها ولا نفكر في النهائي وهذا أهم شيء وعلينا أن نثبت جدارتنا بعد خيبة أملنا في الموسم الماضي والخسارة أمام ليون”.

وعن وضعه في مانشستر سيتي: “أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة، أحب النادي، أحب المدينة، كل ما أركز به هو الفريق والفوز بالألقاب”.

The Toffees registered their first away win of the season against Southampton and have given themselves some breathing space between the relegation zone as a result. Everton now sit 14th in the table and are six clear of the drop.

In this game, one man who seems to have taken the plaudits is Alex Iwobi.

The former Arsenal man signed for Everton for £34m and has been a decent addition to the squad so far, scoring two goals.

Iwobi did not start the game against the Saints, having been placed on the bench as Gylfi Sigurdsson stepped into the number 10 position.

Plus, Richarlison was moved back out wide and Theo Walcott continued down the right, which ultimately forced Iwobi to the bench.

However, the Nigeria international came on for the final 16 minutes and made a great impact.

The versatile forward managed to hit the woodwork, make one tackle and have another shot on target within this short spell. Iwobi also made one key pass out of the five he made late on at St. Mary’s.

And fans have been singing his praises after a solid display.

One fan suggested he should “start every game”, whilst other supporters have stated he has been a great signing and can only get better. Many other fans have touched on how he should be keeping Sigurdsson out the side from now on.

Here’s what some of them have had to say about the 23-year-old…