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

Watford have sacked manager Javi Gracia and reappointed Quique Sanchez Flores to replace him.

What’s the word?

The Hornets are currently rock-bottom of the Premier League, having drawn one and lost three of their opening four games; they drew 1-1 with Newcastle United last time out following successive losses to Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton and West Ham United.

The Hornets board have subsequently taken action by sacking Gracia, who guided the club to an 11th-placed finish last season as well as to the FA Cup final, though they were beaten 6-0 by Manchester City.

Flores has been appointed as his successor; he managed the club in the 2015/16 campaign as they finished 13th.

A bizarre move

This is a bit of a weird one from Watford.

They have not taken a step forward with the reappointment of a manager who took the club to a worse finish than that achieved in 2018/19.

One feels that Gracia deserved some time, particularly after their excellent FA Cup run.

Watch Watford Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But the club have seen differently and, thus, there is pressure on the club to turn it around.

That is all well and good but their next two games come against Arsenal and City.

Good luck, Quique.

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David Luiz, Kieran Tierney and Nicolas Pepe were the big-name arrivals at the Emirates Stadium during this summer’s transfer window. As such, the signing of Gabriel Martinelli went slightly under the radar.

The Brazilian is just 18 years of age, but he was signed for a fee in the region of £6m from Ituano.

The teenager has already featured for the Gunners, coming on for six minutes in the Emirates outfit’s first game of the Premier League season against Newcastle United on Sunday with Unai Emery’s team already ahead in the match.

He is being tipped for a big future, including by compatriot and fellow new arrival Luiz. The 32-year-old said of the forward, “Everyone is excited because they know he has the potential to become a fantastic player soon and in the future.”

The comment was shared on Arsenal’s official Twitter page, and it has clearly pleased the Arsenal fans. They have taken to the social media platform to share their excitement surrounding the player. You can see some of the best comments below.

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We’re yet to fully translate the complexities of emoji language, but we assume what Gerrard is trying to say is: “Good luck on the new season Rhian because if you don’t perform you’re going to end up at Rangers with me *OK hand*”

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

Sport have reported that Barcelona want to renew Rafinha’s contract before sending him off on loan.

What’s the word, then?

Rafinha has spent most of his career at Barcelona. But despite that, he’s never been a really important piece of the Catalan jigsaw because of one simple thing: injuries. Last season, he was out for 217 days, missing out on a total of 41 games.In 2016/17, the situation was fairly similar when a meniscal injury sidelined him for 38 games.

Needless to say, the 26-year-old never truly got the chance to shine and show what he can do as all of that talent was somehow always buried beneath those fitness problems. And now that he has finally strung together a couple of games in the new 2019/20 La Liga season and the summer pre-season, we’ve seen a glimpse of what he can do.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The only thing, however, that seems to be keeping him at the Camp Nou is his old contract that will expire next year, preventing Barcelona from sending him on loan despite interest from Valencia.

And because of that, the Blaugrana aim to renew his contract so that they can send him along his way to Los Che. Looking at that potential deal, it seems to be a bad move from the Catalans.

A different kind of asset

Looking back at Barcelona’s first two games in La Liga, Rafinha not only looked like the best player on the pitch on so many occasions but he also offered something entirely different to the team.

Sure, Catalans have plenty of talented attacking-minded players but the Brazilian was very much involved in every aspect of their game: he was creating chances left and right, already tallying 2.5 key passes on average so far, three shots per game and 1.5 dribbles. This emphasised how good of a creative outlet he truly is.

But there’s something else about his game that needs to be emphasised. He’s always tracked back, worked hard and dropped deeper to support his teammates. He’s averaged 1.5 tackles per game and maintained a fairly impressive 91.7% passing accuracy.

With the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the squad, both of whom are over 30 already, Barcelona are really short on hard-working attackers who are willing to go both ways.

That new contract seems to be in the plans but is it there for the right reasons? He should definitely be given a proper shot at the Camp Nou this season, rather than spending it with a La Liga rival.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Phillip Cocu has told The People he could have joined Arsenal during his career.

What’s the story?

The former Netherlands international replaced Frank Lampard as Derby County boss in the summer, but before becoming a manager, he had a successful playing career, winning four Eredivisie titles with PSV Eindhoven and La Liga with Barcelona.

He had been talking about those days as a defensive midfielder and said: “I was playing for my first professional club, Vitesse Arnhem, when Arsenal came for me.

“Then, halfway through my career, when I was about to sign a new contract at Barcelona, there was a second chance. But in both cases, the clubs could not agree.

“They have the bigger mentality” – Spurs fans come to blows after the North London Derby in the video below…

Cocu instead of Vieira?

The 48-year-old was with Vitesse between 1990 and 1995 before moving on to PSV and FC Barcelona. He would end up making 540 appearances between the two clubs and also earned 100 caps for his country. It is fair to say he was one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation.

Had he made the switch to north London, he would have no doubt improved the Gunners. However, his arrival may have prevented the signing of the legendary Patrick Vieira. The France World Cup winner joined Arsenal in 1996 just before Arsene Wenger was appointed as the club’s manager.

The two were defensive midfielders, and there is no reason to believe that Cocu wouldn’t have been able to produce the same level of performances in the Premier League as he did in the Eredivisie and La Liga. As such, Vieira’s signing may not have been needed at all.

What would Wenger’s reign look like without the former Juventus hard-man, or indeed the English footballing landscape as a whole?

Vieira had a huge impact on the Arsenal side, and was a part of the famous Invincibles. Would Arsenal have had the same success without him commanding the middle of the park?

Unfortunately, it is a question we will never know the answer to. But it is hard to imagine Arsenal fans crying over the comments. After all, in Vieira, they got their hands on one of the best midfielders in Premier League history.

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أكد جورفان فييرا، المدير الفني الأسبق لنادي الزمالك، أن لاعبي الأبيض الحاليين قادرين على التأهل لنهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويحتل الزمالك المركز الثالث في المجموعة الرابعة ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا التي يتصدرها الترجي برصيد 7 نقاط، ويليله مولوديه الجزائر في المركز الثاني برصيد 5 نقاط، والزمالك في المركز الثالث برصيد نقطتين، وأخيرًا تونجيث السنغالي في المركز الرابع برصيد نقطة واحدة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. الزمالك: لم نوقع عقوبات بعد الهزيمة أمام الترجي.. ومصير باتشيكو مرتبط باللاعبين

وأضاف فييرا خلال لقاءه عبر برنامج “ملعب البلدوزر” المُذاع عبر قناة “الشمس”: “تجربتي في الزمالك كانت غنية وناجحة، الكل تعاون معي ولم تكن هناك مشاكل”.

تابع: “هناك بعض الأزمات التي واجهتني خلال مشواري التدريبي مع الزمالك، مثل التأخير في راتبي الشهري”.

وواصل: “الزمالك يمتلك لاعبين جيدين وقادرين مع التنظيم الجيد على التأهل لنهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، اللاعبون يحتاجون أن يدخل المدرب في تفكيرهم أكثر، ويقوم بتهيئتهم نفسيًا لكي يعودوا لمستواهم”.

استكمل: “هناك ضغط كبير على اللاعبين في الزمالك، ويجب أن يكون هناك حكمة في التعامل معهم”.

وبسؤاله “هل أنت مع استمرار جايمي باتشيكو أم رحيله؟”، قال: “من الصعب أن أتحدث عن مدير فني آخر، من السهل التضحية بأي مدرب ولا يوجد فريق يفوز باستمرار”.

وبسؤاله “إذا تلقى عرض لتدريب الزمالك أو الإسماعيلي أيهما يختار؟”، قال: “صعب جدًا الاختيار، أريد النادي الذي يتمتع بالاستمراراية، بصرف النظر عن اسم النادي”.

أردف: “أتابع الدوري المصري بشكل مستمر، واللاعب المصري يمتلك مهارات تصنع الفارق في المباريات”.

وعن اللاعبين الجيدين في الدوري المصري، قال: “عبد الله جمعة ومحمد أبو جبل وعمر جابر ومجدي أفشة ويوسف أوباما”.

[ad_pod ]Four years ago, a certain Argentine defender arrived at the Etihad from Spain, and managed to leave a big mark on the team.Nicolas Otamendi joined Manchester City exactly four years ago yesterday and the rest, as they say, is history.Since 2015, the now 31-year-old centre-back has had a pretty good career with the Citizens, to say the least.Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He has played a total of 173 games, even managing to tally eight goals and four assists to his name.

Just last season, in 2018/19, he took part in 33 games for Pep Guardiola’s troops across all competitions as he played his part in their great domestic success, clinching four titles for their trophy cabinet.

Now, he has taken to Twitter to celebrate this great moment.

So far in the new 2019/20 Premier League campaign, the Argentine defender has played one full game for the Citizens.

But he also participated in the Community Shield clash against Liverpool that also ended in a success for Pep Guardiola’s men.

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Leeds continued their unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday evening as they defeated Brentford 1-0.

Creating just eight chances, the Whites struggled to break down the Bees until Eddie Nketiah was introduced.

Another substitute in Helder Costa did all the work as he showed tremendous pace to get to the byline and then play the ball across for Nketiah to tap home.

It was a simple finish and almost mirrored the goal the pair combined for just over a week previous against Salford.

However, the main narrative leading up to the game surrounded Pontus Jansson, a player who had dedicated valuable service to the Yorkshire club, even being named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year last term.

The Swede was a popular figure at Leeds, something that was summed up by their supporters refusing to get drawn into the possibility of booing him in the build-up to the fixture.

However, after becoming Brentford’s captain, his return to Elland Road didn’t go to plan and his reaction at the full-time whistle showed he wasn’t too happy.

In this picture, Jansson fittingly stands dejected as he trudges off a pitch that brought him so many good memories.

The central defender played 120 times for Leeds but was rather forced out this summer due to a number of reasons.

Paul Bell claimed financial fair play was to do with his departure but arguably that doesn’t add up too much when you consider he left for just £5.5m.

Adam Webster, who was nowhere near the Team of the Year, meanwhile left Bristol City for £20m.

But there was also an attitude problem at the heart of the centre-back who was one of the players who wasn’t best pleased when Leeds allowed Aston Villa to score a goal last season.

Jansson would have been looking forward to returning to his old club but this time he was left with a rather sour taste in his mouth, leaving the stadium having lost against his former employers.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness

It has been confirmed that Divock Origi is set for a short spell on the sidelines and that could provide the perfect opportunity for Rhian Brewster to stake a claim for a first-team place.

What’s the latest?

The Belgian was handed just his third start of the season for Saturday’s visit of Newcastle, starting once again on the left-wing, but had a minimal impact before being forced off through injury, making only 5 passes in his 37 minutes on the pitch.

It will be a blow for the 24-year-old, who has found starting opportunities hard to come by since returning from a loan spell at Wolfsburg at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

He has made a valuable contribution over the last few months though, scoring important goals against Barcelona and Tottenham in the Champions League, but now looks like he will be on the treatment table for a “short spell” with an ankle injury.

His absence has prompted Jurgen Klopp to call up Brewster to the matchday squad for the trip to Napoli, and it could be a great chance for the youngster to show what he is all about.

Making a good impression

Brewster is yet to make his debut for the Reds but the 2017 U17 World Cup top scorer has impressed at youth level for both club and country.

This season he has two goals in four games whilst impressing academy manager Neil Critchley, and the 19-year-old will be hoping to do the same with Klopp.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He has previously featured in the matchday squad for important European fixtures against Barcelona and Tottenham, but he will hope to go one better this time around by getting onto the pitch.

The involvement of Brewster is positive for the academy, as it shows they will be considered if they’re good enough and show the right attitude, with Klopp offering a pathway to players like Trent Alexander-Arnold further evidence of that.

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…

Samuel Umtiti’s Barcelona career has unfortunately taken a swift tumble. Ever since his career was disrupted by serious knee problems, the great Frenchman’s game time has diminished greatly.

And with the news that he has once again been sidelined, maybe the time has finally arrived for Jean-Clair Todibo to assume a bigger role within the Blaugrana squad.

But Umtiti hasn’t always plagued by these fitness problems. It all started in 2018 with his first serious knee injury and since then the Frenchman has refused to have surgery to fix the issue, instead opting for alternative treatments.

And it seems that that decision has come back to haunt him as he hasn’t been able to completely shake the injury ever since.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

To make things even worse, Umtiti has also been struck by the infamous “FIFA virus” and suffered another setback during his outing with France just recently. This time, though, it’s his foot that’s proven problematic rather than his knee.

With all those injury problems, Barcelona might have a real conundrum to face but, luckily, there is still someone who can take over from Umtiti and finally make a big step up.

And it wouldn’t be the first time they tampered with the pecking order in their defence. Ever since Umtiti’s injuries have come to light, Barcelona have reshuffled the cards at centre-back. At first, Umtiti and Gerard Pique were the two designated starters but soon Clement Lenglet took over from Umtiti as the 25-year-old started experiencing issues with his knee.

But even with that being said, Umtiti was still the third-choice centre-back and, as such, he played 14 games last season in La Liga and started a total of 13 of those. Todibo, on the other hand, only played two in 2018/19 – the only two games in his Barcelona career so far.

His lack of opportunities made it clear that he would be limited to the role of fourth choice centre-back. It was a rather weird move by Barcelona, who were betting on an injury-prone player rather than putting some trust into the young 19-year-old talent.

Back then there still may have been some lingering optimism regarding Umtiti’s issues but now, with yet another injury coming his way, it is time to start investing into Todibo instead.

Having such a talented player rotting on the bench because of Umtiti should not be acceptable. If the former Lyon enforcer was fit and firing on all cylinders, then there would be no dispute at all.

But with the situation being as it currently is and Umtiti unfortunately spending more time in the stands than on the pitch, Blaugrana might want to reshuffle the deck once again.

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