Aston Villa boss Dean Smith could land a superb teammate for Jack Grealish in Wales and Juventus star Aaron Ramsey in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

A report from Italian outlet Tuttomercato suggests that Villa have got their eye on the former Arsenal man, who is currently on international duty at EURO 2020 with Wales.

It’s suggested that Smith’s side are the front-runners for the midfielder, who has scored 91 career goals for club and country thus far in his career.

Imagine him and Grealish

Arsene Wenger raved about Ramsey’s ability to get into the box and find himself on the end of moves, saying: “In my head, Ramsey was going to be a player between 10 and 15 goals a year. He is a Frank Lampard type. He is (about) getting in the box and he has a huge capacity to run. Physically, he has a combination of stamina, power and his capacity to repeat high intensity is certainly the best in the league.”

Described as an “outstanding technician”, Ramsey would offer that same knack of getting into the box at the right times and scoring those poacher-type goals. In fact, Lampard himself wrote in a column for The Evening Standard: “It will probably come as no surprise to people that I like Ramsey. Like me, he makes late runs in the penalty area and he showed that with aplomb for the second goal at AC Milan last week.”

And, after a superb goal-scoring performance in the win over Turkey at EURO 2020, former Wales international, Danny Gabbidon, said: “I love Gareth Bale massive amounts but when Aaron Ramsey gets Hulked up he is my favourite Wales player! There’s nothing he can’t do.”

Having Ramsey in the side could be a huge boost for Grealish. The Villa talisman would have a runner from deep in Ramsey to pick out, rather than just having Ollie Watkins to run in behind the opposition defence.

It would give Grealish a second man to pick out, and given his ability to spot a pass – he averaged 3.1 key passes per game last season in the Premier League, which was almost double that of any Villa player – you would back him to find Ramsey more often than not.

It could be a superb little double-act that would take the weight off Watkins’ shoulders in terms of goal-scoring, and give Grealish another partner in crime.

AND in other Villa news; pundit warns Smith to avoid a move for reported Villa target

MatériaMais Notícias

O volante Walace está cada vez mais próximo do futebol alemão. Na tarde deste domingo, o Grêmio e o Hamburgo-ALE chegaram a um acordo e o atleta viajará para a Alemanha no início dessa semana, para realizar exames médicos e assinar contrato. O clube alemão pagará 10 milhões de euros (aproximadamente R$ 33,6 milhões) e o Grêmio ficará com 60% desse valor, aproximadamente R$ 20,1 milhões.

Não é segredo que o Grêmio queria vender um dos seus destaques em 2016. Desde o fim do ano passado, dirigentes do clube manifestavam esse interesse, mediante um bom valor. Em um primeiro momento, o presidente Romildo Bolzan Jr havia desconsiderado a proposta do Hamburgo-ALE pelo volante. O valor oferecido era considerado abaixo do desejado pelo Tricolor gaúcho, que queria entre 12 e 15 milhões de euros, porém após a reunião ficou resolvido que o atleta será realmente vendido pelo valor originalmente oferecido pelos alemães.

Walace teve um ano de glórias em 2016. Campeão olímpico com a Seleção Brasileira, o atleta foi titular absoluto do Grêmio e fundamental na conquista da Copa do Brasil no fim do ano.

RelacionadasGrêmioBruno Cortez é anunciado pelo GrêmioGrêmio28/01/2017

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur are keen on Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus.

The Lowdown: Spurs and the Kane saga…

Sky Sports shared big news of star striker Harry Kane’s desire to leave Tottenham last month, leading to no shortage of transfer rumours.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic and financial uncertainty that comes with it, swap deals to lower prices have been touted through the media.

Among Kane’s plethora of admirers are Premier League champions Manchester City, but the Sky Blues would face a fight to sign him this summer.

Some reports even claim that Spurs chief Daniel Levy could demand close to £200 million (Eurosport).

The Latest: Spurs keen on Jesus…

Proposing players who could make way to north London in a possible exchange for Kane, the Mail say Levy and co are ‘keen’ admirers of striker Jesus.

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Indeed, one City player could head to Tottenham as part of a swap deal and the Brazilian is certainly a candidate.

It is believed that Jesus is ‘unimpressed’ with his lack of game time under manager Pep Guardiola, but whether he would entertain a move to Spurs is, for now, ‘unclear’.

City, however, will have to shift players out to fund expensive swoops for both Kane and Aston Villa star Jack Grealish.

The Verdict: Could do far worse…

Contrary to his perceived lack of game time, Jesus still managed to rack up 22 Premier League starts over 2020/2021 – scoring nine goals and assisting four others (WhoScored).

In all competitions, the attacker totalled 42 appearances whilst bagging 14 goals (Transfermarkt) – drawing praise for his tenacious and energetic playing style.

Guardiola, speaking to Manchester City’s official website back in March, hailed him as an unsung hero for the Sky Blues and described what he does for the team as ‘amazing’ and ‘brilliant’.

Brazilian footballing legend Dani Alves dropped a pretty big claim during the early rise of Jesus back in 2017, insisting to reporters back then he was ‘the new Ronaldo’ and will ‘get even better’ (The Daily Mail).

Having already scored 103 career goals in total across his spells at both City and Palmeiras, Spurs could do a lot worse than Jesus plus cash if Kane is certain to leave.

In other news: ‘Sad news’, ‘No no no no’ – Spurs fans worried by this claim, find out more here.

Andrew Flintoff’s success for England during the winter tours has inspired Somerset all rounder Ian Blackwell to want to emulate the Lancashire player

Richard Walsh13-Feb-2002Andrew Flintoff’s success for England during the winter tours has inspired Somerset all rounder Ian Blackwell to want to emulate the Lancashire player.Blackie told me, “He thoroughly deserves the success that he is having especially after he has taken so much stick about his weight. He has worked very hard and has got a lot to offer England.”He continued, “If he can stay fit he will be a very useful member of the test and one day side. He is a genuine all rounder.”Blackie played with Andrew Flintoff in the England side that took part in the Hong Kong Sixes back in the autumn, and was very impressed with his performances, and enjoyed his company.The Somerset player told me, “He is the same age as I am, and we came through the age groups together, and played against each other when I was at Derbyshire. Certain players you almost dread playing against and he was one. He was always the one who’d make it big time, and now he has.””Hong Kong was a taster for me, and I got to know him well over there. I hope that one day we will get to play in the same England one day side together,” Blackie told me,and concluded, “Seeing his success makes me more determined than ever in my fitness campaign.”

Test matches are supposed to be won on the sheer weight of player performances and not on the vagaries of pitches

10-May-2002Test matches are supposed to be won on the sheer weight of player performances and not on the vagaries of pitches.On the eve of the crucial fourth Cable & Wireless Test between West Indies and India, however, the strip at the Antigua Recreation Ground attracted as much attention as say, Brian Lara or Sachin Tendulkar.The surface at the ARG has not been used in a major cricket match since last July until three two-day Division 1 matches were played in recent weekends.And in the build-up to this key match with the series locked at 1-1, the pitch was watered on at least two occasions. About half-hour after the last instance, it was covered for the final time.It might be an unusual tactic, but even so, no one expects the strip to misbehave over the next five days."It should be a pretty hard surface, very good for batting and bowling as well," said Tony Merrick, the former Leeward Islands and West Indies "B" fast bowler who helped supervised the pitch preparations here."If I won the toss, I would bowl first. It (the pitch) is hard and compact. It will do a bit, especially on the first day."With the work we put in here and the amount of rolling and so on, there is going to be good, even bounce and a lot of carry."What’s for sure is the pitch has produced contrasting results as the years have gone by. It was a batting paradise in the 1980s and early 1990s, but in the last five Tests, all of which have produced outright results, there has been only one total of more than 350."I’ve never had any concerns about the Antiguan wicket," West Indies captain Carl Hooper said."We’ve always had good tracks here in Antigua. There have always been good for batting. I expect this one to be no different."The appearance of the pitch this morning might influence West Indies have named a squad of 12 which includes leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine.Even before that 12 was announced, Hooper was hinting at strengthening the batting to cover for a very weak tail that has produced next to nothing. It meant bringing in Ryan Hinds, but those thoughts have been put aside."Even though we won in Barbados, it would be folly of me to ignore the fact that we have not been having any contributions from the lower order," the West Indies captain said."Sooner or later it is going to get to us. Now that we are level 1-1, we’ve got to guard against all these weak areas."What we can do to strengthen it is lengthen the batting, but at the same time, it will probably weaken the bowling. We want to remain aggressive and positive."India, beaten badly by ten wickets at Kensington, have made their predicted change, swapping Harbjahan Singh for the world-class leg-spinner Anil Kumble.India were on top of the world after their 37-run victory in Port-of-Spain, but their recent defeat has again triggered many to question their ability to play away from home."We’ve played well abroad in the last year-and-a half. I am not a believer in the past," said captain Sourav Ganguly."What’s happened has happened. It’s always a new day, a new Test match. You’ve just got to play well those five days to win."Hooper is of the view that the psychological balance might have shifted slightly towards the West Indies after the Barbados Test."We might hold a slight edge. I suppose they can be forgiven in the first innings when the wicket had a bit of moisture and the ball seamed around and so on, but even in the second innings, I don’t think they batted so well," Hooper said."Having said that, one of their key players, Sachin Tendulkar, is probably not batting as well as he could. There is a thought there of maybe having the edge and maybe even wanting to insert them if we do win the toss and have four quicks go at them again."

Portsmouth must sanction a deal to sign Preston North End striker Jayden Stockley this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to London News Online, Portsmouth have joined the race to sign Preston North End centre-forward Stockley following his loan spell with Charlton. The report claims that Pompey are keen on a deal for the 27-year-old and that they are set to compete with Charlton for his signature in the coming weeks.

Stockley is said to be pursuing a move to a club in the south as he prepares to leave Lancashire, with Charlton and Portsmouth both viable options in that regard. However, the Lancashire Post reported earlier this week that Stockley’s first choice for a permanent transfer this summer would be Charlton.

At-the-time Charlton boss Lee Bowyer labeled Stockley as a  “nightmare for defenders” earlier this season as he impressed on loan at The Valley. He told London News Online:

“If there is any positive to take from tonight, it’s Jayden’s performance.

“Balls that went up to him. Even balls that he shouldn’t even hold onto and keep, he keeps. He’s just a constant threat. Every time there’s a ball going into the box, you’re thinking, where is he? He must be a nightmare for defenders.

“Our midfielders getting around him, when he can’t score himself he’s always looking to tee up someone else. Four or five occasions, we had shots that came from his lay-offs and their defenders got good blocks on them. I thought Jayden was very good tonight.”

Could strike gold

Portsmouth could strike gold if they are able to secure a deal for Stockley this summer. The Preston man enjoyed a superb loan spell with Charlton and put himself in the shop window with a string of impressive displays under Bowyer and then Nigel Adkins in League One. Pompey have seemingly taken notice of his performances and now need to act quickly if they want to land him ahead of Charlton.

Stockley favours a switch to The Valley but he may not get to make the decision if Portsmouth are able to offer Preston a more attractive financial package than Charlton can. It will be down to Preston to decide whether or not Charlton make an acceptable offer and Portsmouth could throw their cards on the table with a bid to tempt them into selling him to Danny Cowley’s side.

The attacker provided Charlton with 10 goals and assists in 22 League One appearances, whilst John Marquis scored 16 goals in 41 games for Portsmouth in the league. This suggests that they are on a similar level in terms of goalscoring, but Stockley’s overall game could prove to be an upgrade on Marquis. Stockley averaged a superb WhoScored rating of 7.41 for Charlton, winning 9.8 aerial battles per game, whilst Marquis averaged an unimpressive score – in comparison – of 6.79 and he only won 2.7 aerial battles per game.

Therefore, Stockley could be an improvement on Marquis. However, Cowley could also opt to play both of them and look to go direct to hurt teams next season. Marquis and Stockley are both proven goalscorers at League One level and their firepower at the top end of the pitch could improve Portsmouth’s chances of securing promotion to the Championship.

AND in the other news, Pompey must complete swoop for “dangerous” £18k-p/w dynamo…

A major update has emerged on Celtic’s pursuit of Charlie Wyke, it could affect Ipswich’s transfer plans this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to the Northern Echo, Scottish Premiership side Celtic are growing increasingly confident of landing Charlie Wyke from Sunderland this summer. Wyke is out of contract at the end of the month and the Hoops believe that they will be able to prise him away from the Stadium of Light ahead of other interested parties, with an offer set to be lodged by the club in the coming days.

Last month, Football Insider claimed Ipswich are interested in a deal to sign Wyke on a free transfer. The Tractor Boys are reportedly ready to offer Wyke a lucrative contract to come to Portman Road, but now look set to miss out on his signature as Celtic close in.

Earlier this year, Sunderland’s assistant manager Jamie McAllister lauded the “brilliant” centre-forward. He told Chronicle Live:

“The big man has been brilliant.

“He gives us a lot, a platform to play off, he can run in behind, he has good touch, and he is dangerous in the box.

“His all-round game is good, but he has now added goals to it. He’s full of confidence and he’s scored 25 goals this season now.”

Cook will be livid

Ipswich manager Paul Cook will be livid with this update as it means that he now looks set to miss out on a deal for Wyke this summer.

This could be a major blow to Ipswich’s transfer plans, as Football Insider claimed they were ready to drop a hefty sum of money on a contract for the striker – suggesting that he is, or was, high up on Cook’s list of transfer targets. Therefore, the boss will not be best pleased if Wyke ends up crossing the border to sign for Celtic in the coming weeks.

Ipswich have a goalscoring problem that they need to deal with in the window. James Norwood ended the campaign as Ipswich’s top goalscorer on nine goals, with no player managing to hit double figures. Alan Judge (four) and Gwion Edwards (six) were the club’s next two highest scorers and both players have since departed Portman Road. This shows that Ipswich desperately need to bring in added firepower in the summer and Wyke could have been the forward they need.

The £6.4k-per-week goal machine, Wyke, scored 26 goals in League One for Sunderland. He also averaged a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.35, with 4.8 aerial battles won per game for the Black Cats.

The tall forward scored 17 more than any Ipswich player managed throughout the entire campaign, highlighting how he could take Cook’s side to the next level with his ability up front. This is why the manager will be devastated at this latest development.

AND in other news, Cook heading for disaster with “outstanding” £2.3k-p/w ace, Ipswich fans will be livid…

Les Reed told Football FanCast that Daniel Levy would not be scared to appoint Scott Parker as the next Tottenham manager.

The Spurs chairman is reportedly a fan of the Fulham boss, and has been watching his progress at Craven Cottage over recent months.

Parker might have two relegations on his CV but has produced some impressive work in west London despite his failure to guide the Cottagers to Premier League safety this season.

At one stage, his Fulham side looked good to avoid the drop, but two points from their previous 10 matches saw them made an immediate return to the Championship.

Those two points came at Old Trafford and the Emirates, whilst Fulham’s last league victory came at Anfield, proof that Parker can rub it with the best.

High-profile names like Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte appear ahead of Parker in the pecking order to replace Jose Mourinho, but Reed exclusively told Football FanCast that Fulham’s struggle this season won’t put off Levy:

“I could see Daniel putting faith in Scott Parker.

“Daniel is brave, so I could see him not worrying about Fulham, but looking at how did Fulham play? They got off to a bad start, what changes did he make? He changed the entire back four. I think he would look at that and say ‘he’s not afraid of making decisions’.

“All of those things will be really positive because he was a popular player, popular coach and did really well, which is why Daniel was comfortable with Ryan Mason holding the reins.”

وافق نادي برشلونة الإسباني على خوض أولى ودياته في الصيف المقبل داخل أستراليا، خلال شهر مايو القادم، بعد 3 أيام من انتهاء الدوري.

صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، أكدت أن برشلونة سيلعب في سيدني يوم 25 مايو، ضد منتخب نجوم الدوري الأسترالي، وذلك سيكون بعد 3 أيام من نهاية الدوري الإسباني.

طالع أيضًا | تشافي يعلن قائمة برشلونة لمباراة آنتراخت فرانكفورت.. إصابة جديدة

وستكون أستراليا الجولة الأولى، قبل أن ينطلق النادي الكتالوني إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، لمعسكر في الصيف المقبل، استعدادًا للموسم الجديد.

مباراة برشلونة ونجوم الدوري الأسترالي، ستلعب قبل 3 أيام من النهائي الذي سيحدد الفائز بالدوري الآسيوي.

وستتزامن هذه المباراة مع العديد من الأحداث الكبرة في ذلك الأسبوع داخل سيدني، مثل انطلاق فيفيد سيدني، أحد أكبر المهرجنات الموسيقية والثقافية التي تقام كل عام في هذه المدينة الأسترالية.

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Atalanta defender Christian Romero as the summer transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Eco Di Bergamo (via Sport Witness), the Old Trafford outfit have already made a “super offer” worth €45 million (£38.5m) for the 23-year-old.

The aforementioned fee would make Romero Atalanta’s record sale, and the local paper claim it would be impossible for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side to turn down the offer.

Imagine him and Maguire

Centre-back has been a problem position for the Red Devils for a number of years now, with several expensive flops failing to have the desired effect upon the United backline.

While club captain Harry Maguire has slowly won over the majority of the club’s supporters, putting in consistently impressive displays for many months now, the England internationals string of partners have left a lot to be desired.

Victor Lindelof has shown glimpses of star quality, but those performances have been undermined by lapses in concentration, and his limited physical attributes are a constant source of problems for the 20-time English champions.

The likes of Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones have also done little to convince Solskjaer, or the fans, that they’re capable of being Maguire’s long-term partner at the heart of defence – either through a lack of form, injury issues, or both – and therefore a new centre-back is believed to be high up on United’s wish list this summer.

Romero could be the answer to the club’s defensive woes after impressing throughout the 2020/21 campaign. The Argentine beast made 31 league appearances, achieving a 7.14 WhoScored rating as Atalanta finished third in Serie A.

He combines the traditional, tough-tackling duties of a centre-back with the role’s modern responsibilities to perfection, often launching into tackles before picking himself up and playing a composed pass.

Although this style leads to frequent bookings – he picked up 15 in all competitions last season – it’s something which can be worked on, and the positives to Romero’s game certainly outweigh the negatives.

The South American’s pace, ability with the ball at his feet and love for a challenge would make him the perfect partner for Maguire and should see him adapt to the demands of the Premier League with ease.

It’s a move that Ed Woodward must sanction over the coming months if United want to challenge for major honours again and could prove to be the final piece in the jigsaw for Solskjaer’s side.

In other news…Man Utd must swoop for £18m-rated beast this summer, he has “outstanding quality”