Tag Futebol

Tottenham Hotspur endured a miserable 2022/23 campaign and missed out on any form of continental qualification last weekend despite defeating Leeds United 4-1 at Elland Road.

Arriving at the close of play, Spurs had to stomach finishing eighth place in the Premier League table and are still on the lookout for a permanent manager to replace Antonio Conte, who left in acrimonious circumstances back in March following a major outburst at his side due to their poor performance in a disappointing 3-3 draw away to Southampton.

Now, Daniel Levy and company are charged with finding a replacement for the Italian maverick and he has since failed to land high-profile names such as Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot in his mission to provide some stability in N17.

The Daily Mail report that former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou and Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim are now in the frame for the Spurs vacancy; however, it is still no clearer who will be their new manager come the start of next term.

Can Luis Enrique help to revive Tottenham Hotspur?

It has been reported recently that Luis Enrique is one of the names in the running to be the next Spurs boss.

Rao Sport transcribed by The Evening Standard have also detailed that the 53-year-old is the preferred choice to succeed Luciano Spalletti at Napoli; however, their president, Aurelio de Laurentiis has said in an interview that Enrique wants to manage in the Premier League, stating: "We discussed [joining Napoli with Enrique] but I can tell you that he has Premier League clubs in mind."

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Dean Jones believes that Enrique would be a big-name appointment for Tottenham if Levy was to approach him.

Jones told FFC: "He's pretty much the biggest name out there now, maybe the sexiest name in some people's eyes, but we'll have to see what Tottenham decide here. It also has to go hand in hand with whatever happens in terms of the sporting director and some managers won't really want to commit without knowing what's going on there."

Enrique has certainly earned his stripes as a boss and is most famed for his time at Barcelona, where he won two La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey trophies, one Spanish Super Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and of course, the UEFA Champions League during his spell at the Catalan giants, as per Transfermarkt.

Unsurprisingly, his success at La Blaugrana also brought individual honours and Enrique was crowned as the 2015 FIFA World Coach of Men's Football for his work at Barcelona.

In terms of his style of play, Enrique would certainly excite the Spurs' support with his preference to operate on the front foot in a 4-3-3 system that relies on attacking width and would surely bring in the offensive armoury to suit his prospective aims, as per Coaches Voice.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has given Enrique some massive praise in the past, stating in an interview quoted by BeSoccer: "But [Luis Enrique] has the level to train everywhere, no problem at all. Luis Enrique is one of the best managers I have ever seen. He is a friend of mine so I know he can do whatever he wants."

Most recently, Enrique was manager of the Spanish national team between 2018 and 2022 and narrowly lost out to Italy in the Euro 2020 semi-final on penalties despite being in control of a side in a transitional period, as per BBC Sport.

ESPN detail that the Gijon-born coach was admired by Spain players who were keen to see him stay on despite their exit from the last-16 stage at the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, praised the progress he made during his time with Spain, stating: "Luis Enrique is a top-level manager, who agreed to take over on a financially weak offer and turned down attractive offers from English clubs. We will speak with him after the World Cup to assess the work that is being done and he will have complete freedom if he wants to leave. I'm really grateful to him. He renewed the blood of the National Team with players under 20 years of age and reunited everyone around the Spain team."

Spurs need someone who can combine bringing through youth and also command a dressing room full of senior players and Enrique could be an ideal candidate to move the club forward long-term.

Sadio Mane wants to remain at Bayern Munich next season despite rumours linking him with a return to the Premier League with Chelsea, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What's going on with Mane and Chelsea?

The former Liverpool hero has endured a difficult first season at Bayern, and he was suspended and fined by his club following an altercation with teammate Leroy Sane.

Rumours of a summer exit swiftly followed, and there have been reports linking him with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano shut down any rumours of a shock return to England, as it has now been revealed that Mane wants to succeed with the German giants.

"We heard rumours about Sadio Mane and Chelsea, advanced talks, negotiations, an idea, at the moment there are no negotiations at all between Chelsea and Bayern for Sadio Mane, no concrete discussions at this stage," he stated.

"Let's see how it will evolve. We know Chelsea have different priorities, a striker, a midfielder and a goalkeeper, but also it's important to say about Sadio Mane, that from what I understand, despite reports, the intention of the player and of the agency is to stay at Bayern.

"So the idea of Sadio Mane, is staying at Bayern, have a new chance he has great relationship with the team and with the manager Thomas Tuchel, so Mane wants to stay at Bayern."

Do Chelsea need Mane?

In the last two windows, Chelsea have spent heavily on Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, as attacking options on the wings. Targeting yet another winger in Mane would therefore have been a surprising move.

In his final season at Liverpool, Mane found success playing as a striker following the arrival of Luis Diaz, who took his previous position on the left wing, and perhaps Chelsea may have viewed the 31-year-old as a solution to their striking problems.

Mane has previously been described as a "monster" during his highly successful spell at Liverpool, and he could have brought a lot of experience and quality to a struggling Chelsea squad.

Incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino has a lot to deal with this summer as Chelsea need to reduce the size of their squad, and having an experienced goalscorer in the team could have helped him in the early stages of his tenure.

Mane's desire to stay at Bayern means a move seems very far off, and given that Chelsea will not be competing in Europe next season, adding Mane's £367k-per-week wages may not be the best move in terms of future squad planning.

Celtic duo Callum McGregor and Carl Starfelt have been slammed for their displays as the Hoops fell to a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox in the Old Firm derby.

What did Starfelt and McGregor do at Ibrox?

With the visitors already trailing 2-0, the defender and midfielder were caught out following a calamitous giveaway, and this allowed Fashion Sakala to net the third goal for Rangers.

It was a poor mistake from both players, and sealed their fate on the day as the Champions saw their 28-match unbeaten run come to an end.

Sky Sports commentator Andy Walker singled out both players for giving an easy goal to the hosts, who enjoyed a dominant victory against a rotated Celtic side.

"Credit to the goalscorer, but my word, what a mess from McGregor and Starfelt. It's a gift that secures the win for Rangers," he stated on commentary.

What next for Celtic?

Despite putting in a thoroughly unimpressive performance at the home of their rivals, Celtic will likely not be too dismayed, given that they came into the game with the title secured, and made a number of changes to the lineup.

Starfelt has been a regular starter despite suffering from injuries earlier on in the season, and despite his poor display, will still likely keep his place going forward.

McGregor and Starfelt were both given 6.2 ratings by SofaScore given their role in the third goal, and neither player will have been happy with their showings on the day.

McGregor won just one of his five duels and lost possession five times, whilst Starfelt lost the ball nine times in a difficult afternoon.

The pair both attempted to seize on a loose ball in the Celtic half, and both lost out amidst confusion which allowed Sakala to pounce and eventually finish for the goal.

Celtic have now won the Premiership with just two defeats under their belt at this stage, and with the Scottish Cup final coming up, Ange Postecoglou elected to rotate his squad, with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda on the bench.

It was a decision that ultimately backfired, but if Celtic do secure victory against Inverness in June, they will secure a dominant domestic treble, having beaten Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final.

There has been speculation linking Postecoglou with a move to England, but if he stays at Celtic Park, it seems likely that another season of glory will await the Hoops next season.

It appears that Wout Weghorst's time at Manchester United may be coming to an end, with Football Insider reporting that the club have no plans to keep him beyond this campaign.

What is the latest on Weghorst's situation at Man United?

The Premier League outfit have been desperate for goals this campaign, with the side managing only 51 in the top flight so far this season. Aside from Aston Villa, it is the worst record for goals scored in the entire top ten of the division.

With Anthony Martial managing only five efforts this campaign, it makes him the Red Devils' highest scoring 'out-and-out striker.' Marcus Rashford has 16 but is typically deployed in more of a winger role and the same can be said about Jadon Sancho, who also has five strikes to his name.

It led to boss Erik Ten Hag deciding to bring in Weghorst on a short-term basis back in the January transfer window to try and get his team firing and to help with their goalscoring woes. However, the Dutchman has not managed a single goal in the Premier League so far this campaign, despite playing in 15 fixtures. He has just one assist to his name.

Whilst Ten Hag has heaped the praise on the striker for his efforts in pressing the opposition and working hard on the field, he has now decided not to keep him at Old Trafford. According to Football Insider, United have decided not to keep Weghorst at Old Trafford beyond this campaign and will not try and tie him up to permanent terms. It means that the 30-year-old is set to return to parent club Burnley when the season comes to a close.

Should Man United be keeping Weghorst at the club?

Whilst there is no doubt a solid player in there, Weghorst is arguably not the type of striker that Man United need in their squad now.

The forward has previously proven his goalscoring ability and given the right system and team, he can thrive. With Burnley in the Premier League for example, he managed five goal contributions in 17 starts despite only coming in midway through that campaign. His showings with the Clarets also led to high praise from Ian Wright, who labelled Weghorst as "fantastic" in his positioning ability and "brilliant" in terms of his finishing back when Burnley sealed a 3-0 win over Brighton.

He's also previously hit double-digit goal tallies in Germany and his native country of the Netherlands. It proves that he can be a solid striker then but it just hasn't worked out at Old Trafford for him in terms of hitting the back of the net. Weghorst not being kept on then makes plenty of sense.

حسم المدرب البرازيلي روجيرو ميكالي المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأولمبي، موقفه من مباراة منتخب كولومبيا الودية، بعد استقبال عرض إماراتي لإقامة دورة رباعية.

ويجري منتخب مصر تحت 23 سنة استعداداته لخوض غمار منافسات بطولة دورة الألعاب الأولمبية “أولمبياد باريس 2024” المنتظر إقامتها في أغسطس المقبل.

خاص | موعد إعلان قائمة منتخب مصر الأولمبي استعدادًا لدورة دبي الودية

وعلم “بطولات” أن روجيرو ميكالي أغلق رسميًا ملف ودية كولومبيا، بعدما كانت الأخيرة مرشحة لمواجهة الفراعنة الصغار في يناير.

وأعرب اتحاد الكرة المصري عن اعتذاره لنظيره الكولومبي عن إقامة المباراة التي كان من المقرر إقامتها في مصر.

وفضل ميكالي أن يخوض منتخب مصر الدورة الرباعية في الإمارات والتي تضم منتخبي السعودية وقطر.

ويرى ميكالي أن الاستفادة الفنية ستكون أكبر بخوض تلك الدورة الرباعية عن ملاقاة منتخب كولومبيا.

الجدير بالذكر، أن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، كان سيتحمل تكاليف سفر وإقامة بعثة منتخب كولومبيا حال إقامة المباراة الودية.

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is expected to hold talks with Ruben Amorim over the possibility of becoming the next permanent manager at Stamford Bridge.

Is Amroim the favourite for the Chelsea job?

The Blues have sunk further in the league over the weekend with yet another defeat at home – this time to Brighton & Hove Albion – seeing their gap to the top half now three points.

Frank Lampard was handed the job as the interim manager until the end of the campaign, however, since taking over, the 44-year-old has now tasted defeat in all three of his games.

The search for Graham Potter's permanent replacement goes on and there is a belief that Julian Nagelsmann is still the favourite for the job.

However, the German is not the only person in contention with the likes of Luis Enrique also believed to be a man of interest for Boehly.

And it seems as if the Spaniard is not the only potential competitor to Nagelsmann for the vacancy with Sporting CP's manager, Amorim, also on Boehly's radar.

Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the Portuguese manager is expected to hold discussions with the Blues ahead of the summer:

(2:45) "Ruben Amorim is appreciated by Chelsea. What I'm told, is that Amorim, of course, was not available during the season. And so Chelsea never had any possibility to convince him to join now because he's 100% focused on Sporting.

"But it's true that Chelsea appreciates Amorim. Chelsea will have some conversations also with him. But my understanding is that at the moment, Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique remain one step ahead of him in the Chelsea list."

Is Amorim the right man for Chelsea?

Amorim has received a lot of plaudits from his time at Sporting where he has been able to provide a solid return of over two points per game in his 153 games at the helm (via Transfermarkt).

Journalist Matt Law hailed the 38-year-old as an "exciting" young manager and that certainly seems to be the case with his side having already beaten Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in Europe this season.

However, this could well cause concerns from the Chelsea board that perhaps there is potential for the 38-year-old to suffer similar issues to what Potter did.

Although Nagelsmann is still an extremely young coach, the German has already managed a side which is arguably one of the biggest in the world with Bayern Munich.

Whereas, Amorim has not quite managed a side of the elite level with Sporting being his biggest opportunity in his early career so far.

There are reports suggesting the Chelsea players did not necessarily take Potter seriously behind the scenes and Amorim's lack of experience – in comparison to other candidates – may leave concerns over this happening again.

Of course, he could still bolster his record with triumph in the Europa League this season, but perhaps his experience could cast doubts over his potential suitability for the role in west London.

Chelsea have distanced themselves from the reputation they had a few years ago of having a seemingly endless number of young players out on loan.

The likes of Matt Miazga, Lucas Piazon and Marco van Ginkel would all spend a number of years at Chelsea without ever really featuring for the first team but have all finally left Stamford Bridge on permanent deals.

However, one forgotten man from Chelsea's loan army is still contracted by the club, with Baba Rahman currently on loan with Reading in the Championship in what is remarkably the 28-year-old's seventh separate spell away from the west London club.

How long has Rahman rinsed Chelsea?

Chelsea signed the left-back from Augsburg in 2015 for a fee of £14m, which could have raised to £20m had he made more than 100 appearances for the Blues.

Considering his last appearance for the Stamford Bridge outfit came in the 2015/16 Premier League campaign, it seems unlikely that the Bundesliga side will ever see that £6m.

The Ghana international was expected to be a replacement for Filipe Luis when he made the move to Chelsea and he was something of a regular in his first season at the club, making 23 appearances in all competitions, contributing no goals and two assists. These would be the only showings he would make for the Blues.

He has since spent time with Schalke, Stade Reims, RCD Mallorca, PAOK and finally Reading, with his 49 appearances for the Royals the most of any club he has played for in his career.

A cruciate ligament injury that Rahman suffered at Schalke was seemingly the end of his hopes of making it at Chelsea, and his lack of appearances since then makes it difficult to understand why the £86k-per-week earner is still contracted at Stamford Bridge.

Ahead of his first loan spell with Reading in the summer of 2021, the Blues opted to extend his deal until 2024, perhaps in the hope that some strong performances in England would encourage a club to pay a fee for him, yet they sent him back out to the Berkshire side again last summer.

He has made 18 appearances for Paul Ince's side this season in the Championship, averaging a woeful 6.43 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which well and truly hammers home that the Ghanaian won't ever be playing for Chelsea again.

Although his game time at Reading has allowed him to become a regular for the Ghana national side, it seems as if he hasn't impressed there either, with journalist Ohene-Bampoe Brenya dubbing him "terrible" during the World Cup.

Chelsea surely cannot allow Rahman to go out on loan again this summer, so Graham Potter must finally bring an end to his 2,788-day stay at Stamford Bridge.