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Aston Villa’s deadline day signing Leander Dendoncker is determined to ‘prove a point’ to his former club, Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

The 27-year-old was one of two players to join Villa on the final day of the transfer window, along with centre-back Jan Bednarek. Wolves agreed to sell him to Steven Gerrard’s side for a fee of £13m, only a fraction more than they paid to sign him from Anderlecht in 2019 (£12.4m).

The Belgian played 159 times for the Midlands club, but his starting opportunities at Molineux were limited.

Before joining Villa, he had been named amongst the substitutes for three straight Premier League matches. Last season, he was left out of the starting line-up for 17 top-flight games, and he remained an unused sub seven times.

Dendoncker wasn’t able to make his Villa debut in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City because of a problem with his throat.

The latest

Jones has heard that Dendoncker is raring to go following his move across the Midlands, with the Belgian believing that he can make Wolves rue their decision to snub him and instead establish himself in a Villa side with even more ‘potential’.

The journalist told GiveMeSport: “I’m told Dendoncker is excited about the prospect of establishing himself in the Villa team. At Wolves his path was totally blocked but he wants to go and prove a point now. He feels like he’s joining a club with more potential but he has to make it work.”

The verdict

Aston Villa fans ought to be pretty excited by this insight. It’s natural to expect a new signing to be motivated but Dendoncker possesses an added incentive to prove his former club wrong, and that may inspire him to reach another level.

Perhaps he will hit the ground running at Villa Park in a similar manner to Philippe Coutinho, who may also have wanted to send a message to his former club. Barcelona were desperate to sell the Brazilian, but he quickly showed them what they were missing after his January loan move by scoring or assisting seven goals in first eight appearances for Villa.

Dendoncker will be competing with the likes of Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz for a place in the starting line-up, so he will need to impress Gerrard in training at Bodymoor Heath if he is to get the opportunities that he craves.

Nottingham Forest remain 19th in the Premier League table after shipping their fourth consecutive defeat on Friday night, losing 3-2 to Fulham at the City Ground.

Steve Cooper will be disappointed that his team again could not hold onto a half-time lead, with the Tricky Trees conceding three goals in the second half to lose 3-2, just as they did against Bournemouth in their previous match.

Despite being at home, none of the main statistics were in Forest’s favour, with just 41% possession, an inferior passing completion rate (74% v 83%), fewer shots on target (3 v 7) and fewer dribbles completed (33% v 45%) than the visitors.

Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring when he found the net in the 11th minute to give Forest the lead, and although they managed to hold off any threat of an equaliser during the first 45 minutes, the Reds fell apart when they returned to action for the second half.

Fulham scored three times in the space of six minutes when Tosin Adarabioyo, Joao Palhinha and Harrison Reed all converted chances to put the visitors 3-1 up by the 6oth minute. Lewis O’Brien plundered a consolation goal in the 77th minute but it was too little, too late when all was said and done.

One player who was completely anonymous throughout his performance in front of the City Ground faithful last night was Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler, and Cooper will surely regret starting him in the middle of the park over O’Brien, who replaced his team-mate in the 70th minute and scored just seven minutes later.

The 30-year-old had fewer touches of the ball than Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson (39 v 53), lost 100% of his aerial duels and conceded possession of the ball with every 3.9 touches, displaying a lack of direct involvement in the game despite being positioned in one of the most central roles on the pitch.

Freuler is currently the fifth-worst rated player in the Reds’ squad for 2022/23 with a SofaScore rating of 6.4 following his three league outings, with the Swiss midfielder clearly struggling to make his presence known.

With that being said, Cooper will now have more than two weeks to rebuild the confidence in his players thanks to the international break, when hopefully he can establish his best team moving forward and pick up some better results when they return to action next month.

Leeds United would still like to sign PSV forward Cody Gakpo in January but could find a transfer ‘difficult’, according to Tim Thornton.

The Lowdown: Gakpo links

Victor Orta flew out to the Netherlands looking to bring Gakpo to Elland Road in a dramatic late summer move.

However, as we know, a move failed to materialise, with Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal thought to have played a part in Gakpo’s decision to stay with PSV.

The 23-year-old, hailed as a ‘sensational player’ by Football Oranje editor and Dutch football expert Michael Bell, has contributed to an impressive 19 goals in just 13 games this season, and looks destined to represent his country in the upcoming World Cup.

The Latest: Thornton’s comments

Sky Sports reporter Thornton was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Leeds and Gakpo in a story shared on Tuesday evening.

He said that Leeds, in an ‘ideal world’, would still like to move for Gakpo in 2023, however, he said that a move could prove complicated if the player impresses in Qatar with the Netherlands.

“In an ideal world, would Leeds like to sign him in January? I think, yes. Will they get him in January? Well, there were lots of clubs interested in the last window and if he goes to the World Cup and does really well, then it might be a more difficult deal to get done. It will depend on what happens in the next few months.”

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The Verdict: Spot on

You’d expect that a number of other clubs are already looking at Gakpo following his unbelievable 2022/23 form that shows no signs of slowing up, and that may only increase should he star in the World Cup.

Therefore, the ship may have already sailed when it comes to Orta landing Gakpo, but it appears as if Leeds may be willing to try again.

He can play anywhere across the front three, so could be an inspired signing, however, with his Transfermarkt valuation at a career-high £31.5m, any move could come at a record fee for Leeds.

Reliable Bundesliga journalist Patrik Berger of Sport 1 has shared a Manchester City update on their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham.

The Lowdown: City join race…

The Premier League champions, according to recent reports, are in the race to sign England’s rising star alongside a plethora of other major clubs.

Indeed, Pep Guardiola’s side are allegedly having to contend with rivals Manchester United and Liverpool for Bellingham’s signature, as well as Chelsea and leading clubs from Europe (Football Insider).

The 19-year-old, going by his scintillating performances for Dortmund in the Bundesliga, looks set to be one of football’s hottest commodities over these next ten months leading up to next summer’s transfer window.

The Latest: Berger shares Bellingham to Man City latest…

Speaking to Sport 1, their chief reporter Berger has shared what he knows on Bellingham’s possible move to Eastlands.

He explained:

“There are many clubs that are already working on him.

“Liverpool, Real, City, Chelsea, United – everyone threw their hats in the ring. But it’s not at all ready to talk about anything concrete.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

The in-demand sensation, who is already a ‘superstar’ according to ex-Watford striker Troy Deeney, will be highly sought-after but we believe City have a fair few advantages in the race.

Guardiola’s side boast the financial firepower and pull of a currently very successful club, not to mention Bellingham’s former teammate, Erling Haaland, could perhaps convince the teenager to make an Eastlands move given his early success in the northwest.

As per WhoScored, signing him would certainly be worth the effort given he currently ranks as Dortmund’s best-performing player by average match rating.

Wolves are reportedly interested in appointing FSV Mainz 05 manager Bo Svensson and the Danish boss could be their own version of Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp at Molineux.

According to the Telegraph’s John Percy, Svensson and Julen Lopetegui are the two current frontrunners for the job, after the 2-0 defeat against West Ham on Saturday brought an end to Bruno Lage’s tenure.

The 43-year-old has gathered a lot of praise for his work in Germany in recent seasons, leading Mainz to an eighth-placed finish in the Bundesliga last term, while Die Nullfünfer currently sit 12th after eight games this season.

Svensson could be following in the footsteps of Klopp, who also started his career with Mainz before moving on to Borussia Dortmund and subsequently Liverpool, where he has been handed the freedom of the city after leading the Reds to Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League wins during his time on Merseyside.

In fact, Svensson is currently outperforming Klopp when you compare their two spells at Mainz, as the German boss averaged 1.51 points per game during his time at the MEWA Arena, whereas the Wolves target is currently averaging 1.52.

That is also better than the 1.29 points per game averaged by Lage at Wolves, which suggests that Svensson could be an upgrade in the dugout at Molineux.

Klopp was very complimentary of the job Svensson has done at Mainz, as when he took over they were bottom of the Bundesliga with just one win to their name, which is a similar situation to the one Wolves currently find themselves in. That certainly suggests that he’s renowned for digging sides out of a hole and thus, would be the ideal fit for the Midlands outfit.

The German boss said: “I only saw him as a player for a year. As a guy, he was a grenade even then. As a coach, he’s a great, great talent and has done an outstanding job so far.

“And he has a heart for Mainz 05, that’s important. He brings the right mood to the club again. I’m very optimistic that things are going in the right direction with him now.”

Therefore, it seems as if Svensson could be the perfect man to turn things around at Wolves right now and given time, he could also go on to replicate Klopp’s impressive career in England.

Manchester City are keeping a ‘close eye’ on Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Saka offered new deal

Recent reports have credited the Sky Blues with an interest in the 21-year-old, who has just two years remaining on his current contract, and the Gunners are said to be worried about the attention from their Premier League rivals.

The Daily Mail claim that the England international has been offered fresh terms at the Emirates Stadium in a bid to tie him down and fend off potential suitors, though he is yet to put pen to paper.

The Latest: Man City monitoring Saka

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones confirmed that Man City are monitoring Saka’s situation, with club chiefs big fans of the player’s fit in their squad.

“It makes sense that Arsenal get Saka tied up as soon as possible to a new deal, I’m told Man City are keeping a close eye on this situation and think he would be a great fit for them – but they’ll only move if he shows any doubts over his Arsenal situation.”

The Verdict: Sterling replacement?

Man City still haven’t replaced Raheem Sterling since his departure, and Saka would be an exciting frontline addition to take his long-term spot at the Etihad Stadium.

The forward has already made five goal contributions in eight top-flight appearances this season, and currently averages 2.5 shots, 2.4 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game (WhoScored).

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Saka’s influence in the final third would hugely complement the likes of Erling Haaland, so there’s no doubt that Pep Guardiola will be hoping he can prise the talented prospect away from north London.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has heaped praise on rising star midfielder Pape Matar Sarr who is yet to play a senior minute.

The Lowdown: Spurs starlets shining…

In recent seasons, Spurs’ academy has been among chairman Daniel Levy’s crown jewels as the club consistently produce an array of top talents.

Following on from obvious names, star striker Harry Kane for instance, exciting young players like midfielder Oliver Skipp and forward Dane Scarlett (on loan at Portsmouth) have also been turning heads.

Striker Jamie Donley and midfield gem Alfie Devine are others who are impressing behind-the-scenes in north London but Conte, tasked with maintaining Tottenham’s place in the Premier League top four, must predominantly select senior players for their quality and experience.

However, that isn’t to say the Italian isn’t taking note of these rising stars, with Inter Milan’s former boss now praising unseen starlet Matar Sarr.

The Latest: Conte praises Matar Sarr…

Speaking to the media ahead of their clash with Everton this afternoon, Conte claims the Senegalese prodigy is ‘really important’ alongside Harvey White.

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He explained (via football.london):

“I have great respect for all my players and I think this respect, they feel this respect because in every training session my attention is the same for every single player, for Harry Kane but also if the player is [Harvey] White or Pape Sarr. We are talking about two really important prospects.”

The Verdict: Exciting…

The 20-year-old international is still yet to feature for Spurs’ first team. but going by Conte’s latest message, it may not be long before we see him in the top flight.

Sarr has already amassed quite the reputation with reporter Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Athletic calling him ‘one of the most exciting young midfielders in Europe’ (Twitter).

The youngster could end up costing Spurs £25.5 million and there is a reason transfer chief Fabio Paratici made that significant investment to bring him to Hotspur Way in 2021.

Everton made nine new signings over the summer and there are lots of positives to be drawn from the business they completed in the transfer window.

Conor Coady and James Tarkowski have been standout performers, as their centre-back partnership has flourished and improved the quality of the defensive performances the Toffees have put on over their 11 Premier League outings.

Everton have the joint fourth-best defensive record in the division (12), but they also have the fourth fewest goals scored (eight), and the team’s goal-shy approach to their games has now left them just one point off the relegation zone.

Despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin returning from injury alongside the signing of Neal Maupay this summer, the Merseysiders didn’t replace Richarlison’s goal threat. As a result, they are scoring 0.7 goals per match this term compared to 1.1 per game last season.

Frank Lampard will surely be looking ahead to the January transfer window to identify a striker who can improve the creativity and goal contributions in the team, and Everton may get a second chance on one of their biggest summer transfer targets.

It has been reported by TuttoMercatoWeb this week that Chelsea’s young striker Armando Broja is not in the thoughts of Graham Potter and could force a move away from the west London club as early as the January transfer window in search of regular first-team football.

This news will surely grab the attention of the Everton boss, who is a huge admirer of the Albanian centre-forward, so much so that Lampard gave Broja his Premier League debut whilst managing Chelsea in 2020.

The 44-year-old sang the player’s praises when Everton came up against Southampton, where Broja was on loan, last season: “He’s fast, strong, has an eye for a goal. A very good player.”

The €70m (£57.8m)-valued striker, who was dubbed “unstoppable” by journalist Nizaar Kinsella, scored nine goals and delivered one assist during his loan spell with the Saints last season and has since been given the opportunity to earn his place in the team at Stamford Bridge following Romelu Lukaku’s loan departure.

Broja hasn’t been given much game-time to build up a run of form for the Blues, averaging just 22 minutes per game across eight appearances, but he has scored one goal, won the majority of his duels (57%) and successfully completed the majority of his dribbles (57%) so far this term.

The player’s possible desperation for first-team football could be Lampard’s leverage in convincing the Albanian to make the move to Goodison Park in the second half of the season, as there is no doubt that the Toffees manager will want to improve the attacking threat in the team when the transfer window re-opens.

Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey will soon finalise a clause in his contract that will add an extra year to his time at St. James’ Park. 

The Lowdown: Shelvey’s return to action

After missing a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury, Shelvey has recently made a return to action, coming on as a late substitute in Newcastle’s two previous Premier League games.

Having been at the club since January 2016, the midfielder is one of the longest-serving players currently at the Tyneside club.

And it seems as though the Magpies could be set to keep hold of the player for a little while longer.

The Latest: Contract extension

As reported by The Shields Gazette, once Shelvey makes his 200th appearance for Newcastle, which is expected to happen before the World Cup arrives as he is currently on 199, a year-long extension on his deal will be finalised.

As things stand, the midfielder’s deal is set to run out in the summer, however, with the likelihood of him making at least one more appearance for the club imminent, it seems probable that the Englishman will be sticking with the Toon for the foreseeable future.

The Verdict: A good option for Howe

The previous Premier League season saw the 30-year-old, who Eddie Howe has described as being a “huge” player for the club, show how much of a useful midfield option he can be.

For example, across the 24 league games he played in, Shelvey ended up playing more passes into the final third of the pitch (91) than any other player at the club.

Even though Newcastle now have the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock as their midfield options, keeping Shelvey in the squad for this season and beyond will provide Howe with an extra set of legs and real experience in the heart of midfield.

Overall, this news will surely be a great boost for Howe and give the Toon veteran the chance to put to bed any concerns he may have had about his future at the club beyond this season.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após quase 20 dias sem entrar em campo, o Corinthians finalmente voltará a jogar nesta quarta-feira, às 21h30, na Neo Química Arena, diante do Fluminense. Para esse confronto direto, pela 29ª rodada do Brasileirão-2020, Vagner Mancini perdeu um dos principais jogadores do seu esquema, mas com um ataque perto do ideal, a substituição tende a ser mais simples de encaixar.

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TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

GALERIA
> Relembre 15 estrangeiros que tiveram passagem discreta no Corinthians

Com o venezuelano diagnosticado com a Covid-19, o treinador não vai poder repetir o “ataque ideal” das últimas duas vitórias consecutivas, contra Goiás e Botafogo. Apesar de o meia fazer falta no sistema de jogo e por conta de suas contribuições individuais, o encaixe do setor ofensivo parece cada vez melhor, e a permanência de Cazares, Gustavo Silva e Jô deve manter a evolução.

-Perda sentida, atleta encaixado ao sistema, a parte tática, atleta que tem ação dominante dentro do seu setor, chute potente, mas é a oportunidade para outro jogador entrar. Assim como perdemos em outros momentos, Jô, Jemerson, Jonathan Cafú, outros atletas que tiveram Covid, agora temos o Otero e vamos entender. Felizmente que é só o Otero. A pandemia não acabou. Vamos entender que é a oportunidade para outro jogador entrar e mostrar o seu valor – comentou Mancini em entrevista coletiva virtual.

O ataque Gustavo Silva, Cazares, Otero e Jô foi o primeiro a ser repetido no Brasileirão durante o período em que o treinador está no clube, e seria escalado pela terceira vez seguida se o venezuelano não estivesse em quarentena. O favorito para a vaga é Mateus Vital, mas Lucas Piton e Jonathan Cafú podem pintar como surpresas. Fato é que o setor está próximo do ideal.

Isso pode ser visto de acordo com os números do Footstats, que mostram o aumento das finalizações do time, especialmente nos últimos três jogos, aqueles da sequência de vitórias. Ao todo, somando os conclusões (no alvo ou não) diante de São Paulo, Goiás e Botafogo, temos 47 finalizações, mais do que a soma dos seis jogos anteriores, contra Fortaleza, Coritiba, Grêmio, Atlético-MG, Atlético-GO e Internacional, que resultam em 45 chutes (veja lista abaixo).

-Vejo, nesse momento, o Corinthians melhorando muito jogo a jogo na parte ofensiva. Isso vem mostrando o que a gente quer, um bom número de oportunidades criadas. Óbvio que ainda há um número muito alto de chances desperdiçadas, o que faz parte do processo, a partir do momento que você aumenta as oportunidades, tem que está preparado para colocar a bola para dentro. Mas isso é outro curso, outra página, que tem que se falar, que tem que ser direcionada aos atletas. Houve evolução e o Corinthians está no caminho certo – analisou Vagner Mancini na última terça-feira.

De fato as chances estão sendo desperdiçadas, das 47 finalizações nesses últimos três jogos, somente cinco delas balançaram a rede, ou seja, apenas 10,6% do total criado se transforma em gol. Embora ainda reste esse ajuste, o importante é que a busca por melhorar o ataque, iniciada desde a chegada de Mancini, parece estar rendendo frutos e o setor mostra cada vez mais encaixe depois de estabilizar a defesa e torná-la tão eficiente como em outros anos.

-Acho que está encaixado. Assim como de forma coletiva, a gente vê o time jogando um futebol mais solto, rápido, objetivo, de forma mais vertical, não se preocupa muito em ter a posse de bola, mas, ao longo do jogo, acaba tendo mais a posse de bola. Então, obvio que quando você arrumar uma equipe, começa de trás, goleiro, zaga, sistema defensivo, os dois volantes, para depois acertar a frente. Você não consegue acertar a frente, se toma muitos gols.

Mesmo sem Otero, mas com Mateus Vital, Cazares, Gustavo Silva e Jô, o ataque corintiano vai a campo para tentar a quarta vitória consecutiva e manter a evolução ofensiva. Se vencer, dará um grande passo na briga por uma das vagas na Copa Libertadores. O duelo contra o Flu acontece nesta quarta-feira às 21h30, na Neo Química Arena e é válido pela 29ª rodada do Brasileirão-2020.

Confira o número de finalizações do Corinthians no Brasileirão em cada partida sob o comando de Vagner Mancini:

1ª – Athletico-PR 0 x 1 Corinthians – 14 finalizações
2ª – Corinthians 1 x 5 Flamengo – 19 finalizações
3ª – Vasco 1 x 2 Corinthians – 10 finalizações
4ª – Corinthians 1 x 0 Internacional – 6 finalizações
5ª – Atlético-GO 1 x 1 Corinthians – 6 finalizações
6ª – Corinthians 1 x 2 Atlético-MG – 8 finalizações
7ª – Corinthians 0 x 0 Grêmio – 6 finalizações
8ª – Coritiba 0 x 1 Corinthians – 11 finalizações
9ª – Fortaleza 0 x 0 Corinthians – 8 finalizações
10ª – Corinthians 1 x 0 São Paulo – 14 finalizações
11ª – Corinthians 2 x 1 Goiás – 17 finalizações
12ª – Botafogo 0 x 2 Corinthians – 16 finalizações

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