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Coventry Live has reported that Liam Walsh is not a summer target for newly promoted Championship side Coventry City.

The 22-year-old, who was named Coventry’s Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year for the 2019/20 campaign, returned to his parent club Bristol City after the League One season was ended via a points-per-game system.

With the summer transfer window in full flow, the Robins confirmed via their official website that they have activated a one-year extension clause in his contract which could see him pursue a first team place at Ashton Gate.

Sky Blues boss Mark Robins has been busy adding to his squad ahead of the new season after gaining promotion from the Championship from League One.

Despite Walsh missing a large amount of pre-season preparations at City this summer with a minor injury, it is still expected that new manager Dean Holden will hand him a chance.

With that, a potential return to Coventry is now seemingly over with Robins no longer seeing the midfielder as a target.

Robins has enhanced his midfield with the permanent deal of Callum O’Hare and addition of Gustavo Hamer from PEC Zwolle, thus handing a question mark over whether or not the Midlands side will look for another midfield option.

Coventry fans may not worry too much about the return of Walsh not being a possibility. Mark Robins’ transfer business has been excellent and the club are looking brilliant both off and on the field.

The Sky Blues look an exciting side approaching the Championship and whilst many have them down as a potential relegation candidate, they could surprise them.

Do you think Coventry should make a move for Liam Walsh? Let us know in the comments section below…

Ferran Torres has been one of the most exciting talents in La Liga for quite some time now and even though he is only 20 years of age, it seems like he’s ready to compete on an extremely high level.

According to The Guardian’s latest report, however, the young winger has already agreed personal terms with Manchester City and the transfer is largely expected to happen very soon.

And since there is only a year left on his Valencia contract, Pep Guardiola will get his man for a bargain as Guardian quote a price of £24.5m plus certain add-ons. For a player with such a high ceiling, it must feel like a steal for the Citizens and a huge loss for the Bats of Valencia.

The contract the 20-year-old is reportedly getting will see him stay at the Etihad until at least 2025 and Torres is also said to be keen on working closely with Guardiola to improve even more in the near future.

Initially, Valencia wanted to get almost double that fee but the situation with the youngster’s contract has put them in a rather awkward position. Sell now and get at least some money in or be forced to offload him for free next year. The choice, albeit uncomfortable, was easy.

Apart from the Citizens getting a bright talent, they will also land a big blow to their rivals since Liverpool were among the teams said to be on the market for Torres. But instead of becoming a long-term Mohamed Salah successor, it seems the young Spaniard is bound to become a replacement for the departing Leroy Sane instead.

Verdict

One has to commend how quickly Guardiola has acted to secure Torres’ signature, especially given the huge interest from other clubs like Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Beating them to the punch means the Citizens will get a special talent to groom and develop.

And the best thing is the price itself. Hot prospects nowadays will cost you an arm and a leg so this deal is close to being a one in a million.

Burnley stepped up their preparations for the resumption of the Premier League season with a 1-1 draw against Preston in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Turf Moor on Saturday.

The Clarets’ goal came from Matej Vydra, who gave his team the lead before Scott Sinclair levelled for the Lilywhites (as per Lancashire Live), and the Czech striker could have a major part to play for Sean Dyche’s team when they recommence competitive action from next Monday.

As reported by Lancashire Live, Ashley Barnes will definitely miss the trip to Manchester City next week because of a hernia problem while top scorer Chris Wood is highly doubtful to feature at the Etihad Stadium due to an Achilles injury.

Their absences leave Vydra and Jay Rodriguez as Dyche’s only two senior strikers ahead of their visit to the current champions, so this could be an opportunity for the duo to stake their claim to become indispensable even when Burnley have their full attacking complement again.

The first six months of the season were hugely frustrating for Vydra, who did not start a Premier League game until February and who was left to feed off the scraps of six substitute appearances, the longest of which lasted for 27 minutes. [via WhoScored]

However, a hamstring injury for Wood in the trip to Southampton four months ago saw the Czech forward taking his place and he duly stepped up to score the winner with a rocket from the edge of the penalty box (as per BBC). He was also on target against Bournemouth a week later on his first league start of the season (as per WhoScored).

The 28-year-old had been coming into a good spell of form before the season was halted in March but it seems that he hasn’t lost his scoring touch judging by his goal on Saturday, while the injuries to Barnes and Wood will likely see him called upon to start at the Etihad next week.

Vydra has had to be patient for his chance to shine for the Clarets in 2019/20 but he came good when called upon in February and, thankfully for the Turf Moor faithful, he looks sharp ahead of probable game-time over the coming weeks as Burnley seek to finish a hitherto satisfactory campaign on a high.

Burnley fans, do you think Vydra will have a strong finish to the season? Have your say by commenting below!

As Carlo Ancelotti heads into his first summer in charge of Everton, all eyes will be on who the Toffees can bring in to help reinforce the squad.

And with Watford’s relegation to the Championship, The Daily Mirror claim that Ancelotti’s side may be looking to exploit that this summer.

They claim that the Toffees are keen on making a renewed attempt to sign Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure – they saw a couple of bids for the Frenchman rejected by the Hornets last year.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…

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However, the report suggests Everton won’t be the only side to show an interest in Doucoure, with recently crowned FA Cup winners Arsenal also mentioned as being admirers.

And after hearing about their links to the midfield ace, Everton fans took to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of fans talked up the prospect of seeing both Doucoure and fellow reported transfer target Allan forming part of Everton’s midfield.

He may not have been able to save Watford from relegation, but there’s no question that Doucoure has proven that he is a Premier League-quality midfielder.

The £18m-rated ace scored four goals and provided two assists this season, including setting up one of the goals in Watford’s 3-0 triumph over Liverpool.

Having missed out on him last summer, this feels like the perfect opportunity for Everton to finally get their man.

Manchester United fans have been discussing the possibility of raiding one of their Premier League rivals this summer after fresh transfer speculation emerged earlier in the week.

According to the Telegraph, West Ham United are bracing themselves for interest in star midfielder Declan Rice with the Red Devils one of several top-flight teams mentioned.

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It’s claimed that the Hammers are preparing a squad overhaul ahead of next season with the young Englishman being one of their most valuable assets as they value him at around £70m.

Well-known Twitter account UtdReport relayed the news and it has many supporters at Old Trafford in a frenzy as some see him as overhyped whilst others really want Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey instead.

The 21-year-old has featured 29 times in the league this season, averaging 3 tackles, 2.1 interceptions, 1.2 dribbles and an 86.2% passing accuracy per game, via WhoScored.

Neither Nemanja Matic or Scott McTominay can match his defensive attributes this campaign.

Here’s how the Red Devils faithful have been reacting to the news…

AND in other news, the Man Utd players who have let Solskjaer down…

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…

When somebody takes over a football club, there are often lofty promises made, with a time frame being put on when they will get promotion or Champions League football.

There was none of that with Roland Duchatelet at Charlton Athletic in 2014, though, as he was quoted by The Evening Standard at the time as saying: “Lasting success is built on good foundations, it is important for clubs to break even and I am a big supporter of financial fair play.

“Most clubs in the Championship make losses and the same is true in many European countries, but the challenge is to combine good results with financial equilibrium.

“All the things I do, I am working in the long run. Throwing money at players and so forth, that is definitely not the strategy here.”

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The Belgian wasn’t kidding when he said he wouldn’t be throwing money at players, as there have only been three players signed for over £1m during his tenure at the Valley.

Looking at the summer transfer window of 2019, Macauley Bonne was the only player brought in for a fee – even that was around £200,000.

Yet Lee Bowyer has the team sitting 11th in the Championship, just six points off the play-off places.

The former Charlton player is the 10th full-time manager under Duchatelet, and the Belgian has finally found someone who can meet his challenge of balancing good results with financial equilibrium.

The club were relegated to League One in 2016 and failed to get out of the division until Bowyer arrived and transformed their fortunes.

Charlton have used the loan market well, while there have been numerous players coming in for little or no money, and Bowyer has been getting the best out of them.

One of those loanees, Josh Cullen, has given an indication into just how influential the manager is, as quoted by London News Online: “Bows was one of the main reasons I joined Charlton in the first place. It’s easy to learn from a manager like that and, from when I joined last season up to now, I’ve loved playing under him.

“Every day in training, learning from him and getting little chats here and there, he’s given me pointers which I’ve thought is helping me improve so I’m loving my time at Charlton.”

Considering the boundaries set by the club’s finances, Bowyer has done a superb job of meeting Duchatelet’s challenge of achieving good results while balancing the finances.

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…

Tony Cascarino has written in The Times that Sadio Mane’s performance against Everton is the best he has ever seen in the Premier League’s history.

What did he say?

Liverpool’s were in fantastic form against the Toffees, winning 5-2, and the Senegal international was at his brilliant best. He scored once and provided two great assists, and was a menace throughout the 90 minutes for his opponents.

57-year-old Cascarino did not hold back in his appraisal of the 27-year-old, saying: “Since the Premier League began in 1992 I cannot remember seeing as fine a performance as Sadio Mané produced for Liverpool in the first half last night.

“The forward absolutely ripped Everton apart and it was no surprise when the visiting side decided to take off Djibril Sidibé, the right back, before the interval. Mané had absolutely everything: there was movement, desire, vision, brilliant control and a direct approach that caused no end of damage. His passes for two of the goals were fantastic — especially for the first by Divock Origi — and he got on the scoresheet himself.”

Ballon d’Or response

Cascarino may be getting ahead of himself in regards to his judgement of the display. Considering the many fantastic performances we have seen down the years – even from Liverpool players, such as Luis Suarez’s four-goal haul against Norwich, for example – it is hard to argue that this is the greatest since 1992.

Having said, there is no doubting that this was a stunning display from Mane. He was magnificent, and deserves the plaudits and credit he will no doubt receive in abundance.

This showing comes after the Ballon d’Or vote on Monday, which saw Lionel Messi take the individual trophy home for the sixth time in his career. The former Southampton forward finished in fourth place, with teammate Virgil van Dijk and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo above him along with the Argentina international.

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Some people in the football were adamant that it was in fact the £108m-valued star – as per Transfermarkt – that deserved to get his hands on the golden ball. Whilst that is down to each person’s own opinion – Messi did score 51 goals in 50 matches last season, in all fairness – Mane has certainly given his own response to being snubbed for the award with this stellar performance.

If he produces many more displays like this over the coming 12 months, he may be on the top spot of the podium next time around.

Meanwhile, one pundit says this 22-year-old is better than Joe Gomez.

رفض المدرب الهولندي، رونالد كومان، المدير الفني لنادي برشلونة، التعليق على وليمة الطعام، التي نظمها الأرجنتيني ليونيل ميسي، نجم هجوم النادي الكتالوني، في منزله قبل مباراة أتلتيكو مدريد في الليجا.

ويستضيف برشلونة نظيره أتلتيكو مدريد عصر السبت، في الجولة 35 من الدوري الإسباني، في مباراة تُحدد بشكل كبير مصير الليجا.

وفتحت رابطة الليجا تحقيقًا بسبب الحفل وكسر بروتوكول رابطة الليجا، ولكن تم التأكد من أنّ لاعبي برشلونة أجروا “مسحات” قبل الذهاب إلى منزل ميسي وإقامة الوليمة.

كومان خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بمواجهة أتلتيكو مدريد عندما سُئل “هل أخطأ اللاعبون بالذهاب إلى منزل ميسي؟”، قال: “هذا ليس الوقت المُناسب للحديث عن الأمر، هُناك مباراة هامة غدًا، ولم يحن الوقت للرد”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كومان: إقصاء ريال مدريد من دوري الأبطال لن يؤثر عليهم.. وسنقاتل حتى نهاية الدوري

وأضاف: “أفضل شيء بالنسبة لنا، أنّ يبقى ميسي مع برشلونة، من الأفضل التخطيط مع استمرار الأفضل في العالم، نحن نأمل أنّ يستمر معنا”.

وعن أنسو فاتي وخضوعه لعملية جراحية رابعة بعد الانتكاسة التي تعرض لها: “أنا لم أتحدث مع أنسو بعد، لقد تحدثت مع الطبيب، وشجعنا اللاعب، هذا الطفل يتواجد هُناك مُنذ فترة طويلة وهُناك بعض الأشياء لم تسير على ما يُرام”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “أنا لا أريد التعليق عن ما حدث له، الشيء الأكثر أهمية الآن، هو أنه سيتعافى وسيكون معنا بالموسم المُقبل، نحن كنا نفتقر إلى لاعب مثله، أهم شيء هو أنه يتعافى بشكل جيد لمواصلة اللعب”.

Manchester City will continue the defence of their Carabao Cup crown when they take on Southampton this evening. Both teams come into the game with entirely contrasting forms, with City winning 3-0 at the weekend and the Saints losing in a record-breaking 9-0 humbling at home to Leicester City.

As a result, Pep Guardiola may use this as a chance to try and field some of his younger men and give the likes of Phil Foden and Eric Garcia a chance.

The two clubs will clash at the Etihad tonight and will repeat the fixture this Saturday in the Premier League. The champions will be hoping to get a few goals under their belt against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men before then.

Sergio Aguero has not started City’s last two league games, so the Argentine could come in for Gabriel Jesus against the Saints. Elsewhere, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva have only started five and six Premier League games respectively, so they should come into the starting XI.

Phil Foden may perhaps be the first name on the team sheet, considering these are the type of games in which the teenager is often allowed to flourish. Alongside him, Ilkay Gundogan is expected to start with Fernandinho potentially rested, whilst Rodri is injured.

At the back, youngsters Angelino and Eric Garcia both played against Preston North End in the last round and will most likely come back into the side for this one.

Nicolas Otamendi has found it tough to nail down a starting spot lately, losing out to John Stones and Fernandinho in the past few games. Against Southampton, the Argentine may have a chance to prove his worth to Pep Guardiola.

Another man with a point to prove is Kyle Walker. The Englishman should also be given his chance to retain his spot in the side over Joao Cancelo.

Completing the lineup will most likely be Claudio Bravo to allow Ederson the night off.

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

Leeds United have dropped down to fifth in the Championship after results in recent games saw them register just one win in the last four. Defeats to Millwall, Charlton Athletic and a draw to Derby County have shown a slight concern in the goalscoring department recently, with just three goals in four games.

On the chalkboard

Although the Whites are the best defensive side in the Championship, they have the least amount of goals inside the top 11, scoring 15 times which puts them on the same amount as Luton Town in 18th.

As for the centre-forward role, Leeds are slightly undercovered in that department, with only Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah the two usual candidates, as Tyler Roberts has played just 65 minutes of league action. Bamford has started every game so far in the Championship but has only netted four times in those 11 fixtures, whilst Nketiah has just two Championship goals, although he has played in only seven substitute appearances.

In theory, the Arsenal loanee has a much better goals per minute ratio than the former Middlesbrough man, with Nketiah playing 703 fewer minutes but still scoring twice. The 20-year-old has also scored another two in the Carabao Cup for the Whites and has so far proved to be a decent addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

There was a debate last month on the two playing together up top, and fans seemed to love the idea. But is it really what is best for the club?

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

But who should be sacrificed?

As Bielsa alluded to earlier on in the season, if Bamford and Nketiah are to play together, a midfielder must lose their place in the side. This would be a tough call for the Argentine to make, considering the form of those in question.

Pablo Hernandez has continued his breathtaking form from last year, scoring and assisting twice, whilst midfield partners Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips and Stuart Dallas have averaged a 6.93, 7.33 and a 7.02 rating respectively so far. In truth, every midfielder in Leeds’ line-up thus far does not deserve to be dropped, especially considering Nketiah only has two goals in the Championship anyway.

Dropping a midfielder would potentially tarnish what has been the league’s best defence, and some players like Phillips and Klich have been just as important as the strikers at times this year.

So, would Leeds’ attack improve if one of the midfielders switches for an attacker? Potentially. But it simply isn’t worth damaging their fantastic defence to accommodate another attacker.

Bielsa should stick to his guns and not drop a midfielder for the hope that it returns goals.