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اعترف المهاجم الكونغولي الشاب بنادي لوبومباشي سبورت، ليز نتومبا، بأنه يحلم بالانتقال إلى الأهلي في المستقبل إذا لم يحترف في أوروبا.

ويعد نتومبا أحد هدافين دوري الكونغو الديمقراطية حيث سجل 11 هدفًا في الموسم الحالي، وساهم في تواجد فريقه بالوصافة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: الأهلي يقدم عرضًا لضم مهاجم ذو أصول عربية من الدوري السويدي

وتحدث نتومبا مع موقع “FootRDC” الكونغولي، وقال: “أتمنى أن ألعب أولًا مع لوبومباشي في بطولات إفريقيا للأندية قبل الرحيل”.

وتابع: “على المستوى الفردي، أريد أن أحسم لقب هداف الدوري قبل الاحتراف في أوروبا، إذا لم يحدث ذلك أتمنى أن ألعب في أعلى الأندية الإفريقية”.

وتابع: “حلمي هو الانتقال إلى الأهلي في مصر أو فيتا كلوب أو حتى سانت إيلوا لوبوبو، فأنا أعمل بجد من أجل تحقيق هذا الحلم”.

وعن سبب رغبته في الرحيل: “نحن نلعب كرة القدم من أجل جني الأموال، لذلك فأنا أعمل من أجل الحصول على عقد جيد في نادٍ كبير”.

Manchester United recorded a 1-0 victory over Real Betis in their Europa League last 16 tie, giving them a 5-1 aggregate win over the La Liga side and Erik ten Hag will be pleased at the professionalism shown by his side.

The 4-1 win a week ago was basically enough to ensure United a passage to the quarter-final stage and keep their slim dream alive of winning four trophies this term.

There were a few solid performances, with youngster Facundo Pellistri looking impressive as he played the full 90 minutes. He succeeded with three of his four dribble attempts, took 53 touches and even hit the woodwork, coming close to scoring his first goal for the club.

The tournament perhaps gives Ten Hag the opportunity to rotate his squad, especially with the Old Trafford side playing twice a week, while giving chances to young talents such as Pellistri to see if they can handle the pressure of the European stage.

An FA Cup quarter-final tie against Fulham awaits them on Sunday afternoon and with an ideal chance to progress into the last four, the Dutchman will need to make some changes, and dropping Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the bench must be one such change.

Will Aaron Wan-Bissaka start against Fulham?

The £50m right back didn’t have the best game against Betis last night, winning just one duel all match while receiving a rating of 6.8/10, the joint second-lowest score out of the United side.

The Englishman completed just 22 passes in 75 minutes, lost possession nine times whilst going forward, he failed to even complete one successful dribble attempt or cross during his time on the pitch.

His form in the Premier League this term hasn’t been great and he ranks tenth in the squad for clearances per game (1.8), fifth for tackles (1.9) and seventh for successful dribble attempts (0.6) and it’s clear that during the summer, Ten Hag must seek an improvement in the right back area.

Broadcast journalist Tamuka Charakupa criticised the defender during the draw with Southampton last week, saying: “Wan Bissaka always loses the ball, to be precise, in dangerous positions everytime.”

And perhaps Diogo Dalot should be given the starting berth against Fulham on the weekend.

In his 15-minute cameo, Dalot won two duels, one more than Wan-Bissaka, while also making one more tackle and with the games coming thick and fast, Ten Hag will surely have to ditch the Englishman.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has provided an update on the future of Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira.

The Lowdown: No win in 2023

The Eagles have endured an extremely frustrating start to 2023 and are without a Premier League win in their last nine games.

That form has seen Vieira’s side fall into a potential relegation battle despite being in 12th place. Palace are just five points off the drop zone and face Manchester City, Brighton and Arsenal in their next three fixtures.

The Latest: Jones’ update

Jones shared a story for GiveMeSport in the last 48 hours regarding Vieira. He said that the Palace boss is starting to come under scrutiny and ‘will need a turn of form soon to avoid serious doubts being raised over his position’.

The reporter adds that ‘sources insist the club are hopeful he can turn the situation around and want to remain patient, yet fans are beginning to become vocal about their worrying direction’.

The Verdict: Worrying…

Palace have drawn five and lost four of their nine Premier League games in 2023, failing to score more than one goal in any of those fixtures.

The form is certainly a cause for concern, and if Vieira can’t turn things around relatively quickly, Palace may see themselves sliding down the league table.

Everyone at Selhurst Park are hoping that the Frenchman can get back to winning ways as soon as possible, but if he can’t, it may leave the club with a serious decision to make heading into the run-in.

Conor McGilligan believes the possibility of Leeds United being relegated will put Rafael Benitez off the managerial role.

The Lowdown: A permanent manager is needed

After back-to-back solid performances against Manchester United which resulted in one point being picked up, some Leeds fans and people on the board may have seen Michael Skubala as a fine option moving forward until the end of the season.

However, they failed to get anything from their relegation six-pointer away to Everton yesterday and what’s even more damning is that they didn’t lay a glove on the Toffees registering zero shots on target.

Therefore, it appears clear the new coach bounce has already evaded Skubala and a new permanent manager with experience being a first team manager has to be put in place before the Southampton game this weekend.

The Latest: Benitez being linked

Benitez was a pundit on Sky Sports yesterday and insisted that he’s happy in England and wants a return to Premier League management, which is what could well see Leeds miss out on the Spaniard given their perilous position as McGilligan discussed on his YouTube channel.

He said: (17:38) “Obviously he’s worked at [Real] Madrid, he’s worked at Chelsea but I don’t think Rafa would come. He wants to stay in the Premier League, he wants a project. Are Leeds going to stay in the Premier League? Is he really going to take over a team that is where we are?

“I don’t think he’s ever taken control of a team that is in the position that Leeds are in.”

The Verdict: Leeds must go all out for Benitez

It’s safe to say that a permanent manager that can get a grip on this rather talented Leeds squad and ensure they maintain their top-flight status in any way possible is very much required as soon as possible.

Even if Leeds were to go down under the stewardship of someone such as Benitez then they can still look forward to a season in the Championship as he does have experience of getting promoted at the first time of asking as he won the title with Newcastle United back in 2017.

While Benitez certainly wouldn’t guarantee survival – he did relegate Newcastle – but with 173 Premier League wins under his belt he would be far more experienced at handling the pressure of the top flight than Skubala so Victor Orta should be working tirelessly to convince his fellow countrymen to join the Whites.

Newcastle United have been slammed by TalkSport’s Simon Jordan, who has claimed the Tyneside club are not on the same level commercially as some of their Premier League rivals.

What’s the latest on Newcastle’s commercial deals under PIF?

The Magpies are currently sponsored by a United Kingdom-based company that will no longer feature on the front of the club’s shirt from next season.

It is believed the Magpies will now be looking to land a much larger deal with another company ahead of next season as the club look to work their way around the FFP limitations.

During the January transfer window, those within the club made it very clear their hands were tied over how much they could spend during the month because of FFP.

And speaking on TalkSport, Jordan has slammed the Toon as being nowhere near the same level as the other sides in the ‘big six’ of the Premier League:

“Newcastle have got 20 years to catch up with the brands of Chelsea and Manchester City, and Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League.

“Right now, Newcastle are doing very well in the league, but as a commercial operation, with global eyes on the prize, they ain’t anywhere near the ideals behind Chelsea and Man City and Liverpool and Arsenal and Spurs and Manchester United.

“You are a big club in Newcastle. You’re not a big club on the world stage. You will be.”

What would new sponsors mean for Newcastle?

It is apparent the Newcastle owners are looking to grow the club off the pitch as well as on it with the club having already landed a Saudi Arabia-based sleeve sponsor since PIF’s arrival.

It is believed the current deal Newcastle are in with their shirt sponsors is bringing in around £6.5m to the Tyneside club per season.

And this shows the huge gap between the likes of Manchester City who are reportedly bringing in a revenue stream in the region of 10x that figure.

When reports are now suggesting Newcastle’s sleeve sponsor is bringing in more than their main sponsor, this shows where the issues lie.

However, in terms of Jordan’s comments, Newcastle do not currently seem to have the worldwide following that some of their rivals do.

Although followers on social media do not determine the size of a Premier League club, it is something which will carry value with potential interested sponsors.

For instance, Manchester United have in the region of 35m followers on Twitter in comparison to the 2.4m that Newcastle have.

So there is certainly some substance to what Jordan is saying, however, it will be interesting to see whether Newcastle’s owners look to source a Saudi-based sponsor which could prove to be incredibly lucrative for the Toon.

And this could follow similar steps to what Manchester City have done with the backing of the United Arab Emirates-based company Etihad Airways.

67 Hail Hail’s Hamish Carton has been left baffled by the situation surrounding Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The Lowdown: J-League side moving in for Giakoumakis

A report from Japan (via The Scotsman) has stated that Urawa Red Diamonds are ‘moving to acquire’ the Scottish Premiership striker.

In late November of last year, it was reported that talks had stalled between the player and the club, while the Greek forward has also been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and Denmark in recent weeks.

Joining the Hoops in September 2021 for a fee of £2.5m from VVV-Venlo, Giakoumakis has six goals and one assist to his name in the Scottish Premiership this season from 19 appearances.

The Latest: Carton reacts to potential Giakoumakis exit

Speaking on the 67 Hail Hail YouTube channel, Carton was left baffled by the reports linking Giakoumakis to the J-League. However, he claims there is still a way to go as far as a move is concerned for the 28-year-old.

He stated: “Talk of Giorgos Giakoumakis on the way to Japan, what is going on here? Urawa Red Diamonds are interested in him. I guess it’s about time that we kind of gave the J-League some talents back given that we’re taking so many over to the club.

“I still think this has a way to go as well, I’ve not seen anything massively concrete on this; it all seems to have originated from one report in Japan.”

The Verdict: Giakoumakis is a wanted man

It’s clear the whole situation surrounding Giakoumakis is all up in the air, but if Ange Postecoglou and the Hoops were to lose him, we think it would be a big blow.

Since making the move to Parkhead, the forward has 25 goals in 56 games across all competitions, and that firepower won’t be easy to replace.

Celtic should ensure that before any potential sale of the Greek striker that they get as much as they possibly can so they can bring in a suitable replacement.

They won’t want it to impact their pursuit of the Scottish Premiership with the Hoops nine points clear at the top of the league, as a significant loss to their squad could see results flounder and Rangers ramping up the pressure on them.

But with Giakoumakis out of the starting XI at present, it could be seen as a risk worth taking.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier has been criticised by journalist Kevin Palmer for his poor performance in the 2-2 draw at Brentford this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Tottenham held to a draw

Spurs’ old habits got the better of them again in their first Premier League game since the season resumed after the World Cup, conceding the first goal for the ninth successive match.

Vitaly Janelt opened the scoring for the hosts after just 15 minutes, before Ivan Toney added a second in the early stages of the second half as Dier gifted Brentford a corner with a badly mis-hit clearance.

Goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg rescued a point for the Lilywhites, but they no doubt would have been hoping for more.

The Latest: Dier slammed

Taking to Twitter during the match, Palmer delivered a scathing verdict about the 28-year-old England international’s performance at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The journalist stated: “It didn’t take long for Eric Dier to remind everyone he’s not good enough to play for a top 6 club.”

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The Verdict: Another poor error

In the Premier League this season, the 49-cap England international has made seven errors leading to goals, the eighth-highest figure of any player in the division, so Antonio Conte will be frustrated that the Englishman has made yet another costly mistake today.

With a SofaScore rating of 6.8, the centre-back was the joint-second worst performer of any outfield Spurs starter, with only Japhet  Tanganga scoring lower as defensive issues once again came to the forefront, costing Conte’s side what could be an important two points.

Dier showed some good signs in the match, winning five of the seven aerial duels that he contested and registering a 91% pass accuracy.

However, that counts for nothing when you make a silly mistake and lose the ball 10 times during the contest, so he will need to step up his game if he is picked in Spurs’ next match against Aston Villa.

Nottingham Forest have had their fair share of injury problems over the Premier League season so far, however, now a new update has emerged on a player who could be returning to action for the Tricky Trees.

What’s the latest?

Forest left-back Harry Toffolo took to his personal Instagram account to confirm that he is back in training with a picture of himself alongside his teammates captioned – “so good to be back”.

The former Huddersfield Town ace suffered a hamstring injury back in October during a substitute appearance against Brighton and Hove Albion, with Steve Cooper revealing (via Nottinghamshire Live):

“Harry is injured. He picked up a hamstring injury, unfortunately, which will rule him out for a little while.”

Fantastic news for Cooper

There is no doubt that the return of Toffolo is fantastic news for Steve Cooper, who will be preparing his team for their return to action against Manchester United at Old Trafford after Christmas.

Nottingham Forest are in desperate need to pick up vital points in their pursuit to retain their top-flight status as they have spent the majority of their campaign in the relegation zone.

Despite the slow start from the Garibaldi, they did have a good run of form ahead of the World Cup break, picking up points in four of their last five Premier League fixtures and are now just one point away from climbing out of the bottom three.

As a result, the return of Toffolo will be warmly welcomed at The City Ground as the summer-signed full-back has been a consistent and reliable player in his role on the left flank when he has been available.

Over eight league appearances, the 27-year-old has won 54% of his ground and aerial duels combined, as well as averaging one tackle, 2.4 clearances and 41.5 touches per game.

With that being said, Cooper will be glad that another player has returned from recovery to give him depth and options over the second half of the season and the manager will be hoping that having the availability in his team can make a positive impact in their Premier League campaign.

Liverpool are interested in a deal to bring Giorgio Scalvini to Anfield next summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Calciomercato, who claim that Liverpool have now joined the likes of Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Inter Milan in the race for the Atalanta BC centre-back.

The report goes on to state that the 18-year-old is quickly becoming ‘the most coveted of the Nerazzurri’ in the transfer market, however, Atalanta are reluctant to sanction the sale of the Italy international in the January transfer window.

Finally, it is claimed that the Serie A side will be willing to listen to offers for the defender at the end of the current campaign, with the Bergamo-based outfit believed to value the teenager at a figure in the region of €30m (£26m).

The next Bastoni

Considering just how exciting a prospect Scalvini very much looks to be, it is not difficult to understand why Liverpool would be interested in a deal to bring the centre-back to the Premier League next summer.

Indeed, despite his tender age, the £17m-rated talent has highly impressed in the heart of Gian Piero Gasperini’s backline this season, helping his side keep one clean sheet over his 11 Serie A appearances, as well as making an average of 1.7 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.2 clearances and winning 2.5 duels – at a success rate of 50% – per game.

Furthermore, according to FBref, the £27k-per-week starlet also ranks in the top 13% of centre-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for progressive passes per 90, in addition to the top 6% for dribbles completed, the top 3% for non-penalty goals, the top 1% for shots and the top 2% for shot-creating actions over the last 365 days – highlighting just how good the teenager is in possession.

These returns have already seen the Atalanta sensation earn three call-ups to Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad, with the centre-back featuring against Germany in the Nations League back in June, as well as two international friendlies against Albania and Austria earlier this month.

As such, it is not hard to see Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig stated his belief in a post on Twitter that Scalvini is “the biggest talent from Atalanta’s youth academy since Alessandro Bastoni” – as the 18-year-old would appear well on track to go on and replicate the impact the £51.5m-rated Inter Milan star has made on the Italian game.

So, with competition for the teenager reported to be extremely fierce, should Jurgen Klopp wish to give his side the best possible chance of landing the next Bastoni in 2023, the German simply must sanction a swoop for the starlet as early as possible, as it looks very likely that the “top talent” could well go on to become the next great Italian centre-back.

Fabrizio Romano has given his reaction to Manchester United’s reported interest in Rennes forward Martin Terrier.

The Lowdown: Man United linked with Terrier

The Red Devils are reportedly among seven Premier League clubs who have watched the Frenchman in action in recent weeks.

A report from 90min stated that the 25-year-old is emerging as a January target for a number of English top-flight clubs following his fine form over the last 18 months.

Terrier has netted 32 goals in all competitions since the beginning of the 2021/22 season, mainly playing as a left winger or centre-forward.

The Latest: Romano reacts

Romano gave his take on the rumours regarding Terrier on Thursday morning in a column for Caught Offside.

The transfer expert dubbed the Frenchman a ‘fantastic’ player but said that ‘sources close to Rennes’ have indicated that the Ligue 1 club would want at least €45m-€50m (£39m-£43.3m) for his services. The Italian added that, at this moment, there is nothing ‘concrete’ in terms of Terrier’s future.

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Romano said: “What a season Martin Terrier is having, and it’s inevitably led to links with Premier League clubs in recent times, but what’s the truth?”

“He’s doing fantastic, and so there are always scouts following him from English clubs and also Serie A clubs.

“Sources close to Rennes guarantee they’d ask for €45-50m for Terrier, but nothing is happening yet. I think he’ll have a fair few options, but it’s too early to say anything concrete on his future right now.”

The Verdict: One to watch?

United chiefs could be in the market for a new forward in the New Year, especially if Cristiano Ronaldo departs the club in January, as has been speculated.

Terrier appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high £31.5m Transfermarkt valuation, so he could be a shrewd target for Erik ten Hag’s side.

The Adidas-sponsored forward can play anywhere across the front three, so his versatility could come in handy at Old Trafford, possibly making this link one to keep an eye on over the coming months.