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After stepping up in place of the injured Ederson at Manchester City recently, Stefan Ortega has reportedly attracted interest from around Europe and the Middle East, creating a potential problem for Pep Guardiola to solve this summer.

Man City transfer news

Showing their human side for the first time in a long time so far this season, Manchester City could be set for a busy summer transfer window, as Guardiola looks to avoid making a habit of three-team title races in the Premier League. With that said, the Cityzens have already been linked with moves for Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala in two big-money deals.

Fabrizio Romano: Man City sign new teenager ahead of "top clubs"

He’s the latest young arrival.

By
Charlie Smith

Mar 27, 2024

It could be exit news that first steals the headlines at The Etihad this summer, however, with Ortega attracting plenty of interest. With the goalkeeper's current contract running out in the summer of 2025, it wouldn't be a surprise if City did decide to cash in whilst they can too, before beginning their search for a replacement.

The 31-year-old has seamlessly slotted in to replace Ederson when the Brazilian has been unavailable this season, but in doing so has proved his ability to act as a starting option elsewhere. Now, reports suggest that if Ortega will leave, City have in turn looked towards the Serie A.

According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, Manchester City are interested in signing Mile Svilar from AS Roma this summer, while there is also interest from fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, negotiations look set to be difficult with Roma, given that the Italian giants want to keep hold of their goalkeeper in the case of Rui Patricio's exit and reportedly plan on offering him a new deal on top of his current contract, which expires in 2027. But money is rarely an obstacle for those at The Etihad, meaning they usually get what they desire in the transfer market.

"Phenomenal" Svilar can take Ortega's place

Svilar, still just 24-years-old, can take Ortega's place as the current City man potentially looks elsewhere for minutes. What's more, when considering the fact that the latter is now 31-years-old, it won't be too long before Guardiola needs to look for a replacement anyway, meaning that a move to sign Svilar this summer comes at a more ideal time than ever.

Svilar also received Jose Mourinho's approval before the former Chelsea boss even joined Roma, with the self-proclaimed Special One dubbing the goalkeeper as a "phenomenon" and an "amazing" prospect. Still entering his prime, the only obstacle standing between Man City and their ability to convince Svilar may well prove to be game time. The Serbian needs minutes when at his best and there's no guarantee of that ahead of Ederson.

Argentina star Nicolas Otamendi hit out at France's passionate celebrations following the clash between the two sides at the Olympics.

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• French celebrations 'p*ssed off' Otamendi
• Defender angered by player's actions
• Argentina lost to France in quarter-finals

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The aftermath of Argentina's loss to France at the Paris Olympics led to a brawl, with Javier Mascherano's side annoyed by the French players celebrating in front of their friends and family. French youngster Enzo Millot was also alleged to have made an obscene gesture to Argentina's bench after the final whistle was blown.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tensions have been rife between France and Argentina in recent times, not just due to their match up in the 2022 World Cup final. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was embroiled in controversy recently after celebrating his country's Copa America win by singing derogatory chants about France's team. Jean-Philippe Mateta then scored the winner on Friday against Argentina to send France to the Olympic semi-finals.

• WHAT OTAMENDI SAID

  Otamendi told : “It really p*sses me off that players can celebrate, they can enjoy whatever they want, but where the people and family are, and celebrate with them there.

  "There was one whose name I don’t even know, who if he wants to celebrate, he should come to us and we’ll sort it out there. But that really pisses me off, that they celebrate with them knowing that there are kids and family, that’s not good.

  “One of them went to celebrate on our bench. I didn’t really understand what was happening, but then I realised that he went to celebrate with our people. It’s one thing to celebrate on the field with your people, whatever you want, but I didn’t like that afterwards. It’s up to each person."

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  ARGENTINA STARS SPEAK OUT

  Along with Otamendi, Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli also commented on the situation, saying: "Sometimes there are players who don't know how to win and what happens happens.

  "I think it's completely avoidable, it's not a nice image for anyone. We as Argentines know that when we win, we celebrate with our people and when we lose we congratulate the rival and go inside. I think they had something kept for a long time and today they let it out."

Over the last couple of seasons, Everton have had to work on a strict budget given their FFP troubles in recent months, with most signings either on free transfers or low transfer fees.

The FFP issues have given boss Sean Dyche the opportunity to work closely with his squad, putting trust in some of the younger members of the Toffees' first-team squad.

Players such as James Garner and Jarrad Branthwaite have been the main beneficiaries within the Everton squad this season, with the duo cementing their starting positions – making 26 and 24 appearances respectively.

The club have had to sell some of their key assets in recent years to balance the books, with the likes of Richarlison and Anthony Gordon just two examples of players the club have had to sell to try and comply with the Premier League's FFP rules.

Everton have also previously sold a young talent to another Premier League rival, with the club potentially regretting the deal with the player currently excelling in England's top-flight.

Ross Barkley's time at Everton in numbers

Ross Barkley came through the academy at Goodison Park, before making his first-team debut for the club back in 2011 – quickly impressing for the Toffees.

He made 34 appearances during his first full season in the Premier League, scoring six times at the age of just 19 – a staggering achievement for a player of such a tender age.

GK – Tim Howard

RB – Phil Neville

CB – Phil Jagielka

CB – Sylvain Distin

LB – Leighton Baines

CM – Jonny Heitinga

CM – Leon Osman

CAM – Tim Cahill

RM – Jack Rodwell

LM – Ross Barkley

ST – Jermaine Beckford

Barkley consistently featured for the Toffees over the next couple of seasons, with the midfielder going on to make at least 29 appearances in each of the next three campaigns.

His good form at Goodison Park saw him feature for every single age group from U16s to U21s, before the midfielder made his England senior debut in August 2013 during the 4-0 win against Moldova.

He rapidly became a regular within the England setup, with his form internationally and at club level catching the eye of some of Everton's Premier League rivals.

Ross Barkley's stats since leaving Everton

The midfielder secured a £15m move to Chelsea during the January transfer window in 2018 after being sold by Marco Silva, with Barkley signing a five-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

He enjoyed a good full first season in London, with the former Everton man making 48 appearances for the Blues during 2018/19. However, his first full season was the peak of his Chelsea career.

A combination of injury and other players' form in midfield, Barkley found himself with limited game time making 31 appearances with most coming from the substitutes' bench.

He subsequently found himself on loan at Aston Villa during the 2020/21 season, with the highlight of Barkley's season coming in the 7-2 victory over Liverpool – with the former Evertonian on the scoresheet.

However, he couldn't force himself back into the Chelsea first-team, eventually being released to join OGC Nice in Ligue 1. He signed a one-year deal in France, once again failing to find his feet before joining Luton Town last summer.

He's been pivotal in Luton's efforts to survive relegation from the Premier League this season, with his top-flight experience the key.

Barkley's featured 21 times so far this campaign, with the midfielder "not far off player of the season" as stated by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson and in with an outside chance of making Gareth Southgate's squad for the Euros this summer. It's funny how things can change in such a short period of time.

In 2024, we're now seeing the quality Barkley first showed when he first broke onto the scene at Goodison.

Losing James Maddison to injury for the final stretch of the campaign could be detrimental to Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of returning to the Champions League – the England international is that influential.

Look at the bleak period throughout November and December, when injuries to Maddison and fellow summer signing Micky van de Ven sent Spurs' season into a spin, with last season's struggles fixed through Ange Postecoglou's appointment and the shrewd recruitment since.

Suffering another issue against Aston Villa earlier in March, Van de Ven missed out last weekend as Tottenham got thumped 3-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage, underscoring the Dutchman's significance within Postecoglou's entertaining system.

Maddison is just as important, if not more so, and he is indeed the lynchpin for success, vital in bringing Spurs back to that coveted spot in Europe's elite club competition.

James Maddison's season in numbers

When the screech of the final whistle solemnly sounded throughout the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in November, with Chelsea 4-1 victors after Spurs suffered two red cards and saw Maddison and Van de Ven trudge off injured, it did seem to be a portent of issues to come.

And it was. Maddison had won the Premier League's Player of the Month award back in August and had been described as one of "the buys of the summer" by The Times' Henry Winter, so sublime was the 27-year-old in his playmaking, commitment, command.

Matches played

18

Goals

4

Assists

7

Pass completion

87%

Key passes per game

2.5

Dribbles per game

1.3

Tackles per game

1.3

Duels won per game

5.5

He returned to action in January after a couple of months on the sidelines and while he's not quite returned to those pre-injury levels, the £170k-per-week ace remains the chief creator in Postecoglou's system, also the joint-most valuable centre-midfielder in the squad at £43m (with Pape Sarr), according to CIES Football Observatory's player valuation model.

Remarkably, there's a former Spurs star who was worth just short of double this amount way back when, and that man's Michael Carrick.

How much Spurs could've sold Michael Carrick for in 2024

According to Totally Money, a site specialising in working out how past transfer fees would look in the modern market, Carrick would have been sold for quite the sum if he played today.

The 42-year-old, now manager of Middlesbrough in the Championship, completed 75 appearances for the Lilywhites before completing a £19m move to Manchester United back in July 2006, where he would go on to win a wealth of major honours and retire as one of England's most decorated players.

This was a sizeable sum back in the day, sure, but Totally Money have arrived at the conclusion that the Red Devils legend would have commanded an incredible £84m fee if United had pounced in the same circumstances, just some 18 years in the future.

Quirkily described as a "piano" by his former teammate Gary Neville for his elegance and deftness alongside some heavy-metal peers, Carrick at his peak would walk into Postecoglou's side and would surely rival Maddison in his effectiveness and influence, albeit in a different regard.

Ultimately, Carrick's transfer value is probably a fair reflection, if seeming somewhat exorbitant at a glance. He was an incredible player and underrated inside the Manchester United system, endowed with a brilliant ball-playing ability.

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A top talent at Tottenham way back when, this world-class midfielder would eclipse Maddison’s value.

ByAngus Sinclair Mar 21, 2024

Maddison's £43m market value as claimed by CIES is probably not a wholly fair figure, should Spurs be inclined to sell in the future, but he would be unlikely to arrive at Carrick's projected value.

Aston Villa’s season truly gets underway this evening, as they embark on their UEFA Conference League journey.

Dutch giant Ajax is the opponent that Unai Emery’s side will look to defeat, and they go into the tie with high morale.

The Villans have won their last three matches in the Premier League, whereas the Eredivisie club has won just one of their last five league matches.

Nonetheless, let’s take a look at who could come into the team today and put Villa one step closer to European glory.

The latest on Jacob Ramsey's injury

It’s predicted that almost exactly the same team that defeated Luton Town 3-2 at the weekend should start once again, with only a couple of changes.

One of those to make way will be Jacob Ramsey, who was forced off in the first half against the Hatters due to an injury, making Villa’s already light midfield even weaker.

Emery has confirmed that the 22-year-old won’t be ready in time to face Ajax, but he delivered the promising news that it looks set to just be a short-term issue, stating:

“He’s not available for tomorrow [vs Ajax]. He’s not with a big injury but we will have to wait to see how he’s progressing to be available for the next match on Sunday.”

However, regardless of whether Ramsey was available or not, there’s a player who deserves to feature from the off in the Netherlands.

Related Aston Villa must play “outrageous” ace in new role to ease Ramsey’s injury

Unai Emery’s midfield is extremely stretched due to injuries.

Posts ByTom Lever Mar 5, 2024 The player to replace Jacob Ramsey

The rise and development of Leon Bailey this season has been incredible, but that’s prevented Moussa Diaby from starting as regularly as expected.

The French attacker joined Villa in a club record £51.9m deal, and he’s played 37 matches across all competitions since arriving, scoring six goals and providing seven assists.

At Bayer Leverkusen, Diaby was known as a “deadly” winger, as per Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, who mainly operated on the right. However, since joining Villa, he has predominantly played as a centre forward or as an attacking midfielder.

This is set to be the case again against Ajax, and the 24-year-old has already proved that he can perform against strong opposition away from home this season, as displayed against Newcastle United on his Premier League debut.

Diaby vs Newcastle

Stats

Diaby

Goals

1

Shots

3

Key passes

2

Pass accuracy

88%

Successful dribbles

2

Touches

37

Via Sofascore

The Magpies are currently at a similar standard to this Ajax team, and as you can see, not only can Diaby find the back of the net, but he can also create for Ollie Watkins, which will be vital.

A huge European away game can always turn hostile in the blink of an eye, so having Diaby in attack who can carry the ball and retain it, as shown by his 100% dribble success rate and high pass accuracy, will be incredibly important.

Diaby has been impressive at times this season, but Emery could just provide him with an opportunity to show the Villa faithful what he’s really about.

Chelsea have reportedly submitted an offer to Leicester City for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and could potentially offer a player swap to the Foxes.

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Chelsea make offer for Leicester's Dewsbury-HallReady to offer two players in swap dealMidfielder gives green light to begin negotiations(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

It had been reported earlier this week that Chelsea had taken an interest in Dewsbury-Hall following a failed move by Brighton. The Athletic has now reported that Chelsea have made their preliminary bid for the midfielder as the Blues prepare for life under former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca.

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As per Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are ready to send two players to the King Power Stadium in a potential swap deal. The two players mentioned in the report are Datro Fofana and Cesare Casadei, who are way out of the fringes of Chelsea's squad and likely seen as surplus by the Blues brass.

DID YOU KNOW?

Dewsbury-Hall had a phenomenal season under Maresca at Leicester last season as the Foxes claimed the Championship title to confirm their promotion to the Premier League. The 25-year-old made 49 appearances under Maresca at Leicester as he scored 12 goals and assisted 15 more in the successful season.

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WHAT NEXT FOR THE MOVE?

As per Romano, Dewsbury-Hall has given Chelsea the green light to negotiate with Leicester for his sale this summer as they look to prepare for the pre-season.

West Ham United have reportedly made a decision on the future of under-pressure boss David Moyes following a string of poor results.

Hammers bubble bursting

Just a matter of months ago, David Moyes was being serenaded as the first man to win a European trophy with West Ham. Now, he is an unpopular figure. After beating Fiorentina to lift the UEFA Conference League trophy and earn a spot in this season's Europa League, there were suggestions that the east London outfit were heading in the right direction.

The summer arrivals of Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse and Konstantinos Mavropanos along with keeping hold of Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta only added to that feel-good factor around the London Stadium, but after a good start to the campaign they have begun to struggle.

They added Kalvin Phillips in January, though they did miss out on Jota. However, the new arrival is yet to have the desired effect in east London, gifting a goal to the opposition on his debut before being sent off for two quick yellow cards in the defeat at Forest on Saturday.

With no wins in eight games now, the Hammers remain in the top half of the Premier League table but are sprialling out of control, leading many to believe Moyes is not the man for the job.

Club

Wins in 2024

Points in 2024

West Ham United

0

3

Burnley

0

2

Everton

0

-7 (Including 10 point deduction)

Things really came to a head when the Hammers hosted Arsenal, with the Premier League title challengers racking up four before half time and West Ham fans leaving in their thousands before the start of the second half. They would eventually go on to lose 6-0 and follow that up with a drab performance again this weekend in the Midlands.

"I'm not used to my team conceding the goals like we have been," Moyes told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We have no real reason to say why that should be happening. For some reason we didn't look like we could defend today."

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ByMark Marston Oct 4, 2023 Hammers U-turn but won't sack Moyes

Now, an update on the future of the under-fire boss has emerged, and it is one that West Ham fans may not like. It had been claimed that a new deal for Moyes was in the works, but according to Football Insider recent results have changed that view and the board now no longer plan on extending that offer to the Scot.

But they won't be parting ways with him in the immediate future either.

As per the report: "It is believed that they will allow Moyes…to run down his contract rather than sack him", with his current deal due to run out at the end of the season.

This uncertainty has rocked senior players in the West Ham side, it is added, with the lack of clarity on the manager's future thought to be correlated with the run of poor results, though the players remain committed to the club despite speculation surrounding all of Bowen, Paqueta and summer signing Kudus.

However, it now seems as though Moyes will be given the remainder of the season to try to turn things around, before ultimately the east London side look to move on from the former Manchester United and Everton boss.

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo as a free agent this summer.

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• Adarabioyo set to depart Fulham
• Newcastle, Chelsea show interest
• Man Utd also interested in free agent

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Adarabioyo announced his decision not to renew with Fulham earlier this year, and as such, a lot of clubs have shown interest in the defender. One such club has been Eddie Howe's Newcastle United, who are looking to make the 26-year-old their first signing this season alongside Lloyd Kelly.

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  As per reports from iNews, Chelsea are now pondering upon a move for Adarabioyo as they look to plug the gap left by the departure of veteran centre-back Thiago Silva. Chelsea are still managerless after parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the Premier League season and may not be able to strike before Newcastle sign the defender. However, Adarabioyo will know that the prospect of playing for Chelsea could provide a better platform to get international recognition and could wait for the Blues.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Manchester United are another club that is showing interest in the centre-back this summer with the departure of Raphael Varane confirmed and Jonny Evans' future at the club uncertain. Adarabioyo is a native of Manchester and could potentially be enticed into a move back home but to his boyhood club, Manchester City's rival.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR ADARABIOYO?

  It is possible that Adarabioyo's situation could be on hold for Chelsea until the end of their hunt for a new manager, and the same could be the situation for Man Utd, with Erik ten Hag's future at the club still uncertain. In the meantime, Newcastle will look to draw first blood and gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi has left his agent ahead of the summer transfer window.

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Adeyemi linked with move away in transfer Borussia Dortmund prepared to sell wingerGerman has left his agent at end of seasonWHAT HAPPENED?

According to in Germany, Adeyemi has left his current agent as links regarding an exit from Dortmund continue to swirl. The 22-year-old is attracting interest from unnamed English clubs and will be sold if the "price is right" from any offer that does arrive.

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Adeyemi has started just 10 games in the Bundesliga this season, where he has scored three goals and added one assist. He arrived from RB Salzburg in 2022 for around £30 million ($38m) and is contracted until 2027. He has failed to build on his promising first campaign in yellow and black, where he scored six goals and had five assists in 20 starts across the top flight of German football.

WHAT WAS SAID

Despite it emerging that Dortmund could be open to a sale, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has identified Adeyemi as one of the main threats ahead of the Champions League final on Saturday.

"They are a team with quality and experienced players," Ancelotti said during Monday's press conference. "What struck me the most against PSG was their fighting attitude and their desire. They are very quick in transitions with [Jadon] Sancho and Adeyemi, they have a strong striker and play with a compact block. It will be a competitive and hard-fought match."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ADEYEMI?

The German winger will likely concentrate on trying to secure the Champions League title against Los Blancos on Saturday before considering his options this summer. He has not been included in Julian Nagelsmann's provisional Germany squad for Euro 2024 so will have time in the coming months to decide where he wants to play next season.

The Mumbai Indians captain also said the team was open to resting Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya if needed, but the players preferred to keep playing

Deivarayan Muthu in Hyderabad12-May-2019With the World Cup starting on May 30, 18 days after the IPL final, workload management has been a major talking point throughout the season. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma reckons that the demands of the IPL will help players build towards the showpiece event in England and Wales, rather than lead to burnout.Rohit cited the example of India winning the Champions Trophy in June 2013, which started about ten days after the end of the IPL that year. Rohit was in top form across both tournaments, following up his 538 runs in 19 innings for Mumbai Indians in their maiden run to the IPL title with 177 runs in five innings in the UK, helping India secure that title as well.”Once the IPL started, we knew this was the window – March and April or April and May – because of the elections,” Rohit said. “In 2013, we played the IPL and went on to play the Champions Trophy and in fact we went on to win the Champions Trophy. I feel the guys who play IPL and go play big tournaments right after that, they’re very much in touch with their game.”Rohit also said that Mumbai were open to resting key India players – fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and allrounder Hardik Pandya, who had just recovered from a back injury ahead of the IPL – at various points during the league, but the players opted against it and were instead keen to keep playing.Bumrah and Hardik are among six players to have featured in all of Mumbai’s 15 games so far this season. While Bumrah is their leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 6.84, Hardik found form – both with bat and ball – after being sidelined from the India side with multiple injuries and off-field troubles earlier this year.Hardik had missed India’s most recent ODI series against Australia, but hit the ground running this IPL. He has been Mumbai’s premier power-hitter, making 386 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 193. And he has smashed 28 sixes – only Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell (52) and Kings XI Punjab’s Chris Gayle (34) have hit more sixes this season. He has elevated his batting to an all-new plane, so much so that he can now hit yorkers – or near-yorkers – for sixes by deploying the helicopter shot.Hardik has also been at it with the ball and in the field, claiming 14 wickets and taking 11 catches.”We spoke at the start of the tournament that we will assess each one of players, see where they are at and what they feel about their bodies,” Rohit said. “It’s more an individual thing than [what] we decide for them.”In the case of Jasprit, he’s someone who likes to play games to make sure he’s in good rhythm. At the start of the tournament, we spoke that at any given stage if he feels he needs to rest, we were open to that. But our physios and trainers have monitored him quite well and there was constant feedback from Jasprit as well about he’s feeling. So far, we haven’t had issues with Jasprit and Hardik, so we continued to play them.”Before the IPL if they weren’t in great form, this is the time they can get back to form. Hardik is the best example. Before the IPL, he didn’t have a good time, was injured, and missed a few games as well. But he has been tremendous for us – both in batting and bowling. So, yeah it’s [IPL’s] a big tournament and you can judge yourself where you’re at before a big tournament like the World Cup.”