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Ipswich Town have agreed a £2 million deal to sign a 6ft 2 player before the January transfer window closes, according to Sky Sports.

Ipswich Town transfer news

Defeat to Southampton on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League will have been hugely disappointing for the Tractor Boys and Kieran McKenna, as it was an opportunity for them to pick up a much-needed three points against a fellow relegation rival.

Ipswich Town now pushing to sign new 76-career goal forward before deadline

He’s an international.

By
Charlie Smith

Jan 31, 2025

The defeat could have now opened McKenna’s eyes to what business needs to be done at Portman Road before the transfer window closes at 11 p.m. It’s been reported that Ipswich want to sign a striker before the deadline and are keen on signing Mohamed Bayo from Lille. The Premier League side have made concrete moves to sign the player, but they face competition from Besiktas and Royal Antwerp, with the latter close to completing a deal.

Signing a new midfielder is also on McKenna’s list of targets, and it was reported last week that Ipswich had asked Chelsea about Carney Chukwuemeka. The Tractor Boys were looking into a possible loan deal for the player, as he struggles for regular minutes at Stamford Bridge. But a move to Portman Road looks a non-starter, as Chukwuemeka is now close to joining Borussia Dortmund.

Ipswich Town agree £2m deadline day deal to sign 6ft 2 player

As Ipswich continues their search for a new striker and midfielder, they are closing in on a new goalkeeper, as Sky Sports reports that Ipswich have agreed a £2 million fee with West Brom to sign Alex Palmer.

The report goes on to add that Palmer is now on his way to Ipswich to complete his medical before signing his contract. It goes on to add that the Tractor Boys could follow the signing of Palmer by still adding a midfielder and a striker to their squad, but only if the players are the right fit.

Palmer, who is 6ft 2, came through the academy at the Hawthorns, playing for their under-18s and under-21s before moving into the first team in the 2022/23 season. In the last three campaigns, the 28-year-old has become West Brom’s number one goalkeeper, helping the Baggies reach the Championship play-offs last season by keeping 18 clean sheets in 46 games.

Alex Palmer’s West Brom stats
Apps	104
Goals conceded	106
Clean sheets	41

Palmer’s arrival at Portman Road will see him join Arijanet Muric, Christian Walton, and Cieran Slicker in the goalkeeper department. Muric has played 18 games in the Premier League for Ipswich this season, with Walton playing six times. However, Walton wasn’t in the squad on Saturday and Palmer’s arrival is going to invite more competition for that number one spot, as McKenna at times looks indecisive as to who his number one goalkeeper is.

The shot-stopper will be joining Ipswich in the hope he will be playing football in the Premier League, as he will want to keep playing regular football, as he was doing at West Brom.

The tournament is likely to be moved out of Pakistan, according to BCCI secretary and Asian Cricket Council president Jay Shah

Nagraj Gollapudi and S Sudarshanan18-Oct-2022India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in 2023, raising questions as to where the tournament might now be held. The development occurred on the day of the BCCI’s annual general meeting in Mumbai, where BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, suggested that next year’s Asia Cup would have to be played at a different venue.”The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue,” Shah told media after the BCCI’s AGM. “I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past also, Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue.” The new set of BCCI office bearers – the president Roger Binny, treasurer Ashish Shelar and Rajiv Shukla, who was re-elected as board vice-president – were present when Shah spoke to the media.The ACC has not yet met to discuss the matter, let alone for a decision to be officially taken. That has raised questions within the PCB as to which capacity Shah was speaking in on the matter and why he chose to do so at a BCCI AGM. A PCB spokesperson said the board would not be commenting on the matter at this stage but a robust response is not out of the question: there is, for instance, already talk within the board of leaving the ACC. The PCB is expected to write to the ACC about the comments.Shah’s comments could also hold some implication for ICC events, two of which are to be held in India and Pakistan over the next couple of years. India are set to host the 2023 ODI World Cup soon after the Asia Cup and then Pakistan are scheduled to host the 2025 Champions Trophy. If India cannot play in Pakistan and likewise, Pakistan cannot in India, it remains to be seen what impact it has on those tournaments. At the 2016 T20 World Cup, in India, Pakistan required their government’s approval to travel to India and got it only at the last minute. The ICC is unlikely to comment on the issue at the moment.India’s last trip to Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup, while Pakistan’s last visit to India was for that 2016 ICC event. Due to strained political relations between the two countries, they have not played any bilateral cricket since Pakistan toured India for a white-ball only series in 2012-13.India and Pakistan last played each other at the 2022 Asia Cup in UAE in August-September this year, and are due to face off in the T20 World Cup in Melbourne on October 23. The atmosphere leading into that game will no doubt be a little more tense now. Within the PCB at least there is unhappiness with the comments, not least that Shah said this in the aftermath of a BCCI AGM, which he presided over as board secretary, having effectively bypassed the ACC as a body.Such a decision, an official said, cannot be made without it being discussed at ACC board level. Indeed, after a meeting in March this year – under Shah’s ACC presidency – it was confirmed that Pakistan would be hosting the Asia Cup. But there is enough unhappiness within the board to contemplate pulling out of the ACC altogether as a member, a body that was set up in the mid-80s – ironically – to ensure productive relations between Asian members.It hasn’t quite worked out that way. Both India and Pakistan have in the past pulled out of previous editions of the Asia Cup and the tournament itself has been cancelled on occasion because of poor ties between India and Pakistan. The last two editions were played in the UAE, which has hosted the tournament four times altogether.The topic of traveling to Pakistan for Asia Cup came up for discussion at the BCCI AGM, where members were told that a decision would be taken based on permission from the Indian government. That point was reiterated by Shukla during an informal chat with the media afterwards. It was at this point that Shah said that India would not be travelling to Pakistan.The BCCI did not hold a formal media briefing, as has been the way in the past. On Tuesday, journalists were told that the office bearers would have an informal chat with the media. Before the chat, the media was asked to submit their phones and instead given notepads.

Vinicius Junior is set to snub a €1 billion offer from Saudi Arabia to sign a new contract at Real Madrid.

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• Vinicius close to new Real Madrid deal
• Had a €1 billion Saudi Arabia offer
• Won't commit to five years in Middle East

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Cadena SER, the Brazilian is set to put an end to speculation linking him with a move to the middle east by signing a three- or four-year deal in Spain. He was said to be unsure about signing the five-year deal on offer from the Saudi Pro League, whose clubs do not want to sign him for just one or two seasons.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The €1bn contract offer would have been accompanied by a €300 million transfer fee, the report states, with Vinicius tempted by the move. His representatives met with Saudi officials in September and had contact in December, before meeting with the player in Prague in February.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Vinicius was partly unsure about renewing in Spain as he wants parity with Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in terms of pay. The Brazilian came second in the Ballon d'Or last year and views himself as on a par with the club's other two stars, with a resolution imminent.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Real take on Alaves in La Liga on Sunday as they aim to close the gap to Barcelona to four points at the top of the league table. They then welcome Arsenal next Wednesday, who they trail 3-0 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-final.

أعلنت رابطة الأندية المحترفة المصرية، عن أفضل لاعب في مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي، التي أقيمت بين الفريقين، مساء اليوم الإثنين، ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وتواجه الزمالك مع البنك الأهلي، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الرابعة من عمر مباريات المرحلة النهائية لمسابقة بطولة الدوري.

وانتهت المباراة بين الفريقين، التي أقيمت على ملعب استاد القاهرة، بنتيجة التعادل الإيجابي 2-2.

طالع | فيديو.. تعادل درامي ومثير بين الزمالك والبنك الأهلي في الدوري المصري

وحصل لاعب نادي البنك الأهلي، ياو أنور على جائرة رجل المباراة، بعدما ساهم في تعادل فريقه وسجل الهدف الثاني في الوقت القاتل من اللقاء.

وكان الزمالك تقدم في الثانية الأولى من المباراة عن طريق ناصر منسي، وتعادل للبنك الأهلي أسامة فيصل، ثم تقدم من جديد الفارس الأبيض بواسطة لاعبه سيف الجزيري، وتعادل ياو أنور لفريق البنك الأهلي بالهدف الثاني.

Chelsea have been one of the Premier League’s surprise packages this season.

Enzo Maresca has turned the West Londoners into a sensationally entertaining attacking juggernaut capable of giving anyone a game.

Moreover, while the defence is still a slight weakness compared to their rivals, the manager has been able to get the best out of Marc Cucurella.

However, football is a brutal business, and based on recent reports, the Spaniard could soon be replaced by one of the most exciting full-backs in world football.

Chelsea transfer news

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea are one of several sides interested in Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.

Alongside the Blues, the report has revealed that Manchester City and Manchester United are also keen on the Canadian, while Arsenal and Liverpool ‘are being kept informed.’

The report claims that there is hope at the Allianz Arena that the five-time Bundesliga winner will remain in Bavaria.

However, he’s also supposedly interested in a move to the Premier League, and with his contract expiring in the summer, he’ll be free to enter into pre-contract negotiations next month and could leave for nothing.

While he’ll be available on a free, signing Davies could prove incredibly complicated, but given his immense ability, it would be a deal worth fighting for, even if it could be bad news for Cucurella.

How Cucurella compares to Davies

So, should Chelsea be able to get ahead of the competition next month and sign a pre-contract agreement with Davies, they’d probably do so with the intention of playing him as often as possible.

Therefore, he’d be up against Cucurella for game time.

With that, which left-back comes out on top when we compare them?

Appearances

42

26

Goals

3

1

Assists

6

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.24

0.11

Appearances

21

19

Goals

1

2

Assists

3

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.19

0.21

Well, when it comes to their raw output, which is an increasingly important metric for a full-back in the modern game, it’s the Canadian who comes out on top, and by quite some way at that.

For example, since the start of last season, the 24-year-old, whom USMNT legend Alexi Lalas dubbed “the best left back in the world,” has scored four goals and provided nine assists in just 63 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 4.84 games.

In contrast, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star has scored three goals and provided four assists in 45 appearances, resulting in a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 6.42 games.

Unfortunately for the Spanish international, the one-sided nature of this comparison only continues when we look at their underlying numbers.

More specifically, when compared to other full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and European League by FBref, the Bayern ace’s top five underlying statistics make for far more impressive reading.

For example, he ranks in the top 1% for successful take-ons, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 3% for pass completion, the top 6% for attempted passes and the top 9% for shot-creating actions, all per 90.

In contrast, the Blues star’s top five metrics see him in the top 5% for pass completion, the top 6% for blocks, the top 24% for tackles, the top 29% for attempted passes, and the top 33% for aerial duels won, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Cucurella remains a very talented left-back, there is seemingly no area of the game in which he outperforms Davies.

Therefore, while the competition will be tough, Chelsea must do whatever they can to secure the Canadian’s services next year.

LaLiga giants want him: Chelsea heading for Havertz repeat with £52m star

Chelsea may be about to offload one of their big-money investments in January.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 24, 2024

علّق كارلو أنشيلوتي مدرب ريال مدريد على بعض القرارت التحكيمية في مباراة فريقه ريال مدريد أمام أتلتيك بلباو، في بطولة الدوري الإسباني.

وشهدت المباراة إلغاء هدف لفينيسيوس جونيور، وعدم احتساب ركلة جزاء لصالح جود بيلينجهام، وحسم ريال مدريد المواجهة بالفوز بهدف دون رد سجله فيدي فالفيردي.

وقال أنشيلوتي حول اللقطات المثيرة للجدل في المباراة: “هذه هي كرة القدم الجديدة، أعتقد أنه لا يوجد شك في إلغاء هدف فينيسيوس لأنه أمر تلقائي”.

وأشار إلى عدم احتساب ركلة جزاء لجود بيلينجهام: “ما ليس تلقائيًا هو أن تقنية الفيديو لم تستدع الحكم للتحقق من ركلة جزاء بيلينجهام، ولكن هذا هو حال كرة القدم الحديثة”.

وأردف عن لاعبه فيدي فالفيردي: “كان فالفيردي هو المفتاح لأنه سجل الهدف، لقد قام الفريق بعمل جيد”.

واستطرد: “لقد كان أداؤنا أبطأ قليلاً في الشوط الأول، ولكن في الشوط الثاني قمنا بعمل جيد للغاية في جميع النواحي، أردنا الفوز والعودة بعد الإقصاء، وكان فيدي هو اللاعب الرئيسي”.

وبشأن جماهير ريال مدريد، أكد: “لم يكن لدي أدنى شك في أن الجماهير ستدعمنا، هم يؤمنون، مثلنا، بأننا قادرون على تحقيق شيء هذا الموسم”.

اقرأ أيضًا | مباريات ريال مدريد وبرشلونة المتبقية في الدوري الإسباني

وعن لاعبه فينيسيوس جونيور، علّق: “لم تكن فترة سعيدة بالنسبة له أو بالنسبة لنا، لكنني أحببت ما فعله وهو دائمًا مهم جدًا بالنسبة لنا، فينيسيوس لاعب استثنائي، يتمتع بسلوك رائع، خاصةً في الشوط الأول، سجل هدفًا، ومرر عدة كرات”.

وأكمل: “فينيسيوس سيكون قطعة أساسية في المباريات المقبلة، هو مهم للغاية بما يقدمه في الملعب، ولكن أيضًا لما يتمتع به من روح قتالية”.

وعن خطته، أردف: “اللعب بطريقة 4-4-2 لا يعني دائمًا إشراك أربعة لاعبي وسط، لأن فينيسيوس ورودريجو أحيانًا يشغلان مراكز الوسط”.

وأوضح: “أما بيلينجهام، فموقعه بالقرب من منطقة الجزاء يمنحنا الكثير، وقد قدّم أداءً رائعًا في الشوط الثاني”.

 

Newcastle United's Carabao Cup triumph could allow the team that finishes 11th in the Premier League this season to qualify for Europe.

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11 English clubs could compete in Europe next seasonNewcastle's Carabao Cup win presented the opportunityBrentford could be the 11th team to qualifyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Magpies' triumph over Liverpool at Wembley could provide a boost for the Premier League, as now 11 English top-flight clubs have an opportunity to compete in European football in the 2025-26 campaign. Currently, the top-four teams in the Premier League compete in the Champions League, while the fifth and sixth-placed clubs qualify for the Europa League league phase and Europa Conference League play-offs round, respectively. UEFA are set to award an extra slot to the two best-performing leagues in European competitions in the 2024-25 season, which is currently the Premier League and Serie A.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE EXPLANATION

For 11 English clubs to qualify for European tournaments, Manchester City have to finish among the top four teams alongside Liverpool, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. Then if Newcastle finish fifth, they will be the additional team to compete at the highest level of European football. If Brighton jump to sixth position at the end of the season, they will secure themselves a Europa League slot and Bournemouth, who are 10th in the league, will join them if they go on to win the FA Cup.

The 11-team scenario also involves the Cherries finishing seventh, while Chelsea drop from fourth to eighth position. The Blues are favourites to win the Europa Conference League this season and that would help them secure another Europa League slot. Manchester United and Tottenham have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League this term and if one of them wins the title while finishing 10th in the league, they will secure a Champions League slot. Eddie Howe's side have already secured a Conference League slot by winning the Carabao Cup meaning the league position slot for the competition is still open. As it stands, 11th-placed Brentford could secure a Conference League berth.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

The last time Newcastle won a major English trophy was back in 1955 when they defeated Manchester City 3-1 to win the FA Cup. Bruno Guimaraes entered the history books at St James' Park as he became the first club captain in seven decades to win a domestic title.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR NEWCASTLE?

Howe's side will be back in action in the Premier League after the international break as they take on Brentford on April 2.

Tottenham Hotspur failed to bounce back to winning ways on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham at home in the Premier League.

Spurs were looking to get all three points after they were pegged back in the 91st minute to draw 2-2 with Roma in the Europa League on Sunday night.

Ange Postecoglou’s team have only won three of their last seven games in all competitions, with two of those coming against Manchester City.

Despite the disappointing draw with the Cottagers, there were still some players who put in strong performances for the Lilywhites in North London this weekend.

Tottenham's top performers against Fulham

Between the sticks, Fraser Forster continued to deputise for the injured Guglielmo Vicario and ended the match with five saves and 0.47 xG prevented, which shows that he helped to keep the team in the game at times.

Centre-back Radu Dragusin also provided a strong presence at the heart of the defence for Spurs, as he won ten of his 13 duels and was not dribbled past a single time.

The two wingers, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner, combined for the goal that put Tottenham ahead in the match, with Werner crossing for the Wales international to find the back of the net, and they both took their chance to impress out wide.

However, there is no getting away from it being two points dropped for Spurs, who had several players who underperformed on the pitch against the Cottagers.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

One of those players was right-back Pedro Porro. The Spanish defender struggled badly and Postecoglou got it all wrong with the former Sporting star.

Postecoglou got it all wrong with Pedro Porro

The impressive full-back, who had assisted two goals and scored one in his previous four matches coming into the game against Fulham, was nowhere near his best.

Porro appeared to be struggling with a knock throughout the clash and it seemingly affected his performance, as the 25-year-old ace was consistently beaten far too easily by opposition players.

In fact, he lost a whopping six of his first seven duels and ended the match with six duels lost out of ten, a success rate of just 40% against the Cottagers.

Minutes

90

Duels won

4/10

Tackles won

2

Dribbled past

5

Possession lost

17x

Clearances

3

Tackles

2

Key passes

1

Crosses

1/4

As you can see in the table above, Porro was, astonishingly, dribbled past five times and only made two tackles, which illustrates just how easy it was for Fulham’s players to get past him.

He has only been dribbled past 1.2 times per game on average in the Premier League this season, and this shows that something was not right in the clash on Sunday for the Spain international.

Therefore, Postecoglou got it all wrong by keeping him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, despite having Djed Spence on the bench as an option.

The manager allowed Porro, despite appearing to be carrying an injury issue, to continually get taken out of the game by opposition forwards, and it may be a decision that the Australian looks back on with regret when he reflects on the game.

Perhaps Spence should have been brought on both to rest the Spaniard and to provide the team with fresh energy and enthusiasm, as the ex-Manchester City man’s performance was not helping the side.

Ange must finally sell £20m Spurs flop who Conte didn't want to sign

Spurs could look to sell him in January

1 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 30, 2024

Manchester City's Claudio Echeverri is a surprise inclusion in the Argentina squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil.

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Echeverri called up by Lionel ScaloniYet to make Man City debutShone at U20 South American ChampionshipFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 19-year-old starlet has been called up to Lionel Scaloni's preliminary senior squad for the clashes later this month alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez – despite the fact he is yet to make his City debut.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Echeverri's City bow has been delayed by his involvement in the Under-20 South American Championship in Venezuela, and his call-up seems to be reward for his stellar performances there. The teenage attacking midfielder racked up nine goal involvements in nine games, including six strikes of his own, although Argentina's arch-rivals Brazil ultimately triumphed.

DID YOU KNOW?

City signed Echeverri from River Plate in January 2024 for a reported fee of £12.5 million ($15.7m) plus add-ons before sending him back on loan to the Argentine giants for the rest of the year. He has now finally joined up with his new club ahead of the run-in and has been handed the No.30 shirt at the Etihad Stadium.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ECHEVERRI?

It remains to be seen when Echeverri will be deemed ready to make his debut for his new club, but it is feasible that he makes his first senior international appearance before that. City travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while Argentina continue their World Cup qualifying campaign against Uruguay on March 22.

Chelsea have discovered their opponents for the last-16 of the Conference League following Friday's knockout stage draw.

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• Conference League knockout stage draw complete
• Chelsea drawn with Copenhagen in last-16
• Blues swerved tie with Antony's Real Betis

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  UEFA carried out the draw in Nyon on Friday afternoon, with Real Betis being one of two possible draws for Conference League league phase winners Chelsea. However, they will not be facing Antony's side in the last-16 and instead will take on Danish outfit Copenhagen.

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• CONFERENCE LEAGUE KNOCKOUT STAGE DRAW IN FULL

  Last-16:

  Real Betis vs Vitoria

  Jagiellonia vs Cercle Brugge

  Celje vs Lugano

  Panathinaikos vs Fiorentina

  Borac vs Rapid Wien

  Pafos vs Djugardens

  Molde vs Legia Warsaw

  Copenhagen vs Chelsea

  Quarter-finals:

  Real Betis/Vitoria vs Jagiellonia/Cercle Brugge

  Celje/Lugano vs Panathinaikos/Fiorentina

  Copenhagen/Chelsea vs Molde/Legia Warsaw

  Pafos/Djugardens vs Borac/Rapid Wien

  Semi-finals:

  Winner of quarter-final 1 vs winner of quarter-final 2

  Winner of quarter-final 3 vs winner of quarter-final 4

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Chelsea are aiming to become the first team in history to win a clean sweep of all of Europe's club competitions in the men's game, having previously won the Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup and even the defunct Cup Winners' Cup.

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  WHEN WILL THE LAST-16 MATCHES TAKE PLACE?

  The first legs of the last-16 fixtures will occur on March 6, and the return legs will take place one week later. This year's final will take place at Wroclaw Stadium in Poland on May 28.