Category: Sports news

Pedri: I would have played for Real Madrid

Pedri was honoured with the European Golden boy award in Turin on Saturday and the Barcelona midfielder admitted that Real Madrid helped him become the player he is today.

Pedri Gonzalez is the young midfielder the whole world is looking at right now, but his latest revelations have come as a surprise to fans of the Barcelona midfielder.

It is rare to hear or read of any Barcelona player who mentions Real Madrid as an influence in their career following the decades old rivalry between the two biggest clubs in Spain (and the world).

However, the Kopa Trophy winner has spoken of how his time with Los Blancos at the start of his career almost manifested into something more but for strange weather.

Pedri told Tuttosport after collecting his European golden boy award about how he could have been playing for his current club’s biggest rivals.

“When I was 15 years old they [Real Madrid] called me for a trial, but that day there was huge snowfall and it had to be postponed,” Pedri began

“The next day, I took part in some light training with the academy side. Maybe they already had their idea about me, so I went back to Tenerife. However, I would not have rejected Madrid.

“Opportunities must be seized, however they come. Let’s just say something happened, a combination of negative circumstances, and they were the ones that didn’t want to sign me.”

“I am at the best club in the world,” Pedri says

The 19-year-old is currently injured and has barely featured for Barcelona this season, but believes his teammates can turn things around soon.

The Canarian started his career at Juventud Laguna before joining Las Palmas’s academy in 2018. By 2019, he was already a first team player for Las Palmas, at the age of 16.

His episode with Real Madrid happened before Las Palmas, however, but it was with the Canaries that he started getting noticed by several clubs.

Less than a year after the Spanish international signed a four-year contract with Las Palmas, Barcelona came knocking and on September 2 2019, reached an agreement for Pedro’s transfer in the summer of 2020 for €5 million.

He officially made his debut on September 7 2020, replacing Philippe Coutinho in a 4–0 home win against Villarreal in LaLiga.

Despite his admission of being open to a career with Real Madrid, the teenager has claimed that Barcelona was his dream all along.

“Being at Barcelona is a dream for me,” he said after the European golden boy awards. “This is the best club in the world.

Pedri also noted the club’s current struggles. “Though, we must start to show that on the pitch and lead Barça to glory, which we deserve,” he added.

“I am at the club I’ve always wanted to be at. For that I thank president Joan Laporta. It is a club I love and one that gives me maximum happiness.”

Pedri makes Barcelona happy, Cryuff says

Barcelona sports director Jordi Cruyff was one of the Barcelona entourage at the event with Pedri and Barcelona Femeni forward Lieke Martens who won the Golden woman award.

He gave an interview to journalists after the event and stated that the club was very happy with the youngster. “Pedri has personality,” Cryuff said. “He has shown it at a big club with pressure.

“He asks for the ball in difficult situations and has a great future. He deserves the award. He makes his family happy and Barcelona happy.”

Pedri beat Jude Bellingham by a record-breaking 199 points to the award and is the first player out of Barcelona to win the trophy since Cesc Fabregas in 2006.

Real Madrid midfielder Isco Alarcon is the only other Spanish player to have collected the award since its inception in 2003.

Erling Haaland price not enough to scare Manchester City ahead of summer transfer battle

Erling Haaland will be an expensive signing in more ways than one as his agent will be demanding a £47 million outside the transfer fee the buying club will pay Borussia Dortmund, according to reports.

Mino Raiola has been in the media talking about a potential move for his client to a “big” club next summer and it is also understood that the striker is open to leaving BVB after two seasons at the club.

This commission, which the striker’s agent Mino Raiola and father Alf-Inge Haaland will be demanding, is more than what the interested clubs are bargaining for to sign the striker.

However, reports from The Sun have claimed that the Sharks on the blue half of Manchester are ready and willing to match whatever price Haaland will demand.

Haaland has a clause in his current contract that allows him to discuss with clubs in the summer, but that the clubs interested will have to pay a fee in the region of £68million.

The Sun also reports that along with the striker’s £21.3 million annual salary, the total package to land the 21-year-old could rise up to over £215 million.

Manchester City have played without a key striker for two seasons and they intend to fix it next summer. Harry Kane, 28, was their key target in the summer but Tottenham Hotspur played hardball.

With Haaland up for transfer in the summer, City have chosen to redirect the over £100 million it would have taken to sign a 28-year-old striker towards signing a more prolific 21-year-old striker in Haaland.

Real Madrid and Barcelona in the race for Haaland

Real Madrid have made no efforts to hide their ambitions to have Haaland play at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Alongside Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain, the former Red Bull Salzburg striker is Madrid president Florentino Perez’s dream signing.

The Spanish giants are also in a favourable financial position to sign the striker next summer and give Manchester City one more club to battle with.

But fresh reports now claim that Barcelona’s president met Raiola in Turin after planning to meet for some time, giving Barcelona’s quest to sign Haaland a little bit more legitimacy.

Haaland is having a great time at Dortmund but there’s a nagging feeling that he has outgrown the club, especially after their drop into the Europa League last Tuesday.

He has already more than paid back his £17 million transfer fee, with 71 goals from 70 total appearances. But the club doesn’t seem big enough for his – and his agent’s – ambitions.

We have been thinking for two years, claims Raiola

Raiola has decided to use his recent media rounds to alert Dortmund to their clause and prepare them for the inevitable.

“We have been thinking for two years. We have clear ideas of where Haaland should go. We are not influenced by the market,” he said to the media.

“We can influence [things] with a player like Haaland. It’s really a second game parallel to football… two days of matches and five of rumours.

“He will take the next step. Bayern, Real, Barca, City — these are the big clubs he can go to. When? Maybe this summer, maybe next. But there is a big chance he‘ll leave this summer.”

Juventus have to grit their teeth, manager Allegri says

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri was unhappy with his side’s performance against Venezia on Saturday and feels that they “threw away two points” against the Venetian side.

He also claimed his side “don’t realise when to play ugly” and says it’s been a recurring theme for them this season.

The Bianconeri missed Federico Chiesa, Dejan Kulusevski, Weston McKennie, Danilo and Aaron Ramsey due to injury. Arthur was dropped from the squad as a disciplinary measure after turning up late to training the day before the game.

The Old Lady couldn’t muster enough vim upfront and played out a drab 1-1 draw with Venezia, who were more than happy to take the draw and point.

Paulo Dybala limped off the pitch 12 minutes into the game to cause more headaches for Max Allegri. His exit also dulled the attack as Juventus could not finish the few chances they created.

Speaking on the issue after the game, Allegri said: “We ran a risk and it went badly. He went off on Wednesday with a muscular issue, we hoped he was better now, but that was not the case.”

Dybala’s replacement, Kaio Jorge, missed a chance to get Juventus ahead, while Juan Cuadrado and Thomas Henry flashed wide of the post as well.

Morata eventually broke the deadlock, tapping in from a Luca Pellegrini low cross to beat Sergio Romero, who had produced a fine stop to deny the Spanish striker and Federico Bernardeschi earlier, in the Venezia goal.

Venezia would come out firing on all cylinders after the break to equalise and steal a point from the game as Juventus continued to play timid football.

After the game, Allegri was asked if a top four finish was still realistic for Juventus this season.

“We mustn’t think about that,” he said. “We threw away two points today, two points we should’ve brought home.”

Allegri displeased with the performance

The Italian manager went on to talk about the game in a critical way.

“It was a good first half, we created chances, but then had this 10-15-minute blackout before the Venezia goal,” Allegri began.

“The same thing happened in Salerno, we were lucky then not to concede as they hit the post, so it’s something we clearly need to work on.

“We were under pressure, couldn’t play the ball to feet anymore, so we should’ve had patience with one or two balls over the top to the strikers, take some of the pressure off and let the moment pass, but we didn’t do that.

“We had to attack the space, force them into fouls and more yellow cards, but we threw away two points against a good Venezia.

“At the start of the second half, we were sort of wandering about, giving the ball straight back. Sometimes we don’t realise the game is getting ‘ugly’ and we don’t read the moment. Once that moment passed, we started playing again and pinned Venezia back into their own half, but the damage was done.

“We have players without a great deal of experience, as it was practically Kaio Jorge’s first ‘start’ and others too. The whole team was a bit sluggish after the restart.

“We can’t seem to realise when it’s the time to play pretty and those 10-15 minutes we ought to play ugly, grit our teeth and push through.”

Arteta shuts down journalist questions on Aubameyang

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta left out club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from their win against Southampton on Saturday and confirmed just before the game kicked off that the decision was due to a disciplinary issue.

The Athletic reported that Aubameyang took a personal trip during the week with the permission of the squad but returned later than agreed.

A social media snap from the Gabonese striker showing him at a tattoo parlour in Barcelona later went viral. And when Arteta released his squad list, the rumour mills began operating at full capacity.

The striker did not train with the team on Friday before the game and Arteta let the journalists know that Aubameyang had to be dropped to discipline him.

“Unfortunately due to a disciplinary breach,” Arteta said in his presser on Friday, without explicitly spilling the beans on the matters.

“I think we have been very consistent that we have certain non-negotiables in the team that we have set ourselves as a club, and he’s not involved today.”

The Spaniard also noted that having the club captain not be available for important games like the one against Southampton was not the club’s intention.

“It’s not an easy situation and not a situation we want to have our club captain in,” Arteta added.

However, journalists kept pressing the former Everton midfielder on his decision to drop Aubameyang, who is the club’s second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League this season.

He refused to comment on the issue even when the report of Aubameyang returning from his trip late was brought up.

“Let’s talk about the game,” Arteta snaps at journalists

Arteta showed signs of irritation as journalists continued to press for more information on the Aubameyang situation.

“You’re not going to get anything else from me. Unfortunately it happened,” the 39-year-old manager said.

“I explained what happened and the reason he wasn’t involved and that’s where I’m going to stay on it.

“It was a disciplinary breach, and that’s why he was out of the squad.”

More questions arose about the possibility of Aubameyang losing the armband, but Arteta insisted that they talk about the game instead of Aubameyang.

“Let’s talk about the game. I tried to explain why it was, and I did it frankly. I’m not going to say anything else, I’m going to focus on the performance and the quality that was on the pitch,” he said.

It is not the first time Arsenal have had to enforce disciplinary measures on Aubameyang.

The 32-year-old was late to training the day before the North London derby and had to start the game on the bench. In February, he was also reprimanded by the club following a Covid-19 regulations breach.

Arteta keeping mum over Aubameyang transfer

Aubameyang also started the Everton game on the bench and was brought in for the last five minutes of the game, with Arteta preferring to bring in Eddie Nketiah earlier instead.

Rumours of the former Borussia Dortmund man’s exit from the Emirates have been in circulation for a while, and the Gunners boss was also asked ahead of the Southampton game if dropping Aubameyang was a sign of things to come.

“Really, we have never discussed something like this, and when players are under difficulty – or the team is under difficulty – what we have to be is supportive,” the Spanish manager said.

Arteta also added: “I have a very good relationship with my players. Everyone has to understand that I always do the best for this club and for this team.

“And often if that can benefit any individuals, I will always do it. The decisions are not personal, the decisions are just to get performance, and the best out of the team. That’s it.”

Florentino Perez calls West Ham offer for Eden Hazard ‘offensive’; throws bid out

West Ham United have made a £21 million bid for Real Madrid flop Eden Hazard and Los Blancos have thrown the bid out, terming it offensive.

Hazard joined Real Madrid from Chelsea after winning the 2018/19 Europa League title for £140 million in total as their most expensive signing ever.

However, injuries, illness and a serious drop in form has hampered Hazard’s time at Santiago Bernabeu that the club now have no option but to count and cut their losses on the Belgian.

Spanish outlet El Nacional reports that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who craved Hazard for so long, is now “fed up” with the 30-year-old and will welcome bids for the player.

Still, he was irked at the “cheeky” bid from West Ham, considering it too low and offensive for a player that was worth over £100 million two seasons ago.

The Belgium national team captain has only started 25 games of the 40 LaLiga games he has played for the club in his two-and-a-half seasons as a Real Madrid player. In total, he has played 55 times for Madrid in that time, scoring only five goals and providing only nine assists.

He has also failed to win over Carlo Ancelotti, who took over Los Blancos this season for the second time in his coaching career.

Despite being relatively injury-free this campaign, he has only started five times under the Italian — four in LaLiga and one in the UEFA Champions League — and is very far down the pecking order at the club, sometimes being benched for youngsters from Castilla.

Hazard will not leave Madrid for less than £48 million

El Nacional have reported that Perez is willing to listen to offers of £48 million and above for the Belgian, who he’s looking to offload as soon as possible to make space for some more marquee signings.

Real Madrid are also open to a loan move for Hazard in January to keep him fit and fresh as they prepare to offload him in the summer.

Hazard has not started a game for Real Madrid since September 28 and has not made an appearance for Los Merengues since November 6.

Ancelotti has preferred Vinícius Junior — who has been in brilliant form and is LaLiga’s second highest goalscorer this season — in attack on the left wing.

Marco Asensio has also recovered his lost form and is also staking a claim alongside Rodrygo Goes and the versatile Lucas Vazquez, pushing Hazard even further down the pecking order.

Various Premier League clubs including his former club Chelsea and Saudi-owned Newcastle United have reportedly been alerted to this possibility of taking Hazard on loan.

However, more reports from another Spanish outlet, COPE, claim that Hazard is not only happy at Real Madrid, but is not willing to leave any time soon as he and his wife prepare for the arrival of their fifth child.

Real Madrid receive Erling Haaland boost

One of the marquee signings Florentino Perez is looking to finance with Hazard’s departure from the Santiago Bernabeu is Erling Haaland.

The club has now received a boost in their pursuit of the young striker as Mino Raiola, Haaland’s agent, has come out to state that the club is a possible destination for his client who he claims will most likely be leaving Dortmund next summer.

“Erling can and will take the next step,” said Raiola. “Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, City — these are the big clubs he can go to.

“We will tell Dortmund what our idea is and they will tell us their ideas.

“But no decision will be made in the winter. We always have very open communication with Dortmund.”

Chelsea line up injured Leicester City man as Antonio Rudiger replacement

Chelsea have gone ahead to begin the search for Antonio Rudiger’s replacement as the contract standoff between the club and the player nears no end, and have settled upon Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana.

GOAL reports that the injured Leicester defender is the Blues’ major target in the coming summer transfer window as they prepare for Antonio Rudiger’s possible exit from the club.

The UEFA Champions League title holders have already been shopping for defenders and just missed out on Sevilla’s Jules Kounde before last summer’s window closed, thanks to some market shrewdness from Sevilla’s director of football, Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo (Monchi).

Trevoh Chalobah was given a chance instead to cover up for Chelsea’s defensive deficiencies after the deal for Kounde collapsed. The 22-year-old defender was officially promoted to the Blues’ first team in 2018 but has spent all that time away on loan.

This season, Chalobah has repaid Chelsea’s trust in him handsomely, but the club is still facing the prospect of losing three defenders at the end of the season.

Along with Antonio Rudiger, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Danish centre-back Andreas Christensen all have expiring contracts and are yet to reach any agreement over new deals with the club.

Rudiger’s case seems to be settled, as the Blues have reportedly resigned to losing the player in the summer and are making plans to move for Fofana as his replacement.

Fofana to cost the blues a handsome fee

Wesley Fofana joined Leicester City on a five-year deal from Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 during the summer window of the 2020/21 season for £36.5 million.

The 20-year-old centre-back impressed in his debut season, being a key part of the club’s FA Cup winning squad, the first in the Foxes’ history.

The France U-21 was expected to be a key part of the Foxes season but an injury to his fibula and ankle ligament, which required surgery to repair, in pre-season took him out of the Foxes’ plans for the rest of 2021.

Yet, Fofana continues to attract suitors, with Chelsea being the latest following their Rudiger situation.

Leicester City is expected to request a very handsome fee for the young Frenchman who still has three years left of his Leicester City contract.

Chelsea may have the capability to match Leicester’s demands but may not be willing to pay for a defender who only has one full Premier League season under his belt.

Chelsea offered De Ligt by Juventus

Reports have also claimed that Juventus have approached Chelsea to offer them their £280,000-per-week Dutch youngster, Matthias De Ligt.

GOAL reports that the Serie A giants have made this offer in a bid to cut down their astronomical wage bill.

The former Golden Boy award winner is reportedly happy at Juventus but his agent Mino Raiola has opened the door to his exit.

“De Ligt could leave Juventus at the end of the season,” Raiola said to journalists at the beginning of the season.

“This is how the market works, there are many clubs who are interested in his services.”

It looks to be a good deal for the West London side who have Rudiger and other defenders to worry about. However, the Netherlands youngster’s release clause of £125million may be too much for Chelsea to consider.

Thomas Tuchel, however, hopes that the club can keep Rudiger as he considers him a key part of his team. 

Azpilicueta to Barcelona closer than ever as Catalans emerge clear favourites for defender’s signature

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is ready to call time on his 10-year Stamford Bridge career and move back home to Spain to play for Barcelona, according to latest reports.

The rumours have been making the rounds for most of the season but the latest iteration of events now explicitly claim that Barcelona will most likely sign the 32-year-old defender on a free transfer next summer.

Azpilicueta arrived in England in 2012 for just £6.5 million as a right-back but found and cemented his place in the Chelsea squad as a left-back.

He has been a key part of the Blues’ squad since then, playing a total of 448 games across all competitions for the Blues, and being only the fourth Chelsea player to hit 300 Premier League appearances.

He has won two Premier League titles, two Europa League titles, three FA Cup titles, the EFL Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup in his time at the Bridge, and all that looks to be over now.

ESPN now reports that Barcelona are leading the race for his signature as the defender looks at a return back to his homeland to wind down the remaining years of his career. Atlético de Madrid are also understood to be interested.

Talks between player and club a key reason for current situation

Chelsea have had it bad with contract talks this season as their four main defensive options all have expiring contracts in the summer. Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all have contracts expiring in June.

There is still time for the club to sort out these contracts but as is the case with all the others, talks between Azpilicueta and Chelsea remain “active” but no progress seems to be made.

The reported reason for the lack of progress between Azpilicueta’s entourage and Chelsea in their contract talks is the defender’s preferred contract extension length alongside a guarantee for more game time with the Blues.

The defender remains a key part of Chelsea’s set up, is loved by manager Thomas Tuchel, the dressing room and the fans, but has seen his spot in the starting line-up usurped by Reece James.

He has also lost his place in Tuchel’s preferred back-three formation to Andreas Christensen, and the lack of game time is giving the defender cause for worry as he prepares to represent Spain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Although preferring to stay at the club, the 32-year-old is still believed to be keen on taking on a fresh challenge at this stage of his career and his entourage is currently exploring offers which he will be free to scrutinise in the January transfer window

The defender will cost Barcelona a lot less than their preferred first choice left-back, Valencia captain Jose Luis Gaya. His experience in European competitions will also come in handy as the Catalans seek to return to being European royalty in the coming seasons.

New transfer target emerges for Chelsea

Elsewhere, AC Milan’s Franck Kessie has emerged as a new transfer target for Chelsea.

The Serie A club recently threw their hat in the ring for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen who could be leaving Chelsea this summer as they seek to reinforce their shaky defence following the long-term injury to key centreback, Simon Kjaer.

AC Milan have already taken Fikayo Tomori off Chelsea’s hands and both clubs have a cordial relationship. Chelsea now look to be targeting wantaway midfielder Kessie to shore up their midfield.

Chelsea want to use the relationship with AC Milan as well as their interest in Rudiger and Christensen to pull off the deal.

Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira finds a home in Italy; clubs come to understanding on midfielder’s future

Arsenal’s forgotten man, Lucas Torreira, is now an important part of Fiorentina and reports now suggest that both clubs will be meeting in the coming weeks to make the Uruguayan’s loan move permanent.

Fiorentina snapped up Lucas Torreira on loan from Arsenal in the summer after the diminutive midfielder spent last season on loan at Atlético de Madrid where he won the LaLiga title.

The 25-year-old has only missed four of 17 Serie A games for La Viola this season due to technical decisions but has been immense for the Serie A club in the 13 games he has played so far.

According to Il Corriere Fiorentino, Fiorentina have now decided to make the loan move for the former Sampdoria midfielder – which was agreed with an option to buy clause inserted – a permanent one.

The deal will cost La Viola €15 million to execute, with the club’s hierarchy moving to begin talks immediately thanks to a push from manager Vincenzo Italiano.

Made for the Serie A

Arsenal signed the diminutive midfielder from Sampdoria in July 2018 for an undisclosed fee after the midfielder impressed with Sampdoria.

Unai Emery, Arsenal’s manager at the time, fielded the 25-year-old quite often and he impressed the Premier League, even drawing comparisons with N’Golo Kante.

He looked destined for big things but Mikel Arteta’s appointment following Emery’s sack saw his stock drop considerably until he became surplus to requirements at Arsenal.

The club used him as a bargaining chip to bring Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey from Atlético de Madrid to the Emirates last season, but the Uruguayan only played a handful of games at the Wanda Metropolitano.

He left the Spanish club a league champion but was still considered surplus to requirements at Arsenal, until Fiorentina offered him the option to recalibrate his career.

Torreira, who has spent the most part of his career in Italy since leaving Uruguay at 16 years old, is back to his best and the Gunners are happy to cash in on the player.

The €15 million deal will be a loss for the Gunners who were rumoured to have spent in excess of €30 million to snap up the midfielder from Sampdoria, however.

Relationship between Fiorentina and Lucas excellent, says Torreira’s father

Riccardo Torreira, Lucas Torreira’s father, has dropped the biggest hint on the midfielder’s move back to Serie A with Fiorentina.

Riccardo spoke on the matter in an interview with Radio Bruno where he stated that the relationship between the midfielder and the Serie A side is “excellent”.

“We are not surprised by his form at Fiorentina because he is a boy who likes to play,” Riccardo told Radio Bruno.

“Although in some clubs he did not have minutes, this depends on the manager. Not all managers are the same. 

“In the past, others have given him the opportunity to prove that he is an excellent player. That’s why he plays in Italy right now.  

“He is very happy. He lives in a beautiful house, lives in the city.  

“I want him to be happy in everything he does. If Fiorentina wants to buy him, it will be up to Lucas to decide.

“We support him in every decision he makes. It will always depend on the affection of the people, on his performances, on the opportunities that will be granted to him. 

“I repeat: it depends on the relationship between Fiorentina and Lucas, which at the moment is excellent.” 

Welsh international reaches agreement to leave Juventus in January

Aaron Ramsey and Juventus have reached an agreement for the 30-year-old to seek a new club in January without terminating his contract according to reports.

Ramsey has found life tough in Turin due to injuries and adaptation problems since joining on a free transfer from Arsenal for a reported £400,000-a-week contract.

The Wales midfielder has only started 25 league games of the 49 appearances he has amassed for Juventus in his two years at the club and has played a total of 70 games, scoring only six goals for the Bianconeri.

There were rumours In the media about Juventus planning to terminate the 30-year-old’s contract but a meeting between Ramsey’s agent and the club’s management have proved them to be false, according to Italian journalist Giovanni Albanese.

Numerous clubs are reportedly interested in Ramsey, including Everton and Newcastle United from the Premier League where Ramsey would prefer a return to.

Juventus is keen to offload the former Gunners man for the right price or on loan provided the loaning club can cover his salary demands.

Juventus unlucky with Ramsey, says Nedved

Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved has admitted that the club and Ramsey are a bad fit for each other in an honest assessment of the midfielder’s situation to Italian media outlet Infinity+.

Ramsey has not lost his touch however, as he continues to deliver for the Welsh national team whenever he’s called up. He remains a key member of Ryan Giggs’ squad and one of the first names on the Welsh team sheet.

In October, the 30-year-old hinted at this fact. In an interview with local media during an international break, Ramsey claimed that Juventus don’t know how to use him.

He said: “The training philosophy and methods are different in my club from here [Wales].

“There are a lot of people here who have a number of years of managing me. So they know how to get the best out of me and allow me to play a lot of games in a row, like I showed in the Euros.

“I’m capable of doing that and producing good performances. I’m feeling good, ready to go.”

Nedved admitted that this is the case following the latest meeting which decided Ramsey’s fate with Juventus.

“‘Ramsey is an unlucky lad,” Nedved said. “In the national team he scores goals and puts up good performances, but he fails to do so with us.

“He is unlucky with us, we are unlucky with him, because we are unable to make him play.”

Everton in pole position to sign Ramsey in January

Reports claim that both Newcastle United and Everton are front runners for Aaron Ramsey, but that Everton already have a seat at the midfielder’s negotiation table.

Calciomercato reports that the Toffees hijacked the seat from the Magpies who were leading the race for Ramsey’s signature, and have begun talks with the 30-year-old’s agent ahead of a January move.

And Daily Star reports that Everton boss, Rafa Benitez, whose job is on the line following a slow start to the season, is the one pushing for the deal to happen.

The Welshman is currently out due to another injury. However, it makes no difference as he’s at the bottom of the pecking order in Juventus – which is not a great look for the midfielder considering the poor showings of Juventus’ other midfielders this season.

Brendan Rodgers admits to not knowing about the European Conference League as Leicester City crash out of the Europa League

Leicester City lost the opportunity to progress from their 2021/22 UEFA Europa League group with a loss to Napoli on Thursday night, sending them down into the European Conference League.

Leicester matched their hosts’ high intensity in a high-tempo first half which ended 2-2 but failed to take their chances in the second half.

Napoli’s Eljif Elmas punished Leicester’s poor finishing in the 53rd minute to clinch the second place spot for the Parthenopeans at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and send Leicester to the Conference League.

The Foxes manager, Brendan Rodgers, has now come out to say that he knows nothing of Leicester’s new tournament in a statement to journalists after the game.

“I have to be honest – I don’t even know what the competition is in all fairness,” Rodgers said. “I was focused on the Europa League and winning this group.

“At the very least, finishing second, so with all due respect to the competition, I’m not sure what it is. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.”

Leicester City, however, could be out of European competitions this season altogether as new UEFA rules require teams that drop to lower competitions to take part in a playoff.

A bad night for Leicester’s travelling fans

Leicester City’s traveling fans will feel hard done-by after their club’s poor showing against Napooi on Thursday night.

The 600 and some Foxes supporters who made the trip to Naples were first misdirected by the police escort assigned to them, which made them miss the first 25 minutes of the match at which point their club were two-nil down.

Then they witnessed the fight back late in the second half which gave them renewed hope, which was dashed by Eljif Elmas’ second goal of the night and poor finishing from their club’s forwards.

Prior to the match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday night, the group was wide open with all teams competing for the first and second places in the group.

Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers took full responsibility for the situation. “I think there’s a lot of naivety in our team and we’ve got a lot of young players,” Rodgers started.

“There’s been a bigger demand from them this season, and we’ve played a number of different systems and shapes. Individually it then comes down to having that mentality to track our runner or to stop a cross.

“That can be in whatever shape it is, but it’s my responsibility to find that solution. Tonight, we were good offensively but we were nowhere good enough defensively. I said to the players [at half-time] if we could just tighten up the gaps, and do the dirty side of the game.

“We’ve got to do more to block the shot for their first goal from their first attack. We needed to be more aggressive, the second goal we jump at the wrong time and that opens up the space and for the third goal, you’ve got to track the runner and stop the cross. These are the basics of the game we aren’t doing so well.”