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Jose Mourinho is keen to take Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz to Roma.

And, as to be expected, the latest transfer link has had a number of Villa fans talking on social media.

According to BBC Sport reporter Alistair Magowan, Roma are interested in signing Luiz.

The Italian side have had a bid rejected for Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, thought to be worth £12.9m. Luiz is name-checked in the report, with the 23-year-old currently holding a Transfermarkt valuation of £31.5m.

The Brazilian missed just five Premier League games under Dean Smith last season, taking his Villa Park appearance tally to 76.

Mourinho was in charge of Tottenham in a 2-0 win at Villa Park back in March, a game in which Luiz played the entirety.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Magowan’s claims regarding Roma and Luiz on Twitter. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many against Villa cashing in on the holding midfielder.

“Don’t even entertain this. If we lose Dougie, this will be one of those we look back on in a few years as he lifts the world cup as Captain of Brasil.”Credit: @IanJamsie”Would be silly to sell him”Credit: @JamesLIoyd”How about you back off”Credit: @SoldierFieldBlg”Straight no.. don’t let him go anywhere”Credit: @brazilianwizard”He’s a Brazilian international midfielder at a great age. Not a chance.”Credit: @_porsalin”don’t go near him.”Credit: @catrinedwards18

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops update on departing Villa man, find out more here. 

Queensland will host next Sunday’s ING Cup final after a brisk 97-run partnership between Martin Love and Clinton Perren set up a comfortable five-wicket victory over South Australia at the Adelaide Oval today.

AAP17-Feb-2002Queensland will host next Sunday’s ING Cup final after a brisk 97-run partnership between Martin Love and Clinton Perren set up a comfortable five-wicket victory over South Australia at the Adelaide Oval today.The Bulls will host New South Wales at the Gabba after today’s win in the last round robin match saw them overtake the Blues on the Cup table.Chasing 195 to win, the Bulls started well with an opening partnership of 41 inside nine overs between captain Jimmy Maher (37 from 39 balls) and Brendan Nash (nine).The Bulls then lost 3-15 in six overs to slump to 3-56 in the 15th over with the game in the balance.But Love and all-rounder Perren (57 from 83 balls), who also took 1-19 to be named man of the match, guided the Bulls out of danger with a well-pacedpartnership of 97 from 115 balls for the fourth wicket.Love was in excellent touch after his first innings 202 in the Pura Cup game against the Redbacks, which the Bulls won outright here yesterday.He made 64 from 79 balls, including six boundaries and one six, and was particularly severe off the back foot, pulling left-arm paceman Mark Harrity to the boundary several times.Love and Perren took the Bulls to 3-153 in the 34th over, needing just a further 42 runs at less than three per over, before SA all-rounder Bradley Young strucktwice in four balls to give the Redbacks some hope.Young caught and bowled Love, then trapped James Hopes lbw for a duck three balls later to make it 5-153.But Perren and Lee Carseldine were able to guide the Bulls to victory without any further trouble with an unbroken partnership of 42 from 42 balls to finish the match in style.Young’s wicket-taking efforts gave him a good all-round match after top-scoring with 56 from 58 balls in a dashing late order innings which helped the Redbacks to a competitive total.Young came in with the Redbacks struggling at 5-105 in the 32nd over, but guided the Redbacks to 8-194 in their 50 overs, hitting four boundaries and a six before being bowled by Hopes on the second last ball of the innings.Hopes was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Bulls, with 2-36 in nine overs.

As in all competitions in this early season, the rain has had its say in thefirst round of the Benson & Hedges matches

Andy Jalil01-May-2001As in all competitions in this early season, the rain has had its say in thefirst round of the Benson & Hedges matches. Only two-and-a quarter hoursplay was possible at The Oval where Middlesex put Surrey in to bat andmanaged to bowl 35 overs under the threat of rain for most of that time.Ian Ward, who was to remain unbeaten on 71 from 95 balls when theumpires decided to abandon play, got Surrey off to a fairly brisk start alongwith Mark Butcher. The two left-handers put on 46 before Butcher, attemptingto deflect, was held down the leg side by the wicket-keeper. That was in thelast of Simon Cook’s six overs which cost 26 runs.Mark Ramprakash, coming to the crease against his old county after playing that brilliant innings of 146 in the opening CricInfo Championship match, went for his strokes straight away. He turned Cook to square leg for four off only the second ball he faced.When Cook was replaced by Chad Keegan, Ramprakash picked up two moreboundaries, a leg glance and then a beautiful drive through extra cover before being beaten, as he played forward defensively, by the off-spin of Paul Weekeswho had come on to replace captain Angus Fraser.Meanwhile, Ward had reached his half-century from 68 balls, hittingfive boundaries as he looked for scoring opportunities throughout hisinnings. He added one boundary, which was the finest stroke of his innings, astylish square cut off Keegan, shortly before the enforced stoppage whichgave the two teams a point each. Surrey had reached 146 for two, with GrahamThorpe 23 not out.

Central Districts finished day two of this four-day Shell Trophy match with Canterbury in a very strong position at 383/5

Warwick Larkins18-Feb-2001Central Districts finished day two of this four-day Shell Trophy match with Canterbury in a very strong position at 383/5.The highlight of the day was the second first-class century of Central Districts opener David Kelly who scored a good workmanlike 138 not out which was the major factor in his side gaining the two points for a first innings lead.Central Districts are quite dominant and coach Dipak Patel told CricInfo he was extremely happy with his team’s performance today.Warmer than day one, the Canterbury attack never achieved very much on a good Horton Park batting pitch and some indifferent line and length at times let most of the Central Districts batsmen have some relatively free hits.Ben Smith, with 59 from 89 balls, Glen Sulzberger (72 from 100 balls) and Mark Douglas (55 from 71 balls), gave solid support to Kelly with all playing in a most attractive manner with boundaries of a high quality being seen by almost certainly the biggest crowd of the Shell Trophy season this summer.Central Districts should go on tomorrow to extend their lead significantly with David Kelly, after a night’s rest, seeking further batting honours.The weather forecast is good and the game is poised for some more very interesting and fluid cricket.

La Liga pundit Kevin Campbell has issued a glowing verdict regarding Leeds United’s pursuit of Huesca defender Javi Galán, as reported by Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Galan only behind Messi in 2020/21 completed dribbles

As Leeds United step up their summer recruitment drive, they have earmarked the 26-year-old left-back as an ideal addition, amidst the news that positional counterparts Ezgjan Alioski and Barry Douglas are set to depart Elland Road [Leeds Live].

Ever-present for La Liga minnows SD Huesca in 2020/21, the Spaniard made 37 appearances for his current employers, registering a solitary goal and two assists [Transfermarkt].

Astonishingly, Galán has completed more dribbles per game in La Liga than every player bar Lionel Messi; averaging 3.3 successful take-ons per outing this campaign [WhoScored].

In comparison, Raphinha, Leeds’ top dribbler, only managed around 1.9 dribbles per match this season [WhoScored]. Given how tidy the Brazilian is with the ball at his feet, that says an awful lot about Galán’s incredible skill.

The Latest: Campbell quick to endorse potential move

Quoted to cost the Whites just £3.5 million due to a release clause in Galán’s contract, Campbell was quick to support the prospect of the left-sider coming to ply his trade in the Premier League. In an interview with Football Insider, he stated:

“For that price, he is an absolute bargain.

“I have seen him play on numerous occasions and he is a decent player. I think he will do OK in the Premier League, I really do.”

The Verdict: Campbell is spot on

Given Galan’s incredible dribbling statistics, he is clearly a supremely talented player, so it is difficult to disagree with Campbell’s verdict.

Tailor-made for Marcelo Bielsa’s high-octane style of football, Galán’s ability to progress the ball at pace would act as an important outlet for the Yorkshire club if a long pass is not available to trigger a fast break.

Bargains are hard to find in modern day football, so Leeds United should look to seize this opportunity as they attempt to build on their commendable 9th place Premier League season [BBC].

In other news, Carlton Palmer believes Leeds United should target an international star.

يخوض الأهلي مباراة صعبة أمام المريخ السوداني، مساء اليوم الجمعة، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الأهلي والمريخ في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. إعلان التشكيلين

ويلعب الأهلي ضد المريخ على ملعب السلام، في إطار منافسات الجولة الخامسة من مرحلة المجموعات بالبطولة القارية.

الأهلي والمريخ يتواجدان في المجموعة الأولى، بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، مع الهلال السوداني وصن داونز الجنوب إفريقي.

ويتساوى الأهلي والمريخ في عدد النقاط بالمجموعة ولديهما 4 نقاط، ومعهما الهلال بنفس الرصيد بينما يتصدر صن داونز برصيد 10 نقاط.

طالع أيضًا.. تشكيل الأهلي أمام المريخ في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. موسيماني يجري تعديلين

وكان الأهلي قد فاز أمام المريخ في مباراة الجولة الأولى بنتيجة 3-2، والتي أقيمت أيضًا على ملعب استاد السلام. موعد مباراة الأهلي والمريخ اليوم في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

تنطلق أحداث مباراة الأهلي والمريخ مساء اليوم الجمعة في تمام الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 7 مساءً بتوقيت السعودية. القنوات الناقلة لـ مباراة الأهلي والمريخ في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

تذاع مباراة الأهلي والمريخ على قناة beIN Sports 3 hd، بالإضافة لقناة تايم سبورت الأرضية. معلق مباراة الأهلي والمريخ في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

أسندت قناة بي إن سبورت المباراة إلى المعلق التونسي عصام الشوالي.

يمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنا.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances, has claimed that people don’t realise how good and important Kalvin Phillips has been for Leeds United.

Phillips has been an ever-present when fit in Marcelo Bielsa’s side as he operates as the sole holding midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 formation which allows Leeds to get so many players forward.

The 25-year old has already got seven England caps and seems guaranteed to have a place in Gareth Southgate’s side for the European Championship’s this summer, potentially even being in the starting XI if Jordan Henderson fails to recover from his injury.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

Speaking on why Phillips is so important to Leeds and how a lot of people underestimate the work he does for the team, Lee exclusively told FFC:

“Yeah, I rate Kalvin Phillips very highly and I think he’s another player, like Declan Rice, who’s young but does that job which many people don’t realise is difficult to do.

“If you’ve got someone who can sit back, read the game well, break things up, pass it simply and is a good athlete then it helps the team because the other players can get forward and try to score goals, much like Leeds do as they fly forward.”

Leeds have struggled all season when Phillips has been injured and out of the nine games the midfielder has missed, Leeds have won just two.

The Whites have enjoyed an impressive first season back in the Premier League with fears of relegation quickly swept aside with Marcelo Bielsa’s attacking style of play.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer is adamant Daniel Levy will not pay the necessary money needed to make Julian Nagelsmann the next Tottenham manager.

Tottenham are searching for a new man for the dugout following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, and that search seems to have taken them to RB Leipzig boss Nagelsmann.

However, according to Goal, it will cost the north London club €30m (£26m) to get the 33-year-old out of his Leipzig contract.

It would be a world-record fee for a manager, a fee Palmer cannot see Levy and Tottenham paying.

When asked by FFC whether he could see Daniel Levy paying that sort of money for Nagelsmann, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday star said:

“In a word, no. They’ve made their decision; they’re not going to do anything until the summer. I think they sacked Jose because they were thinking about getting him out anyhow and what would have made it difficult for them to get him out is if he had won the cup.

“I don’t think anything’s going to happen before the summer.”

Tottenham, however, may not be able to wait until the summer, with Bayern Munich having already seemingly made their move for Nagelsmann.

Whatever the case, that £26m Leipzig are said to be demanding looks like it could be a sticking point for Spurs.

وصفت صحيفة جنوب إفريقية إنجازات المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، بيتسو موسيماني، على مدار العامين الماضيين بالفخر الوحيد الذي يمكنهم الاحتفال به في عالم الساحرة المستديرة آخر 20 عامًا.

وكتبت صحيفة “IOL” الجنوب إفريقية أنهم مازالوا يحتفلون ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا التي حققها صن داونز في عام 2016 على حساب الزمالك رغم أنهم يمتلكون واحدًا من أفضل الدوريات المحلية في القارة السماء، ولكن في النهاية، لم يفز باللقب القاري سوى فريقين أورلاندو بايريتس 1995 وصن داونز 2016.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أجاي ينضم إلى الدوري الليبي رسميًا

لم يتأهل منتخب جنوب إفريقيا إلى نهائيات كأس العالم منذ عام 2002 سوى عندما نظمت البطولة على أرضها في عام 2010، ولم تتأهل إلى الدور الثاني من المسابقة، كذلك لم يتأهلوا لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا في نفس العام والتي أقيمت في أنجولا وكذلك نسخ 2012 و2017 و2021، وكان أقصى إنجاز في بطولات 2013، 2015 و2019 هو الصعود مرتين إلى ربع النهائي.

هذا ما يؤكد معاناة الكرة في جنوب إفريقيا، ومواجهاتها الكثير من المشاكل الهيكلية، ولا أحد يوجه لهم اللوم بشأن هذا الفشل، ولم يحدث أي مدرب أي تغيير على مستوى كرة القدم.

ولكن وسط هذه الإخفاقات الدائمة في جنوب إفريقيا بلعبة كرة القدم، كان بيتسو موسيماني هو الشرارة المشرقة الوحيدة طوال تلك الفترة، فيما يتعلق بالعقول التكتيكية الجنوب إفريقية المشهور، فهو أفضل مدرب ظهر في البلاد، لقد أثبت ما يمكن أن تحققه كرة القدم في جنوب إفريقيا، فاز بخمسة ألقاب في الدوري الجنوب إفريقي خلال 8 سنوات مع صن داونز في الفترة من 2012 حتى 2020.

حصد صن داونز ثمار نظام واستمرار موسيماني لسنوات مع المدرب المساعد الحالي في الفريق، مانقوبا منجقيثي، لقد أصبحوا الآن أفضل من الناحية الإدارية والفنية من أي فريق آخر في الدوري.

وأكد التقرير أن البعض سيقول إن موسيماني قد حقق نجاحاته فقط لأنه درب صن داونز والذي يمتلك موارد مالية كبيرة في ظل وجود، باتريس موتسيبي، لكنه أظهر عبقريته التكتيكية قبل تلك الفترة مع سوبر سبورت يونايتد في الفترة من 2001 حتى 2007.

بعد الفوز بكل شيء مع صن داونز، انضم موسيماني إلى العملاق المصري، الأهلي، لقد قاد الفريق إلى لقبين متتاليين في دوري أبطال إفريقيا ولا يزال يعمل من أجل الحصول على لقب الدوري المصري.

ووصفت صحيفة “نيويورك تايمز” الأمريكية مدرب الأهلي بأنه أحد الأفضل في العالم وهو أمر قد يتردد معظم الشعب الجنوب إفريقي في الاعتراف به، لأنهم يعتقدون أن المدربين في جنوب إفريقيا ليسوا أفضل من الذين يأتون من أوروبا وأمريكا الجنوبية.

إذا استمر موسيماني في الأهلي رغم الضغوط والانتقادات التي يتعرض لها في مصر رغم نجاحاته سيكون أول مدرب يستمر في قيادة الفريق لأكثر من عامين منذ أن أنهى مانويل جوزيه فترته الثانية مع الفريق في عام 2009 والتي استمرت لأكثر من خمس سنوات.

Marcelo Bielsa reportedly has two concerns over Leeds United summer signing Robin Koch.

That’s according to a report from Football Insider, who claim they have been informed by a Whites source that Bielsa believes Koch ‘is too soft’ to thrive in the top flight.

The report adds that he ‘doesn’t like the aerial challenges’, which is thought to be a ‘major issue’ at Elland Road.

Koch, on £33,000-a-week in Yorkshire, has missed a large chunk of his first season with the Whites through injury and appears to have fallen behind Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk in the centre-back pecking order upon his return.

Transfer Tavern take

We all know that Bielsa doesn’t like to rush players back from long-term injuries. Koch has been involved in five matchday squads since returning from a knee problem, coming on as a substitute in three of those.

However, with Cooper, Llorente and Struijk all impressing in recent weeks, we feel it is just a case of Bielsa remaining loyal to those three.

Koch has actually averaged more aerial duels won per game than both Llorente and Struijk this season, as per WhoScored, so we’re not so sure on the reported concern in the air.

The German’s time to impress will come around again, and should he take his chance, these concerns could soon disappear.

In other news: David Ornstein reveals Leeds United man played key role in ESL collapse, find out more here.