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Fechando a 32ª rodada do Brasileirão, o lanterna América-MG joga suas últimas fichas dentro de casa para tentar o milagre da permanência na primeira divisão. Mas o desfio não será nada fácil. O adversário da vez será o Atlético-PR, concorrente a uma das seis vagas que levam à Libertadores de 2017. O duelo será às 20h desta segunda-feira, no Independência.

Garoto de 18 anos é a esperança do Coelho

Apesar da campanha ruim do América, o meia-atacante Osman é um dos poucos destaques positivos do time mineiro. Mas as dores no joelho direito tiraram o jogador desta partida. Com isso, caberá ao jovem Matheusinho, grande promessa do clube, comandar o Coelho em busca de uma vitória.

– Estou tranquilo. O Enderson ajuda todos os jogadores e está tentando resolver. Ele está procurando a melhor opção para nossa equipe, que está precisando de muitos resultados. O professor dá oportunidade para vários jogadores e cada um que entrar, vai entrar bem, focado e dando o seu máximo para ajudar o América – falou o garoto.

Furacão com discurso de respeito

Com 48 pontos, o Atlético-PR está diretamente envolvido na briga por uma vaga no G-6. Por isso, sair de Belo Horizonte sem uma vitória está descartado. Mas o discurso para a partida é de muito respeito ao América. Até porque, se depender do histórico em Minas, o retrospecto do Atlético não é lá tão bom. Em quatro jogos com o mando de campo mineiro pelo Brasileirão, o Furacão não venceu nenhuma.

– Será uma partida extremamente importante. Sabemos que não será um jogo fácil. Apesar da posição deles, sempre fazem boas apresentações em casa. Então temos que propor o nosso jogo, para não sofrermos. Se fizemos o que estamos fazendo em casa, temos chances de vencer – disse o atacante Pablo.

AMÉRICA-MG x ATLÉTICO-PR

Motivo: 32ª rodada, Brasileirão 2016
Data/Hora: 24/10/2016
Local: Independência, em Belo Horizonte (MG)
Árbitro: Luiz Flavio de Oliveira (SP)
Assistentes: Rodrigo Henrique Correa (RJ) e Miguel Cataneo Ribeiro (SP)

AMÉRICA-MG: João Ricardo; Jonas, Éder Lima, Messias e Danilo (Bruno Teles); Juninho, Leandro Guerreiro, Ernandes e Tony; Matheusinho e Nixon. Técnico: Enderson Moreira.

ATLÉTICO-PR: Weverton; Léo, Paulo André (Wanderson), Thiago Heleno e Renan Lodi; Otávio e Matheus Rossetto; Hernani, Lucho González e Lucas Fernandes; Pablo. Técnico: Paulo Autuori.

Celtic’s hunt for a new manager has rather summed up how the season has played out for the Bhoys at Parkhead.

It has been a messy affair, a saga that’s drawn out more questions than answers as the Hoops are dealt repeated setbacks.

What’s the word?

Celtic were thought to be in advanced discussions to bring Eddie Howe to the club a week ago.

However, over the last few days, it’s become increasingly likely that he won’t be arriving at Parkhead.

The reason why is unclear but a source close to the Hoops hierarchy revealed all over the course of the weekend.

Telling journalist and author Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, a source said: “Can’t be coming. Heard today that he wants to bring the kitchen sink with him – up to 5 backroom staff – and Celtic have dug their heels in and said no.”

This was after another source suggested that Howe had sought assurances from Dermot Desmond that he’d be able to bring his own staff with him to Parkhead.

Not good news

There have been a number of issues plaguing Celtic’s pursuit of the 43-year-old but until now, we hadn’t really been given a definitive ‘no.’

Thus, the dreaded three-word message; “Can’t be coming,” is unlikely to be too pleasing for Hoops supporters.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

The last thing they needed after a rather dreadful season was yet more toxicity and another tired saga.

The idea of Neil Lennon departing Celtic came about in the early months of the season but he didn’t actually leave his role until February. Even then, it wasn’t the Bhoys hierarchy that sacked him, the Northern Irishman simply stepped down himself.

Desmond, however, is unlikely to get a swift resolution here. He already knows that Howe doesn’t want to return to management until the summer and with backroom issues swamping him, he’d be better off seeking alternatives.

He does have one in the form of Lucien Favre but his future also remains unclear after being linked with Saudi club Al-Hilal.

The club’s majority shareholder, therefore, will need to act decisively. This is arguably the worst news he will have received yet.

Fortunately, it shouldn’t be a surprise given the events that have played out in recent days. Howe wants to bring Richard Hughes with him instead of Fergal Harkin, a man who was 90% through the door according to reports.

The former Cherries boss isn’t even at Celtic yet but he’s already causing difficulties for the club.

AND in other news, Celtic hero sees value soar by 257% after leaving, Rodgers called him a “big talent”…

After pulling off an impressive comeback victory over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, Arsenal return to Europa League action when they take on Olympiacos.

Mikel Arteta’s side secured bragging rights in the north London derby thanks to goals from Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette, and appear to have picked up a bit of momentum at a crucial time in the season.

And, with a 3-1 advantage to their name against Olympiacos, the Gunners look all set to progress into the next round of the competition, as they host the Greek giants at the Emirates tonight.

With West Ham on the horizon at the weekend, Arteta may consider freshening things up for Thursday’s game given their lead from the first leg, but it should remain a strong starting line-up.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up.

In goal, Bernd Leno will be hoping to fare better than he did in the first leg, where he played a huge part in the Gunners’ awful defensive gaffe for Olympiacos’ goal.

The defence could see one key change with Hector Bellerin coming in for Cedric, with Arteta potentially looking to rest the Portuguese man ahead of the clash against the Hammers on Sunday.

In midfield, the £200k-a-week earning Thomas Partey may find himself back on the bench after starting the past few games for the north London side – Mohamed Elneny is surely pushing for a recall, especially after his long-range screamer over in Greece.

Further forward, Nicolas Pepe has also made a good case to start, after coming on at half-time for the injured Bukayo Saka and playing the pass leading up to Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty.

And up front, Arteta may give Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the opportunity to make amends for his mistake at the weekend, which saw him dropped from the starting line-up against Spurs.

In total, the Arsenal boss could make five changes from the starting line-up against Spurs with Willian also coming in for the rested Emile Smith Rowe.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney; Elneny, Xhaka; Pepe, Odegaard, Willian; Aubameyang.

Rangers are reportedly considering a summer move for IF Elfsborg centre-back Joseph Okumu as they eye up potential replacements for Filip Helander in Steven Gerrard’s squad, with the Swedish international having been linked with a move away from Ibrox in recent weeks.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Light Blues have made preliminary enquiries for the 23-year-old defender, as they prepare for the possibility of both Helander and Edmundson leaving this summer.

Helander has played a key role in Rangers’ title success this season and has earned admirers from the Premier League as a result, with both Leicester City and Aston Villa said to be keen on the former Bologna man.

Would he be a good signing?

After spending time in his home country Kenya, Okumu has had spells in South Africa and the USA before finding his feet in Sweden with Elfsborg.

Since then, he has made 34 appearances for the Allsvenskan side, in which he has contributed no goals and one assist.

The Kenyan international clearly had an impressive impact last season, as Elfsborg lost just two league games when he featured, which helped them to a second-place finish in the 2020 league table.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

When Okumu made the move to South Africa earlier in his career, a source at the club praised Okumu as one of the best signings the club made that year and praised the defender, saying:

“He spent few days with us training with us and did well to impress the coach. He is a young, talented boy destined for a great future in football.”

The 23-year-old could help realise that potential should he make the move to Rangers in the summer, although with the report suggesting that there has already been a £2 million bid for the youngster, it seems that he won’t come cheap this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

However, the 6 foot 3 defender could well prove to be an excellent replacement for Filip Helander, so Ross Wilson and Gerrard should definitely look at bringing him to Ibrox ahead of next season.

And, in other news… Rangers could make huge summer profit on gem dubbed “the steal of the century”

Carlo Ancelotti has dropped a triple injury blow for Everton ahead of their away trip to West Brom in the Premier League on Thursday evening.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, the Italian boss confirmed that Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin are still all out injured and therefore will not take any part in the fixture.

Ancelotti also revealed that Tom Davies, James Rodriguez, Seamus Coleman and Robin Olsen all need to be assessed, which may leave the Goodison Park faithful a bit short in terms of squad depth if they are all unable to play.

Everton may be a little short against West Brom

The loss of Mina especially will be a big blow to the Merseyside club given his six-foot-four frame, which would be useful up against Sam Allardyce’s team – the Baggies will surely look to capitalise on set pieces.

The former FC Barcelona man has put in some very impressive displays for the Blues in the centre of the defence, as he has won no fewer than 4.7 of his duels per appearance in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 season, in addition to averaging 4.5 clearances, 1.1 interceptions and one tackle a game (Sofascore).

In the case of both Delph and Gbamin, it is a case of whether Toffees fans will be able to see them on the pitch again given their horrendous injury records, and with both Davies and Rodriguez potentially out as well, EFC may find themselves a little short in terms of options in the heart of the midfield come the trip to the Hawthorns.

In other news, find out which Liverpool pundit’s analysis Everton fans have been agreeing with lately here!

With Rangers’ managing director Stewart Robinson recently stating that the club may be forced to sell some of its prized assets in the summer to boost their financial position, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Kai Kennedy are a handful of names that immediately spring to mind.

The latter of whom happens to be a highly talented teenager and with his contract set to expire in 2023, it’s understandable why the club might be tempted to cash in on the promising starlet.

Rangers youngster Kennedy, who was once dubbed a “fabulous little player” by Steven Gerrard, recently signed a new two-year contract that will keep him at his boyhood club for the foreseeable future. However, the 18-year-old has previously attracted interest from the likes of European giants Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Roma, as well as Premier League strugglers Sheffield United.

But all that talk will have to wait for now, however, as he is continuing to make waves in the Championship with Raith Rovers after a short stint with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

The scorer of two goals and supplier of four assists this season, Kennedy has caught the eye with his flair for the theatrics, while he is proving to be a force to be reckoned with his combination of pace, physicality, athleticism and technique.

Don’t let his small stature deceive you – a return of three assists sees him rank sixth in the Championship this season, which shows that he is a real menace for the opposition.

Following the arrival of Scott Wright from Aberdeen, Kennedy could’ve been forgiven for feeling a little anxious about his long-term prospects.

But Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson’s recent comments show just how highly he is rated within the club.

“Kai consistently stated during all of our conversations that his ultimate ambition is to be a successful Rangers player and we are pleased we have a clear plan that allows him to move towards achieving the ambition he has held since joining our Academy as a young lad.

“He has progressed beyond our B Team and he needs to develop and influence strongly at first-team level now. We were pleased with his performances at Inverness and thank John Robertson for his work with Kai.

“For personal reasons, Kai wanted to be closer to his family during Covid times and we look forward to monitoring his contribution to Raith Rovers in their pursuit of promotion.”

Intuitive, quick and capable of bringing the ball out to put his side on the front foot, it looks like Kennedy has a bright future ahead of him. Whether he will be plying his trade at Ibrox next season remains to be seen, as he may end up leaving on loan, but whoever acquires his services will be delighted to get their hands on one of Scottish football’s hottest prospects.

AND in other news, Ianis Hagi stars in Rangers’ 1-0 win over St Johnstone…

Over the years, Daniel Levy has delivered a mixed bag of results when it comes to transfer dealings. Yes, he’s a tough and exceptional negotiator, but that has backfired more than once.

What was the word?

Indeed, Spurs should be absolutely ruining the decision to not pull the trigger on Bruno Fernandes, who has emerged as one of the Premier League’s best superstars since his move to Manchester United almost a year to the day.

The Portuguese playmaker revealed to the Red Devils’ official club podcast that he was close to signing for the north London outfit, he said:

“I was close to Tottenham. In the summer I was closer to Tottenham than Manchester. Sporting thought at that moment the proposal was not good enough, they thought they deserved more for a player like me. They wanted more money. I was not mad, I was sad.”

Fernandes went onto join Spurs’ top-flight rivals in an initial €55m (£48m) deal, which could eventually rise to €80m (£70m) in add-ons, a not too dissimilar amount paid for Giovani Lo Celso in the very same season (£55m).

One that got away?

Unfortunately for Levy, this is a fatal mistake, and one that has happened before.

The Hotspur faithful will remember the Jack Grealish saga well. In the summer of 2018, Spurs were inches away from securing a move for the impressive Villa star, but Levy’s reported attempts to secure him on the cheap cost them dearly as he remained in the Midlands.

Since then, he’s gotten promoted with the club and finished last season as one of the most creative players in the division – only Kevin De Bruyne (136) created more than Grealish’s 91 chances.

The 25-year-old has continued to deliver in that sense as he ranks first for key passes per game (3.7) in the Premier League, closely followed by Fernandes, who ranks third with three key passes per game, via WhoScored.

He’s played 49 times for United in all competitions since his arrival and has contributed towards a whopping 44 goals, meaning he’s providing 0.9 goals per game for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

It’s no wonder Fernandes has been lauded as everything from “devastating” to being a “game-changer.” He’s even been hailed as the best player in the Premier League by talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham.

Those are figures that none of Spurs’ current attacking midfielders can even sniff at – Lo Celso’s managed just 11 goal contributions in 56 appearances, while Tanguy Ndombele’s strike at the weekend took his tally to six goals and seven assists in 53 matches.

And in comparison to Fernandes’ three key passes per game, neither of the Lilywhites duo has averaged above 0.8 key passes per match themselves, per WhoScored.

If Levy wasn’t so stubborn over the cost of bringing Fernandes to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, then Jose Mourinho could have had one hell of a star on his hands.

Instead, the Spurs chairman has let their top-flight rivals run free with it and that has been one catastrophic blunder. According to CIES Football Observatory, his worth is estimated in the region of €200m (£175m) – not bad for an initial £55m.

This is a deal that Spurs could long regret as the evidence above shows he’s been far better than any of Mourinho’s current options and just like Grealish, Fernandes has gone onto make them suffer through his phenomenal displays.

AND in other news, Mourinho would be signing Holtby 2.0 in “magic” Premier League outcast…

David Moyes has confirmed he is loath to risk Michail Antonio against Everton when West Ham United visit Goodison Park on Friday night.

The Irons travel to Merseyside on New Year’s Day looking to claim a first win in five games after failing to secure all three points at Southampton in a goalless draw on Tuesday.

Everton are set to be boosted by the return of Richarlison to Carlo Ancelotti’s starting line-up as the Toffees look to move second in the Premier League table, while Moyes is facing a string of selection dilemmas after rotating his XI at St. Mary’s.

So, with changes on the cards for the visiting Hammers, here’s a potential line-up Moyes could favour on his latest return to Goodison Park…

Lukasz Fabianski kept his fifth clean sheet of the league campaign during Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with the Saints, and will be expected to join Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek in retaining their starting roles against Everton.

Craig Dawson impressed during his Hammers debut in place of Fabian Balbuena, but may miss out on successive appearances after the Paraguayan was purely rested alongside right-back Vladimir Coufal for the south coast trip with the Irons playing twice in 48 hours.

Andriy Yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini also featured against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints though are likely to be benched for the return of Jarrod Bowen and just a third Premier League start for Said Benrahma, who reportedly earns £23,000-a-week.

Moyes will find it hard to omit Benrahma after the Brentford loanee brought an immediate spark to West Ham’s efforts at St. Mary’s, where Antonio made his long-awaited return to action following niggling hamstring injuries as a late substitute.

Antonio will be assessed ahead of West Ham’s trip to Merseyside to assess his fitness in the chance the 30-year-old can start, but Moyes is keen to manage the centre-forward’s return to avoid aggravating the issue knowing the importance he brings to the side.

“I thought, even with the little bits when Michail came on [against Southampton], he made a bit of a difference. He gave us something, but I’m probably having to take him bit-by-bit,” Moyes said.

“We’re not sure how much we can get out of him and I’m loath to lose him to another injury. At the moment we’ve sort of muddled through, and we’ve just not been quite as fluent without him in the team.”

Sebastien Haller, who has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium, will likely start at Everton despite struggling against Southampton, having failed to score a fourth league goal in 15 appearances before being replaced by Antonio.

AND in other news, West Ham are considering offering a 6 ft 1 brute with a “terrific range of passing” a mid-season move to the London Stadium.

Writing for the Athletic, reliable Aston Villa source Gregg Evans has tipped the club to make a move for ex-West Bromwich Albion forward Salomon Rondon. Evans named Rondon as a target ‘worth consideration’ despite such a move seemingly going against the Villans’ recruitment policy.

Villa, who are reportedly targeting a back-up centre forward, could move for the likes of Joshua King next month as they aim to continue their impressive start to the season – with Rondon now being touted as a viable alternative to the Norwegian.

Villa tipped for Rondon swoop

In the detailed Athletic article, Evans outlined all of Villa’s would-be and could-be January transfer targets – with the journalist going on to explain that King was a most likely option.

Odsonne Edouard, while targeted by Villa, is a less realistic move at this moment in time – with Evans and the Athletic suggesting some alternatives who the club should move for.

Rondon, as well as Lille attacker Jonathon Bamba, appear to fit the bill – with the former possessing Premier League experience, having shone for both the Baggies and Newcastle United in past campaigns.

Currently at Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Professional, getting Rondon would apparently go against the club’s pattern of recruitment due to his age, but he could be worth breaking that philosophy according to Evans.

Transfer Tavern take

Whether it would be a loan or permanent deal, the 6 foot 3 ace would certainly add more strength in depth going forward for Dean Smith’s men – with talkSPORT pundit Jim White having waxed lyrical over the ‘unbelievable’ forward.

If he does make a move for the ‘priceless’ star, there is little arguing the swoop would reinforce Smith’s options heading into the second half of the season.

In other news: Aston Villa have suffered a blow in pursuit of this ‘tenacious’ playmaker, find out more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

O meia Hiroshi enxerga a sua ida para o Tupi-MG de um modo particular. Sem atuar desde o fim da primeira fase do Campeonato Carioca do último ano, quando entrou em campo com a camisa da Cabofriense diante do Bonsucesso, o jogador de 29 anos destaca a alegria de voltar a jogar justamente numa equipe em ascensão.

– Chego ao Tupi num momento ímpar da história do clube e também da minha carreira. Sei qual é a dimensão desse acesso à Série B, tanto para a torcida quanto para os dirigentes. Com certeza é algo que todos esperaram e lutaram muito para alcançar e agora que finalmente atingiram este objetivo, querem fazer bonito e se manter. Eu por minha vez volto a atuar após quase oito meses e quero fazer de 2016 um divisor de águas pra mim. Em função de não ter recebido uma proposta que me agradasse, preferi ficar o restante de 2015 sem jogar, mesmo sabendo do lado negativo dessa decisão. Finalmente me animei com um projeto e estou muito motivado para decolar junto com o clube desde já, no Campeonato Mineiro – falou o jogador.

Formado no Friburguense e com ótimas passagens pelo Resende, Hiroshi vê a estreia no Mineiro no próximo domingo diante do América, como uma ótima oportunidade de começar o ano obtendo um resultado que chame a atenção dos adversários e eleve assim, o respeito deles para com o clube de Juiz de Fora.

– Estrear no Independência contra o América, uma equipe que também encerrou a última temporada em alta após retornar para a Série A, é obviamente complicado. Entretanto, se vencermos ou jogarmos bem, largaremos com muita moral na competição, e faremos com que nos olhem com ainda mais respeito. Todos os times começam o ano ainda buscando alguns acertos táticos e um melhor entrosamento, mas sabemos que elem têm boa qualidade. Caso consigamos por em campo o que estamos fazendo nos treinamentos, poderemos complicar para eles sim – definiu.