Weeks do not come much bigger than this for Arsenal.

On Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s team return to action, following the international break, with a bang, hosting Tottenham in the North London derby.

Then, on Wednesday, the top two in this season’s Champions League will go head-to-head, with Bayern Munich and Arsenal both putting their 100% records in the competition on the line, before the Gunners face the small matter of another London derby against Chelsea next Sunday.

If the Premier League leaders are going to still be sitting pretty at the top in ten days time, Arteta will need his key figures to perform at their best, but is sporting director Andrea Berta already putting plans in place to sign a “monster” hybrid of two of Arsenal’s most pivotal players?

Arsenal targeting a midfield monster

Two of Arsenal’s most important signings in recent seasons have inarguably been Declan Rice and Mikel Merino.

The former has been transformational in midfield, potentially now the best in his position in the Premier League, while the Spaniard has been integral in a completely unforeseen way, excelling as the emergency makeshift striker even since he was thrust into the role off the bench at Leicester in February, poised to lead the line again against Spurs on Sunday.

Now, according to TEAMalk, the Gunners and Andrea Berta are targeting another midfield star, reporting that Arsenal are one of many Premier League clubs interested in signing Scott McTominay from Napoli.

They add that the Gunners are exploring a move for a star who is valued at €80m (around £70.5m), by the Partenopei, noting that it would take an ‘astronomical’ fee for them to sell the ‘linchpin’ in Antonio Conte’s team, while noting that the Scotland international would like to return to the Premier League one day.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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In history, only 15 men have ever made a senior appearance for both Arsenal and Manchester United, Robin van Persie, Alexis Sánchez, Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan among the recent high-profile examples, so could McTominay soon join this exclusive list?

What Scott McTominay would bring to Arsenal

McTominay was in the news this week by virtue of scoring this jaw-dropping overhead kick to help Scotland qualify for a first World Cup in 28 years, breaking the deadlock as his side beat Denmark 4-2 at Hampden in ultra-dramatic fashion; if you somehow haven’t seen this goal, it is well worth your time!

Well, if you think McTominay is popular in Scotland, he holds god-like status in Naples, having been the key figure in their Serie A triumph last season, clinching only the Ciucciarelli’s fourth Scudetto, named the league’s player of the season, with the statistics below underlining why.

McTominay Serie A stats 2024/25

Stats

McTominay

Serie A rank

Goals

12

7th

Headed goals

3

4th

Shots

76

11th

Shots on target

33

6th

Non pen goals – xG

+4.6

2nd

Goal-creating actions

10

26th

Successful take-ons

39

12th

Ground duels won

141

11th

Aerial duels won

67

25th

Ball recoveries

143

20th

Touches in box

106

20th

Average rating

7.27

8th

Stats via FBref and SofaScore

As the table documents, McTominay is the complete all-rounder, ranked highly for a wide variety of metrics.

He scored 12 goals from just 33 shots on target, thereby behind only Capocannoniere winner Mateo Retegui in terms of non-penalty goals – expected goals, including this strike on the final day against Cagliari to secure the Scudetto, a goal recently relegated to the second-best bicycle kick on his showreel.

As well as his goal-scoring exploits, McTominay ranked in the top 20 for successful take-ons, ground duels won and ball recoveries, further emphasising his all-action nature.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, his manager at Manchester United, labelled him a “physical monster”, while Adam Joseph described him as a “true superstar of European and world football”.

So, McTominay appears to have combined all the best attributes from both Merino and Rice.

Like Merino, the Scotsman has harnessed his goal-scoring instincts, as well as being excellent in the air, as underlined by the fact he scored three headers and won 67 aerial duels in Serie A last season.

Meantime, just like Rice, McTominay is an asset all across the pitch, able to cover a lot of ground and help win back possession when his team do not have the ball, while contributing driving dribbles and goal-scoring actions in the final third.

Thus, the World Cup-bound 28-year-old has flourished into one of the planet’s very best all-round midfield players, so would surely be an exceptional addition for Arsenal.

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Posts ByBen Gray Nov 20, 2025

Hours after recording a home run for the Boston Red Sox in their 2-0 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday, Rafael Devers was traded from the Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a package featuring pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks.

Devers was a homegrown star for the Red Sox, signing with the team as a free agent at the age of 16 in 2013 and spending his entire MLB career with Boston from 2017 until now. Just over two years ago, Devers and the Red Sox committed to each other long term by agreeing a 10-year, $313.5 million deal in 2023.

So what changed? Here's a timeline of the dispute that led to the Red Sox trading Devers to the Giants.

February

The strain between Devers and the Red Sox began earlier this year, when Boston signed Gold Glove winning third baseman Alex Bregman in February to a three-year, $120 million deal. Devers was the team's longtime third baseman, and not interested in a position change. When the signing was initially made, Devers was adamant that he would not play first base or be the team's designated hitter.

"Third base is my position. That's what I've played," Devers said through his translator in February. "I don't know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation. I made it clear what my desires were, and yeah, whatever happens from here, I don't know."

March

Devers ultimately agreed to move to designated hitter when the season began, and Bregman took over at third base.

May

The conflict re-emerged when the Red Sox tried moving Devers to first base in May following Triston Casas's season-ending injury. He strongly objected and expressed his frustration with Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow, who notably joined the team's office after Devers signed his massive extension.

"I just feel like it's not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position," Devers said in May. "It was the GM that I spoke with. I'm not sure what he has with me. He played ball and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn't easy."

Following those comments, Red Sox owner John Henry made a rare flight to Kansas City to speak with Devers about the situation, which remained unresolved.

June

Though Devers has remained one of the team's best hitters, Peter Abraham ofreported that the team was bothered by Devers not stepping up to help the team when needed, and didn't feel like he lived up to the "responsibilities" of his massive contract. This led to the Red Sox deciding to trade Devers to the Giants, who will take on the rest of Devers's remaining contract.

Pittsburgh Pirates ace starting pitcher Paul Skenes is no stranger to making baseball history.

This time though, Skenes some of the wrong kind of history, after yet another stellar start for the Pirates on Sunday failed to earn him a win. The 2024 National League Rookie of the Year pitched 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven while walking just one batter and allowing one unearned run in the Pirates' 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

You're probably thinking, the Pirates won, so what's the problem? Well, the problem is that the Pittsburgh lineup managed to scratch just one run across against Phillies lefthander Cristopher Sanchez, meaning that Skenes left the game in the top half of the eighth inning with the game tied; he did not factor into the decision.

On the season, Skenes now has a 1.88 ERA and 92 strikeouts, but an underwhelming 4-6 record to go along with it. There have been 90 instances of a pitcher having a sub-2.10 ERA and 80-plus strikeouts through the first 13 starts of a season in MLB history. Skenes is the only one with a losing record, according to OptaSTATS.

Given the many different metrics available now to evaluate pitchers in the age of analytics, wins and losses don't quite mean as much as they used to. But the fact that Skenes could allow, on average, less than two runs per start and not have a winning record boggles the mind. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in six straight starts. He earned the win in one of those outings and the Pirates are 3-3 in those games.

The Pirates have publicly said they won't trade Skenes, nor do they have plans to. But it's hard not to sometimes wish they would consider it, especially when the Pirates lineup's incompetence consistently lets Skenes down.

West Ham are now very eager to sell one surplus player at the earliest opportunity, alongside the likes of Niclas Füllkrug and James Ward-Prowse, who are both nailed on for the exit door.

Fullkrug and Ward-Prowse set to leave West Ham next month

The Hammers are bracing themselves for significant January departures, with both Fullkrug and Ward-Prowse appearing certain to leave the London Stadium when the transfer window reopens.

Fullkrug’s disastrous spell looks destined to conclude after barely 18 months, with the German international having managed just three goals across 29 appearances since his £27m arrival from Borussia Dortmund in August 2024 (GiveMeSport).

The 31-year-old striker has been given official permission to leave by West Ham, with his agency ROOF formally notified that he can seek a January move (Sky Sports Germany via Claret and Hugh).

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Fullkrug himself is keen to leave the club for pastures new with a decision already made, and Fabrizio Romano has backed up reports that the ex-Bundesliga star is poised for his final few weeks at the club.

Ward-Prowse has suffered an equally dramatic fall from grace under Nuno Espírito Santo, having been completely frozen out since the Portuguese manager’s September appointment.

The 30-year-old England international enjoyed an excellent debut season following his £30m transfer from Southampton in 2023, registering seven goals and eleven assists under David Moyes, but his form collapsed under subsequent managers Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.

Nuno and West Ham have already instructed the midfielder and his agents to seek new clubs in January, with both Everton and Southampton reportedly expressing interest.

Former manager Moyes wants to reunite with Ward-Prowse at Everton, according to ExWHUemployee, as both the midfielder and Fullkrug prepare to pack their bags and leave Rush Green next month.

There are other candidates for the exit door too, including Guido Rodriguez.

West Ham 'determined' to sell Rodriguez 'as soon as possible'

According to reports from Spain this week, West Ham are preparing to cut their losses on Rodriguez, with three La Liga clubs expressing interest in the struggling Argentine midfielder.

Rodriguez has endured a lacklustre spell since arriving at the London Stadium following his impressive performances at Real Betis.

The 31-year-old has managed just four appearances across all competitions this season, failing to establish himself under Nuno, and his lack of playing time has made a January departure increasingly inevitable.

The Hammers are actively facilitating his exit, with West Ham ‘determined’ to offload Rodriguez ‘as soon as possible’.

The World Cup winner needs to improve his chances of featuring in Argentina’s 2026 squad for the USA tournament, making a return to familiar territory in Spain particularly attractive.

Real Sociedad have emerged as serious contenders for his signature, with Girona also monitoring the situation closely after making an inquiry.

Villarreal are the third option, with Rodriguez viewed as an ideal addition to complement existing midfielders Dani Parejo and Santi Comesana.

West Ham face announcing record £100m losses in their December accounts, so Rodriguez’s departure would be very financially beneficial considering he’d count as pure profit in the eyes of PSR.

Leeds United are on a roll at the moment. Daniel Farke’s side have gone unbeaten in their last two games, beating Chelsea and drawing against Liverpool, with both games coming at Elland Road.

The game prior to playing the Blues, Manchester City only beat them due to a stoppage-time winner.

At the start of the gameweek, the Whites were out of the relegation zone. Now, a clash away to Brentford in the prime time slot on Sunday afternoon represents a chance for the West Yorkshire side to put even more distance between themselves and the drop zone.

Leeds will not have a full squad for their trip to West London to face the Bees, however.

Leeds’ team news vs. Brentford

Unfortunately for Farke, he has a few players missing for the game against Keith Andrews’ side. Someone who remains sidelined after picking up an injury in November is midfielder Sean Longstaff.

He is yet to recover from the calf injury he suffered against Aston Villa.

The Whites will also be without winger Daniel James. He suffered a long-term injury against Man City, with the hamstring tendon issue keeping him out for at least two months.

Leeds will be hoping to have him back sooner rather than later, but that layoff could be longer depending on whether he needs surgery.

The player who might have made it back for this game was Lukas Nmecha. However, Farke confirmed that the striker’s injury has “still not completely healed,” before going on to confirm that the German is “definitely out” against Brentford.

That is a huge blow for Leeds. Although he missed the game against Liverpool, Nmecha has been one of their most in-form players.

He’s bagged four goals in 14 Premier League games this season, a tally surpassed by no other Leeds player.

Despite these injuries in attack, there is a Leeds forward who Farke might well need to drop after a poor performance against Liverpool.

The Leeds star who Farke must axe

Despite managing such a brilliant result against Arne Slot’s side last weekend, there was one Leeds player in particular who struggled to make an impact.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

That was a rarity across the board, with Farke’s side generally impressing.

It was a really poor performance from Noah Okafor. The Swiss star was one of Leeds’ summer additions from AC Milan, but he has struggled to hit the ground running since moving to West Yorkshire.

25-year-old Okafor, who earns £72.5k per week at Elland Road and is one of the top earners, has only managed two goals for the club so far.

Those have come in 12 Premier League appearances, including the club’s 800th in the competition against Tottenham Hotspur.

Against Liverpool, Okafor put in a 5/10 performance and ‘didn’t add a huge amount’, according to Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post.

He did struggle to get into the game, having just 14 touches, completing five out of six passes and losing the ball five times.

Touches

14

Passes completed

5/6

Number of times ball lost

5

Duels won

2/6

Shots

2

Expected goals

0.13xG

It was certainly a disappointing performance from the Swiss attacker, who showed great promise in the first few days of his Leeds career, with content creator Alex Moneypenny even suggesting that he is “so close to exploding”.

Perhaps playing as a number nine alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin is not how to get the best out of him.

If Farke is to drop Okafor this weekend against Brentford, there are options to replace him despite the injury issues.

Wilfried Gnonto is the most likely one, with the Italian getting back to full fitness after a fitness issue himself. Jack Harrison could also slot into the team, although he might not thrive as a number nine, or Farke could even bring teenager Harry Gray into the fold.

Regardless, Leeds will want to keep this impressive, and crucial, run of form going.

Thus, Okafor may be rotated out of the side after a poor showing last weekend, with Farke choosing someone who can have more of an overall impact.

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ByKelan Sarson 3 days ago

Arsenal’s 18-game unbeaten run is over. In that time, they have defeated their arch-rivals 4-1, defeated one of the most in-form sides in Europe in the shape of Bayern Munich 3-1. They have also been to St James’ Park and to Stamford Bridge without losing.

It’s typical, therefore, that the man who Mikel Arteta succeeded, Unai Emery, brought it to an unsavoury end.

This game will always be Emery’s cup final and that showed on Saturday. The Gunners were far from their best. They looked tired, shaky at the back. A 2-1 loss occurred and after Manchester City won later in the day, the gap at the top of the table was narrowed to just two points.

How Emery got the better of Mikel Arteta

A week ago, Arsenal looked like the runaway leaders in the Premier League. They’ll definitely win the title, some cried. Well, how quickly things can change.

While Arteta’s side are still in the driver’s seat to win it next May, they will need to improve on their last two away games with Chelsea and Villa.

This match was classic Emery. He loves facing his former employers and despite amassing plenty of possession in the Midlands, Arsenal seemed powerless to stop the Villans.

While Arsenal were missing Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba due to injury, Villa’s swift transitions, counter-attacking football and their willingness to get runners in behind really made life difficult for Arteta’s side.

Ollie Watkins – who was once the subject of a bid from the Gunners – didn’t score but several times he was able to get in behind. Jurrien Timber, who was playing at centre-back, was made to look rather silly.

Watkins could well have scored the opening goal of the game when he got in behind Timber and Piero Hincapie, turning them inside out before forcing a strong save from David Raya.

The combination play between him and Morgan Rogers, as well as Youri Tielemans, posed a colossal threat. Between them, they made three key passes.

Usually an offensive line would be met with a brick wall in the shape of Saliba and Gabriel but Arsenal’s centre-backs were a shadow of what we’ve come to expect with Arteta’s usual centre-back pairing on the sidelines with injury again.

That said, it was a moment of pinball that led to the winning goal. Arsenal failed to clear their lines and despite throwing several bodies in the way, Emilio Buendia was the calmest man in the Midlands, firing the ball past Raya. Bedlam erupted inside the stadium.

Arsenal's summer signing costs them big time

The defensive line of Arsenal has undoubtedly been the best in the country this season. Before their clash with the Villans, the Gunners had shipped just seven goals in the top-flight. Make that nine now.

Any team in world football would miss players of the calibre of Saliba and Gabriel but the league leaders have found out in recent matches just how tricky life is when both of them are unavailable.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Cristian Mosquera was forced off with injury in the 2-0 win against Brentford in midweek which meant Arteta was forced to select Timber at centre-half at Villa Park. Smaller, not as physical, and keen to go to ground, he was no match for Watkins and Co.

Equally, Hincapie – who could sign permanently in a £45m deal – endured a topsy-turvy afternoon in what was just his fourth start in the Premier League. The Ecuador international is a physical beast but arguably lacks the same level of composure we’ve so often seen from Gabriel and Saliba in recent years.

He is, of course, new to the English game but his performance levels in the last two away fixtures have left something to be desired.

Against Chelsea last week, he and Mosquera looked rather unsettled and nervous. Fair enough, really, particularly when you consider they had only played together as a pairing once before.

Hincapie improved against Brentford and for the most part against Villa, he looked strong. Against a robust offensive unit, he won all three of his aerial duels, made a whopping seven clearances, six recoveries and won 50% of his ground duels.

This was not a bad performance until one mistake cost Arsenal the game. It was a moment you’d typically associate with the later days of Arsene Wenger’s reign, or even the Unai Emery era.

During those years, you’d associate Arsenal’s defenders with lapses in concentration and mistakes. Hincapie wasn’t riddled with errors on Saturday but his blunder deep into injury time cost Arsenal.

In the words of The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, he has been “pretty poor since Spurs” and while that may well feel harsh, the inability to clear his lines late on was certainly poor.

Mins played

90

90

Touches

66

68

Pass accuracy

94%

82%

Tackles won

3/3

1/3

Interceptions

2

1

Clearances

3

7

Recoveries

4

6

Duels won

4/8

6/9

GOAL’s Charles Watts handed the defender a 6/10 rating at full-time and called out his lack of awareness at the end. He had a chance to clear his lines, but instead ran the ball out of play. It was from the Villa throw-in that they ultimately scored the winner.

It felt insignificant when it happened but there was a lack of game awareness. It was like something out of the Emery era. Saliba and Gabriel wouldn’t do that. The dogged defence Arteta has created wouldn’t do that. It could subsequently cost him his place in the team against Brugge in midweek.

Perhaps it’s time to see what Riccardo Calafiori can do at centre-half with Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back?

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ByAngus Sinclair Dec 7, 2025

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy has quickly had his eyes opened to just how difficult the job can be after losing his first two matches in charge of the club.

The French tactician lost 2-1 to Hearts on Sunday and 3-0 to Roma on Thursday, both at Parkhead, and now has a League Cup final clash with St Mirren to prepare for on Sunday.

Whilst Nancy’s tactics or system can be criticised and blamed for the two results, fingers should also be pointed at the summer recruitment, as several signings have failed to deliver.

Ranking Celtic's worst summer signings

Celtic swooped to bring ten players in during the summer transfer window, as well as signing Kelechi Iheanacho the day after the window closed, in an attempt to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ side.

A few too many of those recruits, unfortunately, have not stepped up to deliver consistent quality on the pitch for the Hoops, or they have not been deemed good enough to be given many chances to impress.

Hayato Inamura and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, for example, have both made one appearance in the Scottish Premiership this season, per WhoScored, since their respective moves to Parkhead.

Ranking Celtic’s 5 worst summer signings
Rank	Player
1	Michel-Ange Balikwisha
2	Sebastian Tounekti
3	Hayato Inamura
4	Shin Yamada
5	Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

As you can see in the table above, Sebastian Tounekti also ranks among the club’s worst summer signings, because he has only delivered two goals in 19 appearances, per Sofascore, since his £5.2m move from Hammarby.

We have ranked Michel-Ange Balikwisha, though, as the club’s worst signing, as he currently looks like Celtic’s worst piece of business since they signed Vasilios Barkas.

Why Balikwisha is Celtic's worst signing since Barkas

Celtic reportedly paid £4.5m to sign Barkas from AEK Athens in 2020, and he only made 24 appearances in three years before being released on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

The Greek international was never able to establish himself as the number one, with just 15 league appearances in his first season, despite being the most expensive goalkeeper signing in the club’s history, per Transfermarkt.

Since Celtic paid £4.5m to sign Barkas in the summer of 2020, the Hoops have spent more than £5m on six players. Per Transfermarkt, Tounekti, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Adam Idah, Jota, and Arne Engels have all been signed for £5m or more since that summer.

Carter-Vickers and Jota are key players when fit. Trusty, Tounekti, and Engels have started both games under Nancy, and Idah scored 20 goals in all competitions last season before his move to Swansea.

Balikwisha, however, was signed for £5m from Royal Antwerp, costing slightly less than those six but more than Barkas, and has been a huge flop at Parkhead.

Balikwisha in Celtic’s last 10 games
Opposition	Minutes
Roma	13
Hearts	0
Dundee	0
Hibernian	0
Feyenoord	0
St Mirren	0
Kilmarnock	0
Midtjylland	15
Rangers	10
Falkirk	29
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the DR Congo international has been an unused substitute in six of the club’s last ten matches in all competitions.

This season, per Transfermarkt, Balikwisha has made 13 appearances and been an unused substitute on seven occasions for the Scottish giants, which shows that he has failed to even make the pitch on a regular basis.

In those 13 outings, the Belgium-born flop has not scored any goals and provided one assist for the team, which also shows that he has not offered enough at the top end of the pitch to suggest that he deserves more minutes.

Back in September, pundit Hugh Keevins claimed that Balikwisha is “contributing nothing” and that he looks “intimidated” in a Celtic shirt. Unfortunately, three months later, that still appears to be the case.

For £5m, given the aforementioned success of players signed for similar fees in recent years, the Hoops should be getting more out of the former Pro League star on the pitch this season, as he is simply not offering enough.

Like Barkas, Balikwisha has ended up on the sidelines, watching others perform in his place, and it would not be surprising, on current evidence, to see him end up like the Greek international by leaving the club for far less than £5m further down the line.

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That is why he currently looks like the club’s worst signing since Barkas because he has not contributed as much as the other players brought in for big money, or established himself as a regular starter. However, there is still time left for him to change this opinion and make a career for himself at Parkhead.

كشف محمد شوقي، المدير الفني الحالي لفريق زد إف سي، والمدرب المساعد السابق في الجهاز الفني للأهلي، تفاصيل جديدة حول الأسباب التي أدت إلى رحيل المدرب السويسري مارسيل كولر عن تدريب المارد الأحمر.

وقال شوقي خلال ظهوره في برنامج “الناظر” على قناة “النهار”: “ما حدث مع كولر هو أنه لم يتوقف عند نقطة معينة، لكنني أظن أن اللاعبين وصلوا إلى مرحلة لم يعودوا قادرين فيها على الاستمرار معه بالشكل نفسه”.

وتابع: “كولر كان يعمل كثيرًا جدًا، وأقولها بصدق: كان يبذل جهدًا ضخمًا. قلت له ذات مرة، وكان الكابتن رمضان موجودًا: يجب أن تُظهر للاعبين حجم العمل الذي تقوم به، فردّ عليّ مستغربًا: ماذا تقصد؟ فقلت له إن اللاعبين لا يشعرون أصلًا بكمية الجهد التي تبذلها”.

وأضاف: “كان يجلس بنفسه ليضع كل تفاصيل التحليل، ويقوم بإعداد كل شيء بدقة كبيرة، ومع ذلك لا يشعر اللاعبون بقيمة هذا الجهد، بعد كل مباراة، وقبل أن نصل إلى النادي في حافلة الفريق، كان يفتح اللقاء ويشاهده مرة ثانية وثالثة ورابعة، فهو يعمل بجد، لكن الجهد لم يكن يصل إلى اللاعبين كما يجب”.

وتابع: “العلاقة بينه وبين اللاعبين وصلت إلى مرحلة ضغط شديدة، الجماهير والنتائج أثرت عليه، فبدأ يتعرض للضغط، وأحيانًا يراجع نفسه في بعض القرارات، وهذا أمر طبيعي لأي مدرب، لكن اللاعبين اعتادوا أن ما يقوله يُنفذ مباشرة، ومع مرور الوقت حدث خلاف بينهم وبين كولر في بعض التفاصيل”.

طالع أيضًا | محمد شوقي: لم أتوقع حزن جماهير الأهلي عليَ.. واتحاد الكرة “ضغط” كيروش

وواصل: “أشهد له بأنه كان يحاول كثيرًا ويجتهد بشكل كبير، حتى في آخر اجتماع لنا، لم يكن يشعر بأنه سيرحل، الكابتن الخطيب جلس معنا قبل مباراة صن داونز، وكانت الأجواء طبيعية، ولم يكن هناك أي مؤشر على رحيله، لكن ربما جاء القرار في توقيت مناسب من وجهة نظري”.

وشدد: “أظن أن القرار اتُّخذ حفاظًا على مجموعة اللاعبين، ولمنع حدوث مشكلات أكبر داخل الفريق، في بعض اللحظات، لا يكون الانتظار خيارًا مناسبًا، وعلاقتي به كانت في إطار العمل فقط، كنت قد وضعت لنفسي قاعدة أنني لن أُنشئ معه علاقة شخصية عميقة، كنت أتعامل معه في نطاق العمل، وأوضح له ما ينقصه أو يحتاجه فقط”.

وأضاف موضحًا رد فعل كولر تجاه قرار رحيله: “كولر كان مصدومًا من قرار رحيله، والصدمة كانت واضحة على وجهه. كان يحب النادي وأجواءه وكل ما يحيط به، وكان سعيدًا جدًا بالبيئة التي يعمل فيها”.

واختتم: “العلاقة بيني وبينه كانت علاقة عمل فقط، لكنني لاحظت أنه في الفترة الأخيرة لم يكن قادرًا على تفسير بعض الأمور، شعرت أن لديه قلة ثقة، لم أعرف سبب ذلك، وربما حدثت أمور لم أكن حاضرًا فيها، لكن أكثر ما كان ظاهرًا هو أنه لم يعد قادرًا على التمييز بين الأشخاص الذين يجب أن يثق بهم ومن لا يجب”.

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Botafogo e Palmeiras ficaram marcados pela disputa pelo título do Brasileirão em 2023. Além da rivalidade dentro do campo, a tendência é que o duelo esquente ainda mais os bastidores fora de campo As equipes vão se enfrentar nas oitavas de final da Libertadores.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoTorcedores de Palmeiras e Botafogo enlouquecem com oitavas da Libertadores: ‘Leila x Textor’Fora de Campo03/06/2024LibertadoresSorteio define jogos das oitavas da Libertadores; veja caminho até a finalLibertadores03/06/2024Fora de CampoNarrador se manifesta após declaração polêmica sobre torcida do Palmeiras; confiraFora de Campo03/06/2024

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Tudo começou quando John Textor, dono da SAF do Botafogo deu uma declaração sobre uma possível manipulação de resultados. Por outro lado, Leila Pereira rebateu o dirigente alvinegro, o chamou de “mal perdedor” e pediu que o empresário fosse expulso do futebol brasileiro.

A partir daí, Textor e Leila colecionaram diversas polêmicas. A mais recente ao final de maio, quando o dono do Botafogo acionou a presidente do Palmeiras na Justiça. O empresário estadunidense acusa a dirigente alviverde de injúria e difamação.

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John Textor diz que foi ofendido três vezes por Leila Pereira. A primeira delas, no dia 7 de abril, quando a presidente do Palmeiras chamou o dono do Botafogo de “fanfarrão”.

A outra vez foi no dia seguinte, quando Leila afirmou que Textor é a “vergonha do futebol brasileiro”. A última foi a presidente do Palmeiras chamou o empresário estadunidense de “idiota” em entrevista ao programa”RodaViva”.

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Na internet, tanto os torcedores do Botafogo, quanto os do Palmeiras foram à loucura com a definição do duelo das oitavas da Libertadores. Os internautas brincaram com o confronto e batizaram de “Textor x Leila”.

Botafogo e Palmeiras serão adversários nas oitavas de final da Libertadores. O Alviverde decide em casa por ter feito uma campanha melhor que a do Alvinegro. Fora de campo, a promessa é de um bastidor ainda mais envolvente com John Textor e Leila Pereira.

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Newcastle United are now seriously considering a January bid for a new midfielder, who is being targeted by some of Europe’s top clubs.

Newcastle keen on midfielder likened to Sandro Tonali

Sandro Tonali has earned rave reviews this season, with Paul Scholes causing a stir when he chose the Italian ahead of Declan Rice as the best midfielder in the Premier League back in October, saying: “I love Sandro Tonali as well. He’s been brilliant. Very good. I would probably choose Tonali at this point.”

“I think he’s better than Rice. I really like Rice, don’t get me wrong, I think he’s got everything. Sometimes he takes a few too many touches of the ball and tries to look a bit more stylish than necessary. He can do everything but I just don’t think he does it enough. I prefer Tonali but they’re both good players.”

The central midfielder has remained a key player for Eddie Howe, making 19 appearances in all competitions, although there are some doubts over the future of midfield partner Joelinton, who received criticism for his performance in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.

With the Brazilian struggling, Howe may want to enter the market for a new midfielder during the January transfer window, and Newcastle are now seriously considering a bid for Ferencvaros midfielder Alex Toth, who is valued at around £13.5m.

A whole host of Europe’s biggest clubs have been eyeing the Hungarian, who has been compared to Dominik Szoboszlai, including Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, but the PIF are now plotting a January move.

The 20-year-old excels as a box-to-box midfielder, and some of his performances for Ferencvaros suggest he may now be ready to test himself in one of Europe’s top leagues…

Outscoring Woltemade: Newcastle preparing move for one of the PL's best strikers

He’s been in excellent form.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 3, 2025 Toth could be fantastic long-term addition to Howe's squad

Given his age, the young Hungarian still has plenty of time to develop, but he has already started to put in some very promising displays for Ferencvaros, chipping in with four goals and 15 assists in 56 outings for the Hungarian club.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described the maestro as a “roaming playmaker”, while also comparing him to Newcastle star Tonali, which is a huge compliment, considering just how highly Scholes rates the Italy international.

Not only has the starlet impressed domestically, but he also earned huge praise for his performance against Genk in the Europa League earlier this season.

With Toth potentially available for a very affordable fee, Newcastle should undoubtedly make a bid this winter, and they should move quickly, given the rival interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.