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Wout Weghorst says the penalty he scored is "secondary to life" following criticism for his celebration shortly after a Hungary coach collapsed.

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• Hungary coach collapses on touchline
• Weghorst celebrates his goal soon after
• Dutch striker accepts subsequent criticism

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Minutes after Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai collapsed in their Nations League clash against Netherlands on Saturday, the 32-year-old scored from the spot and celebrated with a knee-slide. The former Manchester United forward was criticised for his "inappropriate" actions and now he has appeared to accept he could have reacted in a more subdued manner. The ex-Burnley man also revealed he went to check in on Szalai at half-time.

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  WHAT WOUT WEGHORST SAID

  He told : "I don't think I need to explain to anyone that my penalty is secondary to a life. I didn't think about it for a moment during the match. In the end, the match goes on. Then you have to switch. You're so focused, in the tension. But afterwards you think: someone has just been resuscitated… I honestly didn't think about that."

  Weghorst added: "I went to ask them how things were going during half-time. Just got back to the dressing room. Everything is fine, he's talking again. Thank God it's all good."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Hungary forward Szalai revealed, to the relief of many, that he was on the road to recovery on Saturday night after being taken to hospital.

  In a social media post, the 36-year-old wrote: "Thanks for the lots of messages, I'm doing well."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  While it remains to be seen when Szalai will be able to return to his Hungary coaching duties, Weghorst could feature for the Dutch again when they visit Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday in the Nations League.

West Ham United are closing in on their fourth signing of the summer after they reached a verbal agreement for one target, it has been reported.

Lopetegui shaping West Ham squad

Ahead of the new Premier League season, new West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has already got his way once in the transfer market. The ex-Sevilla coach raided former club Wolves to sign Max Kilman, the centre-back he made captain of the Molineux outfit during his time there, in a deal worth £40m.

The Hammers have also kept one eye on the future, with teenage talent Luis Guilherme arriving from Brazilian side Palmeiras in a £25.5m move. The 18-year-old is highly rated and had previously even had reported interest from Chelsea, Real Madrid and Liverpool, but it was the Hammers who managed to get a deal over the line for the winger.

Imagine him & Summerville: West Ham make contact to sign Havertz 2.0

A host of Premier League teams are interested in a deal.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 24, 2024

Elsewhere, Wes Foderingham has arrived from relegated Sheffield United on a free transfer to bulk up the goalkeeping department, with Lukasz Fabianski now approaching 40-years-old.

They are not set to stop there on the transfer front though, with a right-back on their wishlist amid links to Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui.

The Hammers and technical director Tim Steidten are also among the clubs interested in signing Leeds United winger and Championship player of the year Crysencio Summerville, who scored 19 times last season only for his side to fall to defeat in the playoff final. And progress is being made on yet another deal.

West Ham agree £35m verbal deal for striker

That comes courtesy of reports from Colombia, relayed by Sport Witness, revealing that a deal to sign Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran is "close" and that a "verbal agreement" worth £35m has been reached with Aston Villa.

The Colombian striker was rarely used by Unai Emery but made a memorable contribution at Villa Park as he scored twice off the bench to help them fight back to a 3-3 draw against Liverpool in the final stages of the season, a result that helped them secure Champions League football for the 2024/25 campaign.

After the game, Emery hailed his "special" talent. "Jhon Duran is a special player. We have to try and help him. He is a good guy, and he needs a team behind him. He is getting our demands better. He was very clinical and today was important for him", the Spaniard told Sky Sports.

But he has been consistently linked with a move away from Villa Park amid interest from Chelsea and West Ham, and now it seems as though the Hammers have won the race, with the report claiming a £35m deal is verbally agreed, while Duran has previously encouraged links with West Ham.

Though Duran still has four years left to run on his £30,000-a-week deal at Villa Park, a departure now looks certain as he looks for more football after just three Premier League starts last season. He will have big shoes to fill at the London Stadium should he be added to replace long-term servant Michail Antonio, though.

Virgil van Dijk fended off questions linking him with Real Madrid as the saga over his Liverpool contract rumbles on.

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• Van Dijk's contract expires next summer
• Defender asked about Real Madrid transfer
• Liverpool beat Los Blancos in UCL

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Liverpool centre-back was taken aback when a journalist asked him whether he would stay at Anfield beyond this season. "What a direct question," Van Dijk replied. The journalist wasn't done though, quickly following up by telling the 33-year-old that Real Madrid are looking for defenders owing to injuries to Eder Militao and David Alaba.

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  WHAT VAN DIJK SAID

  "Are they? Really? But they have [Antonio] Rudiger there," Van Dijk replied.

  "As I already said, my full focus is on the next game against Man City and that’s it."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Van Dijk has been allowed to enter the final 12 months of his Liverpool deal but according to the Reds' ex-CEO Peter Moore, the club is "working feverishly" to get an extension done. Losing the Dutch international would be a big blow to Arne Slot given his talent and experience, providing the steel in defence that helped yield Premier League and Champions League success under Jurgen Klopp.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR VAN DIJK?

  The former Southampton defender doesn't appear too concerned over his contract saga. After helping Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, his focus is now on Sunday's game against Manchester City.

It's set to be a massive campaign for Tottenham Hotspur next season as Ange Postecoglou looks to lead his squad up the Premier League table and back into the Champions League.

The Australian enjoyed a relatively successful debut year with the club, but he'll need his team's stars, such as James Maddison, to step it up a level in 2024/25.

Fortunately, Daniel Levy and Co appear to be doing their job to help the manager, as based on recent reports, the club are focussing their efforts on signing an incredibly exciting talent who's won comparisons to Maddison and could make a real difference in North London.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to journalist Alex Crook on talkSPORT's latest episode of the Premier League All-Access Podcast, Tottenham's interest in Eberechi Eze remains high and is "more advanced" than that of their competition.

Alongside the Lilywhites, Crook claims that Manchester City are fans of the Englishman.

However, their interest depends on what happens with Kevin De Bruyne in the coming weeks, and while the North Londoners want to "shift some players first," their desire to sign the midfielder is "genuine."

It's widely reported that the Palace ace would cost Spurs about £60m due to a release clause in his contract. While that is a lot of money, it would be money well spent – especially given his comparisons to Maddison.

Why Eze would be a great signing and his comparison to Maddison

Before getting into why Eze would be an excellent signing for Spurs, let's address the comparisons to Maddison, which stem mainly from FBref.

They compared every player in the 2022/23 Premier League season, created a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in turn, concluded that the Spurs ace was the most similar midfielder to the Palace man across that whole campaign.

However, this wasn't done purely on the eye test or through the number of goal contributions they produced. Instead, they looked at how closely the pair measured up to one another for a multitude of underlying metrics, including non-penalty expected goals, actual non-penalty goals, shots on target, live passes, goal-creating actions, tackles won and interceptions, all per 90.

Now, while the comparisons to Maddison are certainly a nice bonus when it comes to the Eagles ace, they shouldn't be the main reason behind his potential signing, as he proved last season that he was among the most dangerous players in the league.

For example, in just 31 appearances last season, the 26-year-old "entertainer," as data analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him, scored 11 goals and provided six assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.8 games, which is even more impressive considering he did that for a team that finished in midtable.

Ultimately, while signing Eze will take a lot of money and hard work from Levy and Co, it would be well worth it, as he could reach another level entirely playing under a manager like Postecoglou and alongside a teammate like Maddison.

Exit expected: Spurs target £25m Porro rival who could be Ange's own White

The impressive full-back could add a lot of quality to the Lilywhites.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jul 24, 2024

Hansi Flick gave his Barcelona players a stern talking to after they conceded two late goals in quick succession in their shock draw at Celta Vigo.

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• Barcelona conceded two goals in last 10 minutes
• Kounde error and Casado red card led to collapse
• Flick scolded players after 2-2 draw

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Despite leading a team in the bottom half of the table by two goals with ten minutes to go, Barcelona's young guns lost their heads after Marc Casado was sent off for receiving a second yellow card in the 82nd minute. A Jules Kounde lapse in concentration handed Celta a route back back into the game before an 86th minute equaliser saw the points shared in a 2-2 draw.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Flick's Barcelona had been arguably the best team in Europe up until just before the international break. However, they have failed to win their last two league games, and have handed Real Madrid a lifeline in the title race in the process. One factor that has severely hurt the Catalans has been the absence of Lamine Yamal, who has been out with an ankle injury since the Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade.

  Barcelona have failed to win any of the games in which Yamal has not been named in the starting XI, with Saturday's result another to add to the list. Flick was understandably furious at the collapse, and is said by to have given a heated speech to the players straight after the final whistle.

• WHAT FLICK SAID

  Speaking to the press immediately after the his speech to the players, Flick said: "It wasn’t just the last 10 minutes. It was the whole game. We played a really bad game. We have to be honest. What we saw today is the summary: when you play at 80% or 85% you cannot win." 

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FLICK AND BARCELONA?

  Barcelona need to bounce back from this result quickly, as with the congested festive period approaching, they need to be on the game to maintain their status at the top of La Liga. The Champions League is also heating up over this period, and Barcelona's next game sees them take on Brest, who are undefeated in the competition.

Ipswich Town's summer spending spree is showing little signs of slowing down as the Premier League new-boys enter talks to sign an experienced Championship player.

Tractor Boys make a statement in the transfer market

After the previous summer saw Ipswich make little changes to the squad that earned promotion from League One, the Tractor Boys have changed their strategy during this window and brought a number of new players through the door at Portman Road.

Ipswich Town leading race to sign new £10m+ player who has "got everything"

He could be a key cog in Kieran McKenna’s side next season.

By
Ben Browning

Jul 28, 2024

The early passages of the summer saw Ipswich smash their record transfer fee as they paid an initial £20 million to bring Omari Hutchinson back to East Anglia on a permanent basis. Hutchinson was Kieran McKenna's top target for the window with the 20-year-old no doubt having a major role to play next season.

Following the Jamaica international to the South East were Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap, who joined from Hull City and Manchester City respectively. Ipswich's transfer business up to now is rounded off by the arrival of Ben Johnson on a free transfer and Arijanet Muric, who was relegated from the Premier League with Burnley last term.

The most recent rumours out of Portman Road has seen the Tractor Boys linked with further new signings. A recent link has suggested that Ipswich will return to Burnley for winger Wilson Odobert. After failing in their pursuit of Jaden Philogene, the Frenchman is likely seen as an alternative to the new Aston Villa man.

With Ipswich's transfer business clearly far from over, the Tractor Boys are now in talks to sign an experienced Championship defender.

Town in talks to sign Townsend

As reported by Independent Ipswich Town website TWTD, the Tractor Boys are in talks with West Brom regarding the signing of left-back Conor Townsend. The outlet claims that Ipswich are actively working on a deal to bring the 31-year-old to Portman Road this summer.

McKenna and Co have been on the hunt for a left-sided defender to support Leif Davis for much of the summer and it appears that they have found their man in Townsend. Despite last playing in the Premier League back in the 2020/21 season, there is no doubt that the defender would be an asset to Ipswich's side next term.

Townsend's career has seen him ply his trade in each of England's top five divisions, although the defender's most prolific spell has been with his current side West Brom. The 31-year-old has made 213 appearances for the Baggies across his near six year spell at the Hawthorns.

Whilst most will be familiar with Townsend's work as a West Brom player, the defender also earned praise during his time with Grimsby Town with former Mariners' boss Graham Alexander saying of the left back: “He was just a really good footballer, a good lad and really popular in the changing room.”

With Davis no doubt the first choice left back at Ipswich going into next season, the Tractor Boys could have a more than capable deputy on their hands if they can get a deal for Townsend over the line.

Mohamed Salah has again indicated that he will leave Liverpool in the summer after helping his side to a 2-0 win against Manchester City.

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• Salah orchestrated win against Man City
• Star's contract expires in the summer
• Forward addressed his future again

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After setting up Cody Gakpo's opening goal against the Premier League champions, Salah converted a penalty to secure the three points for his side and move them 11 points clear of Pep Guardiola's struggling City side.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The star performance comes days after Salah's bombshell claim that he has not been offered a new contract by Liverpool, with his current deal coming to an end in the summer, as he admitted a free transfer seems likely. Salah was quizzed on his future again in the wake of his team's important win, and he admitted he believes it will be his last Premier League showdown with City on Merseyside.

• WHAT SALAH SAID

  "Honestly it's in my head. Until now this is the last City game I will play for Liverpool [at Anfield] so I was just going to enjoy it," he said to . "The atmosphere was incredible so I will enjoy every second here. Hopefully we just win the league and will see what will happen."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SALAH?

  Uncertainty around Salah's future will continue until a decision is confirmed by either the Egypt star or Liverpool. In the meantime, they will continue their push for the league title when they visit Newcastle on Wednesday.

As they look to end the summer transfer window with a bang, Chelsea have reportedly held talks over a potential swap deal that would see Raheem Sterling head for the exit door.

Chelsea transfer news

The Blues have once again stolen the headlines this summer, welcoming the likes of Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall alongside several other fresh faces in an attempt to finally turn a corner back towards the Premier League's top four. Even after already splashing the cash on Neto, however, those at Stamford Bridge seemingly have their sights set on another attacking boost.

The latest to arrive, Neto told Chelsea's official website: "I feel really grateful to have joined this club. I have worked really hard in my career to be here and I’m looking forward to getting on the pitch with this shirt."

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man could take the place of Sterling in Chelsea's starting side, with the former Manchester City star potentially on the move before the transfer window slams shut.

A dream signing for Felix: Chelsea could land £86m star instead of Osimhen

Enzo Maresca is still chasing a couple of players before the end of the transfer window.

By
Ross Kilvington

Aug 18, 2024

According to Sky Sports' Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea have held talks with Juventus over a swap deal to sign Federico Chiesa in a move that would see Sterling head in the other direction.

Discussions over that deal didn't take long to reach a conclusion, however, with the Italian giants put off by Sterling's hefty £325,000-a-week salary. The Chelsea man earns over double Chiesa, who is reportedly on £153,000-a-week at Juventus.

That said, given that Chiesa has been frozen out of Thiago Motta's Juventus side and shown the door in Italy, the winger is likely to be on the move in the next two weeks. Whether that ends with a summer switch to Chelsea remains to be seen, however.

Chelsea don't need "fantastic" Chiesa

After just splashing the cash to sign Neto, signing Chiesa could be one winger too many at Chelsea, even if it could have been argued that was the case before the Portugal international arrived.

The Juventus winger has struggled in recent years too, with injuries playing a large part in his progress coming to a crashing halt. The last thing that the Blues need in their current state is a player hoping to rediscover his form amid fitness issues.

There was once a time when Chiesa wouldn't be struggling for a move; Europe's top clubs would have been queuing up for his signature after Euro 2020. Alas, those days, for now, are behind him.

Rio Ferdinand was among those full of praise for the Italian after his performance at Euro 2020, helping his country to tournament victory. The Manchester United legend said via The Metro: "He’s a huge player and he’s been linked with a few clubs in England. I’m sure they’re thinking ‘why didn’t we get him?’.

"He’s just a fantastic footballer. The intensity with which he plays with, we saw in the Euros he was the main goal threat for the Italians who went on to win the tournament."

Vincent Kompany is hopeful of having striker Harry Kane available for Bayern Munich's Bundesliga clash against RB Leipzig next week.

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• Kane currently out injured
• Close to a comeback
• Could return next time out

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international has missed Bayern's last four matches after sustaining an injury in his team's 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund at the end of November. The German giants hoped he would be fit on time for Saturday's Bundesliga match against Mainz, but he was left out of the squad.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Bavarian club lost 2-1 without their top scorer, having now been defeated in two of the four games they have played in his absence, and with a showdown against fourth-placed Leipzig to close out 2024, Kompany hopes they can count on Kane next week.

• WHAT KOMPANY SAID

  Asked about the 31-year-old's condition after the weekend's defeat, the Belgian coach told reporters: "He's doing well. He was touch-and-go for this game. So hopefully he'll be there for the next game."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

  Bayern are four points clear of reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and will hope to defend that lead, with or without Kane, by beating Leipzig next week.

Bruno Fernandes cried when he found out that his proposed move to Tottenham Hotspur from Sporting CP collapsed.

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• Fernandes cried when Spurs deal collapsed
• Joined United six months later
• Spurs knocked United out of Carabao Cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Portuguese midfielder had agreed to move to north London and join Spurs in the summer of 2019 and was set to join the club until a deal collapsed between the clubs. The fee had been agreed, but Spurs were unwilling to meet Sporting CP's demands as to the structure of the deal and pulled out of a move – leaving Fernandes in Portugal and, the report, in tears in his chairman's office. Six months later, Fernandes would join United, becoming one of the league's best players and leaving Spurs full of regret.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Spurs could have signed Fernandes and added the Portuguese star to a front line that already included Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. While Spurs missed out on his signing and have failed to win anything, Fernandes signed for United, became captain of the club and has won the Carabao and FA Cup. Spurs fans will curse their luck and the club board for their failings in the transfer market, especially as Fernandes was so desperate to sign for the club.

• WHAT FERNANDES SAID

  Speaking earlier in the year to the , Fernandes said: "The previous summer, there were some rumours about Premier League clubs being interested in me, but the only thing that was concrete was Tottenham. It feels weird to me now, but at the time, I was excited. One of my life goals was to play in the Premier League.

  "I tried to block out all the noise, but in the age we are living in, with social media and phones and text, of course, my friends let me know about the rumours. As a kid from Portugal, you can’t help but dream a bit about playing at the big grounds in England.

  "In the end, the clubs couldn’t reach an agreement, and the deal fell apart."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FERNANDES?

  Fernandes will be hoping to bounce back from defeat to Spurs in midweek against Bournemouth on Sunday. The London club dumped Ruben Amorim's side out of the Carabao Cup in a topsy-turvy game littered with goalkeeping mistakes ending 4-3 to Spurs and stamped out a chance for the new boss at Old Trafford to earn his first trophy in England. Meanwhile, Spurs host Liverpool with their bitter rivals Arsenal looking for a favour in the title race.