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An update has emerged on Rangers’ quest to sign Juninho Bacuna this summer, with journalist Alan Nixon providing details of a potential deal to bring the versatile midfielder to Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Rangers eye up Bacuna move

Steven Gerrard is on the lookout for some late-summer transfer business at Ibrox, as he aims to bolster his squad after a slow start to the campaign.

One player who has been linked with a move to Rangers is Bacuna, with the Huddersfield Town man making 43 Championship appearances last season.

The 24-year-old has also won 10 caps for Curacao, scoring twice in that time, having initially played for the Netherlands’ Under-18s, Under-20s and Under-21s.

According to Transfermarkt, he has played as many as ten different positions in his career, from right-back to left-wing and all the way through midfield.

The Latest: Journalist provides update

The reliable Nixon has now given an update on the matter, taking to Twitter to confirm that a ‘full time deal’ to bring Bacuna to Ibrox is ‘advanced’, with add-ons included in a low-cost signing:

“Low with add ons on games.”

The Verdict: Great addition for Gers

Bacuna could be exactly what Gerrard is looking for in the middle of the park, bringing both quality and bite to the team.

He has scored 11 times and registered nine assists in the league in the last two seasons, highlighting his quality in the final third, and also averaged 1.15 tackles per game in that time.

That all-round skill set combined with his versatility could make him a real asset for the manager, providing depth in several positions at once.

In other news, one club have played down claims regarding one Rangers player. Read more here.

After a delightful opening day win over Fleetwood in League One last weekend, Portsmouth failed to carry on their momentum as they were sent crashing out of the League Cup by Millwall on Tuesday night.

Despite taking the lead through Reeco Hackett-Fairchild in the fourth minute, Portsmouth were unable to progress through to the next round as the Championship side ultimately showed their class. Goals from Scott Malone and George Saville, within the space of six minutes in the first half, turned the game on its head and that’s the way it stayed.

One player, in particular, who struggled was summer signing Gassan Ahadme. The Norwich loanee scored a stunning eight goals in four pre-season outings for Pompey, which helped build an air of excitement over what he could do for the club when the real stuff kicked off.

Unfortunately, he has been unable to translate his form into the competitive matches as of yet. He lined up behind John Marquis against Millwall and failed to grasp his opportunity to impress, with a nightmare performance on his second appearance for the club. SofaScore handed him a rating of 6.3, which was the second-lowest in the Pompey team – only behind Callum Johnson who was sent off.

In fact, Ahadme was so poor that he was hooked off soon after Johnson’s red card as Pompey had a re-shuffle.

Danny Cowley will be fuming with the loanee’s display, as he noticeably looked off the pace throughout his time on the pitch. To this point, Hampshire Live reporter Jonty Colman gave Ahadme a score of 5/10 after the game in his player ratings piece. He wrote: 

“A tough night for the Moroccan, whose only sniff of goal came on the end of an early cross where he failed to get a shot off. Tried to do too much and was often smothered on the ball in possession. Sacrificed early in the second half when Johnson departed.”

Ahadme gave the ball away nine times despite only having 24 touches, which shows that he was not reliable with the ball at his feet. He also only won four of his 13 ground and aerial duels during the match, highlighting how he off the pace with the opposition beating him to the punch in challenges both on the ground and in the air.

You could possibly forgive all of these lapses in concentration and losses of possession if he produced a moment of magic to score or create a goal, but he did not create a single chance for his teammates.

He also had two efforts on goal and both of them were off target, which further goes to show why Cowley will be frustrated with the forward’s nightmare showing.

MatériaMais Notícias

‘Momento único, fantástico’. Provavelmente você já ouviu Abel falar assim após uma vitória, mas desta vez, o motivo é grande. Nesta tarde, o treinador completou 250 jogos a frente do Fluminense e conquistou três pontos fora de casa diante do Atlético-MG, um dos candidatos ao título. Ele reconhece que o elenco é limitado, mas…

-Não é porque o Atlético-MG é o melhor que vai ganhar sempre. Tivemos muita luta, disposição e cultura tática. Foi uma vitória que emociona, de verdade. Foi com um jogador a menos. Este jogo, o de número 250 meu pelo clube, é um momento único, fantástico. Foi ainda contra um time que não tinha perdido aqui neste ano- disse Abelão, emocionado.

RelacionadasFluminenseDourado cita dificuldades no Horto e avisa: ‘Nosso time tem qualidade’Fluminense21/05/2017BrasileirãoNúmeros da Bola: Estatísticas de Atlético-MG 1×2 FluminenseBrasileirão21/05/2017BrasileirãoApagão no primeiro tempo e chances perdidas: atleticanos lamentam revésBrasileirão21/05/2017

Abelão, 250 vezes obrigado! #SomosFluminense pic.twitter.com/NjdV7Zr4Bp

— Fluminense F.C. (@FluminenseFC) 21 de maio de 2017

O treinador reclamou bastante, mesmo alegando que ‘não costuma falar da arbitragem’. Para ele, o árbitro tentou tirar a vitória do clube das Laranjeiras. Antes disso, pediu desculpas à diretoria, falou como torcedor e agradeceu a presença dos que compareceram ao Independência.

– Me desculpa o presidente Pedro Abad, o vice Fernando Veiga e o diretor Marcelo Teixeira, mas eu neste momento represento talvez 20 milhões de torcedores. Só quero respeito com esta instituição. Antes do jogo, falei aos jogadores que não era árbitro para esta pressão. Não falo de idoneidade. Mas tentaram nos tirar a vitória. Quero agradecer ao torcedor que veio hoje – concluiu o ídolo tricolor.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped an Aston Villa update on Douglas Luiz that will be of major relief to Dean Smith.

What’s the story?

The midfielder was unavailable for Villa’s opening day defeat to Watford in the Premier League, with the manager confirming his absence ahead of the game.

He said: “Douglas will be coming back in on Monday, hopefully with his gold medal around his neck and he’ll get a good welcome from everybody. I’ve been really pleased with what he’s done at the Olympics and I’m proud of him.”

Now, Preece has delivered a major boost to Villa by confirming that Luiz has not been called up to the Brazil senior squad for next month’s international games, thus giving him a chance to rest a little longer.

He said: “Good news for #avfc: Douglas Luiz has been given some much-needed respite knowing Brazil coach Tite has left him out of next month’s WC qualifiers with Chile, Argentina & Peru. Brazil’s 25-man squad does feature as many as 6 fellow gold medal winners from Tokyo, incl Richarlison.”

Dean Smith will be buzzing

After his exploits with Brazil over the summer led to his country winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, it was always going to be the case that Luiz would struggle to make it back in time for the first game of the Premier League season.

Having played 33 out of the possible 38 Premier League games last term, Luiz was a cornerstone of a Villa midfield that saw them finish just outside of the top ten.

Seeing him then head to the Olympics and another summer of action would’ve left Smith anxious about the kind of toll that would put on Luiz’s body – that’s not to mention the fact he would miss pre-season and spend the first couple of weeks back just getting back up to fitness and potentially missing a few games too.

This extra rest gives the Brazilian some much-needed time to recuperate and recharge his batteries, and almost become his own version of pre-season, staying behind at Villa Park and no doubt doing some extra fitness work with the coaches.

Preece’s latest update is sure to have Smith buzzing.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update…

An update has emerged regarding Aston Villa’s interest in Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Villa are currently working on a deal to sign the Canaries attacking midfielder. Johan Lange is pushing to sign the England under-21 international for a ‘sizeable’ fee, although no specific figures are mentioned.

It was reported earlier this week that it would take between £40m and £50m for Norwich to part ways with Cantwell this summer, having already sold Emi Buendia to Dean Smith’s side.

Nightmare

Lange must avoid a transfer nightmare with Cantwell this month. It would be a mistake for the club to pay up to £50m for the midfielder this summer, as it would be a significant overpayment for his services.

He is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, whilst his former teammate Buendia’s value is listed as £31.5m following his £34.56m move to Villa earlier in the window. This suggests that he is not worth anywhere near as much as the Argentine, which is why Lange must not pay £15m more for Cantwell than he did for Buendia.

There is also the question of where the 23-year-old would fit in. Dean Smith currently has Anwar El-Ghazi, Bertrand Traore, Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins at his disposal in attack. Watkins, Ings and El Ghazi all hit double figures for goals in the Premier League, whilst Bailey scored nine in the Bundesliga and Buendia managed 15 goals and 16 assists in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Cantwell scored six goals and set up another six in the second tier for the Canaries. This suggests that he may not be a better option than any of the aforementioned players, which means that he could only be a back-up at Villa Park next season.

His former Norwich coach Gary Cockaday called his talent God-given when speaking to The Athletic in October, saying: “Todd looked at one of them in the eye, put his toe under the ball, flicked it back over his head, turned and he was gone. All without looking at the ball.

“He did things every week that were just special. It was God-given. No one taught it. I always believed if you had someone like that, don’t change them or make them conform.”

Whilst Cantwell may have talent and have the potential to improve further, Villa should not be paying £50m for a player who could be sat on their bench for the majority of the campaign. If the price was significantly lower then it may be a different discussion, but that does not appear to be the case here.

AND in other news, “Going nowhere”: Journalist drops big Aston Villa transfer update, fans will be fuming…

سجل فريق الكرة الأول بنادي الزمالك، الهدف الثاني بشباك نظيره الإسماعيلي، لتصبح النتيجة 2-1.

يواجه الزمالك نظيره الإسماعيلي على أرضية استاد القاهرة اليوم، في إطار منافسات الجولة الحادية والعشرين من مسابقة الدوري.

وأحرز عمر السعيد هدف الزمالك الثاني في الدقيقة 63 من عمر اللقاء برأسية رائعة، مستغلًا عرضية أحمد سيد زيزو المتقنة.

طالع أيضًا.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الزمالك والإسماعيلي في الدوري

يذكر، أن الزمالك تقدم بالهدف الأول عن طريق أشرف بن شرقي، ثم عدل باهر المحمدي النتيجة بهدف للإسماعيلي.

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك يتصدر ترتيب الدوري المصري الممتاز برصيد 41 نقطة، فيما يحل الإسماعيلي بالمرتبة السادسة عشر بـ18 نقطة. هدف الزمالك الثاني أمام الإسماعيلي

Watford have added another signing to Xisco Munoz’s squad ahead of next season, as Josh King joins the club following his release from Everton.

Will King be a good signing for Munoz’s side?

After a disappointing spell with Everton, where he was given very few opportunities under Carlo Ancelotti, King will be looking to get back to his best as a regular under Munoz at Watford last season.

The £7.2m-rated forward enjoyed the best spell of his career with Bournemouth, contributing 53 goals and 19 assists in 184 appearances for the Cherries, which emphasises that he can be a threat in front of goal.

The 29-year-old enjoyed two particularly successful seasons in the Premier League in the 2016/17 and 2018/19 campaigns, hitting 16 and 12 top-flight goals respectively, so if he can rediscover that sort of form with the Hornets, then he will be well worth the low risk of bringing him in on a free transfer.

It was always likely that Munoz would look to add a goalscorer to his squad ahead of next season after winger Ismaila Sarr finished as top scorer in the Championship for Watford last season with just 13 goals, whilst the likes of Troy Deeney and Andre Gray are perhaps unlikely to be regulars in the Premier League.

Back in 2018, Howe was full of praise for King after he scored a brace against Newcastle United, saying:

“Josh is outstanding physically, technically and mentally – he has the complete package, a little bit of everything.

“He wants goals to show that potential is so high with him. He took the penalty well and the second goal was a great finish.”

Therefore, the versatile forward could definitely add a new dimension to Munoz’s attack next season, and should he rediscover his goalscoring touch at Vicarage Road, then he could well prove to be the difference between relegation back to the Championship and staying in the Premier League for another season.

It’s exactly why fans will be buzzing with the signing of King ahead of the new top-flight campaign.

And, in other news… Huge Watford news emerges on “energetic” beast, Munoz will be delighted

Fulham are interested in a deal to bring Harry Wilson to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Goal, who claimed that the Cottagers are among a number of clubs keeping a close eye on the situation of the Liverpool winger ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

The report added that Jurgen Klopp is actively looking to sell the 24-year-old this summer, with the Reds believed to be demanding a fee in the region of €15m (£13m) in order to part with the Wales international.

Silva must move

With Wilson having impressed over a number of loan spells in the Championship in the past, the news that Marco Silva is plotting a move to make the winger his first signing for the club is no great surprise.

Indeed, during a spell at Hull City back in 2017/18, the £15.3m-rated man scored seven goals, registered three assists and created three big chances for his teammates over 14 Championship appearances. These returns saw the Welshman earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.25, ranking him as the Tigers’ second-best performer in the league.

Wilson was sent to Derby County the following year, where he scored an impressive 15 goals, provided three assists and created six big chances for his teammates over a total of 40 Championship fixtures. These metrics saw the £41,000-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.17, ranking him as the club’s best performer in the second tier of English football.

Most recently, the winger spent a season with Cardiff City, scoring seven goals, registering 11 assists and creating 11 big chances over 37 Championship appearances for Mick McCarthy’s side.

These returns saw the man Marcelo Bielsa dubbed an “exceptional” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as the Bluebirds’ second-best performer in the division last term.

As such, the addition of Wilson to Fulham would appear to greatly boost the Cottagers’ chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League next year, leading us to believe that Silva should do all he can to get a deal over the line for the free kick specialist this summer.

In other news: Smyth drops transfer update on “immense” £9m-rated gem, Fulham fans should be buzzing

Christian Falk has dropped an update on the transfer situation of Liverpool reported summer target, Kingsley Coman.

What’s been said?

According to the SportBild journalist, Bayern Munich have informed Jurgen Klopp’s side that it will require a fee of €90m (£77m) in order to get a deal over the line for the 25-year-old this summer, before adding that the winger himself does not believe that a switch to Anfield is likely to happen any time soon.

In a post on Twitter, Falk said: “Message from Munich to Liverpool and United: Bayern want a transfer fee of minimum €90m for Kingsley Coman. Also, the player thinks this is unrealistic for this summer.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Coman has been for Bayern Munich in recent seasons, both the fact that the Bundesliga side are demanding such a large fee for the French international and the claim that Coman does not appear confident of a move to Liverpool this summer is sure to have left the Anfield faithful gutted.

Indeed, the £58.5m-rated winger was in particularly fine form over his 29 league appearances for Hansi Flick’s side last season, scoring five goals, registering 10 assists and creating a whopping 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.6 key passes and taking 1.8 shots at goal per game.

These metrics saw the 25-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Bayern’s ninth-best performer in the top flight of German football.

The £141k-per-week man also impressed over his two appearances for France at Euro 2020, earning a SofaScore match rating of 6.8 in the 2-2 draw with Portugal and a 7.0 match rating in his side’s dramatic round of 16 exit against Switzerland.

As such, with Klopp hoping to build a team in the summer transfer window that is capable of going on to once again mount a title challenge next season, the addition of Coman would undoubtedly have been a huge step in the right direction for the German coach.

However, if Falk is to be believed, Klopp may well have to turn his attention elsewhere in the summer market, as a deal for the man Thomas Muller dubbed an “extraordinary” player appears to be unlikely at present.

In other news: Liverpool make an official offer for 26-year-old, Jurgen Klopp would love to have him

A new cricket hotline dealing only with information on next year’s ICCCricket World Cup in South Africa opened on Saturday. Members of thepublic can call (27) 83 123 2003 between 7am and 7pm, seven days a week.Normal cellphone rates will apply.