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Sunderland striker Aiden O’Brien offered an invisible display as he led Phil Parkinson’s attack in a 2-1 defeat to Fleetwood Town in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday night.

Parkinson rang the changes once more after bowing out of the FA Cup to Mansfield Town at the weekend, as the Black Cats boss turned to youth after already securing the Stadium of Light natives’ progression through to the EFL Trophy Round of 32.

O’Brien, 27, was the eldest member of the starting Sunderland line-up at Highbury, where the forward was joined by 26-year-olds Callum McFadzean and Jordan Willis, plus 22-year-old George Dobson, as the only visiting players aged over 21.

Former Millwall striker O’Brien could not utilise his years of experience to Parkinson’s benefit, however, as the Black Cats boss witnessed his summer arrival fail to build on his sole Sunderland effort to date – coming in an 8-1 demolition of Aston Villa’s U23s in the EFL Trophy.

Parkinson was delighted to have brought O’Brien to the Stadium of Light this summer, capturing the former Republic of Ireland international on a free transfer following his release by Championship side Millwall.

O’Brien was the first of the Sunderland boss’ arrivals during the off-season, and left Parkinson believing he had acquired a player keen to join the Black Cats for the right reasons.

“We’re really pleased with the signing of Aiden,” said Parkinson, via quotes by the Chronicle. “He’s a good age, he’s been promoted from League One before and he has experience playing Championship football.

“His hunger and desire to come and join us was key for me. I want players to come here for the right reasons and get ready to fight tooth and nail to help us have a great season. He has a real eagerness to be part of this club and he can’t wait to get started.”

But O’Brien’s hunger and desire was not on show at Highbury, as the forward’s pressure could not force the Fleetwood backline into creating opportunities for the five-time international to score.

O’Brien participated for the full 90 minutes at Fleetwood on Tuesday night yet could only register a single shot on Alex Cairns’ goal, though did not see his strike force the Fisherman’s goalkeeper into action with the effort marked as off-target by SofaScore.

Their data also shows the 27-year-old, who scored 44 goals and recorded 16 assists in 226 career appearances for Millwall, failed to play any key balls from a mere 10 accurate passes, while failing to complete his only attempted dribble, was caught offside twice and lost possession six times.

O’Brien further lost six of his eight attempted aerial contests and two of his six ground duels, committed one foul and penned fewer touches (27) than all Fleetwood players who started.

The forward’s efforts will have left a far from pleasing impression on Parkinson, who has only felt fit to start the London-born forward in four League One fixtures thus far.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson has confirmed a major blow for a Sunderland gem he begged to “let his football do the talking”.

According to an exclusive report from the Daily Mail, Spurs have made an enquiry over signing Man City defender John Stones on loan with an option to buy for £20 million – but the 6 ft 2 star has pledged to remain at the Etihad Stadium until no longer needed. 

The Englishman has started just one game under Pep Guardiola so far over 2020/2021 with Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake all seemingly preferred.

Now, eyeing a centre-back before the deadline day window shuts, chairman Daniel Levy has pinpointed the City outcast as a potential solution to Spurs’ search for a new defender.

Serie A star Milan Skriniar has been on top of Jose Mourinho’s transfer wish list since the club snapped up Carlos Vinicius, but a recent update courtesy of transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has dampened Tottenham’s hopes of securing a deal.

Indeed, according to the journalist, it is unlikely the Slovakian colossus could make a move to north London given it’s deadline day and Inter Milan would have to find a replacement.

After this development, the Mail have reported that Stones has been turned to as an alternative, but as it stands, Levy is also unlikely to snap up the 26-year-old once hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Kyle Walker, given his desire to remain in Manchester.

Stones, who started just 12 Premier League matches last season due to fitness issues and poor form, still managed a fairly impressive 94% pass accuracy out from the back when given a chance to perform – potentially prompting late Spurs interest.

Tottenham reportedly face a battle for Antonio Rudiger, and with the Skriniar deal now very unlikely, it appears the club will need to find more alternatives like Stones as the 11pm deadline looms.

Spurs fans, would you take Stones under Jose Mourinho? Have your say in the comments down below…

Leeds United have one of the best managers in the world at the helm, but sometimes we struggle to make sense of Marcelo Bielsa’s ideas and plans.

Indeed, El Loco has been labelled as the best coach in the world in the past, but we can’t help but feel that his latest tactical plan makes very little sense.

The Argentine gave us some insight into the inner workings of his mind when it comes to the pecking order in some key positions in his squad and he stated that Tyler Roberts is his second-choice striker this season behind Patrick Bamford.

“Just to make a reference, for example, we have Bamford and Roberts up front, Rodrigo and Pablo in attacking midfield. Poveda and Costa, Raphinha and Harrison [on the wings],” he said.

It’s great to see that the gaffer has his second-string options all planned out, but it’s hard to understand why he sees Tyler Roberts as his second-choice striker while Rodrigo is considered an attacking midfield option, surely these two should be swapped around?

Now, we’re not saying that Roberts isn’t a good player, he has been described by the boss as a man with “undoubted qualities” in recent weeks, but he doesn’t seem to be cut out to be a top-flight striker.

He played more often as an attacking midfielder last season, earning plaudits from fans in that role with many christening him as the new Samu Saiz, meanwhile, the sad reality is that he doesn’t score enough to be a viable option up front.

He has just seven goals in 59 games for Leeds, and that simply isn’t good enough for a man that you may be relying on to lead your line.

Rodrigo on the other hand, does have that striking instinct that Roberts lacks, he once hit 16 goals in a La Liga campaign and he’s regularly found the back of the net in both the Champions League and the Europa League.

Roberts and Rodrigo both seem to be viewed in the wrong way by the manager.

زعم بوراك إلماس، رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي جالطة سراي، أن ناديه هو من رفض إعارة مصطفى محمد إلى نادي بوردو الفرنسي في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية الماضية.

مصطفى محمد كان قاب قوسين أو أدنى من الانتقال إلى بوردو في الصيف الماضي على سبيل الإعارة، ولكن بسبب عدم موافقة الزمالك على نظام دفع الأموال، الصفقة لم تكتمل

جالطة سراي يملك حق شراء مصطفى من الزمالك مقابل 4 ملايين دولار، وحاول الفاتح الأوروبي تفعيل بند الشراء لإكمال بيعه إلى بوردو، ولكن الزمالك رفض، رغبته في الحصول على مبلغ الـ4 ملايين يورو نقدًا، فيما أراد النادي التركي دفعه على أقساط.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جالطة سراي يخطط لضربة مزدوجة لحسم مصير مصطفى محمد

وقال إلماس في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “فوت ماك” التركية: “بوردو كان يريد التعاقد مع مصطفى محمد في الصيف”.

وأضاف: “لقد تحدثنا مع مصطفى وقال (إذا كان هُناك اهتمام حقًا، فأنا أود الذهاب)، ثم سمحنا له بالتواجد هُناك”.

وأنهى تصريحاته قائلًا: “ولكن خلال مشاوراتنا وحديثنا في ذلك الوقت، قررنا ألا تتم هذه الخطوة”.

MatériaMais Notícias

With the league title all sewn up, one would imagine that Liverpool might take their foot off the gas for the remaining few games of the season.

While the Reds weren’t at their brilliant best during the 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday, the desire to win was still as strong as ever.

Unfortunately, that manifested itself in quite a negative way after the final whistle at Anfield as Andy Robertson was caught on camera giving the referee a dressing down, using some rather colourful language while lambasting the official.

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With no crowd in the stadium, it was very easy to hear exactly what the Scot thought of David Coote’s performance on Saturday, and it’s fair to say that he wasn’t full of praise for him.

Robertson was clearly aggrieved that his side didn’t get a penalty in the second half, and he let his emotions get the better of him.

Understandably, the wider footballing world has taken issue with Robertson’s behaviour, with many calling for him to be banned, while others branded him as disrespectful.

The critics certainly have a point.

Football is an emotive sport, especially at the top level, but Liverpool have already won the league, and while this sort of reaction may have been slightly more justified had Coote’s failure to award the Reds a penalty have cost them the title, Roberston’s tirade just came across as immature and over the top on this occasion.

The left-back wasn’t the only man to confront the officials after the game.

The clip also shows Jurgen Klopp having a word with the referee, and while he kept his cool more than Robertson did, some viewers still weren’t happy to see the German talking to the officials, with many pointing towards other managers who’ve received sanctions for similar behaviour.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo enfrentará o São Bento na última rodada da fase de grupos do Paulistão. O Tricolor já está classificado, mas tentará avançar como líder para ter o mando de campo nas quartas. Para isso, precisará torcer por um tropeço do líder Audax, que pega o Santos na Vila Belmiro, mas também fazer a lição de casa em Sorocaba. O retrospecto beneficia o time da capital, que aplicou contra o Bentão uma sequência de 22 vitórias consecutivas – um recorde da história tricolor.

Durante uma década, o São Paulo derrotou o Azulão em todos os confrontos. A série começou em 26 de fevereiro de 1969, quando o time goleou por 4 a 1 pelo Estadual, e teve fim em 31 de janeiro de 1979, quando venceu por 3 a 1, com gols de Darío Pereyra, Muricy e Serginho Chulapa. No encontro seguinte, em agosto, os clubes empataram sem gols no Pacaembu.

RelacionadasSão PauloLateral do São Paulo cita incômodo por não vencer fora e pede Morumbi lotado na LibertadoresSão Paulo08/04/2016Futebol MelhorCom ex-lateral Cafu, São Paulo exibe taça do Mundial neste sábadoFutebol Melhor08/04/2016

No total, as agremiações já se enfrentaram em 64 ocasiões, sendo 42 vitórias dos paulistanos, 16 empates e seis triunfos dos sorocabanos. No estádio Walter Ribeiro, palco do duelo deste fim de semana, o São Paulo venceu 17 dos 32 embates, sofreu dez empates e cinco derrotas.

A partida será neste domingo, às 16h (de Brasília). O Tricolor buscará seu centésimo gol contra o São Bento: já balançou as redes 99 vezes e foi vazado em 33 oportunidades.

فتح الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم الباب أمام تعيين مدير فني أجنبي لمنتخب مصر، بعد ما كان هناك استقرار على المدرب الوطني.

وكان الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم برئاسة أحمد مجاهد، قد أعلن توجيه الشكر للكابتن حسام البدري عقب التعادل أمام الجابون، والهجوم الشديد الذي تعرض له من قبل الجماهير والمحللين الرياضيين بسبب سوء الأداء.

العديد من أسماء المدربين المصريين ترددت في الساعات الأخيرة لتولي منصب المدير الفني للمنتخب الوطني خلفا لـ حسام البدري، إلا أنه في النهاية قررت اللجنة المسؤولة عن إدارة شؤون الاتحاد تعيين مديرا فنيا أجنبيا لقيادة الفراعنة في الفترة المُقبلة.

وعلم بطولات أن الاتحاد بدأ في دراسة عدد من السير الذاتية للمدربين الأجانب من مساء أمس الثلاثاء، على أن لا يزيد راتبه عن 70 ألف دولار شهريا.

طالع أيضا.. مساعده لـ بطولات: هيكتور كوبر مدرب ذو مبادئ ولن يرحل عن الكونغو لتدريب منتخب مصر

وفضلت اللجنة الثلاثية دراسة سير ذاتية لمدربين أجانب عملوا في القارة الإفريقية خلال الفترات الماضية وحتى توسع قائمة الاختيارات أمامها ما بين مصريين وأجانب واختيار المدرب الأنسب.

وكانت منتخب مصر قد استهل مشواره في تصفيات إفريقيا المؤهلة إلى بطولة كأس العالم، قطر 2022، بالفوز على أنجولا بهدف دون رد، قبل أن يتعادل مع الجابون بهدف لمثله.

ويتصدر منتخب ليبيا المجموعة السادسة برصيد 6 نقاط، فيما يأتي منتخب مصر في المركز الثاني بـ 4 نقاط، ويحل الجابون ثالثا بنقطة وحيدة، فيما يتذيل أنجولا الترتيب بدون نقاط.

Aston Villa were well beaten on Sunday afternoon with high-flying Leicester City running out 4-1 winners at Villa Park.

It was a tough day all-round for Dean Smith’s side, but it would be fair to say that the performance of Wesley in the final third was particularly upsetting for the fans.

According to WhoScored, the striker did not have a single shot and boasted a pass success rate of just 76% during his 90 minutes on the field.

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And a number of the Villa fans were unhappy with the 23-year-old’s showing against the Foxes.

That said, some of the fans have some sympathy with the centre-forward, who has only managed four Premier League goals since arriving from Club Brugge over the summer.

It seems that some of the supporters have completely had enough, though, as there were also calls for Wesley to be sold, despite the fact that the Brazil international only made the move to the Premier League club ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

Smith will have the chance to bring in more firepower when the January transfer window opens for business, although it remains to be seen whether the club will be active.

Meanwhile, this is the XI that Liverpool could field in the EFL Cup against Villa with the Reds taking a strong squad to the Club World Cup.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

As quoted by the club’s official website, Lyon sporting director Juninho has confirmed Manchester United have first option on signing Memphis Depay.

What’s the word?

The Netherlands international was formerly a Red Devil, joining Louis van Gaal’s Manchester side back in the summer of 2015 for a fee in the region of £31m.

After struggling to really light up Old Trafford – he managed just seven goals and six assists in 53 appearances across all competitions – the 25-year-old made the move to French side Lyon in January 2017.

With his current contract with the club expiring in 2021, Juninho has provided an update on Depay’s long-term future at the club, confirming that United will have the first option if transfer interest in him hots up.

He said (as translated by The Daily Mirror): “Manchester United has the priority if several clubs line up to buy him. But we have not received any offers so far. He is really happy right now in Lyon. Rudi (Garcia) will soon make his decision. He is a technical leader. We will discuss an extension of contract by the end of the year.”

No second thoughts

He may have been an Old Trafford flop before, but Depay’s return to form with Lyon means that United simply cannot pass up on the opportunity to re-sign him if there is a bidding war. The Dutchman has played 130 times for the French giants, scoring 50 goals and providing a further 42 assists.

Reports in recent weeks and months have claimed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are intent on securing a striker in the upcoming January transfer window, with the likes of Mario Mandzukic and Callum Wilson thought to be high up on the shortlist. But whilst Depay has predominantly played from the left at Lyon, he has shown in his time up front that he can also be devastating there too.

He has 15 goals and seven assists in 38 games from the centre-forward role, and his underlying numbers means he could be the perfect Solskjaer signing. Pacy, direct and versatile – the kind of attacker who would fit seamlessly in with the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Daniel James. This season, Depay has averaged 3.9 shots, 1.9 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game in Ligue 1.

It all means that if opportunity does knock, then United simply cannot hesitate to take up their first option on him.