Kylian Mbappe says he is used to coaches speaking negatively to him after being criticised by Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly set a retirement date that will keep his rivalry with Lionel Messi running through the next World Cup in 2026.
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Christian Pulisic was all smiles after being shown a video of his father’s relaxed reaction to the AC Milan star scoring a crucial goal against Lazio.
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Kevin Phillips believes it is “almost impossible” Borna Barisic will stay at Glasgow Rangers given the interest in him from Premier League clubs.
Barisic has attracted plenty of attention from south of the border thanks to his performance for the Gers over the past couple of seasons.
Leeds United as well as Aston Villa, Arsenal and Wolves have all been linked with a move for the left-back.
Speaking to Football Insider in the wake of the news of all this interest, Phillips believes it will be very difficult for the Gers to hold on to the Croatia international this summer. He said:
“I’ve always said the draw of the Premier League, does it outweigh playing in the Champions League?
“At the end of the day, Rangers are never gonna win the Champions League. They can give it a good go and try and get as far as they can.
“But the chance to play in the Premier League, week in, week out, probably outweighs that in my opinion.
“So it’s almost impossible to turn down a Premier League side. Of course, the finances are gonna be a lot different as well.
“There are quite a few clubs looking for a left-back. It’s a specialised position and they’re not very common. So it will be interesting to see how that one unfolds.”
Barisic showed his attacking threat last term with five goals and 14 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt), while he was also part of a team that conceded just 13 goals in the league – he is crucial for the Gers on both sides of the ball.
It was a marvelous campaign for the £5.4m-valued 28-year-old (Transfermarkt), who is currently away at Euro 2020 with his country.
That will only attract attention from other sides, and Barisic does not have too long left for a big move. The Gers’ Champions League fate may play a big role in the defender’s future – qualification for the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition may be enough to convince him to stay for one more year.
Fail to get past the qualification rounds however, and Phillips’ concern may just come to fruition.
In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this Euro 2020 news.
Amad Diallo boasts the ability to make opponents “look a little bit silly”, says Tom Heaton, with the Manchester United starlet likened to Antony.
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With Ange Postecoglou now sitting proudly as Celtic manager, their plans for the new campaign are beginning to build up a head of steam.
A number of Postecoglou’s countrymen have been linked with a move, while a plethora of J-League players are also said to be taking his fancy.
We’ve seen Australia regulars Aaron Mooy and Mat Ryan touted with a reunion at Parkhead but despite their pedigree in the game, it’s a Japanese forward we’d like to focus on.
Reports from Japan (via The Sun) suggest that Celtic are interested in signing Kaoru Mitoma from Kawasaki Frontale.
Described as the most “creative” player in the entire Japanese top-flight by Juco James from the Huddle podcast, he is a rampant force in the final third.
He attempts ten dribbles per 90 minutes and has been compared to former Celtic star Jeremie Frimpong for his progressive running.
Mitoma has ten goals this term, taking his overall tally for Kawasaki Frontale to 28 strikes throughout his time at the club.
What stands out about his game are the positions he shoots and subsequently scores from. With help from Bhoys Analytics, we can see that the 24-year-old has only taken five attempts towards goal outside the box in his last 75 attempts.
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All of his 15 goals are from inside the box while 18 efforts from inside the area that didn’t find the net are all on target.
This is considerably different from a number of other options already at the club. Celtic engineered a horrendous habit last season of taking shots towards goal from long-range.
As of December, Ryan Christie had taken more shots than any other Celtic player but 64% of them had been from outside the box. By the end of April, Christie had taken 51 shots from long range, resulting in just a solitary goal.
That’s an extremely poor tally but it didn’t get much better for David Turnbull and Callum McGregor either.
As of April 30th, Christie, McGregor and Turnbull had taken more attempts from distance than eight other teams in the Premiership. They’d had 145 shots outside the area with a conversion rate of just 4.1%.
Therefore, the idea of signing Mitoma this summer could completely eradicate those bad habits.
If he dislodges Christie in the XI then it certainly irons out that part of Celtic’s game. The evidence shows that Mitoma takes fewer attempts from range, leading to a better output inside the box.
Postecoglou has plenty of issues to address at Paradise but the Hoops may noy score more goals until this one is sorted out.
New Zealand hope to put their best foot forward in the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals at home. But who is in their World Cup squad?
The New Zealand national women's team are geared up to play in their sixth FIFA Women's World Cup which will also be their fifth consecutive appearance in the marquee international tournament.
The qualified for the tournament on June 25, 2020, after winning the bid to co-host the competition with neighbours Australia. The decision was made during a FIFA Council meeting, with their winning bid gaining 22 votes, while Coumbia received 13 to stand second.
Jitka Klimkova's troops will play their World Cup opener against Norway in Auckland, after which they are set to compete with the Philippines and Switzerland in Group A of the Women's World Cup.
Who has made it to the final New Zealand squad for the 2023 Women's World Cup after Klimkova trimmed her squad from 33 to 23? GOAL takes a look…
Southampton are reportedly one of the Premier League sides interested in signing Birmingham City striker Amari Miller this summer and the 18-year-old could prove to be the next Nathan Redmond in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.
According to Birmingham Live reporter Brian Dick, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign the teenager this summer, with Leeds United and Everton also credited with an interest.
The 18-year-old forward made several promising cameo appearances for Lee Bowyer’s side towards the end of the Championship campaign but his contract at St Andrew’s is set to expire this summer and whilst the Blues have offered him a deal, any Premier League club could sign him for a minimal tribunal fee this summer.
Although Miller is very early in his career, Birmingham clearly have a lot of belief in his ability as he featured five times in the Championship last season, despite Bowyer’s side being embroiled in a relegation battle for much of the season.
Bowyer has already praised his “fearless” approach to playing in the Championship and the St Andrew’s outfit will surely be desperate to keep hold of him this summer, but a move to Southampton where young players are always given a chance may well appeal to Miller.
If he were to make the move to St Mary’s ahead of next season, he could prove to be the next Redmond at the South Coast club.
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Like Miller, Redmond started his career at Birmingham City before joining Norwich City in 2013, where he would make 123 appearances before completing a switch to Southampton in the summer of 2016.
He has since gone on to make 199 appearances for the Saints, contributing 27 goals and 21 assists, so if Miller could replicate the former England international, then he would surely prove to be a solid addition at St Mary’s.
Like Redmond, Miller can also feature on either flank and could perhaps be re-trained to feature as a striker in Hasenhuttl’s 4-2-2-2 setup in the future.
Considering Miller won’t cost much at all, it would be well worth the risk for Martin Semmens to try and bring him to St Mary’s this summer, although it appears as if he will face stiff competition from other Premier League sides.
Given Hasenhuttl has been very effusive in his praise of Saints’ young talents, and has already done well in bringing through the likes of Nathan Tella, Miller could be the latest crown jewel for the St Mary’s boss.
An exciting young winger who’s “fearless” appears to be the ideal fit for someone to learn his trade under Hasenhuttl, and it’s exactly why the Saints boss would surely love to sign him.
And, in other news… Reed disaster: Saints missed out on “unbelievable” beast with more goals than Ings
The wait is over! Here's Wrexham's full set of league fixtures for the 2023-24 campaign.
Wrexham will get their eagerly-anticipated 2023-24 League Two season underway with a fixture against Milton Keynes Dons at SToK Racecourse on August 5.
Backed by Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Red Dragons secured their promotion back to the Football League by winning the National League title, accumulating an incredible 111 points, four ahead of Notts County.
After being confirmed as champions of the fifth tier in the English football pyramid, Wrexham's stars headed to Las Vegas for a promotion party funded by Reynolds and McElhenney. Their focus will now turn to pre-season as they prepare for their first campaign back in the Football League for some 15 years.
With the full set of EFL fixtures having now been released, GOAL brings you the full month-to-month breakdown of all of Wrexham's League Two matches for the 2023-24 season!
Fabio Paratici is ‘one step away’ from becoming the new sporting director of Tottenham Hotspur, according to emerging reports in Italy…
Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim talks between Spurs and Paratici are at an ‘advanced stage’ and he is set to be appointed in the near future, even despite the uncertainty over Antonio Conte, whom he worked with at Juventus.
The 48-year-old recently left his role in Turin, where he was a part of 19 major trophies in 11 years but is said to be keen to get straight back into the game.
Whilst Conte has stalled on taking the reigns in the dugout, it seems his Italian counterpart is on the verge of being hired.
Spurs have sunk down the Premier League table in recent seasons, recording back-to-back finishes which are their worst since 2009, so it is interesting that Daniel Levy feels it is time for a change upstairs.
The North London outfit have not had someone in this role since Franco Baldini left in 2015. He was largely responsible for signings like Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado, Christian Eriksen and Paulinho.
Paratici’s record at Juventus is undeniable and he, along with Conte, built one of their most successful teams together but he quickly became known for splashing the cash.
In 2018. he signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for €100m (£86m), where he signed a whopping £500k-per-week contract and a year later, he clinched young Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt for €75m (£65m).
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By comparison, Spurs’ record signing is £55m and Levy has only paid a fee above £30m four times in his career, so you’d have to wonder if Paratici is a good fit for the club.
His transfer activity has recently been slammed by Forza Italian Football editor-in-chief Conor Clancy, who told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that the director was “incapable.”
“It’s unbelievable that they had Joao Cancelo there, they let him go for Danilo.
“They had Miralem Pjanic who was one of the best midfielders in Italy and Europe. They did a weird swap deal with Barcelona that has worked out for neither Juventus nor Barcelona nor either of the players.
“And he has proven himself incapable of selling. He had all of these players on huge wages.”
A move for Paratici fails to make much sense without the arrival of Conte, either, especially given the names on Levy’s mooted shortlist.
As per The Athletic, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, Brighton’s Graham Potter, Ajax champion Erik ten Hag, and the unemployed Ralf Rangnick are all being considered for the role.
None have worked under Paratici, nor has the Italian been able to see any of them first-hand. He could well have his own list of potential managerial candidates, meaning Spurs are some way off finding their next boss.
Levy is on the verge of making one simply unforgivable mistake here. On the above evidence, the appointment of Paratici – with or without Conte – just seems a recipe for disaster.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals fresh twist in Spurs’ bid to secure Antonio Conte…