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Argentine icon Hugo Gatti has explained why Cristiano Ronaldo has “always been better” than Lionel Messi but will never be considered the GOAT.

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• CR7 considers himself to be the best
• Messi always in that conversation
• Gatti believes Pele was better than both

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Portuguese superstar Ronaldo recently told when assessing his own standing among the all-time greats: “Taste is one thing, saying this, that or that, whether you prefer Messi, Pele or [Diego] Maradona, I hear it and I respect it but to say that Cristiano isn't complete is a lie. I'm the most complete. I don't see anyone better than me and I tell you that with all my heart.”

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  WHAT HUGO GATTI SAID

  Legendary goalkeeper Gatti believes CR7 has gone too far in that assessment, telling : "It is public knowledge that, for me, there is not, nor was there, nor will there be anyone like Pele. Pele is unrivalled, he was something else. Cristiano was very good in recent times, but he is not close to Pele, nor are Maradona and Messi close to Pele.

  “But what he says holds weight because he has been a champion of everything, a goalscorer and has played in the most important clubs in the world. It suits him well, he has more ego than me, but no, he is not the best in history. After that, for me, there are [Johan] Cruyff, Maradona, Ronaldinho and [Alfredo] Di Stefano.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ronaldo has five Ballons d’Or to his name, compared to Messi’s eight, but has claimed major honours at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus while still starring for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr at 40 years of age. Messi his currently with Inter Miami in MLS, having previously enjoyed spells at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Gatti added: “In recent times, Cristiano was more important than Messi. He played for bigger clubs, he was a bigger scorer, he always takes a risk. You have to say ‘I am the best player in history’, I have not heard Messi or Maradona say that. And he says it to you. It doesn’t sound bad to him. I love Cristiano very much, but there was no one like Pele and there will never be one. Pele was better than Maradona, Cristiano, Messi, Ronaldinho, Cruyff together.”

Erik ten Hag’s tumultuous Manchester United career could be over as soon as this weekend. That’s according to reports shared by TEAMtalk, which claim United will sack the Dutch manager if his team fails to beat Brentford at Old Trafford on Saturday.

This term, Ten Hag has led United to their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, with his side picking up just eight points from a possible 21 and stuck in 14th place. As a result of the club’s poor start, the powers that be at Old Trafford have already been eyeing replacements for Ten Hag. Former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel was believed to be their top target, however, any chance of landing the German came to an end on Wednesday when he was appointed as the new England boss.

TEAMtalk now claim that another of Chelsea’s former managers, Graham Potter, is the front runner to replace Ten Hag should he be unable to save his bacon at the weekend.

Ten Hag pleads with board for De Jong

If Ten Hag can make it past Brentford, the Dutchman believes he can save his United career, and the club’s season, in January with a marquee signing, according to reports from Spain. Sport.es report that Ten Hag has demanded that United sign Frenkie de Jong from FC Barcelona after the New Year, with the 54-year-old manager believing the former Ajax wonderkid to be the player that would finally glue his ever-changing side together.

According to the Spanish newspaper, De Jong, 27, is Ten Hag’s “dream” signing. The two worked together at Ajax between 2017 and 2019, with the midfielder the star player in the young team that won the Eredivisie and made it to the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since the 1996/97 season.

De Jong, called an “extraordinary footballer” by Xavi, left Ajax for Barcelona at the end of the 2018/19 campaign and has been continually linked with a move to United ever since Ten Hag took charge in 2022.

Ten Hag obsessed with his former Ajax players

Since moving to United, Ten Hag has made a habit of buying his old Ajax players. In just two years, he’s signed no less than five players whom he managed during his time at the Johan Cruyff Arena – Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Andre Onana, Lisandro Martinez, and Antony.

Combined, they have cost United a whopping £222 million, but none have yet justified their hefty transfer fees, nor why Ten Hag decided to bring them to Old Trafford in the first place.

Talks back on as Man Utd in contact with "exceptional" Ten Hag replacement

He could be the man to finally return Man Utd to the top table in Europe.

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By
Ben Browning

Oct 15, 2024

A further six players Ten Hag has signed for United – Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat, Wout Weghorst, and Joshua Zirkzee – also have backgrounds in the Dutch top flight. Back in August, Ten Hag addressed accusations from United fans that he is obsessed with signing his former Ajax players and ex-Eredivise stars.

“It’s club decisions. None of them is only my decision,” he said, according to Sunday World. “It’s always backed or even brought up through the scouting, recruitment, the technical director, the sporting director.”

Al-Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada has aimed a brutal dig at Neymar following his release, claiming that the Brazilian is “no longer capable” of performing.

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• South American struggled with injuries
• Contract in the Middle East terminated
• Returned to his roots in native Brazil

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar saw his contract with the Saudi Pro League club ripped up after taking in just seven appearances. Knee ligament damage kept him out of action for 12 months, with fitness problems proving impossible to overcome.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Neymar has since returned to his roots at Santos, with a professional spark being sought back where it all began for him, with Al-Hilal looking to move on from an unfortunate saga. They believe that a man who was once a Ballon d’Or contender alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will never be the same again.

• WHAT AL-HILAL CEO SAID

  Calzada has told : “I am very sorry that we were never able to count on Neymar. As soon as he arrived, he ruptured his cruciate ligament. His departure is further proof that we at Al Hilal are looking for and need players capable of delivering maximum performance.

  “As much as Neymar contributed to our marketing success , sporting performance comes first. And that's when we came to the conclusion that he was no longer capable of delivering what we expected. The agreement to terminate his contract benefited all parties.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Al-Hilal also took the decision to part with Neymar as the Saudi Pro League imposes limits on the number of foreign players that each team is allowed in their squad. Calzada added: “The competition in our team is brutal. We have a limited number of places for foreign players and the players we have now are doing an excellent job. Neymar is not currently at the level to immediately deliver the performance we need to achieve our objectives.”

Questions have been asked of Neymar on the back of his Saudi Arabian stint, but the Brazilian has been showing that he still boasts outrageous skill.

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• Made just seven appearances for Al-Hilal
• Rebuilding form & fitness back at Santos
• South American playing with confidence again

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 33-year-old, who has risen above Pele as his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, managed just seven appearances for Al-Hilal before seeing his lucrative contract terminated. An injury-ravaged spell in the Middle East led to Neymar facing accusations of becoming a fading force.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  He has, however, embraced an opportunity to return to his roots at boyhood club Santos. An initial six-month deal has been agreed there, allowing Neymar to rebuild form and fitness. A first goal back in familiar surroundings was recorded from the penalty spot in a meeting with Agua Santa.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Neymar has now helped Santos to back-to-back wins following their 3-0 victory over Noroeste. It was during that contest that the South American superstar broke out his bag of tricks and kept fans entertained with some stunning footwork and ball control.

As if Russell Martin wasn’t dealt enough of a blow by Leicester City’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory, Southampton already have an injury concern to deal with ahead of the Manchester City game next weekend.

Southampton injury news

It looked as though the Saints finally kicked into gear to get their Premier League campaign going once and for all when Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo put them into a commanding lead after just 28 minutes. That 2-0 lead is where the problems started for Martin’s side, however, who completely capitulated to allow Leicester back into the game.

Southampton take damning step behind the scenes that's bad news for Martin

A concern for the Saints boss…

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 10, 2024

Levelling things up courtesy of Facundo Buonanotte and Jamie Vardy in the second-half, summer arrival Jordan Ayew became the hero of the hour when he squeezed his effort beyond Aaron Ramsdale to turn the game on its head in the 98th minute. Beaten and left watching the visitors wheel away in celebration, defeat against Leicester may just be the first nail in the coffin for Martin’s tenure.

The Saints haven’t exactly been handed positive news since that result either, especially on the injury front. As confirmed by Martin, Will Smallbone is an early doubt to face Manchester City next weekend after tweaking his hamstring in his first game back from injury against Leicester. The midfielder came on only to suffer yet another setback.

Martin confirmed the “disappointing” news, telling the Southern Daily Echo: “Will played the last 15 minutes with an injury. It looks like he’s tweaked his hamstring again which is really disappointing for him and for us. He soldiered on and battled through the last 10-15 minutes with that for the team because that’s the kind of guy he is.”

With a trip to face the Premier League champions up next, things couldn’t get much more difficult for a Southampton side desperately in need of a turnaround.

"Gifted" Smallbone adds to Southampton's woes

After missing the last four Premier League games, Smallbone’s return handed Southampton a much-needed boost that they would have been hoping to see play a part in turning a sinking ship around. One game later, however, the midfield is seemingly back on the sidelines to once again add to the woes of those at St Mary’s. As Martin battles for his job, he desperately needs his £25,000-a-week star to make a swift return.

The Saints boss was full of praise for Smallbone after his part in Southampton’s 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last season, telling reporters, as relayed by the Daily Echo: “He’s a really outstanding footballer and his performances so far have justified why I wanted to sign him at Swansea – so we must have got one right.

“He will play in different roles for us as well. He really is a gifted footballer with some good Championship experience after last season. I hope he enjoyed that tonight because I really enjoyed watching him.”

As things stand though, Southampton look likely to square off against Manchester City – of all sides – without their midfielder.

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans must surely be braced for a big change in the next few weeks. Although nothing is certain, their manager Gary O’Neil’s job could well be on the line after an appalling start to the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Despite two draws in a row, the Midlands club currently languish at the bottom of the English top flight, with just three points to their name. It has been a winless start to the new campaign, and they have not actually won since the 27 April when they beat now-relegated Luton Town 2-1.

With that in mind, it is unsurprising that O’Neil could be the next Premier League manager to be sacked. They are thought to be lining up one experienced boss as a replacement.

Who could replace O’Neil at Wolves

The manager in question here is former West Ham United boss David Moyes. The Scotsman has coached a whole host of clubs, including but not limited to Manchester United and Everton, with the Old Gold now thought to be next in line to appoint him.

At least, that is according to a report from Football Insider. They explain that Wolves have Moyes ‘on their managerial shortlist’ if they decide to part company with O’Neil following his poor start to the season.

The Old Gold could well turn to Moyes because he is ‘regarded as a specialist in relegation battles’ which they find themselves embroiled in after a tough start to the season. Another factor in bringing the 61-year-old to the club is the fact he has plenty of ‘Premier League experience’ already.

Why Moyes would be a good appointment

Moyes has been out of work since the end of last season after he left the London Stadium following a successful second spell with West Ham. His second spell at the club was excellent, with football presenter Dougie Critchley describing him as “manager of the year” in 2021. He also brought silverware to East London, winning the Europa Conference League with the Hammers in 2022/23.

One of the first tasks that would face the experienced boss is to improve the Old Gold’s defensive record. They have been simply awful from a defensive standpoint this term, and have comfortably conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 27 in the ten games so far. Ipswich Town are second on that list, with just 21.

Historically, Moyes, who favours a 4-2-3-1 system, has a superb proven track record when it comes to making his team more defensively solid. The Scotsman has conceded 914 goals across all the games he has coached in the Premier League.

In the 697 games he has managed, that breaks down to just 1.3 goals per game, far better than Wolves’ record this term. In fact, having a strong defensive record in the top flight is something that he has consistently achieved with almost every club he has managed at that level.

He could certainly be the second coming of former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo in that sense. The Portuguese manager, now in the hot seat at Nottingham Forest, was renowned for his defensive solidity at Molineux.

In 199 games in all competitions, he conceded just 281 goals, which works out at 1.09 goals per game. His defence, largely spearheaded by Conor Coady, was tough to breach, and it is serving him well again at the City Ground this season. His Forest side have conceded just seven goals in the Premier League.

Appointing Moyes could well be a perfect deal for the Old Gold. Not only would they be bringing in an experienced manager who has steered teams to safety in the past, but they would finally be able to tighten things up at the back, and perhaps be as secure as they were in the glory days under Nuno.

Managers with 14 wins vs Wolves combined top targets to replace O'Neil

They are seen as the top targets.

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 4, 2024

Liverpool coach Arne Slot has warned Darwin Nunez that he must give his all for the team as he explained his recent criticism of the striker.

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• Slot criticised Nunez after Villa clash
• Took aim at striker's work rate
• Urged him to keep fighting for the team

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Slot criticised the Uruguayan for his "behaviour" after he missed a chance from close range in last week's 2-2 draw against Aston Villa, adding that he "got too much in his head – where he wasn’t the usual Darwin that works his ass off and makes sure he helps the team". The 25-year-old was then left on the bench for the entirety of the Reds' 2-0 win against Manchester City on Sunday.

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  Slot says the Villa game was the second time in a row Nunez left him disappointed as the forward failed to make an impact when he came on against Wolves in the previous match, and the Dutchman insists he will not accept his work rate dipping again.

• WHAT SLOT SAID

  "I helped him by saying you can miss a chance. I wasn’t only hard on him. But for the second time in a row I wasn’t happy with his work effort, against Wolves and against Villa," he said.

  "I always try to be honest with my players and be honest as I can to you guys as well where I always try to protect my players so I don’t say he never worked hard. I know him differently. I know him at Villa at home where he made a 100 metre sprint and scored a goal, I know him when he came on at City at home and was pressing really aggressively and wins the ball back and we score.

  "But I can’t accept if a player doesn’t give everything. That is clear. I can accept it once but twice was a bit too much. That’s why I addressed it. Not that I’m all of a sudden very angry with him. I don’t mind that he missed a chance, I’d have loved him to score it, and I know he will eventually score. But if you miss a chance, you need to be fighting for the team. I’m not saying he didn’t do that at all, but it wasn’t the usual Darwin, the one that is loved by the fans. That is mainly because he always works so hard."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DARWIN NUNEZ?

  The ex-Benfica star may be given a chance to impress again when the Premier League leaders face Newcastle on Wednesday after putting in a strong display in training.

  Slot added: "[On Monday] he was incredible in the training session when it comes to work rate. Hopefully he can keep doing this, and whenever the team needs him then he is ready for it if he keeps putting in sessions like he did yesterday.”

Neymar is "glad to be back" with the Brazil national team after Dorival Jr. called him up following his electrifying Santos return.

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• Neymar returns for the Selecao after 18 months
• Shared his excitement on social media
• Gradually regaining his mojo with Santos

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar has not played for the Selecao since suffering a serious knee injury against Uruguay in October 2023. Since returning to Santos in January, the 33-year-old has been in impressive form, scoring three goals and providing three assists in seven appearances.

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• HOW DID NEYMAR REACT

  After learning of his call-up, Neymar took to Instagram to share his excitement, posting a photo of himself watching the squad announcement on television. The caption read: "Happy to be back!", highlighting his eagerness to wear the iconic yellow jersey once again.

  @neymarjr Instagram

• WHAT DID DORIVAL JR. SAY

  Speaking about Neymar’s return, Brazil’s head coach Dorival Júnior expressed his faith in the forward’s ability to make a significant impact in the upcoming qualifiers.

  "There's no need to talk about what Neymar represents," the manager told reporters. "He is currently recovering his form, we understand and are aware of this. But we believe his abilities and qualities allow him to be in a condition to overcome any situation on the field. He is a player whose [Brazil] team-mates themselves publicly expressed what he represents to the group.

  "We were waiting for him to return, this is the first opportunity that we could have him [since recovering from injury]. I hope he is very happy when he returns. Let's give him the confidence to develop to the best of his ability, let's not create high expectations, let's not place all the responsibility on his return."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Brazil are currently experiencing a challenging World Cup qualifying campaign, sitting fifth in the South American standings after 12 matches. The Selecao are seven points behind leaders Argentina, having won just five games.

With under two years left on his current contract, Rangers are now reportedly the top suitors in the race to replace James Tavernier by signing a League One defender in 2025.

Rangers transfer news

It’s been a season full of bad news so far for the Gers, who find themselves third and nine points adrift of both Aberdeen and Cetlic who have formed an unexpected title race in the Scottish Premiership. As the top two continue to go stride for stride, Rangers’ return to form hasn’t seen them regain their place in the top two in a campaign which already looks destined to end in failure from a league perspective.

Only adding to their woes recently was Rangers’ finance report which revealed an operating loss of £17.2m, which is set to limit Philippe Clement when searching for much-needed reinforcements in 2025. Suddenly, transfer targets such as Darius Olaru no longer seem viable in a major blow for the Scottish giants.

That’s not to say there’s not a single piece of positive news, however, with the Gers recently linked to a reinforcement who may be slightly more affordable than the European star.

According to Rangers News, Rangers are now the top suitors in the race to sign Ryan Barnett ahead of Championship sides Preston North End and Stoke City. The right-back has impressed for Wrexham in League One to earn the attention of those at Ibrox, who have been keeping tabs on the 25-year-old. Now, they could line up a move to sign an heir to Tavernier’s right-back throne in Glasgow.

Cerny upgrade: Rangers eyeing up move for "immense" star

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the young forward.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 13, 2024

The Rangers captain is on course to leave as a free agent in 2026 and the Scottish side would be saving themselves a lot of trouble by finding a replacement in either January or the summer transfer window rather than moving with panic in 2026.

"Tremendous" Barnett is good enough to replace Tavernier

Replacing a modern-day Rangers legend would be no easy task, but Barnett’s form suggests that he’d be more than capable of stepping up at Ibrox. The Wrexham right-back has five assists and one goal to his name in 16 appearances in all competitions so far this season, which is more goal involvements than Tavernier’s five in 20 appearances in the current campaign.

It’s recent form that would not have caught Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson by suprise given his previous praise for Barnett. Speaking after his side defeated Notts County 1-0 back in February, Parkinson told the club’s official YouTube channel: “If they go to a back four, Cameron will be up against Barney (Ryan Barnett), you know centre half playing left back.

“Give the ball to Barney because he’s tremendous in those situations and he produced some real good quality first half and second half.”

Unlike some of Rangers’ recruitment last summer, meanwhile, Barnett is not a player waiting to reach his peak, he is in it at this very moment. As the Gers potentially line up a 2025 move, the right-back should be high on Clement’s shortlist of targets.

It’s been a bizarre season for Tottenham Hotspur so far this year.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have looked hopeless at times, such as in their losses to Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town, but simply electric in others, like the wins over Manchester United and Aston Villa.

However, the North Londoners’ 4-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday was so emphatic and so incredibly impressive that it could just be the catalyst for them to now go on a genuine run of good form.

That said, for all the brilliant displays on the side of the Lilywhites, there were plenty of abject ones on the side of the hosts, including former Spurs ace Kyle Walker, although as bad as he’s been this season, there is a former Tottenham defender who has been even worse.

Kyle Walker's dreadful season

Walker left for Spurs in the summer of 2017 to join City for a whopping £53m, which was a record for a full-back at the time, and while there was an adaptation time for the Englishman, it would be fair to say it’s been a move that’s since worked out.

For example, in the seven and a half years since, the 34-year-old has made 311 appearances, in which he’s won six league titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, two Community Shields, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and, of course, the Champions League.

However, time catches up with us all, and to say the former Spurs ace has deteriorated this season would be a massive understatement.

His decline was on full show against his old club on Saturday when he looked miles off the pace and was comfortably beaten by Timo Werner for the Lilywhites’ fourth goal.

Moreover, former professional Tony Cascarino described the Englishman’s performance as being similar to when Gareth Bale ran “Maicon, the great Brazilian full-back ragged,” and that it was a similar situation against Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma earlier this month.

In all, it’s hard to look at Walker’s performances this season and not come to the conclusion that his career at the top level is coming to an end. Yet, there is another former Spurs defender who is younger and is having an even worse season than him this year.

The former Spurs player who's been worse than Walker

So, to cut straight to the point, the player in question is fellow full-back Emerson Royal.

The 25-year-old, who was described as a “liability” during his time with Spurs by Jamie O’Hara, joined Italian giants AC Milan in the summer for around £13m, in a transfer that Italian football writer Kaustubh Pandey described as “a deal for the ages,” but not for the right reasons.

Instead, he was shocked at how much the Italian giants were willing to pay for the Brazilian defender, as aside from very few glimpses here and there, he’s been dreadful since leaving N17.

For example, in the club’s game against Juventus over the weekend, Football Italia gave him a paltry 4/10 match rating, while he didn’t do much better in the clash with Cagliari either, with Gazzetta dello Sport giving him a 5.5/10.

In all, the São Paulo-born ace has made 14 appearances for Milan, 12 of which have been starts, of which six have ended with victories, three have ended in draws, and five have been defeats.

Ultimately, it’s hard to look at Emerson’s time at the San Siro as anything other than a complete disaster, especially when experts like James Horncastle write that his transfer to Milan ‘looks like the biggest donation in the history of Fondazione Milan as the club charitably tries to make his wish to become a footballer come true.’

Therefore, while Walker is having an undeniably poor season, another former Spurs full-back is having an even worse one.

Spurs academy gem is now outscoring Kulusevski & Son after leaving

The exciting winger is enjoying a stellar season away from Spurs.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 22, 2024