Tag Futebol

Fulham are now preparing a move to hijack a permanent deal for an “incredible” Premier League midfielder who Marco Silva already knows well.

Cottagers in good form heading into Chelsea derby

The Cottagers are now up to 11th in the Premier League table, extending their unbeaten run to five games after Harrison Reed fired home a spectacular late equaliser to earn a 2-2 draw against Liverpool last time out.

Silva is likely to feel as though justice was served, with the manager expressing his disbelief that Florian Wirtz’s goal wasn’t disallowed for an offside, saying: “Now, I have more images, different tools. For me, I cannot believe how that goal was allowed, it was a clear offside.

“We are still waiting for feedback from the Premier League. Everyone had the same opinion, it was clear. It’s much more than 5cm in my opinion.”

Although the west Londoners were ultimately unable to secure all three points, the fact they went toe-for-toe with last season’s champions is a very good sign, heading into the derby match against Chelsea tonight.

Performances have been much-improved as of late, but Fulham remain keen on strengthening their squad this month, and they recently made an approach to sign Real Betis midfielder Sergi Altimira.

However, according to a report from TEAMtalk, the Cottagers are also eyeing up a midfielder from much closer to home, with it being revealed they are preparing to pounce to sign Joao Palhinha, who is currently on loan at Tottenham Hotspur from Bayern Munich.

Tottenham have the option to make the midfielder’s stay permanent for £26m, but there is a feeling they could now abort the deal, which could open the door for a return to Craven Cottage.

Should Spurs choose not to snap up the Portuguese maestro, Fulham would consider a move, and if he is able to replicate his previous exploits at the club, he could be a fantastic addition…

Related Live Football Streams: Watch Premier League, Championship, La Liga & more

All the fixtures and channels to watch live football on TV this week can be found here.

Posts ByCharlie Smith Palhinha could be "incredible" signing for Fulham

Silva knows the central midfielder well, having previously worked together at Craven Cottage, during which time he put in some top-quality performances, particularly impressing with his tackling ability.

The 30-year-old, who has been praised for his “incredible work rate and exceptional tackling”, has continued to catch the eye from a defensive point of view across spells with Bayern and Spurs over the past year, while also displaying a keen eye for goal, when compared to other midfielders.

Joao Palhinha’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

4.76 (99th percentile)

Blocks

1.64 (87th percentile)

Aerials won

1.78 (87th percentile)

Non-penalty goals

0.15 (81st percentile)

Assists

0.15 (80th percentile)

As such, it would perhaps be a little unusual if Tottenham chose not to take up the option to sign Palhinha permanently, but their loss could be Fulham’s gain.

Liverpool started 2026 in disappointing fashion as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds United at Anfield in the Premier League on Thursday.

It was a fairly uneventful match, with just one ‘big chance’ between the two teams combined, and one that ended a four-game winning streak for Arne Slot’s side.

FSG already knew that there is work to be done with the squad in the January transfer window before this underwhelming result, though, as the club are reportedly closing in on a big-money addition.

Liverpool set to sign new defender

Liverpool are reportedly closing in on the signing of central defender Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge for a fee of up to £43m to bolster the manager’s options at the heart of the defence.

The Reds did not have a senior centre-back available on the bench against Leeds, with Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni out injured, and it is clearly an area that needs strengthening.

If these latest reports are to be believed, it is an area that FSG are set to strengthen in the coming days, with Ordonez set to come through the door to provide Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate with competition.

It is good to see that the club have moved swiftly to address a key issue in the squad at the start of the transfer window, but there is still work to be done for the recruitment chiefs before the window slams shut.

One Liverpool flop’s performance against Leeds on Thursday showed that FSG still need to spend more money on another signing, even after swooping for Ordonez for £43m.

Why Liverpool need to sign another attacker

The reigning Premier League champions still need to add another attacking option to Slot’s arsenal before the January transfer window slams shut.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

That is because Florian Wirtz provided yet another reminder that he is not the player who is going to go and make a difference for the Reds in a tight and physical game in the 0-0 draw with Leeds.

The £116m signing started the game on the left flank for Liverpool and looked totally ineffective. One analyst on X stated that the Germany international is “not a final third difference maker”, and should play further back on the pitch in a role akin to the one that Pedri plays for Barcelona.

There is merit to that theory because he ranks highly in statistics that you would expect a deep-lying midfielder to excel in. For example, Wirtz is in the top 4% of attacking midfielders in the Premier League for passes attempted per 90 (55.38) and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90 (7.05), per FBref.

Meanwhile, his blank against Leeds means that the attacking midfielder has only scored one goal, which came against a Wolves team who have three points, and provided one assist in 18 top-flight games since his big-money switch from the Bundesliga.

Vs Leeds

Florian Wirtz

Minutes

66

Shots

4

Goals

0

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Dribbles completed

0/1

Possession lost

15x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Wirtz was ineffective at the top end of the pitch for the Reds on Thursday, as he lost possession 15 times without creating any ‘big chances’, and failed to score from any of his four efforts on goal.

Subscribe for expert Liverpool transfer analysis Want authoritative takes on Liverpool’s transfer needs? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis of transfer targets, tactical fit, and squad solutions — smart, source-backed coverage to follow how the Reds reshape their lineup and recruitment plans.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The issue with the £116m signing’s struggles on the left flank is that Slot’s other left winger, Cody Gakpo, has produced one goal and one assist in his last 11 appearances in all competitions for the club, per Sofascore.

Wirtz’s struggles in an attacking position, whilst excelling in statistics associated with a deeper-lying midfielder, suggest that Slot should utilise him further back in midfield, such as the position that Curtis Jones started in against Leeds.

This dismal showing against Leeds should be the final bit of evidence that is needed to make that change in role for the German, which would then mean that FSG need to dip into the market to sign a starting-grade left winger.

Related In the coming days: Liverpool set to seal better move than Semenyo for £43m

Liverpool are reportedly set to sign a star who could be an even better addition than Antoine Semenyo.

Posts ByDan Emery

With Gakpo struggling badly for form and Wirtz in need of a position change, Liverpool must dip into the market to sign another wide attacker to bolster their squad, even after splashing £43m on Ordonez.

Goolam Bodi delivered his career best performances with bat and ball to guide Natal to an impressive nine-wicket win with al of six overs to spare. Man-of-the-match Bodi took two for 30 off seven overs and then scored a chanceless 106 not out off 118 balls with 11 fours and three sixes as Natal replied to Eastern Province’s 217 for eight with 219 for one in 39 overs.The home side bowled tightly in the second half of the innings to curb an EP total that seemed headed for 250. Much of the credit for that effort will go to Jon Kent, who took four for 29, also his career best.Bodi’s analysis would have been rather more impressive had he not conceded 16 runs in his seventh and last over, in which he also dismissed Dave Callaghan. Kent, meanwhile, snuffed out EP’s budding momentum by bowling Murray Creed and having Robin Peterson caught behind four balls apart in the 29th over.Not for the first time, EP’s batting was held together by veteran Callaghan, whose 73 off 106 balls with seven fours and two sixes was his 26th domestic limited overs half-century. Callaghan shared in both major partnerships of the innings, the 57 off 76 balls he put on with James Bryant for the third wicket, and the 51 off 66 he and Shafiek Abrahams scored for the seventh.Bodi then put the seal on a memorable evening for him with a seamless innings. The bulk of his runs came in a solid opening stand of 178 shared with Doug Watson, whose well crafted 72 came off 104 balls and included five fours and a six. The partnership ended in the 35th over when Watson drove straight but firmly back to left-arm spinner Peterson.Bodi and Wade Wingfield finished the job with their unbroken partnership of 41, and while the EP attack would have been improved by the addition of the injured Mfuneko Ngam and Justin Kemp, who is in the national squad, it is doubtful whether even their presence would have stopped the home side on the night.

It is ‘absolutely compulsory’ for Shoaib Akhtar to undergo counselling © AFP

Shoaib Akhtar will be required to undergo some form of counselling as part of the punishment announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).Shoaib was banned for 13 matches and has to pay a fine of approximately US$56,000 for a number of disciplinary breaches, including his spat with Mohammad Asif. But Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the PCB, revealed today that Shoaib will have to undergo behavioural counseling as part of his punishment.”He has to have some form of counseling as part of his punishment. That is absolutely compulsory,” said Ashraf.While disappointed with the episode, Ashraf said it was now time to move on. “We are very clear and consistent in that there will be no compromise at all on discipline. Shoaib got the maximum punishment. He has apologised to everyone and he will be under probation for two years. Anymore breaches and he could face a life ban. Let’s move on now.”Ashraf also said no action would be taken against Shahid Afridi, the third player in the dressing room incident which resulted in Shoaib hitting Asif with a bat. Shoaib had alleged that Afridi had instigated the matter and insulted his family.But Ashraf said, “There was no substance found in Shoaib’s allegations against Afridi. There is no proof of anything and the matter should no be closed.”

Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff: joint ICC Players of the Year in 2005 © Getty Images

Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, will announce the shortlists for this year’s ICC Awards in Mumbai this Sunday.The shortlists for the awards have been compiled by the 56-member voting academy, who were asked to vote for players nominated by a selection panel chaired by Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain.In addition to the individual awards and the Spirit of Cricket Award, this year’s ceremony will also feature the awarding of Test and ODI Teams of the Year. And for the first time, there is an award for Women’s Cricketer of the Year.The ceremony – in its third year – will take place at the Taj Land’s End in Mumbai on November 3. It has previously been held in London (2004) and, last year, in Sydney.

Alec Stewart has recently become Bell’s agent © Getty Images

Ian Bell is determined to silence those who have doubted his ability to perform at international level. Although he hit two fifties at Old Trafford this summer against Australia, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne held the wood over him: he scored just 171 runs in the five-Test series. He refuses to be disheartened with his summer feats, however. “My confidence and self-belief is the same as it was before I walked out to bat in the first Test at Lord’s,” he told .England’s selectors showed their commitment by including him in the Test squad to tour Pakistan and, despite a poor summer, Bell is confident he has learnt plenty from his first Ashes series. “I feel I’m a better player for what I have been through this summer,” he said. “If you don’t learn anything by playing with – and against – the best bowlers and batsmen in the world, then you have a problem.”He feels the experience of facing two of the greatest bowlers of all time stands him in good stead for the tour to Pakistan in November: “Pakistan is a place where if you can bat well you can score plenty of runs. If you can play spin and get in you can do well. I’m confident I can have a good tour.”Alec Stewart, Bell’s mentor, has recently become his agent and is confident that his young protégé is on the right track. “The experience he has got from the past few weeks in this series will stand him in good stead for the rest of his international career,” Stewart told .”He has grown up as a cricketer, and probably started doing so from the very first ball at Lord’s. He’s going to be a very fine player indeed; there’s something of the Michael Atherton about him.”The first Test between England and Pakistan gets underway in November.

Damien Martyn: another high-class innings© Getty Images

When India look back on the opening day at Nagpur, they will experience a mixture of elation and disappointment. Having fought back magnificently to wrest the initiative before lunch, they threw it away with some wretched bowling after the interval, not helped by a pitch that eased out to be as flat as the pancake that was always predicted despite the decorative green covering. With Australia 234 for 3 moments before tea – 143 came from the 29 overs bowled in the afternoon session, unacceptable figures no matter what the quality of the batting – the match and the series were slipping away, but Murali Kartik then produced a spell as eye-catching as the streaks in his hair to ensure that the final session wouldn’t be the run-fest that the second had been.Deprived of the services of Harbhajan Singh – a far more significant absentee than either Sourav Ganguly or Irfan Pathan, given his record against Australia – Rahul Dravid initially appeared unsure of how to attack opponents who started with customary flourish. Neither Ajit Agarkar nor Zaheer Khan did enough with the new ball, though there was enough lateral movement, and it didn’t help that the slip cordon – prompted by a lack of faith in the wicketkeeper? – was deep enough to bring back memories of the West Indian speed demons of yore.Both Zaheer and Anil Kumble then bowled themselves to a standstill after lunch, and were unavailable when Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann started to hit the ball with crispness and power. Murali Kartik came on late, and Sachin Tendulkar even later, while Agarkar chose that passage of play to illustrate why so few rate him as a Test-match bowler.His bowling to Martyn could best be described as thoughtless. Pitching short to a man who made his reputation for back-foot play at the WACA in Perth was a bit like sending down loopy half-volleys on off stump to Ganguly in his pomp, and Martyn duly cashed in with some sumptuous drives and cuts.To focus too hard on Indian inadequacies would be to overlook the luminosity of Martyn’s batting. When he came forward to the spinners, his footwork was decisive and precise, and on the back foot, he was seldom hurried into a false stroke. Visiting batsmen – most notably Ricky Ponting on the last tour – have prodded forward with dismal results in Indian conditions, but Martyn’s method – treating each ball on its merit, with no pre-conceived plan of attack – showed that the most effective solutions are also the most simple.

Parthiv Patel celebrates a rare happy moment on what was another dismal day behind the stumps© AFP

But for two beautiful deliveries from Kartik, India could conceivably have given up 400 runs, as they did on the opening day at Adelaide last year. For someone with nothing to gain – Harbhajan is a shoo-in if he regains fitness before Mumbai – and everything to lose, Kartik’s performance spoke volumes of his character. The initial overs were touched with hesitancy, expected from someone who has never enjoyed a decent run in the XI, but later on the beguiling loop and turn that first caught the eye several years ago were in evidence. On a day when Kumble wasn’t quite his immense self, it was a virtuoso performance.To be fair, India’s position would have been far healthier had Michael Clarke been given out when struck on the back pad by Zaheer. Replays suggested that he was palpably plumb, and Zaheer’s bemused expression – he bowled with great heart and skill after an indifferent opening spell – said enough of India’s anguish. Clarke had made just 6 then, and he and Martyn would add a further 65 before being separated.But once again, India have to look within – or behind the stumps in this case – to pinpoint the root cause of their troubles. Parthiv Patel fumbles the ball more often than David James, England’s much-maligned goalkeeper, on a bad day, and he gave Clarke two gifts of life late in the day, courtesy a fluffed stumping and a horrendous drop. His expression afterwards suggested that he was on the verge of tears, and after the endless media scrutiny of the last few days, you couldn’t blame him.There are times when courage in the face of adversity is an admirable thing. But in Patel’s case, surely the time has come to take the backward step into first-class cricket so that he can restore shattered confidence and rebuild what remains of his technique. For the moment, every second he spends in the middle only enhances the intolerable cruelty of the poison-pens, and for one so young, that appears too much of a burden to bear.

All may not be lost for New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond who returned home to Christchurch from Sri Lanka today.New Zealand Cricket’s sports science medical co-ordinator Warren Frost met Bond at Christchurch Airport and said afterwards that the advice received from the team physiotherapist on tour, Dayle Shackel, offered a best hope scenario that Bond’s back problem could be disc-related and not the stress fracture that has been feared. Bond will have an MRI scan on Monday to determine the extent of his problem.Bond said after his arrival in Christchurch that before leaving Sri Lanka the injury had settled down and there was no stiffness associated with it. It was only when twisting that he could feel the injury.The victim of three stress fractures at earlier stages of his career Bond, who became the bowler to achieve the fastest 50 wickets by a New Zealander in one-day internationals on the tour to Sri Lanka, said the feeling was different on Sunday to that he felt when suffering his earlier stress fractures.”Those times I wasn’t able to bowl a ball because there was a searing pain in the back. After bowling three overs [against Pakistan] I got a wee bit stiff but was able to bowl at a reasonable pace. I never felt sore when I bowled. I’m a little bit nervous that it is not going to be great news. I’ll be able to tell as soon as I see the scan what the problem is,” he said.The news will also be followed with interest by English county club Warwickshire who have been in daily contact with Bond to see how he is doing. He is due to join them for the full English season. “They will be the first to know,” Bond said.In case it is bad news Bond has prepared himself for that and said he would at least be lucky that it is not until mid-September that the New Zealand team plays again and he was hopeful that with the required rest he could be over the problem by that time.The thing about his recovery was that it required rest and the only thing he would be unable to do was bowl. It would allow him to spend the winter at home with his wife, and he was looking forward to that.Bond said the conditions at Dambulla were the best he had bowled in over in Sri Lanka and were much like New Zealand last summer. “It [the pitch] was the best I had bowled on over there. But the hardest thing on a green wicket is putting the ball in the spot,” he said.Frost said that if Bond’s injury was disc-related it might not be too long before Bond was back on the field and meeting his Warwickshire commitments.

Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya was delighted after his sideconvincingly beat India by 10 wickets in the Galle Test. After thematch,the Sri Lankan captain said, “It was very pleasing, as wehaven’t had a victory against India for 16 years.””We played our natural game and played hard right from the start. Webowled well, especially Dilhara (Fernando), who took the initiativeaway from India. Murali then cleaned up things for us,” remarkedJayasuriya.The southpaw from Matara feels that the burden on Muralitharan’sshoulders has been reduced,”It’s pleasing to note that there are a lotof upcoming fast bowlers in Sri Lanka now. We don’t have any fearsabout our future fast bowling reserves.”With the bowlers having done a decent job, it was then up to thebatsman to put the side on top. “Marvan (Atapattu) and I started welland then Kumar (Sangakkara), who had been in the best of form, playedbrilliantly to ensure that we had a lead of 175.”Coach Dav Whatmore admitted that the team enjoys playing in Galle.”When we win by ten wickets things have gone our way. But it’s not astrange phenomenona for us in this venue. This has been a happyhunting ground for us.”However, Whatmore sounded a note of caution. “This was just one game.We are in the beginning of reconstructing the team, so that we do notonly do well in home conditions, but will prosper away as well.”Before the match there was some debate as to who should keep wicket.Whatmore admitted that it was a tough job for Sangakkara, who alsobats at number three “It’s a physically demanding job and Kumar(Sangakkara) needs to be extremely fit. It is not an ideal situation,but he is willing to take on the challenge.”Jaysuriya defended the selection of Suresh Perera, who did not performwith the bat and failed to bowl in the second innings. “Suresh (Perera)is an exciting all rounder and we need to groom him for the future. Ithought he bowled well in the first innings and was only not used inthe second because the pitch suited the spinners more.”

How much of a role Chris Cairns will play on New Zealand’s forthcoming tour of South Africa remains to be seen, but he did enough in the ICC KnockOut 2000 final against India at the Nairobi Gymkhana Club on Sunday to keep his shares up for some time to come.Cairns played through the pain of a dodgy right knee – he was only passed fit to play on Saturday – to produce a match-winning 102 not out and steer New Zealand to an heroic victory by four wickets in a nerve-jangling last overs scramble. This on top of an unbroken 10-over spell that put the brakes on India after Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar had given their side a flying start.”This is the greatest ever,” Cairns said afterwards. “I’ve been playing for a few years now – getting pretty old – and this is far and away the greatest moment of my New Zealand career. New Zealand’s never got to a final before, let alone won it, so this is just the best.”His knee will be scanned when New Zealand arrive in Johannesburg on Monday,after which a decision will be made on his immediate future, but if he numbed the pain on Sunday night with a few celebratory drinks, who could blame him.For the first 25 overs of each innings, India seemed to have taken the gameaway from New Zealand, but on both occasions the Kiwis dragged themselves back into the match.Ganguly and Tendulkar’s opening stand of 141 in 26.3 overs should have set up a total of around 300, but Cairns, Scott Styris and Nathan Astle slowed things up in the middle overs and India failed to kick on.Ganguly said that India had batted “stupidly” in the closing overs as his side reached 264 for six. But they had them on the board. New Zealand still had to get them.And although Zaheer Khan bowled erratically during his first three overs, which cost India 30 runs, Venkatesh Prasad nipped out Craig Spearman and Stephen Fleming in his opening burst to prise the door open for India.For the first 25 overs of their reply, New Zealand kept up with the run ratebut in the process, lost wickets and at the halfway stage they were 135 forfive. No one had been able to stay long enough to get a stand going, but Chris Harris joined Cairns and the foundations of an outstanding partnership were laid.They batted together for just over 25 overs and when Harris went for 46 withnine balls of the match remaining, they had put on 122 for the sixth wicket.They had seen the run rate go up to around eight an over, but neither batsman panicked, and it was the Indians who dropped their eyes first.Cairns was a colossus, picking and choosing his moments to hit. He reckonedthat with the Gymkhana Club’s short boundaries and another of Andy Atkinson’s perfect pitches, the target was always on. “I felt pretty comfortable after we’d bowled,” he said. “Two-sixty on a small ground, that’s 220 on a normal ground.”But someone had to stay there and get them and in the end it couldn’t have been much closer, Cairns getting the winning run with two balls to spare.For New Zealand, then, a memorable triumph and deserved success. They playeddetermined, gritty cricket throughout the tournament and the mark of the side is the number of times they have had to play catch-up cricket and always come through. This is a very handy one-day team with each member pulling for his team-mates.If Cairns had not been fit, Paul Wiseman would have played and Fleming gave him a vote of confidence too. “You’ve got to walk with people you believe in,” said Fleming.Ganguly was understandably disappointed, but he has a young team capable ofplaying scintillating cricket at times and with three or four world-classplayers as the backbone. More importantly, this team seems closer together,more of a unit than is often the case with Indian sides. If they are kepttogether, India could fast become one of the best teams in the world on aconsistent basis.