An update on when West Ham expect to conduct a serious review of Julen Lopetegui’s position has emerged after the damaging defeat to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Lopetegui loses again

In what is becoming a recurring theme during his tenure as West Ham boss, Julen Lopetegui’s side slumped to another Premier League defeat as they were thrashed by Tottenham on Saturday.

After spending in excess of £100m over the summer, the Hammers have picked up just eight points from eight games, winning just twice all season and making a mockery of suggestions that they could challenge for Europe under the former Wolves boss this season, with the club currently sitting in 15th.

Their London derby defeat was the worst yet, as 10 chaotic minutes saw them go from 1-1 to 4-1 down courtesy of goals from Yves Bissouma and Heung Min Son, as well as an own goal from goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

It saw West Ham fans stream out of the stadium well before the final whistle, and there are concerns that Lopetegui may already have lost the fans, having become the first manager in the club’s history to lose his first three home Premier League games.

Worse still, a late rush of blood to the head of talisman and goalscorer Mohammed Kudus saw him sent off and banned for three games, which could potentially be increased.

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1

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After the game, Lopetegui admitted his side needed to do much better.

“We can do much better than we did to avoid these moments for sure because all our players knew what their players were going to do. We didn’t defend well. After the second goal, we had a lot of time to be competitive and to draw or even win the match, and I think the worst thing today was the eight minutes when we were not competitive.”

Now, an update on his immediate future has been forthcoming as he battles to turn things around.

Lopetegui under pressure but Hammers in no rush

According to The Guardian, the West Ham boss is safe for now, with Lopetegui not in “imminent danger” of being sacked.

They report that “there is deep concern about early results under Lopetegui” and that he is “under pressure”, but that he still has time to turn things around at the club, with the Hammers hierarchy recognising that the Spaniard is “attempting to implement a new style of play while he beds in 10 summer signings”.

Indeed, they add that “his position could be reviewed if there is no improvement before Christmas”, which gives him plenty of time to turn things around, far more than most West Ham fans will likely be willing to give him.

The Hammers face Manchester United next, who have an under pressure manager of their own, before games against Nottingham Forest, Everton and Leicester City, where Lopetegui will desperately need results and performances.

West Ham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Manchester United (Home)

Nottingham Forest (Away)

Everton (Home)

Newcastle (Away)

Arsenal (Home)

For now though, he appears set to receive time from those above him to try and rescue a situation that appears on the verge of turning ugly.

Manchester United have been given a new lease of life and optimism after the appointment of Ruben Amorim from Portuguese side Sporting CP.

Former boss Erik ten Hag was dismissed after United’s woeful start to the new campaign, winning just four wins in all competitions up until the end of October, when the Dutchman received his marching orders.

It comes after the board once again backed the 54-year-old in the transfer market, taking the spending to over £600m since his appointment back in the summer of 2022.

He was unable to secure a consistent challenge for a top-four spot in the Premier League, finishing eighth last season – only achieving qualification for the Europa League after beating rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Their recruitment over this summer has failed to push them back in the right direction and take them to the next level in the early stages of the campaign.

Manchester United’s summer transfers in 2024

Joshua Zirkzee moved to Old Trafford in a £36.5m transfer from Serie A side Bologna, aiming to add firepower to the Red Devils’ front line.

Up to now, the move has been a failure for the Dutchman, scoring just once, with the goal coming off the bench on his debut outing against Fulham on the opening day.

Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui both arrived in a deal from Bayern Munich, which combined to around £60m with the pair previously featuring together in the backline together at Ajax under Ten Hag’s leadership.

However, only the Moroccan full-back has cemented his place as a regular starter, starting ten of the 11 Premier League outings throughout the 2024/25 season.

Manuel Ugarte will undoubtedly have an increased role under Amorim after their time together at Sporting, but he’s only made three league starts since his £50m transfer from PSG after a summer of rumours.

However, huge promise remains around another one of their summer additions, with the hope that he can transform their backline over the next few years.

Man Utd could have their own £90m talent

Centre-back Leny Yoro had huge interest from major European clubs all throughout the summer after his impressive breakthrough season with Lille in Ligue 1.

The 19-year-old made 44 appearances in all competitions, playing a crucial role in the starting lineup despite his tender age.

However, he would move to United for a deal in the region of £52m, but picked up an ankle issue in pre-season that has restricted him from making a single competitive appearance for the Red Devils.

There still remains a huge amount of promise around the teenager despite his injury issues, especially considering he was likened to Arsenal star William Saliba by FBref for his displays last season.

When delving into their respective stats, the comparison is an understandable one, with Yoro matching or even beating Saliba, who’s been valued at around £90m by CIES Football Observatory.

The “world-class” youngster, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, achieved to same pass accuracy, but did average more tackles and interceptions per 90.

Games played

32

38

Goals & assists

2

3

Pass accuracy

92%

92%

Tackles won per 90

1.2

1.1

Interceptions made per 90

1.2

0.8

Aerials won

64%

60%

United’s backline has been in desperate need of improvement over the past couple of years, with the hope that Yoro can have a similar impact to that of Saliba at the Emirates.

Amorim will likely utilise his three-back system once again on his arrival to Old Trafford, with the Frenchman having the ability to become a fan-favourite upon his return to action.

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De acordo com informação publicada pelo ‘Portal Roma News’, o meio-campista Betinho está próximo de ser oficializado como reforço da Chapecoense para a temporada.

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>Receba as principais notícias com o novo canal do LANCE! no Telegram

A chegada do atleta de 29 anos de idade se dá quase que em caráter “surpresa” já que, nos últimos dias, o atleta que é formado no Remo esteve em conversas avançadas (com direito a uma viagem para a cidade de Belém agendada) onde assinaria contrato com o Paysandu.

Porém, como indicou o veículo em questão, a Chape fez uma abordagem ao staff do atleta que preferiu optar por uma equipe que disputará, no segundo semestre, a Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Betinho teve como sua última equipe o Sport, onde atuou nas temporadas 2020 e 2021 por 44 oportunidades, não tendo maior continuidade, em muito, por conta do afastamento compulsório para tratar de um problema cardíaco.

Portador dasíndrome de Wolff-Parkinson-White, ele foi submetido a um procedimento cirúrgico de correção em outubro de 2021 onde uma via elétrica extra causava batimentos cardíacos acelerados. A síndrome em questão, na época da cirurgia, foi detalhada pelo responsável médico, Alberto Nicodemos, como algo que não deve atrapalhar a sequência da carreira (ou mesmo da vida) do jogador.

-A síndrome acontece muito em pessoas do sexo masculino e costuma aparecer no adulto jovem. É um fio elétrico a mais que causa a taquicardia, que é o coração acelerado. Só em 20% das pessoas que tem isso aparecem sintomas.Essa taquicardia pode aparecer em qualquer época da vida. Porque só apareceu agora, a ciência ainda não sabe explicar. O bom é que é um dos poucos que cura. Hipertensão nunca deixa de tomar remédio, diabetes também. O procedimento é pouco invasivo, porque não abre o tórax. Faz através de um cateter pela veia da perna. Ele vai até o coração, localiza o fio elétrico e queima. Ele está curado – disse o profissional em palavras ao ‘ge’.

Ireland won its first bilateral ODI series against a Test-playing nation other than Zimbabwe and Afghanistan by beating West Indies in a thriller in Kingston to clinch the series 2-1. The star of the show was allrounder Andy McBrine whose 4 for 28 first restricted West Indies to 212. Then with the bat, he made a sturdy 59 to guide Ireland’s tense chase.There were contributions from Harry Tector, who hit 52, and stand-in captain Paul Stirling, who smashed a 38-ball 44 up top to set the tone for the chase.Ireland were cruising at 152 for 2 at one stage, but then slumped to 208 for 8, with medium pacer Odean Smith triggering the collapse, with spin twins Roston Chase and Akeal Hosein also chipping in with big strikes.Smith had McBrine caught behind to start the slump. Then Chase dismissed Neil Rock, Curtis Campher and Tector in three of his next four overs as the visitors suddenly encountered turbulence.Ireland were 190 for 5 at the stage, but would slip further when Hosein dismissed Gareth Delany for 10 off 5 deliveries when the batter danced down but ended up ballooning the ball to point. Then George Dockrell nicked to Jason Holder at slip.Although as many as seven overs remained to get the required five runs, Ireland had just two wickets in hand. But the pair of Mark Adair and Craig Young safely negotiated Chase’s final over before Young hit the winning boundary off Romario Shepherd.Earlier, Shai Hope dominated a 72-run opening stand for West Indies, cracking 53 from only 39 balls in an unusual display of hitting which was far removed from the sedate starts he is known to provide. But once Young had Hope hooking to fine leg, the hosts started losing their way with the bat: 72 without loss in the 11th over soon became 119 for 7 by the time of the 28th.McBrine got three of the seven wickets to fall after Young also sent back Hope’s opening partner Justin Greaves. He first had Nicholas Pooran leg before after it first seemed like Pooran got an inside edge on to his pads before being caught by slip, and followed that up by trapping Shamarh Brooks in front of the stumps. But the key wicket came in the 20th over, when Kieron Pollard inside-edge to leg slip.The seven quick wickets had left it to Holder and Hosein to rebuild, which they did by adding 63 for the eighth wicket before Delany ran Holder out. Smith then smacked a four and two sixes in an unbeaten 20 off 10 deliveries, but McBrine and Young – who finished with 3 for 43 – wrapped the West Indies tail up to limit them to 212.McBrine showed the way in the run chase, eventually being chosen the Player of the Match as well as the Player of the Series, having scored 128 runs and bagged ten wickets across the three matches. The win pushed Ireland up to No. 3 on the points table of the World Cup Super League, which is the pathway for direct qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is unconvinced by a “complete” player in his squad, but those above the Italian actually hold the ace in very high regard.

Chelsea players who could leave the club in January

Maresca and the Chelsea hierarchy appear to be in agreement over a few other squad members, in regard to their futures at Stamford Bridge, with certain players widely tipped to depart Cobham at the turn of the year.

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Left-back Ben Chilwell looked likely to leave in the summer, but Maresca’s side couldn’t find a suitor for the £200,000-per-week defender, who is now stuck in limbo at the club.

Chilwell’s played just 45 minutes in all competitions this season – a brief cameo against English minnows Barrow in the Carabao Cup – and it is believed that Chelsea are actively encouraging suitors to come forward in the winter.

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Southampton (away)

December 4

Tottenham (home)

December 8

Brentford (home)

December 15

Chelsea have already spoken to numerous clubs over selling Chilwell, according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips at the start of last month, with the former Leicester City star attracting interest from England, Italy and Spain.

Chelsea are also prepared to sell Carney Chukwuemeka, who’s on the transfer list ahead of January, amid interest from La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Carney Chukwuemeka

Reports out of Italy this week, specifically Milan Live, report that a Chelsea exit for Cesare Casadei is “inevitable” for January as well, so it appears BlueCo are ready to swing the axe in an attempt to reduce the club’s wage bill and garner funds.

Defender Benoit Badiashile, who has struggled for consistent Premier League minutes under Maresca, has been linked with an exit too – but this possibility is also refuted by reliable media sources.

These same sources claim that Badiashile is highly regarded at Chelsea, and club chiefs apparently view the Frenchman as a more-than capable back-up option.

However, this isn’t the view of Maresca.

Enzo Maresca left unconvinced by Benoit Badiashile at Chelsea

As per TEAMtalk, Maresca is apparently unconvinced by Badiashile, as Chelsea also scour the market for a new central defender – leading to their interest in Bournemouth star Ilia Zabarnyi.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for him, as it is unclear whether the 23-year-old will even want to remain on the bench for much longer, regardless of how Chelsea officials feel about his ability.

“He is going to one of the world’s biggest clubs and a defender there needs certain qualities,” said former AS Monaco assistant coach Joao Tralhao to Sky Sports on Badiashile.

“But Badiashile is excellent. He is very strong in the air and in the duels. He can read the game because he is intelligent. He is a very good defender on the floor and in the air. I do not have any doubts that he will succeed in the Premier League.

“He is the complete defender.”

All of a Real Madrid persuasion were incensed when Vinicius Junior didn’t win the Men’s Ballon d’Or this year, but Liverpool have been frustrated by Mohamed Salah’s glut of snubs across various awards and accolades.

Anfield star Salah is one of the finest forwards of his generation, having posted 221 goals and 99 assists across 361 appearances for Liverpool, winning a wealth of silverware.

Premier League: All-time Top Scorers

Rank

Player

Apps

Goals (per game)

1.

Alan Shearer

441

260 (0.59)

2.

Harry Kane

320

213 (0.67)

3.

Wayne Rooney

491

208 (0.42)

4.

Andy Cole

414

187 (0.45)

5.

Sergio Aguero

275

184 (0.67)

6.

Frank Lampard

609

177 (0.29)

7.

Thierry Henry

258

175 (0.68)

8.

Mohamed Salah

274

165 (0.60)

9.

Robbie Fowler

379

163 (0.43)

10.

Jermaine Defoe

496

162 (0.33)

Stats via Premier League

Salah’s not the only high-class forward across Europe, though, and though he’s on fire this season, with 20 goal contributions from 17 fixtures, the 32-year-old will face some fierce competition for that Ballon d’Or prize.

Football's finest forwards in 2024

The aforementioned Vinicius Jr. will be determined to get his hands on the golden ball, having come so close to winning it this year.

There are, of course, others. Kylian Mbappe has suffered a middling start to life at Los Blancos, but he’s still one of the finest players in the world.

Harry Kane will hope to cement his legacy with the individual pinnacle honour, having scored 61 goals and supplied 21 assists from 61 matches since joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur in August 2023.

This one would shatter records, but Lamine Yamal’s influence at Barcelona cannot be discredited. The 17-year-old is the very encapsulation of a ‘prodigy’, winning Euro 2024 with Spain this summer and starring as the fuel of Barcelona’s title charge in La Liga.

Kane and Yamal, among others, are pretty impressive, but Salah will fancy himself if he keeps up his current rate of performance.

The Egyptian has been mesmerising for Liverpool since signing, far outstripping any of the forwards (bar Luis Suarez, of course) that pushed for success before Jurgen Klopp took over at Anfield.

Iago Aspas is one, though the veteran forward is still kicking around today – and even outperforming Salah’s rivals, Yamal and Kane, in one attacking metric.

Where Iago Aspas is outperforming Kane & Yamal

Aspas didn’t exactly have the most memorable of stints on Merseyside. Liverpool signed the Spaniard from Celta Vigo for a £9m fee in 2013, but he failed to establish himself.

Indeed, the now-37-year-old started five Premier League matches that year, usually watching from the sideline as Suarez made a mockery of his opponents. It was no surprise nor disappointment when he left on loan to Sevilla the following summer. It simply hadn’t worked out.

Move forward one term again, and Aspas has completed a permanent transfer back to Celta Vigo, for a figure believed to be worth about £4m. Now, he’s a true icon of Spanish football, with 159 goals and 68 assists to his name in La Liga.

Even today, with the dynamic forward in the twilight of his footballing career, he’s still putting out some remarkable metrics.

As per FBref, Aspas ranks among the top 8% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 1% for passes attempted and progressive passes and the top 2% for shot-creating actions per 90.

Insane. There’s longevity and then there’s longevity. Kudos to him, especially so when considering that one area of his playmaking – through balls – sees him sit above the likes of Kane and Yamal, as you can see from the graph just below.

Kane and Yamal both rank highly among the most through balls placed across Europe’s top five leagues this season, but neither quite match Aspas, who’s still producing some fine football for his devoted club.

Fair play to him, though since Liverpool rose so high in the years beyond his short stay, with Salah serving as talisman, it’s not a flop of a transfer that’s met with all that much ruefulness, truth be told.

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Arsenal prepare to face Newcastle United at St. James' Park

After keeping Premier League title rivals Liverpool at bay last Sunday, drawing 2-2 with Arne Slot’s in-form Reds, Mikel Arteta is preparing his side for a tough trip to face Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.

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In his mission to maintain Arsenal’s momentum and continue bouncing back from their first defeat of the season against Bournemouth a fortnight ago, Arteta fielded a fairly strong team in their 3-0 win over Preston North End on Wednesday evening, with the Spaniard also having to cope minus a few star players.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League games	Date
Newcastle United (away)	November 2
Chelsea (away	November 10
Nottingham Forest (home)	November 23
West Ham United (away)	November 30
Man United (home)	December 4

Key creator and captain Martin Odegaard has been out for over a month with an ankle injury, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is expected to be out for the foreseeable after his knee problem flared up again.

Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori is also out for a “few weeks” after picking up an injury in their Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk last week, so it seems as if Arteta may be forced to field a near-identical team to the side which drew with Liverpool last weekend – depending on Gabriel Magalhaes’ condition.

Arsenal remain favourites to win their clash with the Magpies, who haven’t gained a single three points in the top flight since their 2-1 victory at Wolves in mid-September, but the nature of the Premier League means there are no certainties in any game.

To give Arteta the best chance of clinching Arsenal’s first league title in over 20 years, whilst maintaining their place among the country’s most elite sides, Edu and his staff are preparing for the January window and beyond.

Arsenal are believed to remain in the market for a second-choice keeper, despite signing Neto on a season-long loan. Espanyol star Joan Garcia agreed personal terms to join Arsenal in the summer, and he was Edu’s preferred target for the role, before they couldn’t agree on a transfer fee with his club.

Arsenal eyeing new goalkeeper target in Anthony Patterson

The north Londoners are still keeping a watch brief on Garcia ahead of a potential move, but he isn’t the only keeper on their radar.

That is according to The Boot Room, who claim Arsenal are also fond of Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson. The 24-year-old has played a key role in guiding Sunderland to the Championship summit, as they chase promotion back to the top flight after years of absence.

Arsenal are now eyeing a move for Patterson, who is valued at around £20 million by The Black Cats, amid his fine start to 2024/2025 – with teammate Simon Moore calling him a “top class” young keeper.

Derby County finally managed to make it back up to the Championship at the end of last season, after two campaigns of being a big fish in a small pond in the league below.

Now back in the second tier after this mini detour to League One, Paul Warne’s men are currently positioned in and around the mid-table spots, with relegation worries not yet on their minds.

Of course, the 46-game slog in the Championship is a long and gruelling ordeal, with the Rams thankful in the past – when they’ve been attempting to make things happen in the second tier – for the exploits of some top loanees.

Top loan performers for Derby

Most Derby fans, when recollecting about past loan heroes, would instantly turn their attention back to the managerial stint of Frank Lampard at Pride Park, who assembled a stunning squad for the second tier packed full of loan stars.

Amazingly, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Harry Wilson all called Derbyshire home during the 2018/19 season, before going on to bigger and better things with Chelsea, AC Milan and Fulham respectively.

Mount stood out during his impactful stint at the club, popping up with 11 goals and six assists, whilst his Welsh teammate Wilson staggeringly bettered these numbers with 18 goals and six assists of his own regularly patrolling the right wing for the Rams.

Tomori also had a hand in ten clean sheets that same season in league action, before going on to be a dependable performer in Italy with the illustrious Rossoneri.

Other names that spring to mind – away from Lampard’s short but sweet time in charge – include Leon Osman, who fired home three goals for Derby during 2003/04 in the second tier before becoming a household name with Everton, with faces such as Georgi Kinkladze and Chris Martin from yesteryear once won themselves permanent moves after initially impressing on loan.

Yet, even players who didn’t set the world alight on a temporary basis playing for Derby have gone on to reach lofty heights after playing for the club, with one former loanee moving for a grand price of £15m to pick up just this year.

Osula's time at Derby

William Osula would put in promising numbers for Derby under the guidance of Paul Warne during the 2022/23 campaign, enough to win himself more chances at then-parent club Sheffield United when the loan move was up.

The raw Danish attacker would fire home five goals from 21 games in total donning Derby white and black, with his transfer value during this formative time away in Derbyshire only coming in at just £124k, according to Transfermarkt.

August 2024

£15m

May 2024

£2.4m

October 2023

£831k

March 2023

£124k

Looking at the table above, Osula’s value has skyrocketed since his early football education at Pride Park, with the 21-year-old costing the Magpies a hefty £15m to win this summer.

Eyebrows would have been raised, considering Osula had only scored three times in the senior fold at the Blades before Eddie Howe’s men brashly swooped in, but football social media account Scoutedftbl would praise the expensive capture at the time, with the towering 6 foot 4 attacker labelled as “direct” and “fast” among other glowing adjectives.

He definitely displayed those characteristics when scoring a sublime strike for his former side this July, with Osula already making waves at his new Premier League side.

Still, nobody with connections to Derby would have expected that Osula was going to be a £15m buy for a top-flight club a matter of years on from his stint at the second-tier club, considering his long stretches of no goals for the Rams.

Taking into account his value of £124k when on loan at Warne’s Men, to his value now at £15m, that is a jaw-dropping 11996% increase in value, as Newcastle pray this isn’t viewed as a major waste of money down the line.

Derby had an "incredible" star on loan whose value has risen £7m since

This former Derby County loanee has really kicked on since his brief time at Pride Park.

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A European giant has now made an early move to try and sign a Manchester United star in January, with Ruben Amorim yet to be impressed by him, according to a fresh report.

Amorim takes first Manchester United game

Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Ipswich Town on Amorim’s Premier League debut after he took charge in the November international break.

A new-look Red Devils side trialed a 3-4-3 system that saw Noussair Mazraoui form part of the back three, with Amad Diallo stationed at right wing-back and Diogo Dalot on the opposite flank.

They did not look comfortable for much of the game, and Amorim’s changes did little to inspire improvement, with the new Man Utd boss singling out summer signing Joshua Zirkzee as someone who needed to improve to continue getting game time under his management.

“I think that [decision-making] is a concern, you don’t need to coach them at this level,” Amorim said.

“You have to keep the ball and know the momentum to put the ball in front. Sometimes you feel that you can’t keep the ball and you [have to] put the ball in front.

Appearances

18

Starts

7

Goals

1

Assists

2

Minutes per goal/assist

240.3

“Then you have like we are in the end of the game, we were around the box with two strikers. Josh [Zirkzee] has to understand that he has to go to the box to have the crosses. So we are doing some things that were not at the right moment, so that is something we have to address.

“Sometimes people talk about the 3-4-3, that is not the concern, the system is the system but the understanding of the game is what we have to improve a lot in this area.”

Already under pressure after a poor start to his Old Trafford career, Zirkzee has been linked with a move away and now those comments have caught the eye of a European giant.

Motta wants Zirkzee reunion at Juventus

That comes as reports in Italy claim that Juventus are keen to sign the Dutch striker should Manchester United decide to cut their losses.

The Turin side are now coached by Thiago Motta, who worked with Zirkzee at Bologna last season, a campaign which saw the forward net 12 times in all competitions.

And now, it is claimed that he is eyeing a reunion, and “first contact has now been made between Juve and Motta’s former striker”, as they look to bring his Old Trafford nightmare to an end.

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It is added that “Juventus are in the front row” to sign the 23-year-old, who arrived for £36.5m just months ago and is on £105,000-a-week, though there is no suggestion that Manchester United have changed their stance on the youngster.

Nonetheless, with the Red Devils linked to several new forwards and Rasmus Hojlund already at the club, Zirkzee may only likely see his game time decrease in the months and years ahead, suggesting that perhaps a move away from Old Trafford is the best move for all parties.

أعرب هانز فليك المدير الفني الألماني لفريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي برشلونة، عن سعادته بالتأهل على حساب أتلتيكو مدريد إلى نهائي كأس ملك إسبانيا.

وفاز برشلونة بهدف نظيف في إياب نصف النهائي، وبمجموع المباراتين 5-4 على أتلتيكو مدريد، ليتأهل للنهائي لمواجهة ريال مدريد في ملعب لا كارتوخا.

وقال هانز فليك في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية: “ليس من السهل الفوز مرتين على أتلتيكو مدريد في هذا الملعب، لقد نجحنا في ذلك بفضل عقلية اللاعبين”.

طالع أيضًا.. فيران توريس: تأهلنا بعد حرب امام أتلتيكو مدريد.. ومواجهة ريال مدريد حافز إضافي

وأضاف: “عرفنا كيف ندافع في النهاية وقاتلنا للنهاية، أنا سعيد للغاية وفخور بشجاعة اللاعبين وخروجنا من هنا بشباك نظيفة، وهو أمر ليس سهلًا لأن أتلتيكو مدريد من أفضل الفرق في أوروبا”.

وشدد: “أعتقد أن سر الفوز هو توقيت الهدف في الشوط الأول، والثبات في الشوط الثاني، خاصة في التصدي للعرضيات الخطيرة التي نفذها أتلتيكو مدريد”.

وواصل: “منذ بداية 2025، تحسن فريقنا كثيرًا، فهمنا ما يجب علينا فعله، ولم يكن الأمر مقتصر على 11 لاعبًا، وهذا هو أهم ما يجعلنا نحقق الناجاحات مؤخرًا”.

واستكمل: “لا بأس أن نحلم، علينا التركيز أولًا في التدريب والتعافي، سنعود اليوم إلى منازلنا، وبداية من الغد نتدرب للمباراة القادمة، يجب على كل من في برشلونة أن يكون فخورًا بهؤلاء اللاعبين”.

وأشاد بـ إيريك جارسيا: “طلبت منه البقاء لأن الفرصة ستأتي إليه، وقد فعل ذلك، والآن تأتي له الفرصة في عدة مراكز، إنه رجل رائع ومحترف عظيم”.

وأردف: “الآن يمكننا أن نحلم حقًا، نحن برشلونة ونلعب للفوز بالألقاب، ما نفعله ليس سهلًا في ظل كل ما يحيط بنا من ظروف صعبة، ولا نفكر في ريال مدريد رغم أنه من الرائع اللعب ضدهم في النهائي”.

واختتم بالحديث عن مشاركة فيران توريس مسجل الهدف وهداف بطولة الكأس: “لقد لعب لأنه كان لاعبًا هامًا في هذة البطولة منذ بدايتها، ودائمًا يقدم أداءً مميزًا، وليفاندوفسكي دخل وقدم دوره بشكل ممتاز”.