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Sunday sees the first silverware of the season up for grabs in Scotland, as fierce rivals Celtic and Rangers go head-to-head at the National Stadium in the League Cup Final.

Brendan Rodgers has never lost any of his 13 matches at Hampden as a manager, picking up a trio of League Cups so far, while he has the best win % of any manager in Old Firm history (79%), claiming victory from 15 of his 19 encounters with Rangers, losing only once.

The Hoops have won the last two League Cup Finals between Glasgow’s big two, most recently prevailing 2-1 in February 2023, courtesy of Kyōgo Furuhashi’s brace.

Right now, remarkably, Celtic and Rangers both have 118 major honours to their name, meaning victory for the Bhoys on Sunday would see them boast more trophies than their fierce rivals for the first time since 1938.

Ahead of this massive clash, we ponder the key selection decision Rodgers has to make.

Celtic's domestic dominance

Celtic have cruised through to a seventh League Cup Final in just nine seasons, overcoming both Hibs and Falkirk at Parkhead in the early rounds, albeit the current Championship leaders did give them a bit of a scare in September, leading 2-1 with only 20 minutes to play, albeit late braces from Adam Idah and then Nicolas Kühn secured victory.

No such problems in the semi-finals however; facing an Aberdeen side who, at that point, had still not tasted defeat under Jimmy Thelin, the Celts steamrollered the Dons, cruising to a 6-0 victory, 3-0 up by half-time and five in front by the hour mark, with Daizen Maeda scoring just the second hat-trick of his career in green and white.

Meantime, in the Premiership, the champions have collected 43 points out of a possible 45, leaving them nine points clear at the top and 11 points better off than Rangers, seemingly set for capture a 13th title in just 14 seasons.

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Meanwhile, they’re also going well in the Champions League, with Tuesday’s goalless draw against Dinamo Zagreb leaving the Hoops 21st in the gigantic table, knowing that a victory when already-eliminated BSC Young Boys visit Glasgow next month will secure a spot in the knockout stages.

Before then, attention turns back to domestic matters, with Celtic seeking to hoist aloft a 20th trophy out of the last 25 available, most recently capturing the Scottish Cup in May, beating their neighbours from across the city in rather dramatic circumstances, to put it mildly.

So, as Rodgers seeks to mastermind yet another final victory over Rangers, the question remains: who should he pick in midfield?

The case for Arne Engles

Following Matt O’Riley’s £25m sale to Brighton, Celtic broke their transfer record to replace him, paying £11m to Augsburg for the services of Arne Engles.

This was an enormous outlay given, for context, the club’s previous record fee was £9m paid to Paris Saint-Germain, turning Odsonne Édouard’s loan deal into a permanent move six years ago.

Since swapping the Bundesliga for Glasgow, Engles has become a full-Belgian international, although he’s yet to nail down a guaranteed starting spot at Celtic, introduced as a second half substitute in Zagreb on Tuesday, despite scoring against Hibernian the previous weekend.

Rodgers has four attacking midfielders at his disposal, with two of the quartet set to start alongside captain Callum McGregor at the weekend, so how does Engles compare to his counterparts?

Statistic

Arne Engles

Reo Hatate

Paulo Bernardo

Luke McCowan

Appearances

24

21

20

16

Minutes

1,408

1,388

895

734

Goals

4

5

2

5

Goals per 90

0.26

0.32

0.20

0.61

Assists

3

1

2

4

Progressive passes

13

24

15

2

Passes

219

254

115

22

Pass completion %

72.6%

77.2%

73%

72.7%

Shot-creating actions

15

10

6

1

Goal-creating actions

3

2

0

0

As the table shows, Engles ranks highly in all metrics, when compared to his teammates who play in the same position.

His manager stated recently that “Arne is a fantastic young player”, backing him to emulate winger Kühn, who struggled to make an immediate impact following his move from Rapid Wien, but has been outstanding this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.

Based on the above statistics, Rodgers should start Engles alongside Reo Hatate, with Paulo Bernardo missing out from the start, due to their superior passing abilities, considering Rangers are likely to defend deep, meaning Celtic will see plenty of the ball, having averaged 57% possession across the last eight Glasgow derbies, ending up with less than 50% only once during this period.

Either way, the Hoops are firm favourites to prevail in Sunday’s final, with the Belgian likely to feature prominently, should they indeed prevail.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians anunciou que abriu as portas do clube para o jovem Murilo, de apenas 10 anos, que deixou as categorias de base do futsal do Palmeiras após ser acusado de estar assistindo uma série de Dérbis entre os rivais pela base junto da torcida alvinegra.

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A história veio à tona no último final de semana, pelo próprio pai do jogador, que revelou o fato por meio das redes sociais.

Na postagem,Erasmo Júnior, pai de Murilo, explicou que no último dia 19 recebeu a ligação de um coordenador das bases palmeirenses informando que o jovem estava cortado da convocação do amistoso que ocorreria no dia seguinte contra o Indaiatuba pelo sub 10 do futsal.

– Perguntando a ele o motivo, me respondeu resumidamente que era para eu ir até o clube na segunda feira (21) para tomar conhecimento do ocorrido, pois quem me passaria a informação seria a comissão técnica.

Surpreso e chateado com a notícia, Erasmo disse que tentou fazer contato de imediato com a comissão e teria sido informado que o corte pegou todos de surpresa e foi determinado pela diretoria após Murilo ter sido visto junto à torcida do Corinthians durante uma série de Dérbis pelas categorias de base de futsal realizados naquele mesmo sábado no ginásio da federação Paulista de Futsal, na Penha (zona leste da capital paulista).

-O que ocorreu foi que uma criança de apenas 10 anos, estava sim com os amigos que tem no meio do futebol (que não são poucos e também em outras equipes), na parte da torcida do Corinthians na hora do jogo. Eu como pai fiquei muito chateado por ser tratar de uma criança, que em momento nenhum xingou ou fez uso de palavras de baixo escalão contra a equipe do Palmeiras, estava apenas com os amigos se divertindo como qualquer criança, que com essa idade não tem maldade e nem sabe o tamanho dessa rivalidade que existe entre as equipes.

Por meio de sua assessoria, o Palmeiras confirmou sim que Murilo não foi relacionado para o referido amistoso ‘por questões disciplinares.’ O clube ressaltou, contudo, ‘queem momento algum o dispensou da equipe – foi o pai dele quem solicitou o desligamento, em razão do mal-estar que a atitude do seu filho causou internamente.’

-Nunca houve nem afastamento, muito menos dispensa – diz o texto do Verdão.

Com a notícia da saída de Murilo do rival, o Corinthians uniu o útil ao agradável. Dizendo já conhecer o garoto e que ele ‘é bom de bola’, a gestão do futsal de base alvinegro fezum convite pra ele pra integrar o sub-10.Ele já está integrado no clube do Parque São Jorge e já iniciou na terça-fei9ra (22) os treinos com os outros garotos da idade dele.

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2022 clicando aqui

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Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have posted an incredible statistic that suggests Inter Miami’s former Barcelona stars may be the best partnership ever.

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Enjoyed considerable success at Camp NouReunited in FloridaHave combined for 100 goals between themFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The South American duo enjoyed plenty of success together at Camo Nou between 2014 and 2020, as they formed part of the fabled ‘MSN’ strike force alongside Brazil international Neymar. La Liga and Champions League titles were collected while posting an obscene number of goals.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi and Suarez are now enjoying a late-career reunion in the United States. Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was the first to head for Florida in 2023, before being joined at Chase Stadium by close friend Suarez ahead of the 2024 MLS campaign.

DID YOU KNOW?

They helped Inter Miami to a historic Supporters’ Shield triumph last season, as Messi claimed MVP honours, and now have their sights set on MLS Cup glory. Positive progress is also being made in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

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It was in that competition that the Argentine and Uruguayan forwards delivered their latest goal contributions. Both were on target in a 3-1 victory over Sporting KC, with Suarez’s first-half assist for Messi taking them to 100 combinations in total.

Sending scouts to watch the duo in action, Newcastle United could now reportedly move to seal a double La Liga swoop ahead of Arsenal in 2025, as Eddie Howe looks to reinforce his midfield.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies will be looking to pick up where they left off after the international break, having defeated high-flying Nottingham Forest 3-1 last time out. That result reflects the form that Newcastle have found themselves in as of late to overcome a tough start to the campaign. It’s little shock that their return to form has coincided with Alexander Isak’s return to the scoresheet either.

Amid that form did lie some concern, however, with reports that talks over a new contract between the Swede and Newcastle had come to a standstill. Alas, Isak himself has been quick to shut down any rumours, telling reporters as relayed by The Daily Mail: “Throughout my career, I have never talked about or really commented on the move rumours during the season.

“There have been many such years where it has been talked about. It doesn’t affect me. I am commenting on my situation in Newcastle, and I have never had any problem there. I am fully focused on my task there and that we will have a fantastic season. There are still great opportunities for that. I have no thoughts about anything else.”

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After such a relief, the positive news could keep coming the way of those in Tyneside. According to Caught Offside, Newcastle have sent officials in the race to sign Williot Swedberg and Alberto Moleiro ahead of Arsenal in a double La Liga swoop.

Two attacking midfielders, Swedberg plies his trade for Celta Vigo, whilst Moleiro is one of Las Palmas’ most promising talents. If Newcastle want to add attacking intent to their midfield, then signing the duo should be a summer priority.

Newcastle could send summer statement

With Manchester City, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan all among the clubs interested in the duo, Newcastle would be making quite the statement of intent by signing Swedberg and Moleiro next summer. For all their failure last summer, the Magpies could instantly put that in their past by adding to their midfield.

Swedberg – just 20 years old – is enjoying an impressive campaign at the heart of Celta Vigo’s midfield, scoring twice and assisting another three goals in just 486 minutes of La Liga action.

Meanwhile, Moleiro has also impressed. The 21-year-old has scored four goals in 13 appearances in La Liga so far this season and is quickly becoming a key part of the current Las Palmas side, earning the praise of Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig.

In search of reinforcements, landing a double swoop would go a long way towards finally easing Newcastle’s squad depth problem.

The Premier League is back this weekend, with Crystal Palace taking on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Monday.

They are bidding for their first victory in the league this campaign. The two meetings between the sides last season ended with draws, 0-0 at Selhurst Park, and 1-1 on the road.

Oliver Glasner’s Palace side have averaged 48.6% possession so far this season (11th highest in the division), scoring just five goals, and conceding ten, leaving them 18th in the Premier League after the first seven games.

Forest have averaged 39.3% possession in the league this season, the second lowest in the division, but have managed to score seven goals (more than Palace), and concede just six (fewer than the Eagles), leaving them in a comfortable tenth place.

With both sides averaging less than 50% possession, it is tough to say how this game will be played, and who will take the ascendancy. That being said, a change in system for Palace could see them dominate more of the ball, and profile some of their players better to get the most out of them.

Glasner's 4-2-4 system

Glasner could make changes to his system in his hunt for a first Premier League victory this season, going from his usual 3-4-3 into more of a 4-2-2-2, which was seen in the last 30 minutes against Leicester City earlier in the season.

This would allow the Eagles to get multiple players into their best positions, with Eberechi Eze and Daichi Kamada in attacking midfield roles, Tyrick Michell as a nominal fullback, and a strike partnership of Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah.

One of the three central defenders would have to drop out for this to happen, as Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi and Trevoh Chalobah all started against Liverpool, and one could drop out for the return of Mateta to the side, to fully unleash the striker pairing people want to see.

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

Why it's time to unleash Mateta alongside Nketiah

The “old-fashioned” striker as labelled by Premier League legend Thierry Henry, has scored four goals this season in nine appearances, also providing one assist, and totaling 623 minutes played.

Overall, Mateta has made 115 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 33 goals and providing seven assists.

His strike partner in this system would be Nketiah, who has made five appearances since joining Palace from Arsenal this summer, scoring one goal in the EFL Cup and totalling 384 minutes. But by playing them alongside each other as strikers, it could get the best out of the pair. Here’s why…

Mateta vs Nketiah comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)	Mateta	Nketiah
Goals	0.58	0.24
Assists	0.14	0.00
xG	0.33	0.17
Progressive Carries	0.59	2.86
Progressive Passes	1.57	1.71
Shot Total	1.30	3.10
Goals/Shot	0.33	0.08
Key Passes	1.37	0.29
Shot-Creating Actions	1.96	1.43
Aerials Won	1.57	0.86
Stats taken from FBref

Playing the pair alongside each other, it would allow Palace to lean into the individual qualities and attributes each brings to the team.

Mateta stands at 6 foot 4, and would be able to hold off defenders, win aerial duels, and bring Nketiah into play, whilst also finishing chances that come his way with high efficiency, shown by his 0.33 goals/shot ratio.

Nketiah, being smaller, could play off Mateta, using his high shot volume to generate chances, whilst also progressing play by dropping in and running the channel to help the team, qualities the 25-year-old clearly has, as seen by his progressive metrics already this season.

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West Ham United could now cash in on a Hammers hero in January despite being a regular under Julen Lopetegui.

West Ham off to worrying start under Lopetegui

The Irons have won just one of their opening six Premier League games under Lopetegui, who already appears to be under some early pressure to deliver results at the London Stadium.

Most recently, West Ham travelled to Brentford, where they managed to secure a 1-1 draw after conceding in the first minute. Tomas Soucek scored to grab the visitors a point, with the Hammers just two points above the relegation zone.

Talking after the game, Lopetegui took the positives after coming away from Brentford with a point, saying: “We knew that we had a very tough match, they won both matches here against Southampton and Crystal Palace and we suffered by conceding in the first minute.

“We showed this [Brentford’s record of scoring early] to the players and it’s incredible we suffered. It’s a bad picture to concede so early. “We kept calm and I think we deserved to win the match in the second half, we showed character and commitment.

“We had three or four very clear situations to score a second goal but we didn’t manage it and we take a point. I have to keep positive. We always have to work as a team or we are weaker – I think we did this in the second half.”

West Ham officials and technical director Tim Steidten backed the manager in the transfer window, bringing in several new players and splashing the cash.

West Ham summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

Carlos Soler

PSG

Loan transfer

As can be seen, one of those was striker Niclas Fullkrug, however, the German has missed the last four games through injury. Danny Ings and Michail Antonio have been used as a result of Fullkrug’s absence, but it looks as if the latter could be on the move in the New Year.

West Ham could now sell Michail Antonio in January

According to a new report from Football Insider, West Ham could cash in on Antonio during the January transfer window, where he will have months remaining on his £85,000-a-week contract.

The report describes Antonio as a cult hero at the club and adds that he has been a regular under Lopetegui, appearing in all but one of West Ham’s eight games this season.

However, the 34-year-old was linked with a summer exit and interest is still lingering, according to FI, with the club willing to entertain offers at the beginning of 2025. Antonio moved to West Ham in September 2015, and he has played a key role in attack during his nine-year stay, justifying his cult hero status.

Appearances

315

Goals

82

Assists

41

However, 2025 could be the right time to part ways with the Jamaica international due to his age and contract situation, making this one to watch.

أسدل الستار على مباريات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين من عمر مسابقة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين “روشن” 2024-2025.

وسقط فريق الاتحاد في فخ التعادل مع القادسية بنتيجة 1-1، بينما فاز الخلود على الفتح بهدفين مقابل هدف، كما حقق الوحدة الفوز على الرائد بثلاثية مقابل هدف.

والتقى الهلال مع الفيحاء وانتهت المباراة بفوز الأول بثنائية دون مقابل، وسقط الأهلي في فخ التعادل الإيجابي مع الخليج بهدفين لمثلهما.

صدمة لـ بيولي.. 7 لاعبين يغيبون عن النصر أمام الشباب في الدوري السعودي

وفي مباراة أخرى أقيمت مساء الجمعة، تعثر النصر أمام الشباب السعودي بنتيجة 2-2، وذلك على ملعب الأول بارك.

ويتربع الاتحاد على عرش صدارة ترتيب البطولة برصية 58 نقطة، ويأتي الهلال في المركز الثاني، ولديه 54 نقطة. جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي

1- الاتحاد – 58 نقطة

2- الهلال – 54 نقطة

3- القادسية – 51 نقطة

4- النصر – 48 نقطة

5- الأهلي – 48 نقطة

6- الشباب – 40 نقطة

7- الاتفاق – 35 نقطة

8- التعاون – 34 نقطة

9- الرياض – 33 نقطة 

10- الخلود – 31 نقطة

11- الخليج – 30 نقطة

12- العروبة 26 نقطة

13- ضمك – 24 نقطة

14- الفيحاء – 22 نقطة

15- الفتح – 19 نقطة

16- الرائد – 18 نقطة

17- الأخدود – 17 نقطة

18- الوحدة – 17 نقطة

يمكنكم متابعة ترتيب الدوري السعودي محدث باستمرار من هنا 

Despite the suspensions, injuries and nightmare run of fixtures, it has been a brilliant month or so for Arsenal.

Due to his ankle injury, Mikel Arteta’s side have been without club captain Martin Odegaard for some of their most challenging games of the season, against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

However, the North Londoners have come out the other side practically unscathed, level on points with City in the Premier League and undefeated in the Champions League.

There have been plenty of fantastic performers over the last few weeks. Still, perhaps one of the stand-outs has been Leandro Trossard, who, as we all know, only joined the club following the failed pursuit of Chelsea flop Mykhailo Mudryk, but there was another star the club were interested in at the time as well.

Trossard's Arsenal record

Trossard joined Arsenal in January 2023 for a relatively minor fee of around £27m from fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, and to say he has since exceeded expectations in North London would be a vast understatement.

In his first half-season for the club, the Belgian international racked up a seriously impressive haul of one goal and ten assists in just 22 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every other game, even though he was in an entirely new environment.

The following season saw the 29-year-old become more of a goalscorer than a provider, as in his 46 appearances for the club, he found the back of the net on 17 occasions and produced two assists for good measure, meaning that he maintained an average of a goal involvement once every 2.42 games for a team that came painfully close to winning the league.

This year has seen the 37-capped international go through yet another overhaul in how he plays for the team, as the absence of Martin Odegaard has seen him both fill in as one of the leading creators in midfield and form an interchanging strike partnership with Kai Havertz when the team revert to a 4-4-2 shape.

So far, Trossard has scored twice and provided one assist in his eight games this season, and while he did get himself sent off against City, he has generally been excellent, so it was a real stroke of luck that Arsenal signed him and not Mudryk or the other young star they were targeting in January 2023.

Arsenal's interest in Mudryk and Felix

Yes, as most of us are well aware of by now, before he joined Chelsea for a ludicrous fee of around £89m, Mudryk was one of Arsenal’s top priorities, with reports suggesting that Edu Gaspar had flown out to Poland to hold a meeting with the player’s representatives. Luckily, nothing came of it.

However, alongside this interest in the Ukranian, the Gunners were also in with a shout of landing Portuguese international João Félix.

An article from The Athletic on the 2nd of January revealed that, among other English clubs, the North Londoners had been offered the services of the then 23-year-old and were seriously considering bringing him in to help with their surprise title charge.

However, as they did with Mudryk, the Blues beat them to the punch and brought him in on a six-month loan, during which he didn’t do an awful lot, scoring just four goals in 20 appearances and picking up a red card on his debut.

The following season saw the former Benfica ace join Barcelona on loan, where he did a little better, racking up ten goals and six assists in 44 games, before finally getting himself a permanent move back to Chelsea this summer for a rather hefty fee of £46.3m.

Now, unlike his Ukranian teammate in West London, there is no doubt that the 24-year-old “genius”, as dubbed by Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto, is an incredibly talented player, but he hasn’t really shown that in recent years, and when you compare his output to Trossard’s over the last couple of seasons, there is no competition.

For example, the Belgian has racked up a haul of 20 goals and 13 assists since January 2023; in the same period, the Viseu-born ace has produced 15 goals and seven assists, while the Blues’ £89m man has just seven goals and six assists to his name.

Appearances

76

69

64

Goals

20

15

7

Assists

13

7

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.43

0.31

0.20

Ultimately, it’s undeniable that Arsenal dodged a bullet regarding Mudryk, and while Felix has shown far more over the last few years, Trossard has been by far the best player of the three since he joined the North Londoners in 2023.

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علّق هانز فليك، المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة، على فوزهم الصعب على خصمه فريق رايو فاليكانو، مساء يوم الإثنين في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

وتلاقى الفريقان في ختام منافسات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين من الدوري الإسباني، 2024/25، حيث فاز برشلونة بهدف دون رد.

جاء فوز برشلونة عن طريق هدف روبرت ليفاندوفسكي من ضربة جزاء، في الشوط الأول من عمر تلك المباراة.

اقرأ أيضًا | بتصريح غريب.. مدرب رايو فاليكانو يعلق على الجدل التحكيمي في مباراة برشلونة

وصعد برشلونة، بفضل ذلك الانتصار، إلى صدارة الدوري الإسباني برصيد 51 نقطة، بفارق الأهداف فقط عن ريال مدريد.

وقال هانز فليك، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “أنا أشعر بالتعب قليلًا، لقد لعبنا ضد منافس عظيم وقوي، قدمنا عملًا رائعًا، نحن سعداء للغاية، كانت مهمة صعبة للغاية بالنسبة للاعبين”.

وأضاف: “اللاعبون سعداء بكل تأكيد بسبب الصدارة، نحن جميعًا في حالة سعادة، يمكننا أن نقدم أداءً أفضل، ولكن رايو فاليكانو لعب 9 مباريات دون خسارة، اليوم كان نجاحًا كبيرًا بالنسبة لنا، الصدارة أمر إيجابي للغاية، لقد عدنا”.

وفيما يخص الجدل التحكيمي بشأن إلغاء هدف تعادل رايو فاليكانو في الشوط الأول، بداعِ التسلل، قال الألماني: “لم أشاهد الموقف، لدينا تقنية الفيديو، أنا أؤمن بها، هذا كل ما أستطيع قوله في هذا الشأن”.

ولم يتواجد كوندي في التشكيل الأساسي لفريق برشلونة في مباراة اليوم، عكس المعتاد، وظهرت تقارير صحفية قبل اللقاء تفيد أن السبب وراء ذلك هو قرار تأديبي من جانب فليك لتأخر اللاعب عن إحدى محاضرات المدرب.

وسُئل فليك عن الأمر، حيث رد: “إنه جزء من كرة القدم، تلك الأشياء تحدث، لا يوجد المزيد حول ذلك”.

وعندما طُلب منه المزيد من التوضيح، قال: “نعقد اجتماعين أو ثلاثة قبل المباراة، من المهم للغاية أن يكون اللاعبون حاضرين، وليس من الصعب الوصول في الموعد المحدد”.

واختتم: “الأمر يتعلق باحترام زملائك، لقد وصل كوندي متأخرًا، وهذه قاعدة واضحة في النادي، لا يمكن أن يحدث هذا وقد حدث اليوم”.

وسبق أن تصرف فليك بنفس الإجراء ضد كوندي لهذا السبب في شهر أكتوبر الماضي، مثلما فعل ضد الحارس بينيا قبل لقاء أتلتيك بلباو في نصف نهائي السوبر الإسباني، مطلع العام الحالي.

Perhaps hoping to add to what is already a star-studded squad, Real Madrid’s chief scout was reportedly in attendance at the North London derby to watch one particular Tottenham Hotspur player.

Tottenham transfer rumours

The Real Madrid call is one that Spurs are all too familiar with. It’s one that Luka Modric answered in 2012 and one that Gareth Bale answered just one year later to deal the Lilywhites the ultimate double blow.

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This could be quite the saga…

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Both players are now Los Blancos legends with their own individual moments to look back on in the history books, with Modric even still going as one of Madrid’s most important players. Now, the phone could be set to ring once more over 10 years since Bale swapped North London for the Bernabeu.

This time around, however, it would be Ange Postecoglou’s squad who may feel the impact of the European giants’ transfer activity, with the Australian into just his second year of what Daniel Levy will hope is a lengthy project which eventually culminates in the silverware that Spurs are craving. No project is without its hurdles though, and one exit would deal Postecoglou the ultimate blow.

According to Defensa Central, Juni Calafat, Real Madrid’s chief scout travelled to watch Cristian Romero in the North London derby as the La Liga champions ponder a move for either the Argentine or Arsenal centre-back William Saliba.

For once, Spurs will hope that it’s their rivals and Saliba who have the attention as Real Madrid look to strengthen their backline. Meanwhile, if it is Romero, that they approach, then they know they will find it complicated to negotiate with Levy for the central defender who also earns a reported £165k-a-week.

When 2025 arrives, those on both sides of the divide in North London look set to be in for a nervous wait with Real Madrid’s chief scout well aware of both Romero and Saliba’s talent.

"Outstanding" Romero is crucial to Tottenham

Even amid the likes of Heung-min Son and James Maddison, there’s a strong argument that Romero is Spurs’ most important player under Postecoglou. Whether it’s next to Micky van de Ven or Radu Dragusin, the World Cup winner is seemingly one of the first names on the team sheet within the Lilywhites’ backline and they’ll hope that remains the case for years to come.

Postecoglou is certainly well aware of his quality too, urging others to follow Romero’s lead after a narrow 3-2 loss against Arsenal last season, saying via Football London: “Yeah, he was outstanding. He’s a World Cup winner and I’ve just got to get some of what’s in him into some of the others.”

Unfortunately, Spurs could yet fall victim to Romero’s success if Real Madrid come calling. Now 26 years old, the Argentine appears to be in the prime of his career and whether those in North London can facilitate the ambitions of such a player remains to be seen, especially compared to serial winners Madrid.

Having lost stars to the Bernabeu in the past, Spurs will be desperate to avoid a repeat when it comes to their impressive central defender.