O São Paulo volta a campo neste sábado (24), contra o Cruzeiro, às 21h, no Independência, pela 12ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, em busca de uma vitória para se aproximar ou até entrar no G4 do Campeonato Brasileiro. Para o jogo, inclusive, o técnico Dorival Júnior terá retornos importantes, como Jandrei (recuperado de uma fratura), Pablo Maia (voltando de suspensão) e Arboleda (estava na seleção do Equador). O trio volta a estar à disposição e viajou com o elenco.
Além das voltas importantes, o São Paulo tem um fator positivo para defender contra o Cruzeiro. Apesar do último jogo como visitante ser uma derrota, o histórico do Tricolor com Dorival está muito bom longe do Morumbi. Foram oito partidas fora de casa desde a estreia do treinador, com três vitórias, quatro empates e uma derrota, sofrendo somente quatro gols e marcando oito tentos.
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A estreia de Dorival Júnior foi fora de casa, contra o Ituano, pela Copa do Brasil, com uma vitória por 1 a 0. Depois, o São Paulo venceu Sport (2 a 0) e Puerto Cabello (2 a 0). O clube também empatou contra Coritiba (1 a 1), Tolima (0 a 0), Fortaleza (0 a 0) e Corinthians (1 a 1). A única derrota foi para o Grêmio, por 2 a 1. Se pegar toda a temporada, o Tricolor tem 16 jogos fora de casa, com oito vitórias, cinco empates e três derrotas.
Vale destacar que depois dessa partida contra o Cruzeiro, o São Paulo terá um período de jogos como mandante. Serão três jogos atuando no Morumbi: Tigre, pela Sul-Americana, Fluminense, no Brasileirão, e Palmeiras, no duelo de ida das quartas de final da Copa do Brasil.
Jogos do São Paulo como visitante com Dorival Júnior
Everton might not have had any players in the Lionesses’ squad as they lifted the European Championship title this past summer but the Toffees’ influence on England’s success was certainly significant. Chloe Kelly, who made her breakthrough on Merseyside, was the most prominent example, after reprising her role as a national hero on more than one occasion. However, it is the more recent cases of Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park that have helped Everton carve out a glowing, and growing, reputation as the place to be right now if you are an aspiring Lioness.
Loan spells with Everton helped those two young forwards eventually make a name for themselves at Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, with both keen to stress how important their time with the Blues was to their development. "Everton helped me massively,” Beever-Jones told after developing into a key player with the Women's Super League champions. “Everton gave me that trust and game time I needed.”
It's clear that other Lionesses prospects have taken note as well, as more and more are looking to the blue half of Merseyside to further their development, with two young England internationals snapped up by the club just this summer. It’s something Everton and their head coach Brian Sorensen are leaning into massively, too. “We are aligned with the ownership to make us attractive to the Lionesses,” he explained.
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A good place to develop
Those comments from Sorensen came after Everton completed the signing of Ruby Mace, one of the most highly-rated young midfielders in the country, for a club-record fee. Mace came through the Arsenal academy before spending time at Man City and eventually getting regular WSL minutes at Leicester, which would lead to her senior England debut last December.
She joins Katie Robinson, a player she knows well from the youth national teams, at the club, after her loan switch from Aston Villa. Robinson has five England caps to her name and was a member of the squad that reached the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, aged 20.
However, she hasn’t been called up by Sarina Wiegman for over two years now and is hoping this switch can bring the best out of her again.
“I saw the progress that those girls made at Everton,” Robinson told GOAL, referring to Beever-Jones and Park. “[Brian] is hopefully the type of manager that can improve me as well. That definitely played a part [in my decision].”
“We showed it before with Jess and Aggie,” Sorensen added. “We give them the platform and the learning to take those next steps and that's the plan with Katie, if we can get her back to that level and maybe also reach higher than what she was on before.”
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Getting creative
Positioning themselves as a club where young homegrown talent can thrive also allows Everton to have a unique selling point in the transfer market, meaning they are able to compete with the WSL’s best on the pitch, even if they can’t necessarily do so off it.
That’s not to say the club isn’t investing in the women’s team – far from it, in fact. The new owners, the Friedkin Group, have shown incredible commitment since taking over, not least by making Goodison Park the permanent home of the women’s side. Mace’s arrival for a club-record fee is another great indication of as much, as is the notable deepening of a squad that was extremely thin in previous years.
But Everton are still one of the smaller fishes in a pond that includes big-spenders such as Chelsea, Arsenal and the newly-promoted London City Lionesses – all of whom completed deals that surpassed that £1 million mark in a monumental summer for the women’s game. It means there is a need for Everton, among others, to get creative.
“There are still eight teams in this league that spend more money than we do. We're trying to be very smart with what we're signing,” Sorensen admitted.
“Where we probably have advantages is that players can actually see themselves playing in our team. That's also for young players to think about. 'Where is the platform for me, actually, to take the next step, to shine?’ I feel that we've proven that we have that platform.”
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Focus on the future
Those platforms are becoming increasingly difficult to find in the WSL – that’s just the reality of playing in one of the best and most competitive leagues in the world.
“I say that when I talk to the young academy players, 'You want to break through in probably the hardest league in the world to do so,'” Sorensen notes, “because of the competition level and because every team has almost 20 something internationals, because that's the standard if you want to compete.”
Sorensen and Everton, though, are using the investment from the Friedkin Group to focus on developing those aspiring internationals, rather than signing ready-made stars.
“Our aim [in the transfer window] was to lower the average age of the squad,” Sorensen explained. “We got a lot of good young talents in. We know they will take time to adapt to the league – because it's a very competitive and hard league – but I think it secures the future maybe a little bit, whereas the last couple of seasons, we haven't been able to do that that much because we had a smaller squad and just had to find players that could go in and do something right here, right now, with limited budgets and so on."
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A great track record
Such an approach only works if the manager is capable of developing these young talents properly. Fortunately for Everton, Sorensen has that gift, as underlined by his success with Park and Beever-Jones.
Park won her first England call-up during her time on Merseyside and were it not for a shoulder injury right towards the end of the campaign, she may well have been in the Lionesses’ World Cup squad. By the end of the following season, Park was a key starter for Manchester City.
“My year at Everton was a special one,” she noted recently. “I was playing week-in, week-out in back-to-back games, which really helped me develop as a player. That was a breakthrough season for me."
Beever-Jones was on loan at the club at the same time and was so thankful for what Sorensen and the Toffees did for her that when she scored against them the following campaign, having broken into the Chelsea first team, she went as far to say that she actually “felt a bit bad”. It was later that season that Beever-Jones followed Park into the Lionesses’ team, with neither having fallen out of favour since.
Despite rejecting a deadline-day move, one Glasgow Rangers player who is not in the plans of manager Russell Martin could still complete a departure away from Ibrox.
Youssef Chermiti "only wanted" Rangers
A busy summer ended with a hectic deadline day for all involved at the Gers, who welcomed both Youssef Chermiti and Derek Cornelius. The former arrives with the task of helping to replace the goals of Hamza Igamane following the forward’s move to LOSC Lille, whilst Cornelius must somehow fix the leak within Martin’s backline.
Speaking for the first time since arriving from Everton, Chermiti told Rangers’ official website: “I am really happy to be here. As soon as Kevin [Thelwell] and the manager spoke with me, I did have other choices but I just wanted to join Rangers and I am here now.
“Kevin and I have had a good relationship since Everton and he text me during pre-season and I spoke with my agents and my family and we got this done. For me the most important thing is the interest from the club and the interest of the manager to be on the team. Of course I want to play so for me the most important thing was coming here to play.”
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There’s certainly room for the 21-year-old to hit the ground running too. Cyriel Dessers’ late departure should see Chermiti enter Martin’s squad as soon as possible in the hope of making an instant impact.
A similar departure also very nearly took place within Martin’s backline, only for one defender to reject an exit even though he’s not in the manager’s plans. The task that the Gers now have on their hands is showing him the exit door one way or another.
Nsiala could still leave Rangers
According to The Glasgow Times, Clinton Nsiala could still leave Rangers after rejecting a deadline-day loan move to Dynamo Kyiv. The defender is not in Martin’s plans and those at Ibrox are still trying to find the right move for him amid further loan interest from Anderlecht, KV Mechelen and Zulte Waregem.
The transfer window in Belgium doesn’t close until Monday, 8 September, which hands Nsiala just four days to seal a much-needed move away from the Scottish Premiership.
After just one year at the club and just 17 games, the 21-year-old would be wise to complete a move away to get his career back on track. The last thing that he needs is to stay put and remain outside of Martin’s squad entirely, having so far failed to make a single appearance this season.
Ultimately, Nsiala looks destined to go down as another transfer that failed to work out from the Philippe Clement era. What was a defender full of promise is now one that Rangers must move on before the end of the window elsewhere.
Pakistan have been handed a boost ahead of the Champions Trophy opener, with fast bowler Haris Rauf expected to be “fully fit” against New Zealand, according to their captain Mohammad Rizwan.”Haris bowled 6-8 overs a couple of days ago, and bowled a fair bit yesterday too,” Rizwan said at the captain’s press conference on the eve of the tournament. “He’s bowling with full rhythm today, too. He’s also putting work in the gym and isn’t complaining of any pains. We think he’s fully fit.”Rauf sustained a muscular sprain in his chest while bowling in the opening game of the tri-series against New Zealand on February 8, and was in a race against time to be fit for the start of the tournament. He did not play the remainder of the series, though ESPNcricinfo understands that was more out of an abundance of caution than an indicator of the injury’s severity.Related
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After the press conference, Rauf was seen bowling in the nets during Pakistan’s final practice session before the tournament at the National Stadium. It clears Pakistan up to play what they view as their first-choice bowling lineup, one that features Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Rauf. The three played together in an attack that ultimately ended up on the wrong side of a result against New Zealand in the opener of the tri-series. They play the same side tomorrow in the Champions Trophy curtain-raiser as Pakistan prepare to host their first ICC tournament since 1996.”We suffered for 10 years when no side came here,” Rizwan said. “But Pakistan still produced solid results. So we have no doubts about our ability.”However, it is hard to escape the idea that Pakistan go into their first game as relative underdogs. New Zealand beat them twice in the tri-series, going unbeaten across the tournament to lift the title. They went on to demonstrate their all-round ability, defending a total against Pakistan in one game before easing to two chases in games against South Africa and Pakistan. At the same time, they brushed aside injuries to fast bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears, retaining their fast-bowling threat, while reigning Pakistan in through the middle overs with a varied array of spinners.”There are ups and downs and certain deficiencies in our side,” Rizwan said. “We are aware we need to bring about certain improvements in our professionalism and consistency.0:57
Urooj: Huge responsibility for Pakistan to defend the title at home
“We tried to learn from the tri-series, which is why we batted first in the final to work out where our weaknesses lie. We used that series as a training experience. We hope we’ve learned enough to cover for those weaknesses tomorrow.”But along with the usual cheery optimism, Rizwan’s statements were laced with a kind of naked hunger he has rarely let slip in the past. Wearing his religion on his sleeve, he tends to resign himself to “the will of Allah” as he often says. It can take the pressure off, a valuable skill for a Pakistan captain, but today, Rizwan seemed to teeter on the edge of fantasising how much he wanted to win an ICC event, and how good it would be to win this one at home.”We’ve come so close a few times,” he said. “We need to work out how to get that extra one per cent to win those big matches. No one can guarantee that success, and we’re still in search of that final step where we lose big games or tournaments.”Every player is desperate for this title. And we’re doing everything we can to work out how to win. I don’t think any country works as hard as we do.”It’s uncommon to hear Rizwan speak with that kind of edge. Soon enough, he was back to his usual gregarious self, talking about how “all 15 players were captains” and the value of team performances over individual brilliance. But then again, perhaps that is the “extra one per cent” Pakistan, and Rizwan, are so desperately hunting for.
Already thinking about the January transfer window, Manchester United are now reportedly eyeing a fresh move to sign an alternative midfielder to Carlos Baleba.
Man Utd complete late Lammens deal
After much deliberation over whether to sign the Belgian or Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, Manchester United finally settled on Senne Lammens in a deadline-day deal for Ruben Amorim. Finally putting their goalkeeper struggles behind them, the Red Devils will be desperate for the 23-year-old to hit the ground running at Old Trafford.
After putting pen to paper, the new shot-stopper told United’s official website: “I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United; it is a real dream come true. The past few years have been an amazing journey; it’s now ended in an incredible destination and hopefully the beginning of something special.
“You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years. I cannot wait to get to know my team-mates and begin working with Ruben and the coaching staff. This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives.”
To say that United needed Lammens’ arrival would also be quite an understatement. Andre Onana’s performance against Grimsby Town as United suffered a shock exit in the Carabao Cup was enough for INEOS to step up their search, whilst Altay Bayindir also failed to impress when offered starting opportunities.
Starts
30
34
Save Percentage
81.4%
69%
Clean Sheets
7
9
Saves P90
4.23
2.59
Even after welcoming Lammens, however, Manchester United are still not satisfied on the transfer front and have already reportedly turned their focus towards another Belgian talent for January.
Man Utd eyeing Romeo Lavia move
According to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, Manchester United are now eyeing a move to sign Romeo Lavia from Chelsea in the January transfer window. The Red Devils’ search for a midfielder was a fairly open secret during the summer window, but they were ultimately priced out of a move for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba.
There’s no guarantee that the African’s price tag changes anytime soon, either, and that could force those at Old Trafford to assess their options. If that does prove to be the case, then Lavia would be an ideal option to turn to in January.
The Chelsea midfielder has been riddled with injuries since arriving at Stamford Bridge, but his quality has been clear every time that he has been fit and firing. Now that Enzo Maresca’s midfield is settled, though, he may struggle for starts and could need Manchester United just as much as they need him.
Dubbed an “elite” prospect by scout Jacek Kulig, Manchester United should take full advantage of Lavia’s Chelsea woes and swoop in when January arrives.
Green has his sights on playing for Western Australia in the final Shield round of the season
Alex Malcolm05-Feb-2025
Cameron Green’s recovery from back surgery is ahead of schedule•Getty Images
Cameron Green is hopeful of playing some Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia before the end of the domestic summer and is eyeing off a stint in county cricket to get himself in the selection mix as a batter only for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.Green has not played since having back surgery in October after suffering a fifth stress fracture in his lower back during Australia’s white-ball tour of the UK in September.The 25-year-old underwent the same back surgery that many fast bowlers around the world have had including Jasprit Bumrah and WA and club teammate Jason Behrendorff, who he consulted with both before and after undergoing the procedure in Christchurch. Green also caught up with former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond while recovering in New Zealand, with Bond one of the first to undergo the radical procedure that includes having screws and a wire inserted into the spine.Related
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Green’s recovery is well ahead of schedule. He was back running in early January and has been batting for a number of weeks. He is not going to return to bowling until later in the year, well after the WTC final and the three-Test tour of the Caribbean, with the long-term aim to have him bowling without restrictions for the 2025-26 Ashes series which starts in late November.From very early in the recovery phase there were hopes in Western Australia that Green could be fit to play a Shield game as a batter in late February or early match. While speaking at the Cricket Australia Awards on Monday night in Melbourne, after winning the Community Impact Award for his work with Kidney Health Australia, Green confirmed that he was eyeing a possible return in WA’s final Shield game of the home and away season against Victoria at the WACA ground on March 15. WA is also in the mix to play in a fourth straight Shield final which begins on March 26.He would need clearance from CA’s medical staff to be approved to play in that game. Green has to have scans on his back at regular intervals post surgery to monitor his progression.Beyond that, Green is understood to be open to a stint in county cricket in England prior to the WTC final. There are eight rounds of championship fixtures scheduled in April and May, the last of which begins on May 23 before the WTC final starts on June 11.CA would only likely approve him for a short stint if a club was keen to sign him under those restrictions given he would not be capable of bowling.Green’s return to fitness will create a squeeze in Australia’s top order. He made 174 not out batting at No.4 in his second last Test against New Zealand in March last year but Steve Smith has returned to No. 4 in style, scoring three centuries in his last four Test matches against India and Sri Lanka.Travis Head is going to move back to No.5 for the WTC final despite opening in the series in Sri Lanka, and Head said he expected Sam Konstas to return to the top of the order for the WTC final after he was squeezed out of the XI in Galle. There will be pressure on Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3 while Australia may not need an allrounder in Beau Webster at No.6 for a one-off final at Lord’s if conditions allow for four specialist bowlers to do all of the bowling.Josh Inglis’ century on debut in Galle has also created a headache for the selectors. He was picked specifically for his prowess against spin but he grew up in England and was Australia’s spare batter for four of the five Tests against India during the home summer before injuring his calf while sub fielding in Melbourne.
After a summer of waiting for the Premier League to return, that was not the performance Chelsea fans were hoping to see this afternoon.
Instead of playing the high-energy, exciting and effective football they did in pre-season, Enzo Maresca’s side looked lethargic and largely out of ideas against Crystal Palace.
Moreover, if it wasn’t for VAR stepping in and ruling out Eberechi Eze’s free-kick, the West Londoners could have started their campaign with a loss.
Unsurprisingly, there were lacklustre performances pretty much across the board for the hosts, but two really stood out to us, including Cole Palmer.
Palmer's performance against Palace
Following his brilliant performances at the Club World Cup and the time he has had since then to better understand his new teammates, we were expecting a great performance from Palmer today.
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Unfortunately, we didn’t get one, and instead, the Englishman looked unsure of what to do for the vast majority of the encounter.
Now, the former Manchester City prospect did not make any huge mistakes to cost his side the game, but he didn’t have any positive impact on proceedings either and, as he’s unquestionably the Blues’ best player, that is a massive problem.
We weren’t the only ones disappointed by his performance, either, as the Standard’s Dom Smith awarded him a rather generous 6/10 match rating at full-time.
We say generous, as on top of failing the eye-test today, the midfield maestro’s statistics make for some unpleasant reading.
Minutes
96′
Expected Goals
0.21
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.03
Assists
0
Touches
48
Passing Accuracy
26/33 (79%)
Key Passes
1
Crosses (Accurate)
4 (0)
Long Balls (Accurate)
2 (1)
Shots on Target
0
Lost Possession
14
Dribbles (Successful)
1 (0)
For example, in his 96 underwhelming minutes, he amassed a combined expected goals and assists tally of just 0.24, played just one key pass, misplaced 100% of his crosses, didn’t take a single shot on target, failed in 100% of his dribbles and lost three of four ground duels.
In all, it was a bad first showing of the season from Palmer, although one of his teammates was even worse.
The Chelsea star worse than Palmer
Unfortunately for Maresca and Co, there were several starters who could take this spot, but for our money, Joao Pedro has it.
Like Palmer, the Brazilian forward came into the game off a sensational pre-season with the Blues, but looked an entirely different player against the Eagles.
In fact, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star was so disappointing that it was easy to forget he was even playing in the first place, which is not how you want your league debut for your new side described.
Chelsea forward Joao Pedro
It might sound harsh, but once again, we are not alone in this opinion as Smith gave the 23-year-old a 5/10 match rating, writing that he was ‘frustrated by centre-backs Marc Guehi and Chris Richards’.
Unsurprisingly, the Ribeirão Preto-born poacher’s statistics from the game more than demonstrate just how underwhelming a performance it was.
Minutes
73′
Expected Goals
0.30
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.02
Assists
0
Shots on Target
0
Dribbles (Successful)
2 (0)
Touches
23
Passing Accuracy
10/12 (83%)
Key Passes
0
Long Balls (Accurate)
1 (0)
Ground Duels (Won)
4 (1)
Aerial Duels (Won)
5 (2)
Lost Possession
7
In 73 minutes of inaction, he registered a combined expected goals and assists figure of 0.32, had no shots on target, failed in 100% of his dribbles, took just 23 touches – 19 fewer than Robert Sanchez – lost six of nine duels, lost the ball seven times and completed just ten passes.
Ultimately, it was not a performance to remember from Pedro today, but thankfully, it’s just the first game, and if pre-season is anything to go by, he’ll eventually come good and potentially form a dangerous partnership with Palmer.
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It’s a case of one in, one out at Stamford Bridge.
حقق فريق برشلونة فوزًا عريضًا على خصمه فريق أولمبياكوس، مساء يوم الثلاثاء، في إطار منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26.
واستضاف ملعب “مونتجويك” مباراة فريقي برشلونة وأولمبياكوس، في خضم لقاءات الجولة الثالثة من مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا لذلك الموسم.
اقرأ أيضًا.. ترتيب دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد فوز برشلونة على أولمبياكوس
وتمكن برشلونة من تحقيق فوز كبير على أولمبياكوس بستة أهداف مقابل هدف، بفضل هاتريك فيرمين لوبيز، ثنائية ماركوس راشفورد وهدف لامين يامال.
وحسبما نُشر عبر الموقع الرسمي للبطولة، فإن اللاعب فيرمين لوبيز قد فاز بجائزة رجل مباراة فريقي برشلونة وأولمبياكوس، بفضل أدائه وتألقه في ذلك اللقاء.
وقالت مجموعة المراقبين الفنيين بالاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم: “كان فيرمين لوبيز مثاليًا في خط الوسط من حيث استحواذه على الكرة ومعدل عمله، وتنظيم الاستحواذ مع بيدري بالإضافة إلى تسجيله ثلاثة أهداف”.
O Botafogo não demorou para mudar suas atenções na temporada. No dia seguinte ao empate em 1 a 1 com o Patronato, da Argentina, o grupo se reapresentou na tarde desta quinta-feira (20), no CT Lonier.
A atividade contou não só com jogadores que entraram no decorrer da etapa final da partida pela Copa Sul-Americana ou jogadores que estavam relacionados. Gatito Fernández e Matías Segovia foram alguns dos titulares no duelo que estiveram no CT Lonier. O técnico Bruno Lage ainda contou com novidades relevantes: o ponta Victor Sá e o atacante Matheus Nascimento participaram bem do treino e indicaram que podem estar em breve com o grupo.
Gabriel Pires, por sua vez, segue em fase de transição se recuperando de uma lesão na panturrilha.
Além do técnico Bruno Lage e seus auxiliares estudarem questões táticas, houve um coletivo. O treinador português passou orientações para os atletas durante a atividade. Em alguns momentos, Lage se aproximava de algum atleta para passar alguma determinação.
O Alvinegro encara o Peixe no domingo (23), às 16h, na Vila Belmiro. Os botafoguenses lideram a competição com 39 pontos e têm 12 de vantagem sobre o vice-líder Flamengo.
The weekend saw Everton get their first Premier League win of the season after beating Brighton 2-0. Both goals came courtesy of Jack Grealish assists, and David Moyes spoke about the quality they’ve added to the side over the summer.
“That’s what we have been hoping for and waiting for. We want to add that extra quality, and that’s what we are trying to do. Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] and Jack both played exceptionally well. We are thrilled we are adding a bit more quality, and we need to score some more goals, which we did today.”
Everton have since improved their squad even further by signing Tyler Dibling from Southampton. Dibling will play on the right-hand side of Everton’s attack, an area where they have lacked depth in recent months.
This combination of Grealish and Dibling gives Moyes two skillful wingers that will undoubtedly help his side push on from their impressive end to last year’s Premier League. While there is still time left in the transfer window, Everton have turned their attention to the other end of the pitch as they look to bring in another centre-back.
Everton competing for free agent Lindelof
Man United's Victor Lindelof
Everton are attempting to sign the Swedish national team captain, Victor Lindelof, on a free transfer. Lindelof’s contract with Manchester United expired at the end of last season, following 8 years at the club. During his time at United, Lindelof faced Everton 12 times, all of which were in the Premier League, and has beaten the Toffees on 6 occasions.
Everton’s interest has been reported by Fabrizio Romano, who has also revealed that they will face competition from the Italian side Fiorentina, who are in advanced negotiations to sign Lindelof. Fiorentina currently have former United goalkeeper David De Gea between the sticks – the two players have shared the pitch for 16,127 minutes, making De Gea the player Lindelof has played alongside the most.
The Swedish Rumble on X posted that Lindelof’s preferred destination would have been one of the London clubs, such as Fulham, West Ham or Crystal Palace. This could indicate a desire to stay in the Premier League that may allow Everton to tempt him away from Florence.
Lindelof's ball-playing and aerial abilities can help Moyes
If Everton can tempt Lindelof away from Fiorentina, they’ll have a reliable ball-playing centre-back on their hands. Last season, Lindelof was in the top 7% of players for pass accuracy and the top 5% of players for long-ball accuracy, meaning he’d be able to competently play out from the back when necessary.
During his time at United, Lindelof had numerous centre-back partners, but one he featured alongside the most was Harry Maguire. Maguire is often praised for his aerial ability, but Lindelof is also more than capable in the air. The United Stand presenter Mark Goldbridge has previously praised Lindelof for his aerial ability after beating Aston Villa 1-0.
Lindelof’s time spent not playing for Manchester United might also prove valuable to Everton. Later in his United career, Lindelof fell down the centre-back pecking order and received considerably less game time. However, there was never talk of disruptive behaviour because of this, and he always performed to a consistent standard when he was eventually called upon.