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The Crown's social media team celebrates in style, subtly poking fun at their southern rivals after 2-0 win in their 2025 MLS season home opener

• Charlotte FC secures impressive 2-0 victory in home opener
• Wilfried Zaha shines on debut with a goal and an assist
• The Crown next face Inter Miami

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  WHAT HAPPENED

  Following their convincing 2-0 victory over Atlanta United in their 2025 MLS season home opener, Charlotte FC's social media team took to various platforms to celebrate the win.

  The club's Twitter account poked fun at post that Atlanta United’s created after their off-season business, where they hyped up their moves. In response, Charlotte made a tweak at the end of the post to jokingly rub salt into Atlanta United fans’ wounds after the 2-0 loss.

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• THE SOCIAL MEDIA POST

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite the match remaining goalless in the first half, both sides created chances for themselves but failing to convert much to the chagrin of the 51,000 fans watching on. However, that changed in the second half as Charlotte FC broke the deadlock through Pep Biel via a Wilfried Zaha assist.

  The Ivorian forward then doubled the lead with his first goal for Charlotte to give his side the advantage. That effectively sealed the game for the home side as Atlanta United struggled to respond, with Charlotte's defense holding firm.

  "Great following, great support. I don't know how many was here today, 50-odd-thousand, but I want them to come back. Winning football games is the main reason we're going to keep fans coming back. So we need to keep winning football games,” said coach Dean Smith after the victory.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Charlotte FC are back in action next weekend for MLS Matchday 3, where they will take on Lionel Messi's Inter Miami at the Chase Stadium.

  That is before back-to-back home league games against FC Cincinnati and the San Jose Earthquakes on March 15 and 22 respectively.

Liverpool are believed to have sent scouts to watch two impressive Premier League players, with one of them set to be available for £50m in 2025.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds didn’t sign a new midfielder in the summer transfer window, failing to snap up Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, and Aurelien Tchouameni has been linked with a move to Anfield in January.

The Real Madrid ace could head to Liverpool midway through the season, as FSG potentially provide Arne Slot with the funds that he no doubt craved before the new season got underway, with Giorgi Mamardashvili and Federico Chiesa the only signings made.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi has been touted as a possible successor to Trent Alexander-Arnold, should the Reds’ vice-captain decide not to sign a new deal at his boyhood club. Madrid continue to be linked with a move for the Anfield star.

Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez has also been mentioned as a possible option for Liverpool, having made his first start of the season away to Real Madrid recently, helping his side seal a memorable 4-0 win against their biggest rivals. Now, another intriguing transfer rumour has emerged.

Liverpool send scouts to watch Premier League star

According to a new update from Sky Sports, Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo is “among the players” being scouted by Liverpool currently, along with Bournemouth ace Antoine Semenyo and others.

It is claimed that Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are “working hard on assessing future talent, especially in areas of the team that may need replacements within the next 12 months”, amid doubts over the futures of legendary trio Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

Mbeumo, who is said to be up for sale if teams meet a £50m price tag next year, represents a great option to come in for Salah, whose future remains unknown, having posted a cryptic message on X over the weekend, following his match-winning exploits at home to Brighton.

The £45,000-a-week Brentford hero is enjoying a great season to date, scoring eight goals in the Premier League and proving to be one of the most deadly attacking players in the division, leading to Thomas Frank heaping praise on him: “He’s added another layer this year. I’m convinced one day he’ll play for a bigger club. I’d definitely buy him if I were at a bigger club.”

The comparisons between Mbeumo and Salah are obvious, in terms of their direct nature out wide and their ability to cut inside onto their dangerous left foot, and the fact that the former is seven years younger than the latter makes him an ideal potential successor.

Liverpool already have their own Mbeumo in "unstoppable" star

Liverpool might not need to go after Bryan Mbeumo after all.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 4, 2024

Ideally, Mbeumo won’t be needed too soon, with Salah hopefully signing a contract extension before next summer, but he should be considered a strong long-term option to replace him in Liverpool’s attack.

Lionesses star Mary Earps has paid homage to the Champions League masterclass that Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson put on against Paris Saint-Germain.

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• Reds forced to dig in at Parc des Princes
• Brazilian keeper collected clean sheet
• Vital contribution to battling 1-0 victory

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Brazil international lined up between the sticks for the Reds in the first leg of their heavyweight last-16 showdown at Parc des Princes. Liverpool were far from their dominant best in that contest, meaning that Alisson was kept busy throughout.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  PSG fired in 27 shots, compared to Liverpool’s two, with 10 of those troubling the target. Alisson repelled everything that came his way, allowing a vital clean sheet to be collected in a game that saw Harvey Elliott step off the bench to snatch an 87th-minute winner.

• WHAT MARY EARPS SAID

  England keeper Earps, who is now plying her club trade in Paris after bidding farewell to the WSL, was among those watching on as Alisson put in a performance that has cemented his standing among the best goalkeepers in world football. Earps posted on social media: “Best goalkeeping performance I’ve ever seen live. What a player.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Alisson’s efforts mean that Liverpool now have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Premier League leaders will be looking to complete the job against PSG when Luis Enrique’s side pay a visit to Anfield on March 11.

The unpredictable nature of Tottenham Hotspur’s form this season continues to be a problem for Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian’s side dismantled an incredibly talented Aston Villa outfit last Sunday, but fell to a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray during the week and lost to Ipswich Town on the weekend.

The Tractor Boys were still without a Premier League victory heading into the game, and while they have some talented players in their side, they were massive underdogs.

Yet, the North Londoners managed to fall apart totally, and while there were plenty of poor performances across the board, one player once again stood out for the wrong reasons, a player who has become a real liability this season: Radu Dragusin.

Dragusin's dreadful form

Yes, arguably the worst player on the pitch yesterday afternoon was Romanian centre-back Dragusin, and while a poor performance here or there is forgivable, it’s not been just one bad performance from the 22-year-old this year.

He’s made nine appearances for the team so far, and while he did look quite good against Villa and Manchester City, he’s generally looked out of his depth in defence.

For example, Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarded the defender just a 3/10 match rating for his performance on Sunday, a 3/10 for his display against Galatasaray during the week, and a paltry 6/10 against Championship side Coventry City in September.

Moreover, he started in the defeat to Newcastle United earlier in the season and got himself sent off early in the game against Qarabağ, only for his teammates to save his skin by taking their chances in front of goal.

Lastly, his underlying numbers aren’t all that impressive, with FBref ranking him in just the top 41% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for blocks, the top 43% for clearances, the top 45% for interceptions, the bottom 42% for passes completed and the bottom 13% for tackles, all per 90.

In all, the former Genoa ace isn’t doing enough to justify his position as Postecoglou’s third-choice centre-back, but the good news is that recent reports have linked the North Londoners with someone who could be the dream upgrade.

Spurs' dream Dragusin upgrade

Now, there are plenty of promising defenders out there at the moment, but according to a report from the Boot Room late last week, Spurs are incredibly keen on Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande.

The report claims that the North Londoners see the 20-year-old as a potential long-term replacement for Cristian Romero should the Argentine leave the club in the near future.

However, given the interest from other top teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, confirmed in the story, they’d do well to act on their interest as soon as possible, regardless of what happens to Romero, as the Ivorian could replace Dragusin instead.

That said, it’s a move that would cost Daniel Levy and Co a pretty penny, as according to the report, the “immense” centre-back, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has a release clause of £68m. While that’s a seriously significant amount, it could prove value for money down the line.

For example, despite being so young, the Abidjan-born titan has made 69 appearances for the Portuguese giants and played a crucial role in their league triumph last season.

Moreover, the 6 foot 3 “leader”, as dubbed by Portuguese football writer Kevin Fernandes, has become a crucial member of the Côte d’Ivoire national team, earning eight senior caps so far and starting two games in their Africa Cup of Nations winning campaign this year.

Lastly, when we directly compare the former Midtjylland prospect’s underlying numbers to Dragusin’s, there is only one winner.

For example, while the Sporting ace comes out second best in a couple of metrics such as progressive passes and blocks, he comes out way ahead in most others, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, passing accuracy, shot and goal-creating actions, tackles and tackles won, interceptions, errors leading to a shot, ball recoveries and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Ultimately, Dragusin has shown his talent in glimpses, but it is clear that he’s not up to the standard Spurs or Postecoglou require. Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to sign Diomande in 2025 before someone else does.

Not just Dragusin: 5/10 Spurs ace was a "horror" against Ipswich

Tottenham suffered a shock defeat to Ipswich on Sunday afternoon.

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By
Matt Dawson

Nov 10, 2024

Atletico Madrid fans disrupted a moment of silence for late ex-Real Madrid player Javier Dorado before their Champions League tie.

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• Fans chanted and cheered
• Silence for Dorado interrupted
• Supporters criticised

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Madrid derby is always a heated occasion, and it was no different on Tuesday evening as Real Madrid hosted Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Round of 16 Champions League tie, which the former won 2-1. However, before the proceedings began, the away fans were heard disrupting the minute's silence held in remembrance of ex-Real Madrid player Javier Dorado with contemptuous chants against the home side.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dorado was a product of the Real Madrid youth system and made a couple of appearances for the first team, although he never really broke through. On February 27, the ex-Madridista passed away at the age of 48 from leukemia. Los Blancos paid tribute to one of their homegrown players on Tuesday, but the Atleti fans could be heard chanting "Madridistas, hijos de putas" (Madridistas, sons of b******), according to AS, over the emotionally resonant music played during the minute's silence. AS added that many away supporters were from the far-right ultra group Frente Atletico.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Real Madrid have never lost against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu, while their previous win at the venue came over nine years ago, on February 27, 2016, when Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti stressed during the post-match press conference that taking a one goal advantage to the Metropolitano ahead of next week's return fixture doesn't give his team a big advantage, but he will certainly be buoyed by the return of Jude Bellingham, who missed the game due to suspension.

A well-connected former West Ham United chief has shared a behind-the-scenes update on manager Julen Lopetegui and his possible departure from the London Stadium, with speculation still surrounding his future.

West Ham fail to beat Everton as pressure grows on Lopetegui

In the build-up to their 0-0 Premier League draw with Everton on Saturday, reliable reports suggested that Lopetegui’s position would be reviewed if they lost to the Toffees.

West Ham eyeing Lopetegui upgrade with "one of the best styles" in Europe

West Ham could make a managerial change should they lose in the Premier League this weekend.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 8, 2024

While they avoided defeat in east London, the stalemate, which was seen as a ‘snore-draw’ by many, wouldn’t have done much to alleviate concerns that Lopetegui may not be the right man to take West Ham forward.

West Ham currently sit 14th in the Premier League table with just 3 wins out of their opening 11 matches despite spending north of £120 million in the summer transfer window, and it is believed the club have been looking at Lopetegui alternatives behind the scenes.

The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg reported last week that Sebastian Hoeness (Stuttgart), Kasper Hjulmand (ex-Denmark) and ex-Benfica manager Roger Schmidt have all been looked at by West Ham, while other media sources claim former FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is also in the running to replace Lopetegui.

GiveMeSport says that Lopetegui has frustrated crucial West Ham figures with his late tactical U-turns on matchdays, creating tension. Meanwhile, the notion that they’re assessing other candidates perhaps shows their growing lack of faith in the 58-year-old.

West Ham faith in Lopetegui "fading quickly"

Now, ex-West Ham recruitment employee Mick Brown, who remains well-connected at the club having left his post this year, has shared what he’s “heard” about the tactician’s situation.

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown claims that West Ham’s faith in Lopetegui is “fading quickly”, despite originally being keen to give him time – and it is believed he is in “very volatile” surroundings at the club.

“The situation at West Ham is very volatile,” he told Football Insider.

“He could lose his job and be sacked immediately, at any time, things can change with the click of a finger. I’m not sure how good the relationship between the manager, the sporting director, and the owner is, but at the start of the season, I know it wasn’t good.

“They bought a lot of players for him and not many of them have turned up yet. That’s only put more pressure on him because if they spend big money, they want to see returns.

“When he was appointed to take over from Moyesy, they expected him to pick up where he left off and keep them moving up the table. Ultimately, though, the results haven’t been good enough. They were lucky in the win against Man United and you could argue against Palace, too.

“From what I’ve heard, they were keen to give him time at first, but that faith is fading quickly.”

Newcastle are on course to trump Real Madrid and Barcelona in the race to sign budding Malaga sensation Antonio Cordero for free this summer.

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• Newcastle favourites to sign Cordero
• Barca and Madrid also linked with the winger
• Malaga sensation's contract set to expire

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to a report from MARCA, Carabao Cup winners Newcastle are leading the race to sign Malaga's Spanish sensation Cordero, better known as Antonito, leapfrogging the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Antonito has been one of the stars of the Segunda Division this season, taking rapid strides with Malaga. The 18-year-old winger has five goals and six assists in 30 games, and his performances have caught the eye of La Liga's biggest sides in Barca and Real Madrid.

  In November, reports revealed Barca's urgent pursuit of the Cadiz-born talent on a free transfer this summer, hoping to leverage agent Pini Zahavi's association with Robert Lewandowski and Hansi Flick.

  Now, though, reports from England mention that the Magpies are the frontrunners to acquire Antonito's signing, who have offered the player a better financial package as well as an easier route into the first team.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Malaga's desire is to keep hold of their star man. "I still have the feeling that we can reach an agreement. We will make an effort to keep Antonito here, within the parameters," Malaga sporting director Loren Juarros said in September.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NEWCASTLE UNITED?

  Riding on the high of their Carabao Cup victory on Sunday, where they beat Liverpool 2-1 to clinch their first domestic trophy since 1955, Newcastle's aim for the remainder of the season is to finish in one of the Champions League spots. Currently, they sit in sixth position in the Premier League with 47 points. They are two points behind Chelsea (fourth) and one point behind Manchester City (fifth), with a game in hand. Their next encounter is a home game against Brentford on April 3, following the international break.

It’s no great secret at St. Andrew’s that Birmingham City are expected to walk League One this season, with the Blues a definite sleeping giant for the division.

Take into account all the money that was splurged this summer on new recruits too, and it becomes even more obvious that promotion is the main goal, with Chris Davies’ men currently succeeding in their mission to instantly return to the Championship.

As they found out against Shrewsbury Town, however, Davies will know his promotion-chasing side can’t take any team in this league for granted, but will just keep everything crossed that the immense quality of players such as Jay Stansfield ends up shining through on the way to second-tier football being clinched.

Stansfield's performances this season

Stansfield’s return on a permanent basis to the Midlands must have been music to the ears of Birmingham fans during the busy summer transfer window after he had stood out as a bright spark on loan even as the Blues’ bleak relegation was confirmed.

Scoring 15 goals in all competitions in all competitions last season, the 21-year-old already has six next to his name in league action alone this time around, with his stunning performance versus Wrexham all the way back in September particularly memorable.

He also scored his side’s only strike against Northampton Town before the international break, but the Cobblers surprisingly fought back to pick up a 1-1 draw, having also netted in the surprise 3-2 defeat to Shrewsbury on Saturday.

Still, Stansfield’s renowned deadliness in front of goal will be key as Birmingham attempt to stroll to promotion in style, even if sometimes wins aren’t always forthcoming.

Even with this blistering start back in Birmingham blue, there is a former striker who used to call the West Midlands home. Remarkable, he is actually now bettering Stansfield’s output and in the Premier League no less.

The former Blue who's outscoring Stansfield

Amazingly, when Chris Wood was still attempting to find his feet in the senior game out on loan away from then-parent club West Bromwich Albion, the New Zealand international would find himself on the books of Birmingham in 2011.

He enjoyed a fruitful loan stint at the club too, helping himself to 11 goals from 29 games in total, which even saw him line up for the Blues in the Europa League during his one and only campaign.

Looking back, it was one of the more goal-laden loan stints Wood experienced, having also been on the receiving end of a torrid time at Ipswich Town, where he failed to score a single strike.

Still, those constant moves up and down the EFL would have all been useful learning experiences in their own right for the now ruthless attacker, who has been an absolute goal machine for Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest this season to date.

Wood is bettering Stansfield’s goalscoring heroics at the very top of the English football pyramid, with eight strikes managed in the Premier League from 12 games, despite only accumulating an xG of 4.51. That places him ahead of Stansfield’s return of just six league goals in the third tier.

Everything the 6 foot 3 striker touches turns to gold at the moment, with Match of the Day pundit Stephen Warnock hailing Wood as “outstanding” after he scored away at Stamford Bridge in October.

Just always possessing that knack for being in the right place at the right time to instinctively fire home, it will be intriguing to see if the Forest forward can keep his electric form up across the bumper winter fixture period to come.

Stansfield will be striving to add more goals to his resume for Birmingham as well, with the former Fulham man eager to add to his tally once again after their match with Shrewsbury Town yesterday.

Birmingham must rue signing Karanka flop who earned more than Stansfield

Birmingham City haven’t always been hugely successful in the transfer department.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 19, 2024

Ruben Amorim suffered a second consecutive defeat as Manchester United boss, losing 3-2 to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday night.

Goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes weren’t enough to secure anything out of the clash, with the defeat the first during the 39-year-old’s tenure on home soil.

The clash got off to the worst possible start after Nikola Milenkovic took advantage of the Red Devils’ dismal set piece record, to power his header home after just 90 seconds.

Nuno Espírito Santo ultimately played the perfect strategy to frustrate Amorim and his side, leaving United 13th in the Premier League table, eight points off the top four after the first 15 outings of the campaign.

One player in particular had an evening to forget at Old Trafford, potentially putting his starting role at risk ahead of the Europa League clash on Thursday night.

Man United's worst performer against Nottingham Forest

Goalkeeper Andre Onana has been a key player for United during the opening months of the season, finally showing why former boss Erik ten Hag was keen to fork out £47m for his signature in the summer of 2023.

During 2024/25, he’s kept seven clean sheets in all competitions, producing numerous memorable displays that have earned points for the Red Devils.

His outing against Crystal Palace is still up there with one of his very best for the club, making a magnificent double save that earned him the Save of the Month award by the Premier League for September.

However, last night’s showing against Forest was one he will want to forget in a hurry, costing Amorim’s side dearly and preventing them from walking away from the clash with any points.

The Cameroonian was at fault for Morgan Gibbs-White’s strike, unable to keep out the effort that appeared to be heading straight towards him.

The 28-year-old also failed to deal with Chris Wood’s header, which somehow found its way into the bottom corner after he and Lisandro Martínez were unable to deal with the effort.

Onana wasn’t the only player to fail to impress, with Amorim needing to drop one talent after yet another dismal showing in the first-team.

Chalkboard

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

Not just Onana: Man United forward needs to be dropped

Winger Alejandro Garnacho has struggled since the appointment of Amorim, unable to feature in his preferred left-wing role in the 3-4-2-1 system.

The Argentine suffered a similar fate against Arsenal in midweek, but despite his disappointing display, he was kept in the starting lineup to try and recapture his best form.

However, it was once again an evening to forget for the youngster, being replaced after just 59 minutes, looking disgusted with the decision by the boss to replace him with Marcus Rashford.

When delving into his underlying stats from the loss against the Reds, his withdrawal was understandable, failing to create any real impact in the final third once again under Amorim.

The Argentine only managed 31 touches during his time on the pitch (fewer than Onana’s 38), failing to complete a single cross and winning just three out of the five duels he entered.

Garnacho also missed one big chance, losing possession five times in the process and looking wasteful when on the ball in attacking areas.

As a result, he was handed a 5/10 match rating by The Express’ Joe Krishnan, evidence of how disappointing he was once again for the Red Devils.

Given his display, he will be lucky to keep his place in the starting XI in the Europa League on Thursday night, giving other players an opportunity to stake their claim.

It’s been a week to forget for Amorim with two defeats in as many matches, but if he is to turn such form around, the previously “really good” Garnacho, in the words of Dan Ashworth, must be given a night off.

He lost the ball 20x: Amorim got it wrong by giving Man Utd star 90 minutes

The Man Utd ace was poor against Nottingham Forest

By
Joe Nuttall

Dec 8, 2024

Inter Miami's star-studded roster has weighed in on their favourites for the 2025 Miami Open, with Alcaraz and Djokovic leading the charge

• Inter Miami players show keen interest in the upcoming Miami Open
• Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic named as top picks by the squad
• The tournament set to take place from March 16-30 at Hard Rock Stadium

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  WHAT HAPPENED

  With the 2025 Miami Open currently underway, Inter Miami's locker room has been abuzz with tennis talk. The squad, known for their diverse sporting interests, has been eagerly discussing their predictions for the prestigious tournament, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic emerging as the frontrunners in their informal poll. Outside those two, the players also picked Nick Kyrgios and Frances Tiafoe as their leading choices to win the Miami Open.

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  The tournament boasts an impressive lineup, featuring 15 Grand Slam champions and attracting top-ranked players from both the ATP and WTA tours. Alcaraz, the world No. 3, enters as the second seed with odds of +210 to win the tournament, while Djokovic, a six-time Miami Open champion, makes his return to the event for the first time since 2019.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Following their unbeaten start to the 2025 MLS league season, Inter Miami sit at the top of the Eastern Conference with 10 points to their name. face Philidelphia Union next at the Chase Stadium on March 30 before going on the road to face LAFC in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup clash on April 3 before returning home to host Toronto FC on April 7.