Football transfer news

Arsenal are said to have joined a queue of at least five teams who are interested in signing Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina this summer,.

Vlahovic has attracted scouts and spectators from other clubs for his prolific performances this season, bagging 12 goals in 27 league appearances for Fiorentina so far.

The Serbian only signed with Fiorentina in 2018 but has impressed a number of top European sides. Italian outlet Calciomercato report that Arsenal have registered their interest in Vlahovic, but are in a scrap alongside RB Leipzig, AC Milan, Roma and Atletico Madrid, who are said to be the clubs most actively pursuing him.

Vlahovic, now 21, signed for La Viola from Partizan Belgrade in his native Serbia aged just 18. The Gunners had Vlahovic on their radar during his time at Partizan according to older reports, but now face a serious battle if they want to secure the services of the striker, whose rise to prominence this season has proven attractive.

The report describes the Serbian as a ‘treasure’, and with Arsenal looking set to be busy in the summer transfer market, Vlahovic has been identified as a candidate in a potential overhaul.

Fellow Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb report that the Serb has a €40m (roughly £35m) price tag, while Calciomercato report that his value cannot currently be estimated.

Despite still being just 21, Vlahovic has won silverware with Partizan and played 74 times for Fiorentina, having initially plied his trade in their youth side. He has also made six appearances for the Serbia national team, and recently scored the second goal of the game in an eventual 3-2 win against Ireland.

Alexandre Lacazette has just over a year left on his current Arsenal contract, and with Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi both sold in January, head coach Mikel Arteta has shown that he is keen to rebuild the side into something more promising.

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With the season heading into the final stretch and a pandemic still running rife, transfer rumours are beginning to form, but big money signings aren’t likely to be occurring with their usual regularity in the coming window.

Clubs still need to conduct business however, and strikers are always hot property. While all the eyes are on the development of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic is quietly doing all the right things and more for club and country.

Predominantly, scoring goals for fun.

When a new striker pops up as prolific within Europe, attention immediately comes their way. Here is all you need to know about Vlahovic.

Having spent time with Red Star Belgrade in his youth, Vlahovic signed for Partizan Belgrade in 2014 and signed professional terms a year later, aged just 15.

In February 2016, he became the youngest player to feature in the Red Star/Partizan Eternal Derby, surpassing a certain Luka Jovic.

A monumental fixture.

Magic from Vlahovi?! ?

A stunning strike from distance seals a first half hat-trick for the young Fiorentina striker ? pic.twitter.com/hmmVvTzMeo

— Premier Sports ? (@PremierSportsTV) March 13, 2021

If his derby record isn’t enough, it’s also handy to know that Vlahovic is Partizan’s youngest debutant and youngest goal scorer in their history.

He wasn’t done there, however, and has since broken records in Italy. His trio of goals against Benevento in March 2021 saw him become the first Fiorentina player to score a first half hat-trick in Serie A since 1964.

All Dusan Vlahovic goals so far in 2020/21 ?#ForzaViola ? #Fiorentina pic.twitter.com/DE5x9NDwkC

— ACF Fiorentina English (@ACFFiorentinaEN) March 23, 2021

Right, enough records, here’s what makes Vlahovic so good.

The Serbian is a physical beast; he stands at just over six foot but is immensely strong and has an ever-lasting engine to carry him through games. His play style is explosive and while his best work comes inside the box to finish off play, he is smart off the ball, too.

Vlahovic moves well, be it peeling off a defender or giving them a nudge to create a yard of space for himself in true poacher’s fashion. His left foot can finish from a range of angles and distances.

Despite only scoring three goals for Partizan, the rest of his play at such a young age was enough for Fiorentina to make the move happen.

And there was us thinking it was Rickie Lambert.

Joking aside, most strikers would likely cite Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a source of inspiration – perhaps not for social media presence or hairstyles – but instead for his relentless scoring record and ability.

Vlahovic, while still very young and green, holds similarities in the way he throws his big frame at the ball to score. In an April 2020 interview, the Serbian described Ibrahimovic as his ‘idol’ and expressed a desire to one day play alongside him.

Vlahovic is rated at a modest 75 in FIFA 21, and is said to have a potential rating of 82.

In career mode, you can probably snap him up for no more than £10m, making him a great budget option to bring to your save and develop mercilessly with some training.

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It took Manchester City all of about 15 minutes to announce they’d be honouring Sergio Aguero with a statue following the news he’ll be departing the Etihad Stadium this summer, though it’s hard to argue with the decision.

The Argentine forward is undoubtedly one of the greatest foreign players to have ever graced the Premier League, and his career prior to joining City wasn’t exactly average either.

It’s going to be emotional… ?

? #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5rehttps://t.co/4COpSpmz7a

— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 29, 2021

You’re no doubt going to be bombarded with articles reminiscing over Aguero’s time in England over the coming months, so we’ve gone one better and ranked the top ten moments of his entire career to date. Enjoy…

Atletico Madrid’s uncanny knack for unearthing world class strikers is no secret, and Aguero is arguably the greatest success story of them all.

Atleti snapped up the frontman from Argentinian outfit Independiente in 2006, and one of his greatest achievements at the club was their Super Cup triumph in 2010.

Quique Sanchez Flores’ side headed into the game as underdogs against Champions League winners Inter, but goals from Jose Antonio Reyes and Aguero (obviously) handed them their first ever Super Cup.

Sergio Aguero’s father on Sergio’s future: “Sergio told me he will go back to Independiente but he doesn’t know when.” Via @ClossAM590 #MCFC pic.twitter.com/zQKdFEm9I3

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) April 17, 2018

Think back to what you were doing with your life at 15. Now compare that to Aguero making his debut in the Argentine first division at the same age. Ahhh, there’s that sinking feeling again.

The forward became the youngest ever player to appear in the country’s top flight when he made his debut for Independiente in 2003 – a record which still stands to this day.

A year later he went on to break another record as he became the youngest player ever to play in the Copa Libertadores.

Aguero may only have runner-up medals to show for his time with the Argentina senior side, but his debut was still a landmark moment in his career.

The City forward was handed his first cap at just 18 years of age against fierce rivals Brazil in 2006, and he went on to open his international account a year later in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.

His international career so far has gleaned 97 caps, and with 41 goals to his name he looks well set to overtake Gabriel Batistuta (44) in second place in Argentina’s list of all-time leading goalscorers.

We all know who’s top of the list and there’s no point even trying to match him.

It may not seem like a huge achievement to be crowned FIFA’s Golden Boy, but when you consider some of the names on the list of winners you get a sense of just how impressive an award it is to receive.

Since its inception in 2004, only four players had been crowned Golden Boy winners prior to Aguero’s 2007 triumph, yet the roll of honour already included the likes of Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi.

Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have all gone on to lift the trophy since, but the less said about 2008’s winner the better (go and look it up).

Argue all you like about the stellar teammates he’s played alongside, Aguero’s goalscoring record in the Premier League is sensational.

In his nine full seasons in England he’s hit 20 league goals or more in six campaigns, and in 2014/15 his 26 goals in 33 games was enough to secure the golden boot.

The most surprising part about all this is he hasn’t got more.

Aguero’s senior international career has been littered with nearly moments, with two Copa America final defeats and a World Cup final defeat to boot.

However, his brief career with the youth sides did yield silverware, and at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing Argentina’s Under-23 side triumphed.

An Angel Di Maria goal in the final against Nigeria was enough to secure gold for Aguero and his teammates. Who would’ve guessed that such a talented group of players would suffer so much heartbreak at senior level?

It may not seem like a huge achievement for a man with so many Premier League winner’s medals on his mantlepiece (probably), but Atletico’s 2010 Europa League win was a landmark moment in his history.

After years of mid-table mediocrity and even a spell in the second tier, Atleti were finally on the up and their 2010 European triumph proved they were a force to be reckoned with again.

Aguero bagged himself six goals in the club’s successful Europa League campaign, and Atletico have gone from strength to strength ever since.

To win one Premier League title is a pretty impressive achievement, but FOUR.

Only four players born outside of the British Isles have won more than the Argentinian, and the most recent triumph may well be the sweetest of the lot.

City fought off a courageous Liverpool side and won all of their final 14 league games to pip the Reds to the title. Obviously Aguero was at the forefront of the title win, scoring 21 in 33 league outings.

Aguero became @MCFC’s all-time leading #BPL goalscorer on Saturday. But who did he replace? http://t.co/SnDGZzmD9X pic.twitter.com/5QNKOiI1Pp

— Premier League (@premierleague) October 22, 2014

While Aguero’s time at City will forever be remembered as a glittering period in the club’s history, he’ll of course be constantly mentioned in the same breath as his fellow statue buddies Vincent Kompany and David Silva, so it’s nice to know he’s got his own individual record to lean on.

The hitman is City’s all-time leading goalscorer, having surpassed Eric Brook’s 78-year-old record of 177 goals back in November 2017.

Since then it’s fair to say he’s raised the bar a little, with his current tally for the club standing at an eye-watering 257 – and counting.

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How could it not be?

While securing his fourth Premier League crown at City will always be sweet, that first one will forever be the greatest for so many different reasons.

Their first top-tier title for 44 years, stealing it from their local rivals, Aguero’s last-minute goal, Martin Tyler’s commentary, Phil Jones’ face, Kolo Toure standing like he was waiting for his kettle to boil, the list goes on and on.

We can’t even do it justice, no-one will ever be able to do it justice. It just is the best ever moment in Aguero’s career and the best ever moment in Premier League history.

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Amid all the excitement at Stamford Bridge last summer, one new signing flew a little under the radar.

Chelsea snapped up French centre-back Malang Sarr on a free transfer after his contract with Nice expired and immediately shipped him out on loan to Porto to continue his development, in a move which was supposed to give Sarr the high-level experience he needed to compete for a spot at the Bridge.

Has he got that? Well, sort of.

Sarr has managed 19 appearances for Porto this season, 15 of which have come as a starter. They’re some solid minutes, although when you consider he has already failed to feature in 17 games, you’ll see how this marriage hasn’t exactly worked out.

Now, Record (via Sport Witness) state Sarr hasn’t done enough to convince Porto to push for his signature on a permanent basis, and the 22-year-old wouldn’t want to stay anyway. His sights are set on Chelsea, and that might just be a good thing.

Chelsea have been planning to sign a young, experienced centre-back this summer, but the problem is that a lot of them now look to be unavailable.

Dayot Upamecano is joining Bayern Munich and Ibrahima Konate looks like he’s off to Liverpool, Atletico Madrid want close to £100m for Jose Gimenez and the hail-mary pursuit of David Alaba looks to be fruitless.

Sure, the list isn’t exhausted just yet. Niklas Sule, Jules Kounde, Pau Torres…there are plenty around, but we are now looking at targets that were lower on the priority lists or big-money signings which would only be made in panic (hello, Kepa Arrizabalaga). When the plan is to spend over £100m on Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, you can’t really afford to splash out on a centre-back you don’t really want.

That’s where Sarr comes in.

While Sarr hasn’t set the world on fire this season, reports suggest he has been solid. He’s actually only lost three times this season, two of which were against Manchester City and Juventus in the Champions League.

Regularly deployed as either a left-sided centre-back or a left-back, Sarr has done a decent job when called upon by Sergio Conceicao, but most importantly, he’s picked up experience in the same kind of positions he may be needed for in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

A left-sided (or rather left-footed) defender has been lacking at Chelsea this season. We’ve seen Emerson deployed centrally at times to counter that, so it’s clear that Tuchel is keen to try everything to sort that position out.

With Emerson rumoured to be heading for the exit door, Sarr should be considered as an option to come in and cover for the starters. He can be drip-fed experience and moulded into a regular starter.

To say Sarr is ready for a permanent starting spot would be a stretch. He’s impressive in possession but has been guilty of lapses in concentration more than once over the last few years. He was lambasted after a recent horror show against Braga (the only non-European loss he has tasted this year), and that’s not the first time we’ve seen him lose his composure.

Fortunately, playing in a back three offers a little extra stability. We’ve seen Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, two of the most error-prone defenders in England last season, turn into stars in Tuchel’s back three, and the boss could have the same impact with Sarr.

Sarr isn’t the finished product just yet, but he fits the bill as a young, experienced centre-back. He’s the kind of player Chelsea want to sign, so why spend money when he’s already on the books?

Tuchel will have his work cut out for him with Sarr and his lapses of concentration, but you’d have said the same with Christensen and Rudiger. They’ve looked like two of the best defenders in Europe in 2021, and Sarr could benefit just the same.

For more from ?Tom Gott, follow him on ?Twitter!

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USA Under-23 soccer head coach Jason Kreis has admitted he is ‘devastated’ after his side failed to qualify for the Olympics for a third successive games.

The side for the Olympics, which is actually the USMNT’s Under-23s, lost 2-1 to Honduras on Sunday in the semi-final of Olympic qualifying, continuing a torrid run of failing to make the tournament.

The USA conceded either side of half-time to find themselves 2-0 down after 47 minutes. Jackson Yueill pulled one back after 52 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to salvage the game and save the side from more disappointment.

FT | Not our day. pic.twitter.com/qXH2EmwLW8

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) March 29, 2021

Speaking after the match, as quoted by The Guardian, head coach Jason Kreis admitted the side were ‘absolutely devastated’ with the result.

“In our locker room, the guys are, it’s like a tragedy – a tragedy,” he claimed.

“We weren’t good enough to get it done, because I do believe we had enough quality in our team, we had enough ability in our team.”

Kreis struggled for words to explain his side’s pitfalls, adding: “I don’t know that if I’ve ever seen a game where we’ve had players mis-control the ball so much by going under people’s feet, passing out of bounds.

“These are things that are just really…you just really kind of scratch your head, you think of what’s going on here? But I also have been around the game enough in our country at a pro level to tell you this is what you see in pre-seasons and at the beginning of MLS seasons it’s typical.”

He admitted that he had seen such a weakness in mentality within the group stages and ultimately conceded he ‘didn’t think it was quite enough’.

The result means Honduras’ Under-23s advance to the final to play Mexico, with both sides safe in the knowledge that they have booked their place in Tokyo in July. The result is a disappointment for the USMNT, who have only qualified for the games in one of five attempts.

But while the men’s team has failed again, the USA will still be represented in soccer by the women’s team, who head into the games having won their fourth and most recent World Cup in 2019.

The USWNT are also four-time Olympic champions, having last won gold at the 2012 event in London.

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