Author: cimi

Mauro Icardi’s fraught relationship with Inter has continued to crumble after manager Luciano Spalletti revealed that the former captain will not even be in the squad for Sunday’s crucial Serie A match against Lazio following “new developments” in training.

Icardi finally seemed destined for a return to the pitch, but recent incidents have caused Spalletti to continue the exile of his precocious star striker.

The Argentine international has not played since being stripped of the Inter captaincy on February 13, in part due to controversial comments made about his teammates by his agent and wife Wanda Nara.

With Lautaro Martinez injured, Icardi was expected to regain his place in the Inter squad, but Spalletti has ruled out the possibility of his return, according to comments made in his official press conference, as quoted by Football Italia.

The Inter manager said: “In some ways, it was like having a new player, because he hadn’t been with us for such a long time.

“He trained with us and in some ways we need to get him back into our training regime behaviour. Considering what happened lately, including yesterday, I maintain he is not yet able to help his teammates in this game. That is why he will not be called up.

“I have to consider everything, from the previous period all the way up to yesterday. He trained with us all week, something new happened yesterday that I need to evaluate. Training sessions are fundamental. For the next few games, we’ll see.”

Icardi is definitely a fantastic player. He’s definitely paid below his market value. He’s also not captain material. He needs to leave, it’s obviously broken. One thing though… why does this kinda stuff happen on Spalletti teams so often?

— JuvePete (@juve_pete) March 30, 2019

Spalletti refused to comment on the specifics of the situation, but Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera have revealed that Icardi was given the opportunity to apologise to his teammates during training, but opted to stay silent, further antagonising his manager.

The decision comes as a surprise to Icardi’s lawyers and Inter’s directors alike, as the conflict seemed to have passed with the striker returning to training this week.

Icardi’s lawyer, Paolo Nicoletti, refused to hide his displeasure, saying: “Since the day of Icardi’s return to training, he has been at the full disposal of the squad, behaving professionally and following the steps worked out by me, CEO Beppe Marotta and President Steven Zhang in the interests of both Inter and the player.”

Icardi’s future looks to be in Italy, likely Juventus, but only Real Madrid lure him away from Italy. Zidane likes him and his agent was in contact with Real Madrid last week. He could leave for €50M instead of €80M. Inter could sell if Kovacic is included in the deal. [marca] pic.twitter.com/f01bffXGEe

— SB (@Realmadridplace) March 21, 2019

“I was not informed as to the decision to leave Icardi out of the squad, so not knowing the reasons for it, I cannot comment on that.

“I spoke to Marotta daily, who always told me that everything was going positively.” 

The striker enjoyed his finest campaign to date last season, scoring 29 goals en route to winning 2018 Serie A Footballer of the Year, but has seen his time at the San Siro marred by controversy, as contract talks now appear to have reached a dead end. 

BOOM! Real Madrid having today a summit for Icardi!

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) March 28, 2019

Real Madrid remain interested in the mercurial 26-year old and could offer Icardi the chance to be the focal point of a major summer rebuild under Zinedine Zidane.

Inter face Lazio on Sunday in a pivotal match for their Champions League qualifying hopes, with Spalletti’s side sitting third, six points clear of fifth-placed Roma.

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?Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung-min has proclaimed his desire to help the club go to the next level and win trophies once they complete their move to their new stadium.

After facing Liverpool on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino’s side will complete their long-awaited move to the new stadium to face Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Speaking to ?The Guardian, ?Son stated that he believes the club have what it takes to win regular silverware, and revealed his desire of being able to bring success to such a top side.

He said: “We have the best training ground in the world, we have the best stadium in the world and everything is ready to compare to anything. The answer is now with the players, how they perform. 

“It’s very important the players are serious and take the chance. I am looking to the future and winning something with this new stadium and with this unbelievable club.

“Now we have to keep together and, after these three weeks, I hope we can be fresh and positive and energetic on the pitch. We want to be in the top four and we want to play ?Champions League with this amazing stadium. I’m confident with my team. We can do it. We just need to believe in ourselves.”

The South Korean also discussed the imminent move to the new stadium, revealing that he misses White Hart Lane, but is looking forward to having a new permanent home.

He added: “I feel a bit different because I still remember White Hart Lane – when you come in, you’re still thinking about it. When I was young, I watched White Hart Lane. It’s in my head. They’ve changed the building and so for me, crazy things. The ?Tottenham of White Hart Lane was a special thing but now we have to make history with the new stadium.

“Of course, I miss White Hart Lane but the new stadium is amazing – the pitch, the view, the stands; it’s just unbelievable. Finally we are coming back home and it’s great to be here again with the fans. They were tired, as well, with Wembley. 

“Of course, Wembley is a very nice stadium but it’s not actually our home. I think the fans are very happy, like us. The most important thing now is our performances in the new stadium.”

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?Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed he could deploy Paul Pogba in a deeper midfield role in order to get the best out of him.

The Frenchman has faced plenty of criticism from fans and pundits for his struggles to replicate his international form with United on a consistent basis, and he again failed to exert his influence in United’s 2-1 win over Watford on Saturday.

Speaking after the game, Solskjaer admitted that he may need to alter ?Pogba’s role to help him improve. He is quoted by ?Goal as saying: “Paul is important for us. We couldn’t keep the ball today – 50% possession at home, you’re a bit disappointed with that. 

“But Paul’s been away, played two games for France, he’s playing a bit deeper for them so that’s maybe something we have to think about, to get him more in the game.

“Paul can do both, he can attack and defend. Today, we had two strikers who did it for us. I thought Rashy [?Marcus Rashford] was fantastic – he gave us the energy the others lacked.

“Of course, you’d like to dominate, but we weren’t able to. We’ve set ourselves targets over the next eight games, now seven games. We came away with a win – that’s great. Everyone knows we can play better.”

In France’s last two games, Pogba lined up alongside ?Chelsea star ?N’Golo Kante at the base of Les Bleus’ midfield, with three attacking midfielders deployed ahead of the pair. It was this system in which Pogba played a starring role in last summer’s World Cup, and he continued his good form by registering an assist in the 4-1 win over Moldova.

However, in Manchester, he has regularly been fielded in a three-man midfield alongside ?Nemanja Matic and ?Ander Herrera. At the start of the season, whilst playing under Jose Mourinho, Pogba was heavily criticised for looking like a different player in the immediate aftermath of his World Cup triumph.

His form greatly improved once Solskjaer assumed control in December, racking up eight goals and five assists in his first nine matches. However, Pogba is without a goal in his last five ?Premier League matches, and Solskjaer may be forced to alter his role to help the midfielder rediscover his best form.

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?Tottenham Hotspur have told Real Madrid it will cost them £130m to sign midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The Dane will enter the final year of his contract in the summer, and has been heavily linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu as Zinedine Zidane looks to bolster his squad and recover from an underwhelming campaign.

News of ?Tottenham’s demands comes from ?The Mirror, who state that club chairman Daniel Levy has insisted that ?Real pay as much as possible for the star midfielder.

Eriksen is widely viewed as one of the world’s finest creative midfielders, and is thought to be one of Zidane’s primary targets for the upcoming transfer window. The 27-year-old has been touted as a possible replacement for ?Toni Kroos, who has attracted interest from both ?Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

Should Real agree to pay the £130m, it would gift Tottenham a sizeable profit on a player who cost them just £12.5m in the summer of 2013.

Los Blancos have pursued some of Tottenham’s top talents in the past, with both ?Luka Modric and ?Gareth Bale making the switch to the Bernabeu. They have also been linked with striker ?Harry Kane, although a move for Eriksen is thought to be more likely, given his current contract situation.

During his six years at the club, Eriksen has made 264 appearances, racking up 63 goals and 81 assists. However, despite his individual success, Eriksen is yet to win a trophy with Tottenham, prompting rumours that he may look to leave the club to achieve his goals.

It has also been suggested that Tottenham’s wage structure may also be a deciding factor in Eriksen’s decision. According to ?Sky Sports, he is currently on a £70,000-a-week deal, whilst many of the world’s top players are said to earn almost three times that figure.

Real would likely have no problem with offering Eriksen such a figure, but it remains to be seen whether they would be prepared to part ways with £130m to sign a player who they could bring in for free in just 12 months’ time.

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?Callum Hudson-Odoi’s Chelsea future is set to remain unclear until the summer with no talks over a new contract planned before the end of the season.

The England winger will run into the final year of his current deal in the summer and there have been no suggestions as yet that he will extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, having attempted to force a move to Bayern Munich in January.

Chelsea are offering Callum Hudson-Odoi a new £100,000-a-week deal… but the only way to really show they value him is to put him in the starting line up at Cardiff on Sunday.

— Dean Jones (@DeanJonesBR) March 29, 2019

?Chelsea held firm in their desire to keep their brightest young prospect at the club but, according to the ?Daily Mail, the Blues have not held talks with Hudson-Odoi’s family since ?Bayern made their final £35m bid ahead of the transfer deadline in January.

The 18-year-old was handed his first senior start for England during the Three Lions’ recent victory over Montenegro, and ?Manchester United are expected to join Bayern Munich in the race to sign the forward ahead of the summer transfer window.

With no talks set to take place over extending Hudson-Odoi’s contract in west London until the end of the season, Chelsea are set to face a dilemma over how best to handle his situation.

Sarri asked if he’s tempted to start Hudson-Odoi vs Cardiff: “We have to play eight matches in 28 days. I’m sure Callum will start two, three matches” #cfc

— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) March 29, 2019

Should the youngster fail to commit his future to the Blues, as appears most likely, Maurizio Sarri’s side would be forced to decide whether to cash in on their promising attacker or risk losing him for nothing more than a compensation fee at the end of his contract in 2020.

Chelsea are expected to increase their offer of a new contract to a deal worth £100,000-per-week when talks resume in the summer, though Hudson-Odoi has made it clear that he is more concerned by playing time than money in deciding his next move.

The wide man has made just six Premier League appearances under Sarri this term, though he has featured more regularly in the Europa League, in which he has played eight games and scored four goals.

Despite Hudson-Odoi’s future at Chelsea clearly hinging on the amount of playing time that he receives, Sarri has offered little encouragement that opportunities will increase for the youngster any time soon.

The Chelsea boss claimed that it was easier for England boss Gareth Southgate to start rising stars such as Hudson-Odoi than it is for managers of Premier League clubs, with the forward yet to start a game in the top flight.

The situation is further complicated by the Blues’ transfer ban, which means that Chelsea will not be able to sign new players in either of the next two transfer windows and would therefore be unable to replace one of their hottest properties should they opt to sell Hudson-Odoi.

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