Category: Transfer news

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has called on the WSL to make referees full-time professionals following Manchester City’s controversial goal during the 1-1 draw at the Academy Stadium.

City broke the deadlock through Khadija Shaw’s close range finish just after the hour mark, with the Jamaican international sweeping home Lauren Hemp’s cross from the left.

However, the build up as the ball made its way to Hemp has been the cause of much debate.

Lucy Bronze’s pass flicked off the inside of referee Abigail Byrne’s leg, inadvertently turning a ball intended for Caroline Weir in the congested centre of the park into a fabulous switch of play to Demi Stokes in acres of space on the left flank. The England full-back fed Hemp, and her burst of pace and pinpoint delivery set up Shaw for the game’s opening goal.

“We all make mistakes, I make them, referees make them, players make mistakes. It’s a part of football,” Eidevall said (via BBC Sport) “But I think the referees also need to understand why we get very upset in the moment.

“If they’re going to be on Sky Sports refereeing matches, they should be given all the resources that they need to prepare and practice and work on fitness and that’s where we need to focus. Let’s raise the standard around refereeing and give them the help they need.

“Everyone will make mistakes and the only thing I am always going to be an advocate for is the fix around it and giving them the best possible conditions.”

The laws of the game state that in the event of the ball touching the referee or another match official, play will be stopped and a drop ball awarded if the ball goes into the goal, results in a change of possession or leads to a promising attack.

Byrne waved play on after the ball struck her and fell to Stokes, indicating that City were still in possession. However, the interpretation of ‘promising attack’ is up for debate, with Stokes receiving the ball in a mountain of space, albeit inside her own half. Within seven touches, the ball was in the back of the Arsenal net, suggesting the attack was quite promising.

City have been left aggrieved by a number of refereeing decisions this season – Rosella Ayane’s two-handed handball during September’s defeat to Tottenham the most controversial – and Taylor was grateful his side got the rub of the green on this occasion.

“You’d like to think it evens itself out,” the City boss said at full time (via ManCity.com). “We’ve been on the wrong end of decision this season so it’s nice if that’s the case that one went our way.”

Orlando City have completed the signing of Uruguayan forward Facundo Torres from Club Atlético Peñarol.

The 21-year-old will arrive in Florida as a Young Designated Player through the 2025 season with a club option for 2026, pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa, international transfer certificate, and successful completion of a medical evaluation.

The Lions are believed to have paid a fee of around $7.5m for Torres, with a further $1.5m to follow if certain performance criteria are met – eclipsing their previous transfer record.

“We’re thrilled to have Facundo join us at Orlando City. He is an exciting player with a bright future,” Orlando City chairman Mark Wilf said in a club release. “We will continue to work with our technical team to bolster the roster and build a championship-caliber team for our Club and community.”

General manager and executive vice president of soccer operations Luiz Muzzi added: “Facundo is a young player with a lot of potential and upside, and he is just beginning to make waves on the international stage,. The danger that he creates on attack will be a real asset on the offensive end and we’re excited for him to step on the field in purple.”

A product of the Peñarol youth system, Torres made 71 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 16 goals and setting up another 15. He played a key part in Los Carboneros winning the 2021 Uruguayan Primera Division title, even scoring in the championship match.

At international level, Torres already has 10 senior caps to his name for Uruguay, with five each coming in World Cup qualifiers and last year’s Copa America – where he contributed one assist to help his nation reach the quarter-finals.

Torres represents Orlando City’s first major incoming under the Wilf family and should go a long way to replacing Portuguese winger Nani, who joined Serie A side, Venezia, earlier this month.

The Lions begin their 2022 MLS campaign at home to CF Montreal on February 27.

Teenage striker Daniel Jebbison is considering switching international allegiances from England to Canada, 90min understands.

The promising young forward was born in Ontario, Canada, and lived in North America until 13 years of age when he relocated to England. He eventually joined the Sheffield United youth ranks in 2018 and is currently on loan at Burton Albion.

Jebbison was the subject of a bid from Everton last summer and remains on the radar of Premier League clubs. He is already capped four times for England across various youth levels, but sources have told 90min that Canada are preparing a bid to make him available for John Herdman’s side.

The Canucks are currently top of the Concacaf World Cup qualifying group and unbeaten after eight games. It’s thought the possibility of playing at Qatar 2022 could be enough to persuade Jebbison, also eligible for Jamaica, to make the switch.

Jebbison has made quite an impression during his short career so far. On 16 May 2021, aged just 17 years and 309 days, the teenager made history by becoming the youngest-ever player to score on their first Premier League start in Sheffield United’s 1-0 win over Everton.

Former Everton stiker Danny Cadamarteri previously held the record he broke. Mere months earlier, Jebbison had been playing in the English sixth tier on loan at Chorley.

Despite his tender age, he’s only continued to improve since. In 18 League One appearances (12 starts) for Burton this season, Jebbison has hit the net seven times. His current boss and former Chelsea and Leeds United striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has hailed him as ‘one of the best talents in the country’.

Hasselbaink added: “He’s got pace, he’s got ability, he’s got an eye for goal and he wants to score goals, he’s not happy when he doesn’t score goals and that’s what a striker is all about. He is a weapon.”

Canada are back in World Cup qualifying action later this month when they face Honduras, the United States and El Salvador.

England international goalkeeper Carly Telford has left Chelsea to join San Diego Wave, who will debut in the NWSL this year.

Telford will link up with former England teammate Casey Stoney, who was appointed San Diego’s first head coach, and will compete with Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan for a starting place.

“I am very pleased with the signing of Carly Telford. I know Carly well and know exactly what she will bring both on the pitch and in our environment,” Stoney said, via the club’s official website.

“She is a talented, experienced international that will add real strength to our goalkeeping unit. I am looking forward to working with Carly to see what we can achieve together.”

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes called Telford a ‘fantastic servant’ to the WSL champions and admitted that they ‘didn’t want to lose her’.

Telford has been with the Blues since 2017, her third spell with the Blues, after joining from Notts County. The 34-year-old has only previously played outside England during a loan spell at Perth Glory in Australia almost a decade ago.

She has been back-up to Ann-Katrin Berger at Chelsea over the last couple of seasons, with the move perhaps an important step in securing a place in England’s squad for Euro 2022 amid fierce competition from a number emerging younger goalkeepers at other WSL clubs.

Telford has previously been selected for three World Cup squads and Euro 2017, while she was most recently part of the Great Britain roster at the delayed 2020 Olympics in Japan.

The veteran goalkeeper will add a wealth of experience to a San Diego team already bursting with international quality, having acquired the likes of USWNT stars Alex Morgan and Abby Dahlkemper, as well as well-travelled England striker Jodie Taylor and Sweden’s Sofia Jakobsson.

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They say you have to be mad to be a goalkeeper – and ‘they’ are right.

You get to use your hands, you elect yourself into a union that isn’t even officially a union, you have to stand around and keep yourself locked in for most of a game.

But they’re still crucial to the game. They’re the ones who do the real dirty work for their sides, after all.

Here are our picks for the ten best goalkeepers in the Premier League – ranked.

One of just four goalkeepers on this list to actually win the Premier League, Schmeichel is still one of Leicester’s best players at the age of 35.

Would you believe he’s now made over 450 appearances for the Foxes? Incredible consistency since being promoted in way back in 2014.

Jose Sa had a pretty tough job coming in to replace the excellent Rui Patricio, but he’s been crucial in Wolves’ efforts to become one of the Premier League’s toughest teams to break down.

Bruno Lage’s side have conceded just 16 Premier League goals this season – only leaders Manchester City have a tighter defensive record.

Like every goalkeeper who’s left Arsenal this century, Lukasz Fabianski has gone from strength to strength since departing the Gunners.

Now into his 15th Premier League season, the Pole has managed to keep the impressive Alphonse Areola out of the side and keep his place between the sticks for West Ham.

It’s been roughly a year since the last high profile ‘oh my word what is he doing’ Jordan Pickford blunder, enjoying a stellar 2021 for club and country.

Everton may be rather rubbish nowadays, but at least he can enjoy a spot in this ranking – and that’s the real quiz.

Who would have thought the biggest ‘Sliding Doors’ moment in the career of Emiliano Martinez would have been Neal Maupay barging into Bernd Leno on a humid June afternoon?

Now a full Argentina international and one of the world’s top stoppers, Martinez recently signed a new long-term contract at Aston Villa.

David de Gea couldn’t have been optimistic about his Man Utd prospects at the end of the 2020/21 season – backup keeper Dean Henderson was getting plenty of first team opportunities, and when brought back in for the Europa League final, missed the decisive spot kick after conceding 11 straight Villarreal penalties.

But true to form, De Gea has largely been United’s best player this term, saving them from disaster time and time again.

Like De Gea, Hugo Lloris has put his error-strewn recent past behind him to peak again at the top level, proving a decisive figure at Spurs on and off the pitch.

For some reason, the poor bloke signed a new contract that means he’ll have spent over 10 years of his prime trying to stop Tottenham Hotspur from conceding goals. At least he captained France to a World Cup, I guess.

One can only imagine the euphoria Pep Guardiola must have felt when he watched Ederson for the first time in his life, knowing that this was the goalkeeper he’s spent his whole career searching for.

The Brazilian may not be the greatest shot stopper but that’s not as important for a club like Man City, with Ederson effectively acting as an 11th outfielder most of the time.

You’d expect the great Petr Cech to have a good eye for a goalkeeper, and boy did he find Chelsea a gem in Edouard Mendy.

Recently the recipient of The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award for 2021, Mendy has quickly established himself as one of the world’s best players in any position, let alone his own.

Perhaps best demonstrated by his performance in Liverpool’s weekend win over Crystal Palace, Alisson is still the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

He has the perfect mix of positioning, leadership, distribution and experience needed to be a world class stopper and he’s showing no sign of slowing down.