حدد نادي ريال مدريد الإسباني شرطين من أجل التعاقد مع الدولي الفرنسي بول بوجبا متوسط ميدان مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي، في سوق الانتقالات الصيفية المقبلة.

بوجبا مرتبط بإمكانية الانتقال للملكي مُنذ عامين، ولكن الأمر لم يتم العام الماضي بسبب المُغالاة المادية من جانب مانشستر يونايتد، وهذا الصيف بسبب الأزمة الاقتصادية التي يُعاني منها النادي جراء جائحة كورونا “كوفيد 19”.

بول خرج في تصريحات صحفية، مساء الخميس، ليؤكد أنه ما زال يحلم باللعب لـ ريال مدريد (طالع ماذا قال؟).

وبحسب صحيفة “ديفنسا سنترال” الإسبانية، فإن ريال مدريد سيتعاقد مع بوجبا، ولكن فقط إذا جاء بالمجان دون أن يدفع أي مبالغ مالية.

وأكد التقرير أن هناك شرطًا آخر وهو أن يخفض بوجبا راتبه، ويمنح 50 بالمائة من حقوق صورته لـ ريال مدريد.

بوجبا لديه عقد مع مانشستر يونايتد ينتهي في نهاية الموسم الحالي في 30 يونيو 2021، ويحق له في بداية يناير القادم التفاوض مع أي نادٍ.

Luka Modric – the current holder of the Balon d’Or award – may have built his profile at Real Madrid but he honed in his exceptional talents at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane.

The Croatian was a highly thought of talent in the last decade making his move from Dinamo Zagreb for £15.8 million (as per the Telegraph).

Even back in 2008 Luka Modric was considered one of the brightest talents in world football, drawing interest from far and wide.

Indeed, the story could have vastly different if he had joined Newcastle United – which he was expected to do after visiting Tyneside to discuss a move to St James’ Park.

“If you had a list of the midfield players around Europe who Newcastle could possibly attract, Luka Modric would be one of them,” former Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan said (Telegraph).

“I think he would be pretty much on everyone else’s list as well because he is a fantastic prospect.

“If you look at the midfield players who have a fantastic future, he would be one of them. But every other club in the league, from Arsenal and Manchester United, would like Modric.”

It was to be Tottenham who profited from his arrival, however, who, after an incredibly disappointing season failing to break into the top four under Martin Jol, needed to make a statement of intent to appease their riotous fans.

And what a capture he was.

He may have been small, which he openly admitted had always been a point of concern for everyone who doubted he would ‘make it’, but he was strong – the kind of exaggerated strength the less physically blessed can muster in a moment of ‘David versus Goliath’.

But this was by no means the best bit of his game. Not by a long shot. Modric was incredibly gifted with the ball.

Indeed, years of being smaller had deemed it necessary to learn football in its purest form; the art of guiding a pinpoint pass, the ability to orchestrated play with the slightest movement, or dance around the opposition with the faintest of touches. He was a complete midfielder.

Unfortunately, when Real Madrid come knocking a player answers – as Spurs know all too well – and Modric’s time came in 2012 when he moved for an estimated £30 million (BBC Sport).

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Loads of Rangers fans have been giving their verdict on a huge talking point ahead of Sunday’s derby, as Andy Halliday is expected to start at left back.

Borna Barisic will not be fit for the Old Firm having picked up an injury on international duty.

The flying left back, who has faced plenty of criticism for his recent performances, scored his first international goal last week against Azerbaijan, but then injured his ankle against Hungary.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

The Daily Record expect the Croatian to miss at least two weeks, pending a scan that will determine the true extent of the damage.

Halliday is likely to be the man to step in on Sunday, and let’s just say fans are pretty happy about it.

The versatile 27 year-old certainly won’t be the most technically gifted player on the pitch, but few will show more fight and passion.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are revelling in the thought of a Halliday master-class at Parkhead…

Norwich City’s rise under Daniel Farke doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.

After pulling off another impressive away win, this time at the Den, by defeating Millwall 3-1, the Canaries take a step closer to the Premier League.

However, the face of their exciting season has been striker Teemu Pukki, who’s taken the Championship by storm.

The Finland striker scored his 24th goal of the season on Saturday, helping his side climb back to first place. Pukki’s proven to be the complete package to boost Norwich’s promotion campaign, using his pace, clever movement and lethal striker’s instincts to score past more than half of the Championship sides.

Pukki’s latest against Millwall was another display of his intelligence, as he moved past his man to create a gap and score calmly. The striker’s finishing ability is undoubtedly the best in the league and can be a revelation for them in the Premier League next season too.

However, it’ll be a gigantic task for the Canaries to keep him. At the rate he’s scoring in, many sides will coming sniffing for his services.

Surely, if it’s a relatively big one, it’ll be difficult for Pukki to decline them.

Norwich needs to give him more assurances to convince him to reject the lucrative offers, either by showing more ambitions or giving him a better contract.

Pukki can be the driving force for them to have a promising Premier League campaign next season, but if he leaves, finding a similarly impactful striker can be extremely problematic.

[ad_pod ]Sheffield United maintained their momentum in the Championship promotion race with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Brentford at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.The Blades had to scrap with ten men for most of the game following Gary Madine’s first half dismissal. However, they defended stoutly throughout to preserve their clean sheet and unsure that they claimed the vital three points.At the heart of this remarkable defensive resilience was centre-back Jack O’Connell. Alongside John Egan and Chris Basham, the 24-year-old was brave, focused and aggressive throughout.Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…The former England under-19 international has been in fine form all season, but proved on Tuesday that he must now be considered amongst the most reliable centre-backs in the division.Chris Wilder will be delighted with the Liverpool-born star’s contribution, and will realise that his form and fitness are vital to the success of the club’s promotion push.After the match, plenty of Blades fans took to Twitter to congratulate O’Connell on another emphatic and dominant display…

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Leeds United fans on Twitter have been expressing their frustration after the club changed their ticket policy for the game against Aston Villa.

Leeds host Villa in their last home game of the season and tickets are likely to be in massive demand as they play at Elland Road for the final time before potential promotion to the Premier League.

The club announced on Wednesday that they are changing the ticket policy for the game against Aston Villa. Fans have been limited to buying one ticket per membership with season ticket holders unable to buy any additional tickets.

The Whites fans claim that this change will allow more paying members to be able to attend the game rather than allowing multiple tickets to be purchased by one person.

Leeds currently have 26,000 members and with only 7,000 general admission tickets available there will be a huge scramble once they go on sale for fans to secure their seats.

Unsurprisingly, fans are unhappy with this decision as for many it means they will not be able to be a part of the celebrations should Leeds be promoted on that day.

Here’s what Leeds fans have had to say on Twitter…

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Nottingham Forest legend Kenny Burns has written in his column in The Nottingham Post that Ryan Yates – who has made seven league appearances for the club this season – is his Reds’ Player of the Year as things stand, and it is a ridiculous claim.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the youngster signed a new three-year deal at The City Ground last summer following successful loan spells in the lower leagues with Notts County and Scunthorpe United, but he found first-team opportunities hard to come by under Aitor Karanka.

The 21-year-old only made the 18-man squad in the Championship on one occasion under the Spaniard – in his final match in charge against Leeds United on New Year’s Day – but was an unused substitute on that day.

His fortunes have changed under Martin O’Neill however, and his start against Hull City on Saturday was his sixth consecutive one in the Championship as he begins to establish himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet.

In his column in The Nottingham Post, Burns wrote: “The emergence of Ryan Yates has been one of the highlights of the season, for me.

“He’s only played a handful of games for Nottingham Forest but I would go so far as to say, at the moment, he would still be my player of the season.

“Joe Lolley is a close second because he’s a class act.”

Player of the year contender?

He will probably be up there come what May, but given the number of appearances he has made and the fact that Forest have been in and around the play-off positions throughout the campaign, it is ludicrous to suggest in March that he is the leading contender.

Individuals like Joe Lolley, Lewis Grabban, Jack Robinson, Jack Colback and Matty Cash have offered more as first-team regulars, and should all be ahead of the Nottingham-born player in the pecking order.

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Sheffield United fans have taken to Twitter to slam Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford following his comments concerning their side’s celebrations after the 1-0 win at Elland Road on Saturday.

Chris Basham’s second-half strike saw the Blades seal victory and leapfrog their promotion rivals to enter the automatic promotion places with just eight games of the season remaining.

Norwich lead the pack on 78 points, four ahead of Sheffield United and a further one in front of Leeds.

But the Blades are arguably the form side in the division and with seven wins in their last 10 games and no defeats since January 19, Chris Wilder’s men have put themselves on the brink of the Premier League.

Bamford’s warning that Sheffield United may struggle to deal with the pressure of being in the top two has been laughed off by Blades fans, with one twitter user telling him to “pick that bottom lip up”.

In a season marred by injury, Bamford has six goals from 15 Championship games but, much to Blades fans’ amusement, was largely anonymous in Saturday’s game. One fan suggested that Martin Cranie had “finally took him out of his back pocket”.

Check out some of the responses below…

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Leeds United are currently on the verge of securing a return to the Premier League after a fifteen year absence. The Whites are in the automatic promotion places with just nine Championship fixtures still to go.

They could give their hopes a huge boost on Saturday when they take on fellow promotion-hopefuls Sheffield United at Elland Road.

It’s a potentially season-defining encounter for both clubs and the pressure is very much on. Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is remaining calm in the build up to the game though and has given his views on how well equipped his side are to handle the occasion.

What he said

As quoted by the club on Twitter, Bielsa has asserted his opinion that Saturday’s match is not the be-all and end-all, saying: “No win is more important than any other at this stage.”

It is undeniable, however, that his team will be aware of the significance this match holds in the eyes of the fans.

Centre-back Pontus Jansson has already referred to the upcoming fixture with the Blades as “the biggest game of our lives”. It is vital that the Argentine coach doesn’t let the occasions overwhelm his squad.

He is confident that his team can rise to the challenge though, saying: “For me the emotion you get from big games is important, and our players have enough experience to manage this kind of situation.”

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

Will they crumble?

Bielsa has only said what you’d expect a manager to say ahead of a big game. However, Leeds’ ability to cope with such pressure can legitimately be called into question.

Earlier in the campaign, when they faced a similarly pressurised match against title-chasing Norwich City, they crumbled. Leeds slumped to a 3-1 defeat against the Canaries at Elland Road which allowed Daniel Farke’s side to gain on them in the table. Norwich now hold top spot ahead of then-leaders Leeds.

There are certainly grounds for concern there, as pointed out by some fans in response to Jansson’s aforementioned tweet.

Leeds fans, are you feeling calm and confident like Bielsa ahead of Saturday’s clash? Have you got any fingernails left? Drop us your verdicts in the comments below…

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In a revealing interview with the Sheffield Star, Danny Webber has shared the key things he thinks Sheffield United need to do in order to repeat the promotion heroics the striker was a part of back in 2006.

What’s he said?

In a fascinating interview, Webber had plenty to say about the Blades’ campaign so far and what sort of situation the players are now finding themselves in. He first told the Sheffield Star:

“Everybody outside of the dressing room knows what the situation is. So the lads inside it definitely know.”

He picked up on what he thinks the major attribute is that has led to the Yorkshire club’s success this term, speaking about collectiveness as a team and how he experienced the same feeling during his playing days.

“We had a group of proper blokes who were all good players but down to earth and prepared to roll their sleeves up. That’s what I see at United now as well. That collective is important, together with the desire to do whatever it takes to get what you want.”

“That’s going to be the case at United now, especially with Chris and the skipper Billy (Sharp) being United fans. They’ll be setting the ground rules, making sure everyone knows what United’s identity is all about.

“I don’t think it’s any coincidence, with that mindset and identity, that United are doing so well. It breeds a connection within the group and also one with the terraces.”

The former striker also revealed what the team needed to do going into the final few months of the campaign, and what the current Blades side need to replicate.

“Lazer sharp focus is what’s needed now. That’s what got us up and that’s what can get the lads there now.”

Webber spot on

Webber is absolutely right when it comes to the togetherness of the team, with the likes of Chris Wilder and Billy Sharp helping install a group mentality within the club. It’s something that’s really visible.

Having such good spirit during a promotion campaign is absolutely pivotal and there is no better man to say so than someone who’s already gone and done it.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

With eight games left to play of the season, everything is in Sheffield United’s control, sitting a point above Leeds in the automatic promotion places. That’s why focus is needed now more than ever as the club reaches the business end of the season.

They’ve outweighed expectations completely this season but the togetherness and focus within the team has been exceptional. It’s bred a winning mentality and as a consequence rallied the fans.