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Showing posts matching the search for Euro 2024

The Big Discussion: Manchester United's potential midfield signings

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Man United target a new midfielder Let's explore some of the options that they could sign to improve their squad before the transfer window closes.  Adrien Rabiot - Free agent Rabiot, 29, is a free agent after leaving Juventus. The France international is reportedly interested in a move to the Premier League. He almost joined the Red Devils last season before signing a new one-year deal. Liam, a Manchester United fan, told us: "This would be a great signing for us. On a free transfer, it would make complete sense. He has great experience and would be a fantastic partner for Mainoo in our midfield." Manchester United are currently aiming to reduce their wage bill, so you could argue that It makes no sense to revive their interest in Rabiot. However, on a free transfer, you could make the case for the transfer to give the club more experience in the midfield. Will United sign him this summer? United's hopes of securing Rabiot's signature for a second consecuti

Nations League: Poland punished Scottish errors

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Scotland 2 - 3 Poland Scotland's tough 2024 continued in heartbreaking fashion as Poland were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, crushing a spirited Nations League comeback at Hampden. Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay scored second-half goals to revive Scotland after Sebastian Szymanski's long-range strike and Robert Lewandowski's expertly-taken penalty put the visitors ahead. However, as Steve Clarke's men pushed for a late winner , Nicola Zalewski was brought down by a reckless challenge from Grant Hanley. Zalewski, who had also won the earlier penalty, stepped up to slot home the decisive goal in the 97th minute. Scotland, who made a tame exit from this summer's Euros with just one point from three group games, now face a daunting trip to Portugal on Sunday. They have managed only one win in 13 matches in 2024, suffering five defeats. The manner in which this game ended was hard to believe, especially given Scotland’s poor first-half performance.  Clarke'

FA Cup: Youngsters shine as United win the cup

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 Manchester City 1 - 2 Manchester United Manchester United’s victory stopped Premier League champions City from claiming a second consecutive domestic double. United's win was forged through an impressive first-half performance that saw goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. Garnacho capitalised on a mix-up between City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and defender Josko Gvardiol, leaving him with an open goal to score half an hour in. Nine minutes later, Mainoo capped off a sweeping move with a composed finish following a delicate touch from Bruno Fernandes. City inevitably ramped up the pressure in the second half, with Erling Haaland hitting the post, United keeper Andre Onana making a superb save from Kyle Walker, and Julian Alvarez missing a golden opportunity. City substitute Jeremy Doku pulled one back with four minutes remaining, but Ten Hag's side held firm to secure a famous victory and  clinch their 13th FA Cup, their first since 2016. How the FA Cup was won. U

EFL: Championship beckons for Oxford United

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Bolton Wanderers 0 - 2 Oxford United  Josh Murphy's double helped his Oxford United side stun Bolton Wanderers in the League One play-off final at Wembley. In what was a cagey first half, Oxford took the lead on the 30 minute mark. Josh Murphy curled a deflected strike home from the edge of the box. Murphy had only 11 minutes to wait for his next goal. This came via a Ruben Rodriguez pass that carved Bolton open, as he slotted the ball in at Nathan Baxter's near post. Oxford United finished the game in dreamland. For Bolton Wanderers, it's another season in League One. The scenes at the end of the match displayed those contrasting emotions.   Exciting future plans for Oxford United Joshua Murphy. Immortal. pic.twitter.com/C4k61SPybm — Oxford United FC (@OUFCOfficial) May 18, 2024 With plans for a new stadium on the horizon, Oxford will be hoping that promotion to the Championship with the backing of over 30,000 supporters at Wembley is a reason to be optimistic ab

Pre Season: Chelsea lose again

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Manchester City 4 - 2 Chelsea Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to lead Manchester City to a 4-2 pre-season victory over Chelsea in Columbus. Haaland, 24, scored two quick goals in the first five minutes, taking advantage of two mistakes by Chelsea.  The first goal came from a loose pass by Tosin Adarabioyo, with Levi Colwill fouling Haaland for a penalty, which the Norwegian scored after a re-take. Haaland then doubled City's lead, intercepting a misplaced pass and scoring.  Pre Season: Celtic thrash Chelsea (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Click here for more Manchester City news and stories In the second half, City added two more goals, with Raheem Sterling's mistake allowing Oscar Bobb to score, followed by Haaland's hat-trick goal after another error from Malo Gusto. Despite Chelsea scoring twice, City secured the win.  Both managers blamed the "dry" pitch for the errors. City will now face Manchester United in the Community Shield, while Chelsea will pla

Transfer News: Villa sign Onana

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Aston Villa have secured the signing of midfielder Amadou Onana from Everton in a £50m deal. The 22-year-old played every minute of Belgium's Euro 2024 campaign and now has the chance to showcase his talent for Villa in the upcoming Champions League season. Onana joined Everton from Lille for £33m in 2022 and made 72 appearances for the Toffees, netting four goals. He was linked with a move to Arsenal in 2023, and several top clubs were reportedly interested in him this summer. You can see how they announced the transfer in the video below. The footage is from the Aston Villa YouTube account.  Villa manager Unai Emery had been searching for a new defensive midfielder after the club sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus for £42.35m in June. After finishing fourth in the Premier League last season, Villa are bolstering their squad for the challenges of the Champions League in the coming campaign. They have not competed at this elite level since the 1982-83 season, this was right after w

Euro 2024: Italy survive Albania scare

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Italy 2 - 1 Albania Holders Italy overcome a huge scare from group outsiders Albania. Italy recovered from the shock of conceding the fastest goal ever scored at a European Championship to beat Albania 2-1 with Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella ensuring the defending champions made a winning start. Such a narrow margin of defeat may prove useful to Albania’s hopes of scraping third place in the group of death. They will almost certainly need to win their next game though. Not an easy task. Nedim Bajrami’s emphatic finish set a new record for the fastest goal in European Championship history, lifting the roof off a stadium that had never experienced anything like the Albanian influx, which kept the atmosphere electric throughout. Within 23 seconds, Bajrami ensured that this already intense occasion would go down in history. It was inevitable Albania would start aggressively, spurred on by a noisy support that filled at least three-quarters of the venue. Italy wasn't ready.

Nations Leaague: Netherlands start new campaign with a win

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Netherlands 5 - 2 Bosnia-Herzegovina New Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee scored his first goal for the Netherlands as they scored Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Nations League. United's summer signing from Bologna who was only winning his third cap, netted a fine flicked header following Xavi Simons' deflected shot. Ermedin Demirovic levelled for the away side with a first-time finish from Denis Huseinbasic's through ball in Eindhoven.  But Zirkzee then picked out Tijjani Reijnders to put the hosts ahead again in first-half injury time. Liverpool's Cody Gakpo then scored a third. He slid the ball into an empty net from Reijnders' low drive across the six-yard box. Former Manchester City and Inter Milan strimer Edin Dzeko did give the Bosnians some hope after he scored his 66th international goal  Wout Weghorst, who also has a connection with Manchester United, came on for Zirkzee and scored the Netherlands' fourth, before Simons eventually wrapped up an

Spain: The next generation of Spanish stars

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Spain have not won a major trophy since Euro 2012.  The players that have come through perhaps haven't been as good as some from the recent history of Spanish football.  This article will explore some of the players that could be at the forefront of the next Spanish revolution. Robert Navarro Roberto Navarro Muñoz is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Real Sociedad. He has only played a few times for the first team, featuring mainly for Real Sociedad B. An improvement in minutes on the pitch could see him start to catch the attention of the national team. Alejandro Francés Alejandro Francés Torrijo is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central defender for Real Zaragoza. He has started to impress at Zaragoza. Could a move to one of the biggest Spanish clubs be on the agenda in his future. European Super Football Pedri Pedri is everything you want and expect from a Barcelona player. In the mould of Andres Iniesta, he brings elite-level technical exc

Transfer News: Manchester United secure their first signing of the summer

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Could this prove to be a bargain for Manchester United? The Red Devils have secured the signing of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and the Netherlands for £36.54 million. The 23-year-old striker has committed to a five-year deal at Old Trafford, with the possibility of extending for an additional year. While Zirkzee's contract with Bologna had a release clause of €40 million (£33.6 million), United chose to pay a slightly higher amount to spread the payment over three years, aiding compliance with Profit and Sustainability Rules. Zirkzee is the first player to join the men's team since Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7% stake in the club last December. Premier League: Summer 2024 news and stories  More Manchester United news Last season, he scored 12 goals in 37 matches, helping Bologna secure an unexpected spot in this season's Champions League. Zirkzee started his career at Feyenoord before moving to Bayern Munich in 2017. He transferred to Bologna for around £7.15 millio

Transfer News: Arsenal sign Merino from Real Sociedad

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The Gunners have made a new signing Arsenal have successfully secured the signing of Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad in a deal potentially worth up to £31.6 million. The 28-year-old is set to join the north London club on a four-year contract, with an option to extend for an additional year. Arsenal will pay an initial fee of £27.4 million, with a further £4.2 million in potential add-ons. Merino was a key player in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, playing in all seven matches and netting a decisive extra-time goal against Germany in the quarter-finals. He is Arsenal's third acquisition of the transfer window, following the signings of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori and Spanish goalkeeper David Raya, who joined permanently from Brentford after a loan spell. Merino, known for his ability to play as a deep-lying midfielder, is expected to complement Declan Rice, who took on a box-to-box role at times last season. His arrival gives manager Mikel Arteta added

Transfer News: Everton reject Branthwaite bid from Man United

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More transfer news from Old Trafford and Goodison Park Everton have turned down a second offer from Manchester United, this time around £45m, for their defender Jarrad Branthwaite . Last month, the Toffees also rejected a £35m bid from United for the 22-year-old England international. It's believed that United's revised offer included potential additional payments if certain targets were achieved. This still falls short of Everton's valuation. Branthwaite has shone as a left-sided central defender at Goodison Park, playing a crucial role in helping the Merseyside club avoid relegation last season despite two points deductions for breaching financial loss rules. United are eager to bolster their central defence options and have been in talks over Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt , who is currently representing the Netherlands at Euro 2024. With Raphael Varane having left the club, there has been no confirmation yet of a new one-year deal for veteran Northern Ireland

News: Is Jurgen Klopp retiring?

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A successful managerial career is reportedly coming to an end Former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has ruled out the possibility of becoming the England manager and hinted at potentially retiring from management altogether. Klopp during his time as Dortmund manager before he left in the summer of 2015.Photo from  Tim Reckmann | Flickr The German coach departed from Liverpool at the end of last season after nine successful years, during which he won all major trophies and ended the club’s 30-year wait for a Premier League title. Klopp has been linked to the England manager’s position following Gareth Southgate’s decision to step down after Euro 2024. However, the 57-year-old stated he has not received any offers and reiterated his intention to take a break from football. Further reports suggest that Klopp wishes to return to work after his break, though it may not be in a managerial role. The video below displays the announcement that followed Klopp's announc

Transfer News: Mbappe signs Real Madrid deal

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Kylian Mbappe has signed a contract to join Real Madrid on a free transfer once his current deal with Paris St-Germain expires on 30th June.  The French striker had agreed to the move in February and confirmed his departure from PSG in May.  Mbappe, who is 25 years old, has finalised the terms with Real Madrid and will be moving to Spain when the La Liga transfer window opens on 1st July. The official announcement of the deal is expected to be made by Real Madrid over the next few days. Mbappe will be formally presented at the Bernabeu   after Euro 2024.  Since joining PSG from Monaco in 2017, Mbappe has become their all-time leading goalscorer with 256 goals. He has agreed to a contract with Real Madrid until 2029, with an annual salary of 15 million euros (£12.8m), a signing-on bonus of 150 million euros (£128m) to be paid over five years, and a share of his image rights. The best reaction Ana, a Real Madrid fan now living in England, told us: "This is a player that will real

Spain: Real Madrid move closer to La Liga title

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Real Sociedad 0 - 1 Real Madrid Arda Guler scored on his first La Liga start, helping Real Madrid move closer to securing the title with a win against Real Sociedad.  An important day for Real Madrid. More reaction coming up on https://t.co/Mu4Cn3wz9B https://t.co/aHAGzCmT3P — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) April 27, 2024 Real Madrid's 19-year-old Turkish midfielder scored Madrid's first goal in the match, midway through the first half, by turning in a cross. Carlo Ancelotti made several changes after last weekend's victory in El Clasico, giving opportunities to other players. Real Sociedad started strongly but couldn't convert their dominance into goals, as they failed to breach Madrid's defense. Takefusa Kubo's attempt to equalize for Real Sociedad was denied by the offside flag, immediately after Guler's goal. The second half was less eventful, with both teams struggling to create chances. However, Real Madrid did enough to secure a vict

News: Southgate to leave position as England manager

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There has been a dramatic announcement in the aftermath of the Euro 2024 final England manager Gareth Southgate has stepped down just two days after the team's defeat by Spain in the 2024 European Championship final. The Three Lions were narrowly beaten 2-1 in Berlin on Sunday , marking their second consecutive Euros final loss, following a penalty shootout defeat to Italy at Wembley three years ago. Southgate, aged 53, has overseen 102 matches during his eight-year tenure. His contract was due to end later this year. Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has indicated that the search for Southgate’s replacement has already begun, and the FA aim to complete the process quickly. Southgate rekindled England fans' belief in their national side Aside from Sir Alf Ramsey, who led England to World Cup victory in 1966, Southgate is the only manager to have guided the men's team to a major tournament final. He managed England in four major tournaments, reaching

PL News: Chelsea appoint Enzo Maresca as new boss

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Chelsea have announced the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new head coach The Italian takes over from Mauricio Pochettino, who left by mutual agreement on 21 May after just one season at Stamford Bridge. Maresca, 44, assumed control of the Foxes in June 2023 and guided them to the Championship title last season. Maresca celebrates his former club's Championship title win. Picture from  fuji.tim | Flickr Starting his new role on 1 July, Maresca becomes Chelsea's  sixth managerial appointment in five years and the fourth since May 2022. Chelsea had a mixed 2023-24 season but finished strongly, winning their last five matches to secure sixth place and qualify for the Europa Conference League. The Blues also finished as runners-up in the Carabao Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Following Pochettino's departure, several candidates were considered, including former Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, and Brentford's Thomas

Transfer News: West Ham sign Niclas Fullkrug

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West Ham have signed Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund for £27m. The 31-year-old, who joined Dortmund from Werder Bremen last summer, scored 15 goals in 46 games in 2023-24 and finished as a Champions League runner-up. This video contains some of his best goals from his time in the Bundesliga.  He also netted twice during hosts Germany's run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, despite not starting a match. Fullkrug is the fifth signing made by new West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui this summer, following the arrivals of former Wolves captain Max Kilman for £40m, Dutch forward Crysencio Summerville from Leeds for more than £25m, goalkeeper Wes Foderingham from Sheffield United and Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme for £25.5m from Palmeiras. Premier League: Summer 2024 news and stories (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Click here for West Ham news and stories Fan reaction Jamie, a West Ham fan, told us: "He should be an excellent signing for West Ham and looks lik

The Big Discussion: Young up-and-coming stars

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This article will explore some of the most exciting talents in the world at the moment.  Will any of them be on the move this summer? Warren Zaïre-Emery - PSG Warren Zaïre-Emery, a 17-year-old football player, has achieved a remarkable feat by becoming a regular player at one of Europe's biggest clubs. The midfielder has already made more than 50 first-team appearances for the French champions and is also a part of France's senior squad. You wouldn't expect him to leave PSG just yet but many clubs from England and Spain will be paying close attention to his development. Eduardo Camavinga - Real Madrid Given the amount of games he's played, you would have forgotten that Camavinga is still relatively young. His knack for playing in several positions across the pitch must make him a dream player for Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.  Julian Rijkhoff - Ajax Ajax are renowned for producing technically gifted midfielders and wingers, but less well-known for creating genu

Nations League: Bellamy earns first win as Wales boss

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Montenegro 1 - 2 Wales Craig Bellamy secured his first victory as Wales head coach in a high-octane Nations League clash against Montenegro, played in dreadful conditions in rain-soaked Niksic. Kieffer Moore gave Wales an early lead just 37 seconds in with a sharp finish, followed by Harry Wilson doubling the advantage with a brilliant 25-yard shot two minutes later. Great memories in the Nations League for Wales fans. https://t.co/4bqtHt7LQr https://t.co/axWiOLvszN — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) September 10, 2024 The relentless rain wreaked havoc on the pitch, making the game at times seem chaotic, but it also added to the excitement of a thrilling match with opportunities at both ends. Montenegro’s captain, Stevan Jovetic, came close with a remarkable effort from his own half that struck the crossbar, while Driton Camaj saw his chance blocked on the line by Ben Davies. Moore missed a golden chance to make it 3-0 in the second half when he fired over from close ran