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Everton transfer news: Time up for Dele Alli as European side agrees loan with option to buy

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Everton transfer news: Time up for Dele Alli as European side agrees loan with option to buy
Turkish giants Besiktas are reportedly ready to sign Dele Alli on a season-long loan deal from Everton, with an option to keep him permanently claims Everton FC on the club’s official website.
Alli has really struggled to recapture the form of his early years at Tottenham and it was hoped a switch to Merseyside playing under Frank Lampard could have led to a revival for the attacking midfielder.

The Toffees paid a fee which could rise to as much as £40million for the 26-year-old in January.

 

However, he faces a tough task to earn game time at Goodison Park, after failing to impress Lampard.

 

It’s now suggested by Turkish broadcaster A Spor that Besiktas are poised to complete the signing of Dele on loan.

 

The Turkish side will also have an option to keep the midfielder on a permanent basis. That is if they trigger an option to buy clause.

 

All that remains is for Everton to sanction the exit, which is likely after the arrivals of Dwight McNeil and Amadou Onana to bolster Lampard’s midfield.

 

While McNeil has struggled to make an impact in his first two games for the club, Onana made a big impression when he was introduced as a substitute in the defeat at Aston Villa.

 

There are also reports that the Toffees are still in the running to sign midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.

The Wolves star is a similar player to Dele, so it makes sense to let the latter move in.

 

Dele has managed a total of 38 minutes in Everton’s first two games of the campaign. In total, he has failed to notch a single goal in Premier League 13 appearances for the club.

 

Dele needs a complete change

 

It appears that Dele needs a complete change of scenery to try and recapture former glories, with a move to a different league now a major option for him.

 

Swapping Tottenham for Everton failed to do the trick, so a different country is the next logical step.

 

From the outside looking in, it looks like Dele needs to get his love back for the game.

 

During his early days at Spurs, he was a sensation, scoring brilliant goals and laying on assists at will.

 

However, things have been on the decline now for a number of years and numerous managers have failed to get that spark back.

 

Perhaps moving to a completely different league, and one that isn’t as intense as the Premier League is the answer.

Chelsea ‘agree terms’ with Wesley Fofana as Todd Boehly eyes Arsenal transfer hijack

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Chelsea ‘agree terms’ with Wesley Fofana as Todd Boehly eyes Arsenal transfer hijack

CHELSEA finally appear to be nearing the capture of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana reports Express writer, Archie Griggs.

 

Chelsea have reached an agreement on personal terms with Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana and could also decide to battle Arsenal for the services of Yeremy Pino in the not-too-distant future, according to reports. The Blues have been chasing a move for Fofana for a number of weeks but have so far been thwarted by Leicester’s reluctance to sell, with only a few weeks remaining until the end of the summer window.

The Blues have already seen at least two lucrative bids knocked back by Leicester, who are in no mood to let go of their prized asset in spite of Chelsea’s fixation on bringing him to Stamford Bridge. Fofana wants to join Chelsea, though and has now settled on personal terms with the west Londoners, according to Fabrizio Romano.

It is claimed that Fofana is desperate to sign for the Blues before next month’s all-important transfer deadline and would be prepared to sign a contract on the agreed terms if a deal can be struck at club level in the near future. However, Leicester are yet to revise their firm stance against a move elsewhere for the 21-year-old, which suggests that Chelsea will need to improve on their previous offers in order to resolve the situation.

 

Those in power at Chelsea are said to be planning a new bid after establishing Fofana as a priority target, with Thomas Tuchel keen on adding at least one new centre-back to his ranks over the coming days. The possibility of a successful move for the Leicester man is still believed to be on the cards, but it will be hugely difficult for the Blues to tempt the Foxes into selling without agreeing to make Fofana the world’s most expensive defender.

Meanwhile, new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is also said to be planning for the capture of Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino, who has been mentioned in connection with a possible move to Arsenal as of late. The Gunners are said to have developed a keen interest in bringing the teenager to the Emirates Stadium but it seems as though Chelsea may look to jump the queue in the race to secure his signature before the transfer window closes.

 

Pino is currently being tracked by the Blues but it remains to be seen whether a deal can be agreed with Villarreal as a matter of urgency in order to pip Arsenal in the battle to snap him up. Chelsea have also been exploring a move for Everton wide man Anthony Gordon.
Chelsea have already spent more than any other Premier League club on new players since the end of last season, with Boehly having splashed around £175million in the market over the last few months. Tuchel has already insisted that he will be looking to make further additions to his squad between now and the end of the window but went on to admit that it would not be the end of the world if no more deals are struck over the coming weeks.

“We don’t play fantasy football, and in the end, we need to pay for it, convince the players, and convince clubs to give us their best players, and this is simply not happening,” the Chelsea boss told reporters earlier this month.

 

“I am super happy with what we’ve succeeded so far. Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney [Chukwuemeka] and Marc Cucurella are fantastic signings, and I’m more than happy they are with us.

 

“It’s not finished, everybody knows. But if it’s finished, if we don’t do anything else, we fight with this squad. If it’s not finished, we try to get further quality and with further quality, the ambition level rises.”

Sergio Ramos forced to step in and stop Neymar and Kylian Mbappé feud

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Sergio Ramos forced to step in and stop Neymar and Kylian Mbappé feud

Neymar and Mbappé reportedly clashed in the dressing room recently, reports Sports Joe writer, Callum Boyle.

 

Sergio Ramos was forced to step in and separate Neymar and Kylian Mbappé in Paris Saint-Germain’s dressing room after their win against Montpellier.

The pair fell out over the ranking of penalty takers in the squad after Neymar refused to allow Mbappé to take PSG’s second penalty of the game after the Frenchman had missed his first effort from the spot earlier in the game.
Tempers flared on and off the pitch as Mbappé initially tried to take the ball from Neymar, but the Brazilian stepped up from 12 yards instead and scored. Both players also scored from open play in the 5-2 win.

And as reported by Le Parisien, the pair continued their feud into the changing room, where Ramos was forced to step in and intervene to prevent it from escalating further.

 

Neymar’s social media activity has also shown signs that all is not well between him and Mbappé. After the game, PSG boss Christophe Galtier confirmed that Mbappé was the club’s first-choice penalty taker.

After the game the 30-year-old appeared to like two posts on social media calling out Mbappé. The first of those said:  “Today [Saturday], in the PSG game, Neymar scored and HUMILIATED the goalkeeper (once again) in the penalty kick. Mbappé, on the other hand, hit VERY badly and lost.

 

“After the game, the coach said that Mbappé will be the team’s main hitter for the season. An absurdity.”

 

The second post he liked said: “Now it’s official, Mbappe is the one who takes the penalties at PSG.

 

“Clearly this is a contract thing because, in no club in the world that has Neymar, he would be the second collector, none!! It seems that because of the contract, Mbappe is the owner of PSG!!”

FIFA’s decision to suspend India unfortunate, says surprised CoA

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FIFA’s decision to suspend India unfortunate, says surprised CoA
The Telegraph Online reports that the Committee of Administrators (CoA) on Tuesday said it was “surprised” at FIFA’s “unfortunate” decision to ban the All India Football Federation despite closing in on a consensus on matters concerning the elections and structure of constitution.

In a massive setback for the country, world football governing body FIFA suspended India for “undue influence from third parties” and said the U-17 Women’s World Cup “cannot currently be held in India as planned.”

 

“The CoA is surprised that the FIFA decision has come when extensive discussions were going on for the past few days between all stakeholders, including FIFA-AFC, AIFF, CoA, and the Sports Ministry as per the Order of the Supreme Court,” the CoA said in a statement.

 

“While the CoA was committed to implement the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Order regarding the elections of the AIFF, passed on August 3, 2022, it was also in constant dialogue with all stakeholders. In the discussions held among the FIFA-AFC, AIFF, CoA, and the Sports Ministry in the past few days, it was suggested that the present elections of the AIFF Executive Committee may be conducted with the Electoral College consisting of 36 state representatives,” the statement said.

 

The country is scheduled to host the women’s age-group FIFA tournament from October 11-30.

 

This is the first time the AIFF has been banned by FIFA in its 85-year existence, with the Bureau of the FIFA Council saying there have been “flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes”.

The CoA said in its statement, “It was also suggested by FIFA through the Sports Ministry that the EC may consist of 23 members, including six eminent players. The 17 members (inclusive of the President, a Secretary General, a Treasurer, one Vice President, and one Joint Secretary) will be elected by the above electoral college. Out of the six eminent players, four will be men, and two women. The eminent players may be nominated (co-opted) in the EC and shall have the voting rights, thus making it above 25 percent of the EC.”

 

The Bureau of the FIFA Council said the lifting of the suspension will be subject to repealing of the CoA’s mandate in full. In a statement, the FIFA also said it wants the AIFF administration to “be fully in-charge of the AIFF’s daily affairs”.

 

The CoA said that it made all arrangements as per the Order of the Supreme Court, to conduct the AIFF elections under an independent committee, consisting of eminent and highly reputed election officers.

 

“This too, is in line with the FIFA letter dated August 15, 2022, which says: ‘Concurrently, an independent electoral committee to be elected by the AIFF general assembly to run the elections of a new executive committee’,” the CoA said.

 

“In light of the above, the CoA is surprised by the world body’s decision to slap the suspension on Indian football in the midst of discussions going on among all stakeholders to find the best possible solution in the current situation. The fact that while the letter dated August 15, 2022, from FIFA stated that Indian football, was being suspended from August 14, 2022, the discussions between the world body and all stakeholders in India were in full swing till late in the day on August 15, 2022, ‘ the CoA added.

Centre seeks SC’s urgent hearing

 

In the wake of the latest development, the Centre sought an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court on the AIFF matter.

 

CoA chairman Justice (retd.) Anil Dave said, “It is unfortunate to see such a directive by FIFA during a time when all efforts were being made to put Indian football back on the right track. That being said, we are constantly in talks with all the stakeholders, including FIFA, to find the correct solution to this situation, and get the ball rolling once again.”

 

Dave added, “It is really deplorable that for almost last two years, the body, whose term had already been completed, had continued in an absolutely undemocratic and illegal manner, no action was taken. But when the Hon’ble Supreme Court passed an order to set things right so as to see that a democratically elected body takes charge, and when the CoA and the Sports Ministry were doing their best for the implementation of the Order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the order of the suspension was passed by FIFA.”

 

CoA member SY Qureshi, too, expressed his disappointment at the FIFA decision.

 

“The recent suspension of the FIFA comes as a surprise to us all, especially since we had already found mutually accepted terms. Besides, democratic elections to elect a General Body were already on the way,” Qureshi said.

“However, we are hopeful that all problems will be solved to restore normalcy at the earliest,” he added.

 

Soon after the blow, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and A S Bopanna was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that “important development” has taken place and FIFA has sent a letter suspending India which is in public domain and needs to be brought on record.

 

The development comes after a four-member FIFA delegation had held a meeting with senior sports ministry officials and the CoA on Friday and Monday, respectively.

WWE RAW Spoilers: Surprise appearance rumored for tonight

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WWE RAW Spoilers: Surprise appearance rumored for tonight

This week’s episode of WWE RAW will take place from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, and a surprise appearance may take place writes Jake Skudder of Fight Fans.

 

According to a recent report/rumor from Xero News, Dexter Lumis will be making another surprise appearance on the show this week.

“As it stands, I’m told by sources we likely aren’t getting a return tonight or on this week’s SmackDown” Xero News claimed.

 

“I was told earlier that the next returns, may be at Clash I was told to expect to see Dexter Lumis in one or two segments tonight though. However, could change later” the site concluded.

 

WWE RAW Rumors

 

It’s worth noting that this rumor from Xero News is just that, a rumor, as we are unable to verify whether or not the report is legitimate at this time.

After Lumis made a shocking appearance last week, it’s not surprising that he will be returning this week to television.

 

We’re expecting that he’ll be having a minor part on the show if any.

UFC 278: Israel Adesanya predicts the winner of Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards

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UFC 278: Israel Adesanya predicts the winner of Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards

Israel Adesanya has given his thoughts on the UFC 278 main event between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards reports Gimesport writer, Harry Kettle.

 

After years of waiting for his crack at the UFC welterweight championship, Leon Edwards will finally get a shot this weekend at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City. The Brit is currently riding a 10-fight unbeaten streak and although he’s coming into this contest against Kamaru Usman as the underdog, you’d best believe he’s as confident as he’s ever been that he can get past the king at 170 pounds.

 

A lot of different fighters have voiced their thoughts and opinions on what’s going to go down on Saturday night and that includes Israel Adesanya.

 

The UFC middleweight champion knows both men pretty well and when previewing the bout, he was fairly confident in picking Usman to retain the title.
“It’s a no-brainer for me because I know what we’re doing. Francis Ngannou, Kamaru Usman, what we’ve been doing as three fighters from Africa when there’s only less than 25 Africans on the UFC roster that are over 500 at the moment. For there to be three champions in this era, and winning, crazy. So, I wanna keep the three kings going.”
“But, the biggest threat to Kamaru’s throne is Leon Edwards. I’m going with Kamaru because of his momentum right now, also I know how hard he works.”

Adesanya went on to note that he does ‘love’ Edwards and appreciated their time together recently in London, suggesting that the fight could resemble Izzy’s battle against Kelvin Gastelum.

 

When will Adesanya return?

 

Although he’s caught some criticism from fans in the wake of his fight against Jared Cannonier, there’s no denying that Israel Adesanya is one of the most dominant champions of this generation.

 

He continues to turn back challengers who come after the gold and later this year, at the world’s most famous arena, he’ll have the opportunity to prove himself once again in the main event of UFC 281.

 

He’ll defend the title against long-time rival Alex Pereira who, as many people know, holds two victories over Izzy from their days in kickboxing.

Morning Report: Kamaru Usman explains wanting 205-pound title: ‘I want to be respected’

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Morning Report: Kamaru Usman explains wanting 205-pound title: ‘I want to be respected’

Kamaru Usman is looking to leave no doubt when it comes to who the best fighter of all-time is reports MMA Fighting writer Drake Riggs.

 

Fighting and winning is literally the key to carving out a lasting legacy in MMA, it’s just a matter of the fashion in which it’s done in along the way. Typically, the sport has seen champions like Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones establish themselves as some of the best ever by having long reigns within their divisions, taking out any and all comers.

 

At UFC 278 this Saturday night, the current welterweight champion Usman will aim to continue displaying his dominance with a sixth consecutive title defense and second win over Leon Edwards. After that, the “Nigerian Nightmare” wants to do something completely unheard of: jump over the middleweight division and claim light heavyweight gold.

 

“A lot of times nowadays, everyone’s throwing around this, ‘G.O.A.T., greatest of all time…’ That’s relative,” Usman told ESPN. “For me, what I want, and this is kind of why I got into the sport … I’m just a competitive guy. I got into sports and I just realized it was something burning inside me that I wanted to compete and compete. I wanted to best that guy. This is the ultimate, mono-e-mono, the sport to do it.

 

“With that being said with respect to that, I want to be respected. So, when I get in there and I bested everyone, I want you to show me that respect. So, if I bested everyone in my division then I said I will skip one and I just want to prove to you — everyone says pound-for-pound, but that’s just kind of a scenario. You just throw that out, ‘If they were the same weight class, could this guy best that guy?’ And I want to prove that. I want to be able to do that. No one’s ever done it. If I can do that, hey, you put whatever title you want to put on it but ultimately I want the respect.”

 

At present, Usman is widely considered by the community as the best fighter on the planet regardless of weight class and sits atop the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings at No. 1. Before Usman can even attempt to get a second title, however, he’ll need to have another successful work night against England’s “Rocky.”

Usman and Edwards first went to battle in Dec. 2015, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for Usman and what is currently Edwards’ last loss. Despite the good gap of time since then along with a relatively one-sided showing for the now-champion, Usman admits to a specific moment lingering in his mind from part one of their series.

 

“There’s just something about Leon,” Usman said. “I respect him so much, he’s a great competitor, tough guy. He’s grinding through it. I’ve said it before, when I’m inside that octagon, I’m the judge, jury, and I will be the executioner. When he said those things, boom. It stuck with me and it’s there to where I replay the whole first fight. Replay his attitude, his mood, his demeanor, and hey, he gave me a little shove in that first fight. I’m still not over it. And I don’t feel like I got enough in that first fight. There’s tons of motivation in this fight to go out there and do what I do.”

Coach: Jon Jones can beat Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic: ‘There’s nobody like Jon Jones at heavyweight’

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Coach: Jon Jones can beat Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic: ‘There’s nobody like Jon Jones at heavyweight’

Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut could take place against current UFC champion Francis Ngannou or former champion Stipe Miocic. And his coach likes his chances of beating either of them, writes MMA Fighting reporter, Alexander K. Lee.

 

In an interview with Submission Radio, coach Brandon Gibson was asked to assess the threat level of Ngannou and Miocic should they end up being booked to face Jones, a three-time titleholder at 205 pounds, and Gibson said he likes how Jones stacks up against anyone in the heavyweight division.

 

“Stipe’s the greatest UFC champion in heavyweight history,” Gibson said (transcript via Denis Shkuratov). “Very well rounded, lots of championship experience. He’s shown so much resiliency like in the trilogy with [Daniel Cormier] and his ability to come back. And Stipe has a victory over Francis as well. He’s a great, well-rounded martial artist, who’s powerful, who has devastating knockout power in both hands. And then Francis just has that X-factor. His size, his strength, and he can sleep anybody, from any stance, from any angle. He doesn’t need to be balanced or be punching off his back foot. It doesn’t matter. They both have their challenges and their own unique ways, and we’re going to have to take each of them very differently. Very differently.

“But Jon Jones has the skill set to get his hand raised in both of those bouts. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. There’s nobody like Jon at heavyweight. Nobody as dynamic, as fast, as gifted in all the disciplines like Jon is. And his IQ is off the chart. Not to say that these other guys aren’t smart, brilliant fighters, but Jon Jones’ IQ and comprehension of his game is unlike anybody else’s in the world.”

 

Jones has been out of action since February 2020, with outside-of-the-cage legal issues and a contract dispute with the UFC keeping him on the sidelines. During his time away, Jones has repeatedly stated that his goal is to become heavyweight champion.

 

At light heavyweight, Jones is essentially undefeated (his lone loss a 2009 disqualification in a bout against Matt Hamill that he was dominating before landing an illegal elbow), but it remains to be seen how he’ll fare against the largest athletes on the UFC roster. Gibson believes his team has prepared Jones the right way and that “Bones” will not be at a power disadvantage.

“You think of fighters going up in a weight class and they always put on size and mass and power,” Gibson said. “You look at Conor [McGregor] from his 145 days, going up to lightweight, going up to welterweight and that’s a 25-pound difference. Jon Jones, his weight is up there right now and it’s much more than 25 pounds. So he is hitting extremely hard and extremely accurate and technical and fast.

 

“I’ve trained a lot of amazing heavyweights. I’ve trained [Andrei] Arlovski and [Alistair] Overeem and Frank Mir and Travis Browne, and Jon Jones is more powerful, explosive, creative, dynamic than all of them. So I can’t wait to see Jon make that walk at heavyweight. It’s gonna be something truly, truly special, and I’m humbled to be a part of it.”

 

It hasn’t been the smoothest transition between divisions for Jones. Aside from the aforementioned legal problems — which include a Sept. 24, 2021 arrest for Jones’ involvement in a domestic disturbance incident in Las Vegas on the same night that he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame (the case has since been resolved with Jones’ striking a plea deal) — Jones recently took some flack on social media over footage of a pad sessions that some critics found unimpressive.

Fighter vs. Writer: Leon Edwards expects trilogy with Kamaru Usman after UFC 278; Paige VanZant responds to critics

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Fighter vs. Writer: Leon Edwards expects trilogy with Kamaru Usman after UFC 278; Paige VanZant responds to critics
On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC 278 headliner Leon Edwards and BKFC star Paige VanZant join the show reports MMA Fighting writer, Damon Martin.

With just a few days remaining until his title fight, Edwards previews his showdown against Kamaru Usman, his thoughts on their first meeting seven years ago and why he expects to dethrone the long reigning champion when they meet on Saturday.

 

Edwards also details his expectations that a win over Usman will almost certainly lead to a trilogy and he addresses a longstanding feud with Jorge Masvidal.

 

As for VanZant, she discusses her upcoming fight at BKFC London while also addressing her future with the final bout on her contract with the bare-knuckle outfit coming on Saturday.

VanZant also faces down the critics of her career as she continues to earn significant income outside the sport yet remains steadfast in her decision to continue fighting.

 

All this and more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer.

 

Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Palace defender Andersen receives death threats after Nunez red card

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Palace defender Andersen receives death threats after Nunez red card
Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen said he has received death threats directed at him and his family after he was head-butted by Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez in yesterday’s Premier League draw which resulted in the striker being sent off at Anfield.

Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw after their new signing Nunez was shown a straight red card just before the hour mark when he squared up with Andersen and appeared to head-butt the Danish defender.

 

The result leaves Liverpool win-less after two games — down in 12th place — and fans vented their frustration by contacting Andersen on Instagram, where he highlighted the abusive messages he had received.

 

“Got maybe 3-400 of these messages last night. I understand you support a team but have some respect and stop (acting) tough online,” Andersen said before sharing screenshots of abuse and death threats in his inbox.

 

“Hope Instagram and the Premier League do something about this.” Reuters has contacted Instagram for comment.

 

Nunez’s red card will result in a three-match ban and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp — who is left facing a striker crisis with Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota injured — said he hoped the Uruguayan would learn from his mistake. — Reuters
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