La Liga
The Longest Winning Streaks in Football History
Teams across the world dream of compiling the longest winning streak in football, but very few ever come close to topping the list. Manchester City’s bid to set a new record for consecutive victories was recently ended at the 21-game mark by Manchester United. The Red Devils triumphed 2-0 in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium to leave City eight games short of the 29 successive victories set by Benfica between 1972 and 1973. Across the rest of Europe, Dinamo Zagreb (2007/08 – 28), Celtic (2003/04 – 25), Ferencvaros (1931/32 – 22) and PSV Eindhoven (1987/88 – 22) have also topped City’s 21-game run. In terms of Europe’s main five leagues, City rank third on the list behind Bayern Munich (2019/20 – 23) and Real Madrid (2014/15 -22). Longest Winning Streaks (Big Five Leagues) 1. Bayern ...
€180m striker could be Barcelona’s priority signing, if Lionel Messi leaves
Barcelona will prioritise a summer move for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland if Lionel Messi leaves at the expiry of his contract, AS reports. Haaland is regarded as one of the world’s best strikers and he has been in sensational form for Dortmund this term with 33 goals and eight assists from just 31 outings. His progress has caught the eye of numerous elite clubs ahead of the summer, but Dortmund are likely to demand as much as €180m to sanction his sale. The Blaugrana are one of the clubs interested, but it is reported that the striker will be a transfer priority, only if Messi heads through the exit door. Messi’s contract expires at the end of June and the club’s hierarchy have yet to convince him to extend his two-decade long stay with a fresh renewal. There is stil...
Liverpool reportedly want to sign £42m Barcelona target this summer
Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul in the summer transfer window. According to reports from Italian news outlet Tutto Udinese, Liverpool and La Liga giants Barcelona are fighting for Rodrigo De Paul in the summer transfer window. The report claims that the Udinese skipper would cost in the region of €50 million (£42m), and both the clubs are a clear front runner for his signature. SL View De Paul, who was heavily linked with a move to Leeds United during the summer transfer window, has established himself as one of the best players in Serie A. The Udinese skipper has been brilliant in 2020/21, having managed six goals and seven assists in 29 games across all competitions. He has a contract at the club until 2024, and Udinese a...
Arsenal could be handed big boost in re-signing Martin Odegaard if this happens
Arsenal have a good chance of re-signing Martin Odegaard next season, should Zinedine Zidane remain the manager of Real Madrid, Football Insider reports. The Norwegian had an impressive loan stint with Real Sociedad last term, registering seven goals and nine assists from 36 appearances in all competitions. He was reintegrated into the first-team plans at Los Blancos this season but played just 367 minutes before he was loaned out to the Gunners in January. Odegaard made a slow start to his Gunners career, but he stepped up before the international break with several standout displays. While he has netted just twice in his 12 appearances, he has been hugely influential in the build-up of several other goals for the north London side. It is now reported that the Gunners have a good chance o...
Manchester United table £68.5m bid to sign playmaker with 19 goal contributions
Manchester United have tabled a £68.5 million offer to sign midfielder Marcos Llorente from Atletico Madrid during the summer transfer window, AS reports. The Spain international joined Atletico from arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2019 and he had a decent debut season with five goals and five assists from 36 outings. He was largely in-and-out of the starting line-up, but his heroic display to knock out Liverpool from the Champions League proved a turning point in his career. In the current campaign, Llorente has flourished operating in an advanced central midfield role, registering 10 goals and nine assists from just 35 appearances. He has been instrumental in the club’s push for the La Liga title. Diego Simeone’s side are currently holding a four-point lead over Barcelona at the top of t...
Atletico Madrid and Roma among clubs interested in £31.5m Arsenal star
Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Roma are all keeping tabs on the contract situation of Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, a report from ESPN claims. Lacazette is currently in his fourth season with the Gunners, and he has had a decent campaign with 13 goals from 34 appearances. His form since Boxing Day has been impressive and he recently played a part in all three goals in the 3-3 comeback draw at West Ham United from three goals down. Despite the positives, Lacazette’s future remains uncertain with his contract expiring in 15 months, and this has apparently caught the eye of multiple European clubs. Atletico are long-term admirers of the Frenchman from his Lyon days, and it is now reported that Sevilla and Roma have joined the pursuit of the 29-year-old. Sportslens view: Lacazette was in-...
Football’s greatest comebacks, featuring Liverpool, Barcelona and Camp Nou in 1999
When players are being taught the basics of the game as youngsters, one of the key messages is to play until the final whistle. That point certainly rings true at professional level, with fans taking a dim view of teams who throw in the towel too early. One of the most thrilling aspects of football is when a team recovers from an impossible position to win a game. With that in mind, we take a look at ten of the best-ever comebacks. Manchester United vs Bayern Munich – Champions League – 1999 Recovering from one goal down is common in football, but the manner of United’s comeback in the 1999 Champions League Final was extraordinary. Bayern took an early lead through Mario Basler and looked on course to lift the prestigious trophy as the game headed into stoppage time. However, goals by Tedd...
Manchester City, Barcelona interested in £81m Serie A striker, but club don’t want to sell
Manchester City and Barcelona have been credited with an interest in Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku, according to Calciomercato. Lukaku left Manchester United for the Nerazzurri in 2019, and he has since impressed with 59 goals and 13 assists from just 85 appearances. His performances have caught the eye of the Cityzens and Blaugrana, who are aiming to sign an elite striker during this summer’s transfer window. However, Inter have no plans of parting ways with the Belgian, who has been instrumental to them being top of the Serie A. Sportslens view: The Cityzens currently have Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero as their main strikers, but the latter’s future is uncertain beyond the summer. Aguero has fallen down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola in recent months, and he could leave...
Barcelona keen on Frankfurt standout Andre Silva
Barcelona’s transfer plans for this summer under new president Joan Laporta are already taking shape. While Romelu Lukaku and Memphis Depay remain two of their most coveted targets, Eintracht Frankfurt striker Andre Silva is also a player who Barca are keen on bringing to the Camp Nou, according to Marca. The Portuguese international is one of the most in-form strikers in the world right now. Silva has bagged 21 goals in just 24 appearances, helping Adi Hutter’s side push for a spot in the Champions League. This is undoubtedly Silva’s best season to date, having scored just 12 times for the Eagles last term. Prior to his move to Germany, he struggled to find his form with AC Milan. However, Silva’s experience in La Liga is enticing to the Catalans, having played the 2018/19 campaign for Se...
Borussia Dortmund name their price for Erling Braut Haaland
Borussia Dortmund have slapped an enormous €180 million price tag on star striker Erling Haaland, reports ESPN. Haaland made his breakthrough during the 2019/20 season. He first caught the eye with his prolific performances for RB Salzburg in the Champions League group stages. He carried this form into the second half of the season with Dortmund following his transfer in January 2020. Haaland is a man in high demand He has since established himself as one of the world’s very best strikers, scoring 49 goals in as many games for the Black and Yellows. This has attracted the attention of several of the world’s biggest clubs. However, ESPN claims that any club willing to sign the 20-year-old will need to stump up an eye-popping €180m for his services. This would be the second most expensive tr...
Barcelona and Real Madrid hot on the heels of Suarez and co with 10 games to go
With Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid all winning in match week 28, the La Liga Santander title race is well and truly on as the top three enter the final 10 games of the season. With just six points separating Atlético from Real Madrid in third (La Liga table), Sportslens takes a look at each of the title hopefuls’ run-ins, assessing where opportunities and challenges lie ahead. Atlético Madrid Luis Suárez’s 500th career league goal puts him among an exclusive list of players to reach the milestone Atlético provided an immediate response to their disappointing Champions League exit by beating relegation-threatened Deportivo Alavés 1-0 last Sunday. Talisman Luis Suárez scored the only goal of the game, whilst also reaching a career milestone of 500 league goals. The veteran strik...
West Ham target available for cheap this summer
Valencia forward Maxi Gomez could be available for as little as £15 million this summer, according to a report by AS. Gomez joined Valencia in the summer transfer window of 2019 from Celta Vigo in a cash plus player exchange deal which saw Santi Mina and Jorge Saenz move in the opposite direction. Gomez has not had an easy ride at Valencia His move to Valencia hasn’t gone as planned. He has scored just 15 La Liga goals in the last two seasons in 57 outings, while Los Che are set to finish outside of the European places for the second season running. The Spanish side have hit some financial difficulty following the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that certain players could be available for a cut-price deal. Gomez is believed to be one of those players, with AS claiming that they will accept £15m...
