Villarreal
Manchester United want to sign €60m-rated star and Raphael Varane this summer – report
Manchester United are interested in Raphael Varane and Pau Torres from Real Madrid and Villarreal respectively this summer, Manchester Evening News reports. The Red Devils recently announced the signing of Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho, thus ending a year-long transfer saga. They are now likely to focus on bolstering the heart of the defence. Varane is the priority target for the transfer window. The club are making progress toward signing him, but it is reported that they are also keen on landing Torres from Villarreal. Torres has a €60 million release clause in his contract, but Villarreal are willing to negotiate with their interest in re-signing Eric Bailly. Sportslens view: Varane’s move to the Red Devils appears close to completion, with reports suggesting that they co...
Manchester United ready to listen to offers for Dean Henderson
Manchester United are willing to listen to offers for goalkeeper Dean Henderson amid concerns over his attitude, Football Insider claims. The England international started last season as the back-up goalkeeper behind David de Gea, but he became a regular during the back end of the campaign. Despite this, he was ignored for the Europa League final against Villarreal. The club lost via a penalty shoot-out, with De Gea failing to save any of the 11 spot-kicks. Ahead of next season, the club are planning a radical overhaul of the goalkeeping department, and they have already released Sergio Romero and Joel Pereira. The club are also open to offers for Henderson and De Gea but acknowledge that they may struggle to offload the latter due to his hefty £350,000-a-week wages. Henderson is said to b...
Report: Euro club eye summer move for £110k-per-week Arsenal star
Villarreal have joined the race to sign Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin in the summer transfer window. According to reliable journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio, the Yellow Submarines have joined Sevilla in the race to sign the Spaniard this summer. The 26-year-old is one of the senior members of the current Arsenal squad, but he could be allowed to move on, with Mikel Arteta looking to sculpt the squad to his own taste. Bellerin, who is on £110k-per-week wages at the Emirates, is one of the high earners at the club. He has a contract at the club till 2023, but the Gunners could look to cash in on him. The Spaniard has previously worked with Villarreal boss, Unai Emery, at Arsenal. Villarreal won the Europa League last season and they will be competing in the Champions League this t...
Euro 2020: Gareth Southgate invites Bukayo Saka, 24 others
Gareth Southgate hit back at the critics after selecting Trent Alexander-Arnold for England’s Euro 2020 squad as the Three Lions boss admitted Harry Maguire is a doubt for the opener against Croatia. Alexander-Arnold had to endure a nervous wait before learning he had made the cut after spending much of the season out of favour with Southgate. The 22-year-old was left out of Southgate’s England squad for their World Cup qualifiers in March. But Alexander-Arnold’s strong end to the season with Liverpool convinced Southgate to restore the right-back to his squad. Alexander-Arnold responded to his selection by tweeting: “Always believe in yourself. Silence the doubters.” Irritated by the inaccurate pre-announcement reports that he would drop Alexander-Arnold, Southgate insisted he never lost ...
Analysis: How Villarreal’s adaptability helped them beat Manchester United
In the second-last match of continental football in Europe for the 2020/21 season, Villarreal and Manchester United prepared to square off for the UEFA Europa League trophy. Ole Gunnar Solskjær was leading the Red Devils into his first-ever final as a manager, meaning that this was also his first chance to lift a trophy for the club, and it would also be United’s first major honour since 2017 when they won the same competition. Villarreal, meanwhile, were battling for their first-ever coveted piece of silverware barring the Tercera División and UEFA Intertoto Cup, as Unai Emery was eyeing his fourth Europa League success in five finals. The Yellow Submarine had an additional incentive as this was a bonus shot for them to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, as their sevent...
Edinson Cavani starts, Solskjaer to make 10 changes | Expected Man United line-up vs Villarreal
Manchester United face off against Villarreal in the Europa League final in Gdansk on Wednesday night. The Red Devils ended the Premier League campaign on a positive note with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made 10 changes to the side with almost all of the regular starters rested with a view to the Europa League final. Solskjaer is likely to retain his strongest XI for the final tomorrow. Eric Bailly could be the only player starting from the victory in the Midlands. The Red Devils are aiming to end a four-year trophy drought by lifting the European title. Sportslens view: Dean Henderson played 90 minutes of the recent trip to Wolves, which gives a clear indication that David de Gea will start in goal against the Yellow Submarines. In defe...
Zinedine Zidane ready to walk away from Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane will almost certainly leave Real Madrid at the end of this season, regardless of whether the team wins LaLiga. They face Granada tonight and if they pick up a win they will still be just two points behind Atletico Madrid with two games to go. But the 48-year-old coach, who has won two league titles and three Champions League crowns in less than four seasons, has all but made up his mind to walk away after the final game of the campaign at home to Villarreal on May 23. Zidane will be an immediate target for Juventus and for the France national side if they make a change after the Euros this summer. Madrid president Florentino Perez will be under pressure to promote Raul to replace him. He currently has the club’s youth team on the verge of promotion but Perez could also turn...
Real Madrid sweating on key star’s fitness, Barcelona trio miss crucial game
The La Liga season continues apace over the next few days, with the 35th round of fixtures featuring some crucial match-ups. It could be a pivotal few days for La Liga results, with the top four sides set to face each other this weekend. Atletico Madrid travel to Barcelona on Saturday afternoon hoping to hang onto their place at the top of the La Liga table. Diego Simeone’s side are two points ahead of Barca and Real Madrid heading into the weekend, and a win at the Nou Camp would put them in a strong position. Martin Braithwaite, Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati miss out for the home team, while Renan Lodi is the only doubt for Atletico. Sevilla visit Madrid on Sunday evening, knowing that anything less than a victory will end their faint title hopes. The Andalusian side are six points off...
Arsenal eliminated from Europa League after being held to goalless draw by Villarreal
Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League by Villarreal after playing out a 0-0 draw in the second leg, with the tie ending 2-1 on aggregate. The first half was seriously flat, with neither side able to create anything clear cut. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had the best chance of the opening 45, doing well to strike a volley against the outside of the post. As for the visitors, the closest they came to changing the scoreline was through Dani Parejo. The former Queens Park Rangers loanee took a free kick from just outside the box, but put it marginally over the crossbar. It was a first half that will have satisfied Unai Emery more than Mikel Arteta. On his return to the Emirates Stadium, his side were limiting Arsenal to half-chances while also providing a bit of threat. The second half b...
‘Not a chance’ – Peter Crouch comments of Arsenal’s winning chance vs Villarreal
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker turned popular football pundit Peter Crouch says it is difficult to back Arsenal to win the Europa League semi-final against Villarreal. Arsenal lost 2-1 against Villarreal in the first leg of the tie, but they were outplayed for large parts of the game in Spain. During a Q/A session with the Daily Mail, Crouch pointed out that the Gunners have plenty of problems but believes their victory in the Premier League over the weekend could give them a boost. Crouch wrote for the Daily Mail: “On one hand, I look and see a club where there is a lot of things wrong. On the other, I see a team who have the ability to get a win when they really need one. “Villarreal had enough chances to kill the first leg, but Arsenal being Arsenal, they could end up getting aw...
Villarreal vs Arsenal – Europa League Match Report
Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat to Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie on Thursday. A tense encounter in the province of Castellon saw both sides finish the match with ten men, as Villarreal boss Unai Emery managed to upset his former employers. Five minutes into the game, Manu Trigueros propelled his side to a flying start, latching onto a rebound to squeeze the ball under Bernd Leno and into the bottom right corner. Despite dominating possession, Arsenal struggled to create a single clear-cut chance as Villarreal dropped deep and tried to catch the visitors in transition. Former Real Madrid defender Raul Albion doubled the home side’s lead just before the half-hour mark. The experienced Spaniard was in the right place at the right...
Samuel Chukwueze: Why I enjoy playing under Unai Emery
Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze has revealed why he enjoys playing under Villarreal manager Unai Emery. Speaking at an event for LiveScore, Chukwueze described Emery as a tactical coach with an amazing football brain. “I enjoy playing under Unai Emery. He’s amazing, and so tactical in everything he does. He can push you to the limit, but he’s a fantastic coach. “He has an amazing football brain. He’s amazed me, how I’ve seen him change things from game to game. Sometimes when I watch him from the bench, I’ve looked at him and noticed changes he makes which work for him that are great to see. He’s so good at his job and he’s a fantastic coach.” On how his game has changed since he moved to Europe, Chukwueze said:”I think it’s changed so much, coming from Nigeria to come and play in Eur...
