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Anthony Knockaert is no longer a Brighton player after he completed a permanent move to Fulham yesterday, having been on loan at Craven Cottage for the past year.

The French winger, who joined the Seagulls back in January 2016, made 139 appearances for the club, with 27 goals and 25 assists in that time, and scored 15 times in Brighton’s promotion-winning 2016/17 season (as per TransferMarkt).

Sadly, the 28-year-old’s time at the Amex Stadium was overshadowed by the death of his father four years ago, with many of his team-mates and then-Seagulls manager Chris Hughton attending the funeral in France (as per BBC). In 2018, he revealed that he had been struggling with mental health issues.

Knockaert took to Instagram (via

/CCYbHgMFe2J/”>@knockaert_anthony) to pay an emotional thank-you to team-mates, staff and fans at Brighton, particularly for their “love and support” at the time of his father’s passing and during subsequent difficult times.

The Frenchman said on the social media platform: “Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club will always have a very special place in my heart. I wish the club every success in the future. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Knockaert’s contribution during the promotion campaign, in which he was named EFL Championship Player of the Year, should ensure that he is always remembered fondly by the Brighton faithful, not least as he had such an influence in that success despite losing his father during that season.

There were times when indiscipline let him down, such as his red cards against Everton and Bournemouth, but his last goal for the club was a particularly memorable one – a winner away to Crystal Palace which earned him the Premier League Goal Of The Month award for March 2019.

If Knockaert can have anywhere near the same level of influence at Fulham – who are firmly in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League – that he had for Brighton, the Cottagers faithful are sure to idolise him in years to come.

Brighton fans, what did you make of Knockaert’s emotional farewell message on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Many Everton fans have been fuming at comments made by the Premier League chief executive Richard Masters after he claimed in a video call with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee (via The Gwladys Street) that Liverpool will still be champions even if the 2019/20 season is curtailed.

However, the CEO of the top flight did admit that there would have to be an agreement on some sort of model with regards to relegating teams and qualification for Europe.

This comes as Leicester were put on increased lock down restrictions by Health Secretary Matt Hancock after a spike of the global pandemic, but Leicester City’s upcoming game against Crystal Palace will still go ahead as it stands.

However, there is a genuine fear that if this was to happen in other areas of the country, especially with teams from England’s highest division, then the campaign may have to end after all after a relatively promising Project Restart.

Nevertheless, Jurgen Klopp’s side will still be given the title if the worst case scenario happens, despite no further clarity on the relegation or European spots, and it is safe to say that these EFC supporters were fuming about it:

Evertonians, would you mind the season ending now? Comment below!

Glasgow Rangers midfielder Jason Holt looks set to leave Ibrox permanently at the end of June once his contract runs out, although he harbours no grudges against Steven Gerrard about his impending exit from the club.

Indeed, the 27-year-old has praised the manager’s honesty in telling him straight-up that he would not be guaranteed regular action under the Liverpudlian, with Holt spending time on loan at Fleetwood Town and St Johnstone over the last couple of seasons.

He told The Scottish Sun: “You never want to leave a club like Rangers but you have conversations with managers and there comes a time when you need a move for the benefit of your career.”

Holt added: “When he (Gerrard) got the job, the first thing I did was speak to him to find out where I stood in his plans. I was aware he was going to bring in new players, he was fair with me and said he can’t guarantee me the games I’d had in the past.”

Holt had been a regular presence for the ‘Gers in the three seasons prior to Gerrard’s arrival at Ibrox in 2018, making 115 appearances for the club. However, once the new manager told the midfielder that he couldn’t guarantee him a fixed starting place, he linked up with ex-‘Gers team-mate Joey Barton at Fleetwood for the 2018/19 campaign.

The 27-year-old has managed to feature regularly during his loan spells at Fleetwood and St Johnstone, although he was unable to make a significant impact for either club. He netted just twice in 36 games for the English League One side and failed to register a single goal involvement in his 17 appearances in Perth this term. [via TransferMarkt]

Also, with the ‘Gers having an abundance of more potent midfield options in Joe Aribo, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack, along with Ianis Hagi being signed permanently, Holt would surely have found opportunities very hard to come by had he remained at Ibrox.

Holt now faced the unenviable task of trying to find a new club, although his experience of more than 170 SPFL games could make him an enticing free transfer for prospective suitors over the summer.

Irrespective of where he ends up next, it has been clear for some time that he had no future with the ‘Gers and, to Gerrard’s credit, he did not make any false promises to a player who has been left behind by other midfield options at Ibrox.

‘Gers fans, are you disappointed that Holt was never given a chance by Gerrard at Ibrox or was the manager right to trust in other players instead? Join in the conversation in the comments section below!

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن ريال مدريد بات قريبًا من إجراء تغيير إداري بصفوفه، من أجل إعادة بناء الفريق مرة أخرى، استعدادًا لموسم 2021/2022.

ريال مدريد، أنهى الموسم المُنقضي 2020/2021، دون ألقاب، بعد الإقصاء من كأس ملك إسبانيا في دور الـ 32 على يد ألكويانو، والخسارة في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، وإنهاء الليجا خلف أتلتيكو مدريد كوصيف بفارق نقطتين فقط.

الفرنسي زين الدين زيدان، المدير الفني لنادي ريال مدريد، قرر صباح اليوم الخميس إنهاء عقده مع النادي الملكي، وتقديم استقالته من تدريب اللوس بلانكوس، بعد ما يقرب من ثلاثة أعوام.

الصحفي الإسباني “خوسيه فيليكس دياز”، والمهتم بأخبار ريال مدريد، أوضح عبر حسابه أن كامبوس بات قريبًا من تولي دورًا داخل ريال مدريد.

اقرأ أيضًا | أبرزهم بوتشيتينو.. ماركا: 4 مرشحين لخلافة زيدان في ريال مدريد

كامبوس خلال الأعوام الثلاث الماضية، تولى منصب المدير الرياضي في ليل، مُنذ يوليو 2017، وحتى ديسمبر 2020، قبل الرحيل عن بطل الدوري الفرنسي.

كامبوس لن يتولى منصب المدير الرياضي كما هو مُتعارف عليه، ولكن سيكون ضمن أعضاء مجلس الإدارة، وسيصبح له دورًا بشأن التعاقدات الجديدة.

البرتغالي، صاحب الـ56 عامًا، والمعروف باسم مُهندس عمليات كرة القدم، سبق من قبل العمل ككشاف مع ريال مدريد، لمدة عام من يوليو 2012 لـ يونيو 2013.

أجرى الدكتور أشرف صبحي وزير الشباب والرياضة، يرافقه عادل الغضبان محافظ بورسعيد، جولة تفقدية للمنشآت الشبابية والرياضة بالمحافظة، بحضور الدكتور محمود حسين رئيس لجنة الشباب بمجلس النواب.

شملت الجولة التفقدية استاد النادي المصري البورسعيدي، ومركز شباب الاستاد الرياضي، ونادي العاملين بالمحافظة، ونادي شركة الحاويات.

واطلع وزير الشباب والرياضة على كافة الأنشطة التي تقدمها تلك المنشآت في نطاق المحافظة.

وأكد الدكتور أشرف صبحي أهمية تلك المنشآت، مشيرًا إلى أن بورسعيد كانت وما زالت تقدم أفضل الأبطال للرياضة المصرية.

وأشار الوزير إلى أن بورسعيد تشهد في عهد الرئيس عبد الفتاح السيسي نهضة تنموية غير مسبوقة في مختلف المجالات.

طالع | وزير الرياضة لـ بطولات: لا نية لتأجيل أي مسابقة في مصر بسبب كورونا

من جانبه، أكد اللواء عادل الغضبان محافظ بورسعيد، أن اللقاء مع وزير الشباب والرياضة تناول العديد من الموضوعات الخاصة بالمنشآت الرياضية في بورسعيد، والتي يعد أهمها هو استاد بورسعيد الجديد.

وأكد صبحي أن اللقاء اليوم شهد وضع بعض الأسس والنقاط التي تخص البدء انشاء استاد بورسعيد الجديد.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Everton will battle with Norwich City this weekend and it is set to be an important clash between two teams in an early relegation scrap.

The Toffees are six points clear of the drop zone and a win for the club could rocket them onto the same number of points as fifth-placed Sheffield United, should the Blades lose to Manchester United.

On the chalkboard

This crucial game for both sides could end up being decided by one battle on the pitch that will see Richarlison come up against Max Aarons.

Richarlison has finally started to hit some form this season, as he bagged the winner against Southampton prior to the international break. His goal at St. Mary’s was his third in the league and it means he now has two goals and an assist in his last five games.

As for Aarons, the Englishman has been one of the shining lights within a dismal Norwich defence. Whilst the Canaries have conceded 28 league goals after 12 games, Aarons has averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.5 clearances.

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The Norwich defender hasn’t been in spectacular form but has proven to be no pushover since his transition into the Premier League.

Interesting battle

Richarlison’s battle with Aarons is going to be an intriguing one across the 90 minutes. The Norwich full-back has proven to be an astute and promising defender, whilst the Everton forward has proven abilities in beating a right-back from the left-hand side.

The former Watford man possesses plenty of pace and flair, and the 19-year-old Aarons is not the slowest either and this is certainly a battle that could decide the game.

Over the past year, Richarlison has shown that if he finds his groove he is hard to stop. The Brazilian bagged 13 league goals last year and ended up becoming one of Everton’s best players that campaign.

Now, he must navigate the challenge posed by Aarons and fire the blues up the league table.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Barcelona are currently far from their brilliant best. The Catalans are struggling for form as of late and Ernesto Valverde will have to find a way to get them back to winning ways. But even though he is also going through some turbulent times, Sergio Busquets seems more important to the Blaugrana than ever.

On the chalkboard

On the surface, Barcelona are still far from any sort of crisis.

After all, we’re talking about a team that’s currently sitting top of La Liga with a game in hand and also top of their Champions League group with two games to go.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But their performances are lacking and a result, they have suffered a defeat and a disappointing draw in their last two outings.

And even though Busquets is already 31 years of age and his displays have also seen a dip, stats do suggest he’s still very much a key figure at the club.

Blaugrana’s linchpin

This season has already shown us that Busquets is slowly but surely not only getting past his prime but also getting a much smaller role in the squad as a whole.

Ernesto Valverde opted to drop the experienced Spaniard three times already and has only left him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes five out of 13 games in total.

But whenever Busquets wasn’t present, Barcelona were that much worse for it.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

A clear sign is in the win percentage – 73% and no losses with him, and just 25% and three losses without him.

And as worrying as that might be, it’s not nearly the only thing.

One recent study by El Dia Despues crunched the numbers even more and came out with some fascinating results.

It turns out that Barcelona’s opposition have more shots when Busquets is not in the team and the Catalans have fewer passes and fewer interceptions as well.

Not only that but when the 31-year-old is present, the team deploy more passes per minute and have more passes in the final third too along with more shots.

By all means, even though he is slowly but surely getting on and riding towards the sunset, Busquets seems every bit of an important player as he used to be back in the day.

Maybe it doesn’t always seem that way on the pitch, but Blaugrana’s pivot is still very much a key asset to the team.

Tottenham fans have been discussing who Mauricio Pochettino should pick between Danny Rose and Ben Davies, and it seems that no agreement will be reached.

Much of the discussion has been sparked due to the fact that Davies picked up a fine assist for Wales against Croatia on Sunday, as well as the fact that Danny Rose hasn’t shown his best form in the eight games he has played this season, and was criticised by Three Lions fans for his performance against the Czech Republic on Friday.

The England international played in the 7-2 defeat against Bayern Munich and though Davies came in to replace him for the trip to Brighton a few days later, Spurs still conceded three.

Pochettino, therefore, has a dilemma on his hands and it is not easy for him to find a solution, with the different fan opinions highlighting the fact that both players have flaws in their game.

Having performed well over the international break, though, Davies could be given a chance to impress. His three starts show he is yet to be given a regular run yet this term and Pochettino picking him would please some fans.

However, others would be frustrated at Rose’s exclusion, as the following reactions show.

وصلت بعثة فريق نادي الرجاء البيضاوي المغربي إلى القاهرة منذ قليل إلى مطار القاهرة الدولي، استعدادا لخوض مباراة بيراميدز في الجولة الرابعة من كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ونظم بيراميدز استقبالا مميزا في المطار للأشقاء المغاربة.

بيراميدز يواجه نظيره الرجاء في التاسعة من مساء الأحد على استاد الدفاع الجوي في رابع جولات دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإفريقي.

وحرص نادي بيراميدز على إرسال وفد يضم وليد مهدي مدير المباريات وشريف جمال مدير العلاقات العامة بالنادي لاستقبال بعثة الرجاء في مطار القاهرة الدولي بالورود، ومساعدة الأشقاء المغاربة في إنهاء إجراءات الدخول حتى الوصول إلى فندق إقامة البعثة، في إطار توجيهات النادي برد المعاملة الرائعة التي تلقتها بعثة بيراميدز في الدار البيضاء.

وعبر سعيد وهبي رئيس بعثة الرجاء عن تقديره البالغ لنادي بيراميدز والاستقبال المميز الذي أعده لبعثة فريقه، مشددا على عمق العلاقات بين الناديين بوصفهما شقيقين قبل أي شيء وسعيد بوجوده في القاهرة متمنيا مباراة تليق باسم الناديين.

Liam Palmer was busy earning his second cap for Scotland on Thursday night but it wasn’t a happy evening for the full-back who was part of a 4-0 defeat against Russia.

The Scots held their own throughout the first half but four unanswered goals in the second period saw them condemned to a defeat which meant they couldn’t automatically qualify for Euro 2020 unless they do it via the Nations League playoffs.

One of the players who had a particularly difficult night – according to fans anyway – was Sheffield Wednesday’s Liam Palmer.

A number of individuals took to Twitter throughout the game and after the final whistle to slam the 28-year-old.

One fan said he looked like he’d won a competition to be out on the pitch while another said seeing him play international football should give everyone hope.

He was also labelled garbage and shocking by two others.

Palmer has featured nine times for the Owls in 2019/20 with the vast majority of those matches seeing him play at left-back.

For Scotland, however, he was playing on the opposite side of the pitch.

Here’s the best of the reaction.