Joe Soriano, Author at The Trivela Effect

10 best possible Manchester City transfer targets for summer 2026 window

23Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Transfer News

10 best possible Manchester City transfer targets for summer 2026 window

Manchester City are in another tough Premier League title race with Arsenal in the 2025/26 season, and they have really turned up the heat recently after a slow start to the campaign. The Citizens retooled again in the January transfer window this year, bringing in Erling Haaland's biggest Premier League Player of the Season challenger in Antoine Semenyo, winning a transfer sweepstakes for the Bournemouth hero that included pretty much every other club in the Big Six. Man City have fully recovered from an atrocious, by their lofty standards, 2024/25 campaign in which they came frighteningly close to missing out on the Champions League entirely. But since Man City are not seen as favorites to win the Champions League despite their recent resurgence, they will, once again, figure to...

Ranking the 10 best young La Liga players in 2026

22Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Rankings

Ranking the 10 best young La Liga players in 2026

Unfortunately, La Liga is falling behind the other top five European leagues in terms of spending, so talent development on a grassroots level has become more important for Spanish clubs than ever before. Sadly, by the same token, La Liga are falling behind in developing talent, particularly the academies at the smallest clubs in Spain. They are seeing their talents poached and having more difficulty initially bringing bright young talents aboard with the scouting networks of Real Madrid and Barcelona, in particular, only growing stronger. It is no surprise, of course, that Real Madrid and Barcelona dominate the list of the best young players in La Liga today, and, in truth, these two powerhouse clubs have the best collection of young talent in the world out of any clubs around - and...

2025/26 Champions League Power Rankings after first leg of playoffs

20Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Rankings

2025/26 Champions League Power Rankings after first leg of playoffs

The first leg of the playoffs before the Champions League Round of 16 have been completed, and already, clubs like Juventus and Qarabag look to be out of it entirely after suffering blowout losses. Meanwhile, other notable clubs like Atalanta and Inter Milan are very much on the ropes, while Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid remain in tight contests after the first leg. Clubs on bye weeks are sitting pretty right now, but even contenders like Liverpool and PSG will be on high alert amidst disappointing seasons in their respective league campaigns. Following another week of thrilling Champions League action, let's take a look at the latest power rankings, picking the top 10 teams in the competition thus far with the best chance of winning it all. 10. Borussia Dor...

Ranking the 10 biggest stars in the Premier League in 2026

19Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Rankings

Ranking the 10 biggest stars in the Premier League in 2026

The Premier League is the biggest league in world football, and the gap between the English top flight and all the other top five European leagues is only increasing in terms of both fan support and financial power. Nowadays, the biggest names are no longer in the Italian league, and while the biggest attacking superstars are still in La Liga, the Premier League is closing the gap on them, too, especially when looking outside Real Madrid and Barcelona. While talent is becoming more concentrated in the Big Six - which is quietly becoming more of a Big Five - of the Premier League these days, too, the overall star power in England still feels like it is growing overall. Instead of ranking the 10 best players in the Premier League solely based on numbers or on who is the best actual ...

Ranking the 10 best NFL wide receivers of the last 10 years (2016-2026)

18Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

NFL

Ranking the 10 best NFL wide receivers of the last 10 years (2016-2026)

The NFL 10 years ago already looks a whole lot different than the NFL today. Back then, Tom Brady was still playing for the New England Patriots, Cam Newton was still one of the league's biggest stars, the seasons lasted 16 games, and Thursday Night Football was the worst game of the week. So ranking the best players of the last 10 years is inherently difficult, since eras are rapidly transitioning and the best players in the league 10 years ago were different from the best players in the league five years ago - and certainly a whole lot different than the best players in the league in 2026. But here's the best shot I got at ranking the absolute 10 best wide receivers of the last 10 years of the NFL, from the future Hall of Famers in the great state of Florida to the league's newest ...

The 5 best CB transfer targets for Bayern Munich to replace Kim Min-jae in summer 2026

17Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Transfer News

The 5 best CB transfer targets for Bayern Munich to replace Kim Min-jae in summer 2026

Bayern Munich are the undisputed powerhouses of German football, and after Bayer Leverkusen's miracle 2023/24 season, Bayern, as usual, have responded to being dethroned by dominating like never before. Although the center back position is not a weakness in this side and Die Roten were able to extend the world-class Dayot Upamecano, the way this team prioritizes the position, it is likely they will want another experienced player - and potentially someone with superstar potential - to join the current experienced Bundesliga tandem of Jonathan Tah and Upa in 2026. Kim Min-jae is one of the best No. 3 center backs you will find and has been unfairly maligned in Bayern. Despite his frequent benchings, Kim has remained loyal to the cause and actually wants to stay in Munchen, but it is t...

The 10 best players Real Madrid could sign in the summer 2026 transfer window

16Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Transfer News

The 10 best players Real Madrid could sign in the summer 2026 transfer window

Although Real Madrid are still in La Liga title contention and among the clubs in the Champions League knockout stages, it has been another tumultuous season for the Royal Whites, who already gave up on Xabi Alonso after being embarrassed by Barcelona in yet another cup final. Meanwhile, in the other cup, the Copa del Rey, the Merengues were embarrassed by second division side Albacete (who have Jesus Vallejo, of all players). There is dysfunction rife in the heart of Madrid, but there are also genuine problems with the squad that have not been addressed. The defense remains shambolic in big games, while the midfield has been gutted by the losses of legends Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, who were never replaced. With the summer 2026 transfer window on the horizon in just four short mont...

Ranking the 10 best pass rushers in Las Vegas Raiders history

14Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

NFL

Ranking the 10 best pass rushers in Las Vegas Raiders history

The Las Vegas Raiders franchise has one of the greatest legacies of defensive stars in NFL history, and while the cornerback position is their hallmark, there have also been a ton of players up front who have had incredible careers in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas over the last several decades. So let's celebrate the greatest pass rushers in Raiders history. From the nasty defensive tackles to the explosive edge rushers and the jack-of-all-trades linebackers, here are the top 10 best Raiders pass rushers of all time. 10. Darrell Russell The No. 2 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, Darrell Russell is one of several Raiders pass rushers whose star burned briefly but brightly, as he only spent six seasons in Oakland before failing repeated drug tests. In a sense, he was the J...

Ranking the 10 best cornerbacks in Las Vegas Raiders history

14Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

NFL

Ranking the 10 best cornerbacks in Las Vegas Raiders history

Cornerbacks are among the most important players in the NFL and have the unenviable task of facing a minuscule margin for error on every snap, having to stop some of the best athletes in the league at wide receiver while also needing to outsmart the quarterbacks throwing the ball in their vicinity. In their storied history, the Las Vegas Raiders have had a handful of true shutdown cornerbacks and many more underrated standouts across from them who were capable of either making big plays on the ball, bumping off the run, or playing at a high level against the No. 2 guys. Narrowing down the list to 10 was not easy, but here are the 10 best Las Vegas Raiders cornerbacks in NFL and AFL history - a list that includes a handful of the greatest corners to ever play this game. 10. Lionel ...

Ranking the 25 best Serie A players of the 2025/26 season so far

14Feb

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Rankings

Ranking the 25 best Serie A players of the 2025/26 season so far

Briefly, Serie A was bucking the trend of being a league known for its top-notch defensive quality by having high-scoring games and open play, but that period has ended almost as quickly as it began. Although there are a few attacking standouts in Serie A these days like Lautaro Martinez and Nico Paz, the best players in the league right now are defenders. The Italian top flight, pound for pound, has the best central defenders and goalkeepers, and these players make up the majority of the list of the best footballers in the league in the 2025/26 season. Here are the top 25 players of the current campaign thus far, and while Inter Milan predictably dominate the rankings, the rest of the spread is pretty even among the other European contenders in Calcio. 25. Cremonese GK Emil Auder...