Author: Joe Soriano

Aston Villa interested in £45 million Liverpool player
23Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Aston Villa interested in £45 million Liverpool player

Aston Villa have one of the best center back partnerships in the Premier League between Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres, the former impressing at the Euros for England and the latter impressing everywhere he goes despite a relative lack of fanfare. The Lions are set with their starters at center back, but with ambitions to compete in the Champions League this season and repeat their qualification for next season, Aston Villa know that it takes a lot more than good starters to put together a winning side every year in the Premier League, especially with the additional gruel of Champions League games. As Aston Villa continue to look for more attacking options to help the current crop, led by Premier League Player of the Season candidate Ollie Watkins at striker, Unai Emery and Co. are also l...
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Aston Villa already have regrets about the Douglas Luiz transfer with Juventus
22Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League, Serie A

Aston Villa already have regrets about the Douglas Luiz transfer with Juventus

Aston Villa swapped Douglas Luiz to Juventus this summer in exchange for Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea, and cash, giving the Bianconeri one of the most talented defensive midfielders in the world as part of their plan to overhaul the position. Juventus remain keen on adding Teun Koopmeiners to a talented group that already contains Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, and Luiz, and they have to be satisfied so far with the foundation they have given new manager Thiago Motta. Meanwhile, Aston Villa made a major midfield signing of their own this summer in Amadou Onana, as well as signing English veteran Ross Barkley from Luton Town. But they may be coming away quite disappointed with the returns on the Douglas Luiz transfer, which was, in truth, a move forced on them by the B...
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Real Madrid rejected the chance to sign one of Barcelona’s best players
21Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Real Madrid rejected the chance to sign one of Barcelona’s best players

Real Madrid have a gaping hole in their midfield after the retirement of Toni Kroos, because for as much talent as they have in the middle of the park, the recent disappointing 1-1 draw with Mallorca highlighted all that is lost from Kroos' departure. The defending champions of Spain and Europe, Real Madrid did not progress the ball or create chances to even half the degree expected against bottom-half side Mallorca without Kroos. Going forward, Real Madrid will have to count on more creation from the superstar midfield quartet of Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eduardo Camavinga. Meanwhile, Real Madrid should call upon Turkish phenom Arda Guler to get more minutes in his second season after a strong European Championship campaign, and veteran Luka Modric ...
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Euro 2024 Takeaways: You already knew about Ollie Watkins, Kylian Mbappe’s hunger, farewell to Cody Gakpo
10Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Euro 2024 Takeaways: You already knew about Ollie Watkins, Kylian Mbappe’s hunger, farewell to Cody Gakpo

Here are the biggest takeaways after the Euro 2024 semifinals in which Spain defeated France 2-1 and England took down the Netherlands 2-1. Ollie Watkins was always this good With a bit of individual brilliance and a perfectly-tucked finish into the far corner, Ollie Watkins wrote his name in the history books by firing England back into a European Championship Final with a 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands. After Jude Bellingham unforgettably played the role of the hero with his late bicycle kick against Slovakia, it was now a more underrated player's turn to prove the Three Lions' proverbial "clutch gene" in the semis. Watkins didn't have the over-the-top Adidas commercial and wasn't hyped up as some sort of a savior or a Ballon d'Or candidate before the Euro 2024 tourna...
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Ranking the 10 best center midfielders of the 2010s
10Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best center midfielders of the 2010s

Throughout the 2010s, Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi was the most heated debate on the lips of world football fans, but as time has passed and the discussions have become more retrospective, much of the discussion has moved towards the midfield. It isn't just Real Madrid and Barcelona fans getting into it about their elite midfields that dominated the 2010s, as Premier League supporters, Serie A fans, and, of course, the Bayern Munich faithful are wondering where their midfield stars stack up. When looking back at the best center midfielders of the 2010s, it is no surprise to see that the teams that dominated the Champions League that decade - Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich - also dominate this list. It's fair to say that this observation is yet another endorsement ...
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Ranking the 10 best Bayern Munich transfers since 2010
9Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Bundesliga, Features

Ranking the 10 best Bayern Munich transfers since 2010

Bayern Munich have turned winning into a tradition, to the point where their success is taken for granted more than at any other club in world football. One of the best-run organizations in professional sports, Bayern's excellence has recently been called into question after a host of rash managerial decisions, poor signings, and dysfunctional executives. But Bayern's track record of success in the 2010s decade speaks for itself, and looking at their list of transfers over the last 15 years provides a clear example of why they achieved consistent Champions League success and perennial Bundesliga dominance. Here are the 10 best transfers in Bayern Munich's recent history since 2010, ranked in order. 10. Leon Goretzka, CM Leon Goretzka helped lead Schalke to an unlikely second-pla...
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Ranking the 10 best strikers in Serie A in 2024
8Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Serie A

Ranking the 10 best strikers in Serie A in 2024

Here are the 10 best strikers in Serie A right now in 2024 based on a combination of recent success and overall pedigree. 10. Andrea Pinamonti, Sassuolo Andrea Pinamonti has been one of the most perennially disappointing strikers in Italian football because on the basis of talent alone, he should be in the top five of the best strikers in Serie A. Instead, Pinamonti does find himself in the top 10, as he has turned out to be a decent striker in his own right, capable of utter brilliance when inspiration strikers and his best quality comes to the fore. 9. Duvan Zapata, Torino After a poor final season in Bergamo, the iconic Duvan Zapata got a new lease on life in Torino and proceeded to dispatch 12 goals with 4 assists to rebound somewhat and regain his reputation as one of the bette...
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Ranking every Manchester United No. 9 of the Premier League era
8Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Ranking every Manchester United No. 9 of the Premier League era

Although Manchester United have a storied history, the No. 9 is synonymous with just one player, and that is the most important player of the club's past, Sir Bobby Charlton. In the Premier League era, the No. 9 kit has been given to some high-profile transfers, but, in many ways, it has bounced around since 1992, with even the likes of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane donning it. More recently, Manchester United have tried giving the iconic shirt to players like Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku after they were marquee signings, but neither ended up panning out. Big-name short-term signings like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Radamel Falcao have worn the No. 9 kit, too, but they made even less of an impact at Old Trafford. Here are the five strikers who wore the No. 9 at Manchester United a...
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The latest Juventus transfer rumors and news updates you need to know for summer 2024 window
7Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Serie A

The latest Juventus transfer rumors and news updates you need to know for summer 2024 window

Here are all the biggest Juventus transfer rumors and news updates you need to know for the summer 2024 window, sorted in order of recency. 7/7: Juventus in talks for Jadon Sancho Report: According to a report from journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Juventus engaged in detailed discussions with Jadon Sancho's agent. There is "strong" mutual interest in getting a deal done, but, right now, Juve have other priorities. Analysis: The other priorities are likely elsewhere in the squad as they relate to acquiring Atalanta star Teun Koopmeiners and then potentially Jakub Kiwior of Arsenal as an alternative to Riccardo Calafiori, who is effectively choosing the Premier League over Serie A. Sancho would come in as the Federico Chiesa replacement, and if last season is anything to go off of, Sancho...
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Ranking the 11 best young center midfielders in world football right now in 2024
7Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Champions League, Features

Ranking the 11 best young center midfielders in world football right now in 2024

It isn't easy for a young player under the age of 23 to make a major impact in the center midfield positions, because it's a position that requires a combination of technical quality, tactical intelligence, defensive grit, energy, work rate, veteran know-how, and all-around footballing quality. Here are 10 young players under the age of 23 who have been standouts for their clubs in midfield. To be considered one of the best young center midfielders in the world, a player must be a 6 or an 8 and cannot only play as a 10. Players who are No. 10 playmakers but have a past history of success as a 6 or 8 are able to qualify for this list, because they have shown a history of success in this role. 11. Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis Johnny Cardoso is the least-known name on this list outside ...
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