Author: Joe Soriano

Joe Soriano covers Tottenham for FanSided's Hotspur HQ and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.
Chelsea giving up on another injury-prone transfer flop
28Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

Chelsea giving up on another injury-prone transfer flop

Chelsea are headed for another action-packed summer transfer window as the pruning process continues at Stamford Bridge, with the club waving the white flag on several high-profile transfers since Todd Boehly's arrival. Overall, things have improved quite quickly under new manager Enzo Maresca, and, now, the name of the game will be signing a new striker, trimming the squad of the fat, and tweaking elsewhere. Already, Chelsea are prepared to part ways with attacker Christopher Nkunku, who seemed like a 100 percent slam dunk at the time of his signing from RB Leipzig but has gone on to be an unmitigated disaster at Chelsea, largely due to an inability stay healthy. Chelsea are shopping Wesley Fofana Center back Wesley Fofana has been the same story in defense, and, now, according to...
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Manchester United get disappointing Andre Onana transfer news
28Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

Manchester United get disappointing Andre Onana transfer news

Manchester United are going to be busy again this summer transfer window, because despite signing three of European football's most touted young talents in 2024 - Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, and Joshua Zirkzee - along with veteran defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, the Red Devils are even worse than they started. Firing Erik ten Hag for Ruben Amorim hasn't yielded immediate results for a Manchester United side stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League, and while striker will, once again, be a priority for the club after Zirkzee's failure to help, it won't be the only need at Old Trafford. Andre Onana has been a liability this season See, Manchester United are keen on making a switch at goalkeeper, as Andre Onana has fallen further in the eyes of fans, with former goa...
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Signing Victor Osimhen is even easier for Chelsea than you think
27Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

Signing Victor Osimhen is even easier for Chelsea than you think

There is no question that Chelsea have improved considerably in the 2024/25 season under Enzo Maresca, and they are right at the cusp of returning to the Champions League if they can finish the campaign strong, currently sitting fifth neck-and-neck with Manchester City and Nottingham Forest in front and behind them. Chelsea actually have one of the better strikers in the Premier League, as Nicolas Jackson has become more consistent this season all-around. But he's still only scored 10 goals, showing that he can't quite carry the scoring load for a title hopeful on his own as a single striker. The Victor Osimhen transfer rumors have certainly not gone away, and after balking at last season's 130 million euro asking price, it would be alarming if Chelsea don't show significant interest...
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Barcelona won’t have to face Inter Milan’s second-biggest star in the UCL
27Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Injury News

Barcelona won’t have to face Inter Milan’s second-biggest star in the UCL

As Barcelona bask in the glow of their 3-2, extra-time fueled 2025 Copa del Rey conquest over rivals Real Madrid - making it three out of three Clasicos so far for Hansi Flick in his first season in charge - they cannot let their celebrations last too long. That's because Barcelona will battle a very game Inter Milan on Wednesday night in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. Inter are fresh off eliminating perennial tournament contenders Bayern Munich, and while they have suffered a few tricky results lately in Serie A, they are also favorites to retain their title. The task may be a little bit easier for Barcelona, though, as Calciomercato.com's Pasquale Guarro reports a pessimistic injury recovery update for Inter Milan star striker Marcus Thuram. Marcus Thuram has no...
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The only way Arsenal lose Martin Zubimendi to Real Madrid
26Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

The only way Arsenal lose Martin Zubimendi to Real Madrid

Real Sociedad defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi has been one of LaLiga's finest players over the last couple of seasons, and after rebuffing several big clubs in order to stay with La Real, it looks like Arsenal have the inside track to finally sign the most coveted No. 6 on the transfer market. Defensive midfielders who control the game are a rare commodity in world football, and they generally go for major transfer fees. Real Madrid spent 80 million euros on Champions League winner Aurelien Tchouameni in 2022, while Arsenal spent a club record 100 million pounds on Declan Rice in 2023. Zubimendi will be cheaper than those two at 60 million euros, though, at 26 years old, he's also hitting the transfer market a few years older than Rice and Tchouameni were. ALSO READ: 3 summe...
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Andre Onana is getting closer to leaving Manchester United
26Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

Andre Onana is getting closer to leaving Manchester United

Manchester United have a host of transfer needs in summer 2025, because despite a heavy summer of investments in 2024, Ruben Amorim has walked into a situation he can't win without proper signings at key positions. The Red Devils remain without a true goal-scoring striker as neither Joshua Zirkzee nor Rasmus Hojlund are showing that they have the traits to reliably score 20 goals per season in the Premier League. Goalkeeper has also become a key need for Manchester United. The club appears to be unconvinced by Andre Onana, who, while being a talented goalkeeper, has become too prone to mistakes to trust in goal. Andre Onana could be headed to Saudi Arabia Manchester United are expected to part ways with Onana this summer and sign a young goalkeeper with more potential. Already, it ...
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Chelsea interested in rescuing a criminally underrated CB
26Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfer News

Chelsea interested in rescuing a criminally underrated CB

Chelsea have a laundry list of pressing needs in the summer 2025 transfer market, and after experiencing a great deal of success in Enzo Maresca's first season at the helm, there should be a renewed energy to push for more in the 2025/26 campaign. The Blues are just on the cusp of qualifying for the Champions League after being nowhere near that usual milestone in Todd Boehly's first two seasons as owner, so there is tangible progress under the ex-Leicester City manager despite initial skepticism. Most of the transfer rumors will focus on Chelsea getting a new striker, but the Blues are also going to need some new signings to bolster their defense, as many of their center back moves have not worked out as hoped. Chelsea want to sign Kim Min-Jae According to a report from Sky Sports...
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Ranking the 5 best Barcelona players in 2025
8Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 5 best Barcelona players in 2025

Who are the best Barcelona players right now in 2025? 5. CB Inigo Martinez I bounced back and forth between Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez, and I also think fellow central defenders Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde merit serious consideration here, especially since Kounde has become such a great right back in his own right despite being a center back at heart. Cubarsi is even better on the ball and has more future potential as an 18-year-old phenom who is, in a way, Lamine Yamal's defensive equivalent. But how could I leave Martinez off a list of the best Barcelona players RIGHT NOW, when, RIGHT NOW, Martinez is one of the best center backs on the planet. That may seem like a crazy statement, but it's only absurd to the uninformed. Martinez has been a top-level center back in LaLiga ...
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Ranking the 5 best AC Milan players in 2025
8Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 5 best AC Milan players in 2025

Who are AC Milan's best players right now in 2025? 5. RW Christian Pulisic Although a certain segment of Serie A fans hailing from a certain country will overrate Christian Pulisic and bloviate about how he's a better player than Rafael Leao despite having a fraction of the Portuguese international's ability, there's no questioning the fact that Pulisic is one of the best wingers in Serie A in his own right and is capable of outplaying his left-sided teammate for stretches. Pulisic has gone from overhyped Dortmund prospect and inconsistent Chelsea rotational piece to one of the best attacking players in Serie A and someone AC Milan can legitimately build their team around. He's also become more unselfish in Italian football, improving as a passer and creator with a superior work ra...
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The 10 best Lyon players of the 2010s decade
7Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
All-Time Lists

The 10 best Lyon players of the 2010s decade

Lyon are one of the proudest clubs in European football with a rich history, and in the 2010s, they transitioned from being a dominant force to a quality side that focused on producing top young talents as a result of PSG's monopoly over Ligue 1 following the Qatar takeover. The 2010s were marked by stars of the last decade and new, exciting stars paving the way for the next era of Lyon football. Here are the 10 best Lyon players of the decade. ST Lisandro Lopez Argentinian striker Lisandro Lopez was the main man who took over from Karim Benzema, and he scored 15 goals in the 2009/10 season before notching 44 goals in the three seasons to start the 2010s decade. It's not a stretch to call Lopez one of the two best Lyon strikers of the 2010s, and the only better striker is quite lit...
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