Author: Joe Soriano

Transfer Rumors: AC Milan offer Liverpool blockbuster Federico Chiesa swap deal
6Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League, Serie A

Transfer Rumors: AC Milan offer Liverpool blockbuster Federico Chiesa swap deal

Liverpool surprised a lot of fans around the world this summer when they acquired Federico Chiesa from Juventus, spending just 12 million euros to sign a player who was widely regarded as the most talented on the Bianconeri. Chiesa arrived in Turin during the summer 2020 transfer window and was an immediate success, providing a spark alongside Alvaro Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, and Dejan Kulusevski in what was the latest decent Juventus attack. He then shined at Euro 2020 for champions Italy, but an ACL tear and poor management from the highly defensive Max Allegri led to the former Fiorentina star completely falling out of the picture after initially being tabbed as the future of Juve. Many thought new manager Thiago Motta would back Chiesa and coax a bounce-back yea...
Read More
A Real Madrid starter has to lose his job after AC Milan debacle
6Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
LaLiga

A Real Madrid starter has to lose his job after AC Milan debacle

Real Madrid are in a state of crisis after losing 3-1 to AC Milan, compounding their 4-0 defeat to Barcelona even further. There are calls for Carlo Ancelotti to lose his job, cries for a new center back and right back in January, and a general sense of disbelief at how much this team has unraveled in 2024/25. It was only six months ago that Real Madrid were on top of European football as Champions League and La Liga winners. They won both titles convincingly, and then they went ahead and added Kylian Mbappe and Endrick to their attack in the summer. Well, the Real Madrid attack has been, if anything, significantly worse with Mbappe as the centerpiece player alongside Vinicius Junior, with Jude Bellingham left to chase shadows in a defensive role and the club's biggest gem Arda Guler...
Read More
Signing a familiar face should be an obvious move to help rescue a lost Real Madrid defense
6Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
LaLiga

Signing a familiar face should be an obvious move to help rescue a lost Real Madrid defense

After suffering a 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico, Real Madrid went right ahead and got smacked again in another big match, falling 3-1 to AC Milan in the Champions League. Real Madrid came into the game with all the local media talking about how Carlo Ancelotti and the club had identified the defense as the biggest weakness (yeah, no kidding) and were taking drastic steps to fix the team's tactical issues before the Milan match. Well, Alvaro Morata scored against Real Madrid yet again, and the Merengue club were badly outplayed by a thoroughly unimpressive Rossoneri that are in the midst of their own turmoil after the hiring of Paulo Fonseca. There are so many issues plaguing Real Madrid, but there's an overarching agreement that the defense is the key issue, with the team ...
Read More
Liverpool interested in an Andrew Robertson replacement who isn’t even an upgrade
6Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League

Liverpool interested in an Andrew Robertson replacement who isn’t even an upgrade

Liverpool left back Andrew Robertson was arguably the best player at his position just a few years ago, shining in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns when the Reds won the Champions League and the Premier League, respectively. A great two-way fullback with the work rate, intensity, and playmaking skills to match anyone at the position, Robertson formed an all-time great duo with right back Trent Alexander-Arnold at the peak of his powers. Although TAA is the one on an expiring contract and with heavy links to Real Madrid, it looks like between the two of them, Robertson is the less likely man to start for Liverpool in 2025. That's because Robertson's play has fallen off a cliff in the 2024/25 season. He isn't creating chances, he's getting burned repeatedly defensively, and he is u...
Read More
Barcelona showing interest in the Premier League’s best player
5Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League

Barcelona showing interest in the Premier League’s best player

Barcelona have assembled a juggernaut beyond their wildest imagination thanks to the innovative mind of Hansi Flick, whose squad has already registered 40 goals in LaLiga this season - a pace even surpassing MSN. The centerpiece of their squad is teenage phenom Lamine Yamal, by far the best young player in the world. Barca's attack also includes Robert Lewandowski, easily the Pichichi favorite, and still a third Ballon d'Or candidate in breakout star Raphinha. Both Yamal and Raphinha are right wingers by trade - and elite ones, at that - but Flick has managed to keep both as regulars by playing Raphinha in a hanging left wing role where he can get behind the defense, attack the mild of the pitch off the ball, hold width with his speed, or act as a playmaker. Barcelona clearly don'...
Read More
Ruben Amorim wants to bring an even bigger talent than Viktor Gyokeres to Manchester United
5Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League

Ruben Amorim wants to bring an even bigger talent than Viktor Gyokeres to Manchester United

The minute it was reported that Manchester United would be hiring Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim to replace Erik ten Hag, the transfer rumor mill started lighting up with all the top young talents on the Portuguese powerhouse that could make the jump to Old Trafford. Manchester United have quite the relationship with signing former Sporting CP talents. Cristiano Ronaldo, the biggest talent in the history of the Premier League, is the obvious standout, but even current No. 10 Bruno Fernandes proved to be a brilliant signing from the Portuguese top flight. Amorim already has a strong set of center backs after the additions of Matthijs de Ligt and, especially, Leny Yoro this past summer for Ten Hag, but Sporting CP could still benefit from either Goncalo Inacio or Ousmane Diomande. ...
Read More
Tottenham might loan out one of their most talented players
5Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League

Tottenham might loan out one of their most talented players

Tottenham were the biggest winners of the Premier League weekend, dominating an Aston Villa side that pipped them in the Conference League and Champions League races in the last two seasons. Spurs took Unai Emery and his men to school, with Pape Sarr bossing an Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans-led midfield while Dominic Solanke scored a brace to cap off a brilliant all-around performance - customary for him since moving from Bournemouth to North London. Meanwhile, James Maddison even got in on the act with a cheeky free kick off the bench to score Spurs' fourth goal of the afternoon and seal the deal for Ange Postecoglou. Lost in all the praise for the regulars was a scintillating defensive performance from Radu Dragusin, whose name could barely be heard on the broadcast, such was...
Read More
Chelsea are standing against public opinion on a failed transfer, and they might be right
5Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League

Chelsea are standing against public opinion on a failed transfer, and they might be right

The list of failed Chelsea transfers since the Todd Boehly takeover in 2022 is a lengthy one, but with the Blues sitting in fourth place under Enzo Maresca this season, the fruits of the club's rather grotesque transfer investment are starting to bear. Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo have been leading the charge, with the likes of Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto forming a solid framework of a supporting cast that may just need some smart refining in order to yield a Premier League title contender. The trick for Chelsea is to find out which struggling transfer purchases should get second chances, who should be sold, how they should be sold, and with whom they should be replaced. As Chelsea frustratingly continue to back the floundering Robert Sanchez in goal, they also appear to be doub...
Read More
Tottenham are going after yet another top midfield prospect
5Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League

Tottenham are going after yet another top midfield prospect

Tottenham were quietly one of the more active teams in the Premier League in the summer 2024 transfer window, with their most discussed signing being the 65 million pound acquisition of Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke. Despite the harsh words of critics, such as myself, Solanke has actually looked like he's worth the money for Tottenham, putting in another strong display this weekend with a brace against fellow top-four hopefuls Aston Villa. Solanke wasn't the most pivotal signing of the summer, though. That honor belongs to Archie Gray, a significant investment in the future on the part of Tottenham at around 30 million pounds. In addition to Gray, Tottenham had already agreed to the signing of another top midfield prospect in Lucas Bergvall, who agreed to terms with Spurs la...
Read More
Arsenal contemplating massive bid to steal away West Ham’s best player for a second time
5Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Premier League

Arsenal contemplating massive bid to steal away West Ham’s best player for a second time

Arsenal failed to sign a proven goal-scorer in the last summer transfer window, and they are already suffering for their hesitancy in the transfer market. The Gunners are currently fifth in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Liverpool. Only right winger Bukayo Saka has looked capable of consistently scoring goals for Arsenal, and his injury left the Gunners rather barren in the attack. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are both good footballers, but they are not out-and-out strikers. Meanwhile, the left wing position has been erratic, with Gabriel Martinelli yet to recover his 2022/23 form and Leandro Trossard clearly best suited for the utility backup role. Arsenal need to prioritize a top striker like Viktor Gyokeres who can threaten for 20 in a season, but they are als...
Read More