Analysis

Before Schalke nearly became the worst team in the history of German football, they were literally the third-biggest club in the country behind Bayern Munich and arch rivals Borussia Dortmund. In fact, just two years before the bottom started to fall out, Schalke finished the season second behind Bayern. Heck, that very 2019/20 season during which they collapsed in the second half of the campaign, the Royal Blues were second at the end of the Hinrunde. Schalke are a proud club, and their "Knappenschmiede" academy has literally produced some of the greatest players in the history of German football. So let's honor Schalke and some of its legends of the recent past by looking at the 10 best players the Royal Blues ever developed from the ground up. GK Manuel Neuer We have to begin wi...

Inter Milan have one of the most enviable midfields in European football, and this group of players have brought the Nerazzurri a great deal of success under manager Simone Inzaghi. Just two seasons ago, Inter were in the Champions League Final against the mighty Manchester City and the most expensive squad ever made, and if it weren't for some finishing woes, Inter may have added the Champions League trophy to the Coppa Italia that year. Inter's excellence in the second half of the 2023/24 season was a sign of things to come, as the most overlooked of the powerhouse clubs in Italy won the Scudetto for a second time in four seasons. Lautaro Martinez received Ballon d'Or love and new signings Yann Sommer and Marcus Thuram were both tremendous, but Hakan Calhanoglu stole a lot of he...

In all honesty, Sevilla have been pretty terrible lately, so you'd be forgiven if you forgot that they are legitimately one of the biggest clubs in Spanish football and were in the LaLiga title discussion with Real Madrid as recently as the first half of the 2021/22 season. But since then, Sevilla have been a step above Spain's Schalke or Bordeaux, finishing 12th and 14th in LaLiga in the last two seasons. They were even flirting with relegation in the 2022/23 season before winning the Europa League and charging up the table under miracle-worker Jose Luis Mendilibar. Right now, Sevilla are so bereft of talent that Valencia's Peter Lim is probably feeling pretty good about himself in comparison. They just sold their only legitimate goal-scoring threat, Youssef En-Nesyri, to Fenerbahce...

All football fans have dreamed of becoming a professional football player and having the experience of playing at the top level. Despite the many perks of becoming a professional, it's not all fun and games for every player. While all players suffer setbacks in their careers, some experience tremendous bad fortune. Whether it was due to injury or always being on the wrong team at the wrong time, some could simply not catch a break. Let's delve into the top 3 footballers who, despite their talent and dedication, encountered remarkable adversity and misfortune throughout their careers. Iñigo Martínez Iñigo Martínez has had a mixed career, often finding himself in difficult situations. While he helped Real Sociedad reach the Champions League in 2013 and the Copa del Rey semifinals in ...

Brighton are pushing hard to sign a right back this summer. The club have been linked to a number of strong players at the position. Out of all their targets though, none are better than Fenerbahçe’s Ferdi Kadioglu.  The versatile defender was linked to Brighton earlier in the window, but most reports made it seem that Fenerbahçe had priced Kadioglu out of a move. Sevilla, Dortmund, and Brighton, all supposedly refused to meet the Yellow Canaries’ asking price.  Despite the past failed attempt, Brighton have gone in again for Kadioglu.  According to a report from Caught Offside, Brighton prepared a new €30m bid for Ferdi Kadioglu. This is short of Fenerbahçe’s reported €35m-€40m asking price, but the club hoped it would be enough to get the deal done, considering it’s believed tha...

Brighton have made signing a right back one of their top priorities this transfer window. The Seagulls have been linked to a number of big names, including Benfica right back Alexander Bah.  Brighton view Alexander Bah as their top RB target A new report now says the club will not sign any of those targets if they cannot offload some one of their current right backs.  According to Caught Offside, Brighton have made Alexander Bah their top transfer target. However, the club will not make an offer unless they sell Joel Veltman and/or Tariq Lamptey. Both players do not have certain futures at the club. Their contracts both expire next June.  Brighton could make a huge profit off Veltman and Lamptey If the club can sell Veltman and Lamptey before the end of the window, they could make a...

Napoli have not given up their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour. Gli Azzurri bid £8m for the Scottish international last week. The Seagulls rejected the bid quickly and reportedly were not willing to sell Gilmour unless a much bigger offer came in for him.  Napoli need to sell before they buy Billy Gilmour According to top Italian transfer journalist Gianluca di Marzio, Napoli is ready to test Brighton’s resolve. Reportedly, Gilmour is one of Antonio Conte’s top transfer targets. The club are working hard to get the deal done before the start of the season.  Before Napoli can sign Gilmour, Gli Azzurri will need to get rid of some of their current players. Napoli are looking to sell Swedish international Jens Cajuste and academy graduate Gianluca Gaetano to raise funds so t...

Brighton have made waves this transfer window by signing some of the most exciting wonderkids on the market.  The Seagulls have swooped up Newcastle’s Yankuba Minteh, Feyenoord’s Mats Wieffer, Nordsjælland’s Ibrahim Osman, and Amario Cozier-Duberry from Arsenal.  As exciting as these signings have been, Brighton fans have been begging their club to sign some defenders, especially right backs. To their credit, the Seagulls have been listening.  Brighton have been linked to a number of strong right backs, including Turkey and Fenerbahçe star Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters. A leading Portuguese newspaper has added another name to this list of Brighton right back targets.  According to O Jogo, the Seagulls are interested in signing Benfica right back Alexander ...