ذكرت تقارير صحفية أمريكية، أن محمد صلاح، نجم منتخبنا الوطني والمحترف في صفوف ليفربول، تراجع في ترتيب الأعلى دخلاً بين لاعبي كرة القدم في العالم.

وتراجع محمد صلاح من المركز الرابع إلى الخامس، لصالح كيليان مبابي، نجم باريس سان جيرمان.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كاسكارينو يحدد صفقة هجومية مثالية لمنافسة صلاح وماني وفيرمينو في ليفربول

وقالت مجلة “فوربس” الأمريكية، إن ليونيل ميسي أيقونة برشلونة الإسباني، استعاد الصدارة من كريستيانو رونالدو، نجم يوفنتوس بعدما حل مشكلته مع البارسا.

وقالت الصحيفة: “عندما يتعلق الأمر بقياس أعظم اللاعبين في مرة القدم يتحول التركيز على رونالدو وميسي”.

وأضافت الصحيفة: “يتصدر ليونيل ميسي وكريستيانو رونالدو تصنيف فوربس هذا العام لأعلى رواتب اللاعبين مرة أخرى”.

وتابعت: “ميسي حل مشكلة عقده مع برشلونة ليصعد إلى الصدارة بـ 126 مليون دولار، فيما جاء رونالدو في المركز الثاني برصيد 117 مليون دولار”.

وأوضحت: “لكن مشجعي كرة القدم لديهم هدف جديد مثير للإعجاب وهو كيليان مبابي  مهاجم باريس سان جيرمان، الذي حصد المركز الرابع بـ 42 مليون دولار”.

وأردفت: “مبابي هو القوة الصاعدة لكل من نادي باريس والمنتخب الفرنسي، حيث سجل 103 أهداف في جميع المسابقات، منذ أن أصبح محترفًا قبل خمس سنوات”.

وأكملت: “في سن الـ19، أصبح أصغر لاعب يسجل هدفًا في كأس العالم بعد الأسطورة بيليه، الذي فعل ذلك عام 1958 في سن الـ17 عامًا”.

وأفادت: “نيمار يسبق مبابي، إذ يحصل على 96 مليون دولار، ولكن الترتيب قد يتغير عندما يحصل مبابي على عقد جديد، بعد انتهاء تعاقده مع باريس في 2022”. أكثر 10 لاعبين دخلاً في العالم :

1 – ليونيل ميسي، برشلونة (126 مليون دولار).

2- كريستيانو رونالدو، ريال مدريد (117 مليون دولار).

3- نيمار دا سيلفا، باريس سان جيرمان، (96 مليون دولار).

4- كيليان مبابي، باريس سان جيرمان (42 مليون دولار).

5- محمد صلاح، ليفربول (34 مليون دولار).

6- بول بوجبا، مانشستر يونايتد (34 مليون دولار).

7- أنطوان جريزمان، برشلونة (33 مليون دولار).

8- جاريث بيل، ريال مدريد (29 مليون دولار).

9- روبيرت ليفاندوفسكي، بايرن ميونخ (28 مليون دولار).

10- ديفيد دي خيا، مانشستر يونايتد (27 مليون دولار).

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According to Football Insider, Sunderland have reportedly made an approach for Barsnley striker Kieffer Moore, as the Black Cats prepare for life without Josh Maja.

What’s the word?

Sunderland fans were gutted when news of Maja’s move to Bordeaux broke on Wednesday, as the 20 year-old will join the Ligue 1 outfit for around £3.5m, per Sky Sports.

The good news however, is that the club isn’t standing still in finding a replacement for the youngster, as Football Insider claim they have lodged a £2m bid for Moore.

The 6ft 5in target man has scored 13 times in 23 League One games this season, including a brace in a 4-2 defeat at the Stadium of Light back in November.

Would he be a good signing?

Well, Moore has scored two less league goals than Maja this season, but the powerful target man has a proven track record in League One.

As well as his 13 strikes this season, he notched the same tally in 22 appearances last year, per Transfermarkt, despite the fact that he was only in the division for six months, on loan at Rotherham.

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The 26-year-old is a handful for defenders, an absolute monster in the air and, most importantly of all, he knows how to stick the ball in the back of the net.

The move should also fill fans with confidence about new owner Stewart Donald, who is once again proving he truly cares about the club’s promotion push by wasting no time replacing Maja.

So, Sunderland fans, would you be happy with Moore replacing Maja? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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Brendan Rodgers has jumped the gun in relation to the signing of Maryan Shved.

What’s the word?

The Karpaty Lviv winger watched Wednesday’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone after undergoing his medical.

Since presenting Maurice Johnston as a signing in 1989, two months before he turned up on the other side of the city, Celtic have been cautious over the timing of signings.

The Hoops completed three deals in the first fortnight of the transfer window but with just a few hours remaining there has been no further additions to the first team squad.

Perhaps caught a little off guard, Rodgers said as quoted by The Evening Times: “Marian Shved was at the game and I spoke to him beforehand.

“He is delighted to be here and his medical is all complete. Marian will go back to Ukraine and finish off his season there with his club.

“He will then come back to Scotland around April and get involved with the training, before being ready to go in the summer.”

These days any signing requires a social media introduction, with a brief video clip usually the way to make an announcement.

Shved has already spent a season and a half in Spain with Sevilla’s youth side but all of his effective playing days have been in the Ukraine.

Stockpiling wingers

On the surface it seems that Celtic are stockpiling wingers. Scott Sinclair and James Forrest are clearly the men in possession with Mikey Johnston and Jonny Hayes both waiting patiently for the chance to deputise.

Shved has an impressive reputation and decent first team experience for a 21-year-old but adapting to the Scottish game, coming to terms with the demands on Celtic players and breaking into a highly successful first team is a tall order. Just ask Lewis Morgan.

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Celtic moved into the transfer market to sign Timothy Weah on loan last month and the 18-year-old has wasted no time in making an impression in Scotland, with Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas clearly impressed with what he has seen.

What’s the word?

That Weah was on the books of a potential Champions League winner before he joined the Hoops naturally gave supporters reason to believe he could be a fantastic addition to the squad.

The exciting teenager has vindicated the pre-signing expectation with a handful of positive performances, scoring three goals in the process.

Both Weah’s and Oliver Burke’s performances have attracted plenty of interest in the media thus far, but it is the PSG loanee who has really caught the eye of Nicholas.

Indeed, he has delivered his verdict on Weah’s times at Celtic Park thus far and drew parallels between him and the former Premier League goal machine Nicolas Anelka, per Sky Sports.

“He reminds me of when Nicholas Anelka first came into the Arsenal side – the speed and desire to get in with the markers, he reminds me a bit of that.

“Anelka was a better player but the confidence he will get from Celtic having so much of the ball as well as the support.”

Potential replacement for Moussa Dembele?

The praise Weah has received from Nicolas is no surprise after the start he has enjoyed. Anelka enjoyed an illustrious career in top level European football, playing for the likes of Arsenal, Juventus, Real Madrid and Chelsea, as well as scoring 126 Premier League goals. 

As Nicholas has alluded to, it would be premature to tip him to emulate a player of Anelka’s enormous quality. However, there are certainly signs from the early openings of his Celtic career to suggest that he could be a worthy replacement for Moussa Dembele.

The Bhoys have managed to temporarily fill the void left by his departure with the signings of Burke and Weah, but Rodgers cannot continue to rely on Odsonne Edouard next season without concluding a permanent striker deal.

In many respects Weah and Burke are undergoing an audition for the role of Demebele’s successor, although the latter is more naturally suited to an attacking midfield or wide role.

With that said, the USA international could well convince Celtic’s hierarchy to fork out for his signature in the summer if he continues to perform in the same eye-catching vein during the remainder of his temporary spell.

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Arsenal slumped to a 3-1 defeat against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side went a goal ahead within the first minute, when Sergio Aguero headed home from close range. The goal came from an Alex Iwobi error, as the Gunners’ attacker was caught in possession on the edge of his own box.

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The 22-year-old struggled with the intensity of the City press and couldn’t get his creative game going either. Despite working hard and covering plenty of ground, Iwobi failed to justify his place ahead of the likes of Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, who were both benched by Unai Emery.

The Spanish coach will have hoped that the 21-cap Nigeria international could bridge the gap between the Gunners’ midfield and their strike partnership of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, Iwobi could not produce a single key pass or shot. 

What’s more, he failed to run with the ball as effectively as he can, as he managed to only complete two successful dribbles, and was dispossessed twice – the first occasion making him culpable for the opening goal.

Whilst he was otherwise fairly tidy in possession, posting a respectable pass accuracy rating of 83%, his passing was slow, ineffective and lacked penetration.

However, much of the blame for Iwobi’s struggles lies with Emery. The winger should never have been entrusted with marshalling the likes of Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte, as he doesn’t have the experience, diligence or composure for such a task. The ageing Stephan Lichtsteiner was of no use at right wing-back himself, which only served to highlight Iwobi’s flaws. 

On top that, the task of linking defence and attack practically single-handed was far too great to burden him with. With such little assistance he was only ever going to flounder.

Whilst Iwobi can’t be proud of his performance, Emery’s tactics and selection set him up for a fall.

Mauricio Pochettino fears (via the Telegraph) that Tottenham could be stuck in Wembley until the end of the season.

Delays in the construction of their new stadium forced the Lilywhites to spend a second successive season in the country’s national stadium. The venue has been capped at 51,000 for the majority of the campaign meaning Tottenham have been forced to play in front of low crowds. Pochettino admitted that he feared the move into their new home may not happen before the end of the season.

The focus must now turn to finishing the season strongly as Spurs still have an outside chance in the Premier League title race. Regardless of where they finish, attention must also turn to the summer transfer window after not making a single signing this season. Adding quality additions would help Tottenham challenge at the top of the standings again.

One man Spurs should look to sign is Genk hotshot – Leandro Trossard. Valued at £12.6m by Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season at the club after various loan spells away from his current employers. The Belgian has been ever-present for his side, making 29 appearances in all competitions.

The forward, who can play right across the forward line, has been in fantastic form in front of goal, netting 17 goals as well as registering eight assists for his team-mates. Trossard is blessed with frightening pace and his low centre of gravity makes him a nightmare for defenders to deal with. Now adding goals to his game, his arrival at Tottenham would finally give Pochettino some quality attacking depth.

Arsenal are reportedly (as per Football London) keeping tabs on the winger who would be available for around £22m – Spurs should do everything they can to beat the Gunners to his signature.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

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Newcastle United have a truly excellent striker in their ranks.

Elias Sorensen is just 19 and has been in quite brilliant form for the club’s youth teams. This season alone, he has scored 12 goals in 14 Premier League 2 games and has also netted four in five in the EFL Trophy, all of which came against senior sides – Doncaster Rovers, Notts County, Grimsby Town and Macclesfield.

His step up from the Under-18s to the Under-23s has been seamless. After netting 15 goals in 33 outings for the U18s, including six assists, Sorensen found a ruthless streak upon his age jump.

The same is true of his international career. Sorensen played for the Under-17s and the Under-18s for Denmark but did not score. But he has two in two for the Under-21s.

The Shields Gazette quote senior manager Rafael Benitez from November, when the Spaniard claimed that the teenager was knocking on the door of the first-team after training with them.

He said: “We’re lucky to have some young players coming sometimes to help the first team. He did well. He has energy and movement.

“We’re just talking about a couple of training sessions, but you could see the lad has the effort and desire to play in the first team.

“It depends on him. The players have to knock on the door by what they do on the pitch.”

His latest test came in January. Fresh from signing a new contract with the Magpies, he was loaned to Blackpool, in League One. He has made one appearance so far, managing just 32 minutes.

Chronicle Live report that Sorensen spoke to Sean Longstaff about his move, with the midfielder having played for the Seasiders before making his breakthrough at Newcastle. He has made six Premier League appearances this season.

He said: “You see Sean getting a few games in the Premier League now and he went away to Blackpool and Kilmarnock, so a few loan spells for him worked very well.

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“I spoke to him about it and he liked it when he was here. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me as well.

“I’m excited to see what it brings. Hopefully, I can get a few games in League One and show what I’m capable of.”

If his record in the youth teams is anything to go by, Sorensen will take the third-tier by storm.

Newcastle fans should keep an eye on him. If he can reach his potential, he could well be the club’s next great No.9.

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Tottenham spurned a golden opportunity to heap pressure on the top two on Saturday afternoon, but one BBC pundit thinks the Lilywhites were never even in the title race.

After scraping wins against Newcastle, Leicester and Watford, it was perhaps unsurprising to see Tottenham falter this weekend.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side may have been picking up results in Dele Alli and Harry Kane’s absence, but outside of the 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund the performances have generally been poor.

The display was sub-par again even with Kane’s return on Saturday, as goals from Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes were enough to life the Clarets to a 2-1 win, and Shearer believes that this has been coming for quite some time.

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What’s the word?

“Tottenham didn’t do enough to win the game – despite having Harry Kane back from injury,” Shearer, a fixture on BBC’s Match of the Day, wrote for The Sun.

“Mauricio Pochettino can complain all he likes to the referee at the end but he’s got to look at his own players for not defending the corner properly.

“I thought Spurs were out of it (the title race) after their defeat to Wolves on December 29,” he continued.

“I don’t think there was ever a serious title threat from Tottenham and I never thought they would win it.”

Has he got a point?

Shearer is spot on in his criticism of Spurs’ performance, as the visitors at Turf Moor created little of any substance, yet looked vulnerable to every high ball into their box.

However, to say Pochettino’s side are out of the title race is truly absurd, as they still have games play against both of the sides above them.

The north Londoners are just six points off the top of the league, with trips to Anfield and the Etihad still to come.

Those will of course be mightily difficult fixtures to take three points from, but counting Spurs out is short-sighted and foolish.

Newcastle United supporters have suffered for the majority of the January window in predictable and uneventful fashion, but the conclusion of the month seems to have thrown up a handful of welcome surprises.

Shortly before Newcastle kicked off against Manchester City last night, news broke that, at long last, the club are on the brink of breaking their long-standing transfer record. After putting a first minute goal behind them, the news seemed to galvanise the club as Rafa Benitez’s diligent side managed to turn the game on its head and clinch three vital points against the reigning champions at St James’ Park.

The euphoria of a thrilling victory continued into Wednesday morning, but the supporters attention has largely been focused on the imminent arrival of Almiron, who arrived in Newcastle today to complete the record-breaking deal.

Weeks of speculation appear to be finally coming to an end in a dramatic conclusion which few would have been brave enough to predict given Mike Ashley’s transfer history, but who exactly is Almiron?

Well, avid watchers of the MLS will eulogise about the Paraguay international’s exciting all-action approach in the number ten role, but his lack of experience in European football is a notable concern.

Indeed, South American football expert Tim Vickery delivered his verdict on Almiron while speaking to Sky Sports, hinting that the speed of English football may catch him by surprise in the early stages of his career on Tyneside.

“I think he’s got a lot to bring to the Premier League, he is going to have to sharpen up his decision making in the final third, especially as he’s moving to a football which is much more intense than in the MLS and in South America.”

Making the transition to life in the Premier League is seldom a seamless endeavour and Almiron is unlikely to be an exception to the rule.

As Vickery has alluded to, the 24-year-old will need time to adapt to his new environment and it would be unjustified for supporters to expect instant fireworks from their club-record signing.

After all, the pressure that naturally arrives with that tag has been bestowed upon his shoulders due to an anomalous set of circumstances: a club of Newcastle’s stature would typically have broken their record years before Almiron’s arrival if the club were not constrained by the manacles of an atypical owner, while his price-tag remains modest in the context of an extortionate modern economic climate.

The pressure is on for the imminent arrival to succeed at Newcastle, but can Almiron rise to the challenge?

Newcastle fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Liverpool lost further ground in the title race after lumbering to a 1-1 draw against West Ham at the London Stadium.

Despite taking the lead through Sadio Mane despite James Milner crossing from an offside position, Liverpool were far from their best and couldn’t find a winner after Michail Antonio equalised far too easily for the hosts. The second successive draw will be a cause for concern for Jurgen Klopp with Manchester City breathing down their necks. The injury-stricken Reds will hope to return to winning ways against Bournemouth at the weekend.

Both their brilliance in attack and resilience in defence has dissipated during their recent games. Indeed, their injury problems at the back have done nothing to help their rearguard. Both Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez have faced spells on the sidelines this season. Gomez, in particular, could miss the rest of the season – yet another long-term injury for the youngster.

While his form this season has been excellent, the England international has gained a reputation for picking up injuries and Klopp must question whether he can be relied upon as Virgil van Dijk’s long-term centre-back partner.

If not, the German should make a move for Napoli defensive rock – Kalidou Koulibaly. Valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, the Senegal international has developed into one of the world’s best defenders since joining the Serie A side – his excellent talents were on show against the Reds in the Champions League. Combining pace, power and composure – Koulibaly would be a frightening prospect alongside the Dutchman in the Liverpool back four.

It could take another world-record fee to prise him from Naples but his arrival at Anfield would take their defence to a whole new level.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?