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Jhon Duran, a Colombian wonderkid, joins Aston Villa.

19-year-old Colombian striker Jhon Duran has been signed by Aston Villa following a £15 million ($18m) deal with MLS outfit the Chicago Fire.

Duran who is already the second-youngest player to score in the Colombian top flight at the age of 15, became the most expensive foreign signing in MLS history after moving to Chicago from Envigado in January 2021.

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The Colombia international contributed eight goals and five assists during the 2022 campaign for MLS, getting attention from Manchester United and Liverpool’s scouts.

Villa has however announced that they have successfully negotiated a transfer fee with their Chicago Fire counterparts.

The club said in a statement;

“Aston Villa can confirm that an agreement has been reached with Chicago Fire for the permanent transfer of 19-year-old striker, Jhon Duran.

“The deal is subject to the player passing a medical, agreeing personal terms and obtaining the necessary work visa.”

Should a transfer be completed in due course, Duran will depart Chicago Fire after just one season, his development having previously begun at Engivado FC.

Villa has moved away from the Premier League relegation zone since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in October, collecting 13 points from six matches under the Spaniard.

They now sit in 11th position in the table, 10 points above the bottom three and just six adrift of sixth-placed Fulham ahead of a trip to Southampton on January 21.

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Real Madrid is defeated by Barcelona to win the Super Cup trophy.

Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup on January 15 in Saudi Arabia by defeating Real Madrid 3-1.

Gavi and Pedri

Barcelona was dominant in every aspect of the game and took advantage of three mistakes by Real Madrid to score. Goals from Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Pedri were enough to end the club’s trophy drought and also earned Xavi Hernandez his first trophy as a coach.

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The La Liga table toppers took the lead when 18-year-old Gavi fired in from Robert Lewandowski’s pass. Lewandowski struck just before halftime when he finished from Gavi’s pass.

Gavi got another assist in the second half as he set up Pedri, before Karim Benzema struck a late consolation.

The game would have finished with a bigger margin if goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had not secured some smart saves.

Since being defeated 3-1 by Real Madrid in October 2022, Barcelona has gone from strength to strength and have secured the number one spot on the La Liga table. This victory also extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine games.

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Mykhailo Mudryk is presented to fans after Chelsea signed him ahead of Arsenal.

The 22-year-old winger committed to the London club in an 8-year, €100 million agreement. According to sources speaking to ESPN, the package includes a fixed cost of €70 million and an additional €30 million in add-ons, matching the Ukrainian club’s asking price for the sale of the 22-year-old.

Mykhailo Mudryk

Mudryk has previously stated on social media that he prefers to play for Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Arsenal reportedly made their third offer for Mudryk on Friday, January 13. The bid was believed to comprise around €70m up front with what one source described as “significant add-ons,” although the overall package was still thought to be short of Shakhtar’s €100m valuation.

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He looked poised to sign for London rivals Arsenal before a last-minute intervention from Chelsea’s recruitment head Paul Winstanley and co-owner Behdad Eghbali on Saturday, January 14, with the pair flying to Turkey to negotiate the deal.

Chelsea offered Mudryk a better wage package and a longer contract than what Arsenal tabled. Insiders also said the €30m in bonuses involved in the Chelsea deal are easily achievable.

“We are delighted to welcome Mykhailo to Chelsea,”Todd Boehly, Chelsea chairman said. Behdad Eghbali, the co-controlling owner, added “He’s a hugely exciting talent who we believe will be a terrific addition to our squad both now and in the years to come. He will add further depth to our attack and we know he’ll get a very warm welcome to London.”

The 22-year-old was in attendance for Chelsea’s game against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge today, January 15, and he was presented to fans.

Speaking to the club website, Mudryk said;

“I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea. This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career. I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”

The Ukrainian footballer is now the fifth arrival at Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.

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Karim Benzema denies having a falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid has denied having a falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has reunited with his former teammates in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona today, January 15.

Benzema and Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was spotted in photos speaking to Real Madrid players, but Benzema was nowhere to be seen, leading to speculation of an alleged rift.

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The claim has however been shut down by Benzema who told reporters that they don’t need to take photos to say they are friends.

He said;

“We don’t need to take photos to say we’re friends, the photos are for Instagram or Twitter, that’s another world.

“We didn’t have time to greet each other because I was training and immediately he also went to train. I hope to see him tomorrow at the stadium and be able to talk to him for a while.”

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Chelsea’s board of directors fully supports me – Graham Potter.

Graham Potter has stated that he has the full support of the club’s board ahead of Chelsea’s match against Crystal Palace today, January 15, despite his team’s poor performance in the previous ten matches.

Graham potter

Potter who admitted that he was under pressure after two defeats before the World Cup break, told reporters that if anyone he works for thinks the problem lies with him, they have the right to sack him.

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He said;

“There are always questions if you don’t get the results. I was under pressure after two defeats before the World Cup break – and that is from the media. In terms of the board, I’ve had full support but I am not naive. If anybody that I work for thinks the problem lies with me then they have every right to say, ‘Thank you very much but it’s not working’. I accept that.”

When asked if the players were still committed to his ideas, Potter said;

“From what I see, they are professional, responsible, and honest. We’re in a bad moment and we’ve got challenges, everyone suffers from that point. January is always complicated no matter where you are because the window is open and human beings are human beings, but I don’t see any problems in that regard. I have the support of the boys and they have mine. We just need to keep working.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo Junior will join a football academy in Saudi Arabia.

Cristiano Ronaldo Junior, the son of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, will join Saudi Arabia’s Mahd Football Academy following his father’s recent move to Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his son.

Recall that 37-year-old Ronaldo recently signed for Saudi side Al-Nassr in a mouth-watering that saw him become the highest-paid sportsman in the World.

Before the family’s recent relocation to the Middle East country, Ronaldo Junior spent two years in Juventus’ academy system while his father was playing in Italy. He most recently wore the No. 7 shirt as a prospect with Manchester United and was also featured in Real Madrid’s youth team.

The youngster who was recently spotted pulling off his father’s iconic ‘siuuu’ celebration after scoring in an Under-12s tournament for the Red Devils, has left United too and will now play at an academy level in Saudi Arabia.

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Manchester United staged a stunning late comeback to defeat Manchester City in a tense derby at Old Trafford.

Who else besides Marcus Rashford? The Manchester United striker scored his 16th goal of the season in the 82nd minute, giving Erik ten Hag’s team a memorable victory.

Casemiro and Marcus Rashford

It came when Alejandro Garnacho, who had come on as a substitute, twisted and turned in Manchester City’s area before rolling the ball into Rashford, who was unstoppable.

Alejandro Garnacho

Earlier, Pep Guardiola had greeted Jack Grealish’s leaping header with a cheeky grin and punch of the air to celebrate his decision to bring on the winger only three minutes before.

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That strike was on the hour and threw down a challenge to United: after dominating for long swathes of this 189th derby could they recover poise and find a way back?

The answer was a resounding yes to the first and second questions, in a response that began with Bruno Fernades equalizing. This occurred when Casemiro flighted a beautiful pass in behind City. Rashford was offside but did not touch the ball, allowing Fernandes to charge in and slam home. The flag was raised at first, and a furious Fernandes led the protests to the assistant referee. However, after a brief pause, the finish was ruled fair – which it was, much to United’s delight.

Bruno Fernandes

Even better, Rashford followed to send Old Trafford into raptures. The home crowd was deafeningly loud, those in blue stunned by Ten Hag’s side’s refusal to be cowed by the champions. At the end, twin challenges from Antony and Garnacho – on Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker, respectively – were an apt symbol of how United showed the courage Ten Hag said was lacking after being thrashed 6-3 at the Etihad in October.

That is now a particularly distant memory, with United closing in on a point against City.

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Jurgen Klopp has expressed regret over Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Asia.

Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, has stated that he regrets his team’s pre-season tour of Asia, which they took to prepare for the current season.

In July 2022, they played Manchester United (losing 4-0 in Thailand) and Crystal Palace (winning 2-0 in Singapore) before jetting off to Germany to continue their preparations.

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Commenting on things he felt he could have done differently during a recent interview, Klopp stated that while he regrets the tour, he doesn’t think it’s why they’ve put a poor performance this season.

He said;

“Would I do anything different? I wouldn’t go in the first week to Asia. Not because Asia isn’t great, but I wouldn’t go [even] in the third week [of pre-season]. But it’s not really in our hands. Is that the reason [for our struggles]? I don’t think so, but it would have been better to do it differently. We learn from these things.”

When asked if the 64-game 2021-22 season has had an effect on the current campaign, Klopp said;

“It must have! We can say that now. But there was no book written about it, no data for it, because nobody did it before.”

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Bruno Fernandes speaks ahead of the Manchester derby.

Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United has stated that he and his teammates are not afraid to face Manchester City today, January 14, despite the fact that they are one of the best teams in the world.

While Manchester United are just four points behind Manchester City on the Premier League table, Fernandes stated that they believe in themselves and are not afraid of anyone.

He said;

“Man City are one of the best clubs in the league, but it is about believing in ourselves,” said Fernandes. “Now probably you can see a team that has a way to play that convinces the fans and the players it is the right one that can win games.

“You go into every game and the feeling you have now is that we are not afraid to play against anyone. In the past you couldn’t see that. When the toughest games were coming, there was a little bit of ‘can we do it or not?’.

“But now if you look at the fans, the players, everyone, you feel that we can play face-to-face with everyone at this moment. We know what this game means for everyone in the city, in the club, for the fans, for ourselves. It’s been a good moment for us.”

Manchester United has lost more Premier League home games against City than they have against any other opponent. In their last match at the Etihad in October 2022, they were defeated 6-3 by Manchester City. This might be an opportunity to rewrite their history.

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The Premier League has announced the Player of the Month for November and December 2022.

The English Football Association has named the Premier League player of the month for November and December 2022.

Martin Odegaard And Mikel Arteta

The English FA, in an official statement, confirmed and announced the EA Sports Premier League player of the month for November and December 2022.

Arsenal captain and midfielder Martin Odegaard was recognized for his immense contribution to Arsenal’s current formidable form in the premier league leading to him becoming the second Norwegian after Erling Haaland to be crowned the player of the month in the premier league.

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Martin Odegaard was directly involved in six goals for Arsenal for the months of November and December 2022. The skipper in an official statement on the Arsenal website revealed:

“It feels great, I’ve said a lot of times this team has a lot of young, hungry players and we play so well with each other. It’s a pleasure to play with them and show my qualities so I’m very happy to get this award.”

Arsenal who are currently five points ahead of Manchester City to retain a first place on the premier league table would be looking to continue the formidable form as games in January 2023 continue to come in thick and fast.

The gunners would take on Tottenham on Sunday, January 15th, 2023 and also face Manchester United on Sunday the 22nd of January 2023 in back-to-back matches for the London side.

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