WanderlustSport

In a year devoid of a significant international tournament, triumphing in the Champions League is undoubtedly crucial for clinching the Ballon d’Or. Therefore, that ought to conclude the discussion about Real Madrid.  Here are the top 10 contenders for the award, based on the bookmakers' odds…  Favorites to claim the 2025 Ballon d’Or   10. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia [Paris Saint-Germain] Outstanding since his January transfer from Napoli, aiding the French team in effortlessly securing another league championship while more significantly remaining focused on achieving that coveted Champions League trophy.  9. Kylian Mbappé [Real Madrid] "Personal awards matter as well, such as the Ballon d’Or." I understand what I need to do to achieve victory, many asks both on and off the field. "When I take all the necessary steps to achieve victory, I will achieve it," says the Frenchman.  And if he fails to accomplish all that he must – which he definitely has not – then he will...

Arsenal icon Jens Lehmann asserts that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta will be dismissed next season if he fails to secure the Premier League title.  The Gunners are poised to finish second in the Premier League for the third consecutive season after Liverpool was confirmed as champions on Sunday.  A remarkable 5-1 victory against Tottenham secured the Reds’ 20th English top-tier championship, with Arne Slot’s team 15 points clear of Arsenal as they approached the last four games of the season.  Arsenal have struggled to match Liverpool in the latter half of the season, but their strong performance in the Champions League has lifted their spirits.  Two exceptional performances versus Real Madrid guaranteed a 5-1 aggregate victory in the quarter-finals, securing their spot against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.  Even though Arsenal had several good opportunities to score, they were unable to penetrate PSG's defense during their first leg match. Ousmane Demb...

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has shared his thoughts on the possibility of Viktor Gyokeres being attracted to transfer from Sporting CP to Old Trafford this summer.  The Red Devils have faced challenges this season in the Premier League, with Ruben Amorim’s team sitting 14th in the standings as they approach the last four games of the season.  Just four Premier League teams have netted fewer goals than Man Utd this season, and Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have faced significant criticism for their goal drought.  Hojlund netted his fourth goal in the Premier League this season during the 1-1 tie with Bournemouth on Sunday, whereas Zirkzee has managed just three.  Currently, there are intentions in the transfer market for Man Utd to acquire a new striker before the next season, with Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, Liam Delap, and others mentioned.  Recent days have seen increasing speculation regarding a possible transfer for Gyokeres, with talk of a pote...

Arsenal's loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the other Champions League semi-final prompted the unsurprising backlash against Mikel Arteta, who is labeled the Nearly Manager following his inability (even though he hasn’t truly failed in this situation) to guide the Gunners to a trophy for the fourth consecutive season.  He was 'outcoached' by Luis Enrique, having presumably, by that reasoning, 'outcoached' the most successful Champions League manager ever in the prior round against Real Madrid. For certain fans and many competitors – whom we believe might have hidden agendas – the solution is for the Arsenal board to dismiss the individual who has guided them to their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years and probably their third consecutive second-place finish in the Premier League.  After 21 minutes in Barcelona, we braced ourselves for more dramatics from those demanding Arteta's dismissal, as the top contender to succeed him at the Emirates had seen his ...

Marcus Rashford’s sibling and representative, Dwaine Maynard, has been ‘seen’ with Manchester City officials as a ‘noticeable presence’ to observe his brother playing football.  Rashford joined Villa on loan in January and achieved four goals and six assists during a mostly impressive period before sustaining a hamstring injury that appears likely to sideline him for the remainder of the season.  Earlier this week, a report suggested that Man Utd and Aston Villa are currently 'negotiating' about ending his loan prematurely.  Rashford realizes that there probably won't be a future for him at Old Trafford with Ruben Amorim, so the Red Devils will consider offers. He intends to meet with his employers prior to mid-June.  However, he might have to come back sooner than anticipated if both clubs reach an agreement, as he is unlikely to recover within three weeks. This occurs despite Villa having a £40m purchase option for Rashford included in their loan deal with United....

Although Enzo Maresca emphasizes that the advancements at Chelsea are evident due to the owners' support during his initial season at Stamford Bridge, reports indicate that the Blues' board is now 'split' regarding the Italian's future.  In the face of fan discontent during a stretch where Chelsea has secured only seven victories in 18 Premier League matches, dropping from title contenders to outsiders for Champions League spots, reports indicate there are now ‘significant concerns regarding his style of play,’ and ‘the noticeable decline in performance from star player Cole Palmer has also attracted attention.’  Ending up in the top five will probably save him, with the UEFA Conference League serving as the icing on what would be a successful season. Even if he fails to qualify, it might not result in his dismissal. However, we've prepared a list of 10 managers that we believe the Chelsea leadership will/should consider if they decide to part ways with Maresca....

Manchester City require a substitute for Kevin de Bruyne, but who should it be? The figures indicate that these 10 playmakers are quite alike in their playing styles.  We examined FBRef for alternatives in Europe's top five leagues that share similar traits to De Bruyne. Specifically, being extremely imaginative and forward-thinking with their passing.  Several of these players have already been associated with City, so the statistics genuinely reflect the truth.  10. Florian Wirtz [Bayer Leverkusen] Last week, the term used for Wirtz was ‘ideal’; he’s youthful, he’s an exceptional player, he seems prepared to advance to the Premier League, and Pep Guardiola reportedly is a huge admirer. So substantial, in fact, that he is prepared to accept the £94m expenditure required to acquire the incredibly skilled German, who is on track for double digits in Bundesliga goal contributions for the second consecutive season.  9. Julian Brandt [Borussia Dortmund] More than ten yea...

Who would want to be a referee and what’s the point? It’s mostly sorrow and hardly any appreciation. All your effort amounts to nothing. Here is a group of privileged fools and their subservient admirers who will blame you for anything from ineptitude to dishonesty and treat you dreadfully.  The happenings at Real Madrid TV are merely the most recent example of the issue. The platform displayed a video highlighting referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea's mistakes during the Copa Del Rey final against Barcelona, effectively harassing him with their victim mentality.  It is culturally common for in-house TV channels to enable a club platform to accomplish this. Unilateral venues for discussions about persecution, corruption, inadequacy, inconsistency, and other ‘why does this continually happen to us?’ paranoia that only the emotionally immature fools participate in. They may fully believe it, but it's more probable that it's merely a cynical strategy to gather and retain fans...

Enzo Maresca stated that Cole Palmer's lack of goals was a “mental” problem before the match, emphasizing it was unrelated to him, his strategies, or a playing style that has caused Chelsea to fall from title contenders to Champions League qualification outsiders now firmly established at Stamford Bridge.  "Absolutely, it's all in the mind." I don’t believe it’s tactical, nor do I believe it’s technical, since Cole remains the same player who scored for us this season. The type of football we play is the same as before. The manager remains the same. The club is identical. “Everything remains the same for Cole, and Cole remains unchanged.”  Palmer is evidently experiencing a deficiency in self-assurance. For an extended period during this dry spell, it seemed only a matter of time until he would conclude it, yet the confidence that characterized his exceptional football in his first season and a half at Chelsea now seems to have almost vanished, leading to the astonish...

Thus, three is on the verge of turning into six. Once the last formalities of Ipswich’s relegation are finalized, most likely this weekend, the last six teams promoted from the Championship will have immediately returned to the lower division.  This information isn’t fresh, as the trapdoor has been steadily closing on the promoted trio since Wolves eventually took action a few months back, but the enormity of that trio’s failure becomes more evident with each passing week.  The conventional ’40-point barrier’ has rarely been a true necessity for survival in the Premier League, yet witnessing teams unsteadily achieving mathematical safety over a month before the season concludes, without hitting that target, remains unsettling.  The previous season was quite similar, as Nottingham Forest's points deduction created a false impression of how near the teams that were promoted and then relegated were to those ranked higher. Forest struggled last season, but even without the po...

Jamie Vardy has announced he will depart Leicester City after the conclusion of the 2024/25 season, marking the end of a truly extraordinary career in Premier League history.  The 37-year-old, who notably ascended from non-league anonymity to Premier League champion, revealed his choice in a heartfelt video shared by Leicester on Thursday afternoon.  His exit will signify the conclusion of a 13-year tenure at the club, during which he netted 181 goals in 460 matches across all competitions and emerged as a symbol of Leicester’s contemporary era.  Vardy transferred to Leicester from Fleetwood Town in 2012 for £1 million—a record transfer fee for a non-league player at that time. He faced a challenging first season at Championship level but would later lead Leicester to promotion, survival, and ultimately the championship.  "Each time I advanced to a new level, I was caught off guard, but when it occurred, I ensured I worked as diligently as possible to remain there," ...

Jamie Carragher criticized an Arsenal player for having an “average season” following the Gunners' draw with Crystal Palace, which left Liverpool requiring only one point to claim the Premier League title.  The Gunners went ahead two times during the evening with goals from Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard, but were brought level thanks to brilliant strikes from Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta. In the final ten minutes, they were lucky to secure a point, as Palace pressed hard for the win.  Both teams have more important matters to attend to, as Palace is getting ready for their FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa on Saturday, while Arsenal is set to play Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final next week.  However, this was Arsenal's 13th draw of  the season and the ninth where they dropped points after leading, and they might not have lagged so much behind Liverpool this year if it weren't for their captain's lackluster dis...