Latest news with #defender
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Doncaster sign O'Riordan from Blackburn
Doncaster Rovers have signed defender Connor O'Riordan from Blackburn Rovers on a season-long 21-year-old has made over 100 senior appearances having come through the ranks at Crewe Alexandra before his move to Ewood Park.O'Riordan has also represented Republic of Ireland at age-group level."Connor is a player we have admired for a long time. He's been exceptional for Crewe and rightly got his move to Blackburn," Doncaster manager Grant McCann told the club website., external"Although he's young, he's played over 100 senior games at League One and Two level as well as a few games in the Championship for Blackburn."
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Ibrahima Konate's contract, a Liverpool dilemma and the prospect of history repeating itself
Liverpool losing a defender in the prime of his career. Sound familiar? No, we are not talking about Trent Alexander-Arnold. This time, the focus turns to Ibrahima Konate and the position Liverpool could find themselves in for a second year running. Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid at the end of his contract generated plenty of frustration among a large section of the fanbase — not only because he decided to leave, but also that a player at his peak was going to play elsewhere and improve a European rival. Advertisement Konate is 12 months away from leaving for nothing too, and there is growing concern that the centre-back's future lies away from Anfield. Reports in recent days have suggested the French international has decided the upcoming campaign will be his last at Anfield, with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid reportedly among his potential suitors. A Konate exit would be a blow. He will be 27 when his contract runs out, and last season his performances pushed him towards being included in the top bracket of elite centre-backs, playing a key part in Liverpool's title win. There is a reason why the two clubs who have won the last two Champions League titles have been most heavily linked with him. Liverpool have not given up hope of agreeing a new deal with the defender and are keen to keep him. Discussions have been ongoing since the early months of last season but there has been no agreement yet. Wanting to re-sign Konate is a show of faith that he can step up to be the senior defender when Virgil van Dijk eventually departs. Alongside the Dutch defender, Konate has shown all of his defensive qualities — duel success, anticipation, aerial dominance and covering speed — and they complement each other well. However, we have yet to see the Frenchman excel when leading the defence without Van Dijk over a stretch of matches. Head coach Arne Slot's possession-based style requires his centre-backs to be confident and comfortable ball progressors. Repeatedly, the head coach has lavished praise on Van Dijk and was taken aback in the early weeks of working with him at how good he was at breaking lines with passes and switching play. Notably, when discussing Konate publicly, Slot has highlighted the defender's distribution as an area they have been trying to develop. The last time the defender spoke about his situation publicly was after lifting the league title on the final day of the season. He made his thoughts very clear about online speculation. Advertisement 'You know, I just want to say one thing: everything you saw on social media is completely fake,' Konate told reporters. 'I didn't even ask for something from the club. They made me an offer, and I replied to them with something, that is it. 'The rest (speculation) that I want to wait until the end… I want this, all of it is completely fake. And even the big journalists said in November I am very close to signing the deal. I was like: 'Ah, they have more information than me?!' 'It was not true at that moment, and that is why I was a little bit mad because it was not true at that moment. I knew at one moment people would think I didn't want to sign the contract, but I was never close to signing it. We will see what will happen.' GO DEEPER Konate interview: 'Slot's Liverpool philosophy is different to Klopp's, but he didn't ask me to change' So, what options do Liverpool have as they try to navigate another contract saga? There is the argument that, if Konate has made up his mind to leave, they should cash in on him. However, there is unlikely to be much appetite for the likes of PSG or Madrid to pay for a player they can get for free in a year. The partnership between Marquinhos and Willian Pacho was integral to the French side's treble success. Real Madrid have already strengthened the centre of their defence with the signing of 19-year-old Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth for £50million ($69m), but Antonio Rudiger's contract is set to expire next summer. Liverpool have shown they are prepared to put sporting interests ahead of financial ones, allowing players to go into the final year of their deal and risk losing them to reap the short-term benefits. If they are winning trophies and Konate plays a part, then that stance is justifiable. The defence has also already gone through a fairly significant revamp. Full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have arrived and Jarell Quansah's imminent departure means at least one more centre-back has to be brought in. Alexander-Arnold has gone and the expectation is that one of Andy Robertson or Kostas Tsimikas will depart. Advertisement Konate going would require another centre-back to be acquired. That is a lot of upheaval and would mean a high chance that only Virgil van Dijk from last season's first-choice defence would start on the opening day against Bournemouth next season. Konate may reject any attempts made to sell him anyway, opting to remain in control of his next move and financially benefit from a signing bonus from whichever club he chooses. He does seem to be preparing to be at Anfield next season after his recent Instagram post reflecting on the campaign ended with: 'Next season, we go again!' The conundrum then becomes how he is used. Slot has shown he is prepared to involve players if they give the team the best chance of success. Alexander-Arnold announced his decision following Liverpool clinching the title, but he informed Slot he was leaving in March. The obvious option is to continue as normal as Slot did with Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, all of whom were in the final year of their contract last season. Ideally, his partnership with Van Dijk continues to flourish and a new deal is signed. Yet if the direction of travel is heading a certain way, the type of defender Liverpool sign to fill the Quansah-shaped hole could impact decisions. If they opt for a ready-to-play option, like Marc Guehi for example — rather than a youngster — the Crystal Palace defender would arrive wanting to play. Provided he settles quickly, should he become the first choice alongside Van Dijk because he is part of the future? That decision may come in January, as that is when Konate would be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with overseas clubs. It may drag on until April or May, as all three contract situations did last season. The 2026 World Cup is a factor because Konate's place in Didier Deschamps' first-choice XI is not a certainty and risking a lack of game time because he plans to leave could harm his chances. Konate was on the pitch when Alexander-Arnold felt the wrath of Anfield in his first appearance following his announcement, so he knows what he could be letting himself in for. The perceived hypocrisy of Alexander-Arnold's decision fuelled frustration, and while Konate is not the 'local lad', there will be backlash for a second player walking away from the club in two years, especially if they head to the same club. Advertisement It is not a good look for Liverpool either. In the past, players have been waved-off on the club's terms. A Konate departure would be the second player to leave on their own terms. Until a definitive decision is made, it is a cloud that will hang over the centre-back and Liverpool in the upcoming months.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Premier League club weighing up transfer options after Middlesbrough scouting brief
CRYSTAL Palace sent scouts to watch Rav van den Berg at the European Under-21 Championships - but the Middlesbrough defender is one of several potential targets for the Premier League club as they look to strengthen at centre-half this summer. Van den Berg's tournament was brought to an end on Wednesday night when the Netherlands went down 2-1 to England at the semi-final stage. Advertisement The Boro defender was an unused substitute in the first two games of the tournament but was brought into the starting XI for the final group game and then played every minute of the two knockout fixtures for Michael Reiziger's side. Palace have long tracked van den Berg and it's understood the FA Cup winners sent a scout out to the tournament tasked with closely watching a couple of players in particular, including Boro's defender. But Palace are currently assessing several potential defensive targets as they weigh up their options at centre-half. Ousmane Diomande is said to have been identified as their top target this summer, but the Sporting Lisbon defender is interesting a number of Premier League clubs. Advertisement RECOMMENDED READING: Palace are said to want to sign a defender this summer, regardless of what happens with their captain Marc Guehi. Guehi is wanted by Newcastle and Arsenal, while Liverpool have also been linked with the England international. The 24-year-old is moving into the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park and there's no indication that he'll sign a new deal. With that in mind, Palace are keen to offload the defender this summer but are understood to be asking for around £70m. Reports this week suggested Guehi will be happy to see out his contract if the right move doesn't materialise. Advertisement Van den Berg has long been on the radar of numerous clubs throughout Europe, with Boro having won a fierce battle for the highly-rated defender's signature two years ago. Van den Berg enjoyed a superb first season on Teesside but he struggled to find top form in his injury-disrupted second campaign. Dutch Under-21s boss and former Boro defender Reiziger was asked on the back of his side's defeat to England whether he believes van den Berg is ready to step up to the Premier League. He said: "He played a very good tournament and when he was getting in the squad he gave a lot of energy. Advertisement "Today, almost every time in the first half, he played one-on-one and I think he won a lot of his duels, so he will be very satisfied." Earlier this month, van den Berg admitted he was aware of transfer interest this summer. He told De Stentor in the Netherlands: "I still support the decision to go to Middlesbrough. The city may not be the most beautiful in England and I don't like fish and chips. But it has been good for my development, because I have played a lot. 'My brother Sepp took a different path by transferring to Liverpool, a big club. But he has done very well in a roundabout way, he now plays almost everything at Brentford. "That is also important to me and decisive in a choice, I want playing time. I did tell my agent that he should only call if a club is very serious. Did he call after that? Yes. But I can't say anything more about it."
CTV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
A.J. Allen gives us an early Roughriders game day forecast
Regina Watch Saskatchewan Roughrider defender A.J. Allen, fresh off his first career CFL sack, stopped by the studio to give us his game day forecast!
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Consistent performer' Doran-Barr signs new deal with champions Hibs
League-winning defender and "key component" Lauren Doran-Barr has signed a one-year contract extension with right-back, 24, has made 68 appearances for the capital club since joining from Motherwell two years ago and had interest from other played a pivotal part in Grant Scott's side's SWPL success last season and she says that title win has made her "hungry for more"."After an unforgettable season winning the league with such a special group, I'm delighted to continue my journey with the club," she told club media."That feeling of success just fuels the hunger for more and, as a group, we're determined to build on it. "This is exactly the kind of ambitious and driven environment you want to be part of as a player."Head coach Scott said it was "a real boost" to secure the services of Doran-Barr for next season."We're absolutely delighted to keep Lauren for the upcoming season," he added. "She's been a consistent performer and a key component of our defensive line that's kept so many clean sheets."She's been vital to our success and it's a real boost to know she's chosen to stay with us, despite interest from elsewhere."She's an important part of what we're building here."
