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Italian club Juventus reportedly wants to sign out-of-favour Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy in the summer.
According to Fichajes, the Old Lady want to sign the Senegal international this summer to provide cover and competition for current number-one goalie Wojciech Szczęsny, whose contract in Turin expires next year.
Mendy was the undisputed number one at Chelsea when he joined the Blues from Rennes in the summer of 2020. But he has lost his place as Chelsea’s no.1 this season, first under Thomas Tuchel and now under Graham Potter.
Juventus will be looking to make the most of his current situation to lure him to the Allianz Stadium, having been interested in the 31-year-old goalkeeper before he joined the Blues.
Brentford and England forward Ivan Toney is reportedly set for a ‘lengthy’ playing ban after pleading guilty to multiple football betting charges.
The 26-year-old striker has been slapped with 262 charges from the Football Association (FA) relating to gambling on the game – which date back to 2017. His case has been under review for some time by the FA, and he was rumoured to have missed the World Cup squad due to the matter.
And now, the Daily Mail are reporting he could be slapped with a playing ban after he pleaded guilty to many charges against him. Toney will reportedly face an imminent FA hearing, with a ban expected to be imposed before the season finishes.
Joey Barton was banned for 18 months (reduced to 13) after admitting to placing 1260 bets on football. This means that the Brentford striker can likely expect a suspension from all football for a number of months.
His absence will be a big hit for Brentford, who have benefited immensely from the striker’s 14 PL goals this season. However, the player is reportedly ‘resigned’ to receiving a ban and will accept his fate.
Milinkovic-Savic has been an influential figure in the Lazio midfield since joining from Genk in 2015. As such, the Rome-based club would love to keep him.
But I Biancocelesti haven’t been able to reach an agreement with him and would rather sell him now than lose him for nothing when next year, when his contract at the club expires.
The 28-year-old has been one of Serie A’s best players over the years and is also attracting interest from Newcastle and West Ham.
And according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, his next destination could be Barcelona if he leaves Merseyside this summer.
“Barca are linked to all the possible free agents, but at the moment, nothing is concrete or advanced between Keita or any other club”, Romano said.
“He will decide in the next few months. Barca are exploring the free agents market, but nothing is “serious” yet.”
Keita joined Liverpool in 2018 with much fanfare after impressive showings in RB Leipzig. But form and fitness have been an issue for the Guinean international, who made only 84 Premier League appearances in that time.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez.
According to TEAMtalk, the Argentina international is generating serious interest from a number of Premier League clubs, who are all set to battle for his signature this summer.
The 25-year-old Argentina international helped his country win the World Cup in Qatar last year. He’s been in red-hot form since returning and has scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in Serie A this season.
He’s considered one of Europe’s leading scorers, hence the fierce competition for his signature.
Martinez is priced at £75 million and still has three years left on his current deal. Therefore, it will be hard for any club to price him off Inter’s hand as they are not keen to sell at the moment.
This Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks fired Nate McMillan after a heart-wrenching 29-30 start to the season. The change was needed, but fans will do well to remember that McMillan is the second coach, Trae Young has failed to get along with. Young also clashed with former HC Lloyd Pierce.
Amidst their struggles and Young’s refusal to work closely with coaching, there is a chance that Trae Young will ask for a trade this off-season or the organization chooses to part ways with the star guard.
If Atlanta does let go of Young, the Miami Heat (+400), Chicago Bulls (+500), and the Dallas Mavericks (+600) are the favourites who might get the player in a trade.
These are the top 10 teams below:
Miami Heat (+400)
Chicago Bulls (+500)
Dallas Mavericks (+600)
Los Angeles Clippers (+700)
Los Angeles Lakers (+700)
Boston Celtics (+800)
Washington Wizards (+800)
Denver Nuggets (+900)
Minnesota Timberwolves (+900)
New Orleans Pelicans (+1200)
Currently, there are no signs that Trae Young will be traded off. After all, Atlanta has a shot at making the playoffs, presently sitting in a play-in spot and just 3.5 games behind the sixth-place New York Knicks. All hope isn’t lost yet.
However, it is apparent that the Heat’s offense is far from being efficient. Their ball movement is sub-par. They struggle to shoot a triple. Young and Dejounte Murray are not building the chemistry Atlanta hoped for. The plan is to bring in an HC who will be on the same page with Trae. But, if he gets into arguments with this one too, then the Hawks will likely trade him.
If the trade for Young goes through, the Atlanta Hawks will get a haul in return. Trae is averaging 26.7 points, 10.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds a game. His moving to Miami is also a thrilling move because of the Heat’s lack of a franchise point guard. Kyle Lowry is up to his neck and quite unreliable these days.
In the case of the Bulls, London Ball’s future is bleak after he got shut down for the remainder of the season, due to a knee injury. It is uncertain what will happen to him. Bringing Young into the Chicago backcourt beside Zach LaVine will be pure magic.
It will be good to see if Trae Young will stay out of trouble or not in the months to come.
Kevin Love got into a heated altercation with his new teammate Bam Adebayo after he arrived at Miami Heat.
Skilled shooter Kevin Love is recognized for his excellent marksmanship since he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and now he has gone to share that talent with Miami Heat.
After the news was announced, Love made an Instagram post confirming that he was a new Miami player. As fans already know, Bam Adebayo is currently a player with the Heat and wanted to welcome Love to the team properly. Adebayo’s comment was NSFW but that only meant that he and Kevin get on well. Hoop Central reported on the interaction that entertained fans with their responses.
A couple of new vets have arrived on the block just in time for the final stretch of the season 👀
Bam Adebayo is known to get creative with his banter, which he does with his other teammates, so, he didn’t waste time in telling Kevin to ‘make some fucking shots’. To which Love responded: “You better create some fucking space,” accompanied by flipping hand emojis.
It’s clear to see that these two Heat players are going to have lots of fun in Miami and take over the Eastern Conference. This is because presently, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics seem like the only teams that are dominating this division. Miami and Chicago Bulls need to step up their game and reassure fans that they too have something to offer.
There is no doubt that Miami will make good use of Kevin Love. During the 2022-23 season, Heat struggled badly at the start of the season but now sit at a 32-27 record. They are just half a game away from becoming the sixth position in the Eastern Conference standings.
The idea behind their hiring this veteran player is that Love will help them with their shooting and rebounds too. But, he is a far cry from the player he was although he still has some good games in him. Bam Adebayo’s comment was also a test to get him fired up for playing for the Miami Heat after he got his buyout from the Cavaliers.
Bam's averaging 21.6 ppg (career high) and 10.0 rpg at the break. Can't wait to see what our #NBAAllStar has in store for the rest of the season 💥 pic.twitter.com/jvpuP0O7mN
On Thursday, Eric Bieniemy was introduced as the new offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Washington Commanders, a job few people see as an opportunity for him to become a head coach one day.
Following the announcement, the former Kansas City Chiefs OC has come out to dispel rumours that he took the job just so that he could become a head coach somewhere else.
“Being a head coach right now is not in my thought process,” Eric told reporters. “I live in the moment. I’ve got to be where my feet are. Right now my feet are planted right here.”
A follow-up question though, Why Washington? The team has an unsettled QB situation – Sam Howell is in line to be QB1 – and owners Dan and Tanya Snyder are courting the possibility of a potential sale of the franchise.
Also, Head coach Ron Rivera may not have strong job security, heading into his fourth year on the job.
When asked, Bieniemy turned the question around.
“Why not Washington?” he said. “Look at all the talent. Look at the players they have. … I have never backed down from a challenge. I embrace this challenge.”
Rivera seems happy with securing Bieniemy for his squad, to control the team’s offense.
“We got our guy,” Rivera said while introducing Bieniemy on Thursday.
Eric Bieniemy was named officially as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator last week, as a replacement for Scott Turner. There were some questions as to why he would leave a successful Kansas City – which just won the Super Bowl LVII – for a position which is not a head coaching job.
However, in the last five seasons, Bieniemy held his role as Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, when he took the team to two titles in three Super Bowl appearances.
The OC, had one head-coaching interview this cycle, with the Indians Colts, but it is believed that he had interviewed with half of the teams in the NFL over the past five years. While speaking, he recounted the aftermath of the Super Bowl run – and the lack of opportunities in the interim.
“The past two weeks have been physically and emotionally draining in a good way,” Bieniemy said. “I knew that it was time to move on.”
A few narratives floating around is that Eric took the offer to get out of the colossal shadow of Andy Reid, the Chiefs’ head coach. But, less successful coordinators have gotten head-coaching offers within this time frame. Plus, two former lieutenants in Kansas City – Matt Nagy and Doug Pederson – got head-coaching jobs in the past, with Pederson getting a second shot with the Jacksonville Jaguars after separating from the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2020 season.
If Bieniemy was angry about his path, he did a good job of hiding it on Thursday.
“One thing in this profession you learn: Comfort is the enemy of progress,” he said. “I’m about accepting challenges moving forward. On top of that, I’m willing to embrace this journey.”
Next season, Bieniemy will be calling plays full-time with the Washington Commanders for the first time, although Reid did mention before the Super Bowl and immediately after defeating the Eagles that his former assistant was massively involved with the offensive planning and structure.
Eric Bieniemy drew a vague picture of what he expects for the Washington Commanders offense, but he dropped a few hints on how he’ll run things.
“I just want to make sure that these guys understand that there’s a way in which I know how to do it,” he said, adding he’s “fired up and excited” to call plays.
“But on top of that, I’ve got to make sure that I’m putting these guys in the best situation to be the most explosive, the most dynamic, and also, more importantly, giving us the best opportunity to be successful.
“… When it’s all said and done with, we’re going to play hard, we’re going to play fast, we’re going to have a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose in everything that we do. That’s where it starts, and it’s all about being accountable as well — understanding the fact that indirectly, we all impact each other’s lives. It’s my job to make sure I’m doing what is right by them, but on top of that, they’ve got to make sure that they’re doing right by each other.”
A few Commanders players – Howell, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, running back Brian Robinson, and some others, were present at the news conference to hear what their new OC had to say. Anytime the questions turned towards Bieniemy’s future head-coaching prospects, he turned the focus back on his new team and the offensive players he will be guiding.
“Today I’ve got to be the best person I can be, I’ve got to be the best coach that I can be and on top of that, I’ve got to get these guys in this building to learn to trust me, to get to know me but also understand what the term accountability means,” he said. “So I have to be accountable to these men. All that stuff about being a head coach, we can talk about that next year sometime.
Right now, I’m focused on the job at hand.” Eric Bieniemy said.
The Denver Broncos are hiring Vance Joseph to be their defensive coordinator under new head coach Sean Payton, Peter Schrager from Good Morning Football reported, per a source close informed of the decision.
Joseph for two seasons was the Broncos’ head coach from 2017-18, gathering an 11-21 record before he was fired. He had since then been in Arizona as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator for the past four seasons.
Being an experienced coordinator, Joseph was in high demand as a DC during the coaching cycle, conducting a long interview on Tuesday with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Denver hired Payton who was briefly retired for one year in the aftermath of a 15-season run as the New Orleans Saints head coach. Denver was not content with one comeback story, so they had to bring Joseph back too.
Vance will build a solid defensive line in Denver, headed by safety Justin Simmons, cornerback Patrick Surtain II and edge rusher Randy Gregory. Simmons and linebacker Josey Jewell are the only players left from Joseph’s tenure as Denver’s head coach.
The veteran coach will provide the Broncos’ defense with a type of experience and leadership that will help Payton redirect his efforts towards revamping Denver’s stray offense; starting with a rehabbing for Russell Wilson after a terrible 2022 campaign.
Joseph’s attacking 3-4 D, matches well with the Broncos’ personnel and style, which Payton wants his defenses to adopt. Last Season in Arizona, the Cardinals blitzed on 36.
1 per cent of downs, third-most in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats.
Denver’s new defense coach will keep defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and defensive backs coach Christian Parker on his staff. James Palmer from NFL Network reported, per a source.
Greg Manusky is being hired as an inside linebackers coach, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported, per a source.
Recently, the Broncos also held interviews for former Jets and Bills head coach, Rex Ryan and Patriots senior football advisor/offensive line coach Matt Patricia for the DC job before landing on Joseph.
Every hitter during the Major League season has at one point endured ups and downs, but sometimes those downs do not go away immediately. This was how it happened last season for the five MLB hitters listed below, who entered the 2022 campaign with hope, and some even had aspirations to become MVP.
Now, with Spring Training approaching, and a new MLB season underway, five MLB.com writers have picked their best candidates for which MLB hitters are most likely to bounce back in 2023. This is the list below:
Last year, underlying injury issues and lack of luck affected Muncy. The slugger’s strong 2021 ended with a torn UCL, which he got while attempting to catch a throw at first base that took his arm into the path of a baserunner on the final day of the regular season, denying him the rest of October and impacting a greater part of his play in 2022. In late May, Muncy went on the injured list for a left elbow inflammation. His average at that time was Just.150.
Even after Max returned two weeks later, it took him a while to get his groove back. He was slashing .161/.310/.303 with only 10 doubles and nine homers in 83 games as of July 31. Here is where the bad luck should be highlighted, because Muncy’s BABIP at that time was a ridiculously low .190. from August 1, he slashed a more Muncy-like .247/.358/.500 with 12 doubles and 12 homers in 53 games – thanks partly to more a reasonable.282 BABIP.
Given his fly-ball tendencies and lack of speed, Muncy’s BABIP profile is not exactly, high, but his .227 mark last season was the fourth worst in MLB. That was not the worst of his seven-year career: He posted a .203 BABIP in the short 2020 season, only to rebound with a down-ballot MVP campaign (135 OPS+, career-high 36 HR) – in spite of a .257 BABIP.
Amidst all the hardship Muncy endured last year, he maintained his elite plate disciplines (99th percentile walk rate, 100th percentile chase rate) including exit velos and hard-hit rates in alignment with his career norms. In other words, he will seek out a return to form his age-42 season.
-Chosen by Jason Catania
Tyler O’Neil, Cardinals
Key stat: .392 xwOBA in 2021
O’Neil was one of the best all-around players in the Majors in 2021, joining the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr., Showing Ohtani, and Fernando Tati’s Jr. as the only qualifiers to rank in the 90tg percentile or better in both xwOBA (based on the quality of contact, strikeouts and walks) and sprint speed. Tyler finished eighth in NL MVP Award voting after hitting. 286 with 34 homers, 15 steals and a .912 OPS over 138 games.
Although he relapsed with the bat last season and slashed just .228/.308/.392, the 27-year-old outfielder still showed skills which were above average in a number of areas, all the while making noteworthy strides in improving his plate discipline and lowering his strikeout rate. And after missing significant time in the first half of last season with a right shoulder impingement and a left hamstring strain, he started to look more like his 2021 self down the road.
O’Neill recorded a .387 xwOBA over his last 31 games – which is estimated to be one-third of his season – while socking eight dingers in that span before another left hamstring injury cut him off in mid-September. To add to his injury mishap, he has some tough luck at the plate, tying for the 22nd-largest gap (24 points) between his xwOBA (.331) and his original wOBA (.307).
Tyler does not have a long successful track record, except the one he got in 2021, but this season he is due for an uptick in production and definitely MLB hitters to make a comeback material.
– Chosen by Thomas Harrigan.
Nick Castellanos, Phillies
Key stat: .539 xSLG from 2019-21 (.395 in ’22)
While, Nick Castellanos undeniably made some big plays in the Phillies’ postseason run – with his defense of all things – his debut season in Philadelphia was mostly disastrously. Castellanos just only 13 home runs after signing a five-year, $100 million deal last off-season and posted a career-worst .694 OPS in 2022. That came on the back of a 34-homer campaign with the Reds in ’21 in which he had a .939 OPS and made his first All-Star appearance.
“Last year was last year,” He said recently.
Nick had said that he wasn’t comfortable last year. He was “pissed off, unhappy, frustrated.” The extra-base hits he had become known for – his 278 doubles from his first full season in 2014 through ’21 which were the most in MLB – disappeared. He ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate. His barrel percentage dipped to 6.6%, down from 10.6% in 2021 and a career-best 16% in ’20.
That being said, Castellanos’ whiff rate was slightly down from his ’20 mark and his chase rate was up only slightly. The only noticeable difference was that he swung at first pitch a career-high 47.5% of the time – up from 42% in ’21 and 37.8% in ’20.
He has never backed down from saying it how it is, and he says he’s more comfortable and settled in going into ’23. If that’s really the case, expect the ex-Silver Slugger to be back to the top of the leaderboard in doubles, especially playing his home games at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. He is a perfect candidate for the list of MLB hitters to bounceback.
– Chosen by Paul Casella.
Jesse Winker, Brewers
Key stat: .392 xwOBA from 2020-21
Winker was one of the best MLB hitters in the Majors on a rate basis from 2020-21, ranking in the same range as Yordan Alvarez, Paul Goldschmidt, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani. And his results matched his expected metrics (which are based on the quality of contact, strikeouts and walks). However after an off-season trade from Cincinnati to Seattle, Jesse’s expected production took a nose dive in 2022, and his numbers did the same too (.219/.344/.344).
There may be an obvious reason for that. Although his durability is in constant question, Winker still managed to play in 136 games for the Mainers but did so while impaired by a meniscus injury in his left knee, and a neck injury too. Both of which led him to off-season surgery, the latter a disc replacement procedure that he said paid immediate dividends for relieving symptoms that had plagued him for years. It is too soon to know if Jesse will maintain his health, but there is a reason behind this hope.
Another thing to note is that Seattle traded Winker to Milwaukee, whose America Family Field ranks as the fifth-best home run park for lefties – 14 spots ahead of the Mariners’ T-Mobile Park. (It is worth knowing that he has slashed .344/.440/.591 in 109 career plate appearances in Milwaukee.) This means that the road is clear for a refreshed Winker to get back to his status as an All-Star-caliber bat in 2023.
– Chosen by Andrew Simon.
Jared Walsh, Angels
Key stat: .417 wOBA vs. RHP from 2020-21, sixth best in MLB (min. 400 PA)
Jared Walsh is another lefty slugger that wants to bounce back from a campaign spoilt by an injury, easily placing him on the list of MLB hitters that will make a comeback. After He experienced symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome for many years before last season, but they got worse over the course of 2022.
The reoccurring tightness in his neck and left shoulder, including the tingling in his fingertips, made him a shadow of his former self at the plate.
In 2020, Walsh squashed nine home runs over his last 20 games during the shortened season and carried that energy into, 2021 when he posted a 126 wRC+ – meaning he was 26% better than the league average with the bat. Walsh’s ability to make authoritative contact was shown in his 11.3% barrel rate and by ranking in the 94th percentile when it came to maximum exit velocity. He slashed .333/.405/.589 in almost 400 plate appearances versus right-handed pitching. He smashed 29 home runs and made the All-Star team. Jared was the Angels’ best everyday hitter who was not Shohei Ohtani, that season’s unanimous AL MVP.
Last year, all of Walsh’s numbers dropped, which is understandable. He wanted against righties, turning in a .660 OPS. But almost, six months after getting corrective surgery, he says he is feeling close to 100% in spring camp. He is in the running to receive the bulk of his at-bats versus righty pitchers, which clearly plays to his strengths, bringing the optimism that he can recapture his form from two years ago.
This will go a long way in assisting the Angels to defy their low playoff probability.
