Daily Archives: July 8, 2022

Aymen Abdennour: Why are major European sides eyeing AS Monaco’s quality center-back

  By O-Posts Team | July 8, 2022 - 20:57 | , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Silly season always brings to the fore some players that are very vigorously in the news throughout. It’s almost traditional. There are of course, the high profile cases of David de Gea, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Ramos but another player has been linked with a move away from his club pretty vehemently, and that is AS Monaco’s Aymen Abdennour. Barcelona, AC Milan, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Juventus, Tottenham and most seriously West Ham have been linked with the player.

The 25 year old was born in Tunisia and started his career at Etoile Sportive du Sahel in 2008. He quickly became a fan favourite despite being pretty young and inexperienced. In Jan 2010, the Tunisian signed a six month loan deal with SV Werder Bremen. The German club did have the option to sign the player permanently but they did not exercise it and the defender returned to his native country.

But a European call wasn’t too far away and just the next year (July 2011), Abdennour signed a long term contract with Ligue 1 side Toulouse. In January 2014, he was snapped up on loan by AS Monaco and his impressive performances for the side meant this club didn’t waste the opportunity and made his signature permanent the following summer.

Last season, he made 24 appearances for Monaco in all competitions and caught the eye of most in an especially impressive performance against Arsenal in the Champions League.

The Tunisian used to play on the wings and in an attacking role in his younger days but has established himself as a central defender now. Because he played on the flanks, he can also be operated in the full-back position if required.

The 25 year-old has been noted for his passing ability. He likes to play short passes and ensures the ball stays with his team, which can be seen by the fact that he has a pass success rate 82.8% in all competitions last season. He can also hold on to the ball with composure, a beneficial trade for any player. He is a strong reader of the game and can help build the game from the back.

The fact that he can maintain his concentration for the entirety of the game also helps matters. He boasts an impressive stature standing over 6 feet 2 inches tall and can bring his physicality into play both in defence and occasionally in offence. His leadership skills along with the fact that he can effectively organize the back-line add to his game.

Combining pace and power, the Tunisian is an impressive defender and it isn’t a surprise so many teams are interested in him although it will be slightly surprising if West Ham land him, given the interest of more elite teams.

Monaco are in no rush to sell and rightly so. West Ham have reportedly been the only team to formalise their offer with a €20m bid. The French side should wait to see if other teams come in and raise the offer for the defender.

If they are willing to sell a solid player, they should at least get good amount for him.

 

Written by Aakriti Mehrotra

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Kyriakos Papadopoulos: Promising Greek defender on the radar of Liverpool and Atletico Madrid

  By O-Posts Team | July 8, 2022 - 17:22 | , , , , , ,
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Name: Kyriakos Papadopoulos 

Position: Centre-back 

Age: 23 

Country: Greece 

Club: Bayer Leverkusen 

 

It is a testament to Kyriakos Papadopoulos’ ability and reputation that Bayer Leverkusen turned his loan move into a permanent one this season, despite the player spending a large portion of his time at the BayArena on the treatment tables.

Leverkusen paid fellow Bundesliga club Schalke €6.5 million to permanently secure the services of the Greece international, who has signed a 5-year contract. In spite of his injury problems during the 2014-15 campaign, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid continued to be heavily linked with the defender.

Indeed, Papadopoulos is a known favourite of Brendan Rodgers and this is a reflection of the technical ability and intelligence the 23 year-old possesses.

Having attracted the attention of foreign clubs whilst at Olympiacos, it wasn’t long before Schalke acquired Papadopoulos and he began repaying the club’s faith immediately with a string of impressive early displays.

Quickly establishing himself as a key player at the club despite his youth, Papadopoulos made the seamless transition to UEFA Champions League football and was immense during Greece’s Euro 2012 campaign.

Unfortunately for the talented centre-back, injury ruled him out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and slowed what has thus far been a meteoric rise.

In terms of playing style, Papadopoulos’ strength lies in his ability to combine technical competence with aggression: his bullish approach to tackling and aerial duels makes him an asset for whichever side he plays in.

Papadopoulos has also developed into a natural leader and inspiring dressing room figure by virtue of his style of play and confidence. His absence has been keenly felt during Greece’s current Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, during which the former European champions have struggled badly.

Still only 23 and having endured one of the most frustrating seasons of his career, Leverkusen have shown a great deal of faith in one of European football’s most exciting prospects. The coming campaign will be a great test of Papadopoulos’ resilience and determination.

 

Written by Chris Paraskevas

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Matteo Darmian: What can the Italian full-back offer Manchester United?

  By O-Posts Team | July 8, 2022 - 15:07 | , , , , , ,
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Earlier this week, Manchester United and Torino agreed a fee for Italy full back Matteo Darmian.  It’s reported that the Serie A side Torino agreed to sell their prized defender for £12.7million (€18m).  So let’s take a closer look at the Italian.

 

Background

Darmian was born in 1989 in Legnano, North West of Milan. He joined Milan’s youth ranks after breaking through with non-league side, Carcor.

His senior-team debut with Milan came in the Coppa Italia match against Brescia in November 2006.  The 16-year-old, at the time, was introduced as a substitute for Kakha Kaladze.

Half a year later, Matteo got his first league start for the Rossoneri in the match against Udinese. He went on to feature one more time in the Coppa Italia in the 2007/2008 season. That year the young talent took the captain`s armband in the youth team.

In the summer of 2009, the Serie B side Padova loaned the youngster. Matteo enjoyed an excellent loan stint and played plenty of games that season – making 20 appearances and scoring the once.

The following season, the defender moved to Sicilian outfit Palermo. The size of the transfer fee the club had paid to secure Matteo Darmian was €800k.

He made a good contribution at Palermo, displaying solid defensive capabilities. The centre-half registered a total of 16 matches for Palermo in all competitions.

In the summer of 2011, Torino completed the loan of the player. A year later, Palermo sold 50 percent of Darmian’s contract to the Torino.

Coming through the ranks at International level with Italy U19 and U21’s Darmian made his senior debut  in 2014. He travelled to the World Cup to Brazil and was probably the only Italian player to come out of that tournament with their head held high – he has 13 caps.

 

What can he offer Manchester United? 

Matteo can offer his new club versatility; he is able to play on the left and right back positions and even central defence.

Manager Louis van Gaal is a big admirer of players able to play in various positions - this is highlighted by last summer’s acquisitions Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo. United’s squad already includes a handful of players who can play across various roles, allowing the Dutch coach to change the formation/tactic with ease.

The Italian’s arrival could lend itself to Van Gaal utilising a back three. He tried this during the early stages of last term but switched to four after United struggled to adapt. Darmian can slot into the gut-busting full-back role easily, supporting midfield from deep but also dropping to make a five-man defence when possession breaks down.

His attacking ability is just a good as his defensive. At Torino, he was the man who would be first to receive the ball as the opposition move broke down, his dynamism and creativity after this proved essential for the team.

It must be noted that the £12.7m fee is very cheap. Had Darmian been English or Spanish, I think he would have gone for at least double that figure.

With right back options Rafael and Antonio Valencia not working out for Manchester United, the fans will hope Darmian’s Torino form continues at Old Trafford – if it does, he will turn out to be an excellent signing.

 

Written by Serie A Writer

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