Latest news with #Gent
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Roar interested in bringing young gun home
Brisbane Roar have expressed an interest in bringing former Adelaide United defender Giuseppe Bovalina back to the A-League, and also haven't ruled out convincing winger Nikola Mileusnic to rejoin the club. Roar insiders have confirmed that both Bovalina and Mileusnic are in the club's sights. Bovalina, 20, joined Major League Soccer Club Vancouver Whitecaps in April last year from the Reds on an initial contract that will expire in 2026. However, Bovalina is struggling for game time, and could be tempted to kickstart his career at the Roar under the club's new coach, former Adelaide captain Michael Valkanis. Another former Red in Mileusnic left the Roar after three seasons to join Perth Glory last year. His Glory contract expires this month, and having started in only nine A-League games for Perth in the club's dismal 2024-25 campaign, a return to Brisbane could very well be on the cards for the 31-year-old attacking weapon, particularly with Valkanis having replaced Ruben Zadkovich as coach. Meanwhile, former Roar playmaker Keegan Jelacic has signed a two-year deal with Melbourne Victory. Jelacic, 22, left the Roar last month after joining the club on loan from Belgian outfit Gent in January last year. The Australian under-23 international has now parted ways with Gent permanently to link with the Victory, who have lost the past two A-League grand finals. 'Joining one of the biggest clubs in the league is always an exciting prospect,' Jelacic said. 'I'm looking forward to experiencing the passion of the club and doing my part on the pitch.' Victory coach Arthur Diles said Jelacic was an 'example of outstanding young Australian talent with valuable experience both locally and internationally'. 'Keegan's arrival at the club ahead of our 2025-26 campaign will bolster our midfield as we aim to go one better than we did last season,' Diles said. 'We have a strong foundation to build on, and we're looking forward to seeing Keegan bring his best to the team and contribute to our success.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iceland humiliate sorry Scotland on night of alarm for Steve Clarke
A year ago, Scotland were heading for the European Championships amid wild excitement. Events since have included Nations League high points but umpteen chastening experiences. This proved another of the latter. For the second game in succession, Steve Clarke's team lost three goals at home. The nature of Iceland's success – a fully deserving one – in Glasgow felt ominous in respect of an upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign. With Germany and the Euros such a distant memory, Clarke does not have his troubles to seek. Scotland look a team that has passed its peak. There were no redeeming features at all attached to this display. Clarke must be alarmed. Advertisement Related: Robertson hails 'king' McTominay for proving Manchester United wrong The opening to the game was notable for the injury sustained by the Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn. When collecting a routine cross, Gunn's knee clattered into Andri Gudjohnsen with the consequences apparently serious. Gunn limped from the field after just six minutes. Gunn's replacement, the debutant Cieran Slicker, was to endure an inauspicious arrival in international football. With just his second touch, Slicker kicked the ball straight to Stefan Teitur Thordarson. Gudjohnsen was the gleeful recipient of Thordarson's header, the Gent man taking one touch before sending a glorious left foot shot into Slicker's top right hand corner. Whether affected by the goalkeeper change or otherwise, the Scots were horribly ragged in the first quarter. The position has long been regarded as a problematic one, the consequence of negligence by clubs and the Scottish FA when the country did have a batch of fine keepers. Neither Gunn nor Slicker in truth are international class goalkeepers. The current best option, Craig Gordon, is 42. Advertisement George Hirst should have levelled the scores, the Ipswich striker instead heading over when it looked easier to find the net from a John McGinn cross. As Hirst came close again, Scotland had found their pulse. John Souttar claimed the equaliser after meeting Max Johnston's corner with a stooping header. Scotland were behind again before the interval, this time on account of hilariously incompetent defending. An Iceland corner flew off Lewis Ferguson and into Grant Hanley. As the ball rebounded off Ferguson again, Slicker chose to dive over the top of it. No Iceland player had touched the ball from the set play. All that was lacking was an appearance from the Keystone Cops. Scotland were booed off at half-time. Slicker's night was to get even worse. Victor Pálsson met an Albert Gudmundsson free-kick with his head, a matter that should have provided no real problem for the goalkeeper. However, the ball flew right through Slicker's hands. This had become a painful watch and a painful listen; Scotland's support mocked Slicker when he picked up a loose ball soon after Iceland's third. This was a cruel if calamitous scene for Slicker, whose only club first team appearance last season was as an 81st minute substitute for Ipswich against Bristol Rovers. What did we really expect? Hirst thought he had restored hope. Scott McTominay, hitherto quiet, fired in a low shot which Elias Rafn Ólafsson could only palm to Hirst's feet. The VAR and an offside call dulled brief Scottish excitement. Clarke has presided over a dozen friendlies and won two, against the might of Luxembourg and Gibraltar. Technically, those results barely matter. The standard of Scotland's play does, though. They will be nowhere near the World Cup if this total malfunction proves a sign of things to come.
Metro
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Arsenal 'very close' to signing Konstantinos Karetsas in £37.8m transfer
Arsenal are 'very close' to signing Genk attacking midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas in a €45 million (£37.8m) deal, according to reports in Greece. The 17-year-old has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Europe after making his senior debut for Genk a year ago. This season, Karetsas has quickly established himself in Genk's first-team squad, scoring three goals and registering four assists in 39 appearances. The midfielder also won the Belgium Pro League Goal of the Season for his long-range strike against Gent. Karetsas was born in Belgium to Greek parents and after representing Belgium at youth level, the midfielder switched associations to Greece to make his senior debut for Greece in March. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. He then scored in a 3-0 win against Scotland in his second appearance for the national side to become the youngest scorer in Greece's history at the age of 17 years, four months and four days. Karetsas has been linked with several clubs across Europe including Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Juventus. But according to Greece's news agency AMNA, Arsenal are now closing in on a deal to sign the midfielder. The report claims that Arsenal are now 'very close' to reaching an agreement with Genk over a deal worth €45m (£37.8m). The report adds that Arsenal's plan is to keep Karetsas on loan at Genk for another season for his development before bringing him into Mikel Arteta's squad next summer. Speaking earlier this season, Genk head coach, Thorsten Fink, was keen to keep Karetsas grounded after his superb strike against Gent. 'He scored a beautiful goal indeed,' Fink said. More Trending 'That is his quality, he only needs one situation to score. But there is still a lot to improve. I hope you see that too.' In November, Karetsas extended his contract with Genk which runs until 2027. 'Genk is my home. I feel a lot of trust from the club,' Karetsas said. 'This is the best environment for me to keep growing, close to my family. I want to win trophies with KRC Genk and compete in Europe.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Winger finally OPENS up about Liverpool transfer
That might have been the case with Momodou Lamin Sonko, when he emerged as a candidate to sign for Liverpool back in January 2024. As exclusively revealed by Anfield Watch, Liverpool have admired Sonko for a long time. They invited him on a trial back in 2017, when he was just 12-years-old. Advertisement Many years later in 2024, Liverpool then tried to sign him after his brilliant performances in Hacken but in the end the move never happpened. Sonko joined Gent, where the Reds have continued to monitor his progress and where the youngster is still honing his skills and ready to explode. Now though he's focused on representing Sweden at U21 level and ahead of his nation's games this month, he was quizzed about Liverpool's interest. This time Sonko finally opened up about his potential transfer to the club and even his trial at the Reds. "The way I look at it is that they were already interested there and I went there and tried it out a bit," the winger told Expressen. Advertisement "I felt I was a little too young to move but they have continued to keep an eye on me. The development in Sweden has been good before I moved so it feels quite natural." Sonko then also opened up about Liverpool's interest in him during the January transfer window in 2024. "I don't actually know. I was in Hacken and tried not to think too much about sales. Then it happened quite quickly and suddenly I was in Gent. I don't really have a good idea," he said. And then Sonko also went onto lavish praise on Arne Slot and the club's brilliant season. "Yes, absolutely incredible. They have been superior in the Premier League. They looked very strong in the Champions League too before they had a tough match at PSG. It has been an incredibly good season. A very good debut season for the coaches too," he said. Anfield Watch understands Liverpool will continue to monitor Sonko and the Reds might just return for him if he has a breakout season.
Daily Mirror
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool 'still interested' as Viktor Gyokeres' team-mate speaks after trial
Liverpool are already being linked with a host of players this summer, but one man has said he remains on the Reds' watchlist despite a failed trial in the past Gent gem Momodou Sonko has revealed Liverpool have retained an interest in his services after a failed trial with the club. And Anfield could be his next destination as he looks to emulate the success of countryman and Sporting CP sensation Viktor Gyokeres. Liverpool will be looking to spend this summer in an effort to build on their Premier League triumph, and one name that has purportedly caught their eye is Sonko. The player is hoping to make significant progress after a challenging first full season at Gent, and international team-mate Gyokeres is a natural role model. Former Coventry frontman Gyokeres' career trajectory has been meteoric, transitioning from a Championship regular to becoming one of Europe's hot prospects in record time. His staggering tally of 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting CP is evidence of how quickly fortunes can turn in football. Sonko holds lofty ambitions, and there aren't many destinations in the world right now that offer higher standards than Liverpool. The 20-year-old already got a taste of the Reds' setup back in 2017 when he had an unsuccessful trial at the club, but he has now said he remains on Liverpool's watchlist. "The way I look at it is that they were already interested there, and I went there and tried it out a bit," he told Expressen, from the Sweden under-21 training camp. "I felt I was a little too young to move, but they have continued to keep an eye on me." Sonko has recently been selected for Sweden's senior squad but is yet to make his first-team debut under Jon Dahl Tomasson. However, it's widely anticipated that it's only a matter of time before Gent's record signing gets his chance. Despite providing four goals and three assists in 21 starts (40 total appearances) for Gent this season, he has struggled to build on the promise he showed at his former employer, Hacken. Significant progress is required before he can be considered a talent worthy of Arne Slot's squad, but the gem has time on his side. When questioned about how close he came to joining Liverpool in the past, he responded: "I don't actually know. I was in Hacken and tried not to think too much about sales. Then it happened quite quickly and suddenly I was in Ghent. I don't really have a good idea." Although he isn't a Liverpool player, Sonko didn't hold back in praising the club for their successful season. The Reds narrowly missed out on a historic treble in Slot's inaugural season as manager, and it's safe to say Sonko admires the Dutchman's work. "Yes, absolutely incredible. They have been superior in the Premier League," he continued. "They also looked very strong in the Champions League before they had a tough match [against] PSG. It has been an incredibly good season. A very impressive debut season for the coaches too." Such comments indicate Sonko would be well up for the move should he continue to develop. Sweden has produced several exciting attackers in recent years, with Sonko hoping to follow in the footsteps of stars like Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga. Two of that trio are currently making a significant impact in the Premier League. And Gyokeres could make it a hat-trick if he swaps Lisbon for England this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester United believed to be very interested. It's been 33 years since Glenn Hysen, the only Swede to have represented Liverpool so far, last donned the team's colours. However, Sonko could be the player to break that drought if he continues to grow in Belgium's Pro League.
