CONTE'S TARGET: NAPOLI PUSHES HARD FOR TOTTENHAM STAR DEJAN KULUSEVSKI
Amid injuries to De Bruyne and Anguissa's AFCON trip, Napoli is targeting Spurs' flexible midfielder Kulusevski, who is valued for his 55 goal contributions.
Area Napoli, an Italian news source, says that Napoli is interested in Dejan Kulusevski. The Serie A champs want to add a flexible midfielder to their team next year, and the 25-year-old Tottenham Hotspur player is now on their radar.
Antonio Conte is pushing Napoli to make this happen, and he really wants to bring Kulusevski to their stadium. Still, he won't be able to make the move in January because Tottenham Hotspur won't agree to let Kulusevski leave during the winter.
How well has Dejan Kulusevski played?
Since joining Tottenham Hotspur from Juventus, Dejan Kulusevski has become a reliable player in the Premier League. The North London team first got the 25-year-old on loan in January 2022 and then made the move permanent 18 months later for £25 million.
The Swedish player has played almost 150 games for Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 25 goals and making 30 assists. But Kulusevski hasn't played this season because of a knee injury. Despite this, his hard work at Tottenham Hotspur has caught the eye of many clubs, including Napoli.
Will Conte and Kulusevski reunite?
Napoli's interest in Dejan Kulusevski makes sense. The Serie A champs are looking for a flexible midfielder as the winter transfer window approaches, since Kevin De Bruyne is dealing with an injury. Also, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will soon be going to Morocco for the African Cup of Nations.
So, Napoli needs to find a midfielder, and some options, like Kobbie Mainoo, have appeared on their list. But Kulusevski is also a good choice for Tottenham, and Antonio Conte sees the 25-year-old Swede as his top pick.
Conte coached Kulusevski when they were both at Tottenham, so he knows what the player is good at. But Tottenham won't allow the Swedish player to leave in the winter, so Napoli will have to look somewhere else.
ROMA LOAN CUT SHORT: GASPERINI SAYS EVAN FERGUSON NEEDS TO IMPROVE "TECHNICALLY AND PERSONALLY."
Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini clarified he doesn't dislike Evan Ferguson but issued a clear demand: the striker must "up his game, not just technically, but also as a person."
Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini has told Evan Ferguson he needs to improve.
Gasperini clarified that he doesn't dislike the striker, who is on loan.
There have been reports that Roma might want to end their season-long deal with Albion for the Republic of Ireland international, as he hasn't made a big splash in Italy yet.
Gasperini hasn't said he wants to cut the loan short. Most sources suggest it's possible, but only if Albion agrees.
Gazzetta Dello Sport even ran a headline this week suggesting Roma had already decided.
Many fans and media jumped on this, especially since Albion striker Stefanos Tzimas just suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for months.
Gasperini has supported Ferguson, who has been dealing with his own injury.
However, he seemed to lay down the law before the Europa League game against Celtic.
At a recent press conference, the Roma boss said he had no antipathy toward Ferguson, but he seemed to imply that he wants Ferguson to step up his game.
Gasperini told reporters, “There's no dislike for the players; it's about their performances.
“Ferguson has had many chances. Do we want to be patient with him? Yes, we do.
“He needs to up his game, not just technically, but also as a person.”
While Ferguson hasn't been at his peak, he also hasn't gotten great support when he's been on the field in Serie A or the Europa League.
Gasperini seemed to acknowledge this before the Parkhead game.
He said, “We haven't scored much all year, so it's probably a structural issue for us, even though we've played well at times.
“In these last two games, we haven't been creating as many dangerous chances.
“This isn't about individual players; it's a team problem.
SUPER-SUB CHRISTIAN PULISIC BAGS TWO; MILAN'S 3-2 THRILLER KEEPS TOP SPOT
A 29-meter strike from Rabiot and a Pulisic brace secured a season-defining 3-2 victory for AC Milan, demonstrating determination in the title race.
After recovering from a fever, Christian Pulisic scored twice in AC Milan’s 3-2 victory at Torino. Adrien Rabiot chipped in, describing his own fantastic goal.
The USMNT star wasn’t even supposed to play. He had a high temperature the night before and only joined his teammates a few hours before the game.
Coming off the bench, he scored twice, helping turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win against Torino. Rabiot added a goal from 29 meters out.
I was really sick two days ago, but I felt better today. “I’m just glad I could be here and help the team,” Pulisic told Sky Sport Italia.
I didn’t know if I could play. I felt better this morning. I’m happier about the win than my goals.
Pulisic has played less compared to past seasons because of injuries, but has scored seven goals in nine Serie A games.
It’s been a weird season, and I want to get more playing time. We’ll focus on each game and see where we stand at the end of the season.
Milan's win means they're still at the top of the table with Napoli, one point ahead of Inter, a good response to their Coppa Italia exit to Lazio.
We started badly, but we improved halfway through the first half. We knew we had to play better in the second half and be more determined. We picked up the tempo, and Christian’s substitution helped, Rabiot told Sky Sport Italia.
These are the games that can turn a season around. It shows we’re determined and focused. We need to start stronger because we can’t always expect to come back from 2-0 down.
Rabiot's goal was amazing, maybe the best of his career, and seemed to come out of nowhere.
We needed a spark, and sometimes you have to try something different. We made errors, but the important thing was our attitude and how we turned it around. Everyone who came off the bench played well, said the France international.
We’ll see what happens, but with this attitude, we can go far.
Rafael Leao left the game in the first half with a possible adductor injury in his right leg.