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Name: Ivan Perisic

Club: On loan at Bayern Munich from Inter Milan

Date of Birth: 2 February 1989

Position: Winger (left, right)

IVAN PERISIC – HIS CAREER SO FAR

Born in Split, Croatia, Ivan Perisic was always a big fan of Hajduk Split, a local giant and one of the biggest clubs in the country. It doesn’t surprise then that his first steps into the world of football were done exactly in their youth setups. But it also wouldn’t take long for other European teams to take notice of the young, up and coming forward as the likes of Anderlecht, PSV, Ajax and Hamburger SV showed interest. In the end, however, the Croat would ultimately choose the French club Sochaux.

Despite his talent, Perisic would fail to tally a single appearance for the team’s first-team, spending his time in the B side before going out on loan to a Belgian team Roeselare for six months. There, he obviously picked up a number of admirers and it came down to a tussle between Anderlecht and Club Brugge for the forward’s coveted signature.

At the end of the day, the latter team emerged as victors and Perisic was officially signed on 26 August 2009. And this is where his qualities started to shine the brightest. The beginning of his career at the new club was brilliant, to say the least, and the Croat would tally goal after goal and pair them up with some big assists as well. In the end, he would go on to score 35 goals and provide 23 assists in a total of 89 games for Club Brugge, leaving a good legacy and eventually departing for Borussia Dortmund for the 2011/12 campaign.

Despite a promising start to his venture in Germany and some decisive goals that followed, Perisic found his first-team opportunities quite limited in Dortmund and that would eventually lead to his departure to Wolfsburg, having only recorded 64 appearances in front of the Yellow Wall, bagging 12 goals and seven assists along the way.

Staying in Germany, Perisic would add to his overall Bundesliga tally with his new team but he also wouldn’t stay for too long, eventually signing with Inter Milan in the summer of 2015. His spell with Wolfsburg was good, as evidenced by 21 goals and 17 assists in 88 games, but some niggling injuries and a big opportunity in Italy meant he would swap clubs once more.

The Nerazzurri treated him well and he would stay at Inter for longer than at any other club throughout his career. The Croat also has quite a resume with the Italians as well, bagging 40 goals and 35 assists across 163 games but ultimately with no silverware to show for. In fact, the first titles he claimed on club level came with Borussia Dortmund as the team managed to win Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2011/12 and then follow it up with a German Supercup triumph the next season.

That would, however, change with his loan spell at Bayern Munich that lasted throughout the 2019/20 campaign as the Bavarians claimed the Bundesliga title in the process as well. Perisic himself scored six goals and assisted ten in 31 games, proving that he’s still got a lot left in the tank.

It has to be said that he’s been an instrumental part of Croatia’s national team as well, participating in the last two Euros and the last two World Cups for his country. And he was an instrumental part of Croatia’s run to the final in Russia back in 2018, even scoring a goal in an eventual defeat to France, becoming the first-ever Croat to do so.

TRANSFER LATEST

Perisic’s loan deal at Bayern Munich is set to end in the coming month and there are already various transfer rumours and transfer news connecting the Croat with a plethora of different teams. Currently, however, Tottenham Hotspur seem to be among the most interested squads out there and a move to the Premier League could indeed be on the cards.

First, of course, Perisic will return to Italy and then we’ll see what happens next. Still, with the market on the island now officially opened, we could see all kinds of Tottenham Hotspur transfer news popping up in the coming weeks.

PLAYER PROFILE

Perisic is a winger by nature but has been played all across the park throughout his career due to his sheer versatility and adaptability. Even though his main task is always to score goals, the 31-year-old is a keen creator as well, often combining well with his teammates and both exploiting and creating space along the way.

His great dribbling skills also mean that he can wreak havoc across the final third and despite often staying wide, Perisic can also cut inside and advance through the half-space. We can also see him engage in 1v1s close to the opposition’s box and that can lead to dangerous cut-backs or low crosses towards his teammates.

Despite being 31 years of age, he rarely runs out of steam.

According to The Athletic, Juventus are looking to bolster their attack ahead of next season, with Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette a top priority.

Andrea Pirlo has recently been appointed the new manager of Juventus, after Maurizio Sarri was sacked following their Champions League exit. It has been reported that the Gunners are looking for ways to reduce their wage bills in order to recruit new players, and Lacazette may be part of this cut.

Juventus have reportedly admitted to being happy in allowing one of three players to join Arsenal as part of a swap deal for the French international striker. The three stars who could be seen as part of this deal are; Gonzalo Higuain, Douglas Costa, and Cristian Romero.

Higuain looks to be the least likely arrival as he is coming to the end of his career and fitness issues have been in doubt over the past few seasons. In addition to this, the Argentine will more than likely be demanding huge wages, near to what they are already paying Lacazette.

Douglas Costa is also unlikely to sign for the Gunners, despite interest from manager Mikel Arteta. Arsenal have many attack options and youngsters who are more likely to start ahead of the Brazilian winger.

This leaves Cristian Romero who has spent the past season on-loan at his former club Genoa, having signed for Juventus last summer for €26m. The Argentinian centre-back looks very promising and would certainly aid the Gunners’ shaky defence.

Verdict

It is not a surprise that Juventus are after Lacazette with his proven track record, though it would not make sense for Arsenal to offload the Frenchman as he is certainly an asset to the club. The Gunners could surely free-up wages from other members of their squad such as Mesut Ozil who is earning £350k-per-week, having played very little last season.

If Arsenal do cave in and offload Lacazette to Juventus, then Romero does look like their best option as part of a swap deal, only if they receive a substantial fee in addition.

According to A Bola, Tottenham have made contact with Benfica over a potential summer move for Pizzi.

What’s the word?

Spurs have had a busy start to the transfer window already, bringing in the likes of Joe Hart and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in particular to boost their first-team squad.

Now, Portuguese publication A Bola (via Sport Witness) claim that Pizzi is on a list of potential recruits for Jose Mourinho’s side this summer, and that the right-winger could be available for around €20m (£18m).

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The report claims that the price tag has alerted Spurs and Mourinho, and that it has prompted them to make contact with Benfica – however, an official bid has not been made just yet.

A major upgrade on Erik Lamela

Despite playing on the right-hand side for Benfica, Pizzi enjoyed an extraordinary season in front of goal for Benfica during the 2019/2020 campaign.

He scored a quite incredible 30 goals, and provided a further 19 assists in just 51 games across all competitions, and it’s the kind of numbers of that really puts Spurs’ own Erik Lamela to shame.

The Argentine, who played the most of his 35 games last season from that right flank (18), scored just twice and set up only two more from that position. Most of Spurs’ attacking quality came from the opposite side, with the likes of Heung-min Son often outshining him.

Pizzi could offer the Lilywhites a genuine goal-scoring threat, and lighten the burden on the likes of Son and Harry Kane to score the bulk of Spurs’ goals.

And as a fellow Portuguese native, Mourinho would surely love to work with one of his country’s finest attackers. The Benfica star’s ability to not just play on the right, but all across midfield and even as a number ten is the kind of versatility that would no doubt appeal to the current Tottenham boss.

The absolute perfect start for Everton and Carlo Ancelotti to the new Premier League season.

The Toffees followed up their superb 1-0 win over Tottenham last weekend, with a comprehensive 5-2 victory over West Brom on Saturday afternoon, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin wreaking havoc with a hat-trick.

But whilst the striker has started the new campaign like a house on fire with four goals in the opening two league games, there was one man who arguably outshone him against West Brom: James Rodriguez.

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The Colombia international had an impressive Premier League debut against Spurs, but really showcased why he could be one of the signings of the season with a virtuouso performance on Saturday.

He scored his first goal in an Everton shirt with a trademark strike from outside the box, arrowing a left-footed effort into the bottom corner and past Sam Johnstone.

But aside from getting on the score-sheet, Rodriguez gave the Toffees that little bit extra in the final third, adding a much-needed cutting edge to their attacks.

Numerous times he looked to play more incisive passes into the likes of Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, and it was his lofted ball over the top that found the latter in the build-up to Everton’s fourth.

As per Sofascore, he had 73 touches over the course of the game, providing an impressive three key passes – a total only bettered by Lucas Digne.

And because of his willingness to take risks and try things, it was no surprise that Rodriguez actually lost possession 19 times. But crucially for Everton, there is a much more positive trade-off.

Whilst not all of Rodriguez’s passes or flicks may come off, he has the kind of creativity to unlock defences and make a key difference in games.

Even though Calvert-Lewin may take all the headlines for his hat-trick, it was Rodriguez who was the real hero for Ancelotti on Saturday.

Everton are top of the Premier League table and it appears that their summer of spending isn’t complete just yet…

What’s the word?

According to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), the Toffees are keen on signing Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik and are prepared to meet their €25m (£22.5m) asking price before the October 5th deadline.

They claim that his arrival would also allow Moise Kean to return to Serie A rivals Juventus.

The 26-year-old has less than a year to run on his current deal so the Naples club are keen to offload him to garner a fee rather than see him leave on a free next year.

Carlo’s new Lewandowski?

It’s perhaps a surprise to see Everton linked with strikers considering the emphatic form that Dominic Calvert-Lewin finds himself in and likewise with Richarlison, who would undoubtedly fill his void in any absence.

The Toffees ‘No.9’ has already bagged five goals in their opening three matches, averaging a whopping four shots per game, via WhoScored, so it’s going to be hard to dislodge him from the starting XI.

And spending £22.5m on a backup would certainly raise some eyebrows.

However, the Polish talisman is a player that Ancelotti knows well from his time at Napoli even more so as he has drawn comparisons to another former striker in Robert Lewandowski, who was the Italian’s main man at Bayern Munich.

Milik has also been likened to Dennis Bergkamp, whom he was coached by at Ajax.

Italian football journalist Bruno Longhi has claimed that he “does wonderful things with the ball” whilst Ancelotti himself believes the 6 foot 1 powerhouse is “sensational.”

The Napoli forward only started 19 matches in Serie A last term but still bagged 11 goals, averaging 2.6 shots per game, via WhoScored. He’d definitely add a different dimension to the Merseysider’s attack.

AND in other news, Ancelotti could live to regret selling coveted Toffees man for £10m…

Many Liverpool fans have been buzzing as The Athletic have reported that Burnley have submitted a bid to sign Harry Wilson in the summer transfer window.

According to the outlet, the offer accumulated to around £12m plus an extra £4m in add-ons, with the full fee adding up to £16m.

The two Premier League clubs are still in talks over a possible deal that may well see Wilson finally leave Anfield on a permanent basis after being something of an outcast in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

Indeed, the Welsh international has only played in one senior game for the Reds in all of his career back in 2017, as per Transfermarkt, and so a move away may suit him if he wants to play regular first team football, especially with the added prospect of playing in the European Championship next year for his country.

These Liverpool supporters were buzzing upon reading the news on Twitter, as they perhaps feel that £16m is potentially a very good sum of money to take for the 23-year-old winger:

Liverpool fans, would you sell Wilson? Comment below with your views!

Versatile AFC Bournemouth attacker David Brooks would make the perfect Deadline Day signing for Everton, after Carlo Ancelotti’s unbeaten side were touted as a potential suitor.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Goodison Park is one destination where Brooks could be plying his trade beyond the domestic transfer window if the Wales international does leave Bournemouth.

The Cherries are determined to retain the 23-year-old at almost any cost, with boss Jason Tindall eager to utilise his services in the south coast side’s bid for an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation last season.

Brooks shone at the Vitality Stadium during his maiden campaign in the top-flight in 2018/19 following an £11.5million move from Sheffield United, scoring seven goals and penning five assists before a serious ankle injury restricted him to just nine outings last term.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Leicester City and Everton are all thought to be keen on striking a deal, nonetheless, but face paying as much as £40m with Bournemouth set to hold firm in their stance with the winger under contract until 2022.

The Cherries can further hold off any interest that may emerge for Brooks before Friday’s 17:00 deadline as they insist there is no pressure to sell the 14-cap ace, even after their relegation.

Brooks has opened the 2020/21 second-tier campaign with appearances in Bournemouth’s opening two fixtures, but has not featured since the closing stages of a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough through illness.

The perfect late addition

While Brooks has failed to pen a goal or an assist in the Championship so far this season, the Warrington-born winger would make the perfect Deadline Day signing for Everton if the Blues are able to reach an agreement with Bournemouth.

Brooks displayed all his worth on the south coast during his debut campaign with a hand in 12 top-flight goals, including striking home key efforts against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Chelsea while fashioning Joshua King’s initial equaliser in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal.

He further created a total of nine big chances in 2018/19, along with averaging 1.1 shots, 1.0 key balls, 44.8 touches, 3.8 duels won and 1.2 tackles a game, per SofaScore.

Had it not been for needing two surgeries to mend ankle ligament damage sustained in a pre-season friendly, then Brooks would likely have offered Bournemouth vastly more than a mere one goal as they dropped out of the Premier League last term.

Former Cherries boss Eddie Howe failed to lower his admiration of Brooks’ ability upon the youngster’s return to action in June, stating via quotes by the Bournemouth Echo: “He is an outstanding player and I think there were moments in there that are promising for us.

“Obviously, the length of time he’s been out, there is going to be an element where he’s just going to be working his way back to his best levels.”

Everton could certainly do with greater depth on the right-flank now that Theo Walcott has returned to Southampton on loan, with James Rodriguez the only natural option Carlo Ancelotti has despite Richarlison, Alex Iwobi and Anthony Gordon all excelling on the opposing wing.

Rodriguez has also been a star on the right for the Toffees since his summer arrival, with the Colombian offering three goals and two assists in four Premier League appearances alongside an average 1.8 shots, 3.3 key balls, 6.3 duels won and 2.0 successful dribbles a game.

But while Brooks would be the perfect Deadline Day signing for the Blues and offer Ancelotti a second Rodriguez type, the £40m price tag slapped on the Wales international will ensure that he remains with Bournemouth – or at least not move to Goodison Park during the final hours of the domestic transfer window.

AND in other news, Everton have made a decision on the future of a £3million outcast.

No matter how you slice it, football is the biggest sport in the world. It has the largest audience (a ridiculous 4 billion followers), pays the most money in terms of bonuses and prizes (the winner of the Champions League gets over 80 million Euros), has the highest-paid athletes, the richest teams, you get the gist of it.

So it’s no surprise that this behemoth of a sport has had an effect on the gaming industry. And that influence goes beyond football games. Football has driven some of the most important developments in the gaming industry as a whole.

Football Manager = Template for Other Sports 

Football has always attracted the armchair manager. You know, the lad at the pub who reckons he’s a combination of Mourinho and Alex Ferguson. Or, your dad, telling you he was the one who originally discovered the famous Tonton Zola Moukoko.

The way that fans approach football led to the invention of Championship Manager in 1992, arguably (no, definitely) the best management game series ever made. Its success still reverberates throughout the industry, with many copycats across a number of sports:

• Football Manager. The heir of the original, Football Manager is now the gold standard of management games.
• Front Office Football (FOF). No, not soccer, we’re talking American football with this one. It’s a text-based simulation game and very popular amongst NFL stat geeks.
• Out of the Park Baseball. Baseball is heaven for someone designing a management game. The game is just pure stats, with everything measured and recorded. Licensed by the MLB, Out of the Park is your go-to option for baseball.
• Total Extreme Wrestling. Yes, you can also manage wrestlers. This game is a fun take on the management style experience, and we highly recommend it if you’re a fan of the sport.

Bookies and iGaming 

Football and gambling go together like a horse and carriage, or something like that. Placing a cheeky punt on the FA Cup underdog is part and parcel of the football experience, and there’s no question that football has influenced the development of the online gambling industry.

For example, the sheer number of markets all started with football. First goalscorer, minute of the first goal, whether Piers Morgan will replace Arsene Wenger as manager (didn’t happen), or how about taking a punt on David Cameron becoming the next Villa manager? Yeah, those crazy betting options all started with bookies trying to offer football fans something new and exciting.

Football is such a big business that it also drives gameplay innovation at the bookies. For instance, recent iterations of new offerings involve football-themed online slots, including Football: Champions Cup, Championship Manager or the classic Top Trumps. Football has driven the development of more immersive and advanced gameplay; gone are the days of the simple fruit machine.

Yearly Franchise Releases for ALL Sports

In the 90s, football teams started releasing new kits every single season. The gaming industry took notice and copied the process, realizing that footie fans will buy anything to do with the beautiful game. Especially if that includes new features, the latest kits, players who have moved to new clubs, and an exciting new trick or two.

The biggest franchise is FIFA, there’s no question about it. It’s the 27th edition of the game, and we don’t expect the format to change anytime soon. But there are others: Pro Evolution Soccer is an old school favorite, with many gamers preferring it to FIFA.

EA Sports was buoyed by its football success and now releases several sports game series: there’s Madden for football, NBA Life for Basketball, and UFC for MMA. It is undoubtedly true that without the popularity of football to drive the development of sports games, we wouldn’t have the sheer number of options we have available today.

The Rise of eSports 

Football has taken a leading role when it comes to eSports. Manchester City, for example, signed an eSports player to its book. Yes, someone who plays video games for a living can now call himself a Man City player.

Premier League players are also getting in on the action. Leicester’s Christian Fuchs, for example, started up his very own FIFA team. The name of the franchise is legendary: NoFuchsGiven.

Football is seeing the potential of eSports. And rather than seeing it as a challenger to the established order, traditional football stalwarts are investing and propelling the industry forward.

But What About the Influence of Gaming on Football? 

We’ll leave you with another idea, turning the concepts we’ve explored in this article in the opposite direction. Football has had a big effect on the gaming industry, yes, but it works both ways.

Games like Championship Manager have helped football managers to analyze football from a data perspective. André Villas-Boas, the former Chelsea and Spurs manager, has admitted to using it to guide transfer policy, for example. And Sam Allardyce uses FIFA and Football Manager to teach his grandson about football management.

Football fans also now approach the game with pretty sophisticated knowledge of how the business works. Many look at football in this way because of their gaming experience; they wouldn’t know anything about scouting and the youth system setup without Championship Manager, for example.

In short, football and gaming are intricately connected. And with that point as a final send-off, we think we’ll turn on the PS4 for a little spot of FIFA (bagsy Barcelona!).

David Moyes’ hope of bringing Luka Jovic to West Ham United have been dealt a major setback with reports Real Madrid will not greenlight a January move for the outcast striker.

What’s the word?

According to Defensa Central, Jovic is enduring an unstable and uncomfortable time at the Santiago Bernabeu with Zinedine Zidane often overlooking his services, but the door to a mid-season move has been slammed shut.

Reports had surfaced suggesting the Irons were looking to rival Leicester City in pursuit of the Serbian centre-forward, with Moyes considering a loan bid that features an option to buy Los Blancos’ £52.4million signing next summer.

The Galacticos are currently opposed to allowing Jovic to leave the Spanish capital in the winter market, however, as they wish to afford the 22-year-old further opportunities to build on his mere two goals scored across all competitions since joining in 2019.

Real had considered offloading Jovic during the summer window and are said to have come very close to doing so, as the former Eintracht Frankfurt sensation is desperate to play more frequently and does not feel those opportunities will occur under Zidane’s watch.

The French icon has awarded Jovic just 201 minutes of first-team football this season, and opted to ignore the 8-cap international in his side’s last four fixtures as Real claimed victories over FC Barcelona, Borussia Monchengladbach, SD Huesca and Inter Milan.

Madrid’s stance could yet alter with it added that Los Blancos chiefs are offering a non-committal response when questioned over Jovic’s future, stating: “At the moment we do not contemplate any exit, but until January anything can happen.”

It remains to be seen if the door re-opens for Jovic to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, but for now Real are dealing a hammer blow to Moyes’ hopes of making the Serbian an Irons player.

Never give up

Real Madrid’s non-committal response to questions over Jovic’s future should see that Moyes does not give up on his hopes of adding the centre-forward to the squad in east London come the New Year, as the 22-year-old’s outcast role can easily see that he pushes for a move away.

Jovic joined Los Blancos with eyes of achieving success in Spain after lighting up the Bundesliga with 17 goals in 32 appearances, including a five-goal haul against Fortuna Dusseldorf plus braces against FC Schalke 04 and 1.FSV Mainz 05.

His efforts saw that Frankfurt CEO of Sport Fredi Bobic was far from surprised to see clubs lining up to sign the young sensation, stating via Bundesliga.com: “He’s been the talk of Europe. He’s explosive and a real threat in front of goal and will be a big miss.”

Jovic will clearly not be a big miss for Madrid given his form and lack of game time under Zidane, but Moyes’ need for offensive depth will ensure that opportunities are forthcoming with Sebastien Haller boasting just three Premier League goals in 2020.

Haller and Jovic enjoyed a strong relationship in Germany, too, as the Frenchman assisted three of the Serbian’s Bundesliga goals in 2018/19, as he ended the campaign with a hand in 24 goals (15 scored, nine assisted) – something Moyes desperately needs from Manuel Pellegrini’s £45m capture.

AND in other news, a Manuel Pellegrini flop has been dubbed a “big disappointment” in a further blow to West Ham.

According to an update by West Ham United’s official website, midfielder Manuel Lanzini has picked up the Premier League goal of the month award for October following his stunning equaliser away to Spurs – prompting many Irons to hail the ‘beast’ after this ‘fantastic’ news.Â

Lanzini, who found the back of the net with a sumptuous long-range striker to make it 3-3, leaving goalkeeper Hugo Lloris helpless in the Tottenham net, has now picked up a deserved accolade after his moment of brilliance.

The Argentine played a pivotal role in that dramatic and memorable encounter for Hammers supporters, coming after David Moyes’ men mounted a very unlikely comeback from 3-0 down.

Now, following the midfielder’s reward, plenty of supporters have flocked to hail his instance of magic – find all of their best verdicts here.

Irons heap praise on Lanzini

In other news: West Ham fans were also excited by this massive club move, find out more here.Â