Former USA star Jermaine Jones has chimed in and given his thoughts amid heavy criticism of Christian Pulisic following their World Cup exit.
Many high profile figures, including Carli Lloyd and Landon Donovan, have slammed Pulisic after the USMNT were thrashed 4-1 by Belgium in the last 16. Pulisic played 59 minutes before being subbed off through injury.
Jermaine Jones Sends Message to Former Players Criticising Christian Pulisic
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Jessie Alcheh
Jones, who played 69 times for the United States and captained his country twice, has made his feelings clear regarding the widespread criticism of Pulisic.
The 44-year-old, who featured for the USA at the 2014 World Cup, took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend Pulisic. He wrote:
“I strongly believe Christian Pulisic is the greatest American player of all time. I had the privilege of playing with some of the U.S. players and for me, no one matches him.
“What I find disappointing is seeing former players try to downplay his career or talent.
“Be careful throwing stones when you live in a glass house. Respect what Pulisic has done for U.S. Soccer and outside of America.”
He added: “What about the other players who had a really bad day? [Sergino] Dest, [Tim] Ream, [Matt] Freese? I watched the game they all had shockers.
“So what? That’s football. Bad days happen. They’ll all learn from it, grow, and come back stronger.”
Tim Howard Reacts to Christian Pulisic’s Post-Match Interview
“Yeah, rubbed some people the wrong way. I don’t envy Christian Pulisic right now. That’s a difficult place to be. I do, though, believe that the sort of perceived nonchalantness is not that he doesn’t care. I think he’s hurting. I think he’s aware. I think that’s his own defense mechanism.
“All I can is, I think it’s impossible for him to feel the way that he felt – being one of the leaders on that team and being the biggest name and the best player with his ankle hurt and getting crushed going out of a World Cup – I would find it almost impossible for him to give a legitimately nonchalant interview. So, there’s something else going on there.”
He added: “To whom much is given, much is required. He is the face of his team. He is undoubtedly its best player. When that happens, you receive all the money, and all the acclaim. And he’ll receive all the blame. I hope for his sake he isn’t on social media for the foreseeable future.
“He deserves a rest. Go on holiday…. What I would say about him is when someone shows you who they are, you believe them. I think he’s a nice footballer. I still think he’s the best player on the team. Outside of that, you’d have to ask me very direct questions to which I could give you very direct answers.”
Arsenal remain in regular contact with Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane, although the player’s agent is currently holding talks with Everton over a potential switch to Merseyside, according to journalist David Schill.
Kofane enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with the German outfit, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 44 appearances across all competitions. This form has prompted interest from several clubs, including the Gunners and the Toffees.
However, it now appears that a switch to the Hill Dickinson Stadium could be on the cards for the Nigerian forward.
Arsenal Target Christian Kofane Speaking to Everton
Speculation linking Kofane with Arsenal first emerged in March after the Gunners defeated Leverkusen over two legs in the Champions League round of 16. Arteta is said to have admired the 19-year-old’s performance against his team, after the youngster caught the eye by causing imperious centre-back William Saliba issues throughout the tie.
Heading into this window, multiple reports suggested that Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta is intent on adding another striker to Arteta’s squad.
Kofane, described as ‘one of Europe’s most exciting strikers’ is understood to be on the Gunners’ shortlist for this position, although it now appears as though the player could be slipping away from them.
David Schill reports that Kofane’s agent, Eric Depolo, arrived at Everton’s training ground earlier this week to discuss a potential move to the north-west.
A positive meeting was held between the two parties, with the Merseysiders now pushing to accelerate a deal for the prodigy number nine.
That said, Everton’s desire to get on with things is said to be born out of fear of competition, with many clubs still circling for Kofane. Arsenal are among those still in the race, although they’ll have to move quickly if they want to hijack their Premier League rivals’ move for the player.
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Arsenal Should Move for Junior Kroupi Instead
Gabriel Jesus is expected to leave Arsenal this summer, making a centre-forward signing somewhat necessary. Adding a younger player who can develop alongside the likes of Havertz and Gyokeres makes sense, although Kofane may not be the right man.
While the Nigerian has shown glimpses of promise for Leverkusen, his output in the Bundesliga doesn’t suggest he’s ready to make an impact for a club competing for football’s biggest prizes.
Kroupi netted 13 goals in the Premier League last season, and only turned 20 in June. He may cost upwards of £80 million, but this is still a deal Berta should explore.
Rangers manager Derek McInnes is looking to sign another player who he managed at Hearts last season after Lawrence Shankland.
There’s no doubt Rangers need to invest significantly during the summer transfer window after falling short in the Scottish Premiership title race last season.
The Ibrox outfit looked in with a chance of battling for first place after the league split, but they fell off a cliff towards the end of the season.
If they don’t want to fall further behind their rivals Celtic and even Hearts, they need to bring in reinforcements in the coming weeks.
The Glasgow club have already secured the signature of Dan Neil, Shankland, Ivor Pandur, Ben Godfrey and Ross McCrorie so far.
It’s been a busy window for McInnes’ side, but it appears their business isn’t over yet.
Rangers Eyeing Hearts Star
According to a report from Sky Sports, Rangers are interested in signing Cammy Devlin following his departure from Hearts.
The 28-year-old left Hearts this summer after five years, failing to agree a new deal.
Devlin could follow in the footsteps of Shankland, leaving Hearts and joining their former manager McInnes at Ibrox.
The report claims that Rangers are also in talks over deals to sign Tromso’s Jens Hjertø-Dahl and Partizan Belgrade captain Vanja Dragojevic.
Emerging British tennis star Arthur Fery has undergone a medical procedure on the eve of his Wimbledon semi-final clash against Alexander Zverev.
The 23-year-old, who entered the tournament as a wildcard, has stunned the sporting world by making it to the last four at SW19.
Putting together the best run by a Brit at the tournament since Andy Murray’s retirement, Fery has scored upset victories over the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Flavio Cobolli on route to the last four.
However, he took an unusual step ahead of his semi-final meeting with Zverev.
Arthur Fery on His Decision to Undergo Surgery Before Wimbledon Semi-Final
Action Images via Reuters
Fery has a history of mid-match nosebleeds and the player himself has conceded it could be down to nerves or stress during his intense Wimbledon run.
To ensure he does not suffer anything of the sort during his clash against Zverev, he underwent a medical procedure the day before he steps onto the court.
While he was fine during his five-set victory over Dimitrov and upset quarter-final win against Cobolli, Fery needed to be treated three times during his five-set comeback win over Zizou Bergs.
The Brit has admitted that he has been consulting doctors regarding the nosebleeds and underwent surgery to ensure he wasn’t disrupted during the biggest match of his life:
“I had a little procedure here on it. That seemed to help,” said Fery, per The Express.
“Just getting the blood vessels cauterised in the nose. A small thing. Nothing major. Didn’t hurt. I’ve also tried to avoid wiping with a towel straight on the nose. I think that was also not helping, so just a combination of things, just a bit of luck as well.”
The operation involved lightly burning Fery’s broken blood vessels to ensure his nose does not bleed.
Zverev “Very Impressed” By Fery’s Wimbledon Run
Prior to their showdown, world number three Zverev was asked about his semi-final opponent and the German expressed admiration for Fery’s tournament success:
“The first time I watched him play was actually in Australia. He beat Cobolli in the first round. I watched that match. I was very impressed back then already. He has a very clean technique and very clean ground strokes. I thought he was a very good tennis player already back then.
“Of course, it’s maybe a surprise a little bit that he’s in the semifinals. But I think he deserves it. The wins that he had, the way he fought back in a couple of those matches, is great to see. It’s a great story.”
While Fery is the underdog going into this clash, he has defied the odds previously and will be hoping to repeat the success of Goran Ivanišević 25 years ago when the Croatian famously won the Wimbledon title as a wildcard.
