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Loads of Tottenham fans have been drooling over an iconic goal from Gareth Bale, as Tuesday marked seven years since his final strike in the Premier League at White Hart Lane. 

Bale has scored plenty of incredible screamers throughout his career so far, including an acrobatic finish in the Champions League final, and it is fair to say this stunning goal is certainly no exception to the rule.

Fan accounts @LastWordOnSpurs and @thespursweb shared footage of the Welshman’s long-range effort against Sunderland in 2013, a match-winning strike that put the game beyond the Black Cats and propelled Spurs to 72 points, which was a record for the club. Taking a pass in the final minute of the game, he cut inside from 25 yards out, and curled the ball into the top corner.

The £28.8m-valued winger scored 56 goals and created 58 assists in 203 appearances for the Lilywhites, before leaving for La Liga giants Real Madrid, but it seems a large section of the THFC faithful still have plenty of fond memories about the “Welsh wizard.” One supporter tweeted the video is “stunning,” while another added his “technique is unbelievable.”

Scroll through some of the glowing reactions down below…

Tottenham fans, do you want the board to bring Gareth Bale back to the club in the future? Let us know in the comments section!

For Wolves, this season has been a very promising one as they currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, three points from a potential place in the Champions League. For their latest target however, it’s been rather the opposite.

According to reports from Turkey (via Daily Mail), the Midlands side could be bringing Liverpool’s rejected goalkeeper to Molineux in the summer on loan.

The Turkish outlet Fanatik has reported that the Reds have been in talks with Wolves over a potential move for the German, who would join the ranks as back-up to Rui Patricio. However, a move in any capacity for Karius would be like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. The 26-year-old certainly has Premier League experience on his side, but no success to show for it and of course, his costly errors in Europe cannot be easily forgotten.

Football FanCast has taken a look at the reasons why Karius may not be the right match for Wolverhampton.

Errors and Old Habits

The German shot-stopper arrived at Anfield with a lot of promise to become a cult hero and help plug Liverpool’s leaky defence. After a shaky start to his debut season – keeping just three clean sheets and making two costly errors – Klopp remained sold on Karius’ ability between the sticks.

However, into his second term with the Merseyside outfit, the new No.1 single-handedly knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League final. His blunders gifted Real Madrid two goals, which was the final nail in the coffin for the majority of fans.

After his calamitous performance in Kyiv, a beIN Sports panel analysed his mistakes, with one pundit claiming Karius would ‘never recover’ from those woeful 90 minutes.

This prediction has proved accurate so far. A two-year spell with Besiktas hasn’t had the desired effect to bring some positive form back to Karius. Following a match against Konyaspor in 2019, Besiktas manager Senol Gunes hit out at his goalkeeper for his error and stated his performances had ‘gone stagnant’.

Additionally, according to WhoScored, the German’s weaknesses have been identified as long passing and saving long shots, something which most goalkeepers should be able to comfortably do.

Joining a side that could potentially be playing in four competitions next season will see Karius with a lot of game time. But professionals and fans alike know he has some very fateful errors in him, and he would be a ticking time bomb at Wolves.

Lack of Confidence

The arrival of a record new signing brought in to replace you is not a welcome thought by any player. But it must particularly sting when you’ve just played out the worst game of your career and now the team are phasing you out.

According to the Telegraph, following the arrival of Alisson in 2018, Karius was said to be ‘bitterly disappointed’ in Jurgen Klopp for bringing in his replacement. Reportedly, Liverpool’s new arrival made the former first-choice ‘keeper question his future with the Reds. Not long after, Karius was shipped out to Turkey on loan with Besiktas.

During his spell in the Super Lig, the 26-year-old has endured some truly testing times. Not only did he struggle to adapt at first, but reports claimed he was owed a backlog of wages from the club. The Turkish side had withheld four months of payment from Karius last year and now a new complaint has been raised by the goalkeeper who has not been paid since the season was suspended last month (via the Guardian).

Arriving at a new club with an exciting project unfolding would be too much for Karius to take on at this moment in his career. His first return to the Premier League since the 2018 Champions League final will be a very unnerving situation for him. Shouldering that whilst trying to be at his best for a new team will only knock his confidence even more.

Plus, with the pressure of helping Wolves achieve all they can next season, the likelihood of more errors will be even higher. Karius will not want a repeat of his past nightmares, and to decrease the chances of that happening, the German must consider looking for a less-demanding club.

Manchester United have already made the first move prior to the 2020/21 Premier League season by signing Odion Ighalo. 

After arriving on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in January, Ighalo’s stint at Old Trafford was set to expire last month but the Nigerian has impressed the club he supported as a boy, scoring four goals in eight appearances so far. His performances in the Red Devils jersey have earned him a new contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2021.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in the middle of planning for a long-term rebuild before the nationwide lockdown was introduced in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (ESPN).

According to Le10 Sport (as relayed by Sport Witness), Ighalo could be reunited with his former international teammate Wilfred Ndidi in the summer.

The 23-year-old has played a major role for Leicester City this season, scoring two goals and supplying one assist in the Premier League, winning four tackles per game, averaging 2.7 interceptions and completing two clearances per game on average (via WhoScored).

He has notably earned a higher WhoScored rating than veteran United midfielder Nemanja Matic for his performances in the English top flight.

His heroics all over the pitch have attracted attention from a number of suitors, including Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and United have now thrown their name into the mix. He has also been compared to former Foxes star N’Golo Kante, who is now at Chelsea.

However, the midfielder is currently valued at £32.4m via Transfermarkt and it remains to be seen if the board will be willing to splash the cash. Indeed, Ed Woodward has previously warned United’s summer spending may be limited due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

Naturally, some United fans remain sceptical as Ndidi could cost a lot of money in the transfer window. One supporter tweeted that the “excellent” player is “miles better than Matic” but is wary of Leicester’s valuation. Another added that he could be the “perfect signing” as a longer-term replacement for Matic.

Have a read through the rest of the mixed reactions so far…

United fans, should the board sign Wilfred Ndidi in the summer? Let us know down below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has told BBC Radio 5 Live that Jordan Henderson is “world-class”.

What did he say?

The 31-year-old former England international retired earlier this year and has since made the foray into the world of punditry.

On Monday, he was speaking about the Liverpool captain, and he said: “You’d argue Henderson’s world-class, because of what he’s done and consistency.

“He’s won a European Cup, he’s been consistent over the last three or four years. Yes, it really is [hard to write off a Champions League-winning captain]. You know what, I’m going to go with that statement, I’m going to say Henderson is world-class and a lot of the work that he does goes unnoticed because he’s not getting ten assists a season or scoring ten goals a season.

“I was referring to on the field but off the field as well. I’ve played with Henderson and he’s just an honest guy who would run through brick walls for you, he’s willing to improve, he wants the team to be at its best.

“When Liverpool first signed him a lot of people were raising their eyebrows but now I think we have to start giving him the credit that he’s due.”

World-class captain

To say that the 29-year-old is a world-class player is a huge statement. When you think of the best midfielders in the world, the first names that come to mind are the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Toni Kroos and Sergio Busquets. Is Henderson in their category, or even close to it? Based on his skill-set and technical ability, you would have to argue he isn’t.

However, as a captain and all-round component of a trophy-chasing squad, it’s hard to disagree.

Following Steven Gerrard’s departure in 2015, the former Sunderland midfielder has taken the armband and has made it his own. Since he stepped into the role, the Reds have finished in the Champions League spots in three out of four seasons, and have reached the final of that European competition on two occasions. Last year, Henderson lifted the trophy to join the select group of Liverpool captains to do so.

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This year, they lead the way in the Premier League and already have an eight-point lead over second-placed Leicester City and third-placed Chelsea. Manchester City are a further point back in fourth. After 30 years of hurt, the Anfield outfit could finally end their league drought, and Henderson will be the man on the podium to hold the cup aloft if they do prevail.

Parts of the fanbase have criticised the midfielder for his ability, but his leadership is his biggest strength. Centre-back Virgil van Dijk, himself a skipper with the Netherlands’ national team, has previously stated that he believes Henderson is a “great captain”, whilst talkSPORT journalist Adrian Durham said that he thinks the 55-time England international is a better captain and leader than Steven Gerrard.

Again, a big statement, but unlike a lot of quotes from that particular radio station, they certainly make for an interesting debate.

Is he a world-class player? No. But a world-class captain? Undoubtedly. In that respect, at least, it is about time Henderson receives the credit he deserves.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Phil Hay has confirmed that loanee Eddie Nketiah was due a run of starts at Leeds before injuries took hold and delayed his progress with the Championship outfit.

What’s been said then?

Hay was asked about Nketiah’s place in the squad during his Q&A session with The Athletic.

“We’re going back to where we started – if the team are playing well and results are good, the temptation to drop Bamford isn’t going to be strong for Bielsa. From what we hear, Nketiah would have been given four games on the bounce if he hadn’t been injured. He was set for a run of starts. But once he’s back he’ll have to polish his match fitness and in the meantime, Bamford has the chance to nail his place down a little more firmly.”

Bad timing

Leeds’ striker position has been a point of discussion throughout this season, and it seems as if those debates aren’t going away.
The Whites have a bit of a dilemma up front, Patrick Bamford has been out of form as he’s netted just five goals this term, while Eddie Nketiah has been scoring at an impressive rate netting three league goals in just 265 minutes.
Despite this, Nketiah hasn’t started single game for Leeds, and just when it looked like he was going to get a spot in the first XI he picked up an injury.

Bad timing

Leeds’ striker position has been a point of discussion throughout this season, and it seems as if those debates aren’t going away.

The Whites have a bit of a dilemma up front, Patrick Bamford has been out of form as he’s netted just five goals this term, while Eddie Nketiah has been scoring at an impressive rate netting three league goals in just 265 minutes.

Despite this, Nketiah hasn’t started a single game for Leeds, and just when it looked like he was going to get a spot in the first XI he picked up an injury.

Indeed, Bamford had a knock on his ankle before Leeds’ game with QPR, but an abdominal strain picked up by the Arsenal loanee meant that the 25-year-old’s run of starts continued.

Leeds fans have been calling for Nketiah to start for ages, and just as he was about to get a run of games he was sidelined.

The Argentine has always been rather reluctant to rush his players back into the first-team as he usually plays them on the bench or in the U23s until they’re 100% ready to get back to business.

This may take a while for Nketiah and with Leeds having an easy run of fixtures coming up this couldn’t have come at a worse time for the striker.

Many Everton fans have responded to further claims linking Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish with a summer move to the club.

Arguably one of the best performers in the Premier League season this term, Grealish has attracted interest from a number of sides ahead of the summer transfer window.

Manchester United have been extremely keen, whilst Everton have been recently linked with a move for Villa’s club captain.

Villa, who sit 19th in the Premier League table as things stand, will have a hard task keeping the academy graduate at the club past the summer, and it has now emerged that Everton officials are ‘confident’ they can seal an agreement although the Villans want around £70m.

Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti is expected to bring in a new number of faces to the club in what will be his first summer transfer window since taking over from Marco Silva in December.

Grealish has featured 26 times in the league this season for Villa, scoring seven goals and gaining six assists in the process.

Reacting to a tweet by fan account @TheGwladysSt, fans gave their opinion on Grealish’s potential arrival:

Toffees fans, would Grealish be a good signing? Let us know below…

The march goes on for West Brom. A solitary goal from a certain Hal Robson-Kanu gifted them three points as they remained top of the table on Saturday.

Albion had to work hard for their victory versus Boro as they came away from the Riverside with just one goal in their back pockets.

Robson-Kanu, who was introduced with 28 minutes remaining, proved to be the difference in a week where he’d recently just earned a new deal too.

He put pen to paper on a new contract on Friday as he looks set to stay at the Hawthorns until the summer of 2021.

Reacting to his performance on Twitter, one fan suggested he was always better than former West Brom striker Salomon Rondon. A further individual joked he could be the best player Albion have ever had.

Another supporter said they wanted five more years on his deal after scoring against Middlesbrough.

The forward’s strike was only his tenth in the blue and white stripes of West Brom, a record that makes for quite dismal reading.

That being said, he is level with Charlie Austin for goals this term.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Leeds United are desperate for a goalscoring striker.

There are no two ways about it, the Whites dominate the xG league table, yet they currently sit third in the Championship 12 points behind where they supposedly should be.

This is undoubtedly down to their lack of finishing ability in front of goal, and one way to remedy that would be to buy a new striker.

One man who Leeds were linked with over the summer was Dwight Gayle.

However, the latest update from Leeds Live may mean they have to forget about Gayle ever lining up at Elland Road.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

What’s the story

Leeds Live hosted a Q&A session about the club on Tuesday, and understandably, the question was asked about Gayle as some fans remained hopeful that a deal could be done.

However, Beren Cross’ response quickly shot down any possibility of the Yorkshire club signing the Newcastle man.

The journalist wrote a rather long response to a question about external investment and Pablo Hernandez’s injury, but the part we’re concerned with is right at the bottom where he says.

“As for Gayle, no chance. Financial Fair Play would be obliterated.”

Radrizzani must be blamed

There’s only one man you can point the finger at for Leeds’ current predicament with FFP, and that’s Andrea Radrizzani.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

The Italian has previously admitted that he’s made mistakes in terms of wages and transfers before, and now those are coming back to haunt him.

If the chairman had been a little savvier in the past, perhaps Leeds could have made this deal for the 29-year-old happen.

However, due to the mistakes he has made in the past the Whites are out of the running for a striker who would certainly have improved their promotion chances. After all, he scored 24 goals last term in the Championship.

Leeds moved on as many as 31 players either on a temporary or permanent basis in the summer, something that provides evidence of how many surplus players they had on their books.

It says a lot, though, that they still don’t have the means to bring in players on a permanent basis.

Radrizzani has helped changed Leeds’ fortunes in terms of league position but they still appear to be reeling on the financial front.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Everton midfielder Fabian Delph withdrew from the England squad earlier this week having picked up an injury in the club’s defeat over Burnley, and it is the last thing manager Marco Silva needs.

The 29-year-old played the entire fixture at the weekend but has returned to Merseyside because of the hamstring injury which bothered him at Turf Moor. Delph earned his way back into the Three Lions squad having been one of the standout players for Everton during a torrid time for the club.

Since moving from Manchester City in the summer, the former Aston Villa man has slotted into the midfield in the absence of Andre Gomes and averaged 2.8 tackles per game and 59.8 passes per match at a success rate of 86.6% (as per WhoScored). He has remained relatively consistent and provided a bit more stability for the Toffees in defence so far, and was deserving of regaining his England spot.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The extent of his injury, however, is yet unknown, but as he managed to play the full 90 minutes over the weekend, it should not be too much of a worry for the long term. However, for even just one match, Marco Silva cannot lose the midfielder, considering injuries already in the position and the poor form of Morgan Schneiderlin.

Before the trip to Burnley, the Frenchman scored a 4/10 rating from The Liverpool Echo in the defeat to Sheffield United, a 5/10 for his efforts against Manchester City and, at Turf Moor, Schneiderlin earned himself another shocking 4/10.

Furthermore, Gomes is only just returning to action after missing four games since injuring his rib against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The former Barcelona man came on in the 84th minute over the weekend, whilst Jean-Philippe Gbamin has still not played since injuring himself in the second game of the season, with no return date set.

If Delph is to have a spell on the sidelines, it will give Silva even less options in midfield, and most likely force in Tom Davies who has seen just 20 minutes of Premier League action so far.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

If Laurens De Bock had a difficult spell at Leeds, he’s now struggling again at Sunderland.

Perhaps he isn’t suited to English football or perhaps he just isn’t particularly good at the game. Either way, any chance of securing a second opportunity at Elland Road is very quickly flying past the Belgian.

Signed from Club Brugge after playing continental football, the left-back has rarely shown any signs of being the type of player to perform on that stage.

De Bock featured just seven times for Leeds before being sent on loan last term. He’s now at Sunderland for a temporary stay but isn’t exactly pulling up many trees.

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He made his debut against Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup last month but has failed to build on that.

The 26-year-old has since gone onto play two times in League One, quite the fall from grace from his time at Brugge.

It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if he continued to struggle for minutes though, particularly after his latest performance.

De Bock’s display in a defeat against Lincoln last Saturday was pretty woeful, picking up a 4/10 rating from Chronicle Live.

They claimed he had a torrid time defensively and it’s not hard to see why.

The left-sided man gave away a penalty for a foul on Bruno Andrade and made two fouls before he was substituted just after the hour mark.

He failed to complete a single tackle and was dribbled past on one occasion, via WhoScored. With showings like this, it’s really no surprise that he struggled to make the grade at Elland Road.

Defensively he is extremely suspect and if he’s finding life troublesome in League One, he’ll never have the capabilities to perform to a consistent level in the Championship.

Receiving a loan spell in England was arguably the last chance saloon for De Bock but to date, he’s failed to take it with open arms.

Giving away a penalty and being withdrawn early just about sums up his time on British shores. Unfortunately for the Belgian, things don’t look like improving.