Manchester City’s Phil Foden scored twice as his team beat Newport County 4-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday and he shouldn’t be worried that he’s yet to make a Premier League start for the champions.

The Stockport-born City fan has made eight appearances in the league so far this season totalling 106 minutes, and most would say that’s simply not good enough for a youngster hoping to become one of Europe’s greatest players. However, last season he played less than 50 minutes of first-team league football, so there’s clearly a progression.

He’s still 18-years-old and for a player to be playing any Premier League minutes at that age is impressive and difficult to achieve. Now apply that thinking to Manchester City, who have one the most gifted squads in world football and it puts the difficulty of the task facing him into perspective.

Would he good enough to play first-team minutes for another Premier League club like David Brooks has done at Bournemouth? Yes. But that doesn’t mean he should leave City in search of instant game time. Foden wants to play at the highest level, and to learn how to get there, he needs to be surrounded by the highest quality players.

Game time is important and it’s a valid point that two of England’s top players Dele Alli and Harry Kane learned their trade in lower divisions, but at City if you get sent out on loan, you very rarely return. The gulf in quality is so much that playing in another team may not even reach the levels of City’s training ground sessions.

Pep Guardiola is arguably the best coach in the world and he’s repeatedly said he wants him to stay at the club. If you’re Phil Foden it’d be hard to turn around and request a move away from your boyhood club and a manager, particularly this manager, who has a plan for your future. If Guardiola didn’t believe in him, he’d have been sent out on loan, but he does and so Foden is right to trust his coach.

At the moment Foden’s doing the right thing. Taking his opportunities when they come and learning from some of the world’s best players while doing so. If he continues to trust Guardiola and perform to the ability the club believe he can, he will become a regular within the next few seasons.

Do you think Phil Foden should seek a loan move to get more game time?

كشف مصدر بنادي الزمالك، تطورات ملف المدير الفني الجديد المنتظر أن يتولى المهمة الفنية خلفًا للفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون.

ويكثف مسؤولو نادي الزمالك خلال الفترة الجارية جهودهم للتعاقد مع مدرب جديد بعد رحيل كارتيرون بشكل مفاجئ.

وعلم “بطولات” أن مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك ينتظر تحديد الموقف النهائي للمدير الفني فيريرا بشأن قبوله عرض النادي لتولي تدريب الفريق بعد اتصالات بين مسئولي النادي والمدرب البرتغالي.

ممدوح عباس يشكو مرتضى منصور لـ النائب العام والأعلى للإعلام

وكان مسؤولو الزمالك قد تواصلوا مع فيريرا، ومن المنتظر أن يبلغ المدرب المخضرم مجلس إدارة القلعة البيضاء بالقرار النهائي غدًا الأحد بعد الحديث عن كل تفاصيل التعاقد.

وأوضح المصدر لـ”بطولات” أنه في حال عدم نجاح الاتفاق مع فيريرا ستتجه بوصلة مسؤولي الزمالك نحو المدرب الأرجنتيني جابرييل كالديرون.

يذكر، أن الزمالك يستعد لمواجهة مرتقبة بعد ثلاثة أسابيع أمام الرجاء البيضاوي المغربي، في نصف نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

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Tottenham and Arsenal played out an ill-tempered 1-1 draw at Wembley on Saturday.

Both sides were awarded a penalty in the north London derby at the national stadium, with Harry Kane converting from 12 yards and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seeing his effort saved by Hugo Lloris.

Aaron Ramsey had opened the scoring for the Gunners prior to Kane’s equaliser, with Aubameyang’s miss coming in injury time.

Following that, Lucas Torreira was sent off for a challenge on Danny Rose that was deemed to be dangerous.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino was subsequently pictured attempting to calm the Uruguay midfielder in the tunnel, as Torreira looked set to confront match officials to plead his case.

That the manager of Tottenham decided to intervene on the Arsenal’s midfielder’s behalf has caused some consternation on Twitter, with Spurs fans urging Pochettino not to act in such a manner again.

Indeed, many also believe that he may well have been warning Torreira against making another challenge of such a nature on one of his players.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below.

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Salomon Rondon led the line for Newcastle United against Wolves at Molineux on Monday night. Whilst the 29-year-old didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, he impressed with his hold-up play and was a constant menace to the opposition defence.

Watching the game, Liverpool pundit David O’Connell took to Twitter to state how impressed he was by the 70-cap Venezuela international.

This sparked some debate amongst Liverpool fans as to how effective the striker might prove as part of Jurgen Klopp’s set-up at Anfield. 

He would certainly offer a new dimension to the Reds’ attacking contingent. Klopp could call upon Rondon as a plan B, with the powerful, 6’1” forward able to take up the role of something of a target man.

The Venezuela international would surely find regular starts hard to come by with the Merseyside outfit though, and he may simply not be of the level required to impress at such a high level.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Plenty of Liverpool fans on Twitter think he could be an effective, if surprising, acquisition though…

West Ham United will be desperate to climb their way up the Premier League table, with last night’s win certainly helping their cause.

Interestingly, it appears as if the London club are eyeing a possible summer move, as according to Calciomercato (via HITC), West Ham United are interested in signing Kasper Dolberg.

Sadly, Marko Arnautovic hasn’t looked too impressive in recent times as he’s only scored two goals in his last six top-flight appearances, which both came in the same game. One main problem has been the amount of support he’s received at the pinnacle of the attack, which can be put down to Javier Hernandez’s lack of quality, despite him scoring yesterday.

The Austrian could soon be back to his best if David Gold and David Sullivan go all out to sign Dolberg in the summer transfer window, as the 21-year-old has the ability to hold up the ball and can pick a pass in the final third, as well as being able to drag the opposition’s defenders away, which would create room for Arnautovic to operate in.

Dolberg currently has 10 goals and four assists to his name at this moment in time, having established himself as one of the most promising attackers in European football. He has all the ingredients to become a future star, with his strength, power, pace, finishing and aerial ability making him a well-rounded striker.

What do you think West Ham United fans?

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Manchester City dismantled Chelsea in devastating fashion on Sunday afternoon as they returned to the top of the Premier League table with a 6-0 victory.

Pep Guardiola’s side may only be top on goal difference, but in a game defined by fine margins that could represent the difference between first and second place come the end of matchday 38.

Stunning individual performances were the order of the day at the Etihad Stadium, with the front-free of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva sweeping the plaudits for the roles they played in the demolition.

Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho and Kevin de Bruyne controlled the game behind the aforementioned attacking trio, but the latter was far from his electric best.

The 68-cap Belgium international was making only his fifth league start of the season due to the pair of ligament injuries which have ruled him out for the majority of the season so far, and his lack of match fitness showed at times against his former club.

De Bruyne was dispossessed three times and made only one key pass against Chelsea before he was withdrawn after 68 minutes.

To put his performance into context, his return of 26 completed passes was the lowest recorded by a City player aside from Aguero – a stat which points towards an anomalous lack of involvement.

From an individual perspective, it was a disappointing afternoon for De Bruyne, but after spending so much of the season on the sidelines it’s easy to understand why he was not up to his usual high standard.

The 27-year-old playmaker is simply not match fit right now. His lack of involvement in City’s captivating attacking display was an unusual reality for supporters to face up to, but he can afford a handful of mediocre performances while the rest of the team are clicking and scoring goals at will.

It will take time for him to rediscover his imperious best form but his eventual return to peak fitness could provide City with yet another devastating weapon during the final weeks of the season.

On his day De Bruyne is a match-winner who can shift the dynamic of a game in the blinking of an eye, and that talismanic tendency should arrive in tandem with a return to full fitness.

أعلن المدرب الكرواتي سلافين بيليتش المدير الفني لنادي وست بروميتش ألبيون، أنّ مدافع منتخب مصر الأول، أحمد حجازي، والمُحترف في صفوف الفريق، قد عاد للتدريبات مرة أخرى بعد تعافيه من الإصابة.

وكان حجازي قد غاب عن المباريات الثلاث الماضية لـ وست بروم، وذلك بسبب الإصابة التي كان يُعاني منها في أوتار الركبة.

وقال بيليتش في تصريحات صحفية لوسائل الإعلام عشية مباراة فريقه ضد تشيلسي: “أحمد حجازي؟ لقد عاد للتدريبات، أمس الخميس”.

وبسؤاله عما إذا سيكون قادرًا على التواجد أمام تشيلسي، اكتفى بكلمة واحدة قائلًا: “سنرى!”.

وعن المباراة قال: “نريد تكرار ما قدمناه ضد إيفرتون، ولكن التحسّن أكثر أيضًا، لقد كان لدينا توازن جيد، وكان شجعانًا، ونريد الاستمرار هكذا في مباراة الغد”.

يُذكر أنّ وست بروميتش يستقبل مساء غدًا السبت، تشيلسي على ملعب “هاوثورنس”، بالجولة الثالثة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

Fernandinho has been the core of Pep Guardiola’s Man City revolution over the past three years, but the 33-years-old needs to be given an understudy to take over the reins when he leaves.

City missed out on Jorginho in the summer and they’ve paid the price this season, having lost three times without him, allowing Liverpool to get ahead in the title race.

Considering the rest of the squad is stocked with so many pretty much amazing options, it’s a relative blemish at the Etihad. Impressive as he is, the Brazilian lynchpin cannot go on forever and there will come a time where, like Vincent Kompany, he’ll have to be phased out of the starting XI.

Indeed, Guardiola will know how important it is to get the right replacement for the most key position in his system and here are THREE options.

Declan Rice

Under Manuel Pellegrini, Declan Rice has shown he has the composure on the ball and the work-rate off it to play for Guardiola. His age means he could grow under the wing of Fernandinho as an understudy and learn his trade before becoming the club’s first choice for what could be the next decade.

Rice has also proved his qualities in the Premier League whereas the majority of City’s other options are yet to be tested in England. However, the fact he’s English (well, kind of) and has just signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal at the London Stadium may mean City would have to spend big on the youngster.

N’Golo Kante

With back-to-back Premier League titles at two different clubs, N’Golo Kante certainly knows how to play the defensive midfield role. Saying that, you wouldn’t think it considering his current manager Maurizio Sarri moved him into a more advanced position to fit in new signing Jorginho.

The results have been average and at times embarrassing, so City should swoop for the 27-year-old World Cup winner and have him as a ready-to-go replacement for Fernandinho. His Premier League pedigree and age should guarantee Guardiola the key energy and experience he’s looking for in the replacement.

Phillipe Sandler

Fernandinho’s replacement could already be under Guardiola’s nose at the Etihad Campus in the form of Dutchman Phillipe Sandler. The 21-year-old signed from Dutch side PEC Zwolle for £2.5m in the summer but missed the pre-season tour of America through injury.

He played primarily at centre-back for Ajax when he was coming through their youth system but played in central midfield for his last club and on his debut for City against Rotherham last month. If Sandler can learn from Fernandinho on the training ground and work his way into the first team squad more often, it could save City tens of millions in the long run.

Who do you think City should sign to replace Fernandinho?

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Jadon Sancho landed at Wembley on Wednesday evening and, with the British media watching on with eagle-eyed intrigue, impressed in fleeting moments of devastating dynamism.

Missed opportunity

Naturally, Manchester City fans watching at home will have been looking on pondering what might have been, but Arsene Wenger ensured that feeling would extend to Arsenal supporters.

Indeed, the former Gunners boss appeared as a pundit on BeIN Sports for Tottenham Hotspur’s clash with Borussia Dortmund and he revealed that he wanted to sign the 18-year-old during his time as manager in north London, as per Daily Mail.

‘(Sancho’s) is an incredible story because the pressure now on these young boys from an early age is very big.

‘The second thing, is the pressure from all the clubs – I say that freely because I wanted to take him from Manchester City when he was not getting the games.

‘I tried to lure him, because he was from London, I tried to get him to Arsenal.’

The supporters will be looking at Wenger’s claim and thinking ‘here we go again’. The Frenchman has made similar revelations before about a host of top players, but his latest admission is one which will resonate deeply with bitterly disappointed supporters.

Financial implications for Stan Kroenke

Not only will Wenger’s admission represent a huge disappointment from a footballing perspective, but also from a financial one.

After scoring seven goals from 21 Bundesliga appearances this season – averaging at one goal for every 194 minutes of football played – Sancho has seen his value rise at an exponential rate.

On June 5th 2018, Sancho was valued at just £13.5 million by Transfermarkt; now his value stands at an eyewatering £63 million.

His development shows that if you sleep on an opportunity to sign a player of Sancho’s potential, the financial implications can be huge.

In the modern economic climate it doesn’t take long for players with pace, trickery and end product to skyrocket in value, and Arsenal’s failure to translate their interest into a permanent deal will almost certainly force Kroenke to pay a premium price for a similar talent in the future – one which may well be beyond his financial capability.

If Arsenal want to compete on a level playing field with Europe’s most prestigious clubs, they simply cannot afford to let another potential transfer target of Sancho’s quality slip through the net while they remain available at an affordable price.

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According to The Sun, West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is a summer target for Premier League champions Manchester City.

The report has claimed that City could expect to pay as much as £70m for the 20-year-old, who has been in impressive form for the Hammers this season.

Rice recently signed a new long-term contract with West Ham, meaning that he is contracted to the capital outfit until the summer of 2024.

As a result, the Hammers are in a very, very strong position to negotiate, should a huge bid arrive in this summer’s transfer window.

The West Ham fans have been on social media reacting to the transfer report.

And it would be fair to say that the supporters are absolutely desperate for their club to keep hold of the 6ft 1in midfielder.

Many even feel that £70m would not be enough to sign the London-born youngster.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: