Arsenal are willing to include players in a potential deal for Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, per The Sun.
The Gunners are convinced about the prospect of signing the 21-year-old this summer and are willing to sweeten any deal for the Eagles.
What’s the word?
Arsenal, per the report, have scouted Wan-Bissaka extensively and believe that he is an ideal signing under Unai Emery’s management at the Emirates.
However, Palace are said to be keen to recoup £40million for a player who has made his breakthrough under Roy Hodgson this season.
Wan-Bissaka has made 27 Premier League appearances in 2018-19, impressing with his defensive assiduousness and explosive pace.
And The Sun claim Arsenal will try to lower the price of any deal by offering either Reiss Nelson, who is currently on loan at Hoffenheim or Ainsley Maitland-Niles to Palace plus cash.
Bayern Munich are also credited with an interest in Wan-Bissaka but their interest is not said to be as serious as Arsenal’s.
An embarrassing situation
Arsenal used to be able to afford to buy the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez outright.
Now they are facing up to the prospect of having to send promising young players to Crystal Palace in return for a right-back.
The budgetary situation at the Emirates is a disgrace, particularly with fans paying some of the highest ticket prices in the land.
Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…
It means Emery’s team are unlikely to receive any major upgrades this summer, either, despite the prospect of qualifying for the Champions League.
Wan-Bissaka would surely be a fine addition to the club’s ranks but the fact that they cannot afford him is despicable.
Supporters and staff alike should be embarrassed at how far Arsenal have fallen.
Arsenal have been so exciting to watch at times this season with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette continuing to deliver in attack.
However, with Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey no longer automatic starters, away from the two forwards, there is not really another player in the Gunners’ starting XI who is capable of conjuring up something from nothing or out of nowhere.
That could be about to change next season, though, with Arsenal said to be lining up a move for AC Milan attacker Suso.
The Breakdown
According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Daily Mirror), the 25-year-old was watched by a scout from the north London club in his side’s recent win over Chievo in what can only be described as a positive development for Unai Emery.
While Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have been decent in recent weeks, as previously mentioned, Arsenal need someone who can help out Aubameyang and Lacazette in attack consistently — and Suso might just be that man.
On top of having the sort of vision and passing that can make life easier for forwards such as Aubameyang and Lacazette, Suso can be a goal threat himself.
The Spain international is great coming off that right-hand side before bending a shot towards goal with his dangerous left foot.
Simply put, Suso is a player who can make something happen when his side need a moment of magic. The former Liverpool man has that X-factor and would be a signing who could get supporters at the Emirates off their feet.
Arsenal fans, would Suso be a good summer addition? Join the discussion by commenting below.
Leeds United’s defensive issues are mounting up once again ahead of the visit of Millwall on March 30, but it is at the other end of the pitch that they really need to work on before the visit of the Lions at the end of the month.
On the chalkboard
Well, the Yorkshire outfit will definitely be without first-choice goalkeeper Kiko Casilla against Neil Harris’ men following his dismissal against Sheffield United at the weekend, while Pontus Jansson also looks likely to miss out having been ruled out for three weeks because of a knee issue suffered in the same fixture.
While that gives manager Marcelo Bielsa plenty of headaches in his backline, his real concern should be improving his team in the final third during the international break.
The Whites were such a free-flowing side going forward earlier in the campaign, and despite impressive hauls against West Bromwich Albion and Reading in recent weeks they are still often missing that spark and little bit of quality.
What’s the answer?
Perhaps it is time to freshen things up a little.
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As per the BBC, Leeds had 17 shots at goal against the Blades on Saturday but not a single one of them was on target, as the hosts drew a blank for the second time in the space of five Championship fixtures – certainly not something you’d expect from automatic promotion contenders.
Patrick Bamford, Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison were among those that flattered to deceive against Chris Wilder’s men, and with a clash against a lowly Championship outfit in Millwall next up, perhaps it is time for Bielsa to take some calculated risks.
The likes of Jack Clarke and Izzy Brown could bring new ideas, enthusiasm and some unpredictability to the frontline, and could be just the tonic needed to get back to winning ways in the race for the Premier League.
Newcastle United fans have poured scorn on DeAndre Yedlin after the right-back made a horrific error in the club’s 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
The former Tottenham Hotspur right-back conceded the penalty that allowed Luka Milivojevic to score the winning goal from the spot, handing Roy Hodgson’s side a vital three points.
Newcastle subsequently remain in a relegation dogfight – they are seven points clear of Cardiff City but the Welsh side have a game in hand and could cut that gap to four if they win it.
Newcastle face Leicester City, Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool and Fulham between now and the conclusion of the season.
The 25-year-old’s foul on Zaha could, then, prove decisive as Rafael Benitez’s men continue to sweat on their Premier League status.
And fans have not held back on Twitter, unleashing a torrent of vitriol on the United States international.
كشفت شبكة قنوات بي إن سبورت، عن اسمي اللاعبين المصابين بفيروس كورونا، داخل صفوف فريق الرجاء المغربي، قبل مواجهة الزمالك.
ويستعد الزمالك لخوض مباراته أمام الرجاء البيضاوي، المقرر إقامتها في التاسعة من مساء غد الأحد، بتوقيت القاهرة، الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت المغرب، في ذهاب دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، على ملعب محمد الخامس، بالدار البيضاء.
أقرأ ايضًا.. خاص | باستثناء لاعب واحد.. سلبية نتيجة كورونا للاعبي الزمالك
وأكدت قناة بي إن سبورت أن الثنائي أيوب نناح ومحمد زريدة لاعبا الرجاء هما المصابين بفيروس كورونا، داخل صفوف الرجاء المغربي.
يذكر، أن الزمالك أعلن استمرار إيجابية العينة الطبية التي خضع لها التونسي فرجاني ساسي، لاعب وسط الأبيض، المصاب بفيروس كورونا.
[ad_pod ]Former Leicester player turned pundit Gerry Taggart has been singing the praises of Youri Tielemans. The ex-Foxes man gave his opinion of the Belgian midfielder whilst speaking to the club’s radio show Extra-Time at 6pm on Monday evening.
What’s he said?
Giving his analysis of Leicester’s win over Bournemouth at the weekend, Taggart was quick to pinpoint Tielemans as the biggest positive to come from the result.
He spoke about what he’s given the Leicester side that allows them to play with increased freedom and how he influences the game. Providing his thoughts to Leicester’s Extra-Time, he said:
“Him coming into the side and having that composure and awareness and ability in midfield to keep the ball, to break from midfield and get at defences, it lifts the team and drags the team forward when he’s on the run. He is a massive plus. He was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch on Saturday.”
Tielemans must be signed permanently
Taggart’s assessment of the promising young midfielder is absolutely spot on. His signing from Monaco on loan in January raised a few eyebrows because of the sheer quality of the player, but he hasn’t disappointed.
The 21-year-old has been Claude Puel’s parting gift to the club but they must sign him permanently, particularly if he continues to play like he did against Bournemouth.
The creativity burden has fallen upon James Maddison this season but the arrival of Tielemans has lifted the responsibility from his shoulders slightly. The way he can pick the ball up and carry it forward from deep is arguably something the Midlands club have missed over the past few seasons, and he has helped to reignite a spark that was often missing.
The former Anderlecht man has the ability to dictate the tempo and as a result, Leicester have been able to control games far more diligently since Brendan Rodgers took charge.
Jan Valery was rewarded for his fine development at Southampton with a new contract this week, and his comments in light of the deal suggested that two senior figures have positively influenced his development.
What’s the word?
Following a string of fine performances at right-back, Valery was handed a new deal on Thursday which will keep him at St Mary’s until 2023.
In light of his decision to sign fresh terms with the club, Valery spoke to Southampton’s official website about his progression and how a handful of senior figures have catalysed his notable improvement.
Naturally, Ralph Hasenhuttl was singled out for individual praise, but the academy product also made an intriguing revelation about Charlie Austin and Nathan Redmond.
“Before the games they talk to me always and tell me ‘Be confident,’ ‘Do this, or do that,’ – against Man United, on the pitch, Charlie and Redders told me ‘Next time, when you’ve got the ball, take one touch and sometimes cross or shoot’ and I actually did that and scored.”
Redmond could be key to Sims’ development
That Redmond, valued at £16.2 million by Transfermarkt, is actively helping less experienced individuals on the field of play points towards a wider overarching theme.
The 25-year-old is not the finished article himself but, as someone who has struggled to fulfil his potential in his career so far, he is well placed to appreciate how vital it is for the next generation to receive advice from senior figures within the squad.
With that said, it’s fair to assume that Redmond will be offering a similar level of wisdom to Josh Sims, who was a game-changing substitute for Southampton in their second-half turnaround against Tottenham last week weekend, as the 21-year-old winger bids to break into the first-team.
Like Redmond, Sims is a dynamic winger who possesses the type of explosive flair which Hasenhuttl likes to see from his forward players, and their stylistic similarities suggest the former is an ideal role model for the latter.
If he also listens to Redmond’s advice, just as Valery did against Man United, he could blossom into a fantastic talent in the coming years.
Andy Carroll may have played his last game for West Ham United, the Daily Mirror report.
The striker has sustained an ankle injury and, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, he may well fail to play another minute for the Irons.
What’s the word?
The aforementioned report claims that the Hammers striker’s ankle injury could be a serious one, with the club currently investigating the severity of the problem.
His deal runs out at the end of the season and sources have confirmed to Football FanCast that the club holds the option to extend that if they so wish.
However, they are unlikely to trigger the option if Carroll is on the treatment table and the Mirror report seemingly confirms that he faces an uphill battle to be involved again prior to the conclusion of the campaign.
Indeed, the report claims that he currently earns £90,000-per-week, a figure that the Irons may well look to move off the wage bill.
Carroll has played 90 minutes once in the Premier League this season, against Manchester City in a 1-0 defeat, but missed the opening 14 games of the campaign after undergoing ankle surgery.
Good riddance
Carroll has quite simply been rubbish for West Ham barring the odd wonder goal (sorry Crystal Palace fans).
Across 142 games for the club, he has scored 34 goals and has spent a ridiculous amount of time on the treatment table.
No club is likely to want to buy Carroll in the summer and the Hammers appear to have been offered the perfect opportunity to ease the striker out of the exit door.
He played 90 minutes three times last season and is a walking liability; no sooner is he back in the team than he is out of it again, nursing another injury.
Perhaps it is not his fault. But when he has played, he has hardly set the world alight and is worse than Javier Hernandez, Lucas Perez and Marko Arnautovic.
It’s time for West Ham to say good riddance and move on, and this most recent injury setback will make it all the easier to do just that.
Sadio Mane was named Liverpool’s Player of the Month for March.
The 26-year-old scored five times in five appearances last month, including a brace against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
In all, he has managed 20 goals in 39 appearances for the Reds this season.
Much of the focus was on Mohamed Salah last term, but Mane has been Liverpool’s go-to player for goals and performances over the last few weeks.
Next up for the Reds is a trip to Southampton on Friday night, where they will be looking for the win to take them back to the top of the Premier League table.
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And the Senegal international will be keen to continue his excellent form against his former club.
The Liverpool fans absolutely adore Mane for a number of reasons and a whole host of the supporters have been on social media lavishing praise on the attacker:
Harry Maguire has rapidly emerged as one of the most popular and highly rated central defenders in English football.
Sheffield United fans will cite back to prophetic claims they made in the early stages of his career at Bramall Lane to prove they saw his stardom coming, even if he is something of a late bloomer. Operating at the heart of a central defensive trio, the Leicester City enforcer played with composure and maturity in his first major international tournament last summer, earning esteemed praise and reported interest from Manchester United as a result.
His popularity transcends beyond football though: the man affectionately nicknamed ‘slab head’ became a national hero when he was pictured chatting casually to a bashful-looking woman after scoring in England’s 2-0 quarter-final victory over Sweden. The woman’s adoring expression and nervous body language combined with Maguire’s ultra relaxed stance suggested this was her first encounter with a newly-crowned king to whom she was betrothed. It later became apparent that the elusive woman in question, namely Fern Hawkins, was in fact his girlfriend, and that only seemed to add comedic value to the post.
The euphoria and mania of the World Cup has not corrupted Maguire’s development thereafter. His glowing reputation both personally and professionally remains in tact and his performances at Leicester this season will almost certainly earn him a start against the Czech Republic – particularly given the fact Gareth Southgate’s list of injured absentees could almost form a title-challenging all-star Premier League XI.
John Stones and Joe Gomez are both sidelined with injury and the shortage of first-choice options in central defence will add an extra weight of responsibility onto those strapping broad shoulders which wouldn’t look out of place on a rugby pitch. He will be the most senior central defender by default – in terms of England experience – and he will need to use his defensive nous to nullify the Czech’s most dangerous threat: Patrik Schick.
The travelling side have a prestigious footballing history which evokes nostalgic memories of pulsating attacking players, from Jan Koller, who embodied a bull in a china shop approach to bustling centre-forward play, to Pavel Nedved, who dazzled and orchestrated with an elegance akin to his majestic blond locks.
But that generation has passed and left the Eastern European nation with a squad of underwhelming individuals. Schick, however, offers a flicker of flair and promise to suggest that the next batch of talent could grind their sobering regression to a halt.
A centre-forward by trade, Schick joined AS Roma from Fiorentina in the summer of 2017 after scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in 32 Serie A appearances during the 2016/17 season. The switch from a solid mid-table outfit to a budding title-contender and regular Champions League participant has not been the seamless transition to success which he may have hoped for, but he has thrived on the international stage of late.
Soccer Football – UEFA Nations League – League B – Group 1 – Czech Republic v Slovakia – Eden Arena, Prague, Czech Republic – November 19, 2018 Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick in action with Slovakia’s Martin Skrtel REUTERS/David W Cerny
The 6 ft 2 target man has started 12 times in Serie A this season, scoring three goals in the process, but he boasts a far more prolific return for his national side. Three goals arrived in four UEFA Nations League appearances in 2018, while his all-round hold up play and twinkle-toed dribbling ability offered a level of star quality which is unrivalled in Jaroslav Silhavy’s squad.
If anyone is likely to provide the inspiration for a shock Czech Republic victory at Wembley, it’s Schick. Maguire’s fundamental task will be to win the physical and mental battle with the outstanding individual opponent, using every inch of his mass to bully the gangly forward both on and off the ball, reducing him to nothing more than a flashy Bambi on ice.
The Czechs are dark horses and Schick is the jockey with the power to guide them to a stunning victory over England; equally, Maguire is sufficiently-equipped to ensure that the danger man is suppressed.