Reported Newcastle United target Islam Slimani attended Chelsea’s EFL Cup defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, and Magpies fans believe that they are set to miss out on signing the 29-year-old.
According to the Algeria international’s Instagram story on his official account, he was in north London with Leicester City teammate Riyad Mahrez to watch the semi-final clash.
The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday that Rafa Benitez has made enquiries for the £20m-rated centre-forward, but the Leicester Mercury reported that the Premier League holders have done the same as Antonio Conte looks to bring in a new target man before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday.
Newcastle supporters were quick to have their say on Slimani watching the Blues in action at the Emirates on Wednesday via social media, and while one said “that deal is done”, another said he’s ‘one target we aren’t getting then’.
Following a sensational start to the 2017/18 season with Besiktas, Cenk Tosun was one of the hottest properties in Europe heading into the winter transfer window, and Everton were quick to snap up the Turkish international, beating plenty of competition to his signature.
However, after just a handful of appearances, Tosun has been struggling to adapt to the English game and has already seemingly dropped down the pecking order in the Everton squad. Questions have been raised as to his happiness in England both on and off the field
In an interview with Haberturk this week, the 26-year-old, who is valued at £20.7million, wanted to set the record straight regarding his future;
“I’ve zero interest going back to Turkey. Yes I’m a Besiktas fan, but I’ll never return to them without fighting & achieving things in Everton. That’s not me. I’ll show everyone in England who is Cenk Tosun. I have a dream. I never quit work before completing it.”
Upon hearing the quotes from their new striker, Everton fans were quick to heap praise on Tosun and questioned why manager Sam Allardyce was not giving him a chance to settle into the first team…
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Leeds United’s early-season positive form has been replaced with lacklustre performances and unwanted results.
The Whites have not picked up a win in the Championship since Boxing Day when they earned a 2-1 triumph over Burton Albion away.
Since then, the club have recorded five defeats and four draws, while also making a managerial change.
Thomas Christiansen was replaced with Paul Heckingbottom earlier this week, and results have not exactly gone to plan.
In his opening two matches, Leeds have been beaten once and drawn twice, which has left them 11th in the table, eight points adrift of the playoff places.
Against Derby County on Wednesday night, Leeds relinquished their lead twice to draw 2-2 at Pride Park.
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The match marked the return of Samuel Saiz, who had been banned for six matches for spitting at an opponent in the club’s FA Cup defeat to Newport County.
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The attacking player came on as a 55th-minute substitute and slotted right back into proceedings.
If the club’s bid for promotion continues to dwindle, though, fans are worried that Saiz, along with other players, will leave Elland Road.
Liverpool host FC Porto in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie at Anfield on Tuesday night, and leading 5-0 from the first leg Reds fans have urged manager Jurgen Klopp to hand Danny Ings, rated at €8m (£7.1m) by Transfermarkt, a rare start in attack.A hat-trick from Sadio Mane and further goals from Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah gave the Merseyside outfit a comfortable victory in Portugal last month that has left them on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals, and it should give Klopp an opportunity to give some of his fringe players a spot in the XI.Ings is certainly one of those seeing as he has only played 80 minutes of first-team football this season following two long-term injuries previously, with 10 of those coming against Porto in the first leg when he came on as a late substitute.Liverpool supporters have been quick to have their say on the 25-year-old, and while one said “I’d love to see Danny Ings start tonight for Liverpool”, another simply said “Ings please” when asked if he or Dominic Solanke should start.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…[ad_pod ]
After a humbling defeat at the Riverside on Friday, Leeds fans have been reacting to one amazing defensive statistic – and it’s not amazing in a good way.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side were completely outplayed by Middlesbrough on Friday, and the win over Brentford last weekend is now the only win in United’s last 11 league games.
There are plenty of problems with the side at the moment, but the fact that they have managed just three clean sheets in their last 12 league matches is quite simply a recipe for disaster.
Leeds are now 12th, eight points off the playoff places and with a goal difference of +1. This is due in no small part to one incredible defensive statistic.
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The defensive troubles have to be attributed to the club’s poor summer transfer window, losing players like Rob Green and Kyle Bartley and replacing them with inferior players.
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Leeds fans are making no bones about where the blame lies for these decisions, and here are some of the best twitter reactions…
The Arsenal fans have been drowning their sorrows in the Transfer Tavern in recent weeks due to the shambolic performances of their side across all-competitions, and plenty of them have called for the departure of Shkodran Mustafi as a result.
The vast majority of Arsenal supporters have predictably and justifiably used Arsene Wenger as a scapegoat for their side’s woes in recent weeks during a particularly dark spell for the club. Arsenal are no strangers to humiliation and periods of crisis, but the one they have experienced of late suggests they have fallen well below the standard that is typically expected of them.
Although it’s a worrying time for Arsenal Football Club, the club should not panic in the transfer market next summer with regards to both potential incoming and outgoing transfers. There is reason to believe that a change in management could instigate a dramatic upturn in the form of some of Arsenal’s underperforming outfield players, such as Shkodran Mustafi who has been particularly lacklustre this season.
Despite his poor form for the club, the German international has remained an ever-present in Arsenal’s first-team, partly due to the lack of competition for places in his position. If Arsenal want to halt their dramatic decline and begin an improvement which can enable them to become a top-four club once again, they will need to sign at least one quality central defender to challenge Mustafi for his first-team place.
One man who should certainly be on Arsenal’s radar is Burnley’s James Tarkowski (valued at £5.4 million by Transfermarkt), as his performances for Sean Dyche’s high-flying side this season suggest he could be ready to make another step up in his rapidly rising career. Tarkowski has been mightily impressive at the heart of Burnley’s resolute defensive unit this season, and his performances are set to earn him a deserved call-up to the England squad this month according to The Daily Telegraph.
Arsenal are suffering something of an identity crisis at the moment, with many supporters beginning to question whether the long-held notion that their side play attractive football still commands any credibility, but despite this, the club should be enticed by Tarkowski due to his ball-playing ability – as well as his defensive credentials.
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Burnley are unlikely to be willing to sell one of their prize assets next summer so it’s unlikely he’ll come cheap, but he should still represent decent value for money considering he has proven Premier League experience, so Arsenal should do everything they can to sign a player who could potentially replace Mustafi in the first-team next season.
At the beginning of the season many would have tipped Manchester United to be challenging for the Premier League title, but they failed to keep up with Manchester City’s pace.
Pep Guardiola’s side are a mammoth 16 points ahead of their neighbours and could potentially secure the title with a win over United at the Etihad Stadium in two games’ time.
For United, expectations have not been met and as a result, manager Jose Mourinho has come under fire from supporters.
A major disappointment was the club’s exit from the Champions League as they were ousted across two legs by Sevilla in the last-16 stage.
Since then, Mourinho has unleashed a number of outbursts in front of the media, and once again, left-back Luke Shaw has been at the centre of his criticism.
The club’s only chance of silverware this season is to win the FA Cup, and they will take on Tottenham Hotspur for a place in the final.
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Former United captain Gary Neville has discussed the situation surrounding the Red Devils, and even though he thinks that winning the FA Cup would be positive for the club, he has claimed that they should be achieving much more.
In his Class of ’92 Diary for Sky Sports, Neville said:
“The FA Cup will really help the club this season. If you’d have asked me at the start of the season whether second place and the FA Cup would be a successful season I would have said no, because the league had to be the priority. However, now looking at where they are at, it would absolutely be a progression from previous seasons, but ultimately be below where it needs to be.”
Speaking to official club outlet the Celtic View, Hoops defender Mikael Lustig has stated his desire to remain at the club for a number of years, possibly to 2021 in an effort to secure a Scottish record of 10 league titles in a row.
What’s the story?
The Swedish international has come under criticism from Celtic supporters in recent weeks and months for lacklustre form, not once performing at right-back as he once did.
The player himself though is targeting many more years at Celtic Park. Having two years left on his current contract, he wants to stay even longer, targeting a historic goal before he eventually departs.
Speaking to the Celtic View, Lustig said:
I have two more seasons before my contract expires so we’ll see what happens but, of course, I want to stay at Celtic for as long as possible.
We never think too far ahead, we take things game by game and season by season, but I’d love to be here if Celtic get 10-in-a-row.
While his ambitions are admirable, does the 31-year-old have what it takes to remain at the club until then?
Is he now replaceable?
There’s no doubting that Lustig has had a magnificent Hoops career. He’s won 11 major honours with the Hoops and has been present for every one of their six league titles in a row. The emotional argument weighs heavily in favour of him remaining at the club if they are to go on and secure ’10-in-a-row’.
However, it’s also undeniable that he has regressed in terms of ability this season with his pace taking a major hit and his positioning suffering as a result. He’s also not getting forward on the right flank as much as he used to.
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The right-back slot should be a priority for Celtic this summer and if they can find a first-team replacement for the player, it could bring an early end to Lustig’s fairytale record breaking dream.
Tottenham Hotspur fans will welcome Kyle Walker back to the club this Saturday when Manchester City travel to Wembley hoping to restore their form after unexpectedly losing three consecutive fixtures to halt their Premier League title celebrations and bring their Champions League campaign to an end.
The England international will expect a mixed reception but very few Tottenham fans were disappointed with the £50million transfer fee he brought in when moving to the Etihad Stadium last summer – in fact, some even declared it Daniel Levy’s best piece of business as chairman of the north London club.
But there’s no doubt Walker – who Transfermarkt now value at £45million – has improved as a player under Pep Guardiola’s guidance both offensively and defensively. Likewise, he’s still on course to be part of a City side that win the Premier League title in beautifully aesthetic fashion.
So, Lilywhites fans, if Walker were still a Tottenham player, would you still accept a £50million bid for him from City? Do you think he could bring in more, or that the club should have done more to keep him on the books? Let us know by voting below…
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According to The Sun, Manchester United scouted Swansea City centre-back Alfie Mawson during last weekend’s Premier League clash against West Bromwich Albion.
What’s the story?
United are expected to be in the market for at least one new centre-back this summer, with the futures of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones far from secure.
A number of defenders – including Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld – have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but according to The Sun, the Red Devils could be ready to switch their attention to Swansea’s Mawson.
The report claims that United boss Mourinho had the 24-year-old scouted against West Brom with the view to a potential move at the end of the season.
Tottenham have also previously been credited with an interest in a player that was part of Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad, but failed to make his international debut during the fixtures against Netherlands and Italy last month.
Is Mawson good enough for United?
There is no question that Mawson has been one of Swansea’s most consistent players this season, and he has developed into a dependable Premier League performer since moving to the Welsh club from Barnsley in 2016.
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Indeed, the former England Under-21 international scored four times in 27 appearances for Swansea last term, and has managed three goals in 38 appearances during the 2017-18 campaign.
Whilst there is no question that Mawson is capable of moving to a top-half Premier League club, it is very difficult to claim that the defender is a better bet than Smalling or Jones, who are proven at the top level despite some difficult moments.
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According to transfermarkt.co.uk, Mawson is valued at £10.8m, and at that price, the centre-back could well be a good back-up option for United.
Swansea are sure to demand upwards of £20m this summer, however, and the Red Devils might well be better off focusing their attentions elsewhere.