Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez may well be looking to sign a new left-back this summer in order to provide Paul Dummett with more competition in that position, especially now the club has secured their spot in the Premier League for another season.
Southampton defender Matt Targett, who has been impressing during a loan spell with Championship club Fulham in 2018, may well be one of the players that Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is looking at, so we decided to ask Toon fans whether they would like to see the 22-year-old move to St James’ Park, or not.
Those supporters used our poll to give their verdict on a potential deal for the England U21 international, who found first-team football at St Mary’s hard to come by in the first-half of the current campaign because he was behind Ryan Bertrand in the pecking order.
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53% of those fans that voted on our poll said they would back a move for the left-back, who could be on his way out of St Mary’s whichever division Saints find themselves in next term.
They may not have much left to play for in the Premier League this season, but Manchester United versus Arsenal remains one of English football’s most iconic fixtures. Throw in the fact this may well be Arsene Wenger’s last ever trip to Old Trafford, the scene of one of his most famous triumphs when the Gunners lifted the title there in 2002, and Sunday’s meeting will be ninety minutes of intriguing nostalgia at the very least.
So, how will this one pan out? Football FanCast’s very own Man-United-mad Sam Preston shares his thoughts and predictions ahead of the 4.30pm kickoff…
In many ways, it’s a shame Wenger’s last meeting with the Red Devils as Arsenal manager has come at this stage of the season. United will finish in the top four and are preparing for the FA Cup final; Arsenal will finish outside the top four and have a Europa League semi-final on Thursday night to think about. Both managers look set to rest key players with greater priorities in mind, and that could see a disappointing lack of competitiveness on Sunday.
Will this match end up being something of a dead rubber?
Sam: “I think it will, but it’ll be because Wenger rests players ahead of the return leg with Atletico. Of course United have the FA Cup to worry about, but that’s not for a few weeks yet so I’d expect Jose Mourinho to field his strongest side. Arsenal may well lack intensity and Mourinho will want to capitalise on that to all but clinch second place. Mourinho has set his side the target of getting seven more points in their last four games and there is a massive opportunity to get three of them here.”
A bitter rivalry with Mourinho has of course been one of the defining factors in the latter half of Wenger’s Arsenal tenure. The Portuguese’s arrival at Chelsea back in 2004 brought the abrupt end of the Invincibles’ dominance, and a year later Arsenal would win their only trophy for almost a decade. That’s no coincidence either; Mourinho’s defensive 4-3-3 counteracted Arsenal’s expansive style of play and has resulted in a formidable record against the Gunners gaffer. From 18 meetings to date, Mourinho’s won nine compared to Wenger’s mere two victories.
What are the key aspects of the Mourinho game-plan that have helped create such a dominant record over the Frenchman?
Sam: “Mourinho is a pragmatist so he’s always been willing to let Wenger’s sides dominate possession without penetration before exploiting the spaces Arsenal invariably leave behind. On Sunday, he will have no problem letting even a weakened Arsenal team have more of the ball and ruthlessly punish them on the counter attack. There’s usually much more pace and power in Mourinho’s sides than Wenger’s and that will be the key again on Sunday.”
Amid such a disappointing season, albeit one that could still end in a European trophy, it can be easy to forget how talented this Arsenal side is, even after losing Alexis Sanchez to United in January. After all, Mesut Ozil is one of the best playmakers in the world and mid-season acquisition Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was one of the most potent forwards in Ligue 1 before rising to the same status in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund.
Which Arsenal star is capable of causing United the most damage this weekend?
Sam: “It has to be Aubameyang. I wouldn’t expect any of Arsenal’s other big hitters to play but obviously Aubameyang is cup-tied and should spearhead the attack at Old Trafford. He is growing in confidence and in the continued absence of Eric Bailly, United don’t have anyone else who can live with his raw speed. His pace in behind will ensure Mourinho sets his team up to play reasonably deep as well.”
And where will this game be lost and won?
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Sam: “On the counter-attack. If United can rob Arsenal in midfield and use the speed of Romelu Lukaku, Sanchez and Jesse Lingard to break into the spaces they leave behind, then they should win fairly easily. But if Arsenal are able to keep the ball away from United and pin them back then that’s their best chance of securing the win. There’s a fine line between soaking up pressure – controlling the game without the ball as Mourinho calls it – and being penned in, unable to break out. United must make the most of their chances to counter.”
Finally Sam, let’s hear your score prediction…
Sam: “If this wasn’t Wenger’s last trip to Old Trafford as Arsenal manager then the visitors wouldn’t care about this game at all, with the Atletico match on the horizon. The Wenger factor adds something extra but I still expect Arsenal’s hearts to not really be in it, and a stronger United side to clinch the victory. 2-0 United.”
Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen has emphasised the importance of manager Mauricio Pochettino in a tell-all interview with the London Evening Standard.
What’s the story?
At the end of another trophy-less season at Tottenham, Pochettino called on chairman Daniel Levy to “be brave, take risks and create a new idea” at the club.
The Spurs manager has been coy when asked about his long-term future, claiming the club need to progress “with [him] or another.”
Speculation about Pochettino’s future has been rife, the latest reports linking the Argentine with a move across the capital to Chelsea.
Eriksen raised a few key points during the interview. Firstly, he addressed the rumours surrounding Pochettino – who he insists is a “Spurs man”.
“He’s really important. You can see what he has achieved with this club. When I arrived [in summer 2013], there was a season with a lot of ups and downs at first but ever since [Pochettino joined a year later] it’s really been very stable — finishing in the top three is a big achievement for the manager.”
Secondly, the Dane was very complimentary on the style of play the manager has brought to the team:
“He can have a big pat on his shoulders for the people around him and for him. He’s pushed us and the players in the right direction. We’re going into every game and winning games with the right mentality with exciting football. The fans in particular, I hope, enjoy how we play.
“I enjoy how we play under the manager. I think the style of play is something that suits me and the players we have. Generally, you’re going into every game with excitement. You know you’re going to play forward and not going to defend.”
Finally, Eriksen reflected on what’s to come and Spurs fans will be relieved to hear it includes Tottenham:
“The next step is, of course, to finish the semis and try to get through [to a final]. I think if we do what we did against all the teams in the Champions League again, we have a chance of going even further.
“I think we’ve shown in the Champions League we have something we can take with us. We’re over the hill, we tried it. Now we want to win something, we want to go further. Mentally that’s a big step we need to go forward.”
Glass Ceiling
Pochettino’s achievements in north London will not have gone unnoticed by Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich.
At Spurs the Argentine has presided over three consecutive top-three finishes despite having a net spend of £50m. To put that in context, the two teams who finished above Spurs this season, United and City, both have a net spend of over £400million in the same period.
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While Levy may be reluctant to release the financial shackles at Spurs, Abramovich has shown time and time again he is prepared to spend the big bucks. Levy must give Pochettino the resources he needs if he harbours serious ambitions of taking the club to the next level.
If he doesn’t, there is a very real possibility that Pochettino will be managing in west London next season.
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish helped his team reach the Championship play-off final following their goalless draw against Middlesbrough at Villa Park on Tuesday night in the second leg of their semi-final tie, and Newcastle United should look to snap the 22-year-old up this summer if Steve Bruce’s men don’t win promotion.
The England U21 international, who earns £20,000-a-week according to The Sun, was impressive on Teesside on Saturday, and another decent performance in the middle of the park for the Midlands outfit in midweek saw them advance to what should be a brilliant clash between themselves and Fulham at Wembley later this month.
Grealish has suffered his fair share of injury issues and controversial moments off the pitch over the course of the last few seasons, but he has stood up to the plate this season.
He began the latest fixture with Boro behind Lewis Grabban in a 4-1-4-1 formation, although as well as playing as a central and attacking midfielder, he has also featured as a left winger.
The 22-year-old showed his quality on the ball with a passing accuracy of 85% against Tony Pulis’ side, while he successfully completed five dribbles and was fouled on seven occasions, as per WhoScored.com.
That proved the threat he can bring to opposition teams, and he also had three shots and made one key pass during the 90 minutes.
He would certainly be a good addition for Newcastle, whose fans on Twitter are fed up of the links to a player with 34 goals this season, as they surely look to provide Ayoze Perez – despite his brilliant end to the campaign – with some much-needed competition in the No.10 role.
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He could also play out wide on the left if a permanent move for Chelsea’s Kenedy doesn’t come to fruition.
While relegation inevitably means bad news for West Brom, it’s great news for any of their former Premier League rivals looking to pick up players on the cheap this summer. Indeed, that’s the curious thing about the Baggies’ season; when you look at the actual complexion of the squad, barring dearths of quality in certain key departments, it’s laced with players who have proven records in the top flight, alongside a few underrated gems.
Versatile defender Craig Dawson goes some way to filling both categories. He’s made over 150 appearances in the Premier League, having earned his move to the Hawthorns in 2011 by impressing in the Football League with Rochdale, and has unquestionably been amongst the Baggies’ most consistent performers over the last few years. Yet, perhaps because West Brom have been far from a fashionable club during their final few terms in the Premier League, Dawson has rarely received the acknowledgement his form’s deserved – at least, not from those outside of the west Midlands club.
And in truth, that unfashionable style is partly what has made Dawson such an effective and competent defender, especially under Tony Pulis, by mastering the basics of the trade while playing out of position. Clearly a centre-half by nature, Pulis deployed Dawson at right-back and that incredible height and power across the backline became a defining feature of the Welshman’s Baggies side – one which helped push them to an impressive tenth-placed finish last term.
Following Pulis’ departure, Dawson was allowed to undertake his more natural role, alongside Ahmed Hegazi at the heart of defence, and the 28-year-old impressed there too – playing at centre-back during clean sheets against Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle, which gave Darren Moore’s side a glimmer of hope of sensationally avoiding the drop.
Indicative of how influential Dawson’s been this season, regardless of position, the Baggies’ win-rate has moved from a mere 9% to 25% when the 6 foot 2 defender’s made their starting XI – the only time he hasn’t being the twelve games he missed between October and December through injury. Perhaps even more tellingly, that was the period of the season when West Brom’s campaign really began to spiral out of control.
That’s not to suggest Dawson’s absence is the primary reason West Brom have failed to beat the drop, but it’s clear the defence struggled at times in his absence and it also took an unlikely source of goals out of the team. Scoring has actually been a key feature of Dawson’s career; he’s finished the last two seasons with four apiece in the Premier League, and netted a staggering 22 in 94 appearances during his time with Rochdale.
Looking around the top flight, West Ham are amongst the clubs most in need of a reliable centre-half. While Declan Rice has established himself as a promising option ahead of 2018/19 and Angelo Ogbonna has been decent when fully fit, Winston Reid is nursing a long-term injury and James Collins will leave the club when his contract expires this summer.
Amid such dire straits, David Moyes was forced to depend on a teenager in Rice and a full-back in Aaron Cresswell to complete the Hammers’ often shaky back three. In fact, throughout the entire campaign, Italy international Ogbonna was the only out-and-out centre-half to make more than 17 top flight appearances for the east Londoners. Moyes’ successor, Manuel Pellegrini, has already told the press he wants “four or five players”, and a new centre-back will surely be on his wishlist.
March reports from Mirror Football suggest Dawson could be available for around £10million this summer, which seems a far price to pay for an English centre-half with a proven record in the Premier League. But potential competition from Burnley, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough could end up elevating that figure somewhat.
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So, West Ham fans, would you back a swoop for Dawson? Let us know by voting below…
According to the Express and Star, Wolves are set to make a fresh bid for Sporting Lisbon’s goalkeeper Rui Patricio.
What’s the story?
Wolves’ interest in Patricio looks set to be one of the ongoing transfer feuds of the summer, with many claims and counter-claims coming from the player’s agency, headed up by Jorge Mendes, and Sporting Lisbon.
It was first reported back in May that Wolves were preparing to make a £30million bid for the Portuguese ‘keeper, but this fee fell over the following weeks to a proposed deal of £15.75million, according to Mendes’ agency Gestifute (translated by Goal.com).
This is where things get tricky.
Patricio had a medical at Wolves but then the deal fell through after Sporting reportedly raised the asking price by £1.75million, but the club claims the agency are at fault for claiming £6million for handling the transfer.
Sporting Lisbon released a statement on Facebook asking for “no more lies or manipulations”, to which Gestifute offered a strong denial.
Patricio has since handed in his resignation to the club but everything remains up in the air.
However, the Express and Star have now reported that a fresh bid from Wolves could be on the horizon which would satisfy all parties and clear up the mess.
Is he worth the fuss?
With so many accusations being banded about, it is easy to forget that a top quality goalkeeper could be on the verge of joining Wolves.
Patricio has played for Sporting for his entire career, amassing 467 appearances in all competitions, along with 68 caps for Portugal, playing a major hand in his country’s Euro 2016 victory.
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Although John Ruddy had a stellar campaign for Wolves last season, Patricio offers a wealth of experience and assurance between the sticks that could really benefit the club in the coming season.
At 30, Patricio has plenty of years left and could be a valuable addition to the first team.
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Everton confirmed on Friday that Spanish goalkeeper Joel Robles would be leaving the club at the end of this month when his contract expires.
The 27-year-old, who is widely expected to join La Liga outfit Getafe, will leave Everton having made 65 appearances since a 2013 move from Atletico Madrid.
Joel actually made 21 appearances for Everton during the 2016-17 campaign, but Jordan Pickford’s big-money arrival from Sunderland last summer saw the Spaniard relegated to second-choice goalkeeper once again.
The former Spain Under-23 international, who was strongly linked with a move away from Goodison Park ahead of the 2017-18 season, will now seek pastures new as he looks for regular first-team football.
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He might have struggled to hold down a regular position at Everton, but there is absolutely no question that the stopper made a positive impression on the club’s supporters.
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Indeed, there was no whinging and moaning from Joel during his time out of the team, and when his departure was announced on Friday, the Everton fans were out in force on social media to wish the Spaniard the best of luck for the future.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
According to freelance Sports Journalist Tom Heslop on Twitter, Birmingham City are considering making a shock summer swoop for Aston Villa striker Scott Hogan, rated at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, and their fans were quick to react to the rumour on the social media platform.
Blues boss Garry Monk, who reportedly also wants to be reunited with a 6ft 3in star he signed in 2015, will surely be looking for a goalscorer this summer if he is to lead the Midlands outfit up the Championship table during the 2018/19 campaign, and Hogan would fit the bill even though things haven’t quite gone for him at Villa Park.
The 26-year-old netted 21 goals in 36 games for Brentford to earn his move to Steve Bruce’s side, but he has just 10 goals in 54 games for them having struggled with injury and to find form.
The Republic of Ireland international is one of players that Villa could move on this summer due to their financial issues, but his likely price tag and wage demands could well be a stretch for Birmingham.
We asked their fans to vote on our poll to see whether they would want their club to splash the cash to bring Hogan to St Andrew’s, and a slight majority 55% said they would.
It is clear to see that Birmingham need a boost to their firepower ahead of the new season, and it will be interesting to see who Monk targets, and how much the club are willing to back him in the transfer market.
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According to reliable West Ham United club insider @ExWHUemployee on Episode 92 of ‘The West Ham Way’ radio show, the club are eyeing a surprise potential move for free agent striker Mario Balotelli, and Irons fans have been quick to react to the news.
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@ExWHUemployee revealed on the show that new Hammers boss is keen to bring a forward to the London Stadium this summer to compete with the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll, and that the Italy international is an option.
The 27-year-old’s contract with Nice expires at the end of the month and having scored 26 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions for them last term, he may well be in demand this summer.
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West Ham supporters, who want their club to sign an England international this summer following his display against Tunisia, took to social media to give their thoughts on the link, and while one said “I’ve always thought Balotelli would be perfect for us”, another said he “can’t be worse than Carroll”.
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Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka has been busy in the transfer window, and it seems that a former Manchester United left-back is on his radar.
On Monday, The Nottingham Post reported that the Reds are hopeful of sealing the signature of Fabio from Middlesbrough.
The publication states that talks have been ongoing regarding a deal for the 27-year-old, who joined Boro from Cardiff City in 2016.
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The Brazilian is already familiar with Karanka’s coaching having worked under him at the Riverside Stadium.
Last season, though, Fabio began dropping down the pecking order, eventually featuring in 24 Championship matches.
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In total, the left-back, who can also play on the right-hand side, contributed with two goals and an assist in all competitions.
Forest have a vacancy in the left-back role, and considering Fabio’s experience of second tier football, there is no reason why he would not be able to slot in comfortably.
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We asked you whether the Brazilian would be a positive addition to the Forest team, and an overwhelming majority are all for the potential transfer.