West Ham United defender Pablo Zabaleta has hailed Joao Mario for the midfielder’s impressive performance against Southampton in the Premier League at the weekend.
Mario joined the Hammers on loan from Inter Milan during the January transfer window, and has largely struggled to make an impact at the London Stadium.
The Portugal international notched his first goal for West Ham against Southampton, however, as the London club recorded a hugely important 3-0 success.
Zabaleta has lavished praise on Mario, claiming that the 25-year-old had his best game for the Hammers against Mark Hughes’ struggling outfit.
Zabaleta told West Ham’s official website:
“Joao Mario showed his outstanding quality for us on Saturday. He has great technique and works hard for the team.
“On Saturday he played his best game for us so far and we were all happy for him. He took his goal really well and this his cross for Arnie (Marko Arnautovic) was also fantastic.
“These moments are the difference in matches and Joao has the qualities to help us win more games, for sure.”
Mario, who is wanted by the majority of West Ham fans on a permanent deal, was linked with a move to Manchester United before ultimately joining the Hammers on loan for the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign.
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The Euro 2016 winner managed five assists in 14 Serie A appearances for Inter in the first half of the season.
Despite Danny Rose recently admitting that he feels like he’s nowhere near to being called up to the England squad, the Tottenham Hotspur left-back has vastly improved under Mauricio Pochettino this season, and a national call-up may not be as far away as Rose thinks.
The former England U21 international, who was first called up to Roy Hodgson’s senior squad in August 2014, has yet to earn a senior cap for his country. Since then, Rose has had to forget about national duty and concentrate on stamping down a starting place in Pochettino’s first XI – as well as watching on to see a whole host of exciting English left-back’s seemingly pushing him further down the pecking order for an international call-up.
The Spurs defender somewhat surprisingly told the Evening Standard: “I’m going to be honest, I don’t see myself anywhere near the international squads.
“It’s just how it is. Leighton Baines is quite rightly the first choice, then Ryan Bertrand is doing very well at Southampton. Kieran Gibbs and Luke Shaw are ahead of me, too, and I’m a big fan of Aaron Cresswell at West Ham.”
It doesn’t happen too often in football where a professional player talks himself down quite like that, but at least he’s honest, and in the meantime, he’s been getting his head down and turning his attention to his form for his club. Rose has made 25 league and cup appearances for the Lilywhites thus far, and finds himself ahead of summer signing Ben Davies for the first choice left-back position at White Hart Lane at present.
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Rose may have been at Tottenham since signing as a 17-year-old from Leeds United in 2007, but despite being at the Lane for quite a lengthy period of time, the defender has only made 58 Premier League appearances for the club, and has found himself being loaned out on numerous occasions.
But this season, Rose’s energetic and stalwart performances at the back for Tottenham, have seen him rightly lock down a starting berth of late, and his recent excellent displays haven’t gone unnoticed. As well as scoring Spurs’ first goal on their road to recovery against West Ham on Sunday, Rose has put in some dominant displays recently and made the left-back position his own.
During his time at White Hart Lane, the full-back has divided opinion amongst Tottenham fans – many believe he’s far more effective going forward than he is defensively and, to be fair, it’s hard to disagree with them. There’s no doubt about it, the Spurs No. 3 loves to get up the pitch, but this term, he’s been a lot more focused on his defensive duties.
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Once Ben Davies has had a full-season at Spurs, Rose is going to have to up his game even further to keep his starting place. But the ex-Leeds youngster has at least proved to the Tottenham faithful that he’s more than just an average defender who loves to go forward – he’s shown this season, that he’s ever-improving, a lot more consistent, and he’s slowly but surely turning himself into a more than capable left-back.
Amid the chaos at The Emirates, with constant questions over how efficiently Arsenal Football Club is being run, there is a silver lining that hints at success in the future. Arsene Wenger has a small cohort of young English talent that has the potential to turn around the club’s fortunes in the years to come.
Earlier this season, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Carl Jenkinson, along with Welshman Aaron Ramsey, were all tied down to five year deals, in a move to stop the recurring trend of the Gunners’ top assets leaving for rival clubs as their contracts run down and Wenger is faced with the choice of selling early or letting his best players leave for free in a year’s time.
But arguably more important than any of the four players previously mentioned, was the extension of Jack Wilshere’s contract. Although I do believe Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jenkinson and Walcott have the potential to become key figures for club and country, with the latter having arguably already reached that level of importance due to his excellent performances this season, Wilshere is at a different level.
The young midfielder looks better and more learned with every game, and played a pivotal role in the Three Lions’ 2-0 victory over Brazil in a friendly back in February. Despite being just 21 years of age, he undertakes a huge responsibility for Arsenal in the middle of the park, bravely galloping forward with the ball and searching for an unlocking pass without ever showing hesitation in fear of being caught in possesion and exposing his team.
Furthermore, he does the leg work for a midfield threesome along with Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla that is incredibly unbalanced and forward thinking. Most importantly however, Wilshere doesn’t shy away from the big games; three Champions League appearances have brought a goal and an assist, and similarly he was the only player to stand out during the Gunners’ mediocre displays against Bayern Munich as well as in the North London derby at the weekend.
There’s little doubt in my mind that Wilshere is the real deal. Compared to the current batch of English central midfielders, who have a knack of being over-rated and merited on potential rather than performance, such as Tom Cleverley, Jordan Henderson, Jack Rodwell and JonJo Shelvey, who have all received senior England caps, the Arsenal man is miles ahead.
But there comes a growing concern. Earlier in the season, there was a discussion of ‘burnout’ – the English tradition of overplaying youngsters only to limit their careers in the latter stages and shorten their footballing peak – but I have another worry.
I can’t help but to make comparisons with the current situation at Arsenal and that of Liverpool a few seasons ago. Following a team compiled of superstars that have moved on, the club have failed to successfully replace their key individuals, and after a few cycles of recruitment, now have a squad of much lesser quality. The club and the team have essentially depreciated in value.
Out of that comparison comes two individuals of immense similarity. From the Anfield club you have Steven Gerrard, a veteran midfielder who has been a talismanic force for his team ever since his ascension into the first team, and at the Emirates Jack Wilshere looks set to rise to the same level of importance.
At first glance, the association of Gerrard and Wilshere appears complimentary, considering the former is one of England’s most talented midfielders in footballing history, he’s racked up over 100 caps and is furthermore edging 100 Premier League goals. But there’s also some valuable lessons to be learned.
He will go down in the history books as the Premier League’s most consistent and exceptional player to have never won a league title. He may have a fair share of tournament trophies to his name, including the Champions League title and two FA Cups, but does that really highlight how talented an individual Steven Gerrard actually is?
When you cross examine with Frank Lampard’s trophy cabinet – Three Premier League titles, Four FA Cups and a Champions League trophy – and you begin to realise that the Liverpool midfielder, who the slim majority of English football fans have regarded as the better of the two in the eternal Lampard/Gerrard debate, could be a far more decorated player had he not made the decision to remain a one club man.
It’s not as if the chance never materialised for Gerrard to venture into pastures new. In 2004, a Chelsea bid of £20million was turned down, but the England midfielder admitted he had for the first time doubted his future at Anfield. Then once again, a year later the England man came even closer to a move to Stamford Bridge but had a change of heart on his way down to London. I admire his loyalty, but it has come at a price. Frank Lampard, on the other hand, made the big money move, signing for the Blues in 2001 at the cost of £11million, and has far more successful seasons to look back upon once his career is over.
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Arsenal fans should be quite rightly pleased that Wilshere is tied down to a five year contract, that will quash any rumours of a move away from the Emirates despite the club’s failings this season, and furthermore, unlike the majority of contractual arrangements that can be tore up in an instant and do not secure a player’s service for any particular given length of time, I believe the Arsenal midfielder has every intention to loyaly stick it out for the full term.
But in five years time, he’ll be 26 years old and have reached a cross-roads in his career. Would he rather be the next Steven Gerrard – a one club man, who will forever go down in Liverpudlian folk law, but will always be remembered as the most talented Englishman to never lift the Premier League title – or would he rather be the next Frank Lampard – a footballer who has earned the recognition and decoration his talent has deserved, in terms of trophies, in a squad compiled of elite players at the same level as he is, that collectively achieved great success, domestically and on the continent.
I’m not suggesting that Arsenal will never return to past glories; that is always a possibility for such an illustrious club. But in five years time, if the Gunners are still ineffective in the title race, Wilshere owes it to himself to make his own fate and not get dragged down by blind loyalty.
The long-term future of Mousa Dembele at Tottenham Hotspur is uncertain after the player was quoted on international duty giving ambiguous comments about the prospect of staying beyond this season.
As quoted by The Telegraph, the Spurs midfielder said: “I told my agent to wait for the summer to tell me about any offers. For now, I’m only focussing on Tottenham. Maybe this is my last season. Or maybe I’ll sign a new deal. We’ll see.”
Not exactly the most firm indicator he is committed to life in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad and they are comments which haven’t gone down well with supporters.
Dembele has been in fantastic form this season but has had his fair share of fitness issues in recent seasons that fans have had to remain patient with.
They are now looking for him to show loyalty and stay at the club, with a new contract reported to be in the offing.
Will the Belgian international commit, or will fans be left disappointed when the summer transfer window opens?
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his comments…
On the surface, at least, Alexis Sanchez appeared to be a quintessential wide forward at Barcelona. Just like those who have shared that wide forward role- Pedro, Neymar, Thierry Henry, David Villa, Ibrahim Affelay and a range of others – there’s an almost obligatory task to take up when placed either side of Lionel Messi.
For the most part, in a conventional 4-3-3, they’d essentially be wide-strikers. Messi, as a false nine, would drop deep into midfield pulling defences into self implosion, leaving space for wide runners to exploit in behind. Alas, those range of wide players that Sanchez was categorised under had quite a simply function.
Press well off the ball, run in behind, and maintain the technical passing meticulously that any Barcelona player has to adhere to. Simple. Sanchez demonstrated those qualities with a superlative ease. He’s devastatingly quick, explosive in short spaces, and deadly in front of goal. You wouldn’t have classed him as a creator in any stretch of the imagination – he was a finisher. The creation was left to that trio of wonderfully adept technicians operating in the middle- Sergio Busquets, Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta.
And yet for all of those pre-ordained assumptions, Sanchez, away from the shackles of that super effective Barcelona machine, has proven what a fantastically complete package he is.
This isn’t a comment on his goals, it’s more on what he offers to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger in a holistic way. Like we all expected, Sanchez has predominantly been used in that wide forward role, although not in quite the extreme manner that he was used to at Barcelona. Instead, his role is more reserved. Although that’s not really saying much in comparison to what was expected of him there, in that he comes deeper into midfield to get the ball, and maintains a defensive responsibility in monitoring opposition full backs.
Sanchez, whether as a result of instructions of Wenger or not, has successfully challenged the perceptions of his one-dimension nature and shown that he can operate wherever Wenger wants him. This isn’t an athletic wide poacher at all, but an individual who can fulfil a range of needs.
The stats support that notion to a staggering effect, too. As well as being Arsenal’s top goalscorer, he’s also got double the amount of assists of any of their players (6), averages the most amount of key passes per game (2.7), draws the most amount of fouls (2.2), and manages the most of shots per game (3.2). He’s scored headers, and has slotted home some incredible free kicks. This Chilean truly has it all. And then some.
While in many cases statistics of that nature can be manipulated and interpreted in differing ways, it’s unusual to see a player of any nature dominate every single offensive measurement to that extent. Sanchez is seemingly Arsenal’s best attacking player from whichever angle you analyse him from.
And that exceptional form seems to be highlighting a wider trend, that of top Premier players failing to make an impact at top La Liga teams. Gareth Bale, Cesc Fabregas, Luis Suarez, Alex Song and Sanchez have all appeared to be better players in the Premier League than in La Liga. If that trend continues, don’t be surprised to see an influx of La Liga superstars migrating to England to kick start their careers.
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Sanchez has shown that there’s far greater glory to be found as a main man in England as opposed to a peripheral figure in Spain. Given the chance and the platform, he’s shown what a quite complete player he really is.
Joe Hart says Manchester City wont be affected by the fact that they haven’t won away at Sundays opponents Arsenal for 37 years in the league.
The two sides meet at The Emirates in the Premier League in Sundays late kick off and much has been made of the Citizens poor away record against the Gunners, talk which their number one stopper has dismissed.
“These records are made to be broken. We feel strongly that we can turn up anywhere and win,” the Evening Standard quoted Hart as telling talkSPORT.
“It has not happened at the Emirates. But it is not a case of us turning up and thinking we are going to lose.
“It is a great pitch, great atmosphere and it feels like you can go and express yourself. Hopefully that will be the case on Sunday.”
City could go into the game 10 points behind Manchester United if their rivals defeat Liverpool in the days earlier game, however Hart is still confident in his sides ability to achieve although is aware that they haven’t managed to hit the heights of their title winning campaign.
“We know what we are capable of but there have been occasions when a couple of us have not played great. Last year, two or three would play brilliantly and that would be enough for us to win the game.
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“It has been difficult. We are fighting through it and are still feeling positive.”
City go into Sundays fixture without Yaya Toure who has departed to the African Cup of Nations, while Sergio Aguero also looks set to miss out with a hamstring injury.
Simon Mignolet has appeared as a shock transfer target for Newcastle, and fans are having none of it.
According to the Daily Star, Newcastle are one of six clubs interested in taking Mignolet from Liverpool this summer, and the Chronicle reports the ex-Sunderland stopper could be an alternative to Martin Dubravka if he returns to Sparta Prague.
Celtic, Napoli, Stoke City, Southampton and Burnley are the other clubs tipped to have an interest in Mignolet, who is certain to leave Liverpool this summer after being forced out of the side by Loris Karius.
Newcastle fans are of course delighted with the form of Martin Dubravka, but despite the Slovakian expressing his desire to stay longer than six months, it’s still anybody’s guess whether the club will secure a permanent deal for Dubravka.
If Dubravka were to return to his parent club, Rafa Benitez would surely target a goalkeeper this summer, but we’re not sure fans would take too kindly to a move for Mignolet, who made over 100 appearances for Sunderland.
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Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
There’s nothing quite like a Premier League Boxing Day clash – filled with all the intensity you’d expect from your standard English top flight fixture, yet further enriched by the festive atmosphere, the chilly weather and of course, the odd player that’s clearly helped himself to a few too many mince pies and mulled wines the night before.
The clash between Manchester United and Newcastle on December 26th is arguably the pick of the afternoon, with 13 of the last 16 Premier League fixtures at Old Trafford producing three goals or more.
Red Devils fans will have full confidence in their home advantage, having won seven of their last eight matches at Old Trafford. But contests of such festive feistiness are often decided by who dominates the individual battles, so with that in mind, here’s a list of FIVE that could determine the outcome on Boxing Day.
JAK ALNWICK VS THE WORLD
Spare a thought for Newcastle United’s 21 year-old third-choice goalie Jak Alnwick. He was the hero of the hour when coming on for the injured Rob Elliot in a shock 2-1 win over Premier League leaders Chelsea, but has since gone on to concede nine goals in just three games.
And things won’t be any easier against Manchester United; their world-class attacking cast are extremely clinical, with a shooting accuracy of 48% and scoring one goal every 2.7 efforts on target this season.
Newcastle’s defence isn’t the best – in fact, it’s the second worst in the Premier League’s top half in terms of goals conceded, after Liverpool’s – so Alnwick shouldn’t expect particular heroics from those in front of him.
Indeed, if the Magpies are to get anything from United’s visit, Alnwick will need to be in superfluous form.
Wayne Rooney vs Moussa Sissoko
With Wayne Rooney retaining his central midfield role from United’s last two Premier League outings, it looks set to be a battle of the forward-thinking powerhouses when the Red Devils skipper locks horns with Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko.
Both are industrious, progressive attackers who will look to make bursting runs from deep positions to instigate attacks.
In terms of output, the Frenchman can leave a lot to be desired, whilst Rooney’s quality in scoring and creating situations is well known.
Yet, Sissoko’s a potent weapon on the counter-attack when facing heavyweight opponents through his strength and pace – as proved against Chelsea and Manchester City this season, where he picked up a goal and an assist respectively.
Should Wazza Roo suffer from lapses of positional ill-discipline due to his unfamiliarity in the middle of the park, the Newcastle midfielder will be quick to take advantage.
JUAN MATA VS CHEICK TIOTE
Rooney’s push into deeper midfield may not be ideal for Manchester United, but it does present them the opportunity to get Juan Mata and the England skipper into the same starting XI and perhaps more importantly, in his most effective capacity at No.10.
Despite struggling for a regular first team role since his £37million move last January, the former two-time Chelsea Player of the Year boasts a respectable eleven goals and six assists in 29 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils, including a return of five goals in 14 outings this season.
Fortunately for Newcastle however, in Cheick Tiote they claim one of the Premier League’s top holding midfielders, that many of the bigger English clubs would love to get their hands on.
Mata can often find himself outmuscled in the central attacking hub so the Ivory Coast international’s physical presence could be enough to nullify the Spaniard’s creative threat.
That being said, only Crystal Palace’s Maourane Chamakh commits more fouls per match than Tiote in the Premier League right now, and Manchester United are more than capable of hurting the Magpies from set pieces – Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata are all prolific from dead ball situations.
DARYL JAANMAT VS ASHLEY YOUNG
Make no mistake, Ashley Young has found a new lease of life as Manchester United’s emergency left wing-back this season, averaging an impressive 1.6 tackles, 2.3 interceptions, 1.5 dribbles and 1.3 accurate crosses per match.
If we were to flip that proverbial coin however, one could easily argue this is a fantastic opportunity that the rest of the Premier League has failed to exploit – the 29 year-old isn’t a natural defender by any stretch of the imagination and at some point, inevitably, that will let him down.
Thus, continuous bombardment down the right flank could be the Magpies’ route to success against United.
Daryl Janmaat’s endured a mixed start to his Newcastle career but few would dispute that the Netherlands international is far better going forward than towards his own goal, having already notched up three assists this term.
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Whether Remy Cabella or Yoan Gouffran start on the right on Boxing Day, Janmaat needs to be in close support to double-up on Young as much as possible.
He’ll understand the ins and outs of Louis van Gaal’s 3-5-2 system better than any Newcastle player too, having excelled in the same formation under the United gaffer’s leadership during Oranje’s World Cup campaign.
AYOZE PEREZ VS UNITED’S BACK THREE
In a similar fashion to Ashley Young, United’s defensive situation is hardly ideal. Chris Smalling could return to the starting XI pending a late fitness test, but it looks set to be the same line up, of Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans that endured a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
Evans has really struggled in wide centre-half roles this season whilst Carrick, although tall and anticipatory, isn’t a defender at all.
Resultantly, Newcastle front-man Ayoze Perez might fancy his chances of capitalising upon the chaotic unfamiliarity of United’s three-man defense on Boxing Day.
The youthful Spaniard reportedly rejected offers from Real Madrid and Barcelona to move to Tyneside this summer and he’s already living up to the hype, with four goals in just eight Premier League starts.
He’s netted just once since early November but a huge talent capable of providing moments of individual magic, the 21 year-old is the kind of player who will relish facing the 13-time Premier League champions.
The January transfer window proves to be a crucial one for Tottenham Hotspur, but while it might set something of a benchmark in terms of on field ambition, it’ll also go some way to suggesting how high their aspirations sit away from the field of play.
While Andre Villas-Boas’ side has developed something of a steely efficiency in recent weeks, there’s still plenty of room for improvement as the club seek to push on for a fourth placed league finish, as well as success in the Europa League.
And in their quest to pursue some of the gifted talents linked with bolstering the Lilywhites’ campaign, such as the Christian Eriksens and the Willians of this world, they bestow the perfect asset in chairman Daniel Levy. The Essex-born businessman has not been without his faults during his time at the club, with his infamous brinkmanship sometimes causing the club as much harm as good.
But in terms of squeezing the best value out of deals for Spurs, from both a buying and selling perspective, there are few in the trade who can better Levy’s skills at the negotiating table.
Although while Levy’s public profile within English football has been built mostly upon his hard bargaining and eye for a profit in the transfer market, it’s very easy to forget just how well he’s run Spurs’ financial ship.
Regardless of how you view some of Levy’s managerial appointments and departures since he was appointed chairman in 2001, the way in which he’s managed to continuously ensure funds have been available for player transfers, while ensuring the club lives very much within its means, has been an admirable feat.
Throw in a £40million new training ground, the acquisition of nearly £90million worth of land over the last decade (in preparation for stadium development) and the fact the club’s overall finances continue to look both healthy and astute, if nothing else, the chairman can hardly be accused of lacking positivity. Certainly, compared to where the club sat in 2002, it’s difficult to argue to the contrary.
And of course, as Tottenham have grown in stature within the Premier League over the last decade, there’s been a natural correlation with the growing expectations of supporters. Having already had a taste of dining alongside Europe’s elite in the Champions League, all associated with the club crave a second, more sustained bite of the cherry. Consequently, continued investment in personnel is key to mounting an viable assault upon such ambitions.
But within the last 12 months at least, for a club with such lofty top four ambitions, investment has been very cautious indeed. In face, since January 2011, the club has in fact made a net profit in the transfer market.
Considering the tumultuous box office nature that was their summer transfer window of 2012, just because Spurs have been living within their means hardly means that they haven’t spent money. Tottenham shelled out just under £60million on talent this past summer, including the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris amongst others, which was in fact the fifth highest outlay on players during the summer in the whole of Europe.
Although poignantly, they did of course also sell a fair few players as well – not just any ordinary ones, either. Amongst those to pass through the White Hart Lane exit door were Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart and when all was said and done come the start of September, Tottenham had made a net spend of around only £500,000.
And if we cast our minds back to the start of the calendar year and the ill-fated January transfer window that Spurs endured, there’s still around £8million of Roman Pavlyuchenko shaped money that was never eventually spent. There is a school of thought suggesting that while the funds were there to be invested, Levy was perhaps reluctant to hand then manager Harry Redknapp a transfer warchest. Rightly or wrongly, if that warchest still remains, then Andre Villas-Boas could certainly do with seeing it next month.
This isn’t to accuse Levy for five minutes of hiding any money down the White Hart Lane sofas. The club are turning over near enough £100million less than both their league and local rivals Arsenal. While Spurs profited from their Champions League adventure a couple of years ago, so did their players, with the wage bill hopping up £24million from 2010 to 2011. While many from that squad have since moved on, the club is still paying many Champions League wages, without actually playing in the competition.
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Throw in the nice new contract Gareth Bale earned in the summer, £6.5million in agents fees since October 2011, an untold amount on signing on fees as well as legal/planning costs surrounding the failed Olympic Stadium bid and the NDP and it’s hardly as if there is some mythical amount of buried treasure kicking around N17.
Yet come deadline day on the summer transfer window, many supporters were glued to their phones and televisions waiting to hear news upon the protracted transfer of Joao Moutinho from Porto. The move eventually collapsed, but had it gone ahead, it would have been to the tune of £22million; a transfer record for the club that would have blown their recent frugal economic policy in terms of player recruitment out the water.
If Levy was prepared to sanction such a deal last August, then he must ensure that money is available for Andre Villas-Boas to spend as he wishes in the January transfer window.
No one is either expecting nor wanting the club to live outside of its means, but there can be no more smoke and mirrors like posturing in terms of player recruitment. Tottenham must strengthen their campaign on all fronts next month, not weaken it as they did at this time last season. If the warchest really was hidden from Redknapp last January, Daniel Levy must give it to Villas-Boas this January. If he doesn’t, then we perhaps gain a far better idea to quite how bare the coffers are in the white half of North London.
Sam Allardyce claims he was at Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Sevilla to scout “a couple†of Sevilla players.
What’s the word?
Allardyce was spotted at Old Trafford on Tuesday as Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Sevilla.
Many fans speculated he was there to scout Manchester United players. Big Sam’s claims in his press conference today were quite the opposite.
Last year’s summer spending spree was disastrous for Everton, and it remains to be seen whether Allardyce will even still be at the club next season. If he is still there, it is surely a good sign for fans that he is shopping at a Champions League match.
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Who would be a good fit?
There are a number of players Allardyce could be have been keeping his eye on, and there are plenty of problem positions at Goodison right now.
Steven N’Zonzi is a player on a lot of fans minds. The French midfielder had a pretty forgettable time at Stoke but has excelled since moving to Sevilla. Valued at £27million by Transfermarkt, the towering defensive midfielder would be a pricey move for the Toffees, but would form one formidable partnership with Idrissa Gueye.
The 22 year-old defender has drawn lots of plaudits for his play in Spain this season, and could potentially help Michael Keane find form and build a long-term partnership.
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Wissam Ben Yedder could be another blip on the radar; the French striker scored both Sevilla goals at Old Trafford and would be a vast improvement on the current attacking ranks at Goodison.
Everton fans, who would you like to sign this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…