Arsenal were in rampant form in the English Premier League on Saturday, destroying Crystal Palace 4-1 at the Emirates.Arsene Wenger’s side badly needed a victory after failing to win any of the last five matches in all competitions but produced a performance of the highest quality to see off their London rivals.The Gunners were four up by the 22nd minute thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Lauren Koscielny, Alex Iwobi and defender Nacho Monreal, who also provided two assists.The Spaniard was only on the pitch for half an hour, picking up a knock in the first half, but his three direct goal contribution delighted supporters, who paid tribute to his performance after the match on social media.Monreal has rarely been given the freedom to get forward this season but on the left flank was superb against Palace and it’ll be interesting to see whether Wenger deploys him in that role again in matches ahead.Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his showing…
and Arsenal’s hopes of a January deal for Barcelona midfielder Alex Song have suffered a set back, with news that Inter Milan are keen on his signature, according to reports from The Express.
The ex-Gunners ace looks set to leave the Nou Camp this winter after a thoroughly disappointing 18 months.
The Cameroonian left the Emirates Stadium in 2012 to pursue silverware with Barca, but has struggled to earn a spot in the starting XI.
With the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabragas all impressive this term, Song’s hopes of reviving his career under recent managerial arrival Tata Martino look bleak.
As a result he is thought to be ready to leave in the New Year, which has prompted interest from United and Arsenal.
But, the Premier League duo face stern competition in the shape of Inter.
The Milan giants are ready to make a serious move for his services, which is likely to be accepted by Barca.
Song has insisted that he is committed to the Catalan club, but did confess that enjoyed his time at Arsenal:
“I do not know what will happen in the future,” he told RMC earlier this month.
“But it is true that I spent some fantastic seasons there [at Arsenal].
“We will see what happens, but for now I’m a Barcelona player.”
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Should Arsenal or Manchester United move for Alex Song?
Tottenham’s summer signing Jan Vertonghen has admitted that he is loving life at White Hart Lane.
The Belgium international moved to north London from Ajax in the transfer window, and although he has confessed that it will be a long season, has revealed that he is glad to have switched to the Premier League.
“I think at the end of the season I will need a good vacation! But no, I love it here,” he is quoted as saying in The Telegraph.
“The atmosphere is amazing. There are the best players in the world and we have an amazing team so I am very happy I made this decision.”
Spurs beat QPR 2-1 at the weekend but were losing at half-time and booed by their supporters; Vertonghen understands the supporters’ frustrations.
“It’s frustrating when you can’t play your own game so I understand the supporters. We want to dominate at home and away so the supporters expect that from us,” he continued.
Spurs have Manchester United at Old Trafford this weekend, and the defender is looking forward to facing Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.
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“I played at Old Trafford with Ajax last year and it’s an amazing atmosphere. I am looking forward to my first game there with Tottenham and I think we are strong enough to do some good things there. Confidence is high now,” he concluded.
According to Monday’s L’Equipe, Tottenham will battle PSG for the signing of Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
What’s the story?
Tottenham could be set to lose multiple veteran stars like Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele this summer, and reports in France have already identified their replacement for the latter.
According to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Ndombele has ‘aroused the interest’ of both Tottenham and French champions PSG.
The wiry midfielder has been previously linked to both Tottenham and Arsenal, but the latest report makes no mention of the Gunners, perhaps due to the player’s desire to play Champions League football.
Ndombele is good enough to walk into the Tottenham team tomorrow and replace Dembele, a task that gets a lot harder for Mauricio Pochettino if he loses out to PSG.
An upgrade on Dembele?
Ndombele is technically an Amiens player, but Lyon are expected to pay the small fee to make his loan move permanent this summer. Once that’s done, they will be free to sell him on for a massive fee after his incredible breakthrough season.
The wiry midfielder is only 21, but already possesses similar attributes to Dembele, and his stats suggest he wouldn’t just be a replacement for the Belgian – he would be an upgrade.
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The young Frenchman averages a remarkable 4.7 successful dribbles per game in the league this season, along with 1.3 key passes per game, two tackles and 1.7 interceptions.
Comparing that to Dembele, the Belgian veteran averages just 2.4 dribbles per game, 0.6 key passes, 1.3 tackles and 1.2 interceptions.
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Of course the French league is nowhere near the standard and pace of the Premier League, but Ndombele has a fantastic burst of pace, and his low centre of gravity makes him almost impossible to dispossess.
The 21 year-old offers everything Dembele does defensively, but is technically superior and better going forward. He could very well be the missing link between defence and attack for Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham fans, would you take a punt on Ndombele this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
West Ham United boss David Moyes has hinted that he will look to sign at least one new midfielder during the January transfer window.
Moyes is expected to be busy at the start of 2018 as the Scot looks to bring his own players to the London Stadium for the second half of the 2017-18 campaign.
West Ham have been strongly linked with a move for a new centre-back in recent days, with Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson believed to be the club’s leading target.
Moyes has now revealed that he wants to improve his midfield options in the winter window, but has seemingly ruled out bringing a new striker to the London Stadium next month.
Moyes told West Ham’s official website:
“I’ve got to say every player has shown great desire and is committed in training, but I think we’re short in some areas and overloaded in others. For example, we’ve got lots of forwards, but we’re really short of midfield players.
“We’ve got quite a few who are comfortable playing on the left, but not so many who can play on the right, so we’ve got a little bit of an imbalanced squad which we’ve got to straighten out in January if we can.”
Diafra Sakho is widely expected to leave West Ham next month, but West Ham are well stocked in the final third due to the presence of Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll, Andre Ayew and Marko Arnautovic.
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The Hammers will look to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome West Bromwich Albion on January 2.
The issue of diving has been thrust back into the spotlight over the weekend after David Moyes admitted warning one of his own players against the art.
Ashley Young was the Manchester United man targeted by Moyes, who also said there should be retrospective action taken against players that dive.
Young was booked for going down too easily under a challenge from Kagisho Dikgacoi during United’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Dikgacoi was later sent off for fouling the England international in the penalty area.
In an email to BBC Radio 5 live’s 606 programme, Palace chairman Steve Parish said: “If preventing a goal-scoring opportunity is a straight red then trying to create one by cheating should be a straight red also.
“Ashley Young’s dive and the appeal before put pressure on the ref to give a subsequent penalty that was certainly outside the area and probably wasn’t even a foul.
“Ashley Young has a yellow card and three points and we have no points and one less player to pick from for the next game.
“[The result] might have cost us a point that might keep us up. [We] need to get some momentum behind a straight red for a dive.”
Last season saw 34 yellow cards shown for simulation in the Premier League.
That figure was the highest recorded in four years, up 14 on the previous season’s total, suggesting that diving is indeed a growing problem for the English game.
So, how can it be stamped out? Is retrospective banning the answer? Or is issuing red cards instead of yellow ones a good idea?
Rio Ferdinand agrees with his new boss and thinks retrospective banning might be the answer.
He said: “It’s difficult for a referee to look at a situation and say ‘yes he dived or no he didn’t or there was contact’. So retrospective viewing and punishments may be the way to go.”
Fans have also been having their say on the Ashley Young incident, and diving in general, on Twitter.
@davey_deee tweeted: “Even as a #ManUtd fan… Completely agree with #CrystalPalace co-chairman Steve Parish.”
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@colinfriel said: “I’m a Utd fan & it’s disgusting to see, he should’ve been sent off, fined & dropped for a few games at least.”
Asked whether that was a bit extreme by other Twitter users, @WhoMrWho tweeted to say: “It will always happen unless extreme punishment is put in place. I hate to see it.”
@philmscribe added: “It’ll make no difference. It’s too ingrained in him (Ashley Young) now. Sadly, he’ll get more pens than yellows from doing it, guaranteed.”
Whether the FA will try to initiate a scheme aimed at preventing diving remains to be seen, but now that a Premier League manager has had to publicly dig out one of his own players, surely something will have to be done soon.
What do you think? Does the issue need scrutinising? Was Moyes right to reprimand Young? Was what Parish said fair? And how about what other fans have said on the issue? Leave your thoughts below.
Manchester United are lining up a bid for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool target Leandro Damiao.
The Daily Mail reports, that Spurs failed in a £20m bid for the Brazilian who was also offered to Liverpool on loan.
United initially held talks with the 23 year old in February and have met with Damaio’s representatives on Monday to outline a potential January move.
Having finished as top-scorer in the Olympics the Internacional man is extremely highly rated and is likely to cost any potential suitors £24 million.
United already contain the most impressive striking options in English football, with Robin Van Persie adding to a frontline already boasting Javier Hernandez, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney.
It was another £24 million striker who bailed Sir Alex Ferguson’s men out against Southampton on Sunday with Robin Van Persie notching a hat-trick to turn defeat in victory in the dying minutes at St Mary’s.
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The Dutchman’s strikes coming in the 87th and 92nd minute respectively for a 3-2 win for the Red Devils.
West Ham United beat Leicester City 2-0 in the Premier League at the weekend to move five points clear of the relegation zone.
It has been a difficult campaign for the Hammers for a number of reasons, but they will be a Premier League club next season.
The club’s supporters have been overly pleased with David Moyes’ work since arriving at the London Stadium, however, and it will be very interesting to see what happens with the Scot this summer.
On Tuesday afternoon, West Ham posted an interview from Moyes where the former Manchester United boss was looking ahead to the 2018-19 campaign.
It was never going to bring a positive reaction from the club’s fans, and a number took the chance to have another dig at the 55-year-old.
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Moyes’ comments seemed to suggest that he was already planning to start next season at the club’s head coach, but the West Ham supporters are hopeful that is not the case.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
It has been an unusually slow summer at White Hart Lane. Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with player after player, but to the dismay of fans have never ended up making a move.What makes it worse is rivals Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City have all made significant signings to improve their sides ahead of next season.Chairman Daniel Levy has a battle ahead of him to make sure the North London side don’t fall even further behind.In the past few days Spurs have again seen themselves heavily linked with another new arrival; this time West Brom’s Saido Berahino, with The Mirror reporting that the club are about to make a firm bid for the youngster.The fee is thought to be around £15million, although AlbionÂinsist Spurs, or anyone else, are yet to make an official move for him…
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has been a long time admirer of the forward and even made a failed attempt to sign the Baggies hitman back in January.
The Argentine manager already has Harry Kane scoring goals for fun at White Hart Lane, but wants the pair to form a new dream attack, and to lead his side’sÂpursuit of Champions League football.
Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor have both had their chances to cement a first team spot, but have ultimately struggled with life in the Premier League and look like their time at the club is fast coming to an end.
Berahino is the perfect signing for the Londoners and Pochettino should be doing all he can to sign the player.
Kane and Berahino have already developed a good striking relationship from their time with the England U21 side. The duo link up well together and play to each others strengths.
The pair were in incredible form during the U21 European Championship qualifying process, scoring 14 goals between them in the ten game group stage. Both then scored in the playoff game that took England to the Championships.
Unfortunately Berahino got injured just before the tournament and both England and Kane really struggled without him.
The striker was not just in form for his country last season, at West Brom he had a massive impact on the team, scoringÂ20 goals in all competitions.
The youngster would certainly help ease the work load on Kane, who faces a massive year to prove he is not just a one season wonder.
At 21, Berahino is still learning his trade. However, the player is already an extremely talented individual, his speed and clinical finishing are his best attributes, and he can be a complete nightmare for defenders.
Playmaker Christian Eriksen will thrive off providing service for the forward, with pace up front something the club have been lacking in recent times.
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With the European Championships just around the corner it is a massive season for the Berahino, and he will be looking to force his way into Roy Hodgson’s plans on a permanent basis after earning his first call up last season.
A deal for the 21-year-old would provide a solid investment for now and the long term future. The forward has the potential to go a long way and being partnered with Kane, who is also only 21, will provide Spurs with a major attacking threat for years to come.
Should you be the owner, Director of Football or manager of a European club that is in need of a star striker, this summer represents the best opportunity for some time to buy one. The availability of Robert Lewandowski, Edinson Cavani, Wanye Rooney and David Villa has been well known and speculated about, but over the last few weeks, Luis Suarez has fought tooth and nail to add his name to the list of illustrious front men of continental standard set to be on the move during the season break.
The Liverpool forward has made the rather abrupt decision to effectively transfer list himself on the grounds of the British Media targeting him and venturing into his personal life, in addition to a lack of support from his club following his eight-match suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic during an Anfield fixture against Chelsea towards the end of the season.
It begs the question as to what Brendan Rodgers should do next. Should he let his star striker leave and heed to his demands? Or should he stand his ground and maintain the current party line that Suarez is not for sale at any price?
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What the Liverpool gaffer should not do is apologise – how else was he supposed to react to his talismanic forward biting an opponent in front of an entire stadium, not to mention the millions of viewers from across the world watching the incident live on television, apart from publicly condemn his actions? Anything less would have demonstrated that Rodgers lacked strength of character and any notion of moral compass, whilst also implying that Suarez had become a bigger quantity as an individual than his club.
The 26 year old has claimed the Reds have shown him a lack of loyalty, yet their previous campaign to back the troubled star during his ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra, t-shirts and all, was one of the factors that cost Kenny Dalglish his job, and the hypocrisy on the Uruguayan’s part is clear to see, as he is now prepared to turn his back on a club that not only stood by him throughout constant controversy, but has furthermore now provided him with the platform to attract interest from Europe’s footballing superpowers.
With that in mind, it seems unlikely that a peaceful resolution to keep Suarez at Anfield will be found by the end of summer. But in many ways, the Uruguay international’s potential departure represents a blessing in disguise. His outrageous form this season, recording 25 goals and 5 assists in 33 Premier League appearances, spelled out that sooner or later Suarez would seek a move away from Merseyside, whilst his outspoken criticism of all things English has at least softened the blow from Rodgers’ perspective that he will not have to endure the pain of watching Suarez ply his trade at another Premier League club.
Similarly, it’s no secret that the Reds could certainly do with the potential £40million that Suarez’s transfer would bring in. A sizable chunk would be dedicated to finding a replacement and maintaining the Anfield tradition of having a talented front-man, but overall, the roster presents a great imbalance between young and old, overachieving and underperforming and potential and ability that needs to be addressed rigorously before Liverpool can seriously consider themselves contenders in the race for Champions League qualification.
The core aspects of the squad are clearly there, with a number of promising starlets such as Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho breaking through, yet this summer Rodgers will need to make further defensive acquisitions than simply Kolo Toure, with Jamie Carragher retiring as well as Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates expected to be moved, whilst none of his collection of young midfielders appear ready to take over the mantle in the middle of the park from Steven Gerrard – the England man is still going strong and has modified his game to suit his age, yet there is no doubt that he is slowly slipping into his twilight years.
The cash injection could well be the boost Liverpool need to return to past glories, or at least speed up the process of moving the club in the right direction, but the counter-argument is obvious the Reds stand a better likelihood of returning to top-tier continental football by keeping hold of their only world-class player. Daniel Sturridge kept up his exceptional form amid Suarez’s absence during the tail-end of the season, but the England youngster does not currently possess the ability to make the Merseyside club an attacking threat in the big matches in the way the Uruguayan can, and there is no doubting Suarez’s talismanic qualities.
The Liverpool forward has not only produced a steady supply of goals to make Rodgers’ first campaign at Anfield a much less painful process than it could have been, whilst the Reds boss leads the squad through a difficult transition period, but he has spent the most part of the season as the team’s only outlet going forward. Every attack went through the 26 year old – he was the first port of call in building up play, in addition to being one of a rare few Liverpool players capable of finishing chances.
Overall, he was directly responsible for nearly half of his club’s 71 domestic goals, and there is certainly some truth in the argument that had Suarez not come with such negative stigmatism, he would have been the favourite for the PFA Player of the year award – especially considering he was performing his miracles at a club that failed to break into the top half of the Premier League for the first four months of their campaign. It is no surprise that monoliths of European football are now running the rue over the Liverpool star.
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My opinion is however that now represents the best opportunity to sell. Considering his unbelievable form, Liverpool would only be able to hold onto their talisman for another year at most, and he has at least graced the Reds with the silver lining that he will not jump ship to another Premier League club. The fact Suarez has made himself available against his club’s wishes will undoubtedly knock a small chunk off any potential fee, and it’s a shame that a player can now dictate his own future based upon questionably superficial motives, but that is the nature of the modern professional footballer.
Reds fans will be bitterly disappointed, however, the compensation in the form of transfer revenues that Suarez’s departure will provide gives Brendan Rodgers the chance to continue his revolution at Anfield and further improve the Liverpool squad, which is still some way short in terms of quality and depth of the Premier League’s top four, in addition to possessing too many below-par performers such as Stewart Downing, who are yet to prove cost effective.
So far in his Liverpool career, the Anfield boss has made a series of astute and promising signings, and I believe Rodgers will be able to maintain his successes in the transfer market by taking full advantage of the potential £40million at his disposal. Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to move forwards, and although Suarez’s departure will be a huge loss on Merseyside, it could provide the foundations for the club ‘s future, by continuing and extrapolating further Liverpool’s current transfer policy of investing in promising and talented youngsters.