Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a phenomenal transfer window, signing no fewer than six first-team players, but are they finished just yet?
What’s the word?
According to talkSPORT’s Geoff Peters, the north London outfit are one of several clubs chasing AFC Bournemouth forward Joshua King before the domestic deadline in ten days time.
He claims that the Cherries are willing to accept a bid based on instalments to get his £45k-per-week wages off the bill whilst The Sun believe he could be available for a cut-price £10m fee.
Shades of Sonny
Over the course of his managerial career, Jose Mourinho has often deployed an inside-forward on the flank – think of Samuel Eto’o in that famous Inter Milan side or even Marcus Rashford during his time at Old Trafford.
Currently, that role is fulfilled perfectly by the in-form Heung-min Son, who has already bagged six goals from four appearances in the Premier League this season.
But Spurs could quickly find themselves in a pickle if he goes down injured – a fear they had prior to their 6-1 drubbing of United at the weekend.
It is true that one of Erik Lamela, Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura or Steven Bergwijn could take his place temporarily but none are more suited to the role as King, who has been a prolific contributor to goals whilst in the top-flight with Bournemouth.
The 28-year-old has scored six or more goals in each of the last five seasons, playing mainly as a second-striker or on the left-flank, very much in the mould to that of Rashford and Son under Mourinho.
Mauricio Pochettino was “desperate” to sign him back in 2017, so perhaps it’s finally time for Daniel Levy to sanction that move.
Lauded as a “complete package” by former Cherries boss Eddie Howe, King has stung Mourinho before, scoring from the spot against United in 2017 whilst also winning nine duels and completing three dribbles, per SofaScore.
It makes sense to have an alternative in the role too as Spurs will be playing at least two games per week regularly with the Europa League group stages on the horizon – Son missed 73 days through injury last term and it cost them severely.
AND in other news, £60k-per-week outcast quickly becoming a forgotten man at Spurs…
Dejan Lovren is reportedly about to ‘push hard’ for a move away from Liverpool this summer.
According to David Lynch (relayed via @AnfieldEdition), the Croatia international is looking to leave Anfield in the upcoming window and will try his best to make sure a move happens.
Lovren has dedicated six years of service to the Merseyside outfit after joining from Southampton in 2014 for £20m (via BBC Sport). His time at the club has been a chequered one, however, with many fans turning on him due to his costly errors.
As Liverpool have recruited defensively over the years, the 30-year-old has fallen down the pecking order. Virgil van Dijk’s arrival in 2018 has helped transform the Reds’ backline, with Jurgen Klopp pairing the Dutchman with either Joe Gomez or Joel Matip for the majority of fixtures.
Plenty of Kopites have responded to the update and many are relieved to hear that Lovren could be heading out the door this summer. One fan has commented ‘finally some good news’.
Check out further feedback from the Anfield faithful below:
Liverpool fans, do you think the club should keep or sell Dejan Lovren this summer? Have your say in the comments below…
Liverpool’s attack is undoubtedly one of the most potent in world football with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane’s goals leading the Reds to their first Premier League title in 30 years.
However, despite the plethora of talent they have going forward, there isn’t much depth beyond those three, but that may soon change.
It’s been no secret that Liverpool have wanted to bolster their attack with Timo Werner rumours rampant before his eventual move to Chelsea, but despite not landing Werner they’ve not given up on getting another attacker in.
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Watford’s Ismaila Sarr is on the Merseyside outfit’s radar if reports from The Mirror are to be believed, and despite the Senegalese winger having a brilliant game against the Reds earlier this season, in which he scored twice, fans have reservations about signing him.
A couple of supporters stated that Xherdan Shaqiri is, in fact, better than him, and that is a hard point to argue against considering the Swiss international is a two-time Champions League winner, whose best goalscoring season in the Premier League eclipses Sarr’s tally this year.
Understandably, there were a few fans who didn’t seem to be on board with bringing him in.
Others had serious concerns about the 22-year-old being another player likely to leave the club during the African Cup of Nations tournament, and despite the AFCON being moved back another year, it’s still a valid complaint as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are still likely to be key players if they’re still at the club in 2022.
The AFCON clearly plays into Liverpool’s thinking with James Pearce saying the postponement changed their mind on signing an elite forward this summer, but it’s a bridge that will still need crossing in 2022, and that will be made even worse if Sarr joins.
Manchester City might now be one of the richest clubs in the world now, but they are still a great example that having loads of money doesn’t necessarily make you perfect when recruiting players.
Even before the takeover, they were guilty of bringing in some big flops and that hasn’t necessarily changed over the last decade or so, although it has admittedly become a little rarer under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.
The successes 0f Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta make the failed transfers a little easier to accept, but sometimes you just can’t ignore how made some of the less successful signings have been at the Etihad Stadium.
So we’ve taken a look at Man City’s 20 biggest flops of the Premier League era, and it could’ve been more…
Maicon
First up is Brazil legend Maicon who would have perhaps have gone down as a completely different signing had the Sky Blues captured him four or five years earlier.
When the right-back arrived at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2012 for £3m, still a fair sum of money back then, he was the wrong side of 30 and beginning to battle with repeated injuries.
He would only appear 13 times before being shifted onto Roma a year later.
Bernardo Corradi
Would it be fair to say that Man City’s current Bernando (Silva) was inspired by his club’s Bernando from a decade before (Corradi)? No, probably not.
The hot-headed former Italy international striker was signed by Stuart Pearce prior to the 2006/2007 campaign and lasted just one term in Manchester before his loaning out to Parma and subsequent departure the following summer, scoring just three goals and collecting two red cards.
Nolito
Britain Soccer Football- Huddersfield Town v Manchester City – FA Cup Fifth Round – The John Smith’s Stadium – 18/2/17 Manchester City’s Nolito in action with Huddersfield Town’s Joel Coleman Reuters / Andrew Yates Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account
Pep Guardiola’s Citizens forked out the best part of £15m for a Spanish centre-forward in his pomp in the summer of 2016, Nolito – a year later the Spanish international was to return to his homeland with Sevilla.
In reality, the former Barcelona man, who impressed at EURO 2016, never adapted to the English game or way of life, infamously commenting not long before his City exit that he and his family had changed colour due to the lack of sunshine in England’s climate.
Roque Santa Cruz
Early in the reign of what is now known as the City Football Group, the east Manchester outfit were like a teenager after just receiving their first pay packet, splashing their cash on any old thing just because it’s their money and they can.
The £17.5m acquisition Roque Santa Cruz is certainly an example of that having been purchased based on a half-decent scoring record at Blackburn Rovers and a grand total of four goals for the Etihad side goes down as one of their worst PL era signings.
Christian Negouai
How could we not include in this list the only player in Premier League history to have been sent off in his only match in the league?
The great irony here is that Christian Negouai only made 11 appearances in total for the club but he somehow managed to get himself sent off on three occasions, with the other two coming in the League Cup and the FA Cup.
Jack Rodwell
Last seen refusing to give up his extortionate contract on the Sunderland documentary on Netflix, Jack Rodwell was one of the rising stars of English football when he swapped Merseyside for east Manchester in 2012 in a deal worth £12m.
But injuries limited the ex-England central midfielder to just 15 outings in his first season with the Citizens and even fewer the following term meant he was offloaded to the Stadium of Light after just two years, leaving the Etihad in a downward spiral in such contrast to the way he had arrived.
Laurent Charvet
The story of Laurent Charvet is rather similar to that of Rodwell; captured for big money after a couple of impressive seasons in England and moved on after two campaigns having barely made 25 appearances.
The right-back was simply never up to the task, utterly woeful, and the fact that he was deemed not even good enough to play for Sochaux in the year after his City exit says it all really.
Gerry Creaney
Manchester City v Charlton Athletic Nationwide 1st Div. 3/9/96 Pic: Tony O’Brien /Action Images Manchester City’s Gerry Creaney celebrates his 87th minute winner
City fans might well want to look away for this one.
Imagine swapping one of your best players and fan favourites in Paul Walsh for someone as ineffective as Gerry Creaney, and also paying £500k for the pleasure, well that’s exactly what City did in 1995 and three years and four outbound loans down the line Creaney was released!
Jo
Talking of shocking moves, this one is up there with one of the worst transfers of all time in world football, let alone just for City and in the Premier League era.
Jo, who’s somehow played 20 times for Brazil and scored a few goals as well, signed for a fee believed to be a club-record £19m from CSKA Moscow in the 2008 summer transfer window and the Sky Blues certainly got value for money, if you count that as a miserly six goals in 42 games.
Jerome Boateng
On paper, Jerome Boateng was a huge waste of money for Man City but in reality, the move could have paid off if they were a little more patient with him.
Roberto Mancini saw his potential whilst he was playing for Hamburg, though the centre-back only remained under his reign for one injury-affected season and played out of position at right-back for most of it.
Nowadays we, of course, know Bayern Munich’s Boateng as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and seven-time Bundesliga-winning global star.
Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement panel of pundits have said Jack Grealish’s potential move to Manchester United will depend on whether or not Aston Villa remain in the Premier League.
Villa’s club captain Grealish has been excellent this term, arguably having his best season for the club in netting seven goals and registering six assists in league action.
The former England under-21 international has gained interest from Manchester United, who are now said to have made the play maker their number one target this coming summer.
The report, which was shared by TeamTalk but written by the Sunday People’s Steve Bates [via TEAMtalk], was discussed on Sunday Supplement.
“Grealish has been a player on their radar for quite some time, I’m not sure United would be spending anything like £80m on Jack Grealish, but particularly if Villa end up going down, in this current market, I don’t think United would be valuing him at anything like £80m for a player who hasn’t played for England or had sustained exposure in the Premier League,” said Bates.
Bates’ comments were then backed by The Telegraph writer Matt Law, who said: “Villa’s Premier League safety will be key to the Grealish situation.
“If they go down, I think everybody expects them to have to sell him, and not at the money they’d want to.
“But if they stay up, they have incredibly wealthy owners and if they go down, they’d only have to sell Grealish from an FFP standpoint. Their owners are the fourth or fifth wealthiest in the Premier League. There’s no financial pressure on them to sell him, and if they do stay up, do Manchester United have the stomach to spend £80m on Grealish?”
You have to agree with Bates’ and Law’s comments on Grealish. Villa will likely play hardball if they remain in the Premier League and why shouldn’t they, given the midfielder’s excellent performances this season.
Manchester United have a number of transfer targets ahead of the summer transfer window so, if Aston Villa are firm enough, then the Old Trafford club could abandon their pursuit of the 24-year-old and pursue other targets instead.
Do you think Grealish will still be at Aston Villa next season? Let us know in the comments section below…
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.
West Ham United academy graduate Josh Cullen has sustained ligament damage to his ankle while on loan at Charlton Athletic, as reported by London News Online.
What’s the story?
Cullen was stretchered off in the 56th minute of Charlton’s 2-2 draw against Cardiff City, with it since being confirmed that he has sustained ligament damage to his ankle.
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This will be seen as a blow for the Addicks, as former Hammer Lee Bowyer struggled to put out a senior 11 in the following match against Luton Town, as reported by their official website.
The issue could come to impact West Ham as well, with Bowyer being quoted in London News Online as saying: “Josh is going to be out a while, a fair while. Longer than Lyle, not the season, but he won’t be back before Christmas. He’s done his ligament, a few of them. It’s not good.”
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Terrible timing
There have been signs that Cullen has been beginning to catch Pellegrini’s eye, with the manager stating: “I think that Grady Diangana is doing what we wanted for him, the same as Josh Cullen, players that without any doubt will be a big part of West Ham in the future.”
Considering the 23-year-old’s contract at West Ham comes to an end in the summer of 2020, this season will have been seen as his chance to prove that he should get another deal with the club, having come through the academy.
By picking up an injury at this time, it could rule out any chances of him being recalled to London Stadium during the transfer window.
Keeping West Ham’s struggles in mind, with the team currently on a winless streak of eight games across all competitions, sitting 17th in the Premier League table, having fresh options available could have been useful.
However, it seems unlikely that Cullen will be one of those options now that the midfielder has sustained this injury.
In other news, West Ham fans have been reacting to the U23s’ latest performance.
Tottenham Hotspur have come under fire in recent days for their decision to cut wages of all 550 members of their non-playing staff while others have been furloughed where appropriate.
Daniel Levy has naturally taken plenty of stick himself, and football.london journalist Alasdair Gold has provided some key information on how the club chairman views the current situation and the criticism that has arrived with it.
What’s the word?
Gold has provided his insight and opinion on Spurs’ recent, much-maligned decision in a recent column for football.london.
Liverpool also followed suit with a similar policy over the course of the weekend and they have also been criticised for a decision that most of the general public are seemingly failing to sympathise with.
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Former White Hart Lane hero Gary Lineker has publicly spoken of his disapproval of Spurs’ decision, while Jamie Carragher has been equally scathing of Liverpool’s decision to furlough non-playing staff.
Amid the recent narrative, the highly respected Gold has provided an insight into Levy’s thought process at this stage and suggested the 58-year-old is not concerned by how his actions are perceived in the public eye, per football.london.
“While very different men, neither Mike Ashley and Levy appear to particularly care what the public opinion is of them.
“For the Spurs chairman, his belief is that he is always doing what is in the best interests of Tottenham Hotspur and admitted so at last month’s meeting with the supporters’ trust.
“”Daniel Levy explained that the board has had to take a long-term view to protect the club. He said he takes lots of criticism and has broad shoulders, and needs to have in his position,” read the minutes from the meeting.”
Ruthless businessman
There are certainly questions to be asked of Premier League clubs who utilise the furlough scheme – one which enables businesses to survive during a period of sudden and unexpected financial turmoil – and the criticism from the public and a multitude of high profile names is certainly justifiable.
However, from Levy’s perspective, as Gold alludes to, he is merely protecting the jobs and futures of the employees who represent the fundamental yet unseen cogs that make the club what it is.
He is protecting the livelihoods and futures of those he can influence, and while that does not necessarily excuse him from criticism, it’s clear that he does not pay any interest in what is being said about him in the media.
The ruthless streak underpinning his decision, however, is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Levy down the years.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Crystal Palace travel from south to west this Saturday to take on a Chelsea side who are absolutely flying going into this London derby affair.
Frank Lampard’s men are on a five-game winning streak in the Premier League, and have won eight of their last ten games in all competitions – the Blues’ last outing saw them come back from 4-1 down to record a 4-4 draw against Ajax at Stamford Bridge.
The likes of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic are impressing in midfield, as is Fikayo Tomori at the back, although there is one man who is quite simply playing out of his skin at the moment.
Who is it?
Tammy Abraham.
The Chelsea academy graduate has had to be patient over the years as he waits for a chance at Stamford Bridge, scoring 23 Championship goals for Bristol City in 2016/17 and 26 league goals for Aston Villa last term, as he waited for his big break.
Having now been handed the No.9 shirt by Lampard and also the chance to shine in the first-team, the 22-year-old hasn’t looked back with a stunning nine goals in 11 Premier League appearances – Abraham is just one goal behind top-scorer Jamie Vardy.
Abraham – dubbed as a “brave” forward by Garth Crooks recently – has also netted in this season’s Champions League.
“Abraham clearly has ability, but he is also brave and not afraid to go in where it hurts. A crucial quality for any striker.”
Gary Cahill must be wary of Abraham
Another man who has had a fine start to the campaign is Crystal Palace’s Gary Cahill.
Signed on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea in the summer, the England international will be making his first appearance back at Stamford Bridge, and he has a job on his hands to contain the in-form striker.
Since becoming a Palace player, Cahill has won the club’s Player of the Month award for September while delivering some brilliant performances, although one thing that could be deemed as a blot on his copybook is his lack of pace.
Position-wise, and in terms of his leadership, the former Bolton man is exceptional, although if it comes down to a footrace between him and Abraham this weekend, Cahill will be in all sorts of bother.
As a result, what the centre-back – pinpointed as the “ultimate professional” by Asmir Begovic – mustn’t do is get too tight to Chelsea’s No.9.
“He’s the ultimate professional who controls his emotions very well. He was reliable and he had a good presence in the dressing room.”
As strange as it sounds, Cahill must allow Abraham space, rather than get touch-tight to the youngster who could then spin off the defender and leave him for dead.
In giving Abraham a few yards, Cahill would allow himself time to get a tackle in or simply assess the situation better, rather than getting sucked in where a simple give-and-go from Abraham would completely take him out of the game.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
There are no current indications that Mauricio Pochettino is preparing to leave Tottenham Hotspur, per Football.London.
What’s the word?
The Argentine has overseen a poor start to the season, with Spurs currently 14th in the Premier League, 11 points behind the top four.
A separate report from The Daily Telegraph has claimed that the axe could fall if the club lose to West Ham United but Football.London claims that there is not currently an indication that he is looking to leave, with the January transfer window “providing an opportunity to put things right”.
Indeed, there is reported to be a lack of a sense that a change is coming at Spurs, while Pochettino would also be walking away from a figure of around £12m if he resigned instead of being sacked.
Make January the priority
Spurs need to be active in January.
They bought Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke in the summer and also struck an agreement to bring Giovani Lo Celso into the club on loan from Real Betis.
However, there are holes in the squad.
The right-back spot is weak, with Juan Foyth naturally a centre-back and Serge Aurier ill-disciplined – he has already been sent off this season.
In central defence, replacements will need to be sourced for Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, with their contracts expiring in the summer, ditto for Christian Eriksen.
Spurs also have just Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura on the right flank and an out-and-out winger could help the club add some dynamism to their attack.
The bottom line, though, is that additions are required and this is the time for chairman Daniel Levy to put his hand in his pocket.
If Spurs come through the hectic festive period still in mid-table, or if they have risen up the standings, they will need to kick on.
For that to happen, investment and fresh blood will be needed, otherwise Pochettino may remain under pressure for the remainder of the campaign.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking on talkSPORT, Stuart Pearce has dismissed Roy Keane’s suggestions that Manchester United could lure Harry Kane to Old Trafford.
What did he say?
Speaking after the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, United legend Keane urged the club to go and get Kane from Tottenham in a bid to solve their goal-scoring crisis.
However, whilst Pearce acknowledged the England international would bring a lot to the table at Old Trafford, he insisted the Red Devils would find it incredibly difficult to entice him away from north London.
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He said: “When you look at United in years gone by, that’s what Sir Alex used to do. Van Nistelrooy, Cole, Sheringham, Berbatov – he used to go out and buy the best centre forward who was available at the time.
“Also there are question marks over the character of the dressing room at United, and when you sign Harry Kane you get a top character a well, a top professional.
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“But Harry Kane is one of the few players who you feel has an affection, a real connection with the club he plays for, and that’s going to be a problem. There’s no Champions League football at Old Trafford at the moment, so that’s a problem as well. That’s what players want, that’s the clamour.”
Perspective
Whilst Keane’s dead-pan comments on United targeting Kane certainly went down well with the Red Devils faithful on social media, a bit of perspective is perhaps needed. The Spurs marksman has been with the north Londoners for years upon years, and as Pearce says, has developed a real affinity for the club.
As well as his personal ties with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, their record of playing in the Champions League in the past few seasons also counts as a massive plus – something United cannot provide this campaign, and appear unlikely to next year too. The best of the best want to be testing themselves in European football’s elite competition, and until the Red Devils do that, attracting the very top talent will remain very difficult indeed.