Tottenham Hotspur are certainly on the right path, despite the fact that they have not won a trophy in a decade.
Mauricio Pochettino has shaped a young, vibrant and title-challenging team over the last few years, but they need to take that next step.
Moving into a brand new state-of-the-art stadium will certainly push the club in the right direction, but they need reinforcements in order to compete once again with the Premier League elite.
Pochettino has proven that he can help young players thrive, so it is worth suggesting that the club swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic this summer.
The 19-year-old – valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt – has been linked to numerous top-level clubs due to his performances in Germany over the past two seasons.
The USA international, who scored four goals and created five assists in the Bundesliga during the 2017-18 campaign, is versatile in that he can play across the midfield in an attacking position.
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The majority of Pulisic’s playing time has been on the right side of attack, which would give Tottenham another option.
We asked you if the North London club should swoop for the teenager, and the outcome was overwhelmingly in favour of a transfer.
Manchester United are considering a summer swoop for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
What’s the story?
It is not the first time that the Red Devils have been linked to the England international, and it is understandable why.
The 24-year-0ld has been in scintillating form and even ended 2017 as Europe’s top goalscorer.
Kane surpassed the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring 56 goals for club and country last year.
The striker’s form will attract the attention of many clubs, and according to Tuttomercatoweb, United are considering launching a bid in the summer.
The publication adds that Real Madrid are also weighing up a move for Kane.
What would this mean for Lukaku?
A few months ago, the thought of the Belgian being second choice at United would seem unfathomable, but if Kane arrives at Old Trafford, then the forward may have to make way.
Lukaku had a blistering start to his career at the Red Devils following a £75m switch from Everton last summer.
The 24-year-0ld scored 10 goals in his first nine games, but he went through a drought of just one in 12.
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Recently, Lukaku has had more joy in attack having found the back of the net four times in nine outings, but the forward is far from his early-season form.
If Kane is on the horizon for United, then their current first-choice striker may have to settle for playing second fiddle.
Olivier Giroud has worked his whole career to defy those who have said he wasn’t up to the task, starting in the lower divisions of French football.
The price tag dictated the general attitude towards him as a player. Giroud, a title winner in France’s Ligue 1 and a scorer of 21 league goals, the most that season, was deemed not good enough when Arsenal spent £10 million on him in July 2012.
The thing is he was being judged against the class and calibre of Robin van Persie – an unfair comparison for almost any striker in English football. Instead of asking what a new-look strike force could do for Arsenal, one which included Lukas Podolski, people were questioning whether Giroud was yet another bargain signing from French football.
It’s nothing new, though. People will question anything. Like whether Neymar is just a YouTube sensation. You have to wonder whether they believe what they’re saying or if they’re just out to ruffle a few feathers.
Nevertheless, Giroud, like most, was owed a period of adaptation to the Premier League. Memories of van Persie would have flashed across most people’s minds in last season’s opening game against Sunderland when Giroud missed a good opportunity for his first league goal. Yet even as the season progressed and he earned himself 17 in total and a place in the hearts of the Arsenal faithful, the overtures towards Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain this past summer were wrongly labelled as indirect attacks on the Frenchman rather than what they were – a club looking to bolster its attacking options.
This season we’ve seen another set of defiant performances from Giroud. He doesn’t have the grace and fluidity of van Persie, Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry, but that doesn’t matter. Giroud has made Arsenal’s Plan A stronger by adding the elements of a different way of attacking. He offers the powerful target man approach without ever compromising the team’s preferred style of play. If there is a doubt about his technical ability, take a look at his involvement in that Jack Wilshere goal against Norwich.
Can he finish? Many good centre-forwards go through scoring droughts, including van Persie; four club games is no cause for alarm. With 10 already in all competitions, there’s no reason why Giroud can’t register 20-plus goals for Arsene Wenger’s side. As a reference, seven of those 10 have been in the league. The league’s top scorer, Sergio Aguero, has 10.
Giroud’s desire to prove that he belongs has forced him onto a long table seating Arsenal’s most improved players. Of course, there was never anything really wrong with the former Montpellier striker. That first season in English football, however, a bridge as I like to think of it, has done wonders for his overall contribution and confidence.
He looks like a player who is enjoying the responsibility, never buckling under its weight. Against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Giroud was one of the few who seemed unfazed and wholly determined to put in a shift, closing down and harassing the backline. He won’t force his way through defences in the way Luis Suarez can – they’re completely different players. Yet his work rate cannot be questioned this season.
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As a player still short of breaking into that category of world-class strikers, there shouldn’t be any lasting concern. A far more fitting comparison for Giroud would be to look at his similarities to Didier Drogba, another alumnus from Ligue 1 who was seen as a late bloomer.
Arsenal’s lack of success in finding another striker in the summer may be seen as something of a positive. They now know what they have in Giroud. The player himself is full of confidence and knows what he’s capable of. There is room for improvement for both club and player, but the trust instilled in Giroud is proving to be invaluable in his transition and further development as a high-end striker.
Manchester United welcome Wigan to Old Trafford this Saturday, but look set to be without new signings Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa.
Van Persie was withdrawn at half time of the Netherlands 4-1 World Cup qualifying win against Hungary on Tuesday, with a suspected thigh injury, however Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal played down the injury after the match.
“We took off Robin for precautionary measures,” he said.
“It doesn’t seem to be too serious, but you never know. We didn’t want to take any risks.”
Van Persie has been in deadly form since arriving at Old Trafford, netting four goals already including a hat trick during United’s 3-2 win over Southampton in their last Premier League match.
Any sort of injury setback would be a blow for Sir Alex Ferguson, who is already without the injured Wayne Rooney.
Meanwhile Kagawa was forced to withdraw from Japan’s World Cup qualifier against Iraq, complaining of a pain in the lower back.
United have yet to hit their best this season, losing to Everton and picking up slightly fortuitous 3-2 victories at home to Fulham and then away at Southampton, having fallen behind in both games.
Meanwhile Wigan have made a decent start to the season, and are unbeaten in their last two league matches.
Roberto Martinez has heaped praise this week on Argentine striker Franco Di Santo, often much maligned during his time in English football.
The former Chelsea man has two goals to his name so far this season, and Martinez is even optimistic his striker is ready to make the step up to International football.
“I think Franco can be a massive striker for Argentina,” he said.
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“He has always had that potential but it’s the way he put all the parts of his game together in the last four months of last season that has really been so impressive.”
Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Wigan
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According to Sky Sports, European giants Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan are both interested in signing £16m-rated West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon this summer, and Newcastle United should be looking to bring the Venezuela international to St James’ Park.
What’s the word, then?
Soccer Football – Premier League – West Bromwich Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur – The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, Britain – May 5, 2018 West Bromwich Albion’s Salomon Rondon in action with Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Ple
Well, Sky Sports report that the 28-year-old has a release clause of £16m in his contract following the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship this season, and he is attracting interest from huge clubs like Atletico and Inter.
Rondon has been in England with the west Midlands club since 2015 and while he couldn’t prevent them going down this term, he still impressed many with his committed and hard-working performances up top.
Meanwhile, one of Magpies manager Rafa Benitez’s main priorities this summer will be to bring a new centre-forward to the club to boost their chances of finishing in the top seven next season, with Aleksandar Mitrovic looking likely to go, Joselu failing to make a big impact following his move from Stoke City last summer and Islam Slimani not making a positive impression during a difficult loan spell.
How did Rondon do this season?
In what was a difficult campaign for West Brom, the Venezuelan was one of their better performers and netted 10 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions, providing a further four assists.
The 28-year-old impressed with his high work-rate and general all-round play as a strong striker, and according to WhoScored.com he won 162 of the 371 aerial duels he faced in 36 Premier League outings to prove that he is up for a battle.
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Would he be a good signing for Newcastle?
He certainly would be.
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While he may not a really prolific striker – he has 28 goals in 120 appearances in total for West Brom – he does still provide that goal threat and more importantly is unselfish nature and hold-up play helps to bring his teammates into play.
Because of his height and strength he would also be vital at both ends of the pitch for the Magpies next season, and if Benitez, whose high ambitions will be met if Mike Ashley gets a deal over the line for a 28-year-old Champions League attacker this summer, gets the right players in and around him then his side’s goal tally should be much higher than it was this season next term, and that could be the key to them finishing seventh and the best of the rest.
Newcastle United face a tough second half to the season as they try to retain their Premier League status.
Rafael Benitez and his men stormed back into the top flight from the Championship in the 2016-17 campaign, but they have since struggled for consistency.
As it stands, the North-East outfit are just two points above the relegation zone, but four clubs sit between themselves and the bottom three.
The Magpies have won just six league matches out of 22 and across November and December, the team picked up just four points from a possible 21.
Recent results have looked slightly positive as they are unbeaten in two, but they scored just once.
This weekend, Newcastle will switch attention to the third round of the FA Cup, in which they will play League Two club Luton Town at St James’ Park.
Former Arsenal player Charlie Nicholas thinks that the North-East outfit will struggle to ease to victory.
In fact, the football pundit has predicted that the lower-league side will force a replay with a 2-2 draw.
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The Scotsman told Sky Sports:
“After a great result at Stoke I’m expecting Rafael Benitez to make changes given it has only put Newcastle two points above the drop zone. He’s not got a big squad and they don’t score a lot of goals, so the idea of a comfortable afternoon is foreign for the St James’ Park faithful.
“In contrast all we hear with Luton is they’re scoring four or five. They also have their problems defensively and will come to attack so I’m going for them to get a replay here in what is a really awkward one for Newcastle right now.”
Luis Suarez’s absence has brought about a number of positives in the Liverpool camp, one being the obvious desire from Daniel Sturridge to step forward and take responsibility at the tip of the attacking sword.
It’s far too early and certainly too much of a long shot to say that Sturridge is the internal solution to the Suarez issue over the short term. Despite holding a place at two big clubs in the Premier League is his career prior to Liverpool, the England forward has never really had an opportunity to show his worth on a regular basis, bar one season at Chelsea. Falling down the pecking order was routine at both Manchester City and Chelsea, though now there is a clear path for him to forge his own legacy at a club who are more than willing to place confidence and faith in him.
Sturridge’s two Premier League goals in two games hold a lot of promise. Whatever happens with Suarez and a possible replacement, Brendan Rodgers knows he has a forward in his ranks who is good enough to lead the attack and make a difference. But even the most optimistic of supporters shouldn’t over think the good performances thus far. We’ve seen nothing to suggest Sturridge is a striker capable of 30 goals in a season. His form may be good, and it certainly is, but is he the type of striker that will go through dry spells? We simply don’t know that yet. The almighty upside, however, is that he is still only 23 and already looks like a player who is completely at ease with the demands of playing for a top club every week.
What can also be said about Sturridge is that he is a player with a point to prove. As talented as he may be, he hasn’t delivered at international level with the England U21s or the Olympic team of last summer. He has his flaws, including his desire to go it alone rather than looking for a teammate. But the environment at Anfield currently is clearly one he can thrive off. The focus is elsewhere and the team are set up to offer younger players the opportunity to build towards something in the future. It doesn’t matter if he isn’t a 30-goal-a-season striker now, Liverpool are focusing on their youngest and brightest, and Sturridge clearly falls into the category alongside Coutinho.
The important factor of all of this is that the club cannot rely solely on Sturridge for goals. If he’s going to develop into a leading striker for a top club, that transition phase clearly needs to take place – a transition which is likely to happen this season and builds on his 10 league goals for the club last season. But supplementing the attack remains paramount to achieving the club’s objectives. Without Suarez, Liverpool have put together a run of six games in which they’ve only lost once. It can be done without the Uruguayan, but complacency shouldn’t be allowed to set in.
For now though, Strurridge looks to be fulfilling the potential that was so often held back in previous seasons. The clinical striker Liverpool need over the long term could certainly be sitting in house.
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Is Sturridge good enough to take over the reins from Suarez over the long term?
The Barclays Premier League may only be a couple of weeks old, but even by the notoriously fickle standards of our fabled top flight, we haven’t half heard some wild conclusions already. After two games, Andre Villas-Boas’ project is apparently already doomed to failure, Arsenal are set to become the first English team to finish a season goalless and Wayne Rooney’s Manchester United future is up the swanny.
Now while the above can be said for the most part with tongue firmly in cheek, it appears that a few people have given some serious credence to a perceived degradation to Rooney’s United career. In fact, the whispers and speculation have become so prominent in the last few days, that the man himself has had to come out and reassure fans his future lies at Old Trafford.
How could a man who scored 35 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils last season and someone widely regarded to be one of the best forwards in Europe, possibly be consigned to the scrapheap after the first two games of the season?
On paper, it seems to be verging on the absurd and in reality; it appears pretty far-fetched as well. But football isn’t as simple as black and white or facts and figures. As the 26-year-old faces at least a month out after his gory leg gash against Fulham, there is every chance that it could turn out to be a bigger blow for the player than it could be for his club.
This summer has seen, in some ways, history repeat itself for the nation’s most talented footballer. Not for the first time, Wayne Rooney found himself heading into a major tournament on the back of a superb goal scoring season. Rooney scored 27 league goals last term, one more than his pre-World Cup 2010 haul, to find himself heading into Euro 2012 with the weight of serious expectation upon his shoulders. This is the national team of course – it was never going to be any different.
And as in 2010, Rooney duly failed to live up to the burden of expectation, even if it was in slightly different circumstances to the farcical performances in South Africa. Suspended for the first two games, Rooney came into Roy Hodgson’s set-up woefully short of match fitness and seemed to be visibly blowing after half an hour against Ukraine in the final group game. Two consecutive tournaments, two consecutively poor Rooney showings.
But concerningly for Manchester United, that’s not where history has stopped repeating itself. After his World Cup disaster, Rooney endured a nightmare return to domestic football. A whole array of issues, including revelations about his private life, an ankle injury and that contract debacle, affected his form. But he still seemed to be lacking fitness and match sharpness in abundance. It wasn’t the Rooney of the season before. How much you contribute that to conflicting factors is arguable, but he seemed to have trouble adapting back after the World Cup.
So you can imagine Sir Alex Ferguson was mortified when he saw Rooney’s showing against Barcelona in their pre-season friendly at the start of the month. Rooney missed a penalty that wouldn’t have gone down particularly well, but he again looked well short of match fitness – in August. Rooney had sat out the bulk of United’s pre-season preparations as he was supposed to be undergoing an intense, in-house fitness regime at Carrington. No one is claiming United’s fitness staff haven’t been up to the task, but something seems to have gone wrong down the line.
Consequently, his nasty injury at Fulham last Saturday could not have come at a worse time. The only way he can regain sharpness and form is with long, hard game-time, of which he seemed to be in dire need of. Spending anything from four to a possibly touted eight weeks on the sidelines is an absolute nightmare for Rooney. If he really was behind in pre-season, then he is going to have to put in a monumental shift during his rehabilitation this time round.
But it’s here that we get into uncharted territory for Rooney and Manchester United. Because for the first time in his career, there is a genuine chance that he will have to battle to get back into the first team line up.
You can always make wild assumptions from 120 minutes of football, but few would argue that Manchester United have looked a far better prospect when Rooney has been off the pitch for them, rather than on it. It’s not rocket science to work out why, either.
When you invest £24million in a striker, as Fergie did in Robin van Persie, you tend to play him. When that man scored 37 goals in all competitions last year, you definitely play him. And when he links up as tantalizingly as he has done with fellow new boy Shinji Kagawa, you don’t look elsewhere. Including to Wayne Rooney. Ferguson took the bold move of dropping Rooney after his sub-standard showing in the 1-0 defeat to Everton, in favour of his new Dutch and Japanese additions. The fact is, even if Rooney hadn’t got injured during the weekend, he’d probably be back on the bench for this weekend’s trip to Southampton.
Equally, as much as we are reading a lot into Rooney’s tentative minutes on a football pitch this season, we are also reading more than enough into Van Persie and Kagawa’s time in United shirts. They are both class and acts and surely have wonderful seasons ahead of them this term. But regardless of why that is, Rooney cannot be fully judged until he’s been given the chance to try and shine with the pair fully fit. The problem is, that if they push on like many expect them too, he could struggle to find the chance.
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Many are quick to bash Rooney with his often-disappointing exploits for his country but he remains a class act for Manchester United. And if anyone is going to be able to hold their own and fight back from adversity, it will be Rooney. But this United team appears to be evolving. We’ve seen flashpoints of a new, seemingly more mobile and fluid Manchester United side. Quite how Rooney, Kagawa and Van Persie can co-exist in the same team, remains to be seen. One things for sure, if the newly signed duo fire United to the top of the table in Rooney’s absence, he is going to be under real pressure to perform when he gets his chance.
It’s going to be hugely interesting to see how this United team shapes up and exists when Rooney does return. It seems uneasy and wide of the mark to even speculate about his possible departure as many are currently indulging in at the moment. But if he does face a fight to get back into the starting XI again, he’s going to have to get his head down and worker harder than he arguably ever has before. Certainly harder than what we’ve seen since the end of last term, anyway.
How do you view Rooney’s role in this new look Manchester United team? Does he need to raise his game or is it all a load of overblown nonsense? Tell me what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.
West Ham United announced on Wednesday that manager David Moyes would be leaving the club following the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, and Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paul Fonseca is one of the frontrunners to replace the 55-year-old at the London Stadium.
The east London outfit finished the Premier League season in 13th position after taking seven points from a possible nine available in their final three fixtures, but poor performances and results – and discontent among the London Stadium faithful – among other things, meant that the Scot wasn’t offered an extension to his deal.
It is no surprise to learn that Fonseca could be near the top of the list of potential targets given his brilliant record with Shakhtar – it is a rumour Hammers fans on Twitter are delighted with – and the fact that he will soon be a free agent unless his own contract is renewed in the next few weeks.
The Portuguese boss has overseen 73 win in 93 matches in all competitions, with his team scoring 205 goals during that period, conceding 82, as per Transfermarkt.
The fact that the Ukrainian outfit were only narrowly knocked out of the Champions League in the knockout stages by eventual semi-finalists AS Roma shows that they have plenty of quality available in their squad, and some of those individuals could make a real difference for the outfit from the English capital in the 2018/19 campaign.
Here are three Donetsk stars Fonseca should bring to West Ham with him, if he is appointed…
While Pablo Zabaleta generally impressed at right-back and right wing-back for West Ham this season, he is getting no younger and has just one year remaining on his contract.
It is clear that the east London outfit need to find a long-term solution on the right-hand side, and they could get their answer if Fonseca is appointed and brings Butko with him to the London Stadium.
The 27-year-old Ukraine international is a regular in the XI for Shakhtar, and as well as showing his defensive skills he has also shown that he can get up and down the pitch and is a threat in the final third too by providing eight assists in 29 appearances in all competitions this term – something Zabaleta often struggles to do now he is 33 years of age.
Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble impressed in the final couple of fixtures of the season after below-par seasons, and it remains to be seen whether those displays will be enough to ensure that they start the 2018/19 campaign in the starting XI.
Kouyate in particular probably needs replacing if the Irons are to kick on, and it seems certain that a new defensive midfielder will be arriving at the London Stadium this summer.
If Fonseca is appointed as Moyes’ successor, he should look to bring the impressive Stepanenko with him, and the 28-year-old would arrive with plenty of experience having made 238 appearances in all competitions for the Ukrainian outfit.
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It was often West Ham’s defence rather than their attack that let them down this season, but while they have the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and Joao Mario – if he returns following his loan spell from Inter Milan – on their books, they shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to add quality players in those attacking areas.
One player Fonseca could look to bring to the London Stadium with him if he gets the Irons job is Bernard, with the left-sided Brazilian one of Shakhtar’s key men in recent years with 28 goals and 35 assists in 157 appearances.
The fact that he will soon be available on a free with his contract due to expire next month is just another reason why he should arrive alongside the Portuguese boss.
According to reports in the Daily Star, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering bidding for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany if Pep Guardiola tries to sign contract rebel Alexis Sanchez during the January transfer window.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Daily Star says that Gunners boss Wenger is desperate to boost his backline and while he holds an interest in Chelsea’s David Luiz, he could be tempted to make a move for Kompany if City want Sanchez in the New Year.
The Daily Star says that the runaway Premier League leaders are set to reignite their interest in the Chile international having failed to bring the forward to the Ethiad during the summer transfer window, with the 29-year-old unwilling to commit his future to the north London outfit.
How has Kompany done this season?
As they have been over the course of the last few years, the Belgium international’s campaign has once again been blighted by injury.
While he captained City and played the full 90 minutes in their opening three Premier League matches this term, the 31-year-old then picked up a calf injury which kept him out for 14 games in all competitions.
The skipper did play four times in the top flight on his return, but a muscle problem that he suffered in the win against Manchester United has kept him on the sidelines for the victories against Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur over the course of the last seven days.
According to WhoScored.com, Kompany has won 20 of the 27 aerial duels he has faced in his seven Premier League outings this season, while he has made 25 clearances and has an impressive passing accuracy of 92.5%.
Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?
It’s difficult to say.
While there is no doubt that he would certainly add some leadership and quality to the Arsenal backline, his injury worries would certainly be a concern.
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According to Transfermarkt, the 31-year-old has missed 47 matches in all competitions since the start of last season, and that is something that Wenger would be seriously thinking about before he brings him to the Emirates.
Considering he has 18 months left on his contract however, if he could be bought for a reasonable price then it could turn out to be a low-risk transfer.