[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur face a couple of selection headaches ahead of the Champions League final.

Mauricio Pochettino’s rag-tag group of players, so affected by injuries throughout the season, have travelled to Madrid and many have question marks hanging over them.

Harry Kane, of course, is the headline; he sustained ligament damage against Manchester City in the first leg of the quarter-final and it is not clear if he will be selected to play from the start. If he does play, surely one of the club’s attacking players will have to drop out; one of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura are likely to be on the bench.

Harry Winks, too, has travelled with the squad but he has not played since March and it remains to be seen if he will be trusted from the outset.

There is also the issue with the defence; should Spurs yet again attempt to field five-at-the-back in an hope of stifling Liverpool’s attacking threat or should they revert to the four-at-the-back that has proved so successful throughout the campaign?

Football FanCast takes a look at two potential XIs below.

Plan A

This is a bold selection, not least because Eriksen is on the bench, but it is perhaps Spurs’ best chance at balancing both defensive solidity and proper attacking power.

If Kane is fit, and we have to make this clear, that remains a big if, he has to start. He’s Harry Kane. It’s the Champions League final.

Unfortunately, that means someone has to drop out – neither Eriksen nor Alli are truly capable of playing in a two-man midfield and allying Winks with Sissoko, again assuming the Englishman is fit, gives Spurs a double pivot that has proved remarkably successful in the past.

Lucas scored a hat-trick against Ajax in the semi-finals and it would be something approaching sacrilege to drop him like a stone, while Son is perhaps the club’s best attacking player aside from Kane.

Alli, too, has shown signs of getting back to his former self and playing him behind his England team-mate will allow him the time to thrive.

Eriksen, then, is the main casualty but he was poor in Amsterdam and has been in something of a dip in form; if it was purely based on that, he would be the one to miss out.

Plan B

There is the possibility that Kane won’t start and neither will Winks.

That, surely, needs to lead to the 4-2-3-1 formation listed above.

There is a temptation to play with five in the defence and draft in Sanchez but he has a mistake in him and to do that would be to limit Spurs’ attacking thrust.

If Kane is out, the best course of action is to start Lucas up front, with Son on the left and Eriksen drifting in off the right.

Alli retains his position in the No.10 role, but Eric Dier is drafted into midfield; he is a more mobile option than Victor Wanyama and, while he is very much a back-up, starting him would free up Sissoko and allow him to maraud forward as he loves to do.

Pochettino, though, will be hoping he can call on both of his Harrys, as the club look to win the Champions League for the first time in their history.

[ad_pod ]

After gaining promotion to the Premier League on Monday it appears as though Aston Villa are wasting no time in their pursuit of possible transfers.

The Daily Mail have reported that Villa are expected to bid £10m for Nottingham Forest’s Joe Lolley. The winger was in tremendous form this term and he could now be about to move back to the Premier League following his spell with Huddersfield previously.

After seeing the report, supporters of Villa took to Twitter to discuss his possible arrival and many were in agreement that he’d be a good signing.

One fan said they’d cry if they signed Lolley, claiming he deserved it. Another referenced the fact that they couldn’t rely on John McGinn and Jack Grealish again so the 26-year-old would be an ideal addition.

A further supporter suggested the club could be aiming higher in the market but claimed it was good to see Villa looking to sign fans of the club.

Lolley was Forest’s star man this season as he quickly became one of the most dangerous players in the Championship. As well as finding the net 11 times in the league, he also laid on 11 assists for his teammates including four in the thrilling 5-5 draw at Villa Park in November.

Here’s the best of the debate.

[ad_pod ]

It promises to be a big summer for Arsenal in the transfer market as Unai Emery looks to get his side prepared for the new season. And it seems there are plenty of candidates to put their £45m transfer budget to good use. Here is your Arsenal transfer round-up:

Fraser coy on Bournemouth future

Arsenal target Ryan Fraser has given the Gunners hope of signing him this summer after refusing to commit his future to current club Bournemouth in an interview with BBC Scotland, saying, “I don’t know where I’ll be next season”.

Veretout enquiry 

Arsenal have their eyes on former Aston Villa flop Jordan Veretout, who looks to be on the move from Italian club Fiorentina this summer. Arsenal have enquired about the 26-year-old midfielder, with Napoli, AS Roma and Sevilla all also interested in his services, although any potential fee is as of yet unknown.

Saliba move in question

Despite being on the radar of the Emirates outfit, fresh doubt has been cast on a potential William Saliba move to North London after the Saint-Etienne defender’s agent was spotted dining in Manchester, as reported by the Daily Express.

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell is wanted by Everton, per Football Insider.

The defender struggled for game time this season and made a total of 20 Premier League appearances.

He was left out of the squad for the final five games of the campaign.

And the Toffees, who are seeking a potential replacement for Leighton Baines, whose contract expires this summer, have identified Cresswell – valued at £9 million by Transfermarkt – as a potential acquisition.

But should the Hammers do business with their Premier League rivals and allow the 29-year-old to leave?

Football FanCast writers give their verdicts below!

Luke Glanville

“Should West Ham let Aaron Cresswell leave the club this summer? Yes. Should they let him go to Everton? No. The former England international picks up way too many injuries per season to be the permanent first-choice left-back at London Stadium, though he is a better option than Arthur Masuaku when fit. The Hammers need at least two new players in the position this window and should look to offload both of their current left-backs. However, letting Cresswell move somewhere he could come back to haunt them would be a shocking idea. If the club lets him move, his next destination needs to be outside of the Premier League.”

Matt Dawson

“Given the performances of Masuaku at times this season, I think it would be fair if West Ham let Cresswell leave this summer. The left-back has been a reliable figure down the years and at one point was one of the best in his position in his country. His set-piece delivery is a thing of beauty but in terms of overall performance he’s past his best. The difficult thing in selling him to Everton, however, is that they are essentially a direct rival for those mid-table spots. West Ham need to think carefully in that regard.”

Billy Meyers

“Out of him and Arthur Masuaku, West Ham are definitely selling the wrong left-back. Cresswell is a dependable presence and rarely lets you down, whereas Masuaku is a huge liability and massively erratic. The Hammers would be leaving the left-back department thin on the ground if they went ahead with this colossal transfer mistake.”

[ad_pod ]

Hugo Lloris will lead Tottenham Hotspur out for the Champions League final on Saturday with the captain’s armband wrapped around his bicep.

The France international did similar in Russia last summer, leading Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe et al into battle against Croatia in the World Cup final. France won 4-2.

Even so, this weekend must be the last time that Lloris wears that armband, the last time that he leads Spurs into any type of game that isn’t a friendly.

Now, before every reader cries ‘strikers can’t be captains’, first of all, they absolutely can. The greatest goalscorer in Premier League history, Alan Shearer, was Newcastle skipper. So let’s nip that one in the bud straight away.

Furthermore, even while he has been absent with injury, Kane has been integral in Spurs’ run to the final.

Kieran Trippier claimed after the miraculous comeback against Ajax in Amsterdam that it was Kane’s words that inspired the turnaround.

He said, per Sky Sports: “I don’t know the timescale with his injury but obviously we’re all hoping he can be back because of his presence, even here at half-time, he’s coming in going mental at us because we can do better which we all knew.

“But this is what we need, the leadership that he has, the way he came in at half-time. He wasn’t happy and we all knew that.

“He just gives us that extra lift because his presence is massive for us.”

That is what a captain does. Lloris, by all accounts, did have an impact on the team-talk too – Pochettino claimed he said the final words before they returned to the pitch – but Trippier’s claim that Kane’s mere presence is enough to inspire Spurs is evidence enough that it should be the striker wearing the armband.

He already does it for England and played a key role in helping the Three Lions to their first World Cup semi-final in a generation.

Kane is also the model professional while Lloris is not. That is to put it mildly, really; the goalkeeper was found guilty of drink driving in September, having been found to be two times over the legal limit. Vomit was found in his car when he was stopped by police and he was deemed “lucky” not to have hit a pedestrian or another vehicle.

The worst thing Kane has done is to claim a goal that may not have touched him.

That is not to be flippant about it, either; Kane is genuinely the model professional, he eats, sleeps and breathes football and he has never once been found on the front page of a tabloid newspaper for his extra-curricular activities. Lloris has and that, really, should be enough.

Pochettino, clearly, is loyal to his stopper, who has been almost ever-present since signing for the club in 2012 but there is the perfect opportunity here to make a clean break this summer, particularly after the catalogue of mistakes Lloris has made this season – including against PSV Eindhoven, when he was sent off in the group stages, against Liverpool in the Premier League, which led to an own goal being scored and two points being dropped, and against Chelsea, as Kieran Trippier inadvertently scored an own goal.

Lloris could well help Spurs win the Champions League on Saturday. He could lift the trophy and that would be the perfect swansong, with him also earning redemption for his previous errors.

For now is the time for Kane to be anointed. He is already captain, really, at least in terms of his psychological impact on the team. Trippier’s words tell us all that.

All he needs now is the official post; it cannot come soon enough and, really, it should have happened already.

[ad_pod ]

Just the one signing has been made so far by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United, but several more are anticipated before the transfer window slams shut on August 8th as the Norwegian aims to close the gap to the top four. Today’s United transfer roundup includes an update on a potential deal for a Premier League defender, a new contract for a star player and a new contract offer for a want away midfielder.

West Ham want Martial for Diop

The Independent is reporting that West Ham are demanding Anthony Martial be included in a deal for centre-back Issa Diop. So far, the Hammers have not shown willingness to sell their 22-year-old player, but that may change if the Red Devils would allow Martial to go the other way.

Rashford to commit future to United

Marcus Rashford is set to sign a new long-term contract at Old Trafford according to the Times. Negotiations are nearing completion says the report, with the 21-year-old keen to help inspire a drastic change in fortunes for the Old Trafford club.

Red Devils to offer Pogba new contract

Despite Paul Pogba having already expressed a desire to move away from the club this summer, United are preparing to offer the Frenchman a whopping £500,000-a-week contract to persuade him to stay according to the Daily Mail. This would be a weekly rise of £210,000. Pogba has two years left on his current deal.

Nowadays you never really get to see players letting their hair down and have a drink to relax after a season finishes, a trophy is won, or they just fancy a night off.

Back in the day it seemed to happen a great deal more than it does now. This gallery is dedicated to some of the best, rarest, and oldest photos of some legends of the British game enjoying a celebratory drink with their teammates, friends and family.

There are some infamous examples of players being party animals in football – George Best perhaps being the first one that springs to mind for most.

He does feature more than once in this montage given he could be considered the bastion of the old guard football player.

From smoking, to drinking, to playboy bunnies, this set of photos has it all when it comes to showing off the character of past legends.

But we start with a slightly more understated one, albeit memorable in its own way. It’s the Manchester United team – which includes legends such as Matt Busby, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton – celebrating the club’s seventh league title…

Manchester United Football Team celebrate winning the League Championship after their 6-1 win over West Ham at Upton Park in the penultimate game of the season.

Players include Denis Law, Bill Foulkes, Paddy Crerand, Nobby Stiles, Bobby Charlton, George Best, manager Matt Busby and assistant Jimmy Murphy.

6th May 1967.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

George Best of Fulham celebrating after being fined only £75 by the F.A. for making an offensive gesture to the referee. Seen here with team-mate, former England Skipper Bobby Moore.

1st February 1977.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Moore chat with actress Vivienne Ventura and other members of the England World Cup football team during a visit to Pinewood studio. Ventura is starring in the new Cliff Richard movie “Finders Keepers”.

July 1966.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Actress Vivienne Ventura talks to England footballers Peter Bonetti (left) and Jimmy Greaves as the 1966 England World Cup team visit Pinewood Studios and spend time on the set of the new James Bond film You Only Live Twice. And if you look carefully, on the right is Sean Connery talking to Bobby Moore.

12th July 1966.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Manchester United footballer Bobby Charlton puts out a cigarette in the ash try as he sits at the bar with his brother Jack Charlton of Leeds United.

1968.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Miss World contestants now in London for the final on the 27th November came face to face with some of Britain’s leading sportsmen at a party this evening at the Sportsmans Club, Tottenham Court Road. Three of the girls tug at Jimmy Hill’s beard to see if it is real.

November 1969.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Stanley Matthews after Blackpool won the FA Cup.

4th May 1953.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Manchester United’s Denis Law drinking champagne in the dressing room at Wembley with David Herd following their victory over Leicester City in the FA Cup Final.

25th May 1963.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

George Best with Playboy Bunnies at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

5th February 1977.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Manchester United footballer George Best celebrates the opening of his fashion boutique with a few glasses of champagne.

14th September 1967.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

West Ham United captain Bobby Moore spending a few quiet minutes under the sun lamp with a bottle of beer to celebrate his team’s victory over Manchester United to reach the FA Cup Final.

15th March 1964.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Morris Keaton (not pictured) Businessman & Spurs Fan, throws a party at the Hilton Hotel, London, to celebrate Tottenham’s recent win in the League Cup Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa.

A number of footballing guests attended, including 2 goal hero Martin Chivers (centre) being toasted as by L2R Terry Mancim of Leyton Orient, Andy Lochhead of Aston Villa, David Gibson of Aston Villa, Terry Venables of QPR, Allan Harris of QPR, Barry Bridges of Millwall and George Graham of Arsenal.

27th February 1971.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Brian Clough, former Brighton & Hove Albion manager and soon to be Leeds United manager, pictured with Vince Wilson, Sunday Mirror Sports Journalist, on holiday in Puerto Pollensa aka Port de Pollenca, Northern Mallorca, Majorca, Spain.

July 1974.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Tottenham Hotspur footballers Cliff Jones and Jimmy Greaves enjoying themselves at a party given by a West End businessman to celebrate their victory over Manchester United.

6th January 1964.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

Geoff Hurst, Stoke City and ex-England footballer, pictured working in the pub that he now owns, The Sheet Anchor Hotel, Whitmore, Staffordshire. Geoff celebrates his new venture with a pint of beer, in front of the pub and his Mercedes.

Geoff Hurst played his final game for England in The 1972, European Championship, losing 3-1 to West Germany. In 1975 he was made an MBE, and went on to play for West Bromwich Albion, Cork Celtic and Seattle Sounders, before finishing his playing career in 1976.

29th July 1975.

Copyright: Mirrorpix

[ad_pod ]

According to Spanish outlet AS, Ricardo Pereira is on Barcelona’s wish list as they eye up a new right-back.

What’s the word?

Pereira has quickly established himself as one of the best right-backs in the Premier League, showing impressive strides since switching Porto for Leicester.

However, after just a season in England he could be on the move.

Mundo Deportivo have reported that current Barcelona full-back Nelson Semedo avoided journalists in the mixed zone following Portugal’s win over Switzerland at the Nations League. That came just a day after the same publication claimed he wanted to leave.

With that in mind, the Catalan club have now drawn up a list of potential replacements.

Among those names, according to AS, is Leicester’s Pereira. The report doesn’t specify how much he is likely to leave for, but Transfermarkt rate the player at £18m.

Disaster on the cards for Leicester

After Brendan Rodgers said he wanted to keep his squad intact over the summer this piece of news will be particularly worrying for fans of the Foxes.

He isn’t the first full-back to be linked with La Liga, though, after Ben Chilwell was the subject of interest from Atletico Madrid.

Both of them were excellent over the course of the 2018/19 season but there was arguably no player more important to Leicester than Pereira.

The 25-year-old had a stunning campaign, being named the club’s Player of the Season and also Players’ Player of the Season.

It was fine reward for a term where he claimed six assists, proving to be a valuable asset down the right hand side.

Was Gareth Southgate wrong to overlook potential England stars from Palace, Leicester and Saints? Fan discuss “big club bias” in the video below…

After seeing Danny Simpson released, Leicester now only have one right back in the squad. Daniel Amartey has been utilised in that position in the past but he doesn’t come close to Pereira’s quality.

As a result, losing someone with the attributes he possesses would be nothing short of a disaster. Considering the transfer window has only just opened, it would be the worst possible way to open proceedings.

He’s a player you sense would be incredibly difficult to replace and considering Leicester’s £85m valuation of Harry Maguire, it hardly seems as though they’re strapped for cash.

In that case, allowing him to leave isn’t in their best interests.

It’s fair to say that Manchester United’s striking department has hit somewhat of a crisis since that dreamy night in Paris back in March. Indeed, despite some of the talent the club has on its books when it comes to forwards, the goals have largely dried up.

Obviously, during their sensational night at the Parc de Paris, Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford built up a partnership akin to the club’s legendary ones in the past. Together, they put the French champions to the sword, but their dip in form has been really rather alarming.

Amazingly, they contributed only a single goal after that historic night. Truly awful stuff. While The Sun reported in May that Lukaku has been told he can leave, Rashford is seemingly going nowhere amid suggestions of a new contract raised by the Daily Mirror back in April. Still, the ‘Manc born and bred’ as he’s called by the supporters clearly needs proper service to reach his peak.

Well, if reports are to be believed, things could be getting better for him.

That’s because, according to the Daily Mail, United are apparently interested in potentially replacing Lukaku with Eintracht Frankfurt heavyweight Sebastian Haller. 15 goals and 9 assists for the Bundesliga outfit this season has seen the Frenchman’s stock rise of late and, in our minds, he’d be an excellent addition.

Rashford, Lukaku and Anthony Martial failed to contribute more goals individually in the Premier League, so it’s easy to see a natural fit here. Moreover, it was Haller’s unselfish work which allowed partner-in-crime Luka Jovic to hit headlines which earned him a Real Madrid move.

Jovic himself spoke to of the ‘chemistry’ he had with the 24-year-old over the course of the campaign and, while there are obviously no guarantees he’d replicate that with someone like Rashford, there’s clearly a talent in his game when it comes to operating in a fluid frontline.

Now, you wouldn’t exactly describe the Red Devils’ attack as fluid right now but, at their best this season on that scintillating winning run when Jose Mourinho was sacked, there were at least signs that it could be considering some of the performances.

For an electric, opportunistic striker like Rashford, Haller looks a natural foil. Having won 6.6 aerial duels on average per 90 mins (thanks to WhoScored), perhaps he’d be ideal to provide both the England man and the aforementioned Martial a platform from which to roam around.

United fans, do you think Haller can help Rashford find his flow? Join the discussion by commenting below…

أفادت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن نادي ريال مدريد قرر عدم مغادرة أي لاعب آخر خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الجارية بعد لوكا يوفيتش.

لوكا يوفيتش غادر ريال مدريد معارًا إلى انتراخت فرانكفورت خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية، بعدما خرج من حسابات المدرب زين الدين زيدان.

طالع أيضًا.. جناح أودينيزي ينُعش آمال ليفربول وريال مدريد

صحيفة “Le10Sport” الفرنسية، قالت إن ريال مدريد قرر عدم رحيل أي لاعب، رغم العروض المقدمه للاعبيه، أمثال إيدير ميليتاو وإيسكو، في ظل عدم مشاركتهما مع زيدان بشكل أساسي.

الصحيفة أشارت إلى أن الوضع سيتغيّر في الصيف بالتأكيد، خاصة وأن ريال مدريد لن يتعاقد مع أي لاعب في الشتاء، مما سيجعله يحافظ على عناصره.