The 23-year-old is a striker who is currently enjoying his second spell with the Russian side, Rubin Kazan. Indeed, the forward spent three seasons with Rostov – Kazan’s rivals in the Russian Premier League. During his time with Rostov, the forward amassed a commendable total of 25 goals in 77 appearances.
Additionally, he is incredibly popular with Iran’s national team. Despite his age, Azmoun is Iran’s fifth highest goalscorer of all time. In 30 appearances for his country, the Iranian has scored a stunning 22 goals.
What would he bring?
The forward is primarily regarded for his proficiency when competing in aerial duels. Moreover, he is an incredibly capable finisher.
He is renowned for being a threat when set-pieces are being played, and he has also displayed a tendency to dribble and produce intelligent flick-ons.
While he may not be of sufficient quality to start for Liverpool, he would certainly be a useful option for Klopp to bring on from the bench.
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Considering Azmoun’s age, he is far from reaching the pinnacle of his career, and a move for the forward could be a useful investment from the Reds’ perspective.
Manchester United announced their second major transfer coup in Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, although the move has been coming for a while.
Linked since the end of last season, Man United fans can now officially call Shaw one of their own after completing a massive £30million move from the Saint Mary’s.
The 18-year-old starlet joins Ander Herrera, who arrived from Athletic Bilbao only last week.
But what does Manchester United see in such a young player to justify his hefty pricetag?
Here are FIVE REASONS to be excited about new Man United signing Luke Shaw.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON LUKE SHAW TO SEE THE FULL LIST!
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5. Shaw is still extremely young
Imagine what you were doing when you were 18. Well Shaw became the youngest Southampton player to start in the Premier League, is now the most expensive defender in British history, and has featured for England in the World Cup.
If Shaw can continue his amazing rise to stardom at Manchester United, then the Red Devils will have a world-class left back that can occupy the position for a generation.
Some critics and former players have even praised him as to being better than Gareth Bale, and if so, would mean that £30million would be just 1/3 of his value in the future.
4. He likes to bomb forward
//www.youtube.com/embed/0RReG8O5cnI
Luke Shaw, although considered a left-back, sometimes plays more like a left winger than he does a defender. The Englishman likes to bomb forward, doing all he can to help his team-mates score a goal.
Although he only managed one assist last season, Shaw made a total of 142 – around four per game – crosses last season. If your side-backs are able to get that many crosses, it means he has the ability to beat his marker to do so.
Which leads to…
3. Shaw is an exceptional dribbler
Out of all the top left-backs in the Premier League, Luke Shaw has beaten more players in one-on-one situations than any other.
Defenders trying to keep a Man United side at bay will already be having a hard-time marking the usual threats of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. With Shaw also an option marauding down the left, the task of keeping the Red Devils from scoring would almost be impossible.
2. If United didn’t buy him, he’ll be joining a rival
£30million may sound like a lot for a defender, but if the Red Devils didn’t make an early move, he could very well be announced as Ashley Cole’s Chelsea replacement.
Luke Shaw is a known Chelsea fan, publically expressing his desire to one day pay for the Blues. Shaw signing for Chelsea would be nothing less of disastrous, as seen when Cole signed for Chelsea which led to consistent years of glory.
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And with Shaw could follow several other youngsters, who are already looking to emulate his fame.
1. Luke Shaw is English
When was the last time you heard that an English player is set to become one of the world’s best? With England’s recent failings in international competitions, the massive transfer for Shaw represents the Three Lions now following in the path of their national rivals in developing grassroots football.
We are seeing a rise of young English players that now look to take over the so called ‘Golden Generation’, players that show excitement and hunger we haven’t witnessed in quite a while. If Manchester United – the Premier League’s most successful club – are willing to spend £30million for an 18-year-old Englishman, it means the future is looking bright for English football.
Here is finally potential proof that possibly sometime soon, EPL clubs do not have to pay massive amounts for a foreign player, but instead scout them from within England.
It’s time for UEFA to tackle racism properly once and for all and after another ugly incident overshadowed England under 21’s victory in Serbia.
A series of pitiful fines and inept warnings have meant a minority of fans in some nations have got away with metaphoric murder at the expense of innocent footballers. A footballer should be able to step out onto a pitch to do his job without being subjected to racist chants and having missiles launched in his direction. Jordan Henderson said, “There was a lot of racist abuse out there from the stands and a lot going on after the game.
“There were also stones, coins and seats getting thrown at us,” (BBC). This brutal incident of fan trouble is not the first incident involving unruly Serbian fans. In 2007 Serbian fans singled out Nedum Onouha for racial chants during an England under 21 fixture and received a mere £16,000 fine. With this not the first incident involving Serbian troublemakers it is time to send a real message out, ban them. If Serbia are withdrawn from international competition then maybe those who do cause trouble will think twice before next acting in such a vile way, or maybe those who remain silent around them will act more vigilantly in stopping these despicable acts.
UEFA’s punishment of racism has been farcical and now is the time for change, Porto were fined a mere £16,400 for racially abusing Mario Balotelli in a Europa League clash. The same governing body then charged Nicklas Bendtner £80,000 for having Paddy Power written on his boxers. If Serbia were banned from all international fixtures for at least a tournament it would send a strong message across the globe that racism is not tolerated in football. Banning one of Europe’s stronger nation’s from all international competition would send a strong message out to fans from other countries who England have had deal with poisonous chants before. If Serbia are made an example of the minority who have tarnished Bulgaria vs. England and Spain vs. England matches in the past might get the message.
This unfortunate volatile fixture can hopefully act as the catalyst to new tougher regulations from football’s governing body, as enough is enough, this can’t go on.
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Javier Hernandez was a part of the Mexico side that recorded a 1-0 win over Germany at the 2018 World Cup on Sunday afternoon.
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And he played a key role in the victory having set up teammate Hirving Lozano for the only goal of the match in the first period.
Hernandez entered this summer’s tournament off the back of a frustrating season at West Ham United, with Marko Arnautovic taking his spot in the team in the latter stages of the campaign.
The 30-year-old still managed eight Premier League goals during the 2017-18 season, however, and there are suggestions that new West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini wants the striker to be a key part of his team next season.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”256266″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Three reasons we love to hate… Spain”]
The West Ham fans have been discussing Hernandez on social media, and many still cannot understand why the striker was left out of the starting XI for periods of last season.
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That said, there are also those who feel that Arnautovic is the better option at centre-forward due to his overall game, which is superior in the eyes of many.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham supporters can be seen below:
Few teams in Europe boast the same quality and depth at full-back as Tottenham Hotspur. Despite losing Kyle Walker to Manchester City during the summer, Mauricio Pochettino still has two fantastic options for either side of the pitch.
That, however, does leave the Spurs boss with key selection decisions to make for every game, so we decided to take the responsibility away from Pochettino earlier this week and give it to Lilywhites supporters – asking them whether Danny Rose or Ben Davies should start at left-back.
And although it remains to be seen if the dynamic England international is fit enough to be involved on Sunday, the slightest majority of Tottenham fans – 53% – want him to replace Davies, who started last time out against Manchester United, for the Anfield clash – according to our poll.
The Wales international, who Transfermarkt value at £16.2million, has featured more frequently this season due to Rose’s injury problems but it appears Tottenham fans still prefer the 27-year-old at No.3.
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Gus Poyet hopes Connor Wickham will be like a new signing for Sunderland, having recalled the England Under-21 striker from a loan spell at Leeds United, according to the Guardian.
Wickham has struggled at the Stadium of Light since completing a £12million move from Ipswich Town three years ago.
He has managed just one Premier League goal during his Black Cats career so far, but does not turn 21 until next Monday.
And Poyet is hoping Wickham can start to fulfill his potential as his Sunderland side look to avoid relegation over the final few weeks of the season, starting with the game against Liverpool at Anfield tonight.
“We need a big impact now,” said the Uruguayan, whose side have not won a Premier League game since the 3-0 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park on February 1.
“We need something to happen to change the mood.
“If you were in a lower division, you’d probably look to sign a player on loan to have an impact. Another club might sack their manager and bring in another one, although I obviously hope that doesn’t happen here. But it’s that type of thing we need.
“We need something to happen, and I need to find that season-changing moment. Between the Liverpool game and Monday against West Ham at home, I have to find something.
“It could be Connor Wickham because there is a big possibility he will start at Liverpool. Connor’s going to get a great chance now.
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“I would like Connor to look at this as though we have just signed him for the first time. He’s a new player, nobody knows him, and he’s a young English striker with incredible powers.
“He’s coming to help us get away from relegation. If he has that impact, that will be fantastic. It will be the ‘bang’ we need.”
Some people may be sceptical about Manchester United’s motives in signing Shinji Kagawa, but one thing the Japanese superstar is certain to bring (apart from shirt sales) is a bit more glamour.
Shinji Kagawa’s girlfiend is adult entertainment sensation Ameri Ichinose, and there’s no doubt that she’d provide something a bit different to the Old Trafford players and families lounge alongside the likes of Coleen Rooney.
He’s been in Europe for just two years, having signed for Borussia Dortmund from Cerezo Osaka in 2010, but it was only after finding fame with his dazzling Bundesliga displays that he became romantically involved with gorgeous Ichinose, who has also worked under the names Ayaka Misora and Erika Kurisu.
Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping that Kagawa doesn’t get too distracted from his game – or worse, injured – by his lady’s more adventurous desires. According to the Daily Star Sunday the 24-year-old Kanagawa-born babe is very open about her love for sex – “the nastier the better”. We’ll, erm, let you do your own research into that…
Click on the lucky Shinji Kagawa to see the full gallery
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Tony Yeboah scored 24 Premier League goals in 47 appearances for Leeds United between 1995 and 1997 before being sold to German outfit Hamburger SV.
Yeboah was a goal machine during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt between 1990 and 1995, and Leeds had to pay just shy of £3.5m to sign the forward in January 1995.
In his second season at Leeds, he was voted Player of the Year. He netted a total of 32 goals in 66 appearances for the English club, and is still regarded as a cult hero at the club.
There was that terrific volley against Liverpool, and that goal versus Wimbledon.
Yeboah left Elland Road too early in the eyes of a number of Leeds fans, but there was a personality clash with George Graham at the club, and the centre-forward was sold to Hamburg in 1997 – where he would spend four years.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”214750″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Five astonishing milestones since Leeds were in the Premier League”]
Yeboah also scored 29 times in 59 appearances for Ghana during his professional career, and there is absolutely no doubt that he was terrific value.
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The former striker turned 52 on Wednesday, and Leeds’ official Twitter account was on hand with a birthday message.
That prompted the Leeds fans, who have also recently commented on the speculation surrounding Abel Hernandez, to reveal their feelings on Yeboah, and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Leeds United announced on Monday afternoon that they had completed the signing of Pascal Struijk from Ajax on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
The 18-year-old has been capped at Under-17 level by the Netherlands, and will go straight into the Leeds Under-23 squad for their clash against Birmingham City on Friday.
On the face of it, a Championship club signing a youngster from Ajax is quite exciting. Well, it should be for the team’s supporters.
However, the Leeds fans reacted pretty negatively to the deal for Struijk.
Indeed, with the first team losing three of their last four Championship matches, the club’s supporters want to see some established players arriving at Elland Road before the end of the January transfer window.
Leeds are still ninth in the Championship table – just five points off the playoffs – but they face a real battle to break into the top six this season.
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Let’s hope that Struijk was not reading the reaction to his arrival on Monday afternoon. A selection of the Twitter responses can be seen below:
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny says that his side will not be embarrassed by Liverpool again in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
The Gunners travelled to Anfield last weekend to take on the Reds in Premier League action and were thrashed 5-1, despite entering the game on top of the table.
To make matters worse, the home side were 4-0 up within 20 minutes and elected to substitute star trio Steven Gerrard, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez off in the second half.
The two sides are due to meet again in the coming days in FA cup action, with Liverpool entering the tie in confident mood after a last gasp win at Fulham.
Arsenal meanwhile drew at home with Manchester United 0-0, which has led to some questioning their title credentials.
Szczesny says that the North London club are keen to set the record straight and avoid a similar scoreline to the last time they took on Brendan Rodgers’ side.
“It will be a big game for us because we conceded five against them and it was a little bit humiliating,” Szczesny told The Metro.
“We want to recover as soon as possible and it is a good chance that we play them a week afterwards.
“It was just an accident, it happened. Liverpool were terrific offensively, we were a little bit weak defensively and got punished.
“I certainly believe it is out of our system now because we turned up against United with a good defensive show.
“You can’t say you saw the real Arsenal at Anfield, you have to judge us over a longer period of time.
“People have seen the real Arsenal over the last year. We conceded five on Saturday, but our defensive record over the last year or so has been amazing.
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“You saw that against United, we didn’t concede against a top side with fantastic strikers and we hope to do that against Liverpool.”