According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will be a £50m summer target for Manchester United if the Red Devils lose David De Gea to Real Madrid, and Toffees fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.
The Sun on Sunday says that United are expecting Real to reignite their interest in the Spanish stopper this summer having made numerous enquiries previously, and Jose Mourinho’s men have their contingency plan in place in the form of Pickford.
The 23-year-old has endured a tough time for the Toffees this season as they have largely struggled from a defensive point of view – conceding 45 goals in 26 Premier League matches – but only De Gea and Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski have made more saves than his 83.
Everton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to”, another said “if I was him I”d move there”.
A player long linked with a move to the Premier League, rumours have surfaced in recent weeks that suggest Emenike is attracting interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. Despite only transferring to the Turkish giants last summer, speculation around the 27 year old refuses to go away. The forward, considered one of the Super Eagles‘ star players, is expected to start once again against Argentina this afternoon.
Emenike has cemented his position in manager Stephen Keshi’s starting eleven in recent years. After several seasons languishing in South African football, Turkish side Karabukspor gambled on the forward and he hasn’t looked back since. The Nigerian has thrived since moving into European football and has been on the move several more times, with a two year spell at Spartak Moscow sandwiched by stints at current club Fenerbahce.
Arriving at the World Cup, much as expected of Emenike but it took until the second match of the tournament for the 27 year old to get going. Conspicuous by his absence against Iran, the forward posed a constant menace to the Bosnian and Herzegovinian defence who simply couldn’t handle the 27 year old’s dangerous combination of pace and power. Emenike supplied the cross in that game for the Peter Odemwingie’s winner.
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Despite his stature, the forward is more than capable of occupying the wide roles as well as the central striking duties. The 27 year old clearly loves to run with the ball at his feet, so far averaging 5.5 dribbles per game at the World Cup. In 23 starts at Fenerbahce this season, the Nigerian managed a healthy return of 12 goals.
Having only recently re-signed with the Turkish giants, the rumoured price tag will likely prove a serious stumbling block for any side interested in the forward. At the age of 27 too, Arsenal and Tottenham will probably conclude that there are better alternatives on the market. But if Emenike continues to impress rather than frustrate with Nigeria this summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a move to the Premier League presented itself sooner rather than later.
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As Steve Davis approaches the anniversary of his first year in charge of Crewe Alexandra, the 47 year old manager will sit down in front of an audience of fans this coming Friday to answer questions in a rather refreshing interaction between supporters and management. Likely to be the agenda will be the future of the club, potential transfer targets, the use of the money garnered from sales of Nick Powell and Ashley Westwood in the summer and Davis’ longevity in the face of reported interest in his services from Burnley.
Burnley have seemingly avoided Davis, opting for ex-Watford man Sean Dyche, but as loyalty becomes an increasingly deteriorating commodity in football, the future of the young manager remains a pertinent question following a hugely impressive first year dabble in league management; 10 defeats in 44 games is the record and one that will post his name on the shortlists of clubs with a vacancy to fill, just as long as it takes him to put pen to paper on his proposed new deal.
An offer of a fresh 18 month contract for the talented manager is yet to be signed despite Davis’ vocal claims that he wishes to remain in South Cheshire and speculation will remain until it is all cleared up. Supporters are likely to bring that up on Friday evening as Davis, who hopes to, in his words, “take Crewe as far as he can take them” begins to face queries on that particular plan as the Alex begin to stall on the pitch.
Friday’s grilling will occur on the eve of an FA Cup tie with Wycombe Wanderers at Gresty Road which, if nothing else, offers a chance for Crewe to gain confidence from a welcome distraction from league duty. Consistency however, has been a huge issue so one would expect a result to be another false dawn following yet another disappointing defeat, this time at home to Yeovil, in the aftermath of a promising home win over Swindon Town. Crewe have failed to register back-to-back league victories this season that has yielded 6 defeats, 5 draws and 4 wins, an erratic run of results that appears echelons away from last season’s 20 match unbeaten run that ensured promotion. Such stuttering form provides a macrocosm for Davis away from Friday’s Q and A as he faces questions on the field and has yet to find answers.
Any optimism built from Tuesday’s unexpected victory over Swindon was quickly and effectively extinguished by a clever Yeovil outfit that embodied Gary Johnson’s wealth of experience of lower league football. A frustrated Steve Davis accused the Glovers of reverting to physical, long ball play, but such assessment would have been harsh to a team that utilised two clever, quick wingers, Keanu Marsh-Brown outstanding on the right hand side, and proved a strong counter-attacking outfit.
Yeovil passed the ball well in-fact, around a midfield that struggled to get to grips with possession. In the absence of the injured Abdul Osman, Ollie Turton toiled in a performance reflective of his inexperience while Luke Murphy also struggled to make his mark on the game, unfortunately failing to build on his excellent performance on Tuesday night.
The warning signs were there before Byron Webster swept home from a corner for the game’s only goal, Paddy Madden headed a cross from Sam Foley into the net only to see it ruled out for offside as Yeovil prevented the Alex from getting the ball down to play their natural passing game. Byron Moore and Chuks Aneke were denied by Marek Stech but they were both weak efforts as Crewe’s attack too often petered out with minimal effect.
Mathias Pogba endeavoured up front alone but appeared isolated in his struggles to hold the ball up. Davis rightly bemoaned the absences of Ajay Leitch-Smith and Max Clayton in attack but would have expected a more telling contribution from the likes of Aneke, a casual player becoming far too much of a luxury and Michael West, who in the manager’s post-match words, was completely off the pace. The winger was withdrawn in the latter stages for Brendan Daniels as Crewe improved, but it was all to late as Yeovil’s rearguard action forced the home side to run out of ideas and deservedly returned back to Somerset with a relatively comfortable three points.
Crewe will argue misfortune at times where the ball just didn’t fall kindly, but the harsh reality was that the tally of chances, two Aneke shots and a half-volley from Pogba that cleared the bar the most notable, were counted on one hand. Davis, by reports, cut an angry figure after the whistle sounded, locking his players up for an elongated period before verbally dressing down the referee’s assessor. A more calculated, calmer view was offered later in which he vowed to look at changing personnel and bringing players in which is clearly needed in a week that will bring a lot of Qs the manager’s way. It is up to him, as he tries to prove his loyalty in the run up to the one-year mark of a mightily successful reign so far, to find the As.
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Stoke City have announced their first signing of the summer and fans are delighted with the news.
Oghenekaro Peter Etebo signed for the Potters for £6.35million on a five-year deal from Feirense, and the midfielder is Gary Rowett’s first signing for the club.
Etebo will be representing Nigeria in the World Cup and featured as a substitute in his country’s warm-up match against England, which they lost 2-1.
The 22-year-old has previously played in Nigeria, Spain and Portugal and has 14 international caps to his name.
Etebo made a name for himself at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, scoring four goals in a dramatic 5-4 win against Japan.
The box-to-box midfielder should be a perfect partner to Joe Allen, providing stability and composure in the heart of the midfield.
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Potters fans have been reacting to the news on social media, with fans in near universal agreement about the quality of the player, and they are looking forward to seeing him don the Stoke shirt after the World Cup.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
Football Manager 2019 was released in November last year and it didn’t take us long to get addicted to the game’s new features and layout.
The game is widely regarded as the most in-depth football video game on the market, with thousands of players claiming that the 2019 version is the best yet.
One thing we love about the game is the opportunity to help nurture young promising players and turn them into superstars thanks to the extensive training and youth set-ups available.
Finding the next ‘wonderkid’ is a real skill as you try to determine who has potential from the stats available.
If you’re still struggling, don’t worry, we’ve put together 20 Premier League prospects available to you. These players will be dominating the league in years to come.
Ben Knight
Cambridge-born Ben Knight has not been at the club for long, having previously been a hot prospect at Ipswich. According to an interview with the official Manchester City website, Knight is an attack-minded player who loves to operate as a classic No. 10 and models his game on the Cityzens’ very own David Silva.
Age: 16
Value: £150k
Wage: £110 p/w until 30/06/21
Nationality: English
Best position: Attacking Midfielder (Centre)
Mason Greenwood
Greenwood has a long way to go to reach the heights that Marcus Rashford has achieved at Manchester United, but his stats on the game are certainly impressive for a 16-year-old. The Englishman actually started his career as an attacking midfielder, but he has since moved further forward and was also involved in 2018’s pre-season tour.
Age: 16
Value: £300k
Wage: £110 p/w until 30/06/2021
Nationality: English
Best position: Striker (Centre)
Marcin Bulka
The only goalkeeper on our list, Bulka started Sarri’s first game in pre-season for the Blues against Perth Glory. The 6ft 5in stopper signed from FCB Escola Varsovia in his native Poland in the summer of 2016.
Age: 18
Value: £93k
Wage: £2.5k p/w until 30/06/2019
Nationality: Polish
Best position: Goalkeeper
Billy Gilmour
17-year-old Gilmour is a talented central midfielder in the U18s setup at Chelsea. Until 2017 though, the Scotsman was with Rangers and trained with the first team squad at the age of 15 before turning down a pro contract.
Age: 17
Value: £145k
Wage: £4k p/w until 30/06/2021
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Nationality: Scottish
Best position: Midfielder (Centre)
Callum Gribbin
Attacking midfielder Gribbin was just 16 when he was first called up to train with the first-team by Louis van Gaal during pre-season in 2015, and he has been back training with Jose Mourinho’s senior side during this campaign. With 17 free-kick taking and 15 technique there is no doubt that, with a bit more training, the Salford-born youngster could become a fantastic asset.
It might seem to outsiders that Celtic’s league campaign was business as usual in Glasgow but the Hoops actually had one of the best league campaigns in Scottish football history, racking up an incredible 99 points and 102 goals. This is in contrast to last season when they only managed 79 points.
While improving on domestic league consistency was one of Neil Lennon’s stated aims at the start of the season many fans were left disappointed when Lennon’s men were dumped out of both the Scottish Cup and League Cup. The fans live in a microcosm of football where anything less than a double is frowned upon.
It was a disappointing season in Europe too after failing to recreate those special nights in 2012/13 on their way to qualifying for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.
In this roller coaster of a season, we count down on who fired the Bhoys to glory and who left the Celtic support scratching their heads in frustration.
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21. Derk Boerrigter
Appearances (Sub): 8 (15)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0
Derk Boerrigter arrived last Summer from Ajax as one of Neil Lennon’s key signings ahead of another tilt at the UEFA Champions League. Quoted as costing anywhere between £1m and £3m, most Celtic fans wish he’d stayed on the injury tables in Amsterdam than using the ones in Glasgow.
Having a notorious injury record in his home country, he arrived claiming to the Scottish press he was no ‘sick note’ only to be sidelined by injury a day after that interview.
Appearances were few and far between after and when he did play he didn’t look like he had much to offer the Scottish Champions domestically, never mind in Europe.
20. Amido Balde
Appearances (Sub): 3 (21)
Goals: 3
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0
Another Summer signing last year, Amido Balde has not shown any of the promise he did in the Portuguese Primeira Liga the season prior.
The description of ‘raw’ Neil Lennon used to describe the striker on his arrival proved to be accurate, he is by no means the finished product.
Despite scoring 3 goals coming off the bench, it perhaps says it all that the highlight of his season was a goal in a Turkish friendly tournament during the Winter break. Will we see more of that or will he leave quietly in a loan deal back to Portugal?
19. Beram Kayal
Appearances (Sub): 13 (7)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 3
Red Cards: 0
Once touted as the next big thing in the Celtic midfield, it’s been a few years since the Israeli truly excited the fans in the stands in Glasgow.
Struggling to cement his place in the side over the emerging Nir Biton or unnatural midfielder Charlie Mulgrew has led to speculation that this season might be his last in green and white.
If it is, he at least left with one memorable goal in the Champions League this season, his goal allowing victory over Ajax in the group stages.
18. Liam Henderson
Appearances (Sub): 4 (4)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
Liam Henderson would likely be much higher in this list had his cameo this season not been so late in the day. A product of Celtic’s state of the art Lennoxtown facility, the 18 year old has impressed fans and pundits North of the border even this early in his career.
His crowning moment was undoubtedly the assured finish that sent Celtic on their way to clinching the title against Partick Thistle, his first senior goal.
It’ll be interesting to see if he can lay a marker down as someone Neil Lennon can turn to on a regular basis next season. One to watch.
17. Darnell Fisher
Appearances (Sub): 10 (3)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0
Another youth that broke through the ranks this season was 20 year old Darnell Fisher. After injuries to Mikael Lustig and Adam Matthews, Neil Lennon trusted the young Englishman enough to step up and become a starting right back.
He didn’t disappoint, his pace and eye for a cross evident in the 10 league starts he made. It’s only because of the quality of the likes of Lustig and Matthews that he didn’t feature more.
There’s been reports he’s out of contract this Summer and wherever he plays next season be it at Celtic or back in England, he definitely has a bright career ahead of him.
16. Teemu Pukki
Appearances (Sub): 16 (16)
Goals: 7
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0
Teemu Pukki arrived from the Bundesliga last Summer as arguably Celtic’s biggest signing. The Finn has had a difficult time with glimpses of quality usually drowned out by runs of mediocre outings.
Neil Lennon has stuck with the striker though, perhaps feeling that his lack of impact this season is down to adapting to life in Scotland and a lack of confidence more than his ability.
He divides Celtic fans with many writing him off already and many thinking he’s shown enough to at least have another chance next season. It looks likely he’ll get that chance regardless of their views and there’s a good chance he can been Celtic’s most improved player next campaign.
15. Georgios Samaras
Appearances (Sub): 23 (10)
Goals: 10
Yellow Cards: 6
Red Cards: 0
Ah Georgios. The enigma. The flamboyant. The frustrating. No player in recent years has had a more interesting journey at Celtic Park than the big Greek. Once derided, then worshipped, his last season in a Celtic shirt seemed to be a summary of his previous 5.
With his contract up it seems certain he’ll leave but he managed to score on his last appearance against Dundee United. He burst into tears, the emotional moment proving that Celtic will always be in his heart and that he too will always be in the hearts of Celtic fans.
If only he was more consistent, he could have been a Celtic superstar.
14. Stefan Johansen
Appearances (Sub): 14 (3)
Goals: 2
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 0
Stefan Johansen has only been at Celtic since the end of January but has already become an integral member of the Celtic squad.
When Joe Ledley moved to Crystal Palace many worried that Celtic’s midfield would regress further after the departure of Victor Wanyama last Summer. The Norwegian eased those fears impacting with a series of man of the match performances and posing the question “Joe who?” in the minds of the Celtic fans.
If Celtic are to compete in Europe next season, Johansen will be a massive part of that. It was shrewd business to capture the Norwegian player of the year for only £2m or so. Is he the next big talent coming out of Glasgow? Time will tell.
13. Leigh Griffiths
Appearances (Sub): 11 (3)
Goals: 7
Yellow Cards: 3
Red Cards: 0
Griffiths arrived at Celtic Park in January and it’s fair to say the reaction of the fans amounted more to “Really?” than “Wow!”.
However, it was always clear the Edinburgh lad was going to bang in goals and bang them in hard.
He has proved that to be true and now looks like Celtic’s next great hope for goals after Gary Hooper moved down South.
There are serious question marks about his attitude and behaviour off the field and the greatest barrier to having a successful career in Glasgow looks to be the man himself.
If he sorts that out, there’s no stopping him.
12. Nir Biton
Appearances (Subs): 11 (9)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 1
The pick of last year’s Summer signings is this man, Israeli Nir Biton. The internationalist had a fine season in the Hoops, slotting deep into the midfield.
He didn’t find a regular position in the side until December but when he did, he made his mark, performing consistently well into February on Celtic’s long winning run in the league.
Had he not received a groin injury he probably would have made another 8-10 appearances. Regardless he looks destined to feature heavily next season and will be key in giving the side defensive steel in Europe.
11. Adam Matthews
Appearances (Sub): 26 (4)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 3
Red Cards: 0
Adam Matthews is one of the best young wing backs in Britain. I’m firmly a believer that he could be a fine English Premier League player at a mid table side.
The Welshman had a frustrating season by his standards, unable to shake off niggling injuries throughout.
When he did play he excelled with excellent tackling, blistering pace and the eye for an end product. It looks likely he’s staying at Celtic for another Summer and at 22, still has plenty of time to improve and improve. If I was an English club I’d be very interested.
10. James Forrest
Appearances (Sub): 21 (6)
Goals: 7
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
Forrest is another player who hasn’t managed to hit the heights of his ability due to injury this season. This is something which is starting to become regular with the 22 year old and there are concerns within the Celtic support that injuries might define his Celtic career.
However, his impact this season, especially in its early stages cannot be denied. He was the man who sent Celtic into the Champions League group stages with his crucial last minute winner seeing off Shakther Karagandy in the playoffs.
Also scoring in the group stages vs Ajax, there’s no denying James Forrest still has a bright future ahead of him. Next season could be a massive one for him, can he realise the potential he’s shown for years now?
9. Mikael Lustig
Appearances (Subs): 23 (7)
Goals: 2
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0
Mikael Lustig is a machine, a Terminator. Relentless, unstoppable, conquering. Seeing him cover Celtic’s right flank is a joy. You could spend 90 minutes watching him alone.
He would have been a player of the year contender had he not bowed out of the season in December for surgery. Up to that point he was a key player in Europe and absolutely demolishing all opponents domestically. The fact he keeps the fantastic Adam Matthews out of the team more often than not speaks volumes. Celtic are blessed to have two right backs of such quality.
He also scored a goal of the season contender away to Hearts in the Scottish Cup that was the pick of a 7 goal haul that should be youtube’d right now.
8. Charlie Mulgrew
Appearances (Subs): 37 (3)
Goals: 6
Yellow Cards: 9
Red Cards: 0
The utility man. It’s easy to overlook Charlie Mulgrew’s impact on Celtic because he performs a number of roles. This season it has been mostly in midfield. Football purists might sneer at a central defender stepping into the middle of the park but he hasn’t looked out of place.
Perhaps in Europe Celtic need a more dynamic performer, such as the previously mentioned Johansen but domestically Charlie has excelled sitting deep and spreading passes across the park.
He suits Celtic and Celtic suit him, with his set piece capability also a big danger for the opposition it looks like Neil Lennon will rely on him in years to come.
7. Emilio Izaguirre
Appearances (Subs): 46 (0)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 8
Red Cards: 0
Lustig and Matthews on the right, Izaguirre on the left. He lives up to their standards and then some. The 2011 player of the year recaptured the form of his debut season in Scotland to have one of his best campaigns yet.
Skilful, intelligent and quick, he’s probably more of an asset in attack than defence. This is highlighted with 9 assists, third in the squad behind Stokes and Commons.
He recently gave an interview stressing how happy he and his family were in Glasgow so it looks like those big money moves talked about a few years ago may never come to fruition. If he keeps playing like he has this season, that’ll keep the Celtic Park faithful very happy indeed.
6. Scott Brown
Appearances (Subs): 49 (0)
Goals: 4
Yellow Cards: 8
Red Cards: 1
The captain and leader of Celtic had a fine season in the Hoops. When Brown arrived at Celtic there were some who balked at his £4m price tag, a stick used to beat him for a number of years.
It’s clear by now, at least to me, that ‘Broony’ has paid back that fee with his contributions. The making of him was becoming club captain and every year since he has improved.
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The team are noticeably sluggish and lacking without him in the team. It may be that his presence has more of an effect on the team than his ability as a footballer. This was highlighted in the Champions League campaign, his red card against Barcelona ruling him out for a number of crucial games, Celtic didn’t look like the same team.
5. Efe Ambrose
Appearances (Subs): 51 (1)
Goals: 3
Yellow Cards: 5
Red Cards: 0
Nobody made more appearances this season than the somersaulting Nigerian Efe Ambrose. This is a testament to his consistency and the partnership he has formed with the imperious Virgil van Dijk.
That’s 2 standout seasons he has had now and looks like being a fixture in the Celtic defence for years to come.
Heading to the World Cup with African champions Nigeria, he also has one of the best celebrations in football. If he scores in Brazil expect the celebration to be better than the goal.
4. Anthony Stokes
Appearances (Subs): 40 (4)
Goals: 21
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 1
When Gary Hooper left last Summer there were many wondering where the goals would come from. Anthony Stokes had a difficult year the season prior and many doubted he could step up and be counted.
He hit back with possibly his best season as a Celtic player. He matched his overall goal tally of 2011/12, 19 coming in the league, and pitched in with 11 assists.
After recently signing a new contract and with his Griffiths partnership looking tasty the next step for the Irishman is being effective in Europe. Can he bring his form onto the big stage? The jury is out on that one but with his determination you wouldn’t put it past him.
3. Fraser Forster
Appearances (Subs): 51 (0)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
La Gran Muralla, The Great Wall, that’s what the Spanish press call him after his exploits in the Champions League. A pretty good nickname to have as a goalkeeper and he lived up to it this season.
The big Englishman broke all sorts of records this season, ones that have stood for decades and decades. He quite literally became a part of Celtic and Scottish football history.
He eventually made it to 1,256 minutes of football without conceding when a Jonny Hayes goal, unstoppable by anyone’s standards, whistled past him up in Aberdeen.
Should Joe Hart make his inevitable mistake in Brazil (I’m Scottish OK), then England have a goalkeeper in Forster that is ready to take on the best and excel, he’s done it already many times.
Will he move on this Summer? It seems likely. If he does he’s leaving big boots to fill both in size and stature.
2. Virgil van Dijk
Appearances (Subs): 45 (2)
Goals: 5
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 1
The credit for Celtic’s clean sheet record this season can’t all go to Forster. This man arguably had as big a part to play.
The Hoops waited near on a decade for a player as good as this in the centre of defence. It’s a position that eluded Celtic scouts for years until they found Ambrose and then they found van Dijk.
Strong, confident, skilful, strong, strong, strong. There’s no getting away that van Dijk is destined for leagues bigger than the Scottish Premiership. He scores goals too… volleys, headers, free kicks.
Need I go on? He is the best footballer in Scotland by a distance, but one man had a bigger part to play this season…
1. Kris Commons
Appearances (Subs): 44 (4)
Goals: 32
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 0
Kris Commons had his best season as a Celtic player, his best season as a footballer and likely one which will never be repeated in his career such was its standard.
Scoring an incredible 32 goals from midfield is the marquee stat that highlights that. It doesn’t tell the whole story though because he created and contributed to a lot more of Celtic’s goals and generally was the man that kept the Hoops ticking all year.
Yes Stokes hit 21 but it was Commons who filled the considerable hole left by Gary Hooper. His goal against Karagandy in the Champions League playoff was voted goal of the season by the Celtic fans and he picked up the club and the PFA Player Of The Year awards.
He’s an incredible performer and one again who is vital if Celtic can become competitive in Europe again. Can Celtic use him in the right way that allows him to bang them in against top level opposition?
defender Jan Vertonghen has admitted that his side must start Premier League games better if they want to finish in the top four this season.
The north Londoners were beaten 4-2 by Chelsea on Saturday at White Hart Lane, with the Blues going into half-time 1-0 up.
The Belgian international has stated that it has been the case that Andre Villas-Boas’ men have started poorly on a number of occasions this term, and that they must come out of the blocks running from now on.
“At home we seem to play better after half-time. We need to think about how to put two strong halves together,” he confessed to The Sun after the Chelsea defeat.
Vertonghen also came to the defence of under-fire defensive partner William Gallas, who found the going tough against the current Premier League leaders on Saturday.
“William is our captain and an important player.
“He always wants the best for me, even though we are both centre-backs. I really appreciate him,” he concluded.
Andre Villas-Boas has also admitted that his side are disappointed after losing a 2-1 lead, but that they would bounce back with positive results in the near future.
“Everyone is disappointed because we wanted to go nearer to the top and this was a good chance to bring them down, but we have 30 more games ahead of us and we have to be focused and ready for them,” he told the club’s official website.
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“We have to bounce back from adversity and improve our results again.”
The Tottenham Hotspur that Gareth Bale left behind in 2013 almost could not be further removed from the current incarnation under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Welshman was the team’s superstar in his final season at White Hart Lane, scoring a series of spectacular and often late goals for a side that ultimately failed to usurp Arsenal, finishing fifth to the Gunners’ fourth.
A squad that included Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Clint Dempsey, Tom Huddlestone and Steven Caulker, among others, was being hauled along by Bale and Andre Villas Boas’ willingness to indulge him, moving his star turn into a free role in the centre of the pitch.
The current Spurs side is not only plainly a much better outfit but its values are different now.
Pochettino has emphasised the importance of teamwork, togetherness, work ethic and adaptability to create a brilliant team, without any dominant egos and Tottenham are approaching the status of Champions League regulars.
Yet, more is needed. Last season marked ten years without a trophy and allowing Manchester United to come back from 1-0 down to snatch the FA Cup semi-final 2-1 at Spurs’ temporary home stung Pochettino. Badly.
The Argentine has made it clear that his priority is winning either the Premier League or the Champions League and yet the brilliance of Manchester City and the wiliness of Juventus meant that those ambitions did not come close to fruition.
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Spurs are moving into a new and improved stadium, which they hope will allow them to sustainably attract more elite players and reward the ones they already have handsomely enough to keep them away from the clutches of clubs currently higher up European football’s foodchain.
Yet, they are also coming home. Wembley and Tottenham always felt like an awkward fit, so it was vital that, unlike at bitter rivals West Ham, they could upscale their current home as opposed to moving away and having to become settled in new surroundings.
Bale, in some ways, is a perfect metaphor for how moving away in pursuit of greater riches and success – even if it works – can still leave something missing.
For him, Madrid has never felt like home. For Spurs, read Wembley.
Imagine a double homecoming in North London this summer. Spurs have just finished above Arsenal for the second straight season, Arsene Wenger has finally departed across town and Unai Emery is a slightly underwhelming choice to lead the subsequent revolution.
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Tottenham, in a new and improved White Hart Lane, could signal their intent to attract one of the game’s greatest players, by bringing him back home, where he would find that nearly every facet of the club has greatly improved.
Just as Bale has elevated his game in his five seasons away – winning four Champions Leagues in that time and now valued at £81m by Transfermarkt – Pochettino has taken Tottenham to another level.
A vastly improved Bale joining a vastly improved Tottenham as they move into a vastly improved stadium. A double homecoming. There really aren’t too many better ways to kickstart a new era than that.
Despite Jose Mourinho stating that there would not be any more movement in the transfer market from Manchester United, an Italian journalists tweet has suggested otherwise.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Daley Blind could be on his way to Roma, after the Italian club sold their starting left back, Emerson Palmieri, to Chelsea.
Blind, who is valued at £18million on Transfermarkt, hasn’t enjoyed the most fruitful season at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman has featured in just five league games for United. And while he has been an ever present in the Champions League, Blind will be searching for more regular football, something that Roma are ready to offer him.
While there is no transfer figure being touted as of yet, Manchester United will likely want to recoup all of the £13.8million that they used to sign the Dutchman in 2014.
Upon hearing the news, United fans took to Twitter and were surprisingly happy to hear that the versatile defender could leave the club in the next 24 hours…
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Liverpool assistant manager Colin Pascoe has leapt to the defence of Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas, following the duo’s difficult start to life at the club.
The Spanish pair were signed for a combined £14m from Sevilla and Celta Vigo during the last window, but have only managed a combined five Premier League starts.
There are already rumours circulating that Aspas may be sold this month, while Alberto has also been linked with a loan move to gain more experience.
However Pascoe says that both players are adjusting to life and football in England, and that they will soon start to show why the Merseysiders spent heavily for them:
“Luis has found the pace of the Premier League hard but he and Iago are working well in training and the more they get used to the Premier League the better they get.” He is quoted by the Daily Star.
“Alberto can play in a couple of positions. He can play wide or up front as a nine or as a 10 and if you asked him he would say a 10.
“We can tweak things if we have to and push him up there but we’re not going to put him at nine as we have Luis (Suarez) up there.
“Iago started the season well and obviously had his (thigh) injury. He has been working hard; he has to wait his turn like all the strikers do.
“He did well the other day (against Hull) and with the way he is training he is getting better.
“It is like any player, if they are British or foreign, you hope they gel together quickly but sometimes you need time to adapt to the Premier League.
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“They know themselves sometimes they have to be patient.“
Aspas and Alberto are expected to play some part in Liverpool’s FA Cup clash with Oldham this afternoon, with Brendan Rodgers likely to make numerous changes to his squad after a demanding festive period.