Newcastle United were rocked this week by the news that experienced goalkeeper Steve Harper will be out of action for around three months. Newcastle’s number one suffered the injury at Goodison Park against Everton last weekend and after having to play second fiddle to Shay Given at St James’ Park for over ten years, Harper has confirmed his status as one of the unluckiest men in English football. But they say that every cloud has a silver lining and Newcastle have that in Tim Krul.
Just like Harper, Krul has waited patiently for his chance at Newcastle and it now looks like he’s finally going to get it. The 22 year old signed for Newcastle back in 2006 and since then his first team opportunities have been limited to the odd game here and there. When he has stepped into the breach, the Dutch U21 goalkeeper has been highly impressive. He has already experienced European football, having performed admirably at Palermo in the UEFA Cup and is a regular in The Netherlands’ youth setup. So can Krul show that the loss of Harper needn’t be the end of the world for Newcastle?
Krul has a major challenge ahead of him this afternoon in the shape of Stoke and the aerial bombardment they will test him with, both with long throws from Rory Delap and crosses aimed at Kenwyne Jones. If Krul can come through it then it will stand him in good stead and give him the confidence to become a Premier League regular. He may have conceded five goals in his two Carling Cup games so far this season, but that isn’t really representative of his performances in either match. Krul has the potential to be a top class keeper and Harper might just find it difficult to win his place back in 2011…
Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has reportedly refused to commit his future to the club until after the 2018 World Cup, and we at Football FanCast suggested that Arsenal should make a move for the 6ft 3in powerhouse if he does leave their London neighbours.
The England international has been speaking about his future while on international duty with the Three Lions, and he suggested that he could look to move on unless he is guaranteed regular first-team football – something he didn’t get under Antonio Conte previously but did enjoy during a season-long loan spell with Crystal Palace last term.
The 22-year-old showed the quality he has on the ball during his time with the Eagles, and his link-up play with the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend there – and Marcus Rashford for Gareth Southgate’s men in the 2-0 win against Costa Rica last week – proved how good he already is and the huge potential he has.
He often played as an attacking midfielder or on the left-hand side for Roy Hodgson’s side, and he has the class and skill to form a telepathic understanding with players such as Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan at the Emirates.
We asked Arsenal fans to vote on our poll to see whether they would like to see the north London outfit sign Loftus-Cheek, and a slight majority 54% said they would.
Head of recruitment Sven Mislintat has already had a busy summer and will be expecting more new additions, but it remains to be seen whether the Chelsea man could be on his list at some stage in the near future.
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Over the first two months of the season, if you were to ask West Ham fans which player they had been most underwhelmed by, chances are the majority would have told you Marko Arnautovic.
With a huge price tag to live up to following his summer arrival from Stoke, much was expected of the Austrian. However, his form over the first few games of the 2017/18 campaign was nothing short of abysmal.
However, since the arrival of David Moyes, Arnautovic has looked like a totally different player and has become the catalyst for a significant upturn in form for the Hammers.
Therefore, when the 28-year-old, who is valued at £16.2million by Tranfermarkt, was sidelined with injury at the end of January, fans were concerned.
However, the club have now confirmed that their star player is close to full fitness and will be in contention for Saturday’s game against Watford.
After hearing the news, Hammers fans took to Twitter to express their delight…
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Edin Dzeko has never quite received the credit he deserves in England. Under Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City striker was most commonly used as an impact substitute, and despite recording his best goal return to date this season since joining the Etihad ranks back in January 2011, the focus has been firmly set on crocked strike-partner Sergio Aguero in recent weeks.
But in homage to his brace against Aston Villa this evening – two vital goals amid City’s Premier League title bid – here’s three reasons why the Bosnian assassin is just as important as Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and any other key player at Eastlands.
1. Goals.
Often clumsy on the ball, Dzeko gets a lot of stick from Premier League neutrals for his limited quality in possession. But there’s no doubt the Bosnian international knows where the goal is; since his Premier League arrival, he’s claimed an impressive 45 goals in 107 league outings. He’s also currently sixth in the Premier League’s all-time goals per minute chart.
Here’s his first strike from this evening:
https://vine.co/v/M6FWdHiqgWX/embed/simple
Smart movement, solid finish. Classic Dzeko.
2. Understated and Underrated.
Perhaps due to the enormous quality surrounding him, Dzeko’s influence for Manchester City often goes unnoticed. His personal style of general hustle and bustle isn’t the most eye-catching or exciting, in many ways symbolising how the Bosnian is very much an unsung hero at the Etihad. These Twitter users managed to pick up on it however:
3. Producing the goods when it counts most.
It’s all well and good boasting a prominent goal tally, but the difference with Edin Dzeko is that he’s found the net when it matters most this season. Tonight was the perfect example, as he netted twice in City’s 4-0 victory against the Villains. But in fact, with Aguero out injured and Alvaro Negredo seemingly absent of all confidence and form, the 28 year-old has been running a one-man strike-show for some time at the Etihad.
No player has scored more Premier League goals in 2014 than the Citizens target man, coinciding with his side’s striking depth taking a huge hit. It’s not the first time he’s scored important goals for Manchester City either – he also netted the equaliser for the SkyBlues against QPR in their famous title romp on the final day of the 2011/12 campaign.
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These Twitter fans felt compelled to pay their respects:
Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross is apparently being targeted by a number of top Premier League clubs after his consistent performances put him on their radar, according to Sky Sports.
Shawcross has been one of the top performing central defenders in England so far this season and his form even earned him an England call-up for their World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland by Roy Hodgson last week.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are reported to be the main admirers as the 25-year-old is coming into the final 18-months of his current contract.
Shawcross, who started his career at Old Trafford, has been plagued by negative media after he broke Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s leg in 2010, but it seems his form and honesty has changed peoples’ perceptions.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis will do his upmost to keep the defender at the Britannia Stadium, but the Potters may be enticed by a big money offer in January or next summer.
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The Liverpool fans in the Transfer Tavern were disappointed by their club’s failure to sign Nabil Fekir recently, but they are eager to put their disappointment behind them and focus on alternative targets.
It appeared that Fekir was all set to move to Anfield last Friday but a potential deal swiftly collapsed and left Jurgen Klopp without his ideal replacement for Philippe Countinho. Having already added Naby Keita and Fabinho to his ranks this summer, it seems that Klopp is prioritising the signing of an attacking midfield player to support the likes of Salah, Firminho and Mane next season.
According to a recent report from Gazetta Dello Sport (via talkSPORT), Liverpool have not wasted any time in identifying a new attacking target to pursue this summer following their Fekir disappointment. The report claims that the Reds are interested in signing Fiorentina’s sought-after winger Federico Chiesa, although they will face competition from Manchester United and Manchester City in a deal which could set them back £62 million.
After watching Man City dominate the Premier League last season, Klopp will be looking for ways to narrow the gulf in class this summer, and adding quality talent to his attacking options would be a wise place to start. With little by way of back-up available in wide positions, the signing of Chiesa would solve a problem for Liverpool ahead of the new season and provide Klopp with a player who has the potential to become a future superstar in the Premier League.
After impressing at youth level with Fiorentina, Chiesa (valued at £40.5 million by Transfermarkt) was promoted to the senior squad at just 18-years-of-age in 2016, and he held his own in Serie A on his debut season in which he made 17 starts, scoring 3 and assisting 3 in the process. The 20-year-old’s positive progress continued into the most recent season as he demonstrated flair and creativity in abundance to provide a further 9 assists and score 6 goals in all-competitions, establishing himself as one of the most highly-rated youngsters on the continent in the process.
Considering both the progress he has made thus far and the fact he is only 20-years-old, it’s no surprise that Chiesa is commanding such a huge transfer fee, but if he continues to improve at an exponential rate there’s no doubt he would justify the fee in the years to come. With that in mind, Klopp should make him a primary target in the coming weeks as the scale of his impact on Merseyside could make all the difference in Liverpool’s bid to catch Man City at the summit of English football next season.
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Poor old Anton Walkes. At any other point of the season, news of his loan move to Portsmouth would have brought floods of responses from Tottenham Hotspur supporters wishing the 20-year-old well.
Tottenham fans are otherwise engaged at the moment, however, with many obsessing over whether Lucas Moura, who is valued at £25.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is going to join the club in time for Wednesday night’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.
According to Sky Sports News, Tottenham have agreed a price of £25m with Paris Saint-Germain, but the transfer has not yet been completed.
Spurs only have until Wednesday night to complete the move, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino will not want to be stressing about it ahead of the clash with in-form Man United, who will have Alexis Sanchez in their team.
It was nothing personal against Walkes; Tottenham fans just have their minds firmly focused on one thing at the moment as Lucas nears a move to Wembley Stadium.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:
After the midweek fixtures, one thing became abundantly clear; Liverpool are title contenders. If Saturday’s 5-1 drubbing of Arsenal wasn’t proof enough, the Reds dug deep to sink Fulham courtesy of a last gasp Steven Gerrard penalty. This week’s victory means Liverpool have now won 5 out of their last 7 seven matches, drawing the other two. The Reds sit in fourth, with 53 points, just four behind first placed Chelsea and three behind Arsenal. They are one behind third placed City, who still have a game in hand.
Much of Liverpool’s resurgence is down to the famed SAS striking duo; Suarez and Sturridge. The two have combined for 39 of Liverpool’s 66 goals in the league and make Liverpool a real attacking threat. Despite missing the first six games of the season through suspension, Suarez has set the league on fire, hitting the mark 23 times with Daniel Sturridge right alongside him with 16 of his own. Liverpool are second in the division for scoring, only two behind City’s 68, and with Sergio Aguero’s injury, Liverpool may be on course to usurp the Citizens.
Behind SAS, Liverpool are buoyed by “captain fantastic” Steven Gerrard, whose passion is contagious. His young and talented supporting cast of Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling, and Jordan Henderson provide a full complement of both attacking flair and defensive stability in the absence of Lucas Leiva. Under Brendan Rodgers, the Reds attack in numbers, with blistering speed and precision, finding success by pressing high up the pitch and counter attacking. Rodgers initially struggled to adapt to life at Liverpool, but now has the Reds firing on all cylinders.
Liverpool’s rearguard has also improved significantly, having been boosted by the acquisitions of Mamadou Sakho, Aly Cissokho and the veteran Kolo Toure, who has been solid despite his recent high-profile blunders. Mainstay Martin Skrtel has retained his place while youngster John Flanagan has come on in leaps and bounds. The young Englishman is certainly one for the future, with his impressive performances at right back this year earning him the nickname “scouse Cafu” from his teammates. After Glen Johnson suffered from a dip in form as well as injuries, Flanagan’s emergence came in due timing. Daniel Agger and Jose Enrique have also struggled with form in the past and Liverpool are benefiting from new found stability.
Indifferent form at the beginning of the season meant Liverpool would aim to claim a top four spot, but a purple patch has seemed them cut the gap and they now find themselves firmly in the title race. Dark horses to some, Liverpool will look to continue this form in the hopes of capturing their first Premier League title in 20 years.
For a team to go from so good to so bad in such a short space of time, something has gone seriously wrong.
Although they say you never want to head into a two week break on the back of a loss, Ian Holloway is probably thankful of a little respite so he can get his head down and figure out what he is going to do.
For a little while, it looked as though Blackpool would emerge from a bad spell of form relatively unscathed as they came from 2-1 down to snatch a win in Hull. Follow that with a win at home to Charlton and the international break could be enjoyed with the Seasiders sitting top of the league if results went the right way.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, the same habits crept into the game at Bloomfield road which saw Charlton ease to a win without ever having to see off a challenge once they were in front. And it is exactly that which convinced some fans to boo at the final whistle. Not the easy goals conceded from corners, but the lack of attacking threat. Chipping the ball forward and taking passing out of the equation.
There is no escaping the fact that this spell of bad results has had an effect on everything at Blackpool. The manager hasn’t seemed his upbeat self, the players seemed to have no fight or unity, on form players have lost their touch, and the fans who were so supportive at the start of the season have turned into a frightening, impatient and judgemental jury. Blackpool’s buzz has gone. That’s the fickle world of football for you.
If we are honest though, it is possibly the best time to have a dip in form in this league. Traditionally, it is teams that finish the season well that go up. Think Reading last season. Or Blackpool even, in 2010. A good point was made on Radio Lancashire (shocking I know) when they said that in the Championship, it is easy to simply write off a few games without worrying too much. In a frantic Premier League, a run like this could be catastrophic, as we found out, but there are so many games in a Championship season that a loss almost doesn’t matter. It has been a poor spell, but we sit just six points off the top and just one point outside the playoffs. If we can hit the ground running after the break and string some more wins together, I can see this horrible episode being put well behind us.
So what needs to happen for things to get back on track?
Well, needless to say, it all rests with the manager really. Ian Holloway needs to either wipe the slate clean, forget what has happened this season, and start afresh. Simply look at his squad, put loyalty aside, and ruthlessly decide who the best 11 players are to execute his gameplan.
Alternatively, and perhaps the simplest way to go, is to return to the team he had playing so well at the start of the season. It is amazing that the team that beat Ipswich 6-0 hasn’t played together since then.The defence had Cathcart in it, who although he has been injured, was left out on Saturday despite being fit. The midfield for that match, and against Leeds who left the seaside with a footballing lesson, was Osbourne, Gomes and Martinez. None of these players have been injured. Simply alternately dropped. That this trio haven’t appeared together since Ipswich is a travesty, and in my opinion, one of the main reasons for our poor form. The forward line, such are the options, is reasonably interchangeable. Ince is an obvious starter and Matty Phillips looked sharp again against Charlton. Those two firing together will be a potent mix. Then we have Taylor-Fletcher, Kevin Phillips, Dicko and Delfouneso as the other real options. So if Holloway can get back to a team that resembles the previous winning formula, it will be a step to recovery.
When it comes to the defending… well, it just needs a lot of hard work on the training ground. Holloway is friends with Tony Pulis, so I believe, why not give him a ring, ask to spend a day or two watching their training from set-pieces. Or just ask for advice. Or just sort it out yourself. However you want to do it, you need to do it. It is the ugly, billy-basics part of the game that nobody likes practicing or watching, but it needs to be fixed.
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The fans have a part to play as well. As much as I hate the cliche, the fans can really lift the players. Obviously, it has to start on the pitch. There needs to be something with a remote bit of excitement that the crowd can get a hold of and turn it into momentum. But the Bloomfield crowd, whilst fantastic when things are going ok, can be a real menace when things aren’t. And for me, it is the unfairness of it all that stinks. On Saturday, Taylor-Flecther misplaced a pass and nothing was said beyond a few tuts. Eardley misplaced a pass and half the crowd nearly walked out. Similarly, Crainey played a nice ball into the middle and the crowd went wild. Eardley played a nice ball into the middle and you could hear a pin drop. Everyone has their scapegoat, I know I do, but when you watch the game you should try to be objective. Give the same abuse or praise based on the act, not player.
As for the boo at the end (from the handful of fans that were left) it wasn’t violent outrage, but a quiet grumble. Although I don’t condone booing, I thought it was maybe a timely reminder to the manager and players that they aren’t meeting the standards they have set themselves. Standards which, all being well, we will see return after yet another boring break from proper football.
According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Leeds have joined the race to sign Vitória Setébal defender Frederico Venâncio, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday.
What’s the story?
Venâncio, 25, has played at Vitória Setébal his entire career before his loan move to the Owls last season, where he made 22 appearances, scoring once.
The 6ft 1 powerhouse had an impressive spell at Hillsborough, so much so that Sheffield Wednesday are readying a bid of £875,000, according to A Bola.
However, Leeds are prepared to challenge their Yorkshire rivals for the Portuguese defender, although a bid is yet to be made by the Whites.
Why he should join Leeds
After a slow start, Venâncio had a really solid end to the season for the Owls, missing only two in 2018.
Leeds definitely need defensive reinforcements and considering Venâncio has already proven himself at this level, he would make a very shrewd addition to the team.
At 25, he is mature enough but with his best years ahead of him, and only Sheffield Wednesday stand in the way of Leeds securing the services of a defender with real quality.
If Leeds are successful in recruiting manager Marcelo Bielsa, they could really start to build something at the club and stop its stagnation, and Venâncio and Jansson could prove a strong centre back pairing.
With rumoured signings Abel Hernandez, Jack Marriott and Matthew Pennington potentially on their way to Elland Road, things could start to look very exciting indeed and Venâncio would be wise to join.
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Venâncio is valued at £1.8million on Transfermarkt, so if Leeds can snatch him from their Yorkshire rivals at the current price, he could represent a real bargain.
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