[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur could miss out on the signing of Youri Tielemans this summer, with Leicester City trying to tie the Belgium international down to a permanent deal, per the Daily Mirror.

Tielemans is currently on loan at the Foxes from AS Monaco.

What’s the word?

The Mirror claim that manager Brendan Rodgers is desperate to retain the services of Tielemans beyond the summer.

Since his move to England, the 21-year-old has scored two goals and provided four assists in just nine outings for the Foxes.

The report claims that both Spurs and Manchester United are monitoring the youngster’s progress, while Rodgers is wary of letting him slip through his fingers.

A deal would cost £40million and the ex-Liverpool boss wants to tie Tielemans’ future up before another club swoops in to steal him away.

A missed opportunity

Spurs really should have done this deal in January.

The Daily Telegraph claimed at the time that the club were exploring the possibility of a loan move.

Now, he is thriving at Leicester and appears every inch a Premier League player.

With Mousa Dembele gone, Tielemans would be the perfect replacement at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, capable of turning defence to attack with his weaving runs through the middle of the park in vintage Dembele fashion.

Sadly for Mauricio Pochettino and chairman Daniel Levy, it may be too late.

[ad_pod ]

Coming out of Seven Sisters tube station, it doesn’t take long to see it. That futuristic marble, that sublime golden cockerel. As fans filtered out of the station and made their way down a well-trodden path, the gasps upon glimpsing the stadium were audible. Tottenham Hotspur, finally, are home.

After flinging the doors open last week, with an Under-18 game that saw Spurs defeat Southampton 3-1, this was a far more jovial encounter, a Legends game taking place in a carnival atmosphere.

Seeing the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Rafael van der Vaart and David Ginola all take to the pitch to face an Inter side boasting Javier Zanetti, Juan Sebastian Veron and Dejan Stankovic was slightly surreal, but the supporters basked in a no-lose atmosphere. Spurs lost 5-4 but it didn’t really matter.

The noise in this, the most futuristic stadium in England, really is something else. The South Stand, the largest of its kind in the country, will be rocking when Manchester City come to visit in the Champions League and this Wednesday, when Crystal Palace become the first official visitors in the Premier League.

There have been a number of new stadiums built across the years in the Premier League; the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City, the Emirates for Arsenal. West Ham United, too, moved across the city from Upton Park to the London Stadium after repurposing it for use as a football stadium.

None of those three live up to what Tottenham have done. The stadium is more imposing than those three – all categorised by a lack of noise and genuine passion – with the fans so close to the pitch they can almost touch it. Ripples of noise cascade around the stands and become roars. One can feel the seats vibrate at times.

Saturday was a trip down memory lane for many, remembering the days when Spurs had perhaps the most entertaining flair players in the league. But then, they didn’t quite have the steel to go with it.

Now, with Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, they do, but there are challenges even still. A recent run of poor form has put even Champions League qualification into question.

But with this glorious stadium now built and ready, one feels they are on a precipice, set to break through into a glorious new era.

Of course, there are worries. Fans are concerned that there may not be the money required to furnish the playing squad with the best players after seeing the Gunners struggle for so long.

But it feels as though that has been taken into consideration. The likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli have already signed new contracts and this is a glimpse into what Spurs want to become. They want to become the very best in the world.

As Darren Anderton put it, “who wouldn’t want to play here every week?”

It is a fair question and, while the likes of Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld may leave, one cannot ever fault the board’s ambition again.

No, they haven’t signed a new player since 2018, but the money is saved, surely ready to be spent this summer. New signings will see this stadium, a “landmark”, as Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold put it, and surely be entranced.

There is pressure, of course, between now and May.

Spurs have to finish in the Champions League qualification places; nobody wants to see them playing Astra Giurgiu on a Thursday night here, and they may well need the financial boost that qualification offers them.

Achieve that, and there’s every chance that Spurs can go from strength to strength.

They have challenged for the title twice under Pochettino; this season, that challenge came at Wembley, a soul-less corporate bowl that actively turned fans off watching their beloved club. It petered out, eventually, with Manchester City and Liverpool setting an almost impossible pace.

But they stayed in contention for so long that Spurs were seen as genuine contenders.

In this new stadium, with the fans behind them from the first game, with new stars and with the backing of the board, next season will be different.

It cannot possibly be worse than this campaign, such have been the fluctuations in form at home. Remember, the final season at White Hart Lane saw Spurs go unbeaten before it was knocked down to make way for this glistening behemoth in the centre of Tottenham.

Perhaps it will prove the catalyst that Spurs have needed for so long, and they will finally break through the glass ceiling and win silverware.

Looking around the place, one has to feel that this stadium deserves it.

[ad_pod ]

Marcelo Bielsa has been forced to call upon a handful of youth players this season to bolster Leeds United’s squad during times of heavy depletion, but injuries have not paved the way for Ryan Edmondson to break into the squad just yet.

What’s the word, then?

Edmondson has been in prolific form this season, scoring 17 goals in all-competitions for Carlos Corberan’s U23 side.

His form has arrived during the same season in which Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton have featured for the senior squad, and their involvement has raised questions regarding the 17-year-old forward’s future role at the club.

Bielsa has tackled the issue head on this week and emphasised his need for further experience, per Yorkshire Evening Post.

“He’s a very young player,” said Bielsa.

“In this moment in his position players like (Kemar) Roofe, (Patrick) Bamford, Tyler Roberts have played.

“There’s a very important difference, I’m talking about experience, between these three players and Ryan but he has made a very good improvement from the beginning of the season.”

Loan move for Edmondson?

Roofe, Roberts and Bamford are understandably keeping Edmondson in the youth setup.

The 17-year-old forward has played just 35 minutes of senior football in his career so far during two cameos against QPR and Birmingham City.

Considering his age, his goal-scoring return this season and the fact he has already featured at senior level, it’s fair to assume that the exciting teenager is being nurtured for a future first-team role.

However, as Bielsa has alluded to, competition for a starting berth is intense and that could potentially force Edmondson to move on loan in the summer window.

Roberts’ move into a number ten role this season may yet suggest that Edmondson could establish himself as third choice striker, but a loan move could be what’s needed in order to acquire the experience which Bielsa values so highly.

[ad_pod ]

Watford will meet Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup final after knocking out Wolves in sensational fashion on Sunday – the Hornets’ fightback from two goals down to win 3-2 in extra time will undoubtedly go down as one of the great games of the season.

Gerard Deulofeu’s stunning strike and Troy Deeney’s last gasp spot-kick saw goals from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota cancelled out before the Spaniard stung again, putting the Hornets in front in the 104th minute.

It’s difficult to pick which of Javi Gracia’s side’s three goals will stay longest in the memories of the Vicarage Road faithful, although the Watford captain’s equaliser and his raw celebration after will cast fans’ minds back to the 2012/13 play-offs.

The number 9 gave John Ruddy – between the sticks for Wolves – no chance with his 94th minute penalty and sent one half of Wembley Stadium into pandemonium, just as his late volley against Leicester did six years ago.

Although not that you would have believed it having seen him wheel away passionately in the dying seconds, the former Walsall man had indicated earlier last week that he wasn’t all that up for the massive game. Speaking on TalkSport (via The Watford Observer), the bustling forward said:

“I’ve got a weird feeling about this one, it doesn’t excite me too much, it’s just another game.

“I want people to understand the perspective because people always say that it’s a big occasion for a team outside the top six.

“Where we’re aspiring to get to and where Wolves are trying to aspire to get to is to be in this sort of situation more regularly, so we don’t see it as a one off, we see it as the building blocks to do more.

“If we can get over this final hurdle and get to the final, we” say ‘alright now there’s another block can we go on and win it?”

Wolves Fan TV place the blame for Wolves’ FA Cup semi-final collapse on John Ruddy in the video below…

Deeney might have walked out the tunnel on Sunday with that attitude but he certainly won’t have the same outlook when the Hornets travel back to Wembley Stadium once again to face the Premier League champions in the final – surely?

The 30-year-old usually wears his heart on his sleeve and even he has to admit now that he was wrong in his pre-match assessment of the Wolves clash – if his jubilant antics post-penalty weren’t the epitome of excitement, then what is?

That moment in 2014 will forever be burnt into the retinas of every Liverpool fan who witnessed it.

Steven Gerrard’s slip, Demba Ba’s goal, the beginning of the end for Brendan Rodgers’ title hopes. It’s something that is still sung about today at games and is one of the most iconic moments in Premier League history.

Five years later, and we’re back in a similar situation. Chelsea will travel to Liverpool who are hot on the tail of Manchester City, and for Jurgen Klopp, he has a duty to bury the sins of the past and end the torment the club have endured because of that fateful day.

But going into Sunday’s game, the two teams couldn’t be any more different from five years ago. The Blues head to Anfield not chasing for the title, but looking to get into the top four, something fans did not expect going into this season, whereas Liverpool have the chance to keep the pressure on City in one of the tightest title races in years with arguably their best team in the history of the Premier League era.

Liverpool have also shown this season that they can take on the big teams at home and get results, beating the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal and holding on against Manchester City, but in games against Chelsea this season, the Reds have been underwhelming.

An Eden Hazard masterclass knocked the Merseyside club out of the League Cup early in the season and a Daniel Sturridge is what it took for Liverpool to rescue a point against Chelsea at the fixture at Stamford Bridge.

The Reds have what it takes to easily beat Chelsea this weekend, with the west London side under more pressure from fans to perform and get the results they need to get back into the Champions League, and Klopp’s side know that if they stick to their game plan, they will be able to bury their demons and move on with their best shot of winning the Premier League title in years.

Liverpool fans, will the Reds beat Chelsea this weekend? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]

Daniel Sturridge will see his Liverpool deal expire this summer in June after more than six years with the club.

And it is widely thought that the centre-forward will leave Anfield in search of pastures new.

The 29-year-old has appeared on 24 occasions for the Reds this term, but has only managed four goals.

It has been a tough period for Sturridge, valued at £13.5 million by Transfermarkt, considering he also struggled on loan at West Bromwich Albion during the second half of last season.

And a number of Liverpool fans have been on social media engaging in a very interesting debate when it comes to the future of the 26-time England international.

Indeed, whilst it has not happened for Sturridge over the last 12 months or so, there is still a serious player in there, providing that he can stay fit.

The Liverpool supporters have been picking out potential clubs for the striker next season, and a selection of their opinions can be viewed below:

[ad_pod ]

Matt Murray has sung the praises of Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, a player who only seems to be getting better as the weeks go by, while speaking on The Debate podcast this week.

What’s he said?

Grealish has been a hot topic in recent months with the attacking midfielder turning in some excellent displays in the Championship.

This season, the Villa man has five goals and five assists in 28 league outings, demonstrating his importance to Dean Smith’s team.

He’s been one of the driving forces behind the Midlands clubs’ strong hopes of promotion and, as a result, has attracted reported interest from the likes of Tottenham.

The 23-year-old has earned rave reviews and he’s now received praise from Sky Sports pundit, Murray. While speaking on The Debate at 37:10, he said:

“Jack Grealish for me is an absolutely fantastic footballer. I think he’s brilliant.”

Plenty more to come

Grealish is a fascinating footballer. When he first burst onto the scene with Villa in the Premier League there seemed to be a lot of hype around him. However, after failing to get a move when they went down it seemed as though his stock had fallen.

But what’s been pivotal to his turnaround and improved form this season is the Villans’ manager, Smith. Murray’s comments on the Debate are symptomatic of this, with the midfielder adding more goals and assists to his game under the former Brentford boss.

In terms of the number of goals he’s been involved in, the 2018/19 season represents his best to date so it’s no surprise to see him attracting the interest of one of England’s top clubs.

However, it isn’t just his goals and assists that have stood out but his leadership credentials have come to the forefront under Smith too. He has given him extra responsibility and the player seems to be relishing it.

His attitude has definitely improved and you sense there is plenty more to come from Grealish. Whether that’s at Villa or another club is a different matter, though.

Here to stay: Rangers close in on a deal to sign Steven Davis on a permanent contract.

SunSport understand that Rangers are close to agreeing a deal to sign Steven Davis on a permanent contract for next season.

The 34-year-old veteran Northern Ireland midfielder has spent half a season on loan at Ibrox since joining from Southampton in January.

Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard, who evidently had a preference for youthful talent, initially only used Davis as a squad player, with the midfield playmaker’s future at the club looking uncertain.

However, SunSport has recently suggested that talks have already taken place over a new deal with an agreement close to being agreed, as Gerrard looks to bolster his options with an experienced player who can shepherd the club’s brightest prospects into stardom. One of whom being Jake Hastie, Scotland’s Young Player of the Year, who Rangers have recently captured on a four-year deal.

As great as it is recruiting Davis – his experience and wealth of knowledge are undeniable – the ex-Premier League man must improve his game if he is to show that Gerrard’s faith in him is justified.

The 34-year-old, who hardly fits the current youth intensive model Gerrard is currently enforcing at Ibrox, will now be under pressure as one of few veterans at the club to perform.

That means a major improvement is required on his pretty average looking three assists in 22 games this season, especially for a side as free-scoring and intensive as Rangers, who will be chasing Celtic again next term.

Rangers fans, how much do you think Davis can contribute next year? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

أكد جمال السلامي المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي الرجاء المغربي، أن الكتيبة الخضراء ما زالت تتمسك بآمال الصعود إلى نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا على حساب الزمالك.

ويستعد الرجاء لمواجهة الزمالك في إياب الدور نصف النهائي ببطولة دوري أبطال افريقيا، مساء غدٍ الأربعاء على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وقال السلامي في تصريحات عبر صحيفة “المنتخب المغربية”: “نملك إمكانيات بشرية قادرة على تحقيق (الريمونتادا)، وفريق الزمالك يعلم ذلك بعد ما رأه من الرجاء في الشوط الثاني من مباراة الذهاب، لذا سيتحلى منافسنا بالتواضع”.

طالع | مرتضى منصور: لا أنظر لمواجهة الأهلي قبل مباراة الرجاء.. وثنائي الزمالك عاد إلى مستواه

وأضاف: “سندخل لنلعب مباراة من 90 دقيقة وليس من 15 دقيقة الأولى، كيف وبأي أسلوب واعتمادًا على أي ثوابت تكتيكية؟ هذا ما سأترككم تكتشفونه خلال المباراة”.

وتابع: “نعلم أن الزمالك سيخوض مباراة مفتوحة محاولًا اقتناص هدف مبكر ومستعدون تكتيكيًا لمواجهة هذا الأسلوب، كما أن لاعبينا جاهزين ذهنيًا لتلك المباراة التي تحمل الكثير من الصعوبات”.

واختتم معلقًا على أزمة إصابات الفريق بالكورونا وتأجيل المباراة: “ما حدث كان اختبارًا لنا، وقد أظهرنا تلاحمنا وقدرتنا على تجاوز المحن، نحن بالقوام الكامل للفريق، والتأجيل أفادنا بربح هامش زمني تعافى خلاله كل اللاعبين المصابين بإصابات عضلية”.

[ad_pod ]

Sheffield Wednesday are hoping to sell forward Lucas Joao this summer according to a report in the printed version of The Sun on Sunday 7th April (page 61). But are they wrong to be considering selling?

What’s the word?

According to Sunday’s edition of The Sun, Sheffield Wednesday are weighing up whether to sell one of their top goal scorers this season in Joao for £8m.

The Owls are hoping to balance their books by offering out the 25-year-old who has recently been missing with injury.

Joao’s contract at Wednesday ends in 2021, per Transfermarkt, so it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see the club cash in on the player, rather than seeing his value plummet over the next year. Transfermarkt values the player at £1.8m, some way off the club’s own valuation.

The same report in The Sun also suggests Fernando Forestieri could leave the club.

Joao has to stay

A potential sale of £8m looks attractive for a Championship club but the Owls simply have to keep Joao. Although injured since February, the attacker was vital for the club earlier in the season and is currently their second top goal scorer on nine for the campaign.

Steve Bruce hasn’t had a proper chance to see the player in action since he arrived at Hillsborough, but regardless, has to keep him at the Yorkshire club.

Gary Hooper may have returned but considering Joao’s early season form he still has to be considered as one of their top players.

With Hooper and Steven Fletcher now the wrong side of 30, Wednesday need someone younger in their ranks to stay, and considering how much they’ve missed the similarly direct Rolando Aarons in the past two matches, they must keep Joao.

His direct nature helps to give a different dynamic in the final third and his versatility can also be a huge asset.

The positives of keeping Joao, therefore, outweigh the negatives and Bruce has to keep hold of him.