Tottenham Hotspur fans keen on selling Kieran Trippier to Juventus for £30m

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Tottenham Hotspur fans are keen on selling Kieran Trippier during this summer’s transfer window after he was linked with a move to Juventus.

The Times reported on Sunday that the full-back is a target for the Italian giants should they bite on Manchester City interest in Joao Cancelo.

The paper reckon a fee of £30m could get the deal done, although there’s no pressure on the Spurs side to sell considering the player still has three years left on his contract.

Check out the video below to find out why Arsenal fans aren’t celebrating Spurs’ UCL final defeat as much as they’d like…

Trippier is a regular pick under Mauricio Pochettino but doesn’t have the full confidence of supporters, with plenty feeling like he’s a weak link in the team that could be massively improved upon in the transfer market.

The criticism is at times harsh but a fee of £30m sounds pretty good from a Spurs perspective as Pochettino considers what his Spurs side will look like in the wake of the recent UEFA Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.

These fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on a potential deal…

Bournemouth man fits the bill perfectly for Spurs and Pochettino: Opinion

Spurs will look towards a big summer as they look to build on getting to the Champions League final.

Despite losing out to Liverpool, there is a big sense around the club that they than more than overachieved with their Champions League showing, and manager Mauricio Pochettino will no doubt be keen take some steps in the transfer market to ensure the club continues to progress.

With the new stadium finally open, Pochettino will be hoping to see some backing from Daniel Levy, and this weekend has seen the club linked with a move for Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake, who continues to impress for the Cherries under Eddie Howe.

While a £40m fee might seem a hefty chunk of change on paper, Ake has been brilliant under Eddie Howe, developing into the one of the finest young defenders in the English game after never quite getting his chance with Chelsea previously.

Ake fits the mould of a player Spurs would buy, given his age and the way he plays out from the back.

His relaxed style should not be seen as lazy though and he is strong in the tackle, as well as being dominant in the air, and with a chance of playing at what is seemed a higher level with Spurs, it looks like a match made in heaven.

Spurs are looking to move forward with young players who want to develop and prove a point under Pochettino, and Ake fits the bill perfectly given his performance in the 2018/19 season.

38 Premier League appearances where he averaged just under two tackles per game while recording over six clearances per game mark him out as an impressive defensive stalwart, and it is these sort of impressive stats which will impress the onlooking Spurs management team.

Performance In Numbers: Declan Rice vs the Netherlands

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After the March internationals and West Ham United’s Declan Rice’s first two England appearances against the Czech Republic and Montenegro respectively, the latter of which he started, it became apparent that the 20-year-old was now a first choice in central defensive midfield for Gareth Southgate.

And that was proved once again on Thursday evening with the Academy of Football product starting for the Three Lions in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals against the Netherlands.

The centre-back turned midfielder was played in a line of three in front of the defence, sandwiched between Fabian Delph of Manchester City and Ross Barkley of Chelsea.

It was Rice who shone the brightest out of the trio in the 3-1 loss, which saw a Matthijs de Ligt header, a Kyle Walker own-goal and Quincy Promes finish cancel out a first-half Marcus Rashford penalty on a calamitous night for England’s defence.

However, the former Republic of Ireland man still found himself on the end of some harsh words from around the footballing world for his display, being accused of starting too slowly, being too negative and not offering enough of an option out for the centre-backs as the centre of the park was dominated by Ronald Koeman’s men.

However, the WhoScored statistics in the above infographic prove that Rice’s critics are wrong to hound his performance against the Dutch in his nation’s second successive major semi-final defeat.

In 106 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Dele Alli at half-time in extra-time, the number 16 maintained a highly impressive 96% pass success rate.

He also registered two tackles and weighed in with a team-high four interceptions on his Nations League debut.

Rice achieved all of this without giving away one foul, a show of perfect timing from the man tipped to follow in the footsteps of the late great Bobby Moore by none other than Jamie Carragher (Sky Sports via Football.London).

What really makes people who were accusing him of being negative look stupid is the fact the he attempted two dribbles, from the holding midfield role.

These figures prove that Rice was far from poor in the biggest match of his career so far, and in fact he was one of his side’s best performers on the evening and the finger of blame truly deserves to be pointed elsewhere.

The 15 Players Everton Simply Must Target This Summer

The 2018/2019 season may have drawn to a close, but the summer transfer window is well and truly underway as clubs around the world size up who they would like to sell and who they would like to buy.

Even Premier League teams who enjoyed a mostly-successful 2018/2019 season like Marco Silva’s Everton are completing that task as we speak. And after achieving one of their aims of finishing in the top-half by clinching eighth-place, there are still at least 15 players the Toffees should be targeting this summer to close the gap on the top six.

Find out who they are as we take you through them…

Thiago Mendes

While it will heavily depend on the immediate futures of Idrissa Gana Gueye and FC Barcelona loanee Andre Gomes, Everton could be left with just one outright central defensive or holding midfielder for next season: perennial fringe star Morgan Schneiderlin.

That is why recruitment just in front of the defence is needed at Goodison Park this summer and LOSC Lille’s Thiago Mendes would be a great acquisition to start with. The 27-year-old Brazilian’s consistency in Ligue 1 this season has seen him attract attention from some of Europe’s top clubs.

Connor Roberts

Connor Roberts is a 23-year-old Welsh international right-back who plies his trade for Swansea City in the Sky Bet Championship, dazzling this campaign to spark up speculation of a move to a higher level.

With just an ageing Seamus Coleman and young Jonjoe Kenny, the Toffees are rather light on their feet at present in the right-back area. Soon enough, the former is going to have to step aside and Roberts would be the perfect starlet to challenge the latter to be Silva’s first-choice thereafter.

Abdoulaye Doucoure

It was something of a breakthrough campaign in the Premier League for Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and suddenly he’s become a top-six target this summer, but the Blues must ensure he only steps up one place, to them.

As mentioned before, not many on Merseyside could confidently tell you which central midfielders are still going to be at the club by the start of next term. And Doucoure can do anything in that area with great quality, from central defensive midfield to central attacking midfield – just look at his statistics.

Diego Llorente

Silva has some key decisions to make in the next couple of weeks in central defence and depending on their outcomes, could be left with just two senior centre-backs with Phil Jagielka set to be released and Kurt Zouma’s return to Chelsea almost set in stone.

The Goodison outfit undoubtedly need to recruit in the centre-half position then, and Diego Llorente would complement Michael Keane and Yerry Mina very nicely. The Spain and former Real Madrid man is without doubt too good for Real Sociedad and it’s time he tries his hand in the best league in the world.

Andre Gomes

The next star in our list of 15 men that Everton should be targeting is an individual that is technically still a member of Silva’s squad until the end of June, Andre Gomes.

The former Portugal international regular endeared himself to the Blue half of Merseyside while spending the 2018/2019 season on loan from Spanish giants Barcelona. He would help to fill that impending central-midfield void, though the Toffees may need to act fast to secure his permanent signature with sides like West Ham United lurking with serious intent.

Angelo Ogbonna

Speaking of the Hammers, their former Italy centre-back Angelo Ogbonna is finding himself increasingly shut out at London Stadium – mainly because of the signings of and developing partnership between Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop.

The Royal Blues should be offering the 31-year-old a way out and a fresh challenge in the next couple of months, as they could really do with a more senior figure in central defence to provide cover and wisdom to the likes of Mina and Llorente, if he’s also signed.

Che Adams

Comparisons have been drawn between Che Adams of Birmingham City and the great Brazilian Ronaldo, and it’s not hard to see why when you discover he bagged 22 goals and five assists this term in not the best team St. Andrew’s has ever seen.

If not to edge in front of them in the pecking order, the former Ilkeston man would provide strong motivational competition for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun, and the Toffees require a goal machine up front. It’s difficult to see Adams not being snapped up by a Premier League outfit in the summer, and Silva will want to make sure it’s his side who come out on top.

Jay Dasilva

Everton need not only to reinforce their ranks at right-back, but they should be looking to do likewise on the other side of the defence as well, even if veteran wonder Leighton Baines signs a one-year extension.

Bristol City loan starlet Jay Dasilva would certainly be able to give French international Lucas Digne a run for his money, and the Chelsea product must be sick of going out on loan at the age of 21. The only issue in bringing him to Merseyside is Maurizio Sarri’s men’s expected reluctance to sell under their two-window transfer ban.

Allan Saint-Maximin

Allan Saint-Maximin is already one of the most heavily-linked names to a transfer to the Premier League with the window hardly a couple of weeks old, but there’s good reason for it.

The 22-year-old shone brightly in one of Europe’s top five leagues this season, enough to trigger discussions of a first senior call-up to a star-studded France squad. A deal for the right winger would balance out Silva’s flanks rather nicely, and give him a new dimension going forward.

Danny Welbeck

A little further forward in the striking department, the Blues must add a new centre-forward to their ranks in one way or another as they are incredibly threadbare in terms of prolific goal-getters.

An easy way to do this would be to capture a forward of eye-catching domestic, European and international pedigree, who is still two years away from his 30s. Going for Danny Welbeck is a no-brainer, and the possible alliance he could form with former Arsenal teammate Theo Walcott is just one of the reasons why.

West Ham United: Joan Jordan can help all over the park

While it’d be unfair to criticise the strong partnership of Declan Rice and Mark Noble in West Ham United’s engine room, it’s fair to say they didn’t contribute much going forward. Granted, the Hammers captain scored and assisted 5 goals apiece last season, but a worrying average of 0.7 and 0.3 key passes per 90min perhaps indicates a lack of attacking prowess.

Obviously, after such an expensive outlay last summer, the European dream Manuel Pellegrini has previously spoken about needs to be realised sooner rather than later. That’s got to be the target, right? Largely settled into the London Stadium, a pretty expensive squad and a big-name manager, the Europa League seems like a natural target.

Well, with that in mind, the Chilean is reportedly looking for a more complete midfielder, who can contribute at both ends of the field. According to Sky Sports, the Hammers have apparently launched a £13 million bid for Eibar’s midfielder Joan Jordan.

Now, it’s hard to deny the strength of the current midfield core but perhaps Jordan’s 4 goals and 4 assists (via Transfermarkt) for an Eibar team who only managed 46 goals last season shows he can chip in. Indeed, when you look at his superiority over Noble and Rice in terms of forward passes, chances created and shots on target (stats via Squawka), you can start to imagine him making new-boy Pablo Fornals’ creative job easier.

Andy Carroll has obviously departed and a regular source of goals were a problem for the Irons last season, with only Marko Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson reaching double figures in all competitions, so spreading strikes throughout the team might be a good idea.

When you consider the fact that they, Everton, Watford and Leicester City all scored roughly the same amount of goals in the league, getting more firepower in across the field could give West Ham a better chance of competing in any mini-league below the top six, vying for that seventh spot or beyond.

WhoScored pinpoint the Spaniard’s strengths in taking long-shots, key passes and dribbling through the middle, useful tools for a side potentially looking to improve their engine room.

Moreover, when you look at his superior 1.8 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 1.4 dribbles per 90 mins compared to Noble’s average 1.5 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles, clearly Jordan’s got the skillset to go either way to help the side.

Hammers fans, do you think Jordan can potentially create a more complete midfield next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

تقارير: ريال مدريد متفائل بشأن تراجع القيمة السوقية لـ كيليان مبابي

يبدو أن مسلسل انتقال كيليان مبابي مهاجم باريس سان جيرمان، المتحمل لـ ريال مدريد ما زال مستمرًا، في ظل تعثر المفاوضات بين النادي الفرنسي واللاعب حول التجديد.

كيليان مبابي مطلوب بشدة في ريال مدريد، بطلب من المدرب زين الدين زيدان والرئيس فلورنتينو بيريز، وحتى الآن لم يجدد عقده مع باريس سان جيرمان.

طالع أيضًا.. هل يقصد مبابي؟!.. بوتشيتينو: هناك تغييرات ستحدث في تشكيل باريس سان جيرمان

النادي الفرنسي لم يتوصل لاتفاق مع مبابي بشأن تجديد عقده، في ظل رغبة اللاعب أيضًا بالانتقال إلى ريال مدريد، واقترابه من نهاية العقد في يونيو 2022.

صحيفة “Le10Sport” الفرنسية، أفادت أن قيمة كيليان مبابي السوقية تراجعت مع اقتراب عقده من النهاية بعد موسم ونصف، وهو ما يجعل ريال مدريد أكثر تفاؤلًا بشأن حسم الصفقة لصالحه.

قيمة اللاعب الفرنسي السوقية، أصبحت الآن 149 مليون يورو، بعدما كانت 165 مليونا في يناير 2020.

ومن المرجح أن تنخفض قيمة اللاعب السوقية أكثر بطبيعة الحال، مع اقتراب عقده أكثر من النهاية، في ظل اقتناع ريال مدريد بأن الركود في قيمة كيليان قد يجعل انتقاله أسهل.

يأمل ريال مدريد، عدم تجديد اللاعب عقده مع باريس سان جيرمان، ويبدو أن التحرك الرسمي سيكون في الصيف المقبل.

ريال مدريد لم يتعاقد مع أي لاعب خلال الصيف الماضي، وكذلك في يناير الجاري، لتجميع الأموال من أجل صفقة كيليان مبابي التي تبدو حلمًا لـ النادي الملكي.

Arsenal: The knock-on effects of potentially signing Wilfried Zaha

Unai Emery is said to be seeking his board’s permission to break transfer budget in pursuit of Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, according to The Sun.

Arsenal currently command a limited transfer budget of around £45million after failing to reach the Champions League. However, boss Emery will be hoping that can convince the club to allocate him the necessary funds to bring in number one attacking target Wilfried Zaha, as he embarks on a summer rebuild.

With a potential move to the Emirates in mind, we take a look at two possible knock-on effects of Zaha joining Arsenal.

No improvement

We’re going to start this off with the suggestion that nothing at all will happen. Why, you might ask? The forward line-up is the one area on the pitch that Arsenal really don’t need to improve this summer.

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang combined to produce a mightily impressive 50 goals this season. In the Premier League, the club were the third highest scorers behind Manchester City and Liverpool. Nothing there suggests they need to improve their attacking line-up; not least allocate the bulk (or entirety) of their summer spends on another forward who might give them a few more goals and assists.

The club’s defence, on the other hand, needs some serious work. Arsenal conceded 51 goals this season, which is the highest out of anyone in the top five and the ninth strongest record in the competition. Unless they plan on outscoring their opponents, a feat that would require serious firepower (perhaps more than 10-goal Zaha), then surely it would be more prudent to sign a top class defender; someone who can command from the back; a Virgil van Dijk figure, as Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has suggested.

Arsenal sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Given Arsenal’s weak financial position, we fully expect at least one player to leave should they sign Wilfried Zaha this summer.

As it stands, Mesut Ozil and Mkhitaryan are the most disposal players in the forward line-up. Ozil has endured his worst season in English football to date, which saw him produce just six goals and three assists in 35 appearances and suffer a turbulent relationship with his new boss.

Mkhitaryan hasn’t prospered much, either – with six goals and seven assists to his name, and the somewhat controversial decision to deny him from travelling with the team to Baku for the Europa League final over safety fears.

However, with the German proving difficult to shift due to his mammoth £350,000 wages, the club might have more luck if they decide to sacrifice their former Manchester United star as they slowly but surely come to terms with the fact he’ll never emulate the form he showed in Germany.

Arsenal fans, do you agree with our predictions? Let us know in the comments below…

The stunning statistic that shows just how durable James Milner is

[ad_pod ]If you were asked to name one model professional in the modern footballing era, surely the name James Milner springs to mind.The 33-year-old is still an ever-present figure at the top level of the game, managing to stay injury-free throughout the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign apart from a 12-day absence in October due to a hamstring strain.Milner is perhaps one of the most durable, energetic players in Jurgen Klopp’s entire squad, whilst his vast professionalism enables him to cover competently at both full-back positions.But just how durable is the former England international?How did Mane score THAT goal against Bayern last week? Did he dazzle them with Firmino’s teeth? 442oons speculate in the video below…Well, one stat that cropped up on Twitter speaks volumes about how well Milner has looked after himself, as well as emphasising how effective he has been since the early days of his career.

Back in 2002, a then 16-year-old Milner netted his second goal in three days during the festive period with a well-taken strike against Chelsea, which handed his boyhood club Leeds a 2-0 win over the Blues – the strike came just days after he netted against Sunderland on Boxing Day.

In that 2-0 win, Milner came up against World Cup winner Marcel Desailly, who was part of the 1998 tournament with France.

Fast forward 17 years, and the Leeds academy graduate is still doing the business against one of France’s latest World Cup winners, Kylian Mbappe.

Milner scored home and away against Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain side in the Champions League this season, a competition that he has since gone on to win as Liverpool recorded a 2-0 win over Tottenham in the final.

Remarkably, Mbappe was born 30 years after Desailly, showing just how long Milner has been competing at the top level of football as well as being an instrumental player in games too.

Intriguingly, he is showing no signs of slowing down either with Liverpool set to offer him a new contract.

A real engine of the game.

رسميًا.. الإسماعيلي يعلن خالد القماش مديرًا فنيًا مؤقتًا خلفًا لـ العيسوي

أعلن نادي الإسماعيلي عن تولي خالد القماش المهمة الفنية للفريق الأول لكرة القدم خلفًا لـ أبو طالب العيسوي.

وكان الإسماعيلي يرغب في التعاقد مع إيهاب جلال المدير الفني للمقاصة، ورفض النادي الفيومي التفريط في خدماته.

طالع أيضًا.. مصدر لـ بطولات: تاكيس مرشح لتدريب الإسماعيلي.. ويكشف مصير المفاوضات مع إيهاب جلال

ويتولى القماش قيادة الفريق الأول بنادي الإسماعيلي بشكل مؤقت لحين التعاقد مع مدير فني جديد.

الإسماعيلي خسر في أخر ظهور له في الدوري المصري أمام المقاولون العرب بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي أقيمت الإثنين الماضي.

جدير بالذكر أن الإسماعيلي يحتل  المركز الخامس عشر في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 6 نقاط.

Pundit View: Paul Hartley things Greg Stewart can prove people wrong at Rangers

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Paul Hartley has backed new Rangers signing Greg Stewart to succeed at Ibrox, as reported by The Daily Record.

What’s he said?

Hartley was the manager who signed Stewart up at Dundee from the Scottish lower leagues, giving him the opportunity to shine in the top-flight and eventually win a move to the English Championship.

Having also experienced the pressure of playing for one of Glasgow’s big clubs, the former Scotland international is well placed to offer an insight into how Stewart might perform for the Gers next season.

His verdict is positive, believing that the attacker can become a big part of Steven Gerrard’s team.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

As quoted by The Daily Record, Hartley said:

“Greg showed his quality at Kilmarnock and against Rangers he scored a magnificent goal.

“He was on top of his game in the first half of the season and then it didn’t quite work out for him in the second half of the season for whatever reason.

“It’s a great opportunity for Greg and I don’t think anyone can begrudge him it. People might question him but it’s up to Greg to go and prove people wrong and I’m sure he will.

“He knows he will need to work hard because it won’t be easy for him. At 29 he has to grasp the opportunity to go there and not be a squad player. I don’t think he will be. He has to go impress, be as fit as he can be and be ready.”

Can Stewart rise to the challenge?

Hartley is right to point to Stewart’s form for Kilmarnock in the first half of last season as a sign he can produce for Rangers next term.

The 29-year-old was scoring and assisting regularly before his season was disrupted with a loan move to Aberdeen in January.

If he can capture that kind of form, and the kind of contribution he produced for Hartley in the past, then he’s going to be a better Rangers signing than some expect.

Also possessing versatility, he can slot into a number of attacking positions for Gerrard.

As squad players go, arriving on a free transfer, the Ibrox club could have done a lot worse.

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