Resurgent Manchester United duo lead Premier League Team of the Week
Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard were key in their side's emphatic 5-1 win at Cardiff on Saturday
Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard were key in their side's emphatic 5-1 win at Cardiff on Saturday
Southampton are being linked with a move for Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek ahead of the summer transfer window and should he join Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side for next season, he could form a superb partnership with James Ward-Prowse in midfield.
According to the Express, Southampton were keen on signing the England international on loan last summer before he joined Fulham and Hasenhuttl’s side are willing to offer him another chance in the top-flight next season, despite his disappointing spell with the Cottagers.
In 28 Premier League appearances for Scott Parker’s side, the 25-year-old has managed just one goal and no assists, earning a less than impressive 6.52 average rating for his performances from WhoScored.
Loftus-Cheek is a product of Chelsea’s academy and was once regarded as the next big thing at Stamford Bridge but he has unfortunately been unable to live up to his immense potential, with injury problems undoubtedly playing their part.
However, his performances in the past earned him a spot at the World Cup with England so he clearly has a lot of ability and he perhaps wasn’t able to showcase that as often as he would have liked playing in a relegation side this season.
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He has shown glimpses of his ability, earning rave reviews from Parker earlier in the season after his performance in a draw against Liverpool, for which he was labelled “exceptional” by the young manager.
The six-foot-three midfielder would certainly add a physical presence in Hasenhuttl’s midfield and could definitely work well alongside Saints captain Ward-Prowse, who would perhaps have more freedom to dictate play alongside a box-to-box player such as Loftus-Cheek.
Only Stuart Armstrong and Kyle Walker-Peters have averaged more dribbles per game than Loftus-Cheek in the Premier League this season, which emphasises his ability to carry the ball through the middle. That’s something the Saints arguably lack when Armstrong plays out wide, as Ward-Prowse often plays alongside the more conservative Ibrahima Diallo or Oriol Romeu.
Therefore, if Southampton could bring the Chelsea man in on loan this summer, he could definitely prove to be an excellent addition in midfield alongside Ward-Prowse. It would certainly be well worth the risk from Saints vice-chairman Martin Semmens.
And, in other news… Southampton could sign their ideal Ings heir with “magnificent” 19-goal beast
After the controversy surrounding Real Madrid's win over Juventus, Goal takes a look at the teams with the most spot-kicks in Europe
Real Madrid face Bayern Munich this week after a controversial win over Juventus in the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo netted a last-minute penalty to give Real an aggregate victory, and Goal has taken a look at the teams with the most penalty kicks to their name in the Champions League, since the 2003-04 season.
It was a rough year for several veteran American players around the world, but proved to be a breakout campaign for a number of promising youngsters
It was a bittersweet year for American soccer players plying their trade in leagues outside of the United States. Along with managing the hangover left by missing out on the World Cup, it was a year that saw several veterans endure rough campaigns, while some talented youngsters took big steps forward in their careers.
Geoff Cameron endured a nightmare season at Stoke City, with the Potters being relegated in a campaign that saw him lose his long-standing hold as a regular starter. Omar Gonzalez also endured a roller-coaster year that saw him go from playing in the Club World Cup in December to not even dressing for Pachuca for much of the Clausura season.
Bobby Wood has also had a season to forget, with his Hamburg side on the verge of relegation from the Bundesliga. John Brooks and Fabian Johnson weren't a part of the national team last October, but they were members of last year's Americans Abroad Best XI. Both have endured injury-riddled club seasons in Germany.
Ethan Horvath was another American who has struggled to get playing time in 2018, stuck on the bench at Club Brugge since losing his role as a starter last October. But who did make Goal's Americans Abroad Best XI?
Tottenham Hotspur could make a move for Danny Ings this summer, according to emerging reports…
Eurosport’s Dean Jones claims the north London outfit are closely monitoring the 28-year-old ahead of the transfer window reopening and that they still hope to sign him from Southampton.
It’s not the first time that Ings has been linked with a move to Spurs, and back in January, Charlie Austin – his former teammate at both the Saints and Burnley – claimed the £18m-rated forward would be a good fit at the club.
Speaking on talkSPORT (via the Daily Echo), he said: “I think it would be a good fit,” before adding: “He just brings much more to the team as well, his all-round game is second to none and the goals just put him in the right direction. There is no surprise he is linked with a club like Tottenham.”
Given the dubious future of Harry Kane at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a move for a proven Premier League goalscorer like Ings could be a wise decision from Daniel Levy and co.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, there is a possibility the England skipper departs this summer. He revealed: “Some of those people have described Kane’s desire to me as ‘desperate to leave’. Now, I don’t want people to take that out of context, it’s not that he’s deeply distraught to be at Spurs.”
Now, Ings will be 29 by the time the transfer market opens again ahead of next season, but history tells us that Spurs have a decent record when it comes to buying proven talent, such as Robbie Keane, who joined the club for a second time aged 28.
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Both had been tried and tested in the English top-flight and both are known for their ability to press from the front, so there are plenty of similarities to be had.
In fact, this is exactly the comparison Clinton Morrison made to talkSPORT last summer. “I used to play with a striker who played exactly like Ings [and that’s] Robbie Keane,” he said. “I look at the way Ings plays and his movement is first class.”
Ings has scored 52 times in 135 Premier League appearances, which is a rate of one goal every two and a half matches, and that is a very respectable return.
Whilst Kane is a more all-rounded centre-forward, the fellow Englishman does have attributes that’ll please Mourinho – “He presses really well, he’s hard-working,” explained Martin Keown. “Danny Ings has been outstanding.” That merely ehoed the thoughts of his manager, Ralph Hassenhuttl, who dubbed him “unbelievable” to the BBC after lockdown last year.
After all, the last signing from the Saints went down pretty well, so why not look to trust their development once again? Ings may not be Kane, but he could well become Spurs’ next Keane.
If push comes to shove, Levy must strike and splash out on Ings.
AND in other news, Spurs’ £18m-rated summer target wants the move, Levy must strike…
Frank McAvennie has slammed Glasgow Rangers’ lack of common sense from the corner that saw St. Johnstone equalise in their Scottish Cup clash last weekend.
The Gers were 1-0 up going into the final minute of extra-time in their quarter-final against the Saints after James Tavernier gave them the lead. However, the scored was levelled when Chris Kane tapped in goalkeeper Zander Clark’s header.
Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie has slammed the Ibrox outfit’s lack of common sense. He said:
“The biggest thing I’ve said about Rangers all year is that they’re organised at the back, they’re rigid.
“But sometimes you have to use a bit of common sense and common sense told me you should mark a 6 feet tall goalkeeper at a corner kick. What a huge mistake.
“Common sense would tell me, mark him. They didn’t get anywhere near him because they were all picking up the men they were told to.
“Sometimes you have to think on your feet sometimes and adapt. You can’t leave someone unmarked in the box like that.”
It is hard to argue with McAvennie in this case. While Clark may not be used to being in the opposition penalty area, he stands at 6 foot 5, making him an aerial threat regardless of his actual footballing ability. That proved to be the case in this situation, and the goal eventually led to the Gers being knocked out of the competition.
It will be a blow for Steven Gerrard and co to already be out of the competition given they have already wrapped up the Premiership title. They will have wanted to complete a domestic double and, although the winner of the whole tournament only receives £240,000 (via The Daily Record), every little helps during these difficult financial times. Hopefully, this will be a lesson from which Gerrard and his players can learn.
In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this club news.
Leeds are making a major mistake over their transfer stance on Liverpool starlet Yasser Larouci.
According to The Athletic, Larouci has been on the club’s radar in the past, and that while they had looked at him a few transfer windows ago, they deemed him too expensive, and are now focused on trying to recruit a more experienced option at left-back.
While Leeds are hardly a club like Manchester City that can just throw money at players, the 20-year-old Larouci is something they should not be turning their backs on.
The young left-back has barely had an opportunity on Merseyside, playing just twice for the senior side, but is clearly someone with bags of potential.
Liverpool’s former U18s boss Barry Lewtas, said: “He is lightning-quick and a real good personality. Because he is so quick it helps in his one-v-one defending, he is aggressive and is good when he runs into the big spaces and he arrives well in terms of forward runs.”
And, The Athletic’s James Pearce added: “Larouci has made big strides forward. He’s an interesting one in itself because he’s a player who came in as an attacker, as a real pacey, strong winger with an eye for goal.
“The staff felt that actually he would be better suited to the left-back role, especially in the Klopp mould where so much of it is providing that attacking outlet. They felt they could work with him and work on his defensive game and he’s another one that’s come on a lot.”
At just 20, Larouci has still got the world at his feet in terms of developing into a Premier League star, and being a young player means that he will always have resale value.
Even if things don’t work out as Leeds may hope, there’s always the fallback of still being able to draw in good money for him – unlike spending a big sum of money on a more experienced, older option like they are reportedly planning on doing.
Clearly, Larouci is highly-rated by those who know Liverpool well, and that kind of potential is something the Whites should be all over. Andrea Radrizzani should be getting out the chequebook and bringing the Reds back to the negotiating table to try and strike a deal.
It would be a foolish mistake if they didn’t.
Meanwhile, Leeds should unleash this midfield talent next season…
Southampton’s hopes of signing Levante winger Jorge de Frutos this summer appear to have been handed a huge boost, with the La Liga side having reportedly lowered their asking price for the 24-year-old.
According to reports from Spain, Levante are willing to sell de Frutos for just €15m (£12.8m) this summer, despite him reportedly having a €25m release clause with Les Granotes.
Southampton have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old recently, and given that the club’s finances have undoubtedly been negatively impacted by the current viral outbreak, this news could be a huge boost for the Saints’ chances of signing the Spaniard this summer.
However, Real Madrid are also seemingly keen on bringing de Frutos back to the Bernabeu, having sold him to Levante last summer, so Martin Semmens may have to act fast if he wants to steal a march on Los Blancos and convince him to move to St Mary’s instead.
The winger has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with Levante so far, having contributed three goals and seven assists in the Spanish top flight, resulting in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.69/10.
WhoScored suggests that de Frutos likes to dribble, cross and tackle, which immediately marks him out as someone suited to Hasenhuttl’s style of play at Southampton, with his wingers expected to regularly track back and defend.
The Saints have often lacked the final pass on attacks this season, which has regularly seen them struggle to find the back of the net, with just 36 goals in their 29 top-flight fixtures so far.
The £7.2m-rated winger is someone who could help provide that extra bit of quality in the final third, as he has contributed one key pass per game in La Liga this season, which would rank him as the joint-third best in Southampton’s squad for 2020/21.
Therefore, it seems clear that the Saints could benefit from a player of his quality, so given this price reduction, Semmens should definitely try and bring him to St Mary’s this summer.
In other news… Bye-bye Jankewitz: Semmens should seal Saints swoop for £3.6m-rated beast this summer
Plenty of Crystal Palace supporters have been giving their thoughts to a report linking Burnley’s Sean Dyche with a move to Selhurst Park.
According to the Daily Mail, Dyche is attracting interest from Palace, with the future of current manager Roy Hodgson uncertain.
Hodgson’s deal in the capital expires at the end of the current campaign and Palace aren’t expected to make a decision on the 73-year-old until the closing weeks of the season.
The report adds that any club wanting Dyche, who has also been linked to Newcastle, will need to pay a £3.5m compensation fee for the 49-year-old.
Should Dyche end his nine-year association at Turf Moor, the Daily Mail claim that former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is a contender to take the Clarets job.
@cpfc_xtra shared the Daily Mail’s report on social media regarding Dyche on Wednesday morning.
These Eagles fans were all excited by the update, with some seemingly keen for Dyche to take over from Hodgson.
“3.5 mil is a no brainer if true”
Credit: @OutYanks
“This is content we need to see on a Wednesday morning”
Credit: @Kevbartleyy
“OMG PLEASE”
Credit: @CPFC_Cal
“Wilder to Burnley and Dyche to us, solid.”
Credit: @matthew_poole30
“Dyche is a far better manager than Roy but isn’t gonna be an exciting move”
Credit: @amancpfc
“omg omg omg pleeeaaaaase”
Credit: @SigmondCPFC
In other news: Many CPFC fans buzz over official club post on 27 y/o, find out more here.
With suggestions that Tammy Abraham is still on Aston Villa’s radar, Wesley may well be looking over his shoulder about his own long-term future at the club.
Reports in recent days have claimed that Chelsea striker Abraham has “admirers” at Aston Villa with his own future at Stamford Bridge unclear, amid the Blues potentially signing Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.
If Dean Smith’s side were to pull off a deal for the £43m-rated Abraham, then that could spell big trouble for how Wesley begins to fit into his manager’s plans next season.
Both have got a similar style of play in terms of having the physical profile to hold things up, but also run the channels, and having both of them in the squad would be surely unnecessary.
The 6 foot 4 Abraham has the edge on Wesley when it comes to proven Premier League experience, with the England international having scored 15 goals in the competition just last season.
And, speaking after he delivered a superb display in the Champions League against Lille, Rio Ferdinand said: “I saw elements in Tammy’s game that I haven’t seen as much as I would have liked to before.
“His hold-up play, coming to the ball, bringing others into play. There were some balls that came into him that were Didier Drogba-esque. I think he’s developing nicely, he’s scoring goals, he’s scoring different types of goals and I think he’s a threat.
“This touch here (for his goal), when this ball comes to him, it’s a magnificent touch because it’s not the perfect ball. He adjusts his feet beautifully and the finish, the calmness to do it like that.”
With Abraham’s way of playing clashing with what Wesley brings to the table, Johan Lange has got a big decision to make on whether he goes forward with a move for the Chelsea man.
If he does, then it may spell bad news for the £90k-a-week earning Wesley.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa struck a dream transfer deal with this star…