All posts by h79snht.top

Arsenal and Southampton are very much two of the Premier League’s better footballing sides. Both clubs have an attractive playing style, progressive managers and try to go about the game in the ‘right way’, so it’s little surprise that they’re crossing swords for a transfer target…Reports from the Daily Mail indicate that the pair, as well as Newcastle, are chasing Caen’s 24-year-old midfielder N’Golo Kante, who plies his trade in Ligue 1. Unless you’re a footballing hipster with an addiction to Football Weekly and a subscription to the Blizzard, you’ll probably know very little, if anything, about the enforcer, so to keep you time free of research this Bank Holiday weekend, we’ve gathered some ‘must knows’ about him… Enjoy!

Europe’s best tackler

The title rather gave this one away, but with the stats being so impressive we had to go into depth. Kante has won a staggering 118 tackles so far this season, which is the highest total of any player in Europe’s top five leagues (Ligue 1, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga) – albeit it’s not the best success percentage. The general consensus is that the best players on the planet are pooled into these divisions, making the Caen man the crème de la crème when comes to winning the ball back.

Dubbed the ‘new Makelele’

Standing at 5ft. 6†with a squat, stocky frame, Kante has drawn comparisons with Claude Makelele. The former Real Madrid and Chelsea man reinvented the holding midfield position during his career, with many now referring to the role of sitting and shielding a defence as the ‘Makelele role’. Kante offers the same tenacious playing style as the former enforcer, but it remains to be seen if he can match his achievements.

Top talent

All told, Kante is a very promising player. At 24, he’s just about to break into what should be his peak years, and judging by his emergence, the sky is the limit. Eligible for Mali or France at international level, he could also make an impact on the global stage, so snapping him up early makes sense.

Helped Caen to Ligue 2 promotion last term

Caen are new kids on the block in French football’s top tier this season, with Ligue 2 promotion having been achieved last term. Kante was a big part of the team’s successful campaign, with his 38 appearances helping them to a third place finish, and a route back into the big time.

Bargain

£5m doesn’t get you much in modern day football, but such a sum is, according to reports, likely to be enough to persuade Caen to sell Kante. French football is by no means the financial force of many of Europe’s other divisions, so there is every chance the newly promoted side will struggle to turn down such a sum.

With 30 goals in all competitions this term, Harry Kane has enjoyed the kind of breakthrough season that many players could scarcely dream of. However, as the trophies have piled up on the 21-year-old’s mantelpiece, the goals have begun to dry up.

With one goal in the last seven and none in the last three, Kane’s debut season is in danger of fizzling out. But it is through no fault of his own, he has been overused, overworked and is in danger of being burnt out.

Since Mauricio Pochettino finally gave into the clamour to play the England international in late November, he has become an almost ever present in the Spurs’ line-up. From being a young man who had spent his footballing life on the fringes, he is now the man, the only man.

Of course Tottenham have not been helped by his striking partners total inadequacies; both Soldado and Adebayor have been totally incompetent which has led his manager to have to place all the goal scoring burden on his young star.

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For almost all of the current campaign Spurs have been totally indebted to the 21 year old, he has carried the team on his young shoulders and finally it may be starting to show.

Pochettino’s reliance on the striker became even clearer when away at Burnley, he was given the captain’s armband. Instead of the additional duties lifting his performances to even greater heights it seemed to have the opposite effect, burdening their leading scorer, suffocating him.

In recent weeks Harry Kane has looked a shadow of the player who was terrorising defences only weeks previously. Of course it is not just him, his team mates have almost retired to the beach for the last few weeks and maybe his powers are finally running low.

This summer of course could spell even more football for the forward; there are calls for him to be on the plane to Czech Republic in the coming months for the U’21s. Although there is a temptation to argue that he could benefit from experiencing tournament football, there is a greater one to say that he needs rest now more than ever.

He has the potential to carry both his club and nation for years to come; but he is at a pivotal point in his career. Burn the candle at both ends now and risk his proficiency for years to come.

Pochettino and Tottenham have had  little choice but to be solely reliant on their new hero, but for the sake of the national game, England must look for long term success over short term.

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This may all prove to be irrelevant, for if Harry Kane has taught us anything this year it is never to write him off. He has overcome every obstacle that has been put in front of his burgeoning career thus far and a short goal drought should be an easy one to over-come.  In fact it would surprise no one should he notch more than once before his well -deserved summer break.

But boy has he earned himself a break.

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Free spending French giants Paris-Saint Germain look set to add Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria to their squad in the very near future. The flying Argentine failed to settle at Old Trafford and seems ready to make the move across the Channel and sample life in the French capital. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has welcomed the move, suggesting the former Real Madrid midfielder’s stock hasn’t plummeted that much despite a disappointing year in England. Angel the Red Devil could take Paris to Champions League heaven it would seem.

On the face of it, selling your record signing after one year at a loss suggests the player has been a complete and utter flop. However, Di Maria has been plagued by niggling injuries and his family have not been able to get settled in England after they were burgled at the start of the year. It is hard to doubt his class after his stellar final season in Madrid, and a spectacular start to life at Old Trafford, though. The Parisians’ Qatari owners clearly see the value in the 2014 Champions League final Man of the Match, and are set to splash the cash to secure his services.

Much like the situation at Chelsea, the men in charge in Paris are hell bent on securing the top European prize for their club. After three consecutive domestic title wins, the European Cup has become the Holy Grail for Laurent Blanc’s men. Viewed mainly as a typical quarter final team, PSG undoubtedly have the class to hold their own against Europe’s elite – think Chelsea last year – but lack that extra something to win the cup outright.

Adding a player like Angel Di Maria will go a long way to rectifying that. The squad assembled since their takeover is top class, blending a mix of exciting younger internationals and world class talent. However, players like Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lucas Moura can be exposed when squaring up to the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The impending arrival of Man United’s No.7 adds another layer of class to an otherwise stellar squad. The sight of him lining up alongside the maverick Swede Ibrahimovic is a lot more menacing, even for the best defences in the world.

Another potential team-mate in David Luiz praised Di Maria as he prepares for life in Paris, describing him as ‘one of the top three wingers in the world.’ The prospect of lining up with him clearly excites the Brazilian centre back: ‘Di Maria is a player who can help us go up another step.’

In fact, he is exactly the sort of player Manchester United are missing, funnily enough. Louis van Gaal earlier this week declared his intention to buy a game changer. ‘We at Manchester United have to compete with these clubs’, the Dutchman mused as he discussed the likes of Chelsea, Barcelona and Manchester City, ‘so we have to look also for those kind of players.’

The Argentina international is that kind of player. He’s a fast, technical winger who can conjure up something out of nothing. The Manchester United manager earlier this week lamented his lack of world class players, praising the ‘fantastic’ Ashley Young (who replaced Di Maria for much of last year), but adding ‘he is not Neymar.’

It is a great shame that Di Maria move never truly worked. If United are going to take on Europe’s big boys, a Di Maria on song lining up with the likes of Mata, Rooney and Schweinsteiger would no doubt add that extra quality.

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Both PSG and Manchester United appear to be a step below Europe’s elite in their quest for the ultimate prize. Securing the services of an in-form Angel Di Maria may allow the latter to take that step, though.

Alexis Sanchez’s form has been pretty dire this season as the Chilean prepares to run down his contract with Arsenal before leaving the club on a free transfer.

The majority of Arsenal fans seem to have accepted that Sanchez will leave, but the situation surrounding a certain Mesut Ozil is a little bit more complicated.

Ozil, who is valued at £45m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has been impressive for the Gunners in recent weeks, and he scored the only goal of the match in the team’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend.

Manchester United have been strongly linked with the German international, but it does appear that he could yet sign a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Ozil, like a number of his teammates, paid tribute to the retiring Tomas Rosicky on Wednesday with a message on his Twitter account.

As expected, the talk among Arsenal fans was whether Ozil would indeed sign a new contract with the Gunners.

He has been urged to do so by a number of the club’s supporters, but it seems that an awful lot still has to fall into place for that situation to occur.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction in relation to Ozil’s future can be seen below:

According to reports in the Shields Gazette, Newcastle United are hopeful of securing loan moves to bring Everton winger Aaron Lennon and Leicester City striker Islam Slimani to St James’ Park before the January transfer window slams shut.

What’s the word, then?

Well, even though Magpies boss Rafa Benitez said last month that he wanted all of his business done and signings through the door by January 20, he is yet to get a single one with no progress in a potential takeover.

Benitez may be forced to look at the loan market unless he is given significant funds by owner Mike Ashley, and the Shields Gazette says that the Spaniard is keen on Lennon, who is out of contract at Goodison Park in the summer, and out of favour Foxes centre-forward Slimani.

The report adds that the Tyneside outfit are able to sign two players on loan from other Premier League clubs, and they have also been heavily linked with a move for Chelsea’s Kenedy.

How have Lennon and Slimani done this season?

The former barely featured under previous Everton boss Ronald Koeman, but under caretaker manager David Unsworth and now Sam Allardyce he has been something of a regular, although the majority of his Premier League appearances in recent weeks have come from the substitutes’ bench.

The 30-year-old has picked up two assists in 19 outings in all competitions, but the return of Yannick Bolasie from injury and the addition of Theo Walcott from Arsenal is likely to push him further down the pecking order, and he looks unlikely to be offered a new deal.

Meanwhile, Slimani has featured a little more in recent weeks when Jamie Vardy has been absent, but the Algeria international – who has netted five times in 17 games this season – has still only started one Premier League match since September, and Foxes boss Claude Puel admitted that he could leave this month on Thursday.

Would they be good signings for Newcastle?

They certainly could be yes.

Lennon would provide some pace and much-needed experience to the Magpies frontline, while Slimani could be the goalscoring centre-forward that they are missing right now.

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Having only netted 21 goals in 23 top flight games Benitez certainly needs to strengthen his attack, and both players would have a big point to prove in the second-half of the campaign if he moved to St James’ Park.

While the West Ham United fans here in the Transfer Tavern have been pleased with the recent upturn in form under David Moyes, it’s safe to say they are pining for years gone by. Indeed, while many of our punters clad in claret and blue realise that survival is key this season, many of them are discussing some of the wonderfully exciting Irons sides over the years. 

With that in mind, imagine the interest at reports emerging from the Sun. Within their exclusive interview with former Hammers favourite Joe Cole, the West Ham academy graduate reveals the club came close to landing current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

One of the finest midfielders to ever grace the game during his playing days, Guardiola reportedly came close to a move to east London in 2001 after leaving the Blaugrana, with former Hammers boss Glenn Roader apparently disclosing that information with Cole at Chadwell Heath.

“Glenn said, ‘We can sign Guardiola — what do you think?’, revealed Cole.

“What do I think? We are West Ham, he is Pep Guardiola — we have to sign him, that’s what I think.”

“Glenn obviously liked him but thought it might stifle Michael Carrick’s progress and I think he was hinting that I might suffer. I would love to have played with Pep. He has a genius football brain.”

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As you can imagine, our east London locals our wondering just what life could have been like if Guardiola really had joined…

Thoughts? 

It is funny how quickly things can change in football, especially at the top level.

Liverpool were absolutely flying when they beat Manchester City on January 14.

Things have since taken a turn for the worse at Anfield, however, with the Reds losing their last two matches against Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion.

The 1-0 defeat at Swansea occurred in the Premier League last Monday, before the team suffered a shock 3-2 defeat at home to West Brom in the FA Cup on Saturday night.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp claimed on Monday that the return of club captain Jordan Henderson was ‘very important’ at this stage of the campaign.

However, the Liverpool fans are not convinced. Indeed, a lot of the supporters are furious that a higher standard of player has not arrived this month.

The Merseyside giants splashed £75m on Netherlands centre-back Virgil van Dijk earlier this month, but are yet to sign a replacement for Philippe Coutinho.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:

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According to the Daily Record, West Ham United defender Jose Fonte has agreed to join Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Yifang.

What’s the story?

Fonte joined West Ham from Southampton in January 2017, with the Hammers believed to have paid £8m to sign the Portuguese.

The 34-year-old made 16 appearances for his London club last season, but has only featured in eight Premier League matches during the 2017-18 campaign.

The centre-back has not actually represented West Ham in the Premier League since the end of October, with an ankle problem seeing him miss a lot of football.

Fonte has returned to the fold in recent weeks, but has only been a substitute for West Ham’s last three Premier League matches, and it is understood that he is not in the plans of head coach David Moyes moving forward.

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According to the Daily Record, Fonte has already agreed to make the move to newly-promoted Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang.

When the deal go through?

It is understood that Fonte will travel to Asia at the start of next week to sign a three-year contract with the Chinese club.

According to the Daily Record, Dalian Yifang have agreed to pay £4.9m to sign Fonte, which is a good deal for West Ham when considering that the defender’s contract at the London Stadium will expire at the end of next season.

Eyebrows were raised when the Hammers spent £8m on a player entering the final stages of his career, but it seems that the capital club will not lose too much money on the deal.

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The new Chinese Super League campaign starts next week, and it is thought that Dalian Yifang are hopeful of securing Fonte’s signature before the end of the month.

It appears that Fonte has made his 24th and final appearance for West Ham as he becomes the latest European player to try his hand in China.

Tottenham Hotspur will again be without first-choice centre-backs Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen for Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth-round replay against Rochdale.

Alderweireld and Vertonghen both missed Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, but it had been thought that the pair would return for the FA Cup clash at Wembley.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino ruled the pair out of action at his pre-match press conference, however, with a hamstring problem keeping Alderweireld on the sidelines, and an ankle injury still troubling Vertonghen.

Vertonghen has been a constant in the Spurs defence this season, but Alderweireld has only made two FA Cup appearances since injuring his hamstring in November.

The future of the Belgium international continues to be called into question, meanwhile, as his contract saga with Tottenham shows no sign of ending.

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Young Argentine defender Juan Foyth is expected to be given the chance to start against Rochdale, and Davinson Sanchez – who has kept Alderweireld out in recent weeks – has been tipped to also feature at the heart of the back four.

Next up for Tottenham in the Premier League is a home game against Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon.