Former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood is not surprised with the club’s recent dip in form. Villa started the season brightly but their form has dropped off considerably in recent weeks. The injury to Jack Grealish has proven to be a devastating blow for Dean Smith’s side. Sherwood has revealed that he expected the Villans to regress as the season went on. The former Villa manager feels that the wheels have started to come off. He said (via Birmingham Mail): “They are probably where I expected them to be this season. Probably a little bit higher by one or two positions. “It was such a great start by Dean, but I always felt that the wheels would come off and they have started to come off. But hopefully, they don’t completely fly off. It’s a good time to play Villa without Grealish.” I...
Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has urged the club to look at three Fulham players if the London side are relegated at the end of the season. According to Hendrie, Harrison Reed, Ademola Lookman and Bobby Decordova-Reid would prove to be quality signings for the West Midlands club. Speaking to the website FootballFanCast, Hendrie said: “If Fulham do go down, I just feel that there’s possibly a couple of players I would certainly look at in that team that would certainly stand out for me. “Harrison Reed in the midfield, Ademola Lookman and Bobby Decordova-Reid, he’s one again that I’d certainly have, and he would play week in, week out.” Aston Villa could definitely use more depth in their attack and the likes of Lookman and Decordova-Reid would be superb additions. The likes...
Chelsea defender Thiago Silva is prepared to sign a new one-year deal with the club, a report from The Express claims. The 36-year-old joined the Blues on a free transfer last summer, shortly after his contract expired with Paris Saint-Germain. There were doubts whether he could adapt to English football at his age, but he has done so with flying colours and is now a firm fan favourite. Silva has not played since early February because of a hamstring injury, but that is unlikely to scupper his prospects of prolonging his stay with the Blues. His current contract expires at the end of June, but there is a 12-month extension clause that can be activated if both he and the club agree to it. The Blues are open to the extension, and it is now reported that Silva is prepared to put pen-to-paper ...
Manchester United have identified Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Villarreal’s Pau Torres as their top central defensive targets for the summer, according to 90min. The Red Devils are currently placed second in the league standings with 57 points, but there is a significant 14-point gap between them and leaders Manchester City. The club recently went 14 matches unbeaten in all competitions, but that ended with a disappointing 3-1 loss to Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-final last weekend. It was an overall poor defensive showing, and it is reported that the club may look to sign another central defender to partner Harry Maguire next season. Kounde and Torres are regarded as the club’s top targets for the summer, and scouts have kept a close watch on their performances. However, the price c...
Netherlands national team manager Frank de Boer has claimed that Virgil van Dijk has eight weeks left in his recovery from a long-term injury. Van Dijk was on the end of a heavy challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in last October’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. The tackle caused damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, keeping him out of action for a minimum of six months. Van Dijk has not featured since his injury in October The Dutchman has not made an appearance since the incident, and the Reds have suffered as a result. Their title defence has been a disaster, as they currently sit 25 points off runaway leaders Manchester City. However, Netherlands boss Frank de Boer has not ruled out the possibility of the defender returning in time for this summer’s European Champ...
England’s World Cup 2022 Qualification campaign gets underway on Thursday as they welcome FIFA’s worst-ranked nation San Marino to Wembley Stadium. Gareth Southgate will become the seventh manager in history to reach a 50-game milestone as the England national team head coach. He will be eager to celebrate it with an injury-free victory against San Marino. The 50-year-old guided the Three Lions to the final four in the 2018 World Cup and will be looking to do a repeat or improve open this in Qatar next year. Widely considered as favourites to finish top of Group I, England will have to overcome Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra and San Marino to advance to the final tournament. England Preview England have thoroughly outclassed San Marino in their previous six competitive meetings, winning...
According to L’Equipe, Tottenham Hotspur are keen on snapping up Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan this summer. Spurs assistant head coach Joao Sacramento and goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos know the 25-year-old from their time together at the French club, and he has been touted as a long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris. The 34-year-old could leave Spurs at the end of the campaign, and while he has been linked with a return to OGC Nice, he could choose to remain in the Premier League, with Manchester United reportedly a possible destination. Sportslens View Maignan is a major reason why Lille are level on points with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the Ligue 1 table with just eight games left given his huge quality, and he is not short of suitors at the moment. Serie A giants AC Milan are als...
Former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow will look to leave the club at the end of this season. The 30-year-old has dropped to the bench since the return of Martin Dubravka, and he will be keen to secure regular first-team football next term. “I think he was in with a serious shout of getting in the England squad before he got dropped,” Robinson told Football Insider. “It would have been between him and Sam Johnstone. Johnstone has been exceptional this season, but so has Karl Darlow. “His performances gave him a great opportunity of getting into Gareth Southgate’s plans, but Bruce dropped him after an indifferent performance at Manchester United. “It is always going to be difficult for Darlow with someone of Dubravka’s quality be...
Newcastle United have been dealt a major injury blow with midfielder Isaac Hayden set to miss the rest of the 2020-21 season with a serious knee injury. The midfielder was stretchered off in the first half of the game against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, and scans have shown that the injury is serious and he won’t be able to play again this season. However, the report on the club’s official website claims that Hayden will not require an operation and will begin his rehabilitation programme soon. The midfielder reacted to his injury blow on Twitter. Really disappointed to miss out on the rest of the campaign and not be able to play my part but will be supporting the lads and the staff as best I can. Thank you for your messages of support 👍🏾 #NUFC #Unity https://t....
Former Premier League forward Stan Collymore has hit out at Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and manager Steve Bruce for the way they have run things this season. The Magpies are currently two points adrift of the relegation zone, and there is a decent chance they could go down to the Championship at the end of the season. Ashley has often been criticised for his lack of investment and managerial choices. The Newcastle owner has decided to stick with Bruce despite the abysmal run of results, and that has not gone down well with Newcastle fans and Collymore. The team is clearly struggling under Bruce’s management, and he appears to be incapable of turning things around. Collymore has blasted the pair. “Steve Bruce and Mike Ashley are the worst double act in Premier League history,” he sai...
Wales international Gareth Bale has revealed that he plans to return to Real Madrid after his season-long loan at Tottenham Hotspur. The winger returned to Spurs last summer, seven years after he left for the Spanish capital, and has since scored 10 goals and weighed in with three assists in 25 games across all competitions. It remains to be seen whether Tottenham want to keep Bale for another season, but it appears that the player’s wish is to return to Madrid for the last year on his contract. “I think the main reason I came to Spurs this year was to play football first and foremost,” the 31-year-old said. “Going into the Euros I wanted to be match-fit. The original plan was to do a season at Spurs and after the Euros still have a year left at Real Madrid. “My plan is to go back – that’s...