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Former teammate heaps praise on Gareth Bale

Former Wales international Danny Gabbidon has lauded winger Gareth Bale following his recent run of form. Bale’s return to Tottenham Hotspur has not been the fairytale that the Lilywhites would have been hoping for, with many people believing that his best days were behind him. However, the Welshman has been in fine form recently. Bale has been flying lately He registered a goal and an assist in the away leg of Spurs’ Europa League round of 32 tie with Wolfsberger and bagged a fantastic goal in the reverse fixture. Bale followed up with braces against Burnley and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, taking his tally to six goals in as many games. And former Wales teammate Danny Gabbidon believes that the Real Madrid loanee was being held back by injuries and is now “up and running”. Speak...

Barcelona offered chance to sign £31.5m Arsenal star through his agent

Barcelona have been offered the chance to sign Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette through his agent, a report from Calciomercato claims. The Frenchman has been with the Gunners since 2017 and has accumulated 59 goals and 28 goals from 158 appearances. Despite the impressive tally, he has struggled for consistency over an entire season, and there is speculation that he could be on the move this summer. Lacazette’s current deal expires in less than 16 months, and the Gunners have yet to open negotiations over a contract renewal. It is now claimed that the 29-year-old is open to leaving the north London club, and his representative has offered his services to Barcelona and Juventus. Sportslens view: Lacazette has reached double figures in terms of goals in his four seasons with the club, but...

Arsenal now the front-runners to sign Brighton star

Arsenal are believed to have jumped ahead of Everton in the race to sign Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey. The Englishman attracted interest from Bayern Munich in the summer, but no deal was concluded. Arsenal are monitoring Brighton right-back Tariq Lamptey. Something could happen this summer [@FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/SAKQRmsTe3 — AFTV (@AFTVMedia) March 3, 2021 Several English clubs are interested in the 20-year-old, but The Sun has claimed that Arsenal may have a slight advantage over their rivals. Current right-back Hector Bellerin now looks set to leave the club after being persuaded by manager Mikel Arteta to stay for a further year last summer. The Gunners will not block Bellerin’s departure if they receive a decent offer, and Lamptey appears to be in line to ...

Manchester United ready to listen to offers for David de Gea

Manchester United are open to allowing goalkeeper David de Gea to leave this summer and promoting Dean Henderson to the number one spot, according to 90min. De Gea joined Man Utd in the summer transfer window of 2011 from Atletico Madrid. Despite a couple of shaky performances early on, the Spaniard soon established himself as one of the world’s finest goalkeepers. De Gea has shone during his time at Man Utd The 30-year-old has been the Red Devils’ standout player since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, winning the club’s Player of the Year award a record four times, as well as making PFA Team of the Year on five separate occasions. However, his form has declined in the last three seasons, coming under fire after a string of poor performances. Coupled with Henderson’s emergence, there h...

Kingsley Coman rejects Bayern Munich contract offer

Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman has turned down the club’s first contract extension offer, reports Kicker. Coman joined Bayern Munich in 2015 as a teenager, initially on loan from Juventus before arriving permanently two years later. Despite high competition for places and several injury problems, he has made 188 appearances for the Bavarians, scoring 39 times. The peak of his career at the Bundesliga giants came in August 2020, when he headed home from Joshua Kimmich’s cross for the only goal in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. Coman’s header secured a treble for Bayern Munich The winger is currently enjoying his most productive season yet at Bayern, scoring three and assisting nine in the Bundesliga while recording another five goal contributions in the Champio...

‘My heart belongs to Arsenal’: Former star reportedly eyes return to the club

Thierry Henry’s declaration that he would love to manage Arsenal one day sparked plenty of amusement across the Sportslens team. In an interview with FourFourTwo, the former Gunners star admitted that he dreams of returning to the club as manager. “If you ask an Arsenal fan if they’d like to coach Arsenal one day, they’ll say yes,” he said. “If you ask an Arsenal fan if they’d like to score a goal for Arsenal, they’ll say yes. “When I speak about it, it’s a utopia. People get carried away whenever I say that it’s my club, but I have it in my blood – I’m an Arsenal fan. “So, if you’re asking me if one day I’d like to coach Arsenal, then yes. If you ask if one day I’d like to be Arsenal’s kit man, then yes. If you ask if one day I’d like to cut the grass at the Emirates Stadium, then yes.” S...

Aston Villa and West Ham among the five clubs keen on 25-yr-old PL player

West Ham United and Aston Villa are among five Premier League clubs keeping tabs on the Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill as per Teamtalk. The 25-year-old has done well in the Premier League this season, establishing himself as a key player for Sean Dyche. Apparently, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton and Crystal Palace are some of the other clubs that have scouted the 25-year-old in recent months. It will be interesting to see if West Ham and Villa follow up on their interest with a concrete offer at the end of this season. SL View: West Ham and Villa could use more depth in their midfield Both clubs could use some depth in central midfield, and Brownhill would be a superb long-term investment. The Hammers need to find an alternative to Mark Noble, and Villa need to provide more suppor...

‘Zero percent chance’ – Dave King gives his verdict on Steven Gerrard’s future at Rangers

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has been linked with a move to Liverpool in recent weeks. The Reds have had an abysmal season by their standards and are currently struggling to finish in the top half of the Premier League. There have been rumours that Jurgen Klopp could be on his way out of the club in the summer, and Gerrard could be a potential replacement. However, Rangers chairman Dave King has now revealed that there is no chance of Gerrard leaving the Scottish club to manage Liverpool in the near future. King has revealed to Glasgow Times that Gerrard wants to defend the title with Rangers and make his mark in the Champions League with the Scottish outfit. Furthermore, he also claimed that Liverpool are unlikely to let go of Klopp because they are the type of club that sticks with the...

Key issues to address for Barcelona’s Joan Laporta: Lionel Messi, wage bill, new signings

Joan Laporta was officially elected as the 42nd president of Barcelona yesterday after receiving 54.28 percent of the votes in his favour. The 58-year-old has taken over the position for the second time, having previously held the role between June 2003 and June 2010. One of the election highlights was Lionel Messi, who was pictured casting his vote alongside Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba. Laporta was full of praise for the Argentine after he took over as the new president, and his main focus will now lie on convincing the captain to stay put. Messi’s current deal with the club expires in June this year, and it is reported that Laporta will make it a priority to convince the 33-year-old to sign a fresh deal. However, this may not be the only objective for Laporta in the sho...

‘Destination championship’ – Some Newcastle fans react to the latest on Steve Bruce’s future

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce is under immense pressure after his side’s recent run of form. The Magpies have won just one of their last 18 matches in all competitions, and they are currently battling to avoid relegation. Newcastle are just one point clear of the drop zone and could easily go down to the Championship if they do not improve immensely in the coming weeks. However, according to Luke Edwards from the Telegraph, Bruce is unlikely to be sacked by Newcastle despite the recent run of form. BREAKING NEWS Steve Bruce will not be sacked as #nufc manager and will definitely still be in charge against Aston Villa, probably well beyond that from what I’ve been told. — Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) March 7, 2021 It will be interesting to see if he can turn his side’s form ...

Predicted Newcastle XI v West Brom: Bruce to make four changes, 27-yr-old to start

Newcastle United take on West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League later today and it could prove to be a vital game as far as the relegation battle is concerned. The Magpies are currently 17th in the Premier League table and cannot afford to keep dropping points. Steve Bruce’s side have lost two and drawn one of their last three league games and he is under pressure to get his side back to winning ways. The Baggies are also struggling having failed to win five of their last six league games and Sam Allardyce will be hoping to pull off a big win here. Newcastle have been quite poor in recent weeks and West Brom will certainly fancy their chances at home. The Magpies have lost seven of their last eight away matches in the league and they will need to improve immensely in order to get ...

Predicted Celtic XI v Dundee United: Kennedy to make one change, 23-yr-old set to return

Celtic take on Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership later today, and they will be hoping to delay Rangers’ title party for as long as possible. The Hoops have managed to win five of their last six league games and are firm favourites to secure all three points here. Celtic have beaten Dundee United in the last nine meetings, and they have managed to keep a clean sheet in seven of those games. The home side will be hoping to fix their poor head-to-head record against Celtic and will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds. United have won two and drawn one of the last four league games and are expected to put up a strong fight against the Hoops. Celtic have been quite inconsistent this season, and they will have to be at their best to grind out all three points today. The visitors wi...