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Paper Talk: Man Utd star to reject England, Arsenal latest, Alaba issues demands
Our Paper Talk feature takes a look at the latest news and rumours from some of the top media outlets in the business. Keep up-to-speed with what is happening around football right here at Sportslens. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is set to commit his international future to DR Congo. According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the Manchester United defender is frustrated at being overlooked by England manager Gareth Southgate. Wan-Bissaka has represented both nations at youth level, but he is yet to be capped on the senior stage. The 23-year-old will decide his fate later this month when England announce their squad for three World Cup qualifiers. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are amongst the options at Southgate’s disposal. While Wan-Bissaka has performed well with United, ...
Report shares key role Marcelo Bielsa played as French side appoint new manager
Ligue 1 outfit Marseille announced Jorge Sampaoli as their manager last Friday, with the Argentine succeeding Andre Villas-Boas who was sacked last month. The former Sevilla boss will now look to impress on his second managerial stint in Europe, and Marseille have Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa to thank for Sampaoli’s arrival. According to Telefoot, the boss of the Elland Road outfit and Sampaoli were in discussion on the telephone for over 90 minutes about whether he should sign for the French outfit or not. 🚨 Toujours selon nos informations, Marcelo #Bielsa a échangé plus d’une heure et demi au téléphone avec #Sampaoli avant sa signature, le confortant encore plus dans son choix de rejoindre l’#OM (@YassinNfaoui) pic.twitter.com/0ILJLraH9E — Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) Febru...
Newcastle have intense interest in Portuguese defender, they have been following him for a while
Newcastle United are thought to be interested in signing the Benfica left-back Nuno Tavares at the end of this season. According to O Jogo, Burnley are keen on the defender as well but Newcastle’s interest is thought to be more intense. Apparently, the Magpies have been following the Portuguese defender for a while now and they were keen on paying around 15 million for the defender a season and a half ago. It will be interesting to see if the Premier League side come forward with a concrete offer for the young defender in the coming months. SL View: Competition for Lewis? The Magpies signed Jamal Lewis from Norwich City at the start of the season and the youngster has shown his qualities from time to time. Signing another young left-back in Tavares would be slightly surprising. Both player...
Peter Crouch comments on Rangers chances of winning the Europa League
Rangers are potentially a few wins away from winning the Scottish Premiership this term after an unbeaten run in the campaign. Steven Gerrard’s men have won 26 games and drawn four times in 30 league fixtures this term, with 15 points between them and second-placed Celtic – who have played a game more. Rangers are also looking to go far in the Europa League after securing a berth in the last-16 following a 9-5 aggregate win over Royal Antwerp in the round of 32. The Light Blues will face Czech giants Slavia Prague in their bid to make it to the quarter-finals, and former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has commented on their chances of going far in the competition. “The Europa League looks more winnable for our teams and I wouldn’t discount Steven Gerrard taking Rangers deep into the compet...
“I do believe Harry will look to leave”: Tottenham legend issues worrying comments on Kane
Glenn Hoddle believes that Harry Kane will ask to leave Tottenham Hotspur if the club fails to win silverware this season. Spurs kept their hopes of a top-four finish alive with a 4-0 victory over Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday. Jose Mourinho’s side are also through to the final of the Carabao Cup and have progressed to the last-16 of the Europa League. Kane has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Spurs, and Hoddle has tipped him to ask for a transfer if success isn’t forthcoming. “If Spurs don’t start winning silverware, I think he will leave,” he told beIN SPORTS. “That’s why it’s a crossroads for Tottenham – it’s a massive season for them. “If they win the League Cup – the first trophy Mourinho won at Chelsea – that becomes a stepping stone for trophies in the future. ...
‘They’d be fighting relegation’ – Paul Merson makes ominous Villa prediction
Aston Villa secured their 12th Premier League victory of the campaign yesterday at the expense of Leeds United, with Anwar El Ghazi’s fifth-minute opener proving to be enough to hand the visitors all three points at Elland Road. While Dean Smith’s men left with a valuable victory, many would argue that they were not the best team on the pitch. Villa had just 30% of the possession, completing (227) less than half of the passes Leeds (517) completed. The Midlands outfit lacked creativity with their talismanic captain Jack Grealish missing, and Smith will be hoping to have him back for the rest of the season. The 25-year-old has played 22 out of 24 league games this season, weighing in with six goals and 10 assists, and it is safe to say that he was hugely missed in their last two games. They...
Jack Grealish’s two-word reaction to missing the last two Premier League games
Aston Villa have been without their skipper Jack Grealish for the last two Premier League games, but they have managed to pick up three points from a possible six. Dean Smith’s men secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Leeds United at Elland Road yesterday, bouncing back from last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Leicester City. Villa were not at the top of their game during both encounters, struggling to create chances due to the absence of Grealish. They visit 20th-placed Sheffield United on Wednesday and will be hoping to leave with all three points in order to boost their chances of playing European football next season. It remains to be seen if Grealish will be playing against the Blades, but the 25-year-old cannot wait to get back on the pitch, and he has taken to Instagram to...
‘Class’, ‘Best performance’: Some Arsenal fans praise attacker’s display vs Leicester City
A selection of Arsenal fans heaped praise on Willian following his impressive display against Leicester City in the Premier League this afternoon. The Brazilian has experienced a tough debut season with the Gunners and, before the Foxes game, he managed just three league assists which came on the opening day at Fulham. Willian made an impact with an assist off the bench against Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday, but there were still question marks whether he deserved a start on the left wing ahead of Gabriel Martinelli as part of the rotation. He managed to prove his worth by grabbing an assist in either half at the King Power Stadium and playing a role in the build-up to the penalty which was won by Nicolas Pepe before the interval. The Gunners started poorly as they conceded after...
‘He was really good’: Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal attacker after Leicester City win
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was delighted with the performance of Willian during the club’s 3-1 comeback win over Leicester City in the Premier League today. The Gunners went behind after just six minutes and that was down to poor defending on the right flank where Youri Tielemans ran 30 yards unguarded, beating Bernd Leno in goal. The north London side levelled the scores in the 39th minute after Willian delivered a perfect cross from a set-piece for David Luiz, who scored with a free header. Right before the interval, the Gunners made it 2-1 from the penalty spot through Alexandre Lacazette after a handball from Wilfred Ndidi which was spotted by VAR. Shortly after the break, Arteta’s side extended their lead following a wonderful counter-attack which was started and finished by Nicolas...
‘Excellent dependable performance’: Former star hails 70-cap international’s display for Liverpool
Liverpool picked up a 2-0 win over Sheffield United to end their losing streak in the Premier League earlier tonight. Jurgen Klopp’s men were slightly lucky with their goals in the second half but they deserved to pick up all three points on the balance of play. It was an impressive display from the Liverpool players away from home and Gini Wijnaldum’s performance, in particular, impressed the former Liverpool player Don Hutchison. Hutchison took to Twitter to claim that Liverpool should pay the Dutchman as much as he wants and extend his stay at Anfield. Pay Genie Wynaldum as much as he wants another exellent dependable performance! #consistantas!! — Don Hutchison (@donhutch4) February 28, 2021 Wijnaldum will be a free agent at the end of this season and the Reds have not managed to agree...
‘Hope it’s not as bad as it looks’ – Gary Lineker reacts to Leicester City’s injury blow
Leicester City were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal at home earlier in the Premier League today. The Foxes had a great opportunity to overtake Manchester United in the table with a win and Brendan Rodgers will be disappointed with the dropped points. However, the injury to Harvey Barnes will be more worrying for Leicester right now. The winger had to go off six minutes into the second half and it will be interesting to see if he can return to action soon. Former Leicester City striker Gary Lineker has now shared his reaction to the injury blow on Twitter. Yet another injury for @LCFC and this time it’s the brilliant @harveybarnes97. Hope it’s not as bad as it looks. Jeez! — Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) February 28, 2021 The 23-year-old winger has been outstanding for Leicester so far this s...
Jordan Henderson shares his six word reaction to Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United
Liverpool got back to winning ways after their Merseyside derby defeat against Everton last week. The Reds ran out comfortable winners over Sheffield United and captain Jordan Henderson has shared his reaction to the win on Twitter. Great away win. Well done lads. 💪🏻 https://t.co/HuCmgpZTQJ — Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) February 28, 2021 The England international is currently sidelined for a few weeks with a groin injury he picked up against the Toffees. The Reds had lost four of their last five matches in all competitions coming into tonight’s contest and they will be relieved to have picked up all three points against Chris Wilder’s side. Liverpool are now back within touching distance of the top four and they will be hoping to close the gap with West Ham United in the...
