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Will Leipzig and Leverkusen mount an effective title challenge to Lewandowski and co?
After a curtailed winter break, the Bundesliga is back. The story of the season so far has been one of fairy-tale overachievement for some, spectacular underachievement for others, teams struggling to score, scoring at will and drama on and off the pitch. The Rückrunde is set to be no different. Here’s a preview to whet the appetite. The title race: new challengers? Despite Bayern Munich going into the Christmas break top of the Bundesliga table by two points and looking to win their ninth consecutive Meisterschale, this year could very well see other clubs knock them off the top spot. The Rekordmeister have certainly not been fully firing this term when you look at last season’s treble-winning campaign. Worries over Bayern’s pre-season squad depth have only intensified throughout th...
Report: Everton willing to consider selling £31m player as talks continue with Euro club
According to reports from Sky Sports, French champions Paris Saint-Germain are in talks to sign Moise Kean from Everton on a permanent basis. Kean joined Everton for a fee in the region of £27m from Juventus in 2019. He struggled at Goodison Park, managing four goals in 37 appearances. He didn’t make a strong impact under Carlo Ancelotti and managed only 13 minutes of Everton’s Premier League campaign under the Italian. He secured a loan move to PSG in October. Permanent move? Kean is thriving at PSG where he is playing alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. He has scored nine goals in 16 games in all competitions for the French side, sending out strong messages to the Everton boss. PSG new boss, Mauricio Pochettino, wants Kean to sign permanently, and they have opened ne...
‘Premier League isn’t ready’ – Some Villa fans react to Smith’s update on 24-yr-old’s fitness
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has now provided a positive injury update regarding Wesley Moraes. The 24-year-old Brazilian striker sustained cruciate ligament damage last January and he has been on the sidelines ever since. Dean Smith has now confirmed that the player is ready to return to training with the first team and he should be back in action soon. Smith confirmed: “He will join in with the group next week on a non-contact basis just to get him in amongst the players. “We’ll have more of an idea when he starts contact training in probably two weeks. He’s getting a lot closer now which is pleasing.” Aston Villa have made an impressive start to the Premier League season this year and the return of Wesley could be like a new signing for them. They are currently 8th in the table, just ...
Report: Liverpool looking to cope with injury crisis by signing 21-yr-old this month
Liverpool have been linked with a host of defenders in the recent weeks and it seems that the Braga defender David Carmo is a target for the Premier League champions. The 21-year-old defender has been likened to Virgil van Dijk because of his commanding playing style and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool move for the defender this month. The youngster is likely to be tempted if a club like Liverpool come calling in January but Braga might not be willing to weaken their squad midway through the season. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool can convince the Portuguese outfit to cash in on the young defender this month. The Reds have been linked with the likes of Maximilian Wober as well. According to reports via independent, Liverpool are looking to sign a defender for a n...
Arsenal in 2020: Was it Really THAT Bad?
As is customary with Arsenal, things have been highly entertaining and a complete mess. And, in 2020, they’ve managed to outdo themselves, completing the last 12 months with an unprecedented level of nonsense. But has it been all that bad? Best Player – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Aubameyang has suffered a drop off this season Sure, he may not have been at the top of his game since the beginning of the new season, but there’s no doubt who Arsenal’s talisman was at the end of the last campaign. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came within one goal of winning a second successive Premier League Golden Boot, falling short of Jamie Vardy. In addition, his FA Cup final brace secured his first piece of silverware in North London. We imagine it won’t be too long until the former Borussia Dortmund man is ba...
Chelsea in 2020: Mixed Success For Lampard and His Side
In the past year, Chelsea fans have been gifted hopes and dreams. Their transfer ban came to an end, and Roman Abramovich got his wallet out and spent over £200m. But how has this worked out? Let’s take a look at Chelsea in 2020. Best Player – Olivier Giroud Giroud has proven his worth over the last year Choosing a player of the year for Chelsea was difficult: the likes of Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic were magnificent towards the end of the 2019/20 season, but have started the new campaign slowly. Meanwhile, their best performers from this term, such as Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell, only arrived in the summer. One man who has consistently produced the goods for the Blues, however, is French striker Olivier Giroud. The World Cup winner has come under fire throughout his career in En...
Report: EPL manager believes Hammers star will massively improve his team, wants move
According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believes that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice would massively improve his team, and the England international remains the Blues’ number one target. ✅ “Declan Rice is their number one target.” ⚒ “West Ham were surprised Chelsea didn’t make a bid in the summer.” ➡️ “Drinkwater, Tomori and Alonso are three big names they’d like to sell.”@Alex_Crook says #WHUFC‘s Declan Rice is #CFC‘s number one target. pic.twitter.com/eXCxwlR3xD — talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) January 4, 2021 The 21-year-old is admired at Stamford Bridge after proving himself at the London Stadium and breaking into the national team following his release by Chelsea as a sch...
Sevilla Midfielder Plays Down Transfer Talk Amid Arsenal Links
Spanish midfielder Joan Jordan has cooled any transfer speculation following reports of a move to Arsenal, insisting that he is focused on Sevilla. Jordan has made 19 appearances for Los Nervionenses in all competitions this season, helping them to sixth place in La Liga, and qualification for the Champions League round of 16. Jordan up against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior His performances have reportedly attracted the attention of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who is believed to be a big admirer of the 26-year-old. According to the Mirror, the Gunners would have to stump up a £32m fee for his services. However, Arsenal’s hopes of signing the former Espanyol man have taken a blow, with the player confirming that he is committed to Sevilla at this moment. Speaking to Estadio Deportivo on the ...
Klopp predicts tight race as Man Utd and Man City gear up
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is anticipating a close title race this season, claiming “it will go right to the wire.” Klopp guided his side to a resounding Premier League triumph last term, finishing 18 points clear of Manchester City in second place. The Reds have made a strong start to their title defence, currently sitting at the top of the table. Liverpool have continued their fine form from last season However, early signs suggest that it will not be so comfortable this time around. Bitter rivals Manchester United are behind Liverpool on goal difference alone, while Man City are four points off the top with a game in hand. Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton are also in contention as outsiders. Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Southampton on Monday, as quoted by the Guar...
‘It’s great if we can have him’: Arteta names the ‘enormous talent’ who can transform Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has showered praise on midfielder Thomas Partey, suggesting his return to the side will be like a new signing in January. Arsenal signed Partey in the summer transfer window for a fee of £45m, but the 27-year-old hasn’t featured much due to injuries. The central defensive midfielder made only five appearances this season, including a man-of-the-match display in the 1-0 win against Manchester United back in November. Partey has now returned to Arsenal training, and the Gunners boss is expecting him to deliver as Arsenal look to climb up the table. Arteta has confirmed that Partey has not trained with the squad yet, but he could be in contention for the game against Newcastle United. The Gunners boss has confessed that they have missed him. He has added that Partey is a pla...
‘Get it done’: Some Leeds fans react after hearing who Bielsa wants to sign in January
Leeds United fans have taken to social networking site Twitter to express their reaction to reports linking the club with a move for Michael Olise. According to reports from The Sun, Leeds and Crystal Palace are interested in signing exciting Reading midfielder Michael Olise in the January transfer window. The 19-year-old is seen as one of the hottest young prospects outside the Premier League, and it seems the two Premier League clubs are vying for his signature. The former Chelsea youngster has been in red-hot form this season, having scored four goals and provided six assists for Reading. Leeds previously tried to sign the France 18-year-old international, and they remain keen on signing him. Many Leeds fans feel that Olise would be a smart signing for the club. Here are some of th...
Tactical Analysis: How Manchester City Breezed Past Chelsea
The Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City was being built up as quite a big one. Prior to the match, the Blues only had one win in their last five Premier League games but were nearly back to full squad strength as Hakim Ziyech made a much-awaited return from injury. City, on the other hand, were unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches, but with the likes of Ederson, Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres, Aymeric Laporte and some others missing due to COVID or injury, their squad was looking fairly depleted, so much so that Pep Guardiola named only eight substitutes including three EDS (Elite Development Squad) players. The match, however, proved to be a simple stroll in the park for City. They breezed past Chelsea with unmatched effortlessness and a perfor...
