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Brentford striker Ivan Toney could be next season’s Ollie Watkins in the Premier League
For the first time in 74 years, Brentford has earned promotion to the Premier League. The Bees enjoyed a fantastic campaign, ultimately beating Swansea in the Championship playoff final. One of the main reasons that Brentford is on their way up to the top flight though is striker Ivan Toney. The 25-year-old hitman bagged 33 goals after securing a summer move from League One side Peterborough last summer and instantly thrived in Thomas Frank’s side. [embedded content] While there have been boatloads of interest in Toney from other Premier League teams such as West Ham and Tottenham, the Bees have made it clear the Englishman will not be up for sale in the upcoming transfer window. This term actually saw a former Brentford player in Ollie Watkins flourish in his debut season in the Premier L...
Why a return to Tottenham would not work for Pochettino or the fans
The rumours about a possible return for Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham have not subsided, although the move is considered highly unlikely given Paris Saint-Germain’s stance, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. PSG’s position is clear – they want Pochettino to publicly state that he wants to leave. This is something they know he was loathe to do at Tottenham when he wanted to leave, and will not want to do this in Paris either. It’s a win-win for PSG – they either have a face-saving moment where the manager says he wants to leave, so they don’t have a choice but to let him go, or he stays and they recruit smartly this summer and win the league title back as well as make another run at the Champions League trophy. There have also been reports of an improved relationship between Tottenham chair...
Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open After Facing Expulsion
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Tim Clayton – Corbis / Getty Naomi Osaka entered the French Open tournament as one of the favorites to win it all despite heavy competition from the likes of Serena Williams and current No. 1 player Ashleigh Barty. Citing mental health concerns, Osaka has withdrawn from the tournament after she was faced with expulsion from the tournament and hit with a $15,000 fine. Osaka, 23, won her first-round match in the tournament against Patricia Maria Țig. Osaka was slated to take on Ana Bogdan in the second round but after skipping the mandatory postgame press conferences, all four major tournament bodies issued a statement saying that she could face harsher penalties or be booted from the WTA tour for failing to meet the obligations. Via a lengthy statement pos...
23-yr-old could leave Euro giants, Everton linked with summer move
Juventus defender Merih Demiral has been linked with a move away from the Italian club this summer. The Turkish centre-back wants to play regularly but struggled to hold down a regular starting berth under Andrea Pirlo. He will be hoping that the arrival of Max Allegri as Juve’s new manager will transform his fortunes. According to ilBiancoNero, Everton are interested in Demiral, and a player-plus-cash deal involving Moise Kean could be on the cards. Kean is set to leave Everton permanently this summer, having excelled during his loan spell at Paris Saint-Germain this past season. The report adds that Demiral will wait until after the European Championships before making a concrete decision on his future. SL View: Ideal long-term solution to Everton’s defensive problems The 23-year-old is ...
Report suggests 41-yr-old manager is on Everton’s shortlist to replace Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti has returned to Real Madrid, and Everton will need to find a quality long term replacement. According to the Athletic, Everton held a board meeting earlier today to discuss their current situation and are now drawing up a shortlist of potential replacements. Steven Gerrard and former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez are two candidates who are being considered for the Goodison Park role. Gerrard did a tremendous job at Rangers this past season, breaking Celtic’s dominance in the Scottish Premiership. He guided Rangers to an unbeaten season in the league, and the Ibrox outfit were also impressive in the Europa League under his management. Although he’s still relatively inexperienced as a manager, he could bring some much-needed aggression and freshness to the Merseyside club if...
West Ham linked with a move for 25-yr-old, the Hammers have scouted him extensively
West Ham United have been linked with a move for Norwegian midfielder Morten Thorsby. The 25-year-old has done well for Sampdoria this past season, and the London club are reportedly keeping tabs on his situation. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Thorsby has been scouted several times by intermediaries of the Premier League club this past season. SL View: A different type of midfielder for the Hammers The Londoners could definitely use some depth in the central midfield, and Thorsby would be a quality addition. He could be the long term replacement for Mark Noble, and he would add creativity and balance to David Moyes’ midfield alongside Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek. The Hammers are missing a playmaker in the middle, and Thorsby has the necessary attributes to shine in the Premier League...
27-yr-old available on a bargain this summer, Gerrard an admirer of PL ace
Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram is available on a free transfer this summer, and Daily Record says that Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is an admirer of the 27-year-old. Lundstram has generally been excellent for Sheffield United since joining the club in 2017, although he went off the boil a little last season. The midfielder can play centrally or in a deep-lying role, and his versatility would be a useful asset for Gerrard. The Ibrox outfit need more depth in their squad as they strive to defend the Scottish Premiership title and make progress in the Champions League. Lundstram is at the peak of his career right now and could make an immediate impact in the Scottish top-flight. He has proven his quality in the Premier League, and signing a player of his calibre on a free transf...
Romano: Chelsea keen on £70m star who could be allowed to leave this summer
Inter Milan could be willing to offload Achraf Hakimi in the summer transfer window. According to reports from Sky Sports, Inter may allow the 22-year-old to leave as they strive to cash in on at least one of their high-profile players. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Paris Saint-Germain are leading the race to sign Hakimi, who is valued at around £70 million. PSG’s most recent offer for the dynamic midfielder was around £52m, but it is well below Inter’s valuation of the player. Romano adds that European champions Chelsea are also in the race to sign Hakimi. The Blues are also keen to bring their former player Romelu Lukaku back at Stamford Bridge. Paris Saint-Germain are still working to sign Achraf Hakimi from Inter. Price tag €80m, so PSG have to rais...
Gareth Southgate reveals final England squad for Euro 2020
Gareth Southgate has released his 26-man squad for this summer’s European Championships. The England boss initially named a provisional 33-man squad on May 25, with several players involved in major European finals or carrying injuries. He has now cut seven players from the provisional squad, leaving 26 who will play for the Three Lions at Euro 2020. Much of the debate over the squad has been surrounding Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was excluded from the last squad in March. However, Southgate has recalled the youngster. It was confirmed earlier today that Mason Greenwood had pulled out of the squad due to an underlying injury concern. Now, it has been revealed that the other six omitted from the squad are Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Ben Godfrey, Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse ...
Arsenal favourites to sign £81m-rated star with 26 goal contributions last season – report
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling ahead of this summer’s transfer window, The Sun reports. The England international had another impressive campaign for the Cityzens, registering 14 goals and 12 assists from 49 appearances in all competitions. However, his playing time was reduced in the big games during the back end of the season, with Phil Foden preferred ahead of him on the left wing. Sterling was handed a surprise start in the Champions League final against Chelsea last weekend, but he was disappointing as the Cityzens suffered a 1-0 loss. It was recently reported that the Cityzens could offer him and Gabriel Jesus as makeweights in a potential deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane. Sterling’s £300,000-a-week wages are apparently a s...
Barcelona intensify contract talks for €50m attacker, five-year deal on the table – report
Barcelona have intensified talks with the representatives of Ousmane Dembele over a new long-term contract, Mundo Deportivo claims. The Frenchman has been with the Blaugrana for the past four seasons, but he has managed just 118 appearances due to multiple injuries. However, he was able to stay unscathed for most of the 2020/21 campaign, and the Blaugrana are committed to keeping him at the club. Dembele turned down a new deal in October last year, but the club have now intensified talks with his agents. They are willing to hand him a five-year deal. The attacker’s existing contract expires in June 2022. Aside from the wage concerns, Dembele also has differences over the sporting project. Sportslens view: The Blaugrana have placed their trust in Dembele over the past few years, where he ha...
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to leave Bayern Munich – Oliver Kahn will be his replacement
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is set to step down from his position as CEO of Bayern Munich, the club have confirmed via their official website. Rummenigge is a legend at Bayern, having lined up for the Bavarians for ten years during his playing career. During that decade, he scored over 200 goals for the club and won six major honours. Rummenigge has overseen some of Bayern’s best years Two years after his retirement, he was invited by fellow club legend Franz Beckenbauer to return to Bayern as a vice president. He held this position until 2002 when he was appointed as the club’s new CEO. Since then, the German giants have enjoyed some of their most successful years. They have won the Bundesliga title on 14 occasions, as well as ten DFB Pokals and two Champions Leagues. 30 years on from his retur...
