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West Ham in talks with Euro giants to sign 24-yr-old, player will cost £13.7m
West Ham United are interested in signing Junior Firpo from Barcelona this summer. According to Spanish publication Sport, the Londoners have held talks with the Spanish club regarding a move, and Barcelona are willing to offload him this summer. Barcelona need to sell some of their fringe players to fund their own transfer business, and the 24-year-old is on the chopping block. The Spanish club would demand a fee of around €16 million (£13.7m) for the left-back, and that should be within West Ham’s means. SL View: Firpo needs more game time – West Ham move could be ideal Firpo has struggled to get regular game time at Barcelona, making just 24 appearances in La Liga over the past two seasons. The Hammers currently have Aaron Cresswell as their starting left-back, and Firpo has the talent ...
Has Gareth Southgate selected the right England squad?
England’s final 26-man squad for the European Championships was announced yesterday, sparking the usual carnage that we’ve come to expect from social media. The Three Lions haven’t even begun their warm-up games yet, and people have already declared the tournament as a write-off. “What’s the point? We’ll never win without <player who was left out of the squad> #SouthgateOut“, several furious fans Tweeted, with perhaps less clean language. Frankly, Southgate could have named any selection of players, and there still would have been outrage. Even if there were only 26 English professional footballers in the world, fans would have expressed their disgust over the omission of a 79-year-old Geoff Hurst or their mate from five-a-side. Complaining – it’s what the English do best. It’s natur...
Roman Abramovich personally driving Chelsea’s bid to sign £90m-rated star this summer – report
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is personally involved in the club’s bid to re-sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan this summer, Eurosport claims. The Blues had a tremendous turnaround during the backend of last season after Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as their manager. The German helped the Blues finish in the top four of the Premier League, and guided them to Champions League glory for the second time in their history. Tuchel is likely to be backed with transfer funds this summer, and the main focus could be on signing a centre-forward with an excellent scoring record. The club are exploring the prospect of re-signing Lukaku from the Nerazzurri, but the Serie A champions are reluctant to lose him despite their financial concerns. Abramovich does not involve himself in player matte...
Ex-Arsenal captain says Gunners board ‘made a mistake’ in signing £96,000-a-week man – report
Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has said that the Gunners board made a mistake in appointing Mikel Arteta as their manager. Arteta succeeded Unai Emery as the Gunners’ head coach in December 2019, guiding them to FA Cup glory at the end of the campaign. However, the Gunners were disappointing in the Premier League, where they finished only eighth on the table. The same was the case last season. Speaking to The Sun, Gallas believes Arteta could be a great manager in the future, but the Gunners made the wrong decision to appoint him. The former club captain said that Arteta’s lack of experience has cost the club, having previously only been the assistant coach at Manchester City. He said: “Mikel Arteta was not ready yet to manage a club like Arsenal. OK, he was assistant coach at Manc...
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...
