English Premier League
Rio Ferdinand drools over ‘massive’ Arsenal talent who is ‘going to be a huge, huge player’
Rio Ferdinand has hailed Arsenal youngster Gabriel Martinelli as a ‘tremendous’ player and has predicted that he would become a ‘huge player’ if he stays fit. The youngster – who joined in the 2019 summer window for a reported fee of £6m from Brazilian outfit Ituano – is rated highly at the club, and several Arsenal players and Mikel Arteta himself have showered high praise on him from time to time. Last season, the youngster netted 10 goals from just 16 starts across all competitions. He has recently returned to action following a six-month spell on the sidelines, and Arteta has promised to use him wisely. He impressed during Arsenal’s defeat against Manchester City and produced a superb performance last week in the London derby win against Chelsea. On Saturday, Martinelli and B...
‘The conundrum’: Rio Ferdinand suggests the ‘big question’ Everton face next month
Former great Manchester United defender turned popular football pundit Rio Ferdinand has been left impressed with Everton following their win against Southampton last week. The Toffees have been missing a number of key players, especially their full-backs, but Carlo Ancelotti has found a system to counter the problem. The use of two centre-backs in the full-back roles has helped them solidify the defence, and it has left Ferdinand very impressed. Everton find themselves third in the Premier League table behind Leicester City, although they have a game in hand. The Toffees were supposed to play Manchester City on Monday night but the game was postponed on medical grounds due to an increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the City squad. Ferdinand says that Everton will have a big dec...
‘Difficult’: Tim Sherwood claims 27 y/o star ‘not guaranteed’ to be in the Villa side now
Popular football pundit Tim Sherwood has suggested that Ross Barkley might find it difficult to get into the starting line-up at Aston Villa at the moment. Villa have been in excellent form this season, and have remained unbeaten in the entire month of December. Dean Smith’s side are playing with loads of confidence and they have moved up to fifth in the Premier League table, having played two games less. Barkley, who joined Villa during the summer transfer window on loan, picked up a muscle injury in November, but the club has not felt his absence. Villa give the impression of a happy unit this season, and they seem to be enjoying their game. It’s been a remarkable turnaround considering that they narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of last season. The former Villa boss has been ...
Report: West Ham open talks with Inter to loan former EPL star in January
According to Italian sports journalist and transfer expert Nicolo Schira, West Ham United have opened talks with Serie A giants Inter Milan as they look to sign midfielder Christian Eriksen on loan when the winter transfer window opens next month. #WestHam have opened talks with #Inter for Christian #Eriksen on loan. The danish player waitng for a call from #PSG, where is coming his mentor Mauricio #Pochettino. #transfers — Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) December 29, 2020 The Denmark international has struggled to impress since moving to San Siro last January and isn’t in the plans of manager Antonio Conte. He has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, with a reunion with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino reportedly on the cards ahead of the Argentine’s expected move to the Parc ...
Arsenal interested in signing Barcelona’s Puig on loan
Arsenal are interested in signing Riqui Puig on loan from Barcelona in the January transfer window, according to Spanish media outlet Sport. The 21-year-old is a graduate of La Masia and made his debut for the senior side in 2018. He has made 19 appearances for the first team during which time the central midfielder has provided three assists. This season, he has made just four appearances in all competitions and is yet to start a single game. It is clear that Puig does not feature in Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman’s plans and a loan move in next month’s transfer window seems likely. It is understood that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has requested the club to sign the player on loan. The Gunners are struggling to create chances in front of goal this season and Puig has been identified ...
‘Just embarrassing’: Steve Nicol tears Aston Villa man to shreds for what he did v Chelsea
Former Liverpool defender turned popular pundit Steve Nicol has slammed Aston Villa star Jack Grealish for being a diver. The 25-year-old is a fantastic player to watch and he has been in terrific form this season. However, there is constant criticism against him that he dives a lot, although he draws more fouls from opposition defenders as well. Grealish was superb against Chelsea last night as Villa managed a 1-1 draw against the Blues. They remained unbeaten throughout the month of December and have jumped to fifth in the Premier League table. Nicol has suggested that Grealish is a ‘brilliant’ player but he is constantly looking for free-kicks by diving on the ground, and at times it looks embarrassing. “Jack Grealish throws himself on the ground 50 times a game. I was actually looking ...
Where Next For Diego Costa?
After an underwhelming third spell at Atletico Madrid, Diego Costa is back on the market as a free agent. One of football’s most divisive characters, the forward has been cherished for his goalscoring ability, as well as reviled for his antics on the pitch. The Spaniard was once one of the most feared strikers in the world, hitting the 20-goal mark on two occasions as he won two Premier League titles at Chelsea. However, his best days seem far behind him, scoring just 12 league goals in 61 appearances since returning to Atletico Madrid. Furthermore, the 32-year-old comes with a lot of baggage. His salary was an estimated €300k per week, he has a concerning injury record, and has missed several games in his career through suspension. But, if he can get back to his best, then he should ...
Darren Bent and Lee Dixon want Arteta to drop key Arsenal player vs Brighton
Former Premier League players Darren Bent and Lee Dixon have suggested on TalkSport that Mikel Arteta should not bring back Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into the starting line-up against Brighton. Arsenal ended their barren winless run of seven games after beating Chelsea 3-1 last week in the London derby. Arteta will be hoping to turn Arsenal’s season around with back to back wins now. The Gunners travel to Amex Stadium to face Brighton, and the Spaniard has a selection dilemma. It has been widely reported that Aubameyang will return to the team after recovering from a calf injury but Bent wants Arteta to stick with youngsters and keep the Gabon striker on the sidelines. Speaking on the talkSPORT Breakfast Show, Bent said: “I wouldn’t bring Aubameyang back. I wouldn’t bring an...
‘Well said’: Gary Lineker reacts to what Aston Villa man said after the match
Former great England striker turned popular football pundit Gary Lineker has suggested that he loved playing games, and that majority of the players don’t want to be rested. Aston Villa drew 1-1 against Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday night, where Dean Smith once again picked a strong side. Contrary to Chelsea’s approach, where Frank Lampard rotated the squad, Villa boss named a strong starting line-up. It was a fair result in the end, although both the sides failed to create enough clear-cut chances. With this result, Villa have finished the month without being defeated, and find themselves fifth in the Premier League table, with two games in hand. Smith has suggested after the game that he doesn’t feel the need to rotate as none of his players have complained about exhaustion. Li...
2020 In Review: From COVID-19 to Liverpool to Maradona, looking back at a wild, wild year
2020 has been quite the year, one for the history books, for better or worse. We break down the 10 things we will remember 2020 for. Lunch is on Marcus: Rashford’s campaign to help school children Footballers have a unique position of influence, especially the younger ones in today’s era, with their millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram. While almost all players take part in some form of community service or philanthropic endeavours, Marcus Rashford decided to use his social media as a platform to appeal to UK lawmakers who were about to end a program that allows free lunches to millions of schoolchildren. Eventually, the lawmakers decided to cave into his request and made sure the program stays running. This not only bought to light the potential influence a young footballer can ...
‘We are grateful’, ‘One of the best’: Some Liverpool fans respond to £39m star’s Twitter post
Liverpool midfielder Fabinho took to social networking site Twitter to express his reaction after the game against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. The Reds remained unbeaten at home and stretched their run to 67 games. However, Jurgen Klopp said that it felt like a defeat after the Champions were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Fabinho – who is now operating as a centre-back for the club following the injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez – was impressive yet again against the Baggies. The 27-year-old joined Liverpool in 2018 from Monaco for a fee in the region of £39m. The Brazilian is a top-class central defensive midfielder, and he has been simply immense for the club since joining. This season, Fabinho has been asked to play as a centre-back with both Van Dijk and Gomez missing...
‘Cultured player’: Leon Osman drools over Leeds man who was ‘absolutely fantastic’ vs Burnley
Leon Osman has showered praise on Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips on Match of the Day 2 on BBC Sport on Sunday. Leeds returned to winning ways after beating Burnley 1-0 in the Premier League clash at Elland Road yesterday. Patrick Bamford scored the only goal of the match to earn Leeds all three points, although the visitors were the better side of the two. Sean Dyche’s side piled on the pressure in the second half, but the Leeds defence stayed resolute with Kalvin Phillips producing yet another virtuoso performance. A lot of pundits commented on Leeds United’s style of play for the last few weeks, and especially after the 6-2 defeat against Manchester United. There is a general feeling among the pundits that Marcelo Bielsa knows only one style, and that is the high-intensity footb...
