Premier League
Photo: Leeds players and Bielsa send emotional tribute to Kalvin Phillips’ grandmother
Leeds United players have sent a touching tribute to Kalvin Phillips’ grandmother who passed away last week. The Whites released a picture from their official Twitter account where all the players were seen holding the shirt with ‘Granny Val’ written on it. 🤍 That one was for you Granny Val! #AlwaysWithUs pic.twitter.com/AEXH2LWdVt — Leeds United (@LUFC) February 23, 2021 Patrick Bamford said after the match that Granny Val is a big part of the club. The striker has dedicated the victory to Phillips and his family. 🗣 “Granny Val is a big part of the club, loads of people have grown to love her without knowing her. That was for Kalvin and his family.” Patrick Bamford speaking about the tribute Leeds United paid Kalvin’s grandmother ‘Granny Val’ ...
RB Leipzig boss emerges as Tottenham’s ‘top target’ to replace Jose Mourinho
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the likely candidate to replace Jose Mourinho, should Tottenham’s current slump continue. Spurs began the season in excellent form and even topped the table as recently as early December, yet just a few months later, Mourinho’s men find themselves 23 points behind leaders Manchester City and with a real job to do to secure a top-four spot. Their defeat to London rivals West Ham United on Sunday means they are now nine points behind the Hammers in fourth, albeit with a game in hand on David Moyes’ side. Despite a late rally in that game, inspired by half-time substitute Gareth Bale, Tottenham’s defensive woes once again came to the fore, the centre-back pairing of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez looking particularly shaky in recent weeks. With...
RB Leipzig boss emerges as Tottenham’s ‘top target’ to replace Jose Mourinho
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the likely candidate to replace Jose Mourinho, should Tottenham’s current slump continue. Spurs began the season in excellent form and even topped the table as recently as early December, yet just a few months later, Mourinho’s men find themselves 23 points behind leaders Manchester City and with a real job to do to secure a top-four spot. Their defeat to London rivals West Ham United on Sunday means they are now nine points behind the Hammers in fourth, albeit with a game in hand on David Moyes’ side. Despite a late rally in that game, inspired by half-time substitute Gareth Bale, Tottenham’s defensive woes once again came to the fore, the centre-back pairing of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez looking particularly shaky in recent weeks. With...
‘They lacked charisma’ – Arsenal legend sticks the boot in
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has issued a damning verdict on Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat against Everton on Saturday. Goals by Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson condemned the Reds to their fourth successive home reverse and Wenger was far from impressed with their display. “They are on a bad run and this result tonight will deepen, a little bit, the doubt they have,” he told beIN SPORTS. “They lack belief in everything they do. “It affects you and goes quickly through the ranks, but again tonight, they put the effort in, they were focused, motivated, but they lacked charisma around the team. “We have seen again tonight, at the top level, you pay for your weak points. “Overall, they question themselves now, Liverpool, but tonight I’d say they produced the desire and the quality of the per...
Rodgers ‘in the hunt’ to sign West Ham and Arsenal target
Leicester City have been tipped to make a summer move for Brentford forward Ivan Toney. The 24-year-old has been sensational in the Championship this season, scoring 24 goals in 30 appearances for the Bees. The former Peterborough United star has already been linked with Arsenal and West Ham United, but they could face competition from the Foxes this summer. Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers is searching for a long-term replacement for Jamie Vardy, and the Mirror has claimed that he is ‘in the hunt’ to sign Toney this summer. SL View It is no surprise that Toney has been attracting interest from Premier League clubs given his performances for Brentford this season. However, his potential suitors will have to dig deep if they want to prise him away from the Championship outfit. In addition to ...
‘He’s doing really, really well’: Mikel Arteta raves about Manchester City star
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash against the Cityzens. Gundogan has been in exceptional form over the past few months, registering 11 goals in his last 12 games in the top-flight. His form recently saw him named as the Premier League Player of the Month for January. He should also be the favourite for the award this month after scoring braces against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Arteta worked with the German closely when he was the assistant manager at the Cityzens and he has raved about him ahead of Sunday’s game. He told Football.London: “Well I think now he’s playing a higher role in the team.” “He’s always had the ability to arrive in the box and has great timing and great qualities ...
West Ham United forward makes bold claim about Europe
Jarrod Bowen believes that West Ham United can defy expectations and secure a European qualification spot this season. The Hammers have won 12 and drawn six of their 24 matches to force their way into the upper reaches of the Premier League. Ahead of their home game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Bowen told talkSPORT that the players are confident that they keep themselves in the mix. “We know what the manager wants – we have all bought into his philosophy of wanting European football,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of football still to be played from now until the end of the season, but if we can keep winning games and going under the radar a bit then it is probably kind of good for us. “People probably don’t expect us to be up and around it, so to keep winning each w...
Former Everton defender blasts cheating Liverpool star, time for authorities to act
Mohamed Salah has been blasted for trying to con the match officials during Liverpool’s dismal 2-0 home defeat against Everton on Saturday. The 28-year-old has repeatedly been criticised over his theatrics and he was at it again during the derby game at Anfield. Salah threw himself to the ground in the 57th minute of the game and replays showed that Toffees’ defender Lucas Digne made virtually no contact with the Egyptian. Former Everton star Kevin Ratcliffe hit out at Salah while commentating on the game for talkSPORT. “I can’t understand that,” said Ratcliffe. “If he’s claiming a foul and the referee doesn’t think it’s a foul why isn’t he saying ‘well, you’re diving’. “There was a little bit of contact but there wasn’t as much contact as the dive suggested.” SL View There is no other way...
Liverpool, Manchester United interested in signing €45m French centre-back
RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate is on the radar of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea ahead of this summer’s transfer window, a report from SportBild claims. The 21-year-old has had a difficult 18 months due to a series of injuries, making just 24 appearances for Leipzig since the start of last term. He recently returned from an ankle injury which kept him out of action for six weeks but he still appears on the radar of some of the Premier League’s elite teams. Konate has a release clause worth €45 million in his contract expiring in June 2023 and Leipzig believe that Liverpool, United and Chelsea are all interested in signing him this summer. Sportslens view: Despite his injuries, Konate has turned out 87 times for Leipzig and he has impressed with his tackling and abili...
Chelsea boss fires warning – big money buy must ‘keep improving’
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has urged Christian Pulisic to prove that he can be successful in the Premier League. There was plenty of fanfare surrounding Pulisic when he joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, but he has struggled to live up to expectations so far. The 22-year-old has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, but Tuchel wants the forward to knuckle down and fight for a place at Chelsea. Speaking at his press conference for his team’s trip to Southampton on Saturday, Tuchel said: “Chelsea bought Christian for a reason, for his quality, his potential and it’s our job to bring out the best in him. “He proved in many weeks that he has the level to be a regular Chelsea player, to have a big impact in this club. “It’s a challenge now to hold this level, to impr...
Former Liverpool legend blasts Jurgen Klopp over transfer failures
Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McMahon has blasted Jurgen Klopp for allowing the club to regress in the Premier League this season. Speaking to talkSPORT, the Reds’ legend hit out at Klopp’s failure to significantly strengthen his squad after winning the title last season. “The art of top teams is ‘spend when you’re on top’, but they’ve gone backwards in the Premier League because everyone else is moving forward,” he said. “I would have thought you’d sign two or three when you’re on the up, not when you are struggling. “Nine times out of ten Klopp knows his best team. When you start tinkering and your best eleven isn’t available, and you have a few adverse results, that’s when you start to question your team and ask, ‘am I selecting the right players in the right positions?’ “It’s been ...
Arsenal set unwanted record in Europa League tie vs Benfica
Arsenal set an unwanted record during Thursday night’s Europa League draw with Benfica which ended 1-1 after being caught offside 10 times. A Bukayo Saka equaliser saw Arsenal fight back from a goal down to snatch a draw – and an all-important away goal – in their Europa League last-32 first-leg clash in Rome. Incredibly, the North Londoners were caught offside a staggering 10 times, which is more than any other Premier League side in all competitions this season. Club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was responsible for four of those. The previous record had been held by Manchester United, who were flagged eight times during their goalless Premier League draw with Liverpool last month. Crystal Palace were caught offside seven times in their 7-0 home mauling at the hands of Liverpool in D...
