According to reports in The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are willing to sell midfielder Moussa Sissoko for £20m this summer and West Bromwich Albion are interested in the Spurs flop.
The north London outfit signed the France international in a £30m deal from Newcastle United last summer but he struggled to make an impression in his first season with the club, with the majority of his 34 appearances in all competitions coming from the substitutes’ bench.
The Sun says that Mauricio Pochettino is willing to take a £10m hit on the Frenchman, and Baggies boss Tony Pulis is keen as he believes Sissoko could restart his career by playing regularly at the Hawthorns.
Tottenham supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and they are so keen for the deal to get done that one fan even offered to drive Sissoko to the west Midlands for free.
Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino confirmed on Friday that captain Virgil van Dijk was training alone because he wants to leave the club.
The Saints skipper has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool throughout the summer, but the Reds were forced to issue a statement in June apologising to the south coast outfit in which they said they would be ending their interest in the Dutchman after being accused of tapping him up.
As things stand, the 26-year-old will continue to train on his own and won’t make the trip to France with the rest of the squad this week, with the club adamant that he will be staying at St Mary’s for the upcoming season, according to BBC Football.
Southampton supporters were quick to have their say on the situation via social media, and they were largely divided with their opinions.
While some believe the club should make him stay and honour more of the six-year contract he signed last summer, others say is “enough is enough” and that they should cash in on a player that doesn’t want to be there.
As reported by The Sun, Manchester City are preparing a sensational £50m bid for Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez this summer.
What’s the story?
The Sanchez saga has been rumbling on for months now, with his refusal to sign a new deal at the Gunners putting them in a tricky situation, having to balance receiving a fee for him this summer with having him for another season and risking him leaving for free.
Clubs of course are looking to exploit that situation and Manchester City seem to be the club most willing to firm up their interest.
The Sun say Pep Guardiola has made the Chilean attacker one of his top targets this summer and is preparing a £50m deal to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.
The report also states that the club are putting together a massive £400,000-a-week wage package for the forward to lure him to Manchester.
Is he worth it?
Alexis Sanchez has the quality to make Manchester City genuine title contenders so it’s understandable that they’re willing to go all out for his signature this summer.
Last season in all competitions he scored a ridiculous 30 goals and created 19 more assists for his teammates in all competitions, the kind of attacking contribution that would improve almost any side in the world right now.
Adding that to Man City could transform Pep Guardiola’s team and similarly detract massively from Arsenal’s squad, which would of course suit the Citizens given they’re direct top four rivals.
If they can get the deal done, a move for Sanchez is an easy decision.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is under increasing pressure after the club lost its opening three matches of the new Premier League season and according to online bookmakers Paddy Power, former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has emerged as the 11/2 second-favourite to replace the Croatian, if he leaves.
Hopes were high that the Hammers were going to improve on a disappointing first campaign at their new London Stadium home having brought in the likes of Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic, Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart during the summer, but the opening day 4-0 defeat at Manchester United certainly wasn’t the ideal start.
That was followed up by a last-gasp 3-2 loss at Southampton – in which Arnautovic picked up a straight red card in the first-half – before they were beaten 3-0 by Newcastle United at St James’ Park last weekend.
Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is incidentally the current 5/2 favourite with Paddy Power to succeed Bilic should he go, but Mancini – who won the Premier League title with City and is currently managing Zenit Saint Petersburg – is also well placed despite only taking charge of the Russian side in June.
West Ham host newly-promoted and in-form Huddersfield Town in the capital next Monday, and if they were to lose again then Bilic’s position would surely be untenable even at this early stage of the campaign.
As reported by The Daily Record, Celtic hitman Moussa Dembele has revealed his desire to be fit enough to face Rangers at Ibrox this coming weekend.
What’s the story?
Dembele has been out of action for the Hoops for most of the season with hamstring issues but returned on Saturday to great effect, netting against Ross County in his first Scottish Premiership appearance this term.
Afterwards he stated his desire to be in action at Ibrox this weekend and even delivered an ominous warning to Celtic’s city rivals, he’s better than ever before.
As quoted by The Daily Record, the striker said:
It has been frustrating but that happens in the game and you have to stay focused so that you come back even better. I wanted to go to France – it is one of the best medical centres in the world – and I have come back as fit as I was before the injury. I have been away for a few weeks and I have come back stronger and fitter. I do want to play the game next week but I have to be conscious that I have to go easy. I will train all week and try to be ready.
Can the French youth international get himself fit enough to convince Brendan Rodgers that he’s the man to turn to for the big clash at Ibrox?
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Griffiths or Dembele?
The argument against Dembele’s inclusion in Saturdays match is of course the presence of Leigh Griffiths. The Scotland international has been in fine form at the start of this season for Celtic, scoring five goals in ten appearances in all competitions.
However, unleashing Dembele against the Light Blues once again could ensure victory. The Ibrox side showed they were fearful of the striker last term as he routed them time and again, scoring a fantastic five goals against them including one in their own backyard at New Year.
Returning to the first team, it’s down to the Frenchman to show the striking spot at Celtic is his, and what better way to do that than punish Rangers?
If Everton manager Ronald Koeman thought his team was still lacking some creativity going into the new season, he would have been delighted when the Toffees completed the £45m club-record signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson from Swansea City on August 16.
However, it hasn’t quite been the start to the season for the Iceland international – or indeed the team – that the Dutchman would have been expecting, and he finds himself under huge pressure with his side 16th in the Premier League table and having taken just one point from the six available in their Europa League group as we head into the international break.
One of the main problems for Koeman has been finding a formation that suits summer additions like Sigurdsson, Davy Klaassen, Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez, and that has proven to be a big issue so far.
Despite being such a key man for the Swans previously, Sigurdsson has struggled to make an impact with the Merseyside outfit so far but it certainly hasn’t helped that he has often been pushed out to the left-hand side – as he was in the 1-0 defeat against Burnley at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Here are three reasons Koeman must play the 28-year-old in the number 10 role to save his job…
He is less effective out wide
While Sigurdsson did often found himself playing on the left wing last season when Swansea adopted a 4-3-3 formation following Paul Clement’s arrival at the club and the performances of Fernando Llorente up top, the Iceland international was still most effective when he played through the middle.
According to Transfermarkt, the 28-year-old scored four goals and provided a further six assists in 16 appearances in all competitions in a central attacking midfield role in the 2016/17 campaign, and it is a mystery to many Everton fans that he has barely played through the middle for the Merseyside outfit this term.
Considering he picked up his first assist of the season in the 2-2 draw against Apollo Limassol when he was playing more of an inside role, it should give Ronald Koeman an indication of what needs to happen next.
He suits the role more than Rooney and Klaassen
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In the opening weeks of the season it appeared as though Ronald Koeman was trying to fit the trio of Sigurdsson, Wayne Rooney and Davy Klaassen into his starting line-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation after signing the trio during the summer transfer window, but it was clear that it wasn’t working as all three players would say that they prefer to operate through the middle.
While Rooney is a Premier League legend and Klaassen had a fantastic record in the Netherlands with Ajax last season, you can’t help but feel that the fact that Sigurdsson is proven in the number 10 role in the Premier League means that he should be starting centrally every week – especially with none of the trio making especially impressive starts to the campaign.
He can score and create with both feet
Ok, so he missed a couple of good openings against Burnley on Sunday but while Sigurdsson is predominantly right-footed, the fact that he has scored 10 of his 42 Premier League goals with his left during his top-flight career shows the versatility that he can bring to the position.
When you are in the number 10 role and arriving late in the box it is certainly helpful to have a player that is comfortable using either foot, and playing centrally could also allow the Iceland international to find his shooting boots from outside the area – something that we have seen from the 28-year-old on more than one occasion in recent seasons.
Tottenham Hotspur fans have had concerns about the lengthy absentees among the squad, and now there is another to add to the list.
Mousa Dembele has not featured since Spurs’ 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on September 13.
It was initially claimed that the midfielder suffered a knock to his ankle, suggesting that he will only spend a short amount of time on the sidelines, but the club’s latest update has got the fans worried.
Dembele has officially been ruled out of this weekend’s Premier League match against Huddersfield Town, but there is still no timeline for his recovery.
The supporters have vented frustration in the past about the disappearances of Erik Lamela and Danny Rose, who have been out for 11 months and eight months respectively.
Victor Wanyama has also joined the list having not played since August 20 when Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea.
Following the most recent injury update, fans tweeted their concern about Dembele.
Manchester United have confirmed their starting XI to face arch-rivals Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday, and Red Devils fans have been quick to have their say on the line-up.
Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho has made three changes to the team that beat Crystal Palace 4-0 last before the international break, with Ander Herrera replacing the injured Marouane Fellaini in midfield, and Matteo Darmian and Anthony Martial coming in for Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford.
It certainly looks to be a more defensive selection from Mourinho as he looks to preserve his side’s unbeaten start to their top flight campaign, and while Young moves from the left-back spot to the right wing, Chris Smalling continues alongside Phil Jones at the heart of the defence with Eric Bailly absent.
Man United supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the starting XI, and while some said they were “done with this club”, others said “we are in trouble”.
The biggest clashes in the Premier League this season haven’t quite lived up to their billing. They’ve either been complete whitewashes (Liverpool vs Arsenal, Man City vs Liverpool) or tight and cagey affairs lacking true action (Arsenal vs Chelsea, Liverpool vs Manchester United).
But the latest encounter between the top six mini-league this weekend looks set to deliver; Tottenham and Liverpool are both energetic, attacking sides on a relatively even kilter who’ll want to strike a significant blow over a divisional rival.
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It looks set to be an open and expansive game at Wembley and the good news for the neutrals is that arguably the most suitable referee in the division has been selected to officiate Sunday’s 4pm kickoff – Andre Marriner.
When it comes to the big decisions, as with every referee, Marriner’s had his fair share of bloopers down the years, but credit must be given when its due and the 46-year-old is one of the Premier League’s best when it comes to letting the game flow.
That’s evident in the statistics. He ranked third-bottom and bottom respectively out of the Premier League’s 19 referees last season for fouls per game and fouls per tackle and it’s been a similar case so far this season, as shown by our infographic.
However, especially bearing in mind Marriner’s rather sizeable home win bias, that approach arguably benefits Tottenham more. They’re a far more aggressive side off the ball than Liverpool and always look to assert their physicality in midfield and at the back.
Accordingly, they rank 13 places higher than the Reds in the Premier League’s foul charts this season, sixth overall, but the statistics suggest Marriner will take a more lenient stance towards that style of defending.
On top of that, the one Spurs fixture Marriner has overseen this season ended in a 2-0 win for the Lilywhtes, with Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey seeing red, in another positive omen for the home side.
Having the Birmingham-born official in the centre circle might just be the boost Tottenham need to end a ten-game winless run against Liverpool across all competitions that stems back to 2012.
According to The Mirror, Southampton are considering a move for AS Monaco forward Stevan Jovetic in the January transfer window.Southampton have only scored nine times in their 11 Premier League matches this season, and it is understood that Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino is desperate for reinforcements in the final third of the field.Jovetic has previous experience of playing in the Premier League having represented Manchester City between 2013 and 2016, and he scored a respectable 11 goals in 39 appearances during his time at the Etihad Stadium.The 28-year-old, who is valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, netted seven times during a loan spell at Sevilla last season, but is now with Monaco after joining the Ligue 1 champions from Inter Milan during the summer.Jovetic has only scored once in five Ligue 1 appearances this season, however, and it has been claimed that the forward could seek a move at the start of 2018.It would be fair to say that the Southampton supporters are keen for the deal to take place due to their team’s problems in the final third of the field.Below is a selection of the best Twitter responses to Southampton’s reported interest in the Montenegro international: