Outcast Foderingham faces hopeless task of fighting for Rangers place

According to The Belfast Telegraph, Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham has vowed to fight for his place in Steven Gerrard’s team, amongst a season of limited game time. 

The former England under-19 international has fallen down the pecking order at Ibrox after veteran Allan McGregor joined the club over the summer, but has been given a reprieve this evening.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that Foderingham is in line to start this evening against Ayr in the quarter final of the Scottish League Cup, but he shouldn’t even get that close.

It is obviously the correct choice to play McGregor in the Scottish Premiership, as he is, after all, the better goalkeeper out of the two despite his age. The 36-year-old Scotland international has showed no signs of slowing down, and is in better form than Foderingham has ever been in.

But rather than turning to the 27-year-old, Gerrard should look to some young blood to try out in this competition. The 20-year-old Robby McCorie would be a risk, but not much more than playing Foderingham would be, as he has proven time and time again that he is not of the standard of the Scottish giants.

Whilst he may start tonight, Gerrard should take the opportunity to unload of the player in January. There is no point having a player that occupies the wage bill when it is not in the club’s interests to play him. If Gerrard seriously wants this Rangers team to be successful, Foderingham must go.

Gary Cahill to snub Aston Villa to remain in Premier League

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Chelsea veteran Gary Cahill is set to snub a return to childhood club Aston Villa as he wants to remain in the Premier League, The Sun reports.

What’s the word?

Maurizio Sarri has made an instant impression at Chelsea, leading the Blues to five wins in their opening six games, and his upheaval of the squad in January is likely to lead to a number of exits from Stamford Bridge.

Amongst those likely to seal a departure is veteran defender Gary Cahill, who The Sun says will ask for a transfer in January if his opportunities in the first-team do not improve – which is likely to spark a frenzy on the transfer market.

However, Aston Villa are likely to be spurned in their advances to bring Cahill back to Villa Park with Sheffield Wednesday also looking set for disappointment as it is stated the 32-year-old is keen to remain in the Premier League.

The missing link?

With just one clean sheet so far this season, Aston Villa’s defence is crying out for reinforcements after the club failed to fill the void left by John Terry’s departure in the summer – and their leaky backline threatens to derail their promotion charge.

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That makes the Cahill situation even more frustrating as he may have considered a move to Villa if they were leading the way in the Championship and looked odds-on for a return to the Premier League, as it would mean just a few months without top-flight football for the experienced defender.

Instead, the England international looks certain to stay in the top flight at least until the end of the season if he does depart Stamford Bridge, with Villa’s only hope that they can try and sign him in the summer after they have hopefully secured a Premier League return.

Tottenham eyeing promising centre back Andersen

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Tottenham are reportedly eyeing a move for Sampdoria centre back Joachim Andersen, and he could be the perfect understudy to Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.

What’s the story?

While defenders can usually play at a high level to an older age than attacking players, it won’t be long before Tottenham need to find replacements for Vertonghen and Alderweireld, even if the latter extends his contract.

The North Londoners only have three centre backs with regular first team experience at the moment, and the injury to Vertonghen is a reminder of how dangerous that can be.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Tottenham are one of a number of clubs to have shown interest in Andersen, who has been sensational so far this season for Sampdoria.

The report says Tottenham have scouted the 23 year-old “a couple of times”, and he could be the perfect long-term replacement for their Belgian duo.

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One for the future?

Andersen earned his move to Italy last summer after an extremely impressive season in the Eredivisie with FC Twente, but he has had to wait for his opportunity at Sampdoria.

He has emerged as the clear first choice at centre back this season though, and it’s not hard to see why.

The youngster is extremely comfortable on the ball, completing 89 per cent of his passes, making five successful long balls per game and even creating 0.5 chances per game, impressive statistics for a central defender.

If his time in Holland is to thank for his impressive ball-playing ability then Italy is the perfect place to learn his defensive craft, and he is winning nearly two aerial duels per game this season while averaging 1.4 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and nearly five clearances per game.

The youngster is still quite raw and prone to the occasional lapse of concentration, but the same could have been said for Davinson Sanchez when he joined Tottenham from Ajax.

Andersen isn’t going to come in and immediately displace Tottenham’s Belgian pair, but the young Dane could help form Spurs’ defence of the future alongside Sanchez.

So, Tottenham fans, would you back a move for Andersen? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Revealed: Majority of Everton fans open to Niasse, Tosun departures

Everton have shown improvements under Marco Silva this season, but the results remain inconsistent.

In eight Premier League matches, the Toffees have won three, drawn three and lost two.

The Merseyside outfit made some positive signings in the summer transfer window, but their striker options have failed to deliver.

Cenk Tosun has scored once in seven appearances, while Oumar Niasse has been warming the bench and has only featured four times, all of which were cameos.

Everton’s big summer signing Richarlison predominantly plays as a winger, but in the team’s victory over Leicester City prior to the international break the Brazilian played further forward.

According to Turkish-Football, the Toffees are prepared to let Niasse leave in January amid interest from Galatasaray.

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It seems that they are also willing to offload Tosun as Mynet reports that the misfiring forward could be sold by Silva.

Getting rid of the pair would leave Everton two strikers short unless they replace them in January, so we asked you if it was a good idea and the majority of fans are prepared to wave goodbye.

TT Introduces: Xherdan Shaqiri as the perfect Mane replacement

Liverpool head into their Premier League clash versus Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday with Sadio Mane as a possible doubt for the game.

Mane suffered a broken thumb while on international duty with Senegal (Sky Sports), and pictures have since come out of the Liverpool forward with a bandage on his left hand alongside an X-ray image of the injury.

Manager Jurgen Klopp will now be assessing all of his options in case Mane is unavailable for Liverpool’s upcoming fixture. And should the 26-year-old be unable to play, there is only one player the German should look towards as a replacement: Xherdan Shaqiri.

Given the impact Daniel Sturridge has had during this campaign thus far, Klopp may be tempted to hand the England striker a start in any potential absence of Mane.

However, the game against Huddersfield is one where Klopp would probably be better off going with a like-for-like replacement such as Shaqiri.

There is only one way David Wagner and his side will approach the encounter, and that is in a defensive manner which will undoubtedly see two banks of four set out to try and frustrate the Reds.

With that in mind, Shaqiri’s inclusion in the starting XI could be pivotal if Mane is not deemed fit.

The 27-year-old’s ability to penetrate defences with his dribbling is exactly the kind of weapon Liverpool will need on the day, while his long-range shooting ability could also prove to be another asset when Liverpool arrive at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Given his game time at Anfield has been limited, Shaqiri has only been able to show glimpses of his truly quality.

But Saturday could provide the Switzerland international with the opportunity to display the whole package.

FFC meet Liverpool star Mohamed Salah

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Monday afternoon saw Liverpool forwards Mo Salah and Sadio Mané pick up their respective Bristol Street Motors PFA Fans’ awards at a presentation at Anfield.

The former was receiving his PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award from last season, whilst the latter was picking up his Fans’ Player of the Month award for August of this year.

It’s been a good start to the campaign for the Reds as a team so far with them joint-level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League before a ball was kicked this weekend.

Certainly, it’s those two sides who are fancied by most to take the trophy in May of this season and, with Salah and Mané both capable of explosive performances, Liverpool have an arsenal capable of at last ending their long wait for the Premier League crown.

Salah, of course, enjoyed a fantastic 17/18 season – scoring over 40 goals in his first year for the Merseysiders – and he was delighted to win the award, though he’s already eyeing it again this campaign:

“Yeah, I’m happy to win this award. I know it’s from last season but I’m happy to win it and I’m looking forward to trying to win it again this season.”

Fans will hope, of course, that he can replicate such form again this time around in order to challenge for the title and, so far, Salah feels as though his team is on the right path to do just that:

“Yeah, we’re on track. We might be second in terms of goals but at the moment we’re doing well and we’re getting what we want in each game. We have to keep fighting and I’m sure if we do that we’ll have what we want at the end of the season.”

The Reds were, of course, so close to silverware last May as they made the Champions League final.

At the end of our brief chat, then, we asked whether a European and domestic double is on for the Anfield club and the Egyptian international was certainly optimistic about it: “I hope so! We’ll do our best to try and win everything.”

A player in the prime of his career, then, and it certainly seems as though he’s determined to make sure last season only proves a base for this and future campaigns to be even better.

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Crystal Palace fans react to another fantastic performance from Aaron Wan-Bissaka

[ad_pod ]Crystal Palace picked up both their first goals and points at home of the season as they held in-form Arsenal to a draw at Selhurst Park on Sunday.While the officials where perhaps the stars of the show on Sunday, Palace’s young right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka had another impressive outing as he was awarded an 8/10 match rating by Sky Sports, the joint most on the pitch along with man of the match Wilfried Zaha.The academy graduate has been the standout performer in an Eagles side that has struggled again at the start of the season, and has more or less always nullified his direct opponent on the pitch, including the Gunners’ Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.[ad_pod ]During Sunday’s clash the 20-year-old completed the most dribbles (5), the most interceptions (4) and won the joint most tackles (6) according to Squawka Football, and Palace fans are loving his contributions.Here’s how they reacted to the starlet’s numbers versus Arsenal.

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If Doucoure joins Tottenham in 2019, it’s the end of the road for these 2 men:

Abdoulaye Doucouré is a key player in a Watford side that have surpassed all expectations so far this season, and his efforts have begun to turn the heads of some of the Premier League’s top sides.

The Frenchman, who made his breakthrough season in English football last year, following his move from Rennes in 2016, earned himself Watford’s Player of the Season award for his magnificent efforts in the centre-midfield role.

He’s already hit the ground running this season and, alongside compatriot Étienne Capoue, plays in one of the most solid midfield lineups in the league.

From an outside perspective, Doucouré is known best for his box-to-box efforts, but Watford fans, who watch him week in and week out, would be quick to highlight his ability on the ball and keen eye for an incisive pass.

According to the Mirror, Tottenham are one of many teams who have kept tabs on the Frenchman, as they finally look to break their hiatus from the transfer market.

Should Spurs make a successful bid, it would spell the end of these two players’ careers in north London…

Victor Wanyama

It’s not secret that the Kenyan’s career at Tottenham is on the rocks, and he could well be the first sacrifice made as the club make way for Doucouré.

He’s found it difficult to establish himself in the squad since an injury early in his Spurs career, and now finds Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele, Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks all ahead of him in the pecking order.

With recent transfer rumours regarding Doucouré looking like they have some substance, it’s best for both club and player if a transfer away is organised as soon as possible.

Mousa Dembele

This could be a like for like swap if Doucouré is brought in this January.

Dembele, 31, is coming towards the end of his Spurs career, with his contract due to run out at the end of this season.

He’s already announced his intention to leave, earlier this year, discussing the possibility of moving to China in search of new “challenges”, according to the Independent. 

The Belgium international has been a class act for Tottenham since joining from Fulham in 2012, and he still has tremendous ability, particularly on the ball. If a move to China doesn’t materialise, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him in one of Europe’s top leagues come next season.

Newcastle fans bemused by Luuk de Jong performance

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Luuk de Jong joined Newcastle United on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach in January 2014, and spent the second half of the 2014-15 campaign at the club.

It would be fair to say that the forward struggled to have an impact at St James’ Park, failing to score in any of his 12 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions.

The 6ft 2in ace ultimately joined PSV that summer, and the striker has not looked back.

A record of 92 goals in 179 appearances for PSV is an indication of his form, and the 28-year-old has 12 goals in 18 games in all competitions this season.

De Jong has scored in both games against Tottenham Hotspur in the group stage of this season’s Champions League, meanwhile, the second of which came at Wembley on Tuesday night.

Indeed, De Jong struck just two minutes into the clash in the English capital, although Tottenham came from behind to win 2-1.

The Newcastle fans were left stunned by what they saw from the striker, and a selection of their reaction on social media can be seen below:

HYS: Will Queens Park Rangers’ turnaround convince Freeman to stay?

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Luke Freeman has been one of Queens Park Rangers’ key players, and one that the club would not want to let go.

After the summer transfer window closed, the 26-year-old told West London Sport that his head had been turned when Middlesbrough tried to sign him.

In the end, Freeman decided to stay loyal to QPR, who signed the midfielder from Bristol City in 2017.

Steve McClaren side looked in dire straits at the start of the season when the team lost their opening four Championship matches.

One of those defeats was a humiliating 7-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

However, QPR have since experienced a dramatic turnaround having recorded just one defeat in their previous seven fixtures.

Initially, it looked as though McClaren and his men would be fighting relegation, but they now sit 10th in the table, two points adrift of a play-off place.

With that in mind, it is more likely that Freeman will stay at Loftus Road?

Let us know by voting below.

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