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Former Portsmouth striker Oli Hawkins has revealed how he was told that his contract would not be renewed past the summer.

Losing to Oxford United on penalties in the League One play-off semi-final saw Pompey fail in their bid to move up to the Championship, leaving manager Kenny Jackett with some key decisions to make this summer.

One of those has already been made with Hawkins being allowed to leave on a free transfer after his contract came to an end.

Hawkins arrived at Fratton Park back in 2017 and netted 18 goals in 95 games for the club up until the end of this season. Fondly remembered by fans for his winning penalty against Sunderland in the 2019 EFL Trophy final, he also acted as a stand-in defender for the club.

Fresh on the back of his exit from Portsmouth, which the striker said was a ‘surprise’, he has now revealed just how he was told he would not be offered a new deal.

Speaking to Portsmouth News, Hawkins said: “It was three minute call from the manager, thanking me for being there and how he will always have a good reference for me.

“I actually felt I deserved a face-to-face meeting after three years, but with football you can’t expect a lot of things to happen. You have to get on with it sometimes.”

Touching on his future, Hawkins added that he was hopeful of finding a new club in the near future. He said: “I know there’s interest and I’d like to think I might have a choice from a few and then go from there. I cannot say much now, hopefully I can sort something out.”

This was hardly a nice way to say goodbye to a striker who had a decent goal return for Portsmouth and scored a winning penalty for the club to seal silverware on a memorable day at Wembley.

However, as Hawkins outlined, football sometimes does not go the way one might expect and he will now look to find a future elsewhere. Hopefully this is not a decision which Pompey will come to regret.

Do you think Hawkins deserved a more respectful goodbye from Portsmouth? Let us know in the comments section below…

So Tottenham are really beginning to find their feet under Jose Mourinho in these final few games of the season.

After a shambolic defeat away to Sheffield United, Spurs didn’t look like the kind of side who were heading in the right direction. But since that travesty, they have been in imperious form, picking up 13 points from a possible 15 in the Premier League – including a north London derby triumph over Arsenal.

And against top-four chasing Leicester on Sunday afternoon, Harry Kane and co put the Foxes to the sword, and Mourinho will surely be delighted at how things are now shaping up.

But one man’s performance left a lot to be desired, and is perhaps one of the big reasons behind their interest in Southampton powerhouse Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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Moussa Sissoko has been a regular in Mourinho’s starting eleven since the Premier League’s restart, featuring in every single game. But against Brendan Rodgers’ side on Sunday, he just didn’t seem the like the kind of player who can really assert himself as the ball-winning player in a two-man central midfield.

As per Sofascore, the Frenchman made no tackles whatsoever in the 90 minutes that he was on the pitch, made just one interception, and was dribbled past twice.

And in those 50/50 challenges that you perhaps would have backed him to shine in, Sissoko looked completely overwhelmed by the likes of Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans in the Leicester midfield.

He lost seven out of the ten total duels that he contested, and lost possession 11 times. It was no surprise that his match rating of 6.5 was the worst of any Spurs player who started the game.

If Mourinho is intent on having someone like Harry Winks or even a Tanguy Ndombele as part of his midfield two, then having a more dominant anchor man is needed. Sissoko showed against even a weakened Leicester side that he may not be the man for the job in that kind of role, which is why a move for 6 foot 1 man Hojbjerg seems like the perfect signing for them.

The Dane could sweep up in front of the back four and be aggressive in the tackle, and then just recycle the ball to the likes of Winks, Giovani Lo Celso and those further forward.

Sissoko’s display proved why Daniel Levy must splash the cash on Hojbjerg this summer.

Leeds United are finally back in the Premier League, but it looks as though they could be headed there without one of their best players from this season.

Indeed, with Ben White’s loan spell coming to an end the Yorkshire club are without their Young Player of the Year, and unless they buy him back, they’re going to have to find a replacement.

Unfortunately, Purchasing the 22-year-old isn’t going to be straightforward, Graham Potter has made it clear that he doesn’t want to sell him, while others have claimed that the Seagulls value him at £40m, nevertheless, Leeds’ interest remains strong.

Sadly, Leeds may not get another chance to sign him if they don’t land him this summer.

White is set to embark on his first season as a top-flight player, and if he can prove he’s up to scratch his value will only skyrocket seeing as he’s also young and English.

Nathan Ake has just been relegated after a torrid season with Bournemouth that saw him start 29 games for the division’s third-worst defence, and he’s about to get a £41m move to Manchester City.

White is supposedly already valued at £40m after one good season in the Championship, so we could be talking about mind-boggling figures if he performs to a high level in the Premier League, and with Liverpool and Arsenal reportedly already looking at him, it’ll be hard for Leeds to get in on the action if they don’t make the move this summer.

£40m is a lot, but it could look like a snip in a year’s time if White’s form carries over to the top-flight.

If United don’t land him now, they may never ever get another chance at him.

Leeds United have entered the race for an in-demand free-agent this summer and they’ll have to beat off their fellow Premier League newcomers to clinch his signature…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Yorkshire giants have entered an intriguing battle for one of the most sought-after players in this difficult financial climate, former Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser.

It’s claimed that north London duo Arsenal and Spurs have cooled their interest, which opens the door for a multitude of teams to sign him, notably this season’s Championship foes West Brom and Fulham.

Whilst the likes of Crystal Palace, West Ham and Newcastle are also keen.

Valuable depth

Fraser endured quite a disappointing campaign on the south coast, providing just one goal and four assists, but it was only the season before where he was electrifying – which is hardly a surprise as the Cherries went from rather promising to recently relegated.

If Marcelo Bielsa can get the best back out of the Scotsman, then he’ll be onto a winner. The diminutive 5 foot 4 winger was rampant during the 2018/19 campaign, scoring seven times whilst providing a whopping 14 assists, via WhoScored.

We also know that the Argentine likes his players to be versatile and you get that with Fraser as he’s able to play at full-back too. Perhaps he’d be an interesting attacking wing-back at Elland Road.

Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicolas has dubbed him a “little pocket dynamo” who’s an “old-fashioned” wide man, which isn’t really something the Whites have in either Jack Harrison, Helder Costa or Ian Poveda.

Considering chairman Andrea Radrizanni won’t have to pay a penny in terms of a transfer fee, it would be quite a smart move from the Yorkshiremen to tap up the coveted international, especially ahead of their promoted rivals.

The fact that he’s still valued at £15.75m by Transfermarkt only goes to show how much of a steal they could land.

AND in other news, Leeds target Bundesliga striker who is a great fit for Marcelo Bielsa…

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur are among a number of clubs currently ‘monitoring’ Watford striker Troy Deeney – but West Brom have reportedly opened talks to sign the forward with negotiations underway. 

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly in the market for an alternative striker to Harry Kane, having also been linked to Bournemouth forwards Josh King and Callum Wilson, with Deeney now emerging as a potential option.

Indeed, as per the Mail, Tottenham are keeping tabs on the Hornets captain after their relegation to the Championship last season, with Watford allegedly ‘open’ to selling their talisman in an effort to balance the books.

Having scored 47 Premier League goals since the 15/16 campaign and an overall 152 since the beginning of his professional career (Transfermarkt), it’s little wonder why Spurs now see Deeney as a forward who could provide strength in depth.

Since veteran Fernando Llorente departed north London last season, Tottenham have been left with a lack of natural centre forwards bar Kane, and it appears that has prompted the club to reignite their interest in Deeney who was targeted all the way back in 2016 according to a past report from the Sun.

Indeed, former boss Mauricio Pochettino allegedly saw the 32-year-old as a would-be coup, but a piece from the Chronicle claims that he is currently earning £100,000-per-week – which, theoretically, would make Deeney the joint-fourth highest paid player in the squad (spotrac).

It’s debatably unlikely Spurs would be willing to shell out those wages, even despite his ‘brilliant’ contributions for Watford, but whether or not the club try and beat WBA to his signature remains to be seen.

Spurs fans, should the club try and sign Deeney? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Many would have thought that Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi would have been sold by the club now after his antics last season saw him fall out of favour with Mikel Arteta.

He has been linked to various sides across Europe like Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona whilst the Gunners have been trying to sign midfielders Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar, and they have also brought back midfielder Dani Ceballos on another loan.

However the £28.80 million-valued Frenchman, who has managed 82 appearances at the North London side, per Transfermarkt, could still have a future at the club following his latest Instagram post.

Guendouzi was playing for the France U21 side over the course of the international break, and even captained the side in their victory. Following the end of his international duty, the midfielder posted an

/CE4AIG3qH5p/”>Instagram of him in the French kit, supported with the caption, ‘2 games, 6 points ! Proud of my team @equipedefrance 😄🇫🇷 Now let’s go back to work @arsenal 🔴⚪️’.

This caption is what will surprise many Arsenal supporters as Guendouzi has failed to play a single minute or be in the squad since the 2oth June, per Transfermarkt. But it appears that he is ready to fight for a place in the Gunners’ team. This could hint that the defender has apologised for his actions which caused him to be ostracised from the squad and Arteta has allowed him a fresh start

For now however, supporters of the club will be waiting to see Arteta’s first team sheet and see whether the player really has managed to make his way back into the squad.

Gunners fans, what are your thoughts on Guendouzi? Comment below!

Ben Johnson had put some pressure on Ryan Fredericks, having performed well against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup, making two key passes, two successful tackles and two dribbles.Perhaps because of this, or a wider sense of feeling towards Fredericks, some Hammers fans felt that it should have been the academy graduate starting at the Emirates.

However, it is the 27-year-old who was given the nod by David Moyes, and despite being on the losing side, he certainly proved any doubters wrong with his individual display.

The most obvious contribution is his assist for Michail Antonio’s goal, when he got around Jarrod Bowen on the overlap, before firing a low cross towards Michail Antonio, who got ahead of Rob Holding to convert the chance.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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There was a further attacking threat from the former Fulham man, as he played two key passes, while he was also accurate in his distribution, maintaining a pass success rate of 87%.

Coming up against the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Sead Kolasinac throughout the game, Fredericks also gave a good account of himself defensively.

The Englishman completed one of the two tackles he attempted, in addition to making three clearances and two interceptions.

Moyes’ side may not have secured any points from this match, but their display should hopefully earn them a bit more trust from Hammers fans following the shocking account they gave of themselves against Newcastle United.

Fredericks is one of those who offered a reminder that they can be an asset for the team.

The transfer window has been a very stressful one for West Ham United as there has been a lot of interest for one of their key players in Declan Rice.

The defensive midfielder is a key asset for the club and this is highlighted by the fact that despite him being only 21 years-old, he is already captaining the side.

He has a special place in the hearts of the Hammers fan base as he is a product of the academy, but it looked possible that he could be moving to Chelsea this transfer window. However, football reporter Duncan Wright has reported, via @whufc_news, that Chelsea have ended their interest in Rice during this window, due to the £80m asking-price.

This is a great bit of news for all associated with the club, and this is highlighted by some of his stats from last season as he managed on average 3.1 tackles and two interceptions a game, via WhoScored, as well as picking up one goal and three assists.

He is a vital player for the Irons and there is no doubt that the England international will continue to get even better the more he plays.

Here is what fans said following the news:

Hammers fans, what are your thoughts on this news and Rice? Comment below!

Everton’s summer signing Ben Godfrey put together an impressive showcase with England’s Under 21s as Aidy Boothroyd’s Young Lions beat Turkey 2-1 in a UEFA European U21 Championship qualifier on Tuesday night.

Godfrey’s performance will serve as a timely message to Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti that he is ready to make his Blues debut against Liverpool in Saturday’s Merseyside Derby, with the Italian facing a defensive injury crisis.

The Goodison Park natives finalised a deal with Norwich City worth £20million for Godfrey to join Ancelotti’s unbeaten squad earlier this month, but the 22-year-old was not named in Everton’s team to face Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the October international break.

Ancelotti may be forced into handing Godfrey his Everton debut sooner than planned, as the centre-half is one option being considered to replace Seamus Coleman at right-back against Liverpool with Jonjoe Kenny also out injured.

Midfielder Tom Davies is also in line to deputise for Coleman having taken over at full-back at home to Brighton, and may be required after Yerry Mina sat out Colombia’s 2-2 draw with Chile on Tuesday night after the £120,000-per-week ace felt discomfort in his right thigh in training, meaning the new boy may be needed at centre-back.

Godfrey had featured three times for Norwich in their Championship campaign before departing Carrow Road in the transfer window, racking up 270 minutes of first-team football in which he averaged 67 touches, 46.3 accurate passes, 4.3 clearances, 1.0 tackles and 3.7 duels won a game, per SofaScore.

Godfrey’s performances with Norwich saw Boothroyd name the York-born defender in his England U21s squad to face Turkey on Tuesday night, handing him his sixth Young Lions cap.

Norwich boss Daniel Farke expects Godfrey to go on and achieve more with the senior England set-up, having told reporters at the start of the month via quotes by The Pink Un: “He has all the potential to lead the Three Lions in the future.”

Godfrey impressed with a solid showcase against Turkey despite allowing Halil Dervisoglu to pull a goal back for Tolunay Kafkas’ visitors in second-half stoppage-time, four minutes after Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah had doubled England’s advantage to become the Young Lions’ record scorer.

The Toffees talent kept things simple as he amassed 78 touches of the ball and rarely turned over possession with 67 of his 71 passes finding a teammate. He further denied Kafkas’ visitors with one clearance, one block, one interception and three tackles, and won three of four ground duels, per SofaScore.

Everton’s late summer capture did not attempt a single aerial duel and committed one foul, though, but should be at the front of Ancelotti’s thinking as the Italian plans his way around a defensive injury crisis.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can look to exploit an “incredible talent” when Everton host Liverpool this Saturday.

Aston Villa dodged a major bullet in the summer transfer window by not signing Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho.

What was the story?

A report from All Nigeria Soccer back in late July suggested that both Villa and newly-promoted West Brom had joined the race to sign the striker.

It was claimed that Dean Smith’s side were keen for attacking reinforcements, particularly after the disappointing start of Mbwana Samatta. And, it was also revealed that Iheanacho himself would have been appealed by a move to either Villa or West Brom because he wouldn’t have needed to move house.

In the end, the Nigeria international stayed put at the King Power Stadium, whilst Villa ended up signing Brentford’s Ollie Watkins.

Worse than Samatta

After Leicester shelled out a reported £25m to sign Iheanacho from Manchester City, then Foxes boss Craig Shakespeare made it clear that he felt they had landed a major coup.

He said: “It’s a great signing for us. Kelechi is an enormously talented player that has shown a huge amount of promise at every level in which he’s played. We’ve tracked his progress for some time, so we know how much quality he’ll bring to the squad. He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s ready for the next stage of his development and I’m delighted that will be with Leicester City.”

Since then however, the Nigerian has struggled to live up to expectations, managing just 21 goals in 94 games. To put that into context, he matched that same amount of strikes in exactly 30 games less at the Etihad.

And when you look at how he fares compared to Samatta – now on loan at Turkish giants Fenerbahce –  then it’s clear Villa dodged a bullet. As per Whoscored, Iheanacho has a career average of just 1.1 shots, 0.6 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game, whilst Samatta has managed 1.7 shots, 0.6 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per match.

Neither have been the most prolific of goal-scorers, with them both not being able to reach double figures in a league campaign. Villa signing Iheanacho would have landed them someone even worse than what they already had on their hands.