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Chelsea star Eden Hazard has been voted the PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Year by football fans across the country in a vote run by fan engagement experts Snack Media.

The Belgium international saw off some serious competition to win with 34% of the vote. Man City’s title-winning trio Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Liverpool’s pair of Champions League finalists Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane completed the shortlist.

In the first of five divisional votes carried out over seven days via Snack’s digital and social networks and supported by top flight football clubs and the press, an impeccable individual campaign in which he scored 16 goals and made 15 assists for the Blues earned Hazard votes not only from Chelsea fans, but also the wider Premier League audience.

Likely his final season at Stamford Bridge, Hazard looks to be going out with a bang.

The Championship vote opens at 11am on Monday 27th May. To vote go to: www.footballfancast.com/pfa-awards

The dust is starting to settle after Tottenham’s Champions League final defeat to Liverpool. Yes, of course, it was a painful loss, made more so by the controversial penalty given in the first 30 seconds of the match. However, the situation regarding the future of Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t really changed, has it?

Regardless of the result, Pochettino had exhausted every last ounce of his squad. Just reaching the final was a phenomenal achievement, something that may never again be replicated. In terms of the future, the result was almost unimportant, as daft as that may seem.

With a win, Pochettino would rightfully argue that he can do no more with the current system in place. With the loss, Pochettino can now argue that Tottenham are not at the required level to win, and won’t be with the current system. Prior to the result, one thing was clear – a change would be needed to keep Tottenham’s main man. But perhaps Pochettino is looking for more than we first anticipated.

Football.London have reported that Tottenham are to hand Pochettino the finances needed to rebuild his squad in preparation for next season. However, they added that the Argentinian will need to be convinced that the club will continue to push on in the long-term, rather than a one-off ‘gesture’ this summer.

This is a crucial factor for the Tottenham manager, who has emphasised the need for a clear plan now that Tottenham have reached the elite level in European football. They now have training facilities of the highest quality, a stadium to match any and now the attention from the rest of Europe. The infrastructure is set and Tottenham can really push on. With backing from the board, anything is possible. But without, it could all unravel.

This summer, therefore, represents one of the most important periods in the history of the club. According to BBC Sport, Tottenham has already lodged a £53m bid for midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, a real sign of intent. They are also reportedly interested in bringing Tanguy Ndombele to the club, another transfer that would shatter the current transfer structure (as per Le10Sport).

Obviously, it remains to be seen whether any of these will actually come off, but it’s positive signs so far.

While the likes of Ndombele and Lo Celso would be quality incomings, the most important thing for Tottenham’s progression is that their manager stays. Arguably none of the success they have experienced would have been possible without the phenomenal Pochettino. It truly would be a disaster if he were to leave.

It’s up to you, Daniel Levy. Keep him and build on this era, lose him and risk it fading into the past.

Tottenham fans, what do you think? Will Levy back Pochettino this summer? How would it impact the club should the Argentinian leave? Comment below…

As far as flops of the season go, Southampton’s Mohamed Elyounoussi has to be up there.

The 24-year-old arrived at St. Mary’s last summer after an impressive 2017/18 campaign with Basel, but only went on to make eight Premier League starts, failing to score in any of his 16 appearances overall.

Looking at Elyounoussi’s interview with TV2 (via Sport Witness), though, the Norwegian winger seems fairly confident about turning things around next term if he stays on the south coast.

“He [Ralph Hasenhuttl] knows my qualities and sees that I fit into his plans,” Elyounoussi told TV2. “But we have not set any future plans yet. Now it’s time to get back in shape and take it from there

“We had a good chat together. Both with him and the club. I didn’t get a good run when I got there, so now it is about getting in shape in the preseason.”

In the end, though, Elyounoussi could once again be left feeling a little disappointed. Even if Hasenhuttl does see the Norway international as compatible for his plans, you can still see him easily struggling to get into Southampton’s starting XI next season.

Given the campaign Nathan Redmond has just had, you would have to imagine that the 25-year-old will be one of the first names on Hasenhuttl’s team sheet, a team sheet that could soon include Moussa Djenepo.

Djenepo is close to signing for Southampton from Standard Liege, according to Sky Sports, in a development that would make competition for a place out wide even more fierce for Elyounoussi.

And if the season that has just gone is anything to go by, it is a contest the former Basel man will find difficult to win.

Southampton fans, does Elyounoussi still have a future at the club? Let us know in the comment section below!

Say what you will about Mark Noble, but nobody can deny his bond with West Ham United. Turning back the clock last season, where he contributed 10 goals (including maintaining his impressive penalty record) and putting in strong performances, he embodied the spirit of the club. 

Clearly that memorable duel with Paul Pogba last year wasn’t just a one-off but perhaps more a statement of his ability to mix it with the very best. However, time clearly isn’t on his side and keeping an eyeful watch over that, Manuel Pellegrini must make a contingency plan.

Well, according to Fanatik, West Ham are apparently eyeing up a deal for Gary Medel, which in our minds, doesn’t really make too much sense.

He averages 2.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 2.2 clearances per 90 mins (stats WhoScored) at Besiktas which is better than Noble’s contributions (1.5 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 0.4 clearances), but the Hammers surely don’t need another defensive-minded midfielder.

Indeed, considering Declan Rice’s average of 2.9 tackles and 1.5 interceptions (thanks WhoScored) triumphs over his contribution, it’s not to argue that the Irons already have the defensive side of the engine room largely covered. Clearly, there’s always room for improvement, but with only an initial £30m budget (according to the Daily Star) other areas are surely more important.

Having failed to contribute to a single goal, Medel averaged 0.3 shots and 0.3 key passes per game, which clearly shows his lack of attacking impetus.  No wonder that some fans (via Hammers News) are against any move, it’s not hard to see why.

Hammer fans, do you think Medel can potentially replicate Noble’s heroics in midfield? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Per a report from The Times, Wolves have made an enquiry to sign Burnley’s James Tarkowski this summer.

The central defender has been a regular in Gareth Southgate’s England setup despite not being in the best of form for his club side this term. For the Three Lions he’s earned two caps to date.

Ironically he’s perhaps been keeping one of his future teammates, Conor Coady, out of the national side with the pair of them quickly becoming two of the most reliable English centre-halves around.

Tarkowski was excellent throughout the 2017/18 season as the Clarets qualified for Europe but his performance last term didn’t come close to the standards he’d set from the previous campaign.

In total the 26-year-old featured on 35 occasions in the league for Sean Dyche’s men in the season just gone, scoring three goals and also claiming a rare assist.

Given the fact Wolves are lacking in depth, bringing in another centre-back certainly makes sense. But what do other writers at Football FanCast make of a potential move? Have a read below to find out.

Luke Glanville:

“Wolverhampton Wanderers definitely should be targeting a centre-back or two in the summer transfer window given their lack of genuine first-team options in the area. This was personified by Nuno Espirito Santo needing to blood a central defensive midfielder in the position a lot of the time last season. And there’s certainly worse centre-halves out there they might capture than James Tarkowski. The 26-year-old is an England international and deserves to be playing for a much better club than Burnley.”

Charles Jones:

“Centre-back is one of the only positions Wolves need to improve on this summer, and James Tarkowski’s performances for Burnley have proven that he is a better option than Ryan Bennett. Depth is something that Wolves need to be looking at heading into a Europa League campaign and the signing of Tarkowski would not only add another body to the squad but there is an argument to be made that he would instantly become Wolves’ best defender.”

Gareth Bale to Wolves? Wolves Fan TV discuss how ambitious Nuno Espirito Santo will be this summer in the video below…

Billy Meyers:

“I think James Tarkowski would be an excellent signing for Wolves if they can get it over the line. He has shone for Burnley in recent seasons and it takes a lot to get international recognition whilst playing for the Clarets. Ryan Bennett has been the typical English centre-half at Wolves for a few years but he can’t have long left at this level, so he would be an ideal replacement for the old man of the side.”

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Leicester’s defence may or may not have a different look to it next term.

The club have been linked with a £12m switch for full-back James Justin but speculation surrounding Harry Maguire’s future fails to go away.

Brendan Rodgers is hoping to keep his squad intact this summer but it’s been reported that should any club meet the Foxes’ valuation of £85m for Maguire they could let him go.

Two different types of swap deals could be on the cards according to The Sun who first claimed Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo could move the opposite way in a transfer involving Maguire.

They then also suggested that Andreas Pereira could be used in a deal.

However, if the England international does depart, Leicester must think twice about using Filip Benkovic as his direct replacement.

On the chalkboard

The Croatian central defender, who is rated at £9.9m per Transfermarkt, spent his first season in British football by playing for Celtic on loan after initially signing for Leicester last summer.

As a result, the 21-year-old is set to return to the Foxes and reunite with Rodgers.

The Northern Irishman was able to get the best out of the Croatian in Scotland as the towering 6 ft 3 defender impressed considerably.

But despite that, it was an injury-hit spell that saw him miss 12 games and 49 days of action from January to March.

The problem was with his ankle and that same issue has now resurfaced on international duty with Croatia U21s according to Leicestershire Live.

In the report it makes reference to the fact Benkovic is injury prone, citing the issues he picked up in his native country for Dinamo Zagreb before arriving in the Midlands.

Could Daniel Sturridge be set to reunite with Brendan Rodgers? Check out the video below to find out…

In an interview with Sporske Novosti, the centre-back commented on his injury record and time at Celtic, saying: “That’s me, a magnet for trouble. Before the injury, everything was super, I was just too happy.”

The fact that Benkovic appears to be a magnet for injuries is hugely concerning and as a result, placing their complete faith in him next season would be foolish.

Leicester must ensure that if Maguire does leave for pastures new that a replacement from elsewhere is brought in.

There’s no guarantee that any player will stay fit over the course of a season but there is certainly a reason to be worried about Benkovic’s fitness following a reoccurrence of his previous problem this week.

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Several Liverpool fans have admitted that they have no idea who Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes is amid their club’s interest in the Portugal international.

Fernandes, who has been linked with both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur throughout the transfer window, was reported to have emerged as a target for the Reds by Sport Mediaset journalist Pietro Balzano Prota on Twitter.

The 24-year-old scored 32 goals for Sporting in all competitions in 2018/19, while also registering 18 assists, as the club won the Taca de Portugal and the Taca de Liga.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Primarily an attacking midfielder but someone who can also play a deeper central role or on the wing, as per his outings last season, Fernandes’ record suggests he would offer a genuine attacking threat from the middle of the pitch next season were he to move to Anfield over the next few weeks.

But a number of supporters have admitted that they have no idea who the star is, having never seen him play in the flesh.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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The last few days have been dominated by Jack Clarke’s impending move to Tottenham, and there has now been another update in that saga. Leeds have also had their eyes on a League One player as well as interest to sign a QPR midfielder. Both of these reports are included in Thursday’s Whites transfer roundup.

Clarke passes medical

According to Sky Sports, Jack Clarke has passed a medical at Tottenham ahead of his move to the north London outfit. The two clubs have already agreed a fee for the player, and there are now just a few small details to sort out before the move is complete.

Bristol City beat Leeds to Szmodics

Bristol City are set to sign Colchester United midfielder Sammie Szmodics, according to Bristol Live, after they fended off late interest from Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United. Despite that, however, Szmodics will join Bristol City for a fee believed to be in the region of £750,000.

Leeds to battle for Luongo

Leeds will battle Nottingham Forest for the signature of QPR’s Massimo Luongo according to London Football News. West London Sport reported on Monday that QPR were looking to sell the Australian, who is capped 42 times, and Leeds and Forest are both interested in his signature.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans can’t believe that Fernando Llorente could be offered a new contract at the club after The Guardian claimed that he could yet be offered a reprieve by the club.

Llorente’s contract has technically expired at Spurs.

But the report claims that the club are willing to offer him another deal if he is unable to find himself a new home in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, Llorente enjoyed an exceptional 2018/19 season, playing a key role as Spurs reached the Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.

The World Cup winner with Spain scored the winning goal in the quarter-final second leg against Manchester City and turned the semi-final against Ajax on its head in Amsterdam after his introduction as a substitute.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He made just six starts in the Premier League and, despite his heroics in Europe, a number of fans do not want the forward to return to the club.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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Arsenal fans have been made to wait a long time to see this once again.

Hector Bellerin has returned to the Emirates as the Gunners have officially started their pre-season preparations. Unfortunately though, the Spanish full-back won’t be getting back into the grind just yet.

He suffered a serious knee injury back in January, which ended his season only halfway through. If recent reports are to be believed, we won’t see Bellerin on the pitch until the start of the 2019/20 campaign or even a bit later.

Still, that did not stop him from visiting his friends at the training centre as they were already hard at work.

Bellerin posted a snap of his return on Instagram and captioned it with a finish-line flag emoji, which could also be an indication that his recovery is going well and he could soon get back to his teammates.

The 24-year-old played a total of 19 games before his season was abruptly ended by a serious ligament rupture that made him miss 25 games in the 2018/19 campaign.