Southampton have been dealt a blow ahead of their important clash against Newcastle this weekend, with both sides still not yet clear of danger in the Premier League.The Saints are seven points above the relegation zone while Saturday’s opponents lie two points behind them currently, and therefore have the opportunity to jump above them with a win.That possibility could be more likely following the news that Stuart Armstrong will miss the game due to a concussion he sustained against West Ham, even though he completed the match at the London Stadium.Will Smallbone will also be unavailable and Nathan Redmond is still not yet fit, leading to some concern amongst the Southampton fanbase about their chances against the Magpies and over the upcoming matches.
However, Ralph Hasenhuttl still has a variety of options to call upon in search of three points. Danny Ings, for example, started on the bench against the Hammers despite being the team’s top scorer.
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Some fans don’t see the positives, however, and news of another midfielder being unavailable has caused concern about where Southampton’s creativity will come from.
In particular, fans have focused on Armstrong and have commented on how much of a loss he will be, despite the fact that the 27-year-old hasn’t registered a single assist.
Quickfire Questions – Early title winners: Can you get all 13 right in 2 minutes?
Nevertheless, with Southampton’s injury list only getting worse it will undoubtedly raise fears about their hopes of survival, especially since they are now on a run of just one win in six games.
In Southampton news, Kyle Walker-Peters has revealed the biggest factor behind him joining the club…
Aston Villa winger Trezeguet is one of Besiktas’ main transfer targets, as has been reported by Turkish outlet Fotospor.
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It is suggested that their priority is to sign a winger, with the Egyptian topping their wishlist alongside Sivasspor’s Emre Kilinc.
Judging by the responses to a tweet about this interest, Villa fans are more than happy to see the back of the 25-year-old.
Trezeguet has struggled to truly make his mark for Dean Smith’s side, having made 13 Premier League starts, alongside 11 substitute appearances, scoring three goals and assisting one.
He does have the legacy of scoring the goal that got Villa to the Carabao Cup final, but that is seemingly not enough to keep him in the fans’ good books.
Did he really play for us?! No Villa fan has managed to name all of these obscure Villans….
The Egypt international averages 0.8 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game, and fans are looking for a pacier winger who will be able to get at the opposition more.
Some supporters are even suggesting that Villa shouldn’t have signed him in the first place – despite his heroics against Leicester City.
Players they would have preferred to see join are Joe Lolley and Said Benrahma, who have 13 and 17 goal contributions in the Championship respectively.
Whether either of these two would have done better than Trezeguet is unproven, but what is clear is that Villa fans want the Egyptian out of their club.
Meanwhile, Villa may have found themselves a bargain.
Everton have had a season to forget after being knocked out of the cups early on as well as sitting 12th in the table, but that doesn’t mean players aren’t missing the action.
Lucas Digne took to social media to express his frustration at not just being away from the pitch, but also his teammates and the training ground.
It is an unprecedented time for football to go through such a stage when it isn’t the off season, and the lack of update as to when the Premier League may return is likely making matters worse for players.
Replicating the buzz of matchday is incredibly difficult to do, particularly when players are cooped up in doors, although some players have found ways of keeping themselves entertained – including Richarlison.
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It is doubtful that Digne is the only player feeling that way, with members of the public also itching for football – and normality – to return.
When football does eventually make a comeback it will likely be all the more sweeter, however, and that is the silver lining to this period of difficulty.
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Goodison Park should be louder than ever as fans appreciate what they’ve missed, even if there hasn’t been to much to shout about on the pitch this term.
In transfer news, the Toffees have target a highly sought-after European who could bring a major positive to an area of weakness…
It could well be a while before football starts up again with UEFA announcing today that the Europa League and Champions League are postponed until further notice, which doesn’t bode too well for the domestic game either.
So what better way to pass the time during this challenging period than testing yourself on all matters Crystal Palace?
Today’s quiz comes with a simple premise but you’d be foolish to think it’s an easy ride – we’re asking Eagles fans to name all 25 of these incredibly obscure former players, whose spells at Selhurst Park have no doubt regressed into a very distant memory.
So, will you prove to be a true Palace die-hard or an Eagles novice? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by taking part in the quiz below.
Don’t be afraid to share your score on social media (providing it’s something to actually be relatively proud of), so all of your Palace chums can get involved as well!
Wolves star Raul Jimenez has delivered a glowing verdict on Liverpool titan Virgil van Dijk.
What’s the word?
The Mexico international recently participated in a Q&A which was published on Wolves’ official website, and one of his answers concerned the £75m Reds star.
Jimenez was asked about the best player he’s ever faced up to and, perhaps unsurprisingly, he name-checked the Dutchman and suggested he’s not finished improving just yet.
“Van Dijk. Last season our battles were amazing and I had troubles with him in both matches and I think he’s a great player who is only going to get better.”
Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…
A fascinating clash
Jimenez, who signed for the Old Gold for £30m in 2019 following an eye-catching loan spell in the 2018/19 season, does not have a particularly potent record against the Premier League leaders.
He scored his first league goal against Liverpool earlier this year, though his strike could not prevent the hosts from suffering a 2-1 defeat.
That goal is the only strike Wolves have managed in the last four league fixtures against Jurgen Klopp’s relentless side, so it’s little surprise that Jimenez has identified the defensive hub as the best of all the opponents he’s faced.
The clash between two players who are elite talents in their respective positions has proven to be a fascinating one in the past two seasons, with the former Atletico Madrid striker possessing both the physicality and technical quality to cause his opposite number major issues.
So far, however, his endeavours have failed to produce the desired result and, when football eventually resumes, Jimenez will be hoping that his prediction about van Dijk’s improvement proves to be a fallacy.
In other Liverpool news, FFC have rounded up Fernando Torres’ stunning career in a series of nostalgic images…
Liverpool’s almost inevitable title win now hangs in the balance.
Just a few weeks ago, it was only a matter of time before their status as champions was confirmed as they held on to a 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League. However, the pandemic that has worked its way across the globe has halted normal life as we know it, including football.
There has been talk that the season could be cancelled if the campaign can not be re-started in the near future, and it seems that Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw is of the opinion that it should be null and voided. The 24-year-old said during a live stream on Twitch: “Scrap it and start again. Start it again, yeah. It’s gotta be you know. If we can’t carry it on it’s got to be void.”
Although he didn’t explicitly say it, ending the campaign now would mean that Liverpool would miss out on the league title. As you can imagine, many supporters of the Anfield outfit are in uproar at his comments.
One fan even suggested that the United defender is ‘not even relevant at his own club’. You can see some of the best reactions below.
Do you agree with Shaw? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Neutral fans will always accuse Tottenham of wasting the Gareth Bale money all those years ago, but since then they’ve not done too badly in the transfer market, but that’s only when they’ve even bothered trying to make signings.
They famously became the first club in Premier League history not to sign a player in two consecutive transfer windows, but Spurs fans will argue that why should they need to when they’ve quality players like Harry Kane and Harry Winks coming out of the academy.
Some of the more recent signings haven’t been too bad. Lucas Moura will always be a Spurs hero for his Champions League heroics against Ajax, while the likes of Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Heung-min Son will go down as bargains in years to come.
But it’s not always been like that at Spurs, with many players coming through the White Hart Lane doors over the years who just have not been good enough to wear the white shirt in North London.
So we’ve taken a look at some of the biggest transfer flops at Spurs in the Premier League era, although we probably could’ve named a lot more…
Gilberto
Of the two Gilberto da Silvas to have plied their trade in north London, Tottenham certainly had the lesser one in Gilberto da Silva Melo.
The left-back turned up at White Hart Lane initially in January 2008 with some pedigree in the form of 30 Brazil caps and four strong years in Germany with Hertha Berlin but could never adapt to the pace of the Premier League and left in July 2009 a complete flop.
Sergei Rebrov
The first of a fair few strikers to feature on this list, Ukraine legend Sergei Rebrov managed a mere 16 goals in a depressing four-year spell with the Lilywhites.
What makes it worse is that Glenn Hoddle threw away a gut-busting £11m, we are talking in 2000, to bring him in based on his form with Dynamo Kyiv – although it’s far from the last waste of money we’re going to be looking at today.
Paolo Tramezzani
Tottenham new signing 14/7/98 White Hart Lane Pic : Andrew Budd / Action Images Paolo Tramezzani with new team-mate Nicola Berti Tottenham Hotspur
Speaking of foreign players who just couldn’t get to grips with English football, Paolo Tramezzani was a calamitous left-back if there ever was one.
Pictured above with fellow Italian Premier League failure Nicola Berti who’s bizarrely wearing a t-shirt from the Four Seasons hotel in New York to training, Tramezzani would make just six forgettable appearances in north London.
Bobby Zamora
Football – FA Cup – 3rd Round – Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace – 3/1/04 Tottenham’s Bobby Zamora is challenged by Palace’s Danny Butterfield Mandatory Credit : Action Images / David Jacobs
Bobby Zamora would go onto enjoy an accomplished Premier League career with the likes of West Ham United, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers, but not before his own sorry spell at the Lane.
The Lilywhites were the team to give the future England man his big break when they signed him for Brighton & Hove Albion for a lofty £1.5m in summer 2003, however, he would only contribute the one goal for Spurs before being shipped off as part of the deal that saw the legendary Jermain Defoe arrive in N17.
Mbulelo Mabizela
Football – Tottenham Hotspur Training – Spurs Lodge – 3/10/03 Mbulelo Mabizela – Tottenham Hotspur during training Mandatory Credit:Action Images / Paul Childs
Remember him?
Prior to the 2003/2004 season, the Lilywhites decided to sign ill-disciplined centre-back Mbulelo Mabizela based on a performance he put in for Orlando Pirates against them in a friendly, it worked out just about as well as it sounded it would.
David Bentley
What did David Bentley ever really do in a Spurs shirt apart from score THAT goal against his former club in the North London derby?
Well, you could list any number of hilarious off-field pranks and incidents.
But it’s what happens on the pitch that really matters and the ex-Three Lions star never really lived up to his potential or his £15m price tag at White Hart Lane before bizarrely retiring at the age of 29.
Bongani Khumalo
Football – Kaizer Chiefs v Tottenham Hotspur 2011 Vodacom Challenge – Pre Season Friendly – Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa – 11/12 – 16/7/11 Bongani Khumalo – Tottenham Hotspur in action Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Felix Dlangamandla
The picture above more or less sums up Bongani Khumalo’s Tottenham career, as the former South Africa captain looked so out of his depth on loan at the likes of Preston, Doncaster and Colchester and in matches for the reserves that he somehow managed to not make a single competitive first-team appearance for the entirety of his four-and-a-half-year spell.
Spurs haven’t had much luck with South Africans, have they?
Roberto Soldado
A striker who doesn’t play too badly and works hard for the team but is also hampered with an uncanny inability to score goals, sounds odd, though Roberto Soldado was that very thing for Tottenham.
It will still send shivers down the spine of Spurs fans that their club flushed £26m of their Gareth Bale money down the toilet on the Spaniard for him to score 16 times in 76 games for them.
Need we say anything more?
Calum Davenport
When the Lilywhites beat others in the race to sign England U21 international defender Calum Davenport from Coventry City in 2004, they would have thought they’d unearthed a real £1.3m gem.
However, the centre-half embarked on a bizarre career that would never see him get close to the level he was once thought to have the potential to reach – he appeared a mere 20 times for Spurs.
Paulinho
After an impressive 2012/2013 campaign for Corinthians in his native Brazil, Paulinho was noticed in Europe by Andre Villas-Boas and another chunk of the Bale money would be allocated to obtain his signature.
It would take the Lilywhites two seasons to work out the Brazil man just wasn’t up to Premier League standard after he was only able to register nine-goal involvements in 45 matches and he was disposed of by Mauricio Pochettino in one of the early lucrative Chinese Super League transfers.
Members of the Tottenham faithful will most recently remember him being oddly brought back to the continent in 2017 by Barcelona.
According to the Spanish press, Liverpool are interested in signing Real Sociedad central midfielder Mikel Merino.
The lowdown: Premier League return?
The 25-year-old spent the 2017/18 campaign on loan at Newcastle United but endured a difficult time in England, scoring once and providing one assist in 25 appearances across all competitions.
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Despite failing to set the world alight at St James’ Park, Merino was signed on a permanent basis before being sold to Real Sociedad for £10million (Chronicle Live), having failed to make another outing for the Premier League club.
He has been impressive since the move back to the Reale Arena, and now a return to the English top-flight could be on the cards…
The latest: Liverpool keen
As per Fichajes, Liverpool, and by extension transfer guru Julian Ward, are keeping track of the Spanish midfielder after ‘following’ Merino during the January transfer window.
It’s also claimed that Newcastle are eyeing up a reunion as Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund also show an interest in the 11-cap ace, who is expected to be one of the ‘great topics’ in the upcoming transfer window.
Whilst the report makes no mention of a potential fee, Merino has a market value of £45million and is currently under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt).
The verdict: Strengthening required
Albeit a position of relative strength in numbers within the Anfield squad, the central midfield department has come into question following the departure of the ever-reliable Gini Wijnaldum.
Both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are fast approaching the final 12 months of deals on Merseyside and the club could cash in this summer, while Thiago, Jordan Henderson and James Milner all appear to need their minutes handled carefully in order to avoid fitness complications.
So far this season Merino has directly contributed to eight goals from 35 outings, primarily from a box to box midfield role, despite possessing the versatility to play more advanced and also in a defensive capacity.
Boasting a wide range of impressive attributes including interceptions, key passes and tackling (WhoScored), signing the star once described as ‘quality’ by Rafa Benitez could be a smart move by new Reds sporting director Ward.
In other news, James Pearce makes an early team prediction Read more here.
Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to a huge managerial update, as Paul Heckingbottom is all set to become Hibernian manager.
According to Sky Sports, Heckingbottom is in line to take over at the Scottish club, and arrived at their East Lothian training centre to complete the deal on Wednesday.
Hibs have been without a manager since Neil Lennon left last month, and they currently sit eighth in the Scottish Premier League, a whopping 19 points below the big two.
Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…
Needless to say, plenty of Leeds fans have been running the rule over the impending appointment of Heckingbottom, as the ex-Barsnley man was not a popular figure at Elland Road.
After replacing Thomas Christiansen, the 41 year-old won just four league games in charge of Leeds, amassing a win percentage of just 25 per cent.
Of course, the arrival of the enigmatic Marcelo Bielsa has completely changed the fortunes at the Yorkshire club, and let’s just say they don’t have much hope for their new friends north of the border.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
أكد الدولي الألماني كاي هافيرتز، الوافد الجديد لنادي تشيلسي، أنه وجد صعوبة للعب أولى مبارياته في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مُقارنةٍ بالدوري الألماني.
هافيرتز انضم إلى تشيلسي، في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية، قادمًا من باير ليفركوزن الألماني، مقابل 70 مليون جنيه إسترليني.
وشارك كاي بالأمس، في مباراة البلوز، والتي انتصر فيها تشيلسي على برايتون بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.
وقال هافيرتز في تصريحات عبر شبكة “إيفينينج ستاندرد” البريطانية: “مباراة الأمس كانت صعبة للغاية، لقد قضيت إجازة طويلة وعدت وتدربت لمدة خمسة أيام فقط مع الفريق، وذلك كان صعبًا للغاية بالنسبة لي”.
وأضاف: “الأهم من ذلك هو اننا فزنا، وأنا سعيد للغاية لخوض أولى مبارياتي مع تشيلسي”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. فيرنر: الدوري الإنجليزي؟.. لم يسبق لي اللعب أمام مدافعين مثل هؤلاء في ألمانيا
وواصل: “الدوري الإنجليزي أصعب بكثير من الدوري الألماني، لقد رأيت ذلك في التدريبات، وأيضًا في مباراة الأمس، لكنني سعيد بخوض 80 دقيقة مع تشيلسي، وآمل أنّ أستمر في اللعب الأسبوع المُقبل”.
وعن مباراة ليفربول القادمة: “سنواجه أفضل فريق في العالم، سنظهر لهم كل الاحترام بالتأكيد، لكننا فريق رائع جدًا أيضًا”.
وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “ستكون مباراة صعبة للغاية ولكن لهم أيضًا، سنعمل بجد وأعتقد أننا سيكون لدينا فرصة للحصول على نقاط أمام ليفربول”.