Spurs face major competition for Fulham teenager Sessegnon

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Tottenham Hotspur could miss out on the signing of Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham, with Juventus set to enter the bidding for the teenager, per the Daily Express.

What’s the word?

Fulham have endured a difficult season and have already had their relegation to the Championship confirmed.

Sessegnon, though, remains on the shortlist of a number of clubs ahead of the summer.

Along with Spurs and Juve, Manchester United, Liverpool and PSG have also been credited with an interest in the full-back-turned-winger, per the Express.

The 18-year-old has scored twice and laid on six assists in 35 appearances in all competitions.

Still a teenager, Sessegnon has made over 110 appearances for the Cottagers but the Express report that he is certain to depart when the transfer window reopens.

Fulham are keen to recoup £40million for the player, with his contract set to expire at the end of next season.

Juventus are unlikely to be deterred by that asking price, however, and are keen to bring in new blood to their squad, having won the Serie A title already this season.

Spurs need to get ahead

Mauricio Pochettino needs to sign Sessegnon, it’s really that simple.

Spurs need to invest in their squad for the first time since January 2018 and bringing in an excellent young full-back who offers the ability to play on the wing as well would be a major win for the Argentine.

A fee of £40m is not small change but it is an investment in the future and offers Pochettino the opportunity to work with one of the best young talents in English football.

He has done it before; the likes of Luke Shaw, Dele Alli and Harry Winks have thrived under his management.

Sessegnon, then, has the opportunity to potentially link up with the best possible boss for his development.

Spurs had better hope that Sessegnon sees that and opts to reject the advances from Italy.

He is unreal: Liverpool fans want club to move for Nicolas Pepe

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Lille president Gerard Lopez has revealed that Nicolas Pepe looks likely to leave the French club in this summer’s transfer window.

The 23-year-old is enjoying a fine season, managing 20 goals and 14 assists in 35 appearances for his Ligue 1 side in all competitions. There will likely be widespread interest in the attacker this summer.

The Liverpool fans have been on social media commenting on the Ivory Coast international.

And a number have called on the club to bring 6 ft Pepe to Anfield ahead of the 2019-2020 campaign.

The Reds would surely face competition from a number of clubs if they decided to make a bid, especially when considering that Pepe has had an outrageously good season for Lille.

The other key question is where Pepe would fit in at Anfield, facing competition for a role in the front three from Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

But Liverpool fans are certainly keen on a summer swoop – a selection of the Twitter reaction from Reds supporters can be seen below:

Joao Felix to Wednesday? Fans left in amazement as Yorkshire club scout Benfica game

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It’s not often you’ll hear Sheffield Wednesday and £105m valued player uttered in the same sentence, but after the club emerged on a list of names that had sent scouts to watch Benfica take on Frankfurt in the Europa League, fans on Twitter amusingly speculated they were about to sign Joao Felix.

The Portuguese wonderkid scored a hat-trick on the night and is one of the most sought after players in Europe, but he has a huge release clause in his contract.

Of course, Wednesday could have been there to watch any one of the 22 players on show, but Felix is the main name to catch the eye over the course of the night.

After seeing the news, one fan simply wished them good luck, whilst another said they’d have to sell the club to have any remote chance of bringing the hot talent to Hillsborough.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

The reaction from football fans just about summed up how ridiculous individuals can be on Twitter but would have provided amusement for Wednesday fans nonetheless.

They currently sit tenth in the Championship but are six points behind Bristol City in the race for a play-off place.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

سولشاير: بوجبا لم يتعامل بأفضل شكل مع ركلة الجزاء وننتظر منه المزيد

رفض المدرب النرويجي، أولي جونار سولشاير، انتقاد بول بوجبا، لاعب وسط فريق مانشستر يونايتد، بعدما تسبب في خسارة فريقه أمام آرسنال، أول أمس، الأحد؛ مُشيرًا إلى أنه ينتظر منه المزيد في المباريات القادمة، وذلك قبل مباراة باشاك شهير في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

مانشستر يونايتد هُزم على أرضه في “أولد ترافورد”، أمام آرسنال بهدف نظيف، حيث سقط لأول مرة على ملعبه ضد الجانرز، مُنذ 14 عامًا، بسبب ركلة الجزاء التي ارتكبها بوجبا.

وقال سولشاير في تصريحات خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بمواجهة باشاك شهير: “بوجبا؟ كل لاعب يشعر بالإحباط من نفسه ويُصاب بخيبة أمل بعد الهزيمة”.

اقرأ أيضًا..  بوجبا عن تسببه في ركلة جزاء آرسنال: عانيت من ضيق التنفس.. وارتكبت “خطأ غبي”

وأضاف: “بول في ركلة الجزاء كان يُمكن أنّ يتعامل بشكل أفضل، ولكن هذا هو الحال في كرة القدم، تتطلب سرعة عالية وشدة، وكلما كنت أكثر لياقة، يمُكنك القيام بالمزيد، وهذا ينطبق على أي لاعب في العالم”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “نحن بحاجة إلى أداء ثابت من كل لاعبينا، بول كان يمرّ بفترة صعبة بعد الإصابة في الموسم الماضي، ثم إصابته بـ كورونا، والآن يعمل على استعادة لياقته البدنية بشكل كامل، لقد رأينا الكثير من الإيجابيات مؤخرًا، ولذا نأمل أنّ يستمر ونرى المزيد”.

يُذكر أنّ مانشستر يونايتد يحل ضيفًا على باشاك شهير، مساء غد الأربعاء، على ملعب “باشاك”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات لدوري الأبطال.

Stuart Pearce claims Ben Foster should be in the conversation for PFA award

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Names like Virgil van Dijk, Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mane and Eden Hazard have frequented conversations regarding who should be nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award and, regardless of comparative achievements, it’s hard to get a look in if you aren’t at a top-six club.

For Stuart Pearce, though, there is one man who deserves to be in the running even though his side aren’t challenging for the league title or Champions League places. Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Debate on Monday, the pundit had this to say (quotes from 22:27):

“I would say Van Dijk, Sterling and Hazard have arguably been the best three (in the Premier League).

“I’d also throw in Ben Foster, I think he’s been outstanding for Watford”.

Indeed, the former West Brom man has been nothing short of brilliant for the Hornets and has been a big part of their meteoric rise to becoming one of the best teams outside the top six – if not the best.

Wolves Fan TV place the blame for Wolves’ FA Cup semi-final collapse on John Ruddy in the video below…

The custodian might be well into the twilight of his career at 36-years-old but, like a fine wine, he seems to be getting better and better with age. There is no doubt that the Watford number 26 has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league this term but throwing him in with the aforementioned stars is bold to say the very least.

The credibility behind Pearce’s claim may stand up if Watford were to conquer Manchester City in the FA Cup final, although the 6 ft 4 shot-stopper has played second fiddle to Heurelho Gomes in that competition.

He has also said he would refuse to replace the Brazilian when Watford meet the Premier League champions at Wembley.

Regardless of whether Pearce has taken his assessment of Foster’s stellar season a tad too far, there is no doubt that the veteran ‘keeper has earned recognition this term and Watford fans will surely love that he is getting some attention from pundits in the mainstream media.

West Brom: Ageing Gareth Barry shouldn’t be risked

As their biggest test this season lies await against bitter rivals Aston Villa, Jimmy Shan obviously needs to get his combination spot on to move ahead to the play-off final.

Thankfully, he has a variety of options to choose from to win bragging rights in the Midlands derby and take one step closer to the Premier League.

In the next few days, he’ll need his best players to turn up big time to resist the upcoming storm. During this crucial period, lacklustre performances cannot be tolerated. With that in mind, and regardless of how experienced he is, Gareth Barry cannot be played in the crunch games ahead.

The 38-year-old’s been a loyal servant for the Baggies but has declined heavily in the past few months. Despite having made 24 appearances, he’s proven to be a very error-prone midfielder who’s struggled in the fast-paced game.

Barry’s tended to often give away possession, unable to track marauding midfielders or stop attacks in and around his side’s final third. He’s picked up 8 yellow cards in the Championship, itself proving how callous the former Villa star’s become. Indeed, he’s shaky against mobile attacks, making him prone to causing fatal errors for the Baggies.

Up against a side who play in a system such as the vibrant and attacking one Dean Smith has become rather famous for, it’s pretty much a death wish. Experience might be a factor in top-level football but far too much of it can be a bad thing, as it would be in this case.

The Baggies should go with their strongest teams with energetic young players, taking the game to Villa. Barry will probably end up being humiliated Jack Grealish and co, bringing more consequences to sink Jimmy Shan’s aspirations for promotion.

West Brom fans, do you want Barry to be involved against Villa? Join the discussion by commenting below…

What an effort: Aston Villa fans loved Whelan’s performance against Bristol City

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Aston Villa made it eight straight Championship wins with a 2-1 success over Bristol City at the weekend.

And the Villa fans loved what they saw from Glenn Whelan on the afternoon.

The 35-year-old will see his contract expire this summer, but showed that he can still perform at Championship level with a fine display against the Robins.

According to Villa’s official Twitter account, the 5 ft 11 ace ‘made more recoveries than any other player on Saturday’, which was eight.

Meanwhile, WhoScored have the midfielder down as winning three aerial duels.

It has been some run of form from Villa in recent weeks and Dean Smith’s side are seemingly going to take some stopping in the playoffs.

Whelan has not always had the full support of the club’s fans this season, but many loved what they saw from the Dublin-born midfielder on Saturday afternoon.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Manchester United: Sanchez’s Barcelona blitz can be the start of unlikely resurgence

It seems almost too obvious to say that time is running out for Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United.

However, if his somewhat impressive cameo in a sombre return to Camp Nou proved anything, there still might be a bit of fuel remaining in his career at Old Trafford.

After recovering from another injury, the Chilean returned with a different look to himself. Now he sports a fancy moustache making him look like someone from the ’80s. However, what he aims to do is roll back the years to prove why United were right in throwing so much resource to him.

Granted that Sanchez hasn’t had the most prolific season with United. He’s scored two goals in all competitions, frustrating fans with his shocking inefficiency in the final third, considering his quite frankly obscene weekly wage. However, a different incarnation of Sanchez was on show after receiving big applause on his return to his former hunting ground.

The Chilean looked much more agile and much fitter than before, moving around the final third like a bee. Just a stupidly paid one. Indeed, he created one decent chance with a clever lobbed ball which was eventually determined offside and almost scored a consolation when Diogo Dalot’s cross was briskly headed onto goal, only for Marc Andre ter-Stegen to expertly save Barcelona’s clean-sheet.

However, his overall contribution was quite impressive, as he looked to have more urgency to score than multiple inefficient teammates on the day.

Baby steps, of course, but Sanchez needs to gain confidence from his bright showing and quickly get his scoring boots on to make a big impact in the remaining games and redeem his failures at United.

United fans, do you think Sanchez can redeem his failures now? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Spurs fans livid as Son sees red

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Tottenham Hotspur suffered a severe blow in their bid to finish in the top-four this season on Saturday and many fans have pinned the blame on hot-head Son Heung-Min.

Spurs lost 1-0 to AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, meaning they must beat Everton on the final day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to be guaranteed qualification to the Champions League.

The 26-year-old South Korea international was sent off in the first half after pushing Jefferson Lerma to the ground, leaving Spurs with 10 men at half-time.

Juan Foyth was then dismissed in the second half just minutes after coming on as a substitute, and Nathan Ake took advantage in injury time, heading home a Ryan Fraser corner to give his side all three points.

Spurs face Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday before their final day clash with Everton and many fans believe that Son was to blame for the dismal collapse on the south coast.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Celtic: Shipping out Dorus de Vries a fair move to cut costs

Departures are surely inevitable at Celtic after this season.

Before they can brace for some potentially big outgoing moves, they need to offload the unnecessary stock from the squad as the club look to move on from the Brendan Rodgers era. Indeed, there are a few who must be surplus to requirement, earning big wages for doing absolutely nothing.

At the top of such a list is outcast goalkeeper Dorus de Vries, who’s yet to make an appearance this season. The 38-year-old goalkeeper, signed by Brendan Rodgers from Swansea City, is in the final few months of his Celtic contract and the club will ship him off after the campaign, according to Football Insider.

Thanks to Scott Bain’s commendable work and fitness, there’s no real need for someone else. At long last, Craig Gordon has some real competition between the sticks and there’s also the small matter of young Conor Hazard waiting in the wings.

Amazingly, the experienced de Vries (who the Daily Star claimed on slide 5/27 earns £7.5kp/w) has made the matchday squad in the past five encounters but hasn’t been used a single time. Experience only goes so far in prolonging one’s career.

Indeed, the Hoops are paying him for nothing right now and can benefit from cutting his wages from their financial structure.

Going forward, Celtic will be able to use that freed up salary in their budget to possibly add it to a new signing’s wages instead.

Regardless, it’s a smart move from those behind the scenes to remove the unnecessary talents from the squad. The goalkeeper position is in safe hands thanks to Bain’s fantastic work, as the Hoops can now save some finances by removing the ineffective de Vries from their wage bill.

Celtic fans, do you think releasing de Vries is the right move? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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