It is no secret that Alexis Sanchez has been struggling since his January move to Manchester United, to the extent that he will no doubt have been glad to get away on international duty.
He did admit that he almost didn’t go away with Chile but eventually, the time spent with his international team-mates has surely proved to be a welcome distraction from the intense scrutiny on his Old Trafford performances.
Among those international colleagues is Arturo Vidal, Bayern Munich’s dynamic midfielder, who has attempted to defend his countryman for his recent performances.
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That led some Red Devils fans to moot the idea of signing Vidal, who has been a target for the club in the past, and who has a contract until 2019.
Opinion was divided; Vidal – valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt – is clearly a talented midfielder and United will be losing players in that area this summer. But on the other hand, he is now the wrong side of 30.
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Dele Alli did not make a single appearance during the international break with England, and the reasons why have been revealed.
The Times reports that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s ‘immature’ conduct in training forced him out of Gareth Southgate’s first XI for friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy.
Tottenham fans have had a love/hate relationship with Alli this season due to his inconsistent performances and frequent diving on the pitch.
According to The Times, Southgate was unhappy with the 21-year-old’s behaviour over the past 10 days, particularly his conduct while on the substitutes’ bench during England’s 1-0 win over the Netherlands.
The publication adds that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino also has concerns over Alli, who has scored 10 goals and created 13 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions.
The midfielder has had an incredible rise from League One football to the elite over the past two-and-a-half years, but at the moment it seems that he is struggling to focus.
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Tottenham fans will be hoping that he shows more consistency next season when the club move into their brand new stadium.
Harry Winks would do exceptionally well to prove his fitness to Gareth Southgate and force himself into the 23-man England squad that heads to Russia in June.
Yet, as recently as October, he was man of the match on his senior Three Lions debut, before starring as Spurs saw off Real Madrid the following month.
The young playmaker has qualities that both England and, to a lesser extent, Tottenham, lack; composure, an eye for a pass and quick feet that looked set to shove him to the front of the queue for both club and country this season.
Unfortunately for Winks, valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, injuries have put him off course and he has lost his way.
He has been unable to force his way back into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans – to any great degree anyway – which has seen his World Cup hopes all but evaporate.
That’s why we asked whether a loan move to Everton – who really could use some dynamism and creativity at the back of midfield – would be a good decision.
The response was mixed but 48 per cent of those we asked think that the England international should make the loan move to Goodison. Check out the full results of the poll below…
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According to Turkish Football, Everton are lining up a summer bid for Hannover 96 midfielder Marvin Bakalorz.
What’s the story?
A source close to Hannover midfielder Marvin Bakalorz has reportedly told Turkish Football that Everton will try again to sign the 28 year-old having been rebuffed in January.
Bakalorz has played 24 times in the Bundesliga this season, and would likely be a replacement for Morgan Schneiderlin.
The German midfielder, who is best in a defensive role, is out of contract next summer so would be available to the Toffees for a reasonable price.
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Good fit at Goodison?
There are plenty of problems at Goodison Park right now, and while there is definitely room for optimism, fans are tired of the leaky defence and lack of firepower up front.
Above both of those issues though is the fact that the current midfield is like a sieve, and when Idrissa Gueye does not play the Toffees simply do not have the energy to sniff out opposition attacks.
Bakalorz would be a good short-term solution to this problem, and is valued at just £2.2million by Transfermarkt because of his contract situation.
In 24 Bundesliga appearances for Hannover (19 starts), the 28 year-old is averaging 1.5 tackles, 1.5 clearances and one interception per game.
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The tough tackling midfielder reads the game fantastically and is great in the air, so basically everything Schneiderlin was supposed to do when he signed for Everton.
One obvious place for improvement is his passing ability, averaging just a 69.6 per cent completion rate this season, but the Toffees won’t find a much better solution to their midfield woes for a better price.
Everton fans, would you like to see a bargain deal for Bakalorz? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
With the exception of a potential European final, there’s only one matter on the minds of the Arsenal faithful right now – who could come in to replace Arsene Wenger for next season.
The Frenchman will leave an almighty void in north London, having reigned over the Gunners for 22 years, one that will require not only plenty of talent but also plenty of personality to fill.
With that in mind, we suggested a controversial potential successor earlier this week in Antonio Conte, whose Chelsea spell could come to an end this summer after a difficult season with the west London club.
And according to our poll, a whopping 80% of Arsenal fans would welcome Conte as Wenger’s replacement, despite the Blues being on course to finish just one place higher than the Gunners come the end of the campaign.
But is he your priority pick to replace Wenger, Arsenal supporters? Let us know who you want to get the job by commenting below…
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Arsenal are set to rest a number of their key players for their Premier League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, and Gunners fans want Arsene Wenger to hand huge centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos his full debut at the Theatre of Dreams.
The north London outfit signed the 6ft 4in defender from PAS Giannina during the January transfer window, and while he has featured for the U23 side in the Premier League 2, he is yet to make his bow for the first team.
The Greek centre-back was included in the travelling party for the long trip north – in what is going to be Wenger’s final match in charge of the Gunners at Old Trafford – and he could be given a shock start with Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny both rumoured to have stayed at home in London ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg.
Arsenal supporters, who have urged their club to sign Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, have been quick to have their say on Mavropanos via social media, and while one said he is “gonna pocket Sanchez”, another said “Mavropanos going to destroy Koscielny’s Arsenal career today”.
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Tottenham Hotspur should consider making a move for Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy this summer.
Why Vardy?
Mauricio Pochettino has not exactly struggled for goals in his team, mainly due to the impressive form of Harry Kane.
The 24-year-old scored 30 Premier League goals this season, and narrowly missed out on taking home the Golden Boot award.
Two of those goals came against Leicester in a dramatic 5-4 victory at Wembley on the final day of the domestic campaign.
Vardy also impressed during the clash as he also netted twice to bring his overall tally up to 23 in all competitions.
With the future of Fernando Llorente uncertain, it might be worth Tottenham exploring the idea of making a summer swoop for the Leicester striker.
The England international may not be stealing the headlines like he did during the Foxes’ remarkable title win in 2016, but he has proven consistently that he is a reliable goalscorer.
Would Spurs appeal to Vardy?
The forward has not given any indication that he wants to leave the King Power Stadium.
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However, having an opportunity to play Champions League football again would surely persuade Vardy to at least consider a move.
Kane would obviously continue to be the main man, which is what his England teammate is used to being at Leicester.
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Vardy may not be content playing as back-up to the Spurs hitman, but there is an argument that the pair could play together up front.
The title winner would provide a different dimension to the team, and if he forms a partnership with Kane during the Three Lions’ World Cup campaign, then Tottenham will get an idea of the possible fluidity between the pair.
One stumbling block, though, could be the cost of Vardy, as Leicester are highly unlikely to allow their star man to leave on the cheap.
West Ham fans are absolutely crucifying David Moyes, after the manager said he thought they had the best January transfer window in the Premier League.
David Moyes isn’t exactly making things easy on himself at West Ham, and the former Manchester United man has once again opened himself up to criticism.
Speaking ahead of Thursday night’s clash with his former club, the manager said: “I think West Ham arguably had the best January of any club in the Premier League because we sold three players, made a profit, bought one, brought in only Jordan Hugill.
The Hammers also added Joao Mario on loan, and brought Patrice Evra in after the window closed.
Of course, Jordan Hugill has become a bit of a running joke amongst West Ham fans, as the ex-Preston striker has barely seen the light of day since the move.
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“We sold Fonte, Sakho, Andre Ayew. You could say that was a risk, and if it hadn’t worked you could probably be critical of our January,” Moyes continued.
“It wasn’t for the want of trying. We tried to get one or two other players. We ended up with less players, and the one thing we’re short of is numbers here.
“So you could argue we had the best January because we made a good profit and still stayed up.”
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To be fair to the manager, the Hammers did shift some dead wood from the squad and have indeed avoided the drop, but it’s not exactly been much fun for fans along the way.
Fans have slowly but surely turned against the Scotsman, and they’re crucifying him for the transfer comments.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
It does not take much for football fans to bask in the misery of their rivals, and on this occasion, Liverpool supporters have taken aim at Everton.
In all honesty, the majority of Toffees fans have been left delighted by the news that Sam Allardyce has left his role as manager.
However, another period of upheaval has caused Liverpool supporters to poke fun at their neighbours.
The Merseyside outfit announced the coaching shift on Wednesday morning, confirming that a new appointment will be made in the summer.
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Allardyce arrived at Goodison Park in November as successor to Ronald Koeman, who was sacked in the previous month for dropping the club towards the relegation zone.
Everton’s new man oversaw an unbeaten run of seven games in all competitions when he took charge of the Toffees, but a number of dismal results followed.
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Fans soon turned against Allardyce, and that theme continued until the end of the season, despite the club finishing eighth in the Premier League table.
Some Liverpool fans launched digs at Everton via social media, while others slammed the Toffees for dismissing the experienced coach.
West Ham United appointed Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager last Wednesday, and the former Manchester City boss will have already started getting to work on assessing the current squad that he has at his disposal.
The 64-year-old will certainly be keen to give everyone a chance to impress before he makes too many moves in the transfer window, and there may well be some individuals that have a big point to prove following a disappointing campaign where the east London outfit flirted with relegation.
The Chilean boss, who could look to be reunited with three players he has worked with previously this summer, showed during his final season with City in 2015/16 that he isn’t afraid to make big team selection decisions having kept the likes of Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure on the substitutes’ bench in huge matches, and he will want to be a disciplinarian again to ensure that he doesn’t lose his record of never finishing outside of the top seven while being a manager in European football.
There are certain stars that may not be able to keep up with the 64-year-old’s demands based on previous instances, and those could be the ones that are shipped out of the London Stadium exit door first.
Here are four West Ham players who won’t last long under Pellegrini’s tutelage…
With Joe Hart returning to Manchester City following a disappointing loan spell at the London Stadium it seems almost certain that Pellegrini will look to bring a new goalkeeper in this summer, and he has been linked with a player he worked with at the Etihad in Willy Caballero.
While the stopper is 36, the Chilean manager would likely make him the number one if he did sign him given he is currently back-up at Chelsea, and that may not go down well with Adrian who has reacted badly to being dropped in the past.
Losing his place to Caballero would surely anger the Spaniard, and his 64-year-old manager may choose to wield the axe if that proves to be the case.
While Kompany was City captain and one of their most influential players, Pellegrini showed how ruthless he can be by leaving the Belgian out of the starting XI for a huge Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain even when he was fit again after suffering from injury.
Like Kompany, Reid is an influential member of the West Ham backline but injuries have hampered him over the course of the past few seasons, and the 29-year-old only made 18 Premier League appearances last term as he suffered from calf, groin and knee problems.
Pellegrini likely won’t be willing to put up with the New Zealand international – whose form has clearly dipped – if those issues continue, and if he brings in a new centre-back this summer to join Declan Rice and Angelo Ogbonna in defence, Reid could find himself surplus to requirements.
Pellegrini will demand high work-rate and impeccable tactical awareness from his players next season if they are to push for a top-seven finish, and it is difficult to see Kouyate fitting in under Chilean on that basis.
While the Senegal international did improve towards the end of the campaign following some poor performances previously, he looked at times as though he didn’t know what role he was supposed to be playing.
Whether that was the fault of Slaven Bilic and David Moyes remains to be seen, but if he shows the same lack of quality during pre-season Pellegrini surely won’t put up with him for too long – especially if he has Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang and a potential new midfielder in the squad.
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Like Reid, Carroll is another that has suffered from injury problems during the last couple of seasons – and since he joined the club in general – and while his first-team chances should be boosted if Pellegrini plays two up top, it may not be that easy.
Javier Hernandez is likely to be a regular starter following a difficult debut campaign at the London Stadium, while Marko Arnautovic may keep his spot as a centre-forward having been the first-choice in that position for the majority of the 2017/18 season.
Carroll threw his toys out of the pram when he failed to come on as a substitute in the defeat against Manchester City last month, and if he were to pull a similar stunt again the Chilean would not take to it kindly.