Arsenal’s 2017 ended on a frustrating low note on New Year’s Eve with the Gunners failing to beat West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League.
After a difficult 80 or so minutes, all three points looked like heading Arsenal’s way after Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick was diverted into the back of the net by James McLean, however a late penalty call gave Jay Rodriguez the chance to convert, which he did to secure a 1-1 scoreline for the Baggies.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was left fuming with the decision to award the penalty for handball, even accusing referee Mike Dean of not even seeing the incident before blowing his whistle.
Even West Brom manager Alan Pardew admitted that Arsenal were unlucky to see the spot kick awarded.
Arsenal fans couldn’t believe the decision either, with many believing that the decision was all about Mike Dean’s desire to make the game about himself. Some have even called on him to retire or be banned from officiating Arsenal matches.
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According to reports in The Mirror, Leeds United are one of the clubs leading the chase to sign in-form Peterborough United striker Jack Marriott during the January transfer window.
The League One star has caught the attention of a number of clubs higher up the English Football League pyramid following an impressive campaign for the Posh, and The Mirror says the Yorkshire outfit are now keen to bring the £3m-rated attacker to Elland Road this month to boost their promotion push.
The Whites sold Chris Wood to Burnley during the summer but are yet to find a real replacement, with loanee Pierre-Michel Lasogga struggling for form and fitness, Calen Ekuban missing almost the entire campaign through injury and with Kemar Roofe often being played there despite not being an out-and-out striker.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United lie 13th in the Premier League table but they are only two points above the relegation zone, with their goal tally of 20 goals in 22 top flight matches certainly a cause for concern in their bid to avoid the drop.
Manager Rafa Benitez will be keen to add to his squad before the window slams shut on January 31, and bringing Marriott to St James’ Park could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Newcastle must hijack Leeds’ bid to sign the 23-year-old…
Goals
Soccer Football – FA Cup Third Round – Aston Villa vs Peterborough United – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – January 6, 2018 Peterborough United’s Jack Marriott celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images/John Clifton
With 20 goals in their 22 Premier League matches – and with four of those coming from centre-backs Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark and seven coming from the striking trio of Dwight Gayle, Joselu and Aleksandar Mitrovic – it is clear to see that Newcastle need a new centre-forward this month.
While Marriott may not be the recognised name that the fans would want to see being brought in, there is no doubt that he is a goalscorer and full of confidence right now.
The 23-year-old has scored 23 goals in 36 appearances for Peterborough this term – Harry Kane is the only Englishman that has more than that tally – and he was also prolific for Luton Town previously, netting 28 goals in 54 starts.
Potential
Considering he has never played above League One level it would be something of a risk to sign Marriott, but as we have seen with the likes of Dele Alli, Rickie Lambert and even Gayle in the past, there are plenty of players that have proven that it is possible to make the step up and succeed.
The 23-year-old has shown his quality in front of goal for Peterborough this season, and he looks to have a real bright future in the game with plenty of time to develop and improve his game.
Newcastle could give him that opportunity to shine in the Premier League, and having seen how he has performed this season you wouldn’t bet against the striker taking it with both hands.
Price tag
With a proposed Newcastle United takeover seemingly no closer to completion, Rafa Benitez may well be working with a reduced transfer budget this month.
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If that is the case then the Spaniard could be keeping tabs on the prolific Marriott, who could be available for around £3m according to The Mirror, although the fact that Peterborough held out for £5.5m when they sold Britt Assombalonga to Nottingham Forest in 2014 casts some doubt over that figure.
The 23-year-old would certainly be attainable for the Premier League side in a month which is known to be notoriously difficult to secure the targets you want by convincing clubs to sell for reasonable prices.
According to Bild, Manchester United have joined the race to sign Benfica forward Umaro Embalo, but the Red Devils face a battle to sign the highly-rated teenager.
What’s the story?
Barcelona, Real Madrid and RB Leipzig have all been credited with an interest in a player that is yet to represent Benfica’s first team.
Just 16 years old, Embalo is very much one for the future. Various reports in Germany have placed Leipzig as the favourites to sign one of the hottest talents in Portuguese football.
However, according to Bild, United are also very much in the race as head coach Jose Mourinho looks to further boost his youth ranks.
The report claims that United’s chief scout Javier Ribalta and head of development John Murtagh both scouted the striker last month ahead of a potential move.
In the latter stages of last year, Embalo’s agent revealed that there was a host of interest in his client, and it does appear that there will be a real scramble for his services.
What else is happening transfer-wise at United?
Well, there is the small matter of Alexis Sanchez’s potential arrival from Arsenal.
That particular transfer saga is expected to be sorted out over the next 24 hours or so, with United reportedly leading the race ahead of bitter rivals Manchester City.
It would be some deal for United if they could pull it off, and it has been suggested that Henrikh Mkhitaryan could move in the opposite direction.
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Elsewhere, Marouane Fellaini’s future remains up in the air. The Belgium international will be out of contract at the end of this season, and West Ham United are the latest club to reportedly express an interest.
January is not historically a busy month for United when it comes to transfers, but with more than half of the winter window still to go, the Red Devils have plenty of irons in the future.
According to reports in The Times, Tottenham Hotspur are still in discussions to sign £45m-rated Bordeaux winger Malcom even though they are closing in on a £25m deal to bring Lucas Moura to Wembley from Paris Saint-Germain.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Times says that Spurs are confident of completing a move for the 25-year-old before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday, with the north London outfit willing to give the Brazilian a four-and-a-half year contract.
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men are also in talks to bring another wide player in Malcom to the club, as they look to win the race to sign the in demand 20-year-old, valued at £45m by his club according to the Daily Mail.
How has Malcom done this season?
He has been excellent.
The Brazilian has scored seven goals and provided a further five assists in 21 Ligue 1 appearances so far this term, and he has become renowned for cutting in from the right and scoring from long range with his left foot.
According to WhoScored.com, the winger has successfully completed 56 of the 84 dribbles he has attempted in the French top flight during the current campaign, while he has made 50 key passes.
Would he be a good signing for Tottenham?
He certainly would be.
The 20-year-old looks to have a massive future ahead of him, and his style should mean that he is ideally suited to the Premier League.
Spurs are lacking pace and decent wide options right now, and if they could bring Lucas Moura and his Brazilian compatriot to the north London either this month or in the summer, Pochettino would be very pleased.
Will they get him?
A summer deal is looking more likely, but with former Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet now in charge of Bordeaux, the north London outfit may hope to agree a deal that sees them buy the Brazilian before loaning him back to the Ligue 1 outfit for the rest of the campaign.
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Christian Eriksen came up with Tottenham Hotspur’s equaliser in their 2-2 draw with Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday night.The Premier League club fell 2-0 behind to Juve courtesy of a double from Gonzalo Higuain, and it did appear that Spurs were effectively heading out of the competition at that point as the home side looked to secure a comfortable first-leg advantage.Tottenham had other ideas, however, with Harry Kane striking back before Eriksen, who is valued at £63m by transfermarkt.co.uk, eventually made it 2-2 in the latter stages.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/harry-kane-100.mp4Eriksen’s overall performance was brilliant, and the 26-year-old has now established himself as one of the best attacking midfielders in world football.It was actually the Dane’s birthday on Wednesday, and as expected, the Spurs supporters were out in force to lavish praise on a player that has scored nine times and registered eight assists in 33 appearances in all competitions this season.A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Manchester United star Paul Pogba has been making headlines of late, but it has not been for the right reasons.
Questions have been asked about the way in which manager Jose Mourinho utilises him in the squad.
Many fans and pundits alike have claimed that the Portuguese coach is not getting the best out of Pogba when he is part of a two-man midfield.
Pogba’s best performances in his career have been when he is given freedom to create higher up the pitch, rather than deep, where he has been positioned on occasion at United.
A recent report in The Sun claimed that Real Madrid are considering a summer move for the midfielder, who is rumoured to be unhappy with the current situation.
There are no indications that Pogba wants to quit United, but things are far from rosy as he has failed to complete a full game in his last three outings.
On Saturday, the £89m man was left out of the squad that earned a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
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Mourinho confirmed prior to the game that the Frenchman would not feature at the John Smith’s Stadium due to illness.
Rival fans took this opportunity to poke fun at United.
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has revealed his latest set of Premier League predictions for the fixtures this weekend, and he has made a big claim about Sam Allardyce’s Everton future.
While the 63-year-old helped lead the Toffees away from trouble at the end of 2017, they have struggled on the road in 2018 and the former England boss is particularly unpopular with the majority of the Goodison Park faithful.
The Merseyside outfit have lost their previous five matches on the road in all competitions, including 4-0 and 5-1 defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal respectively, while they were beaten 1-0 by Watford at Vicarage Road last weekend in what was a another below-par display.
With the Everton supporters not behind him and the football on the pitch not particularly attractive to watch, Merson believes that Allardyce won’t be in charge of the club beyond the summer.
The 49-year-old told Sky Sports: “The way Everton are playing now I’d be surprised if Sam Allardyce was there next season. I know he’s got a contract beyond that but I can’t see him staying.”
Everton currently lie in ninth position ahead of their clash against seventh-place Burnley at Turf Moor, and they have the chance to go level on points with Sean Dyche’s side with a win.
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With Erik Lamela returning from injury and Lucas Moura arriving to much fanfare in January, Tottenham’s attacking midfield berth has never been as competitive under Mauricio Pochettino as it is right now. Despite the fact the Brazilian winger is yet to actually start a Premier League fixture for his new club, his sheer presence in north London is keeping everybody on their toes.
And that, in turn, creates a question of who Tottenham’s most expendable attacking player actually is. Harry Kane won’t be dropped any time soon and Christian Eriksen’s mixture of creativity and technical quality still feels uniquely invaluable to this Spurs side.
Accordingly then, it’s Dele Alli and Heung-min Son who find themselves most under threat.It’s clear the latter is rising to the challenge, marking his weekend with a match-winning performance against Huddersfield that saw him sink the relegation-threatened Terriers with a brace at Wembley.
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Alli played his part too, providing the assist for the 61-cap South Korean’s opening goal, but Son’s performance was far superior, pulling off the most dribbles, making the joint-most chances and taking the second-most shots of any Tottenham player despite being subbed off on the 69-minute mark.
Consequently, the pressure’s now on Alli to prove his qualities are as vital to this Tottenham team as Eriksen’s creativity and Son’s industriousness and goal threat. Now the most expendable of Spurs’ attacking midfielders on current form, failing to do so could quickly see the England international lose his place in the team to one of the two alternatives waiting eagerly on Tottenham’s bench.
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Would you start Alli or Moura against Juventus on Wednesday night? Let us know by voting below…
Sunderland fans aren’t in the mood for feel good videos this week, and fans are butchering Lee Cattermole on social media.
Sunderland are in a terrible state, and their fans have just about given up. The club is currently last in the league, five points adrift of safety. The 1-0 loss to QPR on Saturday made it nine games without a win, and the fans are not in the mood for club marketing videos.
Lee Cattermole is the subject of criticism this time, after the club posted a video of the midfielder visiting his old school.
The 29 year-old started his career with Middlesbrough, but has made 173 league appearances for the Black Cats, scoring just twice.
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Cattermole has started 27 league games for the Black Cats this season, averaging just a 73.6% pass success rate and picking up plenty of cards along the way. Needless to say, fans aren’t all that impressed by the midfielder’s form, and have used the club video to bash the 29 year-old.
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While some fans will appreciate the midfielder never lacks effort, they don’t seem to think he’s the best person for the kids to ask how to be a great footballer. Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
A tweet from Aston Villa’s official Twitter account on Monday afternoon revealed that it was time for the club’s supporters to vote for their Player of the Year.
The season is far from finished, and Villa are currently battling for automatic Premier League promotion, but it does seem that they will have to settle for the playoffs.
There were three names that continued to crop up in response to the tweet, with James Chester, Robert Snodgrass and Albert Adomah all mentioned.
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Adomah has scored 15 times and registered seven assists in 31 Championship appearances for Villa this season, whilst Snodgrass has managed eight goals and 12 assists in 33 appearances in the second tier.
Chester, meanwhile, has been outstanding at centre-back for Steve Bruce’s side, and is very popular with the club’s fans.
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There have been a number of impressive performers for Villa this season, but it does appear that Chester, Snodgrass and Adomah will be up there when it comes to the voting.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: