Tottenham are one of several teams chasing Bordeaux winger Francois Kamano, but the winger has Premier League flop written all over him.
What’s the story?
According to reports, Tottenham, West Ham and Everton are all eying the winger who has scored five times in seven Ligue 1 games this season.
The report claims several Premier League teams are interested in the electric young winger, but that those three in particular are monitoring him closely.
While the 22 year-old has had a fantastic start to the season, Tottenham have a terrible record when buying lightweight youngsters from Ligue 1, and Kamano has “another N’Koudou” written all over him.
Clinton N’Jie made just eight league appearances in North London, failing to score a single goal. Just 12 months after signing N’Jie, the Lilywhites signed N’koudou, who struggled for playing time on loan at Burnley.
Kamano has no doubt had a superb start to the season, scoring five times already from the left wing, but his goalscoring record suggests this form will not continue.
The youngster has managed just 18 league goals in 71 appearances for Bordeaux, after scoring just seven times in 47 league appearances for Bastia.
The 22 year-old has electric pace, can beat defenders one-on-one, and loves cutting inside to shoot on his right foot, so perhaps Mauricio Pochettino could be the man to get more end product out of him, but it would still be a huge risk from Tottenham.
So, Spurs fans, do you think Kamano would be a good signing? Do you need another winger? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…
Loads of Everton fans have been discussing Saturday’s trip to Leicester, and they’re practically begging Marco Silva to start Bernard on the left wing.
After a dominant performance against Fulham, Everton travel to the King Power stadium on Saturday knowing a win will lift them into the top ten.
The Toffees have had an up-and-down start to the season, but the three goals last weekend were a sign of what can happen when Marco Silva’s system clicks.
Silva’s side looked particularly dangerous on the counter attack once Bernard was introduced, and fans are desperate to see more of the little Brazilian.
The 26-year-old picked up a fabulous assist in the win over Fulham, but has yet to start a Premier League match since his move to Goodison.
With none of the Toffees’ strikers managing to find form this season, fans are calling for Richarlison to be moved to a central position, which would allow Bernard to slot in on the left wing.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Lots of Tottenham fans have been giving their verdict on the goalkeeper situation, and a surprising amount of fans want Hugo Lloris to lose his place.
Lloris returned to the starting eleven for Tottenham’s huge clash against Barcelona, and the World Cup winner took just two minutes to make a dreadful mistake.
The 31 year-old is the club captain and for good reason, producing plenty of magical moments through his time in North London.
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However, his mistake at Wembley on Wednesday reminded fans just how mistake-prone he can be, as it was not the first time his lapses of concentration have led to a goal.
Lots of fans are now calling for Paulo Gazzaniga to take over in goal, as the 26 year-old was fantastic against Brighton and Watford.
Gazzaniga was only given the nod for those two matches thanks to an injury for Michel Vorm, but Lloris’ mistakes have got fans wondering if it’s time to pass the reigns.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Roma striker Edin Dzeko has expressed his desire to return to the Premier League, as reported by Sky Sports.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina forward has previously enjoyed a successful five-year spell in England with Manchester City, winning the title twice at the Etihad Stadium.
At 32 years of age, the 6’4” target man would likely now have little to offer Pep Guardiola’s side but he could still have a big impact for a club a little way down the Premier League table.
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With Everton’s expensive centre-forward Cenk Tosun struggling to get to grips with English football, the Toffees would be wise to sign a proven Premier League marksmen in January. If Marco Silva could tempt Dzeko to Goodison Park on a short term contract or loan deal in the winter transfer window then that would be a great bit of business.
What do you think, Everton fans – would you be pleased to see the club sign Dzeko in January?
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Results like this can be anomalies, but to downplay an England victory that ended Spain’s incredible 38-game undefeated streak at home as a mere freak occurrence would be to ignore the obvious progress the Three Lions have made under Gareth Southgate and particularly since the start of the World Cup, not to mention the manner in which this current Spain team is still caught in the transition between two generations.
Victory in Betis vindicated and underlined an England World Cup campaign which lacked exactly that kind of headline moment, a win against opposition deemed equal or superior to the Three Lions, a shrewdly efficient and pragmatic performance against one of the world’s best. It was unquestionably an accommodating route to the semi-final, and when England got there they found themselves ill-equipped to counter-act a team of Croatia’s intelligence, experience and overall calibre.
Spain may not be the Spain of 2010 or 2012, but this is still a highly-talented team blessed with a mix of all-time greats, top-class players and overtly offensive intentions. To beat them on the road is a massive moment for this England team; validation of all the hard work, proof the World Cup run was no fortuitous fluke and perhaps most importantly of all, further evidence that this current Three Lions crop has no reason to be shackled by the disappointments of the past in the same way the Golden Generation always seemingly were.
Soccer Football – UEFA Nations League – League A – Group 4 – Spain v England – Estadio Benito Villamarin, Seville, Spain – October 15, 2018 England’s Raheem Sterling celebrates with Kieran Trippier after scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
But for Southgate too, it’s a seminal event during his tenure in charge of the Three Lions. He’s as much a part of the development journey as the likes of John Stones, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard – players who have unequivocally improved with his guidance and endorsement – and has been learning about elite level international football by the game as well. 3-1-4-2 was an inspired tactical quip but has proved a poor fit for top-quality sides who have the technical talent to dominate midfield, and after the first international break of the season it already felt like it had become something of a dogma.
Southgate though, showed his awareness and openness to adapting against Croatia, selecting his first non-back-three starting XI for a calendar year, and 4-3-3 proved an even smarter setup to counteract Spain. When England lost 2-1 at Wembley last month, full-backs Marcos Alonso and Dani Carvajal had the most touches of any players on the pitch and accordingly played the biggest hand in Spain taking a foothold in the game.
But with wingers Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford marking tightly this time as part of a wider forward line, both centre-backs and Sergio Busquets saw more of the ball in bogged down central areas.
But even after 4-3-3 provided the basis for a much-improved performance versus England’s World Cup nemeses and a potentially crucial point in the context of survival in the Nations League’s top tier, there were still questions to pose upon Southgate. While the use of 3-1-4-2 at the World Cup and the subsequent reversion back to a four-man defence has demonstrated Southgate’s ability to make the right changes between matches, his in-game management and chiefly his use of substitutions have left much more to be desired.
Those questions were posed by us at Football FanCast, after Southgate elected to use just one substitute against Croatia which changed neither the shape nor the game-plan of the England side despite heading towards a scoreless draw. It highlighted the lack of ambition, awareness and inventiveness Southgate’s substitutions have often shown, and his failure to change the direction of matches in games.
During World Cup encounters, England very rarely deviated from the format of their 3-1-4-2, the vast majority of Southgate’s substitutions being like-for-like, and before Monday’s victory, England had rather tellingly scored just once in their previous ten games after the gaffer had made his first substitution.
That run now spans to eleven encounters, but England’s victory owed much to how Southgate continuously modified the structure of his team to reflect the altering challenges and changing dynamics of a heavyweight encounter the Three Lions surprisingly ran away with in the first half. After the interval, it was already clear Southgate had sought to amend the mentality of his side, to push it a few yards deeper and demand the wide players to operate more as part of the midfield than the support acts to Harry Kane. They stayed goal-side, and rarely gambled on space to develop for counter-attacks like in the first half.
The first England substitution of the evening too, made the change in tone even more obvious. By bringing on Manchester City’s Kyle Walker for Chelsea’s Ross Barlkey, Southgate had switched what had become a 4-5-1 into a 5-4-1. It allowed Spain to dominate the ball – England eventually finishing up with just 27% possession – but it also put a near-impenetrable wall in front of the hosts and gave them different obstacles to overcome as their legs became more tired.
The full-backs could get up the pitch but were never afforded the space to make an impact and the midfielders could get onto the ball but found the path to any targets further forward cut out by two rows of England players. It wasn’t pretty, but it was exactly what England needed to do to take all three points and Southgate deserves every respect for achieving something that hasn’t often been seen from himself or for that matter, many England managers – beating elite opposition not only with fantastic football, but also astute instruction from the dugout.
For not only England’s players but also Southgate, victory in Betis was a breakthrough moment.
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The majority of the Celtic fans that answered our recent poll want Brendan Rodgers to drop his three-at-the-back formation for the trip to RB Leipzig on Thursday.
Celtic have both of the European teams that are owned by Red Bull in their Europa League group, and when Rodgers played with a back three away at RB Salzburg they were humiliated in a 3-1 defeat.
The Northern Irish boss also used the formation last weekend against Hibernian, hinting that it would also be deployed in Germany, but the Bhoys conceded twice and had striker Odsonne Edouard to thank as his two goals ensured a 4-2 win despite the dodgy defending.
The Parkhead side must surely avoid defeat against Leipzig, as a loss would put both of the Red Bull sides at least three points ahead of the Bhoys in Group B, and 71 per cent of Celtic fans thought a back four would be the best bet. Check out the full results below.
West Ham United are pondering over a loan deal that would bring Konstantinos Mitroglou to the London Stadium, according to the Daily Mail.
What’s the word?
Former Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou is currently at Marseille having joined the French side in the summer of 2017 from Benfica, after rebuilding his career at the Estadio da Luz.
His time at Les Phoceens is not going too badly either, having scored three goals in both the Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France so far, on top of 13 last season.
Marseille, however, are looking to restructure their wage bill and deem the striker an acceptable loss in January, leading to reports in the Daily Mail that he could be off on loan to West Ham.
Unfinished business in England
Injuries crippled the Greek international’s time in the Premier League, something West Ham fans know too well about with Andy Carroll regularly on the physio’s table.
Without the striker back-ups to call on, Manuel Pellegrini often only has Marko Arnautovic to lead the line for the claret and blue side – which makes the Hammers looking to bring in another striking option a sensible move.
A loan deal for Mitroglou would give the Irons another option up top without having to adapt the team’s game plan too drastically, and would push Arnautovic to up his performances to ensure he stays in Pellegrini’s starting XI.
Mitroglou’s time of note at Fulham also lasted just half a term having joined in the 2014 January window before being shipped out on loan back to his former side Olympiacos in the summer. Upon returning, another temporary move followed to Benfica, who opted to buy the international forward in 2016.
Just six months in the Premier League, but mostly out injured, leaves the striker with unfinished business that could help fire the Irons up the table having registered a little over a goal every game on average.
West Ham United summer target Brahim Diaz impressed and scored a brace in Manchester City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup win against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night, and the Irons looked to have missed out on signing their ideal No.10.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Sun reported back in June that Manuel Pellegrini was keen to bring the teenager to the London Stadium on a season-long loan deal as a replacement for long-term injury absentee Manuel Lanzini.
However, with the Chilean manager bringing the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko, Lucas Perez and Felipe Anderson to the club during a busy summer transfer window a temporary move for Diaz never materialised.
The 19-year-old has found first-team opportunities hard to come by under Pep Guardiola this term despite being highly rated by the Spaniard, and he has featured for just 148 minutes in all competitions.
Why have West Ham missed out?
Well, Pellegrini has favoured a 4-3-3 system in recent weeks but without Lanzini, they have been missing that player who can make an attacking difference from the middle of the park.
Mark Noble and Felipe Anderson have both attempted and ultimately failed to fill that role in recent weeks, and the Irons really need a player who can score and create through the centre behind Marko Arnautovic.
Diaz proved against Fulham on Thursday that he could have done that job effectively for the east London outfit, and Pellegrini should be regretting missing out on a player who could have taken up the No.10 mantle in Lanzini’s absence and improved their dwindling goal threat.
According to the Daily Express, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard will be backed by the board in the transfermarket to make four new signings, and one of those should be a loan move for Wolves youngster Morgan Gibbs-White.
What’s the situation?
The Express reports that although Rangers announced losses of £14m recently, there will be funds available for Gerrard to add to his squad in the winter transfer window, and a midfielder is a target.
The Liverpool and England legend made 15 signings over the summer but was critical of his side after their Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Aberdeen recently, claiming that they didn’t have enough quality to compete for trophies.
Rangers got back to winning ways on the weekend though, despite leaving it late to beat St Mirren away from home, as Daniel Candeias and Alfredo Morelos both netted in the last ten minutes. However, a move for Gibbs-White in January would certainly bolster the midfield options.
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Bolstering the midfield
The 18-year-old Wolves ace, who could develop his game under the guidance of Gerrard, has made five substitute appearances in the Premier League so far, and impressed when getting his longest stint of almost 30 minutes from the bench against Tottenham on Saturday evening.
However, the West Midlands side are now out of the Carabao Cup and opportunities for starts could become rarer for the youngster, meaning a loan move to Scotland could be his best bet in January.
Gibbs-White is an England U19 international and was a member of the triumphant U17 World Cup squad last year.
So, Rangers fans, would you like to see a move for Gibbs-White in January? Have your say by voting in the poll below.
Manchester City hitman Sergio Aguero has been enjoying himself in Los Angeles on the international break after being exiled from the Argentina squad following their turbulent World Cup campaign in Russia.
Aguero has hit 11 goals in 15 games so far this season for City as the Premier League champions remain unbeaten. However, this has not been enough for the 30-year-old to earn a call up for his national side.
During the summer tournament, chaos broke out in the Argentina camp as the players revolted against manager Jorge Sampaoli and won only one of four matches, before being knocked out by eventual winners France in the last 16.
Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below…
Aguero though has clearly been enjoying his time off. City’s all-time leading goalscorer posted a video of himself being driven in a £200,000, 203mph Ferrari 488 Spider before the Mail Online reported that he paid a visit to Ground House Burger.
Pep Guardiola and the dieticians at City may not have been too impressed though as Aguero tucked in to the California restaurant’s ‘Magical Burger’, which consists of marshmallows and sprinkles along with the usual beef patties and cheese, all inside a rainbow-coloured bun.