German legend Oliver Bierhoff has let slip that Leon Goretzka is set to join a Premier League club, according to The Metro, with Liverpool favourites to land the Schalke star.
What’s the Story?
It’s safe to say that Oliver Bierhoff is probably one of the least popular people in Leon Goretzka’s camp right now.
In an interview with The Guardian, the former German striker was asked about the financial powers of the Premier League and stated;
“We feel that England, because of the amount of money you have with TV rights, young talented players like Leroy Sané and [Schalke’s] Leon Goretzka are moving to England and this is not good for our league but also for the quality of our game. We have to pay attention and invest again and again in the education of our coaches.”
This has ignited speculation among Liverpool fans, who believe that the Schalke man, valued at £20.7million by Transfermarkt, is on his way to Anfield.
Would Goretzka be a good signing for Liverpool?
Hailed as one of Germany’s brightest young stars, there is perhaps no better place for Goretzka to expand his already accomplished game than under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp.
A super talented box-to-box midfielder, Goretzka’s fast-paced contribution to the defensive and offensive phases of the game make him a perfect addition to the Liverpool midfield.
And at 22 years of age, Goretzka could become a mainstay of the Liverpool side for the next 10 years. Reds fans must now cross their fingers that the German international hasn’t been snapped up by one of their Premier League rivals.
It was another frustrating evening for Tottenham Hotspur as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have failed to win their last three Premier League games.
The negative run began with a 2-0 loss to arch rivals Arsenal and that was followed up with a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
On Tuesday night, the team had an opportunity to get back on track with a trip to Leicester, but goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez damaged them.
Harry Kane managed to pull a goal back for Spurs, but they were unable to build on that.
As it stands, the North London outfit are 13 points adrift of league leaders Manchester City and that could be extended to 16 if Pep Guardiola’s side beat Southampton on Wednesday evening.
Tottenham’s title race has taken a massive hit, and now fans are turning on some of the club’s key players.
Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen failed to impress the supporters, and now some want the pair to be dropped for this weekend’s game against Watford.
Instead of carrying Manchester United through lean years with the odd trophy, acting as a talismanic figure like a Steven Gerrard or a John Terry amid tough times, Wayne Rooney’s decline by the age of 30 was sharp and painful. Much like his own team’s decline after the Ferguson years.
In the summer, he was shipped back to boyhood club Everton, his best years firmly in the rear-view mirror.
It’s not easy to pinpoint exactly where he lost it, and it’s harder still to tell exactly what it was he lost: it wasn’t just his pace or his ability to mark games, it wasn’t a yard of pace nor was it simply that his legs gave way. On top of all that, Rooney seemed to lose something much more important than that. He lost an edge he carried with him even in the most meaningless of games.
Ever since he broke onto the scene with a stunning long-range strike past David Seaman against Arsenal at Goodison Park, Rooney had a spark that stood him out from the rest. A young Wayne Rooney was turbulent, fiery and competitive, but that only spurred him on to some sort of greatness. Fighting with referees and opponents alike, he was never the perfect number nine; he would drop deep to help his team, not necessarily through any stunning technical abilities but through determination and drive and a willingness to help.
But he was also naturally and explosively talented. He was almost obscenely talented. Perhaps one goal above all other sums up Wayne Rooney at his peak, though that peak came earlier in his career than many expected.
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After winning four league titles in five years at the turn of the Millennium, Manchester United started on a downward trajectory. Falling slightly behind an Arsenal side who went an entire season unbeaten in 2003/04, Jose Mourinho’s arrival in the Premier League also seemed to change the dynamic. It wasn’t clear that Alex Ferguson, the United boss, was even still the right man to continue to lead the club, and talk of retirement wasn’t too far away.
And yet, in hindsight, did anyone really expect that the fiercest of fiery Scots would bow out on a low note because of the successes of an Invincible Wenger and a suave Portuguese newcomer who called himself ‘The Special One’? Instead, Ferguson spent the guts of £30m on a special teenage talent, Wayne Rooney.
It was a gamble in some ways. The Evertonian youngster’s talent was not in doubt, but English football had seen talented young players given too much too soon. Michael Owen was at the top of his game, but injuries were hampering him, possibly from burnout, whilst the likes of Francis Jeffers and Danny Cadamarteri had both come from the Everton academy only to shine brightly and fade. But Rooney was far too talented for that.
A stellar Euro 2004 behind him, he burst through on his United debut to score a hat-trick in the Champions League against Fenerbahce, and if anyone thought Rooney was a flash in the pan, they had to dispel the idea.
Football Soccer Britain – Manchester United v Everton – Wayne Rooney Testimonial – Old Trafford – 3/8/16 Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney applauds the fans after the match Action Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.
But there was an edge to Rooney, a tempestuous flair which saw him on the cusp at all times. It’s where he played his best football, but it could also get him into trouble.
As his first season progressed, though, Rooney’s United were blown away not just by Arsenal, who finished above them in the Premier League and lifted the FA Cup after beating them on penalties, but also by Mourinho’s Chelsea, who won the league and beat United in the semi-final of the League Cup on their way to lifting that trophy, too.
Indeed, coming second in their Champions League group behind French champions Lyon meant drawing AC Milan in the first knockout round of the Champions League, which would eventually be won by old enemies Liverpool. A trophyless season for United could only have been made worse by the fact that so many of those most hated clubs around them had such successful seasons and won all the silverware.
But Rooney was still the bright spot, and would go on to become the club’s all-time top goalscorer, even if nothing quite got much better for Rooney than his goal in the second half of the season at home to Newcastle.
United were 1-0 down in a game that probably didn’t have too much riding on it: Liverpool and Everton were probably too far behind to make much of a difference to United’s season, whilst Arsenal and Chelsea were too far ahead. With only four games left after the visit of the Magpies, United were focusing more on next season than this one.
And yet, Rooney still had that edge, that competitive streak and the will to win that defined his early career. Arguing with the referee over some supposed infringement the nature of which is lost permanently to the mists of time, Rooney is incensed and fired up: just enough so that when the ball breaks to him in the middle of the pitch, he’s able to unleash an animalistic volley, hit so sweetly that you can only assume the pent-up frustration at the set-to with the ref was taken out on the ball. It was hit so savagely and with such venom that, mercifully, you get the feeling the referee was lucky the ball was there to distract Rooney from what he might done instead.
Things would get better for Rooney at United. A trophyless season was followed up by one which didn’t get too much better, even though the League Cup saw the Liverpudlian collect his first winner’s medal the next February. It was later on, when United won the Champions League and appeared in two more finals and won another five Premier League titles, that Rooney finally fulfilled his promise in terms of silverware.
And yet, despite all the accolades and the awards, the trophies and the records, what would life have been like if Rooney had been able to continue his career with the same hunger and anger that he started it with. Just what would he have achieved?
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that Raheem Sterling is far from the finished package despite the attacker’s brilliant form during the 2017-18 campaign.
Sterling struggled for consistency in his first two years with the Citizens, but has been key to City’s incredible form in the opening months of this season.
The 23-year-old, who is rated at £45m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has scored 13 times and provided four assists in 20 appearances for his English club in all competitions this term.
The England international will now enter Sunday’s Manchester derby with Manchester United looking to continue his brilliant run of form.
Guardiola, however, has said that every young player ‘can do better’, and has tipped Sterling to continue improving as he develops in the coming years.
Guardiola told reporters at his pre-match press conference
“At 23 years old, always you can do better. You have a lot of distance to achieve your best level. Sterling has a lot of things to improve and that’s why he will have a long career.”
Nine of Sterling’s 13 goals this season have come in 13 Premier League appearances, and he has managed two in his last three league matches for the Citizens.
New Arsenal manager Unai Emery has made an approach for PSV winger Hirving Lozano after his impressive World Cup performances, according to Transfer Market Web, via TalkSport.
What’s the story, then?
The report says that the Gunners have approached the Mexican after a World Cup where he announced himself, especially with the definitive contribution in his country’s victory over world champions Germany in their opening game of the tournament.
That came on the back of a mightily impressive 19-goal season in Dutch football, to prove that he is no flash in the pan.
That reliability in front of goal has reportedly interested Arsenal and made Emery consider him as someone who could be a part of his Emirates revolution.
What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.
Arsenal lack quality out wide
Arsenal have lost Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in wide areas within the last year, and the likes of Alex Iwobi have been unable to step up and fill the breach.
Emery will need genuine pace and width at times in his maiden season in English football and flying wideman Lozano fits the bill perfectly.
He is on another level to Iwobi, not least in terms of productivity in front of goal and Emery must make sure he does all he can to land him after his World Cup heroics brought him to wider attention.
Ademola Lookman’s future at Everton is far from certain ahead of the new season.
The 20-year-old spent the second half of the 2017-18 campaign on loan at RB Leipzig – scoring five times and registering four assists in 11 Bundesliga appearances.
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It is understood that Leipzig want to sign the attacker on a permanent deal this summer, and the Everton fans have been reacting to the transfer speculation.
To be blunt, the Toffees are desperate for 5ft 9in ace Lookman to remain.
The attacker has actually only made seven Premier League appearances for the Toffees since a move from Charlton Athletic in January 2017.
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However, there is a feeling that the England Under-21 international could be a real star at Goodison Park alongside the likes of Cenk Tosun if given the chance.
In response to a tweet from Lookman on Thursday, the Everton fans urged the attacker to stay with the club in this summer’s transfer window.
A selection of the best Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:
After a surprising season last year, Newcastle managed to finish 10th in the league but after a poor transfer window, it seems Newcastle could be in for a tough season.
Top of the list for Benitez this summer has been to find a goalscorer to lead the line to fill the shoes Aleksander Mitrovic, who is close to a move £20 million move to Fulham. With his departure, Newcastle will have no genuine threat up front as seen by their struggles going forward last season.
With Newcastle failing to strike a deal for a striker so far this summer, according to Bild, the club are now targeting Japan international Yoshinori Muto.
The Breakdown
According to the report, Newcastle will need to fend off from West Ham in the Japan international who impressed last season with Mainz.
With only a year left on his current deal, Mainz are ready to cash on Muto. The striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past but would be a poor move for Newcastle. While the Muto make come as a cheap cut-price deal – something Mike Ashley loves – the money just isn’t worth it.
He scored eight goals in 27 appearances for Mainz last year, hardly the record of a hotshot striker. Muto hasn’t had much experience of top-level football and although at 26, he is entering the prime of his career, the move just doesn’t make sense.
Newcastle need a striker who’s going to get close to at least 20 to keep them in the league, Muto isn’t that man to do that.
Nowadays, astronomical transfer fees are the norm, and most Premier League clubs will have to pay over the odds to get their desired target.
Despite this, whenever a club tables a hefty amount, there is criticism from some quarters, and Liverpool are currently experiencing it.
According to BBC Sport on Wednesday, the Merseyside outfit have had a fee in the region of £66m accepted by Roma for goalkeeper Alisson, who is expected to finalise a switch to Anfield in the coming days.
If the deal goes through, then the Brazil international will be the world’s most expensive keeper.
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It will be the second time in seven months that Liverpool have smashed a world-record fee having spent £75m on defender Virgil van Dijk in January.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has been receiving some criticism for the lavish spending after he claimed to reporters in 2016 that he would quit football if world-record fees became the norm.
“If you bring one player in for £100m and he gets injured, then it all goes through the chimney. The day that this is football, I’m not in a job anymore.”
The German coach has been accused of hypocrisy, but now some Liverpool fans are hitting back at the haters.
Celtic are through to the next round of the Champions League following a comfortable 6-0 aggregate win over Alashkert.
The Hoops are aiming to reach the group stages of the competition for the fifth season in a row. Manager Brendan Rodgers will be hoping for a better performance than last year, as they finished third in their Champions League group to thus qualify for the Europa League, where they bowed out in the last 32. Nonetheless, the win over the Armenian champions last week sets up a showdown with Denmark’s Rosenborg.
Rodgers has added just two players to his squad this summer, landing Scott Bain on a free transfer and signing Odsonne Eduoard on a permanent deal from Paris St Germain.
The Northern Irishman is in the market for a new centre-back and a playmaker to bolster his midfield, and the former Liverpool boss should look to Manchester City youngster Brahim Diaz in a bid to solve the latter problem.
Valued at £4.5 million by Transfermarkt, the 18-year-old is highly regarded at the Etihad Stadium, but is unlikely to break into the first team due to the abundance of talent available to Citizens boss Pep Guardiola.
He made 13 appearances in Premier League 2 last year, scoring four and assisting four, yet a loan move may be his next move in order to get regular first-team football, and thus start fulfilling his undoubted potential at senior level.
Celtic have loaned players from City in the past and should aim to be first in line for Diaz. The youngster can play through the middle or out wide and would be a stellar addition to the squad.
Blessed with excellent technical ability, Diaz has the ability to unlock defences and bring the best out of the Celtic attackers, which is why they absolutely must seek to lure the 18-year-old wonderkid to the SPFL this summer.
West Ham fans have been debating a swoop for Wilfried Zaha, after a recent report in The Evening Standard said he has rejected a new Crystal Palace contract.
According to the report, Zaha has asked to leave Selhurst Park, rejecting a whopping new contract offer of around £125,000-a-week.
The report claims Palace have whacked a £70m price tag on the dazzling winger though, meaning interested parties like Tottenham are now considering offering a player as part of the deal to bring the price down.
That could work well for West Ham though, as the Eagles have expressed an interest in Michail Antonio.
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Various reports have claimed Antonio could make the switch to Palace this summer, and if the 28 year-old knocked around £20m off the price tag then West Ham could grab themselves one of the best attacking forces in the league.
Pellegrini has already brought Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko in to support Marko Arnautovic, and adding Zaha would bring enough pace and creativity to win Arnautovic the golden boot.
You can find the full poll results down below, where over two thirds of fans think they should use Antonio to make the shock swoop…