All posts by h79snht.top

So, Spurs’ season is not really going to plan. Despite thumping Swansea and CSKA Moscow last week, defeat to Manchester United leaves the Lilywhites three points off of the top four. Having been knocked out of the Champions League, Mauricio Pochettino’s side must see the league as their primary focus for this season – or so one would imagine.

The challenging, hectic Christmas period will be definitive in their campaign. In desperate need of a run of positive results, Spurs must start off as they mean to go on against Hull this week. With a large, young squad, Pochettino might see fit to rotate his players and take advantage of some individuals that have only appeared fleetingly this season.

While some of the supposed key first-teamers experience turbulent periods of form, Spurs can look elsewhere in the club for answers. Pochettino has demonstrated his faith in young players on countless occasions and we can expect to see evidence of that over the following weeks.

For now, though, they must focus on Hull and giving these THREE an opportunity…

Harry Winks

Despite the riches Tottenham have in midfield, Harry Winks has broken into first-team contention and looks set to retain a position in the squad. Mauricio Pochettino’s faith in young players has been to the benefit of Winks, who appeared for a late cameo at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Rotation will be vital at this juncture and Winks is a more than able filler. He can play in an attacking role or as a deeper player aiding the initial build-up phase, too. Winks will be all the better for each minute of Premier League experience.

Georges-Kevin N’Koudou

Considering the complete carnage that has been the Moussa Sissoko signing, Spurs should utilise all their wide players. N’Koudou has been hidden from first-team action for much of this campaign, but several exciting appearances from the bench show that he can be a real threat for Pochettino’s side.

Hull will look to congest the centre of the park and restrict the space for Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen to exploit, so Spurs must find a way to stretch the game. N’Koudou’s electric turn of pace and sparkling feet make him a devastating player in one-on-one situations and that could just be the difference.

Shayon Harrison

Shayon Harrison made a brief appearance late on against Liverpool in the EFL Cup this season and he was a decent touch away from scoring a dramatic late goal. Possessing pace that will terrify any defence, Harrison could be the forward to add an extra dimension to the Spurs attack, particularly from the bench.

Perhaps used alongside Harry Kane, Harrison is a willing runner of the channels and could stretch Hull’s defence in a way that few other Spurs players are able to.

As reported in an exclusive by The Sun, Sam Allardyce is ready to do early business at Crystal Palace and he’s looking at Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs as potentially his first signing since for the Eagles.

What’s the word?

One of the key weak areas in the Palace first team is on the flanks of their defence and Allardyce is ready to solve that problem with a move for a player struggling to find his way into Arsene Wenger’s plans.

The Sun reckon Gibbs is a long-term target of Palace, on their radar back when Alan Pardew was the man in charge at Selhurst Park.

With just 18 months left on his contract, it could be the right time for a team like Palace to come in for the 27 year old and offer him a different option to the squad fringes at the Emirates.

The right fit?

Neither Martin Kelly nor Joel Ward have managed to consistently perform for the Eagles this season and they’re in need of an experienced hand on their left hand side who can perform both defensive duties and offer an attacking threat.

Only Swansea and Hull have conceded more goals than Palace in the Premier League this season and plugging that gap must be one of Sam Allardyce’s priorities in order to keep them up.

Gibbs has played more than 220 games for Arsenal and has 10 caps for England. It’s experience that would be very valuable to a team like Palace, especially in a relegation fight.

The left-back still plays on a regular basis for the Gunners but is seen more as back-up or a rotation option for the likes of Nacho Monreal than a key first team starter himself.

It’s that promise of a key role that could prove tempting for the defender in any potential move to Palace.

[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’] [ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Top of the Premier League and on course for, at worst, a return to the Champions League, Antonio Conte’s debut season as Chelsea boss has been a runaway success thus far.

Granted, the Italian tactician was always onto a winner at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues having underperformed to such an extent in 2015/16 that pretty much anything he achieved would be seen as progress, while he was also allowed to pay big for one of Leicester’s key title-winning stars, N’Golo Kante, and serial trophy-winner, David Luiz. However, that does not take away from the manner in which he has transformed Chelsea’s fortunes, with the Londoners’ 13 league victories on the spin at the back end of 2016 a stunning achievement.

[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]

Alas, he does have a headache looming on the horizon. Indeed, his centre-back positions are far from secure heading towards 2017/18, with John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic due to be out of contract this summer, while Kurt Zouma’s long-term fitness is up in the air after a lengthy knee injury. So, at least one new recruit is needed, and Il Tempo have reported that Lazio’s €40m (£34.1m) Dutchman Stefan de Vrij is wanted.

Well-versed in playing in a back-three at both club and international level, the 24-year-old appears a logical name on Conte’s hit-list, and his stats from this season are encouraging, too…

De Vrij has returned from a long-term injury this season, but has looked excellent in Serie A, managing 14 appearances and looking defensively astute in all of them. 36 interceptions, 22 successful tackles and 19 aerial duels won illustrate his prowess, while zero errors leading to goals and a 86% pass completion display the sort of composure needed to function in a Conte team.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

It was only a few weeks ago that Manchester United legend Patrice Evra was linked with a return to Old Trafford.

However, Sky Italia reports that the France international is on the verge of joining Crystal Palace after giving a thumbs up to the transfer.

Evra spent eight glittering years at United, winning five Premier League titles, three League Cups and the Champions League trophy.

[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]

The left-back departed in 2014 and joined Juventus, where he has picked up two Serie A winner’s medals, but this season his time on the pitch has been limited to just six league appearances, three of which were as a substitute.

Palace are targeting defenders in this transfer window in a bid to shore up at the back after conceding 37 goals in 20 top-flight matches.

At the age of 35, Evra is entering the twilight years of his career, and it remains to be seen whether he can still handle the physicality of the Premier League.

Judging by the reaction on Twitter, plenty of fans would welcome him to Selhurst Park, while others are baffled as to why Evra would want to sign for the Eagles.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Southampton were a tad unfortunate during the closing weeks of January in relation to their centre-back situation. Jose Fonte’s ‘toys out of the pram’ situation meant that the Saints had to let their 33-year-old fans’ favourite move on – he eventually joined West Ham – and just days after that, Virgil van Dijk was ruled out for the bulk of the rest of the season through injury. Ouch… in more ways than one.

Jack Stephens stepped in admirably in his first match post-VVD – the EFL Cup semi-final second-leg win over Liverpool at Anfield – but since that heroic showing, between the academy graduate and Maya Yoshida, ten goals have been conceded in three matches.

[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]

However, even with the transfer window closed, the South Coast side may be able to get in an option to boost Claude Puel’s backline, and TuttoMercatoWeb are reporting that free agent Martin Caceres is a target for them.

The Uruguayan international has been without a club since seeing his contract at Juventus expire last summer, with a knee injury having kept him from kick-starting his career away from Turin. This is a move filled with ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’; yet, as his stats from since the start of 2012/13 show – in which he’s played enough minutes to equate to just over 41 Serie A games – he could be a risk worth taking…

As the numbers show, the South American has completed 91% of his passes (2,615), made 142 clearances, 70 tackles, won 65 aerial duels and put in 59 interceptions. Such stats are somewhat skewed by playing for one of the best teams in European football, but Caceres has certainly shown that he’s a quality option with plenty of pedigree.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

As reported by The Mirror, Celtic are facing fresh interest from one of Europe’s biggest clubs for the signature of their star striker Moussa Dembele.

What’s the story?

A week barely goes by without a new club throwing their hat in the ring on Dembele’s future and this Sunday is no different.

The Mirror reckon that German giants Bayern Munich are the latest interested in signing the young Frenchman and have signalled their intent to make a move in the summer.

Carlo Ancelotti and the money men at Bayern rate him at around £30m, according to the paper, which would prove very tempting indeed for Celtic this summer. Should they sell?

The key to Europe

Keeping Moussa Dembele must rank high on Brendan Rodgers’ wishlist this summer as he plans another assault on the UEFA Champions League. Qualifying for the group stages is the main and basic aim of Celtic’s European adventures but their ambitions lie beyond that. What they want more than anything is qualification through the groups for either the last 16 of the Champions League or last 32 of the Europa League.

Dembele, who scored five European goals in his first few months at the club, is absolutely key to those ambitions and if at all possible Celtic should hold on to him, at least for another year.

Yes, the reported £30m is massive money to receive as a Scottish club but in a changing and increasingly bloated transfer market, Dembele’s value could rise even higher with more Champions League goals under his belt. Those goals could well fire them to where they want to be as a club.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Diego Simeone will snub the advances of Arsenal and other top European sides to stay at Atletico Madrid this summer and oversee the club’s move into a new stadium, Spanish outlet AS reports.

What’s the word?

Spanish giants Atletico Madrid face a tough few months ahead as they’re at great risk of failing to qualify for the Champions League, as they currently sit just one-point ahead of fifth-placed Real Sociedad. On top of this, there’s question marks surrounding the future of key figures.

One of those important names at Atletico Madrid who has been linked with a summer exit is manager Diego Simeone, with the Argentine boss being linked with the likes of Arsenal and Inter Milan. However, he’s going nowhere.

AS report Simeone is already working to identify summer targets and will oversee Atletico’s move from the Vicente Calderon to the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium.

When will Simeone go?

Simeone’s future is not tied to Atletico Madrid forever though and he made headline news earlier this season when he cut short his long-term deal with the Spanish side, which sees his current deal expire in 2018- and it’s widely expected he’ll move on then.

He’s spoken previously about his desire to manage former side Inter Milan and that could become a possibility next year. However, he will oversee Atletico Madrid in a huge period of transition- where they’re expected to lose key-players like Antoine Griezmann.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

Speaking exclusively to the official Celtic website, Stuart Armstrong has paid tribute to Brendan Rodgers for revitalise his career at the Hoops.

What’s the story?

Stuart Armstrong was going nowhere fast at Celtic prior to Rodgers arrival in Glasgow but almost one season on looks indispensable to the current team. He was on the scoresheet just two days ago, netting a vital derby goal to help his side earn a point against visiting Rangers.

That form has earned him a Scotland call-up and he’s on the verge of receiving his first international cap for Scotland in the upcoming international break.

He’s now hailed his manager for bringing his career at Celtic back from the brink.

As quoted by the official Celtic website, Armstrong said:

Since he came in, we had the initial conversation at the start of the season and how he wanted me to go about my business at Celtic. That really spurred me on and gave me a great platform and opportunity to work my way into the side and play in my favoured position. I owe him a lot for reigniting my career at Celtic.

It’s more proof that Rodgers’ man management is second to none, having brought a number of players through tough periods to produce some of the best form of his career.

Can he shine for Scotland?

Armstrong is one of five Celtic players to reach double figures in terms of goals this season, racking up 11 from central midfield. That’s a testament to his desire to impact games and commit himself into the final third, something that Gordon Strachan could certainly use at international level.

With 5 assists too, he’s shown he’s a team player, not just a goalscorer and has combined marvellously with fellow Scotland internationals like Scott Brown, James Forrest, Leigh Griffths and Kieran Tierney all season.

Despite having no experience for his country, the upcoming international window is a great opportunity to give him that chance and you’d be foolish to think he can’t shine for the Tartan Army.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Fresh from scoring a late equaliser in Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United, Tom Cairney responded to claims on Twitter that he and his family were verbally abused by fans during the game.It was an important match at Craven Cottage, with Fulham attempting to break into the playoff places and Leeds trying to consolidate their position in the top six.It was the perfect start for the visitors, albeit it slightly lucky, as Tim Ream sent the ball into his own net in the fifth minute.Fulham dominated the match, though, as they kept plenty of possession and created numerous goalscoring chances.It looked as though the Cottagers were going to have to relinquish all three points, but Cairney stepped up in injury time to seal an equaliser.After the game, the 26-year-old midfielder, who spent part of his youth career at Leeds, responded to a fan on Twitter who claimed to hear abusive comments about the players during the train ride home.Cairney tweeted that a group of supporters – presumably part of the Leeds following – targeted the players’ families during the match.

As it stands, Fulham remain seventh, five points adrift of the playoff spots, while Leeds sit fourth with an eight-point advantage.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

In stark contrast to the almighty domestic strength of Celtic, the Scottish national team produced one of their most frail performances in decades at Easter Road last night against Canada. Having watched their hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup all but fade even earlier than many expected, Gordon Strachan has quite a job on his hands to turn things around.

So, such is the standing of international football these days, the breaks away from league action leave us little to talk about, other than which club needs what on the transfer front. With the notion of summer signings and the like as insatiable a feeling as ever, we decided to ask Bhoys fans who exactly they’d like to see arrive over the course of the summer.

We here at Football FanCast used the recently-announced Championship Team of the Season as a base and put it to supporters online, asking who they’d like to see signed. Having enjoyed so much success in signing Moussa Dembele from Fulham, Brendan Rodgers knows what the second tier of English football can offer.

Without out further ado, here are the THREE Championship players Celtic fans would like to see signed this summer.

3. Jonjo Shelvey

The Newcastle United midfielder has been exerting his masterful dominance in the middle of the park this season while plying his trade in the Championship, reminding the English footballing public just how good he really is. A unique talent, the England international hasn’t always convinced he has the right attitude to make it at the very top, though it’s easy to see why Celtic fans would like to see him arrive in Glasgow.

Paired next to Scott Brown, Shelvey would be free to push forward, or have the freedom to drop deep and utilise his impressive range to spring counter-attacks. With Champions League football on offer, perhaps he could be looked into.

2. Dwight Gayle

Sticking with the table-topping Toon Army, striker Dwight Gayle came out second in our poll. Despite initial eyebrows being raised when the forward arrived at Newcastle this summer, the former Crystal Palace marksman has been in prolific form for Rafa Benitez, scoring 21 goals to help their promotion push.

Although Gayle would be a big-name arrival, the presence of both Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths in Rodgers’ squad surely make others areas of the team far more of a priority.

1. Anthony Knockaert

Straying away from the North East, the winner of our poll actually plays at the opposite end of the country, Brighton’s Anthony Knockaert. Perhaps the most entertaining winger in the league, the 25-year-old is a constant menace when cutting inside and would be a wonderful long-term replacement for Patrick Roberts, while also giving Rodgers another goal threat.

Should the Seagulls make it up to the Premier League, it could be hard to tempt him away, though he was sold by Leicester upon their promotion a few years ago.

Results