According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, Everton are interested in signing powerful striker Willian Jose.
The Brazilian forward has been on fire for Real Sociedad since signing two years ago, bagging 20 goals this season for the Spanish club.
Everton clearly have problems up front, only managing to score 44 times in the Premier League last season, and it is an area new manager Marco Silva will need to invest in this summer if he wants the team to improve on its 8th place finish.
However, according to the report, Real Sociedad want £52million for Willian Jose, which would break Everton’s transfer record.
We asked Everton fans if they would be prepared to spend a club record £52million on recruiting Willian Jose this summer, and 65 per cent said they would.
Some clearly see Willian Jose as a potential replacement for Romelu Lukaku, with both players being strong and physical strikers who bully defenders.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
However, it remains to be seen whether Marco Silva would spend such a huge sum on one player with no Premier League experience, despite what the fans may think.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255857″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Everton’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
Arsenal legend Charlie Nicholas has backed Arsene Wenger to recover from a tumultuous week by beating AC Milan in the San Siro on Thursday night.
The Gunners have now lost eight games in all competitions in 2018, which is more than Premier League basement club West Brom, following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat against Brighton.
That reverse against the Seagulls came on the back of a week that saw Arsene Wenger’s side outclassed twice in the space of five days against Manchester City to heap yet more pressure on the Frenchman.
Some Arsenal fans might want Wenger to leave the club as early as possible but the likelihood is that he will still be in charge for the trip to face Gennaro Gattuso’s side in the last 16 of the Europa League.
The Gunners’ away form has been dreadful this season and although Milan have not been the force they once were for around ten years now, a trip to the San Siro is still an intimidating prospect.
[ad_pod ]
Their last visit ended in a 4-0 defeat, back in 2012, but despite that and their recent poor spell, Nicholas told Sky Sports that he can see Arsenal coming out on top.
He predicted a 2-1 win for the Gunners, backing Danny Welbeck to bag a goal and said:
“I didn’t expect Arsenal to win at the weekend. I’ve never seen such pain in Arsene Wenger’s face and what does he do with this squad?
“Laurent Koscielny was an absolute embarrassment, Shkodran Mustafi has been an embarrassment too since he joined. AC Milan are bog standard and don’t score many goals.
“Sat seventh in Serie A with just 37 goals scored and 30 conceded – they’re far from the football machine of days gone by.
“At least Arsenal have goals in them and this is the competition they’re all in for, so I actually think they are value as outsiders to win on Thursday night.”
The whole of Italian football is still reeling from the sudden and tragic death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, who used to play for Milan and that may play a part in Thursday’s game.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Nicholas is right about one thing, Arsenal have all their eggs in the Europa League basket – it is their only remaining hope of getting into the Champions League next season.
The post-European hangover has been the bane of the Premier League’s top six sides for many a season, and we are no closer to finding a cure for it.
Last weekend saw a particularly bad case break out, as Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur – all of whom were involved in midweek European action – suffered disappointing defeats to supposedly inferior opposition.
Talk of the phenomenon has become something of a ritual – it is discussed and dissected whenever a team loses domestically following a midweek continental fixture, yet no-one seems to have come up with a solution to the problem. Supporters of most other clubs can also be forgiven for finding the topic tedious, irritating and frankly insulting, given that Europe is but a pipe dream for the vast majority of teams playing in English football.
However, the adverse side-effects which come following a binge on the delights of European football do seem to be authentic, and are especially virulent after experiencing the less glamorous buzz of the Europa League. As well as Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, Swansea City are another team who in recent years have seen their league form slump as a consequence of participation in Europe’s second-tier club competition; such hardships have led many to view the Europa League as nothing more than a hindrance, an unwanted distraction which has a major detrimental affect on a team’s domestic performance.
It truly is a sad reflection on the state of modern football when a once grand and well-respected competition is treated with such derision; although UEFA have made Europa League football more desirable by awarding the winner a place in the following season’s Champions League, more can be done to make sure that teams don’t find their domestic objectives compromised by the added demands of European football.
UEFA could start the rehabilitation process by introducing a Day of Football as an accompaniment to its international counterpart, the Week of Football. By staging all matches – both Europa and Champions League – on the same day, teams who currently find themselves in the dreaded Thursday/Sunday routine would no longer have any basis to complain. Alternating midweek European games between a Tuesday and a Wednesday night would give every team participating in continental competitions equal and ample time to prepare for the weekend’s league fixture.
In order to further facilitate matters, the Premier League could introduce a Friday night fixture before any upcoming week of European football. Though having all teams with European commitments playing on a Friday evening would be impractical, there could conceivably be a rotation system whereby one or two of the sides play on one Friday, followed by another two teams whenever the next round of European matches approaches. The purpose of this would be to give teams the maximum amount of time to prepare for fixtures in a busy schedule; a Friday night game would enable a three-day break before a European game on a Tuesday night, which would subsequently allow for another three-day gap before the following weekend’s league games.
If the aforementioned Day of Football fell on a Wednesday, there would even be no need for a Friday night fixture, as a Saturday-Wednesday-Sunday schedule would still see a three-day pause between each game.
The final proposal involves the introduction of the much-mooted winter break in English football. Giving players a two-week respite over Christmas would lead to fewer cases of fatigue once the crucial knockout stages of continental competitions begin. The positive effects of such a break can be seen in the performances of Spanish sides in both European competitions; since the 2003/04 season, a Spanish team has won either the Europa League or the Champions League a total of ten times, compared to the four of England. The festive glut of fixtures which occurs at the end of December and into the New Year would be abandoned, with the matches scheduled instead for August and May, where the conditions would be much kinder on the players.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Novel propositions though these may be, the caveat is that they are purely theoretical, and would never realistically be implemented. The Day of Football, for starters, would lead to a huge loss in television revenues, while this is also the main reason why the introduction of a winter break looks unlikely to materialise. Nevertheless, if money continues to have such complete control over football, stifling any logical or practical arguments that could lead to a betterment of the game, then the post-European hangover is a headache that English teams will have to grin and bear for some time to come.
The race is on! Who can tempt David Beckham to join them?
I’m guessing his next step won’t be all about the money, which might pave the way for an unlikely club to secure Beck’s signature. But who? Step forward West Ham United.
The Hammers have been regularly linked with Beckham in the past and there is no doubt they will be in the mix for him again this winter. But is it a match made in heaven?
Despite having played in the MLS – a league that has always been described as being at a similar standard as the Championship – for the past five years, it is believed the 37-year-old could still cut it in the Premier League.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has been a stand out performer in the MLS ever since his arrival in the States and also had two successful loan spells with AC Milan during close-seasons.
He has scored 20 goals in 116 appearances for Galaxy and is now being chased by some of Europes’s biggest clubs, suggesting there still must be something in him that can cut it at the highest level.
But how would he fit in at Upton Park? There are genuine cases for what he can offer West Ham both on and off the field.
Firstly, during West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Stoke City on Monday night, Sam Allardyce’s side lacked any real threat on the wings and only a handful of their 12 corners beat the near post. Obviously, with Matt Jarvis out injured and Matty Taylor only just returning from a set back, there are players already at the club who can come in a make a difference in those areas.
But with Beckham’s experience and fine set-piece delivery, he would have been the perfect man to make an impact on Monday night and provide an extra dimension on both flanks and in dead ball situations.
Furthermore, in what is West Ham’s first season back in the Premier League, they will need as much experience as they can get in order to continue their impressive start, which sees them occupy seventh after 12 games. Beckham, even when he isn’t playing, could have a significant impact on the club’s fortunes just by being present in the changing room and speaking to the other players, particularly the youngsters who are beginning to push their way through in to the first team.
Then there’s the famous Olympic Stadium bid. We all know how important Beckham was to London being awarded the 2012 Olympics and the role he played as the country began planning what ended up being labelled as the best Olympic Games ever.
That shows the amount of influence he has as a national figure, as well as one of the country’s most famous sporting greats. Oh how West Ham could do with someone like him behind them as they continue their fight for keys to the stadium.
Additionally, with the club playing in the Olympic Stadium and having David Beckham in the team, their revenue streams will increase tenfold. Just having the stadium would be great for the clubs finances and its future, but with Beckham involved as well, they would be selling shirts worldwide and filling the stadium week in, week out without even breaking a sweat. Every club’s dream, right?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As West Ham continue their revival under the current owners and manager Sam Allardyce, the opportunity to sign a player like David Beckham would be too good to turn down.
His loyalty is clear to see, which the West Ham supporters will adore, and his experience and influence globally will only reap the club rewards both on and off the pitch.
Even if he never plays, he’d still make a huge impact on West Ham’s future. So a West Ham offer for Beckham, for me, is a no-brainer regardless of the players the club already has and how much they spent on Matt Jarvis in the summer. What’s more, Jarvis might even be able to learn a thing or two from good ol’ Golden Balls.
What do you think? Is David Beckham to West Ham a real possibility? Would a bid for him just be a marketing ploy for their Olympic Stadium bid? Let us know what you think by commenting below.
Newcastle fans have been discussing the probable sale of Aleksandar Mitrovic, and they can’t agree on a price tag for the Serbian.
Mitrovic showed exactly why so many fans rate him so highly on Friday, bullying the Switzerland defence all night in his side’s 2-1 loss.
The beastly striker grabbed the opening goal with a towering header, although Serbia eventually fell to goals from Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255847″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Newcastle’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
It seems like a matter of “when” rather than “if” Mitrovic leaves this summer, as the striker is not in Rafael Benitez’s plans for next season.
A report from the Chronicle said even the 23 year-old’s impressive showings thus far in Russia won’t be enough to change Rafa’s mind, and fans are now discussing how much they’d expect to receive in a potential sale.
[ad_pod ]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Fulham are the front-runners to land the striker, after he played a huge part in helping the Cottagers secure promotion, and forged a great connection with the Fulham boss, compatriot Slavisa Jokanovic.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Most football fans will think that Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City is the biggest game of the weekend, but there is also a huge match taking place in the North West of England on the same day.
Manchester United and Chelsea will go head to head in the Premier League, with three points separating the pair.
The Red Devils currently sit second in the table, while the Blues are third in the standings.
Both head into the clash on the back of Champions League outings, but one will probably be feeling more confident that the other.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side held their own against Barcelona in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday night in the form of a 1-1 draw.
United were in action earlier this evening, but they were largely reliant on goalkeeper David de Gea as they recorded a goalless draw with Sevilla.
Willian starred for Chelsea as he scored the opening goal before Lionel Messi found an equaliser for Barca at Stamford Bridge.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The Brazilian has now scored three goals in his last two outings for the West London outfit, and he has warned United that a hat-trick is incoming.
The Daily Star quotes Willian as saying:
“It’s coming, it’s coming! I’m always ready to score goals. I think the hat-trick is coming soon. I just have to continue to do my job on the pitch. I almost had three against Barcelona and almost three against Hull City. We can stay at this level and go to Old Trafford and play another great game. We have to play in a similar way.”
After Lukasz Fabianski’s defection to Swansea City, Arsenal are believed to be in the market for another goalkeeper this summer to provide competition for Wojciech Szczesny. On the back of his fine displays with Colombia, Ospina is the latest in a long list of names to be linked to the Gunners. The 25 year old managed a clean sheet in his country’s first knockout tie with Uruguay and will look to do the same against Brazil later this evening.
Despite signing a new deal fairly recently, Nice are reportedly willing to sell Ospina for as little as £3 million. Arsene Wenger is believed to have been monitoring the Colombian’s performances in Ligue 1 this season and will have undoubtedly been impressed by the goalkeeper’s displays in Brazil so far.
The French club’s stance becomes even more puzzling when the statistics are taken into consideration. With Ospina in the side, Nice conceded an average 0f 0.83 goals per game, a figure that ballooned to 2.22 in his absence. Standing at six feet tall, the 25 year old’s reflexes and mobility have helped the ‘keeper pull off a string of stunning saves for club and country in the last year.
Although James Rodriguez stole the show in Colombia’s 2-0 victory over Uruguay, Ospina performed a number of vital stops to keep the likes of Edinson Cavani and Cristian Rodriguez at bay. In his post-match interview, opposing manager Oscar Tabarez emphasised the 25 year old’s role in the match, stating “we had to take risks to reduce the deficit, but we came up against a ‘keeper who performed extraordinarily well.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
However, in looking for a goalkeeper capable of handling the rigours of the Premier League, Ospina’s relatively short stature will no doubt be of some concern to Wenger. In Ligue 1 at times this season, the Colombian was guilty of committing costly errors by charging off of his line at the wrong moments.
Nevertheless, Nice were certainly better with Ospina in their side and it is remarkable to read that they seem willing to part with the 25 year old’s services. Many believe that Wojciech Szczesny requires strong competition at the Emirates to keep him on his toes and the Colombian could be just the man to do that. For such a small fee, Wenger would be acquiring an international calibre goalkeeper that could easily replace the Pole as the number one at the Emirates next season.
Alan Pardew believes Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is able to handle the heat at Liverpool ahead of their Premier League clash this Sunday.
Former Swansea manager Rodgers has seen his side struggle since he took the helm, with the Merseyside club just managing two wins from nine games in the Premier League so far.
However, the Newcastle boss thinks Rodgers can manage this pressure, and that he is having difficulty creating his vision because of a lack of “tools”.
He said to BBC Newcastle: “I think Brendan can deal with it. He didn’t get the tools he needed and if you’re going to create the vision he wants, you’ve got to have the tools. As I understand it, he’s a striker short. If he didn’t want the big fella (Carroll), which we know because we were involved, then he should have had a replacement.”
Liverpool have had many issues with strikers this season, with Fabio Borini injured, whilst sending Andy Carroll off on loan to West Ham.
Pardew worked with Rodgers when they were youth coaches for Reading. He has said that he envisaged Rodgers coaching rather than going into management.
He said: “We were both confident in our own ways, but I genuinely thought he would be a coach rather than a manager. He has a natural association with the coaching ground, and those who watch Being Liverpool would sense that, he’s sort of evolved into a manager more so. I always felt I was the other type, and I actually did think of Brendan as a coach at a few of my other clubs but he’s found his own route and fair play to him.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Newcastle have had just one Anfield win in the Premier League since 1992.
According to an exclusive report in The Sun on Sunday, Southampton are on the brink of securing a deal for Norwich City attacking midfielder James Maddison after seeing a bid worth more than £20m accepted.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Sun on Sunday says that Saints have had an offer accepted for the highly-rated 21-year-old, who has been targeted by a string of Premier League clubs including Everton and Leicester City.
The Sun on Sunday says that sources close to the Canaries say that the south coast outfit’s manager Mark Hughes now has permission to speak to the England U21 international, who won the Championship club’s 2017/18 Player of the Season award, and convince him to move to St Mary’s.
The report adds that Maddison could be a replacement for Sofiane Boufal, who looks set to join either Marseille or Nice in France having had an altercation with Hughes and then been excluded from the first team following the loss against Chelsea back in April.
[ad_pod ]
How did Maddison do last season?
He was outstanding.
The 21-year-old scored eight goals and provided a further 14 assists in 44 league games for Norwich, but he brings far more to the table than simply goals and assists.
The England U21 star is comfortable on the ball and impressive in tight situations, and according to WhoScored.com he successfully completed 104 of the 154 dribbles he attempted, while he made a remarkable 124 key passes.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255885″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Southampton’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
Would he be a good Southampton signing?
He certainly would be, and their most exciting since they brought Sadio Mane to St Mary’s from Red Bull Salzburg in 2014.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Like the Senegal international, Maddison brings a huge threat in the final third and has the touch and ability to get forward that will excite Saints supporters, who are split on a potential club-record deal for another Championship star, and that is something that is much needed after two successive disappointing campaigns.
The fact that he is also good on set-pieces is another bonus, and he would surely significantly boost a team that only scored 37 goals in 38 Premier League matches last term.
Tottenham Hotspur managed to come from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday night.
Gonzalo Higuain scored twice – once from the penalty spot – inside the first nine minutes of the encounter in Turin.
Spurs were able to recover from the shock, though, as Harry Kane pulled a goal back and Christian Eriksen later secured an equaliser.
The result has put Mauricio Pochettino’s team in a good position heading into the second leg at Wembley, especially as they have two away goals to their name.
There was one crack on the surface, though, and it was centred around Serge Aurier.
The right-back had a mixed performance, and he made some rash decisions that were costly.
After Kane gave Spurs some hope with a goal, Aurier was in danger of helping Juve to a 3-1 lead when he gave away a penalty by lunging in on Douglas Costa.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The 25-year-old, though, breathed a sigh of relief when Higuain missed the target, but he later received a yellow card, which means that he will be suspended for the second leg.
Some Tottenham fans were not best pleased with Aurier’s performance.