It seems that Tottenham Hotspur ace Christian Eriksen is once again on the agenda for Real Madrid.
AS recently came out with a story stating that Los Blancos will try to sign the Danish midfielder in January after they decided against pursuing him last summer.
Of course, Eriksen is closing in on the end of his contract with Tottenham Hotspur – it expires in the summer – which could give Zinedine Zidane and co. leverage towards a discounted transfer fee at the turn of the year.
Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
But upon seeing this update, many Real Madrid fans don’t seem to be too thrilled about the prospect of incorporating the 27-year-old into their squad.
Some believe Eriksen is already past his prime, others think they have enough midfielders of his mould and then there are just some who think that kind of signing is not needed at the club.
In any case, the great Dane doesn’t seem to be welcome if the reaction of supporters is anything to go by.
You can see some of their replies down below:
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Newcastle United are monitoring the development of the exciting Ligue 1 striker Victor Osimhen, according to The Chronicle.
What’s the word?
Osimhen, 20, made the move to the French outfit from RSC Charleroi in the summer for £10.2m and has got off to a flying start in France.
With eight goals in all competitions this season, he has impressed the Toon talent finders and even scored against Chelsea in the Champions League during his side’s 2-1 defeat to the London based-outfit.
A Newcastle fan calls for Sean and Matt Longstaff’s Mum to give birth to a starting eleven’s worth of Longstaffs in the video below…
The Nigerian forward started at German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg and has become a full international with Nigeria as his player development has progressed.
The Chronicle revealed that the club’s winter talent search is underway as the club’s head of recruitment Steve Nickson looks to form a list of realistic options for manager Steve Bruce during the January transfer window.
Star in the making
Since the arrival of Joelinton in the summer for £40m from Hoffenheim, the Brazilian striker has struggled to settle down in the North East. The former Bundesliga forward has only scored one goal in his first nine Premier League games.
Unbelievably, Osimhen has already scored more goals than Joelinton managed in 28 games last season.
The Brazilian scored seven goals and five assists in 25 starts and three appearances as a substitute. With the Nigerian currently on eight for his goal tally, the 20-year-old is proving to be more clinical as a striker than Newcastle’s No.9.
Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
As both players tower over 6 feet tall, Osimhen has the ability to step in and become the number one striker at the club, while Joelinton could benefit from becoming the facilitator rather than the leading goalscorer.
Having the pressure of being the Toon’s number one supplier of goals, the Brazilian could be better off without the weight of expectation from Newcastle fans on his shoulders.
[ad_pod ]
Former Hibs forward and BBC pundit Tam McManus piled in with a somewhat strange take immediately after Rangers’ 4-0 victory over St. Johnstone.
Despite Rangers emerging as comfortable winners on Sunday with four second half goals, the officials far from covered themselves in glory. At 2-0 up, the Gers were denied a stonewall penalty when Murray Davidson blocked a Ryan Jack pass with an outstretched arm.
They then missed Jermain Defoe being offside in the build up to Rangers scoring their fourth, which was one of the incidents McManus felt compelled to tweet about.
However, the officials were seemingly right about St Johnstone’s “blatant” goal – to quote McManus directly. Steven Davis produced two outstanding goal line blocks, with TV footage showing the ball didn’t cross the line.
Manager Steven Gerrard praised both Davis and the officials after the match on BT Sport, via The Daily Record.
Rangers fans, meanwhile, took exception to McManus’ verdict on the refereeing decisions – here’s a look at how they responded on Twitter…
[ad_pod ]
West Ham United fans were delighted with Andriy Yarmolenko’s performance in their 2-2 draw with AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Ukraine international scored the opening goal in the 10th minute on the south coast, twisting away from Nathan Ake before bending the ball into the top corner.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men were unable to see the result out, with Joshua King and Callum Wilson both scoring to hand the Cherries the lead.
Aaron Cresswell equalised in the 74th minute as the Irons earned a point but fans were quick to lavish praise on their first goalscorer of the day.
Per WhoScored, Yarmolenko registered a pass completion rate of 91%, while he also had two shots on goal, won three tackles and played two key passes. Amazingly for a right winger, he did not complete a dribble.
Nevertheless, Hammers fans liked what they saw on Saturday.
Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!
[ad_pod ]
Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their hunt to sign James Rodriguez, after the on-loan Bayern Munich star hinted at a return to the Spanish capital when his deal with the German side ends as reported by The Mirror.
What’s the word, then?
The Independent had previously reported that the Gunners were hoping to sign the Colombian international on a loan deal in the January window, although a move failed to materialise.
Real Madrid were said to be hoping to offload the former Monaco man upon his return, potentially using him as a sweetener in a deal for Christian Eriksen, but Arsenal’s chances of landing him in the summer look to have been dented after Rodriguez’s latest comments.
The 27-year-old said: “In Madrid, I have everything such as my house and people who love me. We will have to see what happens, but at the moment I have a contract with Bayern Munich.
“I just want to finish the season and we’ll see what happens. I keep in touch with some Real Madrid players.”
Sounds like he’s pretty keen on returning, and staying, in Madrid.
Where would he fit in if he did arrive at the Emirates?
This season, Bayern’s number 11 has featured in five different positions across midfield, highlighting his versatility and effectiveness in each area.
Rodriguez has made 18 appearances across all competitions for Niko Kovac’s side, scoring three goals and recording two assists from positions such as the centre attacking midfield area, left attacking midfield, central midfield, right midfield and left midfield.
To compare with a player whose future in north London looks uncertain in Mesut Ozil, the German almost exclusively plays in the centre attacking midfield position, as well as occasional ventures out onto the right.
If Rodriguez did arrive at the Emirates, Arsenal would instantly be handed a boost in terms of their squad depth, as they would be getting a player with excellent versatility and one who can cover more positions than Ozil – Rodriguez also works a lot harder.
Of course, it must be said that the Colombian playmaker hasn’t shown the form that made Los Blancos shell out £63m for his signature after the 2014 World Cup, but there is definitely a player of real pedigree in there somewhere.
[ad_pod ]
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Bury’s academy manager Mark Litherland has given a glowing review of Saul Shotton amidst reports the youngster will sign for West Brom.
What’s he said?
A report from the BBC this week has claimed that the Baggies are set to sign Shotton following the automatic termination of his contract at Bury, who were expelled from the Football League earlier this month.
The 18-year-old is now a free agent and has previously had bids rejected for him from Leeds United and Watford, so it could be quite the coup for Albion if they landed him.
Find out how a world-record-holding freestyler got on with the worst football in the world in the video below…
Shotton has only made six senior appearances in his career for the Shakers, but his former academy manager has talked him up, by saying:
“He is really comfortable on the ball and bringing the ball out of defence.
“He is also good in the air and reads the game well.
“What he has now been given by Albion is a huge opportunity and it’s up to him what he does with it.
“He played four games in League One when he was 17-years-old and still a first-year scholar and did very well – because of that there’s always been interest in him.”
Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
Fits the bill
Baggies boss Slaven Bilic likes to play a passing style of football and that all begins by playing out from the back. This is emphasised by glancing at his previous jobs – for example at Besiktas, his team enjoyed 55% of possession and completed 81% of their passes during his final term in Turkey.
At present, West Brom are second in the league for pass success with 83.1% and their centre-backs are integral to that.
Both Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley, who have played every minute of this Championship campaign, rank inside the top four of the team for average passes per game with a passing accuracy of 83.1% or better too.
The review given by Litherland about Shotton highlights just why the Croatian would be after such a player, especially outside the transfer window.
Bilic was also quoted as saying “If there was a one-off situation, if it’s a young player and we can use him, then okay – we’d consider it,” so maybe there is even a first-team opportunity here for the promising starlet this campaign.
Those comments certainly bode well if he does eventually walk through the doors of the Hawthorns.
Wolves midfielder Bruno Jordao is expected to seal a loan move to Grasshopper Club Zurich on deadline day, according to a new report.
The Lowdown: Jordao struggling at Wolves
The 23-year-old joined Wanderers from Braga B back in 2019 but he is yet to make any kind of impression at the club.
Jordao has only made five appearances for Wolves to date, having been loaned out to Famalicao in 2020/21, and he played his first Wanderers game of this season in the FA Cup third round clash with Sheffield United earlier this month.
It now looks as though another loan move is on the cards for Jordao, with the deadline day clock ticking down.
The Latest: Loan move expected
According to The Daily Mail, the 5 foot 11 midfielder will join Grasshoppers on a temporary basis prior to the deadline on Monday.
Jordao’s current Wolves deal expires in the summer of 2024, but with each passing month, the more you wonder if he will see out his time at the club.
The Verdict: Possible summer exit?
The signing of Jordao has unquestionably been a failure, with the Portuguese ace never managing to settle and being badly hampered by injury problems, in fairness.
At 23, he can no longer be seen as a young prospect though and he needs to be playing regular football at a key point in his career, making his Grasshoppers move feel logical.
It could be that Lage has seen enough regarding Jordao, potentially selling him for good in the summer transfer window and hoping this temporary stint will do enough to put him in the shop window.
In other news, another late Wolves transfer claim has emerged. Read more here.
Sunderland Echo reporter Phil Smith was left baffled by Mike Dodds making no substitutions at half-time as Sunderland trailed 2-0 at home to Doncaster Rovers in League One.
The Lowdown: Worse than Bolton?
Last time out, the Black Cats were thumped 6-0 away at Bolton Wanderers, which of course cost Lee Johnson his job after a string of worrying performances.
They were 2-0 down at half-time in that fixture too, with the other four goals coming after the interval, and The Chronicle journalist James Hunter has suggested that their performance in the first half against Doncaster was even worse.
With that in mind, it beggars belief that interim boss Dodds opted not to make a single change after the first 45 this weekend.
The Latest: No subs
Taking to Twitter, Sunderland Echo journalist Smith has given his reaction to the decision by Dodds not to make any changes at half-time, calling it a ‘big call’:
“No changes at HT….. That’s a big call.”
Perhaps no surprise then that it didn’t pay off, with Corry Evans’ second-half goal not enough to rescue any points.
The Verdict: Baffling
Given that SAFC were 2-0 down at half-time once again, it was truly baffling that Dodds chose not to change things up for the second half, especially considering the quality of options available after some clever January business.
With the likes of Jermain Defoe and Patrick Roberts on the bench, he had plenty of attacking talent and experience at his disposal, but decided to stay put despite things clearly not working.
Doncaster are currently bottom of the League One table, and so this is a game that the Wearside club, especially at home in front of their own fans, really should be expecting to win comfortably.
In other news, find out what big double boost Sunderland received before the match here!
An update has emerged on Rangers and their pursuit of a striker from the English Championship…
What’s the talk?
According to TEAMtalk, the Gers are among a number of clubs keen on a deal to sign QPR centre-forward Lyndon Dykes this month.
The report claims that Norwich, Newcastle and Crystal Palace are among the other clubs interested in signing the attacker, although it remains to be seen how much the west London outfit will demand for his services.
Get it done
Giovanni van Bronckhorst must ensure that he is able to get a deal over the line for Dykes, as he could be a “brilliant find” for Rangers, to use the words of Alex McLeish.
The £8k-per-week bulldozer could provide a different option for the Gers boss at the top end of the pitch, as he is not built in the same way as Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos. Whilst the current Ibrox duo are technically adept and like to make runs, Dykes is a forward who can be the focal point of the attack and hold up the ball for his teammates.
In the Championship this season, he has won an impressive 4.3 aerial battles per game, after averaging 4.8 last season. This shows that he can hold his own in the air and is capable of winning flick-ons by beating opposition defenders to long balls, whilst it also suggests that he could aid Rangers in their defending from set pieces as he could use his talents to defend his team’s penalty box.
Darren Jackson hailed him as “mobile” despite his big frame after he scored a winner against the Faroe Islands for Scotland three months ago. This suggests that the 26-year-old could also offer running off and on the ball to go along with the physical presence that he provides.
In terms of goals, Dykes has also shown that he knows how to find the net regularly. He has scored 18 Championship goals for QPR since the start of last season and has netted four times in six starts for Scotland in World Cup qualifiers.
Therefore, he could be a brilliant find for Rangers, as he is a striker who can score goals, bully defenders with his physique and work hard at the top end of the pitch with his mobile running. This is why Van Bronckhorst must work with Ross Wilson to secure his services before the end of the month.
AND in other news, Time’s up: Van Bronckhorst must ruthlessly axe £900k-rated Rangers dud, he’s a “weak link”…