As reported by The Sun, Manchester United have opened talks with Anthony Martial about signing a next contract with the Red Devils.
What’s the story?
The French international has been linked with a move to the likes of Chelsea in recent weeks after failing to win a regular place in Jose Mourinho’s starting eleven in recent months.
However, it seems that the Old Trafford outfit are keen on keeping him in Manchester.
That’s according to The Sun, who say the club have opened discussions with the attacker about a new extension to his current contract.
The paper say that it could be tough to convince him his future lies with Mourinho’s side, after he missed out on a World Cup place with France due to a lack of regular action.
Rated at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, is signing him up to a new deal the right thing to do?
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Does he deserve more games?
With 11 goals and seven assists in the 2017/18 season, Martial still managed to contribute a fair bit to the Man United cause, but failed to really produce the consistency that the club need if they are going to challenge for major honours.
That being said, he never really had the opportunity, rarely getting a run of games to show what he can do over a period of weeks, never mind months.
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Still just 22 years of age, he has plenty of room to improve further are the club are right to protect his transfer value with a new contract.
If they manage to convince him to sign a new deal, Mourinho should show similar faith in the player and give him a real chance in the starting eleven at the start of next season. He simply has too big a talent to risk letting shine elsewhere.
According to report in The Mirror, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is keen to sign goalkeeper Joe Hart, who is currently on £120,000-a-week, this month after he lost his place in the team during a loan spell with West Ham United.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror says that Benitez was keen to bring Hart in on loan from Manchester City during the summer as he looked for a new stopper, but he was beaten to the England international’s signature by West Ham.
However, The Mirror says that now the 30-year-old has lost his place to Adrian following some disappointing performances, the Magpies have made discreet enquiries to see if it will be possible to bring him to St James’ Park this month.
The report adds that it would take the Irons, Man City and the keeper to come to an agreement to bring an end to his temporary spell at the London Stadium, although his £120,000-a-week wages could prove to be a stumbling block.
How has Hart done this season?
He certainly hasn’t been at his best.
While some will feel a little sorry for him given he was playing in a struggling side when Slaven Bilic was manager, the 4-0 defeat at Everton under David Moyes proved to be the final straw for the Scot.
Hart’s poor clearance fell to Wayne Rooney, who scored from his own half in that clash, and the 30-year-old conceded 30 goals in his 14 Premier League appearances for the Irons before he was dropped.
There were certainly some of those that he will feel that he should have done better with, with Jose Izquierdo’s goal for Brighton earlier in the season one that sticks in the memory.
Would he be a good signing for Newcastle?
If he can recapture the form he showed for City earlier in his career then he certainly would, but it doesn’t seem likely right now.
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Hart hasn’t impressed for club or country in the last couple of seasons, and while Benitez will feel that the 30-year-old would be an upgrade on Rob Elliot and Karl Darlow, it would still have to be seen as something of a risky move given the England international’s recent form and his potential wages.
That said, Hart will know that if he did move to St James’ Park that he would have to be at his best in the second-half of the campaign if the wants to start for his country at the World Cup, and that motivation could bring the best out of him and help Newcastle stay up.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has backed January’s Player of the Month Adam Johnson to force his way into the England squad for the World Cup.
The winger has been in excellent form since the turn of the year, playing a key role in the Black Cats’ rise from the foot of the table to 14th position and their run to the Capital One Cup final.
His dramatic turn in form has led to talk of an England call-up, with Roy Hodgson said to be considering the 26-year-old ahead of his upcoming friendly fixtures.
Johnson – who had been written off as a £10m flop just a matter of months ago – is firmly in the running according to his manager, who believes that if the World Cup was due to take place next week he’d be in the Three Lions’ ranks:
“I’m sure if the World Cup was next week, Adam would be there,” he said. “I’ve no doubt about that.” He is quoted by the Daily Star.
“The idea is that he maintains his current level so he has a chance at the end of the campaign.
“There are a group of 17, 18 or 19 who pick themselves but there will always be a few places left.
“And they will go to those who are playing at such an incredible level, they can’t be left behind.
“Adam was the best player in the Premier League last month and thoroughly deserves his award. Let’s hope he can win another one because that would mean we are safe.”
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Johnson enters this weekend’s games with seven goals in his last seven games, and is in, arguably, the best form of his career since his emergence with Middlesbrough.
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PSG chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi has claimed that Manchester City striker demanded too higher wages when offered a chance to move to France and that is what prevented the deal going through, according to Sky Sports News.
Tevez was seemingly on his way out of the Etihad last season but seems to have put his differences aside with boss Roberto Mancini and has started the season well, but it could have been very different according to Al Khelaifi.
“If the transfer was not sorted out, it was not because he didn’t want to come, but because we didn’t accept his wage demands,” Al-Khelaifi told Germany’s Sportbild.
“He wanted to come. We don’t pay too big wages to our players. Last winter Carlos Tevez asked too much and didn’t match the club’s philosophy. So we refused.”
Despite being one of the richest clubs in the world, Al-Khelaifi is refusing to simply throw money at players just to make them come to Paris and Tevez would not get his own way.
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“We take big care of our expenses. For example, Thiago Silva does not earn one more cent than what he earned at AC Milan. To me, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the best forward in the world,” the chairman added.
Tottenham Hotspur could have a busy summer ahead as Mauricio Pochettino tries to shape his team for the new season.
Many of the club’s first-team players have been linked with moves away, but many targets are filtering through the transfer gossip pages.
One of which is Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last year.
According to FC Inter News, Tottenham have opened talks with the 29-year-old’s agent Fali Ramadani regarding a possible move.
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The North London outfit have been linked to numerous wingers over the last few months, but the alleged interest in Perisic is left-field.
The Croatian international, who is more of a direct winger than a creative one, scored 11 goals and created 11 assists in all competitions this season.
Given that he will be 30 years old next year, it seems like an odd choice for Pochettino.
The Argentine coach likes to develop young stars, and it seems that plenty of fans have been left bemused by the rumour.
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It’s an annual pastime for football fans around the world to pick holes in UEFA’s Team of the Year but I don’t think there has ever been such a glaring omission in what is known as Europe’s best XI players – where on earth was Harry Kane?
Kane ended 2017 as Europe’s highest scoring player with 56 goals, but his name was nowhere to be seen as UEFA continued to champion Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the continent’s best attackers.
What UEFA are ignoring in Tottenham’s Harry Kane isn’t just his outstanding ability to do his job, but the fact that he is one of the last remaining footballers out there who can genuinely help change the sport for the better.
As football clubs benefit from mega TV deals and lucrative multi-year sponsorship contracts, the elite have been able to spend hundreds of millions on new players without even thinking twice. That means, as the biggest clubs in Europe go in search of world domination, youth are being ignored and their potential is being stunted.
It’s narrow-minded and unfair to ignore the future of a very talented teenager eager for his chance to impress and instead spend over £100m on someone else’s youngster. Where’s the value in that? Where’s the pride?
Harry Kane’s rise from unknown striker with a number of underwhelming loan spells at Millwall and Norwich to Europe’s top marksman has been a breath of fresh air and sets a precedent for other clubs to follow.
He’s proof that if you’re willing to hand young players opportunities and stick by them as they learn from their mistakes and continue to develop, there is much more value to be had than just going out and spending your way to success.
Of course, not every young striker in the world will go on to achieve what Kane has by the time he’s 24 years old, but there’s a real chance we’d be hailing many more of his ilk if clubs took a step back and turned to those closer to home. If that happens then the game would return to a more level playing field as football’s elite clubs think twice before trying to buy their way to glory.
Kane’s brace against Everton at the weekend took him to the top of Spurs’ all-time Premier League scoring charts and he’s now just two goals from joining the 100 club – another reminder that he’s still only 24. If he continues at the rate he is, he’ll be breaking Alan Shearer’s in just 6.1 seasons.
You don’t need me to tell you that Harry Kane is a world class striker, we all know that, but what if I told you he was up there as one of the most lethal in the history of the game? Too early? Perhaps, but if you consider the fact that his 98 Premier League goals have come from just 61 games in which he’s actually found the net, then it’s no wonder people are claiming him to be the best striker we’ve seen in a generation.
What’s more, he isn’t a mercenary. He’s clearly not in this for the money – he’s in it for the personal accolades and club honours. He’s a rare breed and one that should be celebrated.
The breakdown of Kane’s Premier League goal tally is breathtaking, so keep an eye out for a video we’ve got prepped for when he does finally hit his 100th Premier League goal – we’ll have everything you need to know about his outstanding goal record.
Why are we letting Alexis Sanchez off lightly?
The Arsenal attacker is expected to leave for Man United or Chelsea before January is up after refusing to sign a new contract and essentially forcing the Gunners in to selling him now.
This is not a unique situation, particularly where Arsenal are concerned (that’s another argument for another column) but at what point do we start questioning Sanchez’s morals here?
Everyone keeps pointing to the fact Arsenal should never have allowed it to get this far in the first place and that’s a fair point to make, but doesn’t Sanchez at least owe it to the club to stick around until the summer and help them achieve their ambitions of a top four finish?
He is the epitome of a the modern day footballer – clearly only in it for the money and not for the badge on the front of the shirt. Arsenal fans should be pleased to see the back of him.
If the game had more players like Harry Kane, football would be saved from the likes of Sanchez.
Have Stoke appointed a saviour?
Probably not, but I urge Stoke fans to reserve judgement on Paul Lambert for now. I’m a West Ham fan and was absolutely livid when David Moyes was named Slaven Bilic’s replacement – I was convinced we’d be relegated.
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Fast forward a couple of months and I’m warming to the idea of him being handed an extended deal when his current six month contract expires in the summer. Moyes has revitalised the Hammers and a number of players who didn’t look interested before he arrived, and I see no reason why Lambert can’t do the same.
After all, like Moyes, the former Norwich boss has a lot to prove following disappointing spells at Aston Villa, Blackburn and Wolves.
Contrary to popular belief, Peter Coates isn’t waving a white flag with Lambert’s face on it just yet, and the new manager certainly deserves the chance to prove he is the man to keep Stoke in the Premier League.
You can forget your Navas’ and Soldado’s, the standout player for me so far this term has perhaps been someone that has slipped under the radar amongst the droves of foreign talent entering our shores.
Everton’s revolution under Roberto Martinez has not been spearheaded by a multi million pound import but instead by a young Englishman by the name of Ross Barkley. The only unbeaten team left in the Premier League, Everton appear resurgent under the new regime and this has in no small part been down to the tireless efforts of their precocious young talent.
I’m not the only one getting excited about the midfield maestro, with a recent England call up just reward for his impressive start to the campaign. Barkley may well be the one to fire Everton back into Europe but does he also have a big part to play for our national team?
The glowing report his Roberto Martinez recently gave to the Mail would suggest this is very much a possibility:
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“I look at Ross and you tell me what weakness he has. He hasn’t got one,’ said Martinez. ‘He takes in information, which for a young lad is incredible. He can use both feet, he can switch the play, he has a range of passing and can receive the ball in any area.”
“He has a great shot and has incredible energy. He reminds me of Michael Ballack. When Ballack was younger, nobody knew what his best position was; could he be a sitting midfielder, an attacking midfielder or play up front? Ross is that impressive.”
Now maybe this appraisal is to be expected from his manager, but Barkley’s fans don’t stop there with praise being received from all quarters of our game. Emerging from a serious leg break, the 19 year old may still have a long way to go but for me he is the answer to our national midfield conundrum going forward.
England performances of late have been dull and stagnant. A team playing at a painfully low tempo and whose first thought is to go sideways above all else. Sturridge, Rooney and Welbeck offer the national side quality in the final third, but as it stands they just simply don’t get anywhere near the supply they require.
Hodgson’s perseverance with the failing old guard is crippling. Gerrard, Lampard and Milner may all still do well for their respective clubs, but together for England they have created the most monotonous of midfields. I can only assume the plan if we actually make it to Rio is to bore the opposition to death because as it stands this isn’t a team to get the pulse racing is it?
The Euro’s should have been a lesson to those in charge that the current set-up just isn’t working, and why not change when you have such prodigious talents waiting in the wings?
For me Barkley even at such a young age is the answer. Destructive as much as he is creative, the Englishman offers the kind of balance that many hoped Wilshere would bring to the side. Two players not too dissimilar in style, these are very much the new breed of English midfielder that we need to foster.
So what is the current balance of power?
Jack Wilshere continues to fall short of the high expectations many have for him both domestically and internationally. Dogged by persistent stress fractures and other niggling injuries, the development of someone with undoubted potential is being slowed. Barkley at 19 may be younger and less experienced, but if Hodgson wants to pick on form then the bow much go to Barkley.
For me the difference between the two lies in the goal-scoring department. Barkley has as many goals this season as Wilshere has in his whole Arsenal career. Wilshere offers creativity and solidity but for me Barkley offers so much more. The Everton midfielder has an eye for goal as much as he does for a pass and this is a trait in remarkably short supply for England.
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So forget your Gerrard’s and Lampard’s, the real battle for an England berth should be between Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley.
For me the clear winner at the moment is the Everton boy who continues to go from strength to strength on the biggest of stages.
Am I right? Or am I getting caught up in the Ross Barkley hype?
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has dismissed claims that Cristiano Ronaldo is unhappy at the club and that they would not even think about selling their star man.
Ronaldo claimed he was unhappy in the Spanish capital last week after sparking a debate as to why he refused to celebrate a goal, but Madrid boss Mourinho has laughed off any suggestions of the Portuguese forward leaving, with reports linking him him with a move to both Manchester clubs.
“I would say to every club to forget Cristiano.
“Don’t waste your time… Cristiano and Real Madrid are perfect for each other.”
Ronaldo scored twice but did not celebrate for Madrid before the international break and afterwards explained: “I’m sad. When I don’t celebrate a goal it is because I’m not happy.
“It’s a professional thing. Real Madrid know why I’m not happy.”
But Mourinho has laughed off his comments saying: “If Cristiano’s sad but plays the same — that’s perfect for me.”
“Finally after 15 days of talking about Ronaldo it is time to see if he plays well or not. Ronaldo now needs peace, quiet and to play football which is what he does the best and likes the best.”
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According to reliable club insider @ExWHUemployee on Episode 89 of the West Ham Way radio show, West Ham United are keen to sign Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, speaking on the radio show @ExWHUemployee confirmed that new Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini, who can make the best start to his reign by signing a 25-year-old defender who dominated Marko Arnautovic, is looking to add young players with pace to his squad this summer, and Traore is on his list of targets.
The former Barcelona starlet has often been criticised for his lack of end product with Aston Villa and then Boro in the past, but he finally stepped up and showed what he could do during the 2017/18 campaign as his current side were beaten by his old club in their Championship semi-final play-off tie.
How did Traore do this season?
The 22-year-old showed he is far more than just being quick and great at dribbling as he scored five goals and provided a further 10 assists in 34 Championship appearances.
The right winger tormented many full-backs during the campaign with his direct style too, and according to WhoScored.com he successfully completed 262 of the 336 dribbles he attempted in 36 league games – including the play-off matches.
However, one blot on his copybook was the fact that he was sent off twice during the campaign, and that is something that would need to be sorted if he was to move to the top flight this summer.
Would he be a good signing for West Ham?
He certainly could be, yes.
While the 22-year-old still isn’t the finished article yet, his latest season with Middlesbrough showed a real glimpse of the quality and potential that he has.
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The winger’s speed and dribbling ability would scare opposition defenders in the Premier League, and now he seems to have matured and is less raw than he was before, he could make a real impact for West Ham in the top flight next term.
His arrival at the London Stadium would also be great news for striker Javier Hernandez – who looks set to play a key role under Pellegrini having previously looked likely to leave this summer – given that he will be looking for assists and service in general in order to find the net on a regular basis next season.
Leicester City defender Harry Maguire impressed and scored his side’s last-gasp equaliser in their 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, and Liverpool fans have urged their club to buy the centre-back, potentially instead of long-term target Virgil van Dijk.The Foxes signed the 24-year-old in a £17m deal from relegated Hull City in June, and he has quickly established himself as a key player in their team, and is currently one of the standout centre-halves in the Premier League.His side-footed finish in injury-time was certainly impressive, but he has also shown on many occasions that he is able to bring the ball out from the back and create attacks for his side, as well as being solid defensively.Liverpool players were quick to have their say on his latest display via social media, and while one said “need to sign Harry Maguire”, another said ‘we should leave Van Dijk, sign Maguire and save £40m’.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…