According to reports in The Independent, Chelsea have been told that they must pay more than £30m if they want to sign Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente this summer.
Blues boss Antonio Conte is looking to bring in a back-up centre-forward after completing a deal for Alvaro Morata on Friday, and The Independent say he is keen on the Spaniard having also worked with him during his time managing Juventus.
However, the report adds that the Welsh side want more than £30m for the 32-year-old despite the fact that he has just a year remaining on his contract, after he proved to be influential in them escaping the drop last season by scoring 15 goals in 33 Premier League appearances.
Chelsea supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and the majority were not impressed with the price tag on the 6’5” striker’s head, with some even saying that he isn’t even worth £10m.
Manchester United have surely improved from last season but last night’s European Super Cup with Real Madrid showed how far away they still are from Europe’s top sides. Los Blancos claimed a 2-1 win without ever coming close to top gear in a display that highlighted the Red Devils’ limitations both defensively and offensively.
There were some positives to take from the night in Skopje, however. Romelu Lukaku scored his first competitive goal for the Red Devils, Nemanja Matic looked solid in the middle of the park and after entering the fray from the bench at half-time, boy wonder Marcus Rashford went some way to bringing Jose Mourinho’s side back into the game.
Despite clocking just 45 minutes, Rashford finished up with the joint-most shots, successful dribbles, fouls won and attempted crosses of any United player, one of which resulted in an attempt at goal from one of the 19-year-old’s team-mates. He also came incredibly close to getting on the scoresheet himself after being released one-on-one with Keylor Navas, but the Real Madrid goalkeeper produced a smart, low save with his flailing foot.
That leaves Mourinho facing a similar headache to last season, namely whether he can actually reap the full benefits of the England international’s prodigious ability if he’s in the same side as a superstar striker of the Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ilk. The Portuguese has just spent a staggering sum on the Belgian, so it seems unlikely he’ll be dropped for a player who didn’t cost the club a penny any time soon – regardless of how flawed that logic may seem.
But once again last night, the attacking midfield hub appeared to be United’s weakest department – which explains why Mourinho was so open about his interest in Gareth Bale before kickoff. Rashford’s positivity and pace could address that deficiency for the time being, but it probably won’t be enough to clinch United this season’s title.
According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Newcastle United have been told that they must pay £20m if they want to sign Arsenal striker Lucas Perez.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Sun on Sunday says that despite the fact that Arsenal bought the Spaniard for £17m last summer and he struggled for game time throughout the previous campaign, they are looking to make a profit on the 28-year-old.
The Sun on Sunday says that Magpies manager Rafa Benitez was keen to sign Perez on a permanent deal, but he will now target a loan for the attacker after being priced out of the move.
The report adds that Newcastle’s fellow newly-promoted Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion are also keen on the forward, while his former club Deportivo La Coruna also want to bring him back to La Liga.
How did Perez do last season?
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Despite struggling to break into the Arsenal first-team ahead of the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck, Perez did score seven goals and provide a further five assists in 21 appearances in all competitions.
While he only netted one goal in 11 Premier League outings, the 28-year-old was particularly impressive when he was given more of an opportunity in the domestic cups and Champions League, and he netted six times with all of his five assists coming in 10 appearances in those competitions.
Would he be a good signing for Newcastle?
He certainly would be.
While he hasn’t really been given an opportunity by Wenger, the Spaniard showed glimpses of brilliance when he was on the pitch such as his impressive finish against Bournemouth in the Premier League and his hat-trick against Basel in the Champions League.
The 28-year-old came to England following a hugely successful campaign with Deportivo La Coruna and he has shown he knows where the net is – he would certainly provide some much-needed competition for the likes of Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic in attack.
Perez is also a versatile performer as he can play on either wing or as a secondary striker as well as being an out-and-out centre-forward.
Will Arsenal compromise on their asking price?
It’s difficult to say but after missing out on the squad against Leicester on Friday, they will have to reduce the fee if they want to sell him permanently – as it appears they want to do.
Arsenal fans have been given a small glimmer of hope on a day they were expecting to be disastrous.
The Daily Telegraph’s Matt Law has confirmed that the Gunners are exploring a move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Julian Draxler, who would be a direct replacement to the outgoing Alexis Sanchez.
PSG are now looking to sell players after world record moves for Kylian Mbappe and Neymar this summer, and Julian Draxler is one player they’re keen to let go before today’s transfer deadline.
With Alexis Sanchez potentially leaving for Manchester City, Arsenal fans were waking up this morning fully expecting their club to end the day a much weaker outfit that the one that got thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool last weekend – quite a depressing prospect from an Arsenal fans’ point of view.
But these Draxler rumours have given them hope and they’ve been on Twitter voicing their excitement over a deal that would certainly soften the blow of losing Sanchez…
Tonight’s Carabao Cup action gives Slaven Bilic the chance to rest a West Ham squad that has battled through their last two Premier League fixtures, beating Huddersfield 2-0 at the London Stadium in a highly-physical game before seeing out a scoreless draw against West Brom at the Hawthorns.
While the Irons gaffer has a sizeable senior squad to call upon, managers usually see the early stages of the League Cup as the best opportunity to test some of the younger talents at the club breaking through. With tonight’s opponents Bolton currently rock bottom of the Championship, the Hammers will be in their comfort zone in the London Stadium and can afford to field a few youngsters, even if they don’t have a particularly great night.
Here’s a look at three Hammers youngsters who should start tonight…
Declan Rice
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Perhaps the most obvious suggestion considering he’s already made five appearances for the Hammers this season including two starts in the Premier League. Declan Rice perhaps hasn’t uprooted trees since his debut at the end of last term but Slaven Bilic is clearly a big fan of the 18-year-old, who can operate in defence or midfield, and he needs as much time on the pitch as possible to really bed himself into the first-team squad.
Toni Martinez
Already a bit of a fan favourite in east London despite being yet to make his competitive debut for West Ham, many Irons fans have high hopes for former Valencia youngster Toni Martinez. The striker left the Mestalla outfit with an impressive scoring record at youth level and continued that with the Hammers’ U23 squad last term – leading to a loan spell with Oxford United in League One. Martinez could only manage on goal in the third tier but he did encounter Bolton in a 4-2 defeat and that prior experience could give him a unique edge against the Trotters.
Alex Pike
Despite the summer arrival of Pablo Zabaleta, right-back still appears to be a bit of a problem position for the Hammers with Slaven Bilic seemingly unconvinced by Sam Byram. That could justify a first-team outing for U23s right-back Alex Pike. Bilic saw enough in the teenager to grant him an outing in Europa League qualifying at the start of last season and he’s made the joint-most appearances for the U23 string this term. Pike received a taste of senior football on loan at Cheltenham last season, making five League Two appearances, and will relish the chance to test himself once again.
It’s strange how often the perception is so far from the reality in football. The perception of Fabian Delph a few months ago was him being at Manchester City to quite simply make up the numbers on their home-grown quota, the vast majority deeming Aston Villa’s former ball-winner as a too industrious fit for Pep Guardiola’s philosophy.
But in truth, the England international is a solid footballer, one who has made his way into Gareth Southgate’s latest squad, and Guardiola’s realisation of how Delph is wrongly perceived perhaps played a crucial hand in Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday – with the 27-year-old a surprise inclusion in his starting XI, all the more surprisingly at left-back.
Perhaps Delph wouldn’t have received that opportunity without Benjamin Mendy’s season-ending injury but his involvement on Saturday and the way in which Guardiola used the midfielder appeared to catch Antonio Conte off guard. Indeed, Delph performed as an inside full-back on the left, moving into midfield to squeeze out Chelsea’s three-man engine room and give City more control in the middle of the park.
The tactical call worked perfectly as Chelsea’s rare opportunities to break City down all came on the counter-attack, something highlighted in Delph’s statistics. The nine-cap international recorded the most tackles, the most touches and and the joint-most interceptions of any player on the pitch, showing how influential he was on the result, while completing a whopping 92% of his passes.
Delph appeared little more than a spare part at City not long ago and at the age of 27, questions were asked over which direction his career would take. But Saturday’s display proved the 5 foot 8 midfielder can have an important role to play for City this season, especially with Mendy out injured, and that he has a lot to offer one of the top teams in the division.
According to an interview he did with General Newspaper, via Portuguese media outlet A Bola, Everton target Bas Dost, who has a release clause set at €60m (approximately £53.4m at the current exchange rate), isn’t interested in a January move from Sporting Lisbon to Goodison Park.
What’s the word, then?
Well, ESPN FC had reported on October 10 that the Toffees were weighing up a move for the centre-forward after failing to sign a direct replacement for Romelu Lukaku during the summer transfer window, and having endured a difficult start to the season.
That poor beginning to the campaign has left them in 16th in the Premier League table, while they have taken just one point from six available in the Europa League group stages, so it is no surprise that Ronald Koeman is looking to boost his side’s firepower on the New Year.
However, a move for Dost doesn’t look to be a goer if the Netherlands international’s latest comments are anything to go by.
What did he say?
The 28-year-old is reported to have told the General Newspaper, via A Bola: “I’m not going out in the winter or waiting for the market. I’m happy and I want to be a champion at Sporting.”
Soccer Football – Champions League – Olympiacos vs Sporting CP – Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece – September 12, 2017 Sporting’s Bas Dost during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
Why do Everton want him?
With Sandro Ramirez taking time to adapt to life in the Premier League and the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin not yet experienced enough to have a consistent impact at top flight level, Koeman has had to depend on Oumar Niasse to deliever the goods in recent weeks.
Considering the Senegal international had been frozen out by the Dutch manager previously, it is hardly an ideal solution that he is currently Lukaku’s replacement.
The Toffees need a player that can try and replicate the form the Belgian showed when he scored 87 goals in 166 appearances in all competitions for the Merseyside outfit in four seasons at Goodison Park, and Dost certainly has the potential to do that.
The 28-year-old netted 36 times in 41 outings in total for Sporting last season and as well as being a good finisher, at 6’5″ tall he is also a big threat in the air.
What happens next?
Well, with Dost seemingly not keen on a move to Everton then Koeman must switch his attentions elsewhere as his search to bring in a new centre-forward during the January transfer window continues.
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has revealed his Premier League predictions for the weekend’s fixtures, and he has backed Southampton to return to winning ways with a 2-0 victory when they host Newcastle United at St Mary’s on Sunday.
Saints come into the clash against the Magpies having suffered successive defeats against Manchester United and Stoke City, which means they have taken eight points from their seven top flight fixtures this season.
A lack of goals has been the main issue for Mauricio Pellegrino’s men, and the Argentine will be concerned that they have failed to score in four of their five home matches in all competitions this term.
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With former Saints boss Claude Puel getting sacked in the summer because of the dull style of football his team were playing, Merson believes that the current manager needs things to click for his side in attack soon.
The 49-year-old told Sky Sports: “I just think sooner or later something has to happen and they need to start entertaining otherwise Mauricio Pellegrino is going to be in trouble.
“They sacked the last manager because he was not entertaining enough and the new manager is no different so far.”
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Meanwhile, Newcastle visit the south coast on the back of a draw against Liverpool at St James’ Park last time out, but Rafa Benitez will be concerned about their form on the road.
While they picked up all three points at Swansea City, defeats against fellow newly-promoted clubs Huddersfield Town and Brighton and Hove Albion without scoring were far from impressive.
The Tyneside outfit also have a terrible recent record at St Mary’s having lost on their last four visits, conceding 13 goals and scoring just the one.
Merson added: “Newcastle had a good result against Liverpool but I also look at their last away game when they lost at Brighton.”
Tottenham Hotspur have an opportunity to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven matches with a win over Liverpool at Wembley this weekend, and Paul Merson thinks that they will do just that.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have had an enjoyable few days following an impressive performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The North London outfit managed to keep the Spanish giants at bay thanks to some heroic goalkeeping from Hugo Lloris.
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In the end, the match finished 1-1, which put the club in a strong position to move into the last 16 stage.
On Sunday, Tottenham face a Liverpool side that ran rampant against their Champions League opponents Maribor on the same night.
Jurgen Klopp’s men earned a 7-0 win – the biggest ever away victory in the tournament by an English club.
Merson believes that both Spurs and Liverpool are strong going forward, but the Reds’ defensive frailties gives the hosts the edge.
The former Arsenal midfielder said in his Sky Sports predictions that Tottenham would win 3-2.
“Massive game. I’m going for a high-scoring clash, 3-2 to Tottenham. I think both teams going forward are great. I have watched Spurs at Wembley, and they’re not the same team. They used to tear teams apart at White Hart Lane, flying out of the traps and blowing teams away within 20 minutes. You watch them at Wembley and the build-up is slower, pedestrian. But I think this is a good game for them, because Liverpool will have a right go and need a win.”
According to reports in Spanish media outlet Don Balon, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wants the club to sign Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Dele Alli.
With Andres Iniesta coming towards the end of his career with the La Liga giants and with Ivan Rakitic turning 30 in March, the Catalan outfit may well be looking for a new number 10 either in January or next summer and Don Balon says that Messi believes that Alli should be a target.
The 21-year-old will likely be on the radar of a number of the top clubs across Europe after scoring 39 goals in 109 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, including a remarkable 22 in 50 outings last term.
If the England international did end up moving to the Camp Nou, Mauricio Pochettino would know that he would need to find a top class replacement, and the answer could be close to home in the form of Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who is currently on loan at Crystal Palace.
Here are three reasons Tottenham should move for the Blues man if Alli leaves…
Qualities
While he has only made 32 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea over the last three seasons, the 21-year-old has shown just how good he is after playing more regularly during a loan spell with Crystal Palace this term.
Despite the Eagles’ struggles, Loftus-Cheek has shown his defensive qualities in a deeper midfield role by making 12 clearances and seven interceptions in seven top flight appearances, while he has shown the impact he can make in the final third by picking up one assist from nine created chances.
The 6ft 3in midfielder played in the number 10 role for England against Germany on Friday however, and he impressed with his vision and skill on the ball – even pulling off a double nutmeg against the world champions – and it seems to be a position that he would be comfortable featuring in moving forward.
Potential
At 21 years of age – the same as Dele Alli – Loftus-Cheek already looks as though he has a hugely bright future ahead of him if his England showing against Germany on Friday night is anything to go by.
The midfielder has the ability on the ball to make an impact and get himself out of tight situations, and if he can improve his goal record playing in the number 10 role regularly then he could be the ideal Alli replacement for Tottenham, with Pochettino never afraid to give young players an opportunity if they are good enough.
Quotes from his dad
Soccer Football – International Friendly – England vs Germany – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – November 10, 2017 England’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks dejected REUTERS/Toby Melville
In an interview with the Daily Mail this week, Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s dad Trevor said that if his son ‘was playing for Mauricio Pochettino then he would have 70, 80 or 90 first-team appearances by now’, having struggled to game time with Chelsea.
It was certainly an interesting set of quotes and may suggest that the 21-year-oold would be keen to join Tottenham if the opportunity arose.
While it would be uncertain whether the Blues would be willing to let him join one of their Premier League title rivals, the comments are certainly encouraging for Spurs if they do need an Alli replacement soon.