As reported by The Sun, West Ham United are interested in signing Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.
What’s the story?
With Joe Hart’s loan deal at the club set to expire at the end of the season and Adrian failing to convince between the sticks at the Hammers, West Ham will be seeking a deal for a goalkeeper this summer.
One man they could make a move for is Fulham shot-stopper Marcus Bettinelli.
That’s according to The Sun, who say David Moyes took in the Craven Cottage side’s mid-week clash against Leeds United to check out the goalkeeper.
Rated at £1.8m by Transfermarkt, he’s of course an achievable target for the Irons, but does he have what it takes to be number one at the London Stadium?
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Who is he?
With close to 90 appearances in four seasons with Fulham, the former England youth internationalist has had to work hard for the number one spot at Craven cottage.
This season though he’s emerged as the top choice, making the position his own over David Button and starting almost every match since December.
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He’s kept nine clean sheets in that half season, showing the kind of impressive consistency that could make him a hit at the Hammers next season.
An excellent pure shot-stopper, he still has learning and developing to do but at 25-years of age has the room to do that and although he’s not the most fashionable of signings, he could do a job next season for David Moyes.
Real Madrid no longer have Liverpool star Mohamed Salah on their list of transfer targets, according to Sports Illustrated.
What’s the word?
The Egyptian international has caught the eye of the football world due to his scintillating form in front of goal.
Since moving to the Merseyside outfit from Roma last summer, Salah has scored 38 goals in all competitions and currently leads the way in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
It is almost inevitable that players of his calibre in top form will be linked to other elite clubs.
However, Sports Illustrated claim that even though Real Madrid are expected to make numerous changes to the playing personnel this summer, Salah is not a target.
Can Liverpool breathe a sigh of relief?
For a brief moment, yes. However, if Salah continues to go from strength to strength, then rival clubs will take notice.
Even if Madrid have not quite focused their radar on the Egyptian, it does not mean other elite outfits do not have an interest.
Salah has not given any indication that he wants to leave Liverpool, but his long-term future at the club is likely to be dependent on trophies.
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The Merseyside outfit are a well-known and respected club in global football, but silverware has been sparse in recent years.
As it stands, the Reds have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals thanks to a 3-0 win over Manchester City in the first leg, but the club will need to consistently reach these heights in order to keep Salah for the long haul.
Transfer windows bring frustration to plenty of fans that are desperate for their team to bring in new faces.
Arsenal supporters have regularly vented their anger at various aspects of the club on social media, in particular the future of manager Arsene Wenger.
This week, the Frenchman, who has been in charge of the North London outfit for the past two decades, gave an insight into this summer’s transfer plans.
According to The Mirror, while speaking to the media in a press conference, Wenger admitted that he has no plans right now to search for another striker.
“We have a good side. Overall, in some aspects of the game there is no need to buy more players at that level, because we have young strikers as well, promising strikers. But we’ll see at the end of the season.”
The Gunners recruited Alexandre Lacazette last summer and in the January window brought in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.
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Danny Welbeck, who has often had his critics, is also another option for Wenger, and the hitman proved it by scoring twice against Southampton in a 3-2 triumph at the weekend.
After the manager’s quotes were reported, Arsenal fans gave their reactions on Twitter.
Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin impressed for his team in their 1-0 win against Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Monday night before being taken off shortly into the second half because of a dead leg, and the controversial Frenchman has shown that he perhaps does have a long-term role to play for them.
The 28-year-old made a hugely impressive start to his career with the Merseyside outfit in the first five months of 2017 having joined from Manchester United, but the former Red Devil has largely failed to replicate those performances this term, and has come under huge criticism from the Goodison faithful on Twitter for his performances and attitude previously.
However, he has been a regular starter in the middle of the park under Sam Allardyce in recent weeks following a spell on the substitutes’ bench, and he showed glimpses that he is beginning to get back to his best form in the opening 45 minutes against the Magpies – something that clearly didn’t go unnoticed by the fans who were quick to praise him after he posted on Twitter following the final whistle.
The France international had 55 touches in the 51 minutes he was on the field, and as well as showing his quality on the ball with a passing accuracy of just over 90%, he also played two accurate long balls having often been picked out on playing short, sideways passes at times this term.
Schneiderlin also impressed from a defensive point of view, making four interceptions to help keep Rafa Benitez’s in-form side, who had won four successive Premier League matches, at bay.
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While he may not have been too popular with his own supporters this season and looked increasingly likely to leave the club this summer, the 28-year-old’s displays in recent weeks suggest that he is fighting to prove that he has big part to play for them in the future.
Reliable Leeds United journalist Phil Hay says that the club would make a “decent profit” on playmaker Samu Saiz if they “decided to sell him tomorrow”, and Whites fans will be worried by his comments.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Hay named the Spaniard as the Yorkshire outfit’s signing of the season as he looked back at the campaign for the Yorkshire Evening Post, and he believes that the mid-table Championship side could make a good profit on a player they signed for £3m less than 12 months ago.
He wrote in the Yorkshire Evening Post: “In financial terms, he is a player on whom Leeds would make a decent profit if they decided to sell him on tomorrow and given the shambles this season has become, Saiz should be well down the list of expendable assets.”
While Leeds surely wouldn’t want to lose one of their best players this summer, they have shown in the past when they have sold the likes of Lewis Cook and Chris Wood for good money that every individual has their price.
How has Saiz done this season?
While the 27-year-old performed brilliantly in the first-half of the campaign, it has been clear to see that he has gone slightly off the boil in 2018 – he hasn’t found the net since November, in fact.
While the Spaniard has scored nine goals and provided a further eight assists in 36 appearances in all competitions, his discipline has also let him down at times.
He picked up a six-match ban for spitting at a Newport County player in the FA Cup in January, while he has reacted negatively to being substituted off by Paul Heckingbottom – although Leeds fans on Twitter backed him on that occasion despite his dissent.
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Would Leeds consider selling him this summer?
It’s difficult to say.
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While Saiz is clearly one of the club’s most talented players, if the Yorkshire outfit do receive a big offer for him this summer it could be difficult for them to reject following another disappointing Championship season.
His discipline and attitude will certainly be a concern for the Whites, although it remains to be seen whether a team will be willing to take a risk on the 27-year-old following his drop in form in recent months.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Celtic have been credited with an interest in West Bromwich Albion defender Craig Dawson this summer.
What’s the story?
After the Baggies’ relegation from the English Premier League was confirmed this week, clubs will be circling to try and poach talent that they feel are too good for the second-tier in England.
According to The Daily Mail, one of those clubs is Celtic, reporting that the Hoops are keen on the 28-year-old.
The paper say he is rated at £15m and that Newcastle United are also interested in securing his signature this summer.
Is this a move that is likely to happen?
Dawson to Celtic?
It’s true that Celtic need reinforcements across their defensive line this summer, with signings arguably needed in each position – a competitor for Mikael Lustig, a quality central defender to upgrade on existing talent and back-up for the ever impressive Kieran Tierney.
However, the idea they would enter the transfer market and pay £15m for a 28-year-old like Craig Dawson is fairly absurd.
This could be the summer that Celtic spend big under Brendan Rodgers to refresh his winning squad, but anyone coming into the club is likely to be someone that not only will be expected to improve the first team but also have resale value.
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It’s a model the Hoops have followed for years and although they now have more resources than they ever, it’s one that has been successful so far and there is no reason to change that.
England manager Gareth Southgate has announced his Three Lions squad for the 2018 World Cup, which kicks off in Russia next month.The England boss has waived the opportunity to select a preliminary 29-man group and instead confirmed his preferred 23-man squad for the tournament.The major casualties include Jack Wilshere and Joe Hart, who have both struggled to hold down regular starting berths for varying reasons this season. Between them, the pair boast 109 England caps, but their omissions cast serious doubts over their futures at international level.Adam Lallana is also a surprise absence, although the Liverpool midfielder has only just returned from injury.Southgate’s taken a clear focus on the future with his latest squad, represented best by a surprise call-up for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool defender has been a key part of the Reds’ Champions League campaign, but is yet to represent England at senior level.The full England World Cup squad is detailed in the video below…
Manchester United target Jean Michael Seri will be allowed to leave Nice in this summer’s transfer window, according to the French club’s president Jean-Pierre Rivere.
What’s the story?
United are expected to be extremely active this summer as head coach Jose Mourinho looks to put together a squad capable of challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title next season.
Midfield is an area that Mourinho wants to strengthen, and the Red Devils have been strongly linked with a move for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred.
That said, the latest comments from Nice president Rivere regarding Ivory Coast midfielder Seri could see the 20-time English champions launch a move this summer.
Rivere told Canal+:
“We are here to help players to improve, that is the case with him.
“Mika Seri is in the same category. A very good player who has brought a lot to the club and can legitimately have that desire to go and play abroad.”
Seri was believed to be on the verge of joining Barcelona in last summer’s transfer window, but the move broke down at the final moment when the Spanish outfit pulled out.
Would Seri be a good signing for United?
To be blunt, yes. United were credited with an interest in Seri back in March, although it is understood that City are also admirers of the all-action midfielder.
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The 26-year-old scored seven times in 39 appearances for Nice during the 2016-17 campaign, and managed two goals and 10 assists in 43 appearances for his French outfit last term.
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United need a third central midfielder to play alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, and Seri, who has also been linked with Arsenal, would bring the perfect blend of skills.
Indeed, the midfielder, who is valued at £31.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is capable of providing a defensive shield, in addition to scoring goals and assisting.
Rivere’s quotes are bound to alert a number of clubs, but United would fancy their chances of winning any race that might occur, and the Red Devils should move quickly for the impressive Ivorian in order to avoid disappointment.
Sometimes it just comes down to the minor details.If Mohamed Salah’s arm didn’t land underneath the full weight of Sergio Ramos’ body (whether by accident or sly design), would this Champions League final have ended differently?The stats – even at half time – seem to suggest that it might well have done.
What if Loris Karius hadn’t bestowed two goals on a team who really aren’t in need of gifts?
The first, may – on another day – have been ruled out. It’s probably not a foul, but you’ve seen similar efforts chalked off in the past. Like Thierry Henry at Blackburn in 2003. Either way, it was an incredibly brainless attempt at a throw.
The second was, perhaps, much more costly.
With the score just 2-1 at the time, a third goal for Madrid meant the game was well and truly up. Liverpool couldn’t get themselves back into the game, and Karius too is down and out. How does he come back mentally from something like this? Indeed, how do Liverpool?
But in between two veritable howlers was a goal which simply had to win the game.
Gareth Bale’s overhead kick was a perfect feat of pragmatism and improvisation from a man who always steps it up in the big games. It wasn’t shinned, he leapt high in the air – it was everything you want in an overhead kick. Perhaps his own manager, Zinedine Zidane, has scored a Champions League final goal to match it, but there’s a case to be made for Bale’s.
After the ball hit the net, and the Welshman slid towards the corner flag, you got the feeling that there couldn’t possibly be a Liverpool comeback – that goal just had to be the winner.
So good was it that Cristiano Ronaldo declined to celebrate with the goalscorer. If you want to judge the quality of a crucial goal in a Champions League final (so long as it’s scored by anyone other than Ronaldo) then watch the Portuguese’s reaction. If he doesn’t celebrate, you know it’s because his limelight has been stolen.
There’s not much heart to take in a defeat like this for Liverpool, either. Absolutely nothing went right on the night, and not all of it was their fault. This seemed to be an occasion made up of a patchwork of small moments, of which few – if any – went Liverpool’s way.
Heaven and Earth seem to move in order to facilitate them. Like a time traveller attempting to kill his own grandfather only to be taken out by a cartoon anvil falling out of the blue, the world just does whatever it can to make Madrid champions of Europe. It just won’t seem to let another side take the crown.
But there is a greater reality to Liverpool’s defeat, one that lands squarely on their shoulders and evades attempts to pin this on the details.
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The issue in goal is clear and Karius would do well to be the club’s number one in August. But beyond that there were more issues tonight, too. When Salah went off, the balance of the front three changed as Adam Lallana is hardly a like-for-like replacement. Later on, there were simply no options available to Jurgen Klopp to change the game. In the other bench, Zidane could call on Bale. And to great effect. That was arguably the difference.
In the end, this may well have been a game which hinged on minor details, but it also came down to fundamental differences in squad depth. And Liverpool just didn’t have the players in the long run.
They know they’re good enough to belong at this level, that they should be challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title and that they should be competing for European honours. But this summer it’s clear that adding depth will be the key.
According to an exclusive report by TEAMtalk, Southampton are one of three Premier League clubs interested in signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Rodrigo Battaglia, who faces an uncertain future.
What’s the word, then?
Well, TEAMtalk says that Saints, along with newly-promoted duo Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, are all keen to sign the 26-year-old, who is keen on a move to the English top flight.
TEAMtalk says that the Argentine is keen to leave the Portuguese club to come to the Premier League after he and his teammates were attacked at their training ground by some angry supporters last month after they missed out on Champions League qualification.
The report adds that Battaglia, who would be competing with the likes of Oriol Romeu, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mario Lemina for a spot in central midfield if he did move to St Mary’s, was also the subject of public criticism for Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho.
How did Battaglia do during the 2017/18 campaign?
It was a tough season for Sporting, but the 26-year-old was a regular fixture in the starting XI.
The Argentine midfielder made 57 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing a further three assists, while he featured for all but three minutes of their Champions League group campaign.
According to WhoScored.com, he successfully completed 24 of the 39 dribbles he attempted in 45 outings in Liga NOS and in European competition, while he won 83 aerial duels.
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Would he be a good signing for Southampton?
He certainly would be.
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Saints, who should sign a 6ft 4in England colossus once Man United seal huge £50m deal, only just narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship last season and the addition of the 26-year-old would have to be seen as a huge positive, given the experience he has at playing at the highest level for Sporting.
The midfielder’s arrival at St Mary’s would surely seal Lemina’s fate with the south coast outfit however considering the options Mark Hughes would have in the centre, with the Gabon international being linked with a move to Napoli and Manchester City – among others – in recent times.