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Juninho Paulista was the first big-name Brazilian to arrive in the Premier League, and to this day is one of the competition’s most popular signings in its 25-year history.

‘The little fella’ landed on Teesside in 1995 with plenty of expectation on his shoulders as a crowd of 5,000 came to watch his Riverside Stadium presentation. Samba fever had hit the town.

At 5”6, the Brazilian looked an easy target for top flight defenders, but Juninho used his sleight figure to his advantage, causing chaos for the opposition by weaving and winding through the pitch with skill and pace, before applying an end-product that rarely disappointed.

Juninho had three spells with Boro between 1995 to 2004 and helped the club to lift their only ever major trophy, the 2004 Carling Cup, in which he scored a crucial away goal at Highbury in the semi-final.

It was only last season that Juninho’s record of being Brazil’s highest Premier League scorer was beaten by another fellow countryman who also dazzles defences and creates magic, Philippe Coutinho. The Liverpool playmaker scored his 30th Premier League goal in April 2017, overtaking Juninho’s 29 in his three spells on Teesside.

With the goalscoring talent that has graced the Premier League – Robinho, Willian, Oscar and Julio Baptista included – it is a surprise that Juninho’s record has only just been beaten, and also proves what a player he was.

“My connection with Middlesbrough grew from the first time I stepped in the city and I think the supporters felt that. I don’t think I have any other relationship as I had with Middlesbrough – that’s why they are still in my heart forever.”

Juninho is regarded as one of Middlesbrough’s best ever players and even to this day says he has a strong connection with the club. His passion for Boro was on display as the club were relegated at Elland Road on the final day of the 1996/97 season – he knew this would mean he would have to leave in order to make the 1998 Brazil World Cup squad.

Bryan Robson had put together an astounding team of attacking and creative flair with a rock-solid defence in the mid-90s. Fabrizio Ravanelli joined the club fresh from scoring in the Champions League final for Juventus in 1996, Brazilian duo Emerson and Juninho ran the midfield and Nigel Pearson captained the team from the back.

Even with this incredible team Boro were relegated in an obscure 1996/97 season, in which they reached (and lost) the FA Cup and League Cup finals, and were deducted points for postponing a game against Blackburn which subsequently got them relegated. Ironically, Juninho sees it as his best season.

“My best moment was the 1996-97 season. We got to two cup finals in the same year and got relegated. But if you ask supporters I think they will say it was the best season ever. My dream with Middlesbrough was to play in Europe and to help Middlesbrough reach a better stage. In that time it was a very low point. I cried (on the pitch at Leeds) because I was very emotional about the club. I saw all of the people working to make Middlesbrough a better club and I felt all of that in that moment. Even now I remember this moment. It was very sad for us.”

The little magician has since stated that he regrets leaving English football. Upon reflecting on his time in the North East, Juninho now admits that the fast and open English game suited his Samba style, and that he wishes he had stayed in England – potentially with Liverpool – instead of choosing to opt for Atletico Madrid in 1997; a move he made to enhance his chances of making the World Cup squad.

“If l could go back to the past, l would never leave English football when I did. I had the chance to go to Liverpool in 1997. The manager [Roy Evans] spoke to my father but I had already given my word to Atletico Madrid. When Middlesbrough finally got into Europe [in 2004] I left because of Steve McClaren. Perhaps I could have stuck it out. And the first time [1997], I had adapted well to English football. If you have an intelligence to your game you can find the space on the pitch and because the game in England is so fast that means a lot of the time it is also very open.”

During his time in England one thing became clear; he earned a place in his heart for Middlesbrough Football Club and the people of Teesside. Even though he has little time from his job in Brazil, where he is president of Ituano FC, he still watches out for the Teessiders’ results.

According to reports in The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Kevin Wimmer is a target for Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Stoke City before the transfer window slams shut at the end of this month.

The Sun says that the Austria could be allowed to leave the north London outfit if they agree a deal to sign Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez, with both the Eagles and the Potters circling as they look to shore up their defences following defeats on the opening day of the season.

While Frank de Boer’s side suffered a humiliating 3-0 loss at home to newly-promoted Huddersfield Town, Mark Hughes’ men were on the end of a narrow 1-0 loss against Everton at Goodison Park.

Gylfi Sigurdsson became the Toffees’ eighth major signing of the summer on Wednesday and manager Ronald Koeman isn’t finished there with The Mirror saying he is looking to add a couple more faces to his squad before August draws to a close.

Here are three reasons Everton should join Crystal Palace and Stoke in the race to sign Wimmer…

Left-sided centre-back

The Mirror says that Koeman is still looking to sign a left-sided centre-back this summer to provide competition for Michael Keane, Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams, following the news that Ramiro Funes Mori could be missing for a further six to nine months following knee surgery.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Wimmer certainly fits into that category as he is left-footed, and while he has found it hard to break past Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen in the Spurs backline, he would still be a good signing for Everton and a potential long-term partner for Keane at the heart of the Toffees defence.

Ability/Potential

As we mentioned before, Wimmer has found first team football hard to come by at Tottenham and he has made just 29 appearances in all competitions over the course of the last two seasons following his move from Cologne.

However, Spurs saw something in him to bring him to north London and then hand him a new five-year contract last summer, and he showed his defensive abilities by making 50 clearances and 20 interceptions in 10 Premier League appearances during his first season in England, as well as having a passing accuracy of 90%.

He was even more impressive for the Bundesliga outfit in his final year in Germany, where he made 210 clearances and won 88 headed duels in 32 league outings, and there is no doubt that he could go on to become a key defender for Everton.

Point to prove

Having struggled to become a fixture in the Tottenham side over the course of the last two seasons, and even when they have been playing three centre-backs, Wimmer will certainly have a point to prove if he does join another Premier League team before the end of August.

The 24-year-old will want to show that he can be a top defender at this level, and that would only benefit the team that signed him as he would be determined to showcase his qualities on a consistent basis when he is given regular football.

Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.

Credit must be given to Liverpool for producing a perfect home performance against one of the top sides in English football, but Arsenal’s display in the 4-0 defeat will go down as arguably their worst of the Premier League era – outfought, out-thought and outplayed at Anfield.

While the sheer vastness of the scoreline very much hinged on the incredibly velocity in which Liverpool can hit teams on the break through Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, it was the Reds’ dominance in another area of the pitch which facilitated that and truly decided the result – central midfield.

The engine room is often the most vital department and while Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka were positionally aimless, the former tellingly subbed off for Francis Coquelin at half time, Jordan Henderson, Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum produced an ideal display, time and again working in perfect tandem to snuff out Arsenal’s build-up play before unleashing Mane and Salah on the counter-attack.

That dominance was epitomised individually by Emre Can; by no means more crucial than Henderson or Wijnaldum but certainly worth a noteworthy mention with an impressive mix of defensive and offensive contributions – namely two created chances, three dribbles, two tackles, two interceptions and three successful aerial duels. He was tidy in possession too, finishing up with an 88% pass success rate.

The 15-cap German international didn’t convince everybody during his first few seasons at Anfield, not least because his best position remained a point of constant debate. But Can has really come into his own this season and if the progression to his game continues, he’ll be a huge player for the Reds throughout 2017/18.

Aston Villa will look to pick up just their second win of the Championship season when they face Barnsley at Oakwell on Saturday, and manager Steve Bruce may well be considering making some changes to his attack.

Villa have scored just seven goals in their seven league fixtures – with four of those coming in their only victory against Norwich City – and they go into the clash with the Tykes on the back of successive goalless draws at Villa Park.

Bruce’s side followed up their shut-out against Brentford with another against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, and they really should have done a lot better considering former Villan Adama Traore was sent off after just four minutes for a late challenge on Conor Hourihane.

The midfielder couldn’t have come much closer to opening the scoring for the hosts though as his goal-bound effort hit teammate Scott Hogan and came back into play, and it perhaps sums up the Midlands outfit’s luck at the moment.

Bruce will know that he needs to change those fortunes sooner rather than later and he will be considering the alterations he could make to both the formation and his starting line-up for the trip to Yorkshire.

Here are three changes Villa should make at Barnsley to bring an end to their goalscoring woes…

Scott Hogan for Henri Lansbury

Lansbury’s red card against Middlesbrough and subsequential suspension gives Steve Bruce the opportunity to try a few new ideas out for the trip to Barnsley.

The Villa boss should consider going with a formation that implements two strikers, with the 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-2-1 systems he has favoured during his time at Villa Park rarely working on a consistent basis.

While Hogan has struggled to rediscover the prolific form he showed for Brentford previously – he scored 14 goals in 25 Championship appearances last season before his move to Villa Park – because of injury problems and a clear loss of confidence, he has proven that he has the ability to regularly find the net at this level.

Perhaps if he is partnered with the right person up top and he receives the right service, his and the club’s fortunes could change, and that is certainly needed after he inadvertently blocked Conor Hourihane’s goal-bound shot in the goalless draw against Boro.

Albert Adomah for Birkir Bjarnason

Having been a regular for Aston Villa under Steve Bruce last season, it has been a bit of a mystery for Villa supporters that Albert Adomah has only played a bit-part role for the Championship outfit this season.

Prior to the 45 minutes he was given as a second-half substitute in the goalless draw against Middlesbrough, the Ghana international had previously tasted just 72 minutes of league action in the opening six fixtures.

The wide man has pace and the ability to get to the by-line and provide crosses, and that could be especially effective away from home with two strikers in the box.

Jonathan Kodjia for Keinan Davis

Without Kodjia, Aston Villa just struggle to score goals, so it will have certainly been a welcome sight for Steve Bruce and the supporters when the striker made his return from injury as a substitute in the last 20 minutes against Middlesbrough.

While he is still clearly a little rusty and couldn’t help his team find the winning goal they were craving, there is no doubt that he must start against Barnsley on Saturday as he has proven time and time again that he is the Midlands outfit’s biggest goal threat with 19 Championship goals last term.

Keinan Davis has done an admirable job leading the line in recent weeks but now it is time for the return of Villa’s main man, and he could just forge an exciting and prolific partnership with Scott Hogan.

Do you agree, Villa fans? Let us know below. 

Manchester United centre-back Chris Smalling has hailed teammate Anthony Martial for making an explosive start to the 2017-18 campaign.

Martial struggled for consistency during the 2016-17 campaign, and it had been claimed that the Frenchman could leave Old Trafford during the summer transfer window.

Man United refused to entertain any interest in the 21-year-old, however, and the Red Devils have been rewarded by the attacker’s impressive start to the season.

Martial has scored five times and provided five assists in eight Man United appearances this term, and was again in fine form against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Smalling has claimed that Martial has been one of the club’s most impressive performers since the start of pre-season, and the England centre-back is pleased that he only has to come up against the former AS Monaco forward in training.

Smalling told MUTV:

“Right from pre-season, Anthony’s been leading the way in training. He’s terrifying one-v-one. I’m glad he’s on my team.”

Man United will enter Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace knowing that a win would temporarily move them three points clear at the top of the table.

Everton supporters have not had too much to shout about in the early stages of the 2017-18 campaign.

Indeed, the Toffees have only collected one point from their two Europa League group matches, whilst they sit down in 16th position in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Everton fans had some good news on Thursday afternoon, however, when it was revealed that 19-year-old midfielder Beni Baningime had signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract at Goodison Park.

Baningime played a key role in Everton’s Under-23 team winning the Premier League 2 title last season, and has now put pen to paper on a new deal until the summer of 2020.

The midfielder moved to England from DR Congo at the age of eight, and it did not take long for Everton to snap up the young talent.

The Everton supporters needed some good news ahead of the return of domestic action, and Baningime penning fresh terms has given the whole club a lift.

Now England’s rather laborious World Cup qualifying campaign has come to a close, the Three Lions dragging their way through with eight wins and two draws, it’s time to turn out attentions to the tournament proper next summer.

Gareth Southgate’s side may have finished top of Group F without losing a game but it wasn’t the most convincing of campaigns, and at this point very few places in the squad seem set in stone.

The good news for some English players, then, is that they have a chance of forcing their way into the 47-year-old’s squad by the end of the season.

That includes West Ham star Michail Antonio, who has been called up to the senior team before but is yet to claim his first cap, and the club’s long-serving midfielder Mark Noble – who Transfermarkt value at £6.3million.

So, West Ham fans, who do you think should be in Southgate’s squad next summer? Let us know by giving each of our suggestions a thumbs up or a thumbs down…

Tottenham Hotspur are known for not giving too much away where injuries are concerned.

Most of the time, the club provide updates of progress but opt against giving a definitive timeline of recovery.

Erik Lamela and Danny Rose have been the main talking points given that the pair have had lengthy spells on the sidelines, but now that the duo are closing in on fitness, others have taken centre stage.

Mousa Dembele has been on the sidelines for a month with a hip injury, but it was confirmed on Tuesday that he has returned to training.

According to The Independent, manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that the midfielder could return to action in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against West Ham United.

Victor Wanyama, though, has not played since August 20 when Spurs lost 2-1 to Chelsea due to a knee injury and there is still uncertainty over his return, but the club have confirmed that his “progress is being monitored”.

As expected, Tottenham fans had plenty to say when they spotted this update on their Twitter timeline.

In the grand scheme of things, it may not mean much to emerge as the Man of a Match from an England friendly in which they recorded just 34% possession, but that shouldn’t take away from how impressive Liverpool youngster Joe Gomez was against Brazil at Wembley.

This was a 20-year-old, upon his first start at international level, making only his 15th appearance as a centre-back throughout his senior career and one of his only outings in a back three, successfully shackling a Selecao attack that included the most expensive player in the history of the sport, Neymar, a playmaker desired by Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho, and arguably the Premier League’s most talented young forward, Gabriel Jesus.

Of course, that was a collective effort – Gareth Southgate set out his England side not to concede and wait for chances on the counter-attack, which is exactly what they did. All three centre-backs impressed at Wembley, and their quality and commitment was essential to the clean sheet.

However, it was still the Reds defender that made the most significant contributions, not least because Neymar lined up directly against him for much of the match. The PSG man was kept exceptionally quiet by his usual standards and there was an even a moment when Gomez’s refusal to let Neymar turn pushed him all the way back from the edge of England’s box into Brazil’s own half.

Accordingly, Gomez finished up with the most clearances and the most interceptions of any player on the pitch. But his ability and composure on the ball, something vital to England’s three-man defence being successful in Russia next summer, stood out as well.

He completed 87% of his passes, twice dribbled clear of attackers in his own third and had 60 touches of the ball – only Eric Dier and Kyle Walker finished up with more.

It remains to be seen if Gomez will make the cut when Southgate drafts his World Cup squad next summer, simply because of his age and the wide number of alternatives. But the young defender certainly laid down a strong case for himself and already appears a good fit for England’s new-look back-three, built upon mobile and technical defenders rather than the traditional English centre-back mould.

Southgate will certainly have taken note of how easily Gomez has adapted to the international game. But do you think he’ll make it to Russia next summer? Let us know by voting below…

According to the Evening Standard, Tottenham are keen to land Watford forward Richarlison and are happy to offload two midfield players in order to fund the deal.

What’s the Story?

Reports are stating that Mauricio Pochettino is very interested in signing Richarlison, who joined Watford in a £13million deal this summer.

The Brazilian, who is valued at £6.3million by Transfermarkt, has impressed in his debut season in the Premier League since joining the Hornets from Fluminense.

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In order to fund such a deal, Spurs are reportedly happy to use Josh Onomah and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou as a makeweight in any offer.

How good has Richarlison been this season?

Considering that he is just 20-years-old, Richarlison has had a mightily impressive start to his career in England.

The forward has notched four goals and provided two assist in 11 games and continues to look like Watford’s most exciting player.

Is Richarlison worth losing two players for?

While Josh Onomah has impressed during his loan spell with Aston Villa this season, the young midfielder doesn’t appear to have enough to break into the Spurs first team.

Similarly Georges-Kevin N’Koudou has been one of Mauricio Pochettino’s most disappointing signings and has failed to produce any of the form that earned him a move to North London in the first place.

Therefore, it could be a very astute move to use the two aforementioned fringe players as part of a deal to sign Richarlison, especially as the Brazilian is showing incredible potential at such a young age.