According to ESPN FC, Manchester United goalkeeper Joel Pereira is wanted by a number of Spanish and Italian sides in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Pereira joined United from Swiss club Neuchatel Xamax in 2012, but the stopper has only made three first-team appearances for the Red Devils.
The stopper’s debut for the 20-time English champions came in January 2017 – when he appeared in an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Wigan Athletic.
Pereira has spent time out on loan, however, playing on eight occasions for Rochdale during the 2015-16 season, before making 10 appearances for Portuguese outfit Belenenses in the first half of the 2016-17 campaign.
According to ESPN FC, La Liga trio Real Betis, Sevilla and Real Sociedad all want to sign him on loan for the 2018-19 season, whilst Italian teams Torino, Atalanta and Fiorentina are also considering approaches this summer.
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The 21-year-old is highly rated by United boss Jose Mourinho, and it has previously been suggested that the Portuguese is keen to have three senior goalkeepers at the club next term.
Should Pereira leave this summer?
David de Gea’s presence at Old Trafford means that Pereira is going to find it extremely difficult to secure regular football between the sticks.
Sergio Romero has also impressed during his time at United, and the Argentina international will again be second choice next season if he stays at the club.
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Mourinho might want to keep Pereira in Manchester, but it would be beneficial for both parties if he had a full season out on loan.
Indeed, the Portuguese demonstrated at Belenenses that he has the potential to be a very good goalkeeper in the European game, and he could well become the understudy to De Gea at United in the future if given the chance.
It seems a no-brainer for United to send him out on loan for the full season as they would be sure to reap the rewards upon his return.
Despite the fierceness of football rivalry, fans from opposing clubs can only appreciate the talent that is Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.
The England international had a stellar 2017 by ending the calendar year as Europe’s leading scorer.
For club and country, the 24-year-old netted 56 goals, which was more than Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and Real Madrid hero Cristiano Ronaldo – the pair have 10 Ballon d’Or trophies between them.
Kane has carried his form into 2018 as he has already smashed a Tottenham record, despite the year being just 14 days old.
The striker broke Teddy Sheringham’s Premier League record of 97 goals by scoring twice in Spurs’ 4-0 rout over Everton at Wembley on Saturday night.
The forward’s scintillating form has resulted in the widespread media linking him with moves to other clubs, including Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho’s side currently have Romelu Lukaku as their first-choice striker, but the Belgian has been struggling for consistency of late.
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After witnessing Kane’s performance for Tottenham on Saturday, some United fans called for the club to make a move.
Tottenham were the standout spenders in the summer transfer window. Buoyed by the riches of the Gareth Bale deal, they smashed their own transfer record three times over in a summer of unprecedented expenditure by the North London club.
The Premier League outfit have been decent if not always mesmerising this term and while AVB will be pleased with the business he has been able to do so far, he will also be aware of the need to keep the momentum going.
Tottenham are a team in transition and if you cant accept that then you are only likely to be disappointed in the near future. The likes of Soldado, Lamela and Paulinho are all world-class faces who will all key to the AVB ‘project’, but whose importance shouldn’t be judged on a handful of games. Spurs are a club who should be looking towards success in the next 2-4 years rather than pinning all their hopes on glory next May.
The combination of AVB, Levy and Baldini has enabled Spurs to establish what I consider to be one of, if not the deepest squad in the Premier League. The so-called second-string side would hold their own against almost any team and are consistently proving in the Europa League and League Cup that they have the ability to keep the club fighting on all fronts.
For Spurs though this isn’t just a question of bedding in and giving themselves a bit of time to settle, I still think the club are one or two players short.
The main area of concern are the wing-backs, where the club possess two exceptionally gifted young talents but lack any real experience. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose could well become two of the best wide men in the country, but for a club like Spurs you just cannot afford to weigh all this expectation upon them. Potential injury and loss of form should press AVB towards reinforcing this area come January. It wasn’t particularly surprising that the club were linked repeatedly to both Federico Balzaretti and Fabio Coentrao last summer, and it is my expectation that they will again go into the market for a left back primarily.
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The name on most people’s lips is Leighton Baines, who continues to impress at both domestic and international level. Disciplined in his defensive positioning, Baines also has a wand of a left foot which when you consider the firepower that Spurs possess in attack, wouldn’t really go amiss. But this isn’t just a question of bringing in someone to replace Rose, it is also someone for the youngster to understudy and I cannot see anyone better suited to this role than Baines.
A big question though is how can Spurs finance these kind of deal, considering Baines alone will set the club back upwards of £15m?
The thing a lot of people forget is that Spurs effectively broke even in terms of transfer spending over the summer, the sale of Bale as well as Parker, Dempsey and Huddlestone left the club on sound financial footing. A clearance of a lot of unnecessary deadweight from the wage bill has actually seen the club increase it’s spending capacity rather than reduce it ahead of the January window. Add to this the rumoured investments of reclusive owner Joe Lewis, and you can start to imagine Spurs spending just as significantly come the turn of the year.
So what else do Spurs really need?
A series of injuries have ravaged the career of defensive stalwart Younes Kaboul whose offer of a new contract appears largely up for debate. Dawson whilst a club legend is still defensively suspect, and these two reasons alone point to the need for a ready-made defensive investment come the spring.
The striker issue has been a seemingly endless debate with most happy to accept Soldado as first choice, but many still concerned with Adebayor and Defoe as replacements. I personally think Adebayor if fit and firing is as potentially destructive as any frontman in the League, but still AVB will no doubt look to reinforce. Overtures have already been made to Loic Remy and I fully expect Spurs to look to re-enter the striker market in one way or another.
I doubt we will see the level of summer spending replicated again from Spurs this January, but the club do need to approach the window with exactly the same level of intent.
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This time round it will be more tweaks than a revolutionary overhaul, but that said this window could be just as influential for Spurs going forward as the last.
Do Spurs need to keep the transfer momentum going?
A classic Premier League rivalry is renewed on Sunday afternoon, as Manchester United travel to Newcastle.
Sir Alex Ferguson will be looking for a response from his side after they lost to Tottenham in their last Premier League fixture, although Robin Van Persie inspired a Champions League victory in midweek.
Alan Pardew will play his first home match since being awarded an 8-year-contract, and is expected to start with the leagues most in form striker Demba Ba for the visit of United.
Ba opened the scoring in the corresponding fixture last season, with a superb half volley. Newcastle ran out 3-0 winners that night, in a match that eventually had a huge baring on where the title ended up.
Pardew named a strong side for the midweek win over Bordeaux, but the fact the likes of Ba, Ben Arfa and Davide Santon remained unused substitutes suggested they will start Sunday’s clash.
Defenders Fabricio Coloccini (hamstring) and Steven Taylor (calf) and Ryan Taylor remain unavailable.
United have a long injury list, and will be without the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Chris Smalling.
Jonny Evans is expected to start after suffering a dead leg in midweek.
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Jose Mourinho has said that Eric Bailly has not featured heavily in the closing weeks of the season because he has been trying to grant players who have a chance of going to the World Cup as much gametime as possible.
However, with the England squad announced prior to the Wembley showdown with Chelsea, the fates of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have already been decided, Victor Lindelof has already been named in the Sweden squad and Marcos Rojo is in the 35-man provisional Argentina party.
That may open the door for Mourinho to recall Bailly – who is arguably the club’s most able defender – for the meeting with Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday in the final of the FA Cup.
With Mourinho looking to extend his record of having never lost a major final in normal time, Bailly’s athleticism could well be an asset and that’s why we’re asking you whether the Ivorian – valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt – should get the nod.
Let us know by voting in the poll below and keep your eyes peeled for the results ahead of kick off…
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Everton boss Sam Allardyce has revealed that Wayne Rooney will be available for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Rooney has missed Everton’s last two matches against Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion through illness, and had been seen as a doubt for the trip to Bournemouth.
Allardyce, however, has revealed that his leading scorer is back with the squad.
Rooney re-joined Everton from Manchester United during the summer, and the 32-year-old, who is rated at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has scored 10 Premier League goals for the Toffees during the 2017-18 campaign.
The former England captain scored once and provided one assist in his last league appearance against Swansea City, and will be part of an Everton team that travels to Bournemouth before welcoming Man United to Goodison Park on New Year’s Day.
Allardyce told reporters:
“Wayne is back from illness. He has been stuck in bed for three days. Any quality player who gets fit and returns is a big boost.”
Allardyce also revealed that Yannick Bolasie would be available for the Bournemouth match, while James McCarthy is back in training following a long period on the sidelines.
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Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has joined Ipswich Town until the end of the season and we are all wondering what kind of impact he will make.
The former Plymouth striker has not come to Suffolk to warm the bench and he will be one of the higher paid players at the club. Once he is fully fit he should be able to hold down a starting position in the side with ease as he is a consistent goalscorer at Championship level. However, the question many are asking is; how will he fit into the side?
From what I have seen and heard of Ebanks-Blake I believe he needs the right type of striker alongside him to get the most out of him. I have my doubts as to whether a front two of Ebanks-Blake and David McGoldrick would work well, it seems far more likely that the new man would benefit from playing alongside Daryl Murphy.
If that is the case, then Mick McCarthy will have some very difficult decisions to make regarding his starting line-up. The Ipswich boss will need to decide whether he is better off dropping McGoldrick to the bench or playing two strikers that might not work well together. Another alternative will be to play all three strikers in a 4-3-3 or possibly rotate the strikers regularly depending on the opposition.
However, Ebanks-Blake won’t be fully fit until the end of January and the obvious decision will be to only use him as a substitute early on anyway.
It would be unfair to expect a lot from the clubs new man in January and February as he been out of action for so long. I am expecting the former Wolves striker to not be at his best until later on in the season.
Obviously it is difficult to know what to expect as a lot will depend on how the player has been looking after himself whilst injured. When a long-term injury hits, some players go off the rails and never get back to their best whilst others bounce back straight away.
Another issue worth addressing is that of the other strikers at the club and the wage structure. It is safe to assume that someone will have to leave the club in order to finance this deal and even if they did not need to, the club would struggle to give all their strikers enough playing time to keep them happy.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Jack Marriott went back out on loan in January and one of the clubs back-up strikers will probably leave permanently. Frank Nouble has been progressing well and has actually forced his way back into the starting line-up of late, so I can’t see him leaving.
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The likely option will be to sell Paul Taylor as the former Peterborough man will be on first team wages and has hardly featured at all when he has been available.
Despite any negatives, the great aspect of this deal is that Ebanks-Blake has only been signed until the end of the season. To me it seems like this puts the Tractor Boys in a good position to get the best out of the situation come the end of the season.
If Ebanks-Blake flops completely or gets another long-term injury then we only have to pay him until the end of the season. On the other hand if he hits some good form then the club are in a solid position to retain him for the following season. Everyone involved in this deal deserves a lot of credit because what ever happens it is a win win situation for the club.
Paul Scholes inspired Manchester United to victory on his 700th appearance for the club with the opening goal in the 4-0 thrashing of Wigan at Old Trafford.
After a goalless first half sent nerves jangling in the United camp it was the 37-year-old who calmed the 75,142 strong crowd as he broke the deadlock six minutes after the break to set United on course for a third win on the spin.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men had laboured to wins in their last two outings against Fulham and Southampton and looked set to struggle again against Roberto Martinez’s spirited Wigan side.
The Red Devils should have led after just five minutes but Javier Hernandez saw his penalty saved by Ali Al-Habsi after he was adjudged to have brought down Danny Welbeck. A series of spurned opportunities from Welbeck did little to reduce anxiety levels amongst the home support that would have gone through the roof had Ivan Ramis and Arouna Kone displayed composure in front of goal towards the end of the half.
It was left to Scholes to diffuse any tension as he tapped in from close range after Nani’s low cross was spilled into his path by Al-Habsi. Hernandez then atoned for his failure from 12-yards beating the offside trap to convert Alex Buttner’s cross to double United’s lead just after the hour.
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Buttner then made it a debut to remember as he bulldozed his way down the left flank before beating Al-Habsi with a brilliant strike from a seemingly impossible angle for his first goal since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer. That was followed by a fourth goal from teenager Nick Powell as he came off the bench to mark his introduction to the Premier League with a superb fourth goal as United move to second in the table.
Fulham booked their spot in the Championship playoff final with a 2-0 win over Derby County in the second leg of their semi-final on Monday night.
Derby took a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their last-four tie, but goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Denis Odoi at Craven Cottage saw the capital outfit record a 2-1 aggregate success.
Sessegnon’s goal and indeed performance took a lot of the attention once again, but there is no question that Tom Cairney’s display in the middle of the park was a key contributor in the Cottagers advancing to the final.
Cairney has been strongly linked with a move away from Fulham, with Newcastle United and Leicester City among the Premier League clubs believed to be interested.
Both would have been watching the 27-year-old closely on Monday night, and it proved to be another fine performance from the midfielder.
Cairney, who is valued at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, managed two shots and three dribbles during his time on the field, but it was his use of the ball that made the biggest impression on the night.
Indeed, a pass success rate of 93%, coupled with 87 accurate passes and 108 touches are very impressive numbers for a central midfielder in a match of such magnitude.
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Derby did not make it easy for Cairney to find space, but the former Leeds United youngster was so calm in possession, and a lot of Fulham’s good work went through the midfielder.
Fulham will now be bidding to win the Championship playoff final, and they will surely need to secure Premier League promotion this season to stand any chance of keeping one of the most talented players outside of the top flight.
The January transfer window is upon us and for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic, it’s a chance to refresh an already talented squad with some new talent, while also shipping out a few players surplus to requirement.
While the Hoops may not be quite hitting the heights of last term, they’re still in a dominant position in Scottish football and have plenty of resources to improve even further after banking another season’s worth of UEFA Champions League cash.
However, Brendan Rodgers has spoken at length previously about his desire not to have too bloated a squad and so moving on players currently not getting a game will be seen as just as important before January comes to a close.
Who should the Hoops be saying goodbye to this month?
These are the THREE players who don’t have a future at Celtic Park…
Erik Sviatchenko
Erik Sviatchenko initially looked like a smashing signing for the Hoops, when he joined from FC Midtjylland in January 2016. Initially one of the few decent performers in the second half of Ronny Deila’s last season, he was also a firm fixture in the Celtic side when Brendan Rodgers arrived at the club.
For the past 12 months though he’s struggled not just with injuries but also form when available and has made just two appearances for the Hoops all season.
Having been fit to play for a number of weeks now without being selected, there seems to be little scope for him to return to the starting eleven and become a reliable defender and so moving him on seems like the best option for all concerned.
Still just 26 years old and with caps for Denmark, he’d likely have some resale value, which could be the difference between Celtic signing a quality player and not before the end of the transfer window.
Cristian Gamboa
Cristian Gamboa is another player in Brendan Rodgers’ squad that has made just two appearances this season and appears to be struggling to find a future at Celtic Park.
The Costa Rican international has never been a first pick at the Hoops, with the experienced and popular Mikael Lustig holding down his first team place consistently, even through patches of a poor form.
He’s only made 23 appearances in total since joining from West Brom in 2016 and with 18 months left of his contract, now would be the right time to realise any transfer value in the player.
Rodgers has cover for Lustig in the form of youngster Anthony Ralston and arguably needs to bring in another right-back to compete for first team places. Gamboa isn’t and will likely never be that player.
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Liam Henderson
Liam Henderson has had an interesting career to this point, winning trophies with three clubs in two countries despite being still just 21 years of age.
However, his career has stalled at Celtic, failing to make a single start for Brendan Rodgers this season and appearing just once from the substitute’s bench.
A talented and packed Hoops midfield has meant the youngster has been frozen out of regular football and a once promising player at Celtic Park now looks like having to move elsewhere to reach his potential. There are five or six players ahead of him in the pecking order and he’s shown little sign of breaking that pack.
There is undoubtedly talent there, but perhaps not at the level Celtic require.