Leeds United have placed a £20m price tag on Chris Wood after the striker attracted interest from Premier League clubs, according to The Mirror.
What’s the word?
There were rumblings last season that Wood caught the eye of a number of top-flight clubs for his performances up front.
The New Zealand international was a pivotal part of the Whites’ campaign, which just fell short of the Championship playoffs.
The striker, who has two years remaining on his contract, netted 27 goals and ended the season as the division’s top scorer.
The Mirror reports that Swansea City, Southampton and Stoke City have all kept tabs on Wood.
The publication claims that Leeds have come to the £20m valuation after Middlesbrough paid £15m to sign Britt Assombalonga from Nottingham Forest.
Should Leeds consider selling?
In short, no. Swift changes have been made following the arrival of new head coach Thomas Christiansen.
Since Andrea Radrizzani took full control of the Championship club and appointed the Dane as Garry Monk’s successor, seven new faces have come through the welcome gates at Elland Road.
The signing of Samuel Saiz adds firepower to Leeds’ forward line, but he should be seen as an option alongside Wood.
The problem that Leeds face is the possibility of the New Zealander getting his head turned, particularly if Premier League clubs come calling.
At the age of 25, Wood has plenty of years left to play at the top level, so it would make sense for the striker to give Leeds at least one more season to try to make it into the top flight.
Dimitri Payet did not leave West Ham United on the best of terms when he rejoined Marseille in January.
The Frenchman forced his way out of the club by refusing to play for Slaven Bilic’s side.
Payet, who in the 2015-16 season scored nine goals and registered 12 assists in 30 Premier League appearances, was shunned to the reserves before a deal with Marseille was struck.
The 30-year-old, who signed for the Premier League outfit in 2015, was arguably West Ham’s best player at the time, but his actions left a sour taste in the mouths of Bilic and the team.
The club’s co-chairman David Sullivan has opened up about his feelings on the fallout, and has claimed that he would have kept Payet at the club and let him rot.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Sullivan said:
“We knew Dimitri was flawed, and that’s why we got him for £10.5million. It was a fantastic buy, but we knew we bought a flawed individual and someone who could well go on strike – he had done it all before.
“That’s why he never reached his full potential as a player and why big clubs have steered clear of him. But, I’ve got to say he was a fantastic servant for the club. He gave us 18 wonderful months, particularly the first 12 months.
“Personally, I would have made him stick it out for six months and given him a hard time, but if the manger says he’s unsettling the whole camp, you’ve got to support the manager.”
Since the businessman’s quotes got aired, West Ham fans have had their say on Twitter, and there have been differing views.
As reported by The Mirror, West Ham United have not yet given up their pursuit of Portuguese international midfielder William Carvalho.
What’s the story?
West Ham’s season has started poorly but with some time still left before the transfer window shuts at the end of August, supporters will be hoping that the club can take a dip back into the transfer market this summer.
One player they continue to pursue is Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho. That’s according to The Mirror, who say that despite the Hammers having a £22m bid rejected for the 25-year-old, they have re-opened talks on a potential £30m switch to the London Stadium.
Described by Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol as potentially ‘one of the best deals of the summer’, it certainly seems to be a transfer story that Irons supporters can get excited about.
Midfield controller
There’s no doubt that with the acquisition of Javier Hernandez that the Hammers now have someone capable of sticking chances away and what they arguably need now is a midfielder that can really get their foot on the ball and dictate the tempo of a match.
That’s the kind of thing that Carvalho has offered for Sporting and Portugal in his career so far, playing top-flight football at the club since 2013 and winning 37 caps for his national team.
At 25 he’s coming into his prime and appears ready for the step up to one of Europe’s big leagues. Can he be the midfield maestro that Slaven Bilic is looking for to bring the Irons to the next level?
When the Premier League comes back at the weekend, one of the biggest subplots to keep an eye on will be the potential return of players who spent the summer angling for moves away from their clubs only to have been forced to stay.
There are three who stand out given their clubs’ very public stances on blocking their moves away. Virgil van Dijk at Southampton, Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal and Philippe Coutinho at Liverpool. It will be interesting to see if they start for their clubs next weekend; after Sanchez’s appearance at Anfield last week and Coutinho’s goal for Brazil during the international break, you get the feeling that they are two who will play some part for their clubs after the international break.
But perhaps the club in the best position with regards to their erstwhile wantaway player is Liverpool, who held onto Coutinho despite interest from Barcelona this summer.
All through the window, the will-he won’t-he nature of the transfer saga was shot down with monotonous regularity from Liverpool’s powers that be: they insisted once a week that their player would not be sold for any kind of money, and despite reports of a desperate £140m bid just before the transfer window closed in Spain (a day after it closed in Britain), the Reds held firm.
There was another trope of the summer, though. And that was the insinuation that none of these players would be able to sulk for the rest of the season if their clubs blocked their sale. We were told that, since this season falls just before a World Cup year, players would have to play hard or face the ignominy of missing out on their countries’ squads for the trip to Russia next summer.
And yet, for all apart from Coutinho, that might all be mood. Virgil van Dijk’s Netherlands side may not even qualify for the World Cup anyway, and won’t as it stands. They will face Sweden in what looks like the crunch final game of the group, and even then it looks to be only for a play-off place.
For Arsenal, you get the feeling that no matter how badly Alexis Sanchez plays this season, he will still be picked for Chile anyway. The South American champions aren’t packed out with world class names like the Arsenal star, and given he is such a talisman for his national team, he won’t be dropped simply for sulking – though it’s never easy to simply turn on the form when it comes to a major tournament.
Coutinho, meanwhile, isn’t in the same position. His country have already qualified for the World Cup after an efficient qualifying campaign where they topped the South American qualifiers, and he’s certainly not the best player in the squad. He needs to have to a good season to justify his place, certainly in the starting XI. In that regard, Liverpool are not in the same position as the other two clubs.
But it’s not entirely clear what it means for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp can now pick one of his best players for the rest of the season – or at the very least until January – and in Coutinho, he has an attacking option at his disposal that no other player in the squad brings to the table. But on the other hand, finding a position for the Brazilian will not be as easy as it might have appeared a year ago.
Coutinho doesn’t seem to fit with the dynamism of Liverpool’s front three – something that became obvious at times last season when he was unable to provide the spark Liverpool needed in the absence of Sadio Mane. Nor does the Brazilian seem to be a natural fit for the heavy-pressing midfield three who have played with energy and verve so far this season.
So although selling him after publicly proclaiming that he would not be sold meant Liverpool had to stick to their guns, and although bagging the money would not have guaranteed being able to invest it in the current market (just look at Barcelona’s own struggles in attempting to replace Neymar), it does seem as though Liverpool could have done without the Brazilian in a way that might not have been the case had they lost, say, Sadio Mane.
And yet, Coutinho is still one of the team’s best players and still brings a very different attacking option to the table, something Klopp will probably be thankful of given the Reds will play more matches this season than they did last year, and will come up against all sorts of opposition along the way; some willing to come out and attack, others happy to sit deep and defend.
That’s when having a player like Coutinho, having to hit form in a World Cup year will come in very handy indeed.
So of the clubs whose players have been on strike this summer, it’s Liverpool who have come out of it in a much stronger position to Arsenal and Southampton.
To celebrate 25 years of the Premier League each week in Football Fancast we’re going to be looking back at a memorable game that took place on the corresponding date. This time out we revisit a provocative goal celebration that nearly sparked a riot.
Given this game’s contentious and convoluted back-story it was always going to generate a great deal of headlines. Even a scrappy, largely uneventful 1-0 would have dominated the news cycle for a good few days. As it was, six goals and Emmanuel Adebayor half-stamping, half-raking his boot down a recent team-mate’s face were all buried below the fold, shunted into almost insignificance by a crazy, unforgettable goal celebration.
It was September 12th 2009 and newly minted Manchester City sat atop of the Premier League having undertaken a summer shopping spree the likes of which English football had never before witnessed. Determined to launch themselves into the top four manager Mark Hughes had been afforded limitless funds and from the moment the window opened he wasted little time in hoovering up the best domestic talent available. Gareth Barry arrived from Villa. Roque Santa Cruz hobbled across from Blackburn. The problem lay in that some players weren’t strictly available in the traditional sense. A protracted squabble eventually secured the signature of Joleon Lescott from Everton but prompted ill-feeling from Merseyside. The same went with luring Carlos Tevez over from Old Trafford though that spat was thoroughly embraced by the blue half of Manchester. Running concurrent with all this was a major feud brewed up with Arsenal after Hughes decided the club needed more firepower in the form of Adebayor despite already boasting Tevez, Craig Bellamy, Benjani, Robinho, and Santa Cruz in their attacking ranks. A hefty fee in the region of £25m unsettled the player and caused acrimony between Wenger and Manchester City, a tension that still bubbles away to this day.
As far as the player was concerned whatever grievances the Togolese striker held towards his former employers all came spilling out on this Saturday afternoon. Together with the always industrious Craig Bellamy he forged a strike-force of fierce intensity for City that day that the Gunner’s back-line simply couldn’t compete with and by the time the highly controversial incident occurred, City were 2-1 up and threatening to pull away. Indeed, by the time it happened Adebayor had already raked his studs across Robin Van Persie’s grounded face, attempted similar on Fabregas, and had allegedly slapped Alex Song.
In the 79th minute Shaun Wright-Phillips turned his full-back and was fouled in the process. Referee Mark Clattenberg played an excellent advantage and the diminutive winger looked up to consider his options before pinging an inch-perfect delivery onto Adebayor’s head. From the instant that the ball nestled into Almunia’s net an exorcism took place within the towering forward; an outpouring of joy and belligerence that propelled him into arcing his celebratory run away from the nearby City contingent, out-sprinting the attentions of his team-mates as he did so. Then he was away, haring down the pitch at a speed no-one believed possible. It took a few seconds to cotton on to what was happening and where he was going. He was going to incite, to gloat. Throughout the game the away end had sung defamatory claims about his mother and insisted his dad ‘washed elephants’. Now it was pay back.
Football – Manchester City v Arsenal Barclays Premier League – The City of Manchester Stadium – 09/10 – 12/9/09 Referee Mark Clattenburg books Emmanuel Adebayor of Manchester City for his celebration in front of the Arsenal fans Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ed Sykes Livepic NO ONLINE/INTERNET USE WITHOUT A LICENCE FROM THE FOOTBALL DATA CO LTD. FOR LICENCE ENQUIRIES PLEASE TELEPHONE +44 (0) 207 864 9000.
We have all, at one point or another defended a footballer’s folly. It’s a passionate game with emotions running high so of course there will be occasions when a player does something silly; lashes out. Yet there were 17 full, ticking seconds from Adebayor scoring his fourth goal in four games for City and enacting an exaggerated knee-slide right in front of 3,000 cage-rattled Gooners. 17 seconds is long enough to come to your senses and when the consequence of his actions brought ripped out seats and wanton antagonism his punishment was expected to be severe.
It wasn’t. In fact the forward’s three-match ban that was soon-after dished out by the authorities was solely for his assault on Van Persie and nothing more. For inciting a near riot and doing more damage to north/south relations than Cersei Lannister there was merely a fine equivalent to a quarter of his weekly wages along with a suspended two game ban.
What happened next
Adebayor finished the season with 14 league goals but it wasn’t enough to propel Manchester City into the Champion’s League. That had to wait for another year.
The Gunners endured a frustrating campaign ultimately ending up 11 points adrift of champions Chelsea. The knives began to sharpen for Arsene Wenger.
Tottenham Hotspur are willing to discuss the possibility of a new contract for Harry Kane following reported interest from Real Madrid, according to The Gambling Times.
What’s the word?
Kane has been hitting the headlines of late for his prolific form, which has seen him score 13 goals for club and country in September alone.
The 24-year-old has proven that he can stand out on the European stage as well as domestic by netting a hat-trick – his sixth in 2017 – during a recent victory over APOEL in the Champions League.
It seems that Spanish giants Real Madrid have taken note, and according to Don Balon, the club are prepared to splash £177m on the striker.
The Gambling Times report that this has caused Tottenham to rethink their position and are even considering opening talks over a new contract with Kane, despite the forward putting pen to paper on a fresh five-year deal just 10 months ago.
Will wages be a problem?
It is well known now that the North London club pay fairly modest wages compared to the so-called ‘big’ clubs of the Premier League.
The London Evening Standard claims that Kane and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris are the highest earners among the Spurs squad on around £100,000 per week.
It is highly likely that Madrid would offer a more lucrative salary if Kane was to have his head turned.
It is worth stressing that the striker has made no public suggestions that he is considering a move to the Bernabeu, but if it came down to money, then Spurs could have a problem.
Chairman Daniel Levy is a shrewd businessman, but he may need to rethink his pay structure in order to keep the club’s best player.
Tottenham have an advantage over Madrid in that Kane worked his way through the club’s academy, therefore has an emotional connection to Spurs.
However, the hitman is ambitious and no-one could blame him for following in Gareth Bale’s footsteps in search of silverware.
Plenty of Everton fans have turned on manager Ronald Koeman following another unwanted result.
The Merseyside outfit have struggled in the early stages of the season, winning less than half of their 13 games in all competitions.
At the moment, the club reside just three points above the relegation zone in the Premier League, and their Europa League campaign is not going to plan.
The Toffees had hoped to respond to their opening defeat to Atalanta by getting their first win of the group stage, but they failed to do so.
Despite having the home advantage, Everton were struck with a late blow against Apollon Limassol when Hector Yuste scored an equaliser with two minutes of time left on the clock.
In the end, the Toffees had to settle for a 2-2 draw, which enraged the fans, with many now taking their anger out on Koeman.
To make matters worse, the club were one of the big spenders in the summer transfer window, but the new arrivals have not yet managed to turn things around.
One of the most intriguing Premier League fixtures this weekend comes as Southampton play host to Newcastle United at St Mary’s on Sunday.
Saints come into the clash following a relatively disappointing start to the campaign in which they have taken eight points from their opening seven fixtures.
Successive defeats against Manchester United and Stoke City have kept the south coast outfit firmly in the bottom half of the table at this early stage, and it is their troubles in front of goal which are once again alarming – they have failed to find the net in four of their seven league games.
Meanwhile, the Magpies have endured a mixed start to their own campaign with three wins, one draw and three defeats so far, and they have already been beaten by fellow newly-promoted sides Huddersfield and Brighton on their travels.
Newcastle certainly don’t have a good record at St Mary’s either, losing on their last four visits to the south coast and conceding 13 goals in the process, scoring just one goal in return.
Both teams certainly know that they have the players that can make the difference in a game like this one, and they will be raring to go come Sunday afternoon.
Here are four key on-pitch battles that will decide which way the result goes…
Virgil van Dijk vs Joselu
Soccer Football – Premier League – Newcastle United vs Liverpool – St James’ Park, Newcastle, Britain – October 1, 2017 Newcastle United’s Joselu celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your accoun
Much like Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino, Rafa Benitez has favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation this season and summer signing Joselu looks to be the first-choice striker right now.
While he found the net in the win against West Ham and the 1-1 draw with Liverpool at St James’ Park last time out, the Spaniard has also missed a fair few good chances in recent weeks and he will be looking to do better at St Mary’s on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Van Dijk made his first start since January when Saints faced Stoke City last time out, and despite giving away a penalty the Dutchman was strong in the air and vocal at the back and he will be tasked with dealing with Joselu this weekend.
Mario Lemina vs Jonjo Shelvey
Having been Southampton’s man of the match against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, Lemina is already making a big impression in the middle of the park for Saints following his summer move from Juventus.
The 24-year-old is energetic and has the ability to get away from his opponents because of his skill on the ball, and he could prove to be a key man against the Magpies on Sunday.
However, Newcastle have a midfielder of their own that is in good form right now and while his bad temperament can sometimes get the better of him, Shelvey showed his quality in possession and the range of passing he is capable of against Liverpool last time out, and it was his through ball that Joselu rather fortunately found the net from.
Ryan Bertrand vs Matt Ritchie
Having been one of Newcastle’ most influential players last season as they secured an immediate return to the Premier League, it is no surprise that Ritchie has already proven to be a key player for the Magpies in the top flight this term.
The right-sided midfielder has provided four assists in his side’s seven league fixtures, with his set-piece delivery proving to be particularly effective.
The man that will be tasked with dealing with the threat of the 28-year-old is Ryan Bertrand, who certainly hasn’t been as effective from an attacking point of view this season as he has previously for Southampton.
He will be looking to change that on Sunday and force Ritchie to have to track back and try and defend against him, to stop the Scot making too much of an impact at the other end of the pitch.
Manolo Gabbiadini vs Jamaal Lascelles
Having scored just one goal in his previous 12 Southampton appearances and visibly struggling in the lone striker role in the 4-2-3-1 formation, Gabbiadini has dropped to the substitutes’ bench for Saints previous three Premier League fixtures with Shane Long preferred up top.
However, with Long failing to find the net and missing the Republic of Ireland;s win over Wales during the week, Mauricio Pellegrino may choose to bring the Italy international back into his starting line-up for the visit of Newcastle.
Meanwhile despite not starting the season in Rafa Benitez’s team, Lascelles has quickly gone on to become one of their best performers after replacing the injured Florian Lejeune against Tottenham on the opening day.
The Magpies captain, who recently signed a new six-year contract, has helped his side keep two clean sheets as well as scoring in the wins against Swansea and Stoke, and he could be a key man at both ends of the pitch at St Mary’s on Sunday.
Rangers are again at new beginnings, after Pedro Caixinha was unceremoniously sacked this week in the wake of two more poor results for the Light Blues. A semi-final defeat to Motherwell and a draw at home to Kilmarnock were enough for the Ibrox hierarchy to say goodbye to the Portuguese and end seven months of disappointing results and embarrassing headlines.
The fixture list rumbles on though and it doesn’t get much easier this weekend when they travel to the capital and take on Heart of Midlothian at Murrayfield. The Scottish home of rugby is the temporary home of the Jam Tarts and should provide an exciting atmosphere as two of Scotland’s most recognisable clubs go head-to-head.
For Craig Levein and his Hearts side, it’s a chance to take on Rangers when they are at their most vulnerable. For caretaker boss Graeme Murty, it’s critical that he stops the run of poor results and returns to Glasgow with something to show for their efforts.
It won’t be easy, Hearts are smarting themselves from a mid-week derby defeat against Hibs and will be looking to bounce back.
These are the three danger men Rangers must shut down to stop them…
Kyle Lafferty
A well known face to Rangers supporters, Kyle Lafferty has proven again this season that he is more than capable of being a reliable performer in the Scottish top-flight. With eight goals and an assists in 14 appearances this season, he leads the Hearts scoring charts and will be the man to stop when he goes up against his old club at Murrayfield.
Players scoring against their former teams is a footballing story older than time itself and wouldn’t it be just typical that their tumultuous week goes from bad to worse due to a former fan favourite?
It’s worth noting that Hearts picked up two victories at home to Rangers last season and will fancy this one too. If they are to secure all three points, then Lafferty will no doubt play a big part.
Esmael Goncalves
Esmael Goncalves is another attacking threat that can cause real problems to the Rangers defensive line on Saturday. He has a physical presence that could give the likes of Bruno Alves and Ross McCrorie a tough afternoon, and a finishing ability that makes him a threat whether he starts or whether he comes off the bench.
He is the last Hearts player to score against the Light Blues, netting at Ibrox in May to equalise in what was ultimately a 2-1 victory for the home side.
The Portuguese has scored four times this term, also creating two assists. In a team that hasn’t exactly racked up the goals this season, it’s been an important contribution and one which Craig Levein will hope can come to the fore again on Saturday.
Jamie Walker
Saturday’s match is a great opportunity for Jamie Walker to show he is still one of the top talents in the country after a pretty poor opening to the season by his standards. Although still getting a regular game with Hearts, he’s failed to reach the heights of last season when he netted 15 times and became one of the most talked about potential summer transfers.
With just one goal and one assists in 2017/18, he’s fallen off dramatically but against the team that tried to sign him on deadline day, he can prove his worth again.
In Hearts’ last home game against Rangers he was in lethal form, scoring twice in a thumping 4-1 win that became one of the key matches that led to the managerial demise of Mark Warburton.
If he can do that again on Saturday in a TV match, then he’ll go right to the forefront of everyone’s thinking ahead of the January transfer window.
Everton won the most thrilling encounter of the English Premier League weekend on Sunday, coming from two goals down to secure a 3-2 victory against Watford at Goodison Park.
It’s only the second time in Premier League history that the Toffees have come from 2-0 down to win a match, the last coming way back in May 1994 when they accomplished the feat against Wimbledon.
With his side trailing thanks to goals from Richarlison and Christian Kabasele, caretaker manager David Unsworth must have feared the worst, but he managed to inspire the unlikely comeback with bold substitutions and tactics.
Oumar Niasse, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Leighton Baines were the goal heroes with the last goal coming in stoppage time, before former player Tom Cleverley missed a last-gasp Watford penalty to ensure all three points stayed at Goodison.
Fans were of course delighted with the comeback performance and the result, many crediting Unsworth for his impact on the outcome.