The rot is setting in: Alexis Sanchez’s wages cause more issues as Ander Herrera makes huge demand

[ad_pod ]

According to the Telegraph, Ander Herrera has reportedly demanded a contract in excess of £200,000-a-week to stay at Manchester United, amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain – the midfielder’s current deal expires in the summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Spaniard will be available on a free transfer unless the Red Devils can agree terms with him over a new deal, although they will reportedly not be held to ransom by the 29-year-old after he requested such a huge wage.

Herrera has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance at Old Trafford since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in the dugout, emerging as one of United’s key players since the start of 2019.

Which “global superstar” has just been named Man Utd’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video above…

However, whilst United want the former Athletic Bilbao man to stay and are said to have offered him a substantial increase on his current earnings of £80,000-a-week, Herrera has demanded a salary that would catapult him amongst the club’s top earners.

Alexis Sanchez’s wages cause more issues

It has previously been reported that Sanchez’s alleged earnings of £500,000-a-week have completely shattered the wage structure at Old Trafford, with the Chileans’s salary making it extremely difficult to negotiate a new deal with David de Gea – the Spanish keeper is said to be demanding double his current deal of £240,000-a-week.

Whilst that will worry United – the 28-year-old is one of the most important players at the club – the fact that Herrera is now demanding such a huge salary to stay at the club proves that Sanchez’s ludicrous earnings are having a detrimental effect on the squad.

Solskjaer will obviously have a number of issues to clean up in the summer having recently been appointed on a permanent basis, most notably finding a right-winger and potentially another centre-back.

However, the situation involving Sanchez and the evident knock-on effect this is having on other members of the squad, who feel they should be earning closer to the former Arsenal man’s earnings, may well be the determining factor on whether or not the Norwegian will be a success in Manchester.

As we can see, players are requesting salaries that do not befit their quality or importance to the team, as, whilst Herrera and De Gea are key players, they definitely should not be earning, nor are they worth, figures in excess of £200,000-a-week and £480,000-a-week.

The sooner the peripheral figure of Sanchez leaves the better, or the highest earning player at the club will continue to plague morale around the place and cause players to request absurd sums.

Bring him back: West Bromwich Albion fans throw their support behind Oliver Burke

[ad_pod ]

Oliver Burke is currently on loan at Celtic, having joined the Scottish giants from West Bromwich Albion during the January transfer window.

The attacker only made three Championship appearances for the Baggies in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign and therefore it was not a surprise when he departed at the mid-point of the season.

For Celtic, the six-time Scotland international has managed four goals in 10 Scottish Premiership appearances since his arrival.

Just 22 years of age, Burke still has time to forge a successful career in the game.

It has not quite happened since arriving at West Brom in August 2017 and it is worth remembering that the Baggies paid £15m for his services.

That said, there are a selection of West Brom fans who still feel that Burke could have a career with the club.

Indeed, in response to a tweet from the Championship side on Sunday, many supporters took to social media to reveal their views on the attacker:

Most talented Villa player I’ve seen: Villa fans attribute historic run to Grealish return

[ad_pod ]Aston Villa fans have attributed their incredible run of form in recent weeks to Jack Grealish’s return from injury.The Villans have now won 10 games in a row and confirmed their place in the play-offs at the end of the season. Before Grealish came back into the side Villa were eight points off of the top six, but since his return the Midlands club have been flying.The English midfielder was given the captain’s armband upon his return against Derby County, and since then Dean Smith’s side have picked up 30 points from 30 available.Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…The 23-year-old has played a key part in Villa’s recent run of good form, scoring four times and setting up a further two.Grealish also scored two winning goals against Rotherham and fierce rivals Birmingham City. Villa fans believe it is no coincidence that their best run of the season coincided with the return of their best player.

Here’s what Villa fans have been saying on Twitter…

TT Battle: Christian Eriksen vs Dusan Tadic

Tottenham are tonight hosting Ajax in a truly intriguing Champions League affair. Many would have laughed off the notion that the two could face off in a battle for a place in the final. But alas, here we are. Tottenham enter the fixture with injuries galore and will rely on their key men to step up – perhaps none more so than former Ajax man Christian Eriksen. 

The Dane will find himself in combat with Ajax’s high-flying creative midfielders, an example being Dusan Tadic who has taken Europe by storm. Tadic was no match for his counterpart while in the Premier League, yet he now resembles stiff competition.

Who should be considered the better talent, however? Let’s take a look below.

Christian Eriksen

Eriksen has undeniably emerged as Tottenham’s primary creative talent since his £11.5m signing from Ajax in 2013. However, in entering the final stages of his contract, rumours of his departure have spiralled. Moreover, an apparent dip in form has seen some fans become increasingly restless, even growing on the idea of his exit.

Indeed, Eriksen has not shown the consistency Tottenham have become accustomed to throughout the duration of his stay at the club. But the playmaker has still been instrumental in most of their success. Seven goals and 12 assists in the league is certainly not a bad return. Additionally, Eriksen has time and time again saved Tottenham’s blushes with a series of crucially important late goals.

With Eriksen, Tottenham have a player capable of producing the sublime from the first minute to the last. No player has scored more goals from outside the box since his arrival to the Premier League, while he also possesses the ability to thread the ball through the eye of a needle.

The midfielder is now rated at £76.5m by Transfermarkt, but it would take a bid substantially more than that to acquire his services, even if he is entering the final year of his contract. He truly is the beating heart of the Tottenham midfield, a player totally irreplaceable in the current squad.  Should Tottenham progress against Ajax, you can bet Eriksen will have played his part.

TT Grade: A+ Dusan Tadic

Tadic must surely be regarded as one of this season’s biggest surprises. Although on his day, he was indeed an important player for Southampton, he never took the Premier League by storm. 20 goals in 134 appearances, including 6 in his final season, certainly never had the pundits raving. A £10m move to Ajax had no eyebrows raised, but what a bargain he has turned out to be.

Tadic has scored 24 goals in 32 league games this season, adding 9 goals in 16 in the Champions League. Yes, you did read that correctly. This is a turnaround perhaps even more remarkable than Moussa Sissoko’s dramatic upturn in form. The Serbian must surely be considered one of Europes best players when evaluating this season alone.

It’s not just the stats, it’s the calibre of performance. Tadic scored one and assisted two against Real Madrid in arguably the performance of the Champions League thus far. He was simply unstoppable. Trickery, pace, vision – he had the lot. At 30-years-old, the midfielder has now truly reached his peak.

It’s not going to be an easy night for the Tottenham defenders.

TT Grade: A TT Verdict:

So, there we have it. Eriksen wins this one in a severely tight contest. There is no arguing against the fact that Tadic has had the better season. But Eriksen has been doing it for years.

The midfield dynamo is also three years younger, aged 27. The Dane is now approaching the prime years of his career and the best is yet to come. He has been one of the Premier Leagues most exciting talents in recent years and must be recognised as a world-class talent.

Tottenham fans, should Eriksen be considered a better player than Tadic? Who will prevail in tonight’s crucial encounter? Let us know below. 

Arsenal: Club must be involved with Fulham fire-sale

It’s not often you see a team spend £100 million and still get relegated, but Fulham have done just that.

The Cottagers relegation status was confirmed after a midweek defeat to Watford, and teams are already swarming to the club for their star players just days after their fatal loss.

Ryan Sessegnon, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Jean Michael Seri have already been linked with summer moves away from the Championship-bound side, and it is likely more players will be rumoured with moves away from Fulham.

With the club likely to offload the majority of their players, Fulham’s Premier League standard squad members will need new homes in the summer, and for Arsenal, the club will be foolish not to get involved with the transfer sale.

Although the Gunners are in need of defensive signings more than anything and Fulham are likely to have anything of worth for Unai Emery, there are some players who Arsenal should be looking at as potential summer signings.

Former transfer target Seri seems like the most obvious pick for who Arsenal can sign from Fulham. The Ivory Coast international, who is valued at £27 million (by Transfermarkt), was linked to the north London side for some time before deciding to move to west London, and with the midfielder reportedly looking for a move away this summer, the Gunners should swoop in on that.

Arsenal are in need of a creative midfielder with Aaron Ramsey leaving for Juventus this summer, and Seri would be a near-perfect replacement despite his lacklustre season with Fulham. He could also be a cheap signing for the club with the Cottagers likely to offload the former Nice man as quickly as possible.

Although Arsenal shouldn’t look to Fulham for defensive signings, one player they have to consider for next season is Calum Chambers, who is returning to north London following a season on loan at Craven Cottage.

For all of Fulham’s defensive qualities, or lack thereof, Chambers has been the one player who has impressed defensively for Scott Parker’s side this season and has been a fan favourite with the west London faithful.

With his performances and overall game impressing supporters of a team who have shipped the most goals this season in the Premier League, it is likely we could see Chambers feature for the Arsenal first-team next campaign as either a centre-back option or a defensive midfield backup.

Arsenal fans, who should the club sign from Fulham this summer? Let us know!

Signing Andre Gomes is the first thing Everton must do this summer

Everton have finally reached their capabilities under Marco Silva and those fans are loving it. Seventh place looks to again be a real possibility and optimism has quickly restored itself around Goodison Park. Thank the high heavens for that, right? 

With a string of fine results, Everton have re-established themselves as European contenders, something that will please Marco Silva after a troubling start to his tenure. Indeed, you Everton fans can safely admit that they did have concerns about the Portuguese boss but finally having turned things around, Silva must continue to be entrusted by all.

Obviously, this upcoming transfer window is yet again another opportunity for Everton to try and strengthen their side but their first bit of business may be slightly easier than some. Despite a number of teams now pledging their interest, Everton’s first job this summer is to sign Andre Gomes on a permanent deal, after he’s produced a number of show-stopping performances this season.

Gomes, (who is valued at £25.2 million on Transfermarkt) has shown exactly why Barcelona invested so heavily in him, with so many classy performances in the heart of midfield.

At times, the 25-year-old looks miles ahead of his opponents as he effortlessly strolls around the pitch like it’s his own.

That kind of player is extremely hard to find and Everton must do everything to try and keep hold of him – amid reported interest over the course of the campaign – now they’ve seen how good their midfield could be.

Marco Silva – like you supporters reading this – is surely very keen on making his stay permanent and although Barcelona can now drive up the price because of his performances, Everton must consider who would prove to be better value for money.

Now in his prime years, enjoying some terrific football and looking at home in the blue of Everton, it definitely makes sense that he remains at Goodison Park, right?

Die-hard Everton fans, do you agree Andre Gomes must be signed? Join the discussion by commenting below…

وزارة الرياضة: الزمالك يحق له الطعن على قرار مركز التسوية والتحكيم

أصدرت الإدارة القانونية بوزارة الشباب والرياضة، بيانًا رسميًِا، بشأن قرار مركز التسوية والتحكيم ببطلان لائحة الزمالك.

لجنة التسوية والتحكيم، أعلنت اليوم الأربعاء بطلان لائحة الزمالك ومن ثم عودة هاني العتال وعبد الله جورج إلى مجلس إدارة النادي مرة أخرى وبطلان عضوية أحمد مرتضى منصور.

طالع | بطولات ينشر حيثيات حكم بطلان لائحة وانتخابات الزمالك الأخيرة

وأشارت الإدارة القانونية لوزارة الشباب والرياضة، إلى أن قرار لجنة التسوية على لائحة الزمالك، غير نهائي وغير واجب النفاذ لحين استنفاذ طرق الطعن المقررة قانونا.

وبهذا يحق لمرتضى منصور رئيس مجلس إدارة الزمالك الطعن على القرار، وإيقافه لحين التحقيق. بيان الإدارة القانونية بوزارة الشباب والرياضة 

صرحت الإدارة القانونية بوزارة الشباب والرياضة أن الحكم الصادر في الدعوى التحكيمية رقم 15 لسنة 3 ق لسنة 2019 من مركز التسوية والتحكيم الرياضي المصري والقاضي بإلغاء قرار اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية رقم 11 لسنة 2019 الصادر بتاريخ 1/6/2019 فيما تضمنه من الموافقة على اعتماد لائحة النظام الأساسي لنادى الزمالك المعدلة وما يترتب على ذلك من آثار ، غير نهائي وغير واجب النفاذ لحين استنفاذ طرق الطعن المقررة قانونا.

ومن ثم فلا وجوب لتنفيذه لحين فوات المدة القانونية للطعن عليه أو استنفاذ طرق الطعن، ويحق لنادى الزمالك خلال المدة القانونية الطعن على حكم مركز التسوية والتحكيم الذي صدر اليوم الأربعاء بشأن لائحة النظام الأساسي للنادى وذلك وفقاً لأحكام لائحة النظام الأساسي لمركز التسوية والتحكيم الرياضي المصري.

الأمر الذى تفسره الإدارة القانونية بالوزارة بأنه بمجرد اتخاذ نادي الزمالك إجراءاته القانونية للطعن على الحكم سوف يتم وقف التنفيذ بشكل فوري، طبقاً للائحة النظام الأساسي لمركز التسوية والتحكيم الرياضي المصري.

وتحرص وزارة الشباب والرياضة على التواصل حالياً مع كافة الأطراف المعنية لمتابعة كافة التفاصيل الخاصة بالحكم الصادر بشأن نادي الزمالك حفاظاً على كيان النادي وكافة مفرداته وفرقه ولاعبيه أخذاً بعين الاعتبار فريق كرة القدم والذي تحرص الوزارة على تماسكه وإبعاده عن أي مشكلات أو مؤثرات خارجية في ظل خوضه لمنافسات البطولة الإفريقية.

The Verdict: Can Andre Gray replace Alfredo Morelos at Rangers?

[ad_pod ]

Rangers are reportedly eyeing a move for Andre Gray, but would he be good enough to replace Alfredo Morelos?

According to The Evening Times, Steven Gerrard is considering a loan approach for Gray, who has scored nine times for Watford this season.

Jordan Jones, Jake Hastie and Greg Stewart are all expected to move to Ibrox this summer per the report, and Gray is now a loan target as well.

This comes after a report in The Express said Morelos is on “thin ice” after his red card in the Old Firm.

With that in mind, we asked some of the writers at Football FanCast if Gray is good enough to lead the line next season. Here’s what they said…

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Harry Elnaugh

“Undoubtedly. The Watford man matches Morelos for pace and power, while also having a pretty lethal finish. I’d even argue that he would be an upgrade. Morelos is fantastic and brings so much to the SPFL, but if Rangers can get a striker who scores the goals he does but without all the bans and suspensions, they’d be much closer to a title.”

Jack Saville

“I think Rangers would make a major blunder if they replaced Morelos with Andre Gray. The Watford striker has experience in the Premier League but he’s practically renowned for his inability to find the back of the net, so much so that he’s become a laughing stock amongst the Hornets faithful during periods of his spell at Vicarage Road. That reputation has dwindled this season, with a return of seven goals suggesting he might have turned a corner, but I’m far from convinced this is anything other than a small purple patch. Gerrard will be torn if he is forced to choose a replacement for Morelos this summer but Gray is not the answer.”

Billy Meyers

“I think Andre Gray would be a more than capable replacement for Alfredo Morelos if he leaves Rangers. The former Burnley man is fast, powerful and a decent finisher, and his form this season has began to show why Watford shelled out £18m for his services. Also, it can be argued that the Scottish top-flight is not as tough as the Premier League, so Gray’s struggles to find the back of the net consistently may not carry over if he makes to switch to Ibrox. This would be a marquee signing for a club like Rangers.”

أمام أنظار ليفربول وريال مدريد.. حميديتش عن مصير ألابا: رحيله أمر واقع!

أكد البوسني حسن صالح حميديتش، المدير الرياضي لنادي بايرن ميونخ الألماني أن ديفيد ألابا سيرحل عن صفوف النادي البافاري، وذلك بعد رفضه تجديد عقده مع النادي البافاري.

ومن المقرر أن ينتهي العقد الحالي لـ ألابا مع بطل دوري أبطال أوروبا، في نهاية الموسم الجاري في 30 يونيو 2021.

وأبدت إدارة بطل الدوري الألماني، رغبتها في تجديد عقد ألابا، ولكنها فشلت في التوصل إلى اتفاق معه، على مدار فترة طويلة، حيث عرضت عليه راتبًا سنويًا قدره 11 مليون يورو بالإضافة لـ ستة ملايين يورو كمُتغيرات، ولكن صاحب الـ28 عامًا رفض العرض.

وأعلن بايرن ميونخ أمس الأول، أنه قرر إنهاء مفاوضات تجديد عقد ألابا بسبب إصرار الأخير ووكيل أعماله على الحصول على مكاسب مالية ضخمة كشرط الموافقة على التوقيع (طالع التفاصيل).

وقال حميديتش في تصريحات عبر “سكاي سبورت ألمانيا”: “التجديد لـ ألابا؟ لا أعرف كيف يجب أن نعود إلى بعضنا البعض!”.

وأضاف: “لقد قدمنا له عرضًا ثم رفضه، ثم جاءنا ورفض العرض، ثم قدمًا عرض محسّن ورفض، حددنا موعدًا للرد، والوقت انقضى”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “ألابا رفض عرضنا، والآن علينا التعامل مع حقيقة أنه سيتركنا”.

Leicester must scrap possible Tarkowski move with Maguire replacement already at club

[ad_pod ]

According to The Sun, Leicester are showing an interest in James Tarkowski as a possible replacement for Harry Maguire should he leave the club. However, the Foxes need to forget about searching for an external successor.

What’s the word?

With Maguire again attracting the interest of one of the Premier League’s top clubs, Leicester are eyeing up Tarkowski as the man to replace him according to The Sun.

The publication suggests that City may have to pay up to £75m for the England defender but the Foxes are not keen on selling one of their star men.

Tarkowski has been selected in England squads alongside Maguire and as such, Brendan Rodgers looks to have identified him as a like-for-like replacement.

The Burnley central defender was excellent last season as the Clarets finished in the top half but has struggled for the same sort of consistency this term.

At 26, the player is entering his prime years and would still be an astute acquisition. Throughout the 2018/19 campaign, he’s played 33 times in the Premier League and has won 4.8 aerial duels per game.

External replacement not needed

Tarkowski represents a near ideal replacement for Maguire. Both players are the same age and possess similar ball-playing abilities. However, the latter is proven at a higher level.

It looks as though it’ll take a considerable sum to prise the Leicester man away from the King Power but any money they did receive from a potential deal should be invested in other areas of the squad.

With Filip Benkovic waiting in the wings after impressing on loan at Celtic, the Midlands club already have a Maguire successor in their own hands.

The 21-year-old has a huge amount of potential and his physical attributes, coupled with his composure on the ball makes him an ideal Premier League defender.

He’s already adjusted to the British game and the fact he developed so well under Rodgers when he was still managing Celtic is something that should excite Leicester fans.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus