In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, West Ham United attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini has said that he is confident that the club won’t suffer relegation to the Championship despite successive 4-1 away defeats leaving them just three points above the Premier League drop zone.
While a loss against Liverpool at Anfield would have perhaps been expected, the Irons should have been confident of picking up a positive result against the Swans – despite Carlos Carvalhal’s men’s recent good form at home – as they were lying three points above the south Wales outfit prior to kick-off.
That wasn’t the case though in what was a bitterly disappointing display, and manager David Moyes, who recently said no talks are planned over a new contract for Lanzini, will know that his team need to improve significantly when they host seventh-place Burnley at the London Stadium on Saturday.
The attacking midfielder, who returned to the starting line-up at Anfield following a hamstring injury, doesn’t believe the east London outfit will go down despite the precarious position they find themselves in, and the 25-year-old is relishing his opportunity to help the team from a personal point of view.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Argentina international said: “I’m really looking forward to changing the situation we’re in.
“I think we’ll stay up. That’s all I am focusing on at the moment and I believe we will stay up. What happens in my personal future is something else but it’s not something I’m thinking of.”
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West Ham will be well aware that a win against Burnley could potentially see them move six points clear of trouble with 18th-placed Crystal Palace facing Chelsea and 19th-placed Stoke City hosting Manchester City across the weekend.
According to Belgian media outlet Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN), Tottenham Hotspur have admitted defeat in their bid to keep Toby Alderweireld and are hoping to get €50m (£44m) for the centre-back this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Spurs and Alderweireld have been in talks over extending the Belgium international’s contract which is due to expire in 2019 – although the north London outfit have the option to extend it by a further 12 months – but HLN says that the 29-year-old’s wage demands and what Tottenham are willing to offer him are too far apart for a compromise to be reached.
While Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy would have been hoping that it was possible for that to happen, HLN report that this is now unlikely and they could choose to cash in on him this summer while his value is still high.
The author of the article, Kristoff Terreur, has suggested in a post on his official Twitter account on Wednesday that Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested in Alderweireld, although they are yet to make their moves.
How has Alderweireld done this season?
The Belgian has established himself as one of the best in his position in both the Premier League and in European football in generally since joining Tottenham from Atletico Madrid in 2015.
The 29-year-old was a regular alongside Jan Vertonghen at the heart of the Spurs defence before he picked up a hamstring injury in the 3-1 win against Real Madrid in November, and despite playing 90 minutes in the FA Cup matches against Newport County and Rochdale he suffered a setback that has kept him on the sidelines until he returned to the substitutes’ bench against Swansea in the same competition last weekend.
It certainly seems as though there could be a deeper meaning to him not being involved in the squad for the north London derby against Arsenal and the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie against Juventus previously when he appeared to be fit, and it would be no surprise if his absence was also partly down to the contract negotiations with Tottenham fans already reading between the lines given he is fit to play for Belgium.
Will they sell him this summer?
They may well do, if they can get a good price and ideally don’t have to sell to a Premier League rival.
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Levy and Pochettino may feel that Alderweireld’s value is at the highest it will be this summer, and they may not want a player that clearly isn’t too bothered about staying at the club next season simply running his contract down.
It certainly feels like West Ham’s season essentially rests on Saturday’s meeting with Southampton. It remains to be seen just what kind of atmosphere there will be at the London Stadium after the shocking scenes from their 3-0 Burnley defeat, and they’re now due to host a key relegation rival with just a handful of Premier League fixtures remaining.
Accordingly, David Moyes must get the balance of his side absolutely right this weekend; West Ham need enough offensive threat to seal the win, but conceding the first goal could lead to an incredible sour atmosphere at the London Stadium and would give a side low on confidence a significant gradient to climb.
With that in mind, we asked Irons supporters earlier this week whether summer signing Javier Hernandez, who has netted just seven times in the Premier League this season, should be included in Moyes’ starting XI after having to settle for a spot on the bench against the Clarets.
And according to our poll, 66% of West Ham fans think the 29-year-old should start on Saturday. So, how would you shape the rest of the Hammers’ starting XI around the Mexican poacher? Let us know by commenting below…
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This weekend, Tottenham Hotspur have an opportunity to rub salt into Manchester City’s wounds.
Pep Guardiola’s side will head to Wembley with a desperate need to bounce back following a miserable week.
The North-West outfit were roundly mocked by rival fans after they were beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
In between the two legs, City’s Premier League title win was put on hold as Manchester United defeated their neighbours 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.
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Tottenham need three wins from their final six games to secure a place in next season’s Champions League, and due to City’s recent results, they may feel confident of snatching all three points this weekend.
A separate storyline will accompany the match as Kyle Walker prepares to face is former club.
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The right-back left Spurs to join City last summer, and he managed to get one over the North London outfit as Guardiola’s team earned a 4-1 victory on home soil in December.
Ahead of Saturday’s encounter, Tottenham fans discussed what kind of reception that Walker will receive at Wembley.
Leeds fans have been discussing hothead Gaetano Berardi, and fans are split on the full back’s future.Usually, fans will forgive players for a lack of quality and talent if they can tell the player is leaving every ounce of their heart and soul out on the pitch.Although Gaetano Berardi does exactly that, he also tends to leave his brain… back in the dressing room.Fans were furious last week when Berardi was smacked with a five-game ban, effectively ending his season at Elland Road.The ban came after his third red card of the season in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland, which was the Swiss defender’s sixth red card since joining the club in 2015.The 29 year-old apologised for his behaviour this week.[ad_pod ]“I recognised that I did a big mistake, again. It’s not good enough for a senior professional player,†Berardi said.“It’s a big mistake. I will stop making mistakes when I die I think. There’s a big fire in me and without it I can’t play football. If I remove this fire I just go home and find a job. That’s all I can say.â€For many fans, this “fire†is exactly what makes Berardi so likeable, and he is one of the few players that always puts in 110 per cent for the cause.Still, there are plenty who are fed up with his “mistakesâ€, regardless of his intentions.Fans have been discussing Berardi’s future on Twitter, and some of the best reactions can be found below…
Tottenham’s battle to hold onto their most experienced players this summer highlights a curious phenomena in modern football – the age of the ‘last big contract’.
Indeed, while an accusative finger can rightly be pointed at the club’s modest wage structure and Daniel Levy’s prudent efforts to retain it despite the vastly superior salaries on offer at rival clubs, there is another side of the debate questioning the sudden idea that every player needs one final bumper deal to sign off their careers at top level.
Tottenham alone provide two key examples ahead of the summer transfer window. Toby Alderweireld, aged 29, and Mousa Dembele, aged 30, appear open to leaving the club in search of better pay elsewhere knowing they don’t have many years left to attract that kind of wage package. Although there have been other underlying actors, 27-year-old Danny Rose probably falls into that bracket too.
But Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United over Manchester City appeared largely motivated by the finance involved as well, and perhaps the greatest evidence is the way the phrase ‘last big contract’ has slipped into the common footballing vocabulary.
It’s become a largely accepted idea in an incredibly short place of time – the perceived wisdom being that you can’t deny an ageing footballer the chance of a huge final payday, regardless of how ludicrous the destination.
Of course, that’s their prerogative; every footballer is entitled to decide the path his career should take. But you have to wonder quite where this new school of thought has come from, and quite why it’s become so widespread – especially in the Premier League which offers the best money of any top flight in Europe.
Perhaps the notion of a last big contract has always been there and factored into where ageing players have decided to hang up their boots for generations. But there was also a time when veterans chose to play out their final years at a club where they knew they’d get games and where they knew they’d have an impact. We suddenly feel an incredibly long way from Glenn Hoddle turning out for Swindon Town.
There are no doubt examples on the contrary, John Terry electing to join Aston Villa last summer being one of them. He could have easily picked up a massive contract in the Chinese Super League or potentially even with one of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals. Yet it now appears to be such a prevalent concern for players entering their late 20s, despite them being bona fide millionaires for the vast majority of their careers.
And thus, one feels obliged to consider the influence of the agents, the men who have become football’s equivalent of cogs between cogs, pulling strings behind the scenes. After all, while retirement is an inevitable part of the process for footballers, for agents it represents something markedly different – a cash-cow being taken behind the barn and liquidated, practically overnight.
From that perspective, suddenly the idea of the ‘last big contract’ truly starts to make sense. Players will always have other ways of making money once retiring should they choose to pursue them, from advertising and marketing work to coaching and punditry. For agents though, the cash dries up and the last big contract truly will be the last time they receive a substantial agent fee as part of any deal involving that player.
That’s not to suggest Dembele, Sanchez or Alderweireld have suddenly fallen under the spell of their representatives – there’s obvious self-gain on the part of the player too. But it’s far more in the agents’ interests that a last big contract comes while their client still young enough to attract them, regardless of whether it’s actually the right decision for their careers in footballing terms.
Whether you blame the agents or the players though, the rise of the last big contract is yet another symbol of the incredible greed in the game these days. Footballers will always have a right to pursue the best possible wages for themselves, yet it creates a far less romantic image of the beautiful game than the one we imagined ten or 15 years ago.
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Players now let the purse rule over the heart, and that’s what the age of the last big contract truly represents – the fact that the money in modern football is so ridiculous that players can’t resist the chance for a last big-money payday.
Leeds fans have been looking ahead to their final match of the season against QPR, and it doesn’t seem like they’re feeling too confident.
It’s been a horrific second half of the season for Leeds fans, as their side’s playoff chances have gone from hopeful to non-existent in a matter of months.
When Paul Heckingbottom replaced Thomas Christiansen in February, the side had fallen away from the playoff pack, but there was still hope they could catch up.
Since then, Heckingbottom’s side have won just three matches, and are yet to show any signs of improvement.
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Perhaps the most worrying thing for Leeds fans is that lack of improvement, which of course does not bode well for next season.
The current squad, although ravaged by injuries, is simply not good enough, and fans are already bashing the club for tweeting ticket information for their final match.
Heckingbottom’s side host QPR this weekend, who themselves have had a pretty miserable season.
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It seems the one thing that’s annoyed fans more than anything else is the apparent lack of fight and effort, and fans are hilariously mocking their own club because of it.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Rafa Benitez has been in a power struggle at Newcastle almost ever since he pitched up in the North East and according to the Daily Mail, that fact shows no signs of stopping.
Their report states that the Spanish manager may be forced to walk away from the club if he is not given more control over transfer dealings, a £50m war chest and the removal of the need for Lee Charnley – Mike Ashley’s right hand man – to sign off every signing.
That would be a body blow to a club that Benitez has dragged out of the mire and towards comfortable Premier League survival with a squad of players that many would claim are Championship standard.
So we’re asking you: are Benitez’s demands too much or are they fair enough for a man who has been the figurehead for a change in the mood at such a troubled club?
Let us know by voting in the poll below…
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England boss Gareth Southgate named his World Cup squad on Wednesday afternoon.
As expected, the Three Lions manager has faced a lot of criticism for leaving out certain players, and taking a few fortunate ones.
Danny Welbeck has not exactly had the best of seasons for Arsenal – managing just five Premier League goals during the 2017-18 campaign.
The 27-year-old, who is on £70,000 a week at Arsenal, has a good scoring record for England, however, having managed 15 goals in his 37 appearances for the national team.
It was not a surprise to see Welbeck in Southgate’s selection, and the former Manchester United youngster will be hoping to play his part in Russia this summer.
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The Arsenal fans have not always been kind to Welbeck this season, and a number have been left surprised by his call-up to the national team.
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That said, there are also plenty of supporters who feel that the forward more then deserves his spot alongside Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford in the final third.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Everton have been named as one of the front-runners to land Watford winger Richarlison.
What’s the story?
Everton are expected to name Marco Silva as their new manager in the coming weeks, and the potential arrival of the former Watford man is fuelling up the Richarlison rumour again.
The Brazilian winger was heavily linked with a move to Goodison earlier this year, and now Paddy Power have named the Toffees as third favourites to grab the youngster this summer, behind Manchester United and Chelsea.
Given that Manchester United are likely to pursue bigger and more expensive names, the Toffees could lock horns with Chelsea to sign the tricky Brazilian.
A risk for Richarlison?
It is no secret that Everton are on the hunt for a new winger this summer. Xherdan Shaqiri could be available for a bargain release clause, PSV’s Hirving Lozano could follow Marcel Brands to Goodison, but Richarlison’s name is cropping up more than any other.
The 21 year-old had an electric start to his Watford career, forcing his way into everyone’s fantasy team with five goals and four assists in the opening 17 league matches.
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Since Marco Silva left the Hornets though, the young winger has not registered a single goal or assist, and it is this inconsistency that makes him a huge risk for the Toffees.
Of course, the arrival of the manager who got the best out of him could make all the difference, but Everton should be looking for bigger and better this summer.
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To compare the Brazilian to Hirving Lozano of PSV, the Mexican winger has more goals (19 in all competitions), more assists, more successful dribbles, more key passes and more shots than Richarlison, and is only a year older than the Brazilian.
Richarlison has the potential to be a fantastic player, but Everton already have plenty of potential in the likes of Nikola Vlasic and Ademola Lookman. What they need is ready made superstars, and Richarlison just isn’t that.
So, Everton fans, would you be happy to swoop for Richarlison? Who do you want to sign this summer? Let us know by voting in the poll below…