Former Real Madrid captain Raul has said that Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane would be an excellent signing for the Spanish and European champions.
Real Madrid are expected to be in the market for a new striker this summer as speculation surrounding the future of Karim Benzema gathers pace.
Kane, who is valued at £108m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has been linked with a move to the Bernabeu as the 24-year-old continues to set records.
Indeed, the forward netted his 150th club goal against Crystal Palace at the weekend, and also recently scored his 100th Premier League goal for Spurs.
Raul has spoken of his admiration for Kane, and insisted that the England forward has the qualities needed to thrive in the Spanish capital.
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Raul told reporters ahead of the 2018 World Sports Awards:
“Harry Kane is a typical striker. He scores in every single game. I think he has great qualities. I like him a lot.
“I don’t know if he wants to change or if he has the opportunity to change, but I think he is doing well. He is one of the best strikers in the world.
“Why not? (on a move to Real Madrid) Of course, I imagine a lot of teams would like to bring him to their team.”
Kane has managed 35 goals in 36 appearances for Tottenham this season. The striker is also being tipped to captain England at the 2018 World Cup this summer.
Arsenal got back to English Premier League winnings ways on Sunday with a dominant 3-0 win against Watford at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners had lost their last three in the competition coming into the fixture, with the pressure piling up on manager Arsene Wenger. His team knew they had to produce a result and they did exactly that, blitzing their visitors with three goals.
At the heart of the victory were Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan who both scored and assisted each other’s goals, a throwback to their days together at Borussia Dortmund.
Fans were absolutely delighted with their contribution and believe they can be the basis for future success.
Aubameyang has three goals and an assist since joining in January, while Mkhitaryan has two goals and an excellent five assists.
They’ve certainly made an impression and it’ll be interesting to see if they can maintain their contributions into next season when it really counts again.
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Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the partnership…
Andre Green has had a difficult season at Aston Villa due to injury woes, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.The 19-year-old has made just seven appearances in all competitions, and five of those outings were in the Championship.A hamstring injury has kept the attacking midfielder on the treatment table since early January, with his last outing being a 3-1 defeat to Peterborough in the FA Cup.Earlier this week, Green provided a positive injury update, telling theÂBirmingham Mail that he is just a matter of weeks away from returning to action.[ad_pod ]In order to build on his fitness, the teenager got 45 minutes under his belt in a friendly at Bodymoor Heath.The Midlands outfit will not be in competitive action until after the international break on March 31, and it is unclear whether Green will play a part in the club’s Championship game against Hull City.What the midfielder is focused on, though, is Villa pushing for Premier League promotion following their recent back-to-back defeats.Steve Bruce’s side sit fourth in the standings, seven points adrift of the top two.
Mohamed Salah made it 37 goals for the season and took Liverpool back up to second place in the Premier League with his late winner at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace again battled doggedly in a home match against a top six side – the final one they will face this season – but were again denied in the closing stages, just as they were against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Sadio Mane was lucky to stay on the pitch when he was pulled up for intentional handball while already on a yellow card but somehow escaped a second caution.
As Palace fumed, Mane was substituted and that allowed Salah – who measures up at 1.75m or 5ft 7in as per Transfermarkt – to again take centre stage and net unmarked in the final ten minutes to allow the Reds to leapfrog their bitter rivals Manchester United in the league table yet again.
We all know how much Reds fans love Salah and his latest match-winning intervention allowed them yet another opportunity to try to find the words to do his performance justice. We’ve taken a look at their latest attempt to pay tribute to the Egyptian international…
As reported by The Daily Mail, Rangers are one of a number of teams interested in signing Kilmarnock midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu this summer.
What’s the story?
Mulumbu has been key in Kilmarnock’s reversal in fortunes this season, emerging as one of the stand-out stars in the Scottish Premiership. Guided by manager Steve Clarke, Mulumbu has helped transform the Ayrshire from a side that looked destined for a relegation battle into one of the most consistent sides in the division.
However, it appears the 31-year-old’s spell at Rugby Park could be coming to an end.
The Daily Mail report he looks set to leave the club this summer when his contract expires and that Rangers are interested in signing him.
The paper reckon that the Light Blues are rivalled by the likes of Celtic, Aberdeen and Hibernian for his signature.
Can they convince him his future lies at Ibrox?
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Would he improve the Rangers midfield?
As evidence by his recent display in a Kilmarnock win at Ibrox, the DR Congo international has more than enough about his game to suggest he could definitely become a regular starter at Rangers.
The Light Blues midfield has been accused of being too lightweight at times this season, something that was apparent in their tussle with Motherwell just this weekend.
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Mulumbu carries a physicality that would be a great addition to the Rangers squad, also possessing the technical skills and top-tier experience that can really push them on.
On a free transfer, making a move for him at the end of the season is something of a no-brainer.
As reported by The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the sides interested in signing Norwich City star James Maddison this summer.
What’s the story?
Mauricio Pochettino already has a stable of talented young English players at the club but after developing the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane into polished UEFA Champions League quality players, there’s always room for more.
One 21-year-old who could fit the bill is Norwich midfielder James Maddison, who has impressed in the English Championship this season.
That’s according to The Telegraph, who say Spurs will jostle with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City for his services.
The paper reckon he could cost as much as £25m, with Norwich not especially eager to see him leave the club so early in his career.
Can he make the step up?
It’s difficult enough to step up from the Championship to the Premier League, never mind moving to that next level at one of the division’s top six sides, so wherever Maddison ends up, he’ll have plenty of learning to do.
His season in the second-tier has been absolutely stunning, so he has as much chance as any young midfielder in the country to perform consistently for a side like Spurs.
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With 15 goals and 11 assists, he’s show he can contribute massively over the course of a season and appears ready to play against a higher standard of opposition.
Can Tottenham offer him the first team football he needs? There’s a good chance given Pochettino’s faith in youth English talent and ending up at Spurs could well be the best thing for the player’s development in comparison to a side like Man City.
Newcastle United will look to extend their brilliant winning run and boost their chances of securing an eighth place finish at the end of the Premier League season when they face Everton at Goodison Park on Monday night.
The Magpies were in real trouble of being involved in a relegation battle just a few weeks ago, but four successive top flight victories have seen them surpass the magic 40-point mark that will guarantee their spot at this level for at least another year, and they can now start looking up the table rather than over their shoulders.
The last of those victories came as they beat Arsenal 2-1 at St James’ Park last weekend, coming from 1-0 down thanks to goals from the in-form Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie.
Rafa Benitez’s men go into the match on Merseyside in 10th position and just one point and one place behind Sam Allardyce’s side, but despite the momentum they currently have it won’t be a simple task to extend their victorious run.
While the Toffees have sometimes struggled on the road in 2018, they have taken 11 points from the last 18 available on their own patch, and will be determined to finish in eighth too after what has been a hugely disappointing campaign following a big summer of spending.
Benitez has largely kept with the same XI in recent weeks seeing as there hasn’t been too many reasons to change things up, but the Spaniard may feel that he needs to make some alterations at Goodison in order to help his team pick up the three points.
Here is how Newcastle must line up against Everton, ahead of Martin Dubravka in goal…
Newcastle have had a settled back five – Dubravka, Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles, Florian Lejeune and DeAndre Yedlin – for a number of weeks now, and that consistency and the impressive performances by the backline are one of the reasons why the Magpies have gone on such an impressive winning run.
Considering the Tyneside outfit have only conceded twice in their last four Premier League matches, there is no reason for Benitez to change things ahead of the trip to Merseyside.
Like in defence, Benitez has stuck with a settled midfield four of Kenedy, Jonjo Shelvey, Mo Diame and Matt Ritchie during their winning run, and they once again shone in the 2-1 victory against Arsenal last weekend.
Shelvey put in a man-of-the-match performance, Ritchie scored his side’s winning goal and loanee Kenedy, whom the club are confident they will sign on a permanent deal, hit the woodwork with a looped effort, with the quartet all in fine form right now.
As with the defence, Benitez should go with those four at Goodison Park, and he will be hoping they can make a similar impact in the final third.
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Ayoze Perez continued his fine run of form for Newcastle with his side’s opening goal in the 2-1 win against Arsenal last time out, and the Spaniard is undroppable right now having come under criticism from the St James’ Park faithful for some of his displays earlier in the campaign.
Meanwhile, Dwight Gayle has been a regular starter in attack recently but Benitez should look to bring Slimani into the starting XI for this one after he had a hand in Ritchie’s winning goal last weekend.
Benitez needs to take more of a look at the Algeria international in the final five fixtures to see if the Tyneside outfit should sign him on a permanent deal this summer.
The Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern are expecting the summer window to bring with it a lot of excitement. With Arsene Wenger set to leave, the very foundations of the club are going to have their biggest shake-up in years.
It’s safe to expect a few major signings, as well as a few major departures, and you’d imagine that a lot will change behind the scenes too.
Unfortunately, though, whilst many players are likely to have a different experience under whoever comes in to replace Arsene Wenger, there are a couple of players that may be unaffected.
One such player is young Gedion Zelalem, Arsenal’s talented young attacker. In truth, it’s hard to see any way of him getting into the Arsenal first team, and so perhaps it’s time for him to seek an exit this summer.
After all, he’s already 21 and is yet to have a sniff at gaining a role in the Arsenal first team in the Premier League, and a couple of fairly unproductive loans over the last few years have done little to help his case.
Not to mention, Arsenal are blessed with attacking talent, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi unlikely to lose their prominence anytime soon.
Unfortunately for him, he’s at a point in his career where he needs to make a decision. Unless a new manager comes to the Emirates and immediately signals him out as a star, which is very unlikely, it might be time for him to consider moving on.
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Newcastle United produced an outstanding performance on the final day of the English Premier League season, defeating last season’s champions 3-0 at St James’ Park.
Chelsea had been motivated to secure a victory, needing three points to have any chance of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League, but it was Newcastle who looked the hungrier side across the 90 minutes.
The win ensured the Magpies finished the season in 10th position, higher than any of the teams they were promoted with from the Championship last term.
Fans were delighted with the performance and had particular praise for Mohamed Diame, who was again superb in the middle of the park.
His form since the turn of the year has been a key reason for Newcastle’s strong finish to the season and supporters were quick to shower him with compliments in the wake of his latest display on Sunday.
Unai Emery is on West Ham United’s shortlist to replace David Moyes, who will leave the club after guiding the club to safety, according to the Sun.
West Ham want to be an ambitious club and that should start with a high-profile managerial choice who can give the fans a taste of the quality football they thought they were getting when they moved to the London Stadium.
What’s the story, then?
The report states that the Spaniard is on a shortlist that includes foreign talent such as Manuel Pellegrini, Marco Silva and Paulo Fonseca.
It also says that current manager Moyes will meet with the Hammers board next week after his short term contract expires on the final day of the season with a 3-1 win over Moyes’ old club Everton.
Emery would be a major coup
All of the four managers on the shortlist have their plus points but also their negatives; Pellegrini is too old, Silva has not stuck around at a Premier League club for a whole season and Fonseca has had Everton on his case.
Emery showed with Sevilla that he is adept at getting lesser players to play energetic, flowing football and his skillset is best suited to a talented Hammers squad that lacks direction.
Also, he is the man who convinced Neymar to leave Barcelona and join his project so he is clearly a man who can attract top talent and that’s exactly what West Ham need in order to turn their desire to invest into success on the pitch.
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