Manchester United have made progress this season, finishing in their highest league position since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but they have not come far enough.
The style of football is still spluttering at best, Jose Mourinho is constantly sniping at his players, many of whom are falling short of their potential.
All of that points towards a summer of spending at Old Trafford as United look to keep pace with a Manchester City side that has sped past them this season.
There are no shortage of names being banded about in connection with the Red Devils, from all corners, but which of them would actually make the difference? The youth of Ryan Sessegnon or the proven quality of Gareth Bale. valued at £63m by Transfermarkt?
That’s what we’re asking you; we’ve compiled a list of players United could be in the market for this summer, in a variety of positions, it’s up to you to vote on whether they’d be a good signing or not.
Let us know by voting in the poll below…
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Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has emerged as a shock contender to be the new man in the Chelsea dugout next season, according to Goal.
What’s the story, then?
The report claims that contractual talks between the Blues and previous reported frontrunner Maurizio Sarri have broken down, which has seen the club turn their attentions to Jokanovic, 49.
It goes on to say that Chelsea are in talks with the Serbian, who made 39 league appearances for the club between 2000 and 2002 and has just guided their West London rivals back into the Premier League.
The report also says that Jokanovic is now one of the leading candidates for the Stamford Bridge hot-seat, with Luis Enrique not interested in a return to management at this stage.
Jokanovic would be left-field but strong
Jokanovic would be a left-field decision on the face of it; he does not have the glittering CV some Chelsea fans might be looking for or experience of managing an elite club and he has just come out of the Championship.
However, he has lots of connections that should appeal; a connection with the club, a strong attacking philosophy and a headstrong nature that should see him resist some of the circus that surrounds Chelsea.
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In the absence of an outstanding elite candidate, Chelsea could do a lot worse than appoint the man Fulham fans absolutely adore.
Yaya Toure is set for talks with West Ham, just three weeks after his former manager at Man City, Manuel Pellegrini, was named boss at London Stadium.
Toure is a free agent, and reports from MailOnline suggest the Ivorian international and renowned Super-Agent Dimitri Seluk are in talks with the Hammers over a one-year deal.
The player has been linked with interest from arch-rivals Manchester United, as well as Marco Silva’s Everton,
What’s the story?
Toure has come to the end of his Manchester City contract, neither the club nor the player wanting to extend the star’s stay at the Etihad stadium. Pellegrini and Toure were said to have had a terrific relationship at Manchester City, a period that reaped a Premier League title and two League Cups under the Chilean.
Toure’s agent, Seluk, stated that the Premier League superstar “would play for a pound a week” if he were to move to a side in the top six. The 35-year old contributed 64 goals in 133 games under Pellegrini, during a period where he was widely-regarded as one of Europe’s finest midfielders.
What would he bring to London Stadium?
Whilst Pep Guardiola doubted the players ability to match the levels he set in his outstanding 13/14 Premier League season, in which he was involved in 29 goals in 35 games, he would be a significant signing at the end of what has been a turbulent season for West Ham.
Toure’s ability to dictate the tempo of a game is his strongest asset and a feature that would no doubt help solve West Ham’s erratic form at London Stadium. Similarly, his star appeal will attract better players to West Ham – the opportunity to work with one of the Premier League’s best-ever midfielders would surely be an attractive prospect for players.
The signing of Ryan Fredericks for the London side is considered a coup due to significant interest from other Premier League sides, and the targeting of Stoke City No.1 and England international, Jack Butland, is one that will solve another problem position for the Irons should that deal come to fruition.
How much will he cost?
The four-time African Player of the Year is expected to take a significant cut on his £220,000-a-week wages but the player’s demands could be the only stumbling block for the London side.
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Despite this, it’s likely that Pellegrini will demand that the club target the three-time Premier League winner, a player he trusts from his time at Manchester City and one that would surely make a significant difference to West Ham, despite being in the twilight of his career.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”253217″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch The FM18 Two Minute Challenge Pellegrini at West Ham”]
If Manuel Pellegrini’s tried and trusted 4-2-2-2 setup is to have the right impact at West Ham, the new Irons gaffer needs to find the perfect central midfielders for his system this summer. But amid the age of three-man engine rooms, more traditional box-to-box midfielders that combine both defensive grit with offensive quality are becoming more and more of a rarity.
It worked at Manchester City because Yaya Toure and Fernandinho are such dynamic, powerful and talented midfielders, but nobody at West Ham is really close to their level or the same type of surging presence, perhaps with the exception of Cheikhou Kouyate whose technical ability often leaves much to be desired.
But the World Cup inevitably serves as an audition and if there’s a player with Premier League experience the east London club’s recruiters should be taking notice of, it’s Huddersfield’s Aaron Mooy. The Australian international was the driving force that kept the Terriers in the top flight last season and he’s brought that impressive form to Russia, representing his country in a 2-1 defeat to France.
Indeed, Mooy may have ended up on the losing side but he still hugely impressed in the engine room, making key contributions at both ends of the pitch with five tackles and five clearances but also two accurate crosses and two created chances.
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That ability to balance out offensive and defensive duties could be exactly what makes Pellegrini’s West Ham side really come to life in the Argentine’s anticipated 4-2-2-2 formation, especially if he’s paired with a partner that offers a touch extra physicality, and Transfermarkt value him at a mere £9million.
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So, West Ham fans, would you back a swoop for Mooy this summer? Let us know by voting below…
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
Given Jose Mourinho’s broad distrust of young players and intense demands for defensive discipline, Manchester United’s £19m capture of 19-year-old Diego Dalot from Porto is something of a surprise.
It has been clear for quite some time that Antonio Valencia needs upgrading with a younger man but turning to his compatriot, who is hardly a household name in this country, is likely to have surprised the fanbase among whom he is not the most popular.
Nevertheless, United have a proud history of developing young players and the chronic need for defensive reinvigoration at the club means that the arrival of the teenager could well be a pleasant surprise.
That’s why we put the question to the Red Devils fans whether they believe that Dalot will be a successful signing at Old Trafford and the response was overwhelming.
As you can see below, a huge 89 per cent of the responses expect Dalot to go down a treat in the coming season…
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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255883″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Man United’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
Arsenal fans are heaping praise on Cesc Fabregas, after the former Gunner couldn’t resist taking a pop at Tottenham and Harry Kane.
Kane grabbed a hat trick on Sunday as England romped to their second World Cup victory of the summer, putting six past Panama.
The Tottenham talisman has taken plenty of stick from Arsenal fans down the years, but even they cannot deny he is now one of the world’s finest goalscorers.
After showing plenty of respect for the England captain’s goalscoring exploits though, Fabregas just couldn’t help himself, saying the 24 year-old should move to a big club.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]
“Harry Kane is probably the best striker in the Premier League,” the Spaniard said.
“I think he’s now ready to go to a big club.”
Of course, Fabregas was crucified by Arsenal fans when he returned from Spain to join Chelsea, but they’re absolutely loving his comments on Kane.
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The 31 year-old has endeared himself to plenty of fans with his impressive punditry work during the World Cup, and his attempt to troll Tottenham has certainly helped a few Gunners forgive him for going to Chelsea.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
New Zealand batsman “surprised” to be included in the 13-member squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan
Cricinfo staff21-Nov-2009Peter Fulton, the New Zealand and Canterbury batsman, has said he was “surprised” to be included in the
13-member squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan. Jesse Ryder’s absence through injury has given Fulton a chance to cement his place in the middle order a day after he helped Canterbury beat Otago in the Plunket Shield.”It’s a nice surprise to get, especially after a game like that,” Fulton told the . “When I missed out on the [New Zealand Invitation] team to play [Pakistan] down in Queenstown, I was obviously pissed off. At the back of your mind, you always sort of know that if you score enough runs you can force your way into contention, and that’s how it’s worked out.”Missing out on Queenstown was obviously an indication that I wasn’t really in the frame last week, but the runs I’ve scored this week has helped push my case.”Fulton made 172 in the first innings against Otago to help Canterbury post 440 and then hit 77 as they declared on 265 for 5 in the second, setting Otago a massive 471 to win. They were bowled out for 355.”I was really pleased with how I batted, actually,” said Fulton. “Just the amount of time I was able to spend at the crease and the tempo that I batted with. It was quite even all the way through.”Fulton, 30, has not played a Test since December 2008 and was eager to improve on improve on a batting average of 24.72 from eight matches. “The last nine to 12 months have obviously been pretty disappointing selection-wise, and missing out on a [New Zealand Cricket] contract,” he said. “I’ve had time to reassess where I’m at, and Test cricket is where I want to be, and I worked pretty hard over the winter.”
Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando have been ruled out of the ODI series in India because of finger injuries.
Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2009Sri Lanka’s hopes of coming back from a 1-0 deficit in the ODI series against India have taken a hit with Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando being ruled out of the remaining four games because of finger injuries. Mulalitharan picked up his injury during the final Test in Mumbai as a result of which he missed the two Twenty20 matches as well as the first ODI in Rajkot. Fernando did not play in the Tests, but figured in the shorter formats and hurt his finger while attempting a return catch from MS Dhoni in Rajkot.”We have decided to rest Murali from the one-day series to allow him to recover fully from the finger injury and to be available for future tournaments,” Brendon Kuruppu, manager of the Sri Lankan team, told PTI today. “Fernando hurt his finger during that [the Rajkot] match. His replacement will be announced shortly.”While they are yet to decide on a substitute for Fernando, Sri Lanka will bolster their spin attack with two untested offspinners, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and Suraj Randiv, who will join the squad in time for the second ODI in Nagpur on December 18. Pushpakumara was part of the Twenty20 squad and played in the first game, Sri Lanka’s lone success so far on tour, before returning home. Randiv was a part of Sri Lanka’s Test squad against Pakistan earlier this year, but is yet to play for the country.Kuruppu also expressed hope that Lasith Malinga , who missed the first ODI due to injury, will be available for the second match.
Peter Siddle must get through Wednesday’s FR Cup match against New South Wales to play in Saturday’s opening Test against Pakistan
Cricinfo staff22-Dec-2009Peter Siddle must get through Wednesday’s FR Cup match against New South Wales to play in Saturday’s opening Test against Pakistan. Siddle missed the final West Indies game in Perth with a nagging hamstring complaint but has been picked in the Boxing Day squad.However, his last hurdle before the MCG is a 50-over game at the SCG as the defending champions aim to shift from fourth place. “The funny thing was I was actually better before the Perth Test than I was in Adelaide, so it’s not as big a deal as everyone thinks,” Siddle said in Melbourne.”I’ve had a couple of bowls the past two days and I had a good hit-out yesterday in the middle of one of the district grounds and it’s come up fine. I don’t feel any different to when I was bowling a few months ago. It’s feeling ready and I’m feeling confident.”Siddle was pleased to be able to test the problem before he ran into Pakistan. “I’ve got to get through this game with no worries and I am confident of doing that,” Siddle said. “Hopefully I get my spot back now and get back in there.”He comes into the squad for Rob Cassell while another boost for the Bushrangers is the fitness of Brad Hodge, who had to pull out of what was meant to be his final Sheffield Shield appearance with a knee injury.New South Wales have called in Dominic Thornely for the encounter after losing Phillip Hughes to the Australia squad. The allrounder Steven Smith missed the four-day Shield game against Victoria but has been cleared for the one-dayer as he looks to impress further ahead of Australia’s limited-overs fixtures next month.Victoria squad Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, John Hastings, Matthew Wade (wk), Peter Siddle, Jon Holland, James Pattinson.New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Ben Rohrer, Moises Henriques (capt), Daniel Smith (wk), Steven Smith, Dominic Thornely, Stephen O’Keefe, Grant Lambert, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc.
Injury worries have continued to haunt India with VVS Laxman remaining an uncertain starter for the first Test against South Africa
Cricinfo staff05-Feb-2010Injury worries have continued to haunt India with VVS Laxman remaining an uncertain starter for the first Test against South Africa in Nagpur. He hasn’t yet fully recovered from the finger injury he sustained while fielding during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong last month.Laxman did take part in the nets session at the VCA Stadium on Friday, but a final call on his fitness had not yet been taken. “Of the 15-16 players in the squad, only regarding VVS Laxman is there a little uncertainty,” MS Dhoni said on Friday morning. “He’s at the nets now, he’ll come back and share with the physio how he is feeling, apart from that everyone is fit.”The home side are already without two first-choice batsmen Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh due to injuries, and if Laxman is unavailable, India will be forced to hand debuts to two batsmen – S Badrinath and Rohit Sharma – besides fielding the inexperienced M Vijay.India will also miss Laxman’s safe pair of hands at slip, as he is unlikely to field in that position even if he plays. “There is less chance of Laxman standing in the slip cordon,” Dhoni said.