Adama Traore is being widely tipped to leave Middlesbrough this summer following the club’s failure to secure promotion to the Premier League for the 2018-19 campaign.
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Traore scored five times and registered 10 assists in 34 Championship appearances last term, but Boro lost in the Championship playoff semi-finals to Aston Villa.
Traore can leave Boro for £18m this summer – as covered by Arab News – due to a release clause in his contract at the Riverside Stadium.
There is no question that the 22-year-old, who is valued at £7.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is still inconsistent, but he is capable of excellent things, and had some seriously impressive matches for Tony Pulis’ side last season.
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The Boro supporters have been reacting to the latest transfer speculation, and some believe that the former Barcelona youngster would be wasted if he moved to PSG.
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The bulk seem to agree that Traore will be departing the club this summer, however, and that would be a huge blow to the club’s chances of challenging for promotion next season.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Boro fans can be seen below:
According to The Chronicle, Newcastle United have been offered the chance to sign Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge for £15m in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Sturridge left Liverpool for West Bromwich Albion in the January transfer window, but an injury-ravaged loan spell saw the striker make just six Premier League appearances.
Once regarded as one of the hottest forwards in the country, it has been some fall from grace for Sturridge over the last few years.
As it stands, the 28-year-old will return to Liverpool next month for pre-season training, but according to The Chronicle, Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign him for £15m.
Sturridge’s current deal at Anfield will expire next summer, and his career with the Merseyside outfit looks to be over having failed to convince Jurgen Klopp of his worth.
Should Newcastle sign Sturridge?
When considering that Sturridge has had a difficult few seasons, a record of 64 goals in 133 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions is impressive.
The 26-time England international’s finest season came during the 2013-14 campaign – when he scored 24 times in 33 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool.
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He did manage 13 goals in 25 appearances during the 2015-16 season, but injuries and a lack of football have made it difficult for Sturridge over the last couple of years.
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When fit, however, Sturridge is one of the deadliest strikers in English football. Some of the fire might be gone, but Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez is the perfect manager to help the former Manchester City youngster rediscover his scoring form.
At £15m, the risk is one worth taking. Newcastle do not have the budget to spend huge money on a new centre-forward this summer, and upgrading Dwight Gayle should be a priority for the Magpies ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
Birmingham City have announced the signing of the left-back Kristian Pedersen from German second-division side Union Berlin for an undisclosed fee.
Pedersen is Garry Monk’s first signing for the Blues in what looks to be a busy summer after a 19th place finish last season. With a market value of €1.5m according to Transfermarkt, The Birmingham Mail has reported that the fee for the Dane is believed to be in excess of £2m.
Pedersen rose through the leagues in his home country during the early stages of his career before signing for Union Berlin as a 21-year-old in 2016.
Now 23 years-old, he made 32 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga last season, scoring one goal and providing four assists from full-back with his powerful runs forward often creating problems for the opposition.
The new arrival at St Andrews’ stands at 6ft2 and his size often helps him cover his centre-backs in the air. This should also ensure that he has no trouble adapting to the physicality of the Championship.
Left-back was a problem position for Birmingham last season with right-back Maxime Colin filling in for most of the season, so Blues fans will be pleased that Monk has moved quickly in the transfer market.
Here’s what some fans on Twitter had to say about the transfer…
Pedersen’s old club also got in on the act, describing their former man as a ‘diamond’…
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The Liverpool fans in and around the Transfer Tavern are feeling very confident for the season ahead and trust Jurgen Klopp will recruit the necessary players to launch a massive title push.
Having shown glimpses of being good enough to challenge Man City last season, Klopp has already started his summer signing spree to build his team so this time round they’re capable of bringing some silverware to Anfield. Both Naby Keita and Fabinho have experienced elements of success, ingredients that could prove crucial to the Reds’ title bid. Our punters believe that the recruit of Jerome Boateng, (who is valued at £40.5 million on Transfermarkt) could be decisive in the title race, with the Germany international thought to be available this summer.
The 29-year-old has been at Bayern Munich since 2011, commanding their defence and helping them towards a number of titles across his time in Germany. His season this time round was interrupted by injuries, as Boateng only made 19 league appearances. Still, his impact showed through, keeping 11 clean-sheets in the league games he featured in.
A World Cup winner, his experience as a Manchester City player many years ago now was barely the most productive, though he’s since gone on to prove his worth as one of the best ball-playing defenders in Europe. Interestingly enough, a return to England and Liverpool might even stop his former employers from waltzing to a league title once again.
On the other hand, Liverpool have now found a sturdy partnership between Virgil Van Dijk and Dejan Lovren although Jerome Boateng would be a massive upgrade on the Croatian in particular. The Reds have to be ruthless if they really want to target silverware next season and acquiring the German international is exactly the bold move to have an influential impact on that ambition.
Jurgen Klopp has already signed Naby Keita from the Bundesliga, could Jerome Boateng follow suit?
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Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has suggested that young striker Tyler Roberts could start against Millwall following an injury crisis, in comments published by Leeds Live.
What’s the word?
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United have been flying since the start of the season, leading the way in the battle for promotion, but they return to action following the international break with a major selection headache on their hands.
Patrick Bamford faces months on the sidelines and will be joined there by Kemar Roofe ahead of Saturday’s clash with Millwall. Although Roofe’s injury is not as serious, it leaves Leeds with few options for their next clash.
As such, Bielsa has hinted to Leeds Live that 19-year-old Wales international Tyler Roberts could be given his chance to shine.
What was said?
“The first option we have is Tyler Roberts and we have also other possibilities. He has made many efforts in the last international games he played, he played 40 minutes as a number nine and this is an option for us.”
The right call?
Seeing opportunities limited following his arrival in January due to injury, Roberts has already played 35 minutes for Leeds this season and represented his nation on international duty – so he enters the Millwall game in good standing.
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His competition for action comes in the form of fellow youngsters Ryan Edmondson and Jack Clarke, with the former only having 17 minutes of Championship action to his name after earning his debut on the final day of last season.
With Clarke just 17 and yet to earn an opportunity in the league, it is clear that Roberts is the man Leeds should turn towards. However, both Edmondson and Clarke could earn chances of their own in the coming weeks.
With movember fast approaching it’s time to assess the best facial fluff the world of football has to offer. For far too long the integrity of our sport has been jeopardised by over-glamourised show ponies, that hit the deck upon the slightest of touches. This year’s rugby World Cup has further highlighted the issue of manliness in football.
The game of rugby is played in a far better spirit, for most players it would be an embarrassment to feign an injury. However, many young footballers practice the art of play-acting in the training ground.
Another thing football should learn from rugby is to respect the referee. Incidents like the one involving Diego Costa last weekend would not be tolerated on a rugby pitch, and both players’ would have been sin binned long before Gabriel ‘kicked out’. It is therefore the responsibility of the referees and the players of the Premier League to toughen up and show some respect.
Of course for this to happen, rules would have to be changed, otherwise expect an increase in the number of red cards per match in the Premier League. So until the FA, FIFA, or whoever are in charge these days’ sorts it out, we need to find a short-term solution to make the beautiful game more honourable again.
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Therefore I propose that every player in the Premier League attempts to grow a beard, and managers should select a player based on his ability to do so. Also coaches are not exempt from this, it hasn’t done Jurgen Klopp any harm, so lose the razor!
The logic behind it is to bring back some good old-fashioned manliness to football. It’s the equivalent of telling a present day Hollywood actor to grow some chest hair.
What we need is a footballer, someone we can use as a case study, a player so nondescript that a beard would transform his career. Unfortunately Joe Allen shaved off his new beard before the first match of the season. Apparently he was in contention to start until he did so.
Oh well, let’s look at some examples through footballing history. Firstly there’s Alexis Lallas, a forgettable American defender until he grew a beard, and his performances improved as a result. New Barcelona man Arda Turan is another player who has seen a drastic improvement in his game since manufacturing a beard of his own.
However, the best example in football history has to be Andrea Pirlo. Who cared about Pirlo before he grew a beard? Who considered Pirlo to be the finest midfield player of his generation when he was clean-shaven? Maybe a few Italians did but that is not the point. His cult status in world football has only become apparent since Euro 2012.
This was Pirlo’s first fully bearded major tournament. His upgrade in facial hair drew large audiences to his immense talent. Since then Pirlo has won four consecutive Serie A player of the year awards, an award that had eluded him up until that point. It is unusual for a player to find his best form in his mid-thirties, and Pirlo is no exception.
The Italian is not a better player since growing a beard; he just looks better because he has a beard. He has literally gone from John Malkovich to John Malkovich with a really thick beard and a Mediterranean tan. It is uncanny how much Pirlo and Malkovich lookalike.
Anyway, this is the point; the world of football needs more beards, for the integrity of the game and for the confidence of its players. A beard can make an average player a good player, or a great player the best of a generation. Either way your team need’s more beards so put the shaving foam to one side and let the growing commence.
We’ve already witnessed a number of fantastic matches in the Premier League this season but the fixture makes are refusing to disappoint, conjuring up yet another round of exciting, unpredictable and hopefully entertaining encounters for the coming weekend.
Indeed, in a game that could well decide Jose Mourinho’s employment status come Monday morning, Liverpool visit Chelsea at 12.45pm on Saturday whilst Swansea City welcome Arsenal to the Liberty Stadium.
But Crystal Palace’s 3pm clash with Manchester United particularly stands out. The Red Devils have enjoyed strong form this term, picking up 20 points from their first ten games, but the Eagles are always a tough side to play against, combining defensive grit and organisation with blistering pace on the counter-attack.
There’s only three positions separating both sides in the Premier League table so it looks set to be a particularly close affair down at Selhurst Park.
Therefore, the result could well depend on who dominates the key individual battles and with that in mind, Football FanCast have listed the FIVE we view as the most important…
WAYNE ROONEY VS SCOTT DANN
Everybody’s had their say in the Wayne Rooney debate over the last few days, ranging from former team-mate Paul Scholes to Barcelona legend Xavi, but Louis van Gaal seems determined to continue utilising the Manchester United skipper at the tip of his attack for the time being.
No doubt, however, the England captain is desperately struggling for form at the moment. He’s managed just two goals in nine Premier League appearances this season and only 18 attempts at goal. To put that into perspective, Sergio Aguero has had 33 attempts at goal, scoring six.
And things could get tougher for Rooney against Crystal Palace. Centre-back Scott Dann has emerged as one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League outside of the top four since signing for Palace in January 2014, last term picking up the Player of the Year award at Selhurst Park.
After conceding nine in his last three appearances, the 28 year-old will be determined to record a clean sheet against the Red Devils. That being said, Rooney will be equally determined to silence his critics after missing in a penalty shootout against Middlesbrough in midweek.
WILFRIED ZAHA VS MARCOS ROJO
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In truth, any of Crystal Palace’s three flying forwards – Wilfried Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Bakary Sako – could find themselves lined up on the right wing this Saturday. Palace manager Alan Pardew has a tendency to rotate between them.
But Zaha has found himself most commonly deployed on that flank this season, featuring in all of the Eagles’ ten Premier League fixtures so far, and something tells me Pardew will be keen to harness the 22 year-old’s angst towards the Red Devils following his rather miserable twelve months at Old Trafford.
Especially considering he’ll likely be up against Marcos Rojo – a versatile defender yet one not quite quick enough to be considered a full-back or powerful enough to be considered a centre-back exclusively.
Perhaps that’s doing the Argentina international a disservice, considering he’s performed well during his three outings at left-back since returning to fitness earlier this month.
But laden with abundant trickery and pace, Zaha has the potential to cause real damage if he gets the beating of Rojo around the outside.
JUAN MATA VS MARTIN KELLY
With Joel Ward and Pape Soaure both injured, Crystal Palace are facing a bit of selection crisis in the full-back department. After getting the nod in a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City last weekend, logic suggests Martin Kelly will once again find himself in that role on Saturday.
In Manchester United’s Juan Mata, however, he faces one of the classiest midfielders in the Premier League and arguably the Red Devils’ best performer this season, picking up three goals and three assists in 10 Premier League appearances.
The Spaniard doesn’t have the speed to test space in behind defenders but certainly the guile to jink around them and pull them out of position. His 1.9 created chances per match is the best return throughout the United squad, so keeping the 27 year-old in check will be crucial to stopping the visitors making scoring opportunities on Saturday.
That being said, it’s no secret Mata likes to drift inside and link up with the central midfielders. So nullifying his creative threat will be as much a task for the likes of James McArthur and Joe Ledley as it will for Kelly.
YOHAN CABAYE VS ANDER HERRERA
A key battle that might not even happen for two predominant reasons. Firstly, Yohan Cabaye is a serious doubt for Saturday after missing out this week’s Capital One Cup action with a knock and secondly, Louis van Gaal seems inexplicably reluctant to start Ander Herrera despite the Spaniard bagging two goals and one assist in just six appearances this season.
But Herrera performs the dual role at the tip of midfield incredibly well, occasionally making runs beyond Wayne Rooney whilst always offering defensive protection in front of their midfield two, and would certainly be my choice to start on Saturday.
Should he pass a late fitness test, that would put the Spaniard up against likeminded playmaker Yohan Cabaye – unquestionably one of the Premier League’s biggest coups of the summer after arriving at Selhurst Park for £10million.
The France international has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Eagles this season, claiming four goals and one assist in ten appearances whilst averaging 1.2 created chances, 3.7 tackles and 3.7 interceptions per match.
Both midfielders share that mix of creativity, culture and tenacity – so if they both start it should be a real toe-to-toe encounter.
DWIGHT GAYLE/FRAIZER CAMPBELL VS CHRIS SMALLING
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The centre-forward slot represents a bit of a selection dilemma for Alan Pardew, with old-school No.9s Marouane Chamakh and Connor Wickham both absent through injury.
Logic suggests he’ll call upon Dwight Gayle to lead the attack, having done so against Leicester City last weekend, but he may opt for the experience of former Red Devil Fraizer Campbell – another player who would like to settle a few scores with his former club.
Both strikers offer similar kinds of threat – predominantly, the pace to test the space in behind and the work-rate to persistently run the channels.
That being said, getting past Manchester United’s Chris Smalling is proving to be one of the toughest asks in the Premier League at the moment. The England international has improved immeasurably since the start of last season and has played every minute of the Red Devils’ league campaign thus far, helping them record six clean sheets from ten outings.
Palace’s striker – be it Gayle or Campbell – might find a little more luck against Phil Jones. The England international has played well in recent weeks but is still getting back up to speed after returning from injury in late September.
Three games, three draws. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool reign has not exactly started in the ‘wild’ manner the German boss talked up during his opening press conference, with many of the problems that plagued the end of Brendan Rodgers’ spell at Anfield still present. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that, essentially, the same XI players are taking to the field each week, while Klopp himself has had little time to really work on his ideas given that games have been coming thick and fast since his tenure began.
And without a win since last month’s 3-2 victory over a hapless Aston Villa, questions are being asked. Speaking on Sky Sports during the coverage of Liverpool’s 1-1 with Southampton Jamie Carragher gave his verdict, and although his “church choir” line in reference to his old side’s style makes for easy headlines, the ex-Kop defender’s points regarding a lack of width are certainly more interesting:
“There are no wide players in the squad, there is an abundance of No 10s.” he said on air. “I don’t know how the transfer committee thought they would fit them in.
“That is Jurgen Klopp’s problem now. Maybe he will address that in January but there are four centre forwards and three or four No 10s and no wide players. There are some problems with that squad in terms of the quality and the balance.”
‘Carra’ has a point, too. Aside from Jordon Ibe, the Reds lack players with a desire to get wide and stretch opponents. And with the youngster raw to say the least, he’s unlikely to get into Klopp’s XI with any form of regularity, so more narrow showings are set to be on the agenda until at least January, at which time the 48-year-old will be able to look further afield for options.
With that in mind, here are FIVE wing options for Liverpool…
Denis Cheryshev
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A summer target, and according to reports a January option, the Russia international would add pace and a direct edge to the Liverpool attack. Cheryshev, shone on loan at Villarreal last term, but since his return to Real Madrid his game time has been, understandably given the competition at the Bernabeu, limited – he’s made two appearances in La Liga as a substitute, playing 33 minutes all told.
With a dangerous left-foot and genuine speed across the turf, the 24-year-old presents the sort of option Klopp currently lacks, and with EURO 2016 on the horizon, he’s sure to be eager for game time to make it into Russia’s plans.
Felipe Anderson
https://vine.co/v/ePELuwXJQ2Y/embed/simplePerhaps a somewhat ambitious target, the Brazilian was linked with a mega money move to Manchester United over the summer after firing Lazio into the Champions League. However, the Italians slipped out of the competition during the qualification phase and with Italian football no longer the force it was in terms of quality and financial muscle, it may not be long until the Brazilian moves on. The 22-year-old is comfortable on both flanks, and has even been used as a striker, with his pace and technique on the ball both dangerous. Although luring him to Anfield may be a difficult task, the presence of compatriots such as Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Lucas Leiva may help the Reds.
Karim Bellarabi
https://vine.co/v/eBYIW702zmT/embed/simpleKlopp knows all about the Bundesliga, so he’s sure to be aware of Bellarabi’s talents. There are very few genuine wingers in the Germany set-up, but the Bayer Leverkusen ace is just that, with his desire to get chalk on his boots and deliver from the byline impressive and effective.
The 25-year-old notched 12 goals and six assists in BuLi action last season wich illustrates the threat he brings, while his high-intensity game appears tailor-made for Klopp’s ‘gegenpressing’ approach.
Riyad Mahrez
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Just behind the creative juggernauts of Mesut Ozil (7) and David Silva (6) sits Leicester’s Mahrez with a staggering five assists already this season. The Algerian winger has been, arguably, the surprise of the campaign so far, with his dynamic showings for the Foxes key in their staggering fifth place berth after 10 games. Although the King Power outfit are unlikely to be willing to sell, his own agent has said “if in January there’s a possibility we’ll see”, opening the door for a move. At 24, Mahrez himself may be ager to make a big move, and although the current Premier League table puts Leicester above Liverpool, a switch to Anfield is undoubtedly a step up.
Gokhan Tore
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The Turkey international played a starring role as Besiktas knocked Liverpool out of the Europa League last season, building on the reputation he’s forged since leaving Chelsea as a rather untried youngster. An unproductive spell in Russia with Rubin Kazan followed, but since heading back to his homeland Tore has shone, with his pace and direct style having earned him much praise.
Although his end product is somewhat questionable – he got four goals and five assists in the Super Lig last season – he would offer Klopp the sort of pace and presence from out wide that Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana simply do not present.
When Manchester United first completed the capture of Bastian Schweinsteiger throughout the course of the summer transfer window, many were left undecided on whether or not his signing would eventually prove a successful one.
And whilst a large portion of the 2015/16 campaign has now come and gone for fans of the English top-flight, the general footballing community in this country are seemingly no closer to working out such a proposition. The current season has proven one to forget for the Old Trafford faithful thus far, but the German international himself can’t be held exclusively to blame.
So then, although the 31-year-old midfielder perhaps deserves one whole season to truly make a name for himself in England, was the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger really such a necessary move for Manchester United last summer?
Well, if the battling midfield enforcer’s prior reputation within the European scene was to prove anything to go by at the start of the season, Schweinsteiger’s hotly coveted switch to Old Trafford seemed to go down as a no-brainer on the surface.
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He was linking up with his former boss in the shape of Louis van Gaal, the former Bundesliga favourite had won everything on offer with Bayern Munich throughout his career – and as the Germans haven’t exactly faltered on the international scene as of late, the 2014 World Cup winner certainly represented a decent all-round package.
During his successful stint at the Allianz Arena, Schweinsteiger famously made the switch from an out-in-out pacey wide-man, into a no-nonsense box-to-box master of the modern era.
Both domestically and in the impressive German national outfit, the 31-year-old had defined himself as one of the best commanders of the game.
However, as such a reputation was built up before Bastian Schweinsteiger fell victim to a succession of testing injury complaints throughout the 2014/15 campaign, maybe Man United should have considered his signing a little more carefully before going official last summer.
In reality, this talented German international no longer resembles the effective asset he once proved to be. Although all the intelligence and know-how is obviously still in place for the midfielder, Schweinsteiger arguably doesn’t have the legs to make it in the Premier League nowadays, no matter how much invaluable experience he has.
Had the Red Devils still possessed enough genuine world class quality within their ranks to actually challenge for the title once again this season, the former Bayern Munich star would have likely slotted in far more successfully.
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Among a side already brimming with excitement from all over the pitch, Schweinsteiger’s undoubted talent with the ball at his feet would nonetheless come to forefront, leaving others to make the gut-busting runs ahead of him inside the final third. As Manchester United have ultimately proven anything but exciting under Louis van Gaal so far this term however, the midfielder simply hasn’t stood out as much as many Red Devils fans initially hoped.
Although he has always maintained an admirable level of performance at Old Trafford this term, the club really needn’t have signed both Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin last summer, especially as both Michael Carrick and Daley Blind have had their own individual roles to play for the Red Devils this season, too.
In the end, Schweinsteiger still represents a top player who can easily affect matches in a positive manner – he just isn’t the untouchable world class asset he once successfully proved to be in Germany.
He may not have set Manchester United back a great deal financially, and his relevant experience inside the Old Trafford dressing room obviously remains important, but as Louis van Gaal simply didn’t need yet another defensively minded midfielder on board this season, maybe the Red Devils should have ultimately looked past the exploits of Bastian Schweinsteiger after all.
With the sale of Steven Naismith during the window, it was almost inevitable that Roberto Martinez would be in the market for another attacking option.
Niasse has joined Everton from Lokomotiv Moscow and he will be hoping that he can make an immediate impact as the Toffees look to stunt their poor form of late.
Martinez is coming under increasing pressure from the Goodison faithful and he will be heading towards the sack if his latest big money acquisition flops dramatically in the first few months of 2016.
Romelu Lukaku and Arouna Kone now have an extra forward to assist with the goal scoring responsibility at the Merseyside club, but some fans will be wondering why Martinez didn’t use the budget to strengthen their struggling defence. Niasse might not help with keeping clean sheets, but the forward is likely to improve the Toffees chances of out scoring the opposition.
Here are FIVE things you must know about the new man…
Out wide..
Much like Naismith, Niasse can play out wide as well as a central striking option.
Mirallas and Deulofeu should be the starters for Martinez’s side on the wings, but Niasse is likely to provide goals from the wing more regularly and could be used on the left hand side when the Toffees are looking to dominate.
Seven years your junior..
If Lukaku is to remain as the first choice centre forward, Everton definitely need an improved backup to the big Belgian.
Arouna Kone has often been used with, rather than instead of, Lukaku this season and, at 25, Niasse is seven years younger than the ex-Wigan striker.
Eye for goal
13 in 23 this season has made Niasse a crucial player for Lokomotiv Moscow and a return like that for Everton would see him pushing Lukaku for the first choice berth.
Road runner
The African forward is renowned for his pace and power – much like Lukaku – and will be a dominating force for many defences.
Threatening on the counter attack, or the ex-Lokomotiv man can be used as a focal point.
Interest across Europe
Niasse is thought to have had interest from clubs across Europe, but he had his heart set on a move to the Premier League.
Is this because of money? Or did he just fancy the drizzly weather?