Tottenham have been accredited the nickname ‘the Harry Kane team’ in recent years by those both inside and out of the industry. None more prevalent than Pep Guardiola, who in 2017 recognised that ‘the Harry Kane’ team were indeed in the title race. Kane is, of course, one of the most important players in the squad. However, in his absences this season, another has emerged as a true superstar – Heung-min Son. 

The South Korean has received relentless praise this season, and rightly so. However, it must also be noted that the forward was once viewed very much as a fringe member of the squad. Son now represents one of Tottenham’s greatest bargains in recent times. Son was brought in from Bayern Leverkusen for just £22m – ask yourself – how much is he worth now?

In his first season managed just four goals and a single assist in 28 Premier League games. In all honesty, this is a poor return for a player who was touted to be an exciting signing for Tottenham. Son most certainly adapted to life in the Premier League, however. He has subsequently reached totals of 14 and 12 goals, currently again standing on 12 with five games remaining.

The forward has indeed vastly improved since his first year at Tottenham, but has stepped it up another level this season. It’s not just goals and assists, Son has emerged as arguably the clubs’s most important player while Kane remains sidelined. He has shown real leadership and nerve, stepping up in crucial moments where no other player did.

The standout moments for Son must be the winning goal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City, alongside winning the 2019 London Player of the Year.

Son represents such a key player for Tottenham, largely because of his versatility. He has shown he can play on the wing, up front as part of a two or even on his own. The South Korean gives Tottenham an abundance of options, but also gives his all game in game out. There have been moments this time where Son has looked genuinely exhausted, but has never stopped.

Earlier in the season, after a fine performance against Leicester, pundit Garth Crooks said: “When Son plays, his pace gives Tottenham a dimension they lack without him. Two seasons ago he was the most improved Premier League player. Now he’s the most improved Premier League finisher.”

It really does some up the improvement Son has made since his transfer to Tottenham, something emulated by many under the tenure of Pochettino. It seems implausible that Son will move away from Tottenham in the near future. But if he were to, he would now be worth a lot more than the £22m Tottenham originally paid for him – what a bargain!

Tottenham fans – do you think Son is the biggest bargain in recent history? How does he compare to Dele Alli?

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal fans have professed their love for Santi Cazorla after the midfielder got back to his very best against Barcelona on Tuesday.

The midfielder, who spent six years at the Emirates Stadium between 2012 and 2018, returned to former club Villarreal in the summer.

His career has been ravaged by injuries and, in September, he revealed to the BBC that he had undergone a total of 11 operations on an Achilles injury that almost cost him his ability to walk.

However, he is back to full fitness now and ran rings around perhaps the best team on the planet as Villarreal and Barca played out a pulsating 4-4 draw in midweek.

Indeed, Cazorla laid on a sumptuous assist to Carlos Bacca for his side’s fourth goal, splitting the defence with a superb through-ball.

And Arsenal fans have expressed their regret at the club allowing him to move on, while praising the Spaniard’s incredible performance versus Lionel Messi and Co.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

The upcoming summer transfer window is shaping up to be one of the most important for Arsenal in a long time.

With Aaron Ramsey leaving the club for Juventus and strengthening needed in key areas of the pitch, Unai Emery has it all to do this summer when it comes to bringing in the right players. And one player who is likely to be surrounded in speculation this transfer window is Mesut Ozil.

The former German international has yet to win over the affection of Emery and has been in and out of the Arsenal first-team all season. The 30-year-old playmaker’s massive wages also make him ripe for the chop this summer, and according to the Mirror, Ozil and Henrik Mkhitaryan both face being shipped out of the club to increase funds for summer transfers.

On paper, it seems like a smart move. Both players have been underwhelming since their moves to north London and getting them off the wage bill would leave Arsenal with plenty of room to bring in new faces that the club desperately needs.

Selling Ozil sounds like the ideal solution to this problem, but letting Mkhitaryan go as well would be a big mistake for Emery.

The Armenian winger, who yes hasn’t lived up to the level of quality fans expected when he was swapped for Alexis Sanchez in 2018, has still been impressive this season. Six goals and six assists is a decent tally for a player that has not featured heavily this season due to niggling injuries.

Another reason to keep Mkhitaryan for another season is that Arsenal simply lack too much depth out on the wings to risk losing the former Borussia Dortmund star. He and Iwobi are the only true wingers at the club, and although the earlier report from the Mirror says Emery is targeting a left-sided midfielder, it’s fair to say that other positions could become more of a priority for the club, like the defence.

Arsenal fans would rather see Mkhitaryan leave than Ozil this summer, given how popular the German is, but the reality is that the club will be better financially and on the pitch if Emery keeps the Armenian at the club and moves on Ozill.

Arsenal fans, what should the club do with Mkhitaryan and Ozil this summer?

There can’t be many clubs in world football who can boast having the option to pick between seven players who can occupy the centre-forward position in their team, can there?

Sheffield Wednesday’s accumulation of strikers over the past few seasons has resulted in fierce competition for places yet incredibly, there has yet to be a settled front-two during the 2018/19 campaign as both Jos Luhukay, who was sacked in December, and Steve Bruce have had to deal with a myriad of injuries.

The latest to be sidelined is top-scorer Steven Fletcher who was ruled out of last Saturday’s game against Stoke City due to a knee issue, forcing his boss to alter his starting eleven to incorporate the return of Fernando Forestieri and Gary Hooper. Although it could be argued that the embarrassment of riches at Hillsborough in terms of an attacking sense should guarantee goals, the fact that the strikers do not know whether they will be playing every week can have a detrimental impact on morale. The likes of Lucas Joao, Sam Winnall and Marco Matias have been in and out of the squad on numerous occasions this season, which has limited their development as players whilst Forestieri, in particular, has failed to replicate the same level of form that he has demonstrated in the past for Wednesday.

The only solution to this problem is to offload some of the forwards that the Owls have on their books in the summer, a move that could prove to be extremely beneficial for Bruce going forward. By recuperating fees for the players that he is willing to discard, the 58-year-old can use the money to strengthen his squad in other areas in the summer.

Regardless of whether the Owls sneak into the play-off positions at the end of the current campaign, it is clear that they need to balance out their squad and so it would be very surprising if Bruce doesn’t commit to bringing an end to his unique attacking issue.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Should Bruce cut ties with some of your forwards in the summer? Who should be let go? Let us know below.

[ad_pod ]

According to a report by The Sun, Manchester United are keen on signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Kieran Trippier, but a potential summer move would come 12 months too late for club and player.

Why is it too late for United?

This time last year the Red Devils would have been getting a full-back full of confidence who was about to shine for England at the 2018 World Cup.

His delivery from crosses was especially impressive for Spurs last term, and someone like Romelu Lukaku would surely have thrived on his service from the right flank during the current campaign.

Bringing in Trippier would also have prevented Ashley Young being near the starting line-up too given he has often featured at right-back or right wing-back this term, with the 33-year-old proving to be a big liability at times.

If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signs the 28-year-old now he will be getting a player who appears to have lost the belief in his own ability, and who is really struggling from a defensive point of view as well as with his tally of assists – exactly what United don’t need given their own struggles.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

Why is it too late for Trippier?

Following an impressive season with Spurs and the high of scoring World Cup semi-final goal for his country, it was the ideal time for him to take a step forward in his career.

A move to Old Trafford would have undoubtedly been that no matter what Tottenham fans may say, and he would have been the undoubted first choice in his position at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.

While he was a player seemingly in his prime then, it is a different story now given he isn’t even a regular for his current employers.

A move away and fresh start last summer may have meant that his form would have been less likely to decline like it has done, and in that respect it could now be a bad time to move on.

[ad_pod ]

Alexander Sorloth departed Crystal Palace on loan in January having struggled for form at Selhurst Park and the Eagles have hardly missed him, with Michy Batshuayi chipping in with a couple of goals and Christian Benteke back to his best against Arsenal.

Any Palace fans who have been keeping an eye on the Norwegian’s loan stint at Gent will have noticed that he has been a successful signing for the Belgian outfit. Had Roy Hodgson been deploying the giant forward in the wrong position all this time?

On the chalkboard

Sorloth played just 173 minutes of Premier League football and failed to score for Palace before being shipped out three months ago, although he has found his shooting boots again across the channel it seems.

The 23-year-old has chalked up four goals and two assists in all competitions for Gent but hasn’t been doing it as a striker. Instead, the 6 ft 4 hitman has been deployed as a right winger and has clearly been reaping the rewards.

Naturally, his height and physicality mean he looks like a striker but, prior to his move to Palace and subsequent conversion to a centre-forward, the former Midtjylland man had been successful as a wide-man. Is this where Hodgson should be looking to use him when he returns ahead of the next campaign?

Big winger

The likes of Marko Arnautovic and Romelu Lukaku under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have proved that size is a huge asset on the wing and while Sorloth doesn’t have Wilfried Zaha’s dribbling or Andros Townsend’s shooting from range, he does have a bit of pace about him and his size would make him a nightmare for most Premier League full-backs.

There’s some exciting changes happening at Crystal Palace next summer. Find out what in the video below…

While the former England boss has come under some criticism for his management this season, he has shown that he isn’t afraid to patiently transform players into the type he needs – Jeffrey Schlupp has been converted into a central-midfielder and the aforementioned wing duo are now able to double as a strike partnership. It certainly seems worth a try, otherwise Sorloth will just end up being money down the drain.

أعلن الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، ونجم الأهلي السابق، أن مركز التسوية والتحكيم قرر بطلان لائحة نادي الزمالك، في جلسته التي عقدت اليوم الأربعاء.

اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية كانت قد قررت إيقاف مرتضى منصور رئيس نادي الزمالك 4 سنوات عن مزاولة أي نشاط رياضي، مع إلزام الزمال بانتخاب رئيس جديد للنادي مع تغريمه 100 ألف جنيه، وذلك بسبب الشكاوى المقدمة ضده.

نشر أحمد شوبير عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “عاجل مركز التسوية والتحكيم يقضي ببطلان لائحة الزمالك”.

عاجل مركز التسويه والتحكيم يقضي ببطلان لائحة الزمالك — Ahmed Shobier (@ShobierOfficial) October 28, 2020

وأعلنت قناة نادي الزمالك عن إيقاف برنامجها الرئيسي “زملكاوي” لمدة أسبوعين، وذلك بقرار من المجلس الأعلى لتنظيم الإعلام. طالع التفاصيل

Newcastle fans will have massively enjoyed the events of Sunday afternoon. As their squad was touching down in the capital ahead of yesterday’s trip to Arsenal, their Tyne-Wear rivals, Sunderland, were playing the Checkatrade Trophy final where they lost to Pompey on penalties.

Whilst the Magpies may have been a day early for April Fools day, they still managed to successfully mug off their rivals with their very well timed tweet. As Sunderland fans would have been in tears over their Wembley loss, the Geordies were arriving in London on what was described by their Twitter admin as a ‘glorious afternoon’ and none of the travelling Newcastle fans would disagree with that.

In recent years, Sunderland have been able to boast a superior record over Newcastle when it comes to clashes between the two sides, yet now that the Black Cats are rotting in League One it’s hard to see a way that the two sides will be meeting anytime soon, unless of course, they find themselves clashing in a domestic cup game. That won’t bother the Geordies one bit, though as they’ve loved seeing Sunderland flailing.

You can read the Magpies’ reaction to their club’s cracking tweet here:

The Geordies love content like their club’s tweet from Sunday, and anything to troll their bitter rivals will always go down well with the St James Park faithful.

With all this contract speculation circulating around Rafa Benitez, Newcastle fans are desperately hoping it ends with the Spaniard agreeing to extend his stay at St James’ Park in order to progress the team over the next few years.

That much is obvious, right? Well, considering the state of play on Tyneside right now, nothing else is.

Indeed, the least Mike Ashley can do is get him to sign a new contract, after all he’s done over the last few seasons. Not only is a great manager but he also acts as a lure for the better players for Newcastle to try and sign.

Everybody knows that. Why don’t you seem to grasp it, Mike?

After all, Newcastle’s side still most definitely needs improving and the summer promises to be the perfect opportunity to do just that. Clearly, a number of positions can be improved upon from a Newcastle perspective and with Antonio Barreca’s loan spell proving to be ineffective, interest they have previously held in a left-back – Stanley N’Soki – should be taken up again.

N’Soki, (who is valued at £7.6 million on Transfermarkt) was a target (as per the Chronicle) for Newcastle over the course of the January window but for whatever reason, a deal failed to materialise.

The 19-year-old has since been involved with the PSG first team a lot more than he and many others probably would have predicted. With 11 Ligue 1 appearances to his name and a further three in cup competitions, N’Soki has proven to be not just any youngster but one ready to play right now.

Able to play in centre-back as well as his usual position of left-back, N’Soki can provide helpful versatility to a side like Newcastle and undoubtedly would be a top addition. How nice would that be, Toon fans? Another left-back of note at long, long last.

Newcastle fans, how highly do you rate the PSG youngster? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

[ad_pod ]

Reports of Paul Pogba’s possible departure from Manchester United are heating up, so how could the Red Devils work his departure to their advantage?

What’s the story?

According to The Daily Star, Pogba has already told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he is leaving for Real Madrid this summer.

The report cites Spanish journalist Eduardo Inda as saying: “He has let Solskjaer know that he wants to go, he has been offered £500,000 pounds, but he wants to go and the signing is almost done.”

Meanwhile, The Mirror claim that James Rodriguez will be left looking for a new club this summer, as Bayern Munich will not make his loan move into a permanent one and Real Madrid do not want him back.

So, should the Red Devils ask for Rodriguez as part of any potential Pogba deal?

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

A long-running problem solved?

It goes without saying that the two players are completely different, and in no way, shape or form will Rodriguez replace the role Pogba played in Solskjaer’s team.

However, a switch to a 4-2-3-1 could accommodate the Colombian, while also solving a problem that multiple managers have had at Old Trafford in recent years – the lack of a dynamic, do-it-all midfielder.

Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho both suffered for a lack of midfield quality, but if the Red Devils play their cards right they may become more balanced without signing that box-to-box presence Solskjaer’s predecessors were crying out for.

By placing James in the number ten position, surrounded by the electric skill and pace of the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and potentially Jadon Sancho, Solskjaer could focus his two holding players more on the defensive side of the game.

This would in effect end the incessant and unsuccessful hunt for a true box-to-box midfielder, of which a world class one is extremely hard to find, because the 4-2-3-1 formation does not require one.

Defensive midfielders who read the game well and spray the ball about are a lot easier to find and cheaper to purchase, and they would of course allow James to do what he does best – score and assist goals.

If Pogba does leave this summer, getting some cash and a new number ten as part of the deal would surely soften the blow, and Solskjaer’s team may actually become more balanced as a result.