Levy won’t be able to turn down enormous Christian Eriksen bid

According to Spanish outlet Marca, Real Madrid will have to pay a world-record price if they are to prise Christian Eriksen away from Tottenham. 

The Spanish giants will have to fork out a staggering €250m for the Danish maestro, based on the figure Chairman Daniel Levy gave when he was questioned. This works out to be over £220m, which would obviously blow the record fee PSG paid Barcelona for Neymar out the water.

It will obviously be anathema to Tottenham fans to think of letting the 26-year-old leave, but for a price that large, it may be an offer they cannot refuse.

It is expected that Spurs are entering a time of austerity in the coming years as they pay for their new stadium. This is what their bitter rivals Arsenal had to endure while The Emirates was being built, and they may experience the same troubles. To make matters worse, if rumours are to be true, the debacle that has surrounded the stadium has caused the price to be wildly over what was initially planned.

If this were to be the case, then the sizeable cash injection from the Eriksen transfer may be what Tottenham desperately need. With that much money, Spurs can recruit some seriously high level players to carry the club forward. Eriksen himself is a glowing example of what happened with the Gareth Bale money, and with a almost triple the amount, the possibilities are endless for Levy and Mauricio Pochettino.

Tottenham are well-epuipped with some brilliant players, and they may suffer slightly with the departure of Eriksen, but they will no doubt survive. The huge payment they will receive could suddenly win the fans over.

Clyne out: And Liverpool would find their perfect replacement in Kenny Lala

Liverpool kept the pressure on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table following a 3-0 win away at Watford on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp named a full-strength line-up for the trip to Vicarage Road, and the Reds were made to work extremely hard for their victory. Watford defended brilliantly but eventually fell behind when Mohamed Salah bundled the ball home, with a world-class free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold and a tap-in from Roberto Firmino ensuring Liverpool stayed within touching distance of the league leaders.

Klopp remains adamant that the club will not be spending during the upcoming January window, but many players face an uncertain future on Merseyside. With Alexander-Arnold impressing yet again, it could be the end of Nathaniel Clyne’s Liverpool career. The former England international has made just one appearance this season, and would surely have many suitors in the Premier League.

To replace him, Liverpool should consider a move for Strasbourg right-back Kenny Lala.

Valued at just £7.2 million by Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old has developed into a key player for the French side since joining back in 2017. Lala enjoyed an excellent debut season in Ligue 1, but has taken his game to the next level during the new campaign.

The Frenchman is a constant attacking threat from the back with two goals and three assists to his name already this season – he could form a devastating partnership with Salah on the Liverpool right. Lala doesn’t neglect his defensive duties either, averaging a remarkable 2.8 tackles per game (WhoScored). His well-rounded ability makes him the perfect option to add competition to Alexander-Arnold in the Liverpool defence.

Despite his form, Lala has less than one year remaining on his contract, meaning Liverpool could grab themselves a bargain when the window reopens.

This one should be a no-brainer for Klopp.

Liverpool fans… what do you think? Let us know!

West Ham should be on red alert after former Arsenal defender’s comments on Ramsey

Barring what would be an incredible U-turn from Arsenal, Aaron Ramsey is set to leave the Emirates at the end of the season.

The Welshman’s contract will be up by then and a host of clubs across Europe are said to be interested in his services with Bayern Munich being just one of them, according to Sky Sports.

Former Arsenal defender Lauren, however, believes Ramsey may be better off staying in the Premier League with another outfit from the capital.

The Breakdown

And while Chelsea are one London club who have been linked with Ramsey in the past, it is West Ham who Lauren believes could provide the perfect platform for the 27-year-old.

“If you don’t have the first-team shirt you have to go elsewhere. If I was him I would stay in London because he knows the city,” Lauren told Sky Sports. “Somewhere like West Ham would fit him. It would give him the leadership he needs and he is based in London so I think he has to stay at a London club.”

For many reasons such as wages, the chances of £40.5m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Ramsey switching north London for east London are slim to none. But from West Ham’s point of view, the Wales international is the calibre of player the club need to be targeting considering what David Sullivan and David Gold have promised supporters.

While good work was done over the summer to bring in the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, the duo alone will not be enough to bring European nights to the London Stadium.

Looking at West Ham’s squad, full-back and midfield are just two areas that could do with some strengthening, and the addition of Ramsey would do just that for the latter.

Tottenham fans blast Kyle Walker-Peters’ performance against Barcelona which almost cost them dearly

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to slate Kyle Walker-Peters’ performance in the 1-1 draw against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, a result which saw the north London side progress into the last 16 of the Champions League.

The 21-year-old gave the ball away for Ousmane Dembele’s opening goal, with the Spurs academy graduate robbed of possession by the Frenchman initially, before being blitzed by his pace and having to watch on helplessly as the forward finished coolly.

It was a mistake that looked like it would cost Mauricio Pochettino’s side a place in the knockout phases, only for Lucas Moura’s late equaliser to save the day at the expense of Inter Milan and spare the blushes of a young player who the Argentinian boss is clearly a big fan of.

Despite the successful evening in Catalonia, many Spurs fans are still unhappy with 5ft 8in Walker-Peters’ contribution, suggesting that he isn’t good enough to play at this level, and perhaps not even in the Championship.

Let’s take a look at some of the best tweets…

Revealed: 54% of Leeds fans expect club to spend in January

[ad_pod ]

January will provide Leeds United with the chance to restore a squad which has been hit with a number of injuries in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.

However, the Championship side’s head coach Marcelo Bielsa has claimed on a number of occasions that he will not be bringing any new players to the club next month.

The exit of Samuel Saiz to Getafe might well have changed things, however, and rumours linking the Whites with potential January signings are just gathering pace.

The Leeds fans were recently asked whether they believed that their club would be active in the January transfer window.

And the results were extremely close, with 54% believing that Leeds will make at least one signing, although 46% are not confident.

Leeds are currently flying high at the top of the Championship, but do have injury problems, and the exit of Saiz does make their squad weaker.

The results of the poll can be seen below:

The Chalkboard: Wesley Hoedt absence vs Huddersfield suggests January exit is on cards

[ad_pod ]

Southampton centre-back Wesley Hoedt has found first-team minutes hard to come by in recent weeks, and his exclusion from the squad altogether for the win against Huddersfield Town on Saturday suggests that a January exit could be edging closer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, hopes were high when the south coast outfit signed the Netherlands international – presumably as a long-term replacement for Jose Fonte or a future successor to Virgil van Dijk – during the summer of 2017, but he has struggled to make a positive impact.

Instead, the 24-year-old has become renowned among the St Mary’s faithful for making key defensive errors, and he has even scored own goals against Manchester City and Liverpool already this season.

The Dutchman has often come under criticism from his own supporters but despite that, he was a regular fixture in the starting XI under Mark Hughes before he was sacked earlier this month.

On the chalkboard

Hoedt was dropped to the substitutes’ bench for Hughes’ last match in charge against Manchester United following a difficult afternoon for him in the defeat to Fulham previously, and he hasn’t played a single minute of Premier League football instead despite playing the full 90 minutes in all of their opening 13 top-flight fixtures.

As things stand, Jannnik Vestergaard, Maya Yoshida and Jan Bednarek – who all started in the wins against Arsenal and Huddersfield – look to be new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s preferred centre-back options – and Jack Stephens and youngster Kayne Ramsay were named on the bench ahead of him at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The Dutchman has thrown his toys out of the pram on social media previously when things haven’t gone his way meaning he is far from a fans’ favourite, and Hasenhuttl may well be ready to get rid in January to try and raise funds for new players.

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

Tottenham fans react to club tweet about Moussa Sissoko’s 100th Spurs appearance

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur announced prior to their match against Everton on Sunday that midfielder Moussa Sissoko was making his 100th appearance for the club, and Spurs fans were quick to react.

The £30m signing from Newcastle United in the summer of 2016 has largely been viewed as a flop during his time with the north London outfit having struggled to become a regular in the starting XI, with manager Mauricio Pochettino even admitting he would have sold the Frenchman in the summer if the right offer is received.

However, injury issues for the likes of Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama this season have given the 29-year-old the chance to impress, and he has taken it with both hands and been a level above the displays he has produced previously.

Tottenham supporters took to social media to respond to the tweet from their beloved club, and while one said “£370k per appearance”, another said “I thought we agreed to forget the first 70”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

CheekySport’s Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having “the balls” to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below…

Revealed: 80% of West Ham fans want Hoffenheim sensation Kramaric

Manuel Pellegrini will win the fans over even more if he were to bring Hoffenheim sensation Andrej Kramaric to the London Stadium.

The 42-cap Croatia international is tearing up the Bundesliga, and taking his lethal shooting boots across the continent with five goals in five Champions League games, and could have stretched his tally had it not been for Manchester City superstar Ederson pulling off wonder saves when the two sides met in December.

Under Julian Nagelsmann, the former Leicester striker is reinventing his game, and at a level no other coach has been able to orchestrate, and with that comes a hefty asking price – Transfermarkt value the Croat at £31.5million.

Check out the video below to see Playmaker FC’s American Soccer Fan give his take on all six ‘field goals’ in West Ham v Burnley…

Kramaric’s solo strike at Manchester City came during a hot streak for the 27-year-old, having hammered home nine goals in nine games for club and country – he also netted against England, giving his national side the chance to eliminate the Three Lions from the UEFA Nations League.

While he would offer great support for Marko Arnautovic, his versatility will provide Pellegrini with cover across the field, with Kramaric recording more appearances as a central midfielder than anywhere else. He’s scored no matter where he’s played.

In a recent poll on Football FanCast, a staggering 80% of Irons fans voted in favour of their side pursuing the former Foxes forward in January.

West Ham should target Arsenal with Marko Arnautovic on Saturday

West Ham United head into Saturday’s encounter with Arsenal as probably the underdogs, but it is a position the Hammers should try and utilise in order to cause an upset at the London Stadium.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini would certainly fancy his team to put a solid performance together but if there’s one area where the East London club should target the Gunners, then it should be in the air.

With Marko Arnautovic expected to start as a wide centre-forward, Pellegrini should force the 29-year-old to put pressure on centre-backs Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who aren’t the tallest and biggest of defenders.

Despite being solid on the ground, the pair has struggled at times to cope with big players challenging them in the air and Arnautovic could do the same if players like Robert Snodgrass and Felipe Anderson put crosses into the box.

Arnautovic’s physicality should prove to be too much for the Arsenal defenders to handle if Snodgrass and Anderson find the space they need the whip balls towards him.

If the game gets tight, then Pellegrini could even throw Andy Carroll, who is also a tall player, onto the pitch to help Arnautovic in the job.

Both of them would be able to compete in the air and set-pieces should provide a good opportunity for them to strike against Unai Emery’s men.

If Emery is forced to play with a back-three again, then the possibility of Stephan Lichtsteiner starting should also gift an opportunity for Pellegrini to use this tactic.

But this plan should be executed with perfection and the Hammers can’t afford half-hearted attempts to get the ball into the box.

Snodgrass, however, has been brilliant this season and he has proven himself as a worthy provider of assists with excellent crosses and long balls.

Anderson on the other hand enjoys attacking with the ball at his feet more but is also more than capable of finding someone like Arnautovic with clever balls and passes.

West Ham should get Christensen if Chelsea land Ake

[ad_pod ]

According to The Sun, former Chelsea defender Nathan Ake could be set for a surprise return to Stamford Bridge in a £40 million move from Bournemouth.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old only joined the Cherries from the Blues in 2017, and he has consistently impressed for Eddie Howe’s side ever since.

It’s unsurprising that Ake is once again attracting interest from top six clubs, as the 10-cap Netherlands international has the ability to compete at the highest level. He may also feel that he has unfinished business at Stamford Bridge.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

His return to Chelsea could have consequences for other members of Maurizio Sarri’s squad though. Andreas Christensen, for instance, may find himself surplus to requirements in west London should Ake return.

Should this situation arise, West Ham ought to make sure that they act fast and make the 22-year-old centre-back their own.

Ready to pounce

The Danish defender has failed to feature frequently for Chelsea so far this season and may be well-served by seeking pastures new anyway. 

The 23-cap Denmark international has only made one Premier League appearance so far this season and doesn’t seem to have Sarri’s trust.

The Hammers could make far better use of Christensen though, who would provide some much-needed quality competition for Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena. He could also form a strong partnership with Diop.

Manuel Pellegrini will certainly back himself to be able to get the best out of the Chelsea outcast.

If Ake does secure a return to Chelsea, then the Irons could be set to prosper from the move.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus