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James Rodriguez has been linked (somewhat tenuously) with a big-money move to Wolves – in what would be super-agent Jorge Mendes’ most audacious deal to date.
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Since then the forward has been a spare part under Zinedine Zidane, making just seven La Liga appearances this season.
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The former Middlesbrough boss has shown loyalty to a number of players during his two and a half year reign, but
Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker have excelled at times in Southgate’s flexible tactical system, and his perseverance with Ross Barkley
But while his decisiveness in sticking with those players has been fruitful, it does inevitably mean that players who are perhaps deserving a call-up to the squad are yet to be given a regular opportunity to shine.
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Yes, Tomori did play in England’s last international – the Three Lions’ final qualification game against Kosovo – but that appearance was a 12 minute cameo at right-back, when he was playing regularly at Chelsea
The Canadian-born 22-year-old quickly became a favourite under Frank Lampard, and it’s no surprise considering the England legend managed Tomori’s successful loan spell at Derby County last season.
Injuries have taken their toll recently, though, and he’s been unable to force his way back into the side. He does possess plenty of pace, but not playing so often at club level is likely to hinder his chances of partnering Harry Maguire.
That said, he’s worth keeping eyes on for the remainder of the season.
England fans have an exaggerated obsession for playing whoever is youngest. In that respect, Ben Foster is exceedingly unlikely to ever play for England again.
It doesn’t mean he shouldn’t though, quite the opposite. Foster has put in some jaw-dropping displays for Watford since re-joining the club in 2018. An expert in dealing with powerful shots, especially from close range, Foster is high up on the list of Premier League goalkeepers with the most clean sheets this season. Nine of those puts him three above current England No 1 Jordan Pickford at Everton.
He’s also got one World Cup clean sheet from one attempt. Pickford has one from seven. You do the maths.
People have been tipping Burnley’s
In March, McNeil took part in a senior England training session ahead of the Three Lions’ thumping wins over Czech Republic and Montenegro, and it’s understood that he impressed all those in attendance, even sitting Harry Maguire down with a neat piece of skill.
A tricky wide man with the ability to cut inside, hug the touchline and whip in a dangerous cross, McNeil has many strings to his bow – and he’s likely to get better with age. A Manchester United
Being able to watch Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been rather troublesome this season, as he’s failed to play for club or or country since rupturing his Achilles back in May.
But prior to that devastating injury blow, he was starting to show just how good he could be, particularly in the Blues’ run to the Europa League final, which they went on to win in his absence.
Loftus-Cheek also excelled on his international debut against Germany in 2017, offering a decisiveness and directness in midfield that had been sorely lacking. He likely won’t get the required game time under his belt to be considered, but if Southgate even has the slightest of doubts over his midfield options, he should head back to west London for another look.
When Danny Ings last played for England, the team were strutting to a tenth straight victory during Euro 2016 qualifying and Ings had recently moved to Liverpool, where he wasn’t all that successful.
Fast forward four years and Ings is flying, netting endless amounts of goals
Only four men have scored more than Ings’ 15 goals this season, with his improved mobility and ability to bring others into the game coming to the fore. But with so many options at Southgate’s disposal, that still may not be enough – even though he should be under serious consideration.
All the noise regarding a potential new England No 1 is coming from Yorkshire, with many calling for Sheffield United
Lewis Dunk is a club legend at Brighton, coming through the ranks to establish himself as a senior player over the last decade.
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With Liverpool on the brink of securing their first Premier League title, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hinted at a belief that matches should be delayed amid coronavirus fears.
Serie A has been suspended for the remainder of the month, with Italy especially badly hit by the virus, while other countries are mandating that matches be played behind closed doors. Speaking this week, with his side’s midweek game against Arsenal postponed, Guardiola insisted that fans be central when considering any potential actions.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Catalan said:
The Premier League fixture scheduled for Wednesday evening between Manchester City and Arsenal has been postponed, with one Gunners player shaking hands with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis when those two sides met – only for Marinakis to later test positive for the virus.
The Man City manager spoke about the fans’ involvement, adding:
“We are here for the people. One game, two games, maybe, but not longer. We do it for the people. I would not love to play without people in the stadium.”
Closed-door matches are steadily increasing as authorities continue to work out how to deal with the coronavirus illness.
Manchester United’s Europa League fixture against Austrian side LASK will take place without fans, as will Wolves’ clash against Greek side Olympiakos – Marinakis’ other team – after UEFA rejected their request to postpone the match.
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Atlético Madrid are continuing to keep tabs on Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette, having initially shown interest in the Frenchman during the January transfer window.
With Diego Costa once again blighted by injuries this season, attacking strengthening is key for the Madrid side ahead of 2020/21. Atlético were previously close to landing Uruguayan veteran Edinson Cavani, who will be available as a free agent in summer, but he ultimately remained at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mundo Deportivo (MD) writes that Lacazette is ‘one of the names on the table’, highlighting that the 28-year-old was also previously an Atléti target while he was still at former club Lyon.
MD recalls how Los Rojiblancos even had an agreement with Lyon over Lacazette for a €65m deal, worth an initial €53m and topped up by a further €12m in add-ons. The only thing that stopped it was the Spanish side’s FIFA transfer ban at the time, with the player soon heading to Arsenal instead.
Lacazette was a record signing for the Gunners when he arrived in London in July 2017, although he has failed to hit the same goalscoring heights that he was achieving in France. Even though he has led the line in a central position, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored more.
Atlético will be able to offer Champions League football, which will be a tall order for Arsenal to match. Despite three consecutive wins, the Gunners are only just into the top half of the Premier League table and must reel in at least four other clubs to finish high enough.
They have also now lost their chance of qualifying via the Europa League following their elimination to Olympiacos.
Lacazette pledged his immediate future to Arsenal last month, denying tabloid gossip that he has an agreement to leave if the club is not in the Champions League.
“I didn’t know about this [agreement]. I have a contract with the club, so there is no point for me to leave if everyone is happy with me at the club,” he said.
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Dele Alli has apologised to Tottenham’s supporters after they crashed out of the Champions League following a terrible performance against RB Leipzig on Tuesday evening.
Spurs went into the second leg knowing a 2-0 win would be enough to secure them a place in the quarter finals. However, a first-half brace from Marcel Sabitzer quickly put the tie to bed before the break, before Emil Forsberg added a late third.
In truth, José Mourinho’s hodge-podge of a team never troubled Leipzig and Dele – who played 90 minutes in an unfamiliar centre forward role – offered no excuses for their meek display.
“We have to apologise to the fans. They travelled all this way and to go out and lose like that… They deserve better.”
An honest Dele on Tottenham’s Champions League exit, footballing mentality and fight to salvage their season…
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— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 10, 2020
“It’s devastating. We had belief before the game and we didn’t perform. This is the Champions League, if you don’t step up you will be punished,” he said, via BT Sport.
“After the first one went in it didn’t change much but we conceded too many chances as a team. It’s hard to come back from those two goals. We had to show our maturity and fight and we didn’t do that.”
Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Steven Bergwijn were all absent from the Spurs squad through injury but Dele refused to use that as an excuse for the team’s struggles.
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