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It may be the international break for Mikel Arteta’s senior side but Arsenal’s young guns have been in action this week, quietly dispatching League Two outfit Crawley Town in the EFL Trophy.And one name made all the noise, excelling with a Man of the Match display.Miguel Azeez, remember that name.This competition has proven rather lucrative for many of Hale End’s finest – it was only two years ago that Bukayo Saka and Joe Willock were ruining teams for fun and now both are part of the first-team set-up, often featuring regularly.Indeed the former is now an England international. Life can catch you fast. And the same could happen to Azeez after that display.In fact, Football.London reporter James Benge likened his performance to that of Saka against Forest Green Rovers in this very tournament, so if there’s any blueprint to follow it’s that one.

Per SofaScore, the 18-year-old ran the show, recording an 88% passing accuracy from 48 attempts, three of which turned out to be key passes. He also made four clearances, four interceptions and one tackle.

He was absolutely everywhere despite playing a central role from the off. Industrious and workhorse springs to mind.

It’s no wonder that Benge compared the goalscorer to Saka as the 19-year-old sensation has played on the wing, at wing-back and through the middle for the Gunners already in his short career.

You could get carried away with such a display given it came against a side in the lower doldrums of the Football League, but Azeez was evidently a cut above the rest and should surely be the next academy prospect to break into Arteta’s thoughts.

Over the summer, the teenager was given some valuable advice by former Arsenal skipper Per Mertesacker, he revealed: “keep believing because an opportunity will arise for me in the first team and when it does I will grab it with both hands.”

Interestingly, Azeez models his game on Sergio Busquets and has also been likened to fellow Gunners legend Patrick Vieira.

Though clearly, he has creative aspects that should have Arteta seriously considering a promotion, especially after missing out on Houssem Aouar in the summer transfer window.

AND in other news,ÂOne Arsenal man has led a revolution at the Emirates…

Tottenham defender Eric Dier has ‘stunned’ Daniel Levy with wage demands that are at least double his current salary.

Dier has entered the final 12 months of his contract and wants to stay at Tottenham as he has forged a close relationship with Jose Mourinho.

According to the Daily Mail, as per @thespursweb, Levy has been staggered by Dier’s request as it is worth more than double the amount he earns at the moment.

The England international wants a pay rise to bring his £60,000-a-week wages in line with some of his teammates, as Harry Kane signed a new six-year-deal to earn him a reported £200,000 per week. Spurs privately believe that the economic uncertainty makes his demands even more difficult.

The Daily Mail first claimed that his future is in doubt back in February and stated that Spurs are ready to sell him in the summer if he doesn’t sign a new deal. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer, as he has nailed down a place in his preferred position at centre-back and wants to stay in north London.

Although the two sides are yet to reach an agreement, fans should not be worried. Mourinho is confident that Dier will sign a new deal and, while that hasn’t happened as of yet, the player wants to stay and Spurs seemingly want to keep him.

The 26-year-old has played 18 Premier League games so far this season, providing two assists, making 1.2 tackles and averaging 3.1 clearances per game (via WhoScored).

Football Insider reported that Spurs are still convinced that he will sign an extension this summer. Mourinho has defended Dier from the fallout over his FA Cup confrontation, for which he received a four-game suspension, and there is still plenty of time for the two sides to come to an amicable conclusion.

Tottenham fans, are you confident that Dier will sign a new deal with the club? Let us know in the comments below!

Carlo Ancelotti knows where his priorities lie in the ongoing summer transfer window as Everton look to further bolster their defensive line. In particular, the Toffees will have to sign at least two full-backs in order to plug the hole left by the retiring Leighton Baines and then accommodate for Seamus Coleman’s inevitable decline.

According to the Daily Star’s exclusive report, Everton would be willing to offer a lifeline to a struggling Manchester United defender, Diogo Dalot. The Portuguese full-back has fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams despite some promising signs here and there.

And that could potentially play right into Ancelotti’s hands. The 21-year-old was bought from Porto back in 2018 for a reported fee of £19m but has largely struggled to impress with his performances. For that reason, Everton believe they can lure him to Goodison Park in a deal worth around £10m.

Seeing how he has made just four Premier League appearances in the 2019/20 campaign and 11 in total across all competitions, it shouldn’t be too difficult to convince Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to part with the youngster.

The potential could be there, for sure, but the Red Devils are well stacked in the wide areas and can afford to get someone off the ever-increasing wage bill, perhaps even make room for other superstar signings. Jadon Sancho, anyone?

All of that, however, will suit Everton who are desperate for some full-back reinforcements.

Verdict

He may be an outcast at Old Trafford but Ancelotti can still work with Dalot and help him unlock that hidden potential everyone thought we would see at Man United. He is young and quite versatile, seeing how he can cover both flanks, and is a decent, albeit inexperienced, defender.

And not to mention that the price of £10m sounds just about right,  considering the current circumstances and the player’s struggles as of late. Sign him up, Carlo.

Philippe Coutinho’s name has been in the headlines for a number of weeks now, and it appears Tottenham are intent on making sure he finally makes the move to north London this summer.

The Lilywhites missed out on his signature last year when he made the loan switch to Bayern Munich from Barcelona, but things seem to be different the second time around.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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According to Spanish publication Sport, Spurs have indicated their willingness to pay Coutinho the same wages that star striker Harry Kane is currently earning at the club in order to lure him on a season-long loan.

And after hearing about what their club are reportedly willing to do to bring him in, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to voice their reactions to the news.

A couple of supporters labelled the Brazilian as “over-rated” and that they would be very disappointed with his arrival.

Another couple of Spurs fans however insisted that a move for Coutinho is a “no-brainer”, with one supporter saying they would even drop the likes of Dele Alli and Steven Bergwijn for him.

For Spurs to say they are ready to pay Coutinho what Kane is earning, says a lot about how much they want him this summer, and how highly they rate him.

But in this current climate where the finances are set to take a hit across the board, is committing such a large chunk of money on a player on a season-long loan deal the right way to go about things?

Judging by the reaction of a few of these Spurs fans, that certainly isn’t the case.

Sunderland Chief Executive Officer Jim Rodwell has revealed the club’s latest standpoint on new deals for players.

The Black Cats, who missed out on gaining a play-off place this term, due to League One being decided via a a points-per-game system, will look to rebuild their side this summer and improve on their eighth placed finish.

With the 2019/20 League One season now over, a whole host of players will see their current deals come to an end in the coming weeks which includes Scottish goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin, who looks set to join Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

Rodwell, who will be in charge of the club’s transfer activity this summer, alongside boss Phil Parkinson, has now revealed where the club are in terms of new deals.

The Black Cats announced their retained list ahead of the 2020/2021 season earlier this week, confirming that new contracts had been offered to Chris Maguire, Tom Flanagan and the previously mentioned McLaughlin.Duncan Watmore, Alim Ozturk, Ethan Robson, Jack Baldwin and Joel Lynch will leave the club and Rodwell has touched on the latest movements in terms of contracts.“We’ve offered contracts to three of the guys, and at the moment we’re taking a punt,” he said, speaking to BBC Newcastle’s Total Sport.“We haven’t offered contracts to anyone other than people in our squad currently.“You have to tell them something – and I suppose the easiest decision would just have been to say to the guys that we would have a conversation with them in a month, two months.“Those players, if there’s anyone else who is prepared to offer them a deal, they’re quite within their rights to do that anyway.“But we thought the fair thing to do was that for the players we really saw as part of our future and trying to get promoted next season, we thought all we could do was offer them a contract.“It was as simple as that, but we’re fishing in the dark to be honest with you. It is a little bit of a punt.”

Whether or not it would be a good idea for Sunderland to keep hold of those players who have expiring contracts is a good debate.

Having failed to gain promotion, the club needs to make sure the right personnel are at the club ahead of the 2020/2021 season.

Who do you think Sunderland should sign this summer in the transfer window? Let us know in the comments section below…

According to Bleacher Report, Jose Mourinho bizarrely acted as though he never wanted to sign Fred in summer 2018, despite sending the midfielder text messages assuring him he’d play regularly alongside Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba.

Fred has already made 39 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils this season but struggled when he first arrived at Old Trafford from Shaktar Donetsk, making just 13 Premier League starts during his debut campaign.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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Bleacher Report have documented his impressive turnaround in fortunes and given an insight into how the 27-year-old’s confidence hit a new low under the Portuguese, in part because of the way he was treated by Mourinho.

Of course, the Special One is now with United’s Premier League rivals Tottenham, having been sacked in December 2018 to make way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But it appears a number of United fans haven’t forgiven his prior indiscretions.

Indeed, after @Utdreport relayed a snippet from Bleacher Report’s article, Red Devils supporters used it as a platform to take pops at their former gaffer, dubbing him a “fraud” and a “clown” amongst other insults.

Here’s a look at what United fans have been saying on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Man United are targeting a player who could bring trophies back to Old Trafford.

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

There have been few players to make an impact at Ibrox for Rangers in recent years quite like Alfredo Morelos.

As per Transfermarkt, the Gers signed the Colombian for £1.08m in 2017. He was purchased off the back of a stunning spell with HJK Helsinki, where he managed to score 46 times in 62 matches. However, the Finnish league is not known for its competitiveness – it remained to be seen whether he could cut it in Scotland.

Three years down the line, it is fair to say he has been a roaring success. His first term north of the border saw him score 18 goals in 43 matches – a decent return in his first year in a new country. He then followed that up with a huge 30 strikes in 48 matches during the 2018/19 campaign, before continuing to hit the back of the net on a regular basis this term as well – he already has 29 in 46 matches in all competitions.

There are some issues with him – his temperament is a problem, with him already picking up four red cards during his time at the club – but overall, he has been a brilliant signing. His performances have seen him earn six caps for his nation, scoring once, whilst he is now valued at £10.8m as per Transfermarkt.

There is plenty of interest in his services, with several clubs in England, as well as the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid said to be in pursuit. He may well leave at some point, but he has been worth every single penny since he joined – he is the jewel in former sporting director Mark Allen’s crown.

Let us know what you think below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

QPR’s elusive clean sheet doesn’t seem like it will come anytime soon, and one reason for that is the lack of form of the goalkeepers at the club.

On the chalkboard

Mark Warburton has tried different things to stem the flow of goals conceded in recent games, but his team’s problems continue.

So far there have been two constant factors which he can’t avoid – playing either Joe Lumley or Liam Kelly – both of whom have underwhelmed during their time between the sticks.

Lumley, as the more experienced of the two, is perhaps more of a disappointment. His errors have cost the R’s at times this season – with a mistake against Luton gifting Harry Cornick a goal – and due to conceding 16 goals in 10 league games he was rightly dropped.

Kelly fared no better though, conceding 14 in six league games, before injury ruled him out of the Middlesbrough fixture, and that means Warburton will have to persist with Lumley for the foreseeable future.

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Difficult to resolve

Warburton’s hand was forced over the summer in regard to signing a new goalkeeper, as Matt Ingram departed for Hull, but so far Kelly is not proving an astute purchase.

The two worked together at Rangers, though, so the R’s boss must have been confident in his abilities. His failure to get up and running reflects badly on Warburton, and until he improves the decision to bring him in could be considered a mistake.

However, he is still young and adjusting to a new club as well as a new league, and with more games under his belt he may perform better.

Some of the goals he has conceded have been as a result of those in front of him, too, but the same can be said for Lumley, and that means there may be a lack of organisation of the defence from both individuals.

Worse still for Lumley is that his mistakes can unnerve his teammates, as they may be worried about his abilities, and in turn that can disrupt concentration and lead to more goals conceded – as the Boro game showed.

The goalkeeping situation should clearly be a big worry, yet Warburton feels Lumley could play in the Premier League one day, which suggests he isn’t too concerned by the problem.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Rafa Benitez made plenty of purchases during his time with Liverpool.

Between 2004 and 2010, the Reds brought in more than 50 new players, plenty of which were bargains. The likes of Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina, Daniel Agger and Lucas Leiva were all signed for less than £15m, for example.

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However, despite all those bargain arrivals, the former Valencia boss has recently told The Times that another player was his best-value signing, and it is unlikely to be a choice that will please the club’s supporters.

According to the 59-year-old, Raheem Sterling takes that accolade. Benitez explained his choice by saying: “I credit my scouts and [former Liverpool academy director] Frank McParland. They convinced me to sign the boy. I gave him a tour around the training ground. Fernando Torres was there, Sterling’s mother was there. You could see someone who loved football, who was excited.”

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Sterling, of course, is far from a favourite amongst the Anfield faithful. Even when he was still at the club, he was booed by the club’s supporters when picking up an end of season award, whilst some have blamed the Merseyside outfit’s fans for his clash with Joe Gomez in the England camp that saw him dropped for the Three Lions’ game against Montenegro. Despite all of that though, it is hard to argue that the 24-year-old provided fantastic value for money.

It was in 2010 that Sterling made the move to the north-west from QPR for £600,000. He was just 15 years of age at that time, hence the incredibly low fee, but it ended up being a steal. In 129 appearances for the Reds, he scored 23 goals and provided 25 assists. In 2013/14 in particular, he caught the eye as Brendan Rogers almost led the Reds’ to their first league title since 1990. In that campaign, he scored nine goals and provided seven assists in the top tier despite still being a teenager.

His departure from Liverpool caused controversy, with the winger even failing to turn up to training, but £44m was still made from his sale, which meant he was the most expensive English footballer in history at the time. That was more than 73 times what they originally paid for him.

Since that switch, he has 83 goals and 70 assists in 209 matches for the Manchester club, whilst he has also 56 England caps. He has ended up turning into a world class player – not bad for someone who once cost £600,000.

Meanwhile, one Liverpool youngster could facilitate Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move into midfield.

Well, that lasted long then.

On Thursday, a number of Everton fans took to social media to lavish praise on Theo Walcott, who put in a much-improved performance against West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend.

The 5 ft 9 ace was handed another chance to impress against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon but struggled to make his mark.

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According to WhoScored, the 30-year-old only had a pass success rate of 70% whilst he was dispossessed on three occasions before leaving the field in the 72nd minute.

Everton took a 2-1 lead in the 74th minute of the match through Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but Neal Maupay made it 2-2 in the 80th minute before an own goal from Lucas Digne saw the home side triumph at the death.

Walcott could well feature against Watford in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, although it would be a bit of a surprise if he was in the XI against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend when considering his disappointing showing against Brighton.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: