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Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked to a loan move for Ousmane Dembele as the transfer window ticks down.

It appears as though the Reds have capped off their summer spending after welcoming Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota over the threshold. However, there could be room for just one more deal – especially a short-term one.

Spanish outlet Sport (via The Mirror), claim the Reds had made contact over a season-long move for the Barcelona man. Manchester United are also in hot pursuit of his services though, also looking to strike a loan deal with the La Liga giants, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Liverpool could snub Man United for Dembele

Although the Merseysiders look unlikely to make any more additions to their squad, temporarily bringing in Dembele could be a smart move. Transfermarkt value the forward at £50.4million, so any option to buy could see Barca demand a fee in that region. With Liverpool already splashing £45million on their shock move for Jota, funds could now be low in the bank of the champions.

Similarly, if they are keen on bolstering their attack and bringing in Dembele, they may have to pay a large chunk towards his mammoth £209,000 weekly wage (via wageindicator.co.uk).

But both Jota and Thiago came as surprise packages which could indicate Fenway Sports Group do indeed have the cash to spare. If finances aren’t an issue, Dembele could favour a move to Anfield over Old Trafford.

Why would Ousmane Dembele sign for Liverpool?

Despite being primarily a winger, the France international can also be deployed further up the pitch as a right midfielder, or in the No.9 position. This would provide excellent cover for Liverpool’s current front three, who look exposed in terms of back-up.

Jota was a very smart signing from the Reds, but should more than one injury occur across the attacking trio, Liverpool need more than just one reliable option.

Xherdan Shaqiri missed a total of 11 matches through injury last season and Divock Origi managed just six goals in 42 appearances (via Transfermarkt).

Jurgen Klopp’s side also boast good chances of winning back-to-back titles, which Dembele would definitely love to be a part of. If Liverpool make an offer for his services, it will be hard for him to turn them down.

In others new, Neil Mellor discusses Rhian Brewster’s Liverpool future

West Ham United are facing a tumultuous summer.

They have sold Grady Diangana to West Bromwich Albion in a deal that has led to howls of derision from fans and have roundly failed to strengthen their squad in the summer.

Tomas Soucek has arrived on a permanent basis, his loan deal being converted, but other than that, they are no better than they were at the end of the campaign.

And The Athletic has now made it clear just how poor their transfer activity has been.

They report that there were a number of players discussed as potential targets who have moved to other clubs instead of ending up in east London.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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The names may be familiar for West Ham fans; Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash have joined Aston Villa from Brentford and Nottingham Forest respectively; Antonee Robinson has moved to Fulham from Wigan Athletic; Eberechi Eze has gone to Crystal Palace from QPR; Jamal Lewis has joined Newcastle United from Norwich City, while Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser have also rocked up at St James’ Park from AFC Bournemouth.

There is no guarantee, of course, that any would have decided to move to the London Stadium when faced with rival interest but there must be frustration at the inability to get deals over the line this summer for the Hammers.

Any one of the seven players would undoubtedly have improved David Moyes’ squad and given him more options in his selections.

Is life under Gold and Sullivan really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, West Ham fans…

Instead, he is still working with the same group of players he had at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

It really isn’t good enough.

According to reports, Aston Villa are in the race to sign Liverpool winger Harry Wilson.

What’s the word?

The Wales international spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, but couldn’t help the Cherries avoid relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season.

Now, The Sun claim that Villa are ready to battle top-flight new boys Leeds United for the signing of the £20m-rated star, with Wilson himself keen on a permanent move away from Anfield rather than another loan.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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The report adds that whilst the 23-year-old still has hopes of fighting for a first-team spot on Merseyside, he is ready to move on this summer to secure regular football.

Premier League quality

Whilst Wilson may have been a part of Bournemouth’s relegation to the Championship, it was not down to a lack of effort from the Welshman himself.

He scored seven goals in 31 top-flight games, ranking him second amongst all of Cherries players, and netted against the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham too.

Described as “incredibly talented” by his former teammate at Hull, Jackson Irvine, Wilson has been roundly praised by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard.

Klopp said earlier in the 2019/2020 season: “Of course he can (succeed at Anfield). It would have been difficult for Harry and I would have loved to have had him here if we had another choice, especially when Shaq (Xherdan Shaqiri) was injured. His shooting is world-class. Find me five players who shoot better than him.”

And when Wilson was on loan at Derby County a couple of seasons ago, then Rams boss Lampard remarked: “It’s one thing to have a desire to score goals, and Harry has that, but it’s another thing in the real real moments to step up and take responsibility to score the goal. There is probably more risk than reward in terms of if you miss how much people will remember it, so I’m pleased with that from him. The whole stadium felt the pressure but fair play to Harry, he kept a cool head.”

At £20m, Wilson could be absolute steal for Villa.

Darren Bent insists appointing Ledley King as a first-team coach at Tottenham Hotspur is a “masterstroke” by Jose Mourinho.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs striker admits he is surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.

Recent reports revealed that King had held talks about joining the backroom staff at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Mourinho announced his assistant Ricardo Formosinho would be leaving north London to pursue his own career as a head coach.

Mourinho has now confirmed that the club’s former captain will be linking up with his coaching staff next season.

Spurs qualified for the Europa League with a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on the final day of the season, and Mourinho dropped the news immediately after the game.

The pundit, who played with King at White Hart Lane, believes the move will win Mourinho favour with the fans.

Bent told assistant editor Russell Edge “that guy can do the lot, he can do everything – play, defend, everything, and he did it with one leg.”

“Do you know what’s mad though? I’ve always thought to myself surely when he retired one of the managers would get him on board on the coaching staff defensively. Honestly, outstanding.”

“I don’t know if it was him that didn’t or what but it didn’t happen but I always felt managers were missing a trick with him because this guy, the fans love him – that’s a way to get the fans on board because they idolise him – he’s obviously that good as well.”

“It’s a masterstroke from Mourinho if he pulls that off.”

It is hard to argue with Bent here, as King is a hugely popular figure amongst the fan base.

King, 39, made 323 appearances for Spurs, scoring 14 goals in all competitions, famously winning the League Cup in 2008.

After breaking through the ranks, the academy graduate led the club for seven years, until a recurring knee injury forced him to retire at the age of just 31.

The arrival of Martin Jol coincided with King’s revival, as together the duo laid the foundations that turned Tottenham into a team capable of challenging for a place in the Champions League.

The firm favourite enjoys the honour of hearing his name ring out on the 26th minute of every game to mark his shirt number and he has worked as a club ambassador up until now.

Despite the fact his playing career was sadly cut short, King knows the club inside and out, and his local knowledge could prove useful.

The Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun throughout the season and fans will be hoping the veteran can fix their defensive frailties on the training pitch.

Whether or not he will be able to make an immediate impact remains to be seen.

Tottenham fans, are you excited to see Ledley King link up with Mourinho? Let us know down below!

Loads of Tottenham fans have reacted to a post from the club’s official account showing footage of Son Heung-min giving an interview at Enfield. 

Son spoke extensively about his military service and how it feels to be back training with his teammates. Spurs shared a clip on Twitter, with the caption “I’ve missed the guys. When I came back, I couldn’t stop smiling, like always!”

Last month, the South Korean returned to training for the first time since the nationwide lockdown began after completing national service with his home country. He impressed army officers and finished at the top of his class (Daily Mail).

As Son was ruled out with a broken arm in February, there is no doubt his return will give Jose Mourinho’s side a massive boost.

Indeed, the 27-year-old is the club’s second-highest goalscorer at the time of writing, only a goal behind star striker Harry Kane, and he has provided more assists than the England international up until now (BBC).

He has scored nine goals and created seven assists in the Premier League, taking three shots per game, averaging 1.4 key passes and attempting 2.3 dribbles on average (via WhoScored).

Unsurprisingly, lots of Spurs supporters gushed over Son’s latest “amazing” interview on social media, with one fan dubbing the video “fantastic”.

Scroll down through some of the glowing reactions so far…

Tottenham fans, are you excited to see Sonny back on the pitch? Let us know down below!

With just seven games to go, Leeds inch ever closer to their return to the Premier League after dismantling Fulham 3-0 at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

The Whites saw rivals West Brom slip to a 1-0 defeat to Brentford the night before, and they took advantage of that slip-up with the minimum of fuss.

Patrick Bamford, Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison all notched in a comfortable victory, and the latter in particular drew some high praise from the club’s fans for a virtuoso performance.

Aside from his goal and assist, Harrison also provided two key passes, created one big chance and finished with a 7.9 match rating as per Sofascore – only goalkeeper Illan Meslier finished with a higher score (8.1).

And after seeing his display, Leeds fans flocked to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of Leeds fans talked up how good Harrison looked playing out on the right-hand side, with most of his appearances this season coming on the opposite flank (38).

A few fans made it very clear they wanted to see Harrison signed permanently, with reports back in January suggesting that parent club Manchester City are willing to let him go for around £8m.

If Leeds get one key piece of transfer business done this summer, then surely securing Harrison on a permanent deal is right up there at the top of the list.

Can you name every one of the Leeds’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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The 5 foot 9 ace has been an ever-present for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this season, playing in every single Championship game, and has scored six times and provided eight assists across all competitions.

He’s had the kind of impressive campaign that should have Victor Orta and co with a fairly simple decision to make about whether to bring him back for next season.

Tottenham Hotspur have launched an offer for Bayern Munich wonderkid Taylor Booth, according to Football Insider.  

Tottenham are trying to prise the teenager away from the Allianz Arena in the summer, despite the fact he has two years remaining on his current contract.

A source close to the situation told the outlet Spurs are prepared to hand the prospect a lucrative professional contract.

The Daily Mail recently reported the 18-year-old impressed backroom staff with his performance against the Lilywhites in the UEFA Youth League last year.

Booth signed for Bayern back in January 2019, but has grown frustrated with the lack of opportunities in Hans-Dieter Flick’s senior squad, and Spurs have already made the first move.

Consequently, this latest development could be bad news for Harry Winks.

Ever since he arrived at the Bundesliga champions in 2019, the American has been tipped for greatness, after he put in an impressive performance as Bayern’s Under-19s thrashed Tottenham 3-0 back in December, finishing the game with a tally of two assists.

Moreover, the holding midfielder has been capped by USA at all levels up to his age group. He has also regularly featured in the German youth league, creating 3 assists in 11 games so far (Transfermarkt).

On the other hand, Winks has arguably struggled for consistency up until now. Remarkably, the 24-year-old is still yet to score or create an assist in all competitions at the time of writing.

Indeed, the Englishman has failed to register a single goal or assist in the Premier League this season, taking a mere 0.4 shots per game, averaging under one clearance, although he has made 1.3 tackles on average in the English top flight (WhoScored).

Daniel Levy is set to try to lure Booth away with an offer the club feels he won’t be able to resist.

As it stands, the whizzkid is unsure about his future at the German giants, as Die Roten are on course to claim another league title after beating rivals Borussia Dortmund earlier this week.

Spurs have a history of developing young players into world-class talents, with the club churning out the likes of Harry Kane and Gareth Bale in recent years.

If Booth moves to England in the upcoming transfer window, it is Winks who could miss out on a place in the squad in the future, as he has been unable to shield the defence over the course of the campaign.

Furthermore, Daniel Levy splashed the cash to sign Tanguy Ndombele, so it is unlikely the chairman would be willing for the club’s record signing to make room for the American teen in the squad. Giovani Lo Celso has also received a higher rating than his English counterpart via WhoScored.

Mourinho has certainly given the England international plenty of chances, but he has largely failed to live up to expectations so far, and he stands to lose the most if Booth joins the North London club.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Taylor Booth in the summer? Let us know down below!

It’s a goal you can’t forget.

Darren Bent scored for Sunderland against Liverpool in 2009, sending a drive in off a beach ball that had been brought to the ground by supporter Colin Campbell.

He smacked it onto the pitch and it remained in Pepe Reina’s area, primarily in the goal itself, until it made an incredible, decisive impact.

Nobody is going to forget Bent’s strike, which hit the bottom corner, giving the Black Cats a vital win.

As Liverpool struggled to gain a foothold on the match in the absence of Xabi Alonso (sold), Steven Gerrard (injured), Fernando Torres (injured) and Javier Mascherano (benched) – the four players most pivotal to their runner-up finish the season prior – few probably noticed as the ball started to creep back out of the net and into Pepe Reina’s six-yard box.

Just five minutes into play, though, the beach ball was the centre of everybody’s attention – and the new centre of Campbell’s universe. Darren Bent, enjoying the form of his career after a move to the Stadium of Light, scuffed his connection with a Steed Malbranque cross. But as Reina leaned down in preparation for a save, Bent’s effort bounced off the beach ball, spinning it into the opposite direction and leaving the Liverpool goalkeeper in a painful combination of helplessness and confusion.

That was the only goal in a disappointing performance at the Stadium of Light, which actually saw Sunderland leapfrog Liverpool in the Premier League table, and the backlash against Campbell was huge. He recounts death threats from all over the world; some told him to leave town, others advised him to buy a coffin and one particular troller declared he’d turn him into a curry.

“I’m the one who did it. I’m the one caught on camera. I’m so, so sorry. This is my worst, worst nightmare. When I got home I went into the garden and threw up. I was physically sick – and that’s before the death threats started appearing on the internet the next day.

“When I looked closer these people were from America and Australia and all over the world – so-called fans who never come to Liverpool. So after that, I just ignored them. I knew the true fans wouldn’t threaten me like that – they would know I was more cut up about what happened than anyone else.”

But in truth, the last person at fault for the goal or the result was a Liverpool-loving teenager who’d flailed an arm at a crowd-pleasing prop that was brought to Wearside. For starters, as several leading former referees immediately protested, the goal should never have stood. The official rule is that play must stop if the ball makes contact with a foreign object and restart with a drop ball. Referee Mike Jones should have known that, and he was demoted to the Championship the following weekend.

Arguably more significantly, though, the goal glossed over a poor performance from Liverpool in a match they had little right to win. Bent also hit the post and the bar while team-mates saw efforts cleared off the line as Benitez’s attempt to curtail the early form Sunderland had shown that season by lining up Liverpool in a 5-4-1 backfired spectacularly. Bad results against theoretically lesser teams were a recurring theme throughout Liverpool’s 2009/10, which ended with them finishing in seventh place and Benitez receiving his marching orders.

The beach ball, for all its mischief, was a minute part in that. It was as if the footballing gods decided fate would deal Liverpool a cruel blow at the Stadium of Light, and accordingly prevent them recovering.

As much shame as Campbell felt at the time, as the internet produced a typically malicious backlash, he should be proud for providing the Premier League with one of its most bizarre and unforgettable moments that, in its own strange way, captured the idiosyncrasies which make English football so uniquely special.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Having made his Manchester United debut in a defeat to Arsenal a couple of years ago, Scott McTominay has made some serious strides in a staggeringly short amount of time. The 22-year-old has become a prominent player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and is arguably one of the first names on the team-sheet.

He has already made 16 appearances across all competitions this season, and has played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game barring just two. In a team that has struggled overall – United currently find themselves in seventh and a whopping nine points behind the final Champions League qualifying spot – McTominay has been one of the rare bright sparks. And when looking at the underlying numbers, it is easy to see why.

While McTominay may be seen by the outside world as someone who simply sits in front of the back four, breaks up the opposition play and then feeds the ball into the forwards, that has not been the case at all. The Scotland international is beginning to develop into a bona-fide box-to-box midfielder, and his natural engine and lungs is helping him become a hugely influential presence for United at both ends of the pitch.

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As per utdreport on Twitter, the 22-year-old has run 130.88km in total in the Premier League this season – the most distance covered by any player in the current United squad. And in finding himself all over the pitch, it is little surprise to see McTominay also feature highly in all the other main categories. As per Whoscored, his average of 2.3 tackles per game ranks him third amongst his teammates, whilst even in stats that are polar opposites like interceptions and shots, the academy product fares impressively well.

The matches in which the midfielder dominates is also a testament to his big-game mentality. In the victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, McTominay’s match rating was the second-highest of any player on the pitch, whilst in the hard-fought draw against Arsenal, his 7.4 score was the highest of any United star. The 6 foot 4 powerhouse rises to the big occasion, and he is quickly becoming Solskjaer’s most trusted lieutenant.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has lauded his side’s “perfect” performance.

What did he say?

The Saints have endured a miserable start to the current campaign, with their 9-0 humiliation at home to Leicester undeniably their worst experience in their time in the Premier League.

And having headed into the weekend’s game in the relegation zone and travelling to the Emirates, Hasenhuttl’s side may have been fearing the worst. Instead, they were hugely unlucky to only come away with a point, with a series of missed opportunities towards the closing stages of the game.

However, despite failing to see his side hold on for all three points, the Austrian paid tribute to his players’ performances, and insisted they have now set the benchmark for what is to be expected of them.

He said (as quoted by The Daily Echo): “I think they can do it and I will them to do it because you have to. Coming now are two home games and we must have a performance like that all the time. That doesn’t mean we always play in that shape but today it was perfect and we surprised the opponent a little bit being so early on the front foot and trying to attack them very early.

“We won so many balls in the opponent half and had so often a counter attack situation. his was only because we were brave and didn’t want to defend deep and keep them away from our goal because of the quality they have in the final third. That was the right match plan I think and for this point I am happy but maybe a couple more.”

Platform

Make no mistake about it, Southampton were in desperate need of not just a good performance, but also a positive result too. And they delivered on both fronts on Saturday. The fact they come away from the game feeling like it’s two points dropped courtesy of how the match actually panned out, should really offer Hasenhuttl’s side a whole deal of encouragement.

It gives them a platform from which to build on, and as the manager himself pointed to, they have a couple of fixtures coming up that they should be looking to take close to maximum points from. The Arsenal game has given them some much-needed confidence that they can compete, and if they can produce something similar from now on, they will surely be able to avoid real trouble.