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Chelsea have reportedly agreed a fee to pay for Ugurcan Cakir’s services ahead of next season.

According to Haber365 (via Sport Witness), the Blues have agreed a €33m (£29.7m) fee to sign Trabzonspor’s first-choice goalkeeper. If the deal goes through, the shot-stopper will become the most expensive player to be bought from the Turkish Super Lig.

It seems that Frank Lampard is not including Kepa Arrizabalaga in his long-term plans and is on the lookout for his replacement. Should talks come to fruition, Cakir will join fellow new additions Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner at the west London club.

The Turkey international helped Trabzonspor to a second-placed finish in the Super Lig this season, behind only Istanbul Basaksehir by four points.

Cakir has admitted that a move to the Premier League would be a ‘dream come true’ for him. He would be joining a team undergoing an exciting transition which could see them consistently challenge for silverware.

Trabzonspor is the 24-year-old’s boyhood club, but a new avenue for fresh challenges and opportunities could see the best of his game flourish at Chelsea if he makes the move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans, would you like to see Cakir join the club next season? Have your say in the comments 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!

Leeds United finally received some sort of update from the EFL and supporters at Elland Road have been reacting to the news via Phil Hay, who relayed the key information to Twitter.

The English Football League have delayed a return to training until May 25th at the earliest, which is over a week later than their original date of May 16th following a board meeting with Championship clubs.

Last week, the British government postponed all sporting events until June 1st at the earliest whilst EFL chair has set a deadline of July 31st for the remaining nine matches to be complete by.

It means the breathing space for this season to be resumed is diminishing quickly and many in west Yorkshire now have their doubts.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are sat top of the Championship, holding a seven-point advantage to the playoffs, so it’s fair to argue that they have a very good chance of ending a 16-year wait for top-flight football at Elland Road.

Here’s how fans have been reacting to the news…

AND in other news, Leeds fans swoon over Ben White after this gesture…

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.

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!

Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to react following a social media post from the club’s official account, and it’s safe to say that they’re not too impressed with it.

The post in question is captioned “commitment levels 100” and shows Jan Bednarek sliding in to prevent Nicolas Pepe’s cross from finding Mesut Ozil at the back post, surely preventing what would’ve been an open goal for the German.

However, in truth, there isn’t much commitment on show, but more an abundance of haphazard defending, chaotic positioning and a stench of attacking over-commitment as Bednarek was the only man back for Southampton for most of the clip.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men really should’ve beaten the north Londoners on Saturday, although a late Alexandre Lacazette goal crushed Southampton hearts and made them rue their missed chances.

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One fan labelled the Twitter post as “embarrassing” whereas another supporter said that the social media team is “deluded”.

Let’s see how some more Southampton fans on Twitter felt about the post…

In other news, one Southampton man vindicated Hasenhuttl’s bold decision to start him against Arsenal…

Great news for one of Liverpool’s up-and-coming talents – Elijah Dixon-Bonner has signed a new contract with the Reds.

The 18-year-old has been a regular for the club’s development squad this campaign, even taking the captain’s armband on one occasion.

Although he has yet to be included in one of Jurgen Klopp’s matchday squads, it looks as though he is highly-rated at Anfield.

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To most Liverpool fans, he is an unknown name, but there has still been plenty of reaction to the news, which was shared on the European champions’ official website.

It seems that those who have seen him in action are delighted that he has now committed himself to the Merseyside outfit. Along with the likes of Rhian Brewster and Sepp van den Berg, the future looks bright for Klopp and co.

Their supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

A report from the Daily Mail has delved deeper into the role Kolo Toure is playing as first-team coach at Leicester City.

Adam Shergold’s story in the Daily Mail takes a closer look at the success Leicester are having this season, suggesting that they have a real chance of targeting a third-place spot.

When talking about Leicester’s defence, Shergold referenced Toure and the positive impact he is having on Caglar Soyuncu.

He said: “Soyuncu, 23, is one of the players who has benefited from the vast experience of Kolo Toure, the club’s de facto defensive coach who followed Rodgers from Celtic.

“Toure, the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool defender who has managerial aspirations of his own, conducts one-on-one analysis sessions with each defender after every match, passing on his knowledge.

“It goes a long way to explaining why Leicester have the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just eight times in their 10 matches so far.”

Whatever Kolo Toure is doing with those defenders, it seems to be working. The attacking talent and flair were there for all to see last Friday when they annihilated Southampton in their own backyard, but let’s not forget about the fact they have only conceded eight goals in the league this season – the joint-lowest in the division along with Liverpool and Sheffield United.

And at the heart of that defence is, of course, Soyuncu and Jonny Evans. Any doubts over Soyuncu stepping up at the beginning of the season with Harry Maguire gone seemed to have evaporated after 10 performances of the highest calibre. Soyuncu has played every minute of the league season and has a really impressive 7.14/10 average – hugely impressive given it’s his breakout season in the Premier League.

There is clearly great work going on from Brendan Rodgers and his staff, as Leicester look a very assured outfit at the moment – miles away from when Claude Puel was sacked back in late February.

And a big part of that is Kolo Toure. If Shergold’s statement is true about the one-on-one sessions, they are clearly having a positive effect, as the squad looks to have great morale and spirit, as well as being very assured of what they are doing and how they need to do it.

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…

Miguel Almiron has certainly enjoyed mixed fortunes this season, but Darren Bent has praised the winger and believes he is not far from being an important player for Newcastle.

What did he say?

The Paraguay international has been the topic of much debate between Magpies this term, and likely will be until he finds that all-important first goal for the club.

Other than a lack of productivity in the final third – with no assists either – some supporters have recognised and appreciated his contribution, and Bent feels likewise.

Through a combination of a lack of luck and a lack of composure, Almiron has drawn a blank, but Bent believes his manager needs to stick by him and is confident that he will start to produce soon.

Speaking to Football Insider following the success against the Irons, he said: “It’s just a mad one.

“He does so much stuff well, so many things well that you’re almost desperate for him to score, he does all the hard stuff and the last little bit of quality where you just got to put it in the net…he doesn’t do it.

“So, I’m sure his goal will come and Bruce must just keep his faith in him as he is doing really well, he’s making it difficult for his opponents, he’s creating opportunities, he’s just not sticking it in the back of the net.”

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Positives to take

Almiron has used his pace effectively since arriving in the north-east in January and if he could add that clinical edge to his game then he’d be a standout performer for Newcastle.

Whilst he is yet to find the target, his ability to run in behind the defence is a useful asset for Steve Bruce, and his absence would be felt if he was unavailable.

He has come close to goals recently against Manchester United and Wolves, whilst three shots on target from four attempts against West Ham is a sign of improvement.

The Paraguay international also managed one successful dribble and 100% pass accuracy, which underlines the quality he brings to a side which lacks ability on the ball – they enjoyed just 30% possession at the weekend.

As a result, he has to maintain his place in the side. Newcastle’s front-three is beginning to show signs of promise and if he can play off Joelinton then that could become an effective avenue of goals for the Magpies – as long as he finds a finishing touch.

It is important that Bruce shows faith in the winger. His goalless streak means he is likely losing confidence in front of goal, so he must be reminded of the positives that he brings to the side, as that should maintain his morale and self-belief.

Leicester City were the team who spent most of the Arsenal game on top on Saturday, as they had more possession and 11 more shots than their opposition.

However, they struggled to make that count to get themselves into the lead – that is until they emphatically went ahead in style in the 68th minute.

After a spell of playing the ball round, a Ricardo Pereira pass, Harvey Barnes flick, Youri Tielemans lay-off and Jamie Vardy finish had the ball in the back of the net – it was a goal of real beauty:

Leicester were treated to another wonderful strike by James Maddison, earning a 2-0 victory over the Gunners, but after the game it was that opener the many fans were still swooning over.

The slickness of the movement and passing was sublime, as it displayed just how in tune the players in blue are with each other.

Vardy’s clinical touch was also impressive, albeit not necessarily surprising, with his tally already at 11 Premier League goals for the campaign.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the goal, including posts from gushing Leicester fans, can be seen below: