Everton and Spurs are leading the way to offer Luke Shaw a way out of Manchester United according to The Times.
What’s the word?
Shaw’s relationship with Jose Mourinho has completely broken down, after the young full back was withdrawn at half time in Manchester United’s FA Cup win over Brighton.
Mourinho attacked Shaw after the match, claiming the youngster lacked class, personality and tactical nous.
Everton and Spurs have emerged as leading contenders to offer the 22 year-old a way out of Old Trafford, but could face competition from several Premier League clubs.
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Is he worth the hassle?
Shaw moved to Old Trafford from Southampton in 2014, but has never really made the desired impact at the club. A horrific double leg fracture derailed his season in 2015, and United fans are still waiting to see what he promised before the injury.
The 22 year-old left back was once criticised by former United manager Louis van Gaal for his lack of fitness, and has barely played at all since Mourinho took over.
Still, if the youngster could get a fresh start at a new club, there is no reason he could not recover his previous form. When fully fit, Shaw has the technical ability to slot into any team and is solid enough defensively as well.
Spurs could opt to go for Shaw as a replacement for the enigmatic Danny Rose, but Everton need to be front of the queue for the youngster. With Leighton Baines reaching the end of his career, an opportunity like this may not come around again.
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Quality young left backs do not grow on trees, and given Shaw’s current situation he could be reasonably priced as well. Everton must do everything they can to convince Shaw that coming to Merseyside is the best thing for his career.
Everton fans, would you like to see a deal for Shaw? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
With Arsene Wenger keen to make ‘at least one signing’ in the January transfer window, it appears the Gunners will be choosing between two German internationals.
It remains to be seen just which department Wenger believes requires strengthening; his opinions often clash with the rest of the footballing world, and in addition to Arsenal’s worrying lack of physicality and defensive awareness in midfield, the Gunners’ defence is in need of bodies too.
But Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny are both set to return from injury in the new year, at which point, we’ll all likely be once again reminded that a returning crocked star is the equivalent of a new signing, and Wenger told French publication beIN sport earlier this season that he desires “a physical presence with prodigious ability like Vieira or Petit”.
So striking an ideal equilibrium between price-tag, availability and Arsenal’s intrinsic needs are German midfield duo Sami Khedira and Christoph Kramer. But who should the Gunners choose?
Kramer is best known for his surprise inclusion in the summer’s World Cup final, only to come off with a head injury after just half an hour. Certainly the 23 year-old’s greatest claim to fame thus far, but that shouldn’t overshadow his brisk development at club level over the last two seasons.
On loan at Borussia Monchengladbach from Bayer Leverkusen, Kramer has established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s brightest prospects in the last 18 months. This season he’s averaged an impressive 2.8 tackles and three interceptions per match – the latter statistic is actually the tenth-best return out of the entirety of the German top flight.
The only Arsenal midfielder to come anywhere close to matching that this season is the much-maligned Mathieu Flamini, with 2.7 tackles and 2.6 interceptions per outing, so there’s no doubt the German international would bring vital variety to the Gunners’ engine room, providing the kind of industrial service Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey cant.
But he’s by no means the finished article – rather miraculously, Kramer netted an own goal from the centre-circle last month, lobbing goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Perhaps unfortunate, perhaps an act of god, yet still a symbolic gesture of his inexperience – especially in terms of decision-making.
Meanwhile, Sami Khedira has belonged to world football’s centre-mid elite for quite some time – essentially since his promising performances at 2010 World Cup, which quickly triggered a move to Real Madrid.
But the German international isn’t the tough-tackling enforcer he’s often made out to be by the English press; Khedira’s influence is better felt in a box-to-box capacity, through his athleticism, strength, aerial ability and elegant footwork. This is something Wenger commented on during the summer and the stats are incredibly telling. In sharp contrast to Kramer, the 28 year-old hasn’t averaged two tackles per match or more or two interceptions per match or more in his last three La Liga campaigns.
Considerably less dynamic than in his younger years however and boasting many natural requisites for that role, there’s no reason Khedira can’t transform himself into a deeper-lying, more disciplined ball-winner. Furthermore, his contract is up at the end of the season and a Bernabeu departure in January now seems inevitable, having seen just 65 minutes of action in the Spanish top flight and Champions League combined under Carlo Ancelotti this season – although Khedira has missed significant chunks of the campaign through injury.
So who should Arsenal choose in this case of Kramer vs Khedira? Well, in my opinion, neither – because they both come with huge flaws.
Kramer, although an enormously talented prospect, is not the proven winner that can transform Arsenal from eternal-fourth-placers to genuine Premier League title contenders. He’s also on loan at Gladbach and although that temporary switch could be conceivably cancelled to accommodate an Emirates move in January, it will likely take some added compensation on Arsenal’s part in addition to his rumoured £12million valuation.
Likewise, Khedira may fall rather firmly into the ‘proven winner’ category, having won both a Champions League title and a World Cup only this summer, but he’s not a natural defensive midfielder and the last thing Arsenal need is yet another one of Wenger’s pet projects in that position, like Mikel Arteta or Abou Diaby. They need the real deal – someone who can hit the ground running.
The German international has also spent the majority of the last two seasons injured – do the Gunners really want another injury-prone high-earner on their books amid a campaign that’s already seen 15 players sidelined for significant periods?
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In my opinion, the answer to Arsenal’s defensive midfield conundrum, albeit a considerably more expensive one, is a lot closer to home – Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin.
The France international is easily the Premier League’s most talented enforcer outside of Chelsea and Manchester City, averaging 2.93 tackles and 2.67 interceptions per match over the last three campaigns.
He sits deep, controls the middle of the park with both mettle and the ball, boasting a pass completion of 90% this term, and simply lets the Saints’ more attacking options get on with it. He’s been a major factor in the St. Mary’s outfit rising to third place in the Premier League this season whilst also commanding the best defensive record in the division.
Southampton were reluctant to sell in the summer it’s believed they value Schneiderlin around the £30million mark. Still just 25 years of age, however, proven in the top flight and representing precisely what Arsenal currently lack in midfield, any alternative to Schneiderlin the Gunners target – including Khedira and Kramer – is an unnecessary, likely fruitless compromise.
Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has claimed that he is flattered by reported interest in him, but he is happy to stay at Stoke to be successful.
Begovic has been in fine form this season, attracting interest from the Premier League big boys along the way, but it is clear that the Bosnian stopper is happy to stay with Tony Pulis and Stoke for the foreseeable future.
The Potters would bag a huge profit if they were to cash in on their ‘keeper in January but with three and a half years left on his current deal, it seems Begovic is going nowhere as the improving club do their best to hang on to their star players.
Begovic has dismissed the transfer talk as just speculation for now despite being flattered, but he also reveals that Pulis will not let him get carried away with his current form and he is extremely focused on continuing to push Stoke in the right direction.
“As far as I know it’s all speculation. It’s always nice when the biggest teams in the world are looking at you,” Begovic told the Stoke Sentinel.
“It’s a compliment, but it doesn’t mean anything.
“We keep our feet on the ground here and the manager wouldn’t let that change.
“I have three-and-a-half years on my contract and I am concentrating on playing and staying in the team and trying to help the team be successful.
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“I am happy here so there are no issues with that.”
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has provided a puzzling update on midfielder Harry Arter via the Bournemouth Echo, with the Republic of Ireland international a reported transfer target for West Ham United.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Express reported on March 2 that the Irons are ready to make a £10m bid for the 28-year-old this summer with David Moyes keen to have a shake-up of his midfield options at the end of the season.
While Arter has been a key player for the Cherries in recent years, he has found first-team opportunities hard to come by over the course of the last couple of months, potentially throwing his future with the south coast outfit into doubt.
His manager, Howe, has explained the situation of the Sidcup-born player via the Bournemouth Echo, in order to explain his recent absence from the XI.
What did Howe say?
The 40-year-old said, via the Bournemouth Echo: “He is not totally out of the picture at all. Harry’s still very much part of our plans.
“I have to make decisions, pick teams, pick squads and Harry’s only focus is to try to get back to his best.
“Harry has a challenge on his hands to displace Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook, who are performing very well in the team at the moment.
“Everyone who is here has a future. They can change their future in the short term or the long term depending on how they train and play.”
How has Arter done this season?
While he was a regular earlier in the campaign, the 28-year-old has found himself sidelined in more recent times, and he hasn’t played a single minute of their previous eight Premier League matches, leaving West Ham fans unimpressed with the link to him.
Would he be a good signing for West Ham?
He would certainly bring some energy and character in the middle of the park for the Irons – something they have been badly lacking at points this season – but his recent non-involvement at Bournemouth would have to be a bit of a worry for the club and Moyes.
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They need to be signing players that are improvements on what they already have and who can be key first-team players for a number of years, and it is difficult to see Arter fitting into that category.
Arsenal can go all of the way this season and win the Premier League if Arsene Wenger snaps up Sami Khedira in January, according to Gunners hero Robert Pires.
The north London giants have been heavily linked with the German World Cup winner in recent weeks, with rumours suggesting that they are ready to revive their summer interest in the 27-year-old.
Khedira is set to be available at a knockdown price in January, with Real Madrid ready to sell for around £8m-£10m if they cannot tie him down to a new contract, with his current deal due to end next year.
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And even with the Gunners nine points off of league leaders Chelsea already, Pires – who recently came out of retirement to sign for Indian Super League side Goa FC – believes that his old clib have the potential to win the big trophy with the midfielder on board:
“He [Wenger] needs a big player in the middle, like Viera, strong, tall, because this position is very important for the balance between attack and defence,” he told The Telegraph.
“The quality is there but you need more, maybe [someone] like Yaya Toure in middle. He reminds me of Patrick Vieira, maybe they have an opportunity with Khedira. It is likely in the January window. He played very well with Germany. My advice is if he can buy Khedira he can be the [new] Vieira, more aggression in the middle.
“He has a lot of experience. When you play in the middle you need experience, especially when your midfield is young like Arsenal’s.”
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Four games unbeaten isn’t a bad start. Well it certainly sounds better than four games without a win. In truth, it is probably a fair reflection of what the performances have been like.
Absolutely average.
Some glimpses of the old Blackpool, sometimes mind-numbingly dull, but for the most part, just really average football.
After two games without a win or loss, I expected consecutive home games to shape the Blackpool fans’ opinion of the new manager. A win or loss would have made it a definitive good or bad start for Appleton. But here we are, two games later talking about four games without a result and unfortunately some minds are already being made up.
It is always difficult to give a manager time. In Appleton we had an unknown quantity, which was good. No Blackpool fan had any prejudice against him. Which made him the ideal candidate to be given time to shape the squad. Unfortunately though, the way the team has played for the last two matches has left some supporters a little disillusioned.
After an uneventful end to the loan window where Blackpool brought only Wes Thomas in, Watford came to town on Saturday in pretty decent form. And you could see why. They were a team with a plan and they executed their counter-attacking style perfectly against a home side that got booed off the pitch at half time following one of the worst 45 minutes of football I could remember at Bloomfied road. Lacking in every area, poor performances all round and, perhaps most frustratingly, no sign of a plan.
When a new manager comes in, you can always expect a transitional period. Things will change and they will take some getting used to. Not just for the players but for the fans too. But where Watford came with a gameplan, Blackpool seemed to lack any kind of direction. Despite a second half which saw Watford penned into their own half, it was still hard to see what the defined ‘style’ was. It wasn’t blustery, attacking football, it wasn’t long ball, nor was it formulaic, disciplined football. It was just a great comeback that maybe masked the flaws.
But it was a comeback, and kept a bit of belief around the place coming up to the Birmingham game. Assuming we could carry our second half display into the game, against a side really struggling for form, then surely we would be seeing the first positive result for Appleton.
Disappointingly, it didn’t materialise and whilst the Watford game contained the worst 45 minutes I could remember, the Birmingham match was the worst 90 minutes in recent times. I will point out that I don’t just mean a Blackpool performance, but just the worst game of ‘football’ I can remember. Both teams deserved to lose. No points should have been awarded and the game erased from the footballing chronicles. It should have been aborted after the ball didn’t see the turf for almost a full 10 minutes after kick-off and all players given a one-match ban for unsporting conduct.
The state of the pitch has to be taken into account, because it was instantly used as an excuse by the players. The pitch is a shambles, there’s no doubt about it. If this was in February, after a tough winter period then ok, but in November, for the pitch to be cutting up as it was is a disgrace. But no more a disgrace than 22 professional footballers not being able to string two passes together. You can blame the pitch for isolated moments and individual errors, but you can’t blame a bad surface for 90 minutes of what we used to call football.
Blackpool eventually got off to a good start by getting the much sought-after first goal. So surely then, after weeks of harping on about the importance of the first goal, Blackpool would power forward and win the game with ease. In reality, it was hard to see what difference the first goal made. The pattern of the game didn’t change, Birmingham didn’t come out, Blackpool didn’t press on and then just after the break Birmingham scored from, you guessed it, a poorly defended corner. No change whatsoever.
The problem with the manager going on and on about the importance of the first goal is that when we do concede first the players lose belief. It was evident against Watford when they scored after just 5 minutes and the Blackpool players looked frightened. The have had it drilled into them that if they score first they will win, so then when they went behind they lost the faith. And I wonder what they think now after they got the elusive first goal and still went on to draw.
On Tuesday night, not even a handful of players came out with any positives. Basham performed manfully in the midfield, our one-man defence of Cathcart did ok and Delfouneso had one of his best games, giving the Birmingham right-back trouble all night. Aside from that the team were woeful. Ince put in another anonymous display after getting on the scoresheet early on. Thankfully, he does have this knack of getting a goal, even when playing poorly, but there can be no doubting that he is indeed playing poorly. The best description I heard likened him to a sycamore leaf. Going round and round and round until he inevitably hits the floor.
Too many Blackpool players are not playing well, right the way from front to back. The strikers have lost their confidence, midfielders don’t get to play back-to-back games so never get any sort of form going and the defence is, well, as bad as always. The goal conceded was like a terrible deja vu that just keeps happening. Curtis Davies must mark Blackpool games in his diary as he knows he will have a fruitful night. Heading long balls away all night long until he has the chance to trot up for a corner and convert his obligatory goal. If every man and his dog knew that he would score against us, why didn’t somebody on the pitch do something about it?
Which leads nicely onto the main question. What exactly is Appleton’s plan?
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If that game had finished 1-0 you could have walked away, after rousing from your slumber, thinking that although it wasn’t entertaining, the defence has been tightened and we are hard to beat. But it didn’t finish 1-0 and all you can see are the same old problems, but without the old attacking flair that kept everybody on the edge of their seat. Kept everybody entertained. Kept everybody awake for starters.
It is always difficult to give a manager time, especially when you can’t see where he wants to go, but with 4 draws under his belt it would seem unfair to make a judgement just yet, however hard it may be to resist.
Saturday’s trip to rock-bottom Peterborough is now a huge game. Fail to get a win there and Appleton will leave himself with a lot of work to do to impress the fans. Just as it was last week, the first win or loss under the new manager is so crucial. Five games unbeaten is a credible start. Five without a win would be a big fat black mark against his name. No pressure then…
Heung-min Son will be feeling the love from Spurs fans this morning after the South Korean apologised to fans for getting knocked out of the Champions League.
Spurs were stunned at Wembley on Wednesday by a second half flurry from Italian champions Juventus.
The home side held the advantage from the first leg, the 2-2 draw in Turin giving Spurs the upper hand on away goals. Son looked to have wrapped things up in the first half, his scuffed finish giving the hosts a deserved lead on the night.
But the Old Lady showed their experience in the second half, as quick-fire goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala left Spurs on the ropes. The home side pushed for an equaliser, but Harry Kane’s late header could only find the post.
Son apologised to fans after the match, saying he was proud of the team and the fans…
The 25 year-old has been in fine form for Spurs this season, and has been especially potent at home – he has five goals and an assist in his last three appearances in all competitions.
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Needless to say, the flying winger has endeared himself to the Wembley crowd this season and has received nothing but praise after his post match comments.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
International break is over, let Premier League football resume!
There are some exciting games to watch this weekend including Arsenal vs Manchester City, Chelsea vs Swansea, and Manchester United vs QPR.
But who’s summer business will start showing an immediate impact? Can Falcao get off to a goalscoring start at United, or will Welbeck show Louis Van Gaal what he’s missing with a debut goal for Arsenal against City?
Without further delay, let’s get the predictions underway!
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Arsenal vs Manchester City (12:45pm)
23-year-old Englishman Danny Welbeck is expected to make his Arsenal debut this weekend when his new side plays against his old rival side, Manchester City, at the Emirates. The Gunners may be undefeated so far this season, but they have only won one game and need to start winning more to consider themselves as title contenders. A win against City will be a good start. The Citizens started their title defence well, but they suffered a disappointing loss to Stoke before the international break and will be looking to bounce back. I think Arsenal have enough in the team to win this one despite the possible absence of Aaron Ramsey.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-2 Manchester City
Chelsea vs Swansea
The two remaining 100% winning record teams in the Premier League this season will meet at Stamford Bridge this weekend in a game which I think will be an absolute thriller. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have revitalised Chelsea this season and have given them an added edge in front of goal. Although the partnership of Ashley Williams and Jordi Amat in defence has been solid so far, I don’t think they will be able to withstand Diego Costa this weekend.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Swansea
Crystal Palace vs Burnley
Crystal Palace earned their first points of the new campaign before the international break thanks to a late equaliser by Wilfred Zaha in a 3-3 draw against Newcastle. New Eagles manager Neil Warnock will be looking to build on that result when they welcome Burnley to Selhurst Park. Burnley achieved a well fought 0-0 draw against Manchester United before the break and this result would have boosted their confidence for this game. Sam Vokes is still sidelined for The Clarets and Sean Dyche may name the same starting XI that played against United, meaning new signings George Boyd, Nathaniel Chalobah and Michael Keane could miss out on a starting place. Palace should win, especially if Zaha plays.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-1 Burnley
Southampton vs Newcastle
Southampton’s 3-1 win against West Ham before the international break would have bolstered fan’s hopes that the club was entering disarray after the summer departures. Belgian loanee signing Tony Alderweireld is expected to make his debut for the Saints, but Jay Rodriguez is still absent through injury. Newcastle is still looking for their first win of the season after suffering to a late Zaha goal in a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace. The Magpies haven’t scored in five of their last six Premier League away games and will be without Siem de Jong and Papiss Cisse in this fixture, meaning this bad scoring form away from home is likely to continue.
Prediction: Southampton 2-0 Newcastle
Stoke vs Leicester
Both of these sides will be looking to develop on the impressive results they picked up before the international break. Stoke managed to beat Manchester City whilst Leicester achieved a draw against Arsenal. Little changes are expected in either side after these great results so this should be a close game. However, Stoke’s home field advantage at the Britannia will be enough to provide them with a win.
Prediction: Stoke 2-1 Leicester
Sunderland vs Tottenham
Sunderland are still looking for their first win of the season but an impressive draw against Manchester United in their last home game will give fans confidence in the side that they can pick up a result against Tottenham. Tottenham will be looking to recover after an embarrassing home loss of 3-0 to Liverpool before the international break. New faces at both clubs are expected to make appearances, but Spurs should still win this game.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-2 Tottenham
West Brom vs Everton
West Brom sunk to a 3-0 defeat to Swansea before the international break. Everton were also handed a big defeat by Chelsea and will be looking to rebuild. The Toffees have started the season poorly and will need to start picking up results in games like these if they want to replicate their 5th place finish from last campaign. Christian Atsu will be available for Everton, but both sides are injury stricken with Joleon Lescott, Victor Anichebe and Youssouf Mulumbu doubtful for West Brom, and Arouna Koné, Ross Barkley and Bryan Oviedo definitely out for Everton. Everton will pick up their first win of the season.
Prediction: West Brom 0-2 Everton
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Liverpool vs Aston Villa (5:30pm)
Liverpool manager Brendon Rodgers will be annoyed that Daniel Sturridge picked up a knock whilst on international duty, putting him in doubt to appear in this fixture. Mario Balotelli will be looked upon to step up in this fixture, his home debut in a Liverpool shirt. He has a good record against Aston Villa, having scored four goals in six appearances for Manchester City against The Villa. Villa will be looking to continue their great defensive start to the season, having only conceded one goal so far. They are yet to come up against an attack like what Liverpool can offer so this may be when holes appear in the defence.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Aston Villa
Manchester United vs QPR (4pm)
Radamel Falcao is expected to make his debut for Manchester United against QPR, a team that has failed to win against The Red Devils since 1991. 19-year-old Luke Shaw is also expected to make his United debut alongside the Colombian, as well as Argentine Marcos Rojo and Dutchman Daley Blind. The R’s will be looking to build on their 1-0 win against Sunderland before the international break after losing their first two games this season. United has won five out of the last five games between the two sides, scoring ten goals and only conceding one. Despite their unimpressive start to the season under Louis van Gaal, United should pick up their first win of the season in this match.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 QPR
Hull vs West Ham (8pm)
Both sides will be looking to bounce back after disappointing losses before the international break. Hull lost 2-1 away at Aston Villa whilst West Ham lost at home to Southampton. The Hammers have won four out of the last five fixtures between these two sides. The Tigers will be without Robert Snodgrass and West Ham will have Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll still sidelined. Alex Song and Morgan Amalfitano are expected to debut for The Hammers while Abel Hernandez, Hatem Ben Arfa, Gaston Ramirez and Mohammed Diame are expected to debut for Hull. This is going to be a close game which I think will end in a draw.
The sacking of Roberto Di Matteo and the appointment of Rafa Benítez at Chelsea last week has caused much criticism to come the club’s way.
Many have been taken aback by the level of venom shown towards Rafa Benítez when he came out in front of the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge on Sunday after the sacking of a manager who last season secured Chelsea the Champions League title and the FA Cup. The amount of booing towards the new appointment caused surprise and it is apparent that many Chelsea supporters are extremely unhappy at the decision.
Is this another incident that shows that club owners do not listen to what the fans want? It seems to be becoming more common that clubs are making decisions and running the club in ways many fans hugely disagree with.
The activity at Chelsea Football Club has clearly riled fans. Numerous supporters made it clear that they are angry at recent events, jeering Rafa Benítez, some holding signs, including phrases like ‘Rafa Out!’, ‘Chelsea fans never forget’ and ‘In Roberto We Trusted And Loved. In Rafa We Will Never Trust. Fact.’ They also had applause for Roberto Di Matteo at 16 minutes, referring to how he used to wear the number 16 shirt.
So, can it really be said that Roman Abramovich and the other people in charge at Chelsea really understand and listen to their fans when they have made such contentious decisions? They do not seem to have shown much regard for the history of the club, by sacking a man who is considered a club legend and seems to love Chelsea and managed the team when they won two titles. Can it be said that they really take into account the feelings of the fans when they employ a man who has previously criticised the fans and has had a generally bad relationship with the club.
This is not to say that the fans were right to boo their new interim manager and not actually give Rafa Benítez a chance. Additionally, it is not Rafa Benítez’s fault that Roberto Di Matteo was sacked. It is also a worry that some fans may want to see him fail, which, arguably, gives the impression they are not being good fans.
However, whatever people may think of the reaction of the fans at Sunday’s match, it still seems to give evidence that the owners may not really understand the club’s fans.
Trizia Fiorellino, the Chair of Chelsea Supporters’ Group has talked to BBC Sport about how while fans are not expecting to choose managers; she believes they chose someone unacceptable, saying: “The strength of feeling surprised even those in charge. It was quite venomous right at the beginning. The fans don’t expect to pick and choose the managers but it was pretty evident there were only two people that were not acceptable in this case – Benitez and Avram Grant. It was almost as if the board and the owner were trying to send a message to the fans to say ‘we run this club, not you – you have no say.’ Benitez is not popular and I think he will remain unpopular throughout his reign.”
Of course, Chelsea are not the only ones who could be accused of not listening to their fans. One notorious example is the outrage amongst Blackburn fans after their owners sacked Sam Allardyce in 2010, a move which even angered the players. They were also famously outraged about former manager Steve Kean, when many continuously called for his sacking. The sacking of Chris Hughton by Newcastle, in the same week as Sam Allardyce’s dismissal from Blackburn, was also an unpopular move.
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has caused anger amongst fans in the past, for example when St James’ Park was renamed the Sports Direct Arena last year. It could be argued that moves like this, which anger fans, show that some owners in modern football prioritise money over and business over the desires of the fans.
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Many disagree with decisions their clubs have made. Arsenal fans have many opinions over the actions of the club. Many Arsenal fans have been concerned about the priorities of the club, including many wanting Arsenal to buy more players in transfer windows, and concerns over prices, where it seems that prices seem to be kept expensive despite protestations from supporters.
With the possibility that booing against Rafa Benítez could continue, it is clear that many fans are unhappy. It could be said that this means clubs perhaps should listen more to what the fans want.
Tottenham Hotspur fans are interested in signing Hirving Lozano this summer after impressive performances for Mexico at the World Cup.
The 22-year-old has been a key player in both of his country’s wins at the tournament in Russia so far, scoring the decisive goal against Germany before assisting another in Saturday’s 2-1 win over South Korea.
His performances for Mexico follow what was a huge 2017/18 season for the player, netting 19 goals in all competitions for PSV and assisting another eight more.
He is now primed to make a move to a bigger league and a bigger club.
With Spurs looking for depth to complement their already impressive attacking line-up, could Lozano be the perfect fit in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad and system?
Supporters have certainly been taking a close look at his performances at the World Cup so far, with some believing he could indeed flourish under the guidance of their Argentinian manager.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts this weekend…