Liverpool fans are eager to sign Ryan Sessegnon after his performance in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday.
Sessegnon was again at the heart of a Fulham victory, assisting Tom Cairney’s goal with a sublime through ball that split the Aston Villa defence and sent the Cottagers up into the English Premier League.
Still just 18 years of age, the £22.5m-rated winger is undoubtedly one of the finest talents in the country and will no doubt be a wanted man when the transfer window opens.
His performance capped off what was been a wonderful season for the teenager, during which he has scored a fantastic 16 goals and assisted eight more. Three of those direct goal contributions came in the play-offs, demonstrating he has a big game mentality.
Reds fans believe he would be a great option for Liverpool next season and can progress massively under the guidance of manager Jurgen Klopp.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on a potential move…
Southampton lie above the relegation zone on goal difference following a disastrous season to date, and with only seven home matches – including games against Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur – and nine away games to come, it is clear that they need to strengthen their squad during the January transfer window in order to survive.
The £75m sale of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool will allow them to do that, but Saints fans may be surprised at some of the names they have been linked with bringing to St Mary’s before the window closes at the end of this month.
Those supporters have become used to the club adding names such as Sadio Mane, Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, Mario Lemina and Cedric Soares – younger players they may not have heard of but who have the potential to develop with the south coast outfit and increase their re-sale value – to their squad.
However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for Southampton in January if there is any truth to the latest transfer rumours, which is perhaps something to do with the predicament they find themselves in right now.
Maybe the time to take risks is over – for this window at least – and already in the last couple of weeks Saints have been heavily linked with moves to bring Arsenal’s Theo Walcott – who left the club to join the Gunners in 2006, Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and West Ham centre-forward Andy Carroll to St Mary’s.
Those are certainly not names that the south coast outfit would have targeted in years gone by, and it suggests either a change of tact or smacks of desperation as they look to try and get some experienced Premier League players into the club to try and steer them away from danger.
It would certainly be a step away from their usual transfer philosophy with Walcott, Sturridge and Carroll all 28 years of age and perhaps with little re-sale vale once their potential and respective contracts with Southampton came to an end.
That said, if they could get the former duo on loan deals until the end of the season that would be less of an issue, but they would also need to be careful in that instance that they had players that cared for and were committed to do everything they can to help the south coast outfit.
From a fans’ point of view, they will have looked at the transfer business of a team like West Ham in recent years and not been too envious as they bring in older players with little chance of making money when they move on.
Even in the last couple of years, the Irons have brought players like Alvaro Arbeloa, Jose Fonte, Pablo Zabaleta and Javier Hernandez to the club, and while the former has already left, if the latter trio all see out their contracts the east London outfit will probably lose out financially at the end of the day.
It is a model that Southampton haven’t really followed since they returned to the Premier League in 2012, and they shouldn’t really start now.
Yes, the likes of Walcott, Sturridge and Carroll are experienced English top flight players who can score goals at this level, but all would come with their own injury problems that have plagued their careers.
The south coast outfit are in trouble now but they shouldn’t panic, because if they wanted to bring two of the three players to St Mary’s on a permanent deal it would likely cost them a significant amount, even if all of the aforementioned players’ contracts are due to run out in 2019.
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Those Premier League clubs know that Southampton have money in the bank after selling van Dijk, and as well as getting more value for their money abroad, the club would also encounter teams that are a little less aware of their financial clout and unwilling to demand ridiculously high fees.
While Saints need new blood and quickly, they shouldn’t abandon their principles when it comes to transfers and should continue to follow the model that has been so successful in the past to drag them out of trouble, rather than going down the West Ham route that has so often been criticised in the past.
They may find themselves in a real bad place right now, but throwing cash around on the wrong sort of players is not the right method to get themselves out of it.
By its very nature knockout football can be harsh. If no winner is decided in 90 minutes then the energy-sapping prospect of extra time is utilised before the slightly cliché penalty shootout ‘lottery’ separates the ‘men from the boys’.
The Capital One Cup is one of only a few tournaments that uses such rules in the modern day, creating drama, excitement and tension, but also providing an unforgiving set of circumstances. It all comes down to the day, whereas a league campaign requires 38 matches where consistency garners success, the Capital One Cup offers teams the chance of huge success over just a handful of games. Poor starts can be clawed back in league campaigns, and to an extent in tournaments such as the Champions League, but the Capital One Cup immediately punishes a sluggish display with the indignity of elimination.
For example, Crystal Palace suffered defeat at the first time of asking this term to Bristol City. Nine times out of ten the Premier League side would have triumphed over their League One adversaries, but an off-day saw the Eagles dumped out of the competition.
It’s not just early bad form that is punished either, an impressive run can easily be ended by an off day at the office. For example, Tranmere, Swindon and Peterborough performed admirably to represent the third tier in Round 3, but unfortunate draws against Premier League opposition in the shape of Stoke, Chelsea and Sunderland respectively saw their dreams of a shock Wembley appearance dashed. Impressive displays were not enough, summing up the cut-throat nature of the competition. Even Liverpool suffered in Round 3. The competition’s most successful ever side travelled to Old Trafford and out-performed the English champions, but slipped to a 1-0 defeat thanks to one loss of concentration from Jose Enrique who left Javier Hernandez free to poke home from a corner.
Round 4 is once again poised to display the harsh nature of the Capital One Cup. The three lowest ranked sides left in the hat – Burnley, Leicester and Birmingham – all face tricky home ties against West Ham, Fulham and Stoke. The Championship representatives have all produced excellent displays to reach the final 16, but could see their hopes of a quarter-final showing ended in one cruel 90-minute event. The remaining ties are all all-Premier League affairs, which, given the disparity in quality across the division, have the potential for upsets and unforgiving results.
Football can be a dog-eat-dog world, where mistakes are quickly punished and players vilified. The Capital One Cup is a fine example of the ruthlessness of the modern game. No other tournament in the English game delivers the same all-or-nothing set of circumstances and potential for euphoric highs and catastrophic lows.
We’ll all be eagerly watching Round 4, where dreams and destinies rest on one game of football. Let the fun begin.
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It’s been another fine season in the Premier League, one that Manchester City have made unforgettable with their incredible dominance over the rest of the division. But away from the best team in the English top flight, this term’s champions, and onto the best individuals. Here are the six Premier League nominees for the PFA Fans’ Player of the Season award…
Raheem Sterling
It’s been a real coming of age season for Raheem Sterling, one that’s seen him double his previous best scoring return for a single Premier League campaign with 18 goals and grab eleven assists as well. In fact, he’s one of just three players in the whole division to reach double figures for both strikes and setups. More than just output though, the England international has been a relentless presence, completing 2.3 dribbles per ninety minutes.
Eden Hazard
Injuries may have prevented him from making his first Premier League start until September but Eden Hazard has nonetheless enjoyed another strong season as Chelsea’s most talismanic presence. The Belgium international finished the term with twelve goals and four assists, while completing the most dribbles of any Premier League player and ranking sixth for key passes per match.
Harry Kane
It’s incredible to think a young Harry Kane was once dubbed a flash in the pan. The Tottenham striker may have missed out on this season’s Golden Boot but he’s now scored at least 20 goals for the last four Premier League campaigns, this term bagging his highest total to date of 30 in 37 appearances. The England attacker took 5.4 efforts at goal per ninety minutes this season.
Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City’s chief creator, Kevin De Bruyne finished up top of the Premier League’s assists charts for 2017/18 with a stunning 16 setups – alongside an impressive eight goals. More than statistics, however, he’s been the roaring engine of Pep Guardiola’s title-winning team, the man ripping through the midfield and distributing to their potent forward line.
David De Gea
The Player of the Season award is usually all about attacking players, but David De Gea’s form at the opposite end of the pitch has been impossible to ignore. He lifted the Premier League’s Golden Glove award with a whopping 18 clean sheets and produced an overall save success rate of 79%. In terms of single performances, his heroic display against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in which he made 14 saves particularly comes to mind.
Mohamed Salah
The real surprise story of the 2017/18 season, Mohamed Salah was inconsistent at best during his short time with Chelsea but has transformed into an absolute superstar throughout his debut campaign at Liverpool. The Egyptian’s set a new record for goals scored in a 38-game season, an illustrious 32, and supplied his teammates with a further ten assists. Few players across the entire of Europe have matched Salah’s form this term and he’ll surely be nominated for 2018’s Ballon d’Or.
Southampton looked to be on course for their first Premier League win since November and a much-needed three points when they led Watford 2-0 at half-time at Vicarage Road last Saturday, but like on so many other occasions in recent weeks and months, they failed to hold on to their advantage and ended up dropping two points.
The under pressure Mauricio Pellegrino would probably have been the most annoyed and frustrated person that his side couldn’t hold on, and he is coming under increased scrutiny from the fans and the board with the club lying just one spot and one point above the top flight relegation zone with 15 matches left to play.
While the Argentine’s team selections, tactics and substitutions often leave a lot to be desired and the 46-year-old has deservedly received stick because of them, the Saints players have to take their fair share of the blame too.
Having come through the first 13 minutes of the second-half against the Hornets unscathed, club captain Steven Davis picked up the ball around 30 yards from his own goal and had plenty of time to make a pass forward or even to the side.
However, the experienced Northern Ireland international instead turned backwards and dawdled on the ball before it was stolen off of him, and Andre Gray ended up putting the ball into the back of the net.
Having only tasted victory on four occasions in the Premier League this season – with two of those coming in the first month of the campaign – the players were clearly nervous and throughout the last half-an-hour they gradually retreated further and further towards their own goal as the introduction of Troy Deeney and Stefano Okaka saw Watford go more direct.
Although the equaliser came in controversial circumstances as Abdoulaye Doucoure put the ball into the net with his hand, it came and it counted after had been left free in the penalty area to convert.
It was another experienced Saints player in Ryan Bertrand that lost his concentration to allow the Frenchman into the penalty area unchallenged, and the south coast outfit were forced to settle for a point that looked for so long to be three.
It isn’t the first time a mistake or lapse of concentration has cost Southampton this season, either.
In the 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at St Mary’s earlier this month Saints were leading in the 68th minute, but they left James McArthur all alone at the far post to score the equaliser before Luka Milivojevic netted the winner from outside the box.
Previously, Maya Yoshida had failed to mark Huddersfield Town striker Laurent Depoitre in the 1-1 draw against the Terriers before Christmas as the Belgian was allowed to head home, while Olivier Giroud was allowed to also score with a free header after Dusan Tadic failed to prevent a cross from Alexis Sanchez as Southampton surrendered another two points against Arsenal earlier in December.
Yes, Southampton’s tactics haven’t helped in any of these cases as they have chosen to sit back rather than try and find another goal, but the players certainly need to be held accountable as well as the manager for some of the errors they are currently making.
Senior players like Davis, Bertrand, Yoshida and Oriol Romeu – who was so good last season but hasn’t reached the same level this time around – need to step up, while Sofiane Boufal and Mario Lemina need to show their talents more than they currently are when they are on the pitch.
Southampton desperately need to start picking up wins in their quest to move away from the bottom three, starting when they welcome in-form Tottenham Hotspur to St Mary’s on Sunday.
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Pellegrino’s men were disappointing in the 5-2 defeat against Spurs at Wembley on Boxing Day, and if they play like that again this weekend they will be in for another comprehensive loss.
It certainly won’t be an easy game when the Saints players come up against Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, and they can’t afford to make errors or lack awareness given how good the movement of the aforementioned quartet is.
If Saints do suffer a heavy defeat and put in a poor showing the manager will likely be on his way, and while that may please some fans they must realise that the players have let themselves and the supporters down too, and they need to be held accountable for their part in what has been such a disastrous season.
Anzhi Makhachkala striker Lacina Traore is set to leave the Russian giants once the transfer window re-opens in January, according to reports from Izvestia.
Liverpool have been linked with the giant forward over the past few months, with manager Brendan Rodgers thought to be keen to make additions to his squad this winter.
Traore was one of only a few big name players to stay at Anzhi over the summer, after billionaire owner, Suleyman Kerimov, elected to cut his investment in the club.
This led to the sales of top first-team stars such as Willian and Samuel Eto’o leaving, as the Dagestan outfit set about reducing their lavish expenditure.
Traore was linked with a similar fate, and now looks set to be sold in January.
The 23-year-old is wanted by a number of top European clubs following an impressive goal return of 13 in 27 for Anzhi.
Liverpool are one of the sides in the running, with Rodgers keen to bolster his options in a bid to maintain the Reds’ impressive start to the campaign.
The 6ft. 8” forward joined Anzhi from domestic rivals Kuban Krasnodar in 2012 and has six Ivory Coast international caps to his name.
Should Liverpool move for Lacina Traore?
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Tottenham Hotspur can consider themselves a regular top-four side in the Premier League having finished inside the top bracket in the last three seasons.
Mauricio Pochettino has been a major reason for the club’s surge up the standings.
The Argentine has shaped a young team into capable trophy challengers, but they are not quite at the level that they wish to be.
It has been a decade since the North London outfit won a piece of silverware, and they cannot compete with the financial clout of Manchester City and Manchester United.
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Moving into a brand new stadium, though, will certainly bump their status among England’s elite.
Concerns have been raised over the futures of a number of first-team players, but the fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief on Thursday when Pochettino signed a new contract.
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The club’s official website confirmed that the Argentine has put pen to paper on a five-year deal.
It is safe to say that the supporters were overjoyed by the news.
Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan does not think that Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has a future at Elland Road.
The left-back moved to the Championship outfit from Manchester United in the summer.
A loan deal was agreed for the 2017-18 season, and even though there is still over four months to go until the end of the campaign, Whelan does not think that Borthwick-Jackson has made a big enough impression.
The 20-year-old has made just one appearance in the Championship and that was way back in August when he played 82 minutes of a goalless draw with Preston.
The youngster has had to settle for appearances in the Carabao Cup, and he is expected to make his fifth outing in a cup competition this season when Leeds face Newport County in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Whelan thinks that even if Borthwick-Jackson puts in a stellar performance this weekend, the youngster will be returning to United.
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The former striker told BBC Radio Leeds:
“I don’t think it makes any difference. I think he’s going to go back no matter what. I think they are just giving some of the lads a break, giving some bodies a game.”
Tottenham are looking to make a move for Brazilian midfielder Paulinho, whose agent is said to be in London negotiating the potential move. Although the Corinthians midfielder isn’t the like-for-like replacement the club may have been looking for to fill the void left by Luka Modric, Paulinho will regardless be seen as an exceptional piece of business if Spurs get their man.
Paulinho is currently with Brazil at the Confederations Cup, where the host nation opened the competition with a 3-0 over Japan – of which Paulinho added the second goal – therefore any movement of note on this deal will likely only take place once the competition is over.
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A move for Paulinho has significant implications for Andre Villas-Boas and the style of play that won him such success with Porto. While the Portuguese was keen to bring in Joao Moutinho last summer, it’s often overlooked that the arrival of the now Monaco midfielder would have seen Tottenham convert to a flat midfield three, or at least with all three midfielders holding a deeper role away from the front three.
Paulinho, notably, isn’t the conductor of an orchestra Tottenham may look for in this role, but that position could be filled to an extent by Mousa Dembele. Instead, the Brazilian will provide muscle, power and a driving force from deep. He’s very good at both ends of the pitch, able to contest aerial duels and also chip in with goals. In fact, it wouldn’t be too wide of the mark to say Paulinho is a midfielder who has a plenty of goals in him over the course of a season in Europe.
Combined with his box-to-box style and alongside countryman Sandro, Tottenham could see the forging of an especially strong midfield duo. However, if Villas-Boas wants to persist with the current formation which sees an advanced midfielder behind the striker, Paulinho is also capable of playing further up the pitch. Again, he isn’t a player whose creative work can be compared to, say, Oscar, but he does play in a more attacking role for Corinthians than he does for Brazil. It gives Tottenham options and offers a big step up in quality from some of the likely departures this summer.
This also says a lot about the club’s ability in the market even without the draw of Champions League football. Paulinho has been touted for a move to Europe for the last 12 months at least, with Shakhtar, Inter Milan and Chelsea all holding an interest at various points. It’s a crucial statement of intent from the club.
In many of his appearances for the Brazil national team, Paulinho has often stood out as one of the better players on the pitch. As well as that, his successes with Corinthians are notable, having won the Brazilian Serie A title and Copa Libertadores, culminating in the win over Chelsea in the Club World Cup final.
There is, of course, that issue we’ve seen in the past with players coming into the Premier League from South America and failing to adapt. Paulinho, however, doesn’t seem to force any of that questioning. Even at a fee of around £17million, Paulinho should be seen as a bargain. He’s 24, possesses the tools needed to excel and even thrive in English football, and it’s a remarkably odd that many more clubs aren’t chasing his signature.
This is a deal that could be of great importance to Tottenham. It’s a statement to both the club’s rivals and its star players. It will show that with everything in place the club can replace outgoing names with quality of equal stature. And then there’s the on-pitch side of things. The signing of Paulinho means the team are a step further to creating the playing style Villas-Boas wants to carry out. That, in turn, and coupled with better luck on the injury front, could see Spurs make up the ground for a top four finish.
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Tottenham fans are mercilessly mocking Liverpool, after their side finished above the Merseysiders for the eighth time in nine seasons.
Tottenham looked to have ruined their chances of a third place finish on Sunday when they fell behind to Leicester, but “destiny still arrives” as some of their fans are saying.
Liverpool won 4-0 against Brighton, meaning Spurs had to win to ensure a third place finish, and they did just that thanks to Harry Kane’s superb cultured finish to win the game 5-4.
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Liverpool of course have a Champions League final to look forward to, and their European efforts have certainly hampered their Premier League form, but nonetheless Spurs fans are having the last laugh.
The two clubs have formed somewhat of a new rivalry over the incidents at Anfield earlier this year, when Harry Kane had two attempts from the penalty spot to help the visitors to a 2-2 draw.
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Liverpool finished above Tottenham in 2013/14 when they fell short to Manchester City in the title race, but excluding that season the Reds have not topped Spurs since the 2008/09 season.
Liverpool fans enjoyed Mohamed Salah grabbing the golden boot over Kane, but Tottenham fans are certainly enjoying themselves too, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…