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The English media have already begun their ritual of being decidedly unhelpful to their country’s national team ahead of a major tournament with their targeting of Raheem Sterling in the past week.

A staggering overreaction to an unfinished and well-explained tattoo led for some ludicrous calls for the man valued at £81m by Transfermarkt to be dropped from Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad altogether.

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After that, Southgate mentioned in passing that confusion over connecting flights led to Sterling reporting for England duty 12 hours late – missing no training sessions as far as it can be perceived – and voluntarily apologising to his team-mates.

Yet, given the opportunity to get out onto the pitch and silence the doubters, the Manchester City flier flourished in his free role behind Harry Kane as England ran out 2-1 winners over Nigeria.

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Sterling is clearly quite central to Southgate’s England, and with four dribbles and three shots, he was able to get on the ball freely, even if his finishing was as wayward as we have sometimes come to expect.

With one key pass, he also showed the selflessness that a number 10 must have and the only blot on his afternoon was a booking when he anticipated contact, going down too early in a way no England fan will mind if it wins a crucial penalty in Russia.

According to reports in the Northern Echo, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is considering making a summer move for West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon, who has a release clause of £16m in his contract following the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Northern Echo says that the Tyneside outfit are determined to add at least one new centre-forward to their goal-shy squad this summer, and a range of players both based in the UK and abroad are on boss Benitez’s list, with Rondon under serious consideration.

The Northern Echo says that the Venezuela international has been told he can leave the Hawthorns this summer after they dropped out of the Premier League, and his reported price tag makes him an attractive option given he has three years experience at this level with the west Midlands club.

The report adds that Benitez, whom fans have urged to sign a £16.2m-rated, speedy Premier League winger, wants a powerful target man, with Islam Slimani’s loan from Leicester City proving to be a disaster and Aleksandar Mitrovic likely to go after an impressive temporary spell with Fulham, who won promotion to the top flight.

How did Rondon do last season?

In what was a difficult campaign for West Brom, he once again did pretty well despite often being starved of service in the opening months.

The 28-year-old scored 10 goals and provided a further four assists in 40 appearances in all competitions – he has 24 in the Premier League altogether since arriving in 2015 – and his work-rate and hold-up play were particularly impressive.

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Would he be a good Newcastle signing?

He certainly would be, and he would be a surprise a lot of people given the quality that he has.

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While he has only scored 28 goals in 120 games for the Baggies, they have rarely been known as a team that creates lots of chances during that time.

Anyhow, there is far more to his game than just goalscoring, and his strength, power and ability to keep the ball would allow his attacking teammates like Ayoze Perez, Matt Ritchie and Jacob Murphy to get up the pitch and support him, which would help ensure that the Magpies score more than the 39 they managed in 38 Premier League matches last season, during the 2018/19 campaign.

West Ham United endured a disappointing 2017/18 campaign in which they came far too close to flirting with relegation at times, and they now need a strong transfer window under new boss Manuel Pellegrini in order to ensure they improve significantly and aim for a top-half finish minimum next term.

The Chilean, who wants a £45m attacker who would ensure fans forget about Manuel Lanzini’s injury blow, will be keen to bring the feel-good factor back to the London Stadium that often dwindled towards the end of David Moyes’ reign, and that could include undertaking a major overhaul of his squad – which could see some new arrivals in east London, as well as some notable departures.

Yet, transfer business can be complicated – especially with less time to get deals over the line this year with the window slamming shut on August 9 – and interconnected, and we’ve taken a closer look at how their dealings might interfere with the plans of their Premier League rivals this summer…

Michail Antonio joins Crystal Palace

According to reliable club insider @ExWHUemployee in his latest The West Ham Way transfer blog, the east London club are ready to sell winger Antonio this summer if they receive an acceptable offer for the 28-year-old.

@ExWHUemployee reports that Crystal Palace made an offer for the England international last month, but that it wasn’t worth entertaining as it clearly came way below their valuation of the player, who was hampered by injury and being played out of position by David Moyes in 2017/18.

It is unclear exactly how much the east London outfit want for the former Reading man, but given he only signed a new four-year deal in 2017 it is clear they want a big fee that will allow Manuel Pellegrini to re-invest the money into his squad.

West Ham sign Jean Seri

According to reports in The Sun earlier this month, West Ham have joined the race to bring Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri to the Premier League.

Both Chelsea and their other London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for the Ivory Coast international, who has a release clause of £35m in his contract, as per The Sun.

While that price would smash their transfer record, if they get the money they want for Antonio it could tempt the Irons owners to then match the huge fee that it would take to bring a player that was a target for Barcelona less than 12 months ago, to the London Stadium.

Tottenham sign Rafinha

Pellegrini is clearly keen to bring a new midfielder to east London this summer having been linked with Seri, as well as Barcelona midfielder Rafinha, as per Spanish media outlet Sport, although he could face competition from Premier League rivals Spurs according to a more recent report from Sport.

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Should West Ham sign Seri it would it would leave their London neighbours in a good position to sign the Brazil international, who looks to be surplus to requirements at Barcelona having spent the 2017/18 season on loan at Inter Milan.

The 25-year-old could prove to be a replacement for the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Mousa Dembele, who Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly ready to move on this summer.

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The clamour from Manchester United fans to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is growing after he played a central role in Serbia’s World Cup win over Costa Rica on Sunday.

With the summer tournament in full swing, fans of clubs from all over the world are casting a close look at the top performers and considering who they should and shouldn’t be making a move for this summer.

Scouting at the World Cup could arguably be seen as risky, but it’s often a great chance to see how players cope at the elite level under the maximum pressure possible.

One man that United fans would love at Old Trafford is Lazio midfielder Milinkovic-Savic, who they have been linked with consistently over the last few months.

Still just 23 years of age, he produced excellent form for Lazio last season before heading to Russia, scoring 14 goals from midfield in all competitions.

Is he the player to complete Jose Mourinho’s midfield puzzle?

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Fans took to Twitter after Sunday’s performance to share their thoughts…

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Sadio Mane is one of a handful of Liverpool stars that hoped to shine on the World Cup stage.

Unfortunately, though, the 26-year-old, who is valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, failed to make it past the group stage with Senegal.

Mane and his teammates were on the verge of setting up a potential last-16 encounter with England before Colombia netted the only goal of the game in their final group clash.

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Senegal were pipped to the top two in devastating fashion, which means that Mane joins Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah in exiting the tournament early.

The Reds still have Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren, Simon Mignolet and Roberto Firmino competitions in Russia.

How far will England get in Russia? Tell us now and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

When Mane’s Senegal team were eliminated on Thursday afternoon, Liverpool fans took to Reddit to post their thoughts.

Many were understandably disappointed for their star attacker, who racked up 20 goals in all competitions last season, but some were pleased that he will now get a decent pre-season under his belt.

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According to Goal, Chelsea are firmly in the lead in the race for Russian star Aleksandr Golovin. Obviously, given the Blues’ poor form last season, the club desperately needs to bring in some new players this summer, and the in-form Russian looks on course to be the first major acquisition. Given Chelsea’s struggles in midfield last season, the 22-year-old’s creativity could be just what the club needs ahead of next term.

The Breakdown

The prospect of landing Golovin, who is rated at £16.2m by Transfer Markt, has come somewhat out of nowhere for Chelsea, yet in reality, it makes total sense.

The Blues have really had a poor year in terms of midfield quality. Cesc Fabregas is past his best, Tiemoue Bakayoko has struggled, Danny Drinkwater looks poor, and nobody really knows where Ross Barkley is. Naturally, then, signing someone like Golovin makes perfect sense.

What differentiates him from most, though, and what makes him such an attractive signing for the Blues, is his creativity.

He’s perhaps best known for his attacking flair, and much of that comes through the creative aspect of his game. Specifically, his passing and distribution are both second to none, and as a result, he’s often able to create magic out of very little. As such, given that Fabregas had previously been the focal point of this team, perhaps the Russian could take his spot.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know

His creativity isn’t just coming in the form of passing, though. He’s also a brilliant dribbler, and he’s able to make magic with the ball at his feet when he’s dribbling too. He’s proven that in Russia with his country, displaying fantastic dribbling goalscoring prowess.

In truth, Golovin is just what Chelsea need. They lacked creativity last term, and perhaps someone like Alvaro Morata would be able to capitalise on his brilliant ability.

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Chelsea fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

For the last ten years, the elite players of the Premier League have moved on to La Liga to join Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The Premier League is nothing more than a stepping-stone for potentially world-class players to realise their talent and then leave for an astronomical fee. Sergio Aguero certainly falls into the category of world-class, so why, after five years with the Citizens, has he not moved to Real Madrid or Barcelona? The fact that the 27-year-old is South American makes this realisation even more remarkable, considering their penchant for Spanish football.

Barcelona opted to sign Suarez as their leading striker, however few would argue against Aguero as an upgrade on Madrid striker Benzema. Perhaps the Argentine is considered to be too expensive by the Spanish giants.

Nonetheless Aguero is too good for City. He is in the prime of his career, and should therefore be enjoying his best years with one of the elite teams in world football. Barcelona and Real Madrid are far more reliable than City, both in domestic and European competitions, their squads are vastly superior to City’s, which is mediocre at best in comparison.

For those who disagree with me, when was the last time a Premier League team signed a player from Barcelona or Real Madrid who wasn’t deemed surplus to requirements? Similarly when was the last time Real Madrid or Barcelona signed a player from a Premier League team, who wasn’t that team’s star player?

Man City by sheer virtue of their wage structure have avoided big money approaches for their super star players. Although it will be interesting to see where Aguero’s loyalties lie when Real Madrid or Barcelona eventually attempt to sign him, which they will. There is nothing in world football that Real Madrid and Barcelona cannot buy, with the exception of each other’s players, the El Classico divide is hard to bridge.

Sergio Aguero is a fine talent which is why he’ll join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez in La Liga. He has achieved everything he can realistically achieve with Man City, and I’m sure, along with the likes of David de Gea and Eden Hazard, he is thinking about pastures new in Spain.

Until that day comes Man City should enjoy him while they can. Aguero is a consistent top scorer in the league and will surely go down as Man City’s finest player in their new era. His special goal against QPR to snatch the league title from Man United’s grasp will live long in the memory, although I for one hope he creates new memories with Barcelona or Real Madrid, where he truly belongs.

Aguero is a model Galactico or a Barca boy in the making, it is not a question of if, but when Aguero moves to La Liga, to join the very best in modern football.

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Beware the wounded animal. So long as it has fight left in its belly, it’s a threat. And the bigger the beast, the bigger the threat. The bigger the threat, the further you run.

So when Arsenal enter the lair of the Bavarian beast tonight, they better beware. And if they were as cowardly as I am, they’d run and run far.

And that’s because a hurting Bayern Munich were hurting after Arsenal inflicted a poke into the eye of the Bayern machine. They sat back, they defended like heroes, and whilst it would be a harsh statement to say they deserved the win – given Bayern’s huge possession dominance and the fact that away from home they still managed more chances – you’d have to say that Arsenal played almost the perfect game.

If it weren’t for Neuer the score would’ve been much different. If it weren’t for him, Arsenal would have been ahead in the first half. But if it weren’t for him Giroud really wouldn’t have scored the opener.

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He made a save up there with Gordon Banks from Pele in 1970 to deny Theo Walcott, and then inexplicably missed his catch from a simple cross that allowed Giroud behind him to nod home with a helping hand from, well, his hand.

That was just the Germans’ first defeat of the season, but then last week in the league, Eintracht Frankfurt sat back and defended them yet again. This time they got no charity from the German number one, but they did succeed in the same way as Arsenal did.

They shut out Ribery, Robben, Lewandowski and co, and held them to a 0-0 draw.

But that’s why you have to be careful. Bayern are going to be so dangerous tonight for Arsenal. Can they go to the lair of the beast, the Pep Guardiola coached, third best team in the world, and defend the way they did at the Emirates? It won’t be easy, because Arsenal don’t really have the players, whereas Bayern do.

The fact I can’t just say Robben and co, Ribery and co, or Lewandowski and co speaks volumes. There are too many match winners in this team who I can’t leave out. What about Muller, Gotze and Douglas Costa? They’ve been sensational this season.

And as Arsenal found out, once you get the ball off those guys, you have to get past Philipp Lahm and co, or Jerome Boateng and co. They just have so many good players. Then there’s Manuel Neuer in goal to get past, too. Well, assuming he’s actually in the goal and not on the halfway line when he thwarts your attack.

Although Arsenal would take a point, we are told, they’ll still attack Bayern. You have to attack them, because if you don’t get the ball into their third of the pitch from time to time you’re going to spend 90 minutes throwing yourself in front of shots and running around your own 18-yard box.

And if Lewandowski and co turn up, you’ll be spending a fair amount of those 90 minutes picking the ball out of the net and putting it back on the centre spot.

Hector Bellerin, Arsenal’s own Road Runner, will be missing for the Gunners, so bang goes the idea of the counter attack in the vein of the last minute at the Emirates last time. He’s relieved that he won’t be humiliated by Douglas Costa yet again, but for Arsenal that means Mathieu Debuchy will be the whipping boy instead. To Bayern it really doesn’t matter who you put in front of them, they’ll always have enough to beat it.

And if Arsenal don’t take a point tonight, and if Olympiakos do beat Dinamo Zagreb in Athens – not a ridiculous outcome given they’ve already beaten Dinamo in Zagreb – then Arsenal will find themselves six points behind the Greeks with only six points left on the table. And having been beaten at home by the Greeks who scored three away goals, Arsenal could be left needing snookers by the time they travel to the Greek capital.

It’s not easy for Arsenal from here on in. They almost need a point tonight, although it’s not absolutely crucial. Lose and they can still go through, but it’ll depend on other results at some point. But the main problem tonight isn’t just losing. It’s losing big. A big demoralising defeat for Arsenal tonight could be damaging, a big, hefty win for Bayern could bring back the feel-good factor for them.

You just get the feeling that Arsenal are about to be serious outgunned.

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After seven games of the new season, the Old Trafford faithful was starting to believe the hype.

Manchester United had strengthened their squad over the off-season, Louis van Gaal was in confident mood and the club was sitting on top of the Premier League table as reigning champions Chelsea faltered.

However, it is noteworthy just how much of a difference one result can make, with a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal last time out a significant dent on the momentum that the Red Devils had seen building in weeks prior.

The fact that Van Gaal’s charges lost by such a sizeable margin had to be taken into account, while getting beat by a fellow title hopeful made the loss even more costly.

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That said, the most disappointing thing for the travelling support will have been the nature of the team’s performance, with the side looking like a throwback to the David Moyes era with their calamitous defending and ineffective attack.

Arsenal played very well in a mesmerising 20 minute spell, but United were ideal opposition; their defence stood off the Gunners’ dangermen, the side lacked organisation and after going a goal down early on the whole unit looked demoralised.

The visitors’ attempts to get back into the game were unsuccessful, with an Anthony Marital chance in the final moments of the first-half the only real opportunity of note for Van Gaal’s side over the course of the 90 minutes. All teams have bad days and suffer defeats, but it is the reaction to those results that can define a side’s campaign.

United are on the road again this weekend and face another tough task in facing Everton at Goodison Park.

Roberto Martinez’s men are without the distraction of Europa League football this season and importantly have returned to the possession-based, confident displays of 2013-14 this term.

With Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku in uncompromising form and an ardent Goodison faithful behind the hosts on Saturday, a much-improved performance is needed by United if a different outcome is to be ascertained.

Everton have already shown this season that they can be a devastating attacking force, beating Chelsea on home soil and playing some scintillating football in the process.

If United afford Barkley and co the same space and opportunity that they did to Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil two weeks ago, back-to-back defeats are a real possibility.

In any transitional team, as Van Gaal’s Red Devils currently are, setbacks are likely as players get used to their manager’s instructions and become accustomed to playing alongside one another.

However, momentum is key in a title challenge and two defeats on the trot has the potential to completely derail United’s ambitions this term. Although the way the Old Trafford side have played their football has been key to the fans in the past, the result is the key thing this weekend.

A dogged, hard-fought and even lucky result would be the ideal way to get back on track and prove that United have the heart and determination to challenge English football’s elite this term.

A defeat would certainly cause the alarm bells to start ringing, with any repeat of the 3-0 loss at the same venue last season a hammer blow to the club’s hopes this term.

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After experiencing an unquestionably poor start to the season – one in which Newcastle United have rather typically singled themselves out as clear relegation favourites yet again – the Magpies certainly have an uphill battle to climb in restoring some pride back on Tyneside.

Steve McClaren looks utterly void of confidence and know-how inside the St. James’ dug-out, the team seem largely incapable of providing a decent enough goal threat within the final third – and when it has come to keeping things solid at the back this term, the Magpies have somehow looked even worse than local neighbours Sunderland in recent weeks.

The entire club seems to lack quality and class all the way up from Mike Ashley in the Newcastle director’s box, to almost every single player operating out on the field this season. For what has been a scarily sustained period of time now for the St. James’ faithful, their team just doesn’t seem up for the fight.

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So then, as Moussa Sissoko certainly goes down as one of the worst offenders on Tyneside regarding pure heart and determination alone, is it time Newcastle United ultimately looked to part ways with their inconsistent midfielders this January?

Although it may seem somewhat peculiar to want rid of one of the most potentially influential assets currently available to Steve McClaren, the 26-year-old Frenchman has simply failed to pull his weight in the North East for way too long now.

On his day, the marauding midfielder can indeed do the business for the Magpies – as was seen across the 6-2 destruction of Norwich City earlier on in the campaign, but the problem for Sissoko however, is that ‘his day’ just doesn’t come around nearly enough to satisfy the St. James’ faithful.

Newcastle are seemingly struggling at the minute because certain players are failing to give a proper account of themselves on Tyneside. Every sincere Magpies fan will be fully aware of what someone like Moussa Sissoko has to offer in the Premier League, yet as it seems as if the no. 7 only really turns up when he feels like it, Steve McClaren’s marquee man doesn’t do enough to warrant a regular place within his manager’s first team plans.

His position has been toyed around with so much during his stay among the English top-flight, that it has now become fairly difficult to know just how to best utilize the misfiring 26-year-old in 2015/16. Whilst poor man-management has therefore admittedly impacted Sissoko’s overall game on Tyneside, the player himself can provide no excuse for his seeming lack of effort on a week-to-week basis.

However, because the current Newcastle United squad isn’t exactly brimming with talent from all angles, dropping Moussa Sissoko would seemingly go down as a somewhat controversial choice. McClaren finds himself in a catch-22 situation at the minute – for he is pretty much damned if he does, yet also damned if he doesn’t. It’s certainly hard to imagine how the Magpies can successfully rise out of the relegation zone this season without some major investment being carried out across the course of the January transfer window.

Such an outcome remains a great shame of course, for when the former Toulouse FC man first arrived among the Premier League back in the winter of 2013, Newcastle clearly believed they had a top talent on their hands. Sissoko’s reputation within Ligue 1 looked pretty impressive to say the very least – and as the out-of-sorts attacker still finds himself with an illustrious role among the French national team at the moment – Steve McClaren obviously isn’t witnessing the same level of output from the player that Didier Deschamps may very well receive on the international scene.

In the end, Sissoko is just not a leader – and is severely limited without the presence of a strong captain alongside him on the pitch. His head drops far too often to be relied upon at St James’, and whilst he does in-fact possess some indisputable match-winning abilities from time to time, this is a player who clearly lacks the will and desire to survive the notorious relegation dog-fight. Sometimes pure footballing ability alone actually isn’t enough…

So, although reports linking the 26-year-old with a move to AC Milan seem a very, very long way off now, Newcastle must rid their squad of consistent under-performers this January – with Moussa Sissoko simply representing the ideal place to start.

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