According to reports in The Telegraph, West Ham United have launched a club-record £27.1m bid to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho.The Telegraph says that Irons officials have been in the Portuguese capital trying to sort out a deal for the 24-year-old over the course of the last week, and they are confident of securing the Portugal international despite Sporting wanting £36.1m for the player.The Telegraph says that the Liga NOS outfit are aware of the defensive midfielder’s wish to play in the Premier League and the Hammers are looking to use that to their advantage when it comes to agreeing a fee.West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and the majority are excited at the potential addition with some saying he would be “perfect” for the club and others even going as far as saying he would be their best signing since Carlos Tevez.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
Celtic announced on Friday that midfielder Stuart Armstrong had signed a two-year deal at the club, keeping him in Glasgow until 2019, a year beyond his current contract which was due to expire next summer.
His situation was one that worried Celtic fans all summer, with the prospect of a move away from the club before the end of August growing more likely as the saga rolled on.
His exceptional form last season made him a real favourite in the Hoops as he emerged as one of the key performers in Brendan Rodgers’ treble winning side.
One of the key aims of the club this summer has been retaining the big stars in Rodgers’ squad and you’d certainly count Armstrong as one of those.
However, it’s unusual for the club to sign short-term contracts with players and the one-year extension raises a few questions and perhaps a few doubts about where his future lies.
Here are TWO positives and TWO negatives of the new contract for the Scottish international…
Positive: Another 12 months of goalscoring
The fact that Stuart Armstrong will be at the club for another season at least is undoubtedly a massive positive for Celtic in the short-term. They don’t have another central midfielder who can play the all-round game he has in Brendan Rodgers’ time at the club, possessing the energy and ability to defend out of possession but also the desire to get himself forward and score goals.
It’s his goalscoring that won so many plaudits last season, he netted a massive 17 from midfield, a huge amount for a midfielder who wasn’t even deployed in attacking positions in all of his matches.
If there is one major positive of him signing a new deal, it’s that this will likely continue all season again. He’s already scored two this summer and the season has barely started.
Now he is happy with his new deal he can come back into Rodgers’ plans once again and become the driving force in the Hoops midfield.
Negative: He likely isn’t the man to build a team around
When he was on top form last season, scoring goals and even taking the captain’s armband when Scott Brown missed games, many Celtic fans he might be the man to take over from Brown long-term, a man to build the team around and maybe even become the future club captain.
It seems unlikely, based on just a single year extension to his current contract, that this will be the case though. If he had that potential or want to stay at the club for the rest of his career you’d imagine he’d be happy to commit more years to his playing days in Glasgow.
Does he have ambitions to play in the Premier League, or even move abroad? His intentions aren’t clear nor certain but you’d expect him to be leaving Celtic in a year’s time, when the situation will be exactly the same as this summer.
This contract allows him to develop further and experience more UEFA Champions League football, but his long-term future is far from certain.
Positive: The club have protected his value
Aside from his ability, this new contract is a perfect business situation for Celtic. They’ve now protected the value of one of their key assets in the squad from clubs looking to capitalise on his situation in Glasgow. Whether they sell him in January, next summer or even before the end of August, they should now receive a healthy fee for the player.
Players like Victor Wanyama, Virgil van Dijk, Fraser Forster and Aiden McGeady have all left for monster fees by Scottish standards in years gone past and if Stuart Armstrong has another good few months or full season at Celtic then he could reach a similar figure and provide an excellent return on the investment that brought him to the Hoops from Dundee United in 2014.
Negative: Speculation about his future will rumble on
What this contract signing is unlikely to have achieved is closure on reports linking the midfielder with a move away from the club. For supporters of a certain vintage it will be reminiscent of when Stiliyan Petrov signed a new deal with the club before moving down to the English Premier League shortly after, an agreement that suited both the player and Celtic after many years of service.
Stuart Armstrong hasn’t quite reached that status at Celtic Park but given the short-term nature of the deal you can already picture speculative headlines and question marks about his future well into the Autumn and Winter ahead of the January transfer window.
That’ll be especially true if he’s one of the players that can impress in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that he aims to have at least three new players as part of his squad before the transfer window closes on Thursday, reports the London Evening Standard.
What’s the word?
Out of last season’s top seven, Spurs were the slowest to get off the mark in the transfer window.
It has only been in the last week or so that the North London outfit have strengthened their squad.
The club have brought in Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez and goalkeeper Paul Gazzaniga from Southampton.
After Tottenham suffered a late equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Burnley on Sunday, Pochettino revealed that he hoped to be busy in the next few days.
He told Sky Sports:
“I am confident of getting a minimum of three players. We are working hard to try and add more quality to the squad. There are many rumours and we are working hard. We will see. There are only a few days to the end of the transfer window.”
Who could the new arrivals be?
Bringing in three players within four days is no easy feat, particularly if the selling clubs smell desperation from Tottenham.
It seems that one player could have one foot through the welcome gates already, with Sky Sports claiming that the club have agreed a deal with Estudiantes for 19-year-old defender Juan Foyth.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Serge Aurier has regularly been linked to the London outfit as a possible replacement for Kyle Walker, who joined Manchester City earlier in the window.
With regards to the midfield, Everton’s Ross Barkley has been touted as a Tottenham target for some time, but so far, a deal has not been agreed.
Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported that last season’s Premier League runners-up were open to paying £25m to land the England international, which is half of Everton’s asking price.
It is unclear whether Pochettino will get his wish by midnight on Thursday, but new signings will boost a shaky start for Tottenham, which has seen the team pick up four points from a possible nine.
Arsenal returned to winning ways on Saturday with a comfortable 3-0 win vs Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium.
After losing to Stoke and Liverpool before the international break, the pressure was on both the players and Arsene Wenger heading into this one but fans got the reaction they were looking for with a convincing performance.
New signing Alexandre Lacazette was back on the scoresheet with his second goal of the season but the day’s plaudits went to Danny Welbeck who not only netted a brace but also set up Lacazette for his effort too.
Welbeck has had a difficult couple of seasons at Arsenal but with three goals in five matches already at the start of this campaign, it’s looking like he’s turned a corner and can be a reliable presence in the Gunners’ attack once again.
Supporters were absolutely delighted with his contribution and took to Twitter to share their joy…
Everton midfielder Tom Davies has said that he was pleased with his own performance during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Joshua King struck early in the second period to send Bournemouth ahead at Goodison Park, which led to more unrest with the home supporters.
Everton turned things around in the latter stages, however, with forgotten man Oumar Niasse coming off the bench to score a double for the Toffees.
Davies was also key to Everton’s comeback though, with the 19-year-old setting up Niasse’s first of the match, before playing a key role in the striker’s second in the 82nd minute.
The teenager has revealed that he was ‘proud’ to contribute to an important three points.
Davies told Everton TV:
“It is always good to be involved with the goals and to get an assist – and maybe half an assist… I am proud of my performance.
“It was good movement and good build up play for the first goal. I was in the middle of the pitch and Oumar made a great run. It was a great first touch by him as well, so I cannot take all the credit – he did a lot after my pass!”
Davies came through the youth system at Everton before making his first-team debut during the 2015-16 campaign.
Everton will now switch their attention to the Europa League as they prepare to host Cypriot side Apollon on Thursday night.
As reported by The Herald, Brendan Rodgers has heaped praise on one of Scottish football’s brightest prospects, St Mirren midfielder Lewis Morgan.
What’s the story?
Last week, it was reported that Celtic had received glowing reports about the Scotland U21 international from former player Tosh McKinlay and it seems the former Hoops star is not the only fan of the Buddies man.
While speaking about the young Scottish players coming through currently, Brendan Rodgers praised the in-form midfielder’s abilities, in the same breath as talking about some of Celtic’s top prospects.
As quoted by The Herald, the Hoops boss said:
There are a lot of good players up here, in my short time here I’m really enthused by the level of players because, I can clearly look at them and go how we play, how we work; Mikey Johnston, Tony Ralston will go in there, Mark Hill can come in here, Calvin Miller can come in. So it’s not the players that’s the problem. The boy Lewis Morgan at St Mirren is quick, dynamic, can press, can run, can get at people. Stuart Armstrong here, boys that are quick and can play. So you’ve got the players, it’s about how they are coached and how they are asked to play.
It’s high praise indeed from a manager who is often honest and sincere with his thoughts. Rodgers got a good look at Morgan up close last season when St Mirren visited Celtic Park in a Scottish Cup tie, with the 21-year-old playing the entire 90 minutes and shining.
With his contract up at the end of the season, is the time right for the Hoops to make their move?
Red hot form
Morgan has been a sensation for Jack Ross’ side this season. Flying high at the top of the table, Morgan has played a key role in the Buddies’ excellent form.
So far this term he’s scored eight goals and provided four assists for his teammates in just 13 matches. That’s the kind of red hot form that will make many teams sit up and take notice and it shows that Rodgers’ praise for him is well deserved.
Primarily suited to playing on the left flank, he can also play through the middle and would be competing for attacking midfield positions if he did theoretically make the switch to Celtic.
Competition at the Hoops is fierce in these areas but if Morgan can continue banging in the goals and creating for his teammates, it could be a signing worth pursuing for Celtic.
Since day one of the Championship season back in August, the two West Midlands clubs who meet each other on Saturday evening have been talked about a lot. Most of it has been divergent.
Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers have had very different starts to the season. Wolves have been on stellar form, and after an exciting summer where a new manager and some very impressive signings arrived at Molineux, they’ve made it all count on the pitch, where it matters.
Villa, meanwhile, looked all but set to sack their manager Steve Bruce after just a few games and murmurs of a move for Oscar Garcia, currently managing in Ligue 1, to replace the former Hull City boss after a stuttering start to the campaign weren’t far from making it to the surface.
But a look at the table will probably leave you wondering what all the fuss is about. Aston Villa may currently be sitting outside the play-off spots – surely the very least they’d expect come the end of the season – but a victory this weekend would put them just a point behind their opponents, Wolves. If ever a club needed a turnaround, it was Villa. Over the last month, they’ve got it.
Ever since a dour draw at home to Middlesbrough in mid-September, Villa have been on the up, and indeed their form is better than that of Wolves going into the game, even though Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have only lost once in that time.
Sam Rourke, Editor-in-Chief of Football League World told me about Villa’s turnaround ahead of Saturday’s big game. And it’s clear the tables have turned quite dramatically in favour of Bruce at Villa Park.
“Aston Villa now look like the side to beat in the Championship,” says Rourke, “that’s something I never thought i’d say earlier on this season. They’ve won their last four league games, and Bruce seems to have found a balanced eleven that is finally seeming to work together collectively.”
The return of Jonathan Kodjia has been a massive boost for the Villans. Indeed, his very first appearance of the season came in that 0-0 draw with Boro when he came off the bench with 20 minutes to go. His first start came in the next game, a 3-0 victory over Barnsley, and Villa haven’t looked back since. They haven’t lost a game in which the Ivorian has played, and they won every time he’s started.
That hasn’t been Bruce’s only plus over the last few weeks, however: Kodjia’s strike partner over the last few weeks hasn’t been last season’s January signing Scott Hogan, but 19-year-old academy graduate Keinan Davis. It takes a special kind of grit to oust a £12m striker from your squad in favour of an unproven teenager when your job appears to be on the line, but that’s exactly what Bruce has done in the last month. And Rourke believes that belief and fight has been transmitted to the players, too.
“Surprisingly, the result that I feel is the most impressive was their recent 1-0 home win over Bolton,” he says. “They didn’t play well at all, yet still ground out a victory. I think the Bruce haters are waning now and his credentials as a manager are really starting to shine.”
Soccer Football – Championship – Sheffield United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers – Bramall Lane, Sheffield, Britain – September 27, 2017 Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo Action Images/Ed Sykes EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account represent
Bruce’s managerial prowess may have come in for criticism, but his experience and track record has never been in doubt. His Championship know-how is one of the reasons he was asked to do the job, but that’s not the only route to promotion. His opposite number has no experience of England’s second tier, but Santo’s managerial CV takes in both Valencia and Porto. Indeed, he was the last manager to take Valencia into the Champions League, finishing in fourth place in La Liga before leaving the club and being replaced by Gary Neville when things started to go wrong in eastern Spain.
His arrival at Wolves in the summer has been part the next phase of an extremely exciting time at the club, along with the signing of Ruben Neves and the loan deal which took Diogo Jota to the club, too. He’s brought with him an exotic flair and made the team into one of the most intriguing in the country, let alone the Championship.
“Santo’s use of wing-backs has been incredibly effective this season,” Rourke tells me, “and it’s a stark contrast to the standard 4-4-2 formation that Bruce has opted to utilise of late. And in terms of an attacking front three, Wolves have one of the best outside of the Premier League. Diogo Jota, Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro are a genuinely scary prospect, and they can be devastating! You have to worry for John Terry on Saturday, will he be able to cope with the pace and trickery of this talented trio?”
In some ways that highlights exactly the differences between these two clubs this season. Villa have the experience, Wolves the flair. But received wisdom will tell you that experience and know-how is what gets you through a bruising 46-game Championship season. And although Wolves have had a fast start some might worry if an exciting, technical team who play 3-4-3 and are coached by a Championship novice can keep their form up for an entire season or whether they’ll struggle when winter starts to bite.
“Wolves have all the foundations to launch a serious promotion push this season,” Rourke says, “and if they can keep their main players fit, then they have an excellent chance.”
We’ll know much more about their promotion chances by the end of Saturday’s game.
After a difficult summer when rumours surrounding Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United future, things are looking up for the Magpies.
Club owner Mike Ashley, who has had his critics within the fanbase, has decided to sell the North-East outfit.
While that process is ongoing, matters on the pitch have also looked up given that the team are unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches.
Benitez’s men restricted Liverpool to a draw and also took a point from Southampton, while the visit of Crystal Palace to St James’ Park last weekend ended in a 1-0 win.
As it stands, the Magpies are seventh in the table, two points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
On Monday night, they take on Burnley at Turf Moor, against a side that head into the game on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes that Newcastle will get the job done away from home by sealing a 2-1 victory.
“I haven’t gone for Newcastle to win once this season but that changes today! Burnley’s home form has been a little shaky and Newcastle are on a roll.
“They did well against Southampton and the Palace win was big for them. They are punching well above their weight – if they finish sixth Rafa Benitez will be manager of the season.
“The name of the game remains safety and hopefully for Newcastle fans their club will be in a position in January to have a real go in the FA Cup. That would be brilliant.”
Since moving from Liverpool to Chelsea in the summer, Dominic Solanke has struggled to break into the first team at Anfield. In fact, the 20-year-old has managed just seven substitute appearances for the Reds in the Premier League; just 85 minutes in total.
However, England manager Gareth Southagte has evidently seen enough of the young striker to hand him a debut for the national team, which came on Tuesday evening in a friendly against Brazil.
And Solanke had arguably the best chance of the game at Wembley, which ended in a goalless draw. However, the youngster failed to control a cross from Ashley Young and couldn’t get a shot away to break the deadlock.
Despite the lack of game time for his club side, Solanke, who is valued at £4.5million by Transfermarkt, is seemingly popular amongst Liverpool fans.
Following his England debut, the Anfield faithful expressed their desire to see the former Chelsea man start for their club ahead of the out-of-form Daniel Sturridge…
Following Aston Villa’s 2-1 win against Sunderland at Villa Park on Tuesday night, manager Steve Bruce provided an update on the injury situation of Jonathan Kodjia, and it wasn’t positive news.
The Ivory Coast international already missed five months of action with a broken ankle in April, and it now appears as though he may have picked up a similar injury while away on duty with his country.
Bruce confirmed after Villa’s latest victory, which lifted them up to fourth in the Championship table, that last season’s top goalscorer could bet set to have another operation that could keep him on the sidelines for a number of months again.
Aston Villa supporters were quick to have their say on the big club announcement via social media, and while one said the update meant it was the “worst day ever”, another said the risk by the Midlands outfit to reintroduce him to the team earlier in the campaign had “backfired hugely and quickly”.