Raheem Sterling has had a turbulent few years in football due to his controversial move from Liverpool to Manchester City, and the frequent bashing that he seems to receive from some media outlets.
Last season, though, the England international, who has earned 38 caps for his country, played a pivotal role in City winning the Premier League title.
The 23-year-old scored 18 goals and created 11 assists in 33 appearances in the top flight, so it is understandable that the club want to offer him a new deal.
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However, according to a report from Sky Sports News on Tuesday, talks have hit a stumbling block as both parties are “poles apart” with regards to wages.
The broadcaster claims that City feel relaxed about the situation and think that they will be bale to reach a middle ground after the World Cup.
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Sterling still has two years left on his current contract, so there is no immediate rush to put pen to paper, but these reports have caused some fans to question the winger’s future.
Others, though, have decided to take aim at the media for suggesting that the England star is greedy.
West Ham are closing in on Swansea City goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski according to Sky Sports.
The former Arsenal shot-stopper joined the Swans in 2014 and the 33-year-old has gone on to make 149 league appearances since his move.
The Poland international played every game last season but couldn’t prevent Swansea getting relegated to the Championship.
Now it appears West Ham’s new boss Manuel Pellegrini is looking to bring the ‘keeper to the London Stadium this summer to boost his options between the sticks.
The potential move threatens Adrian’s position as West Ham no.1 after he took over from former England goalkeeper Joe Hart who was on loan from Manchester City.
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West Ham fans appear divided on social media about whether Fabianski is an upgrade on Adrian, with some feeling the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Let us know who you think should be West Ham’s starting goalkeeper next season by voting in our poll below.
According to the Turkish sports news network Sporx, Galatasaray are preparing a season-long loan bid for Crystal Palace flop Alexander Sorloth with the option to buy.
What’s the story?
Sorloth joined Palace for £9m from Danish side FC Midtjylland in January this year, but has failed to get his career in England off the ground so far, appearing in four Premier League games without scoring a goal.
The 6ft4 target man came to Selhurst Park having scored 10 goals in 19 games in the first half of the season in Denmark.
Galatasaray’s offer for Sorloth is a season-long loan with an offer of €7.8m to buy the 22-year-old outright after the 2018/19 season, meaning Palace would be making a loss on their signing.
If the transfer were to happen though it could pave the way for Roy Hodgson to pursue the signing of Danny Ings from Liverpool.
Ings over Sorloth
Ings signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2015 having scored 11 goals in his first season in the Premier League with Burnley. Sadly for the 25-year-old, his time at Anfield has been blighted by two knee ligament injuries which has meant he has only appeared in 14 Premier League games during his three seasons with the Reds.
Having started three of Liverpool’s last six Premier League matches towards the end of last season, Ings would appear to be returning to fitness.
With Sorloth struggling to adapt to the Premier League, a fully-fit Danny Ings would be a far better option for Palace and he could form a little and large strike partnership with fellow former Liverpool man Christian Benteke.
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Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, Ings could be the perfect way for Palace to invest any money from Sorloth’s departure.
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According to Sport Witness, Queens Park Rangers have accepted a £4m bid from Cardiff City for goalkeeper Alex Smithies, with the deal expected to go through in the coming days.
Smithies joined QPR from Huddersfield Town in 2015, and is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers outside of the Premier League.
The 28-year-old has made over 100 Championship appearances for the R’s over the last three seasons, and it was always going to be difficult for them to keep him this summer.
Personal terms should not be a problem, and if QPR and Cardiff have indeed agreed a price then the deal will surely go through very soon.
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The QPR fans have been reacting to the transfer speculation on social media, and it would be fair to say that they are very unhappy with what they consider to be poor transfer business.
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Indeed, in the current market – which is inflated to say the absolute least – £4m for a player of Smithies’ ability does seem extremely low.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the QPR supporters can be seen below:
Tottenham fans are mocking West Ham’s chase for Juan Quintero, as reports claim the two London rivals will battle it out with Real Madrid to sign Colombia’s rising star.According to various reports, Tottenham, West Ham and Real Madrid are all eyeing a summer swoop for Quintero, who will become a River Plate player this summer.The Colombian playmaker has been on loan in Argentina from Porto, and River Plate are expected to make the mover permanent this summer, but reports in Argentina say he will have a new release clause of just €22m (£19.5m).[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255896″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Tottenham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]His incredible performances at the World Cup will have more than a few clubs sniffing around such a low release clause, and River Plate could be tempted to cash in for a tidy profit on a player who has been blasted for attitude problems at Porto.The 25 year-old is an excellent dribbler, and loves popping up in various positions between midfield and defence to look for incisive forward passes.His assist for Falcao’s goal against Poland followed a superb free kick goal against Japan, and the Hammers would love to bring him on board as a Lanzini replacement.[ad_pod ]Spurs fans are bashing West Ham’s interest though, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Loads of Everton fans on Twitter have ripped into defender Michael Keane following their Carabao Cup quarter-final exit against Leicester City at Goodison Park.
The Merseyside outfit were looking to advance to the semi-finals of the competition on Wednesday, but they fell 2-0 behind in the first half on Merseyside, with James Maddison and Jonny Evans scoring the goals.
Keane was particularly poor for the latter’s goal as he was caught ball-watching and lost the Northern Ireland international, allowing him to finish.
Watch Everton vs Burnley Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day
Despite getting two goals back after the break through Tom Davies and Leighton Baines and taking the tie to penalties, they couldn’t advance to the final four of the competition.
Things didn’t get much better for the England international in the second half though despite the fightback, and some members of the Goodison Park faithful were quick to crucify him for his display.
Strong words like “horrendous”, “awful” and “liability” are all present below, for a player that has been criticised by supporters on other occasions already this term too.
Others decided to focus on what Carlo Ancelotti, who it is reported by Sky Sports will be confirmed as the club’s permanent new manager before the weekend, should do with the 26-year-old.
How much do you really know about the Farhad Moshiri era? Answer 25 simple questions below…
One individual urged the 60-year-old to get rid of the former Burnley man, while another predicted that he will be the first one out the door if the Italian is indeed appointed.
In other Everton news, Moise Kean has reacted on Instagram to a post saying Carlo Ancelotti has agreed to become the club’s new manager…
We’ve all been there, it’s a corner kick and you’re tightly marking the attacker with no actual intention of getting to the crossing ball before he does. He stinks of Lynx deodorant and his gelled hair has gone crusty in the cold. As you both await the kick-taker to complete their pre-corner ritual, the fella marking you evaluates your feet before he looks up at you and says, “nice boots mate.”
This was probably the best compliment you could receive on a Sunday league football pitch; it was the reason we deliberated for so long before deciding which boots to buy for the new season. To praise a fellow player’s choice of footwear in the heat of battle was oddly acceptable on a Sunday morning. So why did we do it, why did we care so much about the boots we wore?
Most of the time it was because Beckham wore them. We wanted to play so much like our idols that we made our parents pay the extortionate prices for the privilege. A new pair of Adidas Predator’s promised so much, a better touch, a more accurate free kick and an improved range of passing. For a few years it was all about bladed studs, despite their complete lack of practicality on a muddy school field.
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The same can be said with the emergence of the Nike Mercurial Vapors, which supposedly made you quicker off the mark. Again, they were completely pointless when you were carrying half a ton of mud on the heel of your boot.
Like many young adults of my generation, I look back fondly on the hysteria that surrounded the purchase of a new pair of boots. But this isn’t just nostalgia talking, the boots of my childhood were more exciting than the boots of today.
With perfect pitches and crystal clear HD it is impossible to ignore the latest pair of Nike or Puma’s. However, despite this the leading boot manufacturers still feel the need to make their products more ‘eye-catching’ than their competitors. The other day while watching Chelsea vs Arsenal I counted more pink boots than any other colour. You wouldn’t wear pink shoes or pink trainers, so why is it suddenly acceptable to wear pink boots on a football pitch?
The boots we wore were a status symbol, everyone knew if you had a pair of red and white Nike Total 90’s you were going to play on the wing. Similarly if you wore a pair of Umbro’s everyone knew you were a Michael Owen fan boy. Sadly you can’t make these kinds of judgments anymore because everyone’s boots are just as bad as each other’s.
A certain style of boot used to correspond with a certain style of player, which is why we cared so much about the boots were wore. Unfortunately the big brands are more interested in making them glow in the dark. Now that the Adidas Predator series has been discontinued the world of football lacks a real benchmark in the production of football boots.
Not even Cristiano Ronaldo could make me want to buy a pink pair of football boots; I don’t care how light they are. It’s about time the big corporations stopped worrying about each other so much, and just went back to doing what they do best, making the best boots for all the best players.
We don’t want some fancy new gimmick; we just want a new pair of respectable boots we can show off to our mates.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has stated that his relationship with Blues owner Roman Abramovich is strong and that he does not fear being sacked at Stamford Bridge.
The defending Premier League champions have started the new campaign in shambolic fashion and find themselves cut adrift from the title contenders after a number of disappointing results.
Pressure is building on the former Real Madrid and Inter Milan trainer, as Chelsea struggle to replicate the form that blew away the competition last term.
Despite the performances and results being less than ideal so far this season, Mourinho has stated that he has Abramovich’s backing and does not fear being shown the door if substandard form continues.
“For me the important thing is the owner and the board’s message to myself,” BBC Sport quote Mourinho as saying.
“Before the statement came out, I was having the feedback from the owner and the board. So the statement was not something new for me.
“I met the owner before dinner so, when I went to dinner, I knew. But even before that, I knew what brought me here. I know the conversation we had two years ago.
“I know what made me sign a new contract, and the reasons why the owner and the board decided to give me a new contract.
“They didn’t have to. I had still two more years, so they didn’t have to give me a new contract.
“After a bad result – which is not the first bad result of the season, obviously I was not happy, far from it. But I never thought about being sacked.”
Chelsea lost to Southampton before the international break and will look to make amends this weekend as the champions host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues’ Champions League campaign has also been inconsistent so far in 2015-16, with the English side beaten 2-1 by Mourinho’s former side Porto in the last European fixture.
Roberto Martinez characterised his side’s emphatic win over Aston Villa this weekend as ‘phenomenal’.
Fair enough. He’s allowed to be optimistic. After all, Everton are now up to 6th place. And with last season’s Europa League planning headache a thing of the past, Everton can now afford to concentrate on the league and possibly climb the table to finish a lot higher than they did last season.
Last season was a blip along the road as far as Everton’s progress is concerned. Last season’s 11th placed finish simply wasn’t good enough as far as the Toffees will be concerned. Finishing closer to the relegation places than the Champions League places really isn’t what Everton should be aiming for, especially after Roberto Martinez’s promise that he would get Everton into the Champions League.
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You get the feeling, though, that this season is a good chance to do well, to play some nice football, and to finish in a Europa League spot again. Only to repeat the cycle of Thursday-Sunday madness that left them in the lower reaches of the table last season.
Of course, they’re better for the experience. More mature and more likely to do better the next time they have a European adventure. But this season is more of a transition season for Everton, at least they hope it is.
With Everton playing a more pragmatic and counter-attacking style than we’re used to seeing, there are some similarities with Arsenal this season.
Arsene Wenger is still stuck in some of his ways. He’s still the kind of manager who looks win things without compromising some very serious principles. If you win, that’s all well and good, but you have to do it in style. Winning is secondary to the style with which you do it, and having your team dominate the game is what matters. The idea is that if you dominate the game, that means you have more chance of winning. So even if you lose but dominate, that’s better than winning but being outplayed, because dominating the game bodes well for future games.
But the revelation of Francis Coquelin, the addition of pace up front for Arsenal, the fact they’ve spent money on Ozil and Sanchez, and the fact they bought Cech – a man the wrong side of the big 3-O – all show that Wenger is becoming more pragmatic in his approach.
The same can be said for Martinez.
His side this season have greatly benefitted from the power, pace and directness of Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley and Arouna Kone. They have conceded too many goals this season, but they’ve still been better organised defensively than they were last season. Last time they were simply awful at the back, with mistakes every other week, this time the mistakes have been less important as Everton have at least had the ability to defend well enough to keep teams at bay long enough to win the ball back and launch a counter attack.
This is the transition from a Roberto Martinez team who play pretty football and dominate games into a team with pace and precision who can punish you on the counter attack. Everton are becoming a more modern team, a more practical team, and they’re climbing up the league because of it.
They sit six points off a Champions League spot, but if it weren’t for a few poor attempts at defending set-pieces from Tim Howard at the Emirates, Everton would be level on points with Arsenal and not six points behind them.
That’s how tight the margins are in the Premier League, Everton are getting stronger and more solid, but there are so many teams around the league that can say the same thing
Swansea City, after reaching their highest ever points tally and a record 8th placed finish in the Premier League last term, are now on the lookout for a new boss after the sacking of Garry Monk. The 36-year old coach was touted as a future England manager one day, but now finds himself out of work and linked with a move to Fulham. Yes, Fulham.
So, what’s gone on? A miserable run of just one win in 11 games have seen the Welsh side slip down the table at an alarming rate, hanging tentatively above the drop zone. Despite Monk’s Manager of the Month award winning form at the start of the campaign, the side look completely bereft of both ideas and energy in equal measure.
The flying wingers, Jefferson Montero and Andre Ayew, flanking the fearsome forward, Bafetimbi Gomis, were fantastic during the early stages of the campaign, though currently the tactic looks to have fallen flat on its face.
Despite the arrival of Andre Ayew in the summer, hailed as fine transfer coup, the lack of investment during the last transfer window really has come back to haunt those at the Liberty Stadium. Portuguese striker Eder was the costliest of arrivals at around £5m and the team has stagnated as a result.
It’s perhaps the biggest indicator that standing still in this ridiculously wealthy Premier League, even over the course of a single summer, is playing with danger. The ever increasing amounts of money afford every team the chance to land high quality players, increasing competition.
Still, hope is not lost. The Swans have a good squad, arguably the best currently scrapping relegation (other than Chelsea..), and could simply need refreshing. The January window should give them the chance to do so, with a new man at the helm.
With that in mind, here are THREE in and THREE out at the Liberty Stadium this January…
IN: TOMER HEMED
The aforementioned Gomis was excellent at the start of the season as everything the Frenchman touched seemingly turned to gold. However, like the rest of the team, his form since then has dropped off. Stunning finish against Manchester City aside.
No surprise then to see the club linked with another striker in order to provide the goals to keep them up. Brighton marksman Tomer Hemed was reportedly the subject of a scouting mission by the club in the recent away clash with Derby County.
The 28-year old was unstoppable when first arriving on these shores, notching 5 goals in his first 7 games and fits the mould of a Swansea striker. Athletic, skilful and able to play up front on his own, the Israel international certainly fits the bill.
May not be the most glamorous of names, but a wise choice to relieve some of the pressure on Gomis as he battles to rediscover his touch.
IN: MICHAEL KEANE
Again, not the biggest of names, but a sensible addition should it come off. Burnley defender Michael Keane has been linked with a host of top tier outfits after establishing himself as one of the top defenders outside the Premier League.
The former Manchester United youngster has found his feet since leaving his reserve team role at Old Trafford, becoming an ever present in Sean Dyche’s side as the bid for an automatic return to the Promised Land.
Arguably what Swansea need are reinforcements to freshen things up, rather than major squad surgery. Perhaps the arrival of the 22-year old England Under-21 star can help shore up the defence and give Ashley Williams both a welcome break, and some increased competition.
IN: ANDROS TOWNSEND
Football – Toronto v Tottenham Hotspur – Pre Season Friendly – BMO Field, Toronto, Canada – 14/15 – 23/7/14Andros Townsend – Tottenham HotspurMandatory Credit: Action Images / Christopher DrostEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Andros Townsend looks all but set to leave Spurs this winter in search of first-team football and perhaps a place in Roy Hodgson’s England squad at Euro 2016. The 24-year old wide man would be an excellent addition to this Swansea side, who have a penchant for pacey wingers.
Though Ayew and Montero are more intricate in their footwork, the former QPR loan star would provide a different type of outlet. His directness and urgency would be an effective outball for the likes of Shelvey or Britton. Unlikely to toy with defenders like either the Ghanaian or Ecuadorian, he will stretch to the byline and provide balance on the wings.
OUT: MARVIN EMNES
The Dutch speedster is barely the first name on the team sheet right now, and while anything is possible under a new coach, it’s difficult to imagine that changing too much.
Clearly not of the required level, the former Middlesbrough ace should be afforded the chance to leave in search of first-team football. A return to the Championship in the shape of a loan move to Leeds United has been mooted, in a move that would make sense for all parties.
OUT: FRANCK TABANOU
Despite only arriving this summer, French left-back Franck Tabanou is already raging about his lack of football in Wales. The £3.5m summer signing has rarely started, or even featured, for the side since his move from Saint Etienne.
‘I don’t understand why they signed me’, blasted the 26-year old earlier this season.
So, it’s not all happy families right now. While Neil Taylor continues to be an ever present at the Liberty Stadium, it seems likely that Tabanou will soon be on the way back home.
OUT: JONJO SHELVEY
Shelvey is a wonderful player on his day, though that day does not come around as often as it used to. Granted, he’s still a young man with a while to improve, but it just seems as if the former Liverpool dynamo is constantly taking one step forward, then two steps back.
Linked with a shock move to Newcastle this winter, perhaps there could be a case made to sell the 23-year old. As the club look to balance themselves out, shipping on the enigmatic England star in favour for a more solid approach may work out better in the long term.
Selling a young, British player is never the easiest thing for a club. However, Shelvey (despite his age) is never really likely to attract top, top money. He’s a level below some of the other young Three Lions hopefuls up and down the league at the present moment.