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Southampton secured Premier League survival with a point at home to Bournemouth last weekend and, surprisingly, owe a portion of their solid results in recent weeks to Shane Long – the striker has turned his poor season around in spectacular style and is now Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first choice up front.

The Irishman has been in impressive form recently and this excellent run of form couldn’t have come at a better time for the Saints nor the player himself, with relegation evaded and Long’s contract expiring next summer.

At 32 years of age, Long is into his twilight years now and will surely begin to lose the legs that are his greatest appeal as a frontman soon. The industrious number 7 is keen to earn a new deal that will keep him at St Mary’s Stadium beyond the end of the 2019/20 season but he divides opinion amongst the Southampton faithful.

Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts on whether the club hierarchy should approach him with a new contract below…

Ben Goodwin

“I would definitely offer the striker a new deal. His scoring record in the past has never lived up to expectations, but who cares about the past? Since Ralph Hasenhuttl arrived the Irishman has been electric and is a perfect fit for the Austrian’s high-octane, high-intensity style. That’s all that matters.”

James Beavis

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes they should offer him a new deal. While Long is never going to be a consistent goalscorer, he is the ideal striker in other respects to how Ralph Hasenhuttl wants his teams to play. While he shouldn’t be a starter next term, as long he is partnering someone else or is simply a back-up, he can cause big problems for opposition defenders. Ross Wilson must get this one sorted ASAP.”

Why should Southampton be more like Dortmund? Find out in the video below…

Matt Dawson

“Shane Long is one of the biggest enigmas in Premier League history and I can’t seem to get my head around him. He possesses qualities which make him a dangerous player but he never really shows that potential. The Irishman is obviously on a good run of form at the moment but Southampton can’t let that cloud their vision. The Saints shouldn’t be considering a new deal at all.”

Newcastle vs Southampton is BT Sport’s televised clash today, with the two bottom half clubs meeting at St James Park as they aim to climb the table. The two clubs have some very impressive players kicking about, and here we’ll be comparing two English midfielders in Sean Longstaff and James Ward-Prowse as they both have huge futures.

Before we get into it, Sean Longstaff is injured and has been for the last few weeks. He will miss this clash and the rest of the season, but should he make it back to fitness for next season and get back to form it will be a matter of time before he’s giving Gareth Southgate selection headaches. One of the players he’ll be battling against for an England spot will be Saints’ James Ward-Prowse, though, who will certainly feature later today.

SEAN LONGSTAFF

Sean Longstaff has shown everyone what he can do in his very short time as a Newcastle United senior player. Before he suffered his injury, there were fans calling for him to be an England player, and who can blame them? The 21-year-old former Blackpool loanee is an incredible youngster with plenty of fight, passion and energy in the middle of the park, with some stellar displays to go with his potential.

If you want to see the best of the young Geordie, just look back to Newcastle’s home clash with Manchester City. Between them, Isaac Hayden and Longstaff shone as they outclassed a Pep Guardiola midfield of David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho. That says all you need to know, and all the Newcastle fans want is to see Longstaff return as soon as possible and get back to form next season as he continues to convince England fans he deserves to be in Southgate’s squad.

TT GRADE: A

JAMES WARD-PROWSE

At the age of 24-years-old, James Ward-Prowse is one of the oldest players to still be considered as a young prospect, and he has been considered so for a long time. However, the Southampton man has got bags of talent that he’s started to utilise under the tutelage of Ralph Hasenhuttl and if he keeps going the way he is then maybe a big money move and a chance with the Three Lions could present itself.

This season has seen the midfield man score six Premier League goals for the Saints, his highest tally since becoming a regular starter back in the 2013/14 season. The only problem is that the midfielder hasn’t got an assist this season and his creative output can be questioned. That could be a key point in whether or not Ward-Prowse gets an international nod, and it will be something that Hasenhuttl will be working on with the impressive midfield maestro.

TT GRADE: C

TT VERDICT

Whilst it could be the case that with so many impressive midfielders coming through with England that neither Ward-Prowse or Longstaff get a look in for the national side, you’d back at least one of them to do so.

Gareth Southgate will have his eye on both, but with age on his side and some bright performances under his belt already, when Longstaff gets back to fitness he will surely be the more likely of the two.

Newcastle and Southampton, who do you think wins this battle? Comment below.

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Gareth Southgate has announced his England squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers, prior to which the question on every Palace fan’s mind was whether Aaron Wan-Bissaka would get a maiden call up to the Three Lions first team.

Unfortunately for the young right-back, he isn’t included in Southgate’s selection, with Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold proving difficult to oust from the setup.

The 21-year-old has been in exceptional form for the Eagles this season and, unlike the aforementioned names, very rarely has a bad day at the office – he can surely feel aggrieved over his omission.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

Completing an average of four tackles per league match, the London-born defender’s numbers are up there with the best in Europe although it has to be said that, while his defensive output is immense, he offers far less on the front foot than the three names keeping him out of the team.

Perhaps a change of system is needed for Wan-Bissaka to get into the Three Lions squad but, regardless, Southgate cannot leave him out for much longer if he keeps improving at such an astounding rate.

Here’s what the Selhurst Park faithful had to say on Twitter…

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Tottenham Hotspur could make a £50million summer bid for Fulham full-back Ryan Sessegnon, per the Daily Mirror.

Spurs have long been linked with an interest in Sessegnon and could pounce in the summer as he continues to drag his heels over the prospect of signing a new contract at Craven Cottage.

What’s the word?

Sessegnon’s current deal expires at the end of next season and he has yet to commit to fresh terms in west London.

Fulham are surely doomed to relegation but have been trying to tie the 18-year-old down to a long-term contract.

Sessegnon has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League but has made a total of 27 top-flight appearances in 2018-19, scoring two goals and laying on five assists.

And the Mirror claim that the likes of Spurs, Manchester United and PSG are all monitoring the teenager.

He would, they state, like to stay in London, however, and Spurs are at the head of the queue, with a £50m bid prepared.

There is the possibility too that Sessegnon could be signed and loaned back to Fulham for a season to continue his development.

The sums don’t add up

This deal doesn’t make sense for Spurs.

With Sessegnon out of contract next summer and also out of form this season, there is very little reason as to why Spurs would be willing to make him their club-record signing.

Chairman Daniel Levy has not bought a single player in the last two transfer windows and it is inconceivable to suggest that he could splash £50m on a player that would be sent straight back to the Championship.

There is an attraction to Sessegnon, of course; he is young, English and could blossom into a truly exceptional player under the management of Mauricio Pochettino.

But the figures mentioned are likely to price Spurs out of any potential bidding war and they should not be too disheartened if that is the case.

There is far better value out there if they go looking for it.

علق حارس مرمى نادي ريال مدريد الأسطوري، إيكر كاسياس، الذي اعتزل قبل أشهر عالم كرة القدم بعد سنوات طويلة حقق خلالها العديد من الإنجازات على قرار الرحيل عن “سانتياجو برنابيو” وعلاقته مع المدرب، جوزيه مورينيو.

ورحل كاسياس عن ريال مدريد في صيف عام 2015 وانتقل إلى بورتو بعد الاتفاق مع النادي الإسباني على فسخ التعاقد بالتراضي، وهو ما تلقى عليه رئيس الملكي، فلورنتينو بيريز، انتقادات عنيفة من الجماهير التي طالبته بالاستقالة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كورتوا بعد تغيير قميصه: أتمنى كتابة تاريخ مميز مع ريال مدريد مثل كاسياس

ورد الحارس الإسباني السابق على سؤال “هل كنت تستحق هذا الوداع من ريال مدريد؟ وهل كنت مخطئًا؟!”: “كنا مخطئين، لكننا تعلمنا من الدرس، لا أحب تذكر تلك الفترة واعتقد أنها لم تكن جيدة بالنسبة لي وللنادي، لكني متأكد من قدرتنا على تصحيح هذا الأمر في المستقبل”.

وعن قرار مورينيو باستبعادك من التشكيل الأساسي وهو ما حدث مع ديل بوسكي من قبل: “الوضعان مختلفان تمامًا، لأن أحدهما له ما يبرره على المستوى الرياضي والآخر على المستوى الشخصي، كنا شخصين على ما يرام لمدة موسم ونصف وفي اليوم التالي كانت هناك مشاكل وأزمات لكنها كانت طبيعية بين مدرب وقائد للفريق”.

وأضاف في النهاية: “اعتقد مورينيو أنني لست جيدًا بما يكفي لأكون في التشكيل الأساسي للفريق، وعلاقتنا لم تعد جيدة كما كانت لذلك لم يكن قرار استبعادي صعبًا بالنسبة له، لكن الآن، تحسنت علاقتنا مرة أخرى ورأيته عدة مرات وتبادلنا الحديث بطريقة جيدة”.

أكد رجل الأعمال الإسباني، جوسيب ماريا بارتوميو، رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي برشلونة، أنّ ناديه لم يتمكن من التوصل لحل ودي مع كيكي سيتين المدير الفني الذي تمت إقالته من البلوجرانا، قبل شهر ونصف، حيث لم يحصل الأخير على مستحقاته المادية عقب قرار الإقالة.

برشلونة تلقى خسارة فادحة بنتيجة 8-2 على يد بايرن ميونخ الألماني، في ربع نهائي دوري الأبطال، ليودع المسابقة القارية بنتيجة تاريخية؛ ليتم بعدها إقالة سيتين من منصبه، بعد 7 أشهر داخل “الكامب نو”؛ وحل الهولندي رونالد كومان مدرب منتخب هولندا السابق، بدلًا منه.

سيتين يطالب برشلونة بالحصول على 4 ملايين يورو كمستحقات متأخرة، من أجل الموافقة على الإقالة رسميًا ضمن كشوف الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم.

أقرأ أيضًا.. بارتوميو يحسم موقفه من الاستقالة ويؤكد: سنبرم صفقات جديدة قبل نهاية الميركاتو

وكان كيكي قد كشف أنّ إدارة برشلونة أخبرته باستقالته يوم 16 سبتمبر بشكل رسمي وليس بعد الهزيمة من بايرن ميونخ، لذلك سيتخذ إجراءات قانونية ضد وصيف الدوري الإسباني (طالع التفاصيل).

وقال سيتين في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “قضية سيتين؟ الأمر بسيط للغاية، لقد تم إخباره إنه سيتم إقالته”.

وأضاف: “لقد تفاوضنا من أجل أنّ يرحل بشكل ودي، وتم الاتفاق على كل شيء، لا أري مشكلة في هذا، ولكن الآن لا يوجد اتفاق، والمحكمة سوف تتخذ قرارًا في هذا الأمر”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “أنا أشكر سيتين على مُساعدته لنا، ولا أفكر الآن في الأشياء السيئة المُتعلقة بالماضي، بل أفكر في المستقبل وما سيأتي، ينتظرنا موسم مُثير”.

The hearings into the spot-fixing scandal involving three players from Pakistan will begin from Thursday in the unlikely setting of Doha, Qatar. At stake during the hearings is the playing future of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir as well as the reputation of the ICC as a governing body able to deal with a problem that strikes at the very heart of the game.Michael Beloff QC, the head of the independent tribunal and chairman of the ICC’s code of conduct commission, addressed the media at the Qatar Financial Centre Civil and Commercial Court, where the hearing will also take place. The briefing was a formal one, merely outlining the procedure the hearing will follow.Beloff outlined the history of the charges against the trio, stemming from a News of the World investigation into the Lord’s Test between Pakistan and England in August last year, as well giving brief profiles of the other members of the tribunal, Justice Albie Sachs from South Africa and Sharad Rao from Kenya.The hearing will be held behind closed doors, with only the tribunal, the ICC’s lawyers Jonathon Taylor and Ian Higgins, the players and their lawyers and witnesses present. The process, Beloff said, will begin with an opening statement from the ICC presenting its case against each of the three players. The players will each then be entitled to respond.”Thereafter, the ICC will present all of the evidence that it has prepared in support of the charges it has brought,” Beloff said. “That will take various forms and will include hearing from witnesses ‘in person’ and over the telephone.”Witnesses from the ICC are set to include representatives from as well as teleconferences with Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan limited overs captain, and Waqar Younis, the team coach.The players will then be expected to present their defence, and will be open to cross-examination by the ICC’s lawyers and the tribunal, before closing statements are made. Though January 11 is the last working date of the hearing, a decision could conceivably be arrived at before that. Alternatively the judgment could also be reserved till after the final date.The players arrived in Doha on Tuesday and as they have done all along, again protested their innocence. Butt, who was captain at the time of the Test and will be represented by London-based barrister Yasin Patel, told AFP, “I have always played the game for the love of it and have never been involved in any wrongdoing.”I am confident that I will soon be playing for my country. I have been practising all through this difficult phase of my life so that whenever I am cleared I am able to play.”Amir, who along with Asif is alleged to have bowled the deliberate, pre-planned no-balls, said, “This is the toughest phase of my life. My elders tell me that such phases come in the life of a professional, so I am bravely facing this situation and will hopefully come out of it to play for Pakistan.”Shahid Karim, Amir’s lawyer, said the incident had affected Amir emotionally. “One of the mitigating factors is age and the other mitigating factor is Amir’s previously unblemished record,” he told AFP.”Emotionally he is drained, he’s been affected badly by it, but he’s coping as best he can and above all he is very confident that he will come out of this clean.”The hearing is taking place in Doha because the third player, Asif, is not allowed to enter the UAE after he was deported from Dubai in 2008 because of a drug-related offence.The three were provisionally suspended by the ICC soon after the scandal emerged and though Butt and Amir contested that decision, their appeals were rejected. If found guilty, they could be banned for anywhere from five years to life.This is the first time such a case is taking place with the ICC effectively the prosecutors. Past offenders, such as Salim Malik and Hansie Cronje, were punished by their own boards.

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, West Ham are eyeing up a move for Maxi Gomez were Marko Arnautovic to leave the club this month. 22-year-old Gomez currently plays his football in Spain with Celta Vigo and has done so since leaving Defensor Sporting back in 2017, with his impressive goal-scoring exploits in La Liga seemingly attracting the interest of Hammers manager Manuel Pellegrini.

And that’s because reports suggest that the striker, valued at £31.5 million by Transfermarkt, is the man the Chilean wants to replace linked-away Arnautovic at the London Stadium, whose arrival would leave West Ham fans soon forgetting about the 29-year-old Austrian.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is little doubting that Arnautovic has become a vital player at the East London outfit in the last 12 months or so, as although he didn’t make a particularly great start to life at the London Stadium upon arrival from Stoke City in 2017, he has since been an absolute revelation.

The 29-year-old netted 11 goals and laid on six assists for the Hammers last term to help David Moyes’ side comfortably stave off relegation by finishing 13th, and he has produced the goods this time round as well with seven goals in just 16 Premier League appearances under new boss Pellegrini.

Unsurprisingly, Arnautovic’s fine form has attracted interest this month with Shanghai SIPG reportedly seeking to lure him to the Chinese Super League, although West Ham fans needn’t worry about his departure were Pellegrini to seal a deal for Gomez as his replacement.

And that’s because the 22-year-old has proven to be one of La Liga’s most deadly striking hotshots in the last two years upon arrival at Celta Vigo in the summer of 2017, with the Uruguay international netting a staggering 19 goals in just 36 league appearances last term, helping the club to a 13th place finish in the Spanish top-flight.

And Gomez has continued his rich vein of form in front of goal this time round too with nine goals in just 17 league games, while his tally of five assists, matching his effort from last season, underlines that not only is he a predatory goal-scorer, but he’s also a creator as well.

As such, there are clear parallels between the huge influence he has on the Celta Vigo team and the huge influence Arnautovic has at West Ham – and at the tender age of 22, Gomez is only likely to get better under an excellent manager like Pellegrini.

Yes, losing Arnautovic, if that does indeed come to pass this month, is sure to come as a huge blow to West Ham in their quest to move up the Premier League table, but it would certainly not be the end of the world given they have won three and lost just one of the six league games he hasn’t featured in this season – he’s important to the team, but not indispensable.

And were the supremely talented Gomez to make the move to the London Stadium this month, West Ham would soon forget about the Austrian.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

It’s been a fairly inconsistent start to the season for Tottenham, as after a summer where they failed to bring in any new players, Pochettino’s side started well but over recent weeks, Spurs haven’t played incredibly well, most recently only beating Cardiff 1-0. 

They face a tough game against West Ham this weekend, who have recently seen their form improve following a tough start to the season. With Marko Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson, West Ham have a duo that could cause Spurs some serious problems. According to the Evening Standard, Robert Snodgrass could beat an ankle injury to return for this weekend’s game.

While he may not have scored in the league this year, Snodgrass is still an important player for the side and has played eight games for Pellegrini this year.

The Breakdown

Spurs travel to the Olympic Stadium without Jan Vertonghen and with Christian Eriksen still struggling with a stomach injury. The injury will come as a worry to Pochettino as the Dane has been out since September 22nd and with Harry Kane struggling for form, the Argentinian needs as much as help as he can get.

Despite beating Huddersfield and Cardiff, Spurs are about to enter an incredibly tough stage of their season as they face Man City, Wolves, Inter Milan and Arsenal over the next month or so.

With Snodgrass returning to the side and with the troublesome duo of Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic up front, Tottenham could well be in for a scare this weekend.

Spurs fans, what do you think? 

This summer has seen some cracking pre-season action so far. Tottenham put four goals past Roma, Liverpool had some late drama when they beat Man City through a 94th-minute penalty and Arsenal youngster Emile Smith-Rowe scored a worldie against Atletico. However, the one that all of the Liverpool fans have been waiting for is against Manchester United tomorrow evening.

Manchester United vs Liverpool is always a huge fixture for both clubs, be it in the Premier League, European competition or a pre-season ‘friendly’ the Reds are always excited to see their side take on the Old Trafford faithful and tomorrow night will be no different. Liverpool have already played both Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City in America this summer, beating City but losing to Jurgen Klopp’s former club.

They’ll now ben keen on ending their pre-season tour of America with a win against their most bitter rivals. It’s been a long time since the Reds have beaten United, with the last time they came out on top over 90 minutes being back in March 2016 in the Europa League. Since then they’ve met five times, drawing four of those and losing one. If the Reds do beat United, it won’t mean much more than pride, but that’s often all the Liverpudlians are bothered about when they face their Mancunian rivals.

You can read the Reds’ verdict on their United friendly here:

As you can see, the fans are buzzing for the United friendly and, as usual, it probably won’t be that friendly.