Having been continually linked with a move for Karim Benzema over the years, it was no surprise that Arsenal fans were quick to react positively to his latest performance on Twitter as he scored a brace in his side’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Tuesday.
Outgoing Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has reportedly wanted the Frenchman, rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, many times in the past, with no move ever materialising.
While he did notch two against Bayern in midweek as Zinedine Zidane’s men reached their third successive Champions League final, it hasn’t been a great season for the 30-year-old in terms of goalscoring – he has just 11 in 42 appearances in all competitions.
Meanwhile, the north London outfit have Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fighting for the centre-forward role, and while that is one position that their new manager may not look to strengthen, the former has struggled at times.
We decided to ask Arsenal fans to vote on our poll about whether their club should make a move to sign Benzema or not this summer, and a huge 78% would be against it.
That is probably fair enough and it seems as though the Benzema to Arsenal rumour is now way past its sell-by date.
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West Ham have named former Besiktas manager Slaven Bilic as the man to replace Sam Allardyce.
The Hammers decided not to offer Allardyce a contract renewal at the end of the season after four years in charge of the Boleyn Ground outfit.
And after two weeks of searching for a suitable man to guide the Hammers in to the their new Olympic Stadium in August 2016, and help deliver their ambition of breaking in to the Premier League’s top six, they have got their man on a three-year-contract.
West Ham’s co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan had reportedly spoken with the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti and Unai Emery during that search, while it is believed Rafa Benitez verbally agreed to take the job before Real Madrid came calling.
But the Hammers have settled for their former defender, Bilic, who represented the club between 1996 and 1997 before signing for Everton.
Bilic made 48 Premier League appearances for West Ham during that time, scoring two goals.
Bilic told West Ham’s official site: “I’m really glad to be back with West Ham United.
“It’s in the Premier League, which is among the best in the world. It’s a big challenge and you are competing with the best and what better club to do it with than West Ham.”My first priority when choosing a club is to look at its ambitions. When I spoke to the Chairmen and Karren Brady, they made clear that it is not only the fantastic new Stadium we are moving into, but they showed their determination and ambition to make what is a big club even bigger.”I saw their determination and passion that they want to do that. That was the number one reason. I could feel that they really wanted me so it was an easy choice.”I would say to the West Ham fans that I will give my best and together we will achieve great things.”West Ham’s season begins as early as July 2 with a Europa League first round qualifier.
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It’s no surprise that Arsenal looked so disjointed and lacking in any real fluidity during their 0-0 draw with Everton on Tuesday night. Jack Wilshere was again (wrongly) given the spoils of the limelight, operating in the centre of an attacking midfield three, while the clearly better Santi Cazorla was left to make the best of the wide positions. Olivier Giroud’s poor finishing aside, the team really were crying out for the presence of Tomas Rosicky.
And it’s no real surprise. This time last year, Rosicky was one of the players rolling their sleeves up and dragging Arsenal over the line to third place. Robin van Persie will take much of the praise for his contributions, but it was the obvious renaissance of Rosicky that really caught the eye.
Arsene Wenger, however, has managed to keep the veteran midfielder away from much playing time this season. It’s unclear whether the player has suffered through injuries for most of the campaign or whether Wenger just doesn’t fancy him as a regular in the starting XI. But there can be no escaping just how much of a lift in spirit and performance this team has when Rosicky features.
You need to pair your best with the very best, and at this time Cazorla is the best player at Arsenal. He needs technically astute performers alongside him, those who are able to match him in quickness of thought and who clearly share the same attacking mind-set. Above all, names like Cazorla enjoy playing with Rosicky.
The win at West Brom gave the impression that the Czech midfielder was never away. He came into the side and scored twice to give Arsenal all three points. Not only that, but when he plays centrally in the absence of Wilshere, you don’t get a sense that Arsenal are suffering by deploying Cazorla on the left flank. There’s a rhythm to their game which comes naturally with experience, and while Wilshere will be the face of this team in the future, there isn’t really much of a loss at the moment in leaving him out of the side. It’s the way it should always have been: veteran names, experienced players and only a smattering of youth.
Rosicky’s contract is up at the end of next season, and this won’t be the first summer where suggestions of a move away come up. The player has been on the fringes of the side for too long, suffering either from poor form or horrible luck on the injury front. But once again, it seems like the clocks going forward have signalled the awaking of the player, forcing his name to the front in terms of those who can have the greatest say on the outcome of a season.
But Arsenal are not only restricted to a few good months from the midfielder. Horror results earlier in the season, specifically against Bradford in the League Cup saw Rosicky to be one of the brighter players on the pitch, while he was comfortably the best performer away to Olympiacos in the Champions League, before being hooked at half time.
There is a case to be made against the player that in seven years at the club has hasn’t reached triple figures for starts in the league. But it has to be noted that he spent the best part of two years on the treatment table, while this time last year saw him in the best form he’s been in since the 2007/08 season.
There shouldn’t be a stigma attached to players over 30 at Arsenal – and much of that can be attributed to the way Wenger deals with his ageing players. Whatever happens this summer with new arrivals, there should always be a positive transition between the old and the new; something which was evidently lost in the earlier years at the Emirates.
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For Arsenal fans alone, it would be nice to have another player who is held in high regard to retire with the club. Yet sentimental reasons aside, Rosicky can still be an invaluable asset both on the pitch and in the dressing room.
Javier Hernandez claims he is ready to step in for Wayne Rooney following the England international’s unfortunate injury.
The Mexican has arguably been most affected by the arrivals of Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa, but is ready for a first-team berth following injury to one of United’s many attacking options.
Last season the 24-year-old was often overlooked for Danny Welbeck, but still netted 12 times in all competitions.
With Rooney sidelined for at least a month, ‘Chicharito’ told The Mirror he hopes for a first-team chance: “The great thing about this club is you know you will get opportunities because we play so many games in different tournaments.
“There is competition for places but you always have that.”
Hernandez also claims to be happy about Van Persie’s arrival despite the impact it may have on his own career: “I try to learn from all my teammates but obviously it’s great to watch other strikers.”
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“I know I learn a lot off Robin because he is a world-class striker who has a lot to give to the team and teach us all.”
Crystal Palace may have produced more memorable performances this season, but few points will have felt as precious as the one they picked up at Vicarage Road in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, moving the South London side six points clear of the relegation zone with just a handful of games remaining.
Indeed, while Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend have been easily amongst the best attacking players outside of the Premier League’s top six this term, it was the Eagles’ ability to keep out Watford that proved crucial at the weekend with centre-back James Tomkins playing a huge part in that.
The 29-year-old was an absolute rock at the heart of defence, making more than twice the number of clearances as any other player on the pitch and ranking second throughout both teams for aerial duels won, while recording two tackles and one interception.
In fact, it was actually the former England U21 who came closest to scoring for Palace, his header from a Yohan Cabaye corner hitting the post before bouncing back out, capping off an immense performance from Tomkins who has been one of the most dependable players amid a relegation-threatened season at Selhurst Park.
Is Tomkins your player of the season, Eagles fans? Let us know by voting below…
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I can’t remember the last time a Premier League footballer as young as Raheem Sterling caused such an aggressive reaction from the Liverpool fanbase, the media and the general public.
The 20 year-old’s contract situation has become the Premier League’s biggest talking point over the last few weeks, following news of the Reds forward rejecting a contract worth over £100k per-week that would have extended his Anfield stay past 2017.
From gaffers to groundsmen, billionaire owners to ball-boys, pundits to players and Joey Barton to Joe Bloggs, the beauty of football is that everybody has an opinion. My concern, however, is that 90% of the opinions regarding Sterling have only followed the simplistic, superficial narrative of him being a money-grabber, bending Liverpool’s arm for a few extra million.
But are we actually judging Raheem Sterling, or just the stereotype of the greedy, disloyal, financially-motivated, young modern day footballer? Too many have been too quick to make up their minds.
It’s all been a bit of a PR disaster for Team Sterling so the common feeling of angst towards him is no great surprise. His exclusive interview with the BBC was only ever going to exacerbate current tensions; mentioning figures he’s turned down and describing Arsenal’s rumoured interest as ‘flattering’ was naive, stupid and inflammatory. The resulting assumption is that whoever put him up to it – naturally, his agent – is probably the same person telling him not to sign a new deal with Liverpool. Once again, his agent.
But are Sterling’s counter-arguments really so bizarre that they’re impossible to take at face value? He told the BBC the limited opportunity for silverware – not financial gain – is at the source of his reluctance to pen extended terms which, in my opinion, is a perfectly reasonable concern for a footballer of such obvious talent.
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After all, Liverpool have won just two trophies in the last decade, the 2006 FA Cup and the 2012 League Cup, and are still waiting for their first under Brendan Rodgers. In the last five years they’ve qualified for the Champions League only once and on some occasions not even picked up the wooden spoon prize of Europa League football.
The Reds’ surprise coup for the Premier League title last year almost proved successful but that was under rather special circumstances and the situation now is completely different. There’s no longer a fully fit Daniel Sturridge, a world-class talisman like Luis Suarez or a Steven Gerrard enjoying an affluent spell in the twilight of his career – or for that matter, the added passion and emotion of Liverpool’s 2013/14 campaign coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
The chances of another runner-up season any time soon, whilst Chelsea are healthy and stable, Arsenal are clawing their way back into the reckoning, Manchester City are far from over and Manchester United are on the mend, seem remarkably slim.
One could accuse Sterling of disloyalty. He wouldn’t be where he is today without Liverpool. But he wouldn’t be where he is today without QPR either and nobody seems too concerned about him honouring a club he spent seven years at, compared to just five on Merseyside, and initially learnt his trade. Shouldn’t they be reaping the rewards for Sterling’s development into one of Europe’s best youngsters right now? Not a club over 200 miles from where he grew up in Wembley.
Furthermore, Sterling, in my opinion at least, is destined for the top. He’s comfortably the best player in Liverpool’s squad at just 20 years of age and was 2014’s Golden Boy winner. You only need to mull over the names of some of his predecessors for the award – Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Cesc Fabregas, Mario Gotze and Paul Pogba, for example – to consider what this says about the England international’s future, the level he could play at and his capacity to win titles. Why stay at Liverpool if he’s already good enough to contribute at Chelsea, Manchester City or, dare I say it, Manchester United?
And it’s not as if he’s somehow left Liverpool facing a raw deal. With two years left on his contract, they can still demand an enormous transfer fee for the most talented Englishman of a generation. Money-grabbing would be to sign a £100k per-week deal, before turning around next summer and saying he wants to leave. When you think about it, he’s actually saving the Merseysiders a fair few bob by being honest about his ambitions.
Indeed, I fail to see where money actually enters the equation, apart from all the talk in the media. His agent probably is eyeing the commission from either a new contract or a move to another club – but that doesn’t mean Sterling has the same motivation. Yet, he still can’t escape the notion that it’s somehow all about the money – a Premier League player verging on talisman status at one of the biggest clubs in England currently earning less than what some get in the Championship. If it was all about the money, wouldn’t Sterling have said something a little sooner, not delayed contract negotiations even further?
Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps Sterling’s agent is whispering sweet nothings into his ear whilst the Liverpool star thinks about which colour he wants his Buggati Veyron to be. But let’s not judge an innocent man until he’s proven guilty. And perhaps more importantly, lets not judge him upon the greedy acts of other footballers.
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Let’s wait and see whether he accepts a £150k per-week contract – his apparent demand according to the tabloids – or remains adamant that his future lies away from Anfield.
I have a far more simple theory; after watching Steven Gerrard every day in training for the last five years, about to walk off to the MLS without a Premier League title to his name, Sterling doesn’t want to be his generation’s also-ran. When he jets off for a swansong abroad, aged 34, he wants something more than the just Kop’s adoration to recognise how talented a footballer he was.
Pablo Aimar believes his Benfica side will beat Chelsea as the current Blues line-up are the weakest for last decade.
The pair are set to meet in the Europa League final on Wednesday in what is sure to be an extremely riveting clash in Amsterdam.
The game represents the Londoners last shot at silverware this season, although their campaign may still be judged to have been a success if they manage to qualify for the Champions League places.
The Blues won the Champions League last year but have struggled at times this term and Aimar is confident his side will emerge victorious in the Dutch capital.
“Since they have inherited a wealthy owner [Abramovich], this is probably the weakest Chelsea team there has been,” he said. “Of course, Chelsea are a big club, but this is not the same team that won the Champions League a year ago. This team got knocked out at the group stages.
“They have not been convincing in Europe or in the Premier League. And it is a team that is not behind the coach [Rafael Benitez]. We can take advantage of the fact they are not at their best and not playing as a team.”
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Newcastle fans aren’t getting carried away despite their amazing form, after former Netherlands international Mario Melchiot said the Magpies can achieve big things under Rafael Benitez.
You’d be hard pushed to find a set of fans more infuriated by their ownership than Newcastle supporters, who have been pleading for years for owner Mike Ashley to leave the club.
Ashley bought the Magpies back in 2007, and fans have grown tired of his smug demeanour and downright refusal to spend any real money improving the squad.
The arrival of Rafa Benitez felt like a blessing to the Toon Army, and their incredible run in the last month or so has proven why they love the Spaniard so much.
Having upset Manchester United back in February, Benitez’s side have now won three games on the bounce, and Melchiot thinks it can be the start of something special on Tyneside.
“Newcastle is a club that belongs in the Premier League. They have some of the best fans in the country and the prestige of the club is up there with the best, but they have had difficult times in recent years, both on and off the field,” the 41 year-old wrote on his website.
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“That’s why Rafa Benitez’ work this season has been so brilliant.
“But there is still a lot of work to do at Newcastle before they reach the success that they experienced in the 90’s. And holding onto Rafa will be a key part of that.
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“He has been loyal so far, but unless the board give him more funding and more ambitious plans for growing the club’s position, Rafa won’t stick around for long.”
Newcastle fans would love to believe they can get back amongst the elite under Rafa, but they’re all saying the same thing about Melchiot’s comments – it will never happen with Ashley in charge.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Manchester United have taken a huge step to ensuring they make a return to the Champions League after some crucial victories in recent weeks.
Wins over Liverpool and Spurs mean they now have an eight-point buffer with just seven games to go, that given their current form should be enough to see them over the line.
The return to European competition will prove important in the manager’s recruitment process this summer as he looks to strengthen his squad once again with some of Europe’s most talented players.
And with plenty of players set to depart Old Trafford at the end of the season you can be sure there will a few more arriving at the club as Louis van Gaal looks to build on a positive first season in charge.
Here are just five of the possible signings he could be looking to make, with reports linking all of them with a move to the Red Devils…
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Mats Hummels
The United defence is an area that Louis van Gaal will certainly be looking to strengthen this summer with a top centre-back surely a priority. And if reports are to be believed Dortmund defender Mats Hummels could be the man to help them do so.
Despite the German outfit trying to tie him down to a new contract, the World Cup winner is said to be keeping his options open regarding his future and it looks increasingly likely that he will leave the club in the summer, especially as Dortmund will have failed to qualify for the Champions League.
The Red Devils are said to have already agreed a deal in principle with the German star and although this has been denied by the man himself, the fact he is considering his future looks promising for United.
Raheem Sterling
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Having stalled on signing a new contract at Liverpool, the future of Raheem Sterling looks in some doubt. And alongside Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City’ astonishingly United are also said to be interested in the 20-year-old and could be looking to offer £50m in order to prize him away from Anfield.
Given the fact Liverpool risk losing him on a free when his contract expires, if Sterling really has intentions of moving on and playing Champions League football then they could be left with little choice but to accept that type of money if a bid was to be made over the coming months.
Edinson Cavani
With both Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao having disappointed for much of the season, United could well be in the market for a new striker to lead their attack on the Champions League.
The future of the duo has been placed in some doubt of recent weeks and it is thought the club have lined up an audacious swoop for PSG star Edinson Cavani to replace the pair, having previously failed to sign him when David Moyes was in charge.
The Uruguayan forward was unhappy at being substituted last weekend casting fresh doubt over his happiness in Paris, and having been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time now this could finally be the summer Cavani arrives in England.
Nathaniel Clyne
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One area Louis van Gaal will be keen to strengthen is the right-back position with Rafael out of favour and question marks over Antonio Valencia who has been filling in for much of the season.
And it appears the Dutchman feels the ideal man to fill this role is Southampton’s Nathaniel Clyne with speculation growing over a proposed move to Old Trafford.
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The Saints man has put in a number of impressive performances this season, and after breaking into the England squad would no doubt favour a move to a Champions League side.
The Red Devils are reportedly willing to offer Mexican striker Javier Hernandez as part of the deal, and with £15m on top of that; it may well prove enough to land the 23-year-old.
Kevin Strootman
Kevin Strootman continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United and reports suggest he is the main man on Van Gaal’s shopping list as he searches for a world class midfielder.
The Dutchman has been ravaged by injuries in recent seasons however and will play no further part in Roma’s season as he continues his recovery from a knee problem.
The 25-year-old has started just four games in 12 months for his club so would certainly be a risk, particularly given the fact he would probably cost upwards of £40m, but the United boss is an admirer of the Strootman having worked with him at international level and so it would be no surprise to see him do whatever it takes to get the deal done.
For Tottenham Hotspur supporters, there has always been something of a curious fascination behind the general prejudice that the vast majority of Premier League neutrals seem to bestow towards their very own Aaron Lennon.
Aged only 25, the Leeds-born winger has made over 220 top-flight appearances for his club under four different managers, clocked up 21 England caps and travelled to two World Cups in the process.
Throw in 45 showings in European competition – including a Champions League run in which Lennon proved his ability to cut it on the biggest stage of them all – and you get an idea as to the calibre of a player that has been a first team regular at White Hart Lane for near on eight years now.
And over the last two league games, although Spurs fans were hardly surprised what damage the absence of Lennon’s pedigree might do to this the team, his loss has been sorely felt by Andre Villas-Boas’ side. During the league losses against Liverpool and Fulham, as well as the majority of last week’s 4-1 mauling away to Inter Milan, the Lilywhites looked both off-colour and off-balance without their effervescent number seven in tow.
Because while the cynics might attribute the bulk of Tottenham’s recent hiccup to Gareth Bale’s inability to dig them out of another hole, the truth is that the men from N17 have been unable to produce any form of real attacking rhythm without the injured Lennon. And to a greater extent, their loss is only proving to the rest of English football what Spurs fans already knew about both his quality and his importance to this side.
Breaking down the wall of scepticism that the wider footballing public seems to possess in regards to Lennon’s ability has often seemed like a tough nut to crack over the years. In fact, now aged 25, you get the impression that some will simply never veer away from their perception of an inconsistent, one trick show-pony. Stereotypes die-hard and Aaron Lennon has found it difficult to shed his label as a limited footballer blessed with unique athletic talent, rather than a well-rounded Premier League component.
At times of course, the diminutive winger has often been his own worst enemy in regards to proving those doubters wrong.
Certainly, if Spurs fans are correct in their opinion that Lennon has a lot more to offer than what the boo-boys make out, then his critics aren’t wrong in parading his inconsistency as a major flaw in design. When the confidence has eeked out of his game and the willingness to take opponents on dwindles, he can sometimes look awfully exposed. As a player who has never possessed much of a craft in front of goal or a real match-winning edge, he does perhaps suffer more than most when the bread-and-butter elements of his game fade away.
But he looks no less exposed when his fortunes fade than most players within this league and while he’ll never rack up a goal count quite as high as say, Arsenal’s Theo Walcott, that doesn’t mean he’s any less important to his team than what the Gunners man is to his.
With four goals and six assists to his name in the Premier League this season, Lennon’s statistics don’t necessarily ooze an air of all-conquering importance. Although while not going quite as far as harnessing Villas-Boas’ claims that stats are ‘useless’, viewing the England-man’s contribution empirically hugely undermines Lennon’s value within this team.
You can’t quantify how much space he’s made as a result of his unrelenting runs down the right hand side and it’s within the frequency and efficiency of those runs that you also discover quite how underrated his positional sense and awareness of space is. He is the key that so often opens the doors for others within this Spurs team without even having the ball.
And when he does, the urban myth about a fabled non-existent end-product is slowly beginning to dissipate. The wayward crosses haven’t been culled just yet, but his delivery is a far more consistent beast than it previously has been.
And when it comes to keeping possession, an Andres Iniesta he may not be, but considering 85% of his 765 passes have safely landed at the desired recipient this season, you begin to understand why he’s proved such a valuable asset within this Villas-Boas incarnation of a Tottenham side.
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Gareth Bale may ultimately be the talisman within this Tottenham team, but Aaron Lennon’s brief absence over the last two league games has given us a stark reminder that the Lilywhites’ hopes of success rest on a lot more than just the Welshman’s shoulders.
Should they wish to qualify for the Champions League and push on within their Europa League campaign, Villas-Boas is going to need the speed, determination and work-ethic that Lennon brings just as much as any howitzer that Bale might provide from now until the end of the season.
If Spurs are perceived to be toothless without Bale in their team, then they almost certainly look anaemic without Lennon in it. Should they look to get their colour back before more telling damage is done to their Premier League campaign, they’re going to need Lennon back as a matter of urgency.