Manchester United started the new season pretty badly after a 3:1 home defeat against Crystal Palace. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side put a very poor display, and a lot of work is ahead of the Norwegian manager. It seems that the Red Devils failed again to produce a productive transfer window, as they signed just Donny van de Beek. Several names circulate around the club, but it is questionable how much they can improve the squad. The home side managed to book their first victory against Brighton last weekend, but only after a stoppage-time penalty that Bruno Fernandes converted. They faced the same opponent in a mid-week EFL Cup clash and were much more confident with a 3:0 win. If the hosts want to challenge the very top of the table, they need to improve significantly in the coming weeks.
Tottenham Hotspur is pretty unpredictable at the beginning of the new season. They also opened the campaign with a narrow 1:0 defeat against Everton and got back on the winning track after trashing Southampton 5:2. However, they failed to a late draw against Newcastle United and dropped two points. Everybody thought that Jose Mourinho’s side would lose against Chelsea in the EFL Cup, but the Spurs managed to see their way through the next round after a penalty shootout. Harry Kane and the lads played against Maccabi Haifa just 48 hours later in the Europa League qualifiers and managed to book a confident 7:2 victory. Another tough challenge is ahead of them, and we will see if they have enough strength to put another good display.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

Although Manchester United doesn’t seem very confident at the start of the season, we believe they can benefit from Tottenham’s tight schedule. They have a couple of days more to prepare for this game, and they should be able to take all three points.

Goals Market Prediction

Their head to head clashes have usually been pretty moderate in terms of the total number of goals. Jose Mourinho should apply a bit more defensive approach, but we still should be able to see goals in both nets.
Manchester United to win @ 1.90
BTTS Yes @ 1.70
Correct score 2:1 @ 9.50
Read the analysis here and share your opinion with us!

INNOCENT POSSUM'S PICKS:

Hey,
The COVID break means this season is actually starting quite soon after the last one finished. As a Leeds fan I am soooo hyped to get this season underway! Below I will share some season-long bets I have, alongside the reasoning why. I will also have a list of other bets I have backed, but the reasoning for these is mostly because I am an excited Leeds fan. Therefore, back the second list at your peril (And the first one in fairness, I can't guarantee anything beyond I put a bit of thought into them.)

MY PICKS (ALL PLACED ON SKYBET):

1. Leeds and Sheffield United Top Half @12.00 (£40 for £480) 1.1. Leeds and Sheffield United Top Half @10.00 (£52 for £520) (£92 for £1,000)
2. Leeds +40 Handicap Table @17.00 (£35 for £595) 2.2 Liverpool +5 @17.00 (£25 for £425)
3. Bielsa to win a Manager of the Month Award @9.00 (£11 for £99 [Now @7.00])
4. Sheffield Top Half (@3.50), Millwall Top 6 (@3.25), Blackpool Top 6 (@3.00) and Colchester Top 7 (@2.75) £50 total split £10 4-fold and 4x £10 Trebles for £260 Minimum for 3, £2,150 for all 4.
5. Aubameyang Top Scorer (@6.50), Ivan Toney (@10.00), Matty Taylor (@12.00), Ian Henderson (@9.00) Backed £2 E/W Yankee (Doubles, Trebles and 4-Fold). 3 Out of Placing in the Top 4 returns Stake. All 4 placing is £300. 1 Win and 2 Place is a bit of profit. All 4 winning is 21k.

.

MY REASONING:

1. This one I ended up double backing. Maybe there is a Leeds bias creeping in, but I feel like at a price of @12.00 and even @10.00 this is a smart bet. Sheff United have proven what they can do, and while they lost Henderson who was instrumental, Ramsdale is a tidy replacement. Leeds are a total wild card; I genuinely think we could come 20th or crack Top 6. I think we will start strong as no-one knows how to deal with Bielsa's play but then will suss it out on the return fixtures. I think this could very easily leave us in the Top half. Assuming Arsenal and Tottenham aren't garbage, the 'Big Six' take the top spots leaving 4 places for who? Everton, Leicester, Wolves, Sheff United; Maybe Leeds, Burnley, Southampton and Palace if they have strong seasons too. Therefore I think these two teams fighting for 2 of the 4 spots left at these odds is great, especially not including Spurs and Arsneal choking...
   
2. The way the handicap table works is Sky give each team a + points value (for Leeds its +40) and whoever comes top of the league with all of these values applied wins the league. Therefore it's not a case of Leeds coming 39 or less points behind Liverpool when they win, as Liverpool also get a +5. This means a team like Newcastle could win the Handicap League by coming 8th, as their 52 +48 might be enough to be greater than Liverpool's 84+5, City's 88+0 and Arsenal's 62+25. Ultimately what this table is trying to bet on (all @17.00 until the odds shift as more are backed) is which team will overperform the most. Again, could be a Leeds bias but @17.00 for +40 seems good to me as we are such a mystery, an unknown. Fulham and West Brom are +53 and +52 respectively, but we all know what they are about; it wasn't long before they were in the Prem last. (As a Side note, I will back Liverpool +5 @17.00 as that means if they get like 95 points, even losing the league to City, teams like Man U and Chelsea will need 85 in the same season and I can't see that happening). However, I think the Top 4 will be tighter this year with Man U and Chelsea putting up a challenge, meaning the overall total of points won't be so high as they will take points off one another. This could leave Leeds to take the Handicap victory when given 40+ points (May be consider backing E/W if you follow)
   
3. Again possible Leeds bias coming into play but it's no secret Bielsa is a highly renowned manager. Pep and Pochettino both learned what they know from him. Coming up to the Premiership with a newly promoted team gives him so much potential to have a month where he wins 4/4. If he pulls that off, he is likely to get it as no-one anticipates a newly promoted side to have a month that strong. In April we play two derbies against Sheff U and Man U, then also have Liverpool and City. If we have 3 draws and a win in that period, managing to draw against the titanic teams, he could win. With odds of @9.00 (even @7.00) I think this has a tonne of potential.
   

4.
Sheffield United: Have proven they can get Top Half. While it was likely a bit of an anomaly and they fell flat towards the end, I don't see why they can't do it again. They have a similar strength team and the same manager and strong tactics to grind out results all season long.
Millwall: Millwall have been knocking at the door and I think this year is they finally crack top 6. They are good defensively and have a good spine. They also have a couple of game winning talents in amongst the squad too.
Blackpool: Disappointing 13th last year but it seems like Blackpool have made a real effort to make some key signings and bolster their weaker spots. Out of all of the League One teams, Blackpool's odds looked the best value as a lot of the other teams I fancied were all below Evens.
Colchester: Coming 6th last year I reckon they can get top 7 again this year. My concern is they lack attacking threat but their defence seems to be rock solid. Usually defence is what is needed to do well over the whole season, while attack makes the difference between play-offs and auto.
5.
Aubameyang: Scored 13 in 10 when he first joined in the back end of the 17/18 season. Won the Golden boot joint with Salah and Mane in 18/19. Last season scored 22 and missed out on Top scorer to Vardy with 23. This guy is consistent and unlike Mane/Salah, is likely to be free from competition of a similar calibre to himself within his own team.
Toney: Brentford's new striker. Last season Brentford had Watkins (2nd with 25), Benrama (17) and Mbeuno (15) in the top 15 scorers. The season before that they had Maupay joint 2nd. Now they have brought in Toney to a team who is tipped to be in the top 3 teams most likely to get promoted; this means goals. Toney himself was Peterborough's and League One's top scorer last season with 25 so he knows how to put the ball away.
Taylor: Top scorer for Oxford last season, the team that scored the 3rd most goals. This year Toney has moved to Brentford, Guandillet is in Turkey, Henderson has gone down to Salford, Eisa and Clarke-Harris will both compete for Peterborough's goals and Godden and Ladapo got promoted. I reckon we will see a lot of goals from oxford with Taylor being the main supplier.
Henderson: Mentioned above, now at Salford, the favourites to win League Two this year after one season to feel out the league. Rochdale only scored 39 goals last season but so goals were few and far between but when the chances came it was mostly Henderson who put them away. Now playing for the best team in the 'easier' league we should see him picking up a serious haul.

MY EXTRA BETS:

1. Leeds to win the Prem (lol) @201
2. Leeds to get Top 4 @26
3. Leeds to beat Chelsea Home and Away (Stop Crying Frank Lampard) @26
4. Leeds to beat Liverpool Home and Away (Giant Killers) @51
5. Leeds to beat Man City Home and Away (The Master schools the Student) @101
6. Leeds to finish above Man U (Not happening with the biased pen-giving refs) @17
7. Bamford 15+ Goals @8
8. Rodrigo 15+ Goals @21 (Boosted from @14, seemed insane value even if he is more likely to be a creator than a finisher)
9. A whole bunch of long-shot Request-A-Bets that I recommend you browse and see what you like

BEST OF LUCK IF YOU FOLLOW!
FEEL FREE TO JOIN MY SUBREDDIT: /InnocentPossumsPicks
FEEL FREE TO JOIN THE DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/SQzh6dE / ThePossum#9306
FEEL FREE TO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Innocent_Possum

Key Facts

Round: 37 of 38
Referee: Anthony Taylor

• Average Reds: 0.17
• Average Yellows: 3.86

Location: New White Hart Lane, Tottenham
Time: 1600BST/UTC+1, 19/07/20
Channels (UK): Sky Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League (no crowd noises)

Injuries

(Out / Unlikely / Suspended )
Leicester:

1. Soyuncu
2. Ricardo
3. Amarety
4. Maddison
5. Chilwell
6. Fuchs
7. Albrighton

Spurs:

1. Dier
2. Ndombele
3. Foyth
4. Dele
5. Tanganga
6. Aurier

Betting Odds

Accurate as of 1002BST 19/07/20 (Decimal, lower is more likely):
Leicester Win: 3.20
Draw: 3.40
Spurs Win: 2.25

Fun Facts

• Jamie Vardy has been directly involved in 8 goals in his last 9 Premier League matches v Tottenham Hotspur (5 goals, 3 assists)
• In eight matches, Leicester have failed to maintain a clean sheet against Spurs
• Since returning to the Premier League, we have only beaten Spurs thrice including the home fixture earlier this season, and only once beating them on the road during the winning season (P11 W3 D2 L6)
• A Rodgers side has not beaten a Mourinho managed side in 6 meetings (D2 L4)
• Since 2014, the 11 league meetings between Spurs and Leicester have produced 43 goals (26 Spurs - 17 Foxes) *corrected by u/Pacifistycuffs
• On the road in the league, the Foxes have not won an away match since beating Newcastle 3-0 on New Years Day. (P8 D3 L5)

Liverpool FC vs. Manchester City F.C.
Competition : Champions League – Quarterfinal – Leg 1
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool UK
Date: Wednesday, 4 April
Kick-off : 19:45 BST | 20:45 CET | 14:45 Central USA
Referee : Felix Brych
Assistants : Mark Borsch, Stefan Lupp
Fourth official : Markus Häcker
Liverpool FC
Manager: Jürgen Klopp
Line Up - Ederson, Walker, Kompany (C), Otamendi, Laporte, Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Sane, Jesus
Substitutes - Bravo, Danilo, Stones, Sterling, Delph, Bernardo, Zinchenko
Sidelined – Matip (thigh), Gomez (ankle), Lallana (hamstring), Klavan (knock), Woodburn (knock), Brewster (knee)
Form Guide -
All competitions - W D L W W
Champions League – W D W W D
Pre-Match Press Conference Statements
“ We want to go as far as possible in the competition, so we have to face the best teams in the world. City's confidence is probably at an outstandingly high level, but we're in a good moment as well. I like difficult tasks, I like difficult jobs. For a manager it's the most interesting – what to do and how to prepare your boys as best as possible. It's a big opportunity and we'll try everything to win.“

• Jürgen Klopp*

Manchester City F.C.
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Line Up – Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Miller, Henderson, Oxlaide-Chamberlain, Mane, Salah, Firmino
Substitutes - Mignolet, Clyne, Wijnaldum, Moreno, Ings, Solanke, Masterson
Sidelined – Mendy (knee), Agüero (knee)
Form Guide
All competitions - W W L W W
Champions League - W W L W L
Pre-Match Press Conference Statements
"Everyone's talking about how tough Liverpool will be, but it would be the same for Barcelona, Bayern or Sevilla. In the quarter-finals, you have to expect your opponents to be one of the toughest teams in the world. The way we play is perfect for Liverpool. Of course we will try to do something [to stop them], but I feel the best way to win is to play how we've been doing as a group all season."
Pep Guardiola
HEAD-TO-HEAD

• The clubs have never met in UEFA competition
  
• Liverpool have the upper hand domestically: W87 D46 L45
  

ODDS

Book	Liverpool	DRAW	Man City
William Hill	3.00	3.50	2.40
Bet 365	3.00	2.60	2.40
Bwin	2.90	3.60	2.35
Tipico	2.90	3.50	2.40

Payout odds in multiples of 1, i.e. odds of 2.60 means a total payout of €2.60 if you place a winning bet of €1.
Odds at 11:00 GMT. Just a look at how the bookies rate this game, and not an endorsement for betting/gambling.
MATCH FACTS
Liverpool

• Jordan Henderson and Alberto Moreno are a booking away from a ban.
  
• Liverpool have failed to score in only two of their last 19 matches in all competitions, winning 2-1 at Crystal Palace FC on Saturday.
  
• Liverpool have lost only one of their 23 games at Anfield in all competitions this season (W14 D8), although they have won only three of the last six (D2 L1). They have scored in all but three of those 23 fixtures.
  
• The Reds have won seven of their last 12 matches in all competitions, losing three.
  
• Liverpool's 2-0 win against Newcastle United FC on 3 March was their first clean sheet in their last seven home games; they subsequently kept clean sheets in the next two.
  
• Mohamed Salah has scored 16 goals in his last 14 appearances for Liverpool, including the late winner at Palace at the weekend. The Egyptian has 29 Premier League goals in 31 appearances this season.
  
• Nathaniel Clyne has not played for the first team this season due to a back injury – although he has been added to Liverpool's UEFA Champions League squad and was an unused substitute at Palace.
  
• Joe Gomez had to be replaced early in England's 1-0 victory away to the Netherlands on 23 March with an ankle problem. Emre Can has been sidelined since 17 March with a back injury.
  
• Salah was on target in Egypt's 2-1 defeat by Portugal on 23 March; new Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk scored in a 3-0 victory against the Portuguese three days later.
  
• Dominic Solanke recovered from a toe injury to score a late winner for England Under-21s against Ukraine on 27 March.
  

Manchester City

• Danilo, İlkay Gündoğan and Fernandinho will incur a suspension with their next yellow cards.
  
• City have won all but four of their 31 Premier League games this season. They have lost just one of their last 39 league fixtures, winning 33 and drawing five. They were 3-1 winners at Everton FC on Saturday and will be crowned champions if they beat Manchester United at home on 7 April.
  
• Josep Guardiola's side have won their last three away games in all competitions, and four of the last five – keeping clean sheets in but one of all those victories. Their overall record away from home this season is W19 D3 L3 with 12 clean sheets.
  
• City have scored 58 goals away from home, conceding 20. Only Crystal Palace FC, in the Premier League on 31 December (0-0), and third tier Wigan Athletic FC in the last 16 of the FA Cup on 19 February (0-1) have stopped them scoring.
  
• Sergio Agüero has 15 goals in 15 games in all competitions in 2018, and needs one more to become the first player to score 200 for City. His four-goal haul against Leicester City FC on 10 February was the third time he has managed four in a Premier League match; no other player can match that.
  
• Raheem Sterling has 16 Premier League goals this season – seven more than his previous best total of nine, with Liverpool in 2013/14.
  
• City claimed the first silverware of the English domestic season with a 3-0 victory against Arsenal in the League Cup final at Wembley on 25 February, thanks to goals from Agüero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva. It is the fifth time the Citizens have won the competition.
  
• Gabriel Jesus scored the only goal as Brazil beat Germany on 27 March. The same day, Kevin De Bruyne found the net as Belgium beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 – his first goal in 20 internationals, since May 2016 – and Nicolás Otamendi was on target for Argentina, although they lost 6-1 to Spain in Madrid.
  
• Kyle Walker, Sterling and John Stones were in the England team that beat a Netherlands side captained by Virgil van Dijk and also featuring Georginio Wijnaldum 1-0 in Amsterdam on 23 March. The same day, Bernardo Silva started for Portugal in a 2-1 win against Mohamed Salah's Egypt.
  
• Benjamin Mendy has not played since a cruciate knee injury on 23 September. Fabian Delph suffered a muscle injury on 5 March and has not featured since; Agüero has been out since 10 March with a knee problem picked up in training while Stones missed the Everton game with concussion.
  
• De Bruyne was included in the UEFA.com Fans' Team of the Year 2017. The Belgian handed over a cheque from for €100,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) before the second leg against Basel.
  

Will be updated as more information emerges

So just a little discussion piece, haven't done one in a while and I'm bored and can't sleep.
​
I think there are currently negotiations, or even agreements made, regarding the locks of Glasgow, that suggests the club is aiming or has succeeded, in retaining the services of our beloved Weegie fae Fiji.
​
Currently the trio signed up to Glasgow for next season include Richie Gray, Scott Cummings and Rob Harley.
​
We have 4 locks out of contract in Leone Nakarawa, Tim Swinson, Matt Davidson and Kiran McDonald. 3 of these guys are Scottish locks, all who could be described as experienced. Swinson epitome of the word, McDonald has a few years on his record now, and Davidson, while young, has spent a season in Newcastle and now one at Glasgow as an active pro, he does have experience relative to a youngster out an academy for example.
​
Edinburgh having announced most of their business, also had Cockerill slip that they would be potentially announcing an experienced Scottish lock but cannot announce who yet, as it's anticipated they won't be keeping Callum Hunter-Hill and he'll be signing permanently with Saracens, because he's gone rather well for them so they're interested, but there's also rumours Hunter-Hill had discipline issues at Edinburgh, leading to why he was put on loan in the first place. Anyway, the headline is Edinburgh have 2 dead cert Scotland lock calls in Gilchrist and Toolis, and as things sit, they have McKenzie, Hunter-Hill and Hodgson contracted for next season. 5 locks total, reasonable depth when also considering they have Lewis Carmichael who can and has that hybrid capacity to play back row and lock, and it's rumoured Mesulame Kunavalu could also be used in a similar capacity. 5 specialists augmented by 1, maybe 2 utilities, great lock depth. In losing Hunter-Hill they have a gap in the position, and to insulate against injuries and allow themselves to select on form even missing the 2 starting locks, rather than because the cupboards look bare and they have no other options, I think this is why they're looking at signing another lock, to replace Hunter-Hill, makes sense and the fact the lock is Scottish is encouraging anyway versus some random journeyman.
​
Here's the kicker. Glasgow lost Cameron Henderson, our stage 3 academy tied lock, to Leicester Tigers who swooped in and picked him up on a full deal, presumably after his performances in the U20s 6 Nations. Unclear whether he accepted their offer straight up, or even if Glasgow made any contract offers or got the change to offer anything above his stage 3 status, point being he's gone, so Glasgow don't have a youth option to promote directly into the team now.
​
What this means is that Glasgow are left currently with Cummings, who is a dead cert Scotland call up as things sit, Richie Gray, who is in all probability, likely to wind back up in the Scotland frame with him having returned to a Scottish club and what that signals after a career of signing to English and French clubs, and Rob Harley, whom Glasgow use as a lock and a back row. That's nowhere near enough depth for a season. So with this, Glasgow have negotiations to conduct with the remaining locks.
​
My guess is they either are in the middle of negotiating with Nakarawa, having cut the likes of Smith, Hughes, Van Der Merwe and Frisby, to free up a portion of budget space to cook up an extension offer for Nakarawa to consider, or he's already agreed to one and Glasgow are still conducting other business with other players and don't intend on making any player announcements until they're all finalised where they can make a big signing week event, like they often do.
​
It's the most credible explanation behind why Cockerill would mention signing a Scottish lock, but cannot divulge any details of who it might be just yet, because it's not a done deal yet and crucial to Edinburgh as they are really just looking to pick up a depth signing because there may be one on offer, not out of any dire need because they'll be fine even if they don't get this player. But also in revealing any departure from Glasgow, you basically jump the gun on Glasgow being able to announce it's business, since people will know we're down one lock, and therefore the rest surely have to be re-signing with the club. There is an outside bet Glasgow would be signing a lock external to the club, but I've heard nothing to indicate that, and in all probability, if we couldn't or had zero hope of keeping Nakarawa, we'd be re-signing all our current locks as every one has had game time anyway as things sit.
​
Basically I think they're negotiating or have successfully negotiated the retention of Nakarawa, and are tying up the rest of their business both contract extensions and signing brand new players, academy and external guys, so Glasgow can announce the bulk of it's business in a big transfer window week or day, spread out from Edinburgh who having less to do, have gotten all their's tied up pretty quickly and concisely but to keep fans interested, they ideally want to avoid both clubs announcing all business at the same time, when they know most supporters have an interest in both, whether they support both or not. Keeps people engaged over the off-season for longer, and there is a novel bit of fun when your club decides it's doing a big reveal over multiple days. And because Nakarawa is such a popular icon around here, his retention would be big news, and so with that, I can see a social media manager wanting to keep that under wraps until they can make it a big event and build excitement and announced it all at once, for kicks and fan service (I enjoy those rare times the club is organised and in a year where we have enough announcements to make like it's a special occasion).
​
That is the only reason I can think Edinburgh wouldn't announce a player move, because in doing so reveals Glasgow's business, potentially ruining a big marquee surprise, and the SRU run both clubs, meaning they will want to keep fans engaged as long as possible and avoid Glasgow and Edinburgh crossing their business announcements over too much where possible. If they were signing Glen Young, Murray Douglas or someone else, they'd probably announce it already, not much reason behind why you'd keep that a secret, nor why Harlequins, or the Brumbies, would ask you to keep that quiet? It's not exactly huge news is it in either club communities for these players to potentially move club?
​
Also the rumour is the "experienced Scottish lock" is Andrew Davidson. Bit odd on the "experienced" line, but plausible if you ask me given he does have experience beyond a year in Scotland. But anyway, this rumour, if Nakarawa stays, would make sense. Andrew Davidson originally left Glasgow years ago because at the time the lock position was locked out with Jonny Gray, Leone Nakarawa, Tim Swinson, Al Kellock, plus other fringe guys like Fraser McKenzie, Tom Ryder and Alex Toolis at the time. If the plan was to re-sign Nakarawa, you've got Cummings as a firm starter, Gray has replaced Gray so similar likely starting option, Swinson may be retained further, McDonald I'm confident will be staying, he's also just appeared in some club business media relations jargon, which indicates he'll be still at the club or they wouldn't be using him in that role, leaves less opportunity for Davidson to get involved, similar to the first time he left the Warriors. That could explain why he would move to Edinburgh.
​
Or just as equally, it could be Tim Swinson getting signed to fill out the depth at Edinburgh, enabling Glasgow to run with Nakarawa, Gray, Cummings, McDonald and Davidson which would be a strong blend of experience, quality and age groupings. Davidson and Cummings also played together as a duo for the U20s too.
​
Long, comment, really specific about Glasgow and Edinburgh, TL;DR, yeah yeah I know it's long, but I couldn't care if you didn't read it, just move on if it's not for you. What do we make of this late night (now early morning) theory?

Premier League Match Day 1
Saturday, August 11th, 2018
Kick Off: 12:30 (BST), 7:30 AM (EST)
Venue: St. James' Park, Newcastle
TV: NBCSN (US)
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Evening Standard Preview
"Tottenham begin their 2018-19 campaign away to Newcastle United in a repeat of last season’s Premier League opener. Both clubs start the new season in far from ideal situations with the Magpies having endured another frustrating summer transfer window under Mike Ashley’s ownership on Tyneside. Spurs meanwhile kick off their campaign with a host of first-team players not fit in the eyes of manager Mauricio Pochettino, having returned to training late following their post-World Cup breaks." - Evening Standard
-Newcastle finished 10th last year in their first season back in the Premier League. They accumulated 44 points.
-Here's the match thread from the last time we played Newcastle, a 1-0 win in the penultimate game of last season. Harry Kane scored the only goal as Spurs secured a place in the Champions League for this season.
Team News
-Spurs will be without Victor Wanyama (knee), Erik Lamela (short-term muscle injury), Juan Foyth (thigh), Harry Winks (ankle), Josh Onomah (?), and Cameron Carter-Vickers (groin)
-Newcastle's only long-term injury is Florian Lejeune.
-New signings Yoshimuri Muto and Salomon Rondon should be available for the Magpies.
COYS

Competition: Premier League - Matchday 16
Referee: Craig Pawson
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Date: Sunday, 10 Dec.
Time: 2:15 p.m. (GMT)
soccerstreams | Worldwide Channel List
Betting Odds

• Liverpool: 1.30
  
• Draw: 5.75
  
• Everton: 10.00
  

PL Table

Club	Played	+/- Goal Difference	Points
4. Liverpool	15	+14	29
10. Everton	15	-9	18

Possible Starting XI
Liverpool
Mignolet; Gomez, Klavan, Lovren, Milner; Can, Henderson, Coutinho; Mané, Salah, Firmino
Everton
Pickford; Kenny, Keane, Williams, Baines; Gueye, Davies; Lennon, Rooney, Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin
Team News
Liverpool:

• Alberto Moreno will miss the Merseyside Derby after being forced off at half-time against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday. Klopp will have to choose between James Milner and Andrew Robertson as his replacement.
• Jordan Henderson will return to the starting XI after being given the night off in midweek.
• Joel Matip is also sidelined for the home side.

Everton:

• Sam Allardyce will hope to have Leighton Baines available after he missed their last match through injury.
• Michael Keane and Phil Jagielka are both fit to play on Sunday after overcoming injury problems.
• Morgan Schneiderlin will have to settle for a place on the bench after featuring in the Europa League on Thursday.
• James McCarthy, Ramiro Funes Mori, Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman, Yannick Bolasie and Maarten Stekelenburg are all sidelined here.

Managers Quotes
Grande Samuel Allardiz:
"The whole occasion is a great test for the players," Allardyce said. "It is one they need to rise to and no matter how well Liverpool are playing at the moment it is a derby and anything can happen. All I can ask the players is to play their best game.
"We don't want to let the occasion overawe us... We know we probably won't have as much possession as Liverpool do but we need to ensure we maximise it when we do and use it in the right manner. Then when we get a chance, we need to be very clinical. Hopefully that can give us a good performance and at the end of that a result."
Jürgen Klopp:
"The challenge for all of us in the stadium is that we don't expect that we play football like we did in the last 20 minutes against Moscow," Jurgen Klopp said. "That was confident, that was flying, all that stuff - we have to start from the ground, from the basics again.
"We have to be ready for hard challenges. But, from our side for sure, it should not be only hard. That's all that we know about a game like this, and then we can win the game."
Stats

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 14 games in all competitions against Everton - just one game short of their longest-ever such run against their Merseyside rivals (15, set between March 1972 and April 1978).
  
• Everton are winless in 17 successive Premier League visits to Anfield (D8 L9), since a 1-0 win in September 1999 thanks to a Kevin Campbell strike.
  
• Indeed, Everton have won just one of their last 21 top-flight games against Liverpool (W1 D9 L11), a 2-0 victory in October 2010.
  
• Liverpool have scored four 90th-minute winning goals against Everton in the Premier League - no side has scored more against a specific opponent in the competition (also Chelsea vs Wigan, Newcastle vs Tottenham and Tottenham vs West Ham).
  
• This fixture has seen a record 21 red cards issued across the 50 Premier League meetings, with 14 for Everton and seven for Liverpool.
  
• Mohamed Salah has had a hand in 15 goals in his first 15 Premier League games for Liverpool - more than any other player for the club. (12 goals, three assists).
  
• Sam Allardyce orchestrated Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win at Anfield back in April 2017 – this was his first Premier League victory at the stadium, having won just three points in his previous 13 trips there (W0 D3 L10).
  
• Should Everton win this match, Sam Allardyce would have defeated Liverpool in the Premier League as a manager with four different clubs (previously with Crystal Palace, West Ham and Bolton) – the only manager to have done this so far is Harry Redknapp (Spurs, Portsmouth, Southampton & West Ham).
  
• Wayne Rooney has scored just two Premier League goals at Anfield in the Premier League, but both were winners in 1-0 victories for Manchester United (January 2005 and January 2016).
  

Form guide
Liverpool: WWWDWW
Everton: LWDLWW

LiverpoolvsEverton

Competition: Premier League - Matchday 16
Referee: Craig Pawson
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Date: Sunday, 10 Dec.
Time: 2:15 p.m. (GMT)
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Betting Odds

• Liverpool: 1.30
  
• Draw: 5.75
  
• Everton: 10.00
  

PL Table

Club	Played	+/- Goal Difference	Points
4. Liverpool	15	+14	29
10. Everton	15	-9	18

Possible Starting XI
Liverpool
Mignolet; Gomez, Klavan, Lovren, Milner; Can, Henderson, Coutinho; Mané, Salah, Firmino
Everton
Pickford; Kenny, Keane, Williams, Baines; Gueye, Davies; Lennon, Rooney, Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin
Team News
Liverpool:

• Alberto Moreno will miss the Merseyside Derby after being forced off at half-time against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday. Klopp will have to choose between James Milner and Andrew Robertson as his replacement.
• Jordan Henderson will return to the starting XI after being given the night off in midweek.
• Joel Matip is also sidelined for the home side.

Everton:

• Sam Allardyce will hope to have Leighton Baines available after he missed their last match through injury.
• Michael Keane and Phil Jagielka are both fit to play on Sunday after overcoming injury problems.
• Morgan Schneiderlin will have to settle for a place on the bench after featuring in the Europa League on Thursday.
• James McCarthy, Ramiro Funes Mori, Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman, Yannick Bolasie and Maarten Stekelenburg are all sidelined here.

Manager Quotes
Grande Samuel Alardiz:
"The whole occasion is a great test for the players," Allardyce said. "It is one they need to rise to and no matter how well Liverpool are playing at the moment it is a derby and anything can happen. All I can ask the players is to play their best game.
"We don't want to let the occasion overawe us... We know we probably won't have as much possession as Liverpool do but we need to ensure we maximise it when we do and use it in the right manner. Then when we get a chance, we need to be very clinical. Hopefully that can give us a good performance and at the end of that a result."
Jürgen Klopp:
"The challenge for all of us in the stadium is that we don't expect that we play football like we did in the last 20 minutes against Moscow," Jurgen Klopp said. "That was confident, that was flying, all that stuff - we have to start from the ground, from the basics again.
"We have to be ready for hard challenges. But, from our side for sure, it should not be only hard. That's all that we know about a game like this, and then we can win the game."
Stats

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 14 games in all competitions against Everton - just one game short of their longest-ever such run against their Merseyside rivals (15, set between March 1972 and April 1978).
  
• Everton are winless in 17 successive Premier League visits to Anfield (D8 L9), since a 1-0 win in September 1999 thanks to a Kevin Campbell strike.
  
• Indeed, Everton have won just one of their last 21 top-flight games against Liverpool (W1 D9 L11), a 2-0 victory in October 2010.
  
• Liverpool have scored four 90th-minute winning goals against Everton in the Premier League - no side has scored more against a specific opponent in the competition (also Chelsea vs Wigan, Newcastle vs Tottenham and Tottenham vs West Ham).
  
• This fixture has seen a record 21 red cards issued across the 50 Premier League meetings, with 14 for Everton and seven for Liverpool.
  
• Mohamed Salah has had a hand in 15 goals in his first 15 Premier League games for Liverpool - more than any other player for the club. (12 goals, three assists).
  
• Sam Allardyce orchestrated Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win at Anfield back in April 2017 – this was his first Premier League victory at the stadium, having won just three points in his previous 13 trips there (W0 D3 L10).
  
• Should Everton win this match, Sam Allardyce would have defeated Liverpool in the Premier League as a manager with four different clubs (previously with Crystal Palace, West Ham and Bolton) – the only manager to have done this so far is Harry Redknapp (Spurs, Portsmouth, Southampton & West Ham).
  
• Wayne Rooney has scored just two Premier League goals at Anfield in the Premier League, but both were winners in 1-0 victories for Manchester United (January 2005 and January 2016).
  

Form guide
Liverpool: WWWDWW
Everton: LWDLWW

Manchester City F.C. vs. Feyenoord
Competition : Champions League – Group Stage - Matchday 5 (Group F)
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Date: Tuesday, 21 November
Kick-off : 19:45 BST | 20:45 CET | 14:45 Central USA
Referee : Ivan Kružliak
Assistants : Martin Balko, Tomaš Somolani
Fourth official : Roman Slyško
Manchester City F.C.
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Line Up – Ederson, Walker, Mangala, Otamendi, Danilo, Gundogan, Yaya Toure, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling, Aguero (C)
Substitutes - Bravo, Foden, Delph, Silva, Fernandinho, Diaz, G Jesus
Sidelined – Mendy, Stones
Form Guide
All competitions - W W W W W
Champions League - L W W W W
Pre-Match Press Conference Statements
"We are already qualified but for the draw for the last 16 you never know. It is better [to win your group and] play the second leg at home. I will prepare and the players will prepare to win the game. The Champions League is a prestigious competition. We will play to win.
John Stones will be out between 4-6 weeks. All of the month he will be out. Hopefully he will recover well for the end of January. To win trophies we need all the squad, especially important players like John and Vinny. We have to play 12 games in a short space of time with only three central defenders, and one of them is a risk in Vincent, who is only just back. We have Manga [Eliaquim Mangala], Vincent [Kompany] and Nico[lás Otamendi] and of course Kyle [Walker], Danilo and Fernandinho as well. Benjamin Mendy, I think, can [play there] as well. We have options in that position. We will find a solution. It will not be a problem.
The favourites are Barcelona, Real Madrid etc. For people to put us there is a big honour. We haven't done anything yet. We have a big history to build in Europe."
Pep Guardiola
Feyenoord
Manager: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst
Line Up - Jones, Haps, Tapia, Van Beek, Diks, Vilhena, Toornstra, Amrabat, Larsson, Boetius, Berghuis
Substitutes - Vermeer, St. Juste, Nelom, Nieuwkoop, Jørgensen, Basacikoglu, Kramer
Sidelined –
Form Guide -
All competitions - D D L D W
Champions League – L L L L
Pre-Match Press Conference Statements
"Our aim is to get a result, as with any game. We have to be honest – not all teams are equal and we know who we're playing against: one of the best teams at the moment in Europe.
They won't be using all of their top team but it's still going to be a good team and we have to be on our toes to get a result. It's a tall order. Everybody would agree but at the end of the day, we're here to show what we're made of and go for gold. It's possible but not easy.
Striker Nicolai Jørgensen felt today not quite fit. Bart Nieuwkoop and Sam Larsson are strong, also [Renato] Tapia is fresh. We have an important match this weekend against Groningen. We don't want to run any risks tomorrow with players that have any small complaints.“
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst
HEAD-TO-HEAD
City have played Feyenoord only once (in the group stage earlier this season), and the match resulted in a 4-0 win for City.
ODDS

Book	Man City	DRAW	Feyenoord
William Hill	1.14	9.00	17.00
Bet 365	1.14	9.50	21.00
Bwin	1.12	9.50	19.50
Tipico	1.10	10.00	20.00

Payout odds in multiples of 1, i.e. odds of 2.60 means a total payout of €2.60 if you place a winning bet of €1.
Odds at 12:00 GMT. Just a look at how the bookies rate this game, and not an endorsement for betting/gambling.
MATCH FACTS
Manchester City

• City, who had never played Feyenoord before matchday one, have won two of their previous three home games against Dutch clubs, drawing the other – although they conceded two goals in each match.
  
• The Citizens' first two such engagements were both 3-2 UEFA Cup victories against FC Twente, in the 1978/79 first round second leg (4-3 on aggregate) and the 2008/09 group stage. Most recently, City were held 2-2 by AFC Ajax in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage.
  
• City are unbeaten in their last 12 home fixtures in the UEFA Champions League (W9 D3), qualifying included, since a 2-1 Juventus reversal on matchday one in 2015/16. The Juve loss was their fourth in six matches at the City of Manchester Stadium, with just one win in that run. This season they have beaten Shakhtar (2-0) and Napoli (2-1) in Manchester.
  
• Josep Guardiola's men took seven points at home in last season's group stage, beating VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (4-0) and FC Barcelona (3-1) before a 1-1 draw with Celtic FC.
  
• Third in last season's Premier League, City are making a seventh straight UEFA Champions League appearance – they have now progressed to the round of 16 for five campaigns in a row.
  
• Last term, Guardiola's team came second in their section and lost on away goals to AS Monaco FC in the last 16 (5-3 home, 1-3 away).
  

Feyenoord

• Feyenoord's record in England is W2 D3 L5. They have lost on three of their last four visits, most recently a 4-0 reverse at City's local rivals Manchester United FC in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League group stage.
  
• After Feyenoord lost 3-1 at Napoli and 3-1 at Shakhtar in this season's group stage, the Dutch club's 3-0 victory at R. Standard de Liège in the UEFA Europa League group stage on 12 December 2014 remains their only win in their last 17 European away games (D3 L13).
  
• Feyenoord's last away victory in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final, was a 1-0 triumph at Newcastle United FC on 24 September 2002, their last UEFA Champions League game in England. They have since lost all six away games in the competition, qualifiers included.
  
• Having lifted a first Eredivisie title in 18 years last season, Feyenoord are in the last 32 of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2002/03, when they were eliminated in the first group stage.
  
• The Rotterdammers lost in the third qualifying round in both 2012/13 (to FC Dynamo Kyiv) and 2014/15 (to Beşiktaş JK).
  

Will be updated as more information emerges

Newcastle Stadium Facts

Name: St. James’ Park
Capacity: 52,405
Location: Newcastle
Year opened: 1892
Pitch dimensions: 115 x 74 yards
English Premier League, Betting odds, Betting tips and Predictions for Newcastle United Fixtures Squad Kits Transfer News Premier League

SUMMARY

Newcastle United have finally appointed a successor to Rafa Benitez, with Steve Bruce taking over as manager at St James’ Park. Toon owner Mike Ashley had been scrambling to find a new boss and Bruce, who quit Sheffield Wednesday to take the role, is the man he’s settled on. Owner Ashley is reportedly in talks to sell the club to Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan.
Pre-season training is now underway but for Newcastle fans this could be a tense summer as Bruce looks to strengthen his team in the transfer window.
📷 90 % prediction & betting tips are Correct Check Previous Matches Results here

Here are my opinions running through some of the options at the £4.5 price point in defence and their viability in obtaining a spot in your team. I’d also recommend looking at some of the guides to see which teams rotate well home and away to make a better informed decision.
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Arsenal
Chambers / Holding
Arsenal being an unknown quantity under Emery, all we can really go off is guesswork as to how the gunners will set up. Whilst Chambers may sound like an odd shout at first, he recently signed a new contract for Arsenal and from what we’ve heard; Emery speaks fairly favourably of him. Not one for your starting squads, but given the gunners two opening fixtures of MCI home and CHE away, an Arsenal defender is probably not top of your priorities list anyway. In spite of this if we do see Chambers starting at centre back or if injuries do come Arsenal’s way, Chambers could be a very strong option for your FPL backlines. This could also be said for Holding, under Wenger we saw a slight preferences towards Chambers, especially towards the end of last season. Most fans share a similar sentiment, yet it remains to be seen whether Emery has an inclination to one over the other, and as a result Holding could equally hold value in your backline.
Avoid for now, possibly bring in later.
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Bournemouth
Daniels / Steve Cook / Francis
Coming off the back of a largely disappointing season last year, Daniels may have left a bitter taste in a lot of our mouths. With Bournemouth’s appealing opening fixtures, only facing Chelsea out of the top six in their first 10 fixtures, one can’t help but be enticed. However with rumours of the cherries being in for a new left back, there are probably better options out there for the price point.
The same can be said for both Steve Cook and Francis, seemingly nailed on to play most the season, both will be perfectly capable of filling a spot in any backline, conversely with clean sheets being somewhat troublesome for Bournemouth and attacking returns little to none from both Cook and Francis, I’d again recommend steering clear of the cherries assets.
In my opinion there are better options than the nailed on Bournemouth defenders and if you are set on the clean sheet potential of their opening fixtures, I’d recommend Begovic for the save points and the same price tag.
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Brighton
Duffy / Dunk
Cornerstones of many teams last year, Duffy and Dunk offer a great way into a strong Brighton defence that kept 10 clean sheets last year. Nevertheless with quite possible one of the worst set of opening fixtures of any of the teams, it’s hard to see the Brighton defence being great options until a strong run of fixtures that start in GW 8. With the signing of the Nigerian Centre-half Leon Balogun also at the £4.5 price point, we are yet to see how Hughton’s men will line up at the back, whether they will transition to a 3 at the back formation or Balogun will be back up to Duffy and Dunk, maybe a Brighton fan could provide a more informed opinion on the future of their defence.
Again, avoid for now until Brighton’s fixtures improve.
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Burnley
Long / Bardsley / Taylor
A great season last year with Dyche’s men finishing quite comfortably 7th, Burnley look a good bet with a total of 12 clean sheets in the 17/18 season. With their impressive run last year comes price hikes, consequently all of Burnley’s nailed on defenders now hit the £5.0 mark. In spite of this, with the possibility of European football on the horizon, players such as Long, Bardsley and Taylor could all become feasible options in the future, especially given successful stints last year when called upon.
Avoid until we see one of the three hitting consistent minutes or scrape the extra £0.5 from somewhere and get more of an assurance of starting minutes.
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Cardiff
Bamba
An encouraging start with opening three fixtures against BOU away, NEW home and HUD away Bamba could be the perfect option for an early wildcard. After that the bluebirds face 6 of the top 7 last year from gameweeks 4-10, so a definite avoid from that point onwards, making Bamba a less than ideal option. With a far better goal scoring record, Morrison for an extra £0.5 is the far better option if you can afford him.
Bring in if you plan to wildcard early on.
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Crystal Palace
Tomkins
Great opening fixtures, almost definitely nailed on in a palace defence that kept 9 clean sheets last year and with a few goals in him, Tomkins is one of my favourite picks for the start of the coming season. It could be argued that one of the more expensive Palace defensive options in Sakho (£5.0) or Patrick Van Aanholt (£5.5) maybe worth the added funds due to added bonus point or goal potential, but for the price tag I think Tomkins is one of the best options around.
As pointed out by u/lewiitom Palace have not lost a match when Tomkins and Sakho have been in a partnership together with 12 games played, 9 wins, 3 draws and 8 conceded. If Sakho can remain healthy, it only boosts the appeal of Tomkins.
Great option, would recommend.
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Everton
Jagielka / Holgate
With opening fixtures as good as the Toffees’, one of their defender could be a good idea for your backline, however there is not much on offer at the £4.5 price point. Until preseason starts we won’t have a good idea who will sit next to Keane at centre-half and it will be a toss up between both Jagielka and Holgate. Everton are in the market for a new first team centre back which could negate all possibility of a starting £4.5 defender in their backline, in which case it could be smart to invest in one of Coleman or Baines (£5.5) as a set and forget in your team.
If one of Holgate or Jagielka solidifies a position in the Everton defence, they could be a great pick, but wait until we have a better idea.
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Fulham
Ream
Fulham’s player of the year last year, with a reasonable start to the season fixture wise, he seems to be the pick of the bunch if you want a way into Fulham’s defence, bearing in mind it’s the pick of two players at the time of writing. They had the worst clean sheet total of 15 out of the three promoted teams and with uncertainty over their squad (the loanees) it will be interesting to see how Fulham settle into Premier League life.
A decent pick if you back Fulham to do well from the outset, but it’s probably better to see the rest of their signings before making a decision as to whether they are better for your team than a more well known quantity.
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Huddersfield
Zanka / Schindler
Top scorers of the defenders that remain £4.5 from last year both Zanka and Schindler present solid picks as part of a very respectable Huddersfield defence that kept 10 clean sheets in the 17/18 season. With a rocky start to CHE home in GW 1 and then MCI away in GW 2 they could struggle, but with depleted sides as a result of the world cup, Huddersfield may look favourably upon playing the teams early on. Both Zanka and Schindler present a somewhat decent attacking threat in assist potential and as a result could prove to be some decent picks if paired with players with more preferable fixtures in GWs1 and 2.
With neither great nor terrible fixtures early on, Zanka and Schindler could demonstrate to be great picks especially in the long term, would recommend.
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Leicester
Morgan / Fuchs
Leicester struggled to keep clean sheets, especially towards the end of last season, and without any major upgrades to the defensive side of their backline (Pereira offers more going forward at RB) it’s hard to see their clean sheet potential massively increases until they do. With Simpson most likely out of the question with the signing of Pereira from Porto to play the RB position, the two main options into the Leicester backline at £4.5 remain Morgan and Fuchs. With Leicester in the market for a new CB and neither Morgan nor Fuchs getting any younger, I’d be hard pressed to recommend either player to you. If you are dead set on a Leicester defender spend the money and invest in the legendary forehead of Harry Maguire. Slab.
Avoid unless further signings are made to improve their defence.
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Newcastle
Dummett / Yedlin
Facing all of the top 6 bar Liverpool in the first 8 gameweeks, it is safe to say that Newcastle’s fixtures are atrocious. For some reason if you were to be looking at one of the Magpies’ defenders Dummett or Yedlin would be your best bet. Both have their pros and cons, being Newcastle’s only actually LB, Dummett is 100% nailed on and shouldn’t be subject to rotation. Conversely Yedlin offers far more of an attacking threat, but will be competing with Manquillo when it comes to play time.
Whilst both are respectable options, fixtures rule out Newcastle defenders as an option.
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Southampton
Cedric
With the purchase of Jannik Vestergaard, who himself could become a great FPL prospect, standing at a gigantic 6ft 6, one could hope that the saints will make an improvement on their 8 clean sheets last season. Hopefully Cedric will benefit from this signing and build upon his 3 assists last year, making him a great prospect for the upcoming season. If Yoshida retains his place (which could be unlikely) he could equally benefit from the saints recent acquisition and form a strong partnership with the Dane, scoring 2 himself in the 17/18 season and getting 1 assist, if Southampton manage to shore up their defence, both could become great options.
A kind opening set of fixtures for the saints and the signing of Jannik Vestergaard means that Cedric could be a good punt for the upcoming season, however it remains to be seen if there will be a great improvement in the clean sheet department, so it would be a good idea to keep an eye on them.
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Watford
Kabasele
Watford’s backline presents uncertainty and Kabasele appears to be one of the few players who will almost definitely start. With ambiguity in all other positions in their defence Kabasele represents a solid pick with a decent goal threat from corners. With Watford encountering difficult fixtures in GWs 4, 5 and 7, Kabasele could be a great pick for an early wildcard or if rotated with a player who has easy fixtures during the aforementioned difficult period.
Solid Pick if in a rotated pair, with a couple difficult fixtures there are probably better options but also far worse.
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West Ham
Zabaleta / Ogbonna / Rice / Diop
In usual West Ham style, they seem to be completing some pretty tidy signings in that of Wilshere, Yarmolenko and Fabianski to name a few. Whether these signings will prove effective is yet to be seen, but with Pellegrini still as their manager it could be a similar story again this season as the Irons struggle to keep clean sheets. With new signings Diop and Fredericks it is yet to be seen which of Zabaleta and Ogbonna / Rice will retain their place in the starting lineup, but with a horrible set of opening fixtures and a very attacking minded manager, none of the West Ham assests look enticing at the moment.
Avoid, at least until their fixtures clear up, or go for a generously price Fabianski (£4.5) and reap the save points.
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Wolves
Doherty / Boly
Coming first in the championship last year and keeping the most clean sheets (24) of any of the promoted sides, Wolves pose an intriguing addition to the premier league. Although it does not always translate from the championship into the premier league, it will be interesting to see how Wolves adapt to first division life. The standout option of the wolves backline being Douglas at £5.0, with his 14 assists last year, I would only recommend one of the above 2 if you absolutely cannot scrape the extra £0.5 to afford him. Of the previously 2 mentioned players, Doherty plays on the opposite side to Douglas yet poses less of an attacking threat. Boly is the main opposition to Doherty at the £4.5 price tag, whilst there are alternative options for the same amount such as Coady and Saiss, neither present as much attacking potential or are any more nailed than Doherty or Boly. Playing at Centre-half for the wanderers and standing at 6ft 3 tall he presents a good threat from corners and set pieces, meaning it is a toss up between him and Doherty for the better value.
Of the two players in Doherty and Boly, Doherty would be the marginally better pick as a result of his more advanced position in open play, however it really is marginal. As previously mentioned Douglas at £0.5 more is by far and large the best pick of the wolves defence if you can afford him, especially with their mostly reassuring fixtures.
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Summary:
In the short term if you plan on an early wildcard, the favourable fixtures of Bamba (CAR) and Kabasele (WAT) could prove interesting options that both pose a somewhat reasonable attacking threat.
My personal pick overall for the £4.5 category would be one of either Tomkins, Cedric or Doherty, all have at least 8 good fixtures in their first ten should be 100\% nailed on and pose some kind of potential in the final third. In spite of this I would still recommend Douglas over Doherty if you can scrape the extra £0.5.
Whilst they might not have the best opening fixtures of all the teams, Zanka and Schindler deserve a shout as reliable bet going into the season if you don’t want to have to wildcard early on, whilst still posing a decent assist potential.
Whilst there are still other good options, a lot of them have either harder fixtures from the outset or it remains to be seen if they have a nailed on place in their respective lineups. I hope you found this useful, it’s more so going through the viable options for the £4.5 price point, than giving a definitive answer to who should take up the position in your team. Thanks any suggestions are welcomed!

What a couple of days. I was planning on compiling a similar post to my piece last year in the belief that it would once again become redundant… Personally I was hoping that Arsene would step down at the end of the year but this hasn’t come to me as anything less than a shock. Although I have never met the man, he seems like a grandfather we all wished we had. A constant in my life, with him being at the helm nearly as long as I have been alive, I cannot thank him enough for the joy and elation right down to the downright lows with tears and smiles all along the journey.
 
The players, the style, the bottle kicks, the goals, the wins, the defeats, the Invincibles, the coat, the FA Cups, the stadiums, the Champions League Final, the Banter Era, the Invincibles, the man, the memories. I wouldn’t change it for the world. Merci Arsene.
 
The real challenge begins now however. As Arseblog has quite rightly pointed out the onus is no longer on the manager and this decision is all on the board to get right. If the manager turns out to be half the manager that Arsene was then it will be a success, if we continue to slide out of where we all want then the pressure should be pushed back to Kroenke, Gazidis and co. There is no longer someone to shield for them and they will for once have the microscope on them.
 
Well then, let’s get down to it. I am splitting this into three categories; the best odds, the curveballs and the ex-players. I will try to use as many facts as possible with as little of my own opinions but I can’t guarantee you’ll all agree…
 
The Main Protagonists (All odds from SkyBet)
Luis Enrique (5/2) - Unemployed
The current favourite for the job is Luis Enrique. The Spaniard’s last job was at Barcelona, where he had varying degrees of success. Following on from the all conquering sides from Pep Guardiola and the late Tito Vilanova, Enrique’s first season in charge ended in the treble with Barcelona defeating Juventus of the 2015 Champions League Final. This was followed by another La Liga in 15-16 and a Copa del Rey in his final season of 16-17. He led with a 4-3-3 formation throughout the majority of his tenure getting the best out of MSN and despite the successes he was often criticised for his setups rotating lineups more often than not to the dismay of both players and fans. Although he has been out of a job for over a year he is a man in demand, with Chelsea also in the running following on from the expected departure of Conte at the end of the season. He likes to play a fast flowing passing game which would be a natural continuation from Wengerball. New boy Sanlehi also worked with him at Barcelona and rates him highly.
 
Carlo Ancelotti (5/1) - Unemployed
What hasn’t Carlo Ancelotti won? Wherever he has been he’s had a huge amount of success; a world class manager with a wriley smile and a great admiration from a wide range of ex-players for his use of man-management techniques. A father like figure in the dressing room, he would be similar to Wenger in that respect. Following on from success at Real Madrid, PSG and AC Milan (when they were good), Ancelotti’s last role was at Bayern Munich where he was dismissed earlier in the season for an unusual falling out with some strong figures for his laissez faire style. However, he has shown that he can come into the Premier League and win it. He did it with Chelsea in 09-10 following a turbulent period for the Blues. The main style of play has been built on strong defenses (haha good luck with that…) and a real freedom in the final third with the main formations based around 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2. This shows his versatility where it can help to get the best out of the players at his disposal. He could be the perfect man to be a stop gap and get Arsenal back to where we want it to be but is unlikely to be a long term appointment.
 
Joachim Loew (7/1) - German National Team Manager
I almost put this in my curveball section but the odds are very good on this from a range of sources. I really don’t believe that Joachim is the right man for the job. Despite success with the German national team, where they won the World Cup in 2014, he hasn’t managed a club team since 2004. His style of play would be suitable to Arsenal and would be similar to the current team, with a deployment of a 4-2-3-1 formation allowing for possession based football. He has always been able to get the best out of Mesut Ozil often deploying him on the right. Having said this, I think this is not the right choice following on from Wenger’s departure. A man with more club experience would be better in my opinion.
 
Massimiliano Allegri (10/1) - Juventus Manager
Seemingly the front runner this time last year, Allegri has fallen down the pecking order somewhat. An indifferent year for the side has seen the closest title race in years in Italy, especially following on from Napoli’s late winner last night against The Old Lady. Two victories this season against Tottenham and Real Madrid would make Allegri a popular choice amongst Arsenal fans. His huge amount of success has been built around the defensive stability and tactical versatility, which was shown against Sp*rs where he was more than willing to change from the favoured 3-5-2 to a 4-4-1-1 resulting in a snatch and grab at Wembley, haha! This versatility would be welcome in my opinion where it would be good to see Auba and Laca play up top together and if he could bring Pjanic with him from Turin then would it be all aboard the Allegri train?
 
Thomas Tuchel (12/1) - Unemployed
Seemingly linked daily with the PSG job, this is another manager that I do not believe would be arriving at the Emirates. Despite being able to get the best out of Aubameyang, it has been well documented of his falling out with Sven Mislintat and it doesn’t seem like those bridges have been repaired. I just can’t see this one happening because of this. I also don’t believe he has done enough to justify the job considering the players at his disposal whilst in Dortmund.
 
Julian Nagelsmann (16/1) - Hoffenheim Manager
The rising star out of Germany is the youngest on this list; at 30 years Nagelsmann has already led Hoffenheim to their first Champions League season last year and could be set to do so once again this year. Another disciple from the Klopp and Tuchel school of management, Mislintat is said to be a strong admirer. Although he is young in his managerial career he has shown that he can galvanize a team, is tactically versatile and uses the high press of the squad to good effect. He could be seen as a Klopp 2.0 and with the way that Liverpool have played this year it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. It would obviously be a long term replacement for Arsenal but it may be a step too far at this stage. However, he was touted for the Bayern Munich job before they hired Niko Kovac from Frankfurt. If Bayern were in for him then he should be near the top of our list.
 
The Outsiders
Brendan Rodgers (8/1) - Celtic Manager
I have put Brendan in this section despite the media talk and good odds, because this would be laughable. Surely… His huge amount of success in Celtic has to be taken into account but you must also take into account that this is the SPL and the Hoops have not a had a challenge since Rangers went bankrupt a number of seasons ago. An invincible season and 69 game unbeaten domestic run led by double invincible Kolo Toure was ended this season but we must also remember his time on Merseyside. The David Brent imitator, showed that he could potentially lead a team to the title but in all honesty this was down to the brilliance of Luis Suarez and not the tactical work of big Brendan. This would be a divisive decision and not one that is needed at this point in time.
 
Leonardo Jardim (14/1) - Monaco Manager
A personal favourite for myself, Jardim showed that he could compete with the best with the young Monaco team of 16-17 where they won Ligue 1 and reached the Champions League Semi Finals. A team torn apart last summer, Jardim has done well to keep Monaco in the top 4 and if they win their remaining games they will finish in second, 20 odd points off of oligarchs PSG… Able to get the best out of young starlets, Jardim deploys a traditional 4-4-2 which can often change into an odd 2-4-4 where the wing backs push forward when in possession. This could be interesting with Kolasinac and Bellerin moving forward and if he could bring Fabinho or the highly rated Thomas Lemar (or both? Please) then we would be very happy indeed. This would be an appointment with the long term in mind and I hope that this is the direction Arsenal go in.
 
Rafa Benitez (14/1) - Newcastle Manager
A successful first season back in the Premier League for Newcastle is likely to see them finish back in the top 10. This would be a great achievement for a very good manager. He knows the league very well through his time with Liverpool also. More of a defensive minded manager, Benitez has had varying degrees of success at rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and a stint at Real Madrid to forget. This would be a stable choice for Arsenal even if uninspiring…
 
Diego Simeone (16/1) - Atletico Madrid
This is the dream! Who I believe is the best manager in European football at the moment, we face Atletico Madrid in two upcoming matches in the Europa League semis over the next fortnight. A defensively organised team that has overachieved in the last decade when compared with Real and Barca, this has mainly been down to Diego. He plays a 4-4-2 and is able to get the best out of his players in terms of commitment and quality. Despite this, Simeone seemingly looks like he will remain in Madrid committing to the club for the foreseeable future. As much as I would like this, I cannot see it happening.
 
Antonio Conte (22/1) - Chelsea Manager
A very good first season with Chelsea last year has been followed by a disappointing second. Conte has fallen out with the board and is likely to be replaced at the end of the season. I personally feel he will be offered the Real Madrid job if they do not win the Champions League and it would be a longshot to see a manager go from two of the biggest clubs in England one after another. Most of us know how Chelsea play and his lack of rotation would worry me considering our injury records.
 
Ex-players
Patrick Vieira (9/1) - NYCFC Manager
The Frenchman was the catalyst for much of Arsene’s early success at the club. A gangly midfield maestro, Vieira is a legend and is one of the best players we have seen in red and white. Having said this, his only managerial job has been with New York City FC in the MLS. Despite the leagues growth in popularity and quality, this would be a large leap and with the club ties to Manchester City it would be odd to see them let him go to a rival. I think that this is a gap too far at the moment and the City hierarchy will want him to have some further experience before I see him following on from Guardiola.
 
Mikel Arteta (14/1) - Manchester City Assistant Coach
Personally, this would be the favourite for me out of all the ex players. Reportedly, he has admirers in the club in Sanlehi and Gazidis and he would have the chance to lead following on from the success with Manchester City as Guardiola’s assistant for the past 2 seasons. I am sure that he has learnt a lot and would likely deploy a similar brand to the one from the champions. It could be exciting from a fan favourite but with the complete lack of experience (no managerial job at all) it would be a huge leap and a great amount of expectation to follow on from Wenger. For that reason I hope for Mikel’s and Arsenal’s sake this one doesn’t go through.
 
Thierry Henry (18/1) - Belgian National Team Assistant Coach
Arsenal’s greatest ever player? Maybe. Wenger’s greatest ever signing? Surely. Should he be considered? No.
 
Conclusions
I hope I have summarised a wide range of options and have given some insight into tactics and quality of some of the managers that could be available to us this summer. Personally, I think the safest option would be Carlo Ancelotti. A natural succession to Wenger in terms of style I think he would do best to get us through what is expected to be a period of transition. There is nothing that he hasn’t seen and he has already proved himself in the Premier League. He has announced his interest and I think it would be silly to miss the opportunity.
 
Alternatively, if Allegri is relieved of his duties in Turin then he could be a very good replacement. A versatile manager with a huge amount of success, he knows how to get the best out of big egos and win trophies. I could see him going to Chelsea however, which should be seen as a compliment and the kind of guy that we should aim for.
 
For the long term I would love to see Leonardo Jardim and it would be fitting if a Monaco manager followed on from a former Monaco coach. It would almost be poetic… He has proven himself in the Principality and has shown that he can lead a team to compete with the best.
 
All in all, I hope we get this right. I’m sure much of it will depend on how we finish the season in the Europa League. Success means Champions League and will likely lead to a larger transfer budget and make the club more attractive for a replacement and new additions. Most importantly though, let’s learn from the mistakes with Manchester United and move forward in a dignified way giving Arsene the send off he deserves and supporting the new man, whoever he may be, to success and future glories. Come On You Gunners!
 
Edit: Formatting

There was just one winner for the column last week which took Joe into second place but everyone is still miles off Dan, the runaway leader. Here's where the team's tenners will be deployed this week...

Blues to pile on woe for Pellegrini

Dan Thomas Back Chelsea to beat West Ham and both teams to score @ 2.48 Saturday, 15:00
With London clubs falling over themselves to sack their managers in recent days, Manuel Pellegrini will be nervously looking over his shoulder after presiding over a horrendous run of form at West Ham: just two points from their last seven games.
It's unlikely to get any easier when the east Londoners head to the other end of the District Line on Saturday to take on a Chelsea side looking for their fourth home league win on the bounce.
After a slow start to the season at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard's men have found their feet on home turf and should have far too much for a West Ham side who meekly rolled over for Jose Mourinho's Spurs last time out in what is supposed to be their biggest game of the season.
But with a home win trading at just over 1.30 I'll take the risk on the Hammers finding the net in defeat to boost the price to around 6/4. They managed to notch two against both Tottenham and Newcastle despite playing badly and Chelsea may be a little leggy after their end-to-end battle with Valencia in midweek.
Dan Thomas 2019-20 P/L: +£84.20

Early KO can supply goals for both sides

Joe Dyer Back both teams to score in Newcastle v Manchester City @ 2.16 Saturday, 12:30 Live on BT Sport 1
I don't like taking on the league's best but I am going to (sort of) do just that with this week's battle bet.
While I am not going to wade in on the mega odds about a Newcastle win over Manchester City - big price players can get 18.00 about a home win in Saturday's early KO - I do think the hosts are good for a goal. Both teams to score backers can get bets on at 2.16 here and that will do for me.
We can rely on the visitors scoring - they've done so in every single away match this season after all - the problem is the home side, but there is encouragement enough to oppose Ederson and co keeping a clean sheet.
📷
Newcastle are not big scorers wherever they play but they had showed a bit of bite in a nice run before being blanked at Villa on Monday night.
They will be roared on by a passionate crowd at St James' Park here and will be up against a City side that is not at its best and still without defensive lynchpin, Aymeric Laporte.
Pep's defensive experiments without the Frenchman have not been overly convincing and I think the odds-against BTTS price make this one worth backing.
Joe Dyer's 2019-20 P/L: +£17.90

Mourinho's good start to continue

Mike Norman Back 'Any Other Home Win' @ 5.00 in Tottenham v Bournemouth Saturday, 15:00
It's been an almost perfect start for Jose Mourinho as the new Tottenham boss, overseeing two wins from two games, seeing seven goals scored, and watching Serge Aurier score a belter.
If Mourinho knows anything about Tottenham's head-to-head record against Bournemouth, and the current form of the Cherries - and I'm certain he does - then I dare say he couldn't have hand-picked a better opponent for his first home league game in charge of the Lilywhites.
Eddie Howe's men are in really poor form, winning just one of their last eight, losing to Burton in the EFL Cup, Newcastle and Wolves in the Premier League, and even failing to beat struggling West Ham, Norwich and Watford.
What's more, the Cherries have a dire record against Spurs. Since being promoted to the Premier League four seasons ago Howe's men have lost six times to Tottenham, and five of those defeats were by scorelines of 5-1, 3-0, 4-0, 4-1 and 5-0.
We can back Spurs to win by scoring at least four goals at 5.00 on Saturday, and that simply looks too big to me.

ATTENTION

I've hit the character limit here, this will now serve as a place for official actions by the club and an archive for the old rumours. You can check out the new rumour thread here.

Hey all, it’s that magical time of year again, and Shakespeare is on the hunt for some new foxes. I am making this thread to try to keep up with all the transfers and rumours, as well as give everyone a place to discuss transfer related topics. I’m going to be borrowing unabashedly plagiarizing from last year’s model a lot (a quick thank you to lgfualol and company).
Also, as the lcfc beta website was just put up, there isn’t much news about anything as I’m writing this.
At the moment I have a lot of free time at work as well as at home so hopefully I can keep up but I will also appreciate any help you provide staying up to date with the speculation and whatnot.
So, firstly and very importantly, Craig Shakespeare was appointed manager on a 3-year deal on 15 June.
Michael Appleton has been named the club's assistant coach.

New Contracts

First Team

Player	Position	Length	Info
Harvey Barnes	CAM	4 Years	Link

Professional Contracts Signed (Youth)

Player	Position	Info
Sam Hughes	CB	Link
Alex Pascanu	LB	Link
Kieman Dewsbury-Hall	CM	Link
Lamine Sherif	CM	Link
Josh Knight	CB	Link
Max Bramley	GK	Link
Tyrese Shade	ST	Link

Players In - Permanent

Player	Position	Age	Nation	From	Fee	Contract	Info
Harry Maguire	CB	24	England	Hull	£17 million	5 years	link
Vincente Iborra	CM	29	Spain	Sevilla	Undisclosed	4 years	Link
Eldin Jakupovic	GK	32	Bosnia/Switzerland	Hull	Undisclosed	3 years	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	ST	20	Nigeria	Manchester City	£25 million	5 years	Link
George Thomas	ST	20	Wales	Coventry City	£450,000	3 years Link

Players In - Loan

Player	Age	Position	From	Length	Info

None so far

Players Out - Permanent

Player	Age	Position	To	Fee	Info
Ron-Robert Zeiler	28	Goalkeeper	VfB Stuttgart	£3.5 million	Link
Tom Lawrence	23	Striker	Derby County	Undisclosed	Link

Players Out - Loan

Player	Age	Position	To	Length	Info
Bartosz Kapustka	20	Winger	SC Freiburg	1 Year	Link
Callum Elder	22	Left Back	Wigan Athletic	1 Year	Link

Players Out - Released By Club

Player	Age	Position	Senior Apps
Michael Cain	23	CM	0
David Domej	21	CB	0
Brandon Fox	20	LM	0
Cédric Kipré	20	CB	0
Matty Miles	20	RB	0
Kairo Mitchell	19	CF	0
Marcin Wasilewski	37	CB	77

Transfer Speculation!

I’m going to do my best to stick to good sources, but call me out if I post something from a shifty place and I’ll take it down or find it from a better source

Rumours from anytime this transfer season until 15/6/17:

Player	Rumour	Source
Gylfi Sigurdsson	Skybet dropped our odds of signing him from 18/1 to 5/1	Link
Jamie Vardy	Everton want him as a Lukaku replacement	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Wenger mentioned interest, but haven’t made an offer yet	Link
Papy Mendy	The Mercury understand that he could move on to France	Link
Riyad Mahrez	I guess Chelsea are eyeing the man too	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	Odds dropped in our favor to sign the Citizen	Link
Luis Muriel	The Mercury said that we’ve been linked with him	Link
Ahmed Musa	His agent says the Fenerbahce deal is off but also says he’s probably staying in England	Link

16/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Eldin Jakupovic	BBC seem to think we are on our way to signing him	Link
Nempalys Mendy	French TV is reporting that Nice want Mendy back on a loan	Link in French
Michael Appleton	The Oxford boss is reportedly close to becoming Shakey's number 2	Link

17/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Kasper Schmeichel	We've slapped on a £50 million price tag on the man to ward off United and Liverpool but it's also the sun reporting this so make of it what you will	Link

18/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Chris Smalling	The Star is reporting that the United man looks set to leave, with Leicester, West Brom, and Spurs are looking to sign him	Link 1 Link 2
Eldin Jakupovic	The Daily Mail claims we and Watford have both put in a £1.7 million bid for the Hull man, but it is the Daily Mail so believe at your own risk	Link

19/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Che Adams	Seems we've been linked with the young Birmingham striker	Link
Jonny Evans	The Telegraph is reporting that we are set to make a second bid for him	Link
Michael Appleton	Looks like after a weekend of negotiations he is set to join as Shakey's #2	Link

20/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Domagoj Vida	Mr Geoff Peters says on twitter that Leicester are in talks with Dynamo Kyiv over the 28 year old Croatian defender	Link
Jonny Evans	West Brom's Gareth McAuley has said that Evans won't be leaving, as he is too important to the club. EDIT: The Mercury believe Leicester will make an improved £15 million bid for Evans.	Link 1 Link 2

21/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Gian Marco Ferrari	Sky Sport Italia are reporting that Leicester are interested to the 25 year old Sassuolo and Italy CB.	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	The Telegraph report that Shakey is planning on a £25 million offer for the Nigerian striker	Link

22/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Kelechi Iheanacho	The Mercury are reporting that Leicester are set to make a move for him soon	Link
Jonny Evans	West Brom have reportedly slapped a £20 million price tag on him and rumours are circling that he has been offered a new £100,000 per week contract to convince him to stay	Link
Sam Clucas	The Hull Daily Mail are reporting that Leicester, among other PL clubs, are interested in Clucas	Link

23/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Benny Ashley-Seal	The Mercury say we are in advanced talks with the Norwich youngster and will sign him to the development squad soon	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	Manchester City are demanding a buyback clause if we do sign Nacho from them. Edit: The striker has apparently followed Fuchs, Musa and Ndidi on twitter	Link 1 Link 2
Jonny Evans	Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill says £20 million is a steal for the man, supports the move to Leicester	Link
Islam Slimani	France Football report that they would like to have Slimani back on loan if Bas Dost leaves	Tweet (in French)
Demarai Gray	Playing for 90 are reporting that Tottenham are interested in Gray, and are considering meeting his release clause of £22 million	Link

24/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Demarai Gray	He's frustrated with his lack of game time and announced it publicly in an interview	Link
Jonny Evans	Reports claim that Leicester are going to make another bid after West Brom said no less than £20 million for him	Link

26/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Gylfi Sigurdsson	Everton had a £27 million bid rejected as Swansea slap a £40 million price tag on Sigs	Link
Papy Mendy	Newly appointed at Nantes, Claudio Ranieri wants Mendy to join the French side	Link
Nathan Ake	Leicester seem interested in joining the race late for the 22 year old Chelsea and Netherlands centre back, but Bournemouth are already confident they can sign him this window	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Is it finally time? Mahrez reportedly rejects Barcelona in favor of Arsenal, and the gunners look set to strike, with a big money deal looming	Link
Tom Lawrence	Newcastle are apparently interested in the 23 year old, but must pay £10 million for his service	Link
Gregiore Defrel	Leicester and West Ham are reportedly interested in the Sassuolo forward	Link
George Thomas	Leicester are interested in strengthening the development squad with Coventry City starlet	Link

27/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Papy Mendy	Player wants to return to France with Bordeaux	Link
Adrien Silva	Leicester and Spurs told £26 million for the Portugal international, but Pocchetino has no intentions of buying him	Link
Thorgan Hazard	It seems that French outlet FootMercato believe that Leicester (among other clubs) are linked with the Belgian	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	Soccernet Nigeria are reporting that West Ham have made an improved bid for the young striker	Link

28/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Riyad Mahrez	Arsenal have reportedly offered the winger a 4 year deal, but the Mercury report that there have been no bids for the Algerian	Link 1 Link 2
Gregoire Defrel	The Mercury are reporting that Leicester are interested in the pacey striker, valued at £18 million	Link

29/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Bartosz Kaputska	His agent has said that he wants out this summer, and there are clubs around Europe looking to sign the young Poland winger	Link
Papy Mendy	The Mercury understands that Bordeaux have approached Leicester in talks over Mendy, but there hasn't been a bid made yet	Link
Riyad Mahrez	This is only somewhat relevant, but SPORT are reporting that if Verratti stays at PSG, then Barcelona will aim their focus at one of either Riyad of United's Herrera	Tweet
George Thomas	Swansea seem to be keen on signing him, but Leicester and a few other PL teams are interested as well	Link
Islam Slimani	Sporting seem to want to bring the Algerian back, but he has said he will only leave Leicester under "special circumstances"	Link

30/6/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Nathan Ake	Bournemouth have officially signed him	Link
Gaston Ramirez	After being blocked in the January transfer window, he seems keen to leave but Leicester are not interested	Link
Ben Gibson	After being priced at £25 million, Leicester are willing to wait to see how serious Boro are about the asking price	Link

1/7/17

Horribly late on this one, apologies

Player	Rumour	Source
George Thomas	Leicester have apparently made a £500,000 move for the Coventry City youngster	Link
Gregoire Defrel	The Mercury report that a move could be made as early as next week around £15.5 million for the Sassuolo striker	Link
Sam Johnstone	The United keeper has been linked with Leicester as well as other PL sides, I like this rumour more than the Jakupovic one	Link

2/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Nathaniel Chalobah	The Mercury are reporting that Leicester are interested in the young Chelsea midfielder	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Calcio Mercato are reporting that Arsenal are close to signing the winger	Link in Italian
Kelechi Iheanacho	According to Squawka, Leicester are prepared to make a £20 million offer for the young Nigerian. Odds on his transfer to Leicester have been cut dramatically	Link

3/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Lovre Kalinic	According to reports in Croatia, Leicester have bid £18.5 million for the Gent goalkeeper	Link
Gregoire Defrel	Roma have reportedly bid £13 million for the Sassuolo striker, but have had it rejected. The striker does seem interested in staying in Italy though	Link
Ali Al-Habsi	Leicester are interested in the Reading keeper, he has been named in the Championship team of the season for two years running	Link
Vincente Iborra	Marca are reporting that Leicester have made a £12 million bid on the Sevilla captain	Link in Spanish

4/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Vincente Iborra	The Mercury understand that a deal was reached and Iborra is set to undergo a medical with Leicester	Link
Kasper Schmeichel	This makes me sad. A lot of news outlets are reporting that if we sign Kalinic from Gent, we will let Kasper go	Link
Troy Deeney	Leicester have reportedly made a £20 million bid for the striker, but Watford have rejected it	Link

5/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Gregoire Defrel	Leicester are apparently trying to "press on the accelerator" to get the deal through amid Roma interest	Link
Leonardo Ulloa	The club is in talks with Ulloa about a contract extention	Link

6/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Vincente Iborra	Leicester have signed the Sevilla man	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	The City striker is close to a deal with Leicester	Link

7/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Demarai Gray	Everton are reportedly joining Tottenham and Liverpool in showing interest in Gray	Link
Gylfi Sigurdsson	Everton are preparing a £32 million bid on the Iceland international	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Arsenal want him but only want to spend £35 million on him, while Leicester are holding out for £50 million	Link
Gregoire Defrel	The Frenchman has said no to Leicester, and is planning on joining Roma this transfer window	Link
Mathieu Debuchy	Someone on Foxes Talk understands that Debuchy has checked into a Leicester hotel, possibly hinting at a move to the Foxes	Link

8/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Riyad Mahrez	Arsenal feel £50 million is too much for the Algerian and have reportedly agreed to personal terms with Monaco's Lemar	Link

9/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
James McCarthy	Everton have slapped a £25 million price tag on the outbound midfielder, Leicester are showing interest	Link
Leonardo Ulloa	Real Betis, Getafe and Levante have all shown interest in the man	Link

10/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Gylfi Sigurdsson	The Mercury are reporting that Leicester have had an enormous £40 million bid rejected in hopes of winning the fight over the Iceland international, they want £50 million for him	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Arsenal make an improved bid for Moncaco's Lemar as a move for Mahrez looks increasingly unlikely	Link
Tom Lawrence	Derby are looking to win the services of the Leicester man as a replacement for Tom Ince	Link
Islam Slimani	Craig Shakespeare has reportedly made the 29 year old striker available	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	Leicester and Manchester City have reportedly come to a deal for the striker	Link
Demarai Gray	Shakey has promised Gray more game time, which means the young winger will be keen to stay at Leicester	Link
Tom Lees	Leicester seem keen on the Wednesday defender	Link
Jonny Evans	Reports claim that Leicester are planning on yet another bid on the West Brom defender	Link

11/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Ron-Robert Zeiler	The keeper is set to join Stuttgart according to reports	Link
Eldin Jakupovic	With the sale of Zeiler, City are expected to make a £2 million bid for the Hull keeper has competition for Schmeichel	Link
Kelechi Iheanacho	Just when you thought you'd heard the end of it, Spurs are now trying to hijack Iheanacho in an attempt to speed up a deal for Kyle Walker, but despite this a couple betting sites have suspended bets on the Nigeria striker's move	Link 1 Link 2
Islam Slimani	West Brom and Newcastle are interested in the Algerian striker	Link
James McCarthey	Leicester are reportedly set to make a £25 million offer for the Everton midfielder	Link

12/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Ron-Robert Zeiler	The German keeper has completed a move to Stuttgart for a £3.5 million fee	Link
Yohan Benalouane	The defender's agent has hinted at a move back to Italy, but nothing seems serious as of yet	Link
Bartosz Kapustka	The Poland international is set to join Freiburg on a loan, is currently completing his medical	Link

13/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Riyad Mahrez	Roma are looking for a replacement winger after the sale of Salah, and Mahrez might be the right man for them.	Link
Eldin Jakupovic	We want to sign the Hull keeper for £2 million, but Hull want to hold out for a better offer	Link
Marvin Johnson	The Oxford striker is highly rated by Appleton, and has had an impressive season, so Leicester are showing interest	Link
Gylfi Sigurdsson	Take from this what you will, but it seems Sigs has not gone to the states with Swansea, as he is uncertain about his future at the club	Link

14/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Papy Mendy	St-Etienne want to take the midfielder on loan, but Leicester want a full sale	Link

15/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Bartosz Kapustka	The Polish winger has joined Freiburg on a year loan with an option to buy for £5.3 million	Link
Kasper Schmeichel	United increasingly interested in the keeper as it looks increasingly likely that De Gea will join Real Madrid	Link

17/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Eldin Jakupovic	The Hull keeper is set to have his medical in Hong Kong in the coming hours, ahead of a £2 million move	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Roma have stepped up their interest in the winger, reportedly preparing a bid between £30 and £35 million	Link
Aymen Abdennour	Leicester have been linked with the 27 year old Valencia defender	Link
Gylfi Sigurdsson	Leicester are reportedly set to tempt the Iceland midfielder with a £125,000 a week contract amid Everton interest	Link

18/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Demarai Gray	Leicester and Gray are in contract talks as Mahrez nears exit	Link

19/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Islam Slimani	The striker is worried Leicester might price him out of a move to Newcastle as Leicester look to recoup as much of their investment as possible	Link

20/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Kelechi Iheanacho	Pep Guardiola has given his blessing to the young striker to move on from Manchester City	Link
Papy Mendy	The French midfielder's agent blasts Leicester for a "lack of respect" concerning his move to France, with a host of clubs willing to take him on loan, but Leicester holding out for a sale	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Spurs have joined the race for the Algerian, but will not bid £50 million	Link
George Thomas	The Coventry City star has been asked by his manager to decide his future	Link
Mohamed Elneny	Arsenal and Leicester had reached a £10 million deal on the Egyptian international, only to have it blocked by the player	Link
George Hirst	Wednesday have rejected a £1 million bid for the young striker	Link
Ahmed Musa	West Brom have been linked with the striker as he looks set to leave this summer	Link

21/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Riyad Mahrez	Shakespeare says he has rejected a £20 million offer from Roma for the winger	Link
Harvey Barnes	The midfielder has committed to Leicester with a new 4 year deal	Link
Ahmed Musa	Hull and West Brom are considering a loan deal for the striker	Link

22/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Kelechi Iheanacho	What a ridiculously drawn out piece of business. On the bright side, a couple days ago Pep said it was to be completed soon, and now today Vice-Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has said the deal is coming soon	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Speaking of drawn out business, Mahrez is still in Leicester blue, but Roma are ready to launch a £30 million bid plus add ons for the winger, I'm hoping that these add ons are significant because 30 seems a little short for me	Link

23/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Riyad Mahrez	The winger is set to snub Roma in favor of waiting on an Arsenal move	Link
Islam Slimani	Everton may switch their attention to the striker as an alternative to Giroud	Link

24/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Adrien Silva	Leicester again show interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder and Jornal de Noticias claim that Leicester are set to bid €22 million to try to gain his services. Link
George Thomas	After a £300,000 bid was rejected by Coventry, Leicester are preparing a £500,000 bid for the striker	Link
Riyad Mahrez	Roma insist that the Algerian winger is their primary transfer target amid links to Samir Nasri	Link

25/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Riyad Mahrez	Roma have stepped up their bid to about 30 million, but Leicester won't budge for less than 50 million. Also, Liverpool have reportedly been keeping tabs on the winger (I don't believe this one so much)	Link 1 Link 2

26/7/17

Player	Rumour	Source
Alassane Meite	French reports are saying that Leicester have signed the young PSG striker, but there is nothing to back it up on the club website. My best guess is this is set to happen, possibly in the next couple days	Link