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Trophies and Winning Mentality
Introduction
Hello, everyone. We've talked endlessly about Man United's various players and how good they really are, but something which I've seen crop up on occasion is the idea of the 'winning mentality'. In other words, it's this idea that part of the reason that this club is struggling on the pitch at the moment is attributable to the fact that most of our players have little to no experience winning trophies and so lack the required drive, desire or experience to succeed in the same way that the likes of Liverpool and Man City have. How do we measure 'winning mentality', though? I don't think it can truly be measured objectively, but medals and trophy cabinets might give us some indication. Thus, I'll be going through every player currently at the club (with a minimum cut-off of fifty career senior appearances) and looking at all the senior trophies they've won to see how true it is that our current problems stem partially from a lack of experience at winning things.
David de Gea
De Gea was bought from Atlético Madrid by Sir Alex on the 29th of June 2011 for £18.9 million (which was a British record for a goalkeeper at the time) and it's fair to say that he's been among our best players in recent years. You may already know that he's one of the very few players left at the club who has won a Premier League title, but what else has he won? Not many people talk about this, but DDG had actually won stuff with Atlético prior to joining United, namely the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup. Not the most impressive haul, but part of Fergie's magic was instilling a winning mentality into players who otherwise might not have possessed the same mental fortitude. At United, De Gea was of course part of Ferguson's last title-winning squad. In addition, he has won an FA Cup under van Gaal, a League Cup under Mourinho, three Community Shields (one under Ferguson, one under Moyes and one under Mourinho) and he even got a winners' medal when Mourinho won the Europa League (I checked and he did actually play a few fixtures). All-in-all, not a bad trophy haul, but considering that he was the best goalkeeper in the world at one point, he'll be disappointed to have won just one league title and no Champions Leagues in his senior career. His lack of silverware with Spain will also be an issue for him.
Dean Henderson
Hendo came from the youth ranks but didn't sign a senior contract until August 2015. He has since gone on loan to Stockport County, Grimsby Town, Shrewsbury Town and Sheffield United. In that time, he hasn't won a single senior trophy; the closest he came was making the EFL Trophy final with Shrewsbury and coming second in the Championship with Sheffield United. He's no doubt a solid keeper, but if we're to return to the glory days, Ole (or whoever a future manager might be) is going to need to drill him to win titles.
Sergio Romero
The Argentinian international was signed on a free transfer (his most recent club being Sampdoria) by Louis van Gaal on the 27th of July 2015. Prior to joining United, he had already won the Eredivisie and the Johan Cruyff Shield (which is basically the Dutch Super Cup) with AZ Alkmaar, so he had experience winning league titles. He had also recently featured in the World Cup Final for Argentina, but failed to win. Since joining United, he has won the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Community Shield and, most notably, the Europa League. He has failed to win anything with Argentina despite reaching two Copa América finals. Considering he's essentially a backup, his trophy cabinet isn't too shabby. Plus, he absolutely earned that Europa League title under José considering he played both in the semi-final and the final (take notes, Ole).
Lee Grant
Manchester United's GOAT goalkeeper has had quite the career. Signed from Stoke City on the 3rd of July 2018 for a reported fee of £1.5 million, it's fair to say that he's a bit of a veteran, having made his senior debut all the way back in 2002. In that time, he has won absolutely nothing. I mean, I guess there's no obligation for the third-choice goalie to have won anything, but still, it's a little odd.
Joel Pereira
A youth player, Joel Pereira has spent most of his time on loan. He has yet to win anything.
Victor Lindelof
Lindelof was signed from Benfica by Mourinho in June 2017 for a fee of €35 million, and his list of honours is bigger than you might expect (granted, not quite playing at the same level). His first trophy was the Swedish Division 1 title with Vasteras SK, before winning three Primeira Liga titles, two Taca de Portugal titles, one Taca de Liga and one Supertaca Candido de Oliveira with Benfica. In other words, prior to joining United, he had won four league titles, two cups, a league cup and a super cup. He has yet to win anything with Sweden, however, or with Manchester United for that matter.
Eric Bailly
Bailly was the first player to be signed by Mourinho on the 8th of June 2016 for £30 million; he had previously been at Villareal. Bailly is a rather unusual case in that he hadn't won any domestic trophies prior to joining United but he's also the first person on this list to have won international silverware, more specifically the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with Cote d'Ivoire. At United, he has won the Community Shield, the League Cup and the Europa League, all under José Mourinho.
Phil Jones
Now we come to none other than Jonesta himself. When he was first signed by Fergie from Blackburn Rovers on the 13th of June 2011 for £16.5 million, he was genuinely seen as one of the hottest young talents at the time despite not having won anything. It's a shame that hasn't really lived up to his potential, but right now, we're focussed only on trophies, and I have to say that he hasn't done too badly for himself on that front. He's one of the few players at this club who has won the Premier League, more specifically Ferguson's last title (which is still one more than Steven Gerrard). He has also won the Community Shield under both Ferguson and Moyes (not under Mourinho, however), the FA Cup under van Gaal and the Europa League under Mourinho. At international level, he of course hasn't won anything with England.
Harry Maguire
Maguire was infamously signed for £80 million (a world record fee for a defender) from Leicester City on the 5th of August 2019. The only silverware he's ever won, though, is a Championship play-off trophy with Hull City, which is somehow still more than some of our other players. Of course, he's also reached two semi-finals with England (the World Cup and the Nations League) but he's yet to bring football home. With his record in mind, it's easy to see why some fans are sceptical of Slabhead's captaincy.
Marcos Rojo
Like Cristiano, Rojo came from Sporting, having been signed for £16 million by Louis van Gaal on the 19th of August 2014. He has been much-maligned by United fans for a while now (I bet most of you forgot he was still at the club), but his trophy cabinet, compared to most of our players, is actually relatively impressive. While at Estudiantes de La Plata (which is not one of the Argentinian 'Big Two' of River Plate and Boca Juniors), Rojo won the 2010 Apertura (which I think counts as a league title?) and the 2009 Copa Libertadores. That makes him the first player on this list to have won a continental title. At United, he has won the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Europa League and the Community Shield. I have to say, if the problem is players who lack a winning mentality then I'm not sure Rojo should be the first to go (though he's still deadwood IMO).
Axel Tuanzebe
Somehow, he actually makes the cut-off; I didn't realise how much he's actually played. Another youth player, most of Tuanzebe's appearances have come while on loan to Aston Villa, and he actually won the Championship play-off with them, so he already has a trophy in his cabinet. He also supposedly has a Europa League to his name, but I'm not sure how considering he hadn't made his debut yet, so I'll be cautious and exclude it.
Luke Shaw
Louis van Gaal signed Luke Shaw from Southampton on the 27th of June 2014 for a reported fee of £30 million (making him the most expensive teenager in world football at the time). What had he won at that point? Nothing. Still, he was considered a generational talent and he has since won a couple of stuff at Manchester United: the Community Shield and the Europa League, both under José. Yeah, his trophy cabinet is pretty barebones. Interestingly enough, Chelsea were in for him at the same time United were, but backed out due to his wage demands. Perhaps Shaw would have won more trophies had he gone to Chelsea instead? More interesting is that José Mourinho was Chelsea manager at the time, so it's quite ironic that after refusing to sign Shaw, he'd end up managing him anyway.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah
I'm not sure what position TFM plays, but fullback seems most appropriate. Anyway, he came through our academy and didn't win anything on his various loan deals. However, he has won both the FA Cup and the Europa League at United, like most of our players, it seems.
Alex Telles
Signed from Porto for £15 million in this transfer window, I'm happy to say that he's actually won a lot of stuff in various leagues, which is hopefully a good sign. Firstly, he has won the Copa FGF (a regional Brazilian cup competition) twice with Juventude. Secondly, he has won a league title with Galatasaray, as well as two Turkish Cups and a Turkish Super Cup. Finally, he has won two Primeira Liga titles, a Taca de Portugal and a Supertaca Candido de Oliveira with Porto. He has won trophies at every club which he's spent more than a season with, so hopefully, he'll help United to our first piece of silverware since the Europa League under José.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Signed from Crystal Palace for £50 million on the 29th of June 2019, he hasn't got the greatest pedigree, winning nothing. How much he's expected to win at the age of 22, I don't know, but certainly, there's still plenty of time. What's needed is for someone to instil that winning mentality into him like Sir Alex would have done with his young signings.
Diogo Dalot
Dalot was supposedly considered a huge talent before signing for us, but really, it seems to me as if he should be a winger rather than a fullback. Anyway, we signed him from Porto on the 6th of June 2018 for £19 million, but went out on loan this transfer window to A.C. Milan. Believe it or not, he's actually got a trophy to his name, and it's not some minor super cup either; he's actually won the Primeira Liga with Porto. Dude has won more trophies than Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Paul Pogba
Depending on who you ask, Pogba is a fantastic midfielder who is United's best player, a talented midfielder who has been too inconsistent or a waste of money who has cared only for himself (in José Mourinho's words, a 'virus'). This isn't too surprising considering we signed him for £89 million from Juventus on the 8th of August 2016, which was a world record for any player at the time; of course expectations were going to be high. At Juventus, Pogba was a trophy-winning machine, having to his name four Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia titles and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. The lack of European success was his only weak spot in that regard. Since joining United, however, he's been restricted to a League Cup and a Europa League, which must feel like quite the stepdown (at least he's got a European trophy now, though probably not the one he wanted). That's only counting club trophies, of course. His greatest achievement by far has to be his 2018 World Cup win for France; it's not as if he was a passenger either, being praised during the tournament for boosting France's midfield significantly. This, to me, shows that he can absolutely be motivated to win titles, but it doesn't seem to happening for him at United for whatever reason.
Juan Mata
The only David Moyes signing still at the club, Mata was signed from Chelsea in January 2014 for £37 million, which was a club record at the time. He had an illustrious career prior to joining United, and looking at his trophy cabinet, one could argue that he has effectively wasted his prime years at this club. Even prior to joining Chelsea, he had won a Copa del Rey with Valencia and the 2010 World Cup with Spain. He then proceeded to win a Champions League, a Europa League and an FA Cup with Chelsea (as well as reaching the final of the FIFA Club World Cup), in addition to winning the 2012 European Championship with Spain. When United signed him at the age of 25, he had already won pretty much every major trophy barring a top-flight title and he hadn't even hit his prime, so the signing must have felt like an absolute steal. Unfortunately, this is where Mata's success began to fade. At Manchester United, he has won a Europa League, an FA Cup, a League Cup and a Community Shield, but still no league title. At the age of 32, it seems unlikely that he'll win any more major trophies, which is a shame for a player who won so much at a tender age.
Jesse Lingard
Although he made several appearances as an unused sub under Fergie, Lingard didn't make his competitive debut for the club until the 2014-15 season under van Gaal (who loved to use youth players). How much has won, then? Not more than most other players, it should be said. None of his loan spells garnered him any trophies, but he has won the Europa League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Community Shield for Man United.
Fred
When United signed the Brazilian midfielder for £47 million from Shakhtar Donetsk on the 5th of June 2018, there were no doubt a few eyebrows raised. However, he has actually won a boatload of trophies at club level despite his lack of international success. While at Internacional, Fred won the Campeonato Gaúcho (the top division of the Rio Grande do Sul regional leagues) twice and then proceeded to win three Ukrainian Premier League titles, three Ukrainian Cups and four Ukrainian Super Cups at Shakhtar Donetsk. That's actually not a bad trophy haul at all.
Bruno Fernandes
Ah, the Portuguese Magnifico himself; when United fans talk about the 'winning mentality', Bruno is often the first player that is pointed to as an example of a player who possesses this mentality. The question is, though, has Bruno actually won anything? As a matter of fact, he has, but no league titles, unfortunately. While at Sporting, he has won a Taca de Portugal and two Taca da Liga titles, so a cup and two league cups. His most prestigious trophy is arguably the 2018-19 Nations League with Portugal, though time will tell if the Nations League successfully establishes itself as a premier competition. That being said, based solely on his trophy haul, there is little to suggest that Bruno has what it takes to win a league title (of course, anyone can see from his performances and demeanour on the pitch that he hates losing).
Nemanja Matic
The best Nemanja since Vidic, Matic has won a lot of trophies over his career. When he was first signed from Chelsea by Man United on the 31st of July 2017 for £40 million, he had already won the incredibly prestigious Slovak Cup with Kosice, before winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup during his two stints at Chelsea as well as a Primeira Liga and a Taca de Liga with Benfica. At United, he has won...nothing. In fact, if you discount his season-long loan at Vitesse, this is so far the only club in which Matic hasn't won anything.
Donny van de Beek
For Ajax, DvdB won an Eredivisie title, a Dutch Cup and a Johan Cruyff Shield. He also reached a Nations League final with the Netherlands. Time will tell if he can add to his trophy cabinet at Manchester United.
Scott McTominay
McSauce came through the youth ranks, made his debut at the end of the 2016-17 season and has yet to win anything.
Andreas Pereira
Pereira made his senior debut in the 2015-16 season before being loaned to Granada, Valencia and now Lazio. He has yet to win anything at senior level.
Edinson Cavani
The signing of Cavani has divided opinion. Some feel that he'll be the next Bastian Schweinsteiger or Radamel Falcao, while others feel that he could be the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, one thing that can't be denied is his massive trophy cabinet; whether a player who has achieved as much as he has is precisely what United needs is another matter. The Uruguayan started his career by winning the Primera División with his boyhood club Danubio before winning a Coppa Italia with Napoli. However, it was at PSG where he really shone, winning six Ligue 1 titles, the Coupe de France four times, the Coupe de la Ligue five times and the Trophée des Champions four times. Yes, it's PSG and yes, he hasn't won any continental competitions, but he's still a proven winner. Add in the 2011 Copa América (which he won with Uruguay) and I don't think Man United have a more decorated player in their squad at the moment. The real question is whether Cavani is past it or whether he still possesses the class that he had in his prime.
Anthony Martial
On the 1st of September 2015, Manchester United famously threw £50 million down the drain to sign a 19-year-old Anthony Martial (who came from France) from AS Monaco. The English press declared that he had no chance; he went on to score 71 goals in 225 competitive games for United. It should be said that Martial hadn't won anything when we signed him, but considering his age, that's forgivable. He has since won the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Community Shield and the Europa League, but still no Ballon d'Or. As for the French national team, Martial came close to winning Euro 2016 but he (and France) fell at the final hurdle, while he wasn't included in the squad for the 2018 World Cup.
Dr. Marcus Rashford MBE
The future Prime Minister and part-time Manchester United forward came through the academy ranks before making his debut under Louis van Gaal following an injury to Martial. Rashford during his time at Man United has won an FA Cup, a League Cup, a Community Shield, a Europa League, a Member of the Order of the British Empire and an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester.
Mason Greenwood
The best finisher at the club since Robin van Persie, Greenwood also came through the academy ranks. Given his young age and lack of experience, he of course hasn't won anything yet.
Daniel James
The Welsh winger was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first signing as manager, being bought from Swansea City on the 6th of June 2019 for £15 million. Given his previous club (Swansea) and his national team (Wales), it's no surprise that he's yet to win anything.
Odion Ighalo
Unlike the rest of the players here, Ighalo was loaned to us in January 2020 from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. He may won just the one trophy, but when that trophy is none other than the coveted Chinese FA Cup, you can already tell that he's a natural born winner (Chinese FA Cup-winning centre-forward, you'll never sing that!). He also came second place in the Championship with Watford, but second place is first place for losers, so that doesn't really matter.
Jadon Sancho
Bought on deadline day for £120 million, Sancho has won the DFL-Supercup with Borussia Dortmund. ...screw Ed Woodward. At least we have Facundo Pellistri, eh?
Conclusion
This whole thing is turning into a bit of a mess, so let's standardise it with some numerical values. Note that these are just arbitrary numbers that I've assigned for comparison purposes, so don't take them as gospel. World Cup, confederation cup (e.g. Euros), Champions League, Copa Libertadores = 20 points Top-flight title in 'Big Five' leagues = 16 points Europa League, national cup competition in 'Big Five' leagues = 10 points UEFA Nations League = 6 points Other top-flight title = 5 points Other national cup competition = 3 points Other cup (e.g. league cups, super cups) = 1 point With this system, here are all the current Man United players (min. 50 senior appearances) ranked by trophy haul. Cavani: 180 Pogba: 117 Mata: 112 Matic: 52 De Gea: 51 Rojo: 47 Jones: 38 Fred: 33 Bailly: 32 Lindelof: 28 Romero: 28 Telles: 27 Lingard: 22 Martial: 22 Rashford: 22 Fosu-Mensah: 20 Fernandes: 11 Shaw: 11 Van de Beek: 9 Dalot: 5 Ighalo: 3 Maguire: 1 Tuanzebe: 1 Grant: 0 Greenwood: 0 Henderson: 0 James: 0 McTominay: 0 Pereira (both of them): 0 Wan-Bissaka: 0 Obviously, trophies aren't everything (I am not seriously suggesting that Phil Jones has a stronger mentality than Bruno Fernandes) but this might be interesting. For reference, here's the list for all of Man United's players who played in at least five league games in the 2012-13 season (our last league title) up to and including the beginning of that season (so trophies won after the start of the 2012-13 season, including the league title, aren't counted). Ryan Giggs: 291\* Paul Scholes: 244* Rio Ferdinand: 113*+ Anderson: 111* Nemanja Vidic: 108* Michael Carrick: 98*+ Patrice Evra: 97* Wayne Rooney: 95* Nani: 83* Shinji Kagawa: 62 Jonny Evans: 44*^ Chicharito: 42 Rafael: 41* Antonio Valencia: 23 Robin van Persie: 21 Chris Smalling: 18 David de Gea: 12 Danny Welbeck: 9* Anders Lindegaard: 4 Tom Cleverley: 2 Ashley Young: 2 Phil Jones: 1 *Player won the Club World Cup, which I've assigned 6 points +Player won the Intertoto Cup, which I've assigned 3 points ^Player won the second division of a 'Big Five' league, which I've assigned 3 points OK, firstly, jeez, calm down, Giggsy. Secondly, LOL at Anderson being ahead of Vidic, Carrick, Ferdinand, Evra and Rooney. Thirdly, that 2012-13 squad contained 10 players who had a score greater than 52 at the time (and of course, several of them saw a jump after the title win). The current squad has 3. Obviously, it's much easier when you've been winning titles left, right and centre for the past twenty years, but make no mistake: Fergie drilled his teams to win at all costs.
I took a month-long break from writing these every week, but after the events of this weekend I’ve realised I just can’t stay away from the global entertainment phenomenon that is Scottish football. As well as being extremely busy, part of the motivation behind this hiatus of mine was the nonsense that followed Brendan Rodgers’ departure from Celtic to Leicester City, despite him saying that he didn’t see it as a stepping stone, and that it was his dream job. Whilst according to the average /soccer user, this cemented the Scottish Premiership’s status as a diddy league unworthy of following, it DID provide an opportunity to examine Celtic’s support’s journey through the 5 stages of grief. First there was denial, then anger, before depression, bargaining, and finally acceptance that Moussa Dembélé was right all along. Elsewhere, it’s brown trousers time for fans of Hamilton, Dundee, and St Mirren; and the race for a top 6 place - and a chance at European football - is going to go down to the wire. A timeline of all of the patter in the SPFL, and results from the last month in the Scottish Premiership ‘reported’ below, taking a more detailed look at this weekend’s fixtures, and results from the Scottish Cup, the Challenge Cup final, and the national team’s Euro 2020 qualifying games (as much as it pains me to do so). I’m not going to go into copious detail with every result, because there’s a good 30-something games to discuss, but there will be at least highlights of every game, just a click away.
Since awful home performances from Aberdeen are no longer remarkable, this game should exclusively be remembered for George Oakley’s Marco van Basten-esque wondergoal, and little else. Highlights.
Without meaning for this to turn into a Scottish Football Fan Trouble Roundup, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that a bottle of Buckfast, or Bucks Fizz if you’re the Mail, was thrown at Scott Sinclair whilst it was 0-0, in the first of two incidents of bampot behaviour at Easter Road within the next week. Not sure it quite had the desired effect, mind, as shortly after two belters from James Forrest and Scott Brown did the business for Celtic. Full highlights with commentary.
Brilliant late drama as wee Aaron Doran headed in a goal in stoppage time to book Caley Thistle’s place in the semi-final, in a game which they dominated. After beautiful goal from Joe Chalmers put ICT ahead, United were equal through a contentious penalty converted by Nicky Clarke. Inverness had the ball in the net again before the winner, but Nathan Austin had been ruled offside. Overall, ICT worthy winners. Full highlights.
A hilarious performance from Hearts on account of how predictable it was; totally dominant with no end product beyond Christophe Berra’s 12th-minute opener, which was cancelled out by Christie Elliot on the counter attack an hour later. Uche Ikpeazu almost scored one of the competition’s greatest ever goals before half-time, and if he had, that most likely would have been it for Partick. However, they managed to force the replay, along with Aberdeen and Rangers, although neither game could be broadcast, because UEFA want you to watch the Champions League. Full highlights with commentary.
Rangers fans retaliated to the Morelos banner they saw at Pittodrie by coming up with a Spanish banner of their own, reading “de asientos vacios a ovejas que abusan sexualmente Aberdeen FC”, or in English: “of empty seats for sheep who sexually abuse Aberdeen FC”. With the spotlight on fan behaviour as much as ever before, weeks of incidents were capped off by a moronic Hibs fan running onto the pitch trying to start on James Tavernier, before shiteing it as soon as Tavernier stood up against him. Rangers totally dominated, and Hibs could have been down to 10 men within as many minutes if Darren McGregor had been sent off for his elbow on Morelos. Morelos couldn’t take his chances, and Rangers couldn’t take their chance to close the gap on Celtic, with Florian Kamberi equalising with 75 minutes played. Darren McGregor was eventually sent-off after all, for a second yellow in stoppage time. Highlights.
Two teams who haven’t really got going in 2019, but fair play to Livingston for responding in such a way to going down after Joe Shaughnessy’s early opener. Highlights.
Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna may have been linked with Celtic in the summer, but before this game he announced he’d signed a deal with Trump International instead. A bold choice when you consider how popular Trump is in Aberdeen (not very) and also the world (not very). This fixture is normally a bit of a goal-fest, with the last match between the two sides being a 3-4 Celtic win, but I put a bet on both teams to score, so it’s the first goalless draw since 1994. Highlights.
The two previous Lanarkshire derbies have been fiercely competitive, with Hamilton victorious when visiting Fir Park, and Motherwell taking the 3 points from the Hope CBD. This game, however, was all but over in 10 minutes, with a David Turnbull brace putting daylight between the two teams, before Jake Hastie finished Accies off 25 minutes later. Highlights.
Shortly after Hearts meandered to a 1-1 draw with Thistle in the original fixture, their reserve team pumped Thistle’s 9-1, as if to rub salt into the wound. Hearts went behind to a tap-in from Scott McDonald, but goals from Uche Ikpeazu and Sean Clare were the difference in the end. Highlights.
Sad news for Scottish football, after it was revealed that the Hope CBD Stadium, so-called after a cannabis oil company purchased the naming rights to New Douglas Park, would be renamed after just 6 months to the even more eccentric “Fountain of Youth Stadium”. This all comes after they were randomly disrespected by Lord Sugar on Twitter. Tough times to be an Accies fan for sure. All of this was not enough to prevent Accies from getting one over Hearts, though, with Aaron McGowan’s goal the difference between the two sides. This result also validates the first words in four months from 22 year old stroke victim Darren Thompson - “Hearts are shite.” Highlights.
Before this match Rangers fans took to the offices of BBC Scotland in protest (I’m assuming?) against the unfair treatment they get on Sportscene. Kilmarnock went ahead through Conor McAleny, who replaced an injured Eamonn Brophy, but Alfredo Morelos was able to equalise. Neither side will be entirely content with a draw, I feel. Highlights.
All in all a very bad week for the Scottish men’s national football team. First we get absolutely done by the Northern Irish FA on twitter, and then we go on to get absolutely humiliated by Kazakhstan in our first qualifier. God help us. Alex McLeish did remark that we started brightly, which is funny considering that we were 2-0 down within 10 minutes. There’s also this weird interview with Graeme Jones where he explains why the squad decided not to try to adjust to the different time-zones. Not sure the priorities are quite right in the Scotland camp. The only highlight of the game as far as I’m concerned is when Sky lost pictures from Astana, but if you really want to see us get absolutely outclassed, then you can do so here.
After a player of the round performance from Ross Stewart gave us the most Scottish photoshoot ever - without featuring a kilt or bagpipes - and helped Ross County into the Challenge Cup final, the country of Scotland could put their international misery behind them for a day to watch a Welsh team almost win the final of a Scottish cup competition. The Nomads went ahead thanks to Michael Bakare 20 minutes in; it took until the 75th minute for County to turn it around. A quickfire double from Josh Mullin gave the Staggies the lead, before Jamie Lindsay secured what may not be Ross County’s last silverware of the season - they look likely to return to the Premiership as Champions. Highlights.
Where were you when Scotland went 70 minutes without scoring in San Marino? Would you like to experience it all over again? From Kenny McLean’s 4th minute opener, Johnny Russell’s almost-disappointing second goal, and that one moment where they got round the keeper and we actually thought they might score - relive it all here! Finally, we continue with some action that actually happened this week.
In the context of the whole season this doesn’t look like a bad result at all, but St Mirren will feel this is an awful point or three to drop. The Buddies had the chance to go a goal ahead, but Simeon Jackson opted to try a weird panenka along the ground from his spot-kick, which Zander Clark had no trouble with. I mean it’s not as if it could all come down to one goal or one point for St Mirren at the end of the season, anyway. Shortly after, Chris Kane put St Johnstone ahead by pouncing on a defensive error. Had Jackson’s penalty gone in, and the score remained the same, St Mirren would have been off the bottom before their must-win match against Dundee. They’ll be without Ethan Erhahon for that match after he was given a straight red for a poor tackle late in the match. Architects of their own downfall in this match, St Mirren. Highlights.
Livingston won’t have any worries of relegation, which is a miracle in itself considering how poor value they looked at the very beginning of the season. Meanwhile Hibs will have known that they could easily fall out of the top 6 with any missteps at this crucial point in the season. Craig Halkett missed this match through an injury sustained prior to the game, and it was announced today he’d be leaving Livingston for Hearts at the end of the season - with this I reckon he’ll make the Scotland squad for the next series of international games. In the end, goals from Paul Hanlon and Mark McNulty killed the game off in the space of 5 minutes, and Ryan Hardie’s late penalty was only a consolation for Livingston. Highlights.
St Mirren may have been their own worst enemy in the middle of the week, but what a performance and result this is for them - and one which could well be fatal for Dundee. Dundee went ahead after just 22 seconds through Ethan Robson, which could easily have destroyed any hopes St Mirren had of taking something out of the game, but Danny Mullen scored his third goal of the season - his third against Dundee - to reignite the Buddies’ hopes just 11 minutes later. The winning goal came courtesy of speccy tube Brad Lyons, affording him the opportunity to premiere his speccy tube celebration in Saturday’s best exhibition of patter. St Mirren leapfrog Dundee, and are looking much more likely to increase that gap at the moment than Dundee are to close it. Highlights.
This result confirms St Johnstone’s bottom 6 placement, and keeps Motherwell’s alive by a sliver. Chris Cadden returning to the Motherwell bench will be a cause for optimism, and Motherwell looked improved when he came on, with Elliot Frear’s opener occurring 6 minutes after his substitution into the game, and David Turnbull doubling the lead 10 minutes later. Liam Craig had an early penalty saved for St Johnstone, and Richard Tait added a third to complete Saints’ capitulation in stoppage time. Highlights.
Aberdeen remained without Shay Logan through injury, although he did pull on a kit for his stag do. They went ahead thanks to Connor McLennan in the first half, but came out after the interval with apparently very little idea of how to play football. Sean Clare and Uche Ikpeazu got on the scoresheet to complete the Hearts comeback. How it feels to be an Aberdeen fan right now can be summarised by Derek McInnes’ decision in the 86th minute to bring on centre-back Michael Devlin for our only dangerous attacker, Connor McLennan, in a Steven Caulker-esque move. I despair. Highlights.
One of the most notable differences between Brian Rice’s Accies and his predecessor Martin Canning’s side is that Rice has set up much less defensively. As such, his side have been on the end of some right pumpings. Highly-rated left-back prospect Greg Taylor scored his first ever goal for Kilmarnock, before a second half rout saw four other players on the scoresheet - Conor McAleny, Youssouf Mulumbu, Chris Burke, and Mikael Ndjoli. This result means that Kilmarnock overtake Aberdeen into third, and will look to hold on to this European place. The job Steve Clarke has done is pretty incredible. Hamilton will be looking cautiously at St Mirren and Dundee beneath them. Highlights.
You already know how this one went down. One man whose name shot up in the estimations of 95% of /soccer yesterday is a certain Scott Brown. The events of this match almost entirely revolved around him. After Odsonne Édouard opened the scoring, the first notable incident involving Brown was the Celtic captain baiting Alfredo Morelos into elbowing him in the face, and laughing at him as he walked off back down the tunnel. Ryan Kent levelled magically for Rangers, and Celtic too went down to 10 men after Dedryck Boyata went off-injured after their third sub. When James Tavernier nonchalantly enabled James Forrest’s 86th-minute winner, Brown’s gameplaying saw him get punched in the face by Ryan Kent, which seems to have made both players more of a hero to each side. Andy Halliday was then sent-off after trying to brawl in the tunnel, just before Brown gave a brilliant post-match interview where he claims not to remember what happened with Kent, and that the post-match scuffle with Halliday was just the Rangers man coming over to congratulate him. All things considered, a good day for shithousing. Highlights. So after all that, the table looks as follows:
Championship Round Relegation Round That was a lot so thanks for giving it a read. See yous next Monday for more of the same! Check out /ScottishFootball for good patter and discussion of the SPFL Last week’s matches were rounded up here ● data from soccerway.com ● thanks mods for 2soccer2botbut it’s still broken
Harry Wilson: A Write Up by a Former Football Journo and Lifelong LFC Fan.
Hello Rangers’ Reddit! I am a former football journo and lifelong Liverpool fan. I’m happy to provide verification to mods if so desired! However, I’m not sharing an article today. I just thought I’d do a quick write up on Harry Wilson for the community. Harry Wilson joined Liverpool as U9 and was promoted to the Academy at the age of 15. When he first moved to the Academy Wilson struggled with finding an appropriate position and role. Wilson was first deployed as a central midfielder and as a number ten in Brendan Rodger’s variation of a 4-2-3-1. In each position he struggled with his passing range and vision. Moving to the left wing saw Wilson gain attention from the Wales set up, leading to his first cap and becoming the youngest Welsh international ever. Playing as a traditional left-footed left winger played to Wilson’s low center of gravity, physical strength, and dribbling ability. However, his final crosses and passes were often woeful. There were rumors that Brendan Rodgers was frustrated with the young Welshman’s inability to put it all together and that contributed to Liverpool’s decision to send Wilson to Crewe Alexandra. The Crewe loan was probably the low point of Wilson’s relatively short career. He struggled to play consistently, and when he played he was ineffective. Wilson could put himself in great positions, only to play a poor ball or make a terrible tactical decision. When Brendan Rodger’s was terminated and Jurgen Klopp was hired Wilson was one of the many loaned out players that Klopp recalled to Liverpool. Klopp is not a fan of loaning out players, and he wanted to evaluate as many players as he could. Wilson impressed enough to earn his Liverpool debut, albeit as a left winger, replacing Philippe Coutinho in the 65th minute of a FA Cup tie. After his debut Klopp made the decision to switch Wilson from the left wing, to the right. The switch changed Wilson’s focus from getting to the byline and putting a cross in, to cutting into the penalty area and putting the ball in the net. Once Wilson adapted to the switch he became unstoppable in the Premiere League 2. From January of 2018 to January of 2019 Wilson made 60 U23 appearances, scoring 32 goals and logging 14 assists. Many Liverpool fans were screaming for first team action, especially since the path in his position was clear. Ben Woodburn and Rhian Brewster were injured for much of the year. Sheyji Ojo, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi, and Lazar Markovic were all sent out on loan. There was no direct replacement for Mohammed Salah in terms of position and role. Rather than bring Wilson into the team Klopp opted to play Danny Ings and Dominic Solanke as his primary rotation options up front. Liverpool’s early exit from the League and FA Cup did not help Wilson’s playing prospects either. In January of 2018 Wilson signed an extension with Liverpool. Part of that extension was an agreement to go out on loan for the second half of the 2017-2018 season. Wilson was sent to Hull City in the Championship where he continued his fantastic form. In 11 starts and 2 substitute appearances Wilson netted 7 times and assisted on 4 more goals. However, Wilson’s current game is not without faults. During his time with the Tigers the Welsh winger’s passing percentage was at 74%. Whether that is indicative of poor passing or making risky passes is debatable. Wilson also plays low to the ground, winning .2, yes point-two, aerial duels a game. The Liverpool community is focused on the upcoming Champion’s League Final but the off-season debate will be whether or not Harry Wilson needs more development time or whether or not he is ready to be Mohammed Salah’s direct understudy. Ben Woodburn is more suited to where Sadio Mane plays, and Klopp has hinted at moving Woodburn to one of the two forward-running center midfield positions. Rhian Brewster is seen as heir to Bobby Firmino’s place providing Liverpool can retain him. Many Liverpool fans envision a back-up front three of Woodburn, Brewster, and Wilson. Ryan Kent also plays the right wing, but his stock has dropped considerably following two difficult loan spells this past year. If Liverpool hold on to Wilson they run the risk of stalling his development. Particularly if the Nabil Fekir and Christian Pulisic rumors ring true and Liverpool witness early exits in cup competition next year. A Rangers deal makes sense as Rangers would be landing a dynamic goal scorer that is used to playing a physical style of football and has proven to be sturdy. Liverpool benefit by allowing one of their best prospects to continue his development. A loan deal makes the most sense given Wilson’s new deal in January and Rangers’ financial situation. The primary obstacle in the deal will be demand from bottom-third Premier League teams and mid-range Bundesliga teams for Wilson’s services. Ultimately, Liverpool management will have to determine whether or not playing under Steven Gerrard and being one of the first names on the team sheet will make up for the lack of quality in the Scottish Premier League. Thanks for reading friends! All stats are pulled from whoscored.com or transfermrkt.com. Beyond that most of my sources are either first-hand knowledge from when I was a credentialed media member or people close to the club (employees, former academy players, etc.). Fun Fact: Harry Wilson's granddad put a 50 pound bet on him becoming an international footballer when he was 18 months old. Won him 125K with William Hill when Harry made his Wales debut. Edit: Grammar and added the fun fact.
A Hater's Guide to EURO Qualifying / 2018 Year in Review (insert Soccer flair here)
After a surprisingly decent start to the Nations League that saw some upsets and some decent football, another Euro qualification campaign awaits us. Teams are scrambling to achieve something before their generational talents depart and leave them rudderless. Managers are scrambling for decent results to avoid getting fired. UEFA is scrambling to get the populace to hate them even more with the Der Spiegel leaks......... and the bullshit that is their attempt at a UEFA Superleague, designed to kill those pesky irrelevant small-market teams and countries once and for all. Before international football takes a serious beating at the hands of leaks and Qatar 2022, lets take a look at the contestants. This will be a little different from the standard Haters Guide, as I'll be breaking down the groups and major teams recent fortunes in light cliff notes form instead of going in full on everyone. Even if half the team previews would be some variation of "You're fucked", its still soul consuming to talk about a bunch of uninspiring Tier II or III Euro sides, even if they have a chance to go far because voodoo seeding magic. This will instead be an overview of the relevant teams and how they're looking so far. Lets get to it. ~~~ GROUP A: England, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Kosovo ~To the shock of all 55 million of their cynical supporters, England came through big in the Nations League groups with a pair of crucial wins at the end to secure a Final 4 berth. England's reward for such endeavours will probably be a torching from Portugal and another easy group to qualify for a tournament in. Over the next year and a bit, England's goal will be to shore up the defense, figure out how to make a functional midfield out of their varying pieces, and hope that the English media decides not to de-person Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. Gareth Southgate has done good in rallying the troops and clearly looks like the right man for the job........ which means he'll be sacked after a quarterfinal exit in Qatar because reasons. Hopefully Frank Lampard does a good enough job managing clubs to step right in. Either way England needs to retain someone who knows what went wrong with the "Golden Generation", instead of hiring a foreign mercenary who will fall into the same traps Sven and Capello fell into trying to bring the team together. A decisive and steady hand at the top who commands respect from the players and makes everyone know their role is what England needs to stabilize the Premiership egos. To be fair this team doesn't seem to have clashing personalities on the level of the 2000s, so maybe they can make this work. Maybe. ~As for the rest of this group...... eeeeech. I'm personally hoping Kosovo uses its credible league underdog upset powers to roll over everyone and finish second, but theres a lot of uninspiring dross here. The Czechs haven't been relevant since the early 2000s and need some generational talents to crop up to reach that peak again. Instead they get a midfield captain who plays in the MLS, I mean COME ON. At least get him somewhere more credible like the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday. Also Bulgaria's got nothing going on and Montenegro got the worst of the split from Serbia. England shouldn't blow this group, so lets hope for something positive from Kosovo and that a few players get jobs in the English leagues out of this. ~~~ GROUP B: Portugal, Ukraine, Serbia, Lithuania, Luxembourg ~So early in the preview we get the first reasonably tough group. Ukraine and Serbia may end up qualifying via Nations League anyways, but both teams should probably try to be safe rather than sorry. Serbia got refballed by the Swiss at the World Cup and there were rumours of FA interference in setting up the team. If their dumbass fans stay out of the teams way and don't dock them points though, they'll be a threat. The team looks flush with credible league players, especially in the midfield, and Aleksandar Mitrovic is a goal in 2 games striker up front for the NT. The main question mark is in goal if Vladimir Stojkovic retires soon, not to mention hes playing in a bad league and would be disqualified from future consideration anyways if Serbia had any depth at that position. Regardless, Serbia still looks like a sure bet to make it to Euros via either path but from there, who knows? ~As for Ukraine, things are........ a little more complicated. Shaktar Donetsk's weird Brazilian pipeline and finances gives their league a sexy surface gloss of credibility, but the NT and the country itself have seen big changes since the WC in 2010. The problem now is up front, where the options are veteran Turkish league journeymen, green youth, or hope the wingers Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka are around to do a thing. The latter one will work less due to Yarmolenko being out early on with an Achilles tear. If he comes back as a permanently lesser player things do not look good. The former national talisman in Andriy Shevchenko is doing the managing now, and needs to figure out a way to get this team some goals if the defense breaks down. There is some serious firepower in the other favourites, and Ukraine may struggle to keep pace. You also have a tough path for Nations League B with Edin Dzeko and Christian Eriksen lurking. Good luck. ~Portugal don't think we forgot about you! You still have FUCKING PEPE ON THE TEAMSHEET. AND HE WAS YOUR CAPTAIN AGAINST POLAND?!?! What was his locker room team talk like? Did he tell everyone to two foot the nearest player and then dive afterwards? You dropped Bruno Alves like a hot potato and even if Pepe somehow goes through some games without incidents, hes still 35. He won't be around for Qatar, and you need to start bringing in the younger players now to get them to gel. Also its worth noting that Ronaldo did not make a single appearance in the Nations League and is........ currently dealing with some messy sexual assault allegations...... hoo boy. You better hope Andre Silva keeps scoring at a 1 in 2 pace, otherwise you have no shot at a Euro repeat. ~~~ GROUP C: Netherlands, Germany, Northern Ireland, Estonia, Belarus ~Besides the Cleveland Cavaliers, did any team have a swifter fall from grace this year than the German NT? As if the brutal World Cup campaign and Mesut Ozil retiring to political posturing over Turkey wasn't bad enough, the team flamed out in the Nations League to a Dutch team deep in the rebuild, and still lack stability in the midfield and defense. Even with a soft group to likely qualify from, this team still needs to get its shit together to achieve anything in the coming tournaments. Like the Eagles, winning the big one may have been the worst thing to happen to the team for their short term future, and they may need the good ol' "culture change" to get back to normal contender status. I'm not sure we're ready for a footballing world with an underachieving German team, but it seems the rest of the countries who have been held back by the Germans are DEFINITELY ready for it. I don't have any grudge against Germany, but I will die laughing if this team drops points to Northern Ireland. Maybe THAT could get Joachim Low fired...... ~Netherlands I don't know what the hell to make of you. I wanted to revisit that case in a couple of years and see if the Dutch could get things together with a new wave of talent, but then you caught France on the hop and Germany on a sustained hangover. Now you probably have a high seed for future events, and a soft group to make it back to the Euros with. I'm just not sold on Virgil Van Dijk and Memphis Depay as the core players. Depay in particular has been rumoured to have some attitude problems and inconsistency. Even if they were magnified in the harsh spotlight of the Premier League, and even if hes turning things around for Lyon, do you really build an attack around him? You've had success in the past building around tempermental talent, but I doubt anyone thinks hes at the level of a Van Basten or a Robben, let alone Cryuff. Theres at least some promise behind with guys like De Ligt, Kluivert, and maybe Fosu-Mensah and Frenkie de Jong, but this does not seem like peak Dutch vintage. At least you're better off than you were from 2015 to 2017? ~Much as I'd like Northern Ireland to pull off some upsets, it probably isn't happening. They took a beating in Nations League B and clearly can't hold superior sides off using the old-school defensive British Isles tactics. The strike force is Championship journeymen and a beat-up Kyle Lafferty, with no notable youth getting pushed forward by the team. Hope you enjoyed your cup of coffee with success in 2016 lads, now its back to complaining about other Ireland stealing your players. ~~~ GROUP D: Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, Georgia, Gibraltar ~Meh, nothing to get excited about here. Swiss optimism is no doubt high after the shocking thrashing of Belgium in the Nations League to win their group. The issue is that Hans Serefovic may have gotten that hat trick against a defense too old and broken down to give a fuck, and you're still reliant on the Great Value version of generational talents in your midfield. Denmark should be right there with them based on the World Cup unless the strike flares up again, or something happens to Christian Eriksen or Kasper Schmeichel. But Jesus Christ Denmark do SOMETHING about that strike force. ~One thing does need to be said in this group however: Ireland is looking godawful. They beat Wales to get into a playoff for WC qualification then got blown out 4-1 in the Nations League. This has led to managers Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane being marched to the guillotine. The roster looks completely cooked and the scoring cupboard is bare once you take out Shane Long and Johnathan Walters......not that either player was good anyways. Even if Ireland slogs out a couple draws with Denmark, they're more liable to drop points to Georgia (which did happen in WC qualifying). Hell, Ireland could somehow struggle to break down Gibraltar for all we know. ~The sad part is this weaker group could end up getting two Nations League winners in the Swiss and Georgia and three qualifiers to the Euros. Yikes. ~~~ GROUP E: Croatia, Wales, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan ~Wales and Croatia may top the group in seeding but both teams are staring into the edge of the abyss. Croatia has already lost Mandzukic and Subasic, and the rest of the core is aged 29 or older. They need to strike now before they get too old for the World Cup. The Euros may be the last chance for Croatia to win something before they have to restart with a new core under bigger expectations. Hopefully the fans can cling to the memories of that magical 2018 run....... ~As for Wales, they face the unpleasant prospect of wasting their second generational talent in Gareth Bale. The 2018 WC qualification campaign was an absolute DISASTER for the Welsh, as they blew a winnable group to Serbia and Ireland.......... after drawing half their games and dropping points to fucking Austria and Georgia. Wales had a chance of sneaking into the World Cup and even making it to the Round of 16 with the right draw, but had to sit at home instead and watch England achieve their best result in over 25 years. The time is now to win before Bale gets too old and too destroyed by the Madrid media. You've got some young diamonds in the rough that need to gain experience quickly, some veteranosity at the backline, support in Aaron Ramsey, and a reasonably steady keeper in Wayne Hennessey. DON'T FUCK IT UP! Gareth Bale does NOT deserve to have the same international career as Ryan Giggs. (And yes Giggs did not deserve that either) ~But hey surely those Slovakia guys will steal a spot from you. Just look at all that talent! Marek Hamsik! Marek Hamsik! Marek Hamsik! Did we mention Marek Hamsik? And look at that awesome support he has........AN MLS MIDFIELDER AND A PAIR OF CYPRUS LEAGUE STRIKERS?!?! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (Cue Simpsons you're stupid guy laughing) (Did I forget about Hungary? I hope so.) ~~~ GROUP F: Spain, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Faroe Islands, Malta ~Meh, nothing much to get excited about here. Some Reddit pundits think theres a chance for Norway and Romania but I'm not buying it. Sweden has gotten a lot of credible wins over the past year and are also a bet to make it in via Nations League after a hiccup against Turkey to start. Emil Forsberg has not panned out for them and Marcus Berg may be lynched if he misses another sitter, but at least 20 fringe countries would kill to have Sweden's recent results. The steady Robin Olsen and the 8 men behind the ball troll tactics you had at the World Cup should see you through to the Euros and a Round of 16 elimination. Enjoy. ~As for Spain, they had a rough showing against Morocco and Russia in the World Cup and got bounced out by England in the Nations League, but things should pick up soon. That World Cup was a wash for Spain anyways due to all the managerial shenanigans and a poor tournament from David De Gea. Spain should be at least a fringe contender for another few years if this new core doesn't fall off a cliff.......... and if the FA and Spanish political landscape don't interfere with Luis Enrique doing his job. Good luck Luis. Don't let this second hot seat burn you to death. ~Hey by the way how did that Julen Lopetegui move to Real Madrid that got him fired from Spain work out anyways? (Julen gets canned after 6 losses in 14 games) OH GOD. Hope you had fun being burned at the stake Julen! Should've looked that gift horse in the mouth............. ~Also I'll sign off this group with a message to Romania: FUCK OFF WITH THE ULTRAS. You went down the racist Serbian route and had a few Nations League matches played behind closed doors with Carolina Hurricanes-level attendance. Keep this up and UEFA may take you for a spin on the wheel of discipline, and dock your dumb asses some points. Also do yourselves a favour and discover the next Gheorghie Hagi so you can rebuild your league and your national team already, that'll work too. ~~~ GROUP G: Poland, Austria, Israel, Slovenia, Macedonia, Latvia ~Wait, this can't be the actual group right? This is some seriously fake news. Lemme double check this...... refreshes Euro page ARE YOU SHITTING ME!? YOU CALL THIS A GROUP!? What the FUCK!? Poland and Austria don't deserve their placement in the current pots, and they get gifted a sham group that will continue to inflate their rankings? Serbia is possibly better than BOTH these teams and they sit in Pot 3 with some no hopers and fringe contenders. I don't have any special dislike towards either country but COME ON! Israel, Slovenia, and maybe Macedonia, I don't care about you guys either, but just to normalize the seeding a little I hope you take some points from these guys, and show the world what a farce these qualification draws can be. ~Oh you want a preview? Fine, here it is: Lewandowski tries to create goal scoring opportunities with questionable support, and Austria coasts off maybe three relevant players to a Euro group stage drowning. Now lets move onto some actual contenders. ~~~ GROUP H: France, Iceland, Turkey, Albania, Moldova, Andorra ~..........Ok, this is better for talking points at least. This group is an interesting one for France, because it gives us a chance to see how bad the World Cup hangover really is. France has been on a rollercoaster of sorts since the heyday of Michel Platini, with some really great performances, followed by some really awful performances, followed by a rebound, then another crash, then a rebound again. France could've headed downhill after a decent showing in 2014 and 2016, but instead took the big step forward and won the World Cup. The Nations League could've been a second tournament win in as many years, but they bowed out in the group stages to the Dutch, of all teams. Now comes the test of their consistency against some middling competition. If the French keep an even keel through qualifying and play strongly at the Euros, then they've turned a corner. If they drop serious points and flame out.......well, imagine the shrill bitching Pogba and Griezmann recieve in the media when they do anything, then multiply it by the entire team. For those who don't want complacency or collapses you better pray that Kylian Mbappe keeps developing. (Also have fun with those PSG leaks.) ~Iceland, I have some bad news. That mild optimism I had in the Nations League preview? Yeah, turns out I wasn't informed that your new manager Erik Hamren is a total gas can who shouldn't have the job. Iceland's Golden Generation may be forcibly rusted, so I hope those passionate supporters of yours will be happy living off past upset glories. Best to turn your attention to the future and developing youth, because the present does not look good under current management. ~Turkey is in a weird state to me. It seems their national league has a similar sexy surface gloss of credibility like Ukraine, along with the same sort of issues underneath that gloss. Theres even turmoil within the country as a distraction, albeit of a slightly different kind to Ukraine's ongoing mess with Russia. Turkey hasn't really done a lot since the 3rd place in Euro 2008, and they don't seem to have a ton of new youth to lead the renaissance aside from maybe Cengiz Under, Zeki Celik, and probably some youngster in a Turkish league who'll need to transfer to progress his career. The current veterans don't seem to have that spark to propel the team further, and it showed a bit in the Nations League despite a mild upset over Sweden early on. Lets revisit this one in a few years. ~......What, you want me to talk about Albania cause of the credible league factor? Sorry, but any team who loses 4-0 to Scotland in a semi-serious contest isn't worth more than 3 sentences in a recap. Have fun getting more players poached due to nationality rules! ~~~ GROUP I: Belgium, Russia, Scotland, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, San Marino ~Hey Belgium, thanks for that nice 5-2 loss to the Swiss that jinxed my Nations League predictions! Now I have to try to care about Switzerland in the Nations League Haters Guide. Really looking forward to that! I can sorta forgive a loss in the face of injuries to de Bruyne, Lukaku, and half the starting defense, that makes sense. But you beat these guys 2-1 at home and had a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes? How can you let yourselves down in a competition like this? HOW!? For the love of god, can you quit choking on the pre-game waffle brunch and DO SOMETHING with this core? Do you really want to supplement this awesome attack with Boyata and the other Lukaku holding the fort behind them in a few years? Just blow this group out and win the damn Euros already. ~Russia could have a chance to play spoiler again here. Russia fell a bit short against Sweden in the Nations League, but they have a certain grit and quality to the team as of late that makes them hard to pass on as an upset pick. If they keep a healthy midfield, find a replacement for Igor Akinfeev, and magic bullshit goals out of Artem Dzyuba and whoever the hell Russia's putting in the attack these days, they could make some noise in the Euros. ~Scotland may be getting a Legacy of Failure post if I ever find anyone to fact-check my ranting, and a blown qualification effort here followed by a loss of the Nations League could write yet another chapter in it. You have two goalkeepers over 35 and a sprinkling of Premiership players to complement the substandard domestic league offerings. You also have Johnny Russell getting 9 caps because.........I don't fucking know. Get him out of there and replace him with literally anyone else please. We have narratives to maintain, and we need as few people in the MLS as possible tarnishing this pristine stage of international football. ~~~ GROUP H: Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Greece, Armenia, Liechtenstein ~And here at the end we have one of the toughest groups in qualification. Thats tough for the viewer AND the teams involved. Italy vs Greece twice? Better plan your sleep patterns around that shit. Italy is in tough in this group, as the Mario Balotelli experiment may have been aborted early in the Nations League. For all the identity Italy has around defence, the fact \remains that they have never won things without high-end threat of some variety in the final third. Are you going to seriously trot out guys like Immobile and Insigne and call them your international standard attackers? They're like the guys you tack on a roster in FIFA Ultimate Team for the chemistry bonus. Still, even though you drew some of the stronger teams in each pot, you might come out of this ok. Luckily, you did avoid sides like Denmark and Sweden that have a higher chance of playing along with a 0-0 and forcing you to drop points. If you can retool in time for 2020 you may once again reach default contender status. ~Meanwhile, Bosnia is on one of the better runs of success in the history of their nation, taking advantage of a soft group draw in the Nations League to run wild and secure a place in the final 4. Austria and Northern Ireland are nothing special, but you at least got a platform for your generational talent Edin Dzeko to shine on, as he approaches his well-earned 100th cap. If you get the goalkeeper Begovic and the crucial midfield piece Miralem Pjanic back from injuries, you've got a solid shot at keeping form and getting a ticket to the Euros. Good luck against the Italians. May you be free from the permanent hell that is Slavic team inconsistency. ~Finland is being hyped up as having the best team they've had since the heyday or Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyppia. Looking at the roster though, I'm not buying it. Theres a couple useful pieces, and you've got a rock solid keeper in Lukas Hradecky, but I'm questioning the lack of players in credible leagues. Perhaps the roster adds up to more than the sum of its parts, perhaps there are players here who just haven't gotten the break, but am I really supposed to be inspired by your best striker being from Norwich City? Will Joel Pohjanpalo ever come back form that injury? Also why did you give 74 caps to players in that damn MLS again? Regardless, against a potentially toothless Italy you have a chance of scraping a couple draws, which means that the fixtures against Bosnia will likely determine the fate of this new wave team. Good luck. ~Greece is in a real state of flux at the moment. Last Euro qualification was a cataclyzmic failure that saw losses to the Faroe Islands and Claudio Ranieri being ran out of the country like a common pygmy. He then went on to win a Premiership title with Leicester City in one of the best moments in the history of sports just because. Greece has struggled over this past year with losses to Saudi Arabia, Estonia, and Hungary, not to mention a loss against their group rival Finland. The defense is still as obstinate as ever, but when it cracks Greece seems to struggle at chasing the game unless they get a good set piece or Kostas Mitroglou does a thing. 2004 Euros look like a wet dream that won't be seen again, but Greece does have the chance of stealing points against Italy and disrupting the table. ~Armenia has a discount generational talent in Henrikh Mkhitaryan......and no one else. You blew a major shot at success in the Nations League, so you need to hope the countries ahead of you shit the bed to improve your seeding for the World Cup. Have fun being near the cellar. ~~~ Thus ends this wall of text and another year of European footy! Now open wide and watch UEFA laugh in your faces!
A Comprehensive Study proving that Watford FC are the greatest yellow-shirted football team in the world. Part 3 – The United Kingdom
Science is a precise art. Can a collection of rants about football clubs that play in yellow be considered science? Luckily, I have a degree in science, so everything I say is by definition scientific. Thus concludes my greatest piece of work, my magnum opus. A comprehensive study of 160 of the world's football clubs, to prove once and for all that Watford FC are the single greatest yellow-shirted team in the world, by way of pointing out why every other team is shit.
Motherwell: Motherwell list their club colours as claret and amber. Stop trying to be posh Motherwell, it’s not working. If you can’t extract a tragic dinosaur themed safari park out of it, it’s not amber, it’s yellow. Stay in your lane. Partick Thistle: Have you seen the unholy, nuclear disaster of an abomination that is Partick Thistle’s mascot? Keep it the fuck away from me, I’m scared. Albion Rovers: If you tell me that there’s a group of men in yellow that call themselves “The Wee Rovers”, then my first thought is not football. It is in fact disgust. Please, Albion Rovers, live up to your nickname and piss off. Alloa Athletic: Now I have double-checked and Alloa’s badge definitely has a wasp on it and not a hornet. Nature fact: wasps are to hornets as a small child is to Mike Tyson. Alloa Athletic you are tiny and shit and I hope you get caught in a fly trap. East Fife: West Fife best Fife, jog on. Berwick Rangers: Berwick isn’t even in Scotland! Berwick Rangers clearly knew they would be an irrelevance in the English leagues so snuck north of the border instead. Unfortunately, they are a Scottish League Two side which makes them irrelevant anyway. Auchinleck Talbot: No, you’ve never heard of them either. Point made.
WALES
Barry Town United: Of all the things to name a town, you name it Barry. My Dad has a cousin called Barry and he works on a market stall selling pears. Nice chap, but not exactly inspiring. Carmarthen Town: What on earth is a Carmarthen? Newport County: Newport are one of a handful of Welsh clubs to play in the English football league, deeming themselves too good to play in the Welsh leagues. Well done Newport, you’re better than Barry Town. You must be so proud.
ENGLAND
Burton Albion: Enjoy Burton at home, you cunts. Norwich City: Any city that is over 50 miles from a motorway is, by definition, a village. And villages are crap at football. Plus if a hart came across a canary, it would literally eat it. At least if there was a motorway you could leave. Bradford City: Bradford have a chicken on their badge and deck everything out in red and yellow. This is starting to make me hungry, but going out for a Cheeky Bradford with the lads sounds like a one way ticket to getting a stab wound, so on second thoughts no thanks. Oxford United: Oxford’s stadium has only got three sides. What is this, 2013? Cambridge United: No-one goes to Cambridge to play football, they go to sit on the boats and do maths. Here’s some maths; Cambridge + United = Bollocks. Maidstone United: My mate lives in Maidstone and he says, and I quote, the people are common as and quite rough, and the United fans are all old bald nasty looking men. He is a Chelsea fan so he knows his way around scummy people, believe me. Maidstone, you have been judged and I deem you guilty of being twats. Solihull Moors: Any city with “Hull” in their name is automatically a shithole. Sutton United: It’s all about Piegate, isn’t it? If Sutton fixed bets on purpose, they are scum. If they didn’t, and they simply colluded with the Sun instead, they are scum. Simple. Torquay United: Torquay might impress me if I was retired and looking for a place to die, but I’m not, so it doesn’t. Boston United: Boston is home to the UK’s highest proportion of Brexit voters. If you hate Europe so much why would you live 5 miles from the coast? Every time you go to take your morning piss you’ll see Holland out of the window and it will ruin your day. Philosophical questions aside, I don’t support racism so fuck off somewhere else please, Boston. Ironically. Harrogate Town: It’s quite hard to say something bad about Harrogate because it’s the home of Yorkshire Tea. However I took my Mum to Betty’s of Harrogate in York once and they charge a fiver for a cake the size of a plum, so as far as I’m concerned everyone in Harrogate is a nancy rip-off merchant. Choke on your overpriced cakes you tea bummers. Leamington: I lived in Leamington for 3 years and it doesn’t even have a KFC. What a fucking horrific town. Southport: Southport was conceived one lonely night when Southampton and Portsmouth got very very drunk together and gave in to all that tension. It’s best if everyone just forgets it happened. Gloucester City: My partner was born in Gloucester, and she once asked me if the goalkeepers get sad because they have to play in a different colour to everyone else. If this is indicative of the football knowledge of Gloucester as a whole then I pray for Gloucester City, I really do. East Thurrock United: Refer to Thurrock FC. St Albans City: St Albans was founded by the Romans as Verulamium. That’s very lame of them. Hahahahahahaha. Shit club. Concord Rangers: You’re just a shit Ryanair Celtic. Thurrock FC: Refer to East Thurrock United. Stocksbridge Park Steels: Famous for pretty much one thing, which is being the former club of Jamie Vardy. Never mind that Vardy is one of the best and most surprising English strikers in the game; he drinks enough Red Bull to single-handedly keep the company in business and that makes him a terrible role model. Imagine looking up to a man, and a club who I can only imagine encouraged it whole-heartedly, whose heart is literally vibrating like a hummingbird. You’re chatting shit Stocksbridge. Warrington Town: The people of Warrington don’t care about football, they like rugby league instead. That’s not even the good rugby, fucking hell. Hitchin Town: There’s only room for one yellow team in Hertfordshire. Get to fuck Hitchin. Slough Town: I found a survey that said that Slough is the worst place to live in the UK. In fact I found about 20, so I think it’s pretty safe to say that Slough is pretty fucking awful. Honestly you knew that already. Tiverton Town: Tiverton is known to any frequent traveller of the UK’s railways for one single reason: Tiverton Parkway. And if your town is primarily known for a dual carriageway then your football team is probably terrible. Folkestone Invicta: Invicta is Latin for “undefeated”. If you were undefeated then you probably wouldn’t be playing in the Isthmian League, would you. Booo. Staines Town: Staines was so ruined by the association with Ali G that they changed their name to Staines-upon-Thames. No, really. I think that says a lot about how the town is lacking in respek.
Watford: Watford FC were forged from the heart of a dying star by the second coming of Jesus, Graham Taylor, and the sexiest ginger in history, Elton John. Their stadium has an almost unbelievable four sides, and their captain scores 2 goals a season which is more than Lloris, Carrick and Mertesacker combined. Combine this with the fact that the Hornets have won the prestigious Herts Senior Cup a frankly unfair eighteen times, and it is clear that Watford are not only the premier club in England’s 36th most-populous county, but also the single greatest yellow-shirted team to ever play the game of football. The end.
That concludes today's serving of transfer news and gossip. Thanks for joining us and be sure to check in again tomorrow morning from 7am, as we scour the globe for the very latest from the summer window. Until then, good night! 21:54
WILLIAMS WANTS PL RETURN
Ashley Williams is hoping to help Stoke return to the Premier League at the first attempt, after securing his season-long loan at the club from Everton. 21:22
PREMIER LEAGUE STAGE THRILLS MEYER
Max Meyer cannot wait to show off his skills for Crystal Palace and says the Premier League is tougher and faster than the Bundesliga. 20:53
BORN AGAIN AT BURY?
Bury manager Ryan Lowe is determined to help Callum McFadzean get his career back on track after handing the Scottish midfielder a contract until January. The 24-year-old began his career at Sheffield United but failed to establish himself and spent time on loan at Chesterfield, Burton and Stevenage. McFadzean had a disappointing spell in Scotland with Kilmarnock before dropping down to the fifth tier of English football with Guiseley. “He’s hungry to be a professional footballer again – albeit, he was semi-professional,” Lowe told Bury’s official website. “I’m delighted to give him that opportunity to get back into full-time football because he deserves it.” 20:35
‘DELIGHTED TO BE BACK’
Fresh from sealing his return to Juventus, defender Leonardo Bonucci said: “It was difficult to imagine this would happen, but it’s fantastic that it has. “I’m excited. Turin and Juventus are both home for me and I’m delighted to be back.” 20:19
PUEL: WE NEED TO KEEP MAGUIRE
Claude Puel says Leicester couldn't afford to sell Harry Maguire to Manchester United having already seen Riyad Mahrez leave for Manchester City this summer. 19:56
BONUCCI RETURNS
AC Milan’s capture of Gonzalo Higuain and Mattia Caldara have allowed Leonardo Bonucci to return to Juventus. Bonucci and Higuain played alongside each other as Juve won a sixth straight Serie A title in 2017, before the centre-back departed for Milan last summer in a shock transfer. Beset by spiralling financial problems and poor results on the pitch, though, the Rossoneri failed to qualify for the Champions League last term, convincing a disillusioned Bonucci to opt to push for a return to Juve. Now the 31-year-old has got his move, with Higuain and young Italy defender Caldara acting as makeweights in the deal. 19:51
STOKE SIGN WILLIAMS
Stoke have signed defender Ashley Williams on a season-long loan from Everton. The Wales skipper joined the Toffees from Swansea in 2016, but has slipped down the pecking order at Goodison Park following the arrival of Marco Silva in June. Williams becomes Gary Rowett's sixth summer signing as Stoke aim to return to the Premier League at the first attempt. 19:38
PORTUGUESE LOAN FOR PEREIRA
Goalkeeper Joel Pereira has joined Vitoria Setubal on loan from Manchester United. The 22-year-old, who went on United's summer tour of the United States, spent the 2016/17 season in Portugal with Belenenses. Announcing the deal, United said manager Jose Mourinho was a "firm believer in Pereira's talents". Pereira has made three appearances for United, having joined their academy in 2012. 19:37
It’s been in the offing for a while but we’ve just had confirmation that Gonzalo Higuain is an AC Milan player. The Argentina international has moved to the San Siro on a season-long loan from Serie A champions Juventus. Higuain was joined by Juventus defender Mattia Caldara, who has signed a five-year deal with the Rossoneri to facilitate Leonardo Bonucci’s return to Turin. 19:26
MEYER RELISHING PALACE FANS
Speaking to the club’s official website, new Crystal Palace signing Max Meyer said: "I feel really good and I'm happy to be here. I can't wait to start training with the team and I hope I'll have a good season. "I'm proud to be here and I hope I can make the next step in my career. I want to give my best and I think we can have a good season - maybe better than the last. "I played at Selhurst Park last season for Schalke and the atmosphere was perfect, and I can't wait to experience the atmosphere for a Premier League game." 19:16
So Crystal Palace have pulled off one of the coups of the summer transfer window by securing the services of highly-rated midfielder Max Meyer. The 22-year-old Germany international has signed a three-year deal after his contract at Schalke expired this summer. Meyer is Palace’s third summer signing following the arrival of Vicente Guaita and Cheikhou Kouyate at Selhurst Park. 19:04
Atletico Madrid are the latest club to show interest in Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, reports L’Equipe. Atleti want to sign a new striker this summer have been linked with AC Milan’s Nikola Kalinic and Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud. But L’Equipe claim they want Batshuayi and have contacted Chelsea regarding the Belgium international’s availability. Batshuayi spent part of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, and Chelsea are understood to be open to loaning the 24-year-old out again. Valencia are believed to be in pole position for such a move, while Everton, Sevilla and Dortmund are also keen on him. 18:25
O’CONNELL NOT FOR SALE
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder says he has informed Brighton manager Chris Hughton that Blades centre-half Jack O'Connell is not for sale. 18:00
VILLA ENTER MINA RACE?
Aston Villa have made a surprise offer for Barcelona defender Yerry Mina, reports TMW. The Sky Bet Championship side have offered Barcelona an initial fee of €10m and €10m in add-ons. However, Barca are seeking a fee of €40m for the Colombia international, who is also a firm target for Manchester United and Everton. 17:42
Oldham have signed striker Ishmael Miller following a successful trial. The 31-year-old, who has signed a one-year deal, is reunited with Frankie Bunn, who he worked with at Manchester City. Miller last played for Bury in League One but has recently been enjoying a break from football. 17:18
PROJECT EXCITES MAWSON
New Fulham signing Alfie Mawson, speaking to the club’s official website: “I’m really happy to get this over the line and join Fulham. “I’m excited by the project going on here and the football being played last season was lovely on the eye but also effective and I can’t wait to be a part of it and get going. “I’m excited to be a part of this great Club moving forward and to help achieve success in the Premier League." 17:16
FULHAM SIGN MAWSON
So Fulham have finally got their man, completing the signing of Alfie Mawson from Swansea on a four-year deal. The 24-year-old has moved to Craven Cottage for an undisclosed fee, which Sky Sports News understands to be in the region of £15m. 17:01
Lincoln have signed versatile Nottingham Forest defender Adam Crookes on a season-long loan. The 20-year-old has been on trial at Sincil Bank during pre-season and impressed enough in the club’s friendlies to earn a move. Imps boss Danny Cowley told the club’s official website: “He can play left-centre half, holding midfield, he’s got a real versatility and there’s no doubt he’s going to make the very best of his ability. “Of all the boys, the young player are the ones who have A-Star attitude and you always want them in and around the building.” 16:55
HAPPY HAMMER
New West Ham signing Xande Silva told the club’s official website: “This is a very important moment for me. "This is a new experience for me, out of Portugal. I am very happy to be here at West Ham. I am a technical player and I am very fast. I will give West Ham 100 per cent on the pitch every time I play. "It's a big dream of mine to play here in England. This is a club with a big history, with very good fans and I'm very excited to be here." 16:53
HAMMERS SIGN SILVA
Portugal youth international striker Xande Silva has become West Ham's latest summer signing. The 21-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Hammers after joining from Vitoria de Guimaraes for an undisclosed fee. Silva will start out with West Ham's U23s and may have to wait to feature in Manuel Pellegrini's first team. 16:50
SPURS LIKE COOK
Some more Tottenham news as we understand they are admirers of Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook. However, he is not thought to be one of their main transfers targets at this stage. Earlier we reported that Spurs will listen to offers for Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele. They also want two signings before the window closes. All the details about Spurs' potential plans here. 16:37
BORO BAG LONERGAN
Middlesbrough have announced the signing of experienced goalkeeper Andy Lonergan. The 34-year-old has joined Boro on a free transfer after leaving Leeds last month. He will provide competition to Darren Randolph and Dimi Konstantopoulos for the number-one jersey at the Riverside. Lonergan has made almost 400 career appearances since starting out at his hometown club Preston. He has also played for Darlington, Blackpool, Wycombe, Swindon, Leeds, Bolton, Fulham and Wolves. 16:29
POTTS PUTS PEN TO PAPER
Luton defender Dan Potts has signed a new three-year contract with the Sky Bet League One club. The 24-year-old left-back, named in the Sky Bet League Two team of the year last season, had one year remaining on his previous deal. “It’s very good news for us, the club, that he’s committed his future for three years, so we’re delighted,” Luton boss Nathan Jones told the club’s official website. “We had to fend off a lot of offers for a few of our players and Dan was one of those.” 16:18
BREAKING NEWS
West Ham sign young Portuguese forward Xande Silva from Vitoria de Guimaraes on three-year contract. 16:16
DOUCOURE DELIGHT
More now on the news we brought you earlier that Abdoulaye Doucoure has signed a new long-term contract at Watford. The 25-year-old’s future at Vicarage Road had been the subject of intense speculation this summer but he has committed his future to the Hornets for the next five years. "I am delighted that Abdoulaye has shown his commitment to what we are trying to achieve by signing a new long-term contract with Watford," chairman Scott Duxbury said. "It has become perfectly clear that our ambitions as a club match Abdoulaye's ambitions as a player, and we are looking forward to continuing to work together to reach our goals." 16:14
BREAKING NEWS
Burnley have made a bid of £12m for Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson, according to Sky sources. 16:09
HUNT EARNS CREWE CONTRACT
Nicky Hunt has earned a 12-month contract at Crewe after impressing at the club during a summer trial. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here during pre-season and it’s been great,” the 34-year-old said. “I’ve had four weeks to prove myself and ultimately I’ve got a deal at the end of it.” 16:06
NEW ARRIVAL AT NEWPORT
Newport have signed 19-year-old Cardiff striker Mark Harris on a six-month loan deal. 16:03
Tottenham are understood to be in the market for two signings before the window closes on August 9, according to Sky sources. One player on their radar is Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish, the other depends on who they manage to sell. Sky Sports News understands Spurs are willing to listen to offers for Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele this summer. 15:48
One-time Chelsea target Mattia Caldara is undergoing a medical at AC Milan, the Serie A club have announced. It is understood the arrival of the 24-year-old Juventus centre-back at the San Siro will facilitate Leonardo Bonucci’s return to Turin. https://twitter.com/acmilan/status/1025043161612267521 15:37
So Sky sources report that Tottenham will listen to offers for Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele this summer. Sky Sports News previously reported Manchester United interest in Alderweireld. The Belgium international’s contract expires next summer but Spurs have the option to extend to 2020, which would trigger a £25m release clause next summer. At this stage there have been no formal talks or offers and Alderweireld is expected back at Spurs training on Monday. Alderweireld’s compatriot Dembele is out of contract next summer. Rose, who is under contract at White Hart Lane until 2021, has spoken candidly about his life at the club in interviews and his pitch time was limited last season. In January, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy told Sky Sports News: “Every single player that we want to keep, I can assure you will be playing for Tottenham next season." 15:17
SPURS WILL CONSIDER OFFERS FOR TRIO
Tottenham will consider any offers for Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele should they materialise in this window, Sky Sports News understands. 15:12
BAYERN TIE DOWN AWOUDJA
Bayern Munich have handed young defender Maxime Awoudja his first professional contract, the Bundesliga champions have announced. “I’m just happy to have signed my first professional contract here at Bayern,” the 20-year-old said. “Now I want to make the next step in my career. I know I need to work at least just as hard as I have done so far to achieve that.” https://twitter.com/FCBayernEN/status/1025035179260305409 15:03
JONES JOINS FLEETWOOD
Fleetwood have signed goalkeeper Paul Jones following his recent departure from Norwich. The 32-year-old, whose contract at Carrow Road expired at the end of last season, has agreed a 12-month deal with the Cod Army. “The 32-year-old becomes Joey Barton’s 10th signing of the summer transfer window, after a successful trial period at the club,” a club statement read. Jones spent the second half of last season on loan at Exeter, for whom he made nearly 200 appearances earlier in his career after progressing through Leyton Orient’s youth system. 14:49
ACCRINGTON LAND ZANZALA
Accrington have signed striker Offrande Zanzala from Derby for an undisclosed fee. The 21-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Accrington, has agreed a two-year deal with the Sky Bet League One club. “When I came here I loved every bit of it, training and bonding with the lads,” Zanzala said. “I was made to feel welcome from the very first day I came here last season and to have been offered a permanent contract is an offer that I simply couldn’t turn down.” 14:39
BECKS APPOINTS SPORTING DIRECTOR
David Beckham’s planned MLS team in Miami has hired Paul McDonough as its sporting director. McDonough will leave his role as Atlanta United’s vice president this weekend, allowing him to join the Miami club which is still without a name and stadium. He was initially hired by Atlanta as director of soccer operations in December 2015 and helped the club to make the MLS Cup play-offs in its inaugural season. 14:29
TOON AFTER N'SOKI
Sky sources: Rafa Benitez wants to sign PSG’s French U20 international Stanley N’Soki for Newcastle. We’re told talks have taken place between the clubs, however Benitez admitted in Portugal last night he has “no idea” if any transfers are close. The left back would cost Newcastle in the region of £7m. N’Soki has only made one appearance for PSG, however he has been involved in their pre-season matches. 14:21
DUNDEE SIGN NABI
Dundee have announced the signing of former Peterborough midfielder Adil Nabi after a successful trial period. The 24-year-old has agreed a six-month contract. 14:13
WHAT'S IN A TRANSFER?
Fees, abilities, personalities... We've lifted the lid on the intricacies of the transfer market and how individual deals come about. It's even more detailed than you might think. Read all about it HERE 13:59
RODRIGUEZ BID REJECTED
Burnley have had a bid for former striker Jay Rodriguez knocked back by West Brom, according to Sky sources. The Clarets put in a £16m offer for the forward, but that is significantly below what the Baggies would be willing to sell for. We reported earlier in the window that West Brom want more than £20m for Rodriguez. 13:58
MIRALLAS SET TO LEAVE
Kevin Mirallas is set to complete a loan move from Everton to Fiorentina in the coming hours, Sky sources understand. The Belgian winger has reportedly been cast out of the Toffees' first-team plans this season. 13:44
Newcastle have finally added to their ranks with Yoshinori Muto having been granted a work permit, and signing a four-year contract at St James' Park. The Japanese forward joins the club from Mainz. 13:02
WHO IS THE FAKE AGENT?
Willian might be on his way out of Chelsea this summer, but some potential suitors have been sounded out for a player who doesn't even know about it - with a fake agent pretending to represent the Brazil man. Willian has taken to social media to hit back at a letter which is said to have been sent on his behalf to clubs. 12:57
WATCH: TRANSFER CENTRE BULLETIN
12:49
EMERY'S BUSINESS DONE?
Arsenal boss Unai Emery will be happy if he makes no further additions to his squad this summer, he has said. The Gunners have made five signings this summer, and have filled in a number of key positions in the process. "At the moment I am very happy with the players who are with here with us," he said. "I am telling you now, we are ok." 12:31
BONUCCI ARRIVES IN TURIN
Leonardo Bonucci has arrived at Juventus to complete a medical ahead of a move to the Old Lady. The AC Milan defender, aged 31, spent seven years with the Turin club - before he left for his current side last summer. 12:24
BURNLEY BID FOR CLUCAS
Burnley have put in an £8m bid for Swansea midfielder Sam Clucas, Sky sources understand. The 27-year-old signed for the Swans from Hull City last summer, and scored three Premier League goals as the Welsh side were relegated last season. 12:17
WATCH: CAMPBELL ON EMERY
Former Arsenal captain Sol Campbell has been in to Sky Sports News this morning - and shared his views on new boss Unai Emery. 12:03
SKALAK JOINS MILWALL
Jiri Skalak has left Brighton to join Millwall on undisclosed terms. The winger has ended a two-and-a-half year stay at Brighton after arriving from Mlada Boleslav in February 2016. 11:53
DEFOE LIFTS THE LID
Jermain Defoe has lifted the lid on his deadline-day move from Tottenham to Portsmouth in 2008, revealing he was never asked to take a medical as they rushed the move through. 11:29
WHAT'S IN A TRANSFER?
Fees, abilities, personalities... We've lifted the lid on the intricacies of the transfer market and how individual deals come about. It's even more detailed than you might thin. Read all about it right here. 11:13
KOVACIC 'REJECTS UNITED OVER TACTICS'
Well this is a slap in the face. Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic has reportedly turned down a move to Manchester United because he doesn't like Jose Mourinho's tactics. The Daily Mail says Kovacic does not want to play under the Portuguese manager - and would rather stay in Spain than move to Old Trafford. 10:44
SARRI 'NOT HAPPY' WITH WILLIAN
In what was initially reported as a passport mix-up, it turns out new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is not happy with winger Willian - who has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer - over his late return to their pre-season preparations. When asked after last night's penalty shoot-out defeat to Arsenal in the International Champions Cup whether he had returned to training, he said: "I want to speak to him before I answer these questions. "I don't know. I am not happy about the situation but I would like to talk to him. "Is it strange? I think so." 10:18
LUKE MURPHY JOINS TROTTERS
Bolton Wanderers have confirmed the signing of midfielder Luke Murphy, less than 24 hours after he left former club Leeds United. The 28 year-old arrives at the University of Bolton Stadium on a two-year deal. 10:13
TRANSFER CENTRE BULLETIN
The latest transfer news round up this morning from Sky Sports News... 10:05
HOLMES HEADS TO OXFORD
Ricky Holmes is expected to join Oxford on a half-season loan from Sheffield United today, after Blades boss Chris Wilder confirmed the news. The 31-year-old is thought to be set to complete the move within 24 hours. 10:04
WHERE HAVE MAGPIES GONE WRONG?
Newcastle spent some £52m on buys in Benitez's first season at the club - but they still sold £80m of players that same summer. Even with a summer of spending more than they earned in 2017/18, they have still made a profit of £45m on transfers since he became manager. 09:58
WATCH: BENITEZ BLEAK ON TRANSFERS
09:58
NEWCASTLE PROBLEMS MOUNTING?
Rafa Benitez's pleas for money to add to his Newcastle United squad are getting louder - and he made a clear plea to the club's owner Mike Ashley last night, with barely a week left of the transfer window. He said: "It's concerning with the season 10 days away. That should be a wake-up call for everyone (at the club). If we don't improve everything we will suffer. "The only positive was the attitude of the young players." 09:37
BRIGHTON WARNED OVER O'CONNELL
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has this morning confirmed he has spoken to Brighton manager Chris Hughton and told him defender Jack O’Connell is not for sale. In relation to the sale of David Brooks - who left for Bournemouth earlier this summer, he said: “The two situations are completely different and Jack will be involved this weekend.” 09:23
BRYAN JOINS BLADES
Kean Bryan has become Sheffield United's fifth signing of the summer, joining from Manchester City on a three-year deal. The defender spent last season on loan with Oldham in League 1, winning their Young Player of the Year award and is capped by England from Under-17 up to Under-20 level. 09:19
WILLIAMS SET FOR STOKE LOAN
Everton centre back Ashley Williams is due to arrive at Stoke City’s training ground this afternoon ahead of a medical. Sky sources understand the agreement with the Toffees will see the 33-year old Wales international move on loan to the Championship club for the season. Manager Gary Rowett told Sky Sports News earlier this week that he still needed more defensive cover before the window closes. We also understand that Everton are in talks with Stoke City over a deal to take midfielder Badou N'Diaye to Goodison Park, 08:39
JAMES TO STAY AT YEOVIL
Defender Tom James is set to stay at Yeovil after his proposed move to West Bromwich Albion fell through. The Glovers had accepted an undisclosed bid, understood by Sky sources to be around £400,000, earlier this week. 07:53
HORNETS KEEP HOLD OF CAPTAIN
Watford have no interest in selling striker Troy Deeney this summer, according to Sky sources. Cardiff City are understood to have cooled their interest in the 30-year-old following an initial inquiry. And sources have told Sky Sports News that Deeney is seen as a key player in Javi Gracia's squad at Vicarage Road this season. 07:31
PAPER ROUND-UP
Here's the top stories from this morning's newspapers:
Chelsea are ready to hijack Tottenham's bid to sign Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish. (The Sun)
Tottenham are plotting a £30m swoop for Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook. (Daily Express)
Chelsea are ready to take their battle for Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain to the wire amid reports he is not keen on any part of his proposed AC Milan move being a loan. (Daily Mirror)
Barcelona technical secretary Eric Abidal has reportedly denied holding a meeting with Manchester United star Paul Pogba about a summer move. (Daily Express)
The FA will tell Gareth Southgate they cannot offer him Premier League wages when a new deal for the England manager is put on the table. (Daily Mail)
07:03
RECAP: UTD WANT MINA
Manchester United have stepped up their chase of Yerry Mina after cooling their interest in Harry Maguire, Sky sources revealed last night. Following on from that, The Sun is this morning reporting United's 'transfer fixer' Matt Judge is on his way to Spain to conclude a deal for the Colombian. 06:36
PAPERS: DUO WANT GREALISH
The main headline from this morning's papers is the news Chelsea are reportedly ready to rival Tottenham for Aston Villa winger Jack Grealish. New Blues boss Maurizio Sarri has a reputation for having no issue playing young players - but he might have Callum Hudson-Odoi for company, with the youngster having shone for his side in their International Champions Cup draw with Arsenal last night. 06:26
Welcome to the transfer blog on Thursday, August 2 where there's only seven full days of the window left, and as teams begin bringing their pre-season preparations to an end. Will some itchy fingers in boardrooms see some more big fees spent in the final days of the window? Let's find out... Join the discussion on Discord. I am a bot. Found any errors? Contact /Football Mods
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LEICESTER CITY PRE SEASON GUIDE INTRODUCTION As you will all be aware of by now, LCFC are a team not to be underestimated or written off, and are a team that can play with an attacking vigour that is complemented by their defensive perseverance and determination. The focus and confidence that was displayed so admirably throughout the course of last season tie together these qualities and as such, The Foxes are poised to establish themselves as a solid Premier League team this season. LCFC could provide a number of quality options at cheap price points, many having the bonus of a small selection percentage, so put the kettle on, get your reading glasses out, and enjoy a brief summary of the selection choices ahead. THE STORY SO FAR After the devastation of the 12/13 playoffs Damn you, Troy Deeney!, a sensational 13/14 season in the Championship saw Leicester truly shine, netting a mighty 83 goals and achieving a phenomenal 102 points, with a mere 6 losses along the way. Promotion was assured and the 14/15 return to the PL was to be an exciting prospect, but for the longest time, a frustrating and bleak reality. After some smashing performances against a run of tough opposition, namely Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal, Stoke and Manchester United in the first 5 GWs, the team displayed dynamism and fight, direction and commitment, and the results (DLDWW) were excitingly promising. This spirit never wavered, however, after the monumental high of a 5-3 home win against Manchester United, providence turned. 2 draws and 11 losses later, LCFC sat seemingly hopeless at the bottom of the table. A brief glimmer of hope over Christmas saw 2 wins and a draw, but back again came the poor results. 6 losses and 2 draw later, a lesser side would have capitulated, and like origami, folded under the pressure. However, other than two less than average performances against Villa and West Ham, the side came out every week and played with consistent teamwork, ambition and direction that was painfully unrewarded, but will hopefully prove to be their greatest asset going forward. Gloriously wrapping up the end of the 14/15 campaign with 7 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss (to a Chelsea side looking to bury any competition for the title by that point) Leicester City topped the end of season form tables in Europe. Over the last 9 games, scoring 17 and conceding just 9, the fight finally came to fruition and survival was at long last assured! With a number of solid, smart signings over the summer, and potentially more to come, optimism is justifiably high going into the new campaign. OPENING FIXTURES:
Sunderland Home
West Ham Away
Spurs Home
Bournemouth Away
Aston Villa Home
Stoke Away
Arsenal Home
Norwich Away
In contrast to last season, these are fairly good opening fixtures; I would say six out of eight here are feasibly winnable. It is worth noting, before you read any of the following, that the exciting appointment of Claudio Ranieri will have a significant impact in the team selection and squad rotation, which is going to be very hard to predict until the season is underway. Ranieri has encouragingly stated, in his first interview as LCFC Manager, that he is looking to play to the current strengths of the squad rather than overhauling entirely and attempting to fit a square peg into a round hole. He explicitly mentioned admiration of the style that Pearson had successfully worked into the team, of three and the back, and two on the flanks, which ended up being the decisive strategic move to ensure survival in the Premier League. It is also noteworthy that, over the course of his long career, Ranieri has earned the nickname ‘The Tinkerman’, for his liberal approach to squad rotation. It remains to be seen how ‘nailed on’ anyone will be in the new LCFC, but I think we will line up much like during the last couple of months of last season; pacey and attacking, utilising the wings and the speed of the frontmen, whilst relying on a tough back three and a deep centre midfield, who enable the rest of the side in from of them through initially, titanium resistance and then smart, creative forward play. GOALKEEPERS SCHMEICHEL - 4.5m: Leicester City’s and the Danish National Team’s #1 keeper; The Main Dane, Son of the legendary Peter Schmeichel, Kasper is the same age now as when his father signed for Manchester United. A spell of injury put him out for a few months last season, which coincided with our poor run of results. An incredible stopper from close range, he has saved us on many crucial occasions when the defence was caught short. Cheap, nailed on, and will be great for bonus points from saved shots, seeing as LCFC are not quite the public transport valets as some other noteworthy teams in the Premier League are! Verdict: A solid choice for #1 goalkeeper this season. The only thing that puts me off sticking him between the sticks is that there are some strong options in the Leicester defence, and I would not advise gambling two clean sheets on one team until the season is underway and we can see who is performing well enough for that risky strategy. HAMER – 4m: Signing from Charlton Athletic last season as a backup for Kasper, and was soon called upon to be just that. In spite of only one seasons Championship experience, he found himself facing the best in the world in the Premier League, and performed admirably. He lost his place almost as quickly as it came though, with the return of Schmeichel and the signing of Schwarzer, and he now finds himself third on the bench. Verdict: Avoid, unless you are playing the no rotation strategy of doubling up with both keepers from one team, to keep things cheap and ensure a starting keeper each week. LCFC are as good a shout as any for this; the back line has been significantly strengthened with the signing of Huth, the current formation of three at the back working as well as it does (conceding only 5 in 9 games while deploying this at the end of the season under Pearson), and the fact that there will still be more chance for bonus points for saves made than in a more established Premier League side. SCHWARZER – 4m: After signing from Chelsea midway through last season, the 42 year old immediately replaced Hamer in goal whilst Kasper was still recovering from an injured foot, despite Hamer’s solid performances. Schwarzer’s decades of top flight experience will have bought valuable contributions to the training ground and the dressing room; however this double edge sword means that he is unlikely to keep that second spot on the bench for long, with a young, athletic, and proven backup behind him. Verdict: Avoid. Schwarzer played with Pearson at Middleborough, their previous relationship being a contributing factor to his signing, and it is unclear if Ranieri will trust the old Aussie over Hamer. I would wager he will not (he was not on the Barclays Fantasy Football website team sheet list as a selection option until a couple of days ago, so I’m sure there are others far more informed that I who were expecting the same!), but I suppose we will have to wait and see. DEFENDERS MORGAN – 4.5m: Captain to LCFC and ‘The Reggae Boyz’ Jamaican National Team, Wes is as solid as they come in a back line. Last season the CB stopped more shots than a police bust at a college party, and led by example in a defence whose strategy (at least until the 343 formation had been successfully applied) largely revolved around acrobatic bravery in front of goal bound balls. If Kasper was Whitney Houston, Wes would be Kevin Costner. This could prove very lucrative with the new bonus points system in place this season (a bonus point for every 2 blocked shots, tackles in the box, or interceptions for a defender, rather than for every 3). I’m putting the extraordinarily high ownership (18.7%) down to the fact that he is the highest scoring 4.5m defender from last season. This is a team selection strategy for the uninitiated, and I would in fact use it as justification to avoid him, as the high ownership will inevitably see his value drop quickly if results are not instant or consistent. He will be missing the start of the season due to Jamaica's fantastic run in the Gold Cup, so expect that value to drop immediately as uninformed fantasy managers notice his absence. Verdict: I suspect that while the improvements in the new bonus points system for shots, blocks and clearances will benefit a CB with the ability of Wes, the potential for reward for a couple of our other defenders, from their attacking qualities, will probably outweigh this. However, a nailed on 4.5m defender in a team that got as many clean sheets as De Gea managed last season could prove a viable bench or rotation option. That high ownership means that he will drop in price quite quickly, especially considering he will miss the first few games of the season, as opposed to Huth, who is just as nailed on and will play in the same position, alongside Wasilewski and Morgan at CB. Certainly consider picking him up later when his price has settled at it's lowest value SCHLUPP – 5m: Schlupp is listed as a defender despite the fact that he played LM or LW 25 times last season, and only in LB 5 times. He is frighteningly fast, strong, attacking and direct, and will launch explosive runs down the flanks, slicing defenders to bits, cutting in to shoot, or hitting it from 20 yards out. Pearson would play him as a LW with three CB, and as Ranieri claimed in his first interview as manager, he will be looking to stick to this formation that worked so well last season. Schlupp is young, came through our youth academy system and is improving in great bounds, having recently established himself as a first team player in the Ghanaian National Team and one of our most reliable attacking and creative outlets. It is entirely likely that he will utterly explode this season, and I would wager that the 3 goals and 4 assists which he tallied last season will look paltry come GW38. Verdict: Buy him. First name on my team sheet; an attacking midfielder listed as a defender is enough to justify the 5m price tag alone, but not only is Schlupp shaping up to be one of the most exciting young talents in the Premier League, he is a playmaker and goal scorer in a team that will also grind out their fair share of clean sheets. There are rotation risks with the new man Christian Fuchs, who has played very similar roles in his time at Schalke 04, at LB, LM and LWB. However, Fuchs is far more imposing in defence, and Schlupp far more direct in attack. Fuchs could play alongside Wes and Huth with three at the back, or at LB, with Schlupp in front. I see them forming a formidable partnership together on the left. Hold fire on both if you are feeling cautious and want to wait for the team selection and formation to settle down, but expect to see big things from the glorious Ghanian this season. WASILEWSKI – 4.5m: The monstrous Polish International will likely line up alongside Huth and Morgan to complete the back three that worked so well towards the end of last season. He is, much like his two partners in the same position, a big, mean, persistent ‘no nonsense’ defender. He is prone to the odd overly aggressive challenge, and as such, is a yellow card waiting to happen every time the opposition have the ball anywhere near him. He does the job, if not occasionally with a little too much vigour, and has won the hearts of many fans with his fierce contribution to defence last season. Verdict: Formidable defender for the team, but choose Morgan or Huth (choose Huth) if you want a 4.5m Leicester CB, as Wasilewski is a little less reliable and experienced that his counterparts in the same position, and as such, may see himself rotated out of the squad by ‘The Tinkerman’. HUTH – 4.5m: Since signing on loan from Stoke in the January transfer window last season, the gigantic German Mauer proved to be the fulcrum in a strong, aggressive back three, alongside Morgan and Wasilewski. Signing for three years this summer off the back of his terrific influence in Leicester’s Premier League survival campaign, he has clearly established himself as a defensive staple in the line-up. He will get up into the oppositions box for corners and has a powerful head on his shoulders too, making him somewhat of a goal threat from set pieces, scoring one in the 13 or so appearances he made for us last season. Verdict: Similarly to Morgan and Wasilewski, I think that our fullbacks/wingbacks will provide more lucrative returns by way of the potential for goals and assists over the centerbacks on whom they rely. A strong 4.5m choice if what you need is a cheap nailed on starter for a team that will likely be rewarded with a medium amount of clean sheets over the course of the season. The towering head of his could net a couple over the course of the season; an area in which the set piece proficiency of new signing Fuchs will surely aid. SIMPSON – 4m: After a successful promotion campaign with QPR, Simpson signed for LCFC last year, and eventually earnt himself an occasional spot at LB when playing the now out of favour flat back four. Only 7 appearances, stiff competition and a formation that puts others in the squad ahead of him; not a promising fantasy pick at all. Verdict: Avoid. I thought he had been sacked earlier this year for throttling his girlfriend, but apparently not. He displayed hard work, if nothing else spectacular, in his appearances last season. He is versatile in defence, and will be looking to start fresh, with a clean slate, in front of a new manager who has not settled on a formation or a team sheet yet, which should be taken into account for his potential in the upcoming season, but I would not expect to see him play much at all, other than for some squad rotation at some point mid-season. DE LAET – 4.5m: Once a staple name on the team sheet in the Championship, De Laet inspires more in terms of a good fantasy team name (‘Ctrl+Alt+De Laet’) than a good fantasy squad selection. Starting in 20 games last season, it became clear that he was prone to making abominable errors in between his regular unassuming defensive role at RB/RWB, for which he competes with Simpson. His mistakes cost us goals last season, and once again, the current favoured formation will see him find it even harder to secure a spot in the starting line-up. The imminent and likely signing of young French RB Marcel Tisserand is an axe hovering over De Laet’s head. Verdict: Avoid. Not nailed on, nowhere near as competent or attacking as our other fullbacks, and better picks in Morgan and Huth at the 4.5m price point. KONCHESKY – 4.5m: If you had asked a LCFC fan halfway through the 14/15 season where we need to strengthen the squad, 9 times out of 10 you would have heard lamentation for a LB. Despite the fact that, over the years, he has been a generally reliable defender who works hard and likes to get forward and take the odd shot on, I can’t help but fret and watch, for the entire 90 minutes he is on the pitch, as you would watch a film like Halloween; holding your breath and waiting for the inevitable gruesome mess. It has generally been considered that LB was our weakest position on the field, because Konchesky was our only LB. The signing of Christian Fuchs this summer has relieved that concern. Verdict: Avoid. He is past his best, and finds himself lacking the pace and vigour needed in the Premier League in that position, and despite striking the odd decent shot last season, even scoring a screamer against Villa, I don’t see much game time or potential in him this season at all. MOORE – 4m: The young England under 21 International is our reserve CB, sitting on the bench behind Wasilewski, Huth and Morgan. A player with ample potential, I am certain he will become a solid defender in time. However, only 11 Premier League appearances last season and the current solid accord between the three CBs ahead of him mean that it is almost certain he will play off the bench, if at all, for the most part of the season. As Wes is out for the Gold Cup early on, he could see some initial starts, but expect to see them wane with Morgans return. Verdict: Avoid. Reserve CB, will need an injury or a poor run of form from Huth, Morgan or Wasilewski to get game time. That being said, Moore is a young player who is developing fast. This, coupled with Ranieri’s apparent favour of rotation, could see more time on the pitch that I am assuming he will get. FUCHS – 5m: Captain of the Austrian National Team, the aptly named Fuchs is an extremely exciting improvement to the squad. With his wealth of Bundesliga, Champions League and International experience it is entirely possible that he will hit the ground running in the Premier League. A set piece specialist, he succeeded in 2 goals and 4 assists for Schalke 04 last season, and in a team set up as LCFC are it is likely that he will be utilised for his attacking prowess as much as his defensive contribution. He will more than likely take direct and indirect free kicks, and even corners. Albrighton, Mahrez (and Cambiasso… please, please, please stay with us!) will provide competition for set pieces, so again, we will have to wait and see who wins Ranieri’s confidence. Verdict: Fuchs could be an incredibly lucrative pick for 5m. Virtually nailed on in a fairly strong defensive side, with a mind for attacking play; top class crossing and delivery and a wicked long shot, he presents all the qualities needed for a top fantasy defender. The quick flank breaks that LCFC affirm great proficiency in will play to his strengths, and I am hopeful that he will prove to be one of the Premier League signings of the season. Watch for the potential of rotation with Schlupp, as discussed above; the returns from his set piece duties could offset the more direct attacking disposition of Schlupp. MIDFIELD MAHREZ – 5.5m: The Desert Fox and now established Algerian National team staple, Mahrez is a player who is developing some incredible creative attacking skill. A little unpolished, his relatively young age and the clear improvements he has made during his time in CAM, RW and RM at Leicester City so far suggest the potential for him to become a phenomenal attacking midfielder in time. 4 goals and 5 assists in his debut Premier League season, he is poised for an exciting campaign to come. He is a wildly skilful and direct player, carving runs from midfield straight through opposition, goal-ward bound, or darting past a backline into the corner where he will swing crosses into the box. His chance creation and through ball ability is strong, and he can aptly put himself in great positions for reciprocation, making him dangerous on the break and in fluid, fast attacks. On his day, Mahrez will be the most dangerous man on the pitch, as he joyfully displayed last season, for instance, with two goals and ‘Man of the Match’ against Southampton. His shooting can be fairly wayward and is an area that needs work, but when he has his eye in, he is dangerous from 20 yards out. He takes the odd corner and free kick too, but those honours are currently under contention with the new signing of Fuchs. I see him getting a lot more assists this year, and a brilliant goal from distance during pre-season training suggessts he has been working on that tempramental shooting ability. Verdict: When he turns it on, he will be everywhere at once; shooting from distance, taking players on, charging forward towards goal, making quick and clever passes, or making distance down the wing to fire crosses into the box. He is, however, slightly unreliable as he continues to develop his game, but at 5.5m, presents great potential in a cheap attacking midfielder. Consider Mahrez one to watch. ALBRIGHTON – 5m: Albrighton’s first season with The Foxes, after signing from Aston Villa, saw the RM succeed with 2 goals and 4 assists in 18 appearances. His strengths lie in his solid crossing ability and eye for quick, key passes. If he is not looking to find possession on the wing, ready to put a ball into the box, he will plant the ball into the path of the front runners as soon as he finds himself in space. This plays well to the strengths of the squads attacking options, and could see him utilised frequently for such contributions. He often takes corners and free kicks, but as previously mentioned, this duty could be bestowed upon Fuchs. Verdict: The only other current option alongside Mahrez for LCFC midfield coverage. His attacking and set piece potential could see good returns from the not-quite-budget midfielder, but with the addition of Fuchs in the squad and the clear ability in Mahrez, I would hesitate before lining him up in my starting 11; certainly one for the watchlist, but better options are presented elsewhere in the Leicester side. KING – 4.5m: A first name in the starting line up in CM since 2008, the Welsh International has been a reliable player for LCFC in the middle of the pitch for years now. Whilst you would not necessarily label him an attacking midfielder, he certainly has an eye for goal, and will take a shot on from distance if given the space. In fact, as Leicester’s all time highest goal-scoring midfielder, bagging only 2 during last season’s Premier League campaign was disappointingly lower than his normal season average. He did not play consistently, however, and the team in its entirety found it difficult to score in front of Premier League opposition. As LCFC have strengthened the defence and forwards over the last year, it has left the midfield in noticeable need of similar talent acquisition. King is by no means head and shoulders above the likes of James and Drinkwater, and does not supply the same kind of creative forward play that Albrighton and Mahrez offer. Read this either way. The lack of options in CM could necessitate game time for King, but formation, squad rotation and potential new signings could push him even further away from the team sheet than he was last season. Verdict: Avoid. At 4.5m, with his forward minded disposition, he is certainly one of the best midfield options out there at that price point if he plays. However, far from nailed on, and proving last season that he found it far easier to score in the Championship, I would wager that his time as a LCFC midfield pillar is being weathered away. JAMES – 4.5m: Currently suffering from a knee injury, it could be a number of months before he returns to the squad. An aggressive and hard-working midfielder, he will be fighting to create attacks for those in forward positions, or taking the initiative himself and hitting (usually unsuccessful) efforts in from distance, if he is not risking a sending off by throwing himself into heady tackles from deep. Verdict: Avoid. Injured, and not expected to be back by even Christmas. I couldn’t tell you where he would line up in the midfield roster anyway, as for the CM positions, Cambiasso has really set the bar so high it’s seeing pink elephants in the wallpaper. DRINKWATER - 4.5m: Another solid mainstay on the team sheet during the Championship promotion campaign of 13/14 season, Drinkwater scored 7 and made hard work look easy in the midfield. He has seen strong competition for the CM spot in the Premier League; as with King and James, none of whom shined, they all suffered from rotation whilst Pearson was figuring out the formation and best squad for each game. Drinkwater has a very good eye in picking out forward through balls, and takes tackling seriously. However, a Premier League first team position is far from guaranteed. Verdict: Avoid. He was brilliant in the Championship promotion campaign, but this from did not really translate to a difficult first season in the Premier League. I would certainly expect a lot of rotation, and if we do not sign a new midfielder to dominate in the role that King, James and Drinkwater have struggled somewhat with in the 14/15 campaign, we will certainly suffer. Here’s to hoping that a stronger team with a year’s experience behind them will see our CMs look as good as they did a couple of years ago, but I would not hold my breath. HAMMOND – 4.5m: Older and far more defensive in midfield than the aforementioned CMs, Hammond saw only a handful of games last season, but still displays good control and a great talent for reading play. He may get more game time if Cambiasso does not stay, but I would expect to see him used as an occasional substitute, especially if we sign another much needed CM. Again, this is our weakest area on the field, in anxious need of a new signing to relieve the mighty defensive back line and to enable our rapid forwards. Dean Hammond can do neither. Verdict: Avoid. Will not be used much this season I would reckon, and generally used to playing more defensive roles, he is not a good fantasy pick. The CM spot will get strengthened eventually with a new signing, and I would then call time on the first team LCFC career of Hammond. KNOCKAERT – 4.5m: I don’t know why he is still listed on the website, as he was sold to Standard Liege this summer. Verdict: Does not play in the Premier League anymore. Buy only if you want to prove a point to your mates that you can beat them with a squad of just 14. FORWARDS ULLOA – 6m: Signing from Brighton & Hove at the start of last season, the powerful Argentine centre forward was then our record signing. He justified the ~£8m we paid in the first month of his Leicester career, scoring 5 in 5 games, displaying a fantastic work ethic, great positional aptitude and a strong defensive contribution. He quickly became my favourite player in the side for this quality effort and attitude. Unusually nimble with the ball at his feet, Ulloa can hold the ball and play others in as successfully as he can make the six yard box his own. He excels with his head, and is our only real target man; the pace in our wingers and the set-up of the squad as it was when we shined during the last couple of months of last season will play very well indeed to the strong centre forwards strengths. The swift price rise he saw last season attest to the fantastic contribution he can make to the team, but his value subsequently plummeted when the entire side suffered a mirage inducing goal drought that began immediately after the riotous performance against Manchester United, in which Ulloa netted a brace. During the terrible, sustained run of losses, the side played good attacking football consistently, and were never short on creating chances. Had Ulloa had a more clinical finish, this run could quite possibly have ended sooner. *Verdict: A quality centre forward, I trust that Ulloa will enjoy even more success this season than he achieved in the last, with 11 goals and 4 assists. His size and strength and dexterity with the ball at his feet give him opportunity for hold up play, quick lay-offs and passes in to enable assists. The whole team is shaping up strongly for this season, which should help Ulloa’s goal tally increase. Kramaric, Vardy and Okazaki all play similar styles of forward play, and as a straight up centre forward, Ulloa has a role of his own to fill in a team that is prone to pounce on the Premier League and score far more successfully this season than in the last. VARDY – 6m: Delightfully deft with the ball at his feet and frighteningly aggressive at pace, Vardy earned his debut England call up off the back of some terrific displays in the Premier League last season. Not necessarily gifted with the most skilful ability or poise, what he lacks in finesse, he more than makes up for in aggression and tenacity. Vardy will ungracefully run hard at a defence, often from deep, and will tear them to pieces for it. Formations fail, players are pulled out of position, fouls are drawn, and nerves are wrecked when he takes it upon himself to blaze forward. His style of play works well to enable the centre forwards and attacking players by way of the space he can create, as defenders fight to keep up with his ferocious runs down the flanks. Here, he will tally assists by flinging crosses in towards his team mates. When he is hot, Vardy is microwaved jam. 4 assists, a wonderful solo goal, drawing two penalties and baiting a red card in a 5-3 victory, he terrorised the Manchester United back line into such dissolution I almost started to feel bad for them. Almost… Verdict: 12 assists and 5 goals scored last season, he is more than capable of repeating this in the forthcoming campaign. More competition for his position with the signing of Okazaki and the improvement in Kramaric mean that rotation is almost assured at some point during the season, but Vardy is a player who, even off the bench, has ability in his wild and antagonistic approach that can change games. A bonus point and yellow card magnet in equal measure, but a threat from anywhere on the pitch, consider Vardy one to snap up if he nails a starting spot. NUGENT – 5.5m: Basically the poor man’s Austin. He was invaluable in previous seasons, and his partnership with Vardy in the promotion campaign of 13/14 was devastating; he scored 20 of their combined 36 league total; his cool and happy disposition once belied a vicious goal scoring capacity, however, in the PL, he has failed to repeat the success he saw in the Championship, and I imagine he will sit last in line on the bench. Verdict: Avoid. He will not likely get game time, and will hit the post or scuff it wide if he does. KRAMARIC – 6m: The super sharp Croatian International, tipped by many in his home nation to be the next Davor Suker, was an astonishing, and club record breaking ~9.5m acquisition to the side in January. Kramaric was to shun persistent interest from Chelsea in favour of The Foxes and the promise of game time and development, signing during our time floundering at the foot of the table. This attests to his desire to accept a challenge, and shines light on a very humble and hardworking attitude. 35 goals in 27 games for Rijeka in the 13/14 season, he excels in poaching at close range, chip shots and flair. A skilful and creative striker, one who can move and run with swift intelligence, his potential is monumental. Wisely eased into the side by Pearson, extravagant efforts that may have worked well for Rijeka in the Croatian league have been easily countered by Premier League defences, and he has been caught in possession and muscled off the ball far too easily. This is clearly improving, and he scored his first home goal on the last day of the season. A summer of training with the squad will have hopefully stoked the fires further, under a firework whose fuse is ready to ignite. Verdict: He still has some work to do to translate his game to the necessary quality to contend in the Premier League, but it is surely only a matter of time before the Croatian starts to turn heads all over Europe. Until then, Ulloa and Vardy present safer bets, but as soon as he starts scoring, he may not stop, so keep your eyes on his progress. OKAZAKI – 6m: As exciting a prospect as Kramaric, Okazaki could adapt to the demands of the Premier League fairly quickly due to his ample Bundesliga experience with Stuttgart and Mainz 05, with whom he has scored an impressive 15 goals last season, becoming the most prolific Japanese player in German League history. Good with both feet and a genius first touch, he will appear in the middle of the area like a flash, and with a keen eye, will fire goal-wards. He can control a wayward cross with the most nimble of touches, and has a potency for on-target shots from tight angles or difficult positions while under pressure. A forward who knows how to be in the right place at the right time, any loose ball in the penalty area is one touch away from goal with Okazaki in the box, if he can stand up strong to pressure. *Verdict: If Leicester’s problems last season stemmed from a lack of clinical finishing in front of goal (they did), then Okazaki looks set to remedy that. Once again, I would hold fire on selection as of yet, we do not know how well he will perform in new colours in a new league, or where he will line up on the team sheet. If he settles in fast, the potential for points in this 6m forward is huge, and if he nails a starting spot in front of goal, the likes of Kramaric, Vardy, Mahrez and Albrighton could very well feed the Japanese forwards appetite for goals. SUMMER TARGETS TISSERAND (DEF): A young RB who has worked with Ranieri in the past and looks set to be on his way to The King Power soon. Verdict: Could replace De Laet, and will probably be used in squad rotation until he establishes himself. CAMBIASSO (MID): Our talisman last season, his experience and influence, on and off the field, provided strength and concord throughout the squad. He was our platform in CDM, creating play from deep and dictating the pace of the game and the direction of play with acute positional and tactical awareness. Arguably the signing of the season, Cambiasso was utterly indispensable, and it is more than likely that we would be playing Championship football this year had it not been for his magnificent contribution. Verdict: Can take free kicks and corners, will poach goals from out of nowhere with his thunderous striking ability, and makes more forward passes than a drunk single Aunt at a wedding. ‘He’s maaagic, you knooow; Esteban Cambiassooooo!’ A CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Watch this space… We narrowly missed signing N’Zonzi, and if we can re-sign Cambiasso and supplement him with another secure signing in this position, then watch out Europa League! We are coming for you! Thanks for reading! This was a lot of fun to write, and I am so ready for the start of the season by now, I may go mad before kick off on the 8th August! Comments and edits welcome, any feedback and input will be much appreciated. FOXES NEVER QUIT EDITCambiasso has sadly decided not to re-sign for the Foxes. He will, without a doubt, go down as a squad Legend for his immense contributions and influence last season. Thank you, Esteban, it's been glorious :') This only intensifies the need to sign another CM/CDM soon, and will present a good opportunity for Hammond, King and Drinkwater to get on the team sheet. Hamer has been loaned full season to Nottingham Forest, with a recall clause. Good luck to him, he is a fine keeper and will benefit and improve further from game time, waiting to return and reclaim his second spot as the clock ticks on Schwarzer's ageing career. (As Hamer has been loaned out, Schwarzer has the second spot under Kasper now. With the dismissal of Adam Smith for the incident in Thailand and the expiry of Conrad Logan's contract a short while ago, we have no third keeper. Perhaps Ranieri has a keeper in his crosshairs?) Pre-Season stand out players so far, after two games, multiple formation changes and 22 substitutions...Mahrez has impressed greatly, with flair and creativity in attacking midfield roles; Schlupp has displayed characteristic pace and power down the wing, stoking the fires of my high expectations for him this season; Albrighton has supplied a brilliant array of accurate, smart crosses into the box; Schmeichel has been on point, in solid form, and has made a couple of wonder-saves; Kramaric looks to be linking up well with his attacking partners, looked sharp, keen and scored a phenomenal goal from the edge of the penalty area. Fuchs and Okazaki will need more time to settle, but both displayed glimmers of their potential amidst a somewhat temperamental and confusing baptism into the squad.
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