Harry Kane is on course to be a Premier League legend. There’s no doubt about that.
Whether he will make it is down partly to luck, injuries or even his own desire to move abroad. But there can be no question that if he carries on as he’s going he’ll be talked about among the greatest by the end of his career.
With the likes of Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata all scoring goals by the tonne this season, though, there’s tough competition for anyone in an attacking role in the Premier League. Especially when it comes to central strikers.
It’s often wrong to compare. Different strikers are better for different teams. Some are tall and strong, others are small and pacey. But in the end strikers, more than players in any other position, have a metric by which they can always measure themselves: goals. And Harry Kane can always be ranked up there with the best of them on that score.
Watch the video below to see just where former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp puts him, though….
The Premier League hosted two huge derbies on Sunday as Liverpool and Everton went head to head and Manchester United took on Manchester City.Everton defender Luke Garbutt would have had a close eye on the Merseyside encounter, but it seems that he also watched the action at Old Trafford closely.The Toffees managed to secure a 1-1 draw at Anfield, while United were beaten 2-1 by a dominant City side.After the final whistle, manager Jose Mourinho was understandably frustrated by the result as the Red Devils failed to pose much of a threat against the league leaders.During his post-match press conference, the Portuguese coachÂargued that his team deserved a penaltyÂafter Ander Herrera went down in the box under the challenge of Nicolas Otamendi.Referee Michael Oliver, though, decided to penalise the United midfielder by booking the 28-year-old for diving.Garbutt, who has not made a senior appearance for Everton yet this season, seemingly disagreed with Mourinho.
One of the big talking points coming out of Celtic’s thriller with Hibernian on Sunday was the prospect of the Hoops signing midfielder John McGinn.
The Scotland international put in an accomplished performance up against the likes of Scott Brown in the Bhoys midfield, more than holding his own in the 2-2 draw and not for the first time this season.
The managers were even talking about the battle between the two in their post-match interviews with Neil Lennon and Brendan Rodgers disagreeing about who came out on top, perhaps a sign it was a very even contest.
In terms of signing him, Celtic fans are split, with many reckoning he has more than enough to make it at Celtic and others suggesting they have too many midfielders as it is or that he simply doesn’t have what it takes to be a long-term replacement for Brown.
Supporters took to Twitter so share their thoughts on it all…
Reports in Italy suggest Tottenham could hijack Arsenal’s move for Steven N’Zonzi, but fans are eyeing up bigger and better things.
According to Sky Sports, Arsenal have entered talks with Sevilla over a deal for N’Zonzi.
The 29 year-old, who is currently on World Cup duty with France, has been a huge hit in La Liga since he failed to make a major impact in the Premier League with Stoke City.
Arsenal are eyeing the Frenchman to buff up their midfield, but a shock report from Italy has claimed Tottenham could hijack the move.
According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Mauricio Pochettino has requested that Tottenham sign the towering midfielder as a replacement for Mousa Dembele.
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Spurs’ popular Belgian beast is expected to leave North London this summer, and they have been linked with a whole host of players who could replace him.
Tanguy Ndombele seems to be the most popular shout amongst fans, and they’re not too impressed by the links to the £27m-rated N’Zonzi.
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You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Everton fans have been discussing a summer swoop for versatile defender Ramy Bensebaini, and the overwhelming majority of fans want to make a move.
Last week, reports in France claimed Everton would rival Stuttgart for the signing of Rennes defender Bensebaini, who is likely to leave the French club this summer.
The 23 year-old, valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, already has 12 Algeria caps, and could fill a lot of the gaps in Everton’s ageing back line.
He is naturally a centre back, but spent more time at left back than in the middle last season, so his versatility could be a huge weapon for Marco Silva to have.
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Everton are expected to try and replace Leighton Baines this summer, and recent reports suggest a deal for Kieran Tierney is no longer on the table.
The rumours surrounding Bensebaini have been flying around all week, and the tenacious 23 year-old could be a short-term solution to the hole at left back.
Wherever Silva is planning to play him, fans are clearly all for it, as a whopping 76 per cent said they should move for the youngster.
He was one of Ligue 1’s breakout rising stars last season, so he would certainly be a shrewd addition for the right price.
According to a recent report from The Daily Telegraph, it doesn’t look like Rhian Brewster will be moving to Tottenham this summer. The 18-year-old has been linked with a move away from Liverpool in the last few weeks given he hadn’t penned a new deal with the Merseyside giants, thus reportedly prompting interest from Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs, as well as a whole host of other clubs.
Yet the 18-year-old wonderkid has now signed a new five-year contract to remain at Anfield, thus leaving Tottenham to reflect on a missed opportunity, and one they could live to regret.
The Breakdown
Ultimately, the forward has proven himself to be one of the most talented youngsters in the country in recent times, what with the 18-year-old producing the goods for both Liverpool and England in the last few years.
Brewster helped inspire his country to victory in the Under-17 World Cup last year, with the man himself winning the Golden Boot for netting eight times during the competition, including once in their 5-2 success over Spain in the final back in October.
Add in his five goals and seven assists for the Liverpool development squad last term, thus helping them to a second place finish in Division One of Premier League 2, and it’s clear that the 18-year-old has an extremely bright future in the game.
And Spurs boss Pochettino may well have been the perfect man to extract the very best out of the forward, what with the Argentine possessing a proven track-record of developing and nurturing young English talent.
The likes of Dele Alli, Eric Dier, and Harry Kane have all been given first team opportunities by the 46-year-old at Tottenham and all three have since reaped the rewards, with the trio now a vital part of things for both club and indeed country.
Add in the emergence of Harry Winks in recent times, alongside Luke Shaw’s brilliance at Southampton, and Pochettino seems to know how to get the best out of young players, with Tottenham arguably becoming a more desirable place for youngsters given his track-record.
And while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is also no stranger to giving youngsters a chance, Spurs will certainly reflect upon a missed opportunity to bring the hugely talented Brewster to North London, as under Pochettino’s guidance, he could have become a huge star for Tottenham.
According to The Sun, Newcastle are in talks with Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna over the possibility of signing Swiss defender Fabian Schar, which could allow Tottenham to move for the Magpies’ captain Jamaal Lascelles.
What’s the story?
Owner Mike Ashley’s transfer policy means that Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez must sell players before he makes any new signings. Having sold Chancel Mbemba to Porto for £7.14m, Schar may well be his replacement, although it was clear that Mbemba was never Benitez’s plans after he played just 9 times in the Premier League last season.
This could mean that if Benitez does get Schar, who has a release clause of just £3.5m after Deportivo were relegated from La Liga, then he may reluctantly sell his captain to fund moves for players in other positions this summer.
Earlier this month Lascelles was the subject of a £25m bid from West Ham, which was rejected, but fellow London club Spurs could well also be in the market for a centre-back if Toby Alderweireld leaves the club.
Alderweireld out >>> Lascelles in
Alderweireld looks desperate to leave Spurs this summer, and Daniel Levy has slapped a £75m price-tag on his head after serious interest from Manchester United, according to The Mirror.
If the Belgian was to depart, Spurs would be left with just Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth as recognised centre-backs in the squad (although Eric Dier can fill in when needed).
However, with Spurs yet to make a signing this summer, fans of the North London club would be desperate for Levy to open the chequebook and Lascelles could be the perfect long-term replacement for Alderweireld.
The Newcastle man is comfortable bringing or playing the ball out from the back and is also a threat in the opposition box. At just 24 years old he also has age on his side and could become a key player at the new White Hart Lane, and he would arguably be the signing of the summer in the Premier League.
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Newcastle fans are once again furious with Mike Ashley, after comments from Rafael Benitez revealed just how desperate the boss is for some signings.
You’d be hard pushed to find another manager in the world that would put up with Ashley at Newcastle, and Benitez must have the patience of a saint.
The Spaniard took over on Tyneside with the Magpies on the brink of relegation, and although he couldn’t save them, he brought them right back up at the first time of asking before surging to an impressive tenth place finish last season.
Despite last season’s incredible end though, Ashley has again opted not to back his manager, and Benitez has finally spoken out about the lack of summer activity.
“As a manager, you would have liked to have seen these players one month ago, but if we can do something it will be better than nothing,” Rafa said.
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“I think we have to strengthen everywhere.
“If we want to compete in the Premier League, we have to be stronger.
Benitez is in desperate need of some fresh firepower up front, and the sale of Chancel Mbemba surely means another centre back is coming in, although there’s no sign of one yet.
Fans can’t quite believe how poorly this summer has gone so far, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Unai Emery’s rebuild at Arsenal has got off to a great start as the club have addressed multiple positions that were in dire need of help.
With the additions of Stephan Lichtsteiner, Bernd Leno, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, Arsenal have brought in five players that will instantly improve the team – especially in defence.
With those players coming in, Arsenal now need to sell in order to bring in any more signings in. Furthermore, there are some players who although won’t command much of a transfer fee, their careers at the club are basically over.
It may be brutal but there’s no need to keep players who really have no long-term future at the club and indeed, won’t add much to the squad over the course of next season.
With that in mind, here are three players who Emery should sell before the transfer window closes…
The talented Frenchman attracted rave reviews from the Arsenal faithful when he broke onto the scene in the Emirates Cup three years ago.
Since then, the 17-year-old has only shown glimpses of his precocious talent. A tall, elegant playmaker, Reine-Adelaide has struggled with injuries and has only made a handful of appearances for Arsenal in the League and FA Cups.
This year he has featured in Arsenal’s initial pre-season games but has been left out of the club’s pre-season tour squad of Singapore. With only a year left, it’s time for Arsenal to give up on the Reine-Adelaide experiment.
What might surprise some Arsenal fans is that the Costa Rican international has spent seven years at Arsenal but has been sent out on loan to five different teams during his career.
At times, the winger could’ve been an asset to Arsenal but it seems he was never in Arsene Wenger’s plans for the squad and after being left at home for Arsenal’s tour of Singapore, it seems Unai Emery doesn’t fancy him either.
With Lucas Perez, Alex Iwobi, Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan are ahead of him, Campbell’s chances of playing are looking slim.
Much like Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Bielik made a great impression on the Arsenal fans when he broke onto the scene but has since struggled to make the step to the first-team.
Since he joined the club, Bielik has been one of the better players in the academy but has never been given a full chance in the first-team. The Polish international spent the second half of the 2016/17 season on loan with Birmingham. He was sent on loan to Walsall last season following an injury but failed to make an appearance.
If you abstained from independent thought and believed wholesale what you read in the newspapers then right now you’d be under the impression that Manchester United are mired in crisis.
It may briefly cross your mind that not a single ball has yet been kicked in competitive anger and you may find that somewhat odd, certainly premature. But then along comes another apocalyptic headline; another back page full of doom and gloom, and you know from learned behaviour what the end game is.
Soon the manager will be sacked – nobody resigns these days due to the millions they miss out on – and until that day comes the results and performances will suffer and the club will only fragment further. We’ve seen it all before several times over.
Yet what is remarkable about United’s present stasis is that in no way, shape or form can it realistically be deemed an actual crisis. They have one of the world’s top three goalkeepers. They have a manager who can organise a defence better than his peers.
In midfield Paul Pogba, unquestionably a magnificent talent and so recently a World Cup winner, roams among a collection of attacking superstars most other clubs would sell their soul for while up front they boast a centre-forward in Romelu Lukaku who has scored 101 Premier League goals from 220 appearances.
Last season United finished second and there’s absolutely no shame in taking the silver medal behind a record-smashing City side. Furthermore, in proving themselves to be the best of the rest they comprehensively out-performed Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal accruing 18 more points than the latter.
Two years ago they won the League Cup and Europa League and there is truly no pettiness intended in pointing out that is two more trophies than Spurs or Liverpool have won in that timeframe.
Add the permanent pluses into the big picture – not least United’s global renown and their astonishingly broad fan-base and significantly too a largely sycophantic press who are desperate for them to succeed because the sales spike – and you have a goliath in rude health all things considering.
This then is not a crisis in fortune but rather an existential cataclysm and what is most remarkable is that the origin of their troubles is not external. Instead it’s been created, exacerbated and outright encouraged by their own manager.
Mourinho has form for this. Of course he does. We witnessed him do similar at Chelsea when he self-combusted and did his level best to bring down the house with him and with everything not going his way at Old Trafford most of us expected him to press the detonator once again. That’s what he does going into his third season. That’s what he does as a manager. He half-builds a citadel then blows it up with dynamite.
Even so, witnessing his wanton sabotage never fails to astound and so surly and toxic has been his demeanour while on tour in the US that it’s led once again, just like at Chelsea, to conspiracy theories. He is trying to get himself sacked. Perhaps. He is attempting to force the board into releasing more transfer funds. More likely.
Yet there is another consideration that is wholly applicable here, one that you won’t see anywhere in the mainstream media simply because they can’t say such things. But here it is: Jose Mourinho is a psychopath.
That word is not used loosely. In 2017 Psychology Today laid out a list of character traits that define a psychopathic mind and from calculating callousness to an inability to feel guilt or shame; from blame externalisation to a grandiose sense of self-worth; from an incapacity to plan long term to sociopathic selfishness all these things pretty much sum up the Portuguese eye-gouger to a tee.
More so, we can debate and react to Mourinho’s actions until the sun goes down but sometimes the truth is simple yet ugly. He is a toxic individual. He is neither ‘flawed’, complicated or charismatic. He is uniformly despicable.
In this context his latest alienation of a star player – on this occasion Anthony Martial for wanting to be present at the birth of his son – comes as little surprise because it’s straight from the Mourinho textbook. Frankly, it’s tempting to believe that he would willingly sacrifice the good name of anyone or anything in order to preserve the reputation he deludes himself into thinking still exists. His overt pessimism meanwhile can be put down to pre-emptive excuse-making.
His persistent sniping aimed at the club’s youth system however; well that’s a different matter entirely.
Every manager knows the importance of a club’s identity. Bar the slagging off of fans (something Mourinho has previously done at Chelsea incidentally) it’s essentially the only topic off-limits. You can criticise the ground. You can diss any player you like. You can even throw barbed comments in the direction of the owners and still see your stock rise as is so often the case with Rafa Benitez.
A club’s identity though is its soul; it’s raison d’etre. It’s what a club stands for and makes it meaningful far beyond being a structure of bricks and mortar containing rich employees. To disrespect a club’s identity is to spit on its badge.
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And we all know what United stands for, the two attributes it treasures over and above league placing and transfer coups: its rich heritage of bringing through academy players and its traditional adherence to playing adventurous football.
That Mourinho has seemingly gone out of his way to dismantle these institutional concepts – first by sterilising the United brand to the point where watching them is only marginally preferential to seeing paint dry and now by throwing the kids in his charge under a proverbial bus by claiming repeatedly they are not players who represent him on the pitch – is staggering, even from a man with no moral compass.
“He’s going to kill the club”. That’s what an old bloke said in my local last night, a Red who used to travel home and away to see Busby’s great side and later Ferguson’s until age got the better of him. “And if he doesn’t kill it he’ll ruin its reputation forever”.
Only he won’t do either of those things. Not at all.
Mourinho is presently a pimple on a model’s face. He can cause immense damage to individuals – from those approaching their peak such as Martial to kids just starting out – and that is a genuine concern. But United’s identity will remain unharmed and when he leaves, as he surely will soon, it will be reborn as if nothing ever happened.
That’s why Everton still have pride in their School of Science even after Allardyce crapped all over it. It’s why West Ham still has a ‘way’ no matter which mediocre man stands on their touchline. A club’s identity is immune to temporary dishonour. It regenerates.
There is a scene from the hit series Mad Men where the main character Don Draper – a guy who has reinvented himself many times over – visits a female colleague in hospital. She has just given birth and intends to give the baby away so as to resume her career.
“It will shock you how much it never happened,” he says and that is what I’m saying to United fans now. When Mourinho is gone and a new coach comes in, a coach who respects the traditions and identity of the club and cherishes its vitality, these past couple of years will quickly feel like a strange dream.
A strange dream featuring a psychopath motivated only by the hatred he has for a world that once venerated him.
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