Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal to sign Ryan Sessegnon, but will have to loan him back to Fulham next season if the Cottagers secure promotion to the Premier League, according to Paris United.
What’s the latest?
The North London outfit have been linked with Sessegnon for some time, and the fans are certainly excited by the idea of the 17-year-old signing.
The left-sided player, who penned his first professional contract at Craven Cottage last year, has gone from strength to strength.
Despite his young age, Sessegnon is one of the most important members of the Fulham squad having scored 15 goals and created six assists in 46 Championship appearances.
The player is a major reason why the club have reached the Championship playoffs, but according to Paris United, the outcome of the promotion fight will affect a deal with Tottenham.
The publication claims that an agreement has been reached with both the player and Fulham regarding a switch to Spurs, but if the Cottagers move up to the top flight, then they will request that Sessegnon stays on loan for the season.
Is this a no-brainer?
Well, clinching Sessegnon’s signature is a victory in itself as his performances have made it abundantly clear that he is a star in the making.
There is a slight risk, however, with the loan condition, mainly because there is a chance – albeit minimal – that Sessegnon will not be the same player a year from now.
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The youngster certainly has room to grow, and it is not outlandish to suggest that a player of his age should continue gaining experience before making the jump to elite level.
However, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is the ideal manager to help develop a young talent like Sessegnon.
Also, even if regular game time is not on offer, he will certainly be used, and it will give him the incentive to force himself into the coach’s plans.
According to Sky Sports, Crystal Palace have launched a £16m bid to sign Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou this month as Roy Hodgson looks to solve his side’s defensive injury crisis.
Scott Dann has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in the goalless draw against Manchester City on Sunday on Sunday, while fellow centre-back Mamadou Sakho is already on the sidelines with a serious injury of his own.
Now the Eagles have reignited their interest in bringing Amadou to Selhurst Park, with Sky Sports reporting that they also held talks to sign the 24-year-old last year.
Meanwhile, West Ham United picked up a vital last-gasp 2-1 victory against fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion at the London Stadium on Tuesday to move two points clear of the bottom three, but it isn’t a result that will have altered manager David Moyes’ January plans.
The Scot has already said that he wants to strengthen his squad during the transfer window in order to ensure they avoid being involved in a relegation battle in the second-half of the campaign, and bringing Amadou to east London could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons West Ham must hijack Crystal Palace’s bid to sign Amadou…
His ability
Amadou is established as a key first-team player for Lille, and when you look at his statistics for this season so far it isn’t difficult to see why.
According to WhoScored.com, the 24-year-old has won 26 of the 30 tackles he has attempted in 17 Ligue 1 appearances this term, while he has also made 24 interceptions, 37 clearances and 20 blocks.
The fact that he has won 24 of the 47 aerial duels he has faced perhaps hints at a weakness in his game, but the that he has a passing success of 88.3% and has successfully completed nine of the 11 dribbles he has attempted shows that he is good on the ball.
Versatility
With the likes of Winston Reid, Cheikhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang struggling in recent weeks, David Moyes may well be looking to bring in a new centre-back and a defensive midfielder during the January window, and he could kill two birds with one stone by getting Amadou.
The 24-year-old has featured heavily in both positions for Lille this term, and has proven that he can impress and make a big impact in them.
That versatility could be a key factor in the latter stages of the season when injury and suspension may strike, and potentially getting a player who can cover the two roles for £16m is an opportunity that perhaps shouldn’t be missed.
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Leadership qualities
Even though he is 24 years of age, Amadou has already shown enough during his time with Lille to have been appointed as the Ligue 1 outfit’s captain, which proves that he has plenty of leadership qualities.
Moyes will certainly be looking for strong characters on the pitch when he is looking for potential January additions, with a potential relegation battle looming, and bringing someone like the Senegal-born Frenchman to London Stadium could prove to be an attractive proposition for the Scot.
Wilfried Zaha has appeared to be a ray of sunshine among what has been largely been a bleak pre-season for Manchester United. The importance of results in the lead up to the league season shouldn’t be overstated, but it is clear in any case that David Moyes’ start for the Premier League giants has been far from easy. Zaha’s early promise could well prompt a temptation to fast track the youngster into the Premier League side, but would such a move be too much too soon for Zaha?
The Ivory Coast born winger joined United as part of a £15m deal from Crystal Palace in January this year. The young Englishman joined on a five and a half year deal having spent the majority of his youth based in South London. However, when Sir Alex spoke of the deal, the onus was very much on potential.
“We like to sign players with potential. We develop players and that’s been proven many times. Hopefully the boy enjoys it here,” Ferguson said.
The Football League Championship PFA player of the season spent the back end of the last year spearheading Palace’s successful assault back towards the Premier League. A player who shows on-field maturity beyond his years and footballing talent to be marvelled at; is he ready for the first team?
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The 20-year-old has so far coped with every challenge that the game has thrown at him. Impressing at both club and international level, he appears a young man to approach everything with a degree of calm and ease. With Manchester United going through something of a transitional phase post Ferguson perhaps this is the kind of player to really forge out Moyes’ new era at the club.
Suggestions are that Moyes will indeed persevere with the youngster in the first team, with early indications that a loan move remains unlikely at the moment. Keen to develop the player with the experience of a Ryan Giggs still in an around the squad, remaining at United for the mean time could be the best bet.
The risk with any young talent is that they are involved too much too soon. While Zaha may be ready mentally for the Premier League, he is not at a stage physically to cope with the rigorous demands week in week out. Yes United could well do with his talents at the moment; Nani appears close to the exit door, Giggs is in the twilight of his career and Valencia’s form has taken a dive of late. However, excessive exposure now could hinder Zaha in the long term and this is a risk United must weigh up carefully.
There has been a long line of players whose careers have suffered burnout as a result of heightened expectations at such young ages. Players such as Raheem Sterling have been rushed in to cover for first-team inadequacies in the short term but forced to suffer longer-term injury and burnout in the process. Michael Owen is another example of a player who was accelerated into the first team fold, and yes he was extremely successful. The long-term costs of his early successes were only really felt during the back-end of a career that never saw his early promise truly materialise. So will United learn from the lessons of the past?
I believe they will. David Moyes is an experienced manager who knows how to get the very best out of his resources. If he wants to create a dynasty at the club it is important that he shows a degree of patience regarding the development of Wilfried Zaha. Similarly Manchester United are a club that has great experience and success in respect of developing young stars and I believe that their approach will be just as restrained and cautious. United are hardly a club without the squad to alleviate pressure from its youngest assets, and I believe that additions will be made to bolster what they already possess.
Smaller clubs with a greater reliance on one man may well be tempted to drive a player like Zaha into the ground and whilst United appear to be desperate for some attacking quality at the moment I don’t believe they will be reckless enough to run the risk of burning out a future star.
So yes Zaha represents one of the most exciting talents that United have captured in recent times. Whilst United face one of the toughest seasons in memory I do not believe it is the time to panic and throw a player like Zaha into the firing line. In the short term this could be a hindrance to the club, but patience in the long run could see the development of a future star for both club and country.
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When the first international break of the season comes around it gives a club time to reflect on a their start to the domestic campaign and assess how their new faces have settled in to their new environment. For the Gunners they can look back on the first two weeks of the new term with a broad smile on their face. Three games in, no goals conceded and five points from a possible nine on the board. Not bad after a summer that saw Arsene Wenger wave goodbye to his two most influential players. A 2-0 victory at Anfield last Sunday certainly laid bare a slight modification in philosophy at the Emirates Stadium with many attributing the North Londoners’ promising start to the influence of Steve Bould following his promotion to assistant manager in place of recently retired Pat Rice. It may only be early doors but Bould’s influence has already shone through with the Gunners back four visibly brimming with confidence, structure and discipline Wengers’ new number two is rightly taking the plaudits for that. With an attack bristling with new blood, fresh energy and bags of creativity there is a sense that the club, having removed any remnants of past glories, are now ready to move forward and finally end its seven year trophy drought.
This week on FFC is Abou Diaby the man to the hole left by Alex Song in midfield and why is Bacary Sagna criticising the Gunners current transfer policy?
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Best of FFC
Will new rulings see many look to Arsenal as the ideal blueprint
What state do Arsenal currently find themselves in…
What is going on with Cesc Fabregas?
Are we looking too much into his influence at the Emirates?
This Diaby fever can last all season…
A genuine upgrade at Arsenal?
What does Wenger do with this embarrasment of riches?
Arsenal star hails Bould’s influence at the Emirates
Kouyate confirms Arsenal transfer talks
Arsenal hopeful of securing a new deal
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Best of WEB
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When Does A Stadium Become Home? – A Cultured Left Foot
Could he be on his way back to Arsenal? – Gunnersphere
The Other Man That Makes Arsenal Money – Online Gooner
Can he really be Arsenal’s new Song? – Gunnersphere
Don’t tell me that you think it’s green … – Arseblog
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Peter Hill-Wood defends Arsene and Arsenal – shock / horror | Steve Bould fan club grows and grows… – Le Grove
So we didn’t play that well then, the opposition were just poor! What Rubbish! – Highbury House
Jack Wilshere Will Surely Be Key To Arsenal’s Season – Transfer Tavern
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Quote of the Week
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“I expected the departure of Robin van Persie. We all expected it. It was ‘obvious’. But the Alex one, it was a surprise! He is 24 years old, he has three years remaining on his contract. I still do not understand. It is huge loss for the club. When you see the two best players of last season leave, you have a lot of questions. Sometimes in the street the fans talk to me. I can understand they are upset. I am just like them, I don’t understand everything. At Arsenal you come back after holidays, you make preparations, and you see two players leave and the season resumes – it has been like that since I have been at the club. I am used to it now” Bacary Sagna criticises Arsenal summer transfer policy
A section of Leeds fans are mercilessly bashing Pontus Jansson, after the defender was selected in Sweden’s World Cup squad.
When Pontus Jansson joined Leeds permanently last summer, fans were delighted to have the towering defender back at Elland Road.
Jansson had been a huge success during his loan stay from Torino, and the move to make him a permanent addition was a huge show of ambition from the club.
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As has so often been the case at Elland Road in recent years though, things didn’t quite go to plan, and the 27 year-old has quickly gone from fan favourite to scapegoat.
Jansson scored three times this season, and averaged an impressive 9.3 clearances per game, but fans were less than impressed by his attitude, as the defender seemed to completely give up when the going got tough.
Some fans even felt Jansson faked an injury against Preston North End, and they’re now bashing Sweden’s decision to take him to the World Cup.
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Of course, the majority of fans are wishing all the best to their big Swede, but plenty have expressed their concerns over the selection, with some even suggesting he’ll be playing for a move.
some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
If there is one thing Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers deserves praise for it is the impressive role he plays in developing many of England’s most talented youngsters.
The Northern Irish manager has been responsible in showcasing the talents of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Jordon Ibe and Emre Can. He has integrated them all into the first team and helped them become vital for their club and, in some cases, country.
And another youngster with a bright future at Anfield is defender Andre Wisdom.
The young talent signed a new four-year deal in May and is expected to play an important role in the future for the Reds.
Rodgers gave Wisdom his big break back in 2012 when he made his debut in a Europa League clash against Young Boys and due to a number of defensive injuries, the player became a regular member of the squad that season.
Since then the player has been sent on a number of loan spells to further his development, with time spent at Derby County and then West Brom last season.
Unfortunately, during his time at West Brom the youngster’s development was halted following the arrival of manager Tony Pulis in December. The Welshman didn’t regard Wisdom as part of his plans and the defender was limited to just six appearances in the second half of the campaign.
This means the player isn’t where Rodgers wants him to be experience wise and now Wisdom is being sent on another season long loan, this time to Norwich City.
Following the arrival of Nathaniel Clyne at Anfield, there is no gap to give Wisdom the necessary time in the first team.
In what will prove a massive season for the under pressure Liverpool boss, he needs his players to perform and will not want to take many risks with selection looking to the established members of his squad to lead his side’s rejuvenation.
And Norwich provide the perfect opportunity for the player. He moves to the side as one of their best defenders and will most likely feature heavily for the Canaries this season.
The newly promoted side gain a talented young defender who is comfortable on the ball. The 22-year-old is also extremely versatile. Although prominently played at right-back, he is comfortable playing anywhere along the back line.
After his troubled spell at West Brom, Wisdom will have a point to prove to his former boss Pulis and will be determined to showcase the talents that the Baggies missed out on, which will great news for Norwich.
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Alex Neil is a great motivator and he will play an integral role in developing his new addition further. Similarly to Brendan Rodgers, he looks to get the best out of his players and motivates them to go that extra mile and to push themselves to a higher level of performance.
Wisdom himself knows how important this year is for his future. The defender is at that crucial stage of his Liverpool career where he has to make an impression on Rodgers, otherwise he could find himself at the bottom of the pecking order on his return to Anfield.
The youngster has all the talent needed to succeed at the top level, it’s just a case of taking every opportunity he gets.
The message from the ownership of Manchester City has reverberated loud and clear in recent weeks, second best simply will not do. The modern era of the Premier League has seen a far more ruthless approach from all football clubs as managers are judged purely on results. The Blues chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak has insisted that his side must win all the competitions they enter as they prepare for another wave of spending when they appoint their new manager within the next few weeks. Is a large transfer kitty really enough to ensure success? or has the focus on the money spent meant that ensuring the club’s mission to become the world’s best is always destined to fail?
The Man City official club website emblazoned the message of the chairman stating “The target now is to win every competition that we play in. It is a high ambition, but we have the organisation and the squad to get us there”. It was made abundantly clear to Roberto Mancini that he had the funds there to improve his squad at the end of last campaign and because he had this resource available he was expected to succeed. The signings of Aguero, Silva and Yaya Toure who had already proven their world class pedigree was enough to convince Al Mubarak and co that Man City should have been competing with the elite clubs. The prize assets all remained at The Etihad, so there was no reason why there should have been a decrease in form, in theory.
It was clear at the beginning of last season Manchester City had a squad of individual players that were capable of winning back to back titles, but no cohesion is guaranteed in a side. There may be players who are superstars on their own but Manchester United proved that determination and team spirit are critical in securing the Premier League’s top prize. The margins within the two sides were narrow going into what proved to be both Manchester managers final seasons. Robin Van Persie has since been pointed to as the difference between winning and losing the title. He picked the red half of Manchester because of the chance to work with one of the finest managers the game has even seen and a football club which has always prided itself on stability. The stellar players that are the only ones which can truly improve this current Manchester City team this summer could now shun the Citizens for similar reasons Van Persie did last summer.
The insistence that what Mancini delivered was not good enough, may be all well and good, but sacking a manager on the exact day he won them their first title in 40 years that delivered the supporters the prize they craved the most is hardly suggesting the commitment to building a long term legacy is it? What will world class players believe they are signing into when they scribble across the dotted line at Eastlands? It hardly will fill the new manager, which is widely expected to be Manuel Pellegrini, with any confidence that he will have any opportunity to stick around and win trophies spanning across many years like Sir Alex Ferguson did at Manchester United. The Man City board have set an extremely dangerous precedent in so much as, if Pellegrini delivers the Premier League this year but then failed to again the following year, would he immediately have to be sacked then too?
Al Mubarak finished his most recent statement by saying “ we all felt it was time for a change”, but it has led many to wonder whether this is the first transition of many. In the chase for perfection on all fronts, there could be a losing of what the long terms aim were in the first place.
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Fulham manager Martin Jol has expressed little worry over losing Moussa Dembele over the next few days, as he insists it would take a large sum for Fulham to part with the Belgian international.
Dembele has reportedly attracted attention from other clubs after a series of impressive performances for the Cottagers over the past couple of years. He has started the new season in fine style, posing plenty of problems for Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday in a 3-2 defeat. The way he played could lead to some late interest in the transfer market, but Jol doubts whether anyone will lodge a bid that would tempt Fulham to sell.
Dembele has always stressed that he is happy at Craven Cottage and remains a key part of Jol’s plans, unlike somebody such as Clint Dempsey who has been left out so far this term after declaring a wish to move on. Asked about Dembele, Jol told Sky Sports: “He plays and he likes the club, so there’s no problem. You have to pay a lot of money to get Dembele. There won’t be a lot of clubs putting that sort of money on the table, so I think we are fine.”
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Chelsea’s season, which has played out against a backdrop of managerial unrest and fan discontent, was in danger of petering out when Tottenham put themselves eight points clear of the Blues in the race for the Champions League back in March.
However, under-fire Antonio Conte has guided his side into the final of the FA Cup and there is a smidgen of hope that they can sneak their way into the Champions League places.
If they do, it will be due to the sloppiness of this Sunday’s visitors to Stamford Bridge, Liverpool, who have taken their eye off the ball domestically in order to ensure qualification for the final of Europe’s elite competition this season.
A victory over the Reds would put the two sides level on points and while Liverpool would still be in the box seat with the far superior goal difference, they would need to get all three points against Brighton on the final day of the season to make the top four place safe, which is less than ideal with the Champions League final in Kiev looming.
So this is a huge match for Conte and that brings about no shortage of key questions for the Italian to answer and we’ve taken a look a look at some of the most pressing…
Which Liverpool will turn up?
Soccer Football – Champions League Semi Final First Leg – Liverpool vs AS Roma – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – April 24, 2018 Liverpool’s Sadio Mane celebrates scoring their third goal with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino REUTERS/Phil Noble
Liverpool’s rampage to the final of the Champions League has been spearheaded by the frightening front three of former Chelsea man Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane but Klopp might wish to wrap them in cotton wool ahead of the encounter with Real Madrid later this month.
None of the Reds’ potential replacements are in the same league and if Klopp does choose to rest any or all of them, it should substantially ease the pressure on the home backline and embolden them to hold a higher line.
Liverpool’s recent Premier League performances have lacked the focus and intensity of their Champions League displays and if that continues here, it could hand Chelsea the initiative.
Should Conte recall Willian?
Chelsea edged past a timid Swansea side last weekend by matching the Welsh side’s conservative 3-5-2 system by clogging the midfield with Tiemoue Bakayoko alongside N’Golo Kante and goalscorer Cesc Fabregas.
Here, Conte may be tempted to recall Willian in anticipation of a more end-to-end encounter. That would resemble more of a 3-4-2-1 with the Brazilian and Eden Hazard given licence to roam in between the visiting defence and midfield.
Alternatively, matching Liverpool up three against three in the centre of the park might stem the Red tide and allow Hazard free reign to cause havoc solo, popping up wherever he wants. It’s a big call that could shape the match.
How do you stop Mo Salah?
Soccer Football – Premier League – Liverpool vs Chelsea – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – November 25, 2017 Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further d
In pursuit of Ian Rush’s Anfield goalscoring record goal haul in the space of a season, Salah has stumbled slightly in his last two games, drawing blanks against Stoke and former club Roma.
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Nevertheless, it is still one of the toughest tasks in world football to stop Salah and Roma found out to their peril in the first leg of their encounter with the Reds how hard it is to prevent the Egyptian, who has 57 caps for his country, from wreaking havoc by using a three-man defence.
Chelsea cannot afford to leave space on the outside of their full-backs for Salah – and Sadio Mane – to run into but playing with a back five against such a relentless pressing outfit could make for a long afternoon.
Breaking into a PSG team filled with high profile names and world renowned stars wouldn’t be an easy task for any player currently plying their trade in the modern game, let alone a home-grown star who is seemingly forced to operate within the shadows of his more commercially viable, poster-friendly counterparts.
That however, is exactly what 28-year-old Blaise Matuidi has so far achieved during his time at the Parc des Princes stadium – and the combative Frenchman is simply thriving as a result. The central midfielder has not only managed to break into the star-studded squad currently on the books at PSG in recent years, but he has also successfully maintained his place in the first team and gone down as a solid starter for Laurent Blanc’s side so far this season.
Such an impressive record from the former Saint Etienne man has subsequently not gone unnoticed across the rest of Europe, as since the culmination of the January transfer window, Manchester United have reportedly been linked with brining the no. 14 to the Premier League next season for a hefty fee of around £25 million.
In light of such a potentially expensive investment from Louis van Gaal’s side, would Blaise Matuidi ultimately be suited to the English game throughout the 2015/16 campaign, and could the Red Devils actually aim higher than the supposedly in-demand Frenchman this summer?
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Well for one thing, to label Matuidi as ‘not good enough’ for the Premier League would only be doing a great disservice to the player’s overall game. The 28-year-old PSG favourite has not only been a big success in Ligue 1 throughout his time with the Parisian giants, but he has also been arguably one of the standout performers for PSG so far in the Champions League.
Some of Blanc’s perhaps more high profile names – such as Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi – simply haven’t stepped up to the plate for their team in Europe for one reason or another, yet Blaise Matuidi has certainly been a worthy servant for the club with his consistent level of performance in club football’s most illustrious tournament.
The midfield enforcer may not be gifted with a great amount of elegance on the ball when he plays it across the pitch, the determined Frenchman simply doesn’t operate with the technical brilliance and gifted control that many would have expected from someone in his position, and of course, no one will be comparing the PSG no. 14 to the likes of Andrea Pirlo or Xabi Alonso any time soon – but as Blaise Matuidi is more than capable of performing the ugly side of the modern game – he will seemingly always go down as a strong asset for his respective manager.
In putting in countless crunching tackles, several goal saving blocks, and breaking up moves from the opposition on an almost week-to-week basis, the 28-year-old midfielder has certainly done well to emulate the legendary Claude Makelele since his retirement, both for club and country.
Having made such a positive case for Matuidi’s skill-set and overall game however, Manchester United could still nonetheless aim higher than the tenacious Frenchman throughout the coming summer. He simply isn’t THE player Louis van Gaal needs right now, and although he could certainly do a good job down at Old Trafford across the course of next season, the Red Devils have to spend their money more wisely this time around if they want to avoid an embarrassing repeat of this season’s shortcomings.
Not only do Manchester United have to replace the increasingly ineffective Robin van Persie in the striking department for next season – not to mention needing to have a good look over the club’s somewhat frail looking back-four sooner or later – but as the ageing Michael Carrick will likely be on his way out of Old Trafford in the not too distant future, an elegant midfielder with a keen eye for a through-ball will be most required for the Red Devils next term.
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Van Gaal already has Daley Blind to count upon to cover the gritty side of being a modern day Premier League midfielder after all, so spending close to £25 million on a player so similar to the Dutchman would simply have to go down as another huge waste of money at Old Trafford, should they follow through on their reported interest in Matuidi.
With all things considered, even though the current PSG man has certainly staked a worthy claim for himself in the past few seasons, Blaise Matuidi is just not the player Manchester United require going into the 2015/16 campaign.