As reported by The Mirror, Liverpool are set to offer attacker Sadio Mane a new contract, despite his current deal not ending until 2021.
What’s the story?
Mane is again reaching top form at the Reds and showed last week just how devastating he can be to the opposition with a superb hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League against Porto.
Now Liverpool are set to ensure he’s happy and well rewarded for his efforts since joining from Southampton, offering a new contract that could double his £80,000-a-week wages.
That’s according to The Mirror, who say the pay hike is designed to ensure his value in an ever ballooning transfer market is protected.
Does it make sense?
It may seem a bit strange to potentially double a player’s wages when he still has three years left on his current deal but, as the Philippe Coutinho saga proved, players hold all the power in modern football and ensuring they are well remunerated compared to stars of a similar ability is a surefire way of keeping them happy.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Losing Coutinho to Barcelona was a major blow to Liverpool, despite banking a hefty transfer fee, and if they are to challenge for trophies over the next few years then they need to keep players like Sadio Mane.
The player has scored a superb 25 goals and created 15 assists in just 57 appearances. Alongside the likes Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, he has a real chance of winning silverware at Anfield and it makes perfect sense that the Reds would look to protect that trio from ever moving on.
Tottenham have reached advanced stages in talks with Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino to become their next manager, with reports that his appointment could be made official within the next 48 hours.
But is he the right man to deliver Spurs’ ultimate ambition of Champions League football, or is he yet another Daniel Levy appointment that will inevitably fail to live up to expectations?
No doubt, the Argentine has had a significant impact on the Premier League since his controversial appointment at St. Mary’s back in January 2013. Under his leadership, the Saints have been transformed from relegation battlers into Europa League contenders, all the while championing a high-octane, modern brand of football that would certainly impress the punters at White Hart Lane.
Yet, in my opinion, the ultimate test of the next Tottenham boss will be staying power; Daniel Levy has burned through eight permanent managers since becoming Lilywhites chairman thirteen years ago, including two this season alone. Many of his appointments and sackings have blurred the line between cut-throat and knee-jerk, and although Pochettino’s track record with Southampton is impressive, it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to prevent Levy getting cold feet as soon as results take a downward turn.
After all, although the Argentine will be charged with the task of administering Tottenham’s qualification into the Champions League, the chances of it happening next season remain relatively slim. Manchester City and Chelsea are all-but guaranteed top four finishes next season, Liverpool are a club only moving forward, Arsenal will spend lavishly this summer in the wake of their record-breaking sponsorship deal with Puma and Manchester United will be determined to make up for lost time as they welcome trophy-laden Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal.
It’s no secret that Tottenham’s strongest finishes in the Premier League era have come under Levy’s two longest-serving managers, Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp. But with £110million’s worth of investment from summer 2013 still on the line, if Pochettino can’t provide instant success at White Hart Lane, it won’t be long before his new employer is hit by yet another case of second thoughts.
Mainly because, although Pochettino’s role in Southampton’s sudden rise should not be overlooked – their 56 points this season is the Saints’ highest ever in the Premier League, and the 42 year-old boasts the third-best win percentage, 38.4%, of any St. Mary’s boss in the modern incarnation of the top flight – it’s not as if it’s been a particularly challenging tenure.
WANT MORE? >> Tottenham transfer news | Southampton transfer news
Nigel Adkins had already laid down the foundations for success and Southampton are one of the best-run clubs in the country. He’s brought out the best in the Premier League’s healthiest and youngest home-grown contingent, but who is to say another manager wouldn’t have with paralleled ease under the same, rather fortunate circumstances?
Then again, as the Telegraph speculates, perhaps that is the crux of the attraction from Levy’s point of view. Tottenham’s squad is bursting with youthful players struggling to hit their full potential, ranging from Kyle Walker to Erik Lamela, and much like the Saints, who are expected to lose several key players this summer after a season of unprecedented success, the Lane outfit are still a selling club at this moment in time.
Pochettino has shown a knack for adding significant value to youthful acquisitions over a short period without getting too involved in the business side of things – a perfect fit for Levy’s transfer model.
But will that in combination with Pochettino’s leadership bring the Lilywhites any closer to Champions League football? As a manager whose biggest job to date remains his 18 month stay on the south coast, I certainly have my doubts. David Moyes earned a decade’s worth of plaudits at Everton, but couldn’t last a full season at Manchester United. Likewise, Pochettino is yet to claim silverware as a coach and thus far has absolutely no experience in Europe.
Whilst Rafa Benitez and Frank de Boer – the other leading candidates for the Spurs gig – are well aware of continental football’s requisites and in the former’s case, that of the Premier League’s top four, the Argentine will be working on educated guess-work.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Pochettino is clearly an intelligent man. Any manager who acts like he doesn’t understand a hint of English in public whilst getting the best out of an almost completely home-grown squad can rightly be considered a bright spark.
But more coveted and proven managers have failed to survive Daniel Levy’s impatience before – my prevailing concern is that, should Pochettino not get off to a flying start at White Hart Lane, the chairman will quickly wonder whether he’s wrongly bought into a managerial fad.
Securing Champions League football at Tottenham will be the biggest challenge of the Argentine’s coaching career, but in my opinion, it remains unlikely that Levy will allow him the time and tolerance to achieve it.
In 16 years of owning Hartlepool United, on-the-pitch matters have never been more important than this for owners IOR.
In the wake of Neale Cooper’s sad resignation last week, IOR, and especially chairman Ken Hodcroft, must act decisively and make the correct appointment to replace the likable Scot. By that it has be a manager who can shake the current crop of players up, rid the squad of the bad eggs and have no previous links with HUFC.
IOR have done wonders for the football club on a whole, than can never, ever, ever (I could repeat that lexis to my heart’s content) never be underestimated and forgotten. Without IOR, we would no longer be a Football League club. We would be where our neighbours Darlington are, as the familiar adage goes now.
IOR came in 1997 with an ambition: to resurrect a flailing football club and to get them moving. Mission complete. Even when the club returned to the basement tier in 2006, IOR were undeterred. In came in Danny Wilson, a shrewd appointment indeed. Wilson knows his football, he knows the lower-leagues, he knows how to set teams up, he knows good players and he can man-manage. IOR, one presumes, stretched their purse strings to bring Wilson in. They must do the same again if they are to prove they are still owning this football club not just for business purposes.
Why the discontent in my words? Because for five and a bit seasons HUFC have just rode the tide of League One. Twice they have arrested their slide towards the League One trapdoor on the last day of the season, and three times they have bobbled along mediocrity like a bhoy in the ocean: causing no damage whatsoever to the big boys of the league but remaining pesent and one to negotiate around. This time rounds it’s entirely different: Pools are rock bottom of the league, cut adrift of safety and in serious danger of sinking back into League Two. The sinking ship needs rescuing. Quickly.
For that to happen IOR have to respond quickly. They were right to describe their acceptance of Cooper’s resignation as “reluctant” for although he cannot be immune to criticism (three poor summer signings, odd subs and selections), there are far greater worries at the club. But, as always in football, it is the manager who pays for it and takes the flack.
The current squad is not good enough for League One football, that being shown by the fact they have forced three mangers out of the door in 24 months due to there ineptitude. There also seems to be a contingent of that club who are happy to plod along and from the outside looking in with an intriguing eye, there is no coaching system in place. It’s either route-one and back to the opposition with any pressure to regain possession or pass the ball along the defence with the intention of playing from the back. Except with a flat back line and passing the ball across your 18-yard box, the intention, seemingly, is to invite the opposition on to score; that is poor coaching. The team needs to be coached by an experienced coach. Micky Barron and (Sir) Ritchie Humphreys are great club servants, together amassing more than 900 games for the club but persisting with the duo as the club’s only coaches is not going to reap rewards. They need back up.
This really is a crucial time in IOR’s tenure at Victoria Park. Unless they act correctly in bringing in a manager who knows League One football, can operate on a small, restrictive budget, can enable the players to start grinding out wins, HUFC will not be playing third-tier football for a while long yet.
Instead of placing all their eggs in one basket on the ground sale (which is essential for the club to move forward), Hodcroft must spread his basket far wider than the stubborn council and invest in the team or else the consequences could be dire. Time to mirror the desire you showed so eloquently in the late 1990s and pre-2007, IOR.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
You can find me on Twitter @cmbell310 for Pool chat.
West Ham fans are getting excited about their summer transfer business, as reports claim they have offered around £20m for Alfie Mawson.
West Ham have made a bid of around £20m for Swansea City’s Mawson, as reported by popular insider ExWHUEmployee, and the player is “very keen” on making the move.
The towering defender missed out on the slight possibility of being picked for the World Cup when he had surgery on his knee, but would be an excellent signing for the Hammers.
Fans were delighted yesterday when Sky Sports claimed they were making progress on a deal for French wonderkid Issa Diop, who would make one hell of an imposing partnership alongside Mawson.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
The 24 year-old Mawson was the one silver lining in Swansea’s miserable relegation season, winning over three aerial duels per game and averaging nearly six clearances per game.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The colossal defender is very technically gifted as well, and would help Manuel Pellegrini get the team moving the ball out calmly from the back.
Fans are getting excited over their potential new partnership, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Alan Hutton has been in stellar form for Aston Villa this season, but it appears that his future is elsewhere.
Manager Steve Bruce recently revealed that Financial Fair Play rules mean that the club are not in a position to offer the right-back a new contract, reports the Birmingham Mail.
The publication states that Hutton recently approached the club about extending his current deal, which expires at the end of the season.
However, he was met with the news that there is no possible way at the moment for the club to give him what he wants.
The situation could change if the Villans earn promotion to the Premier League come May, but if they remain in the Championship then Hutton will be released.
As it stands, the Midlands outfit are third in the league table, one point adrift of an automatic move to the top tier.
Hutton, who has started 16 of the club’s last 18 Championship games, joined Villa in 2011 from Tottenham Hotspur.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Fans have been tweeting their thoughts on the predicament.
Signing on Deadline Day in the summer for a reported £2million from Werder Bremen, Marko Arnautovic’s performances appear to have gone somewhat under the radar. But in acquiring the controversial Austrian, did Stoke City actually make one of the signings of the season?
With just one fixture left in the Premier League, Arnautovic has scored four and assisted seven in twenty nine league appearances. Often deployed out on the left, the Austrian is level in the assist charts with the likes of Phillippe Coutinho, Eden Hazard and Jesus Navas. Bizarrely at the age of 25, the forward has just been rewarded for his contribution in his debut campaign by being named as the club’s Young Player of the Season.
Stoke City’s break from the Tony Pulis era is perhaps best epitomised in the signing of Arnautovic. A technically proficient and talented individual without the stature of a rugby player, the now Crystal Palace manager would never have taken a chance on the eccentric Austrian and his almost legendary attitude.
So far though, Arnautovic hasn’t hit the headlines as often as the English media would have hoped for. Upon signing for Stoke, many headlines dubbed the forward as “Mario Balotelli Mark II” in the expectation that he would produce similarly barmy stories. Unsurprisingly, the pair were actually good friends from their time at Inter Milan.
Despite signing the player for just £2 million, Mark Hughes was still seen to be taking a gamble. From his time in Milan, Jose Mourinho labelled Arnautovic as “a fantastic person but with the attitude of a child.” At FC Twente, where the Austrian first showcased his talent, Steve McClaren claimed that he was the craziest player that he had ever worked with.
Up until this season, controversy seemed to follow the Austrian wherever he went. In Milan, Arnautovic was dining in a restaurant when the Bentley he had borrowed from Samuel Eto’o was stolen. The forward once injured his knee ligaments playing with his dog whilst he believes he failed to impress Mourinho at Inter due to the fact he was going out five times a week.
Signed by Bremen as the replacement to Marko Marin, bridges between the club and Arnautovic were finally burnt last season after a training ground bust-up with Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The forward had been dubbed “Arrogantovic” by sections of the German club’s supporters.
A month after signing for Stoke, Arnautovic was sent off for his country after an ugly clash with Sweden’s Johan Elmander. The forward has bemoaned the fact that he is viewed as the “bad boy” of Austrian football whilst Bayern Munich’s David Alaba is seen as the “golden” child.
However, in interviews upon his arrival, Arnautovic claimed that fatherhood had mellowed his eccentricities and that he was no longer the “bad boy” of Austrian football. After a slow start to life in the Premier League, Hughes’ gamble on the Austrian has definitely paid off. Fans’ posts on the club’s fanzine The Oatcake reveal that many believe if the forward worked on his finishing and displayed a greater level of consistency, the former Bremen star would be snapped up by a bigger team in no time.
Arnautovic took slightly too long to adapt to the demands of English football to genuinely be credited as the signing of the season. In November of last year, German newspaper Bild mocked the attacker for a remarkable winless streak that stretched to nineteen matches at both Bremen and Stoke. The wide man had only netted twice in Stoke’s colours by March. The likes of Wilfried Bony, Fernandinho, Dejan Lovren and Alvaro Negredo all arguably boast stronger and more consistent cases for that particular title.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Similar to Michu though last season, albeit to a lesser extent, Arnautovic has made his £2 million price tag seem a snip and surely the Austrian’s transfer is the bargain of the season. In a season where £30 million Erik Lamela and £27.5 million Marouane Fellaini have failed to impress, the former Bremen attacker has proven to be a reliable creator for his team-mates throughout the entire year.
Hughes was seen to be taking a gamble when he sanctioned the signing of “Mario Balotelli Mark II” back in September. However, the Stoke manager has more than been rewarded for the faith he has shown in the eccentric and controversial Austrian forward.
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer believes that last season’s Tyne/Wear derby was the pivotal moment in two managers’ careers, as he told the Sun.
Shearer felt that despite already being up against it, Steve Bruce’s fate was on the wall after their home defeat to arch rivals Newcastle last season, and todays clash could well end with the same fate.
“Last season Newcastle went to the Stadium of Light in the second match of the season,”
“Newcastle won 1-0 and the Sunderland fans never forgave Brucey.
“I genuinely believe he was already up against it at Sunderland purely because he was a Geordie.
“But after losing that derby he won only another two games up until his sacking in December.
“Conversely, the result provided a massive boost for Alan Pardew as Newcastle went on a 10-game unbeaten run laying the foundations for a fifth-placed finish in the league.
“That is what a result in this game can do for either club.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“Let’s not forget this fixture also proved the final act for Ruud Gullit at Newcastle in 1999 when he decided to leave me on the bench until late on and we got beat 2-1 at home.”
As reported by The Daily Record, new Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is set to decide on the future of club captain Lee Wallace this week after the player’s high profile falling out with the hierarchy at Ibrox.
What’s the story?
Wallace was suspended and fined for his part in a dressing room bust-up with manager Graeme Murty after a Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic, something which he has subsequently appealed with the SPFL.
Now his playing future at Ibrox is set to be resolved this week, say The Daily Record, with manager Steven Gerrard expected to come to a decision after meeting with Rangers officials this Wednesday.
Will the 30-year-old have opportunities at the Light Blues next season, or is he on his way out?
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
Would Rangers miss him?
Wallace has been a devoted servant to Rangers up to this point, staying with the club even as they made their way up through the lower leagues after financial calamity in 2012.
With over 250 appearances for the club, there are some who may say he deserves a second chance at Ibrox after his ill-discipline.
However, even if his relationship with decision makers at the club was 100% healthy, his place in the Ranegrs starting eleven is questionable after the emergence of Declan John last season.
The signing from Cardiff City impressed consistently throughout 2017/18 and is well placed to retain his starting spot in the team next term.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Gerrard won’t want members of the dressing room undermining his authority either, meaning Wallace’s future is in serious doubt at Rangers.
Injuries have been a major problem for West Ham United in recent weeks.
The East London outfit have Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic currently on the treatment table.
Carroll has been in and out of the team all season due to injury problems, and the striker is now facing a further three months out after undergoing surgery.
Lanzini is expected to be on the sidelines for a month with a hamstring problem, while Arnautovic is also suffering with a similar injury.
On Saturday, the Hammers were damaged further when Pedro Obiang was stretchered off just after the half-hour mark after being on the receiving end of a challenge.
At the time, the Hammers were trailing 1-0 to Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the DW Stadium.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
After Obiang was taken off the field, West Ham fans tweeted their dismay at the latest injury setback.
Liverpool and Arsenal are ready to fight to sign Lazio winger Antonio Candreva, reports the Express.
Manchester United are also monitoring the winger’s complicated contract talks along with the two Reds. Candreva is partly owned by Udinese, who have spoken to Lazio about buying out the Rome club’s part of the contract. But talks have not gone well, with disagreements over if the money should transfer over in payments or a lump sum.
Candreva will enter his final contracted year at Lazio in the summer, and the three English clubs are interested in making a move for the Italian in the next few months. They hope to tempt Lazio selling now, instead of risking losing the winger for free next season.
Udinese and Lazio wil have to rush their ownership talks however, with both clubs wanting the matter to be solved before the World Cup, which starts in June. With Liverpool and Arsenal both currently inside the top 4 and looking to play Champions League football, the pair are hoping to tempt Candreva away from Rome ahead of the next season. Lazio are currently 8th and outside the Champions League places.
And whilst United don’t look likely to be able to offer European football, David Moyes believes the addition of Candreva will help stop the Red Devil’s decline down the Premier League table.
For your chance to WIN two tickets to Everton vs Manchester United on Sunday April 20 AND a copy of FIFA14, simply comment below with your score prediction for the game…
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
[ffccomp link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/win-tickets-to-everton-vs-manchester-united-a-copy-of-fifa-14″oneliner=”For your chance to WIN two tickets to Everton vs Manchester United on Sunday April 20 AND a copy of FIFA14, simply comment below with your score prediction for the game…” step=”PREDICT THE SCORE
BELOW” terms=”http://everton-manchester-united-tickets.pen.io” topics=”premier league, manchester united, everton, football, soccer”]