After a spectacular 5-0 victory on the opening day, Fulham have lost two in a row and welcome and unbeaten West Brom Albion to Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The Cottagers were drubbed 3-0 at West Ham last time out, having previously put up a good performance losing 3-2 at Old Trafford. They have also found themselves dumped out of the League Cup by Sheffield Wednesday.
With three points from a possible nine, Martin Jol will be no doubt going out for maximum points against the Baggies.
Greek International captain Girogos Karagounis could feature, with Jol having singed the 35-year-old on a free transfer.
“I’m delighted to have signed for Fulham Football Club and I am excited by a new challenge in England and the Barclays Premier League,” the former Inter Milan and Panathinaikos midfielder said.
“I’m looking forward to working under Martin Jol and playing alongside some fantastic players at this club.”
Fellow new boy Dimitar Berbatov could also be in line for his first start for his new side, while Simon Davies, Bryan Ruiz and Kerim Frei are all expected to be in the squad.
Steve Clarke’s West Brom side have made a fantastic start to the campaign, beating Liverpool 3-0 on the opening day, before earning a dramatic point at White Hart Lane.
The Baggies claimed another Merseyside scalp during their last outing, beating Everton 2-0 at the Hawthorns.
Romelu Lukaku is hopeful of returning to the squad having sat out the Everton victory.
“Romelu’s injury was the result of a tackle and, to be honest, it was probably a 10-day injury. He just ran out of time to play against Everton,” Clarke said.
“It was natural that he would be fit and ready to play for Belgium.”
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Prediction: Fulham 2-2 West Brom
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Manchester United starlet Timothy Fosu-Mensah has returned to the club following the end of a mixed season-long loan spell with the Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, and Red Devils fans have been discussing the 20-year-old’s first-team chances next term.
The Netherlands international started the campaign in the side under previous Eagles boss Frank de Boer – playing as a centre-back in a three-man defence – but he struggled to make an impression with current manager Roy Hodgson in the remainder of the season.
The Dutchman found himself behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order over the course of the last couple of months, and he failed to make the matchday squad for their final five top flight fixtures – although that doesn’t seem to have deterred some of the Old Trafford faithful who reacted to a suggestive tweet from the 20-year-old earlier this week.
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Man United supporters have taken to social media to give their thoughts on what the future holds for the versatile youngster, and while one said “watch Mourinho rot him on bench next season”, another said “he’s so perfect for RB, yet Jose doesn’t seem to rate him”.
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When Alexandre Lacazette signed for Arsenal in the summer, it felt like a case of better late than never.
Since the departure of Robin van Persie to Manchester United in 2013, Arsenal have lacked a top striker. And after being linked with big-money moves for massive names, the Gunners always seemed to shy away from actually making the purchase, must to the displeasure of their fans.
But after signing the Frenchman in the summer, Gunners fans had to wait until late October for a glimpse of their golden trefoiled attack to start a game together.
This season, despite the arrival of Lacazette and the success – if you can call it that – in keeping Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the summer, Arsenal have still floundered at times this season, especially away from home. But they do remain very much in the hunt for fourth place and a return to the Champions League next season. And with a deadly striker on board, Arsene Wenger’s side will be a force this season.
This weekend, their victory over Newcastle showed just what Lacazette brings to the team, even when he’s not scoring.
Although the vital goal in Saturday afternoon’s victory over Newcastle came from Ozil, the Frenchman’s performance was the kind of striker’s display that Arsenal have been lacking for an age.
When players like Lacazette are not scoring goals, you have to be prepared for them to seem inactive: predators don’t do much for most of the game, except for when they pounce.
With someone like Olivier Giroud up front in recent seasons, Arsenal always had a player who was more likely to get involved in games and link-up with other players. The problem with that, however, is that it can often be easier to defend against: the opposition don’t have to worry about a deadly striker lurking in the box miles away from play. With Lacazette, they do.
At the weekend, the Frenchman managed only 38 touches of the ball: one more than Petr Cech and comfortably less than half of the contribution of any other Gunners player, although he was taken off with just over 15 minutes to go.
With those touches, however, he won one dribbles, played two key passes and took four shots: when he gets it, there’s always danger and that’s because of the positions he occupies.
What’s also interesting is that, in contrast with his team’s 85% pass accuracy, Lacazette’s was all the way down at just 70% – much lower. But that’s because he’s not just attempting easy short passes, but rather trying to win battles with defenders, play lay-offs to his teammates or even set some of his attacking partners through on goal or into dangerous positions.
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For years, Arsenal have been accused of being too intricate and too pretty in their build-up play.
With Lacazette in the side, they’re a little bit more direct and look straight to goal that little bit more often. Later on in the season, that could be crucial when it comes to the race for the top four.
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Dutch star Adam Maher, according to talkSPORT.
The AZ Alkmaar midfielder had been linked with Ajax, but the Amsterdam club have ruled themselves out of the running, opening the door to a Premier League move.
The 19-year-old has been linked with a move away from AZ, after impressing in the Eredivisie this year. The midfielder scored seven goals as he helped the club to finish 10th in the table.
The Gunners were ready to fight Ajax for the Dutch youngster, but the club’s director of football, and former Arsenal player, Marc Overmars, has ruled out a move for Maher.
“I called Adam and his representative Sigi Lens to say that we have made different choices,” Overmars told De Telegraaf.
“Additionally, I have said to AZ that we have no interest.”
This leaves Arsenal as the sole club interested in Maher, who played the full 90 minutes in Holland Under-21s 1-0 defeat to Italy Under-21s in the summer final of the European Under-21 Championship.
Maher has also appeared for the senior side, making a substitutes appearance against Romania in a World Cup Qualifier earlier this year.
The midfielder has come through the AZ academy to become a top player for the Dutch club, and could well be playing in the Premier League next year.
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Should Wenger sign the 19-year-old? Will he do well in the Premier League?
Wayne Rooney has revealed in excerpts of his new autobiography of what it is really like to be on the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous “hairdryer” treatment, and claims it does not always have a positive effect. The Daily Mail reports.
Rooney reflected on some of the most notable hairdryer moments during his time at United and admitted it can cause some players to have a mental breakdown.
He feels the worst telling-off he experienced was aimed at Louis Saha, after the Frenchman missed a late penalty to salvage a point against Celtic in the Champions League.
He said: “He’s in Louis’ face, shouting and screaming. It spurs some of the lads on, but it crushes others.”
The 26-year-old also described how he deals with the anger vented towards him and perhaps unwisely, answers back.
He added: “I don’t like getting shouted at by anyone. It’s hard for me to take so sometimes I shout back.
“I tell him he’s wrong and I’m right.”
At a club like United,Ferguson demands the highest standards of his players, shown by his fury at the Red Devils’ final day defeat to West Ham in 2007- despite already winning the Premier League title and just moments before the players received the trophy.
“After the rollicking it takes a while before everyone cheers up enough to put their Premier League-winning smiles back on”, Rooney said.
Rooney and the rest of the United team will be hoping to avoid many future hairdryer treatments from Sir Alex, as they attempt to wrestle the title back from Manchester City.
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As reported by The Mirror this weekend, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has said yes to taking over as permanent manager of Rangers next season.
The move to Ibrox would mean he leaves his current role of U18s manager at the Reds.
Aside from a brief stint at LA Galaxy, Gerrard has been with Liverpool as a player and coach for close to 28 years, having joined the Liverpool academy at the age of nine.
Tipped by supporters to be a future manager of the club, many are not happy he’s chosen to make the move to Rangers.
Reasons for that include the sheer scale of the job at Ibrox in the face of Celtic domination and the fact he would no longer be working within the set-up under Jurgen Klopp.
The work ahead of him was put into sharp focus this afternoon after Rangers were humiliated by Celtic in a 5-0 defeat, with the Hoops becoming league champions in the process.
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Liverpool fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his potential move to Scotland…
Amid a purple end to a promising 2014/15 campaign, many believe Arsenal are just a few shrewd signings away from being genuine Premier League title challengers.
Resultantly, Arsene Wenger is expected to keep himself very busy in the transfer market this summer – at least, by the reckoning of the tabloids, who remain relentless in their Gunners-based rumour gathering as we approach the opening of the offseason window.
But the transfer market is always filled with inevitable booby-traps; the low-risk-high-reward signings that amount to nothing, the bargain bosmans who break their legs on the first week of training but end up on the wage bill for the next four years, the big names who struggle to live up to their preceding reputations, the ‘next Paul Scholes’ prodigies who end up more like the next Nicky Butt.
So to ensure the north London outfit avoid an error-free summer on the inward front, we’ve listed the FIVE targets they should avoid at all costs.
BENEDIKT HOWEDES
Available for just £13million through a release clause, Benedikt Howedes could prove to be a smart piece of business for one of Europe’s bigger clubs.
He’s renowned for his versatility, capable of playing anywhere across the backline or in midfield, lifted the World Cup with Germany last summer, boasts experience in the Champions League and has served as Schalke captain since 2011. Not bad for such an unspectacular fee.
But what does the 26 year-old actually offer Arsenal’s squad apart from further depth? Arsene Wenger added to his centre-back options with Gabriel Paulista in January, whilst both full-back positions are firmly covered through the likes of Mathieu Debuchy, Callum Chambers, Hector Bellerin, Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal.
Throwing another World Cup winner into the mix is hardly the worst thing Wenger could do this summer. Yet, it’s money that could be better spent in other areas – or a more specific position withn the starting XI.
Furthermore, despite his heroics for Die Mannschaft last summer, the 6 foot 2 defender has put in some horrendous Champions League displays over the last few seasons.
SAMI KHEDIRA
Arsenal need to sign a physically-imposing midfielder this summer and Sami Khedira, blessed with fantastic aerial ability, strength and undying stamini, fits the bill perfectly.
He’s widely viewed as one of the top defensive midfielders in world football, proving such status last summer by lifting the Champions League title with Real Madrid and the World Cup with Germany in just a matter of months. And better yet, he’ll be available on a free transfer at the end of the season when his Bernabeu contract expires.
There’s only one problem, however; that spate of success during summer 2014 was a rare island in a sea of recurring injuries for the 28 year-old. Due to his constant sideline bouts, Khedira has managed just 24 La Liga appearances over the last two campaigns.
There’s already far too many injury-prone midfielders within Arsenal’s squad; Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky, Aaron Ramsey – the list continues.
Although Khedira represents exactly the kind of player the Gunners should be targeting this summer, his injury record – especially when combined with his likely wage demands – makes the Bernabeu star a risk simply not worth taking.
ANDRE AYEW
Set to leave Marseille on a free transfer at the end of the campaign, Andre Ayew will be arguably the best value-for-money winger-forward on the market this summer.
He boasts 60 goals in 193 appearances for L’OM – including eleven this season – claimed the Goal King (top scorer) award at the 2015 African Cup of Nations and has an incredibly physical, direct style that should make him a natural suitor to the athletic demands of Premier League football.
But is the 25 year-old a particularly better option than what Arsenal already have? He might score a few more goals than Danny Welbeck or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but in my opinion Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez are both considerably above his level.
With the former potentially moving on this summer, the Ghana international could be deemed an effective low-cost replacement. But ahead of a campaign in which many expect Arsenal to challenge for the title, it seems like a bit of a sideways move. He’d add depth to the squad, but not quality to the starting Xi.
ISCO
Isco is a fantastic footballer and he’s probably been treated a little unfairly by Real Madrid since joining them from Malaga in summer 2013,often finding his role in the starting Xi dependent upon the fitness of the club’s somewhat more lucrative names.
The Express claim he could resultantly decide to leave the Bernabeu this summer, with Arsenal mooted as potential suitors.
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But if there’s one thing the Gunners definitely do not need in the coming transfer window it’s yet another No.10. Arsenal have so many already most are now playing out of position; Santi Cazorla in deep midfield, Jack Wilshere transformed into a box-to-box and Aaron Ramsey playing everywhere apart from the central attacking berth that made him one of the most exciting prospects in English football during his teenage years. Meanwhile, Tomas Rosicky waits patiently in reserve.
The north Londoners have finally figured out a system that gets Mesut Ozil into his rightful position just behind the striker. Adding Isco to the equation will only recreate the problems that plagued the German international during the first 18 months of his Emirates tenure – not to mention the fact Arsenal would apparently have to pay a club-record £45million fee to land the Real Madrid playmaker.
RAheem Sterling
Do I think Raheem Sterling could play for a better club than Liverpool? Judging on the fact the 20 year-old ranks second for goals, assists and successful dribbles per-match and first for created chances per-match within a Liverpool squad that are currently fifth in the Premier League, yes.
But would I actually take a punt on him this summer amid rumours he plans to force a move away from Anfield? At Liverpool’s apparent valuation of £50million? Certainly not.
No doubt, the 2014 Golden Boy winner is a sensational talent, potentially the best of his home-grown generation. But placing the weight of such an almighty transfer fee on his young shoulders could completely debase the Liverpool prodigy’s career.
With Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez already proving highly effective together in the attacking midfield berth, it’s a risk Arsene Wenger doesn’t need to take. Other areas of the squad – particularly defensive midfield and centre-forward – should be taking priority.
As well as getting a new manager, Bill Kenwright will be looking to bring in some new players this summer too. Everton had a terrific season, and were at one point being tipped for a Champions League spot. They eventually finished in 6th, but importantly, ahead of Liverpool once more.
But transfer windows aren’t about big money signings at Goodison Park. The club have finished above their Merseyside neighbours in the Premier League for the second consecutive season, on a much smaller budget. Often signing cheap bargains or unknown stars, Everton’s chairman Kenwright is always looking for a bargain. So here are 10 free transfers he could sign this summer, after their contracts expired at the end of the season.
Click on Vladimir Weiss to unveil the 10 Bosman signings
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The FA have charged Newcastle manager Alan Pardew with misconduct, after the manager pushed the referee’s assistant in his side’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Saturday.
The Magpies boss was livid with a decision of play-on after the ball had appeared to have crossed the touchline for a Newcastle throw, and pushed the official with one hand.
The news means that the Tyneside club’s trainer could face a touchline ban, with the news revealed on the FA’s official website.
“The FA has today [Monday 20 August 2012] charged Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew with misconduct following his side’s match against Tottenham Hotspur on 18 August 2012,” the statement reads.
“Pardew has until 4pm on 23 August 2012 to respond to the charge.”
Goals from Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa cancelled out a Jermain Defoe strike in the game to give the hosts three points.
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Arsene Wenger’s departure from the Emirates dugout at the end of the season is not the only high-profile shift around the Arsenal hierarchy in the last couple of months.
A new manager will come in and face levels of scrutiny not seen since David Moyes’ arrival at Manchester United in 2013, and which may not be seen ever again. Before all that, though, the Gunners have also appointed two men who will be part of the revolution the end of the season will bring.
Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat were brought into the Arsenal set-up at the start of the season and oversaw a club record signing in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as well as the renewal of Mesut Ozil’s contract. It appeared not only as if the Gunners were serious about kicking on, but that they were also building a certain type of team.
To then go and bring in Henrikh Mkhitaryan made it seem as though Mislintat, the former Borussia Dortmund scout, was signing players he knew were good from his time in Germany. It wasn’t illogical, then, to think that the Gunners might be eyeing up another man known for his work at the Westfalenstadion – Thomas Tuchel, the coach who brought it all together.
There was a clear problem with that line of thought, though. Tuchel might, on paper, seem like the obvious choice for Mislintat if he were indeed planning to get the band back together again, but the pair fell out before the end of the manager’s reign in Dortmund.
Does that mean that Tuchel won’t join the Gunners this summer?
If he doesn’t join, it might be the reason, though we’ll probably never know. On the other hand, the fact the two fell out may well be a complete red herring.
For one thing, grown-ups fall out all the time before making up and having a proper working relationship in the months and years after.
More to the point, however, Tuchel is a manager. That makes his role all about the club he’s in charge of: he looks after the players and the tactics, and while he has to think about the opposition, his main focus is his own team. Mislintat is a scout. In fact, as a scout for Arsenal, there is only one team in the world it’s not in his remit to watch: Arsenal.
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It’s not quite as simple as that, of course. The two men fell out despite their similar arrangement at Dortmund, after all. But just because Mislintat and Tuchel had a tiff during their time in Germany shouldn’t rule the well thought-of manager out of a role at Arsenal by itself.
The Gunners may decide to appoint someone else, but Tuchel is one of the brightest young managers in Europe who seems to fit so perfectly with what Mislintat wants to do at the Emirates. It would be silly to rule him out because of a past fight – but that doesn’t mean Arsenal won’t do it.