Carl Jenkinson. A boyhood Arsenal fan and someone who has given his all to the cause everytime he’s stepped out on to the pitch.
Sadly for him however, the right-back has struggled to really break into the first-team on a consistent basis under either Arsene Wenger or Unai Emery and it appears he could well have played his last game for the club.
Reports in recent days had linked Jenkinson with a move to Celtic and now in an update from Sky Sports, Championship side West Brom are seemingly in talks with the Gunners over making a move for the out-of-favour star.
After hearing the news the 27-year-old could finally be on his way out of the Emirates this summer, many Arsenal fans took to Twitter to voice their opinion on the matter.
Some seemed to be relieved that Jenkinson would be leaving the club but insisted that after putting everything on the line for the side they would wish him the very best of success.
Others however were reluctant for the England international to leave for West Brom and instead hoped a move to Scotland to join Celtic would give the Gunners the best chance of potentially landing their left-back target Kieran Tierney.
Check out some of the reaction of Arsenal fans below:
With a second successive Premier League title in the bag, you would normally expect Pep Guardiola to go in big on splashing the cash, but so far rumours of a big move for anyone have been largely quiet for Manchester City, with Rodri being the only name reported with a move to the Citizens, but now it is emerging that the club are going after a former academy product.
According to Goal, City will activate PSV defender Angelino’s buy-back clause this summer, a reported €6 million (£5.35 million), as the club aim to improve their options at left-back and see the 22-year-old as a cover for that position.
The young fullback has had a breakout year in the Eredivisie, scoring once and assisting nine for PSV and in doing so attracting interest from the likes of PSG and Arsenal according to reports in Spain, but here are two reasons why Angelino could take the starting left-back spot at City…
Perfect Guardiola fullback
A technically gifted player who knows how to spot a pass, take players on, and find space for attackers to exploit sounds like a fullback Guardiola loves to utilise, and luckily for the City boss, Angelino is just that kind of player.
The Spaniard has steadily progressed over the years playing in the likes of America with New York City FC and in Spain for Mallorca, but in PSV it all came to a head that saw Angelina have his best season ever in professional football, and now the left-back plays with all the attributes that you not only expect from a modern-day fullback but from someone Guardiola thrives from using.
With a WhoScored average of 2 key passes a game and a pass completion record of 77.5% as well as completing more crosses than any other player in the Eredivisie, Angelino is a defender who can flourish in City’s system, and having been an academy player there for the good part of four years, the 22-year-old knows what to expect in Manchester.
Room to grow into one of the Premier League’s finest
With the most key passes, assists and crosses out of any defender in the Eredivisie last season, it’s safe to say Angelino has what it takes to shine in a top-five European league, and with City, the left-back can develop even further and realistically become one of the top fullbacks in the Premier League.
Guardiola’s ability to develop players is one of the reasons why the Manchester have been so dominant in the Premier League over the past two seasons, and with Angelino’s current skill set, there is a good chance the left-back can become the next player to flourish under the City boss.
City are in need of a left-back this summer, and Angelino fills the bill to a tee with his creative style of play established during his time with PSV, and playing with an improved new supporting cast could see the Spaniard having a real shot of flourishing into one of the Premier League’s top fullbacks.
Arsenal are looking to reinforce their left-back options and are pursuing a deal for highly rated Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney, according to the BBC.
David Ornstein, who’s been a voice of authority on the subject of Arsenal for many years, reported that the Gunners were confident of securing a deal despite an opening bid being rejected by the Scottish treble winners, who are demanding upwards of £20m.
And now Football Scotland have claimed that Celtic have rejected a fresh bid worth £17.5m.
The left-back position has caused selection headache for Unai Emery all season, with Sead Kolasinac proving a powerhouse going forward, though struggling defensively, and Nacho Monreal showing more defensive resilience and awareness but lacking the drive and quality in attack.
Kieran Tierney is considered an option who fits the best of both worlds, but what have those in the know had to say about the young Scotland international?
Brendan Rogers – Leicester manager
Leicester City manager Rogers worked with Tierney during his time at Celtic and has helped develop the youngster into the star he is today, adding significant value to the player in the process.
Speaking after a 2-0 win over Aberdeen, Rogers praised Tierney’s physical attributes as he scored the second goal of the game after a brilliant sprint up the pitch to finish a Celtic counter-attack.
“He has this great capacity to keep going and like you see in the 84th minute of the Aberdeen game, he’s able to get there before anyone else and make a good finish,” said Brendan Rodgers. “He’s an absolutely brilliant young player who has so much more to come.
“Sometimes people will have certain perceptions about players and I don’t think anyone would have thought he would be the fastest player in this squad. His power and speed off a standing start is fantastic. My teams tend to have dynamic players with speed in them and he’s a player who can carry out that role.
“He’s unique, Kieran, because he’s very robust and very strong for a young player. He’s worked very hard on his body and his intensity is incredible, he trains to the max every day and he’s got stronger and more powerful since I’ve been here. We had some measurements on that in Dubai and he was the quickest player in our squad.”
Arsenal fans will be very encouraged by the comments, especially as Emery’s first 12 months in charge at the club have shown the value he places on the energy and physicality of his full-backs.
The Gunners have been criticised in the past for lacking a physical presence that others possess, and Tierney would certainly add some steel to the back line.
James Forrest – Celtic teammate
Soccer Football – Champions League – First Qualyfing Round Second Leg – Celtic v Alashkert – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Britain – July 18, 2018 Celtic’s James Forrest celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Speaking to the Daily Record, Forrest said:
“I’ve faced Alba, Vertonghen and Kolarov. There are a lot of top ones when you go into the Champions League or Europa League or are playing with Scotland.
“But Kieran’s right up there. You can see the way he bombs up and down how fit he is and he’s good defensively as well. He’s a great athlete.
“He’s been training with the first team for a good four years now so I’ve played against him a lot in training.
“Whether you are playing against him or he’s in your team, you can see the quality he’s got.
“When you go away with the Scotland team others players who play against him realise how good he is.
“You’ve seen that with his performances in Europe and at international level.
“He can also play a couple of different positions. When you play in Europe all the left-backs tend to be good.
“There’s nothing between him and Andy. They are two great players for Scotland.”
Once again his physical attributes are top of the list for appraisal, but Forrest suggests the Gunners may be getting a more versatile player than they think.
The youngster can play on the left-wing as well, another position that’s caused problems for the Gunners, and is even competent at centre-back. He’s ticking a lot of boxes for Emery, even if he’s predominantly a left-back by trade, versatility is a useful quality in any player.
To be compared to the Champions League-calibre names above is very high praise indeed, and will surely get Arsenal fans excited over the possibility of a move to north London.
Celtic fans aren’t happy about Arsenal’s bid for one of their key players…
Charlie Adam – Ex-Scotland international
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Speaking to the BBC, former Scotland international and soon-to-be free agent Charlie Adam said:
“I think it’s probably now time for him to leave Celtic.
“It’s the next progression for his career. Seeing how well Andrew Robertson’s progressed at Liverpool, as a player you’ve got to be thinking, ‘I want some of that.
“He’s done amazing at Celtic, winning the treble treble. It’s going to be difficult for him to leave because he is a big Celtic fan but if Arsenal do want him, they’ll have to pay serious money for him.”
The comparisons with Andy Robertson have been thrown around ever since the links between Tierney and Arsenal, and it’s easy to understand why.
There is certainly the sense that if Tierney is to develop into an elite player, a move to one of the major European Leagues is inevitable, in the same way it was for Moussa Dembele, or more notably Virgil van Dijk.
There’s been little-to-no bad press or reaction to Arsenal’s move for Tierney. The only criticism that could be thrown at the deal would surround the Gunners’ budget: if it really is just the reported £40m, is £20m+ on a left-back necessary? Kolasinac may be inconsistent but he’s not a priority to replace.
Whether finding a suitable left-back should be a priority or not, Arsenal would certainly be bringing in a top player if Tierney were to sign.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
It has been confirmed that Ravel Morrison is training with Sheffield United this week as Chris Wilder looks to analyse him before potentially signing him on a permanent deal.
The midfielder hasn’t played in the English leagues since turning out for QPR in 2016/17, but he has seemingly got a route back into the Premier League at Bramall Lane.
Morrison’s history
He first hit the headlines as a youngster at Manchester United. The 5 foot 9 man was part of the same youth team as Paul Pogba, but the Englishman was seen as the future star in that side rather than the future World Cup winner.
Sir Alex Ferguson once hailed him as the greatest youngster he had ever seen as Rio Ferdinand told a story about a conversation he had with his manager. “Sir Alex Ferguson, I remember, he called me and Wazza [Wayne Rooney] over one day and said: “look at this kid, he’s better than you, Rooney when you were a kid, he’s better than you, Rio, better than Ryan Giggs when you were kids. This is the best kid you will ever see.”
Unfortunately, Morrison is yet to hit the heights that were expected of him, as his attitude let him down time and again. He’s essentially had a mediocre career up until this point, most recently turning out for Ostersunds in Sweden.
Ferguson wrote in his 2015 book that “he possessed as much natural talent as any youngster we ever signed, but kept getting into trouble. It was very painful to sell him… he could have been a fantastic player.”
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Wilder’s gamble
Sir Alex said to Sam Allardyce when he signed him at West Ham: “I hope you can sort him out, because if you can he will be a genius.” While Big Sam couldn’t fix the midfielder, perhaps Chris Wilder can.
The Blades boss has worked miracles on players who’ve needed their career rejuvenating over the past few years – Billy Sharp, David McGoldrick and Mark Duffy have just put in arguably the best seasons of their careers despite all being over the age of 30. Sharp hit 23 league goals, McGoldrick won the Player of the Year, and Duffy was a key man in the Blades’ promotion push.
“Finding a Lionel Messi in Sheffield… bit of a tall order!” – Watch Championship fans attempt to name their clubs’ Messi in the video below…
Wilder has had a knack of getting the best out of players whose careers are in a lull, and Morrison could be the perfect player for him to work his magic on.
If the 51-year-old can get him on the straight and narrow and playing his best football, he could finally unlock the potential that Sir Alex spotted all of those years ago.
On this day in 2018, the Croatian national team entered history as they beat England to advance to the World Cup final.
And even though they couldn’t stop France from taking the title for themselves after a 4-2 victory, that day will forever be remembered by their people.
Dejan Lovren, Liverpool’s own Croatian centre-back, has recently taken to
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Lovren captioned it: “A year has passed by but the memory and the feelings will remain in our hearts forever.”
And after winning the Champions League trophy back in June, it’s safe to say that between those two gigantic moments, the 30-year-old has had plenty of reasons to celebrate over the last year.
Now, however, he has officially rejoined the Liverpool squad for their pre-season training, ahead of their
Still, for all the glory and the experience he has under his belt, his future at Anfield is very much uncertain with AC Milan lurking around for a potential deal.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
After Slaven Bilic made calls for the club to get to work in the transfer market last week, it finally looks as though they’re dipping their hands into their pockets.
So far, only Filip Krovinovic has arrived on loan but forward Kenneth Zohore has walked through the doors after Albion agreed an £8m fee with Cardiff.
They’re meanwhile pursuing a deal for Rotherham’s Semi Ajayi whilst they could make a further loan addition from Liga NOS.
Last week, it was revealed by Portuguese outlet Record that the Baggies were trying to take Sporting’s Matheus Pereira on a temporary basis.
The Brazilian spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan at Nurnberg in the Bundesliga. Whilst in Germany, the forward played all across the front line, featuring on both flanks whilst also popping up in the middle of the pitch.
Yet, it was out wide where he looked most comfortable, scoring three goals and also assisting two strikes for his teammates.
The 23-year-old only played 19 times, but there is evidence to suggest he could solve a considerable problem.
Last term, the Baggies were lacking much in wide areas besides Harvey Barnes who was recalled by Leicester in January. He contributed double figures in terms of goals whilst averaging 1.7 dribbles per game during his half a season at the Hawthorns.
No one who played on a regular basis achieved more, however. Kyle Edwards averaged two dribbles per match but only made three starts so it would be unfair to make a comparison with Albion’s academy graduate.
However, by signing Pereira, he could put this issue to bed.
Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…
In the German top-flight he made 2.1 dribbles per game showing his dynamic qualities in one of the top five leagues in European football.
Although his goals contribution was fairly average, he provided plenty of threat to opposition defences.
Twice last term, he made six dribbles in one game, causing multiple problems for both Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen.
Pereira meanwhile scored against Bayern Munich over the course of the campaign whilst making three dribbles against fellow heavyweights Borussia Dortmund.
On that evidence, there is a reason to imply he’d do well in the Championship, thus helping Bilic to end one of West Brom’s lingering issues.
It would be fair to assume that Aaron Wan-Bissaka will start the 2019-20 campaign as Manchester United’s first-choice right-back when considering how much he cost.
Wan-Bissaka has been in impressive form for the club during pre-season, but Diogo Dalot will also be hoping to continue his development in the 2019-20 campaign.
The 20-year-old made 25 first-team appearances for the Red Devils last term, including 16 in the Premier League and four in the Champions League.
Although largely considered to be a right-back, Dalot has played left-back, left midfield and right midfield since arriving at Old Trafford.
Dalot might have to be a utility player once again in the coming season as Wan-Bissaka will surely keep hold of the right-back spot providing he is fit.
The United fans are expecting big things from the young Portuguese, though, with many taking to social media to lavish praise on him.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
According to The Guardian, Everton have concluded a deal with Juventus in regards to the signing of striker Moise Kean, with an initial £29m fee being agreed between the two sides.
What’s the word, then?
Well, this is a major coup for the Toffees.
Kean is regarded as one of Europe’s brightest prospects after a dazzling 2018/19 season in which he hit six goals in just five Serie A starts.
The 19-year-old also appeared for the Italy Under-21 side at this summer’s European Championships and made two appearances, despite having already earned caps for the full senior side.
Incidentally, the deal to take the teenager to Goodison Park could cost the Toffees up to €40m (£36.6m) in total after add-ons, although in this day and age that is still a superb deal for a player who could become one of Europe’s best.
Marcel Brands has negotiated it superbly
In addition to agreeing a reasonable price for a very exciting prospect, Brands successfully managed to talk the Italian champions out of implementing a buy-back clause in the deal.
Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…
The Turin-based side reportedly wanted to insert a £40.5m one of those as part of any transfer, which when you take the total amount of the agreement into the equation, would only net Everton around £4m in profit – effectively, it would’ve just been a glorified loan deal where the Merseysiders find themselves drawing the short straw if Kean performs well.
To talk them out of that and instead agree on a deal where Juventus will be informed of any offer for Kean and have the option to match it gives Everton security in their investment, and the ability to make substantial profit on the Italian rather than find themselves held to ransom if he succeeds.
Brands has negotiated this deal wonderfully and the Toffees will now hope they have a real talent on their hands.
The Premier League season finally gets underway this weekend.
Aston Villa are back in the big time too after a three-year absence following relegation in 2016.
Dean Smith’s men come into the latest campaign with an almost entirely new squad of players after 12 arrivals walked through the door at Villa Park this summer for a total amount in excess of £130m.
How many of those players feature on Saturday remains to be seen but we’ve had a go at predicting who may well be in the starting XI against Tottenham at 5.30pm.
With so many new faces arriving in the claret and blue this summer, Villa boss Smith has plenty to think about as they kickstart their season with a tough test against the Champions League runners-up.
There could be as many as seven debutants whilst a familiar trio is likely to be deployed in the heart of the pitch and there should be a start for one of their most popular loan stars from last season.
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Tom Heaton should be a certainty to start in goal as he bares the most experience in England’s top-flight of any of their current goalkeepers with 96 Premier League appearances to his name. In front of him could be as many as three new defenders.
Tyrone Mings is a familiar face and he has struck up a nice partnership with Bjorn Engels during pre-season. At right-back, Smith may favour the youthful Frederic Guilbert over Ahmed Elmohamady with both the new signings playing in France’s top tier last season.
Matt Targett joined in a £15m move early in the summer so that left-back spot could be his for the foreseeable future.
Smith added some big names in midfield but we’re not expecting any of them to make their debuts from the start on Saturday.
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Douglas Luiz joined from Manchester City but wasn’t able to link up with his new teammates until last week due to delays over his work permit and fellow arrival Marvelous Nakamba has only had one game to settle in, though he could be on the bench.
That means Conor Hourihane is likely to deputise in holding midfield as he did ever so astutely last season and during this pre-season and he will surely be joined by the popular duo of John McGinn and captain Jack Grealish.
In attack, club-record signing Wesley Moraes is a shoo-in to make his debut considering the fee paid and the other options. Meanwhile, Anwar El Ghazi, scorer in the playoff final, has a niggle which could see Trezeguet start on the left wing with Jota occupying the other side.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking to The Daily Mirror, former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has revealed Arsenal’s front two of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will fire the Gunners into the top four next season.
What did he say?
The north London side’s strike pair struck up a fine relationship both on and off the pitch, and provided the bulk of the goals last season.
Now, Jenas has compared the duo to Liverpool’s much-vaunted front-three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, and claimed the Lacazette-Aubameyang partnership could see the Gunners return to the Champions League.
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He said: “Emery has the best front two in the league in Aubameyang and Lacazette. The front three at Liverpool are a machine but in terms of front twos, old school style of play, they are as good as it gets. They have that chemistry like Firmino, Mane and Salah. When it really happens, it happens. I think that is what will get them into the top four.
“But they won’t go toe to toe with the Liverpool attack yet, but if they deliver on a weekly basis, maybe in the future. If you look at the defensive structure at Liverpool, that midfield and defence, it allows Liverpool’s front three far more freedom that Arsenal’s.
“There is no doubt they are an attacking force, they proved that last year with the amount of goals they scored, they just leak a lot of goals. If they fix that they will definitely finish top four.”
Emery’s toughest job
After the signing of Lille winger Nicolas Pepe for a club-record fee, there is no doubting that Unai Emery’s job of trying to juggle all of his attacking weapons just got that much harder. The Gunners boss ended the campaign with Lacazette and Aubameyang starting up front together, but pre-season has seen more of a return to his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
As Jenas suggests, Arsenal simply don’t have the defensive solidity that Liverpool possess, and are far more reliant on their forwards to track back and help out. But if the side’s big-money strikers can gel and adapt to Emery’s new style of play, then there will certainly be a great chance that the Gunners can take advantage of another closely-fought race for the top four.