Tottenham Hotspur should try to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria, according to The Guardian journalist Gregg Bakowski.

What’s the word?

Spurs are yet to bring in any new signings this summer, but they are regularly linked to players in the transfer gossip pages.

During The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, Bakowski suggested that the North London outfit should move for Di Maria as manager Mauricio Pochettino could get the best out of him.

“If PSG need to sell, would Di Maria be available for £30-35m? Would he fancy coming back to England? Two Argentinians, him and Pochettino. I think he’s the sort of player who would fit that system. Not particularly flashy, works hard when he can be bothered. It would seem a logical move. Maybe Pochettino would think he could motivate him.”

There are no concrete reports that Spurs are even looking at the Argentine, but question marks have been raised over the futures of some of PSG’s first-team stars.

The £196m arrival of Neymar is likely to concern some players, particularly as it would make financial sense for the club to offload some members of the current squad.

Di Maria joined PSG from Manchester United in 2015 and has won six trophies since then.

Is there an element of risk in this deal?

One could argue that there is risk in every transfer, but there would be some doubts in this case due to Di Maria’s time at United.

The 29-year-old failed to settle at Old Trafford, and his performances reflected that.

The former Real Madrid star lasted just one season at the North-West club, although a contributing factor to his departure was the break-in of his home.

Memories of that crime may prevent him from wanting to return to England, and even if he did, he may also struggle to settle in North London.

On the flip side, Di Maria has enough quality to become a key player at Tottenham as he would fit into Pochettino’s style of play.

The Argentine can play on the left or right side of an attacking line, and he can also drop onto the wing.

As he nears his 30s, the player’s stock will drop, but he still has plenty to offer and it could be worthwhile for Tottenham to give Di Maria a second chance in the Premier League.

A grand old fixture in English football, Liverpool v Arsenal is also arguably one of the most consistently entertaining games in the division. There have been classics, both meaningful and meaningless, and plenty of last-minute drama along the way.

This weekend, if we see anything like the sorts of games below, we’ll be in for a rare treat – but when it comes to these two, treats come around more often than usual.

Arsenal’s Last Gasp Title Victory

Before Manchester City beat Queens Park Rangers in 2013, the most memorable last-minute, title-deciding goal was scored at Anfield in 1989 by Michael Thomas, who would go on to sign for Liverpool just a couple of seasons later.

As the crunch match between the two title rivals was postponed due to the Hillsborough disaster, Arsenal traveled to Liverpool at the very end of the season in what was effectively a Premier League title final – a one-off game where the winner took all.

Well, sort of. Because of the goal difference, Arsenal had to win by two clear goals, and in injury time at the very end of the game, the Gunners were winning 1-0. Liverpool sat back to defend the 1-0 defeat which would have seen them lift another league title just days after they had won the FA Cup final against Everton in extra time. But Michael Thomas broke through the Liverpool defence and lobbed the ball over Bruce Grobbelaar to win the title for Arsenal.

An Opening Day Classic

Perhaps recency bias is one of the main reasons why Manchester City’s 2012 title victory remains the first game most people will jump to when they think about last-minute title deciders, but it might also be why the mind jumps to the opening weekend of last season when thinking about Arsenal and Liverpool classics.

The first game of the season for both clubs turned into a 4-3 stunner as both sides proved they could attack but couldn’t defend – a trope which seems to have continued into this season, and bodes well for further goals this weekend.

Arsenal took the lead through Theo Walcott, but when Liverpool came back at the Gunners early in the second half, they did so with a vengeance.

It was 1-1 at half time, but a ten minute salvo from Liverpool put the Reds 4-1 up, before the next ten minutes saw Arsenal dominate and come right back again. In the end, Liverpool held on for a 4-3 victory, but it was the perfect set-up for the season, and one where both sides’ defences would be the reason for their inability to stay in the title race.

Arshavin Blows Liverpool Away

As Liverpool battled against Manchester United for the title, they came up against an Arsenal side who were already out of the race at the top. And yet, the two played out a Premier League classic.

The lead changed hands on a crazy afternoon at Anfield, as Andriy Arshavin almost single-handedly took on Rafael Benitez’s side, scoring four goals and seemingly winning the game with a last-minute strike. But Yossi Benayoun struck even later for Liverpool to grab a point.

It wouldn’t be enough, though. Manchester United won the league by four points, and once again Liverpool missed out on a Premier League title. In their last 11 games of that season, Benitez’s men scored 34 goals, and went unbeaten from February until the end of the season. It just wasn’t enough.

Brendan Rodgers Signals Liverpool’s Arrival

Under Brendan Rodgers five years later, it was a similar story for Liverpool. 2013/14 saw a Luis Suarez inspired side score over 100 goals and still fail to win the Premier League title. Once again, the Reds were sensational from February onwards, and that run of 11 wins from then until April started win a 5-1 demolition of Arsenal at Anfield.

That was, in hindsight, the moment where Liverpool announced that they could actually challenge for the title. Before that, defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea over the Christmas period put big question marks over Rodgers’ side, and although they were clearly capable of beating anyone in the league, it wasn’t clear they could do so under pressure.

But a stunning masterclass in pressing from Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling combination put the Reds 4-0 up after just 20 minutes, and the game was already over by half time.

Martin Skrtel got on the scoresheet twice in the first ten minutes, such was the utter domination. And although defeat to Chelsea and a draw at Crystal Palace eventually handed the title to Manchester City, that February day at Anfield looked like the start of something very special indeed.

A Champions League Classic

Liverpool and Arsenal met in an all-English Champions League quarter-final in 2008 with both sides taking heart from Milan.

The Reds were beaten finalists the previous season, losing to AC Milan in Athens – revenge for Istanbul. The Gunners, however, had beaten the Italian champions of Europe in the last 16, whilst Liverpool had beaten Inter at the same stage. And instead of a classic Milan derby in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, we were treated to a Liverpool v Arsenal epic instead.

While the first leg at the Emirates finished 1-1, that was just an appetiser for what was to come next. In the second leg at Anfield, Arsenal took the lead through Abou Diaby before Sami Hyypia and Fernando Torres turned it around for Liverpool.

There was to be a late twist, though. Several, in fact. Emmanuel Adebayor levelled on the night for Arsenal, who would have gone through on the away goals rule after a 2-2 draw, but a Steven Gerrard penalty put Liverpool back in control of the tie. And as the Gunners poured forward, desperately tried to find the late away goal to take them through, Liverpool broke away at the other end and Ryan Babel put the tie beyond Arsenal in injury time.

It was a thrilling night of Champions League football at Anfield, and although Arsenal won’t be in the competition this season, we’ll have to savour the Premier League meetings between the clubs instead.

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Spartak Moscow are showing late summer transfer window interest in powerful Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic.

What’s the story?

The Hoops have managed to hold on to all of their key performers from last season thus far in the transfer window, but entering the final week there’s always a chance that teams can come in, make bids and turn heads in Brendan Rodgers’ squad.

The Scottish Sun reckon Russian champions Spartak Moscow have been tracking Simunovic all summer and have even enquired about his availability.

The paper say the defender is rated at £10m and that the Russians are keen to bolster their back line in their bid to retain the Russian league title.

However, with Celtic having ambitions of their own, is it the right time to sell the Croatian?

Defensive tower

Having nearly joined Torino last summer, even travelling to Italy to have a medical, Simunovic eventually emerged as the top performer in Brendan Rodgers’ defence last season, becoming a fan favourite due to his no nonsense, powerful defending and ability to drive out of the back line with the ball at his feet.

Supporters would be desperately disappointed to see him leave, especially as injuries and under par performances make the central defensive position one of real concern right now. Simunovic is perhaps the one man in the heart of defence that Celtic fans trust.

Still just 23 years of age, he has plenty of room for improvement and selling him should be the last thing on the Hoops’ mind right now. They should be looking to strengthen that area of the pitch in the last week of the window and should resist all attempts to weaken it, even if the money on offer is good.

Top of the Championship table having won their last four matches as well as keeping six consecutive clean sheets, Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen and his team would have been confident of going to Millwall on Saturday and picking up another positive result despite their poor record at The Den.

The Whites had already recorded convincing wins against Sunderland, Nottingham Forest, Burton Albion and Birmingham City in recent weeks, scoring 11 goals and conceding none at the other end, but they faced the Lions having lost on seven of their previous eight visits to south London.

Christiansen would have likely picked an unchanged line-up to the one that beat the latter had Liam Cooper not been unavailable through injury, with 21-year-old Conor Shaughnessy replacing the Leeds captain at the heart of the defence alongside Pontus Jansson.

Of course a trip to Millwall is renowned as being one of the toughest away games of the season, and it certainly would have proven to be a learning curve – and a useful one at that – for United’s Spanish boss in what is his first year in English football.

In what was a real battle on the pitch, the Yorkshire outfit’s players struggled to impose themselves on the game as they had done successfully against different opposition in previous weeks, and a number of their summer signings seemed to struggle to deal with the atmosphere and situation in south London.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga failed to show the explosive form he did against Burton and Birmingham, while attacking midfielders Pablo Hernandez, Ezgjan Alioski and Samu Saiz were substituted off during the encounter on a tough afternoon for the trio.

The former two were dragged off at half-time as Christiansen recognised that his team was struggling – something that will have impressed the Elland Road faithful with their manager clearly willing to act when something isn’t right – but his changes couldn’t prevent Leeds conceding to Aiden O’Brien’s goal 17 minutes from time and they failed to register a shot on target throughout the 90 minutes as their miserable record at The Den continued.

Jansson’s withdrawal because of an injury eight minutes from time – which left the visitors with 10 men on the pitch having used all of their substitutes – summed up what was a bad day at the office, but it could also be a hugely important one.

While some Leeds supporters would have been disappointed, the defeat may actually be one that helps Christiansen throughout the course of the rest of the campaign and makes them an even stronger outfit as they look to secure promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2004.

The Spaniard certainly would have learnt that while the likes of Hernandez and Saiz may be effective technically and will perform well against many Championship teams, the congested fixture list can take it out of those players physically and sometimes he needs to put in alternatives that are stronger and can battle out results on the road.

Gaetano Berardi, Ronaldo Vieira, Kemar Roofe, Mateusz Klich and Stuart Dallas would have all probably been better picks in the starting line-up against Millwall in hindsight, but it is an early-season lesson that Christiansen will live and learn from and he will be more aware of what is needed in future tough-looking fixtures.

The positive for the Leeds boss is that his big squad has already shown that it is capable of taking teams apart, while it does have players like Jansson, Cooper and Luke Ayling that can get stuck in and do the nasty work when required.

The Championship leaders may have suffered a setback against Millwall, but it is ultimately one that will help them in the long-term and further strengthen their bid to win promotion this season.

According to reports in The Express, Southampton are ready to spend up to £15m in January to bring out-of-favour Arsenal winger Theo Walcott back to the club he started his career with.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Express says that the Gunners are ready to sell Walcott in the New Year as Arsene Wenger looks to reshape his squad and bring in extra funds, with the 28-year-old finding himself on the fringes of the team so far this season.

The Express says that the north London outfit have no intention of extending the wide man’s current contract, which is due to run out at the end of next season, which has caught the attention of his former club.

Mauricio Pellegrino is looking to add to his firepower during the next transfer window with his team failing to score in 10 of their last 15 Premier League matches, and the Argentine is willing to spend £12-£15m to bring the attacker back to St Mary’s 12 years after he left.

How has Walcott done this season?

Despite scoring 19 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal last season, the 28-year-old has found himself well down the pecking order this term.

The winger is yet to start a Premier League game and has featured for just 46 minutes in total in the top flight, with the majority of his outings coming in the EFL Cup and the Europa League.

Walcott scored two in the 4-2 win against BATE Borisov in the latter previously and he has three goals and one assist in seven appearances in total so far this campaign.

Would he be a good Southampton signing?

He certainly would be.

While things perhaps haven’t worked out for the 28-year-old at Arsenal, he has the pace and finishing ability to improve a toothless Saints side and he may well thrive back at St Mary’s as he would be under less pressure and there would be less expectation on his shoulders.

The fact that he is fighting to reclaim his spot in the England squad ahead of the 2018 World Cup would also mean that he would know that he had to perform at a high standard.

What about his wages?

While the reported £12-£15m fee won’t be a problem for Southampton, the fact The Express says Walcott is currently earning £110,000-a-week at the Emirates certainly is.

Unless the 28-year-old is willing to drop those demands it seems unlikely that he will end up at Saints considering how the south coast outfit is currently run.

Liverpool face bitter rivals Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend, in the latest instalment of the Northwest derby.

The Red Devils have been in phenomenal form so far this season, only dropping two points from their seven Premier League games, and for Reds fans this is arguably the biggest top flight fixture on their calendar.

Therefore, it’s vital Jurgen Klopp gets his tactics and starting XI spot on when Saturday’s 12.30pm kickoff comes around, so we asked Liverpool fans earlier this week to vote for who should start at right-back – academy product Trent Alexander-Arnold, who Transfermarkt value at just £1.35million, or Joe Gomez.

The latter has occupied the No.2 berth in recent weeks but according to our poll, the majority of Liverpool fans want Alexander-Arnold to start against United at Anfield.

In fairness, academy products do tend to have a positive impact in derby games – so are there any other recent graduates, like Ben Woodburn, you want to see start this weekend? Let us know by commenting below…

[ad_pod id=’leo-vegas’]

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw in January, according to The Gambling Times.

What’s the story?

The 22-year-old has struggled at United since recovering from a broken leg, which he suffered in September 2015.

The left-sided player has failed to cement a regular place in Jose Mourinho’s team and his fitness and attitude has been publicly questioned by the manager.

Shaw missed the start of the season due to injury, but since recovering, he has only made two appearances, both of which in the Carabao Cup.

The Gambling Times reports that Tottenham are among a handful of clubs interested in signing Shaw when the transfer window reopens in January.

Would this work?

The left-back has made his admiration of Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino clear by praising him in Guillem Balague’s ‘Brave New World: Inside Pochettino’s Spurs’.

According to Sky Sports News, the England international admitted in the epilogue that he would like to play for the Argentine again “one day” after the pair worked together at Southampton.

While there could be a willingness from both sides for the deal to happen, securing it in January could be a risk.

Shaw has had limited minutes on the pitch this season and at the moment it seems unlikely that he will become a regular under Mourinho.

Being thrown into a new club midway through the season does not seem like the ideal scenario for Shaw.

If both parties are keen to make a transfer happen, it would be best to complete it at the end of the campaign when the left-back can get a full pre-season under his belt.

According to reports in The Sun, Everton could be set to double their money on forward Henry Onyekuru if they decide to sell him, despite the fact that he is yet to play for them.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun says that European giants Juventus and Atletico Madrid want the 20-year-old, who joined the Toffees during the summer but was immediately loaned to Belgian side Anderlecht with the Merseyside outfit unable to get a work permit for him.

The Sun says that the Nigeria international cost £7m when moved from KAS Eupen, but he could already be worth double that after impressing for Anderlecht domestically and in the Champions League, and Everton must decide whether to cash in on him.

The report adds that Juve are keen after missing out on Keita Balde Diao to Monaco during the summer, while Atletico see the forward as potential long-term replacement for Fernando Torres.

How has Onyekuru done this season?

The 20-year-old earned his move to Goodison Park after a sensational season with KAS Eupen in which he scored 24 goals and provided a further nine assists in 41 appearances in all competitions, with the majority of those outings coming from the left wing.

The Nigerian attacker has quickly shown that he isn’t just a one-season wonder by netting seven times in 15 appearances for Anderlecht this term, and he was unfortunate not to score in the 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League earlier this month after he hit the woodwork.

Would Everton really sell him?

Considering their current struggles and their apparent need for pace and clinical finishing right now, they would be mad to sell the forward for any price.

Onyekuru has already shown the ability he has and he looks to be a real promising player for the future too, meaning the Merseyside outfit should look to keep hold of him.

If obtaining a work permit proves to be difficult then they could consider cashing in on the 20-year-old, but it seems unlikely that they will give up that easily on such a talented young player that they had to fight off lots of competition for.

On Wednesday, Aston Villa’s official Twitter account posted a video of Gabriel Agbonlahor stepping up his recovery from a calf problem.

The 31-year-old only made 13 Championship appearances last season after struggling to overcome a hamstring problem.

He has scored once and provided one assist in four league appearances during the 2017-18 campaign, but is currently on the sidelines with a calf injury.

Villa were hopeful that they were bringing some good news when a video emerged of the experienced forward riding an exercise bike, but that was not the case.

Indeed, the Championship club’s supporters instead took the chance to poke fun at the former England international, with one fan claiming that Agbonlahor was simply getting fit in order to be sold in the January transfer window.

The forward, who is valued at £900k by transfermarkt.co.uk, is closing on 400 appearances for Villa, which should almost give him legend status, but a succession of injury and fitness problems have harmed his career in recent seasons.

A selection of responses from the Villa supporters can be seen below:

According to TMW, Arsenal are interested in signing Inter Milan and Portugal star Joao Mario this January.

What’s the Story?

Arsenal could capitalise on Joao Mario’s evident unpopularity with Inter Milan manager Luciano Spealletti by signing the Portuguese star for a discounted price.

Reports in Italy suggest that Inter will be willing to sell the 24-year-old for just £26million, a fraction of the £40million that the Nerazzurri paid for Mario in 2016.

How good has Joao Mario been this season?

It has been a story of real frustration for Joao Mario at the San Siro in 2017/18. A regular for Inter during their last domestic campaign, the Portuguese midfielder has been struggling to find a spot in the first team, particularly with new signings Mathias Vecino and Borja Valero impressing in the centre of the park.

Mario has made just three starts all season for Inter, with 7 late substitute appearances to boot. In that time, the former Sporting star has provided three assists but otherwise offered little.

However, his form for Portugal has been exemplary, helping his team reach the World Cup Finals with relative ease. While he may be out of favour at his club, he is a key player for his country.

Would Joao Mario be a good signing for Arsenal?

While there is no doubt that Joao Mario would be an upgrade on a number of Arsenal’s current midfield crop, the 24-year-old plays in a central attacking midfield position; a position in which the Gunners are stocked heavily.

Arsene Wenger would need to clear out some of the dead wood before Joao Mario came to the club, to ensure that the Inter man, who is valued at £27million by Transfermarkt, doesn’t become frustrated.

[ad_pod ]