La Liga star keeps door open for Premier League duo

Manchester United and Arsenal target Antoine Griezmann has denied claims he will join PSG in the summer, according to the Metro.

The Frenchman has attracted the Premier League duo after strong performances for Real Sociedad, which has also linked him with a move to Ligue 1 champions PSG. But the French giants have had their hopes of signing Griezmann scuppered, potentially leaving the door open for a summer switch to the Premier League.

After hearing about the rumours linking him with PSG, Griezmann, 23, took to Twitter to defuse talk over a move to his home country:

“To clarify, despite rumours about a signature at PSG – no contacts or decisions in this direction have been considered. After seeing the news of my possible match with PSG – I wanted to deny any kind of agreement or conversation with the club.”

The midfielder, who has scored 15 La Liga goals for Real Sociedad this season, decided only to rule out a move to the Ligue 1 champions, and made no comment about his willingness to stay with the Spanish club. Real Sociedad are currently 6th in Spain, 10 points adrift of the top 4.

Manchester United have been linked with a move for the Frenchman, as David Moyes prepares for a summer spending spree to get United back to winning ways. The Scot has been criticised for not strengthening the club’s midfield in his previous two transfer windows, and could turn to Griezmann to add goals to his team for next season.

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What’s next for United’s old boys?

Manchester United’s ageing midfielders Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have been pivotal to the Red Devils’ success over the last twenty years.

However, Giggs, 38, and Scholes, 37, are out of contract at the end of the current Premier League season and it is unknown whether either will continue playing at Old Trafford or decide that it’s time to hang up their boots.

This campaign, the former Wales international has become somewhat of a fringe player. Despite making six appearances for United, three of them have added up to just 22 minutes of game time.

It appears that Giggs has fallen behind the likes of Tom Cleverley, Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Shinji Kagawa in the pecking order; however the veteran midfielder believes Sir Alex Ferguson will need his legendary cool head towards the end of the season.

“With the players we have I don’t expect to start every game,” admitted Giggs.

“I am just trying to pick up games wherever I can and influence them like I have done in the past.

“But I am experienced enough to know that come the business end of the season, the experienced lads will be needed and I will be ready.”

In regards to his future in football beyond next summer, the Welsh winger told The Telegraph earlier this month: “If I’m not enjoying it, if I’m not contributing like I have done in the last couple of years then I’ll finish. I’m 39 in November.

“When I do finish playing, I’ll try to find the next best thing. Management does interest me. The nearer I get to finishing, the more I think about it,” added the Welshman.

Meanwhile, retired England international Paul Scholes is also considering a role in management at the end of the season and hopes it will be for his beloved Oldham Athletic.

When quizzed by a fan, the central midfielder refused to rule out taking up the Latics hotseat, replying: “It’s quite difficult to say. I don’t know what will happen when I stop playing and Oldham have a manager.

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“But I love Oldham and it’s the first result I look out for every week. I take my lad to watch them whenever I can.”

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James Maddison looks ready to fill Rooney’s boots at Everton

Everton are looking to replace Wayne Rooney with Norwich City’s James Maddison, according to the Mirror.

What’s the story?

Maddison joined the Canaries in 2016 and the 21-year-old was named the club’s Young Player of the Season and was nominated for the Championship’s award as well.

The versatile midfielder racked up 14 goals and eight assists last season in a fine campaign for the youngster.

According to the report in the Mirror, Everton’s new boss Marco Silva is looking to replace Wayne Rooney who will likely head to the USA, and Norwich want £25million for their man.

However, Everton are offering £18million plus add-ons and they are facing competition from Leicester City and Fulham for his signature.

Is he worth it?

Anyone touted as a replacement for Wayne Rooney must possess serious talent, even if England’s record goalscorer is nearing the end of his career.

Maddison had a fantastic season for Norwich and it is no surprise that top-flight clubs are interested as he looks a real gem.

Clubs will be hoping he can replicate others who have enjoyed success making a big move to the Premier League like Dele Alli and Chris Smalling, and Maddison is showing the qualities to succeed at the top level.

Comfortable as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder or winger, Maddison averages 2.8 key passes per game and 2.6 shots per game which shows his willingness to get forward and influence the game.

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The money being talked about is a lot for a player with one good season to his name, but Maddison looks like he could make the jump with ease and be a star for England and Everton for the coming years.

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Revealed: 73% of Everton fans would back swoop for Ezri Konsa

There’s something in the waters down at Charlton Athletic. Addicks academy products Joe Gomez and Ademola Lookman have stepped up to the Premier League with relative ease since joining Liverpool and Everton respectively, while former team-mate Ezri Konsa is now catching flirtatious glances from top flight sides.

Indeed, the Toffees have been strongly linked with the 20-year-old, but it appears the Merseyside outfit will no longer press ahead with plans to snap him up before next week’s transfer deadline.

According to our poll, however, that news will leave a significant chunk of Everton supporters somewhat disappointed. We asked them earlier this week whether they’d back a transfer swoop for Konsa and the response was a resounding yes, with 73% voting in his favour.

At this point, it’s unclear whether Everton will look to revive their interest at the start of the season, although they may find it hard not to if the Charlton youngster’s impressive form continues.

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Stoke fine Jones for refusal to play against Liverpool

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has confirmed the club have fined striker Kenwyne Jones for refusing to play against Liverpool last weekend, while the forward will also miss the weekend game at Crystal Palace, reports Sky Sports.

Jones – a reported transfer target for Everton – was understood to have sent a text to Hughes on the eve of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool, to say he would be unavailable for selection.

When questioned further on what happened, Hughes said:

“I was disappointed and Kenwyne has been fined because it is not something that should happen.

“We spoke on Monday just to get an understanding of why it happened, so we had that meeting.

“He has been in this week training and we get on with it. He won’t be involved this weekend, that would be fair to say, because maybe the events of last weekend are still in his mind.”

When asked about the reported interest of Everton in Jones – who has six months to run on his current contract – Hughes said:

“Maybe that’s the problem – that maybe people are telling him there are clubs in for him.

“We’ve had no contact from anybody in this window, so maybe the information isn’t what it seems from the outside.

“But we’ll have to wait and see. The transfer window is open and a lot of things happen in a window.

“We’ll have to bide our time. But it is unfortunate – none of us saw it coming, so we are disappointed.

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“Sometimes you make mistakes and on this occasion Kenwyne made a mistake. I accept that sometimes that can happen.”

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West Ham hit with injury blow

‘s Ricardo Vaz Te has had surgery on the dislocated shoulder he suffered against Arsenal earlier this month and now faces up to twelves weeks on the sidelines.

The Hammers’ play-off final hero was being closely monitered by the West Ham medical team since the injury earlier this month and it was decided keyhole surgery was the best option to ensure the forward wouldn’t have any problems in the future.

Manager Sam Allardyce told West Ham’s official website: “First and foremost Andy Rolls and his medical team have researched the best possible treatment and the quickest recovery, which was keyhole surgery.

“There would have been a slightly quicker option to get him back but we would have been unsure on the stability of the shoulder and it could have been more susceptible to dislocate again.

“We think we’ve chosen the best option to strengthen the shoulder and get him back as quickly as we can.”

Allardyce now has to work who will be the best person to fill Vaz Te’s boots and he has the likes of Modibo Maiga, Yossi Benayoun, Matty Taylor, Gary O’Neil and youngster Robert Hall eagerly waiting for a chance to prove themselves.

“We’ve got some good players ready to step up in place. Matt Taylor has been there and there are others in the squad that haven’t quite played as much such as Gary O’Neil,” Allardyce added.

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“Whichever option we pick it’s up to them to step up to the mark. They need to provide the attacking opportunities that we need.”

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Arsenal fans question transfer strategy following Liverpool surprise announcement

Most football fans want their club to wrap up transfer business early, particularly when a global tournament is being staged.

It seems that Liverpool have got the message, which has made some Arsenal supporters concerned.

The Merseyside outfit surprised everyone by announcing the signing of midfielder Fabinho from Monaco on Monday.

The Reds now have two new midfielders to add to Jurgen Klopp’s squad following the signing of Naby Keita last summer.

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Arsenal are yet to bring in a new face, but that is not too surprising given that Unai Emery was only recently appointed as the club’s new manager.

The Spaniard will need some time to get the players that he wants, but some Arsenal supporters are concerned by Liverpool’s dominance.

The Merseyside outfit may have lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, but it was not all disappointing given that they finished fourth in the Premier League.

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The Gunners had to settle for sixth place and were 12 points adrift of their rivals.

Some supporters are not too worried about Liverpool’s swift buying in the transfer market, but others are.

Liverpool fans react as Everton close in on a £20m Theo Walcott deal

Liverpool’s arch-rivals Everton are reportedly on the verge of sealing a £20m deal to sign Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, and Reds fans have been quick to have their say on the potential transfer.

The Toffees have endured a tough campaign despite bringing in the likes of Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson on big-money deals during the summer, but it hasn’t put them off spending this month with Walcott on the verge of adding to the £27m arrival of Cenk Tosun from Besiktas.

The 28-year-old Gunners player has only played 63 minutes of Premier League football this season across six substitute appearances, with the north London outfit lying eight points behind Jurgen Klopp’s third-place side in the top flight standings.

Liverpool supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Walcott to Everton, and while one said “suddenly Van Dijk looks a bargain”, another said “Everton have wasted so much money this season it’s unreal”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Is he inexplicably going to be Tottenham’s saviour?

One mistake after another has left Tottenham teetering and in need of a confidence boost. The club are not in a terrible position, certainly not with a strong enough case to sack Andre Villas-Boas. But the decision to place faith in Emmanuel Adebayor will only compound the difficulty and unrest at the club.

For some, Villas-Boas had to go; his principles unwavering even against the harshest conditions. For others, it was a swing of a sword that came far too soon. One way or another, the club need to take a step back and address their own situation to put their season back on track – and again, it’s not to say Spurs are in a terrible position in the Premier League.

It will be important for the new manager to get Tottenham’s house in order, forget talk of title challenges and even that of finishing in the top four. It’s about building momentum and good feeling at the club again. Adebayor is simply not the player who the club should be looking to reply upon.

It’s for good reason that the Togolese striker was banished to the reserves, a smart move by Villas-Boas. It wasn’t the Portuguese’s fault that the club failed to shift him in the summer, nor was it his fault that Tottenham made his loan move from Manchester City permanent when it was clear, based on all the evidence, that he cannot be trusted long term.

And let’s be honest, Adebayor is only in the discussion because Roberto Soldado isn’t firing – a problem which doesn’t really speak of the Spaniard’s flaws on the pitch but rather the ineffective setup by the previous manager. If the former Valencia man was even a quarter of the way to justifying his transfer fee in the summer, Adebayor would be off in the January window with no one contemplating the idea of bringing him back into the fold. An extra body in some cases can reinforce a squad. In others, it will only disrupt a group who are looking to find a collective rhythm.

Ask how many times Adebayor himself has justified his position at a top Premier League club. He put in a good performance in the 2-2 draw against Chelsea last season, and that’s about it. Villas-Boas argued that the striker’s sending off in the North London Derby played a large part in Arsenal going on to win 5-2 last season. He should have been out the door as soon as the summer window opened.

Adebayor isn’t a long-term Tottenham player so there is little sense in bringing him back into the team at this time. Persist with Soldado, not only because most would like to see him do well, but also because Spurs spent almost £30 million on him. Tweak the XI and get the most out of all the players. Spurs are not in a situation where they need to be looking to players like Adebayor. The squad is strong enough, but none have been played to their strengths as of yet.

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Kyle Walker out to win regular spot

right-back Kyle Walker has stated that he will be fulfilling a dream if he gets a starting jersey for England’s World Cup qualifying fixture against San Marino on Friday.

The Spurs defender is expected to fill-in for suspended regular Glen Johnson, and add to his three existing caps.

However, it would be Walker’s first appearance in a competitive fixture for his country, and he is looking forward to stepping out at Wembley.

“On a personal note it is a fantastic opportunity for me to get into the team. I’ve been patient and waited for that. Hopefully on Friday I can show everyone what I can do and have a good game,” Walker told reporters, published in Sky Sports.

“A first competitive start is what I’ve been waiting for, for a long time now. For all my career, since I was seven, I’ve wanted to play for England, and put that jersey on.

“At the end of the season it was a disappointment, having worked so hard to get into the England team, to have that little niggle on my toe.

“But it was fantastic the manager gave me the phone call, saying it was sad he couldn’t take me there but saying I was in his plans and he had belief in me.

“I had a good last season, winning the PFA’s Young Player of the Year award and a few more awards, but that’s just the start and hopefully I can go on,” he commented.

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