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West Ham United brought Javier Hernandez back to the Premier League in 2017 for £16million, but failed to see value for money in the Mexican before selling the striker to Sevilla two years later.

Hernandez had arrived at the London Stadium as Slaven Bilic sought to build a side capable of climbing back inside the top-half of the table following an 11th place finish, having already welcomed Marko Arnautovic and Joe Hart to the club.

A poor start to the season ultimately led to Bilic being sacked that November and replaced by David Moyes, but the change in leadership failed to inspire Hernandez to thrive in front of the net as he ended his debut campaign with just eight goals in all competitions.

Another change at the helm saw Manuel Pellegrini hired to replace Moyes but the Chilean likewise failed to spark a fire under the Mexican, who could not improve his numbers across the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup whilst seeing his starts reduce to a mere 17 games.

Yet unlike with Hernandez’s form, West Ham improved to climb up the Premier League standings to avoid a third season in succession of regression, and the decision was made to cash in amid interest from Sevilla in the summer of 2019.

The deal to sell Chicharito to the La Liga outfit saw the Irons lose almost £10m in transfer fees alone, with the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium natives paying just £7.2m for a player the Hammers had awarded a £140,000-per-week contract to, totalling £15.4m over his 110 weeks under contract.

The heavy hit to the accounts after a tepid record of 17 goals in 63 games for West Ham was proven right by Hernandez’s struggles in Spain, with the striker managing to fire home just three times before the Andalusian outfit agreed a deal with LA Galaxy worth $10m (£8m) in January.

Struggles have persisted in the 109-cap international’s game since moving to Major League Soccer, though, with Hernandez managing just one goal in 692 minutes of action to date while ostracising himself from the dressing room.

ESPN journalist Diego Cora reports Hernandez only speaks with players of his own nationality, likely just Jonathan dos Santos, while their fellow Galaxy teammates feel the 32-year-old considers himself to be a megastar.

“The players look at him from the side and he thinks he’s a megastar,” Cora said.

“When I was in Leverkusen, I had to cover him once, and many around the club said he was an ‘ego man’. In West Ham, they told me something similar and now the same thing. One of his teammates says that he thinks he is Cristiano Ronaldo.”

West Ham’s decision to accept a £24.2m hit for Hernandez would have been a hard pill to swallow, but the perfectly-timed deal with Sevilla removed a negative stimulus from the dressing room and one that has not flourished since securing pastures new.

AND in other news, West Ham won’t be missing a £22.5m-rated man after his summer transfer after a forlorn debut with his new side.

Liverpool are heading into a hugely important match this weekend as they look to get their form back onto winning ways. The Reds were dealt a hard-hitting blow after Aston Villa cleaned up on home soil, scoring a whopping seven goals against the reigning champions.

This achievement now makes Liverpool the first holding top-flight winners to ship seven since 1953, when Arsenal lost 7-1 to Sunderland (via Goal.com). But it will be a tough ask to rectify their woeful performance. Jurgen Klopp will take his side across Merseyside to battle top-of-the-league Everton at Goodison Park.

Football FanCast has predicted how the German will set up for the looming Merseyside derby…

The Liverpool fans were given a huge boost after reports of £108m-rated Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara, valued at £43.2m, showed them back in training at Melwood. The duo had been ruled out of consideration after testing positive for Covid-19 but both are now fit and firing, ready for selection. However, Naby Keita is the latest to test positive and will miss the Goodison clash.

With Mane back, the Reds can hopefully avoid another dismantling and return to their frightening form in attack. With Thiago operating behind the front three, chances should be aplenty for Klopp’s side. Additionally, Jordan Henderson is back to full fitness and has been putting in solid performances for England. Having the skipper’s presence in the engine room will help keep things calm against an in-form Everton.

Liverpool are unlikely to make many changes to their senior backline, except perhaps in Virgil van Dijk’s centre-back partner. Joe Gomez seriously struggled against Aston Villa and was substituted off just after the hour mark. Fellow defender Joel Matip has also returned to training and might get the nod ahead of Gomez in order to give Adrian the best possible chance of keeping out any unsuspecting Blues goals.

Mane and Henderson could be the game-changers for the Reds who were without their strong influence at Villa Park. Additionally, the absence of Everton’s Yerry Mina could be another boost for the title holders.

In other news, Michael Edwards pulled off some of his best work with Liverpool’s Christian Benteke sale…

حان الوقت لأول كلاسيكو لموسم 2021/22، حيث يلتقي برشلونة وريال مدريد اليوم الأحد في ملعب “كامب نو”.

طالع.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة برشلونة وريال مدريد في الدوري الإسباني.. إعلان التشكيلين

ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على برشلونة، بمنافسات الجولة العاشرة لليجا، في لقاء يجدد التنافس الأبدي بينهما.

برشلونة بالطبع، يستعد للحياة بعد ليونيل ميسي، الذي غادر إلى باريس سان جيرمان وسط حالة من التوتر إلى حد ما.

مع ترك كريستيانو رونالدو لريال مدريد أيضًا، يبدو كلاسيكو يوم الأحد وكأنه بداية حقبة جديدة كاملة للناديين وفي الواقع لكرة القدم الإسبانية.

يدخل ريال مدريد اللقاء وفي رصيده 17 نقطة في المركز الثالث، بفارق نقطة عن الوصيف أوساسونا، ونقطتين عن المتصدر ريال سوسيداد، وبرشلونة يتواجد في المركز السابع بـ15 نقطة. موعد مباراة برشلونة وريال مدريد

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الرابعة والربع عصر اليوم الأحد، بتوقيت القاهرة، الخامسة والربع بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وريال مدريد

تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD 1.

يمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنا.

Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan remain far apart in their valuation of Serge Aurier, reports say. 

Although recent reports suggested AC Milan have stepped up their efforts to sign the 60-cap Ivory Coast international this summer, it is understood that the transfer is still a work in progress.

That’s according to The Evening Standard, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, who claim that Milan are only willing to spend £13m on the defender.

While Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is trying to get rid of Aurier in the summer, Spurs want to sell him for something close to the £23m Daniel Levy paid Paris Saint-Germain three years ago.

Mourinho has wasted no time at all in finding a replacement for the right-back with Turkey full-back Zeki Celik firmly in his sights. However, he faces stiff competition from Premier League rivals Everton as the Toffees have reportedly already entered into negotiations with Lille to sort out a deal for the 14-cap Turkish international.

The Rossoneri remain keen on the Ivory Coast captain but want to drive down a deal. Stefano Pioli’s side are also considering PSV Eindhoven defender Denzel Dumfries as a possible alternative.

Aurier, 27, struggled for consistency last season, but is still the club’s only recognised right-back after Kyle Walker-Peters was sold to Southampton.

As far as Spurs are concerned, if Milan do meet the asking price, they will sell him in the summer. Therein lies the problem, as the Lilywhites will not let him leave for a cut-price deal. Mourinho faces an uphill struggle to find a solution, as it will be difficult to fill the position in such a short space of time before next season begins, and it may be best for the club if Aurier stays for at least another year.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sell Aurier this summer or hold firm for another while? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Tottenham Hotspur have ‘intensified’ their efforts to sign Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar this summer, according to reports. 

Tanguy Ndombele continues to be linked to some of the biggest clubs in Europe but Tottenham have no intention of selling the club’s record signing any time soon, despite reported interest from Inter. It is understood that any potential transfer will be treated separately.

According to Tuttosport, as cited by Football.London, Spurs have stepped up their efforts to sign Skriniar in the summer.

The 31-cap Slovakian international has been a colossus at the back for Antonio Conte’s side this season, supplying two assists in the Serie A, making 1.2 tackles and 2.6 clearances on average per game (via WhoScored).

FCInterNews claimed, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, that Tottenham will try to convince the centre-back to move to north London before the transfer window closes in October.

Jose Mourinho rates Skriniar highly as the Portuguese seeks to strengthen his defence this summer and Inter will allow the 25-year-old to leave as long as Conte can find a suitable replacement.

The Lilywhites have already been linked with a number of centre-backs including Atletico Madrid’s Stefan Savic and Norwich City captain Ben Godfrey. However, Mourinho needs to fill the void left by former Spurs star Jan Vertonghen and Skriniar is a player who can get the job done, as indicated by his 2019/20 statistics.

Standing at 1,88m tall, the Slovakian is an imposing figure who commits himself to a tackle, with strong levels of concentration and the ability to spray passes left and right.

Conte has given the green light to let Skriniar leave the San Siro which is a bit of a surprise as he has been in brilliant form this season. However, Daniel Levy must take full advantage of the situation or face a bidding war for the defender, who is in hot demand in the summer transfer window.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy should sign Skriniar this summer? Let us know your views in the comments below!

With finances set to be tight all across the board this summer, many Premier League sides are likely to be shopping in the bargain basement to try and find the best deals possible.

And an opportunity to sign a Premier League-proven midfielder in Adam Lallana on a free transfer shouldn’t be something Tottenham turn their noses at.

According to The Daily Mirror, the north London side are in the race to sign the England international when his contract with Liverpool expires at the end of this season, and are set to face competition from the likes of Burnley, Arsenal, West Ham and Leicester.

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Whilst on the face of it, signing a 32-year-old who’s played just 373 minutes of Premier League football all season and has a history of injury problems doesn’t seem like the best investment, when fit, Lallana has the ability to be a versatile option for Jose Mourinho.

He can play anywhere behind the striker, and also play deeper as a central midfielder or even in a holding role as he did so twice for Jurgen Klopp’s side this year.

And one of the things that Lallana has been hailed for has been his work rate and hard work off the ball, with Klopp himself waxing lyrical about that side of the game after his performance against Burnley last season.

He said: “He is always good on the ball but he is pretty aggressive too, so on the counter-press situation it’s a game-changer. It’s a brilliant thing in that moment which didn’t look promising until he jumped in.”

Amidst all the frustrations surrounding Tanguy Ndombele and his lack of work ethic on the pitch, Lallana would be the furthest thing from that. The former Southampton ace is someone who puts it all on the line, and it’s no surprise that despite being a more creative midfielder, he has still won 51% of his ground duels and made 1.3 tackles per game in the Premier League this campaign.

Despite all of his injuries, Lallana has consistently worked hard for the team and never let it affect the way he performs out on the pitch, unlike Ndombele. After a particularly embarrassing display against Burnley, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher ripped the Frenchman to shreds for that vital aspect of the game, saying his “his performance was nothing short of a disgrace”, and that “he just seems to walk about”.

On a free transfer, Daniel Levy would be ensuring that Spurs keep a tight rein on the finances, and also bringing in a player who could quite conceivably move ahead of Ndombele in Mourinho’s thinking for the starting eleven. It’s a move that ticks all the boxes in this current climate.

A lot of Celtic fans are excited to see that the club are looking towards the future as young player Dylan Corr has announced on Twitter that he has signed his first professional contract with the Scottish side.

The surname of the new youth prospect might ring a bell with the Hoops faithful as Dylan is the sun of former Scottish footballer Barry John Corr, who only featured once for the Celts (as per Soccerbase). Similar to his son, Barry started in the youth academy at the club, but after failing to establish himself at Parhead, he went to fellow Scottish side Motherwell (as per Transfermarkt).

However, the Corr family will hope Dylan can have a more successful career at the club, and there is a great range of young talent at the Celts right now who he can seek to emulate. Seventeen-year-old right winger Karamoko Dembele has already made three senior appearances for the club, including one in the Europa League.

It looks like Celtic fans are getting a glimpse of their future earlier than expected and Corr will hope he can follow in Dembele’s footsteps.

Here is what some Hoops fans had to say following the youngster’s announcement:

Celtic fans, are you happy to see Corr signing a first team contract at Parkhead? Comment below with your views!

Former Leeds and Middlesbrough striker Noel Whelan has cast doubt on Steve Bruce’s future as Newcastle manager in comments made to Football Insider.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Bruce admitted that he is “in the dark” over the prospective takeover at St James’ Park but insisted that he would “love to be part of it” if the proposed deal is successful.

However, Whelan believes that the would-be owners will already have big plans in place for the Tyneside club and that a decision will have already been made over the 59-year-old. He said of Bruce:

“He knows his job isn’t concrete, that’s what I think he knows. There are big plans for Newcastle, there’s a lot of exciting names being bandied about players who might come into the club.

“Who wouldn’t want to be the manager taking over a Gareth Bale or Edison Cavani, all these players being tipped to come in. Who wouldn’t think they wouldn’t do very well? I think I’d do very well as well and I’ve got no managerial experience! It’s like going into Harrods with a blank chequebook, it’s fantastic, you’d love it, you’d have great fun.

“I think he knows his job is under pressure, Pochettino’s one that seems to be the favourite and the thing is its kind of out of his hands. The thing is he’s got to finish the season as well as he can possibly can for his own sake because it’s his club that he supports.

“If it’s not going to be him, he’s going to walk away with his head held high. It’s out of his hands, the new owners will make that decision if not already made that decision. I think they will have already realised and made a decision on Steve Bruce’s future.”

It is perhaps fair to say that Bruce has guided the Magpies in a relatively decent season so far, as they sit rather comfortably in 13th place in the Premier League table on 35 points at the moment, eight points above the relegation zone with nine games left for them to play, as per BBC. They are also still in the FA Cup with a home match against Manchester City still left to play, assuming that competition does eventually resume.

In 35 games in all competitions this campaign, Bruce’s side have won 12, drawn 10 and lost 13, scoring 39 goals and conceding 52, according to Transfermarkt.

However, despite his respectable return, Bruce may be asked to make way by the new owners and Whelan believes that his fate may have already been sealed. Granted, the Englishman is technically not their appointment, and so the Saud-led consortium may be looking for a fresh new face to take charge of the Toon in time for the next term – if their bid to take over from current owner Mike Ashley eventually goes through.

Geordies, how do you think Bruce has fared this season? Comment below with your views!

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 after the club’s 2-1 defeat to FC Astana, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hailed Jesse Lingard’s performance.

What did he say?

The England international was named captain for the Europa League clash on Thursday night, as United fielded their youngest ever starting eleven in major European competition.

Despite being unable to inspire his team to victory, Lingard did manage to break his 28-game goal-scoring duck with a fine strike in the first-half and recorded an impressive 97 touches, with Solskjaer later praising the attacking midfielder’s influence.

He said (as quoted by the club’s official website): “Goalscoring is important for forwards, of course, and Jesse scored a very good goal. But I thought his performance was top class. He led the team by example: energy, drive, he scored a goal, and he was great in the dressing room. So he’s done himself proud today, I think.

“I thought Jesse was excellent. He is nearly 27 and an experienced player, and he’s been very good on the whole trip with the young boys. I’m very pleased with his performance on the pitch as well. It’s good to have Jesse back.”

Confidence

Make no mistake about it, Lingard’s goal is a major confidence booster for a player who has been devoid of it for some time now. The fact he had gone 28 games without scoring one despite playing as an attacking midfielder just under-lined his incredible struggles, culminating in Solskjaer preferring the likes of Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira in the number ten role.

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Lingard has played ten times in the Premier League, but that has only amounted to 444 minutes of action, with him either coming off the bench or being hooked before the game has finished. Amid suggestions the club are looking to sign James Maddison from Leicester, the United ace scoring has just come at the right time in respect to his own personal future at the club.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans have slammed one academy prospect for his performance in the defeat to FC Astana.

A selection of Black Cats fans have been reacting to reports from the Sunderland Echo claiming FPP Sunderland have completed their investment into the Stadium of Light outfit.

It is alleged that the group have agreed on a deal to invest a ‘substantial sum’ into the League One side, but only on the ownership side of the club.

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The funds are believed to be heading toward improving Sunderland’s recruitment and academy structures – amongst other infrastructure – and will be directed to Sunderland’s holding company Madrox Partners, with Donald maintaining his 74% controlling ownership of the Black Cats and the other share percentages in the club remaining exactly the same.

Methven is quoted as telling the Echo that FPP Sunderland’s investment will be ‘in our management of the club’.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

“The deal that we’ve signed is for FPP Sunderland to invest a very substantial sum into our management of the club,” he said. “Really, it’s to embark on phase two of the rebuild of Sunderland, having had a gruelling 18 months stripping everything back to ensure there’s no wastage anywhere.

“It’s now time to start building again. We’ve always been clear that would require a bit of investment, from our very early interviews and podcasts, and we said that it was no good suddenly looking for it when we needed it.”

Reacting to the report, one Sunderland fan has declared that it reads like the owners have just been given a bonus, while others are sceptical about how the ownership structure hasn’t changed despite a considerable investment.

Here’s a look at what Black Cats fans have been saying about the report…