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West Ham United can secure David Moyes an “unbelievable” leader in AFC Bournemouth defender Steve Cook as the Irons look to revive their failed summer interest.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, West Ham and West Bromwich Albion have set their sights on sealing a January transfer for Cook as the Premier League duo target signing a centre-half who is proven in the top-flight.

Cook is also thought to be a target of other Premier League outfits ahead of the winter market as his Bournemouth contract continues to near its expiration, with it suggested that the 29-year-old is intentionally running down his £45,000-per-week terms which expire next summer.

Former and current Hammers managers Slaven Bilic and Moyes both covet the prospect of signing Cook in January as they feel he can bring experience and pedigree to their respective sides, which are in need of defensive reinforcements.

Moyes believes the London Stadium natives are still short of options at the back despite signing Craig Dawson on loan from Watford with an option to buy, while Bilic is now without Ahmed Hegazi following the 29-year-old’s move to Al-Ittihad that left the Croatian “very, very disappointed”.

West Ham had considered a move to sign Cook this summer before acquiring Dawson, while Burnley were also keen in the Bournemouth rock whom the Cherries valued at £8million.

It remains to be seen how highly the Vitality Stadium natives value Cook in January with his contract – the third-most lucrative at the club – expiring at the end of the season, and how much West Ham or West Brom are willing to offer for the Hasting-born centre-half.

An “unbelievable” leader

Cook has continued to be a pivotal aspect of the Bournemouth backline since the Cherries’ relegation from the Premier League, with the 29-year-old starting and captaining the side in all eight of their Championship fixtures to date.

Bournemouth have enjoyed an unbeaten run over those matches and would sorely miss their leader if Cook were to leave in January, having so far recorded the south coast outfit’s highest number of aerial duels won (41) and clearances (37) plus the second-most interceptions (18) and accurate passes (301) by any player, per SofaScore.

The 6-foot enforcer is also a player Eddie Howe backed to one day earn an England call-up in 2019 after a commanding display against Manchester United while marking his 150th Premier League appearance.

“I would never say that’s beyond him,” Howe said, via quotes by the Bournemouth Echo. “I think there was a spell maybe two years ago where I felt he was playing very well and would be a definite option for England. That never quite happened for him.

“But if he continues to perform like that then I think he will have every chance, I’m sure.”

Howe was frequently full of praise for Cook before leaving Dean Court this summer, noting last year how his captain’s return from injury was a huge boost after the 29-year-old missed months of action and spent six days in the hospital recovering from an abscess discovered on his groin.

“His leadership, mentality and experience was just what the group needed,” Howe told the Bournemouth Echo. “It was a really nasty infection. Speaking to him at the time and afterwards, it was a really low point for him.

“From being a professional footballer one minute to not being able to walk and climb your stairs the next, can be quite destabilising. But I think he’s an unbelievable character when the chips are down.

“He hadn’t done a lot of training for Saturday’s game but is someone you can always rely on to give his best and inspire other people.”

If Cook running his contract down leads Bournemouth to accept offers in January, West Ham could do far worse than signing the Cherries’ inspiring leader for Moyes.

AND in other news, West Ham can sign the new Nemanja Vidic in a £43.3k-p/w “powerhouse” David Moyes courted this summer.

Speaking to Sport TV, as reported by Sky Sports News, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has hinted at the club’s next move surrounding loanee Gedson Fernandes – with the Portuguese boss claiming Spurs will be open to letting him return to Benfica in January for the good of the player. 

Fernandes, who has found game time difficult to come by under his compatriot since signing for Tottenham on loan in January, could now return to his parent club despite possessing a ‘big reputation’.

Indeed, described as a player in the mould of Spurs fan favourite Moussa Dembele, Fernandes hasn’t been given a chance to replicate the Belgian’s prowess – falling short of working his way into Mourinho’s plans.

Mourinho hints at Fernandes stance

Now, speaking to Portuguese broadcaster Sport TV, Mourinho has confirmed that Spurs will not stand in Benfica’s way as Fernandes’ season-long loan deal shortly comes to an end.

The Tottenham boss, while ‘comfortable’ with letting him stay in north London, concedes that it is likely he will depart back to Benfica as he cannot guarantee him regular playing time.

“For me, it is never a problem, but a solution. Having him in the squad, even if he is not called up and not playing, is an extremely comfortable situation,” explained Mourinho to the press.

“I will never be the one to push him or say that I don’t want him here but I understand the situation of the kid and Benfica.

“If the club wants to end the relationship here, we will be here to collaborate, because we want the good of the player. Benfica has the power to decide and will be accepted by us.”

Transfer Tavern take

Described as a ‘raw talent’ by Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold, Tottenham could have potentially had a star in the making – but the player also once labelled as a potential ‘next Sissoko’ could be set to part company due to a lack of action this season.

In other news: Levy has been tipped to make this Tottenham move which would drive Spurs fans ‘crazy’ – find out more here. 

MatériaMais Notícias

Apesar da impressionante arrancada do Vasco na reta final do Brasileiro, o clube caiu pela terceira vez em oito anos. Os jogadores, responsáveis pela entrega em campo, Jorginho e a comissão técnica não podem ser considerados culpados. Os primeiros, acima de tudo, não colocaram a faca no pescoço de ninguém para atuar no Cruz-Maltino. Os demais fizeram um trabalho incrível de recuperação, que adiou até a última rodada a esperança de salvamento. Mais uma vez fica a pergunta que fiz após a humilhante derrota para o Internacional: quem vai pagar essa conta?

Não pode, na altura do campeonato, ficar o jogo de empurra. É preciso atitude definitiva. O Vasco segue como clube tradicional do nosso futebol. Com uma torcida gigante, mas que diante dos sucessivos vexames não cresce como antigamente. E o pior: que se distancia a cada dia das potências. É duro escrever e falar isso para o torcedor vascaíno, mas o Cruz-Maltino, no cenário atual, está muito longe de ser tratado como Gigante. Estão destruindo o VASCO!

Não vou entrar na onda de oportunistas e perguntar para o Eurico se ele vai para a Sibéria, pois não irá. Quero saber do senhor presidente do Vasco da Gama o que ele responderia de questões como: E aquele papo de que com o senhor o Vasco não cairia? E o respeito que Vossa Senhoria cansou de dizer que voltou desde que assumiu a presidência? Esse é o Vasco que os verdadeiros vascaínos, e não os aproveitadores e sanguessugas, merecem? E agora, Eurico, José Luis Moreira, Paulo Angioni, Euriquinho entre outros membros que estão na atual diretoria?

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Independente de qualquer coisa o estrago está feito. Será possível que três rebaixamentos não são mais do que suficientes para dizer que CHEGA! Parabéns também ao senhor Roberto Dinamite (o presidente, não o jogador), Mandarino e outros da antiga diretoria por contribuir para conjunto da obra. Em outras palavras, no fim das contas quem paga a conta e carrega o fardo de atuar mais uma disputa de Série B é o torcedor de bem. E repito pela milésima vez: somente a torcida pode reconduzir o Vasco ao seu posto. Só com a união de todas as pessoas de bem o cenário e mudanças no clube poderão ser feitas.

Ano que vem será amargo. Apesar da paciência ter limites, o sentimento não pode parar. E ele precisa fazer com que os tempos de novos ares soprem na Colina e conduzam a caravela vascaína aos mares das vitórias, não dos vexames!

Tottenham Hotspur bounced back to winning ways after beating Arsenal 2-1 at home, but once again they failed to keep a clean sheet.

Tottenham have started to find some rhythm up front, as they have scored three goals in the past three games.

It is no secret the Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun over the course of the season so far, as one only has to see they have conceded more goals than Arsenal, Sheffield United and Premier League champions Liverpool amongst others.

Former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe has urged Tottenham to sign Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake in the summer in an effort to tighten up.

Although they stunned Leicester at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth are on the brink of relegation, as they find themselves three points adrift of 17th-placed Watford.

Ake has been one of the few standouts in an otherwise bitter season for the Cherries, and has been tipped to move to north London this summer, amid interest from Spurs and Arsenal.

“I would love to see him at Tottenham you know,” Defoe told The Beautiful Game podcast.

“He’s got so much potential. Coming from Chelsea it was difficult to get in the team there. He went to Watford, and Bournemouth paid a big fee for him.

“He’s technically good, Dutch players always are. Scores a lot of goals from set-pieces, he is really brave which is good. One of the nicest guys I’ve met in football, you’d even let him date your sister.

“I would love to see him get to the next level and play in the Champions League. I feel he is that good, I’m sure.”

It is hard to argue with Defoe here, as Ake has once again been one of Bournemouth’s best players this season.

The ex-Chelsea ace, who joined the Cherries for a club record fee, has impressed for Eddie Howe’s side, playing 29 Premier League games so far, making 1.1 tackles per game, averaging 1.2 interceptions, and completing a staggering 5.1 clearances on average (via WhoScored).

Mourinho has worked with him before during his time in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely he will play again this season, after he suffered an injury tackling Jamie Vardy in the huge win over Leicester.

Bournemouth’s precarious position has left them vulnerable to a potential exodus of key players, which Daniel Levy could take full advantage of in the summer.

Ake, 25, has received a higher WhoScored rating overall than Davinson Sanchez, and earned the same as Jan Vertonghen, who seems to be heading out the door at any moment.

However, it is worth remembering Blues boss Frank Lampard could still activate a buy-back clause in his contract as he has defensive problems of his own to worry about.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Nathan Ake in the summer? Let us know down below!

MatériaMais Notícias

O protesto realizado na manhã deste sábado, na Gávea, teve a repercussão que o grupo de aproximadamente 50 torcedores esperava. Isso porque o presidente Eduardo Bandeira de Mello atendeu três representantes, sendo um de cada facção organizada do clube.

O grupo pediu empenho dos jogadores, já que o Flamengo vem de uma sequência de sete derrotas em oito partidas. Além disso, os rubro-negros exigiram uma equipe mais competitiva para a próxima temporada, com a contratação de reforços de peso para 2016.

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Na manhã deste sábado, enquanto a equipe treinava no Ninho do Urubu, o grupo deu voltas no entorno da Gávea, soltou fogos de artifício, estenderam faixas com dizeres: “indignação”, “salários em dia, porrada em falta”, “acabou o ano e a promessa continua”, além dos tradicionais gritos: “time sem vergonha”, “time de cachaceiros”, “quero de volta meu Flamengo vencedor”.

A segurança foi reforçada, com a chegada de policiais do Batalhão do Leblon, além da convocação de mais seguranças do clube. O protesto, porém, seguiu pacífico. O grupo se dispersou por volta das 14h.

Sunderland are set to lose central defender Jack Baldwin this summer after declining to offer him a new contract.

With the coronavirus pandemic causing English football to come to a standstill since March, the Black Cats were left in limbo over their prospects of gaining a play-off place in League One. However, a decision made by the English Football League resulted in them missing out as a points-per-game system was utilised, moving them down to eighth in the final table.

Failure to gain promotion for the second year running means the Wearside club will now have to prepare for a third successive season in England’s third tier and they could see a whole host players leave this summer.

A total of 11 players could now be set to leave the club with defender Baldwin one of the bigger names on that list.

The Northern Echo reported that the centre-back will not be offered a new deal and will therefore be free to discuss terms with a new club from July 1.

Chris Maguire, Tom Flanagan and Jon McLaughlin are also set for exits, with the latter being heavily linked with a move to Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

Once labelled a ‘young Alan Hansen’ by former Hartlepool manager Neale Cooper, Baldwin has hardly set the world alight during his time at the Stadium of Light, spending time out on loan this season with League Two side Salford City.

Failing to make a single appearance for the Black Cats in League One, his exit would seem logical on the face of it. However, with so much uncertainty at the club, Sunderland will need to think carefully about letting players go and ensuring that they have a sizeable squad with adequate quality next season.

Do you think Sunderland should keep hold of Jack Baldwin past this summer? Let us know in the comments section below…

Whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been an inspired piece of business from Arsenal, it took them an awful long time to really replace Thierry Henry.

The likes of Marouane Chamakh and Yaya Sanogo, who scored 15 goals between them in 87 appearances, failed to make much of an impression and, although Olivier Giroud scored 105 goals in 253 matches, he was still not on the same level as the club’s record goalscorer.

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Carlos Vela was another forward who featured for the side following the sale of Henry to Barcelona, but it is elsewhere where he has particularly flourished.

Let’s take a look at how his career has played out since leaving north London…

Time at Arsenal

The Gunners paid a rather large fee of £2.7m – as per Transfermarkt – to sign Vela as a 17-year-old in 2006, six months before they lost in the Champions League final against Barcelona. His first forays into professional football in Europe were with UD Salamanca and Celta Vigo, with him making 33 appearances in one season for the latter.

For Arsenal, he never really got going, scoring just 11 goals in 64 matches, being utilised primarily by Arsene Wenger as a striker.

In all fairness, he never played more than 14 Premier League games in a campaign, although he failed to show he really deserved more time on the field. After two strikes in eight matches for West Brom, he was shipped out on loan to Real Sociedad in La Liga.

Where is he now?

The change of country appeared to reinvigorate him. In the 2011/12 campaign, he made 37 appearances in all competitions for the Basque outfit, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists. That was enough to convince them to part with £12.6m to sign him – as per Transfermarkt – and he would prove to be well worth the outlay.

Over the next six years, he would end up becoming a Sociedad legend. The 13/14 campaign saw him score 14 and provide 11 assists in 35 league matches, whilst he managed 16 and 12 in 37 in the next season respectively – he scored 21 in all competitions that season, his highest return. He failed to match those heights from then on, but by the time he moved on to Los Angeles FC in 2018, he had scored 73 and provided 44 assists in 250 matches.

In the MLS, he is arguably the best player right now.

He was the league’s top scorer last season with 32 goals, and he has managed 57 strikes in 71 matches for his new club.

For Mexico, he has 19 goals in 72 matches, has won the Gold Cup twice and has featured at two World Cups. Whilst he may have failed to produce that form at Arsenal, perhaps Wenger should have been a tad more patient with him before moving on – and maybe they should have re-signed him when they had the chance.

Tottenham Hotspur’s bout with Bayern Munich on the last matchday of their Champions League group stage adventure was not a success for Jose Mourinho.

His team lost 3-1 in Germany but considering they practically had nothing to play for apart from pride, this shouldn’t come as an alarming result.

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After all, Spurs were without some of the main pieces of their jigsaw like Harry Kane and even though it’s still disappointing, this defeat is not at all that surprising.

But the fans were especially irritated by Mourinho’s use of his substitutes. They couldn’t comprehend his decision-making on the night and many have taken that as a bad sign for the future.

There were even some who called these substitutions “Pochettino level” and others felt like Mourinho wanted to lose the game, such was the lack of enthusiasm for his decisions.

Of course, the Special One must’ve had his reasons but many of the fans simply couldn’t understand them.

And even though this is only the new coach’s second defeat during his time in London, it does seem like some of the fans won’t be as patient with him as he probably would like them to be.

Either way, it’s still far too early to draw any kind of major conclusions.

Elsewhere, many Spurs fans want to face one specific team in the knockout stages of the Champions League for a special reason…

يرى والد مروان محسن مهاجم الأهلي، أن نجله لا بد أن يعود للتشكيل الأساسي للمارد الأحمر بعد الأداء الهزيل من محمد شريف أمام الجونة بالأمس.

الأهلي تعادل مع الجونة بهدف لكل فريق في المباراة التي لعبت في إطار منافسات الجولة 16 من عمر بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وقال والد مروان محسن، في مداخلة هاتفية لبرنامج “النجوم في رمضان” عبر إذاعة “الشباب والرياضة”: “لم أر نجلي منذ بداية شهر رمضان بسبب المعسكرات وخوض المباريات، ويشارك الفترة الأخيرة كبديل”.

وواصل: “مروان لا يشارك والجماهير ترى مهاجمي الأهلي يضيعون فرص في الوقت الحالي ولا أحد يتكلم في ذلك، لا أعلم لماذا؟!، نجلي عندما يشارك لا يخطئ وبالتالي يجب أن يحصل على فرصة ويشارك من البداية”.

طالع أيضا.. عماد متعب: أطالب مروان محسن بالاستمرار في اللعب حتى لو كان متسللاً!

واستكمل: “عدم مشاركة مروان في المباريات الأخيرة بشكل أساسي يعود لوجهة نظر الجهاز الفني بقيادة بيتسو موسيماني، ومستوى الأهلي أمام الجونة لم يكن جيداً، أعرف أن الإصابات وضغط المباريات السبب، لكن بعض اللاعبين لم يفعلوا شيئًا أمس أمام الجونة مثل محمد شريف”.

واختتم: “يجب على موسيمانى أن يفكر في منح بقية اللاعبين الفرصة في المباريات المُقبلة، ومروان عندما يلعب لا يجد الدعم من زملائه في وسط الملعب بالأهلي”.

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…

Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has been discussing Southampton in his Premier League predictions column, ahead of the Saints’ game against Manchester City this weekend.

The south coast side face a trip to the Etihad Stadium after their last league outing saw them suffer a 9-0 defeat to Leicester – the Foxes equalled the 24-year long record for the largest ever Premier League win set by Manchester United in 1995 with the victory.

Southampton did face the Citizens in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat, and Nicholas has shared his views on this weekend’s league clash between the two.

What did he say?

Nicholas wrote: “What a wonder result for Southampton, only losing 3-1 through the week to – dare I say – ease the pain. Should Ralph Hasenhuttl be under pressure? No and I don’t think he is. It is one of the weekends where Southampton will wonder what to do. They will want to get over the line without being too embarrassed.”

Nicholas right to say Hasenhuttl shouldn’t be under pressure 

As bad as things are at St Mary’s right now, Hasenhuttl isn’t solely to blame.

The Saints have conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 25 concessions in ten games, and have also scored the third-least amount of goals in the top-flight with just nine.

Despite these unflattering statistics, it appears as if the players are the ones letting the side and Hasenhuttl down on the most part – not the other way around.

This is a sentiment that we have already outlined using the xG and xPTS tables, and it’s also being quickly forgotten that Southampton have endured an incredibly tough start to the season.

After facing Manchester City, they’ll have played seven of last season’s top nine – including a vastly improved Leicester team – in just eleven Premier League games. It’s probably the hardest run of fixtures a team will have all year, and continues into November with clashes against Everton and Arsenal.

There aren’t many managers who wouldn’t be feeling the heat given the circumstances, but Nicholas is right. Hasenhuttl is a well-established manager who pulled off last season’s great escape and helped RB Leipzig reach second in the Bundesliga – he deserves support from the club, not scrutiny.