Latest Footy

We have moved!

2020-10-25T19:17:00.003+00:00

Find us at http://latestfooty.net where we have loads of new content for you to read!

Frank Lampard vs. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer - Who had the better season?

2020-09-11T14:38:00.001+01:00

Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have recently guided their teams (Chelsea and Man Utd respectively) to champions league spots at first time of asking – but who had the better season? In this article, we will analyse who comes out on top in this duel. The league position doesn’t necessarily tell the full story so we will consider numerous factors and their impacts to make our final verdict.

Recent years have seen a shift in the hiring approach by Europe’s biggest clubs – young and inexperienced ex-players are getting more chances to prove themselves as managers at their previous clubs than ever before. This trend, arguably spearheaded by Real Madrid’s appointment of Zinedine Zidane in 2016 which culminated in three champions league titles to date, has resulted in Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer getting their dream managerial positions at their ex clubs. Both men were incredibly successful at their respective clubs as players, and they have now been given the chance to match their accolades as managers.

Frank Lampard

‘Super’ Frank Lampard, a man considered to be one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, was appointed as the Chelsea Manager in June 2019 after impressing in his first managerial season with Derby County in the Championship. Derby finished the season in 6th and had two impressive cup runs in which they managed to knockout a few Premier League sides, including a shock victory over Manchester United after a penalty shoot-out. Frank managed to reach a 42.1% win rate – a fairly respectable feat, especially for someone with no previous managerial experience. Although controversially for some, this achievement earned Frank his dream job: manager of Chelsea FC.

In many Chelsea fans’ eyes, the appointment of Lampard was overshadowed by two major events that would cause serious concern for the 2019/20 season. Firstly, Chelsea were punished with a season-long transfer ban (cut-down from the initial two-season ban) for breaching rules regarding dealings with overseas players under the age of 18. This would be a severe concern for any Premier League side considering how much money the English clubs spend in every transfer window, however, it was made even worse by the departure of their star man, Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. Losing a player of Hazard’s quality was a massive blow. The Belgian forward was incredibly successful during his spell in West London: he was voted player of the season in four of his seven seasons at the club and was even voted the best player in the Premier League in the 2014/15 season. His influence certainly didn’t diminish during his time at the Bridge, which could have been expected given the distraction posed by his record-breaking transfer to the Spanish giants. In his final season with the London team, Hazard was directly involved in 28% of Chelsea’s goals and was named the man of the match 14 times in 37 appearances, highlighting his importance. The combination of losing your best player and not being able to sign any replacements made Lampard’s job incredibly difficult and led to many experts predicting a below-par season for the ex-midfielder.

Lampard’s Chelsea made the worst possible start to the season. They lost the highly anticipated season-opener against Man Utd in an embarrassing manner (4-0). At this point, many Chelsea fans feared the worst, some even predicting a repeat of the 2015/16 season in which they finished 10th in the league. In fact, the whole of August was very difficult for the Blues: they only managed to get one win, 3-2 over the newly promoted Norwich. However, the English manager proved his qualities and silenced the critics by getting into the top four by the 9th game week and staying there right until the end. Ultimately, the Blues finished fourth, missing out on the third spot due to an inferior goal difference. Given the mentioned difficulties faced by Frank and the resultant need to rely on unproven youngsters which, traditionally hasn’t been common for Chelsea, securing Champions League can be considered a massive success and an insight to how good Lampard can be as a manager. To add to the success in the Premier League, Chelsea also reached the FA Cup Final which they unfortunately lost to an inspired Arsenal side. Although their runs in the League Cup and the Champions League (round of 16 reached in both competitions) were far from promising, their season in general can be considered a massive success.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole was appointed as a caretaker manager when Mourinho was sacked by Ed Woodward in December 2018. His incredible run (14 wins in 19 games) and revitalisation of the squad led to the Man Utd board making Ole the permanent manager. Unlike Chelsea, Ole’s United experienced a pretty busy summer transfer window ahead of the 2019/20 season, both from an incomings and outgoings perspective. Proven Premier League stars such as Lukaku and Alexis, amongst others, were let go in what became the start of a revolution of the squad and the entire transfer strategy. Ole made it clear that he was interested in young players that were fully committed to the club rather than opting for household names that would excite Ed Woodward from a commercial point of view. Indeed, the Norwegian signed Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan- Bissaka and Dan James (26, 21 and 21 years old respectively at time of signing), proving his intent. The majority of the fanbase welcomed this new approach as they were fed up with the likes of Di Maria and Falcao supposedly joining for reasons other than their passion for Man Utd. However, United’s remaining attacking options severely worried the Old Trafford faithful. Lukaku and Sanchez were considered out-of-favour, but they still contributed to 30% of United’s goals in the previous season (25 out of 82), hence their departure clearly left a troubling void.

Having spent a reported £130m on defenders, the United board were reluctant to add any forward players to the squad, apart from the aforementioned Dan James who was brought in as a squad player for a mere £17m. This made Ole’s job incredibly hard as he had to rely on Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood to deliver the goals. None of the mentioned three ever reached a 20 goal tally in a season and as promising as Greenwood was, he was still only 17. Ole’s first full season in charge looked like an extremely difficult task.

However, Ole managed to exceed expectations – he significantly improved the players he put his trust in and his gamble on relying on the youth worked out well. The goal scoring tally of the young front three mentioned before certainly proves that. Martial, Rashford and Greenwood managed to amass an impressive 64 goals, even more than Liverpool’s famous attacking trio. They all broke their goal-scoring records. Indeed, in Ole’s first full season in charge, his ‘tricky reds’ managed to score 110 goals, a significant improvement on the season before. Imagine what he can achieve when the board allows him to add another world class forward to the line-up, someone of Jadon Sancho’s ilk, for instance. Solskjaer didn’t only improve the goalscoring tally; he also transformed United’s defence. In 2019/20, the Red Devils conceded 20 goals less than the season before, only Man City and Liverpool had better defensive records in the Premier League. Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan- Bissaka looked like exceptional coups and even De Gea’s poor form didn’t tarnish their defensive achievements.

Ole’s problems didn’t end with the season starting, more challenges unveiled themselves as the season progressed. The biggest cause of Ole’s headaches was the amount of injuries his squad experienced; this was exasperated by a very thin squad. Paul Pogba, a world cup winner and arguably one of the best midfielders in the world suffered two long-term injuries which limited him to only 16 league appearances, with most of them occurring during ‘Project Restart’. Ole’s midfield options were limited, resulting in Andreas Pereira receiving more game time than Man Utd fans would’ve hoped for. Although showing promising signs at times, Pereira did not manage to make a significant contribution - scoring one goal and assisting three in 25 league appearances. The midfield simply lacked creativity and any attacking intent with Fred, McTominay and Matic being more defensively minded midfielders. Ole favours a system in which the midfield plays a pivotal role to the fast, attacking style of play. Signing Bruno Fernandes highlights this to a tee – the arrival of the Portuguese playmaker completely transformed United’s season and ultimately allowed them to finish in the top 3.

United are still unbeaten in the league since Bruno joined in January. To add to Pogba’s injury, Rashford and Martial also missed significant parts of the season or were forced to play with ongoing injuries. Nevertheless, Man Utd finished the season two positions higher in the league than in the 2018/19 season and reached the semi-final stage in every cup competition they were involved in. Fans from Old Trafford would certainly hope for trophies in the upcoming season, however, as first full seasons go, 2019/20 was a success and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves a lot of praise.

Who comes out on top?

Both managers performed extremely well in their first full seasons in charge given the challenges they faced. Unsurprisingly, fans of both teams have been arguing over who had the better season. An easy comparison to make would be their head-to-head record. Ole managed to beat Frank Lampard on three out of four occasions over the course of the season, including two victories in the league which eventually resulted in United finishing above Chelsea in the Premier League. However, it must be said that Lampard’s job was harder from the get-go. Even though Solskjaer would’ve hoped to make more signings, the board did allow him to spend around £150m in the summer, and then another £50m in January on Bruno Fernandes. Lampard didn’t have the same privileges and had to resort to a lot of unproven young players such as Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Reece James, among others. Lampard’s side did finish lower in the league but only on goal difference and still accomplished their main objective: securing a Champions League spot.

To add to that, the Blues also managed to reach a cup final, after convincingly beating United in the FA Cup semi- final, whereas Ole’s men failed to achieve this on three separate occasions, raising questions about having the ‘winning’ mentality. It can also be argued that United’s eventual success should be attributed to Bruno Fernandes’ genius – Ole must be praised for signing such a gem but even he couldn’t have expected Bruno’s impact to be so transformative, it has even been likened to that of Eric Cantona’s which is one hell of a compliment in itself. Finally, given the fact that Ole was appointed 6 months before Frank Lampard, hence having more time to learn and get the best out of his squad leads us to the verdict that Lampard’s first full season in charge slightly tops Solskjaer’s. It seems like this opinion is shared by many as Lampard was nominated for the Manager of the Season award over Ole. Nevertheless, Solskjaer’s achievements cannot be understated, United fans haven’t been this satisfied with their team since Sir Alex Ferguson left and everything is looking to be on the up in the North West of England.

The upcoming season is promising to be even more exciting for the two managers. Chelsea have already spent around £230m on incredible talent and it seems like United are becoming more active in the transfer market too with the recent purchase of Donny Van De Beek. Can the two sides take another step and challenge Liverpool and Man City for the top two spots? It certainly wouldn’t come as a surprise!

Let us know who you think had the better first full season in charge and which one out of the two teams will have a better 2020/21 season!

Follow @Latest_Footy

Who is Chelsea's next goalkeeper - Edouard Mendy?

2020-09-09T17:14:00.001+01:00

After a turbulent season between the sticks, Chelsea look set to sign some competition for Kepa this summer. The man to provide this and the latest player on their massive summer spending spree is Senegalese keeper Edouard Mendy. After a pretty rapid rise to fame, it's fair to say a lot of people won't know too much about Mendy, so we've written this to help Chelsea fans know what to expect.

Mendy began his professional career at AS Cherbourg in the third tier of French football. He spent three years there, making 28 appearances, before his contract expired. This left Mendy at a crossroads in his career and at the age of 22, he found himself unemployed and strongly considering quitting football altogether. He decided against this in the end, in favour of returning to Le Havre, the first youth academy he joined as a youngster. Whilst back at Le Havre, he got his head down and trained hard for a year without playing and also without being paid. After putting in the hours, his perseverance paid off as a former teammate informed him that Marseille were looking for another keeper with two of their reserve keepers currently out on loan. Following this, Mendy managed to secure a trial at Marseille where he impressed sufficiently to earn himself a contract. Despite finally managing to get his foot in the door at a club, the Senegalese found himself the club's fourth choice keeper and occasionally representing Marseille's B team. It wasn't a completely useless exercise however, as Mendy was training with professionals such as experienced French keeper Steve Mandanda amongst others. Mendy actually claims his time at Marseille was vital for his professional development and interestingly, claims that competing for duels in the air with none other than Steven Fletcher (!) helped him learn how to command his box.

After learning what he could at Marseille, French-born Mendy decided to search for pastures new that could offer him some more football. This came in the form of Ligue 2 side Reims. He wasn't initially signed as the club's first choice keeper but following a red card to Johann Carrasso, he found himself thrust into the first team and he never looked back. Mendy was able to cement his place in a team for the first time in his career as he recorded an impressive three clean sheets in his first seven games. This was just the beginning as he began to progress as a player and was a key part in Reims finishing the 2017/2018 season as Ligue 2 champions and earning promotion in the process.

After three years and 80 appearances at Reims, his performances weren't going unnoticed and he completed a move to Rennes in August 2019. Shortly before this he also made his debut for Senegal but has still only managed to win 8 caps due to a few injuries. Despite being a late bloomer, Mendy's career really started to accelerate after this move as people finally began to sit up and take notice of the lanky shotstopper. In an extremely successful season that ended in Rennes securing Champions League football, Mendy recorded 9 clean sheets and a string of impressive performances.

The cousin of Real Madrid's Ferland Mendy, Edouard looks like he'll become Chelsea's next main man at Stamford Bridge after Petr Cech publicly announced he was a big fan, something Chelsea fans should be very excited by. At a massive 6 foot 6, Mendy is a very tall keeper and therefore it will come as no surprise that he commands his box very well. His confident style means he is able to come and collect crosses with ease, something that is definitely in his favour over current stopper Kepa. For such a big man, Mendy is extremely light on his feet and also very athletic. The only potential criticism you could level at the 28-year-old would be that sometimes he parries shots into dangerous areas. This could be something that he is simply yet to improve and at just 28, he still has time work on this part of his game. From watching his saves, his technique strikes me as a little different from other keepers as he anticipates the movement of the ball really well, meaning his positioning for shot stopping is excellent, however, this could be why he occasionally parries the ball into strange areas as his body is already in the way of the shot, so he doesn't need to dive as far. Despite this, his technique and anticipation does seem to work massively in his favour when faced with low shots into the corners where he boasts excellent handling and athleticism to get down to shots in time.

Overall, it'll be very interesting to see how Mendy fares in the Premier League if Chelsea can get the deal over the line after reportedly not being willing to spend more that £25m. Rennes fans and players will be sad to see their man leave but after securing him for just £3.5m from Reims, he can be considered an excellent bit of business.

Chelsea fans - do you think Mendy will be a hit at Stamford Bridge? Let us know in the comments!

Follow @Latest_Footy

Why Sergio Reguilon is perfect for Manchester United

2020-09-07T12:54:00.000+01:00

This Summer’s transfer window is now in full swing and it seems like Ed Woodward and co are ready to make further additions to the team in an attempt to challenge for trophies in the upcoming season. United have yet again been linked with countless players this summer, however, there is one name that should particularly excite the Red Devils. Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed that Sergio Reguilón has been offered to Manchester United by Real Madrid. In this article we will explain why United should do everything in their power to sign the Spanish left back.

Sergio Reguilón truly burst onto the scene in the 2019/20 season whilst on loan at Sevilla. The Real Madrid academy graduate impressed the football world with exceptional performances for the Andalusian club. The 23-year-old left back was picked in the Europa League team of the season which shouldn’t come as a surprise as he played a pivotal role in his team’s victory in the competition. As a result, top European clubs have been enquiring about the youngster. Real Madrid would definitely love to keep him; however, they have an embarrassment of riches in that position. The £50m purchase of Ferland Mendy in 2019 has been a massive success and the Frenchman has now solidified his spot in Zidane’s starting eleven, making 32 impressive appearances last season. Furthermore, the Los Blancos still have Marcelo to provide back-up for the left back spot. Even though the Brazilian is now 32 years old, he’s still an exceptional player that would start for most European teams. Madrid’s admiration of Reguilón is demonstrated by the fact that they’re allegedly insisting on inserting a buy-back clause in any contract, possibly discouraging potential suitors.

Man Utd faced a few challenges at the left back position during the 2019/20 season. Luke Shaw’s struggle with form and injuries over the course of the season led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer promoting Brandon Williams to the senior team. The 20-year-old made an impressive start, however, his performances took a slight dip as the season progressed eventually forcing Solskjaer to revert back to Luke Shaw. Going into the 20/21 season, neither of the two are clear favourites to make the left back position their own, leaving an opportunity for Reguilón to fill the void.

Although we have seen right-footed players become amazing left backs in the past, Paolo Maldini and Dennis Irwin being the first names coming to mind, in most instances it makes it difficult for full backs to effectively contribute to their team’s attacks. We have certainly seen this with Brandon Williams at times. His attacking intent has been revered by the fans; however, he frequently slows the play down to move the ball onto his preferred right foot before putting a cross into the box. As a result, he makes less crosses into the box than Ole would have hoped for. Indeed, last season Williams attempted 0.7 crosses per league game on average, 0.2 less than Sergio Reguilón. Williams’ tendency to slow the game down ultimately allows the opposing defenders to get into shape, hence, restricting goal scoring opportunities. Moreover, with the first-choice left winger, Marcus Rashford, favouring cut-ins whilst attacking, Williams’ preference to use his right foot has often seen the two taking up the same spaces and thus getting into each other’s way. Having a left back that can overlap Rashford and put in a first time cross or simply create space would certainly allow United to create more chances.

Luke Shaw was brought in from Southampton for £30m in 2014 to do exactly this. However, the Englishman has often frustrated the Old Trafford faithful with his conservative attacking play. Attacking full backs are pivotal to the modern game with the likes of Alphonso Davies and Andy Robertson, amongst others, highlighting this with their recent success. Since suffering the horrific leg break against PSV in 2015, Shaw has struggled to provide enough attacking support for his teammates. He often gets to good initial positions but instead of overlapping his winger or taking on the full back, he stops the play and passes back to one of the central midfielders. Indeed, Shaw only makes 1.2 successful dribbles per game in the Premier League, highlighting a weakness in his game. In comparison, Sergio Reguilón completed 1.6 dribbles per game in La Liga. This culminated in 4 assists and 41 chances created in the 19/20 season. Shaw failed to assist a single goal in the same period and only created one big chance for his teammates. To further statistically demonstrate Reguilón’s attacking superiority over Shaw – the Spaniard has made 8 goal contributions in two seasons at the top level whereas it took Luke eight seasons to reach that accomplishment.

As we all know, full backs also possess defensive duties. Sergio does not shy away from them. He is great at going forward but that certainly doesn’t impact his ability to help his team prevent goals. He boasts an impressive average of 1.8 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game in the league. This has been critical to Sevilla’s impressive defensive record – only the champions Real Madrid and third placed Atletico Madrid conceded less goals in La Liga last season.

Reguilón isn’t just a better player than Shaw and Williams, solely looking at last season (his average WhoScored rating per game is 7.12 compared to Shaw’s and Williams’ scores of 6.93 and 6.86 respectively), he also perfectly bolsters United’s defensive options and can be used in a system that accompanies at least one of the other two. Firstly, even though Shaw’s attacking frailties have frustrated many United fans, he has impressed with his defensive performances at various points in the season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer even opted to play him on the left side of a back three. Ole could resort to the 3-at-the-back formation more frequently as Reguilón and Shaw together would suit it perfectly. Sergio would be able to focus on bombarding the opposing defences with his darting runs whilst Shaw would predominantly focus on his stronger defensive attributes. Secondly, Reguilón’s arrival would allow Brandon Williams to return to his favoured right back spot and provide competition and cover for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, especially as Diogo Dalot’s exit is reportedly imminent. This is where the English youngster featured for most of his academy career and only at 20 years of age, he should be satisfied with being a second-choice option whilst he continues to develop – he is still an undoubtedly talented player. Finally, Reguilón would provide the much-needed balance to United’s side. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been phenomenal since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2019 but he’s more of a defensive minded right back. Reguilón’s attacking prowess would impeccably complement Aaron’s defensive attributes and would make Man Utd a very dangerous side.

At a price of €30m, signing Reguilón should be a no-brainer for the Manchester club. He’s an upgrade on the current left backs and will offer United a completely new attacking outlet that should transcend to more goals, whilst also maintaining defensive stability. The Spaniard still has areas to improve on such as concentration and defensive positioning but at 23 years of age, he has plenty of time to do so. Moreover, he perfectly fits the profile of player that Ole has recently been looking to recruit: young and determined to succeed.

United fans - do you want to see Reguilon at the club? Let us know in the comments!

Follow @Latest_Footy

Why West Ham Fans Want Gold, Sullivan and Brady Out

2020-09-04T18:12:00.002+01:00

Whilst West Ham fans have been crying out for new ownership for years now, the impending sale of Grady Diangana to West Brom has really kicked the #GSBout campaign up a gear. Despite the blatant failing of the trio, quite a few in the media (Jim White most recently, for example) still seem unable to see what all the fuss is about, so this article is going to break down exactly why West Ham fans want Gold, Sullivan and Brady out of their club.

To start with, let's deal with the reason that the impending departure of Grady Diangana has caused such fury amongst the West Ham fanbase. Diangana is a very talented player and for many, the sale of a promising youngster is enough to irritate them. However, I think what the fans are finding more infuriating is that it almost brings together everything that is wrong about the way the club is run. Firstly, the very fact that West Ham are having to sell players in order to buy is ridiculous, the squad needs investment and improvement, as was evident in their relegation struggle last season. Secondly, Diangana is a youth academy product who has been at the club since the age of 12 and was apparently very reluctant to leave as he thought his performances last year and in pre season were enough to earn him a chance in the first team. This is a young player who has worked hard to get his chance and he has been cast off like any old mercenary. Just one of many examples of the owners rubbing people up the wrong way, as I will expand on later. Thirdly, the move is likely to be justified in the owners' eyes by how much cash it will provide and therefore by who Diangana is replaced with. It was initially reported that Benrahma would be brought in from Brentford, but now the Hammers are said to be stalling on his £20m asking price. Although this is now unlikely, if this were to be the case, where is the logic here? West Ham would be selling one winger who excelled in the Championship just to replace him with another who would probably be on much higher wages, require signing on and agent fees and probably take more time to settle in. These reasons are why the Diangana move alone highlights so many problems at the club, just by itself.

However, the problems with the club's ownership are much more deep rooted than just that. The main criticism levelled at West Ham fans is that they hold unrealistic expectations, many outsiders say "Well West Ham haven't traditionally been very successful so why do they expect and demand to be now?". The reason the fans demand so much is quite simple - the owners promised so much. When West Ham were wrenched out of their previous home, Upton Park, many were absolutely gutted and it was an emotional time in the club's history. However, many were able to deal with this as they were promised that it would bring prosperity and success to the club.

The owners lied about how close the seats would be to the pitch and the stadium move has been horrendously organised and littered with mistakes, only a few of which have been reversed with embarrassing u-turns. Not only were the fans promised a world class stadium that rivals would be jealous of, but they were also promised that it would bring increased revenues and attract more money and players to the club. This is the sole reason that the move was accepted, it was regarded as a necessary evil in order to allow the club to progress, yet where has it led the club? Just a few years on and they find themselves having just about fended off relegation, not for the first time in the last few campaigns, and having to sell players to raise funds. This is quite simply not what was promised. From a West Ham fan's point of view - they have made the sacrifice but are still yet to see the reward. So next time you see a pundit complaining that West Ham should't be demanding progression and success, politely remind them that this wasn't a standard that they created themselves, but one that was promised to them by those in charge.

Next, let's look at the failings that the club have faced in the transfer market. It's common knowledge that West Ham's performance when it comes to the transfer market is pretty woeful - take the forwards signed during the owners' tenure for example - they've spent £170m, whilst managing to recoup just £68m on that investment. This is just the tip of the iceberg and I could list so many examples of poor planning and decision making. The transfer strategy at the club is pitiful whether that be due to Sullivan forcing players of his fancy on the manager (something that Allardyce confirmed after leaving), being severely under prepared in numerous positions leading to panic signings or signing countless washed up players with their best days behind them on huge wages.

To add to this, the club don't have a proper scouting department, yes you read that right, West Ham United, a Premier League club, don't have a proper scouting department. Instead they simply rely on Sullivan and Gold's agent links, with one of the main benefactors in recent times being Will Salthouse, who I'm sure you'll all be shocked to hear is the agent of a certain Said Benrahma. It is crazy to believe that in 2020, instead of relying on detailed scout reports and data analysis, a Premier League club simply sign players based on who their agent is, no wonder they've spent £453m and only managed to recoup £176m...

I'll make this the last point but I could easily go on much further - another characteristic of Gold, Sullivan and Brady's time at the club has been consistently making awful terrible decisions in terms of how they handle people involved with the club. Whether it be failing to consult supporters properly over the stadium move, as they promised they would, or treating club legends with enormous disrespect, the trio have shown themselves to have no moral awareness. Fan favourite and West Ham icon James Collins was a tremendous servant to the club, yet was simply informed by email that he wouldn't be having his contract renewed and given no chance to say goodbye to the club. As well as this, former academy director and again club legend, Tony Carr was forced out the door and offered the minimum statutory redundancy pay after contributing 43 years of service to the club and making the club over £50m through bringing through the likes of Micheal Carrick, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole. There are many more examples of this poor treatment but even just these two make the lack of class very evident.

In conclusion, these are just a few of the reasons that West Ham fans are so adamant that Gold, Sullivan and Brady are doing more harm to the club than good. With the new season looming, the Hammers will be hoping that they can keep their head above water and maintain their Premier League status once more, after yet another gloomy transfer window.

What are your thoughts West Ham fans - let us know in the comments!

Follow @Latest_Footy

Should Jack Grealish Be In The England Squad?

2020-08-31T17:58:00.003+01:00

Following the withdrawal of Harry Winks and Marcus Rashford from the latest England squad, Aston Villa's Jack Grealish has earned his first senior call up to the three lions. Villa fans have been demanding this for quite some time now but after an excellent campaign in the Premier League, many other fans have been calling for Jack to get the call too. Grealish will no doubt be delighted to finally get the nod but should he be disappointed that it's taken so long? To answer this question we take a look at some of the other midfielders named in the squad, who he'll be competing with for a starting spot.

First things first, we've not taken Declan Rice or Kalvin Phillips into account here as we would consider them both to be primarily defensive midfielders, with both also capable of filling in at centre back, so it's not likely that they'd be competing for Grealish's spot in the starting line up as he'd probably be playing slightly in front of them. The players who we'll be pitting against Grealish are Mason Mount, Phil Foden and James Ward Prowse.

To begin I thought it would be worth looking at Grealish's influence on a game and one of the ways to do this is to look at how involved he is in terms of how many touches he has. He averages 62.6 touches per 90 mins which is more than Mount but less than both Ward Prowse and Foden, however, Foden could potentially be considered a bit of an anomaly here in that, as we all know, City play a possession dominating style of football and each player can be expected to be on the ball much more than players in other teams. Being on the ball is all well and good but it's what you do with it that matters and England have long been criticised for being too passive in possession and passing sideways, so it would definitely be worth inspecting how Grealish uses the ball when he gets it. Although you could argue that it's dependant on the movement of the others in his team, a decent measure of this would be the number of forward passes Grealish manages per game. He finds himself second to Ward Prowse here, with an average of 11 per game compared to Ward Prowse's 14.6, however, nicely clear of the other two. It was interesting to see here though that this was some way off of the likes of De Bruyne, Wijnaldum and Pogba, perhaps highlighting a weakness of most England midfielders compared to their foreign counterparts. It's also worth considering the passing accuracy percentage of the young lions too and in this department Grealish finds himself ranking 3rd behind Mount, with Foden, far superior. Ward Prowse can only boast a passing accuracy percentage of 80%, therefore, this could be part of the reason that he has been left out of the England squad so often too.

Grealish has grabbed many headlines this season for being Villa's main man and many of these were thoroughly deserved as he dragged the Villans to Premier League safety. Whilst Grealish used to be predominantly an attacking threat, this time around in the Premier League, he's adapted his game slightly and isn't afraid to get stuck in and do the dirty work too. This is evidenced by the fact he manages 5.3 ball recoveries per game, that tops Mount and Foden but falls short of Ward Prowse's thoroughly impressive 6.6. For a bit of context, Wijnaldum and Fabinho average 5.8 and 6.8 respectively, making Ward Prowse's defensive work even more impressive, whilst further reinforcing that Grealish ranks pretty solidly amongst his peers in this sense.

Whilst important, it could be argued that these guys won't be in the starting line up purely for their defensive work, so let's take a look at their attacking output and creativity. Grealish averages 2.1 take ons per game, just short of Foden's 2.6 but well clear of Mount and Ward Prowse. Although considered a more important strength for a wide player, this would definitely bode well when trying to break down teams employing low defensive blocks as England dominate possession. The next stat is where Grealish really comes into his own - chances created. The Villa talisman creates an average of 2.6 chances per game and this is better than the rest of his competitors with only Foden coming close with 1.9. Could this be another indicator that Grealish could be ready to provide the creativity and flair that England have been crying out for? It's also important to recognise Grealish's actual attacking output this year as he recorded a very impressive 7 goals and 6 assists, both stats being higher than his peers. This stat is made all the more impressive when you remember that he played in a side that battled relegation all season.

After a fairly comprehensive, stats based analysis, I would say that Grealish is by no means the odd one out in this England squad and his performance absolutely merits a call up. He definitely holds his own and you could argue that it's been a long time coming. By the same token, it's very exciting to see Phil Foden also holding his own here, at such a young age, a great sign for England's future.

Of course football isn't all about stats though and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who watched Jack Grealish this season and didn't think he was worthy of at least a few caps and a go in Southgate's side. Grealish has added grit and determination to his game and his excellent ball carrying abilities, combined with his attacking output mean that he should find himself at home if he is to make his senior England debut in the near future. Southgate has clearly watched Grealish for a while and although injuries have perhaps forced his hand, you have to imagine Grealish has been in his thoughts for a while now, so a call up had to be coming sooner or later. Personally, I think the timing works really well for the Villa captain as if he's able to make his mark in the upcoming fixtures then he stands a really good chance of forcing his way onto the plane for Euro 2021 next year. However, he may find it tough should the likes of James Maddison and Dele Alli also rediscover their form next season.

What do you think - does Jack Grealish deserve to be in the England squad?

Let us know in the comments section and don't forget to follow us on twitter -

Follow @Latest_Footy

3 Jadon Sancho Alternatives Manchester United Should Consider

2020-08-28T12:45:00.002+01:00

Manchester United wanting Jadon Sancho is one of the worst kept secrets around, but despite this, it doesn't look like they're going to get their man anytime soon. With that in mind, we take a look at 3 alternatives United should be looking at instead.

We start off the latest young star to make his name at Ajax, Antony. The young Brazilian isn't quite a household name yet but at just 20 years of age, could be set to make some serious headlines soon. Ajax signed him in February of this year from Sao Paulo in a deal worth around €16m that could rise to €21m. They were able to fight off competition from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea to secure his signature and this just shows you how highly sought after he is even at such a young age.

Antony is a left footed winger and likes to operate on the right hand side. Although a rather lazy comparison to make, Antony's playing style could easily be likened to Neymar's at a young age as his close control and dribbling set him apart from many others of the same age. The Brazilian has extremely quick feet and is exceptionally good at coming out of tight areas with the ball still at his feet. He often seems to catch opposition keepers off guard with his tendency to shoot a fraction of a second earlier, a trait that really evidences his keen eye for goal as well as his creative ability. Antony possesses an abundance of pace too and is also capable of finding the right pass in the final third more often than not.

Of the three players featured here, Antony is probably the least likely to make an instant impact should Manchester United get his signature, however, he would be a very smart piece of business and bode well for United's future.

Next up we have the wildcard of the three - Villareal's Samuel Chukwueze. Another left footed, right winger, the Nigerian has been plying his trade over in Spain for a number of years now, earning many plaudits in the process. Villareal have had a number of young prospects earn big money moves recently and Chukwueze looks like he could be the next one to follow in the footsteps of Rodri and Eric Bailly.

Chukwueze is an extremely direct player and this really stands out as his first thought after his first touch is always to try and move forward with the ball. He loves to take players on and this directness and aggressive dribbling has caught the eye in his time at Villarreal so far. The numbers back this up too, with Chukwueze averaging 2.8 take ons per game. For reference, this compares to Rashford with 1.7 and just shy of Sancho's 3.1, so it's clear to see that Chukwueze can almost keep up with Sancho in this respect and he even boasts a higher take on success percentage than Sancho too. Owing to his direct style, Chukwueze is also very good at winning fouls and relieving pressure on his team with an average of 2.3 fouls won a game, an useful skill to have in your armoury when your team is under pressure.

Chukwueze might not be up to Sancho's level just yet but he would be a hell of a lot more affordable and could definitely benefit from playing in a more attacking team at Old Trafford. United mustn't wait too long though as other clubs are interested too, with Santi Cazorla even claiming that his former Arsenal teammates often ask about the young Nigerian winger.

Finally, we have perhaps the most unrealistic of the trio - Dejan Kulusevski. The young Swede has just spent the season on loan at Parma, however, his parent club is Juventus, therefore it may be very difficult to convince them to part ways with him as he is yet to make a first team appearance for the Old Lady.

Kulusevski is an incredibly exciting prospect who tends to find himself on the wing but is just as comfortable operating in a more central attacking midfield role. Kulusevski has bags of ability but also possesses the work rate to back it up and is considered one of the more hard working players in any team he plays in. His close control is excellent and he has a knack for showing defenders enough of the ball to tempt them in, whilst managing to maintain possession of it himself. His awareness in the final third is really impressive for someone of his age and this has led to him recording an excellent season of 10 goals and 9 assists, with him being awarded the best young player in Serie A award for the season just gone. His creative ability is demonstrated by the fact that he created 78 chances this campaign, that's more than Jadon Sancho's 69 and he also had a higher take on success percentage, whilst completing just one fewer than Sancho.

Kulusevski's performances this season will mean he will surely be knocking on the door for a first team spot when he returns to Juventus next season but if they could somehow convince the Italian champions to part ways with the youngster, they would have a fantastic player on their hands, ready to deliver and make an instant impact.

The Jadon Sancho saga looks to be continuing into next season but here we have presented a few alternatives - one for the future in Ajax's Antony, a wildcard suggestion in Villareal's Samuel Chukwueze and a rather ambitious suggestion in Juve's Dejan Kulusevski.

United fans who would you rather have at your club - let us know in the comments and don't forget to follow us on twitter!

Follow @Latest_Footy

Europe's Latest Gold Mine - RB Salzburg

2020-08-27T20:39:00.003+01:00

After losing Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino last season to Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool respectively, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the outlook back at RB Salzburg was pretty glum. An impressive Champions League showing caught many an eye last campaign but with the aforementioned departures, focus on the Austrian side soon dwindled again. However, despite this, the club still boasts a thoroughly impressive set of young prospects in their side.

One of those is Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. The 19-year-old joined from Austrian second division side Liefering and has thrived ever since, earning 8 caps and scoring his first international goal in the process. He boasts an impressive skillset and even at his young age, could be described as a set piece specialist - an asset for any side.

Szoboszlai usually operates on the left in a fairly attacking role but can also be considered as a reliable option playing more centrally too. His output has been excellent in the Austrian Bundesliga with 12 goals and 18 assists to his name in just 44 appearances. As his stats attest, Szoboszlai is a fantastic striker of the ball and is always a dead ball threat, as well as being lethal from outside the box if given a yard. He provides dynamism to a side laced with with speed and his ball carrying abilities are what often really stands out aside from his shooting. Szoboszlai is capable of dragging his team up the pitch with great determination whilst also possessing excellent control to be able to ride a few challenges on the way.

Although obviously playing at a much lower standard, Szoboszlai's style of play reminds me of Bruno Fernandes' at Manchester United. He constantly looks to receive the ball and make things happen and this relentless desire to create, coupled with great technical ability would make him a thorn in many a European side. Szoboszlai remains in Austria for now but continues to gradually gain attention and would probably command a fee of £20m-£25m should a club come knocking, as many should soon enough.

Patson Daka is another star making headlines at RB Salzburg, most recently for an exceptional display that included 2 goals in a pre season friendly against Liverpool. The 21-year-old Zambian forward was fantastic against the Reds but has been looking like a real prospect for a while now, proven by Salzburg's desire to tie him down until 2024 last December.

Daka has 27 league goals to his name at Salzburg and has also notched in the Champions League too, with a strike in last year's group stage. When watching Daka, what really stands out is his directness. As soon as he gets the ball he looks to drive at the opposition defence before getting a shot off as soon as possible. He strikes me as a born goalscorer with his knack of popping up in the right positions for an opportunity, whilst also showing great awareness when attacking crosses. Daka is also blessed with an abundance of pace and is able to commit opposition players, either winning a foul or creating huge gaps as they dive in.

Daka is still quite a raw player but possesses a number of attributes that could mean he develops into an excellent forward for a top side. An exciting young player, he could probably be lured to another club for around £20m and would represent an excellent bit of business on the part of many clubs.

Finally, we have Karim Adeyemi, the youngest of the trio. Adeyemi is another forward at Salzburg but at just 18 years of age, is showing lots of promise early on. Barcelona, Liverpool and Arsenal are already said to have been sniffing around the German after he was released at a young age by none other than Bayern Munich.

Adeyemi is a very gifted player with a low centre of gravity, which enables him to wriggle out of tight spots and opponents' pressure. Combined with his excellent dribbling and ball control, Adeyemi often twists and turns away from defenders before blazing away with his explosive pace.

The German regularly embarrasses the opposition, but more importantly, has the presence of mind and composure to provide the finish at the end of it. I think Adeyemi could do with a bit more first team football before he sets off for pastures new but he certainly looks a fantastic prospect that every Salzburg fan is excited to see.

There seems to be something in the water over in Austria as Salzburg are consistently producing quality young talent, something which should serve to benefit the Austrian National team in the future. As clubs look to up their game by building extensive scouting networks across the continent, they could do far worse than casting their gaze over to RB Salzburg for their next big star.

Who would you most like to see at your club? Let us know in the comments below and don't forget to give us a follow on twitter:

Has Football Gone Too VAR?

2019-04-25T20:30:00.002+01:00

After a week absolutely jam packed with excitement and controversy, one of the biggest talking points in football has once again dominated - VAR. Last Wednesday saw one of the most exciting games of football that the Champions League has seen in a long time as Spurs edged through to the semi-finals, thanks to both a spirited display and a helping hand from the video assistant referee.

I'll start with the views of those that are entirely against VAR. Despite my suspicions that some football fans find themselves biased against VAR purely due to the fact that they dislike the idea of technology taking over in the world as a whole, many find their main argument against VAR being that it takes away 'human error'. The fact that many choose to use this as a disadvantage seems crazy to me. As much as I agree that having officials actually officiating on the pitch gives football a more human feel, I just think there's far too much riding on matches these days for decisions to be made incorrectly. It's all well and good conceding an offside goal in the last game of the season, costing you 11th place, however, it's a completely different story when this offside goal is the margin between a team staying in the league and potentially avoiding financial oblivion. There's too much money involved in football today to leave outcomes down to error or chance.

Over on the other side of the fence, you've got those who want VAR all over football, deciding virtually every aspect of officiating. I can sympathise with this viewpoint as in an ideal world, all games would be officiated perfectly, meaning that the outcome of a game is purely decided by skill. However, this is not where I would situate myself, I think we need to find a middle ground with VAR. In my opinion, VAR should be limited to decisions that are entirely black and white. A good example of this and how it has worked well is goal line technology. Goal line technology has completely removed any doubt of inaccuracies involved with giving a goal when the ball has possibly not completely crossed the line. There is no debate involved in this, we get a purely scientific answer and therefore it can be considered consistent. VAR needs to be used in the same way, so that we can confidently say that the outcome of the decision would be the same in any different circumstance, the element of opinion has been taken out of it. This would therefore mean that decisions that are up for debate (eg. a heavy tackle in midfield that could be a red card in one person's eyes and a harsh yellow in another's) are left up to the referee on the pitch.

Another point worth making is that I feel the quality of VAR needs to be improved. One thing I picked up on during the Man City vs Tottenham clash was that the video assistant referee wasn't actually shown the best angle of the decisive Llorente goal, where it looked like it struck his hand on the way. If TV cameras were able to pick up on this then I'm sure VAR can cover at least as many angles as they do. I do also think it may be worth looking at a possible appeal system to prevent players or managers constantly insisting on a review, thus slowing down the game. This would limit teams to only a few incorrect appeals each game and would prevent them from simply contesting everything in the hope that they get a decision through blind luck.

VAR is never going to be able to solve issues where the referee's own discretion is needed as every single person is different, however, it can be used in a positive way to make the game fairer. If football as a sport firmed up it's rules and and limited VAR to decisions that are cut and dry, the playing field would be levelled considerably. Therefore, in my opinion, this is the only way forward and without it, there will always been complaints.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Transfers XI 15/16

2016-05-02T17:56:00.003+01:00

The 2015/16 season has seen a surge in new talent coming from overseas clubs and transfers between Premier League clubs. We take a look at some of the best transfers this season and their impact on the Premier League.

Christian Fuchs and Robert Huth

It would make perfect sense to put these two players under the same roof. Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs have been part of a miracle that is Leicester City, seeing their side reach the top of the Premier League and with one hand already on the title it demonstrates their impact. Alongside club captain Wes Morgan and right back Danny Simpson, this Leicester back four have been near on impossible to break down and the addition of these two players speak for themselves. With 15 clean sheets, they are a huge factor as to why Leicester are sitting at the top of the table.

Toby Alderweireld

Continuing with the theme of defenders, Tottenham's back four has been strengthened with the addition of Toby Alderwireld. Having recently been named in this year's PFA Team of the Year, the Belgian centre-half has had a terrific season. Forming a formidable partnership with fellow countryman Jan Vertoghan, Tottenham have conceded the least amount of goals in the Premier League this season and still remain in the hunt for the title. Not only has Alderweireld proven to be a rock at the back, his goals have been important from set pieces too and added to the fire power that Tottenham possess.

Jan Kirchoff

Despite the torrid season that Sunderland have had, Jan Kirchoff has become a spark in their team. Joining in the January transfer period from Bayern Munich's second team, Sam Allardyce has seen the 25-year-old become an important aspect of his survival campaign. Being in the central midfield role, Kirchoff has looked to steady the ship and Sunderland have recently been picking up results.

N'Golo Kante

Arguably the signing of the season. Kante simply cannot get any more praise from viewers of the Premier League. Like Alderweireld, Kante was named in the PFA Team of the Year and has been one of Leicester's key players this season. Known for his incredible energy, interceptions, and persistence, Kante would get into any Premier League side. His performance's this season has seen him get a call-up to the French national squad, and will be sure to feature in the summer tournament. Signing for just €8 million euros, he has been incredible.

Michail Antonio

Taking the step up from the Championship to the Premier League has often been proven as a hard task. Not for West Ham midfielder Michail Antonio. The English winger has settled in very quickly to the Premier League scoring goals and helping West Ham push for the top 4. Antonio has also shown his versatility playing as a right back as well as a right winger. His name has often crept up regarding an England call-up, and with English wingers not performing to their best, he could be in with a shout.

Dimitri Payet

West Ham's new golden boy Dimitri Payet has taken the Premier League by storm. Scoring goals for fun, assisting and having the second highest chances created show just how much West Ham value him. Included in this year's PFA Team of the Year, Payet saw himself in the shortlist for Player of the Year too. Already having his own song given to him by the West Ham faithful, Payet is quickly becoming a legend to the club helping them push for a Champions League spot and given them their best Premier League season ever.

Andre Ayew

Swansea's new golden boy and second top scorer for the club in 2016 Andre Ayew, has been a spark to a miserable season for Swansea. Scoring 10 goals in 31 appearances for the Welsh side, Ayew has become one of the first names on the team sheet. If Swansea do not look to invest in this summer's transfer winder, they could see Ayew move on as his talent this season has shown he is capable of playing at a higher club.

Andros Townsend

Newcastle certainly splashed the cash in the January transfer window and Andros Townsend has proven to be worth every penny. The relegation scrap has become closer by the week and with Townsend's goals, Newcastle have a real chance of survival. He has given the Newcastle fans something to cheer about and after having a good spell with England under Hodgson he could be in contention for returning if he keeps up his form.

Georginio Wijnaldum

Another addition to Newcastle's squad this year was Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum. In his first season at the club, Wijnaldum is their top scorer and a fan favourite. Without him Newcastle would be relegated already that's for sure. Georginio became only the second ever Newcastle player to score more than three goals in a match when he scored four against Norwich. It's fair to say that even if Newcastle stay up, there will be a high amount of interest from other clubs trying to get his signature.

Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City's attacking midfielder has continued his incredible season at Wolfsburg becoming a goal scoring and assisting machine. The young Belgian is a key factor to City's top four push and their Champions League season as they prepare to face the second leg of the semi-final against Real Madrid. With injuries this season preventing him from playing nearly every game since he joined the club, next year under Guardiola could see De Bruyne become shortlisted for Player of the Year.

Roberto Firmino

Joining from German club side Hoffenheim, Roberto Firmino has settled well into the Premier League. Becoming a favourite of Klopp, his 9 Premier League goals have kept Liverpool in the top half of the table. Linking with countryman Phillip Coutinho, Klopp has bags of talent at his disposal and there is no doubt Firmino will continue to feature and be a big part of the club's push for Champions League football next year.

Anthony Martial

Manchester United's big money signing Anthony Martial has begun to live up to his price tag. The 20-year-old is United's top goalscorer this season and proving to be a real asset to the club. The future is certainly bright for Martial and it is very likely that we will be seeing him in the Euro's for France this summer. Paying £57 million for what was a teenager is a huge risk, but the United fans are finally seeing the potential Martial has and can be very excited for next season.

Jermain Defoe

Sunderland's saviour Jermain Defoe may single-handedly keep them in the Premier League. His 17 Premier League goals have been crucial this season and he has continued to prove just how good a striker he still is. If Sunderland manage to survive this season, their fans can thank one man, Jermain Defoe.

Who has been your signing of the season? Let us know!

The Chelsea Verdict

2016-04-30T19:07:00.001+01:00

After an eventful season to say the least, we got in touch with massive Chelsea fan @UberChelseaFC on twitter and got his views on the Blues' campaign so far. We set him 10 questions and here's what he had to say:

1 - Rate the season out of 10
3, It possibly should be lower but since Christmas, the main aim after Jose was sacked was to rekindle that consistency and belief and Hiddink has achieved that.

2 - What's the main thing that's gone wrong for Chelsea this season?
The players got way too confident and arrogant believing that no one could beat them. A poor summer transfer window didn't freshen up our squad and every other team figured out how to play us. We needed new faces and a new dimension, the board didn't achieve that.

3 - Player of the season
Its a hard one because no player has really stood out for me all season. If I had to give it to anyone, it would be Willian because through the early troubles of the season, he was the only one that actually put in a shift so he gets my vote.

4 - Signing of the season
Most people would vote for Pedro but I have to give it to Kenedy. Every time he plays, a new dimension and threat is brought to the whole team. Attacking minded and decent defensively and has a bright future ahead of him.

5 - Best team performance
Arsenal away. Even though they were down to 10 men, we defended solidly and attacked with purpose. It was a brilliant result away from home and the clean sheet put the cherry on top so that gets my vote

6 - Worst team performance
Bournemouth at home. Attending the game, it was awful. Players turned up not even caring about the badge on their chest and we deserved to lose. We had plenty of chances but no desire to put them away and for me, that was the nail in the coffin of the Jose era at Stamford Bridge. Truly awful day.

7 - Worst player of the season
I would normally say Hazard BUT I am going to say Oscar. Hazard has had injuries and lack of self confidence but Oscar has been started most games this season and just been ridiculously bad. No effort going back and forth and it looks as if he is off during the summer as a result of that.

8 - Who do you most want to sign this summer? (Realistically)
Personally, I feel we need a man that is passionate about football and wants to play week in week out no matter what whilst putting in a shift so of course it's going to go to Kante. Has has a ridiculously good season for Leicester and I wouldn't mind a man like him at Chelsea.

9 - Are you happy with the appointment of Conte?
I haven't really seen much of Conte but what I do know is that he doesn't take laziness or a lack of belief well and that's what this team needs. They need a kick up the ass and put them back into shape and I believe Conte will do that. He could be the one that turns them back into Champions especially with no European distractions so it will be an interesting season for Chelsea

10 - Prediction for next season.
This season was a transition season. The club know what they need to do and the players know what they need to do and without the distraction of any European football, I believe we will be right up there pushing for the number 1 spot but we shall see. Another up and down season could be ahead but we have to look at this as a step closer to a proper club. Every club has their bad moments and the best come out with wounds but carry on fighting, that's what I want to see and hopefully we do that and have something to cheer about come May 2017.

So there you have it, a true Chelsea fan's verdict on their season! Thanks to @UberChelseaFC for getting involved with an honest and realistic account on all things Stamford Bridge!

If you want to hear more from him then give him a follow over on twitter - https://twitter.com/UberCheIseaFC

What do you think of Chelsea's season? Let us in know in the comments section below!

The Top 5 New Football Stadiums

2016-04-17T20:45:00.000+01:00

Football is growing year on year and with this comes increased demand, so to accommodate this, clubs have been forced to develop their stadiums or even build new ones. This is becoming increasingly common so we though we'd take a look at the top 5.

Barcelona
Barca may already have one of the best stadiums in world football but they're not stopping there. Scheduled to be completed in 2021, Barcelona are renovating the Camp Nou to increase it's capacity to an enormous 105,000! Currently, only one big stand is covered by a roof but they plan to build a roof over the entire stadium to keep the noise in, although I'm sure it's just to make sure Leo Messi doesn't get abducted and taken back to his home planet!

Chelsea
Chelsea have been looking to expand for a while now and it finally looks as though they'll get their wish. They plan to start from the beginning by demolishing Stamford Bridge and building an entirely new stadium on top. The design is interesting to say the least but it does look extremely modern and will be able to hold 60,000 fans.

Tottenham

Spurs were initially in the mix for the Olympic Stadium but they lost out to West Ham and decided to expand somewhere else. The new ground will house 61,000 fans (surely this was done on purpose by a very bitter Spurs fan to surpass the Emirates capacity?). The stadium has a more European look and Tottenham will be hoping this remains the case as they look to succeed in European competition.

Valencia
Valencia's bid to expand their stadium has not been plain-sailing. The build was initially planned to hold 74,000 but due to construction problems this has been reduced to 65,000. Despite this, it's not all doom and gloom as the new exterior looks very impressive and Gary Neville won't be managing there!

Atletico Madrid
In a rather sad story, Atletico are being forced out of the Vicente Calderon by the City of Madrid as they have reclaimed the land on which the stadium sits. Next season will be their last in the infamous build as they relocate to Madrid's Olympic Stadium instead. Although it initially held a mere 20,000, they're seriously renovating it to increase the capacity to a mighty 70,000.

So there we have it, 5 exciting new developments in the world of football stadia! Which one is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!

We're looking for new writers for the site. To get involved and have your work read by thousands of people send us an e-mail at: latest_footy@hotmail.co.uk. Or give us a tweet at: @Latest_Footy

Top 5 Free Transfers This Summer

2016-04-07T19:01:00.000+01:00

We're coming to the end of another season of football and clubs are beginning to think about next season. Whether they're looking to build upon a strong campaign this time out or need to completely shake the place up, clubs will be keeping an eye out for any bargains in the transfer market and the best bargain is a free one. So here at the top 5 free transfers coming up this summer as their contracts run out!

First up is none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The big Swede's contract at PSG is up this summer and he has made it no secret that he won't be sticking around in Paris. Although the serial goalscorer seems to have his heart set on a move to the Premier League, I'm sure some ridiculous wages would tempt him anywhere. Ibrahimovic would undoubtedly be a great signing and could be the difference between a league title and a near miss!

Next is Manchester United's (for now) Michael Carrick. The deep-lying playmaker has been a part of the United set-up for 10 years now and looks to be moving on when his contract runs out at the end of the season. An established Premier League player, Carrick could be a decent signing for a number of clubs on a free.

Another Premier League player out of contract in the summer is Chelsea's John Terry. The defender could still be offered a short extension at Stamford Bridge but this is looking more and more unlikely. Terry isn't getting any younger but no one can doubt his ability.

Mathieu Flamini's name can be added to the list too as his contract his up this summer. The Frenchman could be on his way out of the Emirates and with so much experience behind him, I doubt he will have too much trouble finding a new club.

Martin Demichelis is another who may have to look for a new team this summer as his deal expires in June. The Argentinian has been prone to a few errors during his time at City but has also shown he can be a top-class defender on his day. Demichelis is reaching the end of his career but has another few seasons in him yet and could be a good bit of business.

Who do you think would be the best free transfer?

Manager Of The Season 2015/2016

2016-04-07T18:17:00.000+01:00

So with just a few games left of the season, we took a look at the possible candidates for the manager of the season so far.

Let's kick off with Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentinian hit the headlines instantly when he inherited the Southampton job from Nigel Adkins as he improved an already growing team into a force to be reckoned with. It didn't take long for the vultures to swoop and Pochettino soon made the switch to White Hart Lane where he endured a rather uneventful first season. However, since then it has been an entirely different story. Pochettino has single-handedly transformed Spurs from an average top 6 side with a habit of bottling it into genuine title contenders. OK, perhaps it is looking likely that they'll just miss out on the crown to Leicester but that is no smear on Pochettino's record as I highly doubt anyone had Spurs down to challenge for the title this year. Spurs have shown what they have lacked in previous seasons and that is consistency, clearly the former Espanyol manager has instilled a confidence in the side not seen before. It was often the sign of a Spurs side that they would collapse around February time, although this has not been the case this year and they have impressed everyone. Despite the fact they could be edged out of the Premier League throne by Leicester, I'm sure if you asked Spurs fans at the start of the season if they'd be happy with a Champions League spot, you'd hear a resounding yes. Coupled with the fact that Pochettino has built a solid squad with strength in depth, the future looks bright with young stars such as Alli and Kane enjoying excellent seasons.

Next up is a man who is probably the favourite for the title of 'manager of the season', and rightly so. Leicester's rise from the gloomy depths of the relegation zone to probable title winners is nothing short of incredible. A lot of managers enjoy success when it seems as though it is almost handed to them on a plate upon their appointment, however this cannot be said for Claudio Ranieri. The Italian took over after a less than ideal spell as Greek national team manager and after the rather controversial departure of Nigel Pearson. There were disciplinary issues in the squad and the club had narrowly avoided relegation after a long season, many tipped Leicester for the drop. How wrong they were as Ranieri set about his job unspectacularly, breeding a style of football that simply put, most teams just haven't been able to deal with. Ranieri bought players in like Okazaki and Fuchs but it's the way he has transformed the players already at his disposal that is most impressive. Should Leicester go on to win the title, as it currently appears they will, Ranieri has performed one of the biggest miracles in Premier League history and in my opinion he would be a deserving winner of the 'manager of the season' title.

Another manager who's experienced a thoroughly impressive season is West Ham's Slaven Bilic. The Croatian took over in the Summer following the departure of Sam Allardyce, a decision many thought would cost West Ham ahead of their big move to the Olympic Stadium next season. Bilic has simply shrugged this off and got on with his job brilliantly, masterminding some incredible victories. His cause was helped as he managed to claim some large scalps early on in the season with wins at the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad. It was this that got West Ham the recognition early on, however, it has been their form after the new year that makes him a contender. Many remember West Ham's start to the season last year and then collapse after Christmas and many predicted a similar outcome for the Hammers this term but this has just not been the case as West Ham have gone from strength to strength. Bilic can currently claim to be involved in a battle for a top 4 spot and has also got a possible FA Cup semi-final around the corner. Should the Hammers win the cup and finish in the top 4 I think Bilic could run Ranieri very close for manager of the season.

Finally, Bournemouth's Eddie Howe is going to get a mention. Whilst I think it is highly unlikely that Howe will pick up the award, I think he deserves to be mentioned among the others listed so far. In any ordinary season, Howe could probably hope to be up there, however as we all know, this season has been extraordinary and Howe can consider himself very unlucky on that count. Although it could be said that this has helped Bournemouth's cause as they have established themselves as a solid Premier League side. Howe made some shrewd signings in the market, expecting a tough debut season amongst England's elite and his job was then made even harder when two of those (Max Gradel and Tyrone Mings) suffered long term injuries, joining top striker Callum Wilson on the injury table. Despite this, Howe has managed to steer the Cherries away from the relegation zone and it seems their safety is now all but ensured. An incredible feat accomplished in the face of much adversity.

An honourable mention goes to Watford's Quique Sanchez Flores who looks to have kept Watford up in their first season back in the big time. They have enjoyed some good results and impressive performances this season but have tailed off as the season comes to a close.

Who do you think has been the manager of the season?

Let us know!

The 5 Most Prestigious Footballers

2016-03-13T16:00:00.000+00:00

Football has seen a vast amount of legends over the years. Ranging from the best goal scorers to robust defenders. However, prestigious footballers can often be overlooked so here's my top 5!

1. Ryan Giggs

Who else to start with but Ryan Giggs. Over 950 appearances with Manchester United winning 13 Premier League titles. Coming through the youth system with the famous Class of 96' team, Giggs has seen it all. 2 Champions League medals, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups and 9 Community Shields. Now being Louis Van Gaal's assistant manager he has stuck with the club for over 20 years and has often been linked with taking full control of United. No doubt the Manchester faithful would love to see him become their manager, but would he live up to the expectation required at Old Trafford?

2. Xavi Hernandez

With 25 trophies Xavi Hernandez holds the record for the most trophies by any Barcelona player. 767 appearances for Barcelona is also the highest by any player, and like Giggs, Xavi progressed through the youth system. Over 90,000 people stayed to watch Xavi's farewell at the Nou Camp following his last La Liga game for Barcelona. During that season, he went on to win the Copa Del Ray and the Champions League capping off a fantastic last season with the Catalan giants.

3. Javier Zanetti

The ex-captain played 858 games for Inter Milan winning 5 Serie A titles, 4 Coppa Italia and a Champions League medal. He is also the only captain to win the treble with an Italian team. Zanetti not only achieved the highest amount of caps for Inter, he also has the most caps for Argentina too. Zanetti's career with Inter Milan lasted 19 seasons. He won a total of 19 trophies, to which he captained the team for 18 of them. A remarkable footballer.

4. Iker Casillas

Spanish legend Iker Casillas has earned himself 165 caps for the national side along with 725 appearances for Real Madrid. During his spell, he won 5 La Liga titles, 2 Copa Del Rey, 4 Supercopa titles, 3 Champions League's 2 UEFA Super Cups, and, of course, a World Cup. An emotional goodbye during an interview showed how much Iker Casillas loved Real Madrid and it was clear the fans loved him back. Named the best keeper in the world a numerous amount of times demonstrated how great he is.

5. Gianluigi Buffon

Like Casillas, Buffon has won a vast amount during his long career as a goalkeeper. 154 caps for the Italian national side and a 2006 World Cup winners medal, is only the beginning. Having played his career in Italy, he has won 6 Serie A titles, 6 Supercoppa titles, 2 Coppa Italia title and 1 UEFA Cup. His total appearances for Parma and Juventus add up to 791. Still going strong at the age of 38, Buffon shows no signs of retiring from the game, especially because of how well Juventus are doing in the Serie A.

5 Reasons Why West Ham Can Make The Top 4

2016-03-12T19:59:00.000+00:00

Slaven Bilic's men have been on a rampage this season, combining some swift counter-attacking football with robust defending when they need to.

They started the season on fire but, unlike last season, have managed to hold it together after Christmas too. At the time of writing, the Hammers sit 2 points off 4th placed Manchester City so here's 5 reasons why they could earn a place amongst Europe's elite next season.

1. They've got Payet.

I thought I'd start with the most obvious reason. Whatever you think of Dimitri Payet, it's undeniable that he's absolutely changed West Ham United. The Frenchman simply has magic in his boots and has transformed West Ham this season. His talent is such that he improves the performances of those around him and even if he has a quiet game, he nearly always pop up with a crucial goal or assist. This is his best quality and it is what can win you matches and this is invaluable.

2. They haven't just got Payet.

One criticism that has often been levelled at West Ham this season is that they're a one man team, however, there is a lot of other talent in that West Ham side too. Players such as Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio and Cheikhou Kouyate are also vital to the cause. Despite West Ham's fortunes suffering slightly when Payet was injured at the back end of 2015, they did actually manage to stay unbeaten during that time and this was also combined with a number of other key injuries at the time to Diafra Sakho and Winston Reid for example, making it even more impressive. Perhaps not such a one man team after all?

3. Their team spirit is incredible.

From watching West Ham this season it has been evident that there is a great team spirit that Slaven Bilic has instilled. Although obviously difficult to prove or measure, if you ask any West Ham fan they'd tell you the same, Bilic has put together a group of players who all share a burning desire to succeed and credit for this must also go out to skipper Mark Noble, an ideal captain for any team.

4. Slaven Bilic is a quality manager

Although Sam Allardyce left very solid foundations at the club upon his departure at the end of last season, you cannot deny that Slaven Bilic has come in and really improved matters in East London. Bilic has made the Hammers hard to beat and a menace on the road. Gone are the days where late goals would flood in to break West Ham hearts. His substitutions have also been excellent, changing the game in West Ham's favour at nearly every opportunity. Although next season will be the real test, he has made a great impact so far.

5. Their ability to bounce back.

Often this season, West Ham's weakness has been a lacklustre first half performance and they have often fallen behind in games. However, their ability to turn a game on it's head has been hugely important this season. They came back from two down at Carrow Road recently, completely turned around a two goal deficit at Goodison last weekend and nicked a draw against Sunderland after going two down as well back in October. Although not the biggest scalps, this is a very important characteristic for any team. Their ability to grab late goals has also been evident and is a testament to how fit Bilic has got his players, allowing them to give 100% until the very end.

Do I think West Ham will actually get top 4 this season? As a pessimistic Hammer I'd say no, however it would not surprise me at all if they did, it is certainly within their grasp. One factor that may go against them is their early start to the season for the Europa League qualifying rounds, but only time will tell!

Do you think West Ham will finish in the top 4 this season? Let us know in the comments!

PSG Tracking Former Newcastle Star?

2016-03-04T20:37:00.000+00:00

TalkSPORT has reported that ex-Newcastle star Hatem Ben Arfa is on PSG 's radar this summer

Ben Arfa will become available for free this summer and PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is ready to snap him up quickly. The Frenchman has had an impressive career for Nice scoring 11 times in 24 games.

We all know what Ben Arfa is capable of but can he do it on the big stage? Let us know!

Liverpool Monitoring Bundesliga Pair

2016-03-04T18:15:00.000+00:00

Liverpool are said to be monitoring Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi and Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka according to BBC Sport

Having managed in Germany, Klopp certainly knows where the talent is. Already having his eye on ex-Borussia Dortmund superstar Mario Gotze, he has no eyed up another 2 Bundesliga talents.

Will Liverpool's re-build be successful? Let us know!

Roma Duo To Join Chelsea Along With Italian Manager?

2016-03-03T20:44:00.000+00:00

Football Italia has reported that Antonio Conte, the manager of Italy is close to agreeing on a deal to become the new manager of Chelsea and has already set his sights on two midfielders that he wishes to sign.

Miralem Pjanic and Radja Nainggolan both of Roma could be on their way to Stanford Bridge in the summer. The pair have made a name for themselves this year following Roma's successful campaign. Pjanic has had a wonderful season for Roma, marking himself as a set-piece king, whilst Nainggolan has become a rock in their midfield.

Are they the type of players Chelsea really need? There is no doubt that they will be watched by many teams around the world, but joining a top Premier League side would surely persuade him.

What do you think? Agree with Conte? Let us know!

Brazilian Poster Boy Set For A Change?

2016-03-02T20:46:00.000+00:00

The Sun is reporting that Barcelona front man Neymar is still in talks with France giants Paris Saint-German

The samba star has mentioned that he wants to be the main man at a club and with Messi at Barcelona there is no chance of this happening. A career move away from the Nou Camp could see Neymar's ambition come true with his father, also his agent, talking to PSG representatives.

Would this be the right move for the young superstar? Let us know!

Wenger To Bid For Bundesliga Star?

2016-03-02T13:41:00.000+00:00

Arsene Wenger is looking to improve his squad over the summer with a transfer budget of £75 million.

Whilst this includes trying to get stars Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to sign new deals, he is looking for an elite striker.

Borussia Dortmund's front man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been on Wenger's radar this year and it's clear why. Scoring 22 goals in 22 games he has had an incredible season. Will he be the final piece of the jigsaw to secure Arsenal another Premier League title?

Is he the right man in your opinion? Let us know!

Real Madrid Superstars Set To Be Put Up For Sale

2016-03-01T18:23:00.000+00:00

Talk Sport is reporting that James Rodriguez and Isco are being put up for sale this summer.

The Real Madrid pair are being monitored closely by Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Real are said to be disappointed with the pair's form this season as Los Blancos have fallen 12 points behind Barcelona in La Liga.

Isco has managed just three goals in 29 appearances this season, while James hasn't fared much better, having found the target just twice since the turn of the year.

According to AS, Real's directors are now ready to put the pair up for sale this summer as Zinedine Zidane plans a revamp of his squad to try and close the gap on Barcelona.

German Superstar To Re-join Klopp?

2016-03-01T16:27:00.001+00:00

The Daily Express has reported that Jurgen Klopp is looking at bringing Mario Gotze to Anfield for the start of the 2016/17 season.

Having won 2 league titles with Borussia Dortmund, Mario Gotze has found his career at Bayern Munich tough due to a number of injuries ruling him out. Scoring the winner at the World Cup, Gotze holds bags of talent, and Jurgen Klopp can certainly bring the best out of him again. After all, it's no secret that they love each other!

How Do You Solve A Problem Like England?

2016-03-01T14:48:00.001+00:00

For years now, the English national team has been under performing and falling short on the big stage. With arguably the best league in the world and everyone in the squad playing in that league, you'd think we'd be one of the best teams about. Unfortunately, this is not the case and we look poor against good, well-organised teams. So what is going wrong with the nation's finest?

The first thing you've got to look at is the manager, Roy Hodgson. Formerly of West Brom, Liverpool and Fulham, Hodgson is respected within the game and whilst not a miracle worker, he knows what he's doing. Hodgson hasn't been in the job that long, after being appointed England manager on 1st May 2012 but has already got a major tournament under his belt. Although expectations weren't overly high for the tournament, England stunk of average in my opinion. After a rather dull 1-1 draw against France, England just shuffled past Sweden and Ukraine in the group stages before losing to finalists Italy. The score in the Italy match wasn't a fair reflection, in my opinion, they were the better team and offered a lot more going forward, we never looked threatening in attack. Whilst not very promising, is this hugely different from recent England managers that have gone before him? No is your answer. Hodgson could be forgiven for this uninspiring tournament as he hadn't been in charge long and it was his first one.

Next up the youth system. Teams such as Spain and France are known for their incredible youth players who go on to have highly successful careers. Of course, England has produced fantastic players who have gone on to become world-class talents. However, we rarely see a consistent team formed. Midfield maestros Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets have played together for years not only for Barcelona but also Spain in a number of tournaments. The problem with having a vast amount of friendlies is that the team gets disrupted and despite there being little time to gel together anyway, this doesn't help the situation. It's time Hodgson found a basis for his team and keep it.

Do we have a chance at this years Euro 2016? We believe we do. Our squad is full of talent both old and young. Players playing for top clubs who compete at the highest levels. We've put the World Cup behind us and now its time to focus on having a successful Euro tournament.

Do you think we can achieve success? Let us know!

Premier League Striker to Join Jamie Vardy Up Top?

2016-01-31T18:24:00.002+00:00

Leicester City have reportedly had an £11.5 million bid accepted for Chelsea striker Loic Remy according to The Independent. The French international has had a tough time at Chelsea being second best to Diego Costa and usually finding himself on the bench.

Already being a proven striker at Newcastle and QPR in the Premier League, Leicester City are certainly getting a trustworthy striker. With Jamie Vardy having the season of his life, things can only get better for Claudio Ranieri and his title charging squad.

Let us know what you think. Is this smart business by Ranieri?