West Brom have continued to strengthen the club, even outside of the transfer window.
And it’s another addition to their goalkeeping ranks – a return of someone they know well.
Last week, Ali Al-Habsi joined the club on a contract until the end of the season to provide backup to both Sam Johnstone and Jonathan Bond.
Now their former shot-stopper Boaz Myhill has returned to the Hawthorns as he makes the first transition into a potential coaching career.
The 36-year-old has been appointed as Albion’s new Professional Phase Development Goalkeeping Coach just a few months after being released by the club for a second time.
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Myhill’s affiliation with the West Brom stretches back nearly ten years after he signed from Hull City back in 2010 just as the Baggies were promoted to the Premier League.
Though, he was primarily a backup option throughout his spell in the west Midlands, having made just a total of 85 appearances for the club.
Several fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the appointment.
One supporter lauded the decision by calling it an ‘excellent appointment,’ which was echoed by a range of other superlatives including ‘brilliant’ and ‘great.’
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Another member of the Baggies faithful claimed the goalkeepers at the club were in good hands whilst one more said Myhill was ‘the GOAT.’
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…
Mauricio Pochettino has shrugged off claims that he could leave the club in the next week, per The London Evening Standard.
What’s he said?
TalkSPORT claimed on Thursday that this weekend’s clash with Arsenal could be Pochettino’s last match in charge of Spurs.
The Standard also reports that bookmakers suspended betting on the former Southampton manager walking away but he has now rubbished the rumours, labelling them “stupid”.
He said: “What can I say about a stupid rumour? After five years, now I start the sixth and you know how we work in the summer to try to rebuild and update the squad.
“Now we are 6.0 software. The new version. That stupidity can only happen through some rumours on social media that create a big, big problem that doesn’t exist. I’m not going to walk away after the north London derby.
“I’m going to be here Monday and Tuesday. My plan is to travel – I don’t want to say where – and then Friday [back] again to London, meeting with Daniel (Levy).
“We’re going to watch some national team games live, and then Monday preparing for the new week. I’m not the type of person who sends messages through social. Did you bet [on it]? It’s closed now, eh? You lost your money!”
No surprise
How anyone could actually think that Pochettino was set to leave is baffling.
Yes, Spurs have not started the season in the best form and were appalling as they lost 1-0 to Newcastle United at the weekend.
But does that mean Pochettino is poised to depart? Absolutely not.
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He signed a five-year contract in 2018 and has just overseen major surgery on his squad.
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TalkSPORT have a habit of peddling absolute drivel merely to bring in listeners and gain retweets on Twitter.
This is another such example; that Pochettino has had to deny it is nonsensical in itself.
After a whole summer of the media having a go at Real Madrid and dooming them before they could even set foot into the new 2019/20 La Liga season, it seems that Zinedine Zidane and his troops are out to prove a point.
At least, that’s one of the takeaways from last weekend’s game against Celta Vigo that ended in a pretty convincing 3-1 victory for Los Blancos. It was not really a statement game or a game that showed total domination over their opponent but it was a hard-earned victory at a tricky stadium against a well-oiled outfit.
And considering how their last campaign went and how it all looked bleak and gloomy just weeks ago, they did more than just fine. Another thing worth noting is how thin their bench currently looks like with multiple players sidelined by injuries, including their prized new signing, Eden Hazard.
But Real Madrid were still strong and they stood their ground, clinching all three points and jumping to the top of the table for the time being. This, however, does not indicate that all of their problems have magically disappeared now that the new campaign has started.
Not in the slightest, no. But if there is one thing Zidane should note going into the next game, which will be against Real Valladolid on Saturday, then that’s that he should stick to the basics for the time being.
A lot has been said about his squad not being good enough and his tactics being obsolete, but despite no shortage of criticism and question marks, it still worked.
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Sure, they were not outrageously flashy and they didn’t set the world alight with their innovative and incredible skills, but they did win in a rather vintage 2017 Real Madrid-esque way.
The way they set up their lineup, the way they attacked and the way they structured their overall gameplan was very much reminiscent of the Real Madrid from a couple of years back; the one that won the Champions League three times in a row and the one Zidane set up to succeed.
And maybe, in a way, that is the “secret formula” for them at the moment, and not just for the weekend but for the season ahead in general. As the saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Maybe it didn’t really work out for Santiago Solari or Julen Lopetegui but then again, they don’t really have Zidane’s pedigree and knowledge of this team.
Everyone has been very vocal about Real Madrid needing this rebirth, the resurrection and a clean slate that will magically pull them out of the gutters but that kind of a change doesn’t really happen overnight, does it?
With that in mind, maybe a slower transition could be the solution to their problems. So looking ahead to the game on Saturday, Zidane really shouldn’t tamper too much with the things that obviously still work.
Eight players out of 11 against Celta Vigo were among Real’s most used in Zidane’s last season. Some will undoubtedly criticise the Frenchman for it but there is some wisdom in it as well.
A team that is still trying to find its feet should not plunge head-first into the unknown and the next game, the first one at the Santiago Bernabeu in the new season, should not be an exception either.
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Zidane, and the whole team for that matter, can certainly use some familiarity and stick to the basics that they know work for sure. If that means once again fielding the same lineup or using the same tactics, then so be it.
For some, innovation might be the only way forward but for Real Madrid, it’s very much the opposite. After all, you have to master the basics in order to become better, right?
Even if the Galacticos are going through a transitional period, they will first have to learn how to walk before they can run off with all the trophies once again.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking on talkSPORT, Arsenal legend Martin Keown has delivered his verdict on the Gunners’ transfer business this summer.
What did he say?
After a disappointing end to the campaign last season, Arsenal’s work in the transfer market has certainly raised the sense of optimism surrounding the club.
The north London side broke their transfer record to sign Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, whilst deadline day deals for Kieran Tierney and David Luiz added to their defensive options.
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Having also seen the Gunners sell Alex Iwobi for big-money, Keown delivered his assessment of Arsenal’s overall business this summer.
He said: “The price Everton paid is staggering, but it’s good business from Arsenal. They needed to generate some cash, so they’ve got that money in to recoup and they spent money on deadline day defensively.
“Pepe is rapid and if you look at our two front players, they are as good as anything in the Premier League. Aubameyang is really quite a special player. He is the closest thing I’ve seen to Thierry Henry since he left and that’s high praise for him. But I’m still concerned about the midfield and the security they give the back-four. Will David Luiz get the protection he’s going to need?” A fine summer’s work
When Unai Emery’s side slipped to a humbling 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Europa League final, very few could have imagined the kind of turnaround in mood the Gunners would experience by the start of the new season. The north London club have addressed many of the key issues that plagued them during Emery’s first campaign in charge, and made a mockery of the reported £45m budget most thought they had.
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Pepe’s pace and directness offers Arsenal the chance to play a tantalising front three involving the Ivorian, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Further back, Tierney and Luiz should help to solidify a defence that conceded 51 goals in the Premier League last season. So from the position they started in a couple of months ago, there is no doubting the Gunners have had a fine summer.
A number of Everton fans have reacted negatively to a claim that their club tried to sign Alex Iwobi in the latter stages of the transfer window.
According to BBC Sport, Everton have failed with a £30m move for the Arsenal attacker.
The report claims an offer in excess of £40m may be needed to get a deal done, with the Goodison Park outfit expected to return with an improved offer.
As expected, the Merseyside club’s fans have been on social media offering their views on the speculation.
And many have urged their team to forget about a move for the Nigeria international rather than following up with an improved offer.
Iwobi only managed three goals in 35 Premier League appearances for Unai Emery’s side last season but he did contribute seven assists.
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The 23-year-old attacker is not particularly wanted at Goodison Park, though, with one Toffees fan even claiming that the Gunners ace is no better than Theo Walcott.
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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
[ad_pod ]Lots of Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after the news broke of Alexander Sorloth’s imminent move to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.
A video was taken of the Norwegian striker at an airport being welcomed by his new supporters like he’s Lionel Messi, despite the move not yet being confirmed by Palace.
The 23-year-old arrived at Selhurst Park in a £9m deal from Norwegian side FC Midtjylland back in January 2018, and it is safe to say that he has been a huge failure for the Eagles.
Sorloth has netted just one goal for the south Londoners, coming against Swansea in the Carabao Cup – he spent time out on loan with Gent last term having found game time hard to come by at Selhurst Park.
Have Sky Sports been exposed as liars this summer? Watch the video below to find out why…
As the move is yet to be made official at the time of writing, we do not know whether the deal is a loan or a permanent transfer, although one would assume the Palace fans will just be happy to see the back of their misfiring No.9.
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Let’s take a look at how the Palace fans on Twitter reacted to Sorloth’s imminent exit…
Pundit Jackie McNamara has told Football Insider he believes Rangers would be happy getting anything close to their original fee for Eros Grezda.
What’s the story?
McNamara thinks Steven Gerrard and director of football Mark Allen would be glad to get a fee even remotely close to the £1.8m they paid for the Albanian, never mind make a profit.
Gerrard brought the winger to the club last August from Osijek but he’s been far from a hit at Ibrox in the past year.
The 24-year-old played just 17 times in his debut season for the Light Blues, contributing to a measly three goals. This disappointing form has lead to links away from Ibrox as the club look to ship out the deadwood during a busy summer.
And McNamara says the Gers would be doing well to recoup their initial outlay on the winger, stating: “There’s a player that we’ve not really seen much of since he’s been there. I think if they can get anywhere near their money back they’ll be happy with that.”
Time to go
The former Scotland international’s comments come amid rumours that two Ligue 1 sides are looking to end Grezda’s horror spell at the Gers. According to Soccerlink.fr, the winger is a target for Dijon and The Scottish Sun reported that French top-flight counterparts Brest have joined the race for his services.
With a new bumper TV deal set to kick in next season, we might begin to see more French clubs start to splash the cash soon. But even with all the money in the world, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with the lack of sense to give Rangers anything close to what they paid for the former Osijek wide man – two goals and one assist in a relatively weak division is truly shocking for an attacking player.
Also, given he’s unlikely to feature at all this season for Rangers with four new wingers arriving this summer, you’d imagine the club will just want him off the wage bill, and that desperation to flog him will hardly do his ever-decreasing value any favours.
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McNamara is almost certainly right about Grezda’s potential fee, but the one crumb of comfort for Gerrard is that at least there is interest in his flop.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
West Brom’s pre-season preparations continued with a 4-0 win over Scunthorpe on Saturday afternoon as the Baggies put a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Villarreal a week previous behind them.
Albion weren’t at their best in the first half, failing to score, but words from new manager Slaven Bilic over the interval clearly worked a treat.
Matt Phillips, Filip Krovinovic and Hal Robson-Kanu were all on the score sheet in the second period.
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On the chalkboard
After West Brom’s loss against Villarreal, Bilic admitted that he wanted to play with two strikers in the upcoming season.
The arrival of Kenneth Zohore should help with that but once again, the boss played Oliver Burke as the main striker.
Beside him were Phillips and Kyle Edwards as the Croatian opted for a 4-3-3 formation.
And it was the former who shone, scoring twice as he put himself firmly to the forefront of Bilic’s mind.
The Scot scored either side of Krovinovic’s first goal for the club, guiding home a Conor Townsend cross before then finding the net with his head.
Phillips was in brilliant form throughout the first half of last season but an injury led to a troubled end to the campaign, failing to ever replicate the performances he showed previously.
Jimmy Shan started to play him in midfield but it was back in a more familiar role of on the flanks that he showed what he was capable of against Scunthorpe.
Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…
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The 28-year-old scored five goals whilst also claiming seven assists in 2018/19, but none of those goal contributions came after the New Year period.
He initially picked up an ankle injury in January with West Brom hoping for a February return but he then suffered a further setback in April.
It has been a bitterly disappointing 2019 so far for Phillips but in pre-season, he’s showing glimpses of getting back to his best.
For an Albion team who lacked much creativity after Harvey Barnes returned to Leicester, this should be hugely encouraging for Bilic and the Baggies.
According to The Evening Standard, Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen.
The Dane contributed 10 goals and 17 assists last season for Spurs in what was another impressive campaign which resulted in them reaching the Champions League final.
Yet despite the wave both he and the Lilywhites seem to be riding, the 27-year-old has recently spoken about the possibility of leaving the north London club.
Initially, it seemed as though Real Madrid were the front runners to swoop him up after Eriksen said publicly that they would be a ‘step-up’, but now it appears their city rivals have other plans for him.
And clubs like Atletico (who recently signed Kieran Trippier) will now fancy their chances, as the midfielder only has one year left on his contract , meaning Spurs risk losing him for nothing next summer if they do not cash in now.
Since the Scandinavian maestro arrived at White Hart Lane six years ago, he has scored or assisted 152 goals in 277 appearances – some return for a player who many people forget only cost the club £11.5m.
He is now a part of the furniture in Tottenham’s front four alongside, more often than not, Heung-min Son, Dele Alli and Harry Kane. Indeed, the former Ajax man has missed just eight Premier League games in four seasons and has registered assists into the double figures in all of them.
He would therefore clearly be missed if he were to leave but ultimately Spurs do need to be smart about the situation.
They have a player in Alli who is four years younger than Eriksen and is able to occupy a similar number ten position to him. While the England man does have some way to go to match his teammate in terms of attacking contribution (Alli trailed Eriksen in almost every offensive statistic per 90 mins other than dribbles as per WhoScored), the club-record arrival of Tanguy Ndombele should also ease the creative burden.
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Indeed, the Frenchman recorded an impressive 1.4 key passes per game, as well as 1.9 dribbles and registered seven assists for Lyon last season.
And with the figures being floated about for a player who will go for free next summer – The Mirror reporting his price tag as £130m – financially and rationally it makes sense for them to sell.
Should the club take the money and run for Eriksen? Join the discussion by commenting below…
It’s official and both the club and player have confirmed it – Alberto Moreno has joined Villarreal on a free transfer after his contract at Liverpool expired.
The Spanish full-back has signed a five-year contract with the Yellow Submarine and has already passed his medical.
Now he is ready to join the squad in their pre-season training and then start the La Liga season in August.
Moreno joined Liverpool in the summer of 2014 and has since played a total of 141 games, scoring three goals and assisting a further 11 in the process.
He became a free agent when his contract expired in July and Villarreal have grasped the opportunity to sign the 27-year-old in a cunning swoop.
Moreno has since taken to
/BztCIGyowy4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to celebrate his move and the snap was met with a lot of great wishes by his former teammates and friends on Merseyside.
Andrew Robertson and James Milner were among the first ones to reply to the snap as they showered Moreno with their best wishes of support.
Soon, other teammates followed as Dejan Lovren, Georginio Wijnaldum and Simon Mignolet joined the party.
In the 2018/19 season, Moreno was second fiddle to Robertson and he played just five games in all competitions.
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By the end of the campaign it became obvious that he was effectively surplus to requirements.