Everton lining up a £25m summer move for West Ham left-back
Aaron Cresswell Everton are looking to sign Aaron Cresswell at the
end of this season. According to
reports, Sam Allardyce has worked
with the West Ham left-back before and he is
a big
admirer of the 28-year-old.
Allardyce wants Cresswell to compete with Baines for the
starting left back position.
The report goes on to quote a source that
claims Cresswell is keen on a move back to
Liverpool this summer.
It
will be interesting to see what happens if an offer comes in
from Everton. West Ham
will
not want to lose a key player. Moyes is planning to put
together a decent squad
himself and Cresswell has been a key player for him.
Apparently, Everton will launch a £25million offer for the
West Ham defender this
summer. Leighton Baines has been a fantastic player for
Everton over the years but
he is
33 years old and it is time for the Toffees to start planning
for life without him.
Cresswell could prove to be a wise addition ifthey
manage to convince West Ham
to
sell.
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Jose Mourinho reacts to Paul Pogba’s stunning performance vs
Man City
Manchester United
manager Jose Mourinho was content with the performance
of
Paul Pogba, who bagged a match-winning brace at the Etihad
Stadium on
Saturday evening. The France international’s position was
brought into question
after
Pep Guardiola suggested that he was offered to Manchester City
in January,
but
the midfielder came up with a fitting reply.
Pogba
was key to United’s stunning comeback in the second-half with
two goals in
the
space of 97 seconds, and Chris Smalling ensured that the game
ended in the club’s
favour with a headed-winner. Following the 3-2 derby win,
Mourinho was pleased
with
Pogba’s impact during the derby, and jokingly suggested his
valuation may
have
been upped after a game-changing display.
On
any day, Pogba’s efforts may not be of great importance, but
there is nothing
better than halting City’s title celebrations. The Citizens
are expected to win the title
by
the end of this month, but Pogba’s feat will be fondly
remembered for spoiling the
party
atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium.
With
the win, United have more or less sealed the second spot in
the Premier League,
and
they now hold a four-point advantage over both Liverpool and
Tottenham. Arsenal
are
the only top-six club, United are due to face before the end
of the season, and they
should fancy a win based on the second half display versus
City.
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Japan dismisses
coach Halilhodzic ahead of FIFA World Cup
The
Japan Football Association (JFA) on Monday decided to
dismiss the head coach of
Japan’s national team, just two months out from the 2018
World Cup, local media reported.
Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic will be dismissed from his
position as the head coach of Japan’s
national football team, colloquially known as the “Samurai
Blue”, despite his success in
steering the team through the 2018 FIFA World Cup
qualification rounds, reports Efe.
The
Japanese team recently failed to clinch a victory in recent
friendlies against Mali and
Ukraine, who did not even qualify for the event in Russia.
The decision is scheduled to be
officially announced at a press conference on Monday here,
during which the JTA will also
reveal who will replace Halilhodzic as new head coach.
The
new coach is expected to be among these shortlisted
candidates: JFA’s technical director
Akira Nishino, an experienced J-League coach; Hajime
Moriyasu, Japan’s under-21 football
team coach; and Makoto Teguramori, a member of Halilhodzic’s
coaching staff.
Halilhodzic assumed the head-coaching duty for Japan in
March 2015, replacing his Mexican
predecessor Javier Aguirre, and helped the national team
secure their spot in the 2018 FIFA
World Cup with a record of 6 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws in
the qualification round.
However, the disappointing performance of the Japanese team
in recent games, coupled with
the
team’s dissatisfaction with the Bosnian coach, have pushed
the JFA to terminate the contract
with Halilhodzic.
Japan is scheduled to play against Colombia on June 19,
which will be their first game in the
2018 FIFA World Cup, in Russia. Japan and Colombia form
parts of group H with two other
teams, Senegal and Poland.
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Gareth Southgate
told to pick Arsenal ace for World Cup squad
That’s according to Tony Cascrino who’s backed the former
Manchester United forward to
play an important role in Russia. The Gunners secured a 3-2
win over Southampton yesterday
despite a lacklustre performance.
Welbeck, 27, bagged a brace in the Emirates clash. Cascarino
says Welbeck’s positive attitude
makes him a popular pick for managers. He wrote in The
Times: “I was really pleased with Danny
Welbeck's performance yesterday.
“For me, he has to go on the plane to Russia this summer.
“He will not be first choice, but he
is
the best second choice. He always shows hunger and desire,
and that is why so many managers
have picked him.
“Before Welbeck's goals, the atmosphere was so muted at the
Emirates. Arsenal this year have
been also-rans. “After winning the FA Cup last year, the
fans were expecting much more this season.
But
they are so disillusioned. They feel like they have had
enough.
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LOFTUS-CHEEK: FEELING
GOOD
Ruben
Loftus-Cheek was pleased to be involved as England opened
their World Cup campaign with a win,
and
the Chelsea midfielder has spoken about the fantastic support
the team have received back home.
The
22-year-old came off the bench for the closing stages of
Monday’s 2-1 victory against Tunisia, impressing
with
his quality on the ball and ability to create goalscoring
opportunities.
With
Dele Alli nursing an injury Loftus-Cheek could potentially
start when England play Panama in their
next
game on Sunday, and he was pleased with the contribution he
made against Tunisia.
‘It
was just a natural instinct because when the game is like
that, with not long left, you have to try to make
stuff
happen and take risks, so I just thought I’d go on and be
direct,’ he explained.
‘I
thought we did really well in the first half, we could have
scored a few goals, so to keep the faith, stay
patient and get the goal at the end was fantastic.
‘It
felt good to play. When you're playing you don't think about
it, but afterwards you let it sink in and think
you’ve just played at a World Cup. It's crazy.’
As
ever, when England are involved at a major tournament the
nation is fully behind the team, and Harry Kane’s
last-gasp winner on Monday sparked jubilant scenes up and down
the country.
Having watched some videos of fans celebrating the winning
goal, Loftus-Cheek spoke about the importance
of
that support.
‘We're in this little bubble with our own vision and we're
focused, so we don't always see what's going on
outside like that,’ he said.
‘That
was mental, beers flying up in the air, it was like a
festival. Everyone forgets who they support club-wise
and
just comes together.’