Coutinho Would Be a Good Option For Manchester United - Kleberson

Manchester United have been urged to make a move for Philippe Coutinho, with Kleberson saying his fellow Brazilian could be a “great asset” for a Red Devils team in need of “a number 10”.

The former Liverpool playmaker has been mooted as a potential transfer target for the Old Trafford side in the past.

Transfer gossip suggested that a move could have been made over the summer, but Coutinho ended up leaving Barcelona for a loan spell at German giants Bayern Munich.

His time in the Bundesliga has not gone entirely to plan, with the 27-year-old still waiting to rediscover the form he showed at Anfield, but his quality remains without question.

Taking that into account, Kleberson says United should be considering a bid to bring the proven performer back to the Premier League.

The former Brazil international, who spent two years with the Red Devils in his playing days, told the Manchester Evening News: “Man United have a good team, but they need a number 10 who will come in and control the game going forward. 

Someone who will create chances, control the ball and score goals where possible.

"Many teams in the Premier League have good players going forward, who can score goals but at the moment Manchester United don’t have that.

“Philippe Coutinho would be a good option for United. 

I know he has struggled recently at Bayern Munich and before at Barcelona but players like him don’t lose their quality. 

He’s a brilliant player and would be a great asset for Manchester United.”

Questions continue to be asked of the options available to Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer With World Cup winner Paul Pogba still nursing an injury, the likes of Fred and Andreas Pereira have failed to provide the required level of inspiration.

Solskjaer has seen his future called into question amid the struggles for consistency, but Kleberson believes the coach will retain the backing he needs.

“He won’t get the sack, but he continues to have a lot of pressure on him," Kleberson added.

“They need to be planning for the future. I don’t like when teams change the managers too quickly as they need time to adjust and implement their plans.

“If they keep hold of Ole, he will have a good team in the future, they will be strong and will have had enough time for the manager to bring in his methods and tactics. 

It will be a good opportunity for young players to play in the team, they might bring more players in who could help the team improve.”

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He Has Arsenal DNA - Josh Kroenke.

Arsenal have full faith in interim manager Freddie Ljungberg and will not rush into finding a permanent replacement for Unai Emery, according to Josh Kroenke.

Emery was sacked by the Gunners on Friday, paying the price for an awful run of form that has seen the north Londoners tumble down the Premier League standings.

Thursday's defeat in the Europa League at the hands of Frankfurt was the final straw for those in charge at the Emirates Stadium, but Emery's position had already been compromised by a five-game winless run domestically that leaves his former employers now languishing in ninth place.

Into the breach steps Ljungberg, a favourite with the Gunners support as a swashbuckling winger under Arsene Wenger and a member of Emery's backroom staff, as the Spaniard's temporary successor on the bench.

But while a host of names have already been linked with the vacancy, Kroenke is willing to give Ljungberg time to prove himself before making a final decision on appointments.

"First and foremost Freddie has Arsenal DNA," the director, son of billionaire Arsenal owner Stan, told the club's official website.

"Obviously he was a player here for a number of years, the supporters know him very well and he's worked diligently behind the scenes for the past several years, including the last year and a half or so with Arsenal again.

"So it's been great to have him around, he knows the club's DNA and we feel he is the right person in the moment to take the club forward.

"My message to Freddie and the players was let's get back to basics and most importantly let's get back to having some fun. I think footballers are at their best when I see smiles on their faces and going out there and winning matches. That's a winning formula to me."

Emery filled the role left vacant by Arsene Wenger in the summer of 2018 after more than 20 years in charge, but lasted less than 18 months himself.

Kroenke admitted that he regrets having to let the former Valencia and PSG boss go, but did so for the good of the club.

"Like all of our fans and supporters around the globe, we've been concerned about our recent string of performances. We wanted to support Unai and his staff until we decided it was time to make a change and ultimately we came to that decision over the last several weeks as a group between myself, Raul, Vinai and Edu," he added.

"First and foremost Unai is a good man, someone that we all respect very much. His work ethic on a daily basis between him and his staff was fantastic. Ultimately we started to fall short of several goals that we set. We still feel that we can achieve those goals this season, which is why we decided to make the change now."

Ljungberg will take charge of his first game on Sunday, when Arsenal visit relegation battlers Norwich City.

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Real Madrid Set to Offer James Rodriguez And a Whooping £70 million To Lure Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the Bernabeu

The Colombian midfielder was a huge hit at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and finished as the top scorer with a succession of beautiful strikes.

But since his move to Real Madrid he has failed to perform and hasn't been fancied under several managers.

He was loaned to Bayern Munich last season and now Zinedine Zidane is keen to use him in a player plus cash deal to bag Arsenal's new captain.

The 30-year-old was signed by Arsene Wenger in 2018 and has scored 40 Premier League goals in just 55 starts, including 10 goals in just 16 appearances this term despite Arsenal misfiring.

Reports suggest he is keen to move on in the summer despite being handed the armband at the Emirates after Granit Xhaka's well-documented indiscretions last month saw him stripped of the honour.

Zidane reportedly wants to add Auba to an attacking trio that could rival Liverpool's. Namely Eden Hazard, who moved in the summer, the Arsenal man and PSG's Kylian Mbappe.

His current forward line, which includes the misfiring Hazard and Luka Jovic aren't doing what's required and the Gabonese striker could plug the gap in the Spanish capital.

Rodriguez, 28, has made nine appearances for Real this season, scoring just one goal and Zidane is keen to offload him.

But Marca report that the player would prefer to stay put and try to win back a place in the Madrid team.

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Euro 2020 Draw

Draw Result:

Group A

Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales

Group B

Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland

Group C

Ukraine, Netherlands, Austria, Winner play-off Path D

Group D

England, Croatia, Czech Republic, Winner play-off Path C

Group E

Spain, Poland, Sweden, Winner play-off Path B

Group F

Germany, France, Portugal, Winner play-off Path A

Teams in Euro 2020 Play-off 

Play-off Path A

Iceland, Belarus, Hungary, Romania

Play-off Path B

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, The Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland

Play-off Path C

Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Israel

Play-off Path D

Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus

When does Euro 2020 kick off?

Euro 2020 begins on June 12, 2020 in Rome, with the Stadio Olimpico hosting the first game of the tournament.

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Mauricio Pochettino fired at Tottenham Hotspur

During the international break, Mauricio Pochettino has been axed as Tottenham Hotspur manager.

The club sits 14th in the Premier League table, without a win in its last five league games.

“We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the Board has taken lightly, nor in haste,” the club said in its official statement.

Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.

“It falls to the Board to make the difficult decisions – this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff – but we do so in the Club’s best interests. 

Mauricio and his coaching staff will always be part of our history. I have the utmost admiration for the manner in which he dealt with the difficult times away from a home ground whilst we built the new stadium and for the warmth and positivity he brought to us. 

I should like to thank him and his coaching staff for all they have contributed. They will always be welcome here. We have a talented squad. We need to re-energize and look to deliver a positive season for our supporters.”

Reports had suggested over the past few days that his position was becoming more and more untenable, but there was no indication that a change was this imminent. The Telegraph reported Monday look Daniel Levy during the international break about the direction and they suggested the game against West Ham United this weekend could be “make or break” for the Argentine.

Pochettino had been with the club since joining in 2014. They reached the Champions League final last season, losing to Liverpool.

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Madrid Considering Lewandowski January Move

Real Madrid are reportedly considering an outlandish move for Lewandowski in January transfer window.

The Polish international has been in outstanding form this season and has registered 18 goals in his first 13 appearances of the season for Bayern, including two in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory at Olympiakos.

The news of Madrid’s interest has been reported in the somewhat unreputable media outlet Ok Diario, which is directed by Eduardo Inda of El Chiringuito de Jugones.

It has been said that Zinedine Zidane believes his attack needs more firepower and the former Borussia Dortmund forward t, has been identified as a key target.

The Pole is contracted at €75m - which would be a significant outlay by the club.

A number of players has been linked with the exit door of Los Blancos this January including Isco, Brahim Diaz and Mariano Diaz.

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Messi Adds To Champions League History

After scoring against Slavia Praha, Argentine magician Lionel "Merciless" Messi has become the first player in Champions League history ever to score at least once in every 15 consecutive seasons in the European competition. 

The 32-year-old Barcelona forward and captain is still on the way to making more histories!

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Nigerian Sensation Poised To Join Los Blanco's In The Summer

The future of the Super Eagles is exciting with a lot of new talents available for German Coach Gernot Rohr and Real Madrid is set to make a huge bid worth £40m (N18.4billion) for Villarreal wonder boy, Samuel Chukwueze in the summer.

According to Spanish transfer market website Fichajes, the Los Blancos are planning for the exit of Wales international Gareth Bale, who is strongly linked with a return to the premier league and the Chinese Super League.

The Tottenham Hotspur winger has been regularly linked with a transfer to Manchester United in recent months and saw a move to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning fall through at the last minute in the summer transfer window after Zinedine Zidane pulled the plug.

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Supercomputer Predicts Final Premier League Table For 2019-20 Season

Supercomputer has predicted how Premier League table for 2019-20 season will finally be.

We are two months into the 2019-20 Premier League season and already, the competition has seen a fair share of twists and turns.

Liverpool FC and the Citizens are at the top of the table right now, with the Reds at the top.

While we are almost certain that Liverpool and City will continue with their dormancy at the top of the table, we are yet to say with certainty as to who will take home the coveted trophy at the end of the season.

Given the nature of the competition, a few other teams are also likely to be in contention for the title of Premier League Champions for 2019-20.

We are also unsure as to how and where the other teams will finish their ongoing campaign.

That being said, TalkSport has claimed that their supercomputer already knows how the final league table will look like, at the end of this season.

Let's have a look on what the super-computer predicted:

20. Newcastle United (relegated)
19. Brighton and Hove Albion (relegated)
18. Watford (relegated)
17. Aston Villa
16. Norwich City
15. Crystal Palace
14. Sheffield United
13. Burnley
12. Wolverhampton Wanderers
11. Southampton
10. Bournemouth
9. Everton
8. West Ham United
7. Leicester City
6. Manchester United
5. Arsenal (Europa League qualification)
4. Chelsea (Champions League qualification)
3. Tottenham Hotspur (Champions League qualification)
2. Manchester City (Champions League qualification)
1. Liverpool (Premier League champions, Champions League qualification)

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English Premier League Golden Boot Has GoneTo The Wire

The Premier League hotshots look like finishing the season level on goals scored - but what happens to the Golden Boot in that situation?

Unlike the World Cup where the Golden Boot is decided by assists if a number of scorers are level, the Premier League instead shares it between the players.

It happened previously when Chris Sutton, Michael Owen and Dion Dublin shared it in 1997-98 and and then again in 1998-99 when Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink, Michael Owen and Dwight Yorke shared the spoils.

This year it looks like we will have three players - Salah, Mane and Aubameyang on 22 goals.

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Radamel Is Dead

Ex Chelsea and Manchester United Forward Radamel Falcao has been thrown into mourning after the death of his father.

His father, 61, died after collapsing while playing tennis. Radamel Garcia King was rushed to hospital but passed away in the Mar Caribe Clinic in his home city of Santa Marta in Magdalena, Colombia.

The cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest.

Garcia himself had a playing career, featuring as a defender for Colombian sides Junior de Barranquilla, Independiente Santa Fe, Union Magdalena, Deportes Tolima, Atletico Bucaramanga and Independiente Medellin.

And he represented his country at the 1980 Moscow Olympics as well as featuring for Venezuelan outfit Deportivo Tachira.

The Colombian Football Federation passed on their wishes to the family, sending a message of “solidarity and strength” to Monaco forward Falcao.

Former Newcastle striker Faustino Asprilla was also among those to send his thoughts, posting on social media: “I very much regret the death of your father and I will be with you in your pain from a distance. Sending you a hug my brother and lots of strength.”

Falcao had loan spells at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge between 2014 and 2016. He has scored 32 times in 81 appearances for Colombia.

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Pochettino Not Eager On Any January Arrivals

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino does not expect the club "are going to do anything" during the January transfer window.

Spurs completed a 7-0 demolition of League Two side Tranmere in the FA Cup on Friday, meaning they remain in the running to win four competitions this season.

Son Heung-min scored in the rout but will now head off on international duty with South Korea at the Asian Cup, leaving Pochettino without one of his key performers ahead of a crucial run of fixtures.

Next up is the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Chelsea, while their next Premier League fixture sees a rejuvenated Manchester United visit Wembley next weekend.

Spurs did not add to their squad in the previous window and Pochettino dismissed the idea of any new arrivals coming in during this month, too.

"I don't believe that we are going to do anything," he told the media after the cup game.

When asked if he felt his squad was strong enough to cope with such a busy fixture list, the Argentinean added: "I'm so happy with my squad. Always you can improve, different things you can or not."

Fernando Llorente seized the chance to start in the third-round tie, scoring a second-half hat-trick as Tranmere conceded six goals after the break.

The Spanish striker has been linked with a return to his homeland, with former club Athletic Bilbao and Valencia linked, and his deal with Spurs expires at the end of the campaign.

"Yes, it's a six-month contract with the club and we will see what happens," Pochettino said about Llorente's future.

"As I explained for different players, it's not only in our hands, it's what the player wants. Of course, now the window is open we're going to talk."

Pochettino showed no mercy on Tranmere, playing Dele Alli for the full 90 minutes and bringing Harry Kane – who scored the final goal in the rout – off the bench with the score at 6-0.

"It's important for him to score and have 20 minutes playing football," Pochettino said of Kane.

"I think it was important for him and for the team an important victory and to get to the next stage of the FA Cup. It was an important fixture for the club. To be in four competitions is an important thing."

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No Need For January signings - Ole Gunnar Solksjaer

Manchester United Interim Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not expect any signings during the January transfer window.

Solskjaer confirmed on Friday he will hold talks with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over the Premier League club's transfer plans this month.

The centre-back position has been cause for concern after former boss Jose Mourinho tried to sign Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld before the start of the season.

Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly and Roma's Kostas Manolas have now been linked with moves to Old Trafford, however, Solskjaer is not anticipating new arrivals in January.

"I'm happy with the squad I've got," Solskjaer said. "I don't expect anyone to come in but obviously if the club have targeted and identified a few and I think they might fit here, I'll give my thumbs up. But it's not just my decision.

"Nobody had to tell me I had loads of talented players [to inherit at United]. I can see that from outside.

"We didn't speak too much about what's been going on, to be honest. It was about seeing what you can do to go back to the way we used to play, the way Man United are supposed to play, exciting football. We're looking a little bit like we want to see the team [we want to see]."

Solskjaer who was appointed until the end of the season after Mourinho's sacking in December has overseen four successive victories.

United will look to maintain their red-hot form when they host Reading in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

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Morata Must Deal With Pressure

Alvaro Morata must embrace the weight of expectation at Chelsea as the misfiring forward continues to struggle, according to Gianfranco Zola.

Morata has only managed five goals in the Premier League this season and seven in all competitions amid links with Sevilla and AC Milan.

Chelsea spent around £60million to price Morata from Real Madrid in 2017 but the Spain international has struggled for goals and confidence after a promising start to life at Stamford Bridge.

With doubts over Morata's future in London, assistant coach Zola said the 26-year-old has to deal with the pressure at Chelsea.

"It should be a motivational thing," said Zola. "You are at Chelsea, you are not playing for Southampton or Brighton with all due respect to those clubs.

"People expect a lot from the number nine at Chelsea. They expect a lot of goals and good performances. This is normal, he has to get used to it.

"If he goes to another big club it'll be the same - there is no way you can avoid your responsibilities.

"It's part of your job and if you can handle that then the better you're going to be."

Zola added: "Technically Morata - and this is the reason we invested a lot in him this year - we thought he was the perfect number nine for us.

"Maurizio [Sarri] has always said that. Technically without doubt he is one of the best in this position.

"I think he has to improve a little bit tactically because nowadays with the type of football, football is so organised you need to get better tactically, your ability is not enough.

"In my opinion he needs to improve on this. He's been working on that, he has a good attitude. He feels that he doesn't score enough and he feels a lot of responsibilities for that.

"But he has to learn to put everything behind because these are only burdens that you take on the pitch and they don't help you to perform better."

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Real Madrid To Make Offer For Palacios

Real Madrid are set to make a formal offer for River Plate star Exequiel Palacios "in the coming days", according to agent Renato Corsi.

Palacios helped River to Copa Libertadores glory in December and the talented 20-year-old midfielder has been linked with Madrid and LaLiga rivals Barcelona.

River president Rodolfo D'Onofrio last month said Madrid were planning further negotiations to sign Palacios, who made his Argentina debut in September.

And Corsi revealed a transfer to send Palacios to the Santiago Bernabeu is at an advanced stage.

"The leaders of River got together with Real Madrid in Abu Dhabi," Corsi told La Oral Deportiva de Radio Rivadavia.

"In the coming days there will be a formal offer and the operation is quite advanced.

"The family, Exequiel and I want him to go in June and Real Madrid don't have a problem with him staying at River until then."

Corsi added: "Real Madrid want him and supposedly River will sell. They agree, so between Monday and Tuesday the formal proposal will be presented."

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