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The first Premier League fixtures of the 2019/20 season were certainly dramatic and exciting.

Some of the biggest teams clinched huge victories over their rivals and we saw plenty of goals across the board.

And of course, with the new campaign kicking off, the bantering and rinsing among players, coaches and pundits alike are also well underway. That much was shown in Ian Wright’s latest

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The Arsenal icon took to his social media accounts just before Sunday’s matches and provided his own predictions for the fans.

Of course, his predictions were more of a dig at his friends and ex-rivals, Paul Scholes and Alan Shearer, than a serious analysis.

Wright predicted defeat for both of their teams and victory for his own, which was not really that surprising.

But even though this was mostly in a rather relaxed and joking manner, Wright did get two out of three right.

His Arsenal did beat Shearer’s Newcastle, but Scholes’ Manchester United crushed Chelsea 4-0 on the day.

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Everton will be looking to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season when they face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Friday night.

The Toffees have taken four points from six available to date with their first win of the campaign coming with a 1-0 success against Watford at Goodison Park last weekend.

Now their attentions turn to a clash against the newly-promoted Villans, who have been beaten in both of their games since returning to the top flight.

Everton manager Marco Silva has plenty of competition for places as things stand, but who should he select against Dean Smith’s side?

We take a look below…

Lucas Digne is fully fit following the knock he suffered against the Hornets last time out, so the Merseyside outfit’s back five picks itself right now following two successive clean sheets.

However, there are decisions to be made in midfield and attack, as Silva looks to find the right formula to bring three points home from the Midlands.

Andre Gomes played alongside Jean-Philippe Gbamin on Saturday, but the returning Morgan Schneiderlin should come in for the latter, who is still visibly getting up to speed with life in English football.

The presence of the Frenchman in the middle of the park also gives Gomes a little more freedom going forward, which could be key on the road.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Bernard simply has to start on the left following his goal and performance against Watford, but Silva should make a change on the opposite flank by bringing in Alex Iwobi for Richarlison, who we said earlier this week should be dropped given his current form.

That leaves Gylfi Sigurdsson in the middle while Dominic Calvert-Lewin gets the nod at centre-forward again despite Toffees supporters on Twitter being hugely impressed by Moise Kean’s cameo against Javi Gracia’s men – the former Juventus man should be saved to come on and stretch the Villa defence in the latter stages.

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Former England defender Danny Mills has blasted Manchester United as they sealed a world-record move for Leicester City’s Harry Maguire with just days to go in the summer transfer window.

United confirmed the deal for Maguire, making him the world’s most expensive defender of all-time at around £80m, though while Mills has no issue over the fee itself, United’s negotiating skills have come under fire from the ex-Manchester City player, who claimed the club are paying a sum that was Leicester’s asking price from the start of the summer.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Mills was critical of United’s haggling techniques, saying: “He was £80m five weeks ago and Manchester United haggled for five weeks and still paid £80m.

“They could have had him in the building for four or five weeks, having him training with the team and getting used to things and taking all that disruption out of his life.

“Now suddenly it’s like, ‘you are in this week and next week you play’. I just don’t understand it.

“Even for a club as big as Manchester United, leaving it until the last moment is crazy.”

With the window closing on Thursday evening, United have certainly left it late to secure Maguire’s signature.

However, as with any negotiation, both parties have to come to an agreement – and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should not be damned for trying to get a better deal for himself, with the Norwegian already laying out £64.8m on two players before welcoming Maguire.

Just because the talks have left United to spend an enormous amount on the defender, it does not necessarily highlight a failure in negotiations – as an attempt to come to an agreement at a lower price, even with the benefit of hindsight, would surely be in the club’s best interests.

So despite having to make Maguire a world-record transfer in his position, United are no worse off in bidding an extra £10m compared to their previous bid, with the England defender becoming a Red Devil comfortably before the closing of the deadline.

Liverpool set to meet £45million asking price of impressive La Liga full-back Junior Firpo, as per Spanish outlet Sport.

According to reports, the Reds have identified Real Betis defender Junior Firpo as a possible replacement for the outbound Alberto Moreno, who is set to officially leave the club at the end of the month.

Obviously, this leaves Liverpool short on cover on the left flank, with just Andrew Robertson the only out-and-out left-back in the squad as it stands, so there is certainly scope for a new arrival.

The Spanish under-21 international, who is currently representing his country in the European Championships, apparently drew a number of admirers in La Liga last season and would set Liverpool back substantially more than the £10million it took to secure Robertson’s signature from Hull City back in 2017.

Whether Klopp is willing to part with the necessary £45million it would take to sign what will essentially be a back-up to Robertson remains to be seen. However, the German recently shed a little light on the subject by explaining that he has a budget at Liverpool (as demonstrated by last year’s transfer extravaganza which saw the German break the club record twice) and he’s not afraid to use it.

“Liverpool is an ambitious club and if we didn’t spend the same amount of money as others, we wouldn’t be able to compete,” Klopp told German broadcaster ZDF (via the Mirror).

“Everybody’s splashing the cash, so we have to do the same.”

According to the analysts over at La Liga Analysis, Firpo has characteristics which they’d liken to the great Roberto Carlos –  a man known for his dynamic ability to both attack and defend.

At just 22-years-old, as well, and already drawing attention from some of the biggest clubs in Europe (Madrid and Manchester United were recently rumoured to be interested in him) it’s abundantly clear that whoever grabs this up-and-coming youngster will have a real player for years to come.

Already champions of Europe, signing Firpo would be a major power play.

Liverpool fans, do you think there’s any chance that anyone will be able to dethrone Robertson? Is it wise to spend so much on a back-up? Let us know in the comments below…

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West Brom’s academy has produced some fabulous young talents down the years, bringing through the likes of Saido Berahino, Izzy Brown and Kemar Roofe.

All of the above eventually went onto leave the club and are now finding their feet elsewhere.

There are still some incredibly promising players coming through though, after the likes of Finn Azaz, Jamie Soule, Rayhaan Tulloch and Morgan Rogers all helped the club reach the FA Youth Cup semi-finals last year.

There were also a number of breakthroughs at first-team level with Rekeem Harper, Sam Field and Kyle Edwards the main youngsters to gain first-team minutes.

However, after the club lost their academy manager Mark Harrison to Aston Villa, there is a reason to suggest Albion could be far worse without him, especially after helping to bring through some of the players above.

Darren Moore was a huge help in boosting the minutes he gave to players under the age of 21 in his first season in permanent charge at Albion.

In terms of academy products, he afforded opportunities to six players who would go onto play 3,762 minutes as a collective throughout 2018/19.

The brunt of that was made up by Harper who completed 1,743 minutes.

However, how will Bilic fare with Albion’s academy now he’s arrived?

The stats from his first season in charge of West Ham during the 2015/16 campaign show there are both positives and negatives.

Although he gave minutes to six more academy graduates than Moore did last term, something that can be seen as a positive, they only played 2,156 minutes.

Meanwhile, only 22 starts were given to academy players under the age of 21 during the Croatian’s opening year at the Irons.

In that sense, he is behind Moore and will have work to do if he’s to better the former Baggies manager.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

The 45-year-old may have been an inexperienced coach at senior level when he was given the Albion job, but if there was one positive from his reign it was the sheer number of minutes he gave to those coming through the ranks.

In comparison, Bilic’s first term at West Ham suggests that he needs to be far more consistent in who he gives chances to.

Bringing through young players has been a key philosophy at West Brom, something that was evident in giving Moore the role in the first place.

It would be wrong to suggest it’ll be hindered by the appointment of the ex-Croatia boss, but he will certainly have to put a greater focus on younger players as he gets to work at the Hawthorns.

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Manchester United have made an approach to sign Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier this summer, per Football Insider.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to believe that the England international is under-rated and has identified Dier as the man to fill the club’s defensive midfield position.

That is despite the star’s poor performances throughout the 2018/19 season, in which he made a total of 28 appearances in all-competitions.

Mauricio Pochettino dropped Dier from his starting XI for the Champions League final, as Spurs lost 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid.

The 25-year-old did suffer with a number of injury issues throughout the campaign – he missed a total of 10 Premier League outings due to appendicitis and a hip injury.

United are said to believe that Spurs could acquiesce to his sale in this transfer window.

But should Tottenham look to cash in on the player, particularly after such a poor campaign?

Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below!

Charles Jones

“No, I don’t think they should. Christian Eriksen has already hinted that he might leave this summer and if Dier goes as well it could spark an exodus from Spurs. These players have become the heartbeat of Tottenham under Pochettino and if the core of this team is broken up they may never hit the same heights again.”

Matt Dawson

“Spurs would be absolutely laughing if they were able to ship Dier to Manchester United. The fact of the matter is that the English midfielder isn’t good enough and that’s been the case for a while now. If United take him off their hands they’d be doing Pochettino an almighty favour. Furthermore, moving on Dier would also allow Oliver Skipp to receive more first-team minutes. He’s clearly a player with a huge amount of promise and he could be the individual to benefit most from this move.”

Jack Saville

“I think Dier deserves another chance to prove he can flourish at the top level. As is typical with plenty of English players – take Dele Alli for example – a series of underwhelming performances have seen his reputation plummet at a ridiculous rate, but he could still be a valuable asset for Pochettino. Unless a ridiculous offer arrives from United, which is unlikely to happen given Dier’s form, Spurs should refuse their advances.”

علق سيد عبد الحفيظ مدير الكرة بالأهلي، على تأهل الفريق إلى المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس مصر بعد الفوز على الاتحاد السكندري.

الأهلي تفوق على الاتحاد السكندري، بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي أقيمت على ملعب السويس، في إطار منافسات نصف نهائي كأس مصر.

وقال عبد الحفيظ خلال تصريحات عبر إذاعة الشباب والرياضة: “الـ45 دقيقة الأولى لم ندخل في المباراة نهائيًا وكان مستوانا متواضعًا، وهذا وضع طبيعي في العالم بعد فوزنا ببطولة كبيرة بحجم دوري الأبطال والفاصل الزمني بين البطولتين قليل”.

وأضاف: “الاتحاد السكندري فريق يمتلك لاعبين على أعلى مستوى ومدير فني يحمسهم بشكل عالي والتحامات بشكل قوى، تأخرنا بهدف وكان مجرد إنذار، ومباريات الكؤوس في العالم كلها يكون بها مفاجآت ولا يوجد فيها ثوابات معينة”.

وتابع: “حتى يوم الأحد، لم نستطع أن نوقف الاحتفالات بسبب حجم بطولة مثل دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وأمام فريق كبير بحجم الزمالك”.

طالع أيضًا | أحمد الشناوي يكشف عن خطأ تحكيمي مؤثر في نتيجة مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد

وأردف: “تحدثت مع اللاعبين والخطيب وموسيماني ومحمد الشناوي وأيمن اشرف أن 3 ايام أخرى ويكون معنا بطولة غائبة منذ فترة، وهي كأس مصر”.

وعن مواجهة طلائع الجيش في نهائي الكأس، أوضح: “الجيش سيدخل بمعنويات كبيرة جدًا النهائي، هو استطاع أن يخرج ثاني وثالث الدوري من بطولة الكأس الزمالك وبيراميدز، فريق لا يستهان به”.

عن ملعب مباراة السوبر الإفريقي أمام نهضة بركان، قال: “لا يوجد لدينا شىء رسمي حتى الآن بشأن الملعب، معلوماتي في هذا الموضوع سيكون هناك اجتماع للكاف يوم 10 المقبل لتحديد الملعب”.

وأتم: “لكي ندخل الموسم المقبل يجب أن يكون هناك تدعيمات قوية للموسم الجديد، لأنه سيكون أشرس وأقوى من الماضي”.

واختتم: “وعن فسخ التعاقد مع صالح جمعة ورحيل الأخرين، أتمنى لهم التوفيق لم يدخروا جهدًا ولم يبخلوا بأي شئ، ولا يجب أن نتحدث عن كواليس رحيل”.

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Tottenham Hotspur have again been linked with a move for old flame Gareth Bale, per Marca via Sport Witness.

Spurs, of course, sold the Wales international to Real Madrid in 2013, receiving a then-world record fee of £85million in exchange.

He has not truly adapted to life in Spain, however, and there is a claim that the La Liga giants could look to move the 29-year-old when the transfer window reopens.

Should Spurs be eyeing such a move, though, having instituted a strict wage policy under chairman Daniel Levy?

Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below!

Billy Meyers

“Absolutely not. If Tottenham had any sense about them, they would put sentiment aside and steer well clear of this inevitable failure. Gareth Bale is still a world-class talent, but an umimpressive tally of goals and assists this season, for a player of his calibre, plus a whole barrage of fitness problems, suggest that he is a player in decline who is approaching his 30th birthday. Mauricio Pochettino has been starved of support from Daniel Levy in the market, and he wouldn’t help himself if he made this huge transfer gaffe.”

Matt Dawson

“Signing Gareth Bale this summer would be a remarkable statement of intent from Spurs. I feel that the club are still lacking that ‘star’ in their squad that a number of the top teams have, and although Harry Kane is there to provide the goals, Bale is someone who’d be able to change things in an instant. If Tottenham have serious ambition both domestically and in Europe then they should do absolutely everything in their power to bring him back to north London.”

James Beavis

“In my opinion, Tottenham should avoid Bale at all costs. Yes, he was a hero for the north London outfit previously, but for the price tag and likely wages he would command, he would be a bad investment. His injury issues are hugely concerning, and Spurs could buy 2 or 3 quality players for the same money. In short, they don’t need a ‘Galactico’ in their squad.”

تحدث وائل جمعة مدافع النادي الأهلي ومنتخب مصر السابق عن المواقف الغريبة والعجيبة التي شاهدها داخل القارة الإفريقية خلال سفرياته الكثيرة بحكم المشاركة في البطولات القارية قبل اعتزاله.

وقال وائل خلال برنامج “هذا المساء” عبر شاشة “بي إن سبورت”: “إفريقيا لها العجائب والغرائب، رأيت أمور كثيرة داخل القارة، مثل صبغة أرضية الملعب بدلا من تغيير النجيل، يقومون بصبغه للون الأخضر، وقبل ذلك لعبت على أرضية ملعب حشيشها مرتفع عن الأرض تقريبا نصف متر لم نكن نستطيع الركض”.

وتابع مدافع منتخب مصر السابق: “ومرة أخرى مع المنتخب عندما كنا نواجه كوت ديفوار على ملعبه، الجماهير منعتنا من الدخول إلا بعد أن يذبحوا خنزير أمامنا ونمر عليه أثناء الدخول، هذا أمر غريب”.

وأضاف: “وأيضا من الأمور الغريبة داخل القارة الإفريقية ولكن هذه المرة خارج الملعب، عندما كنا في جنوب إفريقيا وأثناء إقلاع الطائرة كان هناك طائرة أخرى تهبط في نفس الوقت، تشعر وكأننا نركب طائرات ورق داخل إفريقيا، هذا بالإضافة لاحتجازنا في المطارات وهذا كان يعرضنا للإرهاق”.

وأتم وائل جمعة حديثه: “من ضمن الاستفزاز أيضا، كنا في غينيا الاستوائية تم سرقة حقائبنا في المطار، وهذه كانت من الأمور التي توتر اللاعبين”.

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Leeds United fans on Twitter are missing Samu Saiz, with certain sections of the fanbase calling for his return to Elland Road.

The Spaniard was a crucial figure in Yorkshire during his first season at the club scoring five league goals and setting up a further eight but homesickness saw him return to his native Spain for a loan spell with Getafe.

Leeds fans are now desperate for that loan spell to end with certain sections asking if it is possible to recall the influential attacking midfielder for the playoffs – it is not by the way.

Marcelo Bielsa can’t bring Saiz back for the playoffs but that hasn’t stopped Leeds fans from yearning for some actual creativity in the middle of the park as they continue to struggle against deep blocks.

Saiz will be back at the beginning of next season for Leeds and he may still end up being a key player for the Yorkshire club if they fail in their quest for promotion this season.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…