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How can the likes of Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount start for Chelsea if they cannot even start for the England U21 side?

That is a question some Chelsea supporters might have been asking after finding out that Aidy Boothroyd had left the two Cobham academy products on the bench for England’s 2-1 defeat to France in the European Championship.

After the year Abraham and Mount have just had, though, it would be unfair to dismiss their chances on the basis of one U21 game, especially considering the context of things.

Mount, for example, was competing against both James Maddison and Phil Foden for a place in the starting XI. Having created 100 chances last season, Maddison would arguably get into most teams in the Premier League.

As for Foden, you only have to listen to how often Pep Guardiola waxes lyrical about him to know that the 19-year-old is a truly special talent. There is no shame in being ousted out of the team by either player.

Meanwhile, in Abraham’s case, he was coming up against a striker who is deadly at this level in Dominic Solanke. Is it really surprising that Boothroyd went with a man who has nine goals in 17 U21 appearances and 10 goals in 15 U20 matches?

This defence of Abraham and Mount does not mean the duo should be automatic starters as soon as they return to Stamford Bridge. However, regardless of what happens at this tournament, they deserve a chance under Frank Lampard if he becomes the next Chelsea boss as expected, especially with the Blues unable to sign anyone this summer.

Chelsea fans, do you think Abraham and Mount are good enough to start for the club after their England U21 disappointment? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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After he solidified himself as Crystal Palace’s most important player in the 2018/19 Premier League season, leading their goalscoring charts, Wilfried Zaha will be looking to do the same with Ivory Coast at AFCON.

Back in England, Zaha added five assists to his goal tally, which has inevitably drawn transfer links to some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Still, now is not the time to deal with transfers rumours as the 26-year-old forward is focusing on his national team. He posted a snap on

/By8KbpnnJ3o/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram notifying the fans that the squad is on their way to Egypt, where the 2019 AFCON tournament is being held.

It prompted responses from several other stars also taking part in the competition.

Yannick Bolasie, Everton’s misfiring winger who of course played for the Eagles previously, was quick to note how classy the lads look on the snap and followed it up with some emojis.

Salomon Kalou also sent his regards and support with a series of emojis.

Zaha’s Ivory Coast are in group D with Morocco, South Africa and Namibia with the opening games of the group stage starting on Friday.

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Having relied on the likes of Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as their sole options out wide last season, it has been no surprise to see Arsenal search the market for a new winger.

The Gunners have been linked with a host of names, and reports in recent weeks had suggested that Unai Emery’s side were eyeing up a move for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

But with the Eagles supposedly placing a £100m price tag on the Ivorian, the north Londoners have seemingly turned their attentions elsewhere. Now, according to La Gazette du Fennec, Arsenal are in “very advanced talks” to sign Yacine Brahimi, who has been let go by Porto on a free transfer this summer.

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After seeing the links to their latest target, Gunners fans took to Twitter to voice their opinion and many seemed to be divided by the potential arrival of the Algerian international.

Some supporters of the north London side appeared to question why the club were moving for someone who was 29 and urged their team to think more long-term with their approach.

Others however were slightly more receptive to the idea and felt that on a free transfer, he could represent a real bargain in today’s market.

Check out some of the reaction of Arsenal fans below:

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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…

Rangers legend Derek Johnstone has called on Rangers to make European football an important part of their upcoming season, as reported by The Evening Times.

What’s he said?

Rangers’ 2019/20 campaign kicks off in just a few days time, with the club set to face St Joseph’s of Gibraltar next Tuesday away from home.

With Celtic gunning for a record-equalling ninth title in a row, there’s an argument to say that the Gers must put all their eggs in the league basket next term, rather than be distracted by cup competitions or Europe.

Johnstone though, feels that is not in keeping with the tradition of the club.

Thogden challenged himself to DM 100 footballers on Instagram. Find out who replied in the video below…

As quoted by The Evening Times, the Ibrox legend said:

“I know there is a bit of debate amongst the supporters about how important the Europa League is for Rangers this season and how much emphasis Steven Gerrard should put on it.

“As the manager said last week, he won’t overlook the Europa League and he certainly won’t treat any competition that Rangers enter lightly. You just can’t do that.

“This is a club that has to win things and every tournament that we are in, we have to go out to win it and bring the silverware to Ibrox.

“You can’t sacrifice the Europa League to give you a better chance in the Premiership and you can’t downplay either of the domestic cups to try and win the league. That is not the attitude at Rangers.

“It was great to have European football back at Ibrox last season and the manager and the players will be just as determined to reach the group stages as they were last term.”

Is he right?

The obvious argument here being missed is that if Rangers are good enough to qualify and compete in the UEFA Europa League stages and beyond, then they’ll likely be good enough to win most of their games in domestic action.

Testing themselves against European opponents is a great way for the Gers’ emerging talent to develop, become more experienced and more reliable talents.

Rangers must benchmark themselves against the highest competition available to them and that will likely be their European opponents this season, outside of rivals Celtic.

Johnstone is right to assert that a winning mentality must be forged across any and all competitions if Steven Gerrard’s team are to truly compete next term.

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One of the biggest transfer busts in recent memory, Alexis Sanchez’s time at Manchester United has been nothing short of a disaster.

The forward has struggled immensely with form and fitness since arriving at Old Trafford in the January transfer window in 2018, and reports had even suggested the club could be looking to move him on this summer.

The 30-year-old was on international duty with Chile at the Copa America and appeared to pick up a hamstring injury during his country’s third/fourth play-off against Argentina.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has now confirmed that he hopes Sanchez will be back soon and expects him to feature before the end of pre-season; something that didn’t seem to go down too well with United fans on Twitter.

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Red Devils supporters urged the club to get rid of the Chilean as soon as possible and felt frustrated that he would still be on the club’s books this summer.

Indeed, some insisted that it was time the club cut their losses on Sanchez and suggested that the club’s injury update on Sanchez was a way of hinting that he would be remaining at the club.

Check out some of the angry reaction of United fans below:

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Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to mock Everton’s reported interest in Lille forward Nicolas Pepe, who is rated at £58.5m – the same report also states that they are interested in David Neres, Malcom and Bertrand Traore.

The Ivory Coast international is hot property right now after hitting 22 Ligue 1 goals last term for Lille, helping them finish second and earn a place in the Champions League as a result – only Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe scored more with 33.

“It reminds me of a bus seat!” – Watch a damning verdict on Chelsea’s new kit in the video below…

That form has led to heavyweights such as Inter Milan, PSG and the European champions Liverpool being interested in his services.

Perhaps that is why the Liverpool fans on Twitter have found their Merseyside rivals’ interest in Pepe as a source of humour. Realistically, why would he leave to join Everton when he could play Champions League football with his current side or any of the aforementioned clubs interested?

It would certainly be a real statement of intent from the Toffees if they signed Pepe or any one of the other names mentioned, no matter how unlikely it may be.

Let’s see what the Liverpool fans on Twitter think of their rivals’ interest in the 24-year-old and their other ambitious transfer targets…

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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 to Sky Sports, Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has urged his fellow teammate Paul Pogba to stay at Old Trafford this summer amid speculation of a move away for the Frenchman.

What did he say?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Pogba could be on his way out of Old Trafford following comments from the France World Cup winner that he wanted a “new challenge”.

However, despite the transfer deadline approaching in less than a month, no offers have seemingly been made for the midfielder and Mata has now urged his teammate to stay and praised his influence in the dressing room.

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He said: “We all know Paul and he is a fantastic midfielder, and a very good guy, very positive, and a good influence for everyone.

“I think he is happy and brings everyone together, but I cannot speak for other people – I speak for myself. As a team-mate and a friend I would like him to stay and be happy because he is a very good player for us.”

The soul of the party

As Mata suggests, Pogba’s expressive personality certainly sees the midfielder wear his heart on his sleeve. When things are going well the 26-year-old’s flamboyance can be an endearing trait, but when things aren’t going so well, it can lead to heavy criticism.

Reports had even suggested that whilst Pogba was not an unpopular member of the dressing room, the transfer saga surrounding him had seemingly convinced his teammates that it would be for the best if he were to leave Old Trafford this summer.

If reported suitors Real Madrid fail to entice United into selling him, then Pogba’s footballing qualities could see him remain an integral part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side; indeed, the Norwegian even insisted that he was still looking to build his side around the Frenchman despite the links of a move away.

Mata’s comment that Pogba is a “good influence for everyone” is certainly enlightening in terms of the supposed narrative of him being a disruptive presence in the squad. If Pogba does end up staying, then he could well sweep all of the drama of this summer under the carpet and get back to his old self once again.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

It looks all set up to be a very busy window for Everton with the deadline fast approaching, based on the sheer amount of players that they have been linked with of late.

The Toffees have been touted as potential destinations for players such as David Neres, Malcom, Bertrand Traore, Ibrahim Sangare, Adama Soumaoro, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and so on – who knows which of these they’ll end up bringing through the door this summer.

Anyway, arguably the two most high-profile targets on Marcel Brands’ wishlist are Lille forward Nicolas Pepe and Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha.

The Merseysiders have been linked with a £60m + Cenk Tosun move for Zaha, whilst they have also expressed an interest in the £59m-rated Pepe, who netted 22 goals last term.

You may think: ‘Oh, they’re both pretty good. Does it really matter which one is signed?’

If you are thinking that, you’re wrong. Pepe is the better option, and for two reasons rather than one.

Firstly, the 24-year-old had a vastly better season than the Eagles star last term, scoring 12 goals more than him whilst grabbing six more assists than his Ivory Coast international teammate.

In black and white, that would imply that Pepe is better and the Toffees should choose him over Zaha.

However, there is more to it.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…

Marco Silva doesn’t just want any forward to arrive at Goodison Park this summer. Oh no.

The former Hull boss reportedly wants a ‘left-footed attacker who can play on the right’, which is exactly what Pepe is.

Contrastingly, Zaha featured just twice on the right last season for Palace, appearing 12 times on the left and 18 times as a centre-forward – significantly, the former Manchester United attacker is also right-footed.

Judging by that, it can certainly be argued that the 26-year-old doesn’t fit what Silva is looking for this summer, and coupled with Pepe’s vastly superior individual stats, the Lille man is by far the better option for the Toffees.

[ad_pod ]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…The Yorkshire Evening Post’s former Leeds United writer Phil Hay is still in the loop with goings-on at Elland Road, and he has provided a four-word response on Twitter when questioned by a fan about whether the Anderlecht-linked Kemar Roofe would be replaced if he left.

What did he say?

Well, reports broke late on Thursday that the Belgian giants were in talks over a move for the 26-year-old, whose current contract with the Championship club is due to run out next summer.

Hay took to Twitter to confirm Vincent Kompany’s men’s interest in the attacker, and was quickly flooded by a deluge of comments from supporters.

One asked the journalist if Leeds would replace Roofe if he did end up going before the deadline next Thursday, and he replied: “They would have to.”

No surprise

All of Leeds’ summer transfer incomings so far this summer have been loan deals – although the one for Helder Costa is going to turn into a permanent £15m deal next year and they have an option to do the same with Jack Harrison – but there has been no sign of a new centre-forward.

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Some frustrated fans on Twitter believe they needed a striker even if they had Roofe and Patrick Bamford in their ranks, so it will be a relief for them to know that if last season’s top marksman does leave a successor would be brought in.

Given the duo missed 15 and 22 games respectively between them in 2018/19 because of injury, there is no way that Bielsa could rely solely on Bamford going forward, with only youngsters Ryan Edmondson and Kun Temenuzhkov to back the former Middlesbrough man up.

It could be interesting few days ahead for the Yorkshire outfit then, who were linked with a big-money move for SPAL centre-forward Andrea Petagna earlier this week.

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2018/19 Everton loanee Kurt Zouma played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, and many Toffees fans brought some interesting views to the table.

Marco Silva had made no secret of his desire to bring the Frenchman back to Goodison Park during the summer transfer window following his successful spell on Merseyside last term, but Blues boss Frank Lampard ultimately wanted to keep him.

Given he started against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men on Sunday that perhaps isn’t surprising, but the 24-year-old hardly did himself any favours with his display.

Having already given the ball away with an under-hit back-pass, the centre-back then clumsily gave away a penalty in the 15th minute after bringing down Marcus Rashford in the area.

The visitors’ defence was then split open far too easily for the second and third goals for United, on a day to forget for Zouma.

Some Everton supporters took to Twitter with the obvious quip that the France international was playing for a return to Goodison.

However, many others took a slightly different view in saying they now have a better centre-back in Yerry Mina, who drew plenty of praise for his showing against Crystal Palace, as you can see below.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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