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With the season coming to an end, many teams are already planning their summer transfer raids, vast amounts of money will change hands and players will be moving to pastures new. However, one player that will require no transfer fee should be the top of everyone’s wish list; James Milner.

With his contract running towards its conclusion, Manchester City are still yet to tie down the versatile midfielder and with him struggling to hold down a consistent place in Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI; it now seems inevitable that the 29-year-old will be leaving The Etihad.

Signed initially as an attacking midfielder, Milner has rediscovered himself as a more defensive player. In the recent Manchester derby he was tasked with man marking and marshalling the influential Michael Carrick, after a positive start the City man was over run, but his performance was one of the more impressive in a blue shirt.

In a difficult season for City, Milner has managed to go about his business well, with limited game-time, Milner has managed to put in a series of impressive players which should lead to his current team’s competitors watching his movements closely.

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Several teams have been linked with the midfielder, with both Arsenal and Liverpool potential suitors. Steven Gerrard’s departure means of course that Anfield will be in need of a new midfield general, James Milner, could and should be that man. Signing him would be a real statement from Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers and could help them to replicate the form they showed in their campaign where they came so close to winning the title.

The player has reportedly suggested his preferred move would be one to The Emirates, for all of the craft and guile of Ozil and Sanchez, Arsenal have been missing that bit of bite to turn them form top four stalwarts to genuine title contenders. It has arguably been a decade since Wenger has had a midfielder to build his team around, Milner could be one that is the heartbeat of an Arsenal team.

James Milner has always struggled to be truly valued at City, he has been in and out of the team and never given a real run. His next move should be one to a team that treats him as the great player he is.

Milner’s move purportedly hinges on who is willing to give him a four year deal; any team that has genuine aspirations to be title challengers should be sharpening their pencils and writing up the contracts immediately. He has been underused  by his current club and his ability should not be overlooked by potential clubs.

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At 29 Milner still appears he has a lot of football, and running left him in yet and with no transfer fee it is a no-brainer. As managers begin to chalk up their list of new recruits James Milner should be on the top of every one of them, he could be the transfer steal of the summer and expect the battle for his signature to be his intense.

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One win, three draws and three defeats is what you’d refer to as a mixed bag for manager settling into life at a new club. Managerial change has dominated the bottom clubs once again this week after Reading sacked Brian McDermott, with comparisons instantly drawn with Southampton’s decision to dispense with Nigel Adkins. The above-stated record belongs to his replacement and current Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino. It’s an admirable start considering that solitary victory came against Premier League champions Manchester City but highlights the instability that come with mid-seasons dugout reshuffles. While the Saints are probably assured of another season in the t0p-flight they’re close to the relegation zone than they were when Pochettini0 arrived; the players struggling to get to grips with his newly implemented methods. So probably not the best time to play in-form Liverpool then?

The Reds are on a crusade to secure European qualification for next season and took a monumental step towards achieving that by beating Tottenham last season. The addition of Phillipe Coutinho has breathed new and exciting life into the Reds attack in recent weeks and with Luis Suarez still performing at the top rung, their overall record of 21 goals in the last seven top-flight fixtures tells its own story. Such is the confidence of Brendan Rodgers’ side at the moment you’d be crazy not to bank on them recording a fourth win on the spin. Especially with Suarez in such irresistible form, 16 goals in as many games, and he will relish the trip to the South Coast having notched a hat trick in Liverpool’s last away game against Wigan.

Team News

Danny Fox (thigh) and Steven Davis (illness) are near full fitness meaning Southampton could have a fully fit squad on Saturday.

Pepe Reina could return for Liverpool after overcoming a thigh injury. The prospect of shoulder surgery may not be enough to keep Joe Allen from playing.

What the managers said…

“Liverpool have been on a very good run and have very good players. But we will go all out to play very well in order to get the three points. We have to know who we are facing, but we also have a winning mentality and we are definitely going to try and win and that mentality is growing within my group every day. For me his most important aspect is his mentality and his focus. Aside from his technical virtues, he is a true winner and that is clear. In our tactical planning we always think of the whole of the opposition, but we also take into account the qualities of all of the individuals.” Mauricio Pochettino warned his side to be wary of Liverpool and Luis Suarez in particular (saintsfc.co.uk)“Our recent run of form will show that we’re a team which is improving and developing. The win against Tottenham showed further enhancement of that. The teams above will know they can’t be making any slip-ups, not only because of us but for themselves. This is the stage of the season when you want to win games. We can only concentrate on ourselves and get as many victories as we can.” Brendan Rodgers warned Liverpool’s rivals for European place to watch their backs (Liverpool Echo)

Pre-Match Statistic: The last time Southampton and Liverpool met at St Mary’s was in January 2005 when the home side ran out 2-0 winners.

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Prediction: Southampton 1-3 Liverpool

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This evening will determine whether Manchester City or Liverpool make it into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

At the moment it is advantage Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s side have a 3-0 lead from the first leg at Anfield.

City were favourites heading into the tie due to their dominance in the Premier League and the fact that they had only lost once in the division prior to last Wednesday’s encounter.

However, they knew that they could not underestimate the Reds given that Klopp’s team were the only ones to inflict a league defeat on City, who suffered their second top-flight loss at the weekend in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United.

In 31 minutes, Liverpool blitzed through Pep Guardiola’s team, with Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane getting on the scoresheet.

City had no response, but they have another 90 minutes tonight to turn their fortunes around, and they have the home comforts of being at the Etihad Stadium.

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Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas believes that Guardiola’s men will win tonight’s match, but Liverpool will progress into the final four.

The Scotsman told Sky Sports:

“I think we’re going to get drama and I can see my good friend Phil Thompson being on the edge of his seat next to me in the Soccer Special studio. I don’t think City will do it though because I see Liverpool scoring. You could see at the weekend again against United that City are defensively vulnerable when they have to take risks.

“This is all about Liverpool scoring one goal to turn City’s need into score five and it will be a major boost if Mohamed Salah is fit. I could see City getting 2-0 up because they should have been out of sight by half-time against United, but as they get desperate I expect Liverpool’s attacking pace on the counter to see them safe.”

When he first turned up in the Premier League off the back of a mega £24 million deal with the newly financed Manchester City, Yaya Toure came with a reputation as a no-nonsense defensive midfielder whose main assets were breaking up play and keeping things ship-shape in front of his respective back four.

As the younger brother of Kolo Toure – a former Arsenal centre-back who had more than done justice to his family’s name on these here shores – very few saw the potential in Yaya to become the huge goal threat and midfield enforcer that he is today. It seems that playing with Barcelona gives certain players that added bit of depth to their style, for it has allowed the now 31-year-old to often boss midfield proceedings with minimal effort since he first arrived at the Etihad in 2010.

With Ligue 1 giants PSG reportedly registering an interest in landing the Ivory Coast international according to reports in The Daily Express – and after several perhaps unsubstantiated rumours that the player is increasingly growing frustrated at Manuel Pellegrini’s side – Yaya Toure’s future with the Citizens hardly stands in the most concrete place right now.

In light of such developments, should the Premier League champions do literally everything in their power to make sure their star man stays on board, or would Manchester City in fact be better off selling Yaya Toure as they look to revamp their image in the run up to next season?

Well for one thing, if the former Barcelona man were in fact to depart the comfortable realms of the Etihad this summer, the 31-year-old wouldn’t exactly be short of potential suitors looking to pick up his services. Several of Europe’s most high profile clubs are in contention to snatch up the midfielder if reports in The Daily Express are to be believed – and because of what he can offer his respective team out on the pitch – such revelations hardly come as much of a surprise.

Yaya Toure is simply a machine when things are going his way. He can dictate the pace with his enforcing style in the middle of the park and has a range of passing that would even get the likes of Andrea Pirlo to raise an eyebrow or two. Yet perhaps what is most surprising about the player’s overall game is that Toure has it in his locker to score some simply sublime goals.

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Within all the power that comes with his approach, the Ivorian’s technical skill and ability to finesse his shots finely into the back of the net really make watching him on a weekly basis a joy to behold. At this stage then it would seem mad for Manchester City to think about waving goodbye to their highly valued no. 42 anytime soon – but like with every good Premier League story – there is invariably another side to this particular tale.

For one reason or another, 2014/15 simply hasn’t been a vintage year for Yaya Toure – and it has clearly been shown in the fact that Manuel Pellegrini’s side have so far proved second best to Chelsea in the title race. Consistency just doesn’t seem to be something that comes naturally to him. Whilst the midfielder still remains a great player, when he fails to perform the ramifications for his Manchester City side are pretty concerning to say the least.

The likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero seemingly lack their spark without a fit and firing Yaya Toure behind them – and although great things were expected of the £30 million Fernandinho with City when he first signed from Shakhtar Donetsk – the Brazilian simply doesn’t have the same match-winning effect that the big Ivorian can sometimes produce at ease in the middle of the park.

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Coupled with the fact that Toure is no spring chicken at 31-years-old, and that Manchester City are lining up a host of English players as reported in The Daily Star, perhaps now would be a good time to call it a day with Yaya Toure. Nothing lasts forever after all, and as Manchester City simply lack the prestige and history that other big European powerhouses have in abundance, the player himself is potentially likely to want to move on sooner or later anyway.

As City have gone the English route before and failed miserably however – just ask the likes of Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell – then maybe a degree of caution must be applied regarding any major decision involving Yaya Toure and his future at the Etihad.

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Fulham manager Martin Jol celebrated the performance of his side, after their 1-0 Premier League win over Tottenham.

Ex-Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov netted the only goal of the game after 52 minutes to give the Cottagers a memorable victory against their London rivals at White Hart Lane.

The result lifts Fulham into the top half of the table, with their tally of 36 points all but guaranteeing another season in the top flight.

Jol was happy with his players’ performances and the result:

“It was a great win, that’s exactly what we needed. Especially being at White Hart Lane, to get a win is fantastic,” he told Sky Sports.

“It was a collective thing. In the first half we restricted them and in the second half we played ever so well and should have scored a second goal.

“Twice Jermain [Defoe] had shots and the save [from Schwarzer] was incredible.”

The Dutchman went on to praise his team for their efforts since the turn of the year:

“Since the first of January we have had four wins, three draws and two defeats to the two Manchester clubs.

“We are doing well and the top 10, that is good.”

Fulham are now nine points clear of the relegation zone, with their recent form appearing to have evaporated rumours that they could be sucked into a scrap for survival.

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The Cottagers face a trip to QPR next time out, before hosting Newcastle and Aston Villa.

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Andy Carroll has only made 12 Premier League appearances during what has been a frustrating 2017-18 campaign for the West Ham United forward.

Carroll missed the beginning of the season with a groin problem, and has been on the sidelines since the start of 2018 with an ankle injury.

It is thought that the centre-forward, who is valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, could return to action later this month, which would be a welcome boost for a West Ham team that are not yet safe from the drop.

Carroll has managed 32 goals and 18 assists in his 128 West Ham appearances since joining the London club from Liverpool.

He actually scored seven times in 18 Premier League appearances last term, but has managed just two league goals this season, and cannot seem to stay fit.

The West Ham supporters have been debating the future of the 29-year-old, and it would be fair to say that many want the striker, who was linked with Chelsea during the January transfer window, to be sold at the end of the season.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Mesut Ozil doesn’t do much to help his case. Gunners fans have tried their hardest to stand up for their £42.5m man, but his anonymous performances, failure to live up to his vast price tag and lack of effort have made the task tough And now Ozil has gone and made things even more difficult, with reports from the Daily Mail stating that he was pictured in a Berlin nightclub just hours after ducking out of the London club’s weekend game against Newcastle.

The German was given permission to link up with his international squad early due to suffering from a cold, yet that didn’t keep him in with a Lemsip! In many lines of work people have pulled to odd sickie, but football isn’t just a normal job, however, Ozil is to alone when it comes to woeful excuses!

I fell, honest!

We all saw you bite him, Luis! This excuse was mental – “I lost my balance, making my body unstable and falling on top of my opponent, “At that moment I hit my face against the player, leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth,”

50 shades of grey…

A 3-0 loss to an average Southampton team brought this amazing excuse from Fergie, who blamed their grey away kit – “The players don’t like the grey strip. They find it difficult to pick each other out. We had to change the strip,”

Chef Wenger

Spurs blamed a poorly cooked lasagne for loss at the hands of West Ham on the final day of the 2005/06 Premier League season, which denied them a Champions League spot. Ten players went down with a stomach bug having eaten at the Marriott hotel in West India Quay the night before.

Thriller!

Fulham’s old owner Mohamed Al Fayed blamed the Cottagers’ relegation to the Championship in 2014 on the decision made by new owner Shahid Khan to remove a ‘lucky’ statue of pop sensation Michael Jackson from outside Craven Cottage. – “This statue was a charm and we removed the luck from the club and now we have to pay the price.” 

The Sirens of Selhurst Park

Okay, we’ll let them off! Palace fans claimed that when their side were in the Championship players were distracted by the cheerleader squad.

Grandma, we love you

“I decided at that stage that I must tell the truth and admit I had told lies, I realise now that it was a massive mistake to say my grandmothers had died and I deeply regret it. It was wrong and I sincerely apologise as I have caused a lot of problems for many people. I would like to apologise to my grandmothers and all my family. I have learnt a valuable lesson from this mess and hope those I have hurt will forgive me.”

Stephen Ireland dodged international duty by claiming that his grandmother had died… journalists then discovered she had not, to which Ireland responded by saying it was his other nan… who was also alive! But what do you expect from a bloke who drives a car like this!

Have his cake and eat it…

Yaya Toure allegedly wanted out of Man City last summer after the club forgot to celebrate his birthday and there was no cake! Shocking!

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The old ones are always the best

Arsene Wenger “I didn’t see it.” ‘Nuff said!

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While the first legs of the Champions League have commenced this week, it is now the time for the Europa League to reconvene as we enter the knock out stages good and proper. English hopes rest with Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle, who will all be looking to take comfortable leads going into their second legs next week.

The good people of UEFA have culminated a list of 20 facts ahead of the last 32 showdowns for your viewing pleasure:

1. The round of 32 participants come from 16 countries, with representation split as follows:

4 clubs – England, Germany

3 clubs – Italy, Russia, Ukraine

2 clubs – Czech Republic, France, Romania, Spain

1 club – Belarus, Belgium, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey

2. Four of the seven countries with just one participant are represented by clubs that transferred from the UEFA Champions League: FC BATE Borisov (Belarus), Olympiacos FC (Greece), AFC Ajax (Netherlands) and SL Benfica (Portugal).

3. Twelve clubs are competing in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase for the first time – Chelsea FC, CFR 1907 Cluj, Newcastle United FC, FC Anji Makhachkala, Levante UD, FC Internazionale Milano, VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, KRC Genk, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Olympique Lyonnais and Tottenham Hotspur FC.

4. Chelsea, the UEFA Champions League holders, are the only one of the 32 participating teams who have never previously competed in the UEFA Europa League. Of the other 31 participants, only one side has played fewer than six UEFA Europa League matches – Olympiacos with four.

5. Chelsea are joined in the field by five other previous winners of the European Cup – Inter, Liverpool FC, Benfica, Ajax and FC Steaua Bucureşti. Ajax and Steaua meet in the last 32.

6. UEFA Europa League holders Club Atlético de Madrid are one of seven other clubs in the last 32 who have won a major UEFA club competition title. They are joined by FC Zenit St Petersburg, FC Dynamo Kyiv, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, S.S. Lazio, Tottenham and SSC Napoli. Newcastle won the non-UEFA-backed Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

7. There are six reigning domestic champions competing in the round of 32 – BATE (Belarus), CFR Cluj (Romania), Olympiacos (Greece), Zenit (Russia), Ajax (Netherlands) and FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland).

8. The field includes eight teams that hold the record for domestic league titles in their homeland – BATE (Belarus), Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey, shared), Olympiacos (Greece), Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Benfica (Portugal), Ajax (Netherlands), Steaua (Romania) and AC Sparta Praha (Czech Republic).

9. Of the seven clubs that entered the UEFA Europa League group stage, six made it through to the knockout phase – Tottenham, Lyon, Leverkusen, Napoli, FC Rubin Kazan and holders Atlético. The only ones to suffer group stage elimination were A. Académica de Coimbra.

10. Including qualifying and play-off fixtures, the clubs who have required most games in Europe this season to reach the last 32 are BATE, Basel, Anji and FC Viktoria Plzeň, each with 12.

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11. Anji and Plzeň are the UEFA Europa League’s longest survivors this season, having entered in the second qualifying round. BATE and Basel began their European campaigns at the equivalent stage of the UEFA Champions League.

12. Eleven of the teams in the round of 32 began their European season in the UEFA Champions League – the eight teams that transferred over after the group stage plus Mönchengladbach, Basel and Fenerbahçe, who switched competition after the play-offs.

13. Ajax and Rubin are making their fourth successive appearances in the round of 32. The only other surviving participants that have appeared in all four editions of the UEFA Europa League are Atlético and Steaua.

14. Ajax will be especially keen to reach the final as it is staged in their own Amsterdam ArenA. Should they do so, they will become the first club to appear on home turf in a UEFA Europa League final. Two clubs managed the feat in a one-off UEFA Cup final, Feyenoord defeating Borussia Dortmund in Rotterdam in 2002 and Sporting Clube de Portugal losing to PFC CSKA Moskva in Lisbon in 2005.

15. Diego Simeone (Atlético) and André Villas-Boas (Tottenham) are bidding to become the first coach to win the UEFA Europa League twice, Simeone having captured it with Atlético in 2011/12 and Villas-Boas with FC Porto in 2010/11.

16. Also still involved in the round of 32 are UEFA Cup-winning coaches Juande Ramos (Dnipro), who won the competition back-to-back with Sevilla FC (2006 and 2007), and Chelsea’s Rafael Benítez (with Valencia CF in 2004). Genk’s Mario Been was an assistant coach in Feyenoord’s 2002 win.

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17. Only two coaches involved in the round of 32 have lifted the European Champion Clubs’ Cup – Anji’s Guus Hiddink, a winner with PSV Eindhoven in 1988, and Benítez with Liverpool in 2005. Additionally, Villas-Boas was the Chelsea coach for part of their triumphant 2011/12 UEFA Champions League campaign before being replaced by Roberto Di Matteo.

18. Round of 32 coaches who won the UEFA Cup as a player are Leverkusen’s Sami Hyypiä (with Liverpool, 2001), Simeone (Inter, 1998) and Ajax’s Frank de Boer (Ajax, 1992).

19. Hyypiä and De Boer were also UEFA Champions League winners as players, with Liverpool (2005) and Ajax (1995) respectively, while Dynamo Kyiv’s Oleh Blokhin won the European Cup Winners’ Cup twice with the Ukrainian club in 1975 and 1986.

20. A number of players with English teams will take on former clubs in the last 32 – Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (against Lyon), Liverpool defender Martin Škrtel (Zenit) and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech (Sparta Praha).

It’s been a season of immense ups and downs for Arthur Masuaku, starting with a performance in the 4-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford that had pundits questioning his professionalism and commitment. That was, of course, followed by the infamous spitting incident during an FA Cup tie with Wigan in January.

Yet, since David Moyes took the helm and moved Masuaku out to left wing-back, the Frenchman has enjoyed a telling impact on the Irons’ results.

In the Premier League this season, the east London club have averaged 0.6 more points and 0.8 more goals per game with the 24-year-old at left wing-back, and the Hammers fittingly picked up a huge win against Southampton last Saturday upon Masuaku’s return to the starting XI.

With that in mind, we asked West Ham fans earlier this week whether Masuaku is now the club’s most important player in terms of results, and although opinions were relatively split, 59% of those who took part in our poll voted yes.

Have you forgiven Masuaku for his sending off against Wigan, West Ham fans? Let us know by commenting below…

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Since emerging this season as Tottenham Hotspur’s clear top goal-scorer, Harry Kane has received heaps of praise from all quarters within the footballing community, and has thrived as a result of the acclaim. Even those with an irrational dislike of Spurs would certainly be hard pushed to discredit the young star, with the impressive progress the English striker has made in the Premier League admirable.

Over 20 goals in all competitions in 2014/15 is no mean feat whatsoever, but whilst the majority of football fans and pundits alike have congratulated Kane for his seemingly endless goal-scoring exploits, there have been some, albeit rare, claims that the Tottenham no. 18 is been slightly overrated and somewhat overhyped.

Whilst not many agree with such claims, questions are raised… Does Harry Kane deserve his status as a future England hero, or has the rising star in-fact been subject to too much hype across this Premier League season?

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The short answer in this discussion would be to simply say no, Harry Kane has scored the goals, and has rightfully received the expected acclaim for doing so. In the League Cup, Europa League and Premier League combined, the rapidly rising White Hart Lane favourite has proven that he can do the business against most big teams, and on most big occasions. Multiple goals against both title leaders Chelsea, and of course arch North London rivals Arsenal, have developed an already powerful cult-hero status for Kane, who is now seen as the future of Tottenham Hotspur and England.

It seems he can simply do no wrong at the moment. The Spurs academy starlet, who has alas failed to remove himself from his ex-Arsenal youth player status, has been quick on the turn, intelligent with his hold up play, defence-bamboozling with his off-ball runs, and obviously a deadly threat in front of goal. Give Kane even the smallest sniff of an opportunity in the oppositions’ third, and nine times out of ten the White Hart Lane faithful will be seeing the ball fly straight into the back of the net as a result of his efforts.

In the event of Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor misfiring for Spurs of late, Harry Kane’s arrival in top-flight football has come at just the perfect time for Mauricio Pochettino.

Although it is always nice to witness a young English star with great potential ahead of him, it remains important to see where Harry Kane’s detractors are coming from. It’s not as if people don’t want the Tottenham talent to do well for both club and country, it’s just the fact that the England national team should be harder to break into than it currently seems to be.

For all the hype and sensation that surrounds the striker, Harry Kane has only just burst onto the scene and showed the type of performances that warrant an England call-up. He has not yet completed one full campaign at a consistently strong level, and as it should certainly take more than that to become England’s next hero. The poor state of our country’s national squad has been subconsciously highlighted as a result of Kane’s form.

England teams of the past, which boasted a whole host of tried and tested Premier League strikers who had earned their place within the national team, would not have been subject to such a revamp in structure on the back of one new player’s emergence. Harry Kane’s recent good spell would never have displaced the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Alan Shearer or Michael Owen in their pomp, which clearly outlines the lack of English striking talent available in today’s game.

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Ultimately then, Tottenham’s latest striking sensation deserves all the hype he can get right now. His performances warrant it, and if his goal scoring frequency is anything to go by, we will certainly see a lot more positive things from Harry Kane in the next ten years. However, one good season should never be enough to justify immediate national team status, no matter how promising this young marksman looks set to be. As the England national team is in a desperate state of affairs right now though, perhaps an England call-up for young Harry Kane is currently the only sensible way forward.

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