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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Spanish publication Sport, Real Madrid star Marcelo is drawing interest from Arsenal ahead of a potential move to the Emirates this summer.

What’s the word?

The report claims that Marcelo – who is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt –  has asked the Spanish giants to allow him to leave and that the left-back has suitors from France and Italy as well as from the Gunners.

It adds that the signing of Lyon defender Ferland Mendy has caused him to consider his long-term future at the Santiago Bernabeu and whether he will be an automatic first-choice over the coming years.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Despite the trophy-laden career the Brazilian has enjoyed, Unai Emery’s side simply cannot be the place for the 31-year-old to enjoy his final swansong.

Look to the future, not the past

Four Champions League titles. Four La Liga titles. And a bucketload of domestic titles to boot too. When you look at Marcelo’s resume, it’s hard to imagine a side passing up on his talents if he was made available on the transfer market. The guy is a trophy machine.

But at the Emirates, things are a little different. Money is notoriously tight and Emery’s first season in charge tried to shape the future.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested the Gunners are very keen on signing Celtic’s Kieran Tierney to solve their left-back issues. The Scotland international is 22, dynamic both with and without the ball, and has a lot more room to grow. The same cannot be said of an ageing Brazilian whose season last year was so under-par, that he was left out of his country’s Copa America squad this summer.

The stats don’t make pretty reading either for the defender. Last year, in 34 appearances across all competitions, the Brazil international managed just three goals and six assists; the season before that, he contributed five goals and 11 assists.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Premier League has long been known for its pace, intensity and general up-and-down nature. Marcelo’s time at La Liga has been characterised by his work going forward and there have been question marks about his defensive prowess. After the troubles Emery had with trying to deal with Sead Kolasinac, the Gunners are in no need of another all-out attack full-back who can be a liability going back towards his own goal.

Arsenal are in desperate need of an overhaul, but that should not mean they turn their attentions towards a 31-year-old left-back on the decline and on enormous wages.

Son Heung-min is a player that you just cannot hate – that is the view of Bhav, an avid Arsenal fan.

The Korean magician is a dream to watch and last season was a stellar one for the 26-year-old, notching up 20 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.

But his peak moment was his stunning individual goal against Chelsea. Picking the ball up on the right flank, Son twisted Blues defenders inside out before slotting past Kepa.

Bhav, who can be seen in the video above filling out his Panini Tabloid, says he “Ended the careers of Jorginho and David Luiz.”

Check out Bhav’s thoughts on Son in full in the video above.

The Premier League Panini Tabloid is a special commemorative newspaper sticker collection celebrating the exciting new partnership between the greatest league in the world and the legendary name in football publishing, Panini. As the official collectable licensee to the Premier League, Panini are delighted to bring consumers a new era of collectables and the best collecting experience. See more here: http://bit.ly/PaniniFFCEditorial

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According to Sky Sport reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, AC Milan have contacted Liverpool over a potential move for Dejan Lovren.

Lovren has made 170 appearances for Liverpool since a 2014 move from Southampton – including 18 in all competitions last term.

The 29-year-old played a key role in Croatia reaching the final of the 2018 World Cup but it would be fair to say that he is behind Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip in the pecking order when it comes to Liverpool centre-backs.

And the Merseyside outfit’s fans have reacted positively to the claim that Milan could sign the 52-cap ace in this summer’s transfer window.

Lovren has his critics but could certainly thrive in a different setting.

You can relive Liverpool’s Champions League celebrations in glorious 2D thanks to the guys at 442oons in the video below…

And losing a player of his experience would weaken the European Cup holders unless Jurgen Klopp’s side bring another centre-back to Anfield this summer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s fans can be seen below:

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James Tavernier has been singled out for praise by former teammate Russell Martin, who has described the Rangers captain as ‘the best player in Scotland’, as reported by The Daily Record.

What’s he said?

Martin of course knows Tavernier very well having played with him for six months prior to Steven Gerrard’s arrival at Ibrox.

He was signed when Graeme Murty was in charge of the club following the failed tenure of Pedro Caixinha but did not win a permanent deal after a loan spell.

The central defender is in no doubt who the best player was while he was at Ibrox, believing that Tavernier not only stands out as Rangers’ top star, but also as the best talent in the country.

As quoted by The Daily Record, the 33-year-old said:

Last season was the toughest of my career. I saw both sides of the game, players who assume responsibility and those who don’t.

That will be invaluable for me as someone who wants to be a coach and a manager.

I believe Rangers have the best player in Scotland in the shape of James. What he does in terms of a right-back is incredible. He drives the team forward by what he does, scoring goals and leading by example.

He’s not an old-school captain in terms of ranting and raving but there are guys who lead by character and others who lead by example. Tav steps up during times of adversity and has got better season after season.

Is he right?

Tavernier’s importance to Rangers is undeniable.

Some supporters have questioned his leadership abilities this season, especially after some disappointing results, but clearly he is the player the rest of the squad look to and you can’t question his desire to push Rangers on and impact football matches.

He takes a great amount of pressure on his shoulders stepping up to take spot-kicks and his 17 goals this season is evidence enough he can handle that with aplomb.

With an unbelievable 20 assists too, is there another player who shows as much ambition to get forward and create opportunities for his team?

As for the title of ‘best in Scotland’, well that’s a little harder to justify given some of the other players both at Rangers and in the league. Ibrox fans won’t care about that though, most are perfectly happy with what he contributes as it stands.

For a billionaire, Mike Ashley sure lacks knowledge in how to spend his money.

Indeed, while fellow members of the 1% of the 1% across the league are taking their clubs to newer heights, the Magpies are stuck in a rut under Ashley’s reign. Frankly, his incompetence has nothing for their development and making them sink further away.

However, there’s still time for the Sports Direct mogul to right his wrongs, somewhat anyway. Obviously, starting by extending Benitez’s contract would be nice. Secondly, he needs to stop encouraging Newcastle as a selling club, having let the likes of Andy Carroll, Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye leave over the course of his ownership.

According to reports (via Sky Sports), Sean Longstaff’s meteoric rise has attracted Manchester United’s interest this summer. Apparently, the Red Devils want to add youthful exuberance to their midfield with the exciting 22-year-old.

Well, Ashley simply cannot allow Longstaff to leave after witnessing his superb rise to fame last season. Any big bid shouldn’t be entertained at this stage of the Benitez project, if there is to be one going forward.

The academy graduate’s brought life to his boyhood charges’ midfield with his tireless running, ruthless pressing and intelligent movement, connecting the fans to the team in a way only hometown heroes can. Ashley cannot allow his greed for profit into selling away another prized asset. Indeed, as if prematurely offloading Giorginio Wijnaldum or Mohamed Sissoko wasn’t enough damage.

If the Newcastle owner truly wants to see them as a rising force, he needs to make tough decisions. This really is one of them.

Newcastle fans, would you be disappointed by Longstaff’s potential departure this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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The widely hailed Ajax side who have defied pre-tournament predictions, odds and expectations to reach the semi-final of the Champions League took centre stage in the British media on Tuesday evening.

Under the watchful eye of Erik ten Hag, the revered team embraced the spirit of a club renowned for their revolutionary character and pioneering principles of totaalvoetbal, unpicking Tottenham with delicious ease, slicing, slaloming, flicking, showboating, passing and at times fighting their way to a gargantuan 1-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ajax wowed where Manchester City wilted. At the nucleus of it all was the match-winner, the goalscorer and often untouchable playmaker, Donny van de Beek.

David Hytner of The Guardian described his outing as a ‘complete performance at just 22′; The Times’ chief football writer, Henry Winter, gushingly claimed ‘Van de Beek turned a glittering Champions League semi- final ground into his playground,’; Fox Sports labelled Europe’s budding boy wonder as the ‘one player that embodies the never-say-die spirit of this Total Football-strutting team’.

That these quotes barely scrape the tip of the blonde haired iceburg underlines the extent of the hysteria Van de Beek has whipped up across world football.

For Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino, however, this performance was one which they may well have envisaged almost two years ago. In October 2017, a report from the Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf (via Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla) claimed that Tottenham were in the running for little-known Van de Beek’s signature.

Fleeting rumours linking Spurs with an integral member of what is rapidly becoming a golden generation at Ajax have arrived in patches thereafter. One of the more recent links was published in February this year, as Italian media outlet Calciomercato claimed he was on a Spurs shortlist with the likes of Adrien Rabiot, James Maddison, David Brooks and Carlos Soler.

And if Levy needed concrete validation to justify an unprecedented transfer splurge in the summer Van de Beek provided it with official signatures and stamps from the iron bank. But it is performances of this calibre on the big stage which naturally induce interest from far and wide, prompting cash-riddled vultures to swoop in ahead of the kettle.

According to Transfermarkt, the 5-cap Netherlands international is valued at just £22.5 million. To label that figure as unsatisfactory or completely and utterly barking mad would be an understatement; Transfermarkt will certainly be making necessary changes to that figure upon their next review.

Van de Beek, who has scored 16 goals in all-competitions this season, was Tottenham’s nemesis on the pitch last night: he played with a verve that hinted he was an experienced world class playmaker merely masquerading across the turf as a 22-year-old pretender, leaving everybody wondering what on earth has happened to Dele Alli, while he simultaneously upstaged another celebrated product of Ajax’s youth system in Christian Eriksen.

A 15th minute opening goal has left everybody associated with the club in a state of agony ahead of an unenviable looking task in Amsterdam next week, but that feeling has only been compounded by the implications of this match-winning display in the transfer market.

Times the aforementioned Transfermarkt valuation by three and we’re probably somewhere closer to a true valuation in light of another stunning display under the European spotlight. If Ajax are capable of attracting a £65 million fee for Frenkie de Jong they shouldn’t be too hard pressed to command a similar figure for their Champions League sensation.

That will leave Spurs in a predicament which, ironically, could hinge on Christian Eriksen’s future. How much a suitor is willing to pay for a player who critically lacked the imagination, swagger and end product of his fellow Ajax youth graduate will undoubtedly shape Pochettino’s transfer budget.

How Tottenham can stop Van de Beek from conspiring to embarrass the visitors to the Amsterdam Arena next Wednesday will be giving Pochettino sleepless nights, while Levy has been left to ponder how on earth a transfer target – and potential long-term replacement for Eriksen – has catapulted his stock into the footballing stratosphere just in time for the summer window when the Dane is likely to need replacing.

The implications of this internationally celebrated performance cut deep into the heart of Tottenham Hotspur.

Levy and Pochettino have been left disheartened with plenty to agonise over.

Tottenham fans have had it so good in the Mauricio Pochettino years at the club, yet it hasn’t always been this good. The Lilywhites have finished as low as 15th in the Premier League, and only recently have started to reach the top of the game, and the fans believe that change started when Martin Jol came to the club in 2004.

Tottenham fans have been given an exclusive interview with the Dutchman by The Telegraph, and the 63-year-old has nothing but good memories of his time at the club, revealing that he still has a house in Tottenham next to the club’s old Chigwell training ground. It seems that he really does love the club and even claimed to own a Jimmy Greaves’ Spurs shirt from the sixties as he grew up a Spurs fan.

Jol became a lot more than just a Tottenham fan, though, and he can be accredited with starting the revolution at the club that has now seen them rise to become Champions League semi-finalists. During a time when Tottenham were lost in mid-table obscurity, Jol came in and took the Lilywhites to consecutive 5th placed finishes, leading to their rise as a consistent European competitor.

You can read the Lilywhites’ thoughts on Jol’s comments here:

The Lilywhites absolutely love Martin Jol and will always welcome him back to the club with open arms if he’s ever in London.

[ad_pod ]West Ham United fans on Twitter have been naming their 2018/2019 Hammer of the Year and to say that they’re split on who should collect the award is a major understatement.

This came after the club posted on the social media platform to announce that voting was now open for the yearly accolade, the winner of which is chosen by the Claret & Blue Army at the end of each term.

And after a first season under Manuel Pellegrini that has included many highs and looks set to see the team finish comfortably in mid-table in the Premier League, there is clearly no lack of different contenders to take the award off last year’s winner Marko Arnautovic and become the 2018/2019 Hammer of the Year.

Supporters in the comments of the East Londoners’ post threw up a remarkable six different names, from Lukasz Fabianski in goal to club-record signing Felipe Anderson in attack.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

And you can check all of them out, below…

قررت شرطة ميرسيسايد في إنجلترا، فتح تحقيقًا واتخاذ إجراءات صارمة، بشأن ما حدث في أعقاب مباراة الديربي بين فريقي ليفربول وإيفرتون يوم السبت الماضي في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

واستضاف جوديسون بارك مباراة الفريقين في الجولة الخامسة من البطولة، حيث تعادلا بهدفين لمثليهما.

وشهدت المباراة إصابة اثنين من لاعبي ليفربول وهما فيرجيل فان دايك وتياجو ألكانتارا، نتيجة تدخل عنيف من الثنائي جوردان بيكفورد وريتشارليسون.

وقال متحدث باسم شرطة ميرسيسايد، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ديلي ميل” الإنجليزية: “نحن نحقق حاليًا في عدد من التغريدات المسيئة ضد اثنين من لاعبي إيفرتون وهما بيكفورد وريتشارليسون”.

وأضاف: “اللغة المستخدمة في التغريدات غير مقبولة على الإطلاق، ونحن نأخذ الأمر على محمل الجد”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سكاي تكشف قرار الاتحاد الإنجليزي بشأن واقعة فان دايك وبيكفورد

وواصل: “أولئك الذين يستخدمون الإنترنت في استهداف الآخرين، والذين يرتكبون جرائم جنائية عن طريقه مثل التهديد أو أفعال الكراهية، سيقعون تحت طائلة القانون”.

وتابع: “الشرطة تجري تحقيقات موسعة للبحث عن الأفراد الذين نشروا التغريدات المذكورة، وبمجرد تحديد المخالفات سنتخذ إجراءات لتقديم المسؤولين عنها إلى العدالة”.

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Newcastle are reportedly eyeing a move for Sassuolo midfielder Stefano Sensi.

What’s the story?

According to The Northern Echo, Newcastle face “enormous competition” from Europe’s best in the race for Sensi.

The report claims the Magpies have been scouting Sensi for more than a year, but several clubs in Italy, Spain and England are also tracking the 23 year-old.

It states that Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden are both likely to leave this summer, with Huddersfield’s Aaron Mooy and Fulham’s Tom Cairney also on the radar as possible replacements.

The report adds that Sensi’s price initially stood at £21.4m, but that could rise now with several clubs vying for his signature.

Is he worth it?

With £21.4m now looking like the opening bid rather than the actual price, the Magpies will be forced to think long and hard about pursuing Sensi more seriously.

If they pull the trigger though, they would be getting a technically supreme midfielder who combines penetrative passing with defensive solidity like few others.

At just 23, the young Italian has wowed spectators in Serie A with his maturity and composure on the ball, completing 91 per cent of his passes while averaging 1.7 key passes per game, per Whoscored. To complete such a high percentage of his overall passes despite clearly being keen to look forward and cut through the lines is extremely impressive.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Aforementioned, he also chips in at the other end, averaging 1.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game.

He has also recently earned two Italy caps, and it takes some doing to get into a midfield consisting of Chelsea’s Jorginho and PSG’s Marco Verratti.

With Shelvey nearing the exit door, the Magpies cannot rely on 21 year-old Sean Longstaff as their only technician in the middle, and if Sensi can form a long-term pairing with the local lad then he would be worth every single penny.