Sunderland Manager Martin O’ Neill has urged Lee Cattermole to clean up his act, with the 24 year old set to return to action.
The Former under 21 midfielder has missed Premier League fixtures against former club Wigan, Manchester City and Newcastle, following his 7th career dismissal against the Dons.
The player will be welcomed back into the fold but his manager is aware that he will only be an asset to his team if he keeps his discipline in check.
O’Neill feels it is time for his captain to step up to mark of leading the side by example, and he believes the team have missed what the player brings to the table; and he doesn’t want to see him absent from the side unnecessarily again, anytime soon.
The Black Cats boss went on to tell Sky Sports that he hoped that the skipper’s frustration at watching from the sidelines will spur him on in upcoming games.
He said “I would like to think that maybe he would have learned a lesson – but it’s happened to him before and he has come back. I am hoping he can do because he’s very important to us.
Over those three games we missed what he gives us, which is that bit of extra drive, and as a captain he is very good, he is very good indeed.”
Cattermole will captain Sunderland at the Britannia stadium against Stoke City on Saturday.
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Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba has moved to quell rumours linking him with a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, according to Goal.
What’s the story, then?
Goal report that Alba has said that he wants to finish his career with the Catalan giants having already spent six years with the club following his move from Valencia.
They say that he was directly asked about reports linking him with Tottenham and categorically denied wanting to leave, stating that he is very happy where he is and that he wants to see out his playing days at the Nou Camp.
He did reportedly leave the door open for an exit if Barca decide that they want to dispense with the left-back, but he has a contract until 2020 and a 150 million euro release clause.
Hakimi is a better alternative
In truth, Tottenham’s hopes of snaring a settled, elite defender from one of Europe’s superpowers were always slim but Barca’s bitter rivals may hold the answer for Mauricio Pochettino.
With Marcelo the number one left-back at Real Madrid, opportunities are limited for any pretenders to the throne so the impressive performances for Morocco of Achraf Hakimi will be of interest at this summer’s World Cup.
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Still only 19, the full-back can play on either side and eat up the ground up and down the flanks, offering quality in attacking areas and defensive solidity to boot.
Instead of chasing Alba, Pochettino should once more look towards young talent if he is seeking a replacement for Danny Rose.
Southampton will face Manchester City or Wigan in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after successfully navigating a tricky tie away to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
With English Premier League action causing supporters anxiety, the cup has been a welcome change of scenery for Southampton and the win against the Baggies means this is the furthest they’ve gone in the competition since 2005.
Wesley Hoedt and Dusan Tadic were the goal heroes on the afternoon, ensuring progression despite Salomon Rondon’s stunning volley for the home side.
It was also another opportunity to see new striker Guido Carrillo in action after he joined the club from Monaco in January.
The Argentinian has started just three matches but fans are already coming to judgements on how he’s fitting in with life at St Mary’s.
Yet to score, some fans are questioning whether he was the smartest buy.
Others though have been quick to rush to the striker’s defence, given it is so early in his Saints career, believing that he is showing promise spearheading Mauricio Pellegrino’s attack.
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There’s also the suggestion that every striker looks isolated in the Southampton team right now.
Can the 26-year-old become the striker that every supporter is hoping for?
According to The Express, Manchester United are preparing an offer for Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira, following news that the European Champions are planning to transfer list the Germany international.
The 27 year-old is regarded as one of Europe’s top ball-winning midfielders, and certainly suits the template of Louis van Gaal’s customary utilisation of an anchor man in his tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation.
The tabloids believe Los Blancos are prepared to sell Khedira for around £20million, but Arsenal and Chelsea have been hotly linked too.
However, amid reports of a £200million war-chest at his disposal, it’s unlikely the Mannschaft star will be LvG’s final acquisition of the summer.
With that in mind, here’s a list of FIVE United targets who could follow Khedira to Old Trafford this summer – some inspired by his arrival, others more coincidental.
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MATS HUMMELS
Sami Khedira could soon find himself joined at Old Trafford by Germany team-mate and fellow Manchester United target Mats Hummels.
Measuring in at 6 foot 4 and averaging five successful aerial duels per match this season, the Borussia Dortmund centre-back is a formidable force in the air. He netted this bullet header against Portugal earlier this week:
But the 31-cap Germany star better known for his ability to play out of the back and link-up with midfield, often leading to comparisons with Mannschaft legend Franz Beckenbauer, best represented by these impressive attacking and passing statistics:
Here’s a vid showing Hummels’ impressive all-round game:
//www.youtube.com/embed/BitBv8B48UQ
Furthermore, the 25 year-old two-time Bundesliga winner represents the right balance between age, quality and experience from United’s point of view. His reported £25million price-tag strikes great value for money too.
TONI KROOS
Another Mannschaft star known to be on the Carrington radar is Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos.
It was previously believed that the Germany international wouldn’t be entertaining the notion of a United switch this summer, despite having just a year left on his Allianz Arena contract. But recent speculation suggests his widely-alleged move to Old Trafford could be back on…
Boasting three Bundesliga titles, a Champions League title and 45 caps for Germany at just 24 years of age, Kroos is widely considered to be one of the most impressive young midfielders in world football.
His technical talents would certainly address the Red Devils’ desperate need for added quality in the middle of the park, just take a look at his outrageous passing stats from this season, courtesy of whoscored.com…
Kroos is a real assassin from long-range too. Here’s his top five Bundesliga goals:
//www.youtube.com/embed/IUXwiLUosYg
But Manchester United are by no means the only interested party, with Real Madrid and Chelsea both hotly linked.
NICOLAS GAITAN
Another technically-gifted midfielder on the Old Trafford radar is Benfica’s Nicolas Gaitan, according to The Metro…
The 26 year-old has long-been regarded as one of the most impressive talents outside of the European elite, having reached back-to-back Europa League finals with Aguias and claimed last term’s Primeira Liga title.
In the process, the Argentina international has netted 27 times in 177 appearances for the Portuguese champs, including eight goals this season and this mouth-watering free-kick…
//www.youtube.com/embed/m7qKTAupe1k?autoplay=1
But he’s better known for his trickery and intelligence on the ball, demonstrated in the below video…
//www.youtube.com/embed/VOWb2N3ZU-I
But Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona, to name a few, are known to hold an interest in the Benfica winger.
DALEY BLIND
Another Metro-inspired transfer rumour – the Red Devils are reportedly considering Holland left-back Daley Blind as an alternative to £30million target Luke Shaw.
The 24 year-old’s stock has dramatically risen at the World Cup, in no small part due his impressive number of assists…
…
including this sensational set-up to Robin van Persie against Spain…
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Blinds’ World Cup form comes after an equally inspiring campaign for Ajax, where he won the Eredivisie title and the Dutch Player of the Year award.
Mirror Football have rated him at around £12million and believe the Amsterdam outfit would be prepared to sell.
ALEXIS SANCHEZ
Amid Manchester United’s desperate need for added quality out wide, it’s been widely reported that the Red Devils are in the race to sign Barcelona winger-forward Alexis Sanchez.
The 25 year-old has been in strong form this season to find 21 goals and 15 assists in 54 appearances, including this wonder-strike against Atletico Madrid…
//www.youtube.com/embed/REmlUllpLKk?autoplay=1
But the feeling at the Nou Camp is that the Chile international hasn’t progresses as expected following his move from Udinese in 2011, where he was previously considered to be one of the brightest prodigies in world football.
Resultantly, and with Barcelona planning a summer of wholesale changes, it’s believed Sanchez will be offloaded this summer.
United are by no means his only suitors however, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Juventus all expected to rival any interest from Carrington.
Here’s a look at Sanchez’s best ten goals for the Catalans:
forward Federico Macheda is set to quit the club in January if he does not start getting regular game-time, The Sun report.
The Italian attacker burst onto the scene some years ago, but has seen his opportunities limited at Old Trafford of late.
With Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez all ahead of the youngster in the pecking order, Sir Alex Ferguson seemingly has little future plans for Macheda.
The player’s agent Giovanni Bia has confirmed that if the situation does not change, his client will be looking for a new employer in the January transfer window.
“He wants to play and if he cannot do so by January then we’ll try to find an alternative solution,” the representative confessed.
Macheda moved to England from the Lazio youth system in 2007, and made his first-team debut for the Red Devils in 2008.
Despite this, loan spells at Sampdoria and QPR have proved fruitless, with Macheda failing to score in his time with either of his temporary sides.
The forward has represented his country at under-16, 17, 19 and under-21 level, making 10 appearances and scoring four goals for the latter set-up.
As yet it has not been stated which clubs may be interested in signing Macheda in January, or whether he would prefer to stay in England or return back to Italy.
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Macheda has not played for Manchester United since Boxing Day last year, and as such is understandably frustrated with his lack of time on the pitch.
West Bromwich Albion announced via their official website on Sunday that young defender Jack Fitzwater has signed a contract extension.
The 20-year-old, who has been at The Hawthorns for his entire youth career, is now tied down to the club until the summer of 2020.
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Since 2015, Fitzwater has had numerous spells on loan, joining the likes of Chesterfield, Hednesford Town, Forest Green Rovers and Walsall.
Last season the defender caught the eye as he helped keep five clean sheets and score three goals in 15 appearances for Walsall.
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Now that the Baggies have dropped into the Championship, the youngster may get an opportunity for first-team action.
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Manager Darren Moore will prioritise promotion to the Premier League, which means that he will need his best team, but as the calibre of opposition is different to that in the top flight, he can afford to give some young guns a chance.
Judging by the reaction to the contract news, West Brom fans are excited about Fitzwater’s future.
Facing relegation and a search for a new manager, Stoke City knew action had to be taken during the January transfer window.
Either side of appointing Paul Lambert as Mark Hughes’ successor, the Potters swooped for right-back Moritz Bauer – who has since played in all four of Stoke’s Premier League fixtures – and powerful midfielder Badou Ndiaye, who provided an assist upon his debut against Bournemouth last weekend.
That, in addition to a loan deal for left-back Konstantinos Stafylidis, saw Stoke commit to an overall net spend of £20.52million last month according to Transfermarkt.
But some would argue Stoke didn’t address all of their issues in January. The Potters are still short of dependable firepower in the final third, their joint-top scorers Mame Biram Diouf and Xherdan Shaqiri netting just five times each in the Premier League this season, but failed to bring in another striker.
So, Stoke City fans, are you happy with your club’s efforts in the transfer market last month? Let us know by voting below…
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Manchester City midfielder James Milner believes that his side’s experience of coming out on top in a close title race will be enough to see them ease past Liverpool to claim this season’s top prize.
The Reds are currently four points ahead of the Sky Blues, but the chasing side know that if they win all of their remaining games – starting this weekend at Anfield – they will lift the trophy.
Whereas Liverpool have never claimed the Premier League title, City came out on top two years ago thanks to a final day victory against QPR, in what has often been described as the most dramatic end of season turn of events ever.
Although he believes that the Merseysiders have the advantage, Milner is confident that his team’s know-how will be enough for them to regain their crown:
“We’ve been here before and have won the title recently whereas Liverpool haven’t won one for a long time and whether that comes into play or not, I don’t know. As the finishing line gets closer, games that looked easier a few weeks ago prove to be anything but.” He told the club’s official website.
“It’s still in our hands because if we win seven games, we’ll be the champions, but Liverpool are in the box-seat because they are top and have the points already on the board so for me, they have to be favourites as things stand.
“We have the ability and experience to finish the job and it’s going to be an exciting finish for the neutrals.
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“Hopefully we can see this through and win it again in slightly less dramatic fashion as the last one – but if that’s what it takes, I’d be happy to do it all again.”
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Demba Ba was Newcastle’s hero once again as he scored twice to rescue a point and deny Reading their first Premier League win of the season.
The Senegalese striker has proven to be the Magpies’ saviour in recent weeks salvaging a draw against Everton a fortnight ago and scoring the winner against Norwich last week.
Manager Alan Pardew, who signed a new eight-year deal on Thursday, was indebted to Ba again as former club Reading came within a whisker of putting three points on the board for the first time since their promotion to the top-flight.
Brian McDermott will view this as a missed opportunity as his side failed to take advantage of a heedless performance from the visitors who should have been behind before the break.
Pavel Pogrebnyak went the closest with a header from Jobi McAnuff’s cross that was tipped over by Steve Harper before Nicky Shorey volleyed over from close range as the game remained goalless heading into half time. It was a different story after the restart as Reading capitalised on Newcastle’s misfortune to take the lead through Jimmy Kebe.
As the Magpies struggled to cope with a defensive reshuffle after the injured Steven Taylor was replaced by 20-year-old James Tavernier the Royals broke the deadlock as Kebe controlled McAnuff’s cross, cut inside and squeezed a shot just inside Harper’s near post. That sparked the visitors into life and within a minute they were level as Ba spectacularly volleyed past Alex McCarthy after being found by Cheick Tiote.
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Noel Hunt then put Reading back in front almost immediately glancing home McAnuff’s cross and put his side on course for that elusive first win. But once again they were pegged back by Ba, albeit in controversial circumstances, as he appeared to convert Shane Ferguson’s cross with his arm.
According to reports in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United are considering making a summer move for Brentford captain John Egan, who cost the west London outfit £400,000 initially following a tribunal after he joined them from Gillingham in 2016.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Yorkshire Evening Post report that the Whites are expected to get their transfer business underway once Marcelo Bielsa has been appointed as their new manager, and signing a centre-back is seen as one of the priorities seeing as they have little senior experience in that position aside from Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper.
The Yorkshire Evening Post says that the club, whose fans have been quick to react to a link with a new striker name with one saying “get Rhodes instead”, has failed to make much progress in their bid to bring Kyle Bartley back to Elland Road on a permanent basis following a successful loan spell in the 2016/17 season, and while they have looked at Egan they are yet to make an official approach for the Bees skipper.
How did Egan do during the 2017/18 campaign?
It was another decent campaign for the two-cap Republic of Ireland international, who made 34 appearances in all competitions having suffered from a couple of injury blows.
The 25-year-old showed his leadership skills and his threat in the air with three goals, winning 137 aerial duels in total in 33 Championship outings, as per WhoScored.com.
Egan is known for being something of a no-nonsense defender, and he certainly showed that when he had former Whites loanee Pierre-Michel Lasogga in his pocket during his side’s 3-1 win against Leeds at Griffin Park in November 2017.
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Would he be a good Leeds signing?
It’s difficult to say.
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While the 25-year-old is clearly a decent defender, the Yorkshire outfit should be looking for a big upgrade on captain Cooper this summer, and you would be hard-pushed to describe the Republic of Ireland international as that.
That said, he is clearly a good leader and would add another vocal voice in the backline alongside Jansson, and his Championship experience, know-how and his willingness to put his body on the line for his team could be vital in ensuring they finally win promotion from the Championship.