Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has picked Chelsea forward Eden Hazard as his Premier League Player of the Season ahead of the official announcement by the PFA on Thursday.
The 26-year-old has been back to his best following a disappointing 2015/16 campaign, and is one of the favourites to win the PFA Player of the Year award with the Blues closing in on the top flight title.
The Blues are currently seven points ahead of second-placed Tottenham with just seven matches of the season remaining, and they are on course to reclaim the trophy they lost to Leicester City in 2016.
If Antonio Conte’s men do finish at the summit, then the Italian will know that the Belgium international has played a starring role in the success.
The attacker – who won the PFA award in 2015 – has shown his ability to be a world-class player by scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in 29 league appearances, and he has scared opposition defences with his direct running and dribbling.
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The Belgian has successfully completed a remarkable 128 take-ons this term and he has been fouled 81 times.
Hazard’s form has certainly impressed former Liverpool star Carragher, who believes the 26-year-old should just pip Blues teammate N’Golo Kante to the honour.
The 39-year-old told Sky Sports: “It’s difficult to look away from Chelsea and at the moment it’s a toss-up between Hazard and Kante, who has been a revelation since he came to England.
“But, at the moment, I’ll just go for Hazard, he’s a special talent and the most creative player we have in the Premier League.
“Fingers crossed the Real Madrid talk is just talk, because you have to keep players like that in the Premier League.”
Chelsea can move a step closer to winning the title if they beat Manchester United and former boss Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Patrick Roberts has slammed Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday for a tackle that he’s grateful didn’t cause him injury.
What’s the story?
Early on in Sunday’s Scottish Cup Semi-Final between Celtic and Rangers, Andy Halliday crashed into Patrick Roberts with a tackle that you only see on one of these occasions.
The English winger was none too happy with it either and reckons it’s proof Scott Brown should be successful in his appeal of a red card received away to Ross County last week.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Roberts said:
I have looked back at the Andy Halliday tackle. Broony did that against Ross County and he got sent off. Does it give me hope that he will win his appeal? Yeah. If that’s only a yellow, why was Scott’s a red card? Was it down to the reaction of the Ross County players on that day? I don’t want to say too much, but it was a bad tackle, a terrible tackle, and thankfully I didn’t get hurt.
Despite some rough treatment at Hampden, Roberts performed admirably across the piece, showing the kind of steely determination that will serve him well when he returns to his parent club Manchester City this summer.
He may get the chance to do it all again this weekend at Ibrox too and if he puts in a similar display it could be another long day for Pedro Caixinha’s men and their supporters.
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are confident that a bid of £55m would be enough to convince Torino to part with their in-demand striker Andrea Belotti at the end of the season.
What’s the story?
Belotti, 23, joined Torino from Palermo in 2015, and the striker has scored 38 times in 67 appearances since making the move to Turin.
It has been widely reported that the Italian international has an £85m release clause in his current contract, which has placed Torino in a strong position when it comes to the future of their prized asset.
Torino were believed to be adamant that Belotti will not be allowed to leave for anything less than £85m, but according to the Daily Mail, Chelsea feel that an initial bid of £55m, with the promise of add-ons, would be enough to convince the Serie A club to sell at the end of 2016-17 campaign.
Belotti’s strike rate of 29 goals in 35 appearances for club and country this season has made him one of the hottest forwards on the planet, although Chelsea are understood to face interest from European rivals if it becomes clear that the striker will be available at the end of the season.
Do Chelsea need him?
Very few things are certain in football, although it appears increasingly likely that Diego Costa will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
The Spain international actively sought a return to Atletico Madrid last summer, while he had his head turned by the riches of the Chinese Super League during the January transfer window, leading to a falling-out with Blues boss Antonio Conte.
Costa has netted 17 goals in 29 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, but his form has taken a downward turn in recent weeks.
Chelsea’s back-up centre-forward Michy Batshuayi, meanwhile, has only scored one Premier League goal this season following a summer move from Marseille.
It does appear that it will take serious money to bring Belotti to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, but Conte is said to be receiving a war-chest of £150m this summer as he bids to take the club back to the top of European football.
Most would expect a Premier League clash between Stoke City and West Ham at this point in the season to be a bit of a nothing game, between two mid-table sides who have little to play for.Yet, both sides have cause toÂaim for all three points today; although they’re pretty much safe, the Hammers and the Potters both need another victory to get themselves over the magic 40-point mark.Slaven Bilic’s Irons will be particularly eager to get some points on the board this afternoon; they’re stillÂin danger of being sucked into relegation reckoning at the last minute and will have to face Tottenham and Liverpool in the coming weeks – so today’s game is their best chance of making safety a mathematicalÂcertainty.The Potters, meanwhile, have won just one of their last six, and Mark Hughes will be determined to end the season with a much richer run of results.So, who’ll come out on top in today’s 3pm clash at the Bet365 Stadium? Perhaps a look at the confirmed starting XIs will give us an insight into the likely result…
Last week, West Ham revealed captain Mark Noble would miss the last two games of the season because of an abdominal injury he’s been carrying for a number of weeks, heroically playing through the pain barrier until his club’s Premier League status was ensured with a 1-0 win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The idea of the midfielder’s qualities going under-appreciated is nothing new – in fact, the unsung hero tag has hung around his neck for most of his career – but Hammers fans might be quite surprised to learn how crucial to their results he actually is; Slaven Bilics side are yet to win a Premier League fixture without him in the starting XI this season.
With that in mind, we asked West Ham fans earlier this week whether Noble is indeed their club’s most important player and the result of our poll was a resounding yes, with 69% voting in the 30-year-old’s favour.
Here’s hoping, then, that Noble recovers in time for the start of next season.
According to reports in The Mirror, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is hoping to sign out-of-favour Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi on loan this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Benitez is keen to significantly strengthen his squad following their immediate return to the Premier League as he doesn’t want his side to be involved in another relegation battle next season.
One of the areas he is looking for new players in is in attack, and he believes Batshuayi could be a good addition to his frontline after a disappointing campaign for the Belgian, although he could face competition from West Ham United.
Why was it disappointing?
Despite costing £33m when he moved to Stamford Bridge from Marseille last summer, the 23-year-old has played just 235 minutes of Premier League football this season as he has often found himself playing second fiddle to Diego Costa.
Although his playing time has been limited, the Belgium international has shown his potential by scoring four goals in the final three league matches of the campaign, including the title-winning one against West Bromwich Albion earlier this month.
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Does he have a Chelsea future?
It’s difficult to say.
Costa continues to be linked with a move to China and if the Spaniard does go, it would improve Batshuayi’s first team chances under Antonio Conte.
However, the Blues are also said to be interested in the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata and if they are – and Costa stays – the Belgian will find himself further down the pecking order next term.
A loan move away seems likely, but it could easily be a permanent one if the deal is right.
What would he bring to Newcastle?
He would bring goals, and they can be vital to a team being a success in the Premier League – just ask Middlesbrough.
Even though he has struggled for game time, Batshuayi has still averaged a top flight goal every 47 minutes this season and came to England with a prolific record for Marseille.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, the Belgian would bring the finishing ability and movement that Newcastle need to give themselves the best chance of competing in the Premier League next season, and it is a no-brainer for Benitez to push as hard as he can to get the deal done.
When Manchester United and Chelsea faced off last season, it was a tale of two games. United were soundly thrashed by the Blues at Stamford Bridge, before it was the Red Devils’ turn to inflict damage to Antonio Conte’s title-winners
Their 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge actually sparked something of a revival for Jose Mourinho’s side, when they went on a long – if fairly unproductive – unbeaten run, whilst the 2-0 defeat for Chelsea at Old Trafford was their final defeat of the Premier League season, and they won every other league game.
It’s hard to imagine the styles of the two sides being significantly different next season. Conte will surely have to rotate his side more as European football becomes a factor, whilst you’d expect Mourinho to be a little more adventurous, but other than that, both sides will look to be solid in defence and explosive on the counter-attack, just as they were last season.
And yet, the summer could be vitally important on that level.
For one thing, both sides could find themselves harbouring two new strikers. Romelu Lukaku is said to have turned down approaches from Manchester United to favour a move to Chelsea, whilst United themselves look to have been busy on the transfer front, with reported moves for defender Victor Lindelof as well as Alvaro Morata.
What that means in practice is that United could have a new centre-back pairing of Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof. Both men are physical and pacey as well as cool and composed on the ball, which hints that United could be well-built to deal with the threat that physical strikers like Lukaku cause.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will presumably stick to the back three formation which captivated English football last season. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will have to change that in order to be less predictable next year, but if they don’t, they could be in for problems against teams like Manchester United, who, with the arrival of Morata, would be set up quite nicely to take advantage of an obvious weakness of the system.
The Spanish striker is, essentially, a focal point. He’s not as immobile as Ibrahimovic, but he does lead the line in a way that easily enables link-up play with his teammates. He’ll work the channels and create space for others, and against a back three, that could see centre backs pulled out of position.
It will also allow pacey wide players – Henrikh Mkhitaryan and probably even Marcus Rashford – to run beyond their striker. That means exploiting the spaces in behind the wing-backs and either side of the centre backs – that space which was so often seen as a weakness in Chelsea’s system last season, though most pointed to a vulnerability to aerial dominance rather than pace.
The other big aspect to the first meeting between these two sides next season is the timing of the encounter: it will take place at Stamford Bridge just days after the fourth Champions League group stage games. And so the draw could be crucial in deciding if either side can play a weakened team or will have to travel a long distance to play a European game.
Like all of the fixtures announced, there are so many variables before we get to the game, but the summer will be crucial: if United can add a man to link up their counter attacks, and Chelsea only add players who fit with their 3-4-3 sort of system, that’s the kind of thing that can decide games like this one.
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According to reports in the Daily Star, Newcastle are one of three Premier League clubs targeting a move for out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph this summer.
The Magpies, along with Burnley and West Bromwich Albion, are keen to rescue the 27-year-old from his City nightmare, where he has struggled to break into the starting line-up and has been hampered by injury following an £8m move from Aston Villa in 2015.
His appearances were once again limited under Pep Guardiola this season and he may need to leave the Etihad in the coming weeks if he is to try and reignite his career.
Toon manager Rafa Benitez has been handed a huge transfer budget to significantly strengthen his squad this summer as he looks to avoid being involved in a relegation battle next term following their immediate return to the top flight, and the England international could be one of the players that moves to St James’ Park.
Here are three reasons a move to Newcastle would be the right one for Delph…
Playing regularly
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Having been a regular in the Aston Villa midfield for three seasons, Delph made just 17 Premier League appearances in his first campaign at the Etihad, and just seven in his second.
While he was affected by a muscle injury towards the start of the season, the 27-year-old was fit and ready to play at the end, but failed to make the matchday squad for the final seven league games.
It is clear that the midfielder needs to play regularly and he would get that opportunity at St James’ Park, with Rafa Benitez looking for at least one new addition to start in the middle of the park.
Being a key player
Delph received his first England call up when he was starring for Aston Villa, and it perhaps shows that he is more suited to being a key man for a club where there is less pressure, rather than one where there is a lot.
The 27-year-old has struggled to make an impression at City around a host of star names, and he may feel more comfortable at St James’ Park where he would be considered as one of the team’s best players and an influential and experienced head to call upon.
International ambitions
Delph became something of a regular fixture in the England side during their Euro 2016 qualification campaign, but a lack of game time at Manchester City mean that he has failed to make an appearance for the Three Lions since 2015.
The 27-year-old will still be on Gareth Southgate’s potential list of players to be watched, and the midfielder will know that he will need to make a move this summer if he is to have any chance of going to the 2018 World Cup – there is no doubt that Newcastle can provide him with that platform to perform on.
According to reports in Spanish publication Estadio Deportivo on Sunday, Southampton are one of the clubs keeping tabs on Real Betis left-back Riza Durmisi, who has a release clause of €20m and has been a £17m target for Premier League rivals Liverpool in the past.
New Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino will know the Dane well having managed Alaves in La Liga last season, and the 45-year-old will also know that he have to look for a new left-back this summer with Ryan Bertrand being heavily linked with a move to Manchester City.
Durmisi is of Albanian descent and has impressed enough for the Spanish outfit that he has previously been linked with Liverpool.
While the south coast outfit do have Matt Targett and Sam McQueen as back up if Bertrand does move on to pastures new, they may feel that the duo don’t have the experience to be first choice next term as the club aims to qualify for Europe.
Here are three reasons Southampton target Durmisi would be the ideal Bertrand replacement…
Dribbling and crossing ability
According to WhoScored.com, two of Durmisi’s main strengths are his ability to dribble and get crosses into the penalty area.
Those are traits that would make him a huge success if he was to make the move to Southampton because of the importance of the full-backs from an attacking point of view in the south coast outfit’s system.
The 23-year-old showed his ability to beat a man by successfully completing 25 take-ons in 27 La Liga appearances last term, and Manolo Gabbiadini would especially be keen to take advantage of the crosses into the box.
Creating chances
In 28 Premier League appearances last season, Bertrand created 27 chances for his teammates and Durmisi showed his potential in the same position by creating 46 in one fewer games for Betis.
The 23-year-old, who also takes set-pieces, ended the campaign with four assists and perhaps he should have had more having made 42 key passes.
With the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini and Charlie Austin ready to take chances at Southampton, that tally of four could easily be boosted if the Dane does move to St Mary’s.
Age/Potential
While there is no doubt that Bertrand has established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League – and for England – during his time with Southampton, he will be 28 in August.
At 23 years of age, Durmisi may not be the finished article just yet but he does have huge potential to develop and go on to become a top player – something that appeals to the south coast outfit.
Saints have become famous for nurturing the talent of different left-backs in recent years – think Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw and Wayne Bridge – and the Dane may feel as though he could follow in their footsteps if he moves to St Mary’s.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Sunderland are closing in on a deal for former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady to make the permanent switch from Everton. The paper reckons that while the talks are advanced, they aren’t yet complete.
For us that leaves an opportunity for Celtic themselves to do a major bit of business this summer in an area of the pitch they badly need reinforcements.
Aiden McGeady left the Hoops in 2010 at the age of 24. Now 31, he’s had a long and storied career with both highs and lows. It’s time to bring him home to Celtic Park.
Often returning to a place where you were once successful doesn’t work out, but surrounded by the talent Brendan Rodgers currently has at his disposal, McGeady could be the experience wise head that the Hoops need to progress even further next season.
Here are THREE reasons why Celtic should make a last ditch move to hijack Sunderland’s bid…
He was the club’s best player before he left
Football – Kilmarnock v Celtic – Active Nation Scottish Cup Quarter Final – Rugby Park – 09/10 – 13/3/10 Jamie Hamill (L) – Kilmarnock in action against Aiden McGeady – Celtic Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ed Sykes
Aiden McGeady was a sensation at Celtic Park before he eventually left in a surprise transfer to Spartak Moscow in 2010 for a then record incoming fee at the club.
Season 2009/2010 is one that most Celtic fans will want to forget but McGeady was by far the most talented player left at the club last summer and although his departure funded Neil Lennon’s signing spree that year, he was a big loss to the Hoops.
McGeady won the club’s Young Player Of The Year award three years running from 2005 to 2007 before winning Player Of The Year at the club in 2008 and 2010.
He won seven major honours with the team and played a vital part in almost every one, making over 252 appearances in all competitions.
In Europe too he excelled, often bringing Hoops fans to their feet in vital home matches against the best the continent had to offer.
You don’t lose the kind of natural ability McGeady has and a return to the Hoops could see him find the best form of his career once again.
He still has plenty to offer
Aiden McGeady’s form doesn’t lie in the distant past though. He became a very popular player at Preston North End last season, on loan from Everton, helping them to an 11th place finish in the English Championship above the likes of Cardiff City and Aston Villa.
In fact he was the club’s Player Of The Year there too, echoing the seasons of success at Celtic Park. He scored 8 goals across the season, his highest return since 2007/2008. When he’s happy and getting regular football, he’s a terrific player to have.
For us, he’s too good to be playing English Championship football. He deserves to be in a side chasing trophies and European football and making 60,000 people happy every single week.
If he was in the doldrums we wouldn’t suggest Celtic move for him but given the season he’s just had, he deserves a chance to show what he can do at the Hoops again.
Celtic need options in wide areas
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Aiden McGeady just also so happens to play in a position that Celtic need options in. With the departure of Patrick Roberts back to Manchester City, the Hoops aren’t exactly blessed with depth on the left or right flanks, two positions McGeady can play in effectively.
There’s Scott Sinclair who is undroppable right now but after that there’s only Jonny Hayes, James Forrest and Gary Mackay-Steven. We reckon McGeady is a level above all of those players.
His prowess through the middle is also without question and given Tom Rogic has fitness issues of his own, McGeady could also perform in that number 10 role behind Moussa Dembele or Leigh Griffiths.
It’s a move that makes sense for plenty of reasons and while Sunderland are seemingly eager to get the deal done this week according to The Daily Mail, there’s still time for Celtic to make their interest known.