Gary Neville slams Paul Pogba after penalty miss against Wolves

September 26, 2019

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has slammed midfielder Paul Pogba following his penalty miss against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. The France international had allowed Marcus Rashford to score the penalty last time around but he took the responsibility for the spot kick at the Molineux, only to squander the chance.

With that, Pogba has now missed four penalties over the past year when compared to Rashford, who has yet to squander an opportunity from 12 yards and this has not pleased Neville. Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said that every club should have a designated penalty-taker in the ranks and it’s not a game of tombola whereby they would be swapping places.
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Marco Silva expects Everton to make progress before the transfer deadline

August 14, 2019

Everton manager Marco Silva has indicated that the Toffees have time to make more additions to the squad before the next month’s transfer deadline. The Merseyside outfit have been largely quiet for most parts of the ongoing transfer window and they have signed just two new players in Fabian Delph and Jonas Lossl while Andre Gomes has joined them on a permanent basis from Barcelona.

Speaking to the club’s official website, the Portuguese tactician talked about the club’s pre-season campaign where they have managed just three goals from five matches. He added that Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been working hard upfront but the club may seek to reinforce the department before the transfer window slams shut on August 8.
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Marco Silva hopeful of permanent Kurt Zouma signing from Chelsea

July 13, 2019

Everton boss Marco Silva has said that he remains hopeful over the permanent signing of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea this summer. The Toffees have already landed the signatures of Jonas Lossl and Andre Gomes in the transfer window and the latter joined them following a season-long loan move last season.

Likewise, Zouma was another player, who excelled on a temporary basis with the Toffees last term and speaking to The Liverpool Echo, Silva has said that he is optimistic over the recruitment of the France international. He added that Zouma can’t remain the sole solution and the Toffees will look elsewhere, should they fail to find the breakthrough with the Blues.
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Pires urges Arsenal board to increase budget for manager Emery

June 27, 2019

Arsenal legend Robert Pires has said that the Gunners must spend big in the transfer window to come close to challenging for the Premier League title. The north London side have struggled to offer a strong push for the league title over the past 15 years and of late, they have failed to qualify for the Champions League itself.

Speaking to The Mirror, Pires said that the Gunners are working on a basic £40m budget for the current transfer window and that remains far from sufficient to sort out the flaws in the team. He added that Premier League success is directly influenced with the money spent and the owner needs to show more intent in the transfer market for the team to compete for the title.

He said: “I read that Arsenal have a small envelope for transfers, only £40m. My opinion is that it isn’t enough. If you want to build a good team, you need to spend a lot of money, especially in the Premier League. I respect Arsenal’s position and the owner, but everybody knows that if you want to win the Premier League, you need to spend a lot of money.”
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Guardiola insists the Champions League not the only motive

April 27, 2019

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that he did not come to the Citizens with the priority of winning the Champions League. The Catalan tactician made a name for himself with two Champions League titles with Barcelona between 2009 and 2012, but he has failed to win the competition thereafter with Bayern Munich and the Citizens.

Speaking in a press conference, Guardiola stressed that the Champions League was not the main aim of joining the Mancunian giants and the focus has been on getting the team to adapt to his style of play, he said: “I know people say I came here to win the Champions League, but I didn’t come here to win the Champions League, honestly.
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Paul Pogba’s Flirting with Real Madrid Not Serious, claims Higginbotham

April 17, 2019

Danny Higginbotham says that Paul Pogba appears very happy at Manchester United and it is not correct to read too much into the recent comments about playing for Real Madrid. The French midfielder recently admitted that it would be a dream to play for a club like Real Madrid – especially when they are managed by Zinedine Zidane. This has increased speculation that Pogba may be set for a move to Real Madrid in the summer. It was only a few months ago that the midfielder was linked with a switch to Barcelona. The midfielder made these comments ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers for France – against the likes of Moldova and Iceland.

However, Danny Higginbotham says that the comments from Pogba were merely harmless flirting and that it would be unwise to read too much into those comments. Pogba has been a player everyone since the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he is the second top scorer at the club behind Romelu Lukaku. A major part of the revival under Solskjaer has been done to the form of Paul Pogba, who has been given more freedom by the Norwegian manager than by Jose Mourinho. Zinedine Zidane is back at Real Madrid for a second spell and he was immensely successful in his first by winning three successive Champions League titles.
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ESPN pundit heaps praise on Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku

March 15, 2019

ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop has heaped praise on Romelu Lukaku, who has transformed his fortunes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this term. The Belgium international was disappointing with his performances during the opening half of the season under ex-boss Jose Mourinho but he has managed to turn a concern with the Portuguese’s dismissal from the helm.

Lukaku initially started on the bench this year with Marcus Rashford leading the line but multiple injuries have meant that he has got the chance to impress upfront. Speaking on ESPN FC, Hislop said that Lukaku was unfairly getting the stick from the United fans earlier in the season when Mourinho was responsible for the tactics and formation.
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Unai Emery rules out Arsenal’s chances of selling Matteo Guendouzi

March 12, 2019

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has been left surprised by the ongoing speculation which has associated Matteo Guendouzi with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. The Frenchman only joined the Gunners from French minnows Lorient last year but he has since become a fundamental figure in the centre of the park with more than 30 games across all competitions.

Amidst, there have recently been reports suggesting that the midfielder could be the subject of a £60m bid from Les Parisiens in the summer but Emery has decided to dismiss the speculation by stressing that the club are looking at the long-term with the midfielder, he said: “I am surprised. I don’t want this.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appreciates Harry Maguire’s performance against Manchester United

February 23, 2019

Manchester United’s interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has highlighted the performance of Leicester City defender Harry Maguire during the Red Devils slender 1-0 Premier League on Sunday. The Mancunian giants scrapped through the game with the solitary first half goal from Marcus Rashford but things could have been quite different, had it not been for their defensive resolve throughout the game.

Speaking after the game, Ole was pleased with the performance from the Red Devils, who secured their eighth win in nine league matches under his tutelage. He added to praise the qualities of Maguire, who was a constant threat for their defence especially from set-pieces, he said: “When you’re only 1-0 up, anything can happen in that box. And I think that Harry Maguire has got a magnet on his head because it nearly always drops to him. A fantastic player in the box. So we knew we had to defend against him and out lads, they blocked, put their bodies on the line so it was a fantastic effort and they were fighting for each other.”
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Christian Pulisic excited after signing for Premier League side Chelsea

January 21, 2019

Chelsea’s new signing Christian Pulisic has admitted that he is really excited after committing his long-term future to the west London side. The United States international became the Blues’ first winter signing after joining them from Borussia Dortmund but he has since been loaned back to the club for the season.

Speaking at Dortmund’s training camp in Marbella, Pulisic acknowledged that he is excited by the new challenge next season, given he had dreamt of playing in the Premier League during his childhood days. However, he added that his commitment remain fully with Dortmund for the second half of the current campaign where the club are seeking to beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga crown.

He said: “It’s good now that it’s out and people know about my future but I’m really excited I have the chance to be here for the rest of the season. The only thing I can say is I hope people understand my decision and I also hope they understand that I am here 100 per cent and very focused to finish out the season with Dortmund. I am really excited. It’s been a dream of mine [to play in the Premier League] and I am really excited for this move and I feel like it was just the right time for me.”

The speculation linking Pulisic with Chelsea had first emerged during the month of December but Dortmund thereafter clarified that the American won’t be leaving the club at the halfway stage of the campaign. Despite this, the Blues have managed to push through a winter move for the attacker, though the German club seem to have won the battle after managing to retain the youngster’s services for the rest of the season. Dortmund are currently six points ahead of Bayern in their league standings and they have the opportunity to cease the latter’s seven-year dominance in the division.

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