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Tottenham Hotspur have several young prospects bubbling under the surface of the first-team set-up, namely Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon, who have both been sent out on loan to gain valuable match time.

Although, their spells so far have been hugely contrasting.

The central midfielder is pulling up trees at Championship outfit Norwich City whilst the £22.5m-rated wide man has struggled to cement his name amongst Hoffenheim’s starters.

Sessegnon was finally given his first league start on Monday night as the Bundesliga side entertained Union Berlin at home but he may have blown his chance to impress as he put in an underwhelming display at left wing-back.

The 20-year-old played the entire 90 minutes but failed to register a single shot, accurate cross or successful dribble, via SofaScore.

His 6.4 rating would have ranked among the worst in the side but for Robert Skov’s red card. Sessegnon also lost 75% of his duels, lost possession ten times and committed three fouls.

He endured tough game against a goal-hungry Max Kruse and his opposite number, Julian Ryerson.

The English U21 international’s former Fulham teammate Stefan Johansen believes he has the potential to become the very best in his position – speaking to Nettavisen (via SportsMole), he said:

“He’s a huge talent. He got the chance on a good team in the Championship and delivered insanely well. He is a big, big talent. The sky is the limit for him. He may become one of the world’s best in his position.”

But going by that display, he’s still got a very long way to go to reach those daunting heights.

As a player that has been likened to both Gareth Bale and Raheem Sterling in the past, it’s going to be very hard to live up to the hype and that also comes with the substantial risk that he follows the path of a talent-turned-flop like Adel Taarabt or Tom Carroll.

The Moroccan playmaker signed for Spurs aged just 17 for £3m and arrived with the tag of being the ‘next Zidane’ – that evidently didn’t work out as he was sold to QPR after two loan spells there.

It’s down to Sessegnon to choose his destiny – up his game to become Spurs’ future Bale or drop off into the oblivion just like Taarabt.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt claims Spurs have found their Dembele successor…

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has never really had anyone pushing him onto the next level, which is perhaps why his performances at Goodison Park have started to dip but that could all change this summer…

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, the Toffees are among a host of clubs chasing Manchester United’s number two Sergio Romero before the start of the new season next month.

With Dean Henderson set to compete with David De Gea for the starting spot, the Argentinian veteran could slip down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

Newly-promoted Leeds United and Chelsea are two of the other teams mentioned with interest.

Pickford competition

Pickford has been a fairly reliable shot-stopper for Everton over the past few years, but complacency has appeared to creep in recently.

Following a 3-0 thrashing by Wolves last month, the Toffees faithful hammered the 26-year-old on Twitter, blasting him for being a “disgrace to the club” as well as a “clown.”

It’s not the first time either with the ECHO suggesting that some sort of mistake or blunder is in him each time he steps out onto the field, which is rather worrying.

But when Maarten Stekelenburg is the backup, there isn’t much that can be done.

Romero may not have the most games under his belt in recent seasons, but he’s a more than adept option between the sticks and Alex Iwobi knows that all too well.

During a rare start in the FA Cup back in January 2019, the 33-year-old silenced the Nigerian winger, forcing him off just after the hour mark due to his poor display – only Pierre-Emile Aubameyang could find his way past the 6 foot 4 colossus.

“Whenever he plays, he performs,” said his boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer just last week, adding that Romero was a “very good goalkeeper” whilst centre-back Eric Bailly labelled him one of the best in the world and claimed that he’s dependable”.

Marcel Brands must swoop him up at all costs.

AND in other news, Serie A colossus could be a cheap Gabriel alternative…

Key information about Globe Arena

Globe Arena was opened in 2010 and is now the home of League Two side Morecambe FC. The ground is located on Christie Way in Morecambe and is one of the most modern stadiums in the league.

Its current maximum capacity stands at 6,476 – but with 2,173 seated places – and it has a pitch that measures 105m by 68m. The surface is covered with grass and there is no running track surrounding it.

The record attendance of 5,375 fans at Globe Arena was set on 28 August 2013 when Morecambe faced Newcastle United in the second round of the Capital One Cup.

A history of Globe Arena

Seeing how the Globe Arena was opened in 2010, it’s safe to say it’s still a very young stadium that hasn’t got a lot of history behind it just yet. But even with that being said, Morecambe’s home is certainly a refreshing sight to see down in League Two as the ground is among the most modern and impressive stadiums in the league as a whole.

And before they moved into Globe Arena, Morecambe were playing their football over at Christie Park, which was, impressively, their safe haven since 1921, meaning that they were there for almost 90 years in a row. But by 2010, it was starting to become painfully obvious the ground had started to become obsolete. It may sound harsh but the time was right for the club to leave.

The work officially started 9 May 2009 and the original plan was to have it done just in time for the start of 2009/10 season. But, as fate would have it, some complications along the way meant that it would have to wait until the 2010/11 campaign instead. The first game ever to be played there was supposed to be a friendly clash against Bolton Wanderers, however, all three planned home pre-season friendlies were subsequently canceled because of the issues in finishing the ground.

Instead, Globe Arena was opened with a 2-0 victory against Coventry City in Morecambe’s League Cup first-round tie on 10 August that same year. Still, the first league game ever ended in a 0-0 draw against Rotherham United and they would have to wait until Shrewsbury Town came to visit to tally their first league triumph at their new home, as the game ended in a 1-0 victory for the hosts.

The Globe Arena got its name after the construction company that built it, Globe Construction. The reported cost of the whole process was around £12m and the building can hold up to 6,476 fans, with 2,173 seats available over in the Main Stand, which is the only seating area at the ground.

The stadium also has a gym and a ticket office for the away fans and despite not being an all-seater, Globe Arena is surely a state-of-the-art ground and Morecambe FC should be proud of their new home.

Tickets to watch Morecambe FC at Globe Arena

All tickets to watch Morecambe FC play at Globe Arena can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary depending on the stand chosen, the age group of the buyer and the time of purchase. You can buy an adult ticket for a cost between £16 and £26 but it will go up by £2 if you decide to purchase it on the day of the game.

The club also offers a season ticket scheme for their fans and the price for adults is between £219 and £799, depending on which category you choose.

Related links

https://www.morecambefc.com/ – Official website of Morecambe FC

Glasgow Rangers have already sold out their home shirt for the 2020/21 in some sizes, according to The Daily Record.

On Wednesday, the Gers released their new kit for the upcoming campaign, which was the first one to be made by new manufacturing partner Castore after their £25m deal was signed off. The anticipation for any new kit is usually palpable – the fact that a new company was making this shirt has only added to that.

The initial numbers have been revealed and, according to one Ibrox insider, some sizes of the shirt have already sold out. Only 50,000 shirts were available on the opening day and, with a retail price of £60 per unit, the club appear to be closing in on a very cool £3m windfall in less than 24 hours.

This is just the latest indication that the Gers supporters cannot wait for the next campaign. Recently, the club has confirmed that 40,000 people have bought season tickets for the new term despite it still not being clear when fans can return to stadiums, while 20,000 have also signed up to their new MyGers membership scheme.

This latest news is just another boost to the club from a financial point of view, but it is something that manager Steven Gerrard will be keeping an eye on. The expectation amongst the supporters is as high as it has ever been in the last few years – he cannot afford to let them down.

Let us know what you think below!

West Ham’s season has finally drawn to a close and fans have been left discussing the future of one player in particular – many aren’t happy with him either.

Irons drew 1-1 with Aston Villa at the London Stadium, which saw the visitors secure their place in the Premier League for next term.

Sebastien Haller was given a little runout in the second half, replacing Michail Antonio at the break though he wasn’t much better.

A recurring theme was the fact that the French forward was a waste of time, money and space having cost a club-record £45m last summer. His value has plummetted to £32.4m as per Transfermarkt.

Haller was also blasted for being “lazy” and “absolute toilet.”

Via SofaScore, the 26-year-old failed to register a shot on target from two attempts, had just 22 touches and lost possession four times from that too.

Some fans believed that David Moyes was effectively putting their star summer signing in the ‘shop window’ by introducing him in the final game of the season.

It’s led to many wanting Haller to be sold, once again he was slammed for being “useless” and that he doesn’t bring anything to the side.

There were even a couple of members in the Irons faithful who already had a replacement in mind – that being Brentford talisman Ollie Watkins or QPR’s Eberechi Eze.

AND in other news, West Ham can’t afford to sell Moyes’ resurgent £45m superstar this summer….

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jose Mourinho has hit the ground running since moving to Tottenham, and it has produced something of a welcome change to his usual defensive philosophy.

In his first five matches as manager of the Lilywhites, he has won four games, with his team scoring 16 goals since his arrival.

The loss to his former club Manchester United will have no doubt frustrated him, but the players appear to be responding to him after he replaced Mauricio Pochettino as boss.

However, the team’s defensive woes will not please him. They may have kept a clean sheet against Burnley, but that only came after they conceded at least two goals in each of the previous four matches. It is very much a contrast to his normal style – don’t forget that this is the man who oversaw the best defence in Premier League history in 2004/05 at Chelsea.

It is currently an uncertain time at centre-back for Spurs. Davinson Sanchez is tied down to a long-term contract, but the same cannot be said for both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, both of whom started the Champions League final against Liverpool last season.

Their deals run out next summer, meaning that Mourinho could be without two top-class centre-backs within less than a year of him taking the job. Not only that, it would leave just two players in the position, with Juan Foyth the only other option.

As such, a centre-back will surely be at the forefront of the Portuguese manager’s transfer plans. And it is being said that Napoli man Kalidou Koulibaly is on his radar, with his purchase even being “demanded” by the 56-year-old, per Eldesmarque.

The Italian outfit are said to want €100m (£84m) for his services, which would represent a significant outlay for a club whose record signing is £53.8m. However, should Daniel Levy be able to take him to north London, it would be a statement of intent from Tottenham.

The Senegal international is a colossus, and has been a star for the Serie A team. Since arriving at Napoli, he has averaged a WhoScored rating of at least seven in each campaign, and he has been a hard man to beat. He has picked up an average of two tackles per match in all but one Serie A season, for example.

It is no surprise that Real Madrid are also looking at him. Not just that, Liverpool and Manchester United are amongst the other teams that have been linked with a move for him.

His displays over the past 12 months also earned him 24th place in the Ballon d’Or rankings. Imagine if Tottenham could get their hands on a player of his undoubted quality, beating their rivals to his signature. It would show that Mourinho’s arrival is not just a flash in the plan – Spurs actually do mean business.

Spurs die-hards are getting 70% on this Ultimate Tottenham Quiz. Can you beat them?

With two experienced defenders such as the Belgian duo potentially departing, the 28-year-old would be exactly what the doctor ordered. Whilst Spurs may be impressing offensively up until now, Mourinho is likely to want to shore up his defence, and Koulibaly would be able to have a big say in that.

Meanwhile, Tottenham fans react to one man’s latest performance.

Pierre van Hoojidonk has said that he had talks with Glasgow Rangers manager Dick Advocaat during his time in Scotland.

However, the former Dutch striker claimed that he could not make the move to Ibrox due to his connections with Celtic.

The Netherlands international had a fantastic record with the Hoops, scoring 52 goals in 84 appearances in just over two years, but that came during a barren spell for them in which they won just one trophy, the Scottish Cup, during his time in Glasgow.

The former Nottingham Forest player was talking on the Lockdown Tactics Podcast and recalled the time Advocaat had tried to take him to Ibrox. He said:

“I was on the phone with [Dick] Advocaat during that period.

“Arthur [Numan] had just signed and Dick was going to be the manager.

“Dick called me and said ‘Come on, come to Rangers.’

“I said ‘Dick, you don’t know what it is like. You have no clue. If you say this you don’t have a clue’.

“I met him a couple of years ago after that moment at Celtic Park when I went to see Celtic vs Rangers and he said ‘I understand completely why you said no.”

The ‘Gers were already a side packed full of talent at the time, with the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Brian Laudup and Ally McCoist already available. Adding a striker with the ability of Van Hooijdonk to the squad would have been, quite frankly, unfair to the rest of the competition.

Of course, he could never make the switch directly across the divide – the hatred between the two is just too strong. Still, fair play to Advocaat for having the bravery to make the approach!

‘Gers fans, would you like to have had Van Hooijdonk at Ibrox or was he right to turn down a move to the club? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

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

Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld could all sign new contracts at Tottenham Hotspur following the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager, per The Daily Mirror.

What’s the word?

The three all have deals that expire at the end of the season and they all have the ability to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in the January transfer window.

The Mirror, though, reports that the trio are open-minded about their futures and are all intrigued by the prospect of working under Mourinho.

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Football FanCast understands that this would represent a major shift in stance from Eriksen in particular, who has thus far refused to countenance the idea of signing the new contract that was on the table during the summer.

He also publicly declared his desire to take on a “new challenge” during the summer.

A major U-turn

This is horrific behaviour from Eriksen if it’s true.

The Dane has dipped in form this season – scoring just two goals and registering a sole assist in all competitions this season.

He has, along with Alderweireld and Vertonghen, remained in the team under Pochettino, but his head appears to have been dramatically turned by the prospect of a move and has been accused of effectively downing tools by the likes of Ray Parlour.

If he is now willing to put pen to paper and commit his future just because Pochettino has left, it proves that he had stopped playing for the former Southampton boss and was out to further his own agenda more than that of the club.

To that end, even if he does stay, there could well be a backlash against him from the supporters. And one has to believe that such a blowback would be completely justified.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

After opting to largely play safe with his team selection for his first ever game in charge of Arsenal, interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg may decide to throw caution to the wind on Thursday night.

Barring Shkodran Mustafi making his debut appearance in the Premier League this season, the line-up felt similar to what his predecessor Unai Emery had been putting out. But with Brighton awaiting them at the Emirates – a team that have conceded 21 goals this season – Ljungberg may decide attack is the best form of defence.

Watch Arsenal vs Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime

With that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might just line up for the clash against Graham Potter’s men.

After producing a top-class display against Norwich in which he made multiple saves, including one by the fingertips to steer a goal-bound effort just past the post, Bernd Leno will be full of confidence. In front of him, injury updates on the likes of Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney will likely determine whether the two young full-backs make their first-team returns. If Ljungberg understandably takes precautions with the duo, then Calum Chambers and Sead Kolasinac are likely to retain their places from the weekend.

At centre-back, after coming under criticism once again for his latest horror showing, the Mustafi experiment may have already reached its end, with former Borussia Dortmund man Sokratis ready to come in alongside summer signing David Luiz. In midfield, ex-captain Granit Xhaka will make his Emirates Premier League return after being side-lined following his incident with the home crowd against Crystal Palace a few weeks ago.

Further forward is where Ljungberg has some seriously tough choices to make. Alexandre Lacazette’s form this season has been anything but stellar, and it may be time for the Arsenal interim boss to step in and intervene. If the Invincibles legend does indeed take the Frenchman out of the firing line, that could mean a rare appearance for Nicolas Pepe – a home game against a side that have leaked a number of goals this campaign is surely the perfect time for him to play in.

That could mean Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gets the nod up front – a position where he has scored 175 goals in 270 games over the course of his career. The Gabon international would no longer have to sacrifice himself to accommodate Lacazette, and that greater offensive balance could be the key to getting Ljungberg’s fledgling reign off the mark with a win.

Meanwhile, Freddie Ljungberg has revealed the one academy prospect who he believes is the “future of this club”.

In our latest instalment of theÂFlashbackÂseries, we take a look back at a certain moment and look at how things might have changed those initial reactions.

Last Sunday, Celtic’s official Twitter account @CelticFC noted that it had been 21 years to the day since Lubomir Moravcik came to the club.

To say that there was scepticism about the 33-year-old Slovakian when he was brought to Glasgow by fellow countryman Dr Jozef Venglos for £200,000 from Duisburg in October 1998 (as per the Daily Record) would be an understatement.

As noted by These Football Times, numerous journalists scoffed at the manager’s decision to sign him. The Sunday Mail’s Hugh Keevins wrote: “I don’t know what I find more laughable; the fact that Celtic cannot find £500,000 from their biscuit tin to sign a proven talent like John Spencer, or the fact that they then spent £300,000 on one of Dr. Jo’s old pals, the unknown Lubomir Moravcik!”

Meanwhile, journalist John Traynor wrote that the signing of Moravcik has “merely caused [Celtic] further embarrassment”. [via These Football Times]

Within a month of joining Celtic, the Slovakian midfielder had given those critics plenty to mull over, scoring twice in a 5-1 hammering of league leaders Rangers. [via BBC]

He may have been approaching the twilight of his career, having represented the former Czechoslovakia at the 1990 World Cup, but Paul Murphy of These Football Times described him as “one of those players who seemed to have more time on the ball than those around him”, adding that he “dribbled superbly despite limited pace and scored many spectacular goals from distance with both feet”.

After Venglos left Celtic in the summer of 1999, Moravcik frequently found himself out of the team under John Barnes at the expense of Eyal Berkovic, who as the club’s then-record signing of £5.7m was often preferred by the manager but not by many Hoops supporters. [via Celtic Underground]

Once Martin O’Neill came to Parkhead a year later, though, the Slovakian’s fortunes rose rapidly. In the 6-2 drubbing of Rangers in August 2000, Moravcik set up two goals in the opening 11 minutes (as per BBC) to set Celtic on their way to an emphatic victory.

He again caused the ‘Gers nightmares later that season, scoring twice in a 3-0 win at Ibrox, Celtic’s first success at the home of their Glasgow rivals in seven years. [via The Guardian]

The 2001/02 season would be Moravcik’s last for the Hoops but he again came to the fore in memorable wins. He set up two of Celtic’s goals in the 4-3 win over Juventus in the Champions League in what BBC’s match report described as a “virtuoso performance” from the veteran.

Upon departing the club in the summer of 2002, the Slovakian had won two league titles, two Scottish League Cups and one Scottish Cup. He scored 35 goals in 129 appearances for the club (as per Soccerbase), a tremendous return for his paltry £200,000 transfer fee.

Celtic legend Henrik Larsson (a man dubbed the King of Kings by many supporters) picked him in a best XI of footballers with whom he played, testifying to Moravcik’s excellence at the club.

The Slovakian midfielder’s many magnificent displays at Parkhead ensured that the initial sceptics’ scathing remarks 21 years ago would subsequently appear very foolish.

Celtic fans, what are your favourite memories of Moravcik? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!