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Southampton continued their run of excellent form after a thrilling seven-goal fiesta played out at Villa Park on Sunday. The Saints put four past Aston Villa who came out fighting with all guns blazing. Luckily for the visitors, they were able to come away with all three points despite the best efforts of the hosts.

Not everything was a positive takeaway from the match though. Ralph Hasenhuttl could be staring down the barrel of a very dangerous gun and it’s lurking in the form of a triple injury blow.

Southampton injury news

In a scene that fans will have been watching through their fingers, star striker Danny Ings was taken off the pitch with just five minutes to go. The problem, as many dreaded, is a knee injury.

According to the latest update, his initial scan results “are favourable” but the striker is awaiting further tests to determine the severity of the injury. Hasenhuttl originally admitted that it did not “look good”, which will have struck fear to the Austrian’s core.

Ings has a morbid history with knee injuries which has crippled his playing career. At Liverpool, he was forced to the sidelines through ligament damage and missed a total of 85 matches for the Reds. This totals up to a painful 498 days out of action with ongoing knee problems (via Transfermarkt).

Ryan Bertrand also hobbled off the pitch after suffering a hamstring injury deep into the second half. The ever-present left-back has suffered two hamstring injuries on different occasions during his time with the Saints, which kept him out of action for a combined nine matches. Whilst this isn’t season-ending news, it could set Southampton back in their run for a strong finish this term.

The third of Hasenhuttl’s concerns comes after Jan Bednarek was also forced off after picking up a head injury during an aerial duel. The manager has described the collision as “brutal” in his recent comments, which could perhaps indicate there’s a slight case of concussion there.

Over the next few days, Hasenhuttl will need to draw up plans to prepare for a match without all three in question. Good news could come and surprise the fans, but things look bleak as they prepare to face Newcastle on Friday.

In other news, Jannik Vestergaard shines in Saints victory over Aston Villa…

Marcelo Bielsa is adamant on recruiting a new striker for the upcoming 2020/21 Premier League campaign. Of course, having just been promoted from the Championship, the mighty Leeds United will still need to boost their squad if they are to tango with the best of them.

And it’s not exactly that the Whites have been struggling in front of goal too much but adding a consistent and reliable goal-scorer who has experience in the top-flight could be beneficial, to say the least.

In the last weeks, we’ve also heard that Leeds are interested in Valencia’s Rodrigo and now, according to a new update by the Daily Mail, it seems the 29-year-old forward is keen on making that switch to England.

Valencia themselves are in the midst of a huge rebuild and would, in fact, be willing to listen to offers in the range of £30m for their man. This, although quite high in the current climate, wouldn’t be impossible for Leeds.

Especially since the striker has a £45m release clause and this would mean Bielsa would get his target on a discount of sorts. Of course, Rodrigo is not exactly their only option.

The same source reminds they are still battling with Rangers for Ryan Kent and on the other side of the pitch, in defence, they are looking at both Arsenal’s Rob Holding and Freiburg’s Robin Koch.

One way or the other, we are bound to see more transfer news connected to the Whites in the coming weeks.

Verdict

Even though Daily Mail are mentioning £30m as the price the Spanish side are likely to request, seeing the chaos unfolding at Valencia could also mean that Leeds can potentially negotiate that figure down.

Of course, even at that price, Rodrigo would certainly still be a good buy for El Loco but the current outside circumstances don’t exactly promote heavy spending at the moment.

More than a year after Mauricio Pochettino name-checked him as a player he loved, Ajax star Donny van de Beek could be heading to Tottenham this summer.

The former Spurs boss waxed lyrical about the Dutch midfielder after he scored the winner in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash back in 2019.

When asked who he thought Ajax’s most important player was, Pochettino revealed: “Van de Beek. Nobody talks much about him. But he has a dynamic in the game, he gets behind Tadic, he arrives, he works, he scores goals. Logically, I love De Jong and De Ligt. But the example of the operation of this Ajax is Van de Beek. I like very much. They have a young player, from the academy, in each line, that shows what the team is.”

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Now, Spanish publication SPORT claim that both Spurs and Manchester United have made contact with Ajax over potentially signing the 23-year-old this summer, although it’s said Van de Beek himself is holding out for a move to La Liga giants Barcelona.

The report adds Ajax have put a €55m (£49m) asking price on his head, and that a move to Barcelona could well hinge on how the situation surrounding Lionel Messi pans out.

But if Spurs can steal a march on their domestic and European competitors for the Dutchman’s signature this summer, then they could land one of European football’s premiere goal-scoring midfielders.

He netted ten times last season, whilst his former youth coach at Ajax, Brandon Roy, declared: “Physically he has always been devastating, since he knows how to attack and defend with the same skill. He was very shy but already smart on the playing field. He is a total footballer, offensive runs are one of his great specialties.”

Spurs could make a significant statement in the transfer window by landing Van de Beek.

Key information about KCOM Stadium

Even though the KCOM Stadium has been the definition of a multi-purpose ground, it is still the home of Hull City who are plying their trade in the Championship. Built-in 2002, it is a modern facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull in England and currently has two tenants: Hull City, the football club, and Hull FC, the rugby club.

Its capacity stands at 24,983 with a pitch size of 104m x 74m that is not surrounded by a running track. The surface of the pitch has hybrid grass with no undersoil heating installed.

The current record attendance was set at a Premier League clash against Liverpool on 9 May 2010 when the game was watched by 25,030 supporters.

A history of KCOM Stadium

The KCOM Stadium, which was initially called KC Stadium, replaced Hull’s old ground Boothferry Park in 2002 – a pitch that was their home since 1946. Even though the idea of a new stadium was first brought forward in 1997 but the finances at the time were simply not sufficient to fund such a big project.

Eventually, the city council sold a portion of its share in Kingston Communications and even provided most of the funds, covering more than £42 million of the total £44 million that was the cost of construction, with the rest coming from government single regeneration budget grants and from the Football Stadium Improvement Fund.

The Miller Partnership were given the reins to oversee the construction after adopting the proposals that were set during the stadium’s final design. Interestingly, the development itself lasted only 14 months, despite some initial complications, including Hull City’s receivership in 2001.

Between 2002 and 2016 the ground was simply called KC Stadium, but was then subsequently renamed KCOM Stadium following a rebranding of their sponsor from KC Group to KCOM Group.

The stadium was officially opened on 18 December 2002 with the inaugural match between Hull City and Sunderland, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the hosts, and the first competitive match was against Hartlepool United, Hull also winning that one 2-0. Of course, KCOM Stadium is an all-seater with clearly being a football and rugby ground first and foremost, but is also used for conferences, meetings, banqueting, Christmas, weddings and other celebrations, including music festivals and concerts.

There were some plans to further expand the capacity of the stadium which were first conceived upon their promotion to the Premier League with the capacity easily eclipsing the 30,000 mark by adding seats in a second tier to the east, north and south stands.

In 2011, the club’s owner Assem Allam, proclaimed that he wanted to buy the stadium freehold so he could develop it further and erect a sports park on the site but since the ground is also owned by the council, they refused the offer.

Tickets to watch Hull City at the KCOM Stadium

All tickets to watch Hull City play at the KCOM Stadium can be found on the club’s official website – the pricing ranges depending on the category you choose. An average range would be between £24 to £33 if you pick the most expensive category for adults.

Hull City also offer membership discounts as well as bundles that can save you money with the so-called 12-match and 6-match savers, which is their own way of replacing the usual season ticket scheme that is in use at most clubs across the UK.

Related Links

https://www.hullcitytigers.com/ – Official website of Hull City

https://www.hullcitytigers.com/tickets-landing-page/ – Hull City ticket office

Tottenham Hotspur are in danger of missing out on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as Everton are in ‘pole position’ to sign him from Southampton this summer, according to the Daily Mail.  

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho insists that the 33-cap Denmark international is the signing he needs to rebuild Spurs before the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season. The Lilywhites were reportedly leading the race to sign Mourinho’s top transfer target in the summer but that no longer appears to be the case.

Contrary to some reports, Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is firmly at the front of the queue after the Saints accepted a £25m bid from the Toffees last week.

The Danish midfielder does not lack ambition, as he wants to take a step up to elite European level. He has admitted that he wants to win the Champions League and Premier League, and he believes that Mourinho is the better option.

The 24-year-old has informed the Saints he will not sign a new deal at St Mary’s and he was subsequently stripped of the captaincy by Ralph Hasenhuttl, replaced as holder of the armband by England international James Ward-Prowse.

Although Hojbjerg favours a move to north London over Merseyside, the decision is ultimately out of his control. Managed by his former boss Pep Guardiola, Manchester City is another possible destination, while Eredivisie champions Ajax are closely monitoring the ongoing situation.

Spurs have offered £15m for the ex-Bayern Munich ace but this has fallen short of Southampton’s estimations.

Hojbjerg’s statistics don’t paint the full picture. For instance, the fact that he has failed to find the back of the net in the Premier League this season belies his work-rate on-and-off the ball. Paying close attention to the finer details, he takes 72 touches per match on average to keep the game flowing and wins 54% of his total duels (via SofaScore).

While Hojbjerg perhaps does not possess the flair of an attacking midfielder like Philippe Coutinho, he is a hard-working valuable asset to any team for which he plays, which explains why there is so much interest in a player who is the same age as Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish.

Mourinho is looking to make amends after last year’s Champions League runners-up clinched a place in the Europa League on the final day of the Premier League season. It will be a tough pill for the Portuguese to swallow if Daniel Levy fails to sign Hojbjerg this summer, as he has been pursuing him for several months.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy will sign Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Marcelo Bielsa has been an undoubted success at Leeds and because of his transformation of the club it is sometimes easy to forget just how much of an impact he has made.

Leeds had mostly struggled in the Championship under previous bosses, with only Garry Monk flirting with the pay-off places in recent years, yet Bielsa has them top of the table with much of the same playing personnel.

He has utilised youth players like Kalvin Phillips and Jack Clarke to great effect and built a winning mentality based on passing football and a strong defence.

An average possession of 60% combined with conceding only ten goals in 21 games means Leeds are the team to catch, and have allowed him to win 39 matches out of 67 in charge.

To put that into perspective, Garry Monk, Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbttom achieved the same amount of wins combined from 92 matches, a stat which has impressed some supporters.

Bielsa’s influence on Leeds wasn’t in any doubt but it is useful to see the impact he has made summed up by a simple stat. It highlights how poor the Whites were previously, and just how big a job it has been to make Leeds what they are today.

The Argentine deserves tremendous credit considering he can’t even speak English and it is his first job in this country, and he is managing a club with huge expectation.

All those factors work against him yet they haven’t stopped his ability shining through, and as long as the players understand his system and continue learning from him to become better players, there is little chance of things taking a turn for the worse.

Winning promotion would be the icing on the cake for Bielsa to cement his legacy at the club, although it isn’t like he isn’t loved already.

Fans have also been singing the praises of Bielsa and Leeds after seeing another hugely impressive stat, one which means that promotion must surely happen this time around.

In what may go down as one of the biggest twists of the summer transfer window, RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner is on the verge of joining Chelsea, not Liverpool.

The Germany international waxed lyrical about Jurgen Klopp and the Reds earlier this year, hailing the former as the “best coach in the world”, and that his style “might be a good fit” at Anfield.

But now, the Reds have pulled out of the race to sign him, with their Premier League rivals Chelsea reportedly agreeing a deal to lure him to Stamford Bridge.

Can you spot your Xabi Alonso from your Bruno Cheyrou? This Liverpool quiz will have you questioning your knowledge…

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And along with the news that Liverpool won’t be making Werner their newest signing, The Independent’s Melissa Reddy has revealed that the Merseyside club’s “priority” has been to “lock down Virgil van Dijk and Alisson for the long-term, while continuing to reward players that have delivered Champions League success and are close to ending a 30-year wait for the league title”.

After hearing Reddy’s update on why they didn’t move for Werner, Liverpool fans flooded to Twitter to voice their reactions.

A couple of Liverpool supporters couldn’t quite believe that the Reds look like they’re heading for a second consecutive summer without spending – last year only saw them bring in Sepp van den Berg for some money, with both Adrian and Andy Lonergan arriving on free transfers.

Another couple of fans felt that the whole idea that the club snubbed the chance to sign Werner in order to renew contracts, seemed to be a way of “spinning” the story, and didn’t seem to buy it.

Whilst it is true to point out the Reds have achieved considerable success over the past couple of seasons, simply avoiding refreshing the squad due to wanting to “reward” players who are already there, is just a recipe for stagnation.

Can you name every one of Liverpool’s top goalscorers in the PL era?

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Things are going great for Liverpool, with the Premier League title likely to be on its way very soon, but without new signings, the Reds risk standing still and just letting their rivals play catch-up.

It’s no surprise to see fans of the Merseyside club so frustrated.

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 the perfect opportunity to turn Spurs’ form around this weekend and kick off his spell at the club with a bang.

Tottenham Hotspur face West Ham United in a London derby that is likely to be packed with incident.

Indeed, this is a game that Spurs really need to win. They haven’t picked up three points in the league since September and haven’t won away from home since January. West Ham, though, are in a similar boat. They, like Spurs, have won just three times in the top-flight but they have lost five times and also recorded four draws.

The fact is that they have been simply woeful for as long as Spurs have.

Since beating Manchester United 2-0 in September, they have lost 4-0 to Oxford United in the Carabao Cup, drawn 2-2 with Bournemouth and 1-1 with Sheffield United and been beaten by Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle United and Burnley. In those seven games, they have conceded 17 goals and scored just six.

On the same weekend that the Irons beat United, Spurs lost 2-1 to Leicester City.

Since then, they too have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup – by Colchester United – and have beaten Southampton and Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League twice. They were also thumped 7-2 by Bayern Munich in Europe and also lost to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool. Draws with Watford, Everton and Sheffield United have seen them pick up three more points. In their 10 games since the loss to Leicester, Spurs have scored 17 goals and conceded 16.

The stats, then, show that the Hammers are coming into the fixture in worse shape than Mourinho’s men and that is pretty astonishing given the form of the north Londoners, so if the Portuguese can’t get his reign off to a winning start here, one has to wonder when they will be able to.

But by the same token, this really is a fantastic opportunity for Mourinho, and not simply because he’s playing a club enduring form worse than Tottenham’s.

First and foremost, there is no doubt that his appointment has divided opinion amongst supporters. Before it was made official, a number voiced their concerns on social media.

It is likely they have since become more accepting of the situation but regardless – and in light of how his spells with Chelsea and United ended – the Portuguese has some winning over to do.

While West Ham may not be the calibre of club Spurs see as direct counter-parts, this is unquestionably a bitter rivalry between two sets of supporters who do not like each other one bit. A win, under any circumstances, will always win some favour amongst fans.

At the same time, Mourinho can provide evidence that he is in fact the right candidate for the job by instantly correcting one of Pochettino’s failings – Spurs’ abysmal away form. Their last Premier League victory on the road came against a now-relegated Fulham in January, but West Ham, for reasons expressed above, are the ideal opposition to flip that trend on its head.

Combined with the huge potential to win over disgruntled fans, this match is a golden opportunity for Spurs’ new gaffer.

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…

The so-called new manager bounce has deserted Phil Parkinson so far and that could mean that a change in approach is needed for the manager in terms of how he deals with his players.

Sunderland have won just two of his 11 matches in charge and are so far yet to win when falling behind in a match, which highlights a lack of belief and spirit in the dressing room.

Such an atmosphere is the foundation of any success, no matter what the league, and the Black Cats cannot expect to throw money around in the hope it finds a winning formula thanks to sheer luck.

One man who built a strong team spirit was Roy Keane, who combined a ruthlessness with knowing what to say to get the best out of players, and it paid off with huge success.

Someone who benefitted from his style was Tobias Hysen, who was drafted into the side after the team lost their opening four fixtures, and his assist contributed to a 2-0 win over West Brom.

Keane made a decisive impact straight away, which current manager Parkinson has failed to do, and it could be because of the way he treated his players, something which Hysen makes note of.

Speaking to Sportbibleln, he said:

“He was tough but fair. If someone did not do what he expected, he could tell, he could be angry, but it wasn’t that he frothed at the mouth and threw things.

“We lost a game against Preston, and he said to some: ‘You might as well have been sitting on the bench with me today, because you are not affecting anything. You are not in the match, you might as well sit next to me’.”

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Right approach

Hysen readily admitted himself that he wasn’t good enough to start on a regular basis for that Sunderland side, yet Keane got him to produce three goals and four assists from 15 league starts, which shows his style paid off.

That meant Hysen was a useful squad player to have and shows that strength in depth is exactly what’s needed to build a promotion campaign, and exactly what’s needed right now.

Several players are underperforming yet still being picked. More should be expected of Will Grigg, Aiden McGeady and Grant Leadbitter, experienced players who have spent most of their career at a higher level but simply aren’t doing enough to get their side winning currently.

As a result, it is possible Parkinson has been too lenient in his approach with them, and a style more similar to Keane’s could be the route needed in the current day.

After all, Sunderland languishing in 11th place in the third-tier while being knocked out of various cup competitions is not only unacceptable, but embarrassing, and Parkinson would be well within his rights to be angry at his squad and demand improvement.

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Leeds United returned to the top of the Championship table with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side clinched all three points thanks to goals from Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison, but it was the performance of one man in particular that has drawn huge plaudits from sections of the Whites faithful.

And that player wasn’t playing in the home strip either.

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QPR’s Eberechi Eze failed to add to his six goals and four assists this season, but his showing still stood out in the eyes of many up in west Yorkshire.

One supporter believed the 21-year-old was the ‘best player by an absolute mile’ in Mark Warburton’s starting line up which was reinforced by another who claimed he was the standout star.

Others requested that the club go in for him in January, which may be a possibility considering that talkSPORT reported that they had ‘tentative’ interest in the midfielder during the summer.

A further member of the Leeds crowd sees Eze as the ideal replacement for Pablo Hernandez for when the ‘inevitable’ happens.

Here’s the best of the reaction: