It’s been a whirlwind season for Tottenham. Practically every other week, they’ve been thrust in and out of the Premier League title race – with results, both on their part and on the part of their title rivals – serving to dictate their position in the English title race. 

At present, they’re not considered to be leading the way in the title race, but they aren’t far off, and with Liverpool dropping points against West Ham on Monday, anything could happen between now and the end of the season.

One thing that has been consistent this season, though, is the form of one of Spurs’ most important players: Son Heung-min. Son missed a few weeks at the start of 2019 due to his participation in the Asian Cup, but since his return, he picked up where he left off – with stunning form leading Tottenham to successive wins against Watford and Newcastle.

Jamie Redknapp has been discussing the attacker in his column with the Daily Mail, and he’s been full of praise for him.

Redknapp wrote: ‘Son Heung-min is having the season of his life. He has scored 10 Premier League goals from just 14 starts — including crucial strikes in each of Tottenham’s last two games — and has helped take the burden off Harry Kane’.

He added: ‘His work rate cannot be questioned…He has stepped up and become a key player for Mauricio Pochettino.’

Certainly, few could argue against the notion that Son is enjoying the best football of his career. Despite missing a portion of the season to partake in the Asian Cup, the South Korean has exploded into life this term – having been a regular fixture under Mauricio Pochettino.

He’s not just added more goals to his game this season, either, he’s added vitally important ones. He scored the winner over the weekend, and not for the first time. He’s a player that, not unlike Harry Kane, wins games for Spurs on his own – and that’s an invaluable trait to have.

If Tottenham are to have any chance of winning the title this year, they’ll be relying heavily upon Son and his form. If he’s able to keep up the fine displays that he’s recently been enjoying recently, Spurs will always have a chance.

Thoughts?

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Everton returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Cardiff City in Wales on Tuesday night.

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored twice for the Toffees, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin also registered late on to secure a three-goal success.

It was certainly a much-needed three points for the Merseyside giants, but the Everton fans were not too pleased with the performance of Theo Walcott.

The former Arsenal man lasted 82 minutes against Cardiff before being replaced by Ademola Lookman.

The 29-year-old has only managed three Premier League goals this season and his displays in recent weeks have not exactly been terrific.

Walcott’s career has not really turned out like many thought it would.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

And it would not be a surprise if the 5ft 9in ace departed at the end of the current season, despite only moving to Goodison Park from the Gunners in January 2018.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Everton fans can be seen below:

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Celtic fans were left gutted by news of Tom Rogic’s knee injury.

Australia’s exit at the quarter final stage of the Asian Cup should have meant an early return to club action for the midfielder but now it looks unlikely that he’ll be back in action until mid-March.

Before the turn of the year Rogic was at the centre of a tug-of-war with Australia insisting that he joined their Asian Cup squad on December 27th. Celtic had hoped to delay that journey by three days but Aussie boss Graham Arnold dug in, resulting in Rogic missing the Glasgow derby at Ibrox.

Australia weren’t in action until January 6th when they lost to Jordan in the opening group match, before seeing off Uzbekistan on penalties in the last 16 and then losing out to the UAE in the last eight.

Celtic have a number of attacking options to deputise for Rogic but the 26-year-old has a great track record for coming up with goals on the big occasion, with a string of important strikes at Hampden Park and in the Glasgow derby.

Rogic joins a growing list of absentees for Celtic’s Europa League ties against Valencia that already includes Leigh Griffiths, Filip Benkovic and Dedryck Boyata.

Here’s a look at how Celtic fans have reacted to the news on Twitter…

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Arsenal will be looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins when they welcome Southampton to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

And Mesut Ozil must start for the Gunners, despite the recent comments from the London club’s head coach Unai Emery about rotation.

What has Emery said?

Emery has revealed that Ozil will continue to be rotated in and out of the XI, suggesting that he will be on the bench against Southampton this weekend having started Thursday’s clash with BATE Borisov.

Ozil was in the Arsenal XI for just the second time in 2019 against BATE, and the German helped his team record a 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.

The 30-year-old could well find himself back on the bench in the Premier League on Sunday, but there simply has to be a spot in the team for the playmaker.

Much can be said about Ozil’s energy levels and willingness to go that extra mile, but he remains Arsenal’s most talented footballer.

And he has to feature against a Southampton team who will find it very difficult to see much of the ball during the 90 minutes.

How has Ozil performed this season?

Nineteen matches – four goals and two assists. The fact that Ozil has only registered one Premier League assist this season is quite incredible when considering his talent.

There’s good news for fans of City, Liverpool, Spurs and United in the video below…

However, in fairness to the former Real Madrid attacker, who Transfermarkt value at £31.5million, it is clear that he does not have the trust of Emery as he simply does not work hard enough.

The Gunners will absolutely dominate the ball against the Saints, though, and they will not need every single player to be a workhouse.

On the contrary, it is in these type of games where players of Ozil’s quality are extremely important.

The 6 foot ace is intelligent enough to know that he has not been at his best this season, but it makes little sense to leave the German out of Arsenal’s home fixtures against the lesser clubs in the division, with respect to Southampton of course.

[ad_pod ]Brendan Rodgers faces a Europa League dilemma with only three of his four January signings available for the matches with Valencia.On Thursday night the Hoops secured a loan deal for Jeremy Toljan with Oliver Burke, Timo Weah and Vakoun IssoufÂBayo already on board.The Europa League issue was highlighted by Moravcik 67, who is a Twitter guru of UEFA rules and regulations with his understanding of coefficients second to none.

Already on the score sheet for Celtic, Weah and Burke seem certain to be added to the UEFA squad with just three matches to go before Valencia visit Celtic Park.

Toljan is the highest profile signing made by Rodgers during the transfer window and seems likely be involved in the next couple of matches even if Sunday’s game against St Johnstone comes too soon.

With that process completed, Bayo is probably the likeliest to miss out – leaving Burke and Odsonne Edouard as the striking options.

Europa League a bonus

Clearly Celtic’s priority is to secure an eighth successive title with progress in the Europa League a bonus rather than a necessity.

Rodgers got what he was looking for in terms of attacking options during the January window but defensively the Hoops look light especially with Filip Benkovic and Dedryck Boyata both out injured.

Getting Toljan up and running is a priority. If the German goes straight into the side Mikael Lustig becomes an option in central defence.

حقق زلاتان إبراهيموفيتش نجم ميلان الإيطالي، رقمًا مميزًا خلال مواجهة بولونيا الجارية بينهما الآن.

ويستقبل ميلان نظيره بولونيا على ملعب “سان سيرو” ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى من عمر الدوري الإيطالي.

وسجل إبراهيموفيتش الهدف الأول للروسونيري من رأسية رائعة في الدقيقة 35 من عمر الشوط الأول.

وقالت شبكة “أوبتا” المختصة بالأرقام والإحصائيات، إن أبرا اشترك في 15 هدفًا (سجل 11 وصنع 4) خلال أول 16 مباراة له بالدوريات الأوروبية الخمس الكبرى خلال مسيرته.

يذكر أن المهاجم السويدي المخضرم بدأ مسيرته الاحترافية في 1999، وتمكن من التسجيل في المباراة الأولى له بموسم 2020/21.

شاهد الهدف

Wolves fans will be hoping the club can secure European football in their first campaign back in the Premier League.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men comfortably lifted the Championship title last season and their excellent form has continued in the higher division. Wolves currently occupy seventh place in the standings, four points clear of Watford and nine points behind Arsenal. European football is a real possibility if the Midlands side can maintain their form for the rest of the campaign.

Finishing in a European place would also give Wolves a welcome boost to their finances ahead of the summer transfer window. More money to spend on recruits will greatly increase their chances of making their recent success sustainable in the long-term. However, Nuno should also be on the lookout for deals that don’t break the bank.

Therefore, Wolves should be keeping tabs on Rotherham dynamo – Will Vaulks. Valued at just £675k by Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old has been one of the Championship’s most consistent performers this season. Despite his increasing importance to his current employers, his contract at the club is set to expire in the summer meaning Wolves could look to secure his services for absolutely nothing.

Vaulks is a fantastic defensive midfielder who adds another layer of protection to the back four, averaging an impressive 2.5 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game this season. Not only does he excel defensively, but the Englishman also has the quality to dictate the tempo of games, chipping in with five goals and three assists this season. Adapting to the physicality of the Premier League should be no issue with Vaulks winning an incredible 4.3 aerial duels per game in the Championship (WhoScored).

Potentially available on a free, this move should be a no brainer.

Wolves fans, thoughts?

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The departure of Mousa Dembele has left a void which Mauricio Pochettino will be acutely aware of the need to fill in 2019, has a tailor-made replacement already slipped through the net at Tottenham?

Dembele’s influence

Dembele established himself as a mainstay in the heart of Tottenham’s midfield during his six-and-a-half-year spell with the club. Whether he was dictating tempo from deep, dropping his shoulder before powering beyond his opposite number in trademark fashion or threading the ball into dangerous positions, Dembele carried a near untouchable aura on the field of play.

His style was verging on irreplaceable and genuinely unique. Discussion over a handful of candidates to replace the brilliant Belgian has been rife within the media, but Spurs predictably drew a blank in January.

Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko have established a positive, somewhat make-shift partnership at the heart of midfield in recent months, easing the impact of Dembele’s mid-season departure in the process.

However, the long-term future could look bleak for Pochettino if he and Daniel Levy fail to identify and secure a replacement in the summer window, particularly given Winks is the only natural ball playing midfielder residing within the squad.

Winks has provided the next chapter in the tale of Pochettino’s successful organic endeavour to promote from within, but the Argentine’s commendable policy didn’t extend to Nabil Bentaleb when he was pushing for a first-team breakthrough.

Could Nabil Bentaleb have been the answer?

A product of Tottenham’s fruitful academy, Bentaleb had the makings of a future midfield lynchpin when he was introduced by Tim Sherwood as a teenager.

The formative years of his development exposed a left-footed midfield technician who, despite his lightweight build, appeared tailor-made to slot into Dembele’s shoes.

He may well have lacked the power which Dembele possesses in abundance but there was substantial evidence in his early career to suggest his raw, untapped talent could be translated into an accomplished, top level one.

But the expectation regarding his development failed to translate into a glowing Spurs career and he was eventually sold to Schalke in a deal worth £17.1 million after enjoying an excellent season-long loan spell in Germany.

Bentaleb has gone on to establish himself at the heart of Schalke’s midfield, scoring a handful of thumping goals and impressing with his aggression in a box-to-box midfield role.

There is no player quite like Dembele, but Bentaleb’s early promise at Spurs and his subsequent form in Germany hint that Pochettino and Levy should have placed more faith in the rough diamond.

They succumbed to the prospect of making a healthy profit on the academy product when they would have been wise to keep him for the future, and they may pay the ultimate financial price for that decision when they fork out for a new midfield enforcer.

أفادت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية، أن هناك اهتماما إنجليزيا كبيرا بالتعاقد مع الدولي الإيطالي دانييلي روجاني مدافع يوفنتوس ومنتخب لاسكوادرا زورا.

روجاني فقد مكانه في التشكيل الأساسي للبيانكونيري منذ الموسم الماضي، وشارك في فترات قليلة أثناء إصابات كيليني ودي ليخت وديميرال.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مينديز يتفاوض لنقل دوجلاس كوستا إلى الدوري الإنجليزي

ويبحث اللاعب الإيطالي عن مخرج للحصول على عدد أكبر من المباريات، ولا يمانع يوفنتوس في ذلك، لامتلاكه أكثر من لاعب في ذلك المركز.

صحيفة “ذا صن” الإنجليزية، ذكرت أن هناك صراعا إنجليزيا على التعاقد مع روجاني، حيث يظهر نادي نيوكاسل اهتمامًا كبيرًا بل ويتواصل حاليًا مع وكيل اللاعب لضمه.

هناك أيضًا وست هام يونايتد، الهامرز الذين كانوا يريدون التعاقد مع روجاني في الصيف الماضي لكن يوفنتوس رفض بسبب إصابة كيليني بقطع في الرباط الصليبي.

لم يحصل يوفنتوس على أي عرض رسمي حتى الآن، لكنه يفتح الباب أمام رحيل روجاني، في حالة وصول عرض مناسب ماديًا.

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Luton Town midfielder Alan McCormack said he felt “gutted and angry” after missing a sitter in the dying minutes of the 1-1 draw with Coventry City.

After Elliot Lee saw a free-kick saved, the ball fell to McCormack six yards from goal, but he sent his effort straight at the goalkeeper as his side were forced to settle for a point.

What’s the word?

McCormack’s miss cost his side the opportunity to move seven points clear of second-placed Barnsley at the top of League One.

But he was refreshingly honest when asked about the chance, admitting that he should have done better.

Quoted by Dunstable Today, he said: “I said to myself, ‘they hadn’t got anyone outside the box, so I’m going to go on the end of the wall, spin and then get the rebound off the keeper or any little knockdowns.’

“Then when I’ve spun and checked, the ball is right in front of me and I don’t know, I kind of rushed it a little bit.

“I smashed it, thinking the keeper was going to go the other way, but I should have just placed it in the corner where there was too much space.

“I’m disappointed, gutted and angry and feel not that I’ve cost the team three points, but one little tap-in there, we could walk away with three points.

“That’s the one little disappointing factor we’ve not been at our best but to walk away with three points would have been tremendous.”

Refreshing Honesty

McCormack will surely go up in the estimation of supporters after his honesty here.

Not many players will front up as the midfielder has, but his miss did ultimately cost his side all three points.

And that he has come out and held his hands up is an admirable step.

McCormack has made 18 appearances in total this season, with Luton seemingly poised to win promotion to the Championship.

He has been such a big part of their promotion push that he is unlikely to lose his place in the team. In fact, his stock may have risen higher this weekend, such has been his candour.