Dele Alli’s amazing Spurs season in pictures

Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli has enjoyed a very successful campaign since his arrival from Milton Keynes Dons.

The 20-year-old joined during the 2015 winter window and was immediately loaned back to his former side to continue his development before returning to White Hart Lane in the summer.

From his debut against Manchester United until now, he has continued to rise and has now secured a regular starting role under manager Mauricio Pochettino despite his young age.

He also earned himself an England call-up, scored important, top class goals and is slowly evolving into a huge prospect for both club and country.

With the summer window coming up, Pochettino has even hinted that he would not sanction the sale of Alli even if an interested club tables an offer of £100million.

So, with the current campaign set to enter it’s conclusion, we take a look at 10 pictures that summed up Dele Alli’s season…

Debut vs. Manchester United (08/08/2015)

Goals/Assists for club: 0/0

It took over six months from his official move, but Alli finally stepped in against Man United.

First Tottenham goal vs. Leicester City (22/08/2015)

Goals/Assists for club: 1/0

It didn’t take long for Alli to set the tone for his season with a strike against the eventual champions.

First start / win vs. Sunderland (13/09/2015)

Goals/Assists for club: 1/0

Spurs made a fairly slow start to the season, but Alli was involved from the start in a momentous win against Sunderland.

First 90 minutes vs. Crystal Palace (20/09/2015)

Goals/Assists for club: 1/0

Young players often flit in and out of the team, coming on as a sub or being taken off in the second half, and it was no different for Alli. However, his growing importance was already evident by mid-September.

First England call-up vs. Estonia & Lithuania (01/10/2015)

Goals/Assists for club: 1/0

Granted England weren’t awash with options at this stage, but Alli’s call up was justified.

England debut vs. Estonia (09/10/2015)

Goals/Assists for club: 1/2

A special moment for a special player. Clearly this will prove to be the first of many.

First England start / goal vs. France (17/11/2015)

Goals/Assists for club: 2/2

What. A. Goal. Okay, there was a slight deflection, but the confidence to have a go from distance is so encouraging.

Amazing volley vs. Crystal Palace (23/01/2016)

Goals/Assists for club: 6/6

Goal of the season? Perhaps. Alli collected the ball, flicked it over his head, bamboozling a defender in the process, before rifling a half-volley into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. Scenes.

BBC Man of the Match for England vs. Germany (26/03/2016)

Goals/Assists for club: 7/12

A big game and a performance worthy of the occasion from Alli.

Punch on Claudio Yacob vs. West Bromwich Albion (25/04/2016)

Goals/Assists for club (Final tally): 10/12 (banned for remainder of season)

A season ending moment for Alli, whose fiery edge bubbled over in a crucial game.

Five EURO 2016 youngsters that Liverpool should look at

EURO 2016 is now upon us, and we cannot contain our excitement. The best players from Europe will be going head-to-head to compete for Europe’s most prestigious prize over the coming weeks, with the games coming thick and fast.

Obviously, there will be tons of talent on show in France this summer, particularly with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Paul Pogba and Thomas Muller battling out for places in the knock-out rounds of the competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo himself is a EURO record holder, as he is the youngest man ever to play in a final. Following in Ronaldo’s footsteps is Renato Sanches, the Portuguese playmaker, who has recently signed for European heavyweights, Bayern Munich and will be looking to dazzle spectators across the globe with his national side.

There are plenty more exciting young players who will be on show in France this summer. Liverpool, who are a club that filled with history, have been far from successful over the last few years and needs to build for the future, so here, if Jurgen Klopp is watching, are FIVE youngsters that Liverpool should look at, at EURO 2016…

Leroy Sane

Leroy Sane has been named in the World Cup winners’ squad for this summer’s competition. The German has been on fire in the Bundesliga for Schalke and will be hoping that a series of good performances for Germany, or at least a few glimpses of his talent, will earn him a big-money move abroad.

Sane can play on the wing or attack and is exactly the kind of player that would suit Klopp’s attacking flair and speedy free flowing football.

Nico Elvedi

Borussia Monchengladbach fans adore Swiss international, Nico Elvedi, for his reliable defensive play. The defender was in stunning form for the German side that finished in the top four of the Bundesliga this season.

The 21-year-old was a rock at the back and will be a real strong force in the Switzerland line up. Gladbach fans will almost be praying that he doesn’t have a great tournament so that they don’t lose another one of their key stars after Granit Xhaka’s departure.

Arkadiusz Milik

24 goals and 12 assists for Ajax last season proves how good the 21-year-old is. Milik will struggle to break into the Poland side as he is competing with lethal forward, Robert Lewandowski, but if he is to make an appearance, he is bound to be a real goalscoring menace. Milik is known in Holland for his incredible ability to run at defenders and score from all kinds of situations.

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Piotr Zielinski

Another incredible young Polish talent here, Zielinski is an up and coming superstar. The 22-year-old has been a real menace in Serie A throughout the campaign just gone, as as he was involved in 11 goals for Empoli. He can play on the wing or in attacking midfield and is a great playmaker.

If he is to make a few appearances in France, he is bound to show off his incredible ability to beat players and great link up play.

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Marko Pjaca

Pjaca has been an incredible player this year for Dinamo Zagreb, the club where Luka Modric played before he joined Spurs.

The tricky left winger scored 12 goals and assisted a further six throughout the campaign, including grabbing his first goal for Croatia. The 21 year old has alright future ahead of him and if Liverpool don’t snap him up, it won’t be long before someone else does.

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Five reasons this transfer gamble would make sense for Everton

Having appointed Dutchman Ronald Koeman as their new manager, Everton are now eyeing up their summer transfer targets, with Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman at the top of the Toffees’ summer wish-list.

Strootman – formerly a target of Manchester United – is expected to cost the Merseyside club somewhere in the region of £30m, as the Dutch international still as two years remaining on his contract at the Serie A giants.

Everton and Koeman have identified midfield as a key area where the club need to strengthen after what was a poor season, and the new boss has been given an alleged £100m transfer kitty to help improve on last campaign’s poor effort.

The Toffees recently let go of veteran Leon Osman, and have struggled for options in the middle of the park over the past year, with Ross Barkley being the only top class central midfielder they have at their disposal.

Although Gareth Barry, Tom Cleverly and James McCarthy on their books, re-enforcements are certainly needed to help strengthen a generally weak midfield outlet.

Despite being injured for a vast majority of his Roma career, Strootman still has plenty to offer, and here are FIVE reasons why the Dutchman may be the perfect signing for Koeman and the Merseyside club…

Familiarity

New boss Koeman has some level of familiarity with Strootman having had him play against his old Feyenoord side whilst the midfielder was at PSV Eindhoven between 2011/13.

The former Feyenoord manager will know his quality and know his strengths and weaknesses, and hence how best to utilise the midfielder.

Playmaker

While the Toffees possess Ross Barkley as their main midfield playmaker, Everton struggle for creativity in the middle of the park from other sources.

Gareth Barry and James McCarthy are better known for their defensive abilities, while Strootman can play box-to-box, offering both defensive cover and attacking prowess.

Out of Sorts

Strootman tore is anterior cruciate ligament during his first season with Roma and needed three operations, which restricted him to making only 25 appearances in the 14/15 season and only a mere 13 the next.

His lack of game time has seen the Dutchman fall down the pecking order at La Maggica and could find himself surplus to requirements next season, despite Miralem Pjanic leaving for rivals Juventus.

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Physicality

Football – Nottingham Forest v PSV Eindhoven – Pre Season Friendly – The City Ground – 11/12 , 27/7/11Kevin Strootman – PSV Eindhoven Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Alex Morton

Injuries aside, the Roma man has both the ability, but perhaps more importantly the physicality to cope with the toughness of the Premier League.

A number of European midfielders who make the switch to England struggle to cope with the high pace and tough tackling, but Strootman is not one to shy away from hard work and covers plenty of ground as it is.

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Attracting Others

Strootman is well known across Europe, especially following his impressive first season at Roma which saw him heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.

Signing a player of his calibre would be a signal of intent for Everton that they mean business next campaign, and could see others follow in his footsteps to join the highly rated Koeman at Goodison Park.

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Tottenham, here’s the starting XI you should’ve had…

How do Tottenham improve on last year?

The simple answer is probably that they will improve naturally. The team has been together for a while now, and Mauricio Pochettino is instilling a team spirit and a desire for a collective effort rather than a stellar team built up of ready-made stars who want the glory to themselves and are loyal to their pay cheques rather than their teammates.

But that doesn’t mean that the team can’t be improved.

Tottenham weren’t the third best team in the league last season, even though they finished third. They were at worst the second best team, and there are surely more than three squads in the Premier League who are made up of better individuals.

But the collective trumps the individual in team sports, and that’s what Pochettino is aiming for.

With that in mind, an XI Spurs could have had at the end of the transfer window is more difficult than it is for other clubs – why would Spurs fans want too many changes to a team that really should have won the league last year despite being tipped only for a Europa League spot at the start of the season?

Hugo Lloris

Is there a better goalkeeper in the league than Hugo Lloris? You might say David De Gea, but even then, is he better or is he just called upon to make more saves, making him look better?

Either way, Pochettino won’t care if he’s the best or not – he’s Tottenham’s number one, he does a spectacularly good job, and that’s all that matters.

Kyle Walker

One of the few England players – alongside his fellow Tottenham full back Danny Rose – who actually came out of Euro 2016 with his reputation enhanced.

Walker was perhaps seen as an erratic full back at times last season, and he may have been in the frame to be replaced this season, but he’s started the season at right back for Spurs and played reasonably well.

Toby Alderweireld

Part of one of the most reliable centre back pairings in the Premier League last season, though Alderweireld is perhaps the less heralded of the pair. That’s a little unfair on him though, as he is strong, solid and reliable, even when the silkier Vertonghen isn’t.

Jan Vertonghen

Jan Vertonghen is forming a very reliable partnership with Toby Alderweireld in the Spurs back line, and it’s that kind of team ethic that makes Spurs such a force these days.

Without playing well against Liverpool, Tottenham came back and forced a draw – and surely that has a lot to do with team spirit.

Danny Rose

Danny Rose has blossomed under Mauricio Pochettino in a very Pochettino way: it’s been understated, but it’s been very real indeed.

Tottenham get incrementally better, and so does Danny Rose – why would you replace him at full back?

Eric Dier

Another young player at Spurs who will only get better as he gets older.

Another one of the few Englishmen who went to the Euros and actually had a good tournament, Dier moved from the disciplined defensive anchor into the ball-spreader for England, who had tonnes of possession.

It wasn’t his fault the men in front of him couldn’t penetrate, but he kept things ticking over and protected the defence too.

Mousa Dembele

Spurs miss Mousa Dembele this season. The Belgian midfielder is suspended for the start of the season after being given a ban for his involvement in the ugliness at Stamford Bridge last season when Tottenham were finally relieved of their title challenging duties.

But Dembele is the box to box midfielder who keeps the energy high in Pochettino’s team. He’s strong, his centre of gravity is low, and when he’s on the ball, there’s no knocking him off.

Dele Alli

With an energetic midfield behind him, Dele Alli is freed to get up the pitch and take up advanced positions. And he thrives on this when he’s able to find space.

Few would have predicted his meteoric rise since signing from MK Dons, but Alli’s breakthrough season saw him get an England call up and a major international tournament under his belt.

Juan Mata

When Jose Mourinho took over at Manchester United, many thought that would spell the end of Juan Mata’s time at the club. The Portuguese manager forced Mata out of the club when he arrived at Chelsea, and it looked like he’d do the same at Manchester United. And there’s still time.

There were times last season when Spurs lacked something of a cutting edge, and Mata’s eye for a pass and his ability to read the game could be crucial when taking over the creative role at a team like Spurs.

Isco

Another player who looked like he could have been forced out of a big club, and yet remains there after the end of the transfer window, Isco would have been another perfect playmaker for Tottenham.

Although playing with Isco or Mata would make width more of a problem for Spurs, the two flying full backs are adept at playing as wing backs, especially if Eric Dier can drop back to make a back three when his team are in attack. This would have allowed the likes of Isco and Mata – and still will allow Christian Eriksen and an improving Erik Lamela – freedom to roam around central areas behind the striker.

Harry Kane

The arrival of Vincent Janssen will take some of the goalscoring pressure off Harry Kane, but the England international was Tottenham’s top scorer last season, and just seems to continue to find the net.

Kane won’t be knocked off his perch unless it’s by someone with an insane goalscoring rate – in which case, he’d probably hold his hands up!

4-1-4-1: How Man City should line up against Celtic

Pep Guardiola and his men are going for an astonishing eleventh straight victory in all competitions tonight in the Champions League against Celtic.

In anyone’s books this run is impressive but what’s made it even more so is the fact that Pep Guardiola has only been at the club since the summer.

These results look as though the former Bayern Munich man has been at the club for ages so the most ominous thing is that, as his side get used to his methods more, they’re only going to get better.

City are four points clear at the top of the Premier League already and put Borussia Monchengladbach away with ease in the opening Champions League game, so it really is going to be a tough night for Celtic.

The Citizens, then, should be looking to win and if they go with this line-up that’s exactly what they’ll do…

Goalkeeper

Claudio Bravo looks like he’ll start most games for now at least. If and when City qualify for the knockout stages,, we may then see Willy Caballero start.

Defenders

The centre-half partnership is a shoe-in with John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi both to start but it’s the full-backs that Guardiola needs to think about.

Celtic are going to try and counter-attack with pace so City may go with Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy at the back as they are the two quickest defenders they have.

Midfielders

Expect Ilkay Gundogan to now be the one holding player coming deep to start attacks instead of Fernandinho, who may now find first team football hard to come by.

Further forward, Kevin De Bruyne is out, so Raheem Sterling could be asked to play more central with David Silva as he did at Liverpool. Out on the flanks, Leroy Sane and Nolito should get the chance to play.

Forward

There can only be one man to do this job, Sergio Aguero. He’s been in scintillating form this season and if Celtic want to stand a chance they’ll need to somehow stop him.

The Line-Up

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It’s a pretty frightening looking line-up for Celtic fans and that’s without De Bruyne and Vincent Kompany in the side.

An attacking line-up and one that should secure all three points.

Three reasons City and United should activate Neymar’s release clause

Weeks after breaking the world transfer record to bring in Paul Pogba, Manchester United and their City rivals look set to smash it again.

Reports are emerging claiming the Red Devils – who paid £89m to get Pogba back from Juventus – and Manchester City are looking to activate the £170m release clause in Neymar’s contract to bring him in, with a move to Manchester a real possibility.

There is no guarantee Neymar would go along with any move, after PSG’s lucrative offer was snubbed by the 24-year-old so he could continue to play with fellow South Americans Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

But the idea Neymar may one day wish to move on to leave Messi’s shadow has always followed him around.

A lot of fans would baulk at such an astronomical fee, but it can be argued that the Brazilian is one of few players in the world who could actually be worth it, particularly in the current market.

Here are three reasons we think Neymar would be worth a record £170m transfer fee…

HE IS PART OF THE GREATEST ATTACK IN THE WORLD

The Messi-Suarez-Neymar axis – so successful it is merely now known as ‘MSN’- is the most deadly strike force right now and possibly of all time.

The trio managed a staggering 253 goals between them in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons combined – a figure made only more impressive by the fact that Suarez missed the first few months of the 2014/15 season through suspension.

While there is an almost telepathic relationship between the three South Americans, all are incredible players in their own right and would likely tear the Premier League apart. You only need to look at Suarez’s last campaign for Liverpool – where he managed 31 goals and 12 assists in 33 games – as proof of that.

HE IS ONLY 24

Having seemingly been at the top of the world game for so long, it is easy to forget that Neymar is only 24 years of age.

Before he even joined Barcelona at 21, the Brazilian had well over 100 professional goals under his belt and was drawing comparisons with the legendary Pele.

He also became captain for Brazil at the 2015 Copa America and led Brazil to glory in Rio at the 2016 Olympics. While it’s a large sum of money, £170m may well prove worth it for a man who has won so much yet still has plenty of years left in him.

WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE BEST OF HIM

The scary thing is, Neymar probably hasn’t even hit his peak yet.

As pointed out above, the Brazilian is only 24 and probably has another five or six seasons before his peak.

We are also arguably yet to see him at his best as a result of being in the same team as Messi.

Neymar’s best form in a Barcelona shirt has largely come when the Argentine has been out of the side, while many predict Neymar will take his crown as the world’s best player when Messi finally steps aside. The question is, will he do so in a Barcelona shirt, or in another team’s colours?

Five Nigerian stars Arsenal should be looking at

Football is, and always has been, massive in Nigeria. The West African nation have produced some truly great players through the years, with the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu having pulled on the famous green shirt of the Super Eagles.

Nigeria may have only won the Africa Cup of Nations once this so far this millennium, but talented players continue to be brought through and exported to European football, where their abilities earn them big moves and much acclaim around the world.

Arsenal have taken advantage of the supply of stars from the African nation in the past – Super Eagles starlet Alex Iwobi is currently one of their more promising young players – and it’s likely that the north Londoners will look to make use of this again in the not too distant future. With that in mind, here are FIVE Nigerian stars they should be looking at ahead of the coming transfer windows.

Moses Simon

Since Laurent Depoitre’s summer move away from Gent to Porto, Simon has become the key man at Ghelamco Arena. The winger is known for his pace and direct running, which has earned him rave reviews since making his debut in European action for AS Trencin. His performances in Slovakia alerted Gent, who have a reputation for moulding imported talent before selling on, which is ultimately the plan for Simon. Arsene Wener has always appreciated pacey wingers, which may make the 21-year-old appealing to the Arsenal boss.

Kelechi Iheanacho

Players have often moved from Arsenal to Manchester City, but the Gunners are sure to have been impressed by Iheanacho to the extent that they would love to lure him from north to south. The striker is currently some way behind Sergio Aguero in terms of being a starter at the Etihad Stadium and should that situation not change over the coming 18 or so months, he may seriously consider a move.

Wilfred Ndidi

Another Nigerian star shining in Belgian football is Genk’s Ndidi. The 6ft. 2” defensive midfielder is, as his height suggests, a physically imposing player. But he combines his sheer presence with neat technical ability, which has been enough to earn him two appearances for the Super Eagles. Arsenal currently lack a true holder with aerial ability, so Ndidi may be worth keeping an eye on.

Umar Sadiq

Yet to make his senior bow for Nigeria, there is a growing belief Sadiq well progress from the youth ranks before too long following his role in the Super Eagles’ Olympic Games campaign earlier this year. Owned by Roma, the 19-year-old is currently on loan at Bologna, and should he impress, it’s likely that some big teams of Arsenal’s calibre will start sniffing.

Odion Ighalo

Arsenal don’t possess a striker with a mix of pace and power, and although there are some drawbacks to Ighalo’s game, he would offer those two traits in abundance. The 27-year-old has only netted one league goal thus far this season, but he was prolific last term under Quique Sanches Flores, smashing 15 strikes as the Hornets coasted to Premier League safety.

Aston Villa target big-money move for prolific striker

According to reports on DHNET, Aston Villa are sending a scout to watch Anderlecht striker Lukasz Teodorczyk in action against FSV Mainz in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Who?

Well, the Polish attacker has caught the attention of a number of clubs after impressing during a loan spell from Dynamo Kyiv this season, scoring 13 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions for the Belgian outfit.

The 25-year-old also has a good record at international level, netting three times in just nine caps for his country.

Football – Dynamo Kiev v Everton – UEFA Europa League Third Round Second Leg – NSC Olympic Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine – 19/3/15Lukasz Teodorczyk celebrates after scoring the second goal for Dynamo KievAction Images via Reuters / Peter CziborraLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.

What’s the story, then?

Apparently, Villa, along with their Midlands rivals West Brom, will take a closer look at the 25-year-old on Thursday, while Premier League sides Everton, West Ham and Sunderland are all also expected to send scouts to the game.

How much would he cost?

This is where it gets a bit complicated. It seems as though Anderlecht will make the loan move permanent for a fee of around €3m, before selling him on for €13m (about £11.5m).

Do Villa really need a striker?

It’s hard to say. Despite having the firepower of the likes of Jordan Ayew, Ross McCormack, Rudy Gestede and Jonathan Kodjia at their disposal, they have struggled to score goals this season – just 15 in 15 Championship matches.

A new striker like Teodorczyk could help that situation, but you also feel that the quartet mentioned above are likely to come good sooner rather than later, especially with the turn in form the club has shown since Steve Bruce took the reins last month.

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Mata says complaining about Manchester United misfortune is pointless

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has urged his teammates and the supporters not to dwell on their recent misfortune.

Jose Mourinho’s side cannot seem to get over the line in the Premier League at the moment having recorded score draws in their last three top-flight fixtures.

The most recent disappointing result for the Red Devils came on Sunday when they failed to see out victory against Everton only to draw 1-1 at Goodison Park.

Dropping two points was made even worse when the Toffees’ equaliser came in the 89th minute from a Leighton Baines spot-kick after Marouane Fellaini gave away a penalty just 60 seconds after coming on as a late substitute.

United have been the better side in most of their recent matches – dominating possession and stringing decent attacking moves together, but they cannot hold on to their leads.

West Ham United and Arsenal also restricted the Red Devils to 1-1 draws, which has left Mourinho and his men sixth in the league table, 13 points off leaders Chelsea and nine adrift of the top four.

Mata has opted not to focus on the disappointment of United’s run, though, instead insisting that the team need to look ahead to their upcoming fixtures. The Spaniard wrote in his blog:

“We could just say that [the result against Everton] was a pity and how helpless we feel when important points slip away at the end of games that you think you deserved to have won. It’s been like that in the last few fixtures at Old Trafford.

“That was how we felt in the dressing room after the game against Everton, and yet I prefer to look forward, think about the potential of this squad and how united we are in the desire to convert all these draws into wins. We have to look forward; complaining about the bad luck is not worth it. We must close the games and get what we deserve. That should be the only idea in our heads.”

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Alexis Sanchez boasts incredible record

Arsenal fans may be feeling a little under the weather following last night’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Bournemouth, that saw the Gunners extend their record away from home to three matches without a victory, and dropping two points was an awful result.The draw hands Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur the chance to punish Arsenal for their mistake this evening, with the Gunners potentially falling 11 points behind leaders Chelsea if the Blues win or slipping to fifth if Spurs end the winning run of Antonio Conte’s side.It leaves things looking a little bleak in the red half of North London but the fans can at least take comfort in the fact that they boast one of the world’s finest players amongst their ranks, with Alexis Sanchez possessing an incredible record.

In his last 31 Premier League appearances, which includes 20 games so far this season, Alexis Sanchez has scored or assisted thirty goals during that time- a remarkable record for the Chilean who is on fire.

It makes Arsenal’s quest to extend the South American’s deal in North London even more important as Arsene Wenger would have to splash millions on a replacement who can boast similar numbers.

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