Everton defender Matthew Pennington has signed a new two-year deal with the club that will keep him at Goodison Park until 2019.
The 22-year-old only made his first appearance of the season under Ronald Koeman in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, after Seamus Coleman and Ramiro Funes Mori picked up injuries while on international duty.
He marked that first start with a goal, and the centre-back also came on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
With Ashley Williams suspended for the visit of Leicester City on Sunday, Pennington could find himself back in the starting line-up against the Foxes.
Everton supporters were quick have to say on the contract extension via social media, and while some believe he isn’t good enough to make it in the first team, other disagreed saying he needs more time to develop.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the news…
At this stage of the year, anniversaries come thick and fast. The most memorable games of the season are always the ones that count for something; the emotion and the importance of an encounter can lead to the wildest stories: titles are won and records are broken. Sometimes, even great goals are scored.
On Monday evening, Newcastle clinched promotion, amusing themselves in front of a crowd of over 50,000 at St James’ Park and running out 4-1 winners. But exactly 12 years previously, it wasn’t a promotion party on the Magpies’ schedule, it was a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. A trip they’ll happily be making again next season.
That 2004/05 season can be seen as the start of a slump the club hasn’t really been able to get out of ever since. Sacking Sir Bobby Robson in August 2004 after a fifth-placed finish the previous season now looks particularly trigger happy, and only once have the club reached that level again – the 2011/12 season, the aftermath of which saw Alan Pardew given a fairly generous eight-year contract with the club. 12 years ago, they finished a disappointing 14th and appointed Graeme Souness as manager. So things haven’t really been the same at St James’ Park ever since.
In fact, things haven’t been the same in football since then either. The Premier League has moved on. Dramatically so, in fact. Not only was 2004/05 a season where the wheels started to come off Newcastle’s late 90s early 2000s golden period, but it was also the season in which Jose Mourinho won his – and Roman Abramovich’s – first Premier League title with Chelsea.
It was also current Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez’s first season in England with Liverpool, where he won the Champions League that season, and Wayne Rooney’s very first season at Old Trafford, having signed from Everton for upwards of £25m in the summer of 2004. By April of his first season, Rooney was flying in a United shirt. Perhaps the most memorable game of that debut season was his actual debut for the club in a Champions League group stage game against Fenerbahce where he scored a hat-trick. But for sheer box-office thunder, maybe it was his strike 12 years ago against Newcastle.
12 years doesn’t sound like it should be quite so long ago, but it is. It’s an age ago. It was a time when Rooney was still a fresh-faced teenager; when Alan Shearer brought joy rather than dull cliches on Match of the Day on a Saturday evening; and when Claude Makelele just played a ‘defensive midfield role’.
But comparing that with the modern day, doesn’t look too favourable to Newcastle. They were an important club back then, a club who were supposed to be playing Barcelona and Inter Milan in Champions League games, not a club losing to Ipswich Town and sweating over promotion from the Championship for a few days.
And yet, football can change again.
Newcastle are undoubtedly a huge football club. The kind of football club that can attract over 50,000 people to their stadium to watch them play Preston in the Championship. The challenge now is to make it count.
If the 2004/05 season was Wayne Rooney’s arrival at Old Trafford, amidst explosive performances, memorable goals and a changing of the guard for modern football, then it is very possible that Newcastle’s 2016/17 promotion season will coincide with Rooney’s exit from the Manchester United first team. Whether or not he leaves, his time at the top is certainly up.
The book ends to Rooney’s time at the very top, could well be the bookends to Newcastle’s slump – this current malaise which has seen the club plumb the depths of the Championship twice in the last decade or so.
Modern football changed a great deal that season, and Newcastle United were a part of it then. And after doing their penance and ascending from the Championship at the first time of asking, the Magpies will be part of it again.
Welcome back to the Premier League Newcastle United: memories like that Rooney goal are probably what to expect.
Romelu Lukaku bagged another fine goal at the weekend to take his season tally in the league to 24. His strike also made it nine goals in nine games at Goodison Park for the former Chelsea and West Brom man, and took Everton’s winning run at home to eight on the bounce.
The Toffees admittedly struggled early on in the season, but given the changes at the club over the summer, that can be forgiven. Since the turn of the year, however, the Toffees have gone from strength to strength, with Lukaku being the spearhead of their drastically improved form.
Given his such fine form, there have of course been numerous rumours with regards to Lukaku’s future, including talks of a possible move back to Stamford Bridge in the summer should Diego Costa part ways with Chelsea.
A big money move the striker certainly deserves, but is it the right thing for him? Here are five reasons Romelu Lukaku needs to stay at Everton beyond this coming summer…
He’s still young…
Considering Lukaku has nearly one hundred Premier League goals to his name, and is currently Everton’s highest ever scorer in the modern top division, you could be forgiven for forgetting he’s still only 23-years-old.
With such a long and bright future ahead of him, what is the rush for a mega-money move? We’ve seen in recent years a number of high profile youngsters make huge moves too early in their careers, so why fall into the same trap?
Everton are on the up
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The Toffees struggled slightly under Ronald Koeman at the start of the season but Everton have been – alongside Tottenham – the team to beat since the turn of the year. In fact, if the Premier League had started on the 1st of January, Everton would be 2nd in the table.
That improvement indicates that the Blue half of Merseyside is finally moving in the right direction after a few stalemate years under Roberto Martinez, and that is likely to continue into next season and beyond.
Goodison Hero
Every football player wants to be admired and adored by their home fans. That notion is especially true for strikers. A forward who scores regularly is more often than not the most revered of any player at a club.
That is what Romelu Lukaku already is, a fan favourite. The Goodison faithful adore him, and by the looks of it, he adores them too. That relationship between club, player and fans is hard to find and should not be underestimated in terms of importance when it comes to having a good career.
The Belgian has the opportunity to go down in history as one of, if not the, club’s greatest ever player should he continue the way he is going.
Opportunity
Chelsea paid £18million for Lukaku asa teenager when he was banging in the goals for his boyhood club Anderlecht. While it wasn’t a bank breaking fee, it was still an phenomenal amount for a youngster.
If anything is to be learned from that move, however, it’s that a big fee and a big club doesn’t necessarily promise opportunity. Lukaku learned that the hard way at Chelsea. While the likelihood of first team football is infinitely more likely now, it isn’t a given.
A Point to prove
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The race for the Golden Boot is is hotting up and Lukaku currently leads the charge. It looks unlikely given his form that anyone is going to catch him. It is also likely he will reach 30 goals for the season, a feat not done by many in the past.
If he is indeed to win the Golden Boot, Lukaku needs to prove he is not a one-season wonder. Undoubtedly he has already done that with his numerous goals already, but this season has been above and beyond. Staying with Everton and repeating the same achievement will only cement his position as one of the world’s best.
Newcastle United are considering bringing back Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko just one year after selling him, reports Calciomercato.
What’s the story?
Sissoko was the subject of a surprise £30m switch to White Hart Lane on the final day of the summer transfer window last year.
The 27-year-old caught the eye at the European Championships after putting in some impressive displays for France.
He has been unable to carry that form with him to North London having struggled to convince manager Mauricio Pochettino to give him more game time.
Sissoko has started just seven Premier League games and has come off the bench in a further 15.
In fact, he has only played a full 90 minutes on three occasions in 30 appearances in all competitions.
Despite offloading him just last year, Calciomercato claims that Newcastle want the Frenchman back now that they are returning to the top flight.
Would this be a good move for Newcastle?
In short, no. It is understandable that manager Rafael Benitez would be looking at Premier League players now that his team are returning to the elite division, but Sissoko is not the right target.
The fans at St James’ Park are a crucial part of the North-East club, and they fell out of love with the midfielder last season.
Before joining Spurs, Sissoko told Footmercato that he had no desire to play in the Championship after Newcastle got relegated, which saw many fans criticise his commitment to a club that he had been part of since 2013.
It is difficult to see the supporters ever welcoming back the Frenchman considering how his final season at the club panned out.
Also, the fact that Spurs bought him for £30m suggests that they will not want to take a huge hit when selling him, so the transfer wouldn’t make sense for Newcastle from a business standpoint either.
Leeds United’s chances of signing Swansea City centre-back Kyle Bartley on a permanent basis this summer was boosted as the Swans secured their Premier League status for another season on Sunday.
Having beaten Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday to move four points clear of the relegation zone, Paul Clement’s men knew that if Hull City were beaten by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park that the Tigers would go down, and that is exactly what happened as Marco Silva’s side lost 4-0.
The Yorkshire outfit and manager Garry Monk – if he stays – will hope that it is more likely that they will be able to sign Bartley permanently after he impressed during a season-long loan spell at the Championship outfit this term.
Having formed a strong relationship with Pontus Jansson at the heart of the Whites’ defence, Leeds supporters were quick to have their say on Swansea’s survival via social media and they hope it means that the former Arsenal man will be lining up at Elland Road again in August.
According to reports on Ghana Soccerweb, West Ham United forward Andre Ayew could be a £30m target for former side Marseille this summer.
The Irons only signed the Ghana international in a club-record £20.5m deal from Premier League rivals Swansea City last summer but a spell on the sidelines because of a hamstring injury, and time away with his country at the African Cup of Nations at the start of 2017, meant that he failed to make an impact.
Despite scoring six goals throughout the campaign in all competitions, the 27-year-old will be remembered more for moments like the shocking open goal miss in the 4-0 home defeat by Liverpool earlier this month.
West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media and they were divided on the subject, with many believing the club must sell for that amount.
However, others believe there is more to come from Ayew and that he must be given another opportunity when he is injury-free.
While many fans are earning a well earned rest from football during the summer break, for the hardcore amongst us with little else to do on a sunny weekend, there is the spectacle that is the Confederations Cup to take in.
Essentially a mock-run for the World Cup next year, the competition got underway over the weekend and there was late drama as Mexico and Portugal drew 2-2.
With four minutes of normal time left to go in Russia, and the score at 1-1, Southampton defender Cedric Soares scored what looked to be the winner for the European champions.
However, into added time and it was a former club teammate of the Saints right-back who turned things sour for Cristiano Ronaldo & Co.
West Ham centre-half Jose Fonte, who left St. Mary’s for London in January, was to blame when thanks to some loose marking Mexico’s Hector Moreno was allowed to head home from a corner and grab a late equaliser.
Fonte made a number of errors throughout the clash, and it did not go unnoticed on Twitter…
According to reports in Spanish publication AS, Chelsea are in the hunt to sign out-of-favour Real Madrid star James Rodriguez this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Blues manager Antonio Conte is looking to strengthen this squad this summer to ensure that his side regain their Premier League title, as well as competing in the Champions League as they return to the group stages following a one-season absence.
The Italian boss is understood to have told Spanish duo Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas that they are surplus to requirements and wants to bring in Real duo Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata as their replacements.
With the La Liga champions looking to sign Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe before the start of next season, they are willing to cash in on the Colombian, but want a fee of between €70m-80m (approximately £62m-£70m).
Would Chelsea be willing to pay that?
If the Blues want to sign their transfer targets this summer, then yes they probably would be.
Of course we all know the financial backing the club has through owner Roman Abramovich, and he will want to support Conte to ensure that Chelsea have the best possible chance of winning the Premier League and Champions League next season.
However, they may feel that £70m is too much for a player that hasn’t even been a regular for Real recently.
Why is he unwanted by Real?
The 25-year-old moved to the Bernabeu following an outstanding personal 2014 World Cup campaign with Colombia, but despite an impressive first season for the La Liga giants things have gone downhill since Zinedine Zidane took over as manager in 2015.
Rodriguez made just 32 appearances in all competitions last season and was left out of the squad for the Champions League final success against Juventus, which looks to have sealed his fate.
Would he be a good signing for Chelsea?
If he can recapture the form that saw him score six goals at the 2014 World Cup and 17 goals in his first season for Real, then there is no doubt that he could bring a lot of attacking quality to this Chelsea side.
Able to play through the middle or out wide, the 25-year-old would also provide some much needed competition for Eden Hazard and Pedro, as well as allowing Conte to switch up his preferred 3-4-3 formation when required.
Former Newcastle United manager John Carver has urged fans to be patient regarding the club’s movement in the transfer window.
It seems as though everything is going along at a rather slow pace at St James’ Park with regards to bringing in new players.
So far, the only signing that the club have made is the permanent arrival of Christian Atsu, who spent last season on loan at the North-East club from Chelsea.
With the Premier League season around the corner, fans are desperate for some quality additions, but as of yet, such signings are yet to be seen.
Recently, The Mirror reported that Benitez is growing increasingly frustrated with the board due to the lack of activity and missing out on targets.
Carver, though, believes that it is only a matter of time before decent players come through the welcome gates at St James’ Park.
The 52-year-old has faith that club owner Mike Ashley will hand over significant funds to Benitez.
He told talkSPORT:
“I’ve got to urge the Newcastle fans to be patient. Don’t panic. Don’t listen to the scaremongering about Rafa leaving and he’s going to quit because we haven’t signed anybody.
“I can guarantee you there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Rafa will have his plan in place. He’ll have his targets: one, two and three. He’ll know what his priorities are. A million per cent Mike Ashley will back Rafa because I know where the football club is now. It’s in a sound position.”
According to Toro News, Tottenham are interested in signing defender Kamil Glik.
What’s the Story?
With Tottenham facing another season of Champions League football, squad depth is some that Mauricio Pochettino needs to work on this summer, especially in defence.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see Tottenham declare their interest in Monaco and Poland central defender Kamil Glik. Having moved to the principality from Torino last summer, Glik has impressed immensely and is now on the radar of a number of European clubs.
However, it is Tottenham who are thought to be ahead of the chasing pack for Glik, who is valued at £15.9million by Transfermarkt.
How good was Glik last season?
Quite simply, the best central defender in Ligue 1. Not even Glik himself could have imagined how well his debut season for Monaco has gone. The Pole featured 50 times in all competitions for the eventual French Champions, scoring and incredible eight goals in the process.
While this young Monaco side are not rated for their defensive abilities, Glik is the glue that holds the team together from the back and his experience, combined with his absolute will to win have made him hot property this summer.
Would Glik be a good signing for Spurs?
You could perhaps find no better back-up option for the best central defensive partnership in the Premier League than Kamil Glik. Jan Vertoghen and Toby Alderweireld have formed an insatiable unit at the heart of Spurs’ defence. However if the club want to make serious progression in the Champions League this season, they need cover that they can count on…and Glik is as good as you can get.