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Stoke City have confirmed the signing of Sam Vokes from Burnley, the club have confirmed via their official website.

The deal sees Peter Crouch move to Burnley in part exchange, per BBC.

What’s the word?

During a seven-year spell at Turf Moor, Vokes scored 64 goals, per Transfermarkt, and now drops down the leagues to link up with Championship outfit Stoke.

The Potters are currently 15th in the second-tier, eight points behind sixth-placed Derby County in the play-off positions.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Stoke have struggled for goals this season, scoring just 33 times in 29 matches. Only the bottom five teams in the table – Wigan Athletic, Rotherham, Reading, Bolton Wanderers and Ipswich Town – have netted less.

Vokes, however, has experience of scoring goals in the Championship and has netted 52 times in 198 second-tier appearances.

A major upgrade

Stoke have got the better end of this deal.

Crouch, of course, is an experienced Premier League campaigner after spells with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but he is ageing and it remains to be seen how often he will be used by Sean Dyche at Turf Moor.

Vokes, however, joins Stoke with genuine Championship pedigree and has twice been involved in promotion campaigns during his career, both with Burnley.

He will have a positive influence on his team-mates and it will take little effort for him to top Crouch’s tally of one goal in 23 Championship appearances thus far this season – again recorded by Transfermarkt.

أعلن مدرب فريق آرسنال، مايكل أرتيتا، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة فريق وست هام مساء اليوم، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويلتقي الفريقان، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، في الجولة الثانية من البطولة.

وحسب ما أعلنه أرتيتا، يتواجد اللاعب المصري محمد النني على دكة البدلاء. تشكيل آرسنال الأساسي أمام وست هام

لينو، بيليرين، جابرييل، هولدينج، كولاسيناك، تشاكا، سيبايوس، ساكا، ويليان، أوباميانج، لاكازيت.  دكة بدلاء آرسنال أمام وست هام

ماسي، لويز، ويلوك، نيلس، النني، بيبي، نكيتياه.

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Arsenal completed the loan signing of Denis Suarez from Barcelona on transfer deadline day, per BBC.

The midfielder is the club’s only signing of the January transfer window and the Gunners are said, per the aforementioned report, to hold a purchase option in the summer.

On the chalkboard

Unai Emery has finally got his man.

The transfer saga has dragged on and on throughout the month but Suarez is now an Arsenal player and could make his debut against Manchester City at the weekend.

Indeed, the midfielder will hope to be thrown into the deep end, having played just two La Liga games for Barca this season, per Transfermarkt.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Despite a little rustiness though, he will bring some much-needed dynamism to the centre of the pitch for the Gunners and offers the ability to pass and move with the best of them.

He is highly-rated in Spain – Suarez has already been capped by his country and has also captained Barca this season, in the Copa del Rey first leg against CyD Leonesa.

Throw him in

Emery should throw caution to the wind and pick Suarez to start against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Such has been the Gunners’ form in recent weeks – they have not won away from home since November, when they beat AFC Bournemouth – that City are expected to win and keep the pressure on league leaders Liverpool this weekend.

However, deploying Suarez could be something of a masterstroke from the Gunners boss.

He played for City between 2011 and 2013 but failed to make his breakthrough into the first-team; coming face to face with the team that sold him to Barcelona is sure to light a fire under the Spaniard.

Emery should throw him in the deep end – and Arsenal fans should expect to see him swim against his former club.

At the end, Liverpool were able to get their man when they signed Virgil van Dijk from Southampton last January.

However, the Reds were unsuccessful in their initial pursuit in a development which resulted in the Dutch centre-half not being in the right frame of mind to play for the Saints going into the 2017/18 season (Guardian).

Van Dijk, though, in a recent interview, has insisted he always gave his everything during his time at St. Mary’s.

The Breakdown

“After the end of August [and the transfer window] I put my head down, played for Southampton and gave everything,” the Liverpool defender told the BBC (via Daily Echo).

“I was happy to play because I came back from an eight-month injury. When everything happened over the summer, people doubt you.  For me, I really didn’t care as I gave everything in games and training.”

On the pitch, it is hard to argue against what van Dijk has said with the 27-year-old having truly put in some colossal performances at the back for the Saints.

However, to say he gave everything to the club entirely after effectively going on strike following his failed summer transfer to Liverpool is absurd and likely to leave some Southampton supporters feeling a little disgruntled.

Given the project Jurgen Klopp has going on at Anfield, you can understand van Dijk’s frustration at being denied his dream move at first. But making yourself unavailable for the club who pay your wages is not the classiest of ways to go about things, making the above comments that have followed more than a year later far-fetched.

كشف مدرب فريق ليفربول، يورجن كلوب، السبب وراء الدفع بالإسباني تياجو ألكانتارا في وقت مبكر من مباراة اليوم أمام فريق تشيلسي.

وكان تياجو ألكانتارا قد انتقل إلى ليفربول قادمًا من بايرن ميونخ، أمس الأول.

وشارك تياجو كبديل في مباراة اليوم أمام تشيلسي، في الجولة الثانية من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، في الدقيقة 46.

وانتهت المباراة، التي استضافها ملعب ستامفورد بريدج، بفوز ليفربول بهدفين دون رد. أهداف ليفربول وتشيلسي

وقال كلوب، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “هذا أفضل توقيت، لقد لعب مع إسبانيا وتدرب مع بايرن ميونخ لذا فهو لائق بدنيًا، هذه ليست مشكلة”.

وأضاف: “إنه بحاجة إلى التعود على زملائه في الفريق، لكن عندما أصبح الخصم يلعب بـ 10 فقط بعد طرد مدافعهم، أصبحت المباراة المثالية بالنسبة له، قررنا أن ندفع بـ تياجو رغم أنه لم يقم بأي تدريب معنا لأنه لاعب مثالي في هذا الموقف”.

وواصل: “لقد أحببت أداءه كثيرًا، دفاعيًا كان الأمر صعبًا بالنسبة له، لكن هجوميًا بالكرة هذا هو ما نريده، هو يرغب في التمرير، كان جيدًا”.

وتابع: “وقعنا مع تياجو لأسباب مختلفة، أحدها هو تحسين العمق الدفاعي، لقد تحسننا كثيرًا بالفعل في هذا الأمر مع الجميع، إنه شيء يناسبه، أنا أحب ذلك، هذا أحد أسباب كثيرة”.

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West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to criticise the officiating in their 1-1 draw with Liverpool at the London Stadium on Monday night, after a shoddy decision from the linesman ultimately cost them all three points against the league leaders.

With the scores level at 0-0, James Milner crossed for Sadio Mane to control inside the box, before slotting in the opener to give Jurgen Klopp’s men the lead.

However, replays showed that Milner was offside, and that the linesman wasn’t anywhere near to being up to speed and in line with the play.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The Hammers did go on to grab an equaliser through Michail Antonio, although they will rightly feel aggrieved after a poor piece of officiating potentially robbed them of a historic win.

The draw now means that Liverpool sit precariously above Manchester City by just three points, although West Ham fans on Twitter don’t care about the title race one bit after being hard done by…

Manchester United continued their excellent form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 1-0 win at Leicester City this afternoon.

The Red Devils had enough in the locker to see off the Foxes at the King Power, as a goal from Marcus Rashford gave the Manchester club a valuable three points in their hunt for Champions League football.

Indeed, it was once again Rashford who got the winner to continue his fine form under his new manager, and we here in the Tavern think the young Englishman is now the main man at Old Trafford.

However, this is bad news for another of United’s key men in Romelu Lukaku, who has found himself on the bench in the main while Rashford fires in the goals, and this could well pave the way to convince United to cash in on the Belgian this summer.

While Lukaku offers strength and power up top, Rashford’s raw pace and finishing ability has marked him out as the main man in the United squad, and Lukaku will not want to sit around on the bench for too long in all honesty.

For United though, it wouldn’t be the end of the world to sell Lukaku on. A new deal for Anthony Martial has already been agreed, and Alexis Sanchez is back in the fold following form and fitness worries.

While in an ideal world all players will remain happy and play their part, there is just a big enough argument to make a case for Lukaku to be moved on come the summer.

United fans, would you agree? Let us know in the comments!

Tottenham fans have been left frustrated with the lack of signings over recent windows.

Indeed, with the last signing being Lucas Moura more than over a year ago, it’s been one of the most barren times in the club’s history. Clearly, the club aren’t exactly in dire need of a squad overhaul, though it’s hard to argue that Mauricio Pochettino isn’t dragging the maximum out of every single one of his players, so further additions would certainly help ease the burden on the current squad.

In fact, this has led people to believe this is one of the main reasons they lack silverware, having challenged for quite a while now.

So, with the window approaching, we look at some players who could push Spurs to the next level.

Jack Grealish 

Grealish was one of Tottenham’s main transfer targets throughout the whole of the summer window, who in the end, they failed to capture due to miscommunications on price. A year on and yet another transfer window approaching it wouldn’t be a shock if Spurs were to dip back into the pot and try again for the English international.

After having his head turned and his attitude based on a move to the Lillywhites, Grealish has suffered a lacklustre season with only 2 goals and 4 assists in the Championship. However, it is with no doubt that given the move to Tottenham, the forward would find new life and spring into new heights with the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane to guide him forward.

With his pace, power and skill it is clear to see why Pochettino wants to sign the 23-year-old and have him playing in an attacking position that could possibly be made vacant by Christian Eriksen.

Matthias Ginter 

Matthias Ginter has been an integral part of Borussia Monchengladbach’s defence during what has been a very successful season for the German side, and with Jan Vertonghen not getting any younger, the 25-year-old German centre-back could fit right into his place as a long term replacement.

Having helped contribute the same amount as clean sheets for Gladbach as Vertonghen has done for Spurs (10 league clean sheets) it is clear to see that the German can provide a defensive stability alongside Davinson Sanchez, which could become a defensive wall that Spurs can rely on for many years to come.

The Spurs faithful will be hoping to see their chairman and manager come together and pull some new players in for the following seasons, and will hope that new signings can push the squad forward into a new level.

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According to the Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are likely to be in the market to sign a new striker in the upcoming summer transfer window. The publication suggest Brentford goal-getter Neal Maupay as an ideal target for Dean Smith to pursue.

What’s the story?

The Villans are certain to need a new man to lead the line ahead of next season, as Tammy Abraham’s loan stay at Villa Park will come to an end at the end of this season.

Abraham’s goals must be replaced, and Smith would be wise to identify potential targets to take up this role as early as possible.

As the Birmingham Mail suggest, Maupay would be the perfect man to take over from the Chelsea loanee at Aston Villa.

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Facing a fight for his signature

Maupay has been in fine form so far this season for Brentford. 

According to Transfermarkt’s stats, the 22-year-old forward has struck 17 times and registered 6 assists in 27 Championship outings. The Frenchman’s all round play has also been very impressive and considering his age it is safe to assume that he will continue to improve in the coming years. 

An investment in Maupay in the summer would be a wise one on the part of Villa, but they may find that they have to fight off Premier League interest, especially if the Brentford striker can maintain his current form.

Smith should do all he can to bring the 22-year-old to Villa Park, especially as he knows the player so well from his own time in charge at Griffin Park. However, the striker may soon be beyond the Midlands outfit’s financial reach.

Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping the Hammers can kick on in their remaining fixtures to secure a place in Europe at the end of the season.

West Ham have been much improved under the Chilean’s leadership but their form has been inconsistent. Only Fulham have kept fewer clean sheets than the London side who have kept out their opponents only four times in 25 league games so far. Pellegrini will hope his side can iron out their issues and string together a solid run of form during the run in.

Finishing in Europe would provide extra funds to strengthen his squad when the transfer window reopens in the summer. West Ham would also be able to attract a much higher calibre of player and would be an attractive option to any player looking to further their career.

One man Pellegrini should be keeping a close eye on with a view to a summer move is Brentford winger – Said Benrahma. Valued at just £1.35m by Transfermarkt, the former Algeria international is a new arrival at the Bees having signed from Nice back in July. Benrahma has made an instant impact at his new side, becoming a crucial player at Griffin Park.

The 23-year-old has netted five goals in all competitions as well as registering an impressive 12 assists for his team-mates. Benrahma is capable of playing right across the forward line making him a useful option for Pellegrini to have at his disposal. With bags of tricks and excellent dribbling ability, the former Angers man would be a nightmare for Premier League defenders.

Still developing and improving, this signing could prove to be a wonderful addition to the Hammers squad.

West Ham fans, thoughts?