All posts by n8rngtd.top

How will America's finest get on in this season's Premier League?

For the first time in a while, there's a sizable contingent of U.S. men's national team stars in the Premier League.

Just three Americans earned minutes in England's top flight last season, but that number should balloon this season, with a number of USMNT players now on the books of some of the country's top teams.

Christian Pulisic remains the star attraction for American audiences, of course, and the winger will be once again looking to lock down a place in Thomas Tuchel's starting line-up.

However, Pulisic has been joined in the Premier League by several international teammates, from newly-promoted veterans to big-money transfers.

Below, GOAL runs through the Americans set to test themselves against English football's finest in 2022-23…

• Getty
  

  Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)

  While still the biggest name in American soccer, Pulisic has a fight on his hands to prove himself at Chelsea.

  Pulisic has had plenty of bright moments with the Blues, proving his worth to Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel several times over.

  However, injuries have always seemed to strike at the wrong time, preventing him from truly cementing his place as the club's starting winger.

  That task will become even more difficult this season as Chelsea splashed the cash to sign Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.

  Romelu Lukaku's loan move to Inter may have freed up some space in the forward line but Sterling's arrival means that Pulisic has another world-class player to compete with for a spot out wide.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Brenden Aaronson (Leeds)

  The first of two American stars brought in by Jesse Marsch at Leeds, Aaronson has taken a logical step up in class by reuniting with his former boss at RB Salzburg.

  Even after Marsch's departure in the summer of 2021, the Philadelphia Union product continued to shine in Austria, with his impressive performances paving the way for his move to Elland Road.

  The $31 million (£25m) price tag is lofty, but it's also one befitting of a player with Aaronson's skillset. A midfielder with relentless energy and an improved skillset in the final third, he should fit nicely into Marsch's system.

  Indeed, he dished out three assists in the club's preseason finale against Cagliari and should be a major player for Leeds, who will be hoping to take a significant step forward this term after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

• Getty Images
  

  Tyler Adams (Leeds)

  The second member of the Leeds United States of America, and another already well-known to Marsch, who worked with Adams at Red Bull-owned clubs in Germany and New York.

  Indeed, there's probably no player Marsch knows better than Adams, who will slot right into Leeds' midfield as the No. 6.

  With Kalvin Phillips having departed for Manchester City, Adams will be crucial to Leeds' Premier League hopes this season.

  Adams has said he isn't a like-for-like replacement for Phillips, and he's definitely right, as Phillips is certainly a bit more complete than Adams is at this stage.

  But Leeds will expect Adams to up his game and lock down a starting spot as they rebuild under Marsch.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Antonee 'Jedi' Robinson (Fulham)

  The Return of the Jedi (and Fulham)!

  One of England's great yo-yo clubs, the Cottagers are back in the top flight after winning last season's Championship.

  And Robinson was a key player in that promotion push, making 36 league appearances in total.

  Robinson will remain the go-to left-back for Fulham, and the USMNT, for the foreseeable future and, at just 24, there's still plenty of time for the defender to improve.

  There's a reason that AC Milan once expressed an interest in his services, and that's because Robinson is a pretty good left-back.

  If he can help keep Fulham in the Premier League, there's a chance that other clubs could come calling in the future, too.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon endured a nightmare evening as the north Londoners were defeated in the Carabao Cup final by Manchester City.

The Spanish left-back continued his poor run of form with a shocking display in which he struggled to contain Man of the Match Riyad Mahrez and wasn’t able to impose much of an influence on Kyle Walker.

SofaScore graded Reguilon their worst performer with a 6.0 rating and similarly, football.london’s Alasdair Gold was far from impressed with his performance.

‘Off the pace in the first half and picked up a yellow card for a late lunge on De Bruyne. Lacked quality in his end product when he did get forward,’ he wrote.

In midweek, the 24-year-old was a frequent influence against Southampton, managing more touches (97) of the ball than all but one other Spurs player but here, he managed only 43 touches and was largely wasteful and ineffective with it.

Even Hugo Lloris (54) had more touches at Wembley than Reguilon.

Across the 90 minutes, the former Real Madrid ace won just one of seven duels (14%), further showing just how badly he struggled against the likes of Mahrez and Walker.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-manager-transfer-news-and-rumours” title=”Read this week’s latest Spurs manager news, transfer rumours and more!”]

And just like Gold claims, when going forward, he offered interim boss Ryan Mason absolutely nothing – as per SofaScore, Reguilon failed to register a shot, dribble or key pass and couldn’t even provide an accurate cross, leaving Harry Kane very little to work with.

His game was summed up by a very lazy and late tackle on Kevin De Bruyne, when the Belgian superstar looked to be away down the right flank. The Reguilon from earlier of the season would’ve been so much smarter there.

He’s just not been the same since returning from injury.

In his last eight appearances, Reguilon has only managed a rating above 6.8 once, with this latest game being the worst in that run, according to SofaScore figures.

Unfortunately for Spurs, though, his main rival for the left-back spot – Ben Davies – is still out injured, so it’s not as if Mason can make a change there.

The £45m-rated dynamo, who is thought to be earning around £80k-per-week in N17, badly let Spurs down on Sunday evening.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Naglesmann: Levy could revolutionise Spurs with landmark double swoop…

Tottenham Hotspur will still be without the services of Ben Davies for their Premier League clash with Sheffield United this evening, handing Ryan Mason a gutting blow…

What’s the latest?

Speaking ahead of kick-off, the interim boss, who took over from Jose Mourinho nearly two weeks ago, delivered a fresh update on the 28-year-old left-back.

He said, via the club’s official website:

“In terms of injuries, it’s the same as last week. Ben Davies is the only one out injured at the moment. Matt Doherty has been training since last week. He had a period of time out injured, but he’s back with the group and has trained all week.”

Big blow

Spurs have suffered from inconsistencies in recent weeks and ultimately, it was a dismal run of form that cost the Portuguese his job in north London.

Mason steered his side to a victory in his first match in charge, coming from behind to defeat Southampton but they were gifted two goals, one of which was a late penalty.

And then they were well-beaten by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, in a week which saw the Super League collapse and subsequent fan protests.

Spurs’ XI could probably do with a shake-up, especially as they still have a place in the top six to aim for and victory against the already-relegated Blades would help morale tenfold.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-managerial-update-transfer-rumours-levy-mourinho-sacked-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs manager updates, transfer news, gossip and more!”]

Without Davies, Mason will not be able to make a change in one of Spurs’ problematic positions right now.

Sergio Reguilon had looked like a steal from Real Madrid this summer, quickly emerging as a quality and more attacking option along that left flank but since his return from injury in February, he’s just not looked the same, whatsoever.

In his five-game absence, Spurs endured one of their toughest periods, losing four of those five outings, including some big encounters against Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City.

His return had been expected to give the side a boost, though he’s underperformed ever since then.

Reguilon has started Spurs’ last six league matches and has failed to record a WhoScored rating above 6.9 in all but one of those games. He has also failed to contribute an assist in that run, managing only four key passes.

By comparison, the Spaniard’s average for the season is now 6.81 and had been their third-biggest source for creating goals prior to injury, with three assists.

If Davies was available, then Mason could freshen things up defensively, and that’s where most of their problems this term have remained. Therefore, not having the Welshman back from injury is yet another huge setback for the 29-year-old caretaker.

AND in other news, Spurs should fear Jose Mourinho 2.0 amid Jorge Mendes claims…

The Premier League duo made the cut, but who else rounds out our best picks from this year's tournament in Egypt?

• Backpagepix
  

  Mohamed El-Shenawy

  Algeria goalkeeper Rais M’Bolhi won the competition, and was named CAF’s Man of the Match in the final, but El-Shenawy excelled during the early stages of the competition.

  Egypt’s campaign may have ended even earlier had the 30-year-old not bailed them out against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, while they also had the goalkeeper to thank for not falling behind against Uganda.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Youcef Atal

  Comfortably the best full-back in the competition, both offensively and defensively, before a broken collarbone sustained against Ivory Coast ended his competition prematurely.

  Offered the overlap effectively, carried the ball well, and also contributed an assist in the 3-0 last-16 victory over Guinea.

• Backpagepix
  

  Kenneth Omeruo

  Returned to form, and to Nigeria’s starting XI, in some style, with a series of excellent performances during the Super Eagles’ run to the bronze medal.

  He scored the winner against Guinea in Nigeria’s second match, helping keep a clean sheet in both that game and the opener, while he also weighed in with an assist as Cameroon were defeated 3-2 in the last 16.

  Demonstrating that he’s a man for the big occasion, Omeruo also delivered an imperious display in the play-off victory over Tunisia.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Gettty
  

  Djamel Benlamri

  Dogged, rugged, tenacious and unruffled in the heart of the Algerian defence, Benlamri proved why he’s such a fan favourite among Fennecs fans with a series of committed displays.

  He played with his heart on his sleeve throughout, demonstrating a mastery of some of the game’s darker arts, while proving to be an ideal complement for the cultured Aissa Mandi.

Many Sunderland fans were livid with Lee Burge following their 1-0 defeat to Blackpool in League One on Saturday.

This latest defeat is a huge blow to the Black Cats’ hopes of earning automatic promotion to the Championship from the third tier. It is their third loss in a row at that level (Sky Sports) after having been beaten 2-1 by both Charlton Athletic and Wigan Athletic, and they now find themselves eight points behind second-placed Peterborough United with just five games left to play (BBC).

The performance of Burge against the Seasiders contributed to Sunderland’s downfall. It was his mistake which allowed Luke Garbutt’s effort to wriggle into the net, and that proved to be the only goal of the game. At this stage of the season, every mistake is magnified – Burge simply cannot afford to drop such howlers.

These fans were far from happy with what they saw from the 28-year-old, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on an “awful” display from the Sunderland goalkeeper.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Burge below

“Absolutely crushing. Scowen, Burge and McFadzean need not ever play for us again”

Credit: @SAFCJake

“Said 20 mins into first game of season. You are only as good as your keeper. Burge is awful. A shot is as good as a goal for opposition”

Credit: ian_safc_1974

“I feel qualified to speak on this as I’ve watched so many bad players for Sunderland: Josh Scowen is one of the worst players I’ve ever seen, and Lee Burge is an atrocious goalkeeper.”

Credit: @AnthonyMorrow83

“Lee Burge – that is a disgrace. How many points has he cost us this season now? From the inside of the post to going up the other end and that happening.”

Credit: @DHT_MrP

“Lee Burge awful. Has been most of the season”

Credit: @MJacko1989

“Lee Johnson is not exempt from criticism today, the petulance of not picking Maguire is unreal. McFadzean being in squad at all is criminal. Having no better option than Lee Burge has cost us several times this season. He is a very very very poor goalkeeper.”

Credit: @Powell_Matthew

In other news, many Sunderland fans also slammed this man against Blackpool.

Cristiano Ronaldo's career is littered with broken records but after his move to Serie A giants Juventus, he is primed to shatter even more

• Sami Khedira
  

  1First player to be top scorer in EPL, La Liga & Serie A

  Both John Charles and Christian Vieri have topped the scoring charts in two of Europe's 'Big Five' leagues. Welsh legend Charles was the English First Divison's leading marksman with Leeds in 1957 and then repeated the feat in Italy the following year after joining Juventus. Vieri, meanwhile, claimed La Liga's Pichichi award in 1998, after a stellar season at Atletico Madrid, before finishing as Serie A's Capocannoniere in 2002-03 for Inter. However, Ronaldo is now poised to outdo them both. Having already top-scored in the Premier League for United in 2007-08 and taken home the Pichichi on three occasions (2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15), he can now become the first man to be the leading goalscorer in the EPL, La Liga and Serie A.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  2Most hat-tricks in Serie A

  This particular record might even be beyond Ronaldo but this is not a man who lacks ambition. Also, he specialises in hat-tricks. As a result, perhaps it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he could surpass Gunnar Nordahl and Giuseppe Meazza's haul of 17 trebles apiece. Ronaldo would first need to stay in Turin for the duration of his four-year contract and then average just over four hat-tricks a season. If anyone can, Ronaldo can…

• David Ramos
  

  3Most Champions League hat-tricks

  Both Ronaldo and Messi have racked up a staggering seven Champions League hat-tricks to date. Given his remarkable recent scoring rate in the competition, Ronaldo will be confident of edging ahead of the Barcelona ace for new club Juve. 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• 4Most goals in all competitions for Juventus

  Netting more than 36 goals in Serie A alone would also see Ronaldo become Juventus' record scorer across a single season in all competitions. Ferenc Herzer currently tops the standings, having struck 35 times during the 1925-26 campaign.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he wouldn’t be surprised to see West Brom sign Aston Villa’s Tom Heaton this summer.

Baggies number one goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who was recently rewarded for his excellent form with his first England call-up, has already been linked with Tottenham, West Ham and Leeds this summer, with West Brom looking to need a miracle to avoid the drop.

Johnstone didn’t win a cap for Gareth Southgate’s team, but has been West Brom’s standout performer this term, keeping six clean sheets in the Premier League, one of which came against Southampton earlier this month when he saved England colleague James Ward-Prowse’s penalty.

But with the Baggies nine points from safety with just seven games remaining, relegation is more than likely.

With that in mind, Johnstone could leave the club this summer, with strong reports that West Brom are lining Heaton up as a potential replacement, with his Aston Villa contract running out in June.

And Windass told Football FanCast that deal would make perfect sense:

“In the Championship you want someone to steady the ship at the back and talks to your centre-halves, because games come thick and fast.

“You need that experience, and if they get relegated he’s [Sam Johnstone] going to leave – he won’t want to be playing in the Championship.

“So I can see that, Tom Heaton going to West Brom.”

The Blues have a host of talent out on loan that they could look to offload to help raise cash for a summer spending splurge

• Getty
  

  £12 million – Baba Rahman

  Chelsea would likely lose money on the sale of Baba Rahman after signing him from Augsberg in 2015 in an initial £14 million deal; with add-ons meaning the fee could rise to £21.7m. 

  However, he has the chance to rebuild his career again after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament while at the Africa Cup of Nations last season with Ghana. 

  The defender has since joined Schalke on loan but he has yet to make an appearance for the club. The Bundesliga side agreed an 18-month loan deal at the end of January although they'll be wanting to see a lot more of him out on the pitch if they are to make the move permanent. 

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  £10m – Marco van Ginkel

  Van Ginkel was once hailed as the new Frank Lampard and is proving to be a key player for Eredivisie table-toppers PSV Eindhoven, in his third loan move to the club. 

  Such is the 25-year-old's importance to the Dutch club, he is their captain despite not formally being owned by them, and his 12 goals in 25 games have seen him make a healthy contribution to their push for the title. 

  PSV tried to include a clause for a permanent move, but they couldn't agree a price with Chelsea, who want to make a profit on the £8 million they paid in 2013 to sign him from Vitesse.

• Getty Images
  

  £10m – Mario Pasalic

  Mario Pasalic has proved himself to be a useful player on his loan spells at Elche, Monaco, AC Milan and now at Spartak Moscow, but he has still yet to play for Chelsea after joining for £3m in 2014. 

  He has racked up 22 appearances for Spartak, which have included both Champions League and Europa League games, and his appearances for the Russian club have put him in contention for Croatia's World Cup squad.

  There is, however, a feeling that at 23 years old, he would have surely made it at Chelsea by now if he was considered a part of their long-term plans.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  £10m – Tomas Kalas

  Tomas Kalas has become well known in English football after several seasons in the country, having spent the last two campaigns at Fulham.  

  He also helped Middlesbrough gain promotion to the Premier League during his spell with the club and had spells abroad with three other clubs including Vitesse Arnhem. 

  The 24-year-old may eventually be sold after only making two appearances for Chelsea, despite being one of the longest-serving players under contract at Stamford Bridge. And the Blues are in a stronger bargaining position, with the player being under contract until 2021. 

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with the performance of Joe Aribo during the first half of their match against Hibernian on Sunday.

After already having sewn up the Premiership title, the Gers are looking to go the league season unbeaten – they are yet to lose in the first 33 matches of the league campaign (BBC). They have started off well against the Edinburgh outfit as they lead at the interval.

Nigeria international Aribo was on hand to open the scoring with a lovely finish after some good work from Kemar Roofe. It is the 24-year-old’s seventh goal of the season in the league (Transfermarkt), and Steven Gerrard will be hoping to see more of the same from him as the 55-time Scottish champions go in search of a domestic double.

These Gers supporters were very happy with the midfielder’s showing in the first 45 minutes, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts. One even said that Aribo has been a “joy to watch”.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Aribo below

“Big Aribo hit that well”

Credit: @Ky13Rob

“Cracking finish from Aribo! First bit of intensity in the game has resulted in that, long may it continue!”

Credit: @RFT123

“Quality finish Aribo”

Credit: @Shaunwarby

“big Joe Aribo, joy to watch”

Credit: @EuanGriffiths4

“King Joe Aribo makes it Rangers 1 Hibs 0 with a delicious finish”

Credit: @steviesouness

“Aribo is a great player who will be wanted by many clubs this summer”

Credit: @amcfarlane07

In other news, Rangers fans love this Old Firm news.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a stunning run by Mohamed Salah during international duty with Egypt.

The 28-year-old has matured into one of the biggest names in world football in the last few years following his incredible performances for the Reds.

Salah has scored a remarkable 119 goals in 192 appearances for Liverpool, chipping in with 45 assists for good measure.

This season, the Egyptian has carried his side’s attack in many ways, with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino out of form and Diogo Jota injured for several months.

It isn’t just at club level where Salah is the main man, either, with the world-class forward Egypt’s undisputed star player. He has scored 43 times in 69 caps for his country, inspiring them to the 2018 World Cup, and is mobbed everywhere he goes in his homeland.

On Monday, Salah produced a stunning Lionel Messi-esque run in during Egpyt’s 4-0 win over Comoros, with the Reds superstar also scoring twice.

Liverpool fans laud Salah

Here are the best reactions from Reds supporters on Twitter as they showed their love for Salah.

“Imagine he got a goal out of it. Oh my days, he’s too good”

Credit: @tashaaa2000

“Salah cAnt dRibbLe”
Credit: @SmittyJimbo
“Ramos shaking”

Credit: @NazH92

“Reminiscent to the Watford game”
Credit: @CurtisEra20

“Real Madrid, he is coming for you…”
Credit: @ournumberfour
“Messi who?”Credit: @abougalala_adam

In other news, some Liverpool fans are worried about the future of one Reds player after a big transfer report on Monday. Read more here.