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Tottenham Hotspur have cemented their role as the nearly team in the Premier League. Every year the club show early promise of Champions League qualification but time and time again they fall short in the final weeks.

This summer the club are in danger of falling even further behind their rivals after a slow start to the transfer window.

Rivals Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City and Man United have all improved their squads with a number of key signings, including the likes of Petr Cech, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Roberto Firmino.

Fans of the White Hart Lane outfit will be no doubt starting to worry.

Mauricio Pochettino has only made the relatively low key signings so far this summer, strengthening their leaky defence with the signings of right back Kieran Trippier from Burnley, slightly more impressive centre back Toby Alderwiereld from Atletico Madrid and FC Koln defender Kevin Wimmer.

There is no disputing that chairman Daniel Levy has a lot more work to do over the coming weeks to dramatically improve what currently seems a very average Spurs side.

The weakest area of the side is certainly the midfield. How Pochettino plans to achieve anything with players like Andros Townsend, Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb starting every week is baffling.

All three would certainly not look out of place in the Championship, which is not acceptable for a club supposedly challenging for Champions League football.

However, the north London side have been linked with a number of more talented additions already this summer.

The latest names in the hat are James McCarthy and Kevin Mirallas, with the Independent reporting that a £20million swoop for the Everton pair is close.

Both players would certainly improve the quality in that Tottenham midfield.

Belgium International Mirallas has never managed to cement his place in the starting line-up at Goodison Park and has grown frustrated with life under manager Roberto Martinez. The recent arrival of Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona has only poked the fire regarding Mirallas’ future and a move away looks likely.

The winger would easily be the best wide midfielder at the club. His speed and technical ability are major strengths of his game, not to mention the player’s pure determination to get in a position to fire a shot on target.

Sitting either side of Christian Eriksen in the attacking three midfield spots would suit the 27-year-old, being able to thrive off the Danish star’s playmaking.

West Ham have also been linked with the player, but it is believed that Spurs are in the driving seat, offering more of a step up from life at Everton.

Another Everton player being courted by Spurs is James McCarthy.

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His consistently impressive performances have led to attention from Man City and Pochettino’s side this summer. The Ireland international is a solid midfielder, particularly strong when it comes to the defensive side of the game, including tackling and recovering the ball, but the player’s distribution is also an impressive aspect of this talents.

McCarthy would be a step up in class from Mason/Bentaleb, offering a more physical and experienced presence in the middle of the park, something that Spurs have lacked for a long time.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez will be determined to hold on to two of his most prized assets but, unfortunately for him, that isn’t all that easy – especially with Tottenham able to offer the duo regular European football.

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Stoke are reported to be considering a move for Brighton boss Gus Poyet as speculation over who will replace Tony Pulis hots up.

Chairman Peter Coates is drawing up a shortlist of managers who could potentially replace Pulis and Poyet is reported to be on it along with the likes of Roberto Martinez, Mark Hughes and Roberto Di Matteo.

Poyet is reported to be the number one choice but the Uruguayan remains in limbo at Brighton after being suspended over comments he made following the play-off defeat against Crystal Palace.

The Potters would first have to approach Brighton and there is a big question mark over whether the Seagulls would be willing to grant Poyet permission to speak to Coates and his board.

Martinez also remains in the frame and is set to make a decision over whether he will stay at Wigan after holding talks with his chairman Dave Whelan.

Di Matteo and Hughes would be more straightforward appointments as both are free agents but they would still demand hefty pay packets and Coates may prefer to wait for Poyet or Martinez to make a decision on their respective futures.

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New West Brom manager Steve Clarke has shown his displeasure at the untimely international break as two of his key defenders play 90 minutes for their respective countries.

While England fielded a somewhat experimental team in Switzerland against Italy on Wednesday night, other international sides didn’t take the same approach with Gareth McAuly and Jonas Olsson both seeing out the entire game in their games.

“Jonas Olsson played 90 for Sweden and Gareth McAuley played 90,” said Clarke.

“It has upset me a little bit, yes. Two experienced central defenders didn’t need 90 minutes of football after travelling to play for their countries before the opening of the Premier League.

“I don’t understand it.

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“It’s placed in a ridiculous place in the calendar. It’s been addressed and it will be taken out of the fixture list and the quicker that happens the better.”

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April 2018 in the Premier League will mostly be remembered for Manchester City officially clinching the title at the end of a campaign in which Pep Guardiola’s side have enjoyed unprecedented dominance over the rest of the division.

But that was by no means the only eye-catching moment in the top flight last month, with a whopping 111 goals scored across 42 games and plenty of dazzling individual performances to boot. Here’s a rundown of the six players who impressed Premier League supporters the most, earning nominations for the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for April.

Christian Eriksen

This season has seen Christian Eriksen shift from a promising young player to a maturing star at the peak of his powers and April was another impressive month for the Tottenham midfielder, grabbing three goals and two assists in just four Premier League appearances. That potent return saw him become only the third player in the English top flight this season to reach double figures for goals and assists – the others being Manchester City duo Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling.

Alexandre Lacazette

Alexandre Lacazette’s debut campaign with Arsenal has endured its ups and downs but the summer signing has really come into form during the tail-end of the season, scoring seven goals in his last eight across all competitions. That includes four Premier League strikes throughout April, averaging just two shots per goal, while registering five key passes and four dribbles.

Jordan Pickford

Jordan Pickford solidified his case to enter the World Cup as England’s No.1 throughout April with three clean sheets from four appearances – the most of any goalkeeper in the Premier League – including one against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. In fact, the Everton goalkeeper conceded just one goal last month in a 1-1 draw with Swansea City, while making twelve saves.

Paul Pogba

For all the criticism Paul Pogba receives, there’s no doubt the Frenchman is a fantastic asset when at the top of his game. April was a good month for the former world-record signing too, most notably inspiring Manchester United’s incredible comeback to stop Manchester City lifting the title against them by bagging a second-half brace. The powerful midfielder, who completed 13 dribbles last month, added to that with another strike against Arsenal and an assist at Bournemouth.

Raheem Sterling

What a fine season it’s been for Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, defying the sceptics to hold down fourth spot in the Premier League’s scoring charts. That mission was aided by two strikes in April, but the England international actually played a direct hand in six goals last month, grabbing an impressive four assists as well. In total, the Citizens forward registered ten key passes – alongside nine dribbles.

Wilfried Zaha

Crystal Palace just aren’t the same team without Wilfried Zaha and it’s not difficult to see why – with four goals and one assist in April, his incredible potency has all-but mathematically got the Eagles over the line in their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League. The tricky Ivorian also completed a staggering 20 dribbles last month and weighed in with one assist.

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Talented young English footballers are at a premium nowadays. Any player who possesses ‘home grown status’ and has even an glimmer of promise is immediately eyed by the biggest sides, who will pay mega fees to have them – which has brought mixed results through the years.

And one of the latest to attract the attention of the ‘big boys’ is Everton’s John Stones. The 21-year-old’s talent is by no means a secret – he’s an England international – but, up until now, the queue hasn’t been too long for the centre-back’s services.

However, reports now suggest that both Manchester United and Chelsea are eyeing the one-time Barnsley youth player, which could prompt a summer transfer scramble.

We think he should pick Old Trafford over the shining lights of West London… and here are FIVE reasons why….

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Game time

A quick look at Man United and Chelsea’ defensive options tells you all you need to know about Stones’ potential opportunities for first-team action if he were to join either side. While the Blues have John Terry and Gary Cahill to call upon, as well as the promising Kurt Zouma and Branslav Ivanovic, The Red Devils possess a mish-mash of centre-backs, including Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans.

Slotting into the Chelsea team would surely be a greater task, even if JT is now edging towards the end of his career, and there is a convincing argument to suggest Stones is already, if not better, on a par with Louis van Gaal’s current options.

Chelsea’s record with youngsters

United’s own record at bringing through youngsters of late has been a little patchy – Wilfried Zaha and Tom Cleverley have been shipped out – but Chelsea’s lack of faith in youth has been worrying to say the least. A prime example appears to be Kevin De Bruyne, who was signed as one of the most promising attacking midfielders in Europe. A brief spell in the Blues’ XI was not filled with goals, so he was quickly shipped out to Wolfsburg – although he was still in his early 20s. Since then the Belgian has developed into one of the continent’s most prolific assist makers – 20 in the Bundesliga last term – which has even led to reports that the Londoners are looking to re-sign him.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks set to make the step up, but it remains to be seen if his ‘graduation’ is a tide-shifting moment or an act of tokenism in light of criticism.

A manager who puts faith in youth

Jose Mourinho is a born winner, a pragmatist and a coach who will do whatever he can to get an edge. Often this means that youngsters are overlooked, after all the old adage of ‘you won’t win anything with kids’ makes sense, right? Louis van Gaal on the other hand is a little different. The Dutchman was a major factor in the emergence of young players such as Xavi at Barcelona and Thomas Muller at Bayern Munich, while his faith in Memphis Depay at the 2014 World Cup was rewarded with two goals.

Surely Stones would be more likely to be afforded patience and time under LVG?

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Exciting project at Old Trafford

We’re not saying that what’s going on at Chelsea isn’t interesting – they’re Premier League champions, after all – but United are on the cusp of something memorable. A small decline after he exit of Sir Alex Ferguson was to be expected, and the blip appears to have been levelled out by LVG, who is building an exciting new era at Old Trafford. Stones could well find himself as part of the club’s history should he join and contribute to another rise to the top, which may well be appealing.

Stage to boost his England chances

Although it shouldn’t be the way, players at big clubs get more chances at international level with England – just look at Rickie Lambert in 2014. Both United and Chelsea get more media attention than Everton, which would boost Stones’ chances of being a Three Lions regular, but being at Old Trafford would, perhaps, catch Roy Hodgson’s gaze to a greater level.

It was the most glorious way to seal the title. That scoring drought and genuine questioning as to whether he merited the Player of the Year award was cast aside when Robin van Persie volleyed home Manchester United’s second in their 3-0 win over Aston Villa. The Dutchman’s performance set the standard and raised the game of his teammates, who on the whole could not be faulted.

And then there’s the reality of the matter. This is not one of Alex Ferguson’s best teams, despite how much he’s talked them up over the course of this season. He may be happy with his strike force, but there is a reason, you have to believe, that a club like Manchester United are done with the season at this stage after their domestic title win, while four of Europe’s very best are competing in the Champions League.

On the whole, it’s been an underwhelming watch. I’ve spoken about it before, the way people are quick to forget what has come earlier in the season when something new or different takes their attention. Van Persie has been magnificent and the real drawing point of this United team. He is not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom are unlikely to go through the kind of drought in front of goal that the Dutchman experienced. If such an occurrence takes place, many will be quick to question either of their positions as the one and two in world football.

So where do United go from here? It’s a matter of overhauling and significantly improving some of their most important weapons. Shinji Kagawa, for one reason or another, has not had as big a role as he did during his last season with Borussia Dortmund. His lack of fitness throughout this campaign has in a way played the other option into Ferguson’s hand, going with the traditional and very United approach of two wingers. But they’re not good enough; lacking in quality overall and inspiration to turn a game on its head.

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Antonio Valencia may be the easiest target of this season, failing horribly to come up with anything of note for the majority of this campaign. How do you defend him? Was he ever a player good enough for Manchester United and what they needed in a starting winger? Absolutely not. He’s one dimensional and lacks the imagination that is required of a winger playing for a team who have ambitions to be the best in the Premier League every year. He may be praised for his adopted versatility and work rate, but he looks exactly like what he is: A Wigan player who was fortunate to be handed a jump to Manchester United.

I’m not one who totally buys into the idea that United need a creative spark in midfield. Another midfielder needs to be picked up, but not necessarily someone who dictates the play from the middle of the pitch in the traditional sense. The strengths of this United team come from their forwards and the service they’re fed. It’s a team who have had to play a counterattacking game at times this season in various competitions, and it’s a good reason why players like Danny Welbeck are brought in and compensate for their lack of goals. However, I do believe this team to still be a little distant from the dominating and intimidating teams who currently make up the Champions League semi-finals.

But we’ve seen it all season. At no point has United looked like a side who were about to score four or five every week. Despite them being at the top of the league table for so long, there has always been a little uncertainty as to whether they would get the job done, even against the smallest or weakest teams in the league. It derives from a lack of strength in their most important positions. Interestingly, there are parallels to the current Barcelona team, one who are improving on all their numbers over the Pep Guardiola teams, but where something vital is missing.

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You can’t help but feel that someone like Gareth Bale would turn this team from good enough to overcome a relatively poor Premier League, to really challenging the might of Europe once again. That is why Ferguson put a lot of effort in trying to chase down the signatures of Eden Hazard and Lucas Moura. That is why, from a neutral perspective, signings like Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia have been so disappointing. You know this club are capable of better.

Everton won for the first time in over a month in the English Premier League on Monday night, defeating Newcastle United 1-0 at Goodison Park.

The Toffees had to work hard for the win and made the breakthrough shortly after half-time when Theo Walcott converted to score his third goal in Everton colours.

While fans were pleased with the victory, there were certain aspects of the performance they did not enjoy, again taking issue with the pragmatic nature of Sam Allardyce’s style of football.

They also had criticism for Yannick Bolasie who, despite providing the ball that led to Walcott’s goal, was seen as ineffective throughout his time on the pitch before being substituted on the hour mark.

Supporters haven’t enjoyed the former Crystal Palace man’s performances at all recently, with the winger scoring just twice in 30 appearances since joining the club in a big money move.

Many have now had enough, with some calling for him to be sold this summer.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his Monday display…

Liverpool star Raheem Sterling has refused to rule out the possibility of leaving for Arsenal or Manchester City at the end of the season, according to reports from the Daily Mail.

Sterling has been stalling contract negotiations to extend his deal with the Reds, fuelling speculation that he is set to depart in the summer.

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The England international has come out to state that his intentions to stop talks are not motivated by financial gains, but he is instead hoping to be convinced by the Liverpool hierarchy that the side can challenge with Europe’s best.

He said: “The public just see it as this 20-year-old boy being greedy.

“But I just want to take the time to think about what I have achieved in my career so far and where I need to go and what I need to do to get better as a player.

“It’s never been about money. I talk about winning trophies throughout my career. That’s all I talk about.”

It has been confirmed that the 20-year-old has turned down a massive £100,000-a-week contract and plans to consider all his options this summer.

“It’s not about the money at all. I just want to focus on football and when it gets to the end of the season assess my position, where I am as a 20-year-old playing in the Premier League,” he added.

“I just want to see where I need to be to achieve my goals that I’ve set out since I was a young kid.

“I don’t want to be perceived as a money-grabbing 20-year-old. I just want to be seen as the kid that loves to play football and wants to do the best for the team.”

Liverpool are currently trailing Manchester United in fourth by five points, but they still have eight games remaining to catch up with their rivals.

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However, if Brendan Rodgers’ side fail to qualify for the Champions League, then the Anfield club could lose Sterling to the likes of Arsenal, Man City, or even European powerhouses Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

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Long-term Tottenham Hotspur target Joao Moutinho is once again on the Premier League club’s radar after he asked Porto to let him leave at the end of the season.

Spurs thought they had struck a deal last summer, after a £22 million agreement with the Portuguese club, but a delay sending the paperwork to the FA finally put pay to his move to White Hart Lane.

Andre Villas-Boas, who managed the midfielder at Porto, remains keen on signing the 26 year-old, who has also made his move by asking the club to ease his transfer, The Metro claim.

The midfielder talked to his coach Vitor Pereira earlier this week to request for permission to go should a suitable offer for both parts arrived.

Russian giants Zenit Saint-Petersburg, as well as some Italian sides are reportedly interested in the player, but the Portuguese international is keen to be back under Villas-Boas’ management, giving Tottenham the lead in the race for his signature.

The transfer, which is likely to cost a similar fee as what was offered last summer, is planned to be partially funded with the sale of players like Heurelho Gomes, Bongani Khumalo, Danny Rose, David Bentley and John Bostock.

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Moutinho has established himself as a regular in both Porto and Portugal national team, and was part of the squad that won the treble (Europa League, Portuguese Liga and Portuguese Cup) with the Dragoes under the guidance of Villas-Boas in 2011.

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Arsenal have had a relatively dismal Premier League campaign as they once again failed to launch a serious challenge for the title.

Questions over Arsene Wenger’s future as manager have re-emerged, while plenty of the club’s players have taken a beating from fans on Twitter.

With five league games left to play, the North London outfit find themselves in sixth place, 13 points adrift of the top four.

The club are unlikely to secure a place in next season’s Champions League via the domestic route, but not all hope is lost.

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If Wenger guides the team to Europa League glory, they will be guaranteed a position in the elite competition for the 2018-19 campaign.

However, they will have to get past La Liga stars Atletico Madrid across two legs in the semi-finals in order to fight for the trophy.

Arsenal comfortably came through the group phase and managed to overcome AC Milan in the last-16 stage, as well as CSKA Moscow in the quarter-finals.

Due to the Gunners’ positive campaign in Europe, some fans are not too concerned by the fact that the club could drop down to seventh in the league come May.

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Surprisingly, Burnley reside just two points adrift of Arsenal, who are expected to miss out on a top-four finish for the second year running.

On Reddit following the Gunners’ defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday, fans have been discussing whether their league position is even that important.

Is anyone actually bothered? from r/Gunners

Comment from discussion Is anyone actually bothered?.Comment from discussion Is anyone actually bothered?.Comment from discussion Is anyone actually bothered?.Comment from discussion Is anyone actually bothered?.Comment from discussion Is anyone actually bothered?.Comment from discussion Is anyone actually bothered?.