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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Football Insider, Darren Bent has tipped Aston Villa’s Andre Green to be an option in the Premier League next season.

What’s he said?

With Villa adding numerous new faces to the side over the summer, it’s easy to forget about a host of their fringe players.

Henri Lansbury and Birkir Bjarnason have both scored in pre-season whilst Scott Hogan even got in on the action last weekend.

However, one man who hasn’t been talked about much over pre-season is 20-year-old Green.

The winger became a bit part of the squad in the second half of 2018/19, but Bent is tipping him to remain an option in the upcoming campaign despite the jump to the Premier League. He told Football Insider:

“I’ve seen a little bit of him. Hopefully, he can get the opportunity, I thought he did well. I’ve seen him a couple of times and he’s impressed me.

“We’re dealing with a completely different animal in the Premier League, to stay in the Premier League you need goal scorers.

“I’d have him there as an option, maybe not as a first choice, he’s got time on his hands which is great.”

Green needs to be involved

The wide man spent the first half of last term on loan at Portsmouth, scoring once in six games in League One.

Therefore, it may have been somewhat of a surprise to see him brought back into the first-team set-up at Villa.

Green struggled for consistency but did show glimpses of the promising quality he has, scoring as a substitute against Sheffield United whilst also claiming an assist versus Sheffield Wednesday.

The fact he only contributed to two goals after returning might mean he’d struggle to make the step up to the top-flight but it would certainly be foolish if he wasn’t retained as an option.

Last season Villa somewhat struggled on the right-hand side with Albert Adomah scoring just four.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Jota has been brought in to bolster that area of the pitch but behind him, Green can still make an impact if afforded the opportunities.

Of course, the Villans have been linked with another wide player in Trezeguet but there should still be enough games for the youngster to make an impact.

It’ll be a challenge for him, but as Bent says, Green has time on his hands.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Not many players in the world look capable of challenging Alisson Becker’s position at Liverpool No.1 right now.

The Brazil international – who cost the Reds £66.8m when they signed him from Roma last summer – won the Premier League Golden Glove for his efforts last season, and also recorded the most clean sheets in the Champions League as the Merseysiders won the competition.

Alisson also won the Golden Glove at this summer’s Copa America, again ending the tournament on the winning side.

He seems practically immovable inbetween the sticks right now.

However, he won’t be Liverpool’s No.1 forever. Nor will 31-year-old Simon Mignolet be his backup for much longer given his age.

The Reds will eventually need fresh blood, and 20-year-old Kamil Grabara could well become Alisson’s successor later down the line.

The Poland Under-21 international – who appeared at this summer’s European Championships – recently joined Huddersfield on a season-long loan deal.

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Whilst that alone would’ve been an encouraging sign, he looks set to be Jan Siewert’s No.1 for the 2019/20 campaign after first-choice stopper Jonas Lossl joined Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton earlier in the window.

The 6 foot 5 glovesman is expected to start the Terriers’ Monday night curtain-raiser against Derby County, where in doing so, he will be making his senior debut in English football.

Kamara has only ever appeared on the bench for the Liverpool first-team in a competitive fixture, but signed a new long-term contract before being shipped out on loan to the John Smith’s Stadium – the Reds clearly have a lot of faith in him for the future.

The Championship is an extremely tough division consisting of 46 long, gruelling games between a number of committed outfits, so Kamara should learn his trade in the senior game pretty quickly given the circumstances.

Alisson may have the shirt for the next four, five or even six seasons, but Kamara is definitely taking the right steps to put pressure on the Brazilian for his spot a few years down the line.

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Salomon Rondon has joined Rafael Benitez in China, and Newcastle fans have nothing but good things to say about the Venezuela international.

It’s rare a loan player has an impact quite like Rondon did on Tyneside last season.

Before the 29 year-old joined on a one-year loan deal, none of the Magpies’ strikers were trusted by Benitez, but that all changed when Rondon arrived.

He scored 11 times in the Premier League and added seven assists, producing the type of all-round displays that Benitez demands from his target man.

And the Spaniard clearly loves Rondon as much as the Toon Army do, as Dalian Yifang have completed the signing of the West Brom man, per Sky Sports.

A medical was completed on Thursday, say Sky Sports, and Rondon had this to say about his time on Tyneside: “Being Newcastle’s no. 9 is certainly an honour that’ll always stay with me.”

After the powerful forward tweeted his thanks to the fans and clubs he has played for in England, calling Newcastle a “very special club”, fans took to Twitter to heap praise on their one-season wonder…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

After a season where Arsenal’s most potent attacking weapon from out wide was Bosnian left-back Sead Kolasinac, it’s been little surprise to see Unai Emery’s side searching through the transfer market for a new winger.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested Bournemouth star Ryan Fraser is near the top of the summer shopping list for the Gunners, whilst The Sun claimed Emery himself has urged the club’s board to make a big-money move for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

From 6-0 FA Cup final maulings to Mkhitaryan missing the the Europa League final, is football broken? Fans discuss in the video below…

But whilst some Arsenal fans are understandably excited at the prospect of seeing the Ivorian join the Emirates, a 19-year-old by the name of Reiss Nelson delivered a timely reminder in England U21’s 3-3 draw with Croatia on Monday night that he could well be the main man for next season.

On the chalkboard

The teenager is so highly-rated by those at the Emirates that former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger remarked back in April 2018: “He has the technical quality needed in the Premier League. He can run at players, he can dribble – you don’t find that a lot.”

Having spent last season on loan in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim, Nelson has admitted that his goal for next season will be trying to break through into the Arsenal first-team.

In his performance against the Croatians, the 19-year-old showed exactly why that is a very realistic possibility indeed. The winger took the game to the opposition whenever he could and he was immediately rewarded for his direct play and positive running when he had his legs clipped inside the penalty area.

He coolly slotted the penalty away and also had some eye-catching runs throughout the match, particularly in the second-half. At one point, having shown his defensive diligence in covering his full-back, Nelson carried the ball a good 40 to 50 yards and earned a free-kick deep inside the opposition half.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Gunners sorely missed a genuine ball-carrier with pace like Nelson last season, instead heavily relying on Kolasinac to provide width, whilst Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan often occupied spaces like a more conventional number ten.

Nelson had the second-highest number of dribbles and fouls earned for the Young Lions on Monday and was a constant threat to Croatia with his willingness to take a man on. Emery’s side last year looked so one-paced and one-dimensional in attack and it often suffocated the likes of Mesut Ozil, who thrives on speed and movement around him.

Promoting Nelson from within the academy instead of splashing the cash on Zaha would still give the Gunners what they sorely lacked; pace, trickery and an eye for goal.

أكد هشام نصر رئيس الاتحاد المصري لكرة اليد ورئيس اللجنة المنظمة لبطولة العالم المقامة حالياً بالقاهرة، أن سبب خروجه من الفقاعة الطبية المخصصة للاعبي المنتخب الوطني المشاركين في كأس العالم المقام حاليا بالقاهرة يرجع لعدد من الأسباب أهمها التزاماته كرئيس للجنة المنظمة وضرورة الالتقاء بالعديد من الوزراء المعنيين المشاركين في هذا الحدث بالإضافة لضرورة الاجتماع بالعديد من المسئولين من خارج الفقاعة.

طالع | رئيس اتحاد اليد يغادر معسكر منتخب مصر في المونديال ويُمنع من العودة

وكان منتخب مصر قد نجح في الفوز على نظيره الروسي بنتيجة 28-23 في أولى مباريات الدور الرئيسي من كأس العالم لكرة اليد.

وعن حظوظ منتخب مصر لكرة اليد أكد هشام نصر خلال تصريحاته الخاصة اليوم الخميس أن المنتخب يؤدى بصورة طيبة وقدم أداءً راقيا والفوز بالأمس أمام الاتحاد الروسي بنتيجة 28-23 بداية جيدة في الدور التالي وتقربه من تخطى عقبة هذا الدور والفراعنة قادرون على تخطى كل الصعاب والرد داخل الملعب بقوة والفرص قائمة لعبور الدور الثاني والاقتراب نحو المنافسة على اللقب.

وأشاد هشام نصر بالدور الكبير الذى تقوم به الدولة والدعم الكبير للسيد الرئيس عبد الفتاح السيسي رئيس الجمهورية والدكتور مصطفي مدبولي رئيس الوزراء ورئيس اللجنة العليا المنظمة للبطولة والدكتور أشرف صبحي وزير الشباب والرياضة وكافة الوزراء المعنيين وجميع افراد اللجنة المنظمة بالكامل، الكل يبذل أقصى ما في وسعة من أجل إنجاح البطولة التي يراقبها العالم في ظل الظروف الصعبة التي تتعرض لها الكرة الارضية منذ انتشار فيروس كورونا ولكن جاء قرار الدولة المصرية بتنظيم كأس العالم تحدى جديد وتأكيد على أن مصر قادرة بقوة على تنظيم أهم وأكبر الاحداث رغم كل الصعوبات.

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Declan Rice insists he is focused on staying at West Ham United this summer, per The Guardian.

What’s the word?

The midfielder has been routinely linked with a move away from the Hammers, with both Manchester United and Manchester City touted as potential suitors.

He has enjoyed a breakthrough season under Manuel Pellegrini, after all, playing a total of 38 times in all competitions and earning a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Nations League finals.

And he maintains that he is content with his lot at West Ham, having signed a new contract in December.

He said: “I know that there’s speculation but I signed a five-year contract with West Ham during the season.

“So my focus is fully on playing for West Ham. I’ve got a great connection with the fans; the fans love me and I love them and that’s the way it is at the moment. I’m not thinking about anything else, for sure.”

A legend-in-the-making

Rice could become a Hammers legend if he remains at the club for the duration of his career.

He is already seen as perhaps the best young player to play for the club since the days of Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand.

And, yes, he could well earn himself a massive move to a Manchester club or potentially a big foreign side.

But we’ve seen how revered the likes of Mark Noble and his ilk are at the Hammers; he has committed himself to the club and become an icon in the process.

Rice could do the same; he’s well on the way given how much supporters adore him.

It is down to him to ensure he enters the pantheon of the greats.

This post prompted Shay Given to respond teasing his former teammate.

The pairing, who played together at Newcastle United and Manchester City, are close with each other and Given will no doubt be hoping the Leeds-born midfielder can win his first major European title to go with his two Premier Leagues.

The Liverpool squad are currently going through warm-weather-training as Jurgen Klopp prepares his side for their second European Final under his guidance.

Milner was captain on the night when Liverpool lost 3-1 to Sevilla in the Europa League Final three-years-ago. His experience of major games and performing under pressure will be vital if Liverpool are to come away with the Champions League for the first time since 2005.

The 33-year-old is also an expert penalty taker, scoring five this season so, if the final goes all-the-way, you can guarantee he will step up and take a spot-kick for his side.

Signed on a free four-years-ago Milner has been a superb signing and, if he can lift the Champions League, surely his already high-standing in the game will sky-rocket.

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A video emerged of Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma appearing to laugh at Arsenal players as their hopes of ending the season in the top four all-but ended on Sunday, and Tottenham Hotspur fans were quick to tell their club to sign him on Twitter.

The Gunners knew that realistically they needed to take all three points against the Seagulls at the Emirates Stadium at the weekend, but they failed as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

It means that barring an Arsenal win, a Spurs defeat and a major swing of goal difference next week, Mauricio Pochettino’s men will finish in the Champions League qualification spots.

Bissouma was an impressive performer on the day for the south coast outfit, and showed his dribbling ability and close control on a number of occasions throughout the encounter.

The north London outfit don’t have a great deal of options in the middle of the park, and someone like the Ivory Coast international could offer them something different, perhaps even being a long-term Mousa Dembele replacement.

Could the man in the video below be Spurs’ most overrated player? Decide for yourself…

Tottenham supporters were quick to react to the video featuring the African player on social media, and while one told Daniel Levy to sign him and said he is “already a Spurs legend”, another said “sign Bissouma to a lifelong contract”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…