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On Monday night, Wolves fought out their second successive draw of the Premier League season as they welcomed Manchester United to Molineux.

Nuno Santo needed heroics from a pair of his fellow countrymen as Ruben Neves thumped home a long-range screamer to level things before Rui Patricio stepped up to save Paul Pogba’s second-half penalty.

The night also marked a special occasion for a fourth Portuguese native with Joao Moutinho recording his 50th appearance in the old gold shirt, having joined the club last summer from Monaco in a £5m deal.

The 32-year-old featured in every single Premier League game last season, scoring one goal and assisting eight more, as per WhoScored.

His playmaking ability has already continued into this campaign after providing the assist to Neves’ equaliser on Monday.

A number of fans took to social media to share their thoughts on Moutinho reaching the 50 game milestone.

One supporter asked the club to give him a new contract, whilst a range of superlatives were used to describe his time at Molineux including ‘special’ and ‘class’.

Another claimed he was the best player to ever play for Wolves, with one calling him a ‘complete player’.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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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…

TalkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino does not believe that Mauricio Pochettino will be Tottenham Hotspur manager at the end of the season.

What’s he said?

Pochettino hinted at frustrations with the club’s transfer policy on Tuesday after Real Madrid were beaten 1-0 in a pre-season friendly.

The Argentine claimed that he was not in control of dealings and that his job title should be changed from manager to coach, as he simply coaches the team.

And Cascarino believes that, following a season in which Spurs reached the Champions League final, Pochettino may have taken the club as far as he can.

He said: “We all question whether Frank Lampard will still be at Chelsea by the end of the season and if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will still be Manchester United manager next summer.

“But the one I feel is the more likely to go from the top six first is Pochettino.

“I look at Poch and I just feel from what’s happening and what he’s communicating, I’m not sure he’s going to be there at the end of this season.

“I just don’t see it.

“I think it was as good as it was going to get for them last year, with them getting to the Champions League final.”

He added: “I think there’s an element of frustration that his imprint in the club is still not where he thinks it should be.

“He’s been at the club a long time and they haven’t won anything and there’s frustration in the way he’s talking.

“When he used the words, ‘now my job is the coach’, he’s sort of saying it wasn’t that when he first joined the club and he had a much bigger say on who came in, but now he’s saying he’s just given the players and is coaching them and trying to improve them, which he is doing.”

Smart analysis

Spurs fans won’t like hearing it but Cascarino could well be right.

Now, of course, Spurs have spent a club-record fee this summer to buy Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon.

But they have yet to strengthen anywhere else; there have been no signings in defence and none in attacking midfield either, despite the persistent links with Giovani Lo Celso of Real Betis.

As it is, Spurs could be heading into the season with a weaker squad than last term.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And that is sure to frustrate Pochettino, who called for a rebuilding job in north London at the end of the 2018/19 season.

One imagines it would be remarkably difficult for Pochettino to find himself sacked – it would surely take an incredible downturn in form – but frustrations could well boil over and the Argentine could take his leave.

It would be a jolt to the system for most Spurs fans but, at the same time, it may not be a surprise.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s One to Watch series, which focuses on those players we think are particularly worth keeping an eagle-eye on as the 2019/20 season unfolds.

Ben Johnson could be the latest youngster to be afforded first-team opportunities at West Ham, following in the footsteps of flagship graduate Declan Rice.

What’s the story so far?

Johnson is a 19-year-old right-back who’s spent his years of development with the Hammers, and he looks in line for senior involvement in the upcoming campaign.

The youngster has predominantly played at U18 and U23 level, starting 20 games in Premier League 2 last season.

Johnson made his debut at left-back in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in February. The defender held his own and was praised for his debut performance, and though he was replaced before the end of the game, it was an impressive debut for the youngster nonetheless.

The West Ham manager said: “Unfortunately for him, this was his first game! But he didn’t do so bad, he had good answers every time they tried to attack down his side.

“I changed him not for his performance, he had a calf problem. He is also a right back, not a left back but he had to play and he did very well.”

Since then the defender has been earning game-time at right-back and left-back during pre-season, which suggests that Manuel Pellegrini sees a future for Johnson at the club, potentially as a starter.

He’s played on either side of the back-four, but he’s also got experience at youth level playing as a right-winger or central midfielder.

What’s 2019-20 got in store for Johnson?

Having played in pre-season fixtures and for an hour in the Premier League last season, he should be targeting semi-regular or even regular opportunities in the 2019/20 campaign.

With Pablo Zabaleta’s ageing legs beginning to reduce his capacity to play regularly, an injury to Ryan Fredericks could hand Johnson the chance to step into the starting XI.

Rice has already proven that opportunities for youngsters can manifest themselves at the London Stadium, and the present circumstances do suggest the stars could be aligning for Johnson to become the next teenager to burst onto the scene in east London.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

What would constitute a good season for Johnson?

At 19 Johnson is still young but not too raw to not be under serious consideration.

He’s impressed in pre-season and now he’s got to take his opportunities when they arise.

With Zabaleta now 34 years old and question marks lingering over Fredericks’ credentials, there’s clearly a position worth fighting for.

West Ham are looking to climb the table after the investments they’ve made this summer, so it would be understandable if Pellegrini was a little reluctant to trust in his young players.

But opportunities should arise nonetheless for a player who is already getting to grips with life in the senior squad.

Johnson should target (all competitions):

Appearances: 15

Starts: 7

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In a season of strife and turmoil for Manchester United, only a few players ended the season with their head held high.

One of those was Luke Shaw as he turned in his most consistent season for the Red Devils to date and cemented himself as the club’s first choice left back.   

Shaw started the season with a goal and went on to make 40 appearances in all competitions.  

The World of Lewis, who can be seen in the video above filling out his Panini Tabloid, called Shaw “One of the most consistent players of the season.”  

Check out Lewis’s thoughts on Shaw in full in the video above.

The Premier League Panini Tabloid is a special commemorative newspaper sticker collection celebrating the exciting new partnership between the greatest league in the world and the legendary name in football publishing, Panini. As the official collectable licensee to the Premier League, Panini are delighted to bring consumers a new era of collectables and the best collecting experience. See more here: http://bit.ly/PaniniFFCEditorial

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Celtic have rejected a bid from Arsenal in the region of £25m for Kieran Tierney, according to BBC Sport.

What’s the story?

Tierney has been the subject of interest throughout the summer from Arsenal and Napoli with the left-back’s future far from certain. With Arsenal upping their bid though, the Emirates certainly appears the more likely destination for the 22-year-old.

Tierney has been a key player for Celtic ever since he broke through in 2015 but has been restricted to just nine appearances this calendar year. The left-back has been dealing with hernia issues and is still some way from making a full return.

Neil Lennon has brought Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo in from Rapid Vienna in a £3m deal, yet this is no final nail in Tierney’s Celtic career. Emilio Izaguirre left Parkhead this summer, so Mbombo could just be competition for the 22-year-old Scotland international.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Tierney staying could hurt future deals

The issue that could arise for Lennon and the Celtic board is that turning down £25m for Tierney (potentially the highest Arsenal will go with their limited budget) might stop other promising players coming to Celtic Park in the future.

We’ve seen in the past that players from Europe come to Celtic knowing if they perform to a certain standard they will likely attract Premier League interest.

The likes of Moussa Dembele, Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk are perfect examples. Those three, and Tierney too, gave so much to Celtic and in return, all were allowed to leave when their asking price was met.

Arsenal’s Tierney bid is the biggest the club has ever received and blocking the deal could put off youngsters like Wanyama, van Dijk and Dembele from coming to Celtic Park and developing.

The pathway is clear – sign for Celtic, play well in Europe and win some trophies, get your dream move to the Premier League and earn the Hoops a hefty profit in doing so.

Blocking this route could see players who view the Scottish Premiership as a stepping stone decide that a move to Scotland will not advance their careers, as it has done for so many in the past.

The club needs to be careful with this deal because it could have drastic ramifications down the line, even if keeping Tierney seems appealing in the short-term.

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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill was left massively surprised by the reaction to Neil Lennon’s appointment as permanent Celtic manager, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s he said?

O’Neill of course was an iconic Celtic manager in his own right, winning multiple trophies with the club in the early 2000s, with Lennon installed as a firm fixture in his Hoops midfield.

Admitting he still watches Celtic matches on a regular basis, he reckons that any negative analysis of Lennon’s permanent appointment at the end of last season is misplaced.

How does Neil Lennon turn his doubters into believers? The answer lies in the video below…

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said:

“This idea that Neil was cheap or the board were negligent in not looking elsewhere seems exceptionally unfair. Neil has more than proven himself to have the credentials for this job and I would have full confidence that he’ll do it justice.

When I heard there was some criticism towards Neil getting the job, I would have to say that it truly took me aback.

I’m not sure why that would be the case. I really can’t get my head around it at all because I don’t think he put a foot wrong after taking over from Brendan Rodgers.

If I get the chance, I watch Celtic games on television and I’m not sure that the season had been entirely fluent for the duration of the campaign, for one reason or another. So it was not a given that Neil would walk in there and get it right.

I think you have to be really appreciative of the kind of pressure he was under in those months — all the while as he was trying to win a Treble, which is no mean feat.”

Was the reaction to Lennon’s appointment too severe?

As O’Neill points out, it’s fair to say Celtic did not receive unanimous praise from supporters when Lennon was given the job directly after the Scottish Cup final in May.

It’s really no surprise to hear the Forest boss back his former midfielder considering they are close, but his comments are still very interesting and bring a bit of balance to the argument that the club have faltered by not following the Brendan Rodgers era up with a box office appointment.

Lennon did almost everything asked of him when given the interim position in February, with the only real hiccup coming via a derby defeat to Rangers after the league was already won.

In terms of a job interview, the Hoops boss went through quite the process, ensuring a treble success that shouldn’t be underrated.

He has work to do to maintain that success next season, but beyond the super elite managers, is anyone better placed to deliver it?

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There is likely to be lots of wheeling and dealing at the Emirates this summer as Unai Emery looks to get as much as possible out of the £45m he reportedly has to work with. Today’s Arsenal transfer roundup includes an update in regards to the future of a star midfielder, interest in an Inter Milan ace and a club veteran potentially on the move to the Bundesliga.

Arsenal set Torreira price

According to Calciomercato Milan, Arsenal have set their asking price for Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira. The former Sampdoria man is of interest to AC Milan and has recently spoken about his struggle to adapt to life in England. The Gunners are reportedly asking for £35m for the player.

Perisic interest

Arsenal have made contact with Inter over a move for Croatian winger Ivan Perisic according to Internews.it. The former Wolfsburg player does not fit into the plans of Antonio Conte and Guiseppe Marotta, and as such, the Serie A outfit would be willing to let him leave for somewhere between €30m (£26.7m) and €35m (£31.2m).

BVB monitoring Koscielny

The Daily Mail is reporting that Borussia Dortmund are monitoring centre-back Laurent Koscielny, with the Frenchman potentially being allowed to leave Arsenal this summer. Koscielny spent part of last season out injured, making his comeback in December last year.

يجهز نادي مانشستر سيتي المنافس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، لتمديد عقدي نجمي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، رحيم سترلينج وكيفن دي بروين خلال الأسابيع المقبلة.

يأتي ذلك بعد ضمان مانشستر سيتي استمرار المدرب، بيب جوارديولا، عقب توقيعه قبل أيام على عقد جديد حتى يونيو 2023، بحسب ما ذكرت صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية.

اقرأ أيضًا | كلوب: سعيد بتجديد عقد جوارديولا.. والمنافسة لن تكون قاصرة علينا

وتريد الإدارة في مانشستر سيتي، فرض مزيد من الاستقرار على الفريق بالفترة المقبلة، ويرون أن تمديد عقدي سترلينج ودي بروين أمر مهم للغاية، نظرًا لأنهما من الأعمدة الرئيسية.

ويحاول النادي الإنجليزي الحفاظ على نجومه في الفترة المقبلة من أجل إقناع نجم برشلونة ومنتخب الأرجنتين، ليونيل ميسي، بالقدوم إلى مانشستر سيتي بعد نهاية عقده بنهاية يونيو المقبل.

وبحسب التقرير من “ميرور” البريطانية، من المتوقع أن يوقع دي بروين على عقد جديد مع مانشستر سيتي حتى 2025 براتب أسبوعي قيمته 350 ألف جنيه إسترليني، بينما المفاوضات مع سترلينج تجرى على قدم وساق ولكنها ليست في مرحلة متقدمة مثل البلجيكي.

Obviously, as a boyhood Liverpool fan, Alexander-Arnold is gutted to have missed out on the title.

However, the club have the final of the Champions League to look forward to and the 20-year-old’s performance will be crucial if Liverpool are to win their first European trophy since 2005.

Ian Wright is a huge fan of the England international and he expressed his admiration for the youngster by commenting on his Instagram post.

Alexander-Arnold had a ridiculous week recording four assists, including two in the win over Newcastle United at St James’s Park and a brilliant corner against Barcelona for the crucial goal in Liverpool’s stunning comeback.

The Liverpool academy product has had a truly excellent season and both him and Andy Robertson are essential to the way The Reds play.

It would be hard to argue that Alexander-Arnold is not the best crosser of a ball in the Premier League. Most of his deliveries are whipped in with great pace but perhaps more importantly pin-point accuracy, and it is this combination which has proved such a struggle for defenders to deal with throughout the campaign.

Attention now turns to the Champions League and, if Liverpool are to win, Alexander-Arnold will need to be on top form.

As Wright says, there is plenty more to come from one of the biggest English talents to emerge in recent years.

It has been a great year to be a Barnsley supporter, hasn’t it?

Following the disappointment of relegation last season, the Tykes have bounced back admirably under the guidance of Daniel Stendel who has completely transformed the club’s fortunes since being appointed manager in 2018.

The German’s faith in possession-based football has paid off massively as his side finally fought off the intense competition demonstrated by Portsmouth and Sunderland to secure automatic promotion in midweek.

Although Stendel will be focusing entirely on trying to secure a first third tier title for Barnsley in 64 years on Saturday, it would not be at all surprising if he is already making plans for the summer transfer window.

Despite the vast majority of his squad being more than good enough to make the step up to the Championship next season, it may be time for the Tykes to cut ties with Lloyd Isgrove.

Having initially impressed on loan for the Yorkshire-based outfit, the winger has failed to make any sort of impact since making a permanent move to Oakwell in 2017.

With the likes of Mamodou Thiam and Jacob Brown offering intense competition in Isgrove’s position this season, he only managed to make two appearances for Barnsley before joining Portsmouth on loan in January.

Whereas his time with the Tykes could be described as frustrating, his spell on the south-coast has been utterly disastrous. Despite Kenny Jackett’s side playing an expansive style of football, Isgrove has not made any impression at all for Pompey as he has been consigned to the substitutes bench at Fratton Park.

With it being overwhelmingly clear that the £225k-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) is nowhere near good enough to play in the second tier next season, Stendel should put the 26-year-old up for sale when the transfer window opens in July.

What do you think Barnsley fans? Should Stendel cut ties with Isgrove in the summer? Or is it worth giving the midfielder another chance to impress? Let us know below.