Stories By Graham Ruthven
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Sport
Declan Rice would be an awkward fit for Arsenal and Manchester United this summer
Declan Rice barely hid his desire to play at a higher level when asked about his West Ham future while with England at the 2022 World Cup. “One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” he said.
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Sport
Kaoru Mitoma’s incredible form is proof of how Roberto De Zerbi has changed Brighton
There is no better Premier League club at identifying talent than Brighton. The Amex Stadium has become one of the best finishing schools in European football in recent years with the likes of Ben White, Leandro Trossard, Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella all passing through the south coast club.
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Sport
Steve Cooper has finally found a system and approach that works for Nottingham Forest
Only four Premier League clubs (Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur) spent more in last summer’s transfer window than Nottingham Forest. The City Ground outfit demonstrated raw ambition following their promotion from the Championship last season, but this didn’t immediately translate into impressive performances on the pitch.
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Sport
Man Utd are improving quickly, but final step to becoming title challengers will be the hardest
The energy inside Old Trafford was obvious to even those who only watched Saturday’s Manchester Derby on TV. Manchester United have been re-energised by Erik Ten Hag this season with the 2-1 win over Manchester City extending their winning run to nine matches in all competitions.
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Sport
Liverpool’s season starting to resemble Jurgen Klopp’s final season as Borussia Dortmund manager
Jurgen Klopp didn’t hold back in his assessment of Liverpool’s performance against Brighton on Saturday. “Bad, really bad,” he said having just watched his team suffer a heavy 3-0 defeat that could have been even worse.
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Sport
Arsenal must be careful not to disrupt team harmony with January transfers
Not even Mikel Arteta could have envisaged Arsenal would be in this position this far into the season. The Gunners were on a steady upward trajectory before the start of the 2022/23 campaign, but they have taken a gigantic leap forward in their development since the summer with Arteta’s side five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
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Sport
Jordan Pickford would be a good replacement for Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris’ blunder against Aston Villa on New Year’s Day certainly wasn’t the first he has made as Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper in recent times. While the Frenchman has been an excellent servant over the last decade for the North London club, mistakes have crept into his game at an alarming rate.
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Sport
Three Premier League clubs that Harry Maguire would improve in January
If Harry Maguire’s Manchester United career isn’t over, it’s certainly trending in that direction. The 29-year-old enjoyed a positive 2022 World Cup campaign for England, but has returned to his club even further down the pecking order with Luke Shaw impressing as a left-sided centre back in recent matches.
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Sport
Kalidou Koulibaly has been as big a flop for Chelsea as Romelu Lukaku was
Chelsea believed they had secured one of the transfers of the summer when they signed Kalidou Koulibaly. Not only had the Blues captured an elite level central defender, they had got the deal done for £34m at a time when a new dominant leader at the back was needed after the departure of Antonio Rudiger.
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Sport
Andreas Pereira is proving his doubters wrong by flourishing at Fulham this season
Fulham were expected to struggle in the Premier League this season. Fans were concerned about a lack of investment before the start of the 2022/23 campaign with Marco Silva even voicing his disgruntlement at the apparent inactivity.
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Sport
Donny van de Beek is finally proving his worth at Manchester United
If Erik ten Hag isn’t able to get the best out of Donny van de Beek for Manchester United, the chances of anyone else faring better in the management of the Dutch midfield is rather low. After all, it was under ten Hag’s stewardship at Ajax that van de Beek earned himself a reputation as one of the game’s best young midfielders.
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