Stories By Jonnie Gorrie

• Sport

  Trent Alexander-Arnold: Are we watching the new Paul Scholes for England?

  Trent Alexander-Arnold will likely be the subject of much debate throughout his career.   Never before has a top-level team relied so heavily on a full-back as a creative force to so much success.

• Sport

  We are far from the Harry Kane end-game

  When Harry Kane announced he was staying at Tottenham after Manchester City had failed to sign him, it seemed like the closing of a chapter.   Approaching 30, the fact Spurs managed to hold off Pep Guardiola’s interest and keep their talisman even after he’d taken the step of making it clear he’d like to leave naturally led to the assumption that City would not try again.

• Sport

  Man Utd should forget Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s time for Bruno Fernandes

  If there’s one word to define Manchester United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, it’s ‘decline’.   Now, the reasons for that have been widely-documented. A club run with the pursuit of celebrity in mind, it’s hard to add anything new to that particular discourse.

• Sport

  Romelu Lukaku was Abramovich’s last great Chelsea mistake

  There are much bigger concerns in regards to the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich but, from a purely footballing point of view, the impact on Chelsea will be severe. As much as Thomas Tuchel has tipped the club to continue competing with the elite, the simple fact of not having a Russian oligarch’s money to play with will obviously change the landscape.

• Sport

  Carlo Ancelotti would be a disaster for Manchester United

  Few will need reminding that Manchester United are an institution renowned for their quite frankly mind-boggling decision-making. The myriad of mistakes the club have made since, and probably before, the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 need little more explaining but appointing Carlo Ancelotti at this stage would be up there with the worst of them.

• Sport

  Xavi’s Barcelona rebuild is well ahead of schedule

  Barcelona’s descent from the leading club in world football into a financially mismanaged madhouse has been well-documented. For many, the sight of Lionel Messi emotionally saying goodbye in what will likely prove to be a historic press conference last summer was the culmination of all that is wrong with modern football.

• Sport

  This could yet be Liverpool’s greatest season

  Liverpool are a club famous for their fighting spirit. Now, every club has its own sense of history and tradition and, for many, hearing about another team’s never-say-die attitude will be somewhat tiresome.

• Sport

  Forget PSG, Pochettino would be a great appointment for United

  What has been the most jarring thing about Mauricio Pochettino’s time as Paris Saint-Germain manager has been just how little fun he’s had. In an age when football takes itself far too seriously, part of Pochettino’s sterling work with Tottenham Hotspur was his ability to craft together a relentlessly attacking team built on youth and high-pressing.

• Sport

  Liverpool rebuild could define Klopp’s legacy

  While the position of Liverpool as one of the leading sides in Europe is largely taken for granted amid so much success under Jurgen Klopp, it really shouldn’t be. Clearly, few clubs can match them for history and tradition but, at the very top level, Liverpool just do not have the funds those who wish to be as good as them boast.

• Sport

  Aubameyang exit shows Arsenal ushering in new era

  In Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal have rid of one of the final reminders of the late Arsene Wenger era. A major-money signing in January 2018, the Gabonese forward summed up the final years of the Wenger dynasty perfectly.

• Sport

  Why would PSG want Tottenham misfit Tanguy Ndombele?

  When Tottenham signed Tanguy Ndombele, something appeared to change. Spurs, at last, were entering the new era the entire Mauricio Pochettino project had aimed for. While their loss in the Champions League final was disappointing to say the least, their new stadium sparkled and Pochettino had proven the club could sit amongst the elite who had so often derided them as, well, “Spursy”.

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