Gareth Southgate will announce his 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup on Wednesday, 16 May.
It’s a bold choice from the England manager, particularly as there is still the FA Cup final to take place between Manchester United and Chelsea on Saturday 19 May.
The England camp currently has a number of players injured or just back from injury, such as Adam Lallana, Andy Carroll and Phil Jones. Naming the final squad before getting a number of players together to see where fitness levels are at is certainly an interesting call.
Southgate’s …

West Bromwich Albion will be plying their trade in the Championship next season and expectations for the new season are varied among fans, with a lot hinging on what the squad will look like and who the new manager will be. With recent results going the way they have, and the whole atmosphere rejuvenated at the club under Moore, the case is getting stronger for him to remain as manager. A crucial part of judging whether promotion is a realistic expectation to have for next season, is which players stay …

Now that the inevitable has been confirmed after the long delay, West Bromwich Albion can focus all of their attention on the season that lies ahead in the Championship. There are a number of factors to consider that will adjust reasonable expectations for that campaign, and the recent upturn in results has increased said expectations exponentially, particularly if a significant number of those at the club remain. Since that isn’t likely to happen, the expectations one should have are unclear. The man at the centre of the revolution is Darren …

Irrespective of the league position, that is whether West Brom will stay in the Premier League or drop to the Championship, Jonny Evans will be a player in demand in the summer.
If the Baggies survive, and it is a big ‘if’, they will have a better chance of selling their star defender at a reasonably high price, with Arsenal and Manchester City likely to reignite their interest.
However, if they fail to prevent the drop, the Baggies risk losing Evans for just £3 million. Put it simply, Evans has a reported clause in …

“(Joe) Hart made a few mistakes, especially when coming out for the ball. He is an important goalkeeper. We probably didn’t expect so many mistakes from an England international…”, (Source: eurosport.co.uk). These were the words of Torino Chairman Urbano Cairo back in May when talking of goalkeeper Joe Hart’s unsuccessful season long loan stint at the Italian side in the 2016-17 campaign. The much maligned England number one is now back in his native country after signing for West Ham United this summer on another season long loan from Manchester …

Whilst watching some of the European qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup, the tedium of UEFA’s qualification process becomes glaringly apparent when compared to how the associations of other parts of the world deal with the issue.

England defeat Malta: a result that was known as soon as the draw was made over two years ago
 
CONMEBOL simply have 10 South American teams fight it out within one group.  Meanwhile, the countries in the confederations of North America, Africa and Asia have to earn the right to play in their respective …

In a shocking turn of events, yesterday Romelu Lukaku has completed a move to Manchester United after months of speculation that he was on the verge of a move back to Chelsea. The Belgian comes to Old Trafford for £75m with £15m in add ons signing a 5 year deal, which has to make him as the main striker for the club going forward. He completed his medical over the weekend and then the deal was officially confirmed by the club a short while later. Chelsea matched the offer and …

For the 2016/17 Team of the Season I have decided to go with a 4-3-1-2 formation that to an extent could actually play as a 4-3-3. This is as teams are season by season moving away from the traditional 4-4-2. The likes of Eden Hazard, Phillippe Coutinho and Romelu Lukaku did not make it, which will surprise some, but let’s look at the players that make the cut.
Goalkeeper
Tom Heaton (Burnley) – The 2016/17 season gave Heaton his second attempt to show us what he was about in the top division …

Liverpool’s transfer activity will be highly scrutinised after scraping 4th place in the league and getting into the qualifying stage of the Champions League. Manchester City for instance have already purchased Bernardo Silva from Monaco and have apparently tied up a deal for Benfica’s keeper Ederson for a huge £34.7m.
This has prompted a social media meltdown from Liverpool fans, though the 2016/17 season has just barely concluded. The transfer window does not officially reopen for a month, but that does not mean business cannot be done now. So let’s have …

Eden Hazard
The Belgian international is one league goal away from making this his highest-scoring season since arriving in England. He’s been outstanding this campaign and has certainly played a big part in guiding Chelsea to their fourth league title and Conte’s first in English football.
He was voted the PFA player of the year in Chelsea’s victorious 14/15 campaign in which the Blues effectively strolled to the title with little resistance, and it would be anything but ridiculous to suggest the player has gone up another level since then.
The season after, …