Articles
-
![]()
Milos Kerkez: Bournemouth’s New Hungarian Left Back
After narrowly avoiding the drop in their return to the Premier League last season, Bournemouth have strengthened their defensive core by signing Milos Kerkez to a long-term contract, paying £15.5 million and beating out the likes of Lazio and Benfica to the 19-year-old left back. Having conceded 71 goals, the third-worst tally in the Premier…
-
![]()
How Can West Brom Cope With the Loss of Dara O’Shea?
Dara O’Shea is the biggest success story of West Brom’s Academy in recent years, going from youth player to captain in four years. Now at 24, his £7 million transfer to Premier League side Burnley has helped stabilise West Brom’s finances whilst leaving them without their most important defender. So how can they replace him?…
-
![]()
Tactical Observations: Villarreal CF Under Quique Setién (Part 2)
In the second half of this two-part series, delving into some of the key and recurring tactical tendencies of Villarreal under Quique Setién, we will cover the Yellow Submarine out of possession. Part 1 of this article focussed on Villarreal with the ball. As a reminder, for this piece, the following LaLiga games were observed.…
-
![]()
Problem Positions: Where Does Each Bundesliga Club Need to Strengthen This Summer?
The summer transfer window is now officially open. It is one of the most exciting times of the year, with the business done over the next two months providing the backbone for a season ending in success or despair. For today’s newsletter, we take every single Bundesliga club under the lens, identifying the one problem…
-
![]()
Kobbie Mainoo: United’s Rising Star Ready to Take the Premier League by Storm
Ahead of Manchester United’s pre-season opener against Leeds last week, in an interview with MUTV, United manager Erik ten Hag boldly stated his desire to consistently bring more academy products into the first-team squad. “Man United is famous for bringing young kids into the first team,” said the Dutchman. “Last year [Alejandro] Garnacho made it,…
-
![]()
Aston Villa’s Resurgence: The Unai Emery Effect
After a summer that saw them bring in the likes of Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos, things looked promising for Aston Villa. However, they would win just two of their first eleven league matches, grinding out narrow victories over Southampton and Everton, and their early-season struggles would see the club hierarchy make the decision to…
-
![]()
Yann Aurel Bisseck: Inter’s German Recruit in Defense
Following the departure of Milan Skriniar to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, Inter Milan have secured the signature of a new young centre-back to reinforce their backline. Yann Aurel Bisseck has joined the Italian giants from Danish Superliga club Aarhus Gymnastikforening (AGF) for a reported fee of €7 million plus add-ons, with the 22-year-old…
-
![]()
Virgil van Dijk – From Superhero to Mortal
From being undeniably the best centre-back in world football and finishing second in the Ballon d’Or to getting dropped by 34-year-old Ivan Perisic, it’s been quite a ‘fall’ from grace for Virgil Van Dijk. I use the word fall partly in jest because the Dutchman is still clearly world-class and one of the best centre-backs…
-
![]()
El Bilal Touré: The Malian Forward Attracting Interest From Everton
There will always be a place in football for strikers who can drive attacks alone, through the sheer force of their on-field personalities, their drive and determination, and their physical advantages. Of course, the likes of Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Diego Costa and Carlos Tevez combined their physicality with supreme technical ability; ultimately reaching world-class…
-
![]()
Luton Town Before the Premier League: Bonkers Presidents, Formula 1 Tracks and Pop Idol Managers
Today, Luton Town are playing Premier League football for the first time ever, but it wasn’t long ago that The Hatters found themselves in a seemingly never-ending crisis. Under the leadership of John Gurney the club went into a 55-day meltdown. Gurney, who was charged with importing cocaine in February of 1999 had a long…
