More and more young players are beginning to forge their way in England’s top flight, with the days of starting XI’s with an average age of 30+ becoming a thing of the past. This season has seen the trend of youthfulness in the Premier League continue, with managers forced to use the full depth of…

When looking for destinations to visit in south-western France, you would be forgiven for overlooking Alès. With the greatest respect to this town of 40,000, nothing much happens here. Biologist Louis Pasteur performed research on silkworm diseases in the town in the 1860s. World Cup-winning defender Laurent Blanc was born here in 1965. It is…

Since arriving from Manchester United for a club-record fee of €80 million, Romelu Lukaku has enjoyed a new lease of life at Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan, scoring 47 goals and 8 assists in 67 appearances. More than his goals, Lukaku himself provides a direct route of ball progression, allowing Inter to escape pressure and launch…

Fifty-seven percent. That’s the amount of his lifetime Rıdvan Yılmaz has spent at Beşiktaş.   The 19-year-old left back joined the club in 2009, at the age of eight. He was born in the working class Gaziosmanpaşa district of Istanbul and grew up in nearby Sultangazi. Like so many kids in the area, Rıdvan honed…

The centre back position at Arsenal has long been neglected and often shelved by attacking signings. Instead, Arsenal has consistently used stop-gap signings in an attempt to heal a major wound. And consequently, has frequently fallen short in the Premier League and Europa League due to individual defensive frailties and a lack of structure in…

Harvey Elliott has earned rave reviews during his breakthrough season in the Championship, on loan at Blackburn Rovers from Liverpool. The 17-year-old winger is one of the most talked-about youngsters in English football, and deservedly so.   The 2020/21 season is only 18 games old and Elliott has already stolen headlines time and time again.…

One year ago, Milan found themselves in 10th place in Serie A following a failed experiment with ex Sampdoria manager Marco Giampaolo, who was sacked on October 8, 2019, and a shaky start under caretaker manager Stefano Pioli. Today, they find themselves atop the league table, having taken 26 points from their first 10 fixtures,…

Following a disappointing sixth-place finish last season, José Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur find themselves atop the Premier League table after 12 matchdays. Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have stole the show in attack, whilst Tanguy Ndombélé has gained plenty of attention for his stellar performances in England after a challenging adaptation period in England. But it…

Although James Ward-Prowse is probably best known for his world-class set piece taking ability, under manager Ralph Hasenhüttl, Southampton’s skipper has gone from strength to strength, adopting a new role which epitomises the Austrians high octane style of play, and hence helping the Saints to challenge at the top of the league at this early…

Turning 16 is a big deal in the USA. It’s largely seen as a coming-of-age, with lavish parties thrown that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.   Like those across the Atlantic, Youssoufa Moukoko was eagerly counting down the days to reaching that milestone in Germany. Rather than a big party on 20 November…