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A West Ham United star is "deeply unhappy" an exit from the London Stadium hasn't happened, and is very keen to join one club in particular.

West Ham players who could leave this summer

Technical director Tim Steidten will be planning for departures as well as incomings this summer, with a host of Irons players nearing the ends of their contracts.

West Ham make approach to sign defender tipped to become "one of the best"

The Hammers want to bolster their backline.

By
Emilio Galantini

Mar 28, 2024

Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell and young keeper Joseph Anang are all on course to leave West Ham when their deals run out, while the likes of Michail Antonio, Vladimir Coufal and Divin Mubama are in the same boat but have the option to extend by a further year.

Alongside the aforementioned, both Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma are being linked with moves to the Middle East, which makes the defensive duo candidates for the West Ham chopping block as well.

Aguerd's inconsistency has been a real cause for concern for manager David Moyes, with the Morocco international prone to a fatal in-game error on more than one occasion.

While the likes of Aguerd, Zouma and Moyes' out-of-contract crop appear fairly dispensable, the same certainly cannot be said for midfielder Lucas Paqueta.

The Brazil international has been phenomenal this campaign, standing among West Ham's best-performing players and attracting serious interest from Man City as a result.

Paqueta was being chased by Pep Guardiola last summer, but his involvement in betting allegations meant City pulled the plug on a deal.

"Following the recent betting-related allegations made against Lucas Paqueta, Manchester City are now internally discussing the Brazilian’s potential transfer," Fabrizio Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside Substack last year.

"The deal between Manchester City and West Ham is currently off. We can say that is 99% collapsed and we’re just waiting for the final communication, but this is the feeling. The situation is very clear."

The former Lyon star, it is believed, still firmly has his sights on a move to Eastlands.

Paqueta "deeply unhappy" over failed Man City move

Paqueta has been left "deeply unhappy" over his failed switch, according to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey.

It is also the case that Paqueta remains very keen on a transfer to Man City, and West Ham are fully expecting the Blues to make a move for the player again.

Losing the South American would be a hammer blow for Moyes or any prospective new Irons coach next season.

“He’s incredible, honestly, he’s absolutely incredible,” said former captain Declan Rice.

“It’s obviously taken him a while to settle into the Premier League and into the training ground, moving his family over. I think now you’re seeing the real Lucas. Some of the stuff he does, even in training, it’s just mind-boggling how good he is.”

Arsenal are reportedly locked in talks with Real Sociedad over a possible transfer for Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino.

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• Arsenal in talks to sign Merino
• Real Sociedad rejected initial bid
• Midfielder open to EPL move

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per Radio Marca's Yon Cuezva, the Gunners are in 'formal' talks to sign the Spain international as they look to bolster their midfielder ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. The journalist further claimed that the Spanish club had rejected an initial offer placed by Arsenal, however, the Premier League giants remain confident of signing Merino, who has given the green light for negotiations to continue.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 28-year-old has been linked with a move to Emirates Stadium for several weeks now but a report from Football London recently claimed that the signing of the Spain international divided opinion among the Gunners' top officials, which is why the club waited until mid-August to initiate talks. However, it now seems that the north London club are close to sealing a deal for Merino, who has already verbally agreed to move to England.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Merino, who has the experience of playing in the Premier League with Newcastle United during the 2017-18 season, massively contributed to Spain's Euro 2024 triumph as he scored their all-important winning goal against Germany in the round of 16 in the 119th minute.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  Mikel Arteta's men will begin their 2024-25 Premier League journey on Saturday as they take on Wolves in their season opener at Emirates Stadium, while discussions over the potential Merino transfer continue behind the scenes.

Bayern Munich have reportedly been given an ultimatum over signing Jonathan Tah by Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen.

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• Bayern linked with Tah transfer
• Leverkusen want to keep defender
• German rivals issued an ultimatum

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After winning the Bundesliga last season, Leverkusen centre-back Tah was linked with a move to Bayern – but for now, he remains at Xabi Alonso's side. states the 28-year-old has wanted to join the Bavarian outfit for quite some time but if there is no new offer for him by the weekend, he will stay at his current club.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tah and his Leverkusen team-mates had a superb, nearly unbeaten season; winning the league and DFB-Pokal, and finishing as runners-up in the Europa League. With his success and the fact he is in the last year of his contract, the German international would seem ripe for the taking. But Leverkusen need to plan for the season ahead and with their title defence beginning in less than three weeks, they need to know where Bayern stand if they are to lose such a key player.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Tah, who reportedlyrefused to extend his contract at Leverkusen, has made more than 350 appearances for the club over the years and manager Alonso wants him to stay for a while longer.

  He told reporters last week:“I’m planning with Jona because he’s so important to us, on the pitch, but also off the pitch. That’s my idea at the moment. But I’m not turning a blind eye to the situation. We’ll see what happens. He’s fully focused, a top professional. I have no reason to complain.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Leverkusen continue their pre-season campaign with a match against Real Betis on Saturday, before taking on Stuttgart in the DFL-Supercup seven days later. They begin their Bundesliga defence away at Monchengladbach on August 23. It remains to be seen if Tah will still be at the club by then.

Newcastle United and their supporters can boast that they once had the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the Premier League in Alan Shearer.

The now-retired former England international scored a staggering 260 goals in 441 appearances throughout his career in the division, at least 47 more than any other player has managed in the history of the league so far.

A knee injury forced the incredible marksman to retire at the end of the 2005/06 campaign, and Newcastle faced the incredibly difficult task of replacing their legendary centre-forward.

Unfortunately, they splashed the cash on 21-year-old Inter striker Obafemi Martins, who took on the iconic number nine jersey from Shearer, and he endured an underwhelming time at St. James' Park.

How much Newcastle paid for Obafemi Martins in 2024 money

Per Totally Money, the Magpies spent £14.4m to sign the Nigeria international in 2006 and, if you adjust for the inflation of transfer fees in football over the subsequent years, he would have cost a whopping £49.7m in 2024.

This shows that Newcastle were willing to spend big to replace Shearer, with The BBC reporting at the time that Martins was seen as a replacement for the English legend, but it did not translate to worthwhile performances on the pitch.

The former Inter whiz was not a complete and utter flop at St. James' Park, with 35 goals in 105 appearances in all competitions. However, the Nigerian forward failed to hit double figures for goals in two of his three Premier League seasons and never managed more than 11 league strikes in one campaign.

Whereas, Shearer plundered ten or more goals in seven Premier League seasons, and 20 or more in four terms, across ten years at the club.

Ultimately, Newcastle spent a lot of money on a striker who failed to score goals on a consistent basis, irrespective of high the bar was set by his predecessor.

They then made a loss on Martins as they sold him to Wolfsburg – per Totally Money – for a fee of £9.4m that would be worth £21.8m in 2024 money, which shows that they had a nightmare with the attacker.

How much Newcastle paid for Callum Wilson

Martins' record in comparison to current Newcastle striker Callum Wilson, who was signed for £20m from Bournemouth in 2020, further illustrates how much the club messed up when they spent huge money on the forward to replace Shearer in 2006.

The England international cost less than half as much as the Nigeria international – in 2024 money per Totally Money's index – and has racked up 46 goals and 11 assists in 104 appearances in all competitions.

This means that the 32-year-old marksman has scored 11 more goals for the club in one fewer match than Martins managed during his three years on Tyneside.

Wilson has also hit double figures for goals in the Premier League, with 12 and 18, in both of his two full seasons with the Magpies, and could still do it this term with seven goals to his name so far.

Newcastle struck gold selling star who'd be worth £101m in 2024 money

The Magpies currently have a striker who could follow in his footsteps this summer.

By
Dan Emery

Mar 25, 2024

This shows how much of a blunder Newcastle made with the signing of Martins, who cost considerably more – relative to the time of the deal – and delivered less on the pitch.

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing an "outstanding" Championship star this summer, but two huge clubs are providing competition for his signature.

Newcastle eyeing more attackers

There have been so many reasons for the Magpies' struggles throughout the 2023/24 season, from injuries to limp performances in both the Premier League and the Champions League. Eddie Howe's side have disappointed overall, but it's certainly fair to suggest they need a larger squad to stand a fighting chance.

While various areas of the pitch will likely be focused on when it comes to reinforcements, adding to the attack is of the utmost importance. This season, both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson have found themselves sidelined too often through injury, while Harvey Barnes has also been absent for long periods and Miguel Almiron could leave the club this summer.

In Isak, Newcastle have a fantastic player who can become a genuine superstar at St James' Park, but on the flip side, Wilson could follow Almiron out the exit door and no longer represents the future.

In terms of long-term signings, Peterborough United youngster Ricky-Jade Jones has been linked with a move to the Magpies in the summer window, with the youngster compared to Usain Bolt because of his electric pace, running the 100m in just 10.9 seconds.

Newcastle have also been backed to sign more proven attacking stars, however, with Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush considered an option for Howe's men. The 25-year-old has 10 goals in 21 Bundesliga starts this season, also adding six assists.

Newcastle want to sign "outstanding" attacker

According to a new report from Football Transfers, Newcastle are battling to sign Leeds United ace Crysencio Summerville in the summer transfer window, as the Whites look to extend his stay at Elland Road. The Magpies are not the only big club believed to be in the mix to sign him, however, with Liverpool and AC Milan also name-checked as possible suitors.

Summerville has arguably been the Championship's standout player this season, with his relentless numbers playing a key role in Leeds being third in the table and right in the mix for automatic promotion.

The 22-year-old has 25 goal contributions (17 goals and eight assists) in 38 league appearances to date, while Whites manager Daniel Farke had lauded him in recent months, saying he is both a "baller" and an "outstanding creative player".

Summerville could remain at Leeds if they secure promotion to the Premier League next month, but the report says that it is "not a guarantee that he will stay" at Elland Road even if they go up, and the thought of moving to Newcastle could appeal greatly to him.

Granted, Liverpool and Milan are also mouthwatering prospects, but it could be argued that the Dutchman has more chance of featuring prominently at St James', which could give them the edge.

Pep Guardiola has welcomed Ilkay Gundogan back to Manchester City by telling him to forget his old memories and start creating new ones.

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• Catalan urges midfielder to make new memories
• Gundogan sealed City return from Barca
• 'He doesn't need to adapt'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Gundogan sealed an unexpected return to City on Friday, little more than a year after leaving for Barcelona after signing off a seven-year period at the club in which he scored 60 goals in 304 games and hoisted 14 trophies.

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• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  "He has not come here to retire, or remember the good memories, now it's time to get your shoes on, and play your best," Guardiola told a press conference. "He knows what we have to do, he doesn't need to adapt; he knows the city, he knows the club, he knows his teammates, the way we want to play. So he will be immediately settled good, and that's why we did it."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gundogan played a decisive role in City winning three Premier League titles in a row between 2021 and 2023 and and he adds yet more competition to a dominant, albeit ageing midfield. He is only City's second signing of the summer after winger Savinho joined from Troyes and the fact he arrives on a free transfer means the club still have the £82m ($107m) they cashed in on Julian Alvarez's sale to Atletico Madrid to spend on new players.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  However, Guardiola said he did not expect City to add any more to his squad before the transfer window shuts on September 1. "I don't think so," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen, maybe something happens in terms of injuries – hopefully not – or the market provides something unexpected that financially suits, or tactically… Right now I don't think so…"

After 255 days, over 6,000 hours and more than 360,000 minutes later, Jurrien Timber is back in action for Arsenal.

This was not how the Dutchman's debut campaign was supposed to go. After his £38m move from Ajax, great things were hoped of for a young versatile defender who was set to add so much to this Arsenal team.

Timber had starred in pre-season, whether it was at right-back or at left-back, notably handed a 7/10 match rating by the Evening Standard for a stand-out display in the club's Community Shield victory.

However, on his Premier League debut, the defender sustained a horrific injury that would rule him out until now, the back end of April.

The 22-year-old was fielded on the left-hand side of defence on that occasion and having looked comfortable against Nottingham Forest, was forced to be withdrawn after just 50 minutes. The prognosis wasn't great; an ACL injury.

He has been back on the grass at Colney for the last month or so and was handed his first minutes back in Arsenal colours for the U21s on Monday evening.

How Jurrien Timber played for Arsenal U21s

Having not seen much of the Netherlands international in action for their new club before his injury, there was a sense of intrigue among supporters as Timber was named among the starting XI to face Blackburn U21s on Monday night.

The final score ended 2-2 with TImber more than catching the eye. Fielded as an inverted left-back, the position Mikel Arteta no doubt has high hopes for him in, he shone immediately.

The clock hadn't even reached ten minutes before the 2023 signing made his mark in emphatic fashion.

Timber picked up the ball to the left-hand side of the penalty area before spinning the defender and unleashing a tremendous strike from the edge of the box into the far corner. It was proper postage stamp.

Arteta will no doubt have been delighted to see him make such an impact, with Arsenal youth expert, Jeorge Bird, describing the player's performance in more detail.

He said on social media: "Timber started the game excellently and immediately gave the U21s an extra dimension as an inverted left-back. He also provided an attacking threat and scored a superb goal. Didn’t have too much to do defensively. Seemed to inevitably tire as the half wore on."

So, when will we see him back in the senior side? It's been suggested that Arsenal want him in the squad for the Bournemouth game on 4th May.

What Timber's return means for Arsenal

The Gunners haven't had too many weaknesses this season. Indeed, they've scored goals in abundance, notably knocking six past West Ham and Sheffield United, and five past Burnley just a few months ago.

They also boast statistically the best defence in Europe. No side in the continent's top five leagues has a better expected goals against (xGA) tally than Arsenal in 2023/24 with their record of 26.57 sitting top of the tree. For context, unbeaten Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen sit in second with a record of 27.09.

While that is incredibly impressive, it's made all the more striking when you consider the problems they've had at left-back in Timber's absence.

Takehiro Tomiyasu has had his own demons with injury while Jakub Kiwior has endured a topsy-turvy campaign. At one stage in 2024 he looked like first choice on the left, that was until Oleksandr Zinchenko replaced him at half-time in the first leg of their Champions League tie with Bayern Munich.

Zinchenko may well have been the no.1 pick for that role last season but his performances this term mean that he could well be running scared now Timber is back in action.

The Ukrainian offers Arsenal a great deal in the build-up phases of play. There are few better players on the planet capable of playing the inverted role as well as he. However, that should not detract from the fact that the £32m man is a liability at the back.

One Arsenal writer, Oli Price Bates, even went as far as to describe him as "appalling" after his mistakes against Aston Villa cost Arsenal dearly.

As the Athletic's James McNicholas put it so well after that game; 'In a season in which Arteta has worked so hard to eliminate on-field jeopardy, Zinchenko is beginning to feel like a relic of last season’s more chaotic team.'

Timber, therefore, could be the man to restore calm to the left side of Arsenal's backline. The likes of Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel all bring that to the team in abundance but their Dutch summer signing is the missing puzzle piece. Providing Arsenal can remain in the title race he could well still have a decisive say on where the Premier League trophy ends up come May.

Arteta could unleash Zinchenko in new role to revive his Arsenal career

Zinchenko was a big underperformer in Arsenal’s last match.

By
Joe Nuttall

Apr 17, 2024

Liverpool have announced the permanent signing of Italy star and Juventus outcast Federico Chiesa.

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• Liverpool sign Federico Chiesa
• Make signing of outcast for a cut-price
• Beat Barca to signing of Juventus star

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Despite having been one of the most renowned stars of a dwindling Juventus side, Chiesa was swept out of the Bianconeri's main squad following the arrival of Thiago Motta, who replaced Maximiliano Allegri as head coach at Allianz Stadium. The former Bologna manager was clear from the outset that Chiesa had no place in his future plans for the Serie A side and that the winger should look for a new suitor.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As such, Chiesa had been heavily linked with a cut-price move to Barcelona over the last couple of weeks. However, Liverpool have come swooping in to sign the 26-year-old for a reported price of just £11 million ($14m), beating Barcelona to the signing as the Catalan side failed to sort out their financial mess in time.

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  WHAT CHIESA SAID

  Following the announcement of his signing, Chiesa spoke to club media and said: "I'm so happy to be a Liverpool player. When Richard Hughes called me and he said, 'Do you want to join Liverpool?' – and the coach called me – I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club, I know what it represents to the fans.

  "So, I'm so happy and I can't wait to get started."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR CHIESA?

  With the Italian not having spent a lot of time in team training with Juventus, it is highly unlikely that he will be involved during Liverpool's next Premier League clash against bitter rivals, Manchester United on Sunday, September 1.

Celtic maintained their three-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table on Sunday with a 2-1 win away from Glasgow against Dundee.

The Hoops travelled to Dens Park after their rivals had won earlier in the game, leaving the two teams at the top of the division tied on points, and secured all three points to move clear at the summit.

A brace from James Forrest, who came in to replace Hyun-jun Yang in the starting XI, won the match for the Scottish giants, as the veteran winger stepped up with an important double.

It was far from a dominant performance by Celtic, though, as they were tied with Dundee for shots on target (six) and corners (eight), which shows that both sides created a similar number of chances.

Brendan Rodgers' side now face the other two teams in the top three in their next two matches at Parkhead and may not be able to afford many players having off-days if they want to pick up vital wins to secure the title.

FFC have published an article suggesting that captain Callum McGregor may need to be dropped from the starting XI, but centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi should also be ditched from the lineup alongside the skipper.

Why Callum McGregor should be dropped for Celtic

The Scotland international returned from an Achilles injury earlier this month and has yet to prove that he is back to his usual self and ready to start matches.

McGregor has completed 92% of his attempted passes, 58% of his long pass attempts, and made 1.5 key passes per game in the Premiership across 31 appearances so far this season.

This shows that he is usually a metronomic figure in the middle of the park who can retain possession at an exceptional rate whilst also creating chances for his teammates.

As you can see in the table above, that was not the case against Dundee as the 30-year-old dynamo lost the ball 11 times from 55 touches and failed to complete a single key pass.

The left-footed leader was not at his best and the Achilles injury may be playing a part in his struggles, which is why Rodgers should drop him to the bench for now.

Why Brendan Rodgers should drop Kyogo Furuhashi

Kyogo must be dropped alongside McGregor after a largely anonymous display against Dundee as the lone striker for the Scottish giants on Sunday.

The Japan international did assist the opening goal from Forrest, to his credit, but it did appear to be a loose touch or pass with his left foot that bobbled up to the Scottish winger, who brilliantly improvised to flash in a volley from the edge of the box.

Football Insider writer James Murray awarded him a match rating of 2/10 in their player ratings piece, stating that the attacker needs to do 'more' if he wants to maintain his place in the starting XI for Celtic.

As you can see in the table above, Kyogo offered very little to the team in and out of possession throughout his 62 minutes on the pitch at Dens Park, with 39 fewer touches than goalkeeper Joe Hart (49) – illustrating his lack of work in possession.

Aside from his assist, which appeared to be rather fortunate and owed more to the finish from Forrest, the 29-year-old lightweight did not contribute much.

He lost possession five times from just ten touches of the ball and only contested in two duels, which illustrates how sloppy the attacker was in possession and how hesitant Kyogo was to put himself about to compete with opposition defenders.

The Japanese striker has also struggled in his last two matches against Hearts and Rangers, with zero goals, zero assists, six shots, and one 'big chance' missed – along with a pass accuracy of 58% in both games.

Therefore, Rodgers must brutally drop the forward, who has scored 11 goals and missed a staggering 21 'big chances' in the Premiership this season, to the bench for the upcoming clash with the Jam Tarts this weekend.

The alternatives to Kyogo Furuhashi

The Celtic manager has Norwich City loanee Adam Idah, who joined the club on deadline day at the start of February, and South Korea international Hyeon-gyu Oh as alternative options to Kyogo.

It seems unlikely that Rodgers would suddenly turn to Oh, who has failed to even make the bench since the clash with St Johnstone on the 16th of March.

There has not been an injury update on the 23-year-old centre-forward, which suggests that the manager has decided not to involve him in matchday squads for tactical or performance reasons.

As you can see in the table above, Idah has offered far more to the team than Oh in the Premiership so far this season, with four more direct goal contributions in nine fewer appearances.

This suggests that the Ireland international is the better option of the two, hence why the South Korean dud has been excluded from the squad of late, due to his quality in the final third.

Idah came on with 28 minutes to go against Dundee and completed more passes (nine) and more dribbles (one) than Kyogo did in his 62 minutes, whilst also competing in more duels (seven).

This shows that the 23-year-old marksman, who has won 65% of his aerial duels in the Premiership this season, was able to get involved in the match, physically and technically, to provide an outlet at the top end of the pitch.

Therefore, Celtic could benefit from dropping Kyogo, who has averaged a goal every 206 minutes in the league, for Idah, who has scored every 69 minutes on average in the division.

The Irishman, who scored against Rangers at Ibrox recently, could offer a greater goal threat whilst also providing more physicality and link-up play with his willingness to get involved in games with passes and dribbles, whilst the current starter had ten touches and made two passes in 62 minutes on Sunday.

Antoine Griezmann has seemingly questioned Didier Deschamps' France tactics while opening up on his disappointing Euro 2024 campaign.

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• Griezmann struggled to hit his top level at Euro 2024
• France only scored one goal from open play
• Atletico Madrid man questions tactical changes by Deschamps

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  France were dumped out of the Euro 2024 semi-finals by eventual champions Spain. Their progress to the last four was deceptive considering Didier Deschamps' side only scored one goal from open play during the tournament. Atletico Madrid star Griezmann himself had a poor summer and has now appeared to question whether France's struggles were due to the tactical and positional changes made by the head coach.

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  WHAT GRIEZMANN SAID

  Speaking to Telefoot, Griezmann said: "There were a lot of changes to position, tactical changes, that we had to deal with. If I had managed to score those two goals against the Netherlands (0-0, in the group stages), I would have played another Euros. I didn’t have my best competition. I tried to adapt. There was a lot of frustration, a lot of anger because I never felt at the heart of the game as I like. There was this desire to do well, I think we had the team and the group to go all the way."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Expectations for France are extremely high following their recent success under Deschamps. The 2018 World Cup winners made another final four years later, narrowly missing out to Argentina. But with the squad changing and a new crop of young stars coming through, Deschamps is trying to integrate new players in different positions, which could be contributing to their struggles, particularly in the final third.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FRANCE?

  Following their 3-1 loss to Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, Les Bleus will go again at home to Belgium on Monday night. Deschamps will be hoping to see a reaction following a poor performance against the Italians.