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Kazaiah Sterling has taken the bold step of dropping down the leagues to achieve his Tottenham Hotspur dreams.

The striker, just 20, has moved on loan to Sunderland in a bid to gain first-team football away from north London.

Replacing Josh Maja, who joined Bordeaux in January, Sterling has big shoes to fill.

Maja scored 15 goals in 24 League One outings this season and was linked with a clutch of clubs before his move to Ligue 1, including Crystal Palace, Huddersfield Town and Manchester City, per the Guardian.

He took the intriguing step of moving to France instead and Sterling has taken the plunge to replace him.

The Spurs striker has already explained his reasoning for the move, insisting that he needed to step out of his comfort zone in order to catch the eye of Mauricio Pochettino.

The likes of Harry Kane and Andros Townsend before him have left Spurs on loan before making their breakthroughs at White Hart Lane. The latter played for nine separate clubs before becoming a first-team regular at Spurs.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Sterling has taken a brave decision and could thrive as a result, while Sunderland fans should be excited by the prospect of having a new striker at their disposal.

He has been prolific at youth level, scoring 16 goals in 38 games for Spurs’ Under-23 side, as well as 10 in 24 for the Under-18 side.

He has played twice for the senior side and even featured in the FA Cup loss to Crystal Palace in January, coming on as a second-half substitute.

Sterling has also been capped at Under-17 and Under-18 level by England and has scored for both teams.

It is a tough ask for him to immediately step into Maja’s shoes – the striker, also 20 – had marked himself out as one of the top goalscoring talents outside of the Premier League.

But Sterling has all the attributes in his locker to help Sunderland cope without him, and can prove his worth to Spurs along the way.

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Roy Hodgson delivered some pretty worrying news for Crystal Palace fans at his Friday press conference, as three first team stars will miss clash against West Ham.

What’s the word?

The Eagles welcome West Ham to Selhurst Park on Saturday in perhaps one of the most unpredictable games of the season.

The Hammers have beaten Arsenal and drawn with Liverpool since the turn of the year, but they have also been knocked out of the FA Cup by AFC Wimbledon and outplayed by both Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League.

Hodgson’s side meanwhile have won just three times at home all season in the Premier League, and they will reportedly be without three key players on Saturday.

Connor Wickham, who scored in the FA Cup win over Spurs, James Tomkins and Cheikhou Kouyate are all expected to miss the match, according to Hodgson.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

So what does that mean for Saturday?

Wickham has been struggling with injuries ever since his arrival in south London, but the other two absentees could have major effects on the side.

The loss of Tomkins heaps immense pressure on Mamadou Sakho, who will have to be at his very best to perform alongside the experienced but ageing Scott Dann.

Finally, the absence of Kouyate offers a huge chance to Max Meyer, who has shown glimpses of brilliance since his arrival at the club last summer.

The crafty German playmaker has one goal and two assists in a little under 1,000 Premier League minutes, and a clash against West Ham’s fractured midfield (Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere are out injured) is the perfect opportunity to prove to his manager that he should be playing more.

The 23 year-old is an expert at picking the ball up in tight spaces and getting his team on the front foot with his dribbling and passing, and his intelligence to drift into gaps in the midfield will make life very difficult for Declan Rice and Mark Noble.

In fact, his style will provide more of a problem for the Hammers than the boisterous and sometimes erratic Kouyate, who Noble and Rice know all about, so this could be a blessing in disguise for the Eagles.

The embarrassing defeat to Paris Saint-Germain proved many points about Manchester United’s current scenario.

Indeed, they are still way behind the likes of PSG, their squad isn’t as buffed as many would indicate and they can’t operate without Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard it seems.

Both wingers picked up injuries against PSG, triggering United’s downfall at Old Trafford, speaking to the rather flimsy nature of things at Old Trafford.

If reports are to be believed (according to The Telegraph), both are major doubts for United’s trip to Chelsea next week. With the FA Cup being the only realistic trophy the Red Devils have a chance to win, missing their most dangerous attackers will be a big blow.

Martial is currently United’s second highest goal-scorer this season and has been in prolific form under Solskjaer, scoring three goals and assisting twice(stats via WhoScored). Lingard’s also been a key element to United’s counter-attacking system under the Norwegian, with his tireless legs in the final third being key.

He’s also scored three and assisted twice (stats via WhoScored) under the new coach and been a vital cog, especially in away matches. Considering how crucial both are, missing them against Chelsea could hurt United’s chances. Alexis Sanchez was so painfully ineffective against PSG, while Juan Mata’s wasn’t at his creative best.

It’s evident the two ageing figures cannot fill in for the pacy, clinical duo of Martial and Lingard. If United’s downfall following their substitutions proved anything, it’s that their absences put Solskjaer’s triumphant run under jeopardy.

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Chelsea have been given a transfer ban by FIFA and will subsequently be banned from signing new players in the next two transfer windows, per Sky Sports.

The Blues have been handed a £460,000 fine, in addition to the transfer ban, after being found guilty of 29 breaches of article 19.

Sky Sports state that in a Chelsea statement have confirmed that they will appeal the decision, saying that they “categorically refute the findings of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and will, therefore, be appealing the decision”.

Chelsea will be able to sell players in the next two transfer windows but will not be able to acquire any new stars.

An 18-month deal was sealed for Gonzalo Higuain in January, as was a transfer for Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic. The USA international was loaned back to the German club and will link up with the Premier League giants in the summer.

The news is a blow to Maurizio Sarri’s side, who are having a number of issues on the pitch too. They are currently sixth in the Premier League, a point behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

Tottenham Hotspur fans, however, have taken great pleasure in the news. Indeed, Spurs have not signed a single player in the last two transfer windows, though they have not been under any sanction.

Their supporters on Twitter have had a field day with the latest news. Take a look at some of the best reaction below.

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Everton host Liverpool this weekend and will be hoping, against all odds, that they can put their woeful run of results behind them and get some form going. League leaders Liverpool have hardly been at their best in recent weeks but the stats point to a huge advantage for the Reds.

On the chalkboard

Jurgen Klopp might have made some high-profile additions to his squad over the summer in an attempt to shore up his defence but he wasn’t the only manager on Merseyside to do so – Marco Silva signed Kurt Zouma and Yerry Mina to reinforce the heart of his backline.

Neither, though, have had the desired effect, be that through fault of their own or the Toffees boss’ insistence to stick by a clearly ineffective zonal marking system.

For all of Liverpool’s quick, counter-attacking prowess, there is a stat going under the radar that should be of bigger concern to Silva than the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Set-piece threat

The Reds have garnered a reputation for their scintillating, swift attacks and surely few would associate them with scoring the ugly way – through set-pieces.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

However, as of Monday, the Anfield outfit have netted from 15 – a league high – while their Goodison Park neighbours have conceded 13 goals from such situations – surprisingly, considering the height boasted by their defence, another league high.

All the focus will once again be on Salah, who has not delivered in the recent stalemates with Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but the stats indicate that the visitors will be at their most threatening when play has stopped rather than when one of their attackers is running with the ball at feet.

After the grief it has brought him and his side in recent weeks, Silva would surely be mad to stick with zonal marking for this heated clash with Everton’s bitter rivals.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reflecting on the weekend’s action, and they’re absolutely fuming at the continued media agenda against Alfredo Morelos.

Rangers kept their hopes of silverware alive with a scrappy draw at Pittodrie on Sunday, drawing 1-1 with Aberdeen in a very physical and controversial encounter.

Sam Cosgrove put the hosts in front form the penalty spot after Connor Goldson had scythed down Gary Mackay-Steven in the box, but Joe Worrall equalised after the break, finishing at the back post from a corner.

The game was full of talking points, as Andrew Considine fluffed his lines with a wide open header in the second half, though the 31 year-old atoned for his error with a great block to deny Morelos late on.

Morelos was booked for diving early in the match and Cosgrove was perhaps fortunate not to suffer the same fate when he went down easily shortly before half time.

Connor McLennan was then booked for diving under a challenge from Worrall, and Max Lowe was a little lucky to get away with a clear shove on Scott Arfield.

BBC’s Sportscene only found time to focus on Morelos’ controversial moments though despite the match being packed full with heated disputes and incidents, and fans are absolutely fuming, as you can tell from the Twitter reactions down below…

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We’re fast approaching the business end of the season and the Fixture In Focus team are doing everything they can to keep up with the pace.

Unfortunately, last week’s Fixture In Focus was yet another disappointing draw as Everton held local rivals Liverpool to a stalement but there was certainly more to dissect from it than the Manchester derby, not least incuding whether the Toffees are suffering from a lack of ambition in this fixture.

Host James Jones and regular #FIFpod accomplices Christy Malyan and Chris McMullan then turn their attentions to Manchester United’s trip to Arsenal this Sunday – an encounter that will have a massive say on who finishes inside the Premier League’s top for this season.

The agenda includes the sudden resurgence of Romelu Lukaku, the rise of Victor Lindelof, the incredible job Unai Emery has done at Arsenal, and whether it’s possible to get Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emermick Aubameyang into the same starting XI.

Click below to listen to the latest episode now!

If you love what we do and don’t want to miss another episode, don’t forget to subscribe on your preferred podcast platform by clicking here.

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Everton fans have ruthlessly slammed Theo Walcott on Twitter, after the 29-year-old posted a harmless tweet stating that he is looking forward to this weekend’s game against Newcastle.

Of course, the tweet in isolation isn’t what has triggered the Toffees’ fanbase. Walcott has been an ever-present for Marco Silva this season, although that hasn’t gone down well with the Everton fans who feel that the England international isn’t deserving of a place in the starting eleven.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

And understandably so. Walcott has just three goals and two assists for the Merseyside-based club this season in 28 Premier League appearances, form that is simply not good enough for an attacking player at a club as ambitious as Everton.

Additionally, with young prospect Ademola Lookman being kept out of the team as a result, the Toffees fans are sending hate to Walcott at every possible opportunity, with the reaction to his harmless post on Twitter a prime example…

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Middlesbrough are enduring a tough period at present. A poor run of form has seen them fall away from the automatic promotion race and now they risk losing their play-off place too.

A 2-1 defeat against Preston North End at the Riverside Stadium last time out only made matters worse, especially as Boro squandered a lead for the second successive game.

Tony Pulis’ toiling side face another tough test on Saturday when they travel to Villa Park to take on fellow play-off hopefuls Aston Villa. Defeat could see Boro drop out of the top six.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Middlesbrough will certainly have to be at their best to secure a result against Dean Smith’s talented group, and Pulis has gone to great lengths to highlight the threat that Jack Grealish poses his team.

What he said

Speaking in his recent press conference, as quoted by the club’s official website, the Boro boss said: “Villa’s going to be a tough game, they’ve got an exceptional squad and (Jack) Grealish is an exceptional player for them.”

The man to mark

Grealish is certainly in fine form and the 23-year-old No. 10 will still be on a high having netted the winning goal in the Second City derby recently. It is vital that Boro find a way to stop the attacking midfielder, as he has the capacity to decide the match should they fail to do so.

With these comments, Pulis’ squad can be under no illusions as to who their manager considers their opponents’ best player. Expect to see Boro set up to stop Grealish on Saturday, perhaps even glueing someone to the youngster in an old-fashioned man-marking job.

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Manchester City fans on Twitter have been going wild after an update from ESPN journalist Mark Ogden on Wednesday morning.

He revealed that the club are closing in on signing highly-rated Atletico Madrid star Saul Niguez, moving ahead of Barcelona in the race for the player who the Madrid team are believed to be letting go for €80million.

Pep Guardiola’s men have long been searching for a permanent replacement for ageing central defensive midfielder Fernandinho and as the original report suggests, the legendary manager better call Saul for this.

The news has caused a wave of joy amongst City supporters with one promising to scream if the rumour is true and another proclaiming that the 26-year-old Spanish international is “a world class DM.”

One other fan counteracted the general argument about what would be a “mad signing” by articulating that they too would “love” to see Saul at the Etihad Stadium next season, but he is not an appropriate replacement for the 34-year-old Fernandinho.

442oons have charted the entire career of Man City’s main man Sergio Aguero through song in the hilarious video below…

Check out those responses and the rest of the best Tweets as the City fan base reacted, below…