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Fulham fell to another disappointing defeat on Saturday, as they were thumped 3-0 by Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

The result has left the club 19th in the Premier League table, seven points adrift of 17th-placed Newcastle United and eight behind 16th-placed Cardiff City.

Fulham have won just four times this season – beating Brighton and Hove Albion in January, Huddersfield in December, Southampton in November and Burnley in August.

Their season has been characterised by inconsistency, however. Their first win over Burnley was followed by a run of nine games without victory, including a thumping 5-1 loss to Arsenal, a 3-0 loss to Manchester City and a 4-2 beating by Cardiff City.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Hopes of a run of form were raised at the end of January, when the Cottagers fought back from 2-0 down to beat Brighton 4-2, but two successive losses, to Crystal Palace and United at an aggregate score of 5-0, have seen many consign the club to the drop.

And Fulham fans want manager Claudio Ranieri – appointed in November – sacked after another uninspiring performance.

Speaking to Football Insider, Danny Mills has sent Leeds a warning after Andrea Radrizzani’s update on QSI’s potential investment in the club.

What did he say?

The Whites owner outlined his “desire” for them to work together, although reiterated that “there’s nothing concrete at this time”.

Now, Mills has issued a cautionary tale for the Elland Road side, suggesting that whilst the financial windfall may be great in the short-term, there has to be a “proper plan” in place for it to truly work out.

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He said: “New investment is always welcome so long as the longevity of the football club is put first and foremost. But it cannot be bringing in money for the sake of it. It needs to be in the right direction, with the right ambition and the right personnel in charge.

“Everyone would love the Qatari money but there has to be a proper plan. You cannot just throw money at everything all the time. It does not work like that. A lot of people criticise Manchester City but they have done it in a good way I think.”

Long haul

As both Manchester City and Chelsea have shown this century, having an investor or investment group start splashing the cash on marquee signings and big-name players can catapult a team to the very top of English football.

But whilst those two sides have benefited enormously, there have been plenty of stories around the world where the early promise of huge financial backing has gone out the window – you only have to look at PSG’s French rivals AS Monaco to see that, with the Ligue 1 side having to undergo a major clear-out of their most talented players in recent seasons.

It’s exactly why Mills is absolutely spot-on in trying to temper expectations of QSI’s potential investment. It sounds promising now, but Leeds desperately need to ensure they are in it for the long haul.

Meanwhile, Leeds fans have hailed this footage of Jean-Kevin Augustin.

Tottenham Hotspur fans received some absolutely brilliant news on Friday morning as the club officially announced that one of their young starlets, Troy Parrott, has signed a new contract.

The 18-year-old academy product will now stay with Spurs until at least 2023 and looks set to be an important part of their plans for the future.

Parrott has made two competitive first-team appearances to date, making his debut against Burnley in December 2019, while he already has a senior cap for the Republic of Ireland despite his age..

A true test for any Spurs fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

And needless to say, this update was a long-overdue update for many fans who were simply delighted with the announcement.

But fans don’t think it’s enough just to extend his contract – fans want Jose Mourinho to give Parrott some minutes to prove himself in the first team in order to fulfil his potential.

Many of the fans were thrilled with the news but also demanded further involvement in light of the fresh agreement.

And seeing how they value him so highly, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they want him to play as much as possible.

It seems that plenty of them have him bookmarked as a potential superstar of the future.

Not only that but some believe he is the very future of this club and they weren’t shy to express their opinions…

Meanwhile, many Spurs supporters want to see their club sign one man following his incredible display against them in the FA Cup…

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Brazil match-winner Richarlison has thanked his move to Goodison Park and working under Marco Silva at Everton as the reason behind his national team breakthrough.

What’s he said? 

Richarlison scored the winning goal as the Selecao saw off Cameroon 1-0 in Milton Keynes on Tuesday night, coming off the bench for Neymar when the Paris Saint-Germain forward developed an adductor muscle injury.

Speaking to the club’s official website, the 21-year-old spoke of how the Merseyside outfit is to thank for his progress on the international scene.

“Training at Everton is intense,” said Richarlison. “There is a lot of quality in the squad and a lot of detail in the sessions.

“It has helped me a lot – both to improve as a player and then in the games and matches with the national team.

“My confidence is growing, not just with the Brazilian team but with Everton also.

“I needed that run of games with my club and more experience. I am so happy to be playing regularly and influencing matches.”

Check out Playmaker FC’s Joe Street’s unfiltered take on Wayne Rooney’s England legacy in the video below…

What does this mean?

The interview with Everton’s official website revealed how Richarlison sees his move from Watford as a big step up that will shape the future of his career.

He also sees how playing alongside a higher calibre of teammates, but also the intense workload and detail Silva places on the training pitches is helping his progress.

Immediately after a solid start to the season for his new side, the Brazilian winger earned his first international call-up and hammered home a brace to brush aside El Salvador 5-0.

Clearly, the ex-Hornet is also taking pleasure from deciding games – something that he has done four times at the Merseyside club so far – and is excelling in his new role as a striker.

What next?

The Toffees paid their manager’s former side £40.5million for the Brazilian’s services in the summer, and he has so far recorded 17 appearances in all competitions for club and country, scoring seven times.

Continuing to build confidence as his side’s leading figure will aid Richarlison in maintaining his early run of form, but he can also take guidance from the world’s most expensive signing.

Neymar told Everton’s official site how he wants to help his younger countryman be the best he can as a friend and mentor, dubbing Richarlison “a really great player and a really nice guy”.

The 26-year-old added: “If he continues to be as smart as he has shown he is, keeps up his hard work and continues to work well, then he can be a great player in the future.”

Liverpool fans are rightly celebrating what has been a fantastic start to the season so far. They’re one of only a few teams to currently be maintaining a 100% record in the English top flight, with a number of Anfield regulars impressing at present.

However, today (Tuesday), Liverpool fans are also celebrating something else – the anniversary of Lucas Leiva’s Liverpool debut. The Reds have been celebrating the news online on their official Twitter page.

Lucas Leiva joined Liverpool back in 2007, and he went on to make nearly 250 league appearances. Mainly playing through the midfield, he regularly put in solid performances, and though his injury record is spotty at best, he’s gone down as a bit of a cult figure at Anfield among fans.  He regularly played more than 20 league games per season for the Reds, and that’s a testament to his importance over the years.

In response to Liverpool’s message of support to Lucas, many fans have responded in kind, with plenty of them proclaiming their love for the Brazilian. It’s fair to say that he’s still very popular among fans.

Take a look at what they’ve had to say below…

Liverpool fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

One of the standout fixtures in the Championship this weekend comes when Leeds United play host to Sheffield United at Elland Road on Friday night in a hugely important Yorkshire derby.

Both clubs are well and truly in promotion race in the early stages of the season, with Thomas Christiansen’s men lying in fourth position in the standings.

The Whites were top of the table earlier in the campaign but four defeats in five matches saw them drop, before they picked up a vital 3-0 victory against fellow high-flyers Bristol City at Ashton Gate last Saturday.

They come up against a Blades side who are one place and four points above them in third, having won nine of their 13 league games this term.

The two sides will both know that they have the players that can make the difference on the night, and they will be looking to those individuals to make an impact in this crucial clash.

Here are four key on-pitch battles that will decide the derby between Leeds and Sheffield United…

Samu Saiz vs Paul Coutts

Leeds would have been hopeful that Saiz could hit the ground running when they signed him from La Liga 2 side SD Huesca during the summer, and that has certainly been the case.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder has already scored eight goals and provided a further two assists in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Yorkshire outfit this season, and a brace against Bristol City last time out helped Thomas Christiansen’s men get back to winning ways.

The man tasked with preventing Saiz being a threat on Friday night will be Coutts, who has only missed one of his team’s Championship games this term – because of suspension.

Liam Cooper vs Billy Sharp

After scoring 30 goals to lead Sheffield United back to the Championship last season, the Blades would have been relying on Sharp to get the goals for them this season too.

The United captain certainly hasn’t let the club down either, and the 31-year-old has scored five goals in nine league games and he will be their main goal threat at Elland Road on Friday when he returns to face his former club.

The striker will come up against Leeds captain Cooper, who looks to have potentially established himself as the Yorkshire outfit’s first-choice centre-back this term despite getting sent off in first-half of the defeat to Cardiff City last month.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga vs Jack O’Connell

Following the departure of Chris Wood to Burnley in August, Thomas Christiansen would have been well aware that he needed to bring in a new striker that was able to score regularly as this level and he did that by bringing in Lasogga on loan from Hamburg.

The 25-year-old has already scored four goals and provided a further four assists in seven Championship appearances, and he will be Leeds’ main goal threat when Sheffield United visit Elland Road.

The man tasked with dealing with the tall German centre-forward will be O’Connell, who has been a key player in the Blades’ backline following a move from Brentford in 2016.

Matthew Pennington vs Leon Clarke

There would certainly have been a few raised eyebrows when Sheffield United signed Clarke from Bury in the summer of 2016, especially after he scored just one goal in his first 17 League One appearances for the club.

However, the 32-year-old netted six times in the Blades’ last six matches of their promotion-winning campaign and he has brought that form into the new season, where he has scored four times and provided two assists in 10 Championship games.

The experienced frontman is likely to come up against Pennington on Friday, with the Everton loanee looking to be above Pontus Jansson in the centre-back pecking order currently despite missing most of the campaign so far with an ankle injury he suffered on the opening day.

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Former Everton defender and Liverpool Echo columnist Michael Ball believes there could be some “surprise departures” from the club this summer in what looks set to be another busy transfer window.

With the Toffees looking set to end the season in seventh position following a drop off in their form in recent weeks, Ronald Koeman will be looking to make some big additions in order to try and cope with the demands of Europa League football next term, as well as moving the Merseyside outfit one step closer to competing for a Champions League qualification spot.

The Dutchman has already been linked with a number of new players, but Ball – who scored eight goals in 121 appearances for Everton between 1996 and 2001 – believes those coming into the club could put the futures of some first team players into doubt.

The form of Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies and Idrissa Gueye has already limited Gareth Barry’s playing time this season for example, and he could look to move on to pastures new to ensure he is playing regularly if there are any more arrivals in the centre of midfield.

The 47-year-old told the Liverpool Echo: “There promises to be a revolving door at Goodison this summer.

“But as well as the expected glut of incomings, there could also be a series of exits. And I wouldn’t rule out there being some surprise departures either.”

“Everton will need a squad big enough to be able to handle the added demands of Europa League football but Ronald Koeman has made it clear that having too many players creates too many problems.

“For example, Gareth Barry looks like facing more time on the bench against next season so will he want to stay?”

After taking just one point from the last nine available, Everton host Watford on Friday night before travelling to face Arsenal at the Emirates on the final day of the Premier League season.

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They say you shouldn’t look at the Premier League table until after ten games but Stoke City fans will find it difficult to ignore at the moment.

Indeed, the Potters are currently rock-bottom of the English top flight, picking up just a single point and conceding eight times in their first four league games of the new season.

Amid a Premier League era in which relegation racers can transform into title-winners and vice versa, some Stoke fans might even be murmuring the ‘R’ word around the Bet365 Stadium.

But we are particularly fond of Stoke City and despite their incredibly poor start to the season, we’re sure the Staffordshire outfit will go on to enjoy a decent campaign.

With that in mind, we’ve come up with five reasons Stoke will turn their season around – and fans can stop thinking about a potential relegation to the Championship…

TOUGH OPENING FIXTURES

No doubt, one point from four games is incredibly disappointing. But excepting the draw against newly-promoted Middlesbrough, Stoke have been unfortunate enough to face some of the Premier League’s toughest sides in the opening weeks of the season, not least including current table toppers Manchester City who have destroyed everything in their path this term.

Likewise, Tottenham Hotspur are fourth in the league and have conceded only twice, whilst Everton are yet to lose. Getting these tricky fixtures out of the way could be a blessing in disguise as the season goes on.

COMING RUN IS MUCH EASIER

Compare the aforementioned to Stoke’s coming run of fixtures. Barring Manchester United in a few weeks’ time, the Potters don’t face a top Premier League side until Arsenal on December 10th.

Regardless of recent form, you’d expect Stoke to pick up points against the likes of West Brom, Sunderland, Swansea City and Bournemouth at home.

STOKE’S SQUAD IS PROVEN

Whilst some squads in the Premier League this season are certainly questionable, there’s no doubt Stoke City’s is top-flight quality.

Indeed, Marko Arnautovic is one of the most formidable forwards in the division when enjoying top form, few defenders are more established than Ryan Shawcross and Xherdan Shaqiri scored arguably the best goal of Euro 2016 with an acrobatic bicycle kick. Even the likes of Jonathan Walters, Joe Allen and Phil Bardsley are more than proven in the Premier League.

For whatever reason, it’s not happened for the Potters so far this season, but they’ve got more than enough quality and experience to quickly turn results around.

WILFRIED BONY’S ONLY JUST ARRIVED

A consistent striker was the missing piece of the jigsaw for Stoke City last season and Mark Hughes seemingly found one on Deadline Day in the form of Wilfried Bony.

He didn’t make a difference against Spurs but it should be remembered that he’s only been at the Bet365 Stadium for a couple of weeks – nowhere near enough time to get match fit and adapt to Stoke’s style of play.

The Ivorian proved how potent he can be in the Premier League with Swansea City and after a few more games he could be firing on all cylinders.

Having a 15-goal striker pretty much guarantees you a mid-table finish, at the very least.

JACK BUTLAND WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE

Whilst Wilfried Bony should sharpen up Stoke City at one end of the pitch, Jack Butland will bolster their efforts at the other once he returns from injury.

The 23-year-old was the best goalkeeper in the Premier League last season, keeping ten clean sheets and making a phenomenal 81 saves in 31 appearances.

Stoke are much better organised and more confident defensively with the England international behind them; unfortunately, however, recent reports claim he could be sidelined for another ten weeks.

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Leeds United’s midfield was completely exposed against Norwich City on Saturday evening in the absence of Kalvin Phillips, and he proved to be a big miss.

What’s the word?

Leeds’ 23-year-old defensive midfielder has predominantly operated as a central defender in recent weeks to cover for a handful of absentees amid a seemingly endless injury crisis.

The move into central defence has seen him hone in on the defensive quality he has consistently produced this season, with his goalscoring exploits from last season now representing something of a distant memory.

Indeed, Phil Hay has revealed a small sample of statistical information from Phillips’ form this term and pointed towards his lack of involvement in the final-third as an indicator of how significantly his role has changed, as per Yorkshire Evening Post.

Hay wrote: “Phillips will not automatically cure the problems with Leeds’ finishing – the deepness of his position is shown by the fact that having scored seven times last season, he is averaging less than a shot a game and has produced 12 key passes in total.”

Kalvin Phillips showcasing his adaptability

The arrival of Bielsa has instigated a transformation in the way Phillips operates in midfield. The fact he scored seven times during the 2017/18 season illuminates the level of freedom he had to burst forward in a box-to-box role, but his current manager has forced him to make a big compromise.

Bielsa has typically asked him to operate in a water-carrier role in-front of the defensive unit, connecting the dots from deep while ensuring that the back-four are well prepared to stifle the opposition.

The positional tweak has seen his attacking influence diminish, with his return of 12 key passes averaging at less than 0.5 per game from his 27 appearances this season, as per WhoScored, while the fact he is yet to find the net under the Argentine speaks for itself.

In a sense, Phillips has been forced to compromise on his quality in the final-third to adapt to Bielsa’s demands, but it’s a compromise which has ultimately enhanced his reputation amongst plenty of supporters at Elland Road.

After watching Norwich tear through Leeds’ midfield on Saturday evening, it will be no great surprise if the 23-year-old is recalled to solidify his defensive unit against Middlesbrough.

Everything you need to know about Napoli's Nigeria talisman Victor Osimhen.

Victor Osimhen is a Nigerian professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Napoli and the Nigerian national team. Born on December 29, 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria, Osimhen started his football career at the Ultimate Strikers Academy before moving to Europe to play for various clubs.

Osimhen's breakthrough moment came in 2015 when he led the Nigerian U-17 team to victory in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, where he was awarded the Golden Boot and the Silver Ball. This performance caught the attention of various European clubs, and he eventually signed for Wolfsburg in Germany in 2017.

Despite struggling at Wolfsburg, he found his footing during a loan spell at Charleroi in Belgium, scoring 20 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions. His exploits took him to Lille in 2019 before eventually being snapped up by Napoli in 2020 for €70 million.

Osimhen has also represented the Nigerian national team at various levels, making his debut for the senior team in 2017. He has since established himself as a key player for the Super Eagles, scoring several crucial goals in their qualification campaigns for major tournaments

Osimhen is known for his physical strength, pace, and clinical finishing, which makes him a nightmare for opposition defenders. He is also proficient in the air and possesses excellent dribbling and ball control skills, making him a complete striker.

Here are 13 interesting facts about Osimhen that you absolutely need to know?

• Getty Images
  

  Youngest of six siblings

  Born in Lagos on 29th December 1998, Victor was the last of the six children. His parents have their family origin from Southern Nigeria, precisely Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State in Nigeria.

  He grew up alongside his brother Andrew and 4 other siblings in Olusosun, asmall community around Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.

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• God is good

  Osimhen has an interesting story behind the meaning of his last name.

  In the native Ishan language, his family surname "Osimhen" means "God is good."

• From African nursery team to big European club

  When he broke out with the youth team, Wolfsburg registered their interest in the striker. Osimhen was transferred from Ultimate Striker Academy, a local club in Lagos, to German club VfL Wolfsburg for $3,970,225 on January 1, 2017. 

  He was one of the most expensive players to be signed directly from an African nursery team to a big European club, thanks to the transfer fee.

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• Breakout star at the U17 World Cup in 2015

  Osimhen was an integral part of the Nigerian side that won the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile. His 10 goals in seven games at the tournament and his incredible goalscoring record coming into the tournament made heads turn all across the globe.

  He finished the tournament as the highest goalscorer, winning the Golden Boot along with the Silver Ball for his standout performances.