With Manchester City’s season in danger of falling off a cliff in spectacular fashion, the role of Yaya Toure in Manuel Pellegrini’s team was under the microscope. No longer the beating heart of his side, the Chilean was well within his rights to begin to think of a team without the Ivorian as the midfield lynchpin.
That was until City travelled to high flying Swansea in a game that they needed to win to condemn Arsenal to third place. The 32 year old once again stood head and shoulders above his team mates in blue, it was the Toure of old; he was at his ferocious, rampaging best as he plundered two goals to ensure Pellegrini would lead his side to second place.
Before that it seemed inevitable that Toure was destined to move to Inter Milan, his agent had done little to quash the rumours of the midfielder being reunited with his former boss Roberto Mancini.
This season has been Toure’s poorest in a City shirt by a long way, it seemed that his heart was no longer set in Manchester, rather than the fearsome midfield general, he had become a passenger in a team that seemed devoid of heart, passion and creativity. But just as the player and team reached its nadir, Toure hit back.
Whether it is the realisation that his astronomical wages may not be matched at another club or whether it something a whole lot less cynical; a light bulb seems to have switched on in the former Barcelona man’s head.
It may be a sign of just how important and influential that Toure has become that a season where he hits 10 goals from midfield is one that is derided so freely. But it was more his lackadaisical approach that irked a fan base that has idolised him for so long.
Inter Milan have seemingly placed all their eggs in one Ivorian basket and it may yet backfire, if the rent-a-quote agent Seluk is to be believed, not only is he prepared to stay in Manchester he could still yet be persuaded to lengthen his Manchester contract.
Yaya Toure being pushed out of Manchester City, no longer wanted and no longer caring, seemed a sad way to end the career of one of City’s most successful servants. Thankfully, for both fans and player this may not be the end of the Toure tale.
It has now gone from a situation where it was inevitable that Toure would move to pastures new; to one that now seems likely he will feature for Manchester City again next term. If they are to regain their Premier League crown it is essential that they have Yaya Toure, not the Toure of last season, but the Toure of season’s past, the Toure that was seen at The Liberty Satdium.
He has a chance to ensure that his City story has the happy ending it so richly deserves; it is a turnaround, a change of heart that few predicted.
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It can only be good for both City fans and neutrals, a team and a league with a flourishing Yaya Toure is certainly a stronger one than without him.
There is little doubt £10million signing Petr Cech possesses the experience, talent and personality Arsenal need to launch a Premier League title charge next season.
I’m a firm believer that uncertainty between the sticks can trickle through the rest of the XI, but it works both ways; even amid his less eventful spells in the Stamford Bridge goal, the 33 year-old has always been a calm, composed and orchestrating figure, contrasting sharply with the hap-hazard nature of Wojciech Szczesny’s performances from the last year. David Ospina’s impressive showings last season as the their form accumulated stronger with every victory gave a taste of what Gunners could achieve with a world-class No.1 and Cech certainly fits the bill.
John Terry fears his former team-mate could add 15 points to Arsenal’s tally come next May. If that were the only variable from last season to the coming campaign, the Gunners would finish up with 90 points; three more than Chelsea and just five short of their Premier League record set in 2004/05. Since the Premiership’s incarnation, no side has claimed 90 points without winning the title.
Personally, however, I’m unconvinced one man – even in as intrinsic a position as goalkeeper – can make all the difference to a side who haven’t lifted the English crown in over a decade. There are still clear glass ceilings between the Gunners and the other title contenders; in a nutshell, they need to make more signings of Cech’s world-class calibre before the end of August.
The positions I’m about to discuss will be nothing new to Arsenal fans. The first is, of course, central midfield. The argument that the Gunners need a holding player has waned since the emergence of Francis Coquelin from the end of last season. In my opinion, justifying a long-term role in the starting XI based upon 22 league outings of strong form is a bit of a risk – in fact, it’s a parallel situation to Arsene Wenger’s swap of Ospina for Cech – but the Frenchman has certainly proved himself capable of injecting defensive discipline into Arsenal’s midfield.
Yet, my concern is one of physicality. There’s an understandable fear that a cumbersome 6 foot 3 warrior of the William Carvalho variety will disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm and definitive style of play. But the absence of a physically intimidating midfielder – comparable to Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, Man United’s Marouane Fellaini or Manchester City trio Yaya Toure, Fernando and Fernandino – will inevitably catch up with the north Londoners sooner or later. Even if it’s a more progressive box-to-box option, such as Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko or Juventus’ Arturo Vidal, Arsenal’s engine room needs that physical, athletic element somewhere.
Perhaps more important, however, is what Arsenal have to offer up front. Olivier Giroud has spent the last three years as virtually a one-man strike force and for that he deserves huge credit, but the limits of his firepower represents another gap between the Gunners and their divisional rivals.
Man City boast four strikers who would be first choice for most clubs in Europe, including last season’s Golden Boot winner Sergio Aguero; Chelsea have a 20-goal-plus battering ram in Diego Costa, a near one-in-two poacher in substitute Loic Remy and one of world football’s greatest finishers from the last decade in Radamel Falcao, albeit a lesser presence than he once was; but Giroud’s only cover comes in the form of Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck, who can be described at best as winger-forwards.
Most tellingly of all, no Premier League side has claimed the title without their striker scoring more than 20 league goals since 2009. Meanwhile, the France international’s biggest league haul to date for the Gunners is just 16 – during a 2013/14 campaign in which he missed just two top flight fixtures.
Arsenal had 15 different goal scorers in the Premier League this season, ranging from top scorer Alexis Sanchez to midfield enforcer Mathieu Flamini, the most of any club in the division and only five shy of Manchester United’s record-breaking 20 during the 2012/13 campaign. So in theory, the goals Giroud misses out on can be supplemented elsewhere. But in echoes of the debate surrounding Coquelin, it represents another gamble that Arsene Wenger’s counterparts at City and Chelsea aren’t going to take. Jose Mourinho, in particular, leaves absolutely nothing to chance.
Many will wonder why I’m whittling on in such a negative fashion. Arsenal have plenty left in the bank and the transfer window doesn’t close for the best part of two more months. But the Gunners’ recruitment has followed a particular pattern over the last two summers; one costly marquee name accompanied by predominantly youthful squad signings. The only true additions to their starting Xi in that time have been Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, with Mathieu Debuchy and Ospina filling voids for short time periods.
And so far this summer, Wenger has only distanced himself from big money transfer targets. Arsenal’s rumoured pursuit of now-Atletico Madrid striker Jackson Martinez came to nothing and Le Prof has remained consistent on his non-interest in Arturo Vidal, whilst letting Manchester United take the lead in the race to sign Morgan Schneiderlin.
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Considering the refrain in the market Wenger demonstrated in the decade before his £42.2million spend on Mesut Ozil – letting £11million man Sylvain Wiltord remain the club’s most expensive signing for the next seven years – one has to consider whether Cech constitutes the be all and end all of Arsenal’s summer. Whilst he’s a definitive step in the right direction, single-handed, the Czech international isn’t enough for the Gunners to disrupt the Premier League’s higher order.
As football fans we’re always looking back on the good times; the moments that made us laugh and cry and the moments we’ll either never forget or do our best to wipe from our memories forever.
But what about the future? What do we have to look forward to? Can we get excited about what’s to come or should we continue to yearn for yesteryear?
As part of our Premier League 25 years celebration this season, we’ve decided to boot up our copy of Football Manager 2018 and simulate 25 years into the future to see what exactly we’ve got to look forward to. And without wanting to wish our lives away, we’re in for a real treat if this is what the future holds.
With one season per article, we’re looking 25 years in to the future. Below we take a look at the 2018/19 campaign…
Previous seasons: 2017/18
Premier League
Transfer Window
Champions Chelsea are busy in the summer, spending £84m on PSG’s Adrien Rabiot, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Andre Moreira and Villarreal’s Mario. The Blues also have a massive clear out, selling Davide Zappacosta and Victor Moses to Red Bull Leipzig for a combined £24.5m, Michy Batshuayi to Shakhtar for just £11.25m Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Crystal Palace for £3.9m. No less than 29 youngsters are sent out on loan.
Arsenal go big in the summer for once as Wesley Hoedt, Andre Silva, Leander Dendoncker and Georgino Wijnaldum are all signed for a combined £110m. In January, they add Atalanta’s Alejandro Gomez and Celtic’s Kieran Tierney to the squad, which takes their 18/19 transfer spend to £153m. Ruben Sumedo joins Zenit on a permanent deal after making just 12 Premier League appearances last term while Alexis Sanchez opts to join PSG on a free instead of Man City.
Liverpool splash out £120m on seven players in the summer, although that does include the already agreed transfer of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig for £62m. The others include Sander Berge from Genk (£19.5m), Deportivo La Coruna’s Florin Andone (£17.75m) and Benfica’s Franco Cervi (£20.5m). However, Jorge Jesus is forced to lose both Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho who both join the PSG revolution in a combined deal worth £131m!
Massimiliano Allegri enjoys the bottomless pit of money at Man City by throwing £138m at five players in the summer. The pick of the bunch being Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld for £50m and Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne for £39.5m. Ederson and Danilo are the only high profile departures.
At Man United, Jose Mourinho spends £154m on six new faces, with the stand out signings being Eric Dier for £41.5m and Juventus superstar Paulo Dybala for £69m. Stoke agree to pay £6.75m for Marcos Rojo and while Jonas leaves for Napoli in January despite scoring six goals in 12 Premier League outings since signing the previous season.
For the rest of the Premier League, the stand out signings include Danny Ings to Stoke for £7.75m, newly-promoted Sunderland spending £28m on Everton’s Ademola Lookman, Victor Wanyama going to China, Tottenham signing William Carvalho for £22m and Erik Lamela joining Watford for £12.25m.
The top ten transfers involving Premier League clubs are as follows…
In terms of obscure deals, Brighton sign Davy Klaasen for just £12.75m and Marouane Fellaini on a free, Tottenham throw £22m at Brighton for Shane Duffy, Tal Ben-Haim returns to England with Southampton and so does Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who joins newly promoted Wolves from Basel for £4.4m.
Across Europe, PSG bid for European domination by spending a massive £417m, which includes the pre-agreed deal for Kylian Mbappe for £160m and Raphael Varane completes a shock £53m move to Monaco from Real Madrid.
The League Campaign
Man United end a five year title drought by romping to their 21st Premier League crown, finishing 11 points ahead of runners-up and bitter rivals Man City. They do it by scoring a huge 93 goals and conceding just 32. Chelsea have to settled for 3rd while it comes as no surprise to see Arsenal finish 4th.
Swansea, Sunderland and Middlesbrough are all relegated, with the Black Cats clearly showing that you can’t just spend your way to safety after their crazy spree in the summer. £28m signing Ademola Lookman scored nine and assisted four.
In the eyes of the media, the big overachievers are Bournemouth, Brighton and West Brom, while the underachievers are Leicester, Everton and Southampton.
Man United’s title winning campaign saw lose just twice before Christmas as Mourinho’s 4-2-3-1 formation proved almost unbeatable. The arrival of Dybala from Juventus in the summer had initially led to doubts over Romelu Lukaku’s future at Old Trafford but Mourinho instead opted to play the Belgium international in wide-right role, in which the striker netted six times over the course of the season.
They dropped just four points between the end of October and Boxing Day, which meant they went in to 2019 well in control at the top of the table.
Bottom club Middlesbrough failed to settle back in to the top-flight and they deserved to go down after losing seven consecutive league games in January. The same can be said of Swansea, who went 18 Premier League games without victory between the end of November and the beginning of March.
A special mention has to go to Watford, too, who did initially look likely to break in to the top six after going 16 games unbeaten during the middle of the campaign, but that was followed by a run of 10 games without victory and they eventually had to settle for 12th.
End of Season Awards
Sergio Aguero wins the Golden Boot with 22 goals, beating new Man United signing Dybala by a single goal. It takes his Premier League tally to 155 and some are beginning to speculated his chances of joining Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer in the 200 club.
Arenal’s new signing Andre Silva nets 15 in 23 Premier League appearances and had he not been sidelined for two months with a hip injury in the middle of the season, he probably would’ve gone on to win the golden boot.
John Guidetti netted 15 in his debut season for Stoke City while last season’s Player of the Season Juan Mata registered 14 goals and a league high 17 assists. Outstanding from the Spaniard.
Where’s Harry Kane? He did join the Premier League 100 club mid-way through the season but could only register 10 league goals in 33 appearances. He won’t beat Alan Shearer’s record with seasons like that.
David De Gea wins the Golden Glove after keeping an impressive 17 clean sheets while Joe Hart’s return to Man City after a unsuccessful loan spell at West Ham the previous year sees him collect 14 clean sheets in 32 Premier League appearances.
Jose Mourinho wins Manager of the Year, Juan Mata is voted Players’ Player of the Year and for the second consecutive season, Premier League Player of the Year. Young Player of the Year is awarded to Man City’s Bernardo Silva, who ended the season with 14 goals and eight assists.
The Premier League Team of the Year is dominated by the Manchester clubs, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah the only player from another club named in the XI.
Manager Movements
Amazingly, Arsene Wenger surprises everyone by resigning on July 24 and Arsenal fans are partying on the streets when Pep Guardiola is named as his replacement a week later. Sunderland fans are equally as shocked when manager Ramon Diaz resigns on the same day, despite leading them to promotion, and is replaced by Belgium manager Roberto Martinez.
Brendan Rodgers’ character is found out at Southampton after failing to win any of the Saints’ opening seven games of the season and he’s sacked at the beginning of October. Southampton poach Wolves’ Nuno Santo, who is replaced by Ronald Koeman at Molyneux.
Elsewhere, Guus Hiddink loses his job at Stoke after winning just once between October and the end of December, and he’s replaced by Didier Deschamps. West Ham give up on David Moyes and, to the absolute despair of the Hammers faithful, appoint Tony Pulis as his replacement in February.
Swansea, Everton and Brighton also make changes during the season.
What to expect next season?
Chelsea’s fall to third in the Premier League may have alarmed Roman Abramovich somewhat but he will have been pleased with the club’s success in the Champions League will have boosted Conte’s chances of keeping his job for the time being.
There will undoubtedly be inquests at Everton and Leicester, while Tottenham’s failure to finish in the top four for the second successive season will ensure the spotlight will be on Daniel Levy’s spending habits in the summer. On top of that, Harry Kane’s hugely disappointing season will have everyone worried. Another poor season will undoubtedly end his chances of breaking Alan Shearer’s record, so all the attention will be on how he responsds.
Tony Pulis’s West Ham will be looking to build on their FA Cup triumph, with David Gold and David Sullivan undoubtedly publicly shouting “We told you so!” in response to the fans who questioned their reasons for moving to London Stadium three years earlier. But can they push on now?
Once again, Liverpool do not qualify for the Champions League and Reds all around the world continue to reminisce about the good ol’ days in 2005.
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Newcastle, Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace are the three teams promoted from the Championship. Blackburn complete famous back-to-back promotions following their League One title win the season previous, and the former Premier League champions celebrate being back in the big league for the first time in seven years.
2018/2019 Overview
Premier League Champions: Man United
Champions League qualification: Man United, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal
Europa League qualification: Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham
Relegated to Championship: Swansea, Sunderland and Middlesbrough
Promoted to Premier League: Newcastle, Blackburn and Crystal Palace
Community Shield Winners: Leicester City
FA Cup Winners: West Ham
Carabao Cup Winners: Man City
UEFA Super Cup Winners: Atletico Madrid
Champions League Winners: Chelsea
Europa League Winners: Bayer Leverkusen
<< Click here for the 17/18 season | 19/20 season coming soon!
According to reports in The Times on December 21, Arsenal and runaway leaders Manchester City are both monitoring Burnley defender James Tarkowski with a view to signing him next summer.
The 25-year-old has been one of the Clarets’ outstanding performers this season as they continue to be the surprise package of the Premier League season so far, and while The Times says he is currently happy at Turf Moor, offers from other clubs could change that feeling.
The report adds that while Sean Dyche won’t want to lose the centre-back next month, the Lancashire outfit have shown in the past that they will sell players if their valuation is met and the time is right.
Meanwhile, their top flight rivals West Ham United have enjoyed a recent rejuvenation under David Moyes, and the Scot will already be thinking about potential new additions he could make during the upcoming transfer window.
Defence could be one of the key positions he targets, and bringing Tarkowski to the London Stadium in the New Year could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons West Ham should hijack Arsenal’s bid to sign the 25-year-old…
They need a young centre-back
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With Jose Fonte and James Collins already the wrong side of 30 and Angelo Ogbonna and Winston Reid celebrating their 30th birthdays next year, it is clear to see that West Ham need to start looking to the future and at bringing a new, younger centre-back to the club.
Ideally, Moyes would be looking for one with Premier League experience that is in his mid-twenties, and Tarkowski fits the bill.
The 25-year-old has shown this season that he is a more than impressive performer at this level, and he could prove to be a strong addition to the Irons backline both now, and in the future.
Qualities
While Tarkowski struggled to break past Michael Keane and Ben Mee in the Burnley team last season, he has shown his strengths and defensive abilities alongside the latter this term following the departure of the former to Everton during the summer.
According to Squawka, the 25-year-old has won 93 of the 130 aerial duels he has faced, while he has made 149 clearances, 29 interceptions and 28 blocks in 18 Premier League appearances.
The centre-back has also shown that he is decent on the ball too though, and he has successfully completed five of the seven dribbles he has attempted during the current campaign.
Potential
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Tarkowski has been so good this season that The Times says he is on the verge of an England call-up, and having only turned 25 years of age in November he certainly has plenty of time left to develop and improve.
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While it may take quite a significant fee to prise him away from Burnley next month given his form this term, the fact that he only has 18 months left on his contract could make West Ham’s job slightly easier.
The centre-back has shown that he isn’t afraid to put his body on the line for his team, and in that respect he has the potential to be a firm fans’ favourite at the London Stadium.
Scott Hogan has had a frustrating year at Aston Villa following his switch from Brentford in January 2017.
In total, the forward has made just 16 starts in the Championship, scoring only twice in that time.
Injuries have played a role in Hogan’s limited game time as he suffered an ankle problem just four matches into his Villa career.
The 25-year-old also spent a month on the sidelines to undergo stomach surgery.
The forward’s career seemed to be picking up over the festive break as he bagged an assist and a goal across his last three outings.
Ahead of Villa’s FA Cup third-round tie against Peterborough on Saturday, manager Steve Bruce confirmed that Hogan has been ruled out through injury.
The former Brentford star is feeling the effects of a twisted ankle, which he suffered in the latter stages of Villa’s 5-0 win over Bristol City on New Year’s Day.
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As expected, fans were disappointed to hear the news.
For the majority of the season, Everton have been criticised for lacking a threat up front.
The departure of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United last summer was heavily felt at Goodison Park, particularly as the Belgian scored 25 Premier League goals last season.
Manager Sam Allardyce, who replaced Ronald Koeman in November, tried to address the issue this month when he recruited Cenk Tosun from Besiktas and Arsenal star Theo Walcott.
One issue that the fans feel needs to be addressed is at the back, despite the club having Michael Keane, Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka as options in the centre of defence.
The team have conceded 39 goals in the Premier League so far this season, and nine of those came in the last four outings.
The supporters are keen, in particular, for Allardyce to buy a new left-back before the window closes next week.
Cuco Martina has been filling in for injured Leighton Baines, but the Dutchman is predominantly a right-back and has been struggling to impress.
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In response to the club’s tweet about how Walcott and Tosun will transform the team’s attack, the fans reminded Allardyce about the teams defensive issues.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has been named in the shortlist for Championship Manager of the Month for JanuaryThe former Birmingham City boss has managed to guide the Villans to third place in the table.Ahead of this weekend’s Second City derby against the Blues, the team are just one point adrift of the top two automatic promotion spots.Villa have won their last six league games on the trot, and four of those came in January.The Midlands outfit earned victories over Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Sheffield United.During that spell, the team found the back of the net 10 times and only conceded one goal.Bruce will fight it out with Birmingham boss Steve Cotterill, Daniel Farke of Norwich City and Fulham’s Slavisa Jokanovic for the gong.Some Villa supporters think that their manager deserves the award, while others are concerned that it carries a curse.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos as opened up on a potential move away from the club amidst heavy transfer speculation.
What’s the story?
Reported to have been the subject of four bids from Chinese Super League side Beijing Renhe, the latest of which was a massive £9m, Morelos may not be a Rangers player for much longer.
However, it appears he would prefer to stay in European football, calling potential interest from English clubs ‘very exciting’.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the Colombian said:
I play in a country very close to the English Premier League and I think that many teams are watching me. So I am very happy with what I am doing right now. I have a positive mentality and if a team in England showed serious interest in me, it would be very exciting.
While it’s no surprise the 21-year-old doesn’t see Rangers a permanent home for the entirety of his career, the club must ensure they sell him at the peak of his value given his apparent readiness to move on already.
When should they sell?
If there’s money on the table from China then it’s arguably the best time to sell Morelos. Cash rich clubs in Asia are likely paying more than his market value when it comes to English football and the Colombian hasn’t quite hit the heights to suggest he could perform at Premier League level.
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His 16 goals have been important to Rangers this season but with Jason Cummings and Josh Windass available to pick up the slack in attack then bids in the region of the reported £9m must be considered seriously.
Morelos clearly sees his long-term future away from Ibrox and while that ambition is nothing to hold against the player, the club must make sure their interests are taken care of first and foremost.
The days of longevity when it comes to managers at a club seem to be long gone.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger seems to be the last one standing in that regard, and now questions are being asked about Mauricio Pochettino’s future at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Argentine has transformed the North London outfit into genuine Premier League title contenders.
Over the past two seasons, the club have finished third and second respectively in the top flight.
This season, the title seems to be out of bounds given that Manchester City have a mammoth 16-point advantage at the top of the table.
Pochettino’s progress has led to suggestions that he could move on to a fresh challenge at a new club.
Earlier this month, Spanish publication Don Balon claimed that the 45-year-old was on a list of potential candidates to replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.
If Pochettino did end up taking the job at the Bernabeu, a talented manager would have to take the reins at Tottenham.
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Famous Celtic supporter and musician Sir Rod Stewart thinks that Brendan Rodgers would be a good replacement.
The former Liverpool boss has been in charge of the Glasgow-based team since 2016 and has won four trophies.
While speaking to talkSPORT, Stewart said:
“Does he want to move back to the Premier League? Of course he does. He can only take Celtic so far. He’s a class manager. I can imagine, maybe once the Tottenham manager goes, he would be great for Spurs.”
Mousa Dembele is currently in the form of his life for Tottenham Hotspur.
It would be fair to say that the 30-year-old did little more than go through the motions in the early stages of the season, but the midfielder has been stunning for a few weeks now.
Indeed, he has starred for Tottenham against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League, in addition to putting in a fine performance against Juventus in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie earlier this month.
All that is missing from Dembele’s game is goals, with the Belgian failing to find the back of the net on a single occasion during the 2017-18 campaign.
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He was once again an impressive performer against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon as Tottenham scored late – courtesy of Harry Kane – to secure all the points at Selhurst Park.
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Tottenham’s supporters were again delighted with the performance of Dembele, who is certainly one of the best midfielders in the Premier League on current form.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: