Barclays Premier League Thread

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Pickford out for up to 8 weeks

Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been ruled out for up to 8 weeks with a cruciate ligament strain.

Pickford hurt his knee in a collision with Papy Djilobodji as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored Manchester United's second goal in a 3-1 Premier League defeat on Boxing Day.

The 22-year-old completed the remaining 8 minutes of the match but now faces a period on the sidelines.

Sunderland, who sit 2 points adrift of safety, visit Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.




http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...-december-2016

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Coutinho beats Neymar to Samba Gold award

Philippe Coutinho has won the 2016 Samba Gold award for the best Brazilian player in Europe, beating Neymar and Casemiro to the trophy.

The attacking midfielder received 32,13% of the vote in a combined poll of journalists, current and ex-professionals and supporters.

Coutinho netted 13 times for Liverpool in a successful calendar year, while also impressing for Brazil's national team.

The 24-year-old's victory prevented Neymar from making it 3 in a row, the FC Barcelona striker having claimed the award in both 2014 and 2015.

Neymar had to settle for second place this year with 27,88% of the vote, despite winning La Liga with Barca and guiding Brazil to a first-ever Olympic football gold.

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro completed the top 3 with 13,35% after winning the Champions League and the Club World Cup this year.




http://jafarjeef.deviantart.com/gallery

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Van Ginkel extends Chelsea deal

Marco van Ginkel has signed a one-year contract extension with Chelsea before heading back to PSV for a second loan spell.

Van Ginkel has made just one appearance for the Blues this season, in the Checkatrade Trophy, but has penned a new deal that ties him to Stamford Bridge until 2019.

The Netherlands international also spent the latter half of last season at the Philips Stadion, scoring 8 goals in 13 games to help propel Philip Cocu's side to the Eredivisie title.

Third place PSV are 8 points off runaway leaders Feyenoord after the first half of the Eredivisie season.




http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...-december-2016

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Tottenham sign kit deal with Nike

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly signed a kit deal with Nike worth £25 million-per-year, £35 million-per-year less than that of London rivals Chelsea.

Spurs are set to announce the deal which will commence in 2017 and go towards paying for their new stadium, according to The Sun.

Manufacturer Under Armour currently only pays Spurs £10 million-per-year, but the £15 million annual rise will still see the White Hart Lane outfit trail the Premier League's other big-hitters.

Chelsea earn more than double the £25 million Spurs will apparently rake in, being paid £60 million every season by Nike.

Manchester United get £75 million-per-year, while FC Barcelona top the list of Europe's giants, earning £77 million annually.




http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...19-full-show-2

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Premier League - Team of the Week 19


Boruc (Bournemouth)



Francis - Cook (Bournemouth) - Davies (Hull City) - Baines (Everton)



Phillips (West Bromwich) - Iwobi (Arsenal) - Pogba - Martial (Man United)



Gray (Burnley) - Kane (Tottenham)

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Clement named Swansea City manager

Swansea City have appointed Paul Clement as their new head coach, the club have confirmed.

Clement, who succeeds Bob Bradley, has signed a 2-and-a-half-year deal at the Liberty Stadium and will take a watching brief for Tuesday's crucial Premier League clash against Crystal Palace, with the Swans bottom of the table.

Bradley was dismissed after just 11 matches in charge last week with the club languishing in the relegation zone.

The likes of Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs and Wales coach Chris Coleman were linked with the position, but former Derby County manager Clement quickly emerged as the favourite.

And the 44-year-old has decided to leave his post as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant at Bayern Munchen in favour of a switch to south Wales.

As well as managing Derby, Clement has also held assistant posts at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Clement will be the 4th man to take charge of Swansea in the Premier League this term, with Bradley replacing Francesco Guidolin, while Alan Curtis was in interim charge for Saturday's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth and will again deputise against Palace.




http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...20-full-show-2

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Fernandinho handed 4-match ban

Fernandinho will serve a 4-match ban after the Manchester City midfielder's red card during Monday's 2-1 Premier League win over Burnley was upheld by the Football Association (FA).

The Brazil midfielder was dismissed by referee Lee Mason after 32 minutes at the Etihad Stadium following reckless lunge on Johann Gudmundsson.

The dismissal is Fernandinho's second in the Premier League in as many months after he was punished for an altercation with Cesc Fabregas during a 3-1 home loss to leaders Chelsea.

The 31-year-old also collected 2 yellow cards in the 1-1 Champions League draw at Borussia Monchengladbach in November, meaning he has now been sent off in 3 of his past 6 appearances in all competitions.

Fernandinho will miss Friday's FA Cup third round tie at West Ham, along with a Premier League match at London Stadium that follows domestic encounters away to Everton and at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

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Bolasie could be out for 12 months

Everton will be without winger Yannick Bolasie for the majority of 2017, manager Ronald Koeman has confirmed.

DR Congo international Bolasie was widely expected to miss the remainder of the current season after sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage during the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at the start of last month.

The 27-year-old underwent surgery to treat the problem and Koeman explained he is likely to be out for between 10 and 12 months.

Bolasie impressed at Goodison Park having signed from Crystal Palace in August - a deal reported to be worth in the region of £27 million.

He scored his maiden Everton goal at Burnley in October and has supplied 4 assists in 13 Premier League appearances.

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Premier League - Team of the Week 20


Mannone (Sunderland)



Naughton (Swansea) - Otamendi (Man City) - Shawcross (Stoke) - Baines (Everton)



Stanislas (Bournemouth) - King (Leicester) - Adam (Stoke) - Fraser (Bournemouth)



Giroud (Arsenal) - Lukaku (Everton)

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Coquelin out for up to 4 weeks

Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin has been ruled out for up to 4 weeks with a hamstring problem, manager Arsene Wenger revealed on Thursday.

Coquelin lasted just 26 minutes of Tuesday's pulsating 3-3 draw at Bournemouth before limping off and Wenger says he may not play again this month.

Striker Lucas Perez is also doubtful for the trip to Preston North End while Alexis Sanchez, Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny will be rested.

Striker Danny Welbeck is back in training while Theo Walcott is close to a return but will not feature this weekend.

In a further blow for Wenger, Santi Cazorla's rehabilitation from ankle surgery has not gone as well as hoped and the Spanish midfielder is not close to a comeback, having sat out almost 3 months of action already.

Silva appointed as Hull City head coach

Marco Silva has been appointed as Hull City's new head coach on a deal until the end of the season, the Premier League club have confirmed.

Mike Phelan was surprisingly dismissed on Tuesday, with a 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich a day earlier proving his last match in charge of the Tigers, who are bottom of the Premier League.

Hull have acted swiftly to replace Phelan, with 39-year-old Silva, who led Olympiacos to the Greek Superleague title last season, drafted in on a deal until the end of the season.

Phelan helped steady the ship during a turbulent pre-season and he started the campaign with just 14 available senior professionals.

Despite that, Hull won their opening 2 matches against champions Leicester City and Swansea City.

However, Hull have lost 13 of their past 18 league matches since and Silva arrives with a significant task on his hands to keep them in the Premier League.

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Ibrahimovic named Player of the Month

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has won the PFA Fans' Premier League Player of the Month award for December.

Ibrahimovic, 35-year-old, enjoyed an impressive month for United, scoring 5 goals in 6 league appearances for the club, including a brace against West Bromwich Albion.

The former Sweden international also helped the Red Devils remain unbeaten throughout December, winning 5 consecutive Premier League games. United are currently enjoying their longest unbeaten run since Sir Alex Ferguson's reign, having gone 13 games since their last defeat.

Ibrahimovic has silenced critics who thought he would be too old to play in the Premier League following his arrival at United last summer and he currently sits joint-second in the Premier League's top scorer chart with 13 goals for the season.

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FA CUP 4TH ROUND



Tottenham Hotspur vs Wycombe Wanderers

Derby County vs Leicester City

Oxford United vs Birmingham City/Newcastle

Sutton United/Wimbledon vs Cambridge United/Leeds United

Liverpool/Plymouth Argyle vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Norwich City/Southampton vs Arsenal

Ipswich Town/Lincoln City vs Brighton and Hove Albion

Chelsea vs Brentford

Manchester United vs Wigan Athletic

Millwall vs Watford

Rochdale vs Huddersfield Town

Sunderland/Burnley vs Bristol City/Fleetwood Town

Blackburn Rovers vs Blackpool/Barnsley

Fulham vs Hull City

Middlesbrough vs Accrington Stanley

Bolton Wanderers/Crystal Palace vs Manchester City


The ties will take place between 28-29 January 2017.

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Giroud, Koscielny & Coquelin extend Arsenal deals

Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin have all agreed new contracts with Arsenal, the club announced on Thursday.

Giroud's contract was set to expire in June 2018, while Koscielny and Coquelin were originally tied to the club for a further year, but all three have signed new "long-term contracts".

Giroud's was Arsenal's highest-scoring player last season with 24 goals in all competitions and has struck 9 times this term.

Koscielny, who revealed his new agreement runs until 2020 on Twitter, has made 273 appearances since arriving from Lorient in 2010, while Coquelin has made 131 senior outings for the club.

While Arsenal will be delighted to have agreed new contracts with the French trio, uncertainty still remains over the futures of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

Ozil and Sanchez's deal will expire at the end of next season, and Wenger will likely focus his attention on tying them down long term.

Swansea seal Narsingh signing

Swansea City have announced the signing of Luciano Narsingh from PSV in a £4 million deal.

The 26-year-old has agreed a 2-and-a-half-year deal with the struggling Premier League club.

Holland international Narsingh, who will wear the number 28 shirt, is the first signing made by Paul Clement since he took over as head coach on 3 January.

Narsingh, who won back-to-back Eredivisie titles with PSV, will not be unable to make his debut in Saturday's match against Arsenal as a result of a calf problem.

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Conte sets Premier League record

Antonio Conte has set a Premier League record by being named Manager of the Month for the third time in a row.

The Chelsea manager has taken the award for December after his side won all 5 of their league matches against Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

Conte also took the awards for October and November, as Chelsea embarked on a 13-match winning streak that leaves them with a 5-point advantage over nearest challengers Liverpool.

The Italian's 3 consecutive awards is the first instance of a manager achieving such a streak in the Premier League history.

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Premier League - Team of the Week 21


Valdes (Middlesbrough)



Lowton (Burnley) - Jones (Man United) - Koscielny - Monreal (Arsenal)



Antonio - Lanzini (West Ham) - Davies (Everton) - Alonso (Chelsea)



Crouch (Stoke) - Kane (Tottenham)

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Vertonghen facing up to 2 months out

Tottenham Hotspur are braced to be without Jan Vertonghen for up to 2 months after the Belgium defender underwent scans on the ankle ligament injury sustained in Saturday's thrashing of West Bromwich Albion.

The tests on the joint revealed a tear lying between grades two and three, damage which had left Vertonghen in tears as he departed the turf at White Hart Lane and would normally rule him out at the very least until mid-March. Rehabilitation will begin once the swelling has receded on the left ankle and Mauricio Pochettino is preparing for life without the influential defender.

Spurs have found their best form of the season over recent weeks, winning 7 matches in succession in all competitions to rise to second in the Premier League table. The adaptable and dependable Vertonghen has been a key element in that and is distraught at the timing of the injury. At the same stage last year he injured medial knee ligaments, having been elbowed in the face by Crystal Palace's Connor Wickham, and was ruled out for over 11 weeks at a critical stage of the season.

This time he will sit out Saturday's trip to Manchester City, as well as the game at Liverpool in mid-February and the Europa League tie with the Belgian club Gent next month.




http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...k-21-full-show

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Mertesacker extends Arsenal deal

Per Mertesacker has agreed a contract extension at Arsenal, the club have confirmed.

Manager Arsene Wenger stated early on Friday that an option had been taken up to extend the World Cup-winning defender's deal by an additional year.

The 32-year-old is now set to stay at the Emirates Stadium until the end of the 2017-2018 season. His new deal follows contract extensions being handed to Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin last week.

Metersacker has made 207 appearances for the Gunners since signing from Werder Bremen in 2011 and has won 2 FA Cups in that time.




http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...h-january-2017

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Premier League - Team of the Week 22


Courtois (Chelsea)



Soares (Southampton) - Maguire (Hull City) - Mustafi (Arsenal) - Brunt (West Bromwich)



Coleman (Everton) - Wilshere (Bournemouth) - Ward-Prowse (Southampton) - Lanzini (West Ham)



Firmino (Liverpool) - Carroll (West Ham)

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Coutinho signs new long-term Liverpool deal

Liverpool can announce Philippe Coutinho has today signed a new long-term contract with the club.

The 24-year-old has committed his future to the Reds by penning the fresh deal at Melwood, the terms of which will come into effect from July 2017.

Coutinho has been at Anfield for 4 years following his transfer from Inter Milano in January 2013, during which time he has established himself as one of the most impressive performers in the Premier League, scoring 34 goals in his 163 Liverpool appearances to date.

Coutinho recently returned to action earlier this month after an ankle injury had kept him sidelined from late November.

Prior to sustaining the problem, the Brazil international had been in irresistible form, helping himself to 6 goals in 14 appearances.

Kane headlines Tottenham trio to miss FA Cup clash

Harry Kane will sit out Tottenham's FA Cup 4th round tie against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday with a groin injury.

In-form striker Kane has scored 6 goals in his last 5 appearances for Tottenham, but will miss the game at White Hart Lane.

The England international will be joined on the sidelines by Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose, both of whom have knee problems.

However, manager Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful that the trio will be available for the Premier League trip to Sunderland on Tuesday.

Jan Vertonghen was ruled out for a month and a half by Pochettino last week, but the Argentine thinks he could be back in training in as little as 3 weeks.




http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...d-january-2017

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Wenger hit with 4-match touchline ban

Arsene Wenger has received a 4-match touchline ban after admitting a Football Association (FA) misconduct charge relating to an altercation with 4th official Anthony Taylor in last weekend's win over Burnley.

The punishment for Wenger, who has also been fined £25,000, will start with immediate effect after the FA confirmed via a statement that the Frenchman's personal hearing took place on Friday.

That means he will be in the stands for Arsenal's FA Cup 4th round match at Southampton as well as their Premier League games against Watford, Chelsea and Hull City.

The charge and ban results from an altercation with Taylor in the tunnel at Emirates Stadium.

Wenger was sent to the stands in stoppage-time of the Gunners' 2-1 victory after complaining to referee Jon Moss about the awarding of a 93rd-minute penalty to Burnley, which Andre Gray converted to equalise before Alexis Sanchez netted a spot-kick of his own to seal a dramatic win for Arsenal.

After moving to stand in the tunnel amid a heated exchange with 4th official Taylor, Wenger appeared to push the official as he attempted to usher him away.