Most Popular Sports
All Sports
Show All

Paper Round: Dele Alli targeted by Real Madrid, Arsenal line up Santi Cazorla replacement

Michael Hincks

Updated 03/01/2017 at 07:51 GMT

Real Madrid are planning a summer swoop for Dele Alli, while Arsene Wenger has spoken to a Juventus player over the phone. It's Tuesday's Paper Round.

Dele Alli celebrates scoring their third goal

Image credit: Reuters

Alli targeted by Real Madrid

Real Madrid are planning a summer swoop for Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, according to the Daily Mirror.
The current European champions are planning a revamp at the end of the season and will look to bring Alli over to Spain, with Isco heading the other way.
Alli signed a new six-year deal with Spurs in September.
Paper Round’s view: Two good performances in a row and it’s time to link Alli with the best in Europe. It’s a bit ridiculous and feels partly down to finding a new angle on the Isco rumour.
If Alli keeps progressing, then this could well be a potential move in years to come, but this summer? That’s far too soon. Gareth Bale has proved the benefits of Brits heading abroad – but don’t expect to see Alli in a different white kit come August.
***

Wenger lines up Cazorla replacement

Arsene Wenger has called Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic about the possibility of joining Arsenal, The Sun reports.
The paper claims the Bosnian would be a long-term replacement for Santi Cazorla, if the Spaniard chooses to leave the Emirates.
Paper Round’s view: Pjanic only joined Juventus in the summer, and after barely six months there, you’d be surprised if he was already thinking of jumping ship.
All talk of Wenger eyeing a long-term replacement seems rather bizarre – given that his own future is under constant speculation. It’s hard to see Wenger as the reason why a player would join Arsenal, but location and Champions League football next season could tempt most players over to London.
***

Man Utd reject Everton bid for Schneiderlin

The race for Morgan Schneiderlin is hotting up, but Manchester United have reportedly turned down an offer of £19m from Everton.
West Brom are also said to be interested but had an £18m bid of their own turned down – with United looking to recoup as much of the £25m they spent on him as possible
Paper Round’s view: It’s a case of pride from United holding this transfer back, and of course an attempt to be business savvy as well. It’s a loss they’ll have to accept – it seems crazy to think Schneiderlin joined for so much in the first place and it always felt like one step too high for the Frenchman.
It seems inevitable he’ll leave in January – and he’ll no doubt reap the benefits from moving on.
***

Referee Dean ‘has to go’

Mike Dean’s decision to show Sofiane Feghouli red against Manchester United has hogged the back pages.
The Times, and more specifically Tony Cascarino, say it’s time for the referee to leave the Premier League after he sent off the West Ham midfielder, although opponent Phil Jones went in with his own challenge that was just as hard.
Dean has sent off more players than any other referee this season, and he has come under heavy criticism from pundits and fans alike.
Paper Round’s view: The protection of referees after the match remains baffling. There isn’t going to be a witch-hunt if these officials come out and explain their decisions – if anything, it will help their cause and would ease the bad press. The lack of this means referees like Dean can make huge game-changing decisions, steal the spotlight, before creeping into the shadows while it’s all eyes on managers like Slaven Bilic, who are left to handle interviews and give their answer on why the man in the middle got it so wrong.
Join 3M+ users on app
Stay up to date with the latest news, results and live sports
Download
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement