NxGn 2018: The best teenage XI in world football
The winner of NxGn 2018 has been announced, but which teenagers born 1999 and later make up the most talented young team in the world?
The winner of NxGn 2018 has been announced, but which teenagers born 1999 and later make up the most talented young team in the world?
Manchester City have been linked with a move for Red Star Belgrade winger Andrija Radulovic recently and the 18-year-old could prove to be an excellent addition to Pep Guardiola’s side in the future.
According to The Sun, the Citizens are interested in signing Radulovic and have opened talks with the Serbian side about signing him, having already tracked the youngster for over a year.
It is suggested that City have been keeping an eye on him since he scored against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-0 win in the UEFA Youth League, which has also seen Spurs track the teenager, although City are the favourites to sign him.
They also report that Radunovic is unlikely to challenge in Guardiola’s side at first, so would likely be sent back to Red Star on loan, or to one of City’s affiliate clubs from around the globe.
In 13 appearances for Red Star’s senior side, Radulovic has managed an impressive two goals and two assists, so he is clearly a promising youngster and he looks to have a big future in the game.
Barcelona, Benfica, Inter and AC Milan have all also been linked with him in the past, so it seems clear that he is a man in demand and that plenty of the top scouts around the world feel that he has what it takes to make it at the top.
The Serbian U19 international has been also been compared to current Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri, who has won two Champions League titles with Bayern Munich and Liverpool in his career, so if Radulovic could have a career similar to his, then he would surely prove to be a solid addition at the Etihad.
Given that he is valued at just £1.17m by Transfermarkt, it seems as if the 18-year-old could be a bargain signing for City this summer, especially if he goes on to realise his obvious potential with Guardiola’s side in the future.
Therefore, sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely look to bring Radulovic to the Etihad ahead of next season.
And, in other news… Txiki must avoid transfer disaster over 25-goal “winner”, Pep would be fuming
Leicester City have been linked with a number of wide options heading into the summer transfer window.
Two of the most prominent names have been Florian Thauvin of Olympique Marseille and Borussia Dortmund’s Thorgan Hazard.
It is certainly key that the Foxes bring in another wide option next season with on-loan Cengiz Under set to return to AS Roma. It should definitely be the former Newcastle United man Thauvin who Brendan Rodgers and Jon Rudkin target.
Both at the same age of 28, albeit Hazard being two months younger, the Frenchman is enjoying a much better season throughout 2020/21.
He has eight goals and nine assists in all competitions for Marseille, whilst the Dortmund man can only boast three goals and four assists, the lowest amount of goal contributions he has racked up in a single season throughout the entirety of his senior top-flight career.
Whilst Thauvin is clearly excelling thanks to his tangible output throughout the current campaign, the £25.2m-rated wideman continues to outperform Hazard in his general play.
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According to WhoScored, he attempts more than double the Belgian’s shots per game in the league, racking up two per match in Ligue 1, compared to the Dortmund man’s 0.7 per game in the Bundeslliga.
Thauvin’s composure and threat on the ball continues when looking at his 1.6 dribbles per game compared to Hazard’s paltry total of just 0.4. For context, even Leicester defender Wesley Fofana has completed more than that with his 0.6 per game according to WhoScored.
Meanwhile, the former Newcastle man is far more of a creative influence too, providing 1.5 key passes compared to Hazard’s 0.8.
So, whilst on paper, both Thauvin and Hazard may seem like extremely similar players, the former is the stand-out right-winger.
He then should certainly be Leicester’s number one priority should they, as is expected, choose to recruit a wideman in the summer transfer window.
AND in more news, the Foxes have been dealt a huge blow in the race for Celtic Odsonne Edouard…
Everton slipped up in the race for Europe with a home draw against Crystal Palace on Monday evening.
James Rodriguez had set the Blues on course for a precious three points, but Michy Batshuayi struck in the 86th minute to deny them.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain eighth in the table, but West Ham’s victory at Wolves means they have slipped five points off the top four, albeit with a game in hand.
The result represented a continuation of Everton’s poor home form after defeats against the likes of Fulham, Newcastle and Burnley earlier in the season.
After the game, 27 year-old Lucas Digne took to Twitter in a bid to reassure supporters that the team would continue battling.
“We have the opportunity to do better but it’s football, keep going,” he wrote.
Digne had actually played reasonably well – he created three chances – but that didn’t stop fans venting their anger in the replies.
“Lucas it’s hard supporting this team sometimes. I was 15 last time I saw Everton win anything and I’m now 40. It is the same year on year and you become numb to it. It’s down to you as a team, if you collectively put the effort in then you win.”
Credit: @PaulSaul2001
“If only the players knew or cared how much we want and need this. Yes keep going, but please can you start winning.”
Credit: @jazzyjjo89
“It’s not football mate, it’s a case of not performing at the standard we expect, the home form is terrible and the lack of quality up top today was disappointing to say the least, we expect far better than recent performances.”
Credit: @18_JUNIOR_78
“You’ve had plenty of opportunities to do better…after the Fulham game, after the Newcastle game etc etc…heard it all before. Until the squad improves you lot will continue to disappoint.”
Credit: @5teVanDamme
“Not good enough lad, keep saying the same stuff week in week out”
Credit: @mxrganhulme7
“It’s April. We’ve won one match at Goodison this year. That’s not good enough. As a team, collective responsibility should be taken.”
Credit: @jimefc81
“Sounds like excuses every week, it’s really not good enough.”
Credit: @pbo1379
“Sorry mate but we’ve completely bottled this season”
Credit: @SlendermanXXI
In other news, a football finance expert has made a prediction about Everton’s spending.
Leeds United youngster Robbie Gotts has been tipped to leave the club this summer, with Marcelo Bielsa not seeing him as part of his plans.
The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Salford City, having moved to the League Two club in January, affording him more regular first team football.
Gotts’ current Leeds deal expires at the end of next season, raising question marks over what the next chapter in his career will be.
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According to The Athletic‘s Phil Hay, the youngster is unlikely to convince Bielsa to be part of his future plans, with a move elsewhere appearing to be on the cards:
“He’s [Gotts] a lovely lad and a good player but I got a distinct impression that he suspects his future lies elsewhere. Bielsa always keeps his leading under-23s close to him. He’d rather they trained at Thorp Arch than played elsewhere on loan.
“This naturally concludes that anyone who is allowed to leave on loan is a fair distance from his plans.”
Gotts has managed three appearances for Leeds to date, making his debut away to Arsenal in the FA Cup third round in January 2020.
In truth, it makes sense for all parties for Gotts to find a new permanent club moving forward, with the midfielder once described as ‘excellent’ by Richie Wellens.
If Bielsa can’t guarantee him a regular squad role, he risks growing stagnant in his career, so being a key man at a different club makes far more sense.
Leeds are now at a level where they are a mid-table Premier League club with aspirations of improving further – Gotts doesn’t appear to be at that standard in Bielsa’s eyes.
In other news, Leeds have been linked with an outrageous move this summer – find out who the player in question is here.
Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Daniel Levy should consider Marcelo Bielsa as a potential replacement for Jose Mourinho.
With Tottenham out of Europe and likely to finish outside the top four, the Portuguese was sacked on Monday morning, meaning Levy’s search for a successor is well underway.
Former player Ryan Mason has been placed in temporary charge for the remainder of the season, with Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann the Spurs chairman’s number one target, although the likes of Brendan Rodgers and Wolves’ Nuno Espirito Santo have also been mentioned.
But with Bielsa’s contract at Elland Road expiring this summer and no agreement for him to extend his stay in Yorkshire as things stand, Windass believes that he’s one Tottenham should be looking at.
Asked whether he thinks the Argentine could be tempted by the move to north London, Windass told Football FanCast:
“Good shout, good shout. Yeah, without a doubt. Who knows what Bielsa is thinking, but he would be one on the lips of Daniel Levy.
“We won’t have to worry about it until the end of the season because Ryan [Mason] has got it, so good luck to the kid.”
West Ham visit Manchester United on Sunday looking to stake their claim to Champions League qualification, but David Moyes has revealed there are a number of injury concerns.
The Irons are six points behind the Red Devils, albeit with a game in hand, and can put the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea with a win after the Blues’ goalless draw with Leeds United on Saturday.
Manchester United have beaten West Ham in each of their previous two meetings this season, but required extra time to eliminate the Irons from the FA Cup last month. However, their Premier League form has been underwhelming, with five draws in their last eight fixtures.
Moyes will be without Jesse Lingard at Old Trafford, with the on-loan midfielder ineligible to face his parent club. With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Hammers may field…
Moyes confirmed on Friday that West Ham are facing a number of injury concerns ahead of travelling to Manchester United this weekend, but hopes that those facing late fitness tests will be able to feature.
“We’ve got a couple of slight doubts behind the scenes on a couple of players, who have just picked up slight injuries which I’m hoping will be okay,” he said. “I won’t know until tomorrow [Saturday] to see how a couple of them are going.
“That’s just something I’m nursing behind the scenes a little bit. It might be that they’re all okay, it might be that they’re not okay – that’s where it is.”
Lingard will be one who cannot feature against the Red Devils due to the terms of West Ham’s loan agreement, depriving Moyes of a four-goal, two-assist option who has been involved in more goals than any Hammers player since his arrival at the London Stadium.
“He’ll be a big loss because he’s had a big impact on the team and how we’ve played. He’s been a positive signing for us, coming in in January, so it is a loss to us, but we’ve got other people,” Moyes added.
Lingard is likely to be the only player who started Monday’s 2-0 win over Leeds to be withdrawn from the West Ham line-up against Manchester United, barring a tactical shift from the east London outfit or a late injury.
Jarrod Bowen will be expected to take over the England international’s place in the team and replace Pablo Fornals on the right wing, with the Spaniard changing sides and Said Benrahma moving centrally.
Bowen has not started either of West Ham’s last two Premier League games after falling out of the team which beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 last month, although the £25m-rated maestro has won plaudits this season, with Dean Windass telling Football FanCast that “he’s proved me wrong”.
Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford will be a big test for Benrahma after Moyes vocalised his desires to see a better end product from the Algerian after beating Leeds.
Benrahma is yet to score in claret and blue since his initial arrival on loan from Brentford last summer, while providing five assists in 22 appearances, of which he has started 12, across all competitions.
Moyes could look to reduce his forward options in Lingard’s absence, which may open the door for Ben Johnson to feature at left-back in a return to a five-man defence, or Mark Noble to start in a more congested engine room to try and thwart the dangerous Bruno Fernandes.
In other news, West Ham are keen to sign a “special talent” who his manager feels “privileged” to have in his squad…
In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Marlon Harewood revealed he has not been surprised by the impact Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made at Everton this season.
The 23-year-old has been spearheading the Toffees’ push for Champions League football, scoring an impressive 13 goals in English football’s top flight so far.
Not always being a regular at Goodison Park, Calvert-Lewin’s explosion may have come as a surprise to some. That, however, has not been the case for Harewood, who shared his long-time admiration for the player.
On £40.5m-rated Calvert-Lewin, the former West Ham and Aston Villa centre-forward told FFC:
“I haven’t been surprised because I’ve followed him, obviously strikers follow strikers, and he’s been a very top-class striker for many years. It’s just he hasn’t really had the time to shine. Since the new manager’s come in, he’s put a lot of faith in him and helped him along the way because he’s worked with a lot of top-class strikers.
“[He’s] showing him what he needs to concentrate on and once you get that understanding of ‘I want you to score goals, I want you to get into the box, I want you to look at videos, I want you to react to things, I don’t want you coming out of that area’, it just shows really. He’s been in those positions where he’s been threatening on goal and it’s just worked out for him.”
Last season was hardly a terrible a campaign for the England international either, where he also managed to reach double figures in the Premier League.
He scored 13 goals, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all clubs succumbing to the No.9’s finishing prowess, showing that he is also the man for the big occasion.
Calvert-Lewin has been making a name for himself on the international stage, too, scoring on his England debut against Wales before netting versus the Republic of Ireland.
The Everton man will now be hoping to get the call-up when England’s squad for the European Championships this summer is announced.
Ozan Kabak made his Liverpool debut on Saturday afternoon against Leicester City and unfortunately for the Reds, he struggled to make much of a positive impact for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The 20-year-old joined Liverpool on loan from Schalke in the January transfer window as a result of the Reds’ injury issues at the back, and was handed a start against the Foxes following an injury to Fabinho earlier this week.
Whilst the Turkish international coped well in the opening 70 minutes, when Liverpool were well on top, he was, unfortunately, a big reason why the Merseyside club capitulated in the final 20 minutes, as they shipped three avoidable goals and fell to another defeat, which all but confirms that they won’t be retaining the Premier League title this season.
The first goal was no fault of Kabak’s but the second was a disaster for Klopp’s side, as there was no communication between the young centre-back and Alisson, with the keeper flying out of his goal only to collide with his new teammate and pass the ball straight to Jamie Vardy, who was presented with an open net.
Kabak was then caught way out of position for Leicester’s third goal shortly afterwards and looked very sluggish as he attempted to catch up with Harvey Barnes, who was afforded far too much time and space to glide forwards and finish underneath Alisson.
As per SofaScore, the Turkish defender would earn a 5.9 rating for his display on Saturday, which was the joint-worst of any player on the pitch.
Although he was fairly consistent with his passing, registering a 92% accuracy, it was his slip in concentration in the final 20 minutes that let him down on his debut.
Whilst Alisson was able to redeem himself somewhat with an unbelievable double save to deny Barnes and then Vardy, Kabak was unable to have any real positive moments during the 90 minutes.
The youngster, rated at up to €30m (£26m) by Football Observatory, had endured a nightmare time with Schalke earlier in the season, with the once fearsome side bottom of the Bundesliga with just one win, and perhaps there is a case of the youngster having a losing mentality at the moment, something he will quickly have to alter if he is to be a success with the Reds.
He will no doubt get better as he adapts to the Premier League, but this debut display will perhaps be a cause for concern for Klopp and Liverpool fans.
And, in other news… Liverpool gem lost possession 45 times vs Leicester; his performance wasn’t good enough
Many Aston Villa fans have been talking about a tweet from Gregg Evans that recently emerged on social media.
Evans recently tweeted out an article about the club’s recent form. The tweet stated that the club’s squad will look more complete when the signing of Morgan Sanson is complete. It also talked about why Villa should sign a striker this month, saying that Ollie Watkins is the only striker in the Premier League who has played every minute of every game.
But the Englishman will need to rest at some point in the campaign and because of that, Villa may need to sign another striker in the ongoing January transfer window.
Evans’ article for the Athletic states that owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens will continue to back head coach Dean Smith in the market whenever the need arises. Adding another striker could mean that Villa could have the ‘perfect’ January window and it would allow them the chance to finish as high as possible.
It also states that Villa are in a better financial position than other clubs this month but despite that, January is a tough market to do business in. It also talked about the fact that having another striker wouldn’t hurt them.
Evans’ tweet caught the attention of many Villa fans, who gave their opinion about what the article said.
“Think it will be a massively missed opportunity if we don’t sign another Striker to help Watkins. A loan would work and less risky.”
Credit: @chris_dolan
“I know he’s young but we should start thinking about integrating Barry into the first team squad a little.”
Credit: @_porsalin
“Does seem silly to only go with 1 recognised striker, if Watkins gets injured then the whole thing potentially falls apart due to his work rate and ability to occupy the whole back 4 on his own. We seen last season what an injury to your only striker can do.”
Credit: @VillaWayne
“I’d be surprised if we sign a striker. Traore would play up top if anything happened to Ollie with EG or Trez on the wing. Who, of real quality, would come to us knowing they would be just the back up? No time to panic. Address this in the summer. Re Barry, trust the coaches.”
Credit: @BrumRadioPete
“A striker addition with a loan to buy option would make sense for us to help Ollie take a breather and rest and rotate a bit, if ever he gets injured our European football adventure may end.”
Credit: @UTViIIa
“Another striker is essential Gregg, Loan out Davis and have Barry around the first team … Watkins over Christmas was shattered.”
Credit: @Naathan_lowe
In other news, Fabrizio Romano has issued an update about an Aston Villa target – read more here.