Monthly Archives: February 2017

Transfernewz

Could Karim Benzema finally be on his way to Arsenal in the summer?

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema could be on his way out of Real Madrid this summer, and the Premier League is a likely destination if he does leave.

French striker Benzema, 29, has been struggling for form recently – he hasn’t scored in his last 5 appearances – and the Bernabeu faithful have started to turn against him, being whistled when he is on the ball.

Arsenal will inevitably be linked to a bid, as Arsene Wenger is a long-time fan of Benzema, but other Premier League clubs would doubtless be interested in a player who has scored 116 goals in 230 appearances for Real.

If Benzema were to leave, it might take £50 million to secure his services – which would be expensive for someone approaching their 30s – but possibly worth the investment if he could fire his club to a Premier League title.

Football Factz

Frank Lampard announces retirement from football

Former Chelsea, Manchester City, West Ham and England midfielder Frank Lampard has announced his retirement from football at 38.

Lampard, who had most recently played for New York City in the MLS, had been without a club since the autumn.

“After 21 incredible years, I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional footballer,” Lampard said. “Whilst I have received a number of exciting offers to continue playing at home and abroad, at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life.”

While Lampard didn’t elaborate on what that next chapter may be, he has recently done some stints as a pundit on TV and has been taking his coaching badges.

The midfielder started out at West Ham – where his father was assistant manager at the time – making 148 appearances for them between 1995 and 2001, scoring 24 goals.

But it was after his move to Chelsea that Lampard really excelled. In 13 years, he made 429 appearances and scored 147 goals for the club, and won 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League.

After that, he moved to New York City, but was loaned back to Manchester City, where he made 32 appearances and scored 6 goals. After going to New York, he made 29 appearances in 2 injury-affected seasons, scoring 15 goals.

He stands 4th on the all-time list of PL scorers with 177 and 3rd on the list of appearance makers (607).

Internationally, he played on 106 occasions for England, scoring 29 goals.

Football Factz

Who will win tonight’s Premier League matches? Our factz will give you a guide

West Ham United v Manchester City

  • City won 3-1 at the Etihad earlier in the season. City also beat the Hammers 0-5 in the FA Cup.
  • West Ham have won 5 of their last 7 league games.
  • City have won 4 of their last 8 league games, losing 3.
  • Andy Carroll is West Ham’s in-form player with 4 goals in his last 5 games.
  • City will stay 5th in the PL even if they win tonight – unless they win by 10 clear goals.

Manchester United v Hull City

  • This is the third meeting between the clubs in 23 days. Hull beat United in last week’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg, but went out on aggregate.
  • United are unbeaten in 13 league games – their longest run since 2013.
  • Hull have won just 2 of their last 20 PL games.
  • Wayne Rooney has scored 7 goals in 7 appearances against Hull.

Stoke City v Everton

  • Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park earlier in the season.
  • Stoke have lost just 4 of their last 17 league matches.
  • Everton have won 5 of their last 7 league matches, including the last 3 on the spin
  • Everton have conceded 16 goals away from home this season.
  • Peter Crouch just needs 1 more goal to complete a century of strikes in the PL.