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Over the last few seasons, Tottenham Hotspur have been transforming themselves into genuine challengers for trophies.

The club will move into a state-of-the-art stadium this summer, and they have an opportunity to end the campaign with silverware as they are two wins away from lifting the FA Cup.

In the last two seasons, Mauricio Pochettino’s team have finished third and second in the Premier League respectively.

In the current campaign, the club have had to settle for a top-four battle due to the dominance of champions Manchester City.

Pochettino’s current team are capable of competing at the highest level, but they need a few more acquisitions to take that step further, particularly as their rivals around them will be strengthening in the summer window.

According to The Independent, Pochettino will be given a transfer kitty of around £120m, and the publication adds that the money available will increase with the likely sale of Toby Alderweireld.

A defender and attacking midfielder is expected to be on the wishlist, and according to our poll, the majority of Tottenham fans would welcome the arrival of Bryan Cristante, who is currently plying his trade at Atalanta on loan.

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After reports emerged of Pochettino’s budget, Tottenham fans tweeted their reactions.

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Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s clash against Granada last weekend, Galacticos’ boss Carlo Ancelotti revealed his sympathies for striker Javier Hernandez.

Bought in on loan with a view to a permanent transfer last summer, the Mexican has struggled to have any sort of impact in the Spanish capital.

With only 14 appearances, many from the bench, ‘Little Pea’s’ move to Madrid has been a failure. But would his parent club profit from having the predatory striker back in their mitts?

Hernandez’s impact at Old Trafford was startling. Bought mainly as back up by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2010, his performances on the pitch made him a central part of his plans. Thirteen goals in his debut season went along way to helping his new team lift the Premier League trophy.

His next two seasons in England represented similar yields for the Mexican. Scoring 10 goals in both of the next two campaigns, he built a reputation as one of the most feared goal scorers in English football.

However, Ferguson’s departure has essentially seemed to end his United career and both David Moyes and Van Gaal have been reluctant to use the forward, with Van Gaal electing to send him out on loan.

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The strike force at the start of this season meant the Dutch manager seemed to be taking no risk in letting Hernandez go. Both Van Persie and Rooney were comfortably ahead of him in the pecking order, and the signing of Radamel Falcao meant game time for the Mexican would be limited at best.

But as we have seen this season, only Rooney has had any sort of consistent impact on this new Man United side. Van Persie has been dogged by injuries and, when he has been fit, he has looked a shadow of the player he once was. Radamel Falcao has also struggled to settle into life in Manchester, only three goals have been netted by the Colombian since his arrival.

As United now enter a pivotal run of fixtures in their quest for top four football, they are almost solely reliant on their captain Rooney for striking options. Few could argue that Hernandez wouldn’t add to this current United side.

Javier Hernandez still seems as if he would be the perfect foil for Rooney. Although he has been at United for five years now, he has never had a consistent run in the side. Even through this he has managed a good return and his record should be respected.

If he is still committed to Manchester United, it seems silly for them to not seriously look at trying to convince him to return to Manchester. It seems inevitable his Spanish journey is coming to an end and his list of admirers is sure to be long.

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Van Gaal will need to go out and purchase quality players to help propel his side into serious title contention, come next year. He would have to spend some serious money to find a striker as effective and instinctive as Hernandez.

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Stoke chief scout Lindsay Parsons claims the Potters have missed out on a number of big names due to Tony Pulis’ style of play

The Potters boss is coming under increasing pressure after a disappointing second half of the season for the Staffordshire club, winning just once in the Premier League since the turn of the year.

Parsons is the latest person to slam the Welshman, claiming he has clashed with Pulis on a number of occasions over Stoke’s current style of play.

The 67-year-old claims because of Pulis’ approach to the game, the Britannia Stadium faithful have missed out on seeing a number of players who have gone on to be big hits at other Premier League clubs.

“We have loads of disagreements, because I don’t like the way they play and I will never change on that,” Parsons told The Sentinel. “I have been told that players I’ve recommended have been too small for Stoke, but I don’t go along with that. Look at Lionel Messi, he is different class and is he too small?

“I have recommended players like [Cheick] Tiote, [Hatem] Ben Arfa and [Demba] Ba, but they have not been signed by Stoke and they have done well for other clubs.

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“I remember one of the first names I gave to Tony at Stoke was a lightning-quick, 6’4″ striker called [Emmanuel] Adebayor, but we were in the Championship and we were told the fee of £3m was too much.”

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After shining again for Rangers U20s side this week, supporters are eager to see youngster Glenn Middleton in first team action sooner rather than later.

The 18-year-old joined up at Ibrox from Norwich City in January but so far has not had an opportunity in the senior side despite impressing on a consistent basis in development fixtures for the youth squad.

They faced Icelandic side Breidablik on Tuesday afternoon, routing them 4-0, and Middleton was at the heart of the victory, scoring two goals and looking a danger throughout.

Predominately a left-winger, he may find first team opportunities limited with Jamie Murphy in such good form but fans still want to see what he has to offer in Graeme Murty’s starting eleven before the end of the season.

Can the boyhood Rangers fan force his way into senior plans sooner rather than later?

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel has slated the FA’s decision to reject his appeal and ban him for three games following his ‘stamp’ on Manchester United’s David de Gea.

The incident occurred in the dying seconds of the Reds’ 2-1 loss at home to their bitter rivals on Sunday when the Slovakian collided with the goalkeeper as he was chasing a loose ball.

Replays indicated that there had been contact between his boot and the United man’s leg, but the incident was not seen by any of the match day officials.

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The FA subsequently reviewed the coming together, with an independent panel declaring that the Merseyside ace had intentionally stood on De Gea.

Skrtel appealed the call, but the three-match ban has been upheld.

The 30-year-old was seemingly critical of the FA shortly afterwards – he posted an image of clowns on his Instagram account (below) – and has now told his personal website that he does not feel guilty:

“It feels strange because we appealed against those charges and still I was hit by a three-match ban,

“I didn’t want to stamp on him. It was an accident and I didn’t do it on purpose. I don’t feel guilty.

“It was a long ball and he went towards me and I wanted to jump over him. Simple as that.”

Skrtel will miss Liverpool’s league games with Arsenal and Newcastle as well as the club’s FA Cup quarter-final replay at Blackburn.

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Steven Gerrard will also sit out the same clashes for a stamp on Ander Herrera in the United game – which he was red carded for.

…A photo posted by Martin Skrtel official (@martin37skrtel) on Mar 25, 2015 at 4:41am PDT

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Manchester City’s resolve to keep Sergio Aguero could be tested this summer if Real Madrid offer Karim Benzema or Gonzalo Higuain in exchange.

Aguero has been linked with a return to Spain for some time and is thought to be a top target for Real in the summer.

So far this term, the former Atletico Madrid star has failed to regularly hit the heights he displayed in his first season at City as he helped them to the Premier League title, although he remains a world-class talent on his day.

City do not want to sell the Argentinian, who cost around £35million in 2011, but an offer from Real, with either Higuain or Benzema thrown in, may be tempting when they reassess things in the summer following a disappointing campaign.

Any potential transfer deal between the two clubs could depend on managerial changes at both clubs over the close season, with speculation growing Roberto Mancini could leave the Etihad while Jose Mourinho’s position as Real coach looks even less secure.

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Aston Villa won for the first time in the Championship since the start of March courtesy of a 3-0 home success over Reading on Tuesday night.Defeats to Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers, in addition to a draw with Hull City, had led to concern amongst Villa supporters during a key stage of the season.Steve Bruce’s side were resounding winners over Reading at Villa Park, however, as they cemented their spot in the playoffs with just six matches of the campaign remaining.[ad_pod ]Jack Grealish played 75 minutes of the Championship match, and the 22-year-old again showed his class at Villa Park.The midfielder has had his injury problems this season, but made his 21st Championship appearance of the campaign against Reading, and there is no question that he is an extremely popular figure with the club’s supporters.Indeed, a number were keen to once again pay tribute to Grealish, who is valued at £4.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, on Tuesday night. A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

If there’s one thing Newcastle United have got do in January, it’s keep hold of their star man Moussa Sissoko. Reports in the Daily Mail have linked the Frenchman to a move to the Emirates, with the player confessing Arsenal are ‘the club of my heart’.

Sissoko made the move to St James’ Park in January 2013, from French side Toulouse for an undisclosed fee. The French international has quickly turned himself into one of the Premier League’s best midfielders and a Newcastle fan favourite. During his time in England, he’s been described as a box-to-box midfielder, who doesn’t shy away from a tackle and has the eye for the odd goal or two.

Since arriving at Newcastle, Sissoko has become one of the Magpies’ most consistent performers. After showing glimpses of quality in his first year and a half with the North East club, the dominant midfielder has really come of age this season. He has caught the eye with some standout performances and his quality would benefit any of the Premier League’s elite. Despite only netting two league goals so far this term, Sissoko’s form is a real reason of why Newcastle are looking upwards rather than over their shoulders.

The Frenchman’s strong performances this term have seen him heavily linked with a move away from Tyneside. Newcastle are undoubtedly going through a transitional period at present, with ex-boss Alan Pardew leaving the club to head for Crystal Palace recently, and his former assistant John Carver in charge on a temporary basis. Whoever comes into St James’ Park must persuade the 25-year-old to stay at the club, but that’s obviously easier said than done considering Sissoko has already admitted he’s be interested in a move to the Gunners.

Moussa Sissoko has been a shining light in what has been another turbulent season at St James’ Park. The Magpies have probably been the Premier League’s most unpredictable side this term – a run of no wins in their first seven Premier League outings was followed up with six straight league and cup victories to turn their season right around. Newcastle have only tasted victory once in eight games in all competitions – and since Pardew departed, a 3-3 home draw against lowly Burnley is the best the North-East club have mustered.

Sissoko’s calm head is exactly what the Magpies are in desperate need of at the moment. Despite all the transfer talk surrounding him of late, his performance levels have never dropped, and he remains as vital as ever for Newcastle. The midfielder was excellent in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last Saturday – he hit the post with a thunderous drive in the first-half, and his superb showing throughout the game would have only added more fuel to the fire for a potential move away.

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Owner Mike Ashley must get Alan Pardew’s replacement in as soon as possible. Whether that will mean Carver getting the job full-time or another man to coming into the hot seat, their first task is to sit Sissoko down and do everything in their power to keep the Toon Army’s main man at St James’ Park.

Manchester City star Sergio Aguero has hinted that he wants to stay at the club for many more years.

The Argentine has been a real hit since his £38m arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2011, playing a key role in the Citizens’ Premier League winning campaign last term.

His last gasp winner against QPR and a number of other stunning efforts have made him a fans’ favourite, despite there being a number of other world stars in the squad.

He has now revealed that he sees his long-term future at City and has enjoyed his time with the club so far:

“I’m very happy at City and I feel very appreciated here which means a lot to me,” he is quoted by the Guardian.

“It’s been barely more than a year and a half since I’ve arrived (but) sometimes I feel like I’ve been here all my life.

“I keep a symbiotic relationship with the fans that always remind me of our title and that goal against QPR. How could I forget that? More to the point, why would I want to forget that?”

Aguero has been linked with a return to Spain, with Real Madrid said to be interested.

The 24-year-old started his career with Independiente in his homeland, before joining Atletico Madrid, where he played alongside Fernando Torres.

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He averaged nearly a goal every other game in the Spanish capital, which tempted City to splash the cash for his signature.

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Andreas Christensen has impressed during his debut season in the Chelsea first team, replacing David Luiz to become a key part of the Blues’ back three.

But the Danish defender has made some costly mistakes in recent weeks, as Chelsea have come up slightly short against a high calibre of opponent, and was sent home early from international duty due to muscle fatigue.

It’s made Christensen something of a doubt for this weekend’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur, which could essentially end Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with their fourth-placed rivals already five points ahead in the table.

Which all begs the question of whether Antonio Conte should risk starting a youngster who potentially isn’t fully fit and has made key errors in recent weeks, especially considering the quality Spurs boast in attack.

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So, Chelsea fans, would you risk starting the promising 21-year-old this weekend? Let us know by voting below…