Have Monaco found the new Henry?

Mbappe had to be held back when it was bingo night in Monaco

It looks like the poshest club in Europe, Monaco, have unearthed a fantastic new talent in Kaylian Mbappe. This promising Paris born 18 year old has been one to watch for a few years now and his talent is blossoming.

Rising through the ranks of the famed French
Clairefontaine academy, he burst onto the stage by scoring when just 17 years old. As the title of this post suggests he has been compared to a certain Thierry Henry, most noticeably by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.


Tandem football was the new thing in France

Wenger is reported as seeing similarities between the two saying "Mbappé is exactly, well not exactly Thierry Henry, but it is true that he has similar qualities and the talent is similar, the potential is similar" to the Ligue 1 website.

Mbappe certainly has the same pace and power as Henry along with an ability to run at people. Anyone making this kind of splash at his age usually has something special so he is one to watch out for. As an aside, any Henry fans would do well to visit Thierry Henry signed shirts to pick up some authentic merchandise form their idol. Great site and great people to deal with!






Patrice Evra to leave Juventus

I love Jeeps so sturdy and reliable

Latest football news from Italy is that Patrice Evra is to leave Juventus for pastures new. The French left-back is going back home to join Marseille by all accounts.

Although he has been surpassed by Alex Sandro in recent times, he has been a great player for them and will be missed. He is one of the big figures in modern European football and had a lot of experience that Juve found useful. This came in particularly handy when Juve played in the Champions League and he was there to guide younger teammates through games.


The new home kit was unusual

One thing that it does highlight is how time stands still for no player in football. It's only 12 months or so since he was a first team player for Juve but the emergence of Sandro and effects of time on Evra have taken their toll.

I think Juve fans will miss him but you could always pick up some quality signed memorabilia from his old mate Andrea Pirlo in Juve colours to cheer you up instead at Signed Pirlo Juve Gear .

I think with Sandro in as a more than able replacement Juve should be ok though although only time will tell.

Andrea Belotti - Torino's main man

Belotti felt stupid without his ear trumpet

Torino have been one of the surprise success stories in Serie A this season. One of the main reasons for this is the scoring exploits of their main striker, Andrea Belotti.

Belotti has 16 goals to his name so far this season which is impressive in Italy's stingy top flight. He really is on fire this campaign and it's not hard to see why.

One of his main assets for me is his movement and pace. He is always looking for space between defenders to run into or looking to play on the last shoulder of the defender to get in behind. This makes him a dream to play with for his midfielders as his runs mean there's always a ball on.

He is also good at linking play up and holding the ball for his team. If you watch him play, he drops deep when needed to collect the ball and bring team mates into play. This is invaluable for a side especially one like Torino.



Belotti went for the crouching tiger approach

He also has a great work rate, constantly harrying defenders and never letting them settle. This guy really does defend from the front and that is so useful in unsettling the other team and keeping Torino on the front foot.

Looks like he will score 20+ easily this season and he well deserves it.

Evertons Promising Youth

Evertons stunning 4-0 romp in the Premier League against Manchester City got everyone talking last weekend. The Toffees really turned on the style and gave poor old Pep Guardiola another example of how tough this league is.

For me the most impressive thing was the impact three young stars had for Everton. If they can keep hold of them and keep them progressing, Everton have a hell of a core team on their hands. Here's the low down on the three muskateers:

1. Tom Davies

Davies styled his mannerisms on Bond-era
Roger Moore

The words 'Like a Boss' were made for this kid! Everton fans have long known he was going to be a special player and the City game confirmed that to all. He really has got it all - energy, good in the tackle, fearless, can pass and chips in with the odd goal.

If any proof were needed, check out his goal on Sunday. The way he received the ball before turning with it and driving into the City half was good enough. To then have the quality to lay it off, take the return and chip the keeper to put it in was astounding.

Trust me this lad will become a great player for club and country before long!

2. Mason Holgate

Holgate went for Terminator-era Arnie however

This lad is another gem although not a home grown one as per Tom Davies. Holgate arrived from Barnsley under previous Everton boss Roberto M******z. That was one of the few things M******z got right to be fair as Holgate is a top prospect.

What I like about him is his confidence and coolness. He just doesn't seem to get fazed by playing against big names. If you look at the City game on Sunday he had big players like Raheem Sterling in his pocket and looked comfortable all afternoon.

Some cheeky Everton fans are even wondering if City signed the wrong defender when they picked up John Stones last summer!

3. Ademola Lookman

Frankly my dear I don't give a damn

This kid was a recent signing for Everton but probably the one out of all three with the most hype around him. A lot is expected and the new Wayne Rooney is already a tag being attached to him.

He does seem a special talent and scoring on your debut with practically your first touch is pretty good! Lookman is a lethal striker - great finishing and with pace to boot. All in all the sort of forward defenders hate playing against. The best part about his goal at the weekend was the anticipation. He didn't switch off and was alert so when the ball happened to fall where it did, he was first in there.


These three look really good players to me and if Everton have any sense they should start to build the team around them. With the experienced pro's of Barkley, Lukaku, Baines and Mirallas to help them along,  the Toffees could be about to do something great.



West Ham in for Fonte?

Fonte didn't even need to touch the ball

Looks like our old mate Slaven Bilic at West Ham is shoring up his increasingly leaky defence in the transfer window. Reports suggest the Hammers have had a bid of £4 million for the Southampton defender. There's no news on if this has been accepted or if the player would like the move to London but I bet his missus would love the shopping if he does.

I think this would be a good move as:

a) West Ham need to become more solid at the back so any new additions in that area would be welcome

b) Fonte is a class player - to be honest I can't believe he's only gonna cost £4 million?! He will be a good buy for them and bring some skill & steel to their back line.



What do you mean we're re-signing Marco Boogers?

If I was Bilic at West Ham, I would be making sure this deal happened as he is the sort of player they need. If they can get it nice and solid at the back they have enough going the other way to have a good rest of the season.

Bundesliga football water bottle challenge

Bundesliga Water Bottle Challenge

This isn't news as such just a bit of fun from the fab Bundesliga.com website - well done guys , it made smile!

Although I reckon I could do better than most of the players on it ha ha :-)

Can James Rodriguez save his Real Madrid career?

Who needs a shirt when you have hair gel?

Oh I feel for this guy , I really do. He was basically on a hiding to nothing before he even kicked a ball for los blancos. He cost an eye watering £71 million pounds when he signed for them in 2014 and no-one can live up to that. For that money, unless you score ten goals a game and serve the pies at half time you will get moaned at.

The ever great Terry Gibson has written an article (Terry Gibson article on JR ) for Sky looking into why it's not happening for him and I think he has a point.

Zidane's formation as a boss doesn't particularly suit JR as player which has meant he's been bench warming a lot. This doesn't mean he's become a bad player or should go but sometimes a player doesn't fit with a coach well. I think this is the case here as Gibson points out.

So what next? Should he go in January and try to find a club that he suits better or should he stay & fight his way back in? That is up to the player but whatever happens, he is still a top man and will do well if given the chance. After all (as per this link James Rodriguez Golden Boot ) he did actually win the Golden Boot at a World Cup so can't be too shabby.

Ligue 1 Legends - Jean Pierre Papin

Curly perms are still in fashion right?

I haven't done a Ligue 1 legend for a bit (the fabulous Patrice Loko was the last I think) so the bell is tolling. And it tolls today for none other than Jean Pierre Papin.

Before I write much about him , check out this link for his highlights:

Papin pops it in

As you can see from the link , this guy was a true fox in the box and clinical finisher. He had a good leap too and sharp movement which combined to make him a great player.

He gained fame originally at Marseille where his goals made him Ligue 1's top scorer five times (and he was only there 6 years!). This prolific scoring shot his club to four titles during his time there in what was a great team.



Milan started to wonder if Papin was really only 25

Following on from this, he moved to AC Milan in Serie A where the goals continued to flow. Papin's silky skills and finishing fired them to 2 Serie A titles while he was there. He became a firm fans favourite and really showed that he had the talent and character to be a winner.

So there we have it - Jean Pierre Papin , a champion and great player that deserves legend status!

Deulofeu moving to AC Milan

Did the gaffer just say I could go to Milan?!

Reports coming out of Italy suggest that Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu is ready to move to AC Milan.

Rumours abound that he has agreed to the move and the ball is now in Evertons court as to if it will happen. Toffees boss Ronald Koeman had indicated the player was needed to pad out his squad but a decent offer may sway him.

I am an Everton fan so can give an insiders take on this so to speak. I reckon most Everton fans would say that as long as we get a good amount for him then it would be a good deal for all concerned. Del Boy started off very well for us and looked like a hell of a player but has since tailed off somewhat. I do feel sorry for him as I think he has not had a good run in the team and would benefit more from being central rather than out wide.



Koeman made him do a dance off to get the move to Milan

The other reason he may be surplus to requirements is the playing style under Koeman. Big Ron likes to play the pressing game with all players, forwards included, having to track back and tackle. This doesn't suit Deulofeu who was brought in by former Everton boss Roberto Mar***z who favoured a stroll around and see what happens style.

All in all I think this is a goer and a good move for everyone.