” The race for survival is heating up with just eight Premier League games to go. It seems like only a matter of time before Huddersfield and Fulham are relegated, and there are at least six other clubs battling to avoid the drop. 9 Aaron Wan-Bissaka is being watched by the Premier League’s top clubs Last season, Xherdan Shaqiri went down with Stoke City but earned a move to Liverpool.
And now, the Switzerland international is loving life in the top flight at Anfield. Lukasz Fabianski also suffered the heartache of relegation with Swansea City, but has proved to be a shrewd acquisition for West Ham United. talkSPORT.com looks at the best players from relegation-threatened clubs who could earn a top-flight summer move.
Huddersfield – 20th, 14 points: Philip Billing 9 Philip Billing has been a regular starter for Huddersfield this season With just three wins, two of those coming against Wolves, it’s been a miserable season for Huddersfield. Jan Siewert has failed to improve results since David Wagner’s departure in January. But one shining light has been the performances of Billing.
The Denmark international has started 25 of their 30 games and with his contract up in 2020, Premier League clubs could make a move this summer. Aaron Mooy The 28-year-old will not be short of suitors at the end of the season.1xbet.footballresultstoday.org/ Partnering Billing for most of the campaign, Mooy has been a standout performer for Huddersfield.
He is a dead-ball specialist which could interest top-flight clubs. Fulham – 19th, 17 points: Ryan Sessegnon 9 Ryan Sessegnon has bags of potential At about this time last year, Sessegnon was being tipped for a shock call-up to Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad after scoring 16 goals in Fulham’s promotion-winning season.
But the return to the top-flight has not gone as planned and the Whites are 13 points from safety and set for a swift return to the Championship. Despite Sessegnon’s struggles in his debut Premier League season, clubs will no doubt be monitoring his situation in the forthcoming months. Aleksandar Mitrovic Scoring goals in a relegated team does not do your chances any harm of staying in the Premier League.
Last summer, Salomon Rondon joined Newcastle on loan from West Brom, who suffered relegation in the 2017/18 campaign. Mitrovic is likely to be in demand after his ten goals and two assists this season. Cardiff – 18th, 28 points: Neil Etheridge 9 Neil Etheridge has been Cardiff’s star man this season The fact that Cardiff are just two points from safety proves how well they are doing.
The Bluebirds were written off before the start of the season, but Neil Warnock has done a tremendous job. One of their star performers has been goalkeeper Etheridge, who has played every minute of their Premier League campaign. He has saved three penalties this term, including one in a shock 1-0 win at Leicester in December. The Philippines international has certainly made a name for himself.
Burnley – 17th, 30 points: James Tarkowski 9 Gareth Southgate is a huge admirer of James Tarkowski Players don’t usually receive England call-ups while battling relegation with their club, but that is exactly what’s happened with Tarkowski. The 25-year-old has been named in the England squad for their Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro this month.
Liverpool’s shortage of centre-backs in January saw them linked with a move for Tarkowski, who has become a consistent performer in the Premier League. Southampton – 16th, 30 points: Danny Ings 9 Injuries have slightly hampered Danny Ings’ season On loan from Liverpool, Ings has scored eight goals in 19 appearances for Southampton. That record is even more impressive when you consider how badly they have struggled this season.
His move to Southampton will be made permanent in July, but it remains to be seen whether Ings would want to play Championship football next season if the Saints go down. James Ward-Prowse After forcing his way into Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, the 24-year-old has become a key player in Southampton’s relegation battle. He has scored in three successive games to help keep the Saints out of the bottom three. With his contract up in 2020, he could be a target for mid-table clubs.
Brighton – 15th, 33 points: Lewis Dunk 9 Lewis Dunk is an ever-present in Brighton’s defence He was unlucky not to be recalled to the recent England squad after making his international debut in November. Brighton’s vice-captain has missed just two Premier League games this season and has formed a solid partnership with Shane Duffy. Keeping hold of Dunk could be hard if Brighton are relegated.
Pascal Gross The German playmaker scored seven goals and registered eight assists last term and has failed to replicate that form in the current campaign.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_Europe However, his creativity from midfield could interest top-flight clubs in Europe. Crystal Palace – 14th, 33 points: Wilfried Zaha 9 Wilfried Zaha is continually linked with Europe’s elite clubs This is an obvious one but relegation to the second tier would guarantee Zaha’s Selhurst Park exit.
He has contributed to almost a third of Palace’s 36 league goals this term, scoring eight and assisting two. Borussia Dortmund are reportedly interested in the Ivory Coast international, who only signed a new Eagles deal last year. Aaron Wan-Bissaka The right-back has been linked with big-money moves to Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
It is easy to see why he has been Palace’s breakout star over the past year. His tackling, pace and ability on the ball have put England’s top clubs on red alert. Even if the Eagles survive this season, Wan-Bissaka could be on the move. Newcastle – 13th, 34 points Fabian Schar 9 Fabian Schar won the February goal of the month award Schar has played a crucial role in Newcastle’s five successive home wins, helping the club climb away from danger.
In those games, Schar has scored twice, including a wonder strike against Burnley which won him the February goal of the month award. Reports claim Arsenal and Tottenham are monitoring the Switzerland international, who only joined Newcastle in a bargain ?3m deal last summer.
But the Magpies could make a substantial profit on their star defender this summer. ” ” Geraint Thomas has won the 2018 Tour de France – savouring his victory with a glass of champagne on the road in to Paris on Sunday. The win was all-but wrapped up following Thomas’ successful time trial on Saturday so the Team Sky rider posed with his team-mates while carrying the Welsh flag on the 116km stage from Houilles.
3 Thomas then posed for pictures with his team at the end of the race Alexander Kristoff took victory in the final sprint on the Champs-Elysees beofre Thomas crossed the line alongside Chris Froome to confirm his final margin of victory at one minute 51 seconds over Team Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin, with Froome a further 33 seconds back in third place. The third Briton to win the Tour did not start the race as either a favourite or the leader of his own team.
Though he had led Froome by more than a minute and a half after his victory on stage 12 to Alpe d’Huez, Thomas revealed he was only fully handed the leadership of the team after the four-time winner faltered on stage 17 to fall even further back just days before Paris. “The real defining moment was when he had his bad day (on stage 17), but at the same time I was always allowed my own freedom,” the Welshman said. 3 Thomas shares a loving embrace with his wife Sarah-Ellen “It wasn’t like I had to work for him as a domestique.
Obviously the guys were riding for Froomey and I just stayed with them. I was the back-up leader and if I was good, I was good and I would stay in front.” In a race that saw several contenders lose time to mishaps, Thomas stayed out of trouble and was able to stamp his authority on the race more and more as it went on, while Froome had been put on the back foot from the opening stage when a late excursion into a field cost him 51 seconds.
Although Thomas was a protected rider in the team, Sky continued to insist Froome was their leader and Thomas himself was still making the point even after his victory on Alpe d’Huez in the middle week put him one minute 39 seconds clear of his team-mate. Froome never recovered from that opening-day tumble, but Thomas said he was always waiting for the Alps to settle the leadership question.
3 Thomas admitted the Team Sky strategy was originally to get Chris Froome to win the Tour “I guess it (helped),” he said of Froome’s time loss. “But he was still looking to win the race. It was all about seeing how the Alps went and letting the road decide. As it turned out, after the Alps we were still both in a really good position.” The 51 seconds were useful, but Thomas found other ways to pick up time on Froome and everybody else throughout the race. In total he picked up 33 bonus seconds, 20 of them from his two stage wins, with the rest coming through bonus sprints or lower placings. “The two and the one (bonus seconds) in the first week were there, so why not take them?” he said. “When it came to the last mountain-top finish in the Pyrenees, when Froomey was dropped, it was just about stamping my authority on it. “I just kept picking them up when I could, and just racing.” LATEST SPORT NEWS ‘JOKE’ Whyte says Fury ‘should be ashamed’ after knocking out Schwarz in two rounds STATEMENT Tyson Fury scores vicious second-round TKO of Schwarz, promises Wilder rematch fight night Tyson Fury vs Tom Schwarz: Brit wins by TKO in the second round AMERICAN DREAM Tyson Fury enjoys spectacular US-themed ring walk before fight DISPUTE Billy Joe Saunders reacts angrily as Josh Warrington beats Kid Galahad on points CONTROVERSY Breidis wins crazy, chaotic brawl in Latvia as he elbows opponent before KO FIRE FIGHTS Fury returns, Warrington defends his title and cruiserweight carnage in Latvia ICED Cuban ‘KO Doctor’ renders opponent unconscious with one huge shot to reach WBSS final Thomas got to savour the rewards on Sunday – and he has plans for plenty more of the same. “I’m going to have a big party for a couple of weeks,” he said. “Maybe even a month.” “
