Danny Welbeck
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #PaulBarber would love #DannyWelbeck to stay at Brighton #BHAFC

June 3, 2021
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber would love to keep Danny Welbeck at the club next season, but knows they could face competition to secure his signature. The 30-year-old scored six goals for the Seagulls this season after joining on a free transfer in October, with only Neal Maupay (8) having scored more. But with his contract due to expire at the end of this month, Barber would love the striker to stay. Speaking at Albion's fans forum on Tuesday night, he said: "He did a fantastic job for us and I think anyone who doubted that Danny [Welbeck] was still capable of playing at this level have had their questions answered by the performances that he gave us. "Obviously we would love Danny back next season. "The plus side from what we saw is that he did a great job for us, the downside of what we saw is that makes him attractive to other clubs as well. "Therefore we go into a position where we would love Danny to be with us next year but we also know that he is even more desirable because of the opportunity he took with us and did a good job with us. "So we are certainly talking to Danny and we will see where we get to over the next few weeks." Welbeck's six goal for the Seagulls was his best return in the Premier League since the 2013/14 season where he scored nine goals in 30 appearances for Manchester United. His 24 appearances for Albion was also the most he has made in a season since 2017/18 where he made 43 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #RalphHasenhuttl reveals admiration for player quality #AlexJankewitz has #SAINTSFC

June 3, 2021
RALPH Hasenhuttl remains confident Alex Jankewitz can play to a "very high level", despite the youngster's limited match minutes for Saints last season. The teenager made his senior Saints debut in January, coming off the bench in a 2-0 FA Cup win over Shrewsbury Town at St Mary's. His Premier League bow followed a few days later against Aston Villa, before being handed a first top-flight start in February. However, it turned into a nightmare evening for Jankewitz, sent off after just two minutes against Manchester United at Old Trafford for a horror challenge on Scott McTominay. Saints went on to lose 9-0 and Jankewitz has not played for the first team since. The 19-year-old received sickening racist abuse online following that incident, with team-mate Kayne Ramsay taking to Instagram to show his support for the youngster. He wrote: "Comments directed at my teammate Alex is inexcusable. "Faceless person/s behind a screen, they’re just ignorant with nothing but an agenda to make the hurt even more painful. "Why break a guy down, with all the hate, when he already feels broken? "However, does that give another person the right to abuse another person because he is black!? "Why direct such hate, when there is so much upset and turmoil in the world. No-one needs negative energy, you can’t direct all this hate to a player who has made a mistake. "Why not send some good vibes and positive thoughts, to build the guy back up, he’s a human being, a black human being, with feelings and emotions, no different to mine and yours. "I’m a young black man, just like Alex. "He got a red card, his timing was all wrong, he’s truly gutted, disappointed in himself." Since that defeat at Old Trafford, Jankewitz has impressed on the international stage with Switzerland under-21s. He played in all three group games at the European U21 Championship and his season drew to a close at the weekend, featuring for the full 90 minutes as the Swiss beat Republic of Ireland under-21s 2-0 in a friendly. And Hasenhuttl has urged the midfielder to be ready for whenever his chance with Saints arises again. Discussing Jankewitz's progress, the Saints boss said: "The (full) debut against Man United was definitely not really helpful for him. "I think he made a mistake, but he knows this. "In the end, we see the quality that he has. We see that he can maybe one time play also on a very high level, but like always there is now big competition in this position. "We have Stuey (Armstrong) now back on the six, Ibra (Diallo) is there and Ori (Romeu) comes back, it is not so easy to get a chance there to play. But when there is a moment to give him a chance to play, then we will definitely do it. "When he trains hard and when he is available and gets the chance, then he must show up." Saints academy director Matt Hale added: "It is great to see Alex on the international stage. “He has made so much progress since he joined us when he was 16 and this experience (with Switzerland) will provide him with great confidence.”
Ben White Leeds
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #GarethSouthgate reveals Brighton’s #BenWhite was always aware he was not heading to Euros #BHAFC

June 2, 2021
England boss Gareth Southgate has revealed that Brighton defender Ben White knew he was coming in for the experience and the friendlies rather than the Euros. The 23-year-old defender was called up as part of Southgate's 33-man provisional squad last week. But he was one of the seven players to miss out on the chance to go to the Euros with England. However, Southgate revealed that the uncapped trio of White, Everton's Ben Godfrey and Sheffield United's Aaron Ramsdale knew they were coming in for the experience. He said: “You never want to give bad news. “It is lovely to give people debuts and bring people into the squad for the first time but it is much harder to deliver bad news. “This time, there were three boys who knew they were coming in for the experience of training with us and for these two matches, and who knows what might happen. "But they have trained really well.”  
James Ward Prowse
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #GarethSouthgate explains why #JamesWardProwse is left out of England Euro 2020 squad #SAINTSFC

June 2, 2021
ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate admitted “you never want to give bad news” after James Ward-Prowse was cut from his Euro 2020 squad. The Saints skipper was one of seven names to be trimmed down from the original 33-man group, as the Three Lions finalised their final 26-man party for this summer’s tournament. Ward-Prowse had been regarded as an important figure in the Three Lions setup, and a regular in recent squads. But reports surfaced on Sunday that the 26-year-old would not make the cut for the final squad, set to compete in this summer’s tournament. His fate was confirmed as England’s final squad was finalised hours before UEFA’s deadline for submissions. Mason Greenwood withdrew from selection due to injury, while the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben Godfrey, Ben White, Jesse Lingard and Ollie Watkins were also not selected. Ward-Prowse could however still feature in England’s friendly with Austria at Middlesbrough tomorrow night, as well as Sunday’s showdown against Romania. Asked how tough it was to leave out the seven men cut from the group, Southgate said: “You never want to give bad news. “Anybody that’s been in a leadership position – it’s lovely to give people debuts, it’s lovely to bring people into the squad for the first time. It’s much harder to deliver difficult news. “With the lads this time, there were three of the boys who really knew they were coming in for the experience of training with us – they are with us for these two matches and who knows what might happen? “They have trained really well and we are really pleased with Ben Godfrey, Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale. They have added a lot to the group. “Mason Greenwood unfortunately had to pull out on Friday. We knew he wasn’t a contender over the past few days. “For me personally, it was very difficult to speak with Jesse (Lingard), who has given so much for England, performed so well for England over a long period of time. James Ward-Prowse who has been our captain with the under-21s and then Ollie Watkins who has had a tremendous season with Aston Villa. “Those three, I gave them the option of going home if they wanted to, but they were all adamant they wanted to stay – they wanted to be part of the group – they know they will be involved in these two matches. “Their commitment has been exemplary and their professionalism has been brilliant. It meant that yesterday (Monday) afternoon, when I had the conversations with those players – although they were disappointed, they knew where they stood. “It’s meant that the atmosphere around the camp has stayed positive and very relaxed.” Ward-Prowse went into the England camp having played every minute in the Premier League for the past two seasons. He also netted his first senior international goal in March, during a 5-0 World Cup Qualifying win over San Marino. Southgate added: “I think every squad is difficult because we have a lot of talented players in this country. “The most difficult thing is to not be able to take players who’ve been with us in previous matches and who are such good professionals. “So, I know what a disappointment that is for them at the moment not to be going to a major championship. “But we still have two friendlies to get to, and there’s been plenty of examples over the years where there have been injuries in those friendlies that have ruled people out. “So, there’s still time for those guys even though they’re not in at this moment in time."
Goran Babic southampton
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #GoranBabic describes first pro deal at Saints as a massive moment in his career #SAINTSFC

June 2, 2021
RISING star Goran Babic insists it is a “massive step in my career” to pen his first professional contract with Saints. The 17-year-old has put pen to paper on a deal at St Mary’s which runs until 2023. Having signed from Brentford back in 2015, the central midfielder has become a regular feature in Saints’ under-18 side this season. Babic, who has already represented Serbia at age-group international level, told the club website: “It’s a very proud moment for me and my family. “This is something I’ve been working for my whole life so it’s a massive step in my career and I’m looking forward to what comes. “It’s been an amazing five-six years at the club, I want to thank all the coaches and the staff for getting me to this point. A lot of work has gone into improving me as a player and as a person. I’m delighted with the difference they’ve made in my career. “As well as footballing ability and technical skill, they’ve taught me to become a better person, how to deal with my emotions, how to speak to other people and respect others. I really do owe a lot of this to them so, thank you. “In the short term I’m hoping to progress into the B team next season and be in and around the first team. “In the next five-six years I want to be a standard first team player, that’s what I hope to achieve. “I hope to have a successful pre-season with my age group and obviously get back from injury quickly and soon be part of the B team squad, hopefully.”
James Ward Prowse
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #JamesWardProwse on adapting to his role as Saints skipper #SAINTS

June 1, 2021
JAMES Ward-Prowse feels age is merely a number when it comes to captaincy, as he approaches the end of his first year in the role. At 26, Ward-Prowse is the second youngest captain in the Premier League, behind only Jack Grealish. The Saints academy graduate took the armband from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in June of last year, after the Dane announced his intention to leave the club. Since, Ward-Prowse has played every minute for Saints and will hope to be part of Gareth Southgate's final 26-man England squad, due to be announced tomorrow. Speaking to The Super 6 podcast, Adam Lallana admitted being named Saints captain at such a young age was something that took some getting used to. Under Nigel Adkins, Lallana skippered the side at just 24-years-old, during the club's first season back in the Premier League, in 2012. "I was 24, I was so naive. I was captain but I didn't know what captain material was," Lallana said. "I was just being myself. "It was a little bit of a weight on my shoulders. It took me a year or so to adapt because subconsciously I thought I needed to do more on the pitch when I was captain, whereas you don't need to do any more. "I feel you just need to be yourself and that's enough. "I was trying to do too much and I gradually learned to deal with it and just ignored the armband." Asked if he feels age matters when it comes to captaincy, Ward-Prowse said: "I think it’s got to go to the right character, for sure. I don't believe that age matters at all. "I think it can be a little bit daunting sometimes if you are young and you’re trying to speak to an older player about certain things because he’s more experienced and he might know a little bit more about you. "But I think as a leader you have to trust in your abilities to lead. "You’ve been put in that position for a reason and you have to take that responsibility with courage and enjoy the role." Ward-Prowse is competing with fellow midfielders Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Jude Bellingham for a spot in Southgate's Euro 2020 squad.
craig cathcart glenn murray
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Former Brighton striker #GlennMurray felt it was the right time to retire #BHAFC

June 1, 2021
Former Brighton striker Glenn Murray felt it was the right time to hang up his boots. Read more: Former Brighton striker Glenn Murray announces his retirement But Murray was content with the decision to end his playing career. He said: “I feel as though the time is right and I wanted to retire at a good level. “I’ve had a lot of good years in the game, but this seems the right time to call it a day. “I am getting off the football merry-go-round, the structure of being told what to do for 20 years. "I am looking forward to making some of my own decisions I suppose!" But Murray now looks to set to do more media work rather than go into coaching. He said: “I have got a lot of options, there are a lot of things going on in the background. "The media work is something I want to pursue and I am looking forward to starting a new chapter of my life. “Give me six months, a year and I might miss it so much that I want to give back to the club in some capacity as a coach. "But at the moment that isn’t the route I am going down.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #OriolRomeu says being injured is the worst thing as a football player #SaintsFC

May 31, 2021
FIT-AGAIN Oriol Romeu was pleased to put his injury setback behind him before the end of the Premier League season – but admitted it was tough to watch Saints struggle in his absence. The Spanish midfielder had been sidelined since February with a fractured ankle, sustained in a 3-0 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road. He had originally been ruled out for the season by boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, but was able to make a return after coming off the bench for 30 minutes in last week’s season finale at West Ham. Despite replacing Kyle Walker-Peters on the hour mark at London Stadium, Romeu was powerless to prevent Saints slipping to a 3-0 reverse and having to succumb to a 15th-placed Premier League finish. Asked about his return, the former Chelsea man told the Daily Echo: “I’m happy to be back yes and being able to play a few minutes is a nice thing. “But I was not that happy with the result and the way it went. “We have conceded many goals, we conceded many chances and we haven’t pushed them, probably. A bit disappointed in that way. “But it’s a good message to make sure we first of all relax in the summer, have a few weeks to live and have a good rest – but also to start thinking ‘what can we do better next season?’.” Since Romeu sustained his ankle problem, Saints lost nine of their 14 league contests to finish the campaign – picking up 13 points from a possible 42. Quizzed on what it was like to watch his team-mates struggle, the 29-year-old said: “Being injured is the worst thing as a football player. Once you are not playing it’s the worst thing you can have. “When you see the team not enjoying it, it’s even worse but it’s part of the game as well. “You need to get through that recovery and make sure you come back in the best way you can.” He added: “Now the following six weeks are going to be crucial for us to start the pre-season in a good way and the season afterwards.”