You might not realise it, but football and poker are inextricably linked and have been for many years.

Often, a team are referred to as playing poker when making transfer dealings. They try to keep the value of their hand a secret, which is why we have so many undisclosed fees in football these days.

You might hear terms such as going ‘all-in’ on a deal mentioned or ‘raising the stakes’ when it comes to a move. Manchester United certainly raised the stakes this summer, as Antony’s price rose from £50m in the first instance to an eye-watering £86m.

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, as relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham United have made a surprise enquiry to Lazio over the potential availability of experienced defender Francesco Acerbi. But their approach has been knocked back, with the 34-year-old Italian international not keen on moving to the London Stadium.

England international Harvey Barnes was on target as Leicester City secured a 2-1 away win over hosts Preston North End in their pre-season friendly clash on Saturday. The England winger turned out to be the recipient of the winning goal at the end of the game at Deepdale.

Newly promoted Premier League team Nottingham Forest have made a move to sign Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles according to the report from English publication Daily Mail. It was revealed that the former European champions want to sign the England international this summer.

Liverpool are chasing four trophies between now and the rest of the season for what would be an unprecedented feat in England. No team in England hasever won all the major four trophies in a single season, but that’s the challenge facing Liverpool.These four trophiesare the Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Champions League.

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has been labelled the best English goalkeeperby Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers after the England international made a stunning save to deny the Foxes an equaliser in the first half. At the time, hosts Arsenal were leading thanks to a Thomas Partey header and his goal proved to be the difference between the two teams at the break.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane scored twice either side of the half-time break to lead his team to a big win at home to Everton in the Premier League. In the process, Kane also became the sixth all-time goalscorer in the history of the Premier League. His two goals propelled Spurs to a 5-0 win as they closed the gapon the top-four places on the Premier League table.

Mason Mount was an unused substitute after he made his return to the Chelsea squad for the first leg of theChampions League round of 16 tie with French champions Lille. The England international sustained an injury during the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup tournament on Qatari soil and that forced him to miss the Premier League game at the weekend. The England national team star was absent for the London Derby clash with hosts Crystal Palace on the Premier League stage last weekend. Without the England international, Chelsea were able to take the derby spoils thanks to their 1-0 away win. In-form Hakim Ziyech came off the substitutes’ bench to score the only goal of the game in the final three minutes. The away win consolidated third position for Chelsea on the Premier League log.

England international James Ward-Prowse produced one of the best free-kicks in the Premier League this season to provide Southampton with a lifeline during their away game against Wolves. In the end, it was not enough for his team who succumbed to a 3-1 defeat. The England midfielder is one of the best free-kick takers in the Premier League if not the best and he showed it with a magnificent strike with six minutes left on the clock as far as the Premier League encounter with Wolves at the Molineux is concerned.

England international Phil Foden turned out to be the catalyst for the latest Manchester City win in the Premier League. The England national team star scored the only goal of the match as Manchester City beat their hosts to increase theadvantage they haveover fellow title challengers Chelsea and Liverpool in the race to win the league title at the end of the season.

Foden was restored into the Manchester City starting XI in the league for the first time since the 7-0 drubbing of Leeds United earlier this month andhe took his chance. The England national team player had earlier been punished by City boss Pep Guardiola for his outing just after the Leeds game amidst the increase in the rate of Covid-19 cases. Foden was given the punishment of being an unused substitute for the Newcastle United game alongside England colleague Jack Grealish.