Shay Says - Episode 4
Welcome to Shay Says, the latest football betting blog from LeoVegas’ new Irish ambassador, Shay Given.
This week, the Republic of Ireland and Premier League legend previews three big Premier League fixtures.
We’ve also got his opinion on Newcastle’s upcoming trip to Wembley, alongside a reflection on the January transfer window.
Let’s see what Shay Says!
Chelsea v Fulham
It’s been a poor season so far for Chelsea but you would think they will get back on track – they’ve got too many good players to not shoot up the table.
Fulham are however having a brilliant season.
Chelsea are going to have to hit the ground running after all these transfers, and I’m sure Todd Boehly and Co. will expect results on the pitch with all the new signings coming through.
Is Graham Potter the man to oversee this? Let’s hope he’s given time.
I see it being a Chelsea victory – and I’m going to go for a 3-1 scoreline. I’m backing Mykhailo Mudryk to score anytime for Chelsea.
SHAY SAYS: CHELSEA 3-1 FULHAM
Everton v Arsenal
Can Sean Dyche do enough to keep Everton in the Premier League? That’s the million-dollar question!
I’m shocked they didn’t sign any players on deadline day – two or three new faces would've freshened things up, especially with the Anthony Gordon money they received.
It’s going to be a struggle to keep them up, but Sean Dyche did it for a number of years at Burnley. If anyone can do it, he can.
I think table-topping Arsenal will have too much for them on Saturday, though.
It’s Dyche’s first game, so I imagine they’ll be very defensive and try to get something from the game.
But Arsenal will be too strong going forward and can see them winning by a couple of goals. My prediction is 3-1 with Eddie Nketiah netting again.
SHAY SAYS: EVERTON 1-3 ARSENAL
Tottenham v Manchester City
This is a massive game; it always has been.
For whatever reason, Tottenham seem to be Manchester City’s ‘jinx team’ – I don’t know why – but they won the reverse fixture and will be confident.
We’re getting to the stage where City can’t afford to slip up anymore – they’ve had too many draws and a couple of defeats already.
If they’ve got the aspirations of winning the Premier League again, then they have to win this game and play on the front foot.
Joao Cancelo leaving is a strange one – he was probably one of the best players in the Premier League last season. There must have been some sort of fallout with Pep Guardiola.
I think City will sneak it, but it’s going to be a tough game.
I reckon it’ll be a high-scoring match – I’m going to go with 3-2 to City.
Harry Kane is the obvious goalscoring option, but I’m backing Dejan Kulusevski to net for the home side – and you’ll get better odds on him!
For City, I’m going to go with the big man, Erling Haaland.
SHAY SAYS: TOTTENHAM 2-3 MANCHESTER CITY
Newcastle fans can dare to dream after reaching the League Cup Final
I was at both legs of the semi-final against Southampton and St James’ Park was absolutely bouncing. It’s an amazing place to be at the minute.
The job Eddie Howe is doing has been immense.
Now Newcastle are in a cup final – their first once since 1999. It’s been too long for a club that size.
They’ve got a great squad of players now, and it’ll be a great final against Manchester United – a brilliant one for the neutrals. Hopefully Newcastle can win it – they can certainly dare to dream.
The enthusiasm and hope are back within the city, and I’m looking forward to the game at the end of the month.
Which sides had the best and worst January transfer windows?
I’d say the best window would have to be Chelsea, with the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez coming in. They spent along the lines of £320m, which is a remarkable sum of money.
You would think that kind of investment in the squad will help Graham Potter get his favoured team.
The financial power they have at the moment is immense.
The worst? Well, I’d have to say Everton.
They’re struggling in the bottom three with a new manager coming in – I definitely thought they would have splashed some cash on deadline day.
Even if they were just loan signings; just get three or four fresh faces through the door to give the fans some hope.
A new addition would have given them some impetus, so it’s a big shock that they didn’t even get one player through the door.
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