All posts by h716a5.icu

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Manchester City fans were left spellbound by Tanguy Ndombele’s latest impressive Lyon performance, against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.

The 22-year-old is a rumoured target for Pep Guardiola in the summer, and City supporters took to Twitter following Wednesday night’s display to express both their admiration and their desire to see the France international plying his trade at the Etihad Stadium next season.

Ndombele may have not been able to stop his team exiting the Champions League in the round-of-16 stage by losing 5-1 at Camp Nou in the second leg after a 0-0 draw in the first, but he certainly caught the eye, mainly of Citizens.

This was thanks in part to statistics of 91 per cent pass completion, three completed dribbles and four tackles, not bad in a thrashing against your own side.

It was clear from that mauling that Ndombele “deserves a better team” as one supporter stated, while others demanded that the club “break the bank immediately” and not only look at but complete the move now for the 22-year-old who was a “beast against Barcelona.”

Check out more of what the Sky Blues fans had to say about the central midfielder’s showing as we look at some of their best reactive Tweets, below…

You rarely see players of Dimitar Berbatov’s ilk anymore – those effortless artists who float around the pitch, waving their wand and creating pure magic without breaking a sweat.

The Bulgarian made everything look so ridiculously easy – this was not the most intensive football competition in the world to him, it was a playground; a player who donned a touch so exquisite it should be framed and put on a wall somewhere for all to see.

The word ‘class’ springs to mind when analysing Dimitar Berbatov’s time at Manchester United. This man literally oozed class from every inch of his body – he was the Rolls Royce of football, the luxury very few could afford both on and off the pitch other than United.

It was 2008 when the Berbatov saga finally came to an end. Manchester City, who were enjoying the spoils of their oil-rich owner, had been reportedly interested in bringing the forward to their shores for some time. But despite Daniel Levy’s best efforts to change the course of history, promising City’s representatives that they would be in pole position to sign the player, Berbatov point blank refused to even meet to discuss a deal – he wanted United.

Knowing full well the battle was lost, Spurs parted with their man for £30.75 million and Frazer Campbell on loan (yikes).

The mercurial forward’s career in Manchester was turbulent at first. A missed penalty during the 2008/09 FA Cup semi-final against Everton, which they subsequently lost, drew widespread criticism – and though he became the first Bulgarian to win a Premier League title, he failed to make a significant impact the following year drawing speculation about his future at the club.

But this was all to be forgotten following the 2010/11 campaign. Despite playing relatively few minutes, at least as far as we can remember, Berbatov managed to score 20 league goals alongside former Manchester United man Carlos Tevez. Justice.

When we reflect on his career in Manchester we do not think of goals, however;  that would be way too reductionist, even negligent, on our part.

We think about “that” moment of brilliance when he spun his way past West Ham’s defence on the by-line to provide Ronaldo with his second of the game, the countless subtle touches which brought him away from his opponents with such immeasurable ease we barely thought it legal, the weightless movement around the pitch, and the countless memories of sheer unadulterated class.

On the 8th August 2016, West Ham announced the signing of Andre Ayew for a then club record fee of £20.5 million from Swansea City.

The Ghanaian international joined the Hammers off the back of an impressive debut season for the Swans. After joining the Welsh side on a free transfer from Marseille, Ayew scored 12 goals in his first season in England, impressing then West Ham manager Slaven Bilic enough to shell a club record transfer fee for the African striker.

The transfer, though, ended being a bust for West Ham.

In 50 appearances for the club, Ayew only scored 12 goals and assisted five for the east London side. A hamstring injury at the start of the season disrupted what was meant to be a promising start for the attacker, but the Ghanaian international was ultimately unable to recapture his form for Swansea for the London team in his first full season with the Hammers.

After 18 months at the club, Ayew was sold back to Swansea for a reported fee of £18 million. David Moyes admitted that the striker wanted to leave the club, however, the attacker’s second-spell in Wales was just as underwhelming as his time in the English capital.

Ayew made 12 appearances and failed to score a goal in his second spell with the Swans, who were ultimately relegated to the Championship after a disappointing final season in the Premier League.

Like most highly-paid players for a relegated side, Ayew opted to make a move away from Swansea, ending up at Turkish side Fenerbahce for a season-long loan with an option for the move to become permanent at the end of the campaign.

Ayew’s time in the Premier League will be looked back on as weird and confusing. The Ghanaian international arguably made the wrong decision moving to West Ham just a season after one full season in England, and Hammers fans will remember the striker as one of the worst buys the club has made in recent years.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they want the club to activate Toby Alderweireld’s release clause, which is believed to be £25m.

The Belgian international saw a one-year extension in his contract with Spurs triggered back in January, although that decision meant that his release clause came into play – in this market, it is a fee which could easily be triggered by a top club.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

Liverpool have, at times this season, suffered with their defensive depth at centre-back and have had to deploy Fabinho in the role on the odd occasion as a result of injuries to Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren and Fabinho.

However, if Alderweireld were to arrive on Merseyside, he could potentially stunt the development of Gomez, who, before his injury, was amongst the top performing defenders in the league and earning rave reviews from all corners.

For just £25m, the question has been put to the Reds’ fanbase on Twitter as to whether or not they’d like to see the former Ajax man arrive at Anfield in the summer.

Unsurprisingly, the majority are in favour of seeing the 30-year-old arrive at the club…

Does this team actually want to challenge for Europe? Whenever given the chance to push themselves nearer to seventh place, the team misfire and that infuriates the supporters. Everyone reading this will know that, but still, it’s certainly nice to vent. 

Amazingly, on the whole, it’s been a fairly steady campaign for Manuel Pellegrini in his first in charge of the Hammers. Some results great, some shocking but that just screams typical West Ham.

Perhaps more positively, apart from varying results, something else the Irons are well-known for is their brilliant production of young players.

The Academy of Football is a system West Ham are incredibly proud of and it’s easy to understand why. With graduates ranging from Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole, to most recently Declan Rice, the East London outfit clearly have a very good success rate at bringing through top quality youngsters.

It’s hard to put anyone on the same scale as those former players but if a youngster is given the platform, who knows where they could get to in the game?

That is why West Ham seriously need to consider giving Nathan Holland some game-time, now the winger is fully fit and back to his best.

Holland was one of many players under the watchful eye of Manuel Pellegrini when he first arrived at the London Stadium but after suffering a number of injuries, he hasn’t been able to grasp an opportunity in the first team.

Since the start of the season, the 20-year-old has managed seven appearances in Premier League 2 and his statistics show what an influence he’s had. One goal in seven certainly doesn’t capture the eye but add in six assists as well and it’s then easy to see why Nathan Holland is deserving of a first-team shot.

What’s the harm? Rice’s rapid into footballing superstardom should act as precedence here, not just a one-off.

With the season nearing its conclusion and with West Ham having little to play for, why not experiment with the likes of Nathan Holland? Perhaps the London Stadium could have its next big star.

West Ham fans, do you agree? If not, why not? Let us know!

Ole is officially at the wheel. After months of progress, the legendary Manchester United hero has secured the job on a permanent basis and now the real work begins ahead of the summer transfer window. There’s a long road ahead, but life is good for you United fans right now. 

Indeed, it could prove to be the biggest window for Manchester United in years because with the right signings, the Red Devils should expect to challenge for the Premier League title once again. For how big the club is, that is the least they can hope to achieve but first, it’s all about strengthening upon their current options.

Money has never been an issue for United and so it won’t prove too damaging to spend a lot of money on a number of positions this summer. Clearly, that’s needed and considering the insatiable nature of fans baying for transfers, it promises to be a huge summer.

To start proceedings, their first signing should be Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, following a terrific breakthrough season at Selhurst Park.

Wan-Bissaka, (who is valued at £22.5 million on Transfermarkt) is yet another English talent showing his unbelievable ability this season, despite a senior call-up yet to occur. Reports from talkSPORT earlier this season suggest that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has earmarked Wan-Bissaka as a replacement for the outgoing Antonio Valencia as he looks to improve United defensively.

A big clear-out is expected at Old Trafford this summer, it makes room for an extremely talented right-back to enter the fray.

For Crystal Palace, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has shown his tremendous attacking and defensive abilities, when consistently making himself an option out on the right-hand-side, hence why Man United are obviously so keen on his signature.

He’s simply a wonderkid they need to sign.

Do you agree that Wan-Bissaka should be a target for Man United… Let us know down below!

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Sky Sports reported back in August that Tottenham Hotspur launched a £25m bid to sign Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, and after the 23-year-old scored another brilliant goal on Wednesday night Spurs fans were quick to react on Twitter.

The Villa captain has been in top form in recent weeks and helped his side extend their winning run to seven matches against Rotherham United.

Starting the move that led to his goal on the left-hand flank with some neat footwork, the Englishman then broke towards the Millers’ box before laying the ball out wide to Ahmed Elmohamady.

He then gave it back to Grealish who finished well to give the visitors a 2-1 win and three points as they continued their march up the Championship standings.

His future may well depend on whether Dean Smith’s men go up or not, because he will surely go if they remain in England’s second tier.

Spurs’ new stadium is a stunner! Pl>ymaker FC’s Sam Chippeck gives us a sneak peak in the video below…

It remains to be seen whether the north London outfit are still keen on the talented player or not, although The Guardian recently reported that he is an individual they have scouted, but Tottenham supporters are certainly hoping that they are.

While one said they are “hoping he’s still keen to work with Pochettino”, another said “our coaches would make him even better”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Considering their lack of spending power compared to their top six rivals, Arsenal fans must have been on cloud nine when they received little joy in January following the signing of Denis Suarez from Barcelona on loan.

However, their dreams have soon crumbled into a nightmare with the Spaniard absolutely failing to make any impact whatsoever.

After being brought in surely for his versatility, the midfielder hasn’t been able to impress Emery at all. Slowly, it’s beginning to feel as if it wasn’t his signing to make. Suarez is yet to start a single game, only making four Premier League substitute appearances and having little say on their results in the past few months.

Even when Granit Xhaka got injured recently, Suarez couldn’t earn a starting spot. He lacks that bite which Emery likes from his midfielders, while isn’t as creative as some others to get a place ahead of them. Indeed, the Daily Mail recently suggested his future was in doubt after being plagued by persistent injuries in North London. Clearly, the 25-year-old has obviously not impressed in training and not been as involved nor energetic as Emey would’ve wanted.

What had seemed like a potentially profitable deal is turning out to be a torrid one. While Suarez’s failures haven’t impacted Arsenal’s progress, as the Gunners sail forward to finish their season strongly, it proves how flawed their transfer system is.

These unnecessary loan deals should end after this.

For a club like Arsenal, getting short-term options doesn’t make sense. Rather than saving money on loan deals, it’s high time Stan Kroenke started rewarding Emery’s brilliant work by shelling out higher transfer-budgets if Arsenal are to compete with the best in the Premier League.

Arsenal fans, do you think Suarez’s loan deal was a bad decision? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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You would have got very long odds at the start of this season on Norwich City going up. You may even have got your money back once the bet was made on the grounds of insanity.

Last term, with a new manager at the helm and more on him very soon, the Canaries flew under the radar eventually finishing mid-table. They lost more times than they won and they conceded more goals than they scored but that was okay because this was a necessary period of transition for the Norfolk club and the first sprigs of improvement could be seen.

Having lured over Daniel Farke from coaching Borussia Dortmund’s reserves, it was always going to take time for the implementation of his ideas to become instinctual but there were enough flashes of his 4-3-3 possession-based fare synching throughout 2017/18 to offer hope for the future. Furthermore, Norwich were wasteful of chances suggesting that a reliable hit-man up front could greatly improve them.

Even so, the downsides still outweighed the positives. In recent seasons the club had sold off so many of their leading lights in order to vastly reduce a hefty wage bill. James Maddison was gone, as too the Murphy twins, Alex Pritchard and Jonny Howson and in their place was a squad stocked with free transfers and bargain buys; the unknowns and the untested.

More than this though was the over-riding truth that categorically stated that a team doesn’t transform itself from being ordinary to title contenders overnight. That’s simply doesn’t happen.

Only the thing is, it’s happened here. Should results go their way this weekend, Norwich will be promoted to the Premier League – they could even be crowned champions tomorrow evening.

It will represent an astonishing feat – possibly the most impressive across the four divisions – and it will have been achieved through shrewd enterprise behind the scenes courtesy of the club’s sporting director, Stuart Webber, working in alliance with Farke to revamp a middling team on the cheap.

Last summer Finnish striker Teemu Pukki was brought down from Brondby on a free. He has repaid his new employers with 27 priceless goals.

In midfield the young Argentine Emi Buendia has danced and delighted, generally lighting up the Championship with his skills. He cost £1.35m from Getafe. Elsewhere Tim Krul – another free – has been consistently excellent in nets while £1.53m purchase Marco Stiepermann has created chances galore. Holding everything together in the centre is Tom Trybull, a German who arrived at Carrow Road as a trialist.

Both in terms of results and their turn-around in fortunes it has been a remarkable year in East Anglia and that is only heightened further by the aesthetically pleasing nature of Norwich’s football. They will be a welcome addition to the Premier League next season. They will be a joy to watch.

Yet even in the midst of celebration a warning bell tolls because the fear is that this thoroughly likeable club could react to the riches of this summer and go the same way as Fulham. Does a transfer window of lavish spending lie ahead?

It’s a definite no from Webber who insisted last week: “If we do go up, we won’t be making knee-jerk decisions. We won’t be signing players for £15m. That has to be the aim, eventually, but we will be looking at Swansea, Burnley and Bournemouth when they first got promoted.”

Of course, how could we doubt them? The sensible revolution at Carrow Road is set to continue. Who knows where it will take them.

[ad_pod ]BBC Radio Solent journalist Adam Blackmore has revealed on Twitter that Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has hinted Fraser Forster could make a shock return to the starting XI for the trip to West Ham United on Saturday.

What’s the word, then?

Well, despite being the club’s first-choice option for a number of seasons previously, the 31-year-old hasn’t made a single appearance for Saints since the 5-2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day 2017.

Firstly he paid for a run of poor form to find himself behind Alex McCarthy in the pecking order, and the arrival of Angus Gunn last summer only served to push him down to being the third-choice stopper.

From last minute penalties to being taken apart by local rivals, fans pick the moments that defined their clubs’ seasons in the video below…

However, he has returned to the fold and been on the substitutes’ bench in recent weeks with McCarthy injured, and now Hasenhuttl has suggested he could be named on the team-sheet at the London Stadium.

Blackmore tweeted: #saintsfc manager Ralph Hasenhuttl set to ring the changes at West Ham on Saturday. Told me that Fraser Forster might come in – “if you want to give him a chance it’s a good moment for this.”

Good idea?

It certainly is.

Southampton are safe now so the final two matches of the season are pressure-free and give Hasenhuttl a chance to look at some of the players he may not have seen a lot of – Forster included.

The Austrian will be able to make a judgement on whether the stopper is good enough to be involved next season, as well as putting him in the shop window should he have already decided that he wants to move the former Newcastle United man on during the summer window.