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Charlton and Sunderland played out one a dramatic League One play-off final on Sunday – an early Naby Sarr own-goal was followed by a silky Addicks equaliser, before the game got a bit scrappier and Patrick Bauer scored an injury-time winner.

The introductions of Jason Pearce for Sarr, who was skating on thin ice, and Jonny Williams saw Lee Bowyer’s side assume control of the game and put real pressure on their opponents in the final 20 minutes or so.

Former Palace man Williams dazzled with his close control and linkup play despite the Black Cats’ best attempts to unlawfully disrupt his game, before winning his second play-off medal courtesy of captain Bauer.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The 25-year-old has struggled for fitness throughout his career but certainly looks Championship quality when he’s firing on all cylinders – he could be an important player for the Addicks next season if they decide to extend his stay at The Valley, as some of these Charlton fans suggest…

Let’s not sugarcoat this; Manchester United have had a rather shambolic 2018/19 campaign.

Jose Mourinho suffered from his usual third season syndrome and was eventually dismissed, which led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being appointed on an initial deal and he brought the optimism and good times back to Old Trafford.

That led to the club legend being offered a permanent position, however, the party appeared to be rather temporary as his Manchester United squad was quite simply found out for being of sub-Champions League standard and one that will strike fear into the club’s own fanbase if things are not addressed this summer.

And, that horrible task will fall firmly at the door of Ed Woodward. Indeed, it appears he is trying to do the right thing and bring in someone to help him with the footballing side of the club’s operations.

But, if the latest reports have any truth to them, he could be about to make another huge mistake at Old Trafford and one that may not provide a successful return on investment.

Sky Sports are claiming Darren Fletcher is thought to be a ‘leading candidate’ for the technical director’s job, having already held negotiations with the club.

It is understood that the Scotsman would not necessarily be involved in transfers, however, he would be the man to act as the glue between Solskjaer and the board.

There is no doubt that the 35-year-old knows what it takes and what it means to be at Manchester United, having come through the academy ranks and playing over 300 games.

However, being successful on the pitch and being successful in a suit are two completely different things and there will surely be doubts that Fletcher would be the right man to help them sort things out.

Manchester United are in a period that can only be described as a crisis and need to act as quickly as possible to try and get things sorted out and take the Red Devils back to the upper echelons of the footballing world.

Surely then, someone with experience would be much better suited for the technical director role at Old Trafford, whilst Fletcher may be better at helping develop the talent on the pitch.

Manchester United fans, do you think Woodward would be making another mistake by appointing Fletcher? Let us know below!

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Leicester might be bringing Andros Townsend to the King Power this summer, with The Mirror suggesting the Foxes are planning a swoop for the winger.

Per the report, the player could cost around the £14m mark as Brendan Rodgers looks to bolster his wide options.

Townsend was in good form for the Eagles throughout 2018/19, scoring nine goals across all-competitions in what his best season in front of goal to date. Before then, he hadn’t managed more than four in a single campaign.

The wide man didn’t miss a game in the Premier League last term, also claiming four assists.

Capped 13 times by England, the 27-year-old finally looks as though he’s finding consistency in his game, something which could be of great benefit to Leicester if he makes the switch during the transfer window.

With a possible transfer in mind, Football FanCast writers have given their verdicts on whether he’d be a good signing.

Here’s what they’ve had to say.

Harry Sherlock:

“Andros Townsend isn’t a good buy for anyone. This is a player who is streaky at the best of times and he only scores spectacular goals every once in a while. His highlight reel is exceptional but he’s got absolutely no chance of becoming a key member of Leicester’s squad. The Foxes should avoid him at all costs.”

Billy Meyers:

“For a club like Leicester, you can’t go wrong with signing a player of Andros Townsend’s ilk. Of course, don’t get too many of them, but a Premier League team outside of the top six would only be improved by having Townsend in the ranks. He offers you a 7/10 performance every week and doesn’t let you down; he may not start for Leicester, but he would be an excellent squad player.”

Ben Goodwin:

“I don’t think Townsend would be a good signing for Leicester as he’s too similar to what they already have. Townsend, like Demarai Gray, Marc Albrighton and Rachid Ghezzal, is a talented winger whose talent is only displayed in spurts. All four players blow hot and cold, and rarely put together a string of consistent performances with effective end product. Townsend would not be an upgrade on the wingers already at the club.”

وجه أحمد حسام ميدو المدير الفني الأسبق لنادي الزمالك التهنئة للنادي الأهلي بعد تتويجه بلقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا على حساب الأبيض.

توج الأهلي بلقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا، على حساب الزمالك، في مباراة القمة التي جمعت بينهما في نهائي البطولة الإفريقية على ستاد القاهرة، بعد فوزه بهدفين مقابل هدف، ليحقق اللقب التاسع في تاريخه.

أقرأ أيضًا.. أفشة يتحدث عن هدفه العالمي أمام الزمالك ويصرح: لا أستمع للمنتقدين

وأضاف ميدو خلال استضافته عبر قناة “النهار”: “أبارك للأهلي وهارد لكل للزملكاوية، الزمالك خسر مباراة وبطولة، ولا بد على كل الجماهير أن تفتخر بفريق لعب بطولة كبيرة وقدم أداءً جيدًا، ليس سهلا أن يدخل مرماك هدف وتعود بسرعة وتظهر بشخصية قوية”.

تابع: “خروج شيكابالا أثر على الفريق من ناحية مستوى والشخصية، شيكابالا كان مصدر قلق بشخصيته للاعبي الأهلي، بعد خروجه تنفس لاعبي الأهلي بشكل أفضل”.

وواصل: “علمت من شيكابالا صباح اليوم أنه سيبدأ المباراة بشكل أساسي، وهناك أوقات الله يعطي فيها سيناريوهات طيبة لمن هم مثل شيكابالا، (كان نفسي السيناريو يكمل بفوز الزمالك)، وجماهير الزمالك لن تنسى هدف شيكابالا”.

استكمل: “لو كنت مكان حسين الشحات وظهر إسلام جابر بحالته التي كان عليها كان يجب أن أكون نجم المباراة”.

اختتم: “الزمالك كان سيء الحظ جدًا في غياب عبد الله جمعة والونش، اثنين لاعبين أساسيين في الفريق، كانت ضربة في مقتل”.

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Manchester United fans have has little to cheer this season, but one good thing that’s certainly come out of a year of hurt and frustration involves ongoings south of Old Trafford down in Birmingham, or more specifically Aston, where Axel Tuanzebe has just played a vital role in getting the Villans promoted back to the Premier League.

United fans can be forgiven for wishing they’d enjoyed his ever-improving performances in the Premier League with his parent club, but perhaps without that year in a more suitable division Tuanzebe would not have developed as finely as he has these past 10 months.

The 21-year-old defender formed a solid partnership with Tyrone Mings during the second half of the season which helped Villa to a ten-game winning run before they found themselves enjoying play-off glory at Wembley against Frank Lampard’s Derby.

United have been far more disappointing, relatively speaking, and a summer overhaul is due with club linked to various players as is always the case in a summer transfer window.

The centre-back position certainly needs to be addressed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, only Victor Lindelof ending his season with any reason to hold his head high. But amid Tuanzebe’s impressive performances on loan, is there perhaps and obvious solution to the problem? These Manchester United fans think so…

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Caglar Soyuncu has been a man left in the shadows after arriving at Leicester City last summer. He struggled to get into the side and even a change of manager from Claude Puel to Brendan Rodgers failed to help his cause.

The Turk arrived at the club as a hugely promising centre-back but his stock has decreased since he moved to the Premier League. He’s currently rated at £16.2m per Transfermarkt after an initial £19m move last year.

Le10 Sport claimed last month that Monaco had shown an interest in the player and now with the transfer window open, Leicester fans have been debating the future of the 22-year-old.

On Twitter, a poll was posted which saw 47% of people voting to see him remain as a squad player.

Below the post, supporters gave a mixed verdict on the 22 cap defender as one individual claimed he clearly had the talent. Another hinted that Soyuncu needed a period of games to bed in.

A further fan urged the Foxes to use him in a deal to bring Youri Tielemans back to the King Power permanently. The Belgian has only just recently returned to Monaco following his loan spell.

Soyuncu only played in six Premier League matches this term, appearing four times from the start.

Here’s the best of the debate.

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Newcastle United signed Yoshinori Muto from Mainz last summer.

The 26-year-old arrived off the back of a 10-goal season in Germany, and having represented Japan at the 2018 World Cup.

It would be fair to say that Muto struggled to make his mark in England, though, scoring just once in 17 Premier League appearances during the 2018-19 campaign.

Muto only started five league fixtures for the Magpies, meanwhile, but he took to social media on Monday to thank for the club’s fans for their support.

It is not the worst move in the world after a difficult campaign, and as expected, the Newcastle supporters were out in their numbers to praise the attacker.

It remains to be seen whether Muto is able to make his mark in English football.

However, judging by the reaction of a number of Newcastle fans, he still has the support of the St James’ Park faithful.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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West Ham are set to trigger Salomon Rondon’s £16.5million release clause as they attempt to sign the West Bromwich Albion striker, per the Northern Echo.

What’s the word?

The 29-year-old scored 11 Premier League goals during a loan spell with Newcastle United in 2018-19 and is now a man in demand.

The aforementioned report claims that the Magpies would like to sign him permanently, but that the Hammers are hoping to steal a march on their domestic rivals.

Indeed, the Northern Echo state that there remains uncertainty over the future of manager Rafael Benitez and that there will be no transfer activity until that is resolved.

Rondon’s clause is active after West Brom failed to win promotion to the Premier League.

And Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini is keen to sign an experienced striker this summer as he looks to build on his club’s 1oth-placed finish in 2018-19.

The first of many

West Ham need more than just one striker this summer.

Football FanCast understands that Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is also a target, with the Hammers trying to ascertain whether or not his contract contains a release clause that has been activated by the Cottagers’ relegation to the Championship.

And FFC has also reported that Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez are all likely to depart the club this summer.

Only bringing in Rondon, then, would leave the Hammers with just the Venezuela international and Marko Arnautovic, whose future is far from certain, given the £45m release clause in his contract.

This deal, if completed, then, cannot be the last for Pellegrini’s men, as they look to push on and attempt to qualify for Europe next season.

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According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Sheffield United want to re-sign Everton midfielder Kieran Dowell on loan for the 2019-20 campaign.

Indeed, Nixon has claimed that the Blades are currently ‘in talks’ with the Toffees over a return for the 21-year-old.

Dowell joined Sheffield United on loan in January and made 16 Championship appearances in the second half of the 2018-19 season.

Chris Wilder’s side are currently preparing for life in the Premier League having earned promotion from the second tier last term.

It remains to be seen whether Everton have plans for Dowell, however, as the England Under-21 international is not exactly a youngster.

Dowell has only made five first-team appearances for the Toffees, whilst he has turned out just twice in the Premier League.

The Merseyside club’s fans have been on social media offering their views on Nixon’s claim and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

There are not many young starlets who would fit Jurgen Klopp’s desired profile, as well as Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, does. Indeed, Liverpool are reportedly looking to add to their stockpile of talents this summer and reports from Goal suggest the Yellow Submarine may have exactly what the Reds seek: lightning quick, versatile youngster, eager to make it on the big stage. 

Looking at the pure attacking talent pool of Liverpool, one could easily conclude that new forwards are not needed at all. Granted, if Klopp wants an immediate improvement on his trident up front, he’s going to have a really hard time finding it in the current market. The only real step ups from the Mane-Salah-Firmino strikeforce are either a certain Argentinian who bleeds red and blue or that Portuguese lad hoping to kickstart his career in Italy.

Even they would probably struggle to cope with Klopp’s heavy metal regiment at the Merseyside since, even though they are a class above everyone else, they are slowly getting on with their careers. Samuel Chukwueze, however, isn’t. On the contrary, with only 19 years on his back, he is literally at the start and already tearing La Liga apart piece by piece. And this is no exaggeration either; Chukwueze made his way from his nation’s youth programs into Villarreal’s first team in a matter of a year, scoring five goals and assisting two since November and in a total of 26 appearances, in 13 of which he was a starter.

Liverpool’s attack is all about intensity, pace and gallons of energy. And this Nigerian gem has got it all: he can play on both wings, has a keen eye for setting up and finish a goal and his pace means he glides through defenders like they’re not even there to begin with. It’s difficult to see Villarreal just letting the kid go but if there was a good offer put on their plates, they just might buckle under pressure.

At the start of his professional footballing career, Chukwueze was worth about £500k but now Transfermarkt estimates his value at £9.00m. Quite a jump in just a bit more than a year’s time. Liverpool were already inquiring about his countryman, Moses Simon last summer and then shifted their focus on Ryan Sessegnon but seeing how both could be off the table, they could turn to other options and Chukwueze would soon make them forget they ever asked about them in the first place.

Harry Wilson is reportedly attracting a lot of interest and could be set for a move away from the club, so a look to La Liga could be an excellent way to replace him.

Funding the transfer should not be a problem for the Reds but sacrificing a pawn or two for a potential superstar would be well worth it. After all, Klopp always knew how to pick them and groom them properly. And if he doesn’t, someone else will, that’s a given.

Liverpool fans, would you like to see Samuel Chukwueze in your team this summer? Also, would you be willing to let go of some other players to make way for this Nigerian talent? Let us know in the comments below…