Barely had a chance: Leicester fans share differing views on Soyuncu

[ad_pod ]

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.

We believe in you: Newcastle fans throw their support behind misfiring Muto

[ad_pod ]

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:

West Ham set to trigger PL star’s release clause amid rival interest

[ad_pod ]

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.

No point in a loan: Everton fans react to Kieran Dowell speculation

[ad_pod ]

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:

Liverpool: Samuel Chukwueze would be a fantastic addition to Klopp’s machine

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…

Amazing news: Tottenham fans react as young midfielder Marsh signs new deal

[ad_pod ]

On Tuesday afternoon, Tottenham Hotspur announced that midfielder George Marsh had signed a new contract with the London club.

Marsh has penned a fresh deal until the summer of 2021 and will now be looking to kick on during the 2019-20 campaign.

The 20-year-old featured on Tottenham’s pre-season tour of the United States last summer and also made his first-team debut during the recent campaign – appearing as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers in January.

The bulk of Marsh’s football last term came for Spurs’ Under-23 side, though, as he turned out on 20 occasions in Premier League 2.

Tottenham are not exactly full of midfield options at the moment.

And there might well be a spot for Marsh in the first team next season depending on what happens in this summer’s transfer window.

Should Spurs sell Kieran Trippier? Check out the for and against in the video below…

The Premier League club’s fans have been on social media offering their thoughts on the news and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Broken Transfer Policy: Arsenal look to spend big on back-up ‘keeper

[ad_pod ]

According to Plaza Deportivo Arsenal are attempting to sign Valencia goalkeeper Neto this summer.

What’s the word?

With Petr Cech set to hang up his gloves at the culmination of this season, Arsenal require a reliable deputy to Bernd Leno and have set their sights on Neto, according to reports in Spain.

The Brazilian shot-stopper was a regular for Valencia this season, starting 34 La Liga matches as well as racking up a combined 13 appearances in European competition.

The Gunners were given a first-hand taste of Neto’s ability as the ‘keeper performed admirably, despite conceding seven goals, in May’s two-legged Europa League semi-final.

Plaza Deportivo have reported that Unai Emery’s sights are set on Neto to replace Cech, although the same report claims that Arsenal have seen their initial contract offer rebuffed by the 29-year old.

Neto has an €80m (£70m) release clause, but Valencia are desperate to raise funds and would sell for a fraction of that price should Arsenal make a formal offer.

Blurred Transfer Policy

Only on Monday, Arsenal Director of Football, Raul Sanllehi, spoke to the Gunners official website about the club’s transfer ambitions.

“We need to outsmart the market, we need to make the right signings, do the right sales. It just means hard work and outsmarting the market,” Sanllehi said.

Considering Arsenal’s minuscule transfer budget, thought to be as low as £40m should the club miss out on Champions League football, Sanllehi’s attitude is 100% correct. It is unrealistic to expect Arsenal to outspend their rivals, so they need to outsmart them.

Check out an Arsenal fan vow to “move to another planet” if Spurs win the UCL in the video below…

The only issue with that is the lack of evidence that Arsenal know how to intelligently approach the transfer market. Prior to Sanllehi’s arrival, the club broke their transfer record to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a terrific striker, but a luxury due to the presence of Alexandre Lacazette, while Mesut Ozil, the prototypical luxury player, was given a new monstrous contract.

The arrival of Sanllehi looked to signal a new and smarter approach to the transfer market, but the interest in Neto shows that past lessons have not been heeded.

Spending a significant chunk of an already slender transfer budget on a back-up goalkeeper constitutes the ultimate luxury signing. An extravagant move for someone who will likely play very little is definitely not a sign of Arsenal’s newfound intelligence, but instead a clear indicator of the club’s destiny to repeat mistakes.

ليفربول يعلن موعد مواجهة أستون فيلا في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي

أعلن فريق ليفربول موعد مباراته المرتقبة مع نظيره أستون فيلا في بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي لهذا الموسم.

وكان الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم قد أجرى مراسم قرعة دور الـ64 والتي أسفرت عن مواجهة ساخنة بين ليفربول وأستون فيلا (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وحسب الموقع الرسمي لنادي ليفربول، فإن مواجهة أستون فيلا في ملعب الأخير ستكون أحد يومي 9 و10 يناير 2021.

وكان أستون فيلا قد فاز على ليفربول في مواجهتهما الأخيرة في الدوري الإنجليزي بسبعة أهداف مقابل هدفين.

The two defining games of Leeds’ season

Still got play-off headache Leeds fans? It really wasn’t the way anyone expected it to go. A disappointing end to a disappointing season. After looking like the favourites to go up at one point to not even getting to the play-off final… How did it go so wrong?

Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be trying to find out just why his side tailed off so dramatically as the season progressed. They now find themselves in the difficult position where they have some top quality players who will want to go to the next level, while knowing that they HAVE to compete again next term.

So where were the biggest defining moments in their campaign? Here’s a couple of games we feel shaped Leeds’ season.

Leeds United 4-0 West Brom (Friday 1st March 2019)

Ahhh the good times, this win shot Leeds straight into top spot and really showed everyone that they’re here to fight until the end of the season. At this point, it was a three-horse race and you really thought that after seeing Leeds’ players literally walk all over fellow promotion fighting West Brom, that they would prevail. It truly was a mesmerising performance.

This is no doubt the type of performance that Bielsa will be looking to replicate next season.

Leeds United 1-1 Aston Villa (Sunday 28th April 2019)

The game that undone everything. One of if not THE most entertaining games in the Championship this season. The 1-1 draw against Aston Villa confirmed that Bielsa and Leeds’ players would have to look forward to the play-offs.

Despite the fact that it was their own doing, the draw was the nail in the coffin after recent poor results from the Whites, and it certainly was the biggest turning point in Leeds’ season, beginning their journey to the ultimate disappointment.

تجدد إصابة بارتي ويغادر مباراة آرسنال وتوتنهام

تجددت إصابة لاعب فريق آرسنال توماس بارتي في المباراة الجارية حاليًا أمام توتنهام في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويلتقي الفريقان حاليًا في الجولة 11 من البريميرليج، في ملعب توتنهام.

ولم يتمكن بارتي من استكمال المباراة حيث اضطر إلى الخروج في الدقيقة الثانية من الوقت المحتسب بدلًا من الضائع للشوط الأول.

ويبدو أن إصابة بارتي قد تجددت حيث قرر المدرب مايكل أرتيتا إخراجه والدفع بزميله داني سيبايوس بدلًا منه.

وكان بارتي قد تعرض لإصابة في الفخذ خلال مشاركته أمام أستون فيلا في نوفمبر الماضي.

واضطر اللاعب الغاني للغياب عن مواجهة كل من ليدز يونايتد وولفرهامبتون في الدوري الإنجليزي، ومولده ورابيد فيينا في الدوري الأوروبي.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus