All posts by h716a5.icu

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Rangers are desperate to land Ryan Kent again this summer, but could Glenn Middleton turn out to be even better than the Liverpool loanee?

Steven Gerrard brought in a whopping 15 new signings last summer, five of which were on loan.

Of those five, only Kent has been a success, and Gerrard has said he wants to bring the winger to Ibrox for at least another season.

With Liverpool demanding £12m for his services though and perhaps unwilling to grant another season-long loan, a deal for Kent may simply be impossible, and Middleton proved once again on Tuesday that he is more than capable of filling that void.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

On the chalkboard

With Jordan Jones and Jake Hastie joining this summer and Jamie Murphy on his way back from injury, the gaffer will have plenty of options on the left-wing, so there really is no need to sign Kent.

Where Middleton differs from the Liverpool youngster though is his versatility, as he shone in Tuesday’s Glasgow Cup final playing from the right instead of the left.

The 19 year-old can play anywhere across the attack to a high level, something Kent cannot do, and scored both of the Gers’ goals in a 3-2 defeat to Celtic’s youngsters on Tuesday.

His second goal was particularly special, cutting in from the right wing about 35 yards from goal, driving forward and smashing a thunderous left-footed shot off the underside off the crossbar.

He now has 11 goals in his last seven games in the youth ranks, after bagging five goals and five assists for the first team this season.

With Middleton developing his end product to match his obvious skill and two new wingers likely to join this summer, Kent should not be a priority signing for Gerrard and the Gers.

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According to Euro United’s official Twitter account, Liverpool have agreed terms with Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele ahead of a potential move to Anfield.

However, the same report has claimed that the Reds are yet to agree a transfer fee with Lyon, whilst Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus are in the same situation.

It is not exactly confirmation that the 22-year-old will arrive on Merseyside, but it does appear that the Frenchman will be leaving his Ligue 1 side this summer.

Ndombele has impressed many with his performances this season, but it seems that the majority of Liverpool fans are not interested in a potential deal.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are expected to be in the market for a new midfielder this summer.

Mo Salah has been brutally mocked for his recent diving antics in a new video by 442oons. Check it out below…

However, a swoop for a more forward-thinking player seems to be on the agenda for the Champions League finalists.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Liverpool supporters can be seen below:

Fellow academy star Angel Gomes was quick to respond to Greenwood’s Instagram post, hinting that it won’t be the last for the immensely talented Bradford-born striker.

Greenwood has scored a superb 26 goals for the youth teams this season and nearly opened the scoring for United in the first-half when he was picked out by an Andreas Pereira cross, but he couldn’t connect with his header properly and Neil Etheridge denied Greenwood a dream start to his Premier League career.

The game for The Red Devils was a shambles, as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Josh Murphy tore United apart.

Greenwood, however, at least offered hope to Manchester United fans that the future will be brighter.

Angel Gomes himself made his professional debut against Crystal Palace in 2017 and, along with Greenwood, is considered one of the brightest wonderkids to emerge from the academy ranks in recent years.

If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is to pull United out of a rut he must find a way to incorporate them into his first team squad on a regular basis next season.

[ad_pod ]Charlton booked their place in the League One play-off final last weekend as they edged past Doncaster Rovers on penalties.Now, against the odds, they have a perfect opportunity to win promotion to the Championship.The Addicks have been contending with all sorts of issues off the pitch, including the uncertain futures of a manager who has guided them to a top-three finish, as well as a number of players who have been crucial in the side’s success. The root of it all? Roland Duchatelet.The controversial Belgian seems like the type of person to completely detach himself from a group project only to put his name on it when it’s done, although to the contrary, he will in fact not be in attendance for the Addicks’ crunch clash this weekend.Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…Most of The Valley faithful absolutely despise the owner, whose reasoning behind his avoidance of Charlton’s biggest game of the year centred around the threats he receives from some fans.In response to his explanation, plenty of disgruntled made their feelings clear on Twitter.You can check out the best of the reaction below…

You know the transfer window is open when Arsenal are being linked with players they don’t even need.

The opening of the summer market is a key time for the Gunners as Unai Emery aims to bring in those names that can take the north London side back into the top four next season and maybe even beyond.

The defence is an area that is in need of improvements, with centre-backs the main priority for Emery this summer, which is why it is a surprise to see that according to France Football via the Metro, Arsenal are interested in PSG fullback Thomas Meunier.

The Belgian international is likely to leave the Ligue 1 champions this summer with Manchester United also interested in the defender, but in Arsenal’s case, a move for Meunier makes no sense financially and for the benefit of the squad.

Although Stephan Lichtsteiner is set to leave the club this summer, Arsenal are not in desperate need of a new right-back. With Ainsley Maitland-Niles performing well in place for the injured Hector Bellerin, the Gunners don’t need to splash a good chunk of money on Meunier, who will only be used until the Spaniard comes back from the injury table.

Rated at £26.5 million in the report, the defender would be an expensive signing for what Arsenal have to work with, and with reinforcements required in other positions, the Belgian international just doesn’t make sense as a summer signing.

Every player Arsenal brings in this summer have to be perfect for what the squad needs, and in Meunier’s case, the defender will only be handy for a few months of the season until Bellerin returns to first-team football.

Arsenal fans, who should the club bring in this summer? Let us know!

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Mauricio Pochettino has led Tottenham Hotspur to a Champions League final, their first in Europe since 1984’s UEFA Cup win against Anderlecht. Despite all the excitement, the boss certainly has a selection headache ahead of the clash in Madrid with the pair of Harry’s – Winks and Kane – expected to be fit for the tie and Lucas Moura showing his best form in recent weeks.

The Chalkboard

Spurs’ season was on a knife edge against Ajax.

When at 2-2, (3-2 on aggregate) the campaign was looking like withering into another trophyless venture.

On 90+6 minutes though, Brazilian magician Lucas completed his hat-trick to send the North Londoners into the final to face Premier League runners up Liverpool.

The likes of Fernando Llorente and Dele Alli were vital to finding that winning goal, but it was the instinct and run of Lucas before his wonderful left-footed finish that clinched the side their place in Madrid on 1 June.

4-3-3: Son and Lucas

Tottenham have traditionally favoured a particular attacking approach under Pochettino. The use of a dynamic front four in Christian Eriksen, Alli, Kane and Heung-Min Son has given Spurs a brilliant dynamism and flexibility going forward. In recent weeks though, Lucas Moura has stepped up in the absence of key personnel, giving Pochettino a serious selection headache ahead of the final.

The Merseysiders have been better than Spurs this season, but that doesn’t mean the North Londoners can’t pose Liverpool serious problems if set up tactically well. An immediate adjustment that could work wonders is an alternating from the typical 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3, ensuring both Son and Lucas start; this will do two things.

Firstly, the Reds’ midfield will be coming up against a rigid trio who can look to match the energy and drive of Klopp’s men. But the second and most important change in this system is that the wingers will challenge Liverpool’s marauding and creative full-backs to show intelligence and caution when getting forward to attack, and the wide-men can do this whilst ensuring they don’t leave their own midfielders overly exposed either.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have been key figures in attacking areas for their club, registering 12 and 11 assists each respectively. There’s no doubt they’ll be far more conscious of the space they’re leaving exposed if Son and Lucas are starting high and wide up the pitch. It can’t be underestimated how important it is that Spurs discourage the Liverpool press. The Reds have been far more pragmatic than in recent seasons, but they’ll still want to take the game to their opponents and look to assert their dominance.

If Kane and co. can weather the storm when it comes, they’ll find plenty of space in behind to threaten. The beauty of this is that even if Liverpool recognise the threat, the only way to null it is by encouraging their full-backs to be less expressive and sit deeper, which really eats into Klopp’s main attacking threat.

Adopting this tactic will mean Pochettino going against some of his typical footballing principles, but it could reap huge rewards.

If there was ever a way to end your time at Liverpool in style, Vladimir Smicer is the man to talk to.

At 32-years-old and largely a substitute player under Rafa Benitez, the future Czech Republic manager was the unlikeliest of heroes in the legendary game that was the 2005 Champions League final, and looking back at Smicer’s Liverpool career, his heroics in Istanbul were even more special given how largely unspectacular the playmaker was.

Signed for £4.2 million from French side Lens in 1999, Smicer was tasked with replacing Steve McManaman in the Liverpool XI in a move that the midfielder called “a dream come true”, but, his first year on Merseyside was a difficult one as the pace of the English game took a while for the Czech international to adjust to.

His second campaign in England was a lot smoother, though. The midfielder was a regular fixture for the side that went on to win three trophies, but injuries and lack of form kept Smicer from being a major first-team player for the majority of his time at Liverpool.

It wasn’t until the Champions League final where Smicer would etch his name into Liverpool folklore.

Starting the game on the bench, the veteran midfielder came on for Harry Kewell just 22 minutes in after the Australian international suffered an injury that forced the striker out of the final.

As the teams went in for half-time with the score at 3-0 to AC Milan, all looked lost for Liverpool, but then 15 minutes of magic occurred, and Smicer was at the heart of it as the Czech international scored the second goal of the comeback, firing an effort from distance past Dida to make the score 3-2.

As Xabi Alonso levelled the game up and sent it to penalties, it looked like Liverpool’s final to lose as the shootout began. Dietmar Hamann and Djibril Cisse fired the Reds 2-0 up as Serginho and Andrea Pirlo missed their two opening kicks, and although John Arne Riise missed the third shot from the penalty spot, Smicer was given the task of scoring the fourth and ultimately decisive kick.

In his final action ever for Liverpool, the midfielder buried the ball past Dida, and as Jerzy Dudek saved Andriy Shevchenko’s spot kick, Benitez’s side were crowned champions of Europe for a fifth time.

Smicer’s Liverpool career might have been lacklustre in the grand scheme of things, but one game of magic in Istanbul saw the Czech became an icon at Anfield.

Liverpool fans, what is your favourite memory of Smicer? Let us know!

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The phrase “one step forward two steps back” gets tossed around a lot in football, but for Arsenal, one big risk in the transfer window could well have that phrase reversed. Selling one of their star men could see them kick on massively, taking one step backwards to go two steps forward.

The player in question is the goalscoring machine, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and there are so many reasons why the Gabonese international could be allowed to leave this summer.

“Auba” is being linked with a move away from the Emirates by The Times, who have reported that the soon-to-be 30-year-old striker is being offered wages of around £300,000 p/w by Chinese Super League clubs Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG. Should the transfer fee involved be as astronomical as these touted wages, Unai Emery may have no choice but to let his hitman go.

On the chalkboard

There are a lot of reasons why you may want to see Aubameyang stay put this season, Arsenal fans, but there’s quite a few reasons as to why he should leave too. The first of those is his age. This season he bagged 22 league goals at the age of 29, but by the start of next season he’ll be in his thirties, and with pace a huge part of his game, his biggest threat will soon dwindle.

Then you’ve got the fact that whilst the electric hitman did bag 22 top-flight goals last season, securing him the joint Golden Boot alongside Liverpool wingers Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, he also recorded the highest tally in the division for big chances missed with an incredible 23 (Premier League).

So, we’ve established that Aubameyang misses sitters and is getting on a bit, but in terms of Arsenal’s progression as a club, moving him on could help ten-fold.

Not because he’s not the quality they need, far from it, but instead because his transfer fee could bankroll their entire summer. The Daily Star have claimed the Gunners have just £50m to play with, and Auba can bring in more than that on his own.

If that isn’t enough reason to think the 29-year-old should have played his last game for the club, then we’ll give you one more – Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman won Arsenal’s player of the season award for his incredible performances this campaign, yet he often spent time on the bench as Emery accommodated his strike partner, so who knows how well the Frenchman would have fared with the limelight all to himself.

It might be tough for Arsenal fans to come to terms with, but if Emery can sign two or three players in problem areas with the Aubameyang money, get an ageing player out of the squad and give Lacazette the game time he deserves, they simply have to take it, don’t they?

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Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek wants to move to Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United this summer, per Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan via TalkSport.

What’s the word?

Van de Beek has emerged as a genuine star this season, playing a key role in Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-finals and playing a part in the Netherlands’ run to the UEFA Nations League final.

The 22-year-old has already won five Netherlands caps and scored 17 goals in 2018-19, along with laying on 13 assists.

And van der Kraan, a journalist for De Telegraaf, believes that the midfielder wants to move to the Premier League in the summer transfer window.

He told TalkSPORT on Monday: “Donny van de Beek has his eyes set on the Premier League.

“I think he’s a proper Premier League player – he’s got a big tank, he’s got the education from Ajax, he can play in more positions in midfield.

“I think he’s got his eyes set on a club like Man United or Tottenham Hotspur.

“I’ve been talking to his agent, and he said if that would materialise it would be something right up his street.”

Levy’s trump card

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could have the trump card that Spurs need in the race to sign Van de Beek.

The club have done plenty of business with Ajax in recent transfer windows, signing Davinson Sanchez, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen from the Dutch giants.

There is nothing to say that the Dutch club would not be open to adding to that list; it appears that a number of stars are poised to leave the club and van de Beek joining Spurs could be perfect for his development.

Ajax seem to care about that – they do not simply wash their hands of players and aftercare is something of a necessity.

Selling van de Beek to Spurs and having him play under Mauricio Pochettino, a manager who loves working with younger players, would ensure that box is ticked, and it could give Levy a key advantage over United.

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Manchester United fans are not happy with reports that Marcus Rashford could be paid £350,000-a-week to stay at Old Trafford.

The Sun reported over the weekend that the striker is negotiating with the Red Devils as he enters the final year of his contract.

The paper reckon he is holding out for a four-year deal at that £350k weekly wage, in part because the signature of Alexis Sanchez has warped United’s wage structure.

Could United be in the hunt for an £85m blockbuster signing this summer? Check out the video below…

With interest from Spanish giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona in the background too, the club could have to relent in order to keep his services.

It’s an extraordinary sum, especially when you consider that his scoring record at United isn’t particularly strong since making the breakthrough into the first-team as a teenager.

Last term he scored ten Premier League goals, the first time he has reached double figures in a single season in the competition.

It’s fair to say that supporters aren’t exactly thrilled to hear of his demands, with plenty feeling he should be let go rather than retained at that price.

These fans have taken to Twitter over the weekend to share their thoughts…