All posts by h716a5.icu

Arsenal’s return to Premier League action did not go as planned as a decent first 20 minutes was ruined by a mistake late in the first half and then a red card in the second from David Luiz which saw the Gunners lose 3-0 to Manchester City.

However there is no time to think about what could have been as they face Brighton at the AMEX next, in what is a must win for both sides. Arsenal need to start picking up victories if they want to make the top six by the end of the season, whilst Brighton have not won a fixture since the 28th December, and this has caused them to drop firmly into the relegation battle, via BBC Sport.

Here is the Transfer Tavern predicted Arsenal starting XI, which sees Mikel Arteta make three changes for the fixture.

Arteta will be forced into changing his back four, as Pablo Mari is reportedly out for the rest of the season after limping off in the first half at the Etihad. With Sokratis injured and Luiz suspended, it looks like Rob Holding will be brought in to pair up with Shkodran Mustafi. Tierney and Bellerin both looked to have a decent game up until the red card, and should keep their places for the fixture.

Again Arsenal will be forced into a change at centre-midfield, as Granit Xhaka pulled up in the first half like Mari and is not available. Guendouzi looked sharp and earned praise from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville and he will probably be partnered by Dani Ceballos who replaced Xhaka in Manchester.

Mesut Ozil was not even on the bench for the match against City, however in a game in which Arsenal will need to win, they need a creative spark in midfield and the German’s 2.1 key passes per game is the best in the whole squad, so he could be the one who links up the midfield to attack and helps find the eye for goal.

Nketiah earned the best rating out of the whole Arsenal squad (6.8) and deserves to keep his spot in the side over Alexandre Lacazette, who can be a great super sub if needed.

Gunners fans, would this be a good starting eleven? Comment below!

Ex-Spur Alan Hutton insists “fans don’t understand” the important role Harry Winks plays at Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs defender believes supporters do not appreciate why Winks is in the side as his performances are usually understated.

Winks has started the past four Premier League games in a row and played a key part as Tottenham thumped Newcastle United 3-1 at St James’ Park. 

Hutton praised the Spurs academy product for his displays in recent weeks and believes fans expect too much from him.

He told assistant editor Russell Edge ““I think he gets, I wouldn’t say bad press but people don’t understand his qualities and what he’s good at, what he’s there for.

“He keeps the ball ticking, he keeps the ball moving, he never takes too many touches on the ball. I think probably what people want to see is him do more – as in more forward passes because he’s got the ability to pass, let’s see him do those type of passes.

“He’s not really there for that, he’s there to keep the team moving, keep it going and essentially give it to the players like Lo Celso, Begwijn, Son to go and do a little bit of magic.

“It’s a position where sometimes fans don’t understand – they look at it and think I want more from you – but he’s an integral part of the team.”

It is hard to argue with Hutton here, as Winks has featured in every game during the Lilywhites’ latest unbeaten run.

Spurs have suffered a mixed start since the Premier League restart, which raised questions over whether or not Jose Mourinho knows his best side, but they have begun to turn things around.

He was an unused substitute in the shock defeat at Sheffield United, but bounced back with two strong performances against Everton and Bournemouth.

While his style will never set the world alight, Winks is an efficient distributor who picks his passes to keep the ball moving.

He played the full 90 minutes against Newcastle, taking 74 touches, providing 5 long balls, and finishing the game with a staggering pass accuracy rating of 98% (via SofaScore).

Mourinho’s decision to start the 24-year-old has started to pay dividends, as it has allowed him to push Giovani Lo Celso further upfield.

With Winks involved, Lo Celso is playing in a more advanced position, which has given Kane and Son Heung-min the creativity they have been craving.

The Englishman has become the man supplying the supplier, although he does not get the credit he deserves for Spurs’ recent resurgence.

Tottenham fans, do you think Harry Winks deserves more credit? Let us know down below!

Coventry City have been linked with a summer move for former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, a report that Coventry Live have explored in depth.

With the Sky Blues having won the League One title this year and earned promotion to the Championship, manager Mark Robins has begun to bolster his side and make improvements in certain areas.

Gustavo Hamer was the first to arrive from PEC Zwolle to bolster Coventry’s midfield, before Julien Dacosta, Callum O’Hare, Marcel Hilssner and Ryan Giles all joined the club.

With the transfer window now in full swing, further arrivals could develop before the 2020/21 season begins.

One player linked with a move to Coventry is Balotelli, who is a free agent having left Brescia following their relegation from Serie A.

According to Championship Transfer News on Twitter, the Italian striker has been offered a one-year contract with the Midlands club.

Coventry Live have now looked at the transfer story and called it the “maddest” rumour, whilst also looking into another rumour regarding Balotelli and Romanian club CFR Cluj, who are interested in the one-time Premier League winner.

Would Mario Balotelli sign for Coventry? Would the Sky Blues have him?

This is quite possibly one of the strangest transfer rumours you will hear this summer and one that seems highly improbable, given that Coventry Live had downplayed it in reporting the link.

What do you think of the rumour linking Balotelli to Coventry? Let us know in the comments section below…

Brighton’s hopes of keeping Ben White could be boosted amid reports that Leeds are looking elsewhere for defensive reinforcements.

The Yorkshire club had the 22-year-old on loan last season and recently submitted a £22m bid to sign him permanently, which the Seagulls rejected.

However, the newly-promoted Premier League side are now looking instead at a defender from the Bundesliga, with The Telegraph reporting that they are interested in Freiburg’s Robin Koch.

Koch is a twice-capped Germany international who was a mainstay of Freiburg’s defence last season, playing in all but two of their Bundesliga games as they finished just outside the European places.

According to a report from O Jogo, the the 24-year-old could be available for as little as £10.8m given the downturn in the transfer market amid the global pandemic. That is less than a third of the £35m that Brighton are reportedly demanding for White, according to Football Insider.

At the moment, the 22-year-old is among a plethora of central defensive options available to Seagulls manager Graham Potter. However, two of Albion’s more regular centre-backs have recently been linked with exits from the club.

According to The Mirror, Chelsea are reportedly willing to pay £40m to bring Lewis Dunk to Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, the Daily Record claimed that Celtic have opened transfer talks with Shane Duffy, who has also been linked with Burnley, West Ham, West Brom and indeed Leeds.

With Dunk being Brighton’s captain and a mainstay of their defence for the past six seasons, and with Duffy being an experienced Premier League player despite playing less frequently last term compared to previous campaigns, the Seagulls face a potential central defensive cull in this transfer window.

However, with Leeds reportedly turning to Koch as a possible centre-back signing, that may lead to their interest in a permanent move for White diminishing, which would spell good news for Brighton amid the possibility of their other defenders being cherry-picked.

Also, having played every minute of the Whites’ Championship-winning 2019/20 campaign, the 22-year-old returns to the Amex Stadium with plenty of senior experience under his belt.

Brighton fans, how confident are you of keeping White at the Amex for the 2020/21 season? Have your say by commenting below!

Newcastle United have been dealt a potential blow in their pursuit of Liverpool ace Rhian Brewster following comments made by Swansea City boss Steve Cooper.

Speaking in his press conference (via Wales Online), the Swans coach claimed:

“If Rhian was available then of course we’d be in the mix but I don’t think that’s the case at the moment.”

Indeed, if Brewster is not available for a transfer or loan as Cooper has claimed, then this is potentially a blow to the Tyneside club given that they are reportedly one of six Premier League teams to have enquired about his availability in the summer transfer window, along with Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley, Crystal Palace and newly-promoted Fulham under manager Scott Parker.

As well as these sides, AFC Bournemouth, Norwich City and Watford, who were all relegated from the top flight to the EFL Championship in the 2019/20 term, are also apparently interested in his services for the new 2020/21 season.

Indeed, Brewster has no shortage of admirers and it is not hard to see why. The striker impressed while on loan with Cooper at Swansea in the last campaign, in where he scored 11 goals in 22 matches, including one in the Championship play-offs, as per Transfermarkt.

Having proved himself in England’s second division, perhaps it is now time for the 20-year old to make the step up the EPL, especially given that he may not get much game-time at Anfield with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane currently occupying the forward roles under Jurgen Klopp.

Thus, Brewster may have been a smart signing for Steve Bruce’s side, but it now looks as if all hopes of the Englishman moving to St. James’ Park have withered away.

Geordies, would Brewster be a good signing? Comment below!

Brighton defender Haydon Roberts is reportedly in the club’s long-term plans but could be loaned out for the 2020/21 season.

That’s according to a report from The Athletic, which claimed that the 18-year-old is in contract talks at the Amex Stadium but is likely to spend the next few months out on loan in order to gain experience.

According to The Athletic, the League One trio of Blackpool, AFC Wimbledon and Sunderland are all interested in a loan move for the young centre-back.

Roberts, who has five caps for England at under-18 level, made his senior debut for Brighton in last season’s Carabao Cup and scored in that game against Aston Villa but that remains his only appearance in the first team, while he has not yet been loaned out to gain experience elsewhere.

As a centre-back, he has a lengthy queue of players ahead of him at the Amex, including club captain Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, Shane Duffy, returning loan duo Ben White and Matt Clarke and summer arrival Joel Veltman. Even with Duffy and Clarke touted for moves away, either permanently or on loan, that is still an extensive level of competition for places in Graham Potter’s line-up.

Roberts has shown at underage level for Brighton that he is flexible, having also played at left-back and in defensive midfield on a few occasions, while a return of six goals in 59 appearances between the Seagulls’ first team and youth sides is respectable for a defender (as per TransferMarkt).

The 18-year-old seems a talented prospect judging by those figures and Brighton’s desire to extend his contract but, with such frenetic competition for just two centre-back berths in Potter’s line-up, he cannot realistically expect to be in first team contention at the Amex any time soon.

Therefore, a loan spell to a League One side should be beneficial for him in terms of giving him exposure at senior level before coming back to his parent club as a more mature and developed player who still has his whole career ahead of him.

Brighton fans, where do you think would be an ideal loan club for Roberts? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Jurgen Klopp is said to be confident in his current first team selection despite the lack of senior signings made during the transfer window. 

According to James Pearce (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), the German feels he has not got much wrong when it comes to leading the club. Klopp is not worried over Liverpool’s extremely quiet business compared to the likes of Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The Reds have only signed left-back Kostas Tsimikas, who will serve as a back-up to Andy Robertson this season. Despite the major links between the Merseyside outfit and Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara, no official moves have been made.

These comments haven’t gone down well with Liverpool fans, who are slamming Fenway Sports Group for not putting their hands in their pockets and backing their manager. It isn’t the first time supporters have lashed out at the club’s owners for their lack of new signings.

One fan has complained that Liverpool ‘can’t compete with the likes of Everton’ without first offloading senior personnel in order to make up funds. Their Merseyside rivals recently welcomed Brazilian midfielder Allan to the club for a fee of £21million (via BBC Sport).

Read more replies from the Twitter selection here:

Do you think Liverpool will make any more signings this summer window? Have your say in the comments below…

West Ham United are still yet to complete any summer transfer business, although they are trying if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, the Irons have submitted a ‘take-it or leave-it’ offer for Saint-Etienne centre-back Wesley Fofana with a deadline set for later today.

This is thought to be an initial £23m plus £10m in add-ons, although the amount upfront would be across six years, making it an outgoing of under £4m per summer window.

The Hammers do not want to get in a bidding war for the teenage sensation but they’d probably be lucky to even get a whiff of his name for that amount.

Diop 2.0 or better?

David Moyes’ men haven’t had too much success when it comes to recruiting from Ligue 1, particularly at centre-back as seen with Issa Diop.

Earlier this month, supporters slammed his display against Newcastle, calling him “awful” and “terrible” amongst other things as seen here.

Despite only being 19, Fofana has excelled on the big stage – last season he played 16 times, averaging 4.5 aerials won, 3.9 clearances, 2.8 interceptions, and 2.4 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

This not only suggests he’d be adept at adapting to the physicality of the Premier League but also that he’d be a massive upgrade to what Moyes already has.

In terms of top performers in the role, Angelo Ogbonna topped the charts for aerials won (3.8 per game) and tackles (1.2) with Fabian Balbuena taking interceptions (1.5) and Issa Diop for clearances (5.1), as per WhoScored.

Fofana is still very much raw, however, and will need the right coaching to reach the top. His former youth coach Anthony Loupy once said: “He is a nice boy, maybe sometimes a bit clumsy and naïve but guided by his ambition. He knows where he has come from and he will give 100 per cent for Saint-Etienne as long as he is there.”

Whilst current boss Claude Puel believes the teen has “huge potential” but needs to “become more consistent” to become truly great.

It’s an awful lot of money at £33m in total, though the Hammers could do with him – GSB just need to bid something better than the insulting offer they’ve dealt out here.

AND in other news, Irons could find their new Payet for just £16m…

Manchester United made a bit of mess of the transfer window with their failure to sign a new centre-back but this could be something that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sorts out in January.

Ed Woodward may well want to reconsider a move for Burnley colossus James Tarkowski after Harry Maguire’s nightmarish start to the season for club and country, while Eric Bailly will have done himself no favours whatsoever with his performance against Spurs.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, United considered a move for the Burnley centre-back in the summer and the Red Devils failed in their attempts to bolster their defence, despite being heavily linked to RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly as well as Tarkowski.

However, United will likely want to sign a new defender either in January or next summer and thet apparently believe that Tarkowski is a cheaper alternative to the aforementioned duo. It’s claimed that Sean Dyche’s side value Tarkowski at £40m and whilst West Ham were also linked with the 27-year-old, they could not reach an agreement with the Clarets.

Bye-bye Bailly?

Tarkowski, who has won two caps for his country so far, missed the start of the season due to injury. Although the England international featured against Manchester City and Newcastle United, he was powerless to prevent Dyche’s side from suffering back-to-back losses.

Whilst Burnley lost the game, Tarkowski still managed to put in an impressive performance against the Magpies – per SofaScore, he made three clearances, completed three tackles, and blocked one shot, which shows he still contributed massively despite the defeat. He also played one key pass, so he’s clearly doing more than just putting in a defensive shift.

Similarly to Burnley, Solskjaer’s side have suffered a stop-start to the season, losing to Crystal Palace then slumping to a humiliating defeat at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur. Selected instead of Victor Lindelof, Bailly was a total liability in hat game as he gifted Spurs their third goal with an errant pass inside the area.

United’s defensive capitulation will have given Solskjaer cause for concern, while Tarkowski managed more tackles than both Bailly and Maguire (1.7) last season, so you can only imagine how solid the Red Devils would be at the back if they deployed a back four involving the Burnley man and Maguire, as well as Aaron Wan-Bissaka and new arrival Alex Telles.

Once lauded as a “very good player” by Dyche, the Burnley boss singled the centre-back out for praise after he burst onto the international stage. One thing is for sure, he will not be short of suitors next summer. Tarkowski is open to leaving Turf Moor to improve his career ambitions, and the Red Devils should renew their efforts in order to sign him in the future.

AND in other news, Man United must secure loan deal for Brandon Williams…

Despite an electric start, Ademola Lookman’s career at Everton never really got going.

The winger was signed in 2017 after scoring 12 goals in 49 games for Charlton Athletic as a teenager, with him costing the Toffees £11m. He could hardly have hoped for a better start, scoring within minutes of his Premier League debut against Manchester City in a 4-0 win.

However, he would end up making just 48 appearances all in all for the Merseyside outfit, scoring just four times. That didn’t stop RB Leipzig spending £22.5m to take him to Germany after he bagged five goals and four assists in 11 games on loan at the Bundesliga outfit in 2018. He managed just 13 games, though, before joining Fulham on loan in the summer.

On Sunday, he was in action against Sheffield United, and put in an impressive display. He even scored a wonder goal in a 1-1 draw, and that led to plenty of praise from Everton supporters. There were many who even suggested that the Toffees should never have let him go, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what they had to say about Lookman

Let us know what you think!