All posts by h716a5.icu

Arsenal fans must be confused with their side’s recent run of form as they’ve gone from struggling in the first leg of their Europa League tie with Stade Rennais to securing two dominant results. 

The Gunners’ main aim from here on in until the end of the season will be to secure a Champions League spot, whether it’s via a top four finish in the Premier League or by winning the Europa League.

Although, one thing that may already have crossed Unai Emery’s mind is the summer transfer window as there’re still a number of improvements that need to be made. Indeed, the North London club need to bring in a winger as they currently only have Alex Iwobi at their disposal, which has forced them to play quite narrow at times.

Interestingly, it appears as if Emery has a player on his radar, as according to Get France Football News (via The Sun), Arsenal held talks with Ismaila Sarr straight after their 3-1 defeat in France.

Indeed, the 21-year-old has made a name for himself in the current campaign having produced an impressive 10 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, which includes a goal against the Gunners in the first leg of their tie.

The winger was once dubbed as the ‘new Sadio Mane’ (as per talkSPORT) and it’s safe to say that he’s lived up to expectations up until this point, as he’s shown he can provide valuable contributions and has very similar attributes.

Sarr would easily get the Emirates rocking as he has the pace and power to excite supporters and the finishing ability to take them places. Also, his creativity would make up for Mesut Ozil’s inconsistent performances and he has all the ingredients to become a future star in the Premier League, with his best years still ahead of him.

Arsenal fans, do you think Sarr could become a star at the Emirates? Surely he’s the perfect addition for Unai Emery…

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West Ham United have announced via their official Twitter account that Ben Johnson has signed a new contract at the club until 2022.

Johnson made his debut for the Irons earlier this season, playing at left-back against Manchester City.

What’s the word?

The 19-year-old plays consistently as a right-back at youth level but was drafted in on the opposite flank to make his debut under Manuel Pellegrini.

He has now pledged his future to the club, having trained regularly with the first-team throughout 2018-19.

Johnson has made a total of 16 appearances for the club’s Under-23 side in Premier League 2 this season and has also played three times in the EFL Trophy.

Signed by West Ham when he was just seven, Johnson has been converted into a defender from a winger and has expressed his joy at putting pen to paper.

He told the club’s official website: “It’s great. First of all, I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity, to be playing football at this massive club.

“Extending my stay here is fantastic news for me and my family.”

The Academy of Football strikes again

West Ham have a fine history of bringing through the very best young players.

And Johnson could well save the club a fortune in the coming months.

The Hammers will need to replace ageing full-back Pablo Zabaleta this summer and they may already have the perfect candidate in Johnson.

He played well against City while out of position – he was only substituted due to an injury – and is clearly primed to step into the first-team whenever necessary.

Pellegrini may well have a gem on his hands and he can now shelve the plans that he may have had to invest heavily in the right-hand side of his defence.

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Steve McClaren says he does not regret taking the Newcastle job, and his comments will certainly surprise a few Magpies fans.

Rafael Benitez has reinvigorated the city of Newcastle’s love for football. That is not to say the Toon Army had fallen out of love with their side before, but the years of Alan Pardew, John Carver and McClaren were certainly tough.

The latter managed a win percentage of just 22.6 per cent in nearly a year in charge on Tyneside, and has now spoken out about his time with the club.

What has he said?

“It wasn’t a failure because of any one person, it was a combination of which I was also a part of,” McClaren said, as reported by The Evening Chronicle.

McClaren’s switch from Derby County to Newcastle was quite controversial as the 57 year-old was sacked by the Rams in the midst of links with a move to Tyneside, and he has admitted it was handled poorly.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

“Yeah, I don’t think that was handled very well in between Derby and Newcastle. I, myself, was also at fault for that. It wasn’t handled well; it wasn’t done in what I would call a ‘class way’.

“I’ve always tried to do that, whether I’ve been sacked or whatever, I like to do it with ‘class’. But that didn’t feel right – and so it proved and, if it doesn’t feel right, then it’s not going to work out.

“I knew if anyone got it right, as Sir Bobby always told me, you’ll be the king. That’s what I wanted.

“It was a gamble, it was a big risk – but high risk, high reward. I suppose that’s been me (throughout) my career; but not just high risk, high reward, also hard fought. And that’s what happened.

“I thought it was a great experience. What a club. We had some great days, and some bad ones, but we had some great days, and I got a taste of what it was like to manage Newcastle United Football Club.”

Surprising but refreshing

McClaren’s acceptance that both he and the clubs involved were at fault for the mismanagement of his move is refreshing.

The now-QPR boss is not looking to dump blame elsewhere, and is clearly immensely proud to have managed the Magpies, even for such a short, unsuccessful tenure.

That is of course the other thing that jumps out reading the comments – McClaren truly adores Newcastle United football club.

While that may surprise a few Magpies fans, it speaks to the sheer respect that such a giant, historic club commands, and it should also instil hope that even if Rafael Benitez leaves, there will be a queue of top managers lining up to replace him.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to some transfer news, as the Gers have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Jake Hastie.

Plenty of Gers fans had their say when the club appeared poised to sign Hastie this summer, but it now looks like the move is completely off.

According to The Evening Times, The Ibrox outfit have pulled out of the running for the young winger, with MLS side Atlanta United and several English clubs lining up moves.

The Motherwell youngster is out of contract at the end of the campaign, meaning it is essentially a bidding war for his wages.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

Of course, the Gers can’t compete with the riches on offer in England, so it is possible they have simply been priced out of a deal.

Either way, it seemed like a bizarre signing anyway, as the 20 year-old has played most of his football on the left-wing this season – the one position Steven Gerrard is completely stocked up.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where it doesn’t look like fans will lose any sleep over this one…

As the saying goes, nobody is bigger than the club, and especially if that club is Manchester United. Having agents hold the Red Devils to ransom must stop, so letting Ander Herrera leave sets the right precedent.

United opened a can of worms when they offered Alexis Sanchez a £500,000-a-week wage packet, because that gave agents other players’ agents licence to demand more if they felt their player contributed more.

They can’t reverse their decision to wreck their wage structure so they have to fix it in another way. That way is to tell each agent that if they don’t like they money their player’s on, the player can leave. Knowing that, players will either commit to the club or run off to PSG and become another mercenary.

Herrera is believed to have demanding £160,000-a-week from United and he’ll be paid £40,000 more at PSG, according to the Sun. The club clearly don’t feel he’s worth that much money, so it’s right they let him leave.

If they collapse under every demand, everyone will be after a pay rise.

Yes, he’s probably their best out-and-out midfielder, but United can attract more and they’ll be more committed to the club that Herrera clearly is. If he’s not willing to lower his demands for arguably the biggest club in the world then he shouldn’t be on the pitch anyway.

United have made their bed when it comes to blowing their wage structure out of the water, now they need to re-establish some authority and that starts with showing Herrera the door. Finally, Ed Woodward and the money men are looking as if they’ve got the club’s best interest at heart and they would make a big statement by standing firm.

United fans, how would you have reacted to Ander Herrera’s wage demands? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Leeds fans have been applauding Tyler Roberts after his impressive performance against Preston on Tuesday.

The Welshman featured for 82 minutes at Deepdale playing an important role as the visitors came away with all three points.

Roberts was influential playing as a number 10 and Leeds fans were quick to comment on how impressed they were with him playing that role.

Some may have thought Marcelo Bielsa would struggle to replace Samu Saiz after his departure in January, but that has proven to not be the case as Roberts stepped up his game to fill the void left by the Spaniard.

The Welshman is a striker naturally but he has been tested in a deeper position by his Argentine manager.

Leeds fans will be hoping Roberts’ good form can continue as the Premier League remains within touching distance for the Whites.

The 20-year-old has provided three assists in 10 appearances when playing in an attacking midfield role and supporters have clearly been very pleased with him lately.

Here’s what they have been saying on Twitter…

If their shambolic defensive record hasn’t already pointed out enough, Manchester United are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements in the summer. However, if reports from the Daily Mail late last month were to be believed, Ed Woodward isn’t really keen on spending big on a defender as compared to a midfielder or forward.

Indeed, the Manchester United schemer has reportedly given a limited budget when it comes to signing defenders. Unlike Liverpool, who got their money’s worth in Virgil Van Dijk, Woodward is seemingly unwilling to spend big on centre-backs.

However, now that United are thought to be targeting (as per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Nicolo Schira on Twitter) Kostas Manolas, perhaps the club could pick up a great option fairly cheaply.

The AS Roma defender’s allegedly available for only €36 million – roughly equating to £31.4m – which is relatively low when you think about. A resolute stopper, the Greek can also be a prized asset to reinforce United’s frail defence line, as he’s strong, determined and isn’t shy of playing rough.

If the Red Devils need a defensive general, Manolas definitely fits the bill.

The 27-year-old is at the height of his powers and has held his own in a problematic season for Roma. He’s helped them keep 5 clean-sheets in 27 appearances while averaging 4.1 clearances, 2 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per game (stats via WhoScored). Out in the Italian capital, Manolas is assertive, dominant and knows exactly when to put in challenges to win battles against strikers.

Alongside Victor Lindelof, he could save Man Utd millions. Yes, the likes of Raphael Varane and Kalidou Coulibaly would be nice, but Manolas is by no means just a cheap option. Someone to do the dirty work alongside the classy Lindelof, the duo could finally give United a solid platform on which to build through to midfield.

As Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs a powerful figure to add muscle to his defence, Manolas can work really well. Available for cheap, the 27-year-old can work wonders with Victor Lindelof and help bring more reliability to the Red Devil’s defence next season.

United fans, would you be pleased with Manolas’ potential arrival? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Loads of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to Friday’s win, but all they can think about is Tammy Abraham’s injury.

Villa continued their truly incredible form on Good Friday, relegating Bolton Wanderers with their ninth successive win, which matches their club-record win streak, set in 1910.

Dean Smith’s side had to work hard for their three points, but Jack Grealish opened the scoring just after half time with an assist from Abraham.

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The two then switched roles ten minutes later with Abraham the beneficiary of Grealish’s cross, but the young striker picked up an injury while scoring.

He was immediately withdrawn from the match, and Smith’s post-game comments are quite worrying.

“Tammy got a whack on the shoulder. It’s too early to diagnose. I don’t expect him to be fit for Monday, if I’m honest. Then we’re hoping it’s not too bad,” the boss said post-match.

With Millwall at home to come on Monday, Smith’s side should really be capable of securing three points even without their main goalscorer.

The threat of Abraham possibly missing the play-offs is looming large on fans’ minds though, as you can see from the Twitter reactions down below…

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Tottenham Hotspur collected a vital three points on Tuesday as they defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0, and fans were delighted with the performance of left-back Danny Rose.

The result ensures Spurs remain in third after a weekend of remarkable results.

Indeed, after the north London outfit lost to Manchester City on Saturday, both Arsenal and Manchester United lost, to Crystal Palace and Everton respectively, while Chelsea were held to a draw at Stamford Bridge by Burnley on Monday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men, then, knew that they needed to win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and left it late, with Christian Eriksen netting a superb 88th-minute winner from long range.

It was largely a night of frustration for Spurs, who enjoyed 78% possession on the night and also had 29 shots on goal.

While Eriksen scored the exceptional winner, Rose turned in a performance of the highest calibre, testing goalkeeper Mat Ryan with an excellent long-range drive and turning in a generally assiduous performance.

Per WhoScored, he won three aerial duels, three tackles and also completed two dribbles.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

League One’s fascinating race for automatic promotion saw yet another dramatic twist occur on Saturday which would have delighted Barnsley’s supporters.

With fellow top-two contenders Sunderland and Portsmouth facing each other, the Tykes knew that by securing a victory over Blackpool at Oakwell, they would be able to gain on at least one of their rivals.

However, after making a slow start to proceedings, Daniel Stendel’s side fell behind as Tangerines midfielder Harry Pritchard saw his deflected effort wrong foot Adam Davies. Having overcome the shock of conceding, Barnsley levelled just before half-time as Cauley Woodrow fired in his 16th goal of the season.

Despite dominating vast sways of possession, the Tykes had to wait until the 60th minute to land the all-important killer blow as Liam Lindsay headed home from a corner to clinch a fourth consecutive victory in the third tier.

In what turned out to be a perfect weekend for the Yorkshire-based outfit, Pompey’s draw with the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light saw the gap between second and third extend to four points.

Although it cannot be understated how important these results are for the club’s hopes of securing automatic promotion, the fact that Luton Town lost again means that Barnsley should now be focusing on winning the League One title in May.

Now level on points with the Hatters, the Tykes can usurp Mick Harford’s side if they better their result next Saturday. Whereas Barnsley will be full of confidence heading into their clash at Bristol Rovers, Luton will have to overcome an Oxford United side who have been experiencing somewhat of a renaissance under Karl Robinson in recent months.

If they finish first in May, Stendel’s men will end a 64-year wait for a third tier triumph having last been victorious at this particular level in 1955.

What do you think Tykes fans? Should Stendel be targeting the League One triumph following Luton’s recent slip-ups? How impressed have you been with the German since he joined the club last summer? Let us know below.