All posts by h716a5.icu

It’d feel like a disaster if Tottenham lost Christian Eriksen, wouldn’t it? He’s one of the best creative midfielders in Europe at the moment, however, the club must put their foot down and sort out his future in the next couple of months.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy drives a hard bargain and isn’t a man to be messed with, so he won’t be pleased about Eriksen reportedly (via the Sun) stalling on a new deal considering his current one runs out at the end of the next season. There’s no way the businessman will let him run down his contract, so he either signs a new one or leaves this summer.

That’s the approach we all expect Levy to make anyway, but if he doesn’t and he allowed speculation about his future to rumble on through the summer and into next season, it’ll affect the Dane’s performance and shift focus away from the football. It should be sorted as soon as possible and both parties know it.

The player’s agent has been coy on his future, telling Danish media outlet Ekstra Bladet: “I don’t want to add to the speculation around Christian’s contract and football future. Christian is only focusing on the football.”

This is the right approach from the agent, and the club will be pleased he’s not whipping up transfer speculation, but it doesn’t change the fact that a decision must be reached before, or close to, the end of this season. Pochettino will need to plan for his replacement if he’s to leave, and he can’t do that without prior knowledge.

The club can’t be seen to be led on by the former Ajax ace and his agent or players will then start to think the club’s well-managed control over wages and player agents is beginning to loosen. This could lead to all sorts of player demands and clubs believing Levy will be a walkover with regard to transfer fees.

The chairman’s next move in the fight to keep hold of Eriksen is vital for the club. He could give the 27-year-old all the time he needs to make the decision and give in to every demand to keep the player, or he could demand an answer soon and not be held to ransom, even if that means letting the player go.

Spurs fans, which approach do you think Daniel Levy should take to Erikson’s contract situation? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Arsenal are keeping tabs on Newcastle United goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, according to Chronicle Live.

The Gunners are among a clutch of clubs keeping tabs on the 22-year-old.

What’s the word?

Woodman has just one year left on his contract and the aforementioned report claims that a number of clubs, including Everton, Fulham, Celtic and Arsenal are monitoring his situation.

The England Under-21 international has not played in the Premier League thus far this season, though he has played three times in the FA Cup.

Woodman, the report claims, was keen to leave St James’ Park on loan in January, though the deal eventually fell through due to a contract dispute.

The stopper has made a total of four first-team appearances for the Magpies and has been on four different loans since 2014; he has played for Hartlepool United, Crawley Town, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen.

Intriguingly, Woodman’s father, Andy, currently works at the Emirates Stadium as the head of academy goalkeeping, so there is no question that nepotism could be at play here.

A typical Gunners signing

Signing Woodman would be a poor piece of business from the Gunners.

The goalkeeper does not appear to have any kind of top-level experience and this may well be a case of a familial recommendation.

The stopper has yet to prove his worth but the fact that his contract is expiring at the end of next season suggests that Arsenal are simply looking for a bargain.

Woodman would likely become third-choice straight away and there is a very real question as to whether he would ever actually play in north London.

If he does make the move to Arsenal, one would expect that even more loan moves would follow.

The Gunners should just move on and forget about this Newcastle youngster.

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Brett Pitman has been a regular in Portsmouth’s starting XI and captained the team in recent weeks, but Kenny Jackett needs to deal him a devastating blow by leaving him out of the starting XI for the Checkatrade Trophy at Wembley on Sunday.

On the chalkboard

The 6 ft attacker has generally found first-team starts hard to come by for the Blues this term, but he has taken advantage of Ronan Curtis’ absence in recent weeks by taking up the No.10 role successfully, scoring in wins against Walsall and Shrewsbury Town.

The 31-year-old has done well away from his usual centre-forward role, but the clash against the Black Cats this weekend is a totally different kettle of fish given what a trophy is at stake.

Curtis himself is fit and available again after the freak accident that saw him sever part of his finger off, and the 23-year-old will be pushing for a start.

Should he come straight back in?

He certainly should.

11 goals and 12 assists in 34 League One appearances this term prove what an important player he is in the final third for Pompey, and they will need that quality against a Sunderland side who won’t be easy to break down on Sunday.

Gareth Evans has featured on the wing in the Irishman’s absence but looks far more comfortable in his previous role at No.10 that Pitman has been filling, and he will be needed there against Jack Ross’ side.

In Lee Cattermole and Grant Leadbitter they have central midfielders that can seriously hurt the opposition, and while Evans is decent going forward he also has that defensive nous his more experienced Portsmouth teammate doesn’t.

It will be tough for Jackett to tell Pitman that he isn’t starting at Wembley given his chances of appearing there may well be fading given his age, but it is an essential call that needs to be made.

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Arsenal fans have been getting excited on Twitter after an article from The Mirror.

Arsenal have been lacking any real threat on the wing this season and they see Fraser as the solution to their problems out wide.

It was recently revealed that Arsenal will not have a huge transfer budget for the upcoming window but their coffers will be boosted if they qualify for next season’s Champions League, which they are now on course to do after leapfrogging Tottenham by beating Newcastle on Monday.

The Scottish winger has been in red hot form for Bournemouth this season scoring six goals and providing 10 assists in the Premier League so far.

The Gunners’ wingers this season have been wholly underwhelming with Alex Iwobi putting up only four assists compared to Fraser’s 10.

Fraser tore Arsenal to shreds a couple of seasons ago as Bournemouth drew with the Gunners 3-3 at the Vitality Stadium. That performance has seemingly stuck in the minds of the Arsenal scouts and they have now made Fraser a target for the summer transfer window.

Here’s what Arsenal fans have been saying on Twitter…

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There have been some hugely exciting talents to come out of West Brom in recent memory. Izzy Brown now of Chelsea tops the list, but the likes of Jonathan Leko and Saido Berahino are two more players to have risen through the Baggies ranks.

One of the newest prospects currently banging in goals on a regular basis is Jamie Soule. However, whereas Brown left the club and Berahino had significant attitude problems, supporters will be hoping that this 18-year-old talent can be developed with the club fully.

Soule has been phenomenal for the club’s youth sides in 2018/19, playing a major part in the U18’s reaching the FA Youth Cup semi-finals. It was a brilliant effort from the young Baggies who knocked out teams like Everton and Arsenal before coming unstuck against the might of Manchester City.

The forward was one of their standout players throughout the run, scoring twice against QPR and Lincoln in earlier rounds, whilst also netting against Arsenal and City.

Soule was born in 2000, a year that has become rather synonymous with some of England’s best up and coming talents; think Jadon Sancho for example.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

Although he has a long way to go before reaching the Dortmund starlet’s quality, the attributes to succeed at a higher level are certainly there.

He is a willing runner, with his ability to find space in the channels making himself a nuisance for centre-halves. That has been the case time and time again in the FA Youth Cup, with his goal against Arsenal coming from the right before firing underneath the goalkeeper.

His form has stood out in Premier League 2, scoring on an all too regular basis for the U23s too. In eight matches this season at that level, he has six goals.

Soule’s ability to find the back of the net with remarkable consistency is something that excites but there is more to his game than finishing. He is hard working and his sudden burst of acceleration when picking up the ball will be enough to scare defenders at any level.

Whoever is given the permanent managerial job at West Brom simply has to develop Soule and find a way of getting him into the first team.

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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill handed goalkeeper Luke Steele his first Championship start since February 2018 against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night, and Reds fans delivered their verdict on the 6 ft 2 player both during the game and post-match.

The 34-year-old was given an opportunity by the former Republic of Ireland boss with Costel Pantilimon dropping to the substitutes’ bench, and it looked as though it was going to prove to be an inspired decision following an impressive first half where he pulled off one fantastic save.

However, just two minutes after half-time he was caught horribly out of position by Marco Matias who found the net from 35 yards, with the visitors to Hillsborough going on to be beaten 3-0 in Yorkshire.

With their faint play-off hopes fading, Forest supporters took to Twitter to have their say on their stopper’s display, and the majority weren’t pleased with him.

Unsurprisingly Matias’ strike was a popular talking point, and while one simply said “wow” – presumably having seen the goal – another said “Luke Steele didn’t see that coming”.

Here is just a selection of the reaction…

Seeing as to how good Liverpool are playing, one could be deemed crazy to think they need more attacking reinforcements.

However, not Jurgen Klopp, as the Liverpool manager’s already planning ahead for next season, where he wants to bolster his squad with further world-class talents.

Of course, one can’t blame him for trying to lessen the responsibilities of his front trio. According to reports from German outlet Bild (via Calciomercato), the Reds are aiming to sign German wonderkid Julian Brandt. He’s apparently up for grabs for a cut-price of only €25 million – roughly £21.5m – which is a real steal for the fantastic attacking midfielder, so FSG shouldn’t waste any time.

The 22-year-old’s in irresistible form for Bayer Leverkusen this season, crafting most of their wonderful attacking moves throughout. He’s been entrusted to be their creative lynchpin and thoroughly delivered, having scored 4 goals, assisted 11 in 28 Bundesliga appearances.

At times, it almost feels like whatever he touches turns to gold in attack.

Brandt can be the blooming asset who could be turned into a world-class star by Klopp. He loves to work with German youngsters (just ask Marco Reus or Mario Gotze) and can really benefit from a vibrant, creative attacker like Brandt.

The 22-year-old can effortlessly drift into a central role, etching together moves with his impressive vision and incisive passing ability.

Not only would he take the pressure off the front-three, but add a more dynamic presence in their attack.  Liverpool could be encouraged to take more risks going forward and possibly score even more goals with an assist-master like Brandt scripting moves.

Liverpool fans, would you be pleased with Brandt’s potential arrival this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Manchester United are set for a massive summer this time round following a miserable performance against Everton this weekend.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was visibly shaken by his side’s showing at Goodison Park on Sunday, and he will no doubt now be keen to address thoses issues he has seen in his squad come the summer.

The board are expected to back the Norwegian with some big money, and if reports in the media are to believed, there could well be some big change in personnel at Old Trafford.

This weekend has seen plenty of talk here in the Tavern, but with reports emerging that PSG striker Edinson Cavani is still unsure on his future with the French giants, we think that United need to act now and ensure they sign the experienced striker.

The 32-year-old might not be a young player who many United fans are calling for the club to sign, but you can never have enough top level experience in your team, and Cavani might well prove to be a shrewd capture for the Red Devils.

His record in Europe at both Napoli and PSG is superb, and he would surely relish the chance of making an impact over the in the Premier League.

With Romelu Lukaku struggling and his future looking uncertain, Cavani would be the perfect sort of signing for United. His work-rate as well as his goals make him the ideal sort of player to come into the club at a difficult time, and he is exactly the sort of character needed for Solskjaer.

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According to a report in The Mirror, Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos is on West Ham United’s transfer wish-list, and if they manage to pull off a deal they would be sorted in central midfield for the next decade.

What’s the word, then?

Well, according to The Mirror Irons manager Manuel Pellegrini is a fan of the 22-year-old having managed in Spain, while director of football Mario Husillos feels he would fit in well with the continued overhaul of the playing staff.

The Mirror report that the east London outfit have been alerted to the La Liga player’s availability with Real Madrid planning a big summer spending spree following a disappointing season in the Spanish top flight and the Champions League.

The story adds that while the European giants would prefer to send Ceballos out on a season-long loan deal, the Hammers have been given encouragement by intermediaries that he could be available permanently for £18m.

A good signing?

He would be a brilliant addition for West Ham.

While he perhaps hasn’t made the impact he would have liked at the Bernabeu, you only have to look at his performances for Spain and Real Betis previously to know how good he is and how good he could be in the English capital.

He is technically brilliant, is capable of finding those forward passes others can’t and at 22 years of age he still has so much time to improve and get better.

The Irons haven’t quite found the right partner for England international Declan Rice yet with Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble etc failing to make the grade on a consistent basis.

It would be a different story if they got Ceballos though, as he has the attributes and traits to complement the new Three Lions star in the middle of the park.

Should Pellegrini and Husillos manage to bring him to the London Stadium permanently, they would conceivably be sorted in central midfield for the next decade.

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One-time Manchester City target Alexis Sanchez played the final seven minutes of Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat against Pep Guardiola’s men on Wednesday night, and Cityzens fans were quick to react to his cameo display.

The Premier League holders actually agreed a £60m (£55m plus £5m in add-ons) deal with Arsenal for the Chile international in August 2017, but a deal fell through as the Gunners were unable to bring in a replacement in time.

Since moving to Old Trafford in January 2018, the 30-year-old has struggled to make an impact for the Red Devils and is barely named in the starting XI.

Man City supporters obviously feel they have had the last laugh given their success with the South American forward since, if their reactions to his outing on Wednesday is anything to go by.

While one said “boy did we dodge a couple of bullets not buying Fred and Sanchez”, another sarcastically said “great to see Sanchez show us City fans what we missed out on”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…