All posts by h716a5.icu

Jonjo Shelvey played the full 90 minutes as Newcastle United recorded a 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.DeAndre Yedlin and Ciaran Clark scored the goals for the Magpies, who recovered from an early deficit with Harry Wilson sending the visitors ahead in the early exchanges.Shelvey’s performance was the subject of much debate on social media.And it would be fair to say that the Newcastle fans have mixed views when it comes to the former Liverpool midfielder’s display.The statistics show that the 27-year-old had three shots and made two tackles, but WhoScoredÂalso reveal that his pass success rate was down at 61%, with just 19 of his 31 passes considered accurate.

There is no question that the result was impressive for Steve Bruce’s side, who have now won their last two in the Premier League.

However, Shelvey did not convince all of the fans on Saturday afternoon, as shown by the mixed messages below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

What is the point of international qualifiers?

For the smaller nations, perhaps it is an opportunity to take a few scalps, to potentially sneak into a tournament and then see what happens. Think Iceland in 2016, when they went to the European Championships, won hearts across the globe and even beat England.

But for the bigger nations, for the Three Lions, what’s the point?

On Thursday, this question again surfaced, as they thumped Montenegro 7-0 to officially seal their qualification for Euro 2020.

Five of those goals were scored before half-time. There was never once any jeopardy in this match, never once a feeling of a potentially embarrassing defeat.

Montenegro actually scored first in the reverse fixture but were swiftly corrected and beaten 5-1 by a clinical, efficient England side.

Gareth Southgate’s men played well. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Marcus Rashford and Tammy Abraham were also on the scoresheet. There was also a Montenegro own goal, salt in the wounds. Raheem Sterling was not missed. It was the youngest England team since 1959, playing in the country’s 1,oooth fixture.

Why bother?

It’s becoming increasingly tiresome to see England in these sorts of games. The group also consists of the Czech Republic, Kosovo and Bulgaria. It has to be said that Southgate’s men lost to the former in Prague, but that was an exception. It was the first qualifier they had lost in a decade. They had beaten them 5-0 at home. In the other games, they have scored at least four goals against each opponent.

Glenn Hoddle said on commentary, as the match reached its conclusion, that this Three Lions team wouldn’t know how good they were until they actually reached the finals and played their first game in the competition, and this is the nub of the issue.

Per WhoScored, England had 17 shots to Montenegro’s six. They had over 66% possession and won seven corners to their opposition’s three. Ben Chilwell had a field day down the left flank, racking up a hat-trick of assists.

This is not to diminish the Leicester City’s star’s performance because he should be the first-choice left-back from here on in, but it is to show that England saw a weakness, exploited it ruthlessly while the visitors struggled on helplessly.

To look at the group table is to see England three points clear of the Czechs. They have scored 33 goals and conceded six, leading to a goal difference of 27. The Czech Republic, by comparison, have a goal difference of 3.

We don’t learn anything from these games. We knew before this match that Kane could score goals if given the chances, that Chilwell could cross, that Abraham was an instinctive penalty box finisher. This only reinforces it because the opposition is weak and Southgate, as is his right, picked a strong team.

But it does nothing to answer the big questions. Has this team grown from the experience at the World Cup in 2018? Can they now handle the pressure of a semi-final? Heading into what could be described as a home tournament, given that the semis and the final will be played at Wembley, as will their three group games, can this team live up to the expectation that will inevitably be placed upon them and that they were freed of in 2018?

We don’t know, because they’ve been playing Montenegro and Bulgaria, instead of France or Spain or Germany.

It remains to be seen what team will turn up to the tournament next summer and whether they can go two steps better than they did in Russia and win the thing.

As it is, they are just as much in the dark as we are.

Everyone is probably eager to see what kind of changes does Jose Mourinho implement now that he has taken charge of Tottenham Hotspur, following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.

The Special One will definitely have to work his magic to get Spurs out of the gutters and the 14th place they found themselves in.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And according to some new reports coming from The Telegraph, it seems that Mourinho is considering bringing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the club after the great Swede finished his MLS adventure across the pond.

Of course, the two have already worked together at Manchester United and scooping a proven goal-scorer for free could actually help the team moving forward.

[ad_pod ]

But many of the Spurs fans would not agree with that.

Upon seeing this update, they were quick to voice their opinions on the matter and it seems they are not happy with it at all.

Some feel it would not end well while others think Ibrahimovic is not needed since they have Karry Kane.

You can see some of their replies down in the tweets below:

Leeds United supporters have been discussing one of their former players on social media this week, and some would like to see him back at Elland Road.

One member of the Whites faithful posted a picture to Twitter asking if fans remembered Jordan Botaka, who joined the west Yorkshire outfit on summer deadline day in 2015 from Dutch side Excelsior when Uwe Rosler was in charge.

Now valued at £1.35m by Transfermarkt, the 26-year-old has forged a career out in Belgium for Sint-Truiden as their captain, even coming up against ex-Leeds frontman Kemar Roofe, who is now at Anderlecht.

Here’s what has been said about the DR Congo international…

Botaka would only go on to feature 14 times for Leeds, providing just the one assist as he failed to find the net, via Transfermarkt, and in his final season at the club, he was sent on loan to Charlton Athletic where he could only manage a total of four goal contributions from 29 appearances.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Though, this hasn’t stopped some supporters from talking him up to be a “baller” and the fact that he wasn’t actually that bad.

Others picked up on his skills, particularly as his virtual presence on FIFA gives him the best ability to perform such tricks whilst one fan described him as a better version of Hadi Sacko because of exactly this – he departed Elland Road last summer after being  the first-ever permanent signing of the Andrea Radrizzani era.

A further member of the Leeds fanbase claimed he was actually a better version of the 26-year-old. Sacko played 60 times for the west Yorkshiremen and only managed to score three times while providing four assists, per Transfermarkt, so there’s certainly an argument to be made there.

While one fan believes Botaka would be a class option under Marcelo Bielsa’s guidance, and you’d probably have to agree as the Argentine has transformed the fortunes of Jack Harrison and Helder Costa this term. The duo have combined for 17 goal contributions.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Leeds discussion going on in the Vital Leeds Forum! Click here to get involved!

AND in other news, Leeds must avoid free transfer swoop this summer…

Odion Ighalo has only been a Manchester United player since the end of January, so perhaps it’s natural that there’s an added level of intrigue surrounding the Nigerian striker.

That materialised on social media after Ighalo shared his frustrations at the lack of football at the moment, with the responses to his Tweet being littered with questions that he was happy to answer.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

One such query was who Ighalo’s formed the biggest bond with so far at United, and the former Watford man revealed that while he’s close to everybody in the Old Trafford ranks, he plays more with Juan Mata.

It’s not quite clear whether he’s referring to social activities or what goes on in training, although the latter would make a lot more sense considering neither Ighalo nor Mata are automatic starters at the moment.

Ighalo is yet to start a Premier League game whereas Mata hasn’t done so since the start of February – one assumes then that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad options are helping keep each other sharp in training.

Meanwhile, Man United believe a teenager at the club could save them £50m.

Liverpool have a whole host of talented central midfielders residing within the squad but it appears Jurgen Klopp is not completely satisfied with the options at his disposal.

Indeed, according to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Sport, the German boss is “in love” with Boubakary Soumare, a player with whom the club entered negotiations with last summer.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The report suggests that Liverpool are one of a multitude of clubs, which included Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United, expressing an interest in the 21-year-old’s services and Klopp himself is closely following his progress.

The player’s price tag was estimated at €40m (£35.2m) in January, though the same report hints that may be subject to change in light of the global pandemic.

The holding midfielder left Paris Saint-Germain for Lille in 2017 and hasn’t looked back ever since.

Given the calibre of clubs who are credited with an interest in his services, there is little doubt that Soumare is one of the most coveted young players on the continent right now.

In response to report, the Reds faithful were relatively mixed in their reaction. Some suggested he is a player the club should be signing, while others took a scathing swipe at the recent decision to furlough non-playing staff.

Here’s how the Liverpool fans reacted to the fresh link with Soumare…

Rangers were a fantastic side during the late nineties, and Jorg Albertz was at the heart of that in the middle of the park.

The German was signed for £4m in 1996 and would end up having a stunning career at the club. He played over 140 matches, scoring more than 80 goals from the middle of the park, and those contributions helped Rangers win three league titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.

The club’s supporters are clearly still massive fans of the 49-year-old if a tweet shared by Rangers account Glasgow is Blue is anything to go by. They have posted a compilation of some of the best goals he scored for the club with his wand of a left-foot, and the supporters have enjoyed it.

They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the clip, and you can see some of the best comments below.

Let us know what you think!

Despite the situation the w0rld currently finds itself in, there is an overwhelming desire for a return of professional sport as soon as possible.

Football is beginning to explore the ways in which it can get back to some kind of normal and as a result, transfer rumours have begun to resurface ahead of the traditional summer market reopening.

However, the recent pandemic has had a huge impact on the economy and therefore may lead to football clubs having far less to spend on recruitment than they perhaps would’ve had if Coronavirus didn’t exist.

It means player values will have decreased as a result, with many top stars across Europe potentially being available at a bit of a discount once the transfer window opens.

Now more than ever, the old adage ‘a player is only worth what another club is willing to pay’ holds so much truth. Of course, player valuations remain very high, but they will have decreased slightly over the last few months.

So, we’ve taken a look at the Premier League’s most valuable players right now, and there might be a few surprises to some.

Have a flick through to find out how many of your club’s players feature…

20. Jack Grealish – £27.45m

Heavily linked with a move away from Villa Park recently, Jack Grealish’s market value seems a little low when it comes to some of the fees being touted in the media.

If Aston Villa are relegated back to the Championship once the season is concluded, Grealish will almost certainly be on the move for a large transfer fee, and he’ll no doubt go for a lot more than his £27.45m market value.

19. Two Players – £28.35m

Two young, English prospects are up next.

Spurs’ Ryan Sessegnon has struggled to make an impact since his £25m switch from Fulham but has show irregular signs of brilliance.

Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi has had his development held back by injury but remains one of the most exciting young prospects to come out of the Blues’ academy in recent years.

18. 10 Players – £28.8m

A full 10 players in the Premier League have a market value of £28.80m, most of which may surprise you.

The biggest surprise will no doubt be Chelsea’s Kepa who, at one stage, was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world when the Blues paid £71m for his services in August 2018 – now his market value is just over a third of that fee.

Both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Felipe Anderson were mega-money signings for Man United and West Ham respectively, both signing for far more than their current market values.

For most of these players, their clubs are almost certainly in line to make a huge loss if they’re to be sold this summer.

17. Two Players – £30.15m

Liverpool duo Joe Gomez and Naby Keita share the same market value of £30.15m.

Gomez arrived at Anfield in a £3.5m switch from Charlton in 2015, so his development has led to a huge increase in market value but Keita’s struggles to make a big enough impact under Klopp has seen his market value decrease significantly.

Following a deal worth more than £50m in 2017, the Reds will be lucky to get even close to a break-even fee if they were to move him in the coming months or years.

16. Six Players – £32.40m

Six Premier League players have a market value of £32.40m and almost all of them are about right, although Sebatien Haller’s market value will still be fuelled by his £45m switch from Frankfurt last summer.

The Frenchman has scored seven goals so far this season and many have questioned whether he was ever worth such a fee in the first place.

Wilfried Ndidi comes as a less of a surprise, though, as his importance to Leicester City has been clear for all to see as the Foxes bid for a top-four finish. If he’s allowed to leave the King Power Stadium in the near future, he’ll no doubt go for more than his £32.40m market value.

15. 10 Players – £36m

A whole 10 players are valued at £36m in the Premier League and it’s hard to argue with any of them.

The likes of Ben Chilwell and Raul Jimenez have been linked with moves away from their clubs over the course of the past 12 months, which will have driven their market values somewhat, while the consistently strong performances of the others mean they’re probably valued correctly.

Tammy Abraham’s goal scoring form for Chelsea this season, as well as the fact he’s young and English, probably makes him worth a lot more in reality.

14. Two Players – £36.45m

Two young players come in at a market value of £36.45m and while Mason Mount’s value might just be fair when taking into account nationality, age and current form, Matteo Guendouzi’s value might surprise a few.

The Frenchman signed from Lorient for around £7m in 2018 and while he has impressed for the most part, arguably has some way to go before being worth above £30m in today’s market.

13. Two Players – £39.60m

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha and Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans are both valued at just under £40m and it’s difficult to argue with either.

Zaha has consistently been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park while Tielemans has been so important to Leicester’s fantastic 2019/20 season.

You would expect to see both go for more than £40m if sold in the coming years.

12. Six Players – £43.20m

Six Premier League players have a market value of £43.20m and they’re all pretty much where you would expect them to be.

Man United’s Bruno Fernandes did have a market value of £54m before the current pandemic but you would still expect him to go for more if Man United suddenly decided to sell – but of course, they wouldn’t do that any time soon!

James Maddison is a player in demand, with a number of clubs linked with him over the last couple of months, and you would expect him to go for a lot more if Leicester City decide to cash-in.

11. Declan Rice – £44.55m

Arguably one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League right now, Declan Rice is out on his own with a market value of £44.55m.

The England international has been sensational for the Hammers over the last few years, making more than 100 first-team appearances in what has mostly been a mediocre team often battling for top-flight survival.

If West Ham are unable to push on and start competing at the right end of the table very soon then Rice will no doubt be sold on, and the Hammers are absolutely right to be pricing him at almost double his market value given Rice’s potential.

10. Five Players – £46.80m

Five players have a market value of just over £45m, while each of them were originally valued at almost £60m before the current pandemic ruined everything.

Pepe and Tanguy Ndombele’s market values will still be fuelled by the fees their clubs paid for them in recent transfer windows, while it is so impressive to see Sergio Aguero still holding such a large market value at the age of 31.

9. Christian Pulisic – £48.60m

Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic is out on his own with a market value of £48.60m and there’s little wonder why when you consider the form he’s been in under Frank Lampard of late.

The £58m Chelsea paid Borussia Dortmund for the 21-year-old will of course still be fuelling his market value but given his age, it would not be a surprise to see the American’s value continue to rise over the coming years.

8. Five Players – £50.40m

All of these players have a market value of just over £50m and again, it’s hard to argue with any of them.

They were all initially valued at £63m before the pandemic but all are doing enough for their clubs to still justify a market value of over £50m.

That said, with Aubameyang now into his 30’s, it would be difficult to see him go for anything above the £50m he’s valued at should Arsenal sell him.

7. Aymeric Laporte – £54m

One of the best defenders in the Premier League? Without a doubt.

Pep Guardiola has regularly praised the abilities of Laporte and his importance to City’s success, so it’s little wonder he has a market value of £54m. That has taken a hit, though, as he was valued at £67.5m before the pandemic.

There’s no danger of City opting to sell the 25-year-old and it would not be a surprise to see his market value grow over the coming years.

6. Five Players – £57.60m

Perhaps the most surprising player in the image above with a market value of £57.60m is Tottenham’s Heung-min Son. That said, they all had market values of £72m before the pandemic, which just goes to show how badly the pandemic has affected market values.

The South Korean forward has become one of the most feared frontmen in the world over the last few years and Tottenham would no doubt command a fee close to double that if another club wanted to sign him.

The others are probably about right in the current market, while they would all probably be sold for much more than their values dictate.

5. Two Players – £64.80m

This Liverpool duo have a market value of £64.80m and given their respective successes at Anfield, you can’t argue with that valuation.

Both were initially valued above £80m before the pandemic and will probably climb back to around that level if football recovers and they both continue to improve.

4. Five Players – £72m

All five of these players had initial market values of £90m before the pandemic, which is about right given the impact they’ve all had on their club’s fortunes in recent years.

Now valued at £72m, they’re still among the most valuable players in the Premier League right now. Leroy Sane is reportedly a target for Bayern Munich this summer, but will they be willing to pay more than his current market value?

Paul Pogba, who was once the world’s most expensive player, will always command such a large transfer fee, regardless of form or fitness, because of the commercial benefits he would bring to any club.

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold – £89.10m

He’s by far the best right-back in the world right now, but he’s still not the most valuable player in the Premier League.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been outstanding for Liverpool as they romped to the Premier League title in 2019/20 (they’ve won it, regardless of whether it’s official yet or not) and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Any why would he? The 21-year-old already has a Champions League, Super Cup and World Club Cup under his belt and he’ll no doubt collect a full sweep of domestic honours throughout his career.

Given his market value has taken less than a £10m hit since the pandemic says all you need to know about his potential.

2. Four Players – £108m

No real surprise to see any of these four sharing the second highest market value in the Premier League and all of them would’ve looked at home if they were named as the most valuable.

Kevin De Bruyne and Harry Kane would probably be more likely to climb to number one spot at some point than their Liverpool counterparts, although Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane make up two-thirds of the most lethal attacking trio in world football right now.

So who’s the most valuable player in the Premier League right now?

1. Raheem Sterling – £115.20m

Surprised? Some will be.

Raheem Sterling is the Premier League’s most valuable player right now, with a market value of just over £115m. However, before the pandemic he had a massive £144m valuation.

The City winger has really kicked on over the last few years, for both club and country, and is one of the most lethal wide-men in world football right now.

The £44m City paid Liverpool for him in 2015 looks like fantastic business now, doesn’t it?

Leeds United still await news on the resumption of the Premier League season, but this has seemingly not stopped them from preparing ahead for next season.

This was the suggestion from Phil Hay in a recent Q&A on The Athletic.

A series of questions were asked about the goalkeeping position and whether reported interest in Burnley’s veteran shot-stopper, Joe Hart, held any truth.

Hay gave these two responses:

“I was told today of a Premier League keeper who Leeds are looking at closely. Need to check it out a bit more but I strongly suspect they’ll be on the look-out – as well as taking Meslier permanently.

“I haven’t had any reliable confirmation of interest in Hart. Another PL keeper was mentioned to me today, although I need to check that out a little more. Someone more suited to Bielsa’s style.”

The situation between the sticks will be an interesting conundrum for Marcelo Bielsa to solve this summer.

There are doubts over the future of Kiko Casilla following his lengthy ban for racism whilst backup glovesman Illan Meslier is only on loan – but Hay does hint that Leeds would like him permanently alongside this mystery top-flight man.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Outside of the aforementioned duo, it’s merely youth pickings, so someone with experience at the highest level may be a wise move to make.

AND in other news, Phil Hay hints at Championship return date for Leeds…

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

Whilst Farhad Moshiri has brought in plenty of fresh funds to Everton, the Toffees still need to be clever in the transfer market.

That does not only mean spending their money wisely to bring in top-quality talent – exactly as they have done with the likes of Richarlison and Lucas Digne in recent years – but also signing players on the cheap and moving them on when the time is right.

They have done that with players who have performed particularly well – such as Romelu Lukaku – and others who perhaps have not quite hit the heights they expected. Ademola Lookman is certainly one of those with whom they did fantastic business.

The Goodison Park outfit paid £7.5m for Lookman when he was just 18 after he had impressed with Charlton Athletic – he scored 12 goals in 49 appearances for the the Addicks. Whilst he was not expected to become a star player straight away, there were high hopes for the future.

He could barely have dreamed of making a quicker impact at the club. After a matter of seconds on the pitch against Manchester City, the winger scored his first goal in a 4-0 victory, announcing himself to the Premier League in the process.

That, though, was probably as good as it got for him on Merseyside. He scored two goals in his next 22 matches for the club before moving to RB Leipzig in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign. He took to the Bundesliga like a duck to water, scoring five times and providing four assists in just 11 matches.

Back at Everton in the 2018/19 term, he managed one goal in 24 matches – hardly that impressive. That, though, didn’t stop Leipzig from deciding to part with a huge £22.5m to take him back to Germany, this time on a permanent basis. Since then, he has failed to net in just 13 appearances in all competitions during the 2019/20 campaign.

The Toffees won’t be too worried though – despite him failing to convince following that electric start, they managed to make a profit of £15m after just four goals and 48 games. If only they could guarantee that kind of success with every deal.

Let us know what you think below!