All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Worryingly for Everton fans, SPORT are reporting that Tottenham have agreed personal terms with Andre Gomes and are preparing a €30m (£25.9m) offer for the midfielder, which Barcelona are said to be ready to accept when it arrives.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Portuguese international has spent the entirety of the current campaign on loan at Goodison Park with Everton, where he has become a fan favourite as a result of his classy, composed performances in the middle of the field.

The 25-year-old is a player of real pedigree, and has proven to be the perfect foil for the more combative Idrissa Gueye in Marco Silva’s midfield; however, they could be set to miss out on his signature permanently with Spurs sniffing around.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

SPORT believe that the north Londoners are waiting to officially qualify for the Champions League before making contact with Barcelona – Mauricio Pochettino’s men need just a point this weekend to do so.

Everton simply cannot miss out and must better Spurs’ offer.

Players of Gomes’ pedigree don’t come around often

Of course, for a player of his status, moving to a team who have made the final of the Champions League makes sense and would be difficult to turn down, but surely the Toffees are in the driving seat here?

The former Valencia man seems to have enjoyed his time on Merseyside, and assumingly, he wouldn’t be adverse to joining on a permanent basis as long as Marcel Brands gazumps Tottenham’s offer.

Everton have shown that they have the type of cash to compete in the market. £35m on Richarlison. £45m on Gylfi Sigurdsson. And so on.

The amount of dross that they have signed in the past for huge fees, such as Morgan Schneiderlin, Yannick Bolasie and Theo Walcott, should make their desire to land a truly quality midfielder even greater.

Who knows how long it could be before a player of a similar ilk becomes available for a similar price range of between £30m and £40m?

It has been an eventful few weeks for Patrick Bamford at Leeds United, hasn’t it?

The Whites forward was the toast of Elland Road in April after he scored a vital brace in an away victory at Preston North End which gave his side the advantage over Sheffield United in the race for automatic promotion in the Championship.

Yet with the pressure cranked up on Leeds due to the Blades recording wins against Nottingham Forest and Hull City, Bamford was unable to provide the required firepower to keep the club’s fate in their own hands.

Following consecutive defeats to Wigan Athletic and Brentford, the Whites were consigned to the lottery of the play-offs after Chris Wilder’s United beat Ipswich Town 2-0 at Bramall Lane to guarantee their place in the Premier League next season.

Although Leeds will be confident of joining them following their 1-0 victory over Derby County in the first leg of their semi-final clash last Saturday, Bielsa faces a huge dilemma in terms of team selection for Wednesday’s return fixture.

With Kemar Roofe ruled out of the clash due to a calf injury (via BBC Sport), the Argentine may have to turn to Bamford to lead the line at Elland Road.

However, when you consider the £5.4m-rated marksman’s (via Transfermarkt) antics against Aston Villa last month, it could be a huge risk to start him against Derby.

After getting into an altercation with Anwar El Ghazi in which Bamford got the Dutchman sent off despite there being no contact between the pair, the 25-year-old was given a two-match ban by the Football Association for successfully deceiving a match official (via Sky Sports).

Although he has now served this suspension, the spotlight will be on the former Middlesbrough ace during tomorrow’s showdown if he is selected by Bielsa and therefore it may be wise if he is used as a substitute instead.

In order to do this, the 63-year-old may have to play either Jack Harrison or Pablo Hernandez in a false nine role or even call upon the services of Ryan Edmondson who has been in superb form for the under-23’s this season.

What do you think Leeds fans? Would it be too much of a risk to start Bamford on Wednesday given his recent discipline troubles? Or should he be given a chance at redemption by Bielsa against Derby? Let us know below.

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Celtic are just days away from their mammoth cup final against Hearts at Hampden.

It’s not just any final either, it’s an opportunity for Neil Lennon and his side to make history again and secure a treble of trophies for the third successive season.

Before Brendan Rodgers walked through the doors at Celtic Park in 2016 trebles were rare in Scottish football, but a clean sweep of trophies since then has Celtic fans celebrating unprecedented success.

Supporters though don’t just want to see the Hoops win, they want to win with style and what better way to do that than by unleashing one of the club’s top young talents on Craig Levein’s team?

On the chalkboard

The idea of playing a 16 year old in a national final may seem bizarre to some, but Karamoko Dembele’s cameo on Sunday had Celtic fans on their feet and even booing their own players when the diminutive attacking midfielder did not get the opportunity to take a free kick.

He’s caught the imagination of fans and it would be an incredible story for the player to make his name at Hampden Park on Saturday.

Starting the match is perhaps out of the question, but if things are going well then there’ll be an expectancy for him to be brought onto the pitch if he makes the bench.

His awareness, vision and skill is already a level above most players in the country, why not give him the opportunity to show what he can do in a momentous final?

What are his teammates saying?

Talents such as Callum McGregor certainly aren’t ruling out him getting an appearance.

The Hoops midfielder couldn’t offer enough praise for the teenager when speaking this week, impressed by the manner with which he took to the game on Sunday.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, McGregor said of Dembele: “At such a young age, to come on and play with the maturity he did was great. You can see his football brain working before the ball even comes to him. It’s a massive talent to have at such a young age. If he was to get on at the weekend in the Scottish Cup Final it would be an amazing achievement. It certainly seems like nothing fazes him. As soon as he came into first team training, he looked comfortable. He isn’t overawed.”

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…

That’s an endorsement and a half and if McGregor reckons the young man can cope with the pressure of playing against Hearts this weekend then who are we to argue?

Go on Neil Lennon, give your fans something extra special to cheer about.

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A busy summer is in store for Everton.

Marco Silva and Director of Football Marcel Brands have been hard at work identifying the players they want to keep at Goodison Park, and those who they want to get shot of with a major clear-out reportedly planned.

The Toffees supposedly want to get rid of 15 players according to the Daily Mail, with the likes of Cenk Tosun, Oumar Niasse, Jonjoe Kenny, Leighton Baines, James McCarthy, Yannick Bolasie, Sandro Ramirez, Kevin Mirallas, Muhamed Besic, Ademola Lookman and Maarten Stekelenburg on that list – Theo Walcott may also be sold.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Add in the fact that two heroes of the campaign just gone – Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma – will be returning to their parent clubs in Barcelona and Chelsea respectively, and it will be a majorly important summer for Everton.

How could they line up for the start of next season? Football FanCast takes a look…

As you can see, there are a few notable absentees from the Toffees’ 2018/19 lineup.

At right-back, club icon Seamus Coleman has been shunted out due to his consistently poor performances in the campaign just gone, which rightfully drew criticism from the Everton supporters.

The Toffees have been linked with a move for Benfica right-back Andre Almeida, a player who enjoyed an eye-catching season with the Portuguese giants last term – the 28-year-old racked up two goals and an impressive 12 assists, form that has led to talk of an £8m move to Merseyside.

Fan favourite Kurt Zouma is also missing from the side, as we suspect that the Frenchman will not be allowed to leave Chelsea after they were hit with a transfer ban and will need a centre-back when Gary Cahill departs the club.

Further up the field, we also think that another loan star in Andre Gomes will not be returning to the club due to strong interest from Tottenham; the Champions League finalists have reportedly already made advances towards the Portuguese international.

With that taken into account, attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson could drop into the space vacated by Gomes and replace the 25-year-old’s technical ability in the middle of the park alongside Idrissa Gueye.

Everton are looking for a new striker and are reportedly ‘very interested’ in Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who hit 11 goals for Fulham in the league last term.

He could form a deadly partnership with the hard-working Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top whilst the width is provided by Brazilian duo Richarlison and Bernard.

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Former footballer Matt Murray spent ten seasons as a professional at Wolves but has now found himself at the centre of some controversy within the club.

After becoming a registered intermediary with Unique Sports Management, Wolves have adjudged him to overstep the line following attempts to recruit players for his agency at the training ground canteen.

Per The Daily Mail, they’ve told him not to exploit his access after having free reign of the place following his retirement.

It seems a bizarre situation but Wolves supporters have been reacting on Twitter, offering their thoughts on what’s occurred.

One fan made reference to Jorge Mendes, who has a number of their players on his books already, suggesting Murray was stepping on his turf.

Another claimed that harassing players at training may not be the best of ideas. However, a further member of the Molineux faithful couldn’t see what was wrong with it.

The ex-goalkeeper had to cut short his playing days at just the age of 29 following injury and since hanging up his gloves has also made a living through punditry.

The Daily Mail claim that Murray still retains a good relationship with Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell despite the events.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

Not many teams could crumble as badly in a European final as Arsenal did, but did we expect anything else?

The Gunners bottled their opportunity to qualify for next season’s Champions League after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in Baku. A result that has damaged the club’s future as well as their plans for this summer’s transfer window.

Qualification for Europe’s premier competition would have seen the Gunners transfer budget reportedly shoot up to £100 million, but now, it will remain a lowly £40 million, and with so many problems in the squad, it is going to be a long summer in north London.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as in the darkness there was a small but faint shining light in the form of Joe Willock, who made a 13-minute cameo in the final stages of the game and immediately made Arsenal a better side.

His willingness to go forward and actually create chances saw the youngster nearly score himself, and it gave Arsenal fans hope that the future is going to be okay and that Unai Emery has to turn to youth for next season.

With so little money to work with this summer, promoting the likes of Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson to the first-team will not only save the team money on positions they would normally be spending funds on, but it will add excitement to the Gunners.

It is often said amongst fans and journalists who cover the club that Arsenal currently have a golden generation of talent coming through, and next season, Emery has to turn to them to help push the team forward and to instil hope into a team and fan base that are currently at their lowest.

Arsenal fans, should Emery turn to youth next season? Let us know!

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Arsenal have enjoyed a very mixed first season under the Unai Emery reign and the coming months are going to be crucial in determining the Spaniard’s legacy in North London.

While last year was deemed a free hit for the ex-Sevilla man, this summer the head coach is seriously under the microscope as fans keep a watchful eye over on-goings at the club.

With a reported transfer budget of just £40m, are there any youngsters primed to break into the XI this coming season who can realistically have an impact for the club going forward?

Here’s our top five…

Joe Willock – Central midfielder – 19

Willock ended this current campaign with more game-time than perhaps most imagined he’d enjoy. Starts against Burnley on the final day of the Premier League season and a brief Europa League final cameo suggests he’s firmly in Emery’s plans going forward.

The versatile midfielder is dynamic, has an eye for goal and seems an intelligent player as well, having looked very comfortable against Chelsea in Baku where other stars flopped. Considering Arsenal need a versatile, all-action midfielder who can slot in next to the impressive Lucas Torreira, perhaps they’ve already got their man in Willock.

Eddie Nketiah – Forward – 20

Nketiah, like Willock, has been exposed to the first team on a few occasions, and when he has he’s certainly made his impact, scoring two goals from the bench against Norwich in the Carabao Cup last season.

He’s able to play comfortably on the left or the right of a front-line, an attribute his more clinical and experienced team-mates Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang certainly lack. He’s direct, skilful, and ready to finally get more game time, especially with Europa League football to contest once more.

Bukayo Saka – Winger – 17

By far the most inexperienced of the list, but potentially the most talented. Saka is in many ways everything Arsenal need right now. He’s a direct winger who can cut inside onto his left foot from the right of the pitch, he’s very fast, can play on either wing and boasts an unpredictability in his play when he attacks.

Arsenal are desperate for wingers, and even though he’s just 17, Saka could be the man Emery turns to from within to fill a much-needed hole in the Gunners XI.

From 6-0 FA Cup final maulings to Mkhitaryan missing the Europa League final, is football broken? Fans discuss in the video below…

Emile Smith Rowe – Attacking midfielder – 18

The youngster has had game-time under Emery in cup competitions and looks a very, very mature player despite his young age.

He’s cultured on the ball, calm and intelligent in possession. At 18, these are very impressive traits to have.

While Willock is a marauding midfielder who can operate box-to-box, Smith Rowe possesses the ability to knit the play together for his side through passing and positioning. He definitely deserves game-time next season, especially as creative maestros Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil have struggled to find their best form all season.

Reiss Nelson – Winger – 19

Nelson is perhaps the only player on the list who, if left out, would cause fans to truly raise the heat on Emery. With Jadon Sancho playing wonderfully at Borussia Dortmund, Nelson has at times mirrored this progression at Hoffenheim, but it hasn’t been as consistent for various reasons.

Despite this, the youngster has tremendous talent and looks like the winger Arsenal have craved for years. He’s direct and comfortable playing on either side of the pitch, but he needs the game time. With the Gunners needing a proper wide-man, the stage could be set for the youngster to thrive.

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Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen have joined the race to sign Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic in the summer transfer window according to Sport Bild, via Buli News.

What’s the word, then?

Alongside West Ham United and now the German side, Crystal Palace are interested in the prolific centre-forward who the Cottagers are valuing at £30m, per The Mirror’s live transfer blog at 9:14pm on June 12.

However, the Germany-based newspaper Sport Bild believe that Mitrovic would be costing buying clubs just €20m this summer, or a mere £17.8m.

The 48-cap Serbian international has just enjoyed an impressive season despite the Craven Cottage club’s relegation from the Premier League, notching 11 goals in all competitions after a permanent move from Newcastle United.

Extra competition a blessing in disguise

Extra competition for the Eagles to beat to Mitrovic’s signature is a blessing in disguise, increasing Roy Hodgson’s chances of missing out on his 6 ft 2 target.

You simply can’t judge the Serbian on one campaign in the English top flight as impressive as it was in a doomed Cottagers team.

The thing that some people forget is that the ex-Partizan Belgrade man had played in the Premier League before he moved to west London, initially on loan, midway through 2017/2018.

At St James’ Park, the forward struggled to make an impact on the most competitive league in the world by scoring just once in six forgettable performances having made the step up from the Championship with the Magpies in 2017.

There’s some exciting changes happening at Crystal Palace next summer. Find out what in the video below…

What Palace have been lacking for a long time and what they really need in the next few months is a proven Premier League goalscorer, something that Mitrovic just isn’t yet.

Give it a couple more terms of consistently finding the back of the net in the top flight and yeah, the intimidating attacker would be perfect for Hodgson’s men.

However, the fact remains that he’s just too young and unproven to take on the responsibilities that would be required of him at Selhurst Park. And he is too much of a risk for an amount that could easily make up most of the club’s budget this window.

Manchester City are set to pull out of the Harry Maguire race after Foxes slap mammoth £90 million price tag on is head.

According to the Daily Mail, Leicester City’s valuation of their England defender was designed for one of two reasons; to ward off interest or to take advantage of clubs desperate enough to fork out – i.e. Manchester United, who ESPN claimed were not put off by a figure of £80m. 

City boss Pep Guardiola reportedly intended to replace Vincent Kompany with Harry Maguire, but the price is well over what the club are willing to pay, despite the riches in play behind the scenes at the Etihad.

The champions have shown time and time again that they’re made of more than simply throwing money at players and “buying the league,” having already turned down the chances to sign Alexis Sanchez and Fred, both of whom have ended up at close rivals Manchester United, with little to no positive effect. Smart? Incredibly.

Surely, Manchester City are now at a stage of greatness where they can quite simply pick almost any player they please. Leicester are asking for £90 million? Move on. Indeed, it’s a smart way to conduct business – not to be held hostage by the seller; to avoid bidding wars and the like.

Maguire is clearly a good player and there are obvious benefits to signing him but £90m would see him overtake Virgil van Dijk as the world’s most expensive defender. The England international, while impressive, has done little to show he’s worthy of such a fee.

Of course, while we all agree that Maguire is a good player – boasting on average one tackle per game, 1.2 interceptions, 4.9 clearances last season – maybe Manchester City are wise to heed warnings from history, avoid inflated transfer sagas and look elsewhere.

Manchester City fans, would you be willing to pay £90 million for Maguire? Can you think of a better option? Let us know in the comments below…

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According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are planning to find another loan move for Marko Grujic this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Serbian international spend the entirety of last season out on loan with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, where it is safe to say he impressed given the glowing review he received by manager Pal Dardai.

Dardai said: “Marko is by far the best midfielder I’ve seen in my time at the club.” That is a very lofty compliment given the fact that Dardai spent 14 years as a player at the club, and has also spent seven years managing the youth team and the first-team.

You can relive Liverpool’s Champions League celebrations in glorious 2D thanks to the guys at 442oons in the video below…

Grujic, 23, netted five times last term and recorded one assist in 22 Bundesliga outings for Hertha, and the Echo report that Jurgen Klopp still thinks the midfielder has the potential to succeed at Anfield.

A loan is best for all parties

There is no doubting that the former Red Star Belgrade man has quality.

The 6 ft 3 powerhouse hasn’t done much wrong whilst on loan with Cardiff and then Hertha over the last two years, but there simply isn’t room for him to develop properly at Liverpool right now.

Klopp’s midfield currently consists of seven players – yep, seven.

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Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana are all at Klopp’s disposal, so it appears to be near impossible that Grujic would get any meaningful game time.

A loan would also allow Liverpool to retain an asset who clearly has something about him given the praise he has received, whilst Klopp is no fool when it comes to making a judgement on a player.

Loaning him out would allow his value to be retained – or even see it increase – whilst he also gets to carry on honing his skills at a club where he will hopefully be given regular game time.