All posts by z3u9t.icu

It is about time we wave goodbye to the boring norm of recently promoted Championship sides being unceremoniously dumped out of the Premier League, and Gordon Strachan believes Leeds United will be the ones to set a precedent.

Leeds United are desperately close to securing a promotion to the topflight for the first time in 15 years, and despite the extensive list of failed attempts from other teams to consolidate Premier League status, they could provide something fresh to complete the somewhat mammoth task.

At least, that is the opinion of Whites Elland Road icon Gordon Strachan, who revealed to LeedsLive his unbridled confidence in Marcelo Bielsa’s side to defy all expectations next season when they are promoted.

“They can add to the league, there’s not many teams that could add to the league. Teams go in, go out or there’s an indifference to them,” he told

“If Leeds got into the Premier League there’s going to be a lot of games shown at Elland Road because the atmosphere is terrific, it fills the screen.

“You’re going to have a high-tempo game. There’re rivalries there when Leeds are back in the top league, so it adds to the Premier League.

“It’s already a very good league, probably the best-watched in the world. When Leeds join there’s millions more going to watch it.”

We cannot help but share his ambition; it would make a refreshing change from the usual drivel we have to endure, who temporarily take up residency before whimpering out on less than 20pts.

Leeds United fans, how convinced are you by Strachan’s comments? Let us know in the comments below…

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Wolverhampton Wanderers fans on Twitter have been split by transfer speculation linking their striker Diogo Jota with a summer move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Portugal man has been pivotal for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men at times this season, aiding them greatly in their push for seventh position in the Premier League.

His six goals and four assists in the league have been key and the player has also been able to further cement his place as a firm fan favourite at Molineux in 2018/2019.

It’s for these reasons that some supporters have been so apprehensive about Jota’s possible departure on Twitter, one commenting “no chance” and another simply telling Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs that they can “dream on.”

Other members of the wolf pack have shown slightly different attitudes, discounting the rumours as simple paper talk and even eyeing up a swap deal involving Son Heung-min of the Lilywhites.

What’s your club’s best chant? Check out the video below for a Wolves epic that surely has to be one of the best in English football…

Check out those and the rest of the best reactive Tweets from Wolves supporters, below…

The upcoming summer transfer window is shaping up to be one of the most important for Arsenal in a long time.

With Aaron Ramsey leaving the club for Juventus and strengthening needed in key areas of the pitch, Unai Emery has it all to do this summer when it comes to bringing in the right players. And one player who is likely to be surrounded in speculation this transfer window is Mesut Ozil.

The former German international has yet to win over the affection of Emery and has been in and out of the Arsenal first-team all season. The 30-year-old playmaker’s massive wages also make him ripe for the chop this summer, and according to the Mirror, Ozil and Henrik Mkhitaryan both face being shipped out of the club to increase funds for summer transfers.

On paper, it seems like a smart move. Both players have been underwhelming since their moves to north London and getting them off the wage bill would leave Arsenal with plenty of room to bring in new faces that the club desperately needs.

Selling Ozil sounds like the ideal solution to this problem, but letting Mkhitaryan go as well would be a big mistake for Emery.

The Armenian winger, who yes hasn’t lived up to the level of quality fans expected when he was swapped for Alexis Sanchez in 2018, has still been impressive this season. Six goals and six assists is a decent tally for a player that has not featured heavily this season due to niggling injuries.

Another reason to keep Mkhitaryan for another season is that Arsenal simply lack too much depth out on the wings to risk losing the former Borussia Dortmund star. He and Iwobi are the only true wingers at the club, and although the earlier report from the Mirror says Emery is targeting a left-sided midfielder, it’s fair to say that other positions could become more of a priority for the club, like the defence.

Arsenal fans would rather see Mkhitaryan leave than Ozil this summer, given how popular the German is, but the reality is that the club will be better financially and on the pitch if Emery keeps the Armenian at the club and moves on Ozill.

Arsenal fans, what should the club do with Mkhitaryan and Ozil this summer?

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According to Tutto Mercato, Everton are interested in a move for Roma forward Patrik Schick, who has reportedly been made available for just €24m by the Italian side.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Czech Republic international used to be one of the most highly-rated young forwards in Europe having slammed in 13 goals in 35 appearances for Sampdoria at a young age.

His form there earned him a huge €42m move to Roma, a club-record fee for them, although it is safe to say that things haven’t exactly gone to plan for the 23-year-old.

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…

Since arriving in Rome, Schick has found the back of the net just eight times in 53 appearances, ultimately proving to be a big-money flop for the Serie A side and a player definitely not worth such a huge sum of money.

However, as aforesaid, he is just 23 years of age; with time on his side, he could still fulfil his huge potential.

Completely unfair on Dominic Calvert-Lewin

One man who has worked tirelessly for the Toffees this season, and is visibly improving with every passing game, is Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Toffees academy graduate has scored six league goals this season – double that of Schick – whilst also recording an assist in just 13 starts.

His overall game is coming on nicely, although reports linking Everton with a move for Edin Dzeko, Jean-Kevin Augustin and now Schick suggest that they are attempting to push the England Under-21 star further down the pecking order – that is simply unfair given his obvious improvement and good work for the team this season.

At just 22 years of age, Calvert-Lewin should be being nurtured and focused on, and not looking to be replaced by a player in Schick who is just one year older than him and not even guaranteed to deliver better numbers.

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Manchester United fans on Twitter have been busy discussing what to do with Timothy Fosu-Mensah when he returns back from his season-long loan spell with Fulham.

The Holland international joined the Cottagers back in the summer, but has failed to impress yet again whilst out on loan – his temporary stint with Crystal Palace last season was also underwhelming.

Watch the video below to find out what Jesse Lingard is like off the pitch in the latest Match Of The Bae with Emma Conybeare…

Both the Eagles and the Cottagers have used the 21-year-old at right-back, which most United fans will tell you isn’t his best position.

Fosu-Mensah impressed at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal in a defensive-midfield role, and some fans are keen to see the former Ajax man return to the club and be used in the same position.

However, others aren’t too sure if Fosu-Mensah is of the quality required to play for the club under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer right now, and have taken to Twitter to share their views on a topic that has split the fanbase…

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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…

To call tonight’s game against Napoli as the biggest match of Arsenal’s season might seem like a stretch, but it certainly feels like it.

A 2-0 win last week against the Italian giants has set the Gunners up for a brilliant opportunity to not only knock out one of the competitions biggest teams, but to establish themselves as the club to beat in the Europa League this season, but it won’t be an easy task.

Sure going into the game in Naples with two goals is a great advantage for the Gunners, but this is Arsenal we’re talking about, and mistakes are bound to happen tonight.

We have seen the club crack under the pressure of playing a big side on the road this season already, with Unai Emery’s side going from 1-0 up to 5-1 down against Liverpool in December as an example, and Arsenal will know that Napoli are almost guaranteed to get goals tonight.

Clean sheets away from home are rare for Arsenal, with their first in the Premier League coming last Monday against Watford, and this weakness on the road will lead to Emery facing an uphill battle tonight in Naples, but all is not lost.

Arsenal’s record against Italian teams is fairly good, winning against the likes of Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli in recent history and only losing twice to sides from the country, one of them being their opponents tonight.

Last season, the Gunners went to Milan the underdogs and ended up walking away as 2-0 winners at the San Siro, and although the environments between the iconic Milan stadium and the San Paolo, the history backs Arsenal to get something from Naples in their biggest game of the season.

Arsenal fans, can the Gunners progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League? Let us know!

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Loads of Nottingham Forest fans have been reacting to their defeat at Bramall Lane, look away now Martin O’Neill.

O’Neill has mustered just a 33% win rate since taking over at Forest, and this latest performance was one of the worst yet.

Jack Colback was booked early on for diving, ruling him out for the rest of the season through suspension after his 15th yellow card, and that pretty much summed up the game for the Reds.

Yohan Benalouane was sent off just after half time, and Mark Duffy opened the scoring just four minutes later before Enda Stevens doubled the lead late on.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

While Benalouane was unlucky to see red, fans can’t believe what the boss said after the game, blaming the controversial decision for the defeat.

“The red card changed the game,” he said post-match.

Needless to say, fans are not impressed by the gaffer’s excuse in a match where they were beaten in goals, shots, possession, corners and tackles, per BBC’s stats.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where the Irishman is getting all the blame for Friday’s loss and the capitulation over the last few weeks…

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Wolves fans on Twitter have disagreed with Nuno Espirito Santo’s team selection for the game against Brighton on Saturday and claimed Ruben Vinagre should have started ahead of Jonny Otto to provide more threat going forward.

Wolves have often struggled against lower-end clubs this season with Huddersfield, Fulham and now Brighton all taking points off of the Midlands club.

This is in complete contrast to Wolves’ record against top six clubs where they typically thrive using a counter-attacking style.

Nuno’s side can look lost for ideas when going forward against a team that sits back and soaks up pressure and this was evident again as they failed to find the back of the net against Brighton at Molineux.

And fans have claimed that Vinagre, who has made just seven starts this season, should play more against weaker teams  due to the size of the attacking threat he poses. The Portuguese wing-back has been dangerous when deployed on the left side so far this season and Wolves fans want to see more of him.

Here’s what Wolves fans have been saying on Twitter after his omission on Saturday…

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…

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According to Sky Sports, Manchester City have decided not to pursue a new left-back this summer and will be sticking with Benjamin Mendy, following Pep Guardiola’s comments earlier in the season suggesting that he may look to reinforce the position.

What’s the word then?

Well, Mendy arrived at the Etihad Stadium as one of the hottest players in his position in world football, signing in a £52m deal from Monaco back in 2017.

However, since then, the World Cup winning Frenchman has managed to make just 14 Premier League starts for the Citizens after suffering two serious knee injuries – he ruptured his cruciate ligament in his debut campaign, and then suffered meniscus problems in the other knee earlier this term.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

Despite that, the 24-year-old has still looked a cut above whenever he has made it out onto the field, where his tendency to overlap and whip devilish balls into the box has caused all sorts of problems for opposition defences.

He should be moved on

Having said the above, Manchester City are wrong to back their £52m asset.

Mendy has caused Guardiola all sorts of problems since arriving in the Premier League, ranging from him being extremely late for important physio sessions, to him allegedly travelling to Hong Kong despite telling Guardiola that he was going to Barcelona.

He has also been pictured out partying in the early hours of the morning, a situation which prompted the line “I’m not his father” from Guardiola when asked about it.

If City were visibly struggling without one of Europe’s best left-backs, then yeah, definitely keep him around.

However, they are not. Barring any slip-ups, they look set to defend their Premier League title and are on course for a domestic treble, with the ever dependable Oleksandr Zinchenko impressing at left-back in this campaign and the last.

Whilst his stock is still relatively high, City shouldn’t be giving their backing to a man they cannot rely on.