All posts by h716a5.icu

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West Ham United have approached Sheffield United over a £4m move for midfielder John Fleck, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the story, then?

West Ham have been linked with a whole host of players this month, whilst they have also had to deal with the Marko Arnautovic saga in recent weeks.

Rumours of a move for Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez are not going away, as per a separate article by Sky Sports, but the Hammers are also keen to tie up a deal for Fleck.

Indeed, Sky Sports claim that the Premier League club have already held talks with Sheffield United over a potential £4m swoop this month.

Fleck, who has three-and-a-half years left to run on his contract with the Blades, was voted the club’s Player of the Year last season.

The 27-year-old has been a regular for the Championship club this term, but could well end up in the Premier League before the January window closes.

Should West Ham move for Fleck?

There is absolutely no question that the Scot is a talent.

He started his professional career with Rangers, making 55 appearances for the Scottish giants ahead of a move to Coventry City in 2012.

Fleck was to spend four seasons with Coventry, scoring eight times in 182 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt, before switching to Sheffield United.

Since joining the Blades, the midfielder has contributed 32 assists and seven goals in 121 appearances, once again according to Transfermarkt, although he has netted just once in the Championship this term.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Capable of playing in a number of different positions, it is not too difficult to see why Fleck is attractive to West Ham, especially considering that he could be available for £4m.

The Hammers are not exactly blessed with a whole host of options in the middle of the park and Fleck could take his game to a new level operating alongside the likes of Declan Rice.

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Leicester City host Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Foxes will be heading into this encounter on a high, having earned a hard-fought draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool last time out.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have made a fine start to life under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but will be looking to bounce back from their midweek draw with Burnley.

The battlers

If either side is to prevail on Sunday, then their key plays must show up. The Red Devils will likely be the dominant side throughout much of the match, so their attackers must be at their best. Marcus Rashford will likely lead the line for the Old Trafford club.

At the back for Claude Puel’s side, Harry Maguire is the centre-back most suited to be given the task of stopping Rashford. 

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…

The battle between these two England internationals will go a long way to deciding the outcome of this game.

Who will prevail?

According to WhoScored’s stats, Rashford has registered eight goals and six assists in the Premier League so far this season. The 21-year-old has also been averaging 2.4 shots and 1.1 successful dribbles per league game.

As for Maguire, WhoScored’s stats show that the 25-year-old has averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 5.3 clearances per match this season. 

Both have been in good form then, and Maguire will be hoping to make his battle with Rashford a physical, close-quarters one. The striker, though, will be looking to beat his compatriot with his pace. 

If Maguire’s positioning is consistently good, he has the ability to negate Rashford’s threat. The Manchester United man will be ready to exploit any misstep though, and given his current form, it’s hard not to back him to win this battle against the Leicester defender.

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Newcastle visit the Molineux Stadium to face Wolves on Monday and the Toon Army will be chomping at the bit to see record signing Miguel Almiron in action for the first time. BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson thinks it could be a baptism of fire for Paraguayan though.

What did he say?

Discussing his predictions for this weekend’s round of Premier League action with actor Jamie Dornan and photo-journalist Paul Conroy, the former defender had this to say on Monday night’s match:

“Newcastle’s new signing Miguel Almiron should make his debut and I am looking forward to seeing how he gets on.

“I have seen lots of footage of him and he looks like a player but it will be an interesting night for him because the Premier League is very different to the MLS, and Wolves are a team in form.

“Of all the teams chasing seventh place, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team are definitely the most consistent in terms of performances, and I can see them getting a fourth-straight win on Monday.

The likes of Jermain Defoe and Clint Dempsey have crossed the Atlantic to ply their respective trades in the United States but very few go the other way – the step up in terms of quality is realistically more of a leap and, as Lawrenson says, it will be interesting to see how the Paraguayan fares on his first outing in black and white.

All-in for Almiron

As far as introductions to the Premier League come, an away-day at the Molineux Stadium is a pretty good one. The pyrotechnics, flags and thunderous chanting make for a fantastic, but intimidating atmosphere and Wolves will be hoping their recent form carries into this game.

Newcastle and Rafa Benitez appear to have discovered a winning formula though – or at least a formula that makes them very hard to beat – in their 5-4-1. However, 24-year-old Almiron may force Benitez into altering this slightly – there is no room for an attacking midfielder and if you pay a club-record fee for player, you surely want them in their preferred position.

Regardless of where the speedster is deployed, he will find his work cut out for him against a physical Wolves side that are going from strength to strength.

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

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Josh Maja has revealed the reason behind his move from Sunderland to French club Bordeaux.

The striker departed the club in the January transfer window, having scored 15 goals in League One this season.

What’s the word?

Maja, per Sky Sports, turned down a new contract at the Stadium of Light to complete a move away from the club.

He surprised many by choosing to move to France in a deal that could, according to the aforementioned report, be worth £3.5million.

Cardiff and Crystal Palace were, Sky reports, also interested in securing Maja’s signature but he has revealed that he opted to move to Ligue 1 in search of first-team football.

He told AFP, via France24: “I just felt I’d get more opportunities abroad, so that was the main reason I left and I thought in France, at Bordeaux, I’d get an opportunity to make a name for myself and go from there.

“I’m around probably the biggest names in world football, so that is just a blessing. I’m grateful.”

Maja has yet to make his debut for Bordeaux but was on the bench as the club lost to PSG last weekend.

A fair reason

Maja had outgrown Sunderland.

He was scoring goals regularly but, such was the interest in him, it was inevitable he would be leaving the club.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Choosing to join a French club has surprised many but Maja now has the opportunity to mark himself out as something of a trailblazer, and that is only likely to turn more heads.

If he can replicate his League One goalscoring form in Ligue 1, he will do just fine, and may well be moving on again soon enough.

It remains to be seen, of course, if Sunderland will cope without him but, right now, that is unlikely to be at the forefront of Maja’s mind.

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after Calciomercato exclusively revealed that the club is keen to agree a €25m deal for Sampdoria centre-back Joachim Andersen.

The Dane is currently one of the best performing defenders in Serie A and has attracted the north London club’s interest as a result of his fine showings.

One would assume that the Lilywhites are searching for Toby Alderweireld’s replacement, due to serious doubts over his future beyond this season.

Despite tying the Belgian international down to a new contract recently until 2020, the fresh terms have seen a £25m release clause implemented into the former Ajax man’s deal, which could be seen as somewhat of a compromise after the 29-year-old rejected the offer of a long-term contract and was expected to leave in the summer.

Consequently, the interest in Andersen comes at a time when Alderweireld will be free to leave if any club meets his fairly achievable release clause, and Spurs fans have taken to Twitter to react to the transfer news…

Tottenham should be in the market for a new right-back when the transfer window reopens in the summer.

Spurs have opted to keep their chequebook closed during the last two transfer windows but a squad overhaul could be on the cards in the summer. After moving into their new stadium, Mauricio Pochettino will be forced to strengthen his squad – especially given the lavish spending from their Premier League rivals. Right-back could be an area where the Argentine looks to improve.

After a wonderful World Cup campaign with England, Kieran Trippier has failed to replicate his form with the national team since returning to north London. His excellent performances have been few and far between allowing Serge Aurier to state his claim for a starting berth. However, question marks remain over his defensive ability when playing as a full-back rather than a wing-back.

Therefore, Spurs should make a move for PSG star – Thomas Meunier. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Belgium international joined the French champions in a cut-price deal from Club Brugge back in 2016. After establishing himself as a first-team regular during his first two seasons in Ligue 1, he has slipped down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel, starting just 13 games in all competitions so far during the current campaign.

The allure of regular first-team football at the new White Hart Lane could prove tempting and Meunier would be an excellent addition to the Spurs back line. PSG too, face potential FFP sanctions, so perhaps those behind the scenes in North London should try and engineer a move.

The 27-year-old loves to get forward to help out the attack and possesses fantastic crossing as well as dribbling ability. Averaging an impressive 1.1 key passes per game (stats from WhoScored) from defence, his arrival could mean even more goals for Harry Kane in the attack.

Now approaching the prime of his career, this move could prove to be a masterstroke from the Lilywhites.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

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Despite largely struggling to displace Mark Hughes’ preferred central-midfield duo of Mario Lemina and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oriol Romeu has become a mainstay in the position under current Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The Spaniard once again started in the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and his performance perhaps wasn’t up to the standard that Saints fans have been used to from him previously.

The former Chelsea man is there to put pressure on the opposition and break up the play, as well as winning the ball back and generally protecting the backline – his role becomes even more important when the middle centre-back, Jack Stephens in recent weeks, brings the ball out of the defence.

Romeu certainly did his bit in terms of the former as he made two tackles and three interceptions, but his distribution from the 48 passes he had was a real negative – a success rate of less than 69% followed as the 27-year-old struggled when in possession.

Yes, the south coast outfit were largely under pressure against when of the better teams in the Premier League, but he should have been doing better.

Attentions turn to the huge clash against Fulham at St Mary’s on Wednesday when the hosts will be looking to pick up a crucial three points that could move them out of the relegation zone.

Hasenhuttl has preferred to stick with a five-at-the-back formation in recent times but the fact he switched to four at half-time against the Gunners proves that things may be changing, and sacrificing a centre-back could also lead to midfield changes.

The 51-year-old used the former system that some people would conceive as negative in the reverse against Cardiff City, using Romeu, James Ward-Prowse and Hojbjerg in the centre.

It wasn’t a tactic that worked and when you are trying to break down an opponent and a side that could come to St Mary’s for a draw, you don’t need those three players.

In fact, Ward-Prowse is showing the aggression in his game that is one of his Spanish teammate’s strengths, and he and Hojbjerg are good enough to do a job against Claudio Ranieri’s men alone, allowing Hasenhuttl to bring in another much-needed attacking player to the starting XI.

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Mauricio Pochettino has been handed a touchline ban by the FA after an altercation with referee Mike Dean.

The BBC report that he has been suspended for two matches, against Southampton and Liverpool, and has been hit with a £10,000 fine after squaring up to the referee following Spurs’ clash with Burnley.

Tottenham lost at Turf Moor in a game that derailed their title hopes – they would lose to Chelsea later in the week, all but ending their challenge – and Pochettino was involved in a heated confrontation with Dean following the final whistle.

The referee, who was set to be the fourth official for the clash with the Blues, was withdrawn from that role while the Argentine refused to contest the FA charge.

He has now been handed what may be seen as a harsh punishment; he will be in the stands at St Mary’s Stadium and at Anfield, meaning assistant Jesus Perez is likely to take on the managerial role for each encounter.

And fans have reacted to the news with a mixture of shock and horror, with many insisting Dean was the instigator of the incident. Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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Oliver Burke has heaped praise on Celtic after receiving his Scotland call-up, and the Bhoys must now do everything possible to make his loan move permanent this summer.

What’s the story?

Celtic signed Burke in January on a loan deal until the end of the season, and the youngster has gone from strength to strength since the switch.

After appearing just three times in the Championship for West Brom, the young Scotsman has been a huge hit at Parkhead, and has spoken of his affection for the club that has put him back on the international scene.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I was delighted to get the call-up and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s been a long time coming,” he said, as reported by STV Sport.

“I’m really happy with the way things have gone here at Celtic. It’s put me in a great position and that’s got me the call-up.

“This move is something I really needed to kick-start my career. I’d been starved of football but I’m so happy to be back playing now.

“Now I have to make the most of the opportunity with Scotland and I’ll do my very best.”

Match made in heaven

Burke is about as close as he could possibly get to outright saying he wants to join Celtic permanently, as it’s clear the club are in a much better position to offer him playing time and a path to silverware.

The 21 year-old barely got a kick at the Hawthorns this season, and the recent sacking of Darren Moore exemplifies the sheer amount of pressure on sides chasing promotion from the Championship, meaning young players are often overlooked.

Celtic however can offer Burke stability, trophies, playing time and European football, all things he simply will not get at West Brom.

He has scored four times and registered three assists in 14 Celtic appearances so far, and his ability to play practically anywhere across the attack makes life so much easier for Neil Lennon and his staff.

Burke is clearly loving life with his loan side, and Peter Lawwell and the rest of the transfer team would be foolish not to attempt a permanent deal this summer, especially if the Baggies do not secure promotion.

Leeds United are all set for a crucial and vital game tomorrow against Sheffield United at Elland Road, where the winner will put themselves in pole position to win promotion.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men are in a fine run of form which has seen them keep pace with both Norwich and Sheffield United at the top of the Championship, and tomorrow’s game really does have all the makings of a classic.

A win would, of course, put Leeds firmly on course to get back to the top flight, and we here in the Tavern have already been having a look around the leagues to see who the Whites could look to target if they are indeed promoted.

And one man we feel would be a superb signing is current Aston Villa loan striker Tammy Abraham, who has been firing in the goals for Villa this season to once again showcase his ability.

The Chelsea man has bags of potential, but is unlikely to get a look in at the Blues in the long-term, meaning a Premier League club is bound to take a punt on him in the coming seasons.

Leeds would be the perfect destination too for Abraham, with the chance to play under a manager like Bielsa a massive draw.

The atmosphere what comes with a move to Elland Road, as well as the expectation and chance to be the main man at a massive club, should only spur Abraham on to achieve even more.

Blessed with all the tools to become a top striker at the highest level, Abraham would ensure Leeds have a genuine threat through the middle if they are promoted, and it would send out quite the statement of intent too should they seal a deal for the Chelsea starlet.

Leeds fans, what do you think? Would you take Abraham? Let us know in the comments!