All posts by z3u9t.icu

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Tottenham Hotspur need to beat Ajax in Amsterdam to reach the Champions League final.

Spurs lost the first leg 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Mauricio Pochettino was forced to name a patched-up XI, with Moussa Sissoko on the bench and Son Heung-Min suspended.

Sissoko is fit for the return leg, however, while Jan Vertonghen, who sustained a nasty-looking head injury in the first game, could play with facial protection this time out.

Harry Kane has travelled to Amsterdam to watch the game but he is unlikely to be fit to play any part as he continues his recovery from ligament damage, but Erik Lamela is fit.

Football FanCast, then, has taken a look at how Pochettino could set up as Spurs look to face Liverpool in Madrid for the right to be called European champions.

Hugo Lloris is sure to play in goal.

Kieran Trippier is the only choice at right-back, with Serge Aurier injured and Kyle Walker-Peters untrusted on the biggest stage.

If Vertonghen is fit, he should play and, with Davinson Sanchez also injured, it makes sense for Pochettino to revert to the four-at-the-back system that almost saved his side in the first leg. Danny Rose offers more thrust at full-back than Ben Davies and should start.

In midfield, Sissoko has proved himself to be indispensable and he simply has to start, but there are question marks over who will partner him; Eric Dier endured a nightmare against AFC Bournemouth at the weekend and Victor Wanyama is perhaps the best option.

The front four surely picks itself, even when Lamela’s return to fitness is considered, with Son, despite his sending off on Saturday, sure to be champing at the bit to get out there and right the wrongs of the weekend.

After he missed the first leg, Pochettino will hope that his direct running and excellent finishing ability will prove decisive.

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For large parts of Aston Villa’s play-off semi-final second leg with West Brom, Jack Grealish was rarely in the game.

A player so influential, he struggled to get into the clash and was perhaps a casualty of the occasion getting to his side.

After all, Grealish is still only 23 and this was one of his biggest games to date. He may have played in the play-off final last season, but there was a sense that this match was about him.

And after 120 minutes of football at the Hawthorns, he was never going to miss his penalty was he? The attacking midfielder confidently stroked his spot-kick home as the Villans prevailed.

It was a nervy affair, but when it truly mattered, Grealish was there to rise to the occasion.

His performance for the majority of the game wasn’t to the level we’ve come to expect but with Villa scrapping through, that will barely matter.

Grealish was the chief suspect in leading the celebrations at the end of the game. It’s hardly a surprise given his love for the club and a photo from that moment sums things up.

Now donning the captain’s armband, the midfielder stands arms aloft in front of the supporters, echoing the famous Tony Adams pose that’s cast in bronze outside Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. All the other Villa players have started to make their way back to the changing rooms, yet Grealish remains on the pitch.

The Villa man has been the subject of reports linking him with a switch away, in particular to Tottenham and Crystal Palace. But this image proves it may take quite something to sway him away.

Grealish is a Villa boy at heart, and if they do make it to the Premier League, we could well be seeing him back in the claret and blue next season.

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According to the Daily Record, Bayern Munich have been granted permission to speak with Leroy Sane’s representatives, as Manchester City opt to cash in on the wide man.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the German international has rejected a series of contract offers from the Premier League champions with his current deal set to expire in 2021.

The Citizens’ director of football, Txiki Begiristain, is reluctant to lose the 23-year-old, but does not want to risk a situation where the former Schalke man runs down his contract and reduces his transfer value in the process.

Relive all the drama of Man City v Spurs through the eyes Spurs’ fans in the video below…

Sane is reportedly unhappy with his status in Pep Guardiola’s side, and has started 10 of his 31 league appearances on the bench, whilst being subbed off 10 times having started.

Selling him would be a big mistake

Give Sane whatever he wants in order to keep him at the club. There aren’t many like him in Europe.

The wide forward has hit a seriously impressive 16 goals and recorded 18 assists across all competitions this season, all whilst he is not one of the first names on the teamsheet.

This is a player who would no doubt be high up on City’s wishlist were he recording similar statistics at another club in Europe, and Guardiola would be foolish to allow a player of world-class quality to leave the club this simply.

Sane still has a massive role to play at the Etihad Stadium and scored arguably the most important goal of City’s season with the winner against Liverpool, a match that ultimately decided where the title would end up.

He was one of three players to get above 10 in the rankings for goals and assists in the league this term, along with teammate Raheem Sterling and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard; he is simply a quality player who should be retained at all costs.

Newcastle fans are all desperate to bring in Salomon Rondon this summer, it’s obvious. The chances are, though, with a lot of other clubs interested in bringing the Venezuelan in, the Geordies could well be missing out. That doesn’t mean a striker won’t come in, it just means the Magpies will look elsewhere, and Wesley Moraes could be perfect.

The Geordies who are reading this probably won’t be aware of who Moraes is, and if you’re not, you’ll enjoy having a look at the numbers he’s been putting up recently, even if he is doing it in the lesser-known Belgian Pro League. Moraes has managed to bag himself both ten goals and nine assists and with a Transfermarkt valuation of £16.2 million, he would be an ideal man to fill Rondon’s shoes.

Whilst his combined 19 goals and assists may not sound incredible, Moraes is the sort of player who would take the Northeast by storm. The front-man is just 22-years-old, making him seven-years senior to Rondon, and if he can be snapped up for a similar price to the Venezuelan West Brom man then it would be a no brainer from Rafa Benitez and Mike Ashley to do so.

Whilst looking at his numbers, age and similarities to the man they all want to badly in Rondon, all of this is useless without substance. That is exactly where The Chronicle have swooped in with a story. Moraes, who has aptly been described as a ‘6ft 3in Brazilian striker’ who has been in ‘fantastic form’ by the Newcastle paper and it has only added another edge to the Magpies’ striker hunt.

Rafa Benitez may not be the man in charge at St James Park come the start of the 2019/20 season, but that doesn’t mean that Wesley Moraes won’t be coming in. The recruitment team at St James Park may do their best to make themselves look incompetent at times, but with Moraes, they’re certainly barking up the right tree, and the 22-year-old would be a worthy #9 at the club.

Do you want to sign Wesley Moraes, Newcastle fans? Comment below!

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Leeds United fans on Twitter are excited for the return of Jack Harrison after Phil Hay confirmed that the club were looking at bringing him back for a second loan spell.

The Man City winger spent 2018/19 at Elland Road, and his performances clearly impressed spectators as they are now clamouring for his return.

The 22-year-old scored four times last season while also crafting three assists. While those numbers don’t look overly impressive fans were happy with what he brought to the team.

The Yorkshire outfit finished third last season, narrowly missing out on an automatic promotion spot, and Harrison played a massive part in getting the Whites so close to a top-flight return.

He has a lot of potential, and with Marcelo Bielsa’s history of getting the best out of young players, his development should be aided even further if he returns to the Championship next term.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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West Ham United have pulled out of the race to sign Porto striker Moussa Marega, per ClaretandHugh.

What’s the word?

The Hammers have been heavily linked with a number of forwards already this summer.

Portuguese outlet Record, via Sport Witness, had claimed that Marega was likely to move to the east London club this summer.

But ClaretandHugh now report that the Hammers have turned their attention away from the 28-year-old, who scored 21 goals in all competitions in 2018-19 and would cost around £40million.

Indeed, the Irons are instead seeking a striker with Premier League experience.

Football FanCast understands that Aleksandar Mitrovic of Fulham is a major target, while the club have also scouted Salomon Rondon, who spent the campaign on loan at Newcastle United from West Brom.

A smart strategy

West Ham don’t need to take any risks in the summer transfer window.

Marega, of course, has no experience of top-tier English football and has only ever played in the top-flight in Portugal.

Any move for his signature would be a punt, and anyone that watched Porto’s Champions League clash against Liverpool would not have been impressed by the clumsy front man.

With Mitrovic and Rondon both seemingly available, it makes sense for the Irons to focus on them instead.

They each have proven Premier League records – they both scored 11 goals in the top-flight last term – and both are more affordable than the Mali international.

It is a no-brainer, then, to call time on this pursuit.

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Arsenal are reportedly trying to sign 22 year-old striker Youssef En-Nesyri, who could mark the start of a new-and-improved transfer model in north London.

What’s the story?

The Gunners’ transfer market troubles are well documented, with a budget of just £40m plus player sales reportedly available to Unai Emery this summer.

And according to Moroccan outlet Assahifa, Leganes target man En-Nesyri is a target after enjoying a breakthrough campaign in La Liga.

Signed from Malaga for £5.2m last summer, he scored 11 times and added two assists in his first proper season in the Spanish top flight.

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

Learning from Liverpool?

En-Nesyri is not a signing that will massively excite fans or set the world alight, but the arrival of the 22 year-old might just show that the Gunners are learning from league rivals Liverpool.

The Reds have taken stick for signing players like Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane from inferior clubs, but they were brought in to fill a need, and that’s exactly what they have done.

Even if players brought in by the Anfield club do not succeed, most of their signings are young enough to then be sold on for a profit, something the Gunners have failed to do with players like Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere.

By signing En-Nesyri for what would no doubt be a relatively small fee, Emery would get a different option to his current striking pair – the young Moroccan wins 4.7 aerial duels per game – who can come off the bench and impact matches.

Fans should consider him a replacement for Olivier Giroud, whose audacious tricks and flicks would have been useful off the bench in Baku when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were misfiring.

If he doesn’t find success in north London though, a fantastic campaign in La Liga together with his age will make him very easy to sell on in the future.

With a tiny budget compared to those competing for the title, the Gunners must be smart this season, and signing an up-and-coming striker with big re-sale value for a low fee is a great place to start.

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Ryan Sessegnon has set his heart on a move to Tottenham Hotspur, per The Guardian, much to the delight of supporters.

The Fulham youngster can play as a full-back or a winger and has reportedly informed the club that he does not intend to sign a new contract, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

He is said to be desperate to play under Mauricio Pochettino in north London, as he believes his talent would bloom under the Argentine’s tutelage.

It remains to be seen whether a fee can be agreed; Fulham are reported to want £45m for the 19-year-old but Spurs are keen to pay around £25m.

His declaration of intent, however, may force Fulham’s hand as they run the risk of losing a player who emerged from their relegation season with credit for nothing at the conclusion of the 2019/20 campaign.

And Spurs fans are thrilled at the prospect of securing one of the highest-rated young players in the country in this transfer window, with one even claiming he is a more important acquisition that Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele, who has long been linked with the club.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Liverpool will set their sights on the future with Southampton’s Matthew Targett, after releasing Alberto Moreno at the end of this month, according to TEAMtalk.

Indeed, the Reds are apparently ready to raid Southampton once again, after signing Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana from them in recent years.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is thought to be looking for competition for Andrew Robertson, who arguably had his best season yet for Liverpool, booking himself a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the first time, and former England under-21 star Targett is being considered.

It is reported that the Southampton youngster would consider a move to Anfield but has been encouraged by England coaches to seek regular first-team football elsewhere in a bid to stake his claim in the international first-team setup.

Targett struggled to overthrow Ryan Bertrand from the starting spot last season, making just 21 appearances in total, 13 of which were in the starting line-up. But that isn’t to say he doesn’t possess the ability to develop into a star.

The 23-year-old most definitely has age on his side, and his statistics aren’t half bad either. According to WhoScored, he produced on average 1.7 tackles (compared to Robertson’s 2.2), 1.7 interceptions (almost double Robertson’s 0.8), 1.9 clearances (Robertson: 1.3) and was dribbled past 0.9 times – the same amount as his prospective Liverpool senior.

In terms of his attacking ability, he doesn’t fare much worse, either. Targett provided 0.7 shots per game and 1.4 key passes (compared to Robertson’s 0.4 and 1.4, respectively), and while his assists and dribbling statistics do pale in comparison to the flying Scotsman’s, there isn’t many in the league that would come out on top in that contest.

One of the major themes of Klopp’s work in making Liverpool a force to be reckoned with again has been his ability to pick players up from the lower half of the Premier League and mould them into better players. Robertson himself is perhaps the key example of this but Georginio Wijandlum and Xherdan Shaqiri have fit the collective well after moving from relegated sides.

Even as a potential back-up, this move makes complete sense from Liverpool’s perspective.

Liverpool fans, would you be happy with Targett providing competition? Do you think there’s any chance anyone could dislodge Robertson? Let us know in the comments below…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have trolled a tweet from the club marking their anniversary of signing Victor Wanyama.

The club confirmed a deal to acquire the midfielder from Southampton on June 23rd 2016.

He has gone on to make a total of 93 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals.

The tweet, of course, comes at a time when Spurs supporters are eagerly anticipating their first signing since January 2018.

Lucas Moura was the last player to sign for the club, joining from PSG over two transfer windows ago, unsurprisingly leading to plenty of frustration amongst the fan base.

Spurs have been linked with a number of players this summer, including Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele, Real Betis’ Giovani Lo Celso, Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon and Leeds United’s Jack Clarke as the club look to build on their top-four finish and progression to the Champions League final.

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But fans hijacked the tweet by calling on the club to announce another new signing in the near future, as they are simply desperate for some more transfer action.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!