All posts by h716a5.icu

[ad_pod ]

According to The Sun, Paris Saint-Germain are set to snap up Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera on a free transfer, with his contract at Old Trafford due to expire in the summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the French champions have reportedly offered the Spanish international a deal worth £150,000-a-week in an attempt to lure him to Paris, as the Red Devils are yet to offer him renewed terms.

The move suggests that the Parisians have turned their attentions away from Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye, who was the subject of a £25m bid from the Ligue 1 side in January, only for the Toffees to reject the offer despite Gueye handing in a transfer request.

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…

It could be possible that the Senegalese international will now stay put at Goodison Park as a result of PSG’s interest in Herrera, a player who is far more experienced at the top level and one that would be considerably cheaper given his contract situation.

A worry for Everton

Whilst Marco Silva’s side obviously had no intention of selling the 29-year-old in January, Gueye clearly wanted to swap Merseyside for Paris given the fact that he handed in a transfer request.

And following his failed move to PSG, Gueye told L’Equipe: “I was honoured that PSG were interested in me. Now, I know that I am of interest to these types of clubs, I am ready to go to the final level to join a top European club.

“I am going to work even more so that they come back to me. Maybe it is not finished with PSG.”

Now that the French side look to have moved on, this should be a worry for the Toffees in terms of the former Aston Villa man’s motivation – his performance levels could dip as he seemingly no longer has such a glamorous suitor to impress.

The former Lille midfielder’s form was very impressive after the move, which, coupled with that last sentence in the aforementioned quote, could have been a result of him playing to keep PSG interested.

Now, however, the new developments regarding Herrera may well end Gueye’s attempts to keep Thomas Tuchel’s side keen, and consequently signal the start of a drop in form.

Whilst you could argue that Gueye is a professional and shouldn’t let the situation affect him, he was clearly swayed by PSG’s interest as he attempted to force an exit in the winter window.

With only Morgan Schneiderlin, the on-loan Andre Gomes and young Tom Davies as back up, this may be a worry for Silva as arguably his most important player could down tools after such a disappointing discovery.

[ad_pod ]

The Birmingham Mail have released a detailed questions and answers piece on the situations of Salomon Rondon, Dwight Gayle and Jacob Murphy, and it sounds like the latter pair have no chance of a future at Newcastle.

What’s the story?

According to The Birmingham Mail, Rafael Benitez was so desperate to get rid of Gayle that the club upped his wages just to incentivise him to leave on loan.

Benitez “made it clear” last summer that the striker has no long-term future with the Magpies, claims the report.

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

It also runs the rule over Murphy’s future, saying there are “major doubts” about his ability on Tyneside and that the club would be open to offers.

Improvement at last

For far too long Newcastle have flirted with relegation, constantly hovering above the danger zone with a squad packed full of mostly bang average players.

Put simply, that is exactly what Gayle and Murphy are – average players.

The English pair have both performed well in the Championship but failed to step up to the top flight, and the explanation for that is they have found their level in the second tier.

Benitez and the club would be absolutely right to seek whatever transfer fees they can recoup this summer and move on from the underwhelming pair.

Possibly the most polarizing figure in Arsenal currently, Granit Xhaka’s had some real highs and bitter lows with the club.

However, following an inspired performance at international level for Switzerland, he now seems to be developing into the talented, dominating midfielder Arsenal fans were promised.

Captaining his national side against Denmark, Xhaka was prolific in creating chances, pinging passes forward and looking more threatening controlling the game. The game itself, however, was a bittersweet one for him. Xhaka scored a thunderous right-footed goal in front of his home fans, but after being substituted, saw his side crumble into giving away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3.

He might’ve lost the personal battle with rival Christian Eriksen, yet must’ve made Unai Emery realize how he works playing forward. Having bought him as a defensive-midfielder, Arsenal tends to scrap a load of defensive responsibilities on his shoulders.

Xhaka’s defensive strength is pretty minimal, which often results in him making mistakes and being criticized for it. Rather than forcing him to aid their defence, Emery should allow him to control the tempo of Arsenal’s games more often.

He’s already scored 4 Premier League goals this season more than his previous two combined. Averaging 76+ passes per game, 142 accurate long balls and 100 crosses (stats via Premier League), he’s more prolific creating chances rather than preventing them.

Xhaka’s at his most dangerous when encouraged to go forward and he’s produced four goals and three assists this season, so Emery should tap into his attacking prowess to turn him into the next Aaron Ramsey than an N’Golo Kante.

Arsenal fans, do you think Xhaka should be encouraged to go forward more often? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]

Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis has revealed that Rajiv van La Parra has been sent back to Huddersfield Town after failing to overcome a back problem.

The 27-year-old joined Boro on loan from Huddersfield during the January transfer window and was due to spend the remainder of the season at the Riverside Stadium.

The 5 ft 11 attacker only managed three Championship appearances for the club, though, and has now been sent back to his parent club.

Pulis has claimed that the former Netherlands Under-21 international arrived at his side with a back problem, which has not responded to treatment.

TeessideLive quotes Pulis as saying:

“Raj joined us with back problems which was documented by both clubs.

“Attempts to get Raj to the right levels of fitness proved unsuccessful and a scan at Middlesbrough highlighted the problem and so he’s been referred back to Huddersfield Town and we don’t think he’ll play this season.”

Boro’s 1-0 home defeat to Bristol City on Tuesday night led to more pressure on Pulis.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Indeed, a run of five straight losses has seen the team drop out of the playoff positions ahead of this weekend’s trip to Swansea City.

Huddersfield, meanwhile, have already been relegated back to the Championship for the 2019-2020 campaign.

Hearts manager, Craig Levein, has already admitted that he is looking ahead to next season’s recruitment, and hopes to add flair and creativity to his side in the summer.

With that in mind, one player has already had a week-long trial at the club in March, and Levein, having been impressed with what he saw, is hoping to bring him back in the summer for a second look.

Ghanaian midfielder, Cletus Nombil, is 18-years-old, and plays for Dreams FC, in Ghana’s Premier League.

If he has a successful second trial, and the club offer him a deal, it remains to be seen if he will be with the first team squad, or seen as someone for the future.

But Levein wants to run the rule over him in preseason games, despite him having played in a private friendly against Queen Of The South last month.

He told the Edinburgh Evening News: “I’m trying to get him back in the summer. I really liked him from what I saw. The lad is very young but I want to see him playing in a pre-season friendly.

“He is a central midfielder normally. He is probably a bit more attack-minded than defensive. For a young boy, his training was good.”

He sounds exactly like the type of player that Levein was referring to when he mentioned recruiting more players who can unlock a defence, this week.

And that he wants to get his summer shopping spree done as early as possible, it all bodes well for Hearts to be able to start next season with a close-knit group, who have already familiarised themselves with each others’ style of playing.

That will be particularly pertinent should they earn a Europa League spot, with qualifying rounds ensuring an early start to the 2019/20 campaign.

The report also warns that, should he impress enough, obtaining a work permit for the youngster may not be straightforward.

The player had secured a loan deal with Czech side, Sparta Prague, with an option to make it permanent afterwards, but it fell through due to an inability to get the necessary visa documentation approved.

But Levein may have competition for his signature, with Swedish side, AIK Stockholm having given him a trial in February too.

What are your thoughts on Levein’s recruitment thoughts at Hearts? Does he have the club going in the right direction? Let us know what you think…

It was bound to happen at some point right? After their first loss since January, Wednesday fans must not be saddened but, instead, think of how good their side has been in recent weeks.

Losses are inevitable whoever you are and although Steve Bruce has done a terrific job convincing fans otherwise, even the Owls must lose at some point.

With a loss against Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday must now focus on finishing the season strong, whether that’s somehow sneaking into the play-offs or getting better prepared for next season. By which that means that Wednesday could look to give game-time to those who are deserving and are set to stay beyond the campaign, rather than others.

Although Lucas Joao hasn’t played since February and historically has a history suffering injuries, Wednesday should still look to keep the forward who is a nuisance on his day.

Joao, (who is valued at £1.8 million on Transfermarkt) is reportedly (according to the Sun via HITC) a player who Sheffield Wednesday may look to get rid of this summer and understandably so due to his injury record.

Yet putting that to one side, you will also discover that Lucas Joao has nine goals this season and it has to be said that when fit, Joao is a player you would want in your team. Unlike their current striking options like Sam Winnall and Atdhe Nuhiu, Joao on his day is a goalscorer that can be relied upon and is a great option in the Championship.

The Owls need to ensure they improve rather than decline this summer and selling Lucas Joao would be a bad move considering how good he can be.

Do you agree that Lucas Joao deserves to stay at Sheffield Wednesday? If not, why not? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]

When Sheffield Wednesday winger Rolando Aarons limped out of the warm-up before the Owls’ clash with Stoke there would have been fears over the club’s slight chance of making the play-offs.

The Newcastle loanee has been hugely impressive since arriving at Hillsborough and his absence was extremely notable as Steve Bruce’s men drew 0-0 with the Potters last month.

The manager, therefore, would not have seen the impact George Boyd and Marco Matias would have on the side upon their reintroduction to the team.

With Aarons set to return to training, though, Bruce is now faced with a major selection headache he didn’t think he’d have.

On the chalkboard

The fact that Bruce has managed to get Boyd and Matias playing well just about sums up the impact he’s had in South Yorkshire.

The club have lost just one game under his stewardship since he walked through the doors in February, and they look a shadow of the side they were during a horrendous run under Jos Luhukay earlier in the campaign.

With Aarons missing against Stoke it only emphasised how important he’d become to the Owls. However, they’re now in a situation where they may be better off not playing him.

Wednesday will surely have to win all of their remaining games to stand any chance of making the play-offs but some sense of caution has to be taken when they face high-flying Leeds on Saturday evening.

Against Nottingham Forest in their 3-0 win in midweek, they looked a far more balanced side with Boyd demonstrating a surprising work rate up and down the left-hand side. Matias, meanwhile, offered a purpose in front of goal rarely seen from Wednesday’s wide players in 2018/19.

As a result, they can’t afford to change things up just to accommodate the return of Aarons.

Despite Boyd’s overall performances this term, he deserves another chance and in a game that could have big consequences for either side, his discipline and experience will prove key.

[ad_pod ]

There have been plenty of question marks raised over Christian Eriksen’s Tottenham future in recent months seeing as there has not yet been any progress in contract talks between him and the club, with his current deal due to expire next summer.

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old has continued to be a key man and regular starter for the north London outfit, even if he perhaps hasn’t been at his influential best in 2019 to date.

The Denmark international stepped up to the plate when Spurs needed him the most against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night however, when the clash looked to be heading towards a costly goalless draw.

The Dane popped up with a brilliant late goal from range that Seagulls goalkeeper Mathew Ryan could do nothing about, to leave Mauricio Pochettino’s men in pole position to secure a top-four finish ahead of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Spanish media outlet Diario AS reported only at the weekend that Daniel Levy may be under pressure to sell Real Madrid target Eriksen this summer because of the huge cost of their brilliant new home, to avoid losing him for nothing in 2020.

The 27-year-old hasn’t really spoken publicly about his own wishes for the future, but you can see from the sheer delight on his face following his crucial goal against Chris Hughton’s men in the image above how he feels about his current employers.

Whether his journey with Tottenham comes to an end or not this summer, no one can really question his commitment to the cause until the very end when he produces moments of magic like this one.

[ad_pod ]

Blamed. Criticised. Some fans even want him to be sold after it. David de Gea came in for some torrential criticism after Leroy Sane’s goal settled the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The German’s strike was right at De Gea, but the Spaniard couldn’t keep it out and instead diverted it into the back of his own net.

After his error inside the Camp Nou against Barcelona, and his ineffectiveness as Everton thrashed the Red Devils by four goals to nil, the finger is being pointed at a man who has set such high standards for himself over the years, that any dip in form is met with shock and surprise.

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

However, Sane’s goal was not his fault.

Instead, the blame should lie at the feet of Matteo Darmian.

Why on earth did one of the Premier League’s best wide players have the entirety of Old Trafford to himself from the moment he received the ball to when he put it in the back of the net?

Darmian had already made a mistake before Raheem Sterling released the former Schalke man in on goal. The Italian international was nowhere to be seen, instead hiding behind his centre-back – quite literally – before not even looking interested in closing the shot down.

Sergio Aguero had made a run across goal to free up some space for Sane, but it was a movement that Chris Smalling had covered – the Italian international didn’t need to track the Argentine as well whilst Smalling was doing likewise.

To make matters worse, as I briefly touched on beforehand, when Darmian had realised the error of his ways, he didn’t even make a desperate attempt to block the shot, which is the bare minimum expected from a player who has messed up.

Instead, the former Torino man simply watched Sane draw back his deadly left foot, before rifling a shot towards the target – to be frank, it was pathetic from Darmian, and was deserving of Roy Keane’s scathing assessment following the final whistle.

It’s no secret that Leeds’ attacking style can be exploited by targeting their defensive weakness. Indeed, Pontus Jansson needs a partner and Liam Lindsay should be that man, not Yoann Barbet.

Lindsay has played 4o times at centre-back for Barnsley this season and he’s made their defence the most solid in the league. They’ve conceded just 37 goals, while league-winners Luton Town have conceded 41. This is no coincidence.

Not at all.

Remarkably, he’s just 23-year-old but makes decisions of a player way beyond his years. He’s got the potential to become a future star and he’d make the ideal replacement for Liam Cooper at Elland Road, if the Whites go up or not. In fact, The Daily Star have previously credited Leeds with an interest in their Yorkshire rivals’ gem.

Cooper has been good this season, but he’s not got the quality to defend the large spaces Leeds will continue to leave when they press so high up the field. If they go up, they’ll need someone who can deal with Premier League football and Lindsay has a better chance.

L’Equipe have linked Yoann Barbet to Leeds recently, but he’d be the second choice to Lindsay in our eyes. Despite his Championship experience, he’s not quite got that authority to deal with the space Leeds leave for their opposition to attack.

Liam Cooper needs to be replaced in the starting 11 next season, and either Barbet or Lindsay would be an upgrade. However, the latter’s potential and ability to thrive in big games means he’s the perfect man for the job.

Leeds fans, who do you think should partner Pontus Jansson next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…