All posts by h716a5.icu

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Per a report from The Sun, Aston Villa are eyeing up a move for Bristol City defender Adam Webster as they look to strengthen their defence, because they don’t want to overpay on Tyrone Mings.

What’s the word?

Aston Villa have had a busy start to the transfer window and in their bid to bolster the backline, they’ve already brought back Kortney Hause on a permanent basis following the conclusion of his loan spell.

To add to that, Frederic Guilbert will finally arrive following his return to Caen on loan after initially signing in January.

However, after pondering a move for Matt Targett, The Sun now claims that Webster is on Villa’s radar.

The newspaper suggests that any deal that takes place could be set to cost Dean Smith’s men as much as £12m.

Strange stance on Mings

Webster had a hugely impressive season with the Robins, featuring on 44 occasions and scoring three goals in the process.

The 6 ft 3 central defender is a giant in the air, winning 6.4 aerial duels per game in the Championship during 2018/19.

But it’s a signing that would perhaps be somewhat questionable, especially given the fee they are reportedly going to have to part ways with.

The same report from The Sun suggests that Villa won’t overpay for Mings this summer.

Getting him back after his magnificent spell during the second half of last season would be up there as the best business they do all summer, regardless of the price.

But if Villa are refusing to pay too much for Mings, spending a potential £12m on an alternative below his calibre makes little sense.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The fact is that with the club already spending £22.25m on Wesley, they’re clearly ready to pay large sums for their targets.

So landing Webster rather than the Bournemouth defender would be particularly strange.

Mings already has Premier League experience, whereas Webster doesn’t, and has already shown what he brings to this Villa team. The former would be a far better signing as the Villans gear up for a return to the top-flight.

If tWebster is going to cost as much as The Sun suggests, they should look elsewhere or put the funds towards bringing back one of their star men from last term.

Unai Emery is said to be seeking his board’s permission to break transfer budget in pursuit of Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, according to The Sun.

Arsenal currently command a limited transfer budget of around £45million after failing to reach the Champions League. However, boss Emery will be hoping that can convince the club to allocate him the necessary funds to bring in number one attacking target Wilfried Zaha, as he embarks on a summer rebuild.

With a potential move to the Emirates in mind, we take a look at two possible knock-on effects of Zaha joining Arsenal.

No improvement

We’re going to start this off with the suggestion that nothing at all will happen. Why, you might ask? The forward line-up is the one area on the pitch that Arsenal really don’t need to improve this summer.

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang combined to produce a mightily impressive 50 goals this season. In the Premier League, the club were the third highest scorers behind Manchester City and Liverpool. Nothing there suggests they need to improve their attacking line-up; not least allocate the bulk (or entirety) of their summer spends on another forward who might give them a few more goals and assists.

The club’s defence, on the other hand, needs some serious work. Arsenal conceded 51 goals this season, which is the highest out of anyone in the top five and the ninth strongest record in the competition. Unless they plan on outscoring their opponents, a feat that would require serious firepower (perhaps more than 10-goal Zaha), then surely it would be more prudent to sign a top class defender; someone who can command from the back; a Virgil van Dijk figure, as Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has suggested.

Arsenal sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Given Arsenal’s weak financial position, we fully expect at least one player to leave should they sign Wilfried Zaha this summer.

As it stands, Mesut Ozil and Mkhitaryan are the most disposal players in the forward line-up. Ozil has endured his worst season in English football to date, which saw him produce just six goals and three assists in 35 appearances and suffer a turbulent relationship with his new boss.

Mkhitaryan hasn’t prospered much, either – with six goals and seven assists to his name, and the somewhat controversial decision to deny him from travelling with the team to Baku for the Europa League final over safety fears.

However, with the German proving difficult to shift due to his mammoth £350,000 wages, the club might have more luck if they decide to sacrifice their former Manchester United star as they slowly but surely come to terms with the fact he’ll never emulate the form he showed in Germany.

Arsenal fans, do you agree with our predictions? Let us know in the comments below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has told Arsenal they will need to pay up to land Kieran Tierney during this summer’s transfer window, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s the story?

It was reported by The Times on Sunday that the Gunners have now made two bids for the Hoops left-back, with both falling well short of Celtic’s valuation, which they say stands at £25m.

Lennon is relaxed about the situation, feeling the club don’t have any big decisions to make on Tierney’s future until a team comes in with an offer that matches what the club think the player is worth.

Celtic fans aren’t happy about Arsenal’s bid for one of their key players…

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the Celtic Park boss said:

“Arsenal are aware of what we value the player at. He’s on a long-term contract, he’s an asset and we don’t want to sell him.

“It’s going to have to take a lot more than what they’ve offered the first time around to give us a decision to make.

“I’ve had a chat with him [Tierney] as it can be a difficult decision and bit unsettling. I’ve been there myself so it’s important that we support him regardless of the outcome.”

Celtic’s winning stance

Whichever way Arsenal’s transfer pursuit shakes out, it appears Celtic will be massive winners.

By insisting that their valuation is met, the club could receive a record fee for an outgoing player, allowing them to reinvest in their first-team massively and make long-term beneficial plans, such as improving facilities and club infrastructure.

Bringing through homegrown talent and selling them for fees like the reported £25m is massive for a club like Celtic, who can’t rely on TV cash to boost their income.

If Arsenal deem that fee too rich, then the Hoops retain one of their most important and consistent players. Tierney has played 171 times since making his debut in 2015, a four-year run that has resulted in an incredible 11 trophies.

There is no rush to cave into the Gunners’ apparent low-ball bids, with his contract not expiring until 2023, and Celtic’s stance on the matter so far is spot on.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Rangers favourite Barry Ferguson doesn’t think fans need to worry about Steven Gerrard leaving the club anytime soon, writing in his Daily Record column.

What’s he said?

After Frank Lampard’s big leap from Derby County to Chelsea, Ferguson says it has reminded some around Ibrox that Gerrard is a Liverpool legend, in a similar way Lampard is to the Blues, and could one day make a stunning move to Anfield as manager.

However, before that happens, he expects that the Gers boss will be eager to make his current club as competitive as possible before entertaining a switch.

The fans in the video below had some very strong words for Michel Platini who was detained over alleged corruption this week…

Writing for The Daily Record, the Rangers legend said:

“I’ve bumped into a lot of punters recently and they’re all saying much the same thing. The only dark cloud on the horizon is the prospect of Gerrard doing a Lampard on them. But I think they can relax for a while as Klopp has a few years left in him yet.

“Also, Gerrard won’t want to move on until he has achieved what he set out to do when he took this job on. You can tell when you listen to the guy he is as desperate to get Rangers back to the top of the Scottish game as any of the diehards in the stands.

“So what he has to do now is lead the club to some cup finals and make Rangers properly competitive in the title race by taking it down to the wire.”

Trophies needed

Clearly the prospect of Jurgen Klopp leaving Anfield anytime soon is ludicrous having just won the UEFA Champions League, but in the long-term Gerrard is likely to be closely associated to the Reds given his legendary playing career at the club.

While Lampard didn’t achieve much of note at Derby before his move to Chelsea, any inexperienced manager’s CV is bolstered by trophies more than anything and that will be Gerrard’s big aim at Rangers.

Watch Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Ibrox outfit haven’t won a major honour since 2011 and with arch-rivals Celtic continuing to win treble after treble, the pressure will be on to bring success back to Govan next season.

Until the Rangers boss delivers on that, any talk of him moving to the Premier League is very premature.

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Newcastle have confirmed the permanent departure of Joselu, leaving the club in an awful predicament – they have just one senior striker.

What’s the story?

The Magpies have confirmed Joselu has secured a switch to Deportivo Alaves, who finished 11th in La Liga last term.

The Chronicle reported on Monday morning that the striker had not travelled on the squad’s pre-season trip to Asia, replaced by youth talent Elias Sorensen.

The Telegraph have claimed the Magpies are lining up Hoffenheim starlet Joelinton as a replacement.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A ridiculous predicament

While The Telegraph report claims a deal is “in place” for Joelinton, who bagged ten goals last season, Joselu’s departure puts the club in a truly bizarre situation.

Yes, the Spaniard was dreadful. He scored just seven times in 52 first-team appearances, but after the departures of Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon, losing the former Real Madrid man actually hurts the squad more than it should.

Steve Bruce, who is expected to join after quitting on Sheffield Wednesday, will have just one senior striker to choose from in Dwight Gayle, a man who was deemed not good enough for the Premier League by Rafael Benitez.

Gayle was shipped out on loan to West Brom last term, where he did bag 24 Championship goals, and yet he is now the only striker in the squad, not including Yoshinori Muto, who is more typically deployed as a number ten.

The Premier League season kicks off in less than a month, and Newcastle’s only striker with even an ounce of experience didn’t even play for them last year – that is truly absurd.

Of all the things Mike Ashley has done while in charge at St. James’ Park, allowing the club to get to a situation where their striker crop combined for zero Premier League goals last season might just be the worst of the lot. It’s utterly ridiculous and the reported takeover can’t come soon enough.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Manchester United have distanced themselves from a move for Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina according to ESPN, and rightly so.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side had been linked with a move for the Gabon international recently, and The Times even reported that they had been given permission to speak with the £18m-rated player.

But why the Red Devils were even considering Lemina is fairly baffling in the first place. He has never truly set the world alight at Southampton since arriving in an £18.1m deal from Juventus two years ago, despite impressing in flashes.

Could Paul Pogba be on his way out of Old Trafford? 442oons have put their unqiue spin on the matter in the video below…

The 25-year-old made 21 appearances last season in the Premier League, scoring once and assisting another, but the Saints seem willing to let him leave the club this summer as per a report from The Mirror.

Lemina was hardly influential for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side last term, missing a huge 16 games with an abdominal issue which ruled him out from December 31st to April 20th.

Southampton managed to pull off a great escape without him and if anything improved during his absence – in fact, they won just 5% of games with Lemina in the side across all competitions, compared to 39% when he wasn’t involved.

Going off this, why on earth would he be a suitable candidate for Manchester United? It’s incredibly unusual for a player no longer wanted by a side who finished 16th in the Premier League being considered as a signing for the Old Trafford outfit.

More pertinently, Solskjaer simply cannot afford anymore duds – United’s roster is already overflowing with players whose reputations fail to match their current form. They need someone who will be an ever-present, as well as someone who is entirely committed to the cause.

Lemina is arguably neither of those things. As aforesaid, his terrible injury problems meant he wasn’t available to feature often last season, whilst he has taken to the media to openly talk about leaving the club who he is contracted to.

Paul Pogba did this recently, saying how he felt he needed a new challenge and some United fans absolutely slammed him for doing so.

Those types of characters are part of what is going wrong at Old Trafford right now, and Solskjaer would be crazy to add another midfielder with question marks to the squad.

United are thoroughly correct to distance themselves from a move.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leicester’s pre-season kicked off with a 1-0 win over Scunthorpe on Wednesday night.

There were a number of talking points from the game, not least in the fact that Harry Maguire appeared despite being the subject of an £80m bid from Manchester United.

James Justin made his debut whilst there was also a first sighting of Youri Tielemans after his permanent arrival.

However, one of the most intriguing aspects from the victory was the performance of Ayoze Perez, who following his move from Newcastle was on the score sheet in the 35th minute.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

As far as friendly matches go it’s usually simply a chance to try out new things and build the fitness of players returning from their holidays.

However, Leicester fans have already received an exciting glimpse of things to come in the future, particularly with Perez’s goal.

He operated on the right-hand side for Brendan Rodgers’ team, regularly drifting inside with Ricardo Pereira offering the width from right-back.

The Portuguese was a menace last term, assisting six goals in the Premier League and he was on hand to supply the strike for Leicester’s new signing on Wednesday.

Their link-up could become a crucial part of the way the Foxes play next season and if their performances on Wednesday are anything to go by, it should be extremely promising.

If you think the rumoured £80m for Harry Maguire is too much, check out how much his potential replacement will cost in the video below…

Because of their style, they can complement each other superbly well heading into the 2019/20 campaign.

Perez played the majority of his football as an inside forward on the right at Newcastle with the bulk of his shots towards goal coming from narrower positions inside the penalty area.

Per Understat, he had 39 shots inside the box which is demonstrated below.

Given the fact Perez likes to drift inside, this will give Pereira the license he had to get forward down the right last term.

He was a regular threat in advanced areas but would take up wider positions which can be seen from the parts of the pitch where he had shots from in his first season with Leicester.

But it’s crucial to understand just how big a role Pereira can have in supplying Perez chances.

According to Understat, the former played 0.95 key passes per 90 minutes for Leicester with an impressive expected goals rate from those balls of 5.13.

That sort of play was demonstrated against Scunthorpe, offering an exciting look at what the future could look like with both him and Perez in the same side.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on talkSPORT, Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham has labelled reported target Harry Maguire as “perfect” for the club, and drew comparisons between the defender and some Premier League stalwarts.

What did he say?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Leicester centre-back is still very much a prime target for United this summer, but that the Red Devils have so far been unwilling to match the valuation being placed on the 26-year-old.

Sheringham has now given his seal of approval on a potential deal, and claimed that Maguire’s organisation skills hearkened back to the likes of Tony Adams and John Terry.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “I think he would be perfect. I think he’s got a calming effect on player’s around him and he doesn’t panic when he gets on the ball. He’s good in both boxes, which is always a big plus for central defenders.

“Players like Tony Adams, Steve Bruce and John Terry – they’re organised – they don’t have to be lightning quick and instead organise people around them and make sure there’s no gaps at the back and that’s what being a centre half is all about for me.”

A real presence

Whether Maguire is considered to be worth the big-money the Foxes are demanding for him is besides the point; in signing him, United would be getting a Premier League-proven defender who has shown all the characteristics of being a modern-day centre-back.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

A technically proficient defender boasting an impressive 85.6% pass accuracy last year, Maguire would undoubtedly improve a rearguard that conceded 54 goals in the Premier League – the highest of any side in the top six.

United are in dire need of a commanding centre-half; someone who can organise, cajole and lead from the back. Maguire’s performances at Leicester and at international level with England has shown he is certainly capable of doing just that.

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Heading into the new Premier League season, one of the narratives that is likely to be followed with a keen eye is Frank Lampard as manager of Chelsea.

With the west London side currently under a transfer embargo for this window and the one after (per Sky Sports News), the Blues have been heavily restricted in their transfer dealings this summer.

With the departure of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid occurring this summer as well (per BBC Sport), the ban has complicated things heading into a new footballing campaign, and yet, fans are still excited about what Lampard can bring to Chelsea in this new era for the London giants.

As Joe Street and Laurenz Vescoli from Two-Footed Talk explain in the video below, Chelsea are heading into the unknown next season for the first time in the Roman Abramovich era of the club where it is uncertain what will happen over the next few months.

Despite the departure of Hazard as well as the transfer ban, things have so far been promising for Chelsea in pre-season. The Blues defeated Barcelona in Japan 2-1 and were recently on the winning end of an entertaining 5-3 win against Red Bull Salzburg, with new signing Christian Pulisic grabbing a brace against the Austrian side.

Lampard’s reign as manager of Chelsea will be one the Blues supporters hope goes well in what is likely to be an interesting first season for the former midfield icon, but after a successful pre-season and a talented pool of players to choose from, the west London side could surprise a few in 2019/20.

Chelsea fans, where will the club finish next season? Let us know!

Chris Sutton has had his say on his former side’s Champions League exit to CFR Cluj, and the Celtic fans couldn’t agree more.

The former Celt has pulled no punches in lambasting Neil Lennon and his side for their embarrassing 5-4 aggregate defeat to Cluj in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers.

The pundit believes that the Bhoys made six mistakes on the night that lead to their exit.

Goals from Ryan Christie, Odsonne Edouard and James Forrest weren’t enough at Parkhead on Tuesday, as the Romanians progressed to the play-off round thanks to some shoddy Hoops defending, with Celtic dropping to the same stage in the Europa League.

Sutton’s comments have gone down well with the irate fans, who are furious at their side for the defeat and the way the club has been run in recent times.

One name that comes up repeatedly in their replies to Sutton is Peter Lawwell, the chief executive of the club. Many feel that after such a crushing defeat he has to take responsibility and leave, while most are just shaming the board in general, who they blame for picking Lennon as manager.

Here’s what they had to say about Sutton’s article and their club on Twitter:

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