All posts by h716a5.icu

[ad_pod ]Tottenham Hotspur welcome Ajax to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening for a clash which nobody envisaged when the Champions League got underway.Both sides are carrying something of an underdog label ahead of the semi-final, but the calibre of the opposition they have collectively overcome to reach this stage suggests either side could lift the most coveted of footballing trophies in Madrid next month.Spurs have plenty of injury concerns ahead of the game and, with Son Heung-min also suspended, there is plenty of reason for fans to be feeling apprehensive.Ahead of the game, a true legend of the north London club, Ossie Ardiles, has taken to Twitter to publicly back Mauricio Pochettino.

This is the Argentine’s biggest test of his career so far.

Pochettino will know better than anyone that this could be Tottenham’s best chance to reach the final of the Champions League for years to come, even if the Eredivisie league leaders have already toppled two giants on their way to this stage.

But Ardiles’ tweet underlines the feeling around the club: they are in the best possible hands and the 47-year-old possesses the nous to ensure Spurs set up a final date with Liverpool or Barcelona.

Ardiles was always the man for the big occasion during his time with the Lilywhites, as Man City know all too well, and he will be hoping his compatriot can also triumph on the big stage tonight.

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Leeds United fans on Twitter are fuming after Sheffield United players were filmed singing a chant about their club during the open top bus parade celebrating their promotion to the Premier League.

The Blades players were broadcast drinking beer and chanting “Leeds are falling apart again” to the tune of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. The chant has been used for many years to mock the Whites and their tendency to start seasons well before falling off.

The chant may never have been more fitting than this season as Marcelo Bielsa’s side failed to win any of their final four games, allowing Sheffield United to clinch promotion to the Premier League, whilst the Whites were resigned to the playoffs.

Leeds fans were understandably frustrated as their bitter rivals rubbed in the fact that they had beaten them by finishing in second.

Supporters took to social media to share their annoyance at the Blades players’ actions.

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

Samu Saiz looks to be on the way out of Elland Road, and it looks like the club could sell him at a price way above what he’s worth. Indeed, we’re really not sure what Valencia have been watching…

Despite the playmaker quitting Leeds halfway through the season to return to his homeland, Football Insider are claiming Valencia, one of the biggest clubs in Spain lest we forget, have bid around £3m for him. In fact, he joined the Whites in the summer of 2017 and he’s never looked to be worth that much.

He’s been on loan at Getafe since January where he’s played 19 times, making four assists. Valencia must have seen something we didn’t in England if they’re willing to part with that much cash. He’s never lived up to expectations since leaving Real Madrid in 2011.

It’s not even like Valencia are desperate. They got to the Europa League semi-finals this season, only losing to Arsenal. Their bid seems way off the mark considering his poor form in both countries, but Leeds should be rubbing their hands at the prospect of getting rid of their dead wood for such a price.

They bought him for £3.15m from La Liga side Huesca (as per Transfermarkt), so they could even make a profit if they hold out for a little more cash. The deal would be terrible for Valencia, but perhaps they’re convinced they can unlock his talent better than his old teams.

From what we’ve seen, he’s not worth the starting bid of £3m in anyone’s book, but it looks like we’re wrong. Valencia could be about to make their worst investment ever, but Leeds will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Leeds fans, what would you spend the Samu Saiz money on, when he leaves? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Wolves have a number of highly promising youngsters coming through the youth system at the moment, something that was evident in the club’s Premier League 2 Division 2 title victory this term.

Rob Edward’s side was full of quality as they secured promotion with the likes of Niall Ennis and Max Kilman having a big say over the course of their season.

However, a young player currently out on loan has also been impressing; Connor Ronan. The 21-year-old finished the season at FC DAC in Slovakia before signing a new contract on Monday morning.

Wolves supporters were eager to congratulate the Irishman who earned a host of plaudits on Twitter.

One fan claimed he was the most talented kid on the club’s books and was even better than Morgan Gibbs-White. Another supporter said they had been worried he was going to leave Molineux.

Other individuals chose to assess his role in the first-team ahead of next season, hoping he’d get game time in Europe.

Whilst on loan in Slovakia, the midfielder played 13 times, scoring once and also claiming a solitary assist. Ronan spent the first half of the term on loan with Walsall where he made 11 League One appearances.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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With Wilfried Zaha’s future up in the air, Crystal Palace fans can be forgiven for scouting on potential replacements for the eye-catching winger and some think that a former player might be the answer.

Yannick Bolasie made his name at Selhurst Park, impressing with his fancy flicks and tricks, one of which was named after him, and secured a £25m move to Everton in 2016. Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite gone to plan for the Congolese ace since, with injuries and loan spells aplenty thereafter.

On his day, the £12.6m-rated attacker was unplayable in Palace red and blue, although he’s lost a yard of pace since his departure and wouldn’t be the player Eagles fans remember should he complete a bonkers return to Selhurst Park this summer.

Has this guy found the worst stadium in English football? Decide for yourself by watching the video below…

It was Bolasie’s 30th birthday on Friday and plenty of Palace fans used the club’s celebratory Twitter post to discuss a swoop for the wide-man in the coming months – here’s the best of the reaction…

The pain of today’s play-off defeat will linger for a long time. We know that, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. Two Wembley defeats and a 5th placed finish this season have been incredibly tough to stomach for the Black Cats, but here we are. The Mackems now need to look forward, and they need to keep Ross on-board as they look forward.

Jack Ross may come in for a lot of stick over the next couple of days as the Sunderland supporters come to terms with the fact that they’ll be travelling to face Lincoln, Tranmere, MK Dons and Bury away next season, but the Scottish gaffer is the man for the job. Just because his side has been unable to convert their chances at Wembley this season doesn’t mean he’s not fit for the job.

When Stewart Donald sits down with the board and looks ahead to the 2019/20 season he simply cannot afford to try and go it in the new season without Ross in charge. The entire club has been in transition this season and considering how close they’ve come to making a swift return to the Championship, now they’ve got one more year of experience and another two transfer windows to prepare, promotion is much more likely.

It won’t be easy to go into next season and until next May there will be a lot of heartache and regret about today from the Black Cats. Those that stayed in Sunderland and watched the game on TV and those who made the 540-mile roundtrip from the Northeast to the capital will struggle next season in the third tier again, but no rash moves can be made just yet.

Sunderland fans, do you agree? Let us know by commenting below!

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Unai Emery is eager to reunite with Thomas Meunier at Arsenal, according to France Football as reported by Get French Football News.

What’s the word?

The Belgian looks set to depart Paris this summer after falling to third-choice behind both Thilo Kehrer and Colin Dagba in Thomas Tuchel’s right-sided defensive options.

Signed by Emery in 2016 Meunier began to establish himself as a regular under the Spaniard, making 46 appearances in two seasons and earning the starting right-back berth for Belgium’s 2018 World Cup run.

Now, however, with opportunities dwindling at the Parc des Princes the 27-year old could be on the move for a price of €30m (£26.51m) and Arsenal are said to be interested.

Disaster in the making

This signing has disaster written all over it and the rumours aren’t even at an advanced stage yet.

With just £40m to spend, should Arsenal miss out on Champions League football, Meunier would simply be an appalling use of those funds.

Considering Stephan Lichtsteiner’s impending departure, right-back depth should be a consideration, but not a priority and certainly not for the prices mentioned around Meunier.

Despite a long-term knee injury, Hector Bellerin is still the Gunners’ right-back for the future and should return early next season. While only time will tell whether the Spaniard can fully recover, there is reasonable hope that at just 24 years of age his best days are still ahead.

In addition, Emery also has Ainsley Maitland-Niles at his disposal. Traditionally a midfielder, the Arsenal youth product filled in at right-back on multiple occasions this season and showed enough to suggest he is a capable player in the position, if not the long-term answer.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

Spending £26.5m on a player in a filled position is an unwise move and paying that much for a player of Meunier’s ability is downright ludicrous.

Although the Belgian enjoyed a decent spell under Emery, he is a limited footballer who lacks the defensive discipline to excel in the Premier League. Known for his attacking threat, Meunier’s best football has come with the national team where he has the freedom to venture forward that likely would not be available to him in England.

Simply put, there is a reason that Meunier has become third-choice at PSG and Arsenal would be making a huge mistake to chase the big name that doesn’t fit.

We all know how Karamoko Dembele has had Parkhead roaring when he’s played. The youngster is undoubtedly the Hoops’ golden boy and star for the future, but what if the club had two of him? That could well happen if these links from The Scottish Sun are correct, as Neil Lennon is apparently interested in signing Bolton’s Luca Connell.

You will all be sceptical of this one, and rightly so. Connell may be two years senior to Dembele and recently suffered relegation with Bolton Wanderers, dropping into League One after a dire Championship season, but he is a class act. The one shining light for the Trotters in an abysmal season has been the 18-year-old, and he has all the makings of a midfielder who can rival Dembele.

According to the article, should Connell, who is still a third-year scholar at Bolton, make the move north to Glasgow this summer then it would require Celtic to beat off competition from Rangers, Wolves and Norwich. That’s a tough ask, but it may not be an expensive one, as if Connell was to leave England the cross-border tribunal fees are much lower than what would be if he’s to swap for another English club.

Whatever happens, we’re all pretty confident that Luca Connell will be a massive name in football before too long. Whether he can match the heights that Karamoko Dembele is guaranteed to hit is yet to be seen, but just to be on the safe side, surely it would be a whole lot better for the Bhoys if they were to have both of the electric youngsters on their books?

Would you like to sign Luca Connell this summer, Celtic fans? Comment below and let us know!

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have hit out at the club after Spurs congratulated Christian Eriksen on scoring for Denmark.

The playmaker netted in his country’s 5-1 demolition of Georgia in a Euro 2020 qualifier earlier this week.

His performance came in the wake of his admission that he could leave Spurs this summer in pursuit of a new challenge, having spent a total of six years in north London.

He helped the club to the Champions League final in 2018/19 and also to a top-four finish, as Spurs again confirmed their participation in Europe’s elite club competition next season.

Real Madrid have been linked with a swoop, though reports on Tuesday suggested that they could make a u-turn and pursue Manchester United’s Paul Pogba instead.

And supporters have been disappointed that the club have chosen to showcase his fine performance for his country, particularly ahead of his likely departure.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

It is looking increasingly likely that Chelsea’s transfer ban will not be frozen this summer.

The west London club have sent an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the transfer embargo handed to them by FIFA but have not made a request for it to be suspended (as per Goal), meaning they are now set to go into the new season without any new signings.

With so many quality players possibly being available this summer, the above will come as a huge blow, especially when one of them looks keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.

According to Times journalist Duncan Castles (via Daily Express), Philippe Coutinho favours a switch to Chelsea over Paris Saint-Germain as he continues to be linked with a transfer away from Barcelona.

Coutinho has already shown he can excel in the Premier League from his time at Liverpool and he possesses all the attacking qualities needed to at least attempt to follow in Eden Hazard’s footsteps. He loves to cut inside and get a shot off (these traits listed as strengths by WhoScored), just like the Belgian, as well as using his magic feet and incredible vision to play defence-splitting passes.

He may not have enjoyed much success at Barcelona but he finds himself operating alongside the likes of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, so he often gets overshadowed, whereas he’d be one of the bigger name players at Stamford Bridge, which might help him get back to his best.

Just look at how he performed with that kind of status at Anfield, after all.

Of course, with Eden Hazard gone, that is exactly the sort of quality this Chelsea team could do with. And if for whatever reason the Blues could not pull off a deal for the Brazilian had they been allowed to operate, there are plenty of other avenues they could have explored.

For example, Hazard’s Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale looks finished at the Santiago Bernabeu, while ex-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte seems to be doing everything in his power to get Mauro Icardi out of Inter Milan.

Sign the Argentina international and the Blues would have surely fixed that No.9-shaped problem they have had since Diego Costa’s return to Atletico Madrid.

There is always next summer, of course, but you cannot help but feel that Chelsea could have done something special in this transfer window after bagging an initial £88m from the Hazard deal.

Chelsea fans, how damaging do you think this transfer ban could be? Let us know in the comment section below!