All posts by z3u9t.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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Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos received his third red card – all against Aberdeen – of the season in his side’s 4-2 victory on Wednesday night, and his imminent absence from the starting XI gives January addition Jermain Defoe the real break he has been waiting for.

On the chalkboard

The 36-year-old would have been hoping to be a starter for the Glasgow giants following his loan move from Bournemouth last month, and it looked as though that could be on the cards when he started alongside Morelos up top in the 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock.

Manager Steven Gerrard had moved away from his preferred 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 systems to accommodate the striker in a 4-4-2 diamond, but it backfired in the end in what was a disappointing display.

Defoe has been named on the substitutes’ bench against Livingston and then Aberdeen last night since then, although he was given the centre-forward berth against St Mirren at the weekend with his Colombian teammate starting on the right wing.

Chance he’s been waiting for

It remains to be seen how long Morelos will be banned for this time around, but it is certainly the break Defoe would have been desperate for.

The veteran striker will know that he can get goals at this level – he already has three in four SPFL appearances – and he could be set for a run in the starting XI for the foreseeable future depending on what fate awaits the South American attacker.

It certainly eradicates a major selection headache for Gerrard even if he would clearly prefer to have both players available, and now Defoe needs to step up to the plate to keep Rangers in the title race.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

It quickly went downhill for Musonda at Celtic. He joined the club at a difficult time but seemed more interested in his social media profile than playing his way into Brendan Rodgers’ system.

His 18-month loan deal was cut short in May, returning to Chelsea without any lessons learned. A knee injury hampered this season’s loan spell with Vitesse as the downward spiral continued.

Musonda will retire from football as a very rich young man. Perhaps he’ll have regrets about a talent scorned but his case perfectly highlights the player ‘farms’ being built up by big clubs like his parent club which is effectively killing off emerging talent.

A generation ago Musonda might have caught the eye in Belgium, earned a move to Anderlecht, perhaps Celtic then moved to a mid-table EPL side before reaching Chelsea.

Offering impressionable teenagers long contracts ensures that their bank balance will be healthy but their career will at best stall as they miss out crucial steps in their development.

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According to L’Equipe, (via Daily Echo) Southampton attempted to sign Paris Saint-Germain youngster Colin Dagba on loan during the January transfer window.

What’s the story, then?

Dagba was a late substitute in PSG’s 2-0 win over Manchester United in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on Tuesday night.

It was the 20-year-old’s seventh PSG appearance of the season, although just four of those have come in Ligue 1.

Southampton made a loan approach during the January window but it was not a surprise to see the French champions keep hold of the youngster, considering that he is now seemingly back in favour.

Indeed, Dagba was not involved in a single Ligue 1 squad between September 29 and February 3, but is back in favour having appeared against Bordeaux in the league before the clash with United at Old Trafford.

Could Southampton return this summer?

Much will depend on just how much football Dagba receives at PSG in the final months of the 2018-2019 campaign.

The right-back turned out for Boulogne between 2013 and 2016 before moving to PSG, where he was a regular with their B team ahead of his debut for the senior side earlier this season.

Dagba played the full 90 minutes in both of PSG’s first two league matches earlier this season, but has found it difficult for minutes since.

There is absolutely no question that he is a talent, though, and it is not too difficult to understand why Southampton were said to be interested.

It will be tough to sign him this summer if he is back in favour, but a potential loan move for next season is not beyond the realms of possibility.

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Brendan Rodgers has pencilled in next Sunday’s SPFL clash with Motherwell for Kieran Tierney’s return from injury.

The defender has been out injured since suffering a hip knock in the Europa League match against RB Leipzig but has been back in full contact training for over a week.

Tierney has been watching his team-mates from the stands alongside his pals but is now closing in on a return to competitive action.

After today’s 1-0 win over Kilmarnock, Chick Young asked Rodgers if Tierney would be back to face Valencia on Thursday but the Hoops boss told Radio Scotland…

“I think that Motherwell is the game that we are targeting Kieran for.”

Jonny Hayes put in an impressive shift today at Kilmarnock but the return of the first choice left-back will give Celtic a major boost at an important time.

Emilio Izaguirre has been the regular deputy but suffered an ankle injury in the first leg defeat from Valencia – as well as a very uncomfortable night against the Spanish side.

While his team-mates prepare to climb a mountain in the Mestalla on Thursday, Tierney will remain behind at Lennoxtown as he completes his recovery from injury.

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Manchester United held Liverpool to an impressive 0-0 draw on Sunday despite a number of injury problems.

Juan Mata and Ander Herrera were both substituted in the first half, to be replaced by Andreas Pereira and Jesse Lingard. Lingard then got injured himself and was replaced by Alexis Sanchez, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were still able to hold on to take an admirable point.

On the chalkboard

The game itself was short on quality and there were a dearth of genuine goalscoring opportunities at Old Trafford.

According to the BBC, Liverpool had one shot on target throughout the game, while United had three.

But perhaps the most important element of the game was Solskjaer’s management.

He was confronted with perhaps his worst managerial nightmare; players were, quite literally, dropping like flies, and yet he adjusted astutely.

This is a manager who has previously only bossed Molde and Cardiff City but his tactical decisions were all sound and salient against the Reds.

Indeed, while Jurgen Klopp’s men had 65% possession, again per BBC, and seven corners, they had no way of breaking through United’s defensive line.

Scott McTominay starting in midfield was a bold choice that paid off, the Scot’s no-nonsense approach seeing him win three aerial duels and keep the ball for his side – he had an 84% pass completion rate, per WhoScored, and made two interceptions and three clearances.

Across the defence, Ashley Young, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof were all rarely troubled, as Solskjaer opted to cede possession and challenge Liverpool to break his side down.

They couldn’t, even with United’s injury problems, and the result was a triumph of clever tactical thinking from the Norwegian.

Case strengthened

One could argue that the game was there for United to win, such was the bluntness of Liverpool’s attack throughout the 90 minutes.

But, given the injury problems sustained by three key players, Solskjaer should be delighted to have achieved a draw.

United remain unbeaten in the Premier League under their former striker and have only lost once in all competitions, against PSG in the Champions League. That result, too, came about after injuries to Lingard and Anthony Martial.

When his players stay fit, Solskjaer tends to guide his side to victory.

That he couldn’t on Sunday is no slight on his managerial ability. In fact, it will only strengthen his case to become the next permanent manager of the club.

Come the end of the 90 minutes, after all, United pulled a point from the flames, and should be oozing with confidence ahead of their midweek clash with Crystal Palace.

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Steven Gerrard took his side to Aberdeen on Sunday for the quarter-finals of the SFA Cup and they remain in the hat after clinching a 1-1 draw.

The Gers went 1-0 down in the early stages of the game at Pittodrie but Joe Worrall scored a second half equaliser to take the game to a replay.

Worrall’s strike arrived courtesy of a corner from Ryan Kent, who received gushing admiration from some supporters for his performance.

However, it was not only the quality of his showing that delighted supporters.

Indeed, the loanee from Liverpool was seen shushing the home crowd after providing the assist for Rangers’ equaliser, and his passionate celebration served to enhance his reputation amongst the enthused fan base.

Kent has grown into the season and established himself as a key player in Gerrard’s first-team plans, and his form has encouraged plenty of fans to call for a permanent deal.

If the 22-year-old continues to maintain the high standard he has set for himself since joining the club it’s likely that Rangers’ hierarchy will be forced to consider the possibility of securing a permanent deal.

Here’s what the Rangers fans had to say about Kent’s performance against Aberdeen:

Granit Xhaka has often been criticised by the Arsenal faithful for his short-tempered style of playing, which has come at a cost on a number of occasions in the past. Indeed, since his arrival in England back in 2016, no Gunners fan will need telling that the Swiss can often be a liability. 

Now, it is fair to say the Arsenal midfielder looks a completely different player this campaign and has been crucial to club’s turnaround under new manager Unai Emery. In fact, his performances this season mean the manager might be seeing something in Xhaka, which his predecessor, Arsene Wenger, clearly didn’t.

It could also explain why Emery named the Swiss international as one of his five captains just before the season got underway last year and performance-wise, Xhaka has relished the opportunity of playing with a bit more responsibility on his shoulders.

The 26-year-old has looked mature on the pitch this season and has been highly influential for setting up the team’s attack.

The addition of Lucas Torreira as the more defensive midfielder has also helped Xhaka’s cause of being more fluent in attack, while his link-up play with the Arsenal defenders, in order to take the ball forward, has been brilliant. Thus, he has been key to Emery’s tactics of playing the ball out from the back and has often been pushed to think and act under heaps of pressure to get the attack going.

And, yesterday’s performance against Manchester United at the Emirates was another excellent example of the massive strides he has made to improve his all-round game.

As a matter of fact, he has been superb in all the big Premier League matches for Arsenal, against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and now United, which the Gunners all won at home.

From an Arsenal perspective, it should be really encouraging to see someone of Xhaka’s calibre getting better and better as the season progresses and it should also be exciting to see the success he sets out the achieve at the club in the coming years.

With Aaron Ramsey set to leave the club in the summer, the importance of having Xhaka at the heart of the team will be highly needed and could mean even more and greater responsibility for him next season.

Arsenal fans, just how impressed have you been by Xhaka? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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According to The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld looks set to be heading for Manchester United in a £26m deal at the end of the season.

Alderweireld joined Tottenham from Atletico Madrid in 2015 and has made 186 appearances for the London club in all competitions.

A £26m release clause will come into effect this summer, though, and according to The Mirror, Man United look set to activate the buy-out to secure the defender.

It would be a big blow to lose Alderweireld as Tottenham would have to spend significantly more than the price mentioned in order to replace him.

The Spurs supporters have been on social media reacting to the transfer report and it would be fair to say that a number are really, really frustrated.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Surely losing the Belgium international would send out completely the wrong message, but the centre-back is holding all of the cards at the moment.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Clearly, West Ham United have been one of the multiple clubs that have underperformed this season. Still, there have been worse moments to be a Hammer, that’s for sure. With that in mind, and after finally cementing a place in the Premier League once again, it is clear that a foundation has been put in place for a strong era to begin at the London Stadium. 

After years of being a lower table club, a fight for survival club. West Ham finally seem to be in a good place, despite their current league position. Manuel Pellegrini has begun to put the pieces together for the Hammers, bringing in huge players like Felipe Anderson to have really shown the intent on where the team want to be.

With this, it is always worth remembering the low times that West Ham have encountered as a club. There have been so many players to come in and try and fix the problems, so here we look at a couple of men who came in and really pushed the club forward.

Pedro Obiang 

Signing from Sampdoria in 2015/16 season, not many had heard of the Guinean international. However, since wearing claret and blue he has been a saving grace for West Ham and has emerged as somewhat of a cult-hero.

The 26-year-old has brought a lot of promise into the side, bringing a certain stability in the midfield that allows more attacking players to play with freedom.

Certainly, no one connected with the club will be in much of a rush to forget THAT goal at Wembley, either.

Michail Antonio 

Probably one of West Ham’s most unsung heroes.

Michail Antonio has been a star man ever since he arrived at the London club from Nottingham Forrest back in 2015, proving a wonderful addition at a relatively low fee. Clearly, when signing the player, the West Ham staff knew about his attacking presence, but did anyone truly know just how versatile this man is? Such a useful tool.

Filling in at left-back, as well as being deadly across any area of a front three, Michail Antonio has shown the London Stadium that he is a player that will bring so much to the club in the years to come.

He certainly is the definition of a bargain.