All posts by z3u9t.icu

This’ll be music to Tottenham fans’ ears! Christian Eriksen seems excited about the long-awaited move to his team’s new home according to Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet, and that could be key to keeping their star midfielder in summer.

He said: “We have been waiting for a while at the stadium after all, so it will be great to get back to the stadium that will be our home for the next many years” (Quotes sourced from Football London). That doesn’t sound like the voice of a man who can’t wait to find the exit door in summer, so we might just see the Dane sign a new deal after all.

Nobody, apart from Spurs fans, would blame the Dane for moving to a club guaranteed success in the coming years (he’s been linked with Real Madrid by AS after all), not least because he’s 27-years-old and is hitting his prime. He needs to be winning trophies right now, before other, younger midfielders are snapped up by Europe’s greatest and he misses his opportunity.

However, from the interview, it’s clear to see Erikson believes Spurs are capable of being one of those elite sides in Europe and if that is the case, there’d be no reason to leave. The new stadium provides that clear vision of progression that the last few years under Mauricio Pochettino, on the field, just haven’t. It could mean more than just a shiny new stadium and some NFL games.

To leave now would be to abandon the project he’s been moulding since joining in 2013, and at the most pivotal point too. The new stadium is the penultimate piece to the puzzle, with the final one being silverware. The infrastructure is nearly ready, and the squad just need a few additions to build depth, then the team can really push for trophies.

It’s not hard to imagine that this season would probably have been the 27-year-old’s last if the new stadium wasn’t in the pipeline, but now it’s less than a month away from opening, it might just be the boost required to tie down arguably Spurs’ top talent.

Spurs fans, where do you think Christian Eriksen will be playing his football next season, and why? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Sky Sports journalist Gerard Brand has picked West Ham United’s club-record man Felipe Anderson as the Premier League 2018/2019 summer signing of the season in a collaboration with fellow writers.

What did he say?

The Brazilian international hooked up with new manager Manuel Pellegrini at London Stadium last summer, signing for a fee of £36 million from Lazio.

At the time, the deal had many doubters, mainly from those who watched him in Serie A and consistency seemed to be the biggest worry surrounding the Anderson move for members of the Claret & Blue Army.

However, fast forward the best part of a year and after a sluggish start, the number 11 is a firm fan favourite in east London for his goals, assists and general flare, even breaking back into the Brazil squad.

“Though he’s not a like-for-like replacement for Dimitri Payet, Felipe Anderson certainly has Hammers fans off their seats like the Frenchman did. The Brazilian was slow to start, but then chipped in with seven goals in nine games in November and December, and there’s a clear reason why Real Madrid are thought to be planning a move for the 25-year-old if they fail to land Eden Hazard. He may not have scored in 2019, but Anderson still remains a huge threat for West Ham; his running off the ball creates space for others and often goes unnoticed, and his statistics are up there with the best. He’s ranked in the Premier League top 10 for chances created, final third passes, dribbles, through-balls and tackles.”

Anderson’s been amazing, but best signing is a stretch

While Anderson has impressed hugely in his first term in English football, exceeding many expectations and attracting unlikely interest, signing of last summer is a little bit of a stretch.

At times, the attacker’s performances have been wide of the mark and he has gone missing for large periods for the Irons, take his goalless year so far – he’s just not been consistent enough to warrant this kind of accolade.

Check out Playmaker FC’s Tom Skinner’s unfiltered take on Wayne Rooney’s England legacy in the video below…

There’s plenty of room for improvement for the 25-year-old and whilst his first campaign in Claret & Blue has been a success, it just hasn’t matched the 2018/2019 of fellow summer arrivals such as Liverpool’s Alisson.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness, Real Sociedad want to keep Sandro Ramirez at the club beyond the 2018-19 campaign.

Sandro has incredibly not found the back of the net for Everton in November 2017.

Since then, the Spaniard has played 18 times on loan at Sevilla, whilst he has made 20 appearances for Sociedad without scoring.

The 23-year-old joined Everton from Malaga in the summer of 2017, but only managed one goal in 16 games for the Toffees before joining Sevilla on loan.

Since netting 14 La Liga goals for Malaga during a very good 2016-17 season, Sandro has really struggled, which is a shock when considering his talent.

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 would certainly be a surprise to see Sociedad sign Sandro on a permanent deal when considering his struggles, but the Everton fans are hoping that will indeed be the case.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the English club’s supporters can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]Tottenham Hotspur supporters have lavished praise on chairman Daniel Levy after his statement posted on the club’s official website.The club completed their move to their new stadium on Wednesday, as they took on Crystal Palace in the first official Premier League game in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.Before the encounter, Levy issued an update to fans on the construction of the ground, thanking fans and the local community for their patience while the club have been forced to deal with a number of issues and setbacks.Indeed, Spurs did not want to play at Wembley at all this season but were forced to do so because of constructional delays.The message, which ran to well over 2,000 words in the club’s first programme at their new stadium, ended with the words: “We’ve achieved this as a team, together. Thank you Spurs family. We are now all back home.”

And Spurs fans have expressed their admiration for the man who has overseen the building of the new ground, the second biggest in London.

It is quite the sighting to see Levy actually getting praise from the fans, with Spurs having failed to buy a player in the past two transfer windows.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to tweet from the club, and the Black Cats faithful are desperate to see more of Dylan McGeouch.

Sunderland bounced back from their Wembley heartbreak in stunning fashion this week, sweeping Accrington Stanley aside with relative ease.

Denver Hume and Charlie Wyke drew all the plaudits while the goals went to Aiden McGeady, Will Grigg and Kazaiah Sterling, but McGeouch was no slouch either.

The 26 year-old, known for his clever passing and immense work rate, covered every blade of grass on Wednesday, or at least that’s what the club thinks.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

It hasn’t exactly been an easy first season on Wearside for the Scot though, managing just 26 appearances in all competitions, and falling behind Lee Cattermole and Grant Leadbitter in the midfield pecking order.

Fans are hoping that will change after his display on Wednesday, and they are all saying the same thing in response to the club’s tweet. Have a look at some of the best reactions down below…

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After such a positive start to life at Manchester United for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Norwegian now finds himself right in the middle of his first tough spell in charge following the 1-0 defeat to Barcelona at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The Red Devils may not have been the favourites on the night but they at least would have been hoping for a draw or to score against their La Liga opponents, but it wasn’t to be.

Luke Shaw’s own goal proved to be the difference and United now surely face an uphill task to progress to the semi-final stage despite what happened against Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round.

Four defeats in their previous five fixtures in all competitions is hardly great ahead of hosting West Ham United on Saturday, and Solskjaer should have some major concerns.

Finding a suitable formation

Solskjaer has chopped and changed formations in recent times having enjoyed a lot of success with the 4-3-3 and the 4-4-2 diamond when he first arrived at Old Trafford, and it’s fair to say it hasn’t worked out.

The decision to go with a 3-5-2 system against Barca with Shaw playing as a left-sided centre-back was nothing short of disastrous, and it was only after he put through his own net that the formation changed.

The former Molde boss also went with a similar tactic in the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers previously, and it is clear to see he shouldn’t use it again given how many players weren’t in their preferred position.

Solskjaer needs to deploy a system that works and suits his team if United are to get back to winning ways against the Irons.

Players losing form

Again, when Solskjaer first came in loads of players – such as Paul Pogba – found form, but it is a different story now with those same individuals failing to make the same impact they were before.

Pogba is one example of that and so is Ashley Young, while Romelu Lukaku was also way off colour against Barcelona having improved in more recent times.

Their 46-year-old manager now has a choice to make; drop those that aren’t performing or persist with them and hope the results turn around.

Young in particular will be lucky to start against the Hammers given his disastrous display on Wednesday, with the likes of Felipe Anderson and Michail Antonio ready to punish him.

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Speaking to The Debate podcast (17/04) Darren Bent was full of praise for Wolves as he discussed the club’s season and their hopes of gaining European football with Paul Merson and Geoff Shreeves.

What’s he said?

Wolves have had a tremendous first campaign back in the Premier League, sitting in eighth position going into the Easter weekend.

However, the club have hit a bit of a stumbling block in recent months with their away form proving detrimental to any European hopes they may have had for next season.

An FA Cup semi-final defeat against Watford also looks to have been hugely damaging with Nuno Santo’s side putting in a lacklustre display against Southampton last weekend.

Leicester are meanwhile a rejuvenated force under Brendan Rodgers and have since leapfrogged Wolves into seventh place. As a result, The Debate podcast team discussed who might finish in the final Europa League spot with both clubs prime candidates.

Bent thought that Wolves had been more impressive than both the Foxes and Watford, hailing the impact Nuno has had since he joined the club last season. He said:

“For me, Wolves have been more impressive. I always thought with the squad they had as well, having seen a lot of them last season, that they’d finish a lot higher in the league than they would near the bottom because I felt that they had players last season playing in the Championship that were Premier League players. He’d be my manager of the season, the Wolves manager has done a fantastic job.”

Wolves’ transfer business pays dividends

The former striker’s comments are symbolic of the fantastic transfer business the club has done over the past two years. Super agent Jorge Mendes has had a big say in proceedings and the fact they were able to prise one of the most highly thought of young players in Ruben Neves from Porto last season just goes to show how good they’ve been in the market.

He has adjusted to the Premier League excellently and wouldn’t have looked out of place in any top-flight side last season.

Raul Jimenez is turning it on for Wolves and Mexico right now! He definitely deserves the song in the video below…

Nuno hasn’t had much to do himself in terms of transfers but in regards to the club’s performances on the pitch this season, he is a worthy shout for manager of the year.

There are still some issues to iron out, however, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can replicate his success again next term.

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in frustrated fashion after the PFA Young Player of the Year shortlist was revealed, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka was nowhere to be seen.

The England Under-21 international has enjoyed a hugely impressive first full season at senior level this term after breaking onto the scene at the back end of the previous campaign and earning rave reviews left, right and centre.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

He is certainly on course to win the Player of the Season award with the Eagles, and was nominated for the PFA Player of the Month award for his performances across March – he has earned a reputation as one of the best defenders in Europe for his ridiculous defensive numbers this term.

Even more annoyingly for Wan-Bissaka and the disgruntled Palace fans is that Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling are on the list, both of whom are 24 years of age – whilst they do technically qualify for the award, it does feel as if they are quite old compared to the other candidates.

Let’s see what the Palace fans on Twitter have been saying about the situation…

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Marko Arnautovic is back.

The West Ham United attacker turned in a match-changing performance on Saturday as the Hammers became the first team to win at Tottenham Hotspurs’ new stadium.

On the chalkboard

Arnautovic has endured a difficult spell after a misguided flirtation with a move to China in January.

Indeed, he has not scored for the Hammers since January 2nd, when he netted a brace in a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Since then, in the 10 games prior to the clash with Spurs, Arnautovic had laid on just one assist, in a 3-1 beating of Fulham.

But on Saturday he was reborn, enjoying an excellent second-half and laying on a truly fantastic assist for Michail Antonio’s goal.

Collecting the ball on the right flank, he lofted it into his team-mate’s path, and Antonio took one touch before firing past Hugo Lloris to give Pellegrini’s men all three points.

Per WhoScored, the Austrian international had 62 touches of the ball, two shots on target and one dribble, while he also won one aerial duel and one tackle. He also laid on two key passes.

His performance was all the more impressive given that he endured a difficult first 45 minutes, having very little impact on the game, but his emergence in the second half sent Spurs heads spinning.

Playing for a move

Arnautovic needed a performance such as this to get his move.

Football FanCast reported in January that his new contract contained a clause allowing him to leave for a fee of £45million this summer.

His displays prior to the game against Spurs gave no indication of any club paying that but this was a stark reminder of the qualities he offers.

He is quick, strong, good in the air and also deft of touch; the Austrian picked a long ball from Lukasz Fabianski out of the air in a moment of genuinely world-class ability midway through the game.

West Ham, then, are left with something of a dilemma. They will struggle to replace him if he does leave but, at the same time, this may be the only chance they get to receive such a fee for a 30-year-old.

Ultimately, they won’t have a choice, but after Saturday’s display, it is clear that he will be sorely missed.

On the 14th November 2017, Steve Davis was sacked as Leyton Orient manager as the O’s sat two places above the relegation zone in the National League.

After being appointed as manager of Orient following the club’s relegation from League Two, ending a 112-year stay in the Football League, Davis was brought in to take the club back to its former glory and secure promotion from the National League as soon as possible, but it was soon clear that the former Crew Alexandre boss was not the right man for the job.

Despite winning five out of his first 10 games Orient manager, it was to be Davis’ only good spell with the club as the O’s failed to win a game from the 2nd September to end of his tenure at the historic team, and after 2-1 loss away to Ebbsfleet United, the manager was sacked by the club.

Here’s how Leyton Orient fans reacted to the news…

With the next appointment crucial for Orient, it was vital the club hired the right man for the job, and that’ exactly what the east London side did in the form of Justin Edinburgh.

The former Northampton Town manager guided the club to safety in the 2017/18 season, only picking up seven losses from the time of his appointment to the end of the campaign and taking the club to 13th in the National League table.

But it’s what Edinburgh did in his first full season with the O’s that has put the 49-year-old manager into Orient folklore when the former defender guided the east London side to promotion back to the Football League after just two years in the National League.

Davis was a poor appointment for Orient, but his sacking set a chain reaction that led the club to hire Edinburgh, who returned the O’s back to the Football League in a quicker time period than what many fans expected and has ultimately formed a team and environment that has set the east London side up for a promising future back in League Two.

Leyton Orient fans, was the sacking of Davis the best thing to happen to the O’s? Let us know!