All posts by h79snht.top

[ad_pod ]

Newcastle should make a move for Monaco attacker and former Tottenham star Nacer Chadli to strengthen their attack this month, and should use the Ligue 1 side’s current form as reason to secure a cut-price deal for the Belgian.

What’s the word, then?

Chadli has made just nine league starts since signing for Monaco in a £10m deal from West Brom back in the summer, following the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship.

Thierry Henry’s side have endured a disastrous season so far, and currently sit just one place off the bottom in Ligue 1 – their form, coupled with Chadli’s inconsistent involvement, may suggest that the 29-year-old is frustrated at the club.

The Belgian international, who impressed at the World Cup under Roberto Martinez, knows the Premier League well having spent five seasons in England with Spurs and West Brom, so would be an ideal January signing as he would be able to slot in straight away.

Why would he be good for Newcastle?

Rafa Benitez, as always, has little funds to work with in the transfer window this month, and will need to scour the market for players who could be available on the cheap.

As aforementioned, Monaco’s terrible form may be reason for Chadli to move away as relegation remains a huge possibility, and as he nears his thirties, his age may have decreased his valuation from the £10m paid for his services back in the summer.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Chadli is a fast, powerful and creative forward who adapted well to the Premier League, and wouldn’t have gotten too far out of the swing of things given the fact he only left six months ago.

At 29-years-old, he may fall nicely into the restricted price range that Mike Ashley has set in place for Benitez at St James’ Park – his potential arrival would ease the demand for signings from fans on Tyneside, and would lift the mood around the place significantly.

Though he will not be able to play for them until next season, Chelsea were able to strengthen their attack during this transfer window with the signing of Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund.

And the west London club could yet again turn to the Bundesliga as they look to bolster their forward options further.

The Breakdown

Chelsea are said to be interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey with the player’s stepfather and agent Craig Butler confirming to SportBild (via Metro) that the Blues are paying close attention to the Jamaican winger.

“Top clubs have come forward, Real and Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Roma, and in recent months they have been surprised that Leon plays so seldom, wondering why a top league player like him is suddenly sitting on the bench,” Butler told the German outlet when speaking about Bailey’s lack of starts this season.

With Peter Bosz having replaced Heiko Herrlich as Bayer Leverkusen manager, though, Bailey should find himself in a better position. Whatever the case, Chelsea would be foolish not to pursue a deal for the 21-year-old — he is exactly what Maurizio Sarri’s side lack after a prolific centre-forward.

The Blues could desperately do with a left-footed winger who can play on the right and cut in with their strong foot before getting some shots away. And right now, there are not too many better matches than Bailey when it comes to that.

With Willian and Pedro not getting any younger and both very inconsistent, Chelsea need more than just Pulisic going forward, and Bailey might just be the ideal attacking signing to complement the American’s arrival.

Arsenal and Chelsea both head into Saturday’s all-important clash at the Emirates in dire need of a good and solid performance as the race for a spot in the top four intensifies with this London derby.

The home side, however, will feel nothing less than three points would be a good enough result after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at West Ham United last weekend, while Chelsea know they will need to show massive improvement following their 2-1 win over Newcastle United almost a week ago.

But, it could be the battle of the defensive midfielders which could decide the outcome of the encounter as Lucas Torreira and Jorginho look set to square off.

Operating in different formations, though, Torreira and Jorginho will be key to their sides’ approach of dominating the midfield.

The Uruguayan has probably been Arsenal’s best player this season and has been an extremely valuable addition for new manager Unai Emery to build his squad around.

And, Torreira has proven to be the type of player the Gunners have been missing in the past few seasons as the holding midfield has been a position where they have been exposed far too easily towards the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign.

In Torreira, Emery has been able to let Granit Xhaka operate with a bit more freedom and the Swiss international’s improvement this season has mainly been down to having a hard-working player like Torreira next to him.

If the manager opts for a back-four again then Emery is expected to start the pair next to each other in the centre of the pitch with Torreira sitting a bit deeper.

Jorginho, on the other hand, has also been an instrumental figure in Maurizio Sarri’s attempts to build a new and improved Chelsea team this season.

The Italian international has started all but one league match this campaign and his presence has allowed N’Golo Kante to play in a bit more attacking position.

Sarri has opted for a three-man midfield with Jorginho as the core of the trio, while Mateo Kovacic has been his defensive assistant when Kante presses up the pitch.

Head-to-head Jorginho and Torreira have played similar roles in the respective teams and have gone about their business in a very impressive manner, which has arguably been the highlight in both camps so far this season.

The battle will certainly be an interesting one to keep an eye on come Saturday and it will be important for both teams to see their defensive maestros succeed.

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal have made contact with Real Madrid over the potential loan signing of James Rodriguez this month, as per The Independent.

The Gunners are keen to strengthen their squad this summer and have explored the possibility of recruiting the Colombia international, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich.

What’s the word?

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted that there is little money for Arsenal to spend in the January transfer window, accepting that the club are likely to be restricted to loan signings.

According to The Guardian, he said on January 10th: “We cannot sign permanently.

“We can only loan players. I know the club is working on possibilities of which players can help us with big performances like we need now. I cannot say more.”

Rodriguez is set to return to Madrid at the end of the season, but Bayern are not averse to allowing him to move to a new club on loan now, according to The Independent.

Arsenal and Napoli are both interested, with Real set to sell up in the summer, having spent £71million to sign him on the back of his excellent performances at the 2014 World Cup, as per BBC Sport.

Real are interested in signing both Eden Hazard and Christian Eriksen in the summer, from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, according to The Independent, and that will leave Rodriguez surplus to requirements.

However, the report claims that the club could potentially send the 27-year-old to Spurs instead in order to smooth over their mooted bid for Eriksen.

One man’s trash is another’s treasure

Arsenal fans can be forgiven for expressing their reservations over this transfer window when Emery revealed there was little money to spend. However, the acquisition of Rodriguez would go a long way to placating the baying hordes.

It has become clear that Emery does not believe Mesut Ozil can play a key role in his system, so the signing of the Colombian would help the Gunners click into a higher gear, where there is creative support for their two potent front-men – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Pl>ymaker FC believes Arsenal fans won’t have to wait long to see Unai Emery’s long-term ambitions for the club come to fruition. Watch the video below to find out why…

A six-month loan deal could potentially come with an obligation to buy, too, and that could prove to be a very smart piece of business for the club.

Supporters will hope this one gets over the line.

Sean Dyche could be set to add another attacker to his ranks on deadline day with Sam Vokes interesting Stoke.

The Potters have registered (as per John Percy of the Telegraph) an interest in Vokes who has made the majority of his appearances from the substitute’s bench so far this season. Stoke want to bring the Welshman to the Championship and will offer Peter Crouch as part of the deal.

With Burnley still at the wrong end of the table, Crouch would be an awful addition to the squad and Dyche should set his sights much higher. The deadline is fast approaching and not many quality options are available. However, the Burnley boss could find success by scouring the European market.

One man who would be a great signing is Genk forward – Mbwana Samatta. Valued at £5.85m by Transfermarkt, the 26-year-old has been scoring for fun in the Belgium Pro League since joining his current employers in 2016. The Tanzania international has earned a reputation as one of the finest finishers in the division and deserves the chance to display his talents at a better level.

Samatta has netted 25 goals in 33 appearances so far this season and would add a quality option to the Burnley forward line. With frightening pace and terrific dribbling skills, his arrival would give Dyche a completely different dynamic in the final third. Samatta is versatile and could easily be moulded into a winger to accommodate the likes of Chris Wood.

Potentially available at a great price, this is a move that the Clarets should seriously be considered.

Burnley fans, thoughts?

[ad_pod ]Troy Parrott has become a keen figure of interest for Tottenham Hotspur supporters in recent weeks, with the injury to Harry Kane serving to increase intrigue surrounding his development.

What’s the word?

The 17-year-old attacker has been in electric form the U18 side this season, scoring 11 goals and providing three assists from just seven appearances in the U18 Premier League.

It’s the type of form which gets supporters talking, particularly during a period of time in which quality options beyond Kane are at a premium.

That Parrott only celebrated his 17th birthday earlier this week, the day when he also penned terms on a senior contract with the club, suggests that he has a long way to go before breaking in to the senior squad, but football.london’s Tottenham Hotspur correspondent, Alasdair Gold, has hinted that he has already made positive strides towards making the step up.

Indeed, Gold delivered his verdict on Parrott’s development at Spurs, as per football.london, and suggested that the teenager has made a huge impression in training this season.

‘Next season could see the talented striker make his breakthrough after impressingÂPochettinoÂand the first team players.’

Seeds planted for big Tottenham future

Ten days after Kane collected an ankle injury against Manchester United, Parrott was pictured in Spurs first-team training in January on the club’s official Twitter account – an image which stirred plenty of excitement amongst the supporters.

Aged 16 at the time, the step up to senior training was a huge statement of Pochettino’s faith in his ability, and the fact he impressed both his manager and the first team players suggests he has planted the seeds for a future breakthrough.

Exactly how soon that will be remains to be seen but his involvement with the senior squad hints that he is being prepared for a career at the top level.

Spurs fans will certainly be hoping Parrott can live up to his enormous potential in the coming years, and under a manger of Pochettino’s expertise it’s fair to say he is well placed to smash through his ceiling.

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.

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…

Tottenham Hotspur run the risk of missing out on a January sale of Christian Eriksen because of Daniel Levy.

A report from Corriere dello Sport, transcribed by Sport Witness, states that Inter Milan are interested in signing the Denmark international.

The report states that Inter want to convince the north London club to part with the Dane in the winter transfer window and that contact has already been initiated with the player’s agents.

However, Sport Witness claims that they state “it appears the request was very high”, suggesting that Levy continues to hold out for a significant figure to let the 27-year-old go.

This is a player whose contract expires at the end of the season and who will be available for nothing in the summer. He could even agree a departure to a foreign club in January by signing a pre-contract agreement. Spurs aren’t able to stop that from happening.

As such, Levy holds some power here. He can demand a fee, he can recoup one and he can reinvest it into Jose Mourinho’s team. Or he can drag his heels, place a ridiculous asking price on Eriksen’s head and scare off any potential buyers.

At this stage, the latter appears the more likely outcome.

Who is that?! Can you name all of these obscure Spurs signings? Give it a go now…

As such, it feels like Levy is playing with fire here.

It is better for Spurs that Eriksen is sold, that the albatross around their neck is removed and that they move on.

But, as it is, that appears mightily unlikely, particularly if their chairman continues to be such a stickler in the transfer window.

Instead of receiving anything in return for his signature, Spurs are more likely to see Eriksen head off into the sunset without a single penny landing in their coffers.

Should that happen, fingers can only be pointed at Levy, and rightly so too.

Meanwhile, one Spurs ace could become unstoppable under Jose Mourinho. 

According to TEAMtalk, Sheffield Wednesday left-back Morgan Fox has a host of Championship rivals keen on signing him in the January transfer window including promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest and Preston North End.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

What’s the word?

The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer and won’t be able to hold talks with the Owls until owner Dejphon Chansiri arrives back in south Yorkshire at the end of the month.

It is believed that several teams are looking to take advantage of this despite the left-back becoming an integral part of manager Garry Monk’s side.

Fox moved to Hillsborough in 2017 from Charlton Athletic and has gone on to feature 88 times in the blue and white stripes.

Derby County and Blackburn complete a quintet of Championship sides interested in his services in January.

Monk must act quick

The Welshman, who has recently been called up by national team boss Ryan Giggs, has started 11 straight matches on the left-hand side of defence, playing the full 90 minutes in each, per Transfermarkt.

That’s quite the turnaround under Monk having made just four appearances prior to his arrival in September.

No clues: Can you name all of these Premier League icons? Test your knowledge below…

This could prove to be a defining factor over whether or not the defender remains at Hillsborough, maybe the faith shown in him by the 40-year-old boss will be enough to convince him to stay.

If so, Monk must act quickly in order to resolve his expiring contract, especially as he’s the only member of the senior squad that can play the role full-time – Liam Palmer is a right-back.

Fans have genuinely changed their opinion on the 26-year-old going from slamming him in the past to now lauding him at every opportunity, even more so after clinching the October Player of the Month award.

Meanwhile, this Owls colossus is drawing comparisons to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk…

After watching on from the stands at the weekend, Arsenal’s recently-appointed head coach Mikel Arteta will take the reins for the first-time when his side faces Bournemouth on Boxing Day.

The north Londoners battled to a 0-0 draw away against Everton on Saturday afternoon, and the clean sheet would no doubt have given Arteta some encouragement in terms of the defensive aspect of the game. But with the clash against the Cherries – a team that have already conceded 25 goals – the Arsenal boss will surely hope for some attacking improvements.

It will be his first chance to really stamp his authority on the side, and with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might well line up in Arteta’s first official game in charge.

After keeping a rare clean sheet – their first away from home in the Premier League since their triumph over Newcastle – Bernd Leno will be hoping for similar levels of inactivity against Bournemouth. In front of him, Hector Bellerin’s return to full training could see him brought straight back into the line-up, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles dropping out.

And in midfield, Granit Xhaka could also move to a place on the bench, with Arteta demanding for intensity and energy in his managerial unveiling. Matteo Guendouzi’s greater propensity to get up and down the pitch – he averages 1.6 tackles and 1.4 dribbles per game – could see him get the nod therefore to partner Lucas Torreira.

Having been given the chance to shine against Everton, Reiss Nelson struggled to make the most of his opportunity, with fans of the north London side taking to Twitter to voice their frustrations with the academy product. That could see Nicolas Pepe return to the starting line-up, and the Ivory Coast international may be joined by Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in attack.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s job at Arsenal may not be as difficult as it seems.