All posts by z3u9t.icu

Everton fans will be concerned with the future of Idrissa Gueye still unresolved on deadline day.

The Senegal international has been a pivotal player for the Blues since joining from Aston Villa back in 2016. Gueye has been ever-present at Goodison Park yet again enjoying a crucial role under Marco Silva. His performances have not gone unnoticed with French champions Paris St Germain aiming (via the Mirror’s transfer blog) to lure the dynamic midfielder to Parc de Princes.

Everton are reportedly unwilling to lose their influential star unless their large asking price is met. The Toffees would have limited time to source a replacement and could be forced to pay a premium themselves.

One man Silva could target is Leicester City lynchpin – Wilfred Ndidi. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Nigerian midfielder has been an instant hit in the Premier League since joining the club from Genk. Ndidi is improving with every season in England and has been tipped for a big move away from the King Power Stadium in the future.

The 22-year-old has been in fine form once again in the current campaign and has been a shining light in a poor season under Claude Puel. Ndidi’s arrival would easily replace the layer of protection that Gueye offered the Blues defence as he has averaged an impressive 3.2 tackles per game this season. Ndidi also reads the game expertly, completing 1.9 interceptions per 90 minutes in the league (WhoScored). Leicester would demand a large fee for their prized asset but Gueye’s sale should give the Toffees plenty of funds to tempt them into a sale.

The Nigeria international is still developing and would be a star midfielder on Merseyside for years to come.

Everton fans, thoughts?

It’s been a tough 24 hours for Chelsea fans, with news emerging – via the Telegraph – that Eden Hazard could be ready to tell Chelsea that he wants to leave the club at the end of the season. Losing the Belgian would be a hammer blow for the club, given just how important he’s been to the Blues since his arrival back in 2012 

Make no mistake, Chelsea will be worse off without Hazard in the team. There’s no way around that.

However, it’s not all bad. Whilst most will likely be worrying about the prospect of replacing him, it’s becoming somewhat clear that they may already have the ideal replacement – Christian Pulisic.

Of course, Pulisic is set to move to Chelsea this summer from Borussia Dortmund, and whilst he hasn’t had the incredible season that Hazard has enjoyed this term, that doesn’t mean that the American isn’t up to the task.

Indeed, he shares many of the same traits as Chelsea’s Belgian maestro. He’s quick and agile, he’s a fantastic dribbler, and he’s at his best when cutting in and driving towards goal from the left-hand side of the attack.

His qualities were on display for Dortmund on Tuesday evening against Werder Bremen, where the American bagged a brilliant goal in extra-time. Picking the ball up around the half-way line, he ducked and dived and passed the ball around – and finished the move with a brilliant deft finish into the bottom corner. If he was wearing a blue shirt, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was Eden Hazard himself.

Is he the finished article? Certainly not, but he’s getting there, and it makes no sense for Chelsea to spend big bringing someone else in if Pulisic can do the same job. Throw in Callum Hudson-Odoi, Wilian and Pedro – and Chelsea have enough to cover Hazard’s loss.

Thoughts?

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after Martin Dubravka made a significant error in the last minute of the game to hand Wolves a point on Monday night.

The Slovakian international attempted to catch a hoisted cross from Adama Traore when he perhaps should have punched the ball clear, and Willy Boly was there to capitalise on his poor decision to nod the ball into the net after it had slipped through Dubravka’s hands.

Given the fact that the clock had overrun by more than 60 seconds of the allocated four additional minutes, the Magpies can feel slightly hard done by as Rafa Benitez came extremely close to executing the perfect game-plan.

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However, at the end of the day, question marks were raised over Dubravka, with Benitez even admitting that he feels his goalkeeper should have been stronger.

With the margin so slender down at the bottom of the table, Newcastle fans on Twitter were gutted after two vital points were dropped, and wasted no time in letting their feelings be known…

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According to The Mirror, Arsenal and Manchester United have joined the list of clubs to hold an interest in signing Birmingham City striker Che Adams, a reported January target for Southampton.

What’s the story?

If either the Gunners or the Red Devils were to pursue the 22-year-old in the upcoming summer transfer window, then they would surely possess the financial might to beat any other interested parties to the former England under-20 international’s signature.

Arsenal, especially, would be wise to launch a move for Adams as with Danny Welbeck’s contract at the Emirates Stadium set to expire at the end of the season, Unai Emery will be in the market for a new back-up striker. 

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This news will surely come as a blow to Southampton though, who may have been plotting a summer swoop for the Blues’ hitman themselves. The Saints failed to acquire his services in January, when their £8 million bid was rebuffed by the St Andrew’s club.

The south coast club may now rue not having done more to bring Adams to St Mary’s Stadium during the winter window when they had the chance. 

A missed opportunity

It’s hardly surprising that Adams is garnering top flight interest. The forward has been in fine form in the Championship so far this season. As per Transfermarkt’s stats, the striker has racked up 19 goals and four assists in 32 league games.

Transfermarkt only afford Adams an evaluation of £2.25 million. However, the No. 9’s true worth is far in excess of that, and if it came to a bidding war in the summer, the likes of Arsenal or United – or any other ‘big six’ club – could surely outmuscle Southampton.

It looks as though the chance for Ralph Hasenhuttl to add Adams to his ranks may well have passed.

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Liverpool are continuing to monitor Manuel Lanzini ahead of a possible summer bid, sources have told Football FanCast.

The Telegraph reported last summer that Lanzini was being considered as a potential alternative to Nabil Fekir, the Lyon attacking midfielder who failed to complete a move to Anfield, before suffering a serious injury.

And FFC can now reveal that Liverpool have not given up hope of luring the 26-year-old to Merseyside.

Indeed, Lanzini sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury in the summer and was subsequently ruled out of participating in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He made his comeback on Friday, coming on as a substitute in the 3-1 win over Fulham at the London Stadium.

Sources within the London Stadium have confirmed to FFC that Liverpool’s previous interest was genuine and that Klopp remains keen on the prospect of securing a deal for Lanzini.

The 26-year-old’s current contract expires in 2020, but West Ham hold an option to extend that by a further two years should they so wish.

Liverpool have struggled for form in recent weeks, with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah both flattering to deceive.

The Reds, in total, have won just one of their last five games in all competitions – a 3-0 success over Bournemouth.

And there is a fear at West Ham that Liverpool’s lack of goals and creativity will see them turn to their playmaker.

Lanzini was in superb form last season, scoring five goals and laying on nine assists in all competitions. Had he not sustained his injury, he would surely have played a part in Argentina’s World Cup campaign.

It remains to be seen whether West Ham would countenance the prospect of selling one of their prized assets this summer, however.

They have already been forced to endure one saga this season – Marko Arnautovic’s flirtation with China ended with him signing a new contract in January.

There is a clause in that deal, however, that will allow him to leave in the next transfer window if a bid worth £45million is tabled.

The prospect of losing both Lanzini and Arnautovic in the same summer is unthinkable for many Hammers fans.

Co-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan, then, would surely demand a king’s ransom for Lanzini if they were to sell up.

As it stands, he has returned just in time for the Hammers, with Michail Antonio hopeful that he can aid their push for European football. West Ham are currently ninth, four points behind seventh-placed Watford in the final Europa League qualification spot.

He told Sky Sports: “They call Manu ‘the jewel’ and that’s exactly what he is. He is a special player and hopefully he can come back and keep pushing us up the table.”

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith will probably feel his team deserved a bit more than a single point after their 1-1 draw with Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.

The Villans dominated possession at the bet365 Stadium and had more shots on goal than the Potters, while their passing game was also more clinical.

Villa were presented with a number of good chances in both halves but they failed to make the most of them.

Indeed, the Midlands club did eventually equalise in the second-half as an excellent run down the wing by Anwar El Ghazi presented Albert Adomah with a shooting chance in the box, which the 31-year-old calmly converted.

Aston Villa dominated in the final 25 minutes of the match as they threw everything at the Stoke defence, forcing goalkeeper Jack Butland to come out and make a number of crucial stops to deny the likes of Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings, who both came very close of finding the winner.

Heading into the match, Villa would have had their sights set on securing all three points after winning only one of their previous ten encounters in all competitions.

It has been quite a while since Villa controlled a match like they did against Stoke and a draw was probably a very good result for Nathan Jones’ men, but for Smith it actually showed the type of football his team is capable of playing.

If the Birmingham club took all of their chances they could have easily won by three or four goals.

One man who Dean Smith relies on is Tammy Abraham, but he hasn’t looked himself in recent times.

It’s safe to say that Abraham’s recent rough patch has ruined Aston Villa’s play-off chances as the Englishman has failed to score in his last three games, despite being presented with a number of opportunities. Indeed, Bristol City currently occupy sixth position and are eight points above the Villans with two games in hand, so Villa’s hopes of securing a play-off spot have all but dried up.

The performance should, however, be encouraging to the manager and the players, which should provide them with a boost as they head into their next encounter with Derby County at Villa Park.

If players like El Ghazi, Ahmed Elmohamady and Jonathan Kodjia manage to keep hold of possession like they did at Stoke, then they will be able to dictate play against the Rams as well.

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Sunderland heaped pressure on the teams above them with another win on Saturday, but fans are even more delighted with something Stewart Donald said after the game.

Sunderland’s promotion hopes are still in their own hands, as the Black Cats picked up a comfortable win on Saturday to stay within two points of Barnsley (Sunderland have a game in hand).

Jack Ross’ side hit a rough patch of form after the turn of the year, seemingly incapable of avoiding drab 1-1 draws, but three wins on the bounce has lifted spirits again on Wearside.

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The 2-0 dispatching of a resurgent Plymouth side was perhaps the Black Cats’ most professional and impressive performance of the calendar year so far, and Donald has only furthered the good mood with his response to a fan on Twitter.

Responding to a fan question the club’s leadership, Donald cleared the air, tweeting: “I have taken nothing out (money) only put in – a sum which would fund OUFC for years!!

“Despite relegation season tickets up 3000. No locals have talked to me about buying club. If Sunderland fans are showing me unhappiness I cannot wait until I get it right.”

This kind of openness and passion for the club is something fans never saw once under the infamous Ellis Short, and fans are loving the way Donald quashed this rather pessimistic fan.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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QPR fans are surely in dire need of positive news amid a woeful run of form that has seen them lose six of their last seven games in all competitions, save for a shock 1-0 victory over promotion hopefuls Leeds United.

Fortunately, the Hoops will soon be boosted by the return of Angel Rangel, who was filmed in training on Thursday – the former Swansea man hasn’t featured since the start of December having torn a tendon in a previous loss to Leeds.

Prior to the nasty setback, the 36-year-old had been a fixture for the Loftus Road outfit, making 17 starts and scoring two goals, both of which came in a 2-2 draw with Stoke in November.

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Darnell Furlong has deputised at right-back while the veteran Spaniard has been out and he has impressed; it might not be a straight-forward return to the starting XI for Rangel, then.

Here’s what the QPR fans on Twitter had to say…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter found out their club’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final opponents on Friday as the draw for the last eight was made, and sections of them are euphoric!

Spurs were drawn with a fellow Premier League side, league leaders Manchester City, the team many believe are not just the best left in Europe’s premier domestic competition, but the best on the planet altogether.

Given that they could have been left with lowly-in-comparison Porto or Ajax, these supporters should have been feeling down about being rather unlucky in the draw.

However, making remarks such as “bring it on,” “fancy us” and “we’re winning”, they were far from it, despite all of their last three meetings with the champions ending in defeat.

Perhaps the Spurs faithful are remembering the manner in which Pep Guardiola’s men exited the competition last season when they looked unbeatable, slipping out in the quarters to Liverpool, an outfit that were in exactly the same league position that the Lilywhites are now.

But even if they do end up thrashed by Blue Moon much like Schalke were in the last round, their confidence is refreshing.

Check out our selection of the best Tweets from confident Tottenham fans after the quarter-final draw, below…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have been on social media discussing a potential move for Benfica defender Alex Grimaldo in this summer’s transfer window.

According to A Bola, via Hotspur Lane Twitter account, Spurs have scouted the left-back on a number of occasions this season with the view to a potential bid.

Grimaldo came through the youth system at Barcelona, but did not make a single first-team appearance for the Spanish giants before joining Benfica in 2015.

The 23-year-old has scored an impressive seven goals and contributed six assists in 43 appearances in all competitions for his Portuguese club this season.

It would not be a surprise to see Spurs move for a new left-back this summer as neither Ben Davies nor Danny Rose have really convinced for long spells this term.

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And it seems that the London club’s fans are in favour of chairman Daniel Levy pursuing Grimaldo’s signature.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: