All posts by h716a5.icu

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Henri Lansbury might well have given Aston Villa boss Dean Smith a dilemma ahead of the club’s Championship playoff semi-final first leg against West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

The midfielder has only just returned to the fold following a period on the sidelines through injury.

However, the 6 ft ace played 80 minutes of the 2-1 defeat at home to Norwich City on Sunday afternoon and will be like a new signing for the club at this stage of the season.

Lansbury has made just three Championship appearances this term, but could yet reach six for the campaign if Villa make the playoff final.

According to WhoScored, the 28-year-old had a pass success rate of 88% against the Canaries, who secured the league title at Villa Park.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Lansbury is certainly an interesting option for Villa in the playoffs, and a number of the club’s fans have been debating how involved he could be in the battle for promotion and indeed heading into next season.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has travelled to Amsterdam ahead of the club’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax, leading fans to speculate over the possibility of the star being involved on Tuesday.

The England international has been out since sustaining a ligament injury in the first leg of the quarter-final clash with Manchester City.

He was absent from the second leg encounter with City and also the first leg clash with the Dutch giants, which Spurs lost 1-0.

The result means that Mauricio Pochettino’s men need to win in the Netherlands to have any chance of reaching the final in Madrid.

And fans remain hopeful that the England international, who has scored 24 goals in all competitions this season despite his injury woes, could be available for the encounter, with many even calling on manager Mauricio Pochettino to name him on the bench, regardless of his fitness.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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Phil Hodgkinson’s recent comments in the media have gone a long way towards settling the nerves of Huddersfield Town fans after long-serving chairman Dean Hoyle was replaced.

The new owner came across very well when speaking to HTTV this week and that has seen Terriers fans give him their full support.

The majority shareholder has been a lifelong fan of the Yorkshire club, and he promised that he would give the team the financial backing it needs.

“The reality is I wouldn’t be doing this if I couldn’t afford to do it,” Hodgkinson said (via Sky Sports).

“I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have the personal wealth to invest in the football club at this level.

“I know exactly how much money I’ll need to put in in the next 10 years. It doesn’t worry me, it’s not daunting or a concern.”

The businessman takes charge at the John Smith’s Stadium during a time of uncertainty as Town have just been relegated from the Premier League.

There will undoubtedly need to be changes at Huddersfield, but his interview has settled the nerves of supporters, and they now believe that he is the right man to take them forward.

It remains to be seen what type of business they will conduct this summer, but it will certainly be an exciting transfer window with the new man at the helm.

Here’s what Terriers fans have been saying on Twitter…

Newcastle are set to go head to head with Southampton and Brighton for the signature of Liverpool’s young star Harry Wilson.

Sky Sports News have reported that Liverpool would want up to £25million for the 22-year-old, who has impressed on a season-long loan spell at Derby County.

A whole host of English clubs are said to be admirers of the player, with Crystal Palace recently joining the pack as Wilfried Zaha looks likely to leave Selhurst Park this summer.

The young, versatile Wales international has contributed 18 goals in 52 appearances in all competition for the Rams this season, including a thumping free-kick at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup, and an important penalty in the play-off semi-final win against Leeds. Hence the reported widespread interest.

While the relatively large price tag slapped on Wilson would typically put Newcastle United off, with Mike Ashley’s scrooge-like approach to the transfer market proving to be an immovable barrier in the past, you’d expect them to win the race for the youngster if they pulled their fingers out got their heads down and took inspiration from the Almiron deal.

Especially since they’re apparently competing with the likes of Southampton, Brighton and Palace; all of whom we would consider to be “smaller” clubs.

To lose this race would not necessarily be catastrophic in the sense that they’re missing out on a decent player. Top players come and go. It would, however, be a huge hit to Rafael Benitez’s confidence and faith in the club’s market pulling power. Indeed, why exactly would he want to stick around if he doesn’t have access to any of the top players? It would be like signing his own death warrant.

Newcastle fans, how disappointed would you be if you were beaten to Wilson by any of the above? Surely it would be a very bad sign for your club? Let us know in the comments below…

Admittedly, it was never going to be easy replacing Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle, but boy oh boy, new boss Graeme Souness didn’t help himself.

The date was January 2005 when Souness made one of the dodgiest decisions of his managerial career in signing defender Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Newcastle United were experiencing something of a blip in their history. The great Sir Bobby had departed and Graeme Souness, the world’s most miserable man, was elected the saviour to take the club forwards. His first move? Recruit £8million-rated Frenchman Jean-Alain Boumsong, of course.

Well, well, well. What can we possibly say about this move? Might as well start off with the basics.

The Guardian referred to the 800,000,000 pennies spent on the defender as an “extraordinary sum”. Not in the sense that they had pulled off a real transfer coup – oh no. But in the sense that they had just frittered away a silly amount of cash on a player who had moved to Rangers on a Bosman-free just months before.

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Then there was the fact that he just wasn’t all that good.

Despite kicking off his Newcastle career pretty promisingly, and for that we will give him credit, it all came crashing down fairly rapidly, as basic defensive errors became an all-too-common feature in his game. Need we remind you of the Liverpool match in which he botched the most basic of clearances before rugby tackling Peter Crouch to the ground in the area in an attempt to make amends?

No? Well, here it is anyway (plus a few others).

As you can tell, he wasn’t the best.

Newcastle fans, what are your standout memories of Boumsong? Just how bad was he? Let us know in the comments below…

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According to The Daily Mail, Aston Villa are expected to bid £10m for Joe Lolley this summer.

With the news coming just days after the Villans secured promotion back to the Premier League, it appears they aren’t wasting any time in looking to improve their squad.

The report claims that Villa boss Dean Smith has put the 26-year-old at the top of his list for a spot on the right wing, a position that clearly needs improving ahead of a return to the top-flight.

Lolley was in superb form for Nottingham Forest this term, finding the net on 11 occasions, so he certainly knows where the goal is.

Per The Daily Mail, Lolley is also a fan of the club, watching matches from the Holte end when he was younger. As a result, that could well hold an advantage in negotiations if the club follow up in their interest for the winger.

But with a potential move on the cards, Football FanCast writers have given their verdicts on whether he would be a good signing. Here’s what they’ve had to say.

Luke Glanville:

“It would be easy to suggest that Joe Lolley impressing so much for Nottingham Forest this season proves that he’s found his level in the Sky Bet Championship. However, the 26-year-old right winger was never really given enough of a chance with Huddersfield Town in the Premier League. So for me, the jury remains out, which means there’s no reason why Aston Villa shouldn’t go for the Englishman. And if it’s going to cost them a mere £10 million, it’s undoubtedly a risk worth taking.”

Jack Saville:

“It’s rarely easy to predict how a player will make the jump from Championship to Premier League football, and Lolley is certainly no exception to the rule. However, considering his versatility and the fact he managed to grab 22-goal contributions this season, it could prove to be a cunning piece of business from Villa if they can seal a £10 million deal. Smith clearly has to bolster his options in wide areas to have any chance of surviving next season and bringing Lolley in would be a great place to start.”

James Beavis:

“He probably would be a good signing, but Aston Villa simply don’t need him now. Anwar El Ghazi proved at Wembley on Monday that he is good enough to be Villa’s first-choice winger in the Premier League, and signing him on a permanent basis should now be Dean Smith’s priority. They would be throwing money down the drain if they sign Lolley as well as El Ghazi, so should stand by their promotion hero instead.”

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According to Argentine media outlet Doble Amarilla, Southampton flop Guido Carrillo is a target for Boca Juniors, and Saints won’t be able to believe their luck if the report is true.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the south coast outfit signed the striker in a £19m deal from Monaco in January 2018, but after failing to make an impact or find the net in 10 matches in all competitions for the club, he was shipped out on a season-long loan deal to Leganes last summer by Mark Hughes.

Under the tutelage of former Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino, the 28-year-old scored six goals in 33 games for the La Liga outfit as they secured an impressive 13th-placed finish in Spain’s top tier.

Doble Amarilla report Boca boss Nicola Burdisso personally watched the centre-forward in action for the Madrid-based team, although they say Carrillo’s representative hasn’t spoken to the Argentine player about a potential return to South America.

Great news for Southampton

Saints would surely have been fearing the worst about trying to offload the striker during the summer transfer window.

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While Ralph Hasenhuttl is yet to take a close look at the 28-year-old, he doesn’t appear to fit into the pressing style that the Austrian wants to see from his attacking players.

Having failed to pull up any trees at Leganes and with the club having no intention of signing him on a permanent basis, as per Doble Amarilla, the south coast club had been left in a difficult situation.

However, the interest from both Boca and Estudiantes de La Plata may well mean they are more likely to get rid of their disappointing £19m man for good.

While they will likely struggle to recoup anywhere near that fee for Carrillo, simply getting some money for him and removing his pay from the wage bill will be enough in what is an important summer of making changes to the squad.

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Rangers are considering sending midfielder Ross McCrorie out on loan next season, according to website Football Insider.

What’s the story?

Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard will currently be assessing what players he needs to launch a silverware assault next season, after a trophy-less debut campaign as Rangers manager.

Plenty of incoming and outgoing transfers are expected but this latest news comes as something of a surprise.

Watch the video below to find out which derbies the Pl>ymaker squad have picked as the most entertaining, fierce and passionate in the world…

The outlet say that Gerrard and his staff are looking into finding a club for McCrorie to play first-team football for next term, eager to have him feature as a midfield anchor man on a regular basis.

Considering he is one of the club’s brightest talents though, is the manager selling him short by sending him out on loan?

Worth keeping

Although heading out on loan can be excellent for a player’s confidence and development, in the case of McCrorie it would surely make more sense to give him a more prominent role in the Rangers squad.

Last season he made 31 appearances, including eight in Europe, and won plaudits from pundits and fans for his composed midfield play and tactical discipline.

The best place to ‘make it’ at Rangers is at Rangers, especially when you are getting regular games, which he clearly is.

Gerrard may be planning an overhaul of his midfield this summer but there’s plenty of evidence that the Scotland U21 international should be a part of his plans.

Different styles of midfield options are always worth having, especially when juggling domestic and European football, and it’s not as if the former defender has been too hampered by a lack of action.

The sensible move would be keeping him until January at least and then reassessing his development then, rather than shipping him out before the season has even started.

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According to the London Evening Standard, Manchester United will consider a move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen should Paul Pogba leave Old Trafford during this summer’s transfer window.

Pogba’s future at Old Trafford is far from secure and it would not be a surprise if United decided to sell the Frenchman for big money ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

According to the London Evening Standard, should Pogba move on then the Red Devils could target Eriksen – out of contract at Spurs next June.

However, it seems that the majority of Tottenham fans are not overly concerned by the transfer report.

Indeed, United will not be able to offer Champions League football next season and many of the Spurs supporters feel that Eriksen would actually be making a step down if he moved to Old Trafford this summer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the London club’s fans can be seen below:

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Centre-back. The one position in the squad that probably left Arsenal fans with recurring nightmares and endless nights of thinking back to the latest Shkodran Mustafi howler.

Unai Emery’s side were woeful defensively last season, and it culminated in a horror showing in the Europa League final when their back-line opened the floodgates and saw Chelsea plunder four in their biggest game of the campaign.

However, one man who could end that misery is St Etienne’s teenage prospect William Saliba, and in the latest update on his future from Foot Mercato journalist Dahbia Hattabi, the Gunners have reached an agreement on personal terms with the Frenchman.

The 18-year-old has earned rave reviews for his performances this season, and following news the Gunners were inching closer to making the centre-back their first summer signing, fans of the north London side took to Twitter to voice their feelings.

Whilst some were delighted that someone with the huge potential and talent of Saliba could be arriving at the Emirates this summer, many Arsenal fans were rather more pessimistic about their side’s chances.

They felt that trying to reach a deal with Saliba’s club could prove troublesome and refused to get carried away this early into negotiations, instead suggesting that this was the point where everything would start “falling apart”.

Check out some of the reaction of Gunners fans below: