All posts by h716a5.icu

Every Aston Villa fan reading this will be loving the fact that with four consecutive Championship wins, their promotion dreams are alive once more, now Dean Smith’s side sit in sixth place. At long, long, last – the Championship is starting to look very doable. 

It has been a fascinating turnaround seeing as last month, it seemed like their hopes were dead and buried. However, the Championship is renown for its quick change of scenario and Aston Villa have certainly benefitted from that.

Obviously, there is still work to be done for the Villans, if they want to sustain a place within the top six and with eight games still to play, anything could happen. The need for some new players still has the utmost importance for Aston Villa, whether they’re in the Premier League or Championship once again.

One player they have previously eyed up is Harry Arter, who is currently on-loan with Cardiff.

Arter, (who is valued at £6.3 million on Transfermarkt) was wanted by Aston Villa (as per the Irish Independent) during the January transfer window, despite the Irishman making 23 appearances for Cardiff so far this season.

His importance to Neil Warnock’s side should not be underestimated despite not scoring or assisting a single goal.

Harry Arter has plenty of experience which includes 16 international caps with the Republic of Ireland, so he would surely be a valuable option for Aston Villa, in a bid to bolster their midfield.

Arter’s game is all about distribution and breaking-up play, something he usually does very well. The 29-year-old will be hoping to find a permanent home in the summer and Aston Villa, once admirers, may be interested once again, especially if they go up.

Do you agree that Harry Arter would be a good signing for Aston Villa? Join in the conversation and let us know below!

Everton are looking to finish the season strongly, and a win over Chelsea last time out has given the Toffees a big boost heading into the final months of the season.

Marco Silva appears to be finally getting his team to perform to their best, and it’s looking like they can indeed finish the best of the rest behind the top six if they can string a few more positive results together.

Some big spending over the last few windows has left Everton with a squad that should be more than capable of pushing up the table in the Premier League in the coming years, and with a few more tweaks to the squad and club in general, the Toffees could well be challenging for the top four once more.

That thought got us here in the Tavern thinking about just what might change at the club over June and July.

So, with that, we looked at TWO big changes we might well see at Goodison Park come the summer…

The addition of a top quality striker

One thing that the Toffees do lack somewhat is a world class striker, someone who is capable of winning games for them with just once chance.

Of course, these players cost the big money when it comes to transfer fees, but we fully expect Marco Silva to at least try for someone at the top of the pitch.

While Dom Calvert-Lewin has performed well, more is needed if the Toffees are going to progress further.

More young players called up to pre-season

If one thing is a sure thing at Everton, it’s that they give young players a chance.

The likes of Jonjo Kenny and Dom Calvert-Lewin have been given chances in recent seasons, and we fully expect to see more talent given the chance to impress over the summer.

Manager Silva is not afraid to put his trust in his young blood, and there’s bound to be some surprise inclusions in any pre-season plans.

[ad_pod ]Frenkie de Jong,ÂJorginho,ÂFred, and so on. A number of marquee names have been thrown around regarding who will eventually be the heir to Fernandinho’s defensive midfield throne at Manchester City.The three aforementioned names sold to their eventual buyers for a combined £162m, but Pep Guardiola could have the Brazilian’s replacement without spending a single penny.442oons have charted the entire career of Man City’s main man Sergio Aguero through song in the hilarious video below…Oleksandr Zinchenko. A man who is quickly becoming a fan favourite at the Etihad Stadium, not just for his excellent performances, but for his desire to stay and fight for his place despite Wolves having a £16m bid accepted for his services back in the summer.The Ukrainian international is extremely versatile. Having started his career as an attacking midfielder, Zinchenko became a left-back in the absence of Benjamin Mendy last season and hasn’t looked back.It will be very, very tough to leave such an impressive performer such as Mendy on the bench when he eventually returns to full fitness, so Guardiola may be able to kill two birds with one stone by moving Zinchenko into the middle and drafting the World Cup winner back into the side.

Yet another serious injury to the Frenchman has seen 22-year-old Zinchenko earn a lot more game time in the current campaign than he perhaps would’ve anticipated, and he very rarely lets the Citizens down – Guardiola has even pointed to the youngster as a player that the likes of Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez can ‘learn from’.

In his first outing whilst on international duty against Portugal, Zinchenko was deployed in an unfamiliar defensive midfield role, where he performed admirably against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, club-mate Bernardo Silva and Andre Silva.

The video above shows Zinchenko getting stuck in on a number of occasions with some vital blocks, but also mirroring Fernandinho’s impact in sky blue by staying composed once the ball has been won and being able to use the ball efficiently and effectively.

Guardiola has tried and tried to sign a replacement for the soon-to-be 34-year-old Fernandinho, but all the time, the answer could have been right under his nose.

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Leeds fans have been fearing the worst after Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post tweeted that the club are braced for an FA charge after fans threw objects at Millwall players during Saturday’s game.

Fans have been asking the question as to whether a points deduction will be imposed upon the club after the incident which took place on Saturday.

Leeds have already been handed two punishments this season, the club were fined £200,000 for spying on opposition training sessions and also handed a £5,000 penalty from the FA following an altercation during their clash with Bolton Wanderers in February, and fans are worried that a points deduction could be next.

Leeds are no strangers to points deductions after receiving a 15 point penalty in the 2007-08 season and fans are getting worried that they will be docked again, in turn derailing their promotion push.

It is unlikely that Leeds would face a points deduction for their fans’ behaviour and a third fine would be the more likely sanction but until the final decision is made Leeds supporters will be on tenterhooks regarding their fate.

Here’s a look at what they’ve been saying on Twitter…

Arsenal crashed to defeat at Goodison Park today to put their Champions League hopes under threat once again.

A goal from Phil Jagielka proved enough for the Toffees to continue their own good form and put them in contention for a place in Europe come the end of the campaign.

For Arsenal though, it was more of the same and manager Unai Emery will have been disappointed to see his side lose out so easily in a game his players really should have been desperate to win in.

We at the Tavern feel like we’ve seen this all too often from Arsenal over the years, and they’ll need to ensure they can get back in form if they are indeed to make it into the top four come the end of the season.

With this game now done and dusted, Emery and his staff will be keen to move forward, but we here at the Tavern were keen to have a look back at the game that little bit closer.

So, with that, here’s TWO things we learnt from the Gunners’ 1-0 loss at Everton today…

Same old problems exist

In what has become something almost synonymous with the club in recent times, the Gunners once again showed a soft underbelly in this loss.

This is something which Emery simply has to address in the summer, and if he can’t get the right players in, then we might not see Arsenal back at the top for some time.

Investment is needed in the squad

It goes without saying and it’s been highlighted before, but the Gunners squad needs some new additions if they are to challenge for honours once again.

Arsenal need solid players adding in defence and in midfield, and if the club can back Emery and help him bring the right players in, then there might be some hope for the club.

However, that needs to come this summer and quickly, and the club need to ensure they do indeed get the right players in during the coming months.

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ESPN are claiming that sources close to Manchester United have told them Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak is top of their goalkeeper target list should David de Gea leave in the summer.

What’s the word, then?

Rumours about the future are never far away from United’s solid Spaniard and the man considered by many to be the best shot-stopper in world football, after he came so close to moving to Real Madrid in 2015.

Now, his contract is just over a year away from running out and the Red Devils need to find a way of making him sign a new one. If they can’t, they will look to Oblak or AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma as a replacement, per the original report.

The 26-year-old key member of Diego Simeone’s squad is Slovenia’s first-choice and has 20 caps, leaving his native land to join Benfica in 2010 before a move four years later to the Spanish capital where he would quickly become one of Europe’s most reputable ‘keepers, making over 200 appearances thus far.

Oblak the perfect replacement

De Gea leaving Old Trafford seems inevitable and it’s just a matter of time before it happens, whether that be for a fee in the summer or next year on a free.

It’s time for United to let go of their star man. But never fear, Oblak is the perfect replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

At 26, the Slovenian should be in the prime years of his career and has proven that this season with a stunning 17 La Liga clean sheets in 31 games in 2018/2019 thus far.

Check out World of Lewis’ Man Utd v Barcelona matchday vlog in the video below…

If we compare that to the seven in 32 Premier League matches for De Gea, there’s a suggestion that Oblak could even be an upgrade on Man United’s four-time Player of the Year.

After all, he is two years younger and brings a similar pedigree of trophies won to the table and more top-level experience than the man he could be replacing did when he first moved to England.

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Tottenham fans on Twitter haven’t been disheartened by the news Harry Kane could miss the rest of the season with injury as they expect Heung-Min Son to be able to carry them forward.

Son has been fantastic for Spurs so far this season netting 18 goals in all competitions and some fans are expecting his form to improve in Kane’s absence.

The South Korean has been known to step up his game when Kane has been out injured in the past with the striker going on a great run in the striker’s absence earlier this year.

Kane picked up an injury in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Manchester City and after Tottenham’s talisman was removed from the game, Son immediately stepped up scoring by the winning goal.

Despite the Englishman being Spurs’ top scorer for the past four seasons fans on Twitter believe he won’t be too much of a loss due to his electric team-mate.

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

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Leeds United fans on Twitter are praying that their poor run of results on Easter Monday can come to an end against Brentford.

The Whites’ promotion chances took a huge hit on Good Friday and they now sit two points off the pace in the race for the top two, with only three games left of the season.

A win on Easter Monday could potentially see their hopes resurrected but their recent record on this day shows that their chances of a win are unlikely.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have apparently lost nine of their last 10 league games on Easter Monday, and are currently on a run of six consecutive losses on this date.

If this poor run is extended, then Leeds’ push for automatic promotion could be all but over so it’s no surprise fans are hoping that the bad luck will end this time.

Wigan finally ended Leeds’ impressive winning streak after scoring first in Championship fixtures and fans of the Yorkshire club are now hoping that they can break another trend for the second time in just three days – albeit with significantly contrasting consequences for their promotion dream.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying about the record on Twitter…

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Aston Villa fans have taken to Twitter to slam Pontus Jansson, after the Leeds defender attempted to stop Albert Adomah from scoring despite the rest of his teammates accepting Marcelo Bielsa’s orders to let him score.

Leeds went ahead after Mateusz Klich opened the scoring, despite a number of Villa players stopping having expected their opponents to kick the ball out with Jonathan Kodjia down injured on the turf.

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

Klich’s unsporting decision sparked fury from Dean Smith’s men, who had Anwar El Ghazi sent off amid the protestations, although unfairly as Patrick Bamford appeared to feign an injury.

Their unhappiness led to Bielsa ordering his players to give Villa an equaliser, a message that everyone seemed to accept apart from Jansson – the Swede tried to dispossess Adomah against his manager’s wishes.

As a result of that, a number of Villa fans on Twitter have been quick to criticise the 28-year-old Leeds centre-back for his lack of class…

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It has recently been reported by The Sun that Manchester City are keen to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester, although they may have to top the world-record £75m fee spent on Virgil van Dijk by Liverpool in order to land their man with the story saying it would take £90m to convince the Foxes to sell.

The east Midlands outfit signed the England international from Hull back in 2017 for just £17m, so if the Cityzens did stump up that kind of cash for the 26-year-old, the 2016 Premier League champions would be getting a massive profit on the centre-back.

However, is he worth more than Van Dijk? And should City spend that kind of money on the former Sheffield United man? Football FanCast’s writers have their say on the matter…

Relive all the drama of Man City v Spurs through the eyes Spurs’ fans in the video below…

Matt Dawson

“City would be absolutely foolish to spend that much on Harry Maguire. I know the club don’t exactly have any issues when it comes to finances but considering City already have an incredible backline, spending £90m on Maguire would be ridiculous. The centre-half was fantastic at the World Cup last summer and that was probably when his stock was highest. For me, he’s been slightly underwhelming this term. He’d still get into most teams in the Premier League but not for that absurd price tag.”

Harry Sherlock

“Maguire had a good World Cup but he’s absolutely not of the required ability to play for Manchester City. They pride themselves on having ball-playing defenders and Maguire is only really good at heading the ball and tackling. Pep Guardiola needs more and should be looking elsewhere, particularly if the asking price is £90m.”

Luke Glanville

“In my opinion, Manchester City should sign Harry Maguire regardless of the price tag. Money doesn’t matter too much to the Cityzens and they’ve shown in recent seasons that huge defensive investments can work out. He could thrive alongside John Stones and build a very strong all-English partnership at centre-back, with the pair knowing each other well from Gareth Southgate’s squad. The centre-back veterans at the Etihad Stadium, such as Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany, will need replacing at some stage and this would be the perfect way for City to do it.”