All posts by n8rngtd.top

[ad_pod ]According to the Daily Sabah, via Inside Futbol, West Ham United are considering re-signing Newcastle United midfielder Mohamed Diame.The report claims that Fenerbahce lead the race for Diame, but both West Ham and Crystal Palace are in the hunt.Diame turned out for the Hammers between 2012 and 2014 – scoring seven times in 79 appearances – before joining Hull City.The 31-year-old will seemingly be leaving Newcastle on a free transfer this summer following the expiration of his contract.However, it would be fair to say that the West Ham fans do not want their club to make a bid to re-sign the 6 ft ace.Diame has actually made 239 appearances in the Premier League, meaning that he is incredibly experienced at the top level.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…The West Ham supporters are just not interested, however, and would be disappointed if a deal was to be agreed.A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Tottenham Hotspur are, in many ways, as high as they can currently be. Mauricio Pochettino has literally moved mountains in his attempt to push this club to glory and he might as well achieve his dream and lift the Champions League trophy at the end of this campaign, but changes are needed if Spurs are to be taken seriously going forward. Recently, the Daily Star came out with a report claiming that Daniel Levy has set his sights on Leeds’ Jack Clarke but chasing him at this point would be a step in the wrong direction.

Mauricio Pochettino has been all about making strides without even taking a peek into the transfer market. The Argentine manager has been praised but also questioned for those actions, whatever the real reason behind them may be. Still, everyone always wondered, what would happen if he was actually to be given a better squad than his current one? Would he suddenly turn Spurs into world-beaters if his troops were just slightly more well-rounded that they are right now? Whichever question you do end up choosing, Jack Clarke is unfortunately not the one that would give you the right answer.

And don’t get me wrong, this 18-year-old might certainly have a great future ahead of him if he continues down this path with Leeds. He is young, versatile and talented enough to make it on the big stage but his time is not now. And this is the core problem with this supposed deal: the timing is off, and Spurs should not be looking for someone they can bank on in four or five years’ time, they need someone who can give them results right here and right now.

The former Southampton coach has already built a team that is well capable of overachieving and breaking its limits and buying players who can become superstars is smart but seeing how they finally seem ready to start putting some trophies on their shelves, a well-developed, experienced signing with an added pedigree would suit them a lot more.

If Tottenham are serious in their intents on making that step up and cross the finish line next season already, a big-name heavyweight player is the route they should go down. Their team can already boast with having world-class players but in order to move forward, they have to constantly add to that poll and make signings that can further improve the team and do it immediately. Obviously they are really good as it is, otherwise, they would not have made the Champions League final in the first place. But if they want to improve on the results of the past season, they need someone to help them make that jump rapidly.

Jack Clarke is a player of great potential but at the moment he is not what Spurs need and is not the prolific forward they should be aiming for, and unfortunately, his latest Leeds campaign is further proof of that. For that reason, Pochettino and Levy should chase someone who’s more representative of their high ambitions.

Go big or go home.

Spurs fans, do you think that pursuing Jack Clarke is the right decision for Tottenham or would you rather see a big-name signing? Let us know in the comments below…

Having narrowly missed out on promotion during his debut season in charge of Leeds United, Marcelo Bielsa will be wanting to bolster his squad this summer in order to bounce back during the 2019/20 campaign.

However, before the Argentine sets out his targets for the upcoming transfer window, he must first make a decision on the future of one of the Whites’ forgotten men.

Despite making the switch to Elland Road from J1 League side Gamba Osaka in January 2018, Yosuke Ideguchi has yet to make a competitive appearance for Leeds as he has spent time on loan at Cultural Leonesa and Greuther Furth

With injuries limiting his playing time for both of these clubs over the past 18 months, the Japanese international’s development has been severely hampered and so it is extremely unlikely that he will be able to make the adjustments needed to thrive in the Championship.

Given the midfielder’s troubles in recent times, it may be worth Bielsa cutting ties with him this summer.

According to Football Insider, the Argentine is already looking at the prospect of selling Ideguchi and is reportedly confident that he can secure a large fee for the 22-year-old due to the fact that he still has three years remaining on his contract.

If Bielsa can indeed offload the £700k-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) for a healthy sum, it would be an incredible piece of business by the Leeds boss as he could use the money to upgrade his midfield options ahead of next season.

However, Ideguchi’s departure may depend on whether Bielsa decides to extend his stay in West Yorkshire as the 63-year-old is still locked in talks with chairman Andrea Radrizzani about his future with the Whites.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa sell Ideguchi this summer? Or does the Japanese midfielder deserve an opportunity to prove his worth next season? Get in touch below.

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Celtic are weighing up making a bid for Motherwell midfield prospect David Turnbull, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the story?

The paper say Celtic could compete with the likes of Brighton for his signature in the upcoming transfer window. Motherwell though are prepared to hold firm, valuing him in the region of £3m, the report states.

Turnbull signed a deal that keeps him at Fir Park until 2021 earlier this year, so the Steelmen certainly hold the cards when it comes to his departure, but with big clubs circling Turnbull could have played his last game for the club.

The Mail reckon Lennon wants to make him one of his first signings when he returns from a close season holiday.

Keith from C’mon the Hoops throws back to a former Celtic and Ireland star in the video below…

Is he good enough?

Turnbull certainly appears to have as much potential as any young player coming out of the Scottish top-flight in recent years.

An incredible debut campaign with ‘Well was punctuated with 15 goals and 6 assists, used as a key central focus point in Stephen Robinson’s team which really hit its stride after the winter break.

That lethal touch in the final third makes him an excellent fit for the Celtic midfield, which needs direct competition to Tom Rogic heading into the new season.

Still just 19 years of age, he could grow into an elite player surrounded by better teammates and coaches at Celtic.

Celtic’s transfer approach

The Hoops should take the lessons of last summer’s failed move for John McGinn that at this stage looks like a serious misstep in transfer policy.

Having pursued the player for a number of months, Celtic eventually lost out to Aston Villa. McGinn has gone on to have a player of the year calibre season with the Villans, their best performer as they gained promotion to the English Premier League.

The Mail claim that Motherwell have named their price for Turnbull, so if Celtic truly want him they should meet that valuation and prevent history repeating itself.

They can’t afford to miss out on another excellent Scottish talent heading to England.

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So, it’s official.

Phil Jagielka will be leaving Everton after 12 years at Goodison Park, where he has enjoyed arguably the best moments of his career and made memories he should never forget.

The 36-year-old has represented his country at the World Cup, became the first Everton player to captain England, and has immortalised himself in Toffees folklore with 385 appearances to his name in the club’s colours.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

A Sheffield United academy graduate, Jagielka only cost the Toffees £4m when they took him off the Blades’ hands, a deal which could easily be deemed as one of the best in the club’s modern history due to the excellent service he has given.

His departure will certainly be one that tugs on the supporters’ heartstrings, and rightly so.

There have been a fair few in his career, but let’s take a look at four of Jagielka’s best moments as an Everton player…

[snack_break title=”Jagielka nets his first goal for the club against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League”]

Jagielka scores his first goal for the Toffees in a Europa League qualifying match against AZ Alkmaar, the first of just 19 he would get in the blue of Everton. Former striker Andy Johnson helps him celebrate.

[snack_break title=”Jagielka hits the winning penalty in the 2007 FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United”]

The former Blades hero nets the winning spot kick at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final against Man United. Sadly for the centre-back, he would miss the final against Chelsea due to a serious knee injury.

[snack_break title=”That famous last-minute screamer at Anfield against arch-rivals Liverpool”]

Roberto Martinez’s Everton were heading for a drab 1-0 defeat against local rivals Liverpool, before Jagielka strode onto the ball from roughly 30 yards out and struck it with the outside of his right boot. You only need to look at the image to see where it ended up.

[snack_break title=”Jagielka hits his last goal for the club – the only strike in a 1-0 win over Arsenal last season”]

Having only been drafted into the side at the last minute due to Michael Keane’s injury in the warm up, Jagielka netted a predatory strike to hand his side a 1-0 win. A true model professional.

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Christian Eriksen has expressed his desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer, per Esktra Bladet.

The Denmark international has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid and has now finally opened up on his future.

Eriksen has been with the club since 2013 and made a total of 51 appearances in all-competitions in the 2018-19 season, as Spurs finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the Champions League final. He scored 10 goals and laid on a total of 17 assists.

The 27-year-old playmaker has yet to win silverware during his time in north London and has admitted that he hopes to make a “step up” in the summer transfer window.

He said: “I feel that I am at a stage of my career where I would like to try something new.

“I have the deepest respect for everything that is happening at Tottenham and it would not be something negative to stay. But I have also said that I would like to try something new.

“I hope that something will be decided this summer. That is the plan. In football, you never know when there could be a decision like that. It could be at any point. The best thing is always for it to happen quickly but in football things take time.”

It remains to be seen if Los Blancos will make a move this summer but is Eriksen right to want to leave the club in search of a new club and, potentially, silverware?

Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below!

Matt Dawson

“This is a difficult one to work out. The Spurs project is an exciting one and after seeing them reach the Champions League final it’s hard not to admire their accomplishments. However, Eriksen is someone who clearly hasn’t been too settled for a while now. Chances of immediate success would be enhanced if he joined one of Europe’s top clubs but I don’t think he’s good enough to perform consistently elsewhere. He should stick with Tottenham and believe in what looks to be a promising future for the club.”

Billy Meyers

“We can never know if a player is right to leave a club. Ex-Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho looked to be making the right decision when he joined Barcelona, only to then find himself cast aside whilst his former club dominates Champions League football. Eriksen is entirely within his rights to want a move away from Spurs, but it could very easily be a decision that he regrets due to the clear progress Mauricio Pochettino’s project is making.”

Jack Saville

“Absolutely. Eriksen’s time has come and I think it’s a move which will benefit all parties concerned. Pochettino has taken him to the next level since arriving at the club but the playmaker’s lacklustre performances in big games of late have been a major concern for the club. He has struggled to reach the pinnacle of his game in 2019 but his reputation should put Levy in the driving seat in negotiations. With just one year remaining on his current deal, Eriksen clearly has Tottenham’s best interests in mind by looking to move while the club can still make a massive profit.”

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Manchester United have got themselves off the mark in this summer’s transfer window as they yesterday announced the signing of winger Dan James from Swansea. It is unlikely to be the last bit of business they do over the next couple of months, however. Today’s United transfer roundup includes updates on two strikers and the end of the hunt for one worldly star.

Lukaku praises Conte

Romelu Lukaku has stoked the fire of a move to Inter Milan by telling Sportmediaset that Antonio Conte is the “best manager in the world”. The Serie A side have already shown interest in the Belgian, and Lukaku has previously said that he is expecting a “busy summer”. These latest comments do nothing to pour cold water over the possibility of a switch.

Late Griezmann bid

United are preparing to launch a late bid for French World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann according to the Sun. The Atletico Madrid forward was thought to be on the verge of a move to Barcelona, but the Red Devils believe they can hijack any potential deal and are primed to offer £95m.

No more interest in Bale

According to the Evening Standard, United have ended their interest in Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale. The Welshman had been of interest to the Old Trafford outfit, but Ed Woodward is now prepared to back manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s desire to sign the best domestic talent instead.

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Per a report from Football Insider, Aston Villa are set to table a £15m bid for Neal Maupay.

What’s the word?

Aston Villa have already been busy in the transfer market, signing no fewer than four players already.

The club broke their transfer record to bring Wesley to the club whilst Jota has arrived from Birmingham. The Villans have also added Anwar El Ghazi and Kortney Hause to their ranks on a permanent basis.

However, the club are now looking to make Maupay a part of their squad too.

Back in April, The Mirror claimed there was an interest from the club but Football Insider now suggests a £15m bid is set to be placed for the striker.

The Frenchman was one of the best forwards in the Championship last term, finding the net 25 times in the league.

Perfect for Wesley

If Villa bring Maupay to the Midlands for the reported fee, it could see a £37.25m strike force put into action after they signed Wesley for £22.25m.

In many ways, they’d both be perfect for each other.

We’ve already detailed how Wesley is suited to playing in a two-pronged attack and therefore playing him and Maupay together, should he arrive, would be ideal.

The former Club Brugge man is a force in the air and is particularly good at bringing others into play, something that’s reflected in the nine assists he racked up in Belgium’s top tier last season.

Therefore, pairing him alongside a more technically gifted and quicker striker in Maupay has the potential to work a treat.

The big and small combination has worked brilliantly in the past, something that can be seen by reflecting on the partnership Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez developed at Newcastle last term.

A similar sort of relationship was also seen with Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota at Wolves.

It’s a tried and tested method in the Premier League and there is the potential for Dean Smith to strike gold by pairing the two together.

Of course Maupay will have to sign first, but there is evidence from Wesley’s time at Brugge to suggest that he would benefit from the type of player the 22-year-old is.

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Many Newcastle United fans are expecting Ayoze Perez to follow head coach Rafael Benitez out of St James’ Park in this summer’s transfer window.

On Monday, Newcastle’s official website announced that Benitez would not be signing a new contract with the Magpies, meaning that he will depart the club at the end of this month.

Perez has been strongly linked with a move away from the English team in recent weeks, having recently suggested that he was ready to depart this summer.

The Spaniard scored 12 Premier League goals for the Magpies during the 2018-19 campaign and is said to have attracted Tottenham Hotspur.

The 25-year-old – also linked with Sevilla in recent days – posted a tweet in the aftermath of the Benitez announcement.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And that led to a number of Newcastle fans either urging the attacker to leave or claiming that an exit was now sure to take place.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Liverpool confirmed their first signing of the transfer window on Thursday afternoon, bringing 17-year-old defender Sepp van den Berg to the club.

It looks as though it could be a quiet summer, however, after it was also revealed that they rejected the chance to sign Marcos Llorente.

The midfielder eventually signed for Atletico Madrid but per SER Deportivos, Liverpool turned down the opportunity to bring him to Anfield.

Reacting to news that he wasn’t a ‘priority’ for the Reds, one supporter claimed that it was a fair decision whilst another said they agreed with what Liverpool had done.

However, other supporters were concerned by their lack of activity in the window. One fan talked about squad depth, saying the club would be stuck with players like Adam Lallana, whilst a further individual simply said they still need to sign players.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Llorente is rated at £18m per Transfermarkt but only played seven times in La Liga ahead of his move to Atletico.

A defensive midfielder, it perhaps would have been a questionable signing anyway given they already have Fabinho in their ranks.

Here’s some of the reaction.