All posts by h716a5.icu

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Loads of Leeds fans have been giving their verdict on the latest transfer news, amid claims the Whites are eyeing a move for Wolves forward Ivan Cavaleiro.

According to The Sun’s Mike McGrath, Leeds are hoping to sign Cavaleiro this month.

The Wolves attacker has started just five Premier League games this season, though that is partly due to the back injury that kept him out until late September, per Transfermarkt.

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The 25 year-old has since found three Premier League goals and also added one assist (Transfermarkt), impressive returns given how limited his minutes have been.

Cavaleiro scored nine times and added 13 assists in all competitions last season, and the versatile attacker’s arrival would provide a massive boost for Marcelo Bielsa.

The boss’ attacking options are looking a little thin as summer signing Patrick Bamford is still out injured, and Cavalerio’s ability to play anywhere across the front line would be a massive help.

Jack Harrison has not been particularly impressive since his loan move from Manchester City and Jack Clarke is still very raw and inexperienced, meaning Cavaleiro could potentially walk straight into the starting line-up at Elland Road.

Plenty of fans have been running the rule over a potential move, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]Fulham have completed the loan signing of Havard Nordtveit from Hoffenheim, the club confirmed on Thursday via their official website.The versatile Norway international, who can play as a midfielder or a centre-back, moves to the club after an injury-hit season in the Bundesliga.Per Transfermarkt, Nordtveit played just eight times in the German top-flight prior to his move to the Cottagers, having struggled with an ankle fracture.Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…The 28-year-old has experience of playing in England, having spent four years with Arsenal between 2007 and 2011, though he failed to make a first-team debut for the Gunners and eventually joined Borussia Monchengladbach.He also spent the 2016-17 season at West Ham United, making 21 appearances in all competitions before joining Hoffenheim.Nordtveit’s move to Fulham has been received well by the club’s fans, with Claudio Ranieri’s men battling relegation this season.The club are currently six points behind Burnley in 17th, and supporters hope the star can hit the ground running.

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Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Borussia Monchengladbach defender Matthias Ginter, according to Sky Sports.

They are joined in the hunt for the centre-back by north London rivals Arsenal, with both keen to reinforce their defence in the summer.

What’s the word?

Spurs, per Sky Sports, are scouting potential defensive signings ahead of the summer transfer window, along with Unai Emery’s side.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men were, Sky Sports say, interested in signing Ginter before he moved to Monchengladbach from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

Tottenham have triggered an extension to Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld’s contract but that deal includes a clause that allows him to move on for £25million in the next transfer window, should a bid be tabled.

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As a result, the club may have to bolster their backline when the window opens, despite failing to sign a single player last summer or in January.

Ginter is 25 and has won 23 caps for Germany, while also playing 54 times for Gladbach since his move.

The centre-back was also a member of his country’s 2014 World Cup-winning squad, though he did not play a single minute at the tournament.

Excellent replacement

Ginter could become an excellent replacement for Alderweireld.

The Spurs defender appears close to heading for the exit door in north London sooner rather than later, while Jan Vertonghen is 31.

Davinson Sanchez has emerged as a superb centre-back at the age of just 22 and they now appear to be looking to the future.

Ginter could come in, make the centre-back spot his own and forge a partnership with the Colombia international that could well last for a decade.

It remains to be seen if there will be a bidding war – Arsenal, too, desperately need to sign a centre-back – but Spurs would do well to get the jump on the competition.

Ginter certainly fits Pochettino’s profile; he is young, has Bundesliga and Champions League experience with Borussia Dortmund, coupled with a genuine international pedigree.

There can be no better potential signing if Alderweireld does leave the club.

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Tottenham Hotspur host Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night in the first leg of their Champions League clash. 

Both sides are heading into this crunch encounter in fine form, and Spurs will fancy their chances of securing a positive result at home. 

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

However, Mauricio Pochettino cannot afford to underestimate the threat that Dortmund pose. In the likes of Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Christian Pulisic, the German club have an abundance of attacking quality in the wide areas.

What’s more, Spurs’ contingent of full-backs – featuring Kieran Trippier, Serge Aurier, Ben Davies and Danny Rose (with the latter duo potentially both absent anyway) – leaves much to be desired defensively.

In order offset this weakness and counter Dortmund’s strengths, Spurs ought to make the switch to a 3-at-the-back formation after using a diamond setup in the 3-1 win over Leicester on Sunday. This will ensure that their full-backs are covered by the additional centre-back, and will make it so that Dortmund can’t exploit Spurs’ defensive frailties in the wide areas so easily.

Which formation do you think Pochettino should use on Wednesday night? Let us know by commenting below..

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A massive cohort of Celtic fans are in transit towards Valencia for Thursday’s Europa League tie in the Mestalla.

Last week’s 2-0 defeat in the first leg has barely dampened enthusiasm for the trip – in contrast to the equivalent fixture last season in St Petersburg where a heated stadium was needed for the match to go ahead.

Tickets for Thursday’s match are at a premium but that isn’t bothering the fans who are arriving at airports from Barcelona southwards with Alicante seeing a flood of green and white Hoops coming through the Arrivals gate.

Brendan Rodgers will take his squad out on Thursday, host a media conference then continue his preparations to pull off a shock result.

There isn’t likely to be any surprises in the team Rodgers selects but if the visitors open the scoring the locals will know all about it – there will inevitably be some fans in the home sections struggling to keep their emotions intact.

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Leeds United loanee Izzy Brown made his sixth appearance for the U23s since his return from injury on Monday, and Whites fans were quick to react both before and during the encounter as the 22-year-old took another step towards making his first-team debut.

Marcelo Bielsa had previously stated that he wanted the Chelsea attacker to play six to eight matches before he was ready for first-team action, although injury issues have meant that he has actually been named on the substitutes’ bench for the club’s previous two Championship fixtures, without making his debut.

Brown did suffer a scare towards the end of the first half where he appeared to have picked up a minor knock and was replaced at the break, however if he is fine not only will he be in contention to make the 18-man squad against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, but he could make the starting XI given Kemar Roofe has picked up a knee ligament injury.

Leeds supporters took to social media to have their say on the 22-year-old’s latest positive step, and while one said “he’s starting v Bolton isn’t he”, another said pre-match “cue the inevitable injury”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Manchester City gobbled up the first big trophy of the season as they saw off Chelsea on penalties in somewhat dour affair at Wembley.

Some last minute controversy involving goalkeeper Kepa and manager Mauro Sarri overshadowed the game really, and the incident just threw more disdain on a situation at Chelsea which is already being bleakly observed by those from afar.

However, the win for City on the otherhand tells a different story, and should give Pep Guardiola’s men the confidence they need to go ahead into the rest of the season and capture the Premier League title.

Winning trophies is a habit, and no matter what the prize, it’s always good to be involved in picking up silverware and ensuring that winning does indeed become something which comes as a given for the players involved with the club.

The Sunday could prove a turning point too, with City’s closest title rivals Liverpool being held to another dour 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.

It could represent a big swing in momentum in the title picture in general, as City once again add another trophy to the cabinet while Liverpool look on axiously and wonder what might have been this season given the lead they once held at the top.

It’s City who are now in the asendency though, and with their form, momentum, and winning habits firmly back on track, it really could be City’s title to lose now, not Liverpool’s.

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Crystal Palace host Brighton this weekend in what promises to be a hot-blooded clash. The two bitter rivals were buoyed by victories at the weekend and will fancy themselves on Saturday, although some Eagles fans are preparing for an uphill battle after learning that Craig Pawson has been appointed as referee.

The game promises to be a difficult one to manage and so, for whoever was named the man in the middle, they were always going to have their work cut out for them. But considering how his last job at Selhurst Park went, Pawson will feel under immense pressure to perform in front of the boisterous Palace crowd.

In charge of the Eagles’ clash with West Ham, Pawson was called into making difficult decisions on a few occasions – the 40-year-old penalised Vicente Guaita by awarding the visitors a penalty while he also booked Aaron Wan-Bissaka for what many believed was a well-timed challenge.

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There will almost certainly be similar decisions to be made on Saturday and the eagle-eyed Selhurst Park faithful will be scrutinising Pawson’s every move, if there reactions to his appointment on Twitter are anything to go by, that is…

The ugly side of football was on display in England in the weekend, with fan invasions taking the spotlight for gruesome actions.

Jack Grealish and Chris Smalling were victims of two very different attacks, with the former being especially nasty considering the audacity of the whole scenario.

While both players reacted professionally, the shocking actions could’ve gone even wrong on another day. The disgusting antics by the fan against Grealish is proof that during heated derbies, a player is risking their own well-being from the opposition fans. While both the fans were arrested and banned, the Football Association needs to take bigger steps.

These things cannot be afforded to continue. Players could get seriously hurt or worse if these matters are swept under the rug by the FA.

Not only should the culprits be guilty, but the clubs they are representing should as well.

As Alan Shearer stated on the matter, Birmingham City should have points deducted for letting it happen. While this may seem unfair to some, the FA and the leagues need to work together to eradicate this issue.

If strict rules like deducting points, hefty fines or having to play games behind closed-doors is the key, then so be it.

Just banning particular rowdy fan’s won’t discourage others from repeating the same offence, but punishing their beloved clubs will.

As this dark patch threatens to ruin the reputation of England’s top leagues, drastic steps are necessary to exterminate them from repeating in the future.

Aston Villa fans, do you think more could have been done to stop Grealish getting attacked? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

He has been an unbelievable servant for Sheffield United, hasn’t he? When Billy Sharp started his professional career at Bramall Lane nearly 15 years ago, no one would have thought he would amount over 100 goals for the Blades in just 236 games across three different spells. That is remarkable.

Aged 33, Sharp continues to provide for United as he is currently the second top goalscorer in the Championship, with 22 goals in 33 games. He has stepped up to the plate year upon year since he began his third spell in Sheffield and currently holds the title of having scored the most goals in England’s top four League’s in the 21st century, reflecting his astounding career.

Moving back nearly four years now, in late July of 2015, Sharp signed from Leeds United on what was originally a two-year deal. The move certainly excited lots of Blades.

In contrast, some Leeds fans felt that Sharp was not given the opportunities he deserved and wished him all the best.

It is safe to say he has thoroughly excelled in his most recent spell at his boyhood club and the fans will surely be hoping that he can help fire the Blades to the Premier League where Sharp can continue to play a key role in the side.