All posts by h716a5.icu

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Napoli want £150million for Kalidou Koulibaly, who is being targeted by Manchester United, per the Daily Express.

The price tag placed upon the defender’s head had been designed to scare off potential suitors but United are undeterred by the prospect of paying out a world-record fee for the centre-back.

What’s the word?

The aforementioned report claims that the defender, who has emerged as a world-class talent in Serie A, is also being scouted by both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

However, the Spanish giants have been put off by Napoli’s astonishingly high asking price.

The current world-record fee for a defender is held by Virgil van Dijk, who cost Liverpool £75m when they signed him from Southampton.

United would have to double that figure to secure the Senegal international, who has become their top target when it comes to defensive reinforcements.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to be keen to reinforce his backline this summer and the success of Van Dijk at Liverpool has reportedly convinced United that there is value in paying high prices for defenders.

A statement

This would be an astonishing message to send from United.

They absolutely do need to refresh their defence but a figure of £150m makes the eyes water.

Koulibaly is perhaps their best option, however, and his talents are such that, in today’s crazy marketplace, the fee makes some sort of sense.

The Senegal international has made over 200 appearances for Napoli and is, without doubt, the best defender in Serie A.

He is also perhaps the best attainable talent available to United.

Breaking the bank for him may set tongues wagging but it is also the right thing to do.

Prepare for a mammoth transfer this summer.

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Gareth Bale has claimed that he ‘didn’t realise actually how big’ Tottenham Hotspur were as a football club before he made the move from Southampton in 2007.

The 29-year-old, speaking during an appearance on BT Sport’s ‘What I Wore’ series, also said that he had ‘an amazing time’ at Spurs before leaving for Real Madrid.

Tottenham have recently been linked with a swoop for their former star, and Bale’s quotes have led to a number of the London club’s fans calling for his return.

Bale managed 55 goals in 203 games for Tottenham before joining Real Madrid, where he has won four Champions League titles.

It would be fair to say that the Madrid club’s fans have never fully taken to the Wales international, though, and a return to England should not be ruled out.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

A number of Spurs fans have been discussing a potential return, and it would be fair to say that the majority are in favour of their club re-signing the 6 ft 1 ace:

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England may be wasting Harry Kane’s talents.

The Three Lions skipper, naturally, scored again as Gareth Southgate’s men thumped Montenegro 5-1 in Podgorica on Monday evening, tapping in after a pin-point Raheem Sterling cross.

It was a goal that the Tottenham Hotspur star has scored numerous times before. He kept up with his winger, utilising his deceptive pace, and finished with unerring precision. His strike was England’s fourth of the night; he also scored the second from the penalty spot on Friday as Southgate’s side strolled to a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic at Wembley.

On Monday, however, it was not Kane’s strike that grabbed the attention. He scored, that’s what he does, but he’s a more complete forward than many give him credit for.

He is perhaps England’s best passer of the ball too. It may sound ridiculous to suggest but he is fantastic at taking a ball in and spraying it accurately, leading to an opportunity, both at club and international level.

He can drop deep, hold off the defender, and move the ball with the equivalent accuracy as to his finishing.

Yet, against Montenegro, he cut an isolated figure. Sterling and the impressive Callum Hudson-Odoi, making his first start in an England shirt, flanked him.

But, per WhoScored, Kane touched the ball just 24 times, fewer than any other outfield player on the pitch. Dele Alli, the England player next in line, touched the ball 48 times, exactly double. Sterling and Hudson-Odoi, by comparison, had 82 and 79 touches respectively.

That Kane managed to play two key passes is to his immense credit and that he scored even more so; there are few players within the national team setup who could make so much of so little. Indeed, his goal came from his only shot while he made a total of 15 passes in all.

This is a player who is far more than a goalscorer. He is not a poacher, instead, he is perhaps the most complete striker England have produced in a generation. He is more instinctive and a better finisher than Wayne Rooney ever was and is also more physical and tactically aware than the likes of Michael Owen and Jermain Defoe. He can also pass the ball as well as the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

But he is not being utilised correctly. It is not to the detriment of England’s attacking play, amazingly. Southgate has set up a system that allows pacey, skilful wingers to thrive.

Kane, in that regard, is perhaps too unselfish. He is all too willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team.

Southgate, of course, holds him in the highest esteem. If he didn’t, Kane would not have the captain’s armband.

But, on recent evidence, it is fair to assume that the England boss, who has got so much right, does not quite know how to bring the very best out of him.

Tottenham Hotspur will be desperate to get off to the best possible start at their new stadium tonight as they’ve struggled to grind out positive results in recent times. 

Spurs have been far from perfect and they could end up slipping out of the top four if they fail to ensure consistency from here on in, with tough games against Everton and Manchester City still to come.

However, it appears as if Mauricio Pochettino is looking towards the summer transfer window at this moment in time, as according to Het Laatste Nieuws (via HITC), Spurs are still pursuing £40m-rated Youri Tielemans.

The Belgium international has been one of the shining lights in the Premier League in recent times as he’s produced four assists in seven appearances. His passing style and creativity makes him the perfect midfielder for Tottenham as the likes of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko haven’t been able to influence the game in the final third.

Daniel Levy will need to get his wallet out if Spurs are to welcome him to their new stadium as his current club AS Monaco have reportedly told Leicester they’ll need to pay £40 million. But, paying the price would definitely benefit the North London club both in the present and the future as he’s the type of player who could get fans off their seats.

Tottenham Hotspur fans, do you think Youri Tielemans would fit in? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

Safety is all but secure for Crystal Palace once again this season but the disappointment of the team not being able to push on has been obvious from the fans perspective. Boring, isn’t it? Enduring life in the Premier League rather than enjoying it.

Roy Hodgson has failed to push his talented squad further up the Premier League table as results have been inconsistent all season long.

That was largely down to the fact that Crystal Palace lacked a reliable striker at the beginning of the season and that cannot be an issue once again next campaign. We’ve been talking about this for far too long now.

Indeed, it’s obvious to say that Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham just aren’t consistent enough, meaning the Eagles must assess other options. After trying (as per the Daily Mirror) in January, Crystal Palace should again explore the possibility of signing Tammy Abraham.

Abraham, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) is currently the third top goalscorer in the Championship and hence has a number of clubs looking at him.

The Chelsea loanee moved to Aston Villa after spending a year with Swansea, where he scored eight times. Skip forward almost a year, and Tammy Abraham has 21 Championship goals to his name, proving once more, that he is a trusty source of goals, too good to sit on the bench at Stamford Bridge.

After reportedly registering their interest in him during the January transfer window, Crystal Palace were rebuffed in their attempts and therefore settled with another Chelsea loanee – Michy Batshuayi.

With it surely being more than likely the Belgian forward will move on at the end of the season, the need for a striker is again urgent for the Eagles.

Tammy Abraham is still only 21-years-old, has a history of scoring goals whatever club he finds himself at and could be the man for Crystal Palace going forward.

Do you agree the England U21 international would be a good signing for Palace? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]It was the 2013/14 season, and a 23-year-old Jordan Henderson was running the show in midfield on most weekends under Brendan Rodgers.The former Sunderland man, an academy graduate of Black Cats, had developed a bit of a reputation as a box-to-box midfielder during his time on Wearside, as well as in his early days at Anfield.Here was a player with evident bundles of energy, a real burgeoning midfield player who could pass the ball, cross it, and find the net from a very young age.Five goals and seven assists were what Henderson came out of the aforementioned 2013/14 season with, as he and Liverpool came within touching distance of a first Premier League title – it was telling that Henderson was suspended for the final three games of the run-in, when Rodgers’ men ultimately bottled it.Check out the latest hilarious video by 442oons in the video below…Rodgers was given the sack in October 2015, and in came Jurgen Klopp, a man who has done wonders for the football club so far ever since, but not so much for Henderson.The energetic player who was making an impact at both ends of the pitch had quickly turned into a stifled midfielder, one who didn’t really look to have a unique role in the team nor did he have a defining presence on the field as Klopp deployed him deeper.”Boring sideways passer”. “He offers nothing!” These were the types of cries that would find their way onto Liverpool fans’ and neutral fans’ Twitter accounts, or would be the topic of the post-match pub chat amongst supporters. What had happened to Henderson, someone who was rated as one of the best English talents in the country just a few years previous?

A natural No.8, Henderson now found himself stuck as a No.6 under the German. With the armband strapped around his bicep, was he going to kick up a fuss about it? Of course not. The England international simply got on with it for the sake of his team, sacrificing his reputation in the game as an exciting roaming midfielder, and instead picking up the label of a non-creative figure simply happy to keep the game ticking over.

A lack of a natural holding midfielder meant Henderson had to cover there with no other options available.

However, following the arrival of Fabinho, a natural defensive midfielder, Henderson has taken the opportunity to return back to his ways of old. A conversation with Klopp, in which he discussed his preference to play in a more advanced role, saw the 28-year-old thrust back into his former position from the bench against Southampton.

With the score at 1-1, Henderson got an assist and scored a goal to help his side to a 3-1 win, and immediately looked far more comfortable in the advanced role than he had whilst playing deeper for the last 18 months.

He was deployed there again in the 2-0 win over Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals, where he was instrumental in victory over the Portuguese side.

Following that game, Klopp even admitted to stifling his captain’s ability, and apologised. The former Borussia Dortmund boss said: “It was my fault that for one-and-a-half years he played as a No 6. Sorry for that! But we needed him there.”

Now approaching his 29th birthday, Henderson is regarded by many neutral fans as a bang average midfielder who offers very little, an opinion that may not change despite his obvious preference for the No.8 role.

Klopp may now have realised the errors of his ways after Henderson took it upon himself to chat with his boss, but could his entire career have been completely different had he been played in his favoured position?

We’ll never know, but the chances are that Henderson would be viewed very differently right now.

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West Ham United fans have been left fuming over a club update announcing that a new claret pitch will be installed at the London Stadium this week.

A green cover has cloaked the running track that runs around the outside of the pitch since the opening of the ground in 2016.

However, a claret surface will be installed soon, with club branding featured on the colouring.

The club claim to have funnelled significant investment into the pitch, but fans have not been won over.

Karren Brady, the club’s vice-chairman, claims the news is “wonderful” for supporters.

But they have piled in on the club’s announcement, insisting that there has to be an investment in the playing squad if the club are to progress on the field.

Others unsurprisingly reacted with sarcasm to the update, particularly with West Ham currently hovering around mid-table under manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Football is the best sport in the world, and last night’s game against Manchester City and Tottenham encapsulated everything the beautiful game is all about.

Dramatic early goals, stunning equalisers from the underdogs, and new and emerging technologies shattering the dreams of what looked like a certain winner deep into injury-time, and yet people this morning will be waking up thinking the same thing, ‘how the hell are Spurs in a Champions League semi-final?’

Not many would have expected Mauricio Pochettino’s side to make to this stage of the competition, and with a final four match with Ajax coming up, there’s a genuine chance we can see Spurs in the Champions League final come May, and this is something that Arsenal fans can only dread about.

The prospect of Spurs in a cup final of any sorts is enough to make Arsenal fans annoyed, but a Champions League final, the only competition neither side has won, would tip Gooners over the edge, and it’s this obsession with their rivals that make this hatred between these two teams so unique.

Go to any Arsenal home game and no matter who the opposition are one of the first few chants you hear every match is the famous ‘What do we think of Tottenham?’ song.

This obsession to always demine Spurs and constantly bring up past glories and history is damaging Arsenal’s reputation as a club, and the hard reality is that fans don’t need to constantly mention their rival’s name at every game as it’s now a sign of jealousy.

Most football fans would never have expected to see Tottenham in a Champions League semi-final, let alone a final, but for Arsenal fans, it would be the ultimate embarrassment despite their own club having a good chance to finish above Spurs in the table and also seal European success on their own terms.

This jealousy of Spurs has to stop for the betterment of the club’s reputation, otherwise the tag of ‘obsessed fans’ will never go away.

Arsenal fans, should supporters stop focusing too much on Tottenham? Let us know!

Leeds United’s automatic promotion hopes took a big hit last time out against Brentford as they failed to get a result at Griffin Park, which has handed Sheffield United the upper-hand.

Worryingly, things aren’t about to get any easier for the Whites as they’re set to face Aston Villa in their next Championship fixture. The Villans have won their last 10 games, so it won’t be an easy task.

And, the Yorkshire club were handed a big blow on the injury front recently, as according to BBC Sport, Ezgjan Alioski is set to miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus.

Of course, the Macedonia international has been hugely impressive this season and would have played a big part in the club’s promotion push from here on in.

However, Leeds fans shouldn’t be too disappointed as Marcelo Bielsa already has a replacement in the form of Stuart Dallas. The Northern Ireland international hasn’t been able to secure regular minutes in the current campaign but he could still help Leeds secure promotion to the Premier League.

Dallas can provide a wealth of experience and he has all the attacking qualities to be able to able to fill the void left by Alioski. The one major difference is that the 28-year-old can actually ensure defensive solidity at the back, which has been an issue for Alioski at times, so it’s not all bad for the Whites.

At this stage in the current campaign, perhaps turning to experience could be the key for Leeds United.

Leeds United fans, do you think Dallas is the man to replace Alioski? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Leeds United are unsurprisingly trying to offload Belgian defender Laurens De Bock this summer according to Football Insider.

De Bock has spent this season out on loan in his native Belgium at K.V. Oostende and there seemingly is no future for him at Elland Road.

Never got started

Despite the Whites forking out £1.5 million for the defender his career at Elland Road never really got into second gear.

The left-back’s move was reportedly accelerated due to an injury to Luke Ayling leaving Leeds short at the back, and when a transfer happens in those circumstances it has to be labelled as a panic buy. 

The defender made only seven appearances for the club before being shipped out on loan signalling that his signing was a complete waste of time and money.

Poor piece of business

There’s no doubt that Leeds will struggle to recoup their £1.5 million for De Bock, but his story at Elland Road is one that supporters have heard far too often in recent years.

Leeds currently have a whole host of talent out on loan who weren’t deemed good enough for the squad almost as soon as they stepped through the door at Thorp Arch.

The likes of Jay-Roy Grot, Vurnon Anita, Caleb Ekuban and Hadi Sacko are all still on the books at the club and their only purpose is to serve as a reminder for the club’s previous mistakes whilst they ply their trade elsewhere on loan.

That is a sign that Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani need to be a little more careful when choosing their signings in future as their wage bill is being taken up by players who have no future at the club.

Leeds fans have previously lamented the lack of investment in the January transfer window this season. Perhaps if the men in charge of transfers had been savvier in the past, then there would be more funds for future reinforcements.