All posts by h716a5.icu

West Ham are set to axe long-term absentee Winston Reid this summer opting for Alaves’ Guillermo Maripan.

West Ham have not been without their injury problems in recent times and Winston Reid, once a star player in the side, is one of their most challenging.

Reid has been absent since last March having picked up an injury against Swansea City and, though he has since recovered, has struggled to battle his way back into the squad.

A task made infinitely harder by impressive debut seasons from Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop – the former touted his much-anticipated return from injury in the next few weeks.

The Daily Mail have stipulated that Manuel Pellegrini is keen on reinforcing his current defensive options this summer and is looking to find a player who can consistently partner with either Diop or Balbuena without risk of prolonged injuries.

One candidate in particular, Guillermo Maripan, is said to have caught his eye. The mammoth defender has been hugely impressive this season for La Liga’s surprise package Deportivo Alaves.

Alaves were topping the table at one point, but now occupy 5th place – in line for the European spots – and Maripan has played a key role.

The Chilean, who has reportedly been likened to Barcelona’s Gerard Pique because of his ball-playing tendencies also shows shades of the mightily impressive defensive general Balbuena, and could be the perfect option for compatriot Pellegrini as he looks to transform the Hammers into a contemporary footballing team.

West Ham face stiff competition from Roma, however – and the Serie A side are said to be the favourites to secure his services this summer (as per The Daily Mail).

West Ham fans, how desperate are you for a defensive overhaul? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Arsenal are pressing ahead with their summer transfer plans despite Monchi rejecting the chance to become their technical director, per the London Evening Standard.

The highly-rated transfer specialist chose to return to former club Sevilla from Roma instead of moving to the Gunners.

What’s the word?

Arsenal have been searching for a successor to the previous head of recruitment Sven Mislintat since his departure in February.

Monchi appeared to have been identified as the club’s key target but the Standard report that the Gunners are relaxed about his rejection, with their transfer plans already at an advanced stage ahead of the summer window.

Indeed, the report claims that their future planning was actually a reason for the 50-year-old turning down the project in north London.

There is, per the Standard, £40million available for Arsenal to spend in the summer; they hope to sign a centre-back and may be forced into the recruitment of a goalkeeper if David Ospina does not stay after returning from a loan spell at Napoli.

It remains to be seen if the Gunners will be able to recruit a technical director before the summer; Marc Overmars, their former winger, signed a new contract with Ajax earlier this week after being briefly linked with the role.

Arsenal have no room for error

If Arsenal are so confident about their summer transfer plans, they can ill-afford any errors.

Monchi, perhaps the outstanding candidate to come into the club in a behind-the-scenes role, has snubbed their advances because of their forward planning.

The fact that they do not appear to have much money is not likely to fill fans with confidence, particularly after a January that was spent chasing loan deals.

Denis Suarez eventually came to the Emirates but is yet to start a game.

There are obvious gaps in the squad and, as it stands, it is not clear who will be leading the charge to bring in new recruits.

One thing is crystal, however; Arsenal simply can’t get this summer wrong.

We all love it when a youngster comes through our club’s academy, breaks in to the first team and scores.

Of course, we all look in awe when we think that while a young teenager is scoring in the Premier League, we were sitting about in our pants playing computer games at the same age. That’s not the point, though. It’s always a beautiful moment we want to see more of.

The Premier League has played witness to some incredibly young goalscorers in its time. A few of them are among the biggest names in world football, while most of them you will have completely forgotten about.

Will we ever get younger than the youngest? It would be incredible!

25. Rio Ferdinand – 18 years, 2 months, 25 days

The legendary centre-back scored only 11 goals during his Premier League career but found his way onto the scoresheet quickly in his first full season, notching his first career league goal for West Ham in a 2-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers in February 1997.

Ferdinand slotted another goal several weeks later to bring his season total to two.

Over the span of his 19-year career, the Englishman appeared in 504 matches and earned 189 clean sheets for the Hammers, Leeds United and Manchester United, but only did he eclipse his goal scoring mark from that debut season.

24. Darren Bent – 18 years, 2 months, 18 days

The journeyman forward’s first career goal also served as the match-winner in a 1-0 Ipswich Town victory over Middlesbrough in April 2002.

Bent, who later made 12 appearances for England, would go on to play for nine clubs, including Tottenham, Aston Villa and Derby County, and finished his career in England with 181 career goals.

Bent was 18 years, two months and 18 days old when he scored his first career Premier League goal.

23. Sol Campbell – 18 years, 2 months, 17 days

Campbell appeared in just 22 minutes of football during his debut season in 1992, but still managed to make his way onto the scoresheet for Spurs that season.

Coming on as a 68th minute sub in a December meeting with Chelsea, the English centre-back netted an 88th minute goal to mark the first of his career.

Campbell would go on to score 24 goals over a 20-year career spent with Spurs, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Portsmouth and Notts County, but his first – scored at 18 years, two months and 17 days – earns him the distinction of being among the youngest goal scorers in Premier League history.

22. Chris Bart-Williams – 18 years, 2 months, 17 days

The first of this English midfielder’s 30 career goals came for Sheffield Wednesday in September 1992 in a 2-1 defeat to Coventry City.

Bart-Williams spent 12 seasons in English football and appeared in 211 Premier League matches during that time.

His goal in his first full season with Sheffield Wednesday came when he was 18 years, two months and 17 days old.

21. Serge Gnabry – 18 years, 2 months, 14 days

Gnabry registered his first career Premier League goal to help push Arsenal past Swansea City in September 2013. The German winger’s strike remains his only league goal from his time in England.

Now a regular in Bayern Munich’s starting XI, Gnabry still holds a place in Premier League history as one of its youngest scorers of all-time.

20. Jack Wilshere – 18 years, 2 months, 2 days

On loan with Bolton in the spring 2010, Wilshere slotted a 16th minute winner to push the Trotters past West Ham and earned himself a first-ever Premier League goal in the process.

Only seven more league goals have followed for the English midfielder over his 11-year career in the top-flight, his last coming for Arsenal in January 2018.

Wilshere will never set records for goals, but his first – which came at 18 years, two months and two days – leaves him amongst the youngest to register a goal in Premier League history.

19. Gareth Barry – 18 years, 2 months, 1 day

The league-title winner began his career in Birmingham with Aston Villa where he picked up his first career Premier League goal with a 57th-minute strike in a 2-0 over Nottingham Forest on April 24 1999.

It was the first of 53 Barry would score in the league over time spent with Villa, Manchester City, Everton and West Bromwich Albion.

Well accomplished throughout his career for both club and country, Barry also remains one of the youngest scorers in league history having netted his first goal at 18 years, two months and one day.

18. Michael Branch – 18 years, 1 month, 19 days

Branch’s 17th-minute goal for Everton helped counter goals from Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in December 1996.

The English centre-forward scored just once more in his four years playing in the Premier League and spent the remainder of his career in the First Division and League Two.

While his mark on the Premier League was minimal and his memory among most football fans has long faded, Branch still owns the distinction as one of the league’s youngest scorers after registering his first-career goal at 18 years, one month and 19 days.

17. Gareth Bale – 18 years, 1 month, 16 days

The former Premier League Player of the Season scored his first-career Premier League goal with a left-footed strike in the 61st minute of a 3-3 draw between Spurs and Fulham in September 2007.

Bale would go on to score 43 league goals during his six-seasons with Tottenham before departing for Real Madrid.

The Welsh winger still holds a series of honours from his time in England and prominent among them is his place as one of the league’s youngest scorers at 18 years, one month and 16 days.

16. Francis Jeffers – 18 years, 1 month, 2 days

Jeffers’ 57th-minute goal drew Everton level in a 1-1 draw to Wimbledon on Feb. 27 1999.

The goal was the first of 24 the English forward would slot over time spent in the top-flight with the Toffees, Arsenal, Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers.

Jeffers played his final Premier League season in 2006-07 and he remains one of the league’s youngest scorers at 18 years, one month and two days.

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Mauricio Pochettino labelled his Tottenham Hotspur players “heroes” despite their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, per Sky Sports, attracting the ire of many fans.

Spurs fell behind to an early Roberto Firmino header but enjoyed a much better second half, with Lucas Moura equalising and Moussa Sissoko missing a golden chance to hand his side the lead.

However, a terrible error from Hugo Lloris, as he parried a tame Mohamed Salah header against Toby Alderweireld, leading the ball to trickle over the line, cost his side a point and left them in dire jeopardy of falling out of the top four.

Indeed, Spurs are just one point clear of sixth-placed Chelsea with seven games of the season remaining and have to play Manchester City – once in the Premier League, twice in the Champions League – and bitter London rivals West Ham United before the end of the campaign.

Nevertheless, Pochettino was proud of his team and told Sky Sports after the game that he believes they have gone above and beyond this season.

He said: “I think we were talking with the players in the changing room, now we start a mini league. Seven games ahead, we are in the top four, we need to keep our position, it’s in our hands.

“With all the circumstance that has happened this season, they are more than heroes, and we need to keep the trust and the confidence and, for sure, we are going to fight to be in the next Champions League.

“We are still in the Champions League, in the quarter-finals, but it’s going to be so important for the club to keep in the top four at the end of the season.”

Fans, however, were left angry at his comment after seeing their side extend a run of five Premier League games without a win. Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Newcastle vs Crystal Palace later today may not be a game that the rest of the Premier League will take much notice of, however, both sides will be desperate to get all three points, and will be relying on their respective star men to achieve that. For the Magpies, record signing Miguel Almiron is the man whilst the Eagles have the flashy Wilfried Zaha.

Almiron is yet to score his first goal for the Geordies, and what a time it would be this weekend if he was to net in front of the Gallowgate end at St James Park to down Roy Hodgson’s Palace. If the game was to go the other way, though, the man to do the business for Palace is blatantly Zaha. The Ivorian is arguably the best player outside of the Premier League’s top six, and here we’ll be comping the two star men.

MIGUEL ALMIRON

So far from Almiron, we’ve seen plenty of good signs but nothing concrete. However there’s no smoke without fire and the work rate, passion and endless running from the Paraguayan is bound to bring some end product sooner or later. The Geordies are just desperate for it to come sooner, and they don’t want to see the 25-year-old heading into the 2019/20 season still chasing that first elusive Newcastle goal.

The Paraguayan is unlucky not to have netted yet, but as Rafa Benitez’s side still have six games to go including their clash today, if Almiron keeps going the way he is then surely he’ll net soon. Until then, though, there will be question marks over him and the £20 million fee that the Geordies parted with to snatch him from across the pond. Thee signs are certainly there, but we just need a little bit more from the flashy South American in front of goal.

TT GRADE: B

WILFRIED ZAHA

Where to start on Wilfried Zaha? Without the Ivorian, there is little doubt that Palace would have surrendered their Premier League status many seasons ago, and their current run of six seasons in the top flight is the longest in their post-war history. Given that stat, it’s fair to say that Zaha is going to go down as a legend at Selhurst Park, and his 51 goals and 62 assists only confirm that.

This season has seen the Ivorian grab eight goals and seven assists in the Premier League and once again his brilliance and trickery have been key to the Eagles’ success. The mid-table slot that Palace currently fill is one that the fans could only dream of ten years ago, but as Zaha has risen to prominence so have the South London club, and if anyone is going to be put Newcastle to the sword today it will most certainly be Zaha.

TT GRADE: A+

TT VERDICT

Look away Newcastle fans, because this is one battle you’re not winning.

At this moment in time, Mike Ashley’s big January swoop is looking like a schoolboy in comparison to Zaha.

In time, Almiron may prove this battle to be spectacularly wrong, but going off of the evidence we have now, it is impossible to try and fathom that Almiron is better, more important or has more chance of influencing a top flight game than Palace’s wizard, and for those reasons Zaha is the deserved winner of this battle.

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Tottenham Hotspur secured the first-leg Champions League quarter-final win they would have been desperate for after Son Heung-Min’s late goal saw them beat Manchester City 1-0 in north London on Tuesday night.

Spurs welcomed the Premier League champions to the capital in a much-anticipated European tie, and they certainly had Hugo Lloris to thank for keeping the scoreline level early on as he saved Sergio Aguero’s penalty.

With the game seemingly heading for a goalless draw, Son then stepped up to the plate with a neat finish on a special night in Tottenham’s new stadium, but the victory wasn’t without its negatives.

Harry Kane injury

Let’s start with the obvious one.

The England captain launched into a needless tackle with City’s Fabian Delph on the touchline in the second half and instantly reached for his ankle, limping down the tunnel and never returning.

Mauricio Pochettino suggested post-match that the news wasn’t good and with Spurs chasing a top-four finish in the Premier League and looking to advance through to the semi-finals of the Champions League, this is the last news they needed.

Not a big enough advantage

Without Kane next week in the return leg Tottenham ideally needed a bigger advantage against a City side that are so strong at home, but they didn’t get it.

At least they do have one, but it is difficult to see 1-0 being enough against Pep Guardiola’s men given they boast the likes of Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane – to name but a few – in their attack.

The last time Spurs visited the Etihad in 2017 they were beaten 4-1, and they will have to perform much better than that if they want to get the result they need to progress to the last four of Europe’s elite club competition.

Check out the latest hilarious video by 442oons in the video below…

They may have got the victory, but they have still left themselves with an uphill task.

Eriksen and Alli must improve

If Kane is to miss the rest of the season, then Pochettino and Tottenham need these two to really be at their best in the next few weeks.

Yes they had their fair share of neat touches here and there on Tuesday, but Dele Alli only put in a performance where he almost got things right.

That can’t be the case next week at the Etihad or in the Premier League, and it is the same story for Christian Eriksen.

The Dane may have provided the assist for Son’s goal, produced some decent passes and got through a lot of running, but he also wasted a lot of opportunities when in possession and didn’t have that sharpness when in space on other occasions.

A big improvement from the duo is a necessity if Tottenham are to achieve their goals this term.

Samuel Saiz made his bed and now he has to live with it, despite flopping hard back in Spain.

These days long-term loan deals tend to spell the end of a players career at a club. You know, a ‘try before you buy’ kind of situation where you are almost certainly going to walk out with the food, you just wanted another nibble beforehand.

Indeed, when Samuel Saiz randomly made the decision to pick up sticks and waddle his way back to his homeland to join Getafe, we all kind of assumed that that was the end of his career in West Yorkshire. But it seems we were wrong.

According to Football Insider, the 28-year-old has made just two starts for the Europe chasing Spanish side and not managed a single minute of action since early February. Grass is always greener, right?

With Leeds United on the run-in to Premier League promotion, a return to his parent club may seem like a fairly attractive prospect for Saiz. But we cannot honestly say he will be welcome anymore.

Noel Whelan certainly is not convinced by Saiz’s return. “I wouldn’t be going back to a player with such a fragile character and temperament,” the former Leeds United forward said (via Football Insider).

“He has chosen to be in Spain and wanted to be back there for family reasons, good luck to him.

“We are hopefully going into the Premier League next season and we have done it (automatic promotion) without him.

“I wouldn’t have him at my club. I would have got rid of him after the spitting incident [last year], which was appalling. That kind of behaviour is degrading and the worst thing you can do to an opponent on the pitch.

“I would have absolutely binned him then, and I would get rid at the first opportunity.”

The Premier League is a cruel and unforgiving place and there is no place for mercenaries like Saiz, especially in a Bielsa squad. He gave up on his team when he left in January, and as far as we are concerned, and likely everyone else, he does not deserve a spot in a squad who have fought so vehemently for one another without jumping ship.

When the Spaniard returns with his tail between his legs, Andrea Radrizzani surely has to send him packing immediately.

Leeds fans, what are your honest thoughts about Samu Saiz? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

After Leeds United suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City on April 6th, Marcelo Bielsa needed his players to step up to the mark in their clashes against Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday.

Patrick Bamford responded to the call by firing in a super brace at Deepdale which set up the possibility for the Whites to move three points clear of their automatic promotion rivals Sheffield United. Despite dominating their clash with the Owls, Leeds were frustrated at Elland Road by a superb display by Keiran Westwood before finally making the all-important breakthrough in the second-half.

In need of a hero, it was Jack Harrison (who has previously talked up the notion of a permanent deal at Elland Road when speaking to fan site We All Love Leeds) who provided a moment which could quite easily be looked back at in May as the goal which secured a top-two finish for the Yorkshire-based outfit. After receiving a cross from Pablo Hernandez, the Manchester City loanee placed a wonderful strike into the bottom corner.

Although it could be argued that Harrison, who is valued at £3.15 million (as per Transfermarkt), has been one of the best players for Leeds this season, his lack of consistency in the final third has, and still is a major stumbling block that could impact where his future lies next season. Unlikely to get into a City side who boast the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez in his position, it may suit the 22-year-old to seek a permanent move to Leeds in the summer.

However, Bielsa must hold fire on such a deal until he knows what division that the Whites will be playing in next year. Whereas another campaign in the Championship may suit Harrison’s development as a player, the jury is out on whether he is ready to make the step up to the top flight.

With Leeds just four games away from securing their return to the Premier League, they must weigh up the risks and potential rewards in bringing in a winger who has yet to prove himself at the highest level, but has the potential to do so.

What do you think Whites fans? Would you welcome Harrison on a permanent deal in the summer? Or is there someone else that Bielsa should consider signing? Let us know below.

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James Shan’s tenure at West Brom so far has been mixed to say the least. There have been some fantastic performances, no less than against Preston. But displays against Bristol City and most recently against Reading have shown there are still lingering problems from Darren Moore’s time at the Hawthorns.

Shan chose to rotate against Reading so it’s hardly a surprise that they drew 0-0, but some individual performances will have given him a lot to think about.

One of the major dilemmas the 40-year-old will now have to think about is his midfield. He’s been able to settle upon a three-man defensive system but you sense he still doesn’t know his best team. So in the time he’s got left at the club, which is until the end of the season as things stand, what can he do about it?

On the chalkboard

A stand out performer, of which there weren’t too many against Reading, was 20-year-old Sam Field. Given he’s a product of the flourishing Baggies academy it will have pleased the supporters no end.

His display was mature and he offered plenty of protection to Albion’s back three. He played in a midfield two with Rekeem Harper and it was an intriguing experiment from Shan to see him go with two less experienced players.

It was a game that ultimately didn’t mean too much, but for the futures of both players, it said a lot. Field was considerably better, whereas Harper showed why the club may be better off not renewing his contract.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

However, despite the performance of the former, Shan can’t throw him into the deep end just yet. With the play-offs lingering and so much riding on an instant return to the Premier League, it’s time for Albion’s more experienced heads to stand up instead.

They may have just lost Gareth Barry to injury and Jake Livermore’s form may have been questionable, but a midfield pairing of Chris Brunt and Stefan Johansen would be the best way to go. Both men have been mightily impressive under Shan and they have to be preferred to Field at this stage in the season.

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Unai Emery has seen Arsenal’s defence struggle all season, but it’s not only the back four that he should be concerned about. Having experimented with several systems this season, the only consistency in his formation seems to be in the use of a ‘number 10’ behind his strikers, a position no one has made their own. Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have all had spells in that role, but what is Emery really looking for from his creative midfielders?

The Chalkboard

Arsenal started the season with a back four which saw both Ozil and Ramsey get a lot of game time, alternating the number 10 position between them. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang led the line with Alexandre Lacazette out of favour.

Ozil was starting regularly before being dropped, sparking all sorts of controversy. Iwobi and Mkhitaryan had a spell playing as the inside forwards in a 3-4-3 formation before Ramsey took on the role in which he’s found his best form this season.

The Welshman is due to leave the club this summer for Juventus, and Ozil’s future is in doubt after more tepid displays, along with unconvincing performances from Iwobi and Mkhitaryan as well.

Many thought Emery got his man when he signed Denis Suarez in January, a player he’d previously worked well with, but injuries have forced the Spaniard to cut  short his awful loan spell.

Dynamism, flair and work ethic

A lot of managers are happy for their number 10 to possess attacking flair and creativity in the final third whilst ignoring the player’s shortcomings in defensive fazes of the game. Emery is not one of these managers.

His use of various personnel in different matches shows that he’s having to handpick the number 10 he feels is right for a particular game. Against Tottenham at the Emirates, he wanted Iwobi and Mkhitaryan in the team as their flexibility allows them to drift wide and stretch the pitch. Against Chelsea he wanted Ramsey’s dynamism and work ethic to close down Jorginho and implement the high press, and against Manchester United he wanted Ozil’s killer pass and vision to break down a stubborn defence that held out PSG just days before.

Emery does not seem happy to have a number 10 with many shortcomings and so is looking for an all-action midfielder who boasts creativity to give Arsenal an edge in the final third, but can contribute to all fazes of play.

Watch an Arsenal fan’s incredible rant about Phil Jagielka in the video below…

If you look at Ramsey’s stats in the Premier League this season, he boasts a tackle success rate of 53% despite playing high up the pitch. Lucas Torreira’s tackle rate is 58%, whereas Ozil’s is 42%. Ramsey has also made more tackles (34), recoveries (88) and has won more duels (79) than the ex-Real Madrid man, showing his commitment to defending as well.

If you had to pick someone to describe Emery’s perfect midfielder, you’d have to go for Bernardo Silva. His tackle success rate is 76%, he’s made 45 tackles this season, 151 recoveries and he’s won 115 duels, all better than Ramsey.

Along with his defensive discipline, he’s managed to register seven goals, seven assists and averages 42 passes a game, all better than Ozil. Silva plays his football more comfortably in the middle of the pitch, but delivers impressive statistics when he plays out on the right as well, showing his flexibility.

The Manchester City man is the perfect example of a blend between the best of Ozil and the best of Ramsey that Emery is looking to build his Arsenal team around going into next season. He wants a player who possesses attributes to contribute to all fazes of the game but whose performances stay consistent when playing out of position if needed. This is a position Emery is sure to try and fix this summer.