All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Loads of Spurs fans have been running the rule over Saturday’s north London derby, and they’re absolutely full of praise for Moussa Sissoko.

When Sissoko arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2016 for a fee of roughly £30m, it seemed like everyone was just waiting for the Frenchman to fail.

After a poor start to life in north London, the former Newcastle midfielder was taking as much stick from his own fans as the opponent’s, but that has all changed this season.

Sissoko has been perhaps Pochettino’s most reliable and consistent performer this campaign, bossing the middle of the pitch with his incredible engine and drive.

The 29 year-old was absolutely everywhere as usual on Saturday as well, doing a little bit of everything in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Sissoko completed 83 per cent of his pass, took one shot, completed one key pass, two dribbles, and also made one tackle and one interception, per Whoscored’s stats.

It was about as well-rounded performance as you are likely to see from a central midfield player in such a big game, and the Twitter reactions down below are full of praise for the one-time scapegoat…

Leeds are sure to be linked with a host of players yet again this summer, with the possibility of them being back in the top flight still very much viable.

Marcelo Bielsa is not giving up and neither are his side, having performed so well this season.

It’s still conceivable for Leeds to win the league or have to battle through the play-offs, either way, they have done remarkably well this campaign.

They do not want to crumble at the last minute but now is also the right time for them to consider who they will sign in the summer, Premier League football or not.

Defensively, there is work to be done and Leeds United could strengthen their right-back position by acquiring Arsenal’s Carl Jenkinson.

Jenkinson, (who is valued at £2.2 million on Transfermarkt) has recently made a revival in terms of his Arsenal career, considering that he has played seven games this season.

It’s far from a lot but, keeping in mind that Jenkinson couldn’t secure a regular place in Birmingham’s or West Ham’s team in his last two loan spells, he has done well to make an impact at the Emirates.

At the age of 27, Jenkinson is no longer a future star and with every game, he needs to consistently deliver.

Luke Ayling is Leeds’ only out-and-out right-back option at the club and whether they gain promotion or not, that is something they need to change.

With the potential for injury and suspension at any time, Carl Jenkinson is more than good enough to feature regularly for Leeds, becoming their first-choice in that role.

Do you agree… Let us know!

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Lucas Torreira’s three-match ban, given for his red card during the north London derby, has been upheld, per Sky Sports.

The Uruguay international was sent off in the closing stages of the 1-1 draw at Wembley after lunging into a challenge on Spurs full-back Danny Rose.

Referee Anthony Taylor showed Torreira a straight red card, meaning he was handed an automatic three-match suspension.

The club appealed that decision in the hope of reducing the ban but he will indeed be absent from games against Manchester United, Newcastle United and Everton after the ban was upheld.

Torreira has been a key member of Unai Emery’s squad this season and has played in every single Premier League game.

He could still be selected for the Europa League encounter against French club Rennes on Thursday.

Nevertheless, Gunners fans have been left shocked at the decision of the governing body. Indeed, many have pointed out that Rose made a high challenge on Bernd Leno, while Davinson Sanchez was alleged to have stamped on Laurent Koscielny at Wembley.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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Granit Xhaka was in excellent form as Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The midfielder scored the opening goal of the game against the Red Devils, sending a swerving, dipping shot past David De Gea from outside the box.

Per WhoScored, in addition to his goal, Xhaka made two key passes in the game, boasted an 80% pass completion rate and won one aerial battle, earning a rating of 8.2, the highest of any player on the pitch.

The Switzerland international was integral, then, to Unai Emery’s side ending the unbeaten Premier League run of United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Xhaka also made two interceptions throughout the game and kept the midfield ticking over in north London.

The performance impressed a number of Gunners fans, who believe that the former Basel midfielder is starting to deliver on his long-mooted potential.

Take a look at the best of the Twitter reaction below!

With 190 Premier League appearances to his name, Gary Cahill is sure to go down as one of the best defenders of his generation having won everything there is to win at club level.

The Derbyshire-born player took the first steps to his footballing dream by signing at the age of 15 for Aston Villa where he would represent the club’s youth teams for a further four years.

Despite impressing as a teenager for the Lions, he was loaned out to Burnley in order to gain some first team experience. 32 games later and now a fully-established central defender, Cahill would mark his return to Villa Park with arguably the stand-out moment of his career for the club.

With the score locked at 1-1 during a Premier League clash against arch-rivals Birmingham City in 2006, Cahill produced a spectacular overhead kick finish to put his side ahead and send the home supporters crazy. The sublime technique displayed would have been more suited to that of a striker rather than a defender yet it showed just how much talent that he had at his disposal.

Nevertheless, after sanctioning yet another loan move to the Championship in 2007, Villa decided to let Cahill leave on a permanent deal at the turn of the year, selling him to Bolton Wanderers. In hindsight, Villa supporters must have seen this is a huge mistake as throughout his five year stay with the Trotters, the defender proved to be very consistent and reliable.

A number of outstanding performances during the 2011/12 campaign attracted the interest of Chelsea who agreed a fee believed to be in the region of just £7m for Cahill (via the BBC). The former Villa man’s career then skyrocketed as he was part of a squad which won both the FA Cup and the Champions League with the latter seeing him produce arguably the greatest ever performance of his career to date in the final.

Despite going into the game against Bayern Munich as underdogs at the Allianz Arena, Chelsea prevailed via a penalty-shootout after a dogged defensive display led by Cahill and fellow central defender David Luiz. In a match which was dominated by Die Roten, it was quite simply incredible just how the Blues managed to come out victorious, especially when you consider that they were managed by the vastly inexperienced Roberto Di Matteo.

Following this achievement, Cahill played an integral part in winning the Europa League in 2013 before going on to claim the second double of his career two years later, winning both the League Cup and the Premier League under then-boss Jose Mourinho.

After a change in the way that Chelsea set-up in 2016 by Antonio Conte, the England international was almost faultless in the side’s barnstorming run to the title, producing an incredible level of consistency.

Cahill would later captain the Blues to his first ever FA Cup final in 2018 where an Eden Hazard penalty secured a 1-0 victory for the club. However, since this triumph, the defender has been left out of Maurizio Sarri’s plans for the future and has only featured sporadically during the 2018/19 campaign.

At the age of 33, Cahill undoubtedly has at least two or three more campaigns to play before he calls time on his distinguished career and maybe, just maybe this could happen where it all began, with Villa.

Regardless of what division the Lions find themselves in next season, the acquisition of a former Champions League winner would clearly bolster the club’s squad and bring much-needed experience to their back line.

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!

[ad_pod ]Portsmouth fans have been sharing their best memories of Matthew Taylor after the club legend announced his retirement on his official Twitter account.Taylor played for Pompey between 2002 and 2008, scoring a number of sensational goals and helping the club win promotion to the Premier League.Upon leaving the club, he joined Bolton Wanderers, where he spent three years before embarking on something of a nomadic ending to his career.Spells with West Ham United, Burnley and Northampton Town followed prior to a move to Swindon Town, where he will see out his playing days.A versatile player with the ability to play at left-back, left midfield or in the centre of the pitch, Taylor has made 32 appearances in all competitions this season, with Swindon currently 13th in League Two.

He will retire upon the expiration of his contract this summer and Pompey fans have been quick to reminisce about some of Taylor’s best moments at Fratton Park.

Indeed, the 37-year-old represented Portsmouth 192 times, more than any other club in his career.

Take a look at some of the best reaction on Twitter below!

If they want to reassert themselves as Premier League heavyweights, Newcastle United need to think ahead. For once. 

Clearly, they need to wrap up a deal to get Rafa Benitez locked on Tyneside for the long-term first but, with every Toon reading this hoping he does exactly that, transfer targets also need to be looked at.

According to reports (via Football Insider), Newcastle are aiming to sign Spanish young sensation Alhagi Touray. Despite being an unknown talent in top division football, Touray’s incredible work in the Catalan Third division has impressed multiple Premier League clubs.

He’s scored 30 goals in 24 games for Third-tier side Santvicenti, attracting a lot of attention as a result.

While there’s always the gamble on signing such an unproven talent, Touray’s unprecedented goal-scoring record is proof he’s something special. After he enjoyed a successful trial period with Scottish Premiership side Hearts earlier this year, many Premier League clubs including Newcastle had their interest piqued.

The 19-year-old striker can stop scoring and under the right guidance can become a top-class striker. Having given rise to so many world-class strikers in recent season, who better to guide him than Rafa Benitez? With the Magpies future success in mind, Benitez could quickly assert Touray into spearheading Newcastle’s attack.

After adapting to the Premier League, he can easily replace Ayoze Perez (another bargain picked up from Spain) and be the daunting goal-scoring figure Newcastle have lacked for some-time. Rafa can strike gold with Touray, who’s lethal finishing ability can be used as a weapon for Newcastle to regain their long-lost giant reputation.

Newcastle fans, would you want to take a gamble on someone like Touray? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to say that they want to see James Milner kept at the club this summer, despite the fact that his contract will have just one year remaining on it.

The Leeds academy graduate has made over 160 appearances for the Reds since arriving on a free transfer back in 2015, and has become a key cog in the side now challenging Milner’s former club – Manchester City – for the title.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

However, the 33-year-old’s contract is set to run out in 2020, despite some publications stating otherwise. This means that Jurgen Klopp will need to make a decision on what to do with the midfielder in the near future, or he could risk losing him on a free.

Liverpool fans have grown fond of their No.7 since his arrival at Anfield, and whilst he is getting on a bit, Milner is still a more than capable performer and a player who should be kept around, if the fans reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

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Andy Carroll is to leave West Ham on a free transfer after his season was ended with injury according to The Chronicle, and Toon fans have reacted to the news.

Carroll who is now 30, has had a career plighted by injury and it is thought he is considering a fresh start in the MLS.

The former Liverpool man could however, end up staying in East London because the Hammers have an option to extend his contract by two years.

The Geordie, who left Newcastle for a club-record £35 million in 2011 has consistently been linked with a return to Tyneside, which has often caused mixed reaction within the Newcastle fan-base.

He has made 102 appearances for West Ham scoring 26 goals since he signed permanently for the club back in June 2013.

His record for the Magpies was better making 80 appearances and scoring 31 goals, but some Toon fans certainly do not want him back at the club if the thoughts of the following fans are anything to go by.