All posts by h716a5.icu

According to Sky Sports football reporter Keith Downie on Twitter, Sunderland are close to signing two new strikers before the end of the month. 

One striker is long-term target Will Grigg, while the other is believed to be Middlesbrough’s England under-19 international Stephen Walker.

This is very encouraging news for The Black Cats, as these two deals are a sign that the club thinking about the present and the future. In the absence of Josh Maja, Jack Ross will need to quickly find a replacement for the striker to keep the club competitive at the top end of League One this season. Grigg is certainly that man.

Currently plying his trade with Wigan in the Championship, Grigg would surely want to drop down to League One, where he has had a huge amount of success in past seasons. In his last three seasons spent in League One with Wigan and MK Dons, he has scored 64 goals. On the other hand, he only has four Championship goals this season for The Latics. Therefore, he may be able to help Sunderland get back up to the Championship, but may not be of great service once they do.

That is when Walker will come into his own. The 18-year-old is seen as a hugely promising talent, which is obvious seeing as he has represented his country. Walker’s signature will ensure continued success, rather than a potential flash-in-the-pan. This is the clearest sign that Sunderland are starting to make shrewd signings after years of transfer blunders.

The transfer politics at play at Tottenham Hotspur are some of the most talked about and peculiar in English football, and the conclusion of the January transfer window looks set to evoke a whole new debate concerning what on earth is going on in north London.

Barring a dramatic announcement at any point on Wednesday, it seems that the Spurs faithful are going to wake up on Thursday morning with the knowledge that it’s been exactly one year since their club made a signing.

Lucas Moura signed on deadline day last year in a deal which has proven fruitful thus far, but Tottenham’s failure to add to their squad ever since is staggering.

Disgruntled supporters have consistently launched attacks on Daniel Levy for his apparent refusal to spend money in the transfer market. That Spurs are set to move into a new multi-million pound stadium can go some way to explaining the lack of activity, but a recent report hints that it is Pochettino and not Levy who has deprived the club of clinching a potentially cunning January deal.

A report from Het Belang van Limburg (via Sports Witness) published on Wednesday suggested that Leicester City have won the race for Monaco’s Youri Tielemans, beating the likes of Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur to the coveted 21-year-old playmaker.

Pertinently, the report reveals that Tottenham directors wanted to sanction a loan deal with an option to buy clause but Pochettino wasn’t convinced by Tielemans, paving the way for Leicester to clinch his signature.

The report also claims that Monaco were not willing to include an option to buy clause as part of any potential deal, so Spurs may have been unsuccessful in their endeavour even if Pochettino had given the green light.

However, the fact Pochettino refused to take up the chance to bid for Tielemans is perplexing to say the least. Monaco’s midfield lynchpin is a fantastic creative talent with plenty to offer in the Premier League, and the departure of Mousa Dembele has left a notable void which needs to be filled.

Pochettino has been forced to rely upon something of a makeshift midfield partnership so far this season comprising of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko and, to their credit, they have been excellent for the most part.

But, with the race for the top-four beginning to heat up and a Champions League encounter against Borussia Dortmund beckoning, Spurs need more bodies in the squad to deal with injuries, suspensions and simply to provide fresh first-team options.

Pochettino’s commitment to the development of youth is commendable due to its uniqueness in the context of a financially-driven modern game, but at some point he needs to appreciate that it is possible, if not beneficial, to balance that commitment with new signings at the right time.

Time will tell whether Pochettino is actually a step ahead of the game and has seen a weakness in Tielemans to influence his snub but, if Levy doesn’t have a trick up his sleeve before the deadline passes, it’s a decision which the Argentine may live to regret.

Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Despite a lack of pace on the counter attack, Newcastle let Jacob Murphy go out on loan to West Brom on deadline day, as per nufc.co.uk, and the decision to do so may have confused some; particularly as the Magpies have been lacking quality options on the left-wing since Matt Ritchie was shifted into Rafa Benitez’s back-five to patch up an injury stricken defence.

However, after the club sealed a loan move for Monaco’s Antonio Barreca in January – the Italian came on at left-wing-back in the loss to Spurs on Saturday – Rafa Benitez is looking forward to restoring Ritchie in midfield.

What’s Benitez said?

Well, the Spaniard said, in quotes reported by The Northern Echo:

“We decided to let Murphy go on loan because of that

“With Barreca, we have another chance to play with a left wing-back, which means that Ritchie can play as a winger.

“Maybe he can continue as a wing-back if we need him to, but at least we have more options and that is always good because it gives us more competition.

The Magpies have found success playing a 5-4-1 in recent weeks, although this may be subject to change after the club-record signing of Miguel Almiron, who excels playing as an attacking midfielder in central areas.

Benefits of Barreca

The 23-year-old has got bags of pace – a commodity in the Newcastle ranks – and will match his right-sided counterpart DeAndre Yedlin in that department but, more importantly, his arrival allows Ritchie, who is arguably the St James’ Park outfit’s best crosser of the ball, to get into attacking areas more often.

Striker Salomon Rondon thrives off of balls into the box and is a real handful for any centre-back on his day, although Ritchie’s relegation to the defence has meant he has had less service – the likes of Christian Atsu and Ayoze Perez have often struggled in that respect.

Newcastle make the trip to Molineux on Monday to face Wolves and will be hoping to climb further away from the relegation zone. Might we see Richie back in midfield as soon as then?

The Magpie Channel’s Matt explains why he’s “jealous” of Wolves ahead of Newcastle’s clash with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men on Monday 11th in the video below…

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Two long-distance Celtic fans will feel the minute of respect for Emiliano Sala before the match with Valencia more than most.

UEFA have instructed all clubs involved in the Champions League and Europa League to hold a minute of silence in respect of the striker who died on a flight between Nantes and Cardiff.

Among the 60,000 inside Celtic Park will be two members of the Argentina Celtic Supporters Club who planned their journey months ago.

The loss of Sala’s flight and the eventual discovery of the plane and recovery of a body shocked the football world and brought home how vulnerable leading players can be.

Players hop on and off planes on a regular basis with journeys often adding to the excitement of the transfer window.

Gary Lineker and Kylian Mbappe were among the celebrities that donated towards the salvage fund with the body of pilot David Ibbotson still to be recovered.

Sala spent eight years playing in France, at Bordeaux, Caen and Nantes, before agreeing to a transfer to Cardiff City.

Here’s a look at how Hoops followers have reacted to the gesture from Celtic’s Argentine fan contingent…

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According to an interview as published by The Times, Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich believes Jurgen Klopp is ideally suited to be manager of the Germany national team.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the versatile 24-year-old has been speaking ahead of his side’s trip to face Liverpool at Anfield in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie on Tuesday night, and has been full of praise for the former Borussia Dortmund coach.

The Germany international, who may well start at right-back on Merseyside, said via The Times: “You see how he works at Liverpool, or how he worked before at Dortmund. [Joachim] Löw has been there [as Germany’s head coach] since 2006, so it’s hard for everybody to imagine how it would be with another coach. But of course I think Jürgen Klopp would be a good national coach.”

Low signed a new contract that would take him through until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar prior to his team’s awful showing in Russia last summer, while they also suffered relegation from their UEFA Nations League group.

Would Klopp ever get the job?

Given his personality and style of play he likes to use, there seems little doubt that one day he will be Germany manager.

When Low eventually goes – whether that is after the World Cup in Qatar or beforehand if things continue to not go well – Klopp will undoubtedly be one of the names near the top of the shortlist to be his replacement.

Should the 51-year-old win the Premier League title with the Reds this season he may feel satisfied that he has done all he can with the Merseyside club, who of course would surely do everything they can to keep him should Germany come calling unless things turn sour in the near future given his huge popularity.

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The future of Tottenham Hotspur attacker Christian Eriksen remains up in the air.

Indeed, Eriksen will see his current contract with Spurs expire at the end of next season.

A recent report claimed that the London club had made a breakthrough when it comes to the Denmark international’s future.

However, the simple fact of the matter is that the 6ft ace is yet to pen an extension and there will surely be offers at the end of the season.

Eriksen is enjoying another fine campaign, scoring seven goals and registering 12 assists in 33 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions.

Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all been credited with an interest, which will be a concern for Tottenham.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The London club’s fans have recently been on social media commenting on the 27-year-old’s future and it would be fair to say that a number are desperate for some sort of announcement.

A selection of the latest Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Tottenham Hotspur slumped to their first defeat in five matches when they were beaten 2-1 by Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.

The result damages Spurs’ title chances, as both Liverpool and Manchester United will now have a chance to pull further ahead of the north London club. Mauricio Pochettino will be disappointed to have seen his side beaten in such a fashion. 

Spurs’ defensive performance left plenty to be desired, as they struggled to deal with the aerial prowess and physicality of the Clarets’ forwards. Young centre-back Juan Foyth and 26-year-old right wing-back Serge Aurier were particularly poor.

Aurier’s experience and physical attributes ought to have made him well suited for this fixture, but his lack of focus and poor positional awareness saw him fail to effectively challenge the Burnley attackers. It was certainly a game to forget for the 48-cap Ivory Coast international.

After the match, plenty of Spurs fans took to Twitter to criticise Aurier’s display…

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Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has stated in his latest Daily Mail column that Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish is the “best player outside the Premier League”, and Villa fans should be fearful after the comments.

What’s the word, then?

Well, after a three-month injury absence the 23-year-old returned to the starting XI and captained the Midlands outfit in their 4-0 win against Derby County at Villa Park on Saturday.

The ex-England U21 international shone in the victory against Frank Lampard’s visitors, and rounded off his fine performance with a stunning first-time volley after a corner was sent to the edge of the penalty area for him.

Writing in his Daily Mail column, Redknapp said: “There have been some brilliant volleys this season but the best two have both come at Villa Park. If you enjoyed John McGinn’s strike against Sheffield Wednesday in September, you will love Jack Grealish’s volley following a corner against Derby on Saturday.

“Had Grealish been fit for the whole season, I am in no doubt Villa would be in the play-offs. He is the best player outside the Premier League.”

Who has been the Championship’s best player this season? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

Is Redknapp right?

He certainly is.

While there are plenty of contenders in the Championship, Grealish clearly has the quality to suggest he could make it for a club fighting in the top-half of the Premier League.

Displays like his one at the weekend will only catch the eye of top-flight scouts looking to make summer additions to their clubs, even if the talented midfielder did only sign a new five-year deal back in September, which reportedly includes a £45m buy-out clause.

However, if Villa miss out on promotion this season – they currently lie six points adrift of the play-off positions – it seems unlikely that he would want to stay, and fans should be seriously worried about losing their prized asset if they don’t go up.

[ad_pod ]The Second City derby may have been all about a supporter punching Jack Grealish, but Birmingham’s Craig Gardner did his best to take the attention away from the earlier incident by missing two wonderful chances.Gardner failed to score two simple opportunities late in the game which would have cancelled out Grealish’s goal earlier in the match. The 32-year-old first smashed an effort over the bar and then put a header just wide of the post.It was two moments that brought great joy to Villa supporters, who took delight in seeing one of their ex-players miss the chance to rescue the game for his current side.Villa fans were able to laugh off the fact he’s now at Birmingham to acknowledge the player’s roots after he came through the youth setup at Villa Park, sarcastically applauding his display.Gardner spent the earliest parts of his career with the Villans, signing professional terms in 2005 before eventually leaving five years later to join Birmingham. He is now in his third spell with Blues.But his performance, which was as a substitute on Sunday, will likely not do anything for his chances in the first team going forward. Villa fans, however, will be hoping he puts in similar displays as their rivals bid for a play-off place.Here’s how Villa supporters reacted to his pair of big misses…

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to an update from Lee Ryder, who reports that Shola Ameobi is in the running for a new role at the club’s academy.

According to Lee Ryder of Chronicle Live, Ameobi is under consideration for one of three new roles on Tyneside.

According to the report, the Magpies are expected to employ “a loan coordinator, Under-23 boss and assistant Academy coach for a range of younger age groups”.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Under-18 manager Dave Watson will leave the club at the end of the season, while Peter Beardsley left his role as the development manager last month.

Ameobi scored 75 goals and racked up 28 assists in 390 Newcastle appearances, but the formerly popular front man has blotted his copybook with fans due to his views on infamous club owner Mike Ashley.

The 37 year-old defended Ashley’s leadership of the club last year, so it does seem quite the coincidence that he is now in line for a job.

Plenty of fans have made that connection too, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…