All posts by h79snht.top

Liverpool supporters are eager to see Kalidou Koulibaly at Anfield after watching him in action for Senegal against Poland in the World Cup on Tuesday.The African side produced an excellent display to see off the much fancied European outfit, emerging as 2-1 winners, with Poland only able to manage a late consolation.Koulibaly was central to the performance and win, keeping the likes of Robert Lewandowski quiet across the 90 minutes on their way to victory.The 27-year-old plays his club football at Napoli of course, emerging as one of the best defenders in Europe’s top five leagues with imperious performances at home and in the UEFA Champions League.Linked with moves to the likes of Chelsea in recent months, Liverpool fans now want to see the Anfield club make a play for him, believing that having his international teammate Sadio Mane already at the club could give them the upper hand in negotiations.Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on potentially signing him after watching him in action…

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West Ham’s appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as manager has set pulses racing not just because of his calibre as a Premier League winner and former Real Madrid boss but also because of his penchant for attacking football.

A sense of adventure is exactly what is needed to lift the mood of the fans in East London and the next step is to use the transfer market to assemble a squad capable of getting the supporters off their seats this season.

As the clock ticks onto five years since Andy Carroll joined the Hammers, it brings into sharp focus just how unreliable the former Newcastle man has been during his time at the club and there is only so long that they can keep waiting for him to come good.

That’s why, when West Ham were linked with a £16m move for Salomon Rondon, we asked their fans whether they want the West Brom hitman to come on board this season.

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The response was fairly positive, with 71 per cent of Hammers wanting the target man to make the move south this summer…

West Ham are negotiating with exciting youngster Declan Rice over a new contract, as covered by Sky Sports.

Rice was a stand-out performer in a tumultuous season for the London club. A measured defender with the ability to play out from the back, many expect to see Rice become an integral part of the new West Ham side under Manuel Pellegrini.

West Ham have the option of triggering a further year on his existing deal, but feel that his performances this season have warranted an increase in wage and responsibility for the 19-year old.

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Even with the purchase of French centre-back Issa Diop, securing the future of one of the hottest prospects to come out of the West Ham academy in years should be at the top of Pellegrini’s wishlist.

Here’s a quick look at how the news of the negotiations went down with West Ham fans on social media…

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The Leeds United fans in the Transfer Tavern are feeling excited by the new era under Marcelo Bielsa which promises to be characterised by eccentricity and exuberance, but a recent report from Italy should give them genuine cause for concern about their club’s strategy in the transfer market.

The Breakdown

According to the highly-respected Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Leeds are locked in negotiations with Carpi over a €1.8 million deal for the Nigerian striker Jerry Mbakogu. The Whites have been consistently linked with Mbakogu since the turn of the year, but history suggests that their 25-year-old target is not the man to solve their problems.

Carpi finished the previous Serie B season slap bang in the middle of the table in 11th place with a goal difference of -14 – a fact which illuminates their lack of potency in-front of goal.

Mbakogu was a key part of the Italian side’s struggle to find the back of the net as he notched just 6 goals from 26 appearances, losing his place in the starting eleven towards the end of the season as a consequence of his modest record.

With these statistics in mind, it’s no wonder that Carpi are willing to allow Mbakogu to depart the club for such a measly fee this summer, and their apparent willingness to sell should ring a few alarm bells at Elland Road.

Despite the natural appeal of a cut-price transfer fee, Andrea Radrizzani and Bielsa need to rethink their approach to the hunt for a new striker and hone in on what’s really important: a player with a proven track-record to consistently find the back of the net.

Considering both the quality and competitiveness of Serie B is a level below that of the Championship, signing Mbakogu represents a sideways move at best, and there’s no doubt he would struggle to adapt to the intensity of English football.

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Bielsa’s activity in the transfer market this summer will play a pivotal role in determining his success in masterminding a revolution at a club which is crying out for a long-awaited return to the top-flight, so he must be shrewder with his choices and abandon the proposed move to sign Mbakogu before he makes his first major mistake at Leeds.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Mikel Arteta has hinted that Ainsley Maitland-Niles will move into midfield following Arsenal’s January business, per Football.London.

What’s the word?

Maitland-Niles has played primarily as a right-back this season, making 14 appearances in the position, but the Gunners recruited a new full-back in the transfer window.

Cedric Soares arrived on loan from Southampton, while the Gunners also signed Pablo Mari on loan from Flamengo.

And Arteta has hinted that Maitland-Niles’ versatility will mean that he will continue to play regularly for the club despite the Saints full-back moving to north London.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Arsenal’s history in the January transfer window?

He said in his press conference prior to the Gunners’ clash with Burnley on Sunday: “He can play in various positions and do really well at full-back as well.

“He’s a very useful player with great speed, technically gifted, a good passer of the ball and he can play as an attacking midfielder because he’s a threat every time with his runs.

“And he can play a holding midfielder because he’s played a lot there in his career.

“It’s good to have players that can play in various positions.”

Swiss army knife

Maitland-Niles’ versatility is such a boon for manager Arteta.

He has played five times as a right midfielder this term and, per Transfermarkt, he has been deployed as a right-back, a central midfielder, a defensive midfielder, a left winger, a left-back and even as a centre-back during his career.

His chameleonic ability to fill multiple positions means that the Gunners are unlikely to face problems when it comes to strengthening.

Bringing in Cedric means that they have a specialist right-back and Maitland-Niles can simply move somewhere else on the pitch.

That is a boost for the former Manchester City coach.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are set to search for a signing in one position in the summer!

Before the Gunners first got their league campaign off the mark at home to West Ham last month, the determined Emirates faithful once again shone the upcoming 2015/16 campaign in a particularly promising light for their club.

From the likes of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny supposedly holding it down for Arsene Wenger at the back, with the newly emerged Francis Coquelin keeping things tight in the middle of the park and Alexis Sanchez and co. maintaining a serious goal-threat for Arsenal in the final third – many saw the new season as the chance for some distinctly defined fortunes in and around the team.

However, as life in the English top-flight rarely runs smoothly in North London for one reason or another, so far Arsene Wenger’s side have looked undoubtedly flat across the 2015/16 campaign. The new term just hasn’t got off to that sensational start many Arsenal fans seemed to be expecting over the summer.

So then, whilst the Gunners’ back-line has admittedly remained relatively sturdy by all accounts, do Arsenal still need some serious help in the striking department this deadline-day?

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Many current members of the Emirates faithful would invariably agree. Arsenal are a good team at this stage in the season – there’s not too much doubt about that – yet are they a complete outfit worthy of winning the Premier League title outright this term? Arguably not…

Despite several loyal Gunners previously touting the 2015/16 campaign as one in which Arsenal would finally pull together collectively out on the pitch and extend their trophy winning grasp beyond the F.A. Cup this season, once again the North Londoners seemed to have over-shot their lofty expectations. Arsenal fans seemingly have a reoccurring tendency to do so nonetheless, for many of the Emirates faithful were even whispering the word ‘invincibles’ once again before opening day defeat to the Hammers of course.

No, as it stands this current crop of Arsenal stars don’t look anywhere near capable of successfully landing the title this season, no matter how optimistic certain sections of their support stubbornly remain. Wenger’s back-line and midfield options admittedly look to have gone about their business effectively enough without proving overly spectacular so far this term – but when it comes to scoring goals in the final third – the Gunners have looked somewhat incomplete.

Perhaps Arsene Wenger’s preferred system of formation just isn’t all that suited to the current attacking options at his disposal. When either Olivier Giroud or Theo Walcott are tasked with manning the isolated centre-forward’s role at the Emirates, the results usually disappoint somewhat to say the very least.

Neither player works effectively enough on their own up-top, yet as Wenger seemingly never opts to play two recognised strikers in his starting XI, it remains difficult to imagine each player truly offering everything they have at the Emirates. However, whether or not Olivier Giroud, or the increasingly forgetful figure of Danny Welbeck for that matter, remain good enough first choice centre-forward options for Arsenal certainly remains up for debate…

Alexis Sanchez is also somewhat wasted when asked to play out-wide on the wing. Whilst the Chilean international certainly can play that role pretty well when required – considering his deserved status across the world stage – the South American equally looks out of place covering the flanks. Maybe once his recent injury problems are put to one side however, Sanchez will begin to offer his team a meaningful goal-threat once again in the Premier League.

Yet for now, Arsenal’s striking options simply don’t do the fan’s ambitious title hopes justice. The likes of Karim Benzema, Edinson Cavani and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all been linked with a high profile move to the Emirates with varying degrees of probability this summer. However, as it seems increasingly unlikely that Arsenal will actually sign a striker as initially impressive as the aforementioned names, a player of Aleksandr Kokorin’s talents may be all that’s left to tempt Arsene Wenger at the moment.

When compared to the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United – the spending power on offer with the Gunners simply seems to be holding the team back against their nearest title rivals.

So then, even though finding a striker representing good value for money may prove somewhat of a rarity these days, Arsenal arguably need to source one from somewhere this summer if they are to have any meaningful joy in the 2015/16 title race. As Wenger could also do with another defensive midfielder however, maybe the Gunners will ultimately be left short this term one way or another.

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We all know that the end of May signifies the end of competitive football matches amongst clubs, at least in Europe. The English Premier League is over by the middle of May and the final of the Champions League is usually played towards the end of the month. But this is not the end of the football news. Namely, this is the period when the summer transfer windows begin and then the clubs and managers get in action, buying and selling players, securing funds, signing contracts and all the other transfer related activities. With the prices of football transfers soaring, every summer we have transfers more astonishing then the previous ones.

In 2015 we had a lot of great transfers. On the 8th of June, Spaniard Alvaro Negredo of Manchester City was transferred to Valencia for the sum of £22M. Only four days later, Man United signed PSV’s Memphis Depay. United paid for a staggering amount of £31M for the Dutchman. Liverpool paid £21.3M for young Brazilian Roberto Firmino, who played for Hoffenheim, but that was only the initial amount. The Merseyside Reds also brought in Joe Gomez from Charlton, an 18 year old defender, and a great hope for the future, as well as Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton, for an amount of £12.5M. Another player from Southampton, Frenchman Morgan Schneiderlin was sold to Manchester United, for £25M. Australian player and a member of the Australian national team- Socceroos, Jason Davidson joined Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed sum. Jason is the son of Alan Davidson, a former international player who was capped 79 times for the Socceroos. Another Australian, Chris Wood, was moved from Leicester City to Leeds United for a sum of £3m. Frenchman Yohan Cabaye left Paris- Sent-Germain and joined QPR. The London club paid £10m to bring the midfielder at Selhurst Park. Another London club, West Ham, paid £10m for Italian Angelo Ogbonna, who came from Juventus. Quite a few Dutchmen were sold to English clubs this season, with Newcastle United paying £14.5M for PSV Georginio Wijnaldum.

Some of these sums sound really astounding. If any normal person received that kind of money, they would probably see it as the possibility of retiring without having to work or do anything ever again. The only way that would happen is if you get lucky on some of the casino sites that you visit, whether desktop or mobile casinos. If you are interested in that, you may want to visit this site that caters to Australians and see a vast range of casino sites, many of which include mobile casinos as well as downloadable desktop versions.

One of the largest transfers of the summer 2015, was the long-awaited move of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool to Manchester City, for an amazing amount of £49 million. City went on a proper shopping spree and they also bought Patrick Rodgers from Fulham for £12M. Liverpool were quite active as well and they brought in the Belgian striker Christian Benteke from Aston Villa. The Scousers paid £32.5M making Benteke one of their most significant signings this season. Argentinian Angel di Maria left Man United and joined PSG, for an astonishing amount of £44.3M. Barcelona paid €34M for Turk Arda Turan, but they also sold Pedro for something less than €30M to Chelsea. Their rivals, Real Madrid spent over €60M for just two signings, Croat Mateo Kovačić from Inter Milan and Brazilian Danilo from Porto.

As you can see, amongst so many Brazilians, Spaniards, Argentinians, Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Germans and Englishmen, one can see quite a few Australians being transferred from one club to another for smaller or larger amounts of money. Many people underestimate the Australian talents when it comes to football, but let us not forget that Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka were all Australian. Plus Australia has a lot of talented players abroad, some of whom may turn out to be great stars in the future.

For the most part, it was a dull game made all the more palatable by the fact that Aston Villa appointed a new manager just hours before kick off.

Remi Garde was in position in the directors’ box to watch his side suffer their 9th defeat in 11 games, having taken points out of just two games this entire season.

These are dire times at Aston Villa, and the Villans’ welcoming of their new manager just proves it. The club’s media people clearly got confused and managed to spell their new manager’s name wrong. Not a good start to the night, and Garde’s first few hours as Villa manager only got worse as he saw his side fall behind after three minutes and slump to another defeat.

One positive was the fact that they showed a bit of fight in the second half, so it’s not all doom and gloom. But it is still as gloomy as a winter’s morning at Villa Park.

Spurs, on the other hand, will be happy with victory, though worried about they fact they let Villa back into the game. A goal for Harry Kane and one for Dele Alli will do nicely though, and the Spurs go marching on – only one defeat on opening day to blot their copybook.

Hurrikane

Kane!… AAAand Twitter goes mad!

Bye Remi!

And he’s gone!

Yesss!

#COYS! Get in!

Lazy work

Who wore it better?!

Welcome Remy

Fiver says they’ll sign Loic Remy this January!

Happy New Year folks and welcome to the January transfer window, a magical place where price-tags mean absolutely nothing and credible reporting is strictly prohibited.

Indeed, a £2million teenager can be worth £20million by the end of the week, whilst even the most loyal of stars who have just signed five-year contracts could abruptly decide to jump ship to the middle east because their manager didn’t shake their hand for long enough after being substituted back in September.

The January transfer window is undoubtedly a very silly place, but the dangers are nonetheless very real. In comparison to its summer counterpart, the winter window is thwarted with booby-traps; big money flops in disguise as superstars, mercurial starlets primed to become panic buys and trusted veterans who secretly only have eyes for a final pay day.

It’s something Liverpool supporters are only too aware off – lest we forget, the Reds’ club-record signing is still £35million January 2011 addition Andy Carroll.

So with that in mind and the winter window firmly upon us, here’s FIVE rumoured targets Liverpool should avoid at all costs this month…

BOJAN

Former Barcelona starlet Bojan has certainly impressed since moving to the Britannia Stadium in summer 2014 and rumour has it his contract includes a £10million release clause – with Liverpool one of the clubs looking to take him off Stoke City’s hands.

No doubt, the Reds will struggle to find better value-for-money for an attacker of proven Premier League quality during the January transfer window.

Yet, No.10s are a rather deceptive bunch; the fact is, they all look incredibly talented when enjoying decent form because their role in the side insists upon an entertaining style of play.

The real litmus test is comparing to other No.10s and although Bojan has been in good knick this term, bagging five goals in 15 Premier League appearances, he’s not exactly superior to Liverpool’s current options – namely Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.

LUCAS MOURA

Liverpool’s squad an lacks an out-and-out wide-man and acquiring one will likely be amongst Jurgen Klopp’s leading priorities this month, but I’m not so convinced rumoured target Lucas Moura is the right man for the job.

Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign him for Manchester United in summer 2012 and the 23-year-old is notorious for his blistering pace, so he certainly seems suitable to counter-attacking manner of the English top flight.

Yet, the Brazil international’s limited impact at PSG casts serious doubts over his credentials. After all, the Parisians have completely dominated Ligue 1 during Moura’s three-and-a-half terms at Parc de Princes but he’s never been a guaranteed starter under Laurent Blanc or scored more than eight times during a single campaign.

That poses huge question marks, especially considering PSG allegedly want £22million for the South American.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG

Controversial, perhaps, considering no player involved in Europe’s five leading top flights has scored more goals than Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this season, who boasts a whopping 18 from just 17 Bundesliga appearances.

But should Liverpool really be on the lookout for another front-man this month? Despite Christian Benteke apparently not fitting Jurgen Klopp’s style of play, the Belgium international has still scored six goals in twelve Premier League starts this season, including two in his last three outings, and although Daniel Sturridge has missed much of the campaign through injury, he averages almost a goal per game when fully fit.

Likewise, Divock Origi is decent enough cover and showed his potential with a Capital One Cup hat-trick against Southampton in December, whilst even versatile forward Roberto Firmino proved a tactically useful option when deployed as an emergency front-man during shock wins over Chelsea and Manchester City.

Furthermore, front-man No.5,1 Danny Ings, who scored twice in five Premier League outings, will return from injury in time for next season. So do the Reds really have room for another centre-forward – one that will reportedly cost them a club-record £42million? The money could be better spent elsewhere.

ALEXANDRE PATO

The same applies to Alexandre Pato, although the former Brazil international is embroiled in even more doubts than the aforementioned Aubameyang.

The 26-year-old is best famed for his spell as AC Milan’s free-scoring teenager, netting 51 times in 117 Serie A appearances for the San Siro outfit before enduring a spate of injury problems and returning to Brazilian domestic football in January 2013.

The stats suggest Pato has since revived his career, notching up 26 goals across all competitions during the 2015 campaign, with the tabloids resultantly billing him as one of the best deals of the January transfer window.

But Brazilian goal tallies are incredibly deceptive, because so many games are played at regional level rather than in the national league. Eight of Pato’s goals in 2015, for example, were in the Campeonato Paulista – also known as the top flight for the state of Sao Paulo.

His actual return in Brazil’s Serie A was ten in 30 – hardly exemplary for a striker who has previously spent the best part of six years in European football.

JACK BUTLAND

The vast majority of Liverpool fans are desperate to see Jurgen Klopp sign a goalkeeper who can usurp the hap-hazard Simon Mignolet from between the Anfield sticks and Stoke City’s Jack Butland has understandably been billed as one of the leading candidates.

The 22-year-old has been in exceptional form this season, making the second-most saves and keeping the third-most clean sheets of any Premier League goalkeeper, and has rapidly emerged as a genuine competitor for Joe Hart’s No.1 jersey in the England fold.

Yet, this is unquestionably a transfer window too soon for the Potters prodigy. We’ve certainly seen Butland at his best but we’re yet to see him at his worst which, if Simon Mignolet has taught us anything, is arguably more important when considering goalkeeper additions.

Likewise, convincing Mark Hughes’ side to sell after having the former Birmingham youngster in their starting Xi for just six months would require a monolithic premium – especially considering he’s home-grown.

It’s a brave man who predicts the Premier League winner this season. You’d be as well-served to  put the names of the top half a dozen or so teams onto a dart-board, close your eyes and throw, such is the make-up of the league at the moment.

With no-one ‘taking the bull by the horns’ and producing performances consistent enough to streak away from the pack, a la Chelsea last season, things could very well go down to the final couple of games of the season.

But there’s one side who are best equipped to pinch the title from under the noses of their more illustrious opponents, and that team is Tottenham Hotspur (settle down at the back, no sniggering please!)

Manchester City remain the bookies favourites whilst many feel this is set to be Arsenal’s year. And obviously you can’t discount Leicester who, despite the size of the club and resources available, still sit top of the tree and will do well NOT to finish in the top four from this point in.

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But it’s the side from the Lane who have caught the eye of so many over the past few months and they are best-placed out of any of the challengers to triumph.

Spurs are built on a solid defensive foundation. Currently boasting the best back-line in terms of goals conceded in the league, the performances of the defence have no doubt been a pleasant surprise to the Spurs fans.

Having snaffled Toby Alderweireld from the hands of Southampton in the summer, the Belgian has played every minute of every game and formed an excellent partnership with fellow countryman Jan Vertonghen. Behind them, Hugo Lloris remains one of the best ‘keepers in the league whilst the rotation of four solid full-backs gives them both continuity and freshness in defence and attack.

And they’re none-too-shabby upfront either. Only Sergio Ag.. I mean Man City and Leicester have scored more than the North Londoners, Harry Kane leading the way with 13. But they have relief in that area from the midfield too, the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Eric Lamela all contributing important strikes.

Pochettino has done a fantastic job at striking a fine balance between the two aspects of the game, his side being both compact and solid when required but able to display pace and fluidity on the break.

In fact, the manager is another key reason to fancy Spurs for the title. Doubters will point to the Argentinian’s lack of experience in the high-pressure cauldron of a title run-in, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. One of the most level-headed and coolest coaches around, the former Southampton boss has the ability to be a calming influence on his young squad when the pressure intensifies. No wonder Chelsea are interested.

Therein lies another key – the age of the squad. With the youngest average age in the Premier League, this group of players have the energy and desire to keep up with both the high demands of Pochettino’s training method’s and the rigours of the schedule.

The squad has a surprising amount of depth and should be able to cope with injury. Only a lay-off from Harry Kane would be a major problem, although even that may be covered with time still left in the transfer window.

The England marksman is clearly a key piece of the jigsaw at White Hart Lane alongside fellow youngster Alli. The two help form a strong spine along with the Belgian central defenders and Lloris, another key factor in their success this campaign. Add in Eric Dier, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker and more and they also have an English core which is often vital for Premier League winners.

WANT MORE? >> Tottenham transfer news | Arsenal transfer news

Currently sitting in fourth just five points off the top, Spurs are in a perfect position to strike on a league that no-one seem’s to want to win. They have key visits to the Etihad, Anfield and Stamford Bridge to negotiate between now and the end of the season, but for a side boasting the best away record in the league they might not prove too bigger stumbling-block, their only defeat on the road coming to Man United on the opening day.

There is also the small matter of the North London derby still to come too, but having won three of the last four at home to their local rivals they can be confident of taking points away from Arsenal.

In fact, the biggest hurdle to Premier League success might be progression in the Europa League. For whatever reason, the combination of Thursday/Sunday games doesn’t seem to sit well with Premier League sides, their games against Man United and Chelsea particularly at risk if they get to the Quarter-finals and beyond.

But these obstacles and more will no doubt be calmly dealt with by Pochettino and his players. There’s a wind of change blowing through the Premier League this season and Tottenham might have put their main-sails up at just the right time to be the first new name on the trophy in over ten years.

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