All posts by h716a5.icu

Despite having a solid defensive record under Rafa Benitez, there is still a multitude of ways Newcastle United can fortify their defence with better resources.

Indeed, they are still lacking in a few departments – the Bournemouth game proved that – and if those can be filled, the Magpies will become a tough element to break down.

According to reports from Calciomercato, they are already looking to toughen up their defence by signing Brentford’s Yoann Barbet in the summer. The French defender is versatile in the sense that he plays centre-back and left-back quite comfortably, which makes him a perfect fit for Benitez’s new-found 3-4-3 formation. A no-nonsense defender, he may not be the most inspiring apparent target, but certainly a clever one.

The Spaniard must be craving for a quality left-back after running out of options and Barbet can also fill that void. It’s been a problem position for the Magpies for years now and it’s about time it was addressed, after all. He’s played as a left-back for Brentford many times this season, while also drifting into the middle equally well, adding a lot of string to his defensive bow.

Indeed, Barbet’s been a reliable outlet, clearing dangerous and neutralizing dangerous attackers with his astute defensive skillset.

He’s helped his side keep six clean sheets in the 30 EFL Championship appearances (stats via Transfermarkt), helping them maintain a solid defensive shape. The 25-year-old is not only strong but is mobile enough to contain pacy wingers, with his hard-tackling ability and fearless attitude making him an asset.

Fabian Schar has already been linked (via the Mirror) with a move away after impressing during his first season on Tyneside and he could attract a healthy fee, so the Magpies should pack his bags and bring in Barbet who would be a smart replacement for the Switzerland international.

The Bees ace is already experienced in the ruthless English environment and would set in nicely up at Newcastle. If the Magpies wish to fly higher under Benitez, they need to further solidify their defence with someone as unrelenting as Barbet.

Newcastle fans, would you be pleased with Barbet’s potential arrival in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

It goes without saying that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has completely revolutionised Manchester United since being appointed in December. However, last weekend showed that it’s still not quite the finished article under the Norwegian. 

After what was an out of sorts performance from the Red Devils, Solskjaer now has some huge decisions to make towards the end of the season. With only the Champions League and a top four spot left to fight for, the 46-year-old knows that there is still a lot of work to be done in order to get Manchester United back to the top of the Premier League.

No United fan enjoys seeing Liverpool and Manchester City fighting for the title, after all…

With that in mind, here we are going to take a look at a couple of demands the Norwegian must make during the summer to truly eclipse the work of Sir Alex.

Get that long-term contract signed

Without question, every single Manchester United fan wants to hear the news that Ole Gunnar has signed a long term contract with the club. He would surely be United’s most important signing since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, there’s no doubt about it.

Solskjaer must ensure that he is the man to get the contract from Ed Woodward at the end of the season. The current caretaker manager has done more than enough in the eyes of world football to get the job and could help set the club up for the good times again.

 Keep the ‘keeper 

There was a brief spell during this season where three or four players signed a new contract with the club. Worryingly, David De Gea was not one of them, though the club did use their option to extend his contract by a year. Still, with his contract running out at the end of next season, it is imperative that Ole can convince the world’s greatest goalkeeper to stay in between the sticks at Old Trafford.

It goes without saying that a lot of the success that can be brought back to United does rest on the shoulders of De Gea. Indeed, it will be near on impossible to replace the Spanish #1 should he decide to play elsewhere.

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Sunderland could be handed a huge boost as the season draws to close, with Duncan Watmore eyeing a return before the end of the campaign.

Sunderland fans were of course gutted after Watmore’s most recent injury, but the 25 year-old could hand Jack Ross a surprise boost if the chips fall in the right places.

Watmore was initially ruled out for eight to twelve weeks after a horror tackle from Wycombe’s Marcus Bean, having only just returned from an ACL injury before that.

Now, his father has spoken out about his son’s state of mind and future.

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….

What’s the word?

“What really annoyed him about it was he’d just had his high,” said Ian, Watmore’s father, as reported by The Sunderland Echo.

“You can imagine scoring that goal in front of the fans, the equaliser in the 94th minute is the sort of high that you dream of when you’re doing those endless hours of rehab.

“He’s had two years of that and then he finally comes out and does it and then it’s two minutes later and he didn’t really get the chance to enjoy the moment.

“I think probably in the back of his head, he hopes he doesn’t have to play again this season because it means automatic promotion, but if there was a need to go to Wembley for the play-off final, he might just be fit for that.”

A Wembley return after all?

The Black Cats currently sit fourth in League One, five points behind Barnsley with two games in hand on the second-placed Tykes.

While Ross’ side still have their fate in their own hands, it will take a near-flawless run of results from here until the end of the season to secure an automatic jump back into the Championship.

A quest through the play-offs is the next best thing, and of course winning in the first round would guarantee another trip to Wembley for the Wearsiders.

After missing this month’s Checkatrade Trophy final, what a story it would be for Watmore to return to the side to aid their promotion push at Wembley.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to say that they’re not bothered about missing out on a deal for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who looks set to join Real Madrid.

The France international has been frozen out by the Ligue 1 champions after his conduct following the last-gasp defeat to Manchester United in the Champions League, in which he reportedly went out partying in a nightclub.

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…

The 23-year-old was said to have been a target for Liverpool, who were interested in signing the midfielder this summer on a free transfer at the expiry of his contract with the Parisians.

Whilst you would have assumed that most supporters may have been disappointed at missing out on a player of clear pedigree, the Reds supporters on Twitter don’t seem to be too downhearted by the news of his reported transfer to Madrid, due mainly to the player’s attitude and behaviour.

Let’s see what the Liverpool fans have been saying on Twitter…

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Leeds fans are still fuming that Pablo Hernandez wasn’t nominated for the Championship Player of the Season award.

The EFL awards ceremony was held on Sunday night with Teemu Pukki picking up the prestigious accolade.

Despite Leeds sitting in third place in the division, they didn’t have a player on the shortlist for the Player of the Season award.

Pablo Hernandez was the name that sprung to mind for Leeds fans with many claiming that the 33-year-old was overlooked when the EFL were making their decisions.

The Spaniard has netted 12 goals already this season whilst also getting 11 assists.

Pukki was a worthy winner as he tops the scoring charts in the Championship with 26 strikes but Leeds fans argue that Hernandez was deserving of at least a nomination.

Nominated alongside Pukki were Billy Sharp and Che Adams; several supporters on Twitter have been voicing their opinion that Hernandez deserved a place amongst those stars.

Here’s what Leeds fans had to say on Twitter…

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Reported Wolves targeted Gedson Fernandes was outstanding for Benfica as they defeated Frankfurt 4-2 in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.

In March, Portuguese outlet A Bola claimed he was attracting the interest of the club and after his performance this week it’s easy to see why.

The player has a buy-out clause in his contract of €120m (£103m) according to A Bola’s report. But a fee of €40m (£34.3m) was quoted as the figure Wolves would have to pay in order to land the talented youngster.

It’s unknown whether they are looking to take their interest any further but his display on one of Europe’s biggest stages proves why they must do everything they can to secure his signature.

All of the plaudits from the game will go the way of Joao Felix, another player linked with Wolves, for scoring a hat-trick, but fellow teammate Fernandes also has a tremendous impact.

Gedson Fernandes (Benfica vs Frankfurt)

62 touches

2 key passes

1 dribble

2 tackles

3 interceptions

(Stats courtesy of WhoScored)

Fernandes started at the top of the midfield for Benfica last Thursday but was terrific both defensively and offensively.

He’s extremely energetic and as a result would be perfect for the Premier League and Nuno Santo.

Wolves have plenty of numbers in midfield but it’s this attribute that makes him stand out from those he may find competition from if he were to join.

However, Nuno doesn’t necessarily have a box-to-box midfielder at his disposal with the likes of Leander Dendoncker and Ruben Neves playing in deeper roles.

He’d the perfect player to link defence to attack and that’s summed up by his impact last Thursday night. He was able to carry the ball forward with his dribbling and displayed his phenomenal vision with two key passes.

Wolves Fan TV place the blame for Wolves’ FA Cup semi-final collapse on John Ruddy in the video below…

His defensive work rate was also excellent and the fact he can perform at both ends of the pitch makes him a rare talent.

If the Midlands club can afford him, then he must be signed.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has given fans a reason to smile since taking over at St Mary’s but things haven’t exactly gone perfectly in recent times, as Liverpool got the job done in the end last time out.  

The Saints are still at risk of slipping into the relegation zone but they can take a giant leap towards survival by getting the better of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League tomorrow.

One of the rare shining lights for the Saints this season has been Nathan Redmond as his six goals and five assists have been priceless, with his newly-found role in behind the striker getting the very best out of him.

Southampton supporters may be wondering what kind of fee the attacker would attract if he was to be sold in the summer transfer window. According to CIES (via Daily Mail), Redmond is valued at £32 million.

Redmond is enjoying arguably one of the best seasons in his football career but £32 million seems like way too much with plenty of better players out there. His value should be around £25 million at the most as he’s not exactly been prolific in the current campaign, so it remains to be seen as to how he’s worth so much.

Wilfried Zaha is valued at £33 million and he’s produced two more goals and three more assists, so it looks as if CIES have been rather generous with their valuation.

Southampton won’t mind if they can attract that sort of fee for him at some point in the future as they’d make a huge profit after signing him for just £12.25 million (as per Transfermarkt).

Southampton fans, how much do you think Nathan Redmond is worth? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

Thanks to a late flurry of form, Southampton can now be confident of remaining a top-flight side next season.

Indeed, all the thanks should really be going to Ralph Hasenhuttl because without his arrival, who knows what kind of mess Southampton would find themselves in right now?

The truth is, it’s been another poor season and so for Saints, the upcoming summer window holds the utmost importance if they want to get back to being at least, a top-ten side.

Hasenhuttl will be praying that he is given the funds to make significant changes during this period, with his team in major need of big changes. Obviously, the board seriously needs to be pro-active to get the fans back on side, as well as keep their manager happy. So, their first action in the market needs to be eyeing a defender to help stabilise things at the back and who better than Premier League experienced Marcos Rojo.

Rojo, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) was reportedly (as per Goal) a target for Southampton before moving to Old Trafford instead in 2014 and should remain of interest, considering the lack of defensive solidity since the departure of Virgil van Dijk.

It’s a move that has enjoyed periods of success because Rojo has been far from an ever-present defender at the back.

Though for Southampton, a no-nonsense centre-back should be exactly what they’re after, and that’s exactly what Marcos Rojo is considered to be.

Despite now being 29-years-old, Rojo still has plenty of time left to make a significant impact at St Mary’s and help them improve defensively. Whilst Hasenhuttl has made improvements in defence, the addition of a player that can be used at centre-back as well as left-back is something that should be under consideration, at the very least.

The Argentina international has made just six appearances this season, which shows a move away to a club like Southampton would be best for all involved.

Southampton fans, would you back a move for Rojo? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves shone and scored a brilliant free-kick in his side’s 3-1 win against Arsenal at Molineux on Wednesday night, and his display didn’t go unnoticed by Tottenham Hotspur fans who are keen for their club to sign him.

The 22-year-old was one of Wolves’ biggest stars in the Championship last term and he has brought that form into the Premier League during the current campaign, scoring four goals and providing a further two assists in 32 top-flight outings.

His stunning set-piece against the Gunners was particularly impressive and proves the quality he has in his locker when it comes to taking free-kicks, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Spurs supporters who were clearly watching on as their arch-rivals suffered a defeat in the exciting race for a top-four finish.

Should Neves end up arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium he would likely be competing with the likes of Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Christian Eriksen – if he stays – for a spot in the starting XI.

Speaking about the Portuguese’s latest performance, one Spurs fan said it’s “my dream” to see him play for his team, while another said “get him in a Spurs shirt”.

Relive all the drama of Man City v Spurs through the eyes Spurs’ fans in the video below…

Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy may well choose to make waves in the summer transfer window following two without any additions, but it remains to be seen whether they would be interested in Neves.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Tottenham Hotspur suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie against Ajax in north London on Tuesday, and Liverpool fans were quick to have their say on Dele Alli’s display.

Spurs would have been looking to the England international to provide a positive spark against the Dutch outfit given Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane were absent through suspension and injury respectively, but he ultimately failed to show up.

The 23-year-old has generally struggled throughout the entire campaign and hasn’t matched the performances and statistics he has produced in previous years, which will surely be a concern for Mauricio Pochettino.

Does your club have a legend who is criminally overrated? Fans answer this tough question in the video below…

Reds supporters were obviously keeping a close eye on who they could face in the Champions League final should they manage to progress past Barcelona, but they were clearly left far from impressed with the former MK Dons man.

While one described him as the “biggest myth in English football”, another described him as “stinking up the place”.

The Anfield faithful may have wished they had signed Alli in the past, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be the case now.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…