All posts by z3u9t.icu

Marcelo Bielsa is the key to unlocking big name signings this summer – they just need to complete the small task of securing promotion.

We are at the business end of the season now and all hands are on deck at Leeds United as they fight alongside Norwich City and Sheffield United for the automatic promotion spots.

Indeed, this is usually an exciting period for fans – the run-in into the transfer window – the excitement of the rumour mill linking exotic names from far and wide – the faces of potential stars who could light up a club’s season, superimposed into our favourite kits in our imaginations.

Leeds United have sadly not been able to enjoy this pleasure. In fact, they have been able to enjoy scant little recently for the anxiety of missing out on the Premier League again is so strong.

But gossip is still flying, and according to reports from Italian outlet Tutto Mercato, PSV Eindhoven’s highly-rated youngster Justin Lonwijk could be one of the first signatures to join Elland Road next season.

The 19-year-old has an impressive record playing for the Dutch club’s under-21 team, where he has made 24 appearances and scored six goals this season, following equally admirable stints at under-19 level, scoring 20 times in 50 appearances, respectively.

With his contract set to expire this summer, there is every chance that the player’s agent has artificially generated interest to improve his client’s current deal at PSV – as they so often do nowadays.

Eintracht Frankfurt and AS Roma are also said to be interested in the player, so Bielsa faces some tough competition if Lonwijk’s availability is legitimate.

Leeds United fans, how you do you see the rest of your season going? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Newcastle United fans on Twitter are not happy after the club announced they would be competing in the 2019 Premier League Asia Trophy.

The Magpies will be joined in the biennial pre-season tournament by current reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This year’s edition of the tournament is designed to give Asian fans a rare close-up view of their favourite Premier League teams and stars.

The tournament will take place on mainland China in mid-July.

It’s the second time that Newcastle are competing in the competition and the first time in 16 years, but not all supporters are pleased about it.

One of the fanbase’s main issues is that their team are not yet safe from relegation to the Sky Bet Championship, currently a mere seven points above the bottom three, whilst another is that they see the venture as one more way for controversial owner Mike Ashley to line his pockets.

Check out those and some other negative reactions from the Toon Army below…

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini confirmed in his Everton pre-match press conference on Thursday that midfielder Samir Nasri is a doubt having picked up a minor knock, and Irons fans were quick to have their say on the update on Twitter.

The Chilean manager revealed that the 31-year-old is suffering from a slight calf issue that could rule him out against the Toffees, as he continues to struggle to prove that he should remain at the London Stadium beyond this season.

That is when the Frenchman’s contract is due to expire, but he has only played 245 minutes of Premier League football for them since signing at the end of 2018, and may well miss out again on Saturday evening.

Some Hammers supporters who have had their say on the former Arsenal and Manchester City man clearly rate him though with one saying he was “gutted” by the news, which is hardly surprising given some of the flashes of quality he has shown  – such as his assist against Huddersfield Town before the international break.

Others were already looking to his future though, with some saying they hope he would be better next term, while others are hoping he won’t be kept on if he continues to be injury-prone – he has already been sidelined by a calf problem previously.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

What an unbelievable feeling. Winning once again at Wembley. The memories of the good old days came flooding back for those Portsmouth fans in attendance and what’s to say the Checkatrade Trophy win can’t be a turning point in their history?

With one trophy secured and the possibility of gaining promotion into the Championship, Kenny Jackett has to be commended over the brilliant job he has done at Fratton Park.

For all that Pompey have been through over the years, the win at Wembley signifies the growing belief around the club and it’s fantastic to see. Indeed, all the players have raised their game after a terrible start to the new year and now seem set to put up a real fight in the play-offs.

One man who has been vital as part of their promotion charge is Jamal Lowe and although there may be interest in him, Portsmouth must do everything they can to keep him.

Lowe, (who is valued at £68k on Transfermarkt) not only scored one of the goals during the final but has been a consistent threat for Portsmouth up-front this season.

Despite interest (Sky Sports via Nottingham Post) in January, Portsmouth were able to keep hold of the 24-year-old and the same must be done again this summer.

With 12 goals and seven assists in League One alone this season, Portsmouth surely recognise how vital he is for them.

It’s not just his finishing ability that’s so good either. With expert vision to pick out his team-mates, Jamal Lowe has become a real team player and could get even better by staying and trying to be a hero at Fratton Park.

Do you agree that Jamal Lowe must be kept at all costs… Join the discussion and let us know!

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On Thursday, Dele Alli turned 23 years of age.

Signed from MK Dons for an initial £5m in 2015, Alli has turned out to be a stunning capture for Tottenham Hotspur.

Indeed, the attacker has a record of 53 goals and 46 assists in 175 appearances for Spurs in all competitions, including seven goals this term.

Alli is also a hugely important figure in the England set-up and there is every reason to believe that he will continue to improve over the coming years.

As expected, Tottenham’s official Twitter account were on hand with a special birthday tribute for the 2015 arrival.

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…

And that led to a number of the London club’s supporters taking to social media to lavish praise on the incredibly talented attacker.

It is certainly going to be interesting to see how his career develops over the coming years.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Tottenham fans, who have shown their love for the 6 ft 2 ace, can be seen below:

Hot property Declan Rice is back on the menu with the Irish Independent claiming Manchester United circling, but should West Ham United sell?

West Ham fans may have thought the transfer saga to be over when Declan Rice pledged his long-term future to the club late last year keeping him at the London Stadium until 2024 (as per Independent).

But it seems the ‘big’ clubs will not be deterred in their pursuit of one of the brightest talents in the country, and arguably the biggest of them all, Manchester United, is prime and ready to break the bank next window.

Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini conceded his club may need to sell if “the big teams decide to pay an important amount of money” for academy graduate Rice (via Sky Sports).

If the midfielder, who has recently switched his international allegiances, does eventually make the move to Old Trafford, how will this affect West Ham United?

Pro: Market funding

The most obvious benefit is, of course, financial. Manchester United have apparently handed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a huge transfer kitty this summer, with Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo all expected to leave the club to make way for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, and Rice.

Generally speaking, the national papers tend to agree that a fee in excess of £50 million will be offered, which should be enough to constitute Pellegrini’s so-called “important amount of money”.

Should West Ham invest well, then they could easily find another player or two to fill the void. Think, Issa Diop, another standout performer this season, only cost the club £22 million when he joined from Toulouse last summer (as per BBC Sport). That means, at risk of oversimplifying the complex beast that is the transfer market, Pellegrini could sign two quality players for price of one Declan Rice.

Con: Reinforce identity as selling club

West Ham United have always been considered one of the talent producing greats – with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and, of course, Declan Rice all making their way into stardom via the doors of their illustrious academy. But none of the above actually reached their peak in claret and blue. Surely this is a little concerning?

Indeed, if the Hammers really want to enjoy the fruits of their labour, then they must challenge the footballing hierarchy and stand up for themselves in the market. Real ambition needs to be shown.

TT Verdict:

There are two sides to every coin and the Rice transfer very much appears that way. Yes, fighting off to ‘big’ teams would be a major transfer coup and a real statement of intent, but in the short term it probably wouldn’t benefit the side enough to warrant throwing away £50 million worth of building blocks for the future.

Maybe, when the club are riding for the European spots, they can start their David versus Goliath quests; until then, however, the money should be used wisely to acquire top quality talent. First stop: Rice replacement.

West Ham fans, how easily do you think your club can replace Rice? Let us know in the comments below…

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At the moment it seems like bad news is never far away from the Hawthorns, as after they finally had their managerial shambles put to bed, Gareth Barry was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

The midfielder had been a bit part of the Baggies midfield this term but would have been a valuable asset during the play-offs. However, they’ll now be without him as the experienced head gets set to undergo surgery on a knee issue that has kept him out since the beginning of March.

Albion supporters haven’t taken the news very well and were absolutely gutted to see the ex-England international’s news.

Reacting on Twitter, one fan went as far as saying that his career was now finished. It was a damning statement, but at the age of 38, it may not be surprising if Barry does decide to hang up his boots.

Other members of the Hawthorns faithful decided to focus on how big a loss he would be during the final month, as one fan claimed his experience would have been great for the play-offs.

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

Barry has featured in 24 Championship fixtures this term for the Baggies, scoring one goal.

Here’s what some fans have been saying.

When Leeds United signed Izzy Brown last summer on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea, their supporters had every right to express their excitement about his arrival at Elland Road.

An incredibly talented player who can operate in several different attacking positions, the 22-year-old promised to provide the spark that the Whites would need to launch a sustained promotion push.

However, unfortunately for Brown, this has simply not been the case as a plethora of injury issues has ruined his campaign with his only appearance for the Yorkshire-based outfit coming in a 1-0 defeat against Queens Park Rangers in February.

Since this particular cameo, the forward suffered yet another setback but is now back in training and has featured in several of the club’s under-23 fixtures in recent weeks.

Despite Leeds’ hopes of securing a top-two finish now hanging by a thread following two consecutive defeats, Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay has revealed that it is extremely unlikely that Brown will feature again for the first team this season.

Speaking on the newspaper’s official podcast, he admitted that: “I’m convinced that he [Brown] is not going to play again. There just seems to be no sign of him coming back in.”

If this turns out to be the case, Bielsa may end up ruing the decision.

Unlike the overwhelming majority of Leeds’ squad, Brown has previous experience of achieving promotion for the Championship with Huddersfield Town and therefore could be a key asset, especially if his side do indeed drop into the play-offs.

With a huge amount of pressure being placed on the likes of Patrick Bamford and Keemar Roofe to deliver the goods, it may be worth giving the forward another chance to impress in the club’s final two fixtures of the season.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Brown be given another opportunity by Bielsa? Or is it too much of a risk to try something different at this stage of the season? Let us know below.

Irrespective of whether they clinch the Premier League trophy or not, Liverpool have achieved almost unprecedented success this season.

Two pillars of their joy have been attackers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah and both have been neck and neck in attempting to outperform each other.

This hotly contested, friendly rivalry is set to reach its boiling point in the next few weeks. In the Premier League golden boot race, both are only separated by a single goal. Salah’s scored 21, while Mane’s just behind with 20 goals despite playing second-fiddle to the Egyptian. With four eyes on the prize, the next few weeks could help Liverpool fans enjoy some more beautiful attacking football.

Their deconstruction of Huddersfield proved just how hungry both stars are. While Mane scored two glorious headers and should’ve netted one more, Salah showcased his class with two sublime finishes. Both are different to each other, yet their healthy competitiveness in outdoing each other has been perfectly created by Jurgen Klopp.

While the Liverpool manager might miss out on the Premier League title due to bad luck, he’ll make history nonetheless. Klopp’s side has already achieved more points than many title-winning Premier League sides, with their scintillating attacking display ranking among the best in decades.

The German won’t allow bitterness to crave in at any moment. With crucial games to Barcelona along with a thrilling Premier League finale in store, he’ll need Salah as well as Mane at their hungriest and scoring consistently to end this dreamy season on the highest note possible.

Liverpool fans, are you enjoying Salah and Mane’s competitive nature this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

When Samuel Saiz burst onto the scene for Leeds United in 2017, it looked almost certain that he had all the ingredients needed to become a hero at Elland Road.

An outstandingly gifted winger, the Spaniard set the Championship alight last season with a string of stunning performances for the Whites against the likes of Sunderland, Birmingham City and Bristol City.

Yet despite having put his side firmly in contention for a play-off position, Saiz’s form never really recovered following a six-match suspension for spitting in January 2018.

Although the 28-year-old was initially an integral part of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans this season, a number of poor showings for Leeds eventually culminated in him being dropped from the squad altogether by the Argentine.

Having lost all trust in Saiz’s ability, the former Lazio boss agreed to loan him out to Getafe in the January transfer window for the rest of the 2018/19 campaign. Despite featuring on 10 occasions for the Azulones since arriving at the club, a lack of consistency has seen the midfielder record just one goal involvement for his new side.

With Getafe on the verge of qualifying for Champions League football in La Liga, it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will be willing to sign Saiz on a permanent deal in the summer.

However, according to El Gol Digital, fellow Spanish side Valencia are reportedly interested in paying the €6.5m (£5.5m) required to bring the midfielder to the Mestalla ahead of next season.

If Los Murcielagos do indeed offer Leeds this sum of money, the Yorkshire-based outfit will be silly not to accept it as it would be almost double the fee that they spent (£3.15m) to bring Saiz to the club from Huesca two years ago (via Transfermarkt).

Despite having provided 12 assists in 58 appearances for the Whites, the fact that the club have not missed him since his move to Getafe suggests that they will not suffer if they let him leave when the transfer market opens in the summer.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa sell Saiz in the summer? Or does he deserve another opportunity to impress? Let us know below.