All posts by h716a5.icu

A sweet Wednesday night in Munich was slightly soured for Liverpool, who saw captain Jordan Henderson having to be taken off after suffering an ankle injury.

While his departure didn’t really impact the result as the Reds rode on Sadio Mane’s brilliance to progress into the Champions League quarter-finals, an injury at this point could be worrying. Indeed, according to the club’s official site, he suffered a twisted ankle, though the extent isn’t yet.

However, thanks to their varied options, Liverpool have players to fall back upon. Indeed, a player who could be blessed by this unfortunate incident is Naby Keita, seemingly exiled from the starting XI in recent weeks.

The summer signing hasn’t proven to be as effective as Jurgen Klopp thought he would but is getting the slow grind towards immersing into the system. Keita now has the opportunity to prove his ability and be the hard-working midfielder who can take the pressure of their front-three.

Like Fred at Manchester United, he’s also had enough time to adapt to the Premier League’s conditions and is now primed to make his mark. He scored six goals and assisted five in the Bundesliga last season and will want to replicate similar numbers in the final stretch of the season.

A creative midfielder who adds more fuel to the attack, Keita now needs to take control and dictate Liverpool’s midfield in the next couple of weeks. The midfielder’s dominating potential is well known, but the next few months will determine whether he’ll thrive at Liverpool in the long term or be discarded as Jurgen Klopp’s failed experiment.

If he’s ever going to prove he’s worth the money, now’s the time.

Liverpool fans, do you feel Keita can finally come good as Henderson’s replacement? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

It seems like every week Alfredo Morelos is at the centre of a transfer story, and this week is no different.

The Daily Record and CNN Turkey are both reporting that Rangers’ star striker has caught the eye of Turkish giants Fenerbahce, with the latter reporting that the Super Lig side have already made contact with the Colombian international.

Despite having the likes of Islam Slimani, Roberto Soldado and Andre Ayew amongst their ranks in the striker position, goals have been hard to come by for the Istanbul club. No player in the Fenerbahce squad has scored more than five goals this season as the Turkish club sit just four points above the relegation zone in 13th place.

Goals are needed at the club, and Morelos can offer than should the Turkish side cough up the £20 million Rangers value their prized asset at. So what would the potential consequences be if Fenerbahce are to pull the trigger and sign the 22-year-old Colombian in the summer.

Rangers in the money

£20 million for a player might not seem like a lot in the age of football we live in now, but in Scotland, that kind of money is a game changer. Only one transfer in the history of the Premiership has exceeded the £15 million mark, Moussa Dembele to Lyon last summer, and only six other transfers have gone over £10 million, with four of those happening this decade.

With £20 million brought into the club, Rangers now have the resources to improve the squad to such a level that in the 2019/20 season Steven Gerrard can genuinely challenge for the Scottish Premier League.

Rangers will also be financially stable enough to bring in players that could push for success in the Europa League.

Morelos opens the door for Scottish spending

As well as bringing in the money needed that could end the Celtic reign in Scotland, the selling of Morelos will open the doors for more teams around Europe to turn to Scotland for talented players.

For the most part, departing players from Scottish teams either head south to England or just move to another team in the country. Sales between Premiership teams and clubs around Europe are a rare sight. But if Morelos is to succeed in Turkey, along with the already success story of Dembele at Lyon, young players in Scotland could be seen as potential signings for clubs around the continent.

Rangers fans, would you let Morelos leave for £20 million?

It has been quite a fall from grace for Alex Pritchard this season, hasn’t it Terriers fans?

Signed for a fee reported to be in the region of £12m (via Sky Sports) from Norwich City, the midfielder played a pivotal role in helping Huddersfield Town retain their top-flight status by offering an important attacking outlet for the club.

However, the 2018/19 campaign has seen him not come anywhere near producing the same level of performance as he has yet to record a single assist despite having played 11 more games compared to last season. Although scoring goals has never been one of Pritchard’s strongest suits, his record in that particular department for the Terriers has nevertheless still been poor, especially when you consider just how much the club spent on him.

With Jan Siewert’s side almost certainly heading for a return to the Championship in May, the German manager has to make a decision on the midfielder’s future in the summer. By selling Pritchard, Huddersfield could cut their losses on the England under-21 international and use the money to reinvest elsewhere with the position of striker in particular need to be vastly improved.

Although his last spell in the second tier was immensely successful with Norwich, there are no certainties that he will be able to replicate this for the Terriers. A truly awful campaign for Pritchard may have taken its toll on his confidence and so for his sake, a move elsewhere could be extremely beneficial as it would help him rebuild his career.

Huddersfield’s relegation to the Championship could be confirmed at the weekend if results do not go their way and it is imperative for their future that they look ahead to what they need to succeed next season. If Pritchard doesn’t fit the bill, they must cut their ties with a midfielder who ultimately has failed to live up to all the hype that surrounded his arrival.

What do you think Terriers fans? Should the club sell Pritchard in the summer? Or does his previous success in the second tier mean that he should stay? Let us know below.

[ad_pod ]

According to Takvim, three Italian clubs are interested in signing Leeds United forward Caleb Ekuban in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Ekuban joined Leeds from Chievo in July 2017, with the attacker signing a four-year contract with the Championship club.

The Ghana international only made seven appearances for the Whites during the 2017-18 campaign, however, and was loaned to Trabzonspor in August 2018.

The 25-year-old has scored seven times in all competitions for Trabzonspor this term, and it is thought that the Turkish side have the option to sign him permanently this summer.

However, according to Takvim, three unnamed Italian clubs are also interested in a deal for Ekuban, who has a contract with Leeds until June 2021.

How will this one end?

Well, it is difficult to imagine that Ekuban has a future at Leeds.

There is no question that the striker has shown some good form this season, but the Whites will be planning for a future without the 5 ft 11 ace.

The ideal situation for Leeds would be to sell directly to an Italian club this summer, but it seems that Trabzonspor will take up their permanent option before selling for a profit.

Ekuban has almost become the forgotten man at Elland Road and it does appear that his career with the Yorkshire club has finished before it really started.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have bigger fish to fry at the moment, though, as they battle to secure a top-two finish in the Championship table.

[ad_pod ]

Charlton’s 1-0 win over Wycombe meant that the Addicks are now ten games unbeaten and are enjoying spectacular form at the perfect time, with just five games to go and automatic promotion now a real possibility.

When you get to this stage in the season, the manner in which you win games is irrelevant – all that matters is getting points and Charlton have largely been ploughing through their opposition in recent weeks without taking their foot off the gas.

Tuesday night’s clash at Adams Park was different though, with each and every man forced to fight for every ball, as Wycombe looked hell bent on ending both Charlton’s excellent run and their own terrible form.

Fortunately, though, defender Jason Pearce took his chance like a striker and gave Lee Bowyer’s side a brilliant win – the Charlton boss was full of praise for the 6 ft 1 hero after the game, comparing him to the king of the jungle:

“That game was made for Jason Pearce.

“Yesterday when I decided to change it, I said to the staff that this was a game made for the likes of him, (Darren) Pratley and (George) Lapslie. They love battles and they had to be at it for 90-plus minutes.

“Pearcey defended like a lion and then popped up with the goal as well – it was a great ball from Josh Cullen. Everyone was outstanding tonight. Everybody.”

Bowyer made four smart changes to the side which was victorious over Plymouth Argyle last time out and his swaps proved effective, with the aforementioned trio battling away relentlessly in their respective areas of the pitch.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

[ad_pod ]

Next up for the Addicks is their biggest test of the calendar year – a trip to league leaders Luton. A win would go a long way towards their automatic promotion ambitions.

[ad_pod ]

At 2-0 up with 11 minutes to go, Wolves would have thought their place in the FA Cup final was in the bag.

Everything was going swimmingly well courtesy of goals from Matt Doherty and club record signing Raul Jimenez.

However, it was substitutes made in both camps that turned the game on its head. Unfortunately for Wolves, it was a key misjudgement from Nuno Santo which cost them another day out in the capital, falling to a 3-2 defeat.

Subs prove key

There wasn’t much Wolves could do about the game-changing influence of Gerard Deulofeu when he came on. He has undoubtedly been one of Watford’s best players this season and the way he proved key last Sunday summed that up in a nutshell.

But it was Nuno ditching one of the club’s core values this term that cost them the game. On so many occasions Wolves have displayed a fearless attitude and a resilient nature to get them over the line. The fact they’ve taken 13 points from top six sides shows that.

In making such defensive substitutions late on, Nuno cost his team the game and reverted away from that fearless determination they’ve shown with such regularity.

It’s understandable to sit back on a lead so late in the game but considering it went so far from what one of the values their manager has instilled in the team it seems bizarre.

Taking Ruben Neves off with four minutes left hindered Wolves significantly. They missed a calming, reassuring figure in midfield and someone capable of carrying the ball forward. Even though he didn’t have his best game it was a questionable decision, especially considering there was the potential of extra time.

A Wolves fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the club in the video below…

And lone behold, the game did go to an extra 30 minutes. Joao Moutinho was also brought off and in the process, there was an alarming gap between defence and attack. Wolves now only had one midfielder on the pitch in Leander Dendoncker and lost all sense of fluidity.

Having decided to sit back and invite pressure so heavily, is it really any surprise they lost? Probably not. Nuno has struggled to find a plan B this season and this only reiterates the problem he has.

It’s crazy to think there was a time where football fans thought £34 million for Mohamed Salah was over-paying.

Since moving to Anfield in the summer of 2017, Salah has established himself as not one of the best players in the Premier League, but in the world of football. His list of accomplishments in his debut season was impressive, and the attacker has continued his incredible form this campaign as Liverpool mount their first challenge for the title since the 2013/14 season.

The Egyptian winger has been a roaring success on Merseyside, and his form has his value rise dramatically since arriving at Liverpool. According to a recent study by the CIES (via the Daily Mail), Salah is now the third most valuable player in the Premier League at £160 million, just £1 million behind Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling and £11 million off the player who holds the top spot, Harry Kane.

That means that in the two years Salah has been at Liverpool, his value has increased over four and a half times since his move from AS Roma, and his CIES valuation comes fairly close to his Transfermarkt value of £135 million.

These numbers are absolutely ridiculous and only go to show how smart manager Jurgen Klopp is when it comes to finding talent and driving up their value.

This was the strategy that allowed his former club, Borussia Dortmund, to earn a good chunk of their money by selling on the likes of Mario Gotze and Mats Hummels for big fees after acquiring them for next to nothing, and Salah isn’t the only Liverpool player to have his value increase massively under the German manager.

Dominic Solanke, who Liverpool signed for a free and hardly used in the Premier League, was sold last winter to Bournemouth for a reported fee of £19 million, the same club that signed Jordan Ibe for £15 million a few years back from the Reds as well.

Salah is unlikely to leave the club anytime soon, but if the Egyptian star is the depart Anfield one day it is likely to be for a club record fee, and it will be down to Klopp’s unique ability to find players who can be sold for profit.

Liverpool fans, what fee would you take for Salah? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]

The West Ham United fans have been on social media debating who should start through the middle in Saturday’s home game with Leicester City.

Javier Hernandez started the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United last weekend, with Marko Arnautovic left out altogether.

Hernandez struggled to make an impact against his former club, though, and Michail Antonio made a bigger impression off the bench late on.

Indeed, Antonio could have actually scored twice at Old Trafford – seeing his first effort hit the crossbar before being denied by a wonderful David de Gea save.

It is certainly an interesting topic of debate ahead of Saturday’s clash with Leicester, where the Hammers will be looking to avoid a fourth straight Premier League loss.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

There are those who feel that Antonio should be given the nod from the start, whilst others believe that Arnautovic could feature despite his troubles.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

Manchester City are set to face Manchester United at Old Trafford tonight in a derby of paramount importance.

Bragging rights are far from the priority for Pep Guardiola’s side with the Premier League title in sight, though they are an appealing bonus to add to the occasion.

City come into the fixture following a gritty 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur and, with fatigue potentially starting to become a factor, there’s no doubt changes could be in the offing tonight.

With that said, Football FanCast are here to provide a starting line-up prediction ahead of the game which sees the Spaniard make three changes from the weekend.

The most notable return is that of Leroy Sane, a player who has struggled for first-team opportunities in recent weeks.

The switch sees Sterling move to the right-wing as Bernardo Silva drops into central midfield to fill the void left by Kevin De Bruyne, who picked up an injury on Saturday.

Fernandinho comes into defensive midfield to replace Ilkay Gundogan, affording the German a well needed rest after starting the last four matches on the bounce.

David Silva also returns to replace Phil Foden in a logical switch.

[ad_pod ]

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has expressed that he believes Conor Shaughnessy may have a bright future at Elland Road. The defender he has yet to appear in the league since Marcelo Bielsa took charge, but the former Leeds United striker expects to see him feature next season.

What’s been said then?

The BBC pundit is convinced that Shaughnessy will have a part to play due to his former club’s lack of depth at centre-half.

The Whites currently use Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper as their preferred pairing but Kalvin Phillips and Gaetano Berardi can both slot in if required.

Whelan said: “Shaughnessy has a chance at Leeds because we don’t have an abundance of centre-backs and he made a good impression when he was in the first team.

“I think Bielsa has high hopes he can take advantage of his loan spell at Hearts, get some valuable experience under his belt and return a better player.

“He started well when he first got in the Leeds team, but it’s a matter of being consistent. The injury last season set him back but he has time on his side.”

Overly optimistic

Shaughnessy isn’t good enough to be an option for Leeds, doubly so if the club manage to secure promotion through the playoffs.

Whelan argues that he has a shot due to Bielsa’s lack of options at the back, but he has seemingly forgotten that the transfer window exists.

A new player in that position will undoubtedly be a priority for the Argentine this summer. If he does dip into the market he will bring in a proven solid defender, rather than taking a gamble on the young Irishman who hasn’t even been a consistent starter since joining Hearts.

If the Yorkshire club don’t go up then Shaughnessy could be a squad player, but there’s surely no way he is taking up a starting spot next season.