All posts by n8rngtd.top

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West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that Andriy Yarmolenko will not return to action before the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

What’s the story?

Sky Sports quotes Pellegrini as saying:

“Yarmolenko is working very well, he has no pain, he is running and kicking the ball, but maybe it will be too soon for him to play before we finish.

“The Achilles tendon is one of the worst injuries you can have because you cannot go faster, you must exercise the ligament and then wait. To play this season I don’t think would be good for him. It would be better to do a very good pre-season.
“If you return after a long injury you get muscle injuries. He must be calm and wait for next season working hard, and we will see the player that we brought because he is a very good player.”

Yarmolenko has been on the sidelines since suffering a torn Achilles against Tottenham Hotspur in October, which required an operation.

It had been thought that the 29-year-old could return to action before the end of the season.

Pellegrini has provided a positive update on the 80-time Ukraine international, but has insisted that no risks will be taken with the attacker, meaning that he will not be seen in a West Ham shirt until pre-season.

How has Yarmolenko performed since arriving?

West Ham secured the services of Yarmolenko from Borussia Dortmund in July 2018.

He played in each of the London club’s first nine Premier League matches of the campaign, scoring twice and providing one assist.

Both of the attacker’s goals came in a 3-1 victory at Goodison Park in September and it did appear that the Ukrainian was just finding his feet before picking up the injury in the league against Spurs on October 20.

There is no question that the Hammers have missed his craft and knowhow in recent months, but having the 6 ft 2 ace fit and firing for the start of the 2019-2020 campaign will be like a new signing for the club.

Manchester City fans will be praying that their side can get the job done in the Champions League at the Etihad, after a rather disappointing performance at Spurs’ new stadium.

Raheem Sterling failed to have much of an impact on the game which made it difficult for Manchester City to get things going in the final third, but that won’t bother supporters as he’s been sensational this season.

Interestingly, all of his hard work and world-class performances appear to have made his value skyrocket, as according to CIES (via Daily Mail), Raheem Sterling is valued at an incredible £161 million.

The Englishman has established himself as one of the best attackers in world football in the current campaign, so it makes perfect sense to see him valued at a whopping £161 million.

He’s managed to produce 19 goals and 16 assists in the current campaign and he’s already helped City secure the Carabao Cup, with silverware still up for grabs in the Champions League, Premier League and the FA Cup.

Sterling is well on his way to becoming a Manchester City legend and he’s already making great strides on the international stage with England, so Pep Guardiola really does have a special player on his hands.

Of course, keeping him in the summer transfer window must be the priority for the Manchester club if he attracts attention as he’s been nothing short of incredible, and they would find it impossible to replace him.

His value is a testament to how well he’s playing at this moment in time, and it will only rise from here on in.

Manchester City fans, do you think Raheem Sterling is worth £161 million? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

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Arsenal are eyeing a move for Roma midfielder Steven Nzonzi this summer, according to Tuttomercatoweb.

The midfielder is familiar with Unai Emery, with the two men having worked together at Sevilla.

What’s the word?

The aforementioned report claims that Arsenal are monitoring the Frenchman closely. Nzonzi has made a total of 34 appearances for Roma this season, with the club currently sixth in Serie A.

Roma secured the former Stoke City midfielder from Sevilla in 2018 and the club are said to be keen to recoup the majority of the €30million (£25.9m) they spent.

Indeed, the report claims that the Italian club are keen to receive €22m (£19m) if they are to allow the star to leave this summer.

Nzonzi, of course, played under Emery at Sevilla between 2015 and 2016, winning the Europa League.

A familiar face

Perhaps it is Emery driving this deal.

Of course, Arsenal are without a technical director after the departure of Sven Mislintat and, with a reunion on the cards, it would not be a surprise if it was the manager calling the shots.

Arsene Wenger used to do that before his departure, to the chagrin of many fans, such was his tight-fistedness.

But this would make sense for all concerned.

A move for Nzonzi would deepen the reserves in midfield, add some steel and also bring in a player with whom Emery has a positive working relationship.

If it is his recommendation, it is a fine one, but it remains to be seen if Arsenal’s powerbrokers will be able to get it over the line.

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When it’s come to goals this season at Aston Villa, it’s been all about Tammy Abraham, with the Chelsea loanee bagging 25 in the Championship.

Therefore, Villa fans will have understandably been concerned when the striker was ruled out of their clash with Millwall on Easter Monday with a shoulder injury.

It’s a problem that looks as though it’ll keep him out of Villa’s clash with Leeds this coming weekend too.

However, stepping up to the plate when it mattered most was Jonathan Kodjia who sealed a record-breaking tenth win in a row for Villa and their place in the play-offs.

On the chalkboard

Kodjia showed on Monday that there is more to Villa than Abraham and that if the 21-year-old doesn’t return next season, he is more than capable of replacing him.

The Ivorian has struggled for consistency and fitness since scoring 19 for the club during the 2016/17 season. He now well and truly looks back to his best.

He came off the bench to score a vital penalty against Rotherham earlier in the month and he was on hand again this week to seal another huge win for the club, scoring his eighth goal of the campaign.

When Dean Smith needed a man, Kodjia was there and scored a lovely instinctive finish after making a clever run to the near post – that sort of darting run and confident finish is all the evidence you need that he is back at 100 per cent.

There was more to his game than that though and playing as the lone striker, rather than as a pair when he’d lined up alongside Abraham against Rotherham, he was terrific at bringing the rest of his team into the game.

He completed the game with a pass success of 93 per cent, keeping things simple when it needed to be whilst also winning one aerial duel and completing two dribbles.

It showed the dynamic nature of the forward and proves that he can still have a huge say in Villa’s promotion efforts.

Abraham will likely slot straight back in once he’s fit again, but with the pair of them in attack Smith’s side can find even greater potency.

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Whether Liverpool win the title in mid-May or narrowly finish as runners-up to an equally rampant Manchester City they remain on course to post just shy of a century of points while losing only once all season. Barring disaster in their last two games Jurgen Klopp’s squad are also set to complete either the second or third best ever Premier League campaign.

All of which staggers the mind and that’s before we consider these three aspects that have somehow been turned from negatives to positives along the way. Here’s a look at the three most staggering aspects of Liverpool’s incredible season…

Injury to Gomez

In late November Martin Keown stated on Football Focus that the partnership between Joe Gomez and his ‘big brother’ Virgil van Dijk could go down as one of the best the Premier League will ever see. It was a bold and premature claim yet so fantastic were the duo that nobody disagreed.

In the 12 Premier League games that the pair started together Liverpool kept seven clean sheets and conceded only four times but even these stats don’t do justice to what our eyes told us. Gomez and van Dijk worked so seamlessly with the 21-year-old learning on the go alongside the immaculate Dutchman. They were a trainee bouncer with immense promise and a guy who had kept door for years without a hint of bother.

Then just a week after Keown’s high praise the young England centre-back succumbed to a serious knee injury that essentially ruled him out for the rest of the campaign and in his place has come Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip. Yet they still boast the meanest defence across the top flight having conceded a substantial 30 less goals than Manchester United before this weekend.

Van Dijk of course deserves a good deal of credit for this, as too does Matip and the much-maligned Lovren. Mostly though the kudos should go to Klopp, a coach who used to be simplified for his ‘heavy metal’ attacking fare.

A workhorse midfield

The Liverpool fan-base has often been exasperated at seeing Klopp regularly favour a workmanlike midfield of Jordan Henderson, Gigi Wijnaldum and James Milner over the more invigorating figures of Naby Keita or Xherdan Shaqiri.

Yet individually the trio have performed brilliantly with Wijnaldum unfortunate not to be included in the recently announced PFA Team of the Year while Henderson has improved immeasurably throughout the course of the season. Milner as always has been Milner.

More pertinently, the endeavour across the middle has been the fundamental reason why Liverpool have managed to find a sustainable equilibrium this term that has benefited them far more than last year’s largely boom and occasional bust.

Keith from C’mon the Hoops throws back to the ‘Battle of Britain’ from the 2003 UEFA Cup quarter-finals in the video below…

Lack of squad depth

Should the Reds avoid an insurmountable loss at Camp Nou on Wednesday then it’s felt that Klopp might be tempted to alter his starting line-up for Newcastle away that comes just three days before the return leg of a Champions League semi-final at Anfield.

Should he do so perhaps Divock Origi (with three goals to his name this season) will come in for Roberto Firmino. Maybe Daniel Sturridge (with four goals this term) will replace Mane.

Compare this with Manchester City in a similar situation who would likely swap Sergio Aguero for Gabriel Jesus (just the 19 goals for the Brazilian) or Sterling for the explosive Leroy Sane. If Sane was unavailable then how about 2016’s Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez?

The dissimilarity in each club’s attacking options is stunning and when that is extended across all areas of the pitch it only heightens the already considerable admiration for what Liverpool and Klopp have achieved.

Junior Supporters’ Player of the Season, Internet Player of the Season, Luton Town Supporters, Trust Player of the Season, it was a very good night for Jack Stacey.

The Hatters’ right-back picked up a hat-trick of awards during the Luton Town’s Supporters’ Trust End of Season award show on Monday night that saw the defender pick up all three of the big accolades on the day, and it certainly has been a season to remember for Stacey.

The full-back has been one of the best players in League One this season, scoring four goals and assisting eight as the Hatters secured promotion to the Championship with a game, and had it not been for the club’s decision to hold on to Stacey at the start of the campaign it is unlikely Luton will be in the position they are now.

The Daily Mail reported last year in the summer transfer window that West Brom were eyeing up a move for Stacey, who saw him as a first-team option at right-back had the defender joined the Baggies, and it has shown that the Hatters keeping hold of their versatile defender has been one of the best transfer decisions they have made in a long time.

Stacey’s impact on the Luton team this season has been a massive, a big reason why the defender picked up so many accolades over the likes of James Collins and James Justin who both also had incredible seasons with the Hatters.

It is unknown where Luton would be had Stacey made the move to West Brom, but it is likely the London side would not be in the jovial mood they are now without their star defender.

Luton fans, how important has Stacey been for the Hatters? Let us know!

Jacob Murphy really hasn’t hit the heights that the fans at Newcastle thought he would. The young winger came from Norwich with plenty of promise after his £12 million move in summer 2017 yet he’s flopped hard in the Northeast. In January the winger was loaned out to West Brom, but even in the Championship, he’s struggled.

The question that the Magpies are now asking is what will happen to the winger when he returns to St James Park this summer, and the verdict from most of the fans is that he should be cut loose even if it means they have to take a loss on the winger. It’s very un-Mike Ashley to sign players and then sell them for a loss, but with Murphy, there are limited options given how badly he’s performed.

Fortunately for the winger, at the age of just 24-years-old, he still has a chance to find his feet at another club and perform as he did for Norwich. However, it just hasn’t happened at Newcastle and his time at the club will probably come to an end soon. Football is a funny old game, though, and none of the Geordies expected to see Isaac Hayden performing the way he is now, so if on the off chance Murphy does stay they’ll have to see how he performs throughout the 2019/20 season.

You can read the Geordies’ thoughts on Murphy’s future here:

The Geordies are all pretty decided on Murphy and will have no issues letting the winger leave this summer should there be an interested party.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans will have been keeping a close eye on Jack Grealish on Saturday afternoon as Aston Villa kicked-off their play-off campaign at Villa Park.

What’s the word?

Spurs have been repeatedly linked with the 23-year-old playmaker since last summer.

His decision to sign a new deal in September 2018 temporarily eased speculation, but the Daily Mail claimed on Friday that Grealish will leave the club if Villa fail in their bid to reach the top-flight.

Tottenham were identified as one of the clubs expressing an interest in his services, while Crystal Palace were also mentioned as they scout the market for a potential Wilfried Zaha replacement.

Perfect for Pochettino

Saturday represented a perfect opportunity to take a closer look at Grealish’s credentials to make the switch to north London.

This was not Villa’s poster boy at his scintillating best but he still managed to provide two moments of quality as the hosts suddenly turned the game on its head. Firstly, he provided a perfectly weighted ball for Conor Hourihane to smash home an equaliser from the edge of the area, and just moments later he lured Kieran Gibbs into a dangerous lunge inside the penalty area and won his side a penalty to complete the turnaround.

But it was his movement throughout the game which pointed towards his suitability to Tottenham’s free-flowing system.

The attacking midfield contingent at Spurs, regardless of the personnel, are allowed to interchange and roam as they see fit, leaving defenders with the unenviable task of trying to mark specific individuals.

Take Lucas Moura, for example, a player who was renowned for his expertise on the right-wing when he arrived at the club who now regularly operates at centre-forward, number ten or in a vague attacking midfield position which allows for seamless fluidity and flair.

Against the Baggies Grealish was allowed the freedom to roam across the pitch as he dropped deep, oscillated from left to right and pushed closer to Tammy Abraham in the second half.

This was a quintessentially free-roaming performance from a man who has been unleashed by Dean Smith, and his license to play wide, central, deep and advanced has prepared him for the style he would be expected to adhere to at Tottenham.

Like Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Lucas, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min, Grealish would be willing and versatile enough to thrive under the Argentine.

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Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool could be in for a fiery Champions League final after Damir Skomina was appointed referee for the encounter in Madrid on June 1st.

The name may not be too familiar for either team but Skomina has history in this season’s competition.

Indeed, Manchester United fans owe the Slovenian ref a debt of gratitude, as he was the man in the middle during the Red Devils’ victory over PSG in France.

United lost 2-0 at Old Trafford but won 3-1 in Paris to progress to the quarter-finals, with their third goal coming from the penalty spot in injury time. Indeed, Skomina awarded the spot-kick following a VAR review, judging that Presnel Kimpembe had handled Diogo Dalot’s long-range shot.

He is a card-happy official, too, with WhoScored noting that, in four Champions League appearances this season, he has shown an average of 4.5 yellow cards per game but he is yet to send a player off.

He has also awarded an average of 23.75 fouls per game, while the home team has won just once when he has been in charge; he has not overseen a draw this term.

There should be a winner in 90 minutes, then, when both Spurs and Liverpool lock horns for the right to be called champions of Europe.

Skomina was in charge as Liverpool beat Napoli 1-0 in the group stages, with Mohamed Salah scoring the winner to secure the Reds’ place in the knockout stages.

He refereed the 2017 Europa League final between United and Ajax and was also the fourth official for the 2013 Champions League final, when Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund.

Skomina has yet to referee Spurs this term.

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Sheffield United fans on Twitter are getting excited at the prospect of their club signing Oliver McBurnie from Swansea this summer.

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the striker is wanted by both the Blades and Brighton this summer.

With Graham Potter taking over at the Amex, the Scottish striker may well reunite with the manager on the south coast, but Blades fans are hoping he comes to Bramall Lane instead.

The youngster netted 22 goals in the Championship last season, including three against Chris Wilder’s side, so many supporters have seen first hand what he is capable of.

The forward is also no stranger to Yorkshire – he was born in Leeds before joining Bradford City at a young age, and on top of this he spent last season on loan at Barnsley.

He may want to return closer to home, and a move to United would make that possible for the 22-year-old.

Here’s what Sheffield United supporters have been saying on Twitter…