All posts by h716a5.icu

The curse of the international break finds its latest victim in Celtic.

As Neil Lennon’s first Old Firm derby after returning as manager approaches, he’s been struck by the break cruelly. Indeed, Kieran Tierney, one of his biggest assets, had to pull out of Scotland’s Euro 2020 qualifiers due to a niggling hip problem.

While the Scottish felt his absence badly with a shocking drubbing away at Kazakhstan, Celtic fans would be worried something as disastrous isn’t heading their way. Obviously, the Hoops aren’t quite as bad as the Tartan Army, but the Scottish Sun claims he’s a major doubt for the imminent Old Firm.

Obviously, Rangers will come all guns blazing and to keep them out, so Celtic clearly need Tierney’s solidity. Since Lennon’s arrival, Celtic have only conceded one goal in four games and kept three successive clean-sheets at that and Tierney might not have been as clinical attacking-wise as he was under Brendan Rodgers, but his defensive strengths are improving.

He successfully kept Aberdeen’s dangerous Greg Stewart quiet recently, showcasing impressive ability to neutralize their attacking threat. A Celt through and through, potentially missing him for the club’s biggest game left this season, is far from ideal.

Indeed, if Lennon’s side are to keep the menacing duo of James Tavernier and Daniel Candeias quiet, they’ll need Tierney at the top of his game.

The youngster is making strides with Celtic and by knowing the gravity of the derby, he’ll be especially pumped to blow away Rangers. If he’s out, the task has got a lot harder.

Celtic fans, do you think Tierney’s injury issues are a cause for concern? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

With what is looking to be a top ten finishing season, West Ham will be looking forward to making more strides in the right direction under Manuel Pellegrini, who has done a solid job so far at the London Stadium. In fact, we’re sure most fans reading this will agree that it might be the most exciting project the club has undertaken in quite a while.

After all the unrest of previous seasons finally looking to be behind them, Hammers fans can look towards the future and where their club can go next. Last summer saw the club’s board sign quite a few star players, with the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko joining the squad.

So, we suggest they look to do the same again in the up and coming summer period. Simple, right?

However, it can be argued that they made need to protect their players rather than look for a tonne more, as the January actions of a certain Austrian striker proved.

So, here we are looking at a couple of demands their 65-year-old boss should make to the board for the following season:

Resist the money! Keep star players on long term contracts

We’ve been here before, haven’t we? West Ham have a star man, and they sell him. Carlos Tevez, Dimitri Payet and Joe Cole being previous examples.

So, Pellegrini must be begging the board to get all of his star players on long term contracts. With the likes of Felipe Anderson, Marko Arnautovic and, more recently, Declan Rice exploding on the scene in the Premier League, the manager will be praying that no one comes in with a mega offer.

The entire foundation of West Ham’s success is quite clearly built on these players during this current period for the club, so it’s of paramount importance.

Address full-back problems 

The signing of Ryan Fredericks is only the start of what needs to be a bit of a fix up in the West Ham side. Indeed, with ageing full-backs like Pablo Zabaleta (34) and Aaron Cresswell already looking past his prime at the tender age of 29, it may be time to look for some reinforcements to come into the side.

Although they already have Arthur Masuaku, the quality of defending from the full-back position doesn’t seem to be there for the Hammers. So, this summer is the perfect time to get that balance within the side, and have a team full of star players with a balance from defence to attack.

[ad_pod ]

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…

Despite only being 22-years-old, Jack Harrison has already experienced a whirlwind of a career to date.

The winger moved to the United States as a teenager and emerged as one of the most promising talents in high school football. After one year of representing Wake Forest University in the Atlantic Coast Conference, he was drafted as the number one pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft in 2016 by Chicago Fire, before immediately being traded to New York City FC.

After two impressive seasons with the club, Harrison moved to Manchester City last year, spending the remainder of the 2017/18 campaign at Middlesborough. Now on loan at Leeds United, the England under-21 international has shown glimpses of his talent under Marcelo Bielsa with his latest appearance against Millwall particularly catching the eye of the club’s supporters.

With the Whites currently fighting it out with Norwich City and Sheffield United for automatic promotion in the Championship, Harrison has the opportunity to make a crucial impact in the final seven games. If he is able to demonstrate an improvement to his ability in the final-third, he could create an ultimatum for Bielsa to have to consider in the summer.

The winger clearly has the potential to develop into a player who could easily thrive in the top flight of English football and so if Leeds do secure promotion in May, they could consider permanently signing him at the end of the season. A move to Elland Road could benefit Harrison as he is unlikely to start for a City side who boast the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez in the positions that he currently occupies for the Whites.

Therefore, for the sake of his career, it may be a good idea to consider a switch to the Yorkshire-based outfit if Bielsa decides that he wants to keep him at the club. Leeds themselves – potentially missing out on Daniel James – would be picking up a real talent and one with a huge sell-on value, so it’s a deal that’d make sense, despite Noel Whelan criticising him earlier this season when speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, relayed by HITC.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should the club consider a permanent move for Harrison in the summer? Or should they focus on bringing in another player in his position? Let us know below.

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United are interested in signing Edin Dzeko from AS Roma this summer and have agreed personal terms with the former Manchester City striker, per Il Tempo.

The Bosnia & Herzegovina international has reportedly been offered a two-year contract by the Hammers.

What’s the word?

The Hammers are seemingly looking to replenish their squad this summer and Dzeko is reportedly wanted by the club.

While the Irons have agreed terms with Dzeko, they have yet to seal a deal with the Italian club.

Il Tempo report that Roma are keen to recoup €20million (£17.2m) for a player who has spent four years in Serie A.

Dzeko joined Roma on loan in 2015 and the deal was made permanent a year later.

Across 171 appearances for the club, he has scored a total of 85 goals, while laying on 36 assists.

He has won 101 caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring 55 times.

A perfect Arnautovic replacement

Marko Arnautovic looks likely to depart the club in the summer. He signed a new contract in January but it contains a clause that allows him to leave if a bid of £45m is tabled by an interested party.

Of course, he flirted with a move to China in January and there is every chance that there could be a rekindling of that interest at the end of the season.

Dzeko is a player who would step into his shoes straight away.

He has Premier League experience, having won the title twice with City, and is a player adept at spearheading a forward line.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini has repeatedly experimented with a 4-1-4-1 formation and Dzeko is perhaps more suited to that system than Arnautovic.

The Bosnian is a strong forward presence, an excellent header of the ball and exhibits superb hold-up play.

Having agreed a deal with the striker, it’s time for West Ham to meet Roma’s valuation.

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal fans on Twitter have been offering Unai Emery some pre-match advice as they call for the quartet of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey all to start Thursday’s match against Napoli.

Arsenal’s key players have been rotated often this season with the four rarely appearing on the pitch all at the same time.

The fanbase have been calling for Arsenal to field their strongest 11 for their crucial Europa League tie against Napoli and they believe that these four players all have to be selected.

The Gunners have often opted to field a second string squad in Europe this season, with youngsters such as Joe Willock, Emile Smith-Rowe and Eddie Nketiah all getting starts in the competition.

With a tough quarter-final draw against Napoli and the prospect of qualifying for next season’s Champions League if they win the trophy, Arsenal fans have been hoping that Emery starts all four players in a bold attacking move.

Here’s what Arsenal fans have had to say on Twitter…

Leeds United managed to squeeze past Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road earlier on today, which has taken them one step closer towards securing promotion to the Premier League. 

The Whites simply have to make the most of their promising position in the race for automatic promotion as dropping into the play-offs could end in heartbreak with league form going out of the window.

Although, Marcelo Bielsa should start weighing up his options ahead of next season, rather than solely focusing on promotion to the Premier League, as the summer transfer window will be crucial, regardless of the league.

Sadly, Leeds aren’t exactly blessed with loads of options at the pinnacle of the attack as Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe are currently the Whites’ only strikers, with Tyler Roberts dropping deeper.

But, things could change next season as one of the Yorkshire club’s loan players is enjoying plenty of success at this moment in time. Mallik Wilks has really come into his own since moving to Doncaster Rovers on loan back in the summer transfer window as he’s produced an impressive 16 goals and eight assists this season.

The Whites have struggled for creativity at times in Samu Saiz’s absence, so Wilks could be the man to fill the creativity void in the final third having produced eight assists at the Keepmoat Stadium.

He could save the club millions and ticks so many boxes, so Bielsa would be crazy not to give him a chance next season.

Not many teams in the Championship or in the Premier League will know about the 20-year-old, so he could be a deadly secret weapon off the substitutes’ bench for the Whites.

Of course, after witnessing Jack Clarke’s rise to stardom in the current campaign, it would make sense to give another thriving youngster a chance at Elland Road.

Leeds United fans, would you like to see Wilks in the first team ranks at Elland Road next season? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

When West Ham signed Javier Hernandez, he looked to be the perfect signing for the club. A proven goalscorer with bags of experience and talent in a team that lacked goals – what could go wrong?

As it turns out, quite a lot could go wrong – as Hernandez’s run in London has been poor to say the least. He hasn’t been able to capture his best form, and it’s fair to say that his tenure has been under par, to say the least.

Could he be running out of time at West Ham, then? Well, certainly, it seems like there’s a chance. After all, he’s just not been good enough. He hasn’t scored since mid-March, and with only 7 league goals this term, he’s not exactly showing the form of a deadly Premier League veteran.

There’s 3 Premier League games left in West Ham’s season, and that’s got to leave you wondering, is it now or never for Hernandez?

A few good games, with a couple of goals, may suggest that he’s still got the talent. He had moments of brilliance for club and country this term, but the lack of consistency is a real concern.

Still, if he can help fire West Ham to strong conclusion to the season, that may serve to rid the majority of the bad memories that have prevailed over his season thus far.

Of course, it could go the other way. If he doesn’t score, it seems obvious that West Ham will look to bring in a new forward, as they desperately need someone upon which they can rely, and that should worry him.

The next few games could have a big impact on the future of West Ham, that’s for sure.

West Ham fans – is it time to cash in on Chicharito? Let us know below!

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United fans have taken to social media to lavish praise on Mick Jones, who made more than 300 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Jones, who operated as a centre-forward, turned out for the Whites between 1967 and 1975, having moved to Elland Road from Sheffield United.

The three-time England international scored 111 goals for Leeds and won a host of trophies during his time at the club, as shown by the tweet below.

A number of Leeds fans took to social media to hail Jones as the club posted a special birthday message for their former player.

Some asked if Jones was available to play against Aston Villa this weekend, whilst others claimed that the team could have used him this season.

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

Indeed, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have dropped to third spot in the Championship after losing their last two and are now facing the possibility of having to go through the playoffs if they wish to earn promotion.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

Josh Cullen might be raring to go with Charlton’s promotion opportunity via the play-offs just around the corner, but the midfielder has seemingly ruled out any possibility of remaining at SE7 beyond the current campaign, with his loan deal set to expire in the summer.

The 23-year-old is set to return to West Ham after a stellar season in League One but some fans have surely been hoping that he would secure a permanent switch to The Valley. Unfortunately though, the dynamic Irishman has made clear his desire to fight for a first team spot with the Hammers.

What did he say?

Well, speaking about his time at Charlton and his future at West Ham, the 5 ft 9 workhorse said:

“I’ve always said that the main focus is to go back to West Ham and get a first-team place there. I’ll go back.

“They want me back to go and do pre-season and try and make my time there successful. Get in the first-team and warrant that place. That’s what I’m looking to do and hopefully that will happen.”

Can’t get Cullen

Having made 28 appearances for the Addicks, chalking up one goal and five assists, the industrious number 8 has been a huge hit at promotion-chasing Charlton, who would certainly be hopeful of tempting him back to The Valley for another season at least. The player himself, though, has other plans and few can surely blame him for trying to fight for a future at a Premier League outfit.

Check out what happened when two of Charlton’s best players faced-off in a game of ‘Splat’ in the video below…

Whether or not he can be successful, only time will tell, although with Reece Oxford having failed spectacularly to build on early signs of potential, it may be already too late for Cullen, who will have to fight for a midfield spot with the likes of 20-year-old Declan Rice.

What do you think, Charlton fans? Would Cullen get into West Ham’s team or would he be better served staying at The Valley? Let us know in the comments below…