All posts by h79snht.top

Nottingham Forest fans seem to be pleased by the the rumours linking them to Benfica duo Diogo Goncalves & Joao Carvalho, who play as a winger and a midfielder, respectively.The transfer links have been reported by Portuguese newspapers A Bola.ÂThe key to the deal appears to be Forest’s newfound relationship with world-renowned agent, Jorge Mendes. Mendes operates in a similar role with Championship champions Wolverhampton Wanderers and his relationship with them was key to the signing of Portuguese stars Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota.This relationship, and the prospective signing of Portuguese youngsters has led Forest fans into a frenzy, many expecting a similar run in the Championship in the upcoming season. Both are expected to be permanent signings, with the Portuguese starlets expected to be a significant upgrade on the stars already available to Aitor Karanka.Below is a selection of the best reactions from Forest fans..

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Four Sporting Lisbon players – including midfielder William Carvalho – have rescinded their contracts with the Portuguese outfit, according to reports in The Telegraph on Tuesday morning, and Arsenal fans have urged their club to bring the 6ft 3in tall beast to the Emirates Stadium.

The Telegraph says that the Euro 2016 winner – along with teammates, Bruno Fernandes, Gelson Martins and Bas Dost – have all filed notice that they are to break their contracts with Sporting, claiming “just cause” after supporters attacked some players at the training ground last month after they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, new Gunners boss Unai Emery, who should move quickly to sign a 6ft 3in England international whose future is in doubt, may well be looking to strengthen his options in the middle of the park ahead of the new season, and bringing in a player who can protect the back four and help to strengthen their leaky backline could be a priority.

Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on Carvalho’s potential availability on a free transfer via social media, and while one described him as “better than Elneny and Xhaka”, another said “he is the player we desperately need in midfield”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Gareth Southgate has selected an England squad for this summer’s World Cup in Russia that has quality in all areas, if not quite the star names of years gone by, which has ensured that he has battles for selection all over the pitch.

That, combined with the healthy team dynamic that he has engineered, has created genuine competition for places in nearly every position.

The selection of players for the England team is generally a fairly partisan affair but it has reached the point now where many supports will not be too bothered which marginal call Southgate makes in a variety of positions.

One such decision is between Tottenham’s Kieran Trippier and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold so we put the question to you, should Southgate go for youth or experience?

The poll was very tight, again underlining how tough a choice it is but the Reds man came out on top with 54 per cent of the vote as you can see below…

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England’s final World Cup Group G game has become a matter of priorities for Gareth Southgate.

While finishing top would be due recognition for the fantastic progress the Three Lions have already shown at the tournament and provide a real statement heading into the knockout stages, it’s also a question of whether it’s really worth risking the fitness of key players when England have already qualified.

At the same time, while Southgate’s clearly fond of Raheem Sterling, the Manchester City forward hasn’t really set the World Cup alight in the same way as some of his attacking accomplices like Harry Kane and Jesse Lingard.

How far will England get in Russia? Tell us now and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

So perhaps it’s time to give Sterling a bit of a rest and allow someone else the chance to prove themselves, with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford inevitably the standout candidate.

The hugely promising youngster, valued at £58.5million at Transfermarkt, dazzled in England’s last World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica but has picked up just 22 minutes during the tournament so far.

So, England fans, would you start Sterling against Belgium to maintain England’s continuity in attack or hand Rashford a start instead? Let us know by voting below…

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Arsenal have been linked with Sevilla and Argentina midfielder Éver Banega, with The Daily Star reporting that the Spanish side have already signed his replacement.

What’s the story?

With Sevilla confirming the signing of Roque Mesa from Swansea this week, rumours linking new Arsenal boss Unai Emery with Banega have become even more prominent.

The experienced Banega has played for a number of top European clubs including Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Inter Milan and has a release clause of £17.6m.

However, Arsenal are also in for CSKA Moscow’s playmaker Aleksandr Golovin, as cited by Metro, who is rated at €18m by Transfermarkt and their transfer budget may mean it is Golovin or Banega rather than both.

Who should Emery choose?

A more attacking player than Banega, Golovin has quick feet and likes to use his pace to run at defenders whereas Banega will generally sit deeper and attempt to pick out a defence-splitting pass.

Valued at €18m by Transfermarkt, Golovin scored five goals and created four assists in 27 league games for CSKA last season and can play out-wide when needed.

At just 22-years-old, the Russian youngster has been impressing at the World Cup this summer, with a goal and two assists so far from his side’s three group games.

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Banega is clearly a quality player but if Emery wants to build for the future at Arsenal then Golovin may be the better option. With his pace and trickery he could create problems for Premier League defenders and would offer something different to Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

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Arsenal star Mikel Arteta has claimed that he is now back to full fitness following a season ravaged by injuries, according to report from the Express.

Arteta underwent ankle surgery at the beginning of the year and beforehand struggled with a thigh problem, limiting him to just 12 games the entire campaign.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal Transfer News | Latest Transfer News

However, the Spanish midfielder is adamant that his injury worries are behind him and is aiming to be back amongst the first-team in the near future.

“I had a really tough period last year after my last game in November and I went through some really difficult moments with my surgery.

“For me it is the frustration [that is the hardest thing] because there is always pain and you are trying to get back every day and you spend a lot of time doing rehabilitation.

“When the players go outside for a training session, you feel wasted. They come back, they travel and they have different times to you. Personally I don’t feel productive.

“I’m here because I want to play games, make this team more successful and be a part of it.

“When I’m not able to do that I still have to contribute, be positive, be good around the other players, give advice and try to help my team-mates. But it is not the same.

“But I worked really hard and tried to stay positive, do my best and here I am again now, earning my place in the squad and ready to help the team.”

Wenger will be boosted by the news after seeing Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere pick up long-term injuries before the start of the season, while centre-back duo Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are expected to recover from their respective problems in time for their clash against Stoke City this weekend.

Arsene Wenger’s men haven’t had the best start to their Premier League campaign, scoring only three goals in four matches, with two of them coming from own goals.

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When Brendan Rodgers needed him most, Daniel Sturridge delivered. That is the story of Liverpool’s weekend compressed into a single sentence, counter-intuitively typifying how circumstance has continually conspired against the Ulsterman during his Anfield reign.

Having spent Friday’s pre-match press conference denying reports that he’d been sacked, securing all three points against an Aston Villa side set for another campaign in the Premier League’s bottom five was imperative to stopping the growing tide of supporter disillusionment becoming a tsunami – especially after the disappointing draw with Norwich City the weekend prior.

Liverpool are more accustomed to crucifying the Canaries via a spate of worldly efforts from Luis Suarez, so the 1-1 home draw was a harrowing reminder of their struggles since the Uruguayan swapped Merseyside for Barcelona in summer 2014. Rodgers needed a performance against Villa to prove his Anfield vision hasn’t turned into an irreversible, inescapable nightmare and Sturridge, making only his second Premier League start since March and only his 14th league appearance in 18 months, willingly provided it.

The 26 year-old netted a stunning half-volley at 59 minutes after a delicate one-two with James Milner on the edge of the box, whilst his shrewd side-footed finish ten minutes later turned out to be the decider in a 3-2 affair. Two goals of the highest calibre, albeit against the Premier League’s third-leakiest defence.

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The England international is now Liverpool’s most important player. Quick centre-forwards have always flourished over more attritional ones during Rodgers’ tenure but it’s equally a question of match-winning quality – the kind of quality required to break the Premier League’s top four. Sturridge now stands alone in that regard throughout the Liverpool squad, perhaps excepting the exciting but unpredictable Philippe Coutinho.

But the striker’s match-winning display against Aston Villa was in itself a testament to what Rodgers has been up against during his three years on Merseyside. Injuries have surrendered Sturridge to just 57 Premier League appearances out of a possible 100 since signing from Chelsea in January 2013, so one can only speculate how many points Liverpool have missed out on during his absences.

And Sturridge’s recurring sideline bouts are just the tip of the iceberg. Along with the 26-year-old, Rodgers has lost former captain Steven Gerrard to age and Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez to the allure of Champions League football over the last 18 months. Even when Sterling was there in body, he wasn’t quite in spirit; Gerrard’s case, vice versa.

They were four integral cogs of the Reds’ 2013/14 runner-up campaign; two of which two of the biggest clubs in Europe were willing to pay a combined £125million for, one of which is amongst the best strikers in the Premier League and the last of which has been the heart and soul of the Liverpool first team for so long that his debut was made in a different millennium. Spanning back a summer earlier, Rodgers lost Jamie Carragher, another Anfield icon and dressing room leader, to inevitable retirement.

The £255million spent in that time period suggests Rodgers has been allowed the finance to replace them – although whether the responsibility for signings should truly rest with him or Liverpool’s ‘transfer committee’, a gang so secretive, mythical and far removed from the public eye they rival Yale’s Skull and Bones society, remains open to interpretation.

However, that’s not necessarily true. How can you replace a one-club captain like Steven Gerrard, for example? Or a striker so eclectic he’s now the support act to Lionel Messi at Barcelona? Tottenham Hotspur involuntarily parted with Ledley King, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale in the space of a calendar year. Two seasons later, they’re still a shadow of the top-four contending force of old, despite spending £229million and sacking three managers.

Every club in world football, be they Barnet or Barcelona, would struggle after losing such a pivotal core. Take Manchester City’s shock defeat to Spurs on Saturday for example; Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany and David Silva were all absent, whilst Yaya Toure came off with an injury midway through the second half.

Of course, that by no means atones for Rodgers’ many errors as Liverpool boss, which are by no means exclusive to the transfer market. But Sturridge’s performance against Aston Villa proved what Liverpool are capable of with just one top-class player in their starting Xi, so imagine what they’d achieve if they still had four – or for that matter even just two.

Whilst he’s still no longer fit for purpose in the eyes of many, its unquestionable that Sturridge’s unfortunate injuries, Gerrard’s inevitable Premier League retirement and the departures of Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling – two transfers instigated by incidents out of his control – have made Rodgers’ primary aim of regular Champions League qualification a near-impossible task.

Although I’m sure he’ll eventually bare the brunt of responsibility and receive his marching orders, I doubt any manager, be they Jose Mourinho or Gary Megson, would have fared significantly better under the same circumstances.

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When Liverpool travel to Manchester City this weekend, all eyes will be on Raheem Sterling as he faces the Reds for the first time since leaving the club in acerbic circumstances over the summer.

Those vindictive souls who make up the majority of the football watching populous will find it hard not to slip into a mentality of wanting to watch him booed and hissed loudly or of wanting to see a heavy Martin Skrtel tackle set the young winger straight. Liverpool fans will be baying for blood.

And with the optimism at Anfield recently, the new manager and the new lease of life, the idea of a full-blooded game filled with high pressure, lots of running and no time on the ball seems inexorably coupled with the idea of crunching tackles and a bit of winding-up. It’s the old English way, after all.

Jurgen Klopp has never managed Sterling, he more than likely has no ill-will towards the player, and he’ll hardly send his players out any more fired-up than he usually does. It’s just that with the away fans booing their former starlet, they might fire the players up even more than the manager does.

And if that’s the case, Liverpool should be careful.

City have the pace and the attacking quality to threaten Liverpool. They don’t need much time on the ball to punish you because they counter-attack with so much pace.

Klopp’s ‘gegenpressing’ is designed to stop counter-attacks. If you get close to an opponent when he wins the ball off you, then he won’t have the time to look up and pick the right pass. But when the opponent is Fernandinho or Yaya Toure they’ll just hold off the tackle and run up the pitch.

It’ll be up to Liverpool to try to stifle City’s attacks when Pellegrini’s men do build-up pressure, but the more important issue for Liverpool is not to give the ball away too cheaply in City’s third of the pitch. A sloppy square ball, or a misplaced pass in a central area will allow City to break, whereas a ball into the channels won’t carry the same risk.

The situation gets even more complicated for Liverpool if Sergio Aguero is back. The Argentine is much quicker and more mobile than Wilfried Bony, so with Aguero at the helm, City can play their counter-attacking game with even more ease. It’s not just the fact that Aguero is a better player than Bony, it’s that Aguero suits City’s Plan A much better than Bony does.

Liverpool will know all about City, having beaten them by playing a very fast-paced game over the last few seasons. Memorable goals from Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson sealed wins for Liverpool at Anfield last season and the season before, and a game at the Etihad was won by City only after Liverpool had the opening goal of the game disallowed by a very dodgy offside call. Ironically, the man denied the goal was Sterling himself!

Since then, though, City have added the pace of Sterling and the precision of Kevin De Bruyne. It’s a new-look City attack, and one that will pose Liverpool more problems.

At the other end, the addition of Otamendi adds even more bulk to City’s defence, meaning that Christian Benteke won’t look as big as he usually does.

This will be a full-blooded game. City are going to try to counter with pace and power, Liverpool will pressurise them with every available body. Pure English entertainment served up with the Raheem Sterling situation bubbling away in the background.

Liverpool will have to be very careful how the approach this one, otherwise City could do to them what they’ve done to City for the last few years.

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Black Friday is here! That’s right, the annual 24 hours in which budding shoppers from the USA and the UK recreate scenes from The Purge to ensure nobody beats them to a toaster with five quid knocked off its recommended retail price has finally arrived.

A strange tradition but an increasingly popular one nonetheless. Last year, a whopping £810million was spent by online consumers alone; one can only imagine the total with all those riotous shoppers trampling over small children on their way to the discount lampshades isle included as well.

And in homage to this year’s Black Friday, Football Fancast have been prowling the transfer market for some of its best bargains on behalf of the Premier League’s top clubs – in this instance, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Some come with knees made of glass, off-field baggage and controversial reputations, but all are available for a knock-down rate this Black Friday!

EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR

What better way to kick off Black Friday than signing an experienced goal scorer without spending a penny?

Indeed, only 25 players throughout the competition’s history have scored more Premier League goals than Emmanuel Adebayor, who boasts an impressive return of 96 from his spells with Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea and Manchester United are both believed to be in the market for added firepower, the Blues’ reportedly concerned with the sharp decline of Diego Costa and the Red Devils’ current strike-force of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial finding just five Premier League goals between them this season.

The 31-year-old represents a short-term fix until more coveted targets become available. He’s certainly well experienced in life at a major club, but like most Black Friday giveaways, the Togo international isn’t exactly reliable.

ALEXANDRE PATO

Another experienced striker striker doing the rounds is Alexandre Pato, whose services have allegedly already been offered to Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs at the relatively cheap cost of £11million.

The 26-year-old is best famed for his prior spell at AC Milan, where he scored 51 goals in 117 appearances, but has spent the last three years rebuilding his career in the Brazilian league after enduring 18 months of injury hell at the San Siro.

That may put some off the 5 foot 11 striker. Nobody wants a television set with a busted up aerial, regardless of how cheap Currys are selling it for.

But the Brazil international has now enjoyed three straight seasons of full fitness and just come to the end of the most prolific campaign of his career, netting 26 times in 56 appearances on loan at Sao Paolo.

Sao Paolo can’t afford to sign him permanently, parent club Corinthians are keen to cash-in and Pato is resultantly eyeing a return to European football.

JOEL MATIP

Boasting fantastic athleticism, great versatility and relative youth, Joel Matip has plenty to offer a top European club like Chelsea or Manchester United.

The Cameroon international measures in at 6 foot 4 but is slight and agile, whilst his ability on the ball has seen him feature in defensive midfield as frequently as his preferred position of centre-half throughout his Schalke career. He’s even filled in at full-back on occasion too.

The 24-year-old has been deployed exclusively as a centre-back this season and is arguably enjoying his strongest form to date, averaging 1.5 tackles, 3.5 interceptions, 5.5 clearances and 3.8 successful aerial duels per match whilst claiming two goals and one assist in 13 Bundesliga outings.

But with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, some Black Friday haggling could see the Miners surrender Matip on the cheap.

NICOLAS N’KOULOU

If you’re spending Black Friday searching for a bargain centre-half, then look no further than Marseille’s Nicolas N’Koulou.

The Cameroon international has been regarded as one of the French top flight’s leading defenders for some time, having twice claimed a slot in the division’s Team of the Season since moving to Stade Velodrome in summer 2011.

The 25-year-old has been tipped for a Premier League move before without anything materialising. But N’Koulou is now edging upon the final six months of his Marseille contract and without a new deal in sight, he’s another who can be whisked away on the cheap with a bit of bartering.

SOFIANE FEGHOULI

The third and final bosman-bound bargain on this list. Sofiane Feghouli’s contract situation at Valencia has seen him linked with countless clubs over the last few months – not least including Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona.

The Algerian international isn’t exactly a world-beater, finding six goals and six assists in 33 La Liga outings last season, but he’s a real nuisance in the final third and at 25 years of age could up his game to a new level within the next few years.

He possesses the pace and power to be a real hit in the Premier League and although Valencia are optimistic of eventually agreeing extended terms with the African attacker, a decent bid will certainly make them think twice about his future.

Chelsea perhaps aren’t in need of added options out wide but Louis van Gaal has made no secret of his desire to add a speedy winger to United’s starting line-up. Feghouli could be the man for the job.

MARIO GOTZE

A considerably pricier Black Friday deal compared to the rest on this list but one that represents good value-for-money nonetheless.

Mario Gotze is best famed for scoring the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final but his club career has somewhat tanked since moving to Bayern Munich in summer 2013.

Indeed, he’s gone on to see just 4476 minutes’ worth of action in the Bundesliga under Pep Guardiola, which works out at just shy of 50 full appearances from a possible 81, and often finds himself benched for Bayern Munich’s most important Champions League fixtures.

The German international’s agent made plenty of noise about leaving due to a lack of game time during the summer and the situation hasn’t particularly improved, with Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman representing even greater competition for a regular starting berth.

So with Gotze’s contract set to expire at the end of next season, a cheeky bid around the £20million-£30million mark might just convince Bayern to cash-in on the disillusioned 23-year-old.

What a Black Friday coup that’d be!

Tottenham have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League and their academy continues to produce players who would walk into most sides in the country.

Mauricio Pochettino is developing a reputation for bringing youngsters through his squad and into the England setup, but he can only have so many starlets at a time and it might be best for some to look for a loan move to a side like QPR.

Alex Pritchard has already made his loan move in January and others are likely to follow suit as the loan window opens for Championship clubs.

Pochettino may be reluctant to let players who have featured in the first-team could out on loan as they go into a busy period with the return of the Europa League later this month.

The Lilywhites will be eyeing up a title challenge in the remainder of the season, but these youngsters must put their own career first and look for first-team football.

Here are FIVE players that QPR could be looking at…

Joshua Onomah

Onomah has been a central figure in the successful Spurs academy and captained the under-18s side in their youth cup run a couple of seasons ago.

Despite having featured a couple of times this season, the attacking midfielder is a season or two away from forcing his way into the starting XI and has all the strengths to be a dangerous force in the Championship.

Harry Winks

Winks made his first team debut in the Europa League in 2014, but has failed to push on to compete with the more experienced players in the first team squad.

The central midfield man featured strongly in the under-21s last season and is ready to make the move for more minutes in senior football despite being overlooked by Pochettino.

QPR’s side could do with an injection centrally and there is no better solution than Winks.

Clinton Njie

Njie has everything that you would associate with a successful Championship attacking player.

The former Lyon man has a great turn of pace and would be a good foil for Washington in QPR’s forward line. Son, Chadli and Lamela are all ahead of Njie in the battle for the wide positions in Pochettino’s side so Spurs might consider a loaning out their summer signing.

Tom Carroll

Carroll has made his way into Pochettino’s first-team plans on a more regular basis of late, yet their could be an argument for QPR to push to bring the talented midfielder back on loan.

Dembele, Alli, Bentaleb and Dier are all likely to make their way back above the diminutive youngster in the pecking order and regular minutes are crucial to his development.

Kyle Walker-Peters

Walker-Peters is adept at both left and right full-back and the youngster made his senior debut during Spurs’ pre-season tour of Asia.

Having become a regular in the under-21s, the youngster must be considering a loan move to begin his career at senior level and QPR would be a good starting point.