All posts by z3u9t.icu

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Sead Kolasinac has finally tied the knot. Arsenal’s 25-year-old left-back and his wife said the ever-lasting “yes” reportedly last Saturday, but the Bosnian ace took a while before posting anything to social media.

Still, his latest

/By3bNt3huGs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram snap confirms it and many of his friends were quick to join the crowd, wishing the newlyweds all the best in the future and congratulating them on this huge occasion.

Danny Welbeck was among the first to respond as he just posted a series of emojis showing his support for his soon to be ex-teammate. Welbeck is on the list of players who are being dismissed on 30 June.

Alexandre Lacazette was one of the other Gunners joining the celebration on Instagram but was not the only one as soon other players were also seen doing the same.

Kolasinac joined Arsenal on a free transfer in July 2017 and has been a big part of the squad ever since.

At this point, it would be a surprise if Frank Lampard was not named as the next Chelsea manager, with the Evening Standard reporting that an announcement could be made this week.

If for whatever reason that does not happen, though, Rafael Benitez would not be the worst Plan B.

According to the Daily Mail, the Spaniard would be interested in a return to Stamford Bridge now that he is set to leave Newcastle United, providing the Blues with a very decent fallback option.

Yes, Mr. Benitez is not exactly the most popular man in west London, as he endured a fractious relationship with supporters during his last spell at the club (as per BBC Sport). But the 59-year-old knows how to deliver success, and that is what Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea are all about: success.

And following that 2013 Europa League triumph in Amsterdam, to go with a third-place finish in the Premier League, Benitez has already shown he is capable of doing just that at Chelsea.

His tenure at St. James’ Park, where he has not always had the largest of transfer budgets to work with in the Premier League (spent just under £40m back in the 2017/18 season via Transfermarkt) but has managed to get the job done, also makes for good reading considering this is a summer where the Blues are unable to sign any new players.

With two La Liga titles, an FA Cup and a bunch of other honours to his name, Benitez is a winner.

Would he be the perfect coach? No. His pragmatic football, criticised in a game against Chelsea at the start of last season, would arguably give some supporters even more of a reason to be irked over any potential appointment.

But if they miss out on Lampard, which looks like a gigantic if right now, there might not be too many other managers to turn to.

Chelsea fans, who would you like to see succeed Sarri if Lampard remains at Derby County? Let us know in the comment section below!

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Tanguy Ndombele has explained exactly what he hopes to achieve at Tottenham Hotspur after completing his move from Lyon, per the club’s official website.

What’s the word?

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The France international became the club’s record signing on Tuesday, joining in a deal that, per BBC Sport, is worth £53.8m.

Spurs, of course, reached the Champions League final last season and Ndombele has already set his sights on going one better and lifting the trophy in 2019/20.

He said: “For me, I hope we can win the Champions League, just like everyone does.

“You know, the Champions League is a really tough competition to win. Things are decided by small margins and the strongest team doesn’t always win.

“I just hope I can win it next season with Tottenham – that would be perfect for me.”

The signing they needed

This may seem like a pie-in-the-sky statement from Ndombele but there is a precedent.

Spurs reached the final with a relatively weak squad that had received precious little investment last season – they went two transfer windows without making a signing.

Indeed, Liverpool reached the final in 2017/18, lost, and then went on a spending spree, signing the likes of Alisson Becker and Fabinho. They beat Spurs in Madrid.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men have now done similar, acquiring a midfield player ahead of the likes of Manchester United, while spending a lavish sum.

They were greater than the sum of their parts last season; Ndombele’s signing could be just what they need to push them over the line this time around.

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After two totally uneventful transfer windows, Spurs fans finally saw a top talent put pen to paper when Tanguy Ndombele joined for a club-record £53.8m earlier this month – a real statement of intent after the Lilywhites’ stellar Champions League campaign last term.

The former Lyon man won plenty of admirers in 2018/19, including Manchester City, but he eventually opted for a transfer to north London and took the opportunity to work under Mauricio Pochettino.

The 22-year-old told L’Equipe (print edition, via The Evening Standard): “[The decision to join] was deeply thought through. Tottenham have one of the best managers in the world.

“The fact that he wants you, it makes you want to come work with him. He was the one who shifted my decision.”

Indeed, former Southampton boss Pochettino has a reputation for his development of young talent and it seems that Ndombele is hoping his new coach can have a similarly positive impact on his own growth as a player.

That’s not to say that the dynamic midfielder won’t make a big splash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium right off the bat, though.

With Ndombele’s transfer still fresh in mind, Football FanCast have taken a look at three key statistics that illuminate what he can bring to the Premier League next season…

Tackling

Despite the resurgence of the powerful Moussa Sissoko, who played in a deeper role last term, Spurs have lacked some bite and steel at the base of midfield since the January departure of Moussa Dembele.

Prior to his mid-season switch to China, the Belgian had averaged 1.3 tackles per game in the Premier League – the joint-highest for Spurs midfielders – but Ndombele’s defensive output blows his predecessor’s out of the water.

Last term, the 4-cap international completed 1.9 tackles per game on average, so Spurs fans can expect plenty of diligence and tenacity in the defensive phase.

Dribbling

While Ndombele himself told L’Equipe (via The Evening Standard) that he wants to distance himself  from comparisons to Manchester United star Paul Pogba, there are undeniable similarities between the pair in terms of their ability on the ball.

Last term, the Red Devils number 6 completed 1.7 dribbles per game, while the Spurs new boy completed 1.9 and was fouled 2.1 times per game. Only five players were stopped unlawfully more frequently in the Premier League, and not one of those tricksters were playing in Tottenham white.

Powerful, explosive runs from deep are a trademark of Ndombele’s game and his quick-feet will send plenty of defenders into a twist next season.

Before Tanguy Ndombele, Spurs fans haven’t been able to vlog about a transfer since January 2018! Judging by the video below, it’s been worth the wait…

Key passes and assists

The modern game has adapted and evolved rapidly, to the point where the vast majority of players are expected to contribute to multiple phases of play.

Full-backs are asked to get forward and support the attack – to the extent in which a greater importance is placed on marauding qualities rather than fundamental defensive instincts – while defensive midfielders are often as essential in terms of creation as their attacking counterparts, take Fernandinho at Manchester City, Jorginho at Chelsea and Fabinho at Liverpool as a selection of prime examples.

Ndombele will be able to make things happen in the final third despite his expected deployment in front of the back-line, as he demonstrated last season by completing 1.4 key passes per game and chalking up an impressive seven assists.

The former SC Amiens man may have had just one goal to his name but he’ll have no problem creating goalscoring opportunities for the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who respectively struck 17 and 12 times in the league last term.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Rangers winger Glenn Middleton well be sent out on loan this summer, with three clubs chasing his signature, according to The Evening Times.

What’s the story?

Middleton was in and around Steven Gerrard’s team in the first half of last season, making 25 appearances prior to the Scottish winter break.

From then on he barely got a look in though, demoted to the club’s reserve and youth sides.

The Evening Times now report that Hull City and Coventry City could look to beat Doncaster Rovers for his signature this summer, with the Ibrox side looking to send him out on loan for the entire 2019/20 season.

You won’t believe which of Liverpool’s Champions League winning side of 2005 is still playing in the video below…

Big decision

With Gerrard adding Jordan Jones, Jake Hastie, Greg Stewart and Sheyi Ojo to his squad ahead of the new season, competition has increased even further from January when Middleton found himself struggling for appearances.

Heading out on loan makes perfect sense, but if he’s to return to try and make an impact at Ibrox next summer then he must choose his destination very carefully.

There’ll be a temptation to make the switch to Hull City, given they play at a higher level than the other two interested parties, but that could make it tougher to get game time and to stand out in a very competitive league.

The rewards are high but it could be considered something of a risk too. Still just 19, he could struggle in the English Championship at this stage of his career.

Middleton need only look at teammate Greg Docherty to see the benefits of a move to League One with either Doncaster or Coventry.

Watch Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Rangers 22-year-old spent a season at Shrewsbury Town last term, making 50 appearances, scoring ten goals, assisting 11 more and winning player of the year awards.

He’s now returned to Rangers and is involved around the fringes of Gerrard’s team.

If that’s Middleton’s end goal, the English third-tier looks like the smart choice to prove to his manager he has what it takes to succeed in Glasgow.

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In a surprising turn of events, Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has reportedly ordered the club to explore the possibility of signing Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa.

The Toffees have overspent their transfer budget over the course of the last three years, leaving Marcel Brands with a lot of work to do to reduce a bloated squad, but Moshiri is said to be willing to stump up the cash to bring Costa to Goodison Park.

But what is the point in making a statement signing?

Forget the fact that Costa hardly guarantees goals having scored just five times in La Liga goals over the past two seasons, this is about Moshiri and how his demand could ruin Brands’ progressive work.

The former PSV sporting director has worked wonders to bring in excellent young players such as Lucas Digne.

That he managed to sign the marauding full-back for a fee of just £18m underlines Brands’ eye for a shrewd negotiation.

Everton’s director of football has outlined the club’s intentions to bring in players between the age bracket of 20-25/26, and has implemented that policy well by signing Digne, Richarlison, Yerry Mina and Bernard.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Surely sticking to a transparent, consistent policy and reaping the rewards is more of a statement than splashing the cash on a tempestuous maverick?

That seems to have been Moshiri’s preference since he arrived at Everton.

His first season at the club, having taken over in February 2016, saw Moshiri spend huge sums of money on players who are peripheral figures at the club just three years on.

Yannick Bolasie, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ashley Williams and Ademola Lookman were signed for a combined total of £67.1m ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.

Williams has since left the club, Lookman has been put up for sale, and Bolasie and Schneiderlin are not first-team regulars.

Moshiri’s second season at the club was even worse.

Davy Klaassen, Cenk Tosun, Theo Walcott, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane were signed for a total of £160.6m; only Pickford, Keane and Sigurdsson have been successful in the respect that they are first-team regulars.

At a time when Brands’ hard work has seen most of the deadwood cast aside and some quality players be signed for reasonable fees – £22m for Andre Gomes, for example, was excellent business – Moshiri seems keen to make life harder for the transfer guru by splashing the cash on a 30-year-old with next to no sell-on value.

It is no secret that the Toffees are lacking a prolific striker. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a decent hold-up player but him and Tosun mustered up just nine league goals between them last term.

Moshiri has to stop trying to solve problems by senselessly throwing money at them, though.

Costa might get the Everton fans off their seats from time to time, however, when that initial excitement dies down, Everton will just be left with an ageing striker, presumably on huge wages, leaving Brands with another piece of deadwood to clear out in the near future.

Moshiri and Brands need to pull together in the same direction, or Everton won’t make any progress.

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Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after L’Equipe (via GFFN as subscription needed) reported that the Reds have an €80m (£71.7m) agreement in place with Lille for the transfer of Nicolas Pepe, although Inter Milan, Napoli and Arsenal also find themselves in the same situation.

The Ivory Coast international has dominated the headlines this summer as speculation continues regarding his future, but it appears as if we are reaching a conclusion based on this news.

Pepe shone in 2018/19 for the Ligue 1 side, helping them to a second-place finish and a Champions League spot for next term.

The 24-year-old netted 22 league goals – second to only Kylian Mbappe in the scoring ranks – but also created 11 more for his teammates to showcase his creative side.

Liverpool are yet to sign a first-team player this summer, with only 17-year-old Sepp van den Berg coming through the Anfield door, but that may be about to change if the 6 foot attacker chooses the Reds over the other three teams involved.

Let’s see what the Reds supporters on Twitter have been saying about the agreed fee…

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Unai Emery has revealed that he hopes to convince defender Laurent Koscielny to stay at the club for next season.

It is being reported by Goal that the Frenchman could yet stay at Arsenal despite heavy links with a move back to his homeland.

Koscielny was disciplined by Arsenal earlier this summer after refusing to go on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

Emery said: “At the moment it’s a very personal decision, and we are respecting that. I am speaking with him and we are going to find the best solution, but overall we need a player like him.” (Source: Goal)

It seems that all is not well between Arsenal and Koscielny, with the France international seemingly aggrieved at a row between the two parties according to former teammate Olivier Giroud. However, his services could be required next season due to Arsenal’s activity in the transfer market.

According to David Ornstein, the north London giants are in talks with other clubs about a move away for Shkodran Mustafi. And with Rob Holding yet to return from injury, Arsenal could be left very short at the back for the start of the Premier League season, with just Calum Chambers and Sokratis Papastathopoulos the only senior options.

As well as the lack of options, Koscielny was statistically one of Arsenal’s best central defenders last season, making the third most clearances and second-most interceptions per game last season.

However, one of the most impressive things about Koscielny is his cool head. Compared to Sokratis (1.5) and Mustafi (1.4), Koscielny has a much lower average of fouls per game (0.5), suggesting he has better decision-making than his compatriots.

Arsenal boss Emery is entirely right in his efforts to attempt to keep Koscielny. Frankly, with the Frenchman still one of Arsenal’s best defenders considering his stats last season, there’s little footballing reason to let him go. Indeed, the lack of options could hurt Arsenal ahead of the new season, especially if one of Chambers or Sokratis gets injured between now and the close of the transfer window, given the lack of experienced cover mentioned above.

Can Koscielny seriously start the season at Arsenal? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Everton have announced the signing of Djibril Sidibe from Monaco, with the right-back arriving on a season-long loan from the Ligue 1 side.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it had previously been reported that Marco Silva wanted a right-back to compete with Seamus Coleman, and the former Watford boss appears to have got his man after Sidibe’s arrival was announced.

The 27-year-old becomes the Toffees’ sixth signing of the summer after deals for Jonas Lossl, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Moise Kean were also completed by Marcel Brands.

Sidibe is a World Cup winner and brings a wealth of experience to the Premier League, having earned 18 caps for France whilst playing in the Champions League with Monaco.

He will once again link up with Lucas Digne, whom he played alongside at Lille.

Mason Holgate as a centre-back?

It was intriguing when Silva reportedly said he was after a right-back, as Mason Holgate had since returned to the club from his loan spell at West Brom.

The England Under-21 international can play either at right-back or at centre-back, but has never really nailed down a spot in either position at Goodison Park.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…

Despite Sidibe’s arrival strengthening the right-back position, Everton still only have two centre-backs in Yerry Mina and Michael Keane, with no other senior figures in that area at the club after Phil Jagielka and Kurt Zouma left.

As a result of this, it could easily be argued that the Merseysiders see Holgate as a centre-back for the upcoming season given the fact that he is now third choice in the pecking order at right-back behind Sidibe and Coleman.

He looks set to remain at the club right now, and with it looking extremely unlikely for him to get game time at right-back, the 22-year-old may be spending the 2019/20 campaign as a central defender in Silva’s eyes.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Mirror, via the Leicester Mercury, Leicester City are chasing Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer as a replacement for the recently-departed Harry Maguire.

What’s the word?

It is thought that manager Brendan Rodgers wants to raid his former club for the young central defender, who made 67 appearances under the ex-Celtic boss, winning two Scottish Premier League titles and a handful of domestic cups.

The Foxes could be in the market for a new centre-back as last season’s regular Harry Maguire sealed a £80m move to Manchester United earlier this week.

Time is of the essence however as there are less than 24 hours to go until the transfer window slams shut.

Leicester currently have a choice of four different options at centre-back including Premier League title-winning captain Wes Morgan, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu and Filip Benkovic.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

An unnecessary addition

There are numerous reasons to why a move for Celtic’s Ajer would make a ton of sense.

The pair know each other well, he would fill a potential need as the club were already going to go into the season with five central defenders, and he would also be as close to a like-for-like replacement as you’ll get in terms of height with the Norwegian measuring 6 foot 5, an inch taller than Maguire.

He also would come a lot cheaper than the other centre-backs they’ve been linked to – Bournemouth want £75m for Nathan Ake whilst Burnley’s James Tarkowski has a £50m release clause.

But it’s not a move Rodgers should particularly rush or panic over.

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They have viable options in that position as it is.

In fact, many of the reasons that a move for Ajer making sense can also be applied to a man already at the club in Benkovic.

The 22-year-old is yet to feature for Leicester in a competitive fixture since joining the club last summer from Dinamo Zagreb for £13m and last season Rodgers signed him on loan whilst still in charge of Celtic.

Back in March, the 46-year-old hinted that the Croatian could be part of his plans for this season at the King Power Stadium and that cause is certainly helped by the departure of Maguire – also, Benkovic is 6 foot 4 too.

Benkovic was arguably the better of the two Celtic defenders last season as well.

Over the summer he made his national team debut which is only a mark on his performances to date and he’s also played a number of games in the Champions League so his age should be no concern.

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