All posts by n8rngtd.top

A lot of Liverpool fans have been reacting with excitement to a tweet posted by Reds news Twitter account @AnfieldWatch, which relayed a claim from French publication Le Parisien about Liverpool’s hopes of signing Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe. 

According to Le Parisien, via Sport Witness, Mbappe is asking for sport-related guarantees from the Ligue 1 club to get him to sign a new contract at Le Parc des Princes, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. 

Meanwhile, it’s claimed that even though Liverpool would not be able to offer Mbappe as much money as PSG, they are hopeful that they can present ‘a better sporting project’ to the 21-year-old, who is currently the world’s most valuable player, per Transfermarkt, in order to persuade him to commit his future to the Merseyside club. 

The report also claims the Reds’ interest in the young superstar is ‘real’.

So, how did these Liverpool fans react to this claim on their hopes of signing Mbappe?

Many Reds fans reacted to @AnfieldWatch’s tweet sharing this claim with pure excitement, indicating that they think there is a genuine chance their club could convince Mbappe to move to Anfield, a signing that would of course set the Premier League alight and turn all eyes to Merseyside. 

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been fuming at ex-Reds centre-back Dejan Lovren over his recent comments on his Anfield departure.

Pablo Fornals has dealt West Ham United a titanic blow ahead of facing Sheffield United on Sunday after stating why he favours playing with Michail Antonio over Sebastien Haller.

What’s he said?

While speaking with the Irons’ official club website, Fornals has noted how Antonio has the ability to make attacks easy as all the Spanish midfielder has to do is pick him out, knowing the centre-forward can do the rest.

Antonio has often been praised by manager David Moyes for his relentless workrate as the spearhead of West Ham’s frontline, in a role the Hammers chief does not feel Haller has the ability to match when played in a one-striker formation.

Moyes has persisted with a single central attacker since returning to the London Stadium to succeed Manuel Pellegrini, with the 57-year-old only naming two centre-forwards in five fixtures across all competitions during his current 31-match run at the helm.

The Scottish coach is unlikely to favour a change in tack when West Ham visit Sheffield United on Sunday, with Moyes already backed to name Haller as his starting striker with Antonio only among the substitutes following his hamstring injury.

Doing so could see Fornals struggle in his search for a third assist of the top-flight season, having noted the reasons why he favours lining up behind Antonio rather than Haller.

“We are close friends, not just outside the pitch but on it too, where all of you can see how both of us enjoy playing together,” Fornals said while smiling.

“I always say that in whatever team I play for, I want to play with a player like Mikey because, for me, he makes it so easy to play with him. I just have to find his body [with the ball], because if I find his body, I know we will have the ball for a second chance.”

The last time Moyes named two strikers in a starting line-up for a Premier League fixture came in March’s 1-0 loss at Arsenal to extend a winless run with multiple centre-forwards, along with a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City and a 4-1 drubbing by Leicester, plus a 1-0 loss to West Brom after a 2-0 win over Gillingham in the FA Cup.

Titanic blow for Moyes

With Moyes already backed to favour handing Haller, who has largely flopped so far with 12 goals in 44 matches following a £45m move in 2019, his third start of the Premier League season, Fornals’ comments may come as a titanic blow to both him and West Ham’s hope of beating Sheffield United this weekend.

In the two full top-flight fixtures the Irons have contended since losing Antonio, Fornals has failed to register any key balls, deliver an accurate cross, connect a long pass, has lost possession 24 times, made just two successful dribbles, directed two shots on target and won three of his 10 ground duels, per SofaScore.

Moyes even saw enough from Fornals that he hauled the £67,308-per-week midfielder off after 72-minutes against Fulham while West Ham continued to search for a breakthrough goal.

It was a performance that will have left a shoddy impression on the Hammers boss, who has previously urged Fornals to deliver consistent performances as he can typify the energy the Scot wants from his players.

“He is a really likeable boy, and he works incredibly hard for the team,” Moyes said, via quotes by the West Ham website. “We are always demanding more from him because we want him to contribute with assists and goals and he has been doing that.

“He’s been more involved, and I have to say, his energy and enthusiasm in training is incredible and we really like him. What we have got here is the slight makings of a young group of players who are all doing well and giving us a much bigger energy than in the past.”

AND in other news, a West Ham gem with his “best years ahead of him” has been tipped for David Moyes’ axe this January.

Manchester United will at some point need to find a replacement for Edinson Cavani, never mind a right winger, and with the club failing to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, executive-vice chairman Ed Woodward can make amends in the not too distant future.

What’s the word?

According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, as relayed by TEAMtalk, Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland is still of interest to United and the Bundesliga challengers are open to offloading him for around £91m.

Premier League rivals Liverpool also reportedly remain interested in the son of former Norwegian international Alf-Inge Haaland.

However, as is often the case, there is a catch, as his release clause will come into effect in the summer of 2022.

Get it done, Woodward

Reports earlier this year revealed the Red Devils failed with a bid in January whilst Solskjaer was desperate to bolster his firepower.

The 20-year-old has been in prolific form for the German giants, providing 17 goals and 3 assists in all competitions so far this season, via Transfermarkt.

Anthony Martial has struggled for consistency so far this season, with just one goal in his past five games, which has coincided with United’s inconsistent run of form, having been beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Valued at €200m (£180m) via the CIES Football Observatory, Woodward would be wise to sanction a move for Haaland as not only would he be the perfect replacement for Cavani, who’s contract will run out in 2021 with the option for a further year, he would also be able to challenge Martial for a place in the starting line-up, although two years is still a heck of a long time to wait.

Whilst United’s problem with the right wing are well documented, they shouldn’t neglect the top of the pitch, either. In fact, we’d even go so far as to say they should forget about Sancho and sign Haaland instead, if and when the chance arises, as Amad Diallo could turn out to be an absolute steal.

Solskjaer has recently heaped praise on his countryman after he admitted he will topple his Champions League record, saying: “He’ll beat it and very quickly, that’s for sure.

The boy has had a great start to his career. It was really good to work with him, to see the potential in him and some part of me feels proud of having a little bit of input into such a rise.

”I’m sure Erling will score loads of goals in the Champions League.”

If his comments aren’t enough to convince the club to return for the monster goal machine, we don’t know what will be.

AND in other news, Forget Fred: Manchester United magnifico Bruno Fernandes seriously let Solskjaer down vs PSG…

According to a report by The Athletic journalist David Ornstein, via Sports Illustrated, Man City are huge admirers of Aston Villa star Jack Grealish – with the news prompting many Sky Blues to go wild and urge Txiki Begiristain to ‘get this deal done’.Â

Grealish, who has been a pivotal figure for the Villans over these last two seasons, is currently turning the heads of some big Premier League clubs – which includes City as per this latest update.

The £135,000-per-week England international had attracted interest from the Citizens’ cross-town rivals Man United over the summer, but the playmaker who has drawn comparisons to club legend David Silva is also said to be on City’s watchlist.

As a result, plenty of Sky Blues are keen to see him make a move to the Etihad Stadium – find all of their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

Man City fans want Grealish

In other news: City have also been tipped to sign this 6 foot 2 ‘beast’ – find out more here.Â

Many Liverpool fans have been showing their support for winger Xherdan Shaqiri after he opened up about what happened over the summer regarding his future.

The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield this summer, with The Athletic suggesting that he was due to follow Rhian Brewster out the exit door.

The likes of Lazio, Roma and Sevilla were believed to be interesting in his services but the tables quickly turned as the deadline passed and nothing was announced by the club.

During a recent interview with the Swiss FA, Shaqiri reiterated his desire to stay at Liverpool and stated that he feels good about it, despite saying that the media ‘write a lot’.

The Swiss winger has scored eight times and provided five assists in 42 appearances for Liverpool (as per TransferMarkt), with three years left on his contract. However, he has started a paltry two Premier League games since August 2019.

With all of the above in mind, these supporters are hoping to see more of Shaqiri in the famous red shirt this season, as the Reds aim to defend the Premier League title that they secured last season.

Here you can find some comments from Liverpool supporters on the “underrated” winger:

Liverpool fans, should Klopp have sold Shaqiri or was he right to keep him? Join the conversation by commenting below…

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing Eredivisie ace Oussama Idrissi this transfer window.

The Morocco international has been linked to the Premier League outfit by El Desmarque (via Sport Witness), who claim an offer of €16million (£14.4m) could be tabled for his services.

Wanderers aren’t the only ones in pursuit of Idrissi, though. The report states that both Sevilla and Napoli also have their eye on the 24-year-old forward.

How would Idrissi fit in at Wolves?

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side looked on course for a place in the top six last season but fell just outside of the margin on goal difference to Spurs. Their main attacking threat was undoubtedly Raul Jimenez, who notched an impressive 17 goals in 38 league appearances.

Next behind the Mexican was Diogo Jota with seven goals, followed up by Leander Dendoncker with four (via Sportsmole). The gap between Jimenez and the rest of the team in terms of goals scored is difficult to ignore. Wolves’ top scorer needs more support in attack if the team are to push up the table this season.

Signing Idrissi would pad out Nuno’s roster and provide more options when breaking down the opposition.

Could Oussama Idrissi replace Diogo Jota?

The AZ Alkmaar man tallied some superb numbers with the Dutch outfit last season. In 25 league appearances, Idrissi found the back of the net 13 times and provided a further five assists. His overall count for the term finished on 17 goals and ten assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

The 24-year-old also operates on the left wing, which is a perfect match to fill the Jota-shaped hole left in the Wolves squad after the Portuguese moved to Liverpool.

Although Nuno experimented with his squad last season, Jota put in some strong performances and was the difference between a loss and a draw, and a draw and a win on several occasions. Losing him to Liverpool definitely makes the left wing an area of importance to strengthen.

With Idrissi’s numbers and international experience, for the low price of £14.4million, it’s a no brainer for Wolves to snap up the Moroccan before the window closes.

In other news, Leeds can land the perfect De Paul alternative in Erick Pulgar

The Gunners set their sites on a top-four spot at the start of the season – a goal that seemed realistic enough to achieve given the club reaching the Europa League final last season as well as finishing just one point from the top four last time out.

The plan didn’t quite go as hoped, however, with Spaniard Unai Emery being sacked towards the end of November after a string of disappointing results. The Gunners would soon appoint former player Mikel Arteta, and things began to change for the better.

A strong push towards the end of the season, along with beating champions Liverpool in the league and seeing off Manchester City to reach the FA Cup final. The latter would turn out to be the biggest win, as the club went on to win the FA Cup for a record 14th time against bitter rivals Chelsea.

But with all the ups and downs, how much can you remember about the club’s 2019/20 season?

After a hugely disappointing 0-0 draw away to a relegation-battling Bournemouth side on Thursday night, it was no surprise to hear some pundits take aim at Tottenham.

One man in particular, Roy Keane, certainly didn’t hold back in his assessment of the Lilywhites.

Speaking whilst on duty for Sky Sports, the former Manchester United captain said (as quoted by The Daily Mirror): “Tottenham were poor tonight. When you analyse Tottenham, and watch Tottenham closely you shouldn’t be surprised. They’ve got that type of performance in their make-up, we’ve seen it regularly over the years.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

“They went to Sheffield United last week, Mourinho’s spoken about it, they didn’t show any fight. He had to make changes at half-time. That is in Tottenham’s DNA, they will constantly disappoint you. When you look at the table, the table doesn’t lie at this moment in time. Tottenham are ninth in the table, that’s where they deserve to be.”

It was a particularly scathing verdict, and one that certainly rings true. No trophies to show for well over a decade, and multiple instances of slipping up at the final hurdle, whether it’s the Champions League or a race for the Premier League title.

And whilst the early months of Mourinho’s reign in north London has hardly been in inspiring, Daniel Levy absolutely made the right call in getting rid of Mauricio Pochettino and appointing him.

This change in mentality, and ‘DNA’ that Keane talks about, isn’t going to change overnight. For all the trophies he has won throughout his illustrious managerial career, Mourinho is no magician, capable of waving a magic wand and ridding Spurs of all their bad habits.

The structure of winning that the Portuguese man has almost always built at the clubs he has been at, takes time to develop and consolidate. For all the great work that Pochettino did in establishing Spurs as a Champions League regular, he could never get them over the trophy hump.

And that was precisely why Levy chose to bring in Mourinho. Speaking at the announcement of his appointment, the Spurs chairman said: “In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football. He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.”

If allowed the funds to bring in the players he wants this summer, and shape the squad in his image, then Mourinho stands a far better chance of delivering Spurs what they want.

Keane’s comments were searing, but they proved that Levy took the right gamble in trying to change the club’s DNA.

Football.London reporter Alasdair Gold has dropped a major transfer claim this week as Tottenham Hotspur gear up for a busy summer of activity.

What’s the word?

According to the Spurs journalist, the north London outfit have Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell on their radar following the Canaries’ relegation from the Premier League.

It’s also believed that Jose Mourinho could test the water with the Championship newcomers with young right-back Max Aarons also a player that the Portuguese manager admirers.

What sort of fee the English talent would command very much remains to be seen – Transfermarkt value Cantwell at £18m whilst the Daily Star have mooted £10m amid interest from Sheffield United.

Eriksen successor

Spurs have plenty of positions that are in need of revamping but Mourinho still hasn’t found a true number ten akin to Christian Eriksen at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He’s often gone to Giovani Lo Celso, who seemingly is better suited to a box-to-box role, and Dele Alli, who has been in and out of the side since the 57-year-old’s appointment in November.

Cantwell can be the man to fill that void, especially as he’s been dubbed the next Alli.

And it’s easy to see why.

Per WhoScored, the 22-year-old has provided six goals and two assists whilst averaging 1.3 dribbles, 1.1 shots and 0.9 key passes per game for a side rock-bottom in the PL. Imagine what he could do with the likes of Heung-min Son, Steven Bergwijn and Harry Kane around him.

In a similar vein to Spurs’ Englishman, Cantwell is often the man to provide late bursts into the box – another trait that was akin to Eriksen, who bagged ten goals in his final full season in north London.

The promising attacking midfielder has regularly received raving reviews, ranging from being the “most gifted” in Norwich’s system to having “god-given” abilities.

At just £10m, it presents extremely low-risk, so Daniel Levy would be foolish not to make the most of another’s misfortune here. Cantwell would be a most welcome addition in north London.

AND in other news, Spurs can land £10m bargain in reported striker transfer target…

Tottenham Hotspur plan to sell Danny Rose for a cut-price fee when he enters the final year of his contract, according to Football Insider. 

Tottenham valued Rose at £50m several years ago, when he was arguably at his peak and linked with Manchester United.

A source told Football Insider that Spurs are willing to listen to offers for the defender in the summer, but the club are aware that his market value has plummeted amid the economic uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus crisis. Therefore, they are prepared to sell him for £5m as he is not expected to play for Spurs again.

The Lilywhites reportedly rejected an approach from Watford last summer amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Schalke 04.

Understandably, this latest update could be good news for Ryan Sessegnon.

Last week, David Ornstein revealed that Rose has signed a loan extension to stay at Newcastle United until the end of the season.

The left-back, who is best friends with former Arsenal star Danny Welbeck, made just five appearances for Jose Mourinho before moving to St James’ Park on a short-term loan in January. The 29-year-old will soon enter the final year of his contract with Spurs and Steve Bruce is eager to tie him down to a permanent deal on Tyneside.

The veteran has impressed the Magpies so far, making 1.4 tackles per game and completing 1.2 clearances on average, with a passing accuracy rate of 77.7% (WhoScored).

Meanwhile, Sessegnon carries the burden of great expectations on his young shoulders. He has been deployed in various positions all over the pitch as Mourinho has tried out a range of different options.

Although his debut season has been rather quiet, the 20-year-old scored during the 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. He has played in three games in the European competition at the time of writing, providing one assist, taking one shot per game, averaging one key pass and completing one interception on average (WhoScored).

Sessegnon’s displays on the left flank in particular have been praised by Mourinho’s backroom staff.

The head coach is adamant that Rose will not be a part of his plans for the future (via The Northern Echo). Moreover, whether or not he returns to north London at the end of the season remains to be seen, as he will be below the likes of Ben Davies, Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga in the pecking order.

Despite insisting he will sit tight and see out his Spurs deal, the 29-year-old appears to have changed his mind. The Geordies believe that keeping him in Tyneside on a permanent basis makes perfect sense for all parties involved.

Indeed, if Rose finally leaves the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for good, this will be a major boost for Sessegnon as it would reduce the competition for a spot in the starting line-up.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sell Danny Rose in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!