All posts by h716a5.icu

Arsenal are not looking like spending much cash this Januar, and the Gunners fans will no doubt be looking towards the summer when it comes any big name arrivals.

Manager Unai Emery will be hoping he is given the backing to keep improving his squad, and if he can get the club into the top four in his first season in charge, then the powers that be will no doubt more inclined to back him going into the summer.

There are various positions in the Arsenal squad which could do with improvement, and one of those positions is at left back, where summer signing Sead Kolasinac has hardly lit up the place, while Nacho Monreal is not getting any younger.

That’s why we here in the Tavern feel the club should make a move to sign Valencia left back Jose Gaya, who has developed into one of the finest attacking full backs in Europe when he’s on form.

The 23-year-old, who is valued at some £40m by Transfermarkt, seems to have been around for much longer than he has, and he has plenty of scope to make further improvement in his game.

Capable of getting forward with ease and someone who can create goals at will and be a real outlet for his team, Gaya would slot right in for a club like Arsenal and their particular style of play.

If Arsenal are serious about continuing to improve and want to snap themselves up one of the finest attacking left backs in the world, then signing Gaya would be the perfect move for the club.

Arsenal fans, what do you think? Would Gaya be a good signing? Let us know in the comments!

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Aston Villa are willing to let Scott Hogan leave the club on loan before the end of the January transfer window with Championship rivals Bristol City and Sheffield United both interested, according to Sky Sports.

Hogan moved to Villa from Brentford in January 2017 and scored nine times in 41 first-team appearances for the club during the 2017-18 campaign, as per Transfermarkt.

The 26-year-old has only made six Championship appearances for the club this term, however, and his future has been called into question.

Hogan’s only start of the season came against Swansea in the FA Cup earlier this month, whilst he is yet to register a first-team goal this term.

The Villa fans have been on social media offering their views on the transfer report.

It would be fair to say that a number are not too keen on the idea of a loan, whilst the fact that promotion candidates Sheffield United are in the hunt, according to Sky Sports, could well come back to haunt Villa this term.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

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James Forrest is in contention to face Valencia next week, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

The winger opened the scoring in the 78th minute away to St. Johnstone to set up three precious points but felt a reaction in his hamstring that forced him out of action.

Most hamstring injuries involve at least a month long lay-off but the signs are that Forrest is on course for an early return.

The Scottish Sun claim Forrest hasn’t ruled out being available for next week’s all-important Europa League clash with Valencia, should his treatment go to plan.

Mikey Johnston could step straight into Forrest’s place on the right flank for the coming encounter with Hibernian or Timothy Weah could come in to form a twin strike-force with Oliver Burke.

Celtic could be without a whole host of first team players for Wednesday’s match, with Tom Rogic, Filip Benkovic, Tony Ralston and Leigh Griffiths – to name a few – currently stuck on the sidelines.

Forrest has put in some memorable performances in European ties but Brendan Rodgers can’t afford to take any risk on the winger with a hectic domestic schedule ahead.

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Arsenal travelled to Belarus on Thursday evening as strong favourites to beat BATE Borisov in the first-leg of their last-32 clash in the Europa League, but they were humbled by the home side and slumped to a 1-0 defeat.

Unai Emery has a brilliant track record in the competition but his expertise failed to shine through. The Gunners failed to score a vital away goal and that could prove costly in the reverse fixture next week.

Plenty of individuals were slated by the supporters for failing to deliver against what was a mediocre side on paper, one of which was Matteo Guendouzi.

Emery has placed an enormous level of faith in the budding French midfielder this season. Regular starts have been the norm and the 19-year-old has earned plenty of plaudits for his development so far, but not all the supporters are convinced by what they’ve seen.

Indeed, Guendouzi, like the rest of the Arsenal team, was far from his best on Thursday, and the supporters did not hold back in their criticism on Twitter.

While large sections of the Gunners faithful may be feeling more tolerant towards his display given his lack of experience, there is certainly a strong contingent who are becoming increasingly disillusioned by Emery’s decision to start him on such a regular basis.

Here’s what the Arsenal fans had to say about Guendouzi’s latest display:

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Southampton decided to cash in on Manolo Gabbiadini during the January transfer window, but manager Ralph Hasenhuttl should be feeling sick after seeing what the 27-year-old did for new club Sampdoria on Sunday.

Despite making a brilliant start to his Saints career following his move from Napoli at the beginning of 2017, the Italy international quickly struggled for form from the start of the following campaign onwards and eventually returned to his home country for an undisclosed fee last month.

The striker only played 15 minutes of football after the Austrian succeeded Mark Hughes at St Mary’s in December, and he failed to make the matchday squad in the Premier League at all following that outing in the 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City in Hasenhuttl’s first match in charge.

Gabbiadini was largely a favourite among the south coast outfit’s supporters given how he hit the ground running initially and scored two in the EFL Cup finals shortly after arriving, and he often seemed to be on a different – and more clever – wavelength to the majority of his teammates.

It is unclear whether the Saints boss didn’t fancy him or whether he was seen as a sellable asset as the club looked to raise funds, but he has made a big impression for Sampdoria already.

The 27-year-old came off of the substitutes’ bench to net an equaliser – his second in five appearances for them – for the Serie A outfit in their 2-1 defeat against Inter Milan at the San Siro, despite only being on the pitch for 16 minutes.

In that time he had two efforts on goal, put two crosses into the box and completed one clearance.

While he may not have started the game, he showed that goalscoring instinct that Southampton are really lacking right now – none of their specialist strikers have found the net since Shane Long did in the 2-1 win against Leicester City on January 12.

Fellow attacker Nathan Redmond has stepped up to the plate but following injury issues for Danny Ings and Michael Obafemi, Hasenhuttl had to rely on the goal-shy Long and Charlie Austin during the defeat to Cardiff City at St Mary’s last time out, which left them in the relegation zone prior to the trip to Arsenal this weekend.

Given those issues in the final third, the 51-year-old manager should be feeling more than a little ill having seen Gabbiadini’s goalscoring display.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac revealed that his players feigned injury in order to waste time in the Champions League last 16 tie at Anfield.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt manager led his side to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the tie at Anfield, but decided against pursuing a potentially crucial away goal in favour of running the clock down with some crafty game management.

As quoted by This Is Anfield, Kovac said to Sky Sports: “We all know the drill: it’s close to the final whistle and you try to waste a bit of time.

“Javi (Martinez) has good performance data, meaning he couldn’t have even had a cramp. That’s all a bit of acting.”

Whilst his comments could quite rightly infuriate Liverpool fans, they must realise that the Croatian was obviously fearful of the Reds’ attacking threat, and subsequently decided to stick with what he had and take it back to Bavaria.

Kovac clearly respects Liverpool as being a serious threat to his side. He also admitted that Kingsley Coman pretended to have cramp in the recent 3-2 win over Hertha Berlin, so this tactic is one that Kovac clearly uses quite often and that Jurgen Klopp may even need to develop into his management style if his side are to become ruthless winners.

Let’s see how Liverpool fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to some comments from Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic, who claims he would not take any Liverpool defender in Manchester United’s side.

Liverpool travel to Old Trafford on Sunday knowing a win over their arch-rivals will put them at the summit of the Premier League.

Manchester City will of course be playing in the Carabao Cup final, so this is a huge chance for the Reds to make a statement, and they are boosted by the return of Virgil van Dijk, who was suspended for the draw against Bayern Munich.

Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…

Vidic clearly doesn’t think the Dutch international’s presence will make all the difference though, claiming he wouldn’t feature in United’s side.

Speaking to Omnisport, as reported by GOAL.com, he said: “I think we have four solid defenders and with the right match I think they can perform to the best of their capabilities.

“Overall, I said even before when they didn’t have great games, if you look at the other teams, I would not have any defenders of Liverpool or Chelsea, I don’t think they have better defenders than we have.”

While Victor Lindelof has improved massively under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Swedish international is usually partnered with inconsistent players like Eric Bailly or Chris Smalling.

On top of that, van Dijk is currently the front-runner for PFA Player of the Year and has perhaps been Europe’s best defender so far this season, so fans are understandably crucifying Vidic’s verdict.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Chelsea have been avoiding using their academy for years. A number of young talents have been left to rot in the Blues’ developmental system, and not only has this impacted upon their own aspirations, but it’s also prevented Chelsea from being able to make use of their talents too. 

However, the Blues’ need to change that appears to be more immediate than ever. According to the Sun, German scouts are flocking to England in order to find the next Jaden Sancho.

They’re clearing smelling blood, owing to the lack of focus being placed on young talent in England. Sancho, of course, left Man City in favour of regular football with Borussia Dortmund – and he’s now flourishing.

If Chelsea weren’t already sweating on the futures of some of their key young players, they certainly should be now. This doesn’t just stop at Callum Hudson-Odoi, of course.

Chelsea’s academy is filled with brilliant young talent, with players like Dujon Sterling, Ethan Ampadu and Mason Mount all on the cusp of greatness. However, as Chelsea continue to spend millions upon millions, their futures are looking bleak.

That now, however, needs to change. In the past, they could afford to ship players out on loan and forget about them, only giving those that dazzle away from the club a chance in the first team.

Instead, though, with German scouts looking on, players are likely to recognise that they can find permanent homes elsewhere like Sancho did, and that can improve their development greatly.

For the first time, the youngsters hold at least some of the power, and for teams like Chelsea, that’s a real worry.

Thoughts?

What a disgrace that Birmingham City fan is! The incident on Sunday meant Jack Grealish’s winner meant even more than it already would, and that mentality could drive them into the play-offs.

Not enough focus is placed on the importance on mentality in football. Having the right attitude and desire is just as important as physical ability, and an injustice like the punch thrown on Sunday is something that should give Villa the motivation to earn promotion.

There’s a firm belief at Villa Park that the club doesn’t belong in the Championship because of their historical successes and also the size of the fanbase. A lot of clubs feel this way though, but the incident must make the fans certain they don’t belong in this division.

They’d love nothing better than to see their team back in the top flight while their neighbours struggle to get back up themselves. Of course, it’s better if the two are in the same division for derbies, but bar that they’ll want Birmingham to suffer, particularly after the way the fan and even a steward reacted at the weekend.

Fans of clubs all across the country saw what happened and will now want Villa and Grealish to succeed in spite of that fan. That, along with the support of their own loyal fans, could be the mental difference between accepting they won’t be promoted this season, to really gathering momentum for a play-off push.

The team will have grown stronger as a unit after the win and the issues on the pitch and that will put them in good stead when the going gets tough towards the final few games. The disgusting incident could be the motivation required, if they ever needed it, to break into the play-off spots.

Villa fans, what do you think your club are capable of achieving this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

It’s time for the FA Cup to move into overdrive, with the best of the picks from the quarter-finals seeing Wolverhampton Wanderers being pit against Manchester United later.

Indeed, Nuno Esposito Santos aims to derail Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s perfect cup record, yet it’s the battles in the field which will be more intriguing. Indicative of the riches on off in the Premier League these days, both teams have some world-class players, with the midfield battle set to be the shining point, despite the difference in commercial resource.

For Wolves, Ruben Neves holds down the line in the middle and faces the daunting match-up against Paul Pogba. Just a few years ago, that’d have been a Champions League level battle at Porto and Juventus, so to see it in the FA Cup as well as the Premier League is a joy for the neutrals.

It’s the wit of the Portuguese against the drive of the French. Neves’ produced some stunning moments in Molineux while Pogba’s in inspired form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s system.

Here’s our closer look at the battle.

Ruben Neves

Neves has been a revelation for Wolves this season, making his mark on the big occasions and helping Santo’s side take the fight to the heavyweights.

A clever midfielder who can fling the ball all around the final third, Neves can prove to be a difficult man to keep quiet for United.

Having already won a FA Cup game with a scorcher against Liverpool, he’ll aim to replicate his heroics. The Portuguese can be a pain with his creative passing, while he’ll also aim to test Sergio Romero’s resolve with his long-shots and set-piece prowess.

TT Grade = A-

Paul Pogba

Pogba hasn’t scored since netting against Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round but can move up a gear if Ander Herrera makes it back.

It’s his defensive duties which have been holding him back recently, but he’ll aim to play more forward and make darting runs into the box to deter Wolves.

Under the freedom he gets by Ole’s system, the Frenchman always look threatening and will want to redeem his recent failures. If Pogba gets Matic and Herrera behind to cover him, he’ll move around with purpose to be a menacing figure for the hosts.

TT Grade- A+

TT Verdict:

This one could go both ways, but considering Pogba’s hunger to get back among goals, he could overshadow Neves brilliance on Saturday.

There will be an intense war in the middle, as while Neves’ creativity can cause United problems, Pogba’s unpredictability could be too hot for the Wolves defence to handle.