All posts by z3u9t.icu

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Lucas Moura scored a quite incredible second-half hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur booked their spot in the 2019 Champions League final at Ajax’s expense.

Ajax recorded a 1-0 win in the first leg of their semi-final last week, and led 2-0 at the interval of Tuesday night’s second leg to place themselves in a very strong position.

Spurs had other ideas, though, and Lucas netted a second-half treble – including a 96th-minute winner – to help the Premier League outfit make the final of the competition.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side needed someone to step forward in the absence of Harry Kane.

It was a tough first 45 minutes against a brilliant Ajax side, but Tottenham netted early in the second period and the pressure was always building late on.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

It would be fair to say that the London club’s fans were absolutely delighted with Lucas’ contribution and his performance will go down in the annals as one of the very, very best.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to his performance on what was an unprecedented night of football can be seen below:

With the Premier League season wrapped up, attentions are now turning to the summer transfer window.

Many clubs will be looking to add quality to their sides as well as looking to ship off players who haven’t made the grade, and for West Ham, they will be looking to do both.

Manuel Pellegrini surely has big plans to bring in players that could take West Ham into contention for Europe next season, but to do that the Chilean manager must first oversee a mass summer overhaul at the club that will see big names leave the club, and according to the Standard, Lucas Perez is one of those figures to depart.

The Spanish striker signed from city rivals Arsenal only last year for a cut-rate price of £4 million, and despite picking up a proven Premier League quality attacker on the cheap, Perez has been poor for the Hammers.

The 30-year-old has featured 19 times for West Ham this season in all competitions, scoring just six goals, and although this at face value doesn’t sound too bad for a player who only cost £4 million, Perez only started seven games for Pellegrini this campaign.

With a reported wage (as per SpotRac) of £80,000-a-week, Perez is not only a player who barely starts enough but is also someone who is costing the Hammers too much money to simply be used as a squad player.

£4 million might have been a steal for the Hammers, but with only a handful of starts and being one of the highest paid players at the club, Pellegrini will need to make sure Perez is one of the first out the exit door this summer.

West Ham, has Perez been a flop this season? Let us know!

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Former United defender Danny Mills has urged Leeds to make a move for Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle, as reported by website Football Insider.

What’s he said?

Despite obvious progress made this season, it’s ultimate been one of disappointment for Leeds and their supporters after the play-off semi-final defeat to Derby County last week.

With thoughts turning to how Marcelo Bielsa can build a team capable of promotion next season, an area of the pitch that can do with strengthening is the attack.

Mills reckons there is one obvious outstanding candidate who can help lead the club to glory.

As quoted by Football Insider, the 42-year-old said:

“Their top scorer is Kemar Roofe, who’s scored 15 goals in total, which is not outstanding. He’s done well, but it’s not enough.

“Leeds need a striker who can score 20-plus goals. You think of someone like Dwight Gayle, who is far more prolific, and he could make all the difference.

“He’s available as he’s finished his (West Brom) loan and going back to Newcastle, where [Rafael] Benitez doesn’t really fancy him.”

Spot on from Mills

Only three Leeds players managed to reach double figures for goals this term and the Elland Road side could definitely do with a natural goalscorer who can win points in tight matches.

Gayle has been a sensation in the Championship this season on loan at West Brom, netting an outstanding 24 goals in 41 appearances, an average of a goal every 123 minutes.

That kind of consistency could really be the difference between gaining automatic promotion, winning the play-offs or finishing as also-rans – as Leeds unfortunately have this season.

How viable a move for him would be remains to be seen, considering he is rated at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, but its a good suggestion from Mills, who has clearly identified Gayle’s likely availability and Leeds’ need for a ruthless goalscorer.

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In quotes printed in The Express & Star, Chris Brunt has claimed that Harvey Barnes departing in January may have cost West Brom promotion.

As such, it’s a damning indictment of Albion’s poor recruitment in the last window.

What’s the word?

West Brom’s season was decided from penalties. After 48 matches it seemed like a harsh eventuality. But the fact of the matter is, the Baggies weren’t good enough to go up.

There were a number of reasons for why. Sacking Darren Moore in March arguably didn’t help but the loss of Barnes, who returned to Leicester after a loan spell in January, hit the club hard.

Reflecting upon the campaign and where things went wrong, Albion skipper Brunt suggested that the youngster’s departure may have cost them in their hunt to get back into the Premier League.

He told The Express & Star:

“When he left it was a massive loss for us because I think he scored ten goals and created countless others in half a season.

“If you sit down and look back, that might have been the difference in us losing out in the play-offs and getting promoted automatically.”

Transfer recruitment was poor

To put it simply, West Brom’s recruitment during the winter transfer window was incredibly poor. When Barnes departed, a replacement was needed. Albion’s performances in the first half of the season hadn’t been particularly inspiring and once the 21-year-old left, the cracks started to appear.

The attacking midfielder scored nine times and assisted a further six goals in his stint at the Hawthorns and therefore the termination of his loan spell was a major blow.

Despite having the goals of Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle, there was a significant lack of creativity. Reading into Brunt’s comments, it says a lot about the Baggies’ transfer dealings in January.

Had they signed an able replacement then they may well have found themselves in the Premier League next term.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

Over the winter they added Jacob Murphy and Jefferson Montero to their ranks on loan. But both players were incredibly disappointing and didn’t come close to replicating the sort of performances Barnes did.

Foreseeing this obviously would have been difficult for Albion’s top officials. However, it’s another indication that if West Brom are to go up next season, they need to be far shrewder in the market.

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According to The Sun, Young Boys defender Loris Benito has arrived in England ahead of a potential move to Newcastle United.

The 27-year-old, who is a two-time Switzerland international, has helped Young Boys win the Swiss Super League in each of the last two campaigns.

The defender’s contract with his current club will expire at the end of June, though, suggesting that he will be seeking pastures new.

According to The Sun, Benito has touched down in England to undergo ‘final talks’ with Newcastle ahead of a potential move to St James’ Park.

Should the move go through then Benito could become Newcastle’s first signing of a new era at the club, funded by UAE billionaire Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Indeed, Magpies owner Mike Ashley is said to be in talks to sell to the cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour.

A selection of the Twitter reaction in relation to a potential swoop for Benito can be seen below:

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West Ham United fans have savaged Andy Carroll after the club posted a tweet showing all of his goals for the club.

The Hammers have confirmed that he will leave upon the expiration of his contract.

It brings to an end a seven-year spell in east London; Carroll originally joined on loan from Liverpool in 2012 prior to the deal being made permanent for a fee of £15million.

His spell was ravaged by injury, however, and he managed to score just 34 goals for the side across a total of 142 appearances.

In the 2018-19 season, indeed, Carroll enjoyed 12 Premier League outings but completed the 90 minutes just once in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in February.

Ankle surgery meant that he missed the final 10 games of the campaign and he is now searching for a new club.

But fans have hit out at his time at the club, insisting that he did nothing to repay any of the £15m lavished upon him, plus his wages.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

[ad_pod ]When Alisson Becker was signed from Roma in a deal worth £66.8m last summer, eyebrows were raised as to how a goalkeeper could merit such a fee.Before Kepa Arrizabalaga’s £71m move to Chelsea just weeks later, the move meant Alisson became the most expensive keeper of all time – it was certainly a statement of Liverpool’s intent.The deal came about in ruthless manner, too.How did Mane score THAT goal against Bayern last week? Did he dazzle them with Firmino’s teeth? 442oons speculate in the video below…The Reds had just lost the Champions League final in Kiev, falling to a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid after two glaring errors from Loris Karius that will sadly define the rest of his career.Tears were shed, threats were unfortunately sent, and Liverpool decided to ship the German off to Besiktas on a two-year loan deal.

There is no room for emotion clouding your judgement at the top level, however, and the Merseysiders’ investment in Alisson has been fully justified.

In addition to the fact that the Brazilian won the Golden Glove in his first season with 21 Premier League clean sheets, his performance in the Champions League final was heroic.

The former Roma man made a whopping eight saves, more than any glovesman has made in a Champions League final since 2004/05 – most of them were simple saves, but his confidence and assurance helped ease the back four’s nerves on an evening where they came under siege a fair bit.

The 26-year-old’s clean sheet inside the Wanda Metropolitano was also the first shutout in a Champions League final since another Brazilian, Julio Cesar, thwarted Bayern Munich in 2010.

The scenes of him hugging the famous trophy after full-time, and the images of him in tears on the bus at the parade the following day prove just how badly he wanted it.

The clip of him kissing the ball after saving a low Lucas Moura shot also shows just how much he values the protection of his goal.

In Alisson, Liverpool have a very, very safe pair of hands and a player that is looking every bit worth his record-breaking transfer fee.

‘Roller coaster’ just about sums up Leeds United’s season, who collapsed and crumbled at the final hurdle, when it really counted, much to the dismay of the fans, who desperately wanted one of football’s fallen giants back where they belong.

But where on earth did it all go so wrong?

January transfer window

Not signing a single outfield player in January was unwise, wasn’t it?

Sat in their metaphorical Leeds United promotion party pyjamas fresh from Christmas, Whites fans likely waited in anticipation as the January transfer window rolled in and gave them a chance to refuel, recalculate and rejuvenate their Premier League plans under their bucket-riding commander-in-chief Marcelo Bielsa.

In truth, however, ‘El Loco’ really squandered a great chance to strengthen his team heading into arguably Leeds United’s most important five-or-so months in 15 painful years. And the fact that they actually finished the period with less players than they started is somewhat ridiculous.

Samuel Saiz may have only contributed four assists in the 19 appearances he made before his ill-fated return to Spanish football, where he is now embroiled in a gambling controversy, but he offered that little bit of magic only Pablo Hernandez now seems to possess in the current Leeds squad.

Lewis Baker was another unreplaced casualty, though his pitiful contribution of 220 Championship minutes, in which he provided neither goals nor assists, was far less of a loss.

The rushed and ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of then Swansea player Daniel James didn’t much help either. The whole debacle just felt rushed from start to finish, and almost felt like a reaction to the realisation that maybe, just maybe, they should have been a little more proactive earlier in the window. Indeed, the fact it apparently fell down merely due to a disagreement over the payment structure looks all the more damning.

Leeds would ultimately lose two out of four games in January, and continue their poor run of form in February (where they dropped points in three of five games) before completely collapsing in March picking up 10 points out of a possible 21.

In summary, a change in tact is surely needed if they want to secure serious consistency.

Leeds United fans, what would you put your poor run of form down to? Do you think January business would have made a difference? Let us know in the comments below…

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Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has revealed that Kalvin Phillips’ agent has given him the inside scoop about the midfielder’s future at the club.

Whelan stated that the 23-year-old’s representative told him that Leeds’ star man wants to stay at the club, despite interest from Aston Villa and Wolves.

What’s been said then?

The BBC Radio Leeds pundit told Football Insider about a conversation he had with Phillips’ agent.

“I know Kalvin is desperate to stay at Leeds,” Whelan said.

“I’ve spoken to his agent, who told me he’d love to stay at the club. There is no hiding that.”

“The club need to put their money where their mouth is,” Whelan added. “I have no doubt Marcelo Bielsa wants Kalvin Phillips at the club, and they need to show him that he is wanted by the club.

“He is away on holiday at the minute and, hopefully, when he comes back, he can agree a new deal. He is a Leeds boy who loves the club.”

Massive boost

These are the words every United fan will have wanted to hear. There has been so much speculation about the midfielder’s future, and to hear that he wants to stay at the club will be a huge boost.

He was clearly critical in Leeds’ promotion push last year, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that he wants to help his boyhood club return to the Premier League by committing to one more season under Marcelo Bielsa.

Phillips plays in one of the most important positions in the Argentine’s system, and keeping the 23-year-old at Elland Road may be the best piece of business the Whites do this summer.

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As of yet, there are still no signings to speak of at Anfield, and according to Bleacher Report, we should not expect a flurry of arrivals for the Champions League winners. Today’s Reds transfer roundup includes an update on the future of a youth team goalkeeper, a blow in the pursuit of a star full-back and news on the situation regarding one of the club’s strikers.

Grabara to be loaned out

According to Football Insider, Jurgen Klopp is prepared to loan out goalkeeper Kamil Grabara this summer. The 20-year-old Polish U21 international is expected to leave on a short-term basis as he continues his development, having only featured for Liverpool’s U23 side so far in his career.

Sessegnon blow

Ryan Sessegnon wants to stay in London despite interest from Liverpool according to Bleacher Report. The Fulham youngster has been scouted by the Reds but is reportedly on course to join Tottenham instead this summer.

Origi to stay at Anfield this summer

Belgian Divock Origi will not be sold this summer according to ESPN. The player has just one year left on his contract, but Liverpool are not worried about the situation and are even prepared to let the £18m-rated striker leave on a free transfer next year.