All posts by h716a5.icu

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter following the announcement of their second January signing, Bakary Sako. The Eagles’ official Twitter account confirmed the deal on Sunday afternoon, with the 30-year-old returning to south London just six months after leaving the club.

The Malian international made just five Championship appearances for West Brom in his short stint at the Hawthorns, failing to score a single league goal.

Palace seem to have arranged the termination of his contract with the Championship promotion hopefuls (as suggested by West Brom’s official website) in a bid to strengthen their own squad depth in attack, having used natural wingers Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha as makeshift centre-forwards frequently this season.

No one is safe from the Playmaker FC’s American Soccer Fan. Check out what happened when he watched West Ham v Crystal Palace on Saturday in the video below…

Sako’s arrival is certainly not the January striker signing fans were hoping for, but he is an option who the club won’t have needed to break the bank to bring in.

The signing of the former Wolves forward makes sense in terms of adding depth, although he won’t do much to excite the fans who are desperate for a fresh face.

Some, however, can see the positives in re-signing him. Let’s take a look at how the South London club’s supporters reacted on Twitter…

The passing of the 11pm deadline on Thursday confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur have failed to sign a single player for the second transfer window running, leaving supporters caught somewhere on the spectrum between bewilderment and exasperation.

Another blank drawn in the transfer market. That’s two successive windows without a signing and just one new name to report from three windows. In a game which is hampered by short-term thinking, knee-jerk decision making and tempestuous opinions, it’s quite incredible that Pochettino has managed to steer the Tottenham ship in the desired direction in recent years, even if his failure to claim silverware continues to cloud his reputation.

Tottenham’s failure to sign a single new player has understandably been ridiculed by some supporters. But those who have vehemently voiced their anguish in light of this aberration need to focus on the stadium move and the strain that it is undoubtedly placing on their resources.

The financial situation needs to be placed into context: when Arsenal moved into the Emirates Stadium in 2006 their net spend for the two years which preceded it stood at £27.12 million and Tottenham’s is due to stand at £4.72 million. Not much to separate the two north London giants, right?

In modern day terms the difference stands at about one decent Premier League standard player, which is hardly huge in two years of transfer activity. But the main difference to consider is the cost of the respective stadiums: the Emirates Stadium cost a reported £390 million to build, which equated to £534.8 million when adjusted for inflation in 2015 (as per Daily Mirror); the New White Hart Lane is expected to cost roughly £1 billion (as per Goal).

It doesn’t take a financial expert to appreciate that £1 billion is a fair few hefty briefcases stuffed with cash, even in the near-incomprehensible world of top level sport.

The absence of an official confirmation concerning the financial impact of Tottenham’s new stadium and it’s correlation with a lack of transfer activity notwithstanding, these black and white figures tell a story of their own which needs no further explanation from a club official or insider.

Tottenham have simply been hamstrung by their move into a state-of-the-art arena which promises to be one of the world’s best: a modern piece of footballing architecture like no other.

In the two years which followed Arsenal’s stadium move, the club made a profit of £21.76 million in the market, with Thierry Henry’s sale to Barcelona effectively ensuring profit in a £21.6 million deal.

That news will not arrive as any great comfort for Spurs supporters, but the growing pressure which is mounting on Levy’s shoulders will certainly force him to act in the summer once the stadium move has been completed.

But, either way, there is no question that sections of the Spurs faithful are in need of a reality check, and a quick glance at Arsenal’s transfer history while they were undergoing a stadium move of their own can go some way to explaining the predicament Pochettino and Levy currently find themselves in.

You can’t have it all, can you? The silver lining for Spurs is that, when the move into the new stadium has, at long last, been completed, the absence of signings in the past two windows will pale into insignificance.

Tottenham fans – thoughts on another window without a transfer? Let us know below!

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John Aldridge has laid into Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita, suggesting that he may not have the quality to have a future with the Reds.

The 23-year-old has struggled for form this season and, despite playing 18 games in the Premier League, has been dropped for several key encounters, including games against Arsenal and Manchester City.

What’s the word?

Keita moved to Liverpool in the summer but the club agreed a deal to sign the player in 2017, triggering his £48million release clause.

Such was the excitement around his arrival, Oddschecker revealed in July that he had become the 12/1 favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

Keita, instead, has struggled to get up to speed in English football, and has provided just one assist for the club in 23 games in all competitions.

Indeed, he struggled to retain possession in the 1-1 draw with West Ham on Monday and Reds legend Aldridge believes that the Guinea international should be dropped from the team altogether.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

He wrote in the Irish Independent: “I know (Jurgen) Klopp was forced into changes due to injuries, but Adam Lallana and Naby Keita cannot play together in midfield again, as they are just not up to the job for a title-winning team.

“He [Keita] has not settled at Liverpool and has failed to deliver the performances we were expecting from him, with Klopp and his coaching staff fighting to get him up to speed and still waiting to see if he will be good enough to play in this team.”

Too much hype

There was simply too much hype surrounding Keita.

Liverpool fans believed they had signed a player who had the ability to come in and turn them into title-winners.

Instead, he has been a below-par squad player.

Klopp has other options, of course, with the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson better suited to a midfield role.

But Keita flopping at Anfield has as much to do with the player himself as it does with the fans’ expectations of his abilities.

At the end of the day, it appears that he was always doomed to fail.

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Timothy Weah could have been on Champions League duty at Old Trafford on Tuesday night rather than watching the action on telly.

At the start of January, Paris Saint Germain agreed to let their young striker move on loan to Celtic rather than kick his heels on the sidelines behind their celebrated strike force.

But PSG boss Thomas Tuchel will now have to pick a side to face Manchester United without Neymar and Edison Cavani – both of whom have suffered injuries since Weah’s departure. Kylian Mbappe will be the only member of PSG’s famous strike force on duty.

Weah made one scoring appearance for PSG at the start of the season, replacing Neymar and netting in the 3-0 home win over Caen. But as the big guns returned to full fitness after the World Cup, Weah slipped down the pecking order – prompting his move to Celtic.

PSG still have options but the situation has markedly changed over the last few weeks and had he stayed in Paris, there’s a chance Weah could have been involved in some form against the Red Devils – an opportunity to put his name in lights on club football’s ultimate stage.

Since moving to Celtic, Weah has started two matches and made five substitute appearances, scoring three goals.

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Chris Sutton isn’t convinced that domestic success will satisfy the ambitions of Brendan Rodgers.

The Irishman is well on course for a Treble Treble of domestic honours but it seems that Celtic have hit a ceiling of the last 32 in the Europa League as far as Europe is concerned.

Last week the Hoops lost 2-0 at home to Valencia in the Europa League with all but the most fanatical of fans heading out to Spain for the return leg realising that this season’s European travel is about to end.

An away win against Anderlecht last season earned Celtic a Europa League date against Zenit St Petersburg, while sharing the points with RB Leipzig and cleaning up against Rosenborg created the clash with Valencia.

After three seasons of European action it’s hard to make a case for Celtic showing real progress and Sutton aired his concerns on Sunday on BT Sport.

As quoted by Belfast Live, he said:

“I’m worried about what he said, comments attributed to Brendan about reaching a certain level.

“I think there’s a lot of Celtic fans who are thinking that he’s concentrating on the treble and then he will be off in the summer.

“What I would like to happen, and I think Brendan owes it to the Celtic fans, to come out and tell everybody that he wants to stay next season.

“Because, if he does go, Celtic are in a mess in the summer. Short-term loans going back, no centre-half pairing… it’s going to be a massive problem in the summer.

“I think there’s a fair chance that Brendan will be off in the summer.”

Stephen Craigan reminded Sutton that Rodgers was still to reach the halfway point in his four year contract and that he wasn’t required to give monthly declarations of his loyalty.

Celtic face a massive rebuilding job in the summer and completing that while negotiating through four rounds of European qualifiers will be a huge test, so losing Rodgers as well would be a nightmare scenario for the Scottish champions.

Thursday’s return tie with Valencia looks like a lost cause but if Celtic can conjure up an unlikely success there might be some far reaching benefits going forward.

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Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay says Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will be looking for two things following the news that Kemar Roofe has suffered a knee ligament injury.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Whites’ top goalscorer this season sustained the injury in the 2-1 win against Swansea City at Elland Road last weekend, which has since been confirmed to be a knee issue.

Hay wrote in the Yorkshire Evening Post that the indications from the Yorkshire outfit are that the 26-year-old will be out for weeks rather than months, which suggests he should still play some part in their run-in.

In the meantime however, Bielsa has to find a solution to the key man’s absence, with winger Jack Clarke also currently sidelined having collapsed on the substitutes’ bench during the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium earlier this month.

That is something that hasn’t escaped Hay’s attention, as he wrote: “Without him [Roofe], Bielsa is left looking for two things: an alternative number 10 and sharp finishing from Bamford.”

Will the Argentine get things sorted?

He should do, yes.

The experienced coach has had to deal with injury after injury and suspension after suspension to some of his most important Leeds players this season, yet they are still third in the Championship standings.

Bielsa will be confident that he can get Bamford on the goal trail in the coming weeks given what he has shown at this level before and in recent weeks for the Whites, and he certainly needs the 25-year-old to step things up in front of goal, with Roofe having twice as many efforts at goal as he did against the Swans.

Meanwhile, in Tyler Roberts, Pablo Hernandez and even Mateusz Klich he has the alternative No.10 options available, and with the right work on the training pitch United will be just fine without an important star – as they have been on so many other occasions this term.

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BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has revealed in his latest set of Premier League predictions that he expects Tottenham Hotspur to finish in the top four despite two disappointing results that has left their spot in jeopardy.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Spurs were talked about as outside title contenders as recently as a week ago, but successive defeats away at Burnley and Chelsea have dented those hopes and ultimately left them sweating a little.

Even though they lie in third position ahead of their north London derby against arch-rivals Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday, they are now only four points ahead of the Gunners and five above fifth-placed Manchester United, who host a struggling Southampton side.

However, despite the fact that they are now looking over their shoulder and with star striker Harry Kane seemingly not 100% fully fit after injury, Lawrenson isn’t concerned.

He told BBC Sport: “I don’t see Spurs dropping out of the top four, though, because I think their results will pick up. Dele Alli will be fit again soon too and it will not take long for Kane to get his match sharpness back.”

Is he right?

You wouldn’t bet against it.

As they have shown in the past, Tottenham are a completely different animal when Kane and Alli are on song, and a positive result against Unai Emery’s men on Saturday would instantly restore any confidence that may have been lost from their previous two fixtures.

You can never write the north London club off as they always seem to be there or thereabouts, and while they may be a little more nervous than they were seven days ago they still hold an advantage and it is still all in their own hands with 10 matches remaining.

It is probably a little-known fact that former Everton player and Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta turned out for Scotland’s most successful club Rangers. Well, outside of Scotland, of course. 

It was 2002 when 19-year-old La Masia sensation Mikel Arteta swapped Barcelona for Glasgow for a relatively large fee of £6 million and become Alex McLeish’s first signing.

McLeish said: “Mikel is an excellent young player, and I’m sure he is someone who will really excite the Rangers fans.” Adding: “He comes from a great stable in Barcelona. Everyone can see the quality of La Liga, and he is a prime example of the talent on show in Spain every week.

“I think the fans will see a class act when he pulls on a Rangers jersey next season. He is very comfortable on the ball and he has an excellent touch – and the great thing is his best years are still ahead of him.” (as per The Guardian).

Unfortunately, those ‘best years’ did not arrive in Scotland. There were signs of his ability when he played, but with only seven appearances to his name, those performances were a rarity.

It should be mentioned that he managed to win a Scottish title in his first season at Rangers which, ironically, goes down as his only domestic title as a player – despite all his future success.

And Arteta did not forget that success. Upon announcing his retirement, the Spaniard was quick to thank the Gers faithful ‘respect and loyalty’ they showed him (via Daily Record).

Everton were undoubtedly his most illustrious years, however. Having joined in summer 2005 from Spanish outfit Real Sociedad, he would go on to make 209 appearances for club, scoring 35 goals and claiming 33 assists.

He was the maestro that kept Moyes’ Everton side ticking; the playmaker with all the answer that propped up a relatively average but plucky squad. He was by no means gifted with pace, but his ability to float around the pitch effortlessly was an admirable quality, and surely what Alex McLeish was initially referring to in 2002.

The same could be said for his time at Arsenal, where he captained, but unfortunately, a pretty extensive injury list laid siege to his minutes on the pitch.

Now, the assistant manager to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, there is every chance he could emulate the success of his partner in the future.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to Tuesday’s Scottish Cup defeat, and they really aren’t happy with Steven Gerrard’s team selection and even more so his in-game decisions.

Gerrard could do no wrong when he first arrived at Ibrox, as the Gers were impossible to beat at home and soaring through the Europa League qualification rounds.

Several months and far too many dropped points later though, and fans are starting to turn on the boss for his refusal to change and impact games before it is too late.

Aberdeen raced out to a 1-0 lead at Ibrox on Tuesday night courtesy of Niall McGinn capitalising on a Glen Kamara mistake, and the boss waited until the second goal, which came after the hour mark, to make any changes.

In a cup quarter-final replay under the lights, fans want to see their side going for the throat, but Gerrard doesn’t appear to want to do that no matter the circumstances.

Plenty are also infuriated by the Liverpool legend’s inability to find the right player to be his number ten, where the lack of creativity is really hurting the Gers.

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

Tyrone Mings has proved he’s good enough to play in the Premier League during his spell at Aston Villa, so he must be in England’s top flight next season no matter who he plays for.

The Sunday Mirror (page 72 and via HITC) reported Southampton are keen to buy the 26-year-old from his parent club Bournemouth in the summer, while Villa have an option to match any bid that comes in. Where in the Premier League Mings goes is less important, but his age means he can’t afford to be stuck in the Championship.

If Villa reach the play-offs and are promoted it would be a great decision to stay at Villa Park and grow in a team he’s comfortable with. He also wouldn’t have the burden of having to prove himself to his new fans if he remained where he is. Their form at the moment suggests they have every chance of reaching the play-offs, so it’s not impossible and the two could be great for each other.

If Mings was five years younger it would be the best decision to make a permanent move to Villa even if they stayed in the Championship, because he’d be able to grow into a player capable of playing in the top division later in his career. That ship has sailed though, and he must make the step up now or risk being overlooked.

Football moves quickly and Southampton will have other targets in mind for the position. All it takes is for his form to drop early next season or for him to have a lengthy spell injured and his top-flight prospects are ruined. Southampton, meanwhile, are famed for their belief in youth and they could give him the break he never got as a youngster.

Mings must keep his head down for the remainder of the season and keep his form up, so the Premier League move he deserves, whether that be with a promoted Villa or Southampton, becomes a reality.

Whatever happens, he’s far too good for the Championship.

Villa fans, how do you feel Tyrone Mings would cope against Premier League opposition? Join the discussion by commenting below…