All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Former Arsenal star and Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has issued his verdict on what the club should do this summer, and he said centre-back Shkodran Mustafi “must be released”.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Gunners would have been confident they were getting a good player when they signed the impressive Germany international from Valencia in 2016, but it hasn’t proved to be the case.

The 27-year-old has repeatedly made errors and generally just doesn’t look comfortable at the heart of the north London outfit’s backline.

His disappointing displays haven’t gone unnoticed by Nicholas, who believes that Unai Emery needs to get rid this summer even if the player still has two years remaining on his contract at the Emirates.

He told Sky Sports: “Shkodran Mustafi must be released in my opinion.”

Check out an Arsenal fan vow to “move to another planet” if Spurs win the UCL in the video below…

Is he right?

If Arsenal want to boost their chances of finishing in the top four in the Premier League next season, there is no doubt that they need to strengthen at centre-back.

While Sokratis has done a solid enough job, Laurent Koscielny is too old now, Nacho Monreal isn’t a natural central defender, and Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding are still young players who are yet to prove themselves on a consistent basis.

The Gunners need some stability and a calm head during the 2019/20 campaign, and Mustafi is so far away from being that.

He appears to strike fear into the crowd and his teammates with some of his decision-making and poor positioning, and that simply isn’t good enough for a club of Arsenal’s stature.

As Nicholas hints at, the north London outfit should be looking to move the 27-year-old during the summer transfer window, but they will surely struggle to get anywhere near the in excess of £35m fee they paid for him three years ago.

The life of a second-choice goalkeeper is often regarded as one of the loneliest jobs in football.

On the rare occasion do you play more than 10 games a season and barring an injury to the first-choice keeper, your season consists of keeping a seat on the bench warm and making an effort in the pre-match warm-up, which is why it’s not surprising to Adrian of West Ham searching for a look away.

The Spanish ‘keeper was once one of the best shot-stoppers in the league outside the top-six, but age and the introduction of Lukasz Fabianski has seen Adrian secure his spot on the bench for West Ham, and with his current deal running out, a move away seems likely, and a big team are keeping an eye on his situation.

According to Goal, Liverpool see Adrian as a possible backup to Alisson next season, with Simon Mignolet likely to make the move away from Anfield this summer after a campaign of sitting in the Brazilian’s shadow, and although the West Ham keeper might prefer a move for first-team football, moving up to Merseyside might not be a bad career choice.

The Spanish stopper, who is valued on Transfermarkt at £3.6 million, will be guaranteed some games next season, and with Liverpool fans gasping for some kind of silverware, there is a good chance the Reds will finally give competitions like the League Cup and FA Cup some attention, meaning Adrian could be an unlikely hero if the Merseyside club make a cup run.

At 32, Adrian is reaching the golden years of his footballing career, and at a club like Liverpool, the Spaniard could have one last swansong to cap off an interesting time in England.

Liverpool fans, would Adrian be a good backup for Alisson? Let us know!

Manchester United’s summer transfer plans are going to be one of the most talked about things in football you would suspect.

The Red Devils are in desperate need of some sort of overhaul with Ole Solskjaer now in charge at Old Trafford, and while moving players out will be one of his priorities, he will also need to ensure that he brings in suitable replacements.

One player linked with a move to United this week is Dutch international midfielder Kevin Strootman, who has long been touted with a move to the Premier League throughout his career.

However, we here in the Tavern feel United need to be wary of making a move for Strootman this summer, with the 29-year-old probably past the prime years of his career already.

While Strootman is of course a class act in the middle of the park, there has to be a reason that he is being offered away from current club Marseille, and it makes you think that the French side know something more about the midfielder other than the cost-cutting excuse they are touting at the moment.

In his Roma days there was every reason for Strootman to make the move to Old Trafford, but United need to be moving forward and progressing with young, hungry players who can take the club forward. Sadly, Strootman wouldn’t appear to fit this bill anymore.

The signing of Strootman would be a very uninspiring one for United fans you would think, and in a time when the club needs picking up and lifting, it might be that both club and player have missed the boat on this one.

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Arsenal fans on Twitter have surprisingly endorsed the potential sale of Alexandre Lacazette as the club prepares for a mammoth rebuild after Wednesday’s crushing Europa League final defeat to Chelsea.

The French striker put in a muted display as the Blues ran rampant in the second half of the Baku showcase and now Lacazette has been spotted in Barcelona, following rumours in May of a potential move to the La Liga giants.

The former Lyon hitman enjoyed an excellent season scoring 13 goals and providing ten assists in the Premier League, and his exploits did not go unnoticed as he won Arsenal’s Player of the Season award.

However, those contributions were insufficient as the Gunners missed out on Champions League football after finishing fifth in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final.

Now, Unai Emery faces a daunting squad rebuild and will need major sales to supplement the tiny £45m transfer budget projected to be available to the Spaniard.

When rumours of Barcelona’s interest first surfaced, opinion amongst Arsenal fans was relatively split on potentially parting with Lacazette.

But perhaps because of the heartbreak of the Europa League final, perhaps because it’s now clear Arsenal will need to sell players to significantly upgrade the squad this summer, it appears that many now feel the striker would be a worthwhile casualty.

Check out the best of the reaction to the latest claims about Lacazette below!

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According to The Mirror’s transfer live blog (May 27, 10:02 PM), Sheffield Wednesday have set a £7 million pricetag on Jordan Rhodes’ head.

Norwich are apparently interested in bringing the striker in on a permanent deal, but they may choose not to after seeing that price.

The report also states that the Owls want the Scot off of their wage bill as he earns £40,000-a-week.

Rhodes’ form

The forward’s reputation of being one of the Championship’s most reliable goalscorers is quickly fading.

Long gone are the times where he would consistently net 20 goals a season. He has scored just 14 goals in his last three seasons.

He spent this term out on loan at Carrow Road, and although the Canaries were promoted Rhodes only scored six goals. This begs the question as to why they would even consider paying £7 million for him

Get real

Wednesday need to get real as they look to get Rhodes off the books.

He isn’t the same player they paid £10 million for a few years back. Therefore, they shouldn’t expect to recoup that transfer fee.

Steve Bruce’s side have to realise that they can’t get the best of both worlds when selling an out of form attacker. The report says that they want him off of their wage budget, but they’re also asking for a £7 million fee, something there doesn’t add up.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

If Wednesday want to cut down their weekly outgoings, then they need to let their striker go for a lesser fee. The Owls clearly don’t value him as being worth £40k-a-week anymore, so why on earth would Norwich view him as a £7 million player?

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Celtic are interested in signing Manchester City winger Brandon Barker, according to The Daily Mail.

The paper say that having worked with the player at Hibernian, Hoops boss Neil Lennon is keen on adding him to his squad this summer on a permanent basis, with City likely to cut ties with the 22-year-old ahead of his contract expiring next year.

Barker was an effective performer on loan for Hibs in the 2017/18 season, possessing pace and attributes suited to direct wing play.

Outspoken pundit, Chelsea flop, Celtic legend. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith throws back to Chris Sutton in the video below…

His attacking contribution was far below the levels Celtic are accustomed to though and he is unlikely to be an improvement on any of the squad players at Celtic Park already.

It’s not the standard of target that many fans have been hoping for ahead of the transfer window opening and it’s fair to say it’s a report that hasn’t gone down well.

These supporters have taken to Twitter over the last 24 hours to share their thoughts on the potential deal…

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Leeds United enjoyed a rather successful season under Marcelo Bielsa but as was somewhat evident after their loss to Derby County, they will still need reinforcements if they are to make it over the finish line. Football Insider claim the Whites have already identified some of their targets and one of those is Liverpool’s Ryan Kent. The 22-year-old winger showed a lot of promise last season, netting six goals and totalling nine assists for Rangers. Here are two reasons signing him this summer – whether permanently or on loan – should be a priority for the Elland Road outfit…

Kent is a star in making

When a player is sought after by so many clubs across Europe, there has to be something special about the kid. It’s claimed that Leeds might end up battling at least 10 clubs in the struggle to acquire this young winger’s signature and it’s rather easy to see why. Kent has already shown maturity and ability to compete at first-team level, which Steven Gerrard can attest to, playing at a club that often comes under disproportionate pressure from its own fans.

Leeds to some extent are a similar case and under the guidance of Bielsa, who showed last season with Jack Harrison and Jack Clarke that he knows how to nurture young wingers, Kent could flourish and really reach his full potential.

Liverpool are open to selling or loaning him

Identifying targets is one thing but actually going out there and getting them is a whole different story. Kent, however, presents a good opportunity. His talents were never really under question but for some reason, as Football Insider suggest, Liverpool just don’t want to keep the lad at Anfield, looking to either loan him or sell permanently this summer.

That puts Leeds in a really good position as long as they commit to actually chasing Kent, and seeing how Jack Harrison has already returned to Manchester City and it’s not known whether Leeds will successfully negotiate his potential return, the Reds man would be a worthy substitute.

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Romelu Lukaku’s Manchester United adventure has been full of ups and downs. The Belgian superstar has now left his future in the club’s hands, refusing to comment on rumours after netting a brace in his country’s victory over Scotland, Sky Sports report. When asked if he would stay at Old Trafford, his reply was that “it’s up to the club” and that “they have to come out with statements”.

This all comes amid stories linking Lukaku with a move to Inter Milan. But even though he was far from being the best player in the world last season, he should still stay at the club. Here are two main reasons why it would be a disaster for United to sell Lukaku…

Lukaku is still a quality forward

It’s difficult being a player with a huge price tag and Lukaku is one of those players feeling the full pressure of that burden. He arrived at Old Trafford for a big sum of £76.2m back in 2017, following a very successful spell with Everton. There, he scored an incredible 87 goals and assisted 29 in a total of 166 games and was bound for a gigantic transfer. Once that happened and he donned the United jersey, he was very much expected to replicate that outstanding form.

And to a certain degree, he arguably has. In 96 games he managed to score 42 times and assist a further 13, making him a huge contributor to United’s attack, With all of that being said, and considering that he’s still the club’s second best goal-scorer only behind Paul Pogba, it’s easy to see why he should stay with the team. His current estimated value of £67.5m might seem a tad big but it fits in with the modern market.

United have no one to replace him

And this is a really big reason for United to stray away from any real thought of selling Lukaku. Who would replace this Belgian goal machine if he were to leave the team? Again, in their current squad, only Pogba scored more goals than Lukaku. Besides, the other options are scarce position-wise. They have wingers in Martial and Lingard but only Marcus Rashford could replace Lukaku at the point of their attack.

That also means that United would most likely have to set out on a quest to find another option in the market. This also means a lot of spending if you want a quality replacement but finding someone who fits the profile, is good enough and available is a task much easier said than done. Can Manchester United really afford to lose such a player with no obvious back-up plan?

There are a lot of incredible Italian managers out there in the game today. From Massimiliano Allegri to Maurizio Sarri with Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte inbetween, it’s hard to get away from it. Claudio Ranieri, though, fleets in an out of the top-class category and Newcastle would be smart to avoid appointing him.

Rafa Benitez did a fantastic job under difficult circumstances at St James’ Park, given the way Mike Ashey has the club in financial shackles. The 2005 Champions League winner has been one of the best coaches in the world for a number of years, his CV speaks for itself, but now he’s left the St James’ Park hotseat vacant.

That’s why the Ranieri talk has come about. Sky Sports have claimed that the former Chelsea, Leicester City and Fulham boss is interested in the job at Newcastle United, but that news will not come as music to the ears of our resident Geordies given the 67-year-old’s recent work.

Indeed, it would be a big mistake to appoint the Italian. Leicester City’s 2015-16 title-winning season might be the miracle that the Magpies will hope they can replicate, but Ranieri’s three jobs since certainly don’t offer much hope.

Those jobs have been at Nantes, Fulham and AS Roma, where the football and results have all been underwhelming. Indeed, he led Nantes to a ninth-placed finish during the 2017-18 campaign which was as a step backwards for the club as they finished in seventh position in the 2016-17 campaign. Also, he failed to prove himself on his return to the Premier League with Fulham, sending them on the path to relegation by securing just three wins in 17 games. And, he didn’t exactly make any headlines at AS Roma, his latest job, as they missed out on a Champions League place.

Indeed, it makes no sense to move for a manager who’s done more harm than good over the past few years and some Newcastle fans appear to agree (as per HITC).

Newcastle fans, do you agree that Ranieri is a bad option? Let us know!

Newcastle United fans would have been hoping for a pain free summer for once, as they hoped for the club to land some big names in the transfer market while keeping hold of Rafa Benitez.

But, as we have all seen over the years with the Magpies, things are never quite straight forward for the Toon Army, and today has seen the Daily Mail report that manager Benitez is indeed set to walk away from the club in the coming weeks when his contract comes to an end.

In what is a miserable update for the club and it’s supporters, Benitez seems to have finally come to the end of his patience with the club’s ownership, and could now walk away scott free and into any role he sees fit in world football you would imagine.

Here in the Tavern, we simply cannot believe it has come to this for Newcastle, and we have a big fear that this could well spell the end for the club in terms of their Premier League status.

Benitez has had the ability in the last few seasons to set up his Newcastle team to get the right sort of results needed to secure their top flight status, but it has to be said, with the squad he has had at his disposal, it’s almost a minor miracle he has managed to do so well.

The problem that will now await the club is that potential replacements will be turning their nose up at the thought of working under such a poor regime, while it’s likely that there will be a massively sour reaction from the club’s supporters.

It’s once again just another knock back in the storied history of Newcastle United, and we can’t help but think this could be one of the biggest blows the club has suffered in recent times.