All posts by h716a5.icu

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Some Liverpool fans on Twitter have called for the club to sign free-agent goalkeeper Michel Vorm after manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed in his pre-match Southampton press conference on Friday that Adrian is a doubt for Saturday’s game.

The Merseyside outfit had already lost number one Alisson to injury against Norwich City last Friday, with the summer addition filling in for the rest of the clash against the Canaries, as well as in the Super Cup on Wednesday.

However, Klopp has revealed that the Spaniard needed treatment having been tackled by a fan who ran onto the pitch during the penalty shoot-out celebrations, which means he could miss the trip to St Mary’s.

That would leave Andy Lonergan as the club’s only senior stopper, and he would be most likely to come in against the south coast outfit.

Liverpool supporters on the popular social media platform would seemingly like Vorm to be brought in as well though, with the Dutchman available on a free transfer after the expiry of his Tottenham contract at the end of June.

With 102 Premier League appearances to his name he certainly has the experience, but it remains to be seen whether the Reds will need to make an addition or not.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been commenting on the latest career move of former Black Cat Joel Asoro, who has joined FC Groningen on loan.

Asoro will spend the rest of the season in the Eredivisie, as Swansea confirmed his temporary switch to Holland this week.

The 20 year-old scored three times in 33 games during his stay at the Stadium of Light, showing glimpses of great potential before eventually securing a move to the Swans.

His first campaign after swapping Wearside for Wales didn’t exactly go to plan though, as he played just 17 times for the Championship outfit, failing to find the back of the net even once.

He will now link up with manager Danny Buijs at Groningen, who finished eighth last season.

Sunderland have lost both Asoro and Josh Maja from their young talent pool in the last 13 months or so, and lots of fans are hoping other youngsters see Asoro’s move to Holland as a reason not to leave the Stadium of Light.

Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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[ad_pod ]Ravel Morrison was once touted as the best young player Sir Alex Ferguson has ever seen.Since then his career has gone off the rails. He’s spent time in Mexico and Sweden attempting to find his feet before Sheffield United took a chance on him this summer.He’s rarely appeared for the Blades since joining the club, but on Tuesday night he completed his first full 90 minutes in a red and white shirt, and he was crownedÂMan of the Match.

The midfielder took to Twitter after the match to share his delight at being named Man of the Match, but he still believes there is more to come after saying it wasn’t the best of games.

Morrison got an assist as Chris Wilder’s men beat Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup, and his message certainly sounds like someone trying to make amends for a career that has so far been mostly wasted potential.

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The Lancashire club are no pushovers either. They’ve kept three clean sheets in a row in the Championship, and the Blades were playing a heavily rotated side.

Hopefully, this is the start of a resurgence for Morrison. It’s a massive shame to see such a great prospect go to waste and perhaps we will see him back in Premier League action soon after Tuesday’s display.

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The Independent report that Jose Mourinho rejected the opportunity to sign Virgil van Dijk when manager of Manchester United, and it is a revelation which has amused a portion of Liverpool fans.

Some believe the 28-year-old was always destined for a move to Anfield and it therefore didn’t matter if there was interest from the Red Devils, but if true it seems like an odd decision from the Portuguese boss.

The Reds were interested in the centre-back for much of the summer of 2017 but with Southampton unwilling to sell, the Dutch international wasn’t able to make the switch until January.

In that time, it could have been possible for another club to step in, and with van Dijk keen to play Champions League football he may have accepted a transfer to Old Trafford.

Instead, Mourinho opted against the move, a decision which he now likely regrets as he finds himself out of work, and particularly as vthe Dutchman was recently named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year following some outstanding performances at the back for the Merseyside outfit.

Here are some of the responses from Liverpool fans, with some suggesting they made van Dijk the player he is now.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Speaking to Dutch publication Voetbal International, Tahith Chong has revealed he is in discussions with Manchester United over signing a new contract.

What’s the word?

The 19-year-old joined the club from Feyernoord back in 2016, and was named the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year back in May 2018.

The Dutchman made his senior debut for the club last year, and featured prominently in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-team over pre-season this summer.

Now, Chong has confirmed he is in the midst of contract talks with the club, and revealed he decided to stay at Old Trafford due to being given reassurances that he will be handed chances to play.

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He said (as translated by The Daily Mail): “Of course we are talking, but it’s still too early to say anything about it. The season is still long and we will see what happens. There are a lot of competitions coming up and I will focus on that.

“Ole tells me to keep working hard and my chances will come. That’s nice to hear. There are a few players who left and I’m climbing up the pecking order. It’s always nice to come back to the Netherlands, but in the end I have to do what I find best for myself. That’s why I decided to stay.”

Youth revolution

Since taking over from Jose Mourinho last December, Solskjaer has frequently insisted he will give opportunities to youngsters in the United first-team. But so far this season, none of the fresh faces who lit up the Red Devils’ pre-season tour have started a match. The likes of Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Axel Tuanzebe and Chong, amongst others, have patiently waited in the wings.

Reports earlier this summer suggested Chong could be heading out of Old Trafford on loan, so Solskjaer’s personal intervention in getting him to stay comes with a huge responsibility to actually play him.

Failing to fulfil that promise would raise important questions about just how serious the Norwegian is in promoting young talent into the senior set-up.

United have a clutch of hugely impressive prospects knocking on the door at the moment, and if the Red Devils boss doesn’t open it for them, then some other clubs will. And that really would be a damning statement for the kind of rebuild Solskjaer wants to implement.

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Lots of Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to continue discussing the brilliance of their former striker, Teemu Pukki.

The 76-cap Finland international has shone for Norwich since signing for the Canaries, scoring 29 Championship goals last season while also grabbing six in his first five outings as a Premier League player – Pukki also won the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.

The 29-year-old spent just one season at Celtic Park in 2013/14, scoring a measly seven goals before being shipped out to Brondby by Ronny Delia – his form since then suggests that the decision may have been a mistake.

One fan asked why Pukki couldn’t show this kind of form for the Bhoys, whilst another said he would have laughed if someone had predicted the Finnish forward’s career to pan out in the manner it has since leaving Celtic.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Joe Urquhart has given his verdict on Jack Clarke when speaking to episode 66 of the Inside Elland Road Podcast, suggesting he has nowhere to hide.

What’s he said?

Clarke has been a topic of debate amongst supporters this season and for good reason too.

The youngster joined Tottenham in the summer and then arrived back at Leeds on loan but hasn’t really played.

He’s featured just twice in the League Cup but recently scored for one of England’s youth sides over the international break.

Issuing his thoughts on the 18-year-old, Urquhart spoke of his concerns and suggested what he needs to do after a mini confidence boost. He told the Inside Elland Road Podcast:

“He just hasn’t been the player everyone thought since he first burst onto the scene in February time. He’s not really kicked on. He’s a £9m footballer now so there’s nowhere for him to hide. People are very very aware of him.

“When he first came on the scene he maybe had that element of surprise and pace to cut back inside. It’s time for him to put his big boy pants on.”

Clarke’s confidence on the up?

The winger has looked a shadow of the player that first burst onto the scene last term. He started to make his name after scoring against Aston Villa but has struggled significantly since.

The fact he’s only played twice and not appeared in the Championship in 2019/20 is evidence of that.

Clarke was withdrawn at half time against Stoke and then refused to shake the hand of the player that replaced him in an U23 outing against Bristol City on 85 minutes.

However, his confidence may be on the rise following the international break.

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The teenager scored a late winner for England U20s against Switzerland earlier in the week, something that surely will have been of great relief to him.

The task now, though, is sorting himself out at Leeds. Urquhart is right to suggest he has nowhere to hide and the fact he’s been discussed regularly by fans shows that.

In the words of the YEP journalist, he needs to put his big boy pants on and show what he’s made of.

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Lots of Arsenal fans took to Twitter to react after they discovered that Bukayo Saka would be making his first Premier League start against Aston Villa, but their excitement was unfulfilled at the end of the day.

The 18-year-old put in a phenomenal performance in the Europa League during the week, scoring a brilliant long-range effort while also grabbing two assists in a 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

As a result, the teenager was handed a first ever Premier League start by Unai Emery, a decision that had plenty of Arsenal fans on Twitter talking.

One fan said that Emery’s decision will “lift the crowd” and also show the academy players that there is a pathway into the first-team, while another simply said that Saka fully deserves his opportunity.

However, the youngster was subbed off in the 77th-minute having had no shots on target, and completing just one dribble and one key pass – of course, you can let him off given the circumstances, but the Arsenal fans’ excitement on Twitter was not fulfilled to say the least.

Let’s take a look at some of their pre-match comments…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Writing in his column for The Daily Telegraph, Jamie Carragher has revealed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not be the man responsible for leading Manchester United to future trophies.

What did he say?

After enjoying an impressive start to his managerial reign at Old Trafford that included nine consecutive away wins, Solskjaer has endured a rather more difficult opening to the current campaign.

The Red Devils find themselves with just eight points from their first six Premier League games, and there has been a feeling of uneasiness over their transfer business in the summer window.

Now, Carragher has suggested Solskjaer still feels like a ‘care-taker manager’, and that he is simply a stop-gap for United before they appoint a more established name.

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He said: “To me, Solskjaer still resembles an interim manager – in place to clear the dressing room of expensive, under-performing names and put the spine of a team together for his successor.

“In my view he will never lead United to a Premier League title or win the Champions League because even if he achieves the goal of restoring stability, I believe he will be replaced by an established, elite coach. It may not be in his nature, but that is why it has reached the stage where it would be wise of Solskjaer to help himself more by putting pressure on those above to make more signings during the January transfer window as he may not be in charge for another one.”

The ball is in Solskjaer’s court

Make no mistake, this year certainly feels like United are at a crossroads. Achieving Champions League qualification is the undoubted priority, but the murmurings from the likes of Ed Woodward suggests the Red Devils are intent on making this a long-term project with Solskjaer at the helm.

If that is truly the case, the Norwegian must test that belief to the absolute limits. Demand United spend big-money in January to address the gaping holes in their striking options, and then be equally ambitious with his choice of targets for next summer.

As a former player and Champions League-winning hero, Solskjaer has an element of goodwill at the club. United fans are far less likely to completely turn on the ‘baby-faced assassin’. And so, as Carragher suggests, it’s about time he takes on the club’s hierarchy and insists they back him in the transfer market before it’s too late.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer has a big decision to make ahead of the game against Swansea on Wednesday evening.

The Addicks are in a spot of bother at left-back, with first-choice Ben Purrington set to be assessed ahead of the game and his backup option Lewis Page also struggling to stay fit.

Alarmingly, the situation has added significance given who the Swans have available to line up on the right flank…

Who do they have?

The Welsh side have the in-form Andre Ayew available to them, a man who has been in eye-catching form so far this season upon his return to the Liberty Stadium.

Ayew, who has 80 caps for Ghana, spent last term on loan at Fenerbahce but has returned to south Wales in focused fashion as he embarks on his first taste of Championship football.

The 29-year-old has registered three assists in seven league appearances so far in 2019/20, while also recording 2.4 shots and 2.1 dribbles per game.

His skill and the difficulty he causes opponents out on that right flank is emphasised even more by the fact that Ayew gets fouled two times per game on average.

Who does Bowyer have to choose from?

Aside from the aforementioned Purrington – who has been playing on with a calf problem lately – Bowyer may have to look at some unnatural options for the left-back role with Page also unavailable – the 23-year-old is yet to appear this term.

The south Londoners may have to consider the likes of Naby Sarr and Deji Oshilaja for the position.

Sarr is a natural centre-back according to Transfermarkt, although a left-footed one meaning he could potentially be moved out to left-back, whereas Oshilaja – as per his Transfermarkt page – is able to operate at left-back and right-back as well as at centre-back.

Two other options Bowyer has at his disposal are Chris Solly – who can play in both full-back positions – and Adam Matthews- the recent arrival can also operate in either full-back area as well as at right-midfield.

With Ayew in such good form, the decision in Bowyer’s hands is certainly a big one.