All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa are hoping to sign Watford’s Nathaniel Chalobah on loan before the end of the transfer window. 

This comes as part of a late drive from The Villans to bolster their squad before the end of the month. A number of departures this month have meant that Villa have been able to free up some money to force through moves like this.

The Lions are in some financial difficulty at the moment, and do not want to spend extravagantly. Therefore, a loan deal makes the most sense for the club to avoid any more trouble down the line. The benefit that Villa have is that they are still respected enough as a club to be able to attract Premier League players, as was shown with the Yannick Bolasie loan earlier this season and current top-scorer Tammy Abraham.

This is one of the most encouraging things for Aston Villa at the moment; that they are still able to attract players from the Premier League. Chalobah is an England international and is clearly held in high regard, and despite Villa’s modest league position, they are still linked with players like this. It is hard to imagine clubs like Blackburn or Bristol, who are higher than Villa in the Championship, attracting names like this. This is the greatest indication that this is just a blip for Villa at the moment, and they will bounce back due to their status.

Chalobah is a good player who has unfortunately been ravaged by injury over the past few seasons, which has seriously hampered his development. He has  fallen out of favour at Vicarage Road, and has only played six games this season in the league, and at the age of 24, he cannot afford to have another lacklustre loan spell if he has any ambition of consistently playing for England or playing for one of the Premier League’s top teams.

Aston Villa have been very impressive in recent times under Dean Smith, despite only securing a point against Reading last time out. 

The Villains will still feel confident that they can secure a play-off place from here on in until the end of the season, after securing the services of Tyrone Mings, Kortney Hause and Tom Carroll last month.

But, one problem that still faces the Villains is at left-back as Dean Smith deployed Tyrone Mings at the heart of the defence at the Madejski Stadium. Indeed, the Englishman did a terrific job against Reading so he may be permanently used as a central defender, which still leaves Villa having to make use of Neil Taylor.

Taylor has been one of the Midlands club’s biggest disappointments in the current campaign, with errors and a lack of defensive quality leaving them worse for wear at the back at times.

Dean Smith reportedly had his sights set on securing Leicester City’s Christian Fuchs last month, but the Premier League club turned down their loan offer.

The fact that Villa made an offer in the first place was eye-catching enough as the left-back was once arguably one of the best full-backs in the Premier League and he has a Premier League winners medal to his name.

Of course, the Villains can do nothing about the rejection from the Foxes but they could have at least made a permanent offer as the Austrian would’ve been an incredible purchase. Leicester may have rejected that as well but that doesn’t stop supporters from dreaming about what their club might have achieved with him in their side.

Indeed, Fuchs would have soon sent the Midlands club soaring into the play-off places as he has plenty of experience under his belt, as well as the ability to have a huge impact in the final third and in defensive areas. The Villains would never have to worry about defensive solidity if the 32-year-old rocked up at Villa Park, as he very rarely misses a tackle and has come up against some of the world’s best in recent years.

Aston Villa fans – thoughts on whether you should have signed Fuchs?

[ad_pod ]Leicester fans have taken to Twitter to react after full-back Ricardo Pereira made a huge error against Tottenham on Sunday, which handed the initiative to the north Londoners almost immediately after Jamie Vardy missed a penalty to equalise.The Portuguese international attempted to play the ball out from the back under little pressure, before it was intercepted in a dangerous area for the Foxes right on the edge of their own box.Fernando Llorente then teed up Christian Eriksen for the Dane to smash the ball beyond his international teammate Kasper Schmeichel and double Spurs’ lead, and pretty much end the game as a contest.Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…The King Power Stadium faithful have now witnessed their summer signing make two huge errors in back-to-back games, after the full-back conceded possession to Paul Pogba last week for the midfielder to set up Marcus Rashford to score.Understandably, the Leicester fans on Twitter are annoyed at the 25-year-old, as they felt they could’ve got something against Mauricio Pochettino’s men…

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United forward Kemar Roofe will undergo a knee scan on Monday, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

What’s the situation?

Roofe played the full 90 minutes of Leeds’ 2-1 win over Swansea City in the Championship on Wednesday night.

However, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the attacker has undergone treatment on his knee since then, raising concerns that he could be carrying a potentially season-changing issue.

Roofe has played 26 Championship matches for the Whites this season, which is a clear indication of his importance.

The Whites are not back in action until next weekend when they host Bolton Wanderers, but then face Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion in quick succession.

The fact that the 26-year-old was mobile on Saturday and indeed finished the clash with Swansea last week suggests that the issue might be minor.

However, Leeds will be sweating on the fitness of the Englishman, who has 14 Championship goals to his name during the 2018-19 campaign.

How big a miss would Roofe be for Leeds?

The fact that Roofe is the team’s leading scorer this season counts for a lot, although there are some Leeds fans who have not been happy with his performances in recent weeks.

Indeed, a number of the club’s supporters have recently criticised the forward, who has netted just once in his last eight Championship appearances.

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

He is unquestionably Leeds’ most proven option in the final third though, and Patrick Bamford has had his own knee issues this season.

The simple fact of the matter is that Roofe is crucial to Marcelo Bielsa’s side, meaning that a potential long-term absence would be a huge blow at this stage of the season.

Leeds have 14 Championship matches left to play this term and currently occupy third spot in the table, two points behind leaders Norwich City.

[ad_pod ]

Lots of Leeds fans have been running the rule over Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference, and they’re starting to suspect that Izzy Brown was a totally pointless signing after the gaffer’s latest comments.

There was plenty of big injury news for Leeds fans to take in on Thursday, as Phil Hay delivered an update on Jack Clarke while Kemar Roofe is eyeing a return before the end of the season.

Perhaps the most interesting fitness update was about Brown though, as the midfielder is still not ready to feature in the first team, or so it would seem.

“(He is making) constantly positive steps,” said Bielsa at his pre-Bolton press conference, as reported by Hay.

“We have to link his improvement to the needs of the team to see when he will start a game.”

Brown joined the Whites last summer on loan from Chelsea, but the midfielder was still recovering from a knee injury sustained in January 2018.

He has since returned to action for the Under-23’s, picked up another injury and then recovered again, finally appearing in a matchday squad for the first time against Middlesbrough.

Bielsa’s comments suggests he is no rush to get Brown back though despite the manager’s options becoming seriously depleted, so it is more than possible he simply doesn’t rate the 22 year-old.

At least that’s what the Twitter reactions down below think…

Crystal Palace have been rather impressive in recent times as they continue to improve under Roy Hodgson, having gone unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions. 

The Eagles still find themselves at risk from slipping into the relegation zone as they’re currently only two points above the bottom three, so they still need to seek even more improvements.

Interestingly, it appears as if the London club already have their sights set on a possible summer swoop, as according to Calciomercato (via 90Min), Crystal Palace are interested in Christian Kouame.

Indeed, the 21-year-old has established himself as one of the brightest prospects in Italy this season, having produced four goals and six assists at current club Genoa. He is a powerful forward who possesses an obvious aerial threat, so he would be a great addition for Palace who look to play off a target man.

Sadly, the likes of Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew, Connor Wickham and Michy Batshuayi have only produced a combined three goals this season, so it’s safe to say they could do with bringing in attacking reinforcements.

Roy Hodgson can make a big statement by securing the services of Christian Kouame as they would pip one of Europe’s elite to the signing as Juventus also hold a strong interest in the Ivory Coast forward, and he has the potential to become a future star.

What do you think Crystal Palace fans?

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal secured a 1-1 draw against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

The Gunners went ahead in the first half through Aaron Ramsey, but Harry Kane levelled the score from the spot in the second half. 

Aside from the penalty, the Gunners were otherwise successful in keeping the home side’s talismanic striker quiet. Arsenal centre-back Sokratis emphatically won the physical battle against Kane. The 30-year-old defender was diligent in performing his duties and succeeded in ensuring that Kane didn’t hurt Arsenal in open play.

Arsenal signed the 6’1” Greek ace from Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window. He has since become a regular feature in the Gunners’ rearguard with his experience, strength and aggression proving to be huge assets for the north London club.

After the derby, plenty of Arsenal fans took to Twitter to praise the 85-cap Greece international’s domineering display against Tottenham…

[ad_pod ]

Before a ball has even been kicked, Manchester United have the edge over Arsenal with the appointment of Jon Moss as the referee according to the best odds comparison sites, in what is a crucial game in the race for the top-four.

Both teams come into this game in decent domestic form, although their fortunes were vastly contrasted after the midweek European fixtures – the Red Devils enjoyed a historic night in Paris, whilst the Gunners were embarrassed by Rennes.

We all love the Champions League theme tune but you’ve never heard it like this before! Check out the video below…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lost just one game out of 17 since taking the reigns at Old Trafford, a run of form which has seen United move a point clear of Unai Emery’s men.

It will be hard to split the two sides, especially seeing as they battled out a tense 2-2 draw in Manchester earlier in the season – having said that, Jose Mourinho was in charge back then, so it could be wholly different this time around.

Where the Portuguese boss was a hindrance to the 20-time Premier League champions, Moss should prove to be the opposite if you were to look at his statistics in the current campaign.

The 48-year-old has overseen four of the Red Devils’ league games this season, in which they’ve won won three and drawn one – they average 2.5 points per game with Moss in charge of proceedings.

In Arsenal’s case, when Moss is in control, the north London sides have won two of their three games, losing the other one.

However, it must be noted that, out of the five red cards he has brandished this season, one of those has been handed to United – he is not afraid to get his cards out against the league’s biggest sides. In that respect, both teams must be careful of overstepping the line in this historic fixture.

[ad_pod ]

Aston Villa supporters have taken to Twitter to suggest their club sign Joe Lolley from Nottingham Forest.

Dean Smith’s men secured victory over Forest at the City Ground last night with Lolley claiming the assist for the goal they conceded. It sparked mass debate from the Villa Park faithful with some now pleading that he arrives during the off-season.

The winger has impressed both times Forest have played Villa this season, picking up five assists across two matches which included supplying four goals in the 5-5 draw the two teams played out when they met in November. It’s something which has clearly played a key part in the Villans’ fans hunger to see him join the club.

It’s not often supporters sing the praises of opposition players but the 26-year-old appears to be an exception, being labelled as fantastic and tidy following the clash this week.

They’ve also been quick to point out the fact that the former Huddersfield man is, in fact, a Villa fan himself meaning he’d likely be willing to join the club if the opportunity presented itself.

Fans are finding plenty of pros for the Redditch-born midfielder and are yearning for his potential signing, whether that be as a replacement for Jack Grealish should he leave, or as someone who can play alongside him.

Lolley has racked up impressive numbers this season, scoring eight and assisting nine in the Championship.

Here’s what’s been said.

[ad_pod ]

Everton fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they don’t want the club to cash in on Henry Onyekuru, amid talk of German champions Bayern Munich being interested in a £40m move for the Nigerian.

The 21-year-old was signed by the Toffees back in 2017 for a fee of just £7m from KAS Eupen, before immediately being loaned to Anderlecht.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Onyekuru has since joined Galatasaray on another loan spell, impressing in his time with the Turkish giants having notched 12 goals in 22 league starts this season.

Sadly for the Merseysiders, Onyekuru is struggling to obtain a work permit in order to play in the Premier League, hence why he has been loaned out twice.

His impressive form has attracted the interest of Bundesliga giants Bayern, who are keen on bringing the young forward to the Allianz Arena.

However, given his excellent scoring rate, Everton fans on Twitter don’t want him to be sold, especially having never even pulled the club’s shirt on…