All posts by h79snht.top

Social media plays a larger role than ever in the lives of football fans around the world. Since social media’s initial breakout in the early 2000’s its reach and engagement have soared higher than ever expected. This rise in social media fandom in the sport has given footballers and fans alike the perfect opportunity to keep in a constant loop and feel connected to their favourite footballers and feel closer to players than ever before. In this day and age, social media is now the go-to if you want to try and communicate with your favourite footballers and vice versa. Football stars are well-followed celebrities in their own right and many of them tend to use Twitter and Instagram as a remote mobile press conference after each and every game to grow their influence. It’s often used as a means of gaining influence and making themselves a more attractive prospect, a handy tool at their disposal when it comes to contract negotiations. However, the rise of social media influence on football culture also offers an opportunity for football clubs to get creative with their marketing and perhaps the best example of this is their output during the transfer window. The days of the boring boardroom snapshot are over as football clubs try to outdo each other with high-drama videos. From City announcing Haaland to Arsenal’s welcome for Vieira, the player announcement video is commonplace now. Here’s our collection of cinematic masterpieces and PR clangers from over the years.ÂErling Haaland to Manchester City in 2022It’s fair to say Manchester City’s long-awaited unveiling of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland was well worth the wait for City fans after his lightning-quick start to life at the Etihad with City now 1/4 to win the title according to the best betting sites. While his play on the pitch is anything but ordinary, his announcement video was pretty route one. Recreating a photo of an adolescent Haaland donning a City shirt while perched on a sofa, the video racked up 10 million views on Twitter. City’s social media team captioned the post “HE’S HERE!”, showing a level of excitement that was certainly not replicated by Haaland’s expression. Nonetheless, it was a smart announcement, even if Manchester City’s attempts to convince a sceptical public that Erling Haaland is a lifelong Blues fan are becoming a little tedious.

Stuart Taylor to Southampton in 2017

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Deliberately spoofing the over-the-top transfer video, Saints brought the full Hollywood approach to the relatively mundane signing of a reserve goalkeeper on a 1-year contract. The resulting advert was something you’d expect to see at the cinema rather than on a football club’s twitter page. Southampton opted to use a movie trailer-style approach to unveil their new man, including action film staples such as yachts, helicopters and a car chase along with intense music to build up the suspense. It might have been deliberately over the top but with over two million views the widespread reaction was to commend the marketing department behind the stunt.

Gianluca Scamacca to West Ham United in 2022

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West Ham’s announcement of the signing of Italian international Gianluca Scamacca was notable for two reasons. Firstly, it was posted via a classy remake of the opening credits to Channel 4’s cult 90s highlights show, Gazzetta Football Italia. Secondly, they spelt his name wrong in a classic example of how there is a propensity with social media to see the positive hype surrounding a new signing backfire with a simple mistake. The video was promptly taken down and reposted, attracting more attention to the £30m signing than probably would’ve been generated by an ordinary, accurately-spelt post. Maybe that was the plan all along.

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Paul Pogba to Manchester United in 2016

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Part cult, part music video, part footballing news, Paul Pogba’s return to Manchester United for a then-world record £89million was the transfer that cemented social media’s role as the primary means of communicating transfer news with the world. Timed for maximum impact in the Far East and the USA, the news appeared just after midnight UK time, a clear nod to the commercial reality that shirt and merchandise sales are now as much a part of the ROI of a transfer as on-pitch performance. The #PogBack hashtag sought to build a homecoming narrative as the player returned to the club he left in 2012, while famous grime star Stormzy’s inclusion helped spread the news to audiences far beyond football. For Adidas, with trainer sales and other sports to appeal to, it was a canny move.

Matt Paterson to Oxford City in 2017

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With Premier League transfers usually seen as quite a big deal, it isn’t always the same story when you go down a few leagues. Due to the huge reduction in funds and revenue, Oxford City decided to unveil their man with a picture of him signing his contract in McDonald’s with a free Barclays pen. The unusual location generated significant buzz, with Oxford’s tweet retweeted over 1,000 times and picked up by several sporting publications. Even the McDonald’s UK Twitter page got in on the act, retweeting and helping Oxford City share their news with wider sports fans who follow the restaurant.

Andre Moreira to Aston Villa in 2018

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Love Island is a modern-day reality TV phenomenon, and Aston Villa struck while the iron was hot with this one theming a Twitter announcement of new signing Andre Moreira around the ITV show. Demonstrating a clear attempt to piggyback on popular culture, their tweet that focused on “a new boy entering the villa” drew mixed reactions, some in stitches while others understandably dubbed it “cringe-worthy” or “embarrassing”. That being said, nearly 500,000 people have now viewed the tweet which has racked up over 2000 retweets and 8000 likes. It might be an example of blatantly jumping on the bandwagon but in the social media age, it is clearly an effective tactic of drawing attention.

Wout Weghorst to Burnley in 2022

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Try to ignore Wout Weghorst’s disappointing form at Burnley, and instead drink in the marvellous cinema of his social media announcement video. Leaning heavily on the 6ft 6 in Dutch striker’s enormous stature, Burnley produced a Jurassic Park-inspired video that likened their new £12 million signing to a terrifying prehistoric creature. Torrential rain, a battered jeep, deafening roars; their Deadline Day repurposing of a classic Hollywood scene was clever. Sadly, he didn’t look quite as scary when up against Premier League defenders.

Photo by Unsplash

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered an injury blow after Antonio Conte confirmed that Lucas Moura remains sidelined for this weekend’s Premier League game vs Leicester City.

The Lowdown: Moura’s calf injury

The Lilywhites were on the receiving end of a shock 2-0 defeat to Sporting in the Champions League during midweek so will be hoping to put things right when they host Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Brazilian has been ruled out of action since the end of August with a calf injury sustained against Chelsea, and after a fresh update, it sounds as if supporters won’t be seeing him until after the international break.

The Latest: Conte’s fitness update

Speaking to SPURSPLAY after training on Thursday, Conte revealed that Moura, once again, will not be available for selection when his side take on Leicester.

As quoted by Tottenham’s official website, he said:

“Yes, only Lucas is out. The other players are all available for Leicester.”

The Verdict: Setback for Spurs

Whilst Moura has fallen down the pecking order following the arrivals of Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, he is still a hugely effective player and it will be a blow for Conte to not have him at his disposal.

The Brazilian, dubbed a ‘ridiculous’ player by sports journalist Josh Bunting, netted eight goals and registered six assists in all competitions last season (Transfermarkt), showing the attacking contribution he can make in the final third.

Moura would have by no means been named in Spurs’ starting XI this weekend, but he would have still provided the boss with an excellent option from the bench which will no doubt be missed by the Italian.

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez could be set to depart Anfield this summer after struggling for game time since returning from a serious knee injury.

What’s the story?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan suggested that a move out of Merseyside for the centre-back is “on the cards” with Aston Villa long term admirers of the 24-year-old.

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It was reported by the Mirror earlier this week that Villa boss Steven Gerrard is keen to bring the Englishman to the West Midlands in order to get his career back on track having failed to bring Gomez to Villa Park in January.

The defender has been limited to just 20 appearances across all competitions this term and now finds the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate ahead of him in the pecking order.

Liverpool must part ways with Gomez

Although Gomez has been an excellent servant for Liverpool, it seems incredibly unlikely that the 24-year-old will manage to climb up the pecking order and become a regular under Jurgen Klopp once again.

Prior to rupturing his patella tendon on international duty in November 2020, Gomez had been a regular in the Reds’ Premier League title-winning campaign in 2019/20, making 28 league appearances as well as another 15 across other competitions.

However, since returning to the fold, the Englishman has found himself further down the food chain and it appears as though his days at Anfield are now numbered.

The £85k-per-week defender has struggled to impress when handed a rare opportunity in the top-flight this season, losing possession on average once every 4.5 minutes, although game time has been limited.

However, based on his performances prior to his injury, Gomez would be an excellent addition for Villa with Gerrard reportedly keen to upgrade on his current first-choice centre-back pairing of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa.

In the 2019/20 season, the defender won over half of his duels at 56% whilst also averaging an 88% passing accuracy and providing 1.4 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 2.1 clearances.

To put that into perspective, Konsa, whose average match rating of 6.73/10 this season has been slightly lower than Mings’ 6.91, has provided a slightly better duel success rate of 64% but has a lower passing accuracy at 86% whilst averaging 0.5 interceptions, 0.9 tackles and 2.9 tackles.

Of course, it also has to be considered that playing in a title winning-team, Gomez’s Liverpool would’ve seen much more of the ball over the course of the season than Villa have this term and therefore the defender wouldn’t have been called upon as regularly to intervene.

Can’t get enough Liverpool football content? Watch Liverpool FC live streams and other videos at StreamFootball.tv.

There is proof that the defender would slot in nicely at Aston Villa if that was to be his next club and Liverpool should allow the 24-year-old to move on with game time set to be limited at Anfield. It’s ruthless given his injuries but he surely has no place in Klopp’s plans for the future.

AND in other news: 107 touches: Liverpool metronome who won 11 duels was Klopp’s unsung hero today

West Bromwich Albion are setting up for a big summer transfer window in the Championship with Steve Bruce keen to improve the squad and now reportedly a new transfer target has been approached.

What’s the latest?

According to Football Insider, a West Brom source has told them that the club have approached Aston Villa with the view to sign Conor Hourihane.

The report suggests that Hourihane is not expected to sign a new deal with the Villains and now the Baggies have registered their interest in the player ahead of the transfer window.

Bruce loves him

The Albion manager and the Villa midfielder are no strangers to each other, as Bruce was the manager at Villa Park when Hourihane joined back in 2017, so it’s clear that the manager loves him and would like to add his qualities to his current squad at The Hawthorns.

Hourihane scored a hattrick against Norwich City when the former Villa boss gave him his chance in the team five years ago, and Bruce was full of praise for the player:

“I’m delighted for Conor.

“It is not often a midfield player gets a hat-trick. He was terrific.”

Since working with Bruce, the 31-year-old has been on loan at Swansea and more recently played his part in Sheffield United’s promotion challenge in the play-offs.

This season the £42k-per-week ace who was hailed “impressive” by Steve Cooper has scored one goal and contributed four assists, creating six big chances, making 1.3 key passes on average per game whilst being successful in the large majority of his dribbles (82%) and winning most of his aerial and ground duels (61%) in the Championship.

Hourihane who has been dubbed a “lucky charm” for his team by journalist Matt Law, has offered consistency and creativity for Sheffield United which has obviously caught the eye of the Albion boss with a reunion between the pair is looking possible if the reports are to be believed.

Ultimately, Bruce must recruit the right players who can offer leadership and qualities that can push West Brom back into the right direction next season so that they can push for promotion back into the Premier League sooner rather than later.

AND in other news: Steve Madeley: WBA eye move for “unbelievable” 18 G/A gem, he’s a big Diangana upgrade

Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold of football.london has now shared a ‘big’ transfer update involving Man City star Gabriel Jesus.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes new striker…

Spurs boss Antonio Conte, currently relying on Harry Kane as his only world class out-and-out striker option, is looking to fix that hole in the Lilywhites squad.

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The Times say a new forward is on the agenda at Hotspur Way as Conte eyes at least six major summer signings – with there being no shortage of links to Europe’s finest.

The Premier League top-four chasers have even been linked with the likes of Victor Osimhen (Napoli) and Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) despite their potentially marquee price tags.

Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have seemingly drawn up a list of prestigious targets for the forward area as news now surfaces involving Man City striker Jesus.

The Latest: Gold shares ‘big’ update involving Jesus…

The ever-reliable Gold, sharing a ‘big’ update on Tottenham’s transfer activity in the last 48 hours, now claims Conte and the club are ‘admire’ City’s bright attacker who has shone under Pep Guardiola recently (football.london).

Indeed, as the Lilywhites eye a possible move for Jesus, football.london also claim that he is ‘expected to leave’ the English champions this summer.

The Verdict: Make a move?

ESPN recently claimed City have slapped a £55 million price tag on the Brazil international’s head,  an arguable bargain fee given his obvious ability and age.

Still with plenty of years ahead in his career, Jesus has been on fire in recent weeks, racking up six goals and one assist in his last six league starts for Guardiola’s title-chasers.

Over 158 top flight appearances, the 25-year-old’s 58 goals and 32 assists back how he’s already proven in England with pundit Steve McManaman even raving over the ‘superstar’ for his recent Sky Blue form.

Taking all of this into account, it’s little wonder Conte and co have taken an interest.

In other news: Paratici now eyeing ‘world class’ player move tipped to ‘excite’ Spurs supporters! Find out more here.

Phil Hay has dropped an update on the future of Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

What’s the talk?

Speaking on a recent episode of The Phil Hay Show, the titular journalist revealed that, despite the 26-year-old’s recent claim that he would like to remain at Elland Road, should Manchester City act upon their reported interest in the England international, he could see the Whites academy graduate leaving LS11 in the summer transfer window.

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Regarding Phillips’ future at Leeds, Hay said: “I think Manchester City are the team to watch with him because they do like him. Fernandinho has obviously come to the end of the line and they’ll be after a defensive midfielder. The fact that they have money and the fact that they like Phillips tells you that could happen.”

Supporters will be gutted

Considering just how crucial a part of the Leeds side Phillips has been since their promotion to the Premier League back in 2020, in addition to the midfielder’s comments suggesting he would be happy to stay at Elland Road this summer, should the 26-year-old go on to join Pep Guardiola’s side in the coming months, it would certainly be an outcome that will leave the Whites faithful gutted.

Indeed, over his 29 top-flight appearances in 2020/21, the £45m-rated talent was undoubtedly Marcelo Bielsa’s standout performer, making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

The £38k-per-week midfielder also impressed going forwards, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.2 key passes, 4.7 long balls and completing 41 passes per fixture.

These returns saw the 19-time capped international average a simply breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as the Whites’ best player in the division but also as the ninth-best midfielder in the Premier League as a whole.

And, while a hamstring injury severely hampered Phillips’ game time in the 2021/22 campaign, the 26-year-old still managed to impress over his 20 league outings, providing one assist and creating one big chance, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 2.7 tackles, 38.9 passes and winning 4.8 duels per game.

As such, while it would appear extremely likely that Jesse Marsch would be handed a large sum of money to work with in the summer transfer window if Phillips were to move onto pasture new, it is nevertheless clear to see that the loss of a player as talented as the Leeds-born star would come as a gutting blow to everyone involved with the Whites.

AND in other news: “From what I’m told..”: Phil Hay drops Leeds transfer claim, supporters surely buzzing

Newcastle United are reportedly now ‘keen’ on signing Darwin Nunez in the summer.

The Lowdown: Standout season

Nunez has had a standout season at Benfica, scoring no fewer than 34 goals and making a further four assists in just 41 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

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He was described as an ‘absolute beast‘ by Liverpool podcaster Hari Sethi after an impressive performance in the UEFA Champions League against the finalists, showing that he is more than capable of making the step up to the Premier League.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘keen’

Taking to Twitter, journalist Jacque Talbot, who regularly breaks transfer news and updates, has revealed that the St. James’ Park outfit are just one of a number of clubs in the top flight who are ‘keen’ on signing Nunez.

“Darwin Nunez will be going to the Premier League, with Eugenio Lopez as his agent, the rep who brokered the deal of Di Maria and Man United. Newcastle keen. Liverpool and Spurs among it.”

The Verdict: Get it done

If the Magpies can put the right offer on the table, then there may not come a better opportunity than to sign a player who promises to be one of the best strikers in Europe over the next few years – Jorge Jesus says he will become ‘world class’.

Indeed, Nunez is only 22 years of age, and so has the potential to reach the very top.

The Magpies looks set to face some stiff competition from teams that can offer him Champions League football, and so the Toon must act as soon as possible if they are going to get this deal done.

In other news, find out who PIF are now ‘ready’ to sign this summer here!

Aston Villa have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Englishman seemingly set to depart Anfield this summer.

What’s the word?

Villa have regularly been linked with a move for the former Arsenal man in recent months, with Steven Gerrard keen on bolstering his midfield options at Villa Park.

Paul Joyce, a journalist for the Times, has now reported that Liverpool are willing to listen to offers for the 28-year-old and will allow him to depart should they receive a suitable bid, with previous reports suggesting that he would be available for as little as £10m.

Therefore, the green light has been signalled for any willing suitors to swoop in and seal his exit from Merseyside.

Lange must act

Although Oxlade-Chamberlain has endured some serious injury problems during his time at Liverpool, he was a key part of Klopp’s squad in the past, particularly in the 2019/20 title-winning season, when he made 30 appearances in the Premier League.

His game time last season may well have been limited, perhaps due to the quality Klopp has in his Liverpool midfield, but in his six Champions League appearances, he averaged an impressive 7.07 rating from WhoScored, while he also impressed with his performances in the League Cup.

He also popped up with two goals and one assist in just 17 Premier League appearances, with eight coming from the bench, which shows that he can add goals from midfield.

This emphasises that he still possesses a lot of quality and he could be a consistent regular in Gerrard’s side at Villa Park next season.

Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for Oxlade-Chamberlain after he scored twice in a Champions League win against Genk in 2019, saying:

“He’s a fantastic footballer and it’s all about decision making there. He offers something totally different in the midfield for Liverpool.”

The former England international would certainly add a lot of energy and dynamism to Gerrard’s midfield next season, and given his vast experience in the Premier League, this seems like a no-brainer deal for Villa to complete.

Therefore, Villa director of football Johan Lange should act quickly to bring him in for £10m, as there will undoubtedly be plenty of Premier League suitors for Oxlade-Chamberlain at that price.

And, in other news… Gerrard can land Coutinho 2.0 as Villa now eye £50m wizard, “goals are his speciality”…

According to reports coming out of Spain, a promising Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has come to light involving Villarreal defender Pervis Estupinan.

The Lowdown: Conte plans in full flow…

Spurs manager Antonio Conte has reportedly earmarked key positions of the Lilywhites squad to be strengthened ahead of his first full Premier League season in charge in N17.

The north Londoners are after new signings defensively, in midfield and further forward, with club chief Fabio Paratici already securing two fresh faces.

Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster have arrived in north London on Bosman deals, with Spurs now also entering pole position for Ecuador international Estupinan according to Marca.

The Latest: Spurs enter pole position for Estupinan…

Indeed, the Spanish news source claimed that Tottenham are now the ‘main candidate’ to sign the Villarreal wing-back for Conte.

Spurs are apparently pushing to sign Estupinan as the La Liga club place the 24-year-old on their transfer list.

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The Verdict: Get it done?

Hailed as ‘excellent’ by members of the press (Zach Lowy, Breaking the Lines co-creator), the South American would come as a potentially cheap and solid option for Paratici and co, given his estimated £18m valuation by Transfermarkt.

Conte reportedly wants new wing-back additions on both the right and left flanks as Tottenham potentially look for ways to satisfy the Italian’s demands without going over budget.

Estupinan could be a credible candidate to rotate with Ryan Sessegnon on the left and possibly replace Sergio Reguilon, who has been linked with an exit from the club.

Still quite young, the former Watford player averaged Villarreal’s fourth-highest number of crosses per 90 in the Spanish top flight in 2021/22, emphasising his attack-minded style.

Estupinan’s links with Spurs may well be worth keeping an eye on throughout the summer.

In other news: ‘What is this witchcraft?’ – Media thrilled by ‘great’ transfer news out of Tottenham, find out more here.

Manchester United are interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain according to journalist Alex Crook for talkSPORT.

The lowdown: A series of unfortunate events

Signed for £35million from Arsenal in 2017 (BBC), Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived at Liverpool with anticipation of a fruitful career. After ten direct goal involvements in an opening Premier League campaign on Merseyside, it appeared as though the dynamic Englishman was going to live up to those expectations.

However, numerous injury issues have hampered the 28-year-old since and it now seems inevitable that a move will come this summer having added two more domestic cups to an impressive trophy cabinet last term.

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As new manager Erik ten Hag attempts to add options to the Old Trafford ranks, United could be plotting an audacious attempt to make Oxlade-Chamberlain one of only a handful of players to represent both North West powerhouses.

The latest: ‘Surprise raid’

As per transfer insider Crook for the talkSPORT notebook, the Red Devils are believed to be ‘contemplating a surprise raid’ for the 35-cap England man this summer.

It’s claimed that Oxlade-Chamberlain is ‘desperate to leave Anfield’ having fallen down the pecking order once again in Jurgen Klopp’s plans and Liverpool could be looking for just £10million.

The report states that United are ‘seriously interested’ in signing the man once lauded as being like ‘dynamite’ by Klopp amidst a stellar spell of form in November 2017.

The verdict: No deal

Albeit adding Oxlade-Chamberlain to Michael Owen and Paul Ince as only the third player to play for both clubs in the Premier League era is a tempting proposition as Ten Hag plots a much-needed rebuild, the persistent injury woes mean that alternative options should be sought.

Despite remaining relatively issue-free last term whilst scoring three times and registering three assists in 29 appearances across all competitions, much of that prolonged fitness could be put down to a managed workload that saw the former Arsenal man only complete 90 minutes on just five occasions.

That lack of durability is a huge negative when looking at potential signings and even with the addition of five substitutes next season, United could certainly find a more reliable option to add to the squad, even at the mooted low asking price.

In other news, Erik ten Hag could be key in luring this star to Old Trafford