All posts by n8rngtd.top

Leeds United have had a roller-coaster of a season this year, haven’t they Whites fans?

After making a storming start to the campaign, Marcelo Bielsa’s side looked favourites to secure automatic promotion with just a handful of fixtures left to play.

However, a shocking run of results which included defeats to Wigan Athletic, Brentford and most recently Ipswich Town saw the club drop out of the top-two with a return to the Premier League now reliant on them overcoming the lottery of the play-offs.

In recent weeks, Leeds’ struggles in-front of goal has seen them use a number of different midfield partnerships which have had varying levels of success. Whereas the likes of Pablo Hernandez and Mateusz Klich have been notably impressive, the likes of Jack Harrison and Jack Clarke have failed to deliver when it really matters.

For Clarke, it has been a disappointing end to what has been a promising debut season for the Whites and although he has all the ingredients needed to become a hero at Elland Road in the future, it may be beneficial for the club’s fortunes if they re-ignite their interest in Dan James over the summer.

Having seen a move to Leeds scuppered by Swansea City’s decision to pull out of a deal on deadline day in January (via the Telegraph), the 21-year-old responded to the disappointment by taking his performances to the next level for the Welsh side as he has scored two goals and provided five assists for his team-mates.

An undeniably talented player, James’ lightning-quick pace was directly compared to Kylian Mbappe’s trademark bursts earlier this season as he fired in a stunning strike following a fine individual run against Brentford with the Telegraph revealing that his top speed (36 kph) was the same as the PSG star.

Although it is fair to say that the winger has a lot to prove if he is to reach the World Cup winner’s record, there is no reason why he cannot achieve a successful career at Elland Road if Bielsa convinces him to reconsider a move to the West Yorkshire when the transfer window opens in July

According to Football Insider, James is still in contact with Leeds over the possibility of a summer switch from with Swansea boss Graham Potter admitting to WalesOnline on Sunday that is uncertain about if the midfielder will remain at the Liberty Stadium next season.

Speaking after the Jacks’ 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers, the 43-year-old revealed that “No-one can see into the future as with all of the players.

It’s football, it’s part of the industry.”

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa reignite his interest in signing James in the summer? Or is not worth trying to negotiate a deal with Swansea given the club’s previous escapades in January? Let us know below.

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Leeds United fans on Twitter have been advising Andrea Radrizzani on what he has to do in order to keep Marcelo Bielsa at the club next season.

Supporters all had the same idea, as they pleaded with the owner to get his cheque book out to help the Whites return to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years.

Last summer, Bielsa wasn’t given an enormous budget to work with. Patrick Bamford was the only pricey arrival as he had to bring in multiple loan deals.

The Argentine also wasn’t backed in January as the Yorkshire club only brought Kiko Casilla, while a potential move for Dan James fell through.

With the 63-year-old’s history of leaving clubs prematurely, Leeds fans have been worried that he may not be in the dugout at the start of next season, and they have implored their owner to give him all the financial backing he needs.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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According to TalkSport, Charlton are among a number of clubs keeping a close eye on Leyton Orient’s Macauley Bonne, although they will have to fend off competition from two Premier League clubs in the shape of newly-promoted Sheffield United and 2015/16 champions Leicester City.

With Roland Duchatelet presumably reluctant to provide much in the way of financial backing once again this summer, Lee Bowyer – or whoever is in the dugout – could be required to make some frugal signings in the coming months. Red-hot striker Bonne could be just that.

What’s the word?

Well, TalkSport reports that the Zimbabwe international is a man in demand this summer having fired the O’s back to League Two in 2018/19, chalking up an impressive 23 goals and four assists in 46 appearances.

The 23-year-old is believed to have been offered much-improved terms to convince him to stay at Brisbane Road, although it’s pretty much out of their hands – there is a release clause of just £200,000 in his contract, meaning any of the interested parties can get him on the cheap.

That should please Duchatelet, who has been particularly tight-pocketed in recent windows, as he desperately tries to sell the club, although boss Lee Bowyer will be hoping that he can become the Addicks’ next Joe Aribo by chalking up a lethal partnership with Lyle Taylor up front.

Bonne chance

The former Colchester United hitman has found his form in the Vanarama National League, with his goals helping Orient to a first-place finish and 89 points, although his journey with the club could end this summer.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Charlton are no strangers to snatching up young players who have impressed in the lower leagues having brought Aribo from Staines Town to The Valley in 2015. Now the midfielder is a target for Aston Villa having recorded an impressive goal-scoring campaign. Could Bonne adapt too?

Meanwhile, Lyle Taylor has fired himself among the stars this season, netting 25 goals in all-competitions. If Bonne can score half as many goals as he has in the fifth tier, then Charlton will restore the two-pronged, lethal partnership that was split up when Karlan Grant departed for Huddersfield in January. The Terriers speedster scored some quality goals thereafter, thus proving a two league jump is doable – Bonne should take note.

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Arsenal fans finally have something to hope for as the team approaches their big Europa League final clash against their blue neighbours, Chelsea.

Their managing director, Vinai Venkatesham, and head of football Raul Sanllehi sat down in an interview with Laura Woods and discussed the match in Baku that’s right around the corner.

It’s safe to say that after reading the interview, Gunners fans weren’t convinced by the discussions of the owners’ ambitions, while others simply didn’t seem to believe a word either Sanllehi or Venkatesham were saying. They were pretty loud in expressing their emotions on social media:

The big people leading the club should be much more ambitious than they’ve led the fans to believe they are and outrage from supporters pretty much flooded the comments section on Arsenal’s official Twitter page.

Many were in doubt of the direction the owners are taking the team in but now, their minds seem to be set – they clearly want a big change in the upper hierarchy for club to make any real progress moving forward.

A selection of tweets demonstrates their anger and disappointment at the interview and the general feeling towards Arsenal’s power-brokers…

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Sunderland have received a big boost ahead of the play-off final on Sunday, as Charlton striker Igor Vetokele is unlikely to be fit.

What’s the word?

Vetokele has missed four out of the last six games for the Addicks, including the last three because of a thigh problem.

And Lee Bowyer’s comments on Friday morning suggest it is unlikely that the striker will return for the big one at Wembley this weekend: “The boys are all looking sharp and fit. We were hoping Igor could be training today, but that looks unlikely,” he said, as reported by The Sunderland Echo.

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…

Bad news for Taylor

Vetokele is by no means one of League One’s finest goalscorers, but his absence will definitely hurt Bowyer’s side.

The 27 year-old has taken a more prominent role since Karlan Grant left The Valley in January, and has formed an impressive partnership with Lyle Taylor.

The Angolan has mustered five goals and five assists in all competitions, while Taylor has benefitted massively from their partnership, scoring nine and adding three assists in his final ten appearances of the season.

Whenever Taylor is sniffing around there is always danger, but without his partner in crime the Charlton front man should be much easier to nullify.

Josh Parker is likely to start in Vetokele’s place if he is indeed not fit to return, and the 28 year-old has scored just once in 17 appearances as a centre forward this term, so should be much less of a threat to the Black Cats back line.

Make no mistake about it; Vetokele’s absence would make life an awful lot easier for Jack Ross and his defence.

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Leeds United fans on Twitter are hoping that the club don’t try to broker a deal to bring Albert Adomah to Elland Road.

The winger was linked with the Yorkshire club in January, but a move never materialised.

Adomah’s contract with Aston Villa is up this summer, and after the Midlands club’s promotion to the Premier League it seems that he will not be offered a new deal.

The Ghanaian has proven that he can be a top class player in the Championship as he netted 14 goals in the 2017/18 season. His form dipped massively last term though as his goal tally was cut down to just four as well as only crafting two assists.

He may still be a useful player for whoever picks him up, but Leeds supporters are urging their club to avoid signing him due to his recent performances.

It remains to be seen where the 31-year-old will end up, but if he does join Marcelo Bielsa’s side it wouldn’t be a popular signing.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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Arsenal are in a sticky situation with Mesut Ozil and his massive contract, but according to InfoSportsTFLG on Twitter, Arsene Wenger is being looked at to take over Ligue 1 club OGC Nice. Should he get the job, Ozil would be his priority signing, the report claims.

At the moment, rumours are just rumours, but anything can happen in football and the Gunners are always going to take anything that claims they might be shipping £350,000 p/w (Spotrac) Ozil off the wage bill as brilliant news. The summer is long, though, so there will no doubt be plenty of twists and turns throughout the next few months.

In any case, with Aaron Ramsey, Petr Cech and Danny Welbeck all off the wage bill at the Emirates, the Gunners have made plenty of room for some new faces to be brought in, but Ozil would be the icing on the cake.

Wenger brought him to north London back in the summer of 2013, parting with £42.4m to do so (BBC), and it would only be fitting if the French gaffer was the man to end his Arsenal days too.

You can read the Gunners’ delight at the Wenger rumours here:

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Leeds United fans on Twitter certainly aren’t fans of a potential loan move for Brighton defender Ben White.

Phil Hay wrote an article for the Yorkshire Evening Post linking the Whites with a move for the defender.

The youngster spent the back end of last season out on loan at Peterborough United where he impressed a number of Posh fans.

Despite Peterborough supporters bigging him up on social media, United fans have been less than impressed by their interest in the 21-year-old.

It’s no secret that the Yorkshire outfit are in the market for a centre-half this summer. Yoann Barbet has been linked heavily, and question marks remain over Pontus Jansson’s future at the club.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are yet to make a signing this summer and it remains to be seen whether or not White will be added to the squad, but if he is it seems his arrival won’t be a very welcome one.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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It always seems like Everton are always on the cusp breaking into the Premier League’s top six, but this season could actually be the Toffees’ time.

Chelsea have lost their best player this decade in Eden Hazard whilst also facing a transfer ban, and Arsenal and Manchester United both looked like headless chickens in the latter stages of the previous season, giving Everton the perfect chance to strike.

With the fixture list for next season out, what will be the key games in Everton’s campaign that can determine whether they can finish in the top six?

31st August – Wolverhampton Wanders (H)

With the quality below the top six sides likely to improve this summer, Everton will need to ensure they are able to beat their competition in the league, and taking down Wolverhampton Wanders will be a good step in sending out a message that the Toffees are here to challenge this season.

21st December – Arsenal (H)

Although Everton transform into a League One side whenever they head to the Emirates, it’s a whole different story when Arsenal turn up on Merseyside, and this season Marco Silva’s side will be looking at the Gunners as direct league rivals if the north Londoners continue to slip up as they have in previous years.

11th January – Brighton & Hove Albion (H)

With a horrid festive period that sees Everton play the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City over December and January, the Toffees will need all the points they can get heading into the start of 2020, and a home win against Brighton & Hove Albion could be just the ticket for kicking the New Year off right.

7th March – Chelsea (A)

It’s been nearly two years since Everton lost to Chelsea in the league, and heading into the new season with no Hazard and a potential transfer ban, the Toffees could sniff a lack of quality from the west London side and use it to their advantage to boost their claim for top six status. Going to Stamford Bridge is never easy, though.

4th April – Leicester City (H)

Likewise to Wolves, Leicester City will be aiming to disrupt the top six next season with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and the aforementioned Chelsea looking on the verge of collapse, and if Everton can get a result over the Foxes in the penultimate month of the season it could set the Toffees up for an entertaining run-in.

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Celtic have walked away from the deal that would see Motherwell midfielder David Turnbull arrive at the club, according to The Scottish Sun.

The paper say that “Parkhead insiders” have told them negotiations are over and that the Hoops will now move on to other targets, with a transfer to England now likely for the 19-year-old.

Leigh Griffiths is ready and raring to go for Celtic next season. One fan discusses what we can expect from him in the video below…

It comes after Motherwell themselves announced last week they would be in receipt of a record fee for an outgoing player should Turnbull have agreed personal terms with the Scottish champions.

The teenager was a big player in the Scottish Premiership last season, netting 15 times and assisting seven more.

It would have been very interesting to see if he could make the step up to performing on a consistent basis with Celtic, but it now seems another young Scottish talent will be heading down south to test himself in England.

Fans of the Glasgow outfit don’t seem too bothered to hear he won’t be making the switch, with some feeling the delay in negotiations was proof enough his heart wasn’t in playing for the club.

These supporters have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…