All posts by h79snht.top

West Bromwich Albion are keeping tabs on Derby County forward Matej Vydra ahead of a possible move, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

What’s the word?

Darren Moore is attempting to shape a team that can challenge for promotion following last season’s relegation from the Premier League.

The Baggies are in danger of losing a handful of players asa  result of dropping into the second tier, but there is plenty of Championship talent up for grabs.

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One man who could be available is Vydra, who has been at Derby since 2016, but there could be a scramble for his signature given the forward’s exploits in front of goal.

The 26-year-old, who has earned 20 international caps for the Czech Republic, scored an impressive 22 goals in all competitions last season.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Baggies are looking to rival Leeds United for Vydra and they have the upper hand due to the fact that they can offer better wages.

Is this a good idea from West Brom?

There is no doubt that Vydra was a key figure in the Championship during the 2017-16 campaign, but the Baggies do not have the best memories of the forward.

The Czech joined the club for the 2013-14 season, but could only muster three goals in 25 outings for the club.

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Having said that, though, Vydra started just seven league matches, and if he was to rejoin he would be used more often.

Given the importance of this season for West Brom, it is imperative that they make the right choices in the transfer market, and the Derby forward falls into the ‘risk’ column.

Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard appear to be friends as well as teammates, having emerged through the Manchester United youth setup at the same time.

The pair both annoy the more old-school football fan to a similar degree due to their confident personas, on-pitch dancing and large social media presence with the strength of feeling exacerbated by their wages being paid by a currently underperforming club.

However, their footballing journeys to this point have been markedly different. Pogba, along with Ravel Morrison, was identified early on at United as a player with all the natural talent to make it to the top.

The Frenchman developed earlier and was more impatient, moving to Juventus aged just 19 in 2012, having demanded greater first-team opportunities.

How far will England get in Russia? Tell us now and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

He was justified in deciding to leave having watched Park ji-Sung and Rafael toil in central midfield in a 3-2 home defeat to Blackburn and his career went from strength to strength in Serie A with Juventus.

Yet, in the four years was Pogba away was winning four Serie As and making the 2015 Champions League final, Lingard was toiling away at United, forced to remain hungry and patient, trusting that he would come good and step off the carousel of loans – Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton and Derby – to become a regular for club and country.

It took until 2015/16, the year before Pogba returned to United as the most expensive player in the world, for Lingard to break into the team at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal, adding pace and vigour to a pedestrian team and scoring the winner in the FA Cup final.

Now valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, when England manager Gareth Southgate decides which key players should be rested for his side’s final Group G game against Belgium, Lingard should be viewed just as important as anyone, bar Harry Kane.

By contrast, Pogba has come into his second World Cup on the back of yet another season of constant debate over his best position and his worth to Jose Mourinho’s United side and underperformed for a disappointing France side.

A recent poll saw 73% of Les Bleus fans call for Pogba to be dropped. He has become a genuine global superstar, under intense scrutiny but he is failing to embrace that pressure on the pitch.

Lingard takes the joy he shows off the pitch onto the field as well and looks to be enjoying this World Cup as much as anyone, which could lead to further rewards upon his return to club football at United.

Pogba’s favoured position is on the left of a three-man midfield, and that is the exact role that Lingard switched to and shone in as England swept aside Panama 6-1, scoring the pick of the bunch with a curling first-half strike.

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It helps Lingard that England’s 3-1-4-2 is more flowing than United’s 4-3-3, but his mini-reinvention poses an interesting tactical dilemma for Mourinho.

Lingard is playing in Pogba’s favourite position and playing better than him in it. The Englishman could not be putting forward a stronger claim to take his good friend’s starting spot at Old Trafford.

Mourinho reportedly wants warriors, who have the personality to fight for everything, and judging Lingard and Pogba on that metric, there is only going to be one winner.

According to a report from Sport1, Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min could be on his way out of the Premier League club this summer. The South Korea international enjoyed a fine season in North London last term, and were Spurs to indeed sanction his departure this summer, they can wave goodbye to a possible title challenge this time round.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the 25-year-old has become an increasingly important member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad in the last few years, not least last season in netting an impressive 18 goals and laying on 11 assists in 53 appearances for Tottenham.

Only Harry Kane (41) scored more goals for the North Londoners last time round to further underline the importance of Son to this Spurs squad, while his tally of 11 assists was only bettered by Dele Alli (13) and Christian Eriksen (17).

Thus, it’s evident that, while the likes of Kane, Alli, and Eriksen often get the plaudits, Son is equally as important to Pochettino’s side and as such will play a key part in inspiring the side to a Premier League title challenge next term.

Significantly, take Son out of the Tottenham side, and the replacements simply haven’t shown the level of form he has in recent times, with neither Erik Lamela nor Lucas Moura doing enough down the flanks, while Fernando Llorente certainly hasn’t proven his worth to be Kane’s deputy up top.

And losing Son, who can play in a more advanced central role, would further pile the pressure on Kane to get the goals for Pochettino’s side, at the same time taking a key cog of the attacking ranks out of the side.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here

Arguably, the 25-year-old is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League at present such is the focus on messrs Kane, Alli, and Eriksen at Tottenham, but Son is just as important, and as such his departure would significantly weaken them heading into the 2018/19 season.

Ultimately, if Tottenham are serious about bridging the 23-point gap to champions Manchester City this term, and thus challenging for the title, not only do they need to make additions, but they absolutely have to retain their most prized assets – Son is in that category.

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Thus, the North Londoners can wave goodbye to a possible title assault if they do indeed sanction the £45 million-rated (as per Transfermarkt) star’s departure this summer.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Leonardo Bonucci is an experienced winner having won seven league titles in his career, and now he is being linked with a move to the Premier League.

According to Calciomercato, Manchester City are one of a handful of clubs that are interested in recruiting the veteran defender.

Pep Guardiola already has a strong team at his disposal, and not a huge amount needs to be changed following last season’s title triumph.

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However, it seems that the recent two-year European ban implemented on Milan by UEFA has led City to consider a swoop for Bonucci as he is now believed to be considering his future.

Calciomercato reports that along with City, the club’s arch rivals Manchester United, as well as Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are tracking the defender.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

Guardiola are not in desperate need of a new centre-back, but there are concerns over injury prone Vincent Kompany.

Judging by the reaction on Twitter, though, City fans would rather the club did not make a move for the 31-year-old.

According to West Ham insider ExWHUEmployee, the Hammers tried to complete a deal for Krzysztof Piatek this month.

What’s the word?

West Ham’s transfer business this January has been far from impressive, failing to bring in any players besides goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

It’s thought that a deal for Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek is on the cards but whether or not they bring in more firepower to assist Sebastien Haller remains to be seen.

One player who has been linked to not only West Ham but also to London rivals Tottenham (Corriere Dello Sport, viaÂSport Witness) is Piatek.

The Polish striker is currently at AC Milan but the Hammers have seemingly missed out on him with others in the queue.

Taking to Twitter, ExWHUemployee noted:

Frustrating but not a surprise

Given West Ham’s league position of 17th, it’s perhaps rather unsurprising that they’ve struggled to bring in a player currently playing for a major club in one of Europe’s top leagues.

Piatek has been a force to be reckoned with in years gone by, netting 13 goals for Genoa in Serie A last season.

His 2019/20 campaign hasn’t hit the same heights, scoring four, but there is still a realisation that this is one of the most promising forwards on the continent.

At just 24 years of age, he’s earned comparisons to Andriy Shevchenko from the man himself. Speaking to Sport Mediaset in March last year, the Ukrainian said: “He is my heir to Milan.â€

This was fine praise for a man who had scored nine league goals for the Italian giants in the previous term.

But comparisons don’t stop there, and in fact, Piatek has compared himself and looked to model his game on fellow Polish forward Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane.

Call yourself a West Ham expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

In an interview with l’Ultimo Uomo, PiatekÂnoted:“My two favourite centre forwards are [Robert] Lewandowski and Harry Kane, perhaps I have characteristics more similar to those of English.â€

The Milan striker comes with a heavy reputation and judging by his promise, West Ham look as though they’re going to miss out on a top player this month.

With the Irons battling against relegation, they will have to look for more realistic targets before the window closes on Friday night.

Meanwhile, West Ham are IN THE HUNT for a right-back currently playing in the Premier League…

Another season, another spate of rumours about Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid.Indeed, pretty much ever since he swapped Old Trafford for the Bernabeu in 2009, a month hasn’t passed without speculative reports linking the three-time Ballon d’Or winner with a sensational return to Manchester United, twisting every loosely-relatable quote and hyperbolically analysing every facial expression that might suggest mild disillusionment in the Spanish capital.August, September and October have been no different. Yet, the recent rumours seem to have a little more substance for a few important reasons.First of all, the dialogue coming out of the Bernabeu is certainly more ambiguous than it once was. Super agent Jorge Mendes – also of Diego Costa and Jose Mourinho fame – once claimed Ronaldo would retire a Real Madrid player. But club president Florentino Perez refused to commit himself to such a scenario last month, whilst manager Rafa Benitez questioned the Portugal international’s status as the best player in the world – an enormous faux pas in Los Blancos circles.Meanwhile, Ronaldo said earlier this week that he’d like to play with Wayne Rooney again.[ffc-gal cat=”manchester-united” no=”5″]Similarly, the former Chelsea and Liverpool gaffer’s appointment probably hasn’t sat too well with the 30 year-old. He was a big fan of predecessor Carlo Ancelotti and in stark contrast to the notoriously amicable Italian, Benitez has a knack of rubbing his key players up the wrong way – something Reds legend Steven Gerrard recently testified to.Likewise, there’s not much left for Ronaldo to achieve at the Bernabeu.He’s won the Champions League, the Copa del Rey and La Liga, albeit without the regularity expected when moving to Madrid for £80million six summers ago, and is now just one goal way from breaking Raul’s all-time top scorer record, an enormous, historic and prestigious achievement at a club as big as Real.It’s by no means outlandish to suggest Ronaldo might want a new challenge; a fresh motivation that will decelerate his inevitable and eventual decline. At the same time, he’ll be 31 by the end of the season and will have entered the final two years of his Bernabeu contract. If Real Madrid wish to rake in a huge fee – perhaps even trumping their original investment – summer 2016 is unquestionably the best time to sell. Not that the La Liga giants have ever given two hoots about resale value.But despite reports this week of a planned £92.5million bid, Manchester United fans shouldn’t get too excited just yet. Although a Bernabeu departure is now more plausible than ever, rumours of a PSG switch make far more sense than Ronaldo simply returning to his old stomping ground.No doubt, the Portuguese holds an eternal soft spot for the club that transformed him from a dangerously arrogant prospect into the world’s most expensive player, the first half of a process that made him arguably the greatest footballer of a generation.But United spent £60million on Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial this summer and Louis van Gaal clearly expects both to develop into United’s leading entities, which makes you wonder where Ronaldo would actually fit in a front-line also including seemingly undroppable skipper Wayne Rooney. Likewise, it would be rather short sighted to say the least for United to invest such a significant sum in two of European football’s most promising prospects, only to sign a 31 year-old who will expect to start over both for £30million more just twelve months down the line.Perhaps most crucially, returning to United wouldn’t be a new challenge for Ronaldo. He won everything going with the Red Devils. At PSG, on the other hand, the forward has the chance to create a genuine legacy if he fires the French outfit to their first ever Champions League title, the honour president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has relentlessly honed in on, sanctioning a €551million spend, since the Qatari take-over in 2011. They certainly have the finance to spend another £90-oddmillion on Ronaldo.Likewise, the timing seems right for the Parisians. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract will expire at the end of the season and according to reports during the summer, PSG don’t intend to offer the 33 year-old a new deal. But the French champs still need that ‘wow factor’ which will allow them to attract Europe’s best to an inferior and uncompetitive domestic league. Ibrahimovic gave them pulling power in the market, something arguably more significantÂthan his talent and goals, and Ronaldo is one of the few players in world football who can match the enigmatic Swede in that regard.Of course, crazier things have happened before in the world of football and the emotion involved in a return to Manchester United could well override any form of rationale hinting at PSG move. Furthermore, this article is just a theory, albeit inspired by ongoing tabloid chatter.But my word of warning to Red Devils fans, even if Ronaldo openly admits that he plans to leave Real Madrid next summer, is quite plainly not toÂget your hopes up.ÂTesting a new frontier that desperately needs a player of his profile rather than simply revisiting an old one makes far more sense – not only for Ronaldo but for PSG and Manchester United as well.Â

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There has undoubtedly been some big news from the international break these past two weeks, such as Wales qualifying for their first major competition since 1964 and the Netherlands somehow failing to qualify for next summer’s Euros in France.

However, in terms of the Premier League (and especially the Fantasy Premier League), no news is as breaking as the hamstring injury to Manchester City star Sergio Aguero, who is now set to miss the next seven weeks of first-team action.

This will come as a huge blow to many managers, who immediately purchased the Argentina international right after his five-goal haul against Newcastle United in the previous gameweek, earning him a massive 25 points.

Owned by 32.3%, his quick-fire sale will definitely see his £13.3m price drop over the next few weeks, but that brings us to maybe the only positive from his injury.

Selling the striker will give you an extra £13m to spend in the market, and there are a plethora of striking options for you to consider.

Here are FIVE strikers for your consideration to replace Sergio Aguero…

Graziano Pelle

The leading striker in the Fantasy Premier League game, Graziano Pelle (8.2) is the bandwagon pick to replace Aguero after a magnificent start to the season, scoring five goals and supplying another five assists to his team-mates.

What makes him a fairly obvious choice is Southampton’s current form and fixtures, which sees the Saints play Leicester City (Home), Bournemouth (Home), Sunderland (Away), and Stoke City(Home) in the next five, with only a tricky trip to Liverpool in Gameweek 10.

Not only that, Pelle has been scoring with the Italy international squad in the qualifiers and his confidence must be soaring through the roof at the moment.

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku (8.3) may be the third highest points-scoring striker in the Fantasy Premier League, but his continued tendency to go missing in Everton’s less appealing fixtures has come as a huge frustration to managers.

Yet his ability is without doubt, as the Belgium international continues to grow and develop into the ‘Drogba 2.0’ Chelsea fans were predicting when he was playing with the Blues.

The Toffees’ difficult starting fixtures are also set to end after Man United and Arsenal in the next two games, but as mentioned earlier, it could be against the Red Devils and the Gunners in which he performs and not the easier games thereafter.

Wilfried Bony

With Aguero out, it is almost certain that Wilfried Bony (8.2) will be deployed by Manuel Pellegrini as Manchester City’s lone striker in the upcoming games. And let’s not forget, this is a striker that scored 17 goals in his debut Premier League season with Swansea.

The current league leaders also have a enticing run of ‘easier’ fixtures, with Bournemouth (Home), Norwich (Home), and Aston Villa (Away) in their next four. They travel to Manchester United in Gameweek 10, but the Citizens have a fairly decent record scoring at Old Trafford.

‘Assist master’ Kevin de Bruyne is also on great form, and Bony will be expected to get some decent service from the Belgian.

Diego Costa

Don’t know how many times this will be said this season, but Chelsea will have to turn their stuttering season around sooner rather than later don’t they? And it seems that Diego Costa (10.9) will play a big part in that if they do.

The Blues’ last league victory was their 2-0 win over Arsenal back in Gameweek 6, which also happened to be Diego Costa’s last game in the English top flight after being punished for his confrontation with Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny… but now he is available for selection.

Chelsea have a decent run of games with Aston Villa (Home), West Ham (Away), Stoke (Away), and Norwich (Home) coming up in their next five… and Costa could bring back the form that saw him score 20 goals in just 26 league games last season.

Batefimbi Gomis

Yes Batefimbi ‘The Panther’ Gomis (7.1) is under consideration despite his massive price drop over the past four fixtures… because if you think about it the Frenchman currently has four goals in eight games, which is a fairly decent record.

His massive sales also makes Gomis a decent differential, but what is the most enticing about the former Lyon striker is Swansea’s very enticing run of games. The Swans face Stoke (Home), Aston Villa (Away), Norwich (Away), and Bournemouth in the next four… and they won’t be too scared of Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium in Gameweek 11 either.

Gomis was hands down the biggest bandwagon during Gameweek four, so to see his massive drop (mostly for a change to Martial) was rather shocking. Now is his chance to prove doubters wrong.

We’re almost there, folks… the January transfer window! Not universally popular, the first month of every year kicks off with flurry of deals, goes quiet, then kicks back into life again as the clock ticks towards the deadline, and it seems that during every edition of this window Arsenal fans are left a little underwhelmed. Okay, Gabriel Paulista was a decent acquisition last time, but in 2014 a month of rooting around led to a loan move for an injured Kim Kallstrom. The Gunners subsequently fell out of the title race and into a battle for fourth.

There are some parallels between 2013/14 and 2015/16 it would seem, with Arsenal having started well while a major title rival wallows (Chelsea this season, the last time it was Manchester United). The door is ajar for a push it would seem, so maybe the Londoners should look back to the lesson they, hopefully, learnt and bolster an area of their squad that’s clearly deficient by buying a striker.

The candidate – Mauro Icardi

A £30m move for Inter Milan’s Argentine has been mooted, and even though the solidity of the claims made is unknown, Arsenal fans are, understandable, delighted. The 22-year-old has been talked about as one of Serie A’s top talents for the last 18 months, with his performances in a pretty average side at the San Siro having been standout.

Although he’s not yet scaled the highs of 2014/15, in which he netted 22 goals in 36 outings and fired more than three-shots-per-game, this time around Icardi is still Internazionale’s top scorer in league action with four goals and was named in the Team of the Week last time out for his performance in the 4-0 battering of Frosinone.

What’s he like?

Think Luis Suarez-lite. Icardi has already been compared to his South American compatriot, and a quick glance at his playing style shows why. Not an orthodox centre-forward, the one-cap international is a flurry of energy and pressing, with his desire to run from the front often opening up space for team-mates. Some have suggested in the past that he’s not a natural finisher, but his record since leaving Barcelona’s youth set-up is pretty formidable.

Would he fit at Arsenal?

Yes and no. In terms of being another option Icardi is ideal, with Arsene Wenger possessing only Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott as orthodox choices – although questions surrounding the latter’s best position rumble on. However, the Arsenal manager has shown a desire to operate with a more physically imposing forward through the years, and standing at 5ft. 11”, Icardi doesn’t really offer the same threat as Giroud or another former Wenger favourite, Emmanuel Adebayor.

Worth a punt?

£30m is steep for a player that may not directly fit Wenger’s set-up and is more comfortable working with a strike partner. This one looks like a long shot…

Stats via WhoScored

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At last, there’s a good feeling around St. James’ Park now. The Toon recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in over a year as they outfought and outrun two of the most hipster teams in the Premier League.

Steve McClaren has some breathing space. By no means have his side been imperious, but they have simply tried. As a result, they downed a rampant Liverpool and ended Tottenham’s 14-game unbeaten run in the league. Maybe they aren’t so bad after all.

Far from getting carried away, it’s at least time to highlight some of the players performing well. Summer signing Georginio Wijnaldum receives most of the plaudits, of course, and Aleksandar Mitrovic is already on the verge of being a cult-hero in the North East, despite his relatively indifferent start.

However, one of the most important pillars of this Newcastle side is defender Chancel Mbemba. It’s been easy to overlook his sterling efforts amid the embarrassing results this term, as the team’s defence has been bombarded and run ragged on more than one occasion.

Still, the 21-year old has shown what a class act he is. The former Anderlecht man has not been imperious though, but he is constantly improving. Paired next to a careless Fabricio Coloccini for most of the season hasn’t helped his bedding in process, but the Congolese centre-back has shown he has some of the raw materials to make it as a top operator in his position.

While he’s prone to the odd rash challenge and occasionally heading out of position, the towering defender is both pacey and powerful in equal measure. His speed and direct running can help recover possession when an opposition striker is seemingly clean through on goal, and he’s shown brilliant ability to read the game. At times.

Never likely to be outmuscled, other than by Jamie Vardy (who’s in superhero mode), the young centre-back is strong in the challenge and can push attackers away from goal. Perhaps it’s been easy to look at results and criticise the Toon rear-guard, but Mbemba has been one of its only bright spots.

Though he’s not always easy on the eye, the African star has shown a great ability to bring the ball out of defence and push the side up the field in order to elevate pressure. Should he sort his first touch out, he could be a great asset to have when backs are against the wall.

His surging runs may put hearts in mouths at times, but they gets backsides off seats and Newcastle up the field. All in all, isn’t that what Newcastle fans what? To be excited, to see people caring enough to drag their team-mates up the pitch when the going gets tough?

Obviously, there’s room for improvement. If he can cut out his tendency to dive in to tackles, stand his ground and track runners rather than go towards the ball, he certainly has the ability to be one of the best defenders in the league. Not since Jonathan Woodgate has St. James’ Park played host to such an exciting central defender.

While he’s not perfect, the £8.5m arrival is beginning to look like one of the signings of the season. The sky is his limit.

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Ever wondered what a Premier League footballer gets paid?

When you hear the astronomical wages that the top stars get paid, what we often forget is that these wages are usually quoted as a weekly wage, which really undersells the overall monthly pay packet.Â

So when you see this payslip Manchester City issued to their former striker Carlos Tevez, it’s an incredibly impressive wage.Â

The other hugely marked thing about this leaked photo is the amount of tax that such high earning stars pay to the treasury. Even though Tevez earns over £700,000 per month, he pays over £300,000 in tax! The amount that Tevez pays in tax is the kind of money that most Football League clubs would consider steep when talking about a potential transfer fee!

You can read more on this and other top stories via our Manchester City News page.

This Tevez payslip, datedÂMarch 2010 and recently resurfaced, also shows that he gets paid a standard wage and an accommodation allowance of £20,000 (as if that’s necessary). It also shows that he has to pay for his own tickets to take family and friends to see a match (bit harsh).

On top of that, there’s a particularly hard-hitting FA fine of £24! Ouch …