All posts by n8rngtd.top

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West Ham are set to trigger Salomon Rondon’s £16.5million release clause as they attempt to sign the West Bromwich Albion striker, per the Northern Echo.

What’s the word?

The 29-year-old scored 11 Premier League goals during a loan spell with Newcastle United in 2018-19 and is now a man in demand.

The aforementioned report claims that the Magpies would like to sign him permanently, but that the Hammers are hoping to steal a march on their domestic rivals.

Indeed, the Northern Echo state that there remains uncertainty over the future of manager Rafael Benitez and that there will be no transfer activity until that is resolved.

Rondon’s clause is active after West Brom failed to win promotion to the Premier League.

And Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini is keen to sign an experienced striker this summer as he looks to build on his club’s 1oth-placed finish in 2018-19.

The first of many

West Ham need more than just one striker this summer.

Football FanCast understands that Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is also a target, with the Hammers trying to ascertain whether or not his contract contains a release clause that has been activated by the Cottagers’ relegation to the Championship.

And FFC has also reported that Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez are all likely to depart the club this summer.

Only bringing in Rondon, then, would leave the Hammers with just the Venezuela international and Marko Arnautovic, whose future is far from certain, given the £45m release clause in his contract.

This deal, if completed, then, cannot be the last for Pellegrini’s men, as they look to push on and attempt to qualify for Europe next season.

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Celtic supporters are celebrating a special Scottish Cup victory after an Odsonne Edouard double broke Hearts at Hampden on Saturday.

The 2-1 victory over Craig Levein’s side means the Hoops have now won a famous ‘treble treble’ of domestic trophies, sweeping every single honour Scotland has to offer since the 2016/17 season.

It’s also a win that has apparently ensured Neil Lennon get’s the manager job on a permanent basis at Celtic Park after a shock announcement on Twitter.

While Lennon appears to be staying on, there are going to be some squad changes at the club this summer and one man who looks to be on his way out is Mikael Lustig.

He’s been offered a lucrative deal by Malmo to return to Sweden, with his contract expiring at Celtic this summer.

Looking emotional at full-time, the right-back will have gone out in the best way possible if he has decided to move on. It was his header from defence that eluded the Hearts back line and allowed Edouard to fire home the winning goal.

Hoops fans have criticised him plenty over the last 18 months, but these fans were quick to pay tribute during and after the Hampden match…

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Cypriot club Apollon Limassol are keen on making a move for Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty this summer, according to The Scottish Sun.

What’s the story?

The paper say that the European side tried to sign Lafferty last year before he made the switch from Tynecastle to Ibrox and are now confident of finally landing their man, having made initial contact with his representatives.

The Rangers striker’s contract does not expire until the end of next season, but the report states that he is now surplus to requirements at the club.

Whether the club will receive a fee for the player or not remains to be seen, but it’s clear he now has no future in Glasgow.

Why is he on the way out?

Lafferty returned to Rangers off the back of a successful spell at Hearts, where he scored 20 goals in 48 matches, providing a strong, physical threat in the final third that appeared to be perfectly suited to Scottish football.

His signing made sense at the time, but it rapidly became clear throughout 2018/19 that he wouldn’t be able to provide a dynamic enough contribution to fill in for Alfredo Morelos when needed.

He managed to score just five goals in all competitions, eventually usurped by the arriving Jermain Defoe, starting just one match since the turn of the year.

It’s fair to say he’s been a bit of a flop signing and with resources likely to be stretched thin at Ibrox this summer it makes zero sense to have him on the wage bill.

Rangers need to move him on by any means necessary and if Apollon Limassol are interested, the Gers should bite on the first offer.

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Celtic have announced plans to build a new training facility close to Celtic Park at Barrowfield.

The club are looking to build a new home for the youth and women’s teams, featuring a full-size indoor pitch, state-of-the-art gymnasium and a grandstand for spectators to watch matches.

Check out Keith from C’mon the Hoops’ fascinating video on the origins of the Old Firm derby below…

The first-team are currently based at Lennoxtown but lack full-size indoor facilities making training in bad weather difficult, with the club suggesting that senior players would also use the new building when required.

Barrowfield was the training site for the Celtic side prior to the move to a new training centre at Lennoxtown back in 2007. The club say this re-development is designed to complement what’s already available to players rather than replace it.

Supporters are delighted with the announcement, feeling it’s the kind of investment that needs to be taken to modernise the club’s academy set-up.

These fans have taken to Twitter this week to share their thoughts on it all…

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The phrase “one step forward two steps back” gets tossed around a lot in football, but for Arsenal, one big risk in the transfer window could well have that phrase reversed. Selling one of their star men could see them kick on massively, taking one step backwards to go two steps forward.

The player in question is the goalscoring machine, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and there are so many reasons why the Gabonese international could be allowed to leave this summer.

“Auba” is being linked with a move away from the Emirates by The Times, who have reported that the soon-to-be 30-year-old striker is being offered wages of around £300,000 p/w by Chinese Super League clubs Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG. Should the transfer fee involved be as astronomical as these touted wages, Unai Emery may have no choice but to let his hitman go.

On the chalkboard

There are a lot of reasons why you may want to see Aubameyang stay put this season, Arsenal fans, but there’s quite a few reasons as to why he should leave too. The first of those is his age. This season he bagged 22 league goals at the age of 29, but by the start of next season he’ll be in his thirties, and with pace a huge part of his game, his biggest threat will soon dwindle.

Then you’ve got the fact that whilst the electric hitman did bag 22 top-flight goals last season, securing him the joint Golden Boot alongside Liverpool wingers Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, he also recorded the highest tally in the division for big chances missed with an incredible 23 (Premier League).

So, we’ve established that Aubameyang misses sitters and is getting on a bit, but in terms of Arsenal’s progression as a club, moving him on could help ten-fold.

Not because he’s not the quality they need, far from it, but instead because his transfer fee could bankroll their entire summer. The Daily Star have claimed the Gunners have just £50m to play with, and Auba can bring in more than that on his own.

If that isn’t enough reason to think the 29-year-old should have played his last game for the club, then we’ll give you one more – Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman won Arsenal’s player of the season award for his incredible performances this campaign, yet he often spent time on the bench as Emery accommodated his strike partner, so who knows how well the Frenchman would have fared with the limelight all to himself.

It might be tough for Arsenal fans to come to terms with, but if Emery can sign two or three players in problem areas with the Aubameyang money, get an ageing player out of the squad and give Lacazette the game time he deserves, they simply have to take it, don’t they?

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Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has urged Marcelo Bielsa to give Mallik Wilks a chance in the first team after his incredible loan spell at Doncaster Rovers.

The winger scored 14 goals and set up a further eight during his loan spell at the Keepmoat Stadium, and form like that has caught the eye of the 44-year-old.

What’s been said then?

The former Leeds striker certainly likes the look of Wilks.

“I’m a big believer that if you send a player out on loan it’s because the manager doesn’t think he’s right for the football club but Wilks, he is an exception because he is a goalscorer,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“He has a decent scoring record in League One and can maybe force his way into the Leeds team. We only have two natural strikers, Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford, and we need more than that.

“Wilks has scored a lot of goals at Doncaster, got well into double figures, and has got really good experience out on loan in the last two seasons.

“He can play down the middle and on both flanks, and that’s what Bielsa likes. He could be a really good player for Leeds United, Bielsa can make him a star.

“I know it’s a different level, playing in League One compared to the Championship, but Wilks is young and will get better. He’s definitely got something.”

Absolutely right

Whelan may never have been more right when discussing Leeds United.

Leeds have been on the search for new wingers during this transfer window, but the solution may be right under Marcelo Bielsa’s nose.

Wilks was one of the best players in League One last year, and it just wouldn’t make sense if the Whites didn’t at least give him a chance next season.

The Yorkshire side should have no qualms about trying the 20-year-old as a left-winger going forward as he has proven that he deserves a chance in the Championship.

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Celtic badly need defensive reinforcements and manager Neil Lennon is hoping for positive news on the transfer front soon, speaking to club outlet Celtic TV.

What’s the story?

It’s not long until Celtic return to competitive action, taking on Bosnian champions FK Sarajevo next month in UEFA Champions League qualifying.

With the Hoops squad looking rather depleted right now, it could be argued the club is not as prepared as it should be for the tests ahead this summer.

Lennon though appears to understand that players are needed and has claimed staff are hard at work getting the bodies they need in the door.

How can Celtic improve next season? A Hoops fan tells us how in the video below…

Speaking to Celtic TV, the Hoops boss said:

“It’s a tough draw. We don’t know much about them but by the time the tie comes round, we will be fully prepared. We will have analysis done by the time we are in Austria and we will do some prep work there.

The games come so early that the players won’t be 100 per cent where they want to be. But you then have a week to the second leg and that gives more time for fitness work.

It’s important to get a decent result in the first leg to improve on the second leg.

We are looking to make some additions and it will be important to integrate them in as quickly as possible.

There is a huge amount of work going in and we hope we will get some positive news soon.”

What do Celtic need most?

With Mikael Lustig officially departing the club this week, the total number of defenders who have exited Celtic Park since the end of last season stands at six.

Emilio Izaguirre, Filip Benkovic, Dedryck Boyata, Cristian Gamboa and Jeremy Toljan all join the Swede in saying goodbye to the Hoops ahead of the new campaign.

It means that Lennon must prioritise the defence and the right-back position in particular in order to give him the strength needed to pick up the results he desires.

With a training camp due to begin in Austria next week, it would be ideal if the club could sign a player prior to departure, allowing him to bed in to the squad as smoothly as possible in preparation for the Sarajevo trip.

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After arriving from Benfica as a highly-rated young centre-back, Victor Lindelof has endured a mixed career at Manchester United so far.

The Sweden international seemingly took a while to adjust to the pace and physicality of English football but has delivered some impressive performances in between too.

Now, after reports in recent weeks suggested Matthijs de Ligt was perhaps on his way to Juventus, Mundo Deportivo claim Barcelona are considering a move for Lindelof as an alternative to missing out on the Dutchman.

The news saw United fans take to Twitter and many were adamant that the 24-year-old should not be sold this summer.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Red Devils supporters insisted Lindelof was their only good centre-back and jokingly enquired whether the Catalan giants would be interested in taking either Chris Smalling or Phil Jones instead.

Indeed, some United fans hoped the Swede would remain at Old Trafford next season after being one of the few players in the squad who “has pride playing for the club”.

Check out some of the reaction of United supporters on Twitter below:

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West Brom’s technical director Luke Dowling confirmed this week that Salomon Rondon would leave the Baggies.

However, first efforts made for another team to secure his services have been knocked back by the club according to The Daily Star.

They claimed that West Ham threw £10m at the Venezuelan forward but also included Sam Byram and Jordan Hugill as part of the deal. That, however, was swiftly rejected.

Upon seeing the news, Albion fans were quick to have their say on Twitter, but many were divided over different aspects of the report.

Some were keen to see the transfer happen as one supporter claimed Byram was exactly what they needed. Another fan simply suggested that they’d take the deal.

However, some supporters weren’t so keen, particularly laying into Hugill. One individual called the striker average whilst a further tweet said the Baggies should try and get someone else in the deal instead.

Rondon enjoyed a successful loan spell with Newcastle last season, finding the net 11 times but it looks as though his days with Albion are over.

At the moment the 6 ft 1 forward has a release clause of £16.5m but there is only a year left on his current contract.

Here’s the best of the debate.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have slammed Erik Lamela after he posted a video of himself returning to pre-season training.

The Argentine made 19 Premier League appearances last season but completed the full 90 minutes on just two occasions.

He was not included in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for seven games in succession as Spurs’ season drew to a close, though he did play 77 minutes on the final day as the club drew 2-2 with Everton.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Lamela was on the bench for the Champions League final, too, but is back in training already as the 2019/20 season draws ever closer. Spurs will play Aston Villa on August 10th.

But fans have taken the opportunity to rip into the winger, whose injury problems have been well documented throughout his career in north London. He missed 13 Premier League games in total in 2017/18, too.

Indeed, many have urged him not to overdo the exercises for fear of him missing the start of the campaign.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!