All posts by z3u9t.icu

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Sky Sports, Everton’s head of recruitment Gretar Steinsson has revealed the club are planning on loaning more of their young players abroad.

What did he say?

With Jadon Sancho enjoying a remarkable period of success playing regular first-team football at the highest level with Borussia Dortmund (he has already played 71 times for them), there has been a growing trend in recent years of clubs looking at the foreign market to potentially giving their talented academy players a loan move away.

Everton themselves have seen right-back Jonjoe Kenny become a key figure for Bundesliga side Schalke this season, racking up 13 appearances across all competitions. Now, Steinsson has backed this new approach of trying to negotiate loan deals abroad, insisting that opportunities of playing at such a good level bodes well for their youngsters.

Speaking at the Wyscout forum in Amsterdam, he said: “For us it’s very important for us to promote our younger players. We have a very strong academy with strong players coming through. We have a history of developing players and for a certain age group to reach the first-team is a big task, and that gap we’re trying to reach by putting them out on loan.

“We have players in Europe doing really well like Jonjoe and Fraser, which are very successful loans so far. So we’re really trying to educate and promote players we believe have a bright future in the game and open the world to the players. We need to get them playing at as high a level as possible and this is a great opportunity to do so. We’re planning for the future and supporting them to be great football players, That’s our focus.”

Ahead of the game

Football is all about trying to gain an advantage, and Everton’s intent on trying to get their talented academy prospects high-profile loan moves to places like the Bundesliga means they are staying on top of the game. Even now, clubs at the top-end of the table continue to negotiate short-term deals to clubs in lower divisions than them, which ultimately doesn’t provide them with the learning experience of having to adapt to a new style of play and culture.

The likes of Sancho at Dortmund, and Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson at Hoffenheim last season (he scored eight in 31 games) prove that players can accelerate their progress by plying their trades in different environments. Steinsson’s comments are a breath of fresh air for Everton, and gives the Toffees’ young starlets the best possible chance to fully realise their potential.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Conor Gallagher, on loan at Charlton Athletic from Chelsea, has admitted that he has surprised himself this season, as reported by the club’s official website.

What did he say?

This is Gallagher’s first-ever season in senior football, so despite impressing in Chelsea’s youth ranks, this would be seen as a big step up for the 19-year-old, especially as he went straight into the second tier.

However, he has gone on to excel during his maiden loan spell, starting 15 Championship games this season, coming off the bench once, scoring 5 goals and assisting 1 more.

He even made his full debut for England U21 during this international break, scoring a brilliant goal to help secure a 3-0 win over Albania.

It has been a superb start to the season for him so far, which he admits has surprised him, as reported by Charlton’s official website: “I’ve just started to realise, in the last few games, that they don’t mess about in the Championship! I’ve got a few knocks and bruises.

“I didn’t expect to be at this point, to be fair, but it proves that if you work hard and believe in yourself you can achieve things that maybe you didn’t think you could.”

Watch Charlton Athletic Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Making an impact

Aside from his goals and assists, Gallagher has averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.6 dribbles and 0.7 key passes per game this campaign.

All of this has impressed manager Lee Bowyer, as he told talkSPORT: “For us it was a bit of a gamble; he had never been on loan anywhere before and is only 19 so he’s still learning the game, but he’s hit the ground running.

“Whatever you tell him he does and I just keep encouraging him to get in the box, and things are falling for him at the moment.

“His willingness and work rate are unreal, so he’s fitted in really well.”

The teenager has made a big impact so far, with his all-round play and prowess in front of goal, so there will be many at Charlton looking forward to seeing what he can produce in the rest of the campaign.

Manchester United staged an unlikely comeback against Sheffield United on Sunday before conceding late on to draw 3-3.

Their first goal came from an unlikely source – Brandon Williams – the 19-year-old left-back who was making consecutive starts for the club for the first time.

He fizzed in a fine strike first-time with his weaker foot, finding the bottom corner to claw the match back to 2-1 and give his side hope of victory, having been outclassed by the Blades for much of the game.

[ad_pod ]

His contribution was appreciated by many fans and several have taken the time to lavish praise on not only his goal, but his overall display.

He has certainly repaid the faith shown in him by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who left skipper Ashley Young on the bench in favour of the youngster.

As a result, if he continues to perform as he did at Brammall Lane then he could retain his place in the side, and such a prospect would likely appeal to Red Devils’ supporters.

Here is how they have reacted to William’s display.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Evening Post, Mateusz Klich has opened up the moment that really kick-started Leeds’ turnaround.

What did he say?

A 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest had left Leeds with four losses out of five in the Championship, before Marcelo Bielsa’s side clinched a point against Brentford away from home.

Despite not picking up all three points, that result appeared to be the catalyst for the Whites turning things around, with the side going on to win their next five games and not even conceding once.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Now, the £3.15m-rated Klich has revealed that the Brentford clash was the moment they had decided to buck up. He said: “I think the Brentford game. After the Nottingham Forest game we said,‘this is enough,’ and that from the Brentford game we needed to play better. The Brentford game was a perfect game for us, we could have won it and we should have won it.

“After that we showed everyone we are really strong and we can really do it but obviously something has got in our way now.”

Moment to remember

As is often the case when it comes to a long hard-fought season, the individual moments in certain games are the ones players and fans look towards as being the moment things changed either for the better or the worse.

In Leeds’ case, doubts would no doubt have started to creep in after the Forest defeat, with painful memories of missing out on promotion to the Premier League last season still fresh in the memory.

But by digging in and getting in a point against fellow contenders Brentford, Leeds proved they could still be in charge of their own destinies, and if their return to the top-flight is eventually confirmed, it’s a game that people will be pointing to for years to come.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered a Leeds injury update.

In the early noughties, Leeds United were a phenomenal spectacle and how they never won a trophy given the array of talent on display is beyond belief.

Incredibly entertaining to watch, with the likes of Kewell, Smith, Viduka, Dacourt and Woodgate were just some of the shining lights during this time.

For a club who started the century on the ascendency, the wheels were to fall off quite spectacularly as poor management at the very top saw a breakup of this great team and inevitable relegation that has seen the Whites out of the top flight ever since.

So how much do you remember of that last season in the Premier League? We have compiled a quiz to test your knowledge and to see if you know your Eirik Bakke from your Didier Domi…

It’s fair to say Luis Suarez’s relationship with Liverpool has gone sour since his Anfield exit.

The Uruguay international enjoyed a stellar few years on Merseyside, scoring an impressive 82 goals in just 133 games, and providing a further 47 assists too.

But after a failed move to fellow Premier League side Arsenal back in the summer of 2013, Suarez ended up leaving Liverpool just a year later.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

And during a reunion with the Reds in the Champions League semi-finals last season whilst playing for Barcelona, it was clear that there was no love lost between the Liverpool fans and the striker.

One particular moment in the first-leg of the clash saw Suarez run past Andy Robertson, laughing in his face after Lionel Messi’s free-kick. And after the footage was posted on Twitter, Reds fans flooded the replies section to discuss their former star.

Some Liverpool fans just reveled in the fact that Suarez’s mocking came back to bite him.

The Anfield miracle in the second leg certainly taught Suarez a lesson about celebrating too soon.

The Uruguayan has always appeared to be a bit of a maverick, and he clearly felt he had the perfect opportunity to rub salt into the wound after Messi had made it 3-0.

But as fate would have it, the Reds would turn things around, and it’d be Jurgen Klopp’s side who would enjoy the last laugh.

Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher has given his verdict on this Liverpool starlet.

A post by a fan page on Twitter has got West Ham fans debating over who the best tackler they have seen at the club is, and a lot are suggesting it is Scott Parker.

The central defensive midfielder made 129 appearances for the East London side, managing to pick up 12 goals and 11 assists along the way, per Transfermarkt, from 2007 to 2011.

However it might be quite surprising that the player still receives such appreciation from West Ham supporters, considering he left the club for bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in August 2011 for £5.18 million.

Looking at his last two campaigns at the East London club, which are available on WhoScored, you can see why fans believe he is one of the best if not the best tackler to have played at the club as he averaged 3.3 tackles a game in the 2009/10 campaign and then bettered that the season after by averaging 3.8 tackles per match.

It was a big part of his game, and his tenaciousness did not go unnoticed as the former Premier League winner, via Transfermarkt, made 18 appearances for the Three Lions in his career.

Here is what fans had to say following the post:

West Ham fans, is Parker a West Ham legend? Comment below!

With sport only just starting to return around the world after more than a two-month hiatus, sportspeople everywhere have been forced to find new ways to occupy their time away from the competition.While clubs seem to have been very proactive in providing training regimes and meal plans, everyone has been forced to face long days inside that they just are not used to.However, crisis is often the mother of innovation and it seems that plenty have taken the time as an opportunity to try out new skills or just pass the time with something silly.Strangely given that fans will not be able to attend when sport returns, the lockdown has also been a good time for sports stars to connect with their supporters via social media or through playing games online to provide some sort of entertainment.Here, we look at 15 ways that sportspeople, teams and media have looked to remain occupied while in isolation…

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Renowned for his dead-ball technique, Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold has been showing off his skills on social media. One particular post showed the England man perfectly clipping a ball onto a garden lounger from distance.

Jesse Lingard

With plenty of challenges circulating online, Lingard performed two of them: the toilet roll challenge and the top bins challenge.

James Milner

Often characterised by his somewhat boring demeanour, Milner sometimes enjoys playing up to the joke. During lockdown he decided to create an isolation XI using a number of household items and comparing them to other players.

Andy Robertson

The Scot appears to be something of a polarising figure on social media, but he chose to open himself up to questions from all-comers. The results included a fascinating admission about Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi.

Troy Deeney

In a kind gesture on Mother’s Day, the Watford man released a thoughtful poem in honour of him mum on Instagram.

Felipe Melo

A player who was never really renowned for his close control, Melo put his own spin on the toilet roll challenge by filming himself completing a trademark two-footed challenge on the paper.

Burnley FC

Burnley started the fun goal chain thread posting a video of a goal against one club, who could then post a video of a goal against someone else, with the one rule that you should not include any team twice. However, Chelsea decided to end the chain by uploading footage of Demba Ba’s famous title-campaign-ending goal against Liverpool, who had already featured.

Richarlison

With guidelines advising people to sing happy birthday while washing their hands, Richarlison put his own spin on things by singing the song created for him by the Everton fans.

Clive Tyldesley

The commentator is clearly missing the action and even resorted to commentating on his wife as she made lasagne.

Cesc Fabregas

With Ligue 1 already deciding the outcome of their season we may not see Fabregas back on the pitch for some time. However, he has been using the time to tell a must-read story about former teammate Willy Caballero on Twitter.

Leeds United

Following their match with Cardiff City being called off, the club decided to stream a match on FIFA to satisfy their fans.

Bruno Fernandes

While he may have made an impressive start to life in English football, he is having less luck in his back garden, with teammate Diogo Dalot filming him after losing a ball in a tree.

Hull City

Despite no longer being a Premier League club, Hull are still competing at the top level in connect four, beating Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on Twitter.

Plymouth Argyle

With no football set to be played in the lower leagues for some time, Plymouth have allowed fans to help them with their Football Manager campaign and have even started live tweeting matches.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

The Liverpool midfielder seems to have been working on his moves in lockdown and released a video on TikTok of him and his girlfriend Perrie Edwards of Little Mix dancing.

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers have surged ahead of their fierce rivals Celtic in the race to sign Ivan Toney, with Peterborough only really looking for half of their £15m price tag.

The Gers had previously been linked with a move for the striker, but Posh owner Barry Fry says that the 24-year-old would cost any prospective buyer £15m (The Daily Mail via The Scottish Sun).

Celtic and West Brom have also been mentioned, and this latest report says that it is the Ibrox outfit and the Championship side who are leading the race. Not only that, the report adds that Toney will be much cheaper than the price the League One outfit are looking for – maybe even around just half.

As the Gers look to close last season’s 13-point gap at the top of the Premiership table to the Bhoys, they continue to look for reinforcements who could really add something to Steven Gerrard’s starting XI – Toney is no doubt a player who could do just that. Before the League One campaign was brought to a premature close, he scored 24 goals in 32 games – more than any Gers player could manage in Scotland’s top tier before that too was ended early.

£15m would have been well beyond what the Gers could afford, and whilst £7.5m is still far from cheap, it at least indicates that there is some room for negotiation. With West Brom closing in on Premier League football as they sit in second place in the Championsihp, the 54-time Scottish champions do still certainly have a fight on their hands to convince him they are the better choice, but having Celtic out of the picture is no doubt a boost.

Let us know what you think below!

Inter Milan are targeting Manchester United striker Anthony Martial this summer, according to reports in Italy. 

Martial has become the front man at Old Trafford, leading the line as United fought to a 2-2 draw with Southampton on Monday night.

Calciomercato claims, as per The Daily Express, that Antonio Conte is considering Martial as a replacement for Lautaro Martinez, as Barcelona are interested in the Inter striker.

It is worth pointing out he will not come cheap as the Red Devils have already named their asking price.

The Italian outlet reports that United are demanding £63m for the Frenchman in the summer, although they are also holding out for a possible swap deal including defender Milan Skriniar.

Inter will have a tough time persuading Martial to leave Old Trafford, as he signed a contract which will end in 2024 and is happy where he is.

The 24-year-old, who is United’s top scorer this season, has scored 21 goals in all competitions so far, taking 2.5 shots per game, averaging 1.6 dribbles, and completing 80% of his passes overall via WhoScored.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side seem to have no problem finding the back of the net, as the front four have been in sensational form since the Premier League restart.

However, the Red Devils struggled against Southampton as they conceded two goals in a blow to their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

As it stands, it would be a foolish decision to let Martial leave, as he has been one of Solskjaer’s best players this season.

United fans, should Ed Woodward swap Anthony Martial for Milan Skriniar? Let us know down below!