All posts by n8rngtd.top

Good news: Arsenal are apparently refusing to sell midfielder Lucas Torreira following interest from AC Milan, as per Sky Sports in Italy posted on their English-speaking website.

Indeed, it probably comes as no surprise that Marco Giampaolo, the man who oversaw much of the little Uruguayan’s development as a player, is seemingly keen to re-sign him when he completes his potential move from Sampdoria to the San Siro as manager.

Torreira made 34 Premier League appearances of one of the fundamental elements of Unai Emery’s midfield last season, scoring twice, and warming himself to fans as a dogged, no-nonsense high-energy style of player. Indeed, his performance in a 4-2 win over Tottenham back in December was heralded by the Telegraph at the time and Martin Keown described it as the best midfield performance from an Arsenal player he’d seen since the days of Gilberto Silva and Patrick Vieira.

Rather worryingly though, the player recently admitted that life was better when he was in Italy, though he added that he will adapt to living in England as he continues his career here.

“I don’t know if there are many things that I enjoy,” he recently told Ovacion.

“I think it was better in Italy. England is a totally different world, a very large country.”

While Torreira battles with his own issues, Arsenal fans will rejoice in the knowledge that the club won’t be facing the added pressure of securing another midfielder following the recent departure of Aaron Ramsey to Juventus. Standing strong here is undoubtedly a powerful statement.

At the very least, what we can extract from the recent news is that Arsenal, despite their reported measly £40-45m budget – which Robert Pires believes is far too little to win the Premier League title – the club still have enough influence to keep big players. A short-term positive, that’s for sure.

More time in the summer to develop the relationship between Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira can only be a good thing, as well.

Arsenal fans, are you pleased that Torreira is set to stay? Let us know in the comments below…

[ad_pod ]

Aston Villa are plotting a swoop for Huddersfield’s Terence Kongolo according to Football Insider.

What’s the word?

Villa’s attention in the transfer market now looks as though it’s turning to defence. After confirming the addition of Kortney Hause on Monday, they’re now in the market for another defender.

Kongolo, who is Huddersfield’s most expensive signing, is the subject of interest from the club with Football Insider suggesting they could swoop for the Dutchman this summer.

The Daily Mail have since backed up those reports by claiming that the Villans have enquired about the 25-year-old.

Kongolo was a member of the Terriers’ relegated side last season but it now appears as though he could be heading straight back to the Premier League.

No fee is mentioned, but Transfermarkt rate the player at £13.5m.

Hause success to be repeated?

One of the main benefits of signing a player like Kongolo would be his versatility. For the Yorkshire club he played at both left-back and in the centre of defence but after a solid first season his performances last term were far from convincing.

However, that cannot distract from the potential and talent he has, an aspect of his game that saw him move to Monaco before swapping French shores for English ones.

In the Premier League in 2018/19, Kongolo played in the middle 24 times but also featured as a full-back on eight occasions.

As a result, there is a large degree of similarity with Hause, another player who can play in both positions. It’s clear the Villans benefit from players with versatility and therefore a move makes perfect sense.

Kongolo doesn’t boast the heading and aerial ability that Hause possesses but in terms of duels on the ground he’s far more successful.

He won 2.3 tackles per game and also made 2 interceptions per match last season. In comparison, Hause made 0.8 tackles and just 0.5 interceptions.

Although the pair play in similar roles, they are different players and therefore their attributes could perfectly complement each other if Kongolo joins.

The success Hause had playing in adapting to two roles in the Villa side means that a similar trick could be repeated with Huddersfield’s number five if he joins.

After all, he’s already been able to do it in the Premier League and that experience would be invaluable.

[ad_pod ]

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is looking forward to working with Joe Aribo and has highlighted the player’s key attributes that he thinks will make the midfielder a success at Ibrox, as reported by The Daily Record.

What’s the story?

Aribo has still not been officially unveiled as a Gers summer signing but is reported to have agreed to sign with the Ibrox outfit after leaving Charlton at the end of his contract.

With Gerrard now speaking so openly about what the player will bring to Rangers, it’s clear he is on his way to becoming a member of the squad in Glasgow.

The Gers boss appears massively excited about working with the 22-year-old, feeling that the player will bring a unique style of play to the middle of the park at Ibrox.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

As quoted by The Daily Record, he said:

“He’s mobile and dynamic. He can burst past a player, create and score goals.

“There’s still many areas of his game where he can develop but he’ll give us something we’ve not got in the midfield department.

“That’s the key. We have a good midfield, experience and young ones. But we don’t have this type of midfielder with the characteristics of Joe. I’m really looking forward to working with him.

“He’s a guy who can unlock defences. He’s left footed, which is something we don’t have in midfield. So he’ll give us more balance.

“Joe’s tall, athletic and quick. He’s a box-to-box player and is not afraid to open the door when he gets around the box.

“Last season he got into double figures for goals at Charlton so he’ll help in that department too.”

Turning draws into wins

Rangers finished nine points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership and outside of two derby defeats at Celtic Park, what was most damaging about their title bid was the amount of draws throughout the season.

The club racked up nine across the campaign, often failing to kill off matches in style despite playing against lesser opposition.

If what Gerrard says about Aribo is true, he could be exactly the kind of player they’ve been missing in the final third that can turn those draws against packed defences into victories.

It appears that Aribo is expected to have the vision that will allow him to play the killer ball for poachers like Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe to feed off of.

As the Gers boss notes, he scored ten goals of his own for Charlton last season, also contributing five assists. That kind of contribution plugged into the Rangers team could prove to be vital in a long title race.

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Spurs fans have been reacting to a report that claims Real Madrid starlet Dani Ceballos would rather play at Tottenham than Arsenal.

Ceballos is expected to leave the Bernabeu this summer after starting just 13 La Liga matches last season.

And, according to El Confidencial, he is enthused by the prospect of working under Mauricio Pochettino.

The report claims that Zinedine Zidane does not see a use for the midfielder, but that Real president Florentino Perez wants to either keep the 22 year-old or secure a repurchase option in any potential sale.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Spurs are on the hunt for a new central midfielder, with speculation surrounding Tanguy Ndombele heating up, and fans are very excited by the prospect of a move for Ceballos.

The Lilywhites were linked with him as part of Madrid’s interest in Christian Eriksen, and the news he is yearning for some development under Pochettino is music to fans’ ears.

Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

And now it’s official and the deal is all done and dusted – Gabriel Martinelli is a new Arsenal player as the 18-year-old youngster joins the Gunners on a long-term deal.

The Brazilian talent has scored 10 goals from his 34 appearances for Itauno, a Brazilian club based in Sao Paulo.

Shortly after being announced, Martinelli was welcomed by the fans, teammates and legends alike as he posted a

/BzbD3PaBDiv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->snap in his new colours.

One man who was quick to congratulate him was Ian Wright, a club icon, as he sent him a message alongside a new video produced in collaboration with Adidas.

In the video Wright talked about how a true Arsenal player should act on the pitch and how he should give everything he has for the badge he wears on his chest.

Martinelli will now be joining the team for the pre-season preparation period as the new 2019/20 Premier League campaign looms on the imminent horizon.

It would be foolish to expect the new recruit to go on to enjoy the same level of success Wright did during his time in north London, but the development of Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus suggests that he could well be another Brazilian success story in the making.

[ad_pod ]

Manchester United’s stars have already landed in Australia and they are now getting ready for their first pre-season matches.

The Red Devils will take on the local team, Perth Glory, before facing Leeds United. After that, they will depart Australia and continue their tour elsewhere.

Joel Pereira, the 23-year-old goalkeeper, has also found his name among the 28 called up by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the big trip.

The young Portuguese goalie hasn’t really seen much action in the red Manchester shirt.

He’s been jumping from loan to loan in the last couple of seasons, but he could get an opportunity to get some game time under his belt on the pre-season tour.

And if his latest

/BzvVe6zlgSR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram snap is any indication, he is very much enjoying his time with some of the more senior squad members.

He shared an image with De Gea and Sergio Romero, two other Manchester United goalies, and they seemed in good spirits ahead of the pre-season kick-off.

The Spaniard replied with some emojis to show his support for his young “apprentice”.

Pereira played nine games for Vitoria Setubal last season before returning to England.

[ad_pod ]

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…

George Edmundson sees the positives in Rangers further strengthening their centre-back options with the capture of Filip Helander, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s he said?

Helander joined for a reported £3.5m on Saturday, which is said to be their biggest transfer fee in a massive nine years.

The fee creates an expectation that the Swedish international plays regularly, potentially pushing Edmundson down the defensive pecking order – but he insists he is up for the fight.

The former Oldham Athletic man feels that if he plays well enough, he’ll keep his place in Steven Gerrard’s side.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said:

“It will make us better. Competition for places is what you want and you’re not guaranteed a place at a club of this size.

“I’ll be pushing Connor [Goldson] and [Nikola] Katic, they’ll be pushing me, and the new signing will push all of us. It will make us all better.

“There’s loads of games so I’m sure we will rotate but we’ve been told that if you play well you’ll keep your place.

“If I get the chance to play I hope to play well and keep my shirt. I feel it should be like that.

“I’m feeling settled now. I need to cement my place.”

Strong defensive options

There’s no doubt that the depth and quality now available to Steven Gerrard means he no longer has to search for centre-backs in the transfer window and carries a valuable advantage into the new campaign – the healthy competition for places at the heart of defence.

Adding a Swedish international regular to the position, who has good experience in his homeland and in Serie A, shows that standards have been raised in the defensive line.

Edmundson’s lack of experience above English League One and Two means he’ll have his work cut out to prove he can compete at that level, but then competition is often the key to revealing the best that talents have to offer.

Alongside Goldson and Katic they’ll form a foursome that can compete adequately in the Scottish Premiership and perhaps even the UEFA Europa League.

[ad_pod ]

West Brom made their fourth signing of the summer with right-back Darnell Furlong joining from QPR on Tuesday.

However, as that transfer wasn’t going through, it hadn’t cooled interest in bringing back loan star Mason Holgate to the club this summer, at least according to Matt Wilson of the Express & Star.

The news has left many West Brom supporters desperate to see the Everton man return to the Hawthorns.

Holgate impressed during a temporary spell at the club after joining in the January transfer window. The 22-year-old made 21 appearances, scoring once and assisting four goals.

A number of fans took to Twitter as they couldn’t contain their emotions as one labelled the young talent easily one of the best defenders they’ve had in a long while with another stating that the news makes him very happy.

Others claimed they would cry if Holgate returned.

Here’s a selection of tweets from a number of West Brom supporters:

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Everton are reportedly poised to make a bid for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, according to Sky Sports, which could force Premier League rivals Arsenal into action.

What’s the word then?

Zaha wants to leave Palace and test himself at a new club and Everton and Arsenal are the two sides to have shown interest.

The Gunners made a bid of £40m which was rejected by the south Londoners, and now the Toffees are expected to make a bid in the region of £60m plus a player for the ex-Manchester United man.

His preference is to remain in London and sign for Arsenal, but he is willing to move back to the North-West despite an unsuccessful spell under David Moyes in Manchester during the 2013-14 campaign.

Crystal Palace are understood to value their asset at £80m.

Everton bid forces Arsenal’s hands

Everton’s bid suggests there’s competition for Arsenal that they didn’t have before, and while the extra demand should make it harder for the Gunners to secure their man, there’s another perspective to this which is far more positive.

It’s surprising enough as it is that thus far no other club has come to tempt Palace to selling their star man until the Everton interest. Arsenal may have been resting on their laurels, and now have no choice but to make a quick decision on how they want to persist with the Zaha transfer.

They seem reluctant to match Palace’s valuation of £80m with the reported limited budget they have, though Kaveh Solhekol at Sky Sports News believes this is a “smokescreen”.

Check out 4 things Unai Emery got wrong in his first season at Arsenal in the video below…

This will now start to truly unveil the nature of the Gunners’ financial mite as they’re to be forced into a decision: do you have the money or not? If the answer is ultimately “no”, then other targets can be approached. Likewise, the answer may be “yes”, but the follow-up question regards whether the majority of the budget should be spent on one winger when “three or four” players need to be recruited this summer, according to Unai Emery himself.

Clarity is yet to be reached here, no one quite knows what Arsenal’s transfer strategy is and how they’ll respond to Everton’s move for Zaha. However, they’ll now be forced to decide whether the winger really is the ‘number one’ target they’re seeking, or whether spreading the fees over deals for Kieran Tierney, Everton Soares and other linked players might be a better use of the cash.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Neil Lennon has stated Scott Sinclair could leave Celtic before the English transfer window closes tonight, having been left out of the squad for the CFR Cluj Champions League tie.

What’s the story?

Sinclair missed last night’s 1-1 draw in Romania against Cluj in the Champions League qualifiers and could’ve played his last game for the Celts.

Lennon revealed that the 30-year-old wasn’t part of the squad due to his uncertain future, telling BBC Sport: “There’s a bit of interest, but nothing concrete at the minute. That might change over the next 24 hours.”

The winger has been linked to making a return to England in this window, with Premier League new-boys Sheffield United chasing his signature earlier in the window, per The Scottish Sun.

Time to go

That Sinclair is reportedly looking for pastures new away from Parkhead shouldn’t come as any great surprise.

And it might just be the best move for all parties concerned.

The former Chelsea man was prolific in his first season at Celtic, scoring 25 times and assisting 11 in his 50 appearances in the 2016/17 campaign. Worryingly, his returns have gone down season-by-season since and he’s seen younger stars race ahead of him in the pecking order.

Mikey Johnston and Lewis Morgan have both been preferred to the Englishman so far this season, with Johnston particularly impressing the supporters.

It already looks like it will be the 20-year-old’s position to lose and, with Morgan filling in during his absence it doesn’t look good for Sinclair at Parkhead this season.

[ad_pod ]

Similarly, the signing of Marian Shved will do little to give Sinclair hope of making a go of it again in Glasgow. The Ukrainian winger has been used sparingly as he gets accustomed to Lennon’s style of play but will be expected to make an impact this season.

With this competition for places not getting any easier for Sinclair, it would be wise for him to get out of Parkhead quickly as to avoid a similar lack of game time like he did at Manchester City.

It would also be just as useful to Celtic to move him on and allow the likes of Johnston, Morgan and Shved a chance in the coming campaign.

[ad_pod ]