All posts by h716a5.icu

He’s given many sweet memories at the London Stadium, but Marko Arnautovic’s departure from West Ham United only seems like a matter of time.

Obviously, it was almost sealed in January, before a few issues stopped him from making his destined move to the Chinese Super League and a new contract was signed. There was also that weird video of him announcing his intention to remain in East London. Very strange.

However, the Hammers have surely realised by now that an unhappy Arnautovic is the worst thing to have. The team is in dire need over a severe striker overhaul this summer, but replacing a talented striker like Aranautovic is difficult. Granted, he might be extremely controversial but his excellent goal-scoring ability is unmatched at the Hammers.

That being said, Pellegrini is seemingly looking at options to replace the Austrian international. According to reports (via The Express), West Ham are interested in Fulham star Aleksandr Mitrovic as a potential option to lead the line and, while he’s barely free from controversy himself, the Serbian might just be a strong addition.

If the Hammers want an appropriate replacement to Arnautovic, the former Newcastle United star is the man to go for. In spite of having to play for an inefficient, lacklustre Fulham side, the Serbian international shined through with some excellent performances. Indeed, he scored 11 goals from 36 appearances, bullying defenders with his physical prowess and predatorial instincts.

Alongside a better quality of player and a team that can defend (well, kind of) the ex-Anderlecht ace could finally prove he’s worth the hype on these shores.

Like Arnautovic, Mitrovic is quite the moody striker with that potential brilliance in him. Granted, even he gets into troubles at times, but the Serbian’s looked an awful lot different over the last season or so. All in all, Mitrovic can thrive amid West Ham’s sleek attacking system, being their ruthless hitman up front and soon making fans forget about Arnautovic.

West Ham fans, would you be happy with Mitrovic as Arnautovic’s potential successor? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Celtic are apparently set to battle it out with Aston Villa and Fulham for Gary Hooper’s signature – but why?

It was revealed (by the Scottish Sun) earlier in the week that Celtic interim boss Neil Lennon would like to make former Celtic striker Gary Hooper one of his first signings if he becomes the club’s new permanent manager, which was confusing enough in the first place as he’s past it (and that could apply to either player or manager).

Unsurprisingly it’s understood that the 31-year-old would be keen on a Parkhead return – and who wouldn’t, guaranteed domestic success and Champions League? Beats scrapping it out midtable in the English Championship. But it seems now Fulham and Aston Villa (as per the Scottish Sun again) are also looking at the player, which could threaten Lennon’s attempts to live ten years in the past.

Hooper was a decent player back in the day and scored 63 goals in 90 league starts between 2010 and 2013 before making an ill-fated £5million switch to the vastly inferior Norwich City.

The Englishman earned himself a special place in the hearts of the Parkhead faithful when he scored in every possible competition for the club, including the Champions League and Europa League, plus – of course – some goals in Old Firm derbies and a brace in the 2013 Scottish Cup final win over Hibs.

Interim boss Lennon is apparently waiting to hear from major shareholder Dermot Desmond and chief executive Peter Lawwell whether he’ll be given the job of replacing Brendan Rodgers in the long-term, which in itself is an appointment many Celtic fans aren’t too keen on.

Indeed, like with Hooper there is a general feeling among the Green and White faithful that some things are better left in the past.

With that in mind, surely recruiting a youthful manager with progressive ideas and strategies would be a far better idea than Neil Lennon, who had a good innings, yes, but is starting to show his age with interest in has-been players like Gary Hooper.

Celtic fans, would you be happy to see Hooper representing your club again? Is it really a step in the right direction? Let us know in the comments below!

[ad_pod ]

Speaking on TalkSPORT (May 17, 6:25AM) Ray Parlour stated that he would be amazed if Marcelo Bielsa wasn’t the Leeds United manager at the start of next season.

The former Arsenal midfielder went on to praise the Argentine for the job he has done at Elland Road this season.

What’s been said then?

The footballer turned radio presenter was told be his co-host that there were rumours Bielsa would leave the club this summer.

“I’d be amazed by that,” said Parlour.

“He’s done a great job.

“They’ll be kicking themselves as they were in the top two for most of the season. I think Bielsa has done a great job and they’ll be absolutely gutted they’re not in the Premier League next season.

“They need to take stock now, have a good pre-season and have another go next season.”

Lack of knowledge

Parlour’s comments saying that he would be ‘amazed’ if Bielsa wasn’t at the club next year show a gap in the former midfielder’s knowledge about the current Leeds manager.

Bielsa famously doesn’t stick around at clubs for a long time and defeat in the playoffs may just be enough to push him out the door at Elland Road.

This is the same man who left Lazio after just two days, and left Lille after less than six months.

It shouldn’t come as a great surprise to anyone if Bielsa decides that now is the right time to walk away from Elland Road.

The Argentine will not be short of options if he does choose to leave the Championship side and he may want to have a crack at the Premier League before he bows out of the game.

Retirement may not be far off for the former Marseille boss, and this may be his last chance to move to a top club.

[ad_pod ]

Lucas Perez only made 15 Premier League appearances for West Ham United during the 2018-19 campaign – finding the back of the net on three occasions.

There is no question that the Spaniard is a talent, but it would be fair to say that he struggled to impress after arriving from Arsenal last summer.

There are a number of West Ham fans who actually feel that their club should persevere with the 30-year-old heading into next season.

Judging by how little Manuel Pellegrini used the 5 ft 11 ace, it would not be a surprise to see the head coach sanction a sale in this summer’s transfer window.

Perez has had a decent scoring record wherever he has been, though, even registering seven goals in 21 games for Arsenal in all competitions, which is not exactly poor.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

It remains to be seen what happens with the attacker this summer. But a number of West Ham supporters are keen to see him again next season:

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have urged the club to keep striker Fernando Llorente after the club uploaded a video of his Champions League highlights to Twitter.

The Spanish striker has enjoyed an exceptional campaign in Europe, helping the club to the final in Madrid, where they will play Liverpool.

Llorente laid on a vital assist in the group stages against PSV Eindhoven as Spurs won 2-1, before scoring in the 3-0 thumping of Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.

His most important contribution, though, came at the Etihad Stadium, as Mauricio Pochettino’s men beat Manchester City on away goals.

The 34-year-old netted the decisive strike, diverting a corner past Ederson with his hip, sending Spurs into the semi-finals and a meeting with Ajax.

Their win over the Dutch giants was achieved following the forward’s introduction as a substitute, replacing midfielder Victor Wanyama.

His contract expires this summer but Spurs fans have urged the club to keep him after his European heroics.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

After experiencing a shocking drop in form, David de Gea’s quickly gone from hero to zero at Manchester United. Well, not quite, but if there was at least one other world class player at Old Trafford who wouldn’t create such a void if he did depart, you’d imagine the reaction to some of his performances would be a lot worse.

So, despite seemingly having the club’s support for his form over the course of most of their troublesome years, he’s now plagued problems and is apparently making unreasonable demands.

The Spaniard only has just a year remaining on his contract and is unwilling to sign another one (reported way back in February by the Independent) unless he’s paid as much as Alexis Sanchez. Clearly, repeating the mistake with the Chilean isn’t an option for Ed Woodward, regardless of whoever the star is. As a result, United will have to draw up some sort of contingency in terms of De Gea’s potential replacement and according to reports from Duncan Castles on his Transfer Window podcast (via Daily Star), they have singled out Lille’s Mike Maignan as potentially their new #1.

The 23-year-old French goalkeeper’s the newest rising star in Ligue 1, having put in some impressive performances for Lille last season. Indeed, he kept 15 clean-sheets, putting in some stunning shifts in between the posts. Impressively, Maignan’s an excellent shot-stopper and is surely going to start to rival Hugo Lloris for the world champions’ custodian spot going forward but his inexperience’s the worrying factor.

Granted, when he arrived from Spain a skinny goalkeeper, the Spaniard also came under heavy criticism. However, his bad performances were covered up by Sir Alex Ferguson’s winning system and some impeccable senior defenders. Obviously, nobody needs telling that the Red Devils don’t have that anymore so taking a risk on an inexperienced figure could cause gigantic issues.

They should only replace De Gea with an experienced goalkeeper capable of withstanding pressure. The talented Maignan might be the next big thing, but the pressure of filling De Gea’s boots will probably end up ruining his potentially bright future.

United fans, do you think Maignan would be the ideal successor to De Gea? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Finally, some sense has prevailed for Luke Dowling.

Indeed, there must have been fears that West Bromwich Albion would be giving Jimmy Shan another go next season, the Baggies have now seemingly started courting other managers.

Apparently, the club have started interviewing the best prospects and has pinned down a prime candidate. According to reports (via Express and Star), the Baggies are planning on making Bruno Labbadia their next coach after his heroics in the Bundesliga last season. The German gaffer guided Wolfsburg to a Europa League finish, while also enabling them to play free-flowing, attacking football.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Labbadia’s fantastic transformation of Wolfsburg from relegation contenders to top-six must’ve impressed the Baggies. He isn’t the most conventional manager, but his methods are effective. Granted, the 53-year-old’s only achieved promotion once with Darmstadt in 2004, but the experience he’s gained since then is crucial.

The German gaffer can work wonders with some of the club’s promising youngsters, give more creative freedom to attackers and facilitate a proper overhaul at the Hawthorns next season. Unlike Shan, he has a very exciting approach to games and encourages his players to express themselves with thrilling attacking football. Indeed, he barely settles for draws, something the Hawthorns has got far too used to over the years.

However, Labbadia’s style can match West Brom’s expectations. He can get them to dominate oppositions again, score goals in bulk and delight the Hawthorns with a fearless, positive approach. If the Baggies truly want an instant promotion, giving the 53-year-old full reign to change up their system and run the show could result in Championship domination next season.

West Brom fans, would you be pleased with Labbadia’s potential appointment? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal fans, we know this summer could be a tough one for you. The key thing is that whatever Unai Emery does on the transfer front, the Gunners have to get behind his decisions and trust him to take the club in the right direction. With links to Ryan Fraser, though, it’s clear the Spaniard is on the right path.

Emery has been making the best of what he’s got at the Emirates, and whilst the players and the funds aren’t what they were at his last job with PSG, he’s still showing signs of promise.

The run to the Europa League final shows just that, but the aim is a Champions League return, and Fraser can almost certainly help push the north Londoners closer to that, as he’s linked with a move by The Mirror.

The Scottish winger, aged 25, is starting to shine on the south coast. He may have been a late developer, but considering he bagged an incredible seven goals and 14 assists last season, stats via Transfermarkt, there is certainly a player in there.

If he was to jump ship and swap Dean Court for the Emirates then those tallies would surely only increase too, so this is one the fans are rightly getting excited about.

You can read the Gunners’ verdict on whether they’d sign Fraser here:

[ad_pod ]

Some Liverpool fans have identified Nathan Ake as the man bolster the depth in their defence.

Liverpool are expected to pursue a left-sided defender this summer, with Alberto Moreno all set to depart Anfield when his contract expires at the end of this month.

Andy Robertson is the clear first choice on the Reds’ left flank, but the Scottish captain played 48 matches this past season, and will likely need more rotation to survive another trophy charge in the next campaign.

With that in mind, some Reds fans have suggested moving for Ake, who could provide depth in multiple positions.

The former Chelsea youngster, who signed for Bournemouth for £20m last summer, can play centre-back or left-back, and also operate as a centre-back in a back three.

This would give Jurgen Klopp plenty of options to rotate his league-best defence without sacrificing too much quality.

Take a look at some of the Twitter reactions down below, where Reds fans are convinced Ake is their man…

[ad_pod ]

As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Everton are close to agreeing a new 12-month contract with Leighton Baines and the club expect the left-back to put pen to paper this week – his current deal will expire at the end of the month.

The England international made just eight appearances last season after losing his place to Lucas Digne, who was signed from Barcelona last summer for £18m and went on to win the club’s Player of the Season award in his first year.

Baines, however, remains a club icon behind the scenes and his presence around the training ground must assumingly be a blessing for Marco Silva – he has been at Goodison Park since 2007 and probably knows the ins and outs of the place like the back of his hand.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Of course, he would still be Everton’s No.2 left-back if he signed a new deal, but it is unlikely that he will play many games once again with Digne amongst the best performers in England.

Despite that, it is these types of deals that a club like Everton – and any club for that matter – must make in order to keep a sense of identity at the club.

Phil Jagielka, a man who has also been with the Toffees since 2007, has already left and the old guard is slowly fading away.

Players like Baines give the supporters someone to idolise and appreciate. It is very easy to turn your nose up at older, washed up players who won’t offer much on the field – at 34 years of age, Baines could very easily be replaced by a younger figure.

But kudos to Everton for offering him a new deal. These experienced heads are almost as important as the young, fit and firing types such as Richarlison, as they help set the expectations around the club and can offer invaluable advice to their fellow teammates.

A very smart move from Everton, and one that will most likely go down well with the supporters too.