All posts by h716a5.icu

We’re all tired of the ‘will they or won’t they’ between Rangers and Ryan Kent, aren’t we? Well, sorry to break it to you, but Rangers fans aren’t.

The Ibrox faithful have endured a long summer of conflicting and confusing reports on Kent’s future, but freelance journalist Andrew Dickson has now claimed it is looking “increasingly likely” that a deal will indeed happen.

Steven Gerrard had admitted the Gers were being priced out of a move for the winger, who scooped the PFA Young Player of the Year award last season, but Dickson claims a loan with an obligation to buy could see the deal go through.

Of course, fans are ecstatic about the news, as the 22 year-old was electric when he was in the mood last term.

Not only did he grab six goals and nine assists, but one of those assists was for Ryan Jack’s decisive goal in the 1-0 win over Celtic, which was Kent’s first game back after an injury lay-off.

With Sheyi Ojo starting life at Ibrox in impressive form, one has to wonder just how lethal the Gers’ front line could be with Kent on the opposite flank, and fans are praying Dickson’s claim comes true.

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

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Unai Emery has plenty to be happy about so far after a promising start to the season for his Arsenal side.

The Gunners have won their first two games of the Premier League campaign, first beating Newcastle United 1-0 at St. James’ Park before defeating Burnley 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

The former Sevilla boss has so far given some of the club’s younger players plenty of time to impress, with Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson all having started in the first two games.

Find out the truth about why David Luiz joined Arsenal in the video below…

There is some hype surrounding the latter, who looked good on loan at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga last term. However, he will need to provide a lot more going forward following an offensive display against the Clarets in which he did little of note.

It would even be fair to say that he was a passenger throughout his time on the field, and it came as little surprise when he was replaced at half-time by Nicolas Pepe. During those 45 minutes, he created just one chance and managed one shot.

It was in terms of dribbles and crosses where he was particularly disappointing, though. Not even once was he able to beat his man, and he also failed to complete a cross. Bearing in mind that he is a winger, those numbers are quite frankly not good enough.

All in all, Nelson finished with a rating of 6.22, which was by far the worst of the starting XI. With Alexandre Lacazette and Aubameyang both scoring and record-signing Pepe surely in line to start soon after Saturday’s cameo, Nelson will need to hope that he gets another chance to show his worth in the coming weeks.

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

Victor Wanyama’s exit from Tottenham Hotspur is nearly complete, per Het Nieuwsblad.

What’s the word?

The Kenya international is wanted by Club Brugge, who have offered Wanyama a five-year contract, per the report.

The Spurs midfielder has yet to play for the club this season and struggled throughout last season, making just four Premier League starts.

The Belgian side are keen to secure his signature and the report states that they have already agreed a deal with Spurs.

However, Wanyama has to convince his family that a move to Brugge is the right step for him to make.

No chance at Spurs

Wanyama is remarkably unlikely to make any sort of impact at Spurs this season.

While the club does not tend to play with a defensive midfielder, when they need to, they have Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp who are adept at playing the roles, while Harry Winks is also capable.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Given his injury history, it is a surprise that there are any suitors whatsoever but Brugge have offered him a lifeline.

Wanyama should grab it with both hands and bring the curtain down on his Tottenham career.

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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…

Ian Wright has branded Harry Kane a ‘cheat’ after the Tottenham Hotspur striker attempted to win a penalty against Arsenal in the north London derby, per BBC via Metro.

What’s he said?

Spurs took a 2-0 lead against their north London rivals, with Kane scoring the second from the penalty spot after Christian Eriksen’s opener.

The Gunners came back into the game, though, to level the scores through Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

In the closing stages of the game, though, Kane went down in the box under the challenge of Sokratis, appealing for a penalty, though it wasn’t given and referee Martin Atkinson decided against punishing the England captain for a dive.

And Wright, speaking on BBC’s Monday Night Club, insists that Kane cheated.

He said: “The ball was on the left and he moved to the right to initiate contact.

“We saw Jamie Vardy used to do that one where he got his legs tangled up with the defender and his leg would be searching for the contact, trying to get his leg in between the defender’s legs so it looks like [a foul].

“But what Harry Kane did was stepped across, he initiated the contact and went over. It’s simulation. It’s cheating. I’d rather call it that. That’s all it was.”

Forward play

Wright should know more than anyone else that top strikers occasionally have to go to ground in the penalty area.

While it may not have been a stone-wall penalty, it would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch.

Kane attempted to shield the ball and was pushed to the ground by Sokratis.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He wasn’t cheating; he was bundled over, and it is biased from a former Arsenal player to suggest anything else.

While it may not have been a spot-kick in the eyes of the referee, Wright has made a mistake here.

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Having come through the club’s academy, James Forrest is simply Celtic through and through. The 28-year-old has been with the Bhoys since signing youth terms back in 2003, and has been a key player in their incredible domestic success.

Such was the promise surrounding Forrest, that the Scottish Football Association’s performance director in 2011, Mark Wotte, proclaimed the winger was a “light in the darkness” at the time.

Unfortunately for Scotland on Friday night, the 28-year-old was unable to illuminate proceedings as Steve Clarke’s side suffered a hugely disappointing 2-1 defeat to Russia in EURO 2020 qualifying.

Forrest’s ineffective display saw him attempt no dribbles or shots in his 62 minutes, and that saw fans of the national side flood to Twitter to slam the Celtic star.

Many Scotland supporters insisted he “offered nothing” to the side on Friday, and one claimed this is exactly why it is nonsense people think he is good enough to play for Liverpool and Manchester City – we don’t know where that has come from either!

Some fans suggested Forrest has been living off past glories in a Scotland shirt, and hasn’t produced anywhere near enough in recent games.

Check out some of the reaction of Scotland fans below:

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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 West Yorkshire Daily on the BBC (6pm, 04/09), Angus Kinnear spoke highly of Andrea Radrizzani, hailing him and his financial commitment for why Leeds were able to hold onto key men this summer.

What’s he said?

Leeds’ summer was a topsy-turvy state of affairs as they saw 31 players depart the club and six men arrive through the doors on loan.

Some of those fell on transfer deadline day as Illan Meslier and Eddie Nketiah were welcomed following the departures of Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Kemar Roofe in their respective positions.

Roofe was a high profile name to exit Elland Road but perhaps the biggest loss of them all was Pontus Jansson who was named in the PFA Team of the Year last season.

However, it could have been much worse for Leeds after Kinnear revealed they swatted away interest for Kalvin Phillips and other players. The Whites’ Managing Director suggests they have Radrizzani to thank for that. He told the BBC:

“Not going up means your players are sought after by other clubs, we had Kalvin and that was very publicised. There were a number of other players that we received offers for from both the Premier League and the Championship.

“It’s a testament to Andrea’s financial commitment that the belief of the team as a unit and in Marcelo that they refused those offers, wanted to stay. We were able to refuse them and maintain the integrity of the squad.”

Top dogs pull through

This is yet again more fine evidence of the nous top officials at Leeds have.

Radrizzani joined the club in 2017 and has since been able to transform the club alongside Marcelo Bielsa as they achieved a playoff spot last term, previously languishing in mid-table.

It’s been quite the turnaround for the Whites who feel like a team that can once again compete for a place in the Premier League, sitting third in the Championship at present.

That’s largely thanks to the wealthy businessman whose financial commitment, as Kinnear notes, has played a huge part in Leeds sustaining a better future.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Victor Orta’s role in transfers this summer was well documented as he had a pivotal part in landing Nketiah on loan but quite possibly without Radrizzani it wouldn’t have been possible.

Letting go of Jansson and Roofe wasn’t an ideal scenario but holding onto other key men really is a testament to the project they’re building at Elland Road.

Phillips attracted interest from three Premier League outfits in the summer whilst Mateusz Klich was linked with Burnley.

If you consider Kinnear’s words, they might have been long gone if Radrizzani wasn’t at the helm.

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Southampton came away from their clash against Sheffield United with a 1-0 win as Moussa Djenepo fired the Saints to victory.

The 21-year-old looked in fine form for the visitors as his goal on 66 minutes was enough to separate the two teams.

Playing at left wing-back, he completed six dribbles but also made two tackles, according to WhoScored.

However, to top it all off, he then gave his shirt to a fan after the match which provoked adulation from a host of Saints fans on Twitter.

The Malian was deemed a Saint for life after the gesture whilst another simply described the moment as adorable.

He was also hailed as class as one supporter said he had a really good attitude on him.

Djenepo has only started one game in the Premier League this term but already has two goals so more starts will surely be on the way.

The 5 foot 10 winger is a new signing at St Mary’s after arriving from Standard Liege in the summer.

Here’s the best of the reaction surrounding what he did at the full-time whistle.

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We’re almost nine years on from one of the most amazing and shocking transfer stories of all time, but seeing as Liverpool face off against Chelsea this weekend it’s time to once again talk about Fernando Torres’ £50m switch back in 2011.

One man who will know more about that transfer than most is Jamie Carragher, and seeing as he’ll be covering the fixture for Sky Sports this weekend, they wanted to get a few of his thoughts on the record-breaking deal ahead of the match.

Sky uploaded a fantastic interview with Carragher on their YouTube channel where he talked with Gary Neville about some classic Liverpool vs Chelsea clashes from over the years.

One of the most controversial things he said was regarding Torres’ move to Chelsea in 2011, and his subsequent debut against his former club.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The former England international wasn’t too kind when talking about his old teammate as he said that he was more than happy to see him go for £50m, due to the form he had shown over the past 18 months.

It’s certainly interesting to hear the views from a key member of the Liverpool camp at that time, and it’s surprising to hear Carragher say that he was happy to see the Spaniard leave Anfield.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Liverpool may be blessed in the goalkeeping department now with Alisson and Adrian amongst their ranks, but Loris Karius is looking to impress Jurgen Klopp whilst on loan at Besiktas.

It is the German’s second stint at the club in many years which suggests he impressed in the last campaign, although a record of 39 goals conceded in 30 league games is hardly the type of form that is likely to persuade his Reds manager that he deserves a place in his squad.

This campaign has followed a similar trajectory for the goalkeeper, although the 26-year-old has impressed on occasion.

He has one clean sheet to his name from four games in all competitions and three Super Lig games has averaged 1.8 saves per match, according to Wyscout.

If he is to work his way into contention for Liverpool then one area which will be just as important as shot-stopping is his work with the ball.

This term he has averaged 5.4 successful distributions per league game, showing that he can get his side up and running when called upon, and if he can improve that over the course of the season he could give Klopp something to think about.

He has also achieved a pass accuracy of 95% which, whilst impressive, falls behind that of Adrian, and in a Liverpool side which will look to compete in all competitions next season he will have to be at the top of his game in all departments.

Karius, therefore, cannot afford to continue making individual mistakes which cost his team goals, and if he does then he is unlikely to have a future at Anfield.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Against Slovan Bratislava he made the rash decision to come way out of his box to head clear a long ball, only to misjudge the flight of the ball, missing it completely and instead colliding with his own defender, allowing the opposition to score.

Whilst Adrian cost the Reds a goal against Southampton he has otherwise been very impressive with brilliant saves against Napoli and Chelsea, while number one Alisson proved himself to be the best goalkeeper in Europe last season in what was his first on Merseyside.

Surely time is up for Karius, then.

Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Keiren Westwood has not been included in the 24-man Republic of Ireland squad ahead of their October international fixtures. 

Instead, Mick McCarthy has opted to call up Middlesbrough stopper Darren Randolph, Bournemouth’s Mark Travers and Kieran O’Hara, who is spending the season away from parent club Manchester United on loan at Burton Albion.

Westwood has been a regular in the Irish squad since making his debut in 2009. He has played 21 times for his country, although his most recent cap was back in 2017.

He was included in the squad to play Switzerland back in September, but pulled out with injury.

Speaking about leaving Westwood out, manager McCarthy said: “Keiren’s not going to start if Darren Randolph’s there and the other two lads (Mark Travers and Kieran O’Hara) were brilliant in training.”

The 34-year-old has been a regular for the Owls this season, and has conceded just nine times so far as well as keeping two clean sheets.

His absence from the Ireland squad has left plenty of Sheffield Wednesday fans baffled, with many of them claiming he would be a better choice than current number one Randolph.

However, some are also quite happy that Westwood has been overlooked as it means there is no risk of him picking up an injury on international duty.

Here is how some Owls fans have reacted to the news that their goalkeeper has not been included in the Republic of Ireland squad…

What do you make of Westwood’s omission from the Republic of Ireland squad? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!