All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Josh Maja has revealed the reason behind his move from Sunderland to French club Bordeaux.

The striker departed the club in the January transfer window, having scored 15 goals in League One this season.

What’s the word?

Maja, per Sky Sports, turned down a new contract at the Stadium of Light to complete a move away from the club.

He surprised many by choosing to move to France in a deal that could, according to the aforementioned report, be worth £3.5million.

Cardiff and Crystal Palace were, Sky reports, also interested in securing Maja’s signature but he has revealed that he opted to move to Ligue 1 in search of first-team football.

He told AFP, via France24: “I just felt I’d get more opportunities abroad, so that was the main reason I left and I thought in France, at Bordeaux, I’d get an opportunity to make a name for myself and go from there.

“I’m around probably the biggest names in world football, so that is just a blessing. I’m grateful.”

Maja has yet to make his debut for Bordeaux but was on the bench as the club lost to PSG last weekend.

A fair reason

Maja had outgrown Sunderland.

He was scoring goals regularly but, such was the interest in him, it was inevitable he would be leaving the club.

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

Choosing to join a French club has surprised many but Maja now has the opportunity to mark himself out as something of a trailblazer, and that is only likely to turn more heads.

If he can replicate his League One goalscoring form in Ligue 1, he will do just fine, and may well be moving on again soon enough.

It remains to be seen, of course, if Sunderland will cope without him but, right now, that is unlikely to be at the forefront of Maja’s mind.

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On Wednesday, journalist Phil Hay reported on Leeds’ new club badge which will be introduced in the 2019/20 season to celebrate their centenary, with the new design set to be worn on next term’s home and away shirts but reverted back to normal the year after.

The adjustments are minimal, as is probably preferable in order to avoid fan outrage. The famous shield remains but the letters ‘LUFC’ have been replaced by ‘Leeds United’ and ‘100 years’, written on golden banners above and below the crest respectively.

The Whites will be hoping that the new crest will be accompanied by a Premier League badge on the sleeve, as they enter an exciting final period of the campaign – automatic promotion is within touching distance for the Yorkshire outfit but they must be careful not to drop any more points from here.

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

West Brom announced themselves in the title race on Tuesday night with a last-gasp win at QPR and Leeds will be hoping they can leave the Baggies in the dust on Saturday by taking all three points from their clash with Bolton.

Journalist Phil Hay Tweeted his coverage of Leeds’ new badge on Wednesday, including an image of it. Here’s what the Elland Road faithful had to say about it on Twitter, with many supporters far from impressed…

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Rafa Benitez is confident that Sean Longstaff will receive an England call-up sooner rather than later, despite the midfielder making just seven Premier League appearances for Newcastle after being called up to the first team this term. Should the Magpies boss’ words be of concern to Jonjo Shelvey though?

What did he say?

Speaking prior to Tuesday night’s clash with Burnley, the Spaniard said:

“Sean wouldn’t look out of place with England, there are not too many young English players with his quality.

“I think he will go, he’s doing well and playing in the Premier League. I like to see my players going to the national team.

“I don’t care if it’s the Under-20s, Under-21s or even the senior side but I think he needs to go one step at a time. If we start talking too much about how well it’s doing, it’s a risk.”

Benitez, however, doesn’t seem to be worried that his words will inflate the 21-year-old’s ego, as he followed up by saying:

“Sean’s humble, professional and focused. He’s a player who can be consistent.”

The reasoning behind Jonjo Shelvey’s exclusion?

Longstaff’s incredible showings alongside Isaac Hayden at the base of midfield – both have earned plaudits from even Pep Guardiola, whose Manchester City side were beaten by the Magpies in January – mean that they have forced their way to the forefront of Benitez’s thinking in the absences of Ki Sung-Yueng, Mo Diame and Jonjo Shelvey.

The latter has made just 11 league appearances for the St James’ Park outfit this term, largely thanks to injury, but, now that that the 26-year-old is back fit, he may still have to wait for a run in the starting XI.

Have the new Newcastle home and away kits for next season accidentally been leaked? See for yourself in the video below…

Benitez described Longstaff as “humble, professional and focused”, surely none of which are qualities that would be attributed to his 26-year-old teammate by many – the 6-cap England international has been involved in all sorts of controversies over the course of his career.

Perhaps the fact that the youngster is so highly thought of by his manager for those reasons, besides his obvious quality, is a sign that Shelvey’s Newcastle career is drawing to a close. Has the boss run out of patience with the frustrating playmaker?

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According to Sky Sports News, Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing in-form FC Copenhagen winger Robert Skov, and he would something to the team that Adama Traore doesn’t.

What’s the word, then?

Well, according to Sky Sports News, Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and West Ham United are all monitoring the prolific forward, who has enjoyed a magnificent campaign for the Danish outfit.

The 22-year-old has scored a remarkable 24 goals and provided a further six assists in 38 appearances in all competitions, despite playing from the right wing.

Skov joined Copenhagen in a deal worth just under £1m, according to Sky Sports News, in January 2018, but he may well cost significantly more than that now given his displays this term.

Would he be a good Wolves signing?

He certainly would be.

What’s your club’s best chant? Check out the video below for a Wolves epic that surely has to be one of the best in English football…

While Raul Jimenez has netted 13 goals in total this season, their joint-second top scorers are Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota with six apiece, and they could do with an extra goal threat even if they are the best of the rest outside the top six in the Premier League right now.

It may have been hoped that Adama Traore would provide it following his move from Middlesbrough last summer, but while the 23-year-old has an abundance of pace and skill, he still struggles to find that end product in the final third.

One goal and one assist in 28 outings in all competitions sum that point up – albeit the majority of them from the substitutes’ bench – and Skov looks as though he would add the one thing to this term that the former Barcelona man can’t.

In general, he might not be enjoying his best season yet at Goodison Park but Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford proved to the footballing world on Sunday just why he is such an important player to the club.

The Toffees surprisingly kept their neighbours Liverpool at bay in a goalless draw at home in the much anticipated Merseyside derby, although it probably wasn’t the best of matches fans were hoping for.

But, it could’ve been much worse for Marco Silva and his men if Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah managed to score in the first-half after he was brilliantly kept out by Pickford.

The Egyptian sprinted away from the Everton defence after receiving the ball in heaps of space, leaving him one-on-one with the England shot-stopper.

The 24-year-old Pickford stood his ground, trying to put Salah off, before making a spectacular right-handed save to deny the former Roma forward of finding the back of the net.

The position in which the Liverpool star took the shot has become a famous sign in the Premier League as he usually scores when given the opportunity to open up his body and take the shot on his preferred left-foot.

The save again proved why Pickford – who is now valued at £36m by Transfermarkt – is such a recognised figure in-goal and the massive amount of talent he possesses.

Pickford was at fault in the previous occasion of this derby when he embarrassingly fumbled a high at Anfield in December, which led to Divock Origi scoring the winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

The former Sunderland player definitely made amends for that horrible error on Sunday and looked very comfortable at the back.

Everton were always going to be under some pressure from the start due to Liverpool’s lethal attacking options, but the Toffees did well to keep them out in the end, largely down to Pickford’s performance.

His showing and the result should, therefore, inspire the rest of the Everton team to get their campaign back on track and finish the season on a high.

After a poor start to the New Year, Everton will need to start picking up points somewhere and a trip to Newcastle this coming weekend could be the perfect opportunity for that.

If only they all had a positive impact, wouldn’t that be great? As with anything, not all decisions will work out, some may work out better than others. The same applies in football and more specifically, transfer dealings. To say the least, Leeds United have had mixed successes from their incomings over the past few years.

This season, Andrea Radrizzani has made fewer permanent signings in comparison to previous years- just the three in Barry Douglas, Patrick Bamford and Kiko Casilla. However, he has placed a greater emphasis on loan signings which have had mixed success with Jack Harrison impressing more as the season has gone on, in comparison to Lewis Baker, who struggled to get a starting place and his loan was then cut short.

Given some of the varied success of United’s transfers over the years, here are the two worst transfers of the last five years…

Felix Wiedwald

Wiedwald was brought in from Werder Bremen to be the club’s new number one in the summer of 2017.

In his first seven League games, he did, in fact, help keep six clean sheets. However, errors soon followed and they proved costly. Wiedwald eventually slipped to the bench for good in March and then did not make the matchday squad beyond April.

The 28-year-old re-signed for Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the season and has since been on loan to MSV Duisburg.

Giuseppe Bellusci

Bellusci joined United in the summer of 2014 and did not have the best of times at Elland Road, to say the least. He had two seasons in West Yorkshire, with his time at the club overshadowed by defensive errors and, therefore, being seen as a clear liability at the back.

After the two campaigns, the Italian was then loaned out to Empoli. Upon returning from the loan in his homeland to join up for pre-season with Leeds, as he could not find a new club after seeking to leave, he was subsequently booed by fans in a pre-season friendly and it was not long before his contract was terminated.

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to an update from Lee Ryder, who reports that Shola Ameobi is in the running for a new role at the club’s academy.

According to Lee Ryder of Chronicle Live, Ameobi is under consideration for one of three new roles on Tyneside.

According to the report, the Magpies are expected to employ “a loan coordinator, Under-23 boss and assistant Academy coach for a range of younger age groups”.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Under-18 manager Dave Watson will leave the club at the end of the season, while Peter Beardsley left his role as the development manager last month.

Ameobi scored 75 goals and racked up 28 assists in 390 Newcastle appearances, but the formerly popular front man has blotted his copybook with fans due to his views on infamous club owner Mike Ashley.

The 37 year-old defended Ashley’s leadership of the club last year, so it does seem quite the coincidence that he is now in line for a job.

Plenty of fans have made that connection too, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Is it too early for Leeds to start planning for promotion? Maybe so. But, if they are doing that, they should aim to join the battle for Mason Mount if they return to the Premier League.

The 19-year-old was called up to the England squad for the first time earlier this season, and he’s been showing real promise since Frank Lampard rescued him from rotting away at Chelsea’s academy. Many believe he’ll be ready to play in the Premier League next season, and the Whites would be a perfect fit if they go up.

The Sun believe Bournemouth are leading the chase for Mount and could secure him on a loan basis, but Leeds would be much the better option.

Mount was quoted in Derbyshire Live describing Leeds as a ‘top, top team’, so it’s clear he has admiration for what Marcelo Bielsa and the squad are building at Elland Road. Derby don’t look good enough to secure promotion this season, so that quote may or may not be a little hint towards a move to Yorkshire.

We’re probably reading a little too much into that there, but he’d have much more chance to make an instant impression at Elland Road than trying to break into the starting 11 at an already established Premier League club. He could well have the talent to do so, but to plot out his career like this would prevent making the wrong choice.

He’ll surely have plenty of potential suitors at the end of the season, but he must look at the football Bielsa is trying to perfect and want to play for a manager like him. It’s fast-paced, intricate and creative. Everything Mount and other midfielders look to be. It’s the sort of football that drives players to work for Pep Guardiola.

It’s time for Mason Mount to make that step up next season, and the very same could be said about this Leeds team, so they could be a perfect Premier League match.

Leeds fans, who do you think your club should sign in the summer if they’re promoted? Join the discussion by commenting below.

Obviously, there are multiple roles Celtic need to look towards improving in the summer, yet the goalkeeping department – helpfully – isn’t one. Indeed, even during Brendan Rodgers’ reign and beyond, the Hoops have kept a stellar defensive record in the Scottish Premiership thanks to a solid defensive base.

While their defence might be reshuffled next season, one player who’s made a role his own is Scott Bain. The 27-year-old goalkeeper’s been in stellar form for Celtic since the turn of the year, putting in excellent shifts. He’s kept 9 clean-sheets from 12 appearances, only conceding 4 goals (stats via Transfermarkt, where is he valued at £450k)

However, according to reports from the Shields Gazette, the Bhoys are looking towards signing Newcastle youngster Freddie Woodman in the summer. The 22-year-old bright goalkeeper’s set to be part of a mass clearout at Tyneside and the Hoops want him as their long-term option.

However, with Bain’s stunning work, there’s no need for as such.

The Hoops may dominate most matches, but Bain’s shown impressive alertness to keeping out oppositions. Even recently against Dundee United, he pulled off some impressive saves to keep his side on the front-foot. Indeed, unlike some keepers, he rarely loses his concentration and can even make one crucial save if needed.

He’s helped the Hoops enjoy plenty of success already this season and he will no doubt play a big part in helping the club secure yet another treble from here on in.

Woodman has had loan spells in Scotland, yet signing him would create a surplus in Celtic’s goalkeeping department. Apart from the excellent Bain, they have experienced Craig Gordon on standby. Furthermore, Bain has proven more than capable of staying fit throughout the season and witnessing his continued growth, Celtic shouldn’t let greed goad them into unnecessarily signing Woodman.

Celtic fans, do you want another goalkeeper in Woodman to challenge Bain next season? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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Yet again, they got away with it. A fortuitous late winner thanks to a mix-up between Hugo Lloris and Toby Alderweireld handed Liverpool all three points on a day where, in truth, they maybe didn’t deserve them.

This type of result is becoming a feature of the Reds’ season. We saw it with Jordan Pickford’s late blunder which gifted Jurgen Klopp’s men three points earlier in the campaign, another fixture in which they were well below par.

Of course, that old adage springs to mind; it is a sign of true champions when you are still winning and not playing well. However, one team can only get so much luck, and the opposition will not always be there to spoon feed you vital goals. Liverpool must start taking their own chances, and Mohamed Salah is a man who has been guilty of squandering key moments in recent weeks.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

Following his failure to score against Spurs, the Egyptian international has now gone eight games without a goal – what is most worrying about this, however, is that he is visibly desperate to end this barren spell, and is becoming selfish in his pursuit to hit the back of the net.

At times against Mauricio Pochettino’s side with the score at 1-0, Salah opted to go for goal himself instead of pass to better placed teammates, something that he was guilty of doing away to Fulham before the international break – he got away with it there, and he got away with it yet again against Spurs.

With just six games to go, one of those fixtures is going to see Salah presented with similar situations to the aforementioned moments – in the business end to the season, he simply cannot keep going for glory himself when crucial, crucial points are at stake.

He doesn’t seem to be learning that the pass is the better option. Perhaps Klopp needs to sit him down and tell him how it is, for his clear desperation to end the worst goalscoring drought of his Liverpool career may cost the Reds in the title race.