All posts by h716a5.icu

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Loads of Rangers fans have been giving their verdict on their fourth signing of the month, as the club announced the capture of Matt Polster on Wednesday.

Rangers have signed Polster from MLS outfit Chicago Fire on a two-and-a-half year deal, the club has confirmed.

The 25 year-old is mainly a right back, though he can also play in midfield. He has earned one cap for the United States.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The versatile American was picked seventh in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, and he has grabbed three goals and six assists in 82 MLS appearances, along with 18 yellow cards, per Transfermarkt.

Polster joins Jermain Defoe, Steven Davis and Andy Firth on Steven Gerrard’s January transfer haul, though he will likely not walk straight into the first team like the veteran duo of Defoe and Davis.

The right back does give Gerrard the chance to rest captain James Tavernier though, who must be in danger of running out of gas having amassed 38 appearances already this season, per Transfermarkt.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions to the move down below…

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In the aftermath of a frantic deadline day, in which key midfielder Idrissa Gueye was the subject of a huge bid from Paris Saint-Germain, Everton boss Marco Silva left the Senegalese midfielder out of the squad to face Wolves.

Whilst you can understand that decision as an act of taking Gueye out of the spotlight, his replacement in Tom Davies was completely overrun by Nuno Espirito Santo’s men and proved that he is out of his depth at Goodison Park.

How did he play?

The 20-year-old was handed a 5.6 rating by Whoscored for his performance against Wolves, the second lowest out of every player on the pitch barring Leighton Baines, who had to leave the field through injury.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Davies burst onto the scene with a stunning goal against Manchester City two seasons ago, but has stagnated significantly – his showing against Wolves proves he needs a move to get his career back up and running.

The Toffees’ academy graduate was particularly clumsy against the newly promoted side, recording three fouls and three unsuccessful touches while being dispossessed once on his way to doing very little to stop the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker running the show.

Has to go out on loan

Silva should have Gueye back for selection soon, and also has the likes of James McCarthy and Morgan Schneiderlin to choose from instead of Davies.

Like Ademola Lookman did when he went out on loan to RB Leipzig last season and hit a purple patch of form, Davies needs to depart Goodison Park and get a consistent run of games under his belt somewhere else before coming back a much improved player. That, however, will largely hinge on Marcel Brands finding him the right move to benefit his development.

It mustn’t be forgotten that he is still only 20, and still has bags of unfulfilled potential – Everton just need to protect him amid this difficult period, and not leave him hanging out to dry.

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after Miguel Almiron took part in his first training session with his new teammates, following a £20m move from MLS Cup winners Atlanta in the January transfer window.

The Paraguay international’s arrival on Tyneside has been met with huge excitement from the Magpies’ fanbase, who have been starved of marquee signings for years – Almiron’s arrival finally broke the previous club-record fee set in 2005 when Michael Owen arrived in a £17m deal.

At 24 years of age, Almiron attracted Newcastle’s interest after a stunning season in which he helped Atlanta win the MLS Cup, scoring 12 goals and recording 14 assists in 32 starts from an attacking midfield role.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Almiron has only just started training as he needed to travel to Paris to collect his visa in order to play in England, and Newcastle fans on Twitter have expressed their excitement at seeing the mercurial No.10 strut his stuff in his new colours…

One of Crystal Palace’s outstanding performers this season has undoubtedly been Aaron Wan-Bissaka. 

The right-back has been extremely solid, and his efficient defensive displays are now starting to attract a lot of attention.

The Breakdown

While some of the Premier League’s top clubs have already been linked with a move for Wan-Bissaka, according to the Sun, a transfer out of England could be on the cards instead with Borussia Dortmund interested in his services.

Come summer, the 21-year-old could now have a big decision to make with Jadon Sancho’s rise at Signal Iduna Park a development that will make a move to Germany look attractive to other English youngsters such as Wan-Bissaka.

Should such a move, however, be at the top of Wan-Bissaka’s list? After all, the Crystal Palace right-back looks more than capable of slotting in at a top team here like Chelsea if he is looking for a step up.

Cesar Azpilicueta has been dreadful, much like the majority of his team-mates, for the Blues this season. And at 29, the west London club could soon be looking for a long-term successor for the Spaniard.

It is just one example with many other teams likely to register an interest in Wan-Bissaka, while staying at Selhurst Park also remains a good option with the England U21 international’s development going well there.

Sancho’s move to Dortmund has certainly worked out, but it does not mean that every young English footballer now has to head to Germany in order to forge a career.

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Former Arsenal and England right-back Lee Dixon does not believe Declan Rice should be thrown into the Three Lions’ set-up immediately, as per BBC Sport.

The West Ham United midfielder has declared his intention to represent England ahead of Republic of Ireland, the country for whom he played in three international friendlies.

What’s the word?

England play against the Czech Republic and Montenegro next month in qualifiers for Euro 2020.

Rice’s declaration means that he is available for selection by manager Gareth Southgate, should he wish to give the 20-year-old his first senior cap.

Dixon, however, who won 22 caps for his country between 1990 and 1999, says that Rice should be allowed to develop away from the international spotlight before Southgate brings him into the fold.

“I definitely think he is an asset for England,” he said, per BBC.

“But it is the same thing with the media – as soon as plays three or four games and is playing well, we’re throwing him in the England team and making him the best player in the world.

“Let him develop on his own. Whether he is in this squad or not, it might be a bit too early for him.”

Rice is needed

There are few genuine holes in England’s squad.

Their excellent depth was shown at the 2018 World Cup, as the Three Lions reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1990.

However, there is a dearth of genuine quality in defensive midfield, a position that needs filling against the bigger nations, such as Spain, Germany and France.

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

Eric Dier at Tottenham Hotspur has struggled to stay fit this season and is not mobile enough to be a continued asset at international level, while Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson was arguably the least effective player in Southgate’s team in Russia.

Rice, then, is needed. Dixon may well be right that he needs to develop, but the Hammers man is already better than both Dier and Henderson and is not just likely to become a member of the squad.

Instead, when he is called up, he will surely go straight into the starting XI. And that cannot wait.

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Chronicle Live wrote on Friday about the relationship between Newcastle ace Miguel Almiron and Atlanta United goal machine Josef Martinez, so should the Magpies move for Martinez?

What’s the story?

As reported by Chronicle Live, Atlanta United striker Martinez is well and truly missing his partner in crime.

Martinez and Almiron tore MLS apart last season as Atlanta won their first championship, but Almiron joined Newcastle in January for a club-record fee of about £20m.

Martinez then signed a new contract with the American club, but celebrated his first goal of the season this week with the iconic celebration that he and Almiron shared.

The aforementioned report speaks very highly of the relationship between the two South American players, so should Newcastle use it to their advantage and try to sign Martinez?

Goalscoring machine

While there’s no doubt Almiron was a shining star in Atlanta United’s side last season, his stats are child’s play compared to those of his teammate.

Martinez scored a frankly ridiculous 35 goals in 39 appearances last year, taking his total during his time in Atlanta to 57 goals in 63 showings.

He scored three hat-tricks last campaign, and his pace, agility, low centre of gravity and feisty nature would appear to make him a perfect fit for the Premier League.

Rafael Benitez clearly wants to keep Salomon Rondon on Tyneside, but outside of the Venezuelan international the gaffer has very little to choose from up front. Rondon and Martinez have also played together at international level, so there is yet another connection to Tyneside.

Valued at £9m by Transfermarkt and having just signed a new contract, a summer move would not be cheap, but it would add yet another weapon to Benitez’s attacking ranks, which are slowly but surely catching up with the quality on offer in defence.

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It would be fair to say that the West Ham United supporters were not pleased with what they saw from Pablo Zabaleta in Friday night’s 3-1 win over Fulham.

Zabaleta was handed the right-back berth against the Cottagers, but found it difficult to deal with Ryan Babel, who opened the scoring early on.

The 34-year-old has been a fine signing for the Hammers since his arrival in 2017, but his contract will expire this summer and he could well move on or even retire.

It seems that the West Ham fans will be happy to see the back of the Argentine based on their reaction to his display against Fulham.

Indeed, many took to social media to criticise the South American, claiming that he no longer has what is required to operate in the Premier League.

Check out the video below to see Pl>ymaker FC’s American Soccer Fan give his take on all six ‘field goals’ in West Ham v Burnley…

Their criticism was perhaps a touch harsh, but Zabaleta did struggle on Friday night.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to his performance can be seen below:

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Hatem Ben Arfa played the full 90 minutes as Rennes recorded a 3-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The Gunners actually took an early lead in France through Alex Iwobi, but then conceded three times without reply to suffer a loss in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Ben Arfa joined Rennes last September on a two-year contract and has made 30 appearances for the club this season, scoring seven times and contributing five assists.

The 32-year-old has probably not gone on to have the type of career that many thought he would, but there is no question that he is capable of brilliance.

Between 2010 and 2015, Ben Arfa made 86 appearances for Newcastle United, scoring 14 times and registering 16 assists in all competitions.

The Frenchman had a number of excellent moments for the Magpies and is still highly regarded by the Premier League club’s fans.

It was therefore not a surprise that a number of their supporters took to social media to comment on his performance against Arsenal, with many lavishing praise on the 5ft 10in ace.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-0 on Sunday to take pole position in the race to qualify for the top four.

Unai Emery’s men ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Premier League unbeaten run at the Emirates, with Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the scoresheet.

On the chalkboard

Arsenal came into the game on the back of a truly horrific European result. On Thursday, they travelled to France to face Rennes in the Europa League and were beaten 3-1 in a fevered atmosphere.

On Sunday, though, it was the Emirates that was rocking as the Gunners turned in a polished performance to down the Red Devils and place themselves in the box seat to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition.

Emery’s men are now two points clear of United in fourth and just one behind Tottenham Hotspur in third.

It would be remiss not to mention that Spurs, on the face of it, are best-placed to qualify for Europe. However, momentum is key, and they will surely be getting twitchy.

They were 10 points clear of Arsenal just a few weeks ago but they are now in real danger of being overhauled by their great rivals, particularly after their 2-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday.

Emery set his side out perfectly against United, inviting Solskjaer’s men to attack, and telling his players to pick their moments to go forward.

Xhaka scored a strange long-range goal that will be giving David De Gea nightmares for weeks, before Aubameyang converted from the penalty spot after Alexandre Lacazette was adjudged to have been fouled in the box by Fred.

Per WhoScored, Arsenal had 46% possession, and were second in a number of departments – including dribbles, aerials won and tackles – but they were clinical, and United had no answer when they fell behind.

With eight games remaining, there are sure to be twists and turns in the race to finish in the top four. The north London club, though, appear well set. They have momentum, they are just one point behind Spurs and are two ahead of United and three clear of Chelsea.

Momentum the key

It would be a startling success for Emery if he guides Arsenal to Champions League qualification.

They have endured a difficult season, struggling for fluency at times, but he appears to have the nous to get the Gunners over the line.

Finishing ahead of both Chelsea and United would be astonishing, not least because of the latter’s form since Solskjaer took over.

There is also the prospect of overhauling Spurs, which no longer appears to be a pipe dream.

A third-placed finish – the best of the rest behind Manchester City and Liverpool – would raise Emery’s stock considerably.

With their current form, they look well on course to make that dream a reality.

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Supporters of West Brom have taken to Twitter to hail the performance of central defender Ahmed Hegazi, throwing superlatives the Egyptian’s way following a tweet he made.

The Hawthorns faithful haven’t had too much to shout about recently but bounced back to winning ways after three matches without a victory this week in what was their first game since Darren Moore’s departure.

Hegazi was one of the key men to make a difference in their 3-0 win over Swansea as the 28-year-old kept a clean sheet. It was a display that earned rave reviews as fans left comments for him on social media.

The 51-cap Egypt international was ever present for the Baggies in the Premier League last season and as such has since been labelled by one supporter as too good for the Championship. Similar plaudits were aimed at him, claiming he is the best centre-back at the club as fans were left drooling over his defensive efforts.

His initial tweet showed him blocking the ball to deny Connor Roberts, a challenge that was hailed by one specific Baggie, calling it an incredible stop. The ex-Fiorentina man’s display was lauded as brilliant, with another member of support fearing where they would be without him.

Albion’s defender has featured 31 times for them in the league this campaign, having scored one goal.

Here’s the best of the reaction.