All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Wolves spent big in the summer having been promoted to the Premier League and pretty much all of their additions have been impactful. Now, the big cheeses at Molineux Stadium are looking ahead to the end of the season with the aim of improving their squad further and have reportedly emerged as a surprise suitor for Southampton’s Cedric Soares.

The right-back has fallen out of favour at St Mary’s Stadium despite having been one of their most consistent performers of the last few years and looks likely to be moved on in the summer – the Midlands could be exactly the environment he needs to prove Ralph Hasenhuttl wrong.

What’s the word?

Well, Italian media outlet Tuttomercatoweb understand that Inter Milan – Soares’ current club – are unwilling to make the Portuguese’s loan move permanent, while Yan Valery has nailed down the first-choice right-back spot at Southampton; it would seem the former Sporting man is somewhat in limbo.

However, all hope is not yet lost for the 27-year-old, with Wolves apparently eyeing a move according to the aforementioned report, presumably to provide competition for Matt Doherty at right-wing-back.

The fourth and fifth defenders are key components of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and both the aforementioned Doherty and left-wing-back Jonny Castro Otto have flourished in these roles.

Would playing under his countryman provide Soares with the perfect opportunity to show that Hasenhuttl has got something wrong after all?

Ralph is wrong?

The former RB Leipzig boss made a number of big changes when he took the Saints helm in December and most – if not all – have paid off so far, with Valery in particular flourishing in Soares’ absence.

The Austrian introduced a new 3-4-3 system upon his arrival – an approach which, like Nuno’s, encourages the wing-backs to get forward and cause damage.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Clearly Hasenhuttl doesn’t feel that Soares is a better option than Valery in that role but, should he play there for Wolves, the 33-cap international would have the opportunity to embarrass the Saints boss who appears to have written him off. What do you think, Southampton fans? Does Soares have a future at the club? Let us know in the comments below…

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after discovering that Raheem Sterling had voted for Harry Kane as his choice for the PFA Player of the Year, whilst Virgil van Dijk voted for the Manchester City forward.

All three players have enjoyed excellent campaigns, but it is somewhat strange that Sterling has voted for a player who missed a chunk of the season through injury, and also hasn’t been involved in the title race like he and van Dijk have.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Kane has still managed to notch 17 Premier League goals, whilst Sterling has 15 to his name, but it is van Dijk who has arguably had the biggest impact on proceedings – the Dutchman and Sterling are the two front-runners for the award.

As a result of that, some Liverpool fans have suggested that their former player and academy graduate has strategically voted for Kane so that he has a better chance of winning the award himself.

Let’s see what the Reds supporters have been saying about it all on Twitter…

Liverpool are still looking to win their first Premier League title this season under Jurgen Klopp in what is turning into a tense race.

It is advantage City at the moment, but Liverpool do keep coming and at the time of writing, were in the midst of a tough battle with Chelsea as they looked to maintain the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men.

However, the summer is set to be a testing period for the Reds it would seem, with some of their top stars being linked with moves away from the club, including flying winger Sadio Mane, who has this weekend been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Mane has been superb for Liverpool over the course of the last few seasons and appears to be getting even better this year, and Liverpool simply need to be saying no to any potential suitors.

The Senegal star has become arguably more important to the Liverpool cause than that of Mo Salah, and it would be a huge shame to see a player of his quality sold on as soon as the Spanish giants come sniffing.

His pace, coupled with his versatility and trickery with the ball make him one of the finest attacking wingers in the game at the moment, and his loss would be one which Liverpool would find tough to get over.

Liverpool are building a tram capable of winning plenty of trophies in the coming seasons, and Mane is going to be a big part of that one would assume.

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Loads of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to Friday’s win, but all they can think about is Tammy Abraham’s injury.

Villa continued their truly incredible form on Good Friday, relegating Bolton Wanderers with their ninth successive win, which matches their club-record win streak, set in 1910.

Dean Smith’s side had to work hard for their three points, but Jack Grealish opened the scoring just after half time with an assist from Abraham.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

The two then switched roles ten minutes later with Abraham the beneficiary of Grealish’s cross, but the young striker picked up an injury while scoring.

He was immediately withdrawn from the match, and Smith’s post-game comments are quite worrying.

“Tammy got a whack on the shoulder. It’s too early to diagnose. I don’t expect him to be fit for Monday, if I’m honest. Then we’re hoping it’s not too bad,” the boss said post-match.

With Millwall at home to come on Monday, Smith’s side should really be capable of securing three points even without their main goalscorer.

The threat of Abraham possibly missing the play-offs is looming large on fans’ minds though, as you can see from the Twitter reactions down below…

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Rangers are one of a number of teams chasing Wigan playmaker Nick Powell, so could he be the man to finally end Steven Gerrard’s hunt for a number ten?

What’s the story?

TEAMtalk reported this week that several English clubs are chasing Powell, as well as some European outfits as well.

The report says Rangers, Celtic, Burnley, Brighton, Norwich and Derby County are all eyeing a move, while the interest from the likes of RB Leipzig and Borussia Moenchengladbach is expected to dissipate as the player does not want to leave the United Kingdom.

And journalist Alan Nixon seems to think that Rangers are in the driving seat. When asked about the chances of Sheffield Wednesday moving for Powell, he mentioned the Gers specifically as a reason why that may not happen.

The fact that Nixon named Rangers and only Rangers in response to the hopeful Owls fan is a fantastic sign for fans of the Ibrox outfit, as Powell has all the traits to fill the one position Gerrard has not found an answer for.

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

Reason for Morelos to stay?

So often this season the gaffer has watched on as his side dominates the ball but creates very few clear chances, as Alfredo Morelos runs around tirelessly up front.

The Colombian international is left isolated up there, surrounded by several towering defenders as teams “park the bus”, knowing full well none of Gerrard’s current midfield crop really have the creativity to break them down.

Powell could change all that though, and has racked up seven goals and six assists this campaign while playing in a really poor Wigan side.

The 25 year-old is versatile and clever, making a habit of popping up in little spaces between the midfield and defence, where he wreaks his havoc.

Across 28 Championship appearances this season, 23 of which were starts, he averages 2.6 shots, one key pass and 0.5 successful dribbles per game, per Whoscored.

When he is not creating chances for his teammates he is creating them for himself, and more goals from midfield would certainly take some pressure off the Gers number 20.

In fact, given the uncertainty surrounding Morelos’ future, signing a playmaker with genuine quality may just be what convinces the talisman to stay, as he will get even more chances to improve his goalscoring numbers in the next campaign.

Swooping for Powell should be a no-brainer for the Gers this summer.

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According to a report in The Daily Mail, Everton manager Marco Silva is prepared to extend Leighton Baines’ stay at Goodison Park for another 12 months with his current contract due to expire this summer.

The 34-year-old has been with the Toffees since 2007 following a move from Wigan Athletic, and has proven to be one of their best signings during the Premier League era.

The former England international has largely had to play second fiddle to Lucas Digne for the left-back spot this term though, and would likely be a back-up again next term should he stay on Merseyside.

Everton supporters on the Nil Satis Nisi Optimum (NSNO) forum have been having their say on the story.

What’s been their verdict?

Any surprises

You are always going to have some fans that believe he should be kept on because he is such a club legend, while others will feel that it is time to move on given the end of his contract.

There are a couple of interesting points made here though.

One fan – and he probably isn’t alone among the Goodison Park faithful – would like to see the 34-year-old given a coaching role at some point, to pass his expertise on to the current first-team squad and younger players, too.

Interestingly, more than one individual aren’t confident that Baines would actually sign the deal given he has Digne ahead of him, which would make sense.

The former Wigan man is at a stage of his career where he may want to play regularly while he still can, and that appears unlikely to happen with Everton.

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Sunderland were on course to take the fight for automatic promotion to the final day as they led Fleetwood Town for 44 minutes during their League One clash at Highbury on Tuesday night, but a late collapse ensured they were officially consigned to the play-offs.

Defeat for Portsmouth on the same night meant that the Black Cats had the perfect chance to jump above the south coast club in the table and still have something to play for this weekend, even if they needed a win and a goal difference swing.

However goals from Paddy Madden and Ashley Eastham in the final 17 minutes ensured that wasn’t going to happen.

Sunderland fans have suffered a lot of heartache over the years but one fan manages to pick his ultimate low in the video below…

The latter found the net in the 94th minute to rub salt into the visitors’ wounds, with Jack Ross’ men struggling for form and only taking only two points from the previous nine available ahead of their trip to Southend United on Saturday.

Midfielder Lee Cattermole is known for his committed performances – and yellow cards – on the pitch, and you may have expected that he in particular would have been furious after the late goal that ensured the Mackems would return to Wearside with no points.

However, the 31-year-old instead cut a forlorn figure as you can see from the photograph above, which indicates the lack of confidence he and his teammates have right now.

Sunderland need to pull themselves together in the coming days and weeks if they are to secure an instant return to the Championship, especially given they could face either Pompey or an in-form Charlton Athletic in the play-off semi-finals.

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When writing his predictions for the playoff action set to take place this weekend, David Prutton has sat on the fence when it comes to picking a winner between Leeds and Derby.

For the first leg at Pride Park, the former midfielder has refused to back his former club as he has tipped up a draw for this fixture.

What’s been said then?

The 37-year-old has found this game tough to call due to Leeds’ poor recent form and the club’s recent histories against one another. He wrote in his predictions:

“In terms of drama this game should be right up there, even without taking into consideration what happened between these sides earlier in the season. More importantly for Derby, they have been given a footballing lesson by Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds twice, and you can only hope for the Rams’ sake that Frank Lampard has learned from that.

“Leeds, in form terms, are not playing well. They picked up just a point from their final four games and now they have to pick themselves up again quickly. This should be closer than the two league games were.”

The Sky Sports pundit eventually predicted a 1-1 draw between the two sides.

Doesn’t bode well

A former Leeds and Nottingham Forest player backing against the Whites in this one doesn’t bode well for their chances at Pride Park.

Prutton has reason to be biased both towards Leeds and against Derby, but he still couldn’t bring himself to predict a win for Marcelo Bielsa’s outfit.

Playoff semi-final first legs have historically been cagey affairs, and this match is set up perfectly to follow that trend.

It will undoubtedly be a close game, but Leeds’ recent form has Derby coming into this one as favourites, which is incredible considering the two games the sides have played against each other already this season.

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It does appear incredibly likely that Isaac Hayden will leave Newcastle United in this summer’s transfer window.

Indeed, a recent report claimed that Hayden – who is believed to have attempted to leave the Magpies last summer – is determined to secure a move down south.

Hayden was impressive for Rafael Benitez’s side in the second half of the campaign, but wants to leave St James’ Park ‘for family reasons’.

It was perhaps a touch risky for the midfielder to post a message on social media following Newcastle’s 4-0 win over Fulham on Sunday.

However, judging by the reaction from the club’s fans, they fully understand why Hayden wants to leave, and have wished him well.

West Ham United are said to be interested in a move, and their fans have recently commented on the transfer speculation.

Newcastle are set to lose a consistent performer this summer, but there are seemingly no hard feelings when it comes to the supporters.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Everton need to be signing Champions League quality players if they’re to break into the top six anytime soon. Well, signing Joao Mario would prove they’re doing just the opposite.

Marco Silva has big ambitions for the club, so it’s important they improve year on year. Indeed, Joao Mario isn’t fit to lace Gylfi Sigurdsson’s boots, so how is that going to improve them? They need to strengthen elsewhere first and leave Sigurdsson’s position alone.

Mario has played 20 times for Inter Milan this season yet he’s only managed one goal and one assist. That’s a terrible tally for a 26-year-old who should be hitting his prime in the next year or so. He’s not the player to take Everton to the next level.

The Daily Mail are reporting they have the chance to sign him for £15m, which isn’t a bank-busting amount, but nobody is saying it is. It’s just £15m that could be spent elsewhere and perhaps added with more money to buy someone of a higher standard.

The central midfielder was a disaster at West Ham last season when he went there on loan. It’s no wonder Manuel Pellegrini didn’t want to make the move permanent. If the Hammers don’t think he’s good enough, then why would he be good enough for the Toffees.

He moved from Sporting Lisbon to Inter for £36m, but since then his valuation has dropped to £18m on Transfermarkt. That says a lot, and it proves Everton would be wasting their money on a player not as good as the ones they have when they need to be improving their team instead.

Everton fans, who do you think your team should sign this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.