All posts by z3u9t.icu

Sam Hutchinson had an afternoon to forget on Sunday, didn’t he Sheffield Wednesday fans?

The midfielder was brought on as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers in the second half of the Owls’ final day clash yet struggled to make any sort of impact before succumbing to injury in the 80th minute at Hillsborough.

Hutchinson’s latest setback capped off what has been an immensely frustrating campaign for the 29-year-old as a number of different issues has resulted in him missing a total of 24 league games for Wednesday.

With doubts surrounding the £1.8m-rated ace’s suitability for the Championship (via Transfermarkt), it may be time for Steve Bruce to cash in on him when the transfer window opens in July.

Although he is an undeniably talented player when at his very best, Hutchinson has unfortunately been far too inconsistent for the Owls since joining the club in 2014 from Chelsea as his constant struggles with injuries have hampered his development in recent years.

When you consider that the likes of Joey Pelupessy and Barry Bannan have formed a strong partnership in the heart of midfield in recent months, it could be argued that Bruce already has better options to choose from than Hutchinson and so he would not be losing anything by letting him leave in the summer.

Furthermore, if Wednesday are to launch a sustained push for promotion next season, they cannot afford to carry any passengers and so they must be ruthless over the summer.

If Hutchinson is made surplus to requirements by Bruce, he could benefit from a fresh start elsewhere as it would give him the opportunity to prove himself following a mixed level of success during his five-year stint at Hillsborough.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Should Bruce consider putting Hutchinson up for transfer in the season? Or does the midfielder deserve another chance to prove himself next season? Let us know below.

[ad_pod ]Tottenham Hotspur fans have expressed their love for former midfielder Mousa Dembele after an adoring message on Twitter following their latest Champions League success.

The Belgian departed Spurs in the January transfer window, joining Guangzhou R&F in an £11million deal.

He made a total of 249 appearances for the club during his time in north London, emerging as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

His seven-year spell at White Hart Lane saw him work his way into the hearts of a number of supporters.

And, following the club’s astonishing 3-2 win over Ajax in the Champions League semi-final, Dembele took to Twitter to congratulate his former team-mates.

The message led to an outpouring of emotion from the club’s supporters, with many insisting that he should still be around as the club look to achieve an astonishing European triumph when they take on Liverpool in Madrid next month.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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According to The Sun, Manchester United are chasing Crystal Palace pair Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Patrick van Aanholt to freshen up their full-back options ahead of next season.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add the Eagles duo to his ranks at Old Trafford, and is preparing a £50m double swoop for the pair.

Whilst Wan-Bissaka, who has enjoyed a phenomenal season at Selhurst Park, would be an excellent addition and one who should finally see the declining Ashley Young phased out of the team, the interest in Van Aanholt doesn’t make as much sense.

One point separated City and Liverpool but twenty-five separated them from the rest! Fans discuss who could reduce the deficit next season in the video below?

Luke Shaw has just been named as the club’s Player of the Season, so the Dutchman certainly wouldn’t be arriving as first-choice.

Awful decision

The former Sunderland man isn’t even rated by his own fanbase at Crystal Palace, and would be a truly dreadful signing by United.

Supporters of the south London side have been slamming the 28-year-old for most of this season, whilst others will tell you that he is defensively inept and his knack of popping up with a few goals here and there mask his many weaknesses.

Additionally, the Old Trafford faithful are beginning to grow tired at their players offering their words of apology for poor performances on their social media pages, before stating their desire to put it right whilst not actually doing it on the pitch when the time arrives.

Van Aanholt would only antagonise the fans more, as he is culpable of doing just this much to the annoyance of the Palace fans.

It would be a bizarre move, and one that wouldn’t come cheap with the left-back being linked with a £25m to Juventus in the past – a £50m move for both him and Wan-Bissaka is extremely optimistic given the fact the Englishman is being linked with moves away for just £10m less than that figure alone.

A truly stupid move all round.

What a fantastic job Steven Gerrard has done so far at Ibrox. His first season failed to yield any trophies, but that was not what it was going to be about in his first season in senior management. Instead, laying the foundations was key, and now he looks to be making headway in the transfer market ahead of yet another campaign.

For the Ibrox faithful to grow, Gerrard knows what needs to be done. Bringing in young players to build for the future is key, and with Joe Worrall set to return to Nottingham Forest after his season-long loan and Gareth McAuley leaving Ibrox at the end of his contract, bringing a new central defender will be high on Gerrard’s priority list. That’s where this Football Insider report of a move for George Edmundson comes in.

The young Oldham defender has shown to be one of the brightest young defenders in the entire EFL this season. At the age of 21-years-old and standing at six foot three inches tall, the colossus has shown a touch of class every time he’s taken to the pitch in the English fourth division. Now, though, he could be set to trade in Leyton Orient and Salford City away for a run in Europe with a move to Ibrox.

There isn’t a lot that Oldham will be able to do about losing the youngster either. The impressive defender is contracted at the club until summer 2020 and with little chance of a new deal being struck considering the interest in Edmundson, it seems unlikely that the Boundary Park star will be hanging around past this summer. Whether he leaves for Rangers or not is still up in the air though.

Rangers are being rivalled for Edmundson’s signature by League One club Peterborough United but with the Scottish giants the clear favourites to land his signature you’d have to put your money on Gerrard being able to convince the defender to move to Ibrox. At the age of just 21, the Oldham man could be a Gers’ icon for years to come, and this would be mightily impressive swoop for Gerrard to pull off.

Remember Diego Ribas da Cunha? Maybe the player that just went by the name of Diego would sound familiar? Well, Arsenal were thought to have been considering a move for him once upon a time.

Arsenal (along with Southampton) were linked with trying to sign the player in 2013 (talkSPORT), which the player said he knew about at the time and would say yes to joining them if the opportunity were there.

“I know there is interest from Premier League clubs. I have heard Arsenal is one of them. It would be the ideal destination for me because their style suits my characteristics perfectly. Of course I would say ‘yes’ to Arsenal,” he said (via talkSPORT).

However, it should actually be considered a dodged bullet by the Gunners and by looking at how his career panned out, it would not be hard to see why.

For those that are still a little fuzzy regarding Diego; he was the Brazilian wonderkid that many had touted for success after being one of the talented youngsters to come out of Santos. He was apart of the same side that had the likes of Elano and Robinho in their attacking ranks.

A lot was expected of him when he joined the then-Champions League holders Porto in 2004, with many having believed he could be the man to replace Deco as he departed for Barcelona.

Up to speed with who he is now?

Leaving Porto for Werder Bremen after a difficult time in Portugal and failing to live up to expectations, Diego enjoyed three successful seasons in the Bundesliga and picked up a number of individual awards in the process, as well as a Europa League runners-up medal in 2009.

Those performances saw him complete a move to Juventus for a figure thought to be around €24.5 million (£20.2m) (Goal) that summer and led to some surprise that the Serie A outfit had managed to get him so cheaply.

Gianluca Vialli was just one that was stunned by the deal, going on to state (via Goal): “Diego is worth the same as Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He is one of the top three players in the world.” Vialli must have been eating those words for sometime after!

However, his time in Italy was littered with inconsistent performances and arguments with manager Ciro Ferrara and saw him end his three-year stay in Turin with a move back to Germany; this time with Wolfsburg.

Those inconsistencies and arguments, nevertheless, followed him though as he made himself an enemy of Steve McClaren during his time, whilst Felix Magath made it rather clear that he had no time for him, leading to the Gunners and their rumoured interest.

Initially loaned to Atletico Madrid for the 2011/12 season, he subsequently returned to the Bundesliga outfit and despite his relationship with Magath continuing to deteriorate, he made a return to the first-team and remained determined to stay with the club regardless of being told he had no future.

He re-joined the La Liga outfit on a short-term deal in the winter of the 13/14 season before joining Fenerbache for two years and has since returned to Brazil, where he is currently playing his football for Flamengo, where has got back to his best and become an important player for the club.

Arguments and inconsistencies would not have gone down well with the Arsenal hierarchy and fans at the Emirates Stadium, whilst his apparent attitude may not have made him a likeable figure either.

Arsenal dodged a bullet on this one!

Arsenal fans, pleased you didn’t bring Diego to the club in 2013? Let us know below!

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Rangers are set to wait until later in the summer to make a move for Hearts defender John Souttar, according to website Football Insider.

What’s the story?

The outlet reckon that while Steven Gerrard and his recruitment team at Ibrox are keen on on the Tynecastle stopper, the player himself is unlikely to make an early summer move away from Edinburgh.

Clubs such as a Derby County are also keen on the defender, according to the report, so it could be a tricky few months when it comes to securing his signature.

Defence is clearly a priority for Gerrard, with reports this week that a third bid will be lodged for Oldham centre-back George Edmundson.

Urgent action

Gerrard’s problem when it comes to a potential Souttar deal is that he badly needs the right personnel in place for upcoming UEFA Europa League qualifiers, which kick off in less than two months’ time.

Check out Keith from C’mon the Hoops’ fascinating video on the origins of the Old Firm derby below…

With Joe Worrall leaving to go back to Nottingham Forest and Gareth McAuley’s contract expiring, it’s crucial that Rangers get the right business done in the defensive line as early as possible. Back-up could be needed in case of injury to Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic.

Ordinarily a player of Souttar’s calibre would be worth waiting on, but the European qualifiers are so important to Rangers’ progression at the club. The run to the group stages of the competition in 2018/19 gave the side great confidence and huge financially.

If the Hearts defender is not up for a move until later in the window, it could be time to move onto other targets.

Liverpool fans, wherever in the world they may be, will still be celebrating in the streets after their triumph on Saturday night.

The Champions League final was hardly a classic, however, no-one will have a care in the world after they finally managed to get their hands on the trophy they can within whiskers of winning last year!

Although the celebrations will likely go on for a little while longer, Jurgen Klopp and the powerbrokers of the club will still have to have a sit-down and discuss how to make the team even better and put them in a position to challenge the likes of Manchester City for domestic success.

One area of the field that the Anfield outfit could certainly do with improving is in the middle, as they lack a midfielder that can provide a real attacking threat and make the club look even more dangerous going forward.

If Liverpool were able to solve that problem, then you would have to say they could have a complete squad and one many teams across the world would be envious of.

Indeed, Bruno Fernandes could be the man to do that and it seems the Sporting Lisbon man would not be too shy of a switch to the Merseyside outfit.

Speaking to Record, he said: “I like Liverpool a lot more, it’s a more direct, more offensive, maybe less organized, but more intense football, when you do not have the ball possession you are more intense.

“In Liverpool they are more individual players, especially in the midfield, usually playing three very aggressive players and recovering the ball, then they have three players at the front who are lethal, when they have the opportunity, the difference, as seen in this last game (against Barcelona).”

Although it is not exactly a ‘come-and-get-me plea’, Klopp should take note regarding Fernandes’ comments and look to make the most of them.

The Portugal international has been superb this season for Sporting, as he scored 32 goals and provided his team-mates with 18 assists in his 53 appearances across all competitions.

Add him in the middle of the midfield and just behind the forward line, then there is nothing to suggest that Liverpool would not be able to close the gap between them and City next season and finish top of the pile in the Premier League.

Liverpool fans, do you think the club should act upon Fernandes’ comments? Let us know your thoughts below!

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Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson believes Neil Lennon must be properly backed by the club during this summer’s transfer window, as reported by The Daily Record.

What’s he said?

Despite winning a treble for the third successive year last term, this summer definitely feels like a transitional one for the Celtic squad.

After filling in for Brendan Rodgers mid-season, Lennon will finally have a chance to stamp his own authority on the team and make additions that better suit his vision of how the Hoops should play.

That will of course cost money and Wilson is adamant that the recruitment job ahead can’t be done on the cheap, urging the Celtic board to back the new manager with all the resources he needs.

C’mon the Hoops’ Keith remembers the late Phil O’Donnell in the video below…

As quoted by The Daily Record, the 35-year-old said:

“You can’t say just because Neil’s a Celtic man, he’s been here before, he loves the club, all that stuff, that you can sell him short with, say, £8million to beef up the squad.

“It has to be an awful lot more than that, considering how many positions they need to fill.

“It’s going to take a chunk of cash. He needs centre halves, a striker, a right back, cover at left back.

“Every good squad has a cycle. You can’t keep winning without freshening up and Neil has proven in the past he can find a quality player or two.

“You can trust him with a transfer kitty, and with nine and maybe 10 coming up, Peter has to be aware of what the fans will expect.”

Is he right?

The positions Wilson mentions are the definite priorities for Celtic this summer with the midfield and wing positions looking pretty strong barring any departures.

He is also right to suggest it will cost a fair wedge of money, but the club would be the first to point out it’s about investing in players wisely, rather than simply spending for the sake of spending.

Celtic often stick to a defined profile of player when entering the market and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

The most successful stars to come through Celtic Park in recent years have been young talents not quite yet at their prime who can improve in the first-team and be sold on for a much larger fee.

Perhaps key will also be getting through the early rounds of the UEFA Champions League qualifying process unscathed – reaching the group stages or at least confirming a place in the UEFA Europa League groups unlocks both personnel and cash available to Lennon.

The perception of Lennon’s appointment is that it was a cheap option, but the signs are there the club will invest in this squad. There’s too obvious a need and recruitment failure will have the Hoops support up in arms.

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There may be changes afoot at right-back for Sheffield United as they have been linked with the signing of Todd Kane just one week after Celtic made a bid for George Baldock.

If Chris Wilder is going to have a change in personnel at wing-back, he must be very careful as that role in his system is one of the most demanding positions in football.

Wilder’s wing-backs

Sheffield United were promoted twice in three years playing a unique brand of football – Wilder’s patented 5-2-1-2 system where the wing-backs are key.

If Kane arrived at Bramall Lane, he would be asked to play a role much different to the one he has played in any of his previous loan spells.

Wilder deploys two wing-backs that aren’t afraid to push up high. Enda Stevens has often been the more attacking wing-back down the left, and he is tasked with delivering a barrage of balls into the attackers.

On the other flank has been Baldock, and the right-side has been more reliant on fitness and the ability to pass as the 26-year-old acts as a box-to-box player down the right side. Tireless running and great ball-playing abilities are two of the most critical attributes a wing-back in Wilder’s system must have.

Kane’s ability

The former Chelsea man had a great season at Hull City last term, and a return of three goals from right-back indicates that he is decent going forward.

Although the stat that is the most telling is his pass success rate. Just 65.6% of Kane’s passes found the mark, and if that doesn’t improve he could end up flopping at Bramall Lane.

Nothing captures the unpredictability of the Championship better than the video below…

Wilder’s full-backs have to be fantastic ball players and what Kane has shown so far in his career indicates that he isn’t one. Compare Kane’s pass rate of 65.6% to Baldock’s 77.3%, and it is clear to see where the 25-year-old would struggle if he moved to Yorkshire.

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Thursday was a busy day for Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United with the fixtures for the 2019/2020 Premier League season being announced.

However, the club also made another announcement on the day which rather slipped under the radar with most of the attention on next campaign’s schedule.

They confirmed in the mid-afternoon that Academy coach Jack Collison had stepped down from his role and left the London Stadium with immediate effect.

The news came right out the blue taking most associated with West Ham by surprise and leaving many members of the Claret & Blue Army disappointed.

And fans were right to be upset by the development as their team had just lost a potential future manager, the first homegrown gaffer of the modern era.

While the official report stated that Collison has left with his family to take up an exciting new coaching opportunity overseas, the BBC revealed that the role is with Major League Soccer outfit Atlanta United in the USA.

The 30-year-old is heavily associated with the Hammers as a product of the famous Academy of Football who graduated into the first team under Alan Curbishley in 2008.

Constantly battling with injuries, Collison would go onto make 121 appearances in central midfield in Claret & Blue, scoring 14 times and assisting on ten occasions.

He was always a fan favourite at the Boleyn Ground, capturing the hearts of fans when he still played in a home London derby against Millwall just days after his father had tragically died in a road accident.

But following the midfielder leaving east London in 2014, injuries eventually took their toll and the persistence was too much for him – he was forced to retire at just 27 whilst with Peterborough United.

Collison was soon offered a role in the Irons academy at Chadwell Heath as an Academy coach, first working as manager of the under-16 side.

In two years, he was able to earn a promotion and start progressing up the ranks as he had done as a young player, ending up as co-manager of the under-18s alongside Mark Philips.

Most recently, the duo led the bright team to a fantastic 2018/2019 campaign in which they so nearly broke into the top six of the Premier League U18 having started off with four consecutive wins.

Whilst it’s nice to see Kevin Keen back at the club replacing Collison as Under 18 coach, one can’t help but feeling what could have been with Collison.

The ex-Welsh international possesses all the right qualities to be a superb West Ham manager, as he’s well-liked around the club and knows it inside-out as one of its sons.

And all the signs were right for the former midfielder to one day, maybe in the near future, take the top job and make the move from Chadwell Heath to Rush Green training ground in Romford.

As someone who knows all too well what football can give you and how quickly it can all be taken away, he would have been a great man-motivator, installing a wonderful philosophy in the first team.

There can be little doubt that Collison would have been given a fond farewell and send off from everyone in east London, but perhaps many of those figures were thinking they should have tried that bit harder to get him stay as he could well be seen as the one that got away in a couple of years’ time.