When Sheffield United announced that they had signed Gary Madine on loan from Cardiff City in January, their supporters had every right to feel a little bemused.

Not only had the 28-year-old forward failed to score a single goal for the Bluebirds in the Premier League but he was also considered somewhat of a cult hero by the Blades’ city rivals Sheffield Wednesday for helping the Owls achieve promotion in 2012.

Nevertheless, with Chris Wilder’s side facing a gargantuan battle with Leeds United for second place in the Championship, Madine knew that by firing in the goals for his new side, his previous escapades would have been consigned to the history books.

However, despite showing glimmers of his talent against the likes of Reading and Millwall, the forward has been far too inconsistent for the Blades over the past four months and therefore it would be a mistake signing him on a permanent deal.

Instead of bringing in Madine, Wilder should be looking towards trying to secure the services of Brentford’s Neal Maupay. According to the Star, the 51-year-old is reportedly a big fan of the Bees forward who has lit up the Championship this year by scoring 24 goals for his side.

Whereas the Greater London-based outfit will be playing in the second tier next season after missing out on the play-offs, the Blades will be embarking on their first Premier League campaign for 12 years in August and therefore could be an attractive prospect for Maupay to consider.

Although some would argue that splashing out a considerable fee on the former Saint-Etienne forward would be a risk considering that he is no previous experience of top-flight football, his outstanding performances for Brentford suggest that he is more than ready to make the step-up.

With United needing to make decisive moves in the transfer window when it opens in July, Wilder should make it his number one priority to bring the £9m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) to Bramall Lane as he could prove to be the all-important difference between survival and relegation next season.

What do you think Blades fans? Should Wilder go all-out to sign Maupay? Or is there another forward that he should be targeting in the summer? Let us know below.

Given his ability and how long he has been around for, it is a surprise that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is only starting to make a real name for himself now.

Better late than never, though, and the 23-year-old will undoubtedly be delighted with how things are currently going after some very difficult moments at Chelsea.

Under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Loftus-Cheek had constantly been overlooked before going out on loan to Crystal Palace, a move that has helped him get to where he is today.

There, when fit, the midfielder got regular minutes on the pitch and really started to strut his stuff.

Be it on the flank, an unfamiliar position for him at the time, or centrally, Loftus-Cheek was able to showcase his full skill set and impact games.

With his sheer power and ability to drive with the ball, the Chelsea academy graduate would often bulldoze past the opposition with ease.

The above were quite clearly qualities Gareth Southgate respected, with the England manager later handing Loftus-Cheek a place in his Three Lions World Cup squad.

Despite missing a chunk of that 2017/18 campaign due to injury, Loftus-Cheek had obviously shown the England boss enough in the appearances he did manage to make.

Fast forward to now, and Loftus-Cheek is a midfielder on the verge of tying down a spot in the starting XI of one of Europe’s elite clubs after helping his country reach a World Cup semi-final.

Since returning to Stamford Bridge, life has not always been easy under Maurizio Sarri, while a recurring back injury has done him no favours.

But for Loftus-Cheek, his future at Chelsea seems bright with that loan spell at Crystal Palace looking like it will go a long way for the England international.

Crystal Palace fans, what are some of your standout memories of Loftus-Cheek’s time at Selhurst Park? Join the discussion by commenting below.

If you were to tell any Sheffield United fan at the start of the season that they would be within one point securing a play-off place in April, they would have been understandably delighted.

However, with the club in serious contention to secure automatic promotion in May, the last thing that the players and the management at Bramall Lane will be thinking of is the prospect of extending their season beyond the 46-game mark.

After slipping-up against Birmingham City in midweek, the Blades have another opportunity to regain their place in the top-two from Leeds United on Saturday against Millwall, one that they really have to take. To ensure that they secure victory over the Lions, boss Chris Wilder may have to consider making some alterations to his lineup in an attacking sense. Although both David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp have been in sensational form this year, United may benefit from giving fellow striker Scott Hogan a start at the weekend.

On loan from Aston Villa, the 26-year-old has only featured on a sporadic basis since joining the Blades in the January transfer window. However, when he has been given the chance to impress, Hogan has produced glimmers of promise which have suggested that his side could benefit from his presence between now and the end of the season. In United’s most recent home game against Bristol City, the forward scored his first goal for the club and provided a different type of option for his team-mates to target.

Although it would be naive to suggest that either McGoldrick or Sharp should be sacrificed for Hogan, a slight alteration in formation could see all three start on Saturday. By committing to this, Wilder would give his side the best opportunity to breakdown a Millwall side who are likely to play on the counter-attack at Bramall Lane in an attempt to move away from the dreaded drop zone in the Championship.

What do you think Blades fans? Should Hogan be given another chance to impress at the weekend by Wilder? Or is too much of a risk to play the forward at this stage of the season? Get in touch below.

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Jose Mourinho has slammed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactics away at Barcelona.

Manchester United were not only beaten at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, they were swatted aside like an insect on a hot summer’s day.

The Red Devils surrendered an early 2-0 lead after Lionel Messi caught them napping twice, and Philippe Coutinho was afforded way too much space to smash home the third in the second half.

And Mourinho, who was fired by the Old Trafford outfit in December, is not impressed by the way Solskjaer set his team up.

What did he say?

“I think the United approach was different (in the second leg),” he told Russia Today.

“Man Utd in the first match, zonally, they occupied that central zone very well. So when he (Messi) was coming inside he was finding Fred, McTominay coming to the inside all the time.

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

“In this match, maybe because Man Utd was losing 1-0 from the first match, they tried to start with a different perspective.

“Then it was Pogba wide on the left, McTominay much more on the right, Jesse Lingard playing as a 10 behind the striker.

“In front of the defensive line was only Fred. That’s the area when Messi comes, where Messi gets the ball.

“And when Messi has the ball one on one, you are dead. That’s why I never I like the individual man to man against Messi. Messi is a cage, you have to create a cage.”

Nailed it

While Ashley Young’s ridiculous excuse for defending didn’t help, Mourinho has correctly exposed a flaw in the way Solskjaer set up in Catalonia.

Messi scored twice from the area between midfield and defence at the edge of the box, the exact area Mourinho says you must not let the little Argentine into.

In truth, this was an avoidable mistake for Solskjaer as well, as Fred and McTominay were arguably his best players in the first leg.

Therefore, it makes absolutely no sense to switch things up and move them into positions in which they are uncomfortable.

Putting personal feelings aside, Mourinho has absolutely nailed it on this occasion.

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Speaking to Leicester City’s Matchday Minus Two (18/04, 3 pm) which was streamed live on the Foxes’ Twitter account, Gerry Taggart has claimed that Ricardo Pereira deserves the club’s Player of the Year award.

What’s he said?

Leicester’s Pereira was a new signing last summer after arriving from Porto and has become an instant hit at the King Power Stadium.

Predominantly a right-back, ex-manager Claude Puel also utilised him in forward positions and he’s shone at both ends of the pitch this term.

Although the Foxes started to go downhill under the French boss, they’ve now managed to find form again with Brendan Rodgers who has guided the club to seventh in the table already.

There could have been a few candidates for the Player of the Year award at Leicester, but player turned pundit Taggart thinks it deserves to go to the Foxes’ Portuguese ace. He told Matchday Minus Two:

“He’s been remarkable. In his first game, he had an assist against Manchester United. Yes, he had a few issues with his defending but as the season has gone on he’s been unbelievable. From full-back, he’s come up with a few goals but the assists as well is quite unbelievable. And his defensive work has improved as the season has gone on.

“His influence on the game, defensively stopping goals as well as creating has been immense. For a foreign player to come in from a different football culture entirely to then come in here and have the influence he’s had on the team, I’d be crazy in my own mind if I didn’t give it to him.”

Stellar season

There have been a number of stand out players for Leicester this season. Ben Chilwell and James Maddison particularly come to mind but Pereira has also been exceptional.

The player originally arrived for quite a hefty fee of £22m but he’s more than lived up to that price tag. In a season where it’s been all about Maddison, for him to be considered the Foxes’ Player of the Year by Taggart is quite the recognition.

But he does deserve it. A modern-day full-back tends to have a focus on attacking and there aren’t too many better in the Premier League in his role than Pereira.

The only way is up for the 25-year-old.

Let’s be honest, Arsenal’s defence is an absolute mess and has been for a while.

You can argue that the Gunners have been incredibly unlucky with injuries, with the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin all suffering major injuries in the past 12 months, but that doesn’t pave over the fact that Arsenal’s current crop of defenders are simply not good enough for the club.

Signing a new defender is surely likely to be a priority for Unai Emery, who could miss out on Champions League football in his first season in north London and could pin that down to his defenders underperforming in key games, mainly Shkodran Mustafi, but there is some hope for Arsenal fans.

According to the Daily Mail via Sports Mole, the Gunners looking at Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti as a possible summer signing, with the French international out of favour in the Catalan capital this season and looking to move from the La Liga giants, and Arsenal acquiring the 25-year-old would be a revolutionary signing for the club.

Umtiti has shown that he is a defender of immense quality, being first-choice for Barcelona last season when the club won the La Liga title and partnering Raphael Varane for France in last summer’s World Cup triumph, and the former Lyon man would be perfect for Arsenal.

Having joined from Lyon for a reported £24.6 million, Umtiti would be an expensive signing for Arsenal, but what Emery would be getting in return could result in being a priceless addition for the Gunners who are in need of a defensive rebuild.

Arsenal have been a horror show defensively this season, again, and it’s rare a player can emerge that could fix the majority of their problems, but in Umtiti, they will have just that.

Arsenal fans, would Umtiti be a good signing for the club? Let us know!

أعلن البرتغالي جايمي باتشيكو المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك تشكيل الفريق أمام الرجاء المغربي لخوض مباراة إياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويستضيف الزمالك نظيره الرجاء المغربي على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وكان الزمالك قد انتصر على الرجاء بهدفٍ وحيد في مباراة الذهاب التي أقيمت في مركب محمد الخامس بالدار البيضاء.

وشهد تشكيل الزمالك عودة فرجاني ساسي لاعب الفريق بعد غيابه عن مباراة الذهاب بسبب إصابته بفيروس كورونا. تشكيل الزمالك أمام الرجاء

حارس المرمى: محمد أبو جبل.

خط الدفاع: عبد الله جمعة – محمود الونش – محمود علاء – أحمد عيد.

خط الوسط: طارق حامد – إسلام جابر – أشرف بن شرقي – فرجاني ساسي – أحمد سيد “زيزو”.

خط الهجوم: مصطفى محمد.

طالع أيضًا.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الزمالك والرجاء في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

طالع أيضًا.. بدلاء الزمالك أمام الرجاء.. شيكابالا يجاور أوناجم

يذكر أن المتأهل من الزمالك أو الرجاء سيواجه الأهلي في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا الذي سيقام في استاد برج العرب بالإسكندرية.

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Samir Nasri is set to reject the opportunity to stay at West Ham United, per Claret&Hugh.

What’s the word?

Nasri, who is valued at £5.4million by Transfermarkt, joined the club at the end of December on a free transfer after the expiration of a doping ban.

The former Arsenal star has struggled under Manuel Pellegrini, however, playing just five times in the Premier League and registering two assists.

The aforementioned report states that, with his current contract set to expire in June, the Hammers had been keen for him to sign a pay-as-you-play deal.

However, he is now reportedly poised to reject that offer, with Nasri and his advisers looking to receive a wage of £70,000-per-week, an increase of £20,000 on his current £50,000-per-week pay packet.

Exit is a blessing

Nasri’s signing has been an unmitigated disaster.

It was clear upon signing the Frenchman that he was rusty after his doping ban, and there was precious little chance of him ever becoming the player that he was at both Arsenal and Manchester City in east London.

But, still, the club have committed to paying him a salary befitting a major Premier League star; since his signing at the end of December, West Ham have paid him a total of 19 wage slips, which amounts to £950,000.

This is a prime example of why their current transfer policy is so flawed, and why this deal was always destined to fail – there was no chance of him ever paying that money back with his on-pitch performances.

West Ham, then, should use this as a catalyst and change their ways; they will lose nothing by sacking off the older, more injury-prone stars and targeting young, hungry talent that can develop and become saleable assets.

As it is, Nasri is likely to leave and head off into the wilderness, or perhaps to China.

No other Premier League club are likely to take him and that, in isolation, speaks volumes.

But all is not lost; getting Nasri off the wage bill is a boost, and the money will be freed up for investment elsewhere.

The Hammers can spend it wisely and they should start by scouring the continent for the best young talent they can find – those players will be a fair bit cheaper than Nasri, that’s for sure.

حرص شوقي غريب المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأولمبي على توجيه الشكر لاتحاد الكرة ووزير الشباب الرياضة.

يقام حاليًا مؤتمر صحفي للحديث عن الدورة الثلاثية الودية لمنتخبات مصر وكوريا الجنوبية والبرازيل والتي تستضيفها مصر في الفترة ما بين 12 إلى 17 نوفمبر الجاري.

وقال شوقي في تصريحات للمؤتمر الصحفي الخاص للحديث عن الدورة الأولمبية: “أشكر اتحاد الكرة على وقوفه بجانب المنتخب الأولمبي، وأيضًا وزير الشباب والرياضة أشرف صبحي وشركة برزنتيشن والشركة المنظمة للدورة الودية”.

طالع أيضًا.. قائمة منتخب مصر الأولمبي لمباراتي كوريا والبرازيل.. ضم ناصر ماهر وصلاح محسن

تابع: “أرحب بمنتخبي البرازيلي حامل لقب الأولمبياد ولاعبيه الكبار، ومنتخب كوريا الجنوبية بطل آسيا الذي يعد من أفضل المنتخبات الأولمبية على مستوى العالم”.

وواصل: “ويكفي لنا أن الرئيس عبدالفتاح السيسي يُكرم المنتخب الأولمبي، وأشكر أحمد عبدالله المُشرف على المنتخب الأولمبي”.

ويستعد منتخب مصر الأولمبي لمواجهه نظيره كوريا الجنوبية وديًا مساء الخميس القادم في المواجهة الأولى من الدورة الثلاثية.

جدير بالذكر أن منتخب مصر تحت 23 نجح في التتويج ببطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية لأول مرة في تاريخ، وحجز مقعدا في أولمبياد طوكيو.

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Leeds fans have fired back at Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder after his comments about the media backing Leeds have received ahead of their potential promotion to the Premier League.

These comments come just a week after Henry Winter produced an article on why the Premier League needs Leeds United, which gushed over the history of the club and their fanbase.

The Sheffield United boss clearly isn’t a fan of the media’s obsession with Leeds and, after the Blades returned to the driving seat in the race for promotion, he revealed his frustration.

Wilder told the Sheffield Star: “Most of the media want Leeds to go up. We’re determined to make them eat their words”

Leeds fans took issue with Wilder’s statement saying that he is off the mark after the club’s treatment around the Spygate saga, whilst other fans had a problem with the fact Wilder addressed it despite the fact it doesn’t affect what happens on the pitch.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying in response to the promotion-chasing manager on Twitter…