"Transfer window blown" – Arsenal fans aren’t happy with timing of Edu’s arrival

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Arsenal’s time away from the Champions League continues to frustrate fans, with many calling for more investment in players and a change in the structure of the club to help Unai Emery work with the team as best he can.

The Gunners have never been a traditionally trigger-happy side in the transfer market, so it’s unlikely that we’ll see any different this summer, however there have been other significant changes in the way the football club operates. The major change came in the form of Arsene Wenger, a manager who controlled almost everything at Arsenal for 22 years, being moved on at the end of last season and replaced with the ex-PSG boss.

Since then Stan Kroenke has become the outright owner of the club as well, and it seems they’ve taken another step towards changing their model by reportedly being set to appoint former Brazilian star Edu as the club’s new Technical Director.

Though this should be good news for everyone involved at Arsenal, the timing of his arrival has been met with much dismay. Reports suggest Edu won’t begin work with the Gunners until the 7th July, around half-way through the transfer season, which many fans were quick to point out on Twitter…

إيسكو يتخذ قرارًا حاسمًا تجاه مستقبله مع ريال مدريد

اتخذ لاعب فريق ريال مدريد إيسكو قرارًا حاسمًا تجاه مستقبله في النادي الإسباني، حسبما أفادت صحفية “ماركا” الإسبانية اليوم.

وحسب صحيفة “ماركا”، فإن إيسكو قرر مغادرة النادي الملكي في موسم الانتقالات الشتوي المقبل.

وأوضحت أن تلك هي المرة الأولى التي يفكر فيها إيسكو في مسألة الرحيل عن ريال مدريد، منذ انتقاله إلى سانتياجو برنابيو في عام 2013.

وأفادت أن والد إيسكو ووكيل أعماله، فرانسيسكو، أبلغ إدارة ريال مدريد بالفعل برغبة اللاعب في الرحيل في شهر يناير القادم.

ليس هذا فقط، بل أكدت أن إيسكو تحدث كذلك مع المدرب زين الدين زيدان بشأن مستقبله وأبلغه أنه يفكر جديًا في الرحيل مطلع العام الجديد.

وأشارت إلى أن زيدان لم يثنِ إيسكو عن قراره، بل فتح له باب الرحيل عن ريال مدريد إذا رغب بالفعل في القيام بتلك الخطوة، حيث لا يريد الفرنسي الوقوف في طريقه.

ويشعر إيسكو بأن الوقت قد حان من أجل التغيير لاستعادة مكانته المفقودة، حيث يعاني بشكل كبير من قلة فرص اللعب المنتظم التي يحصل عليها تحت قيادة زيدان.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أنشيلوتي يرد على أنباء مفاوضات إيفرتون وإيسكو

ولم يشارك إيسكو إلا في 6 مباريات في الموسم الحالي، حيث لم يلعب إلا في الدوري الإسباني، ولم يخض أي مباراة في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

يُذكر أن العقد الحالي لـ إيسكو مع ريال مدريد سينتهي في عام 2022.

Marcelo Bielsa dropped the ball when bringing Izzy Brown to Leeds United

Shocker: Marcelo Bielsa made a mistake signing Chelsea man Izzy Brown last summer, who has failed to keep up with the Argentine’s stiff fitness tests and suffered yet another injury setback on Monday night.

The injury Brown sustained against Coventry in the Professional Development League play-offs means it is unlikely he will play for Leeds United again, leaving him a single disappointing senior appearance.

The on-loan Chelsea midfielder has been gifted just nine minutes of first-team action since making a comeback from a knee injury that placed him on the sideline for 12 months in January 2019.

He has been a regular for Leeds Under-23s but has been overlooked by Marcelo Bielsa for first-team duties, despite el Loco handing a number of opportunities out to youngsters over the course of the season.

His expulsion from the squad has surprised former Leeds striker Noel Wheelan who recently weighed in on the situation: “I’d be very surprised if Izzy Brown plays for Leeds again,” Whelan told Football Insider. “There would need to be even more injuries for him to get a go.

“You wonder why Bielsa brought him, as he was injured when he joined and wasn’t fit until January. He has played plenty of Under-23s games and done well in them.”

Whatever the reason, it is pretty clear that Brown has been a calamitous waste of time. For all his talent, of which there is plenty, he has offered very little to the general progress of the club and has more than likely set the Whites back a fair bit in wages.

We must say, this is probably one of the most disappointing cases for Leeds fans to stomach this season. A lack of creativity in the forward positions and heavy reliance on talisman Pablo Hernandez was crying out for an Izzy Brown introduction, and almost everyone wanted to make it happen, or at the very least have him back for the playoffs. But Brown’s most recent injury means that is just not going to happen now.

A silly mistake bringing him to Elland Road in the first place.

Leeds fans, how disappointing has Izzy Brown been this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Signing of England man makes all sort of sense for Manchester City

Manchester City overcame a tough fixture at Burnley this weekend to move within two wins of retaining their title.

A goal from Sergio Aguero was enough for Pep Guardiola’s men to see off the Clarets at Turf Moor, and it’s looking ever likely that City will indeed make it two on the bounce despite the best efforts of Liverpool.

City have been superb and deserve all the credit for maintaining their form, but manager Guardiola is is clearly already keeping an eye on things with regards to the club’s future, with it being reported this weekend that he could target a move for Leicester City defender Harry Maguire.

The big centre half has once again been in fine form for the Foxes and has seen his reputation and staure within the game grow even further.

Maguire would be a superb signing for City too if they can indeed part with the big money needed to prize him away from the King Power Stadium, and despite having the likes of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte, you would assume Maguire would slot in as a first choice pick.

His ability with the ball makes him ideal for Guardiola to blend into his system, and his height, presence, and age are all factors which again make him a perfect signing.

Maguire has shown for England that he can play at the highest level, and with Vincent Kompany not getting any younger, he could be the ideal man to step into the void the Belgian is going to eventually leave.

City will always be contenders in the market for the best players, and the signing of a player like Maguire would be yet another statement of intent from the Manchester club.

Arsenal: Unai Emery should be doing all he can to sign Yannick Carrasco

Watching Arsenal attempting to sign a winger last January was one of the most amusing transfer sagas of the window.

From trying to sign Ivan Perisic on loan to end up getting Denis Suarez was truly entertaining for neutrals as Arsenal signed a player who only played just over an hour of football come the end of the season, but there was one other name in the mix for the majority of the winter window.

Former Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco was a surprise name to be linked with a move to north London, with the now Dalian Yifang attacker seemingly open with a move back to Europe after a year in China, but nevertheless, a move failed to materialise, but recent comments have perked up Arsenal fans and Unai Emery.

Speaking to the Sun, Carrasco admitted that Arsenal did make a move for him in January and he is ready to move back to Europe after struggling to adapt to life in China and that the Premier League is an ideal destination for the Belgian international.

Arsenal are in need of a winger this summer with Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan the club’s only natural wide players and both wingers not exactly being the quality Emery wants, and because of this, Carrasco should be a major priority.

The winger has been in good form this season in the Chinese Super League, scoring seven and assisting another in the first nine games of the 2019 campaign, and with Dalian Yifang likely to cash in on Carrasco after these recent comments, Arsenal need to move in quick if they are to secure the signature of a player who has what it takes to flourish in north London.

Arsenal fans, will Carrasco be a good summer signing? Let us know!

West Ham: Marega’s alleged summer arrival is fantastic news

West Ham United could finally be about to land a striker that is more than capable of spearheading their attack! Hallelujah!

It is well documented that David Gold and David Sullivan have had their troubles in trying to bring someone to the club that is able to find the back of the net on a consistent basis and take them to the next level. It has to be said, winning the lottery has appeared more likely at times.

However, the co-owners may have finally been able to find their man and continue to build on the good times that have just started to begin at the London Stadium!

According to a report by Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via the guys at Sport Witness), Moussa Marega is believed to be on his way to the Hammers this summer.

They claim the Porto man is set to leave the club in the transfer window and, in no uncertain terms, have stated that West Ham is the ‘destination’.

Now, there will always be an element of doubt regarding transfer rumours until they are actually finalised and a player is shown holding the club’s shirt, however, there is no detracting from the fact that this would be a very good deal for the Premier League side if it were to happen.

Marega has been in rich goalscoring form for the last two seasons whilst with Porto, having recorded goal tallies of 23 and 21 in those campaigns.

The Mali international would fit the playing style and system that Manuel Pellegrini likes to adopt, whilst he is incredibly powerful in the air and on the ball, whilst possessing bundles of pace to make life that bit harder for his defender.

Certainly a player that the Irons would benefit having in the team, the 28-year-old powerhouse would provide the Hammers with a reliable forward option and one that has all the potential of making himself a nuisance in the Premier League.

West Ham, bring Marega to the London Stadium and you could have an excellent campaign next season.

West Ham fans, what are your thoughts on Marega? Do you think he would have a significant impact on the team? Let us know below!

Disgraceful: Leeds fans aren’t happy with what Marcelo Bielsa was asked

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Leeds fans have taken to Twitter in fury after Marcelo Bielsa was asked if he’d be spying on Derby again, with both teams now set to face each other in the play-off semi-finals.

The former Marseille boss came under fire back in February after a member of Leeds’ staff was spotted outside the Rams’ training ground, before he later admitted to sending a spy to watch every single side his men have faced this season.

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The English Football League hit Leeds with a whopping £200,000 fine for their actions, which Bielsa paid in full himself.

So, having had to shell out such a sum, it is no wonder why Bielsa didn’t take kindly to being asked if he’d be spying again, and then to be told he has no sense of humour after the journalist in question said he was only joking.

Let’s see what the livid Leeds fans on Twitter have been saying about the incident…

كلوب عن أزمة إصابات ليفربول: أتفق مع سولشاير وأطالب بتطبيق قانون التبديلات الخمسة

أجرى الألماني يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، مقابلة صحفية مطولة مع نجم الريدز السابق، جيمي ريدناب، لصحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية.

كلوب أعرب عن غضبه بشأن عدم السماح باستبدال خمسة لاعبين في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، متحدثًا عن كثافة جدول المباريات والتي أثرت في المقابل على إصابات اللاعبين.

وجاءت المحادثة على النحو التالي:

يورجن كلوب: “لست من أشد المعجبين بفترات التوقف الدولي، إنه مجرد وقت عصيب حقًا، بالنسبة لنا، لم يكن استراحة ناجحة، فقدنا لاعبين للإصابات”.

جيمي ريدناب: “شعرت بحزن شديد بسبب إصابة جوميز في الركبة، أعرف جيدًا الألم الذي يشعر به، كيف يبدو أن تكون مدربا وتتلقى تلك المكالمة الهاتفية؟”

كلوب: “لغتي الإنجليزية ليست جيدة بما يكفي لوصف ما يدور في ذهني بالضبط، طبيب العلاج الطبيعي أكد لي أن الأمر جد وليس مزاح، الإصابات هي جزء من تعاقدك مع اللاعبين والمدربين، كيف تحدث هو شيء يقلقنا باستمرار”.

وأضاف: “إصابة فيرجيل فان دايك، لم تكن بسبب كثافة المبارايات، كان بسبب قرار غريب للغاية من قبل شخص واحد (جوردان بيكفورد) مما جعل من الصعب التعامل معه، مع جو، كان ذلك بالتأكيد بسبب كثافة المباريات، هذا شيء يجب أن نقلق بشأنه، هذا ليس عذرا، هذا مجرد تفسير”.

ريدناب: “ما هو الحل بالنسبة لك؟ وجود خمسة تبديلات؟”.

كلوب: “لقد ناضلنا بقوة من أجل عطلة الشتاء في الموسم العادي، بعد أسبوع من أصعب فترة في الموسم، أسبوع واحد حيث لا يتعين عليك التفكير في كرة القدم، وليس عليك التدريب، ولا يتعين عليك الاستيقاظ في الصباح والتفكير، كيف سألعب الليلة؟ لقد كافحنا بشدة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لامبارد يطالب بإلغاء مباريات السبت المبكرة في الدوري الإنجليزي

وتابع مدرب ليفربول: “لكن هذا ليس موسمًا عاديًا الآن، هذا الموسم الآن أقصر بأربعة أسابيع ولكن بنفس عدد المباريات، هذا وقت مميز للغاية، ليس فقط لكرة القدم ولكن للعالم كله علينا جميعًا أن نحفر ونقاتل بجد لتجاوزه، في كرة القدم، الأمر هكذا يبدو أن العالم بأسره قد تغير ولكن الشيئين اللذين بقيا هما قائمة المباريات في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز وثلاثة لاعبين”.

وواصل كلوب: “هذان هما الشيئين اللذين يجب أن نتحدث عنهما، علينا التحدث إلى المذيعين، يحتاج الناس إلى فهم لاعبي كرة القدم، يقول الناس: أوه ، لكنهم يحصلون على هذه الرواتب، الأمر لا يتعلق بذلك، يكسبون هذا القدر لأنهم مميزون للغاية، يوم الأربعاء كان لدينا اجتماع بين جميع المدربين وكان في غاية الأهمية”.

ريدناب: “هل سار بشكل جيد؟”.

كلوب: “نعم، قبل الموسم اعتقد بعض الناس أنها ستكون ميزة لنا، الأشخاص الذين قالوا إننا يجب أن نلتزم بخمسة استبدالات، لكنها لم تكن أبدًا،وأستطيع أن أعدك بهذا لم يكن الأمر لثانية واحدة حول الحصول على ميزة، كل الدول الأخرى فعلت ذلك، في إيطاليا، يوفنتوس وإنتر ميلان لديهم أكبر عدد من اللاعبين، لكن لا تزال الأندية الأخرى تقول نحتاج إلى خمسة تبديلات”.

وأكمل: “أمس ستة مدربين غيروا رأيهم، نحن في حاجة إلى ذلك، للاعبين وليس للأندية، ديسمبر ويناير في الموسم العادي شهور وحشية، نحن نعلم ذلك، لكن هذا العام  بالنسبة لأندية دوري أبطال أوروبا والدوري الأوروبي، أكتوبر يشبه شهر ديسمبر، نوفمبر مثل ديسمبر، ديسمبر لا يزال ديسمبر، ثم يناير، ثم فبراير (يقصد ضغط المباريات)”.

وشدد كلوب: “نتفق جميعًا على أننا نريد اللعب بنسبة 100 في المائة، لكنها تعديلات طفيفة، علينا التصويت بعد ظهر اليوم، إلى حد كبير، دعونا جميعًا ونصوت حن بحاجة إلى جعل المذيعين يدورون حول الطاولة، سكاي، بي تي، عليهم التحدث إلينا، مهما كانت العقود التي تم توقيعها من قبل، فقد تم توقيعها لفترة غير فترة وباء كورونا”.

ريدناب: تحدث أولي جونار سولشاير عن جدول مانشستر يونايتد، أنت الآن تتفق معه مدرب يونايتد وليفربول يتفقان!”.

كلوب: “الأمر لا يتعلق بي ولا بليفربول، يتعلق الأمر برفاهية اللاعب لا شيء آخر، المشكلة هي أنه إذا سألت اللاعبين ، فإنهم يقولون، “أنا بخير!” لأن اللاعبين – وكنت أنت نفسك كذلك- يريدون دائمًا اللعب حتى يصابوا، على الاتحاد سؤال المدربين عما نعتقده وليس اللاعبين، تخاذ القرار خمسة تبديلات أم ثلاثة؟ أفضل حل هو خمسة، افعل ذلك”.

وأكد: “إذا كان لديك فريقان يلعبان في دوري أبطال أوروبا يوم الأربعاء، فلن يكونا في منافسة يوم السبت الساعة 12:30 ظهرًا لكن هناك عقد، نحتاج إلى اجتماع للمساهمين، علينا الجلوس ووضع حلول، ليس لدي الكثير من الوقت، لكنني سأجد وقتًا لذلك، يجب أن نكون أقوياء، هناك أشياء أكثر أهمية تحدث في العالم أكثر أهمية وأنا أعلم ذلك لكن لا يمكنك تجاهل المشاكل الصغيرة فقط بسبب المشاكل الأكبر”.

Between the Lines: Gerrard instilling perfect attitude in Rangers squad

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Rangers overcame Aberdeen in the season’s final clash between the two sides, and Steven Gerrard said all the right things after the match.

After winning just one of the previous six meetings between the two sides, it was pretty clear Rangers had a point to prove on Sunday.

Aberdeen arrived at Ibrox knowing they have flustered and infuriated the Gers in every clash this season, but an utterly dominant performance from Gerrard’s side resulted in a 2-0 win for the hosts.

James Tavernier scored both goals from the spot after fouls on Nikola Katic on both occasions, but they could well have scored four or five if not for Joe Lewis.

One surprise of the match was Lee Wallace returning to the pitch, and Gerrard gave the absolute perfect response when asked about the 31 year-old’s return.

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…

What did he say?

“It’s a nice moment, but Lee deserves that,” he told the Gers’ official site.

“He has had a very good week in training, trained really well, really strong and he had 45 minutes against Liverpool’s under 23s and was outstanding.

“He was in the 18 on merit today and I just thought with the scoreline how it was right to go to a five and go a little bit more solid.

“He deserved his appearance, it was nothing to do with sentiment.”

Verdict

When the title is slipping further out of grasp with each passing week, it would be all too easy for the Rangers players to down tools and start plotting for next season.

They put in an excellent performance against the Dons though, and it’s not hard to see why when you read Gerrard’s comments.

The gaffer has shown his squad that hard work and doing the right things in training is far more important than age, individual talent or sentiment.

The fact that Wallace, a player who is seemingly destined to leave once his contract ends this summer, was able to force his way back into the squad will keep every player on their toes, continually striving for greatness with the threat of being replaced looming large.

Gerrard has managed to strike the perfect balance of giving his players confidence but letting them know he will take no prisoners, and this is exactly the type of mentality required to really challenge for number 55 next season.

Time to shine: Leeds fans hoping for Izzy Brown return

[ad_pod ]Leeds United fans on Twitter are hoping that a mysterious tweet posted by Marcelo Bielsa’s translator means that Izzy Brown will play a part in the playoffs.

Salim Lamrani has worked closely with the Yorkshire club’s manager all year, and on Thursday afternoon he posted a picture of the midfielder captioned “Izzy ‘The Sniper’ Brownâ€.

Brown has only played one game for Leeds so far this season, yet that hasn’t stopped fans from clamouring for him to feature in their most crucial game up to this point.

The Chelsea loanee is the only member of the Whites’ squad who has been promoted through the Championship playoffs before, so perhaps Bielsa has opted to draft him in due to his experience.

The midfielder has endured an injury-plagued season, but there is still time for him to become a hero at Elland Road.

It remains to be seen as to whether or not Brown will feature on Sunday, but this tweet could be a sign that he is in line for a return.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

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