All posts by z3u9t.icu

Southampton may not have been overly busy in terms of incomings on transfer deadline day, but the deal they did complete was a big one, and they did let a few players, like Sofiane Boufal, depart too.

It was with the Saints back during the 2005/06 season when Theo Walcott first broke onto the scene as a 16-year-old. He made 25 appearances for the club that term, scoring five goals, and it wasn’t long before Arsenal came knocking. Incredibly, Walcott was even included in England’s 2006 World Cup squad, although he didn’t make it on to the pitch during the tournament.

Since then, he has played almost 400 times for the Gunners, appeared 47 times for the Three Lions and also played for Everton. He joins the Saints on a season-long loan.

There were also several departures during the final 24 hours of the window, with Guido Carrillo, Wesley Hoedt and Boufal all departing. The latter, in particular, will be missed by the fans, with many still remembering his stunning goal against West Brom during the 2017/18 season. The £7.2m-valued man (as per Transfermarkt) has joined Angers on a year-long loan, but with this being the last term of his contract, he is unlikely to return to the south coast.

The fans took to Twitter to share their disappointment at his departure, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Amidst the sheer brilliance of Bruno Fernandes since his arrival from Sporting CP back in the January transfer window, the attention has firmly been on the Manchester United play-maker – eight goals and seven assists in 15 games are a testament to that.

But in recent weeks, another star from Old Trafford is beginning to share centre stage with him, and against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Thursday night, he arguably outshone Fernandes. Step forward, Paul Pogba.

The France World Cup winner has of course been the subject of intense transfer speculation for a couple of seasons now, but reports in recent weeks have suggested that he is now much happier at United and is likely to stay this summer.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

And boy is he proving what an incredible outcome that could be.

The midfielder scored in United’s 3-0 victory over Villa, and offered the kind of creativity from the engine room that you just don’t get from the likes of Scott McTominay and Fred.

As per Sofascore, he completed two of his three attempted dribbles, provided three key passes, created one big chance, and successfully completed all 11 of his long balls.

He ran the show from the middle of the park, enjoying 93 touches (the most of any United player and 24 more than Fernandes), and completed 72 of his 79 passes.

It was no surprise that his overall match rating of 8.4 was the highest of any player on the pitch, and whilst he has arguably been in Fernandes’ shadow recently, he showed exactly what he can bring too.

Such has been United’s impressive form, that they are now well placed to finish in the top four and secure Champions League football for next season.

And Pogba is really inspiring this late charge for it.

Tottenham Hotspur have already been busy before the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season by handing out new deals to Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp.Â

Skipp signed a new four-year deal last week and Dier followed suit almost immediately, keeping him in north London until 2024 at the very least.

Now it seems as though Japhet Tanganga is about to jump on the bandwagon, ending months of speculation over his future at the club.

According to The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, as per Dan Kilpatrick for The Evening Standard, Tottenham have made a breakthrough in contract talks with Tanganga’s representatives and a deal is ‘almost done.’

The Athletic had claimed earlier this month that talks between the two sides had stalled, as his representatives were unimpressed by the original offer on the table, but this no longer appears to be the case, as he is now one step nearer to finalising fresh terms with Spurs.

Tanganga, 21, has played six games in the Premier League this season before succumbing to a back injury.

Although he has been absent since the restart, he has worked his way back to full match fitness, and was named on the bench for the past three games in a row.

If he signs a new deal, it could push Juan Foyth out the door, as he has fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho. While questions remain over Foyth’s future at the club, Tanganga has been one of the few positive talking points in a tough season for Tottenham.

Spurs struggled to get off to a good start after surging to the Champions League final last year and Mauricio Pochettino was sacked as a result of a slump in form.

The academy graduate has grown accustomed to his role in the first team, as he has not looked out of place at all, receiving a higherÂWhoScored rating than his colleagues and close rivals Toby AlderweireldÂandÂJan Vertonghen, to name but a few.

Tanganga, who is currently valued at £6m via Transfermarkt, has impressed Mourinho during his debut in the defeat to eventual Premier League champions Liverpool at the start of the year.

If he can maintain this impressive form, he should be able to save the club a lot of money in the long run.

Tottenham fans, has Tanganga made the right decision? Let us know down below!

Loads of Arsenal fans have been gushing over leaked images coming from a Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) kit maker that were shared on LTArsenal’s Twitter page.

The new home strip would still boast the traditional red and white colours, but would have a slightly different pattern on the shirt. The main body is red with a white neckline, white sleeves and white shorts with red socks, as the images were modelled in game by Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

However, the away jersey boasts different colours, as the shirt is primarily white in colour, with a maroon neckline in addition to patches of maroon on the shoulders, sleeves and in the badge and kit sponsors. Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi all feature in game wearing the jersey.

The pictures seemed to draw mixed responses from several members of the Gunners faithful, but the comments were mostly positive.

These AFC supporters in particular gushed over the images:

Gooners, what do you make of the images? Comment below!

With just seven games to go, Leeds inch ever closer to their return to the Premier League after dismantling Fulham 3-0 at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

The Whites saw rivals West Brom slip to a 1-0 defeat to Brentford the night before, and they took advantage of that slip-up with the minimum of fuss.

Patrick Bamford, Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison all notched in a comfortable victory, and the latter in particular drew some high praise from the club’s fans for a virtuoso performance.

Aside from his goal and assist, Harrison also provided two key passes, created one big chance and finished with a 7.9 match rating as per Sofascore – only goalkeeper Illan Meslier finished with a higher score (8.1).

And after seeing his display, Leeds fans flocked to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of Leeds fans talked up how good Harrison looked playing out on the right-hand side, with most of his appearances this season coming on the opposite flank (38).

A few fans made it very clear they wanted to see Harrison signed permanently, with reports back in January suggesting that parent club Manchester City are willing to let him go for around £8m.

If Leeds get one key piece of transfer business done this summer, then surely securing Harrison on a permanent deal is right up there at the top of the list.

Can you name every one of the Leeds’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The 5 foot 9 ace has been an ever-present for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this season, playing in every single Championship game, and has scored six times and provided eight assists across all competitions.

He’s had the kind of impressive campaign that should have Victor Orta and co with a fairly simple decision to make about whether to bring him back for next season.

Manchester United fans do not have much confidence going into the Manchester derby next month even though City striker Sergio Aguero is set to miss the game at the Etihad.

The two sides will face each on December 7th and the Red Devils have not had the best of fortunes against their local rivals in recent years. United have lost three out of the last five meetings with the Citizens and were beaten home and away last season versus Pep Guardiola’s side, who went on to win the Premier League.

The Spanish manager revealed in his press conference that Aguero is set to be out for “a few weeks” and added that the Argentina international will “need a miracle” to be fit for the tie against their hated neighbours.

Aguero has been on the winning side seven times on 11 occasions and has scored nine goals during derby matches over the years, so his absence could be massively influential.

Despite Aguero’s impressive record against United however, supporters still aren’t hopeful of getting anything out of the game and made their feelings clear on social media.

Here you will find some of the best responses from Manchester United fans:

Wolves’ Raul Jimenez has been linked to moves away from the Midlands since January, with three major Premier League sides keen on acquiring his services.

According to ESPN, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in the Mexican striker, who currently has a market value of £36million (£45m prior to the halted season).

Manchester United are also keeping tabs on the 28-year-old and his teammate, Rúben Neves, as they look to recruit in the summer, with Goal.com reporting back in January that the Red Devils had made moves to sign the pair, although a deal in the winter window never transpired.

Jiménez has taken the league by storm since arriving from Benfica in 2018 on loan before making it a permanent move the following year. The frontman has tallied 26 league goals and 14 assists across his time so far with Wolves. His goal contributions see him the eighth-highest scorer in England’s top flight this campaign, ahead of Raheem Sterling and Roberto Firmino.

But despite interest from three of England’s most valuable clubs, a move away from Wolves wouldn’t be as beneficial as it may look on paper. The Midlands side are currently sixth in the Premier League on 43 points, five behind fourth-place Chelsea.

However, following a verdict of Manchester City’s ban from Europe, Wolves may simply need to secure fifth in the table to qualify for a Champions League spot – which Man United currently occupy with a very slim two-point advantage.

Europe is well within the grasp of Nuno Espírito Santo’s side and their ticket to success is undoubtedly Jiménez. However, it’s easy to see why the links to some of England’s best could be tempting the striker. The Red Devils have been struggling across the frontline this season and the promise of regular first-team football could be enough to sway the Mexican into a move up north.

Spurs are in a similar situation, with three of their attackers currently injured. Harry Kane is also linked to a move away from London, which could see the addition of Jiménez becoming the focal point of the team. But Tottenham and their rivals Arsenal are both in surprisingly low positions in the table, with just one point separating them in eighth and ninth place respectively.

Wolves expert? Take this quiz and prove it…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

To move away from a side where exciting things could be unfolding would be a foolish move for Jiménez. Particularly if the rumours surrounding an exit for Adama Traore come to fruition and Wolves use the money to bring in support for their No.9. The added bonus of Champions League football would also attract attention from the rest of Europe, especially if they make it into the knockout stages.

With Jiménez in their ranks, Wolves could see themselves slowly climb the ladder towards becoming an elite Premier League side. If he stays long enough, the Mexican goal-machine could also see himself go down in history as a club legend, although admittedly that is some way off right now.

With another January transfer window on the horizon, it’s that time of year where Manchester City are once again linked with a move for Spanish playmaker Isco, but now it looks like there could be another name about to be consistently tipped for a switch to the Etihad. 

Particularly during City’s newly-found defensive crisis, with first-team stars Ederson, Aymeric Laporte and Oleksandr Zinchenko out for the foreseeable future, the club have been repeatedly linked with a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) has been the latest source to link the centre-back to a move to Manchester – but these fans clearly don’t fancy Pep Guardiola adding him to the team.

The Senegalese international has been one of Europe’s top centre-backs in recent seasons and a top ball-playing defender, exhibiting a 91.2% pass success rate in the 2017/2018 season for Napoli, highlighting why he may be so sought after at Eastlands.

Regardless of the credibility of some rumours, City supporters seem to prefer a range of alternatives to the Napoli defender, making their views clear online.

Here’s what they had to say on Twitter:

City fans, which defender would you sign for the club? Let us know below!

Besiktas are looking to sign on-loan goalkeeper Loris Karius from Liverpool on a permanent basis, according to reports from Turkey.

Fanatik claimed [via Sport Witness] that the Istanbul-based club want to sign the 26-year-old permanently after an upturn in form over the past few weeks, with a proposal to complete an €8m (£6.84m) transfer in four equal instalments over a four-year period.

The German is into the second year of a two-year loan spell at Besiktas from Anfield, with the Turkish side hoping to formalise the deal in January if Liverpool agree to their transfer proposal, as per Fanatik [via Sport Witness].

If Fanatik’s reports are true, it would represent a remarkable volte-face from Besiktas, with Takvim claiming less than a month ago [via The Mirror] that the Turkish club were seeking to cancel Karius’ loan spell prematurely.

The goalkeeper endured a difficult start to the season, conceding nine goals in four league games during the autumn as well as being culpable for a horrendous misjudgement in Besiktas’ Europa League loss to Slovan Bratislava, when he raced from his line but failed to reach a 50-50 ball, gifting Andraz Sporar a tap-in, as per The Guardian.

However, since the start of October, Karius’ form has improved drastically, with only one goal conceded in his last five league matches as Besiktas collected 13 points from a possible 15. [via TransferMarkt]

That run included a derby victory over Galatasaray in which he kept a clean sheet and made three saves, a feat he repeated in their most recent outing against Denizlispor.

He has actually had a better record of late than Liverpool’s Alisson, who has conceded one goal in each of his six Reds appearances since returning from a calf injury a month ago. [via TransferMarkt]

However, the Brazilian still has a better return for the season overall with seven goals conceded in eight appearances (0.87 per game), compared to Karius’ 20 in 14 matches (1.43 per game).

Adrian, who deputised for Alisson during his spell out injured, let in 13 goals in his 11 games for the Reds this term (1.18 per game), also leaving him with a better concession rate than the German throughout 2019/20.

Aside from Alisson and Adrian, Liverpool can also call upon Caoimhin Kelleher in goals, with the young Irishman managing a clean sheet on his senior debut against MK Dons in September and making a decisive penalty save in the Carabao Cup shoot-out win over Arsenal last month.

Karius may be on a good run of form now, but his error against Slovan Bratislava had echoes of the fateful 2018 Champions League final, and with the Reds already well-stocked for goalkeeping options, they would be right to accept Besiktas’ reported £6.84m transfer proposal if the Turkish club follow through on it.

What is really crazy to think about is that the Reds paid just £4.75m to bring the Mainz man to Anfield, so could actually be set to make a profit on a player who has done nothing but make mistakes, both on Merseyside and while out on loan.

Fans have often praised sporting director Michael Edwards for his work in selling players like Dominic Solanke, Jordon Ibe and Christian Benteke for more than they are likely worth, and it appears another master-class from the Reds transfer guru could be on the way.

Liverpool fans, should the club accept the transfer offer that Besiktas are reportedly lining up if presented to them in January? Have your say by commenting below!

Some Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they don’t think they can get back to where they used to be any time soon.The Saints finished 6th in the Premier League back in 2015/16, just three points off a Champions League place, and were playing European football against the likes of Inter Milan at the San Siro as recently as the 2016/17 season.

Back then, the south coast side were flying with futureÂBallon d’Or nominees such as Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk and Dusan Tadic running riot for them, while Graziano Pelle, Victor Wanyama and Jose Fonte also performed at a very high level.

Now, however, the side from St Mary’s find themselves battling relegation more often than not, with players in their ranks who are nowhere near the level of the aforementioned stars.

Southampton only just managed to survive by the skin of their teeth under Mark Hughes in 2017/18, finishing in 17th – just three points above the relegation zone.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have started this season in similarly poor fashion, sitting in 17th once again having won just two of their first nine league games – they are only above the relegation zone on goal difference.

Let’s take a look at what the Southampton fans have been saying on Twitter…