Leeds United moved to within five points of the English Championship play-off positions with a much-needed 1-0 victory over Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday.It was Leeds’ first win under new manager Paul Heckingbottom and their first in ten matches and could be a major turning point in their season as the race for promotion heats up in the closing stages of the second-tier.The Whites had Liam Cooper to thank for the victory, the defender heading home from a free-kick to respond to criticism after a lacklustre performance mid-week.[ad_pod ]The name on every supporter’s lips though was Samu Saiz, who impressed throughout the 90 minutes and wowed supporters with his skill and dribbling ability. It was the player’s first start since receiving a suspension for spitting in an FA Cup clash.Fans reckon that the team was much improved with him in the side and hope he can stay in the starting eleven going forward.They took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
Manchester United returned to second position in the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Willian sent the Blues ahead in Manchester, but Romelu Lukaku netted to equalise against his former club before Jesse Lingard headed a winner for the home team.
It was actually Anthony Martial that departed the field for Lingard, but the former had already played his part having provided the assist for Lukaku to level the scores.
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Martial caused Chelsea all sorts of problems with his movement in the final third as he switched from left to right in a bid to free Alexis Sanchez.
The 22-year-old, who is valued at £58.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is enjoying a fine campaign with the Red Devils having scored 11 times and registered 10 assists in 38 appearances in all competitions.
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The United supporters absolutely love the former Monaco youngster, and many took to social media in the aftermath of the Chelsea result to pay tribute to the in-form attacker.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Former Chelsea forward Adrian Mutu is likely to raise eyebrows with his claim about Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s situation at Manchester United.
The former Sweden international was a massive hit at the North-West club last season as he scored 17 goals in 28 Premier League performances.
The 36-year-old was proving that age is just a number until he suffered a serious knee injury in the closing stages of last season.
Many questioned whether the striker would ever play again, but he did recover and signed a new one-year deal at United, much to the delight of the supporters.
However, it has not quite gone to plan for the Swede as he has made just seven appearances in all competitions this season and has scored just the one goal.
Ibrahimovic suffered an injury blow in December and has not played since United’s draw with Burnley on Boxing Day.
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Mutu, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea, has now made a bizarre claim that the only reason the former Paris Saint-Germain star is not playing is because he has fallen out with the manager.
In an interview with Telekom Sport Romania, Mutu said:
“I do not care about Mourinho. Mourinho doesn’t care about the performance, only the result. I have the information that Ibrahimovic is not injured, he’s just cold with Mourinho right now.”
French football programme Telefoot claimed this weekend that Tottenham have joined the race to sign Monaco’s Thomas Lemar, but Spurs fans are having none of it.According to Telefoot, Spurs have added their name to the list of competitors for Lemar, with the Frenchman admitting he was disappointed not to get a move in January.“I am not going to hide it, I was a bit disappointed,†Lemar said. “But there is no point fixating on that.“I have continued to work so that these clubs might come back for me in the following transfer window.â€https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/fm2mc-badboyxi.mp4Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked to the talented French attacker, but Spurs are supposedly looking to hijack the deal as Mauricio Pochettino aims to build an attack to be feared throughout Europe.Lemar has two goals and seven assists for Monaco in 20 league starts this season, after he broke on to the European stage last year as an integral part of Monaco’s title winning season.Spurs fans were surprised by links to Gareth Bale last week, with reports suggesting he could be offered to Premier League clubs for €120 million.Similarly to the Bale rumours, fans can’t even comprehend Daniel Levy splashing out such a big fee on one player, and they’re dubious of the links to Lemar.Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
According to Portuguese reports, Leeds United are chasing 21 year-old Benfica winger Diogo Goncalves.
What’s the story?
Leeds are reportedly lining up a summer swoop for Goncalves as they look to add more creativity and goals to their attack for next season.
Goncalves has scored eight and provided eight assists for Benfica B in the Portuguese second tier this season, and is highly regarded in Portugal.
The report claims that the impressive young winger, who is a client of super agent Jorge Mendes, is a “priority” for Leeds this summer. This comes shortly after owner Andrea Radrizzani’s absurd Twitter rant over Wolves’ use of agents in the transfer window.
Goncalves was linked with a season-long loan deal to Wolves last summer.
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Should Leeds pursue the youngster?
Leeds fans have often been frustrated by the amount of signings they make from lower tier European leagues, but this one would be too good to pass up. Goncalves is a major talent, and to contribute to 16 goals from the wing at such a young age is impressive in any league.
There has been a real lack of pace, excitement and creative spark at Elland Road this season, and with Pablo Hernandez looking likely to leave when his contract runs out, Goncalves would bring everything Hernandez did and more.
The speedy youngster is skilful, surprisingly strong, and an excellent crosser and set piece taker. He even grabbed an assist in one of his three Primeira Liga starts for the senior Benfica side and was trusted to make four Champions League starts. The 21 year-old is still waiting for his first senior international cap, but has represented Portugal at U15, U16, U17, U18 and U19 level.
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Goncalves may be a rough diamond, but he is a diamond nonetheless. If Radrizzani does indeed plan to follow Wolves’ transfer model as he indicated on TalkSport last week, then the Portuguese youngster would be an excellent starting point.
Leeds fans, would you like to see a move for Goncalves this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
West Ham were linked with a move for Jack Wilshere in January, and the overwhelming majority of fans we asked are urging the club to make another move in the summer.
Wilshere, valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, is seemingly nearing the end of his Arsenal career, but he may not have to move out of London if West Ham fans have anything to do with it.
The midfielder’s contract runs out this summer, and with Arsenal likely to undergo a massive squad overhaul there are no signs of an agreement between player and club.
Despite only starting ten Premier League games this season due to injuries, 71 per cent of West Ham fans think the club should revisit their interest in Wilshere.
It’s been a pretty torrid season for the Hammers, and despite a little spurt of form after hiring David Moyes, they are now embroiled in a relegation dogfight.
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Wilshere would certainly be an improvement on Moyes’ current midfield options, and you can catch the full results of the poll below…
Fans from all over the Premier League are mercilessly mocking Manchester United for their shock defeat to West Brom on Sunday.
It’s been a weird season for United fans. On one hand, their goalscoring record and points tally is much improved from last season.
However, the fact that Manchester City have run away so remarkably in the league has left the Red Devils counting on the FA Cup to save their season.
If next weekend’s FA Cup clash felt important before, it will feel colossal now, as Mourinho’s men fell to a shocking defeat on Sunday against West Brom.
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The almost certainly relegated Baggies won 1-0 at Old Trafford, and United’s rivals are absolutely loving the result.
City’s title celebrations were delayed after United’s incredible comeback win last weekend, but the defeat to West Brom means the blue half of Manchester’s celebrations can start right away.
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Of course, elation for one side of the city means plenty of pain for the other, and rivals fans are destroying the Red Devils on Twitter.
Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be looking for a new attacking player this summer amid reports that Fernando Llorente could be on the way out.
According to The Mirror, the Spaniard is willing to leave the North London outfit this summer after failing to earn a regular spot in the first team.
In fact, the striker, who is believed to be attracting interest from his former club Athletic Bilbao, has only started one Premier League game this season.
Given that Harry Kane will continue being the main man up front, Tottenham will require a back-up striker, and West Bromwich Albion’s Salomon Rondon has entered the mix.
Supporters have been assessing on social media which options would work at the club, but Rondon seems to be one that they want to steer clear of.
The Venezuela international has made 37 appearances in all competitions for bottom-placed Baggies, including 29 starts in the Premier League.
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In that time, Rondon has scored 10 goals and created four assists.
With their English Premier League status hanging in the balance, planning for the upcoming transfer window is a tricky proposition for manager Mark Hughes and the other decision makers at St Mary’s.
With just three games remaining, the Saints are one point from safety at the bottom of the league table, but still hold their fate in their own hands with a mammoth relegation tussle against Swansea City on the horizon.
The cause of their woes this season has undoubtedly been a lack of attacking ambition, having scored just 35 goals in 35 matches in the top-flight.
That may be more than the teams immediately around them, but it’s less than the likes of Watford, West Ham Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, who have all been left in their dust over the past three seasons.
One man reportedly on their radar that could help fix that lack of attacking edge next season is Celta Vigo’s Danish international Pione Sisto. The Sun say that he could be available for around £18m this summer and that Hughes is keen to add him to his squad if they manage to survive the drop.
Helping Celta Vigo to a mid-table finish in La Liga, Sisto has demonstrated this season he could be an upgrade on Southampton’s left flank, with the St Mary’s side struggling to find a consistent performer in that area.
Nathan Redmond has been the player most reliably picked in the left-wing position but as shown by WhoScored.com has failed to score a single goal in 2017/18 and has provided just three assists.
In contrast, Sisto has 14 direct goal contributions consisting of five goals and nine assists. His ball retention is better too, with an 84% pass accuracy rating, which is better than every single one of Southampton’s attacking wide players.
His 2.2 dribbles per game also demonstrate his ambition to take players on is as strong as the likes of Sofiane Boufal and Mario Lemina, who are regarded as two of the most exciting players in the Southampton team when they’re on their game, leading the squad in dribbles per game. With a better end product though, Sisto can be a player that provides even more of an impact than both.
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While there would obviously be a period of adjustment between La Liga and the English game, it’s clear that the Danish international is a viable target for the Saints this summer and at the reported £18m, could go a long way to ensuring they aren’t stuck in a relegation rut next season.
According to reports by Football.London, Chelsea are ready to sell attacking midfielder Marco van Ginkel for £10m this summer, and Southampton must look to take advantage.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Football.London says that despite the fact the Dutchman only signed a new contract with the west London outfit before extending his loan with PSV Eindhoven last summer, the Blues are ready to cash in on a player they bought for £8m from Vitesse Arnhem five years ago.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a standout season in the Eredivisie for PSV as they won the league title, but despite wanting the former Stoke City loanee on a permanent deal, Football.London says they have baulked at the £10m asking price.
Meanwhile, Southampton, who have been linked with a move for Celtic duo Tom Rogic and Moussa Dembele, boosted their Premier League survival chances by beating Bournemouth 2-1 at St Mary’s on Saturday, and they could be in for a busy summer transfer window whichever division they find themselves in next term.
How has Van Ginkel done this season?
He has been brilliant.
The Netherlands international has scored 16 goals and provided a further five assists in 32 appearances in all competitions for PSV this term, despite playing the majority of those games in a central midfield position.
The 6ft 1in Dutchman has also shown that he can be strong in the air by winning 87 of the 157 aerial duels he has faced in 27 Eredivisie outings during the current campaign, as per WhoScored.com.
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Would he be a good signing for Southampton?
He certainly would be.
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While his previous loan spell with Stoke City under Mark Hughes didn’t quite work out, it seems clear that Van Ginkel has matured and improved during his loan spell with PSV, and his statistics from an attacking point of view are certainly impressive for a player that could be available for just £10m this summer.
Saints may be looking for a long-term replacement for captain Steven Davis if they do stay up, and it would continue their recent strategy of signing fringe players from bigger clubs who should have a point to prove.