All posts by n8rngtd.top

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The likes of Wolves, Everton and Leicester have done their utmost to bridge the gap between the top six and the rest of the league this season but the fact remains that there is still a huge gulf in terms of funding which, unfortunately, is what football is determined by these days.

For many teams placed seventh and below, a successful season constitutes survival, with anything else deemed a big achievement – Palace and Bournemouth, despite the outstanding quality they have on paper, are two of these teams.

The southern pair’s respective groups of fans surely feel that they could be doing better than their current mid-table finishes, so they will be expecting a big summer in terms of transfers to push the team that extra way.

But what if the two teams combined? With the likes of Ryan Fraser at Bournemouth and Wilfried Zaha at Palace, it’s a frightening prospect.

With Callum Wilson leading the line and the aforementioned Fraser and Zaha on the wings, this is a front three to strike fear into the hearts of any opponent.

Both Eddie Howe and Roy Hodgson’s sides thrive on the counter, with the Eagles and the Cherries scoring for fun on the break this season, but by merging the attacks you have a different animal.

Wilson and Fraser are one of the league’s best partnerships this season, while David Brooks has chalked up seven goals and five assists for Bournemouth since signing from Sheffield United last summer.

Capable of playing all across the midfield or behind the striker, the 21-year-old is best suited in a central role, where he can pull the strings and feed Palace’s Zaha in behind, for instance.

The influential winger may have played his last game in red and blue by the time Bournemouth leave Selhurst Park this weekend, having had a fantastic campaign, notching a personal-best 10 times and assisting eight.

He typically operates on the left side of the attack but he would be forced to move to the right wing to accommodate Fraser.

The 26-year-old offers plenty of speed out wide and has a box of tricks to rival that of Ronaldinho – he’s a full-back’s nightmare and arguably this combined XI’s standout player.

A defensive midfield pairing of Luka Milivojevic and Jefferson Lerma form a hardened wall of Serbian and Colombian steel in front of a back four that’s surely the best outside the top six.

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…

With Patrick van Aanholt and Diego Rico enduring respective struggles this campaign, Nathan Ake shifts out to left-back, where he impressed in the 5-0 thrashing of Brighton last month, while the Eagles’ pairing of Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins is difficult to split up.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka needs no introduction. The 21-year-old was named both players’ and fans’ player of the season recently and has established himself as one of the best young defenders in the Premier League.

This combined defence would be a real hassle to get through.

Former Real Madrid prodigy Drenthe has experienced a rather bizarre turn of fate since effectively leaving the Bernabeu in 2012.

Ah, Royston Drenthe. The football prodigy-turned-flop-turned-rapper-turned-flop-again has experienced quite the journey through the footballing world, and Premier League fans were treated to one single roller coaster leg of it when he joined Everton on loan in 2011.

You know, we hate to say it, but for a man who is related to both Georginio Wijnaldum and Edgar Davids, he didn’t half let the side down. Not from a football perspective, though, which is admittedly quite strange given the typical nature of these articles, i.e. us bashing players until they’re nothing but worthless stumps, but because of his rebellious antics off the pitch. And in just one instance (amongst many others, we suppose, his Everton and future career came crashing down).

The Dutchman, who apparently suffered a pretty turbulent relationship with then manager David Moyes, a strong-willed, stubborn Scot who genuinely didn’t take much rubbish from anyone, royally put his foot in it when he turned up late for a squad meeting before Everton’s huge clash with bitter rivals Liverpool at Wembley.

“I was waiting outside the room,” he explained to football magazine FourFourTwo, “whereas I probably should have just walked in quietly and taken a seat.

“When I went in afterwards, Moyes told me to f**k off. I should have accepted it, but I said, ‘What do you mean, f**k off, bro? You f**k off.’ And then I left for Holland and didn’t come back. If I’d adapted more to Moyes I think I’d have reaped the benefits, as initially I did play a lot under him.”

It’s a shame because Drenthe could have been a truly marvellous player for the Blues. All the signs were there. He had hit the ground running with a direct contribution towards seven goals in his opening 10 Premier League appearances, including a thunderbolt against Fulham, and the fans were clearly taking a liking to his direct and fearless approach.

However, as we’ve found with so many players over the years, you can have all the ability in the world, and dance around people like they’re not even there, and score wonder goals like you’re in your shooting into an empty goal in your back garden, but if your temperament and focus doesn’t match then you may as well be kicking a ball around for the local pub team. Or you could take up rapping…

Strange, ey.

Everton fans, what are your feelings towards Royston Drenthe? Was he a flop, or did he genuinely produce for the club? Let us know in the comments below!

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According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are one of four Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on Liverpool’s Harry Wilson with a view to a swoop this summer.

The 22-year-old has been on fire during his temporary spell with Derby this season and has been a crucial part of the Rams’ hugely successful campaign. Regardless of whether Frank Lampard’s side achieve promotion at Wembley Stadium on Monday, Premier League football in 2019/20 is at Wilson’s fingertips.

What’s the word?

Well, The Sun reports that the Eagles may have to compete with Bournemouth, Wolves and bitter rivals Brighton for the winger’s services – a selection of suitors that suggests he has had a phenomenal season in the Championship – while Derby are also keen to keep him at Pride Park if they secure promotion.

Liverpool will hold out for £25m if any of the aforementioned clubs want to sign him permanently, although they will reportedly be open to another loan move as well, with the player unlikely to find a way into the Reds’ first team.

Losing Wilson next year would be a devastating blow to Derby, but not nearly as devastating as the exit Palace may suffer this summer – star man Wilfried Zaha could be allowed to leave and, if the Ivorian does indeed head out the door, the Eagles will need to get a new winger in. While Wilson doesn’t have the twinkle toes of Zaha, he does have the outrageous, long-range shooting of Andros Townsend.

Wonderful Wilson

The Welshman scored plenty of wonderful efforts from distance in 2018/19 , including a spectacular free-kick that beat David De Gea when the Rams knocked out Manchester United in the FA Cup’s third round.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

The number seven chalked up 15 strikes and six assists in 48 games across all competitions, averaging out at 0.44 goal contributions per game – a solid output for a player who still has plenty of room to improve.

It’s unclear as to whether Palace would be willing to cough up the £25m required to bring Wilson to Selhurst Park permanently but assuming he will not be a like-for-like swap for Zaha, who plays on the opposite side to the Welshman, then Townsend will have a job to hold onto his right wing berth – both are left-footed and are lethal when allowed to cut inside.

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With a play-off final awaiting them next week and a potential return to the glitz and glam of the Premier League, things are beginning to look up for Aston Villa.

The Midlands side have looked impressive towards the tail-end of the season, and despite having Frank Lampard’s Derby County in their way at Wembley, some Villa fans have already begun thinking about their summer transfer plans for next year.

And that has lead to discussions about potentially re-signing former defender Gary Cahill, whose contract with Chelsea will expire this summer, but it appears most Villa fans would be against such a move.

They feel the 6 foot 4 defender is far past his best and despite potentially offering experience to some of the side’s younger players, his own regression means he is no longer worth the sizeable wages that would likely come with signing him.

With Dean Smith’s side being hailed for their insistence on playing out from the back, others feel the former England international isn’t cut out for the new regime, and insisted it would be the sort of signing former boss Steve Bruce would have made.

Check out some of the reaction from Villa fans to the suggestion of Cahill making a return to Villa Park…

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville is apparently ready to wait for his old club to challenge for major silverware as long as the new boss and ex-teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returns the right “principals” to Old Trafford, as per ESPN.

United have not tasted ultimate domestic glory since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, but Neville has said that he is happy to wait for another five years as long as Solskjaer maintains some of the very things that has made Old Trafford such a special place over the years; playing the right style of football and promoting young players to the first-team.

And do you know what? We can completely understand where he’s coming from with this. Yes, it will be painful to endure for another few years – at the very least – in the shadow of their close rivals, but it beats the short-term and seemingly goalless success of all of their post-Ferguson bosses.

“As long as the principles are right, play good football, bring the right players through, try and win as best you can, don’t give in, good attitude; for me I can wait for two, three, four, five years for the club to be successful — it isn’t a problem for me,” Neville said.

After finishing the season on a relatively low note winning just two games in 12, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is surely set to completely overhaul his squad this summer which could (fingers crossed) include as many as five new signings. It’s a start, that’s for sure.

Sources close to ESPN FC have revealed that young British players like Swansea winger Daniel James, Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff and Crystal Palace full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has impressed just about everyone in the league this year, are all on the list for potential targets.

“The club have always signed young, emerging British talent and I don’t think that should change,” Neville said. “It would seem to me that the club would like to go back down that route.

“I’m encouraged by the fact the club are giving opportunities to young players, even in these times because for me that’s something that’s part of Manchester United’s history — it’s what Manchester United is.”

Neville has pretty much echoed the sentiment held by every United supporter at the moment. As long as they can see a light at the end of the tunnel, then they will back any and all plans in place for as long as it takes.

Manchester United fans, is the club heading in the right direction? Do you trust that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the right man for the job? Let us know in the comments below…

It’s difficult to imagine how losing a great talent like Rafael Camacho could possibly benefit Liverpool in any conceivable way. But amid some of the contract problems the Reds are seemingly facing with their young pearl, a new name has reportedly come up on the radar. France Football (via TeamTalk) has come out with news that Liverpool are eyeing Lille’s Nicolas Pepe and that they have stepped up their interest in the winger. If true, and if Pepe was to arrive at Anfield, he would be a gigantic signing that would quickly make them forget about Camacho.

The world seems to be going crazy about Nicolas Pepe, and honestly, it’s all well-deserved. This 24-year-old winger is taking football by storm with his impressive campaigns with Lille and is definitely ready to make a big step up in his game. And Liverpool, of all places, seem to be the best possible choice for him to thrive at. Why? It’s rather simple, actually.

Pepe is an extremely chaotic, fast-paced, energetic forward who suits a well-oiled heavy metal machine of Jurgen Klopp perfectly. If Liverpool are indeed preparing to lose Rafael Camacho, Pepe would not only be a bet for the future, seeing how he’s still just 24, but could also offer a worthy immediate impact to the team, regardless of the endless attacking potential of the Reds.

One of his key aspects is definitely his ability to both create and score goals respectively. This season alone, in all competitions, Pepe has scored 23 goals and assisted 12 in a total of 41 games. It’s safe to say that he was instrumental to Lille’s success. Last season, he was close to a £26.5m transfer to Sevilla, Lyon or Schalke, the same source reports, but due to his enormous jump in quality and quantity, that number could very well soar to at least double that amount this summer.

That would mean that his £36.00m value at Transfermarkt doesn’t really do him justice as a player at that age and of such calibre never goes cheap in the modern market. Liverpool, however, would be wise to invest in him because, if they don’t, someone else inevitably will. His future at Lille is greatly at risk considering his achievements so far.

On the face of it, he ticks all the boxes the Reds have for their wingers and the only potential stumbling block might lie in the money. But at the end of the day, that’s a small price to pay for a player who’s bound to make a name for himself in the near future and is almost guaranteed to give it all back to you in results.

Liverpool fans, do you think that Nicolas Pepe would be a good Rafael Camacho replacement? Would you like to see this exciting winger at your club? Let us know in the comments below…

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As reported by Football.London, Unai Emery’s Arsenal can still be found at odds-on to sign winger Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace this summer transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

The Gunners are the favourites to land the signature of the 26-year-old former Manchester United star and are the lowest in the market with Sky Bet at 5/6, still very much leading the race.

The man Arsenal are being heavily tipped to sign despite their UEFA Europa League final defeat to Chelsea has gone from strength-to-strength since leaving Old Trafford to return to his boyhood club in 2015.

In 2018/2019, the ex-England and current Ivory Coast international has properly caught the eye of some of the biggest sides in the world for the first real time since his switch to the Red Devils back in January 2013, dazzling with ten goals and ten assists in the Premier League.

Risky transfer would be excellent news for starlet and should be allowed

As crazy as it may sound, the risky transfer for Palace in letting Zaha leave for London rivals Arsenal should be allowed to take place as it would be excellent news for a 20-year-old starlet with bags of potential.

Yes, the departure of the Ivorian whilst bringing plenty of dough in would have a major impact on the strength of Roy Hodgson’s side, but if Jason Lokilo lives up to his potential they’ll be laughing – it’s a risk worth taking.

The right winger who has a remarkably similar game to Zaha himself has been patiently waiting for his Premier League opportunity following progression through the ranks in south London in the wake of a switch from Anderlecht in 2014.

A Crystal Palace fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Eagles in the video below…

Lokilo is one of the brightest talents to have come out of Belgium in recent years and we all know how well players from that nation, especially wingers, have fared in the English top flight in recent years.

Zaha’s exit would be the best thing to have happened to the pacey wide man in his short career so far, freeing up that right-wing position for him to make his own next season and in the long-term, one of the greatest bits of business the Eagles have ever done.

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According to reports in Italy, Ronaldo Vieira is the subject of interest from AC Milan just one year after leaving Leeds United for Sampdoria.

Although the midfielder didn’t play all that often during his first season in Serie A he was impressive when he did appear, prompting interest from the seven-time European champions.

Leeds fans have been able to live with losing their young prospect last summer due to the emergence of Kalvin Phillips.

Vieira certainly hasn’t been missed on the pitch in the 12 months after he swapped Elland Road for Stadio Luigi Ferraris, but in the long-term Leeds may end up kicking themselves that they allowed him to leave so prematurely.

The midfielder was barely 20-years-old when Victor Orta let him leave, and the Yorkshire club may live to regret their decision to sell him.

Not just anybody gets to play for AC Milan. Although the Rossoneri aren’t the force they were in the 90s and 2000s, they still have a reputation as being one of the greatest clubs in Europe.

Whereas Phillips is being touted as a potential target for the likes of Bournemouth and Norwich this summer, Vieira is being linked with a move to San Siro.

This goes to show the mistake that Leeds have made. They allowed Vieira to leave before he was able to reach his full potential. Indeed, the Whites got a decent fee for the youngster as Sampdoria paid £6.2m for his services, but if he ends up becoming a star for AC Milan the Yorkshire club will have to feel that they have let a gem slip through their fingers.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not a deal gets finalised, or if Vieira performs well for Milan, but for the Italian giants to even be interested him shows that United have missed out on a potential future star.

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Steven Gerrard is close to bringing in Liverpool’s returning youngster Sheyi Ojo, who spent some time on loan at Reims last season, according to the Mirror. Rangers have now all but completed a loan deal for the 21-year-old winger as the same source claims and Ojo is even expected to meet his new team-mates in their pre-season training as early as next week.

Considering the young Englishman’s quality and some added experience at this early stage of his career, Rangers and Gerrard might have found an outstanding pick this summer. Here are two main reasons why Ojo is an ideal fit for the Ibrox outfit…

Comes with experience

Finding a player who’s only 21 but has already been through the thick and thin side of football is a task easier said than done. But Ojo is seemingly one of those players and that’s definitely one of the reasons why Gerrard is right in making this move happen in the first place.

The youngster has already accumulated appearances in Ligue 1, the Championship and the Premier League, so the move to Scottish football will hardly constitute diving in at the deep end and seeing if he will sink or swim.

Although he left Reims with no goals or assists to his name, he boasted an impressive return for Liverpool at U-23 level, netting a total of 12 goals and assisting a further three in a total of 26 games played.

The quality and the talent are already present in this youngster and Jurgen Klopp appears to know it, with the club reportedly set to hand Ojo a new contract ahead of his loan exit.

Check out what the Pl>ymaker FC squad got up to at the Football Blogging Awards in the video below…

Ryan Kent replacement/accomplice

Kent’s impressive form was one of the feel-good stories of last season at Ibrox and although he has been strongly linked with a return this summer, there’s no guarantee that’ll happen amid claims more than ten clubs are courting the young winger’s services, including Leeds.

Ojo is an obvious replacement as a fellow wideman of similar age and eagerness to impress who can operate on either flank. But even if Gerrard does manage to bring Kent back for another season, bringing in Ojo as well is still a smart move. The duo come from the same academy setup and have played together 18 times previously for Liverpool at both first team and U23 level.

It’s not a huge amount of games but that little bit of familiarity, thrown in with Gerrard’s understanding of Liverpool’s ethos, could go a long way to helping Ojo hit the ground running in the Scottish capital.

With Andy Carroll gone and Marko Arnautovic reportedly a target for Inter Milan, this summer could prove to be a bit of an exodus for West Ham’s strikers, and that’s not even mentioning Javier Hernandez.

The Mexican striker has long been rumoured with a move out of east London with the likes of Valencia (The Sun), Galatasaray (Fanatik via Sport Witness) and a handful of MLS teams (ExWHUemployee) interested in a move for him this summer, and although it might seem drastic to sell the attacker after just two seasons in east London, the numbers don’t favour Chicharito.

In 61 appearances for the east London side, the former Manchester United striker has only managed 22 goals and assisted 12 for West Ham in only four more games than the Mexican.

With Manuel Pellegrini dreaming big of taking West Ham to Europe via football.london, it makes sense that the Hammers boss is eager to change up the striking options at the club this summer, which is why we believe selling Hernandez should be a priority for the Chilean manager.

Although Arnautovic has been linked with a move away from West Ham (also by the Daily Star), selling Hernandez first makes more sense financially and tactically.

For starters, the Hammers should be able to find suitors a lot quicker for him than the former Stoke City man given his age and reported price tag of just £8 million, making Hernandez an ideal candidate for a cheap pick up for most teams with the cash this summer.

Hernandez’s lack of attacking versatility also makes him a player to move out the club quickly, as Arnautovic’s ability to play both as a striker and as a winger means Pellegrini is able to adapt the team around the Austrian, whereas the former Bayer Leverkusen man’s inability to play elsewhere has caused problems.

West Ham are likely to bring in a new striker this summer with Maxi Gomez linked with a move to east London via the Evening Standard, and if a new attacker is to come in it would be wise to move on Hernandez first.

West Ham fans, should Hernandez be sold this summer? Let us know!