All posts by z3u9t.icu

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Having arrived from Shakhtar in a big-money deal back in the summer of 2018, Fred has spectacularly failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United.

The Brazilian struggled immensely in his first campaign in English football, making just 25 appearances across all competitions, with only 17 of them coming in the Premier League. The 26-year-old found it difficult to break into the United first-team on a regular basis, and there were reports earlier this summer that he could be on his way out of Old Trafford after just one year at the club.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

However, a deal failed to materialise before the end of the transfer deadline, and he remains a United player for now. His start to the current campaign appeared to suggest things were not going to get any better, not even being named in the match-day squad for the first four league games of the season. Since then, the midfielder has featured in every one of the Red Devils’ matches, and has turned himself into a vital part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side – whether by design or fortune.

His performances have remained unconvincing, and he has received his fair share of criticism for it. But there have been instances in his short time in English football that there is a gifted player just trapped inside of him. Speaking after the Manchester side’s dramatic triumph over PSG in the Champions League, Solskjaer revealed it was a truly seismic moment in Fred’s Old Trafford career.

“That was probably his breakthrough for us. You can see why we signed him. He’s got the mentality of a Brazilian international. He is a Brazilian international. He gets on the ball, no fear, no doubt whatsoever. We played a system today that he used to play at Shakhtar, and that’s why we signed him.”

Some players can fight through periods of low confidence and continue to deliver impressive performances. Fred clearly isn’t one of them, but that shouldn’t mean the Red Devils should simply throw him to the curb. It’s on the United staff to get the best out of him, and prove why they paid in the region of £47m to lure him away from Ukraine.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His performances in the Europa League this year offer some serious signs of encouragement, so much so, that United fans even took to Twitter to hail their “midfield dictator” following their victory over FC Astana. In two games in the competition, the Brazilian has averaged an incredible 105.5 passes, two shots and 1.5 tackles per game.

It’s that kind of all-action dynamism Fred is capable of. And it’s exactly why United shouldn’t cut their losses on the £47m man just yet.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

The great Albert Einstein once uttered the above witticism, and it is clearly one that Unai Emery has never come across.

To some Arsenal fans’ frustration, the Spaniard started with a midfield containing Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi screening the defence with no Lucas Torreira in sight, similar to the way in which the Gunners lined up last time out against Watford.

Having been in woeful form against the Hornets – conceding a staggering 31 shots on their goal and taking just seven themselves – the north Londoners got off to an awful start against Aston Villa on Sunday as John McGinn netted in the 20th minute.

Despite an equaliser courtesy of Nicolas Pepe’s penalty, Emery’s side’s character could once again be up for debate as they allowed Brazilian striker Wesley to put Villa back ahead just two minutes later.

Going into the last ten minutes 2-1 down, a spirited fightback saw Arsenal win 3-2 thanks to goals from Calum Chambers and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the comeback should not overshadow reality – the performance against Villa was nowhere near good enough, just like the one against Watford wasn’t either.

Two games against sides currently residing in the bottom three should not cause this much stress for everyone involved with the Gunners, and especially at home, Villa should not be having 14 shots or scoring two goals.

Team selection is a major worry. Chambers – scorer of the crucial equaliser – was only introduced after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off, and was perhaps unfairly dropped having helped keep a clean sheet against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek.

It is equally questionable as to why David Luiz and Sokratis kept their places after the Watford horror-show.

Emery managed to live another day thanks to Chambers and Aubameyang, but the three points on this occasion should not mask some pretty telling truths. 45 shots conceded in two league games borders on the ridiculous.

Man City and Liverpool are two of the world’s best teams at the moment.

City are the champions of England and Liverpool are the champions of Europe, and the two sides were only separated by one point when all was said and done in the Premier League last season.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It’s hard to say which squad is better, but it’s seemingly even harder to say which team has the better goalkeeper as Ederson and Alisson are both top quality stoppers – ranking second and first respectively in the Premier League for clean sheets last season.

Kevin De Bruyne was asked to take part in a FIFA challenge this week and he gave his opinion on the goalkeeper debate.

The Belgian was asked to give his thoughts on the best Premier League XI on FIFA 20, and first up was the Liverpool goalie.

Of course, it was always going to be an opinion-splitting decision for Alisson to be chosen over Ederson.

De Bruyne says that his teammate is ‘definitely better’ with his feet, but in the end he concedes that Alisson is a fantastic player, stating that he’s fine with him being rated higher after such a fantastic debut campaign in England.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Optus Sport, Le Havre’s Head of Recruitment Franck Sale has revealed Paul Pogba is “ready for a new challenge”.

What did he say?

The France World Cup winner has been linked with a move away all summer, and did little to silence the rumours by admitting there is still a question mark over his future.

Now, Sale, who recruited Pogba as a teenager, has suggested the 26-year-old needs to leave Manchester United for a new challenge.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “When he left for Juventus a few years ago, with Alex Ferguson that was very complicated too. Paul didn’t concede because he has such a strong character. So when he says, ‘I’m leaving,’ he’s leaving.

“Paul is a man who needs to be challenged. I think he is becoming too comfortable at United. It’s not as demanding for him as it was a few years ago. I think he is ready for a new challenge, that’s obvious. I can see him leaving for another big club searching for this new challenge.”

Inevitable

In one of the most drawn-out transfer sagas of the summer, Pogba’s ‘will he or won’t he’ drama has overshadowed United’s opening to the Premier League campaign. The Frenchman’s future has had plenty of twists and turns, with background characters, like his brother Mathias, fuelling the flames with sly comments to the media.

The whole charade makes it feel inevitable that the midfielder will eventually leave Old Trafford for pastures new, but whether that is to be this summer remains to be seen.

That said, Sale’s words that he feels Pogba has become “too comfortable” certainly raise a few eyebrows.

Comfortable in what sense? United haven’t exactly been walking through the Premier League like a doddle, and his relationship with the club’s fanbase is anything but comfortable.

If anything, this summer has been the most demanding on the Frenchman since his return to the side, and leaving now would really raise questions over his mentality.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to the BBC, West Brom will hand Saul Shotton a two-year contract after becoming a free agent following the expulsion of Bury.

What’s the word?

The young defender had his contract at the Shakers terminated upon news that the club would be expelled from the Football League.

Bury’s 125-year membership was ended last month as owner Steve Dale failed to sell the League One club.

Shotton originally joined the greater Manchester club in 2017 following his release from hometown side Stoke City and went on to make six senior appearances.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Last week he featured for Albion in a reserve game and is now expected to sign a contract at the Hawthorns.

At 18, it remains to be seen whether he would be a first-team option for manager Slaven Bilic or yet another youngster for their promising academy.

The Baggies trend

The west Midlands could be the perfect place for Shotton to earn his stripes, considering just how good the youth setup is.

One defender that has reaped the rewards of the process has been Nathan Ferguson, who is also a defender and was promoted to the first-team by Bilic this off-season.

On debut, he earned the Man of the Match award in front of the live television cameras as West Brom defeated Nottingham Forest and has since shown how big of an asset he can be in defence by playing left-back in Kieran Gibbs’ absence.

He has also since featured at international level for England’s youth sides, so it’s safe to say that the Baggies have a good one on their hands.

That’s not to mention in their squad they also have the likes of Rekeem Harper, Kyle Edwards and Dara O’Shea who are all playing in the Championship or could be set to feature in the Croatian’s first-team plans.

West Brom recently reached the FA Youth Cup semi-finals in 2018/19 too so it’s clearly a good place to learn your trade.

A rising player at 18 years of age, Shotton could help to develop their trend even further if he arrives.

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Rafael Benitez has suggested he could quit Newcastle United over the club’s lack of investment, according to his Manchester City pre-match press conference quotes, as reported by Sky Sports.

The Magpies have yet to make a new signing this month, despite sitting just one place above the relegation zone.

What’s the word?

Newcastle have attempted moves for a number of players this month, but none have yet come off.

The club were in talks to sign Jordan Lukaku on loan from Lazio but, per BBC, the deal fell through.

Chronicle Live report that a bid was tabled for Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron, too, but that the club refused to increase the offer after receiving little encouragement from the American club.

And the Spaniard’s frustrations at the way the club have been operating appear to have boiled over.

Sky Sports report that, when asked if he could guarantee that he would stay at the club until the end of the season, Benitez said: “No, I cannot guarantee anything. I guarantee I will be focused and try to do my best every minute.

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

“We will wait until Thursday (transfer deadline day) and see what happens.

“Hopefully we can get three points against Manchester City and then everybody will be happy.

“I came here and I decided to stay in the Championship because I can see the potential of the club. I will try to do my best until the last minute.”

Coming home to roost

You reap what you sow.

Chairman Mike Ashley has continually failed to invest in the football club he owns, and he is yet to break the club-record £17million fee (per BBC) the club paid for Michael Owen in 2005 prior to his arrival.

To put that into perspective, Owen is now a pundit and retired in 2013, six years ago.

And here we are. Benitez stuck with the club through relegation, brought them back into the Premier League and steered them to a 10th-placed finish last season.

Now, he is being hamstrung by a lack of investment from the club’s owner, and the Magpies are just two points clear of Cardiff City as the very real spectre of the drop looms once again.

Few fans would blame the Spaniard, one of the best managers in world football, if he did walk away – Ashley will be the man at fault and he will have serious questions to answer.

Eden Hazard has been officially named Europa League’s Player of the season for the 2018/19 campaign.

This comes after the Belgian led Chelsea to the crown with two goals and two assists throughout the tournament. Interestingly enough, two of those goals and one assist arrived in the final against Arsenal.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But as much as this is truly a big achievement for Hazard, it definitely feels strange for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos are not really used to congratulating their players on their achievements in the Europa League since they are mostly participating on a higher level, in the Champions League.

And this is exactly what some of the fans noticed in the comment section below the tweet.

You can see their rather confused reactions in the collection below as they didn’t really know how to feel about this. Some seemed to think this is a bad sign, some urged the club not to get used to Europa League content and some just felt rather weird about it.

Check them out:

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Many Sunderland fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news that has emerged on Jermain Defoe.

As per The Chronicle journalist James Hunter, Lee Johnson has ‘not ruled out’ a move for the striker in the January transfer window.

They are ‘aware’ of his situation, after Defoe departed Glasgow Rangers earlier this week, but ‘a million and one things’ would have to happen for a move to go through.

Nonetheless, what an exciting deal it would be. Yes, Defoe is 39 years of age now, but Black Cats have fond memories of him during his previous spell at the Stadium of Light, especially the memorable goal that he scored against rivals Newcastle United in the Premier League back in 2015 to give them a 1-0 win.

Defoe scored a total of 37 times in 93 games in all competitions over three seasons (Transfermarkt), and so bringing back as a squad option would be a dream.

Sunderland fans on Defoe transfer news

These SAFC supporters buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter:

“So there’s a chance”

Credit: @kieranwiIson

“Don’t tease me”

Credit: @flaptingss

“So we’re trying, omds”

Credit: @SunlunnWill

“Bring him home”

Credit: @danstewart1234

“Please @LeeJohnsonCoach I’m on my knees”

Credit: @conorsafc_

“Offer him £1,000,001 a week”

Credit: @WearsideRoar

In other news, find out what other transfer update has Black Cats fuming here!

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail has made a Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie as the Lilywhites also reportedly close in on Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye move…

The Ivory Coast international has been a transfer target for Spurs since the beginning of the January transfer window with reports suggesting manager Antonio Conte is ready to make a move.

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Indeed, according to ESPN, Tottenham transfer chief Fabio Paratici was weighing a lucrative offer to sign Kessie earlier this month with The Telegraph since claiming that they are in fact weighing a move.

Conte is apparently a ‘huge fan’ of the San Siro ace with Mokbel sharing what he knows on the situation.

The Latest: Mokbel makes claim…

The Lilywhites are expected to come to an agreement with Wolves for Traore, say The Athletic, and speaking to GMS, the Mail reporter says that a deal to sign Kessie is also ‘doable’ before the January 31 deadline.

“I think that is certainly a deal that could be doable and I think that could be doable sooner rather than later,” he explained.

“I’m talking this window, if both clubs can come to an agreement.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Signing a midfielder is reportedly one of Conte’s four transfer priorities at Spurs and we believe they don’t come more accomplished than Kessie.

The 52-cap star, despite a being a natural defensive midfield player, has been utilised in a more advanced role at Milan under Stefano Pioli and has thrived – scoring 19 goals since the beginning of 2020/2021 and adding to his career total of 46 (Transfermarkt).

He’s even called ‘sumptuous’ by his manager, and if Tottenham could either land him on a free deal in the summer or this month for a cheaper fee, we believe he could provide a real injection of threat in Conte’s midfield alongside Traore.

In other news: Spurs ‘edging closer’ to signing ‘massive’ £15m defender, find out more here.

According to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, West Ham United, and by extension recruitment chief Rob Newman, have set their sights on a 2022 move as news emerges on Fulham defender Antonee Robinson.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing new left-back?

According to another report by the Irons source, it is believed that Aaron Cresswell’s back injury is much worse than originally feared with the club and manager David Moyes unable to put a timeframe on his return (West Ham Way).

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As a result, the Hammers have been linked to potentially adding a new left-back to their ranks in January, with Moyes and Newman also previously linked with a loan move for defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles (West Ham Way Podcast).

Now, as insider ExWHuemployee shares more information, it appears Newman also has his eyes on future left-back additions as he looks set to move for Robinson next summer.

The Latest: Newman set for 2022 swoop…

Indeed, as per the Hammers insider, West Ham and Newman are ‘very keen’ on the USA international and are ‘looking set to make a move’ in the summer window.

As well as the 24-year-old, it is believed that the Irons are also fond of another Cottagers defender in ex-Man City man Tosin Adarabioyo.

The Verdict: Get it done?

While West Ham fans wouldn’t see him in Claret and Blue until long into next year, we believe Robinson could come as a brilliant nominee to eventually succeed Cresswell in the left-back slot.

At 32-years-old, the Irons mainstay isn’t getting any younger and it’s little wonder Newman is looking ahead to find his defensive heir.

Robinson, already an established international, certainly comes with credentials given he has played a starring role for Fulham in the Championship this season.

According to WhoScored, the left-back has averaged the joint-most crosses out of their entire squad so far over 2021/2022 whilst also making the second-most interceptions per 90 (1.8) – marking himself out as a key man on both sides of the ball.

Lauded as ‘a hell of a player’ by Hull City boss Grant McCann, Newman could have his eyes on an ideal target.

In other news: ‘Noooo’, ‘Beyond a joke’, ‘Xmas ruined’…Many West Ham fans flock to ‘worrying’ player claim, find out more here.