All posts by h79snht.top

Newcastle United have offered Rolando Aarons to Championship clubs with the aim of striking a loan deal, according to The Northern Echo.

What’s the word?

Rafael Benitez did not have the most successful summer transfer window with regards to incomings, but he is still working on some outgoings.

The Northern Echo reports that the manager has told managing director Lee Charnley that he wants Aarons to drop into the second tier on a loan arrangement.

The publication states that Newcastle are confident of getting a deal done before the deadline on August 31.

Aarons has been at the North-East outfit since 2012 when he joined the club’s academy from Bristol City.

The winger made his Premier League debut two years later, but has since struggled to hold down a regular spot in the team.

In fact, the 22-year-old, who has scored just twice in England’s top flight, had just four league outings last season before joining Hellas Verona on loan for the second half of the campaign.

Should Aarons call time on Newcastle stint?

The only way that the winger can leave the Magpies on a permanent basis is if he joins a club abroad.

All indications are that Newcastle are pushing for a loan arrangement, but there are no signs of Aarons breaking into the team.

Even though the winger is only 22 years of age, he should be a regular member of Benitez’s squad, but he did not even make the list submitted to the Premier League.

At this time, it seems that a loan switch to the Championship is a likely outcome, but Aarons should seriously consider his future.

In January or next summer, Newcastle will be able to demand a decent enough fee for the winger considering that his contract does not expire until 2021.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”278881″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Kane’s Kryptonite & London’s Biggest Losers”]

According to the Daily Mirror, Sheffield Wednesday are interested in taking Tottenham defender Cameron Carter-Vickers on a season-long loan, but the Owls will have to beat Swansea and Ipswich to his signature.

What’s the story?

Wednesday currently sit 21st in the Championship after securing just one point from their first three matches as they drew 1-1 with Hull at Hillsborough.

During the summer, Jos Luhukay’s side were subject to a transfer embargo from the EFL after failing to adhere to Finacial Fair Play regulations. The club announced that the embargo had been lifted last Friday, but with the transfer window in England closed, the Owls will only be able to sign players on a temporary basis.

Luhukay has yet to add to his side but with their poor start to the season he may need to make additions in the next few weeks to avoid dropping down to the third tier of English football at the end of the season.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”280645″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Dodgy De Gea & Arsenal’s MiniRevolution”]

A good fit

Carter-Vickers would be the perfect start in the market for the Owls. The 20-year-old spent the first half of last season on loan at their fierce city rivals Sheffield United before moving on another short loan deal to Ipswich.

In total last season, the centre-back made 34 Championship appearances and heads into this season as a far more experienced player. He has also made four appearances for the United States national side after making his debut in November last year.

Despite being young, Carter-Vickers is a well built defender and he would add some much-needed quality to a defence that has conceded six times in three league games, and his arrival could be the catalyst for the Yorkshire club to turn their season around.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham will fancy their chances of picking up just their third ever Premier League win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night with the Red Devils seemingly on the edge of a crisis after losing to Brighton last time out.

Jose Mourinho’s side should never be underestimated, however, and Mauricio Pochettino will need to get his tactics spot on to mastermind a victory over a key divisional rival.

With that in mind, we asked Tottenham fans whether the Argentine should stick with the England-esque 3-1-4-2 formation he used in the win over Fulham or revert back to his more customary 4-2-3-1 setup.

And our poll has revealed that opinions amongst the Spurs fan base are relatively split. While 62% would use the 3-1-4-2 formation yet again, a strong majority of 38% would field a 4-2-3-1 side at Old Trafford instead.

Which personnel should be involved in Tottenham’s 3-1-4-2 system, Spurs fans? Let us know by commenting below…

West Ham have had an absolutely miserable start to the season, so much so that fans are already discussing the departure of and recent links to re-sign Dimitri Payet.

West Ham fans were stunned when reports this summer claimed they could bring Payet back to the London Stadium, and a section of fans are now regretting missing out.

A report in The Guardian claimed the Frenchman’s representatives had reached out to the Hammers regarding a return to East London, but he did not become one of the Pellegrini’s huge influx of signings.

The Chilean manager’s free-flowing football hasn’t produced anywhere near the goals or results that fans had hoped, and it’s fair to say they are missing a bit of star quality.

Last weekend’s defeat to Wolves was a sloppy affair, but a moment of brilliance from a character like Payet could have turned the game in an instant.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”288872″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafas Pub Facts Murray The Magician & Desperately Seeking Zaha”]

The 31 year-old, who scored 11 Premier League goals for the Hammers, has got off to a good start with Marseille this season, bagging two goals in their season opener before grabbing an assist in their comeback win against Monaco last weekend.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are missing their favourite free kick wizard…

After sanctioning the sale of Moussa Dembele to French side Lyon on deadline day, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has just three strikers in his squad, but all three are currently fighting for one starting spot as the Northern Irishman has begun to favour either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation.

Celtic have had a difficult start to the season and sit in second place in the Scottish Premiership, behind Hearts who have taken maximum points from their first four games which included a 1-0 win over the Bhoys.

Leigh Griffiths has played in all four of the reigning Scottish champions’ league games so far, but has only started two of them and is yet to score a goal in the competition. Youngster Michael Johnston has then made two appearances but both of these have been off the bench and he is yet to score in any competition for the Hoops this season.

The best option for Rodgers then may be former loanee Odsonne Edouard, who Celtic signed on a permanent deal from Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The 20-year-old has netted just once in the Premiership but has four in all competitions and led the line in the Old Firm derby before the international break.

So, Celtic fans, who would you like to see start upfront against St Mirren on Friday evening? Let us know by voting in the poll below.

Everton have had a reasonable start to their Premier League campaign, leaving them in pole position to get back their European status at the end of the season.

Marco Silva has been worth the hassle of getting so far as he has launched Everton into a strong position, already in the top 10 of the Premier League. New signings have looked to be assured and ready to become legends for Everton and best of all clubs around the Toffees are worried once again at the thought of playing Everton.

However, the start to the campaign has presented the need for a second striker to either playoff Cenk Tosun or to steal away his starting spot due to his quality and that player is Lucas Alario, who is valued at £18 million on Transfermarkt.

The 25-year-old plays his football with German outfit Bayer Leverkusen and proved influential in helping them reach 5th place in the league, just losing out on a third-place finish by goal difference.

Alario has been capped three times by Argentina and considering the immense attacking options they have at their disposal, that’s an impressive statement for Lucas Alario to have made.

In 17 Bundesliga starts last season, Alario bagged nine goals and five assists, showcasing that he isn’t just a goalscorer but an important team player too.

Cenk Tosun has struggled to find his pre-season form at the start of the Premier League campaign but having seen other English teams try it more, maybe a strike partner for the Turkish international would be a good idea and a way to boost his chances of scoring, with someone constantly teeing him up.

Do you agree… Let us know!

It’s been a bright start to the season for Swansea City under new manager Graham Potter and they will be hoping to continue their impressive run of form when they face Nottingham Forest at the Liberty Stadium later today. 

After embarking on a simply phenomenal journey with Ostersunds in Sweden, Potter was handed an opportunity to return to England in the summer and prove himself in an incredibly competitive division.

It’s certainly too early to jump to conclusions about Potter’s credentials to emulate his Scandinavian success story by taking Swansea back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but the early signs suggest the Swans are well prepared for a top-six push at the very least.

11 points from 6 fixtures including a 2-2 draw against league leaders Leeds United have given them a solid platform from which to build, but they face another promotion hopeful in Nottingham Forest later this afternoon.

On paper there isn’t all too much to split the two sides and it’s shaping up to be a tightly contested affair, which is exactly why Potter needs to restore Tom Carroll (valued at £6.3 million by Transfermarkt) to the starting eleven.

Carroll is a player who has yet to live up to his potential but his technical talent could make all the difference in what you’d expect to be a gritty affair in south Wales.

The left-footed maestro possesses the rare ability to thread an incisive through ball which the vast majority of players would fail to spot, and that could be the key to unlocking Aitor Karanka’s side.

With Swansea’s midfield general Leroy Fer providing the muscle and composure to allow Carroll the freedom to venture forward, Potter should have no qualms about unleashing the 26-year-old as his presence could well prove to be the difference between 1 and 3 points.

Swansea City fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest fans on Twitter were buzzing as summer signing Joao Carvalho netted his first goal for the club in their 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

[ffc_insert title=”Check out the Big Interview with Ben Dinnery & Johnny Wilson” name=”Fixture In Focus Podcast Special” image_ link=”https://fixtureinfocus.podiant.co/e/369d9b4fb86294/” link_text=”Click here to play”]

Wednesday went into the Championship clash on a three game winning run, but Aitor Karanka’s side quickly asserted their dominance in the early stages. After plenty of missed chances, fellow summer acquisition Lewis Grabban eventually opened the scoring for the Reds, but it was Carvalho’s goal that was the pick of the bunch on the night.

The £13.2m club record signing played a neat one-two with Ben Osborn to make his way into the box, before working some space and curling a beautiful finish past Cameron Dawson in the Owls net.

Experienced striker Steven Fletcher pulled a goal back late on for Wednesday, but there was little time for a comeback and Forest held on for just their second league win of the season.

Check out the best tweets in reaction to former Benfica man Carvalho’s goal below.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”298134″ player=”12034″ title=”PSG Are An Impressive Brand Not An Impressive Club”]

Aaron Ramsey is set to follow Jack Wilshere through the exit door at the Emirates.

The Wales international has made over 300 appearances for the Gunners and was a shining light in a poor campaign last season. Following the arrival of Unai Emery, extending his stay at the club was a priority with less than a year remaining on his current deal. Despite initially offering fresh terms, reports suggest Arsenal have now pulled the plug and are resigned to losing the midfielder.

It is believed that Ramsey wanted a pay increase to move in line with the club’s top earners, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Despite his pay being well below Mesut Ozil’s, Arsenal are now seemingly unwilling to offer him a new deal, and Ramsey could be sold in January. Replacing him should be made a priority when the window reopens.

One man they should consider signing is Napoli lynchpin – Allan. Valued at £29.7m by Transfermarkt, the Brazilian has been consistently performing at the top level in the Serie A and was a key player during Napoli’s title challenge last season. He made 38 appearances in the league as Maurizio Sarri’s side were eventually beaten to the crown by Juventus.

The 27-year-old is one of the most well-rounded midfielders in world football, and Arsenal fans would quickly forget about Ramsey if he arrived at the Emirates. Allan would slot seamlessly into Emery’s 4-2-3-1 system alongside Lucas Torreira. He would offer some much-needed protection to the back line, averaging 2.8 tackles per game last season; more than any other Arsenal player. The Brazilian loves to transition defence into attack, averaging 2.1 successful dribbles per game – again, more than any other Arsenal player (WhoScored).

Replacing Ramsey with Allan would be a masterstroke from Emery.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

Saturday’s Premier League encounter between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford sees two underperforming teams face off after dreadful starts to the season.

The hosts Manchester United currently sit 10th in the table following their recent 3-1 defeat to West Ham United at the London Stadium, while Newcastle find themselves in the relegation zone having failed to pick up a single win thus far.

As a result, the futures of Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have become uncertain with underwhelming transfer windows during the summer playing their parts.

With that in mind, how do the two manager’s tenures at Manchester United and Newcastle compare?

Rafael Benitez

Unlike Mourinho, the uncertainly surrounding Benitez’s future is probably more down to do with the lack of financial backing from Mike Ashley rather than results.

After all, given the calibre of coach Benitez is and what he has accomplished at the club, he deserves to be afforded time.

Not only did he guide Newcastle straight back into the Premier League from the Championship following their relegation in the 2015/16 season, but he also managed to spearhead the Magpies to a top-half finish on the club’s return.

And while Newcastle have struggled so far this campaign, they have had to face Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in quick succession.

Ultimately, Benitez’s time at St. James’ Park can only be seen as a success and with a better squad, the Spaniard could probably achieve so much more.

TT Grade: A Jose Mourinho

Not too many people would suggest Benitez is a better manager than Mourinho, especially considering the latter’s achievements in the game.

However, the Portuguese coach’s influence at Manchester United pales in comparison to that of Benitez’s at St. James’ Park.

While Benitez has installed belief on Tyneside and given supporters something to smile about, Mourinho has done the opposite on the red side of Manchester.

Under Mourinho, performances have been poor and the football has been dreadful.

The former Chelsea boss was able to lead the Red Devils to the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield during his first season at the club, but that will not be enough for Manchester United supporters who expect so much more given the quality Mourinho is working with.

TT Grade: D- TT Verdict:

There is still plenty of time for Benitez and Mourinho to turn things around but, while the former has been dealt a bad hand, there are simply no excuses for the latter.

Upon his arrival at Old Trafford back in the summer of 2016, perhaps Mourinho did not inherit a squad as strong as his rivals.

However, he added to it significantly with the signings of Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic, Alexis Sanchez and more. If they are not working out, then he has to take responsibility for it.

While Benitez will be remembered fondly on Tyneside, some Manchester United fans will be desperate to see the back of Mourinho.