All posts by h716a5.icu

Arsenal are on course to earn their first Premier League title since that infamous 2003/04 campaign, with Mikel Arteta the architect for such success.

The Spaniard returned to the Emirates during a period of struggling revolution, as an unproven head coach with big ambitions of leading the Gunners back to the top. Many questioned his credentials, as being Pep Guardiola's sidekick for years did not comply with the usual career path enjoyed by managers, but as of now these issues have fallen silent.

Few can question the impact the 41-year-old has had on this squad, propelling the careers of almost all of his players forward whilst signing the necessary additions to truly make them a title challenger.

Whether Manchester City catch them or not they will need to keep moving forward come next season, if their return to the apex of English football is to be sustained.

Therefore, a plan to potentially displace one of Granit Xhaka or Thomas Partey within the next few years will likely be high on the agenda.

Aged 30 and 29 respectively, their experience at the top level is immeasurable. However, it also marks the twilight years of their impressive careers, which could culminate in a flurry of elite honours under this current dynasty.

In an effort to secure a replacement before their exit, with the hopes whoever might be signed can absorb the necessary information to play in such roles, perhaps Arsenal could capitalise on the uncertainty surrounding Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and poach the Dutchman this summer.

That is at least what reports are suggesting could well happen.

How has Ryan Gravenberch played this season?

Having made his £20m move to Germany after a successful season at the base of Ajax's midfield, it was expected that the 20-year-old would stay at the Bavarian giants for the bulk of his career as the anchor in their engine room.

However, it has instead been a tough debut campaign for the youngster.

Without really being given a sustained run in the side across his 26 appearances in all competitions, the hulking prodigy has unsurprisingly struggled for consistency. In the Bundesliga, for example, Gravenberch has made just one start all season.

It marks a stutter in what was promised to be a glittering career, especially after the role the 6 foot 3 maestro played in the success of his former side.

Despite being a teenager, that final year in his homeland saw the midfielder maintain a 7.17 average rating in the league, upheld by his 86% pass accuracy, 1.1 key passes and 1.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

To compare this with the exploits of Partey from this campaign, who has earned widespread praise for his domineering displays under Arteta, there is far from a vast gulf in quality that suggests the youngster couldn't step into the role.

The Ghanaian's 7.21 rating notes a drop in average key passes to just 0.9 per game, whilst his pass accuracy actually jumps up to 87%. This is capped off through 2.3 tackles per game, via Sofascore, although his £156k-per-week potential successor was featuring in a side that dominated possession.

Edu could use his forward-thinking mindset in this situation to capitalise on this downtrodden sensation, capturing a cut-price deal for a star who his former boss Julian Nagelsmann had suggested was "better than most other footballers".

With a towering midfield presence partnered with metronomic qualities to dictate a game, few fit the Partey mould with such ease as Gravenberch. It would likely not take long for him to swiftly surpass the ageing general too, given his youth and capability to learn.

Newcastle United cannot be discounted in the potential race to sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane ahead of the summer window.

How much would Harry Kane cost?

Eddie Howe's side face a big clash on the weekend against the England captain and his north London side with the Lilywhites attempting to close the gap on the top four.

And the future of the 29-year-old remains up for debate ahead of the summer transfer window with a number of clubs believed to be showing an interest.

Spurs are also still keen to tie their all-time record goalscorer down to a new deal with the upcoming summer marking the final year on his current deal.

However, the issues in north London could potentially see the striker seek a move as he did back in 2021 when Manchester City came calling.

With Manchester United believed to be interested in the striker, insider Graeme Bailey has mooted the Toon as a potential landing spot in the summer.

Indeed, speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, Bailey noted the owners' long-standing interest in potentially making a huge statement with the possible signing of England's captain:

(31:45) "This is the one player, guys, if you remember going back 18 months to when Eddie Howe was appointed, Harry Kane was the one who Newcastle always highlighted as being their marquee number nine signing.

"He hasn't been linked again but I wouldn't rule [them out]. You see Newcastle starting to have little conversations – we're going to talk about another player coming up – I wouldn't discount them making a little sneaky offer for Harry Kane. I wouldn't discount them"

Would Kane be a good fit for Newcastle?

The £200k-per-week Spurs striker is perhaps the only reason the north London side are going into this weekend's clash on Tyneside with even a glimmer of hope of playing Champions League football next season.

Only Erling Haaland has outscored Kane this season with the 29-year-old having provided an impressive return of 23 goals in the league and has more than doubled the tally of the next-highest scorer at Spurs.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has hailed Kane as a "machine" in the past and that is certainly the case as he chases down Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League goals record.

However, would he fit the current set-up at Newcastle?

Alexander Isak has begun to establish himself as the main man in Howe's attack having netted eight Premier League goals in just 906 minutes (via Transfermarkt).

In that sense, a potential arrival for Kane could cause a huge disruption in Howe's squad with their current record signing likely to be shifted out wide where he has played sporadically in the past.

Goals aside, Kane has provided Tottenham with a real creative outlet over recent years and that can be seen through his return of 3.57 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes – significantly higher than Isak's 2.13 (via FBref).

But with the north London side expected to be looking for in excess of £100m for Kane, could this be money spent better elsewhere when they seemingly already have a promising long-term option up top?

Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed that interim Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will revert to a back three in the club's next game.

What's the latest on Frank Lampard and Chelsea?

The 44-year-old has a big task on his hands right now as he looks to steady the ship with former head coach Graham Potter now fired.

Things under Lampard didn't get off to a good start as the Blues lost in the Premier League against Wolves, but he must put that disappointment behind him quickly.

Indeed, Chelsea now face a season-defining quarter-final clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League and travel to the Bernabeu on Wednesday for the first leg.

Naturally, the coach will have to think long and hard about his team selection. But it also seems as though Lampard is yet to decide what formation to play.

In a new article for GiveMeSport, Phillips revealed that the Englishman nearly played a back three against Wolves and may yet play it against Madrid.

He wrote: "Lampard changed the formation to his preferred 4-3-3, but I understand that him and his team had also heavily considered sticking with a back three and I'd be very surprised if they don't revert to that for the Real Madrid game on Wednesday night.

"After only having two training sessions, it was tough for Lampard to get his ideas across, and also he has yet to really assess his entire squad. Whilst he did work with some of them the first time around, there are also many new faces in a massively changed squad. Lampard has admitted that he hasn't had enough time to watch all of Chelsea's games this season, so he is very much giving them all a clean slate. This brings pros and cons, and some Chelsea fans have already been left frustrated by his first team selection back."

He added that the interim manager was "annoyed" during and after the Wolves game and won't be afraid to drop players once he's fully assessed the squad.

How will Chelsea line up against Real Madrid?

Against Wolves, Lampard did play a 4-3-3, as Phillips points out. But when in charge of Everton earlier this season, he was flexible enough to play a back five – or a back three depending on how you see it.

What's more, under Potter, Chelsea often abandoned the traditional back four. And so the current set of players should be well-equipped to go to either formation.

In potentially big news for the Blues, Thiago Silva returned to training Monday and so he is now in contention to play against Real Madrid, while N'Golo Kante and Mason Mount could also both feature.

No doubt this could have major impact on Lampard's plans. With Silva, for instance, he may feel as though his defence will have another quality without having to play that extra defender.

It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out.

Newcastle United got their revenge on Manchester United following the League Cup final defeat at St James Park, beating them 2-0 in their Premier League clash this evening.

The Magpies move into third place in the league table following their victory ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s fixture against Everton tomorrow evening and Eddie Howe will surely be thrilled with his team’s perfect balance of patience and persistence throughout.

The home team absolutely dominated their opponents despite having only 47% possession. Indeed, the Toon had far more shots on target (6 v 1), created more big chances (4 v 0), won more duels (59 v 41) and completed a higher number of tackles too (24 v 17).

Howe and his team would’ve felt that they were unlucky at half-time as they looked the better side throughout the opening 45 minutes with several opportunities squandered in front of goal despite comfortably pressing the Red Devils.

However, when they returned to the pitch for the second half, they finally got the goals they deserved with Joe Willock proving to his manager he was worthy of the starting spot in midfield when he opened up the scoring in the 65th minute to give the Geordies the lead in front of the roaring home support.

It was then Callum Wilson’s turn to show Howe what he had been missing from the bench when he replaced Alexander Isak in the 80th minute and doubled the lead to 2-0 when a free kick driven into the box gave the out of favour striker his chance in the 88th minute.

Indeed, Wilson will be rightly feeling accomplished in delivering the goal that ultimately killed the game for the opponents, but it’s safe to say that Kieran Trippier was the real hero at St James’ Park tonight.

How did Kieran Trippier get on vs Manchester United?

The England international has been an incredible voice on the pitch for the club since his arrival in January 2022 for just £12m but it’s not just his leadership that has been worth its weight in gold to help Newcastle become comfortable contenders in the top four race.

Over his 90-minute performance, the £100k-per-week maestro – hailed for his “elite output” by Statman Dave on Twitter was superb.

Indeed, he delivered four key passes as a marker of his rampant threat down the right-hand side and of course, most importantly, whipped in a wonderful free-kick which earned him an assist for Wilson’s goal.

That well-placed free kick happened to be Trippier’s sixth Premier League assist this season and no other defender in the league has registered more so far, making it an even more impressive day for the right-back.

The full-back is so often the man to provide plenty in attack but he was faultless defensively up against Marcus Rashford and co on Sunday, completing five clearances from his 81 touches, as well as winning three duels.

Howe will be hoping that Trippier and the rest of his teammates can take huge confidence and momentum from their performance to achieve their Champions League dreams over the remaining 11 league games ahead.

Fans online have flocked to Twitter to react as Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner revealed the gender of his baby in an unusual manner while playing for the USMNT.

What’s the latest on Matt Turner and Arsenal?

While the Gunners are fighting for the Premier League title, the American shot-stopper has had to wait patiently on the sidelines having yet to play in that particular competition.

Indeed, with Aaron Ramsdale very much the number-one pick for Mikel Arteta, Turner has made just seven appearances in his debut season with Arsenal.

The 28-year-old – who only joined in the summer from New England Revolution and earns a reported £35,000 per week – is very much the backup option, playing five times in the Europa League and twice in the FA Cup, but with his national team remains regular.

Indeed, he started for the USMNT in wins over Grenada and El Salvador. Following that most recent victory – in which he kept a clean sheet – the Arsenal man opted to celebrate in a rather unique way.

In the video above, Turner can be seen punting a small ball which bursts into pink smoke to reveal he’ll be having a daughter. In heart-warming scenes, his teammates then all rush to celebrate with him.

After the footage was shared online, fans hopped on Twitter to congratulate the goalkeeper. Here are some of the best reactions…

If you like cheesy content, you’d best “believe” you’ve found it. Stand by for a cameo appearance from Matt Turner in the new season of Ted Lasso!

This feels like a scene from Ted Lasso— Wes (@Sipdrip5) March 28, 2023

Supporters certainly seemed to enjoy the content with the USMNT stopper only elevating his status amongst his fellow compatriots.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte did not address his players in the dressing room following their capitulation on the south coast over the weekend.

What did Antonio Conte say?

It was certainly a fiery post-match press conference from the Italian who let rip at almost everyone at the club apart from himself following the draw against Southampton.

Conte hit out at the club's owners, the players and the culture of the north London outfit as their grip on their spot inside the top four took yet another blow.

However, behind-the-scenes, it seems as if the 53-year-old took a completely different approach after the game by not even speaking to his players.

Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has revealed the scenes from the dressing room following the game at St Mary's:

(10:30) "As far as I understand it, is no, apparently, he did the thing that we've spoken about before where he's so angry, he just doesn't talk to them.

"And he did not talk to his players in the dressing room afterwards. So he'd kind of been building it all up, building it all up and saving it for us. Pretty much. And my goodness, did he unload.

"And yeah, from what I understand, that dressing room anyway was like, near silence, you know, I don't think there was anything coming out of there whatsoever."

What lies ahead for Antonio Conte?

The Premier League action has now halted for the international break which will see Spurs out of action until next month and, in turn, leaving Daniel Levy with time to consider his options.

There is a strong belief that the Italian will not be around for the 2023/24 campaign despite the club holding the option to extend his stay by a further year.

And the results are failing to pick up on a consistent basis now in north London with Spurs having failed to win any of their last five away games across all competitions.

So it does leave the club in an interesting situation as to what their next move will be with a spot in the Champions League – somehow – still to play for this season.

The longer the Conte spell continues, it could only prove more and more unlikely that Champions League football for next season is a serious possibility.

There are reports claiming neither Conte nor some of the players want him around the club anymore which would point in the direction of the results going in the manner which they are.

But perhaps his future depends on the options left for Levy if he was to sack him.

Bringing in a new manager at this point of the season is an option but it will leave them with little time to turn around Spurs' poor form.

And making Ryan Mason the interim manager could also have its own issues with the Englishman not having backroom staff behind him.

Whatever choice Levy makes, it does feel as if an important few days lies ahead of the north London club.

AS Roma could look to sell striker Tammy Abraham this summer, with Aston Villa seemingly extremely keen on his services.

The Lowdown: Striker a priority

Villa continued their impressive form under Unai Emery with a 3-0 win over AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday. Ollie Watkins didn’t get on the scoresheet, but Villa have now scored 35 goals in 27 top-flight games.

Emery is already planning for the summer ahead of his first full season in charge, with a new No.9 to partner Watkins at the top of Villa’s shopping list this summer, according to Ashley Preece.

A number of players have been linked with a move to the Midlands, including Abraham, and a further update has emerged on the Roma man.

The Latest: Transfer update

Sports Witness relayed an update from Calciomercato regarding Abraham in the last 48 hours. They said that the forward is slipping down the pecking order with Roma, who ‘could evaluate’ a sale so long as the price offered is above €40m.

This has come down from previous reports that stated that Roma would want around €75m, although €40m (£35.3m) would still be a club record at Villa Park, surpassing the current record deal for Emiliano Buendia.

The title of the report says that Abraham has been top of Emery’s wishlist for months, with the new price tag also more affordable for Villa chiefs.

The Verdict: One to watch

Abraham, hailed as ‘incredible’ by journalist Maxi Angelo, has enjoyed a relatively successful period in Italy, scoring 34 times in 90 appearances for his current employers. He has contributed to 13 goals during the current campaign, so could be a shrewd option to rival Watkins and Jhon Duran next season.

Jose Mourinho has also praised Abraham recently for being a team player along with his brief display against Juventus.

“For me there is only one Abraham that interests me and that’s what the team player does and who was on the bench in the last game and celebrated the goal in the Curva. It looked like he scored.

“I understand that he can score more goals, but the important thing is the contribution he makes to the team and the 15 minutes he played against Juve he did well.”

He has history of scoring goals for fun at Villa Park in the Championship, so a return could be a wise move by owners NSWE, and it looks as if it could be one to watch going off this latest update.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their plans to improve their squad in the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Joel Piroe to Rangers?

According to Football League World, the Light Blues are one of a number of clubs showing an interest in signing Swansea centre-forward Joel Piroe.

The report claims that Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Norwich, from the English Championship, are all keeping tabs on the Dutch attacker, whose price tag remains unknown – after being valued at £20m last summer.

It is stated that the Gers have been sending scouts to watch the 23-year-old in action for the Swans this season, as they eye up the gem ahead of a potential swoop.

Does Kemar Roofe have a future at Rangers?

The signing of Piroe, if Michael Beale and Ross Wilson can secure a deal, could allow the club to part ways with current striker Kemar Roofe as his fitness record suggests that he may not have a long future at Ibrox.

Since the start of last season, the Jamaica international has missed a whopping 64 competitive matches due to injury and is currently dealing with an issue with his knee, with his last appearance for the club coming on the 18th of February.

Although the 30-year-old has an impressive goal return of 36 strikes in 78 outings since arriving in Glasgow, Roofe's consistent unavailability makes him a liability for Beale as the manager is unable to rely on the forward over the course of a campaign.

Piroe, meanwhile, has played in 34 of Swansea's 37 Championship matches this season and featured in 45 of their 46 league games in 2021/22. This suggests the young dynamo is a durable athlete who does not pick up constant knocks and issues throughout the year.

Along with his availability, the Dutchman has also proven himself to be a reliable performer in the final third with 35 goals and seven assists in his 79 league outings for the Swans.

In 2021/22, Piroe, who journalist Josh Bunting dubbed a "danger man", scored 22 times and provided six assists in 40 Championship starts, which highlights the immense threat he can provide at the top end of the pitch.

Bunting stated that the striker will "punish" teams who make errors and that is backed up by his terrific goalscoring record in the English second tier since moving to Swansea.

Piroe could, therefore, be a lethal addition to the Rangers squad, someone who could demolish Premiership defences with his ability to find the back of the net, while also being a reliable option for Beale with his injury record.

His arrival would then allow the Light Blues head coach to part ways with Roofe in the summer transfer window with the ex-Anderlecht forward having become a liability with his worrying fitness issues in the last 18 months.

Tottenham Hotspur could potentially look to make Clement Lenglet their starting central centre-back instead of Eric Dier over the coming weeks.

Why do Spurs still start Eric Dier?

The England international has played a big part in Antonio Conte’s defence since the Italian made the move to north London having racked up 62 appearances in all competitions.

However, on Saturday, the 29-year-old was reduced to a spot on the bench as the French defender took his spot in the heart of the back three.

But it was not an afternoon to remember for the Barcelona loanee with Lenglet playing a part in the decisive goal which saw Spurs leave Molineux with nothing.

And speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has suggested some within the club have even suggested Lenglet could be a better option for Conte in the middle of the back three:

(1:03:50) “You know, there’s some people in the club that believe that Clement Lenglet could actually be the best option in the centre of that back three with his passing range.”

Will Spurs make Lenglet’s deal permanent in the summer?

There have been conflicting reports on the matter, but there is a suggestion the deal between Barcelona and Tottenham does not include the option to buy at the end of the season.

However, this does not mean Spurs would be unable to strike a deal with the La Liga giants over the summer if they wanted to bring the Frenchman back to north London.

But on the basis of what he has shown so far in a Spurs shirt, it is difficult to put forward a solid argument in his defence.

Lenglet has made 16 appearances in the Premier League for Spurs this season but in only three of those games have the Lilywhites been able to keep a clean sheet (via Transfermarkt).

In contradiction to the belief from the club suggested by Gold, Dier has actually recorded more long passes per 90 minutes and has offered a higher success rate in doing so this season (via Fbref).

But it is also important to point out that Lenglet has offered Spurs more tackles (1.36) per 90 minutes than Dier (0.94) has so far.

Regardless of who may be the better option at the moment, it does feel as if this Spurs defence needs a major overhaul in the summer and the central spot could be one which is addressed.

Spurs have only been able to keep nine Premier League clean sheets this season and with a belief Fabio Paratici is looking to bring in two new centre-backs over the summer, both Dier and Lenglet could find themselves surplus to requirements soon.

Arsenal are monitoring their former youth player Yunus Musah ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Did Yunus Musah previously play for Arsenal?

The American did previously play for the Gunners, however, it was at youth level with the 20-year-old not making it past the club’s U18 level before leaving in 2019.

Musah departed north London a few years ago for the Spanish side on a free transfer where he has developed himself into a first-team option for Valencia.

And he has certainly become a regular feature in the Valencia side having already racked up 19 appearances in La Liga this season alone.

Speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has suggested the north London club are among the most interested clubs in Musah ahead of the summer window:

(15:30) “I think whatever happens with Valencia’s situation I see him leaving in the summer. In the Premier League, there is strong interest because for example, during the World Cup Chelsea were following the player. Arsenal, of course, they know the player very well he was there and so he’s a player they are monitoring.”

“What I understand is that Chelsea, Arsenal and Inter are the most interested clubs, but it will take time, it will take time to see where he’s really going at the end of the season. But my feeling is that Musah will leave Valencia and will try something new.”

What do Arsenal need in the summer?

There was a clear belief from the north London side in January that midfield was an area where they were looking to improve with Jorginho coming through the doors.

However, he was not necessarily their first-choice option with the likes of Moises Caicedo heavily linked with a potential move to Arsenal.

And there have even been reports suggesting Arsenal could look at the likes of Declan Rice in the summer to bolster Mikel Arteta’s options in the middle.

With this in mind, it will be interesting to see if the Gunners are also targeting a younger option in the mould of Musah – hailed the “real deal” – who only turned 20 back in November.

For a player of his age and lack of experience, he has certainly impressed during his time in Spain with 94 appearances for the first team already under his belt.

And his ability to provide his side with progressive receptions and dribbles from the middle of the park having recorded returns in the top eighth percentile for both (via Fbref).

But what role he could potentially player in Arteta’s squad could be a major question in the mind of the young American.

This is a player who played a big role in the USMNT during the 2022 World Cup, however, Arteta does have an established midfield already which could be further added to over the summer with the likes of Rice.