All posts by h716a5.icu

Journalist Charles Watts has slammed the media “pile-on” after Arsenal players were criticised for their lack of interaction with a young fan.

What happened between Arsenal players and the young fan?

The Gunners found themselves in the middle of an unexpected social media storm this week after behind scenes footage emerged from their recent trip to West Ham United.

The Premier League encounter did not end well for Mikel Arteta’s team as they went 2-0 up but then conceded twice to draw the game, losing two vital points in their push for the title.

Even so, for one young fan, it was a great opportunity to meet the whole squad and get a shirt signed – as shown in this clip shared by the club’s official Twitter account.

While it seemed like a fairly innocuous video, some people online were disappointed that the Arsenal players didn’t engage with the supporters enough.

For instance, TV presenter Nick Knowles wrote: “I suggest Arsenal you get her and her family back and give your players another go at being decent human beings – admittedly they’d have to be coached into it but it might be something that sticks with some of them if it’s pointed out.”

It developed into a major story – as outlined in the Daily Mail – but journalist Charles Watts has slammed it all as “utterly bonkers”.

Indeed, he took to Twitter to say: “This is so utterly bonkers. A totally unnecessary social media pile-on about a situation no-one had a clue about has created this sh*t show. Such a shame.”

How did this Arsenal social media fiasco end?

Backing up Watts’ point, the father of the young girl has since had to issue a response, saying that his daughter actually really enjoyed the experience.

To make things worse, he later explained that reporters had actually turned up at his house, which has now left him worried about his daughters’ enjoyment of football.

He said: “Thanks everyone for their kind messages today. We’ve tried to explain to my daughter what all the noise is about. Was mostly fine until we had reporters knock on the door. Hoping this doesn’t ruin her interest in Arsenal.”

The damage done by those reporters door-stepping the family home of this young child is no doubt far worse than what was initially causing concern.

It seems as though this has all been a bit of a storm in a teacup and the people online who opted to get offended on behalf of somebody else have actually caused more damage to this unfortunate young supporter than anything the Arsenal players actually did.

Newcastle United have received an approach from Jorge Mendes regarding a deal to bring Ansu Fati to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Fati's future?

The Barcelona winger’s contract at Camp Nou isn’t set to expire until 2027, but in recent months he’s been facing an uncertain future having made just nine league starts this season, having fallen down the pecking order under manager Xavi. The Spaniard’s father, Bori Fati, has recently publicly hit out at the La Liga giants for how they have treated his 20-year-old son. During an interview with Cope, as quoted by ESPN, he said:

"If it carries on like this, I will go [back] to [the family home in] Seville and that's that. I didn't go to the game against [Real] Madrid. I won't go to the stadium anymore. The other day Ansu asked me why I didn't go, he thought I was there. I told him I didn't fancy it."

According to Sport (via Sport Witness), Fati’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has “been in contact” with Newcastle to discuss the possibility of a move to St. James’ Park. The Magpies and Eddie Howe have reportedly “listened carefully” to what his representative had to say and are “convinced of the attraction”, something that would mean they are “ready” to splash the cash.

Mendes has been “probing the market” to find a new destination for his client which led him to the northeast outfit, who are “very attentive” to his transfer situation. For now, PIF are “waiting for events to transpire” before making their official move, much like his other unnamed potential suitors.

Should Newcastle sign Fati?

Fati has been dubbed “Messi-esque” by talent scout Jacek Kulig as a result of the quality he produces in the final third, and Newcastle should definitely act fast to get this deal over the line ahead of their fellow competitors later in the summer.

The Nike-sponsored star has scored 25 senior goals and provided nine assists for Barcelona despite only just coming out of his teenage years, which shows he’s got bags of potential and is already showing the footballing world what he’s capable of (Transfermarkt).

The £199K-p/w talent also ranks in the 99th percentile for shots and number of touches in the attacking penalty area, highlighting his desire to create chances even if he isn’t always on the scoresheet, whilst also being strong in his link-up play ranking in the 96th percentile for pass completion (FBRef).

The Spain World Cup participant has previously operated in five various positions throughout his career, including out wide on both flanks and as a centre-forward, so would additionally add plenty of versatility to Howe’s squad at St. James’ Park.

Frank Lampard may have overseen a successful survival bid last season, but it quickly became apparent that he would be dragging the Toffees into another. Step forward Sean Dyche as the man to breathe new life into an inconsistent outfit that was crying out for stability.

Anxious

Progress under a new management team is steady, rather than spectacular, and it won’t have gone unnoticed to those betting on Premier League markets that those on the blue half of Merseyside are shooting anxious glances over collective shoulders.

The battle to avoid tumbling through a trapdoor into the Championship has become tighter than ever, with Everton priced at 2/1 in Premier League relegation odds to slip out of English football’s top flight for the first time since 1951.

If they are to avoid suffering that fate, then Dyche will need to build on solid foundations. He is famed for making his teams tough to break down, and he currently has the perfect last line of defence at his disposal.

Jordan Pickford is an established England international and a man that would not look out of place as the first name on any team sheet.

Fortunately for Toffees fans, he has committed to a new contract that is due to take him through to 2027. He has said of those terms: “Everton is a massive club. The past few seasons have not been what we wanted but we now have a manager who I believe will point us in the right direction and get us up the table. It’s definitely my aim to be successful at this club.”

Pickford has been a mainstay at Goodison since 2017, becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in British history when a move from Sunderland was made, and he remains fully committed to the cause despite obvious difficulties.

Pickford added on future ambitions: “This contract will take me to more than 10 years at Everton and I want to build a legacy here to put myself up there with the likes of Neville Southall to be one of the best keepers to have played for Everton.”

That will be music to the ears of Toffees followers everywhere, but it remains to be seen whether such dreams become a reality. If Everton were to lose their Premier League status in 2023, would Pickford stick around to help them bounce back?

Transfer

Hugo Lloris is slowly edging his way towards the exits at Tottenham, and there has been plenty of speculation to suggest that Pickford figures prominently on recruitment radars in north London and may become the subject of another big-money transfer at some stage.

Spurs’ cause would certainly be aided if they were trying to do business with a second-tier club. Everton supporters will, as they continue to clutch at any straw which falls within reach, want to give no thought to losing their No.1, but will Pickford’s new deal end up lasting four years as intended or a mere four months?

Photo by Unsplash

TalkSport pundit Carlton Palmer has slammed "poor" Manchester United defender Luke Shaw, claiming that Erik ten Hag will look to replace him in the summer.

What's the latest on Luke Shaw and Manchester United?

It's safe to say the left-back didn't have the best of time earlier this week when he lined up for England in their Euro 2024 qualifying match against Italy.

Indeed, while his teammates managed to pick up a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Declan Rice and Harry Kane, they had to finish the last 10 minutes of the match a player down after Shaw picked up two bookings in as many minutes.

And despite Shaw – who earns a reported £150,000 a week – being a regular under Ten Hag this term having started 21 Premier League games, Palmer seems to think he'll be less relied upon in the future.

Speaking on TalkSport, the pundit said: “The one player I want to bring up, though, I've got to be honest with you – I don't know how Luke Shaw gets away with it. I really don't.

"I think he's a poor, poor defender. I think he's had a decent season at Manchester United, but I think he's a poor defender.

"Every time he comes up and is asked a question about defending, he can't, he fails. How he doesn't get sent off more often, I don't know.

"And I hear all the arguments about Trent Alexander [Arnold], and I see that he has some defensive frailties, but I think he's a terrific player and offers a lot going forward.

Jim White then butted in saying: "But it looks like Ten Hag swears by him?"

Palmer replied: “No, Ten Hag hasn't got any other alternatives at the moment. I think next season when they will be genuinely going to have a tilt to the title, I think they'll have brought in another left-back."

Why would Man Utd want to sell Luke Shaw?

Seeing as Ten Hag made Tyrell Malacia his first-ever Man Utd signing – joining in a £14.7m deal from Feyenoord – Shaw must have impressed on the training pitch to retain his spot as the club's first-choice left-back.

What's more, the 27-year-old Englishman has shown his defensive qualities by filling in at centre-back for the Red Devils in recent times, with Shaw starting four of the last 11 league games in that position and winning all of those games.

With all that in mind, it's frankly ridiculous to say that Shaw only plays at Man Utd as Ten Hag doesn't have any other options within the squad.

In general, Palmer's opinion seems to be based on the brief two-minute spell he had for England against Italy where the defender was rather poor. Other than that, though, his argument seems pretty baseless.

Tottenham Hotspur managerial target Luis Enrique is ‘keen’ on a move to the Premier League and could now be Fabio Paratici’s first choice.

The Lowdown: Conte quitting?

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte is set to dominate the headlines over these next few months with the Italian heavily linked to leaving north London.

Conte’s current deal expires at the end of the 2022/2023 season, and while chairman Daniel Levy can extend his stay by a further 12 months, reports claim this is growing more and more unlikely.

Paratici and co have already drawn a managerial shortlist for if Conte does depart, with former fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino among the prime contenders.

In terms of other targets, Sky share that Roberto De Zerbi, Enrique, Thomas Tuchel, Marco Silva and Thomas Frank are also of interest to Spurs.

Enrique is an interesting and potentially enticing option, especially when taking into account his illustrious CV and status as a free agent.

The Latest: Paratici ‘first choice’ for Spurs…

According to journalist John Cross, writing in a column for The Mirror, the 52-year-old could well’ be Paratici’s ‘first choice’ for the job.

He is apparently ‘keen’ on a move to England and the top flight, but in a twist, Levy may actually disagree with the Italian club chief.

Cross states that Levy wants managers with Premier League experience, something that could count against Enrique in the race to be Spurs’ next boss.

The Verdict: Go for him?

Bar Pochettino, who we believe is the standout candidate to succeed Conte, Enrique could also be a sound option.

The former Spain boss has enjoyed a decorated managerial career, clinching nine pieces of silverware in total, which includes a Champions League at former club Barcelona.

Enrique encourages a more forward-thinking style of football than Conte and could steer Spurs away from their pragmatic style of the last two seasons.

Even though Spain eventually went out in the Last 16 of their World Cup campaign, Enrique attracted praise from some members of the media for his decisions during the tournament.

Juan Ignacio G-Ochoa, via Sam Leveridge, said this about the ex-Catalans head coach:

“He’s not crazy, he’s a genius.

“Luis Enrique was criticised for his squad, for dropping Gayà, for playing a midfielder in defence, for streaming… the World Cup debut, however, has shown the reality: Spain has a great team and his ideas work.”

Able to sign for Spurs at no cost, Enrique is a name who could be linked with the job right until a coach is formally announced.

Referee Paul Tierney and the VAR officials may well have made a big mistake late on in the recent Leeds United draw after they failed to award a penalty for a challenge on Rodrigo.

What’s the latest on the possible Leeds penalty?

On Saturday afternoon in the Premier League, the Whites played host to Brighton and Hove Albion as they looked to pick up a positive result amid their relegation fears.

In the end, one goal from Patrick Bamford and another from Jack Harrison (who had scored an own goal to put the Seagulls ahead) was enough to see Javi Gracia and his new side pick up a point in a 2-2 draw.

However, with the scores still level and just minutes left on the clock, Rodrigo burst into the Brighton box and appeared to be fouled by Adam Webster who slid in to clear the ball.

The referee played on but this footage suggests it probably should have been a foul.

Did Rodrigo deserve a penalty for Leeds against Brighton?

It’s clear to see that Joel Veltman comes in to help win the ball and he makes his challenge cleanly. This may be why referee Tierney allowed play to go on as if there was no foul

Despite that, though, Webster also made a tackle and appears to take Rodrigo out with plenty of contact before he gets any kind of touch on the ball.

It feels like one of those decisions where if the referee had given a penalty, VAR wouldn’t have overturned it. However, the officials didn’t feel it was a bad enough mistake for Tierney to then review his call at the monitor.

In the end, that penalty shout went ignored and so Leeds had to settle for just a point when they could have stolen all three right at the death. As they sit inside the relegation zone, they’ll be hoping this key call doesn’t come back to haunt them at the end of the season.

Manchester United sent scouts to watch RB Salzburg forward Benjamin Sesko on Sunday, 90min report.

The Lowdown: Hat-trick in seven minutes

Sesko, who Ryan Taylor has described as a “generational talent”, actually started the game against Rapid Vienna on the bench.

However, the 19-year-old came on for the second half and netted a hat-trick in just seven minutes to secure the three points for Salzburg. The three goals took his tally to 11 in 30 games for 2022/23, and it looks as if United are one of many tracking the Slovenia international.

The Latest: United update

90min provided an update on Sesko in the last 48 hours, where the Red Devils were named.

They claimed that United sent scouts to watch the forward in action, with those at Old Trafford still seeing the player as a potential target despite the fact Sesko will join RB Leipzig in the summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-news-11/” title=”Latest Man Utd news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Future signing?

Erik ten Hag could really do with a marquee attacker signed this summer due to Anthony Martial’s injury issues, but it doesn’t look as if that will be Sesko, who is set to move to Germany with Leipzig.

Therefore, he could be viewed as a future signing at Old Trafford, provided he goes from strength to strength in the Bundesliga.

Reports back in the summer claimed that United made an offer for Sesko, so hopefully, the club may get another chance to make their move for the forward, and his name will be one to keep an eye on over the year, especially with comparisons already being made to Erling Haaland.

Glasgow Rangers bounced back from their cup final defeat last week by beating Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

Head coach Michael Beale made changes to his side and Antonio Colak was one of the players who benefitted from that as the striker led the line ahead of Alfredo Morelos.

The former POAK forward assisted Fashion Sakala’s goal and recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.2 as he justified his selection in the side with an excellent performance.

Since arriving in Glasgow last summer, the 29-year-old has plundered 11 goals in 16 Premiership starts and scored 15 goals in 33 matches for the club in total.

His superb form for the Light Blues comes after a difficult spell in Greece where he only managed four strikes and two assists in 39 outings for PAOK, although he did score 22 times in 41 games for Malmo on loan during that period.

Could Rangers repeat their Antonio Colak masterclass?

Colak’s impressive goal return for Rangers shows that sporting director Ross Wilson played a masterclass in signing him last summer.

However, the former Southampton chief could now repeat that trick by dipping into the Greek market once again to sign Fotis Ioannidis from Panathinaikos.

Rangers have reportedly sent scouts to watch the centre-forward in action and could find their next Colak by snapping him up in the summer transfer window.

Ioannidis, who only turned 23 in January, has produced three goals and two assists in ten Super League starts this season, after managing to hit the back of the net four times in 15 starts in the division last term, with that return marking a goal contribution every other start.

The youngster, who has been capped four times by Greece, also scored eight goals in 49 matches for APO Levadiakos before his move to Panathinaikos – to go along with his 13 in 87 for his current club – and this shows that the forward has plenty of experience despite being early on in his career.

Journalist Josh Bunting previously stated that he was “impressed” with the marksman, who has “lovely balance”, and the 6 foot 1 ace’s solid statistics suggest that praise is warranted.

Ioannidis is yet to have a breakthrough campaign in terms of beating the goalkeeper on a consistent basis but the young talent has built up a bank of experience and showcased his potential as a goalscorer in limited starts. As such, the striker could be an excellent long-term signing for the Gers.

Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to restrict Harry Kane’s involvement in training at Hotspur Way on the back of his recent illness.

Is Harry Kane injured?

The Spurs striker has recently suffered from an illness which saw him benched for the FA Cup clash against Preston North End towards the back end of last month.

Kane was also believed to be suffering from the illness during their victory away to Fulham in January as he scored the only goal of the game to provide the Lilywhites with all three points.

And on the back of his illness, Spurs have restricted his time in training to keep him in the best possible health as Spurs continue to battle it out over three competitions.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Alasdair Gold has shared his concerns, though, with the striker now a month on from his struggles:

(1:18:00) “Kane is still having certain sessions that he’s missing out on at the moment. They’re managing him. And I keep getting told it’s because he had an illness, if you remember, that he played with a fever against Fulham right at the end of last month.

“So it’s a little bit concerning that he’s still getting some lingering after effects a month on after having had that illness.”

Will Harry Kane play against Sheffield United?

Spurs are back in action on Wednesday evening as they look to secure themselves a spot in the final eight of the FA Cup with a visit to Sheffield United.

This will leave Cristian Stellini with a big decision to make as to how strong he will set up his Spurs side given their hectic fixture list.

Tottenham return to Premier League action on Wednesday and then play once again in the Champions League on Wednesday and then again on Saturday.

But the FA Cup, arguably, provides Tottenham with their best opportunity to land themselves a trophy this season so it does feel as if Stellini should take the game at Bramall Lane seriously.

The Italian does have options at his disposal with the likes of Arnaut Danjuma and Richarlison both capable of playing through the middle of the front three.

And perhaps the illness picked up by Kane was as a result of his heavy involvement in the Spurs starting XI this season which has already seen him 34 appearances across all competitions.

With this in mind, it could provide Stellini with an option to rest Kane for the upcoming league and Champions League games.

However, if he was to rest Kane and Spurs were to be dumped out of the competition it would surely feel like a huge opportunity missed to enter the business end of the competition.

Newcastle United are still interested in the possibility of signing James Maddison ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

Will Newcastle sign James Maddison in the summer?

The Magpies have been heavily linked with potentially signing Maddison in the past with the Toon believed to have lodged two bids for the Leicester City man over the summer.

Having seen those bids knocked back, it is believed this summer could offer the Magpies with another opportunity to land the England international.

Maddison will go into the summer with just one year remaining on his deal with the Premier League side as he reportedly seeks the possibility of playing Champions League football.

Speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the Tyneside club are in love with Maddison ahead of the summer window:

(6:45) “And then a creative midfielder, there is a player they really love who is James Maddison, who is doing very well for Leicester and he’s a player they always had at the top of their list. And I’m sure they will try again before the summer.”

Who else is interested in signing James Maddison?

It has been made apparent Eddie Howe’s men are one of the clubs who would be keen to bring Maddison in over the summer window, but reports suggest they may not be the only ones.

Tottenham Hotspur are another side who are believed to hold an interest in Maddison with the north London club currently battling the Toon for a spot in the top four this season.

And if Champions League football is something which Maddison is targeting then the final months of this season for both these clubs could be crucial in their believed interest in the midfielder.

However, in recent weeks reports have emerged suggesting Manchester City are another club that could look to sign Maddison over the summer.

The summer will offer Leicester their last real opportunity to bring in a decent sum of money for their midfielder if he isn’t to sign a new deal.

But for Newcastle and Spurs, the potential interest coming from City could prove a serious issue with Pep Guardiola’s side being able to offer him a regular battle for the Premier League title.

The issue with City may lie in whether the player feels he could secure himself regular football with the likes of Kalvin Phillips having recently moved to the Etihad Stadium and struggling to establish himself in the side.

Regardless of what teams are in the race to sign Maddison in the summer, it does feel as if landing a spot in the Champions League could be essential for the Toon if they are to pursue the 26-year-old.