All posts by h716a5.icu

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It has been a tough season for Queens Park Rangers, but they finished their 2018-19 Championship campaign with an impressive 2-1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday afternoon.

The winner came very, very late. Matt Smith scored it, with the towering striker finding the back of the net in the third minute of additional time at the end of the 90.

The 29-year-old finished the 2018-19 campaign with six Championship goals, but it is worth considering that the clash with Wednesday proved to be just the third time that he had completed the full 90 minutes of a league fixture this term.

Smith – out of contract next summer – would have certainly wanted more of a chance to prove his worth from the start.

And that is also the view of a number of the QPR fans, who have reacted to Smith’s winner against Wednesday on Sunday afternoon.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Smith heading into the new campaign, but the R’s fans have made their feelings pretty clear on Twitter:

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According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool will miss out on £17m if Barcelona manage to successfully offload Philippe Coutinho this summer, due to one of the agreements in the attacker’s contract.

What’s the word, then?

Well, when the Spanish champions signed the Brazil international back in January 2018 in a deal worth £142m, only £106m of that figure was paid upfront by Barcelona to Liverpool.

The rest of it was made up in instalments based on different variables. The Reds were due £4.4m if the Blaugrana won the Champions League, and another £4.4m if they qualified for the tournament, which they did.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…

Another sum of the same value was paid after Coutinho made 25 appearances for the club, and the largest individual sum as part of the agreement – £17m – will be paid when the former Inter man reaches 100 appearances; if they successfully offload him in the summer, however, which they plan to, then they will escape paying this clause.

Ruthless decision by Barcelona

The decision to bin Coutinho after just 18 months is extremely ruthless by Barcelona.

The 26-year-old impressed in his first six months at the club, starring throughout the second half of last season, but has simply not got going at any point in the current campaign.

However, this is supposed to be the attacking midfielder’s dream move, the switch that he was so desperate to make happen that he paid £11.5m of his own money to push it through.

He is arguably yet to reach his peak, but Liverpool won’t care about all that.

Despite missing out on their £17m, the Merseysiders have still made £125m on the player they signed for just £8.5m, and also managed to bring in difference makers such as Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk with the money.

A penny for Coutinho’s thoughts amid all of this.

Look away now City fans: Bayern Munch have apparently started talks with Manchester City over summer transfer of Leroy Sane.

Genuinely, this transfer story is testament to just how good Manchester City have it at the moment, if they’re willing to part way with one of the brightest talents in world football.

The Daily Record understands the Bundesliga champions have been given the green light to liaise with the German international’s representatives with a view to agreeing contractual terms.

Bayern’s move for Sane isn’t anything new – they were after the player in 2016 but were pipped to his signature by the mega money of City. But now with the star spending increasingly more time on the bench and the periphery of the squad, Bayern seem likely to wind up the deal with little to no complications.

As much as City fans may want to keep their star, the situation between the club and player has deemed it incredibly unlikely. The 23-year-old has rejected a series of offers to upgrade and extend a contract that expires in the summer of 2021, and City’s director of football Txiki Begiristian apparently does not want to risk a stalemate scenario in which the forward simply runs down his contract and transfer value, so he may be forced to sell in the coming window.

Manchester City have one of the brightest talents in world football in Leroy Sane, only a fool would deny that. To lose him at this stage in his career when he has already demonstrated how devastating he can be – passing the remarkable 10 goals and 10 assists mark – would truly be a travesty of the highest order.

City fans, how sad would you be to see Sane go? Knowing how good your club have been in the market, are you at all worried? Let us know in the comments below!

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According to reports in The Sun, Leeds United have shown an initial interest in bringing Fabian Delph back to the club, although a deal will prove too expensive for them.

The Man City midfielder spent eight years at the Yorkshire club from the age of 12, before being signed by Aston Villa in 2009.

What’s the story?

The paper are reporting that Delph will be available for £15 million as he is entering the final year of his contract.

The 29-year-old has won two Premier Leagues and earnt 18 England caps since leaving Elland Road, and as he reaches the back end of his career it may be time for him to give back to the club that gave him his big break.

He turns 30 in November and with the current project that Marcelo Bielsa is orchestrating at Leeds, he may indeed choose to go back and help his old team reclaim their place at the top table of English football.

Phillips going?

The fact that Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani are eyeing up such a deal may show that Kalvin Phillips is headed away from Elland Road for a reasonable price.

The report states that Delph would be too expensive for Leeds, and they’re right. There is no way that the Yorkshire club would be able to afford his reported £90,000 a week wages on top of the hefty transfer fee unless their most valuable player was headed elsewhere for a huge amount.

Delph would more than likely occupy the position that Phillips will leave open, and the £15 million that City are asking for will most likely be funded by the sale of the 23-year-old.

Whether this is a good thing for Leeds remains to be seen. Their current defensive midfielder works so well in Bielsa’s system, and it may be tough to get Delph motivated to do the same amount of running that Phillips does as he’s so used to playing at the very top level.

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Romelu Lukaku’s troubled time at Manchester United could be nearing an end with Inter Milan interested in the Belgian’s services, although United fans on Twitter think the club should use Inter’s interest to negotiate a deal that would see Mauro Icardi head the other way.

Inter Milan are preparing to embark on a new era with Antonio Conte at the helm and according to Sky Sports, the ex-Chelsea manager has set his sights on Lukaku.

A promising debut season at Old Trafford gave way to a frustrating second campaign as Lukaku found the net just 12 times in 32 Premier League appearances, while the striker saw his place in the team questioned at points in the season.

Icardi, meanwhile, endured a troubled season of his own as he was stripped of the Inter captaincy for disciplinary and behavioural reasons.

The Argentine marksman scored 11 Serie A goals in 28 appearances just one season after notching 29 league goals and reports have stated that he has no interest in signing a new contract at the San Siro.

With both strikers struggling for form and popularity a swap could benefit both sides and many United fans are eager for a deal that would send Lukaku to Italy and Icardi the other way.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

It is fair to say that Mateo Kovacic’s loan move from Real Madrid to Chelsea has not quite gone to plan.

The 25-year-old has really failed to kick on following his impressive debut against Wednesday’s Europa League final opponents Arsenal, and has since lost his spot in the team to Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

But with Loftus-Cheek out of the London derby in Baku and set to miss the start of next season, Kovacic now has a massive chance.

Marca (via Sport Witness) reports that Chelsea are set to make his loan move a permanent one, and a good display in the Europa League final could go a long way once the next campaign arrives.

Even with Loftus-Cheek unavailable for selection, competition for a midfield spot is set to be fierce with N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley and possibly Mason Mount all still in the equation.

Given their transfer embargo, you would expect Chelsea to sign Kovacic regardless of what happens on Wednesday night, with the Croatian and Gonzalo Higuain being the only two players the club can buy in the summer (Goal).

But if Kovacic really wants to prove his worth and show that the Blues are not just going to purchase him for the sake of it, then he needs to raise his game at the Baku Olympic Stadium.

Another not up to scratch performance, and Chelsea supporters will start to ask some serious questions about his permanent transfer.

Chelsea fans, can Kovacic make an impact against Arsenal? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Honduran defender Emilio Izaguirre has left Celtic, but not before being offered a new contract to remain at the club for another season, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

He’ll now be looking for a club in Europe or in Major League Soccer, say the paper, having rejected the chance to stay in Glasgow.

The left-back made 19 appearances for the Hoops throughout the 2018/19 season, but his performances left a lot to be desired and plenty of fans believe the club can do better with back-up to regular starter Kieran Tierney.

Neil Lennon needs to recruit a quality player who can both provide competition for the Scotland international and step in to ensure the 21-year-old doesn’t need to play as many matches each season as he currently does.

The fact that the club have tried to retain the services of Izaguirre is a worrying sign for some that there is a lack of forward planning when it comes to the position.

These supporters have taken to Twitter today to share their thoughts on the situation…

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Leeds United fans on Twitter have been reacting as Daniel James’ move to Manchester United edges closer to completion.

The winger almost joined Leeds on deadline day back in January in one of the most exciting transfer sagas of the winter window.

James had even completed a medical at Elland Road ahead of the proposed loan move, which would have become permanent had Leeds been promoted to the Premier League.

The 21-year-old really kicked on after January to end the season with four goals and seven assists in the Championship, which has prompted one of the biggest clubs in Europe to go after him.

The Welshman is now undergoing a medical with the Red Devils and it seems to be just a matter of time before he is announced as a United player.

That news hasn’t gone down well with Leeds fans. Some have blamed the club for trying to pinch pennies in January, whereas others have claimed they’d likely be in the Premier League right now had James’ January saga panned out differently.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

As Maurizio Sarri reportedly closes in on a return to Italy (per the Standard) to take over Juventus, rumours will naturally emerge in regard to potential replacements should the former Napoli boss leave after just a season in charge.Â

Indeed, one link that popped up is news that Rafael Benitez (according to Tuttosport via the Daily Mail, who then distance themselves from it) is preparing to leave Tyneside and go back to Chelsea.

Well, this (no matter how speculative) might be a move to would devastate both Chelsea fans and Newcastle fans, as some Blues supporters were not that keen on the Spaniard during his interim time in charge back in 2013.

It’s probably fair to say that a large amount Newcastle fans, clearly, would be crestfallen if the 59-year-old left the Toon after the superb job he has done over the last three years for them as the three-year deal he penned back in 2016 winds down on Tyneside. Few would doubt his connection to the Toon Army, as the #IfRafaGoesWeGo movement proves.

Luckily, for both sets of supporters, Matt Law of the Daily TelegraphÂhas poured cold water on the rumours of Benitez moving to back to Stamford Bridge.

To stay at Newcastle though, it has previously been reported by the Telegraph that the former Real Madrid boss wants assurances that he will be handed a budget that will allow him to compete for cups and also the top ten of the Premier League.

This seems unlikely to happen if Mike Ashley remains in charge as he wants Newcastle to “spend (via the Chronicle) within their means†and the Sports Direct mogul has never really splashed out during his time in charge.

The takeover saga has understandably complicated the situation, but with less than a week to go until the fixtures are released, Newcastle still do not know who their owner or their manager will be next season. The situation is similar for Chelsea, and they could be scrambling to replace Sarri, but what seems inevitable is that Benitez will not be the next Blues manager. However, it remains to be seen as to whether he will remain at St. James’s Park or move on and seek pastures new.

Whether you’re a Blue or a Geordie, how relieved are you to hear this news? Join the discussion by commenting below…Â

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Leeds United fans on Twitter have been hoping that Jay-Roy Grot has a future at the club despite reports linking him with a loan move to either Hearts or Vitesse.

The attacker spent last season out on loan in the Eredivisie where he gave a largely good account of himself.

Leeds supporters haven’t seen the best of the Dutchman with his first season at Elland Road pretty disastrous as he scored just once in 20 appearances.

His loan spell in the Netherlands represented an upturn in form though as he scored six times and created three assists last term for VVV-Venlo.

He finished the season in a flurry netting three goals in his last five games, and form like that has won a few Whites supporters over.

Certain sections of the fanbase on social media are hoping that this loan move doesn’t represent the end of his career in Yorkshire.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…