Leeds fans are baffled by the latest EFL Team of the Week

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Leeds fans have reacted negatively to the latest EFL Team of the Week that was posted on Twitter, questioning the decision making.

The Whites managed to fend off the challenge of Stoke with a 3-0 win last weekend but then succumbed to the same opposition on penalties in the Carabao Cup.

However, before their second meeting in four days took place, the EFL posted their TOTW from the latest round of league matches but there wasn’t a single Leeds player in sight.

Instead, Marcelo Bielsa took the award for the manager of the week, taking charge of the side that the EFL created.

With no Leeds players featuring, it left their supporters incredibly baffled. One described the selection as completely ridiculous whilst another suggested it was a joke.

A further fan was puzzled by the lack of Ben White. He helped Bielsa’s side keep a clean sheet, making five tackles and also winning three interceptions.

There were also claims for Pablo Hernandez to be picked.

Leeds are currently top of the table heading into this weekend’s fixtures and are unbeaten in league action.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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John McGinn looked like the £55m summer signing, according to Jamie Redknapp

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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…

Jamie Redknapp has had his say on Aston Villa’s key midfielder John McGinn after his goalscoring performance against Tottenham Hotspur in their Premier League opener on Saturday evening.

What’s he said?

Villa very nearly pulled off an impressive scalp on their Premier League return having held the Champions League finalists until the 73rd minute.

McGinn had opened the scoring for the visitors in the ninth minute but a long-ranger from Spurs’ record signing Tanguy Ndombele and a brace from Harry Kane put to bed hopes of a euphoric start.

Despite the defeat, the performance on the whole was positive and that’s something Redknapp picked up on.

The pundit’s Team of the Weekend was full of stars from the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham but the Villa man managed to make his way into the side.

Talking to the Daily Mail, he said:

“A special mention has to go to Aston Villa’s John McGinn, or ‘McGinniesta’ as some call him.

“No disrespect to Tottenham’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele, who scored a wonderful goal, but McGinn looked like the £55million midfielder on the pitch at times.

“The guy cost £2.75m when he joined from Hibernian in 2018 but he ran the midfield and opened the scoring. It was outstanding.”

One of the surprises of this Premier League season

Redknapp isn’t wrong.

The 24-year-old matched the £55m man, if not slightly edged him, showing that he could be one of the big surprises of this Premier League season.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Both of them scored a goal – Ndombele will be getting more credit there as he belted in a thunderbolt from 25 yards out – but aside from that there wasn’t much to separate them.

They both recorded two shots and one key pass whilst defensively, they were on par again, recording an interception each.

McGinn managed to rack up more tackles which suggests he was the busier of the two midfielders with eight to his name compared to the Frenchman’s three.

It looks like the Scot is continuing on from his impressive debut season in English football last term where he racked up six Man of the Match awards alongside seven goals from midfield and nine assists – he was a major player in Villa’s playoff winning run.

‘McGinniesta,’ as he was labelled by Redknapp, was reportedly earmarked by Sir Alex Ferguson for Manchester United over the summer before signing a new long-term deal at Villa Park and after his Premier League opener, it’s easy to see why.

He’s going to be playing in the claret and blue for the next five years at least so expect to see McGinn dazzle more this season and into the future.

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Tottenham fans react as Kieran Trippier opens up on Spurs exit

[ad_pod ]In one of the more peculiar transfers of the summer window, Kieran Trippier left Tottenham to join La Liga giants Atletico Madrid for a reported £21.7m.The England international’s tendency for defensive mistakes certainly doesn’t make him the most typical of Diego Simeone signings, but the right-back now finds himself at the Wanda Metropolitano.Now, Trippier has suggested that “behind the scenes” issues caused him to leave to Spurs this summer and that it was time for him to “move on”.Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After hearing the 28-year-old’s comments, Tottenham fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the revelation and many were seemingly unimpressed by what Trippier had to say.

Many supporters of the north London side questioned how truthful the full-back was being, and suggested his departure had more to do with his lacklustre performances last season.

Indeed, some expressed the feeling that Trippier was coming across as bitter and urged him to take responsibility and just move on.

Check out some of the reaction of Spurs fans below:

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Newcastle fans are sad to hear Kenedy is heading to the Championship

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to some transfer news on a former player, as Kenedy is reportedly set to join Championship outfit Reading.

Talk Reading claim the Royals are set to secure the capture of the Chelsea winger on loan, before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Mark Douglas, publishing editor for The Chronicle, has added validity to the report, claiming that the Magpies were quoted at £30m to sign the youngster permanently last summer, while Oliver Harbord of Football.London has also seemingly confirmed the move is on, calling it a “strange move”.

The young Blue spent 18 months on loan on Tyneside, impressing in his first temporary stay before completely going off the boil last season, registering just one goal and one assist in 25 league appearances.

With all due respect to Reading, being quoted to Premier League teams at a whopping £30m is quite a height to fall to last season’s twentieth-best team in the Championship from, and the Toon Army are sad to hear of the 23 year-old’s fate.

Maybe he will rediscover his spark without the pressure of the top-flight, but the Twitter reactions down below are disappointed in their former loanee…

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Leeds Transfer Roundup: Mujica, Amor and Hughes signings all confirmed

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Yesterday’s Leeds transfer roundup reported on the confirmed arrival of a winger from Wolves, interest in a League Two defender and talks with a Championship rival in regards to the potential sale of an attacker. Today’s edition, meanwhile, revolves around completed deals for three youngsters.

Mujica confirmed

Leeds United have confirmed that Rafa Mujica has signed for the Whites following the expiration of his contract with FC Barcelona. The 20-year-old has put pen-to-paper on a three-year deal with the Elland Road outfit, and will initially join the U23 squad.

Amor arrives

And Leeds have also announced that Guillermo Amor has also swapped Barcelona for Yorkshire this summer. The 18-year-old midfielder’s new deal will last two years, and he too will join one of the club’s youth teams.

Hughes joins from Premier League giants

Finally, teenager Alfie Hughes has confirmed he has left Manchester United to join Marcelo Bielsa’s side. Via a post on his Instagram page, he said, “Tough decision to leave Manchester United but I’m excited for the new challenge, new chapter begins.”

Celtic fans react to Jozo Simunovic’s two-game ban

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Celtic’s Jozo Simunovic has been hit with a two-game competitive ban after his friendly red card was reported to the Swiss FA, per The Daily Record.

Simunovic saw red in his side’s 0-0 draw with St. Gallen and will now miss the opening two games of the Premiership season, despite the incident taking place in a pre-season friendly.

The defender will miss the matches against St. Johnstone and Motherwell next month as Celtic begin their title defence.

The 24-year-old was given his marching orders for a tackle The Daily Record described as a “reckless high boot” in the friendly match. The official, Fedayi San, has since reported the incident to the Swiss FA before it was passed to the Scottish authorities.

Simunovic has played all 180 minutes of the Champions League campaign thus far for Neil Lennon’s men and his impending ban won’t affect his availability for European action, but nonetheless fans are fuming about the ruling.

Here is what the Bhoys had to say on Twitter…

2019/20: Five key dates that will decide Liverpool’s title dreams

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After clinching the coveted Champions League trophy for the sixth time in their history, Liverpool will be aiming to finally break the curse and bring home a Premier League title in the upcoming season. With the 2019/20 fixtures now officially out, we take a look at five key dates that could very well decide Liverpool’s title dreams.

21 September, Chelsea (A)

Even though the Blues finished an incredible 25 points behind the Reds, both of the games Liverpool played against them were a struggle. Klopp’s troops managed to take the three points at Anfield but Chelsea held them to a one-all draw at Stamford Bridge. This will be a clash of old rivals and the first real test for last year’s runner-ups in their title chase.

5 October, Leicester City (H)

The Foxes can hardly match Liverpool in a whole season marathon but the start of October is pretty tough for Klopp. First they have to welcome Leicester before going away to Manchester United and then playing Spurs at Anfield, all in a span of 20 days. Fixtures like this one against Leicester are trap games where crucial points for the race are easily dropped because the focus often shifts to the seemingly more difficult matches that lie ahead. Liverpool will need to be professional in this one and get the job done – something they failed to do last term to kickstart a run of four draws in six games.

“It reminds me of a bus seat!” – Watch a damning verdict on Chelsea’s new kit in the video below…

9 November, Manchester City (H)

This one hardly needs an introduction and both fixtures against Manchester City could easily find their way on this list. However, winning at home against their biggest rivals still relatively early in the season could set the tone for the rest of the campaign and make a trip to the Etihad a bit less scary. The alternative, however, is pretty bad – City taking the psychological edge early in the campaign.

4 December, Everton (H)

The first Merseyside derby kicks off at the start of December. Last year, Liverpool barely scrapped three points off the Toffees at Anfield with a one-nil win and then only managed to pick up one more when the hosts swapped in March. This fixture on its own could spell trouble but it gets even worse because that game is sandwiched between Brighton (H) and Bournemouth (A), all to be played in the span of only a week.

17 May, Newcastle United (A)

The last fixture of the 2019/20 season for Liverpool will be against a really tricky opponent for the Reds. Newcastle United away is a game Liverpool fans remember quite well. Last year it took three goals with the winner coming in the last minute to finally break the hosts and take the three points. If the title race drags on, this could make for one dodgy finale for Jurgen Klopp and he’ll want to finish things off earlier.

ليفربول يتلقى ضربة قوية من مدافع أياكس

وجه مدافع فريق أياكس الهولندي، بير شورز صدمة قوية لفريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، بعد ارتباطه بإمكانية الانتقال إلى ملعب الأنفيلد في موسم الانتقالات الشتوي المقبل.

وارتبط ليفربول بأكثر من مدافع لضمه في فترة الانتقالات الشتوية مطلع العام الجديد، بعد إصابة فيرجل فان دايك وجو جوميز.

ويعاني الثنائي المذكور من إصابات طويلة الأمد، ستبعدهما عن ليفربول حتى نهاية الموسم الحالي على الأقل.

وتواجد بير شورز ضمن المدافعين المرتبطين بخطوة الانتقال إلى حامل لقب الدوري الإنجليزي، في يناير القادم.

وعندما سُئل عن ذلك الأمر، قال بير شورز في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية: “لقد سمعت وقرأت تلك الشائعات”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كورتيس جونز يدخل تاريخ ليفربول ودوري أبطال أوروبا بهدفه أمام أياكس

وأضاف: “هذا هو موسمي الأول مع أياكس كلاعب أساسي، أريد أن ألعب هنا لبضعة مواسم أخرى، والفوز بالبطولات”.

وواصل الهولندي: “أنا لست قلقًا بتلك الشائعات على الإطلاق”.

يُذكر أن بير شورز شارك في مباراة الأمس أمام فريق ليفربول في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، في الجولة الخامسة من دور المجموعات حيث خسر أياكس بهدف نظيف.

Manchester United cannot baulk at ‘record fee’ in pursuit of their return to glory

It was a concern at Old Trafford when Jose Mourinho was at the helm that Manchester United had to strengthen their backline if they were to compete at the top of the Premier League table again.

Red Devils chiefs opted against giving the Portuguese manager the men he desired, and, in the end, it proved to be one of the many factors which cost the title-winning head coach his job.

Even an initial surge under then-caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer failed to hide the fact that centre-back is a problem area for United, who would go on to end the season with just two victories in their last 12 games in all competitions.

Now, Ed Woodward is tasked with bringing the next colossus at the back to Old Trafford and provide Solskjaer with a defender who can instil what the Red Devils lost when Nemanja Vidic left for Inter Milan five years ago.

Oddly, the men he will likely target in 2019 are some of those Mourinho had his eyes fixed on a year ago, with reports tirelessly linking United with the likes of Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire, Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld and Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar.

Ajax sensation Matthijs de Ligt is another name frequently on Woodward’s speculated shortlist, just under a year after he had the chance to sign the teenager for half the £75million he is now thought to be worth. No deal was reached in 2018, though, as Dutch scout Marcel Bout – a man brought to the club by Louis van Gaal – feared the defender would follow in his father’s footsteps and lose his pace and power by putting on the pounds.

Character, good attitude, fitness, consistency, and sheer quality are all characteristics United must identify in their new centre-back, and depending on what report you read, that man is either thought to be Koulibaly or Maguire.

Some claim Koulibaly is considered too expensive at £90million, while others state the 27-year-old is the number one target at Old Trafford, as he is seen as one of the best in the business having been a rock in Serie A for Carlo Ancelotti.

If the choice boils down to making Koulibaly the most expensive defender in football history, or settling for Maguire, Woodward cannot baulk at the price he must pay for the towering Senegal international instead of England’s World Cup hero.

Unlike Maguire, Koulibaly would be able to instantly give those around him in Red a lift, and lead the likes of Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling, who have on far too many occasions shrieked back into their shells instead of puffing out their chests and refuse to be beat.

David de Gea, likewise, would benefit from having someone of Koulibaly’s calibre lining up in front of him at Old Trafford come the start of the new Premier League season, and not head into the summer pondering a future where he could either have Phil Jones gormlessly meandering around his box or head back into the continent with either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.

Celtic should avoid Carlos Carvalhal at all costs despite him being keen on role

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According to a report in The Scottish Sun, Carlos Carvalhal is keen to become Celtic’s new manager and is ready to make his pitch to the club’s hierarchy this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Scottish Sun reports that the Portuguese boss is keen for another role in British football following spells with Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City previously.

Neil Lennon is, of course, in the position right now on a caretaker basis following Brendan Rodgers’ exit earlier in 2019, and looked to be in a good position to take the job on a permanent basis having been unbeaten in the lead-up to the last Old Firm derby of the season on Sunday.

However, a disappointing display in the 2-0 defeat at Ibrox may well have affected the Northern Irishman’s chances slightly, although The Scottish Sun report that it is unclear whether that result will change things.

Would he be a good appointment?

In a word, no.

“Lionel Messi is Barcelona’s James McFadden!” – Watch Scottish football fans name their clubs’ Lionel Messi in the video below…

While he would certainly be an interesting arrival at Parkhead and is currently out of work and therefore wouldn’t cost any compensation money, Celtic have the perfect opportunity to aim a little higher this summer if they do choose to ditch Lennon.

While Carvalhal may well be a good friend of Jose Mourinho’s, he hasn’t proven during his time with either Wednesday or Swansea in British football that he can make a huge difference with the clubs he has taken charge of.

He failed to keep the latter in the Premier League and twice missed out on promotion with the former, suggesting he doesn’t have the leadership and quality required to be an upgrade on Lennon should he be given a chance.

Celtic are looking for a capable manager that can lead the club to nine and ten in a row, but the 53-year-old isn’t the man to do it.

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