All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Wolves are emerging as candidates to sign Southampton’s Cedric Soares in the summer, according to Tuttomercatoweb. Although no bid has been placed yet, the Midlands club should move quickly to secure his services.

What’s the word?

Much like many of the Southampton squad under Mark Hughes, Cedric found life tough. Subsequently, he was loaned out to Inter Milan in the January transfer window.

However, he has failed to impress there either and as a result, the Italian giants will not take up their €11.5m (£9.9m) option to buy the player according to Tuttomercatoweb.

Cedric will now return to Southampton in the summer but Wolves are reportedly among the candidates to sign him from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side. The player is currently valued at £13.5m according to Transfermarkt.

Considering the number of Portuguese players Wolves boast it’s hardly a surprise to see them sniffing around another, particularly with the player a client of super agent Jorge Mendes.

Cedric can get even more out of Jimenez

Despite having a difficult season, the European champion’s possible arrival at Molineux would be of great benefit to one man in particular, Raul Jimenez.

Nuno Santo has recently experimented with playing Adama Traore at right wing-back in their system but Cedric would give them a far better option.

Wolves’ main man in that position this season has been Matt Doherty but his attacking attributes aren’t really impressive. On the other hand, the Portugal international has qualities in that area in abundance and as such could get the best out of Jimenez.

Raul Jimenez is turning it on for Wolves and Mexico right now! He definitely deserves the song in the video below…

Doherty only averages 0.4 crosses per game, whereas Cedric’s average per game in that department at Southampton was 0.8 this season. It’s not a too significant leap but those extra few numbers could really benefit the physical Jimenez who could find himself on the end of more balls into the box.

The Mexican striker isn’t a permanent part of the Wolves team just yet, but with a move reportedly close, they must sign Cedric to get even more out of him if the deal does go through.

[ad_pod ]Leeds fans are hoping their team can make Alan Browne eat his words as Leeds face Preston on Tuesday night.Browne spoke to the Lancashire Evening Post this week and claimed that this Leeds team aren’t all they’re cracked up to be in the media.”I don’t think Leeds are world beaters to be honest. I think it’s the media who make them out to be this world-class team. They are a very good team, they beat us at their place and were great on the night.”Fans are hoping that Browne’s comments can spur the team on to prove him wrong and get a similar result to the reverse fixture at Elland Road in September where the Whites ran out 3-0 winners.Preston were beaten by Sheffield United on Saturday which left Leeds trailing the Blades in the race for promotion after they lost to Birmingham City.Marcelo Bielsa’s side shouldn’t have a problem with motivation heading into this game as the automatic promotion places remain in their sights.Fans are hoping that Browne’s comments have already given Bielsa all the ammunition he needs in his team talk on Tuesday to get his players up for the game at Deepdale.Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

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In amongst the spending and mass import of players at Wolves over the past two years, there is a phenomenal young academy prospect waiting in the wings.

Niall Ennis has been highly touted at the club but several factors have played a part in the striker’s career stalling.

The 19-year-old could easily have featured on a regular basis for the senior team by now but is instead tearing it up at U23 level this term after a succession of injuries.

He is a natural goal scorer and the type of player who would compliment Raul Jimenez perfectly, such is the crafty nature of the player.

Given how Diogo Jota has been playing alongside him, it’s a role we could see Ennis featuring in as well in the not too distant future. Both are of similar stature so would work well alongside their record signing.

But Ennis will be more focused on the present with the club’s U23 side gunning for promotion this term. When they take on Stoke in Premier League 2 at Molineux next Monday, they’ll have a chance to go one step closer to replicating a similar success to their senior team from last year.

And Ennis will have a major say in whether they can achieve that and his performances to date demonstrate he has what it takes.

An England youth international, the forward has scored an impressive eight goals in 18 league matches. Four of those have come as the lead striker, the other four from the left flank. His versatility, therefore, is something that could benefit the first team greatly.

In fact, he’s made one first-team appearance in his fledgeling career to date. Albeit a substitute appearance from the bench, but it’s an encouraging sign for a player who has had a breakthrough 2019 so far.

Wolves Fan TV place the blame for Wolves’ FA Cup semi-final collapse on John Ruddy in the video below…

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his game is his mentality. During the 2016/17 campaign, he suffered a broken fibula and then also suffered a knee injury whilst on loan at Shrewsbury last season. It was a problem that cut short his spell after just two matches.

But, the youngster is now firmly back in the frame, and after a productive season for the U23s should be ready to make a similar step that fellow academy product Morgan Gibbs-White has made this season.

Sheffield Wednesday supporters would be forgiven for thinking that their side’s season is all but over following Saturday’s defeat to Leeds United.

Heading into the clash at Elland Road, the Owls knew that they really had to secure a famous victory over the Whites to keep within firing range of a top-six finish. However, from start to finish, Steve Bruce’s men were outclassed by their opponents and without the heroics demonstrated by Keiren Westwood, the margin of their loss would have been a lot wider than it was.

Although victories for Aston Villa, Derby County and Middlesbrough at the weekend may not have extended the gap between Wednesday and the play-offs, what it did do was narrow down the chance that the Yorkshire-based club has of extending their season past the 46-game mark in the Championship. Whereas having to overcome just one side can be tricky at this pivotal stage of the year, the fact that the Owls need to out-point four of their opponents means that that they require somewhat of a miracle to secure a play-off position.

However, if they can win all four of their remaining fixtures, there is a chance that they still finish in the top six if results elsewhere go their way. By doing this, they will need Middlesbrough and Derby County to pick up no fewer than seven points whilst Bristol City must not achieve more than six. If this somehow plays out in the Owls’ favour, they will also have to hope that Hull City fail to secure maximum points as the Tigers are currently one point ahead of them in the league standings.

Indeed, the likelihood of all this happening is extremely low yet whilst there is still an opportunity, Bruce will be gearing his players up with the dream of the play-offs firmly on their minds.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Have you given up on a top six finish this season? Or are you clinging on to hope or achieving a miraculous end to your season? Get in touch below.

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Jan Vertonghen has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur had no idea that they were going to be sent into the Champions League semi-finals by an amazing VAR decision, per Goal.

Manchester City thought they had beaten Spurs at the Etihad Stadium, with Raheem Sterling completing his hat-trick in injury time, only to see it ruled out.

What’s the word?

Spurs took a 1-0 lead into the game at the Etihad Stadium and a modern classic unfolded, leaving supporters of both sides breathless.

Both sides traded four goals in the opening 11 minutes before Sterling scored to give City a 3-2 lead just after the 20th minute. A Sergio Aguero goal then gave City the aggregate advantage, only for Fernando Llorente to swing the tie back Spurs’ way.

Sterling, thought he had won it in injury time, slotting Aguero’s cut-back past Hugo Lloris; Aguero, however, was offside in the build-up and VAR subsequently ruled the goal out.

Vertonghen, though, says Spurs did not even have the slightest inclination that the Argentine was offside, with a semi-final clash with Dutch giants Ajax now looming.

“It was crazy, madness, absolute madness. You don’t know anything and it’s a weird feeling,” Vertonghen said.

“No-one was even appealing for offside, we all thought they had scored. Everyone was on the floor, but there was still two or three minutes left.

“So it was ‘let’s try and get the ball in the box and we will see whatever happens’. And then out of nothing, the referee came up with VAR. We didn’t even know.”

An omen

This was a game that had genuinely everything, with Spurs ultimately progressing to their first European Cup semi-final in over 50 years.

VAR has gone against them before – City’s Fernandinho should probably have been sent off in the first leg for an elbow on Harry Kane – but Spurs are now indebted to the technology.

All the great triumphs in football need that little bit of luck.

That Vertonghen says that Spurs were not even bothering to appeal for an offside tells you everything.

They were given a last-minute reprieve akin to resuscitation. They must now ensure they do not waste it, with Spurs, amazingly, now just three wins away from Champions League glory.

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Danny Rose is desperate for Christian Eriksen to stay at Tottenham Hotspur, per Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

Eriksen’s current contract expires at the end of next season.

Rumours continue to swirl over his future, with both Real Madrid and Barcelona linked with a potential interest.

If no new deal is agreed and Eriksen does not leave this summer, Spurs risk losing him on a free transfer at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season.

Eriksen sent Spurs a reminder of his value on Tuesday night, as he scored the winning goal in the club’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And Rose has told Sky that Spurs have to bend over backwards to ensure the Denmark international remains at the club.

He said: “It’s obviously vital [that Eriksen stays]. If you look over the five years that the manager’s been here, Christian has played the most games and that says a lot.

“When Christian doesn’t play, there are questions that we don’t look the same. He links everything up for us. The lads in the changing room trust the people upstairs to hopefully get him to sign.

“We have every possible foundation at the club – the training ground, the stadium now, the fan-base, the players. But it’s not just the foundations that attract players and make players want to stay.

“It’s out of the players’ control. We just have to trust that the people upstairs are going to do whatever they see fit to help us make that next step. We know that our manager is a winner. He demands the best from us and he wants to win something as well.

“So while everybody is on the same page, we can just look forward to next season and see what it brings.”

A dressing room leader

Rose is well-known for speaking his mind and has emerged as something of a dressing room leader during his time at Spurs.

That he has come out in such open terms and pleaded with the club to retain Eriksen’s services surely speaks to the mood of the squad.

A 27-year-old who has continually proved his worth at the club, many believe that this is the perfect time for Spurs to cash in and receive a massive transfer fee.

But if the selling of Eriksen is set to destabilise the dressing room, perhaps keeping him could be the best outcome.

And maybe Rose’s intervention will hurry the hands of those in the club’s boardroom.

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Tottenham Hotspur face AFC Bournemouth this weekend in what is regarded as a crucial game in their bid to finish in the top-four.

Spurs, as it stands, need to collect two points from their final two games to guarantee qualification for the Champions League via their Premier League finish. They play Everton on the final day.

This used to be the be all and end all for Spurs, with Mauricio Pochettino even claiming in January that winning trophies only “builds ego”. Speaking after an FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, per Sky Sports, he said: “Again we’re going to have the debate whether a trophy will take the club to the next level. I don’t agree with it.

“It only builds your ego. The most important thing for Tottenham right now is to always be in the top four.”

Next week, Spurs face Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. They lost 1-0 at home, meaning that, to reach the final, they will have to win in Amsterdam.

That has to be the priority, regardless of Pochettino’s words previously.

Versus Bournemouth, Son Heung-Min will be available – he was suspended for the first leg against the Eredivisie giants – while Moussa Sissoko should also be fit, having only featured as a substitute on Tuesday.

Both players need to miss the encounter.

As it stands, Spurs have an incredible chance of reaching a European final for the first time since the 1980s; with Son back and firing, they have the firepower required to score in Holland and, given their repeated scrapes with Champions League elimination, it would be somewhat foolish to write them off.

At the end of the day, the game is about glory, as Spurs consistently remind their supporters. There is no trophy awarded for finishing in the top four.

Pochettino has to prioritise, he has to make a judgement call between the Premier League and the Champions League. Only one can possibly win out.

This weekend, key stars need to be on the bench, wrapped up in cotton wool, before Spurs attempt to claim a major victory in the Netherlands.

They will never again have such a chance. The top four will come and go. A place in the Champions League final may never be seen again.

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Rafael van der Vaart says he “liked” his former team-mate Son Heung-Min’s sending off during Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss to AFC Bournemouth, per the London Evening Standard.

What’s he said?

Son, who played with Van der Vaart during his time at Hamburg in Germany, was sent off for pushing Jefferson Lerma during the club’s dismal defeat to the Cherries on the South Coast.

The result appeared to place Spurs’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League in serious doubt but Arsenal’s draw with Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United’s stalemate with Huddersfield Town means that Mauricio Pochettino’s men are almost certain to finish in the top four.

Spurs would need to lose to Everton, Arsenal would need to beat Burnley and there would need to be an eight-goal swing in favour of the Gunners for their north London rivals to miss out.

And Van der Vaart insists that he enjoyed Son’s show of petulance as his old side prepare for their Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax, another of the Dutchman’s former clubs.

“It sounds silly, but I like it [the shove],” he said.

“It’s not smart but sometimes you need that kind of energy. It shows he hates losing. I’m not a player any more, I’m a fan, and I want to see somebody who wants to win and wants to fight.

“When I played with him he was 18 or 19 and a little bit shy. I think a little bit too shy. It’s not really that he was quiet but sometimes you have to step up and say what you think. He was always so nice to everybody and he wouldn’t say, ‘Give me the effing ball and I’ll do it’. You have to develop at that age.

“That’s what he’s now doing when Harry Kane is not playing. Harry is the best striker in the world and when he is on, maybe Son is playing a different game, sometimes passing to Harry instead of going alone and making a goal by himself. He is scoring more goals when Harry is not on the pitch. That explains how he is as a person now.”

Lucky he didn’t cost them

Spurs could have been in dire straits had Arsenal and Manchester United held up their end of the bargain.

Instead, their qualification for the Champions League seems secure.

Son should count his lucky stars that both the Gunners and the Red Devils downright bottled the chance to put the pressure on.

One can understand what Van der Vaart is saying; it does, indeed, speak to Son’s intense desire to win.

But it very nearly saw Spurs’ season ruined; as a “fan” the former playmaker should know that better than most.

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Is the Champions League papering over the cracks for Tottenham Hotspur?

It feels like an incredibly unfair question to ask, particularly after their scarcely believable heroics on Wednesday night, yet it is a pertinent one.

Of course, this is a club that will be playing in the final of the biggest competition in European football on June 1. They will take on a Liverpool team boasting the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk. It will be the first all-English final since 2008, when Manchester United and Chelsea locked horns in a rainy Moscow.

This time, they will play in Madrid, fighting for the right to be called European champions. Anything could happen. Spurs could win.

But there is a lingering feeling that this domestic season, when taken in isolation, has been a worry. Spurs have lost 13 games and yet, they sit in the top-four. They have been beaten more times in the Premier League than Wolves. They have drawn once, though, and that perhaps explains the absolute ridiculousness of this Spurs team finding themselves in the top four with only one game to play. If they avoid an eight-goal swing in Arsenal’s favour on the final day, they will qualify for the Champions League via their league position. Even if they don’t, they could qualify by winning the whole thing.

One has to examine the flaws, though. Spurs are in a final, yes, but they have played with Fernando Llorente up front for much of their run. They have been shorn of Harry Kane through injury and have no truly like-for-like replacement. Llorente is a battering ram of a centre-forward; Kane has a great deal more class than the Spaniard.

Dele Alli, reborn against Ajax, turning in a performance of maturity and elegance, has a ridiculous workload because there is no alternative in the squad; the same is true of Christian Eriksen.

This is a squad that has been stretched to its absolute limit. The midfield options at one point, due to both injury and general misfortune, were 18-year-old Oliver Skipp and Moussa Sissoko. That was it.

It must be said that Mauricio Pochettino has worked miracles with this squad. He has silenced the doubters and proven the devotees right. He hasn’t won a trophy yet; his first could be the Champions League.

And yet we cannot look past the holes. Kieran Trippier and Serge Aurier both need upgrading. Ben Davies probably isn’t good enough. Nor is Eric Dier, or Erik Lamela, or, actually, Llorente.

This patched-up band of brothers have done more than anyone could have expected of them but sentiment can’t cloud the judgement of chairman Daniel Levy.

An overhaul of this squad is needed and is long overdue. Spurs haven’t signed a player since January of 2018, when Lucas Moura, the hat-trick hero on Wednesday, waltzed through the doors at Hotspur Way. He is now a legend.

But money has to be spent. This is a club that has reached the Champions League final; it is an attractive proposition for any player looking to further their career.

Has this team done more than anyone would have expected? Absolutely, they have. But, still, Levy needs to back Pochettino this summer.

New blood is needed and we are past the point of Spurs recruiting promising talent. Genuine winners are needed if they are to take the next step: winning the Premier League.

It won’t be easy. It will be expensive. But this Champions League run has only served to strengthen the argument. Pochettino, after all, has done this in spite of the club’s lack of investment, not because of it.

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Writing in his Daily Mail column, Jamie Redknapp has sung the praises of Wolves star Ruben Neves. However, there could be concerns for fans of the club with the former footballer suggesting they’ll struggle to keep him.

What’s he said?

The Midlands club have had a fabulous season and they’ve been quite brilliant since Nuno Santo was appointed manager. A large part of that has been down to Neves who has been magnificent after arriving in the summer of 2017.

The former Porto captain is a fan favourite at Molineux, and despite not hitting the heights of his debut term in England, has still been impressive.

His fine opening day strike against Everton laid the platform as he’d go onto score five goals in all competitions.

The Portuguese midfielder has earned rave reviews throughout the season and the latest one has come from Redknapp. Writing in his Daily Mail column, he said:

“Ruben Neves is one of the most exciting midfielders in the Premier League. He reminds me of Xabi Alonso and Wolves face a challenge to keep hold of him.”

Neves on the move?

Out of everyone in the Wolves squad, Neves is the player who would probably command the largest fee should he leave. Rated at £36m, per Transfermarkt, they could get a significant windfall.

Earlier in the year, Pep Guardiola downplayed interest from Manchester City in the player, claiming he’d cost too much. And if Wolves’ asking price is high, then there is a greater possibility that the 22-year-old will remain at the club.

But Redknapp is right to suggest that they’ll face a challenge. They did so last summer and after a term in the Premier League, his stock has risen even more.

Despite not being in the goals on too regular a basis, his protection of the ball and ability to dictate certainly gives weight to comments about him being one of the best in his position in the league.

If Wolves can swat away potential suitors, it’ll be a huge statement of intent for 2019/20.