All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to The Daily Mail, Liverpool are interested in signing Brighton’s Ben White, a rumour that has generated a response amongst Leeds United fans, where the defender is currently on loan.

The Reds are believed to be prepared to make the Seagulls a £20m offer for the 22-year-old, as they view him as a potential replacement for Dejan  Lovren, who has had an injury-hit 12 months.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

White was an unknown quantity when he made the move to Leeds this summer, having never played above League One level prior to this season, but he has slotted in well and his presence has softened the blow of losing Pontus Jansson, evidenced by his average WhoScored rating of 7.3.

As a result, many Leeds supporters want him to remain at Elland Road, though given the reported price tag they admit it will only be a possibility should they be promoted to the Premier League.

If Liverpool act on their reported interest, however, it seems unlikely that the Whites would be able to persuade him to prolong his stay, whilst Brighton will also be keen to ensure he remains on the south coast.

Here is how some of the Elland Road faithful have been reacting to the news of the Reds’ interest.

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…

Paul Ince believes that the reported price of Declan Rice is ludicrous as he is far from the finished product.

What did he say?

The former England international is an admirer of the midfielder, but given he is only 20 Ince is fair to assume that it is too early to be speaking of prices such as £70m.

He also praised West Ham and the current set-up in place, indicating that it is a good environment for young players to prosper, whilst stating that a few more years of development in east London could really help his career.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Speaking on talkSPORT, as quoted by Football.London, Ince said:

“Stop quoting these ridiculous prices, it’s madness, it really is. In two or three years time, maybe, but he’s still got a lot to learn, he’s still got to grow, be a lot more powerful and get up and down the park quicker than he does.

“That will come as his body develops more but he’s still got to get himself in the box, got to score goals. That’s going to be worth £80-90m, so if he can learn that as he grows older, why not?

“I think he’s at the right club at West Ham, he’s playing week in, week out, which is important, and I think he’s got the right people around him, like Mark Noble, who has been there a long time, so he’ll learn a lot.”

Been there and done it

Rice could do a lot worse than to listen to and heed the advice of Ince, as he could follow in his footsteps if he makes the right decisions.

Like the current Hammers man, Ince came through the academy at West Ham and went on to make 72 appearances in three years, before he couldn’t resist the call of Manchester United.

That means he had more experience of being in and around the first team at the time of his move and likely was in a better frame of mind when deciding to move, as well as being older than Rice currently is.

The England international only has one full season under his belt playing in his current position of defensive midfield and though he has impressed and is improving, as shown in his interception and tackling stats – which he ranks fourth and third amongst Premier League midfielders – there are still areas to work on, as Ince points out.

Ince is, therefore, probably correct in his assessment that he could do with a few more years learning the trade from the likes of Noble, particularly as the Red Devils are currently in a slump in 12th place.

Gaetano Berardi could have a decision to make over his Leeds United future at the end of the season, according to the Mirror.

The Swiss defender’s contract is set to run out in June, and it could be up to him whether he stays at Elland Road or moves on.

Berardi has been at Leeds since 2014 and has played 136 times for the club in that time, scoring two goals.

However, under Marcelo Bielsa, he has seen his game time significantly reduced. Indeed last season he made just 13 Championship appearances after failing to break back into the team following injury (via Transfermarkt).

He has once again struggled to force himself into the starting 11 this term, with Liam Cooper and Ben White starting the campaign as the first-choice pairing at centre-back. He has started just three times in the Championship, and two of those have come recently due to an injury to Cooper.

Despite not being a regular, the Mirror are reporting that Leeds are still prepared to extend the Switzerland international’s contract beyond the summer.

It is thought that he is a popular player in the dressing room, and the club’s hierarchy would like to keep hold of him due to his experience. However, they are believed to be prepared to leave the decision down to Berardi, so he must choose whether to stay or leave on a free transfer.

It will be a tough decision for Berardi, after all, he is currently in his sixth season with Leeds.

But he is not getting much game time at all and is clearly seen as defensive cover by Bielsa who has preferred White and Cooper this term.

It is possible that the Whites will be promoted to the Premier League this term, and if they do then Berardi’s opportunities to play would probably be limited even further as they would surely look to bring in some higher calibre players.

Leeds fans, would you like to see Gaetano Berardi stay at Elland Road? Or has the time come for him to move on at the end of the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Manchester City earned a fourth clean sheet of the season in their victory over Crystal Palace, but only because of a top drawer performance from Ederson.

Pep Guardiola’s side were comfortable for long periods despite an unorthodox backline which included midfielders Rodri and Ferandinho partnering each other at centre-back.

However, within seconds of coming on as a substitute Christian Benteke almost halved the 2-0 deficit, and would have done so but for a remarkable stop from the Brazilian, who tipped his header onto the woodwork.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

That stop has earned him numerous plaudits amongst the City fans, with some acknowledging his involvement as important as the contributions of the likes of Gabriel Jesus and David Silva, who scored the two goals.

Ederson followed up his moment of brilliance with another fine stop from Wilfried Zaha, prompting praise from his manager, who labelled them “world-class” saves.

He is often useful to his side with the ball at his feet too, as his two assists last term suggests, so it is easy to see why these City fans have been quick to lavish praise on him.

Some Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to react after they heard that Jonny Williams will miss at least two months of action, after undergoing an operation on his knee.

The 19-cap Wales international was withdrawn midway through the first half of Saturday’s 3-0 win over Derby after hurting his knee, and Lee Bowyer revealed that the attacking midfielder has been operated on.

It comes as a disappointing blow for the south Londoners and Williams himself, who is having a fine season at The Valley having registered five assists in nine Championship starts so far this term.

Bowyer is really struggling to keep his players fit right now. Following Williams’ withdrawal against the Rams, Sam Field left the field on a stretcher during Wednesday’s loss to Bristol City, while Jake Forster-Caskey also limped off the pitch with what seems to be a hamstring issue.

It is certainly a testing time for what was already a thin squad.

Let’s take a look at how the Charlton fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

Ian Wright has hyped up Marcus Rashford after the Manchester United forward knuckle-balled his team into the next round of the Carabao Cup after beating Chelsea for the second time this season 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.The 22-year-old handed United the lead with a penalty, his first since missing against Norwich at the weekend, after Marcos Alonso clumsily fouled Daniel James. United currently top the table for most penalties received in the Premier League, though their conversation rate (33.3 per cent) is the second worst.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Rashford’s upturn in form has seen him score three goals in his previous two appearances in all competitions and comes off the back of widespread criticism and questions over his suitability as a no.9 from the likes of Michael Owen, Jose Mourinho, Roy Keane and Graeme Souness.

Wright, who’s also a keen follower of Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah and knows a thing or two about scoring goals, having netted 163 in his career, posted about Rashford’s performance on Twitter and encouraged the in-form youngster forward…

We all need a Wright in our lives.

Leeds United returned to the top of the Championship table with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side clinched all three points thanks to goals from Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison, but it was the performance of one man in particular that has drawn huge plaudits from sections of the Whites faithful.

And that player wasn’t playing in the home strip either.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

QPR’s Eberechi Eze failed to add to his six goals and four assists this season, but his showing still stood out in the eyes of many up in west Yorkshire.

One supporter believed the 21-year-old was the ‘best player by an absolute mile’ in Mark Warburton’s starting line up which was reinforced by another who claimed he was the standout star.

Others requested that the club go in for him in January, which may be a possibility considering that talkSPORT reported that they had ‘tentative’ interest in the midfielder during the summer.

A further member of the Leeds crowd sees Eze as the ideal replacement for Pablo Hernandez for when the ‘inevitable’ happens.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Aston Villa conceded two late goals against Liverpool on Saturday afternoon to suffer a cruel defeat to the Merseyside giants.

Indeed, Andrew Robertson levelled the scores in the final exchanges before Sadio Mane came up with a stoppage-time winner for the Premier League leaders.

Villa can take heart from their performance, but the brutal reality is that it was another defeat for Dean Smith’s side, who are 16th in the Premier League table.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

On Sunday, Villa defender Bjorn Engels took to social media to reveal his thoughts on the clash, claiming that he was “gutted” but also backing the team to respond well to the loss.

And a number of the club’s supporters responded with messages of praise for the 25-year-old, who has not missed a single minute of the team’s 2019-20 Premier League season, which is an indication of his importance to the promoted club.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

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…

Speaking on BT Sport, Joe Cole has slammed Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha after his shocking performance against Chelsea on Saturday.

What did he say?

The Ivory Coast international did not appear to be at the races, and endured a difficult afternoon at the hands of Chelsea prodigy Reece James. As per Sofascore, Zaha won just nine of his 21 duels, lost possession 12 times and committed a further four fouls over the course of the 90 minutes.

And, speaking after the game, Cole tore into the 26-year-old’s performance, and questioned just how he could harbour hopes of playing for a top side.

He said (as quoted by The Metro): “I’m disappointed with Zaha today. Reece James has got in his head. He’s let a young full-back dominate him. This Zaha five minutes ago was saying he wanted a move to the big clubs.

“He said he wanted to go and play for this club, that club. Reece James has come on his debut, got in his head and a player of his quality letting the ball under his feet. I think credit to Reece James but Wilf Zaha needs to show more if he wants to make that next step.”

Taught a lesson

Make no mistake about it, Zaha’s display would certainly have done his transfer hopes no favours. The Palace man reportedly submitted a transfer request in the summer, and had Arsenal chasing him for a large portion of it. But based on his miserable start to the current campaign, interest from some of the top-flights giants may have died down in rapid fashion.

The 26-year-old has yet to score a single goal this season, and against Chelsea on Saturday, appeared to let his frustrations get the better of him. As Cole suggests, James simply got under his skin, and when it came to a one-on-one contest between the two, it was invariably the Blues teenager who won. Zaha was taught a lesson, and it will be up to him to prove himself once more.

West Ham United haven’t had the best start to the season. The east London club are currently 16th in the Premier League after 12 games, just five points clear of the drop-zone. 

It has led to speculation surrounding manager Manuel Pellegrini, and whether or not he is the correct man to take the Hammers forward this term, with the manager even feeling the need to respond directly to the uncertainty around his future.

Considering the amount of investment that West Ham put into their side during the summer – spending over £70m on signings such as Sebastien Haller (£36m), Pablo Fornals for (£27m) and Albian Ajeti (£7.8m) per Transfermarkt, the club would have expected to be in a much better position than they are at the moment.

In a recent podcast recorded by fans of the club, potential replacements for Pellegrini were mentioned. Among them was current Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa, who had previously been linked with the managerial role in east London before the club appointed Slaven Bilic back in 2015.

Here’s what Hammers fans had to say about the situation on Twitter:

West Ham fans, who would you like to see in charge at the London Stadium? Comment below…