Category Uncategorized

Even though they are currently far from their golden generation, Barcelona are still producing some top talents in their famous La Masia academy.

One of those talents is definitely the young Riqui Puig, the Catalans’ 20-year-old midfielder that’s currently playing his football for Barcelona B in the lower divisions.

But according to Sport, the upper hierarchy at the club are not really sure what to do with the talented youngster.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

They say that there is currently an internal debate going on as they are discussing whether to let Puig stay at Barcelona B, go out on loan to get some experience or just promote him to the first team instead.

The fans, however, don’t really see this as a difficult choice.

Loads of them swarmed social media and Twitter with their comments on how Puig should definitely be promoted.

Some even stated that he is better than current first-teamers Carles Alena and Arthur Melo, and others seem to think the club should sell Ivan Rakitic to make space for the up and coming midfielder.

You can see some of their reactions down in the collection of tweets below.

Check them out:

Wolves are back in Europa League action tonight as they make the trip to Turkey to face a Besiktas side who too have had their domestic struggles.

Nuno Santo’s men go into the fixture having picked up their first win of the season against Watford last weekend while the Black Eagles sit third from bottom in the Super Lig after winning just one of their six league matches.

Both teams were also defeated in the opening game of the group stage as Braga managed to nick a 1-0 win at Molineux and Besiktas collapsed in injury time to hand Slovan Bratislava a 4-2 victory.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Wolves were without Diogo Jota against the Hornets and Nuno has since confirmed that the 22-year-old forward will remain absent through injury.

So, who will replace him tonight and will anyone else be a surprise inclusion at Vodaphone Park?

Much of the side should remain the same considering Wolves managed to pick up their first win of the Premier League season on Saturday.

That would mean Romain Saiss keeps his spot at left centre-back with Willy Boly moving over to the right-hand side.

Matt Doherty also keeps his place after being awarded the Man of the Match award by WhoScored for his goalscoring performance against Watford.

He formed a nice partnership with Adama Traore, who moved into his old right forward position.

Another player who looked the part was Pedro Neto – despite being withdrawn after just 57 minutes – he should be given another chance to prove his worth in attack, especially in Jota’s absence.

The only change in the side may come in midfield as Ruben Neves regains his spot next to Joao Moutinho – Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker was favoured over the Portuguese anchorman at the weekend.

Patrick Cutrone started the Braga game and with Raul Jimenez lacking a goal in his last four games, Nuno faces a tough decision.

Although he is most likely to side with the Mexican striker.

Declan Rice has faced criticism from England supporters following his performance against Bulgaria, as reported by The Daily Star.

He was also given a rating of 6 by The Telegraph, who added: “Possibly a surprising selection ahead of Harry Winks, Rice does not offer the quality of passing of the Tottenham man but he is a disciplined performer.”

However, the statistics provided by FootballTalentScout dispel some of the things claimed, showing how instrumental he actually was:

It was also added that Rice made the most tackles and interceptions of any England player, though what will be most surprising to the doubters is that he made more forward passes than anyone else.

There weren’t many Hammers fans who were doubting him, so it is good to see this backed up with hard statistics – impressive ones at that.

As well as FootballTalentScout’s statistics, his performance was backed up by WhoScored, who had him down as the fourth-best player on the pitch with a rating of 8.1, behind Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the statistics, including posts from supportive West Ham fans, can be seen below:

West Ham fans, how integral is Rice for club and country? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]

David Luiz’s transfer to Arsenal is still taking some getting used to.

The 32-year-old made the switch from Chelsea to the Gunners on transfer deadline day for a fee of £8m after having declared his intention to depart Stamford Bridge the day before.

As such, he is now an Arsenal player, and brings with him years of experience at the highest level. He has also won a plethora of trophies throughout his illustrious career.

AFTV’s Robbie has his say on Arsenal’s owners in the video below…

Such is his track record, Arsenal great Nigel Winterburn has suggested that Unai Emery should give the centre-back the captaincy this season.

“Emery should make Luiz captain for this season. He has the ability to be that Tony Adams figure in Arsenal’s backline,” he said.

“A captain needs to be someone vocal, someone that’s not scared to make people aware of their responsibilities just because they might upset them for five minutes.”

Whilst some Gunners may be happy that the Brazil international has made the move to north London, a lot disagree with the former left-back, and have rubbished the claim that Luiz should be the new leader of the team. They have taken to Twitter to share their opinions, and you can see some of the best comments below.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Spanish publication Marca, Nacho Monreal will sign for Real Sociedad before the end of the European transfer window.

What’s the word?

Considering the arrival of Kieran Tierney at the Emirates Stadium this summer it’s hardly a surprise to see one of Arsenal’s left-back options linked with a switch away from the club.

That just so happens to be Monreal who despite not securing a move during the British transfer window, could still leave with the market currently open for other clubs across the continent.

Marca claims that the Spaniard will sign for Real Sociedad on a two-year contract and that an agreement with Arsenal is now very advanced.

However, it would seem a questionable decision from the Gunners to allow this switch to go through.

Arsenal can’t sell now

At the age of 33, Monreal’s time at Arsenal is understandably coming to an end and with Sead Kolasinac waiting in the wings, it’s not a great surprise to see he’s the more likely of the two to leave.

Yet this isn’t something the Gunners can afford to do at the moment.

Why? Because their other two left backs are far from set.

The fact of the matter is that they could leave themselves slim on the ground in terms of options during the first part of the season.

For the time being Tierney is out with an injury and won’t return until October at the earliest because of a groin issue.

Kolasinac’s role in the side is far from certain either. He was left out on the opening weekend because of the club taking precautionary measures over his and Mesut Ozil’s security.

Therefore, Monreal feels like the only fit choice at the moment and they’d be making a considerable error by letting the 5 foot 11 defender to leave now.

If Tierney returns to full fitness in a few months time then moving on the Spain international during the January transfer window seems like a far better option.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Crystal Palace fans have reacted on Twitter after loaned out striker Alexander Sorloth scored a late equaliser on his debut for Trabzonspor on deadline day.

The Norway international only joined the Turkish club on a two-year loan deal last weekend, but he has already made an impact with an 89th-minute leveller in their Europa League qualifier against Sparta Prague.

The Norway international, who scored just once in 20 outings in all competitions for the south London outfit and not at all in 16 Premier League appearances, swivelled well before firing into the roof of the net having come on as a half-time substitute.

Eagles supporters on the popular social media platform were already riled up following their club’s failure to bring in any new players on deadline day with a new right-back and striker looking to be required, and the news of Sorloth finding the net seemingly only added to some people’s anger.

While one individual said “you couldn’t make it up” about the goal-shy centre-forward finding the net while Palace continue to rely on Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham, others asked whether they could bring the 23-year-old back to Selhurst Park already.

[ad_pod ]

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Aston Villa’s pursuit of Said Benrahma looks to be hotting up as per L’Equipe, he wants to join the Villans.

The winger has been the subject of a proposal from Villa who are aiming to land the 23-year-old this summer.

The club initially made a bid for the player earlier in the window but it now appears as though they’re returning for the Algerian.

It was news that left supporters of the club absolutely delighted on Twitter as they shared their thoughts on a possible deal being wrapped up.

One supporter said that this transfer was the one they’d been wanting as a further individual said it would be ace if he joined.

Another fan joked that he was now had tears in his eyes as the ten goal man reportedly moves closer to a potential switch.

Benrahma notched up 14 assists in the Championship last term too as he cemented himself as one of the most creative outlets in the division.

Here’s the best of what Villa fans have been sharing on Twitter.

It was the news that most football fans knew that was coming, but it still dropped like a bomb when it was made official that Rafa Benitez will be leaving Newcastle United come the end of his contract on the 30th June.

It poured more misery onto Newcastle fans, who have suffered more than enough in the Mike Ashley era of the club, but the news has also shifted the outcome of this summer transfer window, and one team who could be in line to profit from it is West Ham with Salomon Rondon.

Of course, the Venezuelan striker was named Newcastle’s Player of the Season in the previous campaign as the on-loan attacker hit 11 goals and seven assists for the Magpies, and with parent club West Bromwich Albion failing to secure promotion to the Premier League, it is likely Rondon will be on the move this summer, and the Hammers have already moved in for the centre forward despite previous interest from Newcastle as per the Daily Star.

The same publication also claim that Manuel Pellegrini’s side have had a reported bid of £10 million plus Sam Byram and Jordan Hugill rejected by the Albion, though new manager Slaven Bilic is resigned to offloading his key asset for under the market value, but with Newcastle currently in crisis, West Ham have to ensure they are the ones to seal Rondon’s signature this window.

With Andy Carroll gone and Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic both being reported by Goal and Tuttosport via Sempreinter respectively to be on the way out, the Hammers are in need of a striker this summer, and Rondon’s record with Newcastle last season more than makes him qualified to fill the role.

As the Toon Army look for a man to fill Benitez’s shoes, West Ham should be using this time wisely to sign their star man from last season, who has shown he can thrive in the Premier League in the right squad.

West Ham fans, will the club sign Rondon this summer? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]

Everton are reportedly set to pursue Bertrand Traore, but the Lyon winger has got Theo Walcott 2.0 written all over him.

What’s the story?

Well, according to Football Insider, director of football Marcel Brands wants to sign Traore once the Toffees have signed Andre Gomes.

The outlet reported last week that the club is close to wrapping up a deal for Gomes, and claim Brands will then turn his attentions to Traore.

According to Monday’s report, Brands is plotting a £25m bid. The youngster is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Don’t do it Marcel!

A 23 year-old winger capable of playing as a striker, Traore scored 11 goals and added five assists in all competitions last season.

The Burkina Faso international possesses devastating pace and fantastic one-on-one dribbling ability, completing 1.5 dribbles per game in Ligue 1.

However, he is also dispossessed 1.1 times per game and takes 1.9 unsuccessful touches per game. To put that in perspective, Romelu Lukaku averaged 1.6 unsuccessful touches per game in the Premier League last season.

Traore also struggles for end product in higher level games, producing consistently for both Ajax and Lyon in domestic competitions but struggling in Europe with just nine goals in 34 matches.

So, a ridiculously fast young winger who doesn’t really know his best position, is clumsy on the ball and wasteful on the big stage, remind you of anyone?

The last thing Everton need is another big-money attacking signing that struggles to make any impact, and Traore has got Walcott written all over him. Steer clear of this one Marcel.

Admittedly, it was never going to be easy replacing Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle, but boy oh boy, new boss Graeme Souness didn’t help himself.

The date was January 2005 when Souness made one of the dodgiest decisions of his managerial career in signing defender Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Newcastle United were experiencing something of a blip in their history. The great Sir Bobby had departed and Graeme Souness, the world’s most miserable man, was elected the saviour to take the club forwards. His first move? Recruit £8million-rated Frenchman Jean-Alain Boumsong, of course.

Well, well, well. What can we possibly say about this move? Might as well start off with the basics.

The Guardian referred to the 800,000,000 pennies spent on the defender as an “extraordinary sum”. Not in the sense that they had pulled off a real transfer coup – oh no. But in the sense that they had just frittered away a silly amount of cash on a player who had moved to Rangers on a Bosman-free just months before.

Looking for a Newcastle United Gift? Take a look at the dedicated Newcastle Fan Gifts site for the latest reviews, shopping advice and links to the best products in the market. They have everything from the latest Shirt as well as memorabilia, toys and gifts. New items are added daily and reviews are helpful and informative.

Then there was the fact that he just wasn’t all that good.

Despite kicking off his Newcastle career pretty promisingly, and for that we will give him credit, it all came crashing down fairly rapidly, as basic defensive errors became an all-too-common feature in his game. Need we remind you of the Liverpool match in which he botched the most basic of clearances before rugby tackling Peter Crouch to the ground in the area in an attempt to make amends?

No? Well, here it is anyway (plus a few others).

As you can tell, he wasn’t the best.

Newcastle fans, what are your standout memories of Boumsong? Just how bad was he? Let us know in the comments below…