Amazing news: Tottenham fans react as young midfielder Marsh signs new deal

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On Tuesday afternoon, Tottenham Hotspur announced that midfielder George Marsh had signed a new contract with the London club.

Marsh has penned a fresh deal until the summer of 2021 and will now be looking to kick on during the 2019-20 campaign.

The 20-year-old featured on Tottenham’s pre-season tour of the United States last summer and also made his first-team debut during the recent campaign – appearing as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers in January.

The bulk of Marsh’s football last term came for Spurs’ Under-23 side, though, as he turned out on 20 occasions in Premier League 2.

Tottenham are not exactly full of midfield options at the moment.

And there might well be a spot for Marsh in the first team next season depending on what happens in this summer’s transfer window.

Should Spurs sell Kieran Trippier? Check out the for and against in the video below…

The Premier League club’s fans have been on social media offering their thoughts on the news and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Predicted XI: What Leeds could look like if they land their targets

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It’s set to be a busy summer for Leeds United. After their failure to be promoted to the Premier League, many of their key players have been linked with moves away from the club.

Rumours have also circulated that Qatari Sports Investments are interested in buying a stake in the Yorkshire side. Speculation has been rampant as to who Leeds will bring in to try and achieve what they came so close to last season.

Firstly there are a few players who will be keeping their place in the squad.

Pontus Jansson lines up alongside club captain Liam Cooper and two-time Player of the Year winner Pablo Hernandez also retains his spot, while there is no change in the full-backs as Luke Ayling and Ezgjan Alioski both performed sufficiently during Marcelo Bielsa’s first season in charge.

Mateusz Klich also keeps his spot after starting every single game for the Whites last season.

As for ins and outs at Elland Road. Kiko Casilla is expected to be out the door, and with rumours of Bailey Peacock-Farrell getting a new deal he returns between the sticks.

It has also been reported that Victor Orta will dip heavily into the Premier League loan market, so we expect Brandon Barker to arrive after he was linked with a move.

This predicted XI also has a few notable absences with Jack Clarke and Kalvin Phillips nowhere to be seen; their moves to the Premier League look likely to happen this summer.

The hefty windfall that Leeds would get from selling those two players is likely to be reinvested, and the Whites have been linked with two big names in Luke Freeman and Dwight Gayle.

Finally, Saeid Ezatolahi completes the team as a replacement for Kalvin Phillips.

"That is how you compete" – Gunners fans react to Dortmund’s impressive swoops

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Arsenal fans on Twitter have reacted to news of Borussia Dortmund quickly concluding deals for Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard this week.

The Bundesliga runners-up splashed out a combined £45m to sign the two attackers after selling Christian Pulisic to Chelsea for £58m in a sustainable move that netted the club a profit while adding two players with clear talent.

The Gunners’ plan for the summer window is still up in the air with the Europa League final on May 29 likely to go a long way in determining the club’s finances. Arsenal are projected to have a slender budget of just £40m should they lose to Chelsea and miss out on Champions League football.

Dortmund’s speed and efficiency this summer has already caught the eye, including amongst Arsenal fans on Twitter. Some believe their own club will never operate in the market with such smoothness, while others have called for the north London outfit to follow Dortmund’s lead.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

Newcastle fans desperate for Perez to return for Liverpool game

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Ayoze Perez scored his 12th goal of the season (11 in the Premier League) in the 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion at the AMEX Stadium on Saturday.

The Spaniard collected a knock-down from Salomon Rondon and hammered the ball into the roof of the net, but his celebration was muted as he was carrying a knock and soon after Rafael Benitez had to take him off.

The injury to the 25-year-old occurred after he had danced past a few Brghton players and then skipped over Shane Duffy but the Irishman caught him on the hip and Perez couldn’t continue.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

The change spoiled Newcastle’s momentum and without their star man Brighton clawed their way back into the game and equalised through Pascal Gross.

Newcastle fans were quick to respond to Perez’s post-match tweet in hope that he will be fit, one fan said “get that hip sorted for Saturday bonny lad” and another added “get well soon Ayo.”

With a potentially title deciding match at St James’s Park on Saturday Newcastle will hope that Perez is fit so they can have a say.

Could he be the man to end Liverpool’s title challenge? Take a look at some Twitter reactions down below…

Leeds United: Bielsa reveals that there are no injury concerns ahead of weekend clash

Leeds United have suffered massively with injuries this season, haven’t they Whites fans?

The likes of Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez and Liam Cooper have all been sidelined during the 2018/19 campaign whilst Barry Douglas has been particularly unlucky since moving to Elland Road last summer from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Despite battling back from two previous setbacks, the Scottish defender ruptured his medial knee ligament during a 3-2 victory over Millwall for the Whites earlier this month (via Sky Sports) and is expected to miss the remainder of his side’s fixtures. Although Douglas’ absence is far from ideal for Marcelo Bielsa, the Argentine’s revelation that every other member of his squad is fit to face Sheffield Wednesday (according to the Yorkshire Evening Post) could be a massive boost for the club’s automatic promotion hopes.

Currently second in the Championship standings, Leeds are just five games away from a return to the Premier League and will undoubtedly benefit from having a variety of options to choose from for their clash against the Owls. In what is expected to be a vital clash in the race for the top-two, a win could see the Whites move as much as four points clear of their Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United if they slip-up against Millwall.

Having secured a confidence-boosting victory at Preston North End in midweek, there are no excuses for Leeds not to replicate their performance at Deepdale against Wednesday. If they can produce yet another sparkling display at Elland Road, they could build up the momentum needed to get them over the line in May.

What do you think Whites fans? How big of a boost is it to have no injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s clash? Are you confident that your club can finish above Chris Wilder’s Blades? Get in touch below.

Liverpool fans took to Twitter to delight at Shaqiri’s appearance yesterday

Liverpool fans on Twitter were jubilant yesterday. The Reds smashed it against Chelsea as the Blues came to Anfield, five years on from when Steven Gerrard infamously slipped in the title race of the 2013/14 season. However, this time no slip up was to happen, and Xherdan Shaqiri even got an outing from the bench to the delight of the home fans.

Xherdan Shaqiri is an absolute gem of a player. In his career, the versatile Swiss winger has featured as a super sub for Barcelona, Inter Milan and now Liverpool, with spells at Stoke and Basel where he was the main man in the team. As of late, though, the winger has struggled for game time as Jurgen Klopp has just refused to bring him on or start him, and yesterday was his first game for 49 days.

Even though the winger hasn’t featured in so long, even his first game after that lengthy spell of time as an unused substitute saw the 27-year-old manage just two minutes off the bench. Klopp brought Shaqiri on for Mo Salah and the Egyptian received a massive standing ovation from Anfield. Shaqiri failed to add to the scoreline, yet the supporters loved seeing him finally return.

You can read the Kopites’ thoughts on Shaqiri’s showing here:

The Reds absolutely loved seeing Shaqiri return and now they’ll be keen to see him back amongst the goals sooner or later.

Man Utd set for De Gea transfer battle

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Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is a target for Real Madrid once again, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Spanish giants reappointed Zinedine Zidane as manager earlier this month and the Frenchman is a huge fan of the Red Devils stopper.

What’s the word?

Real and De Gea have flirted with each other numerous times over the years.

Indeed, Los Blancos almost completed the signing of the goalkeeper in 2015, only for the move to be scuppered by the paperwork not being submitted on time.

De Gea has subsequently blossomed into a world-class player at Old Trafford and has made over 350 appearances for the club, winning the Premier League, the Europa League, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

However, he has yet to commit his future to United, with his current contract set to expire in 2020.

The Mirror claim that Zidane has been promised a huge amount of money to spend in the summer as he looks to turn Real into world-beaters once again and De Gea is already earmarked as a target, with £75million set aside for a bid.

Real signed Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea last summer but the report states that Zidane holds doubts over the Belgium international’s ability, hence the renewed interest in De Gea.

Most important battle of his career

This may be the most important battle of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s managerial career.

Assuming he is given the United job on a permanent basis, his first task will be to convince De Gea to stick around.

Real have come knocking in the past and United have been able to fend them off but the threat now feels all the more immediate.

United are unlikely to win a trophy this season – they are still in the Champions League but take on Barcelona in the quarter-finals – and face a battle to finish in the top four.

De Gea leaving would be a massive blow and he could take years to replace effectively. Sir Alex Ferguson suffered that exact same problem when Peter Schmeichel left Old Trafford in 1999 – it wasn’t until 2005, upon the arrival of Edwin van der Sar, that United found a calm and composed long-term No.1.

Solskjaer needs to work his magic and ensure that the Spaniard sees his future at Old Trafford; if he can’t, he faces the prospect of having to replace United’s only indisputable world-class player.

Manchester City losing Ilkay Gundogan would compound the Fernandinho issue

Losing Fernandinho to injury has shown what a catastrophe it would be if obvious replacement Ilkay Gundogan continues to reject contract talks.

Fernandinho is the unsung hero only Manchester City fans and football purists can appreciate: solid in midfield, tactical genius in defence and a calculated ballplayer at all times – the Brazilian has grown into a key player for the title-chasing side.

Manchester Evening News have a produced an interesting article regarding who could possibly replace the midfield rock – however, we are not sure we totally agree with their findings.

From our perspective, in former Borussia Dortmund man Ilkay Gundogan, City have their most obvious candidate.

The Germany international occupies a similar area of the pitch and performs a very comparable role – orchestrating play from the back and keeping the squad ticking. Some might say with a little more zest than his counterpart. But that is a sacrifice of solidity.

Even if it is not on a permanent basis, Manchester City will want to keep the player at the Etihad whilst they find and blood a recruit in place of Fernandinho – at least on they can rely on. Which is why it is so concerning to learn that Gundogan has been unwilling to enter negotiations with the club.

“We would like to do it, but it depends on the club and him, so I don’t know,” Guardiola is quoted saying (as per Mirror).

“Hopefully he can stay. I would prefer him to stay, but at the same time I want to feel he wants to stay, too.

“If he doesn’t want to stay, he has to leave. But we would like to continue. I said before, if he wants to stay, we will talk to him and we can sign the contract.

“We signed the contract with Kevin De Bruyne in a few days, and with other players — with Gabriel Jesus. But he [Gundogan] doesn’t want to right now, so we will wait. When he wants it, we will be here.”

Manchester City fans, would losing Gundogan be critical to your future title hopes? Let us know in the comments below…

Ryan Yates risk can be the platform for Nottingham Forest success

Taking a risk with Ryan Yates has certainly paid off, hasn’t it? Since Martin O’Neill gave him a chance in the Forest side, he hasn’t looked back, and what a decision it was the manager.

It was a brave choice to give the 21-year-old an opportunity in the centre of the park where usually experience is key, particularly in the Championship. However, since making his first appearance against Reading he’s fit in well and has solved an issue the club could have spent millions fixing.

Yates wasn’t in a single matchday squad until their 4-1 victory over Leeds in January, but here he is, having now started the last eight games. He’s a product of the youth academy, and that’s endeared him to the fans even more, bringing more positivity to the City Ground than there was before Martin O’Neill.

Forest sit 11thin the Championship and don’t have much of a chance at reaching the play-offs, so it’s obvious investment is needed in the summer to catch up with clubs above them. By promoting Yates into the first team, it means the club don’t have to buy someone like him in the summer, and instead they can concentrate on other areas.

His success also sends out a great message to the rest of squad, saying ‘if you work hard enough, you’ll get your chance’. This will keep existing first-choice players on their toes and give confidence to other young or out-of-favour players.

The Forest fans will always have a greater connection with one of their own, so promoting him, while saving money and sending out a positive message to the rest of the squad is a masterstroke that can gift O’Neill success in the long run.

Forest fans, how high do you think your club can finish this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Major mistakes: Rangers really messed these 2 things up in January

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard would have known that this January was going to be monumental in shaping his team’s season. 

With The Gers breathing down bitter rivals Celtic’s necks, they needed to add to their squad to make them that bit more competitive and push them to the next level in order to stop Brendan Rodgers’ men winning a historic tenth Scottish title in a row.

There was a lot of pressure for the Ibrox club to come up with the goods this January, and with that in mind, here are the club’s two biggest mistakes:

Not forward thinking

First of all, it must be said that Rangers did sign some young players this month such as Glen Kamara, who is 23, and Matt Polster, who is 25, but they also recruited some slightly older players in Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis.

The England striker Defoe is 36, and the 107-cap Northern Ireland international Davis is 34- both are great players, but are at the wrong end of their careers. Both were only loan signings, meaning that they will only have short stays at Ibrox, but it does give the indication that the club are only really thinking about this season.

This is not saying that Defoe and Davis are not good players, far from it. In fact, there is little doubt that they will improve their teams, but it does not answer the question as to where Rangers are going to be next season or the season after. This is a short-termist approach, and while it may pay off this season, if Rangers want to end Celtic’s run of dominance in Scotland, they need to build a squad for the future.

Not strengthening their defence

With the additions of Davis and Kamara, Rangers have gone a long way to enhancing their midfield for the rest of the season. Likewise, Defoe fills the gaping hole at the top of the field that needed to be filled to create a partner for Alfredo Morelos or even to replace the Colombian.

However, a problem lingering over Rangers at the beginning of the window was the state of their defence. They were not necessarily low on numbers, but were perhaps lacking in the quality needed to win titles.

Loanee Joe Worrall has been trusted by Gerrard on a number of times this season but has not necessarily repaid the manager’s trust. He has failed to win over a large portion of the fans and his manager would not want to rely on him too often. Likewise, fellow centre-back Gareth McAuley is now 39 years of age, and may not be able to last the season. Gerrard will need to therefore balance the workload among his defenders, and a new addition would have been very beneficial. Rangers fans will hope that Gerrard has a plan.

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