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Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish led his side to the Championship play-off final with another impressive display as his team beat West Bromwich Albion on penalties on Tuesday night, and while some West Ham United supporters would love to sign the midfielder, not everyone is convinced.

The 24-year-old has undoubtedly been of the Midlands outfit’s key players in their run to Wembley, with his return from injury earlier in 2019 proving to be the catalyst for the remarkable run of form that saw Dean Smith’s men clinch what, at one stage, looked to be an unattainable top-six finish.

Grealish’s quick feet and his dribbling ability are one of the main reasons he has been the most fouled player in England football this term, while he has proven time and time again that he can make a real impact in the final third for his side.

Should a move – which would surely be more likely if Villa don’t go up – be pulled off by David Sullivan and David Gold, the midfielder would likely be competing with the likes of Mark Noble and Manuel Lanzini for a spot in Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI.

While some Irons fans would like to see the signing with one saying “I would love Jack Grealish at West Ham”, another isn’t sure after describing him as a “class A Sullivan signing”.

West Ham ruined Arsenal’s unbeaten record at the Emirates in 2007 and history repeated itself at the weekend. Spurs fans don’t take it well in the video below…

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

But not everyone is convinced…

Manchester City’s season could not have gone any better on the domestic front, with Pep Guardiola’s men wrapping up all three trophies available to them.

Guardiola will be keen to keep seeing his City squad improve, and the summer is a big chance for the Spaniard to make some moves in the market to ensure that City do indeed keep up their winning momentum and continue to snatch the trophies they seek.

There are a few positions within the City squad which could well do with depth, and while the club will no doubt pursue younger players to take the club forward, this weekend has seen Brazilian legend Dani Alves admit that he could well be open to a move to the Premier League.

The 36-year-old Brazilian has worked with Guardiola at Barcelona before, and he would no doubt be second fiddle to Kyle Walker if he did make the move to Manchester.

However, while his age will be an issue, there has to be some value in the club bringing in a player of his experience and quality, with young players within the club bound to learn from the Brazilian.

Alves has proven over the last decade to be one of the finest fullbacks in the game, and he has had success whereever he has been, which is a testament to his quality.

City have a big summer ahead of them as they head into a period of potential rebuild at the Etihad, and signing someone like Alves could well have massive benefits to everyone involved with the club.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after a video emerged of Memphis Depay saying thank you to Lyon and boarding a red plane whilst wearing a red suit, strengthening suggestions that he may arrive at Anfield this summer – the Reds had previously scouted the Lyon forward.

Depay hit 12 goals and recorded 15 assists in the 2018/19 campaign, and also proved his versatility by playing as a centre-forward as well as a wide attacker.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…

The former Manchester United man is good friends with current Liverpool stars Gini Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk, and if that wasn’t enough to get supporters talking about a summer swoop, Depay’s latest Instagram video has certainly done the trick.

The 25-year-old, a Holland international, would be an ideal target for Jurgen Klopp as he could deputise for both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, as well as centre-forward Roberto Firmino.

However, not every fan thinks a move for the Ligue 1 star would be a good decision, as seen by the mixed responses on Twitter…

With news of a possible new owner coming to town, there really is cause for a lot of excitement surrounding Newcastle United right now. Are we actually going to see a Newcastle side fighting back towards the top of the table again? 

Indeed, after what has been a seriously average season, there is nothing more exciting than hearing that the man that put you there, may finally be ready to sell up. Does this mean we will see Rafael Benitez stay? Are we going to see a financial shift within the club the same size of Manchester City’s following their takeover?

With an exciting summer ahead, there is cause for concern on plenty of the player’s minds. With this, we are going to take a look at a couple of players who are going to struggle next season in what may be a new era for the club.

Joselu

After being given various chances throughout the season, we really got to see the real Joselu and just how badly he doesn’t fit into this Newcastle side.

Scoring two goals in 16 Premier League appearances just isn’t good enough, especially when your competing against the likes Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon, who have been exceptional.

It really would not be a shock to see the 29-year-old placed on Benitez’s transfer list and if the Spaniard is not able to get a move away from St. James’ Park, it would not be a surprise to see him get frozen out next term.

Ki Sung-yueng

Is he possibly one of the flops of the season? You would have to say he’s in with a shout.

After joining following a successful spell at Swansea a lot was expected of the 30-year-old midfielder, and unfortunately for himself, Benitez and Newcastle’s fans, he has not delivered.

Only managing 18 games this season in the Premier League and registering more yellow cards than goals and assists combined, there really is no evidence as to why Benitez should look to choose the South Korean in the future.

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As takeover speculation continues and Newcastle fans dream wildly of life without Mike Ashley, Chronicle Live journalist Mark Douglas has revealed that Joselu could be on his way out of the club after two disappointing years on Tyneside.

Signed from Stoke City for £5m just after Newcastle were promoted back to the Premier League, the Spaniard was signed as a budget striker option and has proven that £5m gets you very little these days.

Since scoring on his full debut against West Ham United in August 2017, things have gone downhill for the 29-year-old, and he has proven that he is not cut out for the Premier League, scoring 7 in 52 appearances for the Magpies.

The striker works hard for the team but when it comes to finding the net he is useless.

One of his goals last season arrived when a Joel Matip tackle deflected off him into the net, a goal which rather sums up his time at the club.

With news of a potential takeover emerging and Joselu reportedly on his way out of St James’ Park, could this week get any better for Toon fans?

Here’s what the fans had to say about the Joselu report…

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Kiko Casilla’s Elland Road career could be cut short as Phil Hay stated that he expects the keeper to leave this summer.

This comes not long after Alan Nixon shared that the Spaniard could return to his homeland, so there may well be a change between the sticks for Marcelo Bielsa’s side next season.

What’s been said then?

The Yorkshire Evening Post journalist was replying to a fan on Twitter who questioned if the former Real Madrid man would be at the club next season.

“Realistically, I’m expecting him to go. Very high wage and not easy to carry for long in the Championship. Doesn’t sound like he’s angling to leave but I think he will,” Hay tweeted.

He went on to answer a follow up question about what the Whites would do if the goalkeeper made a move this summer, stating that Leeds wouldn’t put Bailey Peacock-Farrell between the sticks, but instead would look for a replacement.

“They would look for another keeper. Darlow and Fabri were both considered in January.”

Darlow rather than Fabri

Hay seems to think two of the Whites’ January targets could be on the table again.

Fans should hope that the club are going to go after Karl Darlow rather than Fabri though if those two are the options this summer.

Darlow has proven credentials at this level. He was the number one at Newcastle when they were effortlessly promoted in the 2016/17 season while Fabri has proven to be rather error-prone in English football.

The 31-year-old made only two Premier League appearances for Fulham before losing his spot. His debut was disastrous, and if that is anything to go by he isn’t an improvement on Casilla as he suffers from the same issue that plagues the Leeds man.

Neither keeper seems to be capable of making good decisions when rushing out from their goalmouth. If Leeds are set on either Darlow or Fabri then the choice is obvious.

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Fabian Schar was excellent during Switzerland’s UEFA Nations League third-place playoff against England on Sunday afternoon.

Schar could not prevent his side from suffering a spot-kick defeat to the Three Lions after 120 minutes of football finished goalless.

However, the 27-year-old really caught the eye against Gareth Southgate’s side.

According to WhoScored, the Newcastle United centre-back won two tackles and one aerial duel, while he boasted a pass success rate of 80% to pick up an 8.0 rating.

Schar was also impressive for Newcastle last term – scoring four times in 24 Premier League appearances for Rafa Benitez’s side.

The defender took to social media in the aftermath of Switzerland’s loss to England in the inaugural UEFA Nations League.

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….

And that led to a number of Newcastle fans lavishing praise on the Swiss man, who arrived at St James’ Park from Deportivo La Coruna in a £3m deal last summer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

A Maurizio Sarri favourite at both Chelsea and Napoli, many have asked the question of what happens to Jorginho now that the manager who put so much faith in him is no longer managing him?

We might not actually find out, with The Times reporting that Sarri is pushing for his superiors at Juventus to bring the 27-year-old to Turin.

However, with Chelsea expected to be managed by Frank Lampard, some might suggest Jorginho has a part to play at Stamford Bridge. Indeed, looking at Lampard’s choice of formation at Derby and the style of football he has been trying to implement, perhaps the Italian will be the man to steer the ship, just like Tom Huddlestone did.

Like Sarri, Lampard favoured a 4-3-3 system and set up his Rams side to keep hold of the ball and be brave on it. With 53.4% possession, only four teams (Norwich City, Brentford, Swansea City and Leeds United) in the Championship averaged more (as per WhoScored).

It is something the Derby boss has spoken about before and you would expect him to take that to Chelsea.

Considering that, £58.5m-rated Jorginho (via Transfermarkt) could be the perfect midfielder for Lampard. After all, how many players in Chelsea’s squad and the Premier League in general are better than the former Napoli man when it comes to doing the above?

Jorginho has the confidence to receive the ball from anywhere on the pitch and the intelligence and ability to recycle it efficiently. It is no surprise that his 3,118 passes in the Premier League last season were the most made by a single player.

For most, a pointless statistic perhaps. But if you are going to be playing a possession-based game, then it certainly makes for good reading and shows Jorginho’s worth to this team.

Chelsea fans, does Jorginho have a future at Stamford Bridge now that Sarri has left? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

[ad_pod ]Ex-West Ham United Employee claims that the club are scouting the France Under-21 team at the European Championships this summer.

What’s the word?

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Irons have already made three signings in this transfer window, acquiring goalkeepers David Martin and Roberto, along with attacking midfielder Pablo Fornals.

And while another signing is not said to be close, the Hammers insider insists that the club have deployed a number of scouts to the European Under-21 Championships this summer.

France, of course, have collected six points from their two games in Italy, beating Croatia and England. The Young Lions, amazingly, have already been eliminated, while Les Bleus are safely into the knockout stages.

Exciting times

France have some genuinely amazing young players.

The likes of Dayot Upamecano, a gifted centre-back who plays for RB Leipzig, Malang Sarr, a versatile defender who has emerged as a star at Nice, and Lyon’s Lucas Tousart, an elegant midfielder, are all within their current ranks.

So too is the striker Moussa Dembele, of Lyon, as well as Mainz forward Jean-Philippe Mateta.

If the Hammers are paying them particular attention, then, one has to feel that they are building for the future by looking for the best possible young players.

That will be exciting for Irons fans; what is better, after all, than bringing in a genuinely exceptional youngster and seeing them develop into a star before your eyes?

The Irons will hope that one or more of those French prospects end up in east London for 2019/20.

Unai Emery is said to be seeking his board’s permission to break transfer budget in pursuit of Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, according to The Sun.

Arsenal currently command a limited transfer budget of around £45million after failing to reach the Champions League. However, boss Emery will be hoping that can convince the club to allocate him the necessary funds to bring in number one attacking target Wilfried Zaha, as he embarks on a summer rebuild.

With a potential move to the Emirates in mind, we take a look at two possible knock-on effects of Zaha joining Arsenal.

No improvement

We’re going to start this off with the suggestion that nothing at all will happen. Why, you might ask? The forward line-up is the one area on the pitch that Arsenal really don’t need to improve this summer.

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang combined to produce a mightily impressive 50 goals this season. In the Premier League, the club were the third highest scorers behind Manchester City and Liverpool. Nothing there suggests they need to improve their attacking line-up; not least allocate the bulk (or entirety) of their summer spends on another forward who might give them a few more goals and assists.

The club’s defence, on the other hand, needs some serious work. Arsenal conceded 51 goals this season, which is the highest out of anyone in the top five and the ninth strongest record in the competition. Unless they plan on outscoring their opponents, a feat that would require serious firepower (perhaps more than 10-goal Zaha), then surely it would be more prudent to sign a top class defender; someone who can command from the back; a Virgil van Dijk figure, as Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has suggested.

Arsenal sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Given Arsenal’s weak financial position, we fully expect at least one player to leave should they sign Wilfried Zaha this summer.

As it stands, Mesut Ozil and Mkhitaryan are the most disposal players in the forward line-up. Ozil has endured his worst season in English football to date, which saw him produce just six goals and three assists in 35 appearances and suffer a turbulent relationship with his new boss.

Mkhitaryan hasn’t prospered much, either – with six goals and seven assists to his name, and the somewhat controversial decision to deny him from travelling with the team to Baku for the Europa League final over safety fears.

However, with the German proving difficult to shift due to his mammoth £350,000 wages, the club might have more luck if they decide to sacrifice their former Manchester United star as they slowly but surely come to terms with the fact he’ll never emulate the form he showed in Germany.

Arsenal fans, do you agree with our predictions? Let us know in the comments below…