The Chalkboard: Rob Edwards is laying foundations for bright Wolves future

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In all facets of the club, it appears as though Wolves can do no wrong.

At senior level they finished seventh in the league whilst lower down, Rob Edwards’ U23 side won the Premier League 2 Division 2 title.

It’s been a fantastic campaign right the way through the club and it’s now time for them to build on that success.

A way of doing so would be to bring through some of the best performers at youth level and should they do so, they can be assured of a smooth transition, such has been the good work Edwards has done.

On the chalkboard

The 36-year-old is a figure who seems to have done everything at Wolves. He’s been a player at Molineux, coached the first team on an interim basis and now lead the academy to domestic success.

He’s a hugely respected figure so it’s no surprise to see the young members of the club looking up to him in the way they have.

And the way he’s set up his team in 2018/19 is something that will benefit any transition into the senior team greatly.

Initially, Edwards deployed a four-man back line, but given Nuno Santo sets his team up with three in defence it didn’t make too much sense.

So after four games of the Premier League 2 campaign, he switched things to mirror what the first team have been doing.

It was a genius decision and since that moment, it appears as though they’ve reaped the rewards. The likes of Max Kilman and Ryan Giles are two members of his squad to have benefited the most, appearing in the first team on a few occasions this term.

They’ve featured in a variety of different positions, including at left-wing back, an area that initially wasn’t in Edwards’ plans when the campaign first got underway.

Their transition into the first team has been seamless because of their experience in a recognised system. Edwards deserves a huge amount of praise for that, and in the long-term, the more youngsters are familiarised with the first-team’s system, the greater chance they’ll have of making it at Molineux.

I want him gone: Tottenham fans slam Kieran Trippier ahead of Ajax clash

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Kieran Trippier has attempted to raise the spirits of the club’s supporters ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax in Amsterdam.

However, Trippier’s words have seemingly fallen on deaf ears, with Spurs fans instead taking to social media to have a pop at the England international.

It would be fair to say that the defender has struggled for consistency this season, and there is certainly a chance that he could be on the move this summer.

Tottenham head into the second leg of their semi-final trailing 1-0 from the reverse fixture against a brilliant Ajax last week.

Trippier, who is valued at £31.5 million by Transfermarkt, has insisted that Spurs can secure the result that they need to progress to the final, but the fans seemingly do not want the former Manchester City youngster to play any part in Amsterdam.

A selection of the latest Twitter reaction to his comments can be viewed below:

Please no! Man United fans are livid with ‘pointless’ potential appointment

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in fury after reading a story on Sky Sports, which states that former midfielder Darren Fletcher is a ‘leading candidate’ for the role of technical director.

Whilst their anger would be justified with that appointment alone, seeing as the current Stoke man is woefully under-qualified for a role like that, what has irked the United supporters more is the fact that whoever gets the job isn’t expected to be a ‘transfer guru’.

Will OGS still be in charge of Man Utd come next May? The Flying Pig discusses in the video below…

Instead, the report states that the Red Devils are simply looking for someone to act as the ‘glue’ between the board and the manager; this should mean that the much-disliked Ed Woodward stays in charge of recruitment.

Woodward isn’t highly thought of around Old Trafford, and the news that a technical director will merely act as ‘glue’ hasn’t gone down too well with the supporters on Twitter, who have slammed Woodward and questioned the merits of the role.

Here’s what the fans on Twitter had to say in response to the report…

Spurs interested in move for Leicester star Maddison

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is interested in making a move for Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison this summer, per the Daily Mirror.

What’s the word?

Spurs are set for a major windfall after reaching the Champions League final and finishing in the Premier League top four.

With their funds boosted, Pochettino could embark on something of a spending spree this summer and he is said to admire the talent of Maddison, who has made a first-team breakthrough at Leicester this season.

The 22-year-old missed just two Premier League games and scored seven goals while providing seven assists.

His form earned him a call-up to the England squad for Nations League group games against Croatia and Spain, though he did not make his debut, instead remaining on the bench.

The Mirror report that Leicester would want a significant profit on the £22.5million they paid to secure his signature, with Spurs aware that they may have to fight off significant competition to secure a deal.

The ideal Eriksen replacement

Spurs’ interest in Maddison comes as Real Madrid are monitoring a move for Christian Eriksen.

And it certainly appears that the Englishman would be the perfect replacement.

Per WhoScored, the Foxes star averages 2.8 key passes per game in the Premier League, along with 2.3 shots and 1.4 dribbles. He has a pass success rate of 83.8% and is an adept free-kick taker; he scored three goals from dead ball situations in 2018-19.

Eriksen, by comparison, averages 2.5 key passes, 2.4 shots and just 0.5 dribbles. His pass completion rate is 81% and he scored one free-kick, on the final day against Everton.

A move for Maddison would be a like-for-like replacement but it could also improve Spurs’ attacking midfield ranks – the statistics show that he might well already be a better player than the Denmark international.

مدافع الزمالك الأسبق: ذكرياتي مع القمة سيئة.. وفرص الأبيض أكبر للفوز بنهائي إفريقيا

تحدث المدافع التونسي يامن بن ذكري لاعب الزمالك الأسبق عن مواجهة القمة أمام الأهلي في نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وقال يامن في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “إم بي سي مصر” عبر برنامج “اللعيب”: “ذكرياتي مع الأهلي في مباريات القمة سيئة”.

الزمالك: رعب في الفريق بسبب مسحة الكاف.. ولا يوجد ما يمنع مرتضى منصور من حضور النهائي

وأضاف: “أتمنى وأتوقع أن يفوز الزمالك بالبطولة لأسباب عديدة، أهمها ارتفاع معنويات الزمالك بسبب تفوقه في نهائيات المباراة الواحدة”.

وأردف: “الزمالك يحتاج إلى الفوز بالنسخة الجديدة من دوري أبطال إفريقيا واللعب في كأس العالم للأندية”.

واختتم: “لا أريد أن أرى تكرار للأحداث التي وقعت في السوبر المصري بالإمارات وتوقيع عقوبات على اللاعبين”.

Transfer Focus: Leeds’ interest in Delph surely means that Phillips is on his way

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According to reports in The Sun, Leeds United have shown an initial interest in bringing Fabian Delph back to the club, although a deal will prove too expensive for them.

The Man City midfielder spent eight years at the Yorkshire club from the age of 12, before being signed by Aston Villa in 2009.

What’s the story?

The paper are reporting that Delph will be available for £15 million as he is entering the final year of his contract.

The 29-year-old has won two Premier Leagues and earnt 18 England caps since leaving Elland Road, and as he reaches the back end of his career it may be time for him to give back to the club that gave him his big break.

He turns 30 in November and with the current project that Marcelo Bielsa is orchestrating at Leeds, he may indeed choose to go back and help his old team reclaim their place at the top table of English football.

Phillips going?

The fact that Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani are eyeing up such a deal may show that Kalvin Phillips is headed away from Elland Road for a reasonable price.

The report states that Delph would be too expensive for Leeds, and they’re right. There is no way that the Yorkshire club would be able to afford his reported £90,000 a week wages on top of the hefty transfer fee unless their most valuable player was headed elsewhere for a huge amount.

Delph would more than likely occupy the position that Phillips will leave open, and the £15 million that City are asking for will most likely be funded by the sale of the 23-year-old.

Whether this is a good thing for Leeds remains to be seen. Their current defensive midfielder works so well in Bielsa’s system, and it may be tough to get Delph motivated to do the same amount of running that Phillips does as he’s so used to playing at the very top level.

The unsung signing of the season nobody saw coming: Fabian Schar

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When Newcastle United moved to sign Fabian Schar for just £3 million it felt as if Rafa Benitez was being victimised by the tyranny of Mike Ashley.

Another average transfer completed within the remits of a shoestring budget; another example of why the Sports Direct tycoon is the most unpopular man on Tyneside; another player to cement the painful mediocrity of a prestigious club punching well beneath its weight.

Why would Deportivo La Coruña willingly allow a quality central defender to leave the club for a pittance in a transfer market where bargain hunting is a practice that is snowballing towards extinction?

Well, their hands were of course tied as Newcastle triggered a release clause in his contract, but the mere existence of a release clause set the alarm bells ringing anyway.

The cunning individuals responsible for bringing Schar to St James’ Park, however, are certainly no fools and it has since become apparent that the signing was much more than a hopeful stab in the dark.

Jamaal Lascelles was the star of Newcastle’s defence last season, commanding interest from Manchester United in the process and leaving the supporters in a state of bewilderment at Gareth Southgate’s stubborn refusal to bring him into the England fold.

The aspiring England international, though, has since been upstaged by the brilliance of Schar. Plenty of players need to be afforded time during their transition to Premier League football but the Switzerland international has required no such treatment, starring on his maiden campaign and offering a level of ball-playing quality which wouldn’t go amiss at a top-six club.

Schar has played with tenacity and composure, strength and finesse, technique and desire. Combining old-school defensive arts with the progressive ball-playing principles which defenders are required to adhere to in the modern game, Newcastle fans have watched a player of genuine quality blossom under their noses this season.

He has been eulogised over by the Magpies faithful yet acknowledgements of the genius behind the transfer deal don’t seem to transcend much further than the Angel of the North.

Sky Sports produced an article on the candidates for signing of the season back in March. The four players identified were Salomon Rondon, James Maddison, Raul Jimenez and Alisson. Come on, Alisson? Really? He cost £67 million. What a farce. As if Liverpool fans needed any more ego-feeding in the media.

Listed in the list of potential alternatives to the aforementioned quartet were: Ben Foster, Felipe Anderson, David Brooks and Matteo Guendouzi. The absence of Schar was an utterly predictable but equally inexcusable omission.

Perhaps his absence from the conversation can be explained by the unassuming manner in which he walked through the door at St James’ Park. Nobody envisaged that he would do anything more than mirror his modest price-tag when, in fact, the standard of his performances suggest his true valuation dwarfs the cost of his transfer.

His goal-of-the-season contender against Burnley, multitude of incisive diagonals and crunching tackles point towards a level of flair and star quality of a potential award winner, but he has stealthily swerved serious consideration for esteemed recognition. Newcastle fans won’t mind that injustice too much, however, with the transfer window looming and a handful of top-six clubs seemingly in need of defensive recruits.

It’s not a sentence which many could have envisaged at the beginning of the season but Schar is surely the value-for-money, unsung signing of the Premier League season.

Will get the nod: Rangers fans discuss Morelos ahead of Celtic clash

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Alfredo Morelos has scored 29 times in 45 appearances for Rangers this season, and 47 in 88 games in total for the Scottish giants since arriving in 2017.

At his best, the 22-year-old is a devastating striker.

At his worst, though, he can be a real problem.

Three red cards in the league this season – including during the last meeting with Celtic on March 31 – means that his position in the XI for this weekend’s clash with the Hoops is far from secure.

Indeed, it has been suggested that Jermain Defoe could get the nod against Celtic, who have already wrapped up the league title.

It will be fascinating to see what Steven Gerrard decides to do on Sunday afternoon, and a number of Rangers fans have been on social media offering their views.

Whilst some want Morelos to be handed a starting berth this weekend, others clearly feel that the Colombian cannot be trusted.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

"Thank you Adidas" – Arsenal fans rejoice after leak of new kits

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Arsenal fans have celebrated on Twitter after an image of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette wearing the club’s home and away kits for next season was leaked.

Having been with Puma since 2015, the Gunners announced the switch to Adidas in October 2018 on a five-year deal that will net the club somewhere in the region of £300m.

While attentions have started to turn to next season, Arsenal are yet to complete the current campaign with the Europa League final against Chelsea on May 29 still to play.

Victory for Arsenal in Baku would see Unai Emery’s side don the new kits in the Champions League, but defeat would equal another season in the Europa League.

There is yet to be official confirmation of Arsenal’s kits for next season, but Gunners fans are getting excited after the image of Aubameyang and Lacazette was released.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

Major mistakes: Liverpool

You can’t help but feel so bad for the Reds this season. The highest achieving second-placed side the Premier League has ever seen, and what a title race it was. However, the campaign isn’t over yet and Jürgen Klopp will have to ensure his team is ready for the highly-anticipated Champions League final.

Despite the excitement of that European final, Klopp and his backroom staff will certainly have questions on their mind as to how they didn’t capture the Premier League trophy. Being 10 points clear at Christmas, it truly was theirs for the taking.

There will no doubt be discussions as to where they went wrong and how they can improve on that for next season. Here’s a couple of mistakes the German will no doubt bring up.

Finding a draw a good result on the big occasions

On multiple occasions this season we have seen Liverpool succumb to a draw when in reality they should have won the game, most notably, the matches against Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford and the Goodison, both ending in a 0-0 draw.

Throughout both games, Liverpool dominated and should have really taken the lead. However, towards the end of those fixtures, Klopp decided to make defensive changes and looked as if he was scared to lose the game, therefore possibly costing his side the four points they needed to win the league title.

Falling out of domestic cups too early 

After failing to proceed past the third round in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, it can be argued that dropping out of these competitions may have just cost Liverpool this season.

Losing to Chelsea and Wolves in the cup fixtures left Liverpool with less games than City, but was that really a good thing? Challenging in all competitions for as long as possible gives you more of a chance to have an off-game that doesn’t impact any chance of a title challenge, even if it does come at the cost of being knocked out of the cup.

But let’s face it, if you could choose between the Carabao Cup or Premier League, I know what I would be choosing.

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