Whisper it quietly but Barnsley are now within touching distance of an immediate return to the Championship.

A fantastic Easter weekend for the Tykes saw them grind out a crucial 2-1 victory over Shrewsbury Town on Friday before they sent out a signal of intent to the rest of League One by dispatching Plymouth Argyle 3-0 on Monday.

Six points from a possible six saw Daniel Stendel’s side move further clear of Sunderland with their nearest challenge for a top-two finish now coming from Portsmouth who matched their results. Although Barnsley currently have an advantage of two points over Pompey, their rivals still have one more game to play between now and the end of the season.

However, when you considered that Kenny Jackett’s men still have to face the Black Cats and Peterborough United, it is clear that if the Tykes can extend their current winning run to five, they will be in a superb position to secure automatic promotion.

One of the biggest positives that the club’s supporters can take from Barnsley’s recent performances is that they have seemingly fully recovered from their defeat at Burton Albion at the start of the month and are showing no signs of letting the pressure get to them. Whereas Sunderland have floundered in recent weeks under the weight of expectations, Stendel has kept his players grounded and focused on the task in hand which has in turn produced positive results.

Indeed, the race for the top-two is far from over and there is still time for the Tykes to slip-up yet if they can take their recent form into their clashes against Blackpool and Bristol Rovers, they should have more than enough to take their tally for season to 94 points, a total which has guaranteed promotion for the last 20 years in the third tier.

What do you think Barnsley fans? Are you confident that your side now have what it takes to seal automatic promotion in May? How impressed have you been with Stendel’s impact since the German joined the club last summer? Get in touch below.

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Charlton recorded a sensational 3-1 win over league leaders Luton Town at the weekend – their fourth consecutive victory – and thus extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games, with goals from Igor Vetokele and Lyle Taylor (2) bringing an end to the Hatters’ own excellent run.

Taylor’s brace took him to 21 goals in all competitions this season – a feat very few manage – but for Vetokele his strike and assist for his partner up front are an indicator that he is perhaps getting back to his best again after a difficult season plighted with injury.

The 27-year-old had this to say after a fantastic result:

“We have a chance (for automatic promotion) but we just have to focus on ourselves and try to win the remaining games and then we’ll see what happens.

“It gives us a massive boost and gives us confidence. It shows that we are capable of beating top teams and that’s what we’re going to have to do if we are going to get promotion.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

“It’s not really in our hands, so all we have to do is win every game that’s left and that will put pressure on the other teams.”

With four games to go and just three points separating the Addicks and second-placed Sunderland, the race for automatic promotion is on and if Charlton can keep up this kind of form then the Black Cats should be very worried indeed.

For most teams, winning your next four games seems like a big ask but, for a team on such a streak as the Valley outfit find themselves enjoying, it’s certainly possible if not likely. As Vetokele puts it, it’s all they have to do, with other results needing to go their way if they are to soar above the play-off places.

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Mauricio Pochettino wants Tottenham Hotspur to spend £150million this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Spurs are seemingly set to invest in the playing squad when the transfer window reopens, having gone the past two without signing a single player.

What’s the word?

The Mail report that Pochettino will be given an initial kitty of £60m to spend before player sales are considered, but the report states that the majority of transfer revenue will be retained and spent on the playing staff.

Doubts persist over the futures of both Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen.

The defender, of course, has a £25m release clause embedded into his contract, while the report states that Spurs could cash in on Eriksen, with his deal set to expire at the end of next season.

Full-back Danny Rose, midfielder Victor Wanyama, winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou will all reportedly be sold if bids come in, while Kieran Trippier and Fernando Llorente could also depart.

The Mail believe that could raise upwards of £100m to boost Pochettino’s spending power, with the club hoping to sign two central midfielders as well as an attacking player who can inject some creativity into the forward line.

Back him

Daniel Levy is absolutely right to throw some cash behind Pochettino.

The Argentine has worked miracles this season, with Spurs in the Champions League semi-finals and also fighting to finish in the Premier League top four.

Quite frankly, Pochettino deserves to be backed to the absolute hilt.

And while he may not have a say in the future of Alderweireld, his targets have to be brought in this summer.

Spurs stand on the precipice of something massive; major investment, then, is absolutely key if they are to take the next step.

When Caleb Ekuban joined Leeds United from Serie A side Chievo Verona in 2017, the club’s supporters had every right to be excited about the forward.

Having fired in 17 goals in the Albanian Superliga whilst on loan at FK Partizani, the 25-year-old seemingly had all the ingredients needed to become a cult-hero at Elland Road.

However, with expectations high, Ekuban ultimately failed to deliver for the Whites in his debut season in England as he struggled to adapt to the pace of the Championship.

Although he showed glimpses of his ability throughout the year, a myriad of injury problems resulted in the Italian-born ace featuring in just 21 games in all competitions for Leeds in which he only scored two goals for the club.

Following the arrival of fellow forwards Patrick Bamford and Izzy Brown last summer, Ekuban was loaned out to Trabzonspor in order to have a better chance of playing first-team football this season.

A regular starter for the Turkish side, the former Chievo forward has been directly involved in 11 goals this year with his performances causing a positive impression on Head Coach Unal Karaman.

With the transfer window scheduled to open in just under two months time, it is of little surprise that Trabzonspor are trying to secure a deal to sign Ekuban on a permanent basis. According to Football Ghana, the Super Lig side are close to sealing an £860,000 move for the forward.

If Leeds do indeed receive a healthy sum of money for Ekuban, Bielsa could use it to bolster his squad in the summer.

In the absence of the Ghanian international, the Whites have enjoyed a fruitful year which could be capped off by promotion later this month if they can successfully navigate their way through the play-offs.

Regardless of what division the club finds itself in next season however, it is certain that they won’t miss Ekuban if he leaves as they already have better attacking options at the club in the form of Bamford and Kemar Roofe.

What do you think Leeds fans? Will you be glad to see the back of Ekuban in the summer? Or do you think he was harshly treated at Elland Road? Let us know below.

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“The future is bleak, because there is no way we can improve on what we have achieved so far.”

Pep Guardiola said those very words after Barcelona won the Club World Cup in 2009. The game, against Estudiantes, was nondescript, really, with few on these shores even paying it much mind. But in Catalonia it sparked wild celebrations and an uncharacteristically downbeat response from Guardiola. The reason? It confirmed that Barcelona had won six trophies in 2009. Six. For those counting, that’s La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey at the end of the 2008-09 campaign and, at the beginning of 2009-10, the Supercopa de Espana, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

Guardiola had told his biographer, Guillem Balague, that he motivated his men by telling them they would be “eternal” if they won the Club World Cup. It was the first time they had won the competition.

Guardiola left Barcelona in 2012. At the end of his reign, he had won 13 trophies, having established a staggering stranglehold on the Spanish game.

What Guardiola has done since is enjoy a sabbatical, move to Manchester City, achieve a century of Premier League points and, this season, bring the excitement of the title race to a juddering halt.

He is a visionary, of course, a genius of a manager capable of building teams into irrepressible winning machines. City, at this point in time, are on a 12-game winning run. They last dropped points in the Premier League on January 29, losing 2-1 to Newcastle United. In the run since they have thumped Chelsea 6-0, beaten Arsenal 3-1 and also enjoyed victories over both Manchester United and title rivals Liverpool.

They have also won the Carabao Cup and will play in the FA Cup final in May. They are out of the Champions League but even that came after a 4-3 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

It is the Premier League, though, where the story is, and where the boredom lies.

City are currently slugging it out with Liverpool at the top of the table. They are two of the greatest teams the Premier League has ever seen and this, in turn, should be the most exciting title race in history.

Liverpool have 91 points but are second. In all but two seasons in Premier League history – last season, when City clocked 100, and 2004-05, when Chelsea won 95 points – they would have won the competition already. They have already amassed one more point than Arsenal’s Invincibles. They are 12 clear of the tally amassed by Manchester United’s treble winners. City, though, are a point clear. They have 92 and could end the season with 98. The only other team to ever better such a tally was, inevitably, Pep’s vintage from last season.

Why, then, is it so dull?

It has been grindingly predictable as a race. City, in particular, have reverted to their win-by-all-costs mantra that has so characterised the best teams in the league. Their 1-0 win over Burnley at the weekend was a prime example of this; it was three more points, yes, and it leaves City two wins away from the title, but they were not convincing, they did not play well and it was not particularly good to watch, with Burnley reduced to merely defending for their lives.

Liverpool have played their part in this but they are more thrilling to watch, more exciting, more explosive. They have pace in attack and defence but they have flaws too; were it not for Virgil van Dijk, they would probably be scrapping for Champions League football and the Premier League trophy would already be sitting in the Etihad Stadium.

City, though, are almost omnipotent. They move the ball quickly and precisely but they are patient almost to a fault and have become synonymous with the ‘cut-back goal’, when a winger reaches the byline, fires the ball across the six-yard box and either Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling or another of City’s cherry-picked superstars taps it in. It works but it’s a bit like exploiting a cheat code that isn’t available to anyone else.

Indeed, the best title races have featured fallibility. Think of Manchester United and City duking it out in 2011-12, the year of Aguerroooooooo. United were eight points clear with six games remaining. A loss against Wigan Athletic and a chaotic, pulsating and simply brilliant 4-4 draw with Everton, followed by a derby defeat to City, saw Roberto Mancini’s side back on top. You don’t need reminding about what happened on the final day. The drama was only added to by the context of the season before it.

Look, too, at 2013-14, when City again swooped in to snatch the crown, this time from Liverpool, their rivals this year. Brendan Rodgers’ side, featuring the likes of Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard, were five points clear of Chelsea and nine ahead of City – who had two games in hand – after a 3-2 win over Norwich City on April 20th. A loss to Chelsea was followed by that collapse at Crystal Palace and, poof, the title had gone.

Again, set against the context of the season before it, this was genuinely thrilling stuff for the neutral.

But this season, there has been no such drama. This title race has just been two very good teams who are very good at winning football matches, winning football matches. City play Leicester and Brighton & Hove Albion in their final two matches, while the Reds take on Newcastle United and Wolves. Both teams are likely to win out because that is just what they do.

And Guardiola will be given the Premier League trophy. He may well weep, just as he did in 2009.

For what else is there to do but merely go and win it again? The competition – the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – either don’t have the financial clout or the ability in the starting XI to match the feats of City and the Reds next season.

So we may see a duopoly established, with Guardiola yet again establishing a stranglehold.

City fans, surely, will love it. But the rest of us – we’ll call it what it is: boring.

تلقى المدرب الإسباني بيب جوارديولا المدير الفني لنادي مانشستر سيتي، أنباء سارة، اليوم الثلاثاء، في تدريبات السكاي بلو، بشأن ظهير الفريق الأيسر، بنجامين ميندي.

الدولي الفرنسي يغيب عن مانشستر سيتي بسبب مشاكل عضلية، إذ يغيب عن السيتي مُنذ 3 أكتوبر الماضي، بعدما أصيب في مواجهة ليدز يونايتد، بالجولة الرابعة من البريميرليج.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوائز نورث ويست.. دي بروين أفضل لاعب في موسم 2019/2020

ورد ميندي عبر موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “إنستجرام”، بشأن موقفه من العودة لتدريبات الفريق، حيث أوضح أنه عاد بالفعل.

وقال ميندي: “نعم، لقد عدت، وبدأت التدريب مرة أخرى، وكل شيء يسير على ما يرام”.

وبذلك يُمكن أنّ يصبح ميندي مُتاحًا لمباراة توتنهام ومانشستر سيتي، بعد العودة من فترة التوقف الدولية، يوم السبت 21 نوفمبر الجاري.

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Leeds United fans on Twitter have highlighted the striker position as the area the team needed to improve on to make the next step.

The Whites have relied on Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe to lead their line this season and despite the pair netting 23 league goals between them, Leeds fans aren’t satisfied with the output of their attackers.

Leeds average 16.8 shots per game in the league yet they have scored just 70 goals so far this campaign which is only good enough to make them the fifth highest scorers in the division.

Elland Road has seen some prolific strikers in recent seasons with fans using the likes of Chris Wood and Jermaine Beckford as examples of the type of front-man they have been missing.

Other fans have been envious of their rivals strike forces, wishing they had the likes of Teemu Pukki or Tammy Abraham.

Leeds supporters have been quick to criticise Patrick Bamford’s performances this season despite the forward’s impressive minutes to goal ratio which has him scoring on average every 141 minutes.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

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According to reports in The Sun on Sunday (May 19, Page 63), Norwich City want to make Jordan Rhodes’ stay at Carrow Road a permanent one.

The Scottish striker spent 2018/19 on loan at the East Anglian club, and he has seemingly impressed Daniel Farke enough for the Canaries to look at bringing him back.

Rhodes’ season

Norwich’s continued interest in the Scotland international is surprising. Rhodes has long been praised for his goalscoring ability, but that appeared to desert him this term as he found the back of the net just six times in the league.

He also only provided one assist for teammates, so it’s hard to see what has impressed Farke so much that he wants the 29-year-old in his squad next season.

The former Blackburn striker has been one of the most prolific scorers in the Championship over the past few years, but he has never been given a real chance at the Premier League, and perhaps Norwich believe he still has something to prove in the top flight.

Wednesday mustn’t hesitate

Rhodes had an awful first couple of seasons at Hillsborough after becoming the club’s record signing. He netted just eight league goals over two campaigns whilst collecting a hefty wage.

The forward reportedly earns £38,500-a-week at the Owls, and if the opportunity comes to shift him off of their wage bill, then they must take it.

The decline has seemingly already begun for the former Huddersfield man, and aged 29 it’s hard to see him ever rediscovering the form that saw the Yorkshire club pay £10 million for him a few years ago.

Steve Bruce may be tempted to attempt to coach Rhodes back into form, as the striker hasn’t yet played under the tutelage of the Owls’ new manager, but he must resist this temptation and allow him to go to Norwich if an offer comes in.

Wednesday could easily use his saved wages to bring in a different striking option who can help fire them into the top six next season.

Manchester United fans will be relying on the summer transfer window after a rather disappointing performance in the Champions League last night. 

The Red Devils have a number of changes to make with the current defensive line struggling to ensure consistency.

Manchester United fans must be getting fed up of their defence by now as it continues to hold them back in key games, with Lionel Messi having a field day at the Nou Camp last night.

But, it appears as if the Premier League club are eyeing a move for a playmaker at this moment in time, as according to Corriere dello Sport (via Metro), Manchester United are interested in Nicolo Zaniolo.

Indeed, the youngster has made a name for himself in the current campaign having produced six goals and two assists at current club AS Roma. He’s everything you could want in an attacking midfielder as he has the ability to create and produce goals, and the crazy thing is that he’s only 19 years of age.

Ed Woodward took a big gamble when he signed Anthony Martial as a youngster for £54 million (as per Transfermarkt), but his decision to sign him has proved to be a masterstroke as he’s developed into one of the best attackers in European football and he’s still only 23 years of age.

The Manchester United man could pull off another masterstroke by signing Zaniolo, who is valued at £36 million (as per Transfermarkt), as he has all the ingredients to become a future star. Indeed, the attacking midfielder is at an identical stage in his career to what Martial was when he joined as the Frenchman was also 19-years-old, so it makes perfect sense for United to adopt a similar strategy.

Of course, if the Italian goes on to become half the player Anthony Martial is then signing the Roma man would be seen as a success, so Woodward must go all out to bring him in this summer.

Manchester United fans, do you think Zaniola can follow in Anthony Martial’s footsteps at Old Trafford? Join the discussion by commenting down below!

Kalvin Phillips has had a season to remember for Leeds United, hasn’t he?

One of the many benefactors from Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival at Elland Road last summer, the midfielder has developed into a key player for his side this year and has all the ingredients needed to become a modern-day hero for the Yorkshire-based outfit.

With Phillips expected to start in the first-leg of Leeds’ play-off semi-final against Derby County on Saturday, he will be hoping that by delivering yet another outstanding performance for the club, he can help them move one step closer to securing promotion to the Premier League.

If the Whites are successful in achieving this goal over the coming weeks, they will be able to provide the 23-year-old with the platform to thrive against the very best that England has to offer.

However, despite already being an extremely gifted player, Phillips could take his game to new heights if Bielsa brings in Ander Iturraspe when the transfer window opens in July.

According to El Gol Digital, the Athletic Bilbao midfielder is reportedly interested in reuniting with his former manager next season if Leeds make it into the top-flight via the play-offs.

Although the arrival of Iturraspe at Elland Road would lead to him directly competing with Phillips for his position, he could use his wealth of experience to help mentor the Whites ace.

Having played over 300 games for Bilbao during his 11-year career, the 30-year-old knows just what it takes to compete against the world’s best and so by passing on what he has learned to Phillips, he could help him fulfil his potential.

Available on a free transfer in the summer having failed to agree a new deal with Bilbao (via HITC), Iturraspe could turn out to be the perfect signing for Leeds as he not only would he be a significant upgrade on Adam Forshaw but he could also develop the talents of those around him.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa bring in Iturraspe in the summer? Could the Spaniard’s arrival turn out to be a boost for Phillips? Let us know below.