There can’t be many clubs in world football who can boast having the option to pick between seven players who can occupy the centre-forward position in their team, can there?

Sheffield Wednesday’s accumulation of strikers over the past few seasons has resulted in fierce competition for places yet incredibly, there has yet to be a settled front-two during the 2018/19 campaign as both Jos Luhukay, who was sacked in December, and Steve Bruce have had to deal with a myriad of injuries.

The latest to be sidelined is top-scorer Steven Fletcher who was ruled out of last Saturday’s game against Stoke City due to a knee issue, forcing his boss to alter his starting eleven to incorporate the return of Fernando Forestieri and Gary Hooper. Although it could be argued that the embarrassment of riches at Hillsborough in terms of an attacking sense should guarantee goals, the fact that the strikers do not know whether they will be playing every week can have a detrimental impact on morale. The likes of Lucas Joao, Sam Winnall and Marco Matias have been in and out of the squad on numerous occasions this season, which has limited their development as players whilst Forestieri, in particular, has failed to replicate the same level of form that he has demonstrated in the past for Wednesday.

The only solution to this problem is to offload some of the forwards that the Owls have on their books in the summer, a move that could prove to be extremely beneficial for Bruce going forward. By recuperating fees for the players that he is willing to discard, the 58-year-old can use the money to strengthen his squad in other areas in the summer.

Regardless of whether the Owls sneak into the play-off positions at the end of the current campaign, it is clear that they need to balance out their squad and so it would be very surprising if Bruce doesn’t commit to bringing an end to his unique attacking issue.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Should Bruce cut ties with some of your forwards in the summer? Who should be let go? Let us know below.

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According to a report by The Sun, Manchester United are keen on signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Kieran Trippier, but a potential summer move would come 12 months too late for club and player.

Why is it too late for United?

This time last year the Red Devils would have been getting a full-back full of confidence who was about to shine for England at the 2018 World Cup.

His delivery from crosses was especially impressive for Spurs last term, and someone like Romelu Lukaku would surely have thrived on his service from the right flank during the current campaign.

Bringing in Trippier would also have prevented Ashley Young being near the starting line-up too given he has often featured at right-back or right wing-back this term, with the 33-year-old proving to be a big liability at times.

If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signs the 28-year-old now he will be getting a player who appears to have lost the belief in his own ability, and who is really struggling from a defensive point of view as well as with his tally of assists – exactly what United don’t need given their own struggles.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

Why is it too late for Trippier?

Following an impressive season with Spurs and the high of scoring World Cup semi-final goal for his country, it was the ideal time for him to take a step forward in his career.

A move to Old Trafford would have undoubtedly been that no matter what Tottenham fans may say, and he would have been the undoubted first choice in his position at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.

While he was a player seemingly in his prime then, it is a different story now given he isn’t even a regular for his current employers.

A move away and fresh start last summer may have meant that his form would have been less likely to decline like it has done, and in that respect it could now be a bad time to move on.

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Alexander Sorloth departed Crystal Palace on loan in January having struggled for form at Selhurst Park and the Eagles have hardly missed him, with Michy Batshuayi chipping in with a couple of goals and Christian Benteke back to his best against Arsenal.

Any Palace fans who have been keeping an eye on the Norwegian’s loan stint at Gent will have noticed that he has been a successful signing for the Belgian outfit. Had Roy Hodgson been deploying the giant forward in the wrong position all this time?

On the chalkboard

Sorloth played just 173 minutes of Premier League football and failed to score for Palace before being shipped out three months ago, although he has found his shooting boots again across the channel it seems.

The 23-year-old has chalked up four goals and two assists in all competitions for Gent but hasn’t been doing it as a striker. Instead, the 6 ft 4 hitman has been deployed as a right winger and has clearly been reaping the rewards.

Naturally, his height and physicality mean he looks like a striker but, prior to his move to Palace and subsequent conversion to a centre-forward, the former Midtjylland man had been successful as a wide-man. Is this where Hodgson should be looking to use him when he returns ahead of the next campaign?

Big winger

The likes of Marko Arnautovic and Romelu Lukaku under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have proved that size is a huge asset on the wing and while Sorloth doesn’t have Wilfried Zaha’s dribbling or Andros Townsend’s shooting from range, he does have a bit of pace about him and his size would make him a nightmare for most Premier League full-backs.

There’s some exciting changes happening at Crystal Palace next summer. Find out what in the video below…

While the former England boss has come under some criticism for his management this season, he has shown that he isn’t afraid to patiently transform players into the type he needs – Jeffrey Schlupp has been converted into a central-midfielder and the aforementioned wing duo are now able to double as a strike partnership. It certainly seems worth a try, otherwise Sorloth will just end up being money down the drain.

أعلن الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، ونجم الأهلي السابق، أن مركز التسوية والتحكيم قرر بطلان لائحة نادي الزمالك، في جلسته التي عقدت اليوم الأربعاء.

اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية كانت قد قررت إيقاف مرتضى منصور رئيس نادي الزمالك 4 سنوات عن مزاولة أي نشاط رياضي، مع إلزام الزمال بانتخاب رئيس جديد للنادي مع تغريمه 100 ألف جنيه، وذلك بسبب الشكاوى المقدمة ضده.

نشر أحمد شوبير عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “عاجل مركز التسوية والتحكيم يقضي ببطلان لائحة الزمالك”.

عاجل مركز التسويه والتحكيم يقضي ببطلان لائحة الزمالك — Ahmed Shobier (@ShobierOfficial) October 28, 2020

وأعلنت قناة نادي الزمالك عن إيقاف برنامجها الرئيسي “زملكاوي” لمدة أسبوعين، وذلك بقرار من المجلس الأعلى لتنظيم الإعلام. طالع التفاصيل

Newcastle fans will have massively enjoyed the events of Sunday afternoon. As their squad was touching down in the capital ahead of yesterday’s trip to Arsenal, their Tyne-Wear rivals, Sunderland, were playing the Checkatrade Trophy final where they lost to Pompey on penalties.

Whilst the Magpies may have been a day early for April Fools day, they still managed to successfully mug off their rivals with their very well timed tweet. As Sunderland fans would have been in tears over their Wembley loss, the Geordies were arriving in London on what was described by their Twitter admin as a ‘glorious afternoon’ and none of the travelling Newcastle fans would disagree with that.

In recent years, Sunderland have been able to boast a superior record over Newcastle when it comes to clashes between the two sides, yet now that the Black Cats are rotting in League One it’s hard to see a way that the two sides will be meeting anytime soon, unless of course, they find themselves clashing in a domestic cup game. That won’t bother the Geordies one bit, though as they’ve loved seeing Sunderland flailing.

You can read the Magpies’ reaction to their club’s cracking tweet here:

The Geordies love content like their club’s tweet from Sunday, and anything to troll their bitter rivals will always go down well with the St James Park faithful.

With all this contract speculation circulating around Rafa Benitez, Newcastle fans are desperately hoping it ends with the Spaniard agreeing to extend his stay at St James’ Park in order to progress the team over the next few years.

That much is obvious, right? Well, considering the state of play on Tyneside right now, nothing else is.

Indeed, the least Mike Ashley can do is get him to sign a new contract, after all he’s done over the last few seasons. Not only is a great manager but he also acts as a lure for the better players for Newcastle to try and sign.

Everybody knows that. Why don’t you seem to grasp it, Mike?

After all, Newcastle’s side still most definitely needs improving and the summer promises to be the perfect opportunity to do just that. Clearly, a number of positions can be improved upon from a Newcastle perspective and with Antonio Barreca’s loan spell proving to be ineffective, interest they have previously held in a left-back – Stanley N’Soki – should be taken up again.

N’Soki, (who is valued at £7.6 million on Transfermarkt) was a target (as per the Chronicle) for Newcastle over the course of the January window but for whatever reason, a deal failed to materialise.

The 19-year-old has since been involved with the PSG first team a lot more than he and many others probably would have predicted. With 11 Ligue 1 appearances to his name and a further three in cup competitions, N’Soki has proven to be not just any youngster but one ready to play right now.

Able to play in centre-back as well as his usual position of left-back, N’Soki can provide helpful versatility to a side like Newcastle and undoubtedly would be a top addition. How nice would that be, Toon fans? Another left-back of note at long, long last.

Newcastle fans, how highly do you rate the PSG youngster? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Reports of Paul Pogba’s possible departure from Manchester United are heating up, so how could the Red Devils work his departure to their advantage?

What’s the story?

According to The Daily Star, Pogba has already told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he is leaving for Real Madrid this summer.

The report cites Spanish journalist Eduardo Inda as saying: “He has let Solskjaer know that he wants to go, he has been offered £500,000 pounds, but he wants to go and the signing is almost done.”

Meanwhile, The Mirror claim that James Rodriguez will be left looking for a new club this summer, as Bayern Munich will not make his loan move into a permanent one and Real Madrid do not want him back.

So, should the Red Devils ask for Rodriguez as part of any potential Pogba deal?

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

A long-running problem solved?

It goes without saying that the two players are completely different, and in no way, shape or form will Rodriguez replace the role Pogba played in Solskjaer’s team.

However, a switch to a 4-2-3-1 could accommodate the Colombian, while also solving a problem that multiple managers have had at Old Trafford in recent years – the lack of a dynamic, do-it-all midfielder.

Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho both suffered for a lack of midfield quality, but if the Red Devils play their cards right they may become more balanced without signing that box-to-box presence Solskjaer’s predecessors were crying out for.

By placing James in the number ten position, surrounded by the electric skill and pace of the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and potentially Jadon Sancho, Solskjaer could focus his two holding players more on the defensive side of the game.

This would in effect end the incessant and unsuccessful hunt for a true box-to-box midfielder, of which a world class one is extremely hard to find, because the 4-2-3-1 formation does not require one.

Defensive midfielders who read the game well and spray the ball about are a lot easier to find and cheaper to purchase, and they would of course allow James to do what he does best – score and assist goals.

If Pogba does leave this summer, getting some cash and a new number ten as part of the deal would surely soften the blow, and Solskjaer’s team may actually become more balanced as a result.

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Arsenal fans have wasted no time in jumping onto Twitter to criticise Matteo Guendouzi for his awful performance against Everton.

The 6 foot 1 youngster continuously gave the ball away and never looked positive with his passing, always choosing to play the safe option and losing it when he did try to be more adventurous.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Of course, the 19-year-old Frenchman is still learning his trade, but most Arsenal fans will be able to tell you that he can play a lot, lot better than he did at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Barely anyone in an Arsenal shirt played well, but Guendouzi made mistake after mistake to receive the majority of the backlash from the Gunners fanbase – perhaps it is the aforementioned fact that they know he can do far better.

As a result of the loss, Unai Emery’s men face a difficult battle to finish in the top four, but for now, let’s see what the Arsenal supporters have been saying about Guendouzi on Twitter after his awful showing…

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Wolves have been a joy to watch in their first season back in the Premier League and they only emphasised that with a phenomenal 3-1 win over Arsenal last Wednesday night.

And it was a landmark win for the club as they beat the Gunners for the first time in 40 years, ending a run of 20 games without a victory against the north London side.

Supporters of Nuno Santo’s team were obviously delighted with the win but they are also ecstatic at finally ending their run of games without defeating their opposition on the night.

One fan claimed it was revenge for ‘that’ cup semi-final, making reference to when Arsenal beat them in the 1997/98 season in the FA Cup by a goal to nil.

Two supporters said they were just a year old the last time Wolves beat the Gunners whilst another recalled watching it with their dad.

Amazingly, the club’s elder fans have had to wait since 1979 for a win over Arsenal when on the 29th September, Wolves triumphed 3-2 in the old Division One.

A Wolves fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the club in the video below…

Their win this time came courtesy of goals from Ruben Neves, Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota who were all phenomenal as the club reaffirmed their top seven hopes.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

A goal-scoring crisis looms at large for Manchester United.

They might’ve scored a ton of goals in the initial dream run under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but everything dried up after reality set in. Indeed, since the inspired Paris-Saint Germain game, Romelu Lukaku’s goal-scoring boots have also vanished.

The 25-year-old Belgian’s yet to score a goal since that eventful night in Paris and is getting frustrated with his situation at United. He’s voiced his ambitions to possibly move to play in the Serie A, as Solskjaer won’t really be hesitant at letting him leave.

United are looking towards striking options for the summer and might’ve found an apt replacement for Lukaku.

According to reports (via the Mirror), the Red Devils have their eyes on Olympique Lyonnais’ marvellous Moussa Dembele. Lyon’s £19.8 million signing had a breakthrough season in Ligue 1, scoring 13 goals from 29 appearances so far. He’s complimented Lyon’s terrific attackers perfectly, producing some special moments throughout.

Dembele’s excellent work in the final third’s allowed him to come under the radar. He’s now only mobile and clinical in front of goal, his overall work is also sound. The 22-year-old’s hold-up play is excellent, while his excellent link-up play, as well as deft finishing ability, makes him a much more complete striker than others.

The Frenchman’s never static, always looking to get in among goals. Dembele’s more energetic, agile and decisive than the erratic Lukaku. He’s the perfect fit for Solskjaer’s fast-paced style perfectly to act as the ruthless striker’s he’s been craving for.

United fans, do you think Dembele can solve the goal-scoring problems? Join the discussion by commenting below…