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Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has reiterated how vital it is that he and his squad focus on themselves in the run-in of the Championship campaign.

The Blades are currently in the thick of the Championship title race, along with Norwich City and Leeds United. Wilder believes that his side must concentrate on what they have to do themselves, without getting distracted by what’s going on around them.

What he said

As quoted by The Star, the Bramall Lane boss said “I’m not interested in what Leeds do or what Norwich City do…All I want to do is focus on ourselves and make sure we get results because that’s something we can influence. We can’t influence what other clubs do so it’s a waste of time worrying about that.”

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

Wilder will know that these external issues, if they’re allowed to distract his squad, could see his own side’s title ambitions crumble as the Blades take their eye off the ball.

Wilder’s words will reassure fans that the team are focused, but the manager’s comments should also be taken heed of by his players.

What he meant

Wilder’s address was likely aimed at his own squad as much as anyone else. By publicly stating the importance of keeping their concentration, he adds extra weight to his message. 

The Blades are in for a nervy couple of months, as the title fight is likely to go down to the wire. Wilder must do all he can to keep his squad calm and attentive to their own jobs. Relaying this message via the media is a smart way of reinforcing its importance.

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to a transfer report, which claims the Magpies tried to sign Phil Foden on loan last month.

The January transfer window was a frantic month for Newcastle fans, who spent the first 30 days praying the club would finally smash their transfer record.

That’s exactly what they did, signing Miguel Almiron for a club-record £20m as well as completing the loan signing of Antonio Barreca.

It now looks like that’s not the only business Rafael Benitez wanted either, as a report from The Sun claims the Magpies were rejected in their attempts to sign Foden.

According to the report, Newcastle, Southampton and Bournemouth were all interested in taking the 18 year-old on loan for the remainder of the season.

With four trophies still left to fight for though, Pep Guardiola opted to keep the teenager, and hopes to give him more opportunities before the end of the campaign.

Loads of Newcastle fans have been weighing in on the report, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Everton will be looking to put a huge dent in Liverpool’s title hopes as well as looking to build on their midweek win against Cardiff City when they host the Reds at Goodison Park on Sunday, but potential club-record signing Richarlison should be a surprise omission from the starting XI.

On the chalkboard

There is no doubt that the Brazil international made a decent start to his Toffees career and his tally of 10 goals in 26 Premier League appearances to date is impressive, although they have certainly dried up in recent times.

The 21-year-old only has one goal and no assists in his previous nine top-flight outings, and he has begun to find himself back out on his preferred position on the wing following an up-and-down experiment using him as a centre-forward.

The South American ace produced another below-par display in the victory against the Bluebirds before being replaced by Bernard, and he came under criticism from Everton fans on Twitter for his display.

Time to leave him out

It would be a big call for Silva to omit him for such a big game, but as things stand the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Bernard look to be more likely to really hurt what is such a strong Liverpool defence at the weekend.

Richarlison isn’t even doing the business in his preferred position on the flank with his finishing and delivery not up to scratch, and his manager needs to be strong and not simply put him on the team-sheet again because of his price tag.

The 21-year-old could then potentially make a big impact from the substitutes’ bench, as the hosts look to pick up what would be a famous positive result given the circumstances.

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An 83rd minute Son Heung-Min strike earned Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win over a dogged Newcastle United side at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Spurs were dominant throughout the game, but were made to work hard for their three points as the Magpies sat deep and soaked up plenty of pressure. Ultimately, it was a goalkeeping error – as Martin Dubravka should have dealt better with Son’s shot – that gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side the win.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

With the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli absent through injury, Pochettino had to find another means of breaking down his opposition, with two of his key attacking talents missing. One change he made to his line up for this fixture was the selection of Jan Vertonghen at left-back.

The 31-year-old is primarily a centre-back, but he performed well on the flank, becoming a key, if surprising, creative outlet for his team. According to WhoScored’s stats, the 110-cap Belgium international delivered 14 crosses in the match.

After the final whistle, plenty of Spurs fans took to Twitter to congratulate Vertonghen for his fine performance in an unfamiliar role…

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West Ham came through their latest test with flying colours.

Their draw with Liverpool on Monday evening was a perfect example of a club overcoming normal expectations against a bigger team.

They turned in a display of the highest calibre, their defence was disciplined, their midfield strong and their finishing precise.

But Manuel Pellegrini will know that the display was the exception to the recent rule, as they had gone on a three-game losing streak in all competitions immediately prior, including a shock FA Cup defeat to AFC Wimbledon.

Their fixture list, however, looks menacing in the coming weeks.

First, they play Crystal Palace in a London derby before another capital battle against Fulham. They then take on Manchester City.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The question, then, is whether the Irons can maintain the level of performance that saw them go so close to beating Liverpool.

They actually defeated both Palace and Fulham in the reverse fixtures earlier this season – 3-2 and 2-0 respectively – but a 4-0 defeat to City shows that the third game may be something of a free hit.

Momentum, of course, is key.

The Hammers are currently 12th, six points behind seventh-placed Wolves, but the club do hold ambitions of qualifying for Europe.

Two wins in a row would go a long way to exorcising the ghosts of their terrible performances throughout January and would also show that they have the talent within the squad to hunt down Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

First, they have to prove that they have the ability to beat those around him, and not just turn up when the Sky cameras are switched on.

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West Brom dragged themselves into title contention with a 3-2 win over QPR on Tuesday night, with Jake Livermore picking a perfect time to net his first goal of the season – a 94th minute winner.

The Baggies breached the 60-point mark, meaning they are just three points behind league leaders Norwich, although they will have to be near faultless for the remainder of the season if they want to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Having been relegated to the second tier of English football last season under Darren Moore, the boss would surely love nothing more than to bounce straight back up at the first time of asking.

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

By the looks of it, the players are keen to do so, too, in particular Ahmed Hegazi, who led celebrations after Livermore fired home the decisive goal deep into injury time.

The Egyptian international has been a fixture in the Baggies side since his move to The Hawthorns in December 2017 – the 6-foot-4 defender had initially been signed on loan from Al Ahly in the summer but, having impressed, had an option in his contract activated that saw him seal the switch permanently.

Here’s how West Brom fans reacted to the ace’s performance and celebrations at Loftus Road…

أعرب البوسني ميراليم بيانيتش، عن رضاه بمشاركته الأولى مع برشلونة في ملعب “كامب نو”، وحصوله على بعض الدقائق للظهور بقميص الفريق الكتالوني.

وانضم بيانيتش للبارسا قادمًا من يوفنتوس، وتعافى مؤخرًا من فيروس كورونا، وتحدث في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، عقب فوز برشلونة على إلتشي بهدف دون رد في كأس خوان جامبر.

وقال بيانيتش عن تعليمات المدرب رونالد كومان له: “لقد منحني الثقة وأخبرني أن أكون على طبيعتي، الفريق يعمل كثيرًا ويعمل بجد ويعمل من أجل المباراة الأولى في الليجا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كومان يوضح مصير ريكي بويج مع برشلونة ويؤكد بقاء كوتينيو

وأضاف لاعب الوسط بشأن استعدادات فريقه: “نحن على استعداد، والفريق يؤدي بشكل جيد للغاية”.

وأتم بشأن مشاركته الأولى: “كان الأمر مميزًا للغاية، على الرغم من أنني كنت أرغب في اللعب بوجود الجمهور، كل شيء يسير بسرعة كبيرة، منذ أسبوع بدأت التدريب بمفردي والآن أشارك مع الفريق”.

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Newcastle visit the Molineux Stadium to face Wolves on Monday and the Toon Army will be chomping at the bit to see record signing Miguel Almiron in action for the first time. BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson thinks it could be a baptism of fire for Paraguayan though.

What did he say?

Discussing his predictions for this weekend’s round of Premier League action with actor Jamie Dornan and photo-journalist Paul Conroy, the former defender had this to say on Monday night’s match:

“Newcastle’s new signing Miguel Almiron should make his debut and I am looking forward to seeing how he gets on.

“I have seen lots of footage of him and he looks like a player but it will be an interesting night for him because the Premier League is very different to the MLS, and Wolves are a team in form.

“Of all the teams chasing seventh place, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team are definitely the most consistent in terms of performances, and I can see them getting a fourth-straight win on Monday.

The likes of Jermain Defoe and Clint Dempsey have crossed the Atlantic to ply their respective trades in the United States but very few go the other way – the step up in terms of quality is realistically more of a leap and, as Lawrenson says, it will be interesting to see how the Paraguayan fares on his first outing in black and white.

All-in for Almiron

As far as introductions to the Premier League come, an away-day at the Molineux Stadium is a pretty good one. The pyrotechnics, flags and thunderous chanting make for a fantastic, but intimidating atmosphere and Wolves will be hoping their recent form carries into this game.

Newcastle and Rafa Benitez appear to have discovered a winning formula though – or at least a formula that makes them very hard to beat – in their 5-4-1. However, 24-year-old Almiron may force Benitez into altering this slightly – there is no room for an attacking midfielder and if you pay a club-record fee for player, you surely want them in their preferred position.

Regardless of where the speedster is deployed, he will find his work cut out for him against a physical Wolves side that are going from strength to strength.

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

Rangers are six points behind rivals Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership despite defeating Aberdeen last week.

The Gers closed the gap over Christmas but Brendan Rodgers’ side have been in top gear during 2019. Catching their rivals will be extremely tough but there is plenty of football still to be played which will give Steven Gerrard’s side plenty of hope. The former Liverpool captain will be hoping to take advantage of Celtic’s participation in the Europa League during the run in.

Regardless of whether they lift the title or not, no one can deny that Gerrard has made a decent start to life in management at Ibrox. The majority of his signings have proven to be inspired additions, none more so than Liverpool’s Ryan Kent.

Valued at just £1.58m by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old was sent to Scotland by Jurgen Klopp to link up with the Anfield legend after spending half of last season with Freiburg in the Bundesliga. Despite struggling in Germany, the youngster has finally found his feet in the SPFL. Kent has impressed greatly, netting five goals and registering three assists in just 16 league appearances.

When the transfer window reopens in the summer, Gerrard should be doing all he can to make his stay at Ibrox permanent. It’s unlikely that Kent will replace Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino in the Liverpool starting eleven with Xherdan Shaqiri providing cover on the bench. The Englishman needs regular football to aid his development meaning the Reds shouldn’t stand in his way of departing Merseyside.

Kent is still developing and improving – Rangers fans may have only seen a glimpse of what the winger is truly capable of.

Rangers fans, thoughts?

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West Ham United are a club moving in the right direction. David Gold and David Sullivan have showcased a willingness to back Manuel Pellegrini in the transfer market, but the club’s finances could be working more efficiently.

If the Hammers want to move up to the next level, they need to continue attracting players of Felipe Anderson’s and Issa Diop’s calibre. That’s an endeavour which, particularly given how the transfer market has developed in recent years, can be financially crippling.

There are no shortcuts to the top, but a handful of smart decisions could help Pellegrini in his bid to challenge the top-six next season.

Those decisions concern his current squad of players, which is littered with players who, for one reason or another, should leave the London Stadium this summer.

Based on figures provided by Spotrac, we’ve taken a look at a selection of players who Gold and Sullivan could offload to free up the wage bill in the summer transfer window.

Players who look destined to depart

Perhaps rather reluctantly, the Hammers faithful may be forced to wave goodbye to one of a dying breed: Pablo Zabaleta, a genuine warrior whose exemplary attitude has enabled him to perform beyond his means at the top level.

The Argentine is 34-years-old and out of contract in the summer. He is a fan-favourite and still a decent squad player, but the opportunity to slash £3.9m from the yearly wage bill could tempt Pellegrini to usher his fellow South American out of the exit door.

Paradoxically, Marko Arnautovic’s decision to sign a contract extension in January injected an extra layer of substance to the general feeling that he will leave in the summer. It seems clear that the saga has only just begun, and his potential departure would wipe £5.2m off the wage bill.

Andy Carroll’s exit, however, should be more straightforward. He is out of contract in June and his torrid record with injuries has sprayed the writing firmly on the wall. To compound the situation, his style of play is antithetical to Pellegrini’s philosophy. £4.68m saved.

One would assume that backup goalkeeper Adrian, earning £2.6m per year, will also be released when his contract expires in the summer, with a desire for first-team opportunities likely to force the Spaniard’s hand.

Players who aren’t earning their wage

If Gold and Sullivan can find a buyer for Javier Hernandez, they would be foolish not to send him packing. The Mexico international is the highest earner at the club on £140k per week, equivalent to £7.28m per year. West Ham would surely be able to sign a superior talent on a lower wage.

The decision to sign Lucas Perez was a low cost gamble which hasn’t paid off. It seems his style is incompatible with the Premier League, so the Hammers should trim his £4.16m salary if possible.

Pedro Obiang and Sam Byram earn £2.86m and £1.56m respectively, and both players have failed to build a compelling case to remain in east London beyond the summer.

Results of West Ham’s clear-out

Allowing all of the aforementioned players to leave the club would put Gold and Sullivan in a much healthier financial situation. A total of £32.24 million would be removed from the yearly wage budget, which equates to £620k per week – enough to pay Manuel Lanzini’s weekly wage of £70k nearly nine times over.