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Leeds United fans have been expressing their love for Marcelo Bielsa on Twitter after a fan-filmed video of the Argentine manager celebrating at full-time against Millwall emerged.

Bielsa has become somewhat of a legend in the Yorkshire city due to his antics; spying on the opposition, handing out sweets to kids and sitting on his water cooler have given Bielsa hero status amongst Leeds fans.

The video shows the scenes on the touchline as the final whistle sounds – the normally reserved Bielsa is seen celebrating passionately whilst hugging his coaching staff as Leeds rescued victory from the jaws of defeat and moved back into second place after their win against Millwall.

With promotion now in touching distance for the Yorkshire club, fans have been vocalising their love for Bielsa on Twitter after his celebrations echoed the sentiment of the fans. Their long wait to return to the Premier League may finally be over soon…

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Derby County finally brought a four-match losing sequence in all competitions to an end as they came from behind to beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 at the Pride Park Stadium on Tuesday night, but Rams fans weren’t impressed with winger Florian Jozefzoon’s performance.

The 28-year-old joined the east Midlands outfit from Brentford last summer for an undisclosed fee and has made 31 appearances in total for them this term, although the majority of those outings have come from the substitutes’ bench.

The attacker was handed a second successive Championship start by Frank Lampard against Paul Cook’s men in midweek though, but he failed to take his opportunity to impress before he was replaced by Duane Holmes in the 57th minute – with his team trailing 1-0.

Derby supporters took to social media to have their say on the Dutchman, whom Lampard said was an “exciting player” when he arrived, and while one labelled him as an “Abdoul Camara wannabe”, another described him as a “poor signing”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Who has been the Championship’s best player this season? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

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Paris Saint-Germain were seemingly keen to sign Idrissa Gueye during the January transfer window, only for Everton to turn down at least one bid from the French champions.

It is not too difficult to understand why Everton fought to keep hold of Gueye, who has been one of his team’s most consistent players this season.

The 29-year-old played a key role as Marco Silva’s side beat Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

And the Everton fans have been on social media lavishing praise on the 5ft 9in ace.

According to WhoScored, Gueye had a pass success rate of 84%, whilst he also managed one shot during his 90 minutes on the field against Maurizio Sarri’s side.

The midfielder’s ability to cover the ground was absolutely key to collecting all three points against a Chelsea team who have struggled for consistency this season.

To put it mildly, the Everton fans were simply delighted with his display at the weekend, as can be seen below:

It’s safe to say that Marco Silva hasn’t really made the most of his resources in the current campaign as his team selection continues to raise eyebrows. Indeed, leaving Richarlison on the substitutes’ bench is something that’s starting to get on the nerves of supporters. 

The Merseyside club will inevitably already have one eye on the summer transfer window after struggling for consistency for large parts of the current campaign.

According to Calciomercato (via HITC), Everton are interested in Lyon’s Nabil Fekir.

Interestingly, Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas told Telefoot this week that the French side could be forced to sell Fekir in the summer with one of he or Houssem Aouar expected to leave the Stade OL.

Indeed, the France international has established himself as one of the hottest topics in Europe in recent years and it’s safe to say that he has all the ingredients to become a superstar. He could produce plenty of fireworks in the Premier League and he still has his best years ahead of him, so the sky is the limit.

Fekir has produced 12 goals and seven assists in the current campaign and he’s not even hit top form, so that just goes to show how special he really is. His explosive power on the ball and incredible finishing ability could help cure the Toffees’ attacking woes and he has the vision to improve Everton’s productivity in the final third.

Bringing him to Goodison Park would be a complete shock as he’s been linked with Real Madrid, Spurs and Liverpool already this year. The fact that the Toffees are currently struggling in the race for a European spot adds to the shock, as it would take a miracle to persuade him to join a club who could fail to secure a place in Europe. Marcel Brands could pull off an unbelievable piece of business with his value at £63 million (by Transfermarkt) as well.

Everton fans, do you think you could lure Fekir to Merseyside? Surely it’s going to be near enough impossible in the summer…

[ad_pod ]Fernando Forestieri hasn’t had the easiest of times lately. He was shown a red card during last month’s draw with Rotherham before going through the stress of a court case this week, eventually being found not guilty for racially aggravated assault.But with the hope of the Argentine now having a clear head, Sheffield Wednesday must use a very particular stat Forestieri bolsters to help them beat Stoke and the rest of the teams they face this campaign.

Set plays work a treat

Wednesday fans received a huge boost this week with the news that Forestieri is in contention to feature against the Potters. He’s had his injury troubles but they now finally look behind him.

However, one of the Owls’ biggest strengths this season has been set play goals and with Forestieri now returning for the foreseeable future it’s something they can utilise fully.

The 29-year-old gets fouled on average a remarkable 2.7 times per game. The next Wednesday player is some way off that with Marco Matias being brought down 1.9 times. Therefore, they could use their set-piece threat as a clever way of trying to beat Nathan Jones’ side this weekend, should Forestieri be targeted.

Stoke were once famed for their set play goals, but under Gary Rowett and Jones have found a new way of playing. Wednesday could, therefore, use one of Stoke’s previous strengths against them.

Playing to Wednesday’s strengths

Almost half of the goals the Yorkshire club have scored this season have come from set plays, scoring 16 of their 32 goals in the Championship from the likes of free-kicks and corners.

This means that by bringing Forestieri back, a player who gets fouled on a regular basis, it can significantly improve their chances of scoring provided he picks them up in the final third.

The winger is a goal threat himself, but his tricky nature can draw fouls from opposition players and ultimately bring about dead ball situations from which the Owls are so prolific.

With Wednesday sitting just two points off the play-off places, they can use this tactic to gain a huge advantage in the race for promotion.

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Wolves spent big in the summer having been promoted to the Premier League and pretty much all of their additions have been impactful. Now, the big cheeses at Molineux Stadium are looking ahead to the end of the season with the aim of improving their squad further and have reportedly emerged as a surprise suitor for Southampton’s Cedric Soares.

The right-back has fallen out of favour at St Mary’s Stadium despite having been one of their most consistent performers of the last few years and looks likely to be moved on in the summer – the Midlands could be exactly the environment he needs to prove Ralph Hasenhuttl wrong.

What’s the word?

Well, Italian media outlet Tuttomercatoweb understand that Inter Milan – Soares’ current club – are unwilling to make the Portuguese’s loan move permanent, while Yan Valery has nailed down the first-choice right-back spot at Southampton; it would seem the former Sporting man is somewhat in limbo.

However, all hope is not yet lost for the 27-year-old, with Wolves apparently eyeing a move according to the aforementioned report, presumably to provide competition for Matt Doherty at right-wing-back.

The fourth and fifth defenders are key components of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and both the aforementioned Doherty and left-wing-back Jonny Castro Otto have flourished in these roles.

Would playing under his countryman provide Soares with the perfect opportunity to show that Hasenhuttl has got something wrong after all?

Ralph is wrong?

The former RB Leipzig boss made a number of big changes when he took the Saints helm in December and most – if not all – have paid off so far, with Valery in particular flourishing in Soares’ absence.

The Austrian introduced a new 3-4-3 system upon his arrival – an approach which, like Nuno’s, encourages the wing-backs to get forward and cause damage.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Clearly Hasenhuttl doesn’t feel that Soares is a better option than Valery in that role but, should he play there for Wolves, the 33-cap international would have the opportunity to embarrass the Saints boss who appears to have written him off. What do you think, Southampton fans? Does Soares have a future at the club? Let us know in the comments below…

تراجع النادي الأهلي عن التعاقد مع محمد إبراهيم لاعب مصر المقاصة بعدما كان قد أنهى اتفاقه مع مسؤولي الفريق الفيومي بشأن ضم اللاعب خلال الموسم المقبل.

وكانت إدارة الأهلي فتحت خط مفاوضات مع إدارة المقاصة واللاعب محمد ابراهيم لضمه لصفوف الفريق بعد موافقة رينيه فايلر المدير الفني السابق للفريق. ويكشف بطولات كواليس المفاوضات منذ البداية وحتى رفض موسمياني

في بداية المفاوضات إدارة مصر المقاصة طلبت الحصول على 20 مليون للاستنغاء عن اللاعب، إدارة الأهلي رفضت دفع المبلغ وتقدمت بعرض قيمته 10 ملايين جنيه وظلت المفاوضات بين الناديين حتى توصل الطرفان لاتفاق على انتقال اللاعب مقابل 15 مليون جنيه وإعارة لاعبين من الأهلي.

وتوصل الأهلي لاتفاق مع محمد ابراهيم على توقيع عقد لمدة 4 مواسم يحصل خلالها اللاعب في الموسم الأول على 10 ملايين جنيه بزيادة 2 مليون جنيه كل موسم بجانب عقد إعلانات قيمته 2 مليون جنيه.

واتفق محمد إبراهيم مع مسئولو الأهلي على كافة تفاصيل العقد بشكل شفهي ورفض توقيع أي عقود لحين انتهاء المفاوضات مع إدارة مصر المقاصة بشكل رسمي.

وعقب إنهاء إدارة الأهلي كافة الأمور المادية مع نظيرتها في مصر المقاصة واللاعب محمد ابراهيم، تم عرض الأمر على بيتسو موسيماني المدير الفني قبل عقد جلسة توقيع العقود بشكل رسمي، لكنه رفض التعاقد مع اللاعب وأكد أن هناك بعض اللاعبين المعارين يؤدون بشكل جيد وسيتم الاستفادة منهم بشكل كبير عقب عودتهم للفريق أمثال عمار حمدي وناصر ماهر ومحمد شريف.

طالع أيضا.. خاص.. بيراميدز يحصل على توقيع محمد إبراهيم لمدة 4 سنوات

وأكد بيتسو موسيماني لإدارة الأهلي أنه يرغب في ضم سيرينو لاعب صن داونز للفريق وهناك محاولات لضم اللاعب وفي حالة فشل المفاوضات سيتم تأجيل ضمه إلى يناير.

إدارة الأهلي تواصلت مع إدارة مصر المقاصة وتم إبلاغهم بالتراجع عن الصفقة وعدم إتمامها وتم إلغاء الجلسة التي كانت ستجمع بين مسئولي الناديين لإتمام الصفقة بشكل رسمي وتوقيع العقود.

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Mo Diame was a key player in Newcastle’s survival bid last season but a recent report hints he will depart in the summer window.

What’s the word?

Diame’s contract is due to expire in June 2019, but a surprising recent report from The Chronicle suggests that his future hinges on Rafa Benitez’s selection policy.

The report claims that Diame will trigger an automatic one-year extension clause in his contract if he starts three more times this season.

The 31-year-old, who has started 21 Premier League matches this season, is hoping to secure a two year deal rather than a short-term extension, and it seems that he will need to pursue that particular interest away from Tyneside if Benitez’s decision-making against Everton is anything to go by.

Rafa Benitez’s selection policy is key

Benitez hasn’t included the Senegalese midfielder in his starting XI since his side lost 2-0 at home to Manchester United at the start of 2019.

Sean Longstaff’s emergence and Isaac Hayden’s surprisingly consistent form in the heart of midfield have left him sidelined and, with Ki Sung-yueng and Jonjo Shelvey back in contention for first-team selection, Benitez has plenty of options to consider even with Longstaff’s recent injury setback.

That the Spaniard opted to start Ki alongside Hayden against Everton was telling: Diame is no longer a key player and he is relatively disposable as he moves towards his 32nd birthday.

With an acute awareness of the clause in Diame’s contract playing on his mind, it seems that Benitez’s decision to restore Ki was symptomatic of his desire to let the former Hull City man’s contract expire in the summer.

Chelsea stuttered their way to a 2-1 win at Cardiff City this afternoon, with a late double and some questionable refereeing decisions aiding the Blues in their quest for three points.

The Blues were well second best for much of the game at the Cardiff City Stadium, and it was a bit of luck which allowed them to head back to London with all three points in the end.

However, a win is a win, and the hunt for Champions League football continues in earnest at Stamford Bridge, this, despite plenty of pressure continuing to build on under fire manager Maurizio Sarri.

The performances of Chelsea in recent times have left a lot to be desired, and once again today, there was plenty of moaning and groaning from the away fans directed primarily at the Italian coach.

We here at the Tavern haven’t been too impressed with the Blues either, but as always, there are things for the coaching staff and players to work on ahead of their next game.

With that, we’ve looked at TWO obvious things Sarri should be taking from today’s win at Cardiff…

Playing Hazard is an absolute must

The Belgian was left out of the starting XI by Sarri today, and the game only really got going for the Blues when he was introduced midway through the second half.

It showed once more that Hazard is comfortably one of the best players in the Premier League, if not the world.

If Chelsea want to seal a top four place, then ensuring Hazard is selected is a no brainer.

They need new defenders

It’s been obvious most of the season, but against lacklustre Cardiff attack, the Blues defence looked anything but top class.

David Luiz looks like he has seen his best days come and go, while Marcos Alonso looks a shadow of the player he was under Antonio Conte.

Chelsea will be hoping their transfer ban is overturned, as the need for new signings at the back becomes more and more obvious.

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been discussing the form of DeAndre Yedlin, after the American spoke about his mistake that cost the Magpies three points against Crystal Palace.

Last weekend’s clash against Crystal Palace went about as bad as it possibly could have done for the Magpies, losing Florian Lejeune to injury and the match to a Luka Milivojevic penalty.

The spot kick came when Yedlin rather clumsily brought down Wilfried Zaha, and what made it even more disappointing is that Rafael Benitez’s side totally dominated the match, bossing the ball and creating better chances.

Yedlin has been speaking about the defeat and his side’s promotion hopes, saying that he thinks one more win should be enough to keep the Magpies up.

He also laid down a marker for the club to aim at next season, hoping to achieve European football at some point during his stay on Tyneside.

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….

Fans have been discussing the 25 year-old, who has one goal and two assists this season, and his inconsistency seems to be splitting opinion.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…