اعترف جرانيت تشاكا لاعب آرسنال أنهم ارتكبوا أخطاءً في مباراة الأمس أمام ليستر سيتي في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وخسر الجانرز بهدف دون رد، في الجولة السادسة، في ملعب الإمارات.

وقال تشاكا، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لقد كانت مواجهة ليستر سيتي فرصة كبيرة بالنسبة لنا من أجل الصعود في جدول الدوري، أردنا الفوز ولكننا خسرنا في النهاية”.

وأضاف: “لم يكن لدى ليستر سوى هدفه، وحصلنا على بعض الفرص في الشوط الأول، من الصعب إيجاد الكلمات للتعبير عقب المباراة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أرتيتا: أشعر بالأسف على لاعبي آرسنال ولا أعرف سبب إلغاء هدف لاكازيت

وواصل: “لقد ارتكبنا بعض الأخطاء، وعندما تفعل ذلك في هذا المستوى من اللعبة، فأنت تُعاقب”.

واستكمل: “الأخطاء جزء من كرة القدم، علينا تحليلها، نتطلع إلى الأمام واتخاذ الخطوة التالية يوم الخميس، ثم نذهب إلى أولد ترافورد لتحقيق شيء ما”.

ويواجه آرسنال نظيره دوندالك يوم الخميس في ثاني جولات دور مجموعات الدوري الأوروبي، قبل ملاقاة مانشستر يونايتد يوم الأحد في الجولة السابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي.

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Leeds United fans are struggling to agree with each other about the selection headache presented to Marcelo Bielsa after Kemar Roofe was cleared to return to first-team action.

Fans have been calling for Patrick Bamford’s head after his poor performance and penalty miss against Millwall this weekend, and with Roofe cleared to return from injury before the next game Leeds fans are speculating that Bamford might not get another sniff at the first team this season.

Roofe has been one of Leeds’ most important players this season netting 14 Championship goals as the Whites battle it out for spot in the top two.

Bamford himself has shown flashes of brilliance with a brace against West Brom a particular highlight of his Leeds career.

Leeds fans have been at odds about which striker should get the nod on Twitter after Roofe was cleared to return to full training following his knee injury, which saw him miss over a month of action.

Here’s a look at how Leeds fans reacted to news of Roofe’s potential return on Twitter…

Rafael Benitez could leave his post at the end of the season if Mike Ashley and his cronies do not meet his demands.

Rafael Benitez cuts a frustrated figure thanks to lack of movement of a possible new deal, and though it is obvious he wants to remain at the club – having endured every adverse condition thrown at him – he is apparently ready to end his Newcastle career if Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley are not willing to meet his demands (as per The Northern Echo).

For anyone who has been following the club’s recent activity – or lack of in this situation – it will come as no surprise to learn what Benitez is seeking. The Spaniard wants guarantees over the club’s transfer plans for the period of his future contract and the size of the kitty he will have available to him in the immediate should they remain in the Premier League – which, as it stands, they most certainly are.

Benitez is also said to be concerned with Mike Ashley’s stance on recruiting or retaining players over the age of 30. As it stands, Benitez would not be able to sign forward Salomon Rondon – which we understand to be a priority, despite the player turn 30 in September.

We think it is fair to say that if Rafael Benitez left his post at St James’ Park then the club would struggle to find someone as capable to replace him, or anyone silly enough to actually want the job. Yes, Newcastle are a huge club, but with Ashley in charge, the manager position is a poisoned chalice. A lack of funding and a general disconnect between the boardroom and fans makes it one of the most toxic roles in football at the moment, and why would anyone reputable want to buy into that?

Ashley needs to change his ways or leave; the latter of which being the preference for many, we are sure.

Newcastle fans, how badly would Benitez’s departure damage your chances next season? Let us know in the comments below…

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Kemar Roofe has been passed fit for Leeds United as the Whites head to Birmingham City in the Championship this weekend.

The forward has been on the sidelines since picking up a knee injury against Swansea City in the middle of February.

However, ahead of the trip to Birmingham, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa revealed that the 26-year-old was available once again.

Roofe has scored 14 Championship goals for the Whites this season and his return is absolutely vital at a key period of the season.

Indeed, Bielsa’s side currently sit second in the Championship having won four of their last five matches, including a 3-2 success over Millwall last time out.

It is a huge few days for Leeds as they travel to Birmingham this weekend before making the trip to Preston North End on Tuesday night.

And Roofe is now ready to play his part.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:

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Leeds United fans on Twitter are split after rumours circulated that Caleb Ekuban’s loan move to Trabzonspor would be made permanent this summer.

Ekuban’s agent told Tuttomercatoweb that the striker is loving life in Turkey and strongly suggested that the wheels are already in motion to make his move permanent.

The Ghana international has been a polarising figure at Elland Road – despite a poor goalscoring return from the striker many believed that he had something to offer the club.

Ekuban scored just once in 20 league appearances for the Whites but he never got a chance to play under Marcelo Bielsa.

Certain sections of the fanbase believe that Bielsa would have gotten the best out of Ekuban whilst others believe the 25-year-old is a lost cause.

The striker’s goalscoring returns haven’t been brilliant at his new club either, having netted just five times in 23 appearances so far this season.

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

How many times to Everton fans have to say they need a great striker? It’s becoming quite a joke now, but Lille’s wonderkid Rafael Leao could well be that man to end the moaning.

They replaced Romelu Lukaku with Wayne Rooney, but then decided to play him in midfield, and now Cenk Tosin has proved he’s just as bad as everyone else they’ve had since. Indeed, considering the dire need for a top-level striker right away, the Liverpool Echo linking Leao won’t excite anyone either.

That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t, though! The Portuguese striker is only 19-years-old yet he’s scored seven and assisted two in 19 Ligue 1 games this season. He has the real potential to be a long-term coup for the Toffees even though he’s relatively unknown at this point in time.

He moved to Lille on a free from Sporting Lisbon in summer, so it won’t cost a bomb to bring him to Everton. If he did, the chances of risking paying for a young lad like him would be slim. But this signing would have low risk and potentially very high reward.

Marcel Brands could kill two birds with one stone if they can tempt him from the north of France to glorious Merseyside. They’d have a young wonderkid who would fit their planning for the future mentality and would finally have a striker who looks like he knows where the goal is.

We know, it’s not the marquee, big-name signing that most Evertonians are hoping for but they could be forced to eat their words if the hype is true and he can guide them to Europe for little to no transfer fee.

Everton fans, who do you want playing centre-forward next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]Dean Smith’s family have been a key topic of conversation among the Villa Park faithful in recent days with the Aston Villa manager’s mum appearing in an interview with Birmingham TV.As such, it sparked conversation on Twitter with one fan declaring their love for his mum. In response, a further supporter thought about honouring Smith’s dad who is Villa mad and used to be a steward at the club, by creating a chant for the those at the game on Sunday to sing for him.

It provoked a heartfelt reaction from fans of the club with one keen to spread the word and ensure it was sung during the minute of his age. Another individual said it was a fantastic idea to end the season on.

A further Tweet claimed that the fans couldn’t honour their manager in any better way.

Smith has quickly become a fan favourite at the Midlands club with the 48-year-old guiding his team to fourth in the league and a confirmed play-off spot.

Villa largely have a ten game winning run to thank, with the side finding fantastic momentum at the business stage of the campaign.

Here’s the best of the reaction from Twitter.

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Having recently managed Gary Hooper and Sam Winnall back into the Sheffield Wednesday first team following injuries, it looks as though experienced midfielder Kieran Lee is next.

Lee has been out for a considerable period of time but made his return to action by playing for the Owls’ U23s against Watford on Monday afternoon.

Fans of the club were absolutely delighted to see him back playing with one individual on Twitter claiming it was the best thing he’d ever seen on the social media channel.

The midfielder’s contract is due to end this summer which provoked one supporter to ask him to stay at the club. Another wanted him to feature in Wednesday’s final game of the season against QPR so he could receive an ovation.

Lee has been with the club since 2012 after joining from Oldham but hasn’t played a single minute this term because of injury and has been missing since December 2017.

The midfielder underwent knee surgery following a setback in November.

Here’s how fans reacted to seeing him back.

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Former midfielder Jamie O’Hara has told Tottenham Hotspur to avoid signing Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha this summer, per Love Sport Radio.

The club are seemingly set to reinvest in the squad this summer after two transfer windows without securing a signing.

What’s he said?

Spurs have long been linked with a move for Zaha, with reports in 2018 claiming he was a major target of Mauricio Pochettino.

They actually tabled a bid for the Palace star in 2016 but O’Hara has insisted that the club need to focus their attention elsewhere when the transfer window reopens.

Indeed, he does not even believe that Zaha, who has scored eight goals and laid on eight assists in the Premier League this season – is good enough to get in Spurs’ team regularly and instead thinks the midfield needs reshaping.

He said: “Zaha is a fantastic player and a great prospect but I think Tottenham need to be looking at someone now who is going to change that team and add to that team.

“Does Zaha start in front of Moura or Eriksen or Son? I don’t think so. I think they need to really strengthen in midfield. I’d like to see them sign a world-class midfielder. That’s the first thing Tottenham need to do.

“They need a couple but I’d like to see them go for someone special just to say ‘we’ve arrived now, we’ve got our stadium, this is what we’re thinking and this is where we’re going’.

“They don’t need to sign bit-part players.”

Right wing depth

Zaha would offer depth on the right-hand side of Spurs’ midfield, but O’Hara is right to claim that he would not be an immediate starter.

Instead, he would have to be bedded in by manager Pochettino, who is definitely better off taking O’Hara’s advice.

Mouse Dembele has left the club, while fitness doubts continue to plague Eric Dier.

Bringing in a “world-class midfielder” would be a statement of intent far bigger than acquiring Zaha’s signature, and that’s what Daniel Levy and Pochettino’s priority should be in the coming transfer window.

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According to Sky Sports, Lee Bowyer, who is a reported candidate for the vacant QPR role, is keen on stepping into Steve McClaren’s shoes amid ongoing doubts over his future at Charlton, despite the incredible job he has done for the Addicks this season.

The former midfielder might be relatively new to the managerial scene, but he is already making a huge impression in League One and looks like the perfect fit for QPR at the current time.

On the chalkboard

McClaren, who has ironically been nicknamed ‘McClown’, was fittingly given the boot on April Fools Day, with John Eustace stepping in on an interim basis.

Bowyer has been identified as one of the names on the shortlist having guided Charlton into the play-off places this campaign despite a lack of funding and confidence from the club’s controversial owner, Roland Duchatelet, who is inexplicably yet to offer him a new deal.

What would undoubtedly be Charlton’s loss, though, would certainly be QPR’s gain – Bowyer has all the attributes to succeed at Loftus Road, and here’s why.

A perfect fit

Aside from the fact they have both fallen from grace in recent years, something else QPR and Charlton share in common is a dodgy owner who insists on making things as difficult as possible for those who take the gauntlet, with Bowyer and former R’s boss McClaren suffering as a consequence.

The former has been forced to work with stringent funds since being appointed permanent boss in September 2018 and has done a remarkable job. Even the January loss of Karlan Grant hasn’t halted the Addicks’ progress – they are unbeaten in their last eight league games.

QPR and Tony Fernandes are also no strangers to selling their star players – Bowyer would certainly be able to make the best out of a difficult situation and achieve results regardless of a lack of financial backing, that is if his Charlton exploits are anything to go by.

With hefty financial problems to contend with, Fernandes would surely love to have a man as adaptable as Bowyer at Loftus Road.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

The 42-year-old is also willing to use the youngsters where possible – he has brought through the likes of George Lapslie at the Valley – and would be a great man to have in charge from Eberechi Eze’s perspective.

The England Under-21 international fell out of favour under McClaren in his last few weeks as Hoops boss but will undoubtedly be a key player going forward; Bowyer would likely put his trust in the number 10, who is one of QPR’s most influential players on his day, to prove that he’s worth his salt.

Another positive for QPR if they appoint Bowyer is that he would likely bring the diamond midfield approach – a thoroughly successful one at Charlton – to Loftus Road, which would mean that he can accommodate the aforementioned Eze and Freeman down the middle, where they are both at their most effective.