When Middlesbrough announced the signing of Martin Braithwaite in 2017, their supporters had every right to be excited given his previous escapades with Toulouse.

During his time with Les Violets, the forward almost single-handedly kept them in Ligue 1 by reaching double figures for goals in consecutive seasons.

Therefore, when he arrived at the Riverside Stadium, expectations were understandably high.

Although Braithwaite failed to score in his first two appearances for the Smoggies, he eventually opened his account by firing home against Brentford before adding another just two weeks later in a 2-2 draw against Barnsley.

Yet despite making a good start to his career in North Yorkshire, then-boss Garry Monk’s insistence of playing the 27-year-old out of position severely hampered his development and therefore it was not at all surprising when he left the club on loan in January 2018 to join Bordeaux for the remainder of the campaign.

Whilst back in France, Braithwaite enjoyed a fruitful spell in which he scored four goals and provided three assists for Les Girondins as they finished sixth in Ligue 1.

After being linked with a permanent move away from the Smoggies last summer, Tony Pulis eventually convinced him to give the Championship another shot.

Having begun the 2018/19 campaign in brilliant fashion by scoring in three of Boro’s opening four fixtures, it looked as if Braithwaite was about to take the second tier by storm.

However, this, unfortunately, wasn’t the case as after going 13 games without a goal, the £7.2m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) was shipped out on loan five months ago to Leganes.

Although it is fair to say that he hasn’t pulled up any trees whilst playing in La Liga, it is looking increasingly likely that Braithwaite’s two-year spell with Boro will be coming to an end when the transfer window opens.

Speaking to Danish news outlet Ekstra Bladet (as quoted by Sport Witness), the forward admitted that: “I’m not coming back to Middlesbrough, I can’t imagine that.

“The project I was presented with in Middlesbrough changed completely when Pulis arrived. He has a strange way of playing football.

“The team plays defensively with long balls. It doesn’t look good for me.”

With the clearly forward pining for a move away, it may be beneficial for both parties to let him leave.

Whereas the Smoggies would receive some much-needed funds to make some alterations to their squad in the summer, Braithwaite will receive the chance to start afresh at a new club.

What do you think Boro fans? Should your club cut ties with Braithwaite in the summer? Or is worth giving him one final opportunity to impress next season? Let us know below.

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With the League One season coming to a close next weekend it seems certain that Sunderland have missed out on automatic promotion and will have to settle for the playoffs, barring something miraculous.

The Problem

The Black Cats are sitting on 85 points with two games to play, Barsnley and Luton are both on 91 with a significantly better goal difference, meaning that automatic promotion is all but mathematically impossible for Sunderland.

So, why has the club with the biggest budget and best squad in League One failed to secure a top-two-spot? Jack Ross could still win the playoffs but his remit was to secure automatic promotion and he has failed to do that.

Looking at the Sunderland squad, players such as Bryan Oviedo, Lee Cattermole, Aiden McGeady and Grant Leadbitter have Premier League experience so this league should have been too easy for them but it has not turned out that way.

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

Sunderland also have the biggest budget in League One and spent a combined total of £3.6 million on strikers including a league record for Will Grigg but both he and Charlie Wyke have struggled to hit the net consistently, only scoring four each.

To put that in perspective, Cattermole and Luke O’Nein have more than them, Sunderland have struggled for goals from their forwards and that has become worse since the club sold Josh Maja, who is still their top scorer despite leaving in January.

Ross’ cautiousness to blame?

Despite losing Maja Ross has not helped himself by being cautious after taking the lead in games.

They have scored first in 26 of their 44 matches but have only managed to win 22 this season which for a team wanting automatic promotion is not good enough. They have also drawn a spectacular number of games this season with 19 including 15 1-1’s.

If they had turned just three of these into wins then they would have comfortably won automatic promotion considering they have only lost three all season.

Ross has come under criticism for the lack of killer instinct and getting his team to score a second, favouring caution has not helped and has led to so many draws.

Ross’ squad even with the sale of Maja was easily good enough to achieve a top-two-spot and it seems the manager’s caution is what has cost them.

The number of draws for a team chasing promotion is unacceptable really and Sunderland will now have to fight through the playoffs, and if they don’t win that then Ross’ first season as Black Cats manager has to be classed as a failure.

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Ainsley Maitland-Niles broke into the Arsenal team for the first time last year, covering as a left-back in the absence of Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal. He excelled and has done very well at right-back this year too. However, despite all the potential the youngster has been showing, a career at full-back is not where his future lies, and Arsenal’s tight transfer dealings could be costing him dearly.

The Chalkboard

Maitland-Niles enjoyed a period on loan at Ipswich under Mick McCarthy before returning to Arsenal and embracing his role as a wing-back/full-back; first under Arsene Wenger and now Unai Emery.

He’s one of those rare players who genuinely boasts tremendous attributes in all areas of his game, by having the physicality and intelligence needed with a cultured first touch to compliment it all. He has bags of skill but his most noticeable advantage is his confidence. For a young man, he never seems fazed or over-awed by the big occasion and appears perfectly comfortable with the level he’s playing at.

Unfortunately, Sunday’s game at Leicester saw him harshly sent off, though there’s no denying his inexperience played a part in it – he gave the referee a decision to make when he could have avoided the challenge altogether. For all his talent and potential, there’s a naivety that needs ironing out.

But are Arsenal the club to help him develop further? Or is he destined to enjoy a mediocre career before a mid-table move in two years’ time, as he looks back at what could have been?

Get him in the middle

Fans are quick to criticise players whilst forgetting where they once shone. Maitland-Niles is not a full-back, but he’s lulled fans into a false sense of security by putting in mature displays beyond his years, making many forget that he was ever a midfielder.

If the youngster ends up not fulfilling his potential, Arsenal have no one to blame but themselves. He has shown in the past that he’s a capable option in midfield, though Emery still opted to bring in summer signings Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira instead. The Spanish boss recognised that his side needed depth at right-back and decided that free transfer Stephan Lichtsteiner and Arsenal flop Carl Jenkinson were the answers to these problems.

That’s now left Maitland-Niles having to fill the void at right-back with Hector Bellerin suffering a season-ending injury and the other two defenders showing their lack of quality over the season, often costing their side in big games. Maitland-Niles is the only option Emery can trust.

If Arsenal hadn’t been so tight in the market by pursuing cheap options to find cover for Bellerin, perhaps Maitland-Niles wouldn’t be putting his midfield career on hold in order to fill to a huge gap left by the Spanish full-back. Ultimately, while the Englishman has the attributes to succeed in that role, his growth as a midfielder is stagnating.

Unfortunately it doesn’t seem Arsenal will give him the run in midfield he deserves, opting to use their plethora of other engine room options instead.

If the club had been smarter in the transfer market by signing a proper right-back who could be trusted to perform at the highest level, while perhaps shifting on deadwood like Mohamed Elneny, Maitland-Niles may well have already registered a few stellar midfield displays for Arsenal this season. Instead, he’s being judged week-in week-out in a position that isn’t even his own.

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In recent years we have seen teams promoted from the Championship when they have been built around a group of players from one specific nation.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves were built around Portuguese players, while Daniel Farke’s Norwich side had a plethora of German talent in their ranks.

With Victor Orta in charge of transfers at Leeds they have quietly been applying a transfer policy that favours the signings of Spaniards, and according to reports in Marca they may be set to add another in the shape of Rafa Mujica.

Who is he?

Mujica is a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, but now aged 20 he is yet to make a first-team appearance for the European giants.

He has played 63 games for the Catalan club’s B team where he has scored just 10 goals, so it seems that despite being a product of one of the best academies in the world Mujica is yet to make a real impact in his career.

This wouldn’t be the first time Leeds have looked towards Camp Nou when they have been looking for players. Kun Tumenzhukov came from Barcelona’s youth setup to Elland Road and has been brilliant for their U23s this season.

Have to be careful with this policy

With the links to Mujica and Ander Iturraspe, it seems increasingly likely that Leeds are looking to bring in more Spanish players this summer.

Kiko Casilla, Pablo Hernandez and Samu Saiz are already on the books at the Yorkshire club, and several other youngsters are in the reserves.

Orta’s Spanish influence is filtering into the first team, but the Whites must be careful when purchasing from one of the world’s great footballing nations.

Spaniards have often had a hard time settling in England the likes of Jozabed at Fulham, Vicente Iborra at Leicester and Nolito at Man City have shown that their talents often don’t translate over to the English game.

Leeds have already fallen victim to this problem as Saiz had to go out on loan in January due to homesickness after a fantastic first season with the club.

The policy could work wonders for the Whites, but they mustn’t put all their eggs in one basket as it may backfire.

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According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle United will be given the opportunity to sign AC Milan defender Diego Laxalt at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

Laxalt has made 28 appearances for Milan this season, but it is being reported that the Uruguay international will be available this summer.

The Newcastle fans have been on social media commenting on the transfer speculation, and it would be fair to say that a number are desperate for their club to bring the South American to St James’ Park.

It remains to be seen what type of budget the Magpies will have this summer, but Laxalt could well be available for a cut-price fee having struggled to hold down a regular spot at the San Siro this term.

Left-back is an area that the Premier League outfit are seemingly looking at ahead of this summer’s transfer window, with Matt Ritchie often filling in at left-back or left wing-back in recent times.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

And the club’s supporters are hopeful that Laxalt makes the move.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

It was another starting XI decision that baffled Arsenal fans, and it proved to be another episode in weird Unai Emery team selections.

After coming off at half-time against Everton in a 1-0 loss to the Toffees two weeks prior, many thought we had seen the last of Mohamed Elneny in an Arsenal starting XI this season, but when the Egyptian midfielder was picked in the Gunners must-win match against Crystal Palace, a hint of what was to come was already predicted by supporters.

In a disjointed midfield duo again with Matteo Guendouzi, Elneny and the French youngster just didn’t click together as the Gunners succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at home to the Eagles, with the former FC Basel man coming off in the 68th minute for Lucas Torreira after Arsenal went 3-1 down.

Elneny’s fall from a decent squad player to a figure many fans can’t wait to see the midfielder be shown the exit door this summer, and for the remainder of the season with each game suddenly becoming as important as the next, Emery might be smart to avoid using the Egyptian for the remaining matches.

With Aaron Ramsey out for at least three weeks, Elneny might yet again find himself in an Arsenal starting XI this season, but with Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira being rested for the bigger games, Emery needs to realise that playing his two strongest midfielders in each remaining game is a risk he has to take if the Gunners are to secure Champions League football.

Elneny has been a good servant for Arsenal considering the number of games he has played for the club at the price Arsene Wenger signed him for, but with matches becoming way too important and better options waiting on the wings, the Egyptian shouldn’t be considered an option for the rest of the season.

Arsenal fans, should Elneny be sold this summer? Let us know!

عّلق طارق يحيى مقدم برنامج زمالكاوي على عودته مرة أخرى بعد إيقافه لمدة أسبوعين من الظهور على قناة الزمالك.

وكان المجلس الأعلى للإعلام قد أعلن آواخر أكتوبر المنقضي عن إيقاف برنامج زمالكاوي لمدة أسبوعين. طالع التفاصيل

وقال طارق يحيى في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “الزمالك”: “لن نغير من أسلوبنا في الدفاع عن الزمالك، ولن يتم إرهابنا، نحن من اختار أن نكون هنا من أجل الدفاع عن الكيان”.

طالع | مرتضى منصور: تعرضت لحرب والأسد لا يسقط.. والزمالك سيفوز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا

واختتم: “نتعرض لنقد شديد ولكن أنا سعيد بأنني أدافع عن الزمالك، ومجلس الإدارة، وسندافع عن الكيان طالما بقينا على قيد الحياة”.

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When Newcastle United moved to sign Fabian Schar for just £3 million it felt as if Rafa Benitez was being victimised by the tyranny of Mike Ashley.

Another average transfer completed within the remits of a shoestring budget; another example of why the Sports Direct tycoon is the most unpopular man on Tyneside; another player to cement the painful mediocrity of a prestigious club punching well beneath its weight.

Why would Deportivo La Coruña willingly allow a quality central defender to leave the club for a pittance in a transfer market where bargain hunting is a practice that is snowballing towards extinction?

Well, their hands were of course tied as Newcastle triggered a release clause in his contract, but the mere existence of a release clause set the alarm bells ringing anyway.

The cunning individuals responsible for bringing Schar to St James’ Park, however, are certainly no fools and it has since become apparent that the signing was much more than a hopeful stab in the dark.

Jamaal Lascelles was the star of Newcastle’s defence last season, commanding interest from Manchester United in the process and leaving the supporters in a state of bewilderment at Gareth Southgate’s stubborn refusal to bring him into the England fold.

The aspiring England international, though, has since been upstaged by the brilliance of Schar. Plenty of players need to be afforded time during their transition to Premier League football but the Switzerland international has required no such treatment, starring on his maiden campaign and offering a level of ball-playing quality which wouldn’t go amiss at a top-six club.

Schar has played with tenacity and composure, strength and finesse, technique and desire. Combining old-school defensive arts with the progressive ball-playing principles which defenders are required to adhere to in the modern game, Newcastle fans have watched a player of genuine quality blossom under their noses this season.

He has been eulogised over by the Magpies faithful yet acknowledgements of the genius behind the transfer deal don’t seem to transcend much further than the Angel of the North.

Sky Sports produced an article on the candidates for signing of the season back in March. The four players identified were Salomon Rondon, James Maddison, Raul Jimenez and Alisson. Come on, Alisson? Really? He cost £67 million. What a farce. As if Liverpool fans needed any more ego-feeding in the media.

Listed in the list of potential alternatives to the aforementioned quartet were: Ben Foster, Felipe Anderson, David Brooks and Matteo Guendouzi. The absence of Schar was an utterly predictable but equally inexcusable omission.

Perhaps his absence from the conversation can be explained by the unassuming manner in which he walked through the door at St James’ Park. Nobody envisaged that he would do anything more than mirror his modest price-tag when, in fact, the standard of his performances suggest his true valuation dwarfs the cost of his transfer.

His goal-of-the-season contender against Burnley, multitude of incisive diagonals and crunching tackles point towards a level of flair and star quality of a potential award winner, but he has stealthily swerved serious consideration for esteemed recognition. Newcastle fans won’t mind that injustice too much, however, with the transfer window looming and a handful of top-six clubs seemingly in need of defensive recruits.

It’s not a sentence which many could have envisaged at the beginning of the season but Schar is surely the value-for-money, unsung signing of the Premier League season.

To cry or not to cry: Paul Pogba wants out of Manchester United with Real Madrid circling.

Midfield maestro Paul Pogba is looking for a way out of Manchester United this summer and is “very keen” on forcing a move to Real Madrid, as per the Independent.

The World Cup winner has been the centre of just about everything toxic at the club this season, having already successfully mutinied against former manager Jose Mourinho, and sources now say that he is desperate to leave himself.

Perhaps understandably the player is concerned with United’s inability to challenge for the league, which looks a long, long way away considering Manchester City’s and Liverpool’s dominance and the Red Devil’s failure to produce performances anywhere near the necessary level.

One of the reasons he joined back in 2016 is that he felt they could be on the brink of a challenge, and in a way, they were under Mourinho – for a bit anyway. But things have unravelled very, very quickly and the 26-year-old does not want to spend his prime years waiting.

It is said that a bid of over £130million could be enough to tempt United into selling and we are sure, given his recent behaviour, United fans would snap up the opportunity to flog him at that price.

Pogba is a world-class player, yes – only a fool would deny that. But his work ethic stinks. People might defend him for being surrounded by utter tripe, and to some extent that is true – he would look infinitely better surrounded by more capable players. However, it is hard to ignore just how little he is willing to give to the badge when the going gets tough.

Why would anyone want to keep a player who isn’t grateful playing for the biggest club in the world? He is literally laughing at the fans who kiss his boots and defend him.

Time to wave goodbye and feed him to the hostile fans of Real Madrid. There are more fish in the sea, as they say.

United fans, is this really the end for Paul Pogba? Join the discussion by commenting below…

With the summer transfer window just days away from opening, West Ham fans will be on the edge of their seat as to what Manuel Pellegrini decides to do.

The Hammers are set for an important window, with many players likely to leave and even more joining the club in an attempt to take West Ham to a European finish in the Premier League table, and one of the more popular rumours this summer so far has been AC Milan playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Turkish international has been linked with a move to east London in the Turkish (Fanatik) media and given the fact the number 10 is likely to leave Milan this summer, there could be so truth behind the whisperings going on about a move to the Premier League, and recent performances show that West Ham could be getting a player of immense talent.

The 25-year-old was recently named Man of the Match in Milan’s 1-0 win over Fiorentina where Calhanoglu scored the winning goal to secure the Rossoneri the three points, and its performances like this that should have Manuel Lanzini worried.

Calhanoglu, who is valued at £19.8 million on Transfermarkt, has shown in the past he is capable of playing at a top level in Europe, and if West Ham are able to acquire the services of the playmaker then it will fill a large void in the team that has been damaged recently due to Lanzini’s poor form.

The Argentine fan favourite could find himself out of favour if Calhanoglu makes the move, but for West Ham supporters, it will be a small price to pay to see an incredible talent at the London Stadium.

West Ham fans, would Calhanoglu be a good signing? Let us know!