Category Uncategorized

[ad_pod ]

Celtic fans are not keen on signing versatile Middlesbrough man Paddy McNair this summer.

It was reported last week that the Hoops were keen on making a move for the player, said to be valued at around £5m, with manager Neil Lennon later confirming to reporters that there is an interest in signing him.

The 24-year-old played 23 times for Boro last season and can perform a variety of roles, able to play in midfield, the centre of defence and even at right-back.

Celtic fans aren’t happy about Arsenal’s bid for one of their key players…

A product of the Manchester United academy, the 24-cap Northern Ireland man could be an effective squad option for the Hoops, who require competent back-up in the positions McNair is comfortable with.

It’s certainly debatable whether McNair is a direct improvement on any of the players currently at Celtic though, considering he’s never really held down a regular starting role, and as a result supporters have their misgivings about making a move for the player.

These fans took to Twitter over the weekend to share their thoughts…

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool are reportedly in a massive transfer battle to sign Fiorentina wonderkid Federico Chiesa.

What’s the story?

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the Reds have identified Chiesa as a target this summer, but face competition from Juventus, Roma and AC Milan.

The 21 year-old had a stunning breakout campaign in Serie A last term, earning himself his first 11 Italy caps.

A report from Corriere dello Sport expects the youngster to cost upwards of €70m (£62.15m).

“The worst we’ve played all season” but “our most straightforward final since 2003” – a Liverpool fan reflects on the UCL final in the video below…

Perfect for Salah?

Capable of playing in midfield, as a number ten or further forward on the wing, Chiesa could improve the Reds in a number of ways.

His role could potentially be that of the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita, tasked with adding an extra creative spark in games where the midfield workhorses just aren’t cutting it.

What is perhaps more appealing though, is the thought of deploying the young Italian in Mohamed Salah’s place on the right wing, shifting Roberto Firmino into the number ten position and the Egyptian superstar up front.

Salah performed impressively in a central role for large parts of last season, and would get tons of chances playing in front of the likes of Firmino and Chiesa, alongside Sadio Mane of course.

Chiesa averaged 3.6 shots, 1.5 key passes and 2.1 dribbles per game in Serie A last term, per Whoscored. To put that in perspective, Firmino averaged 2.2 shots, 1.3 key passes and 1.4 dribbles in the Premier League – inferior in all three categories.

The Fiorentina starlet is only 21, but his agility, balance, creativity and hunger to get himself on the scoresheet are all mightily impressive.

If Salah were to shift to a central role to make room for the Italian, we could well see the Reds no. 11 return back to his 2017/18 form thanks to the added creativity surrounding him.

[ad_pod ]

According to Football Insider, Wolves want to use Leeds’ interest in Helder Costa as a way to bring Kalvin Phillips to Molineux.

The 23-year-old has been the subject of interest from Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Norwich this summer, but now Wolves have shown an interest, and they may be set to make a very interesting proposition to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

What’s the story?

It’s been no secret that Leeds are interested in Helder Costa as Bielsa has prioritised strengthening the wide areas heading into next season.

A loan deal was initially rumoured, and a move could be on the cards with Phillips moving in the other direction.

Football Insider have reported that the Midlands club are willing to let Costa join Leeds in order to bring the defensive midfielder to the club, but it is currently unknown whether that would be on a season-long loan or on a permanent basis.

Better offer than Villa

This report was published just hours before it was revealed that Aston Villa were readying a £14m offer for the Englishman.

If both clubs come in with their reported offers, then the Whites will have a lot to think about, but allowing Phillips to join Nuno Santo’s side would be the better option for the Whites if they get Costa in return on a permanent deal.

They would be getting a top class Championship player in the shape of the 25-year-old, and his value could skyrocket under the tutelage of Leeds’ manager.

Whereas Costa has proven that he is of top Championship quality during both seasons he spent in the division, Phillips has only had one term where he has excelled. And if the influence of Bielsa is taken away from him, then he might revert back to the player he was before the Argentine arrived in Yorkshire.

Catch22 for Aston Villa and their hopes of signing Tammy Abraham permanently.

Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig are reportedly (as per the Sun) stewing over a summer move for Abraham and are said to offering a £25million escape route from English football to follow in the steps of countryman Jadon Sancho, whose meteoric climb to stardom is owed to a 2017 move away from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund.

It goes without saying that Villa are incredibly keen on keeping hold of the player, but their own bid is said to be heavily dependent on whether they can reach the Premier League via the play-offs at Wembley, where they will face Frank Lampard’s Derby County.

We would hazard a guess to suggest Abraham would be keener on the idea of staying in England rather than moving abroad, especially with Villa offering regular first-team football in the Premier League, something Leipzig simply can’t do with the current talent at their disposal. Although, should the Villans remain in the Championship, his hand may be forced.

Ultimately, this do-or-die situation has heaped a whole load of pressure on top of an already pressurised situation, especially as Villa’s finances looked less than satisfactory at the beginning of the campaign – owed to the club’s failure to reach the top flight and balance the books following 2017/18.

Indeed, another botched attempt to get past the play-offs would likely set the club back a long, long way and without Tammy Abraham, who has netted 25 goals in 37 league appearances, they can pretty much kiss goodbye to their automatic promotion hopes…again.

Aston Villa fans, how good has Abraham been for you? Would you struggle without him next season? Let us know in the comments below!

Celtic are apparently set to battle it out with Aston Villa and Fulham for Gary Hooper’s signature – but why?

It was revealed (by the Scottish Sun) earlier in the week that Celtic interim boss Neil Lennon would like to make former Celtic striker Gary Hooper one of his first signings if he becomes the club’s new permanent manager, which was confusing enough in the first place as he’s past it (and that could apply to either player or manager).

Unsurprisingly it’s understood that the 31-year-old would be keen on a Parkhead return – and who wouldn’t, guaranteed domestic success and Champions League? Beats scrapping it out midtable in the English Championship. But it seems now Fulham and Aston Villa (as per the Scottish Sun again) are also looking at the player, which could threaten Lennon’s attempts to live ten years in the past.

Hooper was a decent player back in the day and scored 63 goals in 90 league starts between 2010 and 2013 before making an ill-fated £5million switch to the vastly inferior Norwich City.

The Englishman earned himself a special place in the hearts of the Parkhead faithful when he scored in every possible competition for the club, including the Champions League and Europa League, plus – of course – some goals in Old Firm derbies and a brace in the 2013 Scottish Cup final win over Hibs.

Interim boss Lennon is apparently waiting to hear from major shareholder Dermot Desmond and chief executive Peter Lawwell whether he’ll be given the job of replacing Brendan Rodgers in the long-term, which in itself is an appointment many Celtic fans aren’t too keen on.

Indeed, like with Hooper there is a general feeling among the Green and White faithful that some things are better left in the past.

With that in mind, surely recruiting a youthful manager with progressive ideas and strategies would be a far better idea than Neil Lennon, who had a good innings, yes, but is starting to show his age with interest in has-been players like Gary Hooper.

Celtic fans, would you be happy to see Hooper representing your club again? Is it really a step in the right direction? Let us know in the comments below!

أكد مدرب فريق ريال بيتيس مانويل بيليجريني أن النجم ليونيل ميسي ما زال الأفضل في العالم، إلى جوار البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو، على الرغم من تراجع قدرات الأرجنتيني على التهديف هذا الموسم.

وجاءت تصريحات بيليجريني قبل مباراة الغد بين برشلونة وريال بيتيس، في الدوري الإسباني.

ولم يسجل ليونيل ميسي إلا هدف واحد في النسخة الحالية من الليجا بعد خوضه 6 مباريات، إلى جانب صناعته هدفين.

وقال بيليجريني، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “ميسي ما زال هو الأفضل في العالم، جنبًا إلى جنب مع كريستيانو رونالدو، لقد أحدث فرقًا لعقد من الزمن”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كومان: ميسي يمر بلحظات صعبة مثل أي لاعب آخر

وأضاف: “حتى في أفضل لحظات مسيرتهما، لم يتمكن ميسي أو رونالدو من اللعب بمفردهما، أداء لاعبي كرة القدم يتماشى دائمًا مع أداء الفريق”.

واختتم: “لا يمكن أن يكون هناك شكوك حول قدرة ميسي، كان هناك حديث حول ما يُقال في بيئة برشلونة لكنه يواصل إثبات قدراته على أرض الملعب”.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the press on Friday ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Huddersfield Town at their new stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

Spurs come into the clash against the already-relegated Terriers on the back of a 1-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win against Manchester City in midweek, as they continue their quest for a top-four finish.

The club confirmed via their official Twitter account before the conferene that Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Erik Lamela and Serge Aurier will all miss out against Jan Siewert’s men, while Dele Alli faces a late fitness test to see whether he is able to feature after suffering a broken hand.

Without further ado here are the two most important things Pochettino said.

Harry Kane injury

Firstly the Argentine spoke about Kane’s issue, and he said (via Football.London  at 13:46pm): “He feels sad and disappointed like everyone at the club and of course it is a tough moment for him, tough moment for the team, tough moment for us.

“I was speaking to him before and we need to assess every day to properly answer to see when he can come back to train with the team.

Asked when he could return he added (via Football.London at 13:52pm): “At the moment it is impossible to give a date. It is a similar injury to the one he suffered last time against Manchester United. We have five weeks. If we are into the final of the Champions League, maybe he will play but we’ll see.”

A huge blow, but not a surprising one. Having seen how quickly Kane has bounced back from injury previously there is still some hope for Tottenham supporters that they might still see the 25-year-old again this term.

Dele Alli update

Meanwhile, despite the club not ruling Alli out for Saturday his manager certainly didn’t give the impression that he will feature, as per The Guardian.

Pochettino said: “I am not too optimistic. It is very painful. He broke his hand in two parts. Yesterday he saw the specialist. I am more optimistic for him to be available for Manchester City in the second leg.”

That is certainly not an ideal situation for the north London outfit to be in – especially if Alli does miss out – but they will of course take some solace from the fact that they are facing the bottom team at home and should still be able to secure the three points.

Having him available for the City return leg is arguably more important right now anyway.

[ad_pod ]

Since joining Wolves, Nuno Santo has had wave after wave of praise. But does he actually still have a lot to prove?

There’s no denying his achievements in the English game so far. He took Wolves up in some style last term and they’ve had a tremendous first campaign back in the Premier League.

At the moment they sit seventh and were just moments away from reaching an FA Cup final too.

However, there are some clear issues Nuno has to iron out if Wolves are to ensure they don’t have a bitter reality check and suffer from second season syndrome in 2019/20.

What’s the issue?

In short, Nuno is too stubborn and if Maurizio Sarri has been receiving criticism for something similar then the Portuguese boss deserves the same.

Yes, Wolves have achieved some outstanding results this season but it overshadows some major problems. The Midlands club only have one plan and there is a serious lack of any tactical alternative.

That has never been so evident than in their defeat to Watford last Sunday. Plan A was going swimmingly well, but once the game turned they had nothing to combat their opponents.

They went defensive, so defensive in fact that it cost them the game. They invited pressure and then after conceding Gerard Deulofeu’s second goal had no answer.

Nuno struggles to adapt when the going gets tough and although they’ve claimed 13 points against top six sides, there have been some questionable performances on the road. Molineux may be a fortress but it’s a place they can afford to play an attractive brand of football at.

A major problem in having no plan B is that they have to set up the same on the road and their display against Burnley at Turf Moor two weekends ago was indicative of this.

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

Nuno’s substitutes are also largely ineffective and provide further evidence of a lack of an alternative plan. At Wembley, the changes he made had no difference, whilst regular rotation options Adama Traore and Ivan Cavaleiro have only contributed six goals between them.

Wolves’ coveted 45-year-old has been uttered as one of the managers of the season, but perhaps pundits ought to look at the man who outfought him last weekend, Javi Gracia, instead.

Hearts manager, Craig Levein, has already admitted that he is looking ahead to next season’s recruitment, and hopes to add flair and creativity to his side in the summer.

With that in mind, one player has already had a week-long trial at the club in March, and Levein, having been impressed with what he saw, is hoping to bring him back in the summer for a second look.

Ghanaian midfielder, Cletus Nombil, is 18-years-old, and plays for Dreams FC, in Ghana’s Premier League.

If he has a successful second trial, and the club offer him a deal, it remains to be seen if he will be with the first team squad, or seen as someone for the future.

But Levein wants to run the rule over him in preseason games, despite him having played in a private friendly against Queen Of The South last month.

He told the Edinburgh Evening News: “I’m trying to get him back in the summer. I really liked him from what I saw. The lad is very young but I want to see him playing in a pre-season friendly.

“He is a central midfielder normally. He is probably a bit more attack-minded than defensive. For a young boy, his training was good.”

He sounds exactly like the type of player that Levein was referring to when he mentioned recruiting more players who can unlock a defence, this week.

And that he wants to get his summer shopping spree done as early as possible, it all bodes well for Hearts to be able to start next season with a close-knit group, who have already familiarised themselves with each others’ style of playing.

That will be particularly pertinent should they earn a Europa League spot, with qualifying rounds ensuring an early start to the 2019/20 campaign.

The report also warns that, should he impress enough, obtaining a work permit for the youngster may not be straightforward.

The player had secured a loan deal with Czech side, Sparta Prague, with an option to make it permanent afterwards, but it fell through due to an inability to get the necessary visa documentation approved.

But Levein may have competition for his signature, with Swedish side, AIK Stockholm having given him a trial in February too.

What are your thoughts on Levein’s recruitment thoughts at Hearts? Does he have the club going in the right direction? Let us know what you think…

تقدم أولي واتكينز بهدف مبكر لفريقه أستون فيلا في شباك ليفربول خلال المباراة الجارية الآن.

وجاء هدف واتكينز في الدقيقة الرابعة من عمر المباراة بعد خطأ فادح من أدريان حارس المرمى.

أدريان مرر بالخطأ لـ جريليش، والذي أرسل الكرة لـ واتكينز المتواجد أمام المرمى ليسجلها في الشباك.

ويلاقي ليفربول نظيره أستون فيلا، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز. شاهد الهدف