[ad_pod ]

Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after Jurgen Klopp revealed that he tried to bring Jadon Sancho to Anfield from Manchester City, before Borussia Dortmund swooped in to sign the teenager.

The Bundesliga leaders signed the Citizens academy graduate back in the summer of 2017 for a fee in the region of £10m, and even handed the little-known forward the number seven shirt vacated by the then-Barcelona-bound Ousmane Dembele.

Since then, the England international has lit up the Bundesliga and is now one of the most precocious talents in world football. Sancho has scored eight goals and recorded 10 assists in all competitions for Dortmund so far this season, helping them stay above Bayern Munich in the table and on course for a first title since 2012.

Speaking on the matter, Klopp said: “Buying English players is a smart idea because we would never have a chance to get Sancho.

“We are not blind – we saw him, we liked him and then we think ‘can we get him?’ No. Because English clubs don’t sell them to other English clubs. I don’t know exactly what the reason is for that but they don’t do it.”

Understandably, Liverpool fans will have been gutted to hear that they missed out on Sancho, and have reacted to the news on Twitter…

Clearly, Declan Rice is quickly turning out to be West Ham United’s most valuable prospect, emerging as one of the most promising English players in years. Now, it’s time for the Hammers to prove they aren’t just a stepping stone for him. 

With an England national team call-up surely looming large and big sharks surrounding him, Rice is slowly elevating to the big leagues of superstardom. With that in mind, the Irons need to protect him at all costs.

The 20-year-old’s bright performances for Manuel Pellegrini’s men this season has turned quite a few eyes upon him. The Premier League giants would reportedly love to have him, but David Sullivan needs to resist the temptation of his big selling fee. Manuel Pellegrini is slowly turning the Hammers into a quality side once again and has the pedigree to make them compete with the best next season.

Rice will be key to West Ham’s success, as his diligent work in midfield’s been key to winning them many games this season. Most recently against Newcastle United, where he scored a brilliant header and nonchalantly controlled the game, proved how vital he is to Pellegrini’s system.

In fact, it’s already got to the point that letting him go would be disastrous.

Sullivan and David Gold should shell out more finances for Pellegrini to fix the holes in West Ham’s system right now. If Rice sees ambition from his side, why would he leave? Those behind the scenes have to give him a reason to stay, he’s that good.

With the exciting attacking talents and a sensation like Rice running the show, the Hammers could even fight for a European spot. However, if West Ham gives in to the temptation of incurring big finances upon selling Rice, they’d undo all the good work Pellegrini’s done so far.

Hammers fans, do you think West Ham would benefit building around Rice? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

It’s been a couple of frantic weeks for Isaac Hayden at Newcastle United.

After witnessing his loan move away to Aston Villa or West Bromwich Albion being cut off on deadline day (as per the Chronicle), he’s shown incredible resolve to mentally prepare himself and help the Magpies survive relegation.

Hayden’s been wanting to move out from Newcastle from last summer when he wanted to move away to be closer to his family for personal reasons (via ChronicleLive). However, despite being denied exit twice, he’s showcased commendable professionalism to keep on performing at his fullest for them.

The young midfielder’s impressive work’s even won over Rafa Benitez, who opted to play him ahead of experienced candidates Mo Diame and Ki Sung-yueng. It’s turned out a fruitful decision, as Hayden scored his first goal of the season- a rather well-worked one- at Molineux on Monday night.

While he only has a single goal and two assists(including one against Manchester City) so far this season(stats from Premier League), Hayden’s work-rate has been more than commendable. Not only does he show urgency in creating chances, he’s also tidy when it comes to defensive work.

Indeed, he’s averaged around 2.1 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game(stats from WhoScored), while been a tireless worker in pressing high and regaining possession.

However, once the summer transfer window opens, Hayden could want to leave once again. It’s now up to Rafa Benitez on convincing the youngster of his ability and reassuring his importance when it comes to Newcastle’s success on the pitch.

He’s certainly proved worth it.

[ad_pod ]

Millwall pulled off a fantastic result with their 2-0 win away at Birmingham on Wednesday night, the three points returning to The Den in no small part thanks to Ben Thompson – the midfielder scored both Lions goals.

Having returned from a short loan spell at Portsmouth in January, the 23-year-old has made a huge difference to Millwall, although his brace is his biggest contribution by far since he came back to The Den two months ago.

Millwall boss Neil Harris feels that the number 8 did far more for his team than find the net, as he heaped praise on the match-winner after the game:

“Thommo was excellent, as he has been ever since he’s come back from Portsmouth. He went on loan in the first place to gain some confidence and much needed first-team minutes, and we had a strong squad off the back of a great season at the time he went to Pompey.

“I knew that him playing under Kenny [Jackett] would be a great benefit to him, and he has come back ready to be a Championship footballer. He is finding his feet with the big step up, he galvanises us as a group and also the fanbase.”

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…

Indeed, the Sidcup-born ace has been excellent since returning from Fratton Park but particularly in previous weeks, where his match ratings have not dipped below a 7 (WhoScored).

The impact which Harris indicates Thompson has on the team is remarkable considering he was playing League One football only a few months ago – now he is putting in near man-of-the-match performances week-in, week-out and is emerging as a key player for the Lions.

أعلن رونالد كومان، المدير الفني لبرشلونة تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة فياريال، في الدوري الإسباني.

وتأتي هذه المباراة ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من الليجا، على ملعب “كامب نو”.

ويخوض برشلونة أول مبارياته في الدوري الإسباني هذا الموسم. تشكيل برشلونة أمام فياريال

حراسة المرمى: نيتو.

خط الدفاع: جوردي ألبا، لينجليه، بيكيه، سيرجي روبيرتو.

خط الوسط: بوسكيتس، كوتينيو، دي يونج.

خط الهجوم: جريزمان، أنسو فاتي، ميسي.

📢 BARÇA XI

⚽ #BarçaVillarreal

🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/MkTV1Yo7B2

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) September 27, 2020

[ad_pod ]

Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued the extraordinary turnaround of their season – save for the loss to PSG last week – with a 2-0 victory over top-four rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup 5th round, meaning that they progress to a quarter final clash with Wolves.

The win also meant that Solskjaer’s record at the Old Trafford helm extended to 11 victories in 13 games since taking over from Jose Mourinho in December and so the Norwegian’s case for remaining in the role beyond the end of the season grows, while the pressure mounted on his Chelsea counterpart, Maurizio Sarri.

On paper, the Blues have one of the strongest midfield’s in the league – few boast a World Cup winner or a Ballon d’Or nominee and Chelsea have both in N’Golo Kante, but the Frenchman was uncharacteristically dominated in the middle of the park as his side were knocked out of the FA Cup on Monday night.

A huge part of United’s 2019 success has been the incredible form of Paul Pogba, who, against Chelsea, scored and assisted for the ninth and sixth times, respectively, since the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ took the wheel.

It has long been clear that relieving the former Juventus man of his defensive duties would help him to become the free-roaming, game-controlling, all-conquering midfielder that United thought they were getting when they splashed a then-world-record £89m to bring the number 6 back to Old Trafford in 2016.

However, even with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Fred in the side – both were intended to give Pogba as much attacking freedom as possible – it still didn’t click with Mourinho in charge. Now, though, the whole camp seems a lot more comfortable with what is being asked of them and the 2018 World Cup winner’s teammates seem far more willing to work hard for him, as well as for Solskjaer.

The former striker has done in a matter of weeks what Mourinho failed to do in over two years and that is to get the best out of Pogba, but a huge part of the 25-year-old’s new-found ‘freedom’ can be attributed to the performances of those around him, a transformed Marcus Rashford included.

Rashford’s runs in behind have meant easy assists for Pogba, but the numbers put in by a different player show exactly why the midfielder was allowed to completely boss the Blues on Monday.

Ander Herrera put in an enormous shift alongside the giant Frenchman and his tireless defensive work meant Pogba could get up the field and into dangerous areas to, first, assist, then score.

The former Athletic Bilbao man completed an impressive 6 tackles and 5 interceptions as he made Kante look like Kevin McDonald and, while Pogba stole the headlines, Herrera took as many touches (58) and also got on the end of the number 6’s inch-perfect cross to nod the visitors ahead on the half-hour mark.

Often known for their eye for a pass, Spanish midfielders are rarely recognised for their physical presence but Herrera won the most aerial duels (2) in the United ranks and was only bested by compatriot Marcos Alonso (3) on the pitch.

If the 29-year-old can continue putting in performances like this, Pogba will rule the midfield for years to come.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

[ad_pod ]

The Everton fans are in no mood for a laugh and a joke at the moment.

Ahead of next week’s Premier League clash with Cardiff City, a tweet from Everton’s official account made a joke about Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford recently becoming a father.

However, the Everton supporters were not having any of it.

The Merseyside outfit are on a rotten run of form at the moment, losing five of their last six matches in all competitions, including their last three in the league.

Many expected the team to make a challenge for the top-six this season, but they have not been victorious in the league since an unconvincing 1-0 success away to struggling Huddersfield Town at the end of next month.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

As a result, there is simply no downplaying the importance of Tuesday’s trip to Cardiff, which will be Everton’s first match since they lost 1-0 at Watford on February 9.

Everton’s Twitter account are doing their best to raise the spirits at the moment, but the club’s supporters are just not interested. Earlier this week, fans trolled a Twitter post showing off Lucas Digne’s skills in training and once again, the club’s account has been targeted for abuse from unhappy supporters.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

أكد فرج عامر رئيس نادي سموحة أن اختيار المدرب الجنوب إفريقي بيتسو موسيماني، خليفة للسويسري رينيه فايلر في تدريب الأهلي هو اختيار موفق من مجلس إدارة القلعة الحمراء.

ومن المتوقع أن تكون مباراة الأهلي اليوم أمام الترسانة في كأس مصر هي الأخيرة للمدرب السويسري بعد رفض الإدارة سفره إلى بلاده من أجل إجازة قصيرة خوفًا من عدم عودته من جديد إلى القاهرة خاصة مع وجود بند في العقد المبرم بين الطرفين يحق للمدرب فيه فسخ تعاقده في الفترة من 1 إلى 10 أكتوبر المقبل.

وقال فرج عامر عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع التواصل الإجتماعي “فيس بوك”: “اعتقد ان اختيار الأهلي موسيماني ( الجنوب افريقي ) والمدير الفني السابق لنادي صان داونز مديرا فنيا له بعد رحيل ڤايلر هو اختيار عبقري”.

وكانت تقارير صدرت من جنوب إفريقيا تفيد بأن بيتسو موسيماني قد استقال من منصبه ليتولى مهمة المدير الفني في أحد الأندية الكبرى في شمال إفريقيا. طالع التفاصيل

ويواجه الأهلي نظيره الترسانة اليوم الأربعاء ضمن منافسات الدور السادس عشر من بطولة كأس مصر. https://www.facebook.com/faragamer.faragalla/posts/3298360826949854

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur have released an injury update which states that Eric Dier remains unavailable for selection due to suffering with tonsillitis. 

The 25-year-old defensive-midfielder has endured an injury ravaged campaign so far. The Spurs man has only made 15 Premier League appearances so far this season, and has only featured twice in the club’s last eleven league matches.

Mauricio Pochettino will want the 38-cap England international to return to the fold as quickly as possible, though the likes of Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Oliver Skipp have stepped up and impressed in his absence. 

Pl>ymaker FC’s Ben Senior will never win the Champions League for one reason only. Find out what in the video below…

However, with tough fixtures against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coming up in the next few weeks, and with a Premier League title to chase, the Argentine coach will want his squad at full strength. This means that Dier could become a bigger miss in the coming weeks.

After the announcement, plenty of Spurs fans took to Twitter to bemoan Dier’s latest injury lay-off…

Over the past ten years, it could be argued that no other player has come close to providing the excitement that Ricky Holmes did during his two-year spell with Northampton Town.

The winger arrived at the club on an initial loan deal from Portsmouth in 2015 and took just four games to convince then manager Chris Wilder that he was a player that they simply had to sign on a permanent deal.

Lighting up what was otherwise a pretty drab season, Holmes used his superb dribbling ability and eye for goal to score five times in 21 league appearances for the Cobblers as they finished 12th in League Two.

Despite a serious injury ruling the former Barnet player out of the first half of the 2015/16 campaign, his return to the Northampton side was marked by a stunning strike in a 4-3 win at Luton Town. Far from a one-off, spectacular finishes against Leyton Orient, Notts County and Stevenage helped propel his side to the League Two title whilst also attracting considerable interest from across the Football League.

After being sold to League One side Charlton Athletic, the winger continued his impressive form throughout the following season which eventually saw him earn a move to Sheffield United where he re-united with former Cobblers boss Chris Wilder in 2017. However, since making the switch to Bramall Lane, Holmes has seen somewhat of a downturn in form which has lead to him being loaned out to both Oxford United and Gillingham this season.

If the Blades achieve promotion to the Premer League at the end of the season, it is extremely unlikely that they will include the 31-year-old in their plans when you consider that he has made just five league appearances for the club.

With the possibility of Holmes being available in the summer, Cobblers boss Keith Curle should try and bring him back to a club where he enjoyed the best spell of his career to date. Whilst it may be seen by some as a risk to sign a player who has been plagued by injuries over the past two years, he would clearly be a notable upgrade on the likes of Daniel Powell and Sam Hoskins and would provide the necessary service for Andy Williams and Junior Morias to thrive upon.

The one stumbling block that could prevent a possible deal for Holmes in the summer for Northampton would be his wages as he would almost certainly have to take a pay-cut to move back to the PTS Academy given the club’s current financial situation.

What do you think Cobblers fans? Should Curle try and bring back Holmes? Or is the Blades winger too much of a risk giving his injury problems? Let us know below.