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It would be fair to say that the Liverpool fans have a high opinion of Paul Glatzel.

The 18-year-old, who recently signed his first professional contract at Anfield, seemingly has a real chance of making the first team.

Earlier this month, the Liverpool supporters were out in their numbers to hail the teenager for his assist in an Under-18 clash with Bury Under-18s.

And many more have now reacted to the fact that Glatzel has reached 28 goals for the season.

As well as being in fine form for the Under-18s, the Germany Under-18 international has also scored once in two Premier League 2 appearances.

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…

It might not be too long before the forward is introduced into the first team; it’s incredibly unlikely to happen this season but Glatzel has the talent to be a future first-team star.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Newcastle legend, Peter Beardsley, has today been formally charged by the Football Association on three counts of using racist language to players.

Arguably one of the greatest players to wear the famous black and white shirt, he was suspended in January last year after allegations of bullying and racism towards members of the Under-23 squad, who he was manager of at the time.

His departure was made permanent earlier this month — 14 months after the alleged incidents took place.

BBC Sport state that Beardsley has until 12 April to respond to the charge.

The report states the FA charges in full, who allege: “Mr Beardsley used abusive and/or insulting words towards Newcastle United FC Under 23 players, which were contrary to FA Rule E3(1), whilst employed as their coach.”

It goes on to say: “It is further alleged these words also constituted an ‘aggravated breach’, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as they included reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race and/or nationality.”

Questions were asked when Newcastle’s statement announcing his departure made no mention of the outcome of the internal investigation, nor did it reference the allegations at all.

In fact, the statement said the club were “grateful for the contribution” he had given the club and “wish him well for the future”.

It seemed a strange choice of words, and led Football Anti-Racism organisation, Kick It Out, to state they were “concerned” at Newcastle’s failure to “outline the reasons” for Beardsley’s departure.

The way it was handled by Newcastle makes it appear that the club were trying to let the dust settle, and sweep — what is a serious issue — under the carpet.

It appeared wholly inappropriate, and that the FA took control of the situation and launched an investigation of their own, resulting in these charges, exposes the apparent blasé approach taken by United.

But it will come as no surprise to Toon fans, who have become numb to the off-field management of the club they adore.

This is just the latest in a string of poor decisions made by those in charge, and is another reason why most Newcastle fans are likely to believe that Lee Charnley is out of his depth in his role at the club, and should be replaced by someone with more of a football background.

What do you think of the latest developments regarding the Beardsley allegations? Should Lee Charnley be replaced for his handling of the situation? Let us know your thoughts…

أفادت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن نادي تشيلسي يفكر في إعارة الحارس كيبا أريزابالاجا، خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية المقبلة، في يناير 2021 حتى نهاية الموسم.

كيبا انضم إلى تشيلسي في صيف 2018 قادمًا من أتلتيك بلباو في صفقة قياسية، وأصبح أغلى حارس في تاريخ كرة القدم، مقابل 80 مليون يورو.

طالع أيضًا.. مدرب إشبيلية بعد التعادل مع تشيلسي: كنا قادرين على الفوز.. وفخور بأدائنا

خلال الموسمين الماضيين، لم يظهر كيبا مستوى جيد مع تشيلسي، وتحديدًا في الموسم الماضي تحت قيادة المدير الفني الإنجليزي فرانك لامبارد، الذي تعاقد مع إدواردو ميندي في الصيف الماضي لتعزيز مركز حراسة المرمى.

صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، أكدت أن لامبارد يريد التخلص من كيبا، ولكن راتب اللاعب يقف عائقًا أمام رحيله عن تشيلسي، الذي يرغب في الاستفادة المادية من مغادرة الحارس الإسباني.

وأشارت إلى أن تشيلسي يفكر جديًا في إعارة اللاعب خلال ميركاتو الشتاء، وأبرز الأندية التي تراقب وضع كيبا، إشبيلية الإسباني.

إشبيلية تعاقد مع الحارس الدولي المغربي ياسين بونو منذ الموسم الماضي من جيرونا على سبيل الإعارة، قبل أن يقوم بشراء بطاقته بالكامل في سبتمبر الماضي.

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According to Gazzetta dello Sport, West Ham United are considering a summer move for Inter Milan attacker Ivan Perisic.

Perisic has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, but West Ham are now being touted as  surprise summer suitors.

Perisic, who starred for Croatia en route to the final of the 2018 World Cup, has scored seven times and contributed eight assists in 39 appearances in all competitions for Inter this term.

The West Ham fans have been on social media commenting on the speculation, which has come as a bit of a surprise.

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

And it would be fair to say that the majority do not believe that their club stand a single chance of signing Perisic from Inter in this summer’s transfer window – with some speculating that news of the Irons targeting such a big name is linked to the club pushing for season ticket renewals.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Most kids idolised Steven Gerrard back in the day, well unless you were a Manchester United fan. So it’s not particularly hard to argue that his reputation and link with Liverpool will mean he’ll attract the players to win Rangers their first Scottish Premiership since 2011.

The Scottish Sun are reporting Gerrard will travel to Liverpool to make a personal plea for his old club to loan him Ryan Kent again next season. It’s not the usual method for attracting players, but it’s one a manager like Steven Gerrard can use to their advantage at cash strapped clubs.

It’s said the winger’s got a £12m price tag, and that’s just unaffordable for Rangers this summer. Gerrard could get his way though, purely because of his connections at his old club and the fact he’s looked up to by the player himself. This is just one example but it’ll become a common theme.

Frankly, the Gers can only afford to use young, cheap talent at the moment, and Gerrard surely knows that, so the only way to bring trophies to Ibrox is by using his pulling power as an Anfield hero. Young players will look up to him and want to play for him and his contacts across the English game could always lend him a hand.

The ex-Liverpool captain has impressed in his first season at Ibrox, and now he’s proved he’s a capable manager, players will be itching to play under him and for such a big club. It was a gamble hiring him in the first place, but it’s one that will pay off eventually, if he gets his way in summer.

Phone calls and personal pleas might sound a tad desperate, but if it means Rangers get hold of the best young talent, it’ll also mean the club’s fans can finally enjoy some silverware again.

Rangers fans, who do you think Steven Gerrard should sign this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

وضحت صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية موقف جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي يوفنتوس، كريستيانو رونالدو، من اللحاق بمباراة برشلونة في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويحل برشلونة ضيفًا على ملعب “أليانز” غدًا، الأربعاء، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” بقيادة الحكم الدولي الهولندي، داني ماكيلي.

وأفادت الصحيفة الشهيرة أن رونالدو قد خضع لاختبار أمس، الإثنين، للاطمئنان على سلامته من فيروس كورونا، وينتظر النتيجة النهائية اليوم، الثلاثاء.

ما زال البرتغالي في الحجر المنزلي، حيث غاب بحسب شبكة “بي إن سبورتس” القطرية عن تدريبات يوفنتوس الجماعية صباح اليوم، حتى الاطمئنان على سلبية مسحته الطبية، ولن يتواجد في مباراة الغد إلا في حالة تعافيه بنسبة 100%. (طالع التفاصيل)

يأتي ذلك بعد غياب رونالدو عن يوفنتوس في الفترة الماضية، عقب ثبوت إصابته بفيروس كورونا مع منتخب البرتغال في منتصف أكتوبر الجاري، لكنه لا زال بحاجة إلى نتيجة عينة سلبية ليتمكن من مغادرة منزله والانضمام إلى زملاءه في التدريبات.

وينص البروتوكول الطبي للاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم إتاحة الفرصة للفريق المضيف في إرسال عينة لاعبه المُصاب مسبقًا والسلبية قبل المباراة بـ6 ساعات، حتى يوافقوا على مشاركته الرسمية مع فريقه، على أن تكون 10 أيام لأي لاعب في الفريق الزائر.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to the latest on Ryan Kent, as it appears Liverpool are trying to price the Gers out of a permanent move.

According to The Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are seeking in excess of £12m for Kent this summer.

The young winger moved to Ibrox on loan last summer, and has made an excellent impact with five goals and nine assists during his debut campaign, including the winning assist in the Old Firm in December.

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

The Daily Record have also claimed they know what Liverpool’s asking price is, stating a bid of around £8m to £10m could secure his services, and that Steven Gerrard would love to sign him.

Either way, that is an awful lot of money to invest in a position where the Gers will have Glenn Middleton, Eros Grezda, Jamie Murphy and Jordan Jones all competing for playing time next season.

Gerrard of course worked with Kent at Liverpool, so it would not be a huge surprise to see him pull the trigger if the Reds drop their price, but anything around the £10m mark feels excessive.

That’s exactly how fans feel too, and you can check out some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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With a cigarette paper separating Manchester City and Liverpool and six games to go apiece it is perfectly natural that Blues, Reds and neutrals alike are analysing the remaining fixtures, looking for potential dropped points.

The general consensus from studying these commitments appears to be that City have the tougher six weeks ahead with the hosting of Tottenham offering up a myriad of difficulties and that is followed soon after by an immensely challenging trip across town to Old Trafford. Aways to Crystal Palace and Burnley meanwhile can hardly be considered bankers under any circumstance and that is especially true during a hectic, highly pressurised period when hard fought draws won’t suffice.

As for Liverpool and their games to come it only takes a quick glance to determine which will be their toughest test. It’s Chelsea isn’t it. Of course it is. After all, four of their remaining six fixtures are against sides that presently languish in the bottom seven of the Premier League and though a case could be made that each pose a real threat as they scrap for their top flight lives that is equally balanced out by the many reasons why they’re in such dire straits.

Chelsea, in comparison, with their top four aspirations and Eden Hazard at the fore are the last giant to slay. They’re the one to fear if you’re a Red. They’re the one to hang your hopes on if you’re of a Blue persuasion. It has even been said and tweeted since Liverpool’s late dramatic win over Spurs that should they finally exorcise their Demba Ba shaped ghost from 2014 and emerge victorious from this top six affair then Jurgen Klopp’s men should be viewed as favourites for the title.

Fair enough. There is logic in this conclusion even if it hopelessly over-simplifies the last few miles of a compelling and fiercely contested race.

Staying with that over-simplification however it could be argued that Chelsea isn’t even Liverpool’s most difficult chore on their to-do list. That is a rejuvenated Southampton – one of the four relegation haunted sides discounted above – at St Mary’s this Friday evening.

Prior to Chelsea’s midweek dismissal of Brighton the Saints had actually accrued more points in 2019 and this has been achieved from a familiar pattern that we see time and again whenever a very good coach – in this instance the highly respected Austrian Ralph Hasenhuttl – takes on the reins of a club proverbially curled up in the foetal position.

First comes the ‘new manager bounce’ and not a great deal can be read into this though we can assume Southampton supporters more than welcomed their thrilling 3-2 victory over Arsenal and subsequent battering of Huddersfield all the same. Next up traditionally comes a mini-slump as a squad limited in stature – because we cannot ever lay the blame for a club’s plight entirely at the old manager’s door – struggles to transfer fresh ideals and new instructions onto the pitch.

After that, to varying degrees, we so often see a club improve: quick enough where to the naked eye it appears to be a pronounced transformation but in reality one that is grounded in countless hours on the training ground. An impressive nullification of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the turn of the year was proof enough that Southampton were galvanised under the 51-year-old’s command; organised and instilled with belief.

The results ever since meanwhile have shown beyond any doubt that their ferocious high pressing; switching to a defensive back three; and clever use of the counter with Nathan Redmond deployed centrally makes the Saints a much more dangerous proposition to the predictable fare served up under Mark Hughes.

All of this makes Southampton infinitely more than a possible banana skin as Liverpool supporters approach the game with a trepidation that is born more out of superstition than genuine fear. It is, to them and pundits, a fixture to be navigated. A tricky ask. And all the while they have one eye on a forthcoming blockbuster bout with Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea.

Southampton are fighting for their lives and are fighting with panache and togetherness. They are an in-form side reborn. Furthermore they beckon down their visitors to a packed out and vociferous St Mary’s on a Friday evening. Weird things happen on Friday night games. There is no rhyme or reason to that. They just do.

Should Liverpool prevail it doesn’t make them title favourites. It does, however, mean they have overcome their hardest obstacle in their bid to attaining legendary status.

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Leeds United sensation Ryan Edmondson took his tally for the club’s U23 side this season to 14 with a brace in the 2-0 win against Colchester United on Monday that ensured the team won the Professional Development League North title.

The 17-year-old has clearly been in outstanding form despite his tender years, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed seeing as he made his first-team debut as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the 2017/18 campaign.

That was followed up with another cameo from the bench against Birmingham City back in September, but in truth the confident marksman should have featured more than that.

His latest performance was a clear sign of why as he showed the work rate and clinical finishing needed to be a success in a Marcelo Bielsa side.

The 6 ft 1 youngster was last named in the 18-man squad in the league by the Argentine in the October, and he is long overdue further involvement.

It has been especially puzzling in recent weeks in the absence of the injured Kemar Roofe that he has been nowhere to be seen, despite the fact that another youngster in Jack Clarke is consistently in and around the squad.

Edmondson’s comments following the huge triumph on Monday only go to further that argument, as he believes that the U23s are enjoying their success having followed Bielsa’s blueprint when it comes to style of play, with their opponents clearly unable to cope.

Patrick Bamford’s hit-and-miss in form in front of goal has shown that the former Middlesbrough man needs more support, and his 17-year-old Leeds teammate is ready to provide it despite his inexperience – along with Kemar Roofe when he returns.

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to the latest news on Rafael Benitez’s future, and they have every reason to be worried.

According to The Northern Echo, Benitez is ready to quit if the club do not meet his demands.

The report states that suggestions that the Spaniard loves the club too much to leave are false, and that he will indeed walk if the impasse over his contract continues.

The 59 year-old is attracting interest from China and the Middle East, which would of course mean huge financial compensation, while a handful of La Liga clubs are also linked.

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….

And the boss himself may have unwillingly added fuel to the fire on Thursday, denying reports that Matt Ritchie has been told he can leave this summer: “If I don’t know if I have a contract how can I tell him?”

The report from The Evening Chronicle includes more quotes from the boss on Ritchie and his future, but fans are already putting two and two together and suspecting he will leave.

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