Liverpool: Andy Robertson should be fearful if Jurgen Klopp signs Lloyd Kelly

For all the good Jurgen Klopp has done in turning Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold into two of the best fullbacks in Europe, the German manager has left himself short in terms of backup.

Look past Liverpool’s two starting fullbacks and you will find a club deprived of backup options if one of them gets injured, but this summer is likely to change with Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne both expected to leave, meaning Klopp can start looking at new options as well as looking towards the future, and the Reds boss is likely to take action.

According to Football Insider earlier this month, Liverpool are in contention with Southampton for the signing of Bristol City defender Lloyd Kelly, who has been one of the breakout stars in the Championship and has been targeted by the Reds before in the past.

The left-back has been a sensation for the play-off hopefuls this season, making 34 appearances for the club and establishing himself as one of the brightest prospects in the England football pyramid and a target for many Premier League teams, and if Liverpool are able to acquire the defender, it could be a problem in the long-term for Robertson.

The Scottish international no doubt has the left-back position on lock for the next few seasons, but with niggling injuries affecting the defender this campaign, Kelly could be given a chance to shine in the first-team when offered the chance by Klopp.

Competition can be healthy for specific positions in football, and if Kelly is to join Liverpool, Robertson should be playing with extra urgency to impress Klopp that he is the man to take the starting position in the team.

Liverpool fans, would Kelly be a good signing? Let us know!

‘Gutted’ – Tottenham fans fume over Vincent Janssen ineligibility

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left gutted by the news that Vincent Janssen is ineligible for the club’s Champions League semi-final against Ajax.

Janssen, of course, enjoyed an excellent scoring record when in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar, prior to his move to White Hart Lane.

He scored 32 goals in 49 outings for the club prior to a £17million transfer to Spurs, which has not quite gone as he would have hoped.

Prior to two substitute appearances, against Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United, Janssen last played for the club in 2017, when he made a minute-long cameo in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.

But fans have been disappointed by the news that he will not be able to play against the Eredivisie giants this week, such is his experience of playing against such sides.

Fernando Llorente is instead poised to lead the line, with Harry Kane injured and Son Heung-Min suspended for the first leg.

Take a look at the best of the reaction to the 24-year-old’s absence below!

Tottenham fans want to sign Ruben Neves after he helps down Arsenal

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Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves shone and scored a brilliant free-kick in his side’s 3-1 win against Arsenal at Molineux on Wednesday night, and his display didn’t go unnoticed by Tottenham Hotspur fans who are keen for their club to sign him.

The 22-year-old was one of Wolves’ biggest stars in the Championship last term and he has brought that form into the Premier League during the current campaign, scoring four goals and providing a further two assists in 32 top-flight outings.

His stunning set-piece against the Gunners was particularly impressive and proves the quality he has in his locker when it comes to taking free-kicks, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Spurs supporters who were clearly watching on as their arch-rivals suffered a defeat in the exciting race for a top-four finish.

Should Neves end up arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium he would likely be competing with the likes of Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Christian Eriksen – if he stays – for a spot in the starting XI.

Speaking about the Portuguese’s latest performance, one Spurs fan said it’s “my dream” to see him play for his team, while another said “get him in a Spurs shirt”.

Relive all the drama of Man City v Spurs through the eyes Spurs’ fans in the video below…

Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy may well choose to make waves in the summer transfer window following two without any additions, but it remains to be seen whether they would be interested in Neves.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

‘Outstanding’ – Sunderland fans drooling over uncapped star

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Sunderland fans have been left drooling over the performance of Jimmy Dunne.

The Black Cats beat Doncaster Rovers 2-0 on Friday, moving to within two points of Barnsley in second-place, with Dunne playing at centre-back.

Dunne even provided an assist in the victory, which has left the Black Cats in a fine position to win promotion to the Championship this season.

Sunderland are now third, two points behind Barnsley, but they have a game in hand on the second-placed Tykes.

Dunne, just 21, has won two caps for the Republic of Ireland Under-21s and joined the club on loan from Burnley in January.

Since then, he has played 11 times in League One and has never been on the losing side, even scoring in the 1-1 draw with Oxford United in February.

And fans were in awe of his no-nonsense display on Friday as the Black Cats edge closer to the second-tier.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

How embarrassing: Liverpool fans mock Man City’s flat title celebrations

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to mock Manchester City’s title celebrations, and it must be said that they were pretty flat considering the weight of their achievement.

The Cityzens secured their second successive Premier League title with a 4-1 victory over Brighton on the final day, much to Liverpool’s dismay – the Reds finished just one point behind City.

Has Salamon Rondon had a better season than Bobby Firmino? Matt from The Magpie Channel discusses in the video below…

Surely recording back-to-back titles would be a good enough reason for you and your teammates to go absolutely crazy, right?

Well, if you’re going off City’s title celebrations, the atmosphere was more like they’d won their Sunday League instead of one of the hardest competitions in Europe; in fact, that would be harsh on Sunday League teams.

And where’s the music? The unenthusiastic chanting from the supporters, the players not looking like they know what to do with themselves, just the quietness in general; City’s title celebrations were strangely muted.

Given how desperate they were to secure a maiden Premier League crown themselves, the Liverpool supporters on Twitter have mocked City for their drab title celebrations…

Arsenal: Unai Emery’s lack of identity has damaged club’s season

Was it a 4-4-2? A 4-2-3-1? A 4-3-3? Whatever it was, it cost Arsenal dearly.

The Gunners 3-0 defeat to Leicester City was yet another slip up in what has been one of the worst weeks in the Premier League for Arsenal, who have lost three times, shipped nine goals, and almost handed 4th place to Chelsea in the race for Champions League football.

Although it’s easy to point figures at the players, who have looked disinterested and lazy in the past three games, manager Unai Emery deserves some criticism for this recent run of poor results, and the Spaniard’s constant tinkering of the Arsenal team has some part to play in the latest embarrassing episode for the Gunners.

In the entire Arsenal squad, no player is yet to start 30 times in the Premier League this season, a worrying stat brought up by Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott in the aftermath of the Gunners defeat to the Foxes.

Although you can put down Arsenal’s run in the Europa League as the main reason for this oddity, the constant changing of formation and swapping in and out players has made the Gunners lack the cohesion needed to execute a top-four finish in the league.

Had it not been for everyone else in the race for Champions League football stumbling as bad as Arsenal, the Gunners would be dead and buried, but Emery has a chance to still reclaim top-four for the club, and this time go for it with a set formation with a set group of players to play with that the Spaniard can build upon for next season.

Arsenal fans, what formation should the Gunners stick with for next season? Let us know!

Luton Town: From eight points clear to at risk of play-off finish, how have we ended up here?

At the start of April, Luton Town had increased their unbeaten run in the league to 28 games and stood eight points clear of second place Barnsley, fast forward to now, and things can’t be any more different.

Nearly three weeks on from the Hatters 2-2 draw with Blackpool, Luton have played four more times, lost twice, and only picked up four points whilst their rivals in the league have massively closed the gap in the league table so that Barnsley are level on points and that Portsmouth are now only four points behind the League One leaders with a game in hand.

With one match left to go in the league, a win against Oxford United is an absolute must for Luton, who could potentially finish in the play-offs if they fail to win and both Barnsley and Portsmouth pick up three points in their final matches.

How did it go so wrong for Luton so quickly in the most crucial part of the season?

It’s been a mix of things for the Hatters as to why they unpredictably head into their final game of the season needing a win to claim the title. The prospect of promotion has clearly got to the heads of some of the players, and it has affected their form on the pitch.

The likes of Andrew Shinnie and Kazenga LuaLua have been underwhelming since the draw against Blackpool, and Mick Harford’s overthinking of tactics have cost the team points in recent weeks.

Teams around the league leaders hitting form at the right time has also majorly altered the table and ultimately damaged the Hatters promotion hopes, with the likes of Barnsley, Portsmouth and Sunderland all performing well and getting wins to see their points tally catch up to Luton.

Promotion to the Championship is still in Luton’s hands, but the team and manager know that one more slip up is not an option if they want to achieve back-to-back promotions.

Luton fans, can the Hatters seal promotion on the final day? Let us know!

خاص | الزمالك يُطالب لاعبه المُعار بالعودة للتدريبات غدًا

حسم مسؤولو الزمالك مصير أحد لاعبي الفريق المعارين، بشأن عودته للفارس الأبيض، في الموسم المقبل.

تنتهي إعارة محمد أشرف روقة مع طلائع الجيش، بانتهاء الموسم الجاري، الذي أسدل الستار عليه بتتويج الأهلي بلقب الدوري المصري للمرة 42 في تاريخه، فيما لا تزال مُنافسات بطولة كأس مصر مُستمرة.

أقرأ ايضًا.. بعد تصريحه المثير للجدل.. الزمالك يستقر على عودة “روقة” في الموسم الجديد

وعلم “بطولات” أن إدارة الزمالك تواصلت مع محمد أشرف روقة، وطلبت منه العودة لصفوف الأبيض بعد انتهاء إعارته لنادي طلائع الجيش.

ومن المقرر أن ينتظم محمد أشرف روقة في تدريبات الزمالك بداية من غد الإثنين، وذلك بناءً على طلب إدارة القلعة البيضاء.

Chris Wilder needs to reignite another player’s career as Blades chase Jota

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Recent reports have linked Sheffield United with a move for Birmingham City midfielder Jota Peleteiro.

The Spaniard has been out of sorts for a couple of seasons now, but there may not be a better place for him to recapture his best form which saw him gain many admirers during his time at Brentford.

The silky dribbler has only scored three goals this term, but his 11 assists show more of what he is capable of.

His strike tally from his time at Birmingham isn’t representative of what the 27-year-old is capable of. During his time at Brentford, he hit double figures in terms of goals in two separate campaigns, and there is no reason he can’t recapture that form at Bramall Lane.

The technician’s poor returns since his move to St Andrew’s has been attributed to his move to the right side of midfield. The consensus has been that Peleteiro is wasted out on the flank as during the most effective periods of his career he was playing through the middle.

In Chris Wilder’s 5-2-1-2 system, Jota would be able to return to the position in which he thrives most.

He would step into Mark Duffy’s current spot excellently and with the attacking style that the Blades play he would be able to recapture the type of form which saw him hit 12 goals in a Championship season.

Sheffield United’s current situation is not too dissimilar to Brentford’s when Jota was there. They will be outmatched in terms of personnel in most games, but they will still try to play a brand of stylish and expansive football.

Wilder has also had the golden touch when it comes to resurrecting under-performing players’ careers. David McGoldrick game to the Yorkshire club as a washed up striker who had just been released by Ipswich. He then went on to win their Player of the Year award and scored 15 goals as the Blades were promoted.

If Jota can get the same injection of rejuvenation under the tutelage of the 51-year-old, then the Steel City side may be about to pick up one of the most underrated and underutilised talents in the country.

It’s time for Arsenal to move on from Ozil

It’s been a strange season for Mesut Ozil, hasn’t it? The German, who on his day is sublime, has been in and out of the Arsenal team, and with just 2 Premier League assists, it’s clear that he’s a player that is not at peak performance. 

It’s no surprise, then, that the attacker’s future is uncertain. He was recently asked about that very topic by Sky Sports, and he’s confirmed that he wants to stay.

As per Sky Sports, asked whether he wants to stay, he said: “Absolutely. I’ve got two more years on my contract. I don’t know after that but I’ve got two years left…[There are] No [issues with Emery]. Definitely not. There’s always speculation, everyone inside knew that our situation is positive.”

Clearly, then, on Ozil’s end, everything is fine, and his future at the Emirates is still safe. However, from the outside, it seems obvious that it’s time for the German to move on.

After all, as mentioned, statistically, he just hasn’t been good enough this term. A return of 5 goals and 2 assists is below par, and you’d expect much better from a player that has done so much good in the game. He’s not finding the passes, he’s not seeing the runs, and he’s just not offering enough moving forward.

Beyond that, it’s also worth considering that he’s 30-years-old. He’s arguably towards the end of his peak, and he is not getting any better. He’s only getting worse, and it’s clear that over the last two years, there’s been some real regression with regards to the German’s quality.

The truth is that, under Unai Emery, Arsenal are moving forward. Aaron Ramsey is on course for the exit, and with his departure, the Gunners are already moving into a new era. Selling Ozil would push them closer to where they need to be.

Arsenal fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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