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League Cup final: Rio Ferdinand makes bold prediction about Man City vs Tottenham
Manchester City are still in contention to win a historic quadruple this season. Pep Guardiola’s side are leading the Premier League table by a large margin, and it’s their title to lose. City are also in the final of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Tottenham Hotspur next month. They have also progressed to the semi-finals of the FA Cup after defeating Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday. City are also in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they will be up against Borussia Dortmund in the two-legged tie. Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United defender and popular football pundit, was asked to comment on City’s dominance this season yesterday after the FA Cup victory. He was asked on BT Sport whether there is any reason why City can’t win the quadruple this sea...
‘Maybe a will from his side’: David Ornstein delivers transfer verdict on Tottenham man
David Ornstein of The Athletic has told Sky Sports that he doesn’t think Harry Kane will leave Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window. Several pundits like Peter Crouch have claimed that Kane could leave the club in the summer if Tottenham fail to clinch a top-four spot in the Premier League, suggesting that the England striker may not want to stay around and play in the Europa League. Ornstein has claimed that Kane, who is a talisman figure at the club, has said publicly that he wants to win trophies. At the same time, he doesn’t want to tarnish his reputation by agitating for a move. Kane has a contract at the club until 2024, and Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy will not even consider an offer below £120 million. The Times reported yesterday that Levy would demand a fee in the ...
‘The numbers can’t be wild’: Phil Hay makes exciting Leeds summer transfer claim
Phil Hay of The Athletic, who is arguably the best journalist around covering Leeds United, has made an exciting transfer claim and the Whites fans will love it. Leeds have done really well in their first season in the Premier League after getting promoted, and they are aiming to get into the top half of the table. Marcelo Bielsa is respected by everyone at Leeds, and club owner Andrea Radrizzani makes sure that the Argentine boss receives adequate support to build his squad. Leeds made some eye-catching transfers in the summer with the club signing players like Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Rodrigo and Raphinha. Radrizzani claimed last summer that he plans to make Leeds a powerhouse in the Premier League, but he wants to take a cautious approach. Leeds are expected to invest again in the su...
‘Enough is enough’: Abused star is right – football must do more to tackle racism
‘Enough is enough’. Glen Kamara’s impassioned statement about the racist abuse he received during Rangers’ Europa League tie against Slavia Prague at Ibrox had a familiar feel to it. For starters, note that we didn’t use the phrase ‘alleged racist abuse’ in that opening sentence. Let no-one be in any doubt here. Slavia’s Ondrej Kudela did not cover his mouth to say, ‘you’re a f****** guy’. As excuses go, it’s probably on a par with Johnny Cochrane’s infamous glove-related ‘if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit’ defence of OJ Simpson during the 1990s. The fact that Kupela cupped his mouth, coupled with Kamara’s incredulous reaction, tells you everything you need to know. The question now is what happens next? Football has been littered with instances of this nature for far too long now. Unfort...
Euro club reportedly keen for 24-year-old Liverpool player this summer
Serie A giants Napoli are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas in the summer. The 24-year-old joined Liverpool last summer from Olympiakos for a reported £11.8 million fee. The Greece international has struggled badly in his first season at the club, managing just one substitute appearance in the Premier League and clocking five minutes of action. It is fair to say that things haven’t gone according to plan for him, although he missed several games through injury and coronavirus. Although he has made four appearances in the Champions League, his Liverpool career hasn’t taken off yet. According to reports from Il Napoli Online, Napoli are likely to revive their interest in the defender, and they feel they could tempt him with a regular gam...
Leicester City keen on beating Arsenal to signing of 24-year-old Premier League star
Leicester City are set to compete with Arsenal in the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma this summer, The Mirror reports. The Mali international is currently in his third season with the Seagulls and has developed into one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League. The 24-year-old has managed more tackles than any other midfielder in the top-flight, and he has also impressed with his range of distribution. The Gunners are reportedly admirers of the midfielder, and they have already made contact with the player’s representative over a possible transfer. They have a good chance of signing with Bissouma being a boyhood fan of the club, but Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers hopes to lure him with Champions League football. The Midlands outfit are currently th...
Joan Laporta lands his first Barcelona signing, £31.5m star reportedly agrees contract terms
Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum looks set to join Barcelona this summer after agreeing a pre-contract deal with the Catalan giants, The Times reports. The Netherlands international has been with the Reds for the past four-and-a-half seasons, where he has accumulated 22 goals and 16 assists from 228 appearances. He has featured in every league game for the reigning champions this term, but it appears that he will leave them on a free transfer in a few months. His current deal expires at the end of June, and it is reported that the Dutchman has finally agreed to a pre-contract to join the Blaugrana this summer. Sportslens view: Jurgen Klopp’s side have been unsuccessful in renewing Wijnaldum’s deal, and the midfielder recently said that he would be ‘devastated‘ to leave the Reds. De...
‘Should be nowhere near our starting 11’ – Some NUFC fans tear into 29-yr-old after Brighton defeat
Newcastle United crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Brighton in the Premier League last night. Steve Bruce’s side came into the game needing a win but they failed to turn up. The Magpies were comprehensively beaten and the fans will be thoroughly disappointed with the lack of desire and fight shown by the players. There were several disappointing performances across the pitch but Jonjo Shelvey in particular was abysmal for the visitors. The 29-year-old Newcastle midfielder failed to create any meaningful chances for his side and he kept losing the ball and that put his teammates under pressure. Furthermore, his lack of work-rate hurt Newcastle defensively and the midfielder simply seemed disinterested throughout the 90 minutes. Despite his immense ability, Shelvey has failed to produce consis...
Former PL ace reckons 25-yr-old will ‘be looking to leave Liverpool in the summer’
Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor reckons that Ben Davies could leave Liverpool in the summer and Scottish giants Celtic will be monitoring this situation. According to the former Villa striker, Liverpool’s decision to sign the 25-year-old centre back seems strange because they have not given him the opportunity to showcase his talent with the first team so far. Agbonlahor said to Football Insider: “It’s just a strange situation. To be brought in and basically have your career put on hold. You’re not playing or even being brought on. It’s very strange from Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. “If he wasn’t good enough, why buy him? “It’s a very, very strange transfer and I’m sure he’ll be looking to leave Liverpool in the summer and go somewhere where he can play week in, w...
Spurs predicted XI: Mourinho to make seven changes; 24-year-old set to return
After back to back defeats, Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to get back to winning ways when they face Aston Villa in the Premier League clash on Sunday at Villa Park. Jose Mourinho will be looking to pick players that he can trust as Spurs should fight tooth and nail to get back into the top-four. Spurs lost 3-0 against Dinamo Zagreb in the midweek and got crushed out of the Europa League knock-out stages. Mourinho will definitely look to make some changes, and as many as seven players could be dropped. In defence, Toby Alderweireld and Sergio Reguilon are certain to start in place of Eric Dier and Ben Davies. Both Serge Aurier and Matt Doherty have been disappointing in recent games, and Mourinho must look to give Japhet Tanganga a rare start. In midfield, both Harry Winks and Moussa S...
Aston Villa chiefs are not pleased with Smith’s transfer decision regarding 24-cap Int’l
Aston Villa Chiefs are thought to be unhappy with Dean Smith’s which decision to send Conor Hourihane out on loan to Swansea City during the January transfer window as per Football Insider. Villa are currently struggling with creativity because of Jack Grealish’s injury and Hourihane could have been a useful option for them right now. Apart from scoring goals, the 24-cap Republic of Ireland international is excellent with his set-piece delivery and he could have been a handy player for Villa. Perhaps keeping Hourihane for the remainder of the season as a squad option would have been a wise move. The Premier League side signed Morgan Sanson from Marseille for a fee of around £14 million after loaning Hourihane out to Swansea and the Frenchman is still adapting to his new team and the n...
‘Good news’, ‘get it done’: Some Liverpool fans react to latest update from Fabrizio Romano
Popular journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Liverpool are preparing to offer Fabinho a new contract soon. The Brazilian midfielder, who joined the Reds in 2018 for a reported fee of £43.7 million from Monaco, has been excellent under Jurgen Klopp. The 27-year-old is a world-class central defensive midfielder, but he has played mostly as a centre-back this season in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. He has been equally brilliant at the back, displaying his versatility and importance to the side. However, in recent weeks, Ozan Kabak and Natt Phillips have forged a strong centre-back partnership that has allowed Fabinho to play in his normal position. His impressive form has been crucial for the Reds this season, and the club are now lo...
