All posts by h716a5.icu

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed that Rhian Brewster would be part of the Liverpool squad to take on Barcelona this evening at Anfield in the Champions League semi-final.

The teenager has been out of action for around 14 months after having surgery on both his knee and ankle, in what has been a tough spell for a precocious youngster who had just won the World Cup with England’s Under-17 side before injury struck – he also picked up the Golden Ball in the tournament.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…

Speaking ahead of the tie, and when quizzed on Brewster, Jurgen Klopp responded sharply, saying: “He’s ready.”

The 19-year-old has never made an appearance for the senior side at Anfield, despite starring in the youth ranks for a few years now.

It would be a huge call from Klopp to hand Brewster his debut against the Spanish champions in such a huge game, but judging by their reactions on Twitter, loads of Liverpool fans want the former Borussia Dortmund manager to play him…

Sometimes we have the displeasure of watching truly abysmal talents desecrate our beloved teams, and Grzegorz Rasiak was one such misfortune for Tottenham Hotspur fans.

“Rasiak is a tall target man, a hardworking, honest player with a good goal scoring record,” Martin Jol said (as per the club’s official website) in 2005. “He scored 45 goals in 103 games. He is a regular in the Polish international side which leads qualifying Group 6 just above England and he scored two against Israel in their recent 3-2 victory.”

Ah, Martin. What a calamitous misjudgement this was. Yes, Rasiak had been fairly decent with Derby County in the Championship but why on earth would that then mean he can become a good Premier League striker? Remember, this the team that would accumulate the lowest points tally in top flight history (11) just two years later. They were genuinely tripe.

Although he was touted as an aerial threat by Martin Jol when he joined, Rasiak seemed permanently stuck to the ground, maybe he was afraid of heights? His size and physical stature were not exactly conducive to speed and manoeuvrability, either. Which meant Spurs were essentially stuck with Big Ben up top, and their only hope of scoring via the Poland international was to boot it at him and pray they caught him at the correct angle (needless to say, this did not work).

The fact that signing the Poland star could have been easily avoided had Jol not been so impulsive on transfer deadline day makes the whole ordeal so much worse. Indeed, a matter of hours was the difference between safety and fans burning out their eyes with the toxic fumes created by the metaphorical brown mess Rasiak left in his wake.

Indeed, when we reflect on his admittedly pathetic eight Premier League appearances in a Spurs shirt, it becomes abundantly clear why Rasiak is the default answer for most people constructing a “worst ever Spurs XI” list.

Spurs fans, why do you think Rasiak was so utterly rubbish? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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According to the Scottish Daily Mail, Celtic are exploring a potential summer move for Bournemouth striker Lys Mousset, but is a move that would surely disappoint new boy Maryan Shved.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Scottish Daily Mail report that the Glasgow giants are keen to bring the former France U21 international north of the border, although they are reluctant to pay the £10m fee the Cherries would demand for the attacker.

The Scottish Dail Mail says that the Bhoys would prefer a players-plus-cash deal instead, as they are reluctant to break their transfer record on the 23-year-old.

According to Transfermarkt, Mousset has scored five goals in 71 appearances for the south coast outfit following a move from Le Havre in 2016, albeit the majority of those outings have come from the substitutes’ bench.

Shved will be disappointed

The 21-year-old has finally linked up with the Celtic squad this week following his move during the January transfer window, and he will be keen to hit the ground running next term.

Controversial. Uncompromising. Leader. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith talks the future of Celtic’s evergreen captain Scott Brown in the video below…

The winger has proven during his time with FC Karpaty that he is a goalscoring wide man, but he will surely want to boost his assists tally at Parkhead – he only provided four in 26 appearances in all competitions this season.

The Ukraine international will be expected to do a lot more in that regard if he is a regular starter on the flank for the Scottish Premiership holders, and he will be able to with the right striker/s in the box to feed.

Yes, the majority of Mousset’s outings for Bournemouth have come from the bench, but his record is far from impressive and doesn’t indicate that he is a regular goalscorer.

If Shved is creating chances he will want a centre-forward that he can rely on to put the ball in the back of the net, and the Frenchman simply doesn’t fit the bill.

[ad_pod ]6-0.The biggest margin of victory in an FA Cup final since Bury beat Derby by the same scoreline in 1903.Not only that, but in recording such a result over Watford, Manchester City became the first English team to achieve a domestic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.A great way to round off what has been a phenomenal, record-breaking campaign, right Pep?Oh, it appears not.Are Man City better than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’? Fans discuss in the video below…Despite the win, Pep Guardiola was seen having a heated debate with two-goal hero Raheem Sterling, who almost netted a hat-trick on the day.

You would think that, after a season in which the England international hit 25 goals and recorded 18 assists, his manager would allow him to celebrate the FA Cup final win in peace, but no.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was passionately instructing the 24-year-old on what he could’ve done better in the game, revealing in his post-match interview that he felt Sterling lost a lot of ‘easy balls’ and said that he did not play well in the first half.

This attention to detail and insistence on getting 100% from his players is why the Spaniard has been so successful wherever he has gone, and it is definitely a huge factor in Sterling’s rise to becoming one of Europe’s best forwards.

We’ve seen Guardiola do this before.

After the Manchester derby win last month, Guardiola confronted Sterling to warn him against showboating, despite the impressive victory that edged his side closer to the title.

We’ve also seen him do it to German international Joshua Kimmich whilst at Bayern, and also to a player on the opposing team in Nathan Redmond when Southampton took on City in the 2017/18 campaign.

Guardiola is an obsessive man hell-bent on his players getting every detail right, and you get the feeling that he certainly won’t let them rest on their laurels over the summer as he prepares them for next season.

"I like the Premier League. It's easier to play there than in Italy, where there is little space,” were the unfathomable words that dribbled out of the mouth of Manchester City mega flop Stevan Jovetic, who has since crumbled into obscurity.

Goodness. Gracious. Me. We’ve come across some truly questionable things in our time but this one just about takes the biscuit as the most bizarre, inconceivable, unsubstantiated load of tosh (insert any expletive you see fit) we've ever had the misfortune of laying our eyes upon.

Once touted as the next big thing to burst onto the scene, the Montenegro international failed miserably to reach the heights that were expected of him. There were pockets of truly special moments, we admit, but these episodes were generally marred by extended periods on the sideline which would subsequently thrust him into temporary spells of absolute anonymity amongst fans.

Finally, after two painful years of hot and cold performances in Manchester, Jovetic made his return to Italy, Inter Milan the suitors.

Despite his outlandish statement, in which he also claimed Manuel Pellegrini didn’t use him properly (always someone else’s fault), Jovetic would continue to flop in his new surroundings, managing just seven goals in 33 games. According to him though, this will have been because he was playing in a more challenging competition.

Not sure we’re buying it.

Nor were I Nerazzurri who disposed of him two years later first to Sevilla on a temporary deal, before Monaco eventually secured his services in the summer of 2017.

Admittedly the forward's record is looking a little sharper in France and Ligue 1, having netted 12 times in 31 all competitions.

However, we'd have to argue that, with Monaco struggling to replicate their previous success – which has seen them spend long periods of time flirting with relegation, in what is one of the least regarded competitions in European football – his efforts, though improved, are somewhat insignificant. A bit like him really.

After all, until now, when was the last time you heard anything about Steven Jovetic?

Manchester City fans, what are your standout memories of Jovetic? Let us know in the comments section below…

Having steered Sheffield Wednesday to a 12th place finish in the Championship after joining the club in February, Steve Bruce will be hoping that he can launch a sustained bid for promotion next season.

However, any potential success will depend largely on the 58-year-old’s recruitment in the upcoming transfer market.

Whereas signing a number of quality players will give the Owls the boost needed to push on over the next 12 months, by making mistakes this summer, they could be setting themselves up for disaster.

Therefore, with this in mind, it is imperative that Bruce reconsiders his stance on one of Wednesday’s targets.

According to Football Insider, the former Aston Villa boss is reportedly in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over the permanent signing of Josh Onomah.

If this indeed true, Bruce simply has to backtrack as the midfielder’s performances in the 2018/19 campaign left a lot to be desired.

Although he did show glimmers of what he is capable of against the likes of Bristol City and West Bromwich Albion, a woeful lack of consistency resulted in him failing to live up to what was expected of him when he initially arrived last year.

Furthermore, the fact that the £2.7m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) missed 17 games due to a number of different injury issues suggest that by bringing him in, the Owls would be taking an almighty risk which could quite easily backfire if he cannot stay fit.

With an abundance of players who are as good as, if not better than Onomah expected to be available this summer, it could be argued that Wednesday may benefit from being patient rather than wasting their money on the England under-21 international.

What do you think Owls fans? Would you welcome a move for Onomah when the transfer window opens in July? Or should your side avoid the midfielder at all costs given his injury issues in recent months? Get in touch below.

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According to the Telegraph, Liverpool are set to reward James Milner and Joel Matip with new contracts after their excellent efforts in the 2018/19 season – climaxing with a Champions League final win on Saturday.

Both men arrived at the club on free transfers, with Matip signing after leaving Schalke and Milner swapping Manchester City for Merseyside, and after featuring in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham both have proved fantastic pieces of business.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

Matip, a Cameroon international, has starred alongside Virgil van Dijk in the second half of the campaign, whilst 33-year-old Milner’s energy and versatility has been a major asset for Jurgen Klopp; the former England man has filled in at both left-back and right-back as well as his preferred role of central midfield.

So, are Liverpool right to line up new contracts for the pair or should they be looking to replace them when their current deals expire? Football FanCast’s writers have their say below…

Matt Dawson

“Liverpool are absolutely right to hand new deals to Matip and Milner. The former hadn’t particularly set the world alight until Joe Gomez’s injury gave him an extended run in the side. Since then he’s been fantastic and more than warrants a new contract. As for Milner, there aren’t too many better professionals in the game. Giving him new terms is a no brainer, such is his ability to play in a variety of positions.”

Harry Sherlock

“This is a prime example of sentiment getting in the way of actual progress. Both players have played important roles this season and their Premier League title challenge but neither, really, are good enough. Matip can absolutely be upgraded in defence and he absolutely should be. Milner, meanwhile, is a jack of all trades and there has to be a younger, better alternative. Bin them both off.”

Luke Glanville

“Liverpool should definitely offer Milner and Matip new deals. They would be stupid not to. The former is still contributing heavily to the team in multiple positions despite being 33 – he is an essential part of the Anfield fabric. And the latter is the only Reds centre-back to have looked anything like the much-needed fellow world-class partner to Virgil van Dijk, as Gomez struggles with injuries.”

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Granit Xhaka is hardly the best player in the world, and whilst he’s proven to be quite good at times at the Emirates, his inconsistencies have made him a figure that a lot of Arsenal fans struggle to get behind. His recent comments haven’t helped either, as in an interview with Blick he claimed that he would be “incredibly proud” to wear the armband in north London.

As mentioned in the Blick interview, Unai Emery had chosen a group of possible captains that contained Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Petr Cech and Mesut Ozil.

With Cech and Ramsey retiring and leaving respectively whilst Koscielny and Ozil’s futures are uncertain, the onus may indeed fall on the Swiss international, who made a calamitous error for his country on Wednesday.

The Gunners faithful would presumably be happy to see their French centre-half Koscielny stay on as their official club captain, yet if he is to leave, it looks like Xhaka will take up that mantle, and the fans are really not best pleased about that.

You can find some of the best comments and reactions down below…

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Rangers are closing in on a deal for Liverpool winger Ryan Kent, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the story?

The paper reckon that the Gers are ‘close to’ securing a loan deal for the player that would see him move to Ibrox from Anfield for the second successive season.

The report states that Rangers are confident of getting the deal over the line despite interest from elsewhere and that he could arrive alongside fellow Reds teammate Sheyi Ojo.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

With website Football Insider reporting at the weekend that more than ten clubs were keen on his signature, bringing him back to Glasgow would be a real coup for the recruitment team at Ibrox and would certainly delight supporters ahead of the new season.

Massive summer

As Rangers prepare to try and stop Celtic sweeping the board in terms of trophies next season, they first have to contend with massive UEFA Europa League qualifiers before even thinking about the new Scottish Premiership campaign.

Getting a competitive squad together for that process is absolutely critical and there’s no doubt Kent can be a difference maker in that regard.

If Rangers can somehow deliver the winger early in the summer it’ll be a massive boost to the squad, the fans and ultimately the momentum that the club carry into the next few months.

Kent was one of the team’s best players in Europe last season before he got injured, particularly shining at home to Rapid Vienna in the group stages of the Europa League.

Rangers fans must be crossing all their fingers and toes that the 22-year-old will be unveiled sooner rather than later.

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And now it’s official – Kyle Walker has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City and will be playing for the Citizens until at least 2021, the official club website has confirmed.

The 29-year-old defender has already taken to

/By5q5GJhbOa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to pay tribute to this huge deal coming through and was met with a lot of positive feedback from his teammates, friends and other celebrities alike.

This contract renewal is very much a reward for a rather successful season. Walker has been an integral part of the squad that conquered England with a domestic treble, defending the Premier League title in the process. His teammates and rivals have all congratulated the man for this huge business.

The right-back has contributed with a goal and an assist throughout the domestic campaign but his contribution went above just the goal/ assist tally.

This contract means that Walker will be a Citizen until he is at least 31 years old, which shows the club have full faith in their defender.