Rangers fans are not happy with Charlton manager Lee Bowyer after his outspoken comments on Joe Aribo’s move to Ibrox.
As reported by The Daily Record, Bowyer was highly critical of Aribo after rejecting the chance to stay on in the English Championship and move to Steven Gerrard’s side in Glasgow.
Aribo has still not been officially unveiled as a Rangers player, but with Gerrard already waxing lyrical about the impact he can make at Ibrox next season then it’s clear he is on his way.
The fans in the video below had some very strong words for Michel Platini who was detained over alleged corruption this week…
As quoted by The Record, the Charlton boss said of the situation:
“It doesn’t make sense on the football side. When people from England go and play for Celtic and Rangers it is at the end of their careers. That’s because it is very rare you get a move from Rangers to the Premier League, and I don’t mean any disrespect by that.
“They might go from Rangers to the Championship, very rarely is it to the Premier League. For me he should stay in England and keep progressing. The move should benefit Joe.”
The move to Scotland is also less beneficial for the London club than if he moved to an English side due to cross-border compensation rules. The paper say that Aribo will move north for a fee of just £300,000.
It’s fair to say the comments haven’t gone down well with Rangers supporters, some of whom feel they have a touch of sour grapes about them and others believing he is inaccurate about players’ lack of development at Ibrox.
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These fans have taken to Twitter over the last 48 hours to share their thoughts…
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has broken the habit of a career by sending Leeds United academy product Jack Clarke back to Yorkshire on loan.
The winger became the club’s first signing in over a year on Tuesday after Spurs agreed a reported fee of £10m with Leeds United.
He has signed a contract until 2023 but will immediately return to the Championship club on loan for the duration of the 2019/20 campaign, as the Whites once again attempt to win promotion to the Premier League.
Yet this feels out of character for Pochettino.
Indeed, it must be noted that Marcelo Bielsa, a coach revered by Pochettino, manages Leeds; the pair have a storied connection. A fabled tale goes that before Bielsa signed Pochettino at Newell’s Old Boys when the Spurs boss was 13, he asked to see his legs while he was sleeping, to see if he was likely to be good enough to play for the club. He thought they were and signed him.
And yet, loans are not often utilised by Spurs. The likes of Oliver Skipp, Kyle Walker-Peters and Harry Winks could all have gone out on loan in recent seasons, as could Juan Foyth, with all four players having played through periods when they were deemed good enough to be around the first-team but not quite at the point of featuring regularly.
At most top clubs, that is when a loan is arranged, and the player will join either a mid-table Premier League club or a Championship side, as they look to gain minutes and experience – Derby’s decision to loan Liverpool’s Harry Wilson and Chelsea’s Mason Mount last season attests to that.
At Spurs, though, it’s more a case of loans being for those players who will eventually be discarded, when there isn’t actually a buyer to be found.
Look at the list of players who spent the 2018/19 season out on loan: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Samuel Shashoua, Marcus Edwards, Connor Ogilvie, Joshua Onomah, Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, Anthony Georgiou, Shayon Harrison, Kazaiah Sterling and Tom Glover.
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Ogilvie has already been allowed to join Gillingham permanently, while Glover has been released. Carter-Vickers is 21 and has played four times for the club at centre-back; Shashoua is 20 and has never had a sniff of the first-team; Edwards is talented but his attitude has been questioned; Onomah has already been tipped to join Sheffield Wednesday permanently; N’Koudou does not have the required ability to play for the club; Georgiou, Harrison and Sterling are all 20 or over and have played a combined 18 minutes at the top level.
That Clarke is going out on loan, then, is a ceding of control from Pochettino.
He usually nurtures the young players who are coming through, slowly exposing them to first-team action before eventually being able to bed them in when they are ready.
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Perhaps he does not deem Clarke to be in the same category as the likes of Skipp or Walker-Peters yet; perhaps this deal was merely done to get a jump on the competition and ensure that a talented player is on the books at Spurs before he becomes a star in the Championship.
That, of course, is the hope for him next season, that he can thrive at Elland Road and return to Spurs ready to make a breakthrough.
Pochettino has broken his habit with this deal. He had better hope it pays off.
Liverpool fans have expressed their delight at being linked with Sporting Lisbon attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes by Sport Mediaset journalist Pietro Balzano Prota.
The reporter claims that Manchester United had expressed an interest in signing Fernandes and were actually close to doing so.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s European champions are said to have entered the race, with the Portugal international keen to move to the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur have also previously been credited with an interest, with a Telegraph report claiming that they even entered into talks with his agent over a possible transfer.
And Reds fans have been left giddy at the prospect of both securing a major summer signing and beating bitter rivals United to the punch.
Fernandes enjoyed an outstanding 2018/19 season, scoring 32 goals in all competitions and laying on 18 assists from an attacking midfield position.
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West Ham United striker Javier Hernandez wants to return to Spain this summer, per Marca.
What’s the word?
The Mexico international scored eight goals in 28 appearances in all competitions in 2018-19.
But Football FanCast understands that he has been placed up for sale this summer, with Manuel Pellegrini looking to conduct an overhaul of his forward options.
And Marca now claim that Chicharito, who spent the 2014-15 season on loan at Real Madrid, is now hoping to move back to La Liga.
Valencia, FFC understands, were interested in securing Hernandez’s signature in January but were unable to reach an agreement with the Hammers or the player.
Marca report that his wages, which total €4million-per-year, are a major stumbling block to any move, with most La Liga clubs unable to pay such a sum.
Another forcing a move
Hernandez will find first-team options even harder to come by next season.
The Irons are hopeful of signing a striker this summer, with Aleksandar Mitrovic at Fulham a major target. Salomon Rondon, the West Brom striker with a £16.5m release clause, has also been linked.
It is perhaps little surprise, then, that he is following in the footsteps of Marko Arnautovic by actively seeking a move; the Austria international tried to seal a move to China in January but ended up signing a new contract.
But he will have to ensure that he lowers his expectations for a move to come off.
Hernandez could not agree a move to Valencia in January despite discussing terms.
He needs to ensure that he adds a little humility to his demands for the transfer to happen.
Manchester City fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Sun revealed that the midfielder could be moving to Qatar, as a lucrative offer has reportedly been handed to him.
The Spaniard has reportedly been tempted by a two-year deal worth a whopping £12m tax-free, which he is said to be mulling over whilst City try to line up £40m-rated Youri Tielemans as his replacement.
Losing 6-0 was only told half the story for Watford fans in the FA Cup final. Check out the video below to find out why…
Silva, now 33, revealed last year that he has a desire to return to his homeland of Gran Canaria with Las Palmas so his son can experience the same upbringing he had; given the child’s premature birth last year, it wouldn’t seem likely that Silva would want to take his son to Qatar for two years as some fans have suggested below.
The Citizens have already said goodbye to one cult hero in Vincent Kompany this summer, and it would be heartbreaking for City supporters if they had to let another go at the same time.
Let’s see what the supporters of the Premier League champions have been saying on Twitter…
Ajax attacker Hakim Ziyech continued his and his side’s remarkable season with an impressive display and assist in the 1-0 Champions League semi-final first leg win against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night, and his display didn’t go unnoticed by Arsenal fans on Twitter.
The Morocco international took his tally of assists to 21 for the campaign after setting up Donny van de Beek for his first-half strike in north London, while he also has 20 goals to his name in 45 appearances in all competitions this term.
The 26-year-old will surely be attracting interest from some of the best clubs across Europe following such an impressive spell for the Eredivisie giants, who have taken a step closer to the Champions League final following Tuesday’s victory.
Meanwhile, it has been another tough season for the Gunners who may well be relying on winning the Europa League to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition next term, given they have suffered three successive Premier League defeats.
A lack of creativity – not helped by Mesut Ozil’s patchy form and struggle for starts – has hardly helped, and it could be an area Unai Emery takes a closer look at in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal supporters were clearly impressed with what they saw from Ziyech against their arch-rivals, believing that the African playmaker could be the ideal replacement for their Germany international.
One individual said “he would be the perfect heir to Mesut Ozil”, while another predicted that “Emery would love him”.
Given his ability and how long he has been around for, it is a surprise that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is only starting to make a real name for himself now.
Better late than never, though, and the 23-year-old will undoubtedly be delighted with how things are currently going after some very difficult moments at Chelsea.
Under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Loftus-Cheek had constantly been overlooked before going out on loan to Crystal Palace, a move that has helped him get to where he is today.
There, when fit, the midfielder got regular minutes on the pitch and really started to strut his stuff.
Be it on the flank, an unfamiliar position for him at the time, or centrally, Loftus-Cheek was able to showcase his full skill set and impact games.
With his sheer power and ability to drive with the ball, the Chelsea academy graduate would often bulldoze past the opposition with ease.
The above were quite clearly qualities Gareth Southgate respected, with the England manager later handing Loftus-Cheek a place in his Three Lions World Cup squad.
Despite missing a chunk of that 2017/18 campaign due to injury, Loftus-Cheek had obviously shown the England boss enough in the appearances he did manage to make.
Fast forward to now, and Loftus-Cheek is a midfielder on the verge of tying down a spot in the starting XI of one of Europe’s elite clubs after helping his country reach a World Cup semi-final.
Since returning to Stamford Bridge, life has not always been easy under Maurizio Sarri, while a recurring back injury has done him no favours.
But for Loftus-Cheek, his future at Chelsea seems bright with that loan spell at Crystal Palace looking like it will go a long way for the England international.
Crystal Palace fans, what are some of your standout memories of Loftus-Cheek’s time at Selhurst Park? Join the discussion by commenting below.
Toby Alderweireld’s departure from Tottenham Hotspur may well fix one of Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest problems at a stroke.
The Belgium international has a £25million release clause in his contract and doubts persist over whether the defender will remain north London beyond the summer.
Indeed, Alderweireld has spent a total of four years in the capital and has emerged as a genuinely world-class centre-back.
But this season he has been at the centre of one of Pochettino’s biggest problems.
The Argentine has continually rotated between a back three and a back four throughout the campaign.
When playing the former, he has partnered Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez with Alderweireld. When using the latter, he has cycled through the three and has occasionally used Juan Foyth too.
It should be no surprise, then, that the uncertainty surrounding the defence has adversely affected the club.
This season, Spurs have conceded 34 goals in the Premier League in 31 games. In 2017-18, Spurs conceded 36 in 38 games. Indeed, they have not kept a clean sheet domestically since February in a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
Since then, Spurs have let in one against Leicester City and Arsenal, as well as two versus Burnley, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool.
Across the club’s last five games, they have played a back three, three times – in the 2-1 losses to Liverpool and Burnley and the 1-1 draw with Arsenal. In those games, Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Sanchez played together twice, but Alderweireld was not involved versus Burnley.
In the two games in which they used a back four, Alderweireld and Sanchez played together against Chelsea but the Belgian was replaced by Vertonghen against Southampton. Alderweireld was not even in the squad that day.
Last season, Spurs utilised a centre-back pairing of Sanchez and Vertonghen because of Alderweireld’s injury-riddled campaign.
The defender missed 23 Premier League games in a row through injury. In that time, Spurs lost just four times.
They beat the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in that time period, and also recorded Champions League wins over Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund without Alderweireld on the pitch. Indeed, he sustained his injury against the Spanish giants and lasted a mere 24 minutes. When he was substituted, the two sides were level at 0-0. Spurs won 3-1.
Football FanCast quizzed Football.London’s Tottenham correspondent, Alasdair Gold, on this very issue.
He said: “Last year, Pochettino may have been weirdly helped, if that’s such a way of describing Toby Alderweireld’s injury, but Alderweireld’s injury meant he had to play Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez. They formed a very solid partnership and they knew what each other were doing and when it went to a back three, it was purely Eric Dier coming back into that back three. It was very settled.
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“This year, he looks like a man who is thinking ‘I have to play Alderweireld, because he’s class’ but it’s now giving him an issue with Sanchez, who Pochettino absolutely adores, so he’s now got a thing of ‘I really want to play a back three but I can’t do it every match’ and it’s messy. You can see it in the goals conceded tally.”
Of course, much of the furore surrounding his future revolves around the asking price. Alderweireld is not a £25m defender; he is worth at least double that in the current transfer market.
And many believe that whichever club triggers the clause and acquires his signature will receive a genuine bargain. That may be true.
But, by the same token, Alderweireld departing will allow Pochettino to properly bed in a central defensive partnership that has already proved its worth in north London.
John Toshack turned out for Liverpool between 1970 and 1978, finding the back of the net on 96 occasions in 247 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.
The former striker actually started his professional career with Cardiff City, turning out for the Welsh side for five years before the move to Liverpool.
Toshack’s playing career then finished at Swansea City, who he represented between 1978 and 1984.
The Welshman has since gone on to coach a number of sides at club and indeed international level, including Real Madrid and Wales.
Toshack last managed Iranian club Tractor Sazi in 2018, but is currently without a job.
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 was actually the former forward’s birthday on Friday, and Liverpool’s official Twitter account was on hand with a special message for the now 70-year-old.
A expected, that led to a number of Liverpool fans revealing their respect for the Welshman, who had an excellent scoring record at all three of his professional clubs.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Loads of Crystal Palace fans have been running the rule over their defeat against Brighton, and they are not at all happy with former fan favourite Patrick van Aanholt.
As has so often been the case at Selhurst Park this season, Palace dominated Saturday’s match against the Seagulls but barely mustered a single clear-cut chance.
Roy Hodgson’s decision to start three workhorses in midfield backfired again, as superb goals from Glenn Murray and Anthony Knockaert gave the visitors all three points.
The gaffer is taking plenty of stick for his team selections at the moment, but one of the biggest problems has come in an area where he doesn’t really have other options to choose from – left-back.
Van Aanholt is a very popular figure in south London thanks to his passion for the club, ability to add goals and assists from defence, blistering speed and of course his entertaining social media presence.
However, the 28 year-old is enduring a horrific run of form, and scored just a 6.32 on Whoscored’s player rating system on Saturday.
He was way too relaxed in allowing Knockaert to cut inside onto his stronger foot and score the winner, and the Twitter reactions down below are well and truly fed up with the Dutchman…