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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Daily Star, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is weighing up the decision to send young goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher out on loan, with Preston interested in his services.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 20-year-old glovesman has made two appearances for the first-team this season, with both of those coming in the Carabao Cup.

Kelleher firstly kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 win over MK Dons, before saving a penalty in a shootout win over Arsenal to hand his side a 5-4 victory in the battle from 12 yards – the scoring had finished 5-5 before the shootout took place.

The report states that Klopp is weighing up the decision to loan the player who the club feel could be a first-team starter in the future.

Loan would make perfect sense for everyone involved

Loaning the Republic of Ireland U21 stopper out would be the best option for everyone involved.

That wouldn’t be the case if Kelleher was the only option behind Alisson Becker, but Klopp has Adrian to rely on for the cup competitions so he should feel comfortable enough to sanction a loan exit for the 20-year-old.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss has already described the academy graduate as a “sensational talent”, so in that respect, it would be unfair on the youngster to restrict his game time to a few cup appearances here and there – doing that will not see Kelleher make significant improvement anytime soon.

Furthermore, a loan to Preston seems like a good option given Alex Neil’s side’s form right now – they are flying high in the Championship and are on course to mount a genuine challenge for promotion.

Loaning Kelleher out would help the keeper’s development, while also allowing Adrian to make more appearances – it is a move that just makes too much sense for the European champions and is one that should be completed in January.

أعلن مدرب فريق ليفربول يورجن كلوب، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة فريق ريال مدريد، مساء اليوم في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موعد والقنوات الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وريال مدريد اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

ويلتقي الفريقان في إطار منافسات ذهاب ربع نهائي البطولة في ملعب ألفريدو دي ستيفانو. تشكيل ليفربول أمام ريال مدريد

حراسة المرمى: أليسون.

خط الدفاع: أرنولد، فيليبس، كاباك، روبرتسون.

خط الوسط: فابينيو، فينالدوم، كيتا.

خط الهجوم: محمد صلاح، ماني، جوتا. بدلاء ليفربول أمام ريال مدريد

أدريان، ديفيس، تياجو، ميلنر، فيرمينو، تشامبرلين، جونز، تسيميكاس، شاكيري، بن ديفيز، ريس ويليامز، كاين.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Rangers overcame Feyenoord in their opening Europa League group game on Thursday night, and much of their success was due to the performance of one man – Alfredo Morelos.

Although he didn’t score – he has 8 goals in 9 Europa League appearances already this season – Morelos was a constant menace to the Feyenoord back line, enough for manager Steven Gerrard to single him out for praise after the match and describe him as unplayable.

“I thought he was unplayable. I thought he caused them endless problems and his hold-up play was fantastic. The only thing his performance didn’t have tonight was a goal.”

Indeed, all that was missing from his performance against Feyenoord was a goal but other than that, the numbers (via WhoScored) speak for themselves.

He completed eight dribbles, rolling his marker on numerous occasions to either get a shot away or attempt to set up a team mate.

On six occasions he pulled the trigger and forced saves on two of those, with five of the efforts coming from inside the box – showing is expert movement to get into genuine goalscoring opportunities rather than simply peppering the goal from range.

But Morelos was also responsible for three key passes and on another occasion he would’ve created goals for both Scott Arfield and Sheyi Ojo, who couldn’t convert.

The most telling statistic detailing just how involved in the match Morelos was, he also had 60 touches of the ball – third-highest in the Rangers team, only behind James Tavernier and Ryan Jack. Usually forwards are amongst the lowest ranking in this regard, but Morelos’ impact on the game was frequent and relentless.

Morelos has shown so far this season that he is the man for the big occasions and if Rangers are to go far in the 2019/20 Europa League, they’ll need more ‘unplayable’ performances from El Buffalo.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

James Pearce has branded Liverpool fans’ criticism of Joe Gomez “very unfairâ€, after the defender struggled against Red Bull Salzburg.

What’s the word?

The Reds were given an almighty scare on Wednesday night, as Salzburg showed their incredible goalscoring prowess is not confined to the Austrian Bundesliga.

Virgil van Dijk had a rare off night, but it was Gomez who fans lashed out at on Twitter.

Pearce though, who covers Liverpool for The Athletic, has defended the 22 year-old on Twitter.

He said: “Criticism of Joe Gomez last night very unfair. Rusty at times but still a class act. Far too simplistic to say that Joel Matip’s absence was to blame for LFC’s issues v Salzburg.

“Some people forget he’s still only 22,†he continued. “The likes of van Dijk, Maguire and Koulibaly weren’t operating at this level at the same age.â€

Rusty

It’s hard to disagree with Pearce here, especially if you look at the numbers Gomez produced on Wednesday night.

Per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 England international won three aerial duels and five tackles, while also making two clearances, three interceptions and completing 84% of his passes.

Yes, a lot of the visitors’ attacks came down Liverpool’s right, as Gomez often seemed to venture slightly too far forward, leaving a big gap in between himself and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

His positioning was questionable at best, and he committed three fouls.

However, “rusty†is perhaps the best way to describe his performance, as it is perfectly acceptable for a player to struggle settling in after a long lay-off, and even more so when they are thrown into the cauldron that is Anfield on a European night, facing a side with 40 goals in nine league games.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by The Liverpool Echo, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted he got his team selection and tactics wrong for the win over Newcastle on Saturday.

What did he say?

The German sprung a surprise in his selection by choosing Divock Origi ahead of Roberto Firmino, and then using Sadio Mane as the central striker.

Origi’s injury forced him off before half-time, and Firmino’s introduction turned the game in the Reds’ favour. Speaking after the game, Klopp revealed the Brazilian’s “creative edge” made all the difference, and acknowledged his mistake.

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He said: “It is significant he (Firmino) provided a creative edge when he came on. It was my idea to start with Sadio in the centre. That didn’t work really well. It has done in the past but today against such a deep defending side, it was a bit different. That’s why we changed it already in the game (before Origi’s injury). Then Bobby came on in his natural position. Sadio really flexible in that space, Mo really strong in one-on-ones all day.

“When we use Mo more often for balls in his feet and one-twos in and around the box we were really in charge of the game. We won a lot of second balls and there weren’t as many counter-attacks. It was then a really good game.”

Unnecessary experimentation

Whilst winning the Champions League again would be a remarkable achievement, surely ending the club’s long wait for the Premier League title is the priority this season? It is that debate that makes the decision to drop Firmino to the bench all the more baffling. Surely the Reds would be better off picking their strongest line-up in the league, and then rotating for European games? Especially when outside of Napoli, one would expect them to coast through a relatively easy group.

If Klopp has any plans of overhauling Manchester City this year, they simply cannot afford any slip-ups. Origi may forever be etched into Anfield folklore for his exploits last season, but he is a serious downgrade on Firmino. The Reds looked a shadow of their real selves when the Belgian was playing against the Magpies, and so Liverpool must be far smarter in deciding which competitions they look to rotate for.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Steven Gerrard has been praising Joe Aribo again, after the former Charlton man impressed his manager and fans in the 3-0 League Cup win over East Fife.

What’s he said?

Gerrard has sung the praises of one of his most interesting summer signings, with Aribo already catching the imagination of the supporters. The Nigerian midfielder has settled into life at Ibrox quickly, scoring four times in his eight appearances for the Light Blues.

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Brought in from promoted Championship new boys Charlton Athletic, Aribo has put disconcerting voices behind him to make a flying start to his Gers career.

As reported by BBC Sport, the Gers manager was full of praise for the 23-year-old after Sunday’s win: “I am not sure how many good players have been at this stadium, but I don’t think you will see many better than Joe.

“He can go as far as he wants. I hope he stays alongside me for many years, but he’s got the world at his feet.”

Gerrard is spot on

Aribo came to Ibrox this summer off the back of helping Charlton get promoted to the second-tier of English football, and attracted some interest from big clubs in the past campaign. A transfer to Arsenal seemed an unlikely deal, but given his start to life at Rangers, you can understand why Unai Emery might’ve had a look at the midfielder before his move to Glasgow.

A Celtic fan has claimed Celtic won’t just join the EPL in the near future but they’ll make the Top 4 as well! Watch the controversial video below…

The fact that he’s settled into life at a club as demanding as the Gers so quickly shows he can cope with the pressure of the biggest stages. This bodes well for Gerrard’s comment that he feels Aribo can go as far in the game he wishes. Potential suitors can look to his blistering start at an important juncture in the season as a reason to pursue the midfield star in the future.

While it’s a bit early for him to be looking for a move away, continuing in this fashion will almost certainly prove his manager’s praise to be right. If Aribo can keep up this incredible form and make it last across the season he could very well have the world at his feet and the biggest clubs in Europe at his door.

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According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are eyeing a move for Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark before the transfer window slams shut.

The report claims that Palace are considering a loan offer, although Clark could be available for £5m if the Eagles pushed for permanent deal.

The 29-year-old has made 72 appearances for Newcastle since moving to St James’ Park from Aston Villa in 2016.

The Republic of Ireland international made just 11 Premier League appearances during the 2018-19 campaign, though, and only appeared once in the league in 2019.

That said, a number of Newcastle fans have taken to social media to call for their club to keep hold of Clark heading into the 2019-20 campaign.

Joelinton is the club’s only summer arrival thus far, whilst the likes of Ayoze Perez, Joselu and Mohamed Diame have moved on.

As a result, the Newcastle supporters are reluctant for another first-team player to leave at this stage of the window, as shown by the tweets below:

Norwich City are hoping to agree on a fee with Sheffield Wednesday for striker Jordan Rhodes, according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon.

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The Yorkshire club are hoping to fetch a sizable fee for the Scotland international, though £4m is thought to be a reasonable compromise, according to Nixon.

Rhodes was an unused substitute as Sheffield Wednesday opened the new Championship season with a 3-1 win over Reading.

Links with the Sheffield Wednesday man fail to go away, with the Canaries having been linked with a move for the 29-year-old last week. Rhodes was on loan with Norwich City last season, making more than 30 appearances as the Norfolk club won promotion to the Premier League. The striker managed to score nine goals in England’s second tier.

However, Norwich City seemed to have filled the void left by Rhodes who returned to Sheffield Wednesday this summer, with the acquisition of Josip Drmic from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Switzerland international seems to have hit the ground running as he notched up a ‘perfect’ hat-trick in the pre-season friendly against Luton Town.

The Norfolk club have also added Manchester City youngster Patrick Roberts on loan, adding depth to the squad ahead of the new season.

Ultimately, with the signings of both Drmic and Roberts, Norwich City have two players in each attacking position of the 4-2-3-1 formation Farke prefers. The squad has the depth required to try and avoid relegation this upcoming season, making a move for Rhodes pointless.

Norwich fans, does Farke need Rhodes for the 2019/20 campaign? Comment below!

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been celebrating the latest transfer news, as Donald Love is set to depart the club after three disastrous years.

According to The Sunderland Echo, the 24 year-old is all set to leave the Stadium of Light this summer.

Even though he still has one year left on his contract, the report claims he will join Shrewsbury on a free transfer, with the club clearly keen to shift his £450k-a-year salary by any means necessary.

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Love joined the club from Manchester United in 2016 and was billed as a promising young defender, but has since been relegated twice.

He made just four League One appearances last season, and has only managed 34 in total during his entire three-year stay on Wearside.

And fans are overjoyed on Twitter after hearing the news that Love will finally depart, which is perhaps the first really positive move the club will have made this summer – they have only made two signings for the senior side so far, Conor McLaughlin and Lee Burge.

Take a look at some of the best reactions down below…

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Arsenal will have to pay £100m if they want to sign Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha this summer, according to The Daily Mail.

Zaha is reportedly one of Unai Emery’s big summer transfer targets, but a deal now seems a fair distance away after this latest report.

The paper say that Palace are not keen on selling both Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the same transfer window and will now protect against his departure by placing a nine-figure valuation on his shoulders.

Check out the video below to find out why Arsenal fans aren’t celebrating Spurs’ UCL final defeat as much as they’d like…

With the Gunners’ spending power said to be limited this summer, it means a deal looks all but dead for the 26-year-old.

Zaha scored ten goals and assisted ten more in the Premier League last season, proving to be an effective attacking threat and someone who might be able to make the step up to a top six side.

At the reported £100m though, his price is steep and many Arsenal fans simply don’t want to see the club pay it.

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These supporters have taken to Twitter over the weekend to share their thoughts…