Celtic fans slam James Forrest after the 1-1 draw against Hibernian

[ad_pod ]

Some Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to slam James Forrest for his performance in the 1-1 draw against Hibernian.

The 28-year-old was making his seventh league start of the campaign, having already netted two goals in the Scottish Premiership so far this season – Forrest has eight goals in all competitions for the Bhoys this term.

However, he wasn’t at his best against Hibernian.

The Scotland international was subbed off in the 84th minute of what was a disappointing draw, a result which has allowed Rangers to make up some ground in the title race.

Kristoffer Ajer’s own goal in the eighth minute opened the scoring, before Ryan Christie’s 11th goal of the campaign levelled things up on the scoreboard.

Unfortunately for Neil Lennon’s side however, they could not find a second goal, with some fans pointing the finger at Forrest.

One supporter said that the forward was “well off it” against Hibs, whereas another said that he should be dropped.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

Internazionale: Romelu Lukaku back from injury for Juventus clash

Romelu Lukaku will be available for Internazionale’s top-of-the-table clash against Juventus, according to Sky Sports Italia, via Calciomercato.

The striker missed the 2-1 Champions League loss against Barcelona, but will now be ready and available to play on Sunday, with Inter going into the game top of the league, two points ahead of the reigning champions.

Having Lukaku available is a definite boost for Inter, with the Belgium international having started 5 league games, coming off the bench once, scoring 3 goals in the process, as per WhoScored.

His record already includes a big goal, as he scored Inter’s second in their 2-0 victory over bitter rivals AC Milan with a well-placed header, as shown in the highlights video on the Serie A YouTube channel.

In addition to his goals, Lukaku has made 1.3 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per Serie A game, as well as averaging 4.5 aerial duels won and making 1 tackle per game – highlighting how much of a presence he is up front.

Inter will likely feel much more confident going into this game with Lukaku on the pitch, as they look to continue their perfect start to the Serie A campaign and break away from Juventus.

This is a massive game for the club, so they will certainly be looking towards Lukaku to make a difference on the day.

Inter fans, will Lukaku be able to make an impact against Juventus? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Sunderland fans bash Jack Ross for comments on defensive issues

Sunderland fans are crucifying Jack Ross for his comments on the side’s defending, as they are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

Make no mistake about it; the Black Cats will be there or thereabouts come May.

Ross’ side fell just short last term, but have started the new campaign with just one defeat in eight league games and they are sitting pretty in fourth place, just four points off leaders Coventry.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t some major concerns about the side’s defensive frailties though, and Ross has owned up to the problem.

“It’s my responsibility as manager to start keeping clean sheets,” he said.

“To not have kept one yet makes it not easy to keep winning games so that’s the biggest frustration.

“I need to get better at it and we need to as a team.”

Of course, this has led to some fume from the Stadium of Light faithful, and while the reactions are mixed, they all have one thing in common – it is indeed Ross’ fault.

Some feel his defensive tactics invite pressure and thus concede more goals; some think he is just simply not good enough, while others are even suggesting the likes of Sam Allardyce or Roy Keane take over.

You can find some of the best reactions down below…

Manchester United fans react to reports Solskjaer will wait for attacking signings

[ad_pod ]

Having already sold Romelu Lukaku this summer, and with Alexis Sanchez set to follow the Belgian out the exit door too, Manchester United are considerably light on options going forward.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side added just Daniel James from Swansea to boost their attacking riches, and reports had claimed the club were interested in signing Borussia Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho.

However, The Evening Standard now claim Solskjaer is “prepared to wait until next summer to boost his attack” and Sancho remains the Red Devils’ “leading target”.

The report adds United have no real plans to sign a free agent like Fernando Llorente, and are aware it will be “difficult” to sign their first-choice targets in the upcoming January transfer window.

After hearing the update on their transfer plans, United fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns about the matter.

Many supporters of the Manchester side revealed they think Solskjaer won’t still be in charge to see his reported long-term planning take shape.

Indeed, some suggested trying to lure Sancho to Old Trafford in the club’s current state would be impossible to achieve anyway.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

[ad_pod ]

Wolves: Molineux target Alvarez agrees fee with Ajax

Wolves look destined to miss out on one of their summer targets with the news that Edson Alvarez is on his way to Ajax.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that the Amsterdam club had agreed a fee for the 21-year-old Mexico defender from Club America in his homeland.

Earlier this month, Mexican outlet Record claimed that Wolves were in line to land Alvarez’s signature, but that now appears unlikely to transpire.

According to De Telegraaf, Ajax have also beaten off Roma, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Zenit St Petersburg with the imminent €17million (£15.36m) capture of the centre-back.

Alvarez is only 21 but has already won 28 caps for Mexico, playing in all four of their matches at last year’s World Cup and also featuring in their recent Gold Cup triumph.

He is primarily a centre-back, where he has played in 53 of his 94 club starts. However, he offers ample versatility, having also started 23 games in defensive midfield and eight at right-back.

Writing for vivaligamx.com, Dan Chapman compared the youngster to N’Golo Kante for his ability to break up play, while also noting his competent distribution of the ball.

Alvarez’s statistics from the 2018 World Cup support those assertions. At the tournament in Russia, he averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, while recording a passing success rate of 84.4%. He also won 1.3 aerial duels per game in that competition.

Wolves currently have four centre-backs in their squad in Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Ryan Bennett and Roderick Miranda. However, with Nuno usually opting to start with three central defenders, it does not leave much cover at the back if any of those were to become unavailable for any reason.

Alvarez’s aerial duels figures from the World Cup pale in comparison with the averages achieved by Boly (3.8) and Bennett (3.6) in the Premier League last season. However, his passing success rate is higher than both of those players (Boly 81%, Bennett 79.6%), so he could have offered an ideal counterbalance to those two if he had signed for Wolves.

Also, his tackling and interception statistics from last year’s World Cup were on a par with Bennett’s from the Premier League in 2018/19 and far superior to Coady’s average of 0.8 per game for both metrics.

The versatility of Alvarez, along with his ability to legally stop opposition attacks, may have been a useful asset for Wolves. Even if he was unable to forge a starting berth at centre-back at Molineux, he could have provided much-needed cover for Matt Doherty at right-back.

Wolves fans, how big a blow is it to miss out on signing Alvarez? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Liverpool: James Milner in line for a new deal

Jurgen Klopp is keen to reward veteran James Milner with a new contract to extend his stay at Anfield, as per the Liverpool Echo.

The Champions League winners are yet to make a marquee signing this window despite setting precedent by splashing out on Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Alisson in 2018 and it appears one of their main priorities is to secure the former Newcastle man’s immediate future.

At 33, Milner is the current oldest player and most experienced player in the Liverpool squad with 516 Premier League games to his name, though is showing little sign of slowing down.

Compared to a fine wine by his manager in October 2018, he has been demonstrating his reputation (something The Telegraph has spoken about in the past) as one of the fittest players in the squad by dominating the pre-season tests at Melwood over the weekend.

The former Leeds man featured in 45 games for the Reds last season, which saw them come desperately close to winning the Premier League title – falling one point shy of Manchester City – and take home to the ultimate European prize.

In fact, he made the team sheet in all bar one match in the run to the Champions League final – starting 10 of them – and created the chance from the corner spot which Divock Origi dispatched to seal the trophy.

Prior to the final in Madrid, Klopp described the two-time Premier League winner as a ‘leader’, so extending his contract does appear to be yet another smart decision from the club as they look to win the top prize in England, a target set out by John Henry last month.

Liverpool fans, do you agree Milner should be given a new deal? What do you think he can offer the club? Let us know in the comments below…

Transfer Focus: Rice snubs move away from West Ham this summer

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has turned down a move away from the club after Manchester United and Chelsea registered their interest in securing his signature, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

Rice signed a new contract in December but has still been the subject of enquiries this summer.

The aforementioned report claims that United and the Blues both told the Hammers that they would be interested in securing his signature.

It remains to be seen if Chelsea would have even been able to make a bid in this window, given their transfer ban, but it bears pointing out that Rice actually came through their academy before his move to the Hammers.

United, of course, are looking to reshape their squad under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and have already signed Daniel James from Swansea City.

However, the report claims that Rice wants to remain in east London after a season in which he made his England debut and emerged as a star for the Irons.

A weight off the shoulders

West Ham will be delighted with this news.

Football FanCast understands that the club were anxious about the possibility of receiving bids for the midfielder in this transfer window.

As a result, they placed a £70m asking price on the 20-year-old’s head before the summer window.

But now it has emerged that Rice wants to stay at the London Stadium anyway.

And with the Irons making serious moves in this transfer window – they have already secured Pablo Fornals from Villarreal for a £24m fee – the last thing they would have needed is a saga over Rice’s future.

That can maybe wait; if he repeats his heroics from this season, where he emerged as England’s first-choice defensive midfielder, perhaps clubs will step up to the plate again next summer.

But Rice’s willingness to stay in east London bodes well for the Irons’ chances of keeping him long-term.

Newcastle Transfer Roundup: Atleti interest in Perez, last gasp bid for 17, Almeida on radar

[ad_pod ]

It is an exciting time at Newcastle United. After years of frustration at the hands of Mike Ashley, the Bin Zayed group are interested in buying the Toon, which will give the club plenty of money to spend this summer, although it remains to be seen whether Rafael Benitez will still be manager come the start of the next season. Today’s Newcastle transfer roundup includes Atletico Madrid’s interest in their top scorer, a last-minute bid for an up-and-coming star and interest in a Portuguese left-back.

Atleti interest in Perez

According to Libertad, Atletico Madrid are interested in Ayoze Perez, who was Newcastle’s top scorer last season. However, it appears to be just a simple interest at the moment, with no talk of a bid or negotiations regarding a summer move.

Late offer for Agoume

Lucien Agoume already agreeing terms with Inter Milan did not stop Newcastle launching a last-minute bid for the player according to Gazzetta Dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira. The Toon reportedly offered €8m (£7.1m) for the player, but the 17-year-old has decided to stick to his word and should complete his move from Sochaux to the San Siro shortly.

Almeida catches Newcastle’s eye

Newcastle are interested in Benfica left-back Andre Almeida according to Portuguese outlet Record. However, they are not the only Premier League club to be looking at the player, with Leicester City and Brighton and Hove Albion also keen on the 28-year-old.

Leeds United: Bielsa must cut ties with Eunan O’Kane in the upcoming transfer window

After two weeks of doom and gloom at Elland Road following Leeds United’s miserable play-off semi-final defeat to Derby County, their supporters were finally given something positive to shout about on Tuesday.

Having completely transformed the Whites’ fortunes over the past 1o months, the news that Marcelo Bielsa had agreed to a one-year extension to his current deal would have been a relief to many who were concerned that he was on the verge of leaving the club.

Yet whereas the majority of his players will be thrilled about the Argentine’s decision to stay, the same unfortunately cannot be said for Eunan O’Kane.

A regular starter in the two seasons that preceded Bielsa’s arrival, the £675k-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) has not played a single game under the 63-year-old’s tenure-ship and was loaned out to Luton Town last August.

Although he would make a bright start to his time with the Hatters, O’Kane’s move was cut short after he broke his leg during a clash against Bristol Rovers in September (via the Yorkshire Evening Post).

After spending the remainder of the 2018/19 campaign in rehabilitation, the midfielder would have been hoping that he would be in line to make his return to the team next season.

However, according to Football Insider, Leeds have reportedly told O’Kane to find another club with Bielsa unimpressed with his style of play.

If this is indeed true, it could be argued that the former Marseille boss is making the correct call as he already has better midfield options at his disposal in the form of Mateusz Klich and Kalvin Phillips and therefore letting O’Kane go would be no real loss.

Despite having some desirable attributes, the fact that the 28-year-old does not fit Bielsa’s 3-3-1-3 system means that a move elsewhere could be highly beneficial for his career.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa cut ties with O’Kane this summer? Or does the midfielder deserve another chance to impress next season? Get in touch below.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus