All posts by h716a5.icu

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has urged Everton fans to ‘keep an eye on Max Aarons’, the Norwich City right-back.

Sky Sports reported last month that the Blues were considering making a move for Aarons, claiming that Norwich are looking for a fee in the region of £30m-35m regardless of whether or not they secure promotion.

However, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are also apparently in the race to sign him.

Everton keeping a close eye on Norwich talent again

Aarons is currently on international duty with England under-21s, having been called up for the group stages of the European Championships in that age category.

The 21-year-old has played every minute in the Championship for the Canaries so far this season, averaging 1.3 key passes, 1.4 dribbles and 0.7 shots per game (via WhoScored).

Everton captured Ben Godfrey from Carrow Road last summer for a fee of £25m and he has enjoyed a successful first season on Merseyside, hailed as a ‘revelation’ by BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty in February after the 2-0 win at Anfield against Liverpool.

The hope is that Aarons can follow in his footsteps, and these Toffees fans on Twitter are certainly excited about that prospect after reading Romano’s cryptic tweet:

Everton fans express excitement after Romano’s Aarons teaser

“I like it a lot”

Credit: @SJM1878

“Love you”

Credit: @DirtyDigne

“Inject it”

Credit: @kian04301982

“AGH”

Credit: @chloemcnulty31

“You don’t have to ask me twice”

Credit: @PolariChat

“Oh my days”

Credit: @smythy2

“Max Aarons should be our priority this window. Hopefully talks are progressing well and he can come play with Godfrey again”

Credit: @taylor_davies77

In other news, many Everton fans were also pleased with this update. 

Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with comments from journalist Eilidh Barbour on whether the Gers are a new club or not.

In the 2012, the Gers fell into dire straits. As fans know all too well, they entered into administration (BBC), meaning they were demoted to the fourth tier of the Scottish football pyramid, and the holding company of the Ibrox outfit went bust, leading to some big changes being made at the top of the club.

Fans of other clubs, in particular Celtic, have used this as a stick to beat the Gers with ever since, saying they are a new team formed in 2012. Clearly, this is not the case – UEFA, for example, recognise them to be the same side they were before their financial troubles – and this should be something journalists are aware of.

However, Barbour does not seem to agree. In one episode of The Athletic’s Fall and Rise of Rangers series, ‘the arguments over whether the club ceased to exist continue to rage’ while she added ‘a team called Rangers found themselves in the 4th division’.

As you can imagine, the Gers fans were far from happy with these comments, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Barbour below

“Really  @EilidhBarbour? That’s so disappointing.”

Credit: @T_J_Newt

“I always thought she was a good journalist and presenter. Interesting to hear her comments. Bitter and Twisted comes to mind.”

Credit: @Anonymous_1872

“I unsubscribed today however they have me locked into an annual contract til the end of the year. Thanks for making me aware of this.”

Credit: @cal91_

“I think its fantastic people devote so much time to this ….. it actually cements their dislike/hate which by doing so confirms its the same club same fans same stadium same shirt ….. same hatred by our detractors”

Credit: @jigster9

“A few mask-slipping incidents among supposedly respected fitba journo’s over the passed few months. Given 55 nearly ended the country, it’s not entirely surprising, but nevertheless it’s nice to know who’s still bealing.”

Credit: @PorkSofa0112358

“I patched my subscription and the app after their Rangers reporter made up a whole load of nonsense as to why he wasn’t given press privileges. Whole thing has absolutely fallen off a cliff after starting so well. I’ll stick to H&H.”

Credit: @jonathonmills

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this billboard vandalism.

Liverpool head into Wednesday evening’s meeting against Real Madrid aiming to avenge their UEFA Champions League final defeat of 2018.

Whilst not quite the same stage of the competition with two only meeting at the quarter-finals this time around, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds could deal a big dent in Los Blancos’ season with a victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The best chance they will have of doing that is by including the electric Diogo Jota from the start instead of Roberto Firmino.

Once labelled as a “monster” by Liverpool’s Assistant Coach Pep Lijnders, the Portuguese has been in electric form recently.

The 24-year-old netted three goals in just two matches over the international break for his country and continued that form upon his return to Merseyside by scoring twice in the 3-0 victory against Arsenal.

It all means that Jota has now scored 18 goals for both club and country since the start of September.

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This is a huge contrast to the form of Firmino who has found himself on the scoresheet on just seven occasions for the Reds this season.

Jota’s European form is also vastly superior to that of the former Hoffenheim man.

The 24-year-old has netted 11 goals in 23 European appearances for FC Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Reds which includes three hat-tricks against the likes of Atalanta, Besiktas and Espanyol.

Whilst Firmino betters that with 15 career strikes in the UEFA Champions League alone, he has scored just three times in his previous 24 appearances in the competition – statistics that will not strike any fear at all into Real Madrid.

With Zinedine Zidane’s men reportedly missing captain Sergio Ramos through injury, Wednesday’s clash is the perfect opportunity for the £36m-rated beast to extend his great European record and his stunning recent form.

Jurgen Klopp simply has to play him from the start at the Bernabeu – a move which could see Liverpool avenge their gutting 2018 final defeat.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent showing against Arsenal at the weekend…

According to The Daily Mail, CSKA Moscow have been scouting Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke recently.

CSKA eye Wyke

Wyke has been in fantastic form for the Black Cats so far this campaign, netting 26 goals in all competitions (Transfermarkt). His 22 strikes in League One have only been bettered by Peterborough’s Jonson Clarke-Harris (BBC).

As per The Daily Mail, that has led to the 13-time Russian champions scouting the English third division’s top two goalscorers.

Surprise

This is no doubt a surprise link – it is rare that players from the English lower tiers attract interest from clubs in Russia. However, Wyke’s form in front of goal this season means he is deserving of such a pursuit. At 28 years old, it is unlikely he will ever get a better chance to join a side that regularly competes in either the Europa League or Champions League.

Surprisingly, though, his departure may well go down well with the Black Cats supporters. When the news broke, the supporters were quick to share their thoughts, and many suggested they would be happy to see him leave. It seems that, while he clearly knows where the back of the net is, his overall footballing ability leaves a lot to be desired even after amassing 36 career assists, and some are worried whether he would be able to cope with the demands of the Championship if Sunderland earn promotion.

If the club were able to strike a good agreement for Wyke, it could be a welcome move for all involved, handing the Black Cats some cash to reinvest into the squad and granting Wyke the chance to play in European competition.

In other news, Newcastle are interested in this Sunderland ace.

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the news was confirmed that the Gers centre-forward, Kemar Roofe, has been handed a four-match ban by UEFA.

The ban comes following Roofe’s sending off for a high challenge on the Slavia Prague goalkeeper, Ondrej Kolar, in a Europa League round of 16 clash back in March, with Kolar suffering a fractured skull as a result of the challenge.

The Rangers striker has subsequently been handed a four-game ban by UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body for “dangerously assaulting another player”.

Steven Gerrard’s side were also given a €9,000 (£7,825) fine for ”the improper conduct of the team” during the fixture against Slavia Prague.

However, after Clyde 1 Superscoreboard relayed news of Roofe’s ban on Twitter, fans of Rangers flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to be furious at UEFA’s punishment, as they believed the striker’s clash with Kolar was a complete accident, and therefore should not be punished based on the scale of the unfortunate damage done.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to the news of Kemar Roofe’s ban?

“Just when you think UEFA can’t get any worse. What a joke!”

@harty9

“This is a joke, right?”

@SteveGSmith_

“Seems excessive to me, he clearly went for the ball.”

@Zander82

“I have no words.”

@jackieAG85

“Lesson to all kids growing up and learning the game. Don’t attempt to win the ball. Just stand there and do nothing. Disgraceful ban!”

@big_ashy5

“This is shocking.”

@Dean_Wood23

“UEFA are an absolute disgrace of an organisation.”

@bcamarshall

“Farcical.”

@jordorowan

In other news: Gerrard set to pull plug as rivals near £300,000 move, claims Gers source – find out more here!

Steven Gerrard has suffered a blow at Rangers this week as the club’s appeal to the SFA regarding the bans handed to Nathan Patterson, Bongani Zungu, Calvin Bassey, Dapo Mebude and Brian Kinnear has been rejected, meaning that all five will be suspended for the next four domestic fixtures.

The Rangers quintet were found guilty of breaching lockdown guidelines as they attended a house party in February and although Rangers’ appeal meant that they could feature in recent fixtures, they will now face a spell on the sidelines after a final decision was made.

Whilst Mebude and Kinnear’s absences won’t affect Rangers too much, as they are on loan at Queen of the South and Annan Athletic respectively, losing Patterson, Zungu and Bassey leaves Gerrard with a worrying lack of squad depth at Ibrox.

Patterson will be especially missed by the Light Blues, as the 19-year-old has been in superb form in recent fixtures and proved himself to be a more than capable replacement for James Tavernier during his injury absence.

Fortunately for Gerrard, the captain made his return to the starting XI in the 1-1 draw with St Johnstone in midweek, but the manager would surely have wanted to have Patterson available to ensure that the returning captain wouldn’t have to feature in every game until the end of the season.

Patterson could end up missing the rest of the campaign through suspension as, if Rangers were to lose in the Scottish Cup against St Johnstone this weekend, then they would only have another three league games to negotiate before the season’s end.

The Scottish under-21 international has won many plaudits with his performances in recent weeks, with Gerrard labelling him “outstanding” and claiming that: “If there’s a better right back in the country on current form I’d like to see it.”

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Therefore, to lose Patterson when he is in such good form is undoubtedly a huge blow for Gerrard, and it would be a massive shame if he doesn’t feature again this season.

And, in other news… Douglas Park could be set for huge blow as PL giants eye “amazing” Rangers gem

Manchester City edged closer to the Premier League title with a vital 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Wednesday evening.

It was a nightmare start for Pep Guardiola’s side as they went 1-0 down within 20 seconds, with John McGinn converting Ollie Watkins’ cross but they fought back to lead 2-1 before half-time thanks to goals from Phil Foden and Rodri.

John Stones’ red card on the brink of half time put the result in doubt but City were comfortable in the second half after Matty Cash made it 10 vs 10, picking up a second yellow for a rash challenge on Foden.

Although the 20-year-old was in dazzling form once again, it was arguably Bernardo Silva who impressed just as much for City at Villa Park.

As per SofaScore, the former Monaco man would earn a superb 8.2/10 rating for his performance, with only Foden (8.2) rated higher.

The Portuguese international would register two assists against Dean Smith’s side, with his perfect cut back volleyed in by Foden, whilst his teasing cross was headed past Emiliano Martinez by Rodri.

Considering he has just six assists in the Premier League this season and three have come in his last two top-flight appearances, it seems fair to suggest that Silva is rediscovering his best form after a slow start to the campaign.

At Villa Park, Silva would complete 61/64 of his passes, resulting in an incredible 95% pass accuracy rate, which is an improvement on the 91.5% accuracy he has averaged in the Premier League so far this season.

It was also better than the 92% registered by Foden, and whilst both players contributed three key passes on the evening, the Portuguese winger would also create two big chances for his teammates.

Silva also completed four dribbles compared to Foden’s three and would lose possession just 11 times on the evening, whereas Foden would lose the ball 16 times.

Therefore, whilst Foden will earn a lot of plaudits for his goal and overall performance, it was arguably the “exceptional” Silva who ran the show for Guardiola’s side on Wednesday evening.

And, in other news… Pep handed ideal opportunity to axe “remarkable” Man City beast, he’s been awful this year

Many Sunderland fans have slammed comments from manager Lee Johnson ahead of their clash against Accrington Stanley this weekend.

The Black Cats are in action on Saturday as they look to consolidate their place in the League One play-offs. They will have been hoping to go up to the Championship automatically, but no wins in their last four matches, including three defeats (Sky Sports), means they will have to do it the hard way.

Speaking prior to the clash against Accrington, Johnson was asked about who will appear at left-back. Callum McFadzean has come under fire on a regular basis from Sunderland supporters throughout the season, but Johnson has backed the defender, saying that he is “as good as it gets really, as a lad” (Chronicle Live).

The comments were shared on Twitter by Sunderland reporter James Hunter, and they attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on what Johnson had to say.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Johnson below

“” I could find you ten or 12 clips where he has been really fantastic in terms of setting a move off, or his defensive position.” Oh here man…”

Credit: @Camer0nJohnson

“What a load of garbage. Does anybody believe a word that LJ is saying here? McFadzean has cost us multiple times, over several matches. He can’t play.”

Credit: @NiskyBaldMan

“LJ has to take all the blame, the buck stops with the manager.”

Credit: @paulbasnett10

“100% mate, I said the same thing, McFad didn’t put a leg in or even attempt to make any sort of block, I find it bemusing that he still persist with him.”

Credit: @GILESY1973

“he’s been tortured every game he’s played and LJ is ill picking him, if he’s in lineup tomorrow there’s something seriously wrong”

Credit: @steve2013

“LJ has been too slow in making necessary substitutions in several games recently, and this is a HUGE concern… Also, regardless of what Fadz is like as ‘a lad’, the stark reality is he’s nowhere near good enough on the pitch, and LJ is DELUDING himself to think otherwise…”

Credit: @RokerPark150705

In other news, Johnson has given an update on this Sunderland ace.

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast that Jurgen Klopp will need backing in the summer transfer window by Liverpool’s owners if he is to learn to trust them again.

The Reds were, of course, at the centre of the European Super League storm at the beginning of last week.

Along with Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Manchester City, Liverpool attempted to form a breakaway league that would have taken the place of the Champions League.

It also led to the prospect of the Reds being excluded from the Premier League, and led to furious fan protests from across the country.

Klopp gave an interview to Sky Sports before their clash with Leeds United, when the Super League was still on the table, and could not hide his displeasure, insisting his previous opposition to such a league had not wavered.

Fry thinks that FSG’s decision to involve the club in the plans will have severely affected the trust Klopp has in the owners, and believes the club will have to spend this summer to help rebuild that relationship.

He told FFC: “He’s got a great relationship with everybody and I think no matter what, it has soured that, however he is a football man and if they back him in football terms, i.e. his recruitment in the summer, which he’ll have to do some, I think he’ll be alright.

“But I’m not sure he’ll trust them the way he trusted them before this came out, I’m not sure any manager will.”

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma recently – and should he join Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, it would be a huge blow for Premier League rivals Liverpool, who have also been regularly linked with the Mali international in recent months.

According to the Daily Star, City are ‘confident’ of signing the 24-year-old this summer despite interest from the Reds along with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham.

The report suggested that City are in the market for a midfielder due to doubts about Fernandinho’s future with the club, and whilst Brighton are resigned to losing Bissouma this summer, they are expected to demand around £30m for him.

This would see them earn a significant profit on the £15m they paid to sign him from Lille in 2018, a deal which looks to have been a shrewd purchase by the Seagulls given his impressive performances since joining.

Bissouma has gone on to make 92 appearances for the Sussex club, in which he has contributed four goals and one assist, so he has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt already.

His recent displays for Graham Potter’s side have been quite impressive, as he has earned above a 7/10 rating from WhoScored in each of his last six Premier League appearances, so it is easy to see why he is attracting so much interest ahead of next season.

Notably, his average of 2.8 tackles per game is better than anyone in Guardiola’s squad and almost double Fernandinho’s 1.5 match average.

Whilst the “exceptional” Bissouma – as hailed by Gary Lineker – could prove to be an excellent long-term replacement for Fernandinho in Guardiola’s side, his potential arrival would also strike a huge blow to one of City’s possible title rivals for next season in Liverpool.

Although Jurgen Klopp’s side have endured a nightmare 2020/21 season, it seems likely that with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez available next term, they will be challenging at the top again, so City could get an early edge on the Merseyside club by signing Bissouma.

It seems as if the Reds are keen to bring in the Brighton ace as a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who looks set to depart Anfield in the summer when his contract expires, so it would be a significant blow for Klopp’s side if City were to beat them to the signing of the 24-year-old.

Therefore, City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider a move for the Mali midfielder this season, as he could prove to be an excellent addition for a number of reasons.

In other news… Txiki can sign Pep his ideal Fernandinho heir with swoop for “outstanding” Premier League star