All posts by n8rngtd.top

Marcelo Bielsa may have faith in Adam Forshaw being Kalvin Phillips’ backup for Leeds United next season, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Whites picked up another impressive Premier League result on Monday evening, drawing 1-1 at home to reigning champions Liverpool.

Sadio Mane and Diego Llorente exchanged goals at Elland Road, as Bielsa’s men more than held their own against top class opposition.

Leeds may be impressing in their first season back in the top flight, but that doesn’t mean new faces won’t be necessary in the next few transfer windows to really cement the squad as top flight quality.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Hay makes key claim regarding Leeds’ transfer business

That being said, in a Q&A for The Athletic, Hay played down the prospect of Bielsa bringing in someone to play second fiddle to Phillips, with Forshaw potentially trusted to play that role:

“They would have to think carefully about that because Forshaw is competition for Phillips and Bielsa has always rated him extremely highly.”

Transfer Tavern take

It is refreshing to hear that Bielsa seemingly has lots of faith in Forshaw, but there would be a clear risk element in making him Phillips’ backup.

The 29-year-old has been out injured with a hip problem since September 2019, so there is no guarantee that he will return the same player as before, or remain injury-free after such a long absence.

It may be that the remaining weeks of this season act as an audition for Forshaw, as he edges towards earning some much-needed minutes for Leeds.

Perhaps if he can play those minutes and avoid any injury issues, that would be all the security Bielsa needs behind his star man in midfield.

In other news, one Leeds player has been tipped to leave Elland Road at the end of the season, Find out who it is here.

Inter Miami are looking to make history again in 2024, with Lionel Messi “playing free”, but they are reluctant to be dragged into a play-off debate.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Herons won first trophy in 2023
• Chasing down four honours this season
• Off to a winning start against RSL

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Many are tipping the Herons to put themselves in contention for MLS Cup glory, having secured a historic Leagues Cup triumph last season. With eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi on their books, and the new campaign opened with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, the Florida-based outfit appear ready to move through the gears.

  Watch Inter Miami with the MLS Season PassStream now

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT MARTINO SAID ABOUT MESSI

  They have never won a play-off game, following two previous visits to that stage, but head coach Tata Martino is reluctant to start making wild predictions about rewriting the history books with there so much competitive action to come. He said when asked about Inter Miami’s post-season record: “You don't have to jump the gun. It was just one game.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While wary of getting caught up in future talk, Martino is pleased with what he is seeing in the present. He added on watching Messi rediscover a spark following an injury-hit pre-season: “If anybody had been sceptical about what this team can do, I think the first half showed them. I saw [Messi] playing free on the field. And with the same fine touch he always had. And he showed some speed too. He has a characteristic that no other player has. He grabs the ball very far from the rival goal and the feeling he gives is that he will generate something and will end in a goal situation. The play he had alone against two players at the end of the game is a sign that he is good physically and also happy to be on the pitch.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty/GOAL
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Martino went on to say of Messi’s partnership with former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez, which is being rekindled in the United States: “I had been saying since we got back from Japan two weeks ago that we needed to have more training sessions together for them to rediscover their rhythm. In their case, they know each other well, but it takes time for them to find that connection again that they had in Barcelona.”

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting in their droves to a tweet from The Times journalist Graham Spiers following the Gers’ confirmation as Premiership champions.

On Sunday, the Gers clinched the 55th top-tier title in their history – and they didn’t even need to play. It is now mathematically impossible for Celtic to catch them after they could only draw 0-0 with Dundee United – there are still six matches left in the season (BBC).

Unsurprisingly, thousands took to the streets in Glasgow to celebrate the club’s triumph. Not only did they break lockdown regulations, there were also reports of public property being damaged (Sky News). This led Spiers to call the supporters in question a “thorough embarrassment”.

These comments from the writer, which were shared on his Twitter page, did not go down well with some Gers fans, who  took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say to Spiers below

“Someone is upset here!”

Credit: @kennybrown446

“Awwww best tears of all, get it right round you spiers”

Credit: @GP_72

“You’ve done nothing of the sort Graham. You have been the fuel to our fire and for 10 years we’ve had to listen to it. All that the scenes prove over the weekend is that Glasgow Rangers are bigger than a global pandemic.”

Credit: @7_graeme

“Yaaas Spiers is in complete meltdown”

Credit: @Bazzaboy180

“Love your anger almost as much as all the comments on here”

Credit: @skebs78

“Back on the blocked list”

Credit: @bigcheerfull

In other news, some Rangers fans slam this politician’s comments.

Some Arsenal fans have been left to slam some early team news ahead of their game at home against Liverpool in the Premier League.

As per the official website of the Emirates Stadium faithful, David Luiz will not be available for the match, while both Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are to be assessed after suffering injuries, and Granit Xhaka has been unwell recently casting doubt over whether he will be able to play.

That is four potential starters for Mikel Arteta’s team that could be out of the fixture already, making it a much more difficult task to beat the reigning champions of the top flight.

Nonetheless, the Gunners will have to try and find a way of getting all three points as they look to make a late push to qualify for European football for the 2021/22 term, with a quarter-final first leg tie at home to Slavia Prague in the UEFA Europa League to come on Thursday night.

Arsenal fans on team news

These Gooners slammed the team news on Twitter, with one AFC supporter even going as far as to call it ‘stupid’:

“Stupid international matches injured our players”

Credit: @Saifudd65729089

“Luiz nooooooooooooooooooo”

Credit: @xafcxjayden

“Pain”

Credit: @GX_CR7

“This is a disaster, we need Saka and ESR”

Credit: @XhakaWinter

“Yeah another L incoming…”

Credit: @Assnadude_

“Luiz and Xhaka being doubts isn’t fun”

Credit: @downbadsir

In other news, find out what Martin Odegaard news Gunners are buzzing about here!

Nathan Ake has thanked Pep Guardiola for the way the Man City boss dealt with the death of the defender's father.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ake praises Guardiola for support
• Defender's father died in 2021
• Ake has turned City career around

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ake's father tragically passed away aged 63 after a 13-year fight with prostate cancer. After the Dutchman scored in City's 6-3 Champions League win against RB Leipzig in September 2021, he learned that his dad had died during the match. Two years on, Ake has praised Guardiola for the emotional support he gave him.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Nobody can deny that Guardiola is one of the greatest managers of all time. However, critics argue that the Catalan lacks emotional connection with his players and is therefore not a good man manager. Ake's form for City has improved significantly since his father's passing, and he believes that Guardiola played a role in that.

• WHAT AKE SAID

  As reported by the Mirror, Ake said: "I’m grateful to Pep [Guardiola] for all he means to me on and off the pitch. When my father passed away, he was fantastic. If I needed things or wanted time off, I just had to tell him. He gave me all the time and space I needed."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR AKE?

  The arrival of Josko Gvardiol means that Ake is no longer the sure starter in defence he became last season. However, after penning a new four-year contract following City's treble success, he looks set to stay at the Etihad Stadium for the foreseeable future.

Leeds United have been without Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips in recent weeks, and Phil Hay has provided the latest injury update on the duo.

Phil Hay’s injury update

The journalist for The Athletic shared news from the pre-West Ham press conference, tweeting: “Not too much in the way of injury updates from Bielsa’s press conference. Needs to see how Phillips/Rodrigo go over the next couple of days,” perhaps implying the star pair are close to a return.

Rodrigo is taking part in an U23s match this afternoon against Wolves, via LUFC.

This is a boost for Leeds

This update is a lot more positive than ones in the past, which should excite fans. They are key assets to the club, especially £24.30m-valued Kalvin Phillips who is ‘integral’ to the way Leeds play.

He is a big reason why Leeds currently sit eleventh in the Premier League, as he has managed 2.7 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.8 clearances a game (WhoScored). Phillips sits in the defensive midfield role and is so good at his job that it allows the other midfielders to have a lot more attacking intent.

Meanwhile £22.50m-rated Rodrigo has not managed to grab the amount of goals the club would have wanted so far as he has only scored three, but his attacking threat is definitely an asset that Bielsa wants at his disposal – Patrick Bamford has been noticeably isolated without the Spaniard.

In other news, Phil Hay has hinted at a potential return date for another Leeds star!

With Celtic’s season as good as done, they can start preparing for next term.
It will be a vital summer for the Hoops, one where they’ll welcome a new manager, a new CEO and a director of football.

What’s the word?

Crucial to Celtic’s future will be the upcoming transfer window. A mass 12-man exodus could occur if you take on board The Athletic’s predictions but they have already signed Liam Shaw on a pre-contract.
Another player who could arrive is Motherwell’s Allan Campbell. Speaking on the latest episode of A Celtic State of Mind podcast, Colin Watt said:
“Someone I’d love to see us pick up – and I believe he’s actually available right now to sign a pre-contract – is Allan Campbell at Motherwell. I think the guy’s got a really big future ahead of him.
“He’s obviously played alongside [David] Turnbull before. And I think he could be the next Scott Brown in that position. He plays a sort of box-to-box the way that Brown did in his younger years.
“And I think as he develops, he’ll drop deeper and deeper into the pitch and he offers a lot. If you had the choice between him and Ferguson, for me, it would be Allan Campbell.”

Imagine him and Soro

If Celtic do indeed end up pursuing the 22-year-old, it would be great news for supporters.
Campbell has been one of the most consistent members of the Motherwell side this term and is incredibly highly rated in various circles.
The midfielder has been capped 24 times by Scotland U21s and although he is yet to get a senior call-up, the chances of achieving that would surely be elevated if he moves to Parkhead.
Though, there’d be plenty of positives for the Bhoys too. That’s because as Watt describes, the 22-year-old plays in a similar way to Brown did when he was younger. Furthermore, he also plays a bit like a certain Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder.
“John McGinn has obviously progressed really quickly but there are definite similarities. I remember playing against him and Kenny McLean and thinking that the two boys could go somewhere,” Motherwell assistant Keith Lasley once said.
Possessing plenty of energy and athleticism, he could create a scintillating partnership with someone like Ismaila Soro.
[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-transfer-news-onuachu-edouard-dembele-turnbull” title=”The latest Celtic news and views!”]
The Ivorian had to wait patiently for his chance at Celtic once he got time on the pitch, he was exceptional. The midfielder is a tough tackler and made as many as ten successful challenges in the club’s win over Lille in the Europa League.
Campbell is very much cut from a similar cloth. He’s made two tackles per game in the SPFL this term, a tally that’s coincidentally identical to Soro’s.
With the two of them playing in the same midfield, Celtic would undeniably be a tougher team to break down. For a unit who have conceded 14 more goals than Rangers in the league, this should be music to the ears of the Green Brigade.

AND in other news, Forget Brown: Celtic must unleash never-seen 19 y/o, he’s a “breath of fresh air”…

Former USWNT star Sydney Leroux scored an outrageous bicycle kick for Angel City FC as they booked their place in the 2023 NWSL play-offs.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Los Angeles-based side picked up big win
• Five different scorers on the day
• Will now face Rapinoe & OL Reign

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Los Angeles-based outfit never looked to be in any danger of missing out on the post-season, despite leaving it until the final day of regular season action before confirming that their campaign will be extended by at least one more game.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Angel City proved far too strong for the Portland Thorns as they eased to a 5-1 victory on home soil. The Californian outfit saw five different players get on the scoresheet, with ex-United States international Leroux registering the pick of their goals in a comprehensive success.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Angel City were already three goals to the good when they pushed for a fourth in the 51st minute. An opportunity appeared to have passed them by when a drilled cross from the right was parried up into the air by Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby, but Leroux proceeded to produce a moment of magic as she looped a spectacular overhead kick into the back of the net.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Leroux and Angel City FC will now face OL Reign in the NWSL play-offs, with Megan Rapinoe set to figure in that contest having prolonged her own distinguished career by ensuring that retirement plans are put on hold for a few more days.

Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a winning return to his former employers and he'll be relieved to see his centre-forward on the scoresheet

The build up to Chelsea's trip to Tottenham on Monday was all about Mauricio Pochettino. But the Blues manager's much-anticipated homecoming was reduced to a footnote as the two side's played out a completely batsh*t crazy 90+ minutes, from which Pochettino and Co eventually emerged as 4-1 winners.

The first half was the most chaotic of the season so far. Dejan Kulusevski's deflected opener broke the deadlock inside six minutes and it was non-stop drama from there. By the time the half-time whistle had been blown, both teams had seen goals ruled out, Cristian Romero had been sent off and Chelsea had equalised following an endless VAR review, while several other players had escaped red cards of their own.

One of those from Destiny Udogie, and the youngster's luck ran out shortly after the break when he was dismissed for a second yellow, leaving Spurs down to 10 men.

With a two-player advantage, the Blues unsurprisingly carved out a string of opportunities. They were just unfortunate that the majority fell to Nicolas Jackson, a striker so short of confidence it seemed like a light breeze might blow him over. Eventually though, he got his moment, tapping home Sterling's cross for just his third Premier League of the season.

Chelsea endured a nervy moment when Eric Dier replied with a sumptuous, back-post volley swiftly after, but VAR came to the rescue to rubber stamp a marginal offside decision.

Then, somehow, after Rodrigo Bentancur missed a close-range header, Jackson was presented with two more chances. And on both occasions, he shook off his demons to score, completing a rather unexpected hat-trick. It summed up a quite ridiculous evening in the capital and will hopefully provide him with the momentum he needs to start showing what he's really about.

Below, GOAL rates the Blues players from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

• Getty
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Robert Sanchez (6/10):

  Wrong-footed for Spurs opener by the deflection. Fairly uneventful once Spurs started getting players sent off.

  Reece James (6/10):

  Probably should have been sent off for a pretty blatant elbow on the stroke of half time. Will be relieved to get through the majority of a game without getting injured.

  Axel Disasi (5/10):

  A bit aimless in his passing at times. Never entirely comfortable when Tottenham had 11.

  Thiago Silva (6/10):

  Tried to keep his team-mates composed, but he was not always successful.

  Levi Colwill (5/10):

  Should have got tighter to Kulusevski for the first goal. Involved in a tussle with Pape Matar Sarr and picked up a yellow. Subbed at the break before he got sent off.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Midfield

  Enzo Fernandez (6/10):

  Won the penalty, but was run ragged by the Spurs midfield in the opening 20 minutes. Subbed on the hour.

  Moises Caicedo (6/10):

  Was pretty sloppy to start, but would have scored if not for an offside in the first half.

  Conor Gallagher (6/10):

  Only rarely gave the ball away. He acted as solid link between the midfield and attack.

• Getty
  

  Attack

  Cole Palmer (7/10):

  Did so well to keep his cool after all the VAR madness and score from 12 yards. This composure was typical of his display.

  Nicolas Jackson (7/10):

  His lack of killer instinct was startling. Missed several golden chances before eventually completing the easiest Premier League hat trick of all time. They all count, though.

  Raheem Sterling (7/10):

  Carried the ball superbly at times, most notably for his disallowed goal. Set up Jackson to make it 2-1.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Subs & Manager

  Marc Cucurella (5/10):

  Looked to get in behind the Spurs defence and had some success. Defensively, he was shaky, especially at set pieces.

  Mykhailo Mudryk (5/10):

  A little petulant when he came on, which didn't help his team's cause.

  Malo Gusto (5/10):

  Not on the pitch long but still managed to get booked. It was that sort of game.

  Mauricio Pochettino (5/10):

  He might've have matched up Spurs' use of wing-backs to nullify their threat out wide early on. None of his subs made much of a difference, but he ended up tasting victory over his former employers anyway.

Many Everton fans have been buzzing over a transfer update on Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

As per The Mirror, the Goodison Park club are considering a move for the Fulham midfielder, of whom Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly a big admirer.

He is believed to cost around £25m with two years left on his current deal at Craven Cottage and may seek a move back up to the Premier League if Scott Parker’s team find themselves relegated at the end of the season.

The Cameroon international could well be an upgrade on Everton’s current options in the middle of the park, as he has averaged more interceptions (1.5), shots (0.8) and dribbles (2.7) per game in the top flight than Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and Andre Gomes so far this season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/https-www-footballtransfertavern-com-everton-fc-transfer-rumours-sergio-aguero-manchester-city-premier-league/” title=”Everton updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Everton fans on Anguissa transfer update

These Toffees were buzzing as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one Everton supporter describing the 25-year-old as ‘class’:

“Would be a decent addition. 100x better than Gomes”

Credit: @bluesofgoodison

“Consider yourself, part of the family!”

Credit: @Pudefc7

“Reckon he’s class me”

Credit: @bobadiIIa

“Exactly what we need, get it done”

Credit: @dannymonnox

“Yes yes yes”

Credit: @EFCMichael7

“I beg”
Credit: @adamsg1878

In other news, this early team news ahead of the West Ham game has left some Everton fans fuming.