Keep him until January: Liverpool fans react to Marko Grujic speculation

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According to ESPN, Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic on a permanent deal this summer.

Grujic is currently on loan at Hertha Berlin, and has scored four times in 20 Bundesliga appearances during the 2018-19 campaign.

According to ESPN, Atletico are keen to sign the 23-year-old, but the Reds value Grujic in the region of £35m, which could prove to be an issue.

The Liverpool fans have been on social media offering their views on the transfer report, which has come as a bit of a surprise.

A number are keen for Grujic to be given his chance to secure a spot in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield next season, but others feel that it would be some story if the club’s sporting director Michael Edwards managed to secure £35m for the midfielder.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

The eight-time Serbia international has only actually made 14 first-team appearances for Liverpool despite joining the club from Red Star Belgrade in 2016.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Reds faithful can be viewed below:

Barella could be Liverpool’s next Gerrard

Liverpool fans must be in dreamland right now as their side breezed past FC Porto in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie last night. 

It’s safe to say that Liverpool are now one of Europe’s elite as Jurgen Klopp continues to bring fans’ wildest dreams to life, with the Premier League title and silverware in the Champions League well within their reach.

The Reds’ midfield has been the driving force at times but you can’t help but feel as if there’s a creative spark missing. Of course, Philippe Coutinho’s exit last January certainly didn’t help and the Merseyside club are still yet to really find their next Steven Gerrard, despite Jordan Henderson’s rise in form.

However, FSG could bag themselves the next Gerrard if they’re willing to spend in the summer.

One player who may be able to fill the void at Anfield is Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella, who is valued at £27 million (by Transfermarkt).

Liverpool were reportedly (as per Football Italia, via The Mirror) interested in the midfielder ahead of the most recent January transfer window but he ended up staying in his home country.

Interestingly, the 22-year-old was once dubbed as the ‘next Steven Gerrard’ by Gazzetta dello Sport (via Anfield Edition), so there’s already an incentive to go out and bring him to England.

It’s safe to say that his playing style is very similar to the Liverpool legend’s as he loves to get on the ball and make things happen, with his passing ability often unlocking the oppositions defence. He may not be as prolific as Gerrard when it comes to finding the back of the net but he’s already shown he can produce in the final third.

Henderson lacks creativity at times as he’s gotten so used to playing in a defensive role that he looks a bit rusty in the final third, so bringing Barella to Anfield must be a no-brainer as he could be the missing spark in the Reds’ midfield.

He’s only 22 years of age with his best years ahead of him and he’s already managed to earn five caps with the Italian national side, so he could be the real deal.

Liverpool fans, do you think Barella could follow in Steven Gerrard’s footsteps? Join the discussion by commenting down below!

Chris Sutton demands signings in the summer, Celtic fans respond

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Celtic are closing in on a eighth consecutive league title with just one point required but the season has not been plain sailing for The Bhoys and Celtic legend Chris Sutton has had his say on the upcoming transfer window.

He has demanded that The Bhoys improve their team because he sees them as a “one-trick-pony.” The reason for this is because Celtic attempt to play through the lines and use the neat interplay of players like Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Scott Sinclair to break teams down.

This however, has not worked in recent weeks against sides who set up in a low deep block and play on the counter, Celtic have drawn two of their last three league games 0-0 and scraped past Kilmarnock at the weekend 1-0.

Sutton therefore wants improvement made to Celtic in the summer that will allow them to score from other sources rather than simply relying on only one plan, as he told BT Sport the Hoops have “work to do this summer”.

Celtic fans on Twitter appear to agree with their ex-striker, one fan said “Chris once again hitting the nail on the head” whilst another added “Chris Sutton is right.”

Celtic will surely seal the title at the weekend but if they don’t make the changes Sutton wants then next season could be a struggle to win a ninth consecutive title.

Barnsley: Stendel must do all he can to keep Liam Lindsay at Oakwell

It has been a brilliant few days to be a Barnsley supporter, hasn’t it?

After securing a vital 2-1 victory over Blackpool last Saturday, the Tykes’ promotion to the Championship was secured on Tuesday following shock defeats for Sunderland and Portsmouth.

With one game left to play this season, Daniel Stendel’s side could cap off a fantastic year by securing the league title if they manage to better Luton Town’s result at the weekend.

If they are to achieve this, Barnsley will need one of their star performers to be on top form yet again when they head to the Memorial Ground to face Bristol Rovers.

Arguably one of the best central defenders in the third tier, Liam Lindsay has been utterly exceptional for the Yorkshire-based outfit and is one of the key reasons for why they have managed to fight off the immense competition demonstrated from their promotion rivals.

Having featured in all but five of the Tykes’ fixtures this season, it is overwhelmingly clear that in order for the club to succeed at a higher level, he must be convinced to stay in the summer.

After being linked with a move to Aston Villa and Celtic in March (via the Daily Star), it would not be at all surprising if Lindsay attracts even more interest in the coming month which may force Stendel into making a decision regarding his future.

Although selling the 23-year-old for a healthy fee could allow the club to strengthen in other areas, it may be a huge mistake if they let him leave in the summer as it could result in the Tykes facing a struggle to survive in the Championship.

What do you think Barnsley fans? How important is it that Stendel convinces Lindsay to stay at the club? Could the club cope without his domineering presence? Let us know below.

QPR fans discuss Ilias Chair’s return from loan on Twitter

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Ilias Chair will likely look back on his decision to depart QPR on loan to Stevenage in January, with the Hoops spiralling into despair and his own form sky-rocketing. The youngster has been tearing up League Two and has chalked up six goals and six assists in just 16 league appearances – extremely impressive tallies.

With Eberechi Eze having had a mediocre season, there could be opportunities for 21-year-old Chair to feature in the Hoops’ starting XI next season, as opposed to being part of the furniture.

With a 2018/19 highlight reel which Lionel Messi would be proud of, the young Moroccan has surely won plenty of admirers up and down the EFL; QPR should expect a lot of interest in the summer, particularly if their next managerial appointment doesn’t see the player as part of their plans.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Plenty of QPR fans were keen to discuss the prospect’s future at Loftus Road and you can check out the best of the Twitter reaction on below…

Aston Villa: Signing Tammy Abraham would be a dream come true

What a season Tammy Abraham has had for Aston Villa! Indeed, he could take them to the Premier League this season and signing him in the summer would be their signing of the summer by a mile.

The Telegraph have reported what we all expected, and that’s that Villa are desperate to buy the Chelsea youngster on a permanent basis at the end of the season. He’s been incredible, but his work isn’t finished just yet.

Abraham has the quality to be their main man in the Premier League, no doubt. He can fire them to become an established top-flight side once again, and there’s nobody else the Villa fans would rather see do that. Frankly, he needs to stay at Villa Park.

He did score THAT penalty last night, after all.

He’s rated at £13.5m on Transfermarkt and has a Chelsea contract until 2022, so he certainly won’t be cheap. But if the club get promoted, they should use their extra cash to buy this 21-year-old who has the potential to make it right to the top.

His 25 goals and three assists in 27 appearances this season is astounding, and it’ll cost a bomb to buy anyone else who can produce that form. It’s important the winning formula is maintained at Villa if they do go up, so they shouldn’t take a risk on another forward instead.

Chelsea might even want him themselves, but if he is available, the Villans should be front of the queue to bring him back to Villa Park on a lengthy contract. It’s going to be a tough battle if they get promoted, but this lad will give them the goals to stay up.

Villa fans, who do you think your team needs to sign in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

Transfers that shook the world: Raheem Sterling to Manchester City

[ad_pod ]Raheem Sterling has undoubtedly become one of the most impactful players of his type in the world since leaving Liverpool for Manchester City. He was directly involved in 29 of City’s Premier League goals in 2018/19 as they successfully defended their league title. He has become the guy the greatest coach in the modern era turns to when it matters most. For England too he is indispensable.There was a time too when he was indispensable for Liverpool. During the exhilarating season of 2013/14, the Wembley boy tore defences apart in tandem with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez as the Red men so nearly broke their Premier League duck. He was loved at Anfield; loved for his adventurous wing-play that conjured up something pure, almost childlike.Speaking of which, though he has been lured north from QPR as a wide-eyed 15 year old Sterling was by default an academy kid. He was theirs, this dribbling tearaway. Raheem Sterling was money.Sadly though money came to define Raheem Sterling, entirely unfairly but through a course of events that can be made sense of. He was no longer adored for his instinct to entertain, nor admired for his ambition and self-belief but rather labelled as ‘greedy’ and in the same manner as ‘Cashley’ Cole before him the player became a by-word for footballing excess and entitlement. More so, his highly publicised switch from Liverpool to Manchester City in the summer of 2015 was the most controversial and fractious since Sol Campbell limousined across north London.We are all pertinently aware of what this stigma led to. There was the media castigation that eventually took the form of a witch-hunt and took us down some very strange avenues such as criticising the City winger for buying a Greggs pasty and damning him for an unwashed car. There was – and is – his hostile receptions at Anfield that were initially vicious but now take the form of pantomime booing to unnerve a dangerous opponent. We know too that thankfully the unedifying circus that surrounded the lad for far too long seems to have finally abated as a reappraisal of who he actually is takes over.This isn’t about any of that though. This isn’t the Raheem Sterling story. This is about a transfer that shook the world.And that began in earnest – or at least entered the public domain – in February 2015 as Brendan Rodgers first acknowledged an impasse in contract negotiations between club and player by stating that Sterling had received an ‘incredible deal’ supposedly worth up to £100,000 a week but in all likelihood no conclusion would now be reached until that summer.Some context is needed here and it is context that damns Rodgers. First of all the winger had two years remaining on his present contract so was in no rush to commit either way. Additionally, there were legitimate concerns emanating from this overtly ambitious player over Liverpool’s ability to match his desire to secure silverware. That season the Reds had relatively struggled, eventually finishing sixth as a collective hangover took hold following their tremendous charge to 84 points the previous May. Suarez had now departed for Spain. Gerrard was heading to America. Sterling, then, was absolutely within his rights to wait and see what Liverpool’s transfer plans were even if that displays the arrogance of a 21st century footballer.Much more of relevance however is this undeniable truth: right now, every single top flight club will have a player who is stalling on penning a new deal. At Manchester United it is David De Gea. At Manchester City it is Ilkay Gundogan. We really could go on. Yet when do we ever hear a manager so candidly reveal such details as Rodgers did? Never. That’s when. Never.The Northern Irishman’s intention clearly was to put pressure on his young charge, pressure of the worst possible kind. Throughout Liverpool – a city much like any other where rumours spread like wildfire – people had long known that Raheem Sterling and his employers were at loggerheads. Rodgers’ words though confirmed it; made it a great big issue. And boy did the club and fans respond.For the following game right up until the end of that season Sterling’s every touch was booed by his own supporters. A coterie of former Liverpool players meanwhile wasted little time in condemning his perceived disloyalty and even his own captain Gerrard got in on the act stating that he found his team-mate’s behaviour ‘disappointing’. In reality it was Gerrard’s decision to invite further castigation onto a colleague that was disappointing.Later Sterling would claim that one of the reasons why he opted to leave Anfield was because he felt ‘bullied’ during this period. Looking back through the press clippings you can see why.

Not that all of the blame however can be attached to the club. Exasperated at seeing his reputation tarnished, Sterling then came out and gave an ill-advised interview with the BBC that April where he denied that money was his primary objective. And if that were not inflammatory enough his agent Aidy Ward soon after insisted that his client would not be staying on Merseyside no matter the amount offered to him. “He is definitely not signing. He’s not signing for £700, £800, £900 thousand a week. He is not signing.â€

Needlessly the player and his agent poured petrol onto an already roaring fire and in July – when it was abundantly obvious to one and all that a move was now inevitable – Sterling then refused to fly out to Thailand as part of Liverpool’s pre-season tour.

The duo’s words and actions have been described above as ‘ill-advised’. Perhaps this is wrong because then for equilibrium the words and actions of Rodgers, the fans, and ex-players such as Phil Thompson, John Aldridge and Jamie Carragher should also be deemed that. And that’s not the case at all. From Liverpool’s side it was, bluntly, hubris because they routinely did this to other clubs – unsettled their best player, even encouraged them to strike if need be. They didn’t have it done to them.

That summer 27 players moved from one Premier League club to another but it was only Sterling’s £49m transfer to Manchester City – that concluded a prolonged chase for his signature – that dominated the headlines and felt like a bitter war.

And four years on we can seek out who was to blame all we like but ultimately it comes down to a deterioration of a relationship, one that is commonplace throughout the game. A player wanted a move. The club wanted him to stay. The player got his way and the club was well remunerated.

The circus, however, pitched up regardless and the madness and witch-hunt duly began.

A tough decision: Spurs fans debate signing former star Gareth Bale on a free

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Tottenham fans on Twitter have been debating whether or not to re-sign Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, after The Times revealed that the Spanish side would be willing to allow the Welshman to leave for free just to get him off the wage bill.

Bale has scored 14 goals and recorded six assists this season, although it has been another difficult campaign for the former Southampton man in the Spanish capital.

Check out an Arsenal fan vow to “move to another planet” if Spurs win the UCL in the video below…

Los Blancos are reportedly trying to get rid of him, and he was coldly left on the bench in the last game of the season without having the chance to say goodbye – it is a cruel way to treat a player who has been pivotal in winning four Champions League titles, a Copa del Rey success in which Bale scored the winner in the final and a league title.

He is still undoubtedly a world-class player, and would do a job for Mauricio Pochettino – his astonishing £650,000-a-week wages are a huge stumbling block, however.

Being able to sign a player of Bale’s pedigree for free would be an opportunity too good for the Champions League finalists to ignore.

Even if he was paid his current salary at Spurs for a few years, it would potentially work out to be the equivalent of a hefty transfer fee rightly paid for a player of his class, so that shouldn’t prove to be too much of an issue.

Let’s see what the torn Tottenham fans on Twitter have been saying about a potential return for their former No.11 on a free transfer…

Look at him now: DaMarcus Beasley and Rangers

George Bernard Shaw once said “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”, and if any player lives up more to those words, it’s DaMarcus Beasley.

The American defender has been in the game for the good part of 20 years, making a name for himself at PSV in 2004 after five years of promise in MLS with the Chicago Fire, and after three years in the Netherlands and a season out on loan at Manchester City, Beasley’s talents took him to Rangers in the summer of 2007.

Signed for a reported fee of £700,000, Beasley became only the second American to play for the Glaswegian side after Claudio Reyna, and it didn’t take long for the left-back to make an impression at Rangers, scoring against FK Zeta in a Champions League qualifying match, and three weeks later the defender scored yet again for the club, this time against Kilmarnock in the league.

Beasley was also a major player in Rangers 3-0 win against Lyon later on in the European competition as the fullback assisted two of the goals and had a hand in a third as the American was unsurprisingly named man of the match, but it was to be the defender’s apex that season in Europe.

An injury against VfB Stuttgart ruled Beasley out for the remainder of the league season, however, the American international was able to return in time for the Scottish League Cup final, where former PSV man scored one and assisted another in a 3-2 win for the Gers.

Although Beasley picked up a Scottish Premiership winners’ medal the following season, it was apparent that the American’s mind wasn’t in the right place. Losing his starting position to Sasa Papac didn’t help matters either, and after another season of playing second fiddle to the Bosnian fullback, the left-back moved on from Glasgow in August 2010.

The Bundesliga was next up on Beasley’s European tout where the defender signed for Hannover 96, but it proved to be one of the biggest fails of the fullback’s career as the US international only made four appearances for the club and was sold just a year later.

The defender returned to the continent of his birth and then a further bit south to Mexico to join up with Pubela at age 29, and three years later after some relative success with the Liga MX side, Beasley returned to the US to play for the Houston Dynamo as a Designated Player.

This season will be his last in professional football, and although Rangers fans never got to see the best of Beasley for longer than three seasons, the American still holds a place in the hearts of supporters long after his departure.

Rangers fans, what is your favourite memory of Beasley? Let us know!

The image that proves Divock Origi-mania is in full swing

[ad_pod ]There have been numerous success stories from the 2018/19 campaign for Liverpool.Jurgen Klopp finally won a trophy with the Reds at the fourth time of asking, and personally won his first Champions League after losing two finals in the competition previously.Jordan Henderson, a man written off so many times and was even involved in an attempted swap deal with Clint Dempsey back in 2012, finally got his hands on a major trophy with Liverpool.Whilst they are admirable, no stories of resurgence are more amazing than Divock Origi’s.How did Mane score THAT goal against Bayern last week? Did he dazzle them with Firmino’s teeth? 442oons speculate in the video below…This is a player who spent the entirety of the 2017/18 season out on loan with Wolfsburg and didn’t even make a start for Liverpool this term until December.He managed to play just 83 minutes of football in 2018/19 for the Reds before the turn of the year; despite all of this, he has quickly become a cult hero at Anfield.He is a man for the big occasion, and has netted some massive goals for the club.Firstly, his 96th-minute winner against Everton immediately put him into the supporters’ good books, but bigger strikes than that have followed.

In addition to an 86th-minute winner away to Newcastle, the Belgian international has hit a Champions League semi-final double against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona to complete a remarkable comeback victory, whilst he has also netted on the biggest stage of them all; the Champions League final.

He is quite clearly adored, as the image below suggests.

As you can see, Origi-mania is in full swing.

Who would’ve thought that a 24-year-old who flopped on loan with Wolfsburg and could’ve joined Fulham in January would become the subject of a situation in which a five-time Ballon d’Or winner supposedly wears pyjamas with his face on them?

He has gone from being surplus to requirements to a legend at the club; the Divock Origi love-in is well underway.

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