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In a recent interview, former Leeds United forward, Noel Whelan, urged Victor Orta to make a move for Divock Origi in the summer transfer window.

So far this season, Origi has found game time incredibly hard to come by under Jurgen Klopp, with the 25-year-old being awarded just six starts across all competitions by the German manager, resulting in the centre-forward returning just one goal and two assists over his total of 17 appearances in 2020/21.

As a result of his lack of minutes, it has been reported that several clubs, including the likes of Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, are considering making an offer of around €15 million (£12.9 million) for the £60,000-per-week Belgian international this summer.

And, speaking recently to Football Insider, Whelan urged Leeds to join the race for Origi, suggesting that the striker would be a perfect fit for Marcelo Bielsa’s style of football, as well as a bargain deal for Orta.

He said: “Divock Origi for £12-15 million, would you turn your nose up at that? No, you wouldn’t. He can play a number of roles: left side, right side, through the middle. You’ve got to look at these things seriously. It’s not a lot of money. It’s so cheap. You could maybe go out and get two strikers if he’s available at that price.

“We need options, especially attacking ones. We know Bielsa likes players who can be versatile and we know Origi is that. He’s a good age and we play a style of football that will suit him because it’s similar to Liverpool’s.”

Transfer Tavern Take

While Origi has never been one of Liverpool’s first-choice players since joining the Reds from LOSC Lille back in 2014, the centre-forward’s record of 35 goals and 14 assists over his 157 appearances for the club does not scream of value for money in a striker.

However, Origi is indeed a versatile forward, with the capability to play across the front line, as Whelan suggests, so perhaps the 25-year-old could be seen as a handy, as well as cost-effective, addition to Bielsa’s attacking arsenal in the summer transfer market.

In other news: Leeds United have been urged to sign this “highly sought-after” £31k-p/w star this summer – find out more here!

Fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding City’s reported summer interest in both Andre Silva and Lautaro Martinez.

According to Dominic King’s report for the Daily Mail, despite maintaining an interest in Borussia Dortmund centre-forward Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola’s side are now also considering a move for either Eintracht Frankfurt striker Andre Silva or Inter Milan hitman Lautaro Martinez.

As such, while it would appear as if Haaland remains Guardiola’s primary target to replace the outgoing Sergio Aguero this summer, with the 20-year-old’s representatives being spotted in Barcelona and Madrid on Thursday, it would seem as if Silva and Martinez are City’s backup options for the Dortmund star, should he be tempted to join another club.

However, after City Xtra relayed this news on Twitter, fans of Manchester City flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing furious at their club’s links with a move for any other striker than Haaland.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Andre Silva and Lautaro Martinez?

“Brilliant. I think we all know in reality there is a minimal chance of us signing Haaland. To get rid of Aguero and swap with Andre Silva – as Martinez is looking to sign a new contract – is just madness really. Not saying the source is reliable btw.”

@lnGoodKompany

“Omg.”

@fidels782

“This is a joke.”

@mancitymj14

“I’m going to be sick, he better be unreliable.”

@Ethan73918517

“Lautaro Martinez and Andre Silva. We are not a serious club.”

@TheGismyName

“Let Pep know we want Haaland and only Haaland.”

@Abdulha06845753

In other news: lots of Man City fans ripped into Guardiola as these ‘disrespectful’ talks emerged – find out more here!

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Darren Moore has nothing to lose by signing Ravel Morrison, with The Examiner reporting that the Owls boss has refused to rule out a future move.

The 28-year-old is currently a free agent and had been training with Moore’s side as he looks for a new club following his release from Dutch outfit ADO Den Haag.

It is not the first time Morrison has been released by his team, with Wednesday’s rivals Sheffield United having done the same thing prior. The attacking midfielder also left West Ham in similar fashion back in 2015 after a spell in east London that had some very difficult moments, something his former manager Sam Allardyce spoke about last year.

Nevertheless, Palmer can understand Moore’s decision to take a look at the player and feels signing him could be worth the gamble.

“Darren’s in a difficult situation,” the ex-Wednesday player told FFC. “He’s out of contract, he’s a talented player, Darren took over the situation knowing that the transfer window had gone, knowing that he wasn’t able to bring in any players, so maybe Ravel can help him out from now to the end of the season.”

Palmer concluded by saying:

“Maybe he [Moore] just thinks what’s he got to lose. I’m sure he’s not looking at signing Ravel long-term, but what’s he got to lose short-term from now to the end of the season if he can bring him something different?”

With no transfer window and the predicament 23rd-placed Wednesday are currently in, by no means is it far-fetched for Moore to again consider the possibility of adding Morrison to his squad.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 150 appearances for Newcastle United during his career, has claimed that Kyle Bartley is not the sort of singing fans want to see, but admits it could be a good one.

Newcastle United have been linked with the West Brom centre back who is out of contract in the summer, so has similarities to when the Magpies swooped for both Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser last year.

The £13,500-per-week defender has been able to prove his qualities both on and off the ball despite the Baggies finding themselves stuck in the relegation zone, and eight points from safety.

Speaking on why Newcastle fans won’t want to sign newly-relegated players and how fans must remember Wilson had just been relegated when the Magpies signed, Howey told FFC:

“Newcastle need players in that have got more quality and you look at when Bournemouth went down they got their carcass picked by Premier League clubs, but he would be somebody that you’d look at and think he probably could add something to the squad.

“As far as Newcastle fans are concerned they’ll be thinking it’s another player that’s been relegated and we’re signing him, but the same happened when they signed Wilson.”

Bartley has been a mainstay this season under both Slaven Bilic and Sam Allardyce, however he hasn’t been able to stop them conceding a league-high 59 goals.

The Baggies have given themselves a sniff of staying up following two consecutive wins against Chelsea and Southampton, although they are still eight points from safety with seven matches remaining.

Mark Douglas has dropped a claim from sources close to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium on the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the football journalist has claimed that the consortium are continuing to wait the outcome of arbitration and that previous talk from James Pallotta about namechecking the St. James’ Park faithful after admitting that he wanted to buy a club in the Premier League was ‘best ignored’.

Douglas adds that all parties involved in the proposed deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group hope that a resolution will come into fruition soon, and that while Pallotta’s interest in taking over in the North East is ‘genuine’, he knows that there is ‘no prospect’ of anything happening on that front any time soon.

Newcastle takeover paused for now

It seems as if any talk of a potential takeover at the Tyneside club, whether that would be by the KSA consortium or Pallotta, is on pause for now until their fate is sealed in the top flight.

Steve Bruce’s team are not guaranteed to avoid relegation down to the EFL Championship just yet, despite Fulham’s latest 1-0 home loss at the hands of Wolves on Friday night.

Nonetheless, the Magpies absolutely must stay in the division come the end of the 2020/21 term, and then focus can be put on a potential takeover.

In other news, find out when a well-placed source has claimed the takeover could be completed by here!

Former Premier League striker Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that he expects Tottenham to sack Jose Mourinho this summer.

Mourinho’s position has come under serious threat in recent months, with Spurs currently five points off the top four, meaning they’re likely to be without Champions League football for the second season in succession.

Tottenham have also crashed out of both the FA Cup and Europa League, meaning next week’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City is their last chance to salvage something from the season.

Should Spurs lose to City, Mourinho will be on the brink of being unable to bring either Champions League football or silverware in his first two campaigns in north London.

And Bent told Football FanCast that those failures could cost the Portuguese his job:

“When he was at Chelsea, he had a side full of names, big names. It was kind of defensive-attacking, and I don’t think that works for Tottenham.

“He tried to go to Man United and do that, and it didn’t quite work. He’s tried to do that at Tottenham, but they’re a free spirit. He’s tried to bring more defensive formations and I don’t think it’s working.

“Will he stay on? I’m not too sure. My hunch is, I think they’ll let him go.”

The European Super League proposal seems firmly on track to becoming a reality and it could have huge ramifications for Liverpool.

It was announced, on Sunday evening, that the Reds had become one of six Premier League clubs, alongside Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, to pledge their allegiance to the proposals, earning themselves and their co-conspirators plenty of criticism.

However, it is not just backlash of abuse that the Merseysiders will face, with the looming threat of those clubs involved facing expulsion from domestic and European competitions, according to Fabrizio Romano.

That would be the ultimate betrayal by the club towards the players, supporters and, of course, manager Jurgen Klopp.

It would be remiss to forget that just ten months ago, Liverpool lifted the one title that they had sought for so long – the Premier League.

After being confirmed as champions, after a 30-year wait no less, Klopp admitted that he was “emotional” and highlighted the “unbelievable” achievement of the Reds claiming the trophy.

Now, with the threat of expulsion from the league that the manager, his players and staff members had worked so hard to finally win, not just during the 2019/20 campaign but in all of the preceding campaigns before, it appears that those emotions will never have the prospect of being stirred again should they indeed suffer the fate of being expelled from domestic action.

[snack-amp-story url=” https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-asensio-vlahovic-van-dijk-alberto-pedri” title=” Read the latest Liverpool news, transfer rumours and more… “]

After all, the Klopp himself had expressed his dismay at any prospect of a Super League in the past, stating in 2019 that he hoped there would “never” be such competition created.

However, the club’s owners FSG, and specifically Liverpool owner John Henry, have gone behind his back to ensure that it is indeed a realistic prospect, thus putting the manager in a very difficult position.

Henry then has committed an ultimate act of betrayal towards his manager by bringing this initial proposal into reality and Klopp will be furious that he’s been placed in such a position.

AND in more news, read why Klopp must start Curtis Jones vs Leeds tonight…

Writing on Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has dropped an exciting West Ham injury update involving mainstay Michail Antonio and he says that the forward could be back ‘sooner than anticipated’. 

Antonio has very much impressed at times for West Ham this season and the club rewarded him with a bumper new deal as a result.

ExWHUemployee drops exciting injury update

However, the Englishman has also endured his fair share of injury issues over 2020/2021, missing a total of 13 matches so far under manager David Moyes (Transfermarkt).

When the 31-year-old does feature, he is statistically one of West Ham’s most threatening players – averaging 2.4 shots on goal per 90 this season whilst scoring seven goals and assisting five others (WhoScored).

ExWHUemployee, dropping an exciting claim, believes he could be back ‘much sooner than anticipated’.

“He is way ahead of schedule,” explained the insider (Twitter).

“Could be available much sooner than anticipated. Same as Rice”.

Transfer Tavern take

As Moyes aims to guide West Ham to unprecedented Champions League qualification this season, getting Antonio back before the end of the campaign alongside Declan Rice could come as a major boost – he is the Scot’s only recognised striker.

Revered as a ‘frightening’ player earlier this season by Harry Redknapp on Sky Sports (via The Boot Room), West Ham fans will be hoping he can return to that form if he does make it back from the treatment table.

His presence alongside other returning first teamers may be the difference between European qualification and just falling at the final hurdle.

In other news: West Ham fans want this colossus signed, find out more here.

Some Manchester City fans are far from happy with Pep Guardiola after he suggested that Raheem Sterling has been exceptional for the club in the past couple of matches.

The Citizens host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final in a comfortable position. They prevailed 2-1 in the first match at the Parc des Princes, meaning that a solid display at the Etihad Stadium should get them through to the final with minimum fuss.

Sterling has come in for criticism from some fans recently after a disappointing campaign by his standards, although he still has more than 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt). Guardiola has suggested that the 26-year-old has been fantastic recently and deserved to start the game last week – this is something with which some fans clearly don’t agree.

The manager claimed: “He deserved to play in Paris but it’s unfair if I leave Phil or Riyad out now. It’s difficult. I’m justifying my decisions and I don’t want to. Raheem played exceptional in the last two games and he has to be ready because we have a final.

“Maybe he’s going to play many minutes from the beginning. Maybe if we get to the final of the Champions League… everyone can play. That’s the reason why over many years the commitment is there to be in a position to win all these titles.”

The comments, sourced from @SkySportsPL, were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and they attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Guardiola’s comments on Sterling

“I might have to restart the Guardiola slander in case we bottle it tomorrow”

Credit: @asiancityfan

“Loool stop the waffle no he doesn’t”

Credit: @h4mzi

“no no no please no”

Credit: @mcfchamdan

“We would have lost the game if he played. He is currently on fraud watch.”

Credit: @mcfcbalz

“Pep No overthinking please. Stick to Riyad and Foden”

Credit: @izzy900is

“Why is he lying? The first season we play the knockouts without sterling we make the semis. Shock. If he plays a single minute from now on we’re done.”

Credit: @mbaalthani8

In other news, some Man City fans are delighted with comments from this player’s agent.

A number of Manchester City fans are delighted with comments from Mino Raiola, who is the agent of summer transfer target Erling Haaland.

The Citizens have been heavily linked with a move for the 20-year-old dynamo (The Sun), who continues to set the world alight at Borussia Dortmund. Incredibly, in 56 games for Die Schwarzgelben, he has managed to find the back of the net on 53 occasions (Transfermarkt), while he has netted 20 goals in just 16 matches in the Champions League throughout his fledgling career.

With City losing Sergio Aguero this summer (Manchester Evening News), they need another striker, and £99m-valued Haaland (Transfermarkt) fits the bill. Unfortunately, Pep Guardiola has previously had problems with Raiola in regards to Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Goal.com), but it seems that the agent is ready to forget the past and has revealed that he has no problem with the former Barcelona manager.

Raiola told Diario AS [via Sport Witness]: “Guardiola is a great coach. I don’t hate anyone, I don’t find him unpleasant. I don’t know him in person. I didn’t like what he did with Zlatan, but this is the past…”

These comments were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and they attracted plenty of attention from City supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Haaland news

“Haaland homecoming”

Credit: @fernando9432

“Yessirrrrrr you build those bridges”

Credit: @NotAruld

“Oh Haaland baby”

Credit: @oggy79

“Ohhhhhh MINO IS BUILDING BRIDGES!!!! Welcome big Haaaaaaaland”

Credit: @Reckers88Gaming

“Haaland is coming home”

Credit: @H_6009

“He says get Haaland baby”

Credit: @ThisIsDIR

In other news, some Man City fans were livid about this Raheem Sterling news.