Liverpool fans slam Joe Gomez’s performance against Napoli

Liverpool could only manage a 1-1 draw against Napoli on Wednesday night in the Champions League.

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Jurgen Klopp will no doubt be disappointed that his team were unable to find a way past Alex Meret in the Serie A outfit’s goal more than once, especially considering the Reds had 71% possession.

In the end, though, Carlo Ancelotti’s team did a fantastic job of thwarting their opponents for the biggest part of the match. This results means that the Anfield team will need at least one point against RB Salzburg in Austria in their final match of the groups stage.

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In this match, Joe Gomez played at right-back instead of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Although the eight-time England international has played most of his games in that position, he struggled against I Partenopei, picking up a SofaScore rating of just 6.7.

The Merseyside club’s supporters were far from happy with his performance.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

[Quiz] Calling out all Sheffield Wednesday fans… the big fat SWFC quiz

We all love a quiz and the punters at the Transfer Tavern are no different, particularly those Wednesday supporters that prop up the bar.

I have compiled a collection of questions that I believe will test even the most knowledgeable of Owls supporters and how well they actually know their club.

So do you remember how much the club paid to sign Chris Waddle, or who was the club’s opposition in their first ever european tie?

Lets see if you can get 12 out of 12 – you will be one of the few that will.

Celtic fans stunned by Charlie Nicholas’ remarks

Celtic fans have been loving what their former forward has had to say about the SPFL voting to cut the season short this week.

Speaking to the Daily Express, via the Scotsman, the 58-year-old Sky Sports pundit said: “Celtic have done the best thing possible, which is staying out of the arguments because they don’t need to get involved and they also have the most to lose.” He also took a swipe at their arch-rivals in the interview, too.

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SPFL clubs had voted by a majority to end the Scottish lower league season last week after Dundee changed their vote to pass the proposal but since Rangers, Hearts and Stranraer made requisitions leading to an EGM being scheduled for the 12th of May.

The Bhoys are some 13 points clear at the top of the standings so whatever resolution ensues is unlikely to alter the outcome of the Scottish Premiership.

Neil Lennon’s side are a mere formality away from clinching a tenth title in a row.

This is how supporters at Celtic Park have been reacting to Nicholas’ remarks…

AND in other news, Celtic signing this former loan star would be great business…

Tottenham: Spurs fans reminisce about Luka Modric’s signing

Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to reminisce about their signing of Luka Modric back in 2008.

The Croatia international joined the Lilywhites from Dinamo Zagreb for a then club-record fee of £16.5m, and he went on to become one of the most influential Spurs midfielders of the Premier League era.

The diminutive play-maker featured 160 times in his stay with the club, scoring 17 times and providing a further 27 assists, and was of course part of the Spurs team that enjoyed an impressive Champions League run in the 2010/2011 campaign.

Modric would then eventually leave north London to join Spanish giants Real Madrid, where he has established himself as one of the world’s best, winning the Ballon d’Or and helping Los Blancos lift multiple Champions League titles.

With confirmation of his arrival at Spurs coming on April 26, Spurs fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts about their former star.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Spurs discussion going on in the Vital Tottenham Forum! Click here to get involved!

Liverpool: Fans react to transfer report on Nicolo Barella

Liverpool have been linked with a whole host of players in recent weeks and months – particularly in midfield, where several names have been mentioned.

Sandro Tonali (Corriere dello sport via Sport Witness) and Kai Havertz (Daily Express) are among those to be linked with a move to Anfield. Those names will no doubt have popped up time and again during the Reds’ scouting missions and, according to the Liverpool Echo, there is another midfielder who has been flagged up.

That man is Nico Barella. The 23-year-old is currently on loan from Cagliari at Internazionale and has already made 29 appearances for the Nerazzurri, with three goals and six assists to his name so far. Not only that, the £32.4m-rated midfielder has 12 caps for Italy’s national team.

The Liverpool Echo claimed that the Reds see him as one of the most elite players in his age bracket and, as you can imagine, this news has got many Liverpool fans talking. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below:

Liverpool fans, would you like to have Barella at Anfield? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Profit Players: Selling Benik Afobe twice was brilliant business by Wolverhampton Wanderers

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

It is perhaps safe to say that selling a player not just once, but twice, to two different clubs no less, is a very rare feat in the modern footballing world.

However, this is exactly what happened with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Benik Afobe, as he was sold first to AFC Bournemouth for £11.97 million on the 10th January 2016, and then to Stoke City for £12.15 million just under three years later.

In total, the club from the West Midlands accumulated £24.12 million, and given that they signed Afobe from the Arsenal U21 team for just £2.34 million back on the January 14th 2015, and re-signed him from Bournemouth for £10.26 million, Wolves made a big profit by selling him over both transfer deals, therefore representing rather brilliant pieces of business.

Afobe scored 13 goals and made five assists in 21 appearances in all competitions in the EFL Championship in his debut season at Molineux, according to Transfermarkt.

As a consequence, his market value rose up to £6.3 million by the start of the following campaign, in which he netted a further 10 strikes and provided one assist in 27 games in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

The 27-year old was subsequently sold to the Cherries in the 2016 January transfer window, before returning for a second spell.

In the 2017/18 campaign, Afobe scored six times and produced one assist in 16 matches in the Championship (via Transfermarkt).

His market value increased to a peak £9 million in 2018, but it must be noted that both transfer fees that he was sold for surpassed this number.

Indeed, the striker went on to play for Stoke as well, where he has since remained despite a loan spell at Bristol City.

WWFC accumulating a total of £24.12 million for Afobe, who only played in spells, has proved to be brilliant business give the relatively big profit made from his sales.

Wanderers, what is your best memory of Afobe? Comment below!

Newcastle United: Takeover boosted as Saudis have returned to broadcasting beIN

The proposed takeover of Newcastle United has been majorly boosted as a report from Bloomberg stated that the sports cafes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have gone back to broadcasting the Qatari channel beIN Sports following the findings from the recent report from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Following accusations from Qatar, the pirate satellite TV channel beoutQ, which was responsible for the illegal broadcast and streaming of games from the Premier League, was ruled to be operated in Saudi Arabia by the WTO body.

As per Bloomberg, beoutQ boxes are no longer widely available to be purchased, and some people from the Kingdom said that they no longer worked as some may have tried to stream the matches between Aston Villa and Sheffield United and Manchester City versus Arsenal upon the return of the English top flight.

This news could have provided a major boost to the prospective takeover of the Tyneside club because of KSA’s involvements in the £300 million deal with Mike Ashley.

Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and his Public Investment Fund (PIF) are part of the buying side to try ans steer through the bid, and any potential involvement between them and beoutQ may have just been eradicated if the television station is no longer available.

There were possible fears that if they were found to be associated or supportive of the channel, then it could seriously jeopardise any hopes of the Premier League approving of the takeover, but whilst it does not clear everything up, the news could well help the case of the buying side.

Geordies, will the takeover go through? Comment below!

Liverpool must be ruthless with Dejan Lovren this summer

According to The Times journalist Paul Joyce, Zenit Saint Petersburg are interested in signing Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren this summer.

What’s the word?

The Croatia international has hardly featured for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, making just 15 appearances across all competitions. In fact, since the Premier League’s restart, barring the 21 minutes he played when he came on as a substitute against Everton, Lovren has not taken to the field since.

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Now, Joyce has revealed that Russian giants Zenit are interested in making a move for the centre-back, although he did provide an update on his contract situation too.

The journalist claimed that the Reds have an additional year’s option on Lovren’s deal, which means he is now effectively contracted to the club until 2022. This is to protect his market value, with Joyce claiming that interested clubs like Zenit thought he only had one year left.

Ruthless

Perhaps still best known for his claims that he could count himself amongst the best defenders in the world back in 2018, Lovren just hasn’t seen much game-time in the last couple of seasons.

The signing of Virgil van Dijk, and the emergence of Joe Gomez in particular has relegated him to just a rotation option for Klopp, with the Liverpool boss of course also being able to call upon Joel Matip in the centre of defence too.

And with Lovren supposedly earning £100k-a-week, Zenit’s interest in the defender gives Klopp the perfect chance to end his misery and hand him the opportunity to start afresh elsewhere.

Lovren is simply rotting on the bench at the moment, and it’s doing no good for him or the club as a whole. It seems like the perfect time for both sides to go their separate ways.

Player Zone: Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud to continue his run of form against Sheffield United

Chelsea are on track to secure their spot in the Champions League next season as they head into another matchday on the road.

The Blues visit Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United this evening and will be looking for nothing less than three points to boost their chances of a top four finish. However, the Blades are also fighting for a spot in Europe and will be desperate for a win on home soil.

One man who could be the key to unlock United’s defence is Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman has been in superb form since the restart and looks set to continue his impressive run.

During the winter, Giroud was dropped in favour of Tammy Abraham, but since the England international has been sidelined due to injury, the 33-year-old has stepped up. Even with Abraham back to full fitness, Giroud has been Frank Lampard’s first choice up front.

With the addition of Timo Werner, the fight for the centre-forward spot is heating up and it seems that the France international is determined to be considered by Lampard once the Germany striker arrives. Giroud has scored three goals in his last five appearances, taking his overall tally to six across all competitions this campaign (via Transfermarkt).

With an important match looming at Bramall Lane, it’s unlikely that Lampard will want to change the current successful attacking dynamic. The £6.3m-valued forward will see this as another opportunity to add to his scoring portfolio this season and boost his chances of game-time next term.

How do you think Chelsea’s match against Sheffield United will fare out? Have your say in the comments below…

Tottenham Hotspur: Ex-Spur insists Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson would be a ‘great backup’ to Harry Kane

Alan Hutton insists Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson would be a ‘great backup’ for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs defender claims the Cherries star could be a fantastic signing for Jose Mourinho this summer.

Recent reports revealed the Lilywhites are leading the race to sign Wilson and he could cost Daniel Levy a mere £10m in the transfer window after Bournemouth were relegated from the Premier League.

It’s no secret that Mourinho is in the market for a forward who can provide suitable cover and competition for Kane, as Spurs struggled to score goals during his absence this season.

Wilson, 28, scored nine goals in 39 games for Eddie Howe’s side in all competitions and has won four caps for his country so far.

The player-turned-pundit believes he is the ideal man for the job as he would give Mourinho’s side an extra attacking edge.

Hutton told assistant editor Russell Edge “I think he’d do well there. He’s the type of player that would fit in.

“He works hard, he likes to run in behind, he can score goals – no disrespect to Bournemouth but playing with better players he’ll get more opportunities.

“He doesn’t just have to play in that number nine role – he’d be a great backup to Kane but I think he can fit in in other places which is good for Mourinho.

“It’s always the same when teams get relegated other teams try to pick off their best assets and I’m sure it’ll happen to a few of the boys at Bournemouth.”

It is hard to argue with Hutton here, as Wilson is a proven Premier League goalscorer who has scored 41 goals in 126 games in the competition.

While he failed to replicate the form he has enjoyed in the past, as he only scored eight times in the English top flight, he bagged almost double that amount last year.

Kane’s injury laid bare for all to see just how little depth the Lilywhites have in the striking department.

Mourinho was ready to raid his old club Chelsea for Olivier Giroud, but a move failed to materialise, and he had to use Son Heung-min in a makeshift role instead.

Levy is lining up a quick offer for Wilson, who will want to stay in the Premier League when Bournemouth drop back down to the Championship.

Available for a cut-price fee, a striker of his undeniable quality is something Spurs cannot ignore, and he is surely the type of shrewd signing Levy must make in the summer.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Wilson in the summer? Let us know down below!

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