Brendan Rodgers has all-but confirmed that Scott Brown is about to sign a new Celtic contract.
What’s the word?
The midfielder is out of contract in the summer and has held talks with Australian outfit Western Melbourne as well as receiving an offer the UAE – according to recent reports from The Daily Record.
Brown was signed from Hibs in 2007 for a record Scottish transfer fee and has picked up eight title winning medals since making the move along the M8.
It was reported on Wednesday that the Celtic skipper is set to sign a new deal, and following a 2-0 win over St. Johnstone, Rodgers appeared to confirm the rumours.
As quoted by The Daily Record, Rodgers said: “He’s an outstanding player and I think the possibilities to go and try something else will come later on. Scott could be a coach here in the future. There will always be a role.”
Priceless Experience
It is easy to overlook or take for granted the influence that Brown has but as well as his experience, his ability to dictate the tempo is priceless.
Last season without their skipper the team looked paralysed but a strange thing happened in November when Celtic suddenly clicked into gear as Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie took charge with Brown out injured.
Having other options and combinations is welcome but it shouldn’t detract from the influence and qualities of the club captain.
Craig Gordon and Mikael Lustig could soon be dropping out of the side creating a vacuum in experience – Brown fills that and much much more.
Despite crashing out of both domestic cup competitions, Liverpool’s league form has been utterly phenomenal. The troubles of yesteryear have ceased, as the Reds have only conceded 14 goals in 24 games – the best defensive record in the division. Having won 19 of their 24 games, they have given themselves a favourable position as we embark towards the conclusion of the season.
Given the club’s historical tendencies to fall short when it matters most, any predictions about lifting the title would be ill-timed. Regardless of how this season develops, Jurgen Klopp deserves enormous praise for the way he has transformed this Liverpool team to be a thoroughly competitive outfit in the league and Europe.
A prominent feature of that transformation has been the formation of the Reds’ devastating attack. The signing of Mohammed Salah has been utterly inspired, and it has placed the Egyptian in the elite echelons of world football. Collectively, Salah, Sadio Mane Roberto Firmino and Xherdan Shaqiri have totalled 41 Premier League goals, with almost half a season of football remaining. From next season onward, the Reds should further equip their attacking arsenal, in the form of one of their youth products.
Soccer Football – Champions League – Group Stage – Group C – Crvena Zvezda v Liverpool – Rajko Mitic Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia – November 6, 2018 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts Action images via Reuters/Paul Childs
The importance of youth development, specifically, youth integration, has seemingly reached its peak with German clubs looking to acquire the best young talent from British team, and a player of Wilson’s undeniable class will begin to attract interest if the Wales international is overlooked by his parent club.
During his current loan spell at Derby, the 21-year-old has pieced together an impressive catalogue of sensational goals, particularly from dead-ball situations. And, while his goal-scoring prowess is a valued facet of his game, to focus solely on it would be a cruel dismissal of Wilson’s other qualities.
As is customary for most wingers, Wilson is blessed with great technicality, and thanks to his electric turn of pace, quick-thinking, and dizzying skill, he is a difficult player to contain. The winger also exhibits fine passing ability, particularly his valued tendency to play through balls. Resultantly, he is often the source of consistent service from wide positions.
The Welshman played a vital role while on loan at Hull City last season, helping the Tigers to avoid relegation with 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 13 Championship games – a demonstration of his ability to make a meaningful, and speedy impact. In the same vein, Wilson has maintained his excellent form this campaign. In 28 appearances in all competitions for Frank Lampard’s Derby, the winger has 16 goal contributions (12 goals, four assists). He has also impressed at international level for Wales, earning eight caps and contributing towards three goals (two goals, one assist).
Soccer Football – Championship – Derby County v Middlesbrough – Pride Park, Derby, Britain – January 1, 2019 Derby County’s Harry Wilson Action Images/Craig Brough EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
It seems entirely plausible that Wilson will surpass the 20 goal contributions mark, and at the age of 21, his potential is vast. At both Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp has developed an ability to maximise the output of his creative talents, giving them the best opportunity to express themselves. Wilson could prove to be the perfect addition to this Liverpool team, that already flaunts a plethora of attacking talent.
While Klopp rightly deserves acclaim for Liverpool’s transformation from top-four hopefuls to a genuinely competitive team, he has done so through exercising the club’s financial power. Most definitely, there is nothing wrong with resorting to the transfer market to strengthen one’s side, but youth integration is a far cheaper method, and often a source of tremendous pride for supporters.
Naturally, not every academy product or young player is of sufficient quality to play for the first-team and make an enduring impression; but Wilson undoubtedly has the talent and the potential to become a crucial component of Liverpool’s side for years to come.
Alisson Becker says Liverpool remain confident of winning the Premier League title.
The Reds goalkeeper has seen his side undergo something of a blip in recent games but he says they are assured in their own ability to win the title.
What’s the word?
Liverpool have slipped off the top of the Premier League table in recent days.
Back-to-back draws with Leicester City and West Ham United have allowed Manchester City to reclaim the lead as they look to defend their title.
The two sides are currently level on points but Pep Guardiola’s side have a markedly superior goal difference.
Nevertheless, Liverpool will return to the summit if they beat AFC Bournemouth on Saturday – City face Chelsea on Sunday – and Alisson insists that they still believe they can be champions.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We believe we can win the league.
“We’ve shown in the past that we’re good enough and we’ll continue to show this in the games we’ve got to come.
Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…
“Our pressure is the same. We take things game by game without worrying about what our opponents are doing.
“Everyone wants to win this league but at Liverpool, our concern is winning games and not dropping points.
“We don’t think about Man City, we think about ourselves. We only think about what we can do and how things are moving forward.”
Pride before a fall
It is always best to say nothing at all.
Alisson would have been wise to preach that gospel and keep schtum as Liverpool look to win their first ever Premier League title.
Of course, the club have won the top-flight’s biggest prize before, but not in its current incarnation and they last came close in 2013-14, when a Steven Gerrard slip and a Crystal Palace comeback prevented them from being crowned champions.
This time around, they are facing an even greater Man City than the one that became champions under Manuel Pellegrini.
Guardiola’s irrepressible winning machine appears to be roaring back into gear and Liverpool have, in recent games, looked akin to a rabbit caught in headlights.
If the Merseyside club do fail to win the league, this interview will surely haunt Alisson – he should not have said anything at all.
Chelsea take on Malmo in the Europa League tonight in a game that has grown massively in importance.
Following their 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City, there are now doubts among the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to whether Maurizio Sarri can guide the Blues to a fourth-place finish with failing to do so likely to cost the Italian his job (via Telegraph).
The Breakdown
The Telegraph again reports that the Europa League may now be the only thing that can save Sarri from getting the sack with the winner of the tournament guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League.
With the likes of Arsenal, Napoli and Inter Milan still in the competition, though, at this stage, even that looks impossible for the Blues based on recent performances.
Still, should Sarri manage to lead his side to Europa League glory and secure Champions League football, it could end up changing the west London outfit forever.
The main factor behind Sarri’s appointment was the club’s desire to move away from a pragmatic style of football to a more adventurous one, something which the 60-year-old delivered at the San Paolo after replacing Rafael Benitez as Napoli manager.
But if Sarri is relieved of his duties at the end of the season, there is a good chance that Chelsea hire another Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte style coach and revert back to playing the football they were trying to move away from after watching their original plans completely backfire.
Should Sarri, however, win the Europa League and thus achieve Champions League qualification which should be enough to save his job, then he could end up laying down the groundworks for a more positive style of football to be played at Stamford Bridge for years to come.
Leeds were out of action last weekend with wins for Sheffield United and Norwich City seeing them slump down to third in the Championship table, but the flow of news and reaction surrounding the Yorkshire club remains consistent as always. Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest Leeds stories from the last few days…
Roofe injury blow
The biggest and most piece of significant news doing the rounds right now – Leeds United confirmed on Monday that star striker Kemar Roofe will face ‘a period on the sidelines’ after suffering damage to his knee ligaments in the recent win over Swansea City. Whites fans were fretting over the front-man’s fitness before the injury was confirmed by the club, so one can only imagine what state they’re in right now. As their top scorer in the Championship this season, his absence is inevitably a massive blow to Leeds’ title hopes after dropping down to third – especially with games against fellow promotion hopefuls West Brom and Sheffield United on the horizon.
Odour pens new deal
Exciting young talent has been a recurring theme of Marcelo Bielsa’s time at the club and there appears to be another one in the pipeline at Elland Road in the form of Clarke Odour. The Yorkshire outfit confirmed on Sunday that the winger had penned a new deal and although it is due to expire at the end of next season, Leeds have the option of extending it by a further year. Of course, Odour isn’t quite making waves at first-team level in the same way as Jack Clarke, but Leeds fans on Twitter were very pleased to hear he’d agreed new terms.
How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…
Leeds fans impressed by Daniel James display
This transfer saga just won’t go away after Leeds came so close to signing Daniel James in January. With his contract winding down and Swansea’s interest in keeping their top players bemusingly limited, there’s a collective feeling James will end up at Elland Road in the summer – perhaps, by that point, to take on the challenge of Premier League football. Inevitably, Leeds fans have taken a vested interest in his performances since Deadline Day and were in awe of his FA Cup performance against Brentford on Sunday, charging from his own box to theirs before blasting past the goalkeeper. Whites supporters took to Twitter after the performance to lavish praise to the youngster’s stunning display – click here for full coverage of their reactions.
The long, hard road to re-establishing themselves in English football is slowly moving forward for Portsmouth. They’re still on course for a chance at returning to the Championship, but they’ll likely have to play the qualifiers to do so. Kenny Jackett’s side has shown enough heart and persistence to make sure they fight till the very last hurdle.
However, Portsmouth’s league-winning ambitions are slowly glimmering away. After being 10 points behind league leaders Luton Town, it seems very unlikely they can catch up to them. At one point, Pompey seemed favourite to win the League One, but poor form after the turn of the year doomed their dreams.
Ever since defeating Norwich City in the FA Cup, things have gone down for Jackett’s side. They are now winless in nine league games and knocked out of the FA Cup. The only competition they’re thriving at is the EFL Trophy, where they’ve progressed into the semi-finals and should take seriously.
Pompey face Bury on Tuesday night, the perfect fixture to end their disastrous run. They’ve drawn their last five games, despite being poised to win multiple times. Jackett needs to make sure his team find back their groove and pull off a strong win against Bury to progress into the EFL Trophy final.
While promotion to the EFL Championship is Portsmouth’s objective currently, they shouldn’t disregard the EFL trophy’s importance. Winning a trophy can validate a fairly successful season and bring joy to their loyal fans, who’ve been subjected to tough times in recent years.
West Ham are preparing to bridge their bitter rivalry with Millwall to poach one of the club’s best talents.
The momentously hostile clash between West Ham and Millwall is a rare occurrence nowadays, but this is not to say relationships have improved – they likely never will, well as the Hammer reading this will certainly think. And this situation certainly will not be improved if Manuel Pellegrini swoops in to steal the services of full-back Mahlon Romeo.
Indeed, the dawn of the summer transfer market means one thing for lower tier clubs: hatch their best players down and hope for the best.
With such a huge disparity in transfer budgets and general wealth, it is a sad reality that those sitting below the top flight can be financially flexed on so easily by those within it.
This is just another case of that chain unfolding.
Romeo is a touted long-term replacement for 34-year-old veteran Pablo Zabaleta, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season. And despite the Argentine being a decent enough servant, this will make a welcome change to proceedings.
Indeed, the Hammers right-back position has become a bit of a retirement spot for those in the twilight years of their career.
The aged and most certainly ‘past it’ Alvaro Arbeloa was handed the honour before Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta; and, rather worryingly, reports as recent as February have suggested that departing Red Devil Antonio Valencia could be the next in line (as per Daily Mail).
This is why interest in Romeo is surely welcome and refreshing news.
According to the Express¸ West Ham are readying an offer to take the player from under Millwall’s noses this summer.
He may only be used as competition for Ryan Fredericks but there is a very good player in Romeo. Quick off the mark, solid in his tackles, and tactically astute, the Daily Mail were very positive about the player early last year in an extensive scouting report.
He could be well worth a chance – especially if it means depriving a rival of one of their best players.
West Ham fans, would you feel about potentially signing a player from Millwall? Join the discussion by commenting below…
It would be fair to say that not too much was made of Andrew Robertson’s arrival at Liverpool ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.
The Reds paid around £8m for Robertson, who was part of the Hull City side relegated from the Premier League the previous season.
The move almost came out of the blue and there were a number of people who questioned whether the Scot was capable of representing a top-four club.
Fast forward almost two years and Robertson is one of the best left-backs in the top flight.
He turned 25 years of age on Monday and as expected, Liverpool’s official Twitter account was on hand with a special birthday message for the full-back.
It will not come as a surprise to learn that the club’s supporters were out in force to lavish praise on the defender, who has contributed a brilliant eight assists in 28 Premier League appearances for the Reds this term.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
There is nothing worse for a passionate football fan when their club lets a star player leave. For Aberdeen fans, that was exactly what happened less than 12 months ago when the news was confirmed to them on the 19th July that Adam Rooney would be leaving Pittodrie to sign for Conference club Salford City.
So far this season the Republic of Ireland striker has scored 16 goals in 30 league games for his new club, but prior to his time with Salford City, the 30-year-old was a goal machine at Aberdeen. His record of 87 goals in 197 games for the Dandies made him a household name north of the border and his departure certainly would have hit the Aberdeen supporters hard.
In the final season that Rooney spent with the club, he only managed ten goals in 44 outings, with eight of those coming in the Scottish Premiership. His influence was obviously dwindling, but that didn’t make his departure any easier to stomach amongst the fans. The highest point of Rooney’s Aberdeen career was his Scottish League Cup success with them in the 2013/14 season, and that will be one of the things that the fans remember him so fondly for, even if he only played two games in the competition.
You can see what those Aberdeen supporters made of Rooney’s departure here:
The Dandies were all gutted, as you can see from the tweets above, that they had to say goodbye to Rooney after four and a half years and will still be missing him now.