I think we can all agree, more attacking creativity is needed at Rangers. Nick Powell would be a bargain and could be just the man to get Ibrox back on its feet.

The Sun’s Alan Nixon (sourced by Football Insider 247) said the Gers are ‘very’ interested in the Man United academy graduate, so the club could see what we’re seeing in terms of his potential.

He’ll leave Wigan on a free at the end of the season as it stands, and the 25-year-old will be a bargain for whoever picks him up. He’s scored six goals and made seven assists from 26 appearances in midfield this season, all for a team in 19thplace.

Wigan is a rugby league town at heart and we’re sure he’d love to make the step up from the DW Stadium to Ibrox where football is a religion. He’s played under the weight of expectation ever since his days at United, so he’ll be used to the pressure that comes with playing for the Gers.

He’s known for his long-range strikes and exciting creativity, and that’s just what Steven Gerrard’s side needs as they look to challenge Celtic for the title next season. They’ve really lacked a playmaker this term, so this is exactly the signing the fans would love.

They can expect fireworks if Powell makes the switch to Glasgow, with him having the confidence to thrive in front of such a large crowd. The size of which Sir Alex Ferguson predicted he’d play in front of all those years ago. Now’s the time for Rangers to allow him to fulfil that potential.

Rangers fans, how do you think Nick Powell would fit into your team next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

West Bromwich Albion fans are waiting patiently to see who the club appoint as their new manager, with the likes of Alex Neil and Slavisa Jokanovic being mentioned. 

Of course, Alex Neil has been thriving this season at Preston North End as he’s taken them within touching distance of a play-off spot, but it doesn’t look as if they’ll be able to make it.

The Preston boss reportedly (as per Sky Sports) wants assurances on budgets and how much control he will have over first team affairs, if he is to become the boss at the Hawthorns.

He may be impressing at this moment in time and still has plenty of time to develop as a manager but it remains to be seen as to whether he’d be the best option with promotion on the line via the play-offs.

Therefore, Luke Dowling should focus on a different manager for now.

One man who does have previous experience of securing promotion via the play-offs is Slavisa Jokanovic.

The Baggies have reportedly held talks (as per Daily Mail) with the 50-year-old, so there’s a clear interest.

Indeed, the Serbian managed to take Fulham into the Premier League last season and his side played some of the best football that the Championship had seen in recent years. His attacking style would benefit the players at the Hawthorns massively with attacking full-backs and Jay Rodriguez playing in the Aleksandar Mitrovic role.

The most attractive thing about the former Fulham boss is that he knows how to get the job done in the Championship, which is the most important thing at this moment in time. Indeed, the Baggies could always go out and appoint Neil if they secure promotion next season, but getting their is the main focus right now.

West Bromwich Albion fans, who would you rather have at the helm this season? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

[ad_pod ]

Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho was a part of the England team that recorded a 5-0 win over Czech Republic in Friday night’s Euro 2020 qualification match.

Marcus Rashford’s withdrawal opened up a spot in the XI, which was taken by Sancho as the 18-year-old was handed his first competitive Three Lions start.

It was certainly a night to remember for the winger, who provided the assist for Raheem Sterling to open the scoring at Wembley.

Liverpool have previously been credited with an interest in the teenager, who has scored eight times and registered 15 assists in 26 Bundesliga appearances this term.

Overall, Sancho – valued at £72m by Transfermarkt – has 10 goals and 21 assists in 47 games for Dortmund since a 2017 move from Manchester City, which is a wonderful record for an 18-year-old.

Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below

The Liverpool fans were closely monitoring Sancho’s performance against Czech Republic and a number have been on social media urging director of football Michael Edwards to sort out a deal.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Liverpool should jump at the opportunity to offload deadwood defender Dejan Lovren amid interest from Roma, Napoli and AC Milan all circling (as per the Mirror).

Despite a relatively prosperous summer at the World Cup, the Croatia international returned to Anfield a forgotten man – cast aside in favour of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho, a natural defensive midfielder.

Indeed, ambitious claims that he is ‘one of the best defenders in the world’ (via Sky Sports) have scant been supported this season.

Extended periods on the sideline may have hampered Lovren this term, we admit, but there is no way he can hide behind recent injuries when he is cross-examined for questionable performances in the past.

No, Lovren must face up to the fact that he is not considered among the elite, not even close. In fact, he sits quite comfortably in the ‘distinctly average’ category – alongside the rest of the defenders who have been, or are soon to be, forgotten by the Premier League.

And, it’s safe to say that fans at Anfield will be keen to forget about the Croatian as he’s done more harm than good at Liverpool, with his absence for most of this season resulting in the Reds challenging for the title.

Roma and Napoli are said to be interested in the player amid interest in their own defenders Kostas Manolas and Kalidou Koulibaly, respectively.

How exactly he is expected to replace the aforementioned remains to be seen, as two of the most highly rated defenders in Europe, but we sort of admire the unfounded faith clubs obviously have in him. Their scouts clearly see something the rest of the world do not.

Liverpool fans, is Lovren ‘one of the best in the world’ and how do you feel about selling him this summer? Let us know in the comments below…

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter have been rejoicing about a historic club announcement, revealing the date of their first match at their new stadium.

Spurs men’s first-team will take to the field at the New White Hart Lane for the first time on Wednesday 3 April, when London rivals Crystal Palace will be the visitors.

This will follow two test events at the new stadium, an under-18s clash and a Tottenham Legends match, which will both take place later in March.

Despite the first Premier League match coming six months behind schedule, supporters have still been delighted by the news and can’t wait to see their side in action at their new home.

Some have replied simply with the words “we’re going home” while others have expressed their pure joy with a basic “yes” on Twitter, the emotion has been clear to see from a fan base that have been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

Check out some of the best reactive Tweets from Lilywhites after they found out they’ll finally be returning to White Hart Lane, below…

يلتقي فريق مانشستر سيتي، مساء اليوم الأربعاء، مع نظيره بورتو في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2020/2021.

ويلتقي الفريقان في ملعب الاتحاد، في الجولة الأولى من دور مجموعات البطولة.

ويغيب أكثر من لاعب عن مانشستر سيتي للإصابة، أبرزهم كيفين دي بروين وجابريل جيسوس. تشكيل مانشستر سيتي الأساسي أمام بورتو

حراسة المرمى: إيدرسون.

خط الدفاع: ووكر، دياز، جارسيا، كانسيلو.

خط الوسط: رودريجو، جوندوجان، برناردو سيلفا.

خط الهجوم: محرز، ستيرلينج، أجويرو. بدلاء مانشستر سيتي أمام بورتو

ستيفن، كارسون، ستونز، زنتشينكو، فرناندينيو، توريس، فودين، نميشا، دويل، تايلور هاروود، بالمر، برنابي.

Ole is officially at the wheel. After months of progress, the legendary Manchester United hero has secured the job on a permanent basis and now the real work begins ahead of the summer transfer window. There’s a long road ahead, but life is good for you United fans right now. 

Indeed, it could prove to be the biggest window for Manchester United in years because with the right signings, the Red Devils should expect to challenge for the Premier League title once again. For how big the club is, that is the least they can hope to achieve but first, it’s all about strengthening upon their current options.

Money has never been an issue for United and so it won’t prove too damaging to spend a lot of money on a number of positions this summer. Clearly, that’s needed and considering the insatiable nature of fans baying for transfers, it promises to be a huge summer.

To start proceedings, their first signing should be Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, following a terrific breakthrough season at Selhurst Park.

Wan-Bissaka, (who is valued at £22.5 million on Transfermarkt) is yet another English talent showing his unbelievable ability this season, despite a senior call-up yet to occur. Reports from talkSPORT earlier this season suggest that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has earmarked Wan-Bissaka as a replacement for the outgoing Antonio Valencia as he looks to improve United defensively.

A big clear-out is expected at Old Trafford this summer, it makes room for an extremely talented right-back to enter the fray.

For Crystal Palace, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has shown his tremendous attacking and defensive abilities, when consistently making himself an option out on the right-hand-side, hence why Man United are obviously so keen on his signature.

He’s simply a wonderkid they need to sign.

Do you agree that Wan-Bissaka should be a target for Man United… Let us know down below!

Well, well, well. It looks like Southampton are just going to have enough yet again to steer themselves clear of the relegation zone and remain in the Premier League for next season.

It’s all well and good hearing that but Southampton were a team just a few years ago were regular challengers for the European positions, a sign of how quickly things have gone dramatically downhill.

That board, right? Terrible, terrible board.

The ownership continues to be somewhat unreliable in terms of how little money is being made available to Ralph Hasenhuttl and his team. Clearly, they have the chance to somewhat redeem themselves this summer, but one swallow doesn’t make a summer, Should that continue, Southampton must turn their attention to the development of their younger players.

An example of one of those players who could make it far in a Southampton shirt is striker Michael Obafemi.

Obafemi, (who is valued at £900k on Transfermarkt) is a youngster who showed great potential during his brief cameos with the Southampton first-team. Unfortunately for the Republic of Ireland man though, he had been plagued with hamstring problems throughout his time in the first-team and the last one he sustained was a season-ender.

Nevertheless, considering he is only 18, he deserves another chance at showing why he is deserving of a place in the first-team.

With a goal and an assist during his spell in the team, there is nothing stopping Michael Obafemi from kicking-on and being a success at St Mary’s when back from injury. It’s not as if his strike partners are covering themselves in glory, right? The competition just isn’t there.

He’s jet-heeled, full of tenacity and knows where the goal is, most importantly for a striker. He is a completely different option to his fellow forwards at Southampton and that’s why faith can’t be lost in him despite an injury set-back.

It’d take a fool to bet against a Hasenhuttl-inspired overhaul on the South Coast this summer but Saints’ most exciting prospect in years can’t be lost in it.

Saints fans, would you give Michael Obafemi another chance next season? Should he take precedence over new signings? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]

Transfer deadline day is criminally devoid of notable Hollywood stories considering the level of hype it generates. It seems that the entire premise of the day is built upon the fact that Manchester City once signed Robinho and attempted to hijack Manchester United’s bid for Dimitar Berbatov on the same day.

Just as City’s wealth and exponential rise from clinical mediocrity to elite domination is unprecedented, so was their transfer activity on August 31st 2008. Transfer stories further down the leagues seldom generate the same level of interest as those concerning Premier League clubs, but the culmination of Leeds United’s lengthy and well documented pursuit of Daniel James was a deadline-day story for the annals.

The promotion-chasing outfit were deprived of their primary target in dramatic circumstances, leaving Phil Hay and his multitude of loyal followers in a state of bewildered meltdown. Circumstances will surely dictate whether the Whites return for James in the summer: promotion will line Andrea Radrizanni’s pockets with mounds upon mounds of cash and Swansea’s awareness of the financial implications of promotion will naturally give them added power on the negotiating table.

But the pulsating 21-year-old may have already priced Leeds out of a move with his performance against Manchester City in the FA Cup just under ten days ago. A game which was broadcast live on the BBC, Swansea shell-shocked the quadruple-chasing giants in a captivating first-half. James was at the forefront of every incisive move the Swans constructed, leaving Nicolas Otamendi in a pool of treacle as he flicked the jets on his heels before racing forward at Olympian-esque speed.

It was the type of performance which, in-front of a national audience, can launch a player into stardom in one fleeting 90 minute slice of football. Those who had heard tales of the James to Leeds saga finally understood what all the fuss was about, and it’s fair to assume that Premier League clubs will have been watching with legitimate intrigue.

In the aftermath of proceedings, this is what Guardian journalist Ben Fisher had to say about the performance: ‘As for James, who was set to join Leeds in January for a fee rising to £10m only for Swansea to pull the plug at the 11th hour, eye-catching performances such as these could start a bidding war.’

While it would be rash to assume that top-flight clubs will be convinced to table bids for the Wales international based on the evidence of one performance, his ability to stand out in a clash of that magnitude underlined his credentials to grow above and beyond the Championship.

A recent report from the Daily Telegraph revealed that James has previously clocked up a personal best top speed of 36kph, just one kph shy of the official FIFA record set by Arjen Robben in 2014. Pace is one of the rawest and most unteachable virtues in football and it’s a commodity which clubs intensely desire, so there’s no doubt that Fisher’s verdict could turn prophetic in the summer window.

And James’ match-winning display for Wales against Slovakia on Sunday may well have intensified any lingering feelings of ruefulness that were spinning around Bielsa’s head.

At £10million Leeds could have snapped up a cunning acquisition in the winter window with plenty of resale value. That price-tag, however, looks set to be doubled at the very least by the basic supply and demand rule which drives the footballing market just like everything else.

As the acute awareness of a potential missed opportunity begins to dawn upon Leeds fans with a potential bidding war on the horizon, the underwhelming start to life in the top-flight Wolves’ chief pace merchant Adama Traore has experienced may offer some comfort.

That is about the only divergence to offer from the natural feelings of what might have been which emerged in light of James’ breathtaking FA Cup showing.

Accrington Stanley owner and chairman, Andy Holt, has unleashed a Twitter tirade in relation to the Financial Fair Play (FFP) hearing currently taking place against Birmingham City.

He claims, in no uncertain terms, that clubs who are relegated, or miss out on promotion, due to a rival club breaching the FFP regulations, should be able to sue their counterparts in court.

His suggestion that civil action should be enforced on top of any sanction that may be applied by the hearing committee.

He compared FFP breaches to cycling, claiming that if a cyclist has been caught cheating, the next rider is moved up in the standings.

While his point may be valid, placing them in the public domain on social media opens the door to a further, ethical question.

Is it right that owners and chairmen of rival football clubs can make comments that could be seen to influence an investigation or hearing?

If this was an ongoing court case, the proceedings would be considered active. In such active cases, it is against the law to make public comments, whether in an interview or on social media, that may be seen as having a direct effect or impact on the case.

Breaching these laws can be considered as contempt of court, and is punishable under the 1981 Contempt of Court Act with a fine, or in some cases, up to two years in prison.

Now, although this hearing is not an active court case, and those laws do not apply, shouldn’t there be something similar in place for them?

The comments made by Accrington’s owner may well be legitimate, but is it right that he can say these things on a public forum, for all to read and see, while the hearing is taking place?

Surely his comments can only inflame an already lit powder keg, and could be seen as a deliberate attempt to ramp up pressure on those responsible for making the judgement and, if appropriate, imposing a relevant punishment.

It is time for guidelines to be put in place, ensuring prominent figures in footballing positions hold their counsel on situations like these until the verdict has been reached, and any potential appeal has been exhausted.

Here are Holt’s Tweets in full so you can judge for yourself:

What are your thoughts on Andy Holt’s comments City fans? Are his comments a concerted effort to make Birmingham a scapegoat? Let us know below…