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Liverpool star Roberto Firmino has lauded former Liverpool teammate and fellow Brazil international Philippe Coutinho. Speaking to FIFA.com (via HITC), the Reds striker has waxed lyrical over the versatile midfielder, who was heavily linked to a Merseyside return this summer.

“He’s phenomenal. You simply can’t say that he’s not a magician,” Firmino said. “He has magical powers. He produces plays that don’t exist, that you couldn’t make up.

“He’s an unbelievable player. It was a pleasure to play with him at Liverpool, and it’s a pleasure to play with him for the Seleção. I’m a huge fan of his. He’s one of the very best players in the world.”

A reunion at Anfield would have certainly pleased Firmino, but Liverpool opted not to take their reported interest in Coutinho any further.

Coutinho and Liverpool talks

In a dire contrast to his dream move to Barcelona two years ago, the 28-year-old is now surplus to the Catalonians. After spending a mammoth £142million on him in 2018, the La Liga giants have been trying to push for a permanent move for Coutinho.

He spent the 2019/20 season on loan with Bayern Munich, contributing to their Champions League success, but the Germans did not opt to make his move permanent. The playmaker attracted a lot of attention from the Premier League, with Spurs, Arsenal and even Newcastle showing interest in his services (via Daily Mail).

Liverpool’s name was also amongst those monitoring his status but they opted to swoop for his temporary 2019/20 teammate Thiago Alcantara instead. However, as Barcelona dangled him on the market, the Reds could have struck a sweet deal to re-sign their former player.

Could Coutinho play for Liverpool again?

The Reds certainly missed a trick by not taking advantage of the situation whilst Coutinho was being offered out. Although his departure divided the fanbase, it would all be water under the bridge if he came back and gave his all to the club once more.

Now, Liverpool would be spending money for no reason, as they currently have Thiago, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all competing for a spot in the midfield. Gini Wijnaldum is also a strong choice, but with less than a year left on his contract, he may be headed for the door next season.

Without signing Thiago, Liverpool would certainly have space to bring Coutinho back. It would also be very likely Klopp would build the midfield around him, having already managed him and knowing his best traits. But for now at least, it’s a missed opportunity for the reigning Premier League champions.

In other news, Solid England display from Jordan Henderson is much-needed boost for Liverpool ahead of Everton clash…

Just days after a momentous victory in the north London derby against Arsenal, Tottenham headed to St James’ Park and got the job done in their clash against Newcastle.

With only a couple of games left in the season, Jose Mourinho’s side have appeared to hit form at just the right time, and know that a 100% record from here on out could see them clinch European football for the next campaign.

One man who certainly showed signs of stepping his game up in the game against Newcastle on Wednesday night, was Giovani Lo Celso.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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And following Mourinho’s worrying update on Tanguy Ndombele, it’s perhaps become even more imperative that the Argentine really kicks on.

Speaking after his side’s 3-1 victory over the Magpies, the Spurs boss said: “I know that Ndombele will not help us because his injury will keep him out for the next two matches”.

It means the Lilywhites will be without a midfielder, who for all his troubles, has shown himself to be one of the more creative and crafty players in the squad, particularly for a player in his position – as per Whoscored, he has averaged 1.8 dribbles per game in the top-flight, scoring twice and setting up two more as well.

On the other hand, Lo Celso, whilst a first-team regular under both Mauricio Pochettino and Mourinho, hasn’t had the kind of same impact in terms of goal contributions.

Barring his assist for Heung-min Son against Newcastle, the Argentina international had only provided one other Premier League assist, and is still yet to score in the division too.

The £36m-rated star must take on more of the creative workload at Spurs now that Mourinho doesn’t have Ndombele to call upon even if he wanted to, and there were signs of him doing just that against Steve Bruce’s side.

As per Sofascore, he completed both of his attempted dribbles, had 61 touches of the ball, made 37 successful passes out of 39, and provided two key passes too.

With Leicester and Crystal Palace to come, Spurs will need Lo Celso’s creativity more than ever. Otherwise, they face risk undoing all the hard work they have put in, especially in these last two games.

Name: Thomas Partey

Club: Atletico Madrid

Date of Birth: 13 June 1993

Position: Defensive midfielder

THOMAS PARTEY – HIS CAREER SO FAR

As is quite often the case, Diego Simeone finds good defensive players and then turns them into world-class superstars. Pretty much the same thing can be said about Thomas Partey, Atletico Madrid’s academy graduate that had to work hard to get where he is right now. For the 27-year-old defensive midfielder, it all started back home in Ghana where he played for the local Odometah FC in their youth ranks.

But already by 2011, a big club came calling as the youngster was showing a lot of promise. Atletico Madrid signed him up and then, a year after that, he joined their academy as a very young lad. Still, despite the talent he clearly possessed, it took quite some time to become as established as he is right now. From 2013 and all the way to 2015, he was officially part of their B side but would only manage to tally 33 appearances for them, scoring four goals in the process as well.

This is mostly because he was sent out on two different loans in that same time period. First, in 2013, to Mallorca and then, in 2014, to Almeria. Still, both stints ended up being quite productive for Partey, giving him both adequate game time and a stage to fully develop and break out of his shell. At the former club, he would register 38 appearances with five goals and two assists, while at the latter, 32 appearances with two goals on the side.

Needless to say, upon his eventual return to Atletico Madrid, he was a much more developed player, ready to take on the next challenge in his career. The first team bow arrived in November 2015 when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 win against Espanyol. This was indeed a start of a special journey that is still on an upward spiral. The 27-year-old penned a new contract with Rojiblancos on 14 February 2017, tying him down at the club until at least 2022, but that was subsequently extended to 2023 in 2018.

And now, he has already played in 185 games for Atletico Madrid, even scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists despite that being far from his role on the pitch. But with his rapidly increasing popularity and status, other clubs are bound to be interested and this is especially true for some Premier League titans.

Partey is in his prime and could very well be making a big switch rather soon.

TRANSFER LATEST

According to the latest transfer news, Arsenal are quite interested in securing the 27-year-old’s signature in the ongoing summer transfer window. Of course, this was all before their official statement outlining some financial difficulties at the club. Needless to say, if the Gunners really wanted to go after Partey, they would have to splash the cash.

As of right now, no other Arsenal transfer news or transfer rumours are saying they won’t go for the midfielder but it could indeed be a slightly more complicated deal to get over the line. Atletico Madrid don’t exactly want to part with a player of his calibre but with the right offer and some persuasion, everything is possible.

PLAYER PROFILE

Partey is a defensive midfielder by trade and as such, he often acts both as a facilitator and a destroyer. Some of his best qualities are certainly his ball-retention skills and the ability to snuff out danger even before it happens. He’s usually one of the deeper-positioned players in the Atletico Madrid squad but also has enough technical quality to start transitions and even more importantly, play out of the opposition’s press.

At 27 years of age, he is now in his prime and playing some of the best football of his career. Of course, just being part of Simeone’s system, he has exceptional work-rate but can even offer support going forward when needed. It is very difficult to pinpoint the exact area of his operation because he is mostly all over the pitch, which is also one of his best qualities.

He can be insecure on the ball at times but that’s a minor blip on an otherwise stellar resume and something that can certainly be ironed out in the immediate future.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left reeling by the latest update surrounding their reported pursuit of Philippe Coutinho.

It’s led to some members of the Spurs faithful unleashing on chairman Daniel Levy as well as the club’s ownership, the ENIC Group.

According to Marca, the north London outfit are to end their interest in the Barcelona attacking midfielder due to his wage demands.

It’s claimed that Coutinho is making around €15m (£13.5m) per season at the Spanish giants which is way beyond what Spurs and Levy are prepared to offer, which has left many supporters far from surprised.

The 27-year-old, who is valued at £50.4m by Transfermarkt, is currently out on loan to Bayern Munich where he has provided nine goals and eight assists from 32 appearances, which is pretty good going.

Coutinho joined Barcelona back in January 2018 for a whopping £142m, signing a five-and-a-half year deal, meaning he’s still under contract at the Nou Camp for another three seasons.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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Many in north London believe the Brazilian would be a very good addition for the squad next term, especially as they appear unlikely to qualify for the Champions League with Jose Mourinho’s side some seven points adrift at this stage.

These supporters have unleashed at Levy and the board for their lack of spending…

It’s that bad that one supporter went as far as suggesting that making the top ten next term would be an achievement in itself. They’re only two points from falling out of it this season, let alone what could happen in 2020/21.

There’s no indication on whether Spurs are genuinely interested in the former Liverpool playmaker, and given the signing of Giovani Lo Celso to accompany Dele Alli in attacking midfield, he may not be a needed addition.

Mourinho has plenty of other glaring issues to resolve, most notably his defence, who rank as the joint-worst in the top ten for goals conceded.

AND in other news, Spurs fans react as free agent SWOOP edges closer…

Newcastle United have been offered the chance to sign Hirving Lozano on loan for free next term if the proposed takeover in the North East is eventually approved by the Premier League, according to Arena Napoli.

As per the outlet, the 24-year old has not exactly impressed since his big money move from PSV in Holland, as he has scored just four goals and made a mere two assists in 25 games in all competitions so far in the 2019/20 season for Napoli, according to Transfermarkt.

The Italian club’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis and their sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli would apparently not reject the idea of ​​a free loan for Lozano for the next campaign, with Everton and West Ham United having also been offered the chance to sign him in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The option to buy the Mexican international on a permanent basis is reportedly set at between 35 and 40 million euros, which equates to roughly between £31.6 million and £36.1 million.

Napoli have apparently received offers of around 20 million euros for Lozano from the Premier League as well as teams in La Liga, but it is not thought that this sum is enough to lure him away from Italy so soon after arriving.

Despite the winger’s arguable downfall so far this season, he did show why so much money was spent on him in the last campaign, as he netted a relatively impressive 21 times and provided 12 assists in 40 matches in all competitions in the Netherlands (via Transfermarkt).

To get a player with those kinds of stats for free, even for one campaign, may be a valuable piece of business for the Toon if the prospective takeover is completed.

Geordies, would Lozano be a good signing? Comment below!

West Ham United are facing a cash flow hole of between £60 million and £80 million as a result of the lack of Premier League action, that is according to a report from Football London.

Football in England and most parts of the world is currently on hold due to a global pandemic which has had a major impact on life in general. As it stands the Premier League is currently suspended indefinitely (Sky Sports), meaning that there has been no games for a while and there are none on the horizon either.

With no action taking place it means that many clubs are being hit hard financially and it is no different for the Hammers. According to the report, they are paying out £10.5 million in wages per month to their players, whilst also paying off £44 million worth of transfer fees this year. Then on top of that they are now missing out on facility fees for live TV games worth £1.2 million each, whilst earnings from the club shop have stopped after it was closed, which is worth around £750,000 per month to them.

It is thought that David Moyes and his staff are willing to take pay-cuts in order to ease the pressure on the club, but these financial issues will certainly be a worry.

After seeing reports of the problems, many Hammers fans have been responding on Twitter. One even suggested that this means owner David Sullivan now has an excuse for not spending money in the next few years.

Here is what some had to say…

West Ham fans, are you worried about these financial reports? Let us know below…

Glasgow Rangers’ fight for justice appears to have seen cracks emerge across the whole of Scottish football.

Unless you don’t know by now, this is how it stands at the moment – the Gers have accused the SPFL of corruption, and have produced a 200-page dossier to prove as much. They have sent this to all of the other 41 clubs in the top four tiers of the country’s footballing pyramid, and the clubs will vote at the Emergency General Meeting on Tuesday to see if an independent investigation should be called.

It seems that there are plenty of questions being asked of many different clubs, one of which is Dunfermline. Inverness have accused Ross McArthur, the club’s chairman, of bullying, with leaked WhatsApp messages appearing to confirm as much. However, McArthur has now said that not only did he do so as “Dunfermline Athletic FC Chairman and NOT as an SPFL Board Member”, he has also added that “it most certainly wasn’t a threat, simply a potential consequence of their action not to back the SPFL resolution currently put in front of them.”

As you can imagine, this has not gone down well with the Gers supporters – one fan even called it “laughable”. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jake Clarke-Slater has taken his chance, but will it be taken away from him again in the future?

We spoke on FFC earlier this week about his performance against Fulham, how he didn’t do anything to disgrace himself when it came to his performance and that he should be given the opportunity to carry on as Harlee Dean’s replacement as he carries on his suspension.

However, once Dean’s time out is done, Clarke-Salter could find himself back to square one as it were, but should that really be the case?

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He’s managed to perform well in his two league games so far this season, and has only really been let down by two horrendous mistakes by Lee Camp, otherwise he’d be undefeated with two clean sheets under his belt.

As it stands though, he’s got a 100% losing record (plus the cup game against Portsmouth, but we can cut him some slack there as the line-up suggested Pep Clotet had no intention of winning that game).

The Blues could change to a back three on a permanent basis to help accommodate someone like Clarke-Salter into the fray, however you can still bring him in without changing the formation. Although it might sound sacrilegious to say it, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be competing with the likes of Marc Roberts for a starting role alongside Dean.

He’s shown that he can be more than capable at this level for Birmingham, winning five duels and making a combined total of four interpretations and blocks at the weekend. However, beyond that, he just isn’t being given a fair crack at it.

Much in the same way we have talked about Moha Ramos and his lack of opportunities at St Andrew’s, the fact that he’s only here on loan should add urgency to the situation, leaning on him to be used on a regular basis. You don’t want to have essentially wasted a year of his career by allowing him to rot on the bench.

They might be in a position where they can buy the 22-year-old in the summer, but if he doesn’t feel happy about his playing time, then it could end up giving him second thoughts about coming back to St Andrew’s.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Serge Aurier was in genuinely excellent form as Tottenham Hotspur beat Olympiacos in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

On the chalkboard

The Ivory Coast international was in mixed form under Mauricio Pochettino prior to the Argentine’s sacking, conceding a penalty against Liverpool and also being sent off against Southampton.

But on Tuesday, he was exceptional as Jose Mourinho’s men came from 2-0 down to beat the Greek side 4-2.

Aurier provided a somewhat fortunate assist for Dele Alli’s first goal – the defender in front of Alli inexplicably sliced his clearance – but then scored a screamer in the second half, bending a sublime half-volley into the bottom corner to give his side the lead.

Per WhoScored, the 26-year-old registered two key passes in total, had a passing accuracy of 88%, won two aerial duels and also made two clearances.

Surprisingly, he didn’t actually win a tackle, nor did he even attempt one.

Clever management

This is tactically astute management from Mourinho.

Aurier is not the best defensive performer – he averages a foul per game in the Premier League and 1.7 per game in the Champions League – and is better suited to playing further forward.

That was best emphasised by his display against Olympiacos.

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Not only did he get forward, but he did it with aplomb, making a massive impact in the final third and continually threatening with his deliveries.

His goal was the icing on the cake and it suggests that he will continually be utilised as a full-back-cum-winger, instead of merely being a defensive player, where his weaknesses are all the more exposed.

He has shown that he can make that role his own.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have hit out at one star for his performance. 

Roy Keane has called Tottenham full-backs Danny Rose and Serge Aurier “Dumb and Dumber” following their disastrous performances in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.

The current situation at Spurs went from bad to worse after suffering yet another loss at the weekend, the club’s sixth of the season in all competitions.

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Nothing seems to be going right at the moment for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and the prospects of escaping the nightmare they currently find themselves in aren’t looking good either – especially after watching Aurier and Rose fumble their way around Anfield. The former fouled Sadio Mane, leading to Mohamed Salah scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot.

As Keane pointed out during his assessment, it didn’t help the pair’s case that two of the best in the business lined up on the opposing team, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson.

Not one to shy away from making big statements though, the former Manchester United man told Sky Sports:

“The two Tottenham full-backs were dreadful. Dumb and Dumber, I’d call them.

“I thought they were really poor. You can’t compare them to Liverpool, the two lads who are absolutely fantastic.

“Particularly going forward, okay defensively there’s parts of the games they can improve on but going forward they were absolutely fantastic.”