It may not be a great time to be a Nottingham Forest fan at the moment. The club find themselves in poor form and have fallen away from the play-offs after previously having hopes of potentially gaining promotion.
If there was a positive to take from it though, then it would the fact Arvin Appiah has just made his first-team breakthrough. However, there is a player who potentially has the ability to surpass his development.
Forward Brennan Johnson has been in magnificent form of late and is showing plenty of tricky attributes that could make him a force to be reckoned with in the Championship in the near future.
At 17 years of age, he is still exceptionally raw but his latest performances have shown just how promising he is.
This week, he scored a hat-trick for the club’s U23 side as they hammered Ipswich 4-1. All of his goals were of extreme quality. He first displayed his dead-ball technique, striking a free-kick home from 25 yards, before his second came courtesy of a sweetly struck long-range effort.
If that wasn’t enough, he then found the back of the net once again from a cleverly worked set-piece, coming short, before bouncing the ball over a crowd of players.
It was three goals that showed the confidence of the player, having scored twice against Millwall a week previous too.
It’s no surprise that the attacker has attracted the interest of Everton before. The Premier League side were sniffing around the player in March 2017, only for Forest to issue a hands-off warning.
And they will be counting their blessings that they were able to keep him.
All of the debate surrounding the youth academy at the moment appears to be whether he can become better than Appiah.
Only last week, Chris Cohen, Forest’s U23 assistant coach said this: “The debate in the staff room for a number of years has been who is going to be better, Brennan or Arvin. And not everyone always says Arvin, so that probably shows you the level that we believe Brennan can get to.”
Johnson already has Forest pedigree running through his blood. His father, David Johnson was a huge hit at the City Ground between 2001 and 2006 but if his son continues at the rate he’s going, he may well be able to surpass him.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has travelled to Amsterdam ahead of the club’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax, leading fans to speculate over the possibility of the star being involved on Tuesday.
The England international has been out since sustaining a ligament injury in the first leg of the quarter-final clash with Manchester City.
He was absent from the second leg encounter with City and also the first leg clash with the Dutch giants, which Spurs lost 1-0.
The result means that Mauricio Pochettino’s men need to win in the Netherlands to have any chance of reaching the final in Madrid.
And fans remain hopeful that the England international, who has scored 24 goals in all competitions this season despite his injury woes, could be available for the encounter, with many even calling on manager Mauricio Pochettino to name him on the bench, regardless of his fitness.
According to The Sun, Leicester are showing an interest in James Tarkowski as a possible replacement for Harry Maguire should he leave the club. However, the Foxes need to forget about searching for an external successor.
What’s the word?
With Maguire again attracting the interest of one of the Premier League’s top clubs, Leicester are eyeing up Tarkowski as the man to replace him according to The Sun.
The publication suggests that City may have to pay up to £75m for the England defender but the Foxes are not keen on selling one of their star men.
Tarkowski has been selected in England squads alongside Maguire and as such, Brendan Rodgers looks to have identified him as a like-for-like replacement.
The Burnley central defender was excellent last season as the Clarets finished in the top half but has struggled for the same sort of consistency this term.
At 26, the player is entering his prime years and would still be an astute acquisition. Throughout the 2018/19 campaign, he’s played 33 times in the Premier League and has won 4.8 aerial duels per game.
External replacement not needed
Tarkowski represents a near ideal replacement for Maguire. Both players are the same age and possess similar ball-playing abilities. However, the latter is proven at a higher level.
It looks as though it’ll take a considerable sum to prise the Leicester man away from the King Power but any money they did receive from a potential deal should be invested in other areas of the squad.
With Filip Benkovic waiting in the wings after impressing on loan at Celtic, the Midlands club already have a Maguire successor in their own hands.
The 21-year-old has a huge amount of potential and his physical attributes, coupled with his composure on the ball makes him an ideal Premier League defender.
He’s already adjusted to the British game and the fact he developed so well under Rodgers when he was still managing Celtic is something that should excite Leicester fans.
Everything looks rosy at Liverpool right now. Jurgen Klopp has turned them into genuine title challengers against one of the best teams we’ve ever witnessed in Premier League history: Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking Manchester City.
The Reds are also in the final of the Champions League for the second season in a row, where the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been in world-class form yet again to fire them through to the latter stages of Europe’s elite competition.
So, after this memorable campaign comes to a close, who should Klopp sell, loan out or keep? Football FanCast assesses the Liverpool squad…
[snack_break title=”Goalkeepers – Alisson Becker, Simon Mignolet, Caoimhin Kelleher”]
Soccer Football – Champions League Semi Final First Leg – FC Barcelona v Liverpool – Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain – May 1, 2019 Liverpool’s Alisson gestures REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Alisson Becker – Keep, obviously.
Simon Mignolet – James Milner recently spoke of his admiration for Mignolet’s professionalism despite being benched in favour of Alisson. The Belgium wanted to leave back in the summer, but the Reds refused his wishes; maybe he should be granted his wish as a result of his commendable attitude.
Caoimhin Kelleher – Loan. The young Irishman is very highly rated at Anfield, but is in need of some first-team football elsewhere to truly test himself.
[snack_break title=”Full-backs – Alberto Moreno, Andy Robertson, Adam Lewis, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nathaniel Clyne”]
Alberto Moreno – Out of contract in the summer, and not a big favourite at Anfield anyway.
Andy Robertson – One of the world’s best. Keep.
Adam Lewis – Klopp is clearly excited at the exciting youngster’s potential having included him in his squad for the warm weather camp in Marbella earlier this year. A loan would be a smart move for an obviously talented left-back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Also one of the world’s best, and a scouser. Looks set to stay for the long term.
Nathaniel Clyne – Loaned out to Bournemouth in January and could command a decent fee. Sell him and get cover for Alexander-Arnold in.
[snack_break title=”Centre backs – Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren”]
Virgil van Dijk – Arguably the world’s best defender. Do I even need to say it? Keep him and build that statue.
Joe Gomez – A fantastic young defender with incredible potential. Keep.
Joel Matip – Has shown in Gomez’s absence that he can be an excellent defender and a reliable presence; his ability to bring the ball out from the back has been impressive. He should be kept around.
Dejan Lovren – Nearing his 30th birthday and has struggled with injury problems this season. Probably best to move him on and get a decent fee for him whilst they still can.
[snack_break title=”Central midfielders – James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita”]
James Milner – Milner is almost 34-years-old, and his current deal expires in just 12 months. His leadership and versatility have been key, but it might be time to move him on now Oxlade-Chamberlain is back fit and Keita has settled.
Gini Wijnaldum – Liverpool’s unsung hero. Wijnaldum is a fan favourite at Anfield and has come up with some big moments for the club. He is also a tidy footballer who never lets anyone down. Definitely keep him around.
Jordan Henderson – Captain fantastic. Maybe in the first half of the season you could have argued that the England international should be moved on but, after a chat with Klopp, he has become a key figure in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final. Has to be kept.
Fabinho – The £39m summer signing has given Liverpool’s midfield some bite and a new dimension. The No.3 sets the tempo in Klopp’s gegenpressing system and is arguably one of the most important players in the side. A must keep.
Adam Lallana – Lallana has made just 16 appearances this season as he once again struggles to maintain his fitness. With the amount of midfielders Klopp has at his disposal, maybe it’s time for the former Southampton man to be moved on. Does he even get in the side when fully fit? Probably not.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – The Englishman’s return to action after roughly a year out was one of the moments of the season. He is a popular figure at Anfield and offers something different in midfield for Klopp. Keep.
Naby Keita – The Guinean was just starting to find his feet at Anfield before suffering a groin injury against Barcelona – Keita had three goals in six games before the incident inside the Camp Nou. After a good pre-season, he should be more like the player we saw at RB Leipzig.
Soccer Football – Champions League Semi Final Second Leg – Liverpool v FC Barcelona – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – May 7, 2019 Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri celebrates after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble
Xherdan Shaqiri – Had a strange period out of the team after January, where he played just 40 minutes in almost three months. Showed his obvious quality against Barcelona, but there are some doubts over his work ethic. An improvement could easily be found, so Shaqiri should be moved on for a decent profit on the £13m Liverpool spent on him.
Sadio Mane – Keep. Obviously
Mohamed Salah – You’re joking right? Keep.
[snack_break title=”Strikers – Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi, Daniel Sturridge”]
Soccer Football – Champions League Semi Final Second Leg – Liverpool v FC Barcelona – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – May 7, 2019 Liverpool’s Divock Origi celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Xherdan Shaqiri and Trent Alexander-Arnold REUTERS/Phil Noble
Roberto Firmino – Klopp’s No.1 choice for the centre-forward role and the man that makes Liverpool’s attack tick like clockwork – he must be kept.
Divock Origi – The Champions League semi-final hero, Origi’s status at Anfield has very quickly turned from bit-part player into a heroic figure. However, he hasn’t been needed for large parts of the campaign and Liverpool should use his newfound form to whack a few extra quid on his price tag and sell him on.
Daniel Sturridge – Is out of contract in the summer, and should rightly be let go. Looks a shadow of his former self.
Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to some transfer news, as Chris Jack of The Evening Times delivered a huge update on three summer targets.
According to The Evening Times, Steven Gerrard still wants to bring Greg Stewart, John Souttar and Jake Hastie to Ibrox this summer.
There have been conflicting reports about the moves particularly when it comes to Hastie, who one day is set to sign on the dotted line and the next day the deal is off if the never-ending rumour mill is to be believed.
According to Jack’s report though, all three are still on Gerrard’s wish-list for the summer.
The report claims Rangers are “closing on” on a move for Stewart, who will be available for free when his contract expires this summer.
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It also states that a move for Hastie could “now be back on the cards”, while Hearts defender Souttar is still a target as well.
Loads of fans have been reacting to the news, and it seems to be a mixed response from the Ibrox faithful. Take a look at the best from Twitter down below…
It has been an astonishing rise to prominence over the past three years for Sheffield United, hasn’t it?
After finishing in an underwhelming 11th position in League One in 2016, the Blades decided to replace Nigel Adkins with then-Northampton Town boss Chris Wilder.
Tasked with securing promotion to the second tier of English football, the 51-year-old brought in the likes of Mark Duffy, Jack O’Connell and John Fleck as he looked to freshen up the club’s squad ahead of the new season.
After a shaky start which saw his side fail to win any of their four opening fixtures, Wilder’s trust in his 3-5-2 system eventually paid off as United launched an incredible run of form which culminated in them winning the title by 14 points.
Having narrowly missed out on the play-offs in the following campaign, this season has seen the Blades exceed all expectations as an outstanding level of consistency has seen them clinch promotion to the Premier League ahead of the much-fancied Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa.
With a top-two place already secured, Wilder must now concentrate on trying to usurp league leaders Norwich City next Sunday. By beating Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium, United could leapfrog the Canaries if Daniel Farke’s side suffer a final-day defeat at the hands of Villa.
Although this scenario is relatively unlikely to occur, there is no reason why the Blades should not be targeting what would be a historic triumph. By overcoming Norwich, Wilder’s men will become the first United side to win the second division title for 66 years whilst reaching 91 points would allow them to record their highest ever total at this particular level.
On an individual basis, by leading the club to a first-place finish, Wilder will complete the stupendous achievement on winning his third league crown in four years.
What do you think Blades fans? Should your club be targeting the Championship title now they have achieved promotion? Where does Wilder rank in terms of your best ever managers? Let us know below.
Manchester United fans on Twitter have had enough of Paul Pogba and want him sold, after a report from The Times revealed that the midfielder wants transfer talks with Real Madrid as he is concerned about the direction United are headed.
The World Cup winner has dominated the headlines throughout the season after originally being involved in a falling out with former boss Jose Mourinho, before hitting a purple patch of form after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over.
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However, that good run has now seemingly come to an end, and with that, talk of a move away from Old Trafford has started to resurface.
Pogba seems to be the one being blamed for most of what is going wrong with the club right now, with his lethargic and ineffective performances on the pitch causing the United fans a lot of stress – even more so given the fact that they know what he is capable of.
Let’s see how the Red Devils supporters have reacted on Twitter to yet another report of Pogba wanting to leave…
يواصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي تدريباته استعدادًا لمواجهة غريمه التقليدي الزمالك في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.
ويستعد الأهلي خلال الفترة الحالية للمرحلة المقبلة التي تشهد مواجهة الزمالك في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا المقرر لها ٢٧ من الشهر الجاري. محاضرة فنية
عقد بيتسو موسيماني، المدير الفني للأهلي محاضرة فنية للاعبين أثناء مران الفريق الجماعي اليوم الثلاثاء على ملعب التتش بالجزيرة.
وحرص موسيماني على الاجتماع باللاعبين وتحديد المهام الفنية والتكتيكية لكل منهم بعد انتهاء فقرة الأحمال لبدنية.
وخاض اللاعبون جانبا من التدريبات البدنية التي تضمنت الجري حول الملعب في بداية المران. الشيخ يواصل التأهيل
واصل أحمد الشيخ، لاعب الفريق تنفيذ برنامجه العلاجي والتأهيلي، تمهيدا للعودة للمشاركة في المران الجماعي استعدادا للمرحلة المقبلة.
وأدى الشيخ جلسة في الجيم ثم خاض تدريبات منفردة على ملعب التتش تحت إشراف طارق عبد العزيز أخصائي التأهيل بالنادي.
ويخضع الشيخ لبرنامج علاجي وتأهيلي بعد تعرضه لكدمة في القدم خلال مران الفريق، أبعدته عن المشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية. الشحات يشارك في المران
شارك حسين الشحات، لاعب الفريق في المران الجماعي الذي أقيم عصر اليوم الثلاثاء على ملعب التتش.
وانتظم الشحات في المران الجماعي، بعد تعافيه من الإصابة التي اشتكى منها في العضلة الخلفية وأبعدته عن المشاركة في التدريبات خلال الفترة الماضية.
واطمأن الجهاز الطبي بالنادي على جاهزية الشحات قبل انطلاق المران، وشارك في تدريبات اليوم لتجهيزه للمرحلة المقبلة، التي تشهد الكثير من التحديات أبرزها مواجهة الزمالك. تقسيمة قوية
خاض لاعبو الفريق الأول تقسيمة قوية على هامش المران الجماعي للفريق.
وقاد المدير الفني للفريق، بيتسو موسيماني، لاعبي الفريق في تقسيمة قوية أثناء المران الجماعي.
وحرص الجنوب إفريقي على إيقاف التقسيمة أكثر من مرة، لتوجيه اللاعبين لتنفيذ بعض المهام والجمل الفنية المحددة أثناء التقسيمة. كريم نيدفيد يواصل التأهيل
بدأ كريم نيدفيد اليوم تنفيذ برنامجه التأهيلي في ملعب التتش من خلال الجري الخفيف حول الملعب.
ويخضع نيدفيد لبرنامج علاجي وتأهيلي بعد خضوعه لجراحة في الركبة، بهدف تجهيزه للعودة من جديد والمشاركة في المران الجماعي للفريق.
وأدى نيدفيد جلسة في «الجيم»، ثم قام بالجري حول الملعب، في خطوة جديدة ضمن البرنامج العلاجي والتأهيلي، الذي يقوم بتنفيذه.
وحرص الجهاز الطبي بالنادي على الحديث مع اللاعب للاطمئنان على حالته، التي تحسنت بشكل كبير في المرحلة الأخيرة.
جدير بالذكر أن الأهلي نجح في التأهل إلي الدور النهائي من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا بعدما انتصر على الوداد المغربي بخمس أهداف مقابل هدف بمجموع مباراتي الذهاب والإياب.
Pundit Paul Merson has predicted a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s Premier League clash between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park.
What’s the word?
Merson told Sky Sports:
“Could you get anymore different with Everton? One minute they are ripping apart Arsenal and beating West Ham away, then all of a sudden, against a Fulham side that have not scored two goals in a game since day one, and they cannot keep a clean sheet against them.
“It is a bad attitude there – you cannot look at the manager, you have to look at the players. Man United are a million miles off. They need to win the game or they are out of the Champions League, but I don’t think they will get it – they are well short at the moment.
“Some of their results have been very fortunate. For me, the unbeaten run was covering over the cracks.”
Sunday’s clash is huge for both teams. Indeed, Everton will enter the match off the back of a hugely disappointing 2-0 defeat against Fulham last weekend.
United, meanwhile, beat West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend, but suffered a 3-0 defeat at Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night.
Everton are very much in the battle for seventh, whilst United will be desperate to secure all three points as they chase a top-four position.
Merson has blamed a ‘bad attitude’ on Everton losing at Fulham last weekend, but the pundit has also claimed that United ‘are a million miles off’, ultimately predicting a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park this weekend.
Is Merson right to favour the draw?
There has been a winner – United – in each of the last three Premier League meetings between the two teams, including a 2-1 home victory at Old Trafford earlier this season.
The Red Devils also triumphed 2-0 in the corresponding clash last term, but the pair did play out back-to-back draws between December 2016 and April 2017.
They are the only two draws in the last 14 meetings between the two teams in all competitions, though, which is perhaps a touch surprising.
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Everton have struggled in their recent clashes with United, but the Toffees have beaten Chelsea and Arsenal in their last two home league fixtures.
The Merseyside outfit are capable of big results on home soil, but have also lost to Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison this year and the draw looks about right heading into this weekend’s clash.