Plenty of Glasgow Rangers fans were not impressed with reports that Lille offered £13m plus bonuses for Alfredo Morelos.
Jordan Campbell reported for The Athletic that the above offer from the Ligue 1 club was turned down by the ‘Gers, with no currently active discussions between the two sides. He also shared a link to the piece on his Twitter profile @JordanC1107.
He added that the 24-year-old is keen on a move to France and has told Lille that he wants a move there this summer. Sky Sports claimed that he had even agreed personal terms with the Ligue 1 outfit.
Morelos, who cost the ‘Gers only £1.08m when he joined from HJK Helsinki three years ago (as per TransferMarkt), has scored 77 goals in 137 matches at Ibrox, including 29 last season in a prolific campaign for the Colombian. Fourteen of those goals came in the Light Blues’s Europa League run, which is a record tally in any UEFA cup competition before Christmas.
These ‘Gers fans took to Twitter to voice their unhappiness with Lille’s reported £13m offer for the striker:
‘Gers fans, what price would you deem acceptable to justify selling Morelos? Join in the discussion by commenting below!
A recent transfer report has divided Liverpool supporters on social media this week.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Reds have submitted an offer for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele which is a loan that comes with an option to buy.
Many at Anfield believe this would be a superb move with some left drooling by the prospect of Jurgen Klopp working his magic on the Frenchman.
The 23-year-old previously broke through at Borussia Dortmund under the German boss, resulting in a big-money move, thought to be around £135.5m, to La Liga giants Barcelona.
This season, Dembele has played just nine times in all competitions due to an ongoing hamstring problem, which may give a reason to why he could potentially be available.
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However, several members of the Reds faithful have used this to suggest why he must be avoided this summer.
Some fans also hinted towards his attitude as a reason to why he’d be a bad addition at Liverpool.
As a result of his injuries and reported attitude problems, there were a couple of comparisons made to former Liverpool players such as Mario Ballotelli and Daniel Sturridge.
Many in Merseyside are desperate to see the addition of Timo Werner, and one supporter claims a move for Dembele would curtail their pursuit of the RB Leipzig talisman and that he could even be a replacement for Mo Salah – even though the 27-year-old is under contract until 2023.
It remains to be seen if this story has any legs whatsoever, but you’d imagine it would be very hard for any attacking player to break into the starting XI given the impressive form of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in recent months.
AND in other news, Liverpool fans react to update on Timo Werner…
Fulham are expecting a further £10m from Liverpool following the transfer of Harvey Elliott.
The two clubs are set to hold a tribunal in order to establish compensation for the deal and the Cottagers are holding out for a healthy sum of money from the Premier League leaders (via Daily Mail).
Elliott signed for the Reds last summer and has already made his senior debut with the Merseyside outfit. This season, the teenager has tallied four goals and nine assists across all competitions and has featured for Liverpool’s first team seven times (via Transfermarkt).
Elliott made history during his Premier League debut, marking himself as the youngest-ever player to feature in the top flight at 16 years, five months and 22 days (via LFChistory).
The news, relayed via @AnfieldEdition, has attracted a lot of speculation from Reds fans. After the club failed to sign transfer target Timo Werner, many are worried about Liverpool’s finances. One supporter has even tweeted that they think the Reds will be “bankrupt after this”.
Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:
Do you think Harvey Elliott will become a Liverpool star in the future? Have your say in the comments below…
A recent transfer claim has sparked Everton fans into a frenzy on Twitter this week.
Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has tipped the Toffees to make a play for Manchester City centre-back John Stones amid reports linking him with a move to Newcastle United.
The ex-Leeds striker-turned-pundit claimed that the Magpies “would have a fight on their hands” over the Englishman with his former club keen on bringing him back to Goodison Park.
It’s clear to see that many would love to see it happen, too…
The 26-year-old hasn’t featured as regularly as he’d have liked this campaign due to injury, being restricted to just 20 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.
Stones left the Toffees for City in 2016 in a whopping £47.5m deal and has gone on to lift the Premier League twice as well as clinch a FA Cup trophy too.
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Many in the blue end of Merseyside believe their former star is vastly superior to their current options, namely Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.
It remains to be seen if Stones is even available for transfer this summer – or what sort of fee he would command. Transfermarkt currently value him at £32.4m, which may be a stretch in the current financial climate given the consequences the pandemic is having on teams across the country.
Although that hasn’t stopped other members of the Goodison Park faithful from imagining the 6 foot 2 defender under Carlo Ancelotti.
A return to Everton could be exactly what Stones needs to get back on track, but for the time being, the England international is still appears to be in City’s plans.
AND in other news, Everton fans divided by links to Serie A powerhouse…
Liverpool have arguably been the best team in the country when it comes to recruitment over the last few years, as well as their success on the pitch domestically and on the continent.
Jurgen Klopp has been key to that, with almost all of his signings proving to be the result of long, detailed and well thought out scouting. From Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Virgil Van Dijk, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in between, so many of his signings have been so impressive and made a huge impact on the Reds’ growth into Premier League powerhouses.
But it hasn’t always been like this, with previous managers not enjoying the same kind of success on the pitch and in the transfer market. The Reds’ transfer record pre-Klopp was not as consistent, and it’s fair to say Klopp will have been mortified if he’d have suffered the same recruitment woes.
Luckily he hasn’t, but others haven’t been so fortunate. So, here’s a look at Liverpool’s 20 worst signings of the Premier League era…
Sean Dundee
Valencia v Liverpool 3/11/98 UEFA Cup 2nd round 2nd leg
Pic : Action Images / Stuart Franklin
Liverpool’s Michael Owen & Sean Dundee celebrate Steve McManaman’s goal
Pictured above celebrating with Michael Owen, Sean Dundee was a true waste of money for Liverpool.
£2m may not seem like a lot of dough now at all but back in 1998 it was and all joint-managers at the time Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier would get for that lofty sum would be five appearances (all of them from the bench) and no goals from the centre-forward.
Charlie Adam
Despite that one cracking season in the Premier League for Blackpool, Charlie Adam was never good enough to represent a club like the Reds and he probably knew that as well.
That’s why the creative Scotland international lasted just the one campaign on Merseyside in what was a very strange time for Liverpool Football Club.
Christian Benteke
There are similarities between Adam and the next infamous member of this list, the man known as one of the attacking flops of all time at Anfield – Christian Benteke.
Then gaffer Brendan Rodgers splashed out an eye-watering £32.5m on the striker in the summer of 2015 and like both Adam and Dundee would last just the one term – ironically, Benteke left the North West with a record of ten goals in 42 matches, not too bad at all.
Alberto Aquilani
Mention the name Alberto Aquilani and most Kopites would offer a chuckle, this is certainly not the impression that the Italian would have wanted to leave when he arrived from Roma for £17m plus bonuses prior to the 2009/2010 season.
In truth, Xabi Alonso was always going to be a hard act to follow and that role always had the potential to be a poisoned chalice to whoever had to fulfill it, however, the woeful Aquilani made a special mess of it and it’s no small miracle that he managed to officially remain a Liverpool player for three years.
Milan Jovanovic
Famous for that hilarious video of his Reds best bits on YouTube, Milan Jovanovic turned up in the red half of Merseyside to a different manager to the one that signed him in 2010.
Roy Hodgson was hardly renowned for getting the best out of his players at Anfield and the Serbia midfielder is some example of that.
The balding winger is remembered at the Reds for the wrong reasons and 18 appearances after his signing he was shipped back to the league in which he tricked Rafa Benitez into thinking he was any good – the Belgian first division.
Christian Poulsen
Is that a picture of Dirk Kuyt?
No, if Christian Poulsen was even half as decent for Liverpool as the legendary Dutch frontman he wouldn’t be anywhere near this list.
Putting any ifs and buts aside, Roy Hodgson was probably right to identify the Dane’s quality, after all he is one of the rare few to have played in all five of Europe’s big five divisions, though by 2010 he was fast slowing down and his terrible only campaign in Anfield Road is best forgotten.
Tiago Ilori
All the big teams have done it; signing a youngster dubbed to be the next big thing in European, or even world football, only for them to flop massively.
Well, Tiago Ilori is the Reds’ anti-climactic starlet and they paid a fair amount of money for him in September 2013, a reported £7m for the then 20-year-old who would only ever represent the club three times.
Paul Konchesky
As you may have already noticed, the Reds made some stinkers of signings around the turn of the decade, but none of them quite as terrible as Paul Konchesky.
The left-back was Roy Hodgson’s main man at Fulham so he saw no reason why he couldn’t follow him to play the same role at Anfield, however, his spell was nothing short of a total disaster shrouded by his mum’s Facebook rant in which she branded Liverpool fans “scouse scum.”
Mario Balotelli
Sure Mario Balotelli’s mother never said anything bad about Kopites, but his football in Liverpool could hardly do the talking for him either.
The controversial character was alright at Manchester City and pretty impressive at the 2012 UEFA European Championships, however, Luis Suarez’s were big boots to fill at Anfield plus there was always the weight of his £15m+ price tag – he was set up to fail really and did.
Joe Cole
Liverpool’s decision to sign Joe Cole in the twilight of his career was a strange one and they got what they deserved for what was a poor bit of business.
The former England and Chelsea star may not have cost Roy Hodgson any actual money but his £130k-per-week salary was obscene for what the Reds actually got, a mere 42 matches, five goals and three assists, sub-standard for any attacking midfielder let alone Cole.
After missing out on his signing last summer, it appears Tottenham are intent on getting Philippe Coutinho at the second time of asking.
Reports suggested that the north London side were interested in taking him from Barcelona the previous year, but a deal failed to materialise, with the Brazilian play-maker instead making a season-long loan switch to the Bundesliga to join Bayern Munich.
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But now, The Daily Mirror claim Spurs are once again interested in signing Coutinho, and could hold an advantage over rivals Chelsea if they are prepared to include an obligation to buy.
After hearing about their latest links to the former Liverpool star, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their potential summer target.
A couple of Spurs fans seemed to suggest that there are far more important positions for the club to be concerned about.
Based on his performances this season, Spurs dodged a very expensive bullet by missing out on Coutinho last summer.
Committing vast sums of money both in terms of wages and then a potential fee would be a questionable way of trying to reinforce the positions that need strengthening at Spurs.
Jose Mourinho will surely be looking at a back-up striker for Harry Kane, whilst a goalkeeper may be on the agenda too. Getting their priorities sorted out first should be the main area for focus.
Meanwhile, Spurs fans react to links with this Eredivisie ace.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Mark Noble has sternly spoken about the mistakes West Ham United have been making in recent weeks, as reported by the club’s official channels.
What did he say?
West Ham are on a shocking run at the moment, having failed to win a single one of their last eight games in all competitions.
Mistakes have played a large part in this debacle, with Roberto being the main culprit, while Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena have also made telling errors in the last couple of weeks.
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Speaking to the club’s official channels, Noble has condemned the mistakes his teammates have been making: “I can give the same old clichéd, ‘Come on lads, we’ve got to do this’, rallying speech but the bottom line is that it is individual mistakes that are seriously hurting us.
“There was nothing in the game for more than half an hour last weekend until Spurs scored their first goal. Another followed quickly and it was an uphill battle from then on.
“Yes, we scored a couple of late goals to make the final scoreline 3-2 but the game was effectively ‘done’ by then and they had taken their foot off the gas.
“At the moment mistakes – individual errors – are ‘killing’ us. It’s hard enough winning points in the Premier League when everyone is playing at the top of their game, let alone a team which is lacking in confidence and making too many mistakes.”
Refreshing honesty
The bottom line is that the performances from West Ham have not been good enough during this run, so it is refreshing to see that Noble is calling his colleagues out.
Diop won’t be playing against Chelsea due to his suspension, but it will be interesting to see whether Roberto and Balbuena will be able to keep hold of their places considering how costly their errors have been.
Regardless of the current managerial situation, it is important that the team have leaders who are able to constructively call out their teammates in a way that should spur everyone on to produce better in a situation like this.
That is exactly what Noble has done, so the hope now will be that the players put in an improved performance against Chelsea.
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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Leeds United have been touted to have a quiet January transfer window by Victor Orta in recent weeks, but Noel Whelan’s latest transfer hint reveals just how quiet the window might be.
What’s the story?
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan stated that his sources from inside Elland Road have told him that the club aren’t looking to sign anyone in the January transfer window.
We were never expecting a flurry of activity from the Yorkshire club once the window opens, but hearing that no incomings are expected is still rather disheartening.
Not only does it make for a boring transfer window, but the Whites’ lack of activity may negatively affect their promotion chances.
Same story
It’s the same story as last season, the Whites didn’t strengthen enough in January and in the end, it cost them their shot at promotion.
Based on that, supporters would have every right to moan at Andrea Radrizzani if it happens again.
Marcelo Bielsa’s teams are renowned for losing steam towards the back end of a season, so having strength in depth will undoubtedly be key if Leeds want to continue challenging at the top end of the table. Last campaign, the Whites failed to win any of their final four league games and then lost in the playoffs against Derby too.
United currently don’t have the depth, and with their injury problems continuing to mount the Whites may be in trouble once fatigue sets in further towards the back end of the season. After all, Bielsa has used the fewest number of players of any team in the Championship – 19.
The last thing any Leeds fan wants is a repeat performance of what happened last term, but it seems as if the club aren’t taking the right precautionary measures to ensure that doesn’t happen.
It could just cost them their chance of making a reappearance in the promised land of the Premier League.
The Sky Bet Championship is back at the end of the week and the bonus is that there are no more international breaks for a few months now.
The second tier is looking as tight as ever right now, as well, but it does seem as though a couple of sides down near the bottom need to improve their form and fast before they get cut adrift.
Barnsley, promoted from League One last year, are one of those sides and the Tykes will be hoping their new manager can help steer them to safety.
Indeed, it’s been a while since Daniel Stendel left the club but it seems as though the men from Oakwell are edging towards a new appointment now.
This comes from Ronan Murphy:
It’s caused a fair bit of reaction on Twitter, too – and not just from Barnsley fans – so let’s take a look at what has been said on the social media site:
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Hakim Ziyech turned in a masterclass performance as Ajax drew 4-4 with Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
On the chalkboard
Ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has recommended the Ajax schemer to club chairman Daniel Levy, per Voetbal Primeur, and fans will surely have taken notice of his exceptional showing in west London.
Per WhoScored, he had 57 touches of the ball and used them to good effect. He laid on two key passes, leading to two assists, and also took the free-kick that cannoned off the post, into the face of Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the net.
Ziyech also completed two dribbles and won two tackles as he attempted to help his side to a major victory.
As it was, Ajax took a 4-1 lead but were pegged back following two quick-fire red cards to Daley Blind and Joel Veltman.
Take it seriously
While Ziyech signed a new contract with the Dutch side in the summer, Van der Vaart’s recommendation suddenly looks all the more shrewd.
With Christian Eriksen appearing to sulk his way through the campaign – Ziyech registered more assists on one night than the Dane has all season – one feels that the Morocco international could be an excellent replacement for the playmaker.
It is not like Spurs don’t know about him, of course. Ziyech scored against them in the semi-final of the Champions League last season and netted a total of 21 goals while registering 24 assists in all competitions in 2018/19.
This season, already, the 26-year-old has six goals to his name and a staggering 14 assists.
If Spurs are to take Van der Vaart’s advice, they will not be able to trigger the €30m (£25.8m) release clause that did exist within Ziyech’s contract prior to his extension.
But on Tuesday, he showed that he could well be worth every penny of what will likely be a much larger eventual transfer fee. Levy ought to make some calls.