Celtic winger Daniel Arzani has revealed he won’t be taking part in the club’s upcoming training camp in Austria, as reported by The Evening Times.
What’s the story?
Arzani has been missing from action since October last year when, on his debut against Dundee at Dens Park, he suffered a horror knee injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
After appearing at the World Cup last year with Australia, making big a move to Manchester City then to Celtic on loan, it was a terrible injury at a terrible time in his young career.
He is still not ready to take part in Celtic training and will return to his parent club next week for final assessments before again joining up with the Hoops squad, if all goes to plan.
Outspoken pundit, Chelsea flop, Celtic legend. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith throws back to Chris Sutton in the video below…
As quoted by The Evening Times, he said of his progress:
“I’m not quite ready.
I’m going to be on my own doing rehab this week. Then next week, when the boys go to Austria, I’m going to Manchester to do my final tests to see that everything is matching up in both legs. If everything goes to plan, hopefully after that I’ll be training.
At the moment, with where my heads at, I’m just focusing on getting my body right now, feeling good again, feeling that I’m not scared about changing direction or anything. I just want to play. I’ll focus on that after.
I just want that one full game first. Firstly, I need to get back into training and do well and having the gaffer’s faith in me to put me on.”
What can Celtic fans expect from him next season?
If Arzani’s recovery works out as expected he could be returning at the perfect time for Celtic, who are looking for fresh ideas on the left flank after a difficult season for Scott Sinclair.
The English wide player has extended his contract at the Hoops for another year but rarely played under Neil Lennon in the final part of last season, with Brendan Rodgers’ replacement turning to players such as Mikey Johnston and Jonny Hayes instead.
There is definite room then for Arzani to stake a claim for a first-team spot and fans may remember he looked quite sharp during his fleeting debut, taking quality touches and looking confident on the ball.
Patience is likely required given his injury problems but with his loan deal running until next summer, he has plenty of time to eventually make the exciting impact expected of him when he arrived last summer.
We have nothing against you, Kieran Trippier. All we’re doing is asking whether or not you’re good enough to be playing in Champions League final. The short answer is no, and it’s not hard to see why when you look back at how ‘The Bury Beckham’ fared last season.
We were all successfully duped by Trippier after the World Cup in Russia. Even Real Madrid bought into the act that the Englishman could be one to improve them last summer as they took an interest in the then-£50m rated defender (The Sun), one year later though and Los Blancos are nowhere to be seen as Trippier’s supposed valuation has cut to half of what it was.
As one European giant has decided against Trippier, though, another has been sniffing around. According to The Telegraph, Juventus are expected to bid for the defender and with Tottenham expecting £25m to allow him to leave, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
The only reason they’ll be some interest to it is because there is no way you can justify splashing that sort of money on a 28-year-old right-back after his shocking season. If you don’t believe us when we say that, then believe the man himself, as Trippier spoke to Sky Sports and claimed that he had not been good enough throughout the season.
It was a brave move from the Tottenham full-back to come out and critique himself, but it had to be done, and it seems that Gareth Southgate, the England manager, agrees with what the former Burnley man had to say, as he cut the defender from his UEFA Nations League squad less than one year after he shone for the Three Lions in Russia.
Whatever the future holds for Trippier, it seems that his past 12 months have proven that it should lie away from north London as with the Lilywhites now looking to finally win silverware they simply cannot afford to have a player like him on their books making errors in the big moments, as we saw with his Stamford Bridge own goal and missed Selhurst Park penalty.
Tottenham fans, would you be happy to let Trippier leave this summer? Let us know!
Daniel Sturridge is just days away from being officially released by Liverpool.
The Reds have already confirmed his release and the 29-year-old centre-forward will now be available on a free transfer.
But, despite a rather bleak and tepid conclusion to his time at Anfield, Sturridge is seemingly in good spirits and enjoying his holiday.
His latest
/BzL9buUgHBS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram snap shows him in the company of no other than Kylian Mbappe, who cost Paris Saint-Germain an eye watering £166m to sign him from Monaco.
Of course, when stars meet it catches the attention of the crowd, and this particular snap caught the attention of Manchester City star Raheem Sterling.
Sterling noted how the partnership between Mbappe and Sturridge would be insane. And that is definitely hard to argue against, even if the PFA Young Player of the Year award winner is not the most popular figure amongst Liverpool supporters.
The soon-to-be ex-Liverpool man played a total of 18 games in the 2018/19 season and managed to score twice and assist one goal.
Unfortunately, his time as a Red was very much hampered by injuries, but he will leave with plenty of fond memories from his time on Merseyside.
[ad_pod ]Having arrived from French side Lyon in the summer of 2017, Alexandre Lacazette has firmly established himself as a fan favourite at Arsenal.The centre-forward, who is valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, had an impressive campaign last year, and was voted the club’s player of the season despite being outscored by teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.The 28-year-old’s decision to join the Gunners in the first place came after intense speculation over a move to La Liga, and now according to Yahoo Sport France’s Manu Lonjon, the north London side will meet with Lacazette’s representatives over some new interest from an unnamed Spanish side.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
After hearing the news that their star forward was gathering attention from abroad, Arsenal fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter and some were rather surprisingly open to Lacazette’s exit.
Indeed, a few seemed to think that the Gunners would have a more balanced squad without one of their two big-money strikers and felt getting a big transfer fee for Lacazette would help Unai Emery’s side with funding moves for other players, like Wilfried Zaha.
Others however were far more reluctant to see the popular France international go, and thought it would be a major step backwards for the club if they gave in to Lacazette’s departure.
Check out some of the reaction of Arsenal fans below:
According to journalist Tim Spiers on Twitter, Wolves are big fans of Hoffenheim striker Joelinton.
Reports first emerged via Kicker that the club were interested in the striker before it was then confirmed by Spiers.
The Brazilian had previously attracted the interest of Newcastle this summer as The Mirror claimed he could be worth around £30m. The Northern Echo then suggested it may take as much as £40m to sign him.
Spiers made reference to these two potential fees but they had supporters of Wolves divided over whether they should be paying so much for him.
One fan said the club needed to stop faffing about whilst another suggested it was frustrating if they were waiting for something cheaper.
However, there was also a sceptical reaction surrounding their interest. One individual claimed that £30m would be ridiculous for a player with the statistics he boasts, urging Wolves to move onto another target. A further fan urged for patience.
Joeltinon scored 11 goals in all competitions last term, netting seven of them in the Bundesliga. The 22-year-old, who can also play on the wing, picked up nine assists as well.
Manchester City are to chase highly-rated West Brom youngster Morgan Rogers, according to reports.
As per the Daily Mail, current Premier League champions City are close to signing the West Bromwich Albion prodigy with talk reportedly at an advanced stage for the 16-year-old attacking midfielder.
Talks are currently ongoing between the two clubs and it is said that a sizeable compensation package has been agreed due to the huge potential in the 16-year-old attacking midfielder amid interest from other Premier League sides.
Rogers, 16, made his first-team debut as a substitute against Brighton in the FA Cup in February and has drawn comparisons to England and Spurs midfielder Dele Alli due to his physical stature. And that can only be a good thing.
The Daily Mail go on to suggest that last year the youngster attracted the attention of scouts when he scored a hat-trick as England under-17s dominated Belgium 6-2 to lift the Syrenka Cup in Poland. Rogers played three games in four games and scored in each demonstrating both his physical and mental resilience in the process.
Paul Tait, the man who discovered the Baggies diamond, told Birmingham Live: “I have had a lot of kids who have come through the training, but the first time I saw him I looked at him and I thought ‘Jesus, this kid is something else.
“I couldn’t believe the ability he had for someone so young, I was absolutely amazed at the talent he was showing.
“In the end I stopped him training with his own age group and at the age of six I moved him into the nine and ten-year-old age group.
With last season’s title rivals Liverpool thought to be close to signing another English prodigy in the shape of Harvey Elliot, perhaps this points to City wanting to ensure they don’t miss out on the latest generation of homegrown starlets.
Manchester City fans, how exciting is this signing? Are you impressed that the club are building for the future so well? Let us know in the comments below…
Last summer Fulham brought 12 new players through the door of Craven Cottage.
Their spending, on the face of it, appeared to be a sign of intent. This was a newly promoted team who looked ready to take the Premier League by storm alongside Wolves.
However, they couldn’t have experienced more contrasting seasons. One was relegated whilst the other became one of the best promoted sides we’ve seen.
Nuno Santo’s men took to the Premier League like a duck to water, taking 16 points off the sides in the top six as they qualified for Europe.
But with Aston Villa now returning to the top-flight, they could go one of two ways. They could either come crashing back down to earth and end up in the Championship again, or they may well end up establishing themselves.
Only time will tell what happens but in Dean Smith, a manager who likes to develop players, they have every chance of staying up.
At the heart of their business this summer is Christian Purslow, a man who has been keen to establish some form of excitement in the team after declaring they wanted to add young players. Indeed, with the arrivals of individuals like Wesley and Matt Targett, they’ve done that.
But alongside him every step of the way, have been Jesus Garcia Pitarch and Smith.
They’ve worked tirelessly this summer, adding eight fresh faces to their squad in preparation for the new campaign. It doesn’t look like they’re done there either with Douglas Luiz another name being touted, alongside wingers Trezeguet and Said Benrahma.
But their activity during the summer has taken their outlay to nearly £100m, a tally that comes close to what Fulham shelled out only a year ago.
It’s easy to see why comparisons have been drawn, therefore.
But this is an unfair and completely unwarranted tag that Villa are being labelled with.
They are not like Fulham at all, and here’s why.
Last summer, Fulham invested and handed loans to countless players who had never played in the Premier League. In came Sergio Rico and Luciano Vietto on loan whilst Fabri and Maxime Le Marchand were also welcomed.
But there were more expensive additions in the form of Andre Zambo Anguissa who cost them £22.3m and Jean Michael Seri for £25m.
None of them were proven at the top level but here Fulham were, stood with an armoury of new players who had little time to settle in.
By the middle of July, only Le Marchand and Seri had arrived. The final week of that month and a period in August was a frenzy with Aleksandar Mitrovic, Alfie Mawson and Joe Bryan all coming in alongside Anguissa on permanent terms.
As for temporary deals, they had three players who arrived just days before the season commenced.
On that evidence, is it any real surprise that it took Fulham so long to adapt and adjust? Arguably not. Likewise, when you sign players on loan and survival is the priority, you always have to question whether they’re really committed enough for a relegation battle. Some of Fulham’s loan acquisitions clearly weren’t.
Villa, on the other hand, have already signed eight new faces by mid-July.
They’ve landed players with experience in the top-flight, as well as adding young footballers they can develop further.
But key to what the Villans have done in 2019 is that they’ve kept the spine of their team together.
They’ve brought back people they had on loan by bringing in Tyrone Mings, Kortney Hause and Anwar El Ghazi, three crucial members of their promotion-winning campaign.
After all, this is a team who over the summer released eight players as well as finally ending Ross McCormack’s contract. Villa were hardly going to sit idly by and do nothing.
Purslow, alongside Pitarch and Smith, has done a fantastic job so far. They’ve been aggressive in the transfer window and most of their deals seem to have been done swimmingly.
At the end of last season, Villa fans took great comfort in the fact Fulham were relegated, so it’s rather ironic that they’re now being compared to the Cottagers.
Yet, the Midlands outfit have been clever.
They haven’t stalled and waited for the summer to drag on, they’ve got players in and they’re already adjusting to Smith’s playing methods.
If you consider that key factor, Villa will be far better prepared for life in the Premier League than recently relegated Fulham ever were.
On this occasion, Villa’s spending isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Comparisons that have been made in recent weeks are wide of the mark and assuming Villa’s shrewd recruitment pays off in terms of survival, Purslow and Smith will have the last laugh.
[ad_pod ]What a truly tragic case Abou Diaby was.From calf problems to thigh muscle strains, ankle complications to ruptured cruciate ligaments, poor fitness to groin straisn, there was genuinely no end to the suffering Diaby endured to milk a mere 200 appearances from his 13-year career.The former Arsenal man was in north London to watch his old side face Lyon in the Emirates Cup at the weekend, and while the result wasn’t what he was looking for – with the Gunners squandering a one-goal lead – the fact that he made it through 90 minutes without incident at the Emirates Stadium made for a welcome change.
The man whose legs were made from poppadoms missed a total of 314 games before calling it quits in February, 2019Âafter a brief spell with Marseille back in France.
Diaby’s career left a lingering feeling of what could have been and it was a cruel reminder of the level of good fortune that is needed to succeed at the top level.
Arsenal will be hoping to kick off their Premier League campaign without injuries of their own when they face Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United side on 11 August.
Liverpool have completed the signing of Harvey Elliott from Fulham, per BBC Sport.
The highly-coveted winger became the youngest ever player to play in the Premier League last season, as he came on for a substitute for the Cottagers against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the age of 16 years and 30 days.
The BBC reports that Elliott attracted interest from a number of elite clubs, including Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Liverpool, of course, have done this before; they have scooped up highly promising young talents in the hope of turning them into superstars.
But how has that worked out for them?
Football FanCast takes a look at 10 recent examples below!
Raheem Sterling
Soccer Football – Euro 2020 Qualifier – Group A – Montenegro v England – Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro – March 25, 2019 England’s Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring their fifth goal Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
Where else can we start?
Sterling was signed from QPR in 2012.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were all guilty of passing on the opportunity to acquire the future England international, per the Daily Express, and were left to rue the mistake.
The winger went on to make 129 appearances for the Reds, scoring 23 goals, and he subsequently earned a £49m move to Manchester City.
He has scored 69 goals for the club and won the Premier League twice, while also winning 51 caps for England.
He is the role model for Elliott to follow.
Jerome Sinclair
Signed at the age of 14 from West Bromwich Albion, Sinclair showed a great deal of promise at Liverpool.
He spent four years at the club and made his debut under Brendan Rodgers against West Brom in a League Cup tie at the age of 16 years and six days, becoming the youngest ever player to play for the Reds.
He made a total of five appearances before moving to Watford in 2016.
Sinclair remains on the books at the Hornets but is currently on loan at Dutch club VVV Venlo.
Jonjo Shelvey
Less a prospect, more a star at Charlton Athletic, Liverpool paid £3m to sign the 18-year-old in 2010.
The Guardian claimed at the time that Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs were all interested in the attacking midfielder but he flattered to deceive at Anfield.
He made 69 appearances for the Reds but laid on just four assists, scoring seven goals, and was ultimately sold to Swansea City in 2013.
The Reds received a mere £5m for him – a profit of £2m – and he went on to enjoy a good spell in Wales prior to a move to Newcastle United, where he remains.
Joe Gomez
Still at Liverpool, Gomez was another player snaffled away from Charlton.
The Reds paid £3.5m for the defender and he has gone from strength to strength since his move at the age of 18.
Indeed, he has made 66 appearances for the club and has also won seven caps for England.
He is likely to be a fixture of the Reds’ defence for years to come.
Jordon Ibe
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Brought in at the age of 16 after a spell with Wycombe Wanderers, Ibe spent four years at Liverpool.
He made 58 appearances for the club, with most of his appearances coming in the 2015/16 campaign.
AFC Bournemouth signed Ibe in 2016 for a fee of £15m and he remains with the Cherries, where he has made 88 appearances.
Sheyi Ojo
Liverpool snapped Ojo up in 2011 when he was just 14.
Now 22, he has made 13 appearances for the Reds, with five starts in the Premier League, but he has spent the majority of his Anfield career out on loan.
Indeed, he is currently with Rangers, having spent the 2018/19 campaign with French club Reims.
It feels like now or never for Ojo if he is to make it on Merseyside.
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Pedro Chirivella
Liverpool signed Chirivella after he spent nine years at Valencia but he has failed to make the grade at the club.
He made five appearances for the Reds in 2015/16 but, since then, it has been loan spells for the Spaniard and the club even accepted a £3.5m bid from Rosenborg for him in 2018.
He opted against the move, however, and it remains to be seen where his future lies.
Ovie Ejaria
Liverpool signed Ejaria from Arsenal in 2014 but he has yet to make any sort of impact at Anfield.
He has spent time on loan at Sunderland, Rangers and Reading and has made a total of eight senior appearances for the Reds, though that equates to just six minutes of Premier League football.
Now 21, Ejaria is said to be for sale this summer.
Bobby Duncan
Still just 18, Duncan joined Liverpool from Manchester City and hopes are high for the striker.
He has scored 23 goals in 26 outings for the Under-18 side and has been capped at Under-16 and Under-17 level by England.
His ceiling appears to be high and he is beginning to be embedded into the Under-23 side, making three appearances at the higher age group.
Yusuf Mersin
Signed from Millwall for a transfer fee at the age of 16, the goalkeeper was nowhere near the required level to make a breakthrough at Liverpool.
He joined Kasimpasa in 2014 prior to a move to Crawley Town; he is now with Dover Athletic.
A Turkey youth international as he was breaking through, this is a cautionary tale for Elliott.
A whole host of Leeds United fans have taken to social media to hail Jamie Shackleton for his performance against Salford City in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old was handed a central midfield role against the League Two outfit.
And he played the full 90 minutes in what proved to be a 3-0 win for Leeds, who were comfortable on the evening against their famous hosts.
Shackleton made 23 appearances for the Whites in all competitions during the 2018-19 campaign, which is an indication of how highly he is rated by head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
The teenager has not yet featured in the Championship this season but he did make the bench against Nottingham Forest after being left out against Bristol City.
You can teach yourself 3 crazy football skills in the video below…
Shackleton was in the XI against Salford, though, and it would be fair to say that his performance left a huge impression on the Leeds fans.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: