Celtic: Liam Kelly solid long-term option to secure goalkeeping future

There might be a lingering headache over Celtic’s goalkeeping department.

Scott Bain is undoubtedly doing solid work in between the posts, yet the Hoops don’t have proper cover beyond him. Dorus de Vries is leaving soon, while experienced Craig Gordon’s surely closing in on retirement.

So it’s not surprising that Neil Lennon is aiming to improve that department soon. It’s always good to stock on various positions and when it comes to the key goalkeeping slot, there should be varied options. According to reports (via Scottish Sun), the Hoops are aiming to sign Livingston’s Liam Kelly to secure their goalkeeping future.

The 23-year-old’s been in stunning form for Livingston, keeping 17 clean sheets in all competitions, saving them from humiliation time and again. The former Rangers graduate’s used his towering presence to make smart saves, while also displaying assertive skills in goal.

Frankly, the best stopper outside the big two in Scotland there is.

Celtic will find competition for the emerging star, with Bundesliga side Hamburg along with a host of English clubs also on his tail. However, if the Bhoys are persistent enough, rejecting the Scottish Champions would be irresistible for the 23-year-old. They’ll get a blooming talent, who’s excellent shot-stopping ability, reaction timing and agility making for a potential top-class keeper.

While Bain’s excellent work makes him deserving of the goalkeeping spot for the foreseeable future, keeping healthy competition can help make Celtic’s defensive record even stronger.

If honed well enough, Kelly can become their guardian angel in goal for the next decade and help save them from tricky situations with his excellent goal-denial skills.

Celtic fans, would you be pleased with Kelly’s potential signing? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Leyton Orient: They might only need a point, but O’s should be aiming for a big finish

If any team needed a miracle over Easter, it was Leyton Orient.

Heading into two of their final three National League games of the season, the east London side knew they couldn’t afford any more slip-ups if they were to clinch the title, and not only did they manage not to drop too many points, but their rivals all but set Orient up for a grandstand finish.

Although Justin Edinburgh’s side were unable to get a result away to third place Solihull Moors, a shock 1-0 loss against AFC Fylde saw Salford lose out on a massive opportunity to put pressure on Orient going into the final game of the season, setting the O’s up for an ideal finale.

Leyton Orient now need just a single point in their last match of the campaign at home to Braintree Town to secure the National League title and book their ticket back to the Football League after two years in non-league, but knowing Orient, a big finish is expected.

The O’s should be heading into their final league game of the season looking to win 10-0 and trying to kill off any chance of a Braintree upset as soon as possible. Even though Salford and Solihull both need to win by big scorelines to level Orient’s goal difference, that doesn’t give Edinburgh an excuse to take it easy and look for a draw or even a 1-0 win.

Orient have held the top spot in the National League for most of the season, and with just one game left to go and promotion looking more likely than ever, it’s up to the team to give the fans a finale they deserve.

Leyton Orient fans, can the O’s end the season on a high with a big win over Braintree? Let us know!

روي كين: ليفربول يمكنه الحفاظ على الدوري الإنجليزي بعد القتال أمام مانشستر سيتي

يرى الأيرلندي روي كين أسطورة مانشستر يونايتد، أن ليفربول يمكنه الاحتفاظ بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وذلك بعد الأداء الأخير في مواجهة مانشستر سيتي.

وتعادل ليفربول أمام مانشستر سيتي على ملعب الإتحاد، بهدف لكل فريق، بعد أن تقدم محمد صلاح للريدز وتعادل جابرييل جيسوس لأصحاب الأرض.

طالع أيضًا.. ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد نهاية الجولة الثامنة

روي كين أثنى على مستوى ليفربول، بسبب الرغبة في التكيف مع الإصابات، ويعتقد أن الريدز هو المفضل للفوز بالدوري الإنجليزي هذا الموسم.

وقال كين في تصريحات لشبكة “سكاي” البريطانية: “أكثر ما استمتعت به في ليفربول، أنهم يعانون من إصابات كثيرة، لكن لديهم العقلية ولغة الجسد، والرغبة في تحقيق الفوز، يقاتلون على الانتصار”.

وأضاف: “ليفربول ليس في أفضل حال، لكنهم يحققون نتائج جيدة، كلوب في مقابلته بعد المباراة كان سعيدًا، ويعتقد أنهم مازالوا لديهم الحضور القوي، حتى في ظل الإصابات”.

ولعب ليفربول المباراة بدون الثلاثي ألكانتارا وفان دايك وفابيينو للإصابة، كما خرج ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد مصابًا ودخل بدلًا منه جيمس ميلنر.

واختتم كين: “هذا يعني أن ليفربول يمكنه الفوز بالدوري الإنجليزي، أن تكون هناك خيبات أمل ولكن تظهر عقلية قوية في المباريات الكبيرة، هذا مؤشر جيد”.

Sheffield United fans bewildered by TOTY omissions

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Sheffield United fans on Twitter are bewildered after the announcement of the PFA’s Championship Team of the Year.

Blades fans felt aggrieved because none of their defenders were involved in the team despite their club keeping the most clean sheets in the division, as well as conceding the least number of goals.

Fans of the Yorkshire club felt that at least one of John Egan, Dean Henderson, Jack O’Connell or Enda Stevens deserved a spot in the Team of the Year.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

It’s hard to argue against the points made by the United fans, Chris Wilder’s side have conceded just 39 goals all season whilst their star goalkeeper Henderson has kept a staggering 20 clean sheets.

In place of Henderson was Darren Randolph whilst Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper, Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis got into the back four.

Wilder’s side did have two representatives in the team with Billy Sharp and Oliver Norwood earning spots in midfield and attack, but it is the lack of defenders in the team which has Blades talking on Twitter.

Here’s what Sheffield United fans have been saying on Twitter…

Pochettino hoping to spend a whopping £150m this summer

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Mauricio Pochettino wants Tottenham Hotspur to spend £150million this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Spurs are seemingly set to invest in the playing squad when the transfer window reopens, having gone the past two without signing a single player.

What’s the word?

The Mail report that Pochettino will be given an initial kitty of £60m to spend before player sales are considered, but the report states that the majority of transfer revenue will be retained and spent on the playing staff.

Doubts persist over the futures of both Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen.

The defender, of course, has a £25m release clause embedded into his contract, while the report states that Spurs could cash in on Eriksen, with his deal set to expire at the end of next season.

Full-back Danny Rose, midfielder Victor Wanyama, winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou will all reportedly be sold if bids come in, while Kieran Trippier and Fernando Llorente could also depart.

The Mail believe that could raise upwards of £100m to boost Pochettino’s spending power, with the club hoping to sign two central midfielders as well as an attacking player who can inject some creativity into the forward line.

Back him

Daniel Levy is absolutely right to throw some cash behind Pochettino.

The Argentine has worked miracles this season, with Spurs in the Champions League semi-finals and also fighting to finish in the Premier League top four.

Quite frankly, Pochettino deserves to be backed to the absolute hilt.

And while he may not have a say in the future of Alderweireld, his targets have to be brought in this summer.

Spurs stand on the precipice of something massive; major investment, then, is absolutely key if they are to take the next step.

"Juventus conned us" – Arsenal fans slam flop Lichtsteiner as exit looms

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Stephan Lichtsteiner’s glittering career includes seven Serie A titles, five Coppa Italia trophies and one Swiss Player of the Year award, but it’s safe to say that his foray into Premier League life did not go as planned with the defender already prepared to depart Arsenal after just one year in London.

Signed on a free transfer in the summer of 2018, the right-back has failed to live up to his reputation making just 14 Premier League appearances despite Hector Bellerin suffering a season-ending injury.

As the Gunners prepare to face Chelsea in the Europa League final on May 29 in Baku, Lichsteiner has admitted that the European showpiece will likely be his last outing as an Arsenal player.

“I see it being quite difficult to stay, but we are going to see what happens,” he said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

“I don’t know anything. The only important thing is the Europa League final now. I really want to win this cup and bring this club back to the top level, back to the Champions League and winning important titles.”

The 35-year old’s participation in the Baku final remains up in the air after not earning a place in Unai Emery’s last six Europa League matchday squads, but Arsenal fans certainly aren’t clamouring to see Lichsteiner play again as they took to Twitter to lambaste the failed signing.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

Incredible: Aston Villa fans react to news of Jack Grealish’s £60m buyout clause

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In the buildup to Aston Villa’s final league outing of the season against Norwich, The Mirror reported a staggering piece of transfer news, claiming that Jack Grealish has a £60m buyout clause in his current contract.

It’s news that will come as a huge relief to the Villa Park faithful after the 23-year-old had attracted the eyes of both Tottenham and Crystal Palace in recent months.

Grealish signed a new deal last September after the club fought off initial interest from Spurs but they may now be put off entirely after his remarkable clause was revealed.

Reacting on Twitter, the response was rather split. Some Villa supporters were stunned, as one called it an incredible development. A further fan joked that it would now soften the blow of him leaving from 100% to 99.9%.

Other individuals chose to focus on the board, appearing delighted that the club’s top officials finally had some business nouse whilst another was relieved at the level of competency.

The Villa skipper has had a superb season, being named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year after scoring six goals and claiming a further six assists in the league this term.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

Great signing: Wolves fans love the idea of Rondon moving to Molineux

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The transfer rumour mill is now in full swing and the latest player to take the interest of Wolves is West Brom’s Salomon Rondon.

According to The Daily Mail, the club have already made contact with the Baggies over a possible move.

The powerful striker was in good form on loan at Newcastle this term and as a result, Wolves fans are delighted at the idea of signing him.

One supporter suggested that he’d represent better value than Adama Traore who was signed for £18m last summer. Rondon, on the other hand, has a £16.5m release clause, per the report in The Daily Mail.

Three other fans looked at how he could fit into the club’s system, hinting that he’d be good against opposition who chose to play more defensive.

The Venezuelan, who has been capped 72 times, has just had his best goal scoring season in English football to date, finding the net on 11 occasions.

However, with his loan spell at the Magpies now coming to an end, he’ll return to West Brom.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

Pundit View: Sutton heaps praise on "remarkable" Hasenhuttl

[ad_pod ]Southampton are mathematically safe from relegation after Saturday’s action, and one BT Sport pundit is extremely impressed by Ralph Hasenhuttl.Hasenhuttl was a bit of an unknown quantity for many when he joined Southampton earlier this season, but fans were certainly happen to see anyone not named Mark Hughes at the helm.What the Austrian has done since his arrival has been truly stunning though, and BT Sport Pundit Chris Sutton has heaped praise on the Saints boss.

There can be no arguments either, as the ex-Leipzig boss has transformed a turgid side bereft of any confidence or creativity into a focused unit all playing at the same intensity.

Saints drew an incredible match 3-3 with Bournemouth on Saturday, as both managers chopped and changed their personnel and tactics in an epic battle of wits.

A Southampton fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Saints in the video below…

And while neither won the battle, both showed exactly why they are two of the brightest prospects in the business at the moment.

Sutton is absolutely right to laud St. Mary’s’ newest hero, and the 51 year-old can now begin plotting how to make next season even better.

Arsenal: Gabriel Martinelli can be Unai Emery’s unearthed superstar

When he arrived at Arsenal, Unai Emery’s goal was to bring the club back to where they belong. 

The Spaniard’s doing a fine job this season in helping them finish in the top four and close to winning the UEFA Europa League, but he’s always looking out for bigger things to come.

Obviously, not everything has been perfect but this is a project. The years following Arsene Wenger were never going to be easy and what lies ahead is both exciting and daunting in equal measure.

A manager such as Emery would have already been planning on how he’ll shape up the squad going forward and has his transfer demands in place accordingly. Knowing about their financial restrictions, he’s aiming to make cunning signings of youngsters.

Indeed, according to the reports from South American outlet UOL, the Gunners are very close to signing Brazilian wonderkid, Gabriel Martinelli.

Currently thriving at Brazil’s Campeonato Paulista for Ituano, he’s scored six times since debuting earlier this year. An explosive winger who can operate from either side, Martinelli’s electricity is powerful enough to shock opponents. He’s only 17 but looks primed for big things thanks to his terrific work in Brazil.

Sounds good, right?

Perhaps Martinelli can sum up Arsenal right now. Talented, promising, unproven. Sadly, considering the spending power of their top six rivals, the North London giants might have to embrace that and grow together.

So far, Emery has earned a good reputation in relying on such talent because of how he gave rise to the likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles this season. On paper, Martinelli looks like his long-term unearthed gem and knowing the Brazilian’s potential, one can’t really question him for the ambition.

Martinelli is flashy, extremely fast and lethal in the final area. A youngster who’s scored 200 goals at youth level (stats from Football-Wonderkids), the 17-year-old meets the standards necessary at Arsenal for a young player already. Clearly, he’s got the potential to be a world-beater and Unai Emery has the recipe to make it a reality, creating a combination which can bring joy to Arsenal in the future.

Arsenal fans, would you be happy with Martinelli’s potential signing? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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