Tag Futebol

The future seemed so bright for former Rangers winger Jamie Murphy, after he became Motherwell’s top scorer in European competitions in 2010, a record which still stands to this day, but his injury-riddled career has quickly fallen by the wayside.

What was the word?

Speaking to the Totally Football League Show, as quoted by The Daily Record, Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough singled out the one-time loanee for praise after he scored against Oxford United last season.

“He’s been brilliant,” he said. “When we heard that we might have a small chance of bringing him in, we just did everything we could to get him down here. I think he’s got three in five now or something.

“He’s a game-changing player. We’re extremely lucky to have him in our squad in League One because he’s at least a Championship player and he’s proved that.”

The 31-year-old scored seven goals and supplied two assists in ten games for Clough’s side in a loan spell during the second half of last season.

However, it’s fair to say that Murphy is now a shadow of his former self, as he has been plagued by persistent injury problems over the course of his playing career so far. So, it’s perhaps hardly surprising Rangers sold the forgotten man in the summer, as Ross Wilson sought to clear out some of the deadwood in the summer.

Wilson masterclass

Hibernian FC signed the former Scotland international on an initial loan deal which will become permanent at the end of this season, with Murphy signing a one-year extension as well. It could be argued that it was a stroke of genius from Wilson to get him off the wage bill, as he reportedly received wages worth £16,000-per-week during his ill-fated time at Ibrox.

He scored six times and supplied 13 assists in all competitions for his former club, although his appearances were limited to just 29 games in two and a half years due to injury.

There’s no denying the fact that Murphy was once a talented player, but sadly he has been hampered by injuries, and was unable to make much of an impression under Steven Gerrard, who is hardly short of wide options, as he can call upon the services of Ryan Kent, Brandon Barker, Ianis Hagi, Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield as well. And that’s without even mentioning Jordan Jones, who finds himself in a spot of bother after breaking the pandemic protocols.

In actual fact, his luck has gone from bad to worse, as he has been forced to spend a spell on the sidelines so far this season with a recurring hamstring injury.

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By contrast, Kent has become the club’s first-choice left winger, having made nearly a hundred appearances for the Gers since he first arrived at Ibrox on loan from Premier League giants Liverpool in 2018.

In 14 appearances in the Premiership this season, the 23-year-old has bagged four times and four assists so far, which is an impressive return. Getting rid of the aging injury-plagued veteran has arguably given him the time to shine.

AND in other news, Rangers receive huge injury boost as Leon Balogun survives unscathed against Sierra Leone…

Ibrox, the home of Glasgow Rangers, is one of football’s oldest and most historic stadiums.

The Gers have played there since they were founded in 1872, although it hasn’t always looked as it is now. Whilst it may not be as big as either Celtic Park or Hampden Park, it is still one of the grounds that is known across the world as being the home of the 54-time Scottish champions.

With the current pandemic, there is plenty of time for supporters of all clubs to fill, and that gap has led to Twitter page RangersHistory sharing photos of the Argyle House. In 1990, it was added to Govan Stand after eight months of work to get it completed.

It hasn’t taken long for the club’s supporters to react to the images – but they don’t appear to be fans of the stand in its current form. They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments below.

Let us know what you think!

According to a recent report from Calciomercato, Matias Vecino could be close to leaving Inter Milan and Everton are interested in prising him away from the San Siro.

What’s the word, then?

Carlo Ancelotti is supposedly looking to reinforce his midfield and the 28-year-old ace just might fit the bill.

Calciomercato emphasise that Vecino has the qualities Everton are looking for and they have already made contact over a move.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

With that in mind, Alessandro Lucci was already at the offices at San Siro, discussing the potential farewell of his player and his transfer to the Merseyside team, despite initially denying the rumours.

It seems that the Uruguayan could be heading out the exit door in the near future.

Verdict

Even though he has somewhat risen in prominence in the ongoing 2019/20 season – stringing together full games throughout December –  Vecino is still behind some of Antonio Conte’s midfielders in the pecking order.

The likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Antonio Candreva, Nicolo Barella and Cristiano Biraghi have also played more than the 28-year-old Uruguayan ace.

Quite clearly, when it comes to midfielders, the Nerazzurri’s gaffer is more or less spoiled for choice and that leaves Vecino in a rather tricky situation.

For that reason, it’s completely possible to see him leave in the not so distant future and Everton are looking like a likely destination.

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Recently, FCInterNews stated the player is valued at around €20m (£17m), which doesn’t sound like an unrealistic figure for a club who have spent £50m on Richarlison and £45m on Gylfi Sigurdsson in recent years.

With all the choices Conte has in the middle of the park, Vecino might not even be missed.

In other news, Inter Milan have reportedly been offered one of Manchester United’s biggest young talents…

Leeds United revealed on Tuesday afternoon that Tyler Roberts had been called up the Wales squad for their upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers with Azerbaijan and Hungary.

However, it would be fair to say that the club’s supporters are not overly pleased about it as they are fearful that the attacker could pick up an injury.

The 20-year-old, who has been capped on six occasions by the Welsh national team, scored his first Leeds goal of the season against Queens Park Rangers at the weekend.

Indeed, on his first start for the Whites this term, Roberts scored Leeds’ opener just before the interval before Jack Harrison made it 2-0 in the second period.

Wales are currently fourth in Group E on eight points, four points off second-placed Hungary and six points off leaders Croatia.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

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It is a huge couple of games for Ryan Giggs’ side, but the Leeds fans are only concerned about the fitness of their young attacker.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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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…

Mauricio Pochettino has shrugged off claims that he could leave the club in the next week, per The London Evening Standard.

What’s he said?

TalkSPORT claimed on Thursday that this weekend’s clash with Arsenal could be Pochettino’s last match in charge of Spurs.

The Standard also reports that bookmakers suspended betting on the former Southampton manager walking away but he has now rubbished the rumours, labelling them “stupid”.

He said: “What can I say about a stupid rumour? After five years, now I start the sixth and you know how we work in the summer to try to rebuild and update the squad.

“Now we are 6.0 software. The new version. That stupidity can only happen through some rumours on social media that create a big, big problem that doesn’t exist. I’m not going to walk away after the north London derby.

“I’m going to be here Monday and Tuesday. My plan is to travel – I don’t want to say where – and then Friday [back] again to London, meeting with Daniel (Levy).

“We’re going to watch some national team games live, and then Monday preparing for the new week. I’m not the type of person who sends messages through social. Did you bet [on it]? It’s closed now, eh? You lost your money!”

No surprise

How anyone could actually think that Pochettino was set to leave is baffling.

Yes, Spurs have not started the season in the best form and were appalling as they lost 1-0 to Newcastle United at the weekend.

But does that mean Pochettino is poised to depart? Absolutely not.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He signed a five-year contract in 2018 and has just overseen major surgery on his squad.

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TalkSPORT have a habit of peddling absolute drivel merely to bring in listeners and gain retweets on Twitter.

This is another such example; that Pochettino has had to deny it is nonsensical in itself.

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Over the years Arsenal fans have had to endure watching some of their finest players leave the club for their greatest rivals.

The likes of Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor all left the Gunners in pursuit of more ambitious ventures with the North London club constantly having to rebuild and reorganise after such high profile departures.

The latest to leave in this manner was Alexis Sanchez, who signed for Manchester United in January 2018.

Rumours of Sanchez’s desire to leave the club had been circling for months after a collapsed move to Manchester City saw him stay at Arsenal for a further five months before he eventually made his move to Old Trafford.

The Chilean has had a torrid time in Manchester, struggling to make any impact in a team that’s been in decline under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite a few months of improvement with the Norwegian at the helm.

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Sanchez may move again this summer and former Arsenal invincible Lauren has been quoted as saying that the Chilean can still have an impact in North London if he were to return one day. But despite the comments coming from a club icon, Gunners fans haven’t welcomed the idea of re-signing their ex-star.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have insisted that they do not want to sign Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon after a Daily Mirror report claimed they were interested in the defender.

Sessegnon has yet to sign a new contract at the west London club, who are surely doomed to relegation from the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the report claims that Manchester United and PSG are also interested in signing the 18-year-old, despite a rocky season in the top-flight, though he wants to remain in London.

Indeed, Sessegnon has made 30 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring two goals and laying on five assists, but he was last involved in either scoring or providing a goal on New Year’s Day, when he made a setup in the 4-1 loss to Arsenal.

And Spurs fans are not keen on the prospect of signing a player who the club are reportedly rating as a £50million target, meaning the potential deal would set a new club-record transfer fee. Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

Celtic ensured they would top the Scottish Premiership table on Christmas Day with a routine 3-0 victory against Dundee.

Odsonne Edouard’s injury had left Brendan Rodgers without a senior forward following the departure of Moussa Dembele and the absence of Leigh Griffiths. However, it was youngster Mikey Johnston who was the hero yet again. After scoring his first senior goal in mid-week, the 19-year-old bagged a brace to ensure that Celtic were top of the standings heading into the Boxing Day fixtures.

While the 19-year-old’s form will be hugely encouraging for Rodgers, the Northern Irishman simply must target a new forward in the January transfer window. It remains to be seen whether Johnston can maintain his current levels throughout the season and another injury could be catastrophic. Bolstering his offensive options must be a priority.

One man who Rodgers could target is Brentford forward – Neil Maupay. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old began his professional career but was sent on various loans around France. The forward was eventually sold to Brentford in the summer of 2017 where he hit the ground running and has earned a reputation as one of the best forwards in the Championship.

The Frenchman ended his debut season in England with a fantastic return of 12 goals as well as registering four assists for his team-mates. Eager to show he was not a one-season wonder, Maupay has reached even greater heights in the current campaign, scoring 14 league goals already as well as creating six. The youngster is finally starting to realise his potential and Celtic must be quick to lure him to Scotland before Premier League sides come calling.

Maupay would give Rodgers another quality option in attack to help secure another league title and progression in the Europa League.

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Celtic fans, thoughts?

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Tottenham have got back to winning ways in recent weeks, defeating Brighton and Huddersfield in the Premier League either side of a Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Watford.

Mauricio Pochettino elected not to sign a single player during the summer window and that looked to have caused problems in mid-September as the Lilywhites endured a run of three consecutive losses, including in the Champions League to Inter Milan.

However, the fightback from Tottenham has been impressive and they are now looking towards the transfer market in January to strengthen their ranks – and midfield additions look likely as an exit for Mousa Dembele is anticipated either in the New Year or next summer when his contract expires.

A host of players have already been touted with a move to North London and eye-catching reports have stated that Spurs are keeping close tabs on highly-rated Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who boasts eight caps for Serbia.

Having also been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in recent months, the fight for the signature of the 23-year-old is set to be fierce and fans have had their say on the rumours on social media.

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We have gathered some of the best reactions below.

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As reported by The Mirror, Manchester United are set to rival Manchester City for the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred this summer.

What’s the story?

One of the key areas of the Man United team that Jose Mourinho needs to address this summer is their midfield, after a disappointing season in which they failed to battle rivals City for the Premier League title.

On their radar is Fred, who City are also interested in, with The Mirror reporting that he’ll end up at one of the two clubs before next season.

The paper reckon he’ll cost around £50m.

Can United convince him his future lies at Old Trafford?

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What can he bring to United?

Paul Pogba was effective in the first half of this season but arguably doesn’t have the midfield freedom to truly focus on supporting the Manchester United attack first and foremost.

Also, his lack of desire to show tactical discipline has visibly frustrated his manager in recent weeks and months, again subbing him off during their defeat to West Brom at the weekend.

Bringing in a player like Fred would certainly go a long way to solving that problem, his style of play focusing on winning back the ball and protecting his side’s defensive line.

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He has plenty of experience under his belt despite being just 24 years of age and was integral to the Ukrainian’s progress to the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League this season.

He could be a perfect accompaniment to the French international and forge a successful career at Old Trafford, especially with ageing defensive minded midfielders potentially on their way out of the club.

With goals and assists to his name this season too, is he the midfielder all-rounder Mourinho is looking for?