All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Peter Crouch has officially announced his retirement. May the robot celebration rest in peace.

The former England international defied all footballing logic with his slight physical frame and incredible height to enjoy a fine career in English football, and never more so than when he was at Liverpool.

The 6 foot 7 striker was the scorer of some audacious goals in his time at Anfield (like his perfect hat-trick against Arsenal) and was a firm fan favourite wherever he played.

After hearing the news Crouch had ended his playing career at the age of 38 and after 21 years as a professional footballer, Liverpool fans amongst others took to Twitter to pay their tributes to the striker.

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Many supporters of the Merseyside club reminisced about the 38-year-old’s unbelievable overhead kicks and even jokingly suggested that some of his wonder strikes for the club were worth three goals.

Plenty of Reds fans wished Crouch well in his future and thanked the “legend” for his time at the club, and revealed that the gangly forward had inspired them.

Check out some of the reaction of Liverpool fans below:

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Last summer at Leicester seemed to be all about Harry Maguire.

The defender was in supreme form at the World Cup, popping up with a goal against Sweden en route to winning a colossal 5.9 aerial duels across the tournament.

This year, there was no men’s World Cup, but somehow Maguire is still finding a way for things to be made all about him.

That’s not on purpose, but when the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City come calling the lure is nigh on impossible to resist.

United are a team rich in history whilst City’s record in recent years speaks for itself, surely you’d be a fool to turn them down?

Indeed you would in terms of City, for they are a team who cannot seem to stop winning trophies under Pep Guardiola.

But with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils, they are still seemingly a team in free fall.

Last weekend, it was reported that they had agreed an £80m fee for Maguire. It’s a price that, if the deal goes through, will make him the most expensive defender of all time, beating the record set by Virgil van Dijk.

What makes it even more incredible, is that Matthijs de Ligt cost Juventus £67.5m. This is a defender who has quickly become one of the best young players in Europe, captaining Ajax as a teenager to the Champions League semi-finals.

Maguire hasn’t captained his side, nor has he reached the latter stages of a continental competition. What he has reached, though, is the World Cup semi-final and it’s in Russia where he truly made his name.

Fast forward a year and the speculation that initially claimed he could move to United is still there. However, it now looks like materialising further.

Maguire hasn’t handed in an official transfer request, but the word is that he’s told his club he wishes to leave.

But, in United’s current state, why on earth should he leave Leicester?

The Foxes are a team on the up and the amount of ambition they’ve shown recently should have the likes of Arsenal and United themselves looking over their shoulders.

If they keep Maguire, there’s no reason why they can’t be pushing for European football.

The sky is the limit at the King Power and you only need to look at their remarkable title victory to realise what’s possible.

But the reality of Leicester’s transfer window so far, and indeed that of the clubs close to them, is that no one has shown the level of ambition they’re displaying.

In bringing Youri Tielemans to the Midlands for £40m, it was a huge statement and on that evidence alone, you can see the clear intent and vision they have for the future.

Brendan Rodgers is building an exciting project, one which was added to in the form of Ayoze Perez too.

Having scored 12 goals last term, he’s a player who could prove the difference for a side who lacked goals other than James Maddison and Jamie Vardy last term.

Their ability to bring in Tielemans, though, is perhaps a wide-scale sign that the gap between those in fifth and sixth to those who finish behind is actually closing.

At the end of the day, United’s hopes of winning a league title next season or even beating Liverpool and their Manchester rivals to a domestic cup seems slim.

So why, when you don’t have the guarantee of winning a trophy as you did in the past with United, would you want to switch Leicester for Old Trafford?

The history and the sheer awe of playing in a stadium like that is bound to be attractive whilst the pay rise he’ll likely get from moving will be huge. In that case, it’s easy to see why he’d be drawn in.

But beyond that, is there anything United can offer that the Foxes won’t? Arguably not.

That is both a sad indictment of where the Red Devils are at the moment, but it’s also symbolic of how competitive the Premier League can become behind the two top teams, something that should fill even the most disillusioned of football fans with excitement.

In terms of starting XI quality, the gap between the bottom half of the big six and the cabal of clubs below them only seems to be getting smaller, and the coming season feels like the most likely opportunity yet for the Premier League’s elite group to be broken up by the chasing pack.

Get the latest on Harry Maguire’s potential move to Man Utd in the video below…

For Maguire, this is a big moment in his career.

As a young footballer you dream of playing for the big teams and the 26-year-old could be about to realise that this summer.

Yet, at Leicester there is a clear vision and excitement, there is no negativity, and neither are they are a team filled with some of the biggest egos in football.

At the Midlands club, there is a project that has undoubted amounts of potential and at the centre of it could be Maguire.

Hopes of replicating the success they had in 2015/16 seems far-fetched, but at this precise moment in time, they arguably have as much chance of winning a trophy as United do, and probably a similar chance of qualifying for the Europa League next season.

With all this in mind, aside from historic prestige, what would Maguire really gain from leaving Leicester for United?

AFC Bournemouth are interested in signing Huddersfield Town midfielder Philip Billing, though the Championship club’s £17 million asking price has made the Cherries question the deal, according to The Daily Mail.

Huddersfield could find themselves in a situation where they will need to drop that demand though, as they have exiled the Denmark U21 international from the first-team setup.

This has occurred due to comments he made about manager Jan Siewart: “He is special. Real German mentality, little strange. He came in like he had won the Premier League five times, a little arrogant, and I think most of the players lost the respect for him after week one. People could see there was something wrong.”

Bournemouth are expected to make a move for the 23-year-old, though that may be below the £17 million asking price.

Billing may have been unable to prevent Huddersfield being relegated last season, but he did do enough to catch the eye in his 25 Premier League starts and two substitute appearances.

He made 2.7 tackles (per WhoScored), 2 interceptions, 1.5 clearances and 0.6 blocks per game last season, highlighting his defensive contributions.

The Dane’s likely holding midfield partner at Vitality Stadium would likely be Jefferson Lerma, who averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 2.8 clearances and 0.6 blocks last season, so there certainly would be a strong element of defence in the engine room.

Billing’s two goals displayed the threat he can carry at the opposite end, with his header against Everton showing the benefit of his 193cm tall frame, while his emphatic strike against Southampton showed his ability to get goals from range.

If he makes the move to Bournemouth he will likely need to improve on his passing, as he made 52 passes per game with a 78.8% success rate – though that could naturally happen as Bournemouth’s average of 47.7% possession and 78.1% pass success rate were marginally greater than Huddersfield’s numbers of 47.1% and 75.8%.

Going off his defensive stats, this would be a good move for Bournemouth, with Billing having the credentials to slot into the Cherries’ midfield well and provide them with a touch more defensive stability, potentially allowing them to operate with two holding mifielders in games against better opposition.

Would Biling fit in on the south coast? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Only in the footballing world can a situation like Gareth Bale’s be classed as a minor emergency.

The former world’s most expensive player currently sits pretty on a wage package at Real Madrid worth around £600,000 per week.

Unfortunately, however, or rather fortunately if it were any other job in the world, Bale isn’t actually having to do much to earn those wages. In fact, Zinedine Zidane, who’s on his second term as boss of Los Blancos, has explicitly said that the Welshman has no place in the club’s future plans (a major problem for Bale fans around the world but not so much for the man in the question, who’s accumulating around £3,571 per hour, by our calculations).

Now linked with a career saving move to China (a paradox, we know), Pl>ymaker FC’s WHATMARCDOES has discussed how the transfer could save Wales’ Euro 2020 campaign.

Check out his opinion above.

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Steven Gerrard has confirmed Glenn Middleton will be playing his football in Holland in the upcoming campaign.

Although he did not mention which club the winger would be joining, it is believed he will be heading to NAC Breda and playing his football in the Eredivisie (per The Daily Record).

Middleton was believed to be heading across the border at one point to join Doncaster Rovers on a loan deal, but that allegedly fell through earlier this summer due to a managerial change at the English club.

A move to Holland could work well for Middleton’s development as players have shown some success when pitting themselves in Dutch football. As The Telegraph noted, the likes of Jake Clarke-Salter and Dan Crowley enjoyed success whilst away from their parent clubs.

Valued at £195k by Transfermarkt, the Scotland Under-19 international managed to have a productive season for the Light Blues throughout the 2018/19 campaign as he proved to have an impact on the pitch at times.

Middleton managed to net himself five goals and provide a further five assists in his 29 appearances for Rangers, which included featuring in the Europa League (Transfermarkt).

However, the 19-year-old – who is believed to be highly-rated by Gerrard and the coaching staff at Rangers – was always going to find his opportunities in the first-team rather limited following the arrivals of Greg Stewart, Sheyi Ojo, Jordan Jones and Jake Hastie.

He is yet to have featured for Rangers this season, which perhaps is further evidence that he would be better suited to playing his football elsewhere temporarily and impress those at the club from further afield.

Leaving Rangers temporarily could really benefit Middleton and help him to develop his game even further, and as mentioned, Holland has been a notable destination for youth products to become better footballers with regular minutes on the field.

With the deal to Doncaster Rovers allegedly falling through, it would seem a better opportunity has arisen for the winger; now it is up to the 19-year-old to show Gerrard and the Light Blues just exactly what he can bring to the team in the future.

Rangers fans, do you think a loan spell with NAC Breda could be a good thing for Middleton’s development? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them in the comments section below!

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According to Dominic King – a journalist for The Daily Mail – Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker could spend the next four to six weeks on the sidelines.

Alisson had to be replaced in the first half of Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Norwich City in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Brazilian has had a busy few months when considering that he represented his country at the Copa America earlier this summer.

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According to King, Alisson has torn his calf, which could also rule him out of Liverpool’s first group-stage game in the Champions League.

The 26-year-old was outstanding for the Reds during the 2018-19 campaign – keeping 27 clean sheets in 51 appearances in all competitions.

Number two Adrian certainly has the experience to replace Alisson, but it would be fair to say that the Spaniard is not of the same quality.

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The Liverpool fans have been on social media offering their views on King’s tweet – a selection of which can be seen below:

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Liverpool will look to maintain their 100% start to the Premier League season when they host Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday.

So far the Reds have recorded wins against Norwich City and Southampton, scoring six goals and conceding two in the process.

They may well face their toughest challenge yet though against the Gunners, given Unai Emery’s men are the only other top flight club with a perfect record as things stand.

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The Merseyside outfit have home advantage in their favour, so what starting XI should Jurgen Klopp pick on Saturday?

We take a look below…

The German manager has rotated his midfield and attacking options so far in the Premier League, with captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho dropping out of the XI against Southampton following their exerts against Chelsea in the Super Cup.

Given the defensive cover and work rate the duo bring collectively, they should both be reinstated against their visitors from the capital, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain providing a bit more attacking impetus alongside them than perhaps Gini Wijnaldum would.

Behind them, Klopp should look to add some pace to a defence that is going to come up against Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe, meaning Joe Gomez gets the nod over Joel Matip alongside Virgil van Dijk.

Trent Alexander-Arnold may not have been at his best so far this term with The Liverpool Echo saying he was often exposed against Norwich, but he has the attacking threat to force Aubameyang to track back should the Gabon international start on the left as he did against Burnley last time out, while Andrew Robertson is a no-brainer on the opposite side.

The front three? Well that speaks for itself, doesn’t it.

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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…

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has tipped teammate Phil Foden to become one of the “best midfielders in the world”.

What did he say?

Foden enjoyed a breakthrough campaign under Pep Guardiola last season, registering a total of 26 appearances across all competitions and scoring seven goals.

Now, his City teammate Silva has revealed he thinks the 19-year-old is destined to get to the very top of the game, and backed him to do it soon.

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He said: “It’s good not to put too much pressure on Phil Foden. He was born in the 2000s, and he is six years younger than me, but he is a huge talent. If he keeps working as hard as he does and his mentality is good, he will be one of the best midfielders in the world in one or two years.

“To go from the second team to the first is a huge step. Sooner or later, he will be one of the best.”

Special talent

First it was Guardiola, now it’s Silva. Foden has received very high praise indeed from both his club manager and teammate, and it is an indicator of just how highly thought of he is.

The midfielder really took to the City first-team like a duck to water, and his goal-scoring performance in the Premier League against Tottenham last season showed he could handle the pressure too.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

The biggest obstacle in front of him comes from some of his own teammates. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and Fernandinho, amongst others, pose very stiff competition indeed.

All are international-quality players and have been bought by the club for big money. For an academy talent like Foden to muscle his way in, will certainly take some doing.

But if both Guardiola and Silva are to be believed, then there is no reason why Foden can’t be both the present and future of City.

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Liverpool striker Bobby Duncan could be heading to Serie A in Italy as the club’s director of football Michael Edwards is negotiating a potential transfer.

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Football Insider reported that Edwards is in talks with Fiorentina about a move for the player, who is the subject of a buy-to-loan offer worth more than £10m.

According to Football Insider, the Italian club will take the 18-year-old on loan for the 2019/20 campaign, with a £10m-plus obligation to purchase at the end of the season.

Football Insider added that Fiorentina are keen to finalise the deal before the end of the Serie A transfer window next Monday.

Duncan was one of the stars of Liverpool’s FA Youth Cup-winning side last season, scoring in the final as the Reds defeated Manchester City on penalties and netting 25 times all competitions for the under-18 side.

That impressive scoring return prompted Jurgen Klopp to include him among the first team squad for pre-season and he played four times with them over the summer, scoring in a 6-0 win over Tranmere.

However, he has since returned to the Reds’ under-23 side, for whom he has made three appearances without scoring in the early weeks of the season.

Football Insider reported that he was left out of their squad for last night’s 4-2 win over Southampton amid interest from Fiorentina, a first victory of the season for Neil Critchley’s team.

According to the Daily Mail, Duncan had been concerned about his prospects of making it at Liverpool under Klopp, and with the Reds allowing fellow attacker Harry Wilson to leave on loan despite scoring 18 goals for Derby last season, the teenager’s chances of first team action at Anfield this term appear extremely slim.

If he goes to Fiorentina, Duncan will not be the first ex-Liverpool forward to try his luck in Italy after failing to establish himself at Anfield. Suso scored just once in 21 first team appearances for the Reds before joining AC Milan in 2015, for whom he has since netted 23 times in 137 games (0.17 goals per game).

Since beginning his current role in November 2016, Edwards has a track record of attracting generous fees for fringe players at Liverpool.

Danny Ings was sold for £20m having scored just four times in 25 appearances, Dominic Solanke went for £19m after only one goal in 27 games and the Reds got £12.5m for goalkeeper Danny Ward, who played only three times for the first team and conceded six goals.

Liverpool should try to include a buyback clause in any possible deal with Fiorentina in case Duncan repeats his youth scoring record at senior level, but at this moment, £10m for someone who has never played a competitive first team game seems like great business for the Anfield club.

Liverpool fans, do you think the club should accept Fiorentina’s reported buy-to-loan offer for Duncan? Give us your views in the comments section below!

Celtic fans are likely on top of the world after beating rivals Rangers to move clear at the top of the table on Sunday, but Neil Lennon’s latest admission is slightly concerning.

What’s the word?

The Hoops have struggled with injuries in defence this season, meaning Nir Bitton has effectively been converted into a central defender.

That continued on Sunday as he partnered Christopher Jullien at the back, but the Israel internatonal was forced off with an injury of his own.

The gaffer has now cleared the air on his centre-back crisis, as reported by The Scottish Sun: “Nir will be three or four weeks, Ajer will be ten days. We are hoping to have him back for Hamilton.

“We will need to send Jozo to a specialist.”

Thank you international break

International breaks, the bane of every football fan’s existence, especially the first one of the season.

Almost as soon as the excitement of the new campaign kicks into overdrive the September international break punches you in the gut and sucks the fun out of your weekends again.

For the Hoops though, this might be the most convenient two-week break of all time.

Watch Celtic Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

If Kristoffer Ajer, Bitton and Jozo Simunovic are all out, Lennon has only Jullien, who is new and still adjusting to the football and culture in Scotland, and Jack Hendry to call on.

It’s fair to say fans don’t ever want to see Hendry in the first-team again after his utterly abysmal showings last season, and pairing the 24 year-old with new boy Jullien is an accident waiting to happen.

So, while the news that Simunovic needs to see a “specialist” is most definitely a major concern, fans can breathe a little easier thanks to the international break, as it will likely allow Ajer to return alongside Jullien for the trip to Hamilton.

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