[ad_pod ]Rangers fans loved the performance of enigmatic striker Alfredo Morelos on Thursday night, as he grabbed his fifth goal of the season against FC Midtjylland.Morelos started the scoring in an incredible 4-2 win over the Danes, giving Steven Gerrard’s men the upper hand in making the final round of Europa League qualifying.The Colombian’s header was followed up by goals from Joe Aribo and Nikola Katic, before two quickfire Midtjylland strikes gave the Gers something to worry about.Nerves were settled for the second leg though as Scott Arfield secured an impressive 4-2 win, leaving a monumental task for the Danes at Ibrox.Despite speculation of a bid from West Brom, Morelos looked unfazed as he played a key role in the victory. The 23-year-old is adored by the Ibrox faithful and displays like last night’s only endear him further to the fans.Not only did he score, but he is also played a part in two other goals, once again highlighting just how crucial he is for Gerrard’s team.Here’s what the fans had to say about him after the match on Twitter…
What does £10m get you in today’s transfer market? Not a lot so it would seem.
Some absurd transfer fees were thrown about this summer, no less than Manchester United stumping up £80m for Harry Maguire.
Worth a considerable bit less than that is Jack Clarke, who for £10m of Tottenham’s finest pounds, moved from Leeds during the transfer window.
The fact he returned so imminently on loan was surprising.
There were some fascinating elements to this transfer, particularly in the fact that before joining Spurs he’d started just four times in the Championship.
Being sold for the fee he commanded, therefore, is rather remarkable.
This wasn’t a player like James Maddison who had scored 14 goals at that level before earning a move to Leicester. It was a young individual with just two strikes to his name last season, moving to a more reputable club, a side that were fresh off the back of a Champions League final.
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Losing Clarke would have been a bitter blow. After all, he’s one of the finer players to come through the Thorp Arch academy in recent years, but what’s occurring this term decreases that damaging effect.
Arriving back at Elland Road on a temporary deal, the youngster has found life a struggle and, at the moment, he could miss out on a whole host of games in 2019/20.
That’s plainly down to the fact that Leeds have six loan players, only five of which are allowed in a given matchday squad.
And it appears as though the 18-year-old is the one to miss out. Against Wigan he was left at home, something that makes his £10m transfer fee look even better.
On the face of it, Leeds were able to sell an asset at a high price who isn’t near their first team. For that, they should be applauded.
Paul Bell made it no secret that Leeds sold Pontus Jansson for financial fair play reasons this summer, whilst Kemar Roofe and Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s decisions to move on to pastures new also likely helped in that regard.
However, the Swede was sold for a mere £5.5m. As a result, Clarke’s fee slightly makes up for receiving such a low income for the central defender’s services.
If that sale was astonishing for all the wrong reasons, then the young winger’s is shrewd for all the right ones.
Leeds’ business this summer had question marks surrounding it, particularly because they brought in so many players on loan. Yet, this was an example of Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta’s fine negotiation skills.
Orta had a huge role in bringing Eddie Nketiah to the club on deadline day, presenting his reasons to the Arsenal hierarchy on why Leeds would be the best destination for the striker.
But that business pales into significance to what they managed to achieve with Clarke. The fact a player who can’t even get into Leeds’ matchday squad was sold for £10m says a lot about the market and what money can buy you in 2019.
Clarke isn’t the finished article and it will take him a while before he becomes that. He was only involved in four goals in league action throughout the last campaign, whilst he played at right wing-back against Salford in the Carabao Cup.
That’s something that demonstrates just how tricky the attacker will find it to play in his natural role.
Thogden ranks all 24 Championship away kits in the video below…
A winger by trade, his absence isn’t being felt and instead it’s handing valuable experience to other academy stars like Mateusz Bogusz, one of the players to be included regularly on the bench.
It says a lot that an individual like him is being preferred in the squad to Clarke but it’s not as though Bielsa has much of a choice.
His hand is being forced by the number of loans they have and unless one gets an injury, it’s hard to see him coming in.
Of course, the situation could look altogether different if his future had not already been decided, as Bielsa would presumably prefer to offer opportunities to loanees that could potentially join permanently further down the line than a player who is destined to depart in 2020.
By the same token, however, if Clarke was really that integral he would surely be in the first team squad and contributing towards another promotion charge; the fact he is firmly on the periphery is telling.
And if the youngster continues to get left out and has less of an impact than he managed in 2018/19, there is a case to be made that his value will decrease despite being a year older.
For that reason alone, the £10m fee received is already looking like a cunning piece of business.
Lots of Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was confirmed by the club that Fraser Forster has rejoined Celtic on a season-long loan deal.
The England international previously enjoyed a four-year stint at Celtic Park before joining the Saints for £10m, winning three league titles and two Scottish Cups under Neil Lennon.
Forster used to be Southampton’s No.1, earning six caps in total for England as a result of his good form, but the last two years have been miserable for the 31-year-old.
He has made one appearance since December 2017 and found himself behind Angus Gunn and Alex McCarthy in the pecking order, resulting in his return to Celtic.
He seems to have been a popular figure at St Mary’s judging by the kind responses to his departure, with a number of fans below wishing him well.
Let’s take a look at what the Saints fans on Twitter have been saying…
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Jamie Vardy.
A man who scored twice for Leicester against Bournemouth last time out to take his Premier League tally to 83 goals in 180 games for the Foxes.
In that time, the former non-league striker has become an England international – scoring against Wales at the European Championships – as well as a Premier League winner and a Champions League quarter-finalist.
It’s safe to say that the 32-year-old has been one of the best forwards in the Premier League in recent years.
However, Vardy’s knack of finding the net took a while to warm up, to say the least.
In the season before he hit 24 goals to ensure the title ended up at the King Power Stadium, the Foxes’ No.9 scored just five goals, with four of them coming in the last ten games of the campaign.
It was his first taste of life in the top-flight, and Vardy’s slow start should resonate with another forward of similar ilk who has also began life in the Premier League at a snail’s pace – Che Adams.
Southampton parted with £15m to bring the 23-year-old to St Mary’s this summer, but he is yet to find the back of the net so far this term despite starting all four league games.
Similar to Vardy with his undoubted pace and tendency to run the channels, Adams and Southampton must take inspiration from the Leicester star and use his journey as reason to be patient.
Adams scored 22 Championship goals last season, whereas Vardy hit 16 in his last campaign in the second tier before becoming a Premier League player, whilst the £15m man is also nine years younger than the Premier League winner – all the reasons for Southampton to remain patient with Adams are present.
It is surely only a matter of time before the former Birmingham man’s top-flight career takes off.
Trent Alexander-Arnold earned his seventh cap for England on Wednesday and his performance has drawn praise from Liverpool fans.
The Three Lions ran out 5-3 winners, though the full-back was not as defensively solid as usual, whilst his normally effective crossing – as evidenced by his nine assists from crossing last season – was below par, with his four attempts failing to reach a target.
There is significant competition for the right-back spot in Gareth Southgate’s squad, with Kieran Trippier starting the previous match against Bulgaria, and Kyle Walker and Aaron Wan-Bissaka also strong candidates for the role.
That means there is competition for places, and so far in a Three Lions shirt, Alexander-Arnold has underperformed in a key aspect of his game – creating chances – as he is still yet to register an assist at international level.
Despite that, fans are impressed with what they saw last night, with some just relieved to see him get through the 90 minutes injury-free, alongside teammate Jordan Henderson.
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Here are some of the reactions from fans wishing him well and praising his display against Kosovo.
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…
As quoted by The Guardian, England manager Gareth Southgate has questioned whether Marcus Rashford’s best position is as a traditional number nine.
What did he say?
The Manchester United striker has previously gone on record to say he thinks of himself as a centre-forward, but has found himself playing out wide on the left on numerous occasions.
Following England’s 4-0 victory over Bulgaria on Saturday, Southgate insisted Rashford does more of his “best work” from wide areas, rather than from central positions.
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He said: “Although we have, for a long time, almost wanted Marcus to be that option as a (No) 9, I’m still not certain that that is where he is happiest and where he does his best work. A lot of his development at United was as a wide raider and he isn’t as strong as Harry with his back to goal and holding play up.
“A lot of his best work is in that inside-left channel, coming in off the line, and I don’t think that’s a problem. I just think we have to be aware that’s probably his profile and to get the best out of him they are the areas of the pitch that we need to get him into regularly.
“I think he can threaten teams in behind more. When he opens his legs and he runs in behind defences that’s the last place they want to be. We are encouraging our players to use their strengths.”
Conundrum
Just how do you solve a problem like Rashford? The 21-year-old has all the tools in the locker to make it as a top-class centre-forward. He has blistering pace, remarkably impressive technique when striking a ball, and oh, did we mention that blistering pace?
The United academy product has arguably seen his versatility prove to be his downfall, in that he has yet to really lock down a position. At Old Trafford this season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has played him from the left-hand side and as second-fiddle to Anthony Martial.
In the opening game against Chelsea, things clicked superbly, but in the following Premier League matches, it didn’t appear to gel as well.
Romelu Lukaku’s departure has opened up a significant opening for Rashford to take advantage of this season. If he can’t prove himself to be United’s starting number nine this year, then perhaps he is better off carving out a career as a left-winger.
This article forms part of our Profit Players feature, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has turned out since being signed/sold and using statistical figures and statements from key figures to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.
Following their relegation from the Premier League in 2017, Middlesbrough prepared for the subsequent Championship campaign by signing goalkeeper Darren Randolph from West Ham for £5m, as reported by BBC.
It was a modest transfer deal when compared with the club record £15m that ‘Boro spent on Britt Assombalonga [as per ITV] in 2017, with Martin Braithwaite also joining that summer for around £10.19m, according to TransferMarkt.co.uk.
Randolph had made 22 Premier League appearances for West Ham in the season prior to joining Middlesbrough and he quickly became a regular at the Riverside Stadium, ever-present in the Championship in his first campaign on Teesside as ‘Boro reached the play-offs. [via TransferMarkt.co.uk]
The Republic of Ireland international also played every single minute in the league for Middlesbrough last season and has continued that record into the current campaign. [via TransferMarkt.co.uk]
Victor Valdes was ‘Boro’s most used goalkeeper in the year before Randolph came, conceding 36 goals in 28 appearances (1.29 goals per game) and managing just eight clean sheets (28.57% of games) in the Premier League.
Randolph let in 47 goals in 50 appearances in 2017/18 (0.94 goals per game) and kept 18 clean sheets (36% of games), while last season he conceded 44 goals in 50 games (0.88 goals per game) and recorded 19 shutouts (38% of games), albeit at a lower level than Valdes. [via TransferMarkt.co.uk]
His figures for this season so far are less impressive, with eight goals conceded in seven games (1.14 goals per game) following Saturday’s 1-0 win over Reading, which was just his second clean sheet of the campaign.
He has still averaged 2.6 saves per game so far in 2019/20 and made seven in the narrow win over the Royals at the weekend.
His importance to Middlesbrough is reflected in his appearance in the Championship Team of the Season last term and the remarks of others at the club.
Teesside Live reported highly complimentary quotes from ‘Boro defender Ryan Shotton about the goalkeeper, saying: “You can talk about us as defenders digging in and doing our job or talk about the attackers working hard to help out as the first line of defence but your goalkeeper is going to be needed eventually, and whenever he’s called upon, Darren comes up with the goods.”
Also in Teesside Live, Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate described the 32-year-old as “the best keeper in this league”, adding: “It is not just his saves; he is a calming influence within the squad as one of the elder statesmen; that is why he is a top keeper and why he is Ireland’s No.1.”
Randolph recently started his 100th consecutive league match for the club in a 2-2 draw at Bristol City, an extraordinarily consistent run which has seen him concede less than a goal per game and achieve a clean sheet record of almost 40% – fantastic figures for a player who cost the club only £5m two years ago.
Middlesbrough fans, how much of a bargain do you think Randolph has been for just £5m? Give us your views in the comments section below!
Many Watford fans have sounded their frustrations after being on the back end of an 8-0 demolition job from Manchester City.
After the game – Quique Sanchez Flores’ second at the club – the Spaniard apologised to the fans but told them that the job at hand is a ‘collective responsibility’ – something which a few fans didn’t take so lightly to.
It was a huge reality check for Watford who would’ve been feeling a lot more optimistic after coming from 2-0 behind to draw 2-2 at Vicarage Road last week.
Bernardo Silva produced a hat-trick, while David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Riyad Mahrez, Nicolas Otamendi and Kevin De Bruyne all chipped in with one as Watford got quite frankly embarrassed.
Remarkably, it took just 18 minutes for City to find themselves 5-0 up. The picture was similar to the FA Cup final last term where City ran rampant to win the cup 6-0. It was total domination, as the 28 shots to five suggest.
Flores told the club website: “We need to say sorry to the fans.
“This is a collective responsibility, we are a pack and one of the strengths is a pack being strong together.”
Unfortunately for Flores, it seems that most of this pack just want their £30 back after having their Saturday ruined.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Leeds may sit top of the table but their fans are still a demanding lot.
Understandably so given they’ve been residing in the Championship for so long.
But their performance against Derby last weekend provoked yet more restlessness among the Elland Road faithful.
Marcelo Bielsa was berated for aspects of his team selection while two weeks ago they were dumbfounded that Eddie Nketiah and Helder Costa hadn’t started, urging for them to be included going forward.
However, that wish for Costa to start is set to be granted this weekend. It may not come as they’d have liked but it will be happening nonetheless.
The Argentine claimed in his press conference ahead of the clash with Charlton that Pablo Hernandez would miss the game because of a muscular problem. His replacement? Costa.
It’s an unexpected way for him to come into the team but it could serve as a blessing in disguise to have an energised and more youthful-looking figure on the flanks.
We’ve already analysed how Hernandez’s future might lie in the centre of the pitch and a good performance from the Portuguese on Saturday will further that claim.
But this will be a long-awaited start for the Wolves loanee. Leeds will snap him up for £15m next summer and so far we’ve only caught glimpses of why he might be worth that.
Despite starting just two Carabao Cup matches and appearing from the bench in the league eight times, he’s assisted three strikes and also scored.
His potential at this level is clear to see after netting 15 in two seasons in the Championship but he’ll now be hoping to add to that.
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Initial plans might have seen Jack Harrison drop out of the team for Costa. After all, the 22-year-old has a problem with his creativity and is yet to assist a single goal this term.
That’s unsurprising given the fact he’s managed one accurate cross all season but what is a surprise, is that one of their major summer arrivals will replace Hernandez.
The decision to bring in Costa has come about in different fashion to how many anticipated, but Bielsa is finally granting a big wish.
It’s now down to the 25-year-old to prove he does indeed deserve the hype surrounding him.
The only English league football ground to have a pub on each corner, Griffin Park, is due to close its doors next term after 116 years of service.Building work is well underway for Brentford’s new home, which is aptly named Brentford Community Stadium and is expected to be completed in time for the 2020/21 season. Doesn’t time fly?Watch Brentford Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
The Bees will share their new venue with rugby union side London Irish, and for anyone who’s ever frequented a multipurpose ground, you’ll know that this more than likely means the turf will be in for a very, very rough paper round.
Thanks to drones, secrets are a thing of the past. And while having them around now means you can’t sit in your garden on a hot summer’s day, or get on a flight, without someone hovering around with a webcam and ill intentions, it does mean we can catch a glimpse of the Community Stadium’s progress. Swings and roundabouts.