According to The Nottingham Post, Forest are in contention to sign Celtic winger Lewis Morgan on loan this month. 

The 22-year-old be was sensational last season with St Mirren, helping secure them promotion from the Scottish Championship with 14 goals and six assists in 35 appearances.

Morgan has struggled to make an impact so far for Celtic this season, however, and while he has featured under Brendan Rodgers, it has largely been from the bench and he is yet to score. However, at the age of 22, he is still in his formative years, and it would make sense if he joins up with with a team that would perhaps give him more playing time than what he has got so far this season. It will only help his development before returning to Parkhead.

With Matt Cash and Joe Lolley already at the City Ground, The Reds already have a good selection of attackers. However, the arrival of Morgan could see Lolley play more centrally, as he has done under new manager Martin O’Neill so far this season.What this transfer does indicate, however, is a new relationship between Celtic and Nottingham Forest. O’Neill managed The Bhoys at the beginning of the century, where he had a huge amount of success. His relationship with the Glasgow club could mean that he could broker deals for their struggling players, which would be an amazing source of talent from Forest’s perspective. With a number of good players struggling for game time at Celtic Park at the moment, this could be the beginning of a great relationship.

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Loads of Everton fans have been running the rule over their win at Huddersfield, and they’re absolutely desperate to bring Kurt Zouma to Merseyside on a permanent basis.

Everton finally showed the fight that fans have been yearning for on Tuesday night, scrapping tooth and nail for three points in a really hotly contested clash at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Richarlison gave Marco Silva’s side the perfect start when he slotted home from close range after just three minutes, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Lucas Digne, who has been mostly exceptional since signing for the club, was sent off around the hour mark when he denied Adama Diakhaby the chance to run through at goal.

Silva’s side then had to show real determination to come home with all three points, and both Zouma and centre back partner Michael Keane were monumental.

The Frenchman, who joined the Toffees on loan from Chelsea last summer (BBC), won five aerial duels, made five interceptions and five clearances (Whoscored).

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans want the Chelsea loanee locked into a permanent move ASAP…

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Liverpool travel to Old Trafford on Sunday for an all-important Premier League clash with bitter rivals Manchester United. Victory will see the Reds pull clear at the top of the table, with Manchester City engaged in Carabao Cup action elsewhere.

Defeat, however, would dent the Anfield club’s title hopes and could turn the tide of the battle in the favour of the reigning champions. Whatever the outcome, the psychological impact of the result of Sunday’s match could be season-defining for Liverpool.

With the stakes so high, Jurgen Klopp will be desperate for victory. Success will not come easily though. The Red Devils have been in fine form since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment. The Norwegian coach has revitalised the club, as evidenced by the seismic improvement in star man Paul Pogba’s form.

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

If Liverpool are to stand any chance of victory on Sunday, then Klopp must find a way to stop the 25-year-old midfielder. Football FanCast outline three suggestions below…

Man-marking him

The obvious solution is to try and take the Frenchman out of the game by tasking one man with the job of marking and tracking him relentlessly throughout the 90 minutes. Either Fabinho or Jordan Henderson would be well-suited to this task. The Brazilian would certainly be a physical match for Pogba. 

By tasking Fabinho with restricting Pogba, the French midfielder may find his ability to find space and influence the game limited. This could lead to him getting frustrated – he was sent off against PSG last week – or even taken off by Solskjaer in order to try a different approach.

Cutting off the supply lines

An alternative, but potentially equally effective, method of restricting Pogba’s ability to assert his control is by cutting off the supply lines to the 64-cap France international. Solskjaer’s side know that the World Cup winner is their key man, so they naturally try to get him on the ball as often as possible. Pogba’s midfield partners, such as Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic, will constantly be looking for the former Juventus man.

However, Liverpool can make picking out Pogba an arduous task. By closing down and harrying the man on the ball, and cutting off passing lanes to Pogba, Liverpool can force the United players to have to find an alternative option to giving the ball to the 6’3” midfielder.

Structurally, that could come in the form of, simply, three flat central midfielders who position themselves between Herrera, Matic and the space between the lines that Pogba likes to occupy.

Crowding him out

A more industrial approach to stopping Pogba would be to use raw physicality to impede him. This doesn’t just mean cynical, tactical fouling – though, that’s certainly a part of it – but by crowding the Frenchman out, consistently jostling him, and generally never giving him an inch to establish command over the midfielder.

However, this is a risky strategy. If executed clumsily it can lead to cards being shown and dangerous set piece situations being conceded. There’s also a danger of Pogba beating the press, which will inevitably leave gaps throughout the rest of the team.

Football FanCast recently held a series of interviews with former England and Liverpool winger John Barnes, who was speaking on behalf of bookmaker comparison platform BonusCodeBets.co.uk.

In part one, Barnes discussed Liverpool’s current title credentials and his own experiences of being part of title-winning sides. In part two, he gave his insight into the blight of racism on football and society, and what role the media plays in this regard.

In this third and final instalment of our conversations with Barnes, focus turned to England’s run in the 2018 Russia World Cup, his own international experiences, Italia 90, and his recollections of playing under the likes of Graham Taylor…

What did you make of England’s time in Russia?

“It was fantastic. All you can ask of any team is to maximise their potential. What that means is to win the games you should win. Of course, you can beat teams who are better than you, but generally speaking, to be consistent, you’ve got to win the games you should win. That’s what England did.

“I think that had they been on the other half of the draw they wouldn’t have gotten to the semi-final. The two times we played teams who were ranked higher than us we lost. Against Belgium we lost and then we lost to Croatia.

“We should beat Sweden and we should beat Colombia, so we did well to get to the semi-finals, but Gareth Southgate has said himself about not getting carried away thinking we’re one of the best four teams in the world. We got to the top four, but we’re not one of the best four teams in the world.” 

Can this England squad build on this success?

“Yes, we can build. We got to the semi-final, so we’re doing well. We still aren’t one of the best teams in the world, but we can challenge and we did that in the World Cup. I think we can be consistent and consistently challenge for qualifying and getting into the latter stages of competitions. That’s all you can ask of any team.”

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Do you think the Italia 90 team should have achieved more?

“No, I don’t think so. The best game we played was against Germany and we lost, but we were lucky against Belgium in the last 16. So, yeah, if we were lucky we could have gone on to win, but we were never the favourites. 

“I think you have teams that underachieve. Maybe the Brazilians of 2018, could they have done more? Yes, they could. They could have won the World Cup. 

“But in terms of getting to the semi-final, that was a good achievement. Yes, with a bit of luck against Germany we could have gone on to the final. So, we could have achieved more. But to ask, ‘should’ we have achieved more? I don’t think so.”

Why does Italia 90 still hold such a special place in the history and heart of English football?

“Because, of course, that’s when the Premier League was about to start, that and Gazzamania meant that the media attention on football really started back then.

“Don’t forget, in football when Liverpool were winning the European Cup in the 70s and 80s and were the best team, there wasn’t the media attention that there was coming into the 90s because of the cultural revolution football-wise. 

“The media attention, with footballers really becoming household names, not just in football households but all over, meant that 1990 was a time when even people who weren’t interested in football were interested in football. Of course, we had the No.1 song as well with New Order. 

“I suppose it was just a time when football was coming to the mainstream.”

That tournament must have been an incredible thing to be a part of…

“I was a footballer, so no more so than in the 86 World Cup, or when I played for Watford in the 80s. I was just concerned with football. The football wasn’t any different. The perceptions of footballers were, and the media attention and the superstardom that surrounded football at that time was, yes. But for me, there was no difference between 1990 to 1986 or 1985 or any other time, because I was just a footballer.”

Why didn’t it work out for Graham Taylor during in his time in charge of the national team?

“Because England weren’t as good as they had been. They didn’t have the same players as they had in the past.”

Do you not think that that squad should have qualified for USA 94?

“Not really, because look at the players who were getting towards the end of their careers – Gary Lineker and myself. I got injured too.

“It was a new England team that he took over, which had to be given time. There was also the fact that, I believe, there was a bit of a media agenda against him. Which didn’t help things.

“The thing that Southgate has now – over a lot of England managers of the past – is the fact that the press and the clubs are behind him. Back then, you had people who were against Taylor. So regardless of how we played you had people who wanted him to lose, and fans weren’t behind him. Whereas now, the England fans are 100% behind the team. Even if they don’t play well and lose, the fans are still behind them, which is the way it should be.

“He [Taylor] was a bit unfortunate, but it was just one of those things.”

Taylor was a huge influence on your career, and one of the many great managers you played under…

“Well, I played under Taylor for my first six years. He was the best manager for me at that time, and what he did with Watford was incredible. Watford finishing second to Liverpool in the league, with players coming in from the fourth division, shows what a great manager he was.

“Then, when I went to Liverpool, it was obviously Kenny Dalglish. Bobby Robson was also fantastic, as was Terry Venables. So, I worked under a lot of great managers and different managers. 

“Some were at bigger clubs and able to win more things; Dalglish has won the double and European Cup, whereas Taylor hasn’t. But he [Taylor] wasn’t at a club that was able to do that. Taking Watford to second place is equally as good as winning the European Cup with Liverpool.

“So, yeah, I worked with some great managers.”

Looking back at your playing career, what personal highlights do you recall most fondly?

“My whole career. That’s it. My ten years at Liverpool, six years at Watford, two years at Newcastle. They’ve been good, they’ve been bad, but to show the person you are you have to show a consistency over a period of time. So I look at my whole career – and I don’t want to be too greedy and just say about the goal in Brazil and when I won the Players’ Player of the Year and Player of the Year – because you have to take it in its entirety.

“In its entirety, I’m delighted with what I’ve done.”

Before I ask this final question I’ll admit that I’m an Arsenal fan.

“Okay.”

What was the best ever finish to a top flight title race: Arsenal’s win over Liverpool in 1989 or Manchester City’s triumph in 2012?

“Arsenal’s in 89. It was the two teams who were involved in the championship. Manchester City scored against QPR – I mean, if Man City had beaten Man United to win the league, or vice versa, then that would have been [the best]. 

“Arsenal had to beat Liverpool 2-0, not even 1-0. There couldn’t have been a greater finish to the top flight championship.”

أكد الدولي الألماني كاي هافيرتز، الوافد الجديد لنادي تشيلسي، أنه وجد صعوبة للعب أولى مبارياته في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مُقارنةٍ بالدوري الألماني.

هافيرتز انضم إلى تشيلسي، في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية، قادمًا من باير ليفركوزن الألماني، مقابل 70 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

وشارك كاي بالأمس، في مباراة البلوز، والتي انتصر فيها تشيلسي على برايتون بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.

وقال هافيرتز في تصريحات عبر شبكة “إيفينينج ستاندرد” البريطانية: “مباراة الأمس كانت صعبة للغاية، لقد قضيت إجازة طويلة وعدت وتدربت لمدة خمسة أيام فقط مع الفريق، وذلك كان صعبًا للغاية بالنسبة لي”.

وأضاف: “الأهم من ذلك هو اننا فزنا، وأنا سعيد للغاية لخوض أولى مبارياتي مع تشيلسي”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيرنر: الدوري الإنجليزي؟.. لم يسبق لي اللعب أمام مدافعين مثل هؤلاء في ألمانيا

وواصل: “الدوري الإنجليزي أصعب بكثير من الدوري الألماني، لقد رأيت ذلك في التدريبات، وأيضًا في مباراة الأمس، لكنني سعيد بخوض 80 دقيقة مع تشيلسي، وآمل أنّ أستمر في اللعب الأسبوع المُقبل”.

وعن مباراة ليفربول القادمة: “سنواجه أفضل فريق في العالم، سنظهر لهم كل الاحترام بالتأكيد، لكننا فريق رائع جدًا أيضًا”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “ستكون مباراة صعبة للغاية ولكن لهم أيضًا، سنعمل بجد وأعتقد أننا سيكون لدينا فرصة للحصول على نقاط أمام ليفربول”.

قال المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، يورجن كلوب، إنه كان يتمنى بداية أفضل في حملة الدفاع عن لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بالموسم الحالي 2020/2021.

ويبدأ ليفربول بجدول صعب، حيث كانت البداية مع ليدز يونايتد وفاز عليه بصعوبة بنتيجة 4-3، والآن عليه مواجهة كل من تشيلسي وآرسنال في الجولتين الثانية والثالثة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كلوب: محمد صلاح محترف استثنائي وجشع

وعلق كلوب على صعوبة جدول مباريات ليفربول في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة شبكة “ليفربول إيكو”، وقال: “هل يمكنك تسمية الفرق التي ستمنحنا البداية المثالية للدفاع عن اللقب؟ لا أرى ذلك في الوقت الحالي”.

وتابع: “مواجهة تشيلسي؟ مباراة صعبة، لكن جميع مباريات الدوري الإنجليزي تكون هكذا، عليك أن تستبدل أسماء أول 5 فرق في جدولنا وأخبرني ما هو الفريق الأسهل؟”.

وأضاف: “هذا أمر غير ممكن، علينا أن نبدأ بهذه الطريقة، وكل المباريات في الدوري الإنجليزي صعبة للغاية”.

وواصل تصريحاته: “عندما رأيت جدول المباريات، فكرت بأنه يا له من جدول مثير للاهتمام، لكن منذ ذلك الحين ونحن نركز فقط على أنفسنا لنطور من أدائنا”.

وعن فارق النقاط بين ليفربول وتشيلسي في الموسم الماضي والذي وصل إلى 33 نقطة: “لا أتوقع تكرار ذلك، لأنني لم أكن أتوقع فارق النقاط الذي حصلنا عليه الموسم الماضي مع الفرق الأخرى”.

واستمر: “اعتقد أن تشيلسي سيكون قادرًا بنسبة 100% على النجاح في سد الفجوات التي حدثت في الموسم الماضي”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “ليس من المهم ما أفكر فيه، لكن انتقالات تشيلسي تظهر طموحهم الخاص، لقد احتلوا المركز الرابع الموسم الماضي ويريدون الارتقاء لمركز أفضل بالموسم الجديد”.

[ad_pod ]Jeremy Toljan enjoyed his Celtic Park debut as much as the fans who watched the on-loan German play his part in the 2-0 win over Hibs.It was late on January 31st when Celtic announced the loan deal for the Borussia Dortmund defender who only flew into Glasgow the morning after.An injury to Mikael Lustig away to St. Johnstone on Sunday pitched Toljan in for an earlier than scheduled debut as two late goals secured full points and restored Celtic’s six-point advantage at the top of the SPFL.

Toljan provided the pass for Ryan Christie to open the scoring in the 24th minute but it was his positioning that was most impressive.

Without any apparent effort he pushed deep on the overlap to anticipate Timothy Weah’s pass before pulling the ball back for Christie to net.

As the match went on Toljan got more into his stride, pushing forward down the right without neglecting his defensive duties.

After the victory, Toljan seemed more than happy with his performance, praising the clean sheet and stating that he feels well-suited to Celtic’s style of play. He said; “A clean sheet is always important as a defender and we got that. I think the style of play suits me well.”

Two matches against Valencia will determine exactly what level the 24-year-old is at but after being on the sidelines at Dortmund he has quickly impressed domestically.

A permanent deal for Toljan seems unlikely but with a treble treble to play for it’s the here and now that is concerning Brendan Rodgers. The on-loan right-back is plugging a gap in his defence.

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BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has suggested in his latest set of Premier League predictions that Liverpool attacker Xherdan Shaqiri can make the difference against Watford on Wednesday night, but the Switzerland international’s recent form doesn’t suggest that is the case.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the former Reds legend has been having his say on the club’s upcoming midweek top-flight fixture with the Hornets at Anfield – which incidentally he feels will end in a 2-0 win for the hosts – and he is questioning whether Jurgen Klopp could switch formations.

The Merseyside outfit certainly struggled with the 4-3-3 system in the goalless draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, looking pretty toothless in attack both before and after Roberto Firmino’s being taken off through injury.

The latest update from the German manager suggests the Brazil international has an outside chance to face Javi Gracia’s men but is more likely to be saved for Everton on Sunday, which may already put Lawrenson’s idea to bed.

The 61-year-old said: “I just wonder whether Reds boss Jurgen Klopp might change things here, and go with the 4-2-3-1 that he has used quite a bit recently.

“That way, Xherdan Shaqiri comes in, Roberto Firmino drops deeper into the number 10 position and Salah goes through the middle as the centre-forward, rather than out wide.

“Shaqiri could be the player who gives Liverpool the boost they need, because he makes thing happen.”

Is he right about Shaqiri?

Not really, no.

In truth it is a bit of an ill-informed claim to say that the summer addition from Stoke City can be the difference and the one to make things happen, given he has failed to score or assist in his previous seven top-flight outings for the Reds.

Check out the video below for fan reaction to Man Utd 0-0 Liverpool…

Yes, he can be creative and you could argue that he didn’t have a consistent chance in those aforementioned fixtures when he was a substitute, but he did also start four of the games and ultimately produced very little.

Klopp and Liverpool certainly can’t afford to rely on the 27-year-old as they hunt down their first-ever Premier League title.

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to some surprising squad news from Mauricio Pochettino, as the boss has brought Vincent Janssen back into the first team fold.

Janssen looked certain to follow Georges-Kevin N’Koudou out of North London on transfer deadline day, but the Dutch international has now been handed a new lease of life by Pochettino.

“When we now have two free places, with Nkoudou going to Monaco and Dembele to China, he’s (Janssen) going to be on the list. That is my decision, that he’s going to be involved with the first team from today,” Pochettino said as reported by ESPN’s Ben Pearce.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas which Arsenal players would get into the Tottenham team ahead of the North London Derby – Check out the video below…

After the gaffer stripped the striker of the no. 9 shirt earlier this season, his future at the club looked very bleak indeed.

Pochettino, like most top managers, can often be quite stubborn once he makes his mind up about a player’s future, but it seems he has been forced to change his mind about Janssen thanks to the plague of injuries spreading through his attacking ranks.

The 24 year-old, who struck 32 times in 49 games for his former club AZ Alkmaar, has scored just six goals in 39 Tottenham appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where the boss’ decision is getting a mixed response…

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Tottenham are interested in a move for Germany international Matthias Ginter. The 25-year-old currently plays his football in his homeland with top-flight side Borussia Monchengladbach and has done so since leaving Borussia Dortmund back in 2017, with his fine efforts in the Bundesliga seemingly attracting the interest of Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.

And that’s because a recent report from Sky Sports suggests that the North Londoners, and indeed rivals Arsenal, are eyeing up a possible move for the £31.5 million-rated star (as per Transfermarkt), in a deal which could give Pochettino his perfect replacement for Toby Alderweireld were he to leave the club come the summer.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Belgium international Alderweireld has been a stalwart in the Spurs backline ever since making the move to North London back in 2015, with the 29-year-old in that time comfortably becoming one of the best centre backs in the Premier League to underline just how big an asset he has been to the club in becoming one of the top sides in the country.

Yet his future was subject of speculation for much of 2018 given his contract situation, what with his initial deal set to expire at the end of the current season, only for the defender to indeed pen an extension, although that has now brought a £25 million release clause into play as of the summer.

And for a centre back of his quality, that is frankly a paltry figure that is sure to attract interest from several sides around Europe – as such, keeping hold of the 29-year-old looks set to be a huge challenge for Pochettino and the club’s hierarchy during the close season.

As such, an heir to the Belgian ace does appear needed at Tottenham, with Ginter potentially the man for the job after his fine efforts in Germany in recent years.

The 25-year-old, capped 23 times at senior level by his country over the years, made the move to Monchengladbach back in 2017 after appearing 102 times for Dortmund between 2014 and 2017, helping the club to successive top three finishes before swapping one Bundesliga outfit for another.

And the centre back has continued to go from strength to strength at Monchengladbach in the last few years, starting all 34 games in their league campaign last term and netting five goals to help Dieter Hecking’s side to a ninth place finish, while he has only missed five games this time round as well, all as a result of injury, to underline just how vital he is to the Bundesliga club.

And with plenty of caps for Germany, it’s pretty clear that the 25-year-old is a hugely accomplished defender and one that could make the grade at Tottenham – a partnership with Davinson Sanchez, who at the age of 21 looks to be the future of Spurs’ centre back ranks, could prove formidable as the years roll on.

Yes, filling Alderweireld’s boots is likely to be a challenge for anyone given just how impressive he has been at Tottenham over the years, but if he does indeed leave the club this summer, Pochettino will have to delve into the market for a replacement.

And in 25-year-old Ginter, he could have himself the heir to the Belgian ace.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!