Steven Gerrard will certainly want Ryan Kent back at Ibrox for their title challenge next season! It’s easy to see why though, and Liverpool’s decision on the youngster will define the Gers chances of winning their first major trophy since their liquidation.

Gerrard told the Scottish Sun he’d spoken to Liverpool about the possibility of them allowing his to return to Rangers, whether that be a loan or permanently. Indeed, the 22-year-old has made 21 starts and scored six goals in a real breakthrough year for the youngster.

If the winger chooses to return, it’d be ideal for Gerrard on two fronts. First of all, he’s proven this season that he can perform under the pressure of playing for such a big club. It’s clear he’s bedded himself into the team well and next season he’ll only improve with the rest of the squad.

The Englishman coming back would also mean Gerrard doesn’t have to spend money replacing him in the summer. Cash may be relatively tight, but Gerrard knows he has to upgrade some of his starting 11 in other areas to have a chance of beating Celtic to the title next season.

There’s no guarantee a new player would fit in or even be as successful as Kent has and could be at the club. That’ll worry Gerrard and, if he decides to stay it could be a choice that the fans look back on as a turning point in this Gerrard revolution.

There’s limited resources at the club, so when they find a gem like Kent, they need to keep him as long as possible. If he signs, that’s one huge step towards a title challenge. If he doesn’t, it’s one huge step backwards. It’s time to pull a few strings, Gerrard!

Rangers fans, who do you see starting on the left wing next season? Join the discussion by commenting below.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter have been reacting to comments made by Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek about their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie.

The 22-year-old, in the run-up to the two teams clashing in the final four of Europe’s premier club competition, admitted his admiration for Mauricio Pochettino’s men and suggested that they are the favourites to progress to the final.

But supporters are seeing his comments as more than just respect for the opposition, articulating that it’s a call by the promising talent to be signed by Daniel Levy and expressing their own desires to see the player plying his trade in north London in the near future, alongside teammates Kasper Dolberg and David Neres.

The trio are key to the Dutch giants’ hopes of overcoming the Lilywhites and booking their place in the Champions League final, having helped them to defeat Juventus in the quarter-finals to set up a clash with Tottenham who saw off Manchester City.

Here’s the best Spurs replies to the quotation…

أعرب زلاتان إبراهيموفيتش مهاجم ميلان الإيطالي عن غضبه بسبب التعادل الذي حققه فريقه أمام هيلاس فيرونا، أمس في الجولة الثامنة من الكالشيو.

زلاتان سجل ثنائية فريقه في المباراة، لكنه أهدر ركلة جزاء كانت كافية لقيادة الروسونيري نحو ثلاث نقاط جديدة لتعزيز الصدارة. “تقرير المباراة”

وقال إبراهيموفيتش بعد المباراة لشبكة “سكاي” البريطانية: “أنا غاضب للغاية، لأن التعادل اليوم ليس جيدًا بما يكفي، وكنا نستحق الفوز”.

وأضاف: “أتيحت لنا العديد من الفرص، لقد أهدرت بنفسي ركلة جزاء، وفي المرات القادمة سأترك ركلة الجزاء لـ كيسي”.

وأكمل: “استقبلنا هدفين وسجلنا مثلهما، الشيء الأهم هو ألا نفقد ثقتنا في أنفسنا، ولا ننظر لجدول الترتيب كثيرًا، نريد الفوز في كل مباراة، ومع الوقت سنجد أنفسنا نتطور”.

وشدد: “عندما تتعب لن تقدم 100% مما لديك، لأن هناك العديد من المباريات الآن، لحسن الحظ فترة التوقف الدولي الآن، لأنني بحاجة إلى الراحة”.

وأكد: “لا أستطيع الخروج من الملعب والاكتفاء باللعب بشكل جيد، علينا أن نلعب من أجل تحقيق أهدافنا، لأن هذه هي فلسفتي”.

وعن نشر صورته بقميص منتخب السويد، رد زلاتان ساخرًا: “كنت أحاول إثارة غضب الشعب السويدي”

وأردف: “يمكن للمدرب أن يخبرني أنني سألعب 45 دقيقة فقط، ولن أناقشه في ذلك، لأنني أتذكر ما كان يحدث في مانشستر يونايتد، اللعب يوم الخميس ثم التعافي، وبعد الإصابة التي تعرضت لها، كان من الممكن أن تنتهي مسيرتي”.

وواصل: “أشعر أنني طفل كلما دخلت إلى الملعب، وأشعر بالسعادة المطلقة عندما ألمس الكرة”.

وعن المنافسة في الدوري الإيطالي، قال إبراهيموفيتش: “أرى المزيد من الفرق الآن تقاتل، هناك أتالانتا الذي لم يكن متواجدًا من قبل، أنا لعبت في العديد من الدوريات، لكن الدوري الإيطالي هو الأصعب بالنسبة للمهاجمين”.

[ad_pod ]

A disappointing first-half performance saw Jack Stephens replaced at the interval of Southampton’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Saturday.

Stephens struggled in the first 45 minutes and was hooked with the Magpies leading 2-0.

Rafael Benitez’s side ultimately ran out 3-1 winners in the late kickoff, with Ayoze Perez completing his hat-trick in the latter stages after Mario Lemina had halved the deficit.

The Southampton fans were frustrated with the result for obvious reasons, but were particularly upset with the performance of Stephens.

The 25-year-old, who started his career with Plymouth Argyle, has not actually played the full 90 minutes of a Premier League game since the start of February, which is an indication of his struggles this term.

And it does seem that the Saints supporters have had enough of the former England Under-21 international, with a number slamming his display at St James’ Park.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the fans can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

According to the Daily Mail, Darren Moore has pulled out of the race to be the new Queens Park Rangers manager leaving the club’s options open according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon on Twitter, and QPR fans have been quick to react.

The R’s have been without a permanent boss since they sacked Steve McClaren on April 1, and Moore was one of the early frontrunners to replace the former England chief.

However, the Daily Mail report that while informal discussions were held between the two parties, the 45-year-old has decided to pursue other opportunities.

On the back of the news, Nixon has suggested that the west London outfit will now target another out-of-work individual, or wait for someone still in a job.

Of course things could be clearer in that regard once the season is over, with supporters touting Lee Bowyer and Kenny Jackett – of Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth respectively – as potential targets, with one and perhaps both of those managers missing out on promotion as they are set to compete in the play-offs.

Another individual clearly wasn’t disappointed by the update, simply saying “don’t mind that”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

[ad_pod ]

Shane Long scored in 7.69 seconds of play to give Southampton the lead in their 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night.

Southampton’s point takes them within three of the 40-point target, which would likely keep them up in the Premier League for another season having been greatly improved since the departure of Mark Hughes and the arrival of Ralph Hasenhüttl.

From the Hornets’ kick off, Shane Long pressed the back four before intercepting Craig Cathcart’s clearance and finding himself in on goal to give the Saints the lead.

The goal was the fastest in Premier League history, and puts Long ahead of Ledley King, Alan Shearer and Christian Eriksen in the list of fastest ever Premier League goals.

Watford added some drama of their own as Andre Gray fired late in the game to earn the home side a point.

The main talking point of the game was Long’s goal, and such is the nature of his name, Twitter had many football fans making the same terrible joke…

Let’s at least leave the best joke of the lot till to the end…

Crystal Palace supporters have not always enjoyed what they have seen at Selhurst Park since Roy Hodgson’s appointment as manager back in 2017.

A coach whose approach to the game is a very cautious one, the south London club can be dull to watch at times under the 71-year-old.

As well as that, they often struggle in general when Wilfried Zaha is not playing, with the 26-year-old being the man who has bailed the team and his manager out of trouble time and again.

With Zaha eager to leave Selhurst Park this summer (Sky Sports), though, that is something the Eagles may no longer be able to rely on, which would put the spotlight firmly on Hodgson.

Is the former England boss really a good coach and tactician? Can he oversee a Crystal Palace rebuild and guide the Premier League outfit to results without their current talisman?

There are a lot of questions that Hodgson, who already has his doubters, will have to answer.

From his perspective, though, it does not have to be a negative thing. Ultimately, it is the ex-Liverpool manager’s chance to show his credentials as a coach and move Crystal Palace away from this image of being a one-man team.

Can he do it? Only time will tell, should Crystal Palace actually sell Zaha, of course.

Crystal Palace fans, is Hodgson the man to take the club forward? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

ينتظر نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي بفارغ الصبر نتيجة المسحة الثانية الخاصة بفيروس كورونا والتي سيخضع لها النجم محمد صلاح، بعد إعلان إيجابية المسحة الأولى حسبما أفاد الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم اليوم الجمعة.

ويتواجد محمد صلاح في معسكر منتخب مصر في الوقت الحالي، استعدادًا لمواجهة منتخب توجو في إطار التصفيات المؤهلة لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا، كاميرون 2021.

وأعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، في وقت سابق من اليوم الجمعة، إيجابية مسحة محمد صلاح بعد خضوعه لفحص كورونا (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وحذف اتحاد الكرة المصري بيانه الخاص بـ محمد صلاح، بعد مرور عدة دقائق من نشره، قبل إصدار بيان جديد يؤكد من خلاله وجود ثلاث حالات إيجابية في منتخبي مصر وتوجو قبل مباراة الغد (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وحسب صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية، فإن ليفربول ينتظر بفارغ الصبر نتيجة فحص كورونا الثاني الذي سيخضع له النجم محمد صلاح، والتي ستحدد ما إذا كان سيضطر لقضاء فترة من العزل الذاتي لمدة 10 أيام أم لا.

وأوضحت أنه تم فحص صلاح بشكل روتيني بموجب البروتوكولات المُتبعة وذلك بعد توجهه إلى بلاده استعدادًا لخوض مباراتين في فترة التوقف الدولي.

وأشارت إلى إن البروتوكول ينص على ضرورة خضوع اللاعبين للفحص الثاني، حيث ثبت في وقت سابق إصابة اثنين من لاعبي ليفربول بالفيروس قبل أن يتبين لاحقًا أن النتيجة سلبية في الاختبار الثاني.

وسلطت “ميرور” الضوء على تعجل الاتحاد المصري في الإعلان عن خبر إصابة صلاح بالفيروس المستجد، قبل أن يضطر إلى حذفه في غضون ساعة حيث إنه من المفهوم أن نجم ليفربول لم يخضع للفحص الثاني قبل إصدار البيان الأول.

وسيحصل صلاح على نتائج المسحة الثانية قبل مواجهة منتخب توجو مساء غدًا السبت.

وإذا جاءت نتيجة المسحة الثانية إيجابية أيضًا، فسيتم إجبار محمد صلاح على الخضوع للحجر الصحي لمدة 10 أيام، مما يعني غيابه بالتأكيد عن مواجهة ليستر سيتي يوم الأحد المقبل في الجولة التاسعة من الدوري الإنجليزي.

لكن لا يوجد حتى الآن أي توضيح بشأن المكان الذي يجب أن يخضع فيه صلاح لأي حجر صحي، مما يثير مخاوف ليفربول من احتمال إبعاده عن الملاعب لفترة أطول.

تسمح إرشادات الحكومة البريطانية للاعبي كرة القدم باستخدام ممرات السفر (الممرات تسمح بحرية الحركة بين المدن أو البلدان منخفضة المخاطر) لتجنب الحجر الصحي، ولكن إذا أُجبر صلاح على البقاء في مصر لمدة 10 أيام قادمة، فمن غير الواضح ما إذا كانت هذه القواعد ستظل سارية أم لا بالنسبة له.

ووفقًا لـ “ميرور”، فإن ليفربول سيسعى للحصول على توضيح بشأن ذلك الأمر، حيث أن هناك احتمالين، الأول إنه سيعود على الفور إلى الأنفيلد مع إتباع احتياطات العزل، أو العودة إلى إنجلترا بعد قضاء 10 أيام في مصر واللعب أمام أتالانتا يوم 25 نوفمبر الجاري في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وهناك احتمال ثالث ولكنه ضئيل والذي يتمثل في ضرورة إبقاء محمد صلاح في الحجر الصحي لمدة 14 يومًا عند عودته إلى المملكة المتحدة، مما يعني كابوسًا بالنسبة للريدز، حيث هذا سيؤدي إلى غيابه عن خمس مباريات ومن ثم ستكون ضاربة قاسية لـ يورجن كلوب، على الرغم من أن مثل هذا القرار يعتبر غير مرجح بدرجة كبيرة.

[ad_pod ]

Discussion over Ryan Kent’s future has been a key topic for Rangers fans to stew over in recent weeks and his brilliant display against Celtic on Sunday has brought his future under the microscope.

What’s the word?

The loanee from Liverpool has been a devastating outlet for the Gers this season in fleeting bursts. Consistency has eluded him but there have been enough displays of genuine quality to suggest that he’s a player Steven Gerrard should look to sign this summer.

And that’s an argument which has been peddled by BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer, Tom English, who has hinted that the Gers should aim to sign him on another loan deal this summer, per BBC.

‘There will be changes this summer, but on that performance, you wouldn’t be changing much about that Rangers team.

‘If they can get Ryan Kent on another season-long loan from Liverpool, what a difference that can make.’

Unlikely to happen

Everybody associated with Rangers would be delighted if Kent signed on another season-long loan but it seems unlikely that the Reds would be willing to accept a deal on those terms.

After all, Kent has been uninspiring on previous loan spells away from Anfield and they will be acutely aware that this is the perfect time to sell.

His stock is high at the end of a promising season at Ibrox, and suitors are likely to be willing to sign him on a permanent basis with his recent development in mind.

There is an obvious risk attached to sending him on loan for another season: a major injury or loss of form will see his market value tumble downwards once more, leaving Liverpool in a situation where they would struggle to attract an enticing fee for his signature.

At this stage Rangers will almost certainly need to stump up a figure to bring the 22-year-old to the club and the prospect of another loan deal seems unlikely to say the least, despite English’s verdict on the matter.

There cannot be too many players in Middlesbrough’s illustrious history who can rival the impact that Stewart Downing has made during his 12-year association with the club.

The former England international burst onto the footballing scene as a teenager with the Smoggies and went on to help his side win their first ever major trophy in 2004 as they defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the League Cup before eventually leaving the Riverside Stadium five years later to join Aston Villa.

After spells at Liverpool and West Ham United, Downing moved back to North Yorkshire in 2015 and has since made over 150 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club.

However, despite being worshipped by the club’s supporters for his contributions over the years, it may be time for Tony Pulis to bring in a replacement for the 34-year-old in the summer as he has been relatively ineffective this season.

With Boro being linked with a swoop for Celtic winger Scott Sinclair, (according to The Sun), it could be worth bringing in him, especially when you consider that he will be available for a cut-price fee in the summer despite the reigning Scottish champions opting to trigger a one year extension to his current deal on Thursday (via the Scottish Sun).

Since moving to the Hoops in 2016, the 30-year-old has arguably enjoyed the best spell of his career to date and has been extremely impressive this season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions whilst also providing six assists for his team-mates.

Having been part of a Celtic side who have dominated football in Scotland in recent years, the £3.6m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) may be seeking a new challenge.

Therefore, regardless of what division they find themselves in next season, Boro should do all they can to convince him to move south of the border as he could provide the attacking threat that they have been missing this year.

What do you think Smoggies fans? Should Pulis try to secure the services of Sinclair in the summer? Or should he steer clear of the 30-year-old? Let us know below.