West Ham fans react to Tony Cottee’s Upton Park post

Tony Cottee has posted a throwback on Twitter sharing an emotional image that a lot of West Ham fans can relate with.

The photo shows him at Upton Park in May 2016 on the last occasion he visited the famous old ground, alongside a caption in which he describes it as an “emotional day”.

Fans have responded in a typical fashion, and are equally as sad as the former striker that they no longer get to watch their side play at the Boleyn Ground, with one stating that the club should have never left.

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The former England international will have particularly strong memories of Upton Park, having made his professional debut there in a 3-0 win over Tottenham, with the 17-year-old Cottee scoring their second goal.

He went on to play there for a combined eight years in two spells in east London, scoring 142 goals in the process.

As a result, it is likely some fans miss him as much as the old ground, but what is for certain is they all share a wish that they could visit the Boleyn one more time.

Man Utd fans find silver lining in Brandon Williams’ Europa League display

In a rather underwhelming start to the current campaign, Manchester United haven’t exactly had too much to shout about.

Mason Greenwood’s emergence onto the scene has arguably been the one bright spark, and after the game against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night, Brandon Williams may offer the Red Devils some hope for the future too.

The 19-year-old made his Europa League debut against the Dutch side, and in a largely poor team performance, was one of the rare individuals to come away with some credit.

The teenager registered a 90% pass accuracy on his 59 passes, and made two tackles over the course of the game. As per Sofascore, his 7.4 match rating was the third-highest of any United player.

After seeing the academy product’s display, United fans flooded to Twitter to share their thoughts about the latest youngster to make his mark on the first-team.

Many supporters of the Manchester side insisted Williams represented the only silver lining of the match, and praised his performance.

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Some Red Devils fans even suggested he is already better than Luke Shaw, and urged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to give him a regular chance in the first-team.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

Liverpool Twitter goes berserk as Klopp confirms Alisson return

Liverpool fans are going absolutely wild on Twitter after Jurgen Klopp confirmed Alisson Becker has returned to full training.

The Reds have been without their Brazilian shot-stopper since the first game of the season, when he injured his calf while clearing a ball.

Klopp’s men have made some pretty impressive strides without their number one though, winning all seven of their Premier League games and grabbing the Super Cup trophy with a little help from Adrian.

The Spanish shot-stopper has certainly surpassed expectations as Alisson’s deputy, making a phenomenal save at Napoli and impressing in the win at Chelsea, but that isn’t stopping Reds fans from going berserk at the news their main man is back.

“With Alisson it’s still maybe, maybe not,” Klopp said in his pre-Leicester press conference.

“Yesterday he trained with the team (for the first time). But if you know goalie sessions, they are often pretty more intense than the proper football sessions. He looked really good.”

The gaffer is clearly not convinced about taking the risk against the Foxes with a two-week international break to rest up before a huge trip to Old Trafford, but try telling the fans that.

Take a look at some of their manic reactions down below…

Tottenham attacker Erik Lamela’s luck continues amid Giovani Lo Celso injury update

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Tottenham Hotspur confirmed on Tuesday that summer signing Giovani Lo Celso is unlikely to return to action until November having suffered a hip injury while playing for Argentina against Chile, but it could be good news for one of his club teammates.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it’s fair to say that Lo Celso’s Spurs career to date has been stop-start, with all three of his Premier League appearances following his summer move from Real Betis coming off of the substitutes’ bench.

Following the international break, the 23-year-old surely would have fancied his chances of finally breaking into the starting XI under Mauricio Pochettino, but this update means that he won’t be back in training until the end of October, as per the north London outfit’s official website.

Good news for Lamela

When it has come to injury issues, the 27-year-old has suffered from bad luck more than most at Tottenham in recent seasons.

According to Transfermarkt, he missed 57 matches in all competitions because of a hip injury during the 2016/17 campaign, while he suffered a hamstring issue last term that caused him to miss seven Premier League fixtures across March, April and May, as well as three key Champions League games.

However, the South American has been the beneficiary of an injury to Dele Alli and previous uncertainty over Christian Eriksen’s future to stake his claim for a first-team spot, starting all four of their top flight fixtures to date in 2019/20.

The No.10 role he has featured in, in three of those four matches as per Transfermarkt, was surely set to come under threat from Lo Celso as the Spaniard began to settle in, but he may now have just been guaranteed an even longer stint in the XI following the setback.

Lo Celso’s loss is certainly Lamela’s gain, then.

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Liverpool roundup: Klopp provides injury update, pundit claims Liverpool will lose 100% record, Carragher goes in on Suarez

In today’s Liverpool roundup, we take a look at the news doing the rounds for the Reds. Jurgen Klopp has provided an injury update ahead of the Sunday showdown against Chelsea, Jamie Carragher blames Suarez for the 2013-14 title loss, and Charlie Nicholas believes Liverpool will lose their 100% record this weekend.

Injury update

Report: As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Naby Keita is back training with the team while Alisson is making “big progress”, although it is “too early to say” as to when he will be back with the first-team, said Klopp. Elsewhere, Divock Origi has not been completely ruled out despite coming off in the 3-1 win over Newcastle United.

Verdict: It seems it is good news for Liverpool on the injury front. Indeed, Keita may not slot into the team immediately as Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho are tough to replace right now. However, with the Champions League ties coming thick and fast and the Carabao Cup soon starting, Klopp will be very happy to see him back fit soon.

As for Alisson, it does seem he may be out for a few more weeks, which could see him miss games against Chelsea, Sheffield United, Red Bull Salzburg, Leicester City and perhaps even the trip to Old Trafford.

Carragher blames Suarez for title failure

Report: When speaking with Sky Sports ahead of the Chelsea fixture, Carragher looked back on the 2-2 draw in 2013 when Luis Suarez bit Branislav Ivanovic. The Reds legend said: “I wasn’t aware of any of this but got back into the dressing room and then word comes in that Luis has bit (Branislav) Ivanovic. Someone asked him and he denied it. I think on that, that it cost Liverpool the league the next season.

“Suarez was banned for five or six games. Liverpool lost the league, I think, on goal difference. Suarez was the best player by a mile in the league, he scored almost every game. In the first four games he missed, Liverpool lost 1-0 to Southampton and drew at Swansea. They dropped five points.

“If Suarez is playing, they probably win both of them,”

Charlie Nicholas backs a draw at Stamford Bridge

Report: In Charlie Nicholas’ predictions for Sky Sports this week, the pundit jotted down a 2-2 draw between the Reds and Chelsea. The ex-Arsenal man said: “I think Frank Lampard wants to attack, which opens up the counter-attack scenario for Liverpool. They both got bad results in Europe through the week, they are making mistakes that they didn’t make last season and you can get at their defence.

“Pedro and Willian behind Tammy Abraham is a trio of danger. They need to find the killer pass in this game, which I think they will. Liverpool will pin them in when they can, but it will be an open game of football, which will see Liverpool drop their 100 percent record.”Verdict: Perhaps if there is anyone out there to beat Liverpool right now, Chelsea could be one of them. Abraham is in outrageously good form, bagging a hat-trick against Wolves and putting himself on seven goals in five Premier League games. And, in a similar vein of form, Mason Mount has three goals in five games, although he remains a doubt for the Blues.As Nicholas alluded to, both sides endured poor results in midweek, with Liverpool losing to Napoli and Chelsea losing to Valencia. However, with injuries to both sides, and the form of Abraham, the Scot may have got this one spot on.

The Chalkboard: Will Rafa Benitez have to change winning formula to accommodate big signing?

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According to Sky Sports, Newcastle have finally agreed a deal with Atlanta United for midfielder Miguel Almiron, with the player potentially breaking the Magpies’ transfer record. However, the big-money signing may force Rafa Benitez to change his new-found, winning formula.

On the chalkboard

Sky Sports report that Almiron will command a £20m fee if the switch is completed before the transfer window slams shut on Thursday – an outlay exceeding the record £17m, as per BBC, shelled out to by the St James’ Park outfit for Michael Owen’s services in 2005 – as Mike Ashley finally loosens the white-knuckle grip on his wallet.

The Paraguayan has been sensational in the MLS, scoring 12 goals and teeing up a further 13 in just 32 league games in 2018, and his pace will be a huge asset to the Magpies, who are currently lacking counter-attacking threat.

However, if Benitez wants to get the best out of the 24-year-old – and you would assume he does – he may be forced to change what is beginning to look like a winning formula and thus risk sliding back down the table.

Rafa’s dilemma

What is the Spaniard’s big headache should Almiron cross the Atlantic, then? Well, the Tyneside club recorded an emphatic win over champions Manchester City on Tuesday night – surely to the delight of Liverpool fans all over – and they were outstanding from back to front, swamping Pep Guardiola’s men with a 5-4-1 formation.

However, the lack of room for a number 10 means that Almiron would have to be deployed as a winger – while the speedster has played there for Atlanta, he is far more dangerous playing centrally, behind the striker, as per Transfermarkt, where he would be able to feed off of Salomon Rondon’s hold-up play.

Taking three points from City is no easy feat and Rafa would be mad to retire the winning formula, and one that he has become accustomed to using in recent times anyway, although if he wants to avoid shoe-horning the new boy in, then he may have no choice.

Real Madrid buying Neymar would serve to upset the balance of the team

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Just as we thought we were about to get some rest from all the Neymar stories, Globoesporte published an interview with the Brazilian’s former president, Jose Carlos Peres, who claims that the player is definitely heading to Real Madrid.

And that, even though it sounds good on paper, would be an extremely bad move for Los Blancos.

What’s the word, then?

Even though Barcelona were chasing Neymar for almost the entirety of the summer – only for him to stay at Paris Saint-Germain – it now seems that we’ve seen another big twist in the story.

Before the Brazilian joined Blaugrana way back in 2013, he was playing for Santos in his homeland.

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And according to Peres, his former club are entitled to a percentage of Neymar’s supposed transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, regardless of the club he chooses in the end.

But the Santos president seems to be extremely confident that the Brazilian superstar is actually heading to Real Madrid and not to Barcelona, and he said so himself when talking to Globoesporte.

“(The money) will still come! He will go to Real Madrid, if not now, it will be at the end of the year,” Peres stated in his interview.

And if this is true, it could spell even more headache for Zinedine Zidane.

An unbalanced team

Real Madrid’s transfer window was far from perfect. Apart from the arrival of Eden Hazard, hardly anyone slots right into the starting lineup and directly strengthens the team.

Neymar, for all his skill and reputation, would likely do exactly that but he would be an extremely costly acquisition that would hardly solve Real Madrid’s major concerns.

He would no doubt drain most of their resources and after spending close to £300m this year, it remains to be seen whether they can do a repeat next year.

But even if they financially can justify it, there’s still the question of whether another winger is actually needed in the squad. Currently, Real Madrid have five natural left-wingers and an additional three players who can also play there. So, theoretically, Neymar would be the ninth available option in that role.

Other areas should be their priority going forward. They’re missing a substitute for Casemiro in defensive-midfield, more competition in the central areas for the likes of Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos and especially refreshment in defence.

Going for Neymar would only limit their potential in the upcoming transfer windows and would further unbalance the squad.

For those reasons, they should simply stay away from him altogether.

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Chris Wood disappoints on Newcastle debut

Newcastle United failed to win in the Premier League for the 19th time this season as a late Joao Pedro goal for Watford denied the Magpies a vital three points in the hunt for survival on Saturday afternoon.

Eddie Howe’s side had taken the lead early in the second half as Allan Saint-Maximin scored his fifth goal of the campaign, but they couldn’t hold on for what would have been just their second league victory of the season.

It was Kieran Trippier’s first Premier League game for the Tyneside club after making his debut in the 1-0 FA Cup loss to Cambridge United last weekend, while it was Chris Wood’s debut for the club after his £25m move from relegation rivals Burnley during the week. Unfortunately for the New Zealand international, it was one to forget.

According to SofaScore, the 30-year-old lost possession 14 times whilst making just 35 touches as he struggled to get into the game, losing the ball once for every 2.5 touches. The £5.4m-rated striker also committed three fouls and didn’t manage to get a shot on target as Newcastle were once again frustrated.

Wood had netted three goals in 17 Premier League games for the Clarets this season prior to his move to Tyneside with a further 50 goals in 148 games after making the move to Turf Moor from Leeds United in August 2017.

Newcastle have the top flight’s fourth-worst goal return, having scored just 20 times in as many games. It’s certainly an area where they need to improve if they are to retain their Premier League status.

Moreover, losing points from winning positions in the manner that they did against the Hornets, particularly given that Claudio Ranieri’s side are also in the battle to avoid relegation, is a terrible habit which will need to be broken in order to ensure top-flight survival.

Wood will be heavily relied upon to start scoring, particularly with the absence of Callum Wilson who has scored six league goals this term but will miss eight weeks of action through injury. If that is to happen, though, the 30-year-old will need to improve on today’s tepid debut performance, which was the type of one which could cost Howe and Newcastle their Premier League status by the season’s end.

AND in other news, Newcastle are also eyeing a move for this player who’s been dubbed the “new Vidic”

Rangers transfer ploy emerges at Ibrox

A big update has emerged on Rangers and Gio van Bronckhorst’s transfer plans at Ibrox for the remainder of the January window…

What’s the talk?

A transfer has claimed that the Gers are working hard to source a new signing in attack before the end of the month.

Pete O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: “They’re actively looking for options on the right flank, and it just seems they’ve been linked with a lot of players right now. So, it’ll all depend on who Van Bronckhorst sees as the best fit for his side going forward.”

Excitement

This news will surely leave Rangers fans feeling excited for several reasons.

Firstly, it shows that the club are still putting the work in behind the scenes and actively looking to add to their squad despite already making two signings in the form of James Sands and John Souttar.

Ross Wilson is seemingly keen to give van Bronckhorst as many tools as possible to ensure that they are able to secure a second Premiership title in a row. The Gers are also still in the Europa League and could be eyeing further progression in that competition as they prepare to face Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund next month in the first knockout round.

Therefore, supporters will be buzzing to read that they are not resting on their laurels and willing to go with what they have for the rest of the campaign. Continual improvement appears to be the way they want to go about it and it will be interesting to see if they have any more targets beyond a right winger for the current window.

The position in which Rangers want to make a signing will also get fans excited as it means that they can look forward to an attacking player coming in.

Bringing in a right-winger suggests that they want someone who can come in to score and create goals from out wide, which would surely get fans off their seats in excitement as they watch a new wing wizard causing havoc down the flanks.

Of course, there is no guarantee that they will be able to sign an effective forward who is able to deliver in the final third but, for now, fans can be buzzing with the prospect of a new attacker coming in to bolster the squad before the deadline next week.

AND in other news, Rangers could finally axe “really poor” lightweight by landing £2.8m-rated playmaker…

Everton linked with Max Aarons move

Having conceded 29 goals in 17 Premier League games so far this season, it’s safe to say that Everton could do with adding some defensive reinforcements to their squad sooner rather than later.

The upcoming January transfer window could well provide the Merseyside club with the best opportunity to do just that so they can try to improve their form in the second half of the campaign.

In a recent Everton-themed transfer mailbag report from The Athletic, Toffees journalist Greg O’Keefe was discussing the possibility of the club making a move to sign Norwich City right-back Max Aarons, with whom the Blues have been linked in the past, during the upcoming window.

He said: “With plenty of room to improve in age terms, he might be a good addition but it remains to be seen whether Everton will be able to spend another fee similar to what they’ve agreed for [Vitaliy] Mykolenko.”

Having signed Ben Godfrey from Norwich last year in a deal worth a reported £20m, with him going on to cement himself in the team by making 51 appearances across all competitions, the club now has the chance to replicate this sort of deal, this time with Aarons as a young defender from Norwich who has the capacity to make a long-term impact at Everton.

Having been praised in the past by Jon Newsome for delivering some “outstanding” performances for the Canaries, the 21-year-old could potentially one day become a long-term replacement for Everton’s 33-year-old captain Seamus Coleman at right-back given the age gap between the two players.

In terms of a potential move to Everton in January, it would be hard to see Norwich being particularly willing to let Aarons leave halfway through the season as they are trying to avoid relegation. Indeed, the £19.8m-rated youngster has played more minutes than anyone else at Carrow Road in the Premier League this season, showing how important he is to Dean Smith’s side.

Either way, Everton should definitely explore the possibility of trying to secure a deal with Norwich for Aarons in January. If the Canaries aren’t willing to let him go next month, the Toffees could wait until the summer to see if the situation would be any different.

In other news: Benitez must finally axe £92k-p/w Everton flop, he’s stealing a living

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