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According to the Evening Standard, Everton are in pole position to land Danny Welbeck on a free transfer once his contract with Arsenal comes to an end.

The England international is being let go by the Gunners after a campaign in which he barely featured, netting just five goals before he was ruled out for the season with a broken ankle in early November.

Even if he had managed to stay fit all year, it is questionable as to why Everton even want the 28-year-old in the first place.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Welbeck has hit just 70 goals in his entire career as a footballer, roughly the same amount as Mohamed Salah has scored in just two seasons as a Liverpool player.

Those strikes have come in a whopping 311 appearances, meaning that the former Manchester United man averages a goal every 4.4 games – that isn’t all too good for a striker who is reportedly set to be offered a contract in excess of £100,000-a-week.

Another striker that the Toffees have been linked with is Fulham marksman Aleksandar Mitrovic, a man much more familiar with the net than Welbeck.

The Serbian international is four years younger than the Arsenal forward, but has already managed to score almost 40 more goals than him across his career.

Mitrovic has managed to bag 109 goals in just 289 games, which works out at a goal every 2.7 games; a much more respectable figure.

The former Anderlecht man cost Fulham £22m when they signed him from Newcastle, so they will presumably hope to get their money back at least.

However, that fee will be offset by the fact that Mitrovic currently earns £60,000-a-week compared to Welbeck’s £125,000-a-week earnings in north London – the transfer fee shouldn’t really be an issue when you take into account that huge difference in wages.

All things considered, Mitrovic would be a much better option for Everton than Welbeck.

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Blamed. Criticised. Some fans even want him to be sold after it. David de Gea came in for some torrential criticism after Leroy Sane’s goal settled the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The German’s strike was right at De Gea, but the Spaniard couldn’t keep it out and instead diverted it into the back of his own net.

After his error inside the Camp Nou against Barcelona, and his ineffectiveness as Everton thrashed the Red Devils by four goals to nil, the finger is being pointed at a man who has set such high standards for himself over the years, that any dip in form is met with shock and surprise.

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However, Sane’s goal was not his fault.

Instead, the blame should lie at the feet of Matteo Darmian.

Why on earth did one of the Premier League’s best wide players have the entirety of Old Trafford to himself from the moment he received the ball to when he put it in the back of the net?

Darmian had already made a mistake before Raheem Sterling released the former Schalke man in on goal. The Italian international was nowhere to be seen, instead hiding behind his centre-back – quite literally – before not even looking interested in closing the shot down.

Sergio Aguero had made a run across goal to free up some space for Sane, but it was a movement that Chris Smalling had covered – the Italian international didn’t need to track the Argentine as well whilst Smalling was doing likewise.

To make matters worse, as I briefly touched on beforehand, when Darmian had realised the error of his ways, he didn’t even make a desperate attempt to block the shot, which is the bare minimum expected from a player who has messed up.

Instead, the former Torino man simply watched Sane draw back his deadly left foot, before rifling a shot towards the target – to be frank, it was pathetic from Darmian, and was deserving of Roy Keane’s scathing assessment following the final whistle.

تحدث حسام البدري المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر عن مصير شارة قيادة الفراعنة قبل خوض مواجهتي توجو في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا.

وأثير الكثير من الجدل بشأن استبعاد أحمد فتحي لاعب بيراميدز من قائمة منتخب مصر خاصةً بعد مطالبته بالتنازل عن شارة القيادة لصالح محمد صلاح المحترف بنادي ليفربول الإنجليزي.

وقال حسام البدري خلال لقاء ببرنامج “ملعب أون تايم سبورت” المذاع على قناة “أون تايم سبورت”: “بالنسبة لشارة القيادة فقلنا إنها بالأقدمية، وأقدم لاعب سيكون قائد منتخب مصر”.

ويستعد منتخب مصر لمواجهة توجو في الجولتين الثالثة والرابعة بالتصفيات المؤهلة لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2021 وذلك خلال يومي 14 و17 من نوفمبر الحالي.

وأوضح سبب عدم تجمع المنتخب في فترة الأجندة الدولية السابقة: “كل مرحلة ولها ظروفها ونحن نتعامل مع كل مرحلة، الظروف التي عاشها المنتخب هي الأصعب في تاريخ الكرة المصرية بسبب جائحة كورونا التي تسببت في ارتباك كبير”.

وأضاف: “رغم ذلك استكملنا بطولة الدوري وتعاملنا مع المتغييرات الكثيرة ونأمل التوفيق من الله، وبغض النظر عن كل الصعوبات سنسعى للفوز”.

وواصل: “أتمنى حضور الجماهير، أعلم أن الاتحاد الإفريقي منع وجودهم في المباريات إلا بالتنسيق مع الاتحادات المحلية”.

واختتم: “نحن نعيش فترة إيجابية للكرة المصرية بتأهل الأهلي والزمالك للمباراة النهائية في دوري أبطال إفريقيا ووصول بيراميدز لنهائي الكونفدرالية ونتمنى أن تستكمل بفوز المنتخب”.

Liverpool fans will be praying that Manchester City drop points tonight as the Reds will lose top spot if Pep Guardiola’s side secure all three against Cardiff City. 

Jurgen Klopp won’t be too bothered about City’s result as he’ll know that it’s down to his side to constantly pile the pressure on by grinding out positive results of their own.

However, the German is set to make a huge decision at the end of the season, as according to Football Insider, Klopp is set to decide whether to reintegrate Marko Grujic into the senior squad or to give the green light to sell him.

And, one player who could be on his way out of Anfield at the end of the season is James Milner as his contract is set to run out at the end of the season and he hasn’t exactly been at his best recently. So, Klopp should think about bringing Grujic into the side as a ready-made replacement for the Englishman in the summer.

The Serbian has spent this season out on loan at German side Hertha Berlin and it’s safe to say he’s made a name for himself, producing three goals and one assist. His passing game has come on leaps and bounds, as well as the defensive side of things as he continues to develop into a well-rounded central midfielder.

Grujic may not have produced a large amount of goals and assists but he’s certainly done enough to warrant a place in the first-team ranks at Liverpool with his overall performances. Of course, securing £20 million-plus for him in the summer transfer window would be great for the club, but he could easily become a star at Anfield.

Liverpool fans, do you think Grujic is good enough to replace James Milner? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

The promotion race in the Championship is undoubtedly heading towards a thrilling climax with three sides fighting for just two positions.

After leading the standings earlier on in the season, Leeds United now find themselves in third position, one point behind Sheffield United and five adrift of Norwich City. Although their last outing resulted in a damaging defeat at home to the Blades, Marcelo Bielsa’s side remain firmly in the hunt to secure a return to the top flight after 15 years away.

Whereas their opposition have had a plethora of players to choose from in recent weeks, the Whites have been without the likes of Keemar Roofe and Adam Forshaw who have both been sidelined with knee injuries. The former is expected to be available for selection on Saturday (via the Yorkshire Post) but Bielsa must hold fire in throwing him into the deep end against Millwall. The clash against the Lions is expected to a physical affair with both sides in need of a victory for very different reasons and so it may be a wise decision not to re-introduce Forshaw at Elland Road.

The 27-year-old, who joined the club for a reported fee of £4.5m (according to the BBC) in 2018, has missed the last eight games for Leeds, a period which saw the club pick up 16 points in the Championship. Although his return will be welcomed by the club’s supporters, the form of both Mateusz Klich and Tyler Roberts in central midfield should mean that he has to wait for his opportunity to make his mark once again.

An increase in competition for the final eight games could provide the spark that Bielsa’s side will need to end the season on a high. One of, if not the stand-out side in the Championship this season, it would be a huge disappointment if they were to fade away after what has been their best campaign in the second tier since their promotion from League One in 2010.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Forshaw make an immediate return to Bielsa’s starting eleven? Or should be eased back into action? Get in touch below.

Suddenly, Timo Werner’s been caught up in the middle of a discreet transfer war.

Indeed, Both Bayern Munich and Liverpool are reportedly in the running for him according to the Mirror, but it’s the Bundesliga giants who seem to be ahead. Bayern have previously (via SportBILD) been said to be very close to signing the youngster and could even agree on a deal quickly.

Werner has reportedly been a prime target for Jurgen Klopp for quite some time now. Touted with a move to Anfield for a fairly long time – with BILD suggesting he was a target way back in January – potentially losing out on him would be a blow. With Liverpool in need of another quality striker, the clinical German would certainly add more flavour to their attack.

Knowing his ability to play in a fast-paced system, Werner’s fantastic link-up play means he could create a deadly partnership with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

He’s produced some inspired work in Leipzig over the years, gaining a lot of attention for his heroics. Werner’s already scored 11 goals in 21 appearances in the Bundesliga this league, with his fantastic movement, pace and finishing ability making him an ideal goal-scorer for an attack-minded side.

With Bayern calling (as previously reported by SportBILD), Werner will find it difficult to reject them as he gets a chance to stay in his home country and play for a European giant. Klopp needs to use his influence to convince him to move to Liverpool and give him better guarantees over his growth.

Before he signs any kind of agreement with the Bavarians, Liverpool should use their influence to swoon him away. Werner can not only be an exciting addition but can become a lethal goal-scorer akin to Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez upon arriving at the Premier League.

Liverpool fans, would you like Werner at your club next season? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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18-year-old centre-back Rhys Williams has signed his first professional contract with Liverpool, as officially announced by the Anfield club.

The Preston-born defender originally joined the Reds as an under-10, and has since progressed through the Merseyside club’s youth ranks. He is currently featuring regularly for the under-18s side and has also broken into the under-23s team this season. 

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

As per Transfermarkt’s stats, the Englishman has made 21 appearances across all competitions, for both youth ranks, so far this season, scoring four goals and racking up two assists in this time.

Jurgen Klopp has already proved himself to be adept at bringing through exciting young English talents in his time as Liverpool boss. Williams will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are both now regulars in the Reds’ rearguard.

After the announcement, plenty of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to wish Williams well…

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Former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy will appear on the latest Old Gold Club podcast on Wednesday evening, and he has named four signings he made for the club in the Premier League that he got completely wrong, as per wolves.co.uk.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the now Republic of Ireland boss spent five-and-a-half years at Molineux between 2006-2012, leading the west Midlands outfit in the Championship and in the top flight.

The now 60-year-old was sacked following a poor run of results that culminated in a 5-1 home humiliation by arch-rivals West Bromwich Albion.

One of the reasons for their downfall was poor recruitment, and McCarthy has admitted on the Old Gold Club podcast that four signings he believed would be good turned out to be the complete opposite.

He said: “The recruitment turned out not to be great. Roger Johnson, Nenad Milijas, Jelle Van Damme, Jamie O’Hara.

“I’m thinking we’re signing better players, we all thought it, but they weren’t better than Christophe Berra, David Jones. Roger Johnson was nowhere near better than Christophe Berra, Jamie O’Hara was nowhere near the lads we’d already got.”

Is this a ground-breaking revelation?

Not particularly, no.

It was clear to see from the quartet’s performances on the pitch that they were nowhere near good enough – and no better than some of the players they replaced in the starting XI – but it is always interesting to hear a manager’s take on what happened.

McCarthy isn’t one to mince his words and he certainly hasn’t in this case either, throwing Johnson and O’Hara under the bus in particular.

Lancashire have released former England fast bowler Saj Mahmood after ten years at the club. Mahmood, 30, spent the latter part of the season on loan at Somerset, after losing his place in the Lancashire side, and it has now been confirmed that his contract will not be renewed.Mahmood, who has played in eight Tests and 26 ODIs, was a part of Lancashire’s title-winning team last season, taking 35 wickets, but saw his opportunities this year limited by the arrival of Ajmal Shahzad from Yorkshire. He made just three Championship appearances in 2012 and didn’t play again after conceding 42 from 2.3 overs – and 17 off his last three legitimate deliveries – in Lancashire’s opening Friends Life t20 defeat to Derbyshire.Lancashire’s director of cricket, Mike Watkinson, said: “We would like to thank Saj for his contribution to the club over the last 10 years and we wish him well for the future.”After being spotted playing in the Bolton Leagues, Mahmood joined Lancashire on a scholarship in 2002 and went on to make his international debut at the age of 22. With more than 300 first-class wickets to his name and the ability to bowl at significant pace, Mahmood should be an attractive prospect for many counties, though he recently admitted that “inconsistency” had dogged his career.Although he swapped a relegation battle that saw Lancashire drop into Division Two for a spell with the county that eventually finished second to the champions, Warwickshire, Mahmood was mainly signed as cover by Somerset. In three appearances he claimed eight wickets at 30.12 and they may prefer to rely on the emerging Overton twins and Lewis Gregory as fast-bowling back-up for 2013.

It feels like it’s been quite a while since we saw Leeds United in league action.

Indeed, Leeds didn’t play midweek last week, and they weren’t involved in the FA Cup over the weekend just gone. Combine that with the fact that Whites were the early kick-off last time out, and it means a number of sides have played twice since we last saw Marcelo Bielsa’s outfit.

Unfortunately, the Argentine’s team aren’t in the best form at the moment – winning just one of their last seven league games, and things don’t get much easier as they’re set to face an in-form Millwall side that hasn’t lost in their last five league matches.

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Here’s how we think Leeds will line up for that clash – we’re tipping one change to be made.

Between the sticks, Kiko Casilla continues his streak of starting every game this term.

Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling both start at full-back, but there are changes in the heart of the defence as Gaetano Berardi takes Ben White’s spot alongside Liam Cooper.

Now, that isn’t to say that White isn’t starting. The Brighton loanee has moved up into the midfield in place of Kalvin Phillips after the 24-year-old was red-carded against QPR.

In front of White, it’s a familiar sight as Mateusz Klich and Jack Harrison continue their run of consecutive starts since the beginning of the season while Pablo Hernandez plays in the middle.

Helder Costa is out on the right despite the arrival of Ian Poveda last week.

There’s no debut for Jean-Kevin Augustin either as it’s been confirmed that he won’t be playing in this one, so Patrick Bamford starts.

In other news, David Ornstein’s transfer update indicates that Leeds made a mistake back in 2018.