[ad_pod ]West Brom’s managerial search seems to be a merry-go-round of speculation that doesn’t appear as though it’ll ever end.Express & Star claimed last weekend that Technical Director Luke Dowling had held talks with Chris Hughton and Slavisa Jokanovic. Also linked have been Patrick Vieira and Danny Cowley.However, the latest name to take their fancy is Bruno Labbadia who is now set to meet with Dowling this week. That’s according to both Express & Star and John Percy.Reacting to the news on Twitter there was a mixed response from Baggies supporters over his possible appointment.One supporter claimed it would be exciting but quickly reflected upon things in a negative light by suggesting the club wouldn’t give him the funds to rebuild the team. A further fan ridiculed West Brom, hinting they’d make a mess of the negotiations.Another individual tweeted that his money was on Jimmy Shan or Darren Moore returning. Given the way Albion have operated in the past, it wouldn’t be the most shocking of updates if one of them was to come back.Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…Labbadia has done a sterling job in Germany and is set to leave Wolfsburg, who he guided to sixth place in the Bundesliga, at the end of the season. Last term, the 53-year-old saved them from relegation.Here’s the best of the debate.

غاب ثلاثة من لاعبي فريق ليفربول عن تدريبات اليوم قبل مواجهة أتالانتا، غدًا، في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلتقي الفريقان في الجولة الرابعة من دور مجموعات البطولة، في ملعب الأنفيلد.

وحسب شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية، فإن ثلاثة من لاعبي ليفربول لم يتواجدوا في تدريبات الفريق مساء اليوم استعدادًا لمواجهة أتالانتا غدًا.

وأوضحت أن الثلاثي هم روبرتو فيرمينو، تياجو ألكانتارا وجوردان هندرسون.

وشارك فيرمينو بشكل طبيعي في مباراة الأحد الماضي أمام ليستر سيتي، في الجولة التاسعة من الدوري الإنجليزي، وسجل هدفًا.

في حين أن هندرسون وألكانتارا غابا عن مواجهة ليستر سيتي، هذا الأسبوع، بداعي الإصابة.

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Lyon attacker Maxwel Cornet has said that he is ‘flattered’ to be linked with Liverpool and the Ivory Coast international could be an interesting option for the Reds in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

In an interview with beIN Sports, Cornet said:

“Liverpool are a big club, any links are flattering. I’m under contract until 2021, but you never know in football so we’ll see.”

Cornet has not yet penned a new deal with Lyon and therefore has just two years left to run under his current agreement.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a stunning end to the 2018-19 campaign – scoring five times and contributing two assists in Lyon’s final three Ligue 1 matches.

It had been a frustrating season for the attacker until that point but he has shown his quality over the last few weeks.

Lyon will be wary of allowing the Ivory Coast international to enter the 2019-20 campaign having not signed a new contract.

And there is every chance that Liverpool could tempt the French side into a sale if they come up with a suitable offer in this summer’s transfer window.

Cornet in, Shaqiri out?

According to Goal.com, Liverpool could sell Xherdan Shaqiri this summer to make room for new signings.

Talk of a Shaqiri exit has not been well received by the Merseyside club’s fans but the Swiss would only leave if a replacement has been lined up.

The former Stoke City attacker has scored six times for the Reds this season but is not a favourite of head coach Jurgen Klopp.

Mo Salah has been brutally mocked for his recent diving antics in a new video by 442oons. Check it out below…

Whether Cornet, who also struck three Champions League goals this term, could be a direct replacement for Shaqiri is debatable but he would bring a skill set that Klopp loves.

Indeed, the Lyon ace is lightning-quick and has played on the left, on the right and through the middle for his Ligue 1 outfit this season.

At the moment, there are no concrete indications of a potential bid from Liverpool but ignoring Nabil Fekir and signing his teammate instead could represent excellent summer business.

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According to the Daily Mail, via Ricky Sacks’ Twitter account, Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino could be handed a £150m transfer budget this summer.

Spurs did not sign a single player last summer, or indeed in the January transfer window despite a lot of speculation.

Things have worked out quite well for the capital side, though, with a top-four spot in the Premier League secured despite some late pressure from Arsenal.

The team also have the small matter of a Champions League final against league rivals Liverpool to look forward to at the start of next month.

To be honest, it would be a surprise if Tottenham did not spend heavily this summer as they are desperate for some squad depth after a testing season with injuries.

The Spurs fans have been on social media discussing a potential £150m budget, and a number have differing views on whether that will be the case.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Tottenham Hotspur are in the Champions League final.

Spurs came from 3-0 down on aggregate to beat Ajax on away goals in the second leg of their semi-final, with Lucas Moura scoring a brilliant second-half hat-trick. His third, of course, came in the 96th minute.

The final whistle brought an outpouring of emotion from both the club’s players and their staff.

Indeed, the comeback came about after a number of genuinely heroic performances; Lucas, obviously, was sensational, while Moussa Sissoko expertly marshalled the midfield and both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were dominant in defence.

The performance of Sissoko was yet another to add to a catalogue of exceptional displays.

And, after the game, Harry Kane, watching on from the stands due to his ankle injury, made a beeline for the Frenchman.

It is quite a sight to behold, Kane, so often the hero for Spurs, in the arms of their latest midfield great.

Sissoko endured a hellish start to his Spurs career but he has turned it all around under Mauricio Pochettino.

He will be one of the first names on the team-sheet ahead of the final in Madrid and could be key to beating Liverpool’s incessant press.

No Spurs fan in the world would have expected to say that 18 months ago.

What a resurrection.

Marco Materazzi: Mr Marmite, himself.

Just about everyone remembers Marco Materazzi for being the man who was on the receiving end of Zinedine Zidane’s shiny bald head in the 2006 World Cup final.

(if you haven’t seen that iconic moment, then where on earth have you been?)

However, far fewer people will recall that Materazzi actually turned out for the Toffees, once upon a time.

Yep, that’s right. Before the days of dominating Italian and world football – as well as getting the biggest nibble ever from one of the greatest of all time, Monsieur Zidane – Goodison Park was the temporary bastion of our man in question, between 1998 and 1999.

What’s more surprising than that though was how poor he was in comparison to his future self. The Italian made just 27 Premier League appearances for the Blues but somehow managed to get himself sent off four times in the process.

We say “somehow” as if we don’t know, but of course, we all do. There’s a reason why Zidane threw that hammer blast of a headbutt his way, and that was because Materazzi was a man who seemed to be more focused on provoking the opposition than actually producing the footballing goods.

(this’ll give you some indication as to the type of player he was)

Now, it might be a little harsh to criticise a player for their performances during the formative parts of their career. After all, it wasn’t until years later, when he joined Inter, that Materazzi became the terminator defender we all knew him as in his prime. And in fairness, he was an immensely popular character on and off the field, presumably for being the type of player that he was – a nightmare.

But at the end of the day, we simply didn’t see the best of Materazzi in the 12 months he spent wearing an Everton shirt.

Big shame.

Everton fans, what are your standout memories of Materazzi? How would you rate his time at the club? Let us know in the comments below…

Another year in the Championship beckons for Leeds United and their fans. Can Marcelo Bielsa, still at the helm, go one better next season? Will we see a Leeds side capable of winning the Championship? Or will it be more months full of hope and no reward? 

Bielsa will have to look back at this season and take it as a learning curve on what NOT to do towards the end of a campaign, following his team’s incredible collapse.

So just how will the 63-year-old better prepare himself come the start of the new season?

It certainly looks to be a busy summer, full of ins and outs, and with this in mind, we are going to take a look at a couple of players we feel will struggle under Bielsa next term.

Gaetano Berardi 

Is it still too soon to mention this name, Leeds fans?

After being sent off in the second leg of the play-offs, there is no telling where the future lies for the Swiss defender. But, with the likes of Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson looking to fight for promotion once again, it doesn’t look good for him and his aspirations of starting in Leeds’ defence.

After an up and down injury-hit season, we have been shown all year round that Bielsa has to look towards finding a replacement for Berardi, a man who has probably now had his time, and is past his best.

Tyler Roberts 

After making 28 appearances in the league this season it may seem harsh to suggest that the 20-year-old will struggle in the next one. But with Bielsa likely to see anything but promotion a failure, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a more experienced striker come in and leapfrog Roberts into the starting line up.

Already being support to Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe, the young Welshman never really set the world alight when given the chance, therefore giving Bielsa even more cause for concern as to whether he can be the man to take Leeds’ attack to that next level.

Who knows? Maybe a loan move is the best option for Roberts going forward.

أكد لاعب فريق برشلونة أنطوان جريزمان إنه لا توجد أي مشاكل بينه وبين النجم ليونيل ميسي، بعد سلسلة من التكهنات حول وجود أزمة بينهما.

وانتقل جريزمان إلى برشلونة قادمًا من أتلتيكو مدريد في الصيف الماضي.

وتسبب الوكيل السابق لـ جريزمان في نشوب أزمة بين الفرنسي وليونيل ميسي، بعدما أدلى بتصريحات أكد فيها إن الأرجنتيني يتحكم في كل شيء داخل نادي برشلونة (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وقال جريزمان في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “أريد أن يعرف الناس أنه ليس لدي أي نوع من المشاكل مع أي شخص وأنني أركز فقط على فعل أفضل ما يمكنني فعله في النادي”.

 كما أراد أن يوضح أنه لا علاقة له حاليًا بممثله السابق: “لقد انقطعت علاقتي به منذ يوم زواجي، في يوم زفافي دعوته ولم يأت، ولهذا انتهت علاقتي بيه، هو يتحدث لأن أبي وأختي لا يتحدثان للصحافة، ولذلك فإن الإعلام يتواصل بع”.

وواصل: “لكن ليو يعرف أنني أكن له الكثير من الاحترام والإعجاب، تصريحات عمي؟ هو لا يعرف كيف تعمل كرة القدم، في النهاية يأتي صحفي ويحاول الخروج منك بأي عبارات لينشرها”.

وكان عم جريزمان قد أكد أن الأخير يعاني في برشلونة بسبب ميسي (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وأكد: “أخبرت ميسي أنني لم أتحدث معهما (وكيلي السابق وعمي) أبدًا، أنا حتى لا أعرف رقم هاتف عمي! لم أتحدث معه منذ أن كان عمري 14 عامًا”.

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Manchester United fans have flocked to Twitter to exclaim their dissatisfaction at the news that the Red Devils are ready to move on from Kalidou Koulibaly in favour of a swoop for Harry Maguire after being put off by the Napoli defender’s price tag.

Linked with a bevy of centre-backs to reinforce a beleaguered defense, Koulibaly had been seen as the number one target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but The Independent reports that United will now turn their attention to the Leicester City centre-back as a more affordable option.

A crucial element of Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli side, United have been quoted a price of £90m to sign Koulibaly, a cost deemed unfeasible by Ed Woodward and the United hierarchy.

Maguire was linked with a move to Old Trafford last season after a strong World Cup campaign and United could finally be ready to pull the trigger on the 26-year old after another assured season saw him make 31 Premier League appearances for the Foxes.

Despite Maguire’s growing reputation, United supporters have been left livid at the club’s decision to pursue a cheaper option as opposed to the initial first-choice target in Koulibaly.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

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A misnomer has grown around the play-offs of any division in recent years that insists form is everything leading into them.

The thinking goes that the team who falls away from an automatic promotion place and ends up finishing third invariably misses out, while the team who puts together a fine late run to nail a top six spot is the main threat.

If there is any truth in this then Leeds United are royally screwed as they prepare to head to Pride Park this weekend because Marcelo Bielsa’s men gained only a solitary point from their last four games as an otherwise tremendous campaign stuttered to an anti-climax.

As for Derby County, they have lost just once since early March while their last-gasp securement of sixth is all the more impressive given that for much of the year the Rams remained on the periphery of proceedings.

Thankfully for the Yorkshire giants this accepted truism is actually an exaggeration. Since the play-offs were first formed a total of thirty clubs have made it to the promised land via the back door and from those over a third ended the season as the ‘best of the rest’. Only five, meanwhile, were eventually promoted to the Premier League after coming sixth.

Furthermore, suggestions that Leed’s highly intensive ‘Bielsa-ball’ is running out of puff seems too neat and easy especially as they have suffered glitches before and always come back fighting. This is something Derby boss Frank Lampard acknowledged this week, saying: “I won’t plan to think they are in bad form. I will plan for the Leeds that beat us well (twice) and that were looking at Christmas like they were going to win the league. I will plan for that team.”

One of those losses of course came in the week of ‘spy-gate’ but it’s another controversy involving Leeds that is more pertinent here as Patrick Bamford’s recent histrionics leave him suspended for the first leg of this semi-final. Kemar Roofe is certainly an able replacement up front – especially as the 26-year-old is the club’s leading goal-scorer this term in the league – but it requires change nonetheless while injuries to Ezgjan Elioski and Barry Douglas will mean Stuart Dallas is converted at left-back from his usual midfield slot.

Who is your club’s Lionel Messi? Fans of Spurs, Chelsea, Newcastle and more answer in the video below…

The latter rejig is interesting as it will directly pit an out-of-position player against Rams’ winger Harry Wilson, who has repeatedly shown throughout 2018/19 that he has the beating of his man. Elsewhere, Mason Mount will be key too as Derby turn to their young loanees to provide creativity in the final third.

Overview

For all the talk of Bielsa’s exhilarating and demanding blueprint it is via their defensive solidity that they have reached such heights, a solidity founded on a highly effective centre-back pairing of Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper.

The latter was recently voted into the SkyBet Championship Team of the Year and with a draw representing a very good result ahead of taking their opponents back to Elland Road don’t be surprised if this is a low-scoring encounter that ends in stalemate.