Nick Powell is a major signing that Rangers must complete this summer

Rangers will be hoping that the season draws to a swift conclusion because, with nothing to play for anymore, all attention has shifted to the summer. So, with the right summer signings, the Gers will be capable of challenging Celtic for the entirety of next season. 

After starting the season well, Rangers obviously gradually fell off the pace and that proved detrimental for their season.

Steven Gerrard would have hoped to become an instant success at Ibrox but so long as he’s backed financially over the summer, he can make sure the second campaign is one to remember for him and the club.

Money won’t be required but a lot of effort certainly will be to try and lure out-of-contract Nick Powell to the club this summer, a signing that could do wonders for Rangers.

Powell, (who is valued at £3.1 million on Transfermarkt) is set to leave Wigan this summer and whether that’s because he’s joining Rangers or someone else is ultimately down to Steven Gerrard. The Rangers boss will surely realise what a huge coup Nick Powell could be for the club and after registering their interest in the January transfer window, they must return to try and secure his signature this summer instead.

Rangers don’t have a player quite like Nick Powell (who was touted with a move north of the border by the Scottish Sun in January) and therefore, it makes complete sense for their time to be invested in trying to sign him once again.

Having enjoyed another strong campaign despite Wigan’s struggles this season, the 25-year-old is the type of player that can win a game on his own, feeding the strikers and adding that bit of class to lift backsides off of seats at Ibrox.

Six goals and seven assists thus far show his influence and proves yet again what a top signing he would be for Rangers.

Rangers fans, do you agree the Gers should sign Nick Powell? If not, why not? Let us know!

Newcastle United need to be cautious in rushing Fabian Schar back

Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar came off second best in a clash of heads between himself and Jemal Tabidze in Switzerland’s Euro 2020 qualifier with Georgia in Tbilisi, which left Schar unconscious and swallowing his tongue.

The incident occurred in the 24th minute of the match on Saturday which saw Georgian player Jano Ananidze rush over to Schar to help him by trying to free his tongue from his throat.

Schar, however, regained consciousness and carried on for the remainder of the match as the Swiss claimed a valuable 2-0 win.

The centre-back confirmed after the match that he couldn’t remember anything from the 90 minutes he was on the pitch.

Speaking to Swiss newspaper, Blick, via Sky Sports, Schar said that his head and neck was in severe pain after the match, which was the reason of him not remembering what happened in the match.

This should spell major warning signs to the player and Newcastle United as a club due to the severe consequences of worrying head injuries. Obviously, Schar has been a stalwart in the Magpies’ defensive structure this season and has been an important figure in the club’s turnaround in their season.

Manager Rafa Benitez will now start to worry a bit about his defensive problems after captain Jamaal Lascelles also suffered a knee injury not too long ago against Everton at St James’s Park.

Schar’s injury, though, is much more serious and it is unclear how long the 27-year-old will be sidelined for. Indeed, head injuries and concussions usually take some time to heal in a person’s body, meaning it is highly unlikely that he would be part of the squad that travels to Arsenal next week Monday.

The risks outweigh the gains. The Magpies are pretty much safe from the drop and one area of Benitez’s squad that’s pretty much set at the moment is their central defence.

Newcastle fans, do you think Schar should sit out this weekend? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Tim Sherwood tells Marco Silva to drop Jordan Pickford after Newcastle horror show

[ad_pod ]

Everton were stunned by a second half comeback at Newcastle on Saturday afternoon, and Tim Sherwood has absolutely blasted Jordan Pickford’s role in the defeat.

The Toffees continue to be frustratingly inconsistent, as after putting in a brilliantly resilient performance against Liverpool they completely collapsed at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

Marco Silva’s side got off to the perfect start, scoring twice in the first half while Pickford stopped a Matt Ritchie penalty, but the hosts turned the game on its head after the interval.

Salomon Rondon scored just after the hour mark, and Pickford then woefully fumbled a Miguel Almiron shot into the path of Ayoze Perez, who made it 2-2. Perez then grabbed the winner six minutes from time.

What did he say?

Speaking on BT Sport Score, former Tottenham boss Sherwood said: “He (Pickford) makes some world class saves the kid, but he makes too many mistakes.”

Asked if he would drop the shot-stopper, Sherwood responded: “I’m taking him out, he makes too many risks, he’s not an England goalkeeper.”

Has he got a point?

Put simply, it’s impossible to disagree with Sherwood on this one, as his comments were completely factual.

Pickford does take too many risks, and the England number one leads the Premier League in mistakes leading directly to goals because of it.

In fact, he was lucky to even still be on the pitch to make his blunders on Saturday, as he should have seen a red card for his challenge on Rondon that led to the saved penalty.

Marco Silva now has a responsibility both to his squad and to the fans to show that no one is above the law if they are underperforming, and the £30m signing from Sunderland should lose his place for next weekend’s clash against Chelsea.

All The Best Stats You Probably Missed From The Weekend's Action

We’re now in to the business end of the season and there’s still so much to play for across Europe.

Liverpool are back on top of the Premier League table with victory at Fulham, Manchester City’s comeback victory over Swansea in the FA Cup means they’re still on for an unprecedented quadruple and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s honeymoon period as caretaker Manchester United boss appears to be over.

That’s just in England. On Sunday, Lionel Messi produced yet another fine display in Barcelona’s 4-1 victory at Real Betis. In doing so, the Argentine ensured that while Cristiano Ronaldo no longer plays in Spain, the debate over who is best between the two world class stars rages on thanks to his latest record.

Everyone loves a stat and there were so many interesting ones to come out of the weekend. So here’s a whole load for you to impress your mates with this weekend. The Messi stat may also have you questioning whether Ronaldo should now be considered the best out of the two…

Milner On Point

Liverpool’s James Milner extended his Premier League record of never losing a game in which he’s scored – it now stands at 51 games (W40 D11 L0).

Hazard Drawing Blanks on Merseyside

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard has now failed to score in each of his seven Premier League games at Goodison Park – his most appearances at a single away venue without finding the net in the competition.

Kings of Norway

Soccer Football – Premier League – AFC Bournemouth v Newcastle United – Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain – March 16, 2019 Bournemouth’s Joshua King celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Dylan Martinez EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account represen

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (91) is the only Norwegian player to score more Premier League goals than Bournemouth’s Joshua King (41).

Brilliant Brighton

Brighton have qualified for an FA Cup semi-final for the second time in their history – previously doing so in 1983 when they finished as runners-up.

Misbehaving Foxes

Leicester City have been shown more red cards than any other Premier League team this season (five).

Hammers Continue Impressive Run

West Ham are unbeaten in 17 Premier League games in which they have scored a goal since a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal in August.

Honeymoon Period Over For Ole

Manchester United have lost back-to-back games for the first time under Solskjaer, last doing so in December 2018 in Mourinho’s last two matches in charge.

Pickford’s Record

Everton’s Jordan Pickford (25 years 10 days) became the fifth youngest English goalkeeper to make 100 Premier League appearances – after Scott Carson, Joe Hart, Ian Walker and Paul Robinson.

Not Fulham’s Saviour

Soccer Football – Premier League – Fulham v Liverpool – Craven Cottage, London, Britain – March 17, 2019 Fulham caretaker manager Scott Parker and Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp during the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Pleas

Scott Parker became the first Fulham manager to lose his first three Premier League games in charge since Roy Hodgson in January 2008.

Mr. West Ham

Mark Noble became only the third player to score 40 Premier League goals for West Ham after Paolo Di Canio (47) and Carlton Cole (41).

باريس سان جيرمان ينافس آرسنال على ضم نجم تشيلسي

انضم باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي إلى سباق التعاق مع لاعب وسط تشيلسي الإنجليزي، خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالي.

وقالت شبكة “تيليفوت” الفرنسية، إن باريس سان جيرمان دخل في مفاوضات مع تشيلسي من أجل استعارة جورجينيو هذا الصيف.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أرتيتا يرفض الحديث عن جورجينيو ويعلق على مستقبل توريرا

ويحظى جورجينيو، البالغ من العمر 28 عامًا، باهتمام آرسنال الذي يسعى لتعزيز وسط ملعبه قبل إغلاق نافذة الانتقالات في 5 أكتوبر المقبل.

ويمتد عقد الدولي الإيطالي مع النادي اللندني إلى صيف 2023.

سكاي: ليستر سيتي يقترب من ضم خليفة محمد صلاح

كشفت شبكة “سكاي سبورتس” في إيطاليا عن اقترب نادي ليستر سيتي المنافس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي من ضم خليفة محمد صلاح خلال الساعات القليلة المقبلة.

ووضع ليستر سيتي أنظاره منذ فترة على جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي روما، جنكيز أوندير، والملقب بـ خليفة محمد صلاح في النادي الإيطالي بعد انضمامه لهم عقب رحيل المصري الدولي إلى ليفربول في 2017.

اقرأ أيضًا.. محمد صلاح ضمن تشكيل آلان شيرار لفريق الجولة بالدوري الإنجليزي

وبحسب الصحفي الشهير بالشبكة، فابريتسيو رومانو، فمن المتوقع أن يتوصل ليستر سيتي لاتفاق مع روما لاستعارة أوندير مع بند إلزامي للشراء في نهاية الموسم.

يأتي ذلك بعدما تقدم ليستر سيتي بعرض لصالح برشلونة لضم ترينكاو، لكن تم رفضه من جانب النادي الكتالوني، لذلك توجه إلى الخيار البديل بالتوقيع مع أوندير.

الجدير بالذكر أن ليستر سيتي قد بدأ الدوري الإنجليزي بقوة، بعدما حقق الفوز على حساب وست بروميتش ألبيون بنتيجة 3-0.

Sheffield Wednesday need to hand David Bates an opportunity at the back

Sheffield Wednesday’s season has taken a turn for the worst as the Owls sit six points outside of the playoff zone with just one win in nine to their name.

Garry Monk has chopped and changed his side perpetually, especially at the back which had previously been his foundation to success but in most part, this has been enforced due to injuries.

Liam Palmer, Morgan Fox and Moses Odubajo have all faced time on the sidelines since the turn of the year, resulting in a constant carousel of personnel.

Last weekend, commanding centre-back Dominic Iorfa was forced to play right-back whilst the likes of Tom Lees and Julian Borner have been in and out of the side for months.

If Monk can’t decide who should play at the back, then there should be no harm in giving an opportunity to David Bates, the rarely-seen Hamburg loanee.

The Scotsman joined the club in the summer under caretaker Lee Bullen and has only been able to feature in one Carabao Cup game all season, keeping a clean sheet against Rotherham United.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

He arrived at Hillsborough with high acclaim, he’s been regarded as the Ginger [Sergio] Ramos by Rangers fans and has even been compared to Bayern Munich powerhouse Niklas Sule by the Bundesliga official website.

Bates’ former teammate Kenny Miller described him as a “great lad who works very, very hard. He’s a good defender, very quick, strong. If he gets the nod, I’m sure he won’t let anyone down.”

In the Bundesliga 2 last season, the 23-year-old won an average of 3.7 aerial duels, recorded 1.4 tackles and 4.8 clearances per game as well as an 82.8% passing success rate, via WhoScored.

This would suggest that he’s more than capable of featuring for the Owls, but we’ll never know until he’s handed a chance.

Calling all FA Cup experts: Name the season these historic giant-killings took place…

The 6 foot 4 colossus hasn’t even been named in a matchday squad since Monk’s second game in charge either.

Maybe it is time to give him this opportunity, especially if the 40-year-old Wednesday boss is going to continue to chop and change his defence around – they have only kept two clean sheets in their last eight league outings, after all.

While in other news, Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk issues response to boo boys…

Liverpool fans want Klopp to sign Inaki Williams

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Liverpool fans are hoping Jurgen Klopp will return to an old transfer target, as Athletic Bilbao speedster Inaki Williams scored an incredible goal against Sevilla on Sunday.

While they may not have the sheer depth of attacking options that Manchester City do, Liverpool have built up one of the most well-rounded and diverse attacking units in world football.

The Reds are packed with youth, flair, pace and goals, but the one thing many fans feel is missing is a versatile goalscorer who can play across the attack.

FFC’s James Jones has identified the one thing that could cost Liverpool the title. Find out what it is in the video below…

Williams could be just that, and the Klopp did try to sign the 24 year-old before he extended his deal in Bilbao in January 2018.

The speedy Spaniard can play on either wing or through the middle, so his arrival at Anfield would allow Klopp to safely rotate the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, without fearing a significant drop-off in quality.

Williams scored a brace against Sevilla on Sunday including one phenomenal goal that you can see here, and loads of fans are backing another move.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Bayern Munich join hunt for long-term Liverpool target Nabil Fekir

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool are set to face a stern fight if they reignite their interest in Lyon’s Nabil Fekir as Bayern Munich have joined the hunt, according to Kicker.

What’s the word?

Jurgen Klopp enjoyed a busy period during the summer transfer market as he secured a number of additions for Liverpool but an anticipated deal for Lyon captain Nabil Fekir did not come off as the Reds reportedly pulled out of a £53m deal.

Fekir has since scored twice and contributed one assist for Lyon in Ligue 1 this season, also scoring in his side’s Champions League victory over Manchester City, and German outlet Kicker states Bayern Munich are keeping a close eye on his performances.

That means that Liverpool are set for a firm battle if they reignite their interest in the 25-year-old when the transfer window reopens at the start of January.

Should Liverpool move?

Back in the summer, Fekir looked to be an ideal recruit for a Liverpool side who lacked depth in their attacking ranks but the situation has changed significantly since then with Daniel Sturridge and Xherdan Shaqiri proving their worth.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”310054″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Fake Madrid & Ross Barkley Emulates… David Ngog”]

Fekir, best utilised as an attacking midfielder or a forward, could now struggle to secure regular first-team football at Anfield and it would be a huge surprise if Klopp revived his interest in the 18-cap France international in 2019.

Valued at £54m by TransferMarkt, and with Lyon earning a reputation as being tough negotiators, Fekir would be an extremely expensive addition for Liverpool and one that would not necessarily provide a boost in the club’s push for the Premier League title.

Everton fans react to Cheryshev speculation

According to Marca, Everton boss Marco Silva is interested in bringing Villarreal attacker Denis Cheryshev to Goodison Park in this summer’s transfer window.

Cheryshev scored four times for Russia during a very impressive 2018 World Cup, but the 27-year-old is expected to be available for transfer this summer.

The versatile forward joined Villarreal from Real Madrid in the summer of 2016, and managed four goals in all competitions for the Yellow Submarine last term.

Everton are still believed to be in the market for at least one more attacker this summer, and Cheryshev could well fit the bill.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255857″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Everton’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

The Premier League club’s supporters have been reacting to the speculation on social media, and it would be fair to say that they have differing views.

That said, there are many who feel that Cheryshev’s arrival could see 20-year-old Ademola Lookman, who continues to be linked with RB Leipzig, move on ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Game
Register
Service
Bonus