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Rangers are in talks to sign Bolton Wanderers striker Josh Magennis, according to The Belfast Telegraph.

What’s the story?

The Gers already have two quality attacking options at the club in Jermain Defoe and Alfredo Morelos but arguably need a third to challenge on multiple trophy fronts and give manager Steven Gerrard tactical flexibility next season.

Kyle Lafferty had a difficult 2018/19 season and, as reported by The Scottish Sun late last month, he has been told he has no Rangers future.

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One option Rangers are apparently looking at to replace the striker is his international teammate Magennis, who The Belfast Telegraph report could be available on the cheap this summer due to Bolton’s financial woes.

The paper say that the Gers are currently speaking to the player’s representatives about a potential switch to Ibrox.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

What Rangers need?

With 41 caps for Northern Ireland and a wealth of experience in both the Scottish Premiership and English League One, Magennis is an experienced operator, with his physical game having the ability to prove useful in breaking down opposition defences and bringing teammates into the game around him.

Unfortunately though his scoring output simply isn’t at a level Rangers fans would expect from a striker and in fact the evidence suggests he would barely be an upgrade on Kyle Lafferty.

Magennis has never scored more than ten league goals in a single season and in Scotland, after spells at Aberdeen, St Mirren and Kilmarnock, managed to reach double figures in the Premiership just once in six seasons.

Supporters of the Gers will be expecting a higher quality of player to be arriving at Ibrox if Lafferty leaves and Magennis isn’t the answer.

His arrival also does little to protect the club against a potential Alfredo Morelos departure.

If this is the kind of target the club are looking at this summer, they’re likely to make little inroads on catching Celtic next term and the recruitment team at Ibrox must think again on filling the squad with below par players.

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When assessing what the top flight teams can expect to encounter next term from the newly promoted Blades, it is impossible not to begin with their overlapping centre-backs that took the Championship by storm in 2018/19.

Chris Wilder’s innovative variation on three at the back – that often saw the right and left sided defenders rampage forward and join up with their respective wing-backs – worked like a charm more times than not. With an industrious midfield also working in tandem, it resulted in opponents having to put out several fires at once and failing to do so. When it worked the system could be devastating and on 39 occasions in the league alone led to either Billy Sharp or David McGoldrick adding to their impressive combined tally. When it didn’t it should not be under-estimated how well organised United’s rear-guard was and will be again as they prepare for big tests ahead at Anfield and the Etihad. Nobody conceded fewer goals in the second tier last season.

Even so, the temptation is to believe that affording such adventure to a third of the defence will be curtailed from August onwards because surely a more conservative approach will be undertaken as each weekend presents another elite challenge.

That, though, would be fundamentally misinterpreting Wilder’s strategy that can change quickly from 3-4-1-2 in possession to a 5-3-2 out of it. It is not uncommon either for the three midfield players in the latter formation to go man-for-man and so in short what we have is a fluid, flexible game-plan that can be very hard to break down when necessary.

That necessity will increase ten-fold in the months to come as the limitations on individual quality within the Sheffield United ranks becomes ever more acute.

Only four members of the squad have Premier League experience – Chris Basham, Billy Sharp, Enda Stevens and Gary Madine – and truthfully none of the quartet made too much of an impact while elsewhere the stand-out stars at Bramall Lane were brought in as free transfers and rejects.

They have been transformed via the impressive coaching of Wilder – a south Yorkshireman born and bred who has forged such a close affinity with the fans that he refers to them as his ‘mates’ – and more so collectively through a philosophy that sees them go into games as if they are a goal down.

It is a group mentality that we know from past examples can take any team far, but with the leftover champagne barely flat from their celebrations United do have concerns going into the summer. The future of loanee keeper Dean Henderson remains uncertain, with the 22 year old likely to return to Old Trafford. Up front, meanwhile, the departure of fellow loanees Scott Hogan and Gary Madine leaves United with only two – admittedly prolific – strikers and cover needed.

Whether Wilder is given a suitable budget to address this is unclear given the bitter ownership battle that is taking place behind the scenes, but he has shown impressive form in recruiting from the bargain bin so perhaps that matters less than to other teams.

He too has a system that is Sheffield United’s twelfth man and a roaring, passionate home crowd that makes it thirteen.

That is going to prove unlucky next year for many heading to the Premier League new boys.

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When Newcastle United moved to sign Fabian Schar for just £3 million it felt as if Rafa Benitez was being victimised by the tyranny of Mike Ashley.

Another average transfer completed within the remits of a shoestring budget; another example of why the Sports Direct tycoon is the most unpopular man on Tyneside; another player to cement the painful mediocrity of a prestigious club punching well beneath its weight.

Why would Deportivo La Coruña willingly allow a quality central defender to leave the club for a pittance in a transfer market where bargain hunting is a practice that is snowballing towards extinction?

Well, their hands were of course tied as Newcastle triggered a release clause in his contract, but the mere existence of a release clause set the alarm bells ringing anyway.

The cunning individuals responsible for bringing Schar to St James’ Park, however, are certainly no fools and it has since become apparent that the signing was much more than a hopeful stab in the dark.

Jamaal Lascelles was the star of Newcastle’s defence last season, commanding interest from Manchester United in the process and leaving the supporters in a state of bewilderment at Gareth Southgate’s stubborn refusal to bring him into the England fold.

The aspiring England international, though, has since been upstaged by the brilliance of Schar. Plenty of players need to be afforded time during their transition to Premier League football but the Switzerland international has required no such treatment, starring on his maiden campaign and offering a level of ball-playing quality which wouldn’t go amiss at a top-six club.

Schar has played with tenacity and composure, strength and finesse, technique and desire. Combining old-school defensive arts with the progressive ball-playing principles which defenders are required to adhere to in the modern game, Newcastle fans have watched a player of genuine quality blossom under their noses this season.

He has been eulogised over by the Magpies faithful yet acknowledgements of the genius behind the transfer deal don’t seem to transcend much further than the Angel of the North.

Sky Sports produced an article on the candidates for signing of the season back in March. The four players identified were Salomon Rondon, James Maddison, Raul Jimenez and Alisson. Come on, Alisson? Really? He cost £67 million. What a farce. As if Liverpool fans needed any more ego-feeding in the media.

Listed in the list of potential alternatives to the aforementioned quartet were: Ben Foster, Felipe Anderson, David Brooks and Matteo Guendouzi. The absence of Schar was an utterly predictable but equally inexcusable omission.

Perhaps his absence from the conversation can be explained by the unassuming manner in which he walked through the door at St James’ Park. Nobody envisaged that he would do anything more than mirror his modest price-tag when, in fact, the standard of his performances suggest his true valuation dwarfs the cost of his transfer.

His goal-of-the-season contender against Burnley, multitude of incisive diagonals and crunching tackles point towards a level of flair and star quality of a potential award winner, but he has stealthily swerved serious consideration for esteemed recognition. Newcastle fans won’t mind that injustice too much, however, with the transfer window looming and a handful of top-six clubs seemingly in need of defensive recruits.

It’s not a sentence which many could have envisaged at the beginning of the season but Schar is surely the value-for-money, unsung signing of the Premier League season.

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Patrick Bauer was Charlton’s unlikely hero at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, with the big German scoring his first goal of the campaign when his side needed it most.

It was a typically stoic performance from the 26-year-old but most will have likely forgotten his tough tackles and aerial presence once he stabbed the ball home in the 94th minute.

It could well be the last Addicks fans see of the former Maritimo defender, with his contract set to expire this summer, but an extended stay at The Valley seems all the more likely now – following comments reported by the News Shopper – and it’s all down to him.

What’s the word?

Well, the Charlton number 5’s future has been up in the air for the past few months and he made it pretty clear that his side would have to secure promotion for there to be any chance of him remaining at The Valley.

Speaking to News Shopper in April, he said:

“When we are promoted, we’ll sit at a table and then we will speak about my future.”

Had Charlton failed to beat the Black Cats, then, it’s more than likely the Addicks captain would have been out the door this summer.

But the assumption now is that he will be open to negotiating new terms with the club, with Championship football confirmed for 2019/20, especially after he said on Sunday…

“For me it would be best to do it as soon as possible because, from now until the season starts again, there’s not a lot of time.

“I’d love to get [my future] sorted as soon as possible.”

Bauer ’bout that?

With Blackburn Rovers reportedly keen on signing him a couple months back, Bauer surely knew, even if Charlton remained in League One, that he would be playing in the second tier next season, so the stakes for the centre-back were seemingly much lower on Sunday.

However, the skipper took his fate into his own hands when it mattered and by poking home his side’s winner, he may have decided his own future with what would otherwise be his last touch in Charlton red.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

There’s little doubt that Bauer is of Championship quality and he will be crucial if the Addicks are to establish themselves in the second tier once again. By scoring the winner on Sunday, the beastly defender may have given his side much more of a chance next term and also ensured that they won’t have to choose another captain – he would have been an invaluable commodity to lose.

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Newcastle United have been operating on a stringent budget under Mike Ashley’s tenure.

That the January arrival of Miguel Almiron, a player with no experience in European football prior to his move to the North East, was greeted with such unparalleled enthusiasm speaks volumes about the distinct lack of exciting transfer activity at Newcastle in recent years.

But did the Magpies actually allow a potential Premier League star to slip through the net before he had been afforded ample time to discover his mojo? Well, a recent report from CIES Football Observatory certainly appears to suggest so.

According to the well-respected website, Florian Thauvin is now worth a whopping €61 million (£52.6 million) and is the most valuable player residing within Marseille’s squad.

That is some turnaround from a player who was frozen out of the first-team at Newcastle after failing to impress on a handful of appearances for the club.

To place this valuation into perspective, the same report reveals that Jamaal Lascelles is the most valuable player at Newcastle, yet his valuation is a measly €18 million (£16.4 million) – just under a third of what Thauvin is reportedly worth.

Perhaps that valuation would have been considered a touch unfair on the Newcastle enforcer at the end of a phenomenal 2017/18 campaign. His influence this season, however, has diminished and he has often been overshadowed by the brilliance of Fabian Schar, who supplements a similar level of defensive solidity to his counterpart with a daring but effective level of ambition when distributing the ball from deep.

The knee-jerk reaction would be to label the 26-year-old as one that got away. He has since gone on to notch an eye-watering 41 goals in all-competitions and provide a further 28 assists in less than two seasons. Marseille got all this for just £9.9 million.

It must be considered that there was little evidence to suggest that the winger was worth the £12 million fee they paid for him in his 13 Premier League appearances. But therein lies the problem: 13 appearances, just three of which were starts, is an obscenely transient length of time for any player to be expected to prove themselves after landing in a new division.

Steve McClaren’s personal ruling on the French wing-wizard’s talents following his arrival hint that the trigger was pulled prematurely, per Chronicle Live.

“He is a perfect for this club – someone who is young, with great potential and is one of the best young players in Europe.”

If he was indeed one of the best in Europe at the time, why on earth was he not not afforded a proper chance to prove himself at Newcastle? A greater level of patience should have been shown towards Thauvin as the transition from Ligue 1 to top-tier English football is seldom a seamless process.

The short-term thinking employed by McClaren and the decision-makers deprived the club of a game-changing talent when he was staring them in the face.

Almiron has injected a level of flair, creativity and dynamism into Newcastle’s midfield which has been absent for longer than most supporters would care to remember, but Thauvin’s scintillating form in France proves it didn’t have to be that way.

شارك الدولي البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو بديلًا في مباراة فريقه يوفنتوس أمام سبيزيا، الجارية حاليًا على ملعب الأخير، ضمن الجولة السادسة من الكالشيو.

رونالدو عاد بعد تعافيه من فيروس كورونا، ومن أول فرصة له على المرمى سجل هدف التقدم.

بيرلو أقحم رونالدو في الدقيقة 56 بدلًا من الأرجنتيني باولو ديبالا، وبعد 3 دقائق، تلقى كريستيانو تمريرة ألفارو موراتا وراوغ حارس المرمى وسدد بقوة في المرمى.

هدف رونالدو هو الثالث له مع يوفنتوس هذا الموسم، رغم أنه لم يشارك سوى في مباراتين فقط قبل هذه المباراة. شاهد هدف رونالدو في سبيزيا 

Mauricio Pochettino has transformed Tottenham into the team we see today since his arrival in 2013, but he needs to learn from his mistakes in previous cup exits. 

Tottenham tomorrow face Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, a fixture they come in as significant underdogs.

While Pochettino has indeed changed the fortunes of the North London side entirely since his appointment, he is yet to obtain any silverware, something he regularly received criticism for. Importantly, he must learn from the painful cup defeats his team have suffered in recent years.

A pertinent example to look at would be Tottenham’s FA Cup semi-final 4-2 defeat to Chelsea in which Pochettino opted to start Heung-min Son at left wing back. It was a tactical roll of the dice which went wrong.

More recently Tottenham were knocked out by Juventus in the last 16 of last season’s Champions League. It was a tie in which Tottenham thoroughly deserved to win, but ultimately it was again inexperience that cost them. Tottenham have vastly improved since that defeat gained an abundance of experience simultaneously.

In Monday’s pre-match press conference, on the upcoming Champions League fixture, Pochettino said: ‘We want to start tomorrow being very aggressive and try to dominate.’

This is perhaps not the best approach to take to a team who are so quick and dangerous on the break. City’s game plan will be to dominate and control the game themselves, countering anything Tottenham do throw forward. From experience, they know the Tottenham defence are liable to a mistake or two and will look to pounce on anything they see.

Arguably Tottenham’s best performances of the season have come against Borussia Dortmund, in which Tottenham shut up shop and looked to counter. Particularly in the return leg, they put in a defensive performance they simply would not have been capable of just a few years ago. It really seemed as if they had indeed learned from their defeat to Juventus, but they will have to show it once more against City.

Pochettino should look to replicate this kind of performance if Tottenham are to progress. He must realise that it is naive to believe Tottenham can go toe to toe with any team in the world. They must adapt their tactics to suit the match, or it could get ugly. An early City goal would be a disaster – one which may have drastic implications on the rest of the tie.

Tottenham fans – do you think Pochettino has learned from previous cup exits? Is attacking from the off the right approach? Comment below …

Jurgen Klopp has been given a major boost in the title race as star defender Joe Gomez and energetic midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns to training in a bid to make comebacks before the end of the season.

We would not go as far to say Liverpool have struggled since the defender suffered a lower-leg fracture during Liverpool’s victory over Burnley at Turf Moor on December 5 but there has been a noticeable difference in how competently they have defended throughout the period of his absence.

Gomez, who suffered a number of setbacks on his recovery, eventually needing surgery to correct the issue, joined his teammates on Tuesday morning’s session at Melwood and looks to be extremely close to making a comeback, though it is said he still has a bit of work to go before he can convincingly enter the melee of the title race (according to Liverpool’s official website).

Klopp revealed to Liverpoolfc.com: “It is nice – Joe is not injured anymore and nearly fit.

“He will not be in the afternoon training session because he has to do something else – he has to work on his endurance, that’s how it is and how the boys always have to do it, like Ox had to do it when he was finally back in training.

“After a long time, I think Joe was out for 15 weeks, that is long, so he needs to now create the basis again for the rest of the season.”

This will come as extremely welcome news to Liverpool fans who, before Gomez’s injury, enjoyed watching one of the most formidable defensive partnerships in the Premier League develop between the Englishman and Virgil van Dijk.

Oxlade Chamberlain, on the other hand, will continue full training with his teammates next week after a minor setback picked up playing for the under-23s earlier this month.

“I spoke to him a second ago; Ox is positive, we are all positive,” he said. “It was a little setback, it was not more, but it was a setback. That’s how it is.”

“You don’t want to be overly sensitive after a period like this because they train a lot – training is always like this, it’s like stress for the body. You feel something, but you don’t want to mention everything because it [can be] DOMS [delayed onset muscle soreness].

“It was the case with him, it was a little bit more than DOMS, but not really [serious]. We are careful of course, he is working, he is doing a lot and I think will be in training in a week again. Then he will be fine.”

No doubts this will boost a midfield unit slightly lacking dynamic options at the moment.

Liverpool fans, how important are these two players to your title hopes? Let us know in the comments below…

نفى أحمد خيري لاعب الأهلي الأسبق، الأنباء المتداولة عن تعرضه وشقيقه لحادث سير مساء أمس السبت.

وانتشرت شائعات على مدار الساعات القليلة الماضية عن وفاة اللاعب وشقيقه بسبب حادث سير.

وقال أحمد خيري خلال مداخلة هاتفية ببرنامج “الماتش” المُذاع على قناة “صدى البلد”: “أنا بخير، كثيرون تحدثوا معي والحادث لا يخصني”.

طالع أيضًا.. سيزا: بيراميدز لم يتفاوض مع فايلر.. وملعب التتش بريء من إصابات لاعبي الأهلي

وأضاف: “شقيقة أحمد خيري لاعب كرة اليد بالنادي الأهلي هي من تعرضت للحادث، خالص التعازي له”.

Having been their club’s best player last season and by some distance, no West Ham supporter would have seen what is currently happening with Marko Arnautovic coming.

In recent weeks, the 29-year-old has found himself on the periphery following a failed transfer to China in a development that could now see him push for another move come the end of the season.

The Breakdown

According to the Daily Mail, Arnautovic has grown frustrated with life on the bench and is now likely to seek a move away from the east London side in the summer, though Pellegrini should think twice before giving his approval over any potential sell.

Given everything that has happened, freezing out Arnautovic is understandable. However, going forward, Pellegrini should look to reintegrate the Austrian with West Ham unlikely to find a No.9 with his qualities so easily.

Before the January transfer window and throughout the last campaign, Arnautovic was so efficient when it came to leading that West Ham line.

He held up the ball well, terrorised defenders with his strength and skill and was deadly in front of goal.

Ultimately, if the Austria international’s heart is set on China, then there might not be anything the Hammers can do. But if that is not the case and his spot back in the starting XI is enough to keep him content, then Pellegrini has to give Arnautovic that and not sanction a sell.

West Ham fans, do you want Arnautovic to remain at the London Stadium? Join the discussion by commenting below.