West Bromwich Albion will be desperate to return to winning ways tomorrow evening by getting the better of Stoke City, with the automatic promotion places slowly slipping away. 

The Baggies are still in with a chance of challenging for a place in the top two but a play-off spot looks more likely as they just can’t seem to ensure consistency at the right moments.

However, the Midlands club are already in line for summer delight, as according to Birmingham Mail, Darren Moore denied there’s much of a chance Oliver Burke leaves for Celtic permanently.

Here’s what the West Brom boss had to say:

“Not that I know of no, if there is it’s something between Celtic and our board of directors. As far as we are concerned we sent Oli up there to get some games. To play at a level that we thought was right for him.

“We couldn’t of thought of anywhere better for him. The opportunity of Celtic coming in for him and working under the manager up there. That would help him develop to get him to where we think he should be.

“Hopefully we get him back in the summer and see a more rounded Oli Burke because of the matches he has played.”

Indeed, the youngster has been outstanding since joining Celtic on loan last month, having already scored three goals in the Scottish Premiership. He is finally shaping up to be the player that the Baggies thought they’d signed for a club record fee back in 2017, so it comes as no surprise that Moore is reluctant to sell him permanently.

Of course, the 21-year-old, who is valued at £9 million (by Transfermarkt), has the potential to become a future star and he is currently showing exactly what he’s capable of over in Scotland, so West Brom are already set for summer delight as the Englishman could play a monumental part next season for the Baggies.

So, it appears as if Moore is set to welcome a potential Hawthorns hero back to the Midlands in the summer transfer window, with a permanent stay at West Bromwich Albion looking likely at this moment in time. This is huge for the Baggies as his pace, skill, dribbling and finishing ability could take their attack to another level.

West Brom fans – thoughts on Moore’s decision? 

After some difficult spells at the club, Scott Sinclair has been in the goals of late, helping Celtic to extend their lead at the top of the SPL table and progress in the Scottish Cup.

The 29-year-old, who turns 30 this month, however, might not be able to build on that next season as a Celtic player with his future at Celtic Park far from certain.

The Breakdown

The Scottish Sun reports Sinclair could leave the SPL champions at the end of the campaign with chief executive Peter Lawwell yet to communicate whether the option for a further year in his contract will be invoked.

As already mentioned, Sinclair has had some rough patches at Celtic since his brilliant debut campaign back in 2016/17.

However, the English winger is slowly returning to his best again and remains a player who carries a lot of threat in this Celtic attack.

Sinclair is, of course, lightning quick, while in front of goal he can be absolutely devastating on his day with his calm and composed finishing.

It is perhaps something Celtic supporters have not always seen enough of during Sinclair’s time at Celtic Park. That being said, it is still hard to describe the former Aston Villa man as being anything other than a success who is worth retaining.

أكد الإسباني، مونشي، المدير الرياضي لنادي إشبيلية، أنّ ناديه تلقى عرضًا من أحد أندية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز (رفض الكشف عن اسمه)؛ لبيع جول كوندي، خلال نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية.

كوندي تألق مع إشبيلية خلال الموسم الماضي، واستطاع أن يقود الفريق الأندلسي للفوز ببطولة الدوري الأوروبي على حساب إنتر ميلان في النهائي.

وليس سرًا أنّ مانشستر سيتي يريد التعاقد مع كوندي، رغم رفض مونشي ذكر اسم وصيف الدوري الإنجليزي، الذي قدم عرضًا قدره 46 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

وقال مونشي في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ذا صن” البريطانية: “كوندي مُحترف رائع، وليس لدي شك في احترافه والتزامه لنادينا”.

وأضاف: “لقد وصل عرضًا من نادٍ من الدوري الإنجليزي، قمنا بتقييمه ورفضناه رغم أنه كان أكثر من ضعف ما قمنا بدفعه قبل 12 شهرًا (23 مليون جنيه إسترليني)، إلا أننا نعتبره غير كافٍ”.

وواصل: “إذا وصلت المزيد من العروض فسنقيمها ونقرر كما نفعل دائمًا، نحن لا نخشى البيع، لأن هذا ما فعلناه خلال العقدين الماضيين، وهذا ما سمح لنا بالتطور والنمو”.

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Hoffenheim Director of Football Alexander Rosen have confirmed that they have received a bid worth €50million (£42.8m) for reported Newcastle United target Joelinton, per Bild.

The 22-year-old striker has scored 10 goals in all competitions thus far this season.

What’s the word?

Joelinton joined Hoffenheim in 2015 from Brazilian club Sport Recife.

However, he has had to wait for his breakthrough at the club, having spent two years on loan with Rapid Wien.

During his spell in Austria, the attacker scored 21 goals and laid on nine assists in a total of 79 appearances.

And he has hit the goal trail again upon his return to the Bundesliga, leading to reported interest from a number of European clubs.

Per the aforementioned report, Newcastle are willing to pay €60m (£51.4m) to secure his signature but Rosen is keen to retain the club’s prized asset.

He told Bild: “We have developed great strength to be able to say no, which we have proven in the past.”

Asked if Newcastle had been the club to table the bid, he replied: “To be honest, there is not one, there are not five, there are dozens of clubs that are interested in him.”

Far-fetched

Unfortunately, this seems like little more than a pipe dream for Newcastle fans.

The Magpies broke their transfer record in January, signing Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United for a fee of £20m.

That deal was the most expensive for the club since 2005, when they secured Michael Owen from Real Madrid.

To expect the club to now be willing to pay almost triple that for any player, let alone one who has spent just a season in a top European league, feels fanciful.

There appears to be a number of clubs looking to sign Joelinton – he is surely unlikely to end up on Tyneside.

Theo Walcott surely faces an uncertain future at Everton after another below-par performance at home to Manchester City.

The Blues were beaten 2-0 by the Citizens despite a much-improved showing from Marco Silva’s men at Goodison Park. Once again, Walcott failed to deliver and many Everton fans took aim at the former England international on social media. The 29-year-old has flattered to deceive since joining from Arsenal for £20m in January 2018 and Silva must be targeting alternatives in the summer.

Indeed, another loss at the weekend to Watford would have really heaped pressure onto the club.

Just four goals in all competitions is a poor tally and his final ball has left Blues fan dismayed at times throughout the season. A summer exit looks more than likely and Everton should use the funds from his sale to fund a replacement as soon as possible.

One man they could turn to is Hull City hotshot – Jarrod Bowen. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old joined the club’s youth setup back in 2014 and has climbed the ranks to become a crucial first-team player. Bowen has been in wonderful form this season, flourishing under the leadership of Nigel Adkins.

The winger has netted an incredible 15 goals in just 30 appearances from the right this season as well as registering three assists for his team-mates. Capable of playing right across the forward line, Bowen has all the attributes to be a massive success in the Premier League. Despite not being the quickest of forwards, his technical ability more than makes up for his lack of pace.

Bowen is still developing and improving with every game – moving to Goodison Park would greatly improve his chances of a national team call-up. Swapping Walcott for the promising winger in the summer would be a masterstroke from the Blues.

Everton fans, thoughts? 

Arsenal will be gutted with their recent result against BATE Borisov in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 tie, as they failed to come away from Belarus with an away goal. 

The Gunners find themselves trailing in the race for a top four spot and their European hopes are in doubt after their midweek result, so things definitely need to improve immediately.

However, it looks as if the North London club already have their eye on a possible summer swoop, as according to Corriere dello Sport (via Metro), Arsenal have held talks to sign AC Milan’s Suso.

Interestingly, the Spaniard is said to have a €40 million (£35m/$45m) release clause in his deal at the San Siro.

Suso has come on leaps and bounds since moving to Italy as he continues to make a name for himself, with six goals and eight assists to his name at this moment in time. The attacker operated as more of a winger during his time at Liverpool but he’s been playing more centrally in recent times, which has certainly benefited him.

One player who the Gunners may be desperate to replace is Mesut Ozil as his future looks extremely uncertain as he continues to waste away behind the scenes at the Emirates.

The Gunners have reportedly identified Kai Havertz as the man they want to replace Mesut Ozil, according to Calciomercato (via The Sun). But, the youngster has very little experience and still has a lot of developing to do, so Arsenal would be better off moving for a ready-made replacement who could step right into the side and excel.

Indeed, Suso is a ready-made replacement for the German as he’s shown that he can provide an impressive amount of assists and he also has the ability to find the back of the net, which Ozil has struggled to do. And, he has experience from playing in Europe, which could come in handy in the future at the Emirates.

His skill, pace, dribbling and finishing ability makes him one of the most talented attackers in Italy, and he’d fit perfectly into the Gunners’ tiki-taka style with his passing and quickness taking Arsenal’s attack to another level.

Arsenal fans – thoughts?

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Crystal Palace have had a pretty unremarkable season so far and while there have been some spectacular high points – see the 3-2 win over Manchester City and Andros Townsend’s thunderbolt volley – the Selhurst Park faithful can feel disappointed that they have been unable to break their season-after-season relegation battle, considering the quality they have in all areas of the pitch.

Roy Hodgson is sometimes guilty of choosing the wrong approach or making peculiar tactical decisions but he and his players deserve credit for the extraordinary turnaround during the 17/18 season, in which a number of players stepped up to the plate and proved their value.

This season, though, there have been few remarkable performers and arguably more who have declined. Who, then, are Palace’s most improved and far removed players?

Most improved: Jeffrey Schlupp

While Aaron Wan-Bissaka has certainly been the Eagles’ most impressive and consistent player this season, the 21-year-old has been that good since his debut in February last year, while Jeffrey Schlupp has come on leaps and bounds since last campaign.

The Ghanaian is taking the label of ‘utility man’ to a whole other level – deployed at left-back, left-midfield and, more importantly, central-midfield, the former Leicester man has been the surprise package of Palace’s season.

Tucked into a three, the 26-year-old has brought rare pace and a quality finishing touch to the Palace midfield, scoring five goals – a tally that brings him level with Wilfried Zaha.

Far removed: Patrick van Aanholt

Previously keeping Schlupp out of the lineup, van Aanholt was hugely impressive last season and struck up a dangerous partnership with Zaha on the left-flank, although this campaign he has looked less confident on the ball and his defensive shortcomings are being exposed far more often.

In the 17/18 season, the nine-cap Dutchman was a scoring threat for the Eagles, striking five times in 28 league appearances – however, he has netted just once in 26 appearances in 18/19.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

When he isn’t contributing going forward, the reasoning behind starting the 28-year-old is far less convincing considering his often poor positioning on the back foot can be a liability. He can undoubtedly bounce back from this disappointing six months, although he needs to get his act together sooner rather than later.

Liverpool will be focused on securing at least one piece of silverware in the current campaign as they’re in with a great chance of pipping Manchester City to the Premier League title and have the opportunity to go one better in the Champions League. 

Jurgen Klopp has worked wonders on the transfer front and with the players at his disposal since taking charge at Liverpool, which has helped the Reds challenge for silverware in recent times.

Interestingly, it appears as if the Merseyside club have the perfect opportunity to sign a player, as according to Le10 Sport (via Teamtalk), Liverpool have reportedly been given the clear run to sign Malcom.

Sadly, the Brazilian, who is valued at £36 million (by Transfermarkt), has completely flopped since moving to Barcelona as he’s found it extremely difficult to work his way into Ernesto Valverde’s plans, and he hasn’t exactly looked particularly impressive during his time on the field.

However, the Brazilian showed plenty of promise during his time at Bordeaux as he managed to notch 12 goals and produced eight assists. There’s no doubt that he has all the ingredients to become a world-class player but he just hasn’t been provided with enough opportunities in Spain.

Jurgen Klopp has been able to transform a number of quality players into world-class stars at Anfield, including the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, with Andy Robertson not being far off.

There’s no doubt that the German boss can transform the Brazilian into a world-class player as he’s technically gifted and has the ability to perform at the highest level, so FSG simply must seal a summer deal for the winger.

The one thing that has stopped him from reaching his full potential is his self-confidence after a tough start to life at Barcelona, which is something that Klopp can easily sort as he’ll welcome him with open arms as a big admirer of the Brazilian, and he’ll be well aware of his potential.

The winger would fit into Liverpool’s system perfectly as he loves to get on the ball and looks to use his pace, and his ability to create and score goals would make their attack even stronger.

Liverpool fans – thoughts?

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Manchester United pulled off a Champions League miracle on Wednesday night when they overcame a two-goal first leg deficit against PSG to progress to the next round of Europe’s elite club competition.

The Paris club’s star-studded side very rarely lose at the Parc des Princes, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men produced a wonderfully disciplined and clinical performance to triumph against the odds.

The Norwegian coach’s impressive start to life at Old Trafford was given another layer of gloss with this remarkable success. Considering how many key players weren’t available to him too, including Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, he’ll certainly have learned a few things about his squad on Wednesday.

Lukaku is back (and better than ever?)

Towards the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign, and at the outset of Solskjaer’s tenure, Romelu Lukaku looked utterly bereft of confidence. The £75 million striker’s finishing touch had deserted him and the United faithful were beginning to turn on the 25-year-old.

Marcus Rashford established himself as the first choice striker under the new boss, and only a month or so ago it looked like it would take something very special from Lukaku to restore his reputation at Old Trafford. He has delivered something special since then though. 

His recent form has been magnificent. He’s scored six goals in his last three games – two in each. His most recent brace was by far the most important, as his well-taken double gave United hope in Paris.

Ahead of the 2nd leg between Atletico Madrid and Juventus, 442oons reimagine the first leg in the video below in their own unique way…

Faith in youth the answer to injury crisis

United’s injury crisis was well documented heading into this game. On top of Pogba’s suspension, Martial, Lingard, Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and club captain Antonio Valencia were all ruled out.

The likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Andreas Pereira started against the Ligue 1 giants, and all acquitted themselves well. On top of that, several academy starlets were named on the bench. 19-year-old Tahith Chong and 17-year-old Mason Greenwood actually both made it onto the pitch.

This proved that United have some serious squad depth and some exciting youth prospects who Solskjaer isn’t afraid to use on the biggest stage. That will be crucial to alleviating United’s injury woes during this difficult period.

Rashford is ice cool

The two-legged tie was decided by a last minute penalty. The VAR-assisted decision to award the spot kick was controversial to say the least, and the lengthy delay that the review process caused will only have served to set Rashford’s nerves jangling.

If he was nervous, the 21-year-old England man didn’t show it. The 31-cap international stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty beyond iconic veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. 

Rashford is, of course, a huge talent with a great future ahead of him. When the time comes to reflect upon his career, that night in Paris, and that highly-pressurised penalty, could be considered to be one of the defining moments.

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.