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Liverpool continued to pile the pressure on Manchester City this weekend with an excellent comeback win over Southampton at St Mary’s.

The Reds are keeping their title tilt going and Jurgen Klopp’s men will be keen to ensure they manage to finally snaffle a first Premier League title since the league’s inception.

The lack of January signings however could well prove to be a big problem for the Reds, with no action in the market and manager Klopp left with what he already had at his disposal.

However, there are already rumours beginning to surface about who the club might look to move for in the summer, and one man who is being linked with the club today is former Manchester United winger Memphis Depay.

The Dutch star has been in fine form for Lyon since making the move to the French side following a failed spell at Old Trafford, and he might well look at Anfield as the ideal sort of destination to prove the doubters wrong and show he can be a success in the English game.

Depay has been a bundle of tricks in Ligue 1, and has added plenty of goals and assists to his CV along the way.

With the story reporting that Sadio Mane could be the one Depay is replacing at Anfield if a move does go through, Liverpool would need someone who can fit into Klopp’s system and replace the goals and assists that Mane provides.

Depay could well be that man, and while it won’t delight United fans if he does move to Liverpool, he could be a massive success at Anfield and prove to be a shrewd addition by the Merseysiders.

[ad_pod ]Football writer Daniel Storey posted a study on Twitter on Tuesday that revealed Southampton have the eighth-most valuable team in the Premier League this season when you look at the transfer fees paid for their 10 most regular starters.

While Saints have received their fair share of money for the likes of Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk in recent years, they have also been splashing out on new signings themselves.

Jannik Vestergaard, Mario Lemina, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Guido Carrillo, Mohamed Elyounoussi and Sofiane Boufal are just a selection of the big-money additions that have arrived at St Mary’s in the previous few seasons, and the latter trio won’t even have been included in this study.

There is no doubt that the south coast outfit were underachieving under both Mauricio Pellegrino and Mark Hughes, and they only had nine points to their name this season when Ralph Hasenhuttl took the reins at the beginning of December.

The Austrian’s arrival has sparked a huge upturn in form for Southampton, who have taken 27 points from 18 top flight matches since.

Now five points above the drop zone the former RB Leipzig coach has probably been labelled as a miracle worker by some, but these latest findings suggest that isn’t actually the case.

Considering the value of some of their regular starters compared to other clubs in the Premier League, Saints’ form in recent months is exactly what it should have been throughout the entire campaign.

In short, the improvement shown should have been the minimum requirement considering the players the 51-year-old has had available to him.

Of course he still deserves plenty of plaudits though, because what a study like this doesn’t take into consideration is the fact that Hasenhuttl took charge of a squad shot of confidence who had forgotten how to play effective, attacking football.

Why should Southampton be more like Dortmund? Find out in the video below…

He has transformed them in that respect, but he has also good resources to work with when you see the transfer fees paid for some of the individuals he is working closely with.

The aim next season, should they preserve their Premier League status, will surely be to aim for a seventh-place finish.

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Manchester City will look to stay ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League title race when they face arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

The Cityzens overcame a difficult-looking fixture on paper when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday having gone out on aggregate to the same opponents in the Champions League just a few days previously.

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men’s difficult run of form continued as they were thrashed 4-0 by Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, leaving them with a lot to do if they want to be playing Champions League football next term.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

City supporters have taken to the Blue Moon forum to have their say on United ahead of the huge clash.

What have they been posting? Any surprises?

Not particularly, with many ripping into their local neighbours and one individual even labelling them as a “mess”.

Understandably, some City fans fear a reaction following the dismal display on Merseyside at the weekend, there are of course others who are confident that their team can easily beat an out-of-sorts United.

What is interesting is that more than one supporter believes that the hosts could resort to long-ball tactics at Old Trafford, to exploit a potential weakness for Pep Guardiola’s men shown against Spurs.

This is a huge game for both teams for their season ambitions, and it will be interesting to see how it all pans out on Wednesday.

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Aston Villa have this week decided to review their training ground safety arrangements. It’s a move which sees supporters only allowed to access Bodymoor Heath after training sessions have been completed.

To ensure safety, numbers will be limited to 25 fans on a first come first serve basis. The news comes in a week when Villa take on Leeds, who were at the centre of a scandal involving sending a spy to watch Derby train back in January.

As a result, fans of Dean Smith’s side were quick to poke fun at the Yorkshire club for the incident. Several fans were quick to reference Bielsa, posting a number of GIFs including the Argentine.

A further individual remarked that Leeds were at it again as Villa fans sarcastically assumed the club had brought the measures in to stop the Whites from sending another spy.

Both clubs are in with a real chance of playing in the Premier League next season. Villa sealed their play-off place with victory over Millwall earlier this week but Leeds have suffered back to back defeats to Wigan and Brentford. Those results left them in danger of missing out on an automatic promotion place.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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It appears as though Jack Grealish’s Aston Villa future is never certain. Last summer he was subject of a bid from Tottenham which was swiftly rejected, before the north London club renewed their interest in March 2019.

The midfielder has also been attracting the eyes of Crystal Palace, who only last week had lined him up as a potential Wilfried Zaha replacement, according to The Daily Mail.

It’s been a huge season for Grealish so it’s hardly a surprise to see him taking the fancy of Premier League clubs again.

The 23-year-old is now the Villa captain and was also named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

With that in mind, how can Dean Smith’s men cope if he leaves?

On the chalkboard

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Villa losing Grealish would be disastrous. From midfield, he’s scored six goals and also claimed six assists, a considerable tally for a player from that area of the pitch. He’s only featured 31 times too.

However, the options Smith possesses in central areas doesn’t make him irreplaceable.

That’s predominantly down to John McGinn, who in some senses, has outperformed his midfielder partner, Grealish. The Scot arrived from Hibernian last summer and has been nothing short of sensational.

He possesses an engine that the much sought after Villa man doesn’t have, whilst he also has the ability to score and assist goals. With Grealish leaving, it could free up a more advanced role for the Scot to flourish in.

Just imagine what he could do with greater license in forward areas. At 24, McGinn still has potential and given the loss he was during a suspension back in February and March, would arguably be a bigger blow if he were to leave.

To add to that, Villa have Conor Hourihane in their ranks too. Should Grealish depart, then they wouldn’t be short on creative outlets.

Therefore, the resources they already possess suggests they’d have no trouble coping if one of their star men did pack his bags.

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Lots of Rangers fans have been running the rule over Ryan Kent’s latest comments, as the winger left the door open for another stay at Rangers.

Rangers fans would love to have Kent back again next season. The Liverpool loanee joined last summer on a one-year deal, and is a PFA Young Player of the Year candidate.

He has scored six times and added nine assists in all competitions, with one of those assists of course providing the vital goal in December’s 1-0 Old Firm win.

And now, despite the club already penning deals for Jordan Jones and Jake Hastie, both of whom are at home on the left wing, Kent has offered hope that he may extend his stay at Ibrox.

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

“I want to kickstart my career somewhere now,” he said, per The Scottish Sun.

“I am tired of changing clubs each year, I want to settle down somewhere.

“Liverpool have been good to me, but the enjoyment factor of going back there each year and doing well in pre-season and going back out on loan, it is a repetitive cycle.

“I wouldn’t have got the opportunity to play in the Europa League anywhere else (but Rangers).

“In my eyes, the season has been a success. Whether or not I get opportunities to go elsewhere during the summer, I’d want a club with ambition, a club that’s driven on getting silverware.

“I don’t want to join a team that’s just taking part, that’s not going to get the best out of me.

“Ultimately in football the best players are winners, and have that winning mentality, and I feel like I have that and Rangers are pushing for that silverware.”

At 22, Kent is absolutely right to be yearning for a long-term home, and he clearly believes Ibrox is a possible landing spot.

The young winger wants playing time, European chances and a genuine shot at silverware, all of which he can get donning the famous blue.

Loads of fans have been reacting to the news on Twitter, and they may have gone a little overboard with the GIFs…

Celtic have a lot of work to do this summer and it could be a historic one for the club, dependent on who the permanent manager will be. Clearly, the Bhoys are at a crossroads in every sense of the word right now, regardless of their domestic dominance. 

Obviously, Neil Lennon has secured Celtic’s eighth consecutive Scottish Premiership title but it is unknown as to whether he will be staying on permanently. Surely, the Hoops will be aiming to come to that decision quickly, so all attention can then be on who Celtic will sign to aid yet another treble push and European progress.

A number of big transfers are sure to be in the making but the capture of soon-to-be free agent and former Celtic forward Gary Hooper would be shrewd business for the club. While not the most inspiring name, let’s not forget that Hooper, (who is valued at £2.2 million on Transfermarkt) was a firm favourite in Paradise right up until he left in 2013.

In a short three years at the club, Gary Hooper scored a stunning 82 goals in 138 appearances, a record he can build upon with a move back to Celtic Park. With it being confirmed that Hooper will leave Sheffield Wednesday on a free this summer, Celtic must assert themselves as favourites (the Scottish Sun believe there could be a transfer tussle) to be his next destination, given all the experience he has.

Accompanied with Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths for sure next season, Celtic would then have a healthy mix of youth and experience to get them through another campaign.

Despite only making five appearances this season because of injury, Gary Hooper on a free transfer would be relatively risk-free for Celtic, especially if they ended up getting up the same man that left them six years ago.

Do you agree Celtic should try and re-sign Gary Hooper? Let us know!

It’s rare you can say a player who has cost close to £50 million can be a bargain, but for Arsenal and Alexandre Lacazette, that’s been just the case.

The French striker joined the Gunners in 2017 from Lyon for a reported fee of £46.5 million and has since gone on to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League, named Arsenal’s Player of the Season as voted by the fans.

Indeed, 19 goals across all competitions this season in an otherwise thoroughly dysfunctional outfit is pretty good going.

Lacazette has also formed one of the best strike partnerships in Europe alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the duo fired Arsenal into the Europa League final, and the Frenchman has caught the eye of suitors.

Recently it was reported that Barcelona saw Lacazette as a potential target for the club if they were unable to sign Antoine Griezmann this summer, and now according to the Metro, Arsenal are willing to open contract talks with their number nine to sign the striker down to a new deal, and this will be massive for the club.

Lacazette has shown he is one of the top strikers in English football, being able to score a wide variety of goals as well as having an irreplaceable friendship and connection with Aubameyang, and tying the Frenchman down to a long-term deal will be some of the best business Arsenal do all summer.

Arsenal need improvements elsewhere on the pitch, but in Lacazette, the club have a player who can hold down the striker position for years to come.

Arsenal fans, will the club be able to tie Lacazette down to a new deal? Let us know!

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Chelsea supporters on Twitter have come out in support of a Europa League final boycott after news emerged that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be a part of the Arsenal squad in Baku.

Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that Mkhitaryan will not travel to the European showpiece after concerns for the Armenian’s safety due to political dissension between his native country and Azerbaijan.

UEFA had worked with the club and the Azerbaijani FA to devise a safe plan of action to allow for Mkhitaryan’s participation, but the 30-year old has now chosen to miss the match over fears for his safety while on the pitch.

The midfielder has played a crucial role in the Gunners’ Europa League charge, making 11 appearances in the competition while contributing three assists.

Mkhitaryan has previously missed matches in Azerbaijan twice in his career, with the former Manchester United star sidelined for October’s clash against Qarabag over similar safety concerns.

Unsurprisingly, Arsenal supporters are furious about the recent developments and Chelsea fans have put rivalry to one side in order to endorse a boycott of the Europa League final.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

What kind of transfer window will it be at all if Ed Woodward doesn’t end up eying the acquisition of another world-class star? What if United don’t make a statement and bring another big name to what can only be described as a circus of them now? We’re being sarcastic of course. 

So, despite his “world-class” buys producing bittersweet results in recent years, Woodward’s fame-hungry eyes have seemingly glown up with Antoine Griezmann’s recent availability.

Indeed, according to reports from the Independent late last week, the Red Devils are aiming to snatch away the French superstar from Barcelona’s hands and sign him. While this is could mostly be a ploy to increase Griezmann’s value, United’s lavish financial state cannot be underestimated. It’s quite possible a deal goes through, but it won’t solve United’s problems at all.

More recently, talkSPORT pundit (via the Express) Tony Cascarino backed the potential addition, which just seems so far from what the club actually need.

As a matter of fact, their problems could be amplified with this potential transfer. Granted Paul Pogba might well stay with his best friend’s arrival, but the real issues won’t really get fixed. For one, Griezmann simply isn’t suited that well to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s system. He just isn’t the winger the Norwegian is reportedly (as per the Sun) craving for, nor is that creative outlet to get their pacy forwards firing.

The Norwegian will have to create a number 10 or second striker role for him, changing his formation. Stupid, stupid stuff.

However, for Woodward, Griezmann’s the perfect marketing project. Indeed, he’s associated with many brands and is extremely popular around the world. Indeed, the commercial revenue around him would surely be monumental.

However, United’s development will remain static even after his potential arrival. The Red Devils won’t be able to spend much on reinforcing other roles if they splash everything out on Griezmann either, only adding to the problem. Frankly, the recurring nightmare could continue over next season if Woodward aims for another marquee signing over fixing the real problems plaguing Manchester United.

United fans, do you think Griezmann’s signing can fix the attacking problems? Join the discussion by commenting below…