Paul Mullin has returned to action with Wrexham after suffering a punctured lung, but Phil Parkinson is unsure as to when he will be back to his best.
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The Blues' goalscoring woes continued into the post-Graham Potter era as they were held to a 0-0 draw by fellow strugglers Liverpool
Graham Potter may have been relieved of his duties, but Chelsea's ineptitude in front of goal continued on Tuesday as they played out their second goalless draw of the season with fellow underachievers Liverpool.
Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic were the main offenders on this occasion, spurning a pair of glorious chances each as the Blues failed to make their dominance pay. When Havertz did have the ball in the back of the next – a rebound from another poor finish – it was chalked off for handball.
N'Golo Kante's first start since August was a major positive as he bossed the midfield in typical fashion, but he was unable to help his team to a much-needed win.
Here are GOAL'sChelsea player ratings from Stamford Bridge…
Alasdair Gold has revealed that, while Mauricio Pochettino’s future at Paris Saint-Germain remains uncertain, he has not yet had contact with Tottenham in regards to a potential return to the club.
Pochettino was replaced by Jose Mourinho in November 2019, who himself was sacked last month just a few days prior to the Carabao Cup final.
The managerial position at Spurs remains vacant as Daniel Levy continues his search for the next man to step into the hot seat.
As it stands, PSG are three points behind Ligue 1 leaders Lille with just two games left to play (BBC), so it seems unlikely that they will retain their league crown.
In an article for football.london, Gold has said that the 49-year-old’s future at the Parc des Princes is up in the air, but added that there has not yet been any contact between the Argentine and Levy.
Pochettino replaced Thomas Tuchel at PSG in December of last year on an 18-month contract – he will earn £467,000 per month (gentside.co.uk), or about £8.4m overall. The Parisians have won seven of the last eight league titles in France, so to not finish top of the table would be a huge disappointment.
Pochettino remains a hugely popular figure from his time in north London (The Boot Room) and there could well be a contingent of the support who would welcome him back with open arms.
However, returning to his former club, who are further away from success than PSG, could be perceived as a step backwards, so it remains to be seen what the next few months hold for the former Southampton manager.
In other news, Levy is reportedly desperate to hire this man for Spurs.
A number of Liverpool fans have been left frustrated by James Pearce’s update regarding the Reds’ summer transfer business at centre-back.
Jurgen Klopp’s side returned to winning ways against Southampton on Saturday evening, securing a vital 2-0 win at Anfield. It was a must-win game in the Premier League top four battle as Liverpool made the most of Leicester City’s shock 4-2 defeat at home to Newcastle United 24 hours previously.
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The Reds may have kept a clean sheet at Anfield, but they had a patched-up defence including Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams, highlighting the issues they have had at centre-back this season. Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all long-term absentees, and Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies have also joined them on the treatment table in recent days.
It is vital that at least one new central defender comes in this summer, but in an ideal world, bringing in another wouldn’t go amiss.
Speaking in a post-match Q&A for The Athletic, however, Pearce revealed that he only expects the one central defender to arrive before the start of next season, saying: “I was told it’s likely that only one CB will be signed permanently this summer.”
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These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to reveal their annoyance at the transfer update from Pearce.
“If you are making the same mistake again, you aren’t learning”
Credit: @svkShailendra
“FSG OUTTTTTTTT!!!!!”
Credit: @JoelYNWA8
“It would be an absolute joke if Kabak isn’t made permanent. The guy’s been absolute class since he arrived”
Credit: @Strictly_Scouse
“Does that mean Konate and no Kabak? Because if it is so then FSG are a disgrace”
Credit: @Thiago_vision
“This better be wrong. Kabak deserves the contract”
Credit: @_euanito
“Another bad season ahead”
Credit: @medguen
In other news, one journalist has dropped a double Liverpool contract update. Read more on the story here.
Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast that Daniel Levy was left with no other option but to sack Jose Mourinho because of the bizarre team selections he made, and the way he upset so many players, including Steven Bergwijn.
The Netherlands international was signed from PSV Eindhoven in January of 2020 and made an instant impact, as he scored on his debut against Manchester City.
However, the 23-year-old was in and out of the team in the final weeks of Mourinho’s reign, sparking confusion from the ex-Spurs captain.
Bergwijn played in five successive games between January and February but was then suddenly dropped and has played just 24 minutes since, in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
He has been on the bench twice but other than that, the £22.5m-rated ace, per Transfermarkt, had not been included in the squad leading up to Mourinho’s departure.
Roberts thinks that decisions such as this from Mourinho alienated squad members, and ultimately left Levy with no other alternative but to pull the trigger.
Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “If you look at it, starting off the season, you had Bergwijn in the team. But Bergwijn’s not even on the bench now.
“So what’s happened there?
“I think you just start to upset that many players, that I don’t think the chairman had any option but to sack him.”
Steven Gerrard could be set to receive a huge blow at Ibrox this summer, as Leeds United are reportedly set to reignite their interest in Rangers winger Ryan Kent.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were heavily linked with a move for the former Liverpool youngster last summer ahead of their first season back in the Premier League and now, after an impressive campaign, they look likely to return for the 24-year-old Rangers star.
According to The Scottish Sun, the Yorkshire side are preparing a £15m bid for Kent this summer as they look to tempt him back to English football.
Although he made just one appearance for Liverpool’s senior side during this time with the Reds, he had a number of loan spells in the lower leagues of English football with Coventry City, Barnsley and Bristol City, before making the loan move to Ibrox in the summer of 2018.
After contributing six goals and six assists in 27 league appearances for Gerrard’s side, he joined the Light Blues on a permanent deal the following summer and has been a hugely important player at Ibrox ever since.
Kent has been instrumental in Rangers’ title win this season and has comfortably been one of their best performers both domestically and in Europe.
In 33 league appearances, the winger has contributed an impressive eight goals and seven assists, which has helped him earn a superb 7.40 average rating, which is second to only James Tavernier in the Rangers squad.
This would rank him as Leeds’ best performer if he were able to reproduce those numbers in the Premier League and given his seemingly endless running and ability to beat a man out wide, it is easy to see why Bielsa is so keen to bring him to Elland Road.
After Kent earned the Player of the Month award earlier in the season, Gerrard was full of praise for the young winger, saying:
“Ryan Kent has been top class and hasn’t let any noise affect him, he is scoring goals and looking very dangerous. He is really taking it to opposition teams and he’s settled and enjoying his football.
“Kent deserves to be Player of the Month and has been in sensational form. He has been fantastic to work with.”
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Therefore, the 40-year-old would undoubtedly be fuming if Kent were to depart for Leeds United this summer, as he is surely at the forefront of Gerrard’s plans for next season’s title defence and Champions League return, so it would be a huge blow if he were to depart this summer.
And, in other news… Gerrard suffers huge injury blow to “phenomenal” Rangers gem, it’s not good news
Former Glasgow Rangers manager Alex McLeish believes Ianis Hagi is unhappy at Ibrox due to his lack of playing time.
Hagi has been in and out of Gerrard’s starting line-up so far this campaign. He has made 42 appearances in all competitions this term, of which 33 have been starts – the Gers have been involved in a total of 52 matches throughout the season (Transfermarkt).
Speaking to Ibrox News, McLeish believes the £5.4m-valued Romania international (Transfermarkt) will be upset. He said:
“He’s played cameo roles for most of the season. There were doubts about him at Genk, they thought he was just ok, but he’s a young lad.
“For a young player like that, I would say that a lot of the games he has contributed more in than at the beginning which shows his improvements. He’ll probably be upset that he’s not started that much or played.
“Steven has obviously got a game plan, and he is a little reluctant to disrupt that too much.”
This campaign has been far from a total disappointment for the former Genk man. He has managed seven goals and 12 assists in the matches in which he has played, and his performances have contributed to the Gers winning the Premiership title.
Having said that, he will most likely have expected to be a crucial player for the 55-time Scottish champions, and that has not really been the case. He has also come in for criticism from the club’s supporters, which will not have done his confidence any favours. He has been linked with a move to Lazio (Sport.ro), and that may well be on the back of his mind.
Hagi, though, still has plenty to offer. He is just 22 years of age, and there have been plenty of signs of his talent. If both he and Steven Gerrard can remain patient, the youngster could have a fantastic career at Ibrox.
In other news, Rangers are favourites to sign this striker.
Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that West Ham captain Mark Noble would be “annoyed” if David Moyes ever opts to pick a youngster instead of him while Declan Rice is out.
The Hammers have one of the most settled midfield partnerships in the Premier League in Rice and Tomas Soucek, but the former has been ruled out for around four weeks with a knee problem sustained on international duty.
Prior to West Ham’s game with Wolves last week, the pair had played every minute in the Premier League season, with that run finally coming to an end at Molineux.
Mark Noble was the obvious choice to replace Rice, with 21-year-old Conor Coventry, who was an unused substitute for the recent defeat to Manchester United, their only other senior recognised central midfielder in the squad following the summer departures of both Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere.
But McAvennie told Football FanCast that playing a youngster ahead of Noble wouldn’t sit well with the Hammers skipper:
“Nobes would be annoyed at him because you automatically want to get in.
“Sometimes you say ‘right Nobes, you go and sit in in front of the centre-halves and don’t let them get in’. But it’s so defensive. Because it’s so good to watch West Ham at the moment because they’re so quick and lively.
“They’ve got players there, it’s how they do it. Do they bring Nobes in or bring a youngster in and play the same way, that’s why David Moyes is given the big bucks. I know for a fact that Noble will want to play, but whether he can or not I don’t know.”
Celtic’s search for a new manager has gathered frantic pace in the last few days, with Eddie Howe looking like the man to enter the Bhoys dugout.
That being said, when the Hoops face Falkirk in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, they will do so with John Kennedy in charge again.
It will be interesting to see how Celtic and Kennedy approach the cup. They are yet to win any silverware this season and this remains their sole chance of scooping a major honour. Therefore, you’d imaging they plan on taking it pretty seriously.
That being said, when they face third-tier Falkirk today, they can probably afford to make a few changes here and there.
With that in mind, this feels like the perfect time to finally unleash James Forrest.
The winger had been missing since September due to a lengthy ankle injury until he came off the bench against Dundee United last month. He has played just 23 minutes under Kennedy, though, struggling to make a proper breakthrough with the interim coach in charge.
Of course, it’s been useful to hand drips and drabs to Forrest as he returns to the fold, but with this game being a simpler challenge on paper, it’s an ideal time to hand him his first start since returning from his layoff.
If Forrest does come back into the side this weekend, it’s likely to be Ryan Christie who will miss out. David Turnbull is too impressive to drop, while Mo Elyounoussi returned to form with a vibrant goalscoring performance against Rangers in the Old Firm a fortnight ago.
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Christie has been particularly abject this term. He set up a goal for Scotland on international duty last week but, in recent months, he’s had had a tough time for the Hoops. He has scored just twice in his last 26 outings and he only has one goal to his name in the whole of 2021 so far.
With that in mind, the return of Forrest feels timely. He scored 16 times last season while registering 22 assists. To lose a player like that for such a large period of time, therefore, has been nothing short of disastrous for Celtic.
In 2019/20, only Christie completed more dribbles per game than Forrest in continental competition, so clearly he has been a huge absentee.
The Scotland international is nothing short of a cult hero at Parkhead. He has played 407 times for the Hoops, putting in some majestic performances along the way, and you only need to look at appraisals throughout the years to understand the extra dimension he can give Celtic on Saturday.
Speaking in April 2019, former Bhoys manager Neil Lennon commented: “He’s a beautifully balanced footballer”, adding : “He’s having a great three or four years, but the potential was always there when he was a kid. He’s one of the best players in Britain now.”
Thus, it’s unfortunate that Forrest has had to miss such a large part of the 2020/21 campaign. He could have been the difference maker in Celtic’s pursuit of ten titles in a row.
After easing the £15k-per-week earner back gently last month, Kennedy must now finally unleash him in the starting XI.
Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been giving their views on an update regarding young midfielder Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
According to the Daily Mail, the 18-year-old looks set to move to Germany and join either Borussia Monchengladbach or Schalke after turning down a two-year professional contract at Selhurst Park.
Celtic, Everton and West Ham also hold a strong interest in Rak-Sakyi, however, it seems as if he is likely to become the latest young Englishman to move to the Bundesliga.
Palace will reportedly be in line to receive just £150,000 in training compensation for Rak-Sakyi, who has scored seven goals and registered three assists in his last eight fixtures for Palace’s U18 and U23 sides.
The Daily Mail claim that Rak-Sakyi is regarded as one of the brightest talents to emerge from Palace’s academy since Aaron Wan-Bissaka, so it appears as if it could be a big loss for the Eagles.
The news was shared on Twitter by @cpfc_xtra on Tuesday afternoon.
This is what these Palace supporters had to say, with one describing the teenager as a ‘high ceiling’ player.
“Well done Hodgson”
Credit: @D_Shootz
“Oh. Please, no”
Credit: @cpfcjude
“Cat 1 and we still can’t keep our best talents”
Credit: @joelcpfc_
“Need to keep him for sure. High ceiling player. Gotta keep the best youngster to prep for the first team.”
Credit: @TtimeSTL
“Let’s build a Cat A academy and then make our players not want to sign progressional contracts peak Parish that”
Credit: @Northyy001
“Nothing much can be done about things like this unfortunately”
Credit: @CPFCRonnie2
In other news: Many Crystal Palace fans shudder as club confirm news, find out more here.